Cyclepaths/Wildcherries Racing

noreply@blogger.com (Gary Mandy) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:42:00 +0000

2008 NCNCA Cyclocross Cup: Dorothy McAlinden Park (Reno) Nov 8, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Conrad) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:14:00 +0000

Nick Schaffner
Normally when I line up at a Cyclocross race, I'm one of the few - if not the only idiot on a single speed rig. However at Dorothy McAlinden Park in Northern Reno this past Saturday, I revved my pedals with at least a dozen other one-geared spinners, enough to even warrant our own start time.

I managed to score the hole-shot on the only sandy run-up and led the group for the first lap. Had I been monitoring my heart-rate during this initial pull, I wouldn't have charged so hard. Once the lactic started pouring in, it didn't stop for 60 minutes. For the next few laps, my legs got heavier and heavier, and I was passed by more and more riders. I didn't settle into a rhythm until the last few laps, but that was far too late for a good result. My average heart-rate was 176 bpm, just 2 beats shy of my threshold. This puts my effort on par with the 90 minute chase down of the peleton Nate and I made during the 2008 Nevada City Classic.

If you watch the video, you can see how much slower I am pedaling than the folks behind me, I think my 36x16 gearing is still too hard, even for a flat course. In the end I suffered hard, and that's all that really matters.

Conrad Snover
I'd never done in a 'cross race before, but I figured since I'm fairly proficient at both road and mtb racing, and since 'cross is a mix of the 2, I'd be ok. BUT, I hadn't figured in the importance of fitness. Who cares? It's almost winter, and why not goof off and have fun?

Nick convinced Matt and I to jump into this local race promising no pressure, small field and fun times. This race turned out to be a NCNCA race, bringing pros over the hill to contest points. As we warmed up watching the B’s race, Matt asked: “how come we’re not in that race?”. A few minutes later, I wished we were.

Feelin’ stylie on my new Scott ‘cross bike, I lined up behind the pros whose points standing earned them a frontline starting spot. Ignoring the way my heart, lungs and legs felt, I kept contact with the top 5 through one lap (5 minutes or so), then blew up more magnificently than I ever have before. I slowly faded to the back of our our A’s pack, then through the singlespeed pack, then through the masters A’s pack to finish pretty much in last place.

I had fun, kept a smile, told the spectators (there were tons) how hard it was, how tired I was, then asked if I was in first place – lots of laughs all around. If I’m hurting that bad, I might as well check myself and make sure I’m stil having fun, right!?!

Matt Chappell

Results? We're not telling. Afterwards, we figured out that the last time we'd been on our bikes was 2 months ago for the Lake Tahoe race. No wonder this was so hard!

2008 Lake Tahoe Marathon Race Reports

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:18:00 +0000

Andy Scott
When I saw the race plan I thought it was perfect. To what degree we (and I) could execute I was less certain but fired up for some serious team racing tactics.

My role was to ride at the front w/ the other guys on the team (except Nate and Conrad) and anyone else willing to work to keep the pace fast and tough. This was designed to do three things: 1.) minimize the threat of other attacks 2.) soften the field for Nate/Conrad attack(s) 3.) give us a shot at breaking the course record.

Rolling out through South Lake Tahoe I knew I was on a good day and between the highway patrol rolling road closures and motorbikes leapfrogging to hold lights, the lead car with photographers snapping shots, sunrise on Tahoe and a team paceline on the front putting the plan into action hammering around the lake and knowing I didnt need to really save chips for the finish it was certainly one of the highlights of the season. [Note: Riding around the lake with your buds and a rolling road closure is reason enough to do this race!]. The presence of a tandem and a dude on a TT bike up front lent a kind of kooky and cool Cannonball Run feel to things early on . . . then we hit Emerald Bay climbs and nothing but road racing strong dudes rolled to the front and the first selection was made.

I saw my Mom and Hirsh in Tahoe City that was cool. I stayed at and near the front all the way to Incline and when we got there was pretty cooked, but excited to see what Nate and Conrad would do and how the race would unfold on the final climbs where surely the decisive attacks would come. At the Sand Harbor climb one guy attacked and Ramsey covered it and I sat in with the group and just tried to hang on as long as I could. I ended up hanging on to the top of Sand Harbor and was a little surprised to be with the lead group, all together, as we descended and approached the final small climb before the finish.

As we hit that climb, Conrad led Nate on an awesome attack and I was not surprised to see the rest of the field have no immediate answer. I was fighting cramps and hoping all the work wed done had the rest of the field in the exact same position. Now the tables were turned and I was the one who sat in and did nothing as rider after rider tried to real Nate only to blow themselves out. This bit of recovery while everyone chased was everything for the finish. The gap to Nate wasnt huge and as we approached the finish I was ready to lead Conrad out to ensure the team win if things came together over the last 100m. Sprints are usually confusing and this was even moreso with Nate just up the road and Conrad on my wheel I was a little frozen . . . luckily Conrad yelled go! or something and I could see Nate had the W so I just hit it . . . I was a little surprised Conrad wasnt coming around but I ended up in 2nd when the dust cleared, and later learned hed dropped a chain so that made sense. Seeing and hanging w/ my family and the guys at the finish and for beers on a beautiful Tahoe afternoon was amazing . . . no substitute for the feeling of true team accomplishment.

Nick Schaffner
A few weeks before the 2007 edition of the Lake Tahoe Race, I contacted the promoter with tales of a super-team descending upon the event and shattering the around-the-lake record of 3 hours. However in 2007, the plans of a super-team fell through, and the record stood.

With the advent of the Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries in 2008, I saw another opportunity to challenge the record around the lake. So I hatched a race-plan that would insure a record breaking ride, along with a 1st place finish. The plan was simple, using 5 riders as workers to push a record breaking pace, while another 2 riders sat-in to save it all for the finish. Gary Mandy, Andy Scott, Matt Chappell, Ramsey Etchison and Nick Schaffner (myself) would act as the tireless rouluers for the day, maintaining a minimum pace of 24 mph to break the record. Because we had 5 strong riders at the front of the race, I was not concerned about covering any attacks, and this prediction proved to be true. In the rear of the peleton, we had Nate Freed (with his super-charged engine) and Conrad Snover (with his mighty spring) sitting-in, doing absolutely no work. The idea was that near the end of the race, Conrad would launch Nate into a solo breakaway, then Conrad would sit-in for himself in case the breakaway failed, and then take the sprint.

As the records now show, we broke the record and Nate took 1st place. All thanks to strong legs, big lungs and solid teamwork. And actually no thanks to me, my fat-ass got dropped 15 miles into the race!

Gary Mandy
Here is my view....

We had a goal, maintain an average that will break the record, ncrease the pace at key places that will break up the bunch into a group of riders that will most likely stay together until the final attack by Nate or sprint finish with Conrad being set up to take the win. We had a total of 7 riders, two were off the pace before we hit the first climb, the rest stayed together until the end. The work was done by three riders in the team to keep the pace at the record breaking average and Nate made the move which was planned and went on to win the event in a record time.

Key moves: Gary lifting the pace and breaking up the pack leading up the climb at Emerald Bay. Andy, Ramsey and Gary holding an average through the flat sections to Incline Village, Ramsey riding on the attack wheel from the Las Vegas kid, Nate collaborating with Conrad on when to make his move and then executing it just right to take the win.

Thanks for playing....

Ramsey Etchison
My role was to ride at the front of the lead group and help establish a course record pace that would burn through our opponents matches by the time we reached the last climb. I did not put this to practice until the peleton reached the first climb heading up to Emerald Bay. This climb splits the peleton and allows you to see who has a realistic chance at winning. Two riders stood out at this point and we kept our eyes on both. Forty miles later as the race ramped up and into the last climb one of the identified riders, a kid from Las Vegas, attacked and I just happened to be on his wheel so I went with him. We stayed away for most of the climb and he did all of the work. I'm not sure if he would of stayed away on his own but he lit a match and I put it out. Important to note that nobody else tried to go with us in a potentially decisive moment. To me this indicated the lack of legs from anyone vying for the win other than Conrad or Nate.

Conrad Snover
I hung out in the pack with Nate for almost the entire race. My job was to do nothing all day, maybe set Nate up for a breakaway, then be ready to contest the sprint should Nate get caught. Climbing up Spooner, I could tell that we were the strongest, but I didn't have the guts to go for it early. Nate was strong, so I told him to try a break. We didn't get organized until it was too late and his late break near the top was caught by 3 dudes. I sat in the pack and was pulled up to him, but the effort dropped several riders, including Ramsey after his effort to cover the previous break.

Nate and I regrouped and dropped to the back. I told Nate to get on my wheel and at the next rise I would attack full speed from the back of the pack, catapulting him to a solo breakaway with a big gap. That worked well and we had a huge gap in no time. Nate told me to keep going, but I didn't hear him and peeled off so he could go it alone. He was able to throw down and solo in for the win.

Andy was fired up to lead my out to sprint for second, but after my chain came off the big ring - 3 times - when he looked back at me, I told him to just go, and he took the sprint by storm, taking 2nd. I had a fun day watching from the back and strategizing with Nate on when/how we should attack. I must say- since I rode conservatively all day, I got to the finish wishing I could have done more to contribute to the win, but to see everyone work so well together, with each team member doing their part so well, then watch the plan fall into place was absolutely epic.

Kristin Krone owner of Wild Cherries called my cell a few hours after the race to congratulate us all good news travels fast!

Nate Freed
I think that I had the easiest job of everyone for the race.... sit in and conserve energy until the final 5-10 miles or so, then launch an attack and just try to hang on for the win. With Conrad as the backup for a sprint finish, I felt extremely confident going into the race that we would control the pace and emerge with the win. The start of the race was very sketchy. Les, the race director showed up to the line with a gun, which I assumed was to start the race. Then instead, he yelled "Go" and we all pushed off. 5 seconds later a deafening gunshot rang out, and I heard a crash behind me. Word traveled up that it was Allie, and she was taken out by a tandem that was startled by the late gunshot. I was really considering turning around at this point to check and make sure that she was OK. I decided not to, and was feeling guilty about it for the duration of the race. I found out after the finish that she was a little banged up from the crash, but not hurt too bad.

Each individual rider executed his job perfectly. Our pace stayed right at or around 24mph, and when the time came to attack, I still felt as fresh as I had at the start. My first attack was covered fairly quickly, but I did not completely burn myself out. With about 2 miles to go, Conrad gave me a slingshot-style leadout, and I was able to open up a huge gap on the field behind me. From then on I just tried to stay as aero as possible, and not look back. I could feel myself slowing down drastically as I neared the finish line, but was able to hang on for the win just barely. I know that without the help from everyone, I probably wouldnt have been able to pull out the win, and absolutely wouldnt have broken the record. Thanks guys! Now lets get ready to defend the record (or just set a new one) next year!

Freed Flies to 1st - Lake Tahoe Race 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Schaffner) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:09:00 +0000

With a little help from his team...

On a chilly Saturday morning at the end of September, seven riders from the Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing team rolled up to start line for the last road race of the season. 72 miles around Lake Tahoe, with two goals; win the race and break the current record (3 hours and 1 minute).

As planned, Nate Freed won and broke the record. We also made it onto the front page of the local paper, which has a full account of our exploits.

Read the complete Sierra Sun Article >

Adidas Pro MTB Shoe Review

noreply@blogger.com (Maverick) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:10:00 +0000

In years past, I've had a terrible problem finding shoes to fit my size 12 1/2 feet (typically 47). Narrow foot, boney, skinny, long toes--and I use orthodics. Outside of normal shoe fit/comfort, CX adds to the problems with run-ups and barriers creating footrub and heal slip with previous MTB shoes I've tried.

Enter the ADIDAS Pro Mountain Bike shoe (1-rachet & two "velcro-bungey" straps): First off, they're RED and I've received several "compliments"--they do standout in a crowd. If RED isn't your primary color choice--they have other options. Second, they are soft and flexible in the right places but with a stiff carbon sole. I received these as a package deal with my ADIDAS Road shoes. Given my recent expensive MTB shoe purchase in Fall '07, these shoes unfortunately sat there looking all Red and Pretty for about 5 months. My foot rub frustration & pain continued so while getting ready for a few late season MTB Races this summer and with CX looming on the horizon, I decided to give the ADIDAS a try. WOW--I really wish I would have tried them earlier. For my feet, they work perfectly--no heal slip, no footrub and my orthodics fit well. Even with the shoes barely tightened (which is how I ride baby) my feet don't swim around. Really a perfect shoe for me. The ratchet system seems to stick a little when tightening--similar problem with my Road shoes. With a little flick the lever pops down and you're good again. The two "bungey" velcro straps work well and, in my opinion, are more comfortable and secure than a conventional velcro strap. So after about 3 months of pretty tough trail abuse (including several 100-milers and CX prep) they're perfect for me.

Previous Shoes: Sept '07 year I plunked down for an expensive pair of "mold to fit" Shimano MTB shoes. Not because they were pretty or stiff or anything else--I simply figured that a mold to fit shoe would do the trick. Heal slip was fixed but footrub was beyond discomfort--it was downright painful and caused bleeding mostly on my right foot--basically where the buckle ratchet system is on the side. I tried to remedy this several times by remolding, new inserts, buffers, etc.--nothing worked.

Other shoes: Sidi Dominator (too narrow in toe box, heal slip), Old Shimano 3 Strap (Heal Slip)

Lion of Fairfax CX

noreply@blogger.com (Maverick) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:50:00 +0000

I zipped home after my daughter's soccer game and loaded up the car. Hoping I could use my new tubulars--I was disappointed the night before when I realized that my rear came with Shimano vs Campy--after two calls to clarify they still didn't get it right. It's ok I guess as the course, though a little technial, didn't have many sharp objects causing pinch flats.

So I got in the truck and headed out at for my race. 2 1/2 Hours later and multiple wrong turns I finally pulled in completely frustrated with about 30min to sign-up and warm-up. The warm-up...well, it's already 93-degrees so it was more about course recon than anything.

This year, the Saturday Lion of Fairfax race was competing against the Sunday CCCX race and it was evident as the field was quite small. I was fine with it as this was my first race of the CX season. The course takes you through the baseball fields along the outside boundary of the school then up and down a steep run-up, a few off-chamber turns then literally through the school sidewalks before heading back out the fields to complete a lap.

The gun fires and we're off--a decent start in the heat and I found myself a bit stuck behind someone and not willing to dish out the extra effort required to pass. That proved costly as the break of 6 was just in front of him and he let it go. Once it cleared, I made a pass and just found the comfortable pain zone. Clark Natwick was kind enough to provide hand-ups and support--and I needed it as the heat after 15min of effort we taking a toll. Mouth dry, a little blurry eyed--I kept the focus. A few guys fell off the front group and the field was stringing out by the half-way point. There are number of places to check on who's gain/losing and it seemed most were holding steady. I did catch two from the front group and continued to hold off the chasers as we hit two laps to go. I saw a DFL guy clawing his way through the group behind me as we hit the bell lap--little did I know he had flatted out of the front group. Man, the last thing you want on a hot day like this is real race on the last lap. Well, it was on.

I started to add a little extra effort--careful not to pop. He was fast and though my power was good, he was making up big time in the corners. As we hit the fields, I just kept my head down--he was on me now as we hit the barriers and I guess he bobbled as I gapped him and just held him off to the line for 3rd. I was pretty excited--first to stay focused in the heat and not give-up and second that, even though the field was small, I had a solid finish in my first race.

In a couple of weeks, I'll have my first real test of fitness and how I stack up against a deep field as I race the first NorCal CX pts race. Should be stacked field with all the big hitters.

Glenn

Folsom Cyclebration Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Nate) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:21:00 +0000

I raced this weekend at the Folsom Cyclebration, but both races were pretty unevenful. I do have a great/sad story from after the circuit race, which was on the second day. After the sprint finish of the race, I did a cooldown lap by myself, and rolled back toward the finish. I noticed a guy sitting on the curb all by himself under the shade of a tree. He had an old beat up bike sitting on the ground next to him. He was very tan, and looked to be about my age or a little bit older. I just passed by the guy, and he looks up at me and says out of nowhere, "Hey buddy, I hate to break it to you, but you're a fuckin loser." I just looked back at him and said "Yeah well you're a fuckin drunk". Then I went to meet up with Matt, Katie, Ramsey, and Alanna who had stuck around to support me and watch my race. I talked to them for a minute about the race, and told them the story about this crazy guy who was still sitting under the tree about 100 yards away. We said goodbye, and for some reason, I decided to ride back by the guy again on the way to my car. I wasn't trying to start a fight or anything, I was just curious to see if he would say something again. He looks up at me this time and says something to the effect of: "You would make a great sandwich in loserville." At this point I realized that he was either nuts or on a lot of drugs, so I kinda just rode past him. At the same time, he gets on his old beat up crappy bike and rides next to me. He just looks at me, and I look back at him. Then I recognize him! He was on an episode of the A&E show "Intervention".... so I say to him, "Hey, I know you." He says, "I doubt it." And I say, "I know you from TV." Then he instantly takes off down an alley and I just let him go.

When I got home from the race tonight, I did a little bit of research on this guy. At first I forgot his name, but I do know that he was a pro bike racer for US Postal at one point. He had a troubled childhood, and was sortof a loner as a bike racer. He got kicked out of the Olympic trials because he poked Lance Armstrong in the stomach, and called him a "doughboy". After that, his career seemed to spiral downwards. Then he started smoking crack..... In the episode of "Intervention", he did accept treatment at the end, but obviously he relapsed. What I have taken out of this is that, as bike racers(or athletes in general), we almost have an "addiction" to the awesome feeling we get when racing our bikes. We finish one weekend, and look forward to the next. We are lucky that we are addicted to something so positive and productive and healthy... and it is now apparent to me that it could very easily go the other way.

His name is Chad Gerlach. You can read more information on his pro cycling career and the aftermath here:

http://www.aetv.com/intervention/int_episode_guide.jsp (find Chad from season 5)
http://chicocyclist.blogspot.com/2008/06/chad-gerlach.html
http://www.beersteak.com/sports/chad-gerlach-promising-american-pro-racer-addicted-to-drugs/
http://www.byjamesraia.com/articles/124/1/Chad-Gerlach-Former-Pro-Cyclist-Lance-Armstrong-Teammate-Subject-Of-Pending-AampE-Network-Program-Intervention/Page1.html
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=13791390&postID=4403400084802965497&page=1

Good luck Chad.

Last Minute Chickadee, Asphalt Outlaw Sept 13th

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Schaffner) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:45:00 +0000

Last minute surprise: 2008 Chickadee #2, The Asphalt Outlaw is this Saturday, TOMORROW!

Road Bike: 72 road miles (70m pavement, 2m good dirt road)
Saturday September 13th, 9am
Start: Sattley, Road A-23, 0.5 miles Northeast of Hwy 89 (same as the NCNCA regional TT staging area)
3x KOM and finish points awarded (though like always they have no value – except for smack-talkin’)

Hope to see you there!

Dunnigan Road Race

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:36:00 +0000

I entered the Dunnigan Road Race aiming for some upgrade points. Here I am again focusing on the pot-of-gold instead of journey. Well, do to that, I was handed an interesting course. Right off the bat I realized that I entered the wrong race. Looking around me I notice a ton of big guys. Not tall, I mean big guys. The kind that eat up head winds and flat courses and then disappear on ascents. There would be no ascents today - so I found the best draft I could behind a Webcore guy and made myself at home. The funny thing is that I cut into the draft of this said Webcore fellow and broke up his team paceline consisting of four guys. I sat in behind three of them, the third being largest, and the fourth guy who apparently was hoping to get pulled to a win by his teamates, stuck his bar into my quad and pulled out of the draft cursing the spando plaid. This changed nothing for me except the fate of my top 5 finish which you find out about below. At this point in the race the Davis team was putting on a big 32 mile an hour effort into a massive headwind. Honestly, I got popped but managed to bridge latching onto a breakaway at mile thirty or so of the race. The break was big and consisted mainly of Metro dudes, Webcore riders, and Davis riders, as well as a couple of Vintage pedalers who transition into Jordache denim after the races (forced style from my perspective = contrived). The sweet irony of it all is that seven brutal miles later we realize that we made a wrong turn and that everyone we gapped would go on to win the top 9 or so places in the race. Our lead pack dwindled as we chaced or survived depending on you look at it. Many riders descided to make the beer-thirty call at the finish of lap one and 10 or so guys including me forged on to finish our feat making up for our indiotic off course attack. To give the group credit, the attack was feirce and the course markings were lacking. There too was one motocyclist for all race categories leaving a large margin of error. So, we missed the only course turn. Awesome, so I held in, focused on my nirtition plan and won the sprint in my group hopefully landing me in a top hat finish. I'll repost results asap. Also, I set my watch to alarm me every :45 minutes at which I would take an endurolyte caplet, drink something, and munch a little cliff bite from all the cut-up bite size bars that collectied lint from my jersey pocket. This seemed manageable and allowed me to excell in the sprint putting the smack down salvadging a race and putting a smile on my face. Thanks for reading - Matt Chappell. Dunnigan, the most boring road race ever.

SSWC08 Race Report. August 24, 2008. Napa, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Conrad) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:38:00 +0000

L-R: Greg Forsyth of Cyclepaths, Gary Mandy, Conrad Snover, Rich Blanco, Glenn Rawlinson, Carl Dekker (2008 Champ)

By Conrad Snover
The SSWC is approximately 30% serious race, 50% costume party, and 20% beer drinking, and we allocated our efforts appropriately. We dressed up, drank beer, and raced hard and had an amazing time

The NY Times wrote a great article, describing the race pretty well; read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/sports/othersports/31cycling.html and be sure to view the slideshow.

While half our team was racing in Santa Cruz, the other half - the misfits - gathered in Napa for some serious tomfoolery and shenanigans. The course was super technical, and scared many people into stopping halfway through the first lap and focusing on drinking beer more than riding. Forrest ran farther than he probably ever has in his life (his motto: why walk or run when you can ride?), while wearing a black velour jacket with gold embroidering, to earn an entry. The HUGE effort certainly cost him a few places, but at this race… who cares?

As we were all milling about waiting to hear how the LeMans style start would work, Glenn had an epiphany. He was worrying about how technical the course was while I was worrying about my gear and tire selection, and he looked at me and said – who cares!? The beautiful thing about this race, is that nothing matters. We’re all there to have fun; we’re simply not going to contest against guys like Carl Dekker, Barry Wicks and Travis Brown.

Even with this perspective, I still stressed. I was worried that I had too easy of a gear (32x20), and I hadn’t ridden the Michelin Dry 2.3 on the rear – it was huge. The gear worked out ok, though I was spinning a little more than I’d like. The rear tire was too big and rubbed against my chainstay with every right pedal stroke. I was poopy when I finished the race since I also felt lousy and through the entire race didn't feel like I could get on top of my gear, and it took a while for me to be happy with how well I did and remember how fun it was.

Glenn and Forrest

Next year: Durango amyone?

Click here for our Flickr Gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21265854@N02/sets/72157607029043182/

Results:
8th: Conrad Snover
12th: Gary Mandy
24th: Rich Blanco
58th: Glenn Rawlinson
63rd: Forrest Huisman

University Road Race - UCSC

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Last weekend we packed up the subie and marched down to San Francisco catching the last part of the Radiohead concert in Golden Gate Park. This marked the first-ever night concert in the park. Katie, being a little apprehensive in my taste of music had no idea what she was about to see. As we entered the concert and jockeyed for viewing position amongst 60,000 other Radioheads we realized, or at least I did, that we we're taking part in an experience that I deem "the future of music experience" or at least the present of which I may be behind the curve. The show consisted of brilliantly performed music, amazing interactive large screen televisions with extremely, and often awkwardly pleasant images of the band in vibrant color schematics and euphoric sound/image matching. Radiohead was absolutely awesome. Exiting the park with 60,000 other people made for an interesting experience. Yellow jackets were swarming everywhere, I was stung on the tip of my nose, Allana was stung everywhere important, so we jumped fences and hugged the tree line landing us seats at a great Thai restaurant soon after.

After waking up in Pacific Heights we ventured down the coast, the girls got out and rode Highway 1, and Ramsey and I headed for the University Road Race Course to pre-ride the course. At first glance it appeared like an easy race to me. The next day proved me to be wrong as Ramsey, Devon, Andy, and I (me) all took part in what would eventually become a struggle for survival.

Good positioning in the race proved helpful but nutrition, once again, caught me by surprise. The course was a 3.5 mile loop. You start on a slight climb and then you descend while admiring the coast, then ascend, descend, and repeat 15 times. Ascending the climb took the heart to max love and descending put you into a cold recovery. If you fall out of sync, and the peloton keeps this rhythm, then you miss out on the recovery and get popped on the climb. It sounds easy doesn't it, well it is if you remain focused. On the 12th lap, up the climb I struck up a conversation with a fellow rider wearing a BikeRX kit. BikeRX is a rad Mill Valley, CA bike shop who coined the bike vending machine which apparently Trek put in their distribution catalog for 2009. At least this is what I remember from conversing at heart rate max.

Next, I learned that my fellow conversator and I let a 5 foot gap turn to 10 feet and witnessed a surge. We sessioned up the steep climb and rotated pulls quickly landing us back in the back protected with 3 remaining laps. The next climb was all out and recovery was out of sync. The entire peloton blew and small groups formed everywhere. I was in the chase group rotating through within the top ten at this point.

We chased, chased some more while closing in when my legs began resisting the tremendous variance in heat. It went from a freezing descent to a 90 degree exposed climb every ten minutes or so leading to fierce cramping with just 1-2 remaining laps.

With one lap to go, and my best finish yet, I kept focus and envisioned windmills swooping around naturally which helped me to keep a pedal rhythm.

The embarrassing part about this was that 4-5 people passed me 200 yard before the finish line where my largest ever cheering crew sat hooping and hollering for my finish. I dreamt of attacking and actually surged. My surge looked great, to me, but it only lasted long enough for the other riders to notice and then pick up pace themselves landing me a top 15 finish instead of my top 5 goal.

As I crossed the finish line, I dropped my chain, literally right on the line. As means of survival, I popped my cleats out, jumped from the bike, had an entire body cramp - Allana grabbed my bike shouting "just get me off this thing" (she was reading my mind) and I tip toed very quickly, while crying deep inside, into the shade where I would lay down looking up at the 15 fans staring down at me saying so many positive things like you inspired me, you could have had it, it was a tough one and on and on.

Nonetheless, it was a ton of fun from start to finish. Congratulations to Ramsey for tremendous progress this last week in both UCSC and Boca, to Andy for making dreams reality, and to Devon for getting in where you fit in (a San Ardo victory for DV). Also, thanks to everyone who joined us in Santa Cruz, I hope you attend another event, just wear spandex next time.

Thanks for reading and go see Radiohead if you get the chance.

Matt Chappell

Winters Road Race Report Aug 16, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Conrad) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:27:00 +0000

Winters Road Race is set on a 25 mile loop of beautiful clean roads with one short 5 minute climb.

Conrad Snover: Cat 3: 75 miles
In Cat 4 races (and also Cat 5 ) riders aren’t allowed to break away because the pack always chases them down within a mile or so. For this reason, the safest way to finish in the top 6 and get points is surely to sit in the pack and wait for the sprint. After a few Cat 4 races, I’d become a bit of an expert at sitting at the back and doing nothing, then unleashing the fury for the final sprint. In Cat 3 races, riders are allowed to break and sometimes additional riders bridge up to them, though that can be tough. These breaks then sometimes make it to the finish before the pack, but are often swept up with just a few miles to go, just like in the pro races I watch on TV.

In all of my Cat 3 races so far, a break away has successfully made it to the finish and won the race; or at least someone from the breakaway made it, often many of the other riders are shelled then passed by the peloton, only to finish far down in the standings. Last weekend at Patterson Pass, I hadn’t quite adapted my strategy for Cat 3 races yet, and while socializing at the back of the pack halfway around the first lap, watched the winning break shoot off the front, never to be seen again. I was annoyed with my lapse of attention, tried to initiate a chase, and finally ended up helping create a second break.

This last weekend at Winters, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake, and positioned myself near the front so I’d be able to respond. Several breaks were attempted, but all were reeled in by the pack. I had joined all breaks and was recovering from my latest effort when yet another break went off, and I wasn’t prepared to cover. After a few minutes, I tried to bridge, but decided I didn’t want to lay it all out and risk blowing up. Of course this was the break that got away. I ate myself up about missing it, and thought through the best way for one guy without teammates to cover all the breaks. I concluded that it’s just not possible. Instead I’ve got to learn who’s strong, and wait to go with them. I kept my position near the front, and just sort of hung out for the rest of the race. With 5 miles to go, we caught all the riders from the break one by one. Time to get aggressive.

The finish was a dicey affair. The road was mostly flat for the final few miles, so speeds were high. Riders were darting in and out, trying to get on wheels and out of the wind, trying to stay near the front but not be at the front. I rode aggressively, taking a wheel when there was even a tiny opening, stuck my elbows out to keep some knucklehead from passing me on the yellow line and followed the biggest/strongest looking guy when we went for the sprint. He quickly opened up a lead, then I snaked him at the line for my first Cat 3 win.

Nate Freed: P/1/2, 100 miles
Many times while I am racing, I think about all the witty stuff that I want to write in my race report the next day. How I was feeling, the funny shit that happens, and all the weird stuff that guys talk about, etc. Then after the race I forget almost everything. It's like one of those extremely vivid dreams that you completely forget about when you wake up. Then all I can remember is how hard it was, where the hills were, and various other boring details about the race.

Eric Wohlberg from Symmetrics was at the race. He's fast. He is affectionately known as "Team Wohlberg" by some members of the P/1/2 field. I would assume that this is because he is always racing the NorCal races without teammates, but dominates as a strong team would nonetheless. The course is a mostly flat 25 mile lap with one real climb followed by a sketchy technical decent. This climb proved to be the major deciding factor, which I discovered on the first lap. I didn't get dropped, which in itself was a small accomplishment for me. On the second lap I decided that I should stay as close as possible to the front. The only problem with that is that the strongest guys on the front hit the climb in an all out sprint, which I can only hold for so long. I held it together, and noticed that by the time we hit the third lap, at least a third of the field was already gone. Once we reached the climb on the third lap, I was pretty much smoked. We had already ridden about 65-70 miles, and were averaging a swift 25 mph. So on the climb when the pace was once again upped to insanity pace, I dropped off with a few other guys. We chased for about 5 miles, and never would have caught the field, except for some reason they were neutralized. I think it is because they were starting to catch a group that was nearing the finish. So there I was, back in the main pack with about 30 other guys who were all stronger than me. I was the last person to catch back up before we were de-neutralized. I hung for about 15 more miles, eating and drinking everything I could, but it was to no avail. My legs were locking up with monster cramps and I was completely shot. So I just rode the last 10 miles solo, passed a few guys who cracked worse than me, and finished the race in 4:15. I imagine that the leaders finished right around 4 hours flat.... fast race. It was a small victory for me because I had dropped out of the last 2 races that I entered.... I can't really recall ever dropping out of a race before this year(not even for a crash or mechanical) so it has been a bit demoralizing for me. However, I have been noticing that these P/1/2 races have around a 50% completion rate, or much less. Last week at Patterson Pass only 10 guys finished! My goal for the rest of the season is to maintain my current fitness, and hopefully eventually reach a point where I can hang with NorCal's best of the best. Congrats to Conrad and Andy, who both won their respective races!!!

Results:
Conrad Snover, 1st place Cat 3
Nate Freed, TBD P/1/2
Andy Scott, 1st place Masters Cat 5

Sky Tavern XC - Nevada State Championships

noreply@blogger.com (admin) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:06:00 +0000

I'm on the poseum. Photos by Katie Linnett.

Riding a single speed bike is fun, to a degree. Going up hill makes you feel like your towing a train in a strong man competition but there is something fun about pedaling a hard tail bike once again and doing so with only one gear. It's a familiar practice in that it has similarities to running which many of us have experience with. You stand a lot, and coast a lot. This race was my 3rd ride total on a single speed so I set out with little expectation and a lot of unanswered questions about descending and maintaining momentum. Immediately I thought to jump on teammate Justin Thomas' wheel but, as the pictures exemplifies, this man is like a freight train and leaves most riders in his small but wicked wake.

At the start my plan immediately changed and I jumped on local racer Jason Walker's wheel. I paced with him for as long as I could and made sure that I could see him on the course to remain aware of my position which at this point would be the two spot.

Not bad, at the top of the next ascent I caught the rabbit. He flatted and said "go win". I rode the remainder of the race picking off geared riders trying to get to the top 5. I could have ridden in happy with my place but I wanted to work for it, and since I knew I was out in front I focused on staying there, socializing with as many riders as I could catch, and enjoying this awesome XC day. The finish line was right at the crest of this little popper so I finished by airing it out. Nothing feels better than a little hang time at high speed. I cannot wait until Scott makes a single speed race bike, count me in. This single race also awarded me with a 3rd place finish for the Single Speed Class in the State of Nevada for 2008. Not all that bad for a Sunday close to home. Following the race I went out for a recovery ride up to the Lookout chairlift at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort with the lovely Miss Linnett. I took a short nap and woke up by following Miss Linnett down to the river. This section of single track is super fun. It rolls through sweeping forested turns all the way down to the Truckee River where Katie and I jumped in, cleaned-up, and hit the Bridge Tender for a pint and some food. Another epic day chalking up 45 miles of Single Speed riding/racing. It’s going to be a coin flip decision on which bike to ride in the Tahoe Sierra 100. The clock is ticking, and the Cyclepaths/Wildcherries Racing Team is holding their own in every discipline which is beginning to become a team mantra. Along with "Get A Life"...alright I'm punchin out. Wait, wait, rumor has it that a few cats are gunning for Conrad's podium spot at the Tahoe Sierra 100. I hope they're waking up at 5 a.m. for 50 milers on Truckee dopest trails or else their going to pay the piper...better have cash in hand cause we're collecting. Unleash the plaidzilla.

Justin Thomas Writes:

Wow! What an exciting last week I had. I'm the proud papa of our new baby boy Charlie and he has exactly 3 months till he needs to be on his trike taking my Computrainer classes this winter.
But in all seriousness this has been an eye opening experience with a slight shift in priorities. We'll just have to see how the rest of the racing shapes up these last few months.

I was able to utilize some of the fitness and random hard workouts I've coupled together to do the Mt. Rose hill climb race 3 weeks ago and the Sky Tavern Mtb. race two weeks ago.

As Paul mentioned (thanks for the props), we raced from Thomas Creek Road to the Mt Rose summit. Having never TT'd or ridden "hard" up Mt. Rose it was going to be interesting with the altitude and long length. I knew the bottom third was relatively fast and flat so I went out hard and was quickly making up time on the highway into the two lane road. I tired to keep a high, steady HR throughout but may have gone out too hard as my HR drifted slightly down during the last third of the race. The wind was a little stronger at the top and I didn't feel as fast but I was happy to go under 1 hour. I had no idea how I would finish against the other as I didn't wait around to check results. I met up with Paul on my cooldown and was happy to commit to doing another few hours around Incline and back over Rose. I ended up 4th in 59:06 (I think), 5 or so mins. behind 1st and ~30 seconds separating 2nd-4th. All in all a good hard training day.

The following weekend I met up with Chappy and Ben R. for the Sky Tavern mtb. race. As Matt and Ben will tell you, I think this race is the best mtb. race in our area with a looped course which has a good balance of hard climbs, technical descents, fireroads, rocks, roots, altitude, etc. I felt pretty good going into the race and knew the course really well as I usually incorporate this course into my long mtb. rides. I went to the front early on the opening climb and set a pace I felt was hard but appropriate knowing we would do 4x 6 mile laps. No one came with me so I was on my own for the rest of the day. My laps were consistently around :28 and I felt better as the race wore on. I had an idea of how much time I had on my opponents and knew to ride smooth and strong to the finish on the last lap. I spoiled my day by being over confident on the fire road section of the last descent and overcooked the turn by catching my handlebar on the sidelying bushes. Unfortunately, I was going REALLY fast and hit the ground HARD. Somehow I managed not to damage my bike but thank god I was wearing a helmet as I've got a few cracks to show off. My left elbow took most of the fall and now I'm nursing a good bone bruise and needing to do some serious PT on my range of motion. With the adrenaline going, I surprisingly got back on my bike for the remaining few minutes and won by 5 or so minutes. Looking back I would have preferred to win by 1 second and not have fallen on that last descent. I learned my lesson that anything can happen regardless of how good you're feeling. Boy was I humbled. Matt kicked ass in the single speed division as he took home the crown and Ben held on for a solid top 5 result. I hope everyone else is doing well and congrats to the SSWC and Univ. RR racers. Last words: keep the rubber side down!

JT

To see more images of the race click here.

2008 Mt. Rose Hill Climb TT Report

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Schaffner) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:39:00 +0000

The Paul Mckenzie Report

Gents,

JT (Justin Thomas) and I raced the Mt. Rose Hill Climb today. JT was one of the late starters and spent the race passing tons of dudes, (including me) and tackling the 13.7 mile, 3700' climb in a few ticks under an hour. The average gradient over the course is 5.1%. For anyone math challenged, that means JT averaged nearly 14 mph up the huge climb.

I spent the day being passed by all the fast guys, and I personally didn't see anyone going any faster than JT. He may have won the event, no results yet, but if not he was for sure one of the top guys!

After the race JT and I rode down the hill into Incline for some snacks and Gatorade, then rode back over the summit a second time. Janet also rode both sides at her own pace.

I did the ride as a tempo training ride, holding my HR at about 160 bpm average. I finished something like 15 minutes slower than JT!

I was really stoked to see JT riding so well, and his Downieville win is not as much of a surprise to me after seeing him ride today.

Photos Courtesy of Heidi Littenberg

Results

Max Polin, 55:44
Christopher Jones, 58:38
Chad Timmerman, 59:01
Justin Thomas, 59:06
Paul Mckenzie, 1:16:25

2008 Howell Mountain Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Blanco) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:07:00 +0000

2008 Howell Mountain Challenge (Angwin, CA)

R. Blanco, Expert Single Speed, 1st (1/7)

Sunday, 10 Aug 2008

Well the stars aligned for this race, the pro and expert single speeds had separate categories (Maile took it easily), and most of the real racers were tapped from Patterson the day prior. I decided on Saturday night to join the three time National Mountain Bike Champion (Henry Kramer) for a good hard effort. With his primary season objective met, he was just starting to prep for cyclocross and check out the Angwin trails.

The course included three 8.5mi laps with a section to/from the lap circuit. Many of the sections were included in the early season Napa Valley Dirt Classic, but run in the reverse direction. Most notably, the singletrack forest sections were super twisty, rolling, and perfect for railing on a single.

My start was good and I went into the singletrack with a 29er up front and right behind. The switchback laden singletrack presented a clear advantage for me versus the big rollers and I pulled away, but not by much. Luckily my running form is coming around, and I was recovering well from the back section steep fireroads climbs. After finishing two and half laps, I was caught on the fireroad descents ... those 29ers are really smooth over those and speedy. But I kept it close, and knew I was going to be tough on the climbs back to the finish. On the first steep pitch, I ran by the leader and never looked back. It was really cool coming onto the track in the lead and enjoying the solo finish. Gold baby!

Burnout, 2008 Training Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Schaffner) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:40:00 +0000

I'm done, I'm cooked, I'm fed-up, I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm grumpy, I'm depressed, I'm burnt-out. I've been training hard since December of 2007 and I think I finally popped my own cork.

After I finished the Cascade Classic Stage Race (a major goal of the year) a few weeks ago, I suddenly lost all desire to ride my bike. I was hoping to hold my form through July and finish strong at the State Road Championships before taking a break. Instead my bike has sat almost dormant in my garage, still riddled with dead bugs from Bend, Oregon.

What happened, where did I go wrong? Am I over-trained, over-reached or just a big pussy? This is the first season that I kept a detailed daily record of all my training data, including stress and recovery systems. In theory, analyzing this data will reveal the answer to my lack-of motivation.

Mantra to Form & Fitness Enlightenment

Working out hard, followed by recovering even harder brings adaptation and an increase in fitness. Rinse and repeat ad nauseam. That's training in its simplest terms. Workout hard; recover harder. Recovery > Workout.

It took me years to grasp this concept. And as simple as it is, I still haven't mastered it. Whether it's the lure of a fast group ride, a doubt in my form that provokes an extra training session or simply too many junk miles; upsetting the recovery balance is frighteningly easy. Even with the foresight of my over training temptations, I often still find myself grinding along on tired legs, digging my own recovery grave. For optimal growth to occur, that recovery grave-hole needs to be filled back up again before I dare go near it. And not only does that dirt need to packed down, but there should be a layer of grass growing on top as well. If I come back too soon, shovel in-hand, I'll be working with loose soil - which makes it even easier to dig a deeper hole.

During my eight year journey in bike racing, I don't think I've stood on green grass very often, and I sure as hell haven't stayed fresh enough to let any flowers grow. But this season was going to be different. By using daily stress monitoring methods, I planed on turning into the "Johnny Appleseed" of balanced training.

TRIMPS

Starting this year, I began tracking my training loads using a method know as TRIMPS (Training Impulse Score). The basic calculation for TRIMPS is duration times average HR (heart rate). I add weight to the equation by incorporating perceived exertion (scale of 1-10) and heart rate zones (zones 1-5).

(Zone A Minutes x Zone A Average HR) x A
+
(Zone B Minutes x Zone B Average HR) x B
x
Perceived Exertion = TRIMPS

This formula gives me a numerical representation of total training load for any given workout. The differences in TRIMPS scores from day-to-day and week-to-week are usually confirmed by my waking HR and perceived level of fatigue. So by comparing the following three values;

TRIMPS Score
Percieved Level of Fatigue
Waking HR

I am able to quantify my training, recovery and responses. By monitoring this data I am able to plan and adjust my training schedules accordingly.

I have graphed out a portion of the 2008 season using TRIMPS, noting the major events of each week. My training loads are planned around the A priority events (in red), gradually building intensity and duration. Before an A level event, I typically take a rest week to achieve total adaptation.

By combining Average Waking HR and Perceived Level of Fatigue on top of TRIMPS data, I can construct a pretty good picture of how, where, what and why.

Breaking Down the Data

Upon analyzing the chart, it appears that I was able to keep my fatigue levels under control through the 4th week in May. From January through May, I had the appropriate amount of rest versus work load as indicated by my waking HR and fatigue levels returning to baseline.

During the 3rd week in March I had my highest recorded TRIMPS levels of the season. Copperopolis Road Race coupled with a very high training volume in the same week led to the high numbers. Obviously my performance at Copperopolis suffered because of the energy expended that week. Fortunately I took it very easy the following seven days, and was probably lucky that I flatted in the first six miles of Wards Ferry as it gave me another full week of rest.

Farther down the year, my results during the 5 week period of Sea Otter, Gila and Mt Hood reflect an almost perfectly timed peak of form. It was the workout hard, rest harder and adapt mantra executed to a T. But then I flew a little close to the sun.

Ciclismo Italia

It's a bit tricky to spot on the chart, but I melted my wings in the week following Mt Hood. The results of which caused a ripple effect through the rest of the season. After finishing Mt Hood I flew straight to Italy for a two week vacation. My body had a chance to super-compensate while sleeping on the plane for 2 days, and my recovery was further boosted by living at sea level once in Europe.

After my flight landed I went for a quick spin. From my very first pedal stroke, I could tell that the super-compensation had funneled some tremendous power into my legs. Yet I was hesitant to go hard. The idea behind my vacation in Italy was to get some true rest and effectively split my season in half. I was still going to ride, just not very hard. Recovery > Workout, remember?

The next day I mapped out what appeared to be a fairly easy ride, but instead it turn out to be an epic mountain pass filled jaunt into Switzerland. Once again, I was feeling amazing on the pedals, strong than I have felt all season. Without trying, I was ascending 2-3mph faster than normal, and I had the power to climb like that all day. I tried to throttle my efforts, but it felt so good to be able to charge so hard. It was a no-chain day, where riding seemed effortless. It was the culmination of fitness built from back-to-back stage races and 6 months of solid training. But...

And It Was a Trap

The rest of the trip was spent doing long, epic, body draining rides as I savored this penultimate form. I threw all plans to rest peacefully out the window. I had lost all sense of logic and Workout > Recovery. As a result, my fatigue levels following Italy were at a record high (and they were already high). I had sore legs for a week when I returned to stateside. I should have been resting in Italy, instead I was doing the hardest rides of my life, and digging myself a huge recovery hole. My TRIMPS scores for these two week reflect how good I felt, as my perceived exertion was minimal and resulted in very low stress numbers. While I had the legs to ride hard, I didn't have the reserves or cortisol buffers to tolerate so much volume and intensity.

My next mistake was to jump right back into my training plan post Europe. Since Italy was logged as rest weeks in my diary, and the TRIMPS scores were reasonably low, I assumed I had it in me to continue with Goal #2 of the season, the Cascade Classic. All the while I was blatantly ignoring my fatigue levels. I stacked three huge training/racing weeks before Cascade. These three weeks combined equaled about six weeks of normal training load. No wonder I blew up.

I have some scary notes in my logs from that period. All I talk about is needing more sleep, feeling tired, slow and sore. My fatigue levels stayed really high throughout this period. Going into Cascade, I just didn't feel right. I had fitness, but absolutely no form. Meaning I had the engine to power the legs, but my motor had been running too hot for too long and was starting to seize up. I needed an oil change, a new air filter and some cool-down time to polish my abused pistons back to spec.

It finally all came crashing down post Cascade. Not only was I physically worn down, but the day-to-day minutiae of training right, eating right and sleeping right cracked my morale. I started getting dropped on group rides. My muscles felt like crackling dry dog-crap through every pedal stroke. My placing in races had become mediocre. My mind started to wander from the dedicated life of an athlete. Cycling is 90% mental and I'm already mentally unstable. So tossing a wrench of failed expectations into my psyche is a surefire way to derail all training plans.

Conclusion

And that's where I stand today. The desire to compete still hasn't returned. I'm trying my best to keep riding, as I don't want to lose my hard earned fitness. I'm sorta watching my weight, sorta monitoring my diet and sorta exercising with a modicum of enthusiasm.

Was I over trained? Yes, as indicated by abnormal fatigue and motivation levels. Am I a big pussy? Possibly. Is bike racing the most selfish sport in existence, leading to douche bags spewing endless online tales lamenting over their own fitness? That's a question for a real man to answer, not a giant weeping vagina on wheels.

Reno Wheelmen Boca Road Race July 22, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Conrad) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:23:00 +0000

By Conrad (photos by Alanna):

L-R: Conrad, Nate and Ramsey (along with Nick not in the photo) rode to the Boca Road Race from the Start Haus. On the way there, I asked my teammates how we were going to win. We created a complex plan that wouldn't materialize. Instead we all rode as best we could, helped each other out where possible - especially Nate and I, who were able to race together with the front group for the whole race.

L-R: Nick, Nate, Conrad. Um, yeah, we live here.

At the end, there were about 8 of us remaining in the lead pack and I went for it from the back, around the outside and won the sprint. Goddamn I love sprinting. We were joined for the ride out and back by Andy Scott, a Cat 5 Truckee local who delivered a solid 6th place in the Bs. On the way back, we took the Boca-Roubaix dirt road route. The Boca Road Race is one of the highlights of racing in truckee. It's close and in a beautiful setting: riding home on dirt backroads while the sun is setting is hard to beat. Since I'm always traveling for work, I unfortunately don't get the opportunity to do this race every month, but I sure wish I could, it's one of the summer's highlights.

Photo Gallery Compliments of Alanna Hughes:
http://flickr.com/photos/21265854@N02/sets/72157606357919134/

Chickadee Underground Race #1 2008

noreply@blogger.com (macpaulster) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:03:00 +0000

On Saturday, July 19th, the second season of Chickadee Underground racing commenced with Chickadee #1, a 50 mile epic mt. bike course between Truckee and Tahoe City, CA, and back. Ten hearty souls showed up to tackle the tough course. For two of us, it was OTB, though we didn't ride the OTB trail. Forrest went Over The Bars, while I was Off The Back.

On one of the descents on the Rim Trail, Forrest hit something hidden in the dust and launched over the bars doing a full flip and landing on his back. This kept his injuries a little less visible, (limited to his back) and he did jump a bit when I forgot, and slapped him on the back to congratulate him on a job well done.

This year's course was "easier" than the previous year though it's a little absurd implying there was anything easy about the course. It was well designed with manageable fire road climbs (great for socializing and keeping the heart rate from skyrocketing) while descending epic single track. But with that said, it's still a 50 mile mt. bike course with tons of climbing, so it isn't an easy ride. Thanks to Conrad for putting together the well thought out route.

We sampled trails such as Power Line, 2 Beavers and a Bear, Schaffer Creek, Missing Link, Western States, Bob Watson, Happy Face, Rim Trail, and others. Conrad, Forrest, and Nick Damner rode single speed. This bummed me out as I had a cable housing failure and rode the whole course in the middle ring. Normally, I'd have an excuse for getting dropped, "Well, I only had 9 gears." But that sort of whining doesn't work when guys are riding single speeds!

It was an epic day with great riding. Although it's a point series race, it's really more of a brisk social ride, which makes it super fun!

Conrad, Ben, Forrest, Eric, and Nick stayed more or less together for the entire race and finished together with some sprinting at the end. Emma broke off early and did a slightly shorter version of the ride. I got dropped, lost, and did some "extra credit" finishing with 52 miles total. LT, Janet, and Annmarie started off with us, then broke off early on and did their own version.

After the ride we hosed off behind the Blue Coyote, then slipped inside for burgers and beer. Then, not quite done with our day, we headed for the docks on Donner Lake, re-uniting with Janet, LT, Annemarie, and surprise guests Katerina and Marcus for a nice dip in the Lake.

If that wasn't enough, we then headed home for a quick shower, and rallied over to Old Greenwood to catch a free Kenny Loggins concert on the golf course...and that got us thinking -- not so much about Kenny Loggins, but about golf. So we decided to forfeit our bike riding on Sunday to play 9 holes of golf at Ponderosa. Other than whacking a few houses with stray golf balls, and Conrad getting busted by the Course Marshal for violating the dress code (no shirt), it was pretty sweet. Naturally, we enjoyed a few PBR's on the course.

After feeling guilty about being lazy and playing golf, we thought we'd maybe take a ride in the afternoon. But after thinking about it a little more, we instead decided to continue the lazy trend, going for some Mexican Food at El Toro Bravo, and afterward settled in at Conrad and Lisa's watching the Tour de France on the flat screen, dozing in and out as Phil and Paul carried us through the epic mountain stage.

Check out Forrest's GPS data from the Chickadee ride here:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6295099

And stay tuned for Chickadee #2...check the CWC racing schedule here:

http://cwcracing.org/?section=schedule

And learn more about the Chickadee Underground Race series here:

http://www.chickadeeunderground.blogspot.com/

Results:

1. Ben Raggins 17pts.
2. Forrest Huisman 17pts.
3. Eric Ronning 17pts.
4. Nick Damner 14pts.
5. Conrad Snover 13pts.
6. Emma Gerrard 12pts.
7. Paul McKenzie 11pts.

Downieville Classic Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (Conrad) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:30:00 +0000

L-R: Ben (Northstar), Conrad, Matt, Forrest, Justin

Results:
Justin Thomas 2:06:11, 1st Pro XC, Spark 15
Conrad Snover 2:16:19, 1st Singlespeed, Scale 15
Matt Chappell 2:25:28, 7th Expert, Spark 15
Forrest Huisman 2:30:01, 6th Singlespeed, Scale 15
Ben Ragains 2:24:04, 14th Pro XC (Team Northstar/Giant)
Full Event Results: http://www.srtiming.com/results.html

Scott bikes was at Downieville, and posted a story about our team’s success. http://www.scottusa.com/news/bike/1434

Our favorite local newspaper also ran a story:
http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20080717/SPORTS/502840310/1052

From Conrad Snover:

The Downieville Classic is one of the most epic mountain bike races in California. Huge names come from across the country to try their hand at this difficult course. We traveled out 4 times to pre-ride and check out the course. In doing so, I determined that I needed an easier gear (20t cog instead of the 18t that drove me to tears on the first 2 tries) and bigger, thicker tires than the ones that gave me 2 flats on 2 different pre-rides (note: last year I was in 2nd when I got a flat, and ended up 7th).

This year all the practice worked, and I won the singlespeed division. That of course made my day, but hanging out in the gold-rush town of Downieville, where in 1848 someone found a single gold nugget worth $85K, and the town was so remote that new boots cost $150, with my teammates was the highlight. The town hosts a big-air bike jump contest into the river, closes the street for beer drinking and live music, and holds a pixie-cross race (bike race with adults on little kids' bikes). It truly is an insanely fun place to ride, and hang out after a ride.

From Justin Thomas:
I half expected to ride well with the recon. we had done over the previous weeks and one final smokey ride on the Wednesday before the race with Ben R. (looking back, that was too close to be riding the whole course). Even though I wasn't racing the All Mtn. category I knew lining up at or near the front would help keep things smooth leading onto the loose gravel road for most of the climb. I situated myself on the climb at a pace I knew I could maintain and possibly increase at the top. I rode most of the climb with Mark Weir and Mike Vine and was 6th going into the first short section of singletrack. Felt pretty smooth and fast but when I got back onto the gravel road for a few up and down miles, I was a little more tired than expected. I got caught by 4 All Mtn. guys working together leading up to the technical "Baby Head" section. I figured I wouldn't see these guys again after checking out their 5-6" travel bikes cruising by. Of course the bike doesn't make the rider so they all came back when things got technical. My Scott Spark with its smooth 4 inches of travel did the job perfectly and kept things light when the trail occassionally turned upwards.

I rode most of the descent faster than I had in training and was making good time down the mountain. Of course I had to spoil my luck when about 2/3 of the way down I stupidly reached for my bottle in the middle of on coming technical section. Not realizing how fast I was going and how quickly the next section was coming, I didn't get my hand back to my handlebar in time and ended up crashing on my right side. I was pretty upset with myself and couldn't believe I had made such a foolish mistake. One rider from behind caught me as I was doing damage control. With the adrenaline rushing, I quickly got back on and was determined to get my place back. Heading into the final few miles, I told myself to stay on his wheel and wait my turn. It seemed the crash had taken the wind out of my sails as I slowly lost contact with this rider and soon heard other riders coming from behind. Within the last 2 pedal intensive miles, I got passed by the other 2 All Mtn. riders I had passed at the top.

I ended up finishing 9th behind All Mtn. category riders and luckily happened to be the first Pro Solo XC rider. I was pleased to have finished in the top 10 but know I can improve a lot on my performance and give the All Mtn. Category a serious run; possibly with the assitance of a Scott Genius All Mtn. race bike!!

My Cyclepaths-Wild Cherries Racing team equipment worked perfectly ranging from my Giro helmet and Oakley Radars on top all the way down to my Adidas carbon soled shoes. In summary, I had a great time racing and the whole atmosphere of Downieville should not be missed.

From Forrest Huisman:
Smoky Bear isn’t too happy these days…our outdoor playground is still ablaze. Fortunately, the wind shifted and skies cleared Saturday morning for Ben, Matt, Katie, JT, Conrad and I. For our 9:30 AM start along the slightly steep and narrow Sierra Buttes Road, the temperature seemed abnormally warm and humid. Is it possible that 500 staged racers can affect the weather in Sierra City?

With the Announcer’s countdown, we were off…kind of. Despite a few locked handlebars and squirrelly mounts on either side, the peloton gained momentum as spectators flashed their cameras and happily cheered amid poison oak. At this venue in particular, it’s very important to secure good position up near the front, I am sure JT will give pointers if asked.

Climbing, surprisingly, is not my strength. So, to stay cool, I took full advantage of the misting station and another obscure creek crossing along the first half hour of the climb. This tactic kept me refreshingly energized for the remaining exposed climb, although I am sure it allowed the entire Sport Category to catch me. By the time the infamous hike-a-bike section was behind me, my ego rebounded quickly as I started making multiple passes all the way up toward Packer Saddle (It also helped that I was racing within the Sport Category). Thanks to my Scott Scale singlespeed, no wattage was lost, helping me carve uphill like I’ve never experienced before.

After seeing lovely Katie at the top, I was tempted to stop and chat, drink my feed, and cheer for those I just passed. But with Sunshine Trail just around the corner, I set my sights on three guys that weren’t worthy of the holeshot. Although my 20 cog allowed for good climbing, it also provided ample entertainment for the spectators along the flats. With my legs rotating at 130 rpm (probably higher), I passed all three just before the timing mat and proceeded to stir some moondust. Further in, I ran into another fellow racer debuting on his singlespeed, Nick Damner, whom I hadn’t seen in years. I was stoked as we raced and paced each other like old times.

On the descent, I grew increasingly aware of how much I appreciate my ESI grips. Control and comfort, all in one! I didn’t even notice my sweet Giro Atmos (which is a good thing), and was pleased with my super comfy yet rigid Adidas mountain shoes. Reaching down for a snug(er) fit was almost too easy, giving me the extra control I needed to negotiate the infamous terrain ahead. Through the rock gardens, stream crossings, narrow negotiations and super fast sections, I lost count of where I was or who I was chasing…I was living the dream.

As with all dreams, I woke up. In this case, to both quads locking down as I crossed the bridge and started ascending third divide. Thinking I had some time to spare, I stopped to stretch them out a bit. To my disappointment, I looked back to see a train of 10 guys raging up the hill behind me (huge dust cloud and drool on each). I wish I had a photo of my face at that instant…surprise, fear and an oh-shit, all rolled into one. By the time I gained upward momentum, three had passed me again, but only one was able to maintain position over the top of the divide, coincidentally another singlespeed! BTW, I was drooling by then too.

During the final few miles of the race, we battled back and forth through the flat traverses and fast descents. We worked together to gain on others and split through hole shots whenever possible. Thinking of my awesome teammates and inspired road strategies, I maintained fair composure toward the end as we rolled toward the upper asphalt stretches of Downieville. Knowing that we had two small rollers left, I let a few guys shred the final single-track corner and sprint along the asphalt flats. As they gained distance, I grew concerned, but kept my rpm’s high and my eye on the lead.

Fortunately for me, when I create momentum, I tend to keep it awhile. This helped as I managed one final attack as the climb got steep, and as I crested the top, I passed the chase group and sailed in for 6th place among the one-speeders. I was very stoked.

Although the promoters struggled with timing equipment and schedule this year, the Downeville Classic is a must see, must do ‘party’ for next year. I rarely see a better venue and group of people come together. The race course, swimming, food, beer, river bike jumpin’ and festivities were further complimented later by live music on the street, more beer and of course, industry house parties. Overnight in Downieville is a must!

The Start Line:

2008 Vacaville Gran Prix Race Report (Pro 1/2)

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Schaffner) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:42:00 +0000

The twisty course at Vacaville suits my bike handling skills, and the overpass-type hill compliments my skinny ass. I snatched 3rd place at Vacaville in 2007, even after crashing with three laps to go. My true competition in the race this year wouldn't be other riders, but the oppressive heat.

"A man from hell is not afraid of hot ashes." - Dorthy Gilman.

Unfortunately I am from Minnesota.

It was 95 degrees in the shade at 2pm when we toed to the start line. The heat wafted up from the pavement and beamed down from the cloudless sky. The pace wasn't killing me, but the temperature was. 30 minutes into the race I had already gone through both of my water bottles, and there was still about an hour left to go.

With my tongue hanging out of my parched mouth, I started to panic. I paced my efforts by following wheels, doing anything to keep my heartrate down and my body from overheating. The race felt easy on my legs, but my body was starting to shut down from the warm air. With 5 laps to go, I started to get dizzy and my need for water overcame my desire to race. I dropped out of the pack and started asking spectators for some fluids. I spent the rest of the race sitting under a tree next to a drinking fountain, wallowing in a shame spiral.

A big ole' DNF stamp on my forehead was the reward for the day. The winner of the race soloed the last few laps to take the District Championships Jersey. After crossing the finish line he burst into flames, grew huge black horns and pulled out a pitchfork – revealing his secret to tolerating the heat.

2008 Leesville Gap Race Report (Pro 1/2)

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Schaffner) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:15:00 +0000

I won Leesville Gap in 2007 by out-sprinting the other 9 riders from an all-day breakaway. That was in the Cat 4s, a win in the Pro 1/2 field would be much harder. Much much harder, mo-muchly, the muchliest.

Nate and I drove down the night before with the plan to sleep on the lawn outside Williams High School (where registration would happen the following morning). Our blissful ignorance led us to forget it was the evening of the 4th of July. Strike one, loud fireworks all night long. Fortunately it was relatively quiet on the High School soccer field, so we laid out our sleeping bags to catch some sleep. Within seconds of lying down, we were swarmed by mosquitoes. Strike two, an unbearable amount of bug bites. Not all hope was lost, as zipping ourselves completely inside our bags prevented harassment from the buzzing pests. Strike three, sweating to death inside sleeping bags because it was 80 degrees outside.

At 1am and dozens of bites later, we ran off the field and got a motel room.

The Leesville Gap course is a little over 60 miles in length and features the worst pavement of any race in Northern California. About half the race is on broken asphalt and loose gravel. The quality of the road surface is what makes this race difficult. 60 miles feels like 80 because you have to pour so much energy into your bike to maintain traction and a smooth power output. The worst parts of the roads are in the first 30 miles, leaving you utterly destroyed for the later-half of the race. The Copperopolis road race in March is called the “Paris Roubaix” of Nor-Cal - Leesville Gap is far more deserving of that title.

The attacks started right away with teams from McGuire, Cal-Giant and Webcor all trying to shake out a breakaway. I just stayed near the front as I knew the real fireworks would happen along the busted pavement before the big climb, with the final selection occurring on the big climb (3 miles, 1500’ gain) itself. If you don’t make the cut in these decisive first 25 miles, the race is essentially over.

I got stuck behind a large split in the field about a mile before the climb. I shot out of the pack and chased hard to latch onto the front of the race just as the climb started. As I was chasing, I knew that I was probably burning the match that would help me ascend in good position. I was right, the lead group pulled away from me almost immediately and I spent the rest of the climb watching them drift farther and farther away. There is enough downhill and rolling flats following the climb, that a decent sized group can stay away for the remaining 35 miles. But I put my head down anyways and started chasing.

A few miles down the road a McGuire rider flew by me at 30 mph, he was truly hauling ass. I saw that as my opportunity to at least end my suffering on the course a little faster, so I jumped on his wheel. We exchanged pulls for the rest of the race, catching and passing quite a few riders. The McGuire rider did the majority of work, taking monster pulls in comparison to what I was able to output. I finished the day in 18th place - I probably would have died in the heat out there if not for the super-draft of the McGuire rider.

Photos are copyright Through My Eyes Photography.

Truckee Group Rides Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Nick Schaffner) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:38:00 +0000

Starting this week, Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing will now be hosting weekly group road rides from Truckee.

Wild Cherries Ride (every Thursday @ 6:30am)
Our morning hammer-fest road ride starts and ends at Wild Cherries coffee shop in Truckee. About an hour long, route varies each week - but expect some climbing. The group will not wait for dropped riders.

Cyclepaths Ride (every other Friday @ 5:00pm)
An evening social road ride that starts and ends at Cyclepaths bike shop in Truckee. About an hour long, with flat terrian and an easy pace.

Anyone and everyone is invited to join the team on these rides. They are scheduled to continue from now through the end of September.