A weekend to be forgotten

Jim Merrifield

It all started Friday night - got up to pee and tripped/slipped and slammed my left leg into the tub - mmmmmmffffff. I was surprised not to find bruising in the AM as my leg felt like it had been worked over with a hose. But I was pre-registered for the Hales Corners race and hoped some good riding would loosen it up. And the weather report was promising - looked like it would be dry thru most of the M3/4 race. Wrong on both counts. It stayed dry for the previous field but no sooner had they finished than it started to rain. I lined up with perhaps 20 others and hoped my clothing choices were OK. There was road spray right from the start and so I immediately moved towards the front to stay out of trouble as best I could. The first few times thru the bottom corner into the climb were "interesting" until folks realized that the traction was not so bad. What was bad was how I felt on the climb - I was not "floating" up the climbs in the least. Whether it was my left leg or just not a good day in general - who knows? But after a couple hard climbs in a row towards the end of the race, I fell off the back and a couple laps later, finished wet and cold. And that was the better of the two races last weekend!

Sunday was the Kettle Moraine Klassic and I preregistered for the M3/4 hoping that the 2 fields M4/5 and M3/4 would be separated - nope, as I was soon to find out. I arrived at the race over an hour till the start to find a LONG line for registration and being preregistered did not help the line situation. So I opted to get on the trainer, loosen up my legs and wait for the line to die down. And then still spent about 30 minutes in line. The course was rolling and the winds were slated to pick up and I hoped that this would winnow the field down but the course was just not enough and everyone was happy to chase and then sit. I thought I was in good position but got boxed in and found myself towards the windward side a few rows from the front as 60 or so folks paraded shoulder to yellow line towards the final corner. I had a feeling this would not end well. And sure enough 200 or so yards from the finish someone did something and there were bodies across the road. I looked for a clear path to no avail and could not stop in time to avoid hitting someone or something and going down - argh! At least I fell in the grass. There were no obvious injuries but as the shock wore off, I started to hurt in all sorts of places. No practice crit for me this Tuesday!

A short report from TMT Women's Field

It feels really great to be back racing! Over the last 3 weekends I did the 2 GDVC crits and the Kettle  Moraine Road Race. All great events  with good field sizes.

 

For those who might be interested in technical details:

1.        Thanks to my personal mechanic Greg F, my bike was running great and all pimped up for the Kettle Moraine Road Race today with new saddle, shoes, duotrap and 5.0 Aelous wheels.

2.       Average speed at the GDVC #2 for the women’s open field: 19.3 mph

3.       Average speed at the KMK: 19.1 mph (including roll out and biking back to the car)

 

Bike racing with fast women is so much fun!

Heidi

 

Road Cycling Heaven: Western Dane County

We've been having some great rides on the quiet roads of Western Dane County:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMpu-c9tbUo&list=UUb5_mEBxCC0cHKPq9NQsPFA&index=2&feature=plcp



Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KheIJKR32Eo&feature=bf_prev&list=UUb5_mEBxCC0cHKPq9NQsPFA&lf=plcp

Season Start

After finally sending in my request for an upgrade, I jumped into the GDVC #1 as a CAT 2 and hoped for the best.  My goal was to race smart and finish somewhere around top 20.  The smart didn't pan out as I found myself instinctively covering gaps purposely created to make schmucks like me...well...cover them thus opening up the teams to send up their real attacks.  I wasn't popped but rather split with a small group of 5 guys from the main field and we slowly went backwards.  Ended up 20th for the day so 1 or 2 goals accomplished and first 1/2 race under belt. 

 

Menomonee Falls was a different story.  Sitting in a field of what felt like a IS CORP and Gear Grinder team meeting where I was just a spectator, I made a resolution to stay at the front, and smartly cover breaks.  I keyed a guy I know on Gear Grinder and went with him everytime.  It was only a matter of being in the recovery phase when the actual break went; the numbers were not with me though the fitness was.  I spent the rest of the race in what felt like a group ride only I didn't know anyone.  Uncounciously deciding that safety was a larger prize than 20th, I faded prior to the final 90 degree turn and sprinted for...I don't know....40th? 

 

That night was a series of thoughts and discussions which had me wondering 1) continue to race 1/2 hoping for a top 15 by right place right time?  OR 2) join my teammates in M123, race as a team, have fun, and get results?  My own personal mental struggle with "turning old" was resolved hours before race time: I'd join the "wise men of the village" and race Masters.

 

Taking careful instruction for Eric Knuth, Greg Fergusen, and Jay Mass for what to expect, who to watch, and how to ride (also introducing myself as I pretty sure a few guys were going to check if my jersey was borrowed or not)  Turned out I needed all of that info on turn 2 of lap 2 as an attack went and I and Eric followed.  5 guys was soon down to 4 including one of the "marks" and the winner from Menomonee Falls.  These 2 were tough and I was pushed to the limit multiple times.  We managed to hold the approaching field off until the final lap, where I knew the attack if any would come....and I blanked.  In a great move by our 2 non-teammates, they came around me then Eric in the lead to gap us quickly.  You'd swear it was my first race as I just blankly starred at them until they got 30 meters.  "better get 'em" I slowly decided.  Needless to say I never caught them but we did get 3rd, 4th, and with Jay Mass also finishing well in the field. 

 

I'm no longer struggling with my elder state (much) and am thankful to have such an awesome group of guys to race with.  I predict more to come from from all of us "wise men of the village" this season as we look to put some of the traditional big teams in check.  I'm looking at you LAPT and IS CORP...game on....Trek Midwest Team is in it to win it  Huge shout out to the rest of TMT in the peleton that kept everyone well behaved while our breakaway stuck.

Doug Bailey

Copenhagen Calling!

Spending time in Denmark and Sweden this week. Exploring cities like Copenhagen and Stockholm by bike is the greatest way to "feel" the city and the people - gain cultural context. Although I'll miss out on the racing in the coming weeks, I am completely immersed in bikes and will be riding as often as possible. Good luck to all of my TMT teammates!

Pumped Up Kicks

Just put the cleats on my new Race X Lites tonight and gave them a spin.  All I gotta say is those kids better run better run...out run my bullet
--
Doug Bailey
       \ ' /      
      - 0 -                  ^
       / ' \                  / \
                             /   \
                            /     \
    __@               /       \
 _`\<,_                /        \
(*)/ (*)                /         \ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great Dane Cat 3 Race Report

The first two crits are done for the year, and feeling pretty good so far...

Great Dane #1 - Very early in the race, the breaks started to form.  Two guys got up the road, I tried to bridge, but couldn't quite get there.  Luckily there was another break of 3 behind me, and the 4 of us ended working well together during the race.  One lap to go, one rider attacked.  I hung on his wheel while the others were dropped.  I take the first corner just on the inside of him, turn around, and I have a gap.  It's go time.  I use my time trial skills to increase the lead, easily finishing in 3rd (we never caught the 2 up the road).  This is my best crit result in years!

Great Dane #2 - After a good result the previous weekend, I was more interested in having fun and testing myself this race.  I attacked early and often, as did many others, but no breaks were able to form.  Between the wind, the small "hills" on the course, and the dynamics of the Cat 3 races, it is very often hard to get a break going.  2 laps to go, I look behind to see teammates Matt and David on my wheel, so I bring us up to the front of the field.  I hammer to string out the field and setup the sprint.  I look back with a 1/2 lap to go, David is gone, Matt is about 5 back, and I have a small gap from my hard effort.  I lead out into the last corner, and then let the sprinters do their work,  Matt holds on for a 6th place finish.  Nice work Matt.  Not a great result for me, but I was strong enough to stay near the front the entire race, launch attacks, and lead out the finish.  That's a sign of a good season to come.

Thanks for reading,
Curtis

Racing against doctor's orders

Jim Merrifield

I am paying for the sins on my youth. Actually, if I want to blame things on my genetic makeup, I could say I am paying for things I had no control over. But if we start going there, then I will start whining about not being a natural athlete and will just sound pathetic. So I shall just say that I am paying for things I could control in my youth. One of which was spending many, MANY days at southern California beaches trying to get a tan. I was a red head and I got burned hundreds if not thousands of times and maybe got that elusive tan once. And I used to be a research chemist, playing with many nasty chemicals. So now I am on the frequent flier program with my skin doc. And last Friday had a little scoop of flesh taken out on my forehead. And of course, the doc said "no strenuous activities and keep the stitches dry for a couple days". I laughed (actually, I think I snorted). I told her I was signed up for a race and the best I could promise was that I would behave "responsibly" - if things did not feel right, I would back down or not race. Of course, I also told here that since she had just gotten married, there was no point in my getting more melanoma just to see her. I do not think she believed me on either count.

So a few hours later, Nick and I are driving down to Hillsboro, IL to do the Hillsboro Roubaix to get a good night's sleep the night before the race. I slept well till the thunder started booming. We woke up to a downpour - wonderful! Earlier forecasts had been more promising. But it was not cold and I had my thermal knicks and long sleeve jersey so no worries. And we did not drive almost 5 hours (in Nick's case) to NOT race. But on the way down to head to the race the other teammates who were to be in the 50+ race with me were still drinking coffee and gave us a look like "where are you going?". I later found out that they had in fact driven home a little while later to do a ride up in Madison. So when I rolled up to the starting line (and it had pretty much stopped seriously raining an hour earlier) and fellow racers were wondering out loud if this was as big as the field was going to be (40 out of the 75 pre-registered), I announced that my whole team had left AND that I was racing against doctor's orders and what did that say about me. I will not go into what it says about me but I will say that there was definitely a feel of camaraderie at the start line. Now, I did think about my wound and went to get some waterproof tape applied prior to the race, but that was as close as I came to considering whether this was the smartest thing I ever did. As it turned out, for as wet as it was, it was not bad. My thermal kit was exactly the right level. The sole issue was I forgot I had cork brake pads and aluminum wheels - whoops! No brakes! So instead of gluing on wheels going into corners or weaving thru the field on descents, I was VERY conservative. Fortunately, I had the strength to spare. The race was a war of attrition. The winds were strong enough that once you fell off the back on a climb or in a cross wind, you were gone. And while I did not think the corners were slick except on the cobbles in town, some forgot to take off their tree or hay bale magnets. A few breaks were tried but they were reeled in by the end and a group of 20 were together coming into town. I was not feeling bad and positioned myself for the final climb but got caught behind someone who threw a chain or something and called it a race. I was not willing to try to regain contact with the leaders thru the last 3 slick corners to get into maybe 10th and finished 15th. And of my teammates who had signed up, I was by far the weakest. Could have been a different race. Meanwhile, Nick had a strong day but got two flats (lots of potholes in bad places!), one after the wheel car had passed.

Next day, the first of the Great Dane races. Would it rain? I was certainly going to be windy. I lined up for the M3/4 field and was surrounded by teammates - very cool! And they got aggressive early on with Mike M going with an early break and Greg F bridging up alone a little while later. I was feeling much better than I expected after racing 60 miles in the rain and rolled up to the front to help block, only to find I had nothing to do! One of the other teams who had a man in the break was controlling the front so I just had to make sure I was in a good place to go if someone else tried to bridge. We were not well organized at the end and did not set up anything but the break stayed and so Greg and Mike were 2nd and 4th. I brought Jarred up the side on the last lap and he finished towards the front in the pack sprint but I did not have enough power to hold my place and slid back - hi ho. My perkiness faded in the M1/2/3 race, however and perhaps I could have stuck it out till the end but used some energy to bring teammates to the front a few times early when it seemed like the right time and ran out of gas. Still, I felt like it was a good start to the season. And so I say a fond farewell to racing the Madone 5.5. Bring on this year's 6 series bike!

Art side of racing begins - again

Focal Flame image links:
(Click on images to enlarge)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150806576665638.460948.361743145637&type=1

More photos:
http://www.focalflamestore.com/RoadCycling/Great-Dane-2012-Spring-Crit-1

 

Fresh Whip

Commute to work and a 40-miler after work on the new bike. Saddle and bars were in the perfect spot. The speed that wasn't there all spring finally arrived. The bike looks as good as it rides.

As Ice Cube would say, "Today was a good day."

Getting ready for some ridey ridey

Getting things inline for when I am able to get to the races this year....

PRETTY NEW FRAMES!

Jim Merrifield

I pulled the new 6.5 Madone frame out of the box last night - very pretty! Striking graphics! The team is gonna look hot (again)!

Spring Break in Dane County

We've been having some great rides on the quiet roads of Western Dane County:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMpu-c9tbUo&list=UUb5_mEBxCC0cHKPq9NQsPFA&index=2&feature=plcp

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KheIJKR32Eo&feature=bf_prev&list=UUb5_mEBxCC0cHKPq9NQsPFA&lf=plcp

Heidi and Greg

Back to spring in Wiscoland!

A little rest and recuperation is always beneficial. Now time to see if the legs will still go in circles.

Hopefully the La Crosse bluffs will be ready for me this weekend. I might even be tempted to clipper cut the winter bush from the legs :) dirk.rettig

How I love California

Forrest and I returned from California this past week and I'm already looking forward to getting out there next year. I was so happy we were able to go since about three weeks prior, I completely tore my ACL and didn't know if I'd be able to ride at all. I got range of motion back about a week before we were scheduled to leave so I was beyond thrilled that we didn't have to cancel our trip and I was able to ride more than I expected while we were out there and just clear my head a bit before I schedule surgery. 
I love the Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara area. Riding out there is truly an amazing experience between the scenery and things you don't see back in Wisconsin such as people parasailing and hang gliding! And I admit, I love riding in Solvang because of the danish bakeries and the flaky, cherry pastries that I devoured more than a few times after a long ride. 

Most importantly, I have to give a HUGE shout out to Dave Lettieri and his staff at Fast Track Bicycles, a Trek dealer in Santa Barbara. I have no words for how helpful they were when Forrest had some 'bike issues' and their overall knowledge and welcoming atmosphere. They definitely take care of their customers and it when we were in there, it was obvious that they have a loyal following. 
http://www.fastrackbicycles.com/Fastrack/Welcome.html Check them out if you are ever in the area!!

Shelley