4/29/2009

JFMTT Preliminary Start Times & Details Posted; 40k TTT Pre-Reg Closes Sunday!

Preliminary Start times for Saturday’s John Fraser Memorial Time Trial are posted.

Please note the following important updates:
  • Registration has moved to the Maple Park Civic Center at 348 Willow Street in Maple Park, IL. This is a NEW location for registration.
  • The first rider will be off at 8:01 a.m. We’re all going to be in Maple Park pretty early so please be respectful of our hosts.
  • The course will be 8 miles with 1-turnaround
  • Please park on the South side of the tracks (near registration). Parking near the start/finish is reserved for officials and volunteers.
  • Day of race registration will be available for start times beginning at 10:14 a.m.
  • Full Details, a course map and a parking map are available at www.ABDcycling.com
Pre-registration for the MATTS Two Person 40k Team Time Trial closes this Sunday, May 3rd at midnight! We will have a drop-box for registrations at this Saturday’s event. Please remember that all registrations must include payment (and waiver, if possible) for both members of the team!

Go to www.ABDcycling.com for flyers & registration information for the following upcoming ABD events:

  • May 9th: ABD 40k Two Person Time Trial

  • May 23rd, 24th & 25th: Memorial Day Weekend Masters Races & Beginner’s Race Clinic on 5/25

  • June 6th & 7th: Winfield Twilight Criterium & ABR National Championship

4/27/2009

Start of the PPC-Winfield Monday Night Rides Postponed Due to Weather

We had to hoped to start the ABD Monday Night “Recovery Rides” from Prairie Path Cycles-Winfield this evening, but due to the weather we’re postponing the official start until next Monday, May 4th.

The Monday Night ride is a moderate, "non-competitive", group ride that averages 16-18mph. All riders are required to obey all traffic laws and right in a tight formation. Cancellations due to weather are posted at abdcycling.blogspot.com and twitter.com/abdcycling.

4/22/2009

ABD Wednesday Night Rides at PPC-Batavia Kick-Off

Tonight marks the official opening of this season’s Wednesday night rides from Prairie Path Cycles-Batavia. The rides are lead by PPC Owner, ABD Prez and ABD Coach Mike Farrell.

The rides leave the store at 6 p.m. and are open to all. It is a fast, non-competitive group ride (i.e. no attacks allowed!) that averages between 18-22mph. The first couple rides will be spent working on pace-line and group riding skills as riders on this ride are required to always maintain a SAFE, tight 2x2 or single-file formation.

For more questions call Mike at the PPC Batavia store at 630-406-9749

4/15/2009

Details Are Posted & Registration Is Open for JFMTT, MATTS 40k TTT, Masters & Win Crit Weekends!

Flyers are posted and registration is open for all of the ABD Cycling through the ABR National Championship Criterium on June 7th!
Head on over to www.ABDcycling.com or hit the links below for full details:

May 2nd: John Fraser Memorial Time Trial
Full Details on this Reshceduled Event
Flyer
Online Registration

May 9th: ABD 40k Two Person Time Trial
Flyer
Online Registration

May 23rd, 24th & 25th: Memorial Day Weekend Masters Races & Beginner’s Race Clinic on 5/25
Flyer
Online Registration

June 6th & 7th: Winfield Twilight Criterium & ABR National Championship
Flyer
Online Registration

4/14/2009

Prinner Report: Hillsboro Roubaix

Hey Team,
                I’m sure most of you tuned in yesterday to watch a very eventful Paris-Roubaix unfold, even though I’m still a little bummed they never show a women’s Paris-Roubaix.  I’m sure women racers have just as much, if not more, enthusiasm about racing those cobbles as the men.  I know I was envious.  I just hope that one day maybe I’ll get the chance to race on one of those cobble stretches with an impossibly long and unpronounceable name, strewn with crazy spectators that make obstacles of themselves.  For now, though, I’ll just have to settle for the bastard son of the Queen of the Classics; Hillsboro-Roubaix.
                With this having been my fourth year of racing the grueling Hillsboro road race, I was surprised at how familiar I was with it.  I could even point out the exact spot along the side of the road that, four years prior, I literally stopped mid-race and lay in a ditch.  Better yet, my mom (who was also racing that day) eventually found me sprawled along the road and even stopped to give me a massage.  Believe it or not, I actually got 13th place that year in the cat 4s. 
                But looking back on that pitiful day, I realize that I have come a long way, and I finally see how ridiculous I must have looked laying by the side of the road.  I hope that most people have erased that from their minds by now.  I can’t have Webcor or Colavita knowing about this.  Quick roadside breaks are not exactly smiled upon in Paris-Roubaix, and worse yet, there’s a slight chance my mom might not be there to give me a massage.
                Anyway, I felt confident as I lined up for the Roubaix once again.  The course consisted of two 22-mile laps with a tough course mixed with nasty little bumps (as Sarah Tillotson once called them) and long, blustery stretches of road with no shelter from the wind.  The final mile to the finish is a loop around the downtown area that takes you up a long, killer hill that leads into town (actually I think the only reason it seems so bad is because it’s at the very end) followed by a sharp turn and a fast descent onto…drum roll…THE COBBLES.  I wish I could say Hillsboro contained 37 miles of cobbles like Paris-Roubaix, but I think it’s more like 0.37 miles.  It’s just enough to make you realize that cobbles really aren’t that much fun.  Just a tip: they look a LOT smoother than they really are.
                Well, the race began and I made sure to situate myself in a decent position in the top fourth of the field.  I figured I would have some time to get settled in before any major attacks came, but apparently the field thought otherwise.  Rebecca Much (a Webcor Pro) sat in second position from the gun, using her unique ability to smell attacks and knowing that the winning move was just around the corner.  We were not more than three miles into the race when the attack came on only the second hill of the day, and the field shattered instantly.  A break of three ladies formed (including Rebecca, Catherine Walberg, and Sydney Brown), setting a record from the year before of the earliest successful break I have ever seen.  Three other ladies and I formed the chase group.  Indeed, this year the field was far more intense than the year before.  Not only was it bigger, but the teams more vast and some of the big guns had come out to claim the prize of a stipend for free racing and lodging for Nature-Valley.  There weren’t just cat 1’s in the field this year; there were Pros.
                Since the break was not so far up the road (just a few hundred yards), I assumed we would reel them in in no time.  15 miles later, the three ladies were still just a tantalizing distance away.  There is a possibility they could have been playing with us as a cruel joke.  And just when I was starting to convince myself they were just a hallucination, the gap closed and we finally joined the front riders.
                With my sharply honed senses, I could tell some of the ladies were getting tired.  My first clue was after turning a corner when one lady hit the apex and made a straight, unwavering bee-line into the ditch.  I battled internally on whether or not this was intentional.  I, too, might have done the same thing four years ago.  It was to no one’s surprise that she got dropped at the beginning of the second lap; I didn’t even see her go, she was just there one instant and gone the next.  Perhaps a spectator can recount seeing a cat 1,2,3 lady laying by the side of the road, and maybe even stopped to give her a massage.
                Once again we set off into the backroads rotating in our neat little paceline for one last 22 mile loop.  We made good time at a pace of a little over 21 mph, especially considering the killer winds, which in some places seemed to be coming at us in all directions except from behind.   The field was nowhere in sight, and a lady wearing all pink got a flat tire. 
                So coming into the final downtown mile there were only five little Indians left; the survivors on a long and treacherous journey over the Roubaix.  The decisive attack came on the final long uphill when Rebecca Much exploded past the pace car (which got caught behind some other finishing riders) and gapped us as if we were standing still.  My legs were shot from the many hard miles of racing, and I was instantly separated from the other ladies, and forced to finish in a grueling solo to fifth place.  I was still pleased as punch that I managed to not only hang with, but work alongside the top riders in the region, not to mention racing and actually competing against a seasoned pro racer like Rebecca Much. 
That definitely gives me incentive to train hard and race even harder to reach my goals this year.  That includes making the junior national team and qualifying for Junior Worlds that will be held in Moscow, Russia in August.  My first test in going to be in late May at the Junior World Trials in Nashville, Tennessee (Jenny Busch, I know you will be happy about this).  If I manage to qualify, I’ll see if I can get away with wearing my ABD booties with my Team USA kit at Worlds.
Until my next adventure,
-Jessi

4/10/2009

Prinner Report: Kenosha & Beloit

Hey Team,
It’s definitely about time I started with the rider reports again since I’ve finally got something to talk about (let’s face it, nobody really wants to hear a report on the indoor TTs.  This is about the time of year that we all just prefer to forget about them). 
                My first race of the year brought me out to Kenosha to race on one of the widest, flattest courses I’ve ever seen in my life.  Not to mention one of the windiest.  And it didn’t help much that there was an airport next door, and a little ways from that a giant, smoke-belching factory of some sort.  I was a bit tentative at first seeing this; not sure whether I would come home with some sort of a mutation.  An extra leg wouldn’t hurt, really.  Anyway, I didn’t come to Kenosha to race with the women, as most would have assumed, but instead my first race of the season was with the cat. 1,2 men.  I thought it would be a good omen.  Actually it was more just for training purposes, because you can’t really go any higher than the men’s 1,2 field.  Well, I was definitely excited and ready to go out and kick some butt after a long, dull winter in the trainer (my rollers were out of commission for a while.  I trained so hard that I snapped them right in half.  If you ask Farrell he’ll say the molding was defective, but I like to think otherwise).  Plus, I just received my brand new ABR license, even though I was a little bummed it didn’t rank me as Super Galactic Professional like I had asked.  Oh well, maybe next year. 
                So the men’s 1,2 race began with a meager field of about 25 guys on the line (I was really hoping for a Superweek turnout of at least 120), but I still got my workout by sitting in and practiced basic pack-racing skills like moving up, holding my line through turns, fending off riders to keep my position and blowing snot on the rider behind me.  Since a decent sized breakaway had gotten away early on in the race, I figured going for the win was futile, and besides that the wind was really a monster and nobody’s bridging attempts were making it very far.  Rob Jungals attacked and stayed away to the finish on the last lap, while I attempted to secure a good position for the field sprint.  I somehow went from third rider with half a lap to being boxed in at the back by the last straightaway, so I counted it as a pack finish.  I was pretty pleased, though, with my first performance of the year, and I didn’t go home with an extra arm sticking out of my head from that scary factory.
                The next weekend I showed up at Beloit with only one desire in my mind as I stepped out of the car—to go home.  For some reason I had it in my mind the day before that it was going to be sunny and beautiful up at the crit/speedway, even though people were telling me left and right that it was going to miserable and possibly even snow.  So when I arrived at the race the following weekend, I was actually surprised to find that it was really, really cold.  And windy.  And believe it or not, the course was even wider and flatter than Kenosha, seeing as though it was actually a racecar course.
                I was even more surprised to find that about 12 women had actually decided to show up.  Did they, too, share the same mental delusion as me?  My own teammate, Sue, should have known better than this.  She pretty much all but writes a research paper on every race she does.  In fact, I wouldn’t doubt the odds of her knowing the ground temperature as well as the atmospheric pressure that day.  The day before she had been wisely hesitant about going, but I coaxed her with super slick words and convinced her to suffer with me anyway.
                So my original race strategy had been to wait until about halfway through the race to attack since it was 55 minutes long, and I figured that way I would conserve my own energy as well as whittle down the field’s.  Well, it sure sounded like a good plan, but in reality I attacked on the first lap, sending my race strategy right out the window.   Immediately a group of about five ladies formed and we worked together trading off pulls, steadily increasing our gap from the field.  That’s pretty much all we did for 55 minutes.  I decided not to attack since one of the riders was Kristen Wentworth, a super strong lady on Kenda Tire who is known for being a powerhouse.  To attack her would be like me trying to wrestle a grizzly bear.  Absolutely pointless.  So I put my money on the final sprint, hoping she wasn’t amazing at that, too.  The final lap arrived and Wentworth tried a beast of an attack, but I managed to catch her before any large distance was put between us.  For the remainder of the lap I sat on her wheel and then began my sprint way too early and suffered all the way to the finish line.  But I still won.  And I got two waterbottles and a baselayer long-sleeve out of it.  Hallelujah. 
                ‘Till next time,
-Jessi

John Fraser Memorial TT Update: Racing is on May 2nd!

Hello riders,

Thank you for your patience and understanding regarding the reschedule of last Sunday's John Fraser Memorial Time Trial. Although the weather moved in later than expected, with the wind and cold temperatures we'd have needed crowbars to pry fingers from the handlebars of those riders that weren't whisked away to Oz. We now have all the paperwork reshuffled and the event is officially rescheduled for Saturday, May 2nd. Download the new flyer here

IMPORTANT DETAILS:
- All registrations from the April 5th event will be rolled into the May 2nd event. (This includes second and third rides of the day)

- Start order will be roughly the same as what was originally posted, but the first rider will now be off at 8:01 AM and we are running at 30 second intervals.

- The new start time and shorter intervals mean all riders will start between 8AM and 11:30AM. If you are riding twice we will make adjustments so that you have one hour between starts.

- Road conditions appear to be worsening daily on McNulty Rd (The first turnaround section) and although we are going to get it as clean as possible for the 2nd, rain showers and farming over the next few weeks may trump our efforts. If the road is unsafe we will use the 8-mile course with one turnaround. The official course announcement will be made at least one week before the event.

- We will be re-opening registration for any riders that didn't get in the first time. Both mail and Active.com registration will be re-opened this weekend through April 26th.

- We will gladly provide any registered participant who cannot make the May 2nd event a credit towards any or our 11 upcoming 2009 ABD events.
5/9/09 - MATTS 40k Two Person TTT
5/23, 5/24 & 5/25 - Memorial Day Weekend Masters Races
6/6/09 - Winfield Twilight Criterium
6/7/09 - ABR National Championship Criterium
9/26/09 - ABD Fall Fling TT
9/27/09 - Fall Fling Crit #1
10/3/09 - Fall Fling Road Race
10/4/09 - Fall Fling Crit #2
10/25/09 - Sunrise Park Cyclocross

Please e-mail us at abdcycling <at> gmail <dot> com if you cannot make the May 2nd event and know which future one you’d like to do, or you can provide us with an address and we will send you an entry voucher that is transferrable to friends, family or teammates for any 2009 ABD event.

4/07/2009

ABD Update: 4.8.09

In this edition:
- John Fraser Memorial TT Reschedule
- Weekend Race Reports: Carter & Crane Score Wins, Prinner & Schroetlin Grab Podium Spots
- Upcoming ABD Rides, Workouts, Meetings & Events

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John Fraser Memorial TT Reschedule

As everyone knows by now(hopefully), we had to call off Sunday's John Fraser Memorial TT. Granted, the storm came in a little later than we expected, but it was just too risky to put our volunteers and competitors out in that cold and wind with imminent precipitation. Thus far all the feedback we've received from competitors has been very positive regarding the decision.

The plan now is to hold the event on Saturday, May 2nd. It's the only date before July that's open on the ABR and USAC calendars that also works with the Village. We are also thinking of running the riders at 30 second intervals to allow for a quicker day (shorter volunteer shifts, shorter impact on the town) that will allow us to take on more riders who might want to race. One thing we know for sure is that we'd need a few more hands on deck to help monitor the first turn as well the "T" intersection before the first turnaround, but again, the shifts will only be about one hour and 45 minutes compared to two and a half hours.

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Weekend Race Reports: Carter & Crane Score Wins, Prinner & Schroetlin Grab Podium Spots

Josh Carter scored a solid victory on Sunday at the Tilles Park Criterium near St. Louis. He and teammate Jeff Schroetlin outlasted relentless attacks from Steve Tilford and his Trek Store team. Steve has a pretty good write-up over at his blog.

        On Saturday several ABD'ers made the trek down to the 8th Annual Hillsboro Roubaix road race- one of the best road races we have in the state. Hanging out in the feed zone I got to cheer on Jay Corgiat, Jason Addante, Mike Vail, Sue Semaszczuk, Terry Cerwin, Jessi Prinner, Chris Karsten, Steve & Joshua Crane and the Cat 1/2 guys: Carter, Schroetlin, Meyers, Freund & Al Reyes. 
        Joshua Crane scored a big win on the day in the Juniors <15 class. His race started out fast and they never let up!
        In the Women's 1/2/3 race Jessi Prinner stayed with leaders all day until the final climb when World Championship Silver medalist Rebacca Much attacked to break apart the group. Jessi finished a very respectable 5th against tough competition. 
        In the Men's 1/2 event the team rode well to make all the major moves and on the final lap Jeff Schroetlin made it into the winning break of 8 riders. Former pro and 3-time Hillsboro bridesmaid Brian Jensson shattered the group and soloed in for the win with Jeff coming across 4th and still a minute up on a charging field. It's an excellent early season showing for Jeff and one of the team's best Hillsboro results.

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Upcoming ABD Rides, Workouts, Meetings & Events for April
I confess there's been a dizzying amount of emails going out about ABD happenings so here's a cheat sheet:

Tuesday, 4/7, 6:30PM- Pack-Riding, Racing & Training Talk (PPC-Winfield)

Friday, 4/10, 6:30PM- Memorial Day Weekend Masters Race Committee Meeting (PPC-Winfield). This will be a quick meeting just to touch base.

Saturday, 4/11- Training Rides: 4 hours & 2 hours long. 4 hour ride departs PPC-Winfield at 11AM and picks up the 2 hour ride at PPC-Batavia at Noon. Rides will be moderately paced (17mph to 22mph).

Sunday, 4/12- Easter Ride with the Prez. Stay tuned for details

Monday, 4/12, 7PM- ABD Multisport Meeting w/Greg Grunner (PPC-Winfield)

Tuesday, 4/13, 6:30PM- Skills & Drills. Weather permitting. (PPC-Winfield)

Thursday-Sunday, 4/16-4/19, ABD Club Training Camp (Bloomington, IN)

4/06/2009

ABD Multisport Meeting on Monday, 4/13 at Prairie Path Cycles-Winfield

We're holding a "meet & greet" with USAT Coach and Wheaton resident Greg Grunner next Monday evening at 7PM in Prairie Path Cycles Winfield store. We'd like to have as many of our tri-, du-, multi- and multi-curious athletes in attendance as possible to touch base about what events people have in their sights this season.

Greg will be giving an encore of his recent presentation to Batavia triathlon participants:
"Effective Training for the Time-Limited Triathlete: Smart Training Strategies, and the Benefits of High-Quality Coaching."
Plus, a few triathlon racing & training tricks, and everything you ever wanted to know about swimming efficiently, biking fast, and running strong, but were afraid to ask."

Greg is also interested in hosting weekly workouts (bike and run) from PPC along with ABD'er Bob Marshall's workouts.

The presentation is free and open to the public. Please send an rsvp to abdcycling@gmail.com to let us know if you'll be attending.

Memorial Day Masters Weekend Race Flyer is Posted

Direct link here or Just go to “Events” in the menu at www.ADBcycling.com

4/04/2009

John Fraser Memorial TT POSTPONED

Attention riders: for the health and safety of our participants and
volunteers the John Fraser Memorial Time Trial has been postponed.

The event is tentatively rescheduled for Saturday, May 2nd and we will
confirm this date by next Friday. This looks to be the next date that
is open on the various race calendars and works for the Village of
Maple Park.

Thank you very much for your understanding and we look forward to
seeing you in four weeks.

Please forward this note to your friends and teammates.

The ABD Cycle Club

sent from handheld

4/02/2009

John Fraser Memorial Start Times are Posted; Upcoming ABD Events

Preliminary Start Times are posted at www.ABDcycling.com for the final round of the 2009 ABD Time Trial Series. Almost 300 riders are registered for this Sunday's event in Maple Park, Illinois.

On-site check in opens at 7:30 AM in the basement of the American Legion at 203 Main Street in Maple Park. PLEASE OBEY ALL PARKING, TRAFFIC AND DECENCY LAWS IN MAPLE PARK! We are very grateful to have this course and ask that you respect our hosts.

Support the local community by stopping by the Fire Department's Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser between 7AM and 12PM. Just $6 for adults and $3 for kids gets you all the pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee you can eat and drink!

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Mark Your Calendars! ABD is hosting six events in the next two months and full details and registration info will be available this weekend!
(The Memorial Day Masters Weekend Flyer is already available via “Events” in the menu bar @ ABDcycling.com)

May 9: MATTS 40k Two Person TTT
May 23, 24 & 25: Memorial Day Weekend Masters Races
6/6/09: Winfield Twilight Criterium
6/7/09: ABR National Championship Criterium

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Wondering how much faster you could go on a dedicated TT rig? Prairie Path Cycles is one of ABD’s biggest supporters and is now offering rentals of TT and Road bikes at their Batavia location.

Full details are available at: http://prairiepathcycles.com/page.cfm?pageID=147 or contact Mike or Joe at 630-406-9749 for more information.

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ABD Equipment Blow-Out!

We have ONE lab-tested Computrainer, a handful of Blackburn stationary trainers and just three ABD 2008 LeMond Triomphe Ultimate team frames and Dura Ace gruppos left for sale. All the products and prices are available at:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pD2UGnLl-8p8ZenpQkiXzXw&gid=2

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ABD is proud to have the support of:
Prairie Path Cycles
Trek
Serfas
Bontrager
PowerBar