Lake Barrington’s Wayne Simon (Verdigris) followed up his time trial silver by winning Tuesday’s road race in the men’s 50-54 national championshp.
Aurora’s Tom Doughty (Amgen/Giant) also had a good day, getting 5th in the men’s 55-59, with teammates placing 1st and 3rd.
Road races conclude today with criteriums starting tomorrow.
Pip me once, shame on you. Pip me twice, shame on me?
That’s what Ricardo Otero (Team Mack) may be thinking this week. At Saturday’s Elm Grove Criterium he lost the masters 3/4 sprint to David Greenblatt (Brazen Dropouts)
Photo by Seth Meyer
A lot of Chicago riders picked up some new laundry Sunday at the state criterium championships in Peoria.
I was pleased to see championships go to two of our newer, scrappier teams. In the women’s 4’s race, Brynn Schwaba (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) got on the good side of an early split. After her two break mates had a mishap, she was able to ride home solo for the win. Also going solo was
With several unfamiliar teams in the 3’s pack, including squads from Iowa, Missouri and even Texas, nobody was given a long leash, and the pace stayed hot the entire race. With a few laps to go, Vitaminwater-Trek started firing off fliers like artillery shells ahead of a beach landing. None held, but they wore down and stretched the field, thus setting up Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek) for a narrow sprint win over junior John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo). Despite last week’s blunder, Smith again raised his arm before the line, but this time he held on (photo above).
Many races this year have come down to Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) and Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) at the finish line, but I was astonished to see the women’s P/1/2 race reduced to them at the start line. Despite a $1,000 purse that paid 10 deep, Haskell and Meshberg were the only Illinois residents coming to play in Peoria. They quickly took their leave from the other 1/2’s and the 3’s and stayed together until the final corner, where Haskell took a lead and held it all the way to the line to add to her collection of championship jerseys. Meshberg would have to wait until the afternoon to get her victory, this time in the women’s 35+.
Kyle Jacobson (IS Corp) made an audacious move in the P/1/2 race, getting a 20-second gap within the first two laps. He dropped his Bissell companion but kept plugging away by himself. Within a few laps later four others had joined him, including teammate Matt Busche, and it wasn’t long before their lead grew to an insurmountable minute and a half. Jeff Schroetlin (ABD/Geargrinder) was the only Illinois resident in this bunch so he had a lock on the championship, but it was Busche who made a move on the final backstretch and took the race. Meanwhile, Scott Pearson (Comcast/Higher Gear) once again was able to slip away from the field to finish in 6th overall, 2nd in the state.
Other local champs: James Bird (IS Corp) in the boys 15-18, Kaleb Koch (Smart Cycling) in the boys 10-14, Dani Witt (ABD) in the girls 10-14, Andy Kerr (Village Cyclesport) in the 50+, Voytek Glinkowski (WDT-Allvoi) in the 30+ 4/5’s, Jessi Prinner (ABD) in the women’s 3’s and girls 15-18, and Kathleen Corbett in the women’s 55+.
Photos
Steve Daggs
Fick’s Photos
Matt Smith: P/1/2, 4, 3
Snapshots by Stacy
XXX Racing-AthletiCo
Race reports
Erik Didriksen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “While sliding across the pavement (whee) I somehow kept my hands on the bars and managed to make myself as small as possible so I wouldn’t be run over.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “I could have sworn Chris was behind me. I never saw him come up to the front. “
Tim Henry (Project 5; 3): “JD and I were cutting the corners elbow to elbow with speed north of 30 mph, just flowing through the field. It was just flawless: the power, the fluidity. This race was perfect: fast, aggressive but safe.”
Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “It wasn’t that awful I-feel-my-muscle-fiber-being-torn-to-shreds pain, but just a slow, general, embarrassing I’m-running-out-of-steam kind of thing.”
Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I could complain about how strong I felt but didn’t really apply myself, HTFU, and sling my own pair around with a counter-attack into that wind, but I won’t.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I struggled to keep my anaerobic eyes open and kept coasting through the hay bales that separated turns one and five, pulled over, got off my bike and collapsed into a mess of heavy breathing, the clouds, and disbelief.”
Rob Raguet-Schofield (Wild Card Racing; 5): “It kind of sucked to watch the leaders pull farther ahead of me each lap, but at the same time it was a bit of relief to not have to worry about other riders in the turns.”
Brynn Schwaba (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; W-4): “A couple of crashes at the last few turns caused the tactics in place to not go as well as we hoped but, hey, that’s what happens sometimes.”
Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 4): “Less than 100 meters after the finish he fumbled off his bike and sat on the curb, spent.”
Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): ”John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) was moving very very fast, and I inched my way even with him, then inched my way ahead of him.”
Bob Willems (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “Do I have enough in the tank? Is that headwind too much to go? Can I really commit to this?”
Some highlights from a full weekend of great racing:
» I love their kits, but I haven’t seen much of America’s Team Dairyland this year. They showed up Saturday to win the women’s P/1/2/3 at Grafton, followed by Chicago regulars Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) in 2nd and Kristen Meshberg in 3rd. They’d improve on that the next day, with Meshberg getting 1st and Haskell 2nd. Quite a rivalry that’s shaping up there.
» Chip Gray (Get a Grip) snagged a ton of primes and the final victory in a 3’s race that had five other Chicago-area riders in the top eight.
» Nate Iden (Spider Monkey Cycling) doubled up nicely in Grafton, getting 4th in the 4/5’s and 3rd in the 30+ 4/5’s.
» Matt Smith felt the sting of premature jubilation when he pumped his fist shy of the line in the masters 3/4 race at Grafton, enabling Tim Henry (Project 5) to scream by for the win. Careful, Matt. Tom Boonen (Quick Step) pulled this stunt and was doing lines of blow within three months.
» There was a photo finish in Sunday’s masters 3/4’s race, too, this time in Sheboygan. Ricardo Otero (Team Mack) bridged to the winning break and just barely missed out on the win (photo above) to David Greenblatt (Brazen Dropouts).
» The notorious climb at Sunday’s Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge splintered most fields, but the men’s P/1/2 race was mostly intact when, for the second weekend in a row, Mike Heagney (PYOC) got the jump on Ed Amstutz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) to win the sprint.
» I avoid cheering from the press box, but I must note the blockbuster weekend XXX Racing-AthletiCo had: five wins
» Attendance was light at Cobb Park, so light that the P/1/2 and 3 fields were combined. No doubt the big money and festivities offered in Grafton had something to do with that. That’s too bad. It’s a good course, and the South Chicago Wheelmen are good hosts. I’m also surprised at the small fields at Fox River Grove. Color me biased for being a climber, but this is a fantastic, unique course with excellent community support. We should be flocking to this event. Besides, who else but RDS Cycling provides winners with trophies, flowers and tidings from Miss Fox River Grove? Circle this one as soon as next year’s calendar comes out.
Saturday results
Cobb Park Criterium
Giro d’ Grafton
Sunday results
Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge
Sheboygan Criterium
Cobb Park photos
Carolyn Golz
Giro d’ Grafton photos
Matt Smith: 30+ 3/4, 3, 30+ 4/5, W-4
Katy Steudel
Fox River Grove photos
Team Tati
XXX Racing-AthletiCo
Cobb Park race reports
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3, 30+ 1/2/3): “We race for Mike Kelly’s soundtrack of 1980’s blazing rock and roll hit songs “
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “It was all about being in front and taking a nice line through the corner where the course funneled and the fast, final corner.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “The usual characters were there. We all know each other and it was if we were all just marking one another for the whole race.”
Rich Smott (Alberto’s; 30+ 1/2/3, P/1/2/3): “I was smug seeing the carnage behind as the accordion was in full effect from my effort.”
Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “It was the run-of-the-mill criterium: Go fast and hurt for 45 minutes then hurt more at the sprint.”
Grafton race reports
Team Get a Grip Cycles: (W-1/2/3, 3, P/1/2): “Three of the four Cat 2 riders survived multiple crashes, barking dogs, beer bottles, and herculean 37 mile per hour re-entries into the peloton in order to finish the professional race.”
Shawn Small (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “I didn’t go down and dodged a few bodies and bikes on the ground.”
Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 3/4, 3): “I got cocky and thought I had more room than I did. I sat up and put my arm up. I didn’t see Tim Henry (Project 5) coming like a bat out of hell.”
Katy Steudel (Team Pegasus; W-4): “I got down into the drops and pushed as hard a gear as I could. My thighs were burning with the effort, but it felt good.”
Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek Stores; P/1/2): ”Garrett Peltonen (Bissell) was the strongest of the day by miles. He never missed a move and could bridge to anything that looked dangerous.”
Fox River Grove race reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “We crested the hill with a good gap and drilled it. One quick look behind and I know we are gone.”
Ron Cook (Project 5; 3): “It would be awesome to see more people out there. If i can get my 200-pound carcass up there, you can too!”
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I again sat third wheel, looking for the spot to jump. I went on a small uphill before the last turn, hit the turn hot and then stood and sprinted and threw across the line
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4/5): “He slams on his brakes, swerves way out, nearly running off the road. With no where to go but to follow him, I almost hit a mail box.”
Eric Goodwin (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who realized that the front of the field would have a sudden and distinct advantage if the officials rang the bell early.”
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “The three of us started working up front, taking probably 65-70% of the pulls during the race.”
Seth Meyer (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; P/1/2): “My wobbling back wheel dragged itself against both my rear brake pads to slow me off the back just as free laps expired.”
Mark Misicko (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “We all know Doug Braun is a great climber, but he laid down the law, and won this race in a contested field sprint.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “Damn, what a fun frickin’ course. Bomb the descent, slam the corners, it’s like I’m back riding in California.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3, 3): “I finally cracked the riddle of how to win a 200-meter sprint. Step 1: Start with a 50-meter lead.”
Results are up for the Great Carroll Cycling Event, a quirky road race held in northwest Ilinois. All fields do the same hilly, at-times gravelly 58-mile course, staggered in four waves, and for the second year in a row there was at least one group of riders that took a wrong turn.
The day’s fastest times came out of the 50+ field, where Stan Watkins (Vision Quest), Dan Hill (Proctor) and James Sauls (Vision Quest) did the course in less than 2.5 hours, with Watkins winning with a 30-second gap. At 27 riders the 4’s field was the largest of the day. Thirteen riders remained in the lead bunch, but Tom Wallace (2CC) somehow slipped out of it to win with a 30-second advantage of his own. And in the 3’s, Kris Kuttler (WDT-Allvoi) won in a small sprint to take what I believe is the first win of his comeback tour.
I should also note the local women who headed to Minnesota for the prestigious Nature Valley Grand Prix stage race. Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia), Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire) and Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) all lined up in the 145-women field, the largest and arguably toughest field of the year. Dust placed 20th in the Thursday’s road race, and Haskell, representing the Ryan Collegiate All-Stars for the second consecutive year, finished 47th overall out of 82 finishers, 11th among the amateurs.
Carroll County race reports
Jessi Prinner (ABD; W-1/2): “How is it possible to completely lose the field in just a matter of seconds? Well, it’s actually quite simple. We missed a turn.”
Nature Valley Grand Prix race reports
Debbie Dust, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5 (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2): “I just drilled it and bombed the dirt stretch, then rode the right side gutter (with cascading water and potholes) down the hill to the right hand turn, flats and crashes be damned! My thought at that very second? ‘God, it’s like cyclocross. Ick.’”
Devon Haskell, Stage 1, Stages 2-6 (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-P/1/2): “Being in the back meant that I was constantly getting shed off the back as gaps opened and as we slowed for crashes.”
Photo by Ellen Wight
Before each lower-category race at Saturday’s Sherman Park Criterium, coach Randy Warren (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) reminded riders that although the course was peppered with bumps and cracks, there was nothing that should have required riders to alter their paths. Nonetheless, some riders felt these imperfections had to be avoided at all costs, and often that cost was rubbing wheels and/or hitting the tarmac. Too bad. As far as I know none of the injuries were too serious, although Barry Tauerbaum (Alberto’s) suffered a shiner and cut that may long remain as racing mementos.
The day’s chutzpah award goes to Peter Strittmatter and Leonard Hatcher of XXX Racing-AthletiCo, who attacked from the first stroke of the 4’s race. Hatcher pulled off after helping establish the break and was replaced by teammates Newt Cole and pro triathlete Chris Riekert. Riekert led the 12-man group to a blistering 27 mph pace
Host XXX Racing-AthletiCo had the numbers to rabbit-punch their way to victory in two races. With Tamara Fraser and Emily MacDonald part of a four-woman break well off the front of the women’s masters/4’s race, four lady XXXers team-time-trialed their way to bridge with reinforcements. That freed Fraser up to attack and stay off solo to win. This after the men in black had rattled off attack after attack in a fast 5’s race, wearing down the field and setting up Kyle Wiberg, Grant Davis and Erik Didriksen to go 1-2-3.
There were plenty of attacks in the 3’s race, many of them featuring Team Get a Grip Cycles and Vitaminwater-Trek. When the winning break finally stuck, it was Alex Voitik (Turin) enjoying the benefits of the other two teams’ blocking, attacking Aspen Gorry (Get a Grip) with one to go to ride home solo.
Adam Lesniakowski (PACT-Dish Network) drove a four-man break that lasted more than half of the masters 1/2/3 race, yet had enough in the tank to take a sprint over Marc Zionts (Alberto’s). In the masters 4/5’s race, 5’s winner Wiberg gave a blistering leadout to set up Newt Cole (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) for the win.
The women’s open race featured a guest appearance from newly named Paralympian Greta Neimanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who will be representing her county in Beijing this summer. It didn’t take long for her and teammate Fraser to form a break with Francine Haas (Alberto’s). As soon as they were off, they’d lapped the field. As soon as they’d lapped the field, Haas and Neimanas had broken free again, with Haas taking a lead out of Turn 4 for the win.
The P/1/2/3 race was as confusing as a 100-lap Madison race with two groups lapping the field. (The first of these groups comes together in the photo above.) Twelve riders eventually made it across with about 30 minutes left to race. Isolated riders attempted to break free again, but Get a Grip, Vitaminwater-Trek and XXX Racing-AthletiCo marked each attempt in order to protect the teammates who still had a shot at winning. In the end Michael Heagney (PYOC), a member of the initial eight, won the sprint without the benefit of a leadout, spreading his arms wide as he won a few meters ahead of Ed Amstutz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo).
Photos
Daniel Bliss
Carolyn Golz
Luke Seemann
Vitaminwater-Trek
Ed White
Race reports
Donovan Braud (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “All of our attacking efforts led to a full XXX podium at race’s end.”
John Coyle (Wolverine Sports Club; P/1/2): “We were in a reverse breakaway. 20 riders up the road and for whatever reason or discipline, teams were still blocking. I took over the front again and led. and led some more. I suck at leading, but I probably led 4 or 5 laps before I completely gave up the ghost. “
Grant Davis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “The two of us went for the line bumping shoulders and giving it our all.”
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-35+, W-open): “I rode the lap as hard as I could manage and crossed the line in first place! And this year I raised an arm in victory.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “I felt gassed and wasn’t sure I would be able to hold on and keep the pace up, but I dug deep and pushed myself a little harder.”
Jim Hamman (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “I have no recollection of hitting the pavement or how I got there.”
Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “With the speed ramping up on the last lap, I suddenly found my handlebars locked with another rider. “
Ella Neurohr (Unattached; 10-12): “A guy behind me was yelling ‘You’re getting beat by a girl, and she’s half you’re age!’ at one of the boys I passed.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “By the time I realized I was getting screwed my day was over.”
Brian Parker (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “On the back stretch there is a decent bump that has a tendency to make some people go all clown shoes and do ridiculous things they maybe know they should not do, but they do it anyways. Ride over the bump and take it and end of story; swerve to miss it, CARNAGE ensues.”
Chris Riekert (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “Just like in a Schwarzenegger movie there was a lot of pointless collateral damage and absolutely no tactics whatsoever. Just brute force from square one.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 1/2/3, 3, P/1/2/3): “I was merely hoping to hang on long enough for a break to get off so I could settle in for a leisurely ride in the caboose.”
Sue Semaszczuk (ABD; W-open): “As soon as i caught the end of that break, my stomach was in my throat. I felt lightheaded and like I was vibrating. I swear, I was about to throw up on my bike.”
Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 5): “The winning move came from a XXX rider who jumped at 200m and pulled away so damn strong and smooth that even as the race was happening I couldn’t help but admire it.”
Andy Skeen (ABD; P/1/2/3): “I took a couple of good digs, and got rid of some people who weren’t pulling their share of the load.”
Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 1/2/3, 3, P/1/2/3): “No breakaway in the races I was in was the result of huge efforts or selections; they were manufactured selections, of which I admittedly played a part.”
Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “I jump on his wheel and sit there, legs aching, eyes hurting, ears throbbing.”
Paolo Urizar (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I did what I’ve always wanted to do in a road race and that is be the guy up in front pulling the entire field.”
Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5, 30+ 4/5): “Tension behind is building. Subconscious takes over. I hear Eric say ‘Go.’”
Violent thunderstorms interrupted the early races and delayed and shortened the rest, but it turned out to be a fantastic day for racing in Spring Prairie for Wisconsin’s state road race championships, and lots of Chicago riders headed up to create some sound and fury of their own.
Two Chicago women had big days: Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) once again took on the IS Corp army to win the women’s open, and Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) slipped away with some masters riders to win her 4’s race.
Four riders made early leave of the out-of-state 4/5’s race, attacking at the beginning of the second lap. Thanks to the blocking efforts of Chicago Cuttin’ Crew and XXX Racing-AthletiCo, the move stayed off and together for the rest of the race, with Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) taking the win
XXX Racing-AthletiCo had good numbers in the 3’s race but couldn’t close on the win there either, settling for three in the top 10, including junior John Tomlinson in 5th and Jacques Cartier, making his Cat 3 debut, in 7th. (It’s always nice when an upgrade is validated like that in the first time out.)
Chicago riders were isolated in a P/1/2 race dominated by IS Corps, but Northwestern’s Will Nowak (Targetraining), in his last race before heading east for the summer, won the field sprint/climb for 6th. And in masters racing, Michael Heagney (PYOC) took 3rd in the 30+.
Photos
Peter Strittmatter
Race reports
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I realized the other three were masters racers. If we could stay away, I would win the cat 4 race!”
Jim Hamman (Tower Racing; 4/5): “A smile started to creep over my face as I realized that we would not be caught and was finally part of a breakaway that succeeded!”
Donald Hanke (Tower Racing; 4/5): “It was tough, but what a great course.”
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I got halfway there, and then the crit racer in me said, ‘No, conserve your energy, stay with the pack.’ Dumb, just dumb.”
Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I was forced to make a choice to bridge to Chris or get back in the pack, and the pack was closer, so in I went.
Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 4/5): “If only I’d shaved my legs and carried a couple of water bottles!”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “Cuttin’ Crew was absolutely dominating the front, blocking for their man in the break. Major respect to them for their teamwork and execution there.”
Brian Parker (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “It was just like Big Brown’s jockey said about trying to get Big Brown to sprint: When he tried to whip the horse, there was just no horse underneath to whip.”
William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I raced over the top and somehow kept the legs spinning until the line.”
Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike; P/1/2): “It was fun to get out there and go fast for a few hours while ISCorp did all the work and shut everything down.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “They caught me again. Argh! They weren’t supposed to do that!”
Al Urbanski (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “I don’t just let people box me in. I shouldered my way out to the left, finally got some open road, and my frustration powered me up that hill.”
Photo by John Wilke
Perhaps stung by its loss Saturday, ABD/Geargrinder put on a tactics seminar Sunday at the ABR national criterium championships in Winfield. Both White brothers got in a nine-man break that lapped the P/1/2 field. Once it did, ABD/Geargrinder kept up an intense tempo to prevent any other escapes, and it was Rob White (ABD/Geargrinder) barreling down the homestretch for the win (above).
Clark Priebe (Team Mack) impressed by not only getting in the P/1/2 break, but racing back-to-back he also got in the winning two-man break in the 30+ race, although he would lose to Dave Stone (Lucas Oil).
Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) also doubled up nicely, taking home jerseys for both the women’s 30+ and the women’s 1/2/3 and going 3-for-3 over the weekend.
The Whites weren’t the only brothers to kick butt. Check out those Zionts boys from Alberto’s: Jacob and Zachary went 1-2 in the juniors 10-12.
Team Get a Grip Cycles had a productive day, with Devon Haskell getting 2nd in the women’s 1/2/3 and Chip Gray and Aspen Gorry hitting the podium in the 3’s behind winner Gabe Looker (ABD).
I should also note XXX Racing-AthletiCo: Peter Strittmatter and Jacques Cartier hit 3rd and 8th in the 4’s. Beth Christiansen repeated as women’s 40+ champ, and rookie Anna Loney won the women’s 4’s.
Elsewhere, the few Chicago riders who went to the Sussex Criterium in Wisconsin all had success. Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) took home two top 10’s: 2nd in the masters 4/5’s and 5th in the 4’s. In the 4’s he was joined by Alex Smetana (Spider Monkey Cycling) in 6th and Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in 9th. And the 3’s were once again ruled by local juniors: Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks) in 1st, James Bird (IS Corp) in 2nd.
Winfield results. Sussex results.
Winfield photos
ABD
Team Get a Grip Cycles
Vitaminwater-Trek
Ellen Wight
John Wilke (plus video)
Winfield race reports
Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 4): “There is only one winner in these races. For everyone else it is personal victories, accomplishing goals and looking back and feeling proud of what you attempted.”
Pat Dillon (Tower Racing; 4): “I felt like I had a 200-pound weight on my back.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4, 3): “It was nice to be up at the front as you didn’t have to worry about the yo-yo effect near the back with slowing down in the turns.”
Aspen Gorry (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “The last time up the hill I drilled it to stay in the top 10 with Chip right on my wheel.”
Terry O’Grady (Tower Racing; 4): “I found a seam on the right and hit the gas and was able to get about 15 positions back to my favor, until a rider blew up in front of me and sent me into the gravel coming out of Turn 3.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I was no longer anonymous in the peloton and people were recognizing me, chatting with me about the race, and it really threw me off.”
Phil Painter (Tower Racing; 50+): “Took everything I had to hang on.”
Jared Rogers (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I keep forgetting that I sometimes descend like ‘The Juggernaut’ without trying to. What this means is that with three to go I found myself crossing the line secnd wheel and then pulling the field in first wheel toward the Stairmaster down the backstretch.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3, 30+): “She showed a picture of me. I was sticking my tongue out and fluffing my mullet.”
Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 5): “I took Turn 4 hot and then began to kill it to the finish.”
Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I messed the sprint up and was too far up and went to early. Story of my life recently.”
Mark Swartzendruber (Lucas Oil; 30+): “We had three guys with us as well who begged us to slow down, promised not to sprint and otherwise generally bogged the break down. It was only about 15 minutes into the race at this point and talk of conceding the sprint was in my mind a bit premature.”
Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder: P/1/2): “Together we pull our dudes up to the front and get to work keeping the pace high enough to discourage any would-be last lap heroics.”
Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 4): “I found it easy to move up on the home stretch as the field would take a break.”
Kyle Wiberg (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+): “I got one of those might-as-well-have-some-fun itches and gassed it up the hill.”
Sussex race reports
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “The pack reminded me of a little kids soccer game: one big scrum that follows the ball wherever it goes.”
Photo by John Wilke
Some highlights from yesterday’s Winfield Twilight Criterium:
» Adam Lesniakowski (PACT-Dish Network) has always done well at Winfield, including winning last year’s 2/3 race and coming in 2nd thrice previously. This year he got 7th in the P/1/2, but also decisively took a $200 king-of-the-hill prime with five laps to go.
» An hour before her women’s open race, Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) was dealing with a major mechanical and was about to ask for her registration money back. Instead, she found a bike she could borrow and used it to outsprint Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) by inches.
» Endure It! had a great day in the 4’s, with Colin Riley and Mike Will coming in 3-4 in the bunch sprint. Teammate Ron Good lived up to his team’s name by continuing on after a crash took a big gash out of his right elbow. You think that hill was hard? Try doing it with only your left hand. “I really banged my melon,” he tells me, “and I couldn’t put any pressure on my right hand or get a deep breath as I really messed up a couple of ribs.” He gets the HTFU award of the day.
» After several attempts to break away, it was the move of Will Nowak (Targetraining), Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) and Dave Stone (Lucas Oil) that turned out the lights in the 2/3 race. Nowak won the sprint after the threesome built almost a minute lead.
» It was a black storm in the 5’s race, with XXX Racing-AthletiCo dominating a lead group. Unfortunately for them, it was Ryan Freund (Unattached) who took the win and they had to settle for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place, a veritable conga line of bridesmaids to Freund’s bride.
» Hyde Park’s Team TATI made its competitive debut in its retro knickers and wool jerseys, and they swept the podium in the side category of “People who rode to the race from the city.”
Photos:
Seth Meyer
Team TATI
John Wilke (scroll down)
Race reports
Grant Davis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “In attacking my plan wasn’t really to get away, but to liven the race up a bit.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “The hill on the back side of the course was a long, gradual climb, but this is where I figured the attacks would come and the field would crack.”
Don Hanke (Tower Racing; 4): “This was a nice course and we all agreed that we enjoyed it, after it was over.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “That hill put the hurt on my big frame, and it was a VO2Max session every trip up.”
Mike Shea (Spider Monkey Cycling; 5): “This hill really would come to be my enemy, far more than the other racers.”
Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 4): “I took it easy on the hill to save something for the finish, but that was a huge mistake. I hammered out of every turn, but it just didn’t matter in the end.”
Photo by Voytek Glinkowski
Some deep fields visited Wood Dale and Batavia this weekend for ABD’s three-day masters extravaganza. Some highlights, and one lowlight:
» Tolson’s wife Tracy Tolson (Texas Roadhouse) swept the women’s 40+ races.
» In addition to his 40+ win, Priebe won Saturday’s 30+ race. Cory Hickman (Vitaminwater-Trek) won the other two 30+ races, the only other multiple winner I spot in the larger fields.
» Saturday saw some terrible crashes, including one that sent the popular Mike Jones (MetCycling) to the hospital. We’re going to miss him. Speedy recovery, Doc.
» The Beacon News has a story about the “200 professional cyclists” who raced in Batavia, complete with photo gallery.
Not too many people hit Indiana’s Great Race series, but there were some podium appearances. In the criterium, Jeff Popelka (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) got 3rd in the citizens criterium and Long Grove’s Andrew Starykowicz (Unattached) got 3rd in the 30+ 1/2/3. In Monday’s road race, Doug Braun of the new Tower Racing squad placed 2nd in the 4’s race, while Chicago’s Jeanette Schrand (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) and Lindsay Jones (Unattached) went 2-3 in the women’s open. Finally, Pieter Ombregt‘s father Ludwig Ombregt (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), visiting from Belgium, placed 2nd in the 40+ road race. Gefeliciteerd!
And last but not least we have the Duluth Classic, a four-day stage race in Minnesota. Last week an insider asked me to handicap the field of Chicago riders. “Brian Haas (Alberto’s) in the 35+ is on good form,” I told him. “He’ll break some legs.” Sure enough, Haas won both road races over the weekend, but unfortunately that didn’t make up for the time he lost in the opening time trial, and he finished the weekend 7th overall.
Jason Schisler broke away from the closing crit and finished 2nd, earning enough time to bump him from 11th into 6th overall in the 3’s. Tamara Fraser also needed a good result Monday to move up and got it, getting 4th in the women’s 4’s crit to finish 5th overall. Finally, Evanston’s James Sauls (Vision Quest) finished 3rd overall in the masters 50+. He also won the final two king-of-the-mountain sprints on Sunday to clinch the polka-dot jersey (shown above).
OMG, is that a camo leader’s jersey?
I’ve heard raves about the race’s organization and execution, and not just from my inside contact. It’s a long haul from Chicago, but time stage races are pretty special, and I expect an even larger contingent will make the trek next year. If so, I may ask to bum a ride.
Full ABD Saturday results. Full ABD Sunday results. Full ABD Monday results. Full Great Race results. Full Duluth Classic results.
ABD photos
Carolyn Golz: Saturday, Sunday
ABR masters race reports
Gary Chioda (Tower Racing; 30+ 4) “The second of three Mack riders killed us. He covered every attempt to bridge up.”
Fran Connelly (Tower Racing; 30+ 5, 30+ 4): “We had dropped close to half the field in what seemed to me to be a somewhat blistering pace.”
Ron Cook (Project 5; Juniors 9-10, 30+ 1/2/3): “Ryon took off from the gun and never looked back.”
Rob Dongoski (North Branch; 30+ 4): “After a few Hail Marys, I looked back and saw more carnage happening on the other side of the road.”
Cory Hickman (30+ 1/2/3): “There was this fellow in the break with a really big potty mouth and an obvious dislike for other bike racers and everything else maybe.”
Terry O’Grady (Tower Racing; 30+ 4): “As the blood returned to my brain, I remembered my plan: ATTACK!”
Scott Van Maldegiam (Spin Doctor Cyclewerks; 30+ 4): “I thought I wasn’t going to make the turn. I did make the turn, but I had swallow as my heart was up in my throat.” (Day 1, Day 2)
Great Race reports
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 4): “I crested the hill with a small gap and then started to hammer it as hard as I could. Only one rider was able to bridge and we agreed to work.”
Pat Dillon (Tower Racing; 4): “I’m not saying Tower Racing is ready for the Tour de France but we sure worked like a pro team at this race.”
Duluth Classic race reports
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I suffered mightily and I enjoyed it!”
Tim Hayes (Grumpy’s/LGR; 3): “Coolest road race course I have ever done.”
Photo by Matt Smith
Some highlights from the next two days of Iowa:
» How often do we see a women’s 2/3 field? Not that often. Kristen Meshberg made the most of it by coming in 2nd at Quad Cities.
» Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek) has been steadily climbing the results tables and finally notched that elusive victory Monday in the Quad Cities 4’s race, this after getting 3rd Sunday at Melon City. Perhaps he, too, will be upgrading soon to join the rest of his team in the 3’s?
» 14-year-old Chazz Martin (Smart Cycling) has also been making some appearances high in the results this year, and he finally pulled the trigger and sprinted to win in Melon City 4’s race. I believe it’s his first senior victory. James Bird (IS Corp) is another junior who had a great weekend: 5th in the 3’s at Melon City, then 9th in the 3’s and 3rd in the juniors at Quad Cities. John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) also pulled off multiple top 10’s: 9th in the 3’s at Melon City and 3rd in the 3’s at Quad Cities, getting 2nd in a field sprint that fell just meters sort of catching a solo breakaway, just ahead of Chicago Jeffrey Whiteman (Northbrook/Garner). (Check out Tomlinon’s podium ceremony.)
» Other great results: Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) won the 3’s at Quad Cities. And Chicago Cuttin’ Crew pushed a lot of riders into the top 10, including Molly Godlewski, 4th in the women’s 4’s at Quad Cities; Adam Clark, 7th in the 4’s at Melon City; and Max Riordan and Ben Fietz, 4th and 8th at Melon City’s 5’s.
» This isn’t something that gets said that often, but ABD/Geargrinder got shut out of the podium all weekend. I bring it up because it’s so unusual, but also as an excuse to note that that’s John Meyers in the nifty photo above, taken at Melon City by Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek).
» Be sure to read Steve Tilford’s race report and sit in awe of how after hundreds if not thousands of races, bike racing still has the capacity to surprise and delight. “Kind of fun really.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Full Melon City Results. Full Quad Cities results.
Melon City photos
Shawn Delk
Matt Smith: W-4, W-1/2/3, 4, 3, P/1/2
Quad Cities photos
Shawn Delk: 30+, 4, P/1/2
Matt Smith: 50+, 30+ 4/5, W-2/3, W-4, 5, 4
Melon City race reports
Carson Christen (Unattached; 4): “Could have been another victory if I had been watching.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “Going over the bump, my move would be coming soon. I was on the inside, three riders back about halfway up the hill. It was time. I jumped and it felt good.”
Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “The race was going to be won be the guy who got the hairpin at the top of the hill first.”
Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “This race was more representative of what real racing should be like. I have to give mad props to the women from Punk Rock Cycling. They’re strong and they were throwing attacks like mad.”
Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycles; W-1/2/3): “I took off at the bottom of the hill giving it everything I could. Sam was still on my wheel, telling me that I could keep going.”
Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I luckily played the sprint well and picked the right move on the right side of the hill behind Andy Crater (Wheel & Sprocket). Ended up 6th, which I was extremely stoked about.”
Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “I was able to bring not one, not two, but three teammates from the back third of the field to the top 10-15 in one trip up the hill.”
Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “I probably could of cut the apex and chopped Alex Boyd and Cole House and finished third, but I already felt a little bad about chopping them already once 50 meters before.”
Quad Cities race reports
Andreas Fischer (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “When I thought everyone else was just about to jump I went all out…..but had almost nothing left.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “It was so close and things seemed to slow down for an instant. I was thinking to myself, `Do not make the same mistake you did yesterday. Do not let up until you throw the bike.’ I lowered my head and pedaled as hard and as fast as I could.”
Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “t was either bomb the corner and come out in 4th with the possibility of taking half the field out, or let up and roll through in 10th or 12th.”
Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “Going into the last corner I had enough of a gap to breathe and take in what will probably be the last victory I’m going to get for a while.”
Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycles; W-2/3, W-open): “Eventually, we lapped the field. Things got a little crazy when we were mixed with the rest of the field.”
Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “In this sport, the strongest guy doesn’t always win. It’s an organism of its own. So many different variables in such a short period at the end of the races make it exciting and frustrating at the same time.”
Photo by Brian Morrissey
Let’s hear it for the older guys! First 48-year-old Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek) demolished the Midwest’s hardest road race when he won Hillsboro-Roubaix in April. And now 39-year-old Dewey Dickey (Mercy/Specialized) has crushed our hardest criterium, Saturday’s Snake Alley Criterium in Burlington, Iowa, not once but twice. Gives hope to those of us on a 10- to 20-year macrocycle.
After winning the morning’s 30+ race, Dickey easily won a two-up sprint against Brian Jensen (Successful Living) to take home the P/1/2 race, a field stacked with the region’s best riders. “It’s a dream come true,” Dickey told the Burlington Hawk Eye, adding that he’d been trying to win there for 21 years. (See this profile for more background on Dickey.)
Among Chicago-area racers, Lindsay Koren started what would turn out to be a very fruitful weekend by winning the women’s 4’s race. Koren rode away from her field early and finished with a 31-second lead. (The Hawk Eye has coverage of her victory, too.)
Our other winner was Kaleb Koch (Smart Cycling), who won the juniors 13-14 category, the biggest win in what’s already been a successful year for him.
XXX Racing-AthletiCo pushed two riders into the top 10 of the 4’s race, Peter Strittmatter in 5th and Brian Morrissey in 9th, and they were kept company by Adam Clark (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) in 6th.
In the 5’s, Max Riordin (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) hit 6th while Avi Neurohr (Unattached), whom you may know as “that dude racing on the single-speed” or “that dude racing cyclocross in the Jordan jersey,” following in 7th in one of his first races on a geared bike.
Our only rider to hit the top 10 in the 3’s was junior Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks), coming in 9th, but Devon Haskell came in 4th in an impressive women’s-open field.
Finally, congrats to Neurohr for a 4th in Friday’s prologue road race, and to Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) for a 6th in the Cat 4 road race.
I was in Indianapolis all weekend
Full Wapello-Mediapolis Race and Snake Alley results.
Photos
Shawn Delk: P/1/2, 4
Fry Guy Images
Bryan Moritz
Heet Myser
Iowa Pix
Punk Rock Cycling
Matt Smith
Wapello-Mediapolis race reports
Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 5): “The fear of getting dropped by the wayside seems to keep me from giving it 100 percent. What if they use me up and I’m off the back as they bridge? But then something else kicks in: Who fucking cares anyway?”
Snake Alley race reports
Carson Christen (HBA; 4): “I hit the top with a gap and then smooth sailing to the finish line for the WIN! I could not believe it. My fat ass was able to get myself over the climbs faster then anyone else!”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “‘Dude, let’s see you out here. This is tough!’”
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “On the 9th lap, about halfway up the Snake, “KAPOWWW!” My tube blows up, blows the bead of the tire off the rim, and I come to a screeching halt . (Well, about as screeching as you can when only going 8 mph.)”
Nate Iden (Spider Monkey; 4): “Slipped a pedal on the start, bad, did not get out front on the first corner, bad, got stuck in the middle of a mess heading up the 1st lap of the snake, bad, did not bomb the downhill to make up for the error, bad.”
Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-4): “After some serious wheel rubbing with one other woman throughout the first time up the chute, I managed to get clear of the biggest groups.”
Amanda Miller (Mesa Cycling; W-open): “Need to learn better shifting techniques, as it cost me the race.”
Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “It was agony to spin the big ring but I had to get up to speed to lose my pursuers, and the bait of the last lap must’ve been beyond enticing.”
Avi Neurohr (Unattached; 5): “I nipped two spots to get into 5th at the last top-out of snake alley, only to freewheel my way around, thinking I had another lap.”
Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike; P/1/2): “This year I saw more guys standing on the sidewalk puking on different parts of the course than in previous years. It’s fun watching guys ride straight of the course on the back section hunched over their bars with drool down to their top tubes
Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen; P/1/2): “I got suddenly very sick and just started puking on the side of the road. Man that pissed me off. Oh, well. I guess that’s bike racing.”
Steve Tilford (HRRC/Trek; P/1/2): “Dewey was crazy strong today and deserved the win.”
Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “One switchback up and a guy just fell over. All he could muster was a "sorry" and I think he gave up.”
Kim “The Devil” West: “After AGAIN being offered an ice-cold frosty barley malt, he turned back and SPAT at me, er, the devil.”
Photo by Luke Seemann
I know it was a packed weekend, but I’m not sure why Saturday’s road race in Wisconsin drew so few riders. Only 19 lined up for the Cat 3 race and fewer than 30 in the 4/5’s. Road races aren’t getting any easier to come by. I would have at least expected more Madison riders.
In any case, it was a good day for Chicago flatlanders, an enormous climb notwithstanding. James Pradun (UIC) won the 4’s race, Paul Swinand (MetCycling) nabbed 3rd in the splintered masters 1/2/3 race and Doug Braun (Tower Racing) did the same . Rockford’s Jordan Heimer (Geargrinder) continued his barnstorming tour of the 3’s by spending more than half of that race solo off the front. After a chase group caught him heading into the final climb, he broke off again, this time with a XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider. You all know how this one ends: Heimer had no trouble sprinting to the victory, despite having his wheel sucked for the final 3 miles.
Sunday drew enormous fields to Madison for Wheels on Willy, a short, hilly course through a funky residential neighborhood. The P/1/2/3 race alone had 107 entrants, although many of those appeared to be 3’s taking advantage of a free third race and didn’t hang around for long.
Riding solo against some strong teams, Kristin Meshberg outkicked everyone on the uphill sprint to win the women’s open race. Vitaminwater-Trek had a profitable day, scooping up primes in both the masters 3/4 race and the 3’s, and Matt Smith came in the money in both races, 4th and 8th, respectively. And in the P/1/2/3 race, a break of five got away about halfway through, led by Saturday’s hero John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder). It was local pro Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s), however, who took the win (above).
WDT-Allvoi, Beverly Bike-Vee Pak and XXX Racing-AthletiCo were among the Chicago teams who sent squads down for the inaugural Tour de West Lafayette. Hard to know who’s to blame, but parked cars obstructed most of Saturday’s criterium course, forcing organizers to cut it in half. “It was basically hill repeats,” one 4/5 competitor told me. Thanks to the abbreviated course, only 12 out of 58 who started finished the 4/5’s criterium.
Not only that, but according to Beverly Bike-Vee Pak account, the road was open to cars during the criterium, which strikes me as seriously irresponsible. It would be great to have a viable stage race in the area: Let’s hope the promoter irons things out next time.
In the 3/4’s, Champaign’s Nicholas Dornik (Turin) came in 2nd in both the criterium and road race to place 3rd overall, followed by teammate Chris Clary in 10th overall. In the 4/5’s, XXX Racing-AthletiCo put out good results in all three stages to finish 4th, 5th and 6th overall behind Jeff Holland, Brian Morrissey and Jonathan Dugas, followed by Naperville’s Mike Will (Endure It! Sports) in 7th.
Saturday results
Denzer Delight
Sunday results
Tour de Lafayette
Wheels on Willy
Wheels on Willy photos
Vitaminwater-Trek
Denzer Delight reports
Brian Abraham (Team Brown Bear; 3): “We just rode side by side and talked because we knew we weren’t going to catch the leaders. “
Ryan Baumann (Sakonnet; P/1/2/3): “We drilled it for a while and got the break in sight on the finishing straight, but that was the last we saw of them.”
Doug Braun (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “On the climb for the last time. One guy is already up the road and the field shatters as soon as we hit the bottom.”
Pat Dillon (Tower Racing; 30+ 4/5): “I was white-knuckled most of the time in this race.”
Ben LaForce (Kitchi-Mi-Kana; 3): “If I could manage the hills, hanging on for the rest of the lap wouldnt be a problem.”
Seth Meyer (Turin; P/1/2): “The race was pretty much over at this point so I was like ‘Screw this, I’m at least going to race the rest of the race,’ and so I did the climb from bottom to top crazy hard.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “Halfway up I looked back and there were only four behind me. Then only three.”
Wheels on Willy reports
Ryan Baumann (Sakonnet; P/1/2/3): “The pace was solid from the gun, and a strung-out field was splintering all over the road.”
Ben LaForce (Kitchi-Mi-Kana; 3): “After coming around the last corner of the final lap I got out of my saddle to sprint and broke the master link on my chain. I just looked down and there was nothing there so I coasted across the line in the middle of the pack.”
Seth Meyer (Turin; P/1/2/3): “I moved up with a surge on the right going into the bell and...whoops!...coasted into first wheel. What now?”
John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2/3): “When you have a team that you take pride in, and teammates that you don’t want to let down you race to win. Period.”
Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2/3): “I lost a contact right when I was in a position to help, and as such, had to give ground through every corner and fight my way back up every time up the homestretch hill.”
Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 3/4, 3): “I’m still kicking myself for not throwing caution to the wind and drilling it. Who knows what could have happened?”
Bennet van der Genugten (Inferno; P/1/2/3): “All of the Midwest and northern teams brought full squads and launched about a million attacks until one stuck.”
Tour de West Lafayette reports
Graham Dewart (Mesa Cycles; 3/4): “I was in no-man’s land as there was only about half a mile to go.”
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “The field was destroyed by Lap 2, with only 12 out of 58 guys finishing. The others were pulled or dropped out.”
Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “The line jumbled as everyone looked for an opening and a wheel at the same time.”
Damon Nelson (Beverly Bike-Vee Pak; 4/5): “We have been pulled only 15 minutes into the race! What the hell is that all about?”
Photo by Amanda Barbato
How much money would it take to persuade people to chase John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder)? Apparently more than $350, as that was the astounding amount raised in a crowd prime for the rider who could catch Meyer’s long, solo breakaway (above). None succeeded
I’ve been hearing compliments about this year’s race, and I’m sorry to have missed out. The crowd prime sounds like an inspired idea, and I understand UCVC did a nice MacGyver job to safely patch a hole on the back stretch. “Last year there were under 20 starters in the 50+ race; this year over 30,” Barry Taerbaum (Alberto’s) tells me. “Clearly the word has spread about what a fantastic event the UCVC has been putting on year after year.”
In last week’s preview I noted that breaks were nigh impossible in the larger races. Leave it to Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus) to make me a liar: With three laps left in the 4’s, he struck out on his own and time-trialed to an impressive victory. Teammate Henry Loud took 3rd in the sprint, not the first time that Pegasus have reaped dividends from the formidable combination of Padfield’s endurance and Loud’s sprint.
Speaking of Loud, he also wins Flatlandia’s Moustaches of the Midway competition
Photo by John Wilke
The gentlemen of Vitaminwater-Trek and XXX Racing-AthletiCo have been monsters on the Midway for years, so it was no surprise that the Cat 3 race came down to a drag race between Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek) and Shane Winn (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), with Wat taking the win over his former teammate (above). Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) and John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) continued their hot streaks by coming in 3rd and 4th.
I’m happy to see Ansgar Graw (MetCycling) once again at the top of the 40+ standings, especially after the frightening spill he took in a field sprint at the 2007 Monsters. No longer content to relax in the sprinters lounge, Graw formed a four-person break, out of which he attacked with enough dominance to afford himself a nice post-up
Results aren’t up yet so I don’t have any observations to make on the other races, including the juniors, women’s and other masters races. I’ll update this post later, and I’ll have another post for the great weekend some people had in Wisconsin and Indiana.
Photos:
Amanda Barbato
Grant Davis
Carolyn Golz
Renata Graw
KHM73
Vitaminwater-Trek
Race reports
Kevin Clark (Half Acre; 5): “It was a humbling half hour.”
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-40+, W-3): “I expanded my lead to a half lap and WON. And this time I posted up.”
Andy Daley (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+): “I tried some end of the race nonsense with three laps to go and bridged to a group of three riders who were dangling off the front.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3, 4, 1/2/3): “He was close enough that I thought I might be able to close the gap but then it was too late.”
Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 40+, 3, 4): “This was bike racing as it was meant to be enjoyed.”
Emir Jaganjac (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “I had trouble clipping in but that wasn’t the problem as was some sketchy cornering being done by true citizens in this race.”
Tim Keeley (ABD; 3): “Fast race, fun race, easy race when you could stay tucked behind the big guys.”
Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-3, W-4): “I went for the inside line again and grabbed the wheel of the only other girl who seemed to understand how to work the wind.”
John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder; 1/2/3): “I gotta say though, there are less painful ways to win races!”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “I glanced back and I was all alone now as the other guy couldn’t hold on. By now I was in faux time trial position and looking oh so PRO.”
Andy Skeen (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2/3): ”Clark Priebe (Team Mack) launched a last ditch effort at the start of the last lap, and I not only caught him, but put a lot of other would-be attackers in the hurt box, simply by making them chase me down.”
Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+, 3, 1/2/3): “I thought I might actually have a chance...until I felt my legs turn to mush in that long straightaway. “
Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “I found just enough energy to click one more gear and surged and threw for the win.”
Photo by John Wilke
It was a quiet weekend of racing around Chicago, but some riders went up to Muskego, Wis., to make some noise at the criterium there. Congratulations to winners Kaleb Kloch (Smart Cycling) in the juniors 10-14, Kristin Meshberg (Flatlandia) in the women’s open, Anthony Carfang (Illinois Tech) in the 4’s and Chris Clary (Turin) , who slipped away with just a few laps to go in the 3’s race.
Photos
Burnham Racing
John Wilke
Race reports
Ben Bartoszuk (Team Wheaton; 30+ 3/4, 30+ 1/2/3): “I looked back, I had a gap, and I was convinced I was going to win. They can’t catch me!”
Ryan Bauman (Sakonnet; P/1/2): “I jumped at the right time, but I pulled out of my pedal!”
Julian Baumgartner (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3, P/1/2): “The final corner on the last lap was a harrowing experience with children bombing inside, riders flinging themselves to the outside, breaks screeching, and of course a whole helluva lot of swearing.”
Craig Erbach (Project 5; 3): “The Muskego course was not suited for me at all. Probably better suited for people in shape.”
Loukas Kozonis (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “Knowing that my energy levels were low, I was hoping just to survive in the back of the pack.”
Scott Peterson (Team Wheaton; 3, 30+ 1/2/3, P/1/2): “I had the legs for a decent placing, just lost mental focus and awareness of how far back I was.”
Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles), who has dominated our road and cross scene for the past two years and whom you may remember from this interview, won Saturday’s collegiate road national championship (Div. II) in Ft. Collins, Colo. After an early climb whittled the field to five, Haskell proceeded to ride her companions off her wheel. “I went after Devon,” one competitor told CyclingNews, “but just couldn’t catch her.”
Haskell finished 4th in Sunday’s criterium and wound up tied for 1st place in the omnium. This is a major achievement for Haskell and for the University of Chicago Velo Club. It is UCVC’s second national championship, the first being the 2005 criterium title from Todd Yezefski (IF Racing).
A handful of Chicago riders also made the long trip to Fayetteville, Ark., for the weekend’s Joe Martin Stage Race. Seth Meyer (Turin) took a stab at the P/1 field and finished 57th overall after a grueling weekend. Jessi Prinner (ABD) showed off a powerful uphill sprint to finish 3rd in Sunday’s difficult criterium and 10th in the women’s 3/4 general classification. Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire) finished 4th in the field sprint and 5th on the day in Saturday’s W-P/1/2 road race. “It was by far the most rewarding result I have ever gotten,” Dust reports on her blog. “I suffered like a dog when I thought I’d rather be dead. I was able to pull off something beyond what I ever thought I could do. So damn cool.” Her finish helped Kenda grab a 3rd place in the overall team competition.
Finally a XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider got in a four-man break in Saturday’s Cat 3 road race. His notoriously feeble sprint was no match against the three juniors, but the three-minute gap to the field held up, giving him a 4th place finish in the GC, tops for Chicago-area competitors.
UPDATE: I’m alerted that Geneva’s Ben Raby also had a good week, instigating a long breakaway in Friday’s P/1 road race and winding up 61st overall in his first racing since the Tour of Missouri. The former ABD and Kodak Gallery rider is now racing independently under the SRAM flag.
Photo by Carolyn Golz
Some highlights from a full weekend of racing:
» Francine Haas (Alberto’s) doubled up Sunday, winning the women’s masters race and then getting 2nd behind Jessi Prinner (ABD) in the women’s open.
» Beverly Bike-Vee Pak got the best result of its inaugural season when Elvis Falbo got 2nd in the Vernon Hills masters 4/5 race. And since winner Glinkowski is 40+, Falbo gets to claim the victory for the 30+.
» New racers for XXX Racing-AthletiCo won two races at Vernon Hills: Triathlete Chris Riekert rode away from the 5’s race, and in only her second race, Anna Loney won the 4’s field. Jonathan Dugas also had a productive day, getting 2nd in the 4’s and 3rd in the masters 4/5’s.
» IS Corp showed textbook teamwork in the 15-18 race when James Bird and Edward Gurney traded attacks out of the four-strong separation. After Gurney got reeled in on the last lap, Bird had no trouble taking the victory.
» The Chicago Cuttin’ Crew continues to execute team tactics flawlessly, a nice thing to see in the 4’s, let alone a bunch of 5’s. In Saturday’s Winona Lake Road Race, Andrew Nordyke gave Jeff Perkins an unbeatable leadout to win the race. (You may remember Perkins from his CBR interview.) Daryl VanEssen finished right behind in 3rd and Nordyke held on for 9th.
» Team Get a Grip Cycles also headed south with Aspen Gorey picking up 4th in the 3/4’s road race. And although Tracy Tolson (Texas Roadhouse) is usually a lock in Indiana races
» Few Chicago riders made the trip to Baraboo for the hilly road race there, and the weather kept many Wisconsin riders away, too, keeping the fields rather intimate. Top Chicago finishers were Gigi Norcross (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), 3rd in the women’s 4’s, and Jacques Cartier (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), who escaped from the field to get 4th in the masters 4/5’s.
Saturday results
Baraboo Road Race
Winona Lake Road Race
Sunday results
Vernon Hills Grand Prix
Winona Lake Criterium
Baraboo Road Race reports
Kevin Clark (Half Acre; 4/5): “Then came that climb again. This one put me in a bad place.”
Lyle Hanson (GDVC; 3): “It doesn’t make for epic racing and proud storytelling to sit in and wait for the sprint, but sometimes you do what you need to do given the situation.”
IS Corp (P/1/2): “A little ridiculous.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I smelled nice and felt very Euro.”
Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I was feeling good. I wasn’t just hanging with the pack, I was trying to strike up conversation with other riders who seemed worried about the hardships to come.”
Vernon Hills race reports
Peter Allen (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4, 30+ 4/5): “I thought we could at least get a paceline going to try and catch the peloton. Great in theory, hard in practice.”
Beverly Bike-Vee Pak (5, 30+ 4/5): “At 150 to go, the door opened up and that’s when Elvis started winding up his sprint. He looked up at 50 meters to go and realized he was off the front and powering toward the win.”
John Boggs (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “My plan was to breeze up along the outside of the pack back up front coming up the slight incline out of Turn 3, where there was protection from the wind.”
Chad Chenoweth (Team Get a Grip Cycles; 3): “The split was just a little too big and there were too many guys trying to sit on.”
Nick Gierman (Vitaminwater-Trek; 4): “Every time a gap opened and I jumped to close it, I turned around and the field was right on my wheel. “
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): “The finish was a long one and everyone started their sprint way too soon. I passed a few people, got passed by some others, passed even a few more, etc, etc.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4): “As I was coming into the final turn I really thought I had it.”
Tom Panton (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5, 30+ 4/5): “One of them caught my front wheel and for a second or two, I thought I might be able to hold it but then, BOOM, I was on the ground.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “The group never organized. You’d have thought everyone would have recognized this as an express train to the top 10.”
Jeff Wat (Vitaminwater-Trek; 30+ 1/2/3, 3): “With one to go, Goodwin got me close enough to the express train and I yelled ‘ChooChoo on!’”
Vernon Hills photos
Carolyn Golz
Village of Winona Road Race reports
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3/4): “One Brian fights spoke, other Brian fights the wind.”
Team Get a Grip Cycles (3/4, W-open): “Devon managed to not only find a random spare wheel and have it pumped up, but also rework her way back through the patchy field and rejoin us just before the finish.”
Jeff Perkins (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “‘UP! UP! UP!’ I’m shouting as if I know what the hell I’m talking about.”
Zach Thomas (Half Acre; 4/5): “Winona, Ind., is not the same as Winona Lake, Ind.”
Photo by Val Brostrom
That loud explosion you heard Saturday may have been the sound of the Cat 4/5 field detonating on the first lap of the Whitnall Park Criterium in Hales Corner, Wis. A capacity field quickly dwindled to about 50, with more casualties on each lap. Some early attacks failed to gel, so it was left to Stan Schultz (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew) to barrel up the hill and take the win in the sprint, followed by Schaumburg’s James Pradun (Unattached) in 4th and Joe Bippus (South Chicago Wheelmen) in 5th, as captured in in this video. (The first two riders across the line are a lap down.) By my math this is the fifth different person to podium for the Cuttin’ Crew this year, impressive depth for such a small squad.
In the masters 3/4 race, a XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider spent about 25 minutes in a two-man break only to be consumed about 300 meters from the line. This video captures the final frantic laps. (Check out that awesome throw at 2:06!) Top local finishers in the ensuing field sprint included Tim Keeley (ABD) in 2nd and Arlington Heights’ Jason Rudroff (Unattached) in 4th.
A lively 3’s race finally yielded a five-man group with about 20 minutes to go, including Rockford’s Jordan Heimer (Geargrinder), Aspen Gorry (Team Get a Grip Cycles) and a XXX Racing-AthletiCo rider. After a cat-and-mouse five-up sprint, Heimer proved himself the cat, with Gorry coming in third as the second-largest mouse. Tomasz Boba took 2nd in the field sprint for 7th overall.
The women’s open race saw Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles) escape with two ISCorp riders. Despite being outnumbered she held them off for the win, with teammate Val Brostrom cleaning up for 6th and Francine Haas (Alberto’s) getting 8th.
Other good results from Whitnall Park: Chazz Martin (Smart Cycling) 5th in the juniors 15-18, Adam Lesniakowski (PACT-Dish Network) 6th in the masters 1/2/3 and Ken Delo hanging on for 6th after dropping off the breakaway in the P/1/2/3 race.
Doesn’t look like a lot of Chicago-area riders participated in the weekend’s other races, although I see Andres Romero (North Branch) got a top-10 in Sheboygan and at the Brown County Road Race Lindsay Koren (Team Get a Grip Cycles) took 4th in a women’s open race stacked with Team Tortuga riders.
I know a handful of riders went to Iowa, but I haven’t seen results yet. I gather from Matt Smith‘s report, however, that it was a tough, windy weekend out west. UPDATE: Results are up. Jason Schisler (Vision Quest) got 3rd in the Cat 3 road race, and in the crit, Kenilworth’s James Bird (ISCorp) and Chazz Martin (Smart Cycling) went 1-2 in the 15-16 juniors race.
Full Whitnall Park results. Full Iowa City Road Race results. Full Evergreen Park results. Full Brown County results. Full Old Capitol Criterium results.
Whitnall Park photos
Val Brostrom
Whitnall Park race reports
Tamara Fraser (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; W-4): “I crossed the line at my max, dried snot all over my face, just about ready to vomit. Bike racing is so charming.”
Devon Haskell (Team Get a Grip Cycles; W-open, 3): “What has the ideal blend of carbs, protein, fat, and deliciousness? No, it’s not the latest supplement-rich, protein-filled, fruity-flavored powder. The answer is frozen custard.”
Ed Hernandez (North Branch; 3): “I looked around them to see a gap of two bike lengths. Dang, hammer, boy, hammer. This [stuff] is gonna suck right here, but ya gotta hammer.”
Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4/5): “I’d rather race for 1st place and finish 35th than race for 35th and finish 35th.”
Tim Keeley (ABD; 30+ 3/4, 3): “Apparently head-to-head a 155 lb. leprechaun cannot go downhill as fast as a 200 lb. man with tats on his calves. “
Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5, 4): “It felt like every rider who came past as the hill crested whacked me with a baseball bat.”
Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 4/5): “I got bored. I took the prime bait, hook-line-sinker, and attacked. Whether my attack was strong enough that no one thought they could follow, or whether they were thinking of what a sucker I was, I don’t know. Either way, I took the prime uncontested.”
Stan Schultz (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew; 4/5): “GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!!!!!!! is repeating over and over through my head. As everyone dies half way up the hill I am going faster and faster. I am flying by people and I see the line. My legs feel like a machine and my chest is exploding with a cosmic-like glow.”
Luke Seemann (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 3/4, 3): “I’d spent all winter longing for a chance to win as a lion. Instead, I lost as mutton.”
Calvin Smythe (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4/5): “I need to gain the courage to crawl further into the cave of pain.”
This weekend’s races were supposed to be smooth, safe affairs. So what’s with all the crashes? Bad handling? Riders lulled into inattentiveness? Fainting spells?
Here’s video of Saturday’s 4/5’s race in Menomonee Park, which shows the difficulties people had turning left. , and I believe this may be the spot where a pileup A pileup elsewhere in the race took out several riders with just a few laps to go. In fine euphemism, Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) alludes to a “complication between two riders” in his report of the Cat 3 race, and here’s video of said complication. (Be sure to go to the 1:00 mark to see exactly how complicated it got.) Finally there is this sad photo gallery from Andrew Nordyke (Chicago Cuttin’ Crew), who had a tough time negotiating the final corner of Sunday’s 4/5’s race. Hard man that he is, once he finished bouncing down the tarmac he bounced to his feet and shouldered his bike to the finish line for 35th
If we can’t handle gentle courses like these, how will we fare come the screaming, technical turns of Downers Grove? Oh, right. This is how.
But enough about that. Let’s talk racing!
In Saturday’s Menomonee Park criterium, two Illinois riders beat all their hosts in the day’s first race, with Kaleb Koch (Smart Cycling) and Aaron Harrison (Redline) going 1-2 in the 10-14 race. Kristin Arntzen (Alberto’s) hit the podium in the women’s open race, and Matt Smith was the top Chicago-area finisher in the masters 3/4 with 6th, followed by a 7th in the 3’s, a race in which Tomasz Boba (WDT-Allvoi) came in 2nd.
Sunday, ABD/Geargrinder continued its white-hot start to the season with another P/1/2 victory from Ryan White. Recovering triathlete Peter Strittmatter (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) gave his team the year’s first non-collegiate victory by winning the 4/5’s. Good masters results came from Scott Pearson (Higher Gear), coming in 6th in the masters 1/2/3, and Rob Ehrman (Vision Quest) and Tim Keeley (ABD), who came in 5th and 6th in the masters 3/4’s. And in the women’s 4’s race, XXX Racing-AthletiCo teammates Tamara Fraser and Gigi Norcross came in 6th and 8th.
I’ve been alerted that although Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks) is licensed as a Wisconsin rider, he is in fact a Chicago high school student. He’s had an amazing run this spring, including 1st and 3rd in the Kenosha Cat 3 criteriums and winning the Hillsboro-Roubaix juniors race. Saturday he placed 3rd in the Cat 3 race, and Sunday he got 3rd in both 15-18 juniors and Cat 3 races.
In Sunday’s Cat 3 breakaway, Hurst was followed by two more local juniors: Dekalb’s Alex Bowden (Team Type 1) in 4th and Chicago’s John Tomlinson (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) in 5th.
Speaking of juniors doing well in the elite races, young Chazz Martin (Smart Cycling) cracked the top 10 in both days’ 4/5 races, in addition to coming in 3rd and 6th in the 15-18 events.
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