Free but not perfect

Men,

After 12 weeks with my head immobilized I've hit a conundrum.

The C1 vertebrae has not healed and prospects for healing are

confusing. I've got some sorting out to do. I'll keep you posted.

sjw

New Team Members

Welcome the following new team members for 2010,

Anita Lopez
Curtis Leschyshyn
Frank Zoldak
Gary Mulder
Grant Holicky
Mike Sutter
Rob Kelly

Team Weekend Rides

Team Weekends rides will be every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 AM through out the fall/winter months. Meeting place is Vic's on 30th street, in Boulder, if location changes, it will be posted

• Team rides are members only, except for invited guest.
• Attire for team rides is present team kit
• Routes will be decided on the day of the ride through out fall/winter months or when training sessions begin, if you have a particular route, let the team know in advance
• Ride pace is Recovery - Overdistance through out fall/ winter months

'Cross Time

Temperatures are falling, leaves are falling, cyclists are falling...

It can only mean one thing: the craziness that is cyclocross season is upon us, and the mayhem has begun! Overenthusiastic racers who just don't know when to call it a season have been hitting the Colorado 'cross circuit for a number of weeks now. This odd stepchild of bike racing has been growing in popularity by leaps and bounds, and a (un?)healthy number of racers have been turning out for a full slate of 'cross races that run from mid-September to the state championships in December.

So far this season, the conditions have ranged from scorching sun and temperatures in the high 80's to blizzards and temperatures below freezing. The courses have varied from smooth grass to rocky slopes, from packed gravel to bike-eating sand pits, from dusty singletrack to derailleur-destroying mud bogs, and everything in between.



The competition is fierce but friendly, and the physical demands are unusual. As Neal Henderson describes it, 'cross racing is a bit like an intense criterium with the all-out sprint at the starting whistle. If you've pondered life on the 'cross side, now is a great time to come out and give it a try. If you're not quite ready to try leaping over barriers and immersing yourself in freezing mud, consider coming out to harass those who are. Just don't forget your cowbell!

Our Injured Teammates

Marc and I had lunch Monday with Paul and Steve. both seem to be doing well after there recent encounters with the medical profession. Paul should be back in a month or so after a pretty serious back surgery. Steve will be in the neck brace for a total of three months after his accident on the road in Italy.

I urge everyone to keep in touch with our guys as from personal experience I know it's easy to feel a bit left out as you recover from an injury.

Unseen in the photo is the elastic and plastic (and uncomfortable) back brace Paul will wear for another few weeks. Get well soon guys!

2009 Team Photo

Here is the composited Team Photo for 2009.

2009 Race Results for Vic's Espresso/Peerless Cycling

NEW Overall Combined Team Results:
2 World Championships
20 National Championships
80 Top 5 National Placings
2 National Record Holders
1 European Championship
84 State/District Championships
1 Masters Tour de Var Champion
6 Colorado Best All Around Rider Awards
10 or more Colorado Best All Around Team Awards
750 or more Individual Career Wins

2009 was an impressive race year for Vic’s Espresso/Peerless Cycling Team. Members of the team achieved 2 new National Track Championships, 17 new Top 5 National Placings, 3 new State Championships, and 48 Individual and Team wins. We are also currently 3rd in Colorado BAT results, with 4 individual riders in the Top 10 in their age group in BAR results.

• Congratulations to Lars Bosch 2009 Points 60-64 Track Masters National Champion.
• Congratulations to Steve Worley 2009 2K TT 55-59 Track Masters National Champion.
• Congratulations to Burt Henry 2009 SM45+ Colorado State Time Trial Champion.
• Congratulations to Bill Simmons 2009 SM55+ Colorado State Master Road Champion.

Colorado State Time Trial Championship:
Gold Burt Henry
Silver Christy Orris
Silver Zack Gould
Bronze Neal Henderson
Colorado State Masters Road Championship:
Gold Bill Simmons
Silver Brian Todeschini
Colorado State Masters Criterium Championship:
Gold Steve Worley
Silver Joe Paulson,
Silver Bill Simmons
Bronze Jim Kinsinger
National Masters Time Trial Championship:
Top 5 Burt Henry
National Masters Track Championship:
Gold Steve Worley,
Gold Lawrence Bosch
Silver Barry Messmer
Silver Lawrence Bosch
Silver Steve Worley
Bronze Neal Henderson (x2)
Bronze Jim Kinsinger
Top 5 Barry Messmer
Top 5 Jerry Greenleaf
Top 5 Neal Henderson
Top 5 Lawrence Bosch
Top 5 Jim Kinsinger
Top 5 Steve Worley

Congratulations Vic’s Espresso/Peerless (Boulder Masters Cycling Team) on a great race season. The team is still busy racing Time Trials and Cycle Cross throughout 2009 – look for more great results.

To view all race results for 2009 please visit our Team Website at:
http://bouldermasterscycling.com/BMCT/Results.html

Foreign Lands

Men,
I've made the big trip to the EU and have now settled in to ride a bit, work a bit, and generally wrap the old carcass around an eight hour time shift. Couldn't be in a better spot to make the change. First ride - planned 1 hour, and did 2.5. What can I say? I cannot say no to poking around on some new and familiar roads.

To start a panorama view heading out of town (Annecy, Fr.). It is probably obvious there are numerous mountainous road in the vicinity.

Working on my rolling photo shooting and doing an in flight speed check.

Another trilling sport - Frenchies paragliding.

Never a shortage of scenic water stops.

A couple of boys pacing along the Lac Annecy (stage 23 TDF '09). BTW they NEVER ride single file no matter what traffic may be around. And the drivers are not hassled.

45+ Niwot Criterium

Photo Credit: Heather Haupt Enos

Breakaway!

The downtown Niwot Criterium was contested on Sunday, August 16th, under beautiful late summer conditions. Joe Paulson and John Talley represented Vic's Espresso/Peerless in the 40 minute 45+ men's event.

The field strung out from the start, as riders at the front forced the pace to avoid getting bunched up in the tricky acute angle corners on the course. Jimmy Gibson from the Mix1 team was animating the race early, with an early solo escape. Joe was staying right up front to keep an eye on things and stay out of trouble, and on the first prime, another rider unintentionally gave him a perfect lead-out to capture the cash.

When Jimmy went out solo again, Joe knew the powerful Mix1 rider was on good form, and shot away from the pack to bridge up before the gap got too big. Hitching onto Jimmy's rear wheel as they came through the start finish, Joe saw that there were still 21 minutes of racing to go, and wondered if this was such a good idea after all. However, they were now committed, so Joe started contributing as much as he could to work the gap up.

Meanwhile, back in the pack, JT and one of Jimmy's Mix1 teammates were sitting on wheels to frustrate the chasers. The gap started to grow, and Jimmy and Joe kept pouring on the coals, splitting the primes to keep the pace high.

It was a great relief when the time counter changed to 5 laps to go, as the continuous effort was taking its toll on both riders. Just when Joe thought the break was certain to succeed, a couple of the chasers renewed their efforts, and brought the gap way down. At 4 to go, the pack was only a few seconds behind, and the catch seemed to be imminent. Glancing back, Jimmy moaned in disbelief, and dug even deeper to bring their speed up over 30 mph. Joe tried to offer a little more on his pulls as well, and suddenly the gap was creeping back up.

With one to go, they had a little breathing room, so Joe prepared himself, then launched prior to the final corner to take another blue W. Having confunded the chasers, JT was positioned to contend for the field sprint to take the final podium spot, but a lapped rider forced him to hit the brakes in the final corner, relegating him to 4th behind Chris Stout.

Vic's Steve Worley Takes Gold

Wednesday was a good night for the Vic's 55+ riders as Steve Worley took the gold in a perfectly ridden time of 2:27:863. Barry Messmer had everyone's jaw dropping when he rode a first 1K just 1/100 slower than Steve to eventually finish 4th on the night. Had Barry not had to go over the top of the other rider in his heat as he entered turn 1 and 2 he might easy have beaten 3rd place finisher Shannon Fox. Dennis rode to 7th place in the talented field.

Gerry "the Jet" Greenleaf rode to 14th place in the 50+ field which was dominated by a record setting ride of 2:19:661 by powerhouse Larry Norman.

Teammates Spanky, Dean, Randy, Lars, Susan and Brad were all there to see our boys collect their medals

Master National Track - when the blue boys are on

sjw's guess on who is doing what

AM sessions start at 9:00AM, except Sunday at 10:00am
PM sessions start at 6:00PM
{Rain mucks everything up and things shift}

Tuesday AM - Twitch and Lars? 500m, Neal Kilo
Tuesday PM - Jet, Barry 500m, Joe Kilo?

Wednesday AM - Lars and Twitch 2K, Neal 3K
Wednesday PM - Steve, Barry, Dennis, Jet 2K, Joe Points Race?

Thursday AM - Twitch 200m
Thursday PM - Twitch Match Sprints

Friday AM -
Friday PM - Twitch Points Race

Saturday AM - Jet Points Race (?)
Saturday PM - Steve, Barry, Lars, Neal Points Race

Sunday AM - Steve, Jet, Barry, TTT

Vic's Criterium Photos

I've got the first gallery of photos from The Vic's Crit up in the Gallery Section of the Website

This is a gallery covering all the races and podiums. A second Gallery of Vic's riders will be added later. I'm also adding to the Team Album gallery so send along photos you would like to include

Brad

National Masters Track Schedule

The National Masters Track championship schedule is here

Photos From Vic's Prospect

A few shots of the Vic's team

Vic's Prospect Criterium, August 8, 2009

Colorado Master's Criterium Championships will be this Saturday in Prospect, Colorado near Longmont, CO

The race is sponsored by Vic's Espresso. Volunteers helping at the race include members of the cycling teams receiving sponsorship from Vic's Espresso including Vic's Espresso/Peerless Cycling Team, and Team Rio Grande. The first race is scheduled to begin at 7:45am, the last race, the Senior Men Pro 1/2 category will begin at 6:00pm for 1 hour. Come out to watch and support the event.

More information about the Prospect Criterium bike race can be found at these links:
Race Website
Race Flyer
Race Directions

45+ Bannock Criterium

2nd 2nd
Mike Nields Memorial Bannock Street Criterium, July 26, 2009, Denver Colorado - Race Report and Results

On Sunday, the annual Mike Nields Memorial Bannock Street Criterium was held under varying weather conditions, with sunny weather greeting the 2 PM start of the 45 minute 45+ race. Lining up in Vic's blue were Joe Paulson, John Talley, and Brian Todeschini. As always, the pace was high on the fast and exciting course, made even more so by the deteriorating pavement conditions.

The blue boys marked or initiated several moves during the race, and JT picked up a cash prime, but nothing was going to stay away for long from the fast-moving field. JT spotted former US Professional Road Race champion Norm Alvis in the pack, and alerted Joe to his presence. Alvis had relegated Joe to 2nd last year in taking the win with an impressive final sprint, so the boys marked him closely.

On the final lap, JT, Brian, and Joe were lined up and fighting to maintain position near the front when Vitamin Cottage hit the front with their lead-out train with four corners to go. The move triggered a reshuffling of the race lead, and the Vic's riders fought to reestablish themselves just behind the leaders. Alvis was threading his way back up through traffic, so Joe tried to shadow him. JT had the same idea, and they were poised on his wheel heading up the hill with three blocks and one corner to go, when the pace eased, and the riders behind them started to swarm.

Joe jumped up and out to the right side to keep from getting blocked in, and found himself out in the wind with no likelihood of recapturing a protected position near the front. He knew it was too early, but figured hanging out in the breeze wasn't doing him any good, so he cranked it up and got a small gap and the hole shot for the final right turn onto the long finishing straight. Joe hit full speed and sprinted for the distant banner over the finish line, but one rider in a Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop kit named Barry Lee inched past and held a bike length advantage by the line, demoting Joe again to 2nd. JT grabbed the final spot in the top 10, and Brian finished 28th.

Mike Neilds Memorial Bannock Street Criterium Results

Our Team Cycling Blog

Vic’s Espresso/Peerless Cycling Team is reaching out to the community through our Team Blog

The team had a great race weekend in Lakewood and Denver, Colorado this past Saturday and Sunday. We also just received our 5000 Visitor to our team blog (and we’ve only been counting for the past 3.5 months!)

As expected most of our visitors are from the USA, and I do believe your competition is checking you out because many of our visitors are from the greater metro area outside of Boulder. We have had visitors from 49 different countries, with the top number of visitors from Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, Italy, France, Belgium, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Japan!

The new Vic’s Espresso/Peerless Cycling Team website should be published in August. We have built our team blog and website with the intention to present our team to the community, communicate to team members, record our race history and events, offer more exposure to our sponsors, and offer information to other cyclists.

Thank you for posting, commenting, and reading our cycling blog. More to come ...

45+ Federal Center Circuit Race

Beer me, Marge!


Colorado Bike Law Federal Center Circuit Race, Lakewood, CO, July 25, 2009 Race Report

On Saturday, Bill Brant, Joe Paulson, and John Talley represented the Vic's Espresso team in the 45+ Federal Center Circuit Race, contested this year in sunny, warm, and breezy conditions on a slightly modified course. With even more corners added, it seemed like the world's longest criterium.

It was also the final race in the Steamworks Cup series, rewarding the rider with the best results from races in three different disciplines with their weight in beer. After the first two races (Lookout Mountain hillclimb and HALO time trial), Burt Henry held a significant lead, but he wasn't able to make the final race, so it was up to Joe to try to claim the beer.

The attacks started early in the race, and an attentive Bill covered several moves. JT then was able to get into a number of breaks, allowing Bill and Joe to camp at the front on the wheels of the chasers. A long solo break by Great Divide's TT specialist Jim Dickerson was reeled in by a hard chasing Jimmy Gibson of the Mix1 team early in the final lap, setting the stage for a field sprint.

With two corners to go, Bill, JT, and Joe were lined up near the front, ready to start the blue lead-out train, when Scott Soden of Great Divide launched from in front of Joe. Joe knew Scott wouldn't be able to carry it to the line, but figured marking Scott would keep the field at bay, and jumped on his wheel.

As they approached the final turn, Joe bided his time in 2nd, realizing how long the finish straight is. He was just getting ready to jump, when Karl Keister blazed by in the inside gutter countering his teammates set-up, with an opportunistic Christopher Stout in his draft. Joe launched immediately around the turn, and was able to close down a fading Karl quickly, but Chris had a big gap and wasn't slowing. It's a good thing the finish straight is so long, because it took almost all of it for Joe to pull along side Chris, then eak out just a little more top end to beat him to the line for the win. JT was also able to get around Karl to grab the 3rd and final podium spot.



The win locked up the Steamworks Cup, and Joe was weighed on their nifty balance beam scale, where it was established that he weighs in at 4 and 1/2 cases of beer. He picked up another case for the win, and JT scored a 6 pack for 3rd, so even after each of the boys took home a sampler, and Joe dropped off a case for the crack mechanics at U-Bikes, there was plenty of suds left for the annual end-of-season team party.

However, it turned out that there were more Blue beer winnings to come. Bill lined up again shortly after the 45+ open finish to race again in the 45+ Cat 4 race, where he won a beer prime, then went on to grab another case by winning the race! Start planning now to attend the season-ending festivities!

Race Results Co. Bike Law Federal Center Circuit Race

Boulder Record Racer TT #6

More Vic's-tories!

Another large field turned out last night for week #6 of the Boulder Record Racer time trial series, contested under warm and fairly calm conditions. Many riders benefited from a bit of a tail wind, resulting in some fast times.

Christy Orris flew the blue in the SW 4 field, taking the win in a time of 27:45.

In Burt Henry's absence, Joe Paulson stepped up to continue the Vic's/Peerless domination of SM 45+ time trials, winning with a time of 24:23.

Bill Brant competed in the SM 4 category, riding the course in 27:04 to take 5th.

Cheyenne Canyon Hillclimb TT

Author: Burt Henry

Today's race was a unique event for our race scene. Cheyenne canyon is a 3.2 mile climb which gains about 1200+ feet. The elevation gain is similar to Lookout mountain, but in 1.3 less miles, making for some steep grades. The route was closed to traffic and the weather sunny and warm.

The initial part of the climb had constant pitchy grade changes, while the upper half was basically just one grade: steep! I found myself searching for more gears a couple of times when I had maxed out the 39x27.

The Vic's boys raced it sight unseen. It was unmarked and it seemed that every time I shouted out "how much further," to onlookers, the reply was either "half mile" or "you're almost there". I was glad when the torture finally ended. I gave it my best effort to break the Mix-1 climbing stranglehold but to no avail. They grabbed the first 4 places in the 45+. Bill Simmons and Brandon Henry met with more success in their respective categories.

Team race results are below:

Brandon Henry 3rd 17-18 17:14 (2 seconds out of 2nd)

Burt Henry 5th 45+ 17:46 (7 seconds out of 3rd)

Dean Sandoval 10th 45+ 19:03

Bill Simmons 3rd 55+ 19:54 (3 seconds out of 2nd)

Cheyenne Canyon Time Trial Results

Boulder Record Racer TT #5

Burt Wins Again!

The 5th edition of the 2009 Boulder Record Racer Time Trial Series was contested last night under very hot and relatively calm conditions, a dramatic change from the wet and sometimes windy conditions of previous weeks. The result however, was the same: Burt Henry posted the best time of 25 minutes flat in a large field of 20 40+ riders, good for 9th overall.

Joe Paulson made his first appearance this year in the series, and was able to capture 2nd place in the 40+ class (15th overall) with a time of 25:44, holding off 3rd place finisher Clark Sheehan by 5 seconds.

Results for Boulder Record Time Trial Series July 08, 2009

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 9

US Master's Road National Championships, June 28-July 4, Louisville, KY
Criterium 07/04/09
Mens 45-49 Criterium: Fireworks on the 4th of July



The racing action returned to Churchill Downs this morning for the final day of the Masters Cycling National Championships. Vic's rider Joe Paulson lined up with a large field for the first event of the day, the mens 45-49 race. The temperature was in the high 60's and the skies were overcast, but the predicted rain was holding off as the scheduled 10 AM race got underway a little late, as has seemed to be the norm at these Nationals.




The first 10 laps were full tilt and the pack was strung out as various riders attempted to establish breaks, but nothing too serious was able to get away. Joe gambled that the field would stay together, and conserved his energy mid-pack. Excel rider Bob Dahl, on the other hand, initiated or followed a number of moves in the hope of making an escape from the field.

As the 50 lap, 25 mile race progressed, the speed became a little more reasonable, but it was difficult to maintain position near the front in the ever-surging pack. One effort to move back up brought Joe to the sharp end of the peloton, and he made a token appearance in the lead before tucking back behind the largest body he could find nearby.



In the final 10 laps, the speed increased again, and riders started taking creative lines through corners trying to move up, causing a number of near-crashes and shouting matches. Joe kept moving up when he could do so without great effort, but would then be swarmed by another surge, and find himself instantly 30 riders back again.



In the last 2 laps, yet another doomed break attempt was reeled in, and the full pack started jostling for final position. Joe found himself slamming on the brakes in every corner as desperate riders dove inside looking for lines. Half way through the last lap, Joe finally found an open lane and sprinted up the inside toward the front, but a rider in front of him closed it down just before the second to last corner, and Joe was involuntarily in brake mode again. It was wall-to-wall into the final turn 200 meters from the finish, and the inevitable contact between riders started a cascade of falling bodies and bikes that Joe braked again to avoid, then slipped past. He was able to hold off the riders behind him, but couldn't overtake those who had gotten through the corner cleanly, and crossed the line in 12th, with Bob Dahl finishing right behind him in 13th.



After a few warm-down laps, Joe wished good luck to Byron Nix, the Green Mountain 40-44 rider who was about to mount his title defense after winning out of a break on the same course last year, then headed to the van to mop off and pack up his bike. As he did so, it started to sprinkle, and Joe had to admit that he'd gotten some good weather breaks this year. Mike and Joe then headed through the tunnel under the horse track, made their now traditional post-Nationals pit stop at the nearest White Castle for 10 burgers and some fries, then headed west as the rain began to come down in earnest.

One other important task remained: espresso. The boys figured they'd need to stop in a bit for gas anyway, so they jumped on the interstate and enjoyed their sliders on the road. The rain came down harder, the gas gauge dropped, but their trusty GPS searched for coffee shops to no avail. They crossed the entire state of Indiana in a downpour and a caffeine drought. Finally, they pulled off the interstate and drove several miles into Mt. Vernon and filled the gas tank, but found the promised "Life's Little Perks" coffee shop closed for the holiday.

Increasingly desperate and grumpy, they exited again at O'Fallon, Illinois, where the GPS claimed they'd find a Starbucks. No 'Bucks, but the Schnuck's grocery at the identified coordinates had a Kaldi's Coffee stand inside, where they finally satisfied their coffee Jones with some mochas, and took the precautionary measure of purchasing a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans to avoid further caffeine trauma. As they got underway again, the rain finally stopped, and while the sun didn't appear, their moods certainly brightened.

Mike and Joe are now gazing once again at the Gateway Arch as they pass through St. Louis. The plan is to drive until they grow too weary, then stop for the night, and continue on to Colorado tomorrow. It's been an eventful trip to Nationals, and the boys are ready to go home.

Race Results for USA Cycling 2009 Masters Road National Champ, Louisville, KY
Criterium 07/04/09 Results

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 8

US Master's Road National Championships, June 28-July 4, Louisville, KY
Criterium 07/03/09
Mens 55-59 Criterium



Historic Churchill Downs was the venue today for the mens 55-59 criterium, which started half an hour late at 3:30 PM on a sunny and pleasant afternoon. Steve Worley lined up with a small but talented field to represent the Vic's team in the event.




The racing was fast and furious from the start, with a number of riders trying repeated attacks. With so many wheels to cover, Steve tried to be selective in his efforts, and half way through the 50 lap, 25 mile race was feeling good and sitting near the front.



Unfortunately, Bill Gilboe was able to escape on a solo attack, and was joined up front several laps later by Gordon Paulson. Working well together, the two put the race out of reach of the chasers, eventually catching the field. Three other riders also escaped to claim the rest of the podium positions, with the pack unable to mount a coordinated chase.

Coming up on the bell lap, Steve decided it was time to put his track skills to use, and launched out of the corner onto the home straight on a flying kilometer effort. He immediately opened a large gap, and was able to hold on for the full lap to solo in for 6th place.





After Steve cleaned up, Mike Newsome and Joe Paulson joined him in downtown Louisville, for dinner, then bid him farewell as he departed for his flight home. Mike and Joe returned to their hotel for one more night's stay before the mens 45-49 criterium tomorrow morning.

Race Results for USA Cycling 2009 Masters Road National Champ, Louisville, KY
Criterium 07/03/09 Results

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 7

Downtime

As he left Louisville yesterday to return home to Colorado, Burt Henry left a partial bottle of red wine in the care of Mike Newsome and Joe Paulson, so they felt compelled to finish it off to toast Burt's medal-worthy time trial ride. They then hit the sack for some much-needed rest.

No races were on the agenda for the Vic's team today, so the blue squad slept in. For Mike, that meant not getting up until almost 7:30 AM. For Joe it meant turning over and catching a few more z's, rising only when the threat of missing the complimentary breakfast drove him out of bed at 9:20 AM.

The boys took advantage of the first downtime in days to linger over breakfast, track down some good espresso (not an easy task in this corner of the state, even with a GPS), and do some laundry. Joe then went for an easy half hour recovery spin along the Ohio River, followed by a little bike wrenching.



Around 4:30 PM, teammate Steve Worley arrived at the boy's hotel after a delayed flight from Denver, and picked up his bike in preparation for his criterium tomorrow afternoon. Mike and Joe then headed out for some dinner, followed by a couple more errands, then returned to their room at the Hampton Inn for some more rest and relaxation.

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 6

US Master's Road National Championships, June 28-July 4, Louisville, KY
Individual Time Trial 07/01/09
Henry Hauls Home Hardware!



Vic's riders Burt Henry and Joe Paulson competed in the Men's 45-49 time trial today, held under mild but somewhat breezy conditions on a rolling to hilly 25.8 km course in Taylorsville, Kentucky. The blue boys arrived at the site about 2 hours prior to their start times in order to leave plenty of time to set up base and get good warm-ups.

After getting their canopy and trainers all set up, tires inflated, and so on, they were preparing to start their warm-ups when word came out that all start times had been pushed 1 hour back due to problems getting the course ready. The boys chilled out for a bit, then were again preparing to start their warm-ups when another 1 hour delay was announced.




A little more relaxation, a little food, and the first riders started to roll down the ramp from the start house, and it was finally on. After mounting their trainers, Burt found that his legs felt great after days of rest, but Joe's legs were complaining after the previous day's road race, and riding at LT hurt. Burt advised Joe to push through it, explaining that pushing through the pain in the warm-up would allow the legs to open up and feel better in the race.

Soon it was showtime, and Joe was down the ramp and onto the course. Sure enough, the legs felt better, and Joe focused on his power meter to avoid overcooking the steep hill right out of the gate. His pacing felt good, and his legs felt okay, but the end result was a disappointingly slow time.




At his appointed time, Burt rolled out of the start house, onto the course, and up the first climb. His 30 second "rabbit" put 20 seconds on Burt on the first climb, but Burt resisted the temptation to go too deep. Sure enough, when they reached the turn-around and headed back into the headwind, the rabbit died and Burt thundered past. His mass turning into an advantage on the downhill run-in to the finish, Burt carried his momentum to the line, sprinting in the drops the last meters in case precious seconds would be the difference between the podium and the also-rans.

The deep effort turned out to be well worth it, as Burt finished in 30:47.36, capturing 4th place and a long-sought place in the medals. The 5th place rider stopped the clock at 30:48.04, and the 6th place rider crossed the line at 30:49.10, earning nothing but heartache.

The new national champion, Matthew Wukasch, posted a blazing 30:16.83, and Mix1 rider Eugene Palumbo had a fine ride of 31:17.48 to round out the top 10. Joe wandered in at 33:43.27. Joe explained that front and rear flats had impeded his progress on the course, resulting in his mediocre time, but both tires had mysteriously re-inflated by the time he got back to the van.

In the 50-54 race, Mike Newsome was able to produce a medal-winning ride without even being able to get on his bike. Jim Dickerson flatted his disk while warming up, so Mike loaned him his, and Jim went on to capture 4th place. Individual Time Trial Results on 07/01/09




After the award ceremony (also delayed 2 hours), Burt and Brian Todeschi rushed to catch their flight home out of Indianapolis, and Mike and Joe dropped Eugene off at the Louisville airport, then headed out for some dinner. The consensus opinion of Joe's teammates was that he was too tense to ride well and needed to relax. Heeding their advice, Joe ordered a 24 ounce margarita with dinner, which seemed to improve his mood, if not his motor skills.

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 5

US Master's Road National Championships, June 28-July 4, Louisville, KY
45 to 49 Men's Road Race

Brian Todeschini and Joe Paulson lined up this afternoon to fly the Vic's blue in the 10 lap, 50 mile 45+ road race, scheduled to start at 2 PM, but delayed for 30 minutes while officials sorted out a protest in the previous 40 to 44 race. Joining the blue boys in representing Colorado was Bob Dahl of Excel Sports.



When the race finally got under way the large field rolled out under partly cloudy skies, with the temperature and humidity quite reasonable by Louisville standards. On the first lap, a rider attacked, and was quickly joined by two other adventurous souls, while most of the pack probably echoed Joe's thought that the move was way too early to succeed.

The field quickened the pace in pursuit of the escapees, and the first couple of trips up the big climbs were uncomfortable for Joe's legs after days of mostly easy riding. After they opened up, however, the climbs felt much better.

Meanwhile, the 3-man break was holding a steady lead of about a minute, and Brian, Bob Dahl, and other riders tried moves to bridge to them, but the field wasn't interested in letting additional riders up the road.

After 4 of 10 laps, Joe suddenly felt shaky with hunger, and he realized that he had mis-gauged his eating prior to the afternoon start, compounded by the delayed start and forgetting his pre-race snack back in the hotel room. He started downing his gel and energy drink as quickly as he could, but the lights went out with 2 laps to go.

With time running out, Brian tried again to make something happen, but the field stayed together to the final climb to the finish, where Bob Dahl took 2nd in the field sprint to snag the 5th and final podium spot. Brian rolled across the line in 20th, and Joe limped in 32nd, then headed straight for the van to start re-fueling in hopes of recovering for his time trial ride tomorrow morning.



Meanwhile Mike is exploring all manner of bandage and bracing technology in hopes of keeping his wounds and pain in check.

Road Race Results on 06/30/09

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 4

US Master's Road National Championships, June 28-July 4, Louisville, KY
50-54 Men's Road Race: Spanky's Out

Mike Newsome's road race, Nationals, and season came to a crashing halt in the 8th of 10 laps today, while he was sitting pretty and feeling good. After smashing his helmet into the pavement his memory of the incident is not complete, but another rider probably took his front wheel out, causing Mike to go over the bars onto his head and back, breaking his clavicle in the process.

Joe had been watching from near the start/finish area, and hadn't seen Mike in the field when they came through with 2 laps to go. Figuring he just didn't see Mike while taking pictures, Joe didn't worry, because Mike had been looking comfortable every lap. Then Dave Towle's familiar voice came over the loudspeakers, asking Joe Paulson to report to the medical tent.

Joe ran to medical, and found Mike with his arm in a sling, and bandages on various parts. Joe drove Mike to the hospital, and X-rays confirmed what the pain and bump sticking out had already convinced Mike: his clavicle was broken (or, in the immortal words of the X-ray technician, "you are MESSED up").



Five hours later, they were finally released from the Hospital, swung by a pharmacy to get the meds and a variety of road rash treatments, and headed back to the hotel, where Mike is now resting much more comfortably.

Not a great day for the Vic's crew; we'll hope tomorrow is a better day.

Road Race Results on 06/29/2009

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 3

US Master's Road National Championships, June 28-July 4, Louisville, KY

Arrival in Louisville

Today was a short travel day for the Vic's boys, so Mike let Joe "sleep in" until 7 AM. After breakfast and the espresso pit stop, they were headed east again by 8:30. They were running ahead of schedule, so they swung by an Illinois winery that was close to the interstate to taste a couple of samples and pick up a couple bottles of the local offerings.



They pulled into the New Albany, Indiana Hampton Inn, their home for the next several days, about 1 PM. After tossing a few things into their room, they headed out to Taylorsville, Kentucky to check out the time trial course.

The 14.4 mile course gently curves through country hills, on a wide divided parkway with no tree cover to offer shade. The on-line course profile claims maximum grades of 3%, but Joe's new Garmin was claiming 4 and 5% grades on some of the climbs. The course seems similar to the Record Racer TT course on US 36 between Lyons and Boulder.

After riding the course, the boys mopped off, changed clothes, and headed to downtown Louisville to grab some dinner on the "Fourth Street Live" pedestrian mall. The boys then headed over to race headquarters at the Galt Hotel to check in, pick up their race packets, and have their TT bikes checked against the UCI jig.

The USA Cycling official in charge of bike checking was a no-show, but another official gave his best opinion on bike set-ups. Joe's seemed okay, with his bar extensions right at the legal limit, but Mike's saddle was too far forward to meet the 5 cm setback rule. After grabbing some tools from the van, Mike slammed the seat back as far as the seat post would allow, and it seemed to pass muster.






Arriving back at the hotel near sunset, the boys unloaded their luggage and settled in for the night. Racing for the Vic's contingent starts tomorrow with Mike's 2 PM road race; Joe and Brian compete in the road race on Tuesday at 2 PM, with all time trials following on Wednesday. After that, a well-deserved break before the criteriums later in the week.