Chris sums up the trip this way:

I can’t remember ever riding around 17,000 feet in three days. Met a great group of guys from upstate New York and Trek Travel is a top notch group – the guides were awesome!

The climb on Mt. Figueroa was good. There’s nothing like picking your gear and holding your effort for an hour plus on a climb. When it gets easier its only because it just “leveled off ” to 6%.

Ate with the trek Livestrong team and just missed lance on the last day.

There was excellent scenery and Lori enjoyed a lot of good wine. I had my fill of recovery drinks (beer), too.

It’s nice to be cycling in summer gear in February. Gotta love that.

It’s going to be tough to get back on the trainer again ugh.

We will definitely be doing another trip in the future, but will make it longer.

Some parting video of Mueller in uniform:

He’s agreed to take us along on his trip via the miracle of the internet and the team website/blog. So sit back and enjoy trip along with Mueller.

Chris Mueller was back in the saddle Tuesday with a 50-some-mile “stage” included a HC (above category) climb on Figueroa Mtn Road from Happy Canyon.

Mueller on left (that jersey sure doesn't look orange to me)

“Great ride. Legs are super tired,” Mueller wrote in a text message.

Tuesday’s ride included a mile of gravel road and more than 5,000 feet of climbing.

Here’s some video Lori Mueller shot. As far as I can tell it’s some random dude climbing. Looks like slow going (but what do you expect with grades between 6 and 14 percent?).

Mueller’s Strava data for the day can be found here: http://app.strava.com/rides/4377906

The team’s 2012 kit has arrived, and Matt Christiaansen is the first to model it.

Back in Black (sleeves)

Back of the Back in Black (sleeves)

Yep, thems thar are black sleeves alright

Meanwhile in California, the Joker’s dastardly plan to take over Gotham City…

Wait.

Meanwhile in California, Chris Mueller racked up about 90 miles and almost 7,000 feet of climbing as part of his west coast trip. Details of Monday’s ride can be found here: http://app.strava.com/rides/4350488

Here’s a photo of Mueller out of team uniform.

And a photo of a flat the group encountered (no doubt karma for Mueller being out of uniform).

He’s agreed to take us along on his trip via the miracle of the internet and the team website/blog. So sit back and enjoy trip along with Mueller.

Sunday saw Chris Mueller finally riding in California, racing up 43.3 milles and 2,509 feet of climbing. Sunday’s ride included the Solvang TT course from the Tour of California.

You can check out Mueller’s Strava data here: http://app.strava.com/rides/4323349

Apparently there are some hills our west – the likes of which we don’t see around here…

Elevation-- California style

Along the Solvang TT course

Speaking of Cali, Leroy Walters (Bike Haus) was in action Saturday in California taking 8th in the cat. 2/3 race at the El Centro Classic.

Weekend fun wasn’t limited the West Coast:

Lakeland, Minn.

Kristen Meyer

Frederic, Wisc.

William Johnson: Not ready to give up on XC ski poles just yet

Elk River, Minn.

Matt Christiaansen

Rockford, Ill.

Mimi Fagan

Weston, Wisc.

What Jim Frame looked at for three hours

Somewhere in western Wisconsin

Dan Woll: the 1999 jersey never really goes out of style

Near Greenleaf, Wisc.

Julie Phelps and cold Gatorade...

He’s agreed to take us along on his trip via the miracle of the internet and the team website/blog. So sit back and enjoy trip along with Mueller.

Today we have a very short photo essay of the trip from Minneapolis to California:

Denver Intl. Airport: Thoughts of a super-secrect breakfast!

West Coast Chillin' with a Rudy Project bag and helmet

Riding gets underway today (Sunday). Look for additional updates throughout the week.

This is the 25th anniversary of the ride.

Rest stop with some serious beef at the Iron Crotch 2011

Full details and registration for the event (25, 40 and 60 mile routes) can be found here: http://countycycles.com/merchant/1815/files/ironcrotchflyer2012.pdf

The team finished 9 laps during the three-hour race. Schindel raced with Tony Froelich and Eric Stanke of Green Bay.

Matt Christiaansen was in action at the indoor Bike Nights #3 in Blaine, Minn. late Sunday night scoring a pair of wins in the “C” races.

Yep, that thing is on. (Christiaansen at Bike Nights #3)

Heats ranged in length from five to 10 laps. Christiaansen made it eight laps before being lapped in the “all-in” 25 lap race to round out the night.

A little further south, Leroy Walters (Bike Haus) was racing the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Phoenix, Ariz.

Friday saw him take 40th in the time trial in Cat. 3 while he had a 37th place finish in the road race Saturday, finishing 5 seconds off the winner.

He nabbed a 25th place finish in Sunday’s crit (in the same time as the winner) and finished 33rd overall in the three-day event, 4:17 off the Cat. 3 winner.

Look for regular team results here, or on our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

BRF “rookie” Mark Schindel was part of a four-man relay team that won the Shelltrack fat bike race in Manitowoc, Wisc. Saturday.

Schindel -- in black -- at Shelltrack (photo from www.fat-bike.com)

The race was comprised of 20 laps over a roughly one mile loop of ice and mud.

Schindel raced with Shawn Hauser, Marcus Steele and Steve Davidson of the Titletown Flyers.

Schindel will be in action with more fat bike racing this weekend.

The Big Ring Flyers have worn custom DeFeet socks for years, and once again for 2012-15 the North Carolina-based company has come through with a clean looking design to compliment the team’s new uniform.

Fresh look for 2012-15

Working with DeFeet’s custom department has been a simple and easy process with DeFeet’s in-house designers getting a quick grasp of what the team was asking for and producing sample artwork in a timely manner – usually within in 24 hours or less.

In this go around, we asked for three designs (stripes, argyle and tartan) via an e-mail with no sketches. In short order DeFeet had art reflecting those ideas back to us, allowing the team to select the design members liked.

Tartan: Didn't make the cut

Argyle: It was close, but no cigar

DeFeet refined our design several times to match a still evolving uniform-design process, usually returning new proofs of the deign changes the same day. With one last change to colors late in the process (to match the addition of black in the jersey) and we were good to.

Our history of DeFeet

The  shipment of 144 custom Aireator team socks arrived roughly three weeks after the order was finalized.

New socks are here!

The team looks forward to once again chasing victory in DeFeet in 2012.

Riders do what they can to prepare of the 2012 road seseason.