StartFinishBikeNews

Oh No Noho!

2009-11-17T01:35:00.003-05:00

For those of you not so wise in the ways of Western Mass, Noho is local shorthand for Northampton, the self-proclaimed Paradise of America. It's also the cultural capital of Western Massachusetts. I was lucky enough to spend five great years during college just down the road in Amherst and my firends and I spent much of our leisure time in Northampton. Some of the store fronts and night clubs have changed but it's still the same great town and going back there, whatever the excuse, is always fun. For the first time in many years my excuse was bike racing instead of conferences for work, the UMass Marching Band, or random drunken excursions.

The seeds of the Northampton race took root when Adam Myerson put on the first cyclocross race at UMass-Amherst in the early 90s (give or take a couple of years). At the time, UMass had a very successful road racing club that produced lots of great talent. I can't count myself among them for at least two reasons, one being that I never rode for the team, the other reason should be obvious to anyone that has seen me race, no talent. Adam, the Swinand brothers, Peter Vollers, Stephanie Roussos, and many others formed the core of a great collegiate cycling scene.

When Adam put on that first cyclo-cross race in the grass fields behind the Orchard Hill and Northeast dormitories at UMass, I was about three years into competitive cycling and just beginning to try 'cross. I showed up on a Bianchi hybrid that was lighter than a mountain bike but still wasn't quite a cross bike. But in the early 90's there weren't many cross bikes around. As usual, Adam was way ahead of his time. A couple of weeks ago I rode those same fields again while at UMass for a conference. There is a new parking lot covering a small part of the area, but most of the old course, as well as I can remember it now almost 20 years later, is still there.

As many UMass students do, Adam transplanted himself from Amherst to Noho and at some point he took the race with him. While in Noho, Adam started his coaching business, Cycle-Smart, and he became the title sponsor as well as the promoter of the race. The Cycle-Smart International now has the distinction of being the oldest UCI sanctioned cyclocross race in the country. When Adam Myerson does something, he does it right!

My love for Western Mass has rubbed off on my sweetie so she and our big dog joined me on my quest for Cat 4 cyclocross glory. She is also a big proponent of wind energy so a chance to check out the new wind turbines on Jiminy Peak and Brodie Mountain helped seal the deal. We were packed up and on the road Friday afternoon and got to the "Pick Up Party" at the Cycle-Smart Offices in time for a beer and some socializing. I was hoping to check out the Spooky Bikes shop downstairs but didn't have a chance. I saw an old friend from Needham High School there. I ran across his website first and eventually figured out that I know this guy. I had no idea that he had become a bike racer and, justifiably, he had no idea that I had either. Hey Chip!

The Pick Up Party was a scene and thee place to be, but we had plans to grab some dinner in town so we finished a quick beer (mmm, Sam Smiths porter) and headed for the Sierra Grill. D'oh, 45 minute wait! Back up plan: The Dirty Truth. Double D'oh, no seats and a line! We needed food and alcohol quick! So we walked Main Street looking for good food quick, but not fast food. I can't remember the name of the place we ended up at, but we found a nice little Italian pasta place a couple of blocks west on Main St and had a great meal.

I desparately wanted to hit the Dirty Truth for a beer after dinner, but Sweetie's better judgement prevailed (as it usually does) so we went strait to the hotel to rest up for a big Saturday. If you haven't been to the DT, I suggest you go. If you have any appreciation at all for fine beers and food, this is the place to go. They have something like 30 beers on tap and several times more than that bottles. A cruise through the beer menu can take all night. They specialize in Belgian and craft brews. Sorry, no PBRs there for you hipster messenger types. If you are the indecisive type just get one of everything until you can't stand any more.

Oh yeah, there was a bike race Saturday: My goal for the Cat 4 race (other than making it there on time for the 8:30 start) was to finish in the top half. With a full field of 125 and starting on the 8th row, it wasn't going to be easy. The whistle blew and 250 pedals, 250 wheels and 250 flaring nostrils surged forward. Make that 248 pedals. My nostrils did their job, but I blew it trying to clip in. I lost several places before I had even turned a complete revolution. I cursed each stroke as I continued to try to spin and connect with the pedals. I hope no little kids were nearby. At least I wasn't next to the fences. I had looked at the narrow chute before the start and decided I would rather tangle with other riders than the steel fencing. As it turned out, being a little further back was a good thing when we reached the wooden ramp to enter the grass. For some reason there was a big pile up there and being a little further back allowed me to pick a line around it with minimal delay. It would have been better to be in front of it like most of the race, but it was a small victory to get around it unscathed.

From there, it was elbows out for a while as I tried to make up places and get into the top half of the race. I might be competely wrong about this, but I might have better technical skills than the other riders that are at my fitness level. I chose some great lines through the corners and when I got gapped by stronger riders, I could usually make it back up by coasting into the next corner a little hotter and letting it fly. Equipment choices might have a little to do with this - tubulars at 38 psi allow you to corner faster than clinchers, no doubt about it. I would like to run them even lower, but at 205 pounds and with lots of roots on the course, that was as low as I dared go. I'd rather bounce a little extra than run half a lap to the pit with a flat.

You might expect that racing with 124 friends would be a nightmare and the start kind of was. But, on the bright side, it means you are likely to have some company no matter how well or how badly you are doing. This race was the most fun I've had so far because there was always someone to race with. I passed a bunch, I got passed by a bunch. Sometimes in the tricky stuff, sometimes in the power sections. It felt like a race, not a time trial, all the way through. In the end I finished up 57th so I made my goal of top half. It's not an earth shattering result, but it's not bad for someone who spends more time announcing races than racing them. I think I even lapped one or two guys. That's definitely a first.

After the race it was time to get out of selfish bike racer mode and do what Sweetie wanted to do for a while. So we went to the farmers market in downtown Noho and stocked up on fresh veggies. When we were done with that it was almost lunch time so we did what any Belgian cyclocross fan would do, we got beer and frites at the Dirty Truth. I've been to Belgium (too breifly, but I was there) and Sweetie used to live there so we know our frites. Let me tell you, the Dirty Truth has the only real frites you are going to find in Massachusetts. I would say they have the best in all New England, but Duck Fat in Portland (the real Portland, not OR) is good too. So, at 11:15 AM we had the place to ourselves and we were having a lunch of Belgian beers and frites after finishing my best cross race so far. Heaven!

We returned to Look Park in time to see the Elite mens and womens races. I got some pictures but other real media outlets have covered those races better than I can. Follow this link to Adam Myerson's site where he has a comprehensive list of all the race coverage from the "real media".

The Elite Women on the line. Mary McConneloug (far left) would win both days.

Elliot takes the hole shot.

Early action: Laura Van Gilder's leg, Sarah Bresnick-Zocchi , and Andrea Smith

Myerson, Timmerman, Driscoll and Powers

Melee in the sand pit

The melee continues

Race Promoter Adam Myerson

The U23 battle taking shape between Luke Keough and Jerome Townsend

J-Pow with Richard Fries after winning

"Wow, what the hell is this thing?" Driscoll and Timmerman don't know either, but they want it.

Driscoll got his on Sunday.

Sunday podium with Driscoll first, Weighall second and St. John third (right).

More important, after the races, I found out from Adam that the Dirty Truth would be the center of the cyclocross universe later in the evening. Twice in one day? Yeah, I can handle that. I arrived, while Sweetie slept at the hotel, in time to wish Richard Fries a happy birthday as did many others. I got a chance to talk to a lot of 'cross people that I normally only get to talk about while they are announcing. The most unusual (in a good way) was Kirt Fitzpatrick, the Sexual Camel.

The legend of Kirt Fitzpatrick is growing even faster than I can type this and may someday be a blog post in itself if not a made for TV movie. From what I remember of our conversation over the din of a very busy bar, he told me that his team is named after a strip club in Dubai UAE. However, I also heard at least two other people ask him the same question about the team name and he gave them both completely different explanations. I am not naming names, but the Sexual Camel's dry spell may have ended after he left the DT because he didn't leave alone. I also got a chance to talk to Pete Smith of the embrocation cycling team. I complemented him on the fine picture of him in the Herald in advance of the Mayor's Cup race in Boston. He went on to tell me how he was surprised to hear his name during call ups before that race but unfortunately he was too sick to ride and was just there to support team mates. He didn't realize that I was the announcer that did the call ups. It must have been frustrating as hell to get a call up at the biggest criterium his home town had seen in decades and not be able to take the line. He should have walked up to the line in street clothes, that would have been funny.

Day two at Noho was pretty much the same race as day one except backwards. That meant that the steep run up after the rail road tracks was now a steep drop off into the rail road tracks. I nearly lost it on the landing after taking way too much air and landing front wheel first. But I held it together and recovered. I finished a few places lower than day one but still pretty good for me.

My congratualtions to technical director JD, who Solobreak correctly notes was everywhere busting his hump (camel reference?) all day long both days. Thanks JD for a great course.

A little later in the day, while Sweetie, me, and our dog were looking at Western Mass's first wind turbines, the UCI Official at the race, Harry Lam, found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and got hit by riders sprinting for a finish in the 35 plus race. If you were there, you either heard it or heard about it. If you weren't, suffice it to say, he was very seriously injured but is now released from the hospital and on the long road to recovery. There is a fund raiser set up on Bikereg where you can donate to support Harry and his family while he recoveres. As I understand it, Harry's family (wife and two or three kids) could really use the help since, other than officiating, he was out of work at the time of the accident. Hopefully he still had health insurance, but I don't know about that. You can also help out this weekend at Lowell. Check out Chip's website for details.

Cyclocross Smorgasbord

2009-11-03T00:12:00.000-05:00

So many races, so little time. It's been a while since my last confession (mostly because I am not Catholic), but here we go with an update for the past four weeks or so. Sorry for the lack of pictures but between rain and announcing duties, I haven't even taken the camera out of the truck in a while.

Brockton and Wrentham, October 17-18
October had five weekends for racing and it seemed like it rained one day or the other every one of those weekends except the last. Saturday in Brockton, Travis Cycles once again hosted their City of Champions Cyclocross. A year ago, they asked Mark McCormack to redesign their course around the lake and he found some interesting features. This year they used pretty much exactly the same course and it was still a bit of jungle cross and certainly not UCI approved, but it had a nice mix of surfaces and conditions.  It was a nice change after three strait weeks of Verge UCI approved courses at Vermont, Gloucester, and Providence.

Attendance was a bit light with a total of about 70 riders taking the line in four different races. This might have been the result of the scheduling gods putting four races on the schedule this day or maybe lots of folks just wanted a weekend off after three strait weekends of Verge series racing. The Category 4 race was the largest of the day with a field of 44 riders (I was bib number 44 and I think I was the last to register). The hole shot was shorter this year than last with only 100 yards of pavement before hitting the grass and a short uphill. That meant traffic and lots of it when we reached the uphill.   I somehow got a decent start and made it to the top of the run up in decent position. But I also somehow managed to drop my chain which I didn't notice until after I remounted the bike which, of course, led to lost time and many lost places. More time was lost when I had to get off the bike to put the chain back on the big ring. Suddenly I was next to last place in the race and had to chase. This seemed to be good motivation because I passed almost half the race to finish 23rd. I never even saw them, but the results say that Erik Petterson won with last year's winner, Jacob Morrison, right behind.

I didn't see the women's race, but I heard there were only two competitors so it wasn't much of a race.

The masters-45 race was a friendly battle between Sam Morse and Kevin Hines, teammates on the Corner Cycle team. They rode away from the field and came on to the paved finishing stretch together on the final lap. They wound up the sprint but Sam pulled out of his left pedal, leaving Kevin to take the win by a length.

Sam and Kevin lined up again for the Masters-35 race but they got some company when course designer Mark McCormack signed in. Mark was the only rider I saw hopping the barriers on the uphill near the start. This bought him a few seconds each lap while the others dismounted and then had to chase back on to stay with him. Only Kevin managed to stay with him and they sprinted out the finish with Markie taking a narrow victory.

Last year the Wrentham race was a lot of fun despite being quite cold. This year wasn't quite as cold (at least the ground didn't start off frozen this time) but it didn't look like much fun at all. I was heading to Amherst for a conference for work and the race was almost directly on my way there. Still, I wisely decided not to race this one myself and just watched the elite race on my way to the conference. I watched for all of twenty minutes in 38 degree pouring rain before DNF'ing as a spectator. But that was longer than a few of the racers lasted. This was the kind of day when most racers "warmed up" in their car and waited until the last possible minute to get on their bike. It also led to some interesting equipment choices including Colin "Results Boy" Reuter selecting rubber dish washing cloves to keep his results-entering fingers warm and dry. If the gloves worked, whatever else he had on apparently didn't because he passed me on his bike as we were both heading to our cars with most of the race still to go. And he wasn't the first or last to retire from the race. Only 17 riders finished and there are 38 in the results including all of the DNFs. These were the worst conditions I have seen at a race and apparently it got worse after I left.  If you too had the good sense to skip this race this year, you may remember watching the Patriots demolish the Titans in 4 inches of snow at Foxboro. Well, Wrentham is just a bunny hop, chain skip, and bike throw down Route 1 from Foxboro and the snow fell there as well before the race was over. Sorry I missed that part (not).

Downeast Cyclocross, New Gloucester Maine, October 24-25
The pattern of one rainy day/one nice day continued when the Verge series resumed. The Maine Cycling Club did a great job putting on this race, the first time at the UCI level. Near constant rain and hundreds of pairs of bike tires turned the fields and trails of Pineland Farm in New Gloucester into the proverbial "mud pit" on Saturday. I got to do the anouncing for this one as Richard Fries, the usual announcer for the Verge series races, was out of town at the USGP in Louisville. As wet as it was, working all day in the rain at this race was no where near as uncomfortable as the twenty minutes I spent at Wrentham the previous weekend.

Mo Bruno-Roy had a tangle at the start line with Amanda Carey so they lost the whole shot and had to chase to get back into contention. Natasha Elliot (Garneau) took the early lead by several seconds while Bruno-Roy and Carey made their way through the field. They managed to pass every one but Elliot, who remianed off the front for several laps. But they couldn't drop Andrea Smith (Minuteman RC) and Mary McConnelog (Kenda/Seven). The four women formed a chase group and closed the gap to Elliot. As Bruno-Roy put the pressure on, the group fell apart and only Carey could stay with her. As she did in (old) Gloucester weeks ago, Carey proved that she is very good in the mud, especially for a first year cross racer. When Brnuno-Roy and Carey caught Elliot, they completed their run from the back to the front of the race and would finish one-two on the podium with Elliot third. Elliot would later say that she regretted not pushing a little harder while she was in the lead to establish an insurmountable gap. But under the conditions, she did well to hang on to third. All three women fought hard until the end and it wasn't decided until the final hair pin on the grass before a short paved sprint to the line. Usually, a cyclocross race is decided long before the final meters, but this one was a battle right up until the end when Bruno-Roy just had a little bit more left in her than the others.

As the rain continued and the temperatures dropped a bit, Dan Timmerman (Sachs) and Luke Keough (Champion Systems) started the men's race on the front row in the leader's jerseys of the elite men and the under 23 men respectively. They would take the hole shot and hit the muddy field first. With the rain falling constantly, the grass field was a mess with chocolate milk mud but it was watery enough that it didn't stick to the bikes too badly and most of the course remained ridable despite deep tracks. Timmerman was clearly the class of the field and had seemingly little trouble handling the mud and his competitors. Keough hung tough to take second while Josh Dillon (Sachs) closed several places in the last two laps to earn himself a spot on the podium by the end of the race. But the weather remained bad and many of the riders were near hypothermic so we cancelled the podium events. There weren't any spectators left at that point anyway, even Downeast Mainers know when to call it a day and admit that the weather sometimes wins.

As bad as Day 1's weather was for the racers, Day 2 started with blue skies from the sunrise and stayed that way. If you didn't have to race, Day 2 made up for all the rain Day 1. Unfortunately for the riders, Maine cow pasture mud does not dry out as fast as the sky and we were left with atrocious mud that would go from chocalate milk, to peanut butter, to concrete throughout the day. Riding the same course but in the opposite direction from Saturday, the lower category men and women were kind enough to take quite a bit of the mud with them throughout the morning, but there was still plenty left for the elite racers. The officials noticed during the early races that even the seemingly mild hils of the cow pasture had become unridable in the thick goop so they re-routed the course slightly to take advantage of grass that had previously been outside the barrier tape.  This slight realignment made all the difference and the course was again ready for a cyclo-cross race.

The result of the women's race was about the same as Day 1 with Mo Bruno-Roy taking another win and proving that she is a mudder. This one came with a lot less drama and a more comfortable margin as she held off Mary McConneloug and Natasha Elliot.

Dan Timmerman worked the pits for his team manager/sponser, Richard Sachs, during the masters race. One wise guy asked if that was in his contract with the team but Dan was too busy rushing off to the bike wash with Richard's bike to think of a snappy comeback.  Apparently, it was a good warm up for him because he had another fine day in the saddle when his turn came a couple of hours later.  If you were wondering, Richard did return the favor for Dan during the elite race.  The pit crews were very busy thoughout the day as almost every rider in contention in the race made several bike changes, sometimes within a half lap. And the bikes were coming into the pits absoutely clogged up with mud. Fortunately, by the time the elite races started, a hose connection closer to the pit was found cutting the commute to the bike wash down to about one quarter of what it was on Day 1.

Timmerman and Keough got off to good starts again and stayed near the front until the race went out of site in the woods on the north side of the course. Kirt Fitzpatrick (Sexual Camel) came out of the woods in first place with a wide gap on the rest. Something happened back there while they were out of site, and Fitzpatrick took full advantage of it.  He was flying coming into the cow pasture and taking some big risks in the rutted mud. With some of the biggest names in the sport away at the USGP in Loiusville for the weekend, the Downeast races were a golden opportunity for some of the lesser known riders to shine, but no one would have predicted the man from the Sexual Camel racing team would lead for the first two and a half laps before finally getting caught by the Verge series leader, Dan Timmerman. Fortunately, Fitzpatrick had a video comera on the front of one of his bikes and caught some nice footage of the race (thanks to Colin for the tip, I never would have found it on my own).

Apparently Fitzpatrick, the Sexual Camel, has been drinking heartily from the Oasis of Awesomeness and stored it up in his legs for this race. Fitzpatrick did eventually get passed by five other riders but held on for 6th. Timmerman and Justine Lindine (Joe's Garage/IF) were the first to pass him about half way through the race and went on to sprint the final 300 meters down the muddy dirt road in a battle for first place. Timmerman led it out with Lindine glued to his wheel. Surprisingly, Timmerman took the time to adjust his glasses with his right hand as they reached top speed but that wasn't enough to give Lindine a chance to get around and Timmeman took another win. The U23 battle between Gavin Mannion (Hot Tubes) and Luke Keough was won this time by Mannion who also rounded out the podium for the elite race. Josh Dillon put another come from behind trick and took 5th. Derrick St. John (Garneau) had been in contention for a podium spot but mangled his rear deraileur somewhere out of site in the woods on the last lap. He had to run with his bike on his shoulder for several minutes to get to the pit with a quarter lap to go. On a new bike, he held on for 8th. It would have been easy to pack it in and quit, but 8th place prize money in a UCI race is still enough to replace the deraileur and pay for some gas money back to Ontario Canada.

Canton Cup, October 31
This one I raced, sort of. Bike racers often have a problem telling the difference between excuses for failure and reasons for failure and I am no exception. This time I think I have a good reason, and certainly a novel one that you haven't heard before: I sucked at Canton (even by my modest standards) because the day before the race I climbed to the top of the new wind turbine at work and my legs were beat. You would be surprised at the weird muscles that get sore after climbing up, and then down, a 300-foot tall ladder. When I got on my bike Saturday, I realized just how bad it was. But I'd do it again, the view of Cape Cod and Buzzard's Bay from up there was worth it. My warm up wasn't great either and that didn't help (OK, I am veering off into excuses now, I know). Anyway, I didn't lose, I didn't get hurt, and I didn't damage my bike so it wasn't all bad. And I got in a good workout before Northampton. That reminds me, I need to prereg for that tonight so I don't have to start in the back row again. Se ya, got to go.......

Providence Cyclocross Festival, Day 1 and 2, October 10 and 11

2009-10-14T01:04:00.000-04:00

The big news on Saturday was that Tim Johnson did it again. In addition to winning, he again took out another rider for the second straight race. But this time it wasn't a former world's silver medalist (i.e. Jon Page), it was a 6 year old kid riding his BMX bike around the infield after the race.

I barely saw it happen out of the corner of my eye - Tim was starting to ride down hill from the finish area past the bike expo and toward the podium after winning the race. The young guy, whose name was Ryder, was riding right into Tim's path and Tim had little choice but to t-bone Ryder, knocking him off the bike. I doubt Tim even saw the kid until it was too late.

Too many kids are conditioned to think that they should cry when they fall down even if they aren't hurt. To his credit, Ryder got up like a true cyclocrosser and didn't shed a single tear. I just missed having the camera out, and apparently Cyclingdirt.com was nowhere near the scene this time, but I did get a shot of Ryder soon after he got up:

Always wear your helmet, kids. You never know when TJ might be near.

Tim really is a nice guy. He went out of his way to make sure that Ryder was ok and chatted for a couple minutes with Ryder and his parents. Once the kid was back on his bike and everything was alright, Tim said "Come on kid, you and me are going to the podium." He later gave Ryder his first place medal.

TJ and Ryder heading for the podium

TJ doing the post-race interview

That was actually the end of the day. A lot happened leading up to it. I got to Providence in time for the Elite Women's and Men's races but missed everything before that, including the race that I had preregistered for. When I went to bed Friday evening, I was planning on racing Saturday morning despite a sore throat and stuffy nose. But it got much worse overnight and at about 2 AM I woke up and turned the alarm off so I could try to sleep it off. $30 down the drain, but I would have been completely miserable if I had tried to race. I slept around the clock and felt good enough to spectate Saturday afternoon.

Readers of this blog (Dave Foley, my mom, my parole officer) might recall that I ruined my camera in the rain at Gloucester last week. That's actually a good thing, I hated that camera. It missed more shots than it got and it would kill a pair of AAs every 20 minutes. I got a new Fujifilm S1500 on Friday and with no practice at all, started taking much better photos than I ever have before. Wait until I learn how to use this thing! It was kind of an impulsive purchase because it was the only real camera the store had, the rest of them looked even cheaper than the one I had ruined. But it got the Paul Weiss seal of approval Saturday so it must be alright. Hey Paul, what does appurture mean? I have a lot to learn, but here are some of the photos I took of the women's race:

Those yellow Mavic shoes are getting popular.

Mo Bruno (blue tape) didn't look comfortable in the race or on the line.

Amy Dombroski had a very strong ride in 3rd place.

Rebecca Wellons heading to the finish

The women's podium with Richard Fries (l to r): Katerina Nash (1st),

Amy Dombroski (3rd) and Mary McConneloug (2nd)

Ms. Nash had the race in the bag early on and not much seemed to change after the first lap. Mary McConneloug was sort of a surprise finishing second in her first cross race of the year. Amy Dombroski is riding very strong and finished third. The podium was exactly the same on Day 2. The Verge points series leader heading into the weekend, Natasha Elliot wasn't present this weekend, probably so she could attend the Canadian National cross championships, so the leaders jersey was in jeopordy. Mo Bruno, who has scored points in all six races so far took the lead by 16 points. Rebecca Wellons has stayed close by being competitive in every race and is currently third in the series.

In the men's race, Dan Timmerman needed to finish well against some strong competion to retain his series lead and he managed to do that with an eighth place finish Saturday and 5th on Sunday. He finished the weekend tied with Tim Johnson for the series lead.

Series leader Dan Timmerman at the start line.

My new camera has a "panorama" feature that stitches together 3 pictures.

Well, sort of. It needs work.

Adam Myerson and Tim Johnson at the start line.

Sexual Camel? Must be a mountain bike thing.

Chris Jones, a roadie (not Rhodey) thing.

Frattini, Weighall, and Timmerman

A beer thief dabs in the woods.

Does Adam squeeze the brake levers with fingers

or push them with the palms of his hands?

Tim Johnson is telling me to "go left, go left". After he went by I understood why. He planned to stretch the tape out on this corner while he carried maximum speed. Pro tip: The course tape is fair game. If it doesn't break, you are still on the course.

Results Boy takes the same line just a moment later.

Exactly how long is a "moment" anyway?

Here is Butch Balzano from SRAM digging through the car looking for some chain rings for Adam Myerson after the race. Van Dessel gave Adam cranks and chain rings with 53 tooth outer rings. Adam was flattered, but decided to build his 2009 cross rigs with something a bit smaller. Butch is the man.

Sunday mornng I awoke feeling much better and decided to do the day of registration for the Cat 4 masters race. Being a day of registrant, I got to start DFL in the last row. I was number 769 and two guys registered after me bringing the total to 71 in the race (counting any preregistered riders who might have been sick and stayed in bed). I was still kind of clogged up from the cold, but I went ok. I passed a bunch on the paved start and kept the pressure on when we reached the grass. The first turns were a pinball game but I managed to get a couple of good bounces and didn't have to get off the bike where others did. I must have gotten near the top 25 on the first lap, but then I started to slide. I lost about 4 or 5 places per lap for the rest of the race and didn't stop sliding until the last half lap. 37th out of 71 is practically top half if you assume that all everyone was there and that DNFs are last (there are only 58 or so i nthe results). So, I almost made my goal of being in the top half and I am getting better each race. Considering my starting position, I'll call it a pass. I wonder what I could have done if I was healthy Saturday and got my prereg starting spot. I think I would have been in the third row, maybe fourth.

My coach, Negacoach, was heckling me during the race and yelled something completely useless about riding too slow to deserve to have a beard. WTF? Try telling me something useful like "get the water bottle out of your back pocket, it's only a half hour long race!" That might have been helpful since I had forgotten to ditch it at the line and rode the entire race looking like a Fred with that bottle back there. I am surprised I never felt it when the bike was on my shoulder on a run up. At least I had a nice sip of Hs, twos, and Os handy at the finish.

So I had the Fred water bottle thing going against me, but I felt totally pro using embrocation for the first time ever, unless Bag Balm counts as embrocation. We used to use Bag Balm in the spring time, especially if it was raining, because tights or warmers would get soaking wet and heavy. But you had to have your legs shaved or it made an awful mess. I haven't shaved them since my Cat 3 days a long time ago, but I found that the Mad Alchemy stuff isn't too bad with hairy legs, it just doesn't look as pro. Even the mildest heat level was pleasant in the morning chill. The only down side was that it lasted well into the night and felt quite hot under the covers when I didn't really want it to. I probably could have wiped it off more thoroughly and avoided the bedwarmer effect.

After my race was over it was time to head back to Plymouth for a gig with my band at noon. I was cutting it close, but made it just in time. When we started playing, my head just wasn't into it. I usually remember the lyrics to songs that I sing pretty easily, but something wasn't right in my head all afternoon and I kept forgetting the lyrics to songs that I wrote and covers that I have sung hundreds of times. It was weird. And that sweet precious nectar, beer, didn't seem to help. I probably won't try to race and play music professionally in the same day again. But despite the mental block, it was a fun afternoon. Stop by T Bones Road House in Plymouth November 1 at noon if you aren't heading to Vermont for the cross race.

What, no cupcakes?

2009-10-07T00:42:00.001-04:00

Normally I write race reports from the detached persepctive of a (not very good) journalist. Third person omnicient voice if I recall high school English class correctly. This one's going to be a little different as, instead of actually paying attention and keeping notes, I spent my time cheering, drinking beer, racing, and then drinking beer again while cheering. Foregive me if this goes astray:

The only thing missing at Gloucester was cupcakes. It's entirely possible I spent too much time in the beer tent and missed them, but I didn't see a cupcake in all of Stage Fort Park. But that's my only complaint.

The conditions were perfect for 'cross with plenty of rain Saturday to create that euro mud vibe we mostly only see in videos, and then a mostly sunny day Sunday. This created almost entirely different conditions from Saturday to Sunday, at least for the elite races. When I was out there Sunday morning it was still a mudfest but at least the moisture was only coming from below, not from the clouds. The mud that stuck to four or five hundred bikes throughout the morning and early afternoon Sunday was enough to leave a relatively dry course for the two elite races. Here is the dreaded run up in all its muddy glory Saturday afternoon:

I couldn't race Saturday do to other commitments, but I arrived in G'ster in time to watch the last three races of the day (B's, Elite Women, and Elite Men). During the B race, I ran into Solobreak Foley as he was coming out of the porta-john. He had set me up me with some frosty beverage last year at the Ice Weasel's race so I owed him a beer or two. As he already had a bit of a head start on me, it didn't take much convincing for him to join me in the Great Brewers beer tent. They had EIGHT different beers on tap from eight different craft brewers, most of them local to New England. My favorite was the Smuttynose Belgian-style single, followed closely by the Cape Ann pumpkin stout.

During the elite race, Solobreak and I were hanging near the fence at the back of the beer area. A few laps into it, Jonathan Page had a commanding lead. He thundered past us on one of the drier stretches of the course followed by Ryan Kelly. Ryan saw my 1/2 full beer hanging over the fence and yelled "beer me!". Solobreak credits Joachim Parbo for this, but it was Ryan (both were in red and white and covered in mud so it's an understandable mistake after a few beers). Ryan was going considerably slower than Page since he had just been lapped by Page so he had no trouble grabbing onto the beer cup and he downed it before he was three pedal strokes away. He then apparently abandonned the race soon after because we didn't see him again. Ryan created road-results.com (along with Colin) which helps me immensely with race announcing, so I wouldn't mind buying him a whole beer of his own sometime.

If you haven't read a real race report by professional journalists yet, Page won the race by a country mile with moustache-less Jamey Driscoll behind in second, followed by Chris Jones. In what seemed like a very short women's race, Natasha Elliot won convincingly while a new women on the scene, Amanda Carey, took second. Lynne Bessette is out of retirement and took third place. Here are a couple of shots from the Women's race. My cheap camera took a beating in the rain. It didn't take long for the picture quality to deteriorate. I think my camera is ruined, but that's a good thing since I have always hated that camera. Good excuse to get a new one.

Series leader and race winner, Natasha Elliot.

Rebecca Wellons

Amanda Carey

Saturday's typical conditions, mudfest.

Sunday morning at 9:00 I took the line with the rest of the masters Cat 4 field. Actually, I took the 8th line out of 11 so I figure I started the race in a bout 85th place. I need to start pre-registering earlier for these things. I had a pretty good start and passed a bunch of people in the twisty stuff after the pavement. But then I biffed it on the section behind the building which I think was the slippiest part of the course. My chain dropped off too, just to make sure I lost all the places I had been making up in the turns. We did four laps through this section and I only cleaned it once.

I normally have a pretty good sense of direction but this Gloucester course completely screwed with my head. No matter where on the course I was, I could never remember what feature was coming up next. The worst for this was the multple coils around the pits. It probably didn't help that I didn't pre-ride the course. I could still go through Sucker Brook in my mind now 8 days later and remember every feature in order, but I couldn't follow that Gloucester course now without the course tape and it's only one day later. Is it just me?

Entering the final lap I was going back and forth passing and being passed by a couple of other no-hopers. One guy had traded places with me a couple of times but I had the upper hand going through the start finish line as we got the bell for the last lap. He came storming past me on the right and picked up a lot of speed as the pavement began to slope downhill. It was just him and me at that point and I heard a little kid voice say "Go daddy." I knew that wasn't for me. My dog's smart but not that smart. I guess this guy was trying to show off for his family and giving it everything he had. He must have forgotten that he had to veer right into a bumpy dirt section with an off camber turn to the right. I don't think he even touched his brakes before he blew the turn big time and fell hard. I don't want to say he was screaming, but it was like a cross between that and a moan. A deep manly scream I guess you could say. He lied there crumpled up tangled in his bike and the white course tape he had taken out. I nearly added to his woes, but managed to stop barely before running into him. I waited for a couple of seconds and called for help until I saw a couple of spectators running our way. Then I figured it was ok to get back to racing. I found out later he broke some ribs and a wrist and was taken to the hospital. Bad enough to get hurt, but to do it in front of the whole family must be extra painful.

I had modest goals for this race (as I always do). I had hoped to finish in the top half of the race. 68th out of 86 finishers isn't top half, but considering all those that started and didn't finish, it's pretty close. I felt a little better about my result after I checked the bib numbers of all those ahead of me in the results (bikereg and cross results rule!) to see how much the starting positions affected the race. I found that of 67 people who finished ahead of me, only 12 of them started behind me (based on bib numbers). I can live with that. Using the BikesnobNYC pass/fail rating system for race success, I guess I call it a pass, but I hope to go better next week.

I ran into Adam Myerson as he was preparing for the elite men's race and we talked a few minutes about music and UMass before I actually paid attention to what he was doing. As he sat in his driver's seat he had pulled his skinsuit up backwards over his legs. I had to ask what he was doing but then at the same time he took out some safety pins (from his pocket, not his skin) and started pinning up his bib numbers on the stretched material. How pro is that? A perfectly flat number every time. Maybe everybody knows to do this, but it was new to me. It's going to be a while before I where a skinsuit (another 10 pounds at least) but it should work just as well on a jersey. I can't wait for Providence!

Adam even pins up the pro way.

At this point I had completely lost track of the time, but I knew I was ready for a beer. As it turns out, I got to the beer tent exactly at high noon and got the first beer of the day! That's the one race I can win. After a few minutes, some friends from my club showed up and we had a great time comparing war stories from our races while seated at the table with the best view of the course and the ocean. One of the guys had been doing well in the 55 plus race when he rolled a tubular. He wasn't the only one. I don't recall seeing so many rolled tubulars in a race as there were Sunday. 3M Fasttack seems to work for me now that I have figured out (the ouchie way) that I need 4 times more than I would use on a road tire. I just doomed myself didn't I?

The women's elite race Sunday was another competitive and exciting race. Natasha Elliot repeated with Laura Van Gilder finishing second on a flat (but not rolled) rear tire. Mo Bruno-Roy was not far behind in third. The biggest improvement of the day was probably Rebecca Wellons who went from 10th Saturday to 5th Sunday.

If you haven't seen the footage, the men's race came down to this. People have been analyzing this like it's the Zapruder film and there seems to be some difference of opinion as to how agregious Tim's move was. I'll leave it for others to speculate if he was trying to take Page out or not. I can't really tell from the angle we have how much Tim slowed down when he got in front of Page and I think that is the crux of figuring out his intent. If he slammed the brakes, it was malicious. If he was just trying to scrub a little speed getting set up for the sand, I'm ok with that. Remember, he was nursing a sore shoulder that clearly had been giving him a lot of trouble all weekend, maybe he needed to be a little extra careful going into the sand and braked more than Page expected. As pointed out by Adam Myerson, Jeremy Powers showed a lot of class by not taking advantage of the situation with a big attack. Watch the video to the end and you'll see that Page apparently puts a shoulder into Powers as he passes him on the flat section after the sand pit. But they are getting pretty far away by that point so it's hard to say if it was payback for Johnson's move or just some frustration showing through.

After the race the hurt feelings couldn't have gone too deep because Page was mostly all smiles signing autographs. I got this shot of him with my wet camera. He doesn't look like he is holding a grudge here, does he?

Jon Page after Sunday's race.

What a great weekend of cyclocross, but I really wanted a cupcake.

P.S. - I'll be doing the announcing at the Maine Verge weekend on the 24-25th of October. If you have read this blog, stop by and say hi, even if you think it sucks.

TD Bank Mayor's Cup - Boston, Mass September 26th, 2009

2009-09-28T01:26:00.000-04:00

The City of Boston, with sponsorship from TD Bank and Boloco restaurants, put on the biggest bicycle race in Boston in over 20 years, maybe the biggest ever. With $40,000 to be split evenly between the men's and women's Pro/Am fields, this one was sure to draw the best competitors from across the country and the region. And being the last big race of the season, it was sure to be a fitting send off to the 2009 road racing season.

Race promotor Nicole Freedman, a former Olympian originally from Wellesley, Mass, is the "Bike Czarina" for the City of Boston. It is her job to make Boston a more "bicyle friendly" place. That's a tall order in a city of crowded narrow streets originally laid out 300 years ago by cows on their way to pasture. But she has Mayor Menino's full support as he is a bicycle enthusiast himself, and the TD Bank Mayor's Cup is just one of many efforts she is heading up. If being the Bike Czarina and race promoter wasn't enough, she also competed in the race against the best women racers in the country. She might not be training like an Olympian these days with all the work she has to do, but she was strong enough to take second place the previous weekend in Portsmouth, NH. It is difficult enough to prepare for a race when the race is the only thing on your mind, but to toe the line and go head to head with the country's best while dealing with all of the race-day headaches that come with promoting a race is an almost super human effort. Still, Nicole held her own while the Colavita and Tibco professional teams set a blistering pace.

The weather was perfect and the venue couldn't be beat. The 0.7 mile lap around City Hall Plaza saw lots of race fans and lots of curious pedestrians just trying to get from one historic site to the next. Famed race announcer Dave Towle flew in from from Interbike in Vegas to be at the start/finish line which was at the top side of the plaza and I was honored to trade pulls on the mic with him until the racing started, at which time I went to the backside sprint line near the Union Oyster House to announce for the many spectators in that area. The original plan had been for Dave and I to trade pulls all day long despite being a quarter mile apart, but the sound system wasn't set up ideally to do that so we ended up doing our own things during the races with me heading back up to the start/finish line to help with the call ups and other announcer duties when possible. It's a good thing I brought my bike or I would have ended up jogging a couple of miles throughout the day and I don't like to run unless I have a bike on my shoulder.

It sure was fun to work with Dave Towle. If you have never heard him work a race before, he's kind of like Richard Fries but much much louder. He used to race, but I doubt he was much of a climber, the guy is built for basketball, not cycling. Tim Johnson, pro road and cyclo cross star from Beverly, Mass, was present to cheer on his wife, Lynne Besette, and he also grabbed a mic to add some color commentary when he could fit in a word or two with Dave.

The racing? You want to know what happened, in the race not just who did the announcing? Well, for those of you with twisted priorities, it went pretty much like this:

Racing started with the 5 heats of 10 kids each sprinting about 150 yards from the last corner to the start/finish line. The cute factor was through the roof until a slight mishap just after the start line caused some tears in the final heat. Oh well, that's bike racing. Everyone was fine and finished the race.

The women took the line at 3:00 with a mix of national pros and the best of the locals. Notably missing was Rebecca Wellons who had preregistered but must have made the decision to get an early start on defending her New England cyclo-cross series championship title instead of duking it out on the road with the professional teams. But we did have a who's who of women's cycling present including Tina Pic and Rachel Heal, both riding in the the final races of their professional careers, both with the Colavita team. Tina has been at it for about 20 years and has several hundred wins to her name. But after Boston she plans to become a manager of the Colavita team, as does Rachel. Also present was Brooke Miller (Tibco). When Dave and I were postulating ove the mic how Tina's impending retirement might alter the outcome of the race, Brook was nearby and let us know that there would be no retirement gift for Tina today, Tina would have to fight for the win, just like always.

The after call ups, the women took the course for what was planned to be a 60 minute race. They must have picked up the pace considerably after the officials calculated the number of laps to be completed because the race ended in about 50 minutes. It is unlikely that anyone out there minded, especially the less experienced local racers who were hanging on while the pros set the pace at the front. It was a less tactical affair than might have been expected The professional teams set a quick pace and gobbled up the prime money but no breaks got away and the field stayed together. Strong local riders like Anna McLoon and Danielle Ruane made their way toward the front on occasion. With two laps to go, the Colavita women used their superior numbers (5 women in the race) to set the lead out train for Tina Pic to go out in style. With half a lap to go, the train was down to just Tina and one teammate left in front of her. At the speed they were going, no one was going to come around them, not even Brooke Miller. Tina was delivered to the final sprintand pulled away in the finishing stretch where she won over Brooke by a couple of bike lengths to cap off her career. Jennifer McCrae (Type 1) was third. The prize list paid 20 deep so there was still plenty left for the locals in the 51 rider field. The top local rider was Mary Zider (Specialized) in ninth place.

There was a very entertaining mascot race between the mens and womens events. Wally the Green Monster, Pat Patriot, the Greenpeace Whale and others raced the same finishing stretch that the kids had raced earlier. Although Wally was apparently the crowd favorite, the Greenpeace whale had the strongest legs (go figure?) and won despite having a considerable portion of his tale caught between the back wheel and frame of his bike. That must have hurt worse than getting tangled in fishing gear. U2 once said - " A women needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" (Yeah, I know a whale isn't a fish, but close enough for blogging). The photograph of Dave Towle interviewing the victorious whale is priceless, but not copywrited if anyone cares to use it (see below).

After the mascots finished warming down, it was time for the men's call ups. It was a group with local flavor. The three McCormack brothers who are originally from Plymouth, Mass, Jake Keough from Sandwich, Mass, Jon Bruno from Boston, Ted King from NH, Gavin Mannion from Dedham, Mass, and Dan Vallaincourt from Saco, Maine all drop their Rs when speaking. The only guys from out of town that started on the front row were Kyle Wamsley and Bobby Lea.

When they took off, they immediately wound it up to over 30 mph average speed. It didn't take more than 3 or 4 laps at that speed for the first casualties to start popping off the back. Then the prime bell rang for the first of the $500 cash primes. The field got strung out and the remaining racers from the 120 rider field became a single file train that took a long while to pass from engine to caboose. Various small attacks went noodling off the front but nothing stuck for long during the first half of the race. The first rider to stay out off the front for more than a lap was Jeff Buckles (Richmond Pro Cycling). Hopefully he pocketed a couple of primes on the top side of the course but as I recall, he happened to time his solo break in between primes on the backside line.

Buckles was re-absorved by the field but right around the halfway point Wamsley (Colavita), Ted King (Cervelo), Toby Marzot (Mountain Khakis), Sean Milne (Team Type 1), Clayton Barrows (CRCA), Bobby Lea (OUCH), and Jeff Buckles went off the front of the field one or two at a time, but quickly consolidated into a lead group of 7. With all the firepower needed, and the help of teammates blocking in the field, the writing was on the wall and this move was meant to stick. The Bikereg, Metlife, and Champion Systems teams tried to bring it back, as did Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies) but the well oiled machine stayed out of reach while the blockers in the field didn't allow too many riders to chase before throwing wrenches in the works. With lap times around 1:30 or less, the break was averaging over 30 mph and maintaining a lead of about 15 seconds until the fire in the field finally fizzled. They had brought the gap down to about 34 seconds, but it quickly grew again to 45 seconds (half a lap) with a bout 15 minutes left to race.

It looked briefly like the break of seven could catch the back side of the field if it collectively wanted to. Apparently not enough of the group of 7 wanted to see that happen, or it was just too late in the race, and the breakaway group maintained their place about a half lap ahead of the field for the remainder of the race. Kyle Wamsley hit the last half lap as hard as he could and no one from the break stayed on his wheel. He ended up pulling away for the victory by a few bike lengths over Sean Milne and Clayton Barrows (CRCA). They were followed in by Ted King, Toby Marzot who had the ride of his career so far, Jeff Buckles and Bobby Lea.

As it was getting dark at City Hall Plaza, the podium ceremonies for the women's and men's races were held and champagne was sprayed by all six podium finishers. The Mayor himself handed out the Mayor's Cup trophies to the winners and the sponsors handed each winner an offical Hub on Wheels winners jersey.

TD Bank is signed on as the title sponsor for two more years and the race is the centerpeice of Nicoles efforts to to make Boston a better place to ride a bike so, it looks like we will all be back next year. There is talk of the race becoming part of the National Racing Calendar (NRC) series which should bring even more of the best riders to Boston.

Here are pictures from the event. They are not quite Graham Watson or Chris Milliman quality, but Rose did a fine job in her second assignment as startfinishbikenews race photog.

The women's call up.

The first few laps

The women's field

Lynne Besette at the front

Wally the Green Monster

Dave Towle interviews the Greenpeace Whale

Men's call up

The Women's field

Yeah, they were going that fast!

Kyle Wamsley pauses for refreshment, but not for long

Wamsley recieves the winner's jersey

Mayor Menino and Tina Pic

Tim Johnson, me (with a face made for radio), Dave Towle, and Brooke Miller

After the race there was a concert on the plaza by the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra and I got to do the on-stage introduction for them. I am not usually a big fan of classic rock (Queen, Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac), but these guys were incredible. I am a fan of the Who, and they do them better than the Who did, really. They take the hardest songs of the era and sing/play them perfectly. The more dramatic, the better for this group. Queen was a perfect fit and they played several of their songs, but sadly not the bicycle song (it would have been appropriate). Too bad I had already put the camera away, the 16 of them are very photogenic. See them if you can.

We Are Motorhead and We Play Rock and Roll

2009-09-07T22:57:00.006-04:00

Are you looking to increase your core strength for cross season but tired of the same old workout? A couple of months ago, solobreak (http://solobreak.blogspot.com/) posted a link to Jospe (http://alexjospe.blogspot.com/2008/10/core-strength.html ) and his core strength training routine. It seems to involve lying down with a big rubber ball and a lot of clenching. I have been planing on starting this routine for a couple of months now but haven't been able to make myself get going with it yet.

But, now I've got a better workout and it's guaranteed to keep you from getting lapped by your cross nemeses this season: Go see Motorhead and stand within about 50 feet of the stage. Last night at the House of Blues in Boston I began my new core strength training program and it was incredible. It's the best all over body workout you can get if you survive it. From the time Lemmy Kilmister says "We are Motorhead and we play Rock and Roll" until the house lights come on, you'll be getting pushed and bumped around in a sea of humanity in black t-shirts while your upper body, including those all important core muscles, gets the workout of its life.

Motorhead was one of my favorite bands in my college days. Loud and fast, Motorhead was punk enough for me and metal enough for my metal-head friends so it was one of few places we found common musical ground. And, as a bonus, it scared away most people we didn't like. The faint of heart usually turn tail and run when Motorhead is played at adequate volume. If you aren't familiar with Motorhead, dial up "The Ace of Spades" on itunes and you will see what I mean. 21 years later, I still had never seen them live until last night. It was absolutely the best rock and roll show I've seen in years.

From the core strength training point of view, what you need to do is:

Get a ticket for admission on the floor for a Motorhead show and get within 50 feet of the stage.

When Lemmy hits the stage, core strength training class begins and doesn't let up for about 2 hours (unless you need to get out of the scrum for a beer).

Keep your arms up and your eyes open.

Don't stand with your feet shoulder width apart like most exercises, you need to be ready to push back and you can't do that with your feet parallel. You need to be "en guarde" with one foot forward

Use your stomach muscles and uppper body to push anyone who bounces into you. Start every push with your stomach muscles and give it everything you have.

After warming up for a song or two, take a few laps threw the pit of despair to add an aerobic workout. Keep your head up. Bounce off anyone who gets in your way.

Pick up anyone who falls down to strengthen your lower back muscles (and because it keeps people from being trampled).

Next August I think I will spend the month following Motorhead around whatever country they are in so that by cross season my stomach and back muscles will be in top shape. By cross season I should have abbs of steal and eardrums of mashed potatoes. But if Lemmy can do it constantly at 63 years of age, I can do it for a month. And remember, as always, that which does not kill you makes you stronger (how old was Neitche when he died?).

Blount Seafoods Fall River Criterium

2009-08-17T23:36:00.003-04:00

The Fall River Criterium is a one mile square crit with a long gradual uphill the last half mile with almost all the rest being downhill. It’s almost all either up or down with very little flat pavement. The location in the Fall River Industrial Park pretty much ensures that it will never be a great spectator event, but it does keep the costs low and the logistics simple. That means that more money can go into the prizes and primes and that keeps the best riders in New England showing up year after year.

Photos from the event are available at http://archive.hickspicture.com (no www).

When the Cat 5 race started at 8:00 AM you could already tell it was going to be a hot steamy day for bike racing. Chief official Chris Constantino broke out the thermometer from his traveling bag of stuff and made it official - 90 degrees in the shade. With no breeze and not a cloud in the sky it was going to be a long day in the heat.

Cat 5
The Cat 5s had the usual race of attrition with the less experienced riders falling off the back, but most of the 16 riders stayed in contention until the end. The host club, Swansea Velo Club/Bikeworks/Hallamore, started the day off right taking the win with a sprint by Greg Louro. They also took third with Robert Hoenick. In between in second place was Brad Costa (Unattached).

Cat 4
46 riders started this race including a bunch from the host club. They set the pace early on and remained at the front. But with 11 to go in the 18 lap race, Jay Trojan (Century Drywall) took flier for a couple of laps but was brought back into the field.

The race stayed together despite back to back cash primes with 7 and 6 laps to go. Tom Burrowes (Flye cycles), a junior rider, took the field sprint by coming around Tim Smith who lead it out too early heading up the center of the road. Alfred Bissell (Essex Velo) and Clayton Dennis (Scottee’s) also came around for second and third as the lead out got swarmed.

Masters 45
The Gearworks team of Paul Curley and friends had the strongest contingent in the race and they seemed intent on taking advantage of their numbers. As they have done throughout the season, they took turns sending one rider after another off the front to force the other teams to chase. The first up this time was Steven Ivester who went solo just a couple of laps into it. He got caught, but teammate Joe Rano was ready for his turn. He got about 20 seconds lead and primes of $20 and $50. Sam Morse (Corner Cycle) decided this move looked like it was meant to stick so he started the bridge up to Rano in time for the sunglass prime ($115 value) at 8 to go and he won it. He said later he would give them to his son Nate who was in the Cat 4 race. But he had Curley (Gearworks) in tow. Morse won the prime but the move wasn’t given any rope by the rest of the field who weren’t quite ready to concede the race yet.

Morse went again a lap or two later with Bill Sawyer (Gearworks) in tow. They were gone for the final 6 laps with as much as 30 seconds advantage on the field. Bob Bisson (Gearworks) went boldly into no man’s land but got caught before completing the bridge to the lead two. With one to go it was Morse and Sawyer together with a commanding lead and no doubt that they would have the top two places. Somewhere out of site on the last lap, Morse dropped Sawyer to ride the finishing uphill drag solo with about 10 seconds on Sawyer. Then it was Curley taking the field sprint for third. When I spoke with Sam after the race he told me that he was fighting a bad cold. What a way to bake out those nasty cold germs.

Masters 35
When Mark McCormack (Team Fuji) is in a pro race, he uses any of a number of tricks to line up at the front or get an advantage. In professional crits, the race actually starts a while before the gun goes off as everyone tries to start at the front to avoid the melee between the barriers. I’ve seen Markie slide into places on the start line that no one else would ever try to squeeze into and do it without bumping into anything or anyone, smooth. But Mark reserves that level of competitiveness for the big races, not the Masters 35 field at the local industrial park. This time he rode small circles behind the back of the field waiting at hte start line, trying to stay stealthy until the last moment.

But within 4 laps into the race he went to the front and established a small lead with Ciaran Mangan (CCB). Scott Giles (Exodus) tried to bridge but he got a bunch of help that he didn’t want and gave up for the time being. Scott has only been riding in New England this season, but apparently his reputation as a hammer has gotten around and they weren’t letting him go this early.

Markie and Ciaran continued on and solidified their lead, gaining over 30 seconds on the field by the half way point. With about 5 laps to go it seemed that they had it wrapped up with almost a minute lead. But the field really turned it on and chased for real in the closing laps. Mark and Ciaran had already sprinted for two primes with each winning one so it wasn’t clear who would be feeling stronger for the finish. Apparently the two leaders slowed up a bit waiting for the other to jump and/or the field really put on the chase because they got surprisingly close coming out of the final corner. Giles came out of the corner a few seconds behind the lead two and caught the leaders on the uphill grade to the finish. Mark later said “I knew the field was getting closer, but Scott actually startled me when he came up beside me. I had no idea anyone was getting that close”. But the chase definitely took everything Giles had and he only held on long enough to startle Mark and was dropped as soon as Mark and Ciaran finally began to sprint a couple of hundred yards from the line. Ciaran went to full speed as soon as he saw what Giles had done and passed Markie to take the win with Markie second. Giles, spent as he was, had plenty of time on the rest of the field to hang on for third two seconds later. Bill Yarbrody (NBX) powered up the hill to finish slightly off the front of the field for fourth. Only 24 of 39 starters finished this race. At this point it was getting hot hot hot and only the fittest were surviving the full distance.

Cat 3
Early on in the race Mike Norton (Cyclonauts), Graham Garber (Central Wheel), and Stephen Dowsett (Berkshire Cycling) got away from the field. Their lead built up to over 25 seconds in front of the field. Only Norton had teammates in the field (2 of them) so it didn’t seem like a breakaway that was likely to stick. But Mike has trained them well and they did a fine job shutting down any chases. Maybe in the heat it wasn’t too hard to discourage a chase from forming and with most of the riders in the field on separate teams, there wasn’t really a dominant team interested in getting a chase together. The three stayed away and the little guys seemed to have an advantage over Norton who is built more like Jason Varitek than a bike racer. Maybe having two guys blocking in the field gave him an excuse to pull less in the break and evened out the playing field a little.

At the finish it was clear that the smaller guys did have an advantage despite doing most of the work in the break as Norton had to sit up, cooked with 200 yards to go. Garber stayed in the saddle to motor up the hill and hold the lead until the end. Dowsett followed his wheel in for second, while Norton rolled in for third. Bill Yarbrody took another field sprint for fourth motoring off the front in the final meters.

Masters 50
This one broke up right after the gun with a lead group of 6 rolling away. Surprisingly, Mark Hagen missed the break and didn’t chase in the heat which was now in the high 90s. That’s hot anytime, but after this lousy summer of rain and cool temps, it seemed even hotter.

Frank Jennings (Gearworks) got away about half way through the race leaving behind the other 5 and no one chased. He stayed away and lapped most of the field. The chase of 5 didn’t lap the field but sprinted in for places 2-5 on the prize list. Paul Curley (Gearworks) took second, with Jay Trojan (Century Drywall) right behind in third.

Pro 123
A field of 32 pros and top level amateurs, including the two dominant local elite teams, Spooky and Indy Fab, showed up to race. Add to that Mark McCormack’s Team Fuji and Justin Spinelli from Svelte Cycles and you had plenty of fire power for a quality race despite smaller than usual quantity of riders. And between them, they would claim the top 6 places and the bulk of the prime and prize money.

Robbie King (Indy Fab) launched the first serious attack and stayed away long enough to snag $120 in primes. He never got a convincing lead and on such a hot day it seemed unlikely he would stay away until the end of the 60 minute race by himself. As the field melted away, a select few joined King. Some half hearted attempts to bridge went nowhere once the select group of 10 or so went away . That group included Robbie, Justin, Nathaniel Ward (Spooky), Markie, Tobi Schultze (Team Fuji), Charlie Avis (Specialized), J Ferry (Millworks), Mark Paggioli (CVC), Ward Solar (Spooky), and Alec Donahue (Spooky). Donahue would get away from the group and bag a couple of primes. Spinelli would roll away from the rest of the break but would never quite catch Donahue. We kept wondering when Donahue would ease up for a minute and form a two man team of convenience with Spinelli, but he never let that happen. The two remained separated by almost exactly the same 10 to 12 second gap for the remainder of the race but Alec wisely never let Spinelli catch him even though it would have meant a lot less energy expended to reach the end. They would finish one-two off the front with Markie taking the sprint for third in front of Ward Solar. Only 20 of the original 32 would finish the one hour long race.

Women 3-4
14 riders of all ages lined up including the Mullaly family (Capital Velo Club) with twin daughters Katherine and Kelsea racing alongside their mom, Laura. It was a battle to see who could stand the heat the longest and with 5 to go there were just 5 left in the lead with the remainder in small groups across the course. The sprint went to Bridget Petrillo (CVC) with Jennifer Bonnacorsi second and Natalia Gardiol (Cambridge Bike) right behind for third.

While they were picking up primes after the race, I overheard Natalia encouraging Jennifer to give cyclo cross a try this season. It’s a little hard to imagine crossing in weather like this, but the season starts next Sunday, August 23 in Springfield. Fortunately cross gets more women competitors than road racing does and for many good reasons. As Natalia pointed out, you can race your own race in cross, it’s not all about staying with the pack. Hopefully Jennifer will take her up on the idea, she certainly has the strength for cross as evidenced by her second place in the Fall River Criterium.

Postscript to the Yarmouth race –
I was talking with J Ferry after the Fall River pro123 race and I kidded him about wearing a t-shirt in the Yarmouth race. He explained that he had forgotten to pack his team jersey and, as it turns out, he also forgot his shorts and had to borrow his girlfriends. They fit a bit snugger and shorter (how do you spell "mankini"?) than he is used to so he threw on a pair of gym shorts on top. When the race started he stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb in a sea of lycra skinsuits and jerseys and we were all wondering who the Fred was in the t shirt flapping in the breeze. Yarmouth is a pro123 so there should be no 1 day licensees in the field. But, sometimes the best way to get noticed is to go back to the basics while everyone else is covered in cycling bling. J said the locals watching the race on the hill started cheering for “T shirt guy” every time he came around. Maybe they thought he was one of them doing his best against the ringers. To the locals, he represented the “everyman” that the sea of lycra certainly did not. J said it was the funnest race of his career and he is planning on returning next year to ride in a t shirt again. He is even thinking about printing “T shirt guy” on the back. I say do it!!

Gate City Cyclone Aug 8, Nashua, NH

2009-08-11T00:28:00.004-04:00

The Gate City Cyclone, now in its third year at Holman Stadium in Nashua (or actually around the stadium) is fast becoming a favorite of racers from New England and beyond. With a little something for everyone on its 0.75 mile loop, the course is just challenging enough for great racing without being too technical for the entry level racers. And nearly constant primes, compliments of Goodale’s Bike Shop in Nashua, don’t hurt either. Even the Cat 4-5 race was sprinting for three-place primes every 2 to 3 laps.

The guys from the BOB (Bunch of Bikers) club had the course set up and looking great before the Kids’ races started at 8:45. Besides being huge on the cute factor, the kids’ races are where the future Gate City Cyclone champions are forged. Big fields of 10-15 kids contested the first few age groups for the youngest kids, but participation tapered off to just one racer in the 12-13 year old age group and none registered in the 14-15. What happens to kids when they reach 12 that they no longer ride their bikes? I can understand a big drop off in participation at 16 years old when kids get their driver’s licenses, but why at 12? On one hand I hope that some of them become part of the great sport that is bike racing. But on the other hand, I could understand why a parent wouldn’t encourage their kid to enter what is starting to seem to me like a dangerous endeavor. But we’ll get to that….

Cat 4-5
There were a few 14 and 15 year olds in the Cat 4-5 race and they could have had a decent kids’ race just amongst themselves. But the Kids’ Races are meant for beginner racers, not USAC licensees so they were in the Cat 4-5 race because there was no USAC junior race on the program this year. Both Nate Morse (CLNoonan), who is about 14, and Tommy Goguen (Minuteman Road Club), who is about the same age, both won primes in this race.

The pace was relatively fast for a Cat 4-5 field with the prime bell ringing every few laps. The Cat 5s who had never raced for primes before (Cat 5 races can’t have primes unless the race is combined with Cat 4) were probably shell shocked with about 10 three-place primes in this 24 lap race. Plus, the prize list went to 10 places for the almost full field of 70 starters.

The front of the race stayed together throughout but lots of inexperienced riders fell off the back. I hate to see them get pulled out because that is so discouraging to a new rider, but on a short technical course like this, it had to be done. And as the announcer, I have to tell them that they are done for the day. In that situation, I always remember when Dick Ring pulled me out of my first race, the UMass criterium in 1988, for which I was nowhere near prepared. Fortunately, I am stubborn by nature and persevered through quite a few more races where I got the hook. I hope the current crop of Cat 5s does the same.

Chris Esposito, a junior recently upgraded to Cat 4, won the race with Bryon Lewis (Colavita) right behind. A total of 47 riders finished of the 70 that started. I’ve seen Chris Esposito ride well a couple of times now. Some team should pick him up while he is still unattached.

Women Pro123
A small but very strong field of 11 lined up for the women’s race including three Nashua locals: Sally Annis (Hub Racing), Kerry Litka (UNH) and Katherine Snell (Northeast). Also present was Rebecca Wellons (Northeast) who seems to be winning everything this year, and a strong team from the Sunapee squad. This is the first time I have ever seen a race with more prime prizes than racers, but race promoter Ron Bingham wanted to stick to the plan and give it all away despite the relatively small field. There were a total of 7 three-place primes (21 prizes total) in this race of 11 riders. Crazy!

Wellons, Clara Kelly (Northeast), Anna McLoon (Altarum), and Danielle Ruane (Sunapee) got away about half way through the race. The chase formed and dissolved and reformed but those 4 would stay away with Wellons winning the sprint by two bike lengths. This was a change from recent races where Rebecca has ridden away from the field for solo victories including New Britain and Yarmouth. Maybe she was getting tired of riding alone in races, but more likely this field was a little stronger with the very fast Anna McLoon (who would later ride and finish the Men’s Pro123 race) and several equally strong riders from the Sunapee team all ready to ride hard. Anna was next followed by Danielle and Clara.

With only 11 racers, this was the only field of the day’s four races that was not either filled or close to the 75 rider field limit. With perfect weather for racing and no other road racing events in New England in conflict, there is no obvious reason. Not many promoters are going to be able to offer prize lists and primes, or precious time on a race’s schedule of events, for 11 rider fields. Are there really that few women racers around? I heard someone mention maybe including Cat 4 women in the race next year to increase attendance. That seems like a good idea, but how many entry level women are going to want to race against Cat 1s? Separate fields on the course at the same time might be an option, but I’ve seen that go terribly wrong more than once.

Masters 35
Dick Ring, aka “the Voice of New England Bike Racing” grabbed a mic at this point and the stories and insight started flowing. While I tried to keep up with him, I did not get to watch as much of this race as I would have liked. As we traded pulls on the PA system, a few moves went up the road, mostly thanks to Bill Yarbrody (NBX). But they were all brought back when the pack decided not to concede the race so early to a solo time trial or small group. Kyle Gates (Millwork) won the half way prime, a Cycle-ops trainer worth $350. Greg Melone (Gearworks) went on a solo flier with about three laps to go in a do or die move.

In one of the greatest ever examples of Murphy’s second law (if something can go wrong, it will go wrong at the worst possible time), the generator ran out of gas just before the bell rang for one lap to go. The PA went dead and more importantly so did the finish line camera. So, the Masters race had a silent finish that had to be picked old-school by the officials without the benefit of the camera. It all worked out ok even though it got close at the end. Melone barely stayed clear for the win with the charging pack sprinting to full speed across the road behind him. The one closest to catching him was Patrick Ruane (Sunapee), followed by Steve Stockwell (Sunapee), and Ciaran Mangan (CCB).

Men Pro 123
After filling the generator with gas, we got the Men’s Pro 123 race going. A full field of 75 took the line including a strong showing of 7 riders from Equipe Volkswagen-Specialized from Quebec. About 5 laps in, there was a bad crash on the first sweeping corner right after we rung the bell for the first prime. Peter Bell (Met Life) and another rider were down but Bell could not get up. The race would be neutralized when they came around again however the hard charging pack was gunning for its first prime of the race. Fortunately the crash was a few hundred yards after the line so there was time to neutralize the field. They were however surprised that the pace vehicle (a very “mod” yellow Vespa scooter) reacted to the instruction to slow down much quicker than did the racers, many of whom narrowly avoided the scooter while decelerating. Good thing it wasn’t a car!

Bell was taken to the hospital in the ambulance and after a 20 minute delay, the race was restarted with one neutral lap to get the blood flowing again, then the racing resumed. The Volkswagen-Specialized team snagged most of the primes tipping their hand as the dominant squad in the race. These boys didn’t drive 5 hours from Quebec to watch the locals race, especially Guillaume Boivin who took either first or second in almost every three-place prime. There were some attacks throughout the race but nothing stuck. The Quebecois kept at least two riders at the front of the field the entire race and when it really mattered, Boivin took the sprint from 100 yards out for the win. Morgan Hiller (CLNoonan) took a very respectable second place only a bike length or so behind the Canadian professional. Jake Hollenbach (CRCA)rounded out the podium.

I haven’t heard how Peter Bell is doing and I didn’t see the aftermath of the crash from where I was. I heard he was taken away on a backboard and that is a common precaution for victims of crashes of any kind. But it gets me to thinking about the safety of this sport. I’ve crashed a few times but never anything serious, just the red badge of courage on a hip, elbow, or knee. But a lot worse can, and sometimes does, happen when we suddenly hit the ground at high speed. We all have our war stories, but have we ever really thought about the risk we are taking riding elbow to elbow at 30 mph wearing nothing but a thin layer of spandex over most of our bodies? That is part of what draws us to the sport and creates some of its legendary mystique. But people have died doing this. It’s no wonder that parents aren’t encouraging their kids to race bikes. Any parent that saw what happened to Peter Bell, whatever the outcome is, would be crazy to send their kid off to the same fate. They could get most of the same benefits from playing soccer or competitive swimming and have very little risk of serious injury.

Maybe I’m just thinking about this too much given the recent accidents at the Tour (is Jens Voigt out of the hospital yet?), Nashua, and a member of my club who crashed at Wells Ave this Sunday and is still in the hospital with broken facial bones. Accidents will always happen at all levels of the sport, but can we make this sport safer somehow?

Yarmouth Clam Festival

2009-07-23T22:23:00.006-04:00

This was the 29th annual bike race at the Yarmouth Clam Festival (although the Clam Festival started 44 years ago based on the banner above). By my rough calculation, that means the first race was held in 1981. A lot has changed in bike racing since then. The sound at the start of a race is dominated by the clunk of cleats locking into pedals instead of the sound of riders muttering and cursing as they reach down to tighten toe straps. Entry fees have tripled but prize lists haven't. The USCF is now USA Cycling. Bikes are made of crabon fiber, not many are made of steel anymore. And pre-registration is more often done by computer now than by envelope. Fortunately, in this crazy world where constant change is the one thing you can rely on, the Yarmouth Clam Festival Bike Race has hardly changed at all. It is still a barn burner of a race and it's still supported by the locals like no other race around.

This year's event started on a somber note with a memorial lap for a member of the local cycling community, Carrie Girod. She was killed by a motor vehicle while cycling on vacation in Seattle just a week before the race. She had been a member of the Portland Velo Club, the host club of the race, and a friend of many of those in attendance. I don't know more details of the accident beyond that, but it should serve as reminder of the dangers cyclists encounter each time we ride on the roads with the big steel boxes. Soap box time: If I were king, I would make it illegal to send or read text messages while driving. It's probably to late to keep people from talking on the phone while driving, that's just too ingrained in people now to stop, but maybe it isn't too late to put an end to the unnecessary and extremely selfish act of typing while driving. And I would also make it illegal to where headphones/earbuds while cycling. That is just dumb too. Anyway, back to the race -

After one complete 3.6-mile memorial lap around Yarmouth, the racing began for both the men's and the women's fields. The men's field (Pro 1,2,3) was nearly full at close to 100 riders while the women's field was considerably smaller at about 25. But the race promoter still pays the women's prize list 10 deep and $750, just like the men's race. Last year's men's winner,Justin Spinelli was not present to defend, but Rebecca Wellons (NEBC) returned to try to make it back to back wins.

Once the racing was underway, there were primes every lap for both races thanks to the incredible support that the local residents and businesses have for this race. The crowds were 3 and 4 people deep through the center of town on both sides of the road and plenty of those people donated for primes. There was never less than $40 on a lap for each race and typically well over $100.

Dick Ring, "The Voice of New England Bike Racing" , was in the crowd but it didn't take much coaxing to get him to grab a microphone and join me on the stage. He hasn't lost a step even though he doesn't see as much of the racers as he did before his "retirement" from race announcing a few years ago. It was a great privilege for me to once again trade stories and banter with the master as the race progressed. The unfortunate thing is that I barely got to pay attention to the race while I was trying to keep up with him.

I remember that every lap was won by a solo break or a small group off the front but that the attacks didn't seem to last very long until Peter Bradshaw (Embrocation Cycling) took off in the men's race around half way through the ten lap race and Rebecca Wellons did the same in the women's race. Peter got some company soon after but Rebecca did not. She went on to bag the primes for several laps earning a couple hundred extra dollars and then soloed in for the win a minute ahead of the rest of the field. Her victory salute included a letter C for Carrie with her right hand. Maybe she could teach young Mr. Cavendish a thing or two about appropriate and respectful victory salutes. Anna McLoon (Alturum Cycling) was second and Danielle Ruane (Sunapee) was third more than half a minute in front of the rest of the field which sprinted down the finishing strait to claim the rest of the prize money.

In the men's race, Bradshaw, who was the world champion bike messenger a few years ago, got some company when Damien Colfer, Ryan Fleming (Met Life), Morgan MacLeod (Bowdoin College), and Dan Vallaincourt (Colavita) pulled up alongside. They rode together as temporary team mates and established a solid but not insurmountable lead by working well together. Vallaincourt was on the front more often than not when they came through the start/finish area and was awarded most of the primes.

Bradshaw was the only one with much support behind in the field so blocking was not as much of a factor as it might have been. Instead, it was the power of the only full professional in the break, Vallaincourt, that drove the train and kept the break away. On the final lap, Bradshaw attacked the group and dropped most of them. But Vallaincourt caught back on and passed Bradshaw just before the finish line to take first prize by half a bike length (see picture below). Colfer crossed just seconds later followed by Fleming. The field charged down the final hill at well over 40 mph after already swarming MacLeod (who would finish 27th). Adam Myerson (Mountain Khakis) would taked the field sprint for 6th. Of note, Luke Keough (CLNoonan), winner of the previous day's race at Claremont (see previous post) would wind up his sprint on junior gears (45x12) and finish 9th. The downhill sprint and restricted gears put him at a big disadvantage, but he still pulled off a result in the money. Just wait until next year when the training wheels come off.

After the race, the top three women showed up promptly for the podium which is a big deal in Yarmouth because there actually are spectators who care there, but Bradshaw and Colfer apparently decided to take a warm down lap after the men's race and missed the whole thing. Vallaincourt is a pro on and off the bike and knew where to be and when to be there. For a short time the officials considered DQ'ing Bradshaw and Colfer for their transgression. Based on the picture of Bradshaw with a wad of cash at the Embrocation Cycling blog, I guess they didn't follow through on the threat. It sure does suck to be the announcer at a big race and have to plead over the PA for the podium to show up, but I wouldn't want to see them DQed after a great race either.

In addition to the prize list and primes, the winners also received an original painting from Joe Cousins, a local artist and one of the coordinators of the Clam Festival art show. Rebecca is going to need a bigger home if she wins another one. I am not sure, but I think it was Dan's first win at Yarmouth despite being from just down the road in Saco.

Here's a picture with Kristen Fortini (aka Mills), me, Dick Ring, and Joe Cousins at the finish line:

Thanks to Rose for snapping the pictures. After the race and some fried clams, Rose and I did a little sea kayaking nearby and had a great trip. I can't wait to go back next year for the racing and more fried clams.

You can find more pictures of the event at http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery/Yarmouth-Clam-Festival-Pro-Cycling-Race-2009/G0000O0eaDw2jDNM/?_bqO=25&ppg=25&_bqH=eJxL9w02d0x0d3dKcQz29I0qzSj1KrPMNMjIiDewMjG1MjK1snKP93SxdTcAAn.D1ESXcqMsFz9ftQCQqJq7Z7y7o4.Pa1AkNkUACo4a9Q--

8th Annual Claremont Criterium, July 18th, 2009

2009-07-20T22:34:00.002-04:00

The 8th annual Claremont Criterium saw racing on the same downtown course as previous editions, but with a new finish line. The organizers decided to move the finish away from the park and put it right in the thick of the downtown businesses. Fortunately, many of those businesses donated cash and gift certificates for primes making this “the prime heavy criterium” as the promoter, Kevin Ondre, has dubbed the race. And he is right, I don’t recall giving out so many cash, merchandise, and gift certificate primes in a race in seven years of announcing as I did at this one. I was either ringing the prime bell or making sure that the prime sponsors got some publicity for their donations on every lap and since the course is only 0.45 miles long and lap times were often under a minute, the action kept coming fast. I had little time for journalistic note keeping for the blog, but here is what I've got:

Kids Races
We started the afternoon schedule with two heats of 300 yard sprints for the kids under 10 years of age. It was a great way to start the day and all the kids seemed to have a good time. Hopefully we will see some of them in junior races in the future when their training wheels come off.

Junior 10-14
Peter Vollers Jr. (Vollers Law/Start House) won two cash primes and then beat Owen McCullom in a two up sprint at the finish. McCullom (Team Placid Planet) is about a foot taller than PVJ and a year older but PVJ barely held him off.

Juniors 15-18
Joshua Leaman (Noreast) broke away solo about half way through the 30 minute race and looked good to go for the solo finish. But John Herrick and Chris McKenna (Woodstock Bicycle) put on the chase and got him with 4 laps to go. Somewhere out of site on the last lap, Leamann attacked the two and took the last portions of the final lap solo to win by several seconds. Herrick would outkick McKenna for second.

It was nice to see four young women compete in the race with the boys. They were racing for the same prize list so there were no prizes for the girls but, unofficially, Emily Curley (Gearworks) won the “girls’ race” by a lap.

Cat 5 19-34
The promoter decided to hold separate races for the Cat 5s based on age with the split at 35 years. This was probably a good idea as the course is fairly technical and larger fields of inexperienced riders would only lead to trouble. In the race for the younger Cat 5s, Ben Kramer (Sunapee) went solo from a field of about 10 riders with about 10 to go and looked good for the win but he was caught just after the final corner, about 300 yards before the finish, by Dustin Marshall. Marshall led it out and just edged out Kramer.

Cat 5 35plus
16 started the race for the older Cat 5s and it got whittled down to just 6 on the lead lap with 6 to go. That group included the only woman in the race, Carolyn Cole (Claremont Cycle Depot). She took the first prime of the race in the first half and was usually in the top three places throughout the race. She would finish fourth in the field sprint after Brice May, Alexander Gray, and Raymond Surell (in that order).

Masters 40 plus
One of the sponsors of the race was Vollers Law of Woodstock, Vermont. If that name sounds familiar, it is because it is the law firm of Peter Vollers, the former collegiate champion (at UMass in the mid 80s) and pro rider with Bill Sykes’s IME cycling team. He is still in great racing form as evidenced in the 40plus race where he broke away and took an uncontested solo win.

As the race announcer, I used the cash primes as an opportunity to give a shout out to the race sponsors by assigning each prime in the name of one of the sponsors. Most primes are awarded on the leader or lead group in the race, but when a lead is firmly established and there seems to be little else left for the field to race for, I start putting primes on the field to liven up the action. But that is actually bad news fo the field because that means that it seems like they are out of contention for the win.

Vollers got away with a solid gap on the field so I started ringing the bell for field primes. I credited the first one to Vollers Law. So, we had the first field prime sponsored by the guy that was riding away from them. Cruel? Maybe, but it got a laugh out of quite a few folks including Peter himself who told me later that he was cracking up on the bike while trying to concentrate on time trialing away from the field.

I guess the teasing got to the Sunapee guys because they eventually decided to put on a chase. Pat Ruane (Sunapee) came the closest to catching Vollers with Eric Pearce (Bethel) right with him. The official results indicate that they finished with the same time as Vollers but I think I remember a gap remaining at the finish. The rest of the field came in 21 seconds later.

Cat 4
Zach Labry (MIT) went off the front solo in the first half of the race and stayed out long enough to bag several primes. But then he got caught. He went again with about 8 to go in a do or die move. You got to give him credit for riding aggressively, but this time it would not be the “do” option. He was caught and went to the back of the field at the finish. At least he won a few primes while he was away. Bryon Lewis (Colavita) would take the field sprint win, followed by Alfred Bissell (Essex Velo), and Sam Van Kuren (Bikyle).

Pro 1,2,3
Adam Myerson (Mountain Khakis) was on the pre-registered list and he would have been the favorite to win but he must have extended his vacation by a day because we didn't see him this time. In years past he has done quite well at Claremont. Even without him, a strong field lined up for the feature race of the day. With the prime bell ringing nearly every other lap, and lap times well under a minute (the average speed must have been about 30 mph), the action kept coming with new breaks forming and getting caught constantly.

At one to go the field was all together. Luke Keough (CLNoonan) started the 90 degree left hand corner after the start/finish line in about 8th place, but by the time he was through that corner he was in second slot right behind Jake Hollenbach (CRCA). It would apparently stay that way until they came back into sight at the final corner 300 yards from the finish. Keough came around Hollenbach right after the corner and spun his junior restricted gear as fast as he could, with his head bobbing as fast as his legs were spinning. Most adult riders have about a 53x11 front/back gear combination. If I recall correctly, the max gear for a junior is something like a 45x12. That is a huge handicap for the younger rider when the speeds get over 30 mph. Considering that the average speed was near 30 mph, the sprint was probably close to 40 mph when it topped out.

Steve Stockwell (Sunapee) also came around Hollenbach as Hollenbach felt the pain of sprinting out of the saddle after leading out the last lap. Keough would pull away for the win with Stockwell behind, then Hollenbach maintained enough speed to hold on to third. Hollenbach was heard saying after the race, “I’ve got to get myself some of those junior gears.” Just wait and see what Keough does in the sprints next year when he will be 19 and on unrestricted gears.

New Britain July 12th, 2009

2009-07-17T01:25:00.002-04:00

This race always gives me that déjà vu feeling because it is on the same one-mile course as the Nutmeg State Games held in June. Both Rick Comshaw (Nutmeg State Games) and Jose Aguilles ( New Britain Crit) put on great events and it is a great venue for a race. The main difference, at least from the point of view of those of us working on the race, is that the schedule is about three hours shorter for the New Britain Crit. Both races even had official photographers snapping shots of all the action. Here’s how it went.

Cat 5
As is often their custom, the Cat 5s took a very conservative approach to racing and stayed together for the whole affair. Walter Archer won the field sprint after 10 laps of pack riding at a comfortable pace.

Masters 55 and 65/70
Once again, just like at Attleboro, the older riders were asked to vote whether they wanted their own field, or to be combined with the 55s. They chose to consolidate. Douglas Adams (Mosaic Smalti) took both primes and the finish in close pack sprints with Clarence Ballard (Somerset).
In the 65s it was all David Burnett (Mystic Velo) who soloed off the front almost the entire race. He finished more than half a lap ahead.

Masters 45
They stayed together through the first half, but back to back primes near the half way point launched John Raheb (who won both primes) on a solo attack but he was caught about 4 laps later. Keith Ford (Sunapee) took a flier with 1 to go and held on to take the win by several seconds. Raheb somehow managed to take the field sprint for second after his solo efforts. As the field sprint wound up behind Ford, Mike Norton (Cyclonauts) hit the deck hard about 200 yards out after he pulled out of one of his pedals. He was in the front of the field but he was the only one that went down. He is going to need a new MCRA jersey and new shorts and a lot of peroxide (youch!!). I’ll be surprised if we see him this weekend in Claremont.

Masters 35
Steve Stockwell (Sunapee) took off about half way through the race and kept going. He got some company, then he got more and more as riders bridged from the field to the break. At some point the break got too big and fell apart. After they got caught by the field, Stockwell managed to keep going solo. He stayed away for a well deserved victory by 3 seconds.

Masters 30
I am not sure why the age graded categories now start at 30 plus. Why, back in my day sonny, a 34-year old was still young enough to go to the Tour de France and win (Grandpa Simpson voice). And since a 38 year old is currently in third place in La Grande Boucle, I’d say that a 34 year old should still race his category and not start sandbagging masters races until he is 35. Although, many in this race also did other races, so I suppose if nothing else, the race promoter's bottom line is benefited by the extra entry fees. But I digress.

Tim Unkhert tried to get away, as is his custom, but he got some company. Eric Brownell was one of those who bridged across, but he was the only one to stay away after the break reformed around Unkhert. At the end it was Brownell soloing off for about 3 laps and taking the victory. The Spooky Bikes duo of Colin Murphy and Ward Solar sprinted for second and third. Unkhert ended up 8th.

Cat 3

Ben Wolfe (Mystic) went from the gun, as is his custom, and took a $25 cash prime. He kept going with blocking help from team mate Evan Kirk (Mystic) back i nthe field. Both of these guys are only 15 or 16 years old and have only another 15 years to go until they can start sandbagging the masters races (OK, I’ll try to let it go now). Ben was caught, which won’t be his custom much longer. He went again at the last lap but got caught again. James Joseph (former Olympian from Guyana) (We Stand United) won it in a field sprint. Our race promoter, Jose, was in the field and finished a respectable 10th place representing the host Greater Hartford Cycling Club/Central Wheel. It can’t be easy to jump into a cat 3 race with no warm up and a body and mind full of stress from all the BS that comes the promoter’s way on race day. A top 10 finish is most impressive.

Juniors
David Gilchrist won the race in a field sprint. There really was no other likely outcome since the Mystic team had the field stacked and Gilchrist already won the Nutmeg State Games on the same course a month ago.

Women 4
Cesarina Bellahilla appeared to win the women’s race, but she was disqualified when the officials realized that she had an international license that equated to higher than category 4. The real winner of the race was Kristen Lotito (CRCA).

Pro 123
A group of 11 with most of the major teams represented got away early in the race but was brought back. The group of 11 fell apart as it was being caught but from it a smaller group developed with Skip Foley (360/Landry’s), Jermaine Burrows (We Stand United) and Franklin Burgos (Kraft Genie) establishing leads of almost 30 seconds. But Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies) rode chase tempo at the front and began to pull back the remainder of the break mostly by himself. Note that he didn’t chase when his brother, Luke (CLNoonan), was in the original move of 11. But he wasn’t going to let three amateurs have his lunch money if his brother wasn’t there, so he decided to chase.

He got help, maybe a little more than he wanted, when three guys from CCB – Amos Brumble, Will Dugan, and Aliksander Biliasuk. They chased and caught the 3 leaders with 10 to go making the lead group seven with plenty of horsepower to stay away. Melito Heredia (Innovation Bike) broke out of the field and into no man’s land. The CCB boys tried to gap Keough off the back of the break a couple of times but it didn’t work, he had enough in reserve to come back around each time. With 3 to go Brumble attacked for CCB. When he was pulled back, Dugan went. When he was caught it was Brumble again. It got confusing trying to track the action across the open ball field and behind the trees because Brumble and Dugan look exactly the same from half a mile away. Meanwhile, Bialasuk was the protected man for the finish. Brumble and Bialasuk exchanged places when Brumble was caught and Biliasuk barely maintained his lead to the end over the spent breakaways. Burrows sprinted right behind him for second with the gap only a couple of bike lengths. Skip Foley took third leaving Keough less lunch money than the former winner of the race probably had hoped for. Dugan followed, then Burgos.

Women Pro 123
You have to give Jose credit for having separate races for the women's categories, but only 8 riders signed up for this race despite a 10-deep prize list. Rebecca Wellons broke away after a few laps and road the rest of the race solo to victory. It was another case of daja vu all over again as she had done the exact same thing at the Nutmeg Games crit.

Because the 8 riders started the race at such a slow pace (about a minute slower per lap than most of the other races), the officials began to cut out laps to keep the next races on time. Some of the women seemed to get a little bit perturbed when the lap cards were dropping faster than (fill in your own analogy, it’s getting too late for me to think of one, let me know in the comments section what you came up with and I’ll edit it in another day). What they didn’t probably realize, at least during the race, is that although they were loosing laps, they were on the course for the full scheduled time.

There has to be a better way to run these small races so that the women get a better race out of it. Running as a points race has been suggested as has racing based on time instead of laps, which is essentially what happened here. But the women’s races are in the same catch 22 they have always been in – there aren’t enough women racers (much of the time) to have a proper race, but why should the women show up to race if they know they aren’t going to have a good event? How do we break that cycle? Or am I just mis-reading the situation.

Cat 4
Stayed together with a big field sprint which was won by Gary Birkamshaw (Mystic). As I recall, he pulled away from the field in full sprint without even standing up.

Attleboro Criterium, July 11, 2009

2009-07-17T00:03:00.003-04:00

Promoter Sandy Martin pulled it off again and put on a fine race despite having little volunteer support and even less sponsorship. The course is a 1 kilometer four corner squished rectangle with a bit of an uphill every lap. Most of the corners aren't too tight but the first one after the start line does occasionally see riders overcook it and head onto the neighbor’s lawn at the apex of the corner. Here’s how the races went down:

Women Cats 3 and 4, and Women Masters 30 and Masters 45 (all fields together for separate prize lists)
The Cat 5 men often start a day’s racing off and it’s unusual to start a day with the women’s races. But that’s how Sandy Martin rolls so the women got top billing today. The combined field numbered about 25 riders and Frances Morrison proved herself to be one of the fastest by taking the first prime about 5 laps into the 25 lap race. Attrition started to take a toll at the back with brisk lap times around 1:34. About 18 or so of the women stayed on the lead lap and on the last lap it got strung out with some gaps. MaryAnn Martinez (Capital Velo) took the final sprint to win the 45 plus category and the race overall. Frances Morrison was second overall and first of the Cat 3 and 4 race, and Perri Mertens (Cambridge Bike) was first of the 30 plus race. Frances Morrison graciously donated her prime (a mini-pump) to be a prize for the kids grass crit since she “already has plenty of bike pumps”.

Unfortunately I could not follow the kids races while also announcing the big-kid races on the road so I don’t have any info on that. Hopefully a few of them will be back to compete on the road when they are big enough.

Masters 55 and 65
The two age groups were given the option to race together with separate prize lists or to keep two separate fields. The older guys were up for a challenge so the two fields were combined on the start line. That meant that both races would be doing 25 laps. James Themig (Mystic), Micky B (BOB), and David Burnette (Mystic) got away and stayed away. They lapped the field with about ten to go. Meanwhile, Mark Hagen (CCB) was hanging out in no man’s land chasing. He seemed to realize that he wasn’t going to catch or be caught and soloed the last 15 laps to take fourth overall. At one point he asked where all the primes were that I had promised on the start line, but I’m sorry, there are no primes for a solo rider in no man’s land. They all go to the break or to the field to liven things up.

Dusty Adams (Mosaic Smalti) took the field sprint which included the three riders on the lead lap so he got fourth in the 55s. The overall winner, Burnett, was in the 65s so Mickey B won the 55s with Themig second and Mark Hagen soling to third. Richard Martin (Masters Velo) was second in the 65s.

Masters 45
This 30 lap race started off at full throttle. They were riding hard for the opening half of the race but a group of 6 got away at 15 to go. But Dave Foley (BOB) brought it back all by himself with no apparent help from the rest as CCB and Sunapee sat on him. As I recall he even won an uncontested prime during the effort. He sat back after his work was done and recovered at the back for a lap or two. It stayed together until the end for a big field sprint. I thought I saw Mike Norton taking a close sprint but the official results indicate that Greg Melone (Gearworks) beat him in a photo finish. It's a good thing JD was there with the totally pro finish line camera set up. That’s probably not the result Foley had in mind when he was single handedly closing the gap.

Masters 35
All the big masters teams were well represented in this one including Sunapee, CCB, Team Fuji and Corner Cycle among others. They went fast from the start but that didn’t discourage the attacks. It did keep any of them from staying out there long until three of the more powerful teams were represented off the front. Ciaran Mangan (CCB), Pat Ruane (Sunapee), and Tobi Schultze (Team Fuji) took off. With three big teams up there, it fell to the guys from Corner Cycle to chase. They would put a rider on the front and try, Dave Foley-style, but either couldn’t break the strong blocking of the teams in the break or just didn’t want to commit enough legs to it. Kevin Hines (Corner Cycle) pulled the longest at the front but the blocking couldn’t be beat. Johnny Bold (Corner Cycle) then tried to go solo but couldn’t get across. Surprisingly, Mark McCormack (Team Fuji) didn’t try to go solo, but he did take the sprint for fourth place. Ruane won the sprint of the three breakaways followed closely by Schultze and Mangan.

Pro 123
This one was the Hot Tubes show from the start and no one else ever really had a chance. Gavin Mannion (Hot Tubes) and six team mates took the line using this race as final preparation for their trip to the Red River Stage Race in Kentucky, the only UCI stage race for juniors in the US. And they didn’t waste much time getting it going. Gavin, being on home turf, went first and then was joined by one, then another, then another of his team mates to make it a four man team time trial off the front. They easily lapped the field with 34 to go and plowed right through. Meanwhile, Peter Bradshaw (Embrocation), Skip Foley (Landry’s), and Peter Bell (Met Life) had formed a chase group off the front. Mark McCormack bridged up to the chase to make it four. But it all finished together after Hot Tubes set tempo for the last 20 laps or so and caught the four. They didn’t need to do that but it was probably good practice for the upcoming stage racing. Nathan Brown (Hot Tubes) took the field sprint to make it 1st through 5th places for the Hot Tubes team. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, they are all less than 19 years of age and riding on restricted junior gears. Mark McCormack was the best of the rest in 6th. Thanks to Mark for donating a big box of Clif shot and Fuji products for primes for races throughout the day.

Masters 30
This race was the only sleeper of the day because once Bill Yarbrody (NBX) took off up the road solo, no one really seemed to try. Tim Unkhert made a brief effort to chase but realized that studying for his graduate degree hasn’t helped maintain his cycling fitness any. He went back to the field and Yarbrody continued building his lead over a scattered field. Yarbrody lapped and then went through the field, then Unkhert broke away to join him. Unkhert just can’t help himself. The two worked together and stayed clear to the end. Just to confuse the spectators, Unkhert came across the line first to claim second place leaving it to Yarbrody to win the race solo a couple of seconds later.

Cat 3
Ben Wolf (Mystic) and Chris Bailey (Pedro’s) got away right after the start and built an 18 second gap before being joined by Mathew Spaits (Cambridge Bike). That break fell apart with 7 to go but Bailey carried on with a ten second lead. The field was lead, Foley-style, for four laps by Leo Deforges (Threshold Cycling) who then tried the solo bridge move. It’s tough to bridge after four laps on the front and unlikely to surprise anybody, but it kind of worked. He made it to within about 10 seconds at two laps to go with just Spaits on his wheel. Spaits and DesForges apparently talked on the back side of the course and had some arrangement that apparently one of them misheard. It was clear that DesForges was not pleased with the outcome when Spaits rode around him to take second place. Spaits said afterward that there was a misunderstanding on the road but it got worked out after the race and that all is now well with both of them. Hopefully DesForges had the same understanding.

Cat 4
It was the Scott Simmons story until the finish when he was beat by Steven Owens (Green Line Velo). Simmons ground a monster gear throughout the race to take all the primes and second place. He told me after the race he was turning a 56x11 most of the time, including the flat finishing strait. There was a slight tailwind on the finishing stretch, but 56x11?? Maybe if he didn’t mash such a huge gear his solo effort wouldn’t have gotten caught on the last half lap. It is amazing he held on for second.

Mystic Velo Crit - Ninigret, RI

2009-06-23T01:01:00.003-04:00

Mystic Velo Criterium, June 20th, 2009 Ninigret, RI

The third “real race” of the season at Ninigret, not counting Wednesday weekly training races, was held under surprisingly good weather. It was even sunny for the first few moments of the first race of the day. Then the fog rolled in. Despite the thick weather, it never rained until the final race was over despite the forecasts and the reputation. Anyone who has been there knows to expect rain and wind no matter what time of year it is.

Cat 5, 34 years of age and less
A pack of ten started in the warm morning sunshine but during the first lap, the temperature dropped 10 degrees as the Ninigret fog rolled in. Eight of them stayed together to the end despite a couple of attacks by Connor Walsh (NEBC). Harris Navelski (Lindscott) lead out the sprint from a couple hundred yards and barely held on to beat Walsh by a couple of tire widths. It was close enough that we had to check the camera. George Lowe was third but not by much.

When Connor lined up for the Cat 4 race a little bit later in the day, the officials realized that something was wrong. He couldn’t have gotten an upgrade that fast without Diane Fortini being around. They checked the USCF via wireless web thingy and found that Connor is indeed a Cat 4. They let him finish the Cat 4 race, but DQed him from the Cat 5 race. He told me later that he thought it was a combined 4/5 race when he registered on-line. The DQ put Lowe into second and moved Matt Appleby into third. Connor gladly returned his 2nd place trophy when informed of the error.

Cat 5 35 plus
14 men and one brave woman started the 17 lap race in dense fog. By 11 to go, a lead group of 5 formed with Tim Curley, Chris Darling, Todd Samuelson, Mark Schleinitz and Vinny Defrancesca. As the remainder of the field exploded behind them, they became the biggest single group on the road. So does that make them a breakaway, or just a depleted field? I guess it’s a judgment call. If I was in the group of 5, I would prefer to think of it as the field. There’s too much pressure in being a breakaway.

Rebecca Lowe, the only woman in the group, held her own just behind the leaders. She spins a small gear. If she can develop the strength to push a bigger gear yet maintain the “suplesse” of a spinner, she might have potential to be a pretty good bike racer despite starting later in life than most.

The group of 5 stayed away and built a 25 second lead over the nearest straggler. A chase of three closed it some, but there wasn’t enough time left to get back up to the lead. Todd Samuelson narrowly won the long sprint over Chris Darling with Vinnie DeFrancesco third.

Cat 4
An escape of 4 riders got a 10 second lead in the first half of the race but it was caught. From that point on the field stayed together. Gary Birkamshaw lead out the sprint from the final corner and powered away from them sitting down. He got a 20 yard lead and held it without even standing up despite a furious out of the saddle sprint behind him.

Junior 10-12, 13-14
The cub juniors started under a controlled pace for the first 5 of 9 laps with coach/mentors from the Cyclonauts and CCB clubs riding along. They taught the kids to ride in a paceline and get used to being adjacent to other riders. I am sure they helped the kids with cornering also since the Ninigret course has 6 corners, some of them more than 90 degrees. This was the first time I had seen the kids start a race with a controlled pace and coaching. It seems like a great idea and can only lead to a better experience for all the kids and quicker development of their skills. Let’s do this at more races! The alternative is to have the 2 or three most experienced kids (i.e. those with parents or older siblings in the sport) take off and leave the rest behind to ride their own solo rides just to complete the distance. When that happens, they probably aren’t be too inspired to try again.

Once the gloves came off and the coaches moved aside for the final four laps, a lead group formed with Ian Keough, Peter Goguen, Ryan Walsh, and Brian Wolfe. The sprint came down to Wolfe and Goguen with Goguen taking it by just a few feet. Walsh rolled through a couple of seconds later, then Keough. Kara Mullaly won the girls race just seconds behind the lead group of boys.

Juniors 15-18
The host club, Mystic Velo, has had strong racers in the masters age groups for years, but last season they put together a team of juniors from the southeast Connecticut region. Unlike some of the powerhouse junior development teams, the Mystic Velo team is made of local kids without prior experience. It is a truly regional grassroots team. They didn’t seem to get a lot of results last year, but this season they have been on fire lead by Evan Kirk and David Gilchrist among others. They had four riders on the line for this one with Evan Kirk sitting it out waiting for the Cat 3 and Cat 1, 2, 3 races later in the day.

Connor Walsh (in his third race of the day) kept trying to attack at the front of the field but he appeared to be just having some fun as he knew he was greatly outnumbered by the Mystic boys and they were right on him every time he tried. Emily Curley (Gearworks) and the Mullaly sisters, Kelsea and Katy (Capital Velo Club) were able to stay with the boys and it was all together through 8 laps to go. David Gilchrist (Mystic) launched with 6 to go and bagged a $5 prime. He stayed away with a 22 second lead that shrunk to 8 seconds when Tommy Goguen (Minuteman) attacked. But John Harris (Mystic) stuck with Tommy and Tommy diverted his energy and added a lot of extra feet to his race trying to shake him when he should have been focused on his pursuit of Gilchrist. Gilchrist stayed away and Tommy got out sprinted for second by Harris, then Ian McFarland (Mystic) came in fourth solo. After almost losing her lead by refusing to pull through with Nate Etchells who was also trying to do the shake and bake like Tommy Goguen, Kelsea Mulally took the girls race ahead of Emily Curley. Emily had a chance while Kelsea slowed down. Emily told me to shush and not tip Kelsea off that she was sneaking up as they passed through the start/finish line. I was shushed by a fourteen year old!!

Cat 3
Little breaks rolled off the front but nobody was really getting away. This race had lots of masters racers in it getting a warm up before the age graded races start, maybe more than there were young guys who are trying to make it up the scale to Cat 1. The Gearworks team (Paul Curley, Tom Stevens, Bill Sawyer) took turns keeping the pace high. It all stayed together to the end with Mike Maloney (Cyclonauts) launching but getting caught with a lap and a half to go. Nice try, but it wasn’t for nothing as he did soften the field for his team mates by making the other teams chase. Ben Wolfe (Mystic) went to the front with Evan Kirk (Mystic) on his wheel a lap and a half before the finish but it was too early. Wolfe buried himself trying to keep Kirk at the front but they got swarmed with 1/3 of a lap to go. As they came out from behind the trees heading into the final corner the field was spread across the road with a few yellow and black Cyclonauts jerseys forming a new lead out train at the front. Two of them held on including Mike Norton who took the win followed by team mate Douglas McKeon. Paul Curley was third.

Masters 55/65
These races started with separate fields on the course at hte same time. The 55s stayed together despite some attacks from Mark Hagen (CCB). The 65s saw Richard Martin and MCRA champ David Burnett (Mystic) roll away early on. After a couple of primes, the 55s caught the 65 field with 12 to go and they raced together from then on.

Martin and Burnett sprinted like gentlemen drag racing from the final corner, no drafting, no games. Martin couldn't quite match the speed and Burnett won the sprint by a half bike length.

In the 55s, world champion track racer Chip Berezny (Bike Line) narrowly took the sprint with, I got to talk to Chip for a few minutes after the race and found out that he won his rainbow jersey in the scratch race for his age group last year in Australia after a couple of near misses the previous years.

Masters 45
This race stayed all together until 12 to go when a group of 5 rolled away. The group included Dave Solobreak Foley (BOB), Mike Norton (Cyclonauts), Todd Buckley (arc en Ciel), Sam Morse (Corner Cycle), and Gary Dalton. They worked well together until about 5 to go when they stopped cooperating. Mike Norton appeared to be the first to turn off the groupthink as he pulled out of the pace line from second place and dropped to the back of the group. Meanwhile, a chase of three formed from the front of the remaining field. When Norton dropped back, that left a gap behind Todd Buckley that Dalton would have to close. However, Buckley took off and extended his lead. He finished it solo while the remaining break of four fell apart completely. Meanwhile, the Gearworks train moved to the front of the field and started grabbing back time on the 4 scattered breakaways. Buckley finished strongly but exhausted to take the win solo by several seconds. Then Foley took second alone, with Morse a couple of bike lengths behind. Norton barely avoided getting caught by the hard charging field to take 5th.

35 plus
Mike Rowell (NEBC) took off from the gun and got a 25 second lead. He stayed out for several laps alone and took a $10 prime before being caught. Johnny Bold (Corner Cycle) took off into the lead from a small breakaway group that included Scott Giles (Velo Brew), David Potter (Arc en Ciel), Ciaran Mangan (CCB), Rick Kotch (Union Velo) and William Mark. Bold and Giles time trialed away and lapped the field with 3. They mixed into the field and for the most part stayed near the front. Mike Rowell took a dig for third off the front but got caught. Bold and Giles remained mixed in the field for a couple of laps and with 1.5 laps to go bold caught Giles napping. Giles was stuck in the middle of the field a few places behind Bold. Bold used the opportunity to attack and got an immediate gap over Giles. Giles took most of the next to last lap to pick his way through the field then turned on the after burners for the final half lap. He closed the gap on Bold on the finishing stretch but could not finish it off. He lost by just ½ a bike length after spotting Johnny Bold a couple of hundred yard lead with 1.5 laps to go.

Cat 1,2,3
This race went 41 laps for 35 miles. CLNoonan, CCB, and Indy Fab were represented along with regional micro-celebrity in the making Adam Myerson from the Mountain Khakis professional team. Since Adam was alone without team mates, it can be assumed that this race was not a priority of the Mountain Khakis team and Adam was primarily interested in getting in some training at race pace.

Emerson Oronte (Independent Fabrication), Amos Brumble (CCB), Alec Donahue (Spooky), and Tautkus (Exodus) formed a break early on. Ben Wolfe, a Cat 3 junior from Mystic Velo, tried to bridge but got caught by the field that wasn’t ready to let anything else go, especially a Cat 3 junior. The break stayed away thanks to cooperation between the breakaways and also the blocking of the Spooky team who still had several riders in the field. The lead was big enough that when splits were taken, it was from the back of the field to the front of the break. And the gap kept closing. With 4 laps to go Oronte crashed out of the break on the third corner. It happened at the worst possible time – one lap sooner and he could have gotten a free lap, one lap later and he would have only had 3 to go and it can be guessed that he would have finished solo in fourth since the chase group of 7 didn’t catch him until the last half lap. But he lost precious time as he circled his bike a couple of times and collected his thoughts before remounting and trying to hang on to his 4th place.

The chase caught him on the last half lap so a crash a lap later would probably have left him in fourth. Also, the remaining three riders in the break caught the back of the field in the half lap following his crash so presumably, if he hadn’t crashed when he did, he would have been riding in the field. When the break got close to the back of the field, Donahue’s Spooky team mates conspicuously dropped to the back of the pack ready to escort their “Dear Leader” anywhere he wanted to go. And he wanted to go to the front so they set up the train and led Donahue out for the win which he took by half a bike length over Tautkus followed by Brumble.

Luke Keough took the furious downwind sprint for fourth using junior gears amongst older riders in the chase group. He had noticed that other riders were in their 11 cogs for the sprint but he was restricted to junior gears which I think max out somewhere around a 46x12. Oronte rolled in at the back of the chase group to take 11th place. The prize money went to ten places so he probably had to go to the ATM to buy first aid gear for his road rash.

I found out later that he clipped his inside pedal on the pavement as he rounded the third corner on the course. His former team mates on the CLNoonan team said the abrasions on his hip looked very deep, but the results of Sundays Hoosatonic race indicate that he did pretty well there despite his injuries.

Luke Keough was the camera man for my in-race video camera. I will post excerpts when I get a chance to edit it down to a reasonable length (but I have said that before and still there are no race videos on the blog yet).

Nutmeg Classic Criterium and Whaling City Cyclone

2009-06-19T23:19:00.004-04:00

Nutmeg State Games, New Britain
Results - http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2009/06/13-Nutmeg-Classic-Criterium.asp

With races scheduled for almost one complete lap around the analog clock, the Nutmeg Classic Criterium has to be the longest day of bike racing in New England. This race could only happen near the summer solstice or there wouldn’t be enough day light. Add to that a two and a half hour drive to get there by 7:00AM and I had my work cut out for me. As the announcer, I have to be coherent all day on the mic, manage all the primes, help keep the event on schedule, and various other tasks that always seem to come up. This time I even got to play neutral support mechanic a couple of times. All this is to say – I didn’t have time (or the energy by the end of the day) to take careful notes for the blog. And the video camera never left its hidey hole deep within the back of the truck. But here is what I’ve got for you. Sorry for any inaccuracies and omissions. I am sure I have mis-remembered a few things. Feel free to correct me i nthe comments. I promise to do better next time (Mystic Velo Crit tommorrow).

Cat 4/5 under 30
Despite a rather leisurely pace, the race stayed together for 15 laps until Colby Nordbloom (NHCC) tried to go solo with 5 laps to go. But he got caught at 2 to go and found a comfortable spot to sit in and recover as the field meandered around the 1 mile course another time. When the bell rang for the final lap, the field was still together and didn’t get moving until the sprint. Nessim Mezrrahi (Quad Cycles) took the sprint for first by a bike length. It was his next to last race before getting married (in two weeks) and moving to DC. Quad Cycles will miss him but some club in DC will be lucky to get him on board. Greg Vigneux (Spin Arts) was second followed by David Gilchrist (Mystic Velo). Gilchrist, the first of the finishers from the State of Connecticutt, won the pale blue Nutmeg State Games Jersey.

Cat 4
Evan Kirk (Mystic Velo) took the sprint win ahead of Mason Chen (Chesire) and Andrew Tucker (Quad Cycles). Evan made it two Nutmeg State Games jerseys for Mystic velo.

Cat 4/5 30plus
The day’s schedule was set up perfectly for those that wanted to do more than one race and the scissors were in high demand between races starting with several of the Cat 4s from the previous race.

They started the 20 lap race at a gentlemanly pace and stayed together through 13 to go when back to back to back primes sprung Rob Ehrman (Vision Quest). He kept going, working the lead up to 18 seconds. Nathan Turillo (Refunds Now) tried to bridge couldn’t make it across before dropping back to the field. The field started chasing with 3 to go and Ehrmann’s lead began to drop. He started the final lap with an 8 second lead. In the last half lap the margin was just a few seconds or a couple of first downs. As Ehrmann rounded the final corner and struggled to keep his legs turning to the finish line, the field was in full gallop. Ehrmann had just enough left in him to hold off the field and win by only 2 bike lengths.

The 55 plus and 65 plus fields raced at the same time with a 1 minute gap at the start. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay that way and keeping track those off the front and the back got a bit confusing. The lead groups of three in both races stayed separate, but the fields got mixed together. This wouldn’t have been a big problem except that the lapped riders caused the race volunteers to miss ringing the bell on the last lap. But these are gentlemen and the three gentlemen in each lead group decided on the road to ride one extra lap and have a proper sprint. Clarence Ballard (Somerset) won the 55s with Turgut Baliki (CTS) and Thomas Cormier (NHCC) right behind. In the 65s it was Ed Lang (NEBC) outsprinting John Auer (Somerset) and David Burnette (Mystic Velo).

45 Plus
After several small breaks were launched but couldn’t stay away, Stephen Gray (Bethel) won this one with Aubrey Gordon (Liberty Cycle) and Paul Curley (Gearworks) right behind.

40 Plus
Patrick Ruane (Sunapee) took the win with a solo break.

35 Plus
Patrick Ruane won his second race of the day coming out of a break of ten for another victory.

30 Plus

Patrick Ruane sat this one out to save a match or two for the pro race. This was a super aggressive race with lots of little breaks noodling off the front but the field wouldn’t let anything stick. Paul Richard (CCB) took the victory.

All the 20 mile races (30plus Cat 4/5, the Cat 4, the Masters 35 and the Masters 30) finished within 43 to 44 minutes. I would have epxected the Masters fields to be noticeably faster than the Cat 4 and 4/5 fields.

Cat 3
The field had to wait on the line for a few minutes before the start. In the mean time, I got a little bored so I decided to give them a first lap prime while they were waiting. I announced it on the line and rang the bell as soon as they were told to go by the oficial. This strung the field right out. Morgan Hiller (CLNoonan) took the prime then the race settled in to a more normal cadence. But soon the primes came fast and furious and lap times dropped to 2 minutes (30 mph on the 1 mile course). The large field of 70 or so wound it up and raced super fast in this race. Morgan Hiller busted a spoke toward the middle of the race and came in for a replacement which his younger brother got for him. He got back in before the free lap rule ended and found his place toward the front of the field. In the final sprint, Sergio Atocha (GS Gotham) took the sprint ahead of Hiller (CLNoonan) and Jurgen Neblong (Base 36). Worthy of note, 58 year old former Olympian for Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Gellineau (Team Squiggle), finished a very respectable 6th after already taking two 5 places and an eighth in the Masters races earlier in the day.

Women 30 plus and Women 40plus
These two groups raced as one pack of about 25 with separate prize lists. At the finish Rebecca Wellons outsprinted her NEBC team mate, Brook O’Connor. A couple of places back, Steph Chase (IBC) took first place in the 40plus.

Men Pro-1,2,3
A big field of more than 70 riders lined up eager for primes and prize money totaling well over $2000. Regional powerhouse teams from New England and New York were well represented with the notable absence of Robbie King and his Indy Fab squad. The racing came fast and furious with lap times occasionally going under 2 minutes (over 30 mph). After awarding 8 $100 primes, the field was strung out heading into the final laps but no move could make a lasting impression. That is until Craig Luekens (CCNS) and another rider (sorry I don’t have the name) established what looked like it could be the winning move with an 18 second gap. But with 4 laps to go CCB moved to the front and began an organized chase. Three and sometimes four CCBs dragged the field along, apparently without much help. from the rest of the field. They absolutely buried themselves to catch the break. Meanwhile, a series of crashes marred the final three laps with a few riders being taken out in each one. One of the riders later explained “people were sticking their wheels where they just didn’t belong”.

With only a couple hundred yards to the line for the finishing sprint, the CCB train caught and passed the 2 man breakaway at full gallup delivering their designated sprinter to the line with a clear shot and a full head of steam. It would be Colin Jaskiewicz’s day in the spotlight after the self less work from his CCB team mates. Those team mates included Will Dugan, Aliaksandre Bialiauski, Yahor Buben, and Dzmitri Buben. Dugan and Jaskiewicz are team mates at UVM as well as at CCB. Jaskiewicz is the current national collegiate criterium champion and Dugan is the national road race champion. Through in Jamie Driscoll, UVM’s collegiate Cyclocross champ, and you have an impressive school cycling team.

Women 3 and Women 4 raced together in one field with separate prize lists. Although there was some confusion at the finish when some of the women couldn’t see the lap cards, Frances Morrison (Mount Holyoke College) won the Cat 3 race and Pan Xieyuel (CRCA) was the first of the Cat 4s. I am sorry I don’t have more details on this race, my memory of that one is just a blur.

Women Pro-3
Rebecca Wellons (NEBC) broke away from the field to time trial away the last few laps of this one. Here is the finish line photo:

Whaling City Cyclone, June 14th, 2009
Results - http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2009/06/14-Whaling-City-Cyclone.asp

After early rains soaked the first few races of the day, race promoter Bill Humphries (aka the Bike Guy) got the weather he was hoping for. The skies dried out followed by the roads and a great day of racing was had by all except the Cat 5 field that had to race in the pouring rain. One of them even had a flashing red tail light on his bike.

The race schedule included all categories and most age groups but this report is going to be brief and limited to just the feature race of the day, Men Pro 1, 2, 3.

Many of the same riders who had competed the previous day were also present for the Whalng City Cyclone with the addition of the Independent Fabrications Team lead by last year’s winner Robbie King and Team Fuji lead by former national pro road race champion Mark McCormack. The CCB (Cycling Club of Basingstoke) was present after their win at the Nutmeg Classic the previous day.

With the prime bell going off frequently the speeds were high on this technical 6 corner course and the field was often strung out single file. Around half way through, Robbie King (Indy Fab) took a prime and kept going. This drew out Amos Brumble (CCB) and Ron Larose (CCNS). Dylan McNicholas (CCB) quickly joined giving CCB the tactical advantage in the break. With the two strongest teams in the race represented in the break, the blocking started and the lead group established a solid gap that approached half a lap of the 1 km course. At one point the gap came down a little bit and Will Dugan (CCB) jumped across to join his two team mates in the break giving CCB 3 out of 5. Robbie King kept sprinting for the primes, maybe realizing his chances in the finish were slim, and winning them. With 6, 5, 4, and 3 laps to go everyone in attendance who knows anything about tactics was wondering when CCB would begin to use their numerical advantage against Robbie and Ron. It was not until the final lap or so that the three CCB riders started attacking and making the other two chase. Larose cracked after one CCB attack but dangled in no man’s land long enough to take 5th place. The second attack went and King covered again. Heading into the final corner, CCB made their final move hoping that King was spent but he countered and blasted into the lead going up the uphill sprint. Dugan stayed right with him. Despite having been off the front for almost half the race, taking most of the primes from the breakaway, and covering strong attacks from McNicholas, Dugan and Brumble in the last lap, he held on to beat Dugan to the line by just inches. That’s two for two for Robbie at Whaling City. Robbie said after the race that he was glad Will wasn’t a little taller; he might have won with a bike throw. It was that close.

Myles Standish Circuit Race April 19th 2009

2009-04-23T23:55:00.001-04:00

If any of you out there in the blogosphere have any influence with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), please use it to make them re-pave the roads in Myles Standish State Forest. If there was ever a more shovel ready project, I don’t know what it might be. The roads in MSSF are now, after this long winter, a complete disgrace. As a result, race promoter Bill Sykes made the difficult decision to move the race off of what was left of the traditional loop around the forest and move the race to the training race course around Charge Pond. It’s a 1.3 mile loop surrounded on one side by the pond and on the other by a camping area that is not yet open for the season. In short, it’s a great place for a training race, but kind of lackluster for one of the early season New England classics. It just isn’t the same without the possibility of someone taking a plunge into a recently thawed lake (yeah, it’s happened). But there really is no choice until the DCR paves the main loop around the forest.

It went pretty much like this:

Juniors 10-14 - Peter Goguen (Minuteman Road Club) won it in a break with Nate Morse (CLNoonan), Chris Worden and Peter Vollers Jr (Starthouse). All four young men have fathers who are either active or retired racers so it’s no surprise they formed the winning break. Peter has the extra benefit of having at least 3 older brothers who race as well (I’ve lost count of exactly how many bike racers that family has spawned).

Cat 5 – The 50 rider field limit suddenly looked like a good idea on the narrow roads and a full Cat 5 field this early in the season is a good sign for the future of the sport. Not much of note happened in the first 18 miles as the less experienced riders dropped off the back. Too bad they couldn’t stay in and finish, but this ain’t the marathon and the stragglers were pulled out by the officials. Anyone can ride 20 miles so there isn’t much pride to be had in simply finishing. About 36 riders finished in the field. As they passed through the start finish area to begin the last lap you could see the two BikeBarn guys, Andy Legan and Bill Kinney, making their way to the front with Bill keeping Andy out of the wind. Bill led Andy to the front and kept him there through most of the final lap but got slammed by the headwind on the backside of the course. Andy fended for himself from there and came around the final corner in second spot. He was gradually coming around the guy in first, Devin Riley, and had almost completed the pass when he inexplicably stopped pedaling with 30 yards to go. This allowed Riley to maintain his lead by just inches to the second cross walk which was the real finish line, not the first one that had been used during all four training races earlier in the season. Legan took home second prize and a valuable lesson – ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THE FINISH LINE IS.

Pro 1,2 – Mark McCormack (Team Fuji) and Jeff Craddock (CCB) took off early and worked smoothly together for several laps. They collected two $10 primes for their efforts, then they dropped back rather suddenly to the field losing a 30 second gap in just two laps. That’s weird, Markie and Craddock don’t just suddenly blow up like that. The field had split behind them but came back together as Frank McCormack pulled the field up. It was later theorized that Shawn McCormack (youngest of the three racing McCormack brothers) was the team leader for the day and since he didn’t make the break, Mark dropped back and Frankie pulled Shawn’s group up to the chase group. At the finish Shawn won after getting the best lead out in history from Mark, Craddock was second, and Frankie was third. Peter Vollers would later tell me how Frank and Mark can control a race so well that that their designated sprinter doesn’t have to do much in the race but sprint for the finish. Peter said they did it for him many times when they were together on the IME team in the 90s. Not to take anything away from Shawn who is obviously coming back into form after years off the bike, but apparently today was meant to be his day from the start.

Mas 45 – This one stayed together through the first half despite turning in the fastest lap times of the day including the previous Pro-1-2 race. The speed was due in large part to the very active Gearworks team that seemed to be constantly sending riders off the front. First to go was Tom (the Steamboat) Stevens. He went twice before Bob Bisson went twice. At the finish it was all together and Paul Curley (Gearworks) took the win from the final corner followed by Joe Rano (Bike Alley).

Juniors 15-18 Mystic Velo and CLNoonan made up half the field so they looked like favorites to win on the starting line. The field of 10 stayed together to the end. David Gilchrist (Mystic) led it out from the final corner and hung on to win with his team mate Ben Wolfe right behind in second. Chris Esposito, who came all the way from Maine, took home third place.
Masters 55- Mark Hagen (CCB), Dusty Adams (Mosaic Smalti) and a few other strong men took the line with a couple of first timers to make a field of 12. It didn’t take long to sort things out. One time heading up the strait to the start finish area Dusty had to shoo a turkey off the course as it almost got hit by the field trying to cross the road. They seem to be all of the forest these days, it must be mating season. After a bunch of accelerations and attacks mostly by Hagen, the top few came in together with Hagen taking the win followed right behind by Dusty Adams and Richard Cullen (Corner Cycle).

Cat 4 – The Cat 4 field was filled to the 50 rider limit but it didn’t take long to start shelling some off the back as the front of the field worked hard all race with some fast lap splits (around 3 minutes). Ryan Littlefield (Base 36) came to the front at the finish and stayed in the saddle to power up the slight hill for a win with the field unable to come around. On his wheel was Brett Walker (Hammer), then Greg Brown (Cape Cod Cyclists).

Mas 35 – This was another race that stayed together despite riding very hard. Ray Botelho (the One Man Wrecking Crew) and Eric Jensen (Bike Barn) always seemed to be at or near the front when the field came through the start finish. With 2.5 laps to go, Botelho took off from the front of the field and no one went with him. Jensen seemed to help him by sitting on whatever chase developed and then it got to the point where no one wanted to sacrifice their chance at second place so Botelho was gone to stay. He won by about 15 seconds followed by Paul Curley at the front of the field sprint, then Todd Rowell (NEBC).

Women – A field of about 13 started but they were of all different ability levels and ages ranging from Emily Curley (Gearworks) to Julie Lokhart (NEBC). After about 5 laps more or less together, 4 rolled off the front. Kristen Gohr and Lydia Mathger (both Colavita) along with Cathy Rowell (NEBC) and Carola Berger (Webcor) rode the remaining 12 laps together while the rest of the women formed small groups behind. Kristen Gohr won the halfway prime– she can sprint. At the finish Kristen led it out and took the win with her teammate Lydia right behind her, then Rowell and Berger followed right behind.

Cat 3 – This one was a barn burner because 17 Cat 3s decided to ride hard, really hard. They consistently rode the fastest laps of the day, even faster than the Pro -1-2 field. The Pros were turning in 3:00 minute laps. The Cat 3 field, dominated by the CLNoonan and NEBC teams with four riders each, was always below 3 minutes and commonly around 2:50 per lap. Somehow, Colin Huston (CLNoonan) and Kyle Smith (Cambridge Bike) went even faster and broke clear off the front. David Chiu (NEBC) didn’t wait long to jump on the train and leave the pack behind. With the two biggest teams in the race up front, Tom Middleton, the only rider in the race from the host Mass Bay/Bicycle Link Team, decided his best chance was to join the break. He later said it almost did him in making the bridge across, but he made it and recovered well enough to start taking his pulls. Meanwhile, the six NEBC and CLNoonan riders controlled the field for their team mates in the break. After a few laps Smith couldn’t maintain the pace of the break with only limited opportunities to rest and dropped back to the field. The remaining three stayed away and Huston led out the sprint all the way up the finishing strait and dropped Chiu and Middleton. Chiu managed to hold off Middleton then 30 seconds or so later, Paul Lynch (CLNoonan) won the field sprint for fourth.

David Potter was kind enough to be the in-race camera man for the day during the Masters 35 race. I’ll have some race video posted as soon as I figure out how to edit it down to a reasonable length. Check back soon.

Rick Newhouse Memorial Criterium Ninigret, RI, April 18th 2009

2009-04-23T00:06:00.001-04:00

For four years now, the Arc en Ciel racing team has hosted a race at Ninigret State Park in early April to honor the memory of Rick Newhouse, a teammate who died of brain cancer a few years ago. This year they got unusually good weather for the event and reasonably good turnout despite being in direct competition with the now famous Tour of the Battenkill.
Other than occurring on the same day, the two races don’t have much in common. Ninigret is a perfectly flat 0.9 mile course purpose made for bike riding. There are lots of corners but no real technical challenges unless it is windy. With no vehicle traffic, the pavement stays in great shape. Could Battenkill and Ninigret be any more different?

Here’s what happened:

Cat 5 – A motley looking crew (not Crue) lined up at the start finish line. One guy had a blue skateboarding helmet on (but apparently ANSI approved). One guy had on layers of threadbare ripped t shirts that looked like a costume from the midnite showing of Rocky Horror. As Mimi the USCF official said, “Cat 5s, there so cute”. Once we got them going, the race stayed together until the half way prime. Cat 5s aren’t allowed to have primes of any value according to the rules, but we found some water bottles to give away. Skateboard helmet guy (Richard Woodland) won both primes, but the field came back together both times. After winning two primes he was the odds on favorite to win, but he didn’t factor in the sprint. Greg Louro (Bike Works) won it followed by Jay Zengobot (in the worn out t-shirts). He was informed by the officials after the race that his attire did not meet the USCF standards. If he keeps placing in the races, he should be picked up by a club before too long and be able to retire his t shirts for a club jersey before they get any thinner.

Cat 4 – This was a very active race with little breakaways heading off the front constantly. Rich Persons (Minuteman Road Club) was especially active early on. He must be the tallest rider in New England on his 65 cm Seven Cycles bike. He and Cicero got a 5-6 second gap before the first prime but junior Evan Kirk (Mystic Velo) bridged across the gap on the last half lap and kept going passing the break just before the long finishing strait. He rode away for the prime. Too bad the prize was a six pack of beer from race sponsor Newport Storm and he’s only 18 years old so it was given to his chaperone. He then won another prime as did his team mate David Gilchrist. His mom picked up his prime. Four guys from Bikeworks including the Phenix brothers set up the lead out train with 2 to go, but number three in the train couldn’t hold the wheel of his team mate and the lead out fell apart before the finishing strait. They got swarmed and Marshall Johnson (B rumble Bikes) took the win in a field sprint.

Masters 55 – Mark Hagen (CCB) split it apart early on with a starting group of about 10 riders dividing into two like a horny amoeba (I am not normally prone to such simile, but I like that one). Hagen took the primes but Richard Martin (Masters Racing) and Michael Miller (Masters Racing) hung with him. Miller mashed a huge gear while Hagen and Martin are spinners. At the finish Hagen took the win in a sprint. 67 year old Martin hung right on to the end. He already has 5,000 miles in his legs from a long winter in Florida. Even for a retiree, that doesn’t sound possible, but you have to believe his wife – she’s a USCF official.

Mas 45 – The feature of this race was the Gentlemen’s Vitality Prime, a prize package put together by Arc en Ciel rider Randy Rusk. As the story goes, Randy’s wife has insisted that he get rid of his collection of Playboy magazines so he donates a few from his collection every year to be part of a prime that also includes a 12-pack of Mountain Dew and a DVD of a bike race. It has been dubbed the Gentlemen’s Vitality Prime because that should be all you need to stay horny and alert through middle age. Hence, the prime is award only for the 45 and 35 plus races. By the way, the DVD in the 45 plus GVP was Tyler Hamilton’s winning ride at Liege Bastogne Liege. I guess Randy isn’t planning on watching Tyler anytime soon, the race being just one day after Tyler’s final exit from the sport due to doping charges (see previous post). Anyway, the prime was won by Duane Scofield (BOB). The sprint broke the pack up after they let the break of Eric Morro (BOB) and Todd Buckley (Arc en Ciel) go as they counter attacked after the prime. They had just a slight advantage when the third placed rider slipped out in a corner slowing the rest of the field momentarily. Officials put him back in after a free lap, but he succumbed to road rash and dropped out of the break, then out of the race completely. The gap for the two leaders went to 30 plus seconds with several Arc en Ciel riders in the field blocking the chase. Skip Foley saw the writing on the wall and tried to bridge with 3 laps to go but Paul Curley (GearWorks) and David Kellogg (Arc en Ciel) got on him. Foley gave up in frustration when they wouldn’t come around to take a pull but the effort broke the chase group down to 5 riders. Foley even rode off into the grass to force Curley to take the lead. Buckley took first with Morro right behind. About 30 seconds later the sprint for third went to Curley narrowly over Scofield after Scofield led it out. Foley didn’t even try.

Mas 35 – This one started to break up right away with groups all over the course. The lead group had nine including three from Arc en Ciel. It included Mathew Kressy (Millwork), Bill Yarbroudy (NBX), Bill Mark (NBX) , Michael Shireman (Union Velo), Peter Voller (Vollers Law), Todd Buckley (Arc en Ciel), Tobi Schultze (Fuji), and David Potter (Arc en Ciel) and Jason ?Hurd (Arc en Ciel). Yarbrody took off with about 8 laps to go and built up a 30 second lead on the break. He stayed away and lapped the remnants of the field (about 8 riders). He then went straight through them to finish solo. Kressey won the field sprint for second. Murat Altimbasak (Millwork) took the second gentlemens prime which had been put on the field earlier in the race. Thanks to Jason Hurd I will have some in-race footage from my handlebar mounted camera posted soon. I need to do some editing first. Check back soon.

P123 – Tim Unkert is the man. He might not always finish first, but he is always trying and always rides harder than anyone else (except maybe Yarbroudy). He started his first solo attack on the first lap and got a 20 second lead before getting some company. Buckley and Rusk, both in their second races of the day , caught up, then Skip Foley (360/Landry’s) and a few others bridged up. But it all came back together with 25 to go. Unkert went again solo again but got company from Buckley again and Adam Sullivan (Spooky). With 16 to go, it was all back together again. But Unkert was still shooting off the front every time the pace slowed a little. A break of 5 finally stayed away – Rusk, Unkert, Kressey, Vollers, while Jim Thomas (NEBC) bridged up last. Kressey led out the sprint from the last corner 500 meters out and held on aided by a tail-cross wind. Thomas was close behind, then Unkert, Vollers and Rusk all drag racing in the saddle to the finish, not really sprinting. Unkert, for all his efforts won primes for a stay at a bed and breakfast in Newport and 60 bucks, some beer, and third place in the race.

Juniors – Four junior racers showed up which is two more than last year. Ian McFarland (Mystic Velo), Peter Vollers Jr. (Vollers Law), Emily Curley (Gear Works), and Grace Vollers (Vollers Law) all raced for 30 minutes and it finished in that order.

Et tu Tyler?

2009-04-17T22:09:00.003-04:00

I always wanted to believe Tyler was one of the good guys. The guy finished the Giro with a broken collarbone and then had to get caps on all his back teeth because he was constantly grinding them while trying to manage the pain in his shoulder for two weeks. That's one bad ass bike racer. Plus, he is one of our own being a Massachusetts native. I remember seeing him for the first time in his new Coors Light kit at the start line of the crit stage at Killington. He was just a wide eyed local kid lining up with the country's best. I don't have the team roster in front of me, but if memory serves he was riding in the same kit that race as Phinney (the elder), Moninger, and Knickman among others.

I kind of accepted his assertions that blood cell tests were fallible and since he was the first to get popped under a new test, I wanted to cut him some slack. In my real job (no, I'm not a full time bike race announcer or blogger) we do lots of lab analyses on water and soil samples and it isn't uncommon for there to be a mistake once in a while. Contaminants get detected in places that you know they can't be, why wouldn't it happen with blood too? And if someone had an axe to grind, it wouldn't be hard at all to put the proverbial thumb on the proverbial scale and make the test come out how they wanted it to.

But I had forgotten about the laundry list of doping related offenses and suspicions going back to 2003 or 04 until I read today's stories in Velonews and elsewhere. Each one had a list that would make Floyd Landis blush. Yeah, I'm gullible, I still kind of hope he is actually innocent too. The worst of it has got to be Tyler involving his ex-wife in the Operacion Puerto doping scheme. I guess that is what you have to do when everyone knows your dog's name (RIP Tugboat).

But, as it turns out, the offense that finally does Tyler in is the least offensive of them all. According to Tyler, he took an over the counter remedy for depression that includes a steroid with a very long name that I don't want to try to spell as a minor ingredient. Doctors quoted in the news articles say the stuff is banned in cycling, but of little to no use for either performance enhancement in sports or for alleviating depression. Tyler's story sounds plausible, but like I said, I'm gullible. I also think Lance might have beaten all the dopers in the peloton 7 times without resorting to the stuff himself.

My dad had a serious bout with depression for a while and it was triggered by some of the same things that seem to have gotten to Tyler. First, it runs in the family. Second, when your self identity is tied up with your career, you take a big hit when someone takes that career away. A layoff after 30 years of service to the company or a suspension imposed by the authorities have the same effect. I can't guess whether or not Tyler feels guilt about the things he has or has not done outside the rules of cycling, but feeling guilt probably doesn't help with depression any either.

The right medication can make a huge difference, I've seen that. I don't know what happens when you suddenly take the medication away but it sounds like trouble to me. I guy might make some bad decisions in order to feel better. But the best thing for my dad was to get back to work. He got a new job that he loved and his outlook changed dramatically for the better. He was himself again.

So, my recommendation to Tyler is to get back to work. But they aren't going to let him race again. That puts him in the perfect position to be the guy that cleans up cycling. We know there are still dopers out there and Tyler knows who they are. Much more importantly, he knows how they got that way and who got them that way. Assuming Tyler still has enough cash on hand that he doesn't need a paycheck for a while, he should make it his life's mission to strip away the drug culture from cycling and help to educate young riders coming up. Maybe this will give him enough sense of purpose and self-worth that the depression issues will get better. At the very least he owes it to all those fans that he apparently duped into financially supporting his legal fight during the hearings over the doping charges.

So, if you know Tyler, punch him in the arm real hard. You know, in the hurtz donut spot. He deserves it for being a schmuck and knowingly taking stuff that is banned and pulling our glorious sport through the ringer again. Then, try to convince him to do something productive with himself and start naming names. Then give him every opportunity to teach the kids coming up what will be in store for them if they dope.

Tyler can save the sport while he saves himself.

Two of these four brothers are going to the cyclocross world championships

2009-01-28T20:33:00.004-05:00

Jesse, Luke, Nick, and Jake Keough

The two in the middle will be in Hoogerheide, Holland to contest the world cyclocross championships this weekend. Luke is in his final year as a junior (U19) and Nick is in his first year as an "under 23" (U23).

Luke was 10th last year at worlds and is looking to improve on that. He has done well in European cross races this season including top 5 placings against the very best in the world, not to mention first in the Verge New England Series despite being in Europe for most of the season. He went to Belgium in October and did several races before returning home for the US Championships where he finished in second place.

Nick hasn't done the Euro scene yet this year but is ready for the challenge. He won the Verge New England series for U23 and was second at Nat's for the U23. He is now ready to take his game to the Euro level.

What did you do with your life by the time you were 19? Did you compete in a world championship in anything? National spit ball championships? New England alphabet burping competition? State hot dog eating festival? Dunk the clown at the county fair? No? Me neither. These kids, and their brothers, are off to a huge head start on life. I'll admit it, I'm a bit jealous. Until I figure out what it is that I am world champion quality at, I'll just have to live vicariously through them.

Go Luke! Go Nick!

How much off-season is enough?

2008-12-26T16:09:00.007-05:00

Ahhhh, the off-season. Time to gain a few pounds, lose some fitness, and recharge the batteries. That's not all that different from the rest of the year for me but I expect more from the rest of you.

Myerson is drinking beer at a pace that I consider about normal year round (http://cycle-smart.com/blog/2008/12/22/beer-log-3/). Solobreak is so bored that he has resorted to posting pictures of me (http://solobreak.blogspot.com/). On the bright side, two of the five Keough kids are making plans for Cyclocross Worlds (http://www.wkhoogerheide2009.nl/EN/home.aspx) and Manny Goguen is in Euro cross camp (http://eurocrosscamp.com/) with Gavin Mannion and many of the best American 'crossers.

And speaking of 'cross worlds, check out this text on the worlds' web site from the obviously proud orange people of the Netherlands: Lars Boom is 192 centimetres of Dutch pride with his blond hair and strong body. The rainbow jersey of the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Treviso does not cover a slender climber's chest, but clings to a muscular torso. The cycling shorts tightly cling to his thighs the size of beeches. Lars Boom, 22 years old, is the Dutch world champion embodied, .... Oh my, is it getting hot in here? Who writes this stuff? This reads like a Harlequin romance not a bike race preview.

Santa was good to me this Christmas, as always, and got me a very cool gift that I think I can use to make this web site blog thingy even better if that is possible (you know sarcasm when you read it don't you?). She got me a small video camera that can mount to bike helmets, handlebars, or whatever you've got. I am thinking that I can set this thing up on someone's bike during races and record the races on video while I am doing the announcing. If I record the announcing part too, I should be able to sync then together, right? Throw in some tunes for the background and this could become quite a production. Youtube will never be the same. And watch your back Stats Boy (http://www.untilthesnowends.blogspot.com/), you're gonna have some competition in the all important 18-34 demographic next fall.

Anyway, here is a handlebar video taken during my ride today along the Cape Cod Canal. It's actually the second try. The first was longer and took forever to load, I had to bail on it. I'm going to have to figure that little issue out before the season starts. This is only here as a test of the system. A session on the rollers or trainer would be just as interesting. So, either get on your bike and ride or get a beer, depending on the time of day, and your time will be better spent.

The Ice Weasels Cometh

2008-12-14T21:40:00.001-05:00

For those of us without any aspirations of becoming national champions in 'cross, Colin (http://www.crossresults.com/ and http://www.untilthesnowends.blogspot.com/) and Tom (http://wellonabigbikeya.blogspot.com/) put on one hell of a season finale at Tom's Grandmother's farm in Wrentham Saturday December 13th.

After two strait weekends of UCI racing with season series points on the line for many, a more relaxed event was just what the doctor ordered to cap off the competitive bike racing season that, for many, started in March. With a name like The Ice Weasels Cometh (a name partly borrowed from Matt Groening's Life in Hell comic strip (pre-Simpsons)), you knew this race was going to be a little different and it did not disappoint.

The heavy rain storm that passed through Wednesday through Friday could have easily turned the Ice Weasels into mud weasels, but a good cold snap after the rain froze the ground solid except for the mulch piles behind the big white barn. Without the constraints of UCI regulations, our heroes were able to devise a course with multiple sets of barriers and no less than 25 turns (according to Tom's count). That's four more than Alpe d'Huez!! If you hate power courses with long straightaways (Plymouth South) you loved this course with most of every lap spent navigating the serpentine maze around the barn and farm house. Personally, I haven't figured out yet if it's better to ride this kind of thing at a steady speed or to hammer out of every corner and brake hard before the next one. I guess if you have the fitness for it brake/hammer/brake/hammer must be faster. Better still would be to learn how to corner faster and stay off the brakes. Something to work on in the off-season.

Here are a few pictures form the event:

Dan Coady leading the single speed race

Through the mulch pit on lap one

Nega-coach ("because you suck") hands out the Washingtons while Bruce holds onto a 40 for dear life. Notice how much clothing everyone else has on!! How ya feeling this morning, Dave?

In other news, the National Championships weren't too terribly kind to New England riders this weekend with only Mo Bruno (W30-34), Kathy Sarvary (W45-50), Julie Lockhart (W65-70) winning stars and stripes last I checked. That's still pretty sweet, but considering all of the talent we have around here, it sure would have been nice to bag a few more. Still, it will be nice to see those jerseys on the scene next season.

NBX Gran Prix of 'Cross, Warwick, RI

2008-12-08T23:55:00.004-05:00

The two-day finale of the Verge New England Championship Series was hosted by Matt Bodziony and his crew from Narragansett Bike Shop (that’s NBX for short) at Goddard State Park in Warwick, Rhode Island, December 6 and 7. Using the same venue as the former Casters cross race, the course featured a long paved zigzag hole shot followed by the first of two trips to the beach, a short run up, then lots of hard packed dirt with roots aplenty, just a little grass around the carousel building, a second trip to the beach, and a foot bridge for great viewing of the course as it passes underneath and along both ends. In short, a perfect venue for ‘cross. Add a beer tent with ‘Gansett for just a dollar each and the best racers in New England wrapping up the season-long Verge series, and you have the greatest ‘cross event of the year.

The course was altered by the crew between day one and day two, but Mother Nature did most of the work. The inch or more of snow that fell overnight was enough to change the character but the crew also tripled the length of the unridable second beach section and added the twisty “intestinal track” after that before returning the Saturday route.

Saturday was speed and power day, Sunday was for the technicians with the finesse to stay upright. However, the results in the Elite races didn’t change all that much from Day 1 to Day 2 proving that the really good riders have both the motor and the skills.

With Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld) taking the Elite Men’s races by comfortable margins both days, the excitement would have to come from elsewhere. On Day 1, it was the battle for second between local heroes Nick Keough (Jittery Joe’s), Adam Myerson (Cycle-Smart), and Matt White (Bikereg.com) along with their neighbor from the Great White North, Derrick St. John (Steven’s). It seems a little weird to call 19 year old Keough a “hero” already, but we might as well start now because it’s clear, he is going to be a rider about whom we will all be saying “I saw him when…”.

Driscoll and the crew listed above, plus Josh Dillon (Fiordifrutta) and Justin Spinelli (RGM/Sachs), established themselves as the elite lead group with the rest out of contention while still in the early stages. Driscoll would take off from the front of the group with several laps to go. Spinelli and Dillon would eventually drop slightly off the back while, in the middle, the battle for second was won by Keough in a sprint with Myerson. Young gun Keough led out of the final corner about 250 yards from the line and narrowly held off the Myerson who has nearly twenty years more experience and is known as a sprinting specialist on the road. Keough is becoming known for having better Sundays than Saturdays so his second place finish bode well for Day 2. More importantly it showed that he had clearly recovered from the injury that took him out of second place and drop to a mid pack finish with one leg numb the previous Saturday in Sterling.

Here is the front row at the start (Myerson, Dillon, St John, Tilford, White, and Driscoll):

‘Cross just isn’t the same on a warm sunny day (think Gloucester 2008) as it is when the conditions turn nasty. The fans and the riders know that their sport is something special and never more so than when everyone else in New England is on the couch watching others play football. With an inch of snow on the ground and more falling, this was 'cross weather and the scene got better and better as the day went on. Beer for only $1 each, compliments of Narragansett, didn’t hurt either.

Much of the crowd lost interest in the sharp end of the race when it became a foregone conclusion less than half way though that Driscoll was going to win again (his 7th in 9 Verge series races this year). The attention of many spectators turned to the double uphill barriers which were conveniently located adjacent to the beer stand. On the first lap, while still in heavy traffic in the middle of the field, Adam Snyder (3-D Racing) bunny hopped the barriers and Michael Patrick (Bike Barn) would start soon thereafter. As the announcer, I got a little carried away by the excitement and offered a $5 prime for every successful bunny hop for the remainder of the race. I tried to convince Joel Brown who was also on the mic to match me, but he wouldn’t pony up the dough. I realized he might be more smart than cheap so I put a $50 limit on the total primes I was going to pay out of my own pocket just in case everyone in the race started doing it. Fortunately for me, no one else did and there were only four laps left. To the delight of the crowd assembled on both sides of the barriers and half way around the carousel, Snyder and Patrick successfully completed four bunny hops each to claim $40 of my money between them. It was totally worth it.

Here is Adam Myerson the first time over the barriers Sunday, followed by Keough, Spinelli, Driscoll, and O'Keefe:

A few feet further down the course and one lap later, Spinelli, Keough and Myerson:Here is the winner, Driscoll, followed by Dillon on the same lap:

When the race was over, it would be Justin Spinelli who would take second, followed just seconds later by St John, Myerson, and Keough. That result gave Keough top place in the under 23 category again. Jerome Townsend (Ridley) would be second in the U23 with Will Dugan third (RGM/Sachs).

The Women’s Elite race on Saturday was a two women race from early on. The locals tried to will Rebecca Wellons (Ridley) (the Verge series leader since the previous week in Sterling) into the lead group but it wasn’t quite enough. The dynamic duo of Laura Van Gilder (C3 Sollay) and Natasha Elliot (EMD Serono/Stevens) would escape the rest of the field both days. On day one they were together until the final sprint and, as expected, the more experienced and road savvy sprinter, Van Gilder didn’t have much trouble outsprinting Elliot who had been leading the two throughout the 45 minute long race, at least whenever we could see them from the start/finish area. On day two the announcer (me) predicted that the more technical nature of the snowy course would favor Elliot since they seemed to be evenly matched on the power-heavy first day. As per usual, I was way off and Van Gilder actually rode away from Elliot in the first half of the race. Again on Day 2, it looked like Wellons might be able to grind a bigger gear (as she seems to do) and bridge up, but it didn’t happen this time either. She proved again, however, that she is the fastest and most consistent of the locals and not far from the top level of national caliber riders. Sally Annis (NEBC) isn’t far behind either as evidenced by fourth and fifth places, trading spots with Anna Milkowski (Velo Bella Kona) Saturday and Sunday.

Luke Keough held a slim 10 point lead in the Verge series going into this final weekend with Manny Goguen (Minuteman Road Club) right behind. Luke has been winning the races he has been at, but he missed several races while in Europe this fall. Consistency is rewarded in this series because there is no provision for throwing out a low score or a missed race. They all count and Goguen has been consistent. Still, he had his work cut out for him trying to match Keough who has been focusing on achieving top form for a trip back to Europe for a couple of World Cup races followed by the World Championships at the end of January. Luke road away on Day 1. Manny was able to hang on longer on Day 2 but had a crash heading onto the beach that cost him considerable time and the contest was over after that. Luke retained the series title.

Some random notes and observations from the other races:

Jim Tosca (Corner Cycle) won the Men Cat 2/3 Day 1, but DNFed Day 2. I never did find out what happened but he had been at or near the lead through the first half of the race. Suddenly he was gone. He still won the Verge series for the season. Here is Tosca on the far right with the rest of the 2/3 at the start:

Dylan McNicholas, who was second in the Men 2/3 right behind Tosca on Day 1, was leading the race Sunday with a gap heading toward the long beach run with about a quarter of a lap remaining. But he didn’t come off the beach with the lead. James Patterson (Roselong.com) came into view first after the run up followed by Colin Reuter (IBC/crossresults.com). Jeremy Dunn (Embrocation) would follow before McNicholas was seen. When McNicholas came onto the pavement for the finishing stretch in fourth place, it was clear that a flat rear tire had cost him 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places.

The women from the Minuteman Road Club had a great Women’s B race taking the top three places both days with Anna Barensfeld (1st and 1st), Christina Tamilio (3rd and 2nd), and Allison Snooks (2nd and 3rd).

In fact, between the Goguens, the B women, and all of the guys in the races, MRC is one powerful bike racing club!

Speaking of the MRC, did you know that Jurga is Polish for “don’t go so slow”. Yell it whenever he goes by.

The battle for U15 supremacy ended with Nate Morse (CLNoonan) crashing out with less than a lap to go clearing the way for Curtis White (Capital Bike Racing). A nine race series where they alternated victories every weekend came down to the last half lap.

Little Didi (the devil) and the Gorilla were back doing their thing. Apparently they have been recruited by the Capital Bike Racing Club based on their colors. It’s good to know that Satan likes ‘cross. It’s no surprise that a gorilla would be a ‘cross fanatic. The guy in the green body suit kind of freaks me out.

CTodd is a better bike racer than he is a musician. And he is a damn fine musician. Thanks for the tune CTodd, it is on the iPod forever now.

I am really glad Richard Fries went to Portland this weekend. I had a blast filling in for him. Most of you crossers don’t know me because the only cross races that I have announced at in previous years are the two days in Plymouth but I do the announcing for about 18 road races a year. I hadn’t raced cross in about 12 years until this year so most of you haven’t seen me racing either (that’s probably for the best, I don’t want to lose your respect that easily, I really suck).

I race cross vicariously more and more via the internet these days, I think it is helping a little. It certainly is helping my announcing. However, I need to remember that it’s a one way conversation. I walked up to Colin Reuter and started asking questions like I had known him for years. He said, “Sorry, do I know you?”. Oops, not really, but I love what you have done with crossresults.com, not to mention your blog and the seatpost camera. Besides, I have the microphone of invincibility in my hand, it doesn't matter if you know me. I’ll be at Ice Weasels. Especially if it snows.

Due to the mud on Sunday, Colin turned the seatpost cam into a handlebar cam. Can’t wait to see what I missed out there. I tried to get on camera once near the start/finish line but I didn’t want to impede Colin’s progress while he was in 2nd place so I don’t know if I made it into the field of view.

I think I figured out which one GeWilli is, and at the same time figured out who the guy in the orange jump suit is. Two birds….

Are bikereg.com and crossresults.com not what the internet was created for?

As it got dark after the races (and a couple of beers) I managed to get my bike out of the truck and get a couple of laps on the course. The only problem was that the crew were in the middle of the change over from Day 1 to Day 2 so there was tape across the old course and no indication yet where to go for the new one. It was still a blast even in street shoes. Neutral support Mark was even kind enough to heckle me. "Don't go so slow!!"

We need more beer tents. Frites would be nice too, avec sauce.

Microsoft spell check recognizes avec as a real word, it’s really only French.

I’ll buy Richard’s plane ticket to Portland next year if I have to to work this race again.

I was wondering all weekend where the NBX road racing guys (i.e. Lowenstein and Yarbrody) were. Turns out they were marshalling the crossings all day. It’s a UCI regulation that all crossings must be manned although I recall walking wherever and whenever I wanted at Sterling.

I'm Second Fiddle at NBX

2008-12-03T23:06:00.004-05:00

It's official, I'll be filling in for Richard Fries this weekend at the NBX races. Richard will be announcing at the USGP in Portland.

It's going to be fun but I probably won't have time for photos or a play by play report of the action if I am going to try to keep up the pace that Richard does. That's going to take a lot of coffee. I usually take a much mellower approach to announcing than Richard. We worked together on a charity ride this spring. We kept the banter going back and forth long enough at Richard's usual pace for the ride organizer to tell us to shut up for a while. It was only 6:30 AM, I don't blame him.

If anyone wants to be the startfinishbikenews correspondent for the day, I would be happy to post your story and/or pictures. Just email them to me at paulnix54@comcast.net.

Bay State Cyclocross - Sterling, Mass

2008-11-30T23:38:00.017-05:00

Like a fine wine or beer, a fine cyclocross course has some basic elements that must be there, and some subtle tastes that set it apart from the rest. The essential elements in ‘cross include grass, mud, tricky corners, barriers that require dismounting (being a traditionalist and lacking the skills myself, I view the bunny hop as an impurity in the sport), and hills that are too steep to ride. To the basic elements course designer and sponsor Tom "the Steamboat" Stevens added some off-camber on the corners, drop offs that led to barely ridable climbs (depending on the traffic conditions and the ambient temperature), a natural barrier that looks like it belongs in the Grand National (the famous steeplechase horse race near Liverpool, England), and a dirt track hole shot that changed character completely throughout the day. Then, Mother Nature added a few ice patches overnight to make sure things stayed interesting.

The day started with 99% frozen conditions for the Cat 4 race at 8:30 AM. With the sun up for less than two hours at that point, the ruts on the dirt running track that is used for the starting holeshot, and incorporated in every lap, were frozen solid and could grab a tire and suddenly redirect a bicycle either left or right from its intended path. That can be an uncomfortable thing when vieing for position elbow to elbow with almost 70 entry level 'cross racers. All of the day's races were intended to do 2 laps on this track before hitting the grass for the first time but, as it turned out, the Cat 4s were the only ones that did. Bikes and riders were weaving i nthe ruts in every direction as the Cat 4s got up to speed and the more experienced road racers (like myself) had their elbows out to protect the bars in the bumper pool of the opening laps. There seemed to be a couple of small mishaps but what felt like a cautiously slow initial pace made these laps a great opportunity for those with confidence to ride from open space to open space and gain important places before the grass.

I loved the 2 lap promenade/hole shot and used my long dormant criterium boxing skills to maximum advantage to gain quite a few places after starting in the second to last row (and I pre-registered for this one!). Then came the first grass sections with a big crowd still together. Everyone cleared the first turn, but the next two turns around the backboard were tighter and one of the few places with some slick mud at this early hour. After one guy close to the front blew it, traffic backed up and it became faster to shoulder the bike and run unless you were extremely lucky. Then came the big run up and another opportunity for carnage. It wasn’t too bad once the crowd got sorted, but on the first lap when your line is pretty much dictated by the traffic around you, you’re likely to end up finding some ice that you didn’t know was there (especially if you didn’t get to the race in time to pre-ride the whole course, d’oh). Local bike shops (like race sponsor Gear Works Cyclery) might want to stock up for an increase in demand for shoes with toe spikes after this one because they sure would have helped. After the big run up, the course drops into a sweeping right hand turn that was fast but stable on the frozen white grass. Later races, including the elites, would see most riders unclip the right foot for extra stability on this high speed corner on softened ground but in the morning that wasn’t necessary. Then the steeple chase dismount was followed by a series of switchback turns with just enough change in elevation to penalize those that were in too big of a gear. Then it was onto the power sections of the course where a short paved section led to the pit. More kudos to Tom Stevens for locating the pit Euro style. In other words, one pit that could be accessed twice each lap at approximately equal intervals. There must be a UCI rule for that but it doesn't happen often in the local races.

Bill Kenney (Bike Barn Racing) led the race almost from the start to the finish and won it with a comfortable lead. Gladly, I can no longer call Bill the "Raymond Poulidor of Cat 4 ‘cross" (i.e. the perpetual 2nd place finisher) now that he has won one. He might have one or two more in him this season before the rest of the field starts muttering “sandbagger” when they see him on the start lines. If you are interested, I almost made my goal of finishing in the top half of the field, and likely would have if not for a couple of crashes on ice that I should have identified during the pre-ride. It was another positive step on my road back from retirement, but I am still a better announcer than a racer. If three paragraphs about a Cat 4 race isn't enough for you, check out this website that I stumbled across toaday for another perspective: http://www.cyclingobsessions.com/.

The Masters 55 were set off on their promenade laps/hole shot, but before they got more than a few yards past the start line there had been a serious accident. When the officials realized that those that went down weren’t going to be out of the way before the field came around to complete the first lap of the promenade, they neutralized the race. The ambulance was brought in for the one rider unable to get up. I did not see what happened but I heard later that a rider who crashed had broken a vertebrae and would be spending the night (at least) at the UMass Medical Center. After the ambulance was clear, the race was re-staged and there must have been some anxious thoughts on the line after seeing one of their own seriously injured. The promenade/hole shot was shortened to one partial lap from this race on. Dusty Adams (Mosaic) rode away from the rest of the field for the win by almost a minute.

The Cat 3/4 Masters 35 and 45 were sent out just a couple of minutes behind the 55s. By this time the sun had turned much of the frozen-solid mud into liquid mud, especially on the dirt track. After 40 minutes of racing their faces were covered in grey mud from the track like they had been made up to play Death in The Seventh Seal. When it was over, Micheal McKittrick (Cambridge Bicycle) won by ten seconds. You can get all the details that I missed from Mr. McKittrick himself at http://cbracing.bostonbiker.org/?cat=4.

The next race featured guys of the same age, only faster, in the Masters Cat 1,2,3 race. With Mark McCormack (Fuji) (a former National Champion), Johnny Bold (Corner Cycle) (Verge points series leader, 35 plus), Kevin Hines (Corner Cycle) (current Verge points series leader, 45 plus) and the rest of the cream of the crop for guys over 35, this was going to be a barn burner. At about this time, I ran into Mr. Dick Ring (the “Voice of New England Bike Racing”) and unfortunately paid little attention to the rest of the race (hey, it’s only a blog, if you want journalism (and the proper use of commas) check Velonews!). I can tell you that Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo) beat Johnny Bold in a tight finish. Three of Bold's Corner Cycle teammates followed: Mark Stotz, Kevin Hines, and John Mosher. Hines' place gave him the victory for the 45plus and furthered his points lead in the season long Verge series.

Next up were the Juniors under 19, Juniors under 15, and the Cat 3 / 4 Women in separate fields. Luke Keough and Gavin Mannion had a repeat of last year’s match up which, if memory serves correctly, was won by Gavin. This year would be Luke’s year as his form developed while racing in Europe in October and November paid off big time. These two young guys have big plans for the near future: After next week's Verge series wrap up in Rhode Island, they will both be heading off to Kansas City where Gavin will try to take the national championship jersey that Luke will be trying to defend. Then, Gavin heads off to Belgium for Euro cross camp during the holidays followed by a month of racing before the World Championships in Holland on January 31st. Luke, having already done a couple of months in Europe this season, will stay home and get his butt kicked by his brothers to stay in shape, then head over to Europe in mid-January to get a couple of World Cup races in before Worlds. Either of these guys could realistically win the World Junior Cyclocross Championship (Luke is on the left, Gavin the right):

Curtis White (Capital Bicycle) and Nate Morse (CLNoonan) entered the U15 race dead even for the Verge point series lead. By the time their half hour race was complete, it was Curtis who would take the new jersey home by just a few seconds. With Nate picking up the points for second, it is still just a 10 point difference with two races left next weekend.

The Women’s 3/4 race was won by Anna Barensfeld (Minuteman Road Club) as she continues her roll through the Women B races this season. Anna was very generous two weeks ago at Brockton to offer me space to set up a trainer under her pop up tent so I could warm up out of the rain. I have never gotten to a race in time to warm up properly so I never bother to bring the trainer, but thanks for offering, Anna. She is as nice as she is fast. And her teammates at the MRC are pretty good too. They got 4 of the top 6 places in this race.

From here on, I was spectating on borrowed time. My plan was to watch the start of the Killer Bs then head home in time to take care of some domestic duties before dark. But, as usual, I got carried away and stayed the whole day. And there wasn’t even a beer tent!! Fortunately, my Significant Sweetie was happy to have me out of the house for the whole day so I stayed for the rest of the races and called it research for future announcing duties.

The Men 2/3 (aka the Killer Bs) took off with a field of more than 75 including Jim Tosca (Corner Cycle) who was out to pad his lead in the Verge Series. However, Dylan McNicholas(Noreast) (in second place in the series) had other ideas. By this time most of the mud on the track had either dried out or gotten stuck to bikes and riders in the previous races and the course was getting faster. When this one was over, Dylan had about a minute on Tosca for first and second places respectively. Of note, the web guru behind the amazing http://www.crossresults.com/, Colin Reuter (International Bike Center), finished a strong 4th. His web programming skills are almost equaled by his ‘cross skills. Thanks Colin for the great website. You can go directly to the race results on crossresults.com by clicking on the title of this post.

Here is the last half of the swarm the first time up the run up:

Elite Women – The Women’s race became, within the first few minutes, the Mo Bruno Show. She led the field of about 16 around the track from the start with Rebecca Wellons (Ridley) on her wheel and the rest in tow. By the top of the first run up, it was clear that Mo Bruno (MM Racing/Seven Cycles) was probably going to win with only Rebecca within striking distance. An interesting battle for third developed with Amy Wallace (RGM/Sachs), Sally Annis (NEBC), and Cris Rothfuss (NEBC).

With Verge series leader Amy Dombrowski not in attendance and Wellons and Bruno only a few points behind in second and third places, a new Verge Series leader was going to be crowned. Wellons started the day 33 points ahead of Bruno, so a second place finish would secure her the series lead even if Bruno won, at least until next week.

Mo combined smooth skills and strength to power away and built on her lead very lap. Rebecca had no problem holding on to second place while her two road racing teammates from NEBC tried to figure out how to stay ahead of Amy Wallace. Wallace seemed to have a bit of an advantage on the technical pieces. With about a half lap to go, Amy managed to ride the short but steep and slippery climb coming out of the barriers while the NEBC duo had to stop and run losing 30 yards in the blink of an eye. But in the end Wallace could only stay ahead of Cris Rothfuss while Sally Annis passed Wallace in the last half lap and got away for third place.
Here is Mo Bruno alone on the run up a few laps into the race, I think she is smiling:

Here is second place finisher and Verge point series leader Rebecca Wellons, not smiling:

Elite Men – Nick Keough (Jittery Joes/Sonic) came into the race leading the Verge series for the U23 with Jamie Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld) leading the series for the open age group. Those two were called up to the front row followed by Adam Myserson (Cycle-Smart), Matt White (Bikereg/Joes Garage) and most of the cream of the crop in New England cyclocross. I don’t know if he has always done this or if it is something he learned while racing in Europe earlier this season, but Adam Myerson was intently watching the UCI Commisaire to his right until she blew the whistle for the start. Maybe he was even watching for her to inhale to get a split advantage. Adam was making sure he wasn't going to be caught off guard while everyone else was passively waiting to hear the whistle. That’s PRO!! Sorry, Jazzy, if I just gave away your secret weapon.

Once the whistle blew, Nick Keough, Matt O’Keefe (CCB/Volkswagen) and Adam Myerson led the pack into the first turns on the grass. Jamey Driscoll hovered a few places behind after getting a slow start and did not show his jersey on the lead during the first couple of laps. Maybe all the Cannondale guys have this, but Driscoll is the first bike racer I have seen with his name across the shoulders of his skinsuit. It's part of the design, not just sewn on.

Race announcer Richard Fries, who never seems to run out of ways to describe the action, pointed out that Driscoll is typically not a fast starter. But however long it takes him, he usually finds his way to the front as evidenced by his 4 wins in 6 Verge series races so far this year. In fact, the only races he hasn’t won were two days in Gloucester when Ryan Trebon and Tim Johnson were in town. Only those two riders and Jesse Anthony have placed higher than Jamey Driscoll in any Verge series race this year.

Within two laps Driscoll had made his way to the front and the only one that could stay with him was Nick Keough who had been leading the race so far. Keough even put a gap on Driscoll for a breif time. O’Keefe, Myerson, White, Justin Spinelli (RGM/Sachs), and Josh Dillon (Fiordifrutta) remained in contention through the first half of the race while Will Dugan (RGM/Sachs) was a bit further back in second place for the U23s after Keough. At about the half way point, Keough, who is just 19 years old, suddenly lost the mojo that had helped him hang with the fastest cross racer in the Verge series. It was clear that either he had over extended himself riding with Driscoll or something was wrong. As the race announcers would soon say, it looked like he had withdrawn too much from the bank and was now paying the price with interest. But a lap or so later it was clear that Nick was not just “doing the slide" after a hot start.

As Nick drifted further back from Driscoll and continued to lose speed, Spinelli powered himself and White into 2nd and 3rd places. Dugan was closing the gap to Keough very quickly with eyes on grabbing the U23 victory. It was excruciating to watch Keough soldier on not knowing what was wrong. Not even Diabolito (aka little Didi) could make a deal that would bring Nick Keough back:

With Keough gone and no one in sight, Driscoll even had enough confidence to start going for extra air off the big drop off at the top of the course the final two laps. Spinelli and White moved past Keough into second and third, then Dillon and Myerson went past for fourth and fifth. Soon after, Dugan and two other U23s from collegiate teams also went past Keough to take him out of the podium spots for the U23 race. It stayed about like that until the end except that Matt White outsprinted Spinelli to take second place at the line.

A visit to the Keough’s family compound on wheels after the race revealed that Nick had aggravated an injury from a crash that happened the previous weekend and was basically pedaling with one leg during the last half of the race. Let’s hope he is feeling good in time for nationals in two weeks. It's a good thing 19 year olds bounce back fast.

Here is Jamey Driscoll and his porn star mustache in a post race interview with Richard Fries where he said “I had to ride himself cross eyed to drop” Nick Keough:

Next week is the finale of the Verge series in Warwick, Rhode Island. It isn't quite confirmed yet, but it looks like I'll be doing the announcing subbing for Richard Fries who will be busy at the races out in Portland, Oregon next weekend. Stop by and say hello if you have read this blog.

Marciano/Kerouac Cyclocross Weekend

2008-11-16T23:37:00.001-05:00

I had no race announcing duties scheduled this weekend, so I had time to do a little racing myself. I decided I was only going to one race so I had to choose between Brockton on Saturday or Lowell on Sunday. How to choose?

As you may know, both cities are a little bit past their respective industrial primes (not pronounced preems in this context) and both cities apparently have not seen a new home town hero come along in some time. My apologies if I am forgetting something more recent, but Brockton was the hometown of world champion boxer Rocky Marciano, and Lowell was the home of "beat generation" writer Jack Kerouac. A little wikipedia research revealed that they both lived from 1922 to 1969. Both were in their primes in the 50's, long before cyclocross came to town. But which man would have been the better bike racer? Sentimentally, I want to say Kerouac and he had the build for it. But he smoked and drank like a bike messenger. Rocky Marciano was an athlete, but had too much upper body to be a great bike racer. Based on the quotes below, the smart money would be on Marciano.

I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion. - Kerouac

I have always adhered to two principles. The first one is to train hard and get in the best possible physical condition. The second is to forget all about the other fellow until you face him in the ring and the bell sounds for the fight. - Marciano

In the end, I chose Brockton because it is closer to home by about a half tank of gas and I stayed home Sunday to get some chores done.

This was the fourth year that Travis Cycles has put on the Brockton race but I hadn't been before. Word on the street was that it was a small time race and the course wasn't that good and riders would be wise not to use their expensive tires. But no longer. This year Travis Cycles asked local guru Mark McCormack to design a new course for then. and everyone this year had rave reviews for Markie's new route around the lake.

It started on the paved road and, after a quick grass section with a muddy run up, went onto a paved but bumpy bike trail. After a couple of dirt trail sections and a grass switchback or two, the remainder of the course alternated between sections of the paved road and soft but non-technical trails. If not for the recent wet weather, this would have been a very fast course. Even I used the big ring the whole time. The total elevation change on the course was probably not more than 20 feet. A lap took the good guys a little less than 8 minutes.

The first race of the day was the Cat 4 men. About 26 riders took the line and those that started fast stayed fast and won the race. Bill Kenney and Jacob Morrison led the field into the first grass section after a few hundred yards of sprinting off the line, and they stayed together at the front throughout the race. 3 laps later, Morrison led out of the last single track along the lake and onto the final 40 yards of pavement to the finish line. The finish was close, but Morrison held onto a half bike length lead to take the win. Here is a photo of Morrison about half way through the race:

Here's second place finisher Bill and his teammate Andy recovering after the race (Bill is on the right with severe helmet head):

This guy (whose name I didn't catch) came in sixth place on this beast of a bike:

Apparently, the Surly Pugsley is made for some kind of survivalist post-apocalyptic psycho bike racing done on snow and deep sand. Note the single cog on the front wheel. The owner told me he can put the front wheel on the back and run the bike as a single speed in case the rear axle breaks, which he says has happened to him a couple of times. Maybe that wouldn't happen if the bike didn't weigh about 40 pounds (before adding all the mud). He beat about 19 others in the race with this machine, but I wouldn't want to have to carry it up a run up. The flat muddy course today must have worked in his favor.

The women and juniors lined up next. Unfortunately, there were only three of each so there wasn't much competition. Anna Barensfeld won the women's race while Emily Curley was the fastest young women and Julie Lockhart was the fastest of the masters. I didn't catch names of the junior riders and without access to the start lists or results, I can't even make up a good story, sorry.

The Masters 45-plus were next. Paul Curley won it, but I didn't see much of the race as I had to get ready for the 35-plus race. And when I got to the start line I regretted not doing the Cat 4 race earlier because I found myself behind Markie, Kevin Hines, and 6 others who all looked fast. Alan Atwood blew the start whistle and Markie and Kevin were out of site in no time. It's hard to hide when there are only nine guys in the race, so I took my position of shame at the tail end of the train and tried to stay on the wheel in front of me as long as possible. It lasted about a lap before the two guys from Minuteman Road Club slipped away. From then on, it was either keep riding hard and hope someone would crack and let me catch up, or just try to keep from getting lapped. My lower back made the decision for me within the next lap as everything tightened up and I couldn't ride hard. I was doing ok with the not getting lapped part of the plan for a couple more laps, but Hines shot past me on the fourth lap and was out of site again in no time. Holy crap, doesn't that mean he is doing the laps about 2 minutes faster than me? Next up was Markie a few minutes later. He says "Having fun yet?" as he goes by. I wasn't sure so I just said yeah. Besides, a longer answer would have taken more than one breath and Markie was gone too quick for that. The good news is now I have not 2, but just 1 lap left. I finished it uneventfully and made sure that I did have some fun while I was out there. That's when I realized that it's a fun course if you aren't suffering too badly.

Almost immediately after the 35-plus race ended, the skies opened and everyone except for the poor souls who had dished out their $30 to race the Cat 1,2,3 headed for shelter. Sorry, but I wasn't sticking around in the cold rain to watch all 5 or 6 of them come around every 8 minutes or so.

I'll be back for this race next year, but I'm doing the Cat 4 race. The new course is a lot of fun but I would suggest dropping the entry fee a little bit and putting a few signs out on the road leading to the race.

If anyone has anything to add, please leave a comment.

Plymouth Cyclocross Weekend

2008-11-11T00:29:00.010-05:00

Plymouth ‘Cross Day 1.

The race at Plymouth North High School is one of the longest running in the US. I would have to check with those that were there, but I think it dates back to the 1970s or very early 80s. As the story goes, Mark and Frank McCormack sat in class at Plymouth North (then called Plymouth/Carver High) and watched out the window as Tom Stevens, who they had yet to meet, plotted a course for an upcoming edition of the race. Before they had graduated from that school, they had become some of the best ‘crossers in the country. The site was the host to the National Championships in 1986 and 88. It was 1988 that Mark won the Junior National Championships.

I remember toeing the line with Mark, Frank, and other notables in those early days when a cross race was likely to include features such as the aptly named “Bud Light Hill of Death”. No one actually died, but collarbones and other parts were known to suffer. Bill Sykes has been the promoter for many years now, with help from the longtime host club, the Mass Bay Road Club. The course has been updated to reflect current standards. In other words, the hill of death is now avoided. Nowadays there are enough participants to warrant separate races so the inexperienced and the not so talented (like me) don’t have to toe the line with the likes of Mark and Frank McCormack any more. Even Mark doesn’t have to line up with the elite if he doesn’t want to. This day, he raced the Masters 35. Over 230 riders showed up Saturday, a few more than we usually had 20 or so years ago.

In order to coordinate with the Plymouth Visitor Service Board’s sponsorships of both the race and the upcoming Thanksgiving parade, the race was moved up a couple of weeks on the 'cross schedule. That seemed to have improved the weather outlook because last year was brutally cold and windy. This year the course was soft from recent rain, but not enough to get especially muddy.

The Cat 4 Men started the day off at a very reasonable hour of 10:00. Of the 70 starters, Brian McInnis (JRA Racing), who has already won a couple of Cat 4 races this season, took the long hole shot from the back side of the school onto the race course. But after a lap Syngen Marroco (Mass Bay Road Club) took over the lead and stayed away until the finish a few seconds ahead of McInnis. It’s just the first year of racing for 16 year old Syngen and only his fourth cross race. He won at Cycle-Smart/Northampton also.

Cat 4 Women - Nicole Cretien (took the hole shot and held on for the lead ahead of the NEBC’s Shannon Madison. Nicole is currently riding unnattached but it shouldn't be long before some of the stronger women's clubs ask her to join. Giula Righi (International Bike Center) was third.

Juniors 10-14 - Ian Keough (CLNoonan/KAM) lead from the start with Luke Callahan (Mass Bay Road Club) in tow. Ian finished alone with a big victory salute that he probably learned from his 4 older brothers.

Men 3,4 - Starting with this race, a Pedro’s discount card prime was offered for the leader coming out of the hole shot. The hole shot at Plymouth North is a fairly long 400 yards, starting on grass then switching to pavement up a moderate hill. The wide open lower ball field where it starts allows everyone to line up in one long row on equal footing, no need for call ups. Jacob Morrison (Tritown) won the hole shot prime just ahead of the Boston Road Club’s Chris Bailey. Bailey came through within the first half lap and took the Serious Cycles clincher tire prime with one complete lap done. Bailey was then joined by Mark Nicholson (Refunds Now/Casters) and Jesse Perrault (Comprehensive Racing). They tagged along for a couple of laps waiting for a chance to pounce. Then, on the last barriers with a half lap to go in the race, they got their chance and both Perrault and Nicholson passed Bailey. The three stayed together until they were out of site at the back of the course and when they come back into site on the finishing stretch, it was just Perrault and Nicholson with Bailey a couple of seconds off the back. Nicholson took a very close sprint to claim the win.

Juniors - Colin Huston (CLNoonan/KAM) took the hole shot prime and kept on going. It wasn’t long before he was riding solo at the front and he won it solo. He came with his family all the way from Kennebunk, Maine and made it worthwhile. Of note, Frank McCormack’s twin sons raced the junior race. Cameron and Brendan are 15 years old now and seem well on their way to having the same build as their dad. In other words, perfect for bike racing (“no pressure guys”).

Masters 55 - Dusty Adams (Mosaic) took the hole shot prime and stayed away for the win. I don’t mean to embarrass him, but Crag Walton (Hoosatonic) deserves extra credit for keeping the less dirty side of the bike up after rolling his rear tubular on a tough paved corner in front of the officials stand and most of the spectators. The sound of the metal rim scraping on pavement was horrendous, but somehow he held it up and was awarded a Pedro’s discount card with which he can buy some solvent and glue, hopefully before the next race.

Masters 35 - Curtis Boivin (Refunds Now/Caster’s) won the hole shot prime and by the time one lap was complete about 7 minutes later an elite lead group had formed with Curtis, Frankie (like a Brazilian soccer star, he only needs one name around here) (Team Fuji), Markie (no sir name needed in these parts) (Team Fuji), Dan Coady (Welovebicycles.com), Peter Sullivan (Nantucket Velo) and Bill Shattuck (Bike Barn Racing). With three laps to go Markie and Dan were away with Frankie, Bill and Peter about 30 seconds behind. Mark and Dan went into the final sprint together but Dan couldn’t out sprint the former pro on his home course. We’ve seen Mark sit up and let others take a win in Master’s races before, but not today on the course where he learned his trade. Curtis Boivin took third about 30 seconds behind, then Frankie.

Masters 45 - John Johnson (Hallamore/Bike Works) came through the finish line out of the hole shot first and got a bit of a gap. But he faded back on the first lap (we all know that feeling when you say end up saying “what was I thinking?"). With three to go, Sam Morse (Corner Cycle) and Bob Bisson (Gearworks/Spin Arts) had control at the head of the race followed by Dave Belknap (Mass Bay Road Club/Bike Link) and Paul Curley (Gearworks/Spin Arts) 20 seconds behind. At the finish, Morse narrowly out sprinted Bisson then a few seconds later it was Curley and Belknap’s turn. They unleashed a blazing sprint (by 'cross standards) starting on the last rise with about 150 yards of pavement prior to the finish line and Curly took it by less than a wheel.

Women Pro123 – The women’s elite race drew a field of 15 racers including a couple of National Champions (Julie Lockhart and Elizabeth White, both NEBC) and one World Champion (Kathy Sarvary) (Mid State Cycling). Also in attendance was one of the top woman racers on the UCI circuit, Maureen (aka Mo) Bruno Roy (MM Racing/Seven Cycles). Mo started off fast and got faster. Andrea Smith (Minute(wo)man road club) was the only rider able to hang on through the first lap and she even had the lead briefly. But a half lap later, Bruno had her lead back and was riding smoothly though all the obstacles in her way. Anna Barensfeld (MRC) was alone in third. With three to go Mo Bruno had about 15 seconds on Smith and continued to look very smooth in her pedal stroke and was very fast over the barriers. She held on to win with Smith second followed by Barensfeld. Mo’s husband Matt (the other half of MM Racing) had worked the pit for Mo and told us they were headed directly to New Jersey to contest a UCI race Sunday. She was missed in Plymouth for Day 2 on Sunday (see next story) but we understand that she has to follow the UCI points. Here is a photo of Mo in the race and one of Matt and Mo just before they hit the road south:

Men Pro123 – Nick Keough (Jittery Joe’s Coffee) took the hole shot prime and within a lap he and Matt O’Keefe (CCB/Volkswagen) had a small gap on the field. A chase group formed with Dan Coady (in his second race of the day), Jesse Keough (CLNoonan/KAM) (only 15 years of age), Adam Sullivan (NBX), and Peter Smith (ECMA). Both Keough and O’Keefe were bunny hopping the barriers and it seemed to pay off as their lead grew over the chase group. After a few laps, Nick got away from Matt while the pace in the chase took its toll. The group broke up with Dan Coady and Peter Smith maintaining the highest speed. There wasn’t much left to decide as the remainder of the race played out so, with 5 to go, we started the “Big Air Prime” for the rider who could launch himself the highest off the wooden ramp that was intended to save rims, tubes and collarbones where the course goes over a curb just after the finish line. The ramp didn’t seem to have the kick that is needed to get really big air but Sean McCormack (Team Fuji), working on a comeback to competitive racing, narrowly got off the biggest air with race leader Nick Keough judged second by the peanut gallery consisting mostly of guys in black sweatshirts from the Cambridge Bike/Igleheart team. Nick stayed away for the win, Matt was second, then Peter Smith unleashed a strong sprint to come around Dan Coady. Coady, finishing his second race, immediately took a seat on the grassy knoll looking a bit spent. No wonder after completing his second top 4 placing of the day. Here is a picture of Nick negotiating the tricky paved switchback:

Plymouth Cross Day 2.

This day was almost too nice for ‘cross with nothing but sun and blue skies. At least it rained some overnight to ensure that the course at Plymouth South High School was good and soft. Day 2 of the Plymouth Cyclocross Weekend is promoted by Mike Keough and the CLNoonan cycling team. This is only the second year for this race and a new course was devised by the 5 Keough kids this year. Actually, make that 4 of the 5 kids. The middle child, 18 year old Luke, has been in Europe competing in World Cup ‘cross races for a month now. His parents got a call from Luke while setting up registration for the Plymouth race Sunday morning telling them he had just placed 5th in the Prijnacker, Holland World Cup race. This is in addition to a 7th place in his previous World Cup race. He is now the 6th junior (U19) in World Cup points. Check out his journal of the trip at http://www.freewebs.com/nickeough/lukekeoughjournaleuro.htm .

Men Cat 4 – Today I took the opportunity to prove to myself, once again, that my proper place at a bike race is behind the microphone, not on a bike. I let Bill Sykes handle the announcing duties while I suited up and did the Cat 4 race. Therefore, I have no idea what happened at the front of the race, only the tail end. I started at the back and finished there, although for a while during a very hectic start, I did manage to elbow my way up through about a third of the field and then hold onto that position for a while before beginning my slide back to my normal discomfort level. I was holding my own until I crashed remounting and lost about 5 places, then 5 more went by while I was trying to get myself back together. Was I really holding up that many people? As I was told later, Jay Ledieu (Team Psycho) won it from about 1.5 laps before the finish after Syngen Marocco (Mass Bay/Bike Link) had a mechanical problem while in the lead. Brian Kenney (Bike Barn) finished a strong second. Syngen, who won the previous day, finished in the top ten. And no one lapped me.

Women 4 – I’m sorry I didn’t catch much of this race as it was run concurrently (2 minutes behind) the cat 4 race I was in. All I know is the winner passed me (ohh, the shame) and she was wearing a Dansko jersey and exceptionally long mismatched socks. Check the results on Bikereg when they are posted to find out who she was. She was going past me so fast I didn’t have a chance to ask her for an interview. She wasn’t the only woman that passed me either (ohhh, the horror).

Junior 10-14 - I missed this one too, but one of the Goguen kids passed me (more shame, more horror) so I think he won. They started a minute or two after the women.

Men 3,4 - Morgan Hiller (CLNoonan/KAM) took the lead into the grass but by the end of the first lap it was Jesse Perrault in control. He was still in the lead with 2 to go but Morgan was not far behind. I think it was somewhere around this point that the generator died and I had to locate the gasoline supply, hence my attention was diverted and I missed the rest of the 3,4 race and most of the juniors race. Sorry, but I have no report for those. Announcing and taking notes for this blog along with taking the occasional photo is about all I can handle at one time. Bikereg will have the results. I found the gas can (with Jake Keough’s help) and refueled the generator.

Masters 35 - Markie (Team Fuji) and Kurt Perham (Bikeman.com) went straight to the front on the official's whistle and led before the technical stuff started. Within a half lap a lead group of 7 formed including three from race sponsor Corner Cycle: Johnny Bold, Kevin Hines, and John Mosher. This group trimmed down to 5 and with two to go, then Markie and the Corner Cycle trio put a small gap on Perham. Markie dropped all but his dirt bike riding buddy Kevin Hines before the finish and then beat him in the sprint. It looks like Markie decided to take no prisoners in Plymouth this weekend with his second win in two days. Then Bold stopped within 5 meters of the line to let Mosher take third. Perham came across a few seconds later for 5th. You gotta give Kurt Perham credit for coming into the home territory of 4 of the best Masters cross racers in the country and holding his own. If you had any doubt that they are amongst the best, just check the Verge points standings: in the 35 plus, Bold is 1st, McCormack 2nd, Hines 4th, and Mosher 9th. Perham, who is from Brunsick, Maine, is 8th. Hines and Mosher are also the top two in the 45 plus.

Masters 45 - Paul Curly (Gearworks/Spin Arts) and Mark Gunsalus (Team Fuji) led with one lap done and again with two complete. But with three to go Curly was uncharacteristically dropped and Gunsalus carried on solo. We found out later that Curley had lost time with a mechanical problem. Dave Belknap (Mass Bay/ Bike Link) and Bob Bisson were a ways back in 3rd and 4th. Gunsalus won it by a few seconds, then Belknap out sprinted Bisson, the opposite result of yesterdays match up for Belknap when Curley got him at the line.

Women Pro123 – I was herding little children on bikes and announcing their races during most of the featured women’s race so I missed quite a bit of it, sorry. When I got back to the race, Elle Anderson (Noreast) had a 50 second lead with 2 to go over Andrea Smith (MRC). But with 1 to go, Andrea had cut the gap in half. Elle’s lap times had gotten quite a bit slower so there was a chance that if Andrea could keep the pressure on, she just might catch Elle by surprise before the end. But it didn’t happen. Apparently, Elle had eased off a little bit knowing that she had a solid lead and wasn't in any trouble. The gap stayed the same at the end, 30 seconds or so. Minuteman Road Club took 3 of the top 5 places. MacKenzie Dickie (Colavita) took third.

Men Pro123 – In the featured men’s race of the day, Gavin Mannion (Hot Tubes), Manny Goguen (MRC), and Adam Jazzy Myerson (Cycle-Smart) took the hole shot and led into the technical stuff as the race sorted itself into a single file line. Gavin led through the first complete lap, followed closely by Toby Marzot (Fiordafrutta), Adam, Kevin Wolfson (Indy Fab), and Manny. Then there was a sizable gap to the rest of the field. Half a lap later on the flat section barely within view from the finish line, Mannion was seen pulling away from the rest. He built up a 20 second lead on the chase of four with two laps complete. With 5 to go, not much had changed. Manny cracked but continued to dangle off the chase group. Adam put his years of experience to use and dropped youngsters Marzot and Wolfson with 4 to go. Wolfson and Marzot were still together with 2 to go and those were the only places still in doubt with Mannion far ahead and Myerson also safely slotted in second placed. Marzot survived to finish in 3rd just ahead of Wolfson. Here is a photo of Gavin doing his thing:

Let me know what you thought of the races. And, what would you think about making it a three day 'cross festival with a Friday evening race under lights some place (kind of like a mini Cross Vegas)?

Also, I plan to add a lists of cycling blog links to this site soon. Let me know about yours and I'll be happy to trade links with you.