Race Report and Results: Louisville Criterium, Louisville, CO, Sunshine Hill climb, Boulder, CO, North Boulder Park Crit, Boulder, CO - Vic's Espresso Juniors
The last couple of weekends, 3 of our Juniors have been mixing it up in the Men's fields. Zack Gould, who is in the 13-14 junior field, raced the men's category 4 at Sunshine HC, North Boulder Park Crit, and Louisville Crit. This is a big stepup at this age, but it's great experience for getting the feel for the big pack. Zack also placed 6th(I think, it's not posted yet) in the cat 4 TT at Superior Friday.
Alden Lowney has been mixing it up in the Men's cat 3 fields since last year. He is comfortable at the front of the race, hard as nails, and a big result is going to come real soon. After a nice 12th place finish at Sunshine, he unfortunately crashed out of the NOBO Park crit and destroyed his front wheel.
Brandon Henry just upgraded to cat 3, and he has started with a bang. He followed a 6th place at Sunshine with a 4th place at the Louisville Crit yesterday. He rode a smart well positioned race and showed sprinting legs by accelerating up to the finish and was a curb pinch away from second. His climbing ability and acceleration is a great combination to have to win races.
Next weekend is the mini classic, a stage race for juniors!
Showing posts with label Sunshine Hill climb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunshine Hill climb. Show all posts
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sunshine Juniors
Race Report and Results - Sunshine Hill climb, Boulder, CO - Vic's Espresso Juniors
Cat 4- Zack Gould
Cat 3- Alden Lowney, Brandon Henry
Author-Burt Henry
With no junior cats, the juniors all raced in their respective categories.
There were some scoring problems at the race. I was at the top when Zack sprinted for the line. He told me that he was around 56 minutes. An excellent time for a junior just turning 14 this year! Unfortunately he was not listed with the finishers. That's OK Zack, we've got your back and know you were there.
In the Cat 3's, this according to Brandon, the pace the first couple of miles was pretty calm. Alden and Brandon stayed near the front watching local junior phenom Yannick Eckman. On the steeps Alden lost contact, while Brandon was about 10 meters behind Yannick near the top before the downhill. Unfortunately, when he shifted to sprint up, Brandon dropped his chain and never caught on.
He hit the dirt in 4th with Alden close behind. Brandon says he was frustrated on the steep dirt as he couldn't get out of the saddle for his punchy climbing style that he likes. He was passed by a couple of riders as he tried to figure out the nuances of dirt riding (he has never ridden off road). Alden evidently got a text on his phone on this section. It is unknown if this was a girlfriend or his mom checking on him, or if he answered it.
Anyway Brandon came in for a nice 6th place finish in 47:25, while Alden finished somewhere 10th-13th between 48:20-48:40 (We don't know where because the official results had Alden 3rd. Another rider had Alden't number on also. My guess is that rider wore his crit number. Alden left and was unaware of the mixup). Yannick won by over a minute, and with multiple cat 3 stage wins at Gila, he will be a 2 any day now.
To put these fine rides and times in perspective, Jimi Gibson won my 45+ field in 47:56. Brandon shaved an incredible 15 minutes off of his time from 2007, and Alden 7 minutes from 2008. Do the math on Zack's fine time at age 14, and it's going to be fun watching the progression.
It should be noted that BMCT junior alum Scott Tietzel finished 3rd in the pros for a second year in a row in a stacked field!
Cat 4- Zack Gould
Cat 3- Alden Lowney, Brandon Henry
Author-Burt Henry
With no junior cats, the juniors all raced in their respective categories.
There were some scoring problems at the race. I was at the top when Zack sprinted for the line. He told me that he was around 56 minutes. An excellent time for a junior just turning 14 this year! Unfortunately he was not listed with the finishers. That's OK Zack, we've got your back and know you were there.
In the Cat 3's, this according to Brandon, the pace the first couple of miles was pretty calm. Alden and Brandon stayed near the front watching local junior phenom Yannick Eckman. On the steeps Alden lost contact, while Brandon was about 10 meters behind Yannick near the top before the downhill. Unfortunately, when he shifted to sprint up, Brandon dropped his chain and never caught on.
He hit the dirt in 4th with Alden close behind. Brandon says he was frustrated on the steep dirt as he couldn't get out of the saddle for his punchy climbing style that he likes. He was passed by a couple of riders as he tried to figure out the nuances of dirt riding (he has never ridden off road). Alden evidently got a text on his phone on this section. It is unknown if this was a girlfriend or his mom checking on him, or if he answered it.
Anyway Brandon came in for a nice 6th place finish in 47:25, while Alden finished somewhere 10th-13th between 48:20-48:40 (We don't know where because the official results had Alden 3rd. Another rider had Alden't number on also. My guess is that rider wore his crit number. Alden left and was unaware of the mixup). Yannick won by over a minute, and with multiple cat 3 stage wins at Gila, he will be a 2 any day now.
To put these fine rides and times in perspective, Jimi Gibson won my 45+ field in 47:56. Brandon shaved an incredible 15 minutes off of his time from 2007, and Alden 7 minutes from 2008. Do the math on Zack's fine time at age 14, and it's going to be fun watching the progression.
It should be noted that BMCT junior alum Scott Tietzel finished 3rd in the pros for a second year in a row in a stacked field!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sunshine Canyon 55+
Race Report and Results - Sunshine Hill climb, Boulder, CO - Vic's Espresso
Jon Montag, Bill Simmons, Barry Messmer (author)
We were the last group on the road which is fine. We get to pass a lot of riders from other groups, makes you feel strong. But, we also get to see a lot of riders coming down after they finish, that gets depressing.
Started off nice and sensible for the first mile or so. We had a group of maybe 10 riders, I decided to see who had legs today and did a mild acceleration. Only Bill and Kim Workman could follow. Kim was more than happy to sit on the front, so Bill and I were glad to sit on. I tried two or three attacks, but Kim would just motor up with Bill in tow.
I decided just to continue at his pace and see what happened. Another mile or so, and Bill signaled he'd had enough. So I just continued on Kim's wheel. At the first downhill, I hit him hard before the crest and got a good gap. It was too early to go it alone, so I just kept the pressure on making him chase. He went back to the front. Nothing to do now but sit and wait
After maybe 3/4 or so on the dirt, I hit him again. This time he didn't get back to my wheel. I kept riding at a comfortable pace, and if he closed at all, I'd hit it hard for a short section. On the false flats near the top, I had a really nice gap, 50 or so meters. With 2 k to go, he decided to try and reel me in. So I kept the pace high enough to keep him at a comfortable distance. With the 200 m sign in sight, he was 15 - 20 meters back and really trying to close. That was my cue to light it up over the last little rise inside 200 to go. Once over the top with the finish line in sight, Kim was well back, so mission accomplished.
Bill came in a strong third, well clear of anyone else. Jon came in a bit later (don't know how far, didn't check the results.)
A good day for the 55's.
Side note. It's really cool to see our ladies in the race! You see a Vic's jersey up ahead, you get motivated, and get to cheer on a teammate in the middle of a race. How neat is that. Good job ladies.
Barry
Jon Montag, Bill Simmons, Barry Messmer (author)
We were the last group on the road which is fine. We get to pass a lot of riders from other groups, makes you feel strong. But, we also get to see a lot of riders coming down after they finish, that gets depressing.
Started off nice and sensible for the first mile or so. We had a group of maybe 10 riders, I decided to see who had legs today and did a mild acceleration. Only Bill and Kim Workman could follow. Kim was more than happy to sit on the front, so Bill and I were glad to sit on. I tried two or three attacks, but Kim would just motor up with Bill in tow.
I decided just to continue at his pace and see what happened. Another mile or so, and Bill signaled he'd had enough. So I just continued on Kim's wheel. At the first downhill, I hit him hard before the crest and got a good gap. It was too early to go it alone, so I just kept the pressure on making him chase. He went back to the front. Nothing to do now but sit and wait
After maybe 3/4 or so on the dirt, I hit him again. This time he didn't get back to my wheel. I kept riding at a comfortable pace, and if he closed at all, I'd hit it hard for a short section. On the false flats near the top, I had a really nice gap, 50 or so meters. With 2 k to go, he decided to try and reel me in. So I kept the pace high enough to keep him at a comfortable distance. With the 200 m sign in sight, he was 15 - 20 meters back and really trying to close. That was my cue to light it up over the last little rise inside 200 to go. Once over the top with the finish line in sight, Kim was well back, so mission accomplished.
Bill came in a strong third, well clear of anyone else. Jon came in a bit later (don't know how far, didn't check the results.)
A good day for the 55's.
Side note. It's really cool to see our ladies in the race! You see a Vic's jersey up ahead, you get motivated, and get to cheer on a teammate in the middle of a race. How neat is that. Good job ladies.
Barry
Sunshine Hillclimb 45+
Race Report and Results - Sunshine Hill climb, Boulder, CO - Vic's Espresso
Team members: Brian Todeschini; Burt Henry
Author: Burt Henry
Drying roads and cool temps greeted us at the start line today. This was my first attempt at this race. I've always found convenient excuses to skip it.
We started out steady through the initial 2 miles, unlike Lookout 2 weeks ago. Brian and I sat in about 10th position as a few riders steadily fell off the pace.
At the first big left turn we had about 18 riders left. The pace seemed to increase a bit here and I started suffering a bit. Brian stayed solidly in the top 5 while I dangled around 10th. Still no attacks.
Later we then hit the next big left turn, where it gets super steep, with about 12 riders left. I was happy to still be there. 5 of the riders were Mix-1 (I recognized Jimi Gibson and Bill Stalhuth). I also recognized Tim Godby, Wayne Watson, Peter Ismert, and Rip Mobius. I'm trying to learn the riders in my new category.
Things started fragmenting on the 12% grade with Jimi on the front. Brian was still in the top 5 while I fell off the back. Rip blew up, and when we got near the top I hit it as hard as I could up and over. I passed Tim, Peter, and a mix-1 rider. They jumped on my wheel and I led us on the downhill and back up the not so steep uphill part. We were able to tag back on to the group containing Brian and 3 others. From want I could tell, this group was 4th on the road as I could see 3 other rides scattered ahead. Jimi was one of those riders up ahead.
Back uphill steeper again, and I was dropped again. A Colorado Law rider dropped off behind me. Near the top before the long downhill I drilled it up and over again. The group ahead was about 12 seconds up, but I got back on towing a mix-1 rider. At this point we were 4th-10th on the road. Brian, Wayne, Tim, Peter, and a couple of mix-1 riders were there.
Heading back uphill on the last paved section before the dirt I got dropped again. Brian meanwhile surged ahead. Hitting the dirt I was in 9th position and Brian was surging and was either 3rd or 4th. At some point he did get that 3rd spot. Jimi led about 15 seconds ahead of Brian and about 30 seconds ahead of me at this point.
This is where the suckage took over. I felt like I was riding in the sand of Moab as I struggled to keep going. I was having breathing problems and felt like I was choking. One then 2 then 3 then 4 riders passed me. Mara Abbott passed me going much faster than I was. When we got to 2k to go I started feeling better (of course, it got much less steep). I made out a rider 15 seconds ahead and slowly started bringing him back.
At 300 meters I began my sprint about 5 seconds behind the rider. He looked back and tried to answer but I passed him going much faster. Surprisingly I had plenty of snap left.
I saw Brian immediately after I finished and he said he did move up a spot to 3rd. He could see Jimi and the second place rider all the way up the dirt but couldn't quite close it. He was about 10 seconds out of second and 20 out of first at the finish.
On the descent I realized why I felt so bad on the dirt. It was much steeper than I thought! I always struggle to get my big body up steep inclines and this was no exception.
I had finished 12th and was pleased with my effort. Nice job Brian!
Footnote: The accuracy of this report might be skewed by severe hypoxia encountered by the author and the absence of official results post race.
Team members: Brian Todeschini; Burt Henry
Author: Burt Henry
Drying roads and cool temps greeted us at the start line today. This was my first attempt at this race. I've always found convenient excuses to skip it.
We started out steady through the initial 2 miles, unlike Lookout 2 weeks ago. Brian and I sat in about 10th position as a few riders steadily fell off the pace.
At the first big left turn we had about 18 riders left. The pace seemed to increase a bit here and I started suffering a bit. Brian stayed solidly in the top 5 while I dangled around 10th. Still no attacks.
Later we then hit the next big left turn, where it gets super steep, with about 12 riders left. I was happy to still be there. 5 of the riders were Mix-1 (I recognized Jimi Gibson and Bill Stalhuth). I also recognized Tim Godby, Wayne Watson, Peter Ismert, and Rip Mobius. I'm trying to learn the riders in my new category.
Things started fragmenting on the 12% grade with Jimi on the front. Brian was still in the top 5 while I fell off the back. Rip blew up, and when we got near the top I hit it as hard as I could up and over. I passed Tim, Peter, and a mix-1 rider. They jumped on my wheel and I led us on the downhill and back up the not so steep uphill part. We were able to tag back on to the group containing Brian and 3 others. From want I could tell, this group was 4th on the road as I could see 3 other rides scattered ahead. Jimi was one of those riders up ahead.
Back uphill steeper again, and I was dropped again. A Colorado Law rider dropped off behind me. Near the top before the long downhill I drilled it up and over again. The group ahead was about 12 seconds up, but I got back on towing a mix-1 rider. At this point we were 4th-10th on the road. Brian, Wayne, Tim, Peter, and a couple of mix-1 riders were there.
Heading back uphill on the last paved section before the dirt I got dropped again. Brian meanwhile surged ahead. Hitting the dirt I was in 9th position and Brian was surging and was either 3rd or 4th. At some point he did get that 3rd spot. Jimi led about 15 seconds ahead of Brian and about 30 seconds ahead of me at this point.
This is where the suckage took over. I felt like I was riding in the sand of Moab as I struggled to keep going. I was having breathing problems and felt like I was choking. One then 2 then 3 then 4 riders passed me. Mara Abbott passed me going much faster than I was. When we got to 2k to go I started feeling better (of course, it got much less steep). I made out a rider 15 seconds ahead and slowly started bringing him back.
At 300 meters I began my sprint about 5 seconds behind the rider. He looked back and tried to answer but I passed him going much faster. Surprisingly I had plenty of snap left.
I saw Brian immediately after I finished and he said he did move up a spot to 3rd. He could see Jimi and the second place rider all the way up the dirt but couldn't quite close it. He was about 10 seconds out of second and 20 out of first at the finish.
On the descent I realized why I felt so bad on the dirt. It was much steeper than I thought! I always struggle to get my big body up steep inclines and this was no exception.
I had finished 12th and was pleased with my effort. Nice job Brian!
Footnote: The accuracy of this report might be skewed by severe hypoxia encountered by the author and the absence of official results post race.
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