It's Never Too Cold

To get out and exercise. This week's inspirations come from the Johnson County bike Club Newsletter (password: jcbikeclub)

'Cross Examination:
Dunked but undaunted, Tilford wins KLM 'cross (Dec 3rd, 2006)

When Steve Tilford crashed his bike into an icy lake on the second lap of Sunday's KLM Marketing UCI Cyclocross Race his first instinct was to get back on and start racing. A warm blanket and some dry clothing would have to wait. The Trek-Volkswagen rider from Topeka, Kansas, had another epic chapter to write in his already-storied career, which includes five world mountain-bike and four national cyclo-cross titles.

Tilford tossed his waterlogged bike out of the lake and after just one lap on the 2.5km course had chased down and passed Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific-Salsa) en route to winning the second annual edition of the race at Kansas City's Wyandotte County Park.

The bizarre incident and his stunning comeback had even Tilford shaking his head in disbelief afterwards. "I was on my hands and knees on the ice and my bike's laying there flat on it," Tilford said. "Then all of sudden, the ice broke through and I just went in up my waist and down to my shoulders." Before his ice bath, Tilford was 20 seconds clear of Prenzlow after the first of eight laps in the 60-minute event. But on his second trip through a frozen, rutty patch of mud on the tree-lined course, he lost control and skidded out onto the ice. With temperatures in the low 20s and a stiff, biting wind blowing out of the north, "I knew I was in trouble," Tilford said. "After I got out, I yelled to the guys in the pit that I needed some new gloves because my hands were frozen. But by the time I rode another lap, the gloves had frozen solid on my hands and I couldn't get pull them off with my teeth or my hands."

Tilford also found himself riding a bike that had essentially become a single speed. Already caked with mud, the bike's brake and shifting cables seized up, caked with icy slush from the trip into the lake. But it didn't matter. Tilford quickly caught up to Prenzlow and was eight seconds clear of the rider from Carlsbad, California, by the start of the next lap. From there, he put it on cruise control, tossing down lap times of 7:47, 7:43, 7:47 and 7:54 to build a lead that was a comfortable 29 seconds heading into the final lap.

"At the end, I tried to maintain and not make any more mistakes," Tilford said. "Obviously, if this would have been the nationals, I would have finished 30th or something. You have to be able to shift and brake your bike or you usually don't do well."

Langley's Lucky 13

Jim Langley will ride his bike for at least an hour this afternoon.... for the 4,734th day... in a row!

On Dec. 29 Langley completed his 13th year of never missing a ride. His incredible streak began in 1993 and probably won't end on purpose. It's already an unofficial world record -- no one is known to have a greater number of consecutive daily rides. Langley says, “I know that if I can just get out the door I'll never turn back. So I've gotten good at turning off my brain while I'm getting ready. It really helps to have your clothing, bike and gear prepared before rides, because anything problematic can turn into an excuse to keep you home. I have drawers and bins for my various cycling clothes and can suit up regardless of weather conditions without searching for anything. The same idea goes for fenders, lights, a repair kit, etc. They take away excuses and ensure I get underway with as little hassle as possible. They make sure that the little guy on my shoulder -- the one telling me to kick back on the couch with the remote and the bowl of cashews -- doesn't get the upper hand.”