Vic's Prospect Race Report

This weekend was the 3rd annual Vic's Prospect Crit, in the hip Prospect area of south Longmont.  Our team loves this course, it is short at under a minute per lap, very tight, and has lots of corners.  Bottom line if you like old school crits, this is a race for you.

For what ever reason the 35 plus race had a really small field of only 20 guys.  That is too bad, but probably had something to do with the near 100 degree heat and the fact the mother of all Colorado Hill Climbs was the day before, Mt. Evans.  The guys started 6 riders (Marcel, Jim, Josh, Dan, CJ and Matt S) and had the biggest team in the race.  As such we wanted to be aggressive and make sure we had multiple riders in any breaks. 

The race started off slowly with riders feeling out the turns in the early going and people being conservative with the heat, but eventually that all ended and the attacking started for real.  Jim was all over the front and eventually was part of an 8 man move, that both CJ and Matt made as well.  As the field was so small, this was really not a break, but more the fact the field had split in half.  Dan and Josh talked back in the pack and it was decided Josh would try to get up to the break on his own.  This is a good strategy as Josh is a very good sprinter, but would only work if Josh was able to do it solo, as we did not want any more riders up there.  Josh put in a hard effort for 4 to 5 laps and finally made it.  Once he was there the guys had 4 of the riders in the 9 man break and the best sprinter, so it was a major advantage for mix1.

There was some attacking in the break and eventually it split, which is not too unusual with it being so large with 9 riders.  The split worked out well for mix1, as Jim and Josh made the front 5, and the other 3 riders were all solo, as their team mates got stuck in the back half of the split.  The 5 riders put down the hammer and lapped the field.  Once that happened the guys were in a good place and Dan was there to help set up Josh to win.  Jim attacked with 2 laps to go in a win or die type of move.  He nearly pulled it off and made it to the last corner with the lead.  It forced the other teams to chase him down and that set up Josh perfect for the win.  All in all a good day with Josh taking the win, Jim getting 5th, CJ taking 7th and Matt in 9th.

 After lapping the field Dan went to the front, on the wheel of past National Champ Byron Nix from Rio, to set up Josh in 3rd.  The tactic worked great and gave Josh a better chance to win.

Early on in the break with Jim leading the 5 guys as they worked to lap the field.

Longmont Crit - 2 Wins!

It was a strong effort at the Longmont Crit as the guys won the 45 plus race and the 35 plus race.  This is a classic Colorado crit that has been around for a long time, but the course was slightly changed this year.  All the guys like the new course, it had safe pavement/turns, and was a lot like the old one, that was well regarded.

In the 45 Plus race the guys started with Pete Lucky, Peter Ismert, Henrik, and Jeff, plus our 2 grizzled veterans of the 55 plus world, Bill and Steve joining too.  Bill deserves a shot out, as we only have 2 guys in the 55 plus race, but he is currently leading the Best All Around Rider competition for the 55 plus category.  Anyway the race had a lot of attacks from the big teams including Vic's, Vitamin Cottage, and of course Great Divide.  But the guys covered them all and at the end just got out of Pete's way.  Pete came out of the last corner in 2nd, but then the mix1 kicked in and he took the win on the line with a clean set of wheels.

In the 35 plus race the guys started 7 riders and had a big team.  Unfortunately Marcel was lost about half way when he and a Vic's rider came together and Marcel's front wheel was destroyed.  The race got out to a quick start as Jim initiated a 5 man break with all the big teams represented (Rio, Westside, Rockymounts, and Scion).  It was not a great move for mix1 as 1 out of 5 in a risk, but the guys let the other teams chase.  Not much occurred for a while, but eventually another Rio rider, Byron Nix a past national champ, and super smart/strong Danny Sullivan, Scion,  got away, to try to bridge.  That would have made a so, so situation much worse, so the guys went to the front, lead by LT, and eventually the entire race came back together.  Matt Segur got away solo for a long time late in the race, but that move could not last forever.  So at 5 to go Jim, CJ, Matt Gates got back to the front to keep it moving, and Dan and Josh lined up for the sprint.  Josh and Dan got it perfect as Josh won and Dan had time to post it up a bit as well. 

 Jim in 1st wheel, with CJ in 4th wheel, and Josh in 5th, as the guys ride on the front to keep control over the end of the race.

 45 Plus Podium with Pete on the top step, Mike Inglis in 2nd, and Rod Yoder in 3rd.

 Just before the line Dan had some time to help Josh "post up" as they went 1st and 2nd.  Dan is a very selfless rider, as as much as he can win many crits, we all know he loves to help someone else win.

Josh as he crosses the line and realized he has won.  Josh has lived in Longmont for a long time and really wanted to win this crit.  He told the guys in advance, they rode as a team, and he got it done.

35 Plus North Boulder Park Classic Race Report

 After getting beat the day before by Westside the guys were ready to take revenge, and unlike the day before, showed up at the North Boulder Park Classic Crit with a full team of 7 riders.  The NBP Crit is a classic race, that has been around for close to 30 years and was often the last stage of the famous Coors Classic.  The race went away for a while, but it is great to have it back with Keith Harper as the boss.  Our field was not huge, about 40 guys, but filled with the top riders in our category.  Our plan was to be in every major move, take a look at the move to make sure it worked for us, and if things staid together, then we would line it up for the sprint. 

Jim & Dan got the race off to a quick start as they made a front group of 7 when the field split, with the group eventually getting to 11.  The guys in the back did not think it was a good move for us, but said let the other guys chase, and chase they did. Once things came back Matt Gates and Matt Segur were all over the front covering moves, as was Jim.  CJ eventually got off the front solo (see photo above), but was smart enough to not work too much.  With about 35 minutes to go CJ attacked again and got up to Rio strong man Bob Dahl, who has won the race a few times in the past.  They worked well together taking some cash primes, but 2 guys was just not enough on the course and a few teams worked to bring them back after 5 laps.

Soon after that there was a bad crash on the start finish line and Rio rider Todd Schuster was down with what would eventually be diagnosed as a broken femur (ouch).  It changed the race as the finish straight was now only one lane wide.  About this time LT got away with a BRC rider and staid out there for a while, but with 5 laps to go Westside brought them back.  Then Mike Sutter from Vic's took a solo dig, but Matt Gates literally rode from 5 to go, to 1 to go solo on the front, and it was all together.  At one to go Matt and Jim rode at the front and keep it single file, while CJ, Dan & Josh moved up as a group.  In the alley way on the back side Dan and Josh hit out, and got into turn #3 first and second.  They took it from there, exiting the last turn first and second.  Dan staid in his position for the win and Josh got nipped on the line, but held on for 4th, with CJ in 10th.  All in all a good day for the guys, with our riders in every move, 3 guys in the top 10, and the win. 

We talked as a team afterwards and felt bad about what happened to Todd.  So we took a good portion of our prize money and headed over to our shop sponsor, Excel Sports, to buy Todd a little get well gift certificate.  Any bike geek knows there is so much bike porn at Excel, a gift card there is golden.  We then got him a card,  a case of mix1, and then stopped by the hospital to say hi and wish him good luck.  We look forward to seeing Todd at Nationals in Bend and back on the bike in 2012!

 Matt Gates, following Matt Segur, and railing the only right hand corner.

 Dan getting low through the multiple turns at the end of the park.

 Matt G, leading Matt S. and Dan out of the last corner.  The guys did a great job of using their team size to their advantage and riding together.

 Dan getting low in the ally with Jim on his wheel.  A couple of last looking FOCUS bikes with Mavic wheels.

 Matt Gates taking Dan thought turn number one at the top of the hill.

Pete Lucke in the 45 Plus race.  We only started 2 guys in that race, but Pete was in the top 10 as usual. 

Tour De Bozeman, MT, 2 more wins

Tour de Bozeman Race report from Marcel:

Friday Big Sky Criterium:

Maters A and cat 3’s were combined. The crit course had 6 turns, had some elevation change with the last 4 turns so close in succession that made passing near impossible. There were two  $100 primes. I was gunning to get those and use those set ups to see where the best place was to start the sprint. Unfortunately the announcer never told us what the prime was for. In the end I ended up with two primes that were gift certificates for a store that was closed! Lame.  It did help me figure out the sprint and won that.

Saturday AM Time trial:

The TT was pretty technical in that it was constantly up and down with lots of false flats. It would have helped to do it 10 times to figure out where to push through and where to conserve. In the end I got 5^th place.

Saturday PM Street sprints:

I was really looking forward to these! It was a 300 meter long,  triple elimination so each rider had to lose three races to be eliminated. My first heat was against the guy that got 2^nd last year.  He looked like a track sprinter with legs the size of a horse! I was a bit worried.  I did my usual “get out the gate like a bat out of hell”. I got a gap on him and was looking to coast the last 100 meters…I looked back and he kept coming so I had to kick again to the line to take the win. The next two went easier and I won both my second and third heats.  For the fourth I had to race the guy I had raced in heat three again since he had only lost twice. I beat him again and took the win.

Sunday The road race:

Maters A and cat 3’s were combined again. This race took place on a lot of the roads that I trained on for 15 years while living in Montana. There was a total of 5000 feet of climbing, all above 6000feet of elevation. The first 5 miles of the race was down hill rollers followed by a 3 mile stepping climb. I had my concerns about this climb but suffered through it to make it to the top. Following the downhill, and another 7 miles of 2-3% climbing where a stiff pace was set by three guys from a local team, we arrived at the tough part of the race; a two mile climb with grades of 8-9%. I stayed near the front and focused on the wheel in front of me. I ended up getting dropped about ½ mile from the top. Over the top I started chasing down the 5 mile decent. At the bottom of the decent I could see the field about 30 second up the road. Another 5 minutes of chasing got me back in the field. To my surprise the pace was ridiculously slow; 16-18mph. I sat in and recovered for about 5 minutes and started attacking through the rollers to the turn around.  I knew the last climb had 11-14% pitches and would get dropped so wanted to either get away or make it hard for the climbers.  Attack 6 finally got me a gap, unfortunately I was alone as no one was interested to make the race hard. I was off the front about 4-5 miles before the race leader hunted me down with the field in tow.  In the 15 miles leading up to the last climb I attacked on every roller and each time someone would chase me down with the field in tow. As the final climb started I did one last suicide move and attacked with everything I had. The field blew up and the leader came up to me with 5 other riders. As he passed me he jokingly said “marcel, you are a pain in the ass”. They left me and I was caught by a few more riders before we got to the finish.  I got 7^th which moved me up to 4^th place in the final GC standings.

BRC Crit

The 45+ squad’s crazy roller coaster year continued through this weekend. So far this season the team has overcome injuries, illnesses, and several untimely flats to maintain a tenuous lead over the Great Divide Cycling Team in this year’s Best All-around Team competition. For a brief moment early last week, it appeared that the team was turning the proverbial misfortune corner. On Sunday, Jeff Ofsanko returned to racing after battling bronchitis all summer to earn a respectable 5^th place at the Candellas’ Circuit Race and Jimi Gibson announced that he was returning to race the Mount Evans Hill Climb, a race that he has won the past two years. However, on Friday as the team was planning for another weekend of racing they were informed that Jimi and Chris Leggere were both involved in accidents with distracted drivers while out on training rides. Although both riders are mostly OK and recovering well, the accidents effectively ended their seasons.

Nonetheless, the team’s depth led to another successful BAR/BAT outing at the BRC Criterium in Highlands Ranch. The team brought six riders to the event and rode an aggressive race throughout. Jeff was in two promising breakaways that unfortunately didn’t work out and the rest of the team (Peter Ismert, Pete Lucke, Larry Cornman, Henrik Pederson, and Steve Birnbuam) worked to reel in several other moves that favored the other teams.

In the finale the plan was for Jeff to mark any late moves and if no moves went, work to set up Peter Ismert and Pete Lucke for the bunch sprint. With about a half mile to go Peter Ismert found Jeff at the front of the field and Jeff led Peter through the courses’ final two technical turns before dropping Ismert off on the front with 400 meters to go. Unfortunately, Pete Lucke lost a few places in the group prior to those final two corners and couldn’t get into team’s leadout train. Despite having 400 meters to sprint, Ismert rode admirably conceding only two places to hold onto third place. Meanwhile, Henrik’s 11^th, Larry’s 13^th, and Lucke’s 14^th places helped the team to build on their BAT lead.

Congratulations to Peter Ismert for his 9^th podium placing of the season and the team for building on their lead in the BAT standings. And best wishes to Jimi and Chris for a speedy and full recovery. We will miss you guys.

The 35's had a small team of only 3 guys (Dan, CJ & Matt Gates), so for a change they were one of the smaller team and had to be careful with burning their matches.  Matt was not too worried about his matches and got into the main break of 3 that was away for most of the race with a RIO and a BRC rider.  Westside missed the move and did some work, while CJ and Dan covered the front.  The break never got too far away and it all came back together with 5 to go.  Matt & CJ pulled the last few attack back on the last few laps and at one to go lined up for the field sprint, with Dan on CJ's wheel.  Unfortunately for the mix1 guys Westisde owner, and strong man, Michael Gibson made a great move, with his massive acceleration into the hill, and got away with half a lap to go.  CJ hit out after Michael, with Dan 2 wheel back, and they got a nice gap on the field, it was enough to get Dan second place, but he ran out of real estate to catch Michael.  Nice move Mr. Gibson and nice win.  You made us mad and we want revenge at North Boulder Park.

Candelas Circuit Race

Thanks to DBC Events we had a new race over the holiday week, a difficult circuit race down in Arvada.  As it was a holiday weekend the fields were a little small, but we had 2 guys in the 35 plus race and 3 in the 45 plus race.  Not a whole lot to say about the 35 plus race, it got real hard on lap #4 and the winning move got away.  Jim Thies and Matt Segur missed the moved, but set about chasing as the wind picked up.  They did a good job of bringing what was left of the field back together, but in the end did not get up to the 4 guys away.  Jim rode well in his first major race back from the birth of child #2 and took 5th place.

The Mix1 team brought 3 riders from their 45+ squad to the new Candelas Circuit Race, Jeff Ofsanko, Pete Lucke, and Peter Ismert.  Some good competition showed up to race, including 3 strong riders from the Great Divide Cycling team. The course had a significant hill in it, which the riders rode up 8 times. After about 3 laps, a small front group formed, which Ofsanko and Ismert managed to join while Lucke stayed back with the chase group.  Ofsanko, just back to racing after a couple months of illness and still regaining fitness, road strong, but fell off the front group.  Ismert continued on with the front group of 4 riders, which increased their lead.  Of the other 3 riders, two were from Great Divide and one from the Natural Grocers team, Jeff Ray.  The Great Divide riders had the opportunity to play out some team tactics on Ismert and Ray.  In the end, Karl Kiester from Great Divide rode hard for his teammate Forrest Newman on the final climb to the finish.  Ismert tried to get the jump on Newman at the end, but Newman came by him at the finish.  Ismert was still glad for a 2nd-place finish against good competitors at a new race venue.  Ofsanko won the field sprint, which was a good test for him and showed that his fitness is almost back. DBC Events put on a great race at Candelas and we hope it becomes a permanent race on the schedule.

 Peter Ismert on the podium in 2nd in the 45 pus race, sporting a nice team jersey and a mix1 hat!