Superweek - Whitefish Bay Criterium

Team Extreme had a great showing at the finale for Superweek, the Whitefish Bay Criterium. We brought 9 riders to the starting line and really made our presence known throughout the race. 60+ riders started the race but I am unsure of how many dropped out or were lapped due the high speeds mashed out. 24.9 mph was the average speed for the 45 minute race.

I started the race not knowing how well I would be able to race because my legs felt horrible. The start wasn’t great for me either. I lined up slightly late and was in the back 1/3 of the group. Two riders in front of me couldn’t get clipped in and we were quickly passed by the remaining riders. For 6 laps I sprinted out of every corner and worked my way up to the front. There is way too much “slinky-ing” going on when you are in the back of the pack. Up front though I was able to pedal and hold speed through the corners.

A group of 4 riders, including one of my teammates, went on a break and were able to pull away quite a bit when I rider underestimated his speed into the first corner and slid out. Once the breakaway group had a good gap, myself and two other teammate sat on the front to try to slow the field down. Finally everyone else in the peloton figured it out. Attacks came left and right to try to reel in the breakaway. One of my teammates and I covered every attempt to catch the break and we managed to help keep the breakaway out on their own. Unfortunately, our teammate in the breakaway didn’t have enough gas at the end to try for the win and finished 4th. Going into the last lap I was sitting 5th wheel knowing that I would make my move just before the 2nd to last corner. A good friend of mine moved up on my left and I assumed he was going to go for the sprint early so I jumped onto his wheel. He went to the front and sat up. I couldn’t believe it because he set me up perfectly. I sprinted up the left side of the field and flew through the corner. I sprinted as hard as I could to increase the gap I had on the field. Through the final turn I hit the afterburners… Looking back with 50 meters to go I saw that I had a sizable gap on the field and sat up knowing that I had won the field sprint to finish 5th. To my dismay, the officials thought that I was a lapped rider because I was so far in front of the field. I had to protest the results to make sure I got the 5th place I’d earned.

I’m super happy with my performance and now know that when my legs feel bad, I will most likely have a phenomenal race.
Next up: Tour of Elk Grove on Saturday, August 1st. Should be fun because I will be in the Chicago area and will have my sister and brother-in-law who live down there watching the race. Can’t wait!

Superweek - Lakefront Road Race

Superweek brought out one of the best circuit courses and dusted it off for the 2009 series. The Lakefront Road Race long course has not been utilized in years but the directors decided that this year would be a great time to bring it back. It was a great course with two short but steep climbs, one technical decent, and another wicked-fast decent down Lincoln Memorial Drive. Awesome!

Typical of Superweek races, the Cat 4/5 race did not start on time, 35 minutes late to be precise. The master’s race starting just before us staged a protest that was not well received by either the directors or other racers waiting to go. The late start was due to the fact that the streets were not closed off completely until 5 to 10 minutes before the proposed starting times. No barriers were set up and it only created a mess for the organizers and riders.

Once started though it was great, even with the light rain that fell and made the roads “icy” due to the oil lifting off the tarmac. Riders repeatedly went down on the technical decent, trying to push the limit but they all paid for it. I managed to stay clear of two crashes where riders slide out in front of me. No breakaways were able to stick due to the long stretch to the finish line in which speeds easily reached 35 mph and all who were out front were pulled in like they were standing still. I felt good throughout the race but did notice on the last climb that my legs were getting a little burn-out. I’m guessing I am getting a little tired with the long season… After the final climb I was sitting about 25th and started the long stretch to the finish by moving up the left side. Tyson Beck came screaming around me and I jump to catch his wheel. As I did so, a teammate of mine (who planned with Tyson to have him give my teammate a lead-out) jumped to grab Tyson’s wheel, which in turn slammed me into the gutter. He had no clue I was there and most likely didn’t care who was on the wheel. I was pretty mad at the time being that I almost ate curb and then was hung out to dry in the wind. I pedaled into the wind with anger and managed to get into the slipstream at about 30th place. I made some aggressive moves through the field to move up positions but with 100 meters before the line when we launched out sprint, a crash went down in front of me and I had to kill the sprint and smash the breaks. Good thing I replaced the break pads two nights before! I went around the crashed rider as he was sliding across the tarmac and easy pedaled through the finish. I ended up 15th on the day and in the money so I got half of my entry fee back. Hopefully the check doesn’t bounce though! (Another Superweek problem). I wasn’t the happiest camper with the end results but that’s racing. Going to give the Whitefish Bay Criterium a shot on Sunday. It will be super-fast being that it is the last race for the Superweek series but I will have a full team of support and we will have the Blue-Train rocking it!

Greenwood Road Race - Wisport

The racing season is starting to slow down a bit with only races primarily on the weekends. Once July is over, the racing is going to dramatically decrease. Not looking forward to the end of the year as I have been having a blast and finishing well consistently. Saturday was no different… a blast. Greenwood, WI was site of the 38 mile Greenwood Dairy Days Road Race which proved to be a sprinters stage. All the big guns in the sprinters classification came out and really drove the pace throughout the race. A breakaway shot ahead of the peloton very early in the race and never looked back. Two of the regions best time trialists got away and no matter how hard we worked to pull them back, they kept their distance. Wind played a slight factor in the reluctance of the peloton to chase because no one wanted to go to the front to work with the headwind. The race is primarily flat with a few rolling hills in the last 8 miles of the race. I had a rider that repeatedly would pass me on the left at the bottom of the hill to pull in front of me, and not being a good climber, went straight to the back again. This annoying move that was continued multiple times finally pushed the right button and I got a little hot under the collar. I charged around the rider on the next hill, moved to the front and preceded to continue pushing the pace to shell out some of the weaker riders. I worked hard to try to bring the time gap down between the peloton and the breakaway but only gained a little ground. Going into the last 2 miles which are all downhill the big guns came to the front and drove the pace over 35 mph for a 1.5 miles prior to the final corner. I was hurting and suffering to try to stay on and fell off into a smaller group about 20 meters off the group in front. I found a wheel, sat in, rested and then shot off like a canon going for the sprint. I was able to pass 4 riders before the line and came in a respectable 13^th place. Not bad for trying to keep up with the sprinters who were gunning for one another. Too bad this type of racing isn’t earlier in the year, would have been very beneficial because the pace of these races are much higher than that of the WCA events. More sprint intervals for me to become faster. Sprint intervals = pain…

Omro Cycling Classic

I found out the hard way that back-to-back road races are a lot harder than back-to-back criteriums. The morning after the Whitewater road race I drove up to Omro for the 4^th annual Omro Cycling Classic. This race is part of the Wisport series and was an open category race that really made for a lot of fun… and pain… and misery. The field was 112 strong (remember open category) and I’m glad I was able to line up at the front. A number of Pro/1/2 riders came out for the race and I knew from the start it was going to be fast. The race started out easy but quickly turned into repeated attacks and pace changes to cover those attacks. I sat near the front of the field as the attacks didn’t get to far out to worry about them getting away. A Brone’s team member and two other riders went for another attack and I made the choice to go with them on the 2^nd lap of the 17 mile loop. I picked the right attack to go with as we were able to break away from the peloton for a good 13 miles. We were caught at the start of the hills and I was already seriously suffering. We held our break averaging 27 mph and I was gassed when the road pitched up. I managed to hang on in the middle of the field the rest of the way. Going into the final two corners (both very tight) I was behind a rider who had a wide-open line to the front on the outside going into the second-to-last corner. I shouted at him to pull up but he wouldn’t go. I had no room to go around and was boxed in. To make matters worse, this same guy braked into the last corner. Two words… race over. After making the final corner it was a push to catch as many in front of me. Only made up 5 places and finished 20^th. The legs sure hurt and still do… I will need some recovery miles on Monday and Tuesday. We’ll see how next weekend goes with the uphill finish at the Greenwood road race.

UW-Whitewater Road Race

The picture may be a little fuzzy but you get the point! It's a win! What a great day to have a race, 4th of July, light winds, warm temps, and sunny skies. Okay it was cloudy, but still a great day to race; however I felt as though I left my legs at home. The 4/5 race started out slowly especially as riders made their way up the climb on the first lap. Not too much excitement throughout the race however 5 other riders and I tried to organize a break on the climb during the 4th lap. It failed miserably as no one would pull through on the false-flat section of the climb and our gap was quickly brought back. The break attempt helped to bring my legs back and I could feel a bit of snap in them again. The course only had one long climb and then downhill the rest of the way which made keeping a break real difficult. We managed to drop a number of riders on the 5th lap but the field was still fairly large. I sat on the back of the field for the last two laps and didn’t move to the front until the long downhill section. Going into the finishing stretch (which was long) our pace kicked up in the low 30s. Everyone was working for position when two riders crossed wheels and caused a small pile-up with 400 meters to go. Three riders took off for the sprint early and gave me the perfect lead out. I came out of the saddle for my sprint with 150 meters to go and killed it to the line. Finally after 20 races this year I was able to pull off a win.

Tour of America's Dairyland - Recap

The Tour of America’s Dairyland consisted of 10 races in 11 days. The Tour was professionally organized and run like clockwork. All races were on time without any exception. Huge props to the organizers on hosting such a spectacular Tour.

The Tour began with a grueling race in Blue Mounds, WI. This first race was pure pain for 44 miles with over 4,400 feet of climbing. There are not too many places in WI that you can find such a monster climb and set up a race that challenges every level of racer. The cat 4/5 race was fast from the start and really got crazy once we hit the climbs on Pinnacle Rd. and Blue Mounds Park Rd. I felt good the first lap and managed to hang in 5^th place, working with another rider as the break group got split up. With 15 miles to go I started to cramp which really slowed down the pace and I felt as though I was dragging an anchor. The final climb was nothing but hell all the way to the line in Blue Mounds Park, but at the same time it was absolutely awesome knowing I finished the race in 6^th place.

Friday brought on the Waterloo Criterium which was a 1.6 mile loop that included a slight hill near the end before a bit of technical cornering. The pace was high from the start and was increased with the generous primes offered throughout the race. With one lap to go two riders tangled bars and both went down causing a large crash. I kept to the outside of the mess and was able to enter the sprint at second wheel. I was really feeling the previous race and didn’t have much of a sprint left but smashed the pedals to finish in 6^th place for the second day in a row.

Saturday was the Giro d Grafton. This race is known to be fast and includes 6 corners and two minor uphill stretches. This race was nothing but fast and sketchy. About 5 laps into the race a crash occurred behind me that split the field for a lap or two. With two laps to go the pace was driven higher by the ISCorp team. On the last lap, ISCorp took over the roads and made the race extremely dangerous. There’s a difference between riding aggressively and dangerously, and they only rode dangerously. This was so bad that one of their teammates dumped it in the last corner almost taking out one of their teammates. It wasn’t worth trying to pass the last two corners so I sat up and finished 18^th. Good race and happy to have kept both wheels on the pavement.

Sunday brought the Tour to Manitowoc, WI. This criterium was held on a wide open 4 corner course. Between two teammates and I, a plan was developed the night before to attack together with 8 laps to go in the race. We executed on making the break but it didn’t go as planned. I started the attack and one of my teammates followed up with a giant pull on the backside of the course. After his pull, I was expecting another teammate but was surprised to see a rider from the Wheaton team who took a small pull and put me back on front. I was hung out to dry at this point and my legs were burnt out. We sat up and the peloton quickly swallowed us up. The last lap was ridiculously fast but I managed to maintain contact with the leaders. Sprinting the whole front stretch I was able to pull off a 9^th place finish. Not too bad for the fourth straight day of racing.

Monday was a day of rest. Thank goodness for that!

Tuesday was hot, very hot and very sticky. Everyone knew they had to be well hydrated the whole race and pick up bottles each lap in the feed zone. There were a few break attempts however none were able to get more than a 20 meter gap before they were reeled in. Like clockwork when we hit the feed zone, someone attempted an attack. My first attempt for a bottle wasn’t pretty… at 30+mph it was hard to hang onto the bottle. I managed to hang on but the impact of my hand grabbing the bottle blew the top off and there I was trying to drink as much as possible without a top. My attempt for a bottle on the next lap went okay as the bottle did not explode but I did lose my handle on the bottle, kicking it between my feet each pedal stroke. I nervously jammed the bottle in the holder sideways to make sure I did not lose another bottle. On the last lap of the ten mile loop one rider took a massive attack, gutsy but he had to know he wouldn’t be able to stay away. The peloton quickly caught him and ramped up the pace into the final corner. A hole opened in the field and I was able to move up to 5^th wheel. After the final corner I sprinted up the hill and over the crest and finished a half a bike length out of 1^st place. 2^nd place and the best finish so far on the hottest day of the Tour. Can’t complain and very happy. Too bad 1^st and 3^rd places never showed up for the podium. No podium pics for me. Maybe next time!

Wednesday brought about another hot and muggy day to the Fond du Lac criterium which was held downtown. This was a very interesting race being that I moved around through the field quite a bit and did a bit of work on the front. With 8 or so laps to go, Mark Norton went on a flier up the right side of the back stretch. I was marking every move he made so I bolted out of the field on the left side. By the time we reached the front stretch we opened a decent gap and I told Mark there was no looking back, we had to try to make the break stick. Throughout the race the peloton was breaking through each corner. Knowing this Mark and I blasted through the corners and opened up an huge gap on the field. Mark hung out on my wheel and didn’t do a whole lot of work but I was in no position to let up because I would have been devastated if we got caught. Through the final corner Mark came off my wheel and beat me across the line. 2^nd place for the day and I was happier than a kid in a candy store because it was the first time I saw a break in the 4/5’s work, and I got to be part of it. Awesome day!

Thursday brought us to the city of Sheboygan for a critierum that I was sure would eat some skin due to the last corner. The course had 3 wide open corners and a tight finishing corner that really made for some interesting racing the last few laps. I hung out mid-pack the whole race and didn’t do an ounce of work. A break got away mid-race and held to about 3 laps to go. On the last lap I moved up positions and was looking back to see if anyone was making a move. Coming up the right side of the back stretch I saw Patrick glued to a wheel that was blasting up. I jumped across the road onto Patrick’s wheel as we made the final turn with ease. The rider pulling us through was spent and Patrick opened up a monstrous sprint that he took all the way to the line. At the time we crossed the line we thought Patrick had the win but unbeknownst to us Anthony Phillips broke out of the breakaway and took the win by a huge margin. Huge props to Patrick on the 2^nd place. I finished 4^th on the day.

Going into Friday’s race at Greenbush I was 10 points down on the leader and knew I had to bury myself to close the gap. The road race consisted of 4 laps on a course that included a few steep climbs and one long drawn out climb that really didn’t help break the field up. The 4/5’s stayed together the whole race even with a few break attempts, one of which I tried but failed as I was quickly swallowed up. The middle of the rest of the race was pretty uneventful until the final 2 miles. I was feeling pretty good going into the last two miles where the two steep climbs resided. The riders were extremely antsy and many blew their load on the first climb. Going into the final climb things started to get dangerous and I moved to the centerline knowing I would have the whole road should I get pushed out. We blasted up the final climb and I hung onto an ISCorp rider’s wheel in which the rider provided a great slipstream. I sprinted to the line on the outside and managed to pass 6 riders with 50 meters to go. I finished 6^th on the day and gained 8 points back on the overall leader.

Saturday brought out a ton of riders from all over, many of which had fresh legs and haven’t raced in a few weeks. The field of 60+ riders came out to participate in one of the greatest criteriums Wisconsin racing has to offer, the Downer Classic. The race started off fast and finished fast, there was no letting up. Constant breaking in the corners and sprinting on the straights took a huge bit out of my legs. I managed to keep my skin intact on what could be known as a skin-eater critierium. Many riders were sketchy and the rough pavement only led to an increased possibility of crashing. I didn’t have the gas in the tank to launch a huge sprint and rolled in 16^th. Two places behind the overall leader and losing two points on the day. Hopefully Milwaukee will fix the pavement for the Downer Classic in the future, it would help to save a lot of skin…

Finally, yes, FINALLY. The last race of the Tour was upon us as we rolled into Waukesha for what was going to be a showdown between Mark Norton and I. Starting the race only 4 points down on the leader I knew I would have to pull something off, but I didn’t know exactly what. Nervous as can be we rolled to the starting line where the announcer didn’t help my nervousness. Calling Mark and I out and letting everyone know that it came down to 2 points for the overall only led to increased nervousness. I finally settled into pace a few laps into the race and remained about 6 to 10 wheels back in the field. The course for the race was awesome with a great downhill right-hand corner that led to a wide open final corner. The wind helped in keeping any breakaways from sticking and it came down to the final sprint. My legs were feeling great and I moved up to 3^rd wheel with 3 corners to go. Coming into the off-camber right hand corner on the back side of the course a rider took the inside gutter into the corner cutting off my inside line. Another rider was coming around the outside and I got pinched. I had to slow to prevent a pile up and fell back 6 wheels. I hammered through the last two corners and sprinted with everything I had to finish the final crit in 6^th place. The overall leader placed three wheels behind me. I couldn’t believe it but I missed tying the overall leader by one point and the win by 2 points as Mark would have won if it came down to a tie-breaker. There was no time for me to be upset as I gave it everything I had and was completely exhausted.

2^nd overall in the cat 4/5 for the inaugural Tour of America’s Dairyland. I can’t wait until next year.

Props to all the Team Extreme riders who participated in the Tour. Team Extreme again showed their strong presence putting three riders on the podium across two categories. It couldn’t have been done without the help of all teammates, a true testament of a strong team. Great job everyone, let’s do it again next year!

State Criterium Championship

Saturday turned out to be a perfect day for racing with warm temps and light winds in Ripon, WI. The course setup for the State Criterium Championships included six corners, one minor climb, and a long false-flat to the finish line. The cat 4/5 race was delayed a half hour due to a serious crash on the last lap of the prior race which allowed me to get a little bit more warm-up time in. The race was fairly fast with a lot of sprinting up the short hill but the corners were painfully slow. It was a brake-smashing party on every corner! Truly unbelievable… we are halfway through the racing season and people still haven’t figured out how to pedal through corners. As the race progressed I moved around in the field and waited to see if there would be an attack. There were no serious attacks throughout the race so it was quite an easy race to stay near the front. With 3 laps to go I made a good pull into the hill but went way too hot and shallow into the corner and almost sent myself into the outside curb. The final two laps I sat in about 10^th wheel. On the final lap with 3 corners to go a rider in front of me skipped his back tire out over a manhole cover and caused a 4 man pile-up. I should have moved up past this rider earlier because he was consistently skipping out on that corner. Due to the crash 7 riders opened a gap around 40 meters on the rest of the field. It was a sprint from there… I was able to catch one rider at the line to finish 7^th. I’m happy with the top 10 finish but at the same time bummed because I would have been there for the sprint for the win and a chance at some Rippin’ Good Cookies. Oh well though, there’s always the 10 races in the Tour of America’s Dairyland for a potential win.