Steamboat Stage Race - Race Report

First, I would like to thank all of you that were giving me words of encouragement over the last week for this race. It meant a lot and I really appreciate it.

I used to live in Steamboat, so this was a special race for me. I have never done a stage race before, so I was a bit nervous going into this. I didn't know how I would hold up over the 4 days of racing. I have been feeling pretty good lately, so I had set some high expectations for myself which added to my nervousness.

My Goals:

1) Put as much time into the skinny guys in the TT as I could.

2) Don't get dropped

Prologue-

The opening prologue was a fairly short rolling 10k that did an out and back along the Yampa river and then finished with a short climb up Mt. Werner Circle. I was fairly confident going into this one as I can usually do well in a TT. I went as hard as I could and ended up 6th overall (22 seconds down). Not a bad way to start the weekend.

Marabou Circuit Race-

Marabou Ranch is a private community and is not open to the public except for this race and one of the town challenge mountain bike races. I had never been there before and there was no elevation profile posted, so I had no idea what to expect. I knew there was a climb, but I had no idea how steep or long it was. I was able to park pretty close to the course and I was watching other racers laboring up the hill to the start/finish. I don't pretend to be a climber, so at the last minute ditched the 11-25 for the 11-28 I bought for the Centurion. Good call there as I would later find out. On tap was 6 and a half laps of a 4.5 mile loop. The first lap was fairly mellow while the group scouted the course. With each lap, the pace seemed to increase a bit. The first few laps hurt and I found myself really having to dig to stay in contact over the climb and then descend like a banshee to catch back on again. The descent was really fun. The roads were perfect and you could really hang it out if you wanted to. The last few laps felt a bit better and I was still in the front on the final lap. On the final climb, all hell broke loose though and I lost a few seconds. 14th on the day and I dropped from 6th to 9th on the G.C. Still pretty happy that I was able to hang with the leaders though.

Here is a short video from the local paper. You can get a bit of a feel for the course.

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/videos/2010/sep/04/2073/

Road Race-

When I used to live here, I did have a road bike, but it got limited use due to the world class Mountain Biking Steamboat has. My knowledge of the Road course was pretty limited, so I didn't really know what I was in for. Ignorance is bliss as they say. On race morning, I felt okay. A little stiff from the circuit race, but not too bad. The weather report said it was going to be windy, but I had no idea what was in store. It is never windy in Steamboat, so I didn't pay much heed. My race time was at 12:20 and as the morning progressed it was starting to get "Boulder Windy". At the start, the wind was blowing really hard. It was going to be a long day. A big thanks to Eric Scroger for wishing me luck at the start! The pace started out like all cat 4 road races. Pretty manageable for the first half of the race. The biggest issue was the wind. Guys that were rolling the deep dish wheels were all over the road. There was no where to hide either. You would get in a good spot and then the road would turn and you would be taking the brunt of it. It seemed like we had been riding a long time already when I looked at my computer an we had only done 15 miles. uh oh. Finally, we approached the turnaround/feedzone area and it was chaos with everyone trying to get more water. One guy in the pack asked if negative humidity was possible. The moisture was literally being sucked from us! As I fumbled around trying to get a bottle in my jersey pocket, the pack was not slowing down. I had to bury myself to try and catch back on and then there was a big acceleration climbing out of there (see profile below) that spit me out. I had a bit of company though and 4 of us worked together all the way back in. We kept picking off guys that were getting spit out along the way, so we were going at a good pace. Still, 4 can't keep pace with the main group in that wind. I was just happy I had some guys to work with. The last 2 climbs were brutal. I just wanted to be done. I ended up losing 11 minutes and change. My G.C. hopes were done.

Downtown Criterium-

My start time was at 8 am on Monday and the temps were supposed to be near freezing. When I woke up, it was in the low 40s but still a bit breezy. No problem though. Downtown, you are sheltered from the wind and I like it when it is cool. A little embrocation and I was good to go. The group was a bit smaller today. Either some guys decided to get a jump on traffic or the buzzards got them in the Road Race. The Crit was really fun. There was a bit of a power climb up 4th Street and then a long decent all the way down Pine. For the whole race, I felt pretty comfortable at the front. It was going to be about position at the end. On the last lap, I thought I was in a good spot coming into the last corner. However, someone cut the corner in front of me and I had to hit the brakes or be taken out. It was now a drag race all the way up Oak street. I passed quite a few guys, but the gap that opened coming around the corner was too much to make up. I ended up 9th on the day and 20th on G.C.

Here is another video with some crit footage.

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/videos/2010/sep/06/2074/

Overall, it was a great event and I would for sure do it again. Hopefully, next year we can get the crew up there for a strong BSV showing.

Rist Canyon "Hill Climb"

When I saw this race on the calendar at the beginning of the year, I wrote it off because I didn’t want to do just a hill climb up Rist. When I found out that it was much more of a road race, I decided to do it. I haven’t trained seriously since June, but I like to support a local race and I was ready for some punishment.

The race starts out climbing immediately as you go from Masonville up to Horsetooth Mountain Park. I was wondering if anyone would hammer it from the start. It seems like there’s always “that guy”. This time “that guy” didn’t show up until we came around the reservoir. On a flat section, someone attacked hard and then blew up spectacularly.

We hit the south dam and the real attacks started. There were big surges up all of the dam hills, but the group stayed largely intact to the bottom of Rist. I’m not sure how intact, because I was actually doing a decent job of staying near the front for once. I felt more comfortable in this pack than usual, so that was nice.

The pace up the lower parts of Rist were really reasonable. I felt comfortable, but the group wasn’t getting any smaller. Someone from H.A.R.T. threw in some really good accelerations that broke things up. I followed some of them, but I knew I was going to have a hard time accelerating like that right now. With the speeds slower speeds up Rist, drafting isn’t a huge issue, so it was better for me to go a constant speed than to try to match all of the accelerations.

As we came up on a steep section near the top, I just knew an attack was coming. I was completely gassed by that point and didn’t even try to go with them. My legs were cramping. A side cramp I’d had since near the beginning had turned into a tight back and I was struggling. I went into survival mode at that point and just tried to not let anyone pass me.

We hit the final steep switchbacks near the top, and I was really happy I put a 12x27 cassette on my bike. It’s hard to turn over the gears up there when the gradient is around 15%. I managed to hold my position and finish 7th. The caveat – I’d like to DQ two people in front of me that crossed the yellow line. :) I love how the ACA makes a big stink about the yellow line rule, and then rarely (it seems) enforce it with DQ’s.

I thought the pace was reasonable, but then I looked at the ride data at home. I climbed Rist in 50 minutes. Last year, I think I was doing around 52 minutes. Sick. Nevermind that the pros probably climbed it in under 45.

Allow me to gripe one more time. The results (again) were all screwed up. Maybe I’m a vampire, because this isn’t the first time I haven’t shown up on the initial results. I stuck around for a bit, and then went home, grabbed my moto, and went back to make sure they got my placing. I’m not generally all that concerned, but I’d at least like a record that I was there.

Something to look forward to next year: They’re turning this into a stage race. It’s too early for details, but I talked to the organizer. They’re looking at a prologue, road race, crit, and a TT. The crit would be the old downtown Fort Collins crit course which has been sorely missing from the schedule that past couple years. They’re also trying to start and finish the RR in Old Town which would be super cool.

Air Force Academy Road Race '09

Thankfully, the weather cooperated enough for the Air Force Academy Road Race today. It was a cold start at 7:50AM, but the roads were clear with only a few puddles to splash through. Lucky for the other riders, Dave, Austin, and were so hot in our new kits that it warmed up the rest of the group.

There was a neutral rollout for the beginning of the race since they've had problems in the past with people getting out safely. The race was neutralized all the way until you turn onto Stadium. It was really nice to not have to hammer it right from the gun.

For the first lap, I sat on the front. Not a great idea from an energy saving standpoint, but it was nice to keep a reasonable tempo up there and prevent people from getting too worked up about any early escape attempts.

On the second lap, I settled in near the back of our shrunken group. It was more sketchy back there, but it was also easier not being out front. On the long climb up Pine Dr, people made some surges. I was able to stay with the group, but I could tell I was getting tired and that new chamois under me wasnt going to sustain my hopes and dreams for much longer. Apparently some other people were getting tired too, because there was 1 crash and another near crash on this lap.

As expected, things really heated up on the last lap. On the downhill sections, people were throwing in attacks and I had to work hard to stay with them. It certainly softened me up. I had to laugh a bit when one person launched a counter attack only to be chased down by his teammate.

We turned on to Pine, and there was a calm before the storm. I knew the attacks were coming and I knew I didn't have the legs. I stayed with the first few, and then I finally popped and rode to the finish solo for 12th place. Dave finished in the 20's and Austin in the 30's.

The winner was from the Front Rangers team. Those kids are no doubt strong climbers, but they're also a little scary to ride around. The same person was involved in a crash (I think), nearly went down later by rubbing wheels, and knocked into my bars at 30+ MPH for no reason (plenty of room to come around me). I don't mean to call anyone out, but damn, take it easy out there. It's a cat 4 race for crying out loud.

The Air Force Academy does a great job of putting on this race. The course is great, they have a ton of helpers (almost an army of people, I guess), and this year they even set up an enclosed structure for registration. Nice work.

Hart Master's State Criterium Championships

The 5th that almost wasn't!

The Hart criterium was on a 1.4 mile loop with one decent climb of almost 100 feet per lap. The final corner was at the bottom of a decent and was only about 150 meters from the finish line.

The first half of the race I felt so bad that I was trying to think of reasons why I should drop out and was actually hoping I would get a flat. Luckily my inner sprinter sounds like George Michael and always sings:

I won't let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sprint
It's the one good thing that I've got
I won't let you down
So please don't give me up
cause I would really, really love to stick around, oh yeah...

- George Michael, Freedom 90

By just past mid-way I finally started feeling better but there was a 4 man break that was gone already. As the final 5 laps started winding down I just started moving up each lap and found myself in about 10th to 15th going up the hill the last time. From there I just kept moving forward and made sure that no one boxed me.

On the big down hill, Green Mountains lead out started right in front of me on the inside and I was the first to jump on the back of it (remember Power Loops are as much about reaction time as sprinting). Thus we entered the final turn all out with Green Mountains lead out guy, their sprinter, and yours truly in that order.

Their sprinter broke right and their lead out guy peeled off left but I thought that the left distance to the line was shorter so I got around their lead out guy quick and was coming up fast on their sprinter with us both throwing our bikes at the the line. The finish was close enough that I didn't know if I got it and it would go to the camera.

Exciting enough yet? Well now is where it really gets weird!

This was the last BAR/BAT race for the Masters and my old teammate Danny Sullivan went into it leading the BAR but with one guy in striking distance. Unfortunately, the guy 2nd in the BAR got into the break and won while Danny finished several spots behind me in the field sprint. When we talked after the race, Danny joked that I cost him the BAR by beating him in the sprint which would extremely unfortunate as he is a really nice guy.

Then I went and looked at the results and they had me at 9th and Danny in 8th, something we both knew was NOT true but I didn't want to protest because it takes time, only top 3 were in the money, and it might cost Danny places thus the BAR.

After being a little annoyed about finally being competitive in a field sprint after all these years and not even getting credit for it, I got into the office this morning to find the results fixed. It turns out they had me switched with a guy from MOB with a similar sounding name who was in 9th. I don't know if Danny, or someone else, protested on my behalf or whether the officials just went back to the tape but it was nice to find out that I won the field sprint for 5th on the bike throw.

(On a sad note, Danny did not hold on to the BAR but fixing the results had no effect on this placing.)

Kevin A.

Fort Collins Cycling Festival (Rist Canyon Road Race)

At 52 miles with lots of climbing, this was already going to be a hard race, but overnight the race organizers made a course change. They decided to tack on some extra miles bringing the total to 64 and over 7000 feet of climbing. These weren't easy miles either. They included some painful climbs around Horsetooth reservoir. Apparently, they did this for safety reasons but I'm not sure why they waited until the night before to determine that their old finish wasn't safe. Another major league flub on their part was that they moved the feed zones (and didn't announce it to my knowledge). While the last minute changes are annoying, I really do appreciate the amount of effort that goes into putting on a race of this magnitude.

The race starts out by immediately going up a the steep hills by the stadium. There were people in the group that clearly weren't familiar with the course because they were hammering it early. I didn't look behind me, but I think we dropped several people within the first few miles. I had intended to stay near the front to keep from getting gapped on the descents, but instead I found myself near the rear of the newly shrunken group. After the final descent before Rist, I managed to get up to the front where I could cover the speed surges.

The climb up Rist was easier than I remembered last year. I stayed near the front and eventually 4 people were dangling off the front. I knew a couldn't hang and I had to dial it back a bit. Eventually I saw Tyson (FCCT) coming back so I knew I'd have someone to ride with. Every once and a while someone would be on our wheel, but they would usually blow up. We settled in finally with me, Tyson, and some dude in white.

Shortly after the feed, one of the Aussie guy up front drifted back, leave 2 up front. Our group of 4 crested the summit together. Tyson bombed down the hill and maneuvered around a few cars, but I got stuck behind one of them because there was another car coming in the other lane. Tyson opened up a huge gap and it was up to the three of us to close it down. I was all ready to work in this group of three, but the other two didn't seem to be into it. The Aussie that was with us would shoot off the front instead of gently pulling through. It was like an attack. I don't know if that was his plan or what. The other guy was doing a lot of soft pedaling. It was frustrating, and eventually I decided I shouldn't be doing much work in that group. If Tyson got away and bridged, I was okay with that. I love the descent through Buckhorn Canyon and the guys in our group either didn't know the course or weren't comfortable with high speed cornering (or both). I went through one corner with my rear wheel skipping on the pavement because I had to make a last minute adjustment to get around a guy who swung way wide. Scary.

Eventually Tyson slowed down, and we caught him around Masonville. About this time, my legs were really cramping. I hung with this group until we headed north on Glade Rd and got dropped when I was taking a gel. (These new jerseys have pockets that are way too high.) At one point I got back on their wheels, but they dropped me again and I knew I was a goner. From here on out, it was a mental battle just to stay on the gas instead of easing into the finish.

We passed the original turn off to the finish and my legs let out a sigh. Man how I would have liked to be finishing. My legs were dead, but I still tried to ride as hard as I could up the next hills. Up one of the hills, I got passed by a group of three. I couldn't get on their wheels as my legs were cramping every time I tried to get out of the saddle. Once they got over Bingham Hill though, they really slowed down as the jockeyed for position into the finish. When I caught them, I told them it was too early to screw around and tried to up the pace so we wouldn't get caught from behind. They were having none of it, so I just sat on wheels.

Coming into the finish, I did everything I needed to do and put myself right where I wanted to be. I knew the Aussie would have a good sprint, so I forced him to come around me (by slowing down and letting a gap open). I got right on his wheel, but as soon as everyone started sprinting, it was clear I had nothing left to give.

Overall the result was good. 9th place. At the end of the day, my computer said 64.25 miles and 7720 feet of climbing. Thanks to Christine, Jenna, and Ross for handing up water bottles to us. I was very happy to only be carrying 1 water bottle all the way up Rist.

(How do you follow up a 60 mile road race? The 60 mile 'A' ride to Ward on Sunday. I think I need a nap.)

Blue Sky Velo photo in the Camera

Boulder's newspaper the Camera ran a story on the Sunshine Hill Climb race. And because Blue Sky Velo jerseys look so hot they chose to run a photo by Deirdre Moynihan of Blue Sky's own Isaac kicking it up the hill.

When the going gets tough...

...the tough go to Tulsa!

That's right boys and girls it was time to light the fires and burn the tires BSV style last weekend in the Sooner State complete with jumbotrons, big crowds, wading pools on the sidewalk, beer trucks on the course, an old school bus set up for a roof top party, bars with bikes hanging from the ceiling, and of course Dave Towel chattering away like a deranged auctioneer who has been tweaking for 3 days! In other words, criterium racing nirvana!

Tulsa Blue Dome Criterium (Friday Night)

Friday night Isaac "The Grim Reaper" Dancy and your intrepid reporter lined up with 105 of our closest friends for a high speed downtown figure eight. With $2,000 cash 20 places deep, plenty or primes, temperate in the 80's, and enough humidity to take a shower by just running up and down the street, the race was fast right from the gun.



As usual yours truly tried to stay in the top 20 to increase my chances of both surviving and getting on the big jumbotrons. Meanwhile Isaac decided that he was going to don is alter ego "The Grim Reaper". Basically what this means is that if you are hanging out near the back and having trouble hanging on, you know your race is over when Isaac comes sprinting by you to close the gap opening up between you and the peloton. This of course is usually accompanied by Isaac's maniacal laugh punctuated by yelling "se ya sucker..."


Meanwhile at the front end of the field, things were going to plan for except that the heat had my heart rate up high enough to discourage me from doing a lot of prime noodling. Prime noodling is where you go jumping from wheel to wheel on a prime lap hoping someone will take you to the promised land. Unfortunately, I did find myself in perfect position for a little prime noodling at 5 laps to go with just one tiny...little...problem...there was no prime! While I had heard a bell the lap before (probably a cow bell) and Dave Towel had said the word "prime" as we rode by, he was talking about the prime that had just been won by someone else and was not announcing back to back primes. Opps!


After taking my imaginary prime and picking up my imaginary winnings, I only had a couple of laps left to try to recover while the peloton was slowly picking up speed in preparation for the dash for the cash. This, combined with a Fossil racer trying to stick his right shoe in my front wheel ended up with me in bad position with 1 to go. While the pace was fast, which is usually to my liking, I started out to far back and came around the final corner in about 20th and making it to 17th in the final strait. This was "in the money" but was very disappointing because the course and pace were really good for me. Oh well, there is always next year...






Tulsa Brady Village Criterium (Saturday)

Saturday's race was a an "L" shaped criterium going slightly up hill out toward the top of the "L" and down hill into the final corner which was about 250 meters from the finish.

First up was Steve "lets get psyched" Capstick who rode over to the course only to end up waiting out a thunder storm under the Cyclops Trainer Tent (they had a tent with about 10 trainers set up each day for anyone who wanted to use them). During the storm the rain was coming down so hard that it flooded the start/finish strait causing at least one wheel from the SRAM neutral support pit to go floating down the street.

Once the rain had cleared and mid-80's with ridiculous humidity was restored, the 4's race took off from the start line like they were being chased by a gang of insurance salesmen trying to sell them a Term Life Policy.



While riders kept getting shelled, which is what happens when the 4's have $1,000 cash at the finish, Steve just kept on making the selection. After about 2/3rd's of the race about 1/3rd of the field had been dropped. Unfortunately, coming into the last lap our hero had used his final match and he had to just hold on for 35th. But given that it was the fastest 4's race that I have seen since returning to racing, this was a pretty damn good result!



After Steve, it was once again my turn to take out my frustrations about never being able to watch the Giro in HD on another unsuspecting Masters field. Unfortunately, there was a guy, David Leduc, in the field with these weird rainbow strips on his sleeve which meant that he is either a world champion or he just came back from a gay pride parade. Either way he seemed to be even more pissed than me about the whole HD thing and was determined to make our entire field cry "UNCLE!"



Leduc started attacking just as soon as we had our first prime which was about 5 minutes in. By about his 4th or 5th attack he managed to establish a little 5-10 second gap. This prompted a series of attacks trying to get across as this move would probably be the race. Once one of these groups had made it about half way across and looked promising, I jumped out of the field with 1 guy on my wheel and bridged up. Unfortunately, once I got there it turned out that only one of the guys up the road was willing to work and the guy I brought with me would also not come through. To make matters worse, as our group was being caught 2 guys shot up the right hand side and they made it across in about a lap.





While there were many counter attacks to try and get another group across, none of them had much of a chance and the varying pace of the peloton just allowed the break to open up their lead every time we slowed down. Thus with 5 to go I had already resigned myself to a field sprint for 4th. On the last lap my position was excellent at the top of the hill with 1/2 a lap to go but going down the hill no one up front wanted to lead out. Finally going into the last corner the attack came from the inside and I was the first guy to jump onto this little group of 4 or 5. However, as they swung wide to set up for the final corner the last guy in the group came across my front wheel forcing me to break while I tried to avoid his back wheel. As a result, I went into the corner a little farther back than would have been ideal and only managed 9th on the line. Did I mention that they are doing these again next year?

In the final BSV race of the day, Isaac once again donned the black skin suit of death and decided to stalk the back of the field like it was Jodie Foster. However according to Steve (yea I do believe everything he tells me), Isaac had also been mike'd up by Dave Towel for added drama and filed this report live during the race:

Dave - Let's now go live to Isaac Dancy our lantern rouge of death out on the course right now...

Isaac - Thanks Dave and pardon the heavy breathing! I have been keeping an eye on #223 out here for about a lap now and I think it is about time we end his suffering. Hang on for a minute while I sprint by him...(Sound of gear shifting followed by maniacal laugh)...well it ain't pretty but that is the way we do it out here in the Cat 3's, or El Tres Grande as we call it. Back to you Dave.

Unfortunately, with just 4 or 5 laps to go the Grim Reaper was caught behind a crash which forced him to chase the rest of the way. But that is the price you pay for fame!

Tulsa Riverview Criterium (Sunday)

Sunday dawned with an ominous forecast. The local weather was showing two thunder storm cells heading for Tulsa, the first relatively small but second looked pretty darn big.

Since Steve was first up, he headed down to the course which was only a couple blocks from our hotel and proceeded to hang out with the Soundpony guys who he had just met the day before in someone's garage while the first storm blew through. Once the storm had passed, it was still raining but the officials called the Cat 4's to the line with 5 minutes notice and gave them the run down.

Basically, they could run the race as an unknown distance and the refs would give them the bell when the 2nd storm hit or there would be no race. Being the bravest of our BSV crew, Steve simply looked that ref back in the face and said "give me your best shot! I never ride faster than I can see, besides it's all in the reflexes." And they were off!

The course had a 200 meter wall at one end followed by a little more climbing and another roller which lead you back to a fairly steep decent into a greater than 90 turn (like those sharp corners at Niwot).

With a great start, Steve had good position as the 4's field was exploded right on the first lap. With it unclear when they would get the bell, guys were just flying off the front in hopes that they would time it right. Finally about 5 laps in the rain and wind picked up enough that the refs rang the bell! While I can't tell you what happened to Steve at this point because Isaac and I were hiding in the car like a couple of morons who had forgotten to bring an umbrella or towel, it looked brutal and Steve managed to hang on for 24th.

After that it started raining so hard that the rest of the amateur races for the day were canceled...BUMMER! Once again, there is always next year...(Are you sensing a theme?)

Hugo: barely lived thru this Long Road Race

On the Hugo Road Race website it says, "Long Live Long Road Races". Well, I just want to quote our own sage Kevin A "the good news is that there's a Crit tomorrow!" Halfway between the Front Range and Kansas is the farming community of Hugo, CO.

A few Blue Sky Velo road racers enjoyed the views (fortunately no tornados this week) and felt the pain of the hot, long, dry, painful, straight roads (with multiple crashes nonetheless) for 3 1/2 hours (nearly 80 miles).

It would have been nice to have some cloud cover today.... instead I certainly wasn't the only racer to end up with cramps due to the heat and dehydration (despite 4 bottles).

The SM3 race went something like this: slow. small break. bridge attempt (x6 - 5 of which were the Barrimee). still slow. crash. pace jumps. crash. race splintered, everyone riding in small groups or solo (biggest group is less than 15 - nearly 70 started). mile marker 35 (45 miles to go).

Barry got a soft landing from 5 or so guys in the crash so only got a small scrape. Horatio (in the 35+4's separated his shoulder after a similar crash). I tried my best Lance impression and rode into and back out of a ditch to avoid the crash. But neither one of us ever saw the front of the race again!

Click to see my TrainingPeaks File Viewer of today's power file - believe me, NOT very interesting and a far different file than what I could post 6 weeks ago! I guess 4 weeks of barely being on the bike after the Gila might have some effect on fitness.....

The reality is the race probably would have been just as hard if I had bridged up to the front group immediately after the crash rather than helping form a small chase group and then slogging it out with them for 35 miles. Its those split second decisions that can affect the next 2 1/2 hours of a race. If I had treated that bridge attempt like the sprint for a Tulsa worthy prime I could have pulled back into the group and saved my energy for the next break.

Who's up for a nice long mountain ride right about this time next year?

How did I get here?-Not the same as it ever was

After finding myself within the top 5-6 guys at the finish of this weekend's two crits, I wonder how I got there after being so incredibly crit challenged last summer. At first, crits scared me which meant I had to do them. I was off the back in my first 2 last year. I really started to dislike crits, but, after a few more (especially this year) I am actually starting to like them. They're certainly more fun near the front and when that elusive good form appears.

Wheels of Thunder crit: Saturday was a sunny beautiful day. The course was wide open, good roads, gently rolling, 1.6 mile D-shaped loop with a long moderate uphill to a false flat straight finish into a headwind.

After running into Steve Capstick, Kevin and Isaac, I lined up on the front with 60 to 70 other 35+4s including Steve. I started at the front and decided I would do everything to stay there throughout the race. This was well worth the little more wind to avoid the yo-yo, erratic breaking in corners, and crashes which Steve narrowly avoided.

As soon as the race started, I knew it would be good day. While not planned, the elusive good form was there baby! I felt great throughout the race. I spent most of the race sitting very comfortably in 3rd thru 5th position but ignoring the premes. I was hoping for a break but nothing seemed promising- just a few solo half-hearted digs. The pack would always accelerate on the corner before the final straight but the pace seemed otherwise fast but reasonable. Before I knew it, it was 2 laps to go. I somehow got stuck on the front but I was soft pedaling and joking to those behind me that "this is not where I want to be". Eventually, a surge passed me but I was ready. I avoided getting boxed in.

1 lap to go. I was ready for the final lap mayhem. I felt good but wisely decided a solo attack at a half mile+ out would be suicide in the final long headwind stretch. I hit the final corner in maybe 10th. The chaotic sprints hit but it was total disorganization on the wide road. I did not have a promising leadout but it was showtime-the part of the race that really matters. I began my long never-ending headwind sprint (it felt like 400 meters). I reved the legs up realizing that sprinting is more about leg speed than strength. I gave it my all and actually picked up several spots and closed on the winner. I got 6th-well beyond last year's wild future expectations and not bad for a non-sprinter.

Crit #2 Coal miner's classic: Eric (aka lead out man extraordanaire) already had a great write-up so I'll try to keep it brief.

After working since early morning and arranging for a few hours of work coverage, I reluctantly drove to the Coal miner's classic. Even as I drove up to the venue, I considered turning home for a nap instead. But, I had such good form the day before I had to push my luck. Fortunately, shortly after parking I immediately ran into Dave K, Dave T, Kevin G, and Eric. My energy level immediately ramped up. I chatted with Dave K with whom I am steadily gaining sandbagger status after telling him I was just hoping to finish. Later I saw Brad, Bill, Mike, Brian H, Steve, Brian M, and Kevin A. It was great to have so many BSV folks to race with and cheering/coaching.

What a fun course on another great sunny day! I felt like I was on a Le mans speedway. I started on the front and to my surprise I felt great again. I stayed top 5 for most of the race. Bill T made it into the first of 2 break attempts. Immediately, 3 of us were on the front blocking with another Colo Bike law guy who had a teammate in the break. But, the break never really organized and was soon chased down by other racers. Later, after a preme, I found myself in a group of 5 with a gap. A break formed and stayed away for 2 to 3 laps but not everybody was working hard enough. We were eventually swallowed by the chasing pack but a big thanks to my teammates for blocking. With 2 laps to go, Mike Dancel shot to the front and led for a lap- Mike, like all the BSV guys I saw near the front was strong. But, I wish he used that strength more wisely.

On the final lap, a Tokyo Joe's guy launched a bold attack from a 1/3 mile out. He caught us sleeping. I was too close to the front to see it and too slow to respond. I would have loved to have made this winning move or thought of it. I waited for a chase-nothing. So, I chased but was not sure I could bridge without bringing the pack-which I led to the final turn. We hit the final stretch. I told Eric not to get boxed in and he hit the gas. I jumped on his wheel. A long train formed to the left and it was Eric leading me out on the right. Eric gave a heroic effort. I shot off his wheel at about 50 to 100 meters to grab 5th place. Eric gave me a great leadout to give BSV a 5th place. He held on for 13th and Brian H shot thru the field for 17th. Great job to all! Sorry to hear about your crash Kevin but I'm happy to hear you're ok. There is no question we have the strong guys to win one of these with a little more tactical work and a 2 man lead out. Too bad Brian H wasn't on my wheel. I look forward to racing with all of you again!

Ho

Mining fer Coal

This Sunday was my second try at the Coal Miner's Classic in Louisville, my home town. I had ridden the Classic last year as my first race of the season and first ever crit/circuit race. Last year I got dropped from the main pack half-way through and hung on as the main field came around on the final lap.

So this year would be different I told myself. I've already had a handful of races this year and the weather was perfect. I live in Louisville, so I had the bonus of just riding my bike over to the race course. I got to the starting area just in time to watch Kevin and the rest of the 35+ masters hit the course, an hour before us 35+/4s were scheduled to roll out.

The new 1+ mile course was semi-technical with a long 1/4 mile straight section on the start/finish line, followed by multiple turns, right-right-left-right-right-left-right-right. The 2 left turns were curved and allowed maximum speed, however the right hand turn immediately after the 2nd left narrowed to a single lane and looked like it would slow down the pack. If I had to guess, this would be a good place to make a break if you had the legs because the pack would get too slowed and strung out for a good chase.

Kevin and the near 100 rider 35+ field rolled out at 10:30am and quickly were up to race pace. As road team captain, Kevin practices what he preaches and was riding up front all the time. I also saw Steve Capstick hanging tough with the 35+ elite riders. I expected Steve to join with us 35+/4s, but I'm guessing he signed up the same day, and our race was full, so they gave him the option to cough up a lung with the masters instead. The 35+ masters had a few breakaway attempts, but nothing seemed to stick. As their race came down to a bunch sprint, I saw Kevin in the middle of the bunch toughing it out. It was a fast race.

Next up at noon was us 35+/4s. I first ran into Mike 'DoubleTrouble' Dancel. Mike drove up from the Springs, and like at Tokyo Joe's, he raced with the 4's in the morning, and decided a second helping was in order, so he rode again with us 35+/4s. I also saw Bryan Harwood, BillT, Brad, KevinG, Brian Moroney, DaveT and Horatio. We chatted a bit before the race to decide if anyone was 'feeling it' in their legs. Ho says he raced Saturday the day before and got 6th in Wheels of Thunder. Way to go, Ho! Since Ho seems to be on such good form lately, I suggested we ride for Ho and try to lead him out, but he told us he didn't think his legs had it in them. Instead we decided to play it by ear.

Blue Sky had a real good turnout for this field. We had 9 riders of a field estimated around 90-100 deep. We had a bit of a delay in the 11:50 start, so BryanH killed time by chatting with race announcer Dave Towles. I think I heard Bryan asking Dave 'What are the chances a Blue Sky rider would win this heat?'. Dave asked back, 'What do you mean like odds, overs and unders'. Before you know it, Dave got back on the microphone and yells out, 'The Blue Sky team just told me they're guaranteeing a win in this race!'. Classic.

Not much later, the pre-race nervousness and wait is over and we're underway. The first couple turns got going up to speed and we were heading into the somewhat technical right-left-right turn with only a single lane on the right turn. Tensions mounted as the riders got nervous due to the tight squeeze. Riders we're yelling the typical 'watch yer line', but before long, the massive field made it through OK.

With another right hand turn we were back on the main long straight section heading north and slightly uphill. A couple riders dangled off the front briefly for the first few laps, but nothing serious was happening. Then after the 3rd of 4th lap, a small pileup happened coming around the right-hand bend of the straight section. The crash went down 20ft in front of me and I had plenty of time to swerve left around the mayhem. After I realized I made it, my next thought was I hope none of my teammates went down in that mess. Later did I realize KevinG was an unfortunate victim as I saw him heading the other way riding on the sidewalk, but he looked OK as far as I could tell.

As the pack regrouped, I noticed that Ho had made it to the front and those guys were making good time. Not much later, Ho and 4 others riders went off the front and made a clean break. Following KevinA's team strategy advice, I quickly moved to the front and did my best to soft pedal and block for Ho and the break. I saw Bryan take a turn at the front doing the same. The break lasted for 2 or 3 laps before being absorbed back into the mob.

With the group back together, I realized I had no idea how much time was left in the race. As we came around that main straight section, I could hear/see Kevin yelling '3 laps to go. Position, Position. Get to the front.' Yoiks. I was sitting somewhere in the middle so I made an effort to be up front after the next couple of turns and it wasn't too hard. A few other Blue Sky guys did the same and I could see Ho, Mike, and Bryan withing spitting distance.

With 2 laps to go Mike took a dig around the technical right turn before the turn onto the long straight. I guessed he was trying to make a break, so I tried to get to the front to block, but the peloton decided no break was going to go that early, and he was sucked back into the fold.

We came around for the final lap and everyone started moving up and jostling for final position. I did my best to jump from wheels to get inside the top ten before the last technical section. The lead guy from BPN started looking back nervously for a break and he was right to be scared. On that 2nd curved left hand turn, a Tokyo Joe's rider shot wide around the right and was the first into the technical right turn. Ho was one of the first to react and he tried to chase down this break. The Tokyo Joe's rider's lead was holding and everyone kicked it into high gear.

As the front of the peloton turned into the final straight, I saw that same BPN rider, Ho and a few others up front with me around 7th or 8th. I rode up alongside Ho and I think he saw me. "Hey! Ho! Let's Go!, Hey! Ho! Let's Go!" With the Tokyo Joe guy all but gone, the pace picked up for the final sprint. I had not overly exerted myself much during the race, and I felt like the others were tired, so I decided to give it all I had with 200m to go. I didn't look back and just gave it 111%.

The Tokyo Joe's rider held off the bunch sprint and took first. I was riding neck to neck with the other riders up until the final 10-20m when Ho and some other riders passed me going into the line. I find out after the race that Ho got on my wheel and sprinted up to 5th place! I rolled through in 13th. Bryan got 17th.

A bunch of us got together with KevinA to do some post-race analysis. I don't think we can really complain with the overall results, but in hindsight we had enough strong riders that we probably could have done even better with a little planning and maybe a 3 man lead-out. For myself, I was happy to be in the thick of the final sprint and learned that I am no Boonen. Ho did tell me later that I gave him a great lead-out. I'm glad it all worked out. Good times!

I fought the bear and the bear won

hey kids:

sunday night has arrived... finally. it feels like i have been riding my bike constantly since clocking outta work on Friday night. and that's a good thing. but now it's time to give the hands a workout (by typing this blog...)

Saturday midday: Time to battle the bear. For those of you uninitiated with this non-technical, flat, fast mountain bike race... it's non-technical, flat, and fast. Saturday was the first warm day of spring, but i just couldn't believe it as i packed my race-bag on friday night. I packed arm warmers, wool socks, and knee-warmers. Then i threw in the felpe, just in case some freak snowstorm happened.

Marty and I got to the venue, and sure enough, it was 80 and sunny. nice. I pull on the chip timer and Marty does the final fitting on my new hardtail short-tracker. Soon enough, it's time to toe the line, and all my rowdy friends are there. Meaning, Dan Farrel is hollering at the top of his lungs from across a field at me as i get clipped in.

An oddly softspoken official counts us down and we're off in a cloud of dust. take that, lungs. i settle into a fast pace on the wheels of Tom and Tony Torrance, the crime fighting duo from pearl izumi. We quickly put the kenworths in overdrive and we are gone. A couple miles into the lap there was an option to roost through a ditch--down into a gully and wheelie through a mud-puddle and eject out the other side. The ride-around line was a sweeping left and across a wooden bridge. 1st, and 2nd take the left hander, Tom and Tony shoot off into the ditch. Did I mention that i have no idea this is coming, as i didn't pre-ride? Anyway, i shoot into the ditch 3rd wheel and get the first taste of mud for the season. sick. We take the first 3 wheels outta the ditch, and feel like rockstars.

Rob Love attempting low-earth orbit

Soon enough, like 6 minutes later, i feel the pain of riding 20 miles an hour on singletrack, and let a gap open. That's all it takes for some punx to fill it, and i slip back a couple minutes. Work, legs, work! I reach onto my top tube, stuff my lung back in my chest, and put the hammer down again. I am holding my own for a lap... and at the feed zone i am only 30 seconds back. The hardtail feels good as i flog it like a rented mule (thanks Dave Towle). lap two is a mental struggle, as my rear brake starts dragging and sounding like some sort of deranged canary. I stop a couple of times to fix it, and a couple of my friends ride by and ask me if i am ok. I tell them yeah, no worries, just gonna go home and fire my mechanic.

Lap 3 arrives and the canary is out of my brake, because i have it so loose it doesn't work at all. Conditions are perfect. I take a bottle from the best looking soigneur in the business, and put the the head back down. Glancing at my watch, i realize that i am on a 2 hour pace, which i calculate as being pretty damn fast... how are those punks still up the trail?

I turn the dial to 11 and it's go time. I am picking off those buddies that passed me earlier and i know that my 3rd lap will be the fastest. Maybe not having a rear brake is a good thing? I cross the line at 2h5min, a little off the 2 hour mark, but still fast enough to take 5th. Turns out i was only 45 seconds behind the Torrance automaton, so i feel pretty good about that.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! The time is 5:35am. i wake up. dammit. Scott Kornfeld and his Coalminers decide that the cat4's draw a short straw and get a 7:30AM start time. Marty and i load all the belongings that matter into the lancer and we are ripping through the sleeping backroads of boulder county. We get to the race course as it is being set up--Chris Grealish, Joe Depalmaere and Dave Towle don't dissapoint. They are erecting a start/finish scaffold above the road with a digital race-clock. pro.

As i warm up, all the fellas show up--Dave, Ross, and Ryan from FtC, Dancel from the Springs, and Lee, R.Volk, and Jason from BoCo. We discuss tactics as Lewandowski chugs a red bull for breakfast. Dancel looks smashing in the long-sleeve skinsuit. We head up to the line, and as the gun goes off, Mike takes that LS-skinsuit and puts it off the front. First lap heroics at dawn, nice! The race settles in, and all the big guns are there. i don't really know what that means, but there sure are some sketchy mooks amongst us.

Mike Dancel showing us how it's done, 1st lap style

I take a flyer after not being able to handle the come-to-a-complete-stop cornering antics of my fellow racers. However, those fellow racers do have some legs bolted to their straight-line-only bicycles, so my glory is short lived--about 47 seconds to be exact. So, i sit in the pack, enjoy the morning sunshine, and heckle some fools. Lee is looking strong, and 35 minutes in, Jason is sitting in the front where he needs to be. In fact, all the boys were rocking and getting a glimpse of the front.

Time to do work

Looking for a corner, any corner will do

The second-to-last corner on the course is a faster right hander...totally do-able at full tilt. However, due to a paving job performed by Beirut Construction, the asphalt is shredded right on the racing line. We make it through without incident for the first 40 minutes of the 45 minute race, and one would think we all have it figured out.

Someone didn't get the memo, though, and stacks it hard with 2 to go. The crash takes out my friend Roger, and another ColoBikeLaw dude. It all goes down right behind me, which is good, but right in front of all the other BlueSky'ers, which is bad. I think Lee is up with me, and we punch it up the finish straight with one-to-go. Dave Towle is on the mic, shouting out something about a runway model. The group gets around the crash and we are mostly back together for the last half of the last lap. Lee heads to the front and pulls like a John Deere, and i come around him into that 2nd to last corner. I stand up and call on the legs to sprint. The phone rings, but the legs have the call forwarded straight to voicemail. I watch about 16 people fly up toward the finish and start thinking about breakfast. Official call is Rob Love, 17th. Ryan finished strong in 19th, and we covered 20th, 21st, and 22nd.

Lee Gerakos. The man, the machine.

Hello?? Anybody home?? Bueller??

All in all, a good showing for the team--we were all there forming up at the end... now we just have to bring a sprint out of the bag of tricks.

So, the time is now 8:45am, the race is over, and i am heading with the girl to breakfast. We chow on some moderately overpriced grub in Louisville and rally down to Buffalo Creek to preview the Burn MTB TT course. For those of you not familiar with Buffalo Creek, it is the best riding you have not done yet. Go there. Now. Quit reading this. Get your bike out of the garage and put it on your car. Skip work tomorrow. It's that cool.

Bikes are cool

Girls that ride bikes are cool

Marty and I pull off a few hours in the dirt, and it feels great to have her back with me on the trail. The dirt is perfect, and we brap some things and get brapped by others. Overall, we are left with the need to ride more, but also the need to eat copious amounts of junk-food. The buzz is stoked, though, and don't be suprised if we hit the road with nothing but mtn bikes and suntan lotion and don't come back until our credit cards don't work anymore.

All photos by the illustrious Marty Caivano. Except the photo of Marty Caivano, taken by Chupacabra

Rob & Marty, over&out.

Cat3 Gila Monsters Tackle Sunshine Hill Climb

A Tale of Two Climbs
6/30/2007
145lbs, 276w NP, 50:52, 4.2 w/kg
5/10/2007
149lbs, 288w NP, 54:04, 4.3 w/kg

In a nutshell, had conditions been identical, I probably would have posted a faster time ... but the wind, soft dirt and snow had something to say about it!

As usual, wind blows, 8am starts suck, and bike racers take it.

(And that's what she said.)

Jason's View of the Gila

What are the odds that I would be the only one to flat during the TT stage last Friday?

Overall I am pleased with my race. The Cat 4s had four days of racing:

64.2 mile RR Thursday
16.15 mile TT Friday
15 lap (approx 15 mile) CRIT on Saturday
71.8 mile RR Sunday

I'd heartily recommend this race to anyone. Especially if you like hills. And wind. I thought it was windy in CO, but it's also windy in NM. You are always either going up or down. And into the wind. The only flat part of the four days of racing was the criterium, and even then there was an 80-foot something hill in the middle.

A total of 9 guys (and a girlfriend- not mine) went down to Silver City, NM. It was about a 10-hour drive from Longmont. There were four category 4 and five category 3 guys from the Blue Sky cycling team. Along with 4 other guys I stayed with the parents of one of the racers. We had a great meals every night and were able to stretch out on furniture other than a motel bed.

In Thursday's RR, we had a pretty gnarly descent in the first 15 miles of the race. There were even a couple of crashes. Then we had to climb and that's where I lost the pack and the peloton broke up. For the next 30 or so miles there was a group of anywhere from 6- 12 of us who chased the leaders. At the feed zone, positioned along another good steady climb, the pack broke up further and it was down to 8 of us. We all crossed the line within 30 seconds of each other. I was disappointed I didn't nail the initial climb but pleased about my finishing effort. I finished the stage 35 of 85 riders, only 6:34 down.

I was looking forward to Friday's time trial, since if I have a strength in cycling that would be it. We went in reverse finishing order of the prior day's road race. The time trial course was also all either up or down. I felt pretty good at the turnaround. About 30 minutes into the effort, just as I was starting the last climb until about a 3 mile downhill, I flatted. Yep, you heard me. Barely used, maybe 75 miles total on the tire, brand new Continental Giro tire. Tread wasn't even worn. The damned sidewall just blew out. No puncture or anything. Unfortunately, the rules for the race is that any rider unable to finish the time trial b/c of a mechanical gets the time of the slowest rider. What should have taken me b/w 43- 45 minutes took me almost 58 minutes b/c the slowest finishing time was 57:54. I lost 16:50 on that stage and the official result had me finishing 83 of 83 riders. All that preparation for naught b/c of a low-end Conti. I'll never skimp and buy a $30 tubular again to race on. I'd just have to look at each stage's finish versus the overall GC, or general classification. BTW, an official did bring me a neutral wheel and I was able to ride the 5 miles back to the start/finish.

Saturday's criterium was in downtown Silver City. It was a 1-mile square with an 80 foot hill. This was only my 5th criterium ever, so I really didn't have any expectations but to finish and not get pulled. I had trouble clipping in right from the gun, so I was already at the back of the pack from the beginning. In a nutshell, I finished 17 seconds down from the peloton, 49 of 82 racers and could hear the moto behind me for the last lap or so. About 30 guys did get pulled and lost two or more minutes.

My legs still felt good for the closing road race. This race all comes down to the final 15 or so miles. It is essentially a reversal of Thursday's course, so the last miles are all climbing at 6% or higher grades. There is a short but brutal stretch of 17% grade as well, with a total of 5600 feet of climbing. It was rolling neutral start for the first 2 miles out of Silver City. I had good positioning being right in the first 10- 15 riders. At about 10 miles or so into the race, it was agreed upon to take a pee break, so you had 80 guys pissing on the side of the road. Talk about solidarity. There were a few who kept riding at a slow pace, but then the peloton re-formed. The pace really started to pick up, and after taking a bottle at the feed zone around mile 45 or so, I blasted to the front. Yes, I was leading the peloton for a good minute or two. There was a small group that broke away early on, but I was able to ride the 15 or so miles before the climb at the front. The final 20-mile stretch of road was closed to all but us racers and support vehicles. As soon as we turned the corner and hit that 10% grade, it seemed like half the field passed me. Over the final 18 miles or so of climbing, I passed a handful of guys. My legs felt pretty good as I kept thinking to myself about Super James, Ward, Pinewood Rez, Lee Hill- all those stout climbs I did to at least mentally prepare myself for the Gila. Of the 7 or so guys I worked with in those last miles, I out-climbed all but one guy on the uphill finish. I was more than pleased with my effort, finishing 29 of 79 guys and losing 7:28 to the winner.

Officially my GC placing was 42 of 79 racers and 30:29 off the winning time. Six guys apparently dropped out b/c of crashes or fatigue. My goal was to finish in the top half of the field, and if it wasn't for that flat during the time trial stage, I would've likely come in the top 30- 35 riders or so and easily would have met my overall goal. All in all a fun but grueling race, especially that last road race. I am tempted to think about the 2009 Gila, but it is a long time away from family. Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I also rode a couple more mountain passes in southern CO on the return trip home yesterday. I rode another 40 miles and bagged La Manga Pass and Cumbres Pass. Although not that steep with grades topping out *only* at about 8%, my legs were pretty fried from racing and it was a pretty tough climb. I now only have 4 more paved mountain passes to ride in the state. I'm certainly stronger after 200 miles of riding in five days!

Jason

Gila Stage 5 - Gila Monster Road Race

The end is near. Today was the 70 mile Gila Monster stage.

The 4's rolled out in jovial fashion and we were all chatting it up and having a good time. A break went off pretty early and I was pretty happy about that since they would swallow up the sprint time bonuses. I was on the front as the break went off, and someone put their hand on my back as if to tell me to chase it. I chuckled and told them to have at it because I certainly wasn't going to chase.

The pack stayed together for along time, which made for some crowded roads later on. The riding was a little sketchy because everyone decided that suddenly on the last day they needed to be at the front and try to improve their GC spot.

Right after the feed zone (around 40 miles into the race) Rob got a flat. He was in front of me and I saw him pull off. I pulled off Dukes of Hazzard style into the dirt and gave Rob my wheel since he was better placed on GC than me. Ross had seen us stopped on the road and he slowed down to pace Rob back up to the field. It was all a pretty pro affair.

My wheel change was fairly slow, and they gave me a tank of a wheel to ride on. I chased with a small group for the next 10 miles and we finally caught the main field at the base of the decisive climb of the day. I was pretty blown from the chase, but I managed to climb okay still. I caught a lot of people, and eventually made it up to Rob and Jason. Jason was climbing strong and finished with a small group a minute ahead of me. Rob and I road with another guy for a bit, and finally Rob pulled the rip cord finished solo. I finished side by side with Taylor from RMRC.

I finished in 28th overall, and Rob finished in 26th.

In the 3's race, Blue Sky controlled the peloton for a large portion of the race and kept the pace slow while Jeremy tried to break away. Jeremy had a good gap, but eventually he got caught on the Sapillo climb. At the end of the day, Barry finished at 10th place on GC. Congratulations Barry on an awesome race!

After the race, we hung out at Rob's parent's place for some burgers, brats, and copious amounts of recovery beer. The team owes a lot of thanks to Rob Sr. & Susan Love, Marty, and Stuart for their logistic and feed zone support. I saw plenty of teams relying on neutral support, and it was so nice to have our own dedicated support team.

Hard riding, brats and beer work their magic on Jose and Rob Sr.:


The 2008 Gila is over. Who's in for next year?

Gila Stage 4 - Criterium

Another day, another race. Today was the criterium in downtown Silver City. The Cat. 4s got there early to set up the Blue Sky compound:


The course is a NASCAR lover's dream - 4 lefthand corners. The main "feature" of the course was a climb between the 2nd and 3rd corners. The first couple times through this section were hard on my legs. After that, though, I was punching up it pretty easily every time.

I got to the start a little later than I wanted, but I got a spot in the second row next to Rob. When the gun went off, I went right to the front so I could make it through the first corner safely. It was a little narrow, but not nearly as narrow as hairy as I thought it was going to be.

Ryan hammering off the front, giving the group something to worry about: (Ryan only speaks of himself in the third person now, he's that cool. No, really, this is Marty writing the captions.)


Midway through the race, got off the front going into the 4th corner of a sprint lap and carried the gap all the way to line. I won some socks and $20. I'm thinking of retiring. I didn't have to work all that hard for the prime because Rob was on the front of the chasing pack.

Jason and Ross showing off their Nascar skills:


Rob flatted with 6 laps to go just as we were coming up on the SRAM neutral wheel pit. If you're going to get a flat in a crit, it's pretty sweet if SRAM is there to give you a ZIPP 404 carbon wheel.

Rob awaits permission to fire the second stage afterburners:


Since we were outside of 5 laps to go (barely), Rob was able to hop back in the group the next time we came around. And boy did he ever come back into the group. I was near the front and Rob passed me going mach 1 through the outside of the first corner.

Houston, we have liftoff:


I finished somewhere in the main group, and Rob opened up a sweet sprint for 4th place.

Meanwhile, the Cat. 3s showed up to the compound, with Kevin sporting a sweet head-tan. These things are all the rage now. Don't even bother with tattoos anymore:


In the 3's race, Blue Sky constantly had people at the front of the pack or off the front. Barry got in an early break of 4 guys, but it didn't stick. With a lap or two to go, Jeremy took his chances with a flyer. He was got sucked back in. Eventually, Kevin took fourth in the field sprint.

Jeremy and Kevin keep the suckaz at bay:

Jeremy goes off the front like the bad man he is:


Barry gets into the later breakaway of four, proving that the Two Headed Barremy can be occasionally spotted in single form:



The bad news: In the last lap, somebody put a handlebar into Jeremy and he went down pretty hard. He got some road rash, but it didn't look like he broke bones. He did break a wheel and a helmet, however, and they took him to the hospital as a precaution. He's had a rough couple days, but hopefully he can race tomorrow.

Gila Stage 3 - TT

There's not much to say about the TT (other than I stink at TT's). Rob rode a solid race and moved up the GC a bit. Jason had a flat and had to wait a while for a wheel. Ross and I both finished somewhere down in the pack.

Ross waiting to put the smack-down on the rest of those Cat. 4 schmucks:


Ryan putting the pedal to the metal:




Jason blazing out onto the high-quality chip seal, only to later face a flat tire:



Rob ripping up the road with what seems to be his best-ever TT, in spite of the non-aerodynamic bared teeth:



Barry rode a great TT and is now sitting 6th overall. Jeremy unfortunately clipped a cone while he was in his aero bars and zoning out on his effort. Even with a crash and a wheel change, Jeremy still beat my time. Jose, Isaac, and Kevin all put in some solid times too.

Kevin pondering the pain:


Isaac tries the teeth-bared method himself:

Jose saying, "Hey ladies. Like my dome?"

Barry showing how it's done:

And Jeremy flashing his bloody palm after his crash and wheel change:




Marty rode on the back of Rob's dad's motorcycle and did a little picture taking. Here's her moto driver:



Perhaps the highlite of the day came after the racing was over when we got to see someone throw (literally) their TT bike at their car. I guess someone wasn't happy with their ride.