Makenzie takes second at the Folsom Classic Criterium

images: Alex Chiu

Women 3/4 and Women P /1/2/3

For the Folsom Crit, I first raced the Women 3/4 field. In the first lap there was a prime, I went for it and got it. It created a gap so I kept going, and a moment later another woman from the pack bridged and got on my wheel. We worked together until the pack caught us. Then for the finish, I put in a hard seated effort just before the last turn and went in front of the pack. I then started to sprint, a woman went around me for 1st and I got 2nd place. Then I did the Women P/1/2/3 field for the first time! In the beginning of the race, a group of 3 women made a break and were out of sight.  I was in the pack and just decided to go for it and attacked. I was by myself bridging the gap that was made.

I wasn’t sure how far they were but just kept pushing. Once I saw the lead group and was finally reaching them, one woman started falling off the group. I was tired from bridging and started working with her. I wanted to get back on the lead group but didn't have much energy left to do so. The 2 women in the lead group got away. As a result, we became the chase group, and we were chasing for a while. After a good amount of time, several other women caught our chase group. Eventually the entire pack came back together. I tried attacking again on the backstretch on the last lap to see who would go but nothing happened.

Before the last turn, I was looking around for my teammate Audrey for her to get on my wheel. Once she did, I got to the front of the pack and put in a hard effort around the turn final stretch to lead her out. I was so exhausted, but it was a fun day of racing!

Amy gets second in the Omnium at the Budweiser Sequoia Classic

A trip to Fresno to visit family was in order for Memorial Day, so why not combine it with a few races? I set off solo at the break of dawn on Saturday to race the Granville Homes Circuit Race and Ventana Wall Hill Climb TT, followed by the Budweiser Sequoia Crit on Sunday. It promised to be a hot weekend of fun and a convenient excuse for missing Hamilton!

There was a small field for the 50-min circuit race - which did laps around a gated community and included a hill and a kicker - and I was pretty sure it would come down to some combo of me and the strong Folsom duo of Melanie and Judy. On the third lap it was time to make something happen, so I attacked hard up the short climb and immediately had a gap. I saw Judy coming along, and then Felicia from Pinnacle, but no Melanie. Good, I didn't want a 2 on 1 situation with both Folsom women. Judy and I worked together for the next many laps, eventually dropping Felicia. On the last lap I put in several digs but Judy stuck to my wheel. My tactical error was allowing her to play me and sprint around me at the finish. 

The Ventana Wall TT was a short one, just 2k, with the whole first km a rolling lead-in. Feeling fresh with my sports bra packed with ice, it was a quick 4:30 effort for the win.

Sunday afternoon saw temps in the mid-90s and that familiar feeling of a Valley summer. Hey, I grew up in this, it's in my bones! The crit was 60 mins and I went through my 2 bottles and was still wishing for more. About 15 mins in, I got in a 4-woman break. We lapped the field and then sat in with the group (mistake!) and then looked at each other for lots of laps and did a field sprint. That situation isn't ideal for me; I ended up 4th on the day and 2nd overall in the omnium, with a good chunk of change in my pocket and a lot of lessons learned. 

TMB Masters Storms Nationals

Coming off of Nationals last year, I knew I had to go back. It’s such an incredible experience and I knew it would only be better with a larger crew. From the beginning, I knew we would be bringing Scott Cox and myself for the 40-44s and Dave Allen and John Funke for the 45-49s. Not a bad squad. But then we got the news that Dana Williams (reigning National Crit Champ) would be joining us and Senor Donkey Chris Hobbs would be joining the 45-49’s, and the excitement reached a fever pitch. I got even more excited when I got my first glimpse of the road course in North Carolina and thought the more rolling terrain would be more suitable for me than a long finish climb. Apparently hundreds of other Masters racers from around the country felt the same way as our field grew to over 100 riders and the 45-49 reached 150. I had my target set on the road race and I also planned to race the crit in support of Scott. Only having three riders in such a large field would be a challenge but I knew there was not another threesome with our collective strength. My preparations had gone as well as I could expect given the balancing act between family, work, and training. 5am gym sessions in the local pumpatorium over the winter gave way to squeezing in intervals on my commute to work. I felt stronger than ever coming out of the off season and my early season training progressed well. I have to give a shout out to my coach, friend, and super domestique Dana Williams for his razor sharp coaching plans and guidance through the mental ups and downs of prepping for a big event. He has a tall order trying to get me fit for 3.5 hr road races in less than 8 hrs/week of riding. And you can’t underestimate the value of racing in the 35+ field in the NCNCA. It’s basically a nationals level race every weekend. Add in the crazy strong Marin group rides and I was able to get a decent amount of “racing” in the legs with the limited number of races I’m able to do. And the high speed cornering skills honed during the famous Chicken Ride would ultimately serve me well in the technical crit.

The crew before our road course recon

The Road Race

We all flew together on Sunday before the road race on Tuesday and luckily all our bikes arrived in the right place at the right time and with no damage - 1st challenge defeated! Monday morning, we got a late start due to the time change but drove over to the road course and drove a lap, then kitted up to ride it. The terrain was beautiful, rolling roads through lush green forests with picturesque houses and farms along the route.   

Our initial assessment of the course was that it was going to be a hard man’s race and a race of attrition. We were to do 4 laps of an 18 mile circuit with about 1200 ft. of climbing per lap. Turns out, we were wrong about that attrition thing. We came up with a plan to ride conservatively for the first three laps while making sure we were represented in any large moves. We wanted to make the race as easy as possible while not losing it, and then go all in when it was time to win it, either by getting in the winning move or a leadout if we were all together. We discussed all the possible scenarios but in the end, we had no idea what to expect. With so many riders, no team with big numbers, and not knowing anything about most of the competition, we knew our success would come down to making good decisions at the right time. Luckily, a lot of the top 10-15 riders on the USA Cycling Race Predictor were CA guys who we knew so we had a decent number of guys to watch and we knew nothing would stay away without a couple of them.

Race day came and along with it the nerves. I’m accustomed to early road race starts so figuring out what to do with myself all day before a late afternoon start was not fun. You can only check your tire pressure so many times… We downed our pre race Beet Juice (a theme for the week) and kitted up. After a minimal warmup, we found a spot in the staging area with some shade and tried to relax. All three of us were lined up in the first few rows as we knew a good start would make our lives much easier. Even with the full road available, tying to move up in a field of 115 takes effort that we were hoping to save. The start was neutral as we had to negotiate a couple of traffic circles and then the course started with a little descent. After some initial sketchiness and a scary dropped water bottle, I settled in to the top 20 wheels and it was on. Scott and Dana were right there as well and we rolled along at a good clip. The course had three “climbs” (not more than 200 feet in elevation) but all of them followed a descent. We hit the first one and rolled right up the other side. A few single attacks went but nothing really serious. The first serious attack was when Derek Brauch from Surf City in SoCal got off the front. He was one of the three SoCal riders we were watching, along with Rudy Napolitano from Velo Pasadena and Phil Tintsman from Monster Media. I rolled up to Rudy and asked about Derek and he said he likes to go early and has had success making it stick so we couldn’t sleep on him, but it was still way early and there was a lot of road left to cover. The theme that started to develop and continued through the whole race was that no one wanted to initiate a break, but everyone wanted to be in one. So a single rider or maybe two would get off the front, establish a small gap, and then everyone looked for the bridge. Ultimately, this is what doomed each break attempt. At one point, NorCal strongman Jeromy Cottell was in a three man break and as we passed through the start/finish and started lap 2, I was on the front and rolling fast. Another rider jumped and I chased him and we went through the narrow traffic circles and had a gap on the field. Jeromy’s group was about 10 sec up the road. But as was the case all day, our bridge set off alarm bells and we were chased down before we got too far. We were brought back as we made a sharp left which would string out the field a bit and disrupt anyone chasing. So I jumped again and went hard down the hill into the first climb. I was hoping all of my #aeroiseverything gear would get me across. The Venge ViAS performed like magic carpet and I rolled up to them. But there were 100+ riders coming after me and the break sat up as I got there. More of the same followed with Dana and Scott never being far from the front and Scott jumping on anything dangerous. The racing was very dynamic with lots of surges, which quietly takes it’s toll on your legs. After the next two “climbs”, I realized that in fact this course was not hard enough for it to really be a race of attrition. With the descents into the climbs and the size and speed of the field, we pretty much just rolled up them and the only hard part was the false flats at the top. This race was going to come down to a late break or a field sprint, meaning tactics and decision making were going to be crucial. 

Towards the end of the second lap, we rolled through the feedzone where our top notch support crew (Mr. and Mrs. Cox) was handing us bottles, resplendent in their custom painted Mike’s Bikes T-Shirts. They were the true MVP’s of this race as there was no neutral feed and this NorCal guy doesn’t fare well in humidity. Scott and I had gone to the back to get bottles and the feedzone was a shitshow with guys going in all directions and bottles flying. But we all had successful handoffs and got back to racing. Apparently some guys went hard through there (a d-bag move in my opinion) and as we got back in the mix, a large group of 12-15 riders had gotten a gap. Dana and I went to work on the front holding a steady tempo, but with a little extra as this could be dangerous. My hope was that a group that big wouldn’t work well together and if we organized a steady chase, we could get them back. And that’s what happened. We were all back together by the start of the 3rd lap. 

We started the third lap and I was getting worried that this was going to come down to a mass sprint, which was my least desirable outcome. I considered altering our plan and maybe try to force something but it seemed that we were very well marked. Scott put in a good dig and got a small gap but as was the case all day, everyone else wanted to go with him. My memory is fuzzy but I think this continued for the rest of the third lap. Attacks and chases, then more attacks and chases. Scott again was all over everything, so much so that I asked him to chill a bit. Based on how the race was progressing, we were going to need him in the finish. I was starting to feel some fatigue and was worried how the legs would hold up. I ate and drank as much as I could but it was hard to find opportunities to take your hands off the bar. I was either going hard chasing a wheel or in the middle of a 100 rider group doing 30 mph.

We started the final lap, and it felt like the race really began. Staying focused and maintaining concentration was crucial as this is where a small group could slip off the front and game over. I was worried about Rudy and Phil as I hadn’t seem them in a while. They are very smart and strong bike racers so maybe they had been sitting in, waiting for this time to pounce, while we burned too many matches through the middle of the race. About the middle of the last lap, one of the pre-race favorites, Oleg Tanovitsky from Lupus got off the front solo. Luckily other riders were there to keep him in check and he didn’t get that far, even though he was off the front for a while. We brought him back and I was sitting about 4th wheel on the left side of the road. And then Rudy rolls off the front from the right side and looks back and no one responds. He looks back again and smiles. Even though he was wearing dark glasses, I swear he was looking me in the eye and either daring me to go or inviting me along. Either way, I bit and attacked hard to get up to his wheel. He responded with a strong pull and another rider had come with me. We immediately got into a good rotation. We all were taking good pulls and got a good gap pretty quick. But then I looked back quickly over a riser and saw riders coming. I thought we were being caught but it was three riders that had bridged up. Now we were six and it was the perfect mix. All six of us worked seamlessly together and we pushed hard up the last climb and the long false flat though the feedzone. I was surprised to hear that we already had a minute on the field.

With only 10K to go, we had a good chance of staying away, and hopefully my presence there allowed Scott and Dana to surf wheels if there was a chase. We continued to work well together with one guy skipping a pull occasionally, of course he was the most vocal about keeping it tight and staying on it. We crossed the freeway and the 5K to go sign and the field was still out of sight. I was now all in and if we got brought back, we had two of the fastest finishers in the country, a pretty good scenario. But the gap continued to hold, falling only to 49 sec by 3K to go. I decided to key on Rudy thinking he’d probably attack from a ways out rather than sprint. I organized myself in the rotation so I could see him as much as possible. We continued to rotate smoothly until the 1K sign. I rolled through the front as we passed it and that was going to be my last pull. The cat and mouse game began and we fanned over the road. I was on Rudy’s wheel, ready to follow him. The finish is slightly uphill so I knew a long sprint would be hard. At the same time, at the end of a long road race, when guys are tired, it’s often the guy who gets the first jump that holds on. And that’s what happened here. Rudy wasn’t going and I was starting to think about going early when Ken Vida from VeloBrew in Forida jumped hard up the right with another guy chasing. I went after them and came around Rudy. Ken already had several bike lengths and I was just hoping he’d fade. The second guy had a small gap to me and I focused on closing that. I was able to close the gap but he still beat me by a bike length and I rolled across for 3rd.I felt a mixture of joy and disappointment as I knew I made a mistake that possibly cost me the win but stoked that I made the right move to get in the right break and was able to secure a true spot on the podium, no more fauxdium for this guy!

Scott and Dana were tremendous throughout the whole race. Lots of guys complimented us after on how we raced and were able to be so involved and active with only three guys. It’s awesome to race with these guys knowing that we had several cards to play and could react and be there in many different scenarios. It just happened to be my card that ended up in the final break. Thanks guys for your tremendous support and hard work!

Look at the winner's legs! Did I really have a chance?

The Crit

We had a day in between the road race and the crit so we headed out for a spin and a coffee stop in Kernersville. After getting lost and some google mapping, we found a good stretch of road to do some fartlek style accelerations and finished at the Wired Coffee Bar. I’m not sure if anyone in this town had ever seen cyclists before, let alone 6 guys in matching kits. We caused quite a stir as the owner of the coffee shop started taking pictures of us drinking her coffee. She was so excited to post on her Facebook page that we were there. We sat outside in a little alley between all the shops and all the local shop owners came out to say hi. A local chocolatier came out and gave us fresh chocolate covered bananas, his friend from a fedex style store came to take more pics with us and our bikes. She was so excited we were there she called her friend at the local newspaper to come interview us but luckily nothing came of it. Then the jewelry shop owner came out and chatted with us and I ended up getting some ear rings for my daughter.           

We're HUGE in Kernersville!

After the ride, Scott, Dave and I headed into Winston Salem to grab lunch and walk the crit course. After a delicious modern southern lunch and a refreshing Beet Gose, we drove over to the fairgrounds where the crit was to be held. The majority of the 8ish turn course was held on the fairgrounds and defined by barriers. It looked pretty damn sketchy and tight for a huge field of jacked up racers. The course started with an immediate right turn and into a hard left, where the inside apex of the turn had been brought out to cover a storm drain. Then an immediate right on to Deacon St. and another right onto Shorefield. There was a slight rise and then a shallow descent into an off camber right turn that brought you back up into the fairgrounds. A quick left and then a long straight that funnels into a long 180 deg sweeper to the right. Then there was a very bizarre and way too sharp and tight chicane which dumped you into the finish straight less than 100 m from the line. Fear set in as the three of us started to envision all the crashes that could occur and how difficult it would be to move up. I’ll admit I didn’t get much sleep that night…

The plan was similar to the road race but we were working for Scott. Dana and I had to cover dangerous breaks and assuming it was all together, I would either take a flyer at 2 to go to cause a reaction that could provide the early part of a leadout. Or take control of the front with 1 to go. Then Dana would try to get Scott down the backside into the long sweeper. From there, Scott would hopefully take it home as there was not really much room to come around anyone.

Confidence was high!

We arrived early as we knew positioning was extra crucial and we wanted to get to staging early. Thankfully, the organizers had straightened out the crazy chicane so it was a more gentle and wide curve from the end of the sweeper to the start/finish chute. But while warming up, we were able to watch the 35-39 and it was a crash fest. Turn 2 (the extra sharp one that came around the storm drain) was the main culprit so after were were called up, they changed that one, exposing the drain but making the turn safer. It was a good thing because the drain was not an issue to ride over. But the delay meant more time in the sun. All in all, we sat in the sun for 40 min before the race started. Not ideal but all 80+ riders were in the same boat. I wasn’t sure how it would affect me as we had a long race at 75 minutes.

The first lap was neutral so we could get a look at the course, something I’ve never experienced before. Thankfully, most guys respected the staging position and there wasn’t too much jockeying. Dana, Scott and I were in the top 20 as the race began. Luckily it was fast from the beginning, which strung out the field and kept it safe. Similar to the road race, the attacks started but everyone jumped on everything. It took me a while to get used to the course, the corners, and where moving up was possible.  For the most part, everyone rode safe, I got chopped a couple of times but anticipated it and backed off. The first goal of this race was to stay upright and maintain all my skin.

I was generally able to stay in the top third of the field making most of my progress on the two long backside straights which had a pretty good headwind by this point. It took a constant effort as being on the wrong wheel or side of the field could cost you 20 spots in just seconds. Then it could take laps to get that back. Dana and I marked some moves and tried to get off the front but no one was having it. Dana would cause quite a stir when he’d try to get off the front or bridge to a rider. I guess being the reigning national champ has consequences. :) We were marking the same guys as the road race - all the strong CA guys plus a few more we learned about in the road race, like the winner, Ken. About halfway into the 75 minute race a group of 4 got off the front with Jeromy Cottell (Specialized Masters) involved. He’s a motor and can drive a break all the way to the end. I saw it go but was too far back to do anything and Dana and Scott were in the same boat. Their gap grew to almost 30 sec and after a while, two more snuck off the front to try to bridge, Phil Tintsman from Monster Media and Jan Weissenberger from Thirsty Bear, two incredibly strong and aggressive riders. And again we missed the move. I thought the race was over at that point and we had missed our chance. I was feeling pretty crappy and I struggled to maintain the acceleration coming out of turn 4 that went into a slight riser. But I finally figured out how to get on the gas going into it and carry more momentum up. Dana was doing a ton of work on the front to chase/manage the gap but wasn’t getting much help. Scott even had to help on the front even though he was supposed to sit in as much as possible. I battled my way back to the front and rolled up to Dana who said we had to bring this back. We each pulled for a lap and it didn’t feel like the gap shrunk much. The bridging group had joined the front four and it looked like it was game over.

But we stayed on it, trying to chase and hoping others would help. We were now in the lap cards and probably down to about 6 or 8 to go. Rudy went to the front and put in a big pull as did Oleg and sure enough the gap began to fall. I remember hearing 13 sec and was marking our progress by where they were coming out of the long sweeper as we went into it. Somewhere around 4 to go we caught them heading into the sweeper. I thought were all together but apparently Phil and Paul Martin from First Internet Bank had snuck off right as we caught the others. And they got their gap back to 10+ sec. We were on 3 to go and going into the sweeper. I rolled by the outside of Dana and he yelled “it’s time to go”. I knew we were approaching 2 to go and that was when I was supposed to take my flyer. My first thought was even with a break, it still seemed like a good idea. If I could jump, and cause a reaction, it would help Scott and Dana stay safe near the front of the single file line and help bring back the remaining two riders. So I jumped hard exiting the sweeper. I pushed through the chicane and had a small gap through the start/finish chute. Just to the left of the chicane, the 45-49’s were staging and I heard them yelling like crazy to go! Turns out it wasn’t just my team mates, all the NorCal guys were cheering. I put my head down and was determined to get across. My gap to the field had extended to maybe 8-10 sec by the time I exited onto Deacon and I could see the two up ahead. I got close to them on the 1st back straight but Paul Martin attacked as I got to within 10 meters. Phil followed and the gap grew. I dug deep and held my effort steady but I thought that was it. But they were either tired or playing games with each other. I almost closed it again approaching the sweeper and Paul went again and again the gap grew. I tried to maintain my power and be as fast and possible. They had just a few seconds on me as I passed the the staging area again to a mass of cheers. I’m not sure, but I think the announcer had written me off at this point. But I was determined to prove him wrong and stayed on it and flew through turns 1, 2, and 3. I was closing and as I made turn 4 and headed onto the back straight, I was almost there. This time, no attack. I rolled up to them and they sort of sat up for a sec. I rolled by them and Phil jumped on my wheel and the three of us entered the fairgrounds and made the left onto the second straight.

1/2 Lap to go. Photo courtesy of Greg Rowe, my USADA post-race chaperone.

I was on the front but it was too late to play any games. I ramped up the pace and decided to go hard into the sweeper as that’s how the previous race was won and it was a technical finish which meant that passing would be hard. Also, if I was going to lose, it wasn’t gonna be like the road race where I waited too long. These guys were going to have to earn it. I accelerated through the long sweeper, hugging the inside, my 26c Turbo Cottons gripping like crazy. All of a sudden at the apex of the turn, I heard the distinctive sound of a rider going down. I exited the turn and a quick glance back showed that Phil had slid out and caused Paul to react and get around him. I went as hard as I could, got through the chicane onto the finish straight and looked back again. Paul was charging hard but the gap was too big. I was able to post up in absolute disbelief that I crossed the line first and won Nationals. I spoke to Phil afterwards and he said he clipped a pedal in the turn and just washed out (quick shoutout to the cornering clearence of my Look Keos!). A bummer for him because he rode a great race and that’s not how I wanted it to finish. But I don’t think any race like this is won without a little luck. And to top it off, Dana was able to stay near the front and sprint for third to double up our podium presence!

Posting up in disbelief!

Pretty cool to stand next to Coach on the podium

I truly wish the race would have played out for Scott but like in the road race, it’s a testament to our team that we can have success in so many scenarios.

All in all, a week I’ll never forget. I’m thankful for the support of Scott and Dana in the races, and the friendship and camaraderie from the 45 squad. It still hasn’t quite sunk in yet, maybe it never will. Bike racing is a funny sport, you need a combination of fitness, team tactics, the best equipment and a little luck and I’m thankful I had all of them on my side. 

Still wow...

On a Roll....Another Victory for Scott Cox: 2016 Memorial Day Criterium

by Scott Cox

May 30, 2016

Category: 35+ 123

Teammates: Dave Allen, Matthew Sloan, Dan Vigil

Plan: Race aggressively and look for break opportunities.  Allen to lead me out if it came to a sprint.

Summary:

I arrived at the race in time to see David Allen (aka 'Beerdo') in a break away in the 45+ 123 race with 8 laps to go.  Great riding by Beerdo and teamwork by Sloan led to a victory and got me even more fired up for our race to come.  Seeing your teammates ride so well gives you some extra confidence and I am not going to lie, my legs were pretty thrashed from a long race and ride the day before - the full Hamilton.  I pinned up and gave my Specialized Tarmac (delusional Sagan parallel here) a once over and found the team for some high fives and a pre-race chat.  

Vigil had won the 35+ 3 race earlier, so we all had some fatigue in our legs heading into this race.  ~ 30 racers lined up and it was a sea of blue San Jose kits.  Morgan Stanley was also largely represented.  It felt like a break away kind of day and we knew to be attentive to these larger teams.  

The whistle blew and Erik Camacho of San Jose attacked immediately.  I was right there and jumped on it as I heard other competitors groan.  Yep, breakaway kind of day and the field seemed tired from the heat and the long weekend.  Pasco (Safeway) was in the move as well as Chris Cain (Don Chapin) and John Schiefer (San Jose).  My legs were not feeling good and I was relieved to see Vigil had made a hard bridge to make sure we stacked the break.  We rotated at a civil pace and were brought back pretty quickly heading into the last turn before the start finish.  A reset was just fine with me as we had Allen and Sloan ready for the next wave.  Just then, Pasco hit it hard heading into the start finish line and had a gap. I covered this hoping to catch San Jose and Morgan Stanley out and force them to chase.  Cain, Schiefer and Hussein Saffouri (Lange Twins) made the move and went to work.  Pasco, Schiefer and Cain were riding strong and Saffouri was having trouble early on.  I pulled through softly hoping to see another TMB guy come across and assessed the situation.  I liked my odds from this break, but also knew I did not need to drive it because my teammates were in the ready and we could win from about any scenario thrown at us today.  

We did not get time gaps, but I did not see the field when I looked back.  I heard the announcer say 2 were bridging and knew a TMB rider was in the mix.  Sloan was on it.  I kept my pulls short and steady anticipating an attack after I took a pull thinking these other riders in the break would not want this to come down to a sprint and would try and get rid of me at some point.  The lap cards came out and it looked like it was going to come down to the 5 of us.  I made sure to not be on Saffouri’s wheel as I thought he would get gapped at some point and made sure to keep an eye on Pasco to catch me out and get away solo.  

One lap to go and still no attacks.  Huh?  I was on the front heading into turn 1 and slowed and slotted in behind Pasco who was now on the front.  The other guys were nice enough to let me in front of them.  We hit the straight before the final turn and Schiefer attacked with about 500 meters to go.  I was able to cover this and we had a gap and Schiefer sat up when he saw this.  I think we stopped pedaling here and I slotted into 3rd wheel behind the teaming Schiefer and Cain.  Then Schiefer started a lead out for Cain heading into the final turn and I was able to come by them on the outside protected from the wind for the win!  Thank you to my selfless teammates for the win today.  I know their efforts behind me prevented a chase and allowed the break to survive at pace that left a strong sprint in my legs.

2016 Memorial Day Criterium

images: Alex Chiu

With the bar set high from the team’s win at the Folsom Classic Criterium on Saturday, and a podium sweep at the classic Mount Hamilton Road Race, Garrett, Cam P., Andy and myself set out to make it three for three on the weekend at the Memorial Day Criterium in Morgan Hill.

The start whistle blew, and I rolled off the front for a lap-1 flyer. I checked back a few times to see if anyone would join me or if I’d get pulled back. I got reeled in on the back side of the second lap, a few riders countered with Cam following.

Since the course is essentially a giant circle, with wide open straightaways and no hard turns, most of the breakaways on the day never got fully out of sight. Tobin Ortenblad, last year’s winner, was the guy to beat in the field and was heavily marked. The reluctance of the peloton to let any group bigger than four or five riders get up the road kept the race together.

Within the last 12 laps, Larry Nolan and a rider from SunPower rolled off the front and got a sizeable gap. They were joined later by a Clif Bar rider, but were pulled back with about four laps to go. A four-man break formed in the final few laps that and Andy bridged up to it. Three of them were pulled back, but Matt Schaupp from Echelon-Storck rolled off and rode the last three laps solo. I found Cam, and he helped me stay up near the top five wheels on the second to last lap. Andy got back up to the front to keep the pace high through the cross-tailwind section, and Schaupp was pulled back as the field reached turn one of the with one lap to go.

Herbalife24 p/b MPS had a firm grip on the front of the bunch, with Penaloza, Carling and Bassetti ready to leadout Myers for the last corner. Ortenblad held the inside going around the back stretch and tried to push his way onto Bassetti’s wheel. I sat behind them as they elbowed and head-butted. When Carling accelerated, Ortenblad lost position as Bassetti and Myers followed.

Within 20m to the last corner, Bassetti moved out to give Myers room on the inside but he hesitated, skipping a chain as he tried to close the door on me.  I stayed seated and gave it a little gas to get to the corner first. I stood up out of the corner and sprinted to the line. Garrett followed me in for fourth, even after two solid days of crit and traveling including his win on Saturday.

Funke Earns a Well Deserved 3rd: USA Cycling Masters Nationals 45+ 1/2/3 Road Race

May 24, 2014
Winston-Salem North Carolina
Weather: warm, humid, 80-85
Teammates: Dave "Beardo" Allen and Chris "Donkey" Hobbs
Course: Rolling 18.2 mile loop, 4 laps.

Prelude:
Matt found a sweet AirBnB house on the outskirts of Winston-Salem that comfortably slept 6 - which was perfect because we brought 6 guys - Prez, Dr. Cox, Ringer, Donkey, Beardo, and myself. It was a truly relaxing place to retreat to between events and it was like "Team Camp Lite" having everyone around watching the Giro, cooking, drinking, preparing for the races, and cracking up at Hobbs, well...being Hobbs.

Plan:
We knew that with 8 riders including multiple former and current national (and world) champions, that Peet's would bring the race to the rest of us. There were a bunch of teams from around the country with two to three riders, a couple with four. Given our limited resources, our plan was to watch for dangerous breaks with two or more riders including a Peet's rider - and to conserve and react to the race with Hobbs slaying himself to keep Dave and myself in contention and ready for anything in the finale.

Race:
There was a full field of 150 so Dave and I staged early in the designated section, but somehow we still ended up getting snaked by the more "savvy" riders - which turned out to be like 60% of the field - that sneaked their way in at the last minute in front of us. This included Donkey, who was contentedly sitting in the front row while Dave and I sat like 15 rows back chatting with a couple of old friends from the Southeast racing scene that we knew from way back when...

After the neutral roll out, the field went full width of the road, and we were stuck for a bit, but were able to finally move up as a few attacks went. I have to say the first few miles set the tone for the rest of the week; With Nationals on the line, everyone seemed willing to take a few extra risks to get to the front. I don't recall any crashes early on, but there was a lot of chopping and some questionable behavior, and there were more than a few riders that clearly didn't belong in a big experienced field that included the fastest Masters in the country. Dave, Hobbs, and I passed each other here and there throughout the first lap, with Hobbs ever-present near the front and Dave and I sitting about 20 back, moving up when prudent. One thing became abundantly clear on the first lap - this course was not going to be nearly as challenging as we'd thought on the pre-ride the day before. The speed with which we hit the hills in the group would usually power us most of the way up the little rises on the course, and the guys in the back were getting a free ride. At 25mph, the short stinging rollers were now just rollers. Bummer.

On Lap 1, Dan Martin rolled away solo. We were content to let him go, and while I think there were a few bridge attempts, he pretty much stayed out there on his own for the first lap and into the second lap. Most attacks were brought back quickly because there were just too many fresh horses to let more than one guy roll away. Donkey was up front bridging gaps here and there.
On Lap 2, Martin was re-absorbed and the pace heated up as some of the heavy-hitters from around the country took a stab at getting away. Nobody really got anywhere and while the field got pretty strung out here and there, sitting in wasn't difficult. I was not planning to go with anything until the final lap, if at all. Dave and Hobbs (and myself) covered a few attacks, because we were in position to, but every gap was quickly bridged by the guys that just couldn't be left behind. The Peet's riders were putting in digs here and there. A few of the danger men like Phipps, Giles, Richard Feldman, and my old friend Gordon Stiel from Charlotte put in some short-lived attacks, but nobody was having it.

Lap 3 saw Martin roll away again and got 30 secs. pretty quickly, then a number of riders tried to bridge - one of whom apparently succeeded. There was still a lot of racing left so we weren't concerned - the periodic attacks seemed to be keeping the break within 2 min and I was hopeful that it would come back on the last lap, especially considering Martin had been out there all day - which was pretty bad-ass.

On Lap 4, Martin was still away and within 15K to go we got a time check of 1:20 to Martin. And it was unclear how many guys were up there (I thought 2-3). After a few more km's with no real collective effort by any other teams, Dave and I decided we might need to unleash the Donkey a bit early.

We were pretty sure he wanted to anyway. So...I worked my way to front and gave him the news.
While we were chatting some guy hollered from behind us: "C'mon Mike's, stop f#$king around!"
Yeah...you may as well have hit the Donkey with a whip, because within 4K of of the "Donkey Show", Dan Martin, who had dropped his breakaway companion, was safely back in the pack. Hee-haw, good Donkey.

Now thinking of the finish, we knew it was going to be total bedlam with probably 120+ guys left in the field - and half of them still thought they (we) had a chance. I was pretty sure with Martin being pretty tired from the break(s), that Laberge might be their guy after all - and perhaps with 70 miles in our legs I might have slightly better odds than usual - so I got the back of the Peet's train with about 10K to go just as everyone started getting really uptight. Dave was right behind me at that point and we were going to see what happens and help each other out if the cards fell accordingly. The remaining Peet's guys came up front and this looked like it was going to be a good plan. One thing that occurred to me this point was that Theobald wasn't up front much and was probably conserving. Sure enough, at around 5-6km to go, Nick rolled off with a Kelly Benefits guy (Frederick Norton). I thought there was way too much power left in the field to let this slip away. But they kept working at it...and dangling...

Inside 4km to go, Theobald and Norton were still off and nobody wanted to seal the deal (our Donkey was apparently trapped behind some 80-90 riders after his effort, unable to get back to the front) - and Peet's and Kelly riders seemed content to let them dangle. As a result, the final km's became a total low-speed swarm/crash-fest. I was tenaciously holding Dean's wheel and getting swarmed and bumped from all sides - but thinking of the work that Hobbs did, I was not going to give this up. With every swarm, the Peet's guys up front would up the tempo just enough to keep us at the pointy end without actually catching Nick - which was pretty slick riding by Peet's. But the break was SOOO close I REALLY thought they were coming back.

The first crash happened immediately behind me at around 4km, which I know Dave/Hobbs got hung up behind. It sounded nasty. Up front though, that relieved a little tension and I started looking to the finish and anticipating the sprint. A few more crashes, further back, could be heard, and the number of riders up front was thinning out. I was intent on finishing this thing and was feeling good, in spite of the number of fresh guys around.

The final 1km was a bit of a blur for me - I think the Peet's guys were all burned off except Dean, and there were a few guys in front trying to bridge the gap as we closed in on the break. I was patient, and waited...and waited... And then, oh God! All of a sudden we were 250M from the finish and the guys in front of Dean were starting their sprint, and it occurred to me that Dean isn't going to sprint. Alarm bells started going off and I went, knowing full well it was too late. I did my sprint at somewhere below 100% effort - because of the number of guys I had to pick my way through that were here and there on the road. In the last 100m I probably needled my way through 6-7 guys, and squeaked by the guy in 3rd probably 10m before the line. Nick was celebrating as I rolled up to him after the line. I was simultaneously really happy for Nick, really psyched at getting a medal, and a bit let down at myself for waiting too long to give myself a real chance of catching Nick - who had a nice comfortable margin and did a huge effort at the finish to put a few bike lengths into Norton in 2nd.

Honestly, I can't think of a more deserving rider in NorCal to wear the Stars and Stripes than Nick Theobald - a selfless rider that races with heart and aggression, and gives everything for his Peet's teammates. Just standing up there next to him - representing NorCal with him on the national stage - was truly an honor. The Peet's guys rode a terrific race and I could tell they were ecstatic to give Nick the win that he deserved.

And winning Bronze at Nationals was honestly more than I expected from this tired old body that is only getting a couple days of racing per month. But damn, I was close, and the stars actually aligned in a way that offered me a shot at the title and earned me a solid spot on the podium.
And then there is this awesome team of riders - I can't say enough about how this Mike's Bikes team operates and how we inspire and motivate each other, mostly through our actions. Hobbs flew across the country with the sole intent of sacrificing himself for us, and Dave willing to give his all for whatever outcome looked most promising - offering to lead me out if it came down to it. Honestly, these were the biggest motivators in hurling myself into the ridiculous fray that was the last 10km of this race - it was definitely a bit nerve-wracking and scary, even, but in the end it was worth the effort, and the reward.

One more thing: a HUGE assist to Sally and Dick (Scott's parents) who sat sweltering in the sun on a hot and humid afternoon, in their homemade Mike's Bikes T-Shirts, holding out bottles like pros. I drank every drop of my Osmo and we would not have made it to the finish line without them. Scott, please give your parents our sincerest thanks for EVERYTHING they did to help out.
Cheers,
-Funke

David Allen Finishes 3rd at a Fast & Aggressive Red Kite Criterium

by David Allen
 
Date: May 15, 2016
 
Category: M123 35+
 
Teammates:  Scott Cox, Chris Hobbs, Oli Ryan, Matthew “Maggie” Sloan
 
It’s the day after an amazing Cat’s Hill performance and we were really just hoping to get some last minute Nationals fine tuning (Cox, Hobbs, and myself) or take advantage of some good form (Oli and Matthew).  But still wanting to perform well and get a good result.
 
Peet’s had other ideas and a different agenda.  After a rough race the day before, they were looking for redemption as well as preparing for Dean LaBerge’s Nationals defense.  They brought a full 10(!) riders today.  Total field was around 60 riders.
 
The TMB plan was simply to be very active, take the race to Peet’s and try not to have to react too much, but instead force them to react.  If nothing worked, do our best to get our own leadout going, or infiltrate the Peet’s leadout and set up myself or Cox for the win.
 
Attacks were going nonstop from the gun.  Mostly initiated by us, but Peets was very active as well.  Many breaks developed, and some lasted a lap or so, but nothing stuck.  Probably a bad combination of teams as well as Peet’s wanting it to come down to a sprint.  
 
The impressive thing for us is that we were represented in every break (usually with 2 or more riders) and were never in a situation where we had to chase.  It’s such a good feeling coming back from a break to see a teammate launch another attack while the other 3 are right near the front waiting for the next move (and having it this way the entire race).  It really felt like there were more the 5 of us.  Too much fun!
 
With a couple laps to go, Peet’s started lining it up for the leadout.  Cox, Hobbs, and I were able to get into the front end of it pretty easily (Oli and Matthew were still attacking right up to the last lap!).
 
Theobald put in a really long pull with about 1.5 to go and Hobbs was on his wheel.  As Nick slowed down, I told Hobbs to keep it going.  Scott and I were in such good position that I didn’t want to risk a swarm while waiting for Peets to get it back together again.
 
Hobbs did a stellar pull (as usual) until Dan Martin went to the front with about a half lap to go.  With Martin driving hard on the front no one was going to attack or come by.  At this point Cox and I are sitting 2-3 and looking good.  The problem was that I wasn’t exactly sure how it was lined up behind me (Cox or Hobbs, do you know?).
 
About 100m into the 2nd to last straight, I felt Martin hesitate.  I’m sure he was trying to figure out what to do with 2 Mikes on his wheel.  My worry was that he was going to gradually slow down and allow the rest of the Peets leadout to swarm us.  At this point I just decided to go.  I jumped to the inside as hard as I could go and got a pretty decent gap right away.  The only problem was that it was a long way to that final turn…
 
I heard a bunch of Peets yelling behind me.  I was hoping that they would panic and their leadout would blow up, but I don’t think that happened.  Scott could probably fill this in better, but it seems that they kept it together nicely and had 1-2 riders bring Dean the rest of the way to the final turn.  I made it there first, but was slowing considerably.
 
Dean and Matt Mikul (Squadra) came by me and I hung on for 3rd.  Kudos to Peets for a well-timed leadout and also to Dean for another textbook sprint.

Scott Cox & Matt Adams Go 1-2 at Cat's Hill Classic

by Scott Cox
 
Date: May 14, 2016
 
Category: M123 35+
 
Teammates:  Matt Adams, David Allen, Rob Amatelli, John Barbicas, John Funke, Oli Ryan, and Matthew Sloan

Cat’s Hill Criterium (presented by Mike's Bikes) in Los Gatos is a NorCal classic and a favorite race for many on the Mike’s Bikes Masters team.  There is some added incentive as Mike’s Bikes is the major sponsor of this awesome downtown venue with a rich history in cycling.  The town comes out in support of this all day race and it offers a unique course with a 20% hill each lap.  Cycling fans and everyday people can get in on the excitement choosing between a few great spots on the course to get close to the action - on the climb, at the bottom of the rough pavement descent and the start finish line.

This week was exciting as it allowed the team’s focus to shift from the other great Spring NorCal races to one that has been on my tick list for a few years now with some near misses.  The hill may lead some to think this is a climber’s course, but actually favors an all arounder with a good sprint since it is basically a 15 second sprint up the hill each lap.  This course is well suited to my team and myself and we had a solid plan in place to try and get the win.  It would not be an easy task as the course is hard and there were other well respected opponents.  Some of the racers on Peet’s that we all respect and have used as role models in cycling were doubling up in the 35s and 45s for this one.  This included class act Dan Martin - Multi-National Champion and reigning World Champion, Kevin Metcalfe - 15 time National Champion, Nick Theobald - highly decorated NorCal racer and workhorse for his team.  Specialized was represented with Jeromy Cottell - World Champion on the track and a threat in every race on the calendar and a scrappy Scott Bromstead that would likely be involved if it came to a sprint.  As always, there were several other strong riders that we would need to keep an eye on and the course adds its own mayhem.  I had Matt Adams, David Allen, Rob Amatelli, John Barbicas, John Funke, Oli Ryan, and Matthew Sloan by my side in this one. 

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Cottell and Peet’s would likely race aggressively and want a break that would play to their strengths.  Cottell, Martin and Bromstead would likely be able to contest a sprint, too, but we have faster guys and also work together well for leadouts, so a sprint tilted heavily in our favor and that was the plan - keep the race together until the final time up the hill.  There is no way to control what happens the last time up the hill.  We would have to be in good position to prevent getting behind any mishaps and also be the fastest up the hill.  May the strongest man win - easy, right?

The announcer did all of the call ups for the decorated guys in the field and I used this as extra motivation for the day.  It may sound arrogant or overconfident to say that I was going to win this race, but that is what I was thinking as I believe that is the mindset needed to win.  Any doubts that were trying to creep in were pushed aside and I was surrounded by the best teammates one could ask for.  The whistle finally blew and the race was on. 

The hill did its job and Martin/Metcalfe/Theobald/Cottell used it is a springboard to try and get a gap and a break going.  Things happen fast in a race and I recall someone being off the front on many laps and my teammates covered or bridged to every break attempt.  I was glued to Dan Martin any time he hit the hill hard.  I could see that I had more pop on the hill and could easily stay in contact with him over the top of the course.  My teammates were everywhere and I knew they would keep things in check and I wanted to stay engaged in the race and near the front to avoid any mishaps on the hill.  It is also pretty sweet to know you have other teammates that are capable of the win and that took quite a bit of pressure off of me.  I saw the 8 laps to go card and I think everyone knew it was going to come down to the last lap. 

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Matt Adams was all over the front of the race and started keeping the pace high to discourage attacks.  The classic breakaway riders had to relent and were prepping for the finale.  Oli Ryan came to the front as well and things were going to plan.  I even saw Rob Amatelli with the flashy socks and orange bike in the mix stuck in his 14 tooth cog as Dura-Ace is not built Rob-o-tough and he shredded it.  Fast forward to 2 to go and my teammates were keeping me up front and the legs were good.  The bell lap came and all was good.  Funke came up as planned and led it to the hill for one last time. 

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You can just feel things in a race and I knew David Allen was close behind me and in position and Matt Adams was there, too.  So were the other contenders and everyone still had a chance.  I swung wide on the hill and took it up the right side where no one could slow me down.  Create your own destiny.  We came over the top and I throttled back, moved left and slotted behind Theobald in second wheel thinking this is perfect as he would stay on the gas to lead out Dan Martin.  My plan was to enter the descent in 1st wheel and was coming by Theobald on the final little rise to make my move when I hear the Specialized ViAS coming on the inside and Matt Adams tells me to get on board.  All aboard and I think I yelled something like “all in, Matt”. 

Be careful what you ask for because all in it was and I could barely hold his wheel.  Matt drilled it down the descent, picked the perfect line through the final turn and stayed on the gas.  I sprinted as hard as I could and just put my head down and made my move to come around Matt and barely did at the line with Martin hot on my heels. 

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TMB goes 1/2 and 5 guys in the top 10!  I soft pedaled with a surreal feeling.  Not that I won so much (that was a bit surreal though as I have been the bridesmaid the last two seasons), but because my selfless teammates were genuinely happier about the fact that I won than I was and I was pretty stoked!

Special thanks to everyone on the team for the support and opportunity at a race many of us could win.  Extra special thanks to Matt Adams for the W.  A sprinter knows when someone lets up that little bit to make sure the win goes to you.  Good things come back around on this team!

Thanks the Alex Chiu for the amazing photos

2016 Berkeley Hills Road Race

images: Alex Chiu

Shelagh swims 'round the Bears to a second place finish in the 3's

We were with the Masters 1/2/3 35+ so we had a good size field that was being scored separately. Lots of hill climbers to keep an eye on. The race started well with a high pace set by Mak!

The first Bear approached and a couple Master Thirsty Bears moved to the front along with Illi, the 3 who has been kicking it this year. I moved up with them and we had a slight gap along with two other riders - both a Masters and 3.

We did another Bear and we had a clear break from then on. Everyone worked well, rotating through even through the rain that eventually soaked us. On the last Papa Bear pass with one lap to go, Illi and the the two Thirsty Bears had a gap then followed by myself and the other Masters. The two of us chased but couldn't quite catch - I was really satisfied to just stay ahead of the other 3.

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We rolled over the Bears for the last time and we were exhausted, wet, and cold but with content smiles.  Huge thanks to the sponsors that make this spring classic fun; Equator for caffeinating us, ProBar for fueling us, Osmo for recovering us, Capo for clothing us, and Mikes Bikes for our incredible bike maintenance so that riding through horrendous rain storms doesn't destroy our frames.  Also, although it was quite impossible to see through the rain and tire spray, our Smith Optics keep our eyes covered so that we can stay upright and safe as possible.

5 Things I Learned From My First P/1/2 Stage Race (San Dimas)

1. Warm-ups are crucial. It's worth the extra effort to lug around a trainer, even with a complicated travel arrangement, if you're going to make the effort to get there in the first place.

2. In a P/1/2 crit, 5 min early to the line is already too late.

3. If you want to recover, you've gotta eat, no matter how you're feeling.

4. It's worth it and satisfying to credit yourself with the things you know you achieved, such as a mid-race effort or a mental attitude, even if they are less accessible than your finishing place. This is another way of developing strength. 

5. Doing a race where you are the little fish in the pond is good for revealing what you need to work on. Give it a good think. Maybe you knew what you had to do to achieve a better result, but it didn't happen. Why? In my case, I knew I needed a good position going into the final, decisive climb, but I didn't get it. After thinking about it I realized that the place I had been planning to move up was a fast downhill leading into two tight corners, and actually my problem was that I was resistant to getting to the front at that speed and leading into the corners—thus I should probably work more on cornering and descending at speed/in packs, not losing pack position in the first place, and for the immediate future, more carefully identifying good locations/times for me to move up.

Coast Ride 2016 - Come Hell or High Water

Maybe it's best to have your first Coast Ride be the El Nino version. Important lessons came quickly: My bike is fairly waterproof, and so am I. I say "fairly waterproof" because of destroyed brake pads and some saddle sores.

On MLK weekend our crew of Dana, Emily, Shelagh, Julie and I - with Jared as our chief wind-blocker/flat fixer/steady wheel - rolled from San Francisco in a light rain, headed for Monterey with 200+ others. The Coast Ride begins.

There's a peaceful silence a group of riders will fall into when they're perfectly content, enjoying the miles as they pass effortlessly beneath their wheels. Our silence was more the kind that happens when you're miserable but trying your damnedest not to complain. Thankfully everyone was on the same page about this, mile after mile.

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As we passed through towns and the lunch stop, it became hard to know whether the water hitting my face was rain or just spray from the wheel ahead. A turn on the front answered the question; yep, still raining. Through the back roads of Monterey the wheel spray turned brown and it was pretty obvious that wasn't just dirt flying into my mouth and dripping from my helmet.

Monterey, what a glorious sight after 125 miles! I got into the shower in full kit, with my bike. (Apologies to the Days Inn about those towels.) Now relatively clean and with just one more day of rain-riding ahead, my misery changed to optimism. That's right, we were bailing in Morro Bay, which I insist is a sign of maturity, not weakness. 

Elise joined us for Day 2, which goes along a really gorgeous stretch of road...when you can see it. The rains of the day before were replaced by mist, fog, and then wind. We only needed fire to have experienced all the elements on this adventure.

Heading out of Ragged Point for that final stretch, with our brakes nearly worn down to the metal, it was everyone for themselves. I glued onto the wheels of some guys laying down a fast pace and shamelessly drafted my way to Morro Bay. Everyone made it in - Shelagh cried tears of joy (I think) while Emily rolled up in an RV already 3 beers deep and bragging of delicious sausages consumed in warmth and comfort. So jealous, but so incredibly excited to grab a beverage of my own!

And just like that, our Coast Ride was over. Watching everyone roll out the next morning into the rain, I thought maybe, just maybe I should have been riding. But then we went for cappuccinos and a huge breakfast and knew we made the right decision. Till next year Coast Ride, we'll bring our A-Game if you do! 

Chico Stage Race

Feb 26, 2016

Liz Hamel wins the first stage, a grueling gravelly road race, and the team rallies to put her in first for the second stage crit.  The team work and strong individual riding lead to a second place finish for Liz in the overall GC for the women cat 3’s.  Erin Sorani takes 2nd in the crit after a crushing lead out for Liz, and in general, the team momentum was building.