Start times for round #1 of the 2010 ABD Cycle Club’s Indoor Time Trial Series presented by Prairie Path Cycles are posted at www.ABDcycling.com!
The first event features our tried-and-trued FLAT 10k course. In 2009 Dan Verner (PACT-DishNetwork) and Jessica Prinner (ABD) posted the fastest times on this course with a 13:53 and 15:50, respectively.
The 2010 ABD Time Trial Series features three indoor events and an outdoor Time Trial. The indoor events each feature different terrain with a flat course, rolling course and all-new “Hill Climb” course that ends with a 5 kilometer climb.
The fastest 16 men and 8 women from the Hill Climb will also receive FREE entry to an invitational indoor “Face-Off” at Prairie Path Cycles on Saturday, March 27th! The men will race two rounds of mass-start, drafting-enabled racing on the famed Morgul Bismark course and the women will blaze through one round.
Winners of the overall time trial series from each category with at least three riders will take home a CycleOps JetFluid Pro trainer! These trainers are brand-new and will only be used in the CycleOps warm-up area for the three indoor events.
Thanks to all our sponsors!
http://www.PrairiePathCycles.com
http://www.Saris.com
http://www.Serfas.com
http://www.TrekBikes.com
http://www.Bontrager.com
1/21/2010
1/16/2010
2010 LMC Collegiate Cycling Opportunity
WE ARE RECRUITING FOR 2010 AND FUTURE STUDENTS
“It’s a great area for riding very hilly, but I’d say it’s the best area for training in the whole of the United States.” --Lance Armstrong on Boone and Banner Elk, NC
Dear Cyclist,
At an elevation of 4,000 feet our riders train and study in some of the best terrain in the country. We are minutes away from thousands of acres of national forest yielding over 500 miles of trails as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway, which lines our mountain tops with over 700 miles of paved roads. This area is truly a mountain biker and road racer’s dream with epic climbs and great descents.
Our campus sits in the shadow of Beech Mountain where Lance Armstrong renewed his passion for cycling only to win the Tour de France the very next summer. At Lees-McRae College we are passionate about our surroundings and equally excited about the development of our cycling team and the individuals that make our team.
If you are looking for an opportunity to continue to develop your riding and move forward in your education, we would like to talk to you about a place on our cycling team. We are a fully funded race team, recognized by USA Cycling and the South East Collegiate Cycling Conference. Look for us at any major collegiate events throughout the country including Mountain, Track, Cyclocross and Road national championships.
We are actively recruiting additional riders who are able to race mountain, track, cyclocross and or road. We would like to discuss this opportunity with you. Scholarships are available.
Check us out at www.lmc.edu or http://www.bobcatsports.lmc.edu/teams/index.php?sportcode=cycling We look forward to hearing from you.
Luke Winger Robert Jameson
Head Cycling Coach Assistant Cycling Coach
Lees-McRae College (828)898-3432
wingerlb@lmc.edu jamesonr@lmc.edu
(828)898-3432
· DII, Mountain Bike National Champions 2003
· DII, Mountain Bike National Champions 2004
· DII, Mountain Bike National Champions 2005
· DI, Cyclocross National Champions 2006
· DI, Cyclocross National Champions 2007
· DI, Road National Champions 2008
· DI, Cyclocross National Champions 2008
· 20 plus National Championship podium finishes
“It’s a great area for riding very hilly, but I’d say it’s the best area for training in the whole of the United States.” --Lance Armstrong on Boone and Banner Elk, NC
Dear Cyclist,
At an elevation of 4,000 feet our riders train and study in some of the best terrain in the country. We are minutes away from thousands of acres of national forest yielding over 500 miles of trails as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway, which lines our mountain tops with over 700 miles of paved roads. This area is truly a mountain biker and road racer’s dream with epic climbs and great descents.
Our campus sits in the shadow of Beech Mountain where Lance Armstrong renewed his passion for cycling only to win the Tour de France the very next summer. At Lees-McRae College we are passionate about our surroundings and equally excited about the development of our cycling team and the individuals that make our team.
If you are looking for an opportunity to continue to develop your riding and move forward in your education, we would like to talk to you about a place on our cycling team. We are a fully funded race team, recognized by USA Cycling and the South East Collegiate Cycling Conference. Look for us at any major collegiate events throughout the country including Mountain, Track, Cyclocross and Road national championships.
We are actively recruiting additional riders who are able to race mountain, track, cyclocross and or road. We would like to discuss this opportunity with you. Scholarships are available.
Check us out at www.lmc.edu or http://www.bobcatsports.lmc.edu/teams/index.php?sportcode=cycling We look forward to hearing from you.
Luke Winger Robert Jameson
Head Cycling Coach Assistant Cycling Coach
Lees-McRae College (828)898-3432
wingerlb@lmc.edu jamesonr@lmc.edu
(828)898-3432
· DII, Mountain Bike National Champions 2003
· DII, Mountain Bike National Champions 2004
· DII, Mountain Bike National Champions 2005
· DI, Cyclocross National Champions 2006
· DI, Cyclocross National Champions 2007
· DI, Road National Champions 2008
· DI, Cyclocross National Champions 2008
· 20 plus National Championship podium finishes
1/14/2010
Registration for ABD TT #1 & Pre-Reg Deal for the Series Closes Sunday Night!
The first ABD Indoor Time Trial of the year is next Sunday, January 24th and Pre-registration closes this Sunday at midnight!
This Sunday also marks the close of the "Series Pre-Reg Deal" - all 4 races for just $80! Save yourself $20 and sign up today!
Full Details and registration information is available at http://www.ABDcycling.com
PRELIMINARY START TIMES FOR ALL PRE-REGISTERED RIDERS WILL BE POSTED ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20th
Any riders who aren't pre-registered can sign up the day of the event for any available time slots.
The 2010 ABD Indoor TT Series is in it's 11th year and this year the overall winner of each category receives a CycleOps JetFluid Pro Trainer valued at $369.99! The dates of this year's series are:
TT#1: SUNDAY, JANUARY 24 - FLAT 10K
TT #2: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21 - ROLLING 10K
TT #3: - SATURDAY, MARCH 20 - 9K HILL CLIMB
INVITATIONAL - MARCH 27 (The top 16 men & women will race at the Prairie Path Cycles Cycling Center)
OUTDOOR FINALE: SUN, APRIL 11: JOHN FRASER MEMORIAL TT
12/31/2009
Nowak's Nordic News
Now that the white stuff is around (and looks like it will be for some time) it is a prime opportunity to get out and do some x-country skiing. Here is a list of places to ski with my own trail report.
Arrowhead GC - (located on Butterfield Rd in Wheaton) There is a big loop that has been groomed for skating. Skate lane is fair. There are a LOT of diagonal tracks that have been skied in and appear to be fair to good. You can rent ski's here if you don't have your own for a minimal cost. Many links into Herrick Lake FP
Herrick Lake FP - Good to very good. Skated a couple of the loops yesterday and was very surprised. Very little foot traffic and the tracks were in good condition. The DuPage FP does groom this as well as other places. More info on where the FP grooms can be found on their website.
Bartlett Hills GC (located just west of downtown Bartlett) - Good to very good. There are trails that have been groomed for diagonal striding. The tracks are solid in some places and ok in others. There is no ski rental here so you must do so from somewhere else(???) or have your own equipment. This is a nice workout as there is very little flat areas and you are either climbing or descending
Deer Grove FP (Palatine - Parking lot 1/4 mile east of Rt 14 and Dundee Rd) - If you skate this is the place to go. From the parking lot there is a unused road that is about 5K out and back that is human-groomed (i.e. skied in) The conditions today were about as good as it gets. The terrain rolls a bit and is challenging. There are also many skied tracks that are also in good condition.
Rock Cut State Park - I have not been out to RC yet this year. It is groomed by the IL DNR. There are typically reports on ninordic.org
Finally if you are willing to drive to the So. Kettle area, McMiller and Nordic are in very good condition also. More info on these can be found on skinnyski.com or the Wis. DNR website. There is a fee to park and for a trail pass.
Enjoy,
Jim
12/29/2009
ABD: A Year in Pictures
I put some (215) pictures from this years ABD events and races up on my gallery.
Enjoy: http://gallery.mac.com/kglinka#gallery
Hope everyone has a GREAT 2010 !!!!
Be safe.
Ken,Sandy & Joseph Glinka
ABD Cycling Team
12/15/2009
Masters Men & Women 60+ Indoor Race on Sunday, January 3rd!
Prairie Path Cycles is hosting an indoor race at the ABD Cycling Center for all Masters Men & Women 60+ on Sunday, January 3rd. Riders will compete one lap of the famed Morgul-Bismark race course: 12.5 miles with a 6% grade at the finish! Finish times are expected to be between 35 and 50 minutes.
Riders from the following categories are eligible to enter, just $15!
Men 60+
Men 65+
Men 70+
Men 75+
Men 80+
Women 60+
Women 70+
If there are four or more riders in a category then the winner get $50 and second gets $25
If there are three riders in a category then the winner gets $30 second gets $15
If there are two riders in a category then the winner gets $25
If there is only one rider then the winner gets his or her entry fee back
Races will be at 8 AM & 9:15 AM- but we will add a 10:30 AM start if we have enough participants. Start times will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis.
To reserve your spot email prairiepathcyclesinfo (at) gmail.com with your name and category.
Riders from the following categories are eligible to enter, just $15!
Men 60+
Men 65+
Men 70+
Men 75+
Men 80+
Women 60+
Women 70+
If there are four or more riders in a category then the winner get $50 and second gets $25
If there are three riders in a category then the winner gets $30 second gets $15
If there are two riders in a category then the winner gets $25
If there is only one rider then the winner gets his or her entry fee back
Races will be at 8 AM & 9:15 AM- but we will add a 10:30 AM start if we have enough participants. Start times will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis.
To reserve your spot email prairiepathcyclesinfo (at) gmail.com with your name and category.
12/12/2009
Registration for the 2010 Indoor Time Trial Series is Open!
Registration is Open for the 2010 ABD Cycle Club Indoor TT Series!
Details are posted and Registration is now Open for the 11th Annual ABD Cycle Club Indoor Time Trial Series! Go to www.ABDcycling.com to sign up now!
UPDATED for 2010! The Indoor TT series consists of four events:
- ABD’s traditional 10k FLAT time Trial Course
- Computrainer’s Official Rolling 10k Course
- An all NEW 9k Hill Climb course with 4k “rolling” and an increasing climb the last 5k!
- The John Fraser Memorial Time Trial
TAKE HOME A TRAINER PRIZE FOR CATEGORIES WITH AT LEAST 3 RIDERS!
We are purchasing 16 brand new Cyclops JetFluid Pro Trainers (MSRP $369) for warm-ups at the three indoor Time Trials and the overall winner of each category with at least 3 riders will take one home after the John Fraser Memorial Time Trial!
Start times are assigned on a first come, first serve basis so pre-registration is very important! Pre-registration closes 1 week before each event to allow us time to schedule everyone and day-of-race registration will be available only if we have available start times.
Preliminary start times will be posted at www.ABDcycling.com the Tuesday or Wednesday before each event.
Details are posted and Registration is now Open for the 11th Annual ABD Cycle Club Indoor Time Trial Series! Go to www.ABDcycling.com to sign up now!
UPDATED for 2010! The Indoor TT series consists of four events:
- ABD’s traditional 10k FLAT time Trial Course
- Computrainer’s Official Rolling 10k Course
- An all NEW 9k Hill Climb course with 4k “rolling” and an increasing climb the last 5k!
- The John Fraser Memorial Time Trial
TAKE HOME A TRAINER PRIZE FOR CATEGORIES WITH AT LEAST 3 RIDERS!
We are purchasing 16 brand new Cyclops JetFluid Pro Trainers (MSRP $369) for warm-ups at the three indoor Time Trials and the overall winner of each category with at least 3 riders will take one home after the John Fraser Memorial Time Trial!
Start times are assigned on a first come, first serve basis so pre-registration is very important! Pre-registration closes 1 week before each event to allow us time to schedule everyone and day-of-race registration will be available only if we have available start times.
Preliminary start times will be posted at www.ABDcycling.com the Tuesday or Wednesday before each event.
12/08/2009
Nowak Report: CCC #10- Boy was that fun!!!
Hey all,
The last chapter in the 2009 CCC reports here. As many of you who have been reading, this has been one of the most fun, exciting, challenging, and painful 'cross years that I can remeber (and I have done a LOT of 'cross in the past, 17 years I figured). Each race was challenging not only in the competitors, but the course design and conditions.
Turin was the sponsoring club for the final stop at Montrose, which also doubled up as the State Champs. The course was laid out in what i would consider 3 distinct sections; beach/sand, Cricket Hill, and then some nice technical twisty-turny sections. I'm not sure what the temperature was when I got to Montrose, but it was below freezing as the sand was still frozen and riding thru it was actually quite easy.
My one and only goal that I had this year was to get into the top 10 overall for the series. I was currently sitting 11th, and would need a good race to move up one slot. After doing several laps of the course in pre-ride, the next big question was what to where. Do I go with leg warmers or embro, heavy gloves or medium, long sleeve undershirt or short??? In the end I made the right decisions on those as my hands were not cold, the legs were good, and I never felt over heated.
The next challenge was getting a good start spot on the line. After the call ups of the top 10, I slid into the last remaining spot on the front line next to Stanley who was sitting in 10th overall. He and I wished each other well in the race, and got ready for the whistle. Off goes the whistle and I get a good jump. Into the first corner I'm sitting 3rd. Onto the beach comfortably in 4th with the leaders. Mark Yurcheshen yelling at me that all is good!! Once we hit the hill however, the gaps started to open, and I lost another 2 spots and was riding alone in 6th. But there was Mark again, cheering me on. The leaders were about 5 seconds ahead, and I had a gap on a group of 6 chasers. Got thru lap 1 fine, and then my stuggle lap (lap #2). I kept telling myself to push and don't look back. Keep the leaders in sight, ride smooth, and keep the power on. Again hit the beach and there is Mark giving me info and keeping my spirits up. Sure enough got thru that lap in good shape, but I could see Suyko (who has beaten me in the last 3 races) coming on strong. He is a notorious slow starter and fast finisher. Into lap 3, nice and smooth until I hit a technical section and my front wheel washed out on the thawing ground. I got back up quickly, but the damage was done, he caught me. The next 2.5 laps were he and I working together to maintain our growing gap on our chasers, with Mark following us around the course giving me encouragement and energy
Into the bell lap, Suyko and I are neck and neck. We hit the first set of barriers, side by side, Mark is again on the beach yelling at me. However, I made a bad line on the drop-in and Suyko gapped. I tried and tried to get back to him, but I just couldn't. He got 6th and me 7th.
While during the race, I felt good the whole time, I was spent. However, I did end up getting into the 30+ to have some more "fun" and just experience the race. This time I was less in a zone and more aware of what was happening. There were a TON of people out cheering and yelling, and just made the race so much fun.
So I have met my goal. I ended up in 10th overall only 1 point out of 9th. If I had beaten Suyko I would have gotten 9th with Stanley in 10th.
I have to give credit to Mark. He came out and braved the cold, and his constant encouragement all over the course really kept me focused and driven. Thanks a lot!
There again was good representation of ABD, and we also hung onto our 10th place in the team competition. Besides myself the others that I saw were Brad Dash, Ben Demong, Gina Kenny, Sue S. and the Jr Girl St. Champ Jessie Prinner.
Congrats to everyone who raced. Sad to see the season come to an end, but as I sit here writing this, the white stuff is coming down which only means that this weekend instead of a bike, I will be on my skis.
Thanks again for reading. I have got to say that I am already looking forward to 2010 CCC!
Jim
The last chapter in the 2009 CCC reports here. As many of you who have been reading, this has been one of the most fun, exciting, challenging, and painful 'cross years that I can remeber (and I have done a LOT of 'cross in the past, 17 years I figured). Each race was challenging not only in the competitors, but the course design and conditions.
Turin was the sponsoring club for the final stop at Montrose, which also doubled up as the State Champs. The course was laid out in what i would consider 3 distinct sections; beach/sand, Cricket Hill, and then some nice technical twisty-turny sections. I'm not sure what the temperature was when I got to Montrose, but it was below freezing as the sand was still frozen and riding thru it was actually quite easy.
My one and only goal that I had this year was to get into the top 10 overall for the series. I was currently sitting 11th, and would need a good race to move up one slot. After doing several laps of the course in pre-ride, the next big question was what to where. Do I go with leg warmers or embro, heavy gloves or medium, long sleeve undershirt or short??? In the end I made the right decisions on those as my hands were not cold, the legs were good, and I never felt over heated.
The next challenge was getting a good start spot on the line. After the call ups of the top 10, I slid into the last remaining spot on the front line next to Stanley who was sitting in 10th overall. He and I wished each other well in the race, and got ready for the whistle. Off goes the whistle and I get a good jump. Into the first corner I'm sitting 3rd. Onto the beach comfortably in 4th with the leaders. Mark Yurcheshen yelling at me that all is good!! Once we hit the hill however, the gaps started to open, and I lost another 2 spots and was riding alone in 6th. But there was Mark again, cheering me on. The leaders were about 5 seconds ahead, and I had a gap on a group of 6 chasers. Got thru lap 1 fine, and then my stuggle lap (lap #2). I kept telling myself to push and don't look back. Keep the leaders in sight, ride smooth, and keep the power on. Again hit the beach and there is Mark giving me info and keeping my spirits up. Sure enough got thru that lap in good shape, but I could see Suyko (who has beaten me in the last 3 races) coming on strong. He is a notorious slow starter and fast finisher. Into lap 3, nice and smooth until I hit a technical section and my front wheel washed out on the thawing ground. I got back up quickly, but the damage was done, he caught me. The next 2.5 laps were he and I working together to maintain our growing gap on our chasers, with Mark following us around the course giving me encouragement and energy
Into the bell lap, Suyko and I are neck and neck. We hit the first set of barriers, side by side, Mark is again on the beach yelling at me. However, I made a bad line on the drop-in and Suyko gapped. I tried and tried to get back to him, but I just couldn't. He got 6th and me 7th.
While during the race, I felt good the whole time, I was spent. However, I did end up getting into the 30+ to have some more "fun" and just experience the race. This time I was less in a zone and more aware of what was happening. There were a TON of people out cheering and yelling, and just made the race so much fun.
So I have met my goal. I ended up in 10th overall only 1 point out of 9th. If I had beaten Suyko I would have gotten 9th with Stanley in 10th.
I have to give credit to Mark. He came out and braved the cold, and his constant encouragement all over the course really kept me focused and driven. Thanks a lot!
There again was good representation of ABD, and we also hung onto our 10th place in the team competition. Besides myself the others that I saw were Brad Dash, Ben Demong, Gina Kenny, Sue S. and the Jr Girl St. Champ Jessie Prinner.
Congrats to everyone who raced. Sad to see the season come to an end, but as I sit here writing this, the white stuff is coming down which only means that this weekend instead of a bike, I will be on my skis.
Thanks again for reading. I have got to say that I am already looking forward to 2010 CCC!
Jim
12/06/2009
Gina Kenny: Jingle CX Report
Sue S. & I represented ABD at Jingle Cross held the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving in Iowa City, IA. Unfortunately, neither of us was at 100% as she was still recovering from swine flu and I had your common variety cold. Still, the two of us combined managed a total of seven races in a span of less than 48 hours. And, my three-year-old son Christopher did his first cross race!!! = )
It did not rain or snow on us but there had been enough rain earlier in the week that there was plenty of mud. I want to give a huge thank you to Sue, who after racing with me in the Women' 2/3 race, was my impromtu pit crew for the Women's 35+ race. I didn't even make it through a full lap when I had so much mud on my bike that I was having problems just getting the wheels to turn. She hosed it off for me while I rode a lap on my old Schwinn.
The organizers managed to have a different course for each day and, even with the mud, the races were a lot of fun. There are loads of videos on YouTube, for those interested -- just type in "Jingle Cross 2009."
As Jim already mentioned, Sunday is the last race in the Chicago Cyclocross series at Montrose. The fans for the ChiCrossCup rival any. It is a load of fun. ABD'ers will be racing throughout the day so bundle up and come cheer us on! = )
-Gina
11/29/2009
Nowak Report: CCC #9 - Are we there yet?!?
The second to last stop of the 2009 ChiCrossCup series was Sunday up in Woodstock. Last week we (i.e. I) was spoiled with the Bloomingdale race only 10 minutes from my house. From Bartlett, Woodstock is a good hour drive, probably the furthest drive all year. I armed myself with a nice coffee, some eats, and made my way up there.
The course was pretty much a carbon copy of the 2008 course, only it wasn't 30 degrees and frozen ground. After last weeks successful race in the 40+, I was once again on the verge of being top 10 for the series. With a good race in Woodstock I would achieve that goal and then just need to be solid at Montrose. I got the bikes ready and made my way out to do a pre-ride. Most of the course was still being marked so we were basically following the paint markings on the ground to figure out where we were going.
My typical warmup routine is ride the course easy for 1 lap, do a faster lap on the second, and then ride sections that need some work fast on the last, but try to just stay warm. On the second lap there was still some confusion as to where the course was, so I wasn't able to get a really "hot" lap in.
The typical protagonists were there; the green team of Verdigris, Turin, Pony Shop, etc. The start was fast as always and I worked my way to about 7th by the end of the first lap. However, from there it went backward, with guys passing me over the next 4 laps and me not being able to hold a wheel. A bit frustrating after last week, but as I sit here today the signs were there pretty much all of last week (excessive congestion, bad legs on rides, etc.). I ended up in 15th which was initially disappointing, but looking at the overall, being top 10 for the series is still a much reachable goal. So with out any racing this weekend (not going to Jingle Cross but hoping for a Bandit), I'm gonna try to recover, get healthy, and be smart. Then do a few efforts next week with the plan to be good at the final at Montrose.
There were many of the normal ABD'ers there and I actually met a few. It's good to see more ABD riders out there. A few years ago it was just me, Gina Kenny, and when he could Brad Dash. Now there is someone in almost every race (40+, 50+, 30+, Women, and 4s). We are still holding onto 10th in the team competition, and I think we should be able to maintain that spot.
Dec. 6th is the final race. If you haven't had a chance to get out this will be it. Montrose has always been one of my favorite courses and from what I have heard, it should be quite a challenge.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading,
Jim
The course was pretty much a carbon copy of the 2008 course, only it wasn't 30 degrees and frozen ground. After last weeks successful race in the 40+, I was once again on the verge of being top 10 for the series. With a good race in Woodstock I would achieve that goal and then just need to be solid at Montrose. I got the bikes ready and made my way out to do a pre-ride. Most of the course was still being marked so we were basically following the paint markings on the ground to figure out where we were going.
My typical warmup routine is ride the course easy for 1 lap, do a faster lap on the second, and then ride sections that need some work fast on the last, but try to just stay warm. On the second lap there was still some confusion as to where the course was, so I wasn't able to get a really "hot" lap in.
The typical protagonists were there; the green team of Verdigris, Turin, Pony Shop, etc. The start was fast as always and I worked my way to about 7th by the end of the first lap. However, from there it went backward, with guys passing me over the next 4 laps and me not being able to hold a wheel. A bit frustrating after last week, but as I sit here today the signs were there pretty much all of last week (excessive congestion, bad legs on rides, etc.). I ended up in 15th which was initially disappointing, but looking at the overall, being top 10 for the series is still a much reachable goal. So with out any racing this weekend (not going to Jingle Cross but hoping for a Bandit), I'm gonna try to recover, get healthy, and be smart. Then do a few efforts next week with the plan to be good at the final at Montrose.
There were many of the normal ABD'ers there and I actually met a few. It's good to see more ABD riders out there. A few years ago it was just me, Gina Kenny, and when he could Brad Dash. Now there is someone in almost every race (40+, 50+, 30+, Women, and 4s). We are still holding onto 10th in the team competition, and I think we should be able to maintain that spot.
Dec. 6th is the final race. If you haven't had a chance to get out this will be it. Montrose has always been one of my favorite courses and from what I have heard, it should be quite a challenge.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for reading,
Jim
11/23/2009
The 2010 ABD Indoor TT Series- All New Course & Invitational Round!
The dates and details are set for the 11th Annual ABD Cycle Club Indoor Time Trial Series and we have quite a few treats in store for you!
The 2010 ABD TT Series dates are 1/24 (Flat), 2/21 (Rolling), 3/20 (Hill Climb) & 4/11 (JFMTT).
The series will be Three Indoor TT's plus the John Fraser Memorial TT: a Flat 10k, a Rolling 10k & an all-new 9k Hill Climb!
The 9k Hill Climb course breakdown is: 1k flat, 1k @ 2% grade, 1k @ -2% grade, 1k flat, 1k @ 1%, 1k @ 2%, 1k @ 3%, 2k @ 4%
The top 16 Men & 8 Women from the Hill Climb on 3/20 will be invited to a FREE Indoor Race Invitational at the ABD Cycling Center- two rounds of the 12.6 mile Morgul Bismark race course with rider drafting turned on! (Saturday, March 27th)
Overall ABD TT Series results are based on all three indoor events + the John Fraser Memorial Time Trial. ABR & WI/IL are finalizing details on how the events will count towards the 2010 Mid America Time Trial Series (MATTS) and Rider of the Year Competition.
We are currently working on securing an all-new course for the John Fraser Memorial TT!
"Take Home the Trainer" Overall Prize for all categories! We will have 16 brand-new CycleOps JetFluid Pro trainers (MSRP $369.99) for our warm-up area at the three indoor TT's, and the overall ABD TT Series winner of each category (w/ at least three riders) gets to take one of these home after the John Fraser Memorial TT- perfect for warming up for your 2010 Mid America Time Trial Series events!
The Fastest Rider Challenge returns! The fastest 3 Men & Women at each event receive $50, $30 & $20, respectively.
Registration will be open later this week: race all four events for $80 - just $20 an event!
You can download the 2010 TT Series flyer at: http://www.abdcycling.com/files/TT10_flyer.pdf
Stay tuned for more details!
11/21/2009
11/17/2009
Nowak Report: CCC #8 - Hilton/Indian Lakes
Round 8 of the ChiCrossCup series brought us to Bloomingdale and the Hilton/Indian Lakes Resort and Golf Course. There is apparently a very interesting story behind securing this venue for a 'cross race, some of which I understand is economics and some of an employee being brave enough to ask his boss. In any case, a very nice venue.
So. Chicago Wheelmen were the promoting club this week and were setting up on Fri. for the Sat. race. Being as I pass Indian Lakes on my way from work to home, I stopped and decided that I would walk the course. My initial impression was that it was going to be REALLY fast. Boy was I surprised the next day. There were some tough power sections that were into the wind as well as some nice technical twisty areas. Basically the course was two out and back loops that came together at the start/finish area. The highlight of the course was two different areas on the opening out/back section. The first was a barrier at the base of a gradual hill that required a quick remount, then a descent to another barrier that took you up the hill again in a run-up. The other section of note (which is now being called "Bacon Alley" due to the bacon handups to the 4Bs, see the CCC website for pics) were two back to back sand traps, the first which was rideable, and the second was hit or miss ridable.
My plan was to double up again (40+ followed by 30+). After a good week of training, I was confident that I could pull off a good result and hopefully move up in the overall. I got a good position in the second row right behind the series leader at the start line. Once again, the start was chaotic but I slowly moved through traffic continuing to push my pace. By the end of the first lap I was sitting about 5 seconds behind the 4 leaders in 5th, with 6th-8 about another 5-10 seconds back. After 2 laps, still in 5th, but now about 10 seconds back, and one guy on my wheel. On the 3rd lap, I was passed going into the wind, and couldn't respond to the surge, however, I was solidly in 6th place with about a 10-15 seconds lead on 7th and 8th. Pretty much stayed the same for the next few laps, until with 2 to go, on the last twisty section I went hot into a corner and washed out my front wheel, was caught by the 7th place guy and was now behind him. We rode together to the sand pit, where he was able to clean them and I wasn't. Now it was a matter of just keeping my position. I was able to do so getting my best finish of the year. Now I am sitting 11th overall and with another good race could be top 10 making my ultimate goal of the year.
In the 30+ race, pretty much did it for training, but the best part was sprinting with a Peoria Bike guy for... 26th!!! In all it was a good time. New Belgium was there with LOTs of Fat Tire Ale (I was a good boy and refrained) as well as good food. I hung around for a bit after the 30+ to watch some of the racing and talk with others. Again, ABD had a nice turnout both with racers and spectators. The Witt family was out watching and rooting us on.
I can't believe I'm saying this but only two more to go! This 'cross season has really flown by. Woodstock is another nice venue with some nice challenging sections. Last year was REALLY cold, but looking at the forecast, looks like rain the early part of this week and then dry and in the 50s. So should be perfect conditions.
Thanks again for reading. Hope to see some of you out there on Sunday!
Jim
So. Chicago Wheelmen were the promoting club this week and were setting up on Fri. for the Sat. race. Being as I pass Indian Lakes on my way from work to home, I stopped and decided that I would walk the course. My initial impression was that it was going to be REALLY fast. Boy was I surprised the next day. There were some tough power sections that were into the wind as well as some nice technical twisty areas. Basically the course was two out and back loops that came together at the start/finish area. The highlight of the course was two different areas on the opening out/back section. The first was a barrier at the base of a gradual hill that required a quick remount, then a descent to another barrier that took you up the hill again in a run-up. The other section of note (which is now being called "Bacon Alley" due to the bacon handups to the 4Bs, see the CCC website for pics) were two back to back sand traps, the first which was rideable, and the second was hit or miss ridable.
My plan was to double up again (40+ followed by 30+). After a good week of training, I was confident that I could pull off a good result and hopefully move up in the overall. I got a good position in the second row right behind the series leader at the start line. Once again, the start was chaotic but I slowly moved through traffic continuing to push my pace. By the end of the first lap I was sitting about 5 seconds behind the 4 leaders in 5th, with 6th-8 about another 5-10 seconds back. After 2 laps, still in 5th, but now about 10 seconds back, and one guy on my wheel. On the 3rd lap, I was passed going into the wind, and couldn't respond to the surge, however, I was solidly in 6th place with about a 10-15 seconds lead on 7th and 8th. Pretty much stayed the same for the next few laps, until with 2 to go, on the last twisty section I went hot into a corner and washed out my front wheel, was caught by the 7th place guy and was now behind him. We rode together to the sand pit, where he was able to clean them and I wasn't. Now it was a matter of just keeping my position. I was able to do so getting my best finish of the year. Now I am sitting 11th overall and with another good race could be top 10 making my ultimate goal of the year.
In the 30+ race, pretty much did it for training, but the best part was sprinting with a Peoria Bike guy for... 26th!!! In all it was a good time. New Belgium was there with LOTs of Fat Tire Ale (I was a good boy and refrained) as well as good food. I hung around for a bit after the 30+ to watch some of the racing and talk with others. Again, ABD had a nice turnout both with racers and spectators. The Witt family was out watching and rooting us on.
I can't believe I'm saying this but only two more to go! This 'cross season has really flown by. Woodstock is another nice venue with some nice challenging sections. Last year was REALLY cold, but looking at the forecast, looks like rain the early part of this week and then dry and in the 50s. So should be perfect conditions.
Thanks again for reading. Hope to see some of you out there on Sunday!
Jim
11/16/2009
Bertucco Report: USGP of Cyclocross- Jersey Edition
Hello Racing Fans,
After a season of racers playing favorites and beating out the locals in regional events, this past weekend saw the country's best cyclocrossers meet up in New Jersey for two days of the muddy, sticky, gooey fun at the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross. I'll let the journos at Velonews.com and Cyclingnews.com report on the pro races, and instead share a few key observations from the back of the pack.
1. While the mud made for some great pictures (see attached), I lost track of the number of riders who had derailleurs snap in two between pulley wheels.
2. It's probably a good idea to get off, shoulder and run with your bike if you find yourself cranking out 500 watts and yet not moving anywhere.
3. If an enthusiastic superfan has tied a dollar bill to a low tree branch overhanging the course, you should grab that dollar because for you, the ring isn't going to get any more golden than that.
4. Masters 35+ race on Sunday noticeably harder than Cat 2/3 race on Saturday.
5. Cyclocross is most fun if you don't care about the results. Anyone know a place where I can pick up some, "I don't care" pills?
And as long as I've broached the subject of medical conditions...
6. I suffer from "Leap Apnea." A condition whereby, when leaping up onto your bike mid-stride, you hold your breath for a second or two while bracing for the jarring, crushing thud that invariably occurs when your "down-there's" meets your saddle.
Thanks for reading,
Marc Bertucco
11/12/2009
9th Annual Turkey Day Ride
The 9th annual T-Day ride is soon upon us. Time to plan on making room for turkey.
Date: Thursday 11/26/08
Time: 0830 (8:30 AM)
Where: BHS (Bartlett High School - northeast parking lot)
Distance: Approximately 40 miles (weather permitting)
Pace: This is a no drop ride (within reason)
This ride will be on the Prairie Path so we suggest you break out the mountain or cross bikes.
Note ride cancelled if it is raining, blizzard or more than 1" of standing snow. As in prior years temperature does not stop us from riding!!!
Date: Thursday 11/26/08
Time: 0830 (8:30 AM)
Where: BHS (Bartlett High School - northeast parking lot)
Distance: Approximately 40 miles (weather permitting)
Pace: This is a no drop ride (within reason)
This ride will be on the Prairie Path so we suggest you break out the mountain or cross bikes.
Note ride cancelled if it is raining, blizzard or more than 1" of standing snow. As in prior years temperature does not stop us from riding!!!
Nowak Report: CCC Round #7 - Northbrook
Hi all,
Last week was round 7 of the ChiCrossCup series in Northbrook. For me it was a one and done (race the 40+ and race home to go to a birthday party). This was almost the race that didn’t happen as initially the Village of Northbrook and its Park District didn’t want to have the race. After some significant soothing by the promoters, they were able to modify the course significantly and hold the race. Also another factor that played into this was the BEAUTIFUL weather that we had in the several days up to the race. If it had rained like it did in the previous 2 weeks, I am confident the village would have canceled the race.
Overall, the course was still a nice mix of technical, power, and speed. There were several nice off camber sections that for the first race of the day were slippery. Some other areas in the open were soft yet to maintain speed, required significant power to work thru them. There was also a nice sand pit. Very little recovery was available, and it was on the throttle the whole time.
Personally I had a good day. I felt strong the whole race. Unfortunately so did everyone else! For me the most frustrating part is that there are people just in front of me, catch them, but then can’t pass due to the course and then have a bobble and lose a bit of ground. I just need to race smarter with what the course throws at me, and keep my mistakes to a minimum.
I still have an overall series goal of being top 10, and am still working as hard as I can to reach that goal, but with only 4 races left, my chance is slipping away.
As a team though, ABD is staying in the top 10, showing that as a group there is quality.
This week is another close to home race in Bloomingdale at the Hilton Indian Lakes Golf Course on Schick Rd just east of Stratford Square Mall.
For me it will be about a 10 minute drive from home. Seeing as it is so close to ABD country, I am hoping that there will again be another great turnout of ABD’ers. I hear those of you cheering and it definitely helps push me along. For those of you who have not experienced what a ‘cross race is about, this is the venue to hit. There will food, drink, and lots of other activities that are happening. See the CCC website (http://chicrosscup.com) for all the details.
Thanks again for reading,
Jim
Last week was round 7 of the ChiCrossCup series in Northbrook. For me it was a one and done (race the 40+ and race home to go to a birthday party). This was almost the race that didn’t happen as initially the Village of Northbrook and its Park District didn’t want to have the race. After some significant soothing by the promoters, they were able to modify the course significantly and hold the race. Also another factor that played into this was the BEAUTIFUL weather that we had in the several days up to the race. If it had rained like it did in the previous 2 weeks, I am confident the village would have canceled the race.
Overall, the course was still a nice mix of technical, power, and speed. There were several nice off camber sections that for the first race of the day were slippery. Some other areas in the open were soft yet to maintain speed, required significant power to work thru them. There was also a nice sand pit. Very little recovery was available, and it was on the throttle the whole time.
Personally I had a good day. I felt strong the whole race. Unfortunately so did everyone else! For me the most frustrating part is that there are people just in front of me, catch them, but then can’t pass due to the course and then have a bobble and lose a bit of ground. I just need to race smarter with what the course throws at me, and keep my mistakes to a minimum.
I still have an overall series goal of being top 10, and am still working as hard as I can to reach that goal, but with only 4 races left, my chance is slipping away.
As a team though, ABD is staying in the top 10, showing that as a group there is quality.
This week is another close to home race in Bloomingdale at the Hilton Indian Lakes Golf Course on Schick Rd just east of Stratford Square Mall.
For me it will be about a 10 minute drive from home. Seeing as it is so close to ABD country, I am hoping that there will again be another great turnout of ABD’ers. I hear those of you cheering and it definitely helps push me along. For those of you who have not experienced what a ‘cross race is about, this is the venue to hit. There will food, drink, and lots of other activities that are happening. See the CCC website (http://chicrosscup.com) for all the details.
Thanks again for reading,
Jim
11/07/2009
Nowak Report: CCC #6 - mud, Mud, MUD!!!
This past weekend was the 6th of 10 races in the ChiCrossCup series. The best part was that the ABD race was behind me now, and all the stress and effort to put on another successful ABD race had left. I could now focus on my race and put forth 100% effort in the week leading up to the Sunday effort.
The week leading up to St. Charles was rainy and cold. Normally I would be disappointed because that would mean either no riding or spending time in the basement watching videos of Sporza Superprestige and World Cup races (and picking up some Flemish!!!). However, knowing the course in St. Charles pretty well, a smile came to my face because I knew that it would be sloppy in sections.
Lately I have been looking into getting another nice set of wheels that I could put on my pit bike and/or allow me to run different tires for different conditions, so I contacted Rob Curtis (psimet.com) who allows you to rent wheels for a race to try them out. For $35 I figured I would give it a shot and got to St. Charles early. The wheels he has are really pretty nice (50mm carbon rims, DT spokes, and sealed hubs) and the price is reasonable ($699). The wheels are setup with nice tires (Challenge Grifos), but in the slop that we raced in, these were probably not the right tire. However, I was committed to using them so I race with them.
WIth it being the day after Halloween, there were many there in costumes getting callups. After the top 10 there were another 3 or 4 callups for costumes and then the masses (which included me). I ended in the third row, and it was tight. The start was chaotic and I was sitting in about 20th or so once the course opened up and we started the wet/greasy/muddy climb thru the woods. I slowly picked people off and once we got out of the woods, gave a good effort to move into about 10th. The next sections were all open area that were grass sections and included off-camber turns. In the first off-camber turn, I could feel the rear wheels loose a bit of grip and right in front of me someone went down. I was able to get by, and keep going. Next was a quick downhill into a 180 degree turn that was just pure mud. Then up the hill where it was almost impossible to ride. I quickly shouldered my bike and ended up passing 3 guys as they tried to ride up the hill. Then back down, and into a single track section to some more off camber, onto a gravel path, then to the best part of the course. MUD that you ran thru and rode thru. I looked up as at this time and I could see the leader and then counting backwards I was in 7th and had a gap on the 8th-11th place guys.
Going into the second lap, I continued to maintain my place, until the second off-camber section where I was going too fast and lost traction on the rear wheel, and went down. It was quite an ugly crash, and took time to get myself righted only to find that my chain dropped. Now I go from 7th to 12th. I kept pushing, but it didn’t seem like anyone was coming back to me. Finally I caught the guy in 11th and we ended riding the rest of the race together, attacking, recover, push, battle. I knew that it would come down to the last lap if I was going to get 11th, so I put in a dig on the first hill and gapped him over the barriers. He came back on the next section and took the front. We then went back and forth up the run-up and made our way to the mud section. It was at this point that I was able to cleanly ride this while he bobbled a bit and then I just sprinted to the finish to end 11th. Overall a good race, but a bit frustrating in that I know I can do better.
I then jumped into the 30+ race (after changing clothes, shoes, and bikes) and worked my way through that to finish strongly. In addition, there was quite a nice turnout of other ABD’ers: Ben Demong, James Sneddon, Gina Kenny, Sue S., Jessie, and a few others who I don’t know(sorry!!!). Also nice to see Terry and Jenny Cerwin and hearing their support!
Overall for the Team Standings, we are sitting pretty strong in 9th. Just shows that with the few riders we have doing ‘cross there is definitely some quality. I still have a goal of being in the top 10 by the end of the year in the 40+ class. It may be a bit difficult, but I’m going to keep trying.
This weekend is the Northbrook race which was a big DNF for me last year due to a broken chain. I am hoping for redemption!
Hope to see more out there again this weekend.
Thanks again for reading,
Jim
The week leading up to St. Charles was rainy and cold. Normally I would be disappointed because that would mean either no riding or spending time in the basement watching videos of Sporza Superprestige and World Cup races (and picking up some Flemish!!!). However, knowing the course in St. Charles pretty well, a smile came to my face because I knew that it would be sloppy in sections.
Lately I have been looking into getting another nice set of wheels that I could put on my pit bike and/or allow me to run different tires for different conditions, so I contacted Rob Curtis (psimet.com) who allows you to rent wheels for a race to try them out. For $35 I figured I would give it a shot and got to St. Charles early. The wheels he has are really pretty nice (50mm carbon rims, DT spokes, and sealed hubs) and the price is reasonable ($699). The wheels are setup with nice tires (Challenge Grifos), but in the slop that we raced in, these were probably not the right tire. However, I was committed to using them so I race with them.
WIth it being the day after Halloween, there were many there in costumes getting callups. After the top 10 there were another 3 or 4 callups for costumes and then the masses (which included me). I ended in the third row, and it was tight. The start was chaotic and I was sitting in about 20th or so once the course opened up and we started the wet/greasy/muddy climb thru the woods. I slowly picked people off and once we got out of the woods, gave a good effort to move into about 10th. The next sections were all open area that were grass sections and included off-camber turns. In the first off-camber turn, I could feel the rear wheels loose a bit of grip and right in front of me someone went down. I was able to get by, and keep going. Next was a quick downhill into a 180 degree turn that was just pure mud. Then up the hill where it was almost impossible to ride. I quickly shouldered my bike and ended up passing 3 guys as they tried to ride up the hill. Then back down, and into a single track section to some more off camber, onto a gravel path, then to the best part of the course. MUD that you ran thru and rode thru. I looked up as at this time and I could see the leader and then counting backwards I was in 7th and had a gap on the 8th-11th place guys.
Going into the second lap, I continued to maintain my place, until the second off-camber section where I was going too fast and lost traction on the rear wheel, and went down. It was quite an ugly crash, and took time to get myself righted only to find that my chain dropped. Now I go from 7th to 12th. I kept pushing, but it didn’t seem like anyone was coming back to me. Finally I caught the guy in 11th and we ended riding the rest of the race together, attacking, recover, push, battle. I knew that it would come down to the last lap if I was going to get 11th, so I put in a dig on the first hill and gapped him over the barriers. He came back on the next section and took the front. We then went back and forth up the run-up and made our way to the mud section. It was at this point that I was able to cleanly ride this while he bobbled a bit and then I just sprinted to the finish to end 11th. Overall a good race, but a bit frustrating in that I know I can do better.
I then jumped into the 30+ race (after changing clothes, shoes, and bikes) and worked my way through that to finish strongly. In addition, there was quite a nice turnout of other ABD’ers: Ben Demong, James Sneddon, Gina Kenny, Sue S., Jessie, and a few others who I don’t know(sorry!!!). Also nice to see Terry and Jenny Cerwin and hearing their support!
Overall for the Team Standings, we are sitting pretty strong in 9th. Just shows that with the few riders we have doing ‘cross there is definitely some quality. I still have a goal of being in the top 10 by the end of the year in the 40+ class. It may be a bit difficult, but I’m going to keep trying.
This weekend is the Northbrook race which was a big DNF for me last year due to a broken chain. I am hoping for redemption!
Hope to see more out there again this weekend.
Thanks again for reading,
Jim
10/30/2009
Nowak Report: Chicago Cross Cup Rounds #4 and #5
Adversity.
We all deal with it at sometime in your life. Those of you who race, you know what I'm talking about.
Well stops 4 and 5 on the CCC series were all about adversity for me and dealing with it.
Stop #4 was the Carpentersville Oktobercross race. First of all I would like to give HUGE props to Jeff Provisor (owner of Main St. Bikes as well as the promoter for this race). Every year this event has gotten bigger and better. Last year they added a Oktober Fest to the race with the help of the Village and this year it was even larger. In terms of the course, Jeff has improved it every year. This year he added a "whoops" section (for reference check out video of the Azencross race held in Europe during the Christmas week). In addition, this is always a fun ride.
Anyway back to Adversity. I started the race with a call-up, my first this year so I got a front line start. At the whistle I was clicked in and flying down to the first turn. Sitting really nice in third place and feeling pretty good about it. I stayed in the top five for the first lap and then Adversity struck. Going into the second lap, there was a 180 turn. I took a bad angle, and slid out, letting a few guys pass me. Now in about 8th or 9th, I attempted to catch them, but then in another corner slid out again. Luckily no one passed me, but the ground that I had gained was now lost again. Again, punched it and started to gain some ground when into the sand pit (which I had been riding all the way thru) I lost momentum, and came to a halt. I dismounted as fast as I could, but now 3 guys passed me. Now I'm laying in 11th. Again, put it on the gas and slowly pull back some ground. Then the final straw... I lost it. Now it was all about dealing with this and trying to get to the finish line without loosing another spot. Through the twists and turns I see a Colavita rider slowly making his way to me. I felt like the prey and he was the predator. I kept trying to give it all I had, but sure enough he caught me just before the finish and passed me.
Now normally I would be pissed, but I knew that I battled through my misfortunes and kept giving it my all. In fact after I got home I looked at my heart rate from the race and it was the highest for any of the races yet this year. So I knew that I had done all that I could and "tipped" my had to the others.
Stop #5 was our race. Not much to say about this. Up late on Sat. making sure everything was ready for setup/registration, and then waking up in the middle of the night to hearing rain drops in the gutter. Needless to say I got about 4 hours of sleep. Finally got out of bed around 5am got some coffee really quick and headed out to Sunrise Park. My race didn't go so good as you would expect, but did pick up a few series points. Overall, I had a great time. We had very few issues and the couple of ones that we did have we were able to deal with them quickly.
The most amazing thing about being there all day was to see the Cat 4A and Cat 4B guys race. I typically head home after I race and rarely see them race. What a great show! For those of you who have NEVER seen a cross race and would like to see one in action, you need to watch the 4B race. Sure it isn't pretty, but the enthusiasm and effort that these people show is unparalleled.
As a team, ABD is still in 10th which is really good considering the teams in front us have some huge numbers and good riders.
I would highly suggest that you head out to St. Charles this weekend. Hope to see you there.
Jim
10/23/2009
Tuesday Night Workouts with the Sarge Start November 3rd!
Yes, it that time of year again.
The Sarge (Rich Mstowsik) will be drilling the ABD crew through some intense workouts starting November 3rd.
These workouts are FREE and open to all ABD members.
The punishment happens at the Prairie Path Cycles store in Winfield, start time 7:00 p.m.All privates will be able to enter the store at 6:30.
Some things you need to bring:
1: your bike
2: your trainer
3: a towel
4: a water bottle
Nutritional supplements will be available for purchase from the store.
NEW for 2009: the schedule will be three weeks on, one week off, so there will be no class on the following Tuesdays:
11/24
12/22
1/19/10
2/16/10
See you there !!!!
The Sarge (Rich Mstowsik) will be drilling the ABD crew through some intense workouts starting November 3rd.
These workouts are FREE and open to all ABD members.
The punishment happens at the Prairie Path Cycles store in Winfield, start time 7:00 p.m.All privates will be able to enter the store at 6:30.
Some things you need to bring:
1: your bike
2: your trainer
3: a towel
4: a water bottle
Nutritional supplements will be available for purchase from the store.
NEW for 2009: the schedule will be three weeks on, one week off, so there will be no class on the following Tuesdays:
11/24
12/22
1/19/10
2/16/10
See you there !!!!
Curtis Bice Report: Trek Employee TT
Not Your Usual Race Report – Trek Employee Time Trials
Two weeks ago, I had the honor of winning the Trek Employee Road Time Trial, which took an all out effort to cover the 5.8 mile out and back course in 12:47 at 27.2 mph. The competition was tough, with Jason Svaldi, a strong Cat 2 road racer (who can kick my butt in a sprint any day) was just 5 seconds back, and our strongest Masters rider, John Balmer, was just 12 seconds back. Our chief road engineer was only 30 seconds back on a fully decked out prototype Speed Concept TT bike. I did get a little lucky, in that Jordan Roessingh, Trek’s fastest Cat 1 rider from IS Corps, did not race. He beat me by 90 seconds in the WI state TT 40k championships this year.
This race however, was not your typical time trial event like you see from racing the MATTS series or other similar events. As Busteed and Prinner know from the Waterloo Classic, part of the Tour of America’s Dairyland series this summer, Trek can really throw a great race and a great party. This small event of 40 racers was no different. Below are some happenings from this unusual but awesome road time trial race.
· This race is also referred to as the “Beat the Boss” time trial. Trek’s President, John Burke, was the last man to take off (on nothing less than a top-end TTX). Any “non-racer” who beat his time won a cash prize. He finished about 2/3’s of the way down the field with an average speed of 22.5 mph, so a good number of riders got paid out. Many racers, not being time trailers, race on standard road bike, only some with clip on aero bars. Categorized “racers” don’t qualify, so I (and my TTX) had to work extra hard to take home the overall cash prize.
· The road we raced on was a 3 mile stretch between Waterloo and the next town over, Marshall, which has been closed for construction the last month. The brand new blacktop was all done but not open to traffic yet, so we had the smoothest road you have ever ridden on all to ourselves (after clearing it with the townships and construction company of course).
· None other than THEE man, Gary Fisher, was in the house that day and stopped by to watch part of the race and send Twitter pics of a couple ‘interesting’ competitors (this man posts some of the funniest tweets I have ever seen). I was unfortunately out on the road during that time, so didn’t get a chance to say hi. Below are his tweets from October 10th.
o RT - New good old boy skinsuit http://twitpic.com/kyg8r
o RT - Import rider http://twitpic.com/kyg6v
o RT - Beat the boss time trial at Trek, Doug C at the start http://twitpic.com/kyg2b
· These ‘interesting’ competitors Gary was tweeting were part of the costume contest – if you can’t win, you might as well get some style points, right?! The winner, as tweeted by Gary, raced in the 45 degree, cloudy weather with super short cut-off jeans, a wife beater, and cop style sunglasses. The winner of the ‘best bike’ competition raced one of Trek’s 40 lb, 3-speed, B-Cycle cruisers (our new bike-share program bike), decked out with custom cardboard aero ferrings held on with electrical tape, aero bars zipped-tied on the handlebar/basket, a case of beer in the oversized metal basket with a straw sticking out of the box, while wearing a skinsuit and a full-out aero helmet. He finished dead last, but I give him props for keeping that thing above 20 mph average speed for the race. Other honorable mentions include a single speed, fat-tire cruiser, also with a case of beer in the basket, and a dude hammering hard, bobbing up and down coming across the finish line on a Top Fuel full-suspension mountain bike with the tires at 30 PSI and the shock lockouts left in the OFF position (now THAT’S efficiency!). All of this made it much more entertaining than the usual TT’s, which are about as exciting for spectators as watching grass grow.
· What better way to finish than to stop at the post race ‘feed zone’ to pick up a BEvERage or two of your choice, specifically of the New Glarus variety!
· Post-race, I found our chief road engineer who was on the prototype Speed Concept that day. Less than 10 people have ever raced on this bike and only a few more have ridden it. Well, we just happen to ride the same pedals and be about the same size, so he let me take it for a spin. Holy cow! It rides even better than the TTX, is super light for a TT bike, and is the cleanest looking bike I have ever seen. Good luck finding anything on this bike that creates unnecessary drag.
A week and half later was our mountain bike time trial, which was raced at our private trails across the street from our factory. It had a staggered, ’lemond’ style start, where we had to run, in 30 second intervals, 100 yards to our bikes – it’s not very fun taking your first pedal stroke already winded. Despite this, I had a great start, catching my 30-second-man in… well… 30 seconds (you should really make sure you chain is on the ring when standing at the start line). I passed one other rider on the 5 mile course and had no one pass me.
However, when the results came in, I did not fair nearly as well, finishing just ahead of mid pack about 2 ½ minutes back in 25:30. Jordan Roessingh took the V (this dude is FAST on AND off the road). Being a roadie who does a little mtb’ing on the side, it’s hard to keep up with our expert off road riders, some of whom have been described as “It’s like trying to chase a monkey on crack.” None the less, this was also a great race and a great time, also with post-race BEvERages.
If anyone is interested in playing hooky from work and stopping by in Waterloo for a visit during the week, I would be more than happy to make sure a factory tour is arranged. It’s quite a cool operation to see where all of the Madone’s are built, and where the Project One bikes are painted. I can also take you for a ride on some of the great, traffic-free roads in the area, or stop over on our 10 miles of mountain bike trails. Just drop me a line any time.
Keep ridin’ and racin’!
Later,
Curtis
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