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.

2011 Season Is Underway

The guys got the 2011 season going 2 weekend ago with some pro 1/2 racing at the CU Crit and Bill K. went big and headed down to Tucson for the Tucson Bicycle Classic.  Bill is 55, but chose to race with the 45 plus guys to get in more competition and to better train himself to race plenty of 45 plus in Colorado.  Bill had a solid top 10 tt, then just missed the win in the RR with a 2nd place in a break, and all that resulted in a fine top 5 finish.  We got some pictures from down there and on a snowy day in Colorado, it is sure nice to be racing in the desert.  This past weekend some of the guys raced pro 1/2 at the DU crit, with Jim Thies taking a 10th place against the big boys.

2011 Team

We will not have our team photos for a while, but here is one shot by Brian Dallas from FOCUS.  17 of the 22 riders were available for the shoot, with is pretty good for a bunch of working guys with kids.  Unfortunately our 2010 World Masters champion Gene Palumbo was out of town.  The photo would have looked better with his rainbow striped kit. 

More from Mavic & Shimano

 The goodies continue to roll in.  Above are Pete's new road and mountain bike shoes.  Pete spent 2010 on the Mavic road shoes, but opted for the white version.  For 2011 he stepped up his game and got the Mavic yellow in both types.  Good move Pete!  The Mavic shoes are a bit of an unique fit and the feedback we got from Excel Sports was that once most people try them on in the shop they do not love them.  What we found is that they do feel a little odd in the shop just walking around, they are a very light shoe, and the upper is very soft and flexible.  But if you get to ride in them you realize that when you are really riding you do not notice the above issue, your weight is on the carbon sole, the uppers are very supportive, and all in all it is comfortable shoe.  For 2011 several more guys are option to use these shoes from Mavic.  For 2010 CJ had a pair of the mountain bike shoes and really loved them.  He said they fit even better on his feet than the road shoes.  CJ ended his season with 24 Hours of Moab on the mountain bike and even in difficult conditions, including night riding, he would highly recommend the shoes.  For any mtb riders who are turned off by the yellow, most shoes are available in either black or white.

Shimano is a new sponsor for 2011 and the guys are all rolling out their new groups like Dura Ace 7900 and even some Di2 (Shimano's electronic shifting version of Dura Ace).  One hidden jem the mix1 team has found within Shimano's line up is the PRO line of parts.  You see a lot of PRO parts in Europe at the Pro Tour level on teams like Rabobank and HTC, but you do not see much of it in the US, with pros, amateurs, or just cycling enthusiasts.  We are not sure why that it, but if you get a chance to try them out, we bet you will be interested.  They make a full line of aluminum parts that offer great value as well as many light weight carbon parts that hurt the wallet.  You will see a bunch of the guys on their stems, bars, seat posts, and even full TT bars in 2011.  Pictured here is there very unique 1 piece carbon bar and stem. 

Team Photo

We got most of the team together today up at NCAR above Boulder for our 2011 photos.  Great organisation to get this done the first week of March and out of the way.  Joe from Peloton Photos (http://www.pelotonphoto.com/) did his usual great job.  Brian Dallas from FOCUS was kind enough to join us and teach us a few lessons on keeping those FOCUS frames clean.  Lots of great sponsor product was on display from FOCUS, Shimano, Rudy Project, Schwable, Fizik, Excel Sports, and more.

 We will get the actual photos out later, but here are a few of the guys trying to stay warm and get ready for their 15 minutes of fame. 

Meeting with FOCUS and new wheels from Mavic

 Last week the 35 plus team got everyone together to review last year, talk about next year and do a little team bonding.  The guys are very excited about 2011 and a lot of that energy comes from new rider Dan Schmatz.  Dan is going to change thy dynamic of the team and how we are able to race.  As part of the meeting we also met with Brian Dallas from FOCUS.  Brian was incredibly interesting and taught us a lot about our FOCUS frames.  The more we learned the more we were impressed and developed a greater understanding of all that goes into these frames.  It is clear FOCUS is an up and coming brand in the US and we are very lucky to be a part of it at this early stage.  Thanks FOCUS and Brian.

 Mavic has been a long term supporter of the team and their products are widely used by all of our riders.  We have been happy on all of their wheels for a while and in 2010 most of the guys were racing the SLR.  2010 was also the first year we started to use their shoes are were impressed.  For 2011 one of our riders stepped up and ordered Mavic's top of the line wheel set, the Cosmic Carbone Ultimate.  These pictures do not even do these wheels justice, as they are some of the most beautiful, well built, and fastest wheels in the world.  They were good enough to win two of the 3three grand tours in 2010, so it is an honor to have a set in the mix1 Masters Team arsenal for 2011.

2011 goodies from Focus, Hudz, Rudy Project, and Fi'zik

Well the boys on the mix1 Masters Racing Team are feeling like it is a late Christmas for them as the gear has been arriving quickly of late.  All the 2011 Focus frames came in and they are simply beautiful.  Several riders said it was by far the nicest frame they have ever ridden in over 20 years of racing.  Rudy Project also delivered great looking and fitting Sterling helmets in team red/white/black.  Lots of cool new saddles and handle bar tape arrived from Fi'zik.  And finally nice new brake/shifter hoods from new sponsor Hudz.

Thanks to all our great 2011 sponsors and we look forward to even more gear from the likes of Mavic, Shimano, and Schwalbe.

2011 Focus Frames Are On The Way

We got word this week our new 2011 Focus frames have been shipped out to us.  They should arrive early next week and the guys are really excited to start using the new products from Focus.  All those bikes will look great with Shimano groups and Mavic wheels.

Cool video of past team rider Scott B.

Here is a a cool video shot by Tim Ryan of past team rider Scott Bilyeu hammering up Lookout Mountain in Golden.  Scott is a great climber and TT rider and it is good to see he is still getting after it now that he has little kids!

Check it out:


http://vimeo.com/17544429