BAFS 2024 Team Won Won (#11)

[Boomer Cycles]

Home base for members of Team #11

Action items for everyone to get ourselves operational for this freezing saddles season:

1. Join our Strava Club https://strava.app.link/uR7VMJm2fGb (by invitation only so you first need to request to join or follow me on Strava: Boomer Cycles and I can send you an invite directly)

2. Introduce yourself below and say a few words about why you are participating in Freezing Saddles

3. Suggest a name for our team

4. Go ride your bike!

Topic

[Boomer Cycles]

Greeting Pedalwans! I’ve been participating in BAFS since 2015 after having commuted from Falls Church to NW DC for 25-ish years. It transformed my outlook on biking through just about any weather conditions so much that I went car-free in 2016.  I ride everywhere for everything including local errands (errandonneuring, often with a bike trailer), coffeeneuring, weekly club rides and the occasional fun-themed (public art), timed race, multi-day rail trail or bike-packing adventures and have a garage full of bicycles of different sorts and a full-service shop for doing most of my own bike maintenance and repairs. I do BAFS to keep off the sofa and get in some solid base miles while most others are not riding outdoors at all, which gives me a leg up when club rides start up in the Spring. I also do it for the camaraderie, accountability and fun of the reindeer games, some of which I sponsor. You can find me on Strava here https://www.strava.com/athletes/boomer-cycles

What’s your story?

[Judd]

Hi team! I’ve done BAFS since 2016 (except for taking 2021 off) including captaining the 2017 winning team. Freezing saddles helped me transition from a casual fair weather cyclist into a transportation cyclist including going car free. I’ve got 8 bikes and dabble in a little bit of every type of biking, even an occasional mountain bike ride which is still wicked scary. I do a bike tour every year with a group of friends and have ridden the Natchez Trace, Erie Canal, all around Vermont and a nice Maryland & Pennsylvania loop. I run the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail and do trail maintenance every Saturday.

[steph3bikes]

Hi, all! This is my third year of FS in the past four years of living in the DMV area! I am recovering from a bender into long distance running and am happy to be motivated to jump on the saddle during these cold winter months. 😁 Hoping to meet you all IRL sometime soon

Team names: We’re Number 1(1),  Double Won, one one won one

 

[Judd]

Team One One Won One has me cracking up.

[Joan]

I’ve participated in Freezing Saddles since 2016 (except last year), so this is my 8th year. Last year, I biked only 415 miles during the FS timeframe and my fitness suffered even though I ran regularly. FS brings out my competitive nature big-time and I have gone overboard some years, but I plan to rein it in this year. I love meeting other cyclists and being inspired to bike all through the winter in all kinds of weather. You just need the right clothing and gear. Some of my most memorable rides were on days when I would have stayed inside without the incentive of Freezing Saddles. It’s a lot of fun biking in the snow or riding after midnight when snow is predicted the next day.

I have been a member of Babes on Bikes since its inception over 25 years ago and I lead many (daytime weekday) Babes rides. (You can identify some of us by the pink jerseys on our names.) I also bike for transportation (though not exclusively). I spend most weekends with my two grandchildren, so my rides are mainly on weekdays. However, I plan to bike at least 10 miles every day.

[Tarowell]

Hello, team members, this is my second year participating in FS. I am a lifelong DC resident. Before I retired, I commuted to work by bike and have continued riding after retirement — road, some gravel and cross, and even bought a mountain bike last year (and, yes, it is wicked scary).  I ride with several different DMV clubs (I believe I have ridden with Babes on Bikes before).  I recently did a multi day bike tour in the Alsace region in October. So I love to ride, but I am not an indoor rider, so FS gets me out during the winter months.  Some days I can only do the minimum and other days much more, but happy to support the team.  Team One One Won One is catchy.

[Boomer Cycles]

Our cool new team logo 😉 

[Judd]

Best team logo of all time. Everyone should be jealous of us.

[cathy liang]

Hey everyone,

I’m really excited to be part of the conversation here, especially with Team 11 in focus! It sounds like a fantastic group. I’ve been riding for a few years now, mostly weekend rides and some longer adventures whenever I can. Recently, I had the chance to join a local cycling event that turned out to be a bit more challenging than I anticipated—especially when the sun started setting.

It was one of those rides that stretched well into the evening, and with the route taking us through some more remote areas, I knew I needed to make sure I was well-lit for the night section. Thankfully, I’d recently upgraded my setup with a Gaciron Raptor-1800 headlight and the Loop-100 taillight. Honestly, I didn’t realize how much of a difference the right lights could make until I had them on my bike.

The Raptor-1800 gave me excellent visibility through the darker parts of the course. It lit up the road ahead like a flashlight, which was a huge relief, especially since the roads got pretty pitch-black. The Loop-100 at the back was small but powerful, keeping me visible from behind—super important when cycling on quieter roads where cars might not expect you.

I felt a lot safer knowing I had solid lighting, and it definitely helped me focus more on the ride rather than worrying about visibility. I ended up finishing the event with a great time, and those lights played a huge role in that.

If you’re thinking about upgrading your lights, I’d definitely recommend checking out Gaciron. I’ve been really impressed with how well they perform. You can find more details here: https://www.gaciron-shop.com/.

Looking forward to hearing everyone’s stories and sharing more about future rides!

Cheers, and stay safe out there!

[Author]

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