Annual Crash Post

When I was a young man, my mottos were "drive fast, take chances" and "live fast, die young" and "NO FUTURE." Those of you who know me well can attest that I am understating how recklessly I lived the early part of my life.

I have been thinking a lot about crashing recently. Maybe it is my recent 39th birthday that has me feeling my mortality.

In my mind, 2011 has become the year of the crash. There have been a inordinate number of crashes just in my immediate circle of friends (listed in no particular order and I am sure that I am leaving someone out in my haste).

Kyle Smith (Embrocation Cycling Journal): Skipped a gear at Wells Ave while sprinting and busted up his beautiful face, knocked out at least one tooth and broke his scapula. Currently back on the bike, expects to be racing soon. Reconstructive surgery appears to have restored da kylah to his previous splendor.

Chris Bailey (Pedro's...er...Svelte...er...Luxe Wheelworks): Jammed drivetrain while sprinting. Broken collarbone. Recovering.

Cary Fridrich (ECJ): Took an SUV to the face while riding on Beacon St in Somerville. Knocked 1/4 of his teeth out, broken jaw, various other injuries. Back on the bike, able to ride for a little over an hour at a time.

Mat Weatley (Cambridge Bicycle): Crashed at the Quabbin Road Race. Severe bruising and soreness. Bike broken. Not currently riding.

Dave Chui (RideStudioCafe): Crashed at Wompatuck last week. Road rash. Racing already.

Oscar Jiminez (RSC) : Crashed in training. Road Rash. Racing (well) with impressive bandages.

Donny Green (CB [as of this morning]): Hit a mailbox after flatting at Sterling. Not injured, all fired up to race more.

Emily Curly (Blue Steel Cyclery) (more acquaintance than friend, but I have a high level of respect for her, so she gets included): Crashed in the Rick Newhouse Criterium. Took a free lap and got back in the race to finish 5th and in the lead group (surely making Paul proud).

Adding gravity to the local crashes is the news that Wouter Weylandt crashed and died during a descent in today's stage of the Giro d'Italia. While I never heard of WW before this morning, my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

As with the post last year, I am not sure of my point. Crashing is an inherent risk in the sport. While there appears to be a crash in every race, this doesn't need to be the case.

A few years ago, someone told me that if you become scared of crashing, your racing career is essentially over. Fear and respect are two different things. Having a healthy level of respect and consideration for the wellbeing of your fellow racers does not diminish your own courage.

Enough preaching, let's race bikes now.

Be safe.

Product Review: Challenge Criterium Road Tires—They Make it a Challenge to Finish

I have reviewed Challenge tires before, Grifo cyclocross tires to be specific. Aside from the tread delamination issues that plagues their cross tires, they are mostly functional and economical.

Since that review, I have had considerable experience Challenge Criterium Road tires, both the tubular and the clincher versions. I have found both tires to be attractive, fast and grippy, but entirely unsatisfactory nonetheless. The tires are just too fragile. I have found that I flat almost half the time that I use them.

My first time racing on the tubular version of the Criterium was at Turtle Pond in 2009. I mounted the tires, rode them on clean roads once to make sure they were mounted properly and to dial in the air pressure. I re-inspected the tires before the race. In the first 25 miles I slashed the tire and flatted out of the race. The tire was unsalvageable. It was the biggest slash I have ever seen in a tire. To the best of my knowledge, few people flatted out of this race.

A few weeks later, I flatted out of Wells Ave when the other tire mysteriously lost air. I never figured out what went wrong. There was no visible puncture on the tire casing or tread.

I was happy to be done with this set of tubular tires. $160 of folly.

As time marched on, I forgot about my negative experiences with these road tires. I was drawn back to their attractive all white tread. Mostly my positive associations with Challenge Grifos started to overshadow my terrible experiences with the Criterium Tubular.

So I bought a set of Criterium Clinchers along with Challenge latex tubes. WHAT A STUPID THING TO DO! I should have known better.

I used the latex tubes in my Michelin Pro3’s at Battenkill without incident. I assumed that the Challenge tubes would mate well with the Clallenge clincher. After carefully mounting the Criteriums with Challenge Latex tubes, I had both tubes blow out the side of the tire before I got 2 blocks from home on a “shake out the bugs ride” before 2011 Blue Hills Classic. I put standard Michelin tubes in the tires and did the ride without incident.

I was taking Blue Hills very seriously, so I deflated and inspected my tires before going to the race.

Short story: I flatted my rear tire within the first 3 miles of the race. No glass in the tire, didn’t hit anything that hard. Just flat.

My race was over.

After the race, I fixed the flat and I rode my bicycle for a few miles, the front flatted. Again, no glass, no incident.

These tires are exceedingly fragile. One of my friends said “Challenge Tires=challenge to finish”

I want to like these tires. They are attractive and grippy, but they are the most fragile tires that I have ever ridden (including the 19mm Vittoria Pista Track specific tires I ruined on run down go cart track in NH).

Overall I have bought 2 sets of tires, and one set of tubes that all failed, at a retail value of over $250.

You’d be a fool to buy these tires, much less depend on them in a race. You’ve been warned.

RMM Throws Down the Gauntlet: Why I Registered for Battenkill.

I have received a trickle of comments about my decision to register for Battenkill. After my history of protesting the price of the race and the lack of rider support that the inflated race fee gets you, people seem surprised that I would participate in this event. In fact, I even got a personal email from one of the co-promoters that states: “We Are Surprised.”

An explanation is in order.

If you go back and read my original post, I never actually state that I would never do the race. I merely question the value of the race. I have also told many people that I would race Battenkill only if I thought that I had a reasonable chance of garnering a decent result. Part of me thinks that the further up the road you are in the race, the more the event approaches a decent value. My problem with the race has always been that for a $75 race fee you are riding dirt roads under-supported. For that proce, there should be far more neutral support than the promoter provides.

So why did I register for Battenkill? I registered because I am angry. I am angry about having a non-starter of a season in 2010. I am angry because I didn’t win any races in 2010. I am angry because I got my ass kicked in every cross race I entered. I am angry because circumstances conspired to leave me unfit and under-trained throughout 2010.

I channel my anger into training. My trainer is my friend. I have been grinding out 3 hours trainer rides on weeknights.

I will be fit for Battenkill. I will be fit and pissed off. I am paying $75 to kick ass and take names. I wouldn’t pay the inflated fee if I planned to perform poorly. You’ve been warned.

Train Hard.

Race Report: Turtle Pond 2010 cat 3: GG Bavolar Works The Break

The real race report is on the team blog. I have just a few short comments. Nonsense really.



My job was to either get into an early move, and then if the early stuff failed to stick, sit in and sprint. As always, if we got a man in a promising break, I'd control the front, breaking up any chase efforts and sitting on and thwarting bridge efforts.


As Gary states in his report, I expected Embrocation's Rapha celebrities to be a factor in the race, as both PVB and Mr. Dunn can climb well and have deep hardman credentials.

My early moves didn't stick, despite having some good company on a couple of attacks.

After what I decided would be my last attack of the early laps, a big group went up the road. It had over 10 riders and representatives of most of the stronger teams present, CL Noonan, NEBC, Threshold and 2 Svelte riders. I found Gary and asked him to bridge to the move. He jumped and succeeded in getting into the group.

At this point, there was confusion at the front of the peloton. With all of the strong teams represented up the road, no one was willing to pull. The pace slowed considerably. PVB and Jeremy Dunn drifted to the front and I told them that it was their job to chase. They laughed me off, pointing out the the move was still in sight. Since I am good friends with PVB, I explained that I was serious, that the move was likely to stick. I was hoping that he'd take the hint and try to bridge up to it while that was still a possibility. He didn't. PVB and Jeremy spent the rest of the race fruitlessly attempting to get away (every chase was quickly marked and neutralized) from a slow peloton, trying to get a paceline started and grumbling about how much the situation sucked.

Since the break was gone, I started resting for the sprint for 13th. Man, I really wanted to finish 13th. I still chased down bridge attempts and remained vigilant at the front, but I sagged on the big climb, allowing myself to drift from the very front of the group to the very back, sometimes even loosing contact, knowing that someone would work with me to get back onto the peloton within minutes.

On the last lap I made arrangements with Dave Montes to stick with me on the climb, so that he could pace me back to the main group when I allowed myself to get dropped. Uneventfully, Dave and I got back into contact and went to the front so that we'd be in position when things started heating up.

Spaits made a few promising attempts to attack the main group in the last lap. At one point he got away with a small group that included Jeremy Dunn. They took a wrong turn, or failed to turn and thus lost their advantage.

A few attacks were reeled in. Nick Mashburn worked the front, chasing moves down. He was clearly working for Svelte sprinter Mike Sabatini, as Sabs was sitting in while Nick kept the group together.

The sprint was textbook. Svelte and CB were at the front, ramping up the pace in the final 2k. I had instructed my teammates, Dave and Spaits, that all I needed from them was to keep me out of the wind up until we were done with the fast descent and inside the 1k to go mark, which they slayed themselves to do (Thanks Dave and Matt). I then marked Sabs's wheel, tucked in and waited, as Mashburn was giving him a fast leadout from the front of the group, that put me in 3rd wheel with 1/2 a kilo to go.

Since the sprint was slightly uphill, I waited an extra few seconds before jumping. When I did go, I had the road to myself. I felt like I was going to win 13th place. Then, as I came screaming toward the finish, I noticed that there was a traffic jam of pace and follow cars stopped on the finish line, in my path of travel. I sat up. As much as I wanted 13th place, I didn't think that it was worth crashing over. I coasted in 15th.

GG stayed in the break and got 8th. Gary has been having a rough season on top of his thwarted cross season, so I was glad that he was able to get into a successful move. While the team may have been hoping for a better result, I am happy that most of our race went according to plan and that Gary affirm that he can hang with the tough guys of cat 3 New England road races.

Race Report: Myles Standish Road Race Cat 3 Race 2010

CB had largely boycotted Battenkill, though our cat 3 teammate, Ryan O’Hara podiumed without the help of teammates. While Ryan was riding to glory, the rest of the CB cat 3’s were attempting to dominate the Myles Standish. We showed up with 4 rested and ready riders: Spaits, GG Bavolar and CB new jack Dave Montes.

I was not meant to get into a big break. My job was to cover the early moves and then sit and rest up in case there was a field sprint. We assumed that one of my stronger teammates would counter the early moves and get into a promising move later on. The race was only 24 miles long, so we assumed that the pace would be plenty fast.

The course is a rolling 2ish mile loop with a short punchy “climb” about midway through. The course is mostly glass smooth with mellow corners requiring no braking. There is a fast downhill left hander into the official’s area. On the final lap, riders were directed to a dedicated finishing area that forks off to the right at the bottom of the fast left hand descent.

My job was to cover Paul Curley. Curley and the Gearworks/Spinarts team were favorites, since they had 5-6 strong riders and decades of experience.

Off the starting line, Svelte’s Mike Sabatini and I created a two man break, which Sabs pushed with some seriously intense riding. The field chased us down quickly despite Sabs’s effort.

Upon reintegrating with the peloton, I quickly found Curley and sat on his wheel. Within minutes, a Gearworks rider attacked and I marked it (honestly I can’t remember that it was Curley, but it may have been Borello). The break quickly coalesced into 5 of us: Luke Fortini, Gary Aspnes (Benidorm), Borello (Gearworks), Curley (Gearworks) and myself. We were out of sight of the field within a couple of laps, which was surprising.

From the getgo, Benidorm did most of the work, taking long, hard pulls, Fortini and I took pulls and sat in when tired, while Gearworks mostly sat in. Curley took slow pulls, was slow to pull through and generally disruptive. Borello mostly tailgunned, taking occasional pulls.

Before the race, I had heard that Gearworks would be working to set Greg Vigneaux up for the win. Gearworks clearly didn’t want the break to succeed. Aspnes, Fortini and I decided to rotate pulls without Gearworks. I dropped back a few times to cajole Curley and Borello into working. Knowing that the shrewd, often cutthroat Gearworks riders had 40% of a 5 man break was disconcerting enough, the fact that they weren’t working was downright upsetting.

At one point, I told my breakmates that I wouldn’t work anymore unless Gearworks also refused. I was tired. I am not very fit. Furthermore, I hadn’t planned on getting into a successful break…in fact I even thought of joining Gearworks in sitting in order to bring the break back in order to allow Spaits to get into a more promising move. As it stood, tired and unfit as I was and forced to work hard, I knew that my chances of actually winning were thin.

I wasn’t getting gapped on the 45 second climb, but I was feeling it. I made sure that I came into the climb 2nd wheel so that I could take my “pull” up the hill, thus controlling the climbing pace, while fulfilling my obligation for taking the pull.

As the lap cards ticked away, I kept looking back, expecting and hoping to see the peloton chasing us down. But it didn’t happen. There were only 25 racers, 5 of them were in the break. At least 7 of the riders in the peloton were teammates with the break. There were no other teams with the manpower to organize a chase, so the chase was lackluster at best.

Once we were within a couple of laps to go I started thinking about the finish and how it would play out. I considered attacking the break, but I was not confident in my ability to hold off the other riders for any amount of time. This left me riding defensively. The question was what/who to cover.

Aspnes attacked at the top of the downhill receiving the bell solo. No one reacted; he got a gap. I sat up. About a quarter of the way through the lap I pulled up next to Curley and said “It is going to humiliating for you if he [Benidorm] wins, with you guys having 2 men in the break…its not mine to chase!” I got on Curley’s wheel as he got out of the saddle to begin the chase.

Fortini sat in thoughout this short chase. Fortini attacked the hill and got a gap. Curley hesitated. Again, I taunted him, truthfully telling him that I was unable to chase Fortini down. Curley rode away from me, making contact with Fortini shortly after the climb. I gapped Borello.

Curley and Fortini caught Aspnes about ½ a mile from the finish. They all hesitated for a minute, jockeying not to lead it out and I dug in to try and catch them. They started working after I had closed about half the distance, 150 meters. I held on for 4th, still far out of the peloton’s sight.

Benidorm led the 3up sprint. Curley jumped, Fortini was coming around Curley in the right gutter in the last 100 meters. Fortini claims that Curley drifted toward the curb illegally, thus shutting Fortini out. Fortini (2nd) protested with the officials. Curley 1st, Aspnes 3rd. I wasn’t close enough to see it, so I won’t venture an opinion.

Back in the peloton, Vigneaux was apparently chomping at the bit to break away. Team mates had to talk him down a number of times, explaining that it would be poor form to chase his own team mates break if he brought others with him.

Vigneuax eventually got away solo, finishing 6th.

As for my thoughts on my performance and that of my team mates: we played it as well as we could. While I was not supposed to be the winning break guy, I was. I wish that one of my stronger teammates had been there instead of me. The lesson that I learned: If you get in break, you need to be prepared for it to go the distance. If you plan on sitting in on it and causing it to be brought back, do it early and decisively.

While I needled the guy throughout the race, it was a pleasure to watch Curley play his hand well. He feigned weakness at every opportunity, while likely the strongest rider there. As I have stated before, you can learn a lot from Mr. Curley.

RMM’s 2nd Annual Guide to Local Race Teams Part II

Nor’East

This team appears to be based mostly in NH. The lower category riders appear to be little more than crit jocks, though they also field an elite team that does moderately well in Pro12 races

One of the major advantages of joining this team would be the ability to train with and learn from higher category racers. Also if you are pretty sure that you are going to make an upgrade to cat 2 mid season, this team would be a good fit, since you wouldn’t have to change teams to have teammates to race with in the upper cats.

Cambridge Bicycles/Igleheart Frames

If you are reading this, it is probably no secret to you that I am deeply involved with this team. I helped develop the program for the team’s first road season and continue to exert some secondary influence on the way that the team is run (I no longer hold any official office on the team). I explain all of this for 2 reasons: 1. I am proud of what I have helped build. 2. Clearly I am biased.

Cambridge prides itself on teamwork and race domination. Our goal in every lower category race is to be a determining factor and to put a single rider on the podium. We succeed in this goal a good portion of the time. We practice race strategy and routinely talk about strategy. Instead of having everyone finish a race, some riders’ jobs are to attack until they have to pull out of the race (or stay away and get the result). Before a new rider is allowed on the team, they have to explicitly agree to work as part of the team as opposed to “let’s just wait til the end and see what happens.”


2009 was a highly successful road season. We had over a dozen road podiums and we made decisive moves in almost every race we entered. We have started to build a nascent cat 2 team, which is shaping up to have a promising season in 2010.

We also had a number of riders upgrade and a few riders decide to ride for other teams in 2010. With the personnel change we are in a period of transition. There are a bunch of promising riders in the pipeline; so while we don’t know how our season will play, it is also very exciting.

CB generally only accepts riders who have already demonstrated a commitment to racing…we judge this by race attendance. Currently, we are considering cat 2,3 and 4 riders. If we sound like a team you want to race for, then get in touch.

There are a few stereotypes about CB. We are a bunch of hipsters. We are more concerned with partying than racing (yes we have beer sponsors for cross). We are more concerned with our kits than with bicycle racing. We all wear ironic mustaches. We can be dicks during races. All of these stereotypes are more or less true at one time or another.

I am proud to say that we subscribe to the shrewd, cutthroat form of tactical racing made famous by personalities like Mark McCormack, Paul Curly and Adam Myerson. If I wanted one thing said about our team it would be this: we raced hard and smart.

Cyclonauts Racers

This team is essentially a cat 3 leadout train. When these dudes show up to a crit, they come deep and start winding it up with about 2 kilometers to go. You can’t get around them, since they have like 10 dudes who are killing themselves to deliver their man to the line first. I admire their work. But they are limited.

It is fairly well known that Mike Norton is the biggest personality on the team. He sprints well, but really hates a hill. So his team generally sticks to flat races where their powerful leadouts almost guarantee a good result. Seldom are they a factor in a hilly race.

Cyclonauts also promotes lots of races. They do a great job. The Norton/Cyclonauts races are some of the smoothest running races around. Reasonable race fees, results are posted quickly, payouts are timely and in cash.

Some people object to Norton and his cohorts based on personality. Norton is a player and is outspoken. He has been promoting races without USAC sanctioning. His biggest transgression appears to be his success. He has thumbed his nose at USAC and has suffered almost no consequences.

Personally, I respect Cyclonauts and their team, while not desiring to emulate them.


HUP United

While this is not a road team, some of their members race road in HUP kits, so I feel that I need to mention them.

HUP is focused on the feel-good side of bicycle racing, specifically cyclocross. While HUP has some talented riders, I don’t feel like it is off base or insulting to say that HUP is more interested in friendship and camaraderie than in smashing races.

HUPsters are some of the friendliest racers around. They will be the first to help you fix your bike before a race, even if they know that they are helping you to beat them. You will see them handing out cupcakes and beers regularly. Its almost like they bring a mellow west coast vibe to NE.

HUP is the team for you if you are looking to make friends and enjoy yourself. If you are looking for a team to work with to be competitive on the road, then HUP is probably not right for you. That said, many people who desire a strong road team in the summer would really enjoy racing with HUP during cyclocross season.

International Bicycle Centers

This team continues to soldier on. Fielding small teams on the road and off. They sometimes get some decent results, but that this is usually a result of individual accomplishment as opposed to teamwork.

International has started fielding an elite mtb team. While this team does not compete regularly on the road, it is an indication that the regular IBC team is somewhat in decline. The elite team is administratively separate from the regular team. They wear different kits, different colors and share almost nothing but a sponsor. I only mention this since it seems like this team may experience some upheaval in the near future.


Boston Road Club

BRC had a rough season in 2009. A mass of riders left the team and formed the meat of a number of newer teams (Svelte and CB). That said, this team has been in the game for a long time and I am confident that they will rebuild with a new batch of riders. Even with their diminished numbers, they still have some strongmen capable of bringing the pain in a cat 3 or cat 4 race.

Membership is available in two levels, associate and team. Associate membership is for non-racers or for racers from other teams; it offers a discount for the Wells Ave races. In 2008 and 2009, I was an associate member of BRC (not sure if I will do it this year; I’m broke!)

BRC is s developmental team, which does an excellent job of introducing new racers to the sport, teaching them strategy and introducing training techniques. They are the organizer of the Wells Ave Training series that runs every Sunday from mid-March through September. Also, they have regular training rides midweek.

I remain friends with a number of BRC team members and alumni and can say that I have lots of respect for what they do. If you are a newer rider (cat 5), BRC is a great place to learn the ropes while getting some support and advice from more experienced teammates.

Wheelworks

This team is like the phoenix, it keeps popping up and then flaming out a few years later. My understanding is that support from Wheelworks has been tepid for lower category riders in the past. Perhaps it has changed?

Its current iteration is a B level/masters cross team. But as these things go, they will likely race on the road as well.

They have a few good riders. The trick will be whether they work together or just all show up to races in the same kit.


For The Teams I Forgot to Mention: If I left you out, it was not an intentional slight. I just included the teams that I know something about.

Race Report: Turtle Pond Cat 3 2009

CB had alot of riders chomping at the bit.   Many of us are on good form, and we fielded several riders who could have won the race in a variety of ways.  Kyle, Glowa and I have been sprinting well, sweeping up primes and field sprints in training races since early season; Spaits and Cary handle hills with ease, making them both fearsome breakaway riders, Ryan is an excellent and enthusiastic all arounder and Josh just scares the hell out of people with his toothless grill.  But the Wild Card turned out to be Jackson Weber, who was riding with us as a "provisional" team member.  

Our biggest worry was the Pedro's team.  They are stacked.   Cort Cramer and Chris Bailey have been riding strong, while their sprinters, Sabatini and Zysk, know how to get across a finish line quickly.  They have all arounders too.  

Since we felt outgunned, we rode defensively throughout the race.  Textbook.  We only went with calculated attacks, either with strong riders or with well represented teams.  We chased nothing down and when we had a man up the road, we sucked the wheels of any bridgers to discourage the chase.  

 

For the most part, Kyle sat in the back while Spaits and Ryan played at the front, going on breaks and keeping things under control.  I stayed in the middle of the pack, ready to pounce if need be, but mostly waiting for the sprint.  Our plan was to put men up the road early and consistantly, so that the rest of us could sit in.  If a break stuck, we would have a man in it.  If a bunch of teams gassed themselves chasing down our riders, that was OK too.  We had designated Cary as a mid way break man and Jackson as our all arounder (mostly so that we could audition him).

Breaks went and came back.  Spaits got in some, Ryan bridged to some.  But they didn't really ride aggressively, they mostly just played off of whatever others were doing, which worked well since that allowed them to follow others and remain fresh so that they could go with the repeated attacks.  

In the middle of the third lap with about 30 miles to go, Leo Desforges attacked, almost half heartedly.  He got 15 seconds.  Jackson either bridged or went with him.  I was near the front, so I covered the bridgers and mostly shut down the chase by sitting in and not pulling through when waved through.  But the break just hovered at between 15 and 30 seconds.  I figured that it was coming back quickly.  

There was a one man crash at the end of an easy corner.   I was behind it, but it didn't hinder me.  I was out of the saddle and around the guy like nothing had happened.  There was a long winding descent.  I worked my way back to the front so that I could stay there for the beginning of the upcoming short punchy climb.  

At 40-45 mph, I puntured while in a turn.  I lost all of my pressure inside of two seconds.  I was next to the yellow line, so pulling off wasn't easy.  Since I was riding a tubular, I wasn't worried about crashing, but I was worried about the entire peloton making it around me.  I put my hand up and lightly grabbed the breaks with the other hand.  Once everyone had passed I calmly, but efficiently pulled off, shifted and pedaled into small cog and dismounted.  I had the wheel out and in the held in the air within 10 seconds of the last rider passing, but there was no wheel car.  I kept waving the wheel to the New Hampshire wilderness.  No Car.  I removed my armwarmers, took a drink, had a Gu, no car.  

As I was about to cash it in and put my wheel back on and start hoofing, the wheelman came and gave me a wheel.  

I dug deep for about 15 minutes, riding myself senseless.  I big ringed the short climb and took risks on the tight descent.   I never even came across a shelled rider.  I was in the wilderness.  After that I sat up and rode at a pleasant toodling clip, ignoring people's encouraging words about how I could still catch them and how great I was riding.  My race was over.  Little did I know, Cary flatted 5 minutes ahead of me and was similarly trying to claw his way back to the field.  

But CB was on fire.  Jackson's and Leo's break grew to 5 men, the two from the same team.  They never got a huge gap, but they held out for 30 miles and came screaming into the finish with barely 15 seconds on the field.  Jackson won!  Provisional teammate indeed!

That wasn't the end.  The feild was charging hard right behind them.  I saw lots of colors coming at me.  At the last second, in a blaze of black and white insects and helicopters, Kyle Smith came out of his sheltered third wheel and took the field sprint for 6th.  

When I think about it now, I am shocked that our break stayed up the road.  There were definitely teams with the firepower to chase.  And from what I heard, we weren't blocking all that hard, since we expected the break to get brought back at any time.  Perhaps someone cares to comment on that?  

While I had a crappy day, CB dominated.  We had planned this out weeks ahead of time, checking in with each other to make sure that the plan would work, making alternate plans in cases of unexpecteds (like me flatting), testing each other in training, at Wells and at Battenkill.  

When I upgraded to 3, I questioned  if our 3 squad would have the cohesion and cooperation that we had in the 4's last year.  There are no more questions.  

In other CB fields:  Gorgeous Gary Bavolar of the negative sideburns/greasy pedistache/mullet trifecta got third in a turbulent cat 4 field sprint and Natalia Gardiol was wearing a women's series leader jersey on the starting line of the women's race.  

Race Report: 2009 Tour of the Battenkill --Cat 3 Green

This is a hardman event. 63 miles of rolling hills punctuated with dirt roads, loose gravel, climbs and climbs on dirt roads and loose gravel. As a sprinter, my goal for the event was to hold on to the lead group for as long as possible. If I was still in the front group after the final climb at 57 miles in, I planned on cleaning up the sprint.

Last year in the cat 4 race, I was shelled out of the front group on the descent after the first climb; I lacked the resolved to rail into gravelly corners. Furthermore, I cramped up on the final dirt climb and was forced into the humiliation of walking during a bicycle race. I was determined to have a better race this year, even though I am racing a category up.

Our field was strong, local luminaries such as PVB and Jeremy Dunn were on the starting line. CB had some fire power too, Matt Spaits and Cary Fridrich both excel at climbing, and Cary is a smooth off road rider. Interestingly, Cary chose to race on a set of borrowed carbon clinchers with 23 x 700 tires (suprisingly, the wheels are intact).

They have changed the course for this year. More climbing, more dirt. James Morrison prerode the course a few weeks ago and told us all that it was more difficult than previous years. Considering that he placed 4th in the 3's last year, we all listened, making sure to bring extra food and drink and packing an extra sausage into the suitcase of courage.

For preparations, I put 25 x 700 Michelin Lithions onto my Easton EA90 SL front/Powertap rear. I swapped my cassette out for a 12-27. I tuned and cleaned my bike on Thursday afternoon. I packed 3 waterbottles and gave a bottle to Dot to give me at the 42 mile feed. I packed 3 Clif Bars and 4 Gu's. I also took the precaution of packing a CO2 inflator, 2 CO2 cartridges and a spare tube, since flatting is highly likely and wheel support is overtaxed and often slow to get to you, if it even does.

But my most important preparation was a small crib sheet that Josh Rosenberg sent around that showed where all of the dirt sections were as well as the major climbs. I hadn't printed one, but Jesse had an extra copy along with packing tape to secure it to my stem. This was invaluable, as it allowed me to gauge where in the field I should be at any time, when to eat and when to flex.

Overcast skies, temps in the high 40's low 50's and the high probability of rain made clothing selection both difficult and crucial. I opted for a Craft sleeveless baselayer, Pearl Izumi Pittards full finger, non-insulated gloves, Sock Guy high wool socks, low-quality/high-bling Rapha arm warmers, new team bibs, new team jersey, no shoe covers, a Pace cotton cycling cap and plenty of Mad Alchemy Embrocation (medium).
We drove out to the race on the morning of, which was taxing, but doable. We had
planned on arriving very early so that we could have a decent warmup to shake the cobwebs out of our legs after 4 hours of driving. We arrived a comfortable 2 hours before start and got dressed and prepared without incident.

I got a front row spot on the starting grid and had an easy clip in and fell in at about 5th wheel, shletered, but close enough to react to any moves. The first 10 miles is slightly downhill. Not a descent, but a false flat. Fools attacked and were effortlessly brought back. The first dirt section came at mile 10, shortly after we took a 30 degree sandy corner into a covered bridge.

I was 3rd wheel going through the bridge and when we hit the gravel. I figured that the first gravel section would take some casualties. I am not sure if it did, as I fought to stay in front and never looked back. Most of the dirt roads had a smooth, raised center and gravel on the sides. If you stayed in the middle, it was rough but consistent. When you strayed into the gravel, it became unpredictable. Sometimes you'd be OK, other times you'd hit unexpected loose sand and find your bike drifting wildly. This made passing on the dirt roads difficult. Generally, you either kept the position that you started the dirt section in, or you lost ground.

The climbs were not as long as I expected. They were certainly steep. For the first climb at 10 miles in, I was at the front of the field. I sagged back to about 30th over the course of it. I had gas in the tank, but saw no point in spending it unless people were really riding away from me. On the descent and subsequent flat I was able to regain the front of the field easily, by finding holes and staying on the leeward side of the crosswind.

On this climb a three man break had shaken free. We could see them up the road. I recognized an Alder kit and there were two Alder riders actively controlling the peloton. They weren't hindering chases too aggressively, but they were doing a great job of making it easy for the rest of us to sit in, which we mostly did. A few times, a paceline would start, and a few times I even took a pull. But mostly, I acted like the weakling that I am and tried to stay sheltered.

There were a number of climbs. Most of them steep and punchy. One of them was on a dirt road with lots of loose gravel and sand. It was rather steep. Normally, I like to handle steep stuff out of the saddle, but this proved disadvantageous, if not impossible. When you stood up, you lost traction. Half of the effort that you put into turning the rear wheel was translated into spitting sand and gravel at the riders behind you. While I was in a considerable amount of pain, I was able to stay with the hardmen. Dunn and the naturals were up the road, but I was in the back of the same pack and surprised to be there. I expected to be spit out on the first climb.

It started raining lightly. Not enough to drench us, but enough to make the pavement slick and keep the dust down on the dirt roads.

I got was feeling tired at about 40 miles. I knew that there were some big dirt climbs coming up soon. I forced a Clif bar down while panting for air. The break had been brought back and people at the front were jockeying for position before a hairy dirt descent. When we approached the feedzone, I didn't immediately see Dot, which caused me to start soft pedaling to gain time. I tossed my empties and kept scanning. She was there and wearing a CB jersey, holding out one of Seth's bottles that had only water. I took it and thanked her and hammered through the chaos back o to the front.

After the feed there was short climb, then a pavement descent that feeds onto a long curvy dirt road. I ended up letting a gap open on the climb. Suprisingly, I still was able to put out power after cresting the hill. I fell in with a couple of strong flat landers. We were gasping and blowing snot bubbles while in the speed hooks and gaining on the field, when an explosion of bikes and riders spilled and tumbled across the whole road about 100 meters in front of us. Some one in my little groupetto was yelling, "Don't Get Up!! Don't Move!!" There was a hole about 2 riders wide and we shot at at 40 miles per hour without ever hitting the brakes.

Unfortunately, Spaits was amongst the downed riders. Glancing at him hammering at 40mph, he looked alright. Others were writhing, one guy was not moving despite his unnatural position on the ground.

The crash occurs about 3 minutes into this video (also note how good those Cambridge guys look in their new kits:






Hardman that he is, Spaits rode the rest of the race!

When we hit the gravel, I took the lead and stayed in the drops. The guys who were with me fell off. I rode them off my wheel on the twisty gravel road. I was taking huge risks, skidding every where, really leaning into corners. I knew that I had to regain the front group on this section if I was to remain in the race. At this point, even though I was blown, I thought that I had a chance. I knew that I would catch back on. Since I had been yo yo ing all day and catching back on with ease, I figured that maybe I would be able to catch back on after the final climb and sprint for a good result.

On a fast gravel descending section there was a sweeping left hand turn. The right side of the road was very loose and off camber. I found myself drifting first into the off camber and then off of the road. Hard braking wasn't an option. I slowed considerably while my wheels washed out. I am not sure how I kept the bike upright. As I regained momentum, I heard cursing and then a yardsale. Apparently, this corner took out riders all day.

I made contact near the end of the end of the gravel. I deviated from the raise center of the road and braved the gravel so that I could weave back up to the front, knowing that I climb was coming.

I got to about the middle of the field when we took a 90 degree left onto a moderate grade, pavement climb. I hadn't recovered. The leaders and probably the eventual winner really turned the screws and I was handily dropped. I was putting out plenty of power, but it just wasn't enough. I dialed the effort back and climbed it at a sustainable pace.

I didn't count, but it looked like about 30 guys riding away. If past experience holds, I knew that I would be able to pass some of those riders later after they got dropped or mechanicalled out. In my mind, any result is respectable in a shit show like Battenkill. Instead of sitting up, I kept the hammer down to the best of my ability. Sure enough, I steadily reeled guys in over the next 15 miles.

I caught my friend PVB on the notorious Meetinghouse Hill dirt climb. PVB's friend and teammate Jeremy had punctured while in the main group and there was no support car. PVB gave JD his wheel and waited for the car. PVB and I climbed at a tempo pace. Normally, he would have shelled me on this long stair step climb, but he was done racing for the day.

With 5 miles to go, I got in the drops and took a pull, thinking that we would paceline in, holding off people behind us and maybe reeling in a few guys. But after poring out what I had and pulling off, PVB made like he was going to pull through but instead pulled up next to me and continued chit chatting. After a rest, I hammered again, same result. A Christian Cycling rider worked with us for a bit and then attacked. Blown, we watched him ride away, but reeled him in a mile later when he popped.

As we chatted, a group came up behind us, all sprinters. All of the sudden it was a race again. Between 6 and 8 of us started taking pulls and rotating.

With one kilometer to go, I was on the front. I kept looking over my shoulder for signs of someone setting up to come around me. Slowly, I ramped up the pace. At a half a kilometer to go, my face was on the stem and I felt like I was leading out the sprint for a crit. I was praying for someone to attack so that I could get on their wheel for shelter from the wind. At 300 meters, Christian Cycling jumped hard and there was nothing that I could do. I held the rest of the group off for 32nd place.

As always, this is the hardest single day race on the local calendar. I was so spent and sore at the end, that I could hardly ride my bicycle for my warmdown. I haven't seen the results yet (not posted), but no matter what they say, I am happy with my performance. I felt much better than I did last year and I was able to hold on to the front group for 2/3's of the race.

Strangely, I woke up feeling great the next day. I went to Wells and took a couple of primes, coming around C. Holmes Murphy for one, and then got second in the field sprint behind my teammate Kyle Smith.

A Prepared Gentlemen's Race Bag and Prerace Rituals.

Racing season is here. This means regular travel for most of us. Some of us scramble around early every Saturday morning randomly throwing items in a carry-all, only to later find that we forgot a crucial item, such as cycling shoes or that our bibs are visibly soiled and odorific.

This is my 5th season of packing race bags. After lots of time traveling with others, I have learned a few things. One of them is that I am known as a well prepared racer.



While I am not the fastest on the bike, I am one of the best prepared, materially. I have spent the last 5 years refining my packing system. Seldom does a prerace situation come up that I can't deal with using items in my race bag.

But don't take this to mean that I pack everything under the sun...



I pack only what I could forseeably need in a normal prerace situation. Since my bicycle is in good repair and I check it the day before the race , I don't bring stuff like chainwhips, BB tools cassette tools, pedal wrenches or chain tools (outside of the one included with the multi-tool.

Preparing for a Saturday race begins on Thursday night.



It doesn't pay to wash clothes on Friday night and frantically throw clothes ad hoc into the race bag, so I do it on Thursday, since I air dry all cycling clothes. Thursday is also a good time to take care of any pressing prerace mechanical issues (changing cleats, adjusting derailleurs, tuning brakes)

After my prerace openers on Friday, I clean and go over the race bicycle. During the opener ride, I verify that the bicycle is running perfectly. NO MAJOR MECHANICAL WORK THE NIGHT BEFORE THE RACE! Barrel adjusting or rewrapping bars is as far as mechanics should go on Friday night. I also check my tires to make sure there are no slashes or at the very least remove pieces of glass that are slowly burrowing into the tire.



My bag packing system is thus:

1. Create checklist which is broken into two parts, items to be packed the night before and items to be packed the morning of the race.

2. The night before the race: Pack all clothing, bodycare products and equipment and stack everything by the door or in the bike room.

3. Morning of the race- prepare all food and drinks for the whole day- including prerace meals and post race recovery food- pack cooler--verify that checklist is completed.

4. Post race-refrigerate leftovers- clean bottles-repack race bag for next day-clean/check bike


Since I race 4 disciplines (road, track, mountain, cyclocross), there are modifications to the following list reflecting the requirements of each discipline, but for the most part the items in the race bag remain there. To simplify things, I keep the bag always packed, using items out of it over the week of training and cleaning and refreshing needed items on Thursday and Friday.



Items in the bag:

Sloppy weather arm warmers
Fair weather arm warmers
Sloppy weather knee warmers
Fair weather knee warmers
Leg warmers
Cool weather base layer
Windblocker base layer
Long sleeve wool base layer
Rubber rain slicker
Fingerless gloves
Fullfinger non insulated gloves
Woven gloves
Windblocker gloves (30-45 degrees)
Cold weather gloves (25-32 degrees)
Lycra shoe covers
Cold weather booties
Fair weather team bibs
Sloppy weather team bibs (usually old kit)
Short sleeve team jersey
Long sleeve team jersey
Gillet
Sloppy weather team cap
Fair weather team cap
Winter cap
Lycra beany
Glasses with hard case
Team socks
Tall socks
Wool socks
Trash bag (for wet clothes)
Embrocation (multiple strengths)
Blue nitrile gloves (for Embro and/or unexpected repairs)
Chamois crème
Lotion
Sunblock (high quality, sweatproof)
Multitool
15 mm wrench (track)
Extra cogs (track)
Flashlight (you’d be surprised at how often I use this)
Allen keys
Mini bottle chain lubricant (T-9, since the bottles don’t leak)
CO2 inflator
CO2 cartridge
Tubes (minimum of three, b/c sh++ happens)
New tire
Trainer skewer
Clif Bars (6)
Energy gels (6)
Emergency recovery food (Protein bars)
Extra drink mix
Electolyte pills
Ibuprofen tablets
Antacid
Helmet
Cycling shoes

As for bag organization, I like to keep like with like. For instance, all of the warmers are together, as are the base layers. I keep paired items attached, gloves Velcroed together and warmers balled up in pairs. I usually wrap my bibs into a ball and wrap those in a jersey, though this is mostly so that my gleaming white bibs won’t inadvertently rub against something that will sully them. Tools and parts have their own compartment, as does nutrition and also bodycare products. Leaky product is kept in zip lock bags.

I used to have an unorganized bag. But one too many times I arrived at races without a helmet or with non-matching socks. Once, I embrocated the chamois on the only bibs that I had packed. Once I got serious about racing, I got serious about preparedness. Now if only my results would reflect my level of organization and preparedness…

Road-Results.com Is a Go--Like Self-Googling, Only More Satisfying

From the same people who brought you crossresults.com

I haven't poked around the site too much yet, but I know that Mr. Reuter has been tinkering with this for some time now.  

I am glad that this is live, since I was losing hours every day hitting "Refresh" on crossresults.com and having nothing happen.

Colin assures me that many of the problems inherent in road results have been or will be addressed soon.  Namely, team results- if you finish 30 seconds back after leading your teammate out for a top five, there will be a note next to the result indicating a high team mate result.  

Also results will be broken down into road races and criteriums, so that we can geek out even further over who to watch in different kinds of races.  As we know there are specialists even at our level, so now you can figure out when you need to heed an attack or allow it to sputter out on its own.  

Shop Review-International Bicycle Centers-I Like Them Even Though They Miss Deadlines

I have been frequenting IBC's Allston location since I started cycling in Boston, way back in the 1900's. I have had interactions with them on a number of levels, from buying a cheap wheel for my fixed gear back in the day to buying my first Fred-style road bike to settling and negotiating a $9000 bicycle replacement claim with a hostile insurance company. In all of these situations, IBC has acted in my interest, while remaining helpful and friendly in the case of adversity. Often the difficulties originated from your humble writer, as many of you may know, I can be a demanding customer.

Before I launch into my in depth review (which many of you will forgo reading), I'd like to point out two blanket observations about IBC. Firstly, they are often willing to offer a rider a good deal on a bike, particularly if the bike is old stock or last year's model. Be sure to ask about what they have "upstairs." Secondly, IBC misses their own deadlines, often. If they promise something will be done on Tuesday, it may be, but don't count on it.



Experiences.



My first major experience with IBC was when the rear wheel of my fixed gear was destroyed in an attempted theft. I brought wheel in to have it trued. The mechanic offered to true it as best he could, but politely pointed out that it was so far gone that it wouldn't stay true for the ride home. Suspicious, I had him true it and attempted to ride home. I walked back asked about wheels.
The mechanic walked me through the hub options and eventually I selected a Surly Flip Flop Hub. I allowed the mechanic to spec it out, as I was pre-Fred. We special ordered the hub, a one week wait. Short story, he never measured the old hub or the dropout spacing and ordered a 130mm when he should have ordered a 116mm. 8 days later I get the call; I walked over to IBC, paid and brought the wheel home and it didn't fit. Frustrated and sweaty from trying to force the wheel into the dropout, I collected everything and walked over to IBC. Another special order, another wait, though this one only 4 days, as IBC offered to upgrade the shipping and bump the wheel to the front of the mechanic's queue (this will become a theme).
Two weeks after placing the order, I got a well built wheel on a great hub that I am still riding today. I was upset about this transaction at the time, but now that the purchase has proved to be a good one, the sore taste is gone.


My next major purchase was a Lemond Victoire Titanium bicycle built up with Ultegra and a decent component spec. IBC offered me a good deal on the bike, my first road bike. I paid $1900.
They promised to have it ready for my at 5pm on a Tuesday. I came in to pick it up and the person at the counter called upstairs. A terse whispered conversation was visibly held out of my earshot. The clerk told me that they were just finishing it up. I walked around, looking at base layers, jerseys, tires, lights. 45 minutes later, I asked if it was almost done. The counter person didn't really know how to answer. At 5pm when it was supposed to be done, they hadn't started it yet! After this became clear, I asked them when it would be done.
I was asked to return on Thursday morning, which I did. Thursday presented the same scenario, upstairs call, delay, but this time it was brought down 20 minutes later, built.
I took the bike out for a ride that afternoon and found it so out of tune that it was unrideable. After tinkering with it on the side of the bike path, I limped home without shifting or applying any power. I though it on the car and drove back to IBC to bitch.
Amid a shower of excuses and apologies, the bike was fixed and the owner, Harold, threw in a pair of SPD pedals to replace the worn out ones that I had been using.
Nine monthes and 1000's of miles later, I sold the bike, as is, for $1600.
Again, IBC gave me a good deal, but big hassle.

My next purchase was a IF custom Crown Jewel frameset with a carbon seatstay and a custom paintjob. IBC was great about every step in the process. Over two weeks they patiently allowed and encouraged me to test ride every road bike in the shop, honestly pointing out the ride characteristics of each. They helped me to agonize over the choice between another Ti frame and steel. Eventually, they helped me choose the lower priced steel frame. They even let me get custom paint at their cost. Furthermore, they unbuilt my old bike, washed and relubed all of the parts and built my IF free of charge.
This transaction was smooth from start to finish. A+


While on a secret ride with Yash, a driver cut me off, causing me to crash into his car, T bone style. I went over the handlebars and over the car. My beloved IF frame was left crumpled on the pavement, while I suffered only scapes and bruises. Every other part on the bike looked fine, not even a scratch. Even the tires remained inflated.




I took the bike to IBC, who meticulously inventoried every part on the bike, assessing them at their full retail value. IBC reprinted a sales receipt for the parts and frame (I had lost the original receipts. IBC and IF wrote letters that stated:

1. All parts on a bicycle that had been in an accident of this caliber were inherently unsafe and would need to be replaced.

2. The normal life expectancy of a bicycle is 25+ years, so at 9 months of age, my IF had not depreciated by much (if you have an insurance claim, make sure you get a letter of this sort)

In addition to fielding difficult calls and in person inquiries from claims adjustors while protecting my claim, the manager from IBC, without my asking, loaned me a Campagnolo Record equipped road bike from his personal collection to train on while me claim was settled. He made it clear that the bike was mine to ride, in all weather, until I found or bought something else.
After months of wrangling, I received a full settlement of almost $9000, which represented the full retail value of my bicycle, my helmet and the clothing that was destroyed in the accident.
Throughout this whole process, IBC acted flawlessly, following up with documentation, returning calls and fending off insurance agents. They were singleminded in their effort to help me recover damages and get back on a borrowed bike in hours.


I ordered an identical IF frame. I changed only the paint job. I originally ordered the frame in brown and then at Yash's insistance, I went back and asked them to change the color to white.
My frame came 10 weeks later without the carbon seatstay and in brown. Furthermore it had an Alpha Q fork. Racing season was months away, so I remained patient. After talking on the phone with IF, it became clear that IBC was at fault. They had misordered the frame to begin with and then failed to make the request to change the color.
The problem was quickly sorted out; the frame was repainted and I accepted it without the carbon seatstay (which I don't regret). Again, IBC unbuilt my old bike and rebuilt my new one with a variety of parts from the old bike and eBay.


Another occasion, I had a Campagnolo Carbon crankarm fail. The aluminum insert that the non-drive side pedal threads into pulled out. When I brought the crankarm in to pursue it as a warranty issue, one of the mechanics rode his bike home to get a Campagnolo crankarm off of his personal bike to loan me while mine was replaced. It was an Aluminum crankarm, but it was the proper length and it served me well for the 5 months that it took Campagnolo to turn mine around.

I have had many other interactions with IBC. Repeatly, they have treated me well, often completing small fixes free of charge. They are always willing to root around in back for spare parts to keep a vintage training bike rolling. Repeatedly, I have left IBC satisfied, often without spending a dime. Every time that I go in there, I am made to know that I am a valued customer.
IBC certainly has its quirks, such as their inability to meet a deadline, but now you know that and you can plan accordingly. Go check them out, they will treat you well.

New Year--New Training Plan--Reflections on the 2008 Racing Season

I am currently writing my 2009 training plan. While doing so, I have been checking last year's results, reflecting on my successes and failures.

I have drawn a few conclusions:

In order to make yourself eligible to win a bicycle race you must prepare well. Proper training; properly working equipment; support of teammates, family and friends; and tactical savvy all play a role in success in any given race. Becoming eligible is merely a first step.

Overall, luck plays a huge role. The strongest man does not always win. Parts crap out, tires puncture and sometimes a break unexpectedly stays away. Luckily there is another race next weekend.




Opportunities are limited, so take them when they come. If you see a strong break coalescing, you should get in it. Even if the break gets brought back, at least you tried to win the race. You can't win if you don't try. Also, you will have more fun if you do something other than sit in and you'll have something to talk about over beers.

If you know that you are unable to win a race, you should try to help someone else win. It's more fun, it creates good will, and if you just wanted to ride your bike fast, there is probably a fast group ride nearer to your home that doesn't charge anything to join.

If you find yourself getting good results in a category, savor it for awhile. You will have years to suck once you upgrade, don't rush it. Personally, I got crappy results for years before I was able to even contest a prime in a cat 4 race. I felt that I deserved to hang around for half a season as a strong cat 4 and get some good results before moving on. Mind you, I never gathered enough upgrade points for a mandatory upgrade; had I been approaching that situation, I'd have upgraded before reaching that point. I am not advocating sandbagging.

Having a good team is important. If you work for your teammates, they will work for you when the time comes. I just found this out this last season. I have never been happier racing my bicycle than I have been this last season with CB.




Plan. If you don't have one, you will not succeed. You need a training plan if you want to have the most possible fitness. If you aspire to win a race, you need to have a plan before reaching the starting line. I have heard more strong team's say "We'll wait for the finish and see what happens" only to watch every member of the team get mid-pack results when they could have dominated the race if they had made a plan and the worked together.

I am anticipating a great season for my team. We have 3 great squads forming: cat 4, cat 3 and a newly formed but strong, cohesive women's squad.

I am going to get back to my training plan. If anyone needs a 2009 template for a Joe Friel yearly plan, Mashburn made a great one that I'd be happy to forward to you.

Happy New year.

Battenkill-Robaix Registration: Lots of Good Men Shut Out

Battenkill-Robaix is the queen of the American classics. A hardman event. Dirt climbs, loose gravel and hairy dirt/gravel descents. It is like a cross race, you need to fight to stay in front or you will end up behind a crash. But the real race is the race to register. The 150 spots in each feild fill up in under an hour, sometimes in under a quarter of an hour.
A responsible individual became our self appointed registrar earlier this week. He collected all of our info and our money well before the registration time at 7pm last night. He then coordinated the registration of all interested Cambridge riders.
While the rest of us were planning on going to a cycling event, he was literally taking one for the team and staying home hitting refresh over and over again until registration opened and he was able to register our whole team in one fell swoop.
Even with this level of organization and dedication, many of our team members appear at the lower end of the time stamp on Bikereg.com when you load the "Confirmed Riders" page while set to sort racers by the date they registered. We almost didn't make the cut!
Normally cat 3 races don't fill up in a single day, this one sold out in a matter of minutes. The two cat 4 fields, 300 riders total, filled in well under an hour, the first fielding inside of 12 minutes.
Sadly, I have more friends on the waitlist for this event than I do in the race.
The whole purpose of this post is to thank Gorgeous Gary Bavolar for taking charge of the situation for CB.



Thanks Gary, we are glad that you are on our team.