Deer Trail Race reports

Well Deer Trail came and went and for the first time we had three different teams out there, 35 plus, 45 plus, and 55 plus.  It was a mixed bag of results, but as always it is a well run race, and is much harder than it looks on the surface.

35 Plus Report from CJ: low winds made for an easier race (not an easy race, just easier.....), with an early 5 man break.  Jim Thies made the break, but eventually got popped.  That left 3 guys in the lead for 75% of the race, including one from Westside, and they made it stick.  Westside had a big team and had a lots of options.  We rode the 1st full lap pretty easy and then threw 4 of our 6 guys into a full on chase on the inbound leg of lap one to the finish line, with Marc and Matt sitting on to wait.  We felt we rode very well, we were coordinated, and we took charge of the race.  We got a little help from Rio, but Dan, Jim, Marcel and CJ put in a lot of work. 

Eventually the chasing took it's tool and the 4 guys started to drop, but by this time the break was coming back and the field was blowing apart under the pressure.  The plan worked and a front group emerged, with Matt making it.  Unfortunately the break just held on for 1st through 3rd, with the front group arriving 21 seconds later, with Jeff Hartman taking the "sprint" for 4th, with Matt Gates right behind in 5th.

We give all the credit to Westside, they put a guy in the break and they rode it to the end, and the win.  However we went all in as a team, we executed a solid plan, and showed the more we ride together, the better we are going to get.  It was great to see 4 guys just blow themselves up to get our two best option up there.  That kind of team work and sacrifice is going to lead to race wins as the season wears on.


45 Plus Report from Peter:  By the time the 45+ masters mens race started, the winds had picked up
quite a bit, creating strong crosswind situations.  With that in mind, the six riders from the Mix1 team looked to control the race and take advantage of the wind.  Bill Stalhuth controlled the first part of the
race, holding back any potential breakaways while the other Mix1 riders got into position.  This allowed the Mix1 riders to save their strength for going after breakaway riders and attacking at the right
moment. Although two other riders eventually got away off the front on their own, Mix1 worked hard to keep them them as close as possible.

Unfortunately, after working hard to get near the breakaway, the Mix1 riders were not able to get in with the final select group of six riders off the front. Strong riders such as Rod Yoder, Dwight Hall,
and Jim Dickerson could not be caught.  Mix1 still won the field sprint with some teamwork, but hopes to build on their strengths and teamwork at races in the coming weeks.


55 Plus Report from Bill K: It was a very strong 55+ field with just about all of the strong guys were there with the exception of a certain Mr. Dickerson.  Vic's and Real D both had 6 guys, Pro Peloton had at least 4. As I've won this race a few times in the past, I felt like I had a big red target on my back and my every move was being marked.  So we started out with the usual 55+ script with lots of sitting on, people wanting to save energy, doodling out to the first turn-around. A mile or two after that, Barry Messmer from Vic's gave a dig and went down the road.  Steve B set off in chase and then the two of them drifted away for the day's first break.  And again, big thanks to Steve since this now took lots of pressure off of me.  I was more than happy to have Steve get his shot at winning the race, and it put the onus on The Real D and Pro Peloton guys to chase.  So Steve and Barry held on until just before the 2nd turn-around allowing me to sit protected and causing Pro Peloton burn some matches to bring them back.  At that turn-around, we turned into a tailwind so I attacked hard, bringing Shannon Fox with me.  We didn't stay out for long, but we caused a split in the field and narrowed things down to about 20 guys.  We were able to keep things rolling until the turn.  Again fortunately for me, another rider slipped off the front and the Real D guys took on the task of keeping him in check so that after the turn onto our final leg, I could attack.  The Real D boys seemed intent on putting the pressure on up the feed hill, so I waited for the second, steeper hill to launch my attack.  That's where the 6 rider break formed.  The field was chasing hard so we had to push harder.  It was a pretty good effort from most of the 6 guys in the break.  I only had to attack once to keep the shirkers at the back honest.  So we just kept pounding it up those hills until the finish.  I got a little crossed up by the change in the finish line.  We were pounding along so long that I simply forgot the finish was coming up.  I was on the front taking a hard pull when I realized that little shack by the road was actually the judges stand.  Luckily for me, I slowed to let the next guy go by and he pulled through.  Phew, didn't have to lead out for the last mile!  I now had a pretty good spot in 2nd position with the first guy hitting it pretty hard.  We were well past the 1k to go sign and now I'm noticing that he's slowing down (oh no!!).  How far to go?  Can I make it from here?  Looks close..  Are they starting to come around me?...  So thinking I was about 200 meters to to, I launched my sprint, leading it out.  So now that I'm well into my sprint, hitting my highest speed, in the corner of my eye, I notice the 200 meter to go sign go by.  (Doh!!)  And I can feel myself starting to slow a bit.  I look down through my legs and can see a wheel coming up to me. (Oh no!! I blew it!).  I'm sitting about 3 feet off the yellow line with the breeze coming from the right, and now I see the wheel behind me start moving up on my left. I instinctively drift to my left to close the door and I see the wheel disappear (score!!).   Drove it home for the win!! 
Steve came in with the field a few seconds back, third in the field sprint, claiming a top 10 placing.  Good work Steve!

Moto Pacing

Several of the guys on the team work with the fine coaches from Fascat Coaching in north Boulder (http://www.fascatcoaching.com/).  They offer a wide range of services from coaching, to bike fitting, to moto pacing, to testing, to indoor riding and beyond.  They have a great staff of coaches ranging from people with pro road experience, to top cross riders, to past pro mountain bikers and the like.  They can help out riders at any and all levels.  Here is a video their coach, Jon Tarkington, took from the back of their scooter while Moto Pacing CJ Gauss.  The winds were pretty bad on this day, so CJ spent most of the day next to the scooter trying to get a draft.  The only time he was behind it was going downhill with a tailwind at 50 MPH, or back up the hills dead into the wind.

http://www.youtube.com/user/fascatfho#p/a/u/0/4iwMqX6HbuE

Haystack TT & TTT

Yesterday was the annual Haystack Time Trial (TT) and Team Time Trail (TTT).  It is a fun day as it is the only Team Time Trial of the year and purely a team event.  The guys had solid races in the 35 plus TT with Matt, Matt and LT all in the top 10.  In the 45 Plus race Gene just missed the win with a strong second place.  Here is 35 plus team member Pete Lucke getting quoted after the race.

http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com/view.php/haystack-mountain-time-trials.html

The mix1 team have done well in the past in the TTT events.  The 35 plus guys have been strong, but never won (nor have they ever beaten their older team mates).  The 45 plus guys are undefeated in the last 3 years since they knocked off Boulder power house the Vic's team.  This year things turned out a little different, the 45 Plus guys took second, lead in by current world master champ Gene Palumbo.  The boys probably missed Jimi Gibson who is a one man pulling crew, up, down, left or right.  After years of trying the 35 plus team of LT, Marcel, Pete, Matt, and Matt finally got the big W and won the event.  It was really satisfying for these guys.  As an added bonus they also beat their 45 plus guys for the first time.  2012 is only 52 weeks away and I am sure the 45 plus guys will be ready for the rematch.

 Here are the 45 plus guys finishing, with only 3 guys.  Teams are allowed to start with 5 riders and the time is taking on the 3rd man to finish.  So the more riders you can keep together, usually the faster you can go.  The conditions this weekend caused the 45 plus guys to end with only 3 riders, so they all had to work hard.

 This photo if from Joe over at Peleton Photos and shows the 5 man 45 plus team taking an early hill on highway 36.  Gene is leading the guys along and they are in a strong formation.

Mead Roubaix Race Report

The first road race of the year was held last weekend with the annual Roubaix.  For 2011 local promoter Chris Grealish of DBC Events moved the course from Boulder to the more rural location of Mead, to give the old course a rest for a year.  Not a bad idea at all, but our team definitely likes the Boulder course more.

45 Plus race report from Jeff Ofsanko:   This past weekend was the now infamous and notorious Mead Roubaix, a 3 lap/60 mile race created in the spirit of France’s Paris-Roubaix road race. Whereas riders in the French event have to negotiate numerous sectors of old cobblestone roads, the Mead version incorporated multiple sections of dirt roads within the race’s 3 twenty mile loops. However, unlike most dirt roads in Boulder County (which are often as firm as your average highway), Mead’s back roads were littered with super-soft, barely ride-able dirt sections which became know as the “sandtraps.” Oh and rumor has it that there was a pretty good breeze blowing that day! Anyway, the day’s events were marked by several crashes and riders hiking their bikes through the sand traps.

True to form, the sand traps wasted no time claiming their 45+ victims. And while the Mix 1 crew managed to avoid the first round of crashes, Henrik Pederson got held up behind a crash around 8 miles into the event and never regained the sharp end of the race. Matt V, Peter I, and Jeff managed to escape the first lap mayhem, with Jeff even getting established in an early 4 man breakaway. Jeff’s group was reeled in as the field started the 2^nd of the 3 twenty mile loops and now Jeff, Peter, and Matt were present in a 12 or so rider move.

Once the group hit the next section of sand traps (about halfway through the race) the definitive selections occurred. Vitamin Cottage’s Rod Yoder and Echelon Energy’s Dwight Hall escaped the group with Jeff, Peter and 3 others (Bruce Hodkins, Dennis Farrell and Karl Kiester) chasing. Yoder and Hall were on fire and weren’t seen again until the finish line. Jeff lost contact with his chase group with about 10 miles left to in the race and managed to hold off all but one rider from behind for an 8^th place finish. With 4 miles to go Peter and Karl from Great Divide lost contact with the chase group. Peter managed to out sprint Karl at the finish and placed 5^th. Matt flatted in one of the sand traps but managed a 14^th place finish in spite of having to change a tube (strong work Matt) while Henrik placed 17^th.

With one podium and 4 top fives in the first two BAR/BAT races of the year, the 45ers now turn their attention towards the Haystack Individual and Team Time Trials in search of the squad’s first victory for the season. Great start to the season team and best of luck at Haystack!

 Peter on the left and Jeff in the center on the photo, the first time into the sandy downhill.

mix1 Masters Cycling Team Adopt A Road 2011

2011 marks the third year we have done the Adopt A Road program.  We have the same road again this year, 63rd, north from Valmont to Jay.  We chose this road as it is a nice one to ride on and it is popular with cyclists.  This past Saturday the guys were up early for donuts, coffee, and some road clean up.  It is always interesting to see what we find, ranging from the normal stuff, to road kill, to money, and even beyond.  It is also fun to be out doing work and see all the other riders going by on a Saturday morning, knowing we are making this stretch of road better for them.  Thank you Jim Thies for organising this the last 2 years and to Peter Ismert for taking over this year.

Lousivile Crit & Grove Subaru Crit

Louisville Crit

The first real race of the 2011 was the Louisville Crit.  It was a BAR/BAT race for the 45 plus guys, so it was important and the 35 plus guys used it as a warm up and to get used to each other.

In the 35 Plus race the guys had the largest team in the event, but made the mistake of letting ex European pro Michael Carter and forever strong man Bob Dahl get away.  Once that happened it was race over.  The team took it like men and chased without much help, but it did not matter.  Carter staid away and took the win and Dan managed to take 3rd overall.  It was a good lesson for a team finding it's feet and if the guys continue to ride as a team, results will come.   

Here is how the 45 plus race played out from Jeff O:  The 2011 ACA cycling season is underway and the men’s 45+ field has already competed in two BAR/BAT races. The BAR/BAT season kicked off two weeks ago at the Louisville Criterium where the squad put in a solid team performance. Matt Vawter got into a three man break early in the race. With a full contingent of Mix 1ers in the field slowing down the chase and marking any attempts to bridge up to Matt’s group, Matt and his breakaway companions managed to hold off the chase. Although Matt’s tank was empty for the sprint and he had to settle for third, Matt’s ride demonstrated that he has been working hard this winter and is ready for a season of aggressive bike racing. Meanwhile, back in the peloton, Peter Ismert and Jeff Ofsanko escaped from the group with two Great Divide riders with around 4 laps to go. Both Peter and Jeff managed to place ahead of the Great Divide duo netting Mix 1 a 3rd, 4^th, and 5^th. Also placing in the top 20 were Gene (10^th), Larry (13^th), and Chris (16^th), while Peter L, Henrik, Bill K, and Steve put in some strong support efforts during the race.

Grove Subaru Crit

The roles were reversed the next day as it was a BAR/BAT race for the 35's and not for the 45's.  As such the 45's sent a small team of just Peter and Henrik.  In a repeat of the day before Carter and Dahl got away from the 45's this time, but Peter took our the sprint for 3rd.  That was the team's third 3rd place of the weekend.


Earlier in the day Steve and Bill raced the 55 plus race and were up against the large Vic's team.  in an amazing story Bill bridged up to two Vic's riders, with 2 more of their team mates on his wheel, and was in a 5 man break, with 4 guys from Vic's.  What is amazing about Bill is he did not care, he attacked and dropped 3 of them, then beat the last guy in a sprint for the win.  We have never heard of something like that, go Bill.


By the time the 35 plus race started it was 38 degrees out and snowing.  As a result half the team chose not to race and the field was only 18 guys.  Interesting enough we did not have the largest team, but had CJ, LT and Marc on the line.  The small field and horrible conditions blew the race apart right away, with half the field not finishing, and a winning move of 3 staying away and nearly lapping everyone.  CJ used his brain, as he could not feel his legs, and made it into the break with Carlos from Westside and Paul from Rocky Mounts.  It came down to a sprint and CJ jumped into the last corner first, but was not able to hold of Carlos who was the stronger rider.  CJ did take second, with Marc in 5th and LT in 6th.  It was the worst condition any of the guys had raced in since college.


Check out some pictures of the race from local photo site Sportif Imagines:

http://www.sportifimages.com/BikeRacing2011/Groove-Subaru-Crit/SM-35/16474165_2oW5R#1239820249_EAaNs

Bill Kellagher Wins Tour Of Battenkill in NY

The Tour Of Battenkill is the largest race in the US, with over 2,000 riders, all on the same course, on the same day.  It is made up a combination of dirt and pavement, with lots of short/steep climbs, in upstate NY.  Many people would consider this a "Bucket List" kind of race.  Bill and Steve, our entire 55 plus team, traveled to this race to check it out.  And guess what happened?  Bill won it.  Here is his first hand report with some photos too:

Yea, it was a good day at the races.  It was a VERY hard race.  Think Tour of Flanders and substitute dirt for cobblestones.   The race was 64 miles and it was hill after hill after hill ranging from 10% to 20% grades.  I had an 11x28 cassette and I used ALL  of the gears.  As it turned out the most significant climb that made the biggest selection was Joe Bean Rd at about half way which was paved, but over a mile long and something like 15% for the last quarter mile or so.  I know this because I was in a 39x26 for much of it with my heart pounding through my chest.  After making it over that in the front group we were down to 20 guys at the front with 30 miles to go.

I had some early troubles when we hit the 2^nd climb of the day which happened to be dirt and 20%.  At about half way up, I went to shift into my smallest gear (39x28)  and the chain went over into the spokes!!!  Tried to shift it back on, but it didn’t go.  Miraculously,  nothing got broken in the process.  I was able to hop off my bike, put the chain back in the 2^nd to largest cog and finish the climb that way.  The only problem was that after when I went to get back on the bike, I had 100 other guys streaming past me on a 20% grade.  Like trying to merge into the L.I.E in New York at rush hour.  It took me a couple of tries and a failed cx remount, but I finally got going again and started to make my way back to the front.  Over the top of that particular climb, I caught some good luck in that the guys in the front really didn’t press their advantage.  I could see the first group and they were riding fat across the road.  I crested the hill with the third group back and just sat on, letting those guys do the work of pulling the groups back together.  As a result, I was able to get back to the front before the next big dirt climb with my legs in good condition. 

Did I say it was climb after climb after climb?  We just kept heading up one steep dirt climb after another.  People kept getting more and more tired and to me it seemed like the pace up the climbs was getting easier.  Then with about 15 miles to go as we were approaching the 3^rd from last dirt climb, John Funk, a New England mountain bike legend took off on a solo attack.  I had been keying off of former pro and brother of the famous bike builder, David Kellogg, and when he and the rest of the front group didn’t respond, I hesitated too.  So in the course of that dirt section (Mountain Rd for those in the know) this guy built up a sizable lead.  Then as we were approaching the next to last dirt section and still no real response from the field, I decided to go on the offensive myself.  We were on the Meeting House Rd dirt climb and I went to the front and rode basically in the left gutter until the top of first of the two hills in this dirt section.  I went to ease off to let someone else come through at the only to find that it was only one or two other riders with me.  So I got into my sit-on-the-top-tube tuck for the ensuing high-speed pot-holed descent and managed to gap everyone.  At this point I decided to go for it and took off in pursuit of Funk.  It was not easy as there was a pretty stiff head/cross wind and once I got off the dirt the road was downhill to flat.  I pulled to within about 15 to 20 seconds of Funk, but then an elite group from the remaining guys in the field got organized and pulled me back.  Funk was still out in front, but with organized chasers and flat roads at this point, it was only a matter of time.  And indeed we caught him at the base of the final climb.  Now this was about 6 miles left in the race.  The last climb was dirt and something like 15%, real similar to the steeper parts of Lee Hill but on dirt, and 2 miles long.  Followed by a terrifyingly  steep descent on pavement which led to the final 3 miles of flat run into the finish.   As we hit the base of the climb, attack after attack launched, but nothing stuck since the climb was so long and steep.  People would attack then run out of gas in a minute or so and get caught by the group that was steadily grinding its way up the hill.  As we hit the top, somebody jumped really hard and I caught sight of him in my peripheral vision and jumped in pursuit.  I took a big dig in my 53x11 as I launched myself down the hill and past all the caution signs at the top (max speed on the speedo was 51.5).  Once we hit the flats, we linked up and started trading pulls for a mile or so.  I had high hopes, but once again, we were brought back, but by this time, the lead group was down to 8 guys and I knew I would have a good shot in the sprint. 

Now the finish was a little tricky.  Instead of a straight run in to the finish, they routed you sort of around the back way with two 90 deg turns within 200 meters of the finish.  It was one of those situations where the first guy through the last corner would have a huge advantage.  So there I was, the final selection of 8 guys were rolling towards the finish line.  People were starting to sit on and refuse to pull through, but there was on guy from Delaware who was still trying to keep things organized so as to not get caught from behind.  I had a thought to try to sit on the back with the others, but then it occurred to me that if I just rolled through it wouldn’t hurt me and it just might help and besides, it would be the sportsman like thing to do, I would at least get good-guy points after the race.  So now, with about a mile to go I roll through to the front for maybe the 2^nd time and this one guy pulls in front of me and just starts drilling it.  He was a tt specialist who decided that he didn’t have a chance in the sprint so he’d at least make everyone suffer and get to the finish straight in good position.  I couldn’t believe my luck. I would have paid this guy $100 to just what he was doing.  I just sat there in 2^nd spot and he took me on a king’s chariot right to the last turn.  One guy barged past me in the turn, but I just lit the afterburners and cruised home for the win. I even coasted across the line. 

So that’s the story.  Had a nice lunch with friends afterwards.  Several of my dear old friends from the east came up to hook up, watch the race and take pictures.  The winner’s trophy was an old fashioned glass bottle of chocolate milk and so we all shared the milk at lunch.   It was  a great weekend!

 Bill making the final selection on the steep dirt roads.

 Bill and Steve (behind Bill in the photo) early in the race.

 Bill on the Podium after winning the sprint from a group of 8 riders.