55 Blues take 1st, 2nd and 4th at City Park Criterium

Bill Simmons, Mike Newsome and Paul Mack enjoyed a good day of early morning racing at the 40th edition of the City Park Criterium. The roads are in good condition but with what the Euros call "traffic furniture" or round-abouts complete with fountains and statuary in three locations, it can be technical.
We warmed up well, discussed the final laps strategy and started just a bit late due to the volunteers moving a few cars off the course BY HAND - just like college. Mike set a fast pace with Bill and Paul close to the front. Bill Herwig put in a strong pull which Paul thought good and to encourage him to work a little harder, Paul came out of the round-about and jumped heading thru the start/finish. This resulted in a solo ride for the remaining 35 minutes of the race (ouch) while Bill and Mike worked to protect his lead. With their help, Paul built up a one minute lead to win the race with a comfortable margin. Mike and Bill worked the final to perfection, with Bill taking the field sprint and Mike just behind Bill Herwig for 4th.

We are all sorry to hear our teammate and coach Neal Henderson had a mishap in one of those pieces of traffic furniture later in the day. Heal fast Neal!

Whew - Morgul Challenge Accomplished

The 55+ Blue Crew was exemplary of team planning and adaptability. Criterium and omnium wins were accomplished.

Throughout the criterium Vic's was alway present in the front and working toward a 'groupo compacto' for the finale. It worked. With 10 laps to go peace came over the peleton and without a fuzz leadership was seeded to the Jet on 3 to go. He tapped out a sustainable pace and on the bell lap gave it everything up the hill and through the alley - do everything necessary to keep the would be contenders in their places. Bill had aided the Jet with a pull or two and then grabbed the lead on the down hill, and brought us into the home stretch. Steve and Paul accelerated from there to the line taking 1st and 4th with many quick guys left out of the game.

The Morgul was a challenge and Barry joined the team for the day. We had a plan A and B, and to my surprise A succeeded. Vic's worked only to bring back danger men and keep the group together. Numerous attempts and efforts where made, but the competitors did not build strong alliances, so all break aways that could impact the omnium where nullified. Again Jet, Barry, Bill, and Paul made this happen. A group of 15 or more crested the Hump on the final lap setting up enjoyment for all on the Wall. Glen W. attacked downhill into the base of the climb Steve reacted with Bill because Glen was 2nd in the omnium standings. Once it kicked up Kim W. took over and started grinding. Bill held Steve in 3rd position until the final 300 meters of so. Bill K. attacked at 150 meters and dog race was on. It was a decent sprint, but lacking the speed that makes sprinting fun, and had a surprise finish with the winner (Bill K.) nipping a solo break away rider (Geoff) at the line and Steve coming in 3rd. The Vic's guys all rolled in with Paul ending with 5th (I think) in the omnium.

So there you have it! How does a flat lander hang on to win an omnium with the Wall climb? With nothing but the best Team - elite skilled riders (note the dominance on the 2nd climb of the wall) with peleton riding savy.

Photos courtesy of Jan Hughes.

High Plains Drifters

On a cold, overcast grey morning last Saturday, the 55+ Vic's/Peerless men, Mike Newsome, Dean Sandoval, Bill Simmons and I met in remote Hugo, Colorado for the annual long road race on the windswept Colorado plains. The cool temperatures and light winds were a contrast to past installments of this race. We started with a large group which included the women's categories, 1, 2 and 3 plus the age group women (hi Christy).
The first long southern leg had a tailwind, was fast but not very eventful and the pack stayed together. Turning to the west necessitated echelon formation and the bunch thinned a bit but all the players were there. As we approached the decisive turn to the east, I knew the hammer would go down with at least Bill Kellagher launching so I stayed near the front as did Mike. Dean and Bill were a few riders back and unfortunately missed the break as gaps formed quickly. In the break were Mike and me, Bill K, Shannon Fox, Geoff Cooper, Bill McGinley, Kim Workman, Butch (no I won't work) Stinton, eventual winner Callen Borgias and a few others. We dropped Butch, Callen, Geoff and later, Bill McGinley in the crossing headwind. We rode as a group of five until about 9 miles out when we were joined by a group of five including Bill S. Geoff and Callen. Bill and Geoff had taken Butch and Mike Myers off the back (good move) keeping them out of the final fray.
In the final slight uphill sprint to the line, Bill K was taken at the line by a charging Callen Borgias, back into the racing scene having been out since 1986. Bill Simmons set the high mark for Vic's with 3rd and I followed in 4th with Mike 7th. Dean battled the headwind home with a group of 6 finishing 20th.
Didn't see Clint Eastwood out there.

Deer Trail -- 34 Degrees, Hilly, and 80 Miles Away

Who drives 80 miles to a bike race at 6:00 in the morning -- when it is snowing outside? Most of the Vic’s Masters Team.

Yes. We were all crazy and braved the cold weather to beat up our bodies and competitors – all for a brown hat. Yes – the hat was THE prize if you placed in your category.

(Photo: Trish Heisdorffer 45+ 1st Place, Susan Karl 45+ 3rd Place, Christy Orris 35+ 2nd Place, Gabriela Ferrat 35+ 3rd Place, Little dog 1st Overall, Julia Wieck 45+ 2nd Place).

None of us went to Deer Trail to win the stylish hats; we went to test our training, support our teammates, and see how deep we could dig.

I was nervous for this race because the 35+ women were grouped with the 55+ men. There were 57 men and 8 women. This changes the whole dynamics of the race. It makes it faster, more tactical, yet provides a lot of drafting support to the ladies. If you can stay with the pack, you’re golden. If not, good luck.

I usually do not have teammates to ride with, but today I had six other strong Vic’s companions: Paul Mack, Steve Worley, Mike Newsome, Dean Sandoval, Bill Simmons, and Barry Messmer. Riding with these guys made me want to sign up for more races with them. They were encouraging, pushed me to a new level, and gave me needed shelter from the wind.

I had a lot of luck and support yesterday. The day started off well and I stayed in the front and out of the wind. This did not last long. The hills quickly broke up the rhythm and the jumps began. The pack stayed together until the first turnaround on Hwy 34. Then I don’t know what happened. I only know that the main pack was ahead of me and I played catch-up for most of the way back to Hwy 217. As I caught up, I passed two of my female competitors - Gabriela Ferrat & Lesley Butler - and thought they would jump on my wheel for sure. Luckily, they never stuck and I was able to eventually make it back to the main field with the help of a few lone guys working their way back into the pack. That was a huge blessing and changed the race for me (hence the benefit of having mixed sex fields).

Once I got back in the pack, there was only one woman, Rene Eastman, among the pack of roughly 30 guys. All the Vic’s men were there and seemed to be controlling the race. I recovered in the pack until the next turnaround and then tried to position myself perfectly in the front of the pack for the upcoming u-turn. This did not last long as a stream of guys barged past me right before the turn. I learned my lesson and will sprint to the corner next time. Amongst screeching brakes, we rounded the turn and a group quickly attacked. I grabbed Paul Mack’s tire for a while, but couldn’t match his mighty wattage and fell back. Again, I was lucky, and a second group went by with Rene in it. I grabbed their wheels and caught the group.

On our second passage up Hwy 34, I saw the most amazing feat of the day. Paul Mack was taken out in front of me by another rider. He tumbled into the grass and rush to get up. Barry Messmer dropped back to bring Paul back into the group. In what must have been only 20 seconds, Barry was passing me with Paul and bringing him (and me) back to the group. Paul went on to get 4th place thanks to his effective crashing technique, tenacity and helpful teammates.

I was weary and the attacks kept coming. At one of the many hills, the group surged and I fell off along with Rene. I tried to recover on Barry’s wheel to make a fight for 1st, but did not have anything left in me. I was beat by less than a minute, but I’m happy with 2nd. It was my 5th road race and I can officially say I am hooked on these crazy things!

A Roubaix in Sand; Dean leads the 55+ Vic's

The M55+ started four (Dean, Steve, Mike, Bill S.) on the Mead Roubaix. We expected a hard race and there was no disappointment in that category. As predicted in the pre-race chat WCR 7 was the deciding factor. The hope was to keep the four Vic's men in the race lead group until the final (2nd lap) time up the gravel (sand pits) hills on road 7. The field wasn't playing nice and through down the gauntlet on lap one. At the end of lap one it sorted out like this; Kim and Steve M. were away, and Shannon, Dean, Steve, Jeff, and a Real D rider were in pursuit. Mike put on the best hill surge, but the check engine light came on and he had to go into survival mode. I put in some effort with Shannon and Jeff to try and pull the two leaders back - no luck. Dean decided to plow some furrows on WCR 3 and lost touch with the group. I feared the worse, but it wasn't true. The hard scrabble man from Canyon City clawed his way back onto the group. The dreaded (at least by me) final pass on the WCR 7 hills was looming. I popped early, still the pavement, and Dean was last to give chase. Somehow Dean regained all but one guy and finished in 4th. I thought I was merely going to ride in for 7th, but one of my fellow group riders (Jeff) fell off in the sand and was trotting the hill. Not willing to waste an opportunity I gave it everything, for about the 100th time that day. Jeff remounted caught me and dropped me again. However, I was a mere 50 meter back when pavement started. Yes, solid ground. Now we go for speed. It wasn't to hard to chase him in and dust him up a little in the sprint for 6th place. Bottomline: Dean is my hero of grit - so goes the story of the sand Roubaix.

MEAD ROUBAIX by Grant Holicky

Vic's/Peerless Women Denver Post April 11, 2011

Team members, Karen Fienberg (Angel) and Annette Kissinger (Vic's), are featured in the complementing photograph of today's Denver Post Fitness article by Ellen Norberg emphasizing the benefits of participating in Colorado's numerous charity events.

The photo: Karen and Annette road together in last year's Venus de Miles - a charity ride for Greenhouse Scholars. Members of the Women's Vic's/Peerless Cycling Team are registered to participate again this year - 2011. We've participated in the event since it's inaugural year - 2009!

Way to represent and support!

Mead Clinics

A Day For Heroes; A Day For Fools

Congratulations to all the Vic's Espresso/Peerless riders who put on hard and smart riding clinics on their way to podium finishes, and especially to the new rock owners Julia Wieck (Women's 45+) and Lars Bosch (Men's 65+)! In contrast, I put on a hard and dumb riding clinic, finding a brand new mistake to make after all these years of racing! Heeding a last minute call of nature while waiting for the 45+ Open Men's last wave start, I emerged from my contemplation just in time for the race to go off in front of me right on time at 11:45. I quickly jumped on my bike, sprinted up the street, and headed out of town on the back of the group.

Just outside Mead, another 45+ racer said "Dude, we're in the wrong race!" Looking ahead, all I could see were 400 series #'s; only my companion and I had 200 series. He convinced me that we'd started ahead of the final 45+ wave, so we quickly turned around and sprinted back into town, only to find a deserted start area. We were quickly informed that "you boys are chasing", and my heart sank as we started a desperate two-man TT in the vain hope of catching back up. The brutal headwind suggested otherwise, and we tried to settle in for the long haul. However, I flatted my rear at the end of the second dirt section, and was quickly all alone in last place.

I rode the rest of the lap on my flat clincher (not fun on the third dirt section), grabbed my spare rear from my car, and headed back out for an extremely long and lonely final two laps. I did manage to catch and drop one 45+ racer during the last lap to avoid the dubious "Red Lantern" mark of shame. I never did find out what happened at the start line; perhaps they shifted the start order and I didn't get the memo. Hey, if you're going to lose, lose big!

2011 UCI Track World Championships

Greetings from Holland! It's Tuesday night here in Apeldoorn, site of the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. For the first time since 2008, I'm not here to help Taylor Phinney at the races...as he's at the Vuelta Catalunya (follow the action there at: http://www.cyclingfans.com/node/1738) but I am here with the USA national team including Boulder's own Cari Higgins that I do coach who is racing the women's points race tomorrow and the individual pursuit on Friday. She was hoping to be selected for the women's team pursuit, but Sarah Hammer, Jennie Reed, and Dotsie Bausch made the final cut. I will also get to see a new young Italian cyclist that I started coaching February, Michele Scartezzini, who will competing on the Italian's team pursuit squad tomorrow.

As a result of Steve Worley's extremely generous offer to borrow his travel bike, I've been able to get a few rides on the beautiful roads and bike paths here in Holland - where bike is truly the King of the Road! While you don't really need to shift down from the big ring around here, there are many miles (I mean kilometers) of amazing paths and roads everywhere. The extra oxygen is nice, and I took advantage of that today in doing some quality intervals.

You can follow all of the action basically live on the Tissot Timing website at: http://www.tissottiming.com/sports/cycling/track/classics2011_apeldoorn/index_selector_menu_en.htm

and you can also follow my Tweets at www.twitter.com/nealhenderson Happy riding! Neal

I was talking to Marc Bekoff during a ride a couple weeks ago about my history a bit. He told me to post some pictures of my personal journey. Yes this is me at 325 pounds and then at 190 pounds. I started this journey from couch potato to cycling nut about 8 years ago. To be honest I was not very healthy back then. My job was high stress and my diet was horrible. There were times I would suffer chest pains that caused me to have a stress test done. Thankfully I could completely turn my life around. When I see old co-workers or friends that I have not seen in a long time they often ask what diet I did or diet pills I took to lose the weight and keep it off. I say there is no magic solution or pill that I used. This path is not an easy one. I just stopped eating fast food and drinking pop. The main reason for the weight loss is that I found my niche in life. I love riding bikes! Back when I first started riding I would ride with people that would have to wait for me. More than anything I wanted to just hold their wheel. I would sit in my office chair and my legs would tremble and I could barely walk. As time went by I became stronger and switched from wheel sucker to the guy that pulled the lunch group around.
All of my success belongs with my mom. When she was terminal with lung cancer and she finally accepted that there was not going to be a happy ending to the story; she requested individual meetings with each of her children. I will never forget that meeting. She gave me some great advice that prepared me for my journey. As I talked to her she told me that she would not be there to see all of her grand kids graduate, get married nor see her great grand kids. She made me see for the first time that money and material things are not the key to happiness. It is the simple things that make life so amazing. So when I am suffering on a long climb or I feel I can not turn the crank one more time, I am not alone. My mom is there with me making me fight.
Mom, I will never break the promise I made you.

S-Works Shoes and Boa

Did you know that the BOA closure system on the S-Works shoes (and some other models as well) is warrantied for life? You can go the the BOA site www.boatechnology.com/guarantee and get the info. Or, you should be able to go to U-bikes and either get parts or have them fix them for you. At our shop, we fix the shoes in 24 hrs and charge $10 per shoe to fix them, or give you the parts to fix them. It does take some level of expertise and time. You can also order from Specialized replacement or spare parts.

The Fastest Ice in the World

Headed west to Salt Lake City for 2 days of ice time on the Olympic Oval (400 meters) with son and grandson. This facility is awesome, two hockey rinks in the center of the big oval. One for short track speed skating and the other for hockey, plus a running track on the perimeter of the long track. The inside temperature of 65F.

Short track club members (30 skaters) from Denver, COS and Fort Collins all attended with ages ranging from 8 to 65.

The first session was on the big oval working on skills and finishing with time trials. We had to choose either the 500m or 1000m. I picked the 1000m and finished in under 2 minutes, just a few seconds behind Glen Winkel from the COS short track club. After we finished our event the big boys (USA, KAZ, Austria, Swiss) showed us some real speed!

After the long track session we moved over to short tracking skill sessions in the afternoon and raced in groups of 6 arranged by skill and speed. What a blast!

The Sunday am session was "speed skating scratch racing" on the Long Track Oval with distances from 500m, 1000m, 3000m and 5000m with groups of 6 - 10 by skill. I did them all and managed to stay upright and win a few heats.

I can't wait to go back and GO LEFT on the ice again

Lars

Warming up for a race

Here I am warming up for Master's Nationals at 3 years of age

BOULDER BICYCLE RACE HISTORY - WHAT CAN YOU ADD?

This Cycling Race History piece is especially fun because it prominently features the Vic's Espresso/Peerless Tires team, (thanks to the ubiquitous Marc Bekoff). Among familiar names, note the Riders of Rohan competitor, Raging Doug Emerson.

Boulder Cycling History - Fill in the blanks!

From Don Hobbs dmhobbs53@gmail.com

We mention Boulder's old local racing teams and a few names popped up, but I'm sure there are more. Any additional bio information would be great (including racer names on those teams), and if my facts are off please correct me ....

• Boulder Riders of Rohan: Spoke on Hill - Steve Brown, Scott Havlick, Doug Emerson
• Ride 'Em Cowboys: Pedal Pushers - George Knaggs, Mark Southard, Bruce Whitesel, Dave Zimbleman, Fritz Johnston, John Budko, Charlie Hanson
  Dick's Schwinn: Peter Thron, Tim Draeger, Jeff Cloud, Rachel Ames, Mark Taylor, Jeff Lord, Kenny Leader
• Team Monger/CycleLogic
• Vic's Espresso - The team made its debut in 1984 and was founded by Marc Bekoff, Lawrence Bosch, Andy Pruitt, and Brad Wallace. The four of us are still around and 3 of us are still racing, believe it or not. Pedal Pushers was a long-time sponsor and the Le Peep team emerged from "Team Pink" sponsored by Pedal Pushers (a la George Knaggs). Over the years the original Le Peep team has had a number of different sponsors including Ben Serotta/Davis Phinney Bicycles, Specialized, Shimano, Celestial Seasonings, the Morgul Bismarck bike shop, Cycle Logic, University Bicycles, Pearl Izumi, and Sugoi. Now the four original founders and many others are part of the Boulder Master's Cycling Team sponsored by Vic's Coffee Shop (not all of them), University Bicycles, Peerless Tires, Specialized, Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, Shimano, Sugoi, and yes, Le Peep -- http://bmct-main.blogspot.com/. Over the past 26 years members of the team have won many state and national championship and one world championship (thanks to Marc Bekoff for bio information).