Tuesday January 17, 2012
We hate to do it but something has to be done.
On January 24th the U.S. Senate is voting on a bill that will enable our government to censor web pages. There are tons of sites with information on about this:
http://sopastrike.com/
http://americancensorship.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/sopa-anonymous-january-18_n_1201397.html
HAC’s site will be joining in on the strike. Don’t freak out, we will be back… hopefully, on the 19th of January.
In the mean time, now’s a great time to call your Members of Congress and tell them how you feel about this issue— all of them are reachable through (202) 224-3121. Or, plug your zip code into this site on the left to generate an email to Congress.
Tuesday January 17, 2012 Journal
Chicago winters are hard. Like kick you in the balls then knee you in the face on your way down hard. So its a strange parallel Chicago I’ve woken into where its Jan 7th and there’s been no snow yet, none in sight and I’m heading out for the Half Acre Team ride, on my bike! outside! and its a balmy 40F.
The new regular start is Damen brown line stop at a civilized 9:15am. There’s a good 20+ people, 11 HACers and our always welcome guest riders. The gang is congregating under the El tracks some holding coffee from the nearby shop. The coffee isn’t even steaming in the mild air.
Our route is over to california and up through Evanston to the leafy North Shore lagoons, and eventually highland park and fort sheridan. Returning via the ubiquitous but scenic Green Bay and Sheridan roads.
The pace is off season friendly, with occasional bursts of pace and regroups. I’m on the front a fair bit as I want the workout, I’ve done a bit of a Jan Ullrich this year, by which I mean the 10 pounds gained over winter not the rampant (alleged) EPO abuse. So every extra watt, every extra mile to grind it off. We stop at the Perfect Blend in Highland Park and I have a non fat latte….and a Chocolate Muffin. So much for that.
On the way home the group splits a little into different paces, the front group is near Judson ride speed, but stopping at lights. Great riding.
As the winter continues, any freakish respite from the snow and sub freezing conditions of a Saturday will probably bring out a crowd, stumbling dazed and daylight deprived from dive bars, opium dens or even worse training bikes in the basement.
All can check the public forum page http://www.halfacrecycling.org/forum/discussion/1062/saturday-open-team-ride-915am-damen-brown-line-stop-2012 to see if the ride is going to happen. Non members can create an account and see this and other public forums, just not the secret forums where sponsor discounts, free beer and other benefits of membership (http://www.halfacrecycling.org/membership/) of ICA’s club of the year are discussed. We promise not to spam you.
— Bevan Brookfield
Thursday November 17, 2011 Race Reports
Going into the Indian Lakes double race weekend, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. This is my first season racing (ever, not just cyclocross) and every weekend brings something new to experience and overcome. Two feats for this particular weekend: racing two days in a row and through sandpits.
Continue reading »
— Laurie Chipps
Monday November 14, 2011
Our hats are off to 2011 Half Acre Cycling AND Kenosha Velodrome’s Rider of the Year, John Cline.
Not only did John race more than 100 times this year (!), he put countless hours into volunteering at the Chicago Velo Campus and attending meetings at the Northbrook Velodrome. He raced with heart and gave back with gusto, he was supportive in mentoring new track riders and he racked up some pretty stellar results, too.
Congratulations to John, our team’s first named Rider of the Year.
Friday October 21, 2011
CAMBR‘s at it again with another swell event to benefit our beloved trails. Join them on Saturday, November 13 from 1-4pm for drinks, hors d’oeuvers and discussion with Christian Vande Velde, Robbie Ventura, and John Vande Velde. And as usual, they’re having a rockin’ raffle where you can win serious prizes from SRAM.
Tickets are sold at the door and benefit CAMBR’s trail building efforts— drink to benefit our trails! More info here.
