Funke Finishes his CX Season Strong: 2nd Place at NCNCA District Championship

by John Funke

Race: NCNCA District Cyclocross Championships
Location: Gibson Ranch County Park, Elverta, CA
Cat: 45+ A's

This was a truly epic race and the last of the CX season so I had to file an actual report. Leading into today I was worried because I've never been a great mud rider, and I knew it was going to be an absolute mess today. Furthermore the field was pretty stacked with not only the guys that have been tearing up the 45's all season like Chris Peck and Matt Shelton, but also Brian Finnerty and Murray Swanson, who have been racing and winning Elite races all season. I have pretty much been doing all 35+ races so I haven't really raced any of these guys this season so I was anxious to see how it went.

Leading up to the race today I was really worried about tires, especially knowing how much off-camber they had advertised on this race. A lousy tire will just keep bumping you down off the high line until you slide off the course. Hobbs graciously offered his bike with some decent tires for me to use today, and this setup, including the disc brakes, proved far superior to my own setup in these conditions.

Mud conditions were pretty much the worst possible - the course was 99% grass (mud), about 200M of pavement, and some sandy sloppy sections by the lake, and wound around in itself up and down hills and u-turns and long off camber sections. This was not a wet mud that slides off, rather it was the consistency of peanut butter but mixed with grass so it clogged up everything. In the Junior race, Liam's bike (old Serotta with very little clearance and canti brakes) was so choked up after 3/4 lap the bike was basically unrideable and he quit in tears. There were a zillion small climbs on the course that were rideable but we're so churned up they were smarter to run because your bike would collect so much mud if you tried to ride it. Hence the race was a balancing act of strategically choosing lines, hammering when you could, deciding when to hoof it to avoid gooping up your bike, and there was even a section along the lake where the smartest line was to ride into the lake about 4 feet from the shore to wash off some of the muck...which I did every lap.

So anyhow, I started in the third row because I haven't been racing USAC and didn't get a call up (3/4 of the 30 or so riders did), but made up for it on the turn onto the grass as some of the more tentative guys slowed down and I squeaked up to the top ten, then worked my way up to Murray's wheel after some other riders dabbed. Brian was already 5 sec ahead by that time and Murray and I started trading places and keeping Brian close. We caught the tail end of the 35+ race within 1/2 lap -way too soon - and the rest of Lap 1 was getting around guys while trying to ride the best line. I lost Murray but got him back and noticed we couldn't see Brian anymore - I thought he'd dropped us for good but it turns out he had mechanical and dropped out (which I didn't know until afterward). I was faster than Murray on the running sections but Murray was clearly superior on the corners and off-cambers - he's a compact guy and l think that helps considerably in these conditions. Plus he was getting fresh bikes every other lap (or more) as he had two identical bikes and a pit crew to wash them off. So I lost Murray in one off camber section and he got some daylight. I held him close for a couple laps but honestly the bike was getting heavier, gears were skipping (understandable if you saw the amount of gunk in the drivetrain and derailleurs), and I just kept focused on riding hard and smooth and minimizing mistakes while passing the 35A's, Elite A's, and Single Speeders - which kept me going because there was always someone to pick off and it felt good to be plowing through the younger kids. I passed Mark Howard in the 35s and even caught Rainier in the A's, among others. In the end I think Murray had a good minute on me but I think getting a clean bike every lap or so was a pretty huge advantage. Hobbs' bike was probably 6-9 lbs heavier at the end and the drivetrain was so mucked up I can't believe the gears still turned.

With 2 to go I caught Justin Morgan and asked what place he was in in the 35's and he said he was 3rd, so I'd managed to get through almost the entire 35 field and most of the A's and Single Speeders, who all started up to 2 min ahead of us.

Murray and I were minutes ahead of the rest of the 45 field, never saw any of the other fast 45 guys...

Approaching the hour point coming up on 1 to go, I saw Tobin Ortinblad coming up from behind as he was destroying the A field. He came by about 500m before the finish and I was done - mercy kill! Murray got to do another lap...

Team Victory at Oakland Grand Prix; The Final Criterium of the 2016 Season

By Dana Williams

Race: 2016 Oakland Grand Prix

Date: Sept 18, 2016

Teammates: Rob Amatelli, Matthew Sloan, David Allen, Josh Pizzica, Chris Hobbs, Scott Cox & Steve Pelaez

The Plan: be aggressive from the start, have fun, and get the W. If it came down to a sprint then David Allen was our sprinter, with me sweeping him. 

Course: 8 turns on pretty wide open streets. Turn 5 was the only tricky one at 150 degrees. A small change in elevation of approx 5-6% up between turn 8 & 1 then back down between turn 2 & 3. 

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/717106731/overview

Conditions: couldn't be better for mid September; sunny and high 70's/low 80's.

Summary: 

Ah yes, the final race this season. Well, at least for most riders that is. Anybody still needing their fix of racing has one more road race next weekend. But it's way the heck up in Henleyville. Thank you VeloPromo, but I'll pass. But in all seriousness, thank you to VeloPromo for the amazing job they do each and every year with all the races they put on. 

Steve and I roll up to Oak-town in the teams Toyota Sienna. I have to say it's nice being chauffeured to the race. Thanks Steve! Buzzing from the Equator Coffee I slammed down during the drive, I head over to registration, pick up my numbers and then off for a quick bathroom break. Low and behold most of my #TMBEquator teammates are ahead of me. And I must say they are looking damn sharp in their Capo kits. The only thing going against them is the beautiful aroma of the blue porta potty's. A quick shout out to them and then it's back to the van to get kitted up; Skinsuit is already on, Specialized S-Works shoes, gloves and evade helmet tightened up and in place. Smith PivLock glasses locked and loaded. A quick height adjustment to my saddle before I throw my leg over my bike, and I'm off for my warm up. 

At the start line there's around 25-30 guys. The atmosphere is pretty light. We’re happy there are quite a few more riders than we anticipated based on pre reg. The whistle blows and we're off. It's not long before attacks begin. And thankfully most of them come from my teammates. Scott Cox throws in a strong early move. It's brought back and then Rob Amatelli lets one loose. Then Chris Hobbs unleashes his fury. Scott, Matthew and Josh are there to cover bridge attempts. Rob too. This goes on for about 20mins. David is also active and trying to follow dangerous moves, as am I. I'm tempted to put a hard move in and see what happens but I decide to hold back for a little bit longer with hopes that guys legs will soften up a bit more. 

The bell rings signifying a prime lap. Three quick turns go by and I exit out of turn four around 5th wheel. I decide to sprint up the right side and go for a long bomb for the prime. I get a decent gap, nab the prime and look back to see two other riders bridging up. I keep the pedals turning and soon we are in a three-man break, Ariel Hermann, Chris Cane and myself. I have to admit I wasn't watching the lap counters but thinking back now I'd say we had around six laps to go. The three of us were working pretty well together. Specialized was not represented and I could see they were on the front of the chase group pushing hard. A lap or so later I look back and I see three teammates bridging up. I think to myself, this is good news. They make the bridge and we continue to push on. Some other riders must have worked really hard because soon the group is back together. 

Next thing I recall is rounding turn four and asking Chris how many laps to go. To my surprise he says 'we're coming up on two to go'. Woah, it's game time. Just then Chris marks a move and he and three other riders (Ariel Hermann, Chris Baker, Rick Lawton) float off the front. They cross the finish line with two to go with about a 5-7 second gap. I start to have flash backs to the San Rafael criterium....is the Specialized rider up with Chris a strong sprinter? Can Chris beat Ariel in a sprint? Should we bring them back, or at least try? I believe it was David and Scott up towards the front as we went around turn one with two to go. We shared a few words and decided it was best to try to try to bring them back. As we came into the 150 degree turn 5, I saw a rider had gone down. It was Ariel. But he was back up and seemed ok. The guys continued to push on the front. We go around the final turn and start up the hill with the bell ringing, signifying one lap to go. I stand up and sprint up the right with the intention of trying to bridge up. It isn’t until I exit turn four that I come up to them. I don’t believe they saw me coming so my instincts say to go by as quick as I can. My legs are starting to tighten. I stand up and dig hard and go by on the left, hoping nobody comes with me. I take turn 5 and see I have a gap. I know that if I can accelerate hard and get up to speed then I'll have a good chance of staying away. And thankfully that's how it unfolded. I roll across the line for the win. 

Cheers to my Team Mikes Bikes p/b Equator teammates for their hard work and great racing. It was arguably our best race of the year. And of course thank you to the team sponsors and supporters; Mikes Bikes, Equator Coffees & Teas, Toyota, Financial Force, Specialized, Achieve Training & Coaching, Violich Farms, ProBar, Capo Cycling Apparel, Sutter Health Novato Community Hospital, Bike Smart, Smith Optics, Look Pedals, Betwixt Chamois Cream and Zealios Sun Barrier.

'Close, but No Cigar' at the 2016 Giro di San Francisco

By Dana Williams

Race: 2016 Giro di San Francisco

Date: Sept 5, 2016

Teammates: Rob Amatelli, Matt Adams, David Allen, Josh Pizzica, John Funke, Chris Hobbs & Scott Cox

The plan: be aggressive from the start to try to establish a break with representation and without a few favorites. If it came down to a sprint then Scott or Dave were to get me first into the 2nd last turn. 

Course: 6 turn L-shaped. Downhill between turn 1 & 2. Turn 2 has a old rail crossing diagnol to our line. It’s not that bad actually. Uphill between turn 3 & 4, with the second half pitching up to 6-7%. Slight downhill between turn 4 & 5, which is the back stretch. Turn 5 is rough from bad pavement.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/701884399/analysis/3324/3428

Conditions: Upper 60s with head wind on start/finish straights and tail wind on back stretch.

Summary

This is one of the teams favourite races of the season. It’s on the streets just outside of downtown San Francisco which makes for a fun atmosphere. The weather is usually sunny and warm, and this was certainly the case for the 2016 edition. Thankfully for team sponsors like Zealios Sun Barrier we were ready to take on natures forces and the race course. 

The pace was pretty quick right from the start. I'm guessing anybody past 1/2 way back definitely felt the effects of the yo-yo. Gaps were forming all over the place. I certainly was thankful to be on my Specialized Venge Vias, one if the, if not the fastest bike in the world. 

Chris Hobbs Pushing Hard Up the Climb into Turn 4. Photo credit: Alex Chiu

Fast forward to around 9 laps to go. One could sense the constant attacks had softened up the legs of many riders. Teammate Rob Amatelli decides to push it hard down the back side. A few riders follow and I hop on as well. Next thing I look back and we have a gap. I'd say there's 8-10 guys of which include some horsepower and smart racing skills, Jeromy Cottell, Ariel Hermann, Chris Phipps, Chris Cain and Aaron Patterson. We work pretty well together for the next lap or two and it seems as though our break is established. I look back on the back stretch and see teammate Matt Adams bridging up. Score!! He makes contact and we continue on. 

At four or five to go, Ariel attacks hard up the hill going into turn 4. Guys look at each other just long enough for a decent gap to form. Matt soon steps up and hits the front and does an awesome pull for about a full lap.

Matt Adams Leading the Pack. Photo credit: Alex Chiu

This brings back Ariel. As we exit the final turn on the 2nd to last lap, Rob goes to the front and keeps the pace high. He leads all the way through turns one, two, three and four to get us to the back stretch. At around a quarter of the way down the backstretch I decide to try to surprise the other guys and make an early attack. I sprint hard down the right side and get a gap. I dig deep and try to keeping going. As I sweep through the second last turn in the lead, the next thing I know my chain falls off my big ring and into my cranks. Ah oh! That's not good. I fidget with my shifter to the last turn while trying to get it back on. I get it over into the little ring and I am taking the final turn while trying to get it back up onto the big ring. I think I have it so I start to sprint, but luck was not on my side. It's still in the small chain ring. I decide my best option is to keep sprinting and see what happens. I lead until about 30 m to line and then Jeremy flashes by on the right and takes the win. I manage to just hold onto second. It’s a bit unfortunately, especially considering the strong race for TMB Equator teammates, but there’s not much that could have been done. Bad luck was on our side. And 2nd place in a strong field like this is a nice result. 

Thanks to all my teammates for solid racing. And of course to the team sponsors and supporters; Mikes Bikes, Equator Coffees & Teas, Toyota, Financial Force, Specialized, Achieve Training & Coaching, Violich Farms, ProBar, Capo Cycling Apparel, Sutter Health Novato Community Hospital, Bike Smart, Smith Optics, Look Pedals, Betwixt Chamois Cream and Zealios Sun Barrier.

A Hard and Fast Criterium Almost Nets Cox a Second District Championship

by Scott Cox

2016 NCNCA District Criterium Championship

September 4, 2016

Teammates - Steve Pelaez and Oliver Ryan.  

Plan:  Race attentive and look for a break as we knew Jeromy Cottell (Specialized) would be instigating things and is on a rampage this season like always.  It was unlikely he would want this race to come to a sprint and has the horsepower to stay away.  Specialized also had Espy, Dapice, and Henderson to help.  

Background

As with most masters championship races, teams were not very large due to the 5 year age cut offs, so the racing is a bit of a gamble and although the stronger riders usually end up on top, things do not always play out like one might expect - a break might get away without teams to chase or a wheelsucker just might get lucky as the stronger riders duke it out.  

Summary

It is fun racing.  The race consisted of many attacks and counters and it felt like one of the hardest races I have done this year.  Gaps everywhere and drooling commenced.  It may just be the end of the season though, but I suffered greatly at times.  Oli was all over everything and Steve helped considerably as well by showing up every time we needed him.  

With 7 laps to go everyone was pretty gassed and Cottell made his move.  I recall Oli and I being there, but I know I could not react and neither did anyone else.  Now we are chasing him down and many contenders were helping here and there while the Specialized boys sat in.   Oli was doing the lions share as always and Steve made a move to bridge, but Jeromy was gone and earned the win.  

1 to go and things were getting dicey as usual in a crit without a leadout. I found myself on the front to stay out of trouble and Steve came up to shelter me going through the 90 degree turn 2.  I ended up on the front again shortly after turn 2 and held the inside line and went just hard enough to try and make it to turn 3 with something left.  Thirsty Bear’s workhorse (do not know his name, but he worked his ass off) came by me with Scoby on his wheel and they entered turn 3 ahead of me.  Scoby came off his teammates wheel and had a small gap.  I came out of turn 4 in 2nd wheel and sprinted for the line closing in, but too little too late so ended up 3rd overall.  Looking forward to some redemption at the Giro Di SF tomorrow!

Bronstein Nets 3rd in A Stacked Pro Field Turn Out: 2016 University Road Race

by Cameron Bronstein

University Road Race - P/1/2 - August 21, 2016

Andy, Reese and I hit the road on Saturday evening down to Santa Cruz to spend the night with Craig and TMB Women's teammate Sam Vroomen. 

It was nice to make a trip out of our Sunday race and enjoy some late season slumber party bonding - not to mention delicious, Equator Coffee!

We headed out for the race course on our dialed Venge ViAS bikes, as Craig lives just a few miles from the race circuit around the UCSC campus. I had targeted University as a late-season goal. I've had a solid history of results on this course in my two years of racing - most recently starting the 2016 season with TMB getting the victory in the Open Category race at the UCSC Collegiate Road Race (same course).

However, the competition was ramped way up with Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling), Gavin Mannion (Drapac), Tyler Williams (Axeon Hagens-Berman), Sean Bennett (fresh off a Euro campaign with USA U-23s and riding very fast) and several Team Illuminate Pros. 

The race was full of attacks from the get-go. I was thankful to have Craig and Aria covering some of the bigger attacks earlier on. About an hour in, the conclusive break was established when Gavin attacked and I surfed wheels behind Evan, Sean, and an Illuminate rider. Soon after, another Illuminate rider bridged, allowing one to sit on as the rest of us rotated around smoothly.

I enjoyed the experience of suffering with some top-level domestic pros. It felt good using my knowledge from previous races (not to mention from watching world tour racing), attacking the group in the harder moments and seeing the Illuminate guys implode. 

In the final, Evan and Gavin were too strong and distanced themselves from Sean and myself through the feed zone on the final lap. Sean and I then cat-and-moused on the descent and I managed to pull away over the last pitch for third. I had been hoping for the win, but third behind the 2016 ToC Polka Dot Jersey winner and another beast of the pro was an amazing consolation! 

It was a fun race and I was thankful to have my friends and teammates supporting me during the race, and showing me a fun time in Santa Cruz later in the day. AND I got a size small Velo Promo T-Shirt!

Cox Wins the 2016 San Ardo Road Race & Crowned NCNCA District Road Race Championship

Written by Scott Cox

San Ardo Road Race
2016 Masters NCNCA District Championship
40-44 Age Group

A small field of ~15 racers lined up and picked goat heads out of their tires in the staging area while the port-o-pottys were being unloaded.  Everything was right on track for another San Ardo RR.  The field was small, but I had my hands full with Jonathon Baker (Chico Masters), Brian Zimny and Jonathon Eropkin (Peet’s Coffee). 

The whistle blew and we came out guns a blazin’.  Well, not really as we noodled out onto the course and up the short hill.  It looked like it was going to be a chess match and I did not want to miss out on a move with Baker and Peet’s.  An Alto Velo rider rolled off the front early on the first of three laps.  Erik Camacho (SJBC) bridged and our pace stayed slow enough to be passed by the early break from the 45-49s.  Baker came and asked me to come and rotate a little with him to keep things from getting ridiculous and so I did and Peet’s contributed as well. 

We were then neutralized as the main field from the 45-49 field came by.  Baker had a spirited chat with the moto and we were stuck while the two breakaway riders were a couple of bike lengths back from the 45-49 break.  The 45s moved on and we were back to racing a bit with some half hearted attacks and some surging here and there.  We tried to get a pace line going, but that concept eluded everyone so it stayed weird.  We could see the 45s main field had passed the break and I could also see the break hanging a couple of bike lengths back from the 45s. 

We started the second lap and the Alto Velo rider had been dropped from the break and was done.  Camacho was now solo and blood was in the water.  We were on the rolling section of the course and people started throwing bombs.  It was hard with many attacks that I felt needed to be respected.  We were nearing our turn into the crosswind section where I thought Baker would look to cause damage so I hit each of the last 3 rollers hard.  Baker did hit the crosswind hard enough, but it was manageable and we were down to ~7 of us. 

We entered the tail wind section and still had not made up any ground on Camacho.  Wut?  So the bombs kept on coming on the tailwind section.  We finally brought Camacho back at the end of the second lap. 

Back to the chess match and slow pace.  Zellers (Lange Twins) started attacking and I covered quickly to see if I might catch Baker or Peet’s out.  They responded and so it went.  It was hard over the rollers as Zimny, Eropkin and Baker tried to get away a few times and I was able to cover these.  There is a small hill about 10 miles from the finish on the tailwind section where Giles rolled away from us a couple of years ago and I was on high alert for Baker to jump.  The hill was civil and people were actually on the brakes after we crested the hill.  I am not kidding and I thought a track stand could come in handy.  So I attacked and when I looked back no one wanted to chase so I bit down and hit it hard with a nice tailwind and the ViAS y’all.  My gap was growing so I stayed on it a bit until I saw the gap coming down with Peet’s and Baker on the front.  I was being dangled off the front and so I started riding tempo and the gap remained.  I was feeling good so I hit it hard again for a minute or so and looked back to see Baker and Peet’s coming hard and I settled in.   

Zimny came across first and was willing to pull through.  Baker was coming and I waited until he caught on and then Eropkin joined in and a Dominator™ party started.  We hit 2 K to go and Zimny was on the front and Eropkin was encouraging me to pull through.  Nope.  A little reshuffle and Zimny led us home with me second wheel, Baker then Eropkin.  We were heading up the final little hill and I had Baker boxed in on the center line and was waiting for Eropkin to jump or the final turn to start my sprint.  Eropkin jumped hard heading in to the final left hand turn and I was able to come by him quickly on the inside and then sprinted all in.  20 meters to go and I hear Baker coming strong, but was able to hold him off FTW!
 

2016 Manhattan Beach Grand Prix

With nothing too big on the Northern California calendar that weekend, it was a perfect opportunity to make the drive down to LA for the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix. My fellow Sacramento buddy Kyle Thielen (Echelon-Storck Dev) and I carpooled down the day before. Fueled by continental breakfast waffles we were ready to go.

MBGP is the longest running race on the same course in the US. It is a long 1.3 mile course with two 180 degree turns and a short hill on either side of the course. I was lucky enough to get a callup, so I slotted next to the legend Rahsaan Bahati in the hopes of making it onto his sweet video recap.

I was the lone TMBEquator rider in the race, so I had to be attentive to everything that got up the road. Luckily, Cylance-Cannondale wasn’t too interested in a break with their sprinters Justin and Cory Williams in the race. The moment lap cards appeared, Cylance-Cannondale started to organize on the front. I did my best to stay near the front but out of the wind. As the laps started to come down, Cylance was quickly running out of riders. With a full lap to go Justin was down to only one teammate, who decided to attack and go for it solo. The headwind on the backside of the course quickly dismantled that effort.

Meanwhile in the group, it was chaos as there was nobody on the front really driving the pace. After cresting the hill on the backside of the course around 8th position, I didn’t want to risk getting swarmed before the final 180 degree turn. I took the front about 250m before the turn, trying to build just enough speed to discourage being overtaken. Justin Williams flew up the inside and had a large gap out of the turn. He is very fast. I managed to hold onto 4th place and a nice amount of cash to go along with it.

2016 Mike's Bikes San Rafael Sunset Criterium

images: Alex Chiu

San Rafael Sunset Criterium is arguably the biggest crit on the Nor-Cal calendar. It features an awesome downtown twilight setting with a decent sized hill and a crowd to cheer you on. Add to that the fact that the race was sponsored by Mike’s Bikes and Toyota and you know the event is quality. We came ready to throw down with Roman, Cam & Cam, Andy, Travis, Craig, and Garrett.

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The race started off at a pretty quick pace with plenty of aggressive moves trying their hand at break-away glory. Unfortunately, a bad crash at 30 minutes into the 75 minute race forced a race stoppage. After the intermission, Tobin Ortenblad (Donkey Label) and Sean Bennett (An Post Chain-Reaction) formed a two-man break. We were happy to let Cylance-Cannondale take up work on the front and keep the distance within check.

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Coming into the last few laps Cylance-Cannondale started to pick up the pace to real in the break and set up a sprint for star sprinters Cory and Justin Williams.  Meanwhile, Roman was keeping Garrett and Travis near the front and out of danger. Entering the final lap Roman moved his way closer and closer to the front and dropped off Garrett at the top of the hill around 7th wheel on the backside of the course. At this point we were really flying. Garrett was able to pick off a few spots to enter the last two downhill corners in 4th wheel and hold position for 4th place at the line. Unfortunately, Travis had lost contact with the leadout in the heat of a near crash on the back side of the course and rolled in for 11th.

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A huge thank you to Toyota and Mike’s Bikes for sponsoring and organizing this premier event.

2016 Watsonville Criterium for the (almost) win!

by Elise Hazlewood

Hope everyone had a good weekend of good stuff and sunshine! I finely have my legs back and am trying to get myself ready for San Rafael.  Essentially, some crit action was in order between now and the Big Race. I made it down to Watsonville for what turned out to be a fairly technical crit with 6 corners, a few of which had dipped gutters running across the street just before the corner.  A few of those corners had gritty pavement as well, plus there was a sharp < 90 degree turn, and a little bump to the finish. It was a small field of 8 - 4 JL Velo, 2 Cyclesport, and a couple freelancers. I felt like I had a shot at a podium. I also was feeling pretty good and therefore antsy. I attacked at the start of lap 3, got a good gap, but it all came back together by start of the 4th lap at which point I rolled over something and flatted spectacularly.  Didn't have a wheel and no one seemed to want to lend one, but at the last minute I had a loaner and was back in! Some moves were attempted and turned out later there were a few primes. I noticed some folks were attacking on the "climb" but then sitting up so I tried countering and attacking over the top and down the other side, especially since the next 2 turns were tough for me and thought I could take them better if I was in the front rather than the back. No one was getting away though and by 10 min in, our front group was down to 5. I thought it might be wise to conserve and follow things for a bit.  I tried again with 4 to go hoping maybe someone would join - got a good gap but again, went nowhere. JLVelo countered my move and was out there by herself, but Laurel brought down her gap, and on the last lap or so SVCS made a move and got a gap on the (reduced) field. The lone JLVelo was losing steam, SVCS was holding her lead in no man’s land, and Laurel was tired from her effort in closing the gap, etc. I jumped and passed JLVelo after the last corner but could not catch Sara (SVCS) and came in for 2nd, with Tiina hot on my tail. This is my first time as a cat 2 on the "real" podium in a non-masters field so even though small field and no big guns showed, it was exciting and a good confidence booster! 

2016 Colavita Grand Prix Women's 1/2/3

I purposely used to avoid crits - seeing as the first crit I raced I was crashed out in the final corner, less than 200m from the finish. But fast forward a year and a half and I've fallen in love with the fast-paced, anything can and will happen arena that is criterium racing. I'm still slightly terrified when I roll to the line, but especially after this weekend with my stellar teammates by my side, I'm not shying away from any crits any time soon.

Sam and Elise talked me in to racing Colavita GP looking at it as a warm-up for our team race at San Rafael in two weeks. It was close to home, and an afternoon race (sleeping in day of bike race - unheard of!) so I decided I had nothing to lose going to "play bicycle" with these two. Sam and I had raced the Martinez crit about three weeks before and had a blast, so I knew I was in for a fun day no matter what.

The course was windy, which thankfully kept the heat down, and while the race was in the opposite direction, we had practiced some racing tactics on the course earlier in the year during our team camp, so I was at least comfortable on the course. We had about 20 women in the field - including several strong sprinters and crit racers so I knew it was going to be a fun and interesting race!

We had a good pre-race chat - discussing strategy and goals.  We wanted to animate the race, cover attacks and put someone on the podium. Elise mentioned that it could work to our advantage to start the final sprint earlier than expected (tuck that nugget away for later!!). We all agreed though - that whoever was feeling good should go for it. 

The race started and Elise immediately got in a break with about 5 others. This was helpful for Sam and I as it meant we wouldn't have to work to close the gap.  After a few laps of it all back together, I put in an effort to get a prime and ended up in a small break for about a lap with two others - but we got reeled back in pretty quickly. Sam did some solid work at the front, keeping the pace up and going with some attacks as people tried to bridge to various breaks. 

Things got really interesting when we came around a corner and there was a car in the middle of the course. Granted we had been warned that this was a possibility - no one actually expected this to happen. Thankfully the race volunteers kept the car from moving until we passed and everyone was able to safely swerve around it.

At 3 to go, I took another flyer to push the pace since despite it being windy - the pack was still together for the most part. Realizing it wasn't going to stick, I fell back into the pack and Sam reminded me to get out of the wind, which was super helpful - I'm also learning what "crit brain" is and am very guilty of totally spacing out from time to time especially after an effort. I floated to the back, grabbed a quick drink and then started to move back up.

With 2 to go, we were all together and things felt super jumpy. My primary focus now turned toward self-preservation as I got a little nervous when the pack started to get bunched up in anticipation. Starting the final lap the pace increased until we hit the back straightaway - I don't know if it was the cross-wind or what, but there was a momentary lull in the action so I saw an opportunity, took it and jumped. Thinking back - it was a fairly risky move to go so early, but it paid off! I put my head down with "don't you dare look back" going on repeat in my head and took the win! Emotional mash-up of stoke and shock for sure. Sam followed my move and came through 4th with Elise in 9th - great to have all of us finish top-10! 

A Nail Biter at the 2016 San Rafael Sunset Criterium: Williams Finishes 2nd

Written by and GoPro Video: Dana Williams

Date: July 30, 2016

Teammates: Matt Adams, David Allen, John Funke, Chris Hobbs, Scott Cox, Oli Ryan, Rob Amatelli and myself

The plan: Two or three guys mark early moves, with our two designated sprinters being attentive. If there was a break then we wanted to make sure one of our riders had a good chance of winning from it. If it came down to a sprint then I would be sweeping Scott Cox wheel.

Course: 4 corner rectangle that goes slightly uphill between corner 4 and 2 and slightly downhill between corner 2 and 4.

Conditions: sunny and mid/high 80's

Summary
This was one of the teams target races of the season. Not only is it the best criterium in NorCal but our team title sponsor, Mikes Bikes, was the event organizer and sponsor. All the main NorCal teams (Specialized, Peets, Lange Twins, Squadra, Stands and Thirsty Bears) had strong representation. Also of note was SoCal’s top sprinters, Charon Smith.

First priority was the team meeting. We came together in high spirits and ready to race, each on our Specialized bike of choice. I for one know my Equator Coffee caffeine buzz was in a full effect. To add to our excitement, Matt Adams was donning his 2016 National Criterium Championship kit, compliments of Capo Cycling Apparel, for the first time. And I’d say he was looking dam sexy.
 

The race got underway and it wasn't long before attacks started to fly. Thirsty Bear strong man Aerial Herman, who eloquently slipped in at the front of the pack just before the race started, soon took a solo flyer and got up 12-15sec gap. It was a brave move on his part to say the least, but was brought back in a few laps. For the next 20 or so minutes there was a constant shuffling at the front, with nothing really sticking.

The break that ultimately got away was initiated by Jason Boyton as we came up to the start/finish line. In the following video, you can see him accelerate up the left hand side at 13:20. Within a few seconds, wily veteran Jeremy Cottel of Team Specialized accelerated up the right side to join him. The good news for us is teammate Chris Hobbs saw this from the front and jumped on it. Jan Weissenburger was towards the front and was next to join the group. Teammate Rob Amatelli was alert, saw the move forming and followed chase. We had two guys in the break so it was looking good for us. Next to go across was Charon Smith. He likely sensing the growing numbers up the road accelerated just before turn 1 and latched onto the back of the run away train. The final guy to join the party was Sean Henderson of Lange Twins, just as I rode around turn 2.

If one didn’t know the strengths of the riders in the break, it could be said that our team had an advantage because we had two strong guys in it. But the fact that went against us was that three of the other guys, namely Cottel, Weissenburger and Smith, were sprinters, while our two guys (Hobbs and Amatelli) were roleurs. Watching the video, I kick myself because in hindsight I should have been more aware of those going up the road and chased either Smith or Henderson.

For the next 12 or so minutes, the gap between the break and chasing pack stayed around 15-20 seconds. During this time neither group was really cooperating and working together. Back in the chase, my teammates and I realized we were at a disadvantage in the break so decided we needed to bring it back. In the following video, this is evident at around 1:15, where four TMB riders are lined up and chasing.

We continue to rotate. Fast forward to 3:20 into the video and Dave Allen finishes his final pull. Oli then takes over and does a strong pull, finishing at 4:15. Then Adams takes over at the front and leads for over a lap, getting us just past turn 1 with just under three laps to go. A rider then comes over the top of me and zig zags a bit, creating a little confusion. There’s no time to waste so I over take him (5:50) and go to work on the front. As I cross the finish line with two to go, I can see the break up the road. I keep on the gas. Half way down the back straight away the break is within striking distance. I stand up and dig deep to accelerate and close it down. As we enter turn 3, Dan Martin comes by and closes down the final meters. We arc through turn four and Dan keeps pushing up the start/finish straight. He rides right through the break and to the front, just as the bell is ringing signifying one lap to go. The break realizes they have been caught.

Teammate Chris Hobbs, also nicknamed the Donkey because of his selfless hard work and strong lead out efforts, does what he knows best and takes the front through turn one. Dan Martin is on his wheel and I'm slotted in behind him. Needless to say, I'm gasping for air and doing all I can to hang on. The hard effort I put in took its toll. In the back of my mind I admit I was questioning whether I'd have enough energy for the final sprint to the line. If I didn't then I was hoping a teammate or two would be able to salvage something. 

Hobbs keeps on the gas down the back straight away, averaging over 600W for 30secs. Just as we are about the enter turn 3, Dan Martin delivers a blow, which ultimately would be the winning move. He jumps hard to go by Hobbs. In that split second my brain said 'GO' but my legs say 'NO'. A gap formed, which wassn't good, especially at this time of the race. I did what I could to keep momentum going forward. We speed through the final turn, Dan still with a couple bike lengths on me. I stand up and begin to sprint. Two thoughts cross my mind; first, I need to dig deep and keep pushing to try to close the gap down, and second, how many riders are going to fly by me before the line as my legs seize up. The line is getting closer and the gap is closing. Nobody is coming by. I begin to become a bit more optimistic. But then within 20-30m of the line, Charon Smith flashes by me on the right, hot in pursuit of Dan. It ends up a photo finish, with Dan taking the win by 4/100th of a second.

What a fun race! A big shout out to all my teammates for the hard work and effort, and to Team Mikes Bikes p/b Equator Coffee sponsors and suppliers for the continued support.

2016 Colavita Grand Prix

It was a windy day in Rohnert Park for the ColaVita-Norcal Grand Prix. The Pro/1/2/3 event had 42 racers from many different teams. One of the most notable competitors was Jesse Anthony of Rally Pro Cycling, who attacked numerous times with vigor through the crosswind section of the course.

Numerous small breakaway attempts were made through out the 75-minute race, my teammate Craig Fellers stayed vigilant and active near the front to get into those small moves. In the final laps, one rider had worked up a 25 second lead on the field with two solo riders chasing him roughly 5 and 10 seconds behind him. Through the second to last lap, Bryan Larsen of Echelon-Storck Development brought back nearly the entire 25 second gap with his teammate Matt Schaupp in tow.

We crossed the line to start the final lap. AMain had a five-man leadout organized on the right side of the group. Jesse Anthony put in another big effort going into the cross-wind section, which strung out the field. While the cross wind buffeted the peloton, my Venge ViAS with CL64 wheels kept my tracking in a straight line and my Evade helmet ensured no energy was wasted. Craig kept me up in great position leading into the final corner, and I slotted in about 4th wheel. While the rest of us were looking at each other to see who would sprint first, Zach Gottesman, a junior racing for Mellow Motors, flew past us in the right gutter and quickly gained a 3-bike length advantage to the line. The seasoned junior champion track rider got a good jump on us. I sprinted after him and used his draft to gain enough speed to overtake him on the left. AMain’s Anthony Ferretti sprinted in for 3rd.

It was a fun day of racing, and I’m excited to use the pasta and olive oil Craig and I brought home for racing winnings! Many thanks to him for his awesome work, and to all of TMB/Equator’s sponsor for the incredible support.

2016 USAC National Championships Criterium

images: Dean Warren & Yvonne Lydick

After a relaxing Saturday of cafe rides, city site-seeing, and hotel lounging, we awoke on Sunday morning to the sounds of a good old fashioned Southern rainstorm and knew that today’s criterium would take on a very different dynamic.

I'd already raced a criterium in a downpour once this year at Santa Cruz and, thanks to our amazing S-Works Turbo tires, had no problems with cornering in the rain. I was focused on picking gentle lines, and not getting taken down by other riders. My role, put succinctly, was to “sit in and sprint,” while Cam, Aria, and Chris animated the bulk of the race, saving Roman and Reese to help me in the final laps. 

The course was on the longer side, over two kilometers, so I was surprised to see twenty laps to go after only fifteen minutes of racing. As expected, the race was punctuated by several large crashes which I thankfully avoided by riding in the top thirty positions for most of the race. Chris, Roman, Cam and Aria did great work covering moves throughout the day. With three laps to go, Roman took over the front with me on his wheel. I was a bit worried that we would run out of steam so far out, but Reese rolled up to the front right on cue and put in a massive pull to keep things lined out and safe. And again, with perfect timing, at one to go Chris appeared in front of me to take me to the final corner. A Finish Strong rider jumped into the final corner at 300m to go. I hopped on his wheel, hoping to make my move at 200m as he began to tire. Unfortunately, Holloway and the second place rider came around both of us early, and I wasn’t quite able get past the Finish Strong rider, and missed the podium by a bike throw.

.@The_Hollywood now has a pair of jerseys, he is your Crit Nat'l Champion #RoadNats #VW4Cycling @PapaJohns @VW pic.twitter.com/quXOKH1Syw

— USA Cycling (@usacycling) July 3, 2016

Huge thanks goes out to all the guys on the team out here, this week has been a blast and I’m psyched to finish out the NorCal season as strong as ever. Thanks to Matt Adams and Mike’s Bikes for supporting us, and all of our sponsors who provide us with the best possible equipment to hit the finish line first. And a special thanks to my coach Ryan Moore and Achieve PTC for keeping me in shape and motivated to perform my best.

Lodi Cyclefest - Women's 3/4

This was my first time doing this race, and I really liked all the turns it had in it. In the beginning of the race, a woman went for a prime and got it. She created a gap and held it for a bit. I decided that right as she gets back to the group, I’m going to counterattack. When she just reached the front of the pack, I attacked. Nobody went with me, and it was really early in the race. The lap cards weren’t up yet so I thought that the pack would catch me eventually. I looked behind myself and realized I had a pretty good gap, so I thought okay I’ll just keep going! Some time later, I looked at the lap cards and they weren’t up yet, so I thought okay I’ve really got to stop looking at those because that’s discouraging.

Sometime later I saw that the lap cards finally said 8, and I thought oh my goodness okay don’t look at those and just keep pushing. I kept telling myself to breath, get comfortable, and stay calm. I had to remind myself to drink water because it was very hot that day, and relax because I was tensing up. During a lap, I looked behind myself and saw a woman who was bridging from the main pack, and that made me push even harder.

Eventually I didn’t see her anymore and kept on going. Then I saw that the lap cards said 3, and I thought wait can I do this? I looked behind myself and didn’t see the pack, and I thought okay only a few laps to go…KEEP GOING. Then I saw that there was 1 lap to go, and I got butterflies in my stomach. I was in the final stretch of the finish and thought no way, wait is this happening? I crossed the line and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was more like a smile of happiness and suffering because I was really exhausted at that point. It was so awesome to hear my mom and twin brother cheering me on throughout the race, and overall it was a lot of fun! 

Rob Amatelli Wins Solo at CCCX Fort Ord Circuit Race

Central Coast Circuit Race Series: Fort Ord Circuit Race

June 12, 2016

By Rob Amatelli

I love the CCCX Fort Ord race course.  The course is closed and features awesome power rollers, false flats, a fast descent, and wind.  It's a perfect course for a rouleur like myself.  When the competition is good it makes for a fun race.  Mike's Bikes showed up with captain David Allen, Josh Pizzica, Matty Sloan, Dan Vigil, and me Robo.  The pre-registration numbers were low so we were pleasantly surprised to see a lot of day-of registrations from a strong Peete's Coffe Racing squad, including World Champion Dan Martin and newly crowned U.S. National Road Champion Nick Theobald.  We had a race on our hands!

From the start MIke's put the pressure on, first sending Matty out on the attack and then David.  There was some pretty good action during the first couple of laps and my power meter was reflecting that.  As we all came back together after David was reeled in Tim Granshaw from Craft Factory Cycling attacked and the field let him go then slowed up a bit.  He had a nice little gap going into the big rollers at the start/finish and I wanted to bridge up to see if I could draw out a couple of guys and get a break going.  I waited until we hit the false flat over the top and stayed hard on the gas.  I looked behind and saw I had two riders with me, Nick from Peete's and Chris Cain from Don Chapin, and we had a gap.  I felt good so I stayed on the front and closed down the gap to Tim myself after about two minutes of hard riding.  When we got to him our gap was still pretty good.  The two strongest teams were represented so I knew we had a good chance at staying away.

The four of us rotated and worked well together.  No one skipped pulls and it was actually pretty easy.  Too easy for my liking.  When we saw '3 to go' then '2 to go' and we couldn't see the field I knew the winner was going to be one of us.  I started thinking about how I was going to beat these guys.  Chris is a really good sprinter and Nick is wearing Stars n' Stripes ('nuff said).  Tim was kind of a wild card.  He didn't look like he was struggling either.  Chris was riding really smart and taking softer pulls and Nick is really very crafty.  

I came up with a plan.  I took a strong pull through the cross winds at the bottom of the descent and pulled all the way through to the turn into the tailwind section and swung off.  Now Nick was on the front, but I wanted to wait for Chris to be on the front before I attacked.  After Nick pulled off the front I waited for Chris to start working a bit before spinning up the gears and attacking with everything I had.  We had a little over 1 lap to go and I didn't know what would happen but my main goal was to put pressure on everyone and see who would respond.  Turns out Nick was just off my wheel and Chris was in his.  I think maybe that discouraged him from closing the gap.  Whatever the reason the three of them eased up and I was all-in.  I got a big gap right away and that felt good.  I settled in, watched my heart rate, and rode at threshold intensity.  The watts were good.  I felt good.  I rolled through the start/finish with 1 to go and knew I had it.  

I rode hard all the way to the finish where I could finally post up to celebrate a strong ride and a rare win.  Yay!

I gotta say I love being on such a great team.  Without my teammates there is no way the break goes or stays away.  Thanks guys!

Pescadero Road Race, through the eyes of Craig Fellers

images: Alex Chiu

We got to Pescadero and there was no fog.  Are we in the wrong town?  A line of port-a-potties assured us that this was indeed the right place, and with a luxuriously late 8:30 start time they were already getting warm inside.  Not to be obsessive about pre-race rituals, but the lack of cell reception in Pescadero created an oddly fast bathroom line as the plastic boxes weren’t full of cyclist scrolling Instagram well after completing the task at hand.  #TMBEquator.  The extra time was of course completely negated by the extra slog through the reg line while people struggled to pull up their green/annoying USAC licenses with the same lack of reception.

At the start line, I really enjoyed that not one, but two H24 riders made the same Roman Kilun joke as they backed in to the front row last minute.  The chief official gave us the usual talk about not being stupid and sent us rolling.  Reese must not have read the race flier to see that this one is 103 miles long and attacked about half a mile in.  He was followed by Torrey Philip (H24) and that old fast guy in the Airgas kit who is perpetually on the brink of crashing.  They established a nice gap as the rest of us though about how hard it would be to ride over 100 miles in a break.  Hell, it is hard to sit in for the entire race at Pescadero. 

Going up the first set of hills on Stage Road, Tom Salvasen (SVCS) attacked.  He seems to have an uncanny eye for getting in good moves, so I followed along with Sam Basetti (H24) and 3 others.

So, here is where I note that I am probably the worst person to write this report since we stayed off the front for rest of the race.  I don’t really know what else happened except at some point we were rotating and Roman Kilun just slotted in as if he had always been there.  I’m like, where the hell did you come from.  He nonchalantly recites that he has just bridged an unfathomable gap solo as if this was a normal human activity.  He proceeds to take a casual pull up Haskins dropping all but myself (thank god), Sam Bassetti and Tom.

The 3 up the road have disintegrated into one solo rider, Torrey who puts out a hell of an effort to stay away, but with Roman and Tom on the front we bring him back on the last time up Stage Road.  Right as we collect Torrey at the crest Stage Road, Cam Bromstein shows up, again out of nowhere.  Our team is just ridiculous.  Honestly, I felt bad for the other people in the group, TMB is multiplying like nematode that got cut in half.  I made sure to show my pity by announcing that it “Really sucks to be you right now” to the others present.  Unfortunately, Cam cramped leaving it back up to Roman and I to contest the final climb. 

Through the final feed, Sam attacked and I followed.  I rode him all the way up the climb until Torrey started to close in (reminiscent of this scene in Terminator 2).  At 700m to go, I took the front to up the pace, and at 500, Sam attacked.  It was a good attack and a little sooner than I was expecting.  I couldn’t close the gap and crossed the line second.  Roman and Aria rounded out the top 10. 

The S-work Evade and Venge VIAS made the 85 miles in the breakaway manageable and must have been huge for Cam and Roman bridging big gaps up to the lead group.  Thanks to Capo for the great kits and Equator for getting our engines revved in the morning.  Of course, without our Toyota Sienna, half of our team would never make it to the line.  As Always, Alex Chiu was there to capture the moment.  And a special thanks to Matt Adams and the Mike’s Bikes crew for the relentless support.  After watching pro team after pro team fold, we realize how lucky we are to have the unwavering support from the best bike shop in America.