Take your adventure outside of your traditional road race event. Not too many course marshals out there, heck not even that much pavement... should be quite an event this year.
From the Ground Up from Chris Skogen on Vimeo.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Almanzo 100
d.rettig
Take your adventure outside of your traditional road race event. Not too many course marshals out there, heck not even that much pavement... should be quite an event this year.
Take your adventure outside of your traditional road race event. Not too many course marshals out there, heck not even that much pavement... should be quite an event this year.
Not everyone has a new ride... fix it and enjoy it
d.rettig
This is for all you pavement lovers out there.
This is for all you pavement lovers out there.
Tune Up Your Bicycle For Spring from Etsy on Vimeo.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
My lucky day!
Had a ridiculously good day on the bike last weekend. And I'd like to thank my teammates and breakmates for making it possible. Road racing is definitely a team sport.
I'll try to make it brief
Gregg Bednorski Memorial #2 in Madison, 3 corner crit, with a strong Midwestern wind
Masters 3/4
David S, David B, Keith D, Curtis B, Tom H, Jim M all lined up (if my memory isn't as grey as my beard!)
It was a tailwind downhill start, and Tyson took off at the gun; I followed, had a small gap with about 6 guys after half a lap, up the hill, into the headwind; by corner 3, it was one Chiro guy and I (for some reason all the other LAPT and Chiro guys "stopped".) Micheal and I worked, but with only 2 guys and the strong wind it didn't seem like a doable situation (for the whole race, from lap 1.) Then Luke from Magnus bridged up to us; and past us! Man, that was a silly lap when both he and I were working into that headwind with Michael on my wheel, sheltered). But we eventually got together, settled down, and worked well together - after working out some kinks (don't pull through with a surge, take the shortest line around the course - there are no cars out here! [we can use the whole road, etc.]) I figured Luke was the strongest in our break, and I had to be on my toes for his impending attack, I thought, as the race wore down. He just kept pulling though, for about the last 2 laps! Crazy! So I went from conceptualizing it as "If I play it right I might get 2nd" to "I think I'm gonna win this thing!" Luke was first wheel approaching the last corner, slowed down some, and right near the corner cut off the inside line, right as Michael was getting ready to jump on the inside. (I was third wheel.) I had visions of bunny hopping the curb if things kept going the direction they were heading. But Michael ended up making it by Luke, jumping, and I then came around him for the win! Sweet! Thanks to Michael and Luke for a fun, and eventually functional break; and to my teammates for blocking, and covering any bridging attempts, etc. Thanks to Chris B for blocking too! Awesome work!
Cat 3 race
I was cold (from standing around too long in the wind after my first race) and tired, so I biked home, had some hot tea, lay on the couch for 20 min, ate a snack, and biked back over for round 2. It was my first WCA Cat 3 race, and I was hoping to work for teammates Doug B, Matt K, and Forrest S. Then Patty D, Gear Grinder, attacked on the first lap, and a group of about 4 were chasing. I was at the back, and just watching. The peloton was against the right curb, with a pretty strong cross headwind from the right. So I decided to move up the left side, and then figured I'd cover the early break. But I ended up passing the group of 4 chasers like they were standing still, which kind of confused me. But now only Patty was in front of me, and I figured I'd go up to him. I caught him after the first corner of the 2nd lap, thanks to the strong tailwind, and we immediately began working together, really well. After we drove if for at least 17 min, holding a small but reasonable gap, we both kind of sat up on the tailwind section and figured that it was pretty early, and with only 2 of us there was probably too much horsepower behind to make it to the finish. So we soft pedaled for a while, hoping to tempt someone into bridging up to us. Sure enough! Here he comes. Lucky for us it was a Team WI guy (John R; as they had lots of potential blockers too), and lucky for me he was tall! (I wasn't getting much of a draft off Patty.) The three of us immediately put the hammer down and rode well together, increasing our gap (again). As the race wore down I was figuring that Patty should/would attack. On the last lap he went a bit hard up the hill and into the headwind, and gapped John off his wheel. I wasn't sure if that was a plan, and John was doing it to help Patty get away? Anyway, I waited, patiently (for me), letting John pull across the crest of the uphill and over to the slight downhill, then I jumped around him and up to Patty's wheel between corner 2 and 3. I sat on, he looked back, and I figured that since it was a strong tailwind sprint I had the luxury of going early, if I wanted to, as an 8 foot tall, hairy bike racer. So I surprised him and attacked into the last corner, got a gap and was able to roll across the line - for win #2 on the day! Crazy!
I won 1 WCA crit last year, and now I had doubled my win total, in 1 day!
Thanks to Doug, Matt, and Forrest for working behind me, and next time one of YOU guys should cover the early break!!
I'll try to make it brief
Gregg Bednorski Memorial #2 in Madison, 3 corner crit, with a strong Midwestern wind
Masters 3/4
David S, David B, Keith D, Curtis B, Tom H, Jim M all lined up (if my memory isn't as grey as my beard!)
It was a tailwind downhill start, and Tyson took off at the gun; I followed, had a small gap with about 6 guys after half a lap, up the hill, into the headwind; by corner 3, it was one Chiro guy and I (for some reason all the other LAPT and Chiro guys "stopped".) Micheal and I worked, but with only 2 guys and the strong wind it didn't seem like a doable situation (for the whole race, from lap 1.) Then Luke from Magnus bridged up to us; and past us! Man, that was a silly lap when both he and I were working into that headwind with Michael on my wheel, sheltered). But we eventually got together, settled down, and worked well together - after working out some kinks (don't pull through with a surge, take the shortest line around the course - there are no cars out here! [we can use the whole road, etc.]) I figured Luke was the strongest in our break, and I had to be on my toes for his impending attack, I thought, as the race wore down. He just kept pulling though, for about the last 2 laps! Crazy! So I went from conceptualizing it as "If I play it right I might get 2nd" to "I think I'm gonna win this thing!" Luke was first wheel approaching the last corner, slowed down some, and right near the corner cut off the inside line, right as Michael was getting ready to jump on the inside. (I was third wheel.) I had visions of bunny hopping the curb if things kept going the direction they were heading. But Michael ended up making it by Luke, jumping, and I then came around him for the win! Sweet! Thanks to Michael and Luke for a fun, and eventually functional break; and to my teammates for blocking, and covering any bridging attempts, etc. Thanks to Chris B for blocking too! Awesome work!
Cat 3 race
I was cold (from standing around too long in the wind after my first race) and tired, so I biked home, had some hot tea, lay on the couch for 20 min, ate a snack, and biked back over for round 2. It was my first WCA Cat 3 race, and I was hoping to work for teammates Doug B, Matt K, and Forrest S. Then Patty D, Gear Grinder, attacked on the first lap, and a group of about 4 were chasing. I was at the back, and just watching. The peloton was against the right curb, with a pretty strong cross headwind from the right. So I decided to move up the left side, and then figured I'd cover the early break. But I ended up passing the group of 4 chasers like they were standing still, which kind of confused me. But now only Patty was in front of me, and I figured I'd go up to him. I caught him after the first corner of the 2nd lap, thanks to the strong tailwind, and we immediately began working together, really well. After we drove if for at least 17 min, holding a small but reasonable gap, we both kind of sat up on the tailwind section and figured that it was pretty early, and with only 2 of us there was probably too much horsepower behind to make it to the finish. So we soft pedaled for a while, hoping to tempt someone into bridging up to us. Sure enough! Here he comes. Lucky for us it was a Team WI guy (John R; as they had lots of potential blockers too), and lucky for me he was tall! (I wasn't getting much of a draft off Patty.) The three of us immediately put the hammer down and rode well together, increasing our gap (again). As the race wore down I was figuring that Patty should/would attack. On the last lap he went a bit hard up the hill and into the headwind, and gapped John off his wheel. I wasn't sure if that was a plan, and John was doing it to help Patty get away? Anyway, I waited, patiently (for me), letting John pull across the crest of the uphill and over to the slight downhill, then I jumped around him and up to Patty's wheel between corner 2 and 3. I sat on, he looked back, and I figured that since it was a strong tailwind sprint I had the luxury of going early, if I wanted to, as an 8 foot tall, hairy bike racer. So I surprised him and attacked into the last corner, got a gap and was able to roll across the line - for win #2 on the day! Crazy!
I won 1 WCA crit last year, and now I had doubled my win total, in 1 day!
Thanks to Doug, Matt, and Forrest for working behind me, and next time one of YOU guys should cover the early break!!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Feels like our bikes....enjoy yours
d.rettig
How do you like to personalize your bike.....gold snake skin saddle works for me.
How do you like to personalize your bike.....gold snake skin saddle works for me.
Cafe cowboy from benedict campbell on Vimeo.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Mmmm, bike feel good
Man, that Madone 5.5 is a sweet ride.
Blomme - is that your fault?!
And I'm really likin' my new Bontrager RL Anatomic-C handlebar too.
Did you have anything to do with that Bischoff?
Anyway, thanks for a great ride.
Blomme - is that your fault?!
And I'm really likin' my new Bontrager RL Anatomic-C handlebar too.
Did you have anything to do with that Bischoff?
Anyway, thanks for a great ride.
View from the back - unfortunately
Jim Merrifield
First WI races - Menomonee Falls and the first of the Great Dane crits in Madison. And I was racing against doctor's "suggestions". Just a few days before, I and a bit of flesh containing some melanoma cells parted ways and the doc doing the deed strongly advised against racing. It was not the level of activity as much as the neck twisting involved and the possibility that the sutures on the neck would get popped. I had not thought of that aspect of the surgery before hand and in fact had my bike in the car and had planned on riding home that day and then riding into work the following day. Sure enough, after I got sewn up, I realized the error of my thinking - I could barely turn my head! Just looking over my shoulder before changing lanes in the car was difficult. So I decided I had better be a good boy (aka a compliant patient) for at least a few days and then see how things were shaping up for the weekend. A few workouts on the wind trainer (OKed by the doc) during the week showed that at least the legs still could go in circles.
Saturday and time to race. I lined up for the M3/4 field with Tom Hooyer and was not sure what would happen, thought I might elect to just sit in. But the gun went off and I moved to the front and in a couple laps decide that I will not be wishing I had listened to the doc. It was a bit windy and Hampshire Cycle Club was being aggressive, sending riders but no one was paying a great deal of attention to single riders out front. The few times when a group tried to go (with me in there a couple times), the pack was all over it. It was going to come down to the final sprint, with the pack charging into the nasty final corner together. I moved up to good position, 4th wheel or so on the back stretch, determined to hold position but the boys at the front slowed down a little and then I was in the swarm and just focused on getting thru the final corner in good shape. Next race of the day was the M1/2/3 with Fo Smith, Eric Knuth and Dale Humphrey joining. This race was as expected much more aggressive with Nova Sport (was ISCorp) doing a lot of the moves up front, or at least as much as I could see as I was feeling the first race a bit and was content for the most part to be towards the back. Fo, Eric and Dale were all up towards the front, looking strong. As the legs started to get better acquainted with speed, I tried to get more towards the front to help if the need arose but did not have the strength to insist on staying there and despite being opportunistic at the end, riding a train up the side, I settled for "watching the sprint from a safe distance".
Sunday was a whole different day - not flat, WINDY and WARM. And oh yeah, the legs sucked! In earlier blogs I had mentioned how I was not race fit yet. Big time! And there was little time to ease into the M3/4 race as a few folks went from the gun, Greg Ferguson among them so I had to get to the front to discourage chasing as best as I could. OWWW! There was not much in the way of concerted chasing. It was more a matter of people trying to bridge up. David Studner was excellent, jumping with a couple of those people to discourage them. A couple times, I thought the break was coming back but then all of a sudden, maybe 15 minutes into the race, they were gone. There was still a lot of activity in the pack with various folks trying to make a go of it. I went with one and oh, but my legs said "what were YOU thinking?" It took me a couple laps of carefully protecting myself from the wind to get off the ropes. Coming off the top of the highest point on the course and into the extended downhill, the desire is to back off but if I let even a few feet open up, I was pushing again that 25 mph headwind - no, no , NO! Once again, as the lap cards approached zero, I tried to be opportunistic but found myself having to close too many gaps in the tail wind section as the speed ramped up and was happy to be able to see the pack sprint again "from a safe distance". And my notions about doubling up, doing the M1/2/3 race later in the day - HA! Next week (Sunday), more crits on the same course but in the opposite direction and perhaps a "loosening up" RR down in Illinois the day before. Sure hope the legs will be readier!
Studner vs Couch Intervals
Yep, that’s about how it went (I had the catbird seat in the pack).
The break rolled and there wasn’t much of a chase at all. I don’t think anyone believed it would go. Once the gap looked believable, a few guys started jumping out to bridge. There were 3 individual riders out there and I was starting to “come in” (shock of speed subsiding). I decided to do a little sheepdog duty and took a good pull on the tailwind section. 1st guy- caught, 2nd guy- caught, coming up on the 3rd I look over my shoulder and saw.. my own ass. Nobody came along and the gap to the break was closer than the pack so I kept rolling with the 3rd fellow. I was making ground fast and feeling good for a lap but by the time and was confident I’d make it giving TMT the majority in the break. Not long after that dream, my couch interval training started kicking in and then it was too late. My passenger was more than willing (I should’ve asked for help sooner), offered me his wheel and encouraged me to keep on but I’d already spent too much. He got there, I didn’t and once it was obvious that I wouldn’t make it I sat up and went back to the pack hoping the guy I just delivered to the break didn’t win over my team mate.
After a couple laps in the pack it was apparent that all the teams with numbers were represented in the break because the pace was pretty manageable. I started to feel better right about when Aaron Schindler jumped out with an Extreme guy. They hovered off the front for a couple of laps and two BD’s started to chase. Jim Merrifield and I helped knowing the AS is a danger guy for the series and in the back he’d finish in the 20’s, out there, top 10. After rotating with the BD’s for a few laps is became really apparent that everyone was happy with the groups up the road and if we didn’t pull the pace would drop. We kept working at it but the wind was blowing harder and AS had obviously done fewer couch intervals than I had and they held it. He got 6th. I dead legged it in for 17th out of ~40 and was pretty happy with my ride all things considered.
Looking forward to racing more.
-D.Studner
The break rolled and there wasn’t much of a chase at all. I don’t think anyone believed it would go. Once the gap looked believable, a few guys started jumping out to bridge. There were 3 individual riders out there and I was starting to “come in” (shock of speed subsiding). I decided to do a little sheepdog duty and took a good pull on the tailwind section. 1st guy- caught, 2nd guy- caught, coming up on the 3rd I look over my shoulder and saw.. my own ass. Nobody came along and the gap to the break was closer than the pack so I kept rolling with the 3rd fellow. I was making ground fast and feeling good for a lap but by the time and was confident I’d make it giving TMT the majority in the break. Not long after that dream, my couch interval training started kicking in and then it was too late. My passenger was more than willing (I should’ve asked for help sooner), offered me his wheel and encouraged me to keep on but I’d already spent too much. He got there, I didn’t and once it was obvious that I wouldn’t make it I sat up and went back to the pack hoping the guy I just delivered to the break didn’t win over my team mate.
After a couple laps in the pack it was apparent that all the teams with numbers were represented in the break because the pace was pretty manageable. I started to feel better right about when Aaron Schindler jumped out with an Extreme guy. They hovered off the front for a couple of laps and two BD’s started to chase. Jim Merrifield and I helped knowing the AS is a danger guy for the series and in the back he’d finish in the 20’s, out there, top 10. After rotating with the BD’s for a few laps is became really apparent that everyone was happy with the groups up the road and if we didn’t pull the pace would drop. We kept working at it but the wind was blowing harder and AS had obviously done fewer couch intervals than I had and they held it. He got 6th. I dead legged it in for 17th out of ~40 and was pretty happy with my ride all things considered.
Looking forward to racing more.
-D.Studner
WCA Women's open
S. Smith
Unfortunately I have no photos of the women's 1/2/3 racing from this past weekend. I sure did get a constant stream of compliments on the new team clothing by Voler, in fact, one woman even commented how much she liked them during our race at Menomonee Park on Saturday.
Sunday at the Great Dane criterium, the storms held off for the women's open which wasn't until 4:55PM. I was honestly just glad I finished since the winds were so strong and it took all I had to hold my line and find spots to stay tucked in. Hiding from the wind can be tough to do since our field only had eleven women which is obviously much smaller than all the men's fields.
While I didn't get a winning result either day, I enjoyed pushing myself and racing for the first time on my new Madone which I can't rave about enough! Wow...what a responsive bike! Now I just need to work on my timing to get in the right spot at the right time so I can finish a bit higher when final results are posted. Though I'll admit, while results can be satisfying, what's even better is getting an Oreo coffee malt after the race to enjoy on the way home.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
1st of WCA CAT 3 Review
With beautiful Saturday conditions the Trek Midwest Team CAT 3 squad was anxious to get the first race started. Kamphius, Ganju, and Bailey were on hand to witness a stacked field of IS Corp riders; a closer look revealed they were mostly Junior Riders though that wouldn't stop the attacks from coming. Prior to start, TMT agreed to keep our noses clean and stay upright through the finish on what can be a accident prone last corner. Doing our fair share of chasing IS Corp riders who sent out regular attacks, our boys in black rode smart letting other riders do the hard pulls and take the wind on. Headed into the final straightaway before the "infamous last turn" Bailey followed a good wheel up the final hill with Kamphuis right on his wheel. Sitting in decent position for the sprint Bailey grabbed 6th at the line while Kamphius stayed strong for 8th. Ganju, who had worked hard to cover a few late breaks, had less than great position into the turn and settled further back. All agreed it was a very smart and productive race with all members communicating and reading each other well.
Sunday saw the traditional WCA start, The Great Dane, with scorching temps, winds 20-35 mph, and a threat of severe weather. Kamphuis and Bailey were happy to have Bice join the efforts after driving straight for a TT in Illinois (never asked him if he TT'd in from IL?). The field appeared stronger on Sunday as several strong riders absent on Saturday were present. Team Wisconsin, in particular, was represented by a well stacked group of new members. The 3 TMT men agreed that we would not follow anything but the most serious of attacks, let others fight the wind, and again try to stay out of trouble. Team Wisconsin wasted no time in sending a man off the front who was joined by another solo rider. The peloton responded with speed and effort but no serious launch was given that early into the race. TMT did their share of work in the front helping to pull back the break after around 6 laps.
The remainder of the race was typical of Great Dane: hard up the hills, cautious into the wind, jostle for position into the final cornor. Bice launched into a break of 5 men with around 6 to go but eventually the group was caught by mostly Team Wisconsin's effort. With 3 to go Bailey was separated from Bice and Kamphuis who were near the front but worked back to them right where it counted - atop the last hill and into the final wined-up for the line. Yelling GO Bice drilled the front with Kamphuis and Bailey tucked in nicely behind: A textbook picture of lead-out technique! Getting pinched in the inside of final corner, and suffering from the last stretch effort, the group slowed through the critical final turn and had to settle for a top 7th spot on the day.
All were in agreement that for a 1st weekend the results, and more importantly, the team communication and synergy was excellent. All agreed that for early season legs we felt great and know that we all were not close to potential speed or power yet. Special thanks to our fans, our sponsors, and Focal Flame for the support on the day. We're proud to ride our best because of you.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
GDVC 1
dblomme
Focal Flame will soon have a much better set of photos, but here are a few I grabbed from some of today's racing.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Good design talk tonight
From teammate Michael L, at Monona Terrace
Inspiration and educational
Thanks!
Inspiration and educational
Thanks!
New Racers in Wisconsin
For anyone who is new to bike racing, you should check out the following from USA Cycling… From: Reiland, Andy [mailto:Andy.Reiland@safway.com] Subject: New Racers in Wisconsin With the race season upon us, there will be a group of racers who are either new to the sport, only have done a handful of races in the past, or maybe have been out of the sport for a number of years. USA Cycling is hosting two webinars. Both will be facilitated by Kristin Dieffenbach, PhD and USA Cycling Level 1 Coach. The webinars are tailored to educate riders and help grow the sport of cycling! There will be time allotted for questions and answers, and the completed webinars will be posted to the USAC website. This is a great opportunity for new racers. April 19 4pm MDT “My First Bike Race” This webinar is geared to those new to competitive racing (especially those who have never raced before). More details and the link to register is below: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/984267521 May 26 4pm MDT. “Getting a Friend into Racing” This webinar will be applicable to all members the aim of the webinar is to give racers some tips on luring their friends into racing. More details and the link to register is below: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/582034945 Please pass this on to all of your teammates. Andy Andy Reiland President 414-750-3188 (cell) Wisconsin Cycling Association
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Solvang Condensed
These were my favorite photos from Solvang a couple of weeks ago. I would REALLY like to be there right now!! Going back next year for sure!F. Smith
Friday, April 1, 2011
Spring in Madison
Glad I rode home last night and will not be doing so tonight. It is too soon to get the new ride dirty!
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