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Thursday, July 2, 2009Longsjo Classic
Thursday, July 2, marks the start of the 50th Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. It is the longest running race in North America and is also an NRC calendar race. Everyone who is anyone has won or raced this New England Classic, Lemond, Tyler Hamilton, Lance Armstrong, and Robbie King.
The first stage of this four day stage race is an Individual Time Trial (ITT.) To prepare for this time trial I borrowed both a disc wheel and an aero helmet from Craig Gaulzetti at International Bicycle Centers (IBC.) I have used the wheel in the past and it is fffffffffast! I was not sure if I wanted to use an aero helmet but Craig assured me that the benefits would be apparent in my ITT times. I was not convinced so we set up and experiment. In the photo below you will see me crossing in front of the front register at IBC Boston. This served as the finish line.  The next photo shows me crossing "the finish" with the aero helmet.  True to Craig's insistence, the aero helmet allowed me to run around the store faster. I did a loop of the first floor space 0.2 seconds faster with the helmet than without it. That means I can save over 10 seconds during the 14k TT. Irrefutable proof that technology like rounded plastics can save our lives. Now I know Andy Jacques-Maynes won't pass me until late in the TT. Thanks Craig and IBC. Sunday, June 28, 2009Coupe des AmeriquesTuesday, June 23, 2009Close but 1 cigarEven though it's been raining for most of a week straight, we didn't have a drop of rain on us at the Housatonic Hills road race, Sunday. It wasn't like most previous races this season, where the winning breakaway separates early in the race. Instead, there were many little ones, all beginning with John Hanson's bold attack early in the first lap. He's feeling strong, and I was glad to have him up the road with two other riders. He was out for miles, but they were eventually caught. Shortly after, I saw Jamey Driscoll go flying around a sharp uphill corner, and hoping to get into a break with him, I sprinted uphill to him, and then went by him and everyone else, and since it was a steep climb, I just kept up the pace figuring someone would bridge across to me. I was in luck: no one came across, and that turned out to be a boon, because around the next bend, the "King of the Mountain 200 meters" sign came into view. So I went full speed, took the KOM, and won a Rudy Project Helmet and shades for my troubles. The rest of the race was: Attack. Ride hard. Get caught. Someone else attacks. Chase. Ride hard. Repeat. Nothing stuck. But a breakaway evolved. With maybe 10 miles left in the 81 mile race, there were about 15 racers left in the lead. Allister from Bikereg went on a solo attack, and as a field, we mostly rode slowly for a while while he got a gap of about a minute. Then we went faster and faster. I led over the KOM climb as fast as I could, and Jamey Driscoll (Rock Racing) killed it, and did the work of eight people chasing him down, with Matt Purty (Spooky), Anders Newbury (Hot Tubes), and me lending some help. As you can count, that's four out of the 14 working...and mostly Jamey. We caught Allister about 1.5 miles before the finish, and then it was cat-and-mouse all the way in. I timed my sprint well, but should've chosen to finish on the leeward side of the line, because rounding the bend up the hill to the line, I opened up a lane for Peter Hurst, who took the win. I got 2nd, so it's a good thing I have that KOM redeeming me :). You learn something at every race. Kevin Wolfson, and Emerson Oronte finished high amongst the next group of finishers, with 20th and 24th respectively, and Hanson came to the line in 44th. All in all, a great day, and good practice for Fitchburg around the bend. Friday, June 19, 2009Small Race Reports
So I am three weeks into training and doing the local Tuesday night worlds in Bethel. Really, minor stuff but a good workout with some really fast guys (and gals). For those of you unaware, Bethel is a hub for cycling. With Cannondale, Topolino, and Bethel Cycle all within two miles of each other combined with access to really good riding, and you get a ton of riders. First race back was .....UGLY. Rain, points race, small field, fat and slow. I tried to bridge to a break, got caught by the field and spat out like a piece of bad sushi. Week two: A break of three went and stayed away and I was 10th in the field sprint. Better. Last Wednesday was another points race (which I hate) and a break of 5 went. Really fast group with Matt Baldwin, Brian Borgia, Leigh Sorrells, and two others. I tried to bridge along with legend John Funk and super strong TT Iron Man guy Joe Salem. Sam Dodge from Connondale joined us but no dice. We sat up, and the field was caught by the two guys left in the break. I may race Sunday at Housatonic......may......Good going to everyone on the elite and mtb squads!
Greg Thursday, June 18, 2009Giro di JerseyPeeps update from Jersey! The crit was a sweet downtown circuit that was sure to have a good atmosphere till the rain clouds rolled in and drove the crowds away. Thankfully the rain didn't come till after the finish as it would have been treacherous with all the road paint. As it was the course was only 0.46 miles long and people were being lapped within THREE laps. It seemed as though most of the officials had never officiated a crit before as they refused to pull riders who had been lapped multiple time even when they were causing crashed almost every five laps trying to get back in. After bridging to a break with Eric Schildge and ripping it for three or four laps that seemed promising (1 Colivita guy, 2 Emprie riders, James Carney, Dugan and Eric and I) I didn't have the legs to position myself for the sprint but finished with the main field. I have no idea why but the Colivita and Empire trio decided that they didn't want the break to work and slowed it so effectively that the field came up to us in relatively short order despite Eric's Dugan's and my efforts to get it away. Some time this week it will work! Within 30 minutes of the end of the crit is started to rain and has not let up since. Thursday: It raining so FREAKIN' hard here that the stage was cancelled today! We were called to the line for our 9am start and proceeded to sit on the line in the pouring rain for 40 minutes while we waited for the State Police to show up who were supposed to be there at 830am. Eric Schildge and I were the wisest of the bunch and commandeered the COMM 1 car and blasted the heat while everyone else stood out in the rain or under the one lone tree. Before we jumped in the car it was announced that the first lap (12 miles) would be neutral because the race was so dangerous we needed to see it before racing. So finally at 940 am we set off for our neutral lap. No more than 4 miles in came the "downhill that would be epic and extremely dangerous in dry conditions", it definitely would have been fun to race on but it was not to be. The road was bleeding so much oil that a touch of the brakes meant riders were going down as they did. I believe that METLIFE can claim the first casualty of the day. The race was stopped in the feed zone to have a rider meeting which was interrupted by the head official who "made and executive decision" to cancel the stage. I personally would have enjoyed the race as I had nothing to worry about with my Michelin Pro 3 tires that felt like they were glued to the road but oh well no race today. Tomorrow is the ITT, a 12 mile out and back (six out six back) in the rain again, that I will be going for cannibal and hope to better my CSR result! Later. Monday, June 15, 2009Whaling City CycloneOn Saturday, we got our eat on at Emerson's house. Emerson's dad built a huge wood-fired pizza oven in their back yard. So after working up an appetite doing some openers on a ride through scenic  The next day, Jon Bruno, Kevin Wolfson, John Hanson, Emerson Oronte, Jerome Townsend, and I raced the Whaling City Cyclone, a crit in It started fast, and with Kevin representing us in the first breakaway of 3 riders, I chilled and sat on anyone's wheel who was trying to get across the gap, which lasted for the first six or so laps. When the next break went, I rolled with it. What formed was a group of two guys I ride with a lot in So with three CCB riders against me, the outlook was grim. But as luck would have it, I won the next four primes, and then the race! With two laps to go, Will smartly attacked immediately after my uphill, into-the-wind pull. So I chased him down. Then Amos countered, and I chased him down. Then Dylan attacked with what he had left, but I was like glue on him. With what I had left, I led through the final corner, and across the finish line, holding my lead on Dugan by about a quarter wheel.
 In a big race of attrition, we had two more riders finish in the pack, Jerome and Kevin, 21st and 33rd places, respectively. We ate Sbarro on the way home. It was a far cry from the Oronte pizza. In Force!! MTB team is a walking sixpack.  The IF Racing MTB team showed up and blowed up in force at the Stoopid 50 in State College this past weekend. 6 guys wearing the colors had the whole peloton confused. Everyone was coming up to me and telling me about the time we had on the trails, while in reality there were a bunch of us. Greg 'The Leg', Chris Wurster, computer recluse Jeff Whittingham, single gear stomper Elk, Buck and myself (Harlan). The course had to be changed this year and we ended up on the 2005 Single Speed Worlds course. Lots of rocks, some double logs and a sick amount of team spirit. At the start Greg took a couple of fakeout flyers and put everyone on alert about team mean green! After a 'The Leg' shook it out a bit I took to the left and made the crowd hurt. Including myself. The first section of single track was about the best mix of rock and techinical trouble shooting you can find on an east coast course. I was a little held up by the Schalk, but after getting around him and leading for awhile I took a dive, courtesy of a bar end snag on a tiny pine sapling. I held out for a 3rd place overall after having to do a minor sprint for the last piece of single track. Elk had a great Single Speed race and came in in 7th. The Whittingham ripped off an expensive derailleur (send cash) and Greg rolled a fatty on his new 29er,(you should see his bent dearilleur hanger). Buck and Wurster seemed to have a good time. I'm not sure what their final impression was, or result, or what cause none of that is posted. It was good times all around. Look we even got a group photo! Go team!
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