Kent Park 2010 Review

A cold, yet inspired morning greated the nearly 130 riders who participated in the 2010 Kent Park Spring Classic. This event serves as a sort of spring opener for Iowa racers; a chance to reunite with cycling friends and test skills & fitness against some of the best talent in the region.  The course is a 6 lap, hilly circuit totaling around 24 miles.  The racers are staged according to category with seperate fields for masters and women.  (Below: Charging up the finish line hill, chasing the Cat 1,2 field with Cat 3 riders in tow as the second lap began).

There were 14 Cat 1,2 riders that took off first, followed by me and 17 other Cat 3 racers about a minute later, with the rest of the field released at similar intervals.  Traditionally, the fields chase each other to create one large field, however that wasn't quite the case this year.  Most of the fields maintained seperate peletons. 

I was interested in catching up with the Cat 1,2 field and took some pulls as the front to help bring things together.  It actually took us an entire lap and a half to bridge up the Cat 1,2 field.  At this point, it was apparent that some riders from the bigger teams must have escaped because the pace was noticably controlled.  I believe that Bikes 2 You had Derek Cassady and Bryan Moritz up the road, and that Velosport had previous Kent Park winner, Lou Waugaman in the break as well.  Ultimately, 10 of the 18 Cat 3 riders merged up with this lead group and held on until the final field sprint.

I felt strong today, and spent a lot of time at the front hoping to take advantage of a break opportunity, and perhaps contribute to a tempo that might shell a few Cat 3 riders from time to time.  (Left: the field is cresting the steep finishing hill. I am setting the tempo along with Andrew Fagersten)

None of the attacks stuck and the field was very attentive, so my strategy didn't pan out.

The guys from Goodtime Racing (formerly All-Nine Yards) and Iowa City Cycling (Mercy-Specialized) potentially had incentive to try and chase the breakway, however this didn't seem to be occuring.  From my perspective, I can say that  Andrew Fagersten, Paul Deninger and Ryan French were pretty active, with a handful of other guys making some appearances from time to time.  Unfortunately, being 'active' doesn't usually translate to success if the race ends up as a large field sprint.

Near the end of the last lap the field surged up one of the ascents in anticipation of the approaching finish line hill sprint.  The Cat 1,2's were sprinting for third or fourth, I believe, as the Cat 3 field was still contesting the top placing.  Geoff Perrill (ICCC) was the highest placed Cat 3 and 8th overall.

RESULTS...

Cat 1/2

1. Lou Waugaman (Velosport)

2. Derek Cassaday (B2U/WOB)

3. Bryan Moritz (B2U/WOB)

4. Ryan Nenniger (ICCC)

5. Jeff Bradley (Velosport)

6. Jim Cochran (Atlas)

7. Joe Hetrick (ICCC)

8. Andrew Fagersten(B2U/WOB)

9. Jerome Rewerts (Goodtimes)

10. Lane Anderson (Goodtimes)

11. Paul Deninger (Velosport)
12. Jeff Barnes (ICCC)
13. Will Greenwood(B2U/WOB)
14. Lee Venteicher(B2U/WOB)
Cat 3
1. Geoff Perrill (ICCC)
2. Grant Headley (B2U)
3. Nate Kullbom (Atlas)
4. Daniel Gales(Atlas)
5. Kevin Tempel (B2U)
6. Todd Gillihan (Team Skin)
7. Ryan French (Goodtimes)
8. Chad Bishop (Harper's Racing)
9. Pete Basso (Rasmussen's)
10. Nick Campbell (B2U)
11. Steve Robinson
12. Michael Edwards
13. Gary McNabb
14. Christopher Maharry
15. Steve Reynolds
16. Robert Thompson
17. Matt Gumm
18. Dave Mable

Three fellow teamates participated in the event as well. Greg Harper got 2nd /10 (Master's 50+), Bill Ford got 3rd/13(Master's 40+), and Josh Long got 18th/26(Cat 4).

FULL RESULTS

Cody Race #1 - Results

The Cody Race took place in Scott County Park and featured 5 rolling and windy circuits.  A very respectable turnout of 46 racers lined up for this mass start event.  Jeremy Gantzer shot out of the gates, stringing things out a bit from the get-go.  I noted that I was envious of  this 'cycling specific' build.  His arms reminded me of Janez Brajkovic's (Team RadioShack)...

This is of particular focus for me this year, as I am torn between looking 'attractive and healthy' or looking like a serious competive cyclist.  Well, it is all about power to weight ratio, from my perspective.  I am 12 pounds heavier than at this time last year... I look and feel great, until I step up to the line and prepare to battle the relevant laws of physics.  When my co-workers start suggesting that I should see a doctor because I look emaciated and disease-stricken, I will know that I have achieved the ideal build to compete against regional cat 1/2 racers. 

Anyway, the winner of Sunday's race, Paul Deninger, has landed himself on a great new team called Velosport Racing.  The team captain is none other than Mr. Jeff Bradley.  There is information about Jeff's racing career on wikepedia, so he must be cool.  (side note, one of my 'bucket list' items is to do something historical enough to get my own wikepedia web page.) Most of the team showed up with completely 'sick' green, white and black Trek Project One racing bikes w/ deep dish wheels:

I will admit, that I was intimidated, especially considering the fact that their racing kits matched perfectly.  Sort of had a 'Rock Racing' look to the whole set-up.  Of course, Paul had to be difficult, by having a red bike that didn't match his teammates'... once again, I have been thwarted by color-coded mental trickery.  At some point, I believe toward the end of the first lap, he created a gap.  I recognized the importance of this move and tried to answer by jumping out of the pack to catch up with him.  Unfortunately, I couldn't answer this move. Well, actually, I did have an answer... it was something to the effect of "crap! not gonna happen", and/or "are you shitting me?".

The Velosport team meant business today, and defended this move well.  Toward the end of the race, Jeff Bradley and Jeremy Gantzer snuck off the front as well, leaving the remants of the chase pack that had eventually dwindled down to just eight of us. 

My team had a great day, especially Greg Harper and Bill Ford who each won their Master's divisions.  Greg made a bold jump for the line at about 500 meters out that proved to be timed almost to perfection as he nearly won the field sprint (Austin Turner nipped him at the line).

Though I was disappointed with my results and my impotent racing tactics for the day, I actually do feel that things are going to come together for me in a big way this season... I can't tell you when or how, but you will know... Just look for the twinkle in my (sunken socketed) eye.

Here are the top 11 finishers:

1 Paul Deninger - Velosport Racing - Iowa City, IA - Cat 1

2 Jeff Bradley -Velosport Racing - Davenport, IA - Cat 1

3 Jerimiah Gantzer -unattached - Bettendorf, IA - Cat 3

4 Austin Turner - Colorbiotics - Iowa City, IA - Cat 3

5 Greg Harper - Harper's Cycling - Muscatine, IA - Cat 2 (50+)

6 Brett Bohanan - Proctor Cycling Team - Pekin,IL  -Cat 5

7 Daniel Galles - Atlas EcoLips Cycling - Iowa City, IA - Cat 3

8 William Ford - Harper's Cycling - Illinois Cilty, IL - Cat 3 (40+)

9 Spencer Oswald - Baraboo Sharks - Dubuque, IA - Cat 3

10 Chad Bishop - Harper's Cycling - Muscatine, IA - Cat 3

11 Kevin McConnell - Mercy-Specialized - Iowa City, IA - Cat 4

Complete results

Iowa City's 'City Wok' Section

I entered the second edition of the Iowa Classic Spring Series over the weekend that took place near Iowa City.  It had been raining all week and continued to rain as 10 Cat 1/2/3's lined up to brave the elements.  I really was not sure what kind of bike set-up to use as the course was over mixed terrain (gravel/road).  So, I was very focused on the first lap trying to memorize the gravel course, as there were a few sinkholes that needed avoided from time to time.

I decided to entitle one of the final climbs of the gravel section the 'CITY WOK' Section, in an effort to help me remember it.  If you are familiar with Southpark, you may recall that the owner of City Wok pronounces the first part of his restaurant's name with a 'SH' sound.  Anyway, not only were there quite a few potholes, but the distinct pungent odor of cow manure pierced through the air.

Inadvertently, and most unfortunately, this name had an even more 'memorable' connotation, as toward the last couple of laps I felt like Shit and wanted to Walk... yeah, I fell off the pace and did the last couple laps solo.

This race had a pretty competitive field, and I appreciated the opportunity to get some milage and hard-core training.  This race was the wake-up call I needed.  I don't mind finishing 7th out of 10 riders in a strong Cat 1/2/3 event, however, I really am not comfortable getting dropped.  Maybe ending up in a chase group, or losing it during the final sprint, but rolling around solo is very undesirable. I hopped on the scale later that day, something I have been dreading all year, and realized I was a full 10 pounds heavier than at this same time last year. Oh, well that is not helping matters.  I guess I hit the weights a bit too hard this winter... Fortunately, this is an easy fix, and I should be in peak form just in time for some of my favorite races.

Kevin Temple of B2U/World of Bikes made an attack during the start of the 4th lap (we did 7 laps, about 44 miles).  Ultimately, I couldn't hang on.  I caught up with the winner of the event... Will Greenwood (B2U/WOB) and he summarized what happened after that...



Results - Iowa Spring Classic Series #2 - Iowa City, IA   March 12th, 2010
MenP123, 2:31:00

1st - 593 Will Greenwood
2nd - 590 Andy Cornelison
3rd - 592 Kevin Temple
4th - 591 Matias Perret
5th - X Paul Denninger
6th - 173 McNabb Gary
7th - 594 Chad Bishop
8th - 94 Grant Headley
9th - 161 Michael Edwards
10th - 176 Lee Venteicher

Women P123, 1:25:00

1st 682 Vetterline Lisa
2nd 585 Williams Robin
3rd 681 Ruhtenberg Maria

Men 4/5, 1:25:00
1st - 13pts 580 Cody Goettl
2nd - 12pts 595 Alex Libin
3rd - 11pts 579 Joshua Shough
4th - 10pts 596 Gabe Geiger
5th - 9pts 582 Austin Jones
6th - 8pts 599 Jeff Osborn
7th - 7pts 597 Scott Wilson
8th - 6pts 587 Rob McKillip
9th - 5pts 598 Jon Sulzburger
10th - 4pts 586 Paul Sueppel
11th - 3pts 581 Eric Jensen
12th - 2pts 589 Ryan Patterson
13th - 1pts 584 Surie Man

Hypnotic color-coded cadence syncronizations & the Blue Devil

My 2010 racing season officially got under way, as I saddled up to compete in the Iowa Spring Classic Series #1, which took place near Grinnell, Iowa.  It really did feel good to get out on the roads again after about a 4 month hiatus.

Fifteen people lined up for the Cat 1/2/3 event.   This race was 'presented by Bikes 2 You/World of Bikes' which may have explained why there were 5 or 6 of them lined up with us.  The gravel was very managable, however the course had quite a bit of climbing.  Very early into the race, Andrew Fagersten (B2U/WOB) drifted out creating a sizable gap.  His teamates very methodically defended his move by discouraging the pace.

I popped out in front between the pack and Andrew, thinking that some of the non B2U/WOB guys would be interested in bringing him back before he got too far.  It really was early in the race, not sure anyone believed Andrew could or would try and stick that for the entire race, so I relented. It took awhile for the pack to get up to me, as they were going really slow... Great blocking by Andrew's teammates, but also a very suspicious tactical decision from the rest us. 

During the next lap, I opted to try and eat a Clif Bar. I guess I forgot how hard this can be when the pace is above tempo and cold weather snot is clogging up the nasal passages.  I practically began choking, as the pace was progressively getting quicker. What was going on?  Oh, alas, I saw Paul 'Blue Devil' Denninger attempting to make a 'selection' amongst the chase pack.  If you have never been in a race when he decides to 'take a dig' you are missing out, becuase it really is a great challenge to try and hang-on.  Your reward for hanging on is that you will have greater odds of finishing well, as some riders always fall off.

Oops, I was one of those people who fell off.  I am going to blame that one on the Clif Bar, however.  I put my head down and limited my damages hoping that the Blue Devil (practically everyone was wearing yellow jerseys except for him... BLUE) would let up.  I began cursing his name under my breath, and evoked a religious mantra in hopes of smiting this 'devil'... freeing the rest of us from his sinning.   My prayers were answered...he ultimately eased up, after quite a few miles of pain and suffering... I was back in this now reduced group... "and then there was light".

It became apparent that the B2U/WOB guys were very interested in winning this race with Andrew, and then pulling off a pack sprint for second.  They were racing with good instincts, while the rest of us never got together to try and foil their domination.  Andrew's lead continued to build, as there was never an organized 'chase'. 

A few guys pulled out from time to time, as this race took around 3 hours to complete, quite a long haul.  I believe I was the last one to officially finish.  I was in the remaining group that consisted of 3 B2U/WOB guys and someone from Bike World.  Since I couldn't eat my Clif Bar I tried a GU pack.  I got this one for Christmas, and wouldn't have chosen it for myself, as it was that double expresso kind with 2x caffeine.  Man, when that started to kick in the adrenaline rush sent me shooting through to the front.  Not a good idea, as a few hills later, I lost my legs.  I kept them in my sights, for the most part, but I was toast. 

The B2U/WOB squad has a couple of new riders who seem strong.  It is always exciting to race against them, though I always get spanked... they will attack/counter attack until they get some guys up the road, and then they very cooperatively defend their lead.  Also, they all wear RED shoe covers... very clever, as this makes it hard to focus. I think it creates a sort of subliminal message (you suck... we rock), especially when they start spinning them at 92rpm. In my opinion, hypnotic color-coded cadence syncronizations (HCCCS) should be banned from USAC events. I believe they have established some sort of hand signal that they use to communicate to each other which cadences to apply.   

Fortunately, they didn't pull out the 'Yin-Yeng' HCCCS.  They will wear white shoe covers on one foot, and then black shoe covers on the other foot.. this is next to impossible to combat... avert your eyes, or your leg's will turn to stone (Medusa?)... Combine this tactic with Lee Venteicher's B/W striped knee socks, and other teams in Iowa might as well throw in the towel.  I can't wait until the weather warms up, so we are all safe from this scheme.

Mission accomplished, I got in 50 outdoor miles, and will put this fitness in the bank, to withdrawal later in the season. 

RESULTS - Iowa Spring Classic Series #1
Men P123, 50 Miles 2:57:00

1st - Andrew Fagersten
2nd - Will Greenwood
3rd - Austin Turner
4th - Kevin Temple
5th - Grant Headley
6th - Chad Bishop
7th - Michael Edwards
8th - Paul Denninger
9th - Brad Bach
10th - Gary McNabb
11th - Chris Martin
12th - Lee Venteicher

Confounded in Kalona

The last indoor event of the year didn't go according to plan.  In fact, I was so upset by my dismal result that I went home and did an endurance tempo session on the rollers.  Got in 50 miles for the day, and felt a little better, having 'punished' myself for ending things on such a sour note.  I was also encouraged by the notion that I was now free to shift my focus to the outdoor racing season.

What went wrong?  Not sure... I can just say that after Shawn Loomis posted a 5:11 (a full 13 seconds slower than his time from the week before), I began to smile in anticipation of winning the the Cat 1/2/3 category for the day.  I had been logging results under 5:10 for the last two weeks, and figured the extra boost from the racing environment would push me well under 5:10.  Unfortunately, I may have gotten greedy, and set my sights on breaking my personal sub 5 minute goal.  My estimated finish time was at 4:55 at about the 1 mile mark, but things began to slip after that, all the way down to 5:16... crap.

A new Iowa team "Twisted Spokes" hosted this event, and they did a nice job, as we had plenty of space, and good food/drink.

Weight and endurance matter on the open roads, as compared to indoor training/racing, so March will begin a new routine.  I think I may be able to attend the first of three 'Iowa Spring Classic Races' in Grinnel this weekend, but if not, for sure the 2nd one in Iowa City.  Since these races are on both gravel and road, I may end up bringing two bike set-ups and deciding at the scene, regarding which one to ride.