Cedar Rapids Racing Weekend

25 Cat 1/2's lined up to race 40 laps around the downtown of Cedar Rapids in hopes of earning some glory at the annual Iowa State Crit Championships.  The course is a basic 4 corner .6 mile loop with wide and smooth corners.  Ends up feeling sort of like a track.

Bryan Moritiz of Bikes2You attacked right off the bat and I got sucked onto his wheel in a quick break.  When that didn't work, the reality of how aggressive this field was began to set in, as the pace was fast and furious... and it never let up. 

At one point, I found myself in a nice break with two guys each from Bikes2You, Zealous Racing and Mercy-Specialized...yes!  I was a bit tanked, but tried to contribute as I could.  Ryan French attacked from within the break, which broke up the momentum (at least for me). We were eventually reeled back in. 

The breaks weren't working, so I just tried to hang on, and focused on the sprint.  I held my position well to end up 13th... I finished 13th last year in this event as a Cat 3, so just that much better to do it at the Cat 1/2 level.  Derek Cassady of Bikes2You raced to perfection, winning the Gold medal.  Adam Price of Mercy-Specialized earned the Silver, and Lane Anderson of Team Zealous got the Bronze. Congrats.

SQUAW CREEK CRITERIUM - 6/27/10

On Sunday, we raced 20 laps over a 1.6 mile circuit that had one noteworthy climb and a steep descent on a corner.  I was feeling pretty good, and decided to protect my 'yellow jersey' as I was getting tour fever.  In my fictional scenario, I had just one stage left to defend my lead, so it was important that I didn't let any of the GC contenders slip up ahead. 

To that end I participated in this race quite significantly.  Below is one of the many breaks that formed, this one featuring myslef, Bryan Moritz and a guy from Team Zealous...

I found myslelf launching off the front quite a few times, and led on the downhill more times than not. There were all sorts of combinations of riders that took their chances at creating a gap.

Dewey Dickey seemed to be the marked rider, especially towards the end of the race.  He would pick up the pace on the uphill portion, and then look to see if there was a big enough of a gap.  Usually he didn't like what he saw, and dialed it back.  It took quite a few tries before his breakaway actually did succeed. 

When it did there were seven off us, briefly... but only Dewey, Jared Osterloh, and Jeff Kluck (A Cat 3 on Team Powerade) could hang on.  This was the decisive moment of my race. As can be seen in this photo, I was joined by Paul Deninger, Brian West, and a third rider (from Zealous Racing?), as we chased down the lead group of three while hoping to fend off the field. 

 Our group of four was brought back with about 2 laps to go, while Dewey, Jared and Jeff stayed up the road.  We were exhausted, as was the front of the field that had chased us down.  David Lippold of Zealous Racing took advantage of this opportunity, and slipped up the road.

This race had a combined cat 1/2 and 3 field that had ultimately dwindled down from about 33 riders to 15.  So, the Cat 1/2's were sprinting for 4th, and the Cat 3's were sprinting for second which can be seen below:

I still had a good finish, crossing the line 5th out of those involved in the field sprint. Paul Deninger was the first Cat 1/2, and Brendan Kealey was the first Cat 3.

Senior Pro/1/2 - Squaw Creek

1 Jared Osterloh DES MOINES IA Zealous Racing
2 Duane Dickey COKATO MN Mercy-Specialized
3 David Lippold WEST DES MOINES IA Zealous Racing
4 Paul Deninger IOWA CITY IA Unattached
5 Jeff Bradley DAVENPORT IA Velosport Racing IA
6 Christopher Eastburn CEDAR RAPIDS IA Mercy-Specialized
7 Bryan Moritz DAVENPORT IA Bikes To You / World of Bikes
8 Chad Bishop MUSCATINE IA Harper's Cycling & Fitness
9 Michael Sencenbaugh TUCSON AZ University of Arizona
10 Brian West CEDAR FALLS IA Colorbiotics
11 Jerome Rewerts NEVADA IA Zealous Racing
12 Carson Christen CEDAR RAPIDS IA Mercy-Specialized
13 Lane Anderson ALTOONA IA Zealous Racing
14 Gregory Harper MUSCATINE IA Melon City Bike Club Inc.
15 Ryan French DES MOINES IA Zealous Racing
16 Finn Kolsrud IOWA CITY IA Colavita Racing
17 Lee Venteicher WAUKON IA Bikes To You / World of Bikes
dnf Kurt Hantelmann ALTOONA IA Zealous Racing
dnf Jonathan Nelson SIOUX CITY IA POWERADE - INDEPENDENT FABRICATION
dnf Derek Cassaday AMES IA Bikes To You / World of Bikes
dnf William Greenwood IOWA CITY IA Bikes To You / World of Bikes

Tour of America's Dairyland - 2010

Well, I did a quick hit-and-run on the 2010 Tour of America's Dairlyand by racing Wednesday and Thursday in the Master's 1,2,3 races.

Wednesday's race was put on by TREK in downtown Waterloo.  Stayed with my cousin's family, who work at TREK.  I was shocked to see that the field had 73 participants... this tour has become very popular since it's debut last year.  The course was a long format criterium with some rough roads, sharp turns, narrow slightly uphill portion, etc. 

I rolled around the front, and took a chance bridging up to a break that I noticed team ISCORP was blocking for. The breakaway was limp and unmotivated, but I kept rolling it as a prime was called.  I had to dig deep for that effort, and cowered back to the safety of the field for about 30 minutes to recover, once that move was brought back.  We were averaging about 27mph... 32mph on the straights, and 23mph on the narrow uphill.  That seems to be the norm for Cat 1/2/3 type races with large fields.

I attacked with one to go, mainly just so I could be in front.  With half a lap to go, I was sitting pretty in third wheel... unfortunately it was an ISCORP wheel... three of this guy's teamates shoved me off the wheel and formed a perfect 4-man lead-out for their guy.  I was both angered by this and impressed.  I always wondered how those chains worked out... you have to literally TAKE the position... sort of cool.  This ISCORP team is dominant in Wisconsin, and I believe they practice their tactics and have detailed game plans. I pedalled it out, but finished way back from the 15 paying spots.

Thursday was a 60 mile road race in Greenbush. 

I was near the front for the first part of the lap, but couldn't handle everyone griping to each other (filling gaps, braking, holding lines, etc.)  Masters racers seem very interested in 'saving energy'.  I agree this is smart racing, but maintaining the perfect, most efficient drafting position is boring and exhausting at the same time.  I headed to the back of the pack to wait things out.

Unfortunately, this meant I wouldn't be involved in any breakaways that might emerge. 

In part due to a life-saving hand up by Mathias Perret of Iowa City Cycling,  I began to 'race'... sensing the field was finally softened up with about 16 miles to go.  The previously tense downhill portions had become enjoyable, now that I was dodging around the course near the front.   The griping had stopped, because fatigue had set in to replace all of the earlier nervous energy.

Apparently, there were five guys up ahead.  I bridged up to a 3 man chase group.  The gap held for awhile, but some guys in the field worked together to bring it back.  Oh well, I had plenty of time left and felt good.

Later, I again found myself in a good position with about 1 mile to go.  Nearing the finish, I was leading the field, but in a cross wind section, so the benefits of drafting weren't as significant.  A guy came around me, and I struggled to get to his wheel (using the strength I would have needed later... crap).  The swarming started coming around the last corner that started the 300 meter uphill finish. There were only about 4 guys ahead of me, but once we straightened out all hell broke loose, and I dropped quite a few places to end up in 30th overall (out of around 60 starters).

Great race experience... as the competition was amongst the best in the country and this tour is well organized. 

Rose Festival Road Race Review

My first official Cat 1/2 race went well.  The Rose Festival Road Race was a 60 mile event that featured 3 laps over rolling terrain.  There were 17 Cat 1/2's that lined up to race for the 6 pay-out spots. 

The first noteworthy aspect of this race was the presence of 7 guys from Zealous Racing.  They had been dominant all weekend, so had earned much respect from the the rest of us. Some of the Iowa City area participants sort of formed a composite team to address the situation.

There were hills but they weren't steep enough to negate the energy savings of sitting in the draft.  Several riders had agendas that included getting in a breakaway, while others were content to wait until the final sprint, hoping that a large breakaway never formed.

Lou Waugaman(Velosport) and Kurt Hantleman(Zealous) eventually got into a break away situation.  This allowed Zealous to go into a defensive position.  Paul Deninger of Velosport also eased back a bit, though he was agressive throughout the race, perhaps hoping to whittle the field down.

Eventually this break got caught and several attacks transpired.  I ignored some of them, bridged some of them and even started some of them.  At the start of the last lap, it seemed like I had gotten involved in a group that could possibly work.  I went to the front, but no one came around, so our gap didn't last. Sort of taxed, I didn't have much of an answer when Dewey Dickey very strategically attacked the field. 

Brian West (colorbiotics), Ryan French (Zealous), and Lane Anderson (Zealous) followed this move with Lane and Brian able to stick with it til the end.  I would have loved to have tried to bring this move back, but didn't seem to make tactical sense so I just hung out near the front and felt things out.   I knew I was feeling good, however, because I attacked my own attack leading into the last corner (about 5 miles to go).  I thought maybe the group would let me go, but Zealous was very attentive.

I unleashed an awesome 500 meter sprint perfectly launching off of an inadvertant Zealous Racing leadout.  Oops... I did this at the 1000 meter mark, and couldn't hold it the last 500 meters... Unfortunate, because the last 400 meters to the line are uphill, which could have potentially been to my advantage, if I would have had more patience. 

All things considered, a great racing experience in Iowa that has provided me with good insight with respect to racing at this level.

Men's 1/2 - Rose Festival Road Race - Results
1 Duane Dickey, Mercy/ICCC
2 Brian West, Colorbiotics
3 Lane Anderson, Zealous
4 Finn Kolsrud, Calavita Inc.
5 Jarod Osterloh, Zealous
6 Derek Cassaday, Bikes 2 You
7 Michael Sencenbaugh, Unattached
8 Ryan French, Zealous
9 Adam Price, ICCC
10 Chad Bishop, Melon City
11 Carson Christen, Mercy/ICCC
12 Paul Deninger, Velosport
13 Dave Lippold, Zealous
14 Jerome Rewerts, Zealous
15 Lou Waugaman, Velosport
16 Kurt Hantleman, Zealous
17 Chad Vandelune, Zealous

Now, heading to Wisconsin for two days of mid-week racing at the Tour of Dairlyand.

State Center Crit - Crackin my HED

As I peered at the ominous skies and threatening weather outside the Pizza Ranch in Marshalltown Iowa...my barely edible meal became just that much more unappetizing... criterium racing in the rain is less than ideal.  There is no way around the simple fact that more crashes are likely to happen in wet conditions then in dry conditions, so I always tend to prefer dry conditions.

Anyway, it was raining so violently I thought the race was sure to be cancelled (whew, what a relief), but the skies began to clear and I couldn't stand the thought of the race going on without me so I rode over to State Center and kept things positive.

Waiting for the Cat 4's to finish, they wiped out hard on the last corner of the final sprint as a large number of the Cat 1/2/3's were observed while waiting to enter the course for warm-ups.  I heard the comment "that is why I like racing with the master's, we all have to go to work in the morning and have responsibilities to think about"... Ok, the entrants in my race are technically more skilled/experienced then cat 4's so I didn't really stress it.

Anyway, this race really is a good time, rain or shine, so about 30 of us cautiously negotiated this 6 corner crit.    Overall, it would have been much faster in dry conditions, but it did get faster as we got a feel for the corners.

A crash went down in front of me toward the second half of the race, and I narrowly navigated around it... Alright, what are the odds of me nearly getting mixed up in a crash twice in one race?  Not likely, should be good to go.

Team Zealous had the most 'cards' to play and attacked and counter attacked.  I tried my luck at joining some of the attacks, hoping that the rest of the field would let me go with the Zealous guy (usually Jared Osterloh, or Jerome Rewerts).  Unfortunately, it always got brought back in, but I kept trying for quite a few laps. 

Well, with everything all back together the race was coming down to a sprint. The guys who were playing it "smart" (something I plan on trying one of these races, not sure) by sitting in as much as possible to conserve energy quickly rolled around me until I was in about 9th position heading into the final turn. 

Yikes.... all sorts of carnage presented itself in front of me...  I quickly assessed the situation and decided to launch into a resident's yard, seeing that I could hop my front wheel over the curb... only problem is that my back wheel hit hard... "pop"... tire blown and back wheel severely cracked.  HED has a lifetime crash replacement, so I won't have to pay the entire cost of a new wheel, but still an expensive situation.  I had fun, til the end, and will be back again next year as the colorbiotics team and town of state center (rose festival) are a good combo.

Ivan vs. Rocky - A case for the scientific method

As part of my quest to improve my cycling performance, I have begun to research retro-cinema in hopes of finding new training insights.  I stumbled upon a movie called ROCKY IV that proved to be very inspiring. 

Basically, I tend to align with the principles of the 'scientific method' when it comes to training.  I process data and make adjustments according to my results to improve the intended outcomes.  Essentially, I am constantly conducting 'experiments' to see what works best to improve my cycling fitness and ultimate race performance.  These experiments involve everything from nutrition, types of workouts, recovery intervals, intensity, race tactics, and equipment. 

Much like Ivan Drago, I find myself using the latest scientific principles and technologies to enhance my racing outcomes.  Unlike in Rocky's Soviet Union training camp, I do in fact, perform a lot of training that maximizes the control I have over various extraneous variables (wind, wattage, heart rate, resistance, temperature, traffic, etc.). 

While I cannot deny the benefits of training in more 'natural' conditions, where intervals occur randomly based on the presence of wind, hills, attacks, and stop-ahead signs, I also find a case for being very specific with respect to training...aka; 'training with a purpose'.

So which approach is better... the natural outdoor method, or the technological scientific method?  Well, the movie proves that training indoors using the scientific method is far superior.  Ivan totally kicked Rocky's ass in the movie, and even killed Apollo Creed with the massive power of his punches.  Ok, I will admit that I haven't seen the last part of the movie, but I would have to assume that cutting-edge science still prevailed against old-fashioned will and determination. 



I will test my Ivan Drago training principles in the this weekend's 'Cold War', also known as the Rose Festival Criterium and Road Race. Message to anyone who dares step up to the line against me... "I vil crush you".

Letting the CAT out of the bag...

Is it just me, or do others get excited when they hear the weather man mention that there are 'oppressive heat indexes' in the forecast?  I prefer road racing to be like a battle field, where the soldiers fight it out until the last man standing... a war of attrition.  Sure its prefered if I am one of these 'last men' that make it to the finish line, however, I still find it rewarding to have given it my best, even if  'my best wasn't good enough'.   So, if the battle field includes heat, wind, hills, and fierce competitors... "I'm in!"... at least until "I'm out!".

To that end, I have found 10 "battles" (uh... I mean road races) to do this summer.  Of course, a handful of criteriums mixed in there as well but I no longer have the same incentive to 'chase points' by entering some races that simply don't interest me... why? might as well let 'the cat out of the bag'...

Yeah, that's right, after 2 and half seasons as a Cat 3, I have earned an upgrade to Category 2.  Does this change my racing calendar?... not really.  I will always have a master's option, and quite a few races are Cat 1/2/3 anyway... Trust me, I made this decision with much deliberation.  For the most part, I will simply wear my Category 2 upgrade like a badge of honor, and leave it at that. If they ever start offering Cat 2 races, however, I would be very interested to compete at that level. 

This should make for some interesting race reports so check back to see what kind of wacky predicaments I can get myself into now that I am licensed as a USAC Category 2 Road Cyclist.

The Quad City Criterium's Corner of Doom

Not much to say about how things went for me at the Quad Cities Criterium, but I can say that this race is always plagued with lots of crashing.  The course features 8 corners and is perfectly flat, resulting in a very fast, yet technical event.  Sprinter types probably enjoy this race.  I thought readers might find it interesting to view some footage Eric Henriksen got of one of the major crashes that occured during the Women's Cat 1,2,3 event....


This infamous 'corner of doom' located as the last turn before the finish,  seems to claim a number of victims each year, including myself.  If you watch closely at the clip below you can see that I actually ride over the curb, knock over the cone and then continue past the camera as someone reminds me to "Stay Calm... Stay Calm".




Unfortunately, this occured as the Cat 3 field was ramping up the sketchiness in anticipation of the last lap.  My momentum was totally washed, so I soft pedalled in to finish near the end.  I then swapped jerseys and lined up for the smooth yet intense, Master's 30+ race.

Melon City Criterium 2010

Ahh, my hometown race, put on by the club that I am president of. Lots of people cheer for me at this race, and I have added incentive to try and do well. The announcer revealed that there were74 starters... man this is going to be a challenge. (ABOVE: Mike McKim took some great photos including the one above that shows me riding around the switch back with fellow Iowa racers Brian West leading and Ryan Jacobsen following)

I started in the front row and let everyone go around me... seriously, I think I was in dead last place for a couple of laps.... I just wasn't feeling the groove yet.

 I didn't want to get in the trap of chasing down breaks, so I tried to stay in the middle of the field, which is not a comfortable place to for me.

I led a lap in the middle of the race, to sort of test out the field and get a feel for some good lines. Later, a break of about 5 formed, but I was so far back, that I didn't know anything about it.

With two to go I was in good position, right near the front about 4 or 5 back... Ooops, with one to go I was leading the field... sort of soft pedalling, but fast enough to try and discourage the inevitable swarming that takes place as the field accelerates around. I really didn't want to be leading the field, but this race is all about position, so I took my chances.

Luckily, there was a guy sort of leading out, so I hit the bottom of the hill of the last lap in second wheel...not ideal, but I was locked in and just nailed it up the hill. Sort of to my surprise, no one came around, I got to the hairpin turn still in first... I heard some crashing going on behind me...

I kept pedalling hard, but could feel myself fading, I looked to the right... no one... ah hah, I am going to win... just then I heard the announcer say "It's going to come down to the wire"... wtf?

 I already had my hand in the air celebrating my win as I looked to the left and I nearly got nipped at the line... nope, I got it...mission accomplished, I won the Cat 3 Melon City Criterium!

Thanks to the club/volunteers, race director Greg Harper, and the local guys who train with me on Tuesdays. Also, congrats to the Iowa riders... we ended up with 5 people in the top 10 of this race:

Elite Men Cat 3 (top 15 of 74)

1 Chad Bishop MUSCATINE IA Harper's Cycling & Fitness

2 Julio Jacobo LAKE FOREST IL PYOC

3 Chris Creed BARNHART MO Mesa Cycles Racing Team

4 Nicholas Frye MADISON WI Team Wisconsin
5 vaughn pierce GRETNA NE Team Kaos-Alegent Health

6 Andrew Buntz WESTDESMOINES IA University of Iowa

7 David Reyes NORMAL IL Bloomington Cycle Racing Team
8 Ryan French DES MOINES IA Goodtimes Racing

9 Steven Robinson DES MOINES IA Goodtimes Racing

10 Brendan Kealey IOWA CITY IA Mercy-Specialized
11 Austin Turner IOWA CITY IA Colorbiotics
12 Michael Jenich SHOREWOOD WI Team Pegasus

13 Ryan Jacobsen IOWA CITY IA Atlas Cycling

14 Ryan Zook NAPERVILLE IL Club Bicicletta

15 Jonathon Schilling GROVER MO Big Shark Bicycle Company