BMCT women featured in Venus de Miles promo

Hello blue team:

In case you haven't seen the posters for the annual "all women's" Venus de Miles bike ride this August 28th, check out the home page for the ride. www.venusdemiles.com
Our very own Karen Feinberg is sporting the Venus wings and that's me in the BMCT kit. The poster can be seen all over town. In addition, a mailing with the same image was sent to 2000 riders. Great coverage for our sponsors! Men are allowed to join the Venus de Miles ride, but only if they dress in drag. Would love to see you in a blonde wig and tutu!!

Best, Annette Kissinger

35+ rounds out the podium

Amazing day of racing by the 65s, 55s, and 45s!! The 35+ was represented by Rob, Mike S and me. The race started out with a modest tailwind and equally modest pace along the dirt roads of the Colorado River. We briefly had the opportunity to take in some of the absolutely stunning red rock scenery lining the river before racing began in earnest. The pace began to pick up as we headed for the first climbs. Rob suffered an unfortunate puncture along one of the sketchier sections of dirt road, and after a wheel swap, spent the day in a tough time trial chase of the pack with a Mix1 rider. As the pack hit the first big dirt climb, the pace rose and any climbing out of the saddle risked a bit of wheel slip. We made the first turnaround whittled down to about 7 riders - the climb took its toll. The dirt descent was fast and fun - Len, I also topped out at 46mph - bumpy with a bit of powerslide through some of the turns to keep things interesting. The pace stayed high over the next climb and turnaround, but it was the long rollers and steady headwinds on the way back that would define the day. The pace ranged from pedestrian to attacks constantly with no one interested in keeping the pace up and everyone immediately pouncing on the attacks. The right combo of riders would never form to make anything stick. The pack grew back up to the mid-20s due to the indecisive racing, and the attacks and counters continued from each of the big teams almost on cue Mix1, Rio Grande, Scion, P2P Westside, Vic's, Repeat. Rolling into the last 2 miles, the winds were still strong and the road narrow enough to risk getting boxed in at the wrong moment. After getting boxed in briefly, I moved near the front, and in the surgy nervous racing a rider ran into by back wheel. Unfortunate for him and he went down, but fortunately for me, he just hit my tire, and a P2P Westside rider immediately attacked in the confusion. The finish would have been an ideal one for Mike S, but he was slowed by the crash. A few of us followed the attack and we decided to drive the advantage with an all out effort and a few quick rotations through a short paceline. With the rest of the pack chasing, there was no time for cat and mouse games. I found myself at the front with the final short uphill headwind climb to the finish and had to open up the sprint. It was a good effort but I was caught at the line by Byron Nix and Matt Gates and rounded out the top 3. Exciting day overall, but next year we'll have to match the supreme excellence of the 55'ers! - Ken O.

45+ Rocky Mountain Omnium

Rockin' the RMO

Frank Zoldak and Joe Paulson Represented the Vic's 45+ squad in the opening Time Trial stage of the Rocky Mountain Omnium, with Frank taking top honors over Jim Dickerson, and Joe posting the 4th fastest time to get the weekend off to a good start.

They were joined by John Talley for Saturday's Cabondale Criterium, which was combined with the 35+ field, which made for some interesting tactics. Rob Kelly was representing Vic's Espresso/Peerless in the 35+ group, so he made the scene as well. The racing was animated, but the 35+ riders chased down all of the promising breaks, so the race kept coming back together.

With just 5 laps to go, disaster stuck as JT suffered a rear blowout in a corner and went down, and Rob had no place to go but over JT's front wheel. Rob was able to stay upright, but was out of the mix. Frank took over the front on the last lap with Joe on his wheel, and Joe was able to launch for the win. Frank came across 5th, and the blue boys were in 1st and 2nd in the omnium standings after 2 stages.

Sunday brought the Rock the River Road Race, which also served as the 2011 State Road Race Championships. Due to some rough dirt, a few miles were cut off the biggest climb, but the remaining 64 miles, much of it dirt, still presented a formidable challenge. A bandaged and bruised JT joined Frank and Joe for the final stage.

The group stayed together until the steep dirt climbs, when much of the pack was shed, including Joe, who chased back on in tome to get dropped with JT on the next climb as Frank drove at the front with the heavy hitters. JT and Joe chased hard from no-man's land between the break and the remains of the field, but to no avail. They were eventually reabsorbed by the chasing field, which now numbered around 10 riders. Up front, Frank drove for home with his 6 breakaway companions.

At the finish, Frank got the jump on his companions, and just about pulled off the W, but his legs were cramping up, and he was caught at the line by a surging Dennis Farrell, and took the silver medal for 2nd in the State Championships while regaining the lead and victory in the Rocky Mountain Omnium!

With their teammate Frank up the road in the break, JT and Joe had a free ride for home sitting in the chase group. The final miles got very tactical as the sprint approached. Joe moved to the front to avoid getting boxed in, but a rider jumped and then faded across Joe's path, trapping him against the shoulder. Joe braked, backed out of the hole, and restarted his sprint, but was out of real estate, and took 3rd in the sprint, for the 10th overall in the race. The two lost positions proved crucial for the overall omnium standings, as Joe ended up tied on points for 2nd in the omnium, and losing the tiebreaker of finish placing in the road race, so he dropped to 3rd in the final omnium standings. Overall though, the boys produced 1st and 3rd overall in the RMO, 2nd in the state RR championships, and two stage wins, so not a bad weekend's work.

55+ Team Plan to Perfection

Six 55+ Vic's riders had a plan for the Colorado State

Championship in Dotsero and it worked to perfection.

It yielded a breakaway of 7, including three Vic's, at

the maximum crunch time, and 25 miles later Paul

and Bill delivered Steve into a sprint finish to win.

Now the important details. Jet, Dean, and Mike took

the team responsibility to be at or near the front for the first

25 miles. Jet was the Sergeant at Arms, he ruled the

front for an hour. Mike and Dean put in some key

efforts as well.

A couple of medium length climbs on smooth gravel

roads were predetermined to be the race making feature,

and they were. Bill, Paul, and Steve stuck well as

the climbers tried to inflect damage. A group of six

rounded the high point, and a minor hesitation by

Paul caused him a vicious chase on the gravel decent

to make the lead group seven.

From post race reports I understand that Jet

recovered from his early efforts, picked up Mike,

and dragged a few guys back to the second group

on the road. In the in end this was critical, I helped

Mike preserve his Omnium position and win that

competition. Double duty Jet gets major kudos

for the day.

The lead group was generally cooperative with

everyone taking pulls, especially Paul and Bill.

The final two miles on the frontage road were

strange - very cat and mouse. Bill got fed-up

and ripped on the group at least four time with

sprints that forced the competitor to ride hard.

Finally, the finish came into view and group

accelerated naturally. The slight uphill sprint

suited Steve just fine and it was a clear victory.

Paul arrived at a close 4th, and Bill punch paid

for his earlier sprints.

It my honor to write this blog, but moreover

it is a pleasure to thank the Vic's men. They

talk the talk and they race the race. There is

nothing better.

sjw

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.