The Best month of the Summer!

7/7/13
Brad Lewis Memorial (Boat St) Criterium and State Championship

This year they decided to have the State Criterium Championship at the Brad Lewis Memorial (Boat St). Last year the race was up in Bellingham and that course was good but coming into the fastest corner there is parking meters on the outside every 10 ft with no protective cover over them. Most crit courses will bring in hay bales to cover poles and signs or some form of padding etc... but for whatever reason Bellingham didn't do that and I don't see it on the calendar for this year.

With that said Boat St has some of the worst pavement on the start/finish line. There are cracks in the concrete that run parallel that are 2-3 inches wide. Easily large enough for our little tires to get stuck in. The way they decided to fix the road was to spray paint the whole front straight away with bright orange paint. I guess that is better than nothing but I hope next year they repave that part of the course. Even driving a car on that section of road is hazardous. As a couple of us from the team arrived an ambulance was parked at the start/finish line loading a guy on a stretcher with a neck brace into the back. Dang. Not something you want to see when arriving before your race. The two gentleman who crashed that were taken away were pretty beat up with broken bones and even a couple broken vertebrae. Thankfully they both with heal but it will be a long journey back.

There was a break of 3 that got away and my teammate Chris was able to come through in 6th place and I finished in 10th. We had a few crashes as well and a few people when down on the straightaway. Again I hope all heal fast.


7/13/13
Redmond Derby Days
 

After a 2 year hiatus from this race due to losing some precious skin (see here) I decided I should give it another go. We had a strong squad showing up with Aaron G, Richie S, Dave R and myself. I decided to give racing 2 crits in a day a try; after all, it was my birthday weekend. The Cat 3 race post the below race I could only managed 10th but still earned $30. The first race was and better of the two was the Masters (35+) Category 3/4 field for 40 minutes. My goal for this race was to win some $$$ because who doesn't like cash? The race had some very nice pay outs with 1st getting $250 and 2nd $100 plus all of the prime laps that they offered. The race started fast with Cucina Fresca holding the most teammates with a staggering 9. They kept the race fast and always strung out with one teammate attacking after the other. We came by start/finish and they rang the bell for a prime lap of $20 cash. I moved into position on the outside and when we got to the back straight the pack slowed just enough and I decided I needed to go. I put in a big dig for a few seconds then hit the corner full gas. I heard my Cat 2 teammate Jeff who was watching yell at me so I got out of the saddle and sprinted again. As I came around the last corner I took a peek behind me and didn't see anyone so I sat up to take the prime and the cash.

Yes, those are pink socks. Easier for Lindsay to spot me in a crowd and I'm also admittedly a shoe and sock guy as you can see, I like em bright. So $20 dollars richer I sat up and tried to recover as much as possible before melting into the peloton. After that it was a great showing from SCCA/Starbucks team. Aaron went off the front a couple times as soon as the field slowed and covered moves and helped keep the pace high. Then with a few laps to go Richie moved to the front and strung it out single file. This allowed me to maintain my position in the top 5 and not be swarmed from behind when the speed slowed down. Coming into the final corner I am in perfect position and as we go through the corner everyone starts their sprint. I had to hesitate as the person in front of me moved over just a little bit but I had to adjust my line. Once I had the proper line launch was confirmed and I was off. Great pictures from the sprint from Woodinville Bicycle and Tawny Strong. 2nd place and a great team effort especially the last 5 laps. 27 mph avg.

 

Great to have Lindsay and Ridlee there. Teamwork!

 

 

7/18/13
Seward Park Cyclefest

What a fun night. We had a strong squad as mentioned. The plan before the race was to practice getting together for a lead out. I really feel having a team meeting prior to each race to discuss tactics and a job is important to being successful or even more successful than we currently are. The hardest thing to do in crit racing is get a proper lead out from your team. That team has to be strong and have riders that can put the pedal to the floor and get the job done several laps prior to the finish. United Health Care team comes to mind. They dominate in the US when it comes to crit racing and their famous lead outs. Our Cat 3 squad is starting to put the puzzles together after the last couple crit races. I will send out a recap of Derby Days Masters 3-4 and Cat 3 later.

From the gun Todd was at the front setting pace and keeping things animated. He would go off the front and 2 laps later he would win the prime, great timing on all of his attacks. Aaron and I hovered around the front and marked a few people every time Todd was off winning cash and a drawer full of new socks. I was just telling myself I needed to move up front and was kicking myself for falling back when I saw 3 laps to go but I found myself next to Jesse and told him, "its time to go". I moved over and get on his wheel and he promptly took me right to the front of the race just before the downhill section. The picture link below has a good shot of the action. Coming around he almost got himself a new pair of socks as he reeled in the solo break but missed it by half a wheel. Stunning work as he faded back into the field, Aaron came up to the front just after the downhill to take over and I got on his wheel as he towed everyone around. Then Todd made his way back up to the front and moved in front of me for the final lead out. He took me down the hill while Aaron sat on my left to protect me from any wind and kind of block me into the inside which allowed us to control the front more and only allow attacks to come from the long way around. It really was a great tactic as nobody came by us. Todd got me halfway up the hill and then I heard a deep yell that sounded like it came from Aaron but wasn't sure as it may have come from his legs. Scared I was about to be eaten by the pack of crazies behind me I went to the left of Todd and started my sprint up the hill. I told myself as I got to the top to slow down a bit as I knew I would need to sprint again from the corner. I took the turn full gas, picked my optimal line that carried me out to the curb and then immediately got out of the saddle and sprinted again. My legs started to scream as my mind told me to sit down and go easy. After sitting down and listening to my head, I was able to re-convince myself that I needed to put in 1 more sprint and not fail the guys. Up and out of the saddle I went one more time and my legs stopped just before the finish. 1st place was so sweet. I coasted around waiting for the guys to thank them as several teams came by and gave us kudos for our racing. We were off the front or at the front the whole night and finished at the front. That was a proper lead out. So proud to bring home the "W" for the team and exciting by how we have come together in our crit racing. As Jeff always says, make it fast.

 

Some good pictures from the race.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/micahchanphotography/sets/72157634704961671/with/9324250792/

 

7/28/13

Georgetown Criterium

Well crit season is over and I think we did very well as a team in the Cat 3’s. I am sad to see it go but also excited for next year as we know what areas we can work on.

There was a lot of talk about how bad the course was and I must say KR did a great job getting it ready. The hole in turn 2 was nonexistent in the race as they patched it and put tape over the creases in pavement. There was only 1 hole that you moved around or bunny hopped and it really wasn’t even that bad, I would compare it to the hole on the front straight at Ballard Crit. The last corner was more of a kink and you could take it very fast but it tightened up as you exited and that is what happened to the Cat 4/5 race where a major pile up happened. There were a few times I was pushed out wide by guys on the inside and came very close to touching the garbage cans or the cone. I really enjoyed this course though and found it to be a lot of fun. I hope it is on the calendar again for next year. Having the beer garden and the fans was great too.

We had Sam, who did an easy 80 mile leg opener on Saturday to get ready for our race, Aaron and I going to battle for the team. We had a decent size group for a first year crit and there were the notable sprinters that showed up. Our plan was for Sam and Aaron to go for a prime and I would take up the mantle for the finishing sprint. I took my time moving towards the front changing my lines and seeing how easy it was to pass. As is with most crits everyone wants to pass people in the corners or right before them so this always creates difficulty holding your position in the field. Of course being at the front is the best place to be in order to avoid that. An Audi guy had a good size gap on the field at one point with I heard, a 20 second lead but that is debatable. Aaron went to the front and put in some good pulls and even got a way for a lap. Then Sam was up there as well and we could see the Audi guy coming back. I mentioned to Sam you should attack when he comes back if you wanted to. My thought was that Sam would get away and take a prime. The solo break came back and a lap later Sam rode off the front for two laps and just as the pack caught Sam they rang the bell for a prime. Dang it. I was already up at the front while Sam was away seeing if anyone would try to bridge and decided if I wasn’t swarmed in any of the corners I would go for the prime. I was 2^nd wheel on the back straight when RAD Racing jumped. I moved over to get on his wheel and was able to come around him for the prime, goal #1 done; now we need to get ready for the finish. The last couple of laps were really hard to move around and hard to hold my position. The pace had to be super-hot to keep the dive bombers at bay but Sam and Aaron were also having the same problems I was. I sprinted on the back straight on the last lap to close a gap and was able to move up towards the top 15 or so but that is not where I needed to be. I knew that you had to be top 3 coming through the last corner in order to have a chance of winning or even getting on the podium. My pace through the last corner was fast and I felt my tires sliding as they screamed for grip and was able to do a toe tap on the cone for good measure. This still wasn’t enough and I was only able to get 8^th place. What was really good was to have Tony our Cat 2 there to provide us instant feedback.

Crit, Endurance race, Crit

Tacoma Twilight Criterium

SCCA/Starbucks came into this race with a good squad, we had Aaron G, Sam, Richie, Anthony, Sarah (Anthony's wife who is a cat 1 who raced back to back) myself, and Chris A (who raced masters and cat 3's back to back). This would be our first crit race all together with the updated Cat 3 squad. Jeff Reed, Tony Blazejack, Mike (faster) Foster, and Peter all upgraded to form our first Cat 2 squad. Congrats to them and it’s awesome to watch our guys fight it out with the pros.

The plan was to have one of our guys go off the front with 2 laps to go and let the field chase them back. Then we would send another and then sit in for the bunch sprint. Plans are always good to have going into races but most the time they don't work especially in short criteriums. This course doesn't really allow you to do a lot of moving as the straights are only 2 blocks long, and the course is fast. I stayed at the front the first half of the race and at one point went exploring on my own. We just brought a guy back that was off the front so I decided I would go next and 1.5 laps later I sat up and melted back into the pot of cyclists. It felt good to be off the front taking the corners alone and picking my line however when I re-joined I let too many people in front of me. For the second half of the race I tried working my way back to the front. Sam performed his duty with 2 to go and strung the field out. Aaron G moved my up to about 15th wheel on the last lap and I was able to finish 13th in the sprint. Chris was a monster and was off the front several times in our race. He finished 6th in Masters as well as 6th in Cat 3's. Good showing by the team as we always kept it animated.

Avg Speed 26.6 mph.

Chris and myself pic via Tawny Strong

 

Lovely to have Lindsay and Ridlee there cheering us on.

Little 150

My teammate Travis has wanted to put on a race for a few years now. We were co-captains at Cycle U and both moved over to SCCA/Starbucks this year. He had a great opportunity to rent Pacific Raceways for a day and jumped at the chance. The little 150 was born based on a similar race known as the Little 500. Read about it here. The Little 150 would be on the flats course at Pacific Raceways which is 1.9 miles long and we would be doing a total of 150 miles. This event was pretty different to the one that the idea grew from but the concept was similar. For an inaugural event I think we had a good turnout. Especially since endurance racing on a racetrack is not a common event in cycling. I did several of these when I was racing motorcycles and they were always a great time. It was a long (5:45 hrs) and hot day with an average temperature of 97 degrees. I could feel the heat through my shoes and we stuck to each doing 1 lap for most of the day, then drinking as much water as possible. We lost a teammate earlier in the day as he was heading out to catch a flight later that evening so it was down to 3 of us for the last 30 laps, Jesse, Francis and myself. Our team lost touch to the top 3 teams but we clawed our way back to catch the 5th place team with a dozen laps to go. Our plan now was to sit in and rotate with the 3 other guys until the end. Our plan was to have Jesse do 2 laps, come in, and rotate with Francis who would do 3 laps. Then I would take over for the finishing sprint and hopefully moving us up to 5th place. As we came around I was in perfect position with 2 other guys in front of me. Chad from Hagen’s Berman is a fast guy but was left on the front with about 300 meters to go so he was forced to start his sprint. I sat behind the guy from Cucina Fresca who was behind Chad. He started his sprint and it was the perfect lead-out for me. I was able to come around him to take the bunch sprint and move us into 5th place. We almost caught the 4th place team who was 10 seconds ahead of us. This was a great event. The tactics are so different than normal racing and it was a lot of fun. I look forward to next year’s race. For only each racing 40-50 miles we were all destroyed following the race and consumed a few adult beverages thanks to the promoter. With an avg speed for 150 miles of 26.9 mph it’s no wonder we were exhausted.

The teammate exchanges to place in the pit lane and we had to ride next to our teammate who was going out for it to count as an official exchange. pic via Tawny Strong

All by myself, working on closing the gap to 5th place. pic via Tawny Strong

Giving the 1 more lap to my teammates before I come in. My glorious Fuel gloves. pic via Tawny Strong

Joe Matava Crit (Burien Crit)

This is my home race with it only 1.3 miles from our house. The course is downtown Burien and it follows a portion of the route the parade takes later in the afternoon. Last year I was caught out behind crashes and finished in the pack. Short read here. This year I was determined not to let that happen and I had the support of my teammates who were there to assist. We all met at the house and Lindsay put together some go fast food for us. It was nice to all warm up in the garage then ride down to the course. Our plan was formed in the garage. We would all get together with 10 laps to go or when the official moved the timing to laps. Again we had a very strong team with, Todd, Aaron G, Jesse, Cameron, Wes, and me. As is almost customary for this team, Todd went off the front in the beginning and was able to collect himself a prime. Wes also was off the front for a bit too. There are always crashes in criterium racing and this day was no different. I was able to miss the first crash that happened towards the front of the race which post-race I found out it took up most of the back straight. As we came around for the next 2 laps there was a steady stream of riders joining us, some with bloodied elbows and knees but getting back in the fight. Its good to see them getting back in but not so cool getting behind one of them with half their butt showing. It is like walking on a tight rope when you are crit racing. I was on the front when a guy was moving past me on my left but decided he was ready to move over before he was clear of me. Standard procedure of yelling at him and hanging half my body off my bike to keep my balance as my front wheel was rubbing on his rear wheel. Thankfully I stayed upright and decided this dude should be behind me and promptly got back in front of him. There was another crash in turn 3 but thankfully I was in front of it but could hear the carbon snapping and bodies hitting the ground just another reminder to always stay at the front.

 

When the official switched to laps with 8 to go, Jesse came up to the front to do his work. It was awesome to get on his wheel and be 1-2 for the next 3 or so laps as he pulled the pack around single file as the picture below shows.

 

It was stagnant for a lap after Jesse was done throwing it down. I was starting to worry as I was sitting on the front and started to be swarmed. Then out of nowhere, its a bird, its a plane, no its a rocket, close, its Aaron G hauling a$$. I jumped on his wheel as he put the field back in its place of single file behind us. Aaron held steady for 2 full laps on the front and with 1 to go he pulled off. The junior team of RAD racing took over at the front and I promptly jumped on their wheels. I was sitting in 3rd place on the back straight when I heard a loud clanking; stuff breaking and my rear wheel get a bit loose. It felt like my wheel was coming apart but as I looked back it was the guy directly behind me whose front wheel was totally destroyed. He apparently road into my rear skewer (axel) which ate up his spokes like the cookie monster would if you place a freshly baked cookie in front of him. That hesitation on my part was the exact moment a handful of guys went around me. Ugghh... I stood up and sprinted to get on their wheels but that was my chance at victory or a podium. I finished in 7th place so a respectable finish but with all the work the team and how we controlled the last 10 laps it was a little frustrating to lose the race 500 meters from the line. The positive thing we showed in this race as a team is we can get together in a crit in the final laps and really put our stamp on the race. I look forward to the State Criterium Championship this coming weekend at Boat Street (Brad Lewis Memorial).

Ballard Crit 2013

One of Seattles most popular bike races is in the old part of Ballard and celebrated its 20th year running. The course is pretty basic with 2 long straight aways and short corners. The pavement is very similar to what most of us cyclists deal with on a daily basis when riding in the Seattle area. Pot holes, bad pavement along with sections of brick and man hole covers in the middle of corners. There was a ton of spectators so it made the atmosphere that much more exciting. Things started off well and I slowly made my way towards the front. I found that I gained multiple positions when taking the outside of each corner as it allowed me to carry more corner speed and save my legs. My goal was to get a prime and then see if I could be there at the end. Saturday was my first day off of a 10 day antibiotic course for a sinus infection so my goals might have been a bit lofty. I felt pretty good though 15 minutes into it. We came by the start finish and as we came into turn 1 a guy to my left started leaning on another guy. They fixed themselves then going down to turn 2 I could see the same guy that was doing the leaning was still a bit wobbly and sure enough he took the inside of turn 2 and then proceeded to wobble himself to the outside of the turn 2 and in the process take out 3 guys. Then the domino affect took place. I grabbed a handfull of brakes, got sideways, saw a photographer rolling in the dirt with bikes and bodies flying all around me. Thankfully the first few bikes and bodies took out the yellow tape before I came through. I was able to get stopped just before a sign, unclipped pushed my bike back to the course and started chasing. My mistake and my teammates was not going back to take our free lap like the other 9 guys did. I wasn't sure if we could since we didn't hit the deck but we did unclip and were involved in the pile up. So that left my teammate Sam and myself with 2 other guys chasing for the next 15 min. We got to about 250 meters behind the pack and at one point I took a drink of water expecting the next lap we would be back on. Whats the saying? So close but yet so far away. The next lap was a prime lap and they started to build the gap. I pulled the plug a few laps later as I started to dry heave. You know you are going hard when that starts to happen. We averaged 27.6 mph.

First time since racing Ballard (2009) that I was not able to finish. It is known as a crash fest and I would say it didn't dissappoint. I hope all the racers who hit the deck come out ok.
Criterium season is here and I will look to rebound at the Tacoma Twilight 6/29.

2013 Tour of Walla Walla

2013 Tour of Walla Walla was up next in the middle of April and would be a 3 day stage race with 4 races. It is probably "the" stage race of Washington, with teams from ID, MT, and OR making the trip. Lindsay and I rented a house and was able to fill it with SCCA/Starbuck racers! The house was really nice and also had a 2 car garage that we filled with bikes. The weather on the other hand was not cool. Walla Walla was issued a high wind warning for the weekend. Great. I will take rain, cold, hot, anything but wind.

 

Friday Waitsburg Road Race 42 miles (2 laps):

I did this course back in 2009 (read about it here) when I accidentally joined the wrong field. The race finishes on a climb that is about 1.5 miles long with an average gradient of 5.4%. We had a very strong team with us for the Category 3 race. The plan was to hang out in the bunch and cover any moves that went off the front and maintain for the Time Trial the next day. The worst part for me and a few others was on the last lap going through the feed zone. Let me back up a little bit and explain how windy it was. We were seeing winds from 20 mph to 40 mph. This made everyone in the peleton nervous and if you dared lose the guys wheel that was in front of you joining back on was going to be a herculean effort. As far as I know there weren't any crashes until the last 500 meters. So back to what happened in the feed zone. We were cruising up this hill that averaged about 3% to 3.5% at 28 mph. It was insane. We had a tail wind that helped us up the hill but the speed was enough to start popping guys off the back. As they blew up they created gaps that we had to fill. It was only a matter of time. My mistake was not moving up to the front of the peleton earlier in the lap. It was a hard thing to convince myself to do with the wind. The inevitable happened and I was off the back and chasing with a few others guys. We got pretty close to the pack before we came back into the town of Waitsburg but it really surprised me how a basic bicycle paceline for Cat 3 racers is a foriegn activity. I was spending more energy staying with this group than I would if I set off on my own. So thats what I did and when it came up to be my turn at the front of the paceline I launched off the front and set off in hopes of catching back on to the main field. I did and was able to recover for 5 minutes before we hit the climb for the finish. Same scenorio took place as above. A gap formed from a few guys and that put the rest of us off the back. Blah. This really sucked as the wind was right in your face and there was nobody to hide behind. As we came to the 200 meter sign prior to the finish line I went around one of the guys that had been in our small group of 3. He didn't find that very nice and had something to say about it as I went by. I am racing my bike here buddy. I didn't just suffer for the last 2 hours to be a gentlemen and let you go to the line ahead of me.

 

Saturday Time Trial 8.7 miles

Prior to the Tour of Walla Walla I went to Herriott Sports Performance to get a bike fit on my TT bike. Best money spent is getting your bikes fitted. I had them fit me on my road bike in March and brought them my TT bike as well and it made riding it much more enjoyable.

I'm not very good at Time Trials. I love the concept of them and the technology that goes into them but I am just not able to sustain the power that is required to put in good times. Its still fun though. My plan was to pace myself and put in a decent effort but I was planning on saving my legs for the Criterium that was happing that evening. The wind once again was brutal, and once I was over the climb I was able to get in a better rythem as the wind was not directly punching me in the face, just in the side of my face. I caught the guy that started 30 seconds ahead of me as well as the 1 minute guy. Who just so happened to be the guy that had issues with me on Friday in the road race. I thought that was fitting that I passed him. The real reason I caught him was because I was so much more aero than he was. The pictures of my pre/post fit show my head is much lower and closer to my hands which = aero. So again thanks to the boys at HSP! I came in 52nd. yikes 23:53 min

 

 

That afternoon was the Criterium. I have had some decent results in the past here with a couple top 10's and 1 top 5. My goal this year was the same as every year. WIN. After the Time Trial we had several SCCA/Starbucks racers in for the General Classification. Jeff Reed who is on my left in the below picture and Mike Foster better known as FASTER on my right.

The other Crit man that is missing from the above picture is Tony Blazejack who proceeded to win $150 in cash and a new set of Oakley's on the Prime laps and took 3rd in the crit. Great effort and results. I on the other hand took 13th. I was on Tony's wheel coming into the 2nd to last corner but was not aggressive enough to hold his wheel. My sprint in a Cat 4 field is pretty explosive but racing in the Cat 3 field its a small flame. We averaged 25mph for the whole race (45 minutes) and the last lap average was 28.5mph, with my sprint speed of 35mph. My problem is I have used up all my explosiveness prior to the sprint and don't have much left over. My early season form was good but everyone else is catching up. Top 15 out of a field as strong as the 84 competitors probably isn't so bad but I don't race my bike for top 15's. ; )

 

Sunday Road Race 62 miles 3500+ Ft of Climbing

I wanted really bad to help our guys who were going to be fighting for the General Classification. My legs didn't feel so great but I thought they would come around. Buzzer sounds and I get into the ring then after a few rounds (18 miles) I am TKO'd. The wind on Sunday was the worse it had been all weekend. In the Cat 4 race my teammate and friend Travis was blown literally off the road and into a barb wire fence. See pro and now famouse because of it Johnny Hoogerland. At first when he told us that prior to our race start I was like, "what really?" It was hard to believe but once I got to the area where he crashed on the course in our race I couldn't believe how strong the winds were and knew how dangerous it really was. The good part was Lindsay, Ridlee and myself got to leave Walla Walla a little earlier than expected. I only made it 30 something miles and called it a weekend. Atleast I could smile after being physically crushed. Ridlee was pretty wiped out too. Great weekend though with the team and having the family there. Next year I will focus more on doing the Tour de Bloom in Wenatchee.

 

 

 













Racing the first half of April

First up was the University of Washington Omnium Criterium. We are only able to race the Criterium as the Collegiate men and women race the full weekend. I was able to hold off my now teammate Tony Blazejack for the win last year. My very first Win!

 



2013 was drastically different. The weather maintained the trend from the previous day at Vance Creek RR, complete garbage. We had wind, rain, no bike racers and the temperature dropped to 37 F degrees at race time. Which was also delayed 30 minutes because we had 15 total in our field and that was with the combination of the womens 1-2-3 field. This would be labeled as a race I should have just donated my money too and went home. Needless to say with that many in the field you would think it would be slow but it was really hard. I finished 8th.

 





The next weekend was the Volunteer Park Criterium that is held in Seattle near Capital Hill. I decided to do this race about 3 hours before it started. The weather was good and it was so close to home I hopped on the bike and rode there. Lindsay and Ridlee came out to watch so it turned out to be a nice afternoon. My race was ok but this Volunteer Park is not one of my favorites. The course is fast and you are either going up or going down. The up part isn't so bad as the downhill takes you halfway up the climb but its the false flat that leads into the finish line that drains me. I tried for a prime on one lap but was not able to deliver. I towed Aaron up the hill on the last lap and sat up before the finish for 34th. Aaron was able to take 9th. Good picture (Julie Griffith credit) coming through the top of the park before the downhill. There was a pile up here during our race that I was able to miss.

 

 

Up next is Tour of Walla Walla...

 











Vance Creek Road Race 2013

This race starts right in the middle of 2 unfinished Nuclear reactors which is now the Satsop Development Park. You can get more information here

I last raced here in 2011 and would be dropped on the hill coming in to the start/finish line on the first lap. I am now a Cat 3 (I know, it’s the big time) so it would be interesting to see how I handled the hill. You always think back to the last time you raced that course and if you sucked on that particular day it’s hard to get those thoughts out of your head. The weather was very confused on what it wanted to do. It rained all the way down there from Seattle and when we arrived there was mixed rain with sunshine. I opted for Embrocation on the legs, my fateful Gabba jersey with SCCA/Starbucks team jersey over it with arm warmers. Just as we started to roll out is started to rain, of course. We would be going for 66 miles. This really is a fun course with lots of twist and turns on old farm roads and a few rolling hills. It had everything with rain, hail at one point, and some pretty decent cross winds. The first lap was fast, as most are when you are starting out with 60+ racers chomping at the bit to rip each other’s legs off.

Our team goal was to put someone in a breakaway for the chance at winning and my specific duty for the day was to get to the front after the start/finish climb and push the pace down the hill. First lap in the books and I felt surprisingly good when we got to the top of the hill. I moved to the front where a few of my teammates were and got right to work. I created a small gap as I moved to the front so I slowed a little until the pack caught me and then pressed the pace. We had Tony B who was able to get himself in a break later in the lap. After being away for that lap Tony came back and our work horse Francis bridged up to them and filled his vacated spot. I was pretty happy extremely confident of Francis and his ability, especially with a 1 minute 30 second gap to us. Then to my disbelief I could see Francis slowly coming back to us (heart in throat). Oh no. This isn't good. With nobody in the break and as we just came by the feed zone someone yelled the break had a 1 minute 40 second gap. As we climbed up over the start finish, I could see Jeff up at the front. He turned halfway around and did the cowboy round up signal with his hand. Uh oh. Game on. I immediately made my way to the front where all of a sudden it was a mass of SCCA/Starbuck black and green kits. We had 5 total and then 6 when Francis moved back to the front. Yes, the same guy that blew up in the break had now recovered and was taking pulls at the front. Dudes an animal, or more like a Honey Badger. You know, "the Honey Badger doesn’t give a shit"! Anyways, go YouTube it if you don't know about the Honey Badger. It was so cool with all 6 of us taking pulls at the front towing the entire field. We were showing all the other teams why we have been so dominate in the first few races (we have been on the podium every race so far). As we began to close in on them I pulled the plug. I was toast but as I swung off the front and took a good look behind me it was so sweet to see 30+ guys on in a single file line following us. Who knows how many we dropped during that period. We caught the break in 8 miles.

My fear once we caught them was that our team would be totally spent and another team would attack us. Tony B, I and Francis drifted to the very back of the pack. We were exhausted and our work was done. Todd said he felt good for the finish so I told him and Francis I would take him to the front of the field about 3 miles from the finish. Going down the descent after the finish who do I see bomb down the shoulder? Honey Badger doesn’t give a shit! Francis was on the front setting the pace again. Then as we came around a corner I could see him all alone. I moved up to the front to cover any attacks or bridge attempts but nobody tried. With 500 meters to go I hit the ejector button and drifted all the way to the back as Francis took the well-deserved WIN!!! The amount of hard work we did to bring the break back and then to see him get the win was so awesome!

Sequim #2

I feel this race report is pretty lazy. Racing your bicycle 60 miles I guess isn't lazy but when you sit at the back the whole race chit chatting with your friends it feels a bit lazy. My duty for this race was to be the "sprinter". Our goal again was to be aggressive but not so much in the beginning but on lap 1 our diesel Francis went off the front with 1 other guy. That’s us not being aggressive! They had over 1 minute on us at one point but at the start of lap 4, Jeff decided it was time to go. It took him about 3 minutes to make it to them but he did. Francis finally cracked and came back to us. Jeff stayed away for the rest of the race to take 2nd place. Watching him bridge made my legs hurt. I envy the guys on our team that can stay in a break like that. I won't go into details about the finish on a blog over... the intra-net... but lets just say the sprint wasn't supposed to be contested since Jeff pulled the other guy around the last lap in a half. I am sure you can find the facts on Strava! Lesson learned for us though.

Once we came around the corner to get on Woodcock Rd I started following Chris and Vern towards the front of the pack. My time at the back was over and now it was time to do some work. Once again SCCA/Starbucks Cycling Team moved to the front of the race to take control. Jesse, who missed Sequim #1 was on the front with Peter and both maintained a good speed which kept the other teams behind us. I found Tony a few miles before the last corner and got on his wheel. He is also an excellent sprinter so it was great to have him as my dedicated lead out man. We went by Jesse as his shift work was done and at the 1k to go sign Peter took off. The peloton this weekend was a lot more attentive and covered Pete's kamikaze attack but it was enough to string things out. This allowed Tony to move up closer to the front with me on his wheel. There was a lot of bumping going on as there always is in a pack sprint so Tony and I didn't have much room for maneuvering since we were on the yellow line. He squeezed by a few guys just as we hit the 200 meter sign (the promoter pushed out to an actual 400 meters for saftey). Boom, Tony was done and I moved over to get behind somebody in a black kit (HSP) and as soon as I felt his speed start to drop I jumped. I raced on my new Cannondale CAAD 10 and had it fitted by Todd Herriot and David Richter at Herriott Sports Performance. Both are accomplished ex-pros and David dominates sprint finishes (won both Sequim Races in the Cat 1-2 field). With my new fit I was ready to throw it down. My mom and dad were there to catch it on camera. Thanks Dad.

3rd Place and a great team effort for us to go 2nd and 3rd.

Mason Lake #2 & Tour de Dung (Sequim) #1

2013 Race Season

Mason Lake #2


Crash Fest was generally used when describing the Mason Lake road race series but the last couple of years I have attended it has been great. I missed Mason Lake #1 with the chest cold that has haunted me since coming back from our team camp in Feb. My teammate Peter took 3rd in the sprint and SCCA/Starbucks Cycling was well represented for Mason #1. The following week we had 7 of us racing. This is a series with points so we had to make sure we got Peter in any break away or have him ready for the sprint. He managed to get in a one at the end of the first lap thanks in part to our turbo diesel Francis. They were gone for the rest of the race and had a 7 minute gap at the end. Francis helped create the break and stayed in it. Peter took the sprint for victory after Francis crushed the other 5 guys leading up to the 1k. I sat in the pack and patrolled the front on lap 4 with the boys to make sure things were in order. I reminded myself after the race that if I don't make goals I finish in the pack. You always have to re-adjust your goal once the race plays out but I didn't. I was at the back for the pack finish and should have been up front throwing down a sprint. I made sure I changed that for Sequim.

Tour de Dung (Sequim) #1

This place is always the nice quite little town where it is always sunny. It can rain all the way up to Chicken Dick road (if you don't know about the street names then that alone should be a reason to go visit) and then the closer you get to Dungeness the sun comes out. It really is crazy. I went to the SCCA/Starbucks Cycling team camp that was based in Sequim in Feb for 3 days and although chilly the weather was decent. I mentioned above about Mason Lake having a bad name but really it should be Sequim with the bad name. It seems Mason got such a bad name over the years. The last 3 years I have raced at Sequim there has always been crashes not slow going crashes either. I mean massive pile ups at the finishing line, where speeds average around 30 mph. It’s weird the roads are better and wider than they are at Mason Lake but first race of the year for most so maybe its nerves.

We arrived right on time, 8:45 for our 9:45am race time, but we didn’t plan for the 15 min wait to check in and the 15 min line for the port-o-potty. So that left us with about 20 min to get ready and warmed up. The weather was not sunny, with clouds and a slight breeze. We all shrugged it off as Sequim is always sunny and nice. Once the race started we made our mark. Jeff went on a flyer by himself and was away for an entire lap (11.5 miles) before Tony bridged up to him for a few more miles before the pack brought them back. Our team continued to push the pace and attacked multiple times throughout each lap but we could never get a good strong breakaway to stick. I began to move up towards the front on lap 4 as the rain began to really come down and the wind started pushing us around. This was ruining my nice quite little town where it is always sunny feeling. Then the sounds of thunder, oh wait, that wasn’t thunder that was carbon fiber breaking. I swerved over to the shoulder and made it around those couple of guys that were on their way to meet Sequim pavement. After a few pedal strokes I could still hear the sounds of carbon fiber snapping and air being pushed out of lungs. I turned around to see a mass pile of guys and bikes. Several of our guys were still at the front so I was hopeful we all missed it but after a few more miles I began to take notice of who we had and didn’t have. Our big engine man Francis was not in the group and neither was our Captain, Richie Strong. Both of them would be greatly missed on the last lap and I hoped they were ok. My plan/goal was to be there at the end for the finish, whether that was leading one of our guys out or if I was to take up the sprint. We couldn’t get any break away to stick so I was a part of plan b. Wait, I can still use that right? or is it reserved for the other thing? Oh well, you know what I mean. With about a half a lap left we were all at the front setting pace. I hovered around 10th wheel or so and tried to be as small as I could to avoid the head wind. A couple teams tried to muster up a pace line stronger than ours on the right side leading into the final turn but nobody could hold it long enough to take over from us. I took the outside line going into the last right hand turn before the finish and moved up a few spots, quite easily. My plan then was to get on the opposite side of the road to avoid the cross wind that was coming from the left. This was made pretty easy due to our guys at the front putting down the hurt. I could just make out Jeff standing up and sprinting with 1k to go. I moved around a couple guys from other teams to come up on Jeff as he punched his ticket and drifted back. Job well done my friend, he had created a gap and when Aaron G took over at the front he made it even larger. I was closing in on the guys with about 300 meters to go when I finally latched on. Aaron peeled off to the left and I took a look behind me to see how Peter and I looked. We had a good size gap to the field and I started yelling at Peter, GO, GO. Not that he wasn't going but maybe it was more my brain telling me to go. My turn now, I got out of the saddle and started my sprint on the right side of Peter, but man was I having difficulty. Oh how I hate the wind. We hit the line side by side but were shocked when PJ from Hagen’s Berman flew up on my right side at the finish. Wow, none of us knew who won. We waited around to find out that Peter took 1st; I took 2nd, PJ from Hagen’s took 3rd and Tony B took 4th with Chris taking 8th. That is 4 SCCA/Starbucks Cycling in the top 10.

That is a sprint lead out, not only a sprint lead out but we (I didn’t do much but follow my guys) controlled the race the last 6 miles. The team kept the pace so high it disrupted others from coming around us. Then the last 1k was amazing. I literally was dodging people getting to the front. We were the most aggressive team throughout the entire race and were the most determined at the end. We later found out winds of 31 mph recorded at Dungeness.

Sequim #2 this Saturday and it will be real interesting to see how the other teams react.

New Team & New Addition

Our New Addition:

No not the old R&B group. His name is Ridlee Kellen Haley. My lucky number 7. He arrived 10/7/12 at 1:38 am. Lindsay's scheduled date for him to arrive was on 10/5-10/6. No signs of him being ready, so I was geared up for a bike ride around the neighborhood Saturday morning. Came back into the bedroom to give Lindsay a kiss and she was in the bathroom. "I think my water broke". Oh shit. Ok I will call the hospital and let them know we are coming. She calmly said "no its ok why don't you go on your ride and we can take our time". I was like, "uhh, no I am not going on a bike ride. Your water just broke". Pretty funny now thinking about it. I was so excited there was no way I could go anywhere. We got our "go" bag and loaded up the car and drove to the hospital. Lindsay was in serious pain come 3pm that afternoon and was in so much pain she threw up. Thats a tough lady. The rest of the day was a blur from that point on. 19 hours of labor with a few scares but little man came out ok. Although with forceps and the Dr pulling so hard I thought for sure Ridlee was never coming out but he did and as soon as I heard him yell I could breathe. Holding your breath for 19 hours isn't advised. Lindsay was so strong and did so well. So 5 months into it and he is a great little boy and more fun than I could have imagined.

New Team:

So last year was my last with Cycle University and they ended up folding their specific team and joining forces with Apex Cycling.
Gabe, Travis, and I joined up with SCCA/Starbucks Cycling Team. My first race in the Black and Green will be this weekend. As with most people, I have been sick for what seems like 3 weeks. Cold beware, I have put you on notice. You will be evicted!

Our new bike shop www.bikesportnw.com has been fantastic. I took my rain bike in to get a tune up and mentioned I needed my bottle cage bolt fixed. 3 weeks or so later I have a brand new frame! WHAT! As little jon would say. Yes sir. I downgraded from my comfortable Synapse carbon frame to a CAAD10 aluminum frame.

 

2012 Portland Twilight Crit and end of Season

Portland Twilight Criterium July 2012


Wow. That really is all that needs to be said. I was amazed by how large the crowds were. The course was 10+ corners and a bit bumpy in spots. It was narrow and fast. All things I enjoy, maybe not the narrow part, but all the other parts. Ed, Joel, and I drove down on Friday as the race was that night. We had 70+ in the Cat 3 field and I was concerned about my starting position which was middle of the pack. Once the gun went off and we started to get clipped in to the pedals there was almost a crash. At first I didn't think much of it as sometimes with 70 guys & gals all tightly packed into a narrow two lane road you tend to have some issues. Then as we come around the last turn to get back on the start/finish straight several bikes and bodies went flying straight into the curbing and park bench that had people sitting at it. Oh that didn't look good. I wondered how they missed the turn and why they would ride straight into a curb and body slam bystanders. What can you do? I got out of the saddle and sprinted to close the small gap that had opened up only to see another crash in turn 4. This time it was a girl that was upside down with her bike in the fencing and a dude tangled up with her. The crowds again were awesome and were the largest I have seen at any criterium that I have raced in. Having a beer garden in the middle of the criterium is the way to go for any future crit promoter. Every single lap there was crashes. I ain't kidding either, every single lap. My problem was getting to the front and staying there. It seemed I would get close then some yahoo would do something crazy and I would find myself closing down gaps or narrowly missing a crash. I was finding that most of the field did not know how to ride a bike, especially in corners. It was scary to say the least. My golden ticket was moving up on the outside of the right hand turn 1 as all the noobs (yes, these are Cat 3 racers but it was hard to tell at times) would slow down and dive to the inside of the corner. I barely touched the brakes and rolled around the outside and gained multiple positions and this set me up brilliantly for the quick right hand corner that followed. Lap after lap I used that line and was able to get in the top 20 positions and maintain that.

With 70% of the field crashed out or pulled it was down to about 30 racers with 10 laps to go. At one point I was patting myself on the back for making it to the final 10 laps but you know it was bound to happen. My luck ran out on lap 8 and someone punched my golden ticket. It went down pretty fast which is unusual as most crashes people talk about how everything slows down. As I came around turn 1 there were two guys MMA wresting over the curb onto the sidewalk. At that point I knew I was screwed, I was on the outside already up against the curb and had no place to go. I locked up the brakes and smashed one of the guys that were still on the ground. This launched me over the bars, over the sidewalk onto the grassy area. I sat there for a second and realized I was ok minus my face when I took a bike part off the sunglasses. I turned around and gathered up my bike which had a destroyed front wheel. This is the reason I won't race the good carbon wheels in a crit. I ran back to the pits which were through the beer garden to get a wheel change. I did think of throwing the towel in and just getting a beer and call it a night but I wanted to finish. Ok here comes the pack. I got going again and caught back on for the last 6 laps but with 2 laps to go another crash happened in front of me and I said enough is enough. I sat at the back of the group and finished. I proceeded after the race to drink to many micro brews with Ed and Joel watching the Pro 1/2 field. After we got back to the hotel and went to bed I found myself outside our hotel room in my underwear wondering where the bathroom was. Ed was puzzled when he answered the door. Dude what are doing? A night to remember!

A few weeks later I wrapped up the Pacific Raceways or Tuesday night World Championships:


Myself and Gabe locked up the Cat 4/5 category this year going 1, 2. It was a fun battle and we could not have done it without the help of the team. Travis, Greg, Craig, Ken and everyone else who came out to race, thank you. Gabe was a little bit unlucky as we did most of the hill racing, March thru June as it always rained on Tuesday nights. He was able to build up a good lead as I suffered a bit to hang on to 2nd place. From June onward it was flats and sprinting, which is my specialty. Gabe was able to maintain 2nd place and we, for the most part dominated. It is a great feeling working together with Gabe and the rest of the team putting together our nightly tactics. I feel this really assisted me this year in getting my upgrade to3’s. Having a dismal year last year with illness and crashes, it really beats down your confidence. For me PR was a great place to increase my confidence and try new things. I got in my first break away at PR this year, which involves a lot of pain. I prefer sprinting but this was a great place to try it. I also learned having a game plan prior to a race helped hold myself accountable. I led out Brian Lockhart for a sprint win to welcome him back to racing. Funny we are now teammates!