We had a great pizza/beer event last night at the shop with a healthy chunk of the Ironclad team.  Last week I met with the Existential Velo core at Amnesia brewing to develop the plan for next season. Nothing like drinking beer to gel a cycling group and get the creative juices flowing.

Last week's Amensia outing started with a review of the season, moved into light event scheduling combined with some discussion of personal goals and ride schedules.  It looks like the EV guys will be assisting with regular open group rides which will stop by the shop on Saturdays or Sundays dependent on race schedule.  They are currently offering an invitation to new members to hop on their midday weekly training rides which leave promptly at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays through January 08.  Check the community calendar for contact info.  We talked about their experiences balancing family, career and cycling fun.  After we finished our final pitcher of specialty ale, the meeting ended with a downpour and a soaked ride home.

Last night with Ironclad, we matched names with faces and had a general meet and greet in the shop with food and drinks supplied by the team.  That was my first visit with a lot of those folks and I really liked their camaraderie and loose, fun attitude.  Should be a strong season for the Ironclad team as they bring in more ladies and continue their zeal for the sport.  Positive momentum will continue from the last season.  Eventually we trickled over to the U and I bar a few blocks north of the shop for a few beers and shuffleboard.
 
Lots of great opportunities for racing this next year.