"Spring is coming" is the mantra we keep repeating to ourselves through a cold weekend of racing and training. We know it is true but it certainly didn't feel like it after another weekend riding in near freezing temperatures. But that seasonal complaint aside it was a pretty good week for the squad with success at the racers, success in training and some interesting reading...

The Week That Was (TWTW) for To Be Determined

After two weekends spent racing locally at the CRCA Series Opener and the CRCA Grant's Tomb Criterium part of the team headed a bit farther afield this past weekend, hitting the Philly Phlyer on Saturday. It was a successful excursion as Erwin came home with a top ten finish and a classic photograph:

For the rest of the squad that stayed local in New York City there were two nasty surprises in store. First the team's coach, Jacob Fetty from Cycle-Smart, started cranking our Saturday workout up another notch with a threshold/Vo2 max/sprint combo that packed a punch. And then the weather took a turn toward downright cold for Sunday's team ride. It wasn't enough to keep the team indoors however and we headed for the backroads of New Jersey to hide (unsuccessfully) from a brutal headwind. We're also continuing to put miles into our new Garneau Course Air Lite II shoes - we're a few weeks out from having a proper review but we continue to be impressed by these kicks. 

As always we were busy online where we published an in-depth look at the challenges associated with putting on the Grant's Tomb Criterium but in perhaps our favorite post from the week we introduced our latest and possibly greatest paint scheme from the Garneau Dream Factory on the TBD Daily. If you're into photos of beautiful bikes head over to the post to check out the full gallery:

Last but certainly not least after dealing with far too much cold weather in NYC, Chip shipped off to Spain to meet up with former TBD racer and current UK-resident Mat Street for a bit more adventurous riding than is on offer in the States:

Reading, Links and Random Facts

• "As the cyclists pedaled, a screen in front of them periodically flashed images of happy or sad faces in imperceptible 16-ms bursts... The cyclists who were shown sad faces rode, on average for just over 22 minutes. Those who were shown happy faces rode, on average, for three minutes longer and reported a lower sense of effort at corresponding time points." Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance (Alex Hutchinson)

• "Policies to promote compact growth — such as building taller apartments around transit centers or adding more housing downtown — could help cut vehicle travel 20 to 40 percent." A Bold, Divisive Plan to Wean Californians From Cars (NYT)

• "If someone is blocking, for example, a bike lane for 30 seconds while they take out their groceries or they let their kid off, I don’t think they should get a ticket for that." Want the Mayor to Keep Bus Lanes Clear? Bill de Blasio Thinks You’re Blinded By Ideology. (StreetsBlogNYC)

• "The wheels of justice are turning in Russia. A cyclist in the city of Penza has been fined for causing damage to a local pothole. Andrei Chikin suffered bruises and damaged his bike when he ran into a snow-covered pothole in November 2017, he told the Lenta.ru news website on Wednesday" Russian Traffic Police Fine Cyclist for Damaging a Pothole (Moscow Times)

Parting Shot(S)

Performance to aspire to, Exhibit A:

Performance to aspire to, Exhibit B: