Mix1 Master's Cycling Team sponsor Rockstar Games is the presenting sponsor of this summers 37th Annual Harlem Crit. They have been a great sponsor for us and it is cool to see them stepping up elsewhere. Thanks Rockstar and check out the Velonews story in the link:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/05/industry-news/rockstar-games-presents-37th-annual-harlem-cycling-classic_119349
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Hugo Road Race & 1st Win Of The Year
This past Saturday was the Hugo RR, a spring classic. It is located in Hugo, CO, where I doubt anyone reading this who is not a bike racer has ever been. The race is one big loop, about 80 miles long, and every group from newbie, to pro, all does one 80 mile lap. This year the boys were in for a treat and the wind was blowing at constantly 30 MPH all day long, with gusts over 50. The wind was blowing"up" the course, so the way out was hard, the cross winds were brutal, and the last 20 miles were all "hero" tail wind (where everyone feel like a hero). It was a banner day for the boys at Jeff won the 45 Plus race and Matt G. took 2nd in the 35 Plus race.
Here are race reports from Pete L. and Jeff O.
Pete L: once we had two teammates in the break of the day (Jim T. made the initial move and Matt G. bridged up with a Vic's riders who insisted on getting to the break), it was a matter of waiting and watching the other heavy hitters and being prepared to battle it out in the crosswind section. Sure enough, once we headed west with a full on crosswind, the second selection was made. In it were three Rios, one Excel (Bob D), one Skins (Todd R), two Mix1s (Segur and Pete L.). Todd was the first to pop. Pete couldn't find that extra gear and was the second to pop. That left five of which Matt had a free ride as he was protecting his two teammates in the break up the road.
Back at the front of the race the break had blow apart from 8 guys down to 4, but both Mix1 riders made it. Jim lost the wheels in viscous cross wind, and the other 3 riders in the break staid together until the line. One Rio rider caught and passed the break to take the solo win (Byron Nix), which was almost unfair as these guys had been away for nearly 70 miles. Not one to worry about fair, Matt G. manhandled the sprint and took out a great 2nd place. Matt S. broke free from the second chase pack and soloed in for 5th place.
Behind the leading group Pete got detached from the 2nd chase pack, but he settled in to his own pace driving forward when a group of six came up to him which included a teammate, Marcel. After leaving the crosswind section, this group headed north. After several miles of being together, Pete set off on his own with the help of the strong tailwind. He was joined by one other racer from Green Mountain just before turning east back into the crosswind. They worked together the entire way maintaining a gap to the group behind. After leaving this final crosswind section it would be a final 15 miles of 30+ mph tailwind to the finish. However, making this final turn, Pete found himself alone as the GM rider was blown. What to do? With head down and shifting into his 11 sprocket, Pete did a 15 mile time trial speeding along at 38 mph to hold off the riders behind and finishing 9th. Happily, as Marcel was protecting his teammate Pete, Marcel was able to conserve and finish in 11th place. Jim T. hung tough after a long, long day in the saddle and scored solid 15th place after going Jens Voigt in the break and manning up.
Jeff's 45 Plus race report: today the 45+ers snagged the team’s first road race win of the season as Jeff O. beat Michael Williams in a two up sprint after a laborious three hours and forty-five minutes of racing. Jeff and Michael managed to slip the field in the town of Karval's crosswinds (circa mile 35-40) leaving last week’s Deer Trail winner and former state crit champion Derrick Nichol behind. Once free, their gap continued to grow throughout the race. With that knowledge, Jeff settled into a rhythm that would keep the break free, but leave him something for the finale while Michael drove the two man break incessantly like the time trialing machine that he is. With about 20 miles to go, the tables turned as Michael started to feel the effects of his extra efforts and Jeff put in the longer pulls. With 2K to go, the duo agreed to a two up drag races print with Jeff taking the honors.
Meanwhile, back in the chase….Kevin hung the longest before falling off the pace. Although Matt V couldn’t stick with the chase group, a strong steady ride netted him the team’s next best placing at 9th. I think our 3rd rider across the line took 16th but I can’t remember who it was. Another good day at the races. The team rode strong and Mix 1 had a good presence at the front of the bike race whenever it mattered, with different riders alternating marking the moves. Although everyone was present and strong at the front (Peter, Kevin, Matt, and Henrik), Bill S deserves another tip of the hat. On several occasions when I was unable to get out of the crosswinds while marking the front, Bill recognized my dilemma and would move forward and sit on the windward side of me. Small things that go a long way. I am looking forward to those first few miles of the Mike Horgan and Mt Evans HC’s when I can return the favors by keeping our climbers in position to do their thing.
Here are race reports from Pete L. and Jeff O.
Pete L: once we had two teammates in the break of the day (Jim T. made the initial move and Matt G. bridged up with a Vic's riders who insisted on getting to the break), it was a matter of waiting and watching the other heavy hitters and being prepared to battle it out in the crosswind section. Sure enough, once we headed west with a full on crosswind, the second selection was made. In it were three Rios, one Excel (Bob D), one Skins (Todd R), two Mix1s (Segur and Pete L.). Todd was the first to pop. Pete couldn't find that extra gear and was the second to pop. That left five of which Matt had a free ride as he was protecting his two teammates in the break up the road.
Back at the front of the race the break had blow apart from 8 guys down to 4, but both Mix1 riders made it. Jim lost the wheels in viscous cross wind, and the other 3 riders in the break staid together until the line. One Rio rider caught and passed the break to take the solo win (Byron Nix), which was almost unfair as these guys had been away for nearly 70 miles. Not one to worry about fair, Matt G. manhandled the sprint and took out a great 2nd place. Matt S. broke free from the second chase pack and soloed in for 5th place.
Behind the leading group Pete got detached from the 2nd chase pack, but he settled in to his own pace driving forward when a group of six came up to him which included a teammate, Marcel. After leaving the crosswind section, this group headed north. After several miles of being together, Pete set off on his own with the help of the strong tailwind. He was joined by one other racer from Green Mountain just before turning east back into the crosswind. They worked together the entire way maintaining a gap to the group behind. After leaving this final crosswind section it would be a final 15 miles of 30+ mph tailwind to the finish. However, making this final turn, Pete found himself alone as the GM rider was blown. What to do? With head down and shifting into his 11 sprocket, Pete did a 15 mile time trial speeding along at 38 mph to hold off the riders behind and finishing 9th. Happily, as Marcel was protecting his teammate Pete, Marcel was able to conserve and finish in 11th place. Jim T. hung tough after a long, long day in the saddle and scored solid 15th place after going Jens Voigt in the break and manning up.
Jeff's 45 Plus race report: today the 45+ers snagged the team’s first road race win of the season as Jeff O. beat Michael Williams in a two up sprint after a laborious three hours and forty-five minutes of racing. Jeff and Michael managed to slip the field in the town of Karval's crosswinds (circa mile 35-40) leaving last week’s Deer Trail winner and former state crit champion Derrick Nichol behind. Once free, their gap continued to grow throughout the race. With that knowledge, Jeff settled into a rhythm that would keep the break free, but leave him something for the finale while Michael drove the two man break incessantly like the time trialing machine that he is. With about 20 miles to go, the tables turned as Michael started to feel the effects of his extra efforts and Jeff put in the longer pulls. With 2K to go, the duo agreed to a two up drag races print with Jeff taking the honors.
Meanwhile, back in the chase….Kevin hung the longest before falling off the pace. Although Matt V couldn’t stick with the chase group, a strong steady ride netted him the team’s next best placing at 9th. I think our 3rd rider across the line took 16th but I can’t remember who it was. Another good day at the races. The team rode strong and Mix 1 had a good presence at the front of the bike race whenever it mattered, with different riders alternating marking the moves. Although everyone was present and strong at the front (Peter, Kevin, Matt, and Henrik), Bill S deserves another tip of the hat. On several occasions when I was unable to get out of the crosswinds while marking the front, Bill recognized my dilemma and would move forward and sit on the windward side of me. Small things that go a long way. I am looking forward to those first few miles of the Mike Horgan and Mt Evans HC’s when I can return the favors by keeping our climbers in position to do their thing.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Deer Trail Road Race
Deer Trail has become a classic spring road race for Colorado. It is held in the small town of Deer Trail, about an hour east of Denver. The race usually offers lots of small hills and massive amounts of wind. This year edition was no different and as much as it was sunny and warmer, the winds were still howling. Both the 35's and 45 plus guys brought large squads to the race and had high expectations.
The 35 Plus race is held on a longer course and on the way out of town there was a lot of nervous energy in the cross winds. The team rode at the front and covered all the moves, with our big diesel LT doing a lot of work. Nothing really happened until the feed hill and then it was like someone detonated a bomb in the field. The race blew apart on the feed hill into 5 different groups, thanks to the massive cross wind, and the winning break of 8 went at that point. Cagey veteran Josh was the only team member to make the break. Back in the other echelons Matt S., Matt. G, and Pete comfortably made it into the second pack, with CJ and LT eventually making it up there too. Matt S. was not content in missing the move and went after it with one other rider. In a feat that was hard to believe Matt S. chased for over half a lap and caught up to the 8 man break. Even the riders in the break were surprised to see him. Very impressive Matt.
The run in to the finish is really the worst part of the course, with by far the hardest hills. Unfortunately all the work in the break caught up to Josh and he got dropped. Or as Josh said "you could hear the sonic boom as I exploded out of the break". Matt S. held firm to take 5th place. Matt G. got away from the second pack as they too explode on the run in and took 9th. Pete won the "field sprint" from what was left of the pack for 13th. All in all a solid day for the boys in Red, but some room for improvement.
The 45 Plus race reported is provided thanks to Jeff Ofsanko and the photo at the top is the 45 Plus guys after the race: our field took advantage of the usual Deer Trail winds from the gun, after the 35 plus guys warned us, and the winning break formed within the first two miles of racing. Despite undoubtedly having tired legs from yesterday’s stellar performance at Sunshine, Bill S attacked on the first of the days numerous rollers. When the defending champ (Michael Williams) bridged up to Bill, Jeff decided to jump from the peloton to tilt the scales back in favor of Mix 1. Bill kept the screws turned at the front and then Williams took a pull before Jeff shot up along the gutter taking Williams with him.
When the dust had settled, six got away including Jeff and Peter. Six turned into five and then four at about mile 30 when Peter lost contact with the group. When it came time to sprint, Jeff, Derrick Nichols, and Michael Williams were all that remained from the initial group. Jeff played his cards well in the sprint but was just plain outgunned by Derrick. Nichols won, Jeff second, Williams third. Peter hung onto the first chase group and together with Jimi and Matt V placed three more Mix 1 riders in the top 10. A good team effort for sure. Our pre-race plan was to make sure all moves had at least two Mix 1 riders present so we accomplished that. Also hats off to Bill S. Bill’s pace on the day’s first roller definitely helped set up the winning move in which 2 teammates were present. A very commendable move considering his efforts on the steep, muddy, foggy slopes of “Sunshine” yesterday.
Sunshine Hill Climb
Bill Stalhuth, affectionately & accurate know as Big Ring Bill, wrote the following short story about the 45 Plus race at the Sunshine Hill Climb. Bill's word do a tremendous job of giving you an inside feel of what this race was like. Bill was too humble to include this in his story, but he finished second.
Big Ring Bill : in the cool, wet dark I set my bike on the trainer before working registration. I wrapped a plastic bag on the saddle against the rain I thought inevitable. During the two hours of registration, the growing light seemed to indicate that we might dodge the bullet and have a dry race. There were even rumors that the road was dry all the way to the top of the canyon.
Released from the registration table, I got in 21 minutes of warm-up and then hurried to the line.
As we started up the canyon I noticed some old faces and a few I didn't recognize. Noticed that I feel a little paranoid about the matriculation of new climbing talent. After a mile or so, Jimi took up his usual position at the front and I took his wheel. The pace notched up, the peloton leaned down on its way to becoming single file--the usual configuration of Jimi acting as the prowl of the ship before detaching himself, not to be seen again until the finish line. This year was different.
Two guys, Charlie Hayes and a Amgen/Read D rider saddled up along Jimi and upped the pace further. We hit the first series of switch backs and were soon a group of five with a Great Divide rider rounding us out. For some minutes I rode with this group feeling I was no longer riding within myself. I knew things would level off around Poorman Road before getting really steep again. I thought if I turned myself inside-out I could stay with these guys till then, but made the decision to fall back into a more steady pace. Three ascended away from me and Great Divide rider stayed at my side.
From that point on I just focused on holding my effort and pace, staying relaxed on the handle bars, breathing relaxed, good cadence--all that stuff to keep my mind off my low moral of seeing the podium depart from me like a hot-air balloon. At Poorman, my wife cheered me on which was nice. After that, Great Divide was gone and I was alone. I had Jimi and the others in sight for almost the rest of the race. I kept hoping to see Jimi drop those guys. I was relieved when we hit the dirt after the rollers as the chance of riders coming back would now decrease. The dirt was damp and clay-like and tires sank 1/4 inch into it making a 38x25 feel like a 38x23. Slowly I noticed Jimi's red figure getting closer. I caught up with him on the last switch back before the flat section with its token bit of asphalt. He let me know he was having an off day and there were two riders ahead of me.
On the asphalt, I was surprised to catch the Amgen/Real D rider, even more surprised when he didn't even try to follow me, and I thought that maybe I had made the right decision doing my own pace. The last two kilometers, the conditions were Apocalyptic. The road was very wet, rain filled pot-holes, snow on the side. A thick fog reduced visibility to three bike lengths. I could hear the disembodied voices of racers descending, reviewing the race, as if I had died and entered some cycling nether-world. I plowed on though the fog, no perspective no sense of forward motion and saw the finish right before hitting it.
Later waiting for my wife's CRV at the finish, I watched racers suddenly flying out of that milky void as if suddenly appearing in the transporter bay of the Enterprise. When I saw my wife who doesn't often see the races, all I could say with a grin on my face was: "Welcome to my world."
As mentioned Bill finished 2nd, Jimi 3rd, and Chris L. in 5th. We did not have as a good a story teller for the 35 Plus race, but needless to say it was equally hard. The race went from the gun, and after the initial splits there were not many changes. Matt S took 4th (missing the podium in a sprint on the line after 9 miles of climbing.............), Matt G. was 7th and Marc was 9th.
Here are some photos from the race compliments of www.303cycling.com. The first 2 are of the early part of the 45 Plus race and Jimi, Bill and Matt V. can be seen. The 3rd and 4th pictures are of the 35 plus race, which was just breaking up at the time. Matt G. can be seen covering Rich Davis from Rio in the 3rd picture. In the 4th picture Matt S. is sitting in 4th place. Amazing that photo is about 1 mile into the race, and the order the first 4 guys are in at that point, is exactly how they finished, over 40 minutes later. Thanks again 303 Cycling for the pics.
Big Ring Bill : in the cool, wet dark I set my bike on the trainer before working registration. I wrapped a plastic bag on the saddle against the rain I thought inevitable. During the two hours of registration, the growing light seemed to indicate that we might dodge the bullet and have a dry race. There were even rumors that the road was dry all the way to the top of the canyon.
Released from the registration table, I got in 21 minutes of warm-up and then hurried to the line.
As we started up the canyon I noticed some old faces and a few I didn't recognize. Noticed that I feel a little paranoid about the matriculation of new climbing talent. After a mile or so, Jimi took up his usual position at the front and I took his wheel. The pace notched up, the peloton leaned down on its way to becoming single file--the usual configuration of Jimi acting as the prowl of the ship before detaching himself, not to be seen again until the finish line. This year was different.
Two guys, Charlie Hayes and a Amgen/Read D rider saddled up along Jimi and upped the pace further. We hit the first series of switch backs and were soon a group of five with a Great Divide rider rounding us out. For some minutes I rode with this group feeling I was no longer riding within myself. I knew things would level off around Poorman Road before getting really steep again. I thought if I turned myself inside-out I could stay with these guys till then, but made the decision to fall back into a more steady pace. Three ascended away from me and Great Divide rider stayed at my side.
From that point on I just focused on holding my effort and pace, staying relaxed on the handle bars, breathing relaxed, good cadence--all that stuff to keep my mind off my low moral of seeing the podium depart from me like a hot-air balloon. At Poorman, my wife cheered me on which was nice. After that, Great Divide was gone and I was alone. I had Jimi and the others in sight for almost the rest of the race. I kept hoping to see Jimi drop those guys. I was relieved when we hit the dirt after the rollers as the chance of riders coming back would now decrease. The dirt was damp and clay-like and tires sank 1/4 inch into it making a 38x25 feel like a 38x23. Slowly I noticed Jimi's red figure getting closer. I caught up with him on the last switch back before the flat section with its token bit of asphalt. He let me know he was having an off day and there were two riders ahead of me.
On the asphalt, I was surprised to catch the Amgen/Real D rider, even more surprised when he didn't even try to follow me, and I thought that maybe I had made the right decision doing my own pace. The last two kilometers, the conditions were Apocalyptic. The road was very wet, rain filled pot-holes, snow on the side. A thick fog reduced visibility to three bike lengths. I could hear the disembodied voices of racers descending, reviewing the race, as if I had died and entered some cycling nether-world. I plowed on though the fog, no perspective no sense of forward motion and saw the finish right before hitting it.
Later waiting for my wife's CRV at the finish, I watched racers suddenly flying out of that milky void as if suddenly appearing in the transporter bay of the Enterprise. When I saw my wife who doesn't often see the races, all I could say with a grin on my face was: "Welcome to my world."
As mentioned Bill finished 2nd, Jimi 3rd, and Chris L. in 5th. We did not have as a good a story teller for the 35 Plus race, but needless to say it was equally hard. The race went from the gun, and after the initial splits there were not many changes. Matt S took 4th (missing the podium in a sprint on the line after 9 miles of climbing.............), Matt G. was 7th and Marc was 9th.
Here are some photos from the race compliments of www.303cycling.com. The first 2 are of the early part of the 45 Plus race and Jimi, Bill and Matt V. can be seen. The 3rd and 4th pictures are of the 35 plus race, which was just breaking up at the time. Matt G. can be seen covering Rich Davis from Rio in the 3rd picture. In the 4th picture Matt S. is sitting in 4th place. Amazing that photo is about 1 mile into the race, and the order the first 4 guys are in at that point, is exactly how they finished, over 40 minutes later. Thanks again 303 Cycling for the pics.
Unfortunately we did not have any photos of the top of the race course, to truly show you how epic this was. Local racer and photographer Dejan Smaic was up there and took the following referenced photos. Check out all his work at http://sportifimages.com/ and consider buying some race shots.
Matt S: http://sportifimages.com/Bike-Racing-2010/Sunshine-HC/0900-hrs/12192935_urz8k#867930892_6VREi
Matt G: http://sportifimages.com/Bike-Racing-2010/Sunshine-HC/0900-hrs/12192935_urz8k#867933373_vbvYW
Big Ring Bill: http://sportifimages.com/Bike-Racing-2010/Sunshine-HC/0900-hrs/12192935_urz8k#868023508_EXq7M
Wheels Of Thunder
Marcel, CJ, Pete and LT lined up for the Wheels of Thunder race this year. There was no 45 Plus race at this event, so the field was a bit of a combination of 35's and 45's. Race day dawned sunny, but cold and very windy. This race is know as the dash for cash, with significant cash primes on every lap. Marcel rang the cash register early by taking a prime. CJ was the next to go and got away for a couple of laps. Eventually Pete got up the road with 2 riders from Rio and the bridged to a solo rider off the front. That was it, as the winning break was gone. Behind CJ and Marcel rode at the front and were diligent with the ever shifting cross winds. Pete ended up taking 3rd, as the 2 Rio riders worked him over and got the win. Marcel took 6th and CJ 11th. Not a bad showing.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Early BAR/BAT
We know it is early, with only 3 BAT (Best All Around Team) races under our belt, but we are proud to announce the Mix1 Masters team is leading both the 35 Plus Category and the 45 Plus Category for the state of Colorado's Best Team. It is exciting to see both teams starting to come together, to race like teams, and have success on the road. It is especially exciting for the 35 Plus Team as this is the first time they have have ever lead that category. The 35 Plus category is very competitive, so good luck to the boys as they work to hold their spot. The 45 Plus team is coming off winning BAT in 2009, so it is no surprise to see them already at the top of the standings. However they have plenty of strong competition from Vic's, Great Divide, Natural Groceries and new team Real D/Amgen. All of these team will be looking to try to knock off Mix1.
On the BAR (Best All Around Rider) side the 45 Plus riders are dominating even further with Jimi, Matt V. and Gene holding down the top 3 spots. On the 35 Plus side Matt S. sits comfortable in second, with Marc in 9th.
On the BAR (Best All Around Rider) side the 45 Plus riders are dominating even further with Jimi, Matt V. and Gene holding down the top 3 spots. On the 35 Plus side Matt S. sits comfortable in second, with Marc in 9th.
Lookout Hill Climb, Sandstone Crit
After a long spell of poor weather we actually got in both races this weekend, although the crit on Sunday was questionable. The Lookout Hill Climb in Golden got things off to a fast start early on Saturday morning. This race has been around for well over 20 years and is a front range classic. The Mix1 45 Plus team has constantly been the best climbing team in their category and took 4 of the top 6 spots at this race in 2009. They were out to repeat. The race went hard from the gun and perennial Mix1 strong man Jimi Gibson took over the duty of drilling it at the front. As is often the case this tactic worked well for Jimi and he established a small group off the front for the remainder. Jimi was well on his way to a podium when disaster stuck and he flatted within the last mile of the race. He rode the flat in for 6th place, but it was bad luck. Chris Leggere can through after the flat and took 3rd place for the 45 Plus team. Less than a minute back were Kevin and Matt V. for 10th and 11th. The 35 Plus team lined a group of 5 riders, that included the team's top 3 climbers in Matt S., Matt G., and Marc. Obviously you need a name that starts with "M" to climb fast. Matt S. went from the guy and flatland specialist Jim Thies went with him to take a huge pull and set Matt free. Matt S. rode solo off the front until Nico T. (a top cat. 1 who was doing the HC as his second race of the day), gave chase. Matt G. covered Nico and Marc patrolled the field. Nico started attacking and ended up with the win, Matt S. got second, Marc attacked his group to take 4th, and Matt G. holding on for 10th after the effort. Above photo is the 35 Plus Podium with Matt S. taking a fine second place.Sunday provided a new crit in Longmont on a rectangular course that looked unselected at first. However the temps started to fall, the sky got dark, it even rained a bit, but most importantly the wind started to howl. The 45 Plus team was short of riders with only Jimi and Henrik starting. For those of you who do not know Jimi he is really an iron man. The day before he was nearly winning the crit, the next day he is taking large pulls in the crit. Jimi is the oldest rider on the Mix1 team, but usually rides as if he was the youngest. Meanwhile back in the race Henrik did some early attacking to softening up the field. Eventually a strong 3 man break got away that the boys missed. Not one to panic Jimi drilled it and got across with several other riders. The composition of the break was such they were not coming back. Unfortunately a few too many guys sat on the break and wanted a free ride. Jimi was having none of that and took some monster pulls, but in the end he is not going to out sprint the bunch of sprinter. Jimi held on for 8th place.
The 35 Plus race at Sandstone was held under worsening weather, with the winds picking up, constant rain, and temps in the 40's. Josh, CJ, Marcel, and Pete started the race knowing it was going to blow apart. Marcel got things going with an early attack and the counter from that attack lead to the winning break, with the field absolutely shatter behind (no group of riders was larger than 7 in the winds). Pete rode in the break as a great team mate, taking some pulls when the tempo needed to be upped and working to bring some attacks back. Josh benefited from this and went all in on the sprint, coming out of the last corner in 3rd, and just missing the win with a fine second place. It was the team's second day in a row with a 2nd place, where the winner each day way from the pro/1/2 race. All in all a really solid race for the 35 Plus team.
(photo borrowed from the Feedback sports road team, check them out at http://feedbacksportsracing.blogspot.com/)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Race Cancellations and Subaru Crit
Last week was a difficult one on the weather front. For the first time this year Mean Gene failed to a win a TT. Of course the only reason he didn't win is that mother nature won, as Cherry Creek was cancelled. The weather was horrible most of the day on Friday too and as a result the deer Trail RR for Saturday was postponed until May. All of us had mixed feeling about that, as we were ready to race, but it would have been a long day in cold/wet conditions.
The beneficiary of all the cancellations was the Grove Subaru Crit on Sunday. This race has been around for a long time, on the same course, and under different names. It is not a very selective course, but cold weather, and the wind made it exciting. The 45 Plus race actually split with a large group going off the front to chase a solo break. Both Jimi and Jeff made the split. Jimi ended up deciding it was time to ride solo and went up the road, to hold off the field for second place. Unfortunately Jeff nailed one of the many holes on the course and his race was done early with a mechanical.
8 of the 9 guys on the 35 Plus team lined up for their race, along with a few of the 45 Plus guys (Larry, Jeff and Jimi). As such Mix1 was by far the largest team and one other racer commented on the start line "Man you guys are not Mix1, you are Mix12!". The team rode well with such large numbers, were represent in all the breaks and covered any other moves that needed to be covered. With 2 laps to go CJ took a pull to the bell lap, hoping to set up the boys, but they just never got themselves far enough up and came out of the last turn too far back. Marc recovered from a crash early on and lead the team home in 9th. That is great for Marc, who says he does not like Crits. Pete came in with 12th, Marcel in 15th and Matt G. in 21st. All in all 4 guys in top 20 was a solid effort.
The beneficiary of all the cancellations was the Grove Subaru Crit on Sunday. This race has been around for a long time, on the same course, and under different names. It is not a very selective course, but cold weather, and the wind made it exciting. The 45 Plus race actually split with a large group going off the front to chase a solo break. Both Jimi and Jeff made the split. Jimi ended up deciding it was time to ride solo and went up the road, to hold off the field for second place. Unfortunately Jeff nailed one of the many holes on the course and his race was done early with a mechanical.
8 of the 9 guys on the 35 Plus team lined up for their race, along with a few of the 45 Plus guys (Larry, Jeff and Jimi). As such Mix1 was by far the largest team and one other racer commented on the start line "Man you guys are not Mix1, you are Mix12!". The team rode well with such large numbers, were represent in all the breaks and covered any other moves that needed to be covered. With 2 laps to go CJ took a pull to the bell lap, hoping to set up the boys, but they just never got themselves far enough up and came out of the last turn too far back. Marc recovered from a crash early on and lead the team home in 9th. That is great for Marc, who says he does not like Crits. Pete came in with 12th, Marcel in 15th and Matt G. in 21st. All in all 4 guys in top 20 was a solid effort.
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