Serving Cyclists in the
Mid-Atlantic States

In the Winter issue (click on picture of current issue, top left):

Another Hard Day at the Office...........................................................................Page 6

Giro D'Italia .....................................................................................................Page 10

Restoring Bikes & Memories...............................................................................Page 12

The Great Pumpkin Ride...................................................................................Page 14

Spinervals Guru Coach Troy..............................................................................Page 18

Spokeswomen....................................................................................................Page 22

Trispokes...........................................................................................................Page 24

Communter Connection.....................................................................................Page 25

Family Cycling...................................................................................................Page 26

Calendar of Events.............................................................................................Page 28

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Restoring Bikes & Memories
by Ron Cassie
ron_cassie@yaho.com

Before restoration

Ann Holsinger with her restored 1940's-era Sears, J.C. Higgins model bicycle

Tom Rinker, owner of The Bicycle Escape in Frederick, Md., doesn’t just enjoy selling new bikes. He really takes pride in the challenge of restoring older bicycles for customers, some which may be serious, steel-frame, old school road bikes still plenty capable in the rights – others may be virtually worthless. Except to the owners, of course.

Even Christmas was kept simple for Ann Holsinger, who grew up on a small Frederick County farm with mostly small, inexpensive gifts made or bought by her mother. But one Christmas gift always stood out. It was from her dad, a 1940s-era Sears, J.C. Higgins model bicycle. It was a girl's cruiser – hunter green frame, fenders and chain guard with sleek white-stripes and a matching rack on back.

She was 10 years old when she spotted the bike, hidden in the family’s barn.

"He wasn't the one who bought us gifts, that was my mom, that's one reason why it means so much to me," Holsinger told SPOKES. "I got a glimpse of the fender one morning while he was showing it to my older sister a few days before Christmas. I persuaded him to give to me right away," she adds with a laugh.

She'd figured her beloved childhood bike, the best gift ever from her since-passed father was long gone. However, after clearing out a shed by her parent's home following her mother's recent death, Holsinger rediscovered the bike – faded, covered in rust and five decades of mud that had caked into rock.

(for more, click on "Current Issue," top left)
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SPOKESWOMEN...a look at women’s cycling issues in the mid-Atlantic

by Lisa Kilday

Life is a Rusch with 3-time Mountain Biking World Champion

Rebecca Rusch

Three-time 24-hour Mountain Bike World Champion Rebecca Rusch is never one to sit around and waste time. Her resume includes a diverse athletic background of cross-country and track; rock climbing; outrigging on the U.S. Whitewater Rafting team; adventure racing including 10 Eco-Challenge ultra-endurance races; and cross-country skiing world titles. Her athletic accomplishments and accolades are worthy of the Guinness Book World of Records.

Rusch, who visited Contes bike shop in Arlington, Va., this past fall, and told SPOKES she intends to race in next year’s Shenandoah 100 mountain bike classic, moved to southern California, after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1995. She worked in a rock climbing gym and joined a paddling club. Teammates on her canoeing and outrigger teams persuaded her to try adventure racing. After winning her first adventure race, Rebecca lived out of her 1975 Ford Bronco while drifting about the Southwest and West Coast. Rebecca told SPOKES that she really enjoyed living in her car and exploring cool cities, such as, Truckee, California and Moab, Utah before settling in Sun Valley, Idaho. During this time, she also began to make many friends in the mountain biking community by couch surfing and house sitting.

(for more, click on "Current Issue," top left)

Nicole DeBoom: Ironman Champion and Fashion Entrepreneur

Nicole DeBoom knows triathlon. She won Ironman Wisconsin in 2004 and several short distance races, such as, the Chicago Triathlon and Memphis in May. Her husband, Tim DeBoom, won the Ironman World Championships twice. She also knows that running in bike shorts for 26.2 miles is uncomfortable after riding your bike for 112 miles. She would like to think that bike shorts are not particularly flattering on a professional triathlete’s body, either.

Nicole told SPOKES that she made her first “SkirtSport” to hide her bum during the 2004 Ironman Wisconsin. The SkirtSport is a frisky contraption. It is a short lycra skirt fashioned over a pair of bike shorts. At first glance, SkirtSports are similar to the adorable tennis skirts that you see Anna Kournikova and Venus Williams trotting around in. People either love them or hate them.

Shortly after its debut in August 2005, Runner’s World gave Nicole and her newbie company SkirtSports a quick glance stating that tough girls like Ironman Champion Nicole DeBoom wears skirts to run and bike. Controversy erupted because many people believed that her skirts focused on image and were a throwback to the 1950s and not fitness-oriented. However, industry leaders, such as, New Balance, Nike, Brooks, Sugoi, and Moving Comfort started to sell knockoffs of SkirtSports trendsetting clothing line. Five years later, Runner’s World raved about the popularity of the ‘Skirt Culture’ that Nicole spawned. Nevertheless, many women and men classify athletic skirts as cute outfits only and do not consider skirts appropriate for serious workouts.