2 wins, 4 podiums for a strong weekend of racing!

Ore Digger Classic Lookout Mountain Hill Climb TT March 17

Lookout Mountain Hill Climb is an extremely popular ride that heads west straight out of Golden Colorado. This road is steeper than your typical canyon road with grades around 5-6% and gives the rider spectacular views back onto the Colorado Front Range including the Denver skyline. As an individual time trial course there is not much chance to enjoy the view until the race is over and you are coasting back down hill.  While never extremely steep the 4.4 mile course with 1228feet of elevation gain keeps your attention, your legs working and lungs breathing hard.

Saturday morning 260 racers participated in the junior, senior and masters categories in support of the collegiate race that began at noon.  Each collegiate team sponsors a race and the non-colligate races are a way for those teams to raise dollars in support of their racing programs. This makes these races a win for all cycling as well as a great way to test your early season fitness.

Mix1 masters cycling team had superb day with two wins, Matt Gates 35+ and Steve Matous 55+, and two more podiums, Bill Stalhuth 2^nd in 45+ and Matt Segur 3^rd in 35+. Matt Segur’s podium place was especially impressive as it was done with cracked ribs and road rash still present after an unfortunate crash in the Pro, 1, 2 race at the Stazio crit earlier in the month.  Stephen Birnbaum rounded out the Mix1 field and had an incredible finish, 14th out of 31 competitors, for one who is calls himself “vertically challenged”. All fields were very competitive as the hill climbers came out to test early season strength and resolve.

San Dimas stage race California and DU criterium City Park Colorado

Mix1 also had a team mate racing in California this weekend at the San Dimas stage race. Racing on his own without any other team support, Peter Ismert has battled well against the locals who are already months into their race season.  Although no podiums Peter did manage 14^th in the uphill TT and 9^th place in the circuit race which started with 62 racers and end with only 37 finishers.  You know it was a fast and hard fought race to have so many DNF’s.  The final criterium results from today were not yet posted as of this writing.

Another collegiate race sponsored by DU held a Pro, 1, 2 crit race today at City Park in Denver. Three Mix1 riders; CJ Gauss, Michael Burton and Jim Thies (all 35+ masters racers), went up against a strong field and howling wind making for a fast hard race and trying conditions.  At the end of the day Jim was our best placed finisher taking 8^th.

Peak to peak near Ward at 5PM 52 degs!

You know its time to get into the high country when it is still 52 degrees on the Peak to Peak near Ward at 5PM in March!  Some wind in the canyons leading up to the high country today but all in all a beautiful day to ride and enjoy the mountains.  Getting ready for the Lookout hill climb TT this weekend.  Its a fund raiser for the School of Mines cycling race team so get out there and continue to support the next generation of racers! Ore Digger classic @ http://www.coloradocycling.org/sites/default/files/Site_Files/Race_Flyers/2012/3-17%20Mines-Oredigger.pdf

Photos from Stazio Crit Pro 1,2 race

University of Colorado Criterium Masters race March 11

CU broke with tradition and lined up the masters for the last race of the day. This made for an interesting race as a lot of P,1,2 racers doubled up for the day as everyone considered this first mass start collegiate race as a training race day. As usual for a spring afternoon in Colorado, the winds picked up and made the race harder than one would expect. Two crosswinds, a headwind and the lone tailwind was on the hill where everyone felt like superman and crushed the pace. So, attacks were rampant, breakaways didn't last and the field dwindled with each lap. Lee Middlekauf, Adam Asnes, Marcel vanGarderen, and Pete Lucke were the sole representatives in the field as most of the masters team lined up for the P,1,2 race so that they could be home in time for dinner with their family. The guys did all that they could to make a winning break, but as the race came down to the last 15 minutes the winning break went with no mix1ers present. No one was disappointed as everyone came away with an excellent workout and gauged their fitness in time to be ready for the "real" season to begin in another 3 weeks. Hats off to the Boulder Orthopedics team that came out in full force, executed a well thought out plan, and their protected rider hid for the entire race and then not only made the winning break with his one attack, but won the race too.

Team training ride

Mix1 team ride Saturday March 12

Beautiful day for a team ride to Jamestown!  Hope you are all getting out and enjoying it as well! Many on the team will be racing tomorrow at Stazio criterium races.  Come out to race yourself and support the CU cycling team fund raiser or just to cheer on your friends and enjoy another nice day.