A New Year with new goals.

This year I am starting off with a whimper not a bang.

Monday was my first ski outing has turned into my first recovery from a back spasm heading into the new year. I spent a lot of time picking myself up after falling on my first outing. It was hard work. I felt very uncoordinated. My abs were sore that evening and I knew that I was going to have to be careful to not have my back act up. Sure enough the back was a problem on Tuesday. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Ridge B. at LSM chiropractic right away (thanks for the continued support).

I am still recovering and will be doing so over the next few days and weeks.

This injury has placed the focus on my need for added core strength and conditioning. I have had minor back problems with something coming about this time of the year each year. The pattern is for me to try something new after the season is over. Then I am sore. Then I have a back spasm. Years ago it was from kick boxing. Then it was from running. Now it is skiing. The underlying issue is my core strength. It isn't prominent when doing activities that I am conditioned to do, but when I do something new the problem exposes itself.

So, my first resolution (not usually a person who makes an annual resolution but rather someone that tries to live well all year round) will be to address my core fitness.

Happy New Years! Happy strong back?

APG sponsors Lake Mills Triathlon

The Lake Mills Triathlon is the first of 3 events in the Wisconsin Triathlon Series.

This year Amy's Playgroup (APG) of which I am a member is one of the sponsors of the event!

My contribution is to offer a single Coached Outdoor Group Sessions (COGS) ride at my cost. So, that is just $5!

Contact me at caseylamers@charter.net to secure a spot.

Coached Outdoor Group Sessions (COGS)

Make this spring and summer your best training season ever with:
Coached Outdoor Group Sessions.

Coaches Casey Lamers and Gordy Paulson are teaming up to bring a series of outdoor training rides. If you are a cyclist or a triathlete and you want to take your riding to the next level these rides are for you. Three rides per week will guide the novice and the experienced athlete alike. These rides are specifically designed to compliment one another by addressing different aspects of cycling, so you could attend them all without risk of overtraining or frequent repeated sessions.

Training will include aerobic endurance, VO2 Max, Anaerobic Capacity, Skill & Technique, and many things in between. If you are unfamiliar with these different types of training stress, don't worry. Gordy and I are both USA Cycling coaches with years of experience both racing and coaching to guide your training. We will help you to use Power, Heart Rate and Perceived Exertion to guide your efforts.

Unlike the normal group training ride, where a range of different abilities cannot train together, these rides will deliver an appropriate training stress based on your ability level. Individuals with different ability levels will each be asked to complete work at their level. If you are already a strong rider, you will be challenged to improve. If you are a beginner, you don't have to worry about hanging on at the back of the group or getting dropped. This is accomplished by doing repeats of work and recovery. During the work phase each individual goes at their own pace, and during the recovery we regroup, discuss the previous effort, and review for the next effort.

Rides will leave from Verona, WI at the intersection of the Military Ridge trail and Main St.
Wednesday and Friday evenings for about 1.5 hours and Sunday mornings for about 2 hours.
Road or time trial bikes are strongly encouraged.

Rides will begin in mid April and go through the end of September.

Rides will be treated as a non-competitive event through USA Cycling and will be insured. As such an annual or 1 day license will be required by all riders.
Annual licenses can be purchased for $60. Day licenses are $5. (If you are planning on doing more than 12 rides get the annual license!)

Vouchers will be sold for the rides ahead of time and then a ride sign up will be used to reserve your spot. A limit of 20 riders per coach will be maintained. Most rides will be led by a single coach. Casey will led an average of 2 rides per week and Gordy one ride per week. In the case of popularity both coaches may be available to handle more riders. There will be at least 60 rides between mid April and the end of Septmeber.

Cost of vouchers are as follows:

Single ride with day license: $25
Single ride for licensed rider: $20

10 rides with day licenses: $150
10 rides licensed rider: $100

Pay via PayPal (links on the left), cash or personal check.

Multiple 10 voucher passes can be purchased. Purchase of multiple vouchers will reserve your spot on more rides.

Unused vouchers will not be reimbursed, however vouchers will not be oversold.
Vouchers are non-transferrable.
Sign-up for the rides will require a voucher.

Contact Casey at: caseylamers@charter.net to purchase vouchers or if you have any questions.


Coach Casey Lamers
Casey Lamers is a USAC Road Cat 3 and a Level 2 (Expert Level) Road cycling coach. He is also a competitive runner and triathlete. Casey has finished 4th and 5th for the season in the Cat 3s in the Wisconsin Cycling Association series. He excels at sprints and medium length hard efforts but is more of an "all-arounder". He has also placed near the top of his age group (33 years old) and near the top overall in WiTri Series events and runs like the Berbee Derby. Casey has been a cycling instructor for 5 years, and a USAC coach for the last year. He is currently coaching both cyclist and triathletes in an indoor group series and through personal coaching. Casey is a father, husband and engineer and knows how to integrate effective training into an already tight schedule. He strives to make optimum use of the available training hours.

Coach Gordy Paulson
Gordy Paulson is a USAC Road Cat 1 and a Level 1 (Elite Level) Road cycling coach. He has claimed eight Master’s National Championships, and won 12 Wisconsin State Championships, numerous local victories and recently, 7 top ten finishes in international Masters competition. He excels in time trials and has set numerous course records in Wisconsin and Minnesota. In many cases these records have fallen, often to athletes he coaches. As father of three, he's learned to balance family and work with the demands required to successfully race bikes. As a ‘Fifty-Something’ racer he understands that focused, effective training can be the key ingredient that leads to success at the highest levels.