Vic's Espresso/ Peerless - Boulder Masters Cycling Team: June 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

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

Monday, June 29, 2009

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

Sunday, June 28, 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.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 2

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

Traveling East

After arriving in Topeka, Mike and Joe enjoyed some mexican food and a margarita, then hit the sack early in order to get an early start the next day.

This morning, they were on the bikes at 7 AM sharp for an easy hour per their Neal plans, glad to be out before it got any hotter. After a quick stop for their mandatory espresso, they were on the road again at 9 headed east.

By 2:30 PM, they had made it to St. Louis, where they headed to the waterfront for a visit to the Gateway Arch. Having pre-purchased tickets for the ride to the top, they took checked out the exhibits at the base, then boarded the tiny tram pods at the appointed time for the ride to the to 630 feet above.

After taking in the views, the descended back to the ground, and had a nice dinner of scallops at a brew pub near the riverfront. Then it was back in the van for a short trip to their home for the night, a hotel in Shiloh, IL.

Friday, June 26, 2009

2009 Masters Nationals, Day 1

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

And they're off!

At a few minutes after 9:00 this morning, Mike Newsome and Joe Paulson set off on a cross-country drive bound for Louisville, Kentucky, for the second year in a row the site of the Masters National Road Cycling Championships. Mike and Joe are each registered to compete in three events: road race, time trial, and criterium. Flying out to join them in Louisville will be Vic's teammates Bert Henry (time trial), Brian Todeschini (road race), and Steve Worley (criterium).

With their rented van packed with bikes and wheels, Mike and Joe are currently headed east on I-70, and will cross the state line into Kansas in a few moments.

Now in Kansas, the boys plan to stop for the night in Topeka, with St. Louis, MO the planned destination for tomorrow. In the meantime, they've got Rebecca Folsom belting out songs on iTunes, and are looking forward to a Frappuccino break in a few miles.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

HALO TT...BIG Day for Vic's Espresso/Peerless

Halo Time Trial June 21, 2009 - Vic's Espresso/Peerless Race Report

Four Team members competed today in the HALO TT today. The race was an 11.2 mile out and back course which twisted along a stream above Evergreen Lake. The out leg was a pitch and roll affair, with short uphills and false flats gaining about 450 vertical feet. There was a short steep climb to the turnaround.

The return leg required some bike handling skills to avoid shaded manhole covers and occasional traffic. Joe and Dennis both had some hairy experiences with traffic, but finished unscathed except for a few seconds penalty which as it turns out didn't matter. Burt drilled the uphill super hard, and then took a few corners conservatively out of the bars on the downhill, reminding himself that 10 days later is a much bigger race. As it turns out, that didn't matter either.

Results are below:

45+

1st Burt Henry 23:34 (29mph avg)

2nd Joe Paulson 24:43

3rd Mike Newsome 24:55

Podium sweep!!

55+

1st Dennis Hastings 24:45

* 2nd State TT champ Wayne Watson 26:17

Dennis put 1:32 into the state champ over 11.2 miles and we still can't talk him into Nationals.

Author: Burt Henry

Halo Time Trial Race Results on ACA

Monday, June 15, 2009

Road2Victory Event Pictures

Photos from The Davis Phinney Fundraiser Event Ride May 31, 2009
(click on images for a larger view)

Team members (Mike, Susan, Barry, Dennis, Pam) pinning on numbers before the ride.

Davis Phinney and Len Pettyjohn chatting before the Road2Victory event in Boulder, CO.

Cycling Legends: Nelson Vails, Len Pettyjohn, Ron Kiefel, Andy Pruitt, Connie Carpenter, Hugh Walton, Dale Stetina, Davis Phinney, Alexi Grewal, Marianne Martin, Clark Sheehan, Thomas Prehan, Leonard Zinn.

Some of the Vic's Espresso/Peerless team at the breakfast stop in Niwot.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Western Slope Classic Omnium: 45+

Western Slope Omnium (Time Trial, Road Race, Criterium), June 12th-14th 2009, Glenwood Springs, CO - Vic's Espresso/Peerless Race Report

The Glenwood Springs 3 stage omnium was contested from June 12th to 14th under largely optimal weather conditions. Joe Paulson was the sole Vic's entrant in the event, and he was feeling pretty good about his chances for the 45+ overall until Jim Dickerson entered close to the deadline, making Joe on paper look like a candidate for 2nd unless Jim stumbled and everything went right for Joe.

It became clear that everything would NOT go right for Joe before the first stage, the "Leg Breaker" TT got underway outside of Carbondale on Friday night. With several minutes to go before his start time, Joe wrapped up his warm-up, jumped off the trainer, swapped out his rear wheel to his disk, went to shift his front derailler back into the big ring, and his shifter cable snapped!

Fighting off panic, Joe check to see if the cable was really broken- yep, no movement in response to the lever. Maybe he could reattach it- nope, it had parted somewhere inside the frame. Knowing a solution was going to take more time than he had, he hobbled over in his cycling shoes to Andy Rosen the chief official, to see if he could get a new start time. Andy's response was that Joe hadn't even been called to the line yet, so Joe explained the situation. Andy was noncommittal, so Joe rushed hobbled back to his car and pursued other repair options. Maybe he could force the derailler into the big ring, and then crank down the limit screw to hold it there. No go- the screw wouldn't budge (a mystery not yet solved; U-Bikes is working on it). Okay, okay, just wedge something in to hold it in place. A sock? Too soft. A coin? Too large. Someone suggested just taking the derailler cage off and putting the chain on the big ring, so Joe grabbed the hex wrench and detached the cage from the frame, but then realized he's have to break the chain to get the cage out. "Anyone know how to break the SRAM link?" "Dude, if you do that, you'll need a new pin!"

At a loss for other options, Joe, now having officially missed his start, tottered back to Andy and asked for a re-start. "You can start, but you can't have a new start time" was the official verdict. Overcome with frustration, Joe headed back to his car, ready to pack it in and head back to Boulder in disgust and defeat. It then occurred to him that there were only 11 riders registered for the TT, so he'd get at least some points if he crossed the line. He pulled his road frame out of the car, slapped some wheels on it, and headed for the start line, where he was told to stop, put a foot down, and go.

Joe charged down the road fueled by frustration and adrenaline, until he came to his senses, realizing that all he needed to do was finish, and backed off the throttle. Logic prevailed until a rider passed him, and then ego took control. Joe buried himself trying to stay with passing riders, learning that all that aero gear isn't just a gimmick. Joe finally crossed the finish line to earn his 11th (last) place finish, and a whopping 5 points for his trouble. The only bright spot was he finished so late that he was still around when the last Pro/1/2 starters when off, and got to see Levi and Lance make appearances as the last riders of the night.

On Saturday, the "Rock the River" road race was held, with the 45+ field the last group to go off at 12:25 for a claimed 85 mile ride, much of it on dirt roads "smoother than Hugo". The distance turned out to be something closer to 67 miles, but all the recent rains had created plenty of potholes to make the race seem longer. Joe could tell right away that he hadn't done his legs any favors the night before, and was on the rivet as the field splintered in the run in to the big climbs before the turn-around. Joe popped on the shorter, steeper hill, but found that he was bringing the leader back on the longer hill before the u-turn. Unfortunately, he ran out of time, and was still about 10 or 15 seconds behind when the leaders blasted back down the hill headed for home. A headwind made catching the group impossible, but Joe was able to chase down a couple of riders ejected from the lead group, and worked for miles in a 3 man chase group.

Back on pavement, and working their way over the last of the seemingly never-ending rollers, the trio was suddenly surprised by a dozen riders joining them, as they were swept up a few miles from the finish by the remnants of the main field. Shaking his head at the cruelty of it all, Joe recomposed himself, and was able to take the field sprint for another 11th place, moving him up to 7th in the omnium standings.

Sunday brought the last race of the event, the "Soak It All In" criterium on a fast, technical 6 corner course just off Grand Avenue in downtown Glenwood Springs. The course was described as flat, but had a tight and sketchy downhill on the backside, and climbed back up to the finish. It was a perfect morning for racing, and the 45 minute 45+ race went off at 10:40.

It was full-tilt from the start, and Joe followed move after move until a 5 man break final stuck half way through, with Jim Dickerson (now with a commanding lead in the omnium after finish 2nd behind Derrick Nichol in the road race), Brad Olson, and a couple of riders Joe didn't recognize. One of the mystery riders looked like the biggest threat, as he would sit in the back, then launch attacks on prime laps (the red, white, and blue stripes on his sleeves also made Joe wary). With 5 laps to go, the field was out of view, and mystery man was sitting on back while the other 4 rotated through. At 3 to go, Joe had seen enough, and went wide and slow on a corner to force the passenger in front of him.

Joe marked his threat through the last laps, refusing to come around him. Coming into the bell lap, Dickerson launched his trademark final attack, and immediately got a gap. Joe stayed patient as the other riders started to chase. Finally, mystery man kicked it in, closed half the gap to the 3rd place rider....and died.

Joe launched around him, passed Olson on the back straight, and snuck around the rider in 2nd entering the tricky downhill s-turns. Dickerson was still churning ahead with a quarter block lead, but was fading on the uphill into the final turn. Joe was fading too, and sprinted in the saddle until the last 40 meters, and came around Dickerson for the win.

The criterium win moved Joe into 2nd overall in the Omnium behind Dickerson, exactly where he would have finish without his mechanical disaster in the TT. Go figure.

Race Results on ACA

Friday, June 12, 2009

TT Day Flyer

Hammer Racing Team/TVG Ltd.
and the Colorado Velodrome Association
Presents:

The 2009 Hammer Time Trial Day

USCF Permit: Pending Chief Ref: TBA

Location: OTC Velodrome, Memorial Park, Colorado Springs

Date: Saturday, July 11th 2009. Racing begins at 9:30 am.

Registration: Begins 8:30 AM and closes promptly at 9:00 AM. Register for only those events you wish to ride. Please choose one Pursuit distance and register for that (either 2K, 3K, or 4K)

Rain Policy: There will be NO rain dates. In the event of rain, the Chief Referee may enact a waiting period or cancel the entire event.

Entry Fees:
CVA members: $6 per event or $12 covers all events for the day (2 or more events).
Non-CVA members: $8 per event or 16$ covers all events for the day (2 or more events).

All riders must also pay the $3.00 USAC insurance surcharge and the $10 Olympic Training Center facility usage fee. Track bikes only - rentals will not be made available for this event. See the USAC Rulebook if you have any questions regarding what is a legal track bike. Current USAC racing license is required, and you MUST bring it with you. No exceptions. One-Day licenses will be sold at the event.

Prizes: There will be NO cash payouts. The prizes are bragging rights for the winners. You can’t pay enough for that!
Categories: This event is open to riders of all categories. Promoters reserve the right to alter the schedule as required in the event of a rain delay or other circumstance. Due to the attempt to have races for many categories, these events will be run on a very tight schedule with minimal time between races. Riders will start in order of registration. Please be ready when it is time for you to race.
Events:
Flying 200 Meter
Standing 500 Meter
Standing 1000 Meter
Standing 2000 Meter
Standing 3000 Meter
Standing 4000 Meter
Team Sprint
Team Pursuit

All events will be 2 up except for the flying 200. For riders choosing to do pursuit distances, because of time constraints, riders need to choose one of the distances 2K, 3K, OR 4K and not all 3.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Hammer TT Day at C.Springs Track

July 11th

Track Sign Up

Men,
The official word is here: http://www.coloradousac.org/track/tinfo.php.
Don't forget to find the UCI documents and fill them out in advance, unless you prefer to take 30 minutes to do so at the track.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Colorado Springs Track Racing/training

I got a brief note from Clarie Tyson on track riding times - this is what I'm told.

Open track training Tuesday and Thursday from 1pm to 5pm then the pre-racing and racing schedules take over for the evening.

Open track on Saturday 9-6 and Sunday 9-3.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Colorado State TT Championship

Weather 70's sunny and breezy.

The Vic's Espresso/Peerless team was well represented at the state TT today with 13 team members competing. We have some riders relatively new to time trialing as well as some riders returning from injury.

The team came away with one state championship and 3 additional medals. The steady northeast breeze and deteriorating road surface conditions presented a challenge for all. The wrapup is below:

Junior Men 13-14 20k: Zack Gould 31:05, Silver medal

Senior men 65+ 20k: Jim Kinsinger 30:57, 11th

Senior men 55+: Dennis Hastings 54:42, 4th (20 seconds out of 2nd, and I heard Dennis suffered a flat) Steve Worley 57:33, 7th

Senior men 45+ cat 4: Bill Brandt 58:21, 14th

Senior men 45+ open: Burt Henry 50:08, State champ (38k 45+ course record)
Joe Paulson 53:18, 7th
Dean Sandoval 53:19, 8th
Mike Newsome 54:34, 17th
John Talley 54:41, 19th
Jerry Greenleaf 59:03, 35th

Senior women 35+: Christy Orris 1:02:17, Silver medal

Senior men 35+ cat 3: Neal Henderson 54:00, Bronze medal

Author: Burt Henry

Friday, June 5, 2009

Great News for fixed gear men

You are Invited!

Special Kick-Off Day at the

7-11 U.S. Olympic Training Center Velodrome

Colorado Springs, CO
The Colorado Velodrome Association (CVA) is very excited to invite track cycling enthusiasts from around the region to our “Opening Day” this Saturday, June 6th at the 7-11 U.S. Olympic Training Center Velodrome in Colorado Springs, CO. The Velodrome will be open for training from 9am until 6pm.

FREE OF CHARGE!!
The CVA would especially like to invite those riders who have experienced the new Boulder Indoor Velodrome to our facility here in Colorado Springs. The Boulder facility has been a tremendous success and has introduced hundreds of cyclists to track riding in only its first year. Our facilities are very different and as such we believe that the riders in our region have a unique opportunity and can really benefit by utilizing BOTH of these great cycling facilities.
Requirements:

Riders must hold a 2009 USA Cycling Racing License and will be asked to sign waivers prior to riding the track. Any riders under the age of 18 must have a parent and/or legal guardian sign these waivers to participate. If you don’t currently have a USA Cycling license you can apply on line at www.usacycling.org.
Only track bicycles will be allowed on the velodrome during this training session and all riders must wear an approved cycling helmet. CVA has a limited number of track bicycles for rent at this time so please email us to reserve a bicycle for this session. CVA representatives will be on hand to answer questions regarding the 2009 racing season, training sessions, and CVA membership.
Directions: From North (Denver)

Take I-25 South to Exit 143 – Uintah. Turn left (east) on Uintah and continue east 2 miles to Union Blvd. Turn right on Union and continue south approx 1/2 mile. Cross over Pikes Peak Blvd. and take the next right hand turn into Memorial Park. The Velodrome will be on your left.

Thank You

Finally, to all of you in the cycling community we appreciate your patience as we get ready to begin the 2009 season. We believe that this season will be one of the very best here at the 7-11 U.S. Olympic Training Center Velodrome and look forward to seeing you all at the track!!

Pat McDonough

Colorado Velodrome Association