45+ Colorado State Criterium Championship: The Streak Continues!

The Boulder Masters Cycling Team has owned the 45+ state criterium championships for a number of years now, and Mike Newsome, Joe Paulson, and Bill Simmons ("fresh" from his bronze medal performance in the 55+ championship) lined up in a field of 51 racers on Sunday, August 24th, hoping to keep the streak alive. The 55+ Subway squad had already successfully defended their criterium title with a total team effort, so the pressure was on.

As one of the smaller teams with only 3 riders entered, it would be impossible to cover everything, so it was decided that only moves by the biggest danger men would be followed, with Mike on Jim Dickerson, Joe on Karl Keister, and Bill tracking other strong guys like Bill Kellagher and Jimi Gibson. The action started on the first lap of the rolling 1.4 mile business park loop, and Mike was soon at his familiar place at the sharp end of the pack, shutting down moves. Bill joined him at the front, and they had their hands full as numerous riders tried threatening moves.

In the meantime, Joe was in the back watching Jim and Karl, and finding that rest days had left his legs flat and unwilling to respond to his attempts to urge them into action. Trying to find easy lines to move up proved difficult; riders in the back were mixing around like socks in a dryer, and Joe lost track of the Great Divide strong men.

In the front, Mike covered yet another attack on the start/finish hill, then yelled for help as another was launched. Joe saw a Mob rider off with a Great Divide rider, with a Mob teammate bridging up, but was pinned against the inside curb and unable to get out. Looking around desperately, Joe wondered where Karl had gone........perfect: Karl was up the road with Derrick Nickel and his teammate. Talk about blown coverage. With his legs still protesting, Joe watched in horror as the three podium spots slipped up the road. Mike and Bill led the pursuit, but with little assistance from the other teams. The next trip up the start/finish hill offered an opportunity for a desperate bridge, but Joe got boxed in again....perfect.

The laps counted down, the break still had a large gap, and the pack seemed to be accepting their fate. The prime bell rang at 5 laps to go; perhaps that would light a fire under some racers. But no, the pack was still lumbering along half a lap later, so at the top corner Joe sprang out of the group and charged down the hill, hoping for something, anything to get going. Great Divide was all over that, and Joe found himself towing the field across the finish line and up the hill. At the top, Dickerson counterattacked, and Joe latched on, with only Bob Pinkerton coming across with him. Maybe this was the chance- Joe put his head down and pulled through, flicked his elbow, and....nothing. Jim and Bob didn't want to play. With 3 and a half laps remaining, Joe was on the front, totally blown. Really perfect.

Bill and Mike took up the chase again, but suddenly some other teams were willing to play (Mike's pointed vocal encouragement may have had something to do with it). A rider dropped from the break, giving further hope. The speed ramped up, the field strung out, and Joe hung on, still cross-eyed from his ill-conceived attack. One by one, the leaders were reeled in, but just as it looked like the field was going to be back together, a couple more riders flew off the front. After some hesitation, they too were chased down, and the group came together through the start/finish with 2 to go.

Riding up the hill, Joe noticed Bruce Whitesel moving quickly up the inside with an opportunist tucked in his wake. Remembering Bruce's bold bid for victory at last year's championships, Joe jumped on the train. As they approached the front, Bruce squeezed through a gap in the gutter with the other rider still on his wheel, the door slammed shut, and they were gone. Perfect. Just perfect.

Bill and Mike took up the chase again, but Bruce had gotten a good jump, and was still away when he shed his companion and charged across the line on the bell lap. Now the pack came to life, and throttled up. Boxed again, Joe was way too far back at the top of the hill. After doing everything wrong for most of the 50 minute race, however, everything suddenly started to go right for Joe, giving him a last chance to reward his teammates for all their work. Bill K came dieseling by, so Joe boarded the Bill K railway, and rode it down the hill and into the top 10. Bill Simmons was nicely positioned on the outside, so Joe jumped behind him for safe passage through the next corner, then jumped to Dickerson's wheel as he churned to the front, with Bill covering Joe's left flank so he couldn't get boxed again.

Jimmy D started to run out of steam, and the pack surged around on both sides, but Bill's cover gave Joe the opportunity to squeeze through a closing gap and toward the rear wheel of Keister (Joe finally found his man!). Only problem was, Christopher Stout knew a good wheel when he saw one, and didn't want to share, so Joe tucked in behind the speedy sprinter as Keister hit the front and rounded the top corner. Charging down the hill in 3rd, Joe recalled his pre-race vow to be first through the final corner. Fearing another wave, Joe went early and surged to the front just before the left hand sweeper, and ramped up his speed to hold position into the final right hand corner.

Jumping out of the saddle, Joe sprinted up the hill on the shortest line he could find, and crossed the line for the gold just before Stout and Pinkerton overtook him on either side for silver and bronze. Perfect!

The big teams of Great Divide, Vitamin Cottage, and ColoBikeLaw each fielded 8 or so riders, and each rode well to place 2 riders in the top 10, but even after neutralizing attacks all day, all 3 Boulder Masters finished in the top 8 to cap off a great road season.

Federal Center Classic Race Report: 45+

Cheers!

It was already approaching 90 degrees at 9:45 AM as one of the largest 45+ fields of the season lined up to contest the Denver Federal Center circuit race on the serpentine course through the Denver Federal Center campus. Bill joined his "youthful" teammates Mike and Joe to fly the Subway/Peerless colors in the Peloton.

Great Divide and Vitamin Cottage brought numbers to the game, fielding close to ten riders each. The stage appeared to be set for a slugfest, but Great Divide has demonstrated superior horsepower lately, so the Blue team strategy focused on shadowing their danger men, Karl Kiester and Jim Dickerson.

The first lap and a half were surprisingly quiet, and then Kiester launched the fireworks with an attack after the start/finish line, and a small group got off the front, with Mike and Bill in attendance. Joe sat on the riders at the front of the field, and when the pace started to slow he started riding tempo at the front, hoping to lull the field into thinking the pursuit was on. However, one rider was far to experienced to fall for that, and she quickly launched across the gap, dragging the field up with her. Yes, she: Jeannie Longo was racing with the 45+ boys (heck, she's old enough!), her world champion stripes prominent on her sleeves.

Kiester tried again on the biggest climb of the course, marked again by Mike and yes, Jeannie. When Jim Dickerson made his bridge move, Joe dug his hooks in for the ride, and by the top of the hill the break was rolling away. Kiester and Dickerson poured on the coals, Mike and Joe contributed as well, and then Jeannie started to take pulls that were very impressive (unless you happened to be the one in her negligible draft, then they were demoralizing).

Soon it was the final lap, and the blue boys were waiting for the inevitable hammer to drop. Sure enough, Kiester launched a full-tilt attack that Joe was just able to chase on to, and then one more up the climb that left he and Joe spent, and the five leaders were back together. Mike took over the pacemaking to save Joe's legs for the finish. Dickerson started his patented 1 K to go locomotive move, and then Kiester launched from behind with a final dig into the sharp right turn before the downhill run to the finish.

A crashing sound from behind turned out to be Dickerson going down due to an unfortunate combination of his speed in the corner and Jeannie's line, leaving Kiester and Joe alone at the front. Unable to shake Joe, Kiester sat up and motioned Joe to come by, but Joe was "disinclined to acquiesce to his request" as Captain Barbosa would say. Joe waited until 100 meters to go, then surged past with what little "sprint" his tired legs could muster for the win. Mike followed Jeannie in for 4th, and Bill won the field sprint by a couple of bike lengths for 5th! That's showing the big teams how it's done!

Salida Omnium, July 25 - 27, 2008

Masters 55+ blue boys at the Salida Omnium:

We got to Salida on Friday afternoon in time for their first heavy rains in a month. The time trial started late at 7:35 PM for us but happily late enough that the rains subsided. Randy poured it on and won handily, with Rio Grande’s Steve Workman and Mike Myers in second and fourth. Barry took third. Steve held 5th Paul 7th and Bill 8th.

Into the hard “queen” stage of the omnium on Saturday, the hilly and technical road race west of town. We rode three and ½ laps of the 12 mile circuit: The skies had somewhat cleared and it was cool (compared to the blistering heat back in Boulder) as we rolled out at noon. We planned on Barry going up the road with Rick Montgomery who climbs well and we knew would take off. Barry would do no work and drop him on the final climb for the win. It happened as planned although Barry demonstrating his trademark patience went with a full lap to go for the win. The rest of us stuck close to protect Randy. Paul rolled away with two other riders with a lap and a half to go. One was in front of him on GC so he had to go. He dropped them on the final climb to take 3rd and our boys came in with Bill in 5th , Steve in 7th, Jonathon in 8th and Randy in 11th having struggled on the final approach just before the final climb. Barry moved into Omnium yellow with Paul in 2nd on GC and Bill and Randy tied for 4th, Steve in 7th and Jim holding his own a couple of places back.

Now for the Sunday Criterium: We recognized that we would need to get Bill or Randy the win to lock the top three in the Omnium. We planed our usual two-up attacks and agreed that no red riders would be with the attackers or we would go back and try again. Workman went from the gun actually pulling Paul and red team Mike Myers off the front. A half lap later, Steve and Bill exploded out of the chasing pack, came by and were gone. The two red boys chased hard putting in huge efforts for several laps. As they tired with Barry and Paul covering their every pull, Randy surged up the right side, solo. This lit a fire under the reds and they re-doubled their efforts to keep Randy close and were succeeding until Randy pulled out with what we thought was a mechanical so I attacked up the side and bridged to Steve and Bill. They pulled hard and we lapped the field with Bill taking the win. Barry had attacked the bunch and soloed to fourth. Omnium results: Barry 1st, Paul 2nd, Bill 3rd, and a podium sweep plus gold in all three stages.

An awesome weekend for blue!!!! Is this fun or what?

Salida is such a great little town. There are good rides all over the valley and the Arkansas River, a playground for the kayakers, rafters and Labrador retrievers is right in their front yard. We had a couple of great dinners at the Boathouse, a place on the river and walked around downtown on Saturday night. There are big 14-ers all around and the valley is lush and cool in the summer.

Paul Mack

Mt Evans Hill Climb July 19, 2008

Mt. Evans Masters 55+ Report or Alpe D’Huez Aint Got Nothin’

Race day last Saturday was one of the hottest in Denver, about 99 degrees, and we couldn’t have hoped for better. The translation is perfect conditions for racing up to 14,000 feet. Our 55+ Masters group lit up with a bang at about mile ½, after two out-of-state riders pulled away. Hmmmm, for an important race the only allowed stragglers should be off the back, yes?. Our two leaders rudely never came back. The early break dictated the rest of the race, as the higher-paced peleton thinned and broke up over the ensuing 5K.

It’s amazing what altitude can do, over 28 miles and 7,000 feet of raced climbing. At about 13,000 feet before the final switchbacks, I felt as if all it would take would be a spectator blowing on me, and I would have fallen over. By 13,500 after those brief downhill respites I strangely felt much stronger, all the way to the top. At the 14,000 foot finish, the sun was so warm and strong it would have been easy to lay out until lobster red was the color of the day. Through an energy-drained haze I remembered though, that last time I rode down in similar weather it felt like my bike frame was broken…. My two layers of jackets left me shivering. Paul Mack and I both put on clothes to match a 35 degree Winter ride including Paul Mack signature Lobster gloves, kindly ferried up by volunteer drivers, and that was just enough. The ride down finally allowed enough time and energy to take in views from the most gorgeous road in North America.

Results:
- Bill (lessons {re}learned) Simmons 3rd, first for the Colorado Masters Hill Climbing Championship.
- Jonathan (I’m back) Montag, excellent ride, 9th.
- Paul (valiantly chasing early) Mack, 10th.

Beth Wren-Estes put together a fantastic race, with challenges most promoters never face. Additionally this year financially strapped sponsors pulled out. Beth and her cadre of volunteers truly deserve our gratitude for a race that puts Alpe D’Huez to shame.


Bill Simmons

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 9

50+, 45+ Criteriums

It was an early start for Team Blue on the final day of Masters Nationals. The fog hung heavy in Louisville on the drive to Churchhill Downs, but the rising sun burned it off, leaving nice but humid conditions for the racing at hand.

Mike's 50+ criterium opened the day of racing at 8 AM, with 50 laps of the 1/2 mile loop in the infield of the 133 year old horse race track. Mike was feeling great, and covered or initiated countless moves. However, the field was not inclined to let anything up the road today, and the stage was set for a pack sprint.

Mike saw Gordon Aubrey moving up on the last lap, and knew that was the fast wheel to be on. Coming into the final turn, Aubrey was 3rd and Mikey was perfectly positioned in 5th, but the rider in 4th hit the deck, forcing Mike to swing wide to miss him. Mike stayed upright, but lost several spots, and crossed the line in 10th, a solid result under the circumstances.

Joe was up next at 9:30, also racing 50 laps in the 45+ field. Thurlow and his two teammates came to play, and swapped attacks back and forth. His legs still suspect, Joe hid in the field except for one brief trip up the road with Thurlow and a couple other riders. Thurlow doesn't play well with others, though, and the move didn't stick.

At last, Thurlow found the move he was looking for: up the road with only his teammate Richard Meeker for company. They pounded out 1:05 laps of the half mile course, a pace the field was not inclined to exceed. With 8 laps to go, they caught the field, and blew right through to the front. At the start of the bell lap, Thurlow had Meeker tucked in behind him, and the lead-out train left the station. Joe tried to climb on board, but some fading riders drifted across the road, blocking Joe just long to get him uncoupled. On the back straight, Joe chased them down, and was able to regain contact coming into the last corner, but didn't have anything left to advance his position on the finishing straight. He was able to hold off the pursuing field though, and snagged 8th place.

With Thurlow's perfect set-up Meeker had a gift-wrapped stars & bars jersey waiting for him. Joe took some small satisfaction from passing Thurlow before the line. (Hey, even if Thurlow was a lap up, and started coasting, it still counts, right?)

The boys in blue headed back to the hotel, grabbed showers, and packed up for the trip home. Mike and Joe bid farewell to Bill, who's flying out tonight, and climbed aboard the Caravan. After obligatory stops at Starbuck's and White Castle for some long-anticipated (un)health food, they hit the road for the 1133 mile drive.

The current plan is to pause briefly in St. Louis to take in the sights at the Gateway Arch, and then drive as far as possible tonight. The boys should be back in the 'hood by sometime Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading!

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 8

55+ Criterium: The Usual Suspects

Bill here, after a great crit race day mixed with great adventure, awe/respect, and always the lingering bit of remorse. 10th place is respectable, although the podium is the objective of all. A medal in this 55+ field requires no hiding, plus willingness to attack with the likes of Wayne Stetina, Kent Bostick and Dave LuDuc. It was so encouraging to stretch the string multiple times with world champions, as the first seven laps averaged 30 mph. But, when the string broke, Subway/Peerless was not on the leading end, as Stetina and LeDuc rode away with a happy passenger. Task two, hang with Bostick. Three attacks later, I dropped back for a breather, again to watch Kent pull 4 others away. By the end we almost caught him, but almost meant a few meters gap at the line and a sprint finish with the hopeful sat-in crowd . 2nd up resulted in 10th , and the neverending drive to come back for another go. Cheers.

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 7

Rest Day

4th of July: A day off for millions of Americans, and for some tired bike racers. The boys in blue hit the town last night for some well-deserved relaxation. The nightlife was getting underway on 4th Street in downtown Louisville when they settled into some patio seats to sip a glass of Kentucky's finest at the Maker's Mark Bourbon Bar. They toasted their survival of the road race, and recounted their adventures to date. After stopping by a dueling piano bar to enjoy a little music, they headed back to their hotel to rest.

After sleeping in a little this morning, the boys took it easy today. A good breakfast and espresso, an easy recovery ride, a few errands, and then they kicked back at a movie theater to catch "The Hulk".

This afternoon, the skies opened up big time time, and the boys took pity on the women's fields racing the criterium at Churchill Downs this afternoon. The forecast for tomorrow isn't predicting rain, but then it wasn't calling for a "quick, build an ark!" rainstorm today, either.

Now, the blue crew is sipping a little merlot and watching "Jaws" on TV while washing their kits and their rides. Happy Independence Day to all!

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 6

45+ Road Race: Good News, Bad News


Today it was Joe's turn to play on the Cherokee Park road race course, and it was a good news/bad news kind of day.


Good news- the predicted rain didn't materialize before the start; bad news- it started to rain at the start. Good news- Joe managed to stay upright through some of the slickest corners he's ever ridden on a road bike; bad news- many other riders didn't, including a guy laid it down in the middle of the road on the tight downhill turn after the start/finish line, blocking the official's vehicle which had come up into the middle of the field for reasons unknown. The driver came to a complete stop, blocking (Joe's) half of the field.


Good news- Joe soloed the last half of the 48 mile race; bad news- he wasn't off the front. After repeated attacks by Thurlow Rogers and his Amgen teammates over the opening few laps, the pack was starting to stretch and splinter, and then Thurlow got serious. He charged up the hills like he was on Paul's Ducati, single-handedly decimating the field into groups of 5 or less. When Joe detonated (you could probably hear the "BOOM" in Colorado, the only riders in his vicinity either pulled the plug or crashed in a corner, leaving Joe on a solo quest to avoid the dreaded "DNF".


Lap after lap, Thurlow and Joe each rode in solitude, one cheered on by the adoring crowd, the other by the hardy Bill and Mike support team. Realizing that he had the wrong tool for the job at hand, Joe considered asking them to run to the rental van for his TT bike, but figured the officials would frown on that move.







When the mist settled, Thurlow won by something like 3 minutes, Joe limped home in 21st place, and 31 of the starters never saw the finish line. Good news- it was a day of racing to remember; bad news- it was a race Joe won't be able to forget.

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 5

Road Race: 55+, 50+

Several masters men road races were contested in sunny, hot, and breezy conditions today, including Bill's 40 mile 55+ race at high Noon, and Mike's 50+ race following at 2 PM, also 40 miles (8 laps of the roller coaster course).

Bill was looking cool and collected at the start, which was a good thing because the attacks went from the gun. After covering several early moves by Kent Bostick, Dave LeDuc and Wayne Stetina (calculate the collective horsepower represented there!), Bill made it into 2 moves that went up the road, but the field was still fresh enough to pull them back. After those major efforts, Bill was somewhat tenderized, and the 3 kingpins were eventually able to slip away, accompanied by 3 others. By the end of lap 3 the starting field of 60 was reduced to 20 riders.

Bill hung tough as the laps rolled by the the temperature climbed. In their wisdom, the race officials have prohibited feeds for races under 50 miles, but there didn't seem to be any rule against spraying. Joe dumped a bottle of water on Bill each lap to try to keep him cool. The break stayed away to capture the podium places, but Bill hung tough with the chase group to finish 15th.

Mike was up next, and lined up early for a front row view of the action. He kept himself safely positioned near the front in the early laps, looking comfortable up the climbs. Then, a Specialized rider threw down an attack up the climb that only one Amgen rider was able to follow. Mike was next up the hill, but no one was ready to assist.

The Specialized rider eventually shed his companion, and appeared ready to claim a stars and stripes jersey. However, Mike wasn't ready to concede, and led the chase up the climbs. On the last lap, a lone rider slipped away on a downhill, and gave all to the chase. Still a few seconds behind at the crest of the last major climb, the chaser closed the final gap in the last flat run-in to the line, and claimed victory.

Mike crested the feed hill climb in fourth, but the fresh legs hiding in the back of the chase group emerged for the final kilometer, relegating Mike to 15th place.

After a day of hard-fought battles, the blue trio showered off and headed out to re-fuel.

Barry's Power File from State Road Race

Hi cycling fans! Here is the file from Barry Messmer's winning ride in the 55+ category at the 2008 State Road Race: Victory!

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 4

R&R....









After two days days of non-stop activity, there was finally time to relax and recover a little bit. After picking Bill up at the airport, the blue boys swung by the Liquor Barn and picked up a Merlot Cabernet blend to toast Mike's excellent TT adventure, and then sipped a glass while while Bill assembled his bike. Then it was off to bed for some hard-earned rest.



The next morning was clear and unseasonably cool, perfect for a easy recovery spin through the neighborhood. After the ride, it was time for the boys to go to work with Bill's super duper scale, dialing in the bike weights to comply with the UCI minimum weight of 14.99 pounds. After applying engineering and black magic, the rides weighed in at 15.01 to 15.03 pounds. The boys decided that was close enough.


With everything locked and loaded for tomorrow's road races (Bill at Noon, Mike at 2 PM), it's time to go find a nice place downtown to eat dinner, then swing by race headquarters to get Bill checked in. Another big day awaits tomorrow....

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 3

Showtime: Time Trial!

After all the preparation, all the credit card debt for equipment, and way too much driving, it was finally time to race, beginning with the 38 K time trial. Mike and Joe had brought their bikes in to the race headquarters hotel upon arrival yesterday to verify the legality of the last-minute modifications, and all was good (thanks again, Pro Peloton!). Tales were told by racers who were cutting bars off in their hotel rooms last night, and Mike and Joe were glad to have missed that drama.

Before checking into the hotel yesterday, Mike and Joe pre-rode the course, and (Burt: stop reading here) loved it. Rolling power hills, gentle turns through shady woods, and mostly good to great pavement made the blue boys eager to throw it down on the undulating riverside course.

The day broke overcast and cool, and it looked like ideal race weather. Then, as we began our warm-ups on the trainers, a light rain started to fall. Fortunately, it lightened, then stopped during the racing, and wasn't really a factor. Joe was down the ramp first, at 9:13. 10 pedal strokes into his race, his legs were already aching, and he realized that, for the second year in a row, his fast legs had gone AWOL somewhere in the Midwest during the trip out. When his 30 second man came blowing by, Joe tried to ramp it up, and ended up in a duel over the rest of the course, passing and being re-passed several times. When the misery was finally over, Joe crossed the line at 54:51, in 17th place. Joe's secret dreams of a top 10 ride crushed, he tried to console himself with the improvement on last year's 26th spot. He wanted to blame the bike, but Mike quickly (hey, that's a pun!) disproved that notion.

Mike went off at 9:47 at the end of the rain shower, and felt comfortable the whole ride. Starting 3rd from last, he had fast boys behind him, and was caught by his 30 second man. He was able to stay with him, though, and settled in at a rapid pace. Riding mostly side by side to avoid drafting, they caught rider after rider, some of whom hopped on the back of the train, risking disqualification. Mike was able to take back a couple of seconds at the end, and stopped the clock at 53:55, good for 6th place, one notch higher than last year!

After re-fueling with sandwiches and frozen coffee drinks, the boys climbed on their road bikes (boy, did those feel strange at first) to check out the road race course, since it will be closed for racing the rest of the week. Littered with power climbs, and constantly twisting and turning, the course is anything but boring. It appears to be a good course for Bill and Joe, but time will tell.

In the meantime, Bill Simmons flies in tonight at 7:30, so Mike and Joe will be heading to the airport to pick him up. After a day of preparation, Bill races the road race at noon on Wednesday, with Mike following at 2 PM. Joe races Thursday, and in the meantime has search and rescue teams scouting I-70 across 3 states, hoping to spot any sign of his legs along the roadside.

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 2

Back on the road again...

By avoiding the temptation to visit the scenic wonders of Kansas, including the world's largest prairie dog, a 5-legged steer, and a petting zoo with baby pigs, we made good time on the road yesterday. Mike the driving machine was ready to call it a night after about 700 miles behind the wheel, so as the clock approached 11 PM, we pulled off I-70 in Columbia, Missouri at a Motel 6 that time and care forgot. Walking into the room, we were hit by a strong and indescrible odor eminating from the air conditioner. Mike sprayed some deodorant to mask the stench, and we crashed for a few hours of much-needed z's.

The GPS informed us that we still had 384 miles to go to reach registration, so we were up before dawn, and at Starbucks when they opened the doors at 6 AM. As soon as we got back on the interstate, we passed a much nicer Motel 6, and a couple of exits later there was one that was so new it still had the "Now Open" banners up. Figures.

We've now passed into Illinois, and are looking at another state (Indiana) and 207 more miles before we reach our destination. Our plan is to hit race registration this afternoon to check in and verify that our TT bikes comply with all the arcane rules, check into the hotel, and have time to pre-ride the TT course so we know what we're facing tomorrow morning. We're ready to stop driving and start riding.

2008 Masters Nationals, Day 1

Mike, Bill, and Joe's Excellent Adventure Begins....

Well, we're on our way. After some frantic preperation and a few last-minute disasters, Mike and Joe headed out in a rented Dodge Caravan bound for Louisville, Kentucky, the site of the 2008 Masters National Road Championships. Mike and Joe will be racing the TT on Monday, and Bill is flying out that day in advance of his road race on Tuesday. Bill will also be racing the criterium, and Mike and Joe are signed up for all 3 events.

So far, so good. We've got the iPod cranking some jazz, the GPS leading the way, and the radar detector making random noises. We've also got 4 bikes, 12 wheels, and lot's of snacks to munch on, including 2 kinds of Safeway trail mix (highly recommended), and some wasabi-flavored peanuts (NOT recommended).

We had some excitement yesterday, when we reviewed the UCI bike rules that are being enforced this year. In addition to the seat set-back rule, the end of the bar extensions can be no longer than 75 cm forward of the center of the bottom bracket. You'd think that only really tall riders would struggle with that one, but it turned out Joe's setup was 3 cm out of compliance! Chris at Pro Peloton leapt into action, swapped out to a shorter stem, moved some spacers, and got out the hacksaw to trim Joe's Vuka TT bars, with the shifter cables in place! It was like watching a brain surgeon operating. When the carbon dust settled, Joe was good to go with a just-legal setup. Once again, the crew at Pro Peloton goes above and beyond to get it done.

Our plan to to drive until around 9 PM tonight, or until Mike the road warrior has had enough. We want to arrive in Louisville early enough on Sunday to check out the TT course before Monday's race. More later as it unfolds.......