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.

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.

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

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

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

Congratulations ABD members!

A gift from the Midwest Masters Cycling Club

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

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!!!

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

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

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 !!!!

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

10/12/2009

Nowak Report: Chicago Cross Cup Round 3

Hey all!
  Here is the continuing saga of the ABD 'crossers.

Sunday was the 3rd stop in the CCC series.  Beverly Vee-Pac was the sponser and they laid out a challenging yet fun course at the Dan Ryan Woods on 95th and Western.  There was a a LOT of flat, but what was not flat was either straight up or straight down.  With the overnight freeze, the ground slowly became slick and turns became increasing harder.  There was one run-up right after the start that was about 50 meters long followed by a twisting descent.  Then about 3/4 of the way there was a nice sustained climb that again twisted back upon itself and went back up, followed by a FAST downhill.

This was a much better race for me personally.  With the schedule change I ended up doing the 40+ first and getting 10th.  Ran into one small bad patch and lost 3 spots with a fall and then the recovery from it, but finished strong to put me into the top 10 for the series (getting a call up baby!!!).  Then I jumped into the 30+ right after and rode strongly again, dying at the end and getting passed by 3 riders to end 14th.

Gina Kenny was out battling for the W 123 and looked like she was having a good day.  However, I want to mention our new convert (the reason for the subject).

Ben Demong came out and did his first 'cross race ever.  He raced the 30+ with me and watching him it was like a fish taking to water!  While he admitted to it being hard, falling a few times, and just hurting for 45 minutes, he couldn't stop smiling and talking about how much fun he was having.

It's great to see someone coming out with a bit of apprehension, and then leaving completely stoked!  For those of you in this same mindset, I would say "JUST DO IT!!!"

No updates as of now on Team standings, but I have got to believe that we are still in the top 10.  For me, I think it would be sweet if we could continue to be in the top 10 as the numbers of races pales compared to Pony Shop, Verdigris, SRAM, and some of the other "big number" teams.  I guess it just shows that we have quality and not necessarily quantity.

Next stop is Sun. 10/18 at the Carpentersville Carpenter Park Octoberfest.  Rumor has it that there will be some whoops (for reference look up Azencross on Google) as well as the famous sand pit.

Then our race is the week after!  Looking forward to it.

Hope to see more ABD'ers at Carpentersville. 

Thanks for reading,
Jim

10/08/2009

The Fling's Been Flung; Bartlett Cross on 10/25; ABD Winter Boot Camps filling up!

Thank you to all of the riders who participated in the 2009 ABD Fall Fling. We had a blast and hope you did too!

Congratulations to our overall winners:
Women 1/2/3: Debbie Dust, PACT-DishNetwork
Women 4: Stacy Applewick, Endure It!Racing
Women 50+: Marilyn Powell, ABD
Women 60+: Nancy Beck, Midwest Masters
Women 70+: Patricia Beam, Team RVO
Beginner Women: Alma Aguirre
Men 1/2: Chad Hartley, Geargrinder
Men 3: Scott Rosenfield, IS Corp
Men 4: Tim Speciale, Bicycle Heaven
AM40+: Mark Swartzendruber, Verizon Wireless
AM40+ Cat 4: Jeff Bird, ABD
AM50+: John Fleckenstein, Team Mack
AM55+: Tom Doughty, Amgen/Giant Masters Racing
AM60+: Dennis Novak, Mad City Velo
AM65+: Bob Beck, Midwest Masters
AM70+: Bob Burns, Team Mack
AM75+: Gerald Beam, Turin
Beginner Men: Joe Berenyi, Endure It! Racing

Full results are posted at http://www.ABDcycling.com
-----------------------------------------
We're Not Done Yet! Sunrise Park Cyclocross on 10/25

ABD is proud to host round #5 of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup on Sunday, October 25 at Sunrise Park in Bartlett, IL.

Registration is now open and details are available at http://www.ABDcycling.com

-----------------------------------------
The 2009/2010 ABD Boot Camps at Prairie Path Cycles!

Want to get faster, stronger and more efficient this off-season? Check out the ABD Boot Camps: focused & fun training in a group atmosphere! 

New for "Boot Camp" 5.0:
- Morning Classes: 6 a.m. on Weekdays & 7 a.m. on Weekends
- Womens' Only Class on Sunday Mornings!
- More Time Slots!
- Lower Prices!
- All Classes are being held at our PPC-Batavia facility

The first session starts November 2nd and spots are already filling up so be sure to sign-up soon! 

10/06/2009

Nowak Report: Chicago Cross Cup Round 2

Welcome to the 2nd installment of the Chicago Cross Cup Series.  Last Sun (10/4) brought over 350 racers to DeKalb for the Hopkins Park Cross sponsered by North Central Cyclery/Half Acre Cyclery.  This was the second year that this race has been hosted here, and the sponsers only made it better.

Hopkins Park is a perfect venue for 'cross in that there is very little flat, lots of area, some nice little hills, sufficient pavement, and awesome facilities.  The course was very similar to last year, with a few mods to make it a bit longer, as well as more challenging.  The 1st 1/4 of the course was run on grass where there were significant numbers of twists and turns, roots, and then a few dips in the ground.  Once off the first section, you briefly were on pavement to a steep hill where the course went up/down on itself a few times.  Traction was good for the most part, but after a few times up it, the legs were burning.  Once up the hill, the course looped back to the same area where there were a few barriers, onto a FAST pavement section, and then back onto the grass to loop around to the Start/Finish.  This particular section was again filled with roots, but with the rain from Friday and Saturday, the ground became very soft and tacky slowing you down and making the false flats even tougher.  Finally you came onto a bike path and finished off in another section of twisting and turning over grass and roots.

Personally, my race was only 1/2 successful.  Unlike at Jackson Park where I had a bad start and had to work my way through the field to finish strong, I started off well, but slowly began to lose spots and dropped back from about 8th to 19th.  A bit disappointing as I really like the course at DeKalb and did well here last year.  However, the good thing is that there will be another race next weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to put together the complete ride.

Besides myself there were a few other ABD'ers out there including; Gina Kenny, Sue S., Brad Dash, Brian Karlow and Walter Stoops.

The amazing thing is the numbers of racers, especially since the Fall Fling was wrapping up and from what I understand the numbers were fairly large on Sunday for the final race there.

Looking forward to improvement the next few races.

Also don't forget to continue to show everyone that ABD is one of the BEST clubs.  We still need volunteers for our 'cross race in Bartlett on 10/25.  Expect an email soon to formally ask for volunteers.

Thanks for reading,
Jim

9/30/2009

Fall Fling Updates: Two Down, Two To Go!

Thank you riders, volunteers and sponsors for a great opening Fall Fling weekend! Results for both days and current overall standings are posted at http://www.ABDcycling.com

The closing stages of the Fling are the  Time Trial in Maple Park on Saturday and the Circuit Race on Sunday. Please read through the event notes below.

SATURDAY TIME TRIAL:
1) Preliminary Start Times for all pre-registered riders will be posted later today (Wednesday).

2) We will be using the 8 mile course that is linked on the Fall Fling event page. We had hoped to use the 10 mile course but we checked it out yesterday and a field of 8’ tall, uncut corn is making an already dangerous turn completely blind. For safety’s sake we’re going with the 8-mile course with one turnaround.

3) The course and PARKING map will be posted at ABDcycling.com later today and be sure to print a copy out. We double the population of Maple Park when our race comes to town so please be respectful of our hosts in regards to parking, warming-up and noise levels. (PLEASE ride SINGLE-FILE on County Line Road).

4) Registration will be at the MAPLE PARK CIVIC CENTER which is where we had it for the May event. Check-in opens at 7:30 a.m. and Day-of-Race Registration will be available for no-show spots and start times later in the day.

SUNDAY CIRCUIT RACE: (all-new course!)
1) This course is just north of last weekend’s Pella Windows & Doors,Inc course-  and WE ARE REQUESTING THAT ALL RIDERS PARK AGAIN AT PELLA and cross at the light at Enterprise Dr. & Fabyan Pkwy. An ABD marshall will be there to push the walk button and help you safely across.

2) DO NOT WARM UP ON FABYAN PARKWAY OR CROSS ANYWHERE BUT AT THE LIGHT. The speed limit on that road is 50 mph and traffic is often moving at 60+. Please be safe and smart. For warm-up you’re more than welcome to use last weekend’s course.

3) We’re holding KIDS’ RACES on Sunday!!! At 12:50 p.m. will be racing for kids’ 12 and under. Helmets are required and registration is $3. Sign-up will be on-site Sunday and if you are bringing riders for the kids’ races you can park on Technology Blvd to the NORTH of Fabyan Parkway.

See you all this weekend!

9/21/2009

Nowak Report: Cross is On!

Hey all,
Welcome to another wonderful year of cyclocross!!!

Yesterday was the first race in the Chicago Cross Cup Series.  Every new ‘cross season brings apprehension (did I do enough high end training?), concern (are the new tubies glued on properly?), and excitement (Yea BABY CROSS!!!).

xXx is the promoter of this particular race and as always Greg Heck does a great job changing up the course and making it challenging.  This year’s course had a nice mix of power, speed, and skill.  About 75% of the course was viewable from the registration area and the crowds were huge.  Half-Acre brought out the bus and put couches next to one of the technical turn areas.  The bullhorns were out and cowbells were loud!  The crowd was loud and for the sections by the registration crowd area, it was like a tunnel of sound (I can almost appreciate what it is like going up the Alpe!).

I decided to double up doing the Masters 40+ and then the Cat 3 race after.  The 40+ race went well.  The start wasn’t too good, but I was able to continue to move up throughout the race and ended up racing with two others for the day.  The good part was that many of the guys that I raced round last year were behind me, so my fitness must be pretty good.  After the 1st 45 minute race, I quickly grabbed a drink and got into the Cat 3 race.  Gina Kenny and Sue S. were in the Women’s 1-2-3 who started behind us.  I started at the back of the Cat 3 race, stopped to fix some tape in a 180 degree turn, and then jumped in behind the 50+.  I pushed hard for the first 30 minutes, and then fatigue and cramping started to set in but still managed to finish.

In terms of placing, the 40+ and Cat 3 were still not posted online, as they were pretty messed up, but we felt like were were in top 10 in the 40+ race.  There were over 400 racers at JP, which set a CCC series record for numbers.  Having pre-reg. on BikeReg.com was awesome and made the registration process go quick and smoothly.  There are still issues, like with scoring, but in the 15 years of racing/promoting ‘cross, this was definitely a highlight.  I am really looking forward to the remaining 9 races (can’t believe I’m saying that!).

Hope to see more ABD’ers out there.

DeKalb is in 2 weeks.  The course there should be more open and fast.  Also, keep Oct. 25th open for our race.  Look for an official email coming out soon requesting volunteers.

Thanks for reading,
Jim

9/18/2009

Bertucco Report: Green Mountain Stage Race Wrap-Up

ABD and racing fans,

It's been a few weeks since the final stage of the Green Mountain Stage Race. For those of you following my Twitter updates, you know that it was a pretty rough 4 days of racing for me. Racing up Vermont's highest paved road on stage 3 nearly killed me. But I finished to fight another day which is more than I can say for a few riders who called it quits.

The final day was a brutal 35-lap crit that has seen me, in years past, spit off the back in just a few laps. For you St. Louis racing fans, imagine the University City crit (with the Alley of Death) and throw in a fast descent/hard left turn/out-of-the-saddle-strung-out big-ring climb combo, and you have the Burlington, Vermont criterium.

But I had been beaten and crushed by this crit so many times, I knew what it would take to survive the day. Knowing and doing are two different things altogether though. The following is a handy guide to surviving a race, any race, that you have no business surviving.

Step 1:  Win the sprint to the start line. VERY important. Miracle of miracles, I find myself neatly sandwiched between the top 10 GC riders who got call-ups before they let the rabid pack loose from our staging area. CHECK!

Step 2: Avoiding inevitable crashes. Early on in the race, the furious pace led to guys overcooking the corners. Despite relative good positioning early on in the action, I find myself delayed by a nasty crash into a wall of hay-bales. Fortunately, I keep it rubber side down; but I'm gapped off from the peloton and I don't know if my capable of catching back on.

Step 3: Believe. The next few seconds would be critical to my success or failure. "No f****** excuses, no f****** excuses" I repeated this over and over. Out loud. It was the only thing that got me through the next few corners. Profanity aside, I had to be smart too. Taking advantage of being off the back, I was able to carry higher speeds through corners that would slow most of the field I was chasing. Soon I was back and in the thick of it. Check!

Step 4: Remember your roots. There are no better crit racers than those who have been smacked around year after year at the collective slug-fests otherwise knows as Superweek. I just kept telling myself, "you are a crit racer, you are a crit racer." Which in a way, is kind of a lie. I race most crits terrified. Search even the most exhaustive race results database going back to the early 90s and you'll hardly find my name in the top 20 of any crit. But sometimes you have to BELIEVE THE LIE to survive. Check!

Step 5: Know WHY you are racing. This is important for all of you to remember. You are in the race for your team and/or yourself. So when yahoos behind you are shouting at you, you must keep a calm head and do what is right for you and/or your team. Single file up the big-ring climb, the rider in front of me loses the wheel in front of him. We are gapped and I must make a split-second decision about how to reconnect with the riders going away in front of me. I'm close to my limit, but I know the corners that lie ahead, so instead of going into the red-zone only to hammer on the brakes in turn one and have another blistering 5 to 27mph acceleration to deal with. I keep it going steady and hard, MY PACE, up the hill.

The rider in back of me takes exception to my technique and shouts, "If you can't close the gap, get out of the way!" I'm incredulous. Do yourself a favor, unless that guy shouting at you is your team leader (and even then, such behavior is really not acceptable), ignore him and race smart for you.

Sure enough, within the next two turns, I'm back on the pack and easily glide past the guy yelling at me who decided to burn one of his matches by getting back to the pack about 5 seconds before me. Check!

Step 6: Enjoy it. It doesn't matter if you finished in 34th place. It doesn't matter that the district representative will not be impressed by your performance. It doesn't matter that you aren't standing anywhere near the podium. All that matters is that you recognize that you did something really special. You did your best.

Now it's time for you to get ready for next season on the road. There's a whole calendar of races ready to try and tell you that you're not good enough. Too bad they're wrong. Really wrong.

-Marc Bertucco
New York, NY

9/17/2009

Amy Halsall's Ironman Wisconsin Report



All - this is my race report from my first Ironman in Wisconsin on Sunday.  I finished in 14 hours and 15 minutes!!!!  If you are interested (or just want to view the pics), read on.....
 
So, it is official….I am an Ironman!  It has been a long and fun journey.  I loved the training even when it was tough.  My amazing triathlon coach, Jenny Garrison, kicked my butt literally this summer and I thought at times she was trying to kill me before I got to race day.  Instead she showed me how strong I am and how much I am capable of.  So, the race was a big celebration and I’m so thankful to all of the people who came out to support me (and those supporting me from a distance)!  It was so awesome to know that so many people were cheering me on.  I hope you enjoy this race report of my journey and the pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/ausimity
 
I forewarn you that this race report is loooong (like an Ironman!).
 
I started the day at 4:00 AM after a solid sleep.  I ate a plate of pancakes, gathered my things, and Keith and I drove into Madison.  We parked a few blocks from race central, Monona Terrace.  I dropped off my special needs bags by the capital knowing I would have access to them at the half way point of the bike and then the run.  Next Keith and I went to the bike transition where I had placed my bike the day before.  I pumped the tires, added my water bottles and placed food into my bento box, and helped others pump tires.  Finally I went into Monona Terrace and added food to my bike transition bag before sitting in the hallway to relax and pass time.  I drank Gatorade, waved at people I knew wishing them luck, and just relaxed.  Then I headed down to the swim start at about 6:15 AM for a last minute port-a-potty stop then into the wetsuit.  About 10 minutes before the start I got into the water.  I stayed close to shore for a while and stood.  A couple of minutes before the start I swam out to the back of the group.  Then the horn and go!  The swim was a fight the whole time for space.  I fared pretty well but went quite slow trying to keep myself from getting panicked as guys swam over me, clobbered me in the head, or grabbed my feet.  I made it around once and felt ok.  The second trip was much better since I had more space.  I think more open water pack swimming will help me improve.  Out of the water I was curious to see what the trip to transition would be like.  I started to get my wetsuit off and then reached a row of shouting volunteers.  I stepped up to two women who pulled the arms off, pulled it down, and then told me to sit.  They each grabbed a leg and pulled.  The wetsuit whipped off. I got up, took my wetsuit from them, and was off running up the parking ramp.  Cheering fans lined the way and I was grinning the whole time.  My masters swim coach, the person who gave me confidence to swim in triathlons, was there and was screaming her head off as I passed by.
 
Into transition I changed out of my swimsuit and put on my bike clothes and helmet.  I ran out of transition feeling great.  I got almost to my bike and realized I forgot my race number.  I had to run all the way to retrieve it.  That took quite a while, at least several minutes.  I ran back into the bike area and a volunteer screamed out my number while another volunteer grabbed my bike sitting lonely on the rack.  Most of the triathletes were out on the bike already.  I ran with my bike to the mount line and rode down to street level.  As soon as I got to street level I realized my Aero bottle was not latched in place.  I stopped and secured the bottle the headed back out.  I must have bumped my bike computer in the process because it quit working.  I didn’t realize it at the time and figured I could ride without it no problem and didn’t want to stop again.  I thought if these are the only problems I have on the bike then I’m golden!  That was the case.  I rode really strong and happy the first loop eating and drinking as much as I could.  I LOVED the spectators.  The steep hills were packed with screaming people.  The second loop started out fine but I could feel myself fading.  Muscles were starting to feel tired and it was getting harder to stomach fluids and foods.  But I held strong thinking of all the people on the course.  I knew my friends and family were out there waiting for me.  The last 30 miles were hard.  I was so ready to get off the bike and started to feel mental doubt creep in.  I made it up the last big hill on the loop and headed back to Madison.  The last 12 miles to Madison were a mental battle knowing that the bike finish line was so close.  Finally I was on John Nolen Drive and could see Monona Terrace and was riding along the lake.  Amazingly the swim course was gone!  All of the buoys had been removed and the
 lake was back to normal.  I rode back up the parking garage drive where a volunteer immediately took my bike.  I was able to walk into Monona Terrace and leave my bike in his hands.  
 
I took my time changing into completely dry, clean clothes and using sanitary wipes to get the bugs off my legs and wipe the salt off my face.  It was refreshing.  I headed out to the run course feeling drained.  It was 4:00 PM at this point and with 26.2 miles to go I knew it would be a challenge.  I ate a Gu and started to run when I hit the timing mat onto the course.  The cheering spectators were encouraging.  I kept my run to a shuffle and was ticking miles off at about 10:00 pace.  I walked at each aid station every mile and tried to take in fluids and food offered.  It was not settling well and soon my jog turned to walk.  I struggled to run 15 seconds, feeling so nauseous and dizzy.  What was frustrating was that my legs and muscles felt so good and strong.  This was a place I’d never been before.  I walked most of the way back to the 13.1 mile turn around.  Right before the turn around my masters swim coach was there.  She completed IM Wisconsin last year and immediately recognized the look on my face.  I was panicked.  I didn’t think that I could go on another 13 miles feeling the way I did.  I thought I might pass out in the road and didn’t know what to do.  My head felt fuzzy, my stomach felt like it wanted to jump out of my throat, and I felt like there was a veil obstructing my vision.  My coach jumped onto the course and wrapped her arms around me and immediately began asking questions about how I was feeling.  She told me the most likely cause of my symptoms was lack of sodium.  I though I’d done well with all of the sports drinks I’d had and didn’t think my sodium would be so low.  She said I needed get the chicken broth they offered on course at the next aid station and start sucking it down.  It wasn’t far to the next station and I did as she said.  I’m not exaggerating when I say it was less than a minute as I was drinking the broth that I immediately felt the change.  Suddenly my head was clear, the nausea gone.  With my head and stomach on board my legs were ready to go!  I began to run and it felt amazing.  Suddenly what had been hazy was sharp and clear.  I was aware of everything around me and I could feel a smile creeping on my face.  My family, prepared to see me dragging myself by them again saw a smiling, running person instead.  I could see the shock on Keith’s face as he registered the change in my body and attitude.  I felt so excited to run!  Dark was coming on as it was about 7:00 PM at that point.  I continued to walk aid stations mostly drinking broth.  I started adding some cola, bananas, and water.  I plugged away not knowing what my pace was except that I felt incredible.  This was the best I’d felt all day.  I ran most of the second half of the marathon.  I’m sure it was slow but I felt like I was cruising and loved running in the cool darkness of the night.  I saw fellow Masters swimmer Frank and we chatted and jogged but I floated by him.  I’d seen two other friends (including amazing Ironman Allison Moe) but they were ahead of me at that point.  I started to feel fatigue creep into my legs in the last few miles but pushed it out of my mind imagining the finish line and my family there waiting.  As I ran into the final stretch, I felt my legs turning over faster and faster as I soaked in the lights, the crowd, the music, and couldn’t wait to fly across the finish line.  I crossed over into the arms of two friendly volunteers who guided me through the finish shoot asking me questions and assessing my physical and mental state.  I got a picture and then was shown where the food and medical tent were.  The first person I saw was Keith grinning over the crowd.  I was so thrilled to see him and showed him the coveted finishers shirt and hat.  I saw the rest of my cheering crew next and felt amazing but knew I needed to get
 through to the food tent.  I went straight in and picked up chips, pizza, and a cookie.  I sat down and tried to eat but that’s when the dizziness set back in.  I got up and went out.  Keith helped me sit on the curb but the world began to spin.  I have passed out before in my life and felt like that might happen again.  I headed to the med tent and talked with the doctors.  They weighed me and I was only 2 lbs down but I was probably retaining a lot of fluid that wasn’t able to soak in.  They let me lay down with my feet up and gave me more broth.  It wasn’t long and I was feeling 10 times better.  It wasn’t too long before I was back out giving me people hugs and thanking them for all of their support.  Kerri, Wayne, and Kayla had a long drive home and had to work in the morning.  It had been a long day for everybody.
 
I changed, ate, and watched some more people finish before Keith and I headed back to the hotel.  Keith had already retrieved my bike and transition bags so we could just leave.  Back at the hotel it was past midnight when I showered and Keith headed out to get me some chicken tacos.  I ate, stretched my back, and then collapsed into bed feeling completely relaxed.  The next day and even today I am sore and fatigued but I’m less sore than after many marathons or even training sessions.  It is still unreal that I did it because it seemed so impossible!  But with the amazing support of all of my family, co-workers, friends, and especially Keith I did it!  I loved it and it felt amazing to overcome the hard points and battle to the finish.
 
So this is more like a short story than anything, but I left a lot of stuff out as well.  I hope that you enjoyed it and take a look at the pics.  I tried to photo document as best as I could so I could share as much of the experience as possible.  I just love triathlon and am sad the tri season is over.  So now it is time to find the next goal after a nice recovery period.  Perhaps a marathon this winter.  If nothing else, I’ll look forward to the Turkey Trot, Reindeer Run, and other fun events that I enjoy each year.  Also I can’t wait for the 2009 Chicago Marathon where I’ll cheer on many fellow athletes.  Let me know if you are running, and I’ll look for you on the course!  And to answer the question I know you’re asking, yes, I will do another Ironman one day.  Want to join me?
 
Amy Halsall

9/15/2009

Free BBQ for all riders at the Fall Fling Road Race- please pre-register!

        As we’ve mentioned, the stage two road race of the ABD Fall Fling is on an all-new course in Crete, Illinois and we’re pleased to announce that not only is Tuckaway Golf Course providing their locker rooms for all riders to use but lunch for ALL riders will be on us! Our hosts at Tuckaway will be cooking up burgers, brats, polish sausages, potato salad and baked beans for everyone with a race number.

        Since we need to give them a heads-up on how many people we’re feeding it would be a huge help if riders would please pre-register for the event. You can either mail it in by the end of this week (Sept. 20) or register online by next Wednesday (Sept. 23).

Thanks!

9/14/2009

Who the ABD Cycle Club Is and the Rising Cost of Racing

Recently both Tower Racing and the Chicago Cross Cup posted information discussing the rising cost of organizing bicycle races and where your entry fee money goes. We sympathize with both of them as the rising costs are always something that we here at ABD struggle with. After the economy headed south last year we’ve had to reduce (or remove) some prize lists and raise some entry fees- and both are very difficult decisions for us. As a grassroots race organizer the riders are always our biggest concern and that includes making racing affordable and giving out decent prizes. We exchanged e-mails with some of your after we had to drop our cash prize lists from the Indoor Time Trial Series this year and wanted to take the opportunity to share that information with the race community at large as well provide some background on who the ABD club is.

First and foremost, ABD is a bike racing club because every one of our members love this sport. We grew out of the Athletes By Design coaching firm founded in 1992 to a cycling club of over 200 people. Our mission is to help riders of all ages and abilities meet their cycling goals; and to promote the sport of competitive cycling and make it easily accessible to newcomers. In particular we want to support young men and women who aspire to be professionals. Since ABD was founded in 1998 we have sent 12 men and women to the pro ranks. Our hope is that through a network of experienced riders, regular training rides, and coaching- all of our members have the ability to learn from and encourage one other. We support our Elite men and women by helping them with the expenses of racing: including arranging sponsorship for equipment and helping with entry fees and travel expenses whenever possible.

The financial support for all of ABD's endeavors and rider support comes from our events, which are almost entirely run by the volunteers of the ABD club. Most sponsorship money we receive is for our events and we apply it directly to the prize lists and expenses, then any funds that are left over go towards supporting riders. Like many organizations this has been a very difficult year for sponsorship and donations, but we are doing our best to keep entry fees low, offer good prize lists and run safe, fun, accessible events.

Over the years we’ve also reduced the number of events that we organize as more clubs are stepping up to run fantastic races- which is great! The original reason that we held our Masters And Juniors Only Race Series (MaJORS) was so that those categories had more opportunities to race close to home, but we end up putting on 22 races a year! That probably made us look a bit like an event production company, but the only reason we did it was so that those riders could race their bikes more. We’re pleased to see more clubs organizing races and including these categories.

We’ve heard the occasional rumble that our events must be “cash cows” for us, but as most people who organize races know, this sport is anything but a cash cow. Organizing races is increasingly expensive and with a drop in sponsorship this year we unfortunately had to raise entry fees and trim prize lists. We’ll use our Indoor Time Trial Series as an example:

  • The average attendance of each race might be 185 riders per event, but it takes at least 40 volunteers to run each event, many of whom put in over 6 hour shifts and they deservedly race for free.
  • Computrainers cost around $1500 each and we replace between four and six every year to try and insure they are competition ready. We have to buy them from Racermate just like anyone else, and although we sell used ones we still always lose money.
  • The school charges $2500 to rent the space. (We’ve endlessly looked for cheaper but can't find anything. The Wheaton Park District and High School fees had risen to $4500!)
  • Insurance and officials for five events cost $4,500. The officials fees are ridiculously low, but insurance has jumped.
  • Renting the big screens cost $800 for four events.
  • The computers to run the stations cost $300 each (hopefully the ones we have now will last awhile).
  • The two "hubs" that are dependable enough for a day-long event and can accommodate 8 Computrainers cost over $200 each.
  • Lunch for volunteers is $150 an event and if we do chili on the final day it costs ~$500.
  • Port-a-potties for Maple Park cost $400.
The list goes on, and you can see why it would be impossible for us to accomplish what we can without the outstanding ABD Volunteer Army.

Our events are one of the best ways for us to accomplish two of our goals at once: promoting the sport of cycling and supporting athletes- so they are something we want to do and that we have to do. Without our events we wouldn’t be able to help develop the pros of tomorrow. If a sponsor (or sponsors) came along that wanted to fund our activities and our riders then we would re-evaluate what events we continued to run. (If you happen to be that sponsor please contact us at abdcycling <at> gmail.com!)

So, to wrap up: who is ABD? We’re just like most of you- a group of bike riders that likes to race. When we started out 10 years ago we put on the Indoor TT Series and The Winfield Criteriums. However, the calendar was a little bare so we started organizing races. Whenever you see one of our jerseys out there (including our Elite team riders), it’s someone that helps run our events—from coordinating to course marshaling. Our goals will always be to promote the sport, support young athletes and help all riders meet their goals.

Looking forward to seeing you on the road.

Help Us Out With Our Road Race & Receive a FREE Race Entry & Lunch!

The second stage of the ABD Fall Fling is on an all-new road race course in Crete, Illinois and we need your help!

Since this is our first time using this course we want to make sure that we have all the bases covered (plus some extras), and we are offering a FREE ABD Race entry voucher and lunch to anyone who can help out for a 3-hour shift.

The voucher is good for any 2009 ABD event, including the 10/3 or 10/4 Fall Fling events, the 10/25 Cyclocross race or any 2010 ABD event. If you’re able to help out all day then you’ll receive two vouchers. They are also completely transferrable to friends, teammates or family members (use it as a stocking stuffer)! You will receive your voucher(s) when you sign-out after your shift or we can mail them to you after the event.

Tuckaway Golf Course will be serving up BBQ that day and all volunteers will also receive a free lunch.

If you’d like to help out please send an e-mail to abdvols gmail.com and indicate if you’d like to help out for the morning shift (8:30 to 11:30), the afternoon shift (11:15 to 2:15) or all day.

(PLEASE NOTE that if you are racing in the afternoon and want to help out in the morning that we will position you as close to the start/finish as possible but you might not have a lot of warm-up time.)

9/09/2009

ABD Columbus Day Weekend Ride Registration Due this Week!

We have reserved a block of rooms at the Clock Tower Resort, Rockford, Illinois,for Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11.
The main event is a Sunday Ride, October 11, in north-central Illinois/south-central Wisconsin. Registration includes lodging at the Resort, continental breakfast (Sunday and Monday) and a club picnic/cook-out on Saturday.

Registration costs and information below.
www.clocktowerresort.com

Registration is DUE THIS WEEK, based on our need to commit to the Hotel.

Contact Chuck King with questions or for more information.

RIDE OPTIONS
* THE MAIN RIDE Sunday, October 11, ride from and return to the Clock Tower.
Explore north central Illinois and south central Wisconsin on one of the last good Sundays of the cycling season.
* OPTIONAL long ride Saturday, October 10, to Rockford from the Prairie Path shops. The ABD van will carry your bags to the Clock Tower. The ride will begin at the Winfield shop, pick up more riders at the Batavia shop (where the van will pick up more gear) and head out to Rockford. (Distance, about 60 miles from Batavia).
* ANOTHER OPTIONAL long ride Monday, October 12, from Rockford to
Batavia/Winfield, with bag drops at the Batavia and Winfield shops.
** There is no fee for the optional long rides and van service. The pace will be comparable to the Monday night recovery rides. There will be re-fueling stops along the way. Riders should bring some spending money, and your favorite ride fuel.

PARTY
* ABD has rented a hospitality room, where you will be served a continental breakfast (Sunday morning, Monday morning).
* Saturday night potluck and Sunday night cookout in local parks.
* a small fee is added to your room reservation to help with these expenses. All Club members and attending guests must pre-register and pay that fee to participate in the meals.

Check the YahooGroup for full details on registration!

9/08/2009

Prinner Report Posted from Gateway Cup

Jessi Prinner has a great report from her 8th place finish at the first day of the Gateway Cup in her first NRC race!

8/30/2009

Safety Tip: Install a Rear Light

Hi everyone, It's that time of year when it's easy to get caught out
around dusk as we try to sneak in a ride or a workout at the end of
the day.

Do yourself (and your training partners) a favor and install one of
those small, inexpensive rear lights that attach to your seatpost and
can switch between solid or flashing lights. You'll never even realize
it's there until you need it, at which point you should give yourself
a well-deserved pat on the back.

8/25/2009

ABD Columbus Day Weekend Training Ride Details

A huge thanks to ABD Club member Chuck King for organizing this!

ABD has reserved a block of rooms at the Clock Tower Resort, Rockford, Illinois, for Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10. Registration costs and information is below.
www.clocktowerresort.com

RIDE OPTIONS
* the main ride Sunday, October 11, ride from and return to the Clock Tower. Explore north central Illinois and south central Wisconsin on one of the last good Sundays of the cycling season.
* optional long ride Saturday, October 10, to Rockford from the Prairie Path shops. The ABD van will carry your bags to the Clock Tower. The ride will begin at the Winfield shop, pick up more riders at the Batavia shop (where the van will pick up more gear) and head out to Rockford. (Distance, about 60 miles from Batavia).
* another optional long ride Monday, October 12, from Rockford to Batavia/Winfield, with bag drops at the Batavia and Winfield shops.
There is no fee for the optional long rides and van service. The pace will be comparable to the Monday night recovery rides. There will be re-fueling stops along the way. Riders should bring some spending money, and your favorite ride fuel.

PARTY
* ABD has rented a hospitality room, where you will be served a continental breakfast (Sunday morning, Monday morning).
* Saturday night potluck and Sunday night cookout in local parks.
* a small fee is added to your room reservation to help with these expenses. All Club members and attending guests must pre-register and pay that fee to participate in the meals.

ROOMS
The Clock Tower has an indoor water park. One of the lodging options includes 4 passes to the park. This incredible deal makes a great option for those with non-cycling family or significant others.
* Rooms have 2 beds, and cost $101/night (tax included). That cost can be shared by up to 4 persons/room. [Example: a single person not sharing a room will be charged $101/night; 2 people in the room will be charged $50.50 each/night; 4 people, $25.25 each/night]
* A Room + 4 Water Park passes costs $145/night (tax included). [$72.50 each/night for 2; $36.25 each/night for 4]
Rooms have 2 beds, and can be shared by up to 4 persons per room.
ABD is responsible for the cost of the rooms for both nights. No single-night registrations will be accepted without another registration for the other available night.

Additional Charges will be the responsibility of club members:
For example – rollaway bed or crib; Friday night or Monday night stays at the Clock Tower, in-room services (food service, in-room bar/snacks, pay-per-view TV, etc.)

REGISTRATION
Download Information, Instructions, and Registration Form:
http://www.abdcycling.com/members/files/October_REGISTRATION.doc

And don’t forget the “release form” - which you’ll need with your registration:
http://www.abdcycling.com/members/files/ABD_Release.pdf

SEND registration form, check, and release form to Chuck King or one of the Prairie Path Cycles shops.

8/20/2009

ABD Savanna Ride Update

Hi ABD'rs;

Plans are almost finalized.

Here is what were planning so far...

* Total Ride length- to Savanna 125.2 miles
* Total Ride length- to Oregon 75 miles 
* Rests stops TBD (Oregon maybe longer break...or White Pines)
* Lodging- Super 8 (Savanna,Saturday 22nd)
* Support vehicle- Truck w/bike mounts (bike repair)
* Clothing- dry clothes (rain gear, wallet, license,etc.)
* Start location- Trek (Winfield Store)
* Start time- exact TBD (probably near 6:15-6:30am)

Fred Yoder has offered to drive support vehicle to Oregon, so far Brad may ride back to Winfield, but that is not definate. 

So, if anyone is interested in riding one-way trip with him, back to Winfield,....or entire trip, PLEASE CALL ME ASAP.

P.S.- If you want to review route...look at:
MapMyRide.com: Marshall Plan, Savanna, IL

Bob Marshall


8/19/2009

Fling Criterium Course Preview POSTPONED Until 9/2

Tonight's scheduled training ride on the new Fall Fling Criterium
Courses is postponed due to the forecasted thunderstorms.

Mike Farrell will lead the ride at the same time (6 PM) on Wendesday,
September 2nd.

Dunne Report: Downers Grove

Downers Grove report, Sat Masters 4-5, Sunday Cat 5 #2

Where do I get my “I survived Downers Grove” T-shirt?
Saturday was a beautiful day, a bit windy and I was hoping for a top 20 placement in the Full field Masters 4-5 in Downtown Downers Grove.
By the time fellow ABD riders Gary Rulo and the Sarge and I entered the course; we were already lined up at the back of the starting field. Gary’s comment “were going to have to do a little work” rang true. ABD rider Paul Zelewsky. was lined up just down the way from us. Together ABD had a good presence. The usual suspects were also in attendance. Tower, XXX and Bike Heaven all had a strong showing in the field.
As the race started, Gary and I moved up and found Paul and started to make good progress up the field. That is until maybe lap # 4. An accident on the uphill in turn 4 collected both Gary and I. Paul managed to just miss THIS wreck. The Sarge passed us asking is we were OK. Both Gary and got up, assessed our damage and moved to the wheel pit for our free lap. We rejoined the pack and continued to hook up with Paul moving into good position. The race itself was not as fast as I expected. Maybe the wind help keep the group together. During each lap between corner 2 & 3 I could hear the ABD faithful cheering us on. With 3 laps to go, the pace picked up between turn 2 and 3. A few attacks were brought back by the group and I could tell that it was going to be a bunch sprint. Paul, Gary and I had made up positions between the downhill turn 5 & 6. We hung tight just around the top 10 and had very good position coming out of turn 8 heading up the start / finish hill. Then about 20 meters before the start /finish, a rider (do not want to name team) pushed through along the barricade. He forced past me and Gary, by as he passed Gary, he hooked a XXX rider (Rob) and they both flipped into the barricade. You know what happened next, 3, yes 3, ABD riders down at once. Luckily everyone seemed OK. (I did hear the next day that a South Shore Wheelman was hurt, but will recover ). The XXX rider’s bike was broken ½. Seeing this, I feel lucky. I managed to remount and finish the 2 laps, but the damage was done. Bottom line is we had a good race going, we all felt strong for the final 2 laps, but as luck would have it was not our day. I had fun; the skid marks on my body will go away and not much damage done to my bike. Although I did not reach my goal of top 20, I can still make a good story about crashing twice in one race.
        
Sunday Cat 5 #2
More of the same
Lined up 2nd row behind a South Shore Wheelman with fellow ABD rider Jim Lund. Whistle blows and with in 3 seconds I am on the ground again. The guy in front of me falters clipping in and boom, 4 guys ride up my …..back. I replace my chain, remount and chase the field. I manage to catch them around turn 7. I regroup, try and recover and then work on making my way to the front. With 3 laps to go I’m in good position and holding. One lap to go and the front of the field are moving single file through turn 5 & 6. I make a move up to around 5th place between turn 6 & 7. Entering turn 7 faster than any other point of the race, made for some interesting lines through the corner for some riders. The rider to the inside of me bobbled and forced me wider than I wanted making me have to force my way back into the street before that fast approaching outside curb came up and grabbed me. I was pushed back a few spots, but managed to pass a few riders up the finish hill for 8th. .
All in all a fun weekend of racing, Considering my training the last few weeks has included Guinness and only a few days of riding a week, when I was not on the ground, I felt pretty good. I am looking forward to more racing with the Sarge, Gary and Paul.

John Dunne