Bike Diva

2012 West Palm Beach Race Series

I've been waiting for the official schedule to come out for the West Palm Beach Race Series. WPBRS is a series of 15k time trial bike races which take place near 20 Mile Bend in West Palm Beach. I have been doing a few of the races every year since 2008.

There is a lot going on in my personal life right now, so I am looking for some local, inexpensive races to participate in for 2012. Each race costs $15, which is pretty cheap as far as races are concerned. Awards are given out 5 deep in 10 year age groups, along with awards for the days fastest male and female cyclist.

Race Schedule

Mike and Joan Purdy of the West Palm Beach Race Series is excited to announce the 2012 Time Trial Race Series. Each race promises to be a lot of fun and packed with excitement. Weather you are a beginner or a seasoned veteran, you’re welcome to race against the clock at our sponsored events.

Click here to download the complete USA Cycling Rule Book.

The official 10 race series will start February 12, 2012.

- The January 29, 2012 race is NOT permitted with USA Cycling and the results will NOT be submitted.
- The series will be permitted with USA Cycling and the results submitted.
- We will be having drawings for raffle prizes for all participants during the awards at each race.

2012 WPB Race Series Time Trial Schedule

Pre-Race	January 29	Not permitted with USA Cycling and the result not will not be submitted.
Race 1	February 12
Race 2	February 26 or March 4
Race 3	March 25
Race 4	April 22
Race 5	May 13
Race 6	June 10
Race 7	July 8
Race 8	August 5
Race 9	September 9
Race 10	October 7

Website: http://wpbraceseries.com/

2011 WPB Time Trial Series

Hey race fans, have you been waiting to find out the dates of the West Palm Beach time trial series? I just received an email from race director Mike Purdy with the dates for 2011. Each race takes place on a Sunday. Race registration begins at 7:15 AM with the first racer starting at 8:01.

  Above: The Bike Diva at the start line of one of the WPB time trial races.

What is the WPB TT Series?

The West Palm Beach time trial series is a series of 15k time trial bike races. 15k is about 9.3 miles; fast cyclists can complete a 15k in about 19-21 minutes, my fastest time was around 27-28 minutes. And it's a really short race, you can be done and eating breakfast, or on your way home by 10 or 10:30. The time trial participants start at 1 minute intervals; i.e. the first racer starts, then 1 minute later, the next racer starts, etc... The races take place in West Palm Beach, by 20 mile bend. Mike is working on getting the website updated: www.wpbraceseries.com.

My husband and I have done a few of the races during the past 3 years. I already have a lot of races on my schedule, but it looks like I can do most of the time trials this year. It's a local race for me, only costs $15 per race and is a good way to test your race speed before your next event. For example my time at the April 25, 2010 race was 29:38:10, while I improved my time to 27:58:11 at the June 13 race.

Above: The Bike Diva with her 3rd place age group medal.

Dates of the 2011 Time Trials

• February 13
• February 27
• March 13
• April 3
• May 29
• June 26
• July 10
• August 21
• September 18
• October 16

Above: Bike Diva's second place age group points series award for the 2008 race season.

Series Awards

The race is broken down into 10 year age groups. For example, I am 47 years old and race in the women 45-54 year old age group. Age groups are awarded medals 5 deep. There is also a trophy given out to the fastest man and fastest women at each race. If you compete in a minimum number of races, usually around 6 races, you also qualify for the points series awards. There will be an end of season awards party to give out the points series awards.

Above: Group photo at one of the 2009 time trial races.

Additional Information

Neither the website nor the Facebook page have been updated recently. Race Director Mike Purdy says he is working on getting the website updated. The website contains a map and directions on how to get to the race site.

Website: www.wpbraceseries.com

Facebook: WPB Race Series

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

Bike Diva's Tentative 2011 Race Schedule

Run Bike Run

2011 will mark my 4th season of racing, and my third year of racing duathlons. I participate in the majority of the duathlons hosted by Multirace.com. Most of the Multirace.com events can be done as either a triathlon or a duathlon. Since I am swim challenged, I opt to do the duathlons.

Here is a listing of my tentative 2011 race schedule. Besides the duathlons, I plan on dong a few 5k runs and a few cycling events. All of these races take place in south Florida, unless otherwise noted.

Charity Bike Ride

I'm not sure of the exact date of the Honolulu Century Ride. We are trying to get our local Team in Training chapter to offer the Honolulu ride as one of it's fall season events. Team in Training is the main fundraising program of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In the past 5 years my husband and I have participated in five century (100 mile) road bike rides with the society, while raising over $22,000 to help find a cure for blood cancers.

If the Honolulu century ride is a go, I will be altering my race schedule for the month of September. My husband, daughter and I plan on spending around 10 days in Oahu, if we go, so we will be traveling out to Hawaii before the rest of the TNT cycle team gets out there. Time to start saving our pennies!

Bike Diva's 2011 Race Schedule

1. 1/15 - Dyer Consequences - 10k trail run - Dyer Park, West Palm Beach
2. 2/06 - 9th Annual Butterfly Run - 5k run - Sabal Pines Park, Coconut Creek
3. 3/06 - Spring Training Classic - 10k run - Rodger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
4. 4/03 - Multirace Season Opener - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
5. 4/23 - Egg Hunt - sprint duathlon - CB Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
6. 5/07 - 10th Annual Race for the Arts - 5k run - John Prince Park, Lake Worth
7. 5/15 - Tri Miami - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
8. 5/22 - Riviera Beach - sprint duathlon - Ocean Mall, Singer Island
9. 6/11 -  TBA - sprint duathlon
10. 6/19 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #1 - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
11. 7/04 - Independence Day - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
12. 7/17 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #2 - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
13. 8/14 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #3 - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
14. 9/04 - Labor Day Weekend - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
15. 9/18 - Mack Cycle Trilogy Bonus Round - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
16. 9/25? - Honolulu Marathon - century road bike ride - Oahu, Hawaii
17. 10/09 - Race the Troops - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
18. 10/16 - Last Chance duathlon - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
19. 11/13 - Miami Man - half Ironman duathlon - Miami
20. 11/19  25th Annual Turkey Trot - 5k run - Anchor Park, Delray Beach

Above: Bike Diva racing in a duathlon on South Beach, Miami.

Final Thoughts

I did 23 races in 2010. I was REALLY tired by the end of the year. I've been saying that I need to cut WAY back on the number of races I do in 2011. But it's so hard when there are so many awesome events to choose from. And except for the Honolulu century ride, they are all within a 20 minute to 1 1/2 hour drive from my house. Don't even get me started on the all the awesome events there are outside of Florida, not enough time or $$ in the budget to start racing out of state.

My main race of the year is the 1/2 Ironman duathlon at Miami Man in November. I don't want to totally take off time from training and racing, so I think throwing in a few 5k's during my down time will keep me from totally getting stale.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

 

Bike Diva's 2010 Race Season Recap

 ABOVE: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, racing up William Powell Bridge on the Rickenbacker Causeway, at one of the Mack Cycle Trilogy sprint duathlons held on Key Biscayne, Florida.

Race Bike Diva Race

From time-to-time I like to compete in a few cycling, running and multi-sport events. Duathlons, which are a run-bike-run format, are my favorite type of race. Of the 22 events I participated in this year, 13 of the races were duathlons. Here's a listing of awards that have been bestowed upon the Bike Diva during the 2010 race season.

Above: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, with her 2010 Miami Man finishers medal and second place age group giraffe trophy.

Bike Diva's 2010 Awards and Accolades

1. 2/07/10 - Butterfly Run - 5k - USATF 5th place women 45-49.
2. 4/03/10 - Egg Hunt PFFW - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
3. 4/25/10 - West Palm Beach Race Series - 15k time trial - USAC 5th place women 45-54.
4. 5/02/10 - Tri Miami - Olympic distance duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
5. 5/23/10 - Singer Island PFFW - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
6. 6/05/10 - Multirace.com - sprint duathlon - USAT 3rd place female masters overall.
7. 6/13/10 - West Palm Beach Race Series - 15k time trial - USAC 3rd place women 45-54.
8. 6/20/10 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #1 - sprint duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
9. 7/04/10 - Independence Day PFFW - sprint duathlon - USAT 4th place women 45-49.
10. 7/18/10 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #2 - sprint duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
11. 8/15/10 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #3 - sprint duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
12. 8/28/10 - Metro PCS - sprint duathlon - USAT 3rd place female masters overall.
13. 9/05/10 - Miami Beach Classic - mid distance duathlon - USAT 5th place women 45-49.
14. 9/19/10 - Mack Cycle Bonus Round - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
15. 10/10/10 - Tradition PFFW Championship - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
16. 11/14/10 - Miami Man - 1/2 Ironman duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
17. 11/20/10 - 24th Annual Delray Turkey Trot - 5k - USATF 6th place women 45-49.

  Above: Bike Diva's Mack Cycle Triology points series award.

Point Series Awards

In addition to the individual events I competed in, I also participated in two points series. If you completed at least 4 of the 9 Publix Family Fitness events, you qualified for the points series for those races. And if you completed at least 3 of the 4 Mack Cycle races, you qualified for the points series for those races.

I did 6 of the Publix Family Fitness sprint duathlons, and placed 1st place women 45-49 in that points series. I raced in all 4 of the Mack Cycle sprint duathlons, and placed 3rd female masters overall in that points series. Female masters are the top three fastest duathletes over 40 years old - AWESOME!

Above: Bike Diva's Publix Family Fitness points series award.

Other Bike Diva Events

I did a total of 22 races and events this year. As you can see in table at the beginning of this post, I won an award at 15 of those events. The remaining events were either not races, such as the Intracoastal Waterway Century bike ride, or running only events, where I am no where near the podium. I like to race against me, myself and I, so as long as I'm about the same or improving compared to my last race, I'm pretty happy with all of my results.

Above: Bike Diva's 2009 and 2010 Miami Man finishers medals and animal trophies.

Miami Man

This years Miami Man 1/2 Ironman duathlon, which was a 1mile run - 56 mile bike - 13.1 mile run event, was a huge improvement for me. I raced Miami Man for the first time last year, with an total time of 6 hours 50 minutes and 59 seconds which was good enough for 3rd place masters overall. This year my time was 6 hours 1 minute 36 seconds, a huge improvement of 49 minutes and 23 seconds!

Above right: Bike Diva on the podium at 2010 Miami Man.

Although my finishing time was much better this year, it was only good enough for 2nd place in my age group. There were a lot more people competing in the duathlon this year at Miami Man. I was really happy with my improvement over last year. I've lost a few pounds since last year, started meeting with a personal trainer three times per week, to work on upper body and core strength, and did a whole lot more biking and running compared to last year.

Above: Bike Diva information booth at the South Florida Bike Expo.

Bike Diva's Sponsors

I'd like to give a shout out to all of my sponsors that helped me out during the 2010 race season:

1. Aquaphor
2. Brooks
3. Fluid
4. Lock Laces
5. Mission Skincare
6. Motor Tabs
7. Rudy Project
8. Sock Guy
9. Sugoi

Above: The Bike Diva at the 24th Annual Delray Beach Turkey Trot. Although I am not a very fast runner, this was a 5k PR for me with an official finish time of 27:22.

2011 Race Season

It's a little too early to know what my race schedule will be for 2011. I know that Miami Man is scheduled for November 13, and I plan on doing the 1/2 Iron distance duathlon again. I want to improve my Tri Miami Olympic distance duathlon time, I finished with a time of 3:08 this year and want to be able to go sub 3 hours at that event in 2011. Tri Miami was held in May this year, but they haven't posted up the date for 2011. I will most likely compete in many of the south Florida Multirace.com duathlons, like I did this year, and am waiting for them to post up the schedule.

Above: Team in Training logo.

Team in Training

We are trying to get our local chapter of Team in Training to participate in the Honolulu century ride. That is a 100 mile road bike ride which takes place on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the month of September. Team in Training is the main fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In the past 5 years, my husband and I have participated in 5 century bike rides with our local TNT chapter, and have raised over $22,000 for the society during that time.

Contact Bike Diva

I would love to hear about your 2010 race season and/or any plans you have for the 2011 race season. Leave a comment at the end of this blog post, or send me an email: lynn@bikediva.net.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Remaining WPB Race Series Dates

 

West Palm Beach Race Series

The West Palm Beach Race Series are 15k (9.3 mile) time trial bike races which take place in West Palm Beach, Florida. All races take place on a Sunday. Registration opens at 7:15 AM, with the first rider off at 8:01 AM. There is a $15 per rider registration fee, or $5 for junior racers under 18 years old.

Visit the West Palm Beach Race Series website, for additional information on the races, including directions to the race site.

Above: a few cyclists at the 2009 WPB Race Series

Remaining 2010 Race Schedule

• July 11
• August 22
• September 12
• October 3
• October 24

Above: the Bike Diva getting ready to race

Additional WPB Race Series Posts

1. 2010 West Palm Beach Time Trial Series
   
2. Bike Diva's Last Time Trial for 2009

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Find Athletic Events on Active.com

Sporting Events on Active.com

Active.com is a terrific resource that all athletes should know about. Running, cycling, triathlons, swimming, golf, tennis, basketball, soccer and more, are all sports that are covered on the Active.com website.  Community wide resources on the Active.com website include newsletters, race results, training plans, free training logs, videos and more.

Register for Races

I discovered Active.com a few years ago when I went to register for my first road bike event. The events website included a link to their Active.com registration page. The registration page included all the details about the ride, ride distance options, location of the ride etc… and let me register and pay the entry fee for the event. Active.com sends you an email confirmation once you have registered and paid for the event. I suggest printing out a copy of the registration confirmation and taking it with you, just in case there are any problems when you go to check in on the day of your event.

You can do a search on the site on the sport you are interested in, by state or by zip code, to get a listing of upcoming events in your area. I just did a search of cycling events within 100 miles of my home and came up with a list of over 14 events that take place between this weekend and the end of the year.

Subscribe to Your Sports Newsletter

Since my main interest is cycling, I subscribe to the Active.com cycling newsletter, which is sent to me via email every few weeks. The newsletter has links to online articles on a wide variety of cycling topics, including recent cycling news, training guidelines, nutrition tips and more.

So whether you are training for your next century ride, marathon or triathlon, check out the Active.com website for tons of great information on your sport.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Boca Raton Time Trials

2010 Robert Jolly Memorial Time Trial Series

 

Want to gauge how successful has your training been?  Are you faster than you were last year?  Trying to find a way to determine your lactate threshold or do you simply want to share some cycling related fun with people who have the same passion for cycling as you?

 

Come join us for the 2010 Robert Jolly Time Trial Series held in West Boca.

LOCATION: Riverside Drive (west of 441 between Glades Road and Palmetto Park Road)

TIME: 7:00am (first racer off); registration opens at 6:30am.

Dates: May 2, June 6, August 1, October 3, December 5

FREE for BRBC members.  Join the club and all races are free.     

 

Regular Sunday club ride will follow immediately after the race from Loggers' Run.

For additional information, visit the Boca Raton Bicycle Club's website.

Take care,

Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

zMotion Hosts 2nd Annual Sunrise Classic

PRESS RELEASE

Zimmerman Advertising's Team zMotion Hosts The Ultimate Cycling Triple Header

Second Annual Sunrise Classic is Biggest FPS Cycling Race in South Florida

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The second annual zMotion Sunrise Classic presented by FRS Healthy Energy, AutoNation, White Castle and MET-Rx will take place on April 10-11, 2010. The two-day family-friendly event will include Circuit, Time Trial and Criterium racing and the largest total race purse in all of South Florida.

The Circuit and Time Trial races will take place on Saturday, April 10 at the BankAtlantic Center, located at 1 Panther Parkway in Sunrise. The 3.4-mile Circuit race will kick off at 8:00 a.m., followed by the Time Trial at 4:00 p.m. The Criterium will begin from Esplanade Park, located at 400 Southwest Second Street in Fort Lauderdale, at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 11.

"Last year's first annual event was a huge success - bigger than we ever could have imagined," says Pat Patregnani, founder of Team zMotion. "We're proud to say that it's now the biggest FPS cycling race in South Florida. We are expecting more than 1,000 racers, family members and friends to be in attendance this year."

Cyclists are encouraged to bring the whole family. Family-friendly activities will include face painting and balloon animals, as well as kid's bicycle races and a visit from Florida Panthers' mascot Stanley C. Panther. Downtown restaurants will be offering special race day lunches, and Tarpon Bend will be hosting a post-race party at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Riders will compete by category for points and prizes for a chance to be recognized on the podium. The Sunrise Classic is a part of the USA Cycling national ranking system and the Florida Point Series(TM). Online registration is available at zMotion.org. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m. each day. Races will be held rain or shine.

The 2010 zMotion Sunrise Classic is being presented by FRS Healthy Energy, AutoNation, White Castle and MET-Rx. Other sponsors include Cervelo, American Classic, B&J Bicycles, Bicycle Generation and Z's Bike Shop. Quarterdeck and Tarpon Bend are the official restaurant sponsors of the 2010 Sunrise Classic. Crowne Plaza and Hampton Inn and Suites are the official hotel sponsors.

ABOUT ZMOTION

zMotion is a Zimmerman Advertising Team. zMotion has become a visible force in the South Florida cycling community. We ride to raise money in the fight against MS. We ride to live healthy and enjoy life. We ride because we care. And we ride because we can. We are blessed with good health and the freedom to enjoy this great sport. For more information, visit zMotion.org.

ABOUT ZIMMERMAN ADVERTISING

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Zimmerman Advertising, an Omnicom Group(TM) company, is the country's leading national retail brand builder, and the 14th largest advertising agency in the United States according to Adweek, with more than 1,100 full-time associates and offices throughout the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta. For information on the agency, visit http://www.zadv.com/. To learn more about Jordan Zimmerman, his business philosophies and opinions, visit his blogspot: www.yousleepwhenyoudie.com

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090316/FL83593LOGO-c
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: Zimmerman Advertising

CONTACT: Leah Knepper at Zimmerman Advertising, +1-954-644-4041,
leahknepper@zadv.com.

Web Site: http://www.zadv.com/

2nd Annual ZMotion Sunrise Classic

The weekend of April 10-11 marks the dates of the 2nd annual Sunrise Classic bike races, presented by the ZMotion racing team. The circuit and criterium races seem a little too hard core for my racing ability, but I am thinking about racing in the time trial.  There is a 30 second staggered start for the time trial, so although I may be passed by faster racers starting after me, at least it's not a mass start.

For the circuit race and downtown criterium, Cat 4 women race the same time as CAT 1-3. Sounds too intimidating for my blood. But I've done a couple of local time trials, that have a 1 minute staggered start time, so I think I would be okay to do the Sunrise Classic time trial without freaking out.

Saturday, April 10

• Bank Atlantic Center
• 1 Panther Parkway
• Sunrise, FL 33323
• 8 AM - start of circuit race
• 4 PM - start of time trial

Sunday, April 11

• Esplanade Park
• 400 SW 2nd St.
• Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33021
• 8 AM - start of criterium

Sunrise Classic Race Registration

Cyclists can register for any of the Sunrise Classic events either through the USA Cycling website, or by visiting the Florida Cycling website. 

Entry Fees

• $35 circuit race
• $15 time trial
• $35 downtown criterium
• Kids 9 and under race free
• No fee for spectators 
• A USA Cycling license is required to participate in any of these races. A one day license can be purchased for $10.
• Onsite registration starts at 7:30 AM

For additional race details, visit the ZMotion website: www.zmotion.org.

Here's a video of last years Sunrise Classic:

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

2010 West Palm Beach Time Trial Series

Fantastic news! I just got the schedule for the 2010 West Palm Beach time trail races. This is a series of 15K bike races, which take place near 20 mile bend (4 miles west of Lion Country Safari), in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Here's the information from the website:

Welcome to the 2010 West Palm Beach Time Trial Series. 

The 15k Time Trial Schedule is:

1. February 14th
2. March 7th
3. April 25th
4. May 16th

Registration will open at 7:15 am with the 1st rider off at 8:01am. We changed the registration and start time to accommodate those who travel from outside Palm Beach County. We looked at several race event calendars and made a concerted effort to schedule the Time Trials so not to overlap a local race or cycling event.  We look forward to you participating in the 2010 West Palm Beach Time Trial Series.

Hope to see you there!
Mike & Joan Purdy
West Palm Beach Time Trial Series

Above: Members of On Your Mark cycle club, at last years WPB TT series.

Right now, I plan on doing all of the time trials. I already had my 2010 race schedule figured out, before the time trial schedule came out, but fortunately, I don't have any other races scheduled for those days. Cool beans!

Although only 4 time trial dates have been set so far, I am pretty sure Mike will schedule additional races as the season progresses. I'll keep you updated as I find out additional information.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva