By Bill Langstaff
Last weekend was the National Championship for Sprint Triathlon---half mile swim, 20K bike, 5K run---should take about 1 hour 15 minutes. The event took place on Sunday last. About 1200 participants of all age groups competed at Pelican Cove State Park across from El Moro School. Triathlons are all about planning and preparing for the transitions from one sport to another so the set up early before the race is important. There were about 35- 60+ participants from all over the US trying to qualify for the World Championships in Australia in August. The first 12 qualify. Usually there are 10-15 participants at this age group so this was an unusual number.The set up are on racks lined up by wave number---each wave represents age groups. Usually the swim is first, bike, then the run...but on Sunday the waves were too dangerous to swim safely so instead of the swim a run was substituted. The start was on the far end of the beach, up the ramp(about a 12-14% grade)to the bike. The competition was really stiff---Peter Hoyt is known as the fastest 60+ much like Kenny Fuller for cycling---the hard part is many of the competitors were from out of state so for many the competition level was unknown. So let me paint the picture of what the day is like..... The transition area is open at 5AM for bike and run set up.There were 1200 competitors setting up at once in a small area at the end of the parking lot..what a mess!! The earlier you set up the better position for the bike transition. Transition area closed at 6:30---first wave goes off at 7:05---there were 12 waves going off 10 minutes apart.Our group was wave #10 and started at 8:05--but the race was delayed so we didn't start until 8:20. The run was on sand so the closer to the water the easier it is to run on hard sand....we went with the "Clydesdales" the over 200 lbs group so we had about 60 in our wave. The start with a run is difficult because of the lack of warm up...so off we went down the beach about a half mile to the ramp---up the ramp to the bikes....by that time you are wondering why you are doing this when you could be watching Lance drink champagne in Paris..... yet you have a chance to go to Australia so on to the bike....which is quite an art to shed the running shoes, put on the helmet, run the bike to the mount area (shoes are already on the pedals held by rubber bands to keep them straight) on the bike you go to PCH. They gave up half of PCH for both directions---the route was from the parking lot towards Laguna Beach...up the hill make a 90% turn back down the hill towards Coronal Del Mar---not an easy bike because most of the road is uphill until Newport Coast...past NC to the next light turn around back towards Laguna to do it again---two loops.... My run is average for my age group but my bike is usually much faster than the majority so I was smoking on the bike until the 2nd loop where my chain got stuck between the frame and the 11 tooth cog....had to cross the lane, get off the bike,put the chain back on the cog then by the time I got back on the bike many in my group caught me--advantage over! After the 2nd loop its back to the transition area. Shedding the cycling shoes is quite and art----just before the dismount you peel out of the shoes and ride with your feet on top of the shoes---you slow down and dismount running with the bike....to your place in the bike rack---which I of coarse got lost---finally found it---put the running shoes on, and off I went ahead of most of my group.....until about half way into the run where I was caught and passed by 6 guys---very frustrating no gear to shift into!! So I wound up 11th out of 35 good enough to qualify for Worlds but not what I wanted....The time difference between 4th place and 11th place was 1.5 minutes. My time was 1 hour 6 minutes and 29 seconds. The winning time was Peter Hoyt at 1 hour and 3 minutes and 15 seconds...What a hoot!! The most fun is the friendly and encouraging folks that you compete with. Whether you are new or have done the sport for a while most of the guys that you rack your bike with are helpful and encouraging---I was beaten by 10 guys yet I am happy they qualify for Worlds----it was a fair competition and fun as well. It is all good.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
UCC/JW Flooring Perform on Home Turf
By John McKee
North San Diego County is UCC/JW Flooring's home turf. They are good everywhere but take it to their home field and its like playing the USC Trojan football team at the LA Coliseum or the Florida Gators in "The Swamp" in Gainsville. UCC fielded 5 of the 30 or so 55 and 60+ riders at the 8th annual San Marcos Criterium. This event was held July 26th, 2009 in San Marcos, Cal. at the CSU San Marcos campus. The race was hosted by the Rancho Cycling Club. The race course around part of the campus has developed a "rep" as being difficult and somewhat treacherous. It is 1.7 miles long and has 5 sides to it. The start finish line is at the top of the course and the first right turn is but 40 meters away. From there the riders plunge down a sloped section to the second turn and this is the most dangerous section out there. Riders have to scrub some speed swing left into the left turn lane and then make a 90 degree right turn. There is a hole in the road that is marked and is a problem that riders have to avoid. It has been there for years. The set up reminds me of a turn in the Foodpark ride in OC on Sat. but the San Marcos turn is tougher because you have but 2 lanes to turn into while avoiding this hole and the slope is greater. The corner at San Marcos is also off camber. The riders have to hit this at a good speed because the pace on the next section is always fast. Up to 34 mph. There might be a slight downward pitch to the road but it isn't readily apparent. The 3rd turn is level and is taken at pretty much full speed. The 4th turn takes you into the power climb and it is important to take as much mo into the climb as possible. Its tough but the thing about it is once you get up it you are going to have to do it again and again each lap. Yikes. Once you hit the last leg you are breathing hard and hoping for a bit of a respite but nooooo!! More pain. The 5th leg is about 250 meters to the finish and is slightly uphill most of the way and with little speed coming into it, you have to power your bike along as best you can. All in all a pretty tough layout. The flyer mentioned 60 ft. gained per lap but my cycle computer was showing close to a 100.
The 55/60+ race was to start at 7:40 am. I got there before 6 am with Dale Luedtke showing up a few mins afterward and parking next to me. Dale served as the cat 5 mentor/advisor in the parking lot. Pointing out to some bonehead newbies that peeing in the bushes and elsewhere is frowned on. Dale helped some hopeless racers with their numbers upside down but Dale had to scratch his head with the guy that locked his car with the keys in it and his helmet in it as well. Not much Dale could do there. Oh those cat 5s.
The 55/60+ race started a few minutes after the finish of the cat 5 race with a few less than 20 55s and 11 60s. The course "rep" hurt attendance with the 60s plus the early start time. The juniors raced after us which are always the "rabbits" at most race events. 40 minutes of racing ahead. The first lap or two saw some shadow boxing with most riders getting up the climb in good style. Craig Jones decided to mix it up and ventured off the front. I believe that Mark Huffman joined him at some point early on. Each lap saw more riders struggling. Kal and then Paul Rodriguez were able to get away from the group. Most splits occurred after the power climb on the 5th leg. Craig ended up dropping back and the 3 UCC riders were together and no one was going to bring them back once they started working it together.
2 riders did hit the deck after turn 2 when a cone was clipped and a Citrus Valley Velo rider(Dick Gentili) hit the spinning cone and went down. Don Kimper went down on top. Neither rider broke any bones and seemed alright after the race. That left 9 60+ riders in the race. The 2 top climbers in the 60+ group were SBW's Bruce Steele and Paramount's Jim Morehouse.
Through the middle of the race there were 2 small chase groups with Paramount's Howard Miller leading the front chase group. The 2 groups meshed after a few laps. Phil Richards did some good work in the 2nd chase group and I finished the chase off after it was so close that it was easy. Near the end of the race there were the 3 UCC riders off the front, the main chase group of about 10 to 11 and everyone else off the back in ones and twos.
The break group decided amongst themselves on the finish order while the rest of us had to fight it out. The order of finish for the 3 55s was Paul Rodriguez, Mark Huffman and Kal Szkalak.The last lap of the chase group saw a moderate pace with the real push coming on the climb and the sprint toward the finish line. Dale Luedtke powered his way to win the bunch sprint and make it 1 through 4 for UCC in 55+.
In 60+ Bruce Steele kept a good position in the peleton and kept up the pressure to the finish line to win the 60+ race. Phil Richards hit the wall coming for home after leading everyone out and was passed by Jim Morehouse who finished 2nd and then myself who took the last podium spot in 60+. Phil finished 4th in 60+. What a relief to have this race over with. Hard event for sure. The remaining places in 55+ were:
5- Jones
6- Rosemeyer
7- Miller
8- Mayne
9- Dufour
10-Haim
11-Pollack
12-Gomez
13-Edwards
14-Sanda Timbal
The remaining 60+ places were:
5- Crain
6- Fleming
7- Pettus
8- Pags
9- Forte
Thats all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!
North San Diego County is UCC/JW Flooring's home turf. They are good everywhere but take it to their home field and its like playing the USC Trojan football team at the LA Coliseum or the Florida Gators in "The Swamp" in Gainsville. UCC fielded 5 of the 30 or so 55 and 60+ riders at the 8th annual San Marcos Criterium. This event was held July 26th, 2009 in San Marcos, Cal. at the CSU San Marcos campus. The race was hosted by the Rancho Cycling Club. The race course around part of the campus has developed a "rep" as being difficult and somewhat treacherous. It is 1.7 miles long and has 5 sides to it. The start finish line is at the top of the course and the first right turn is but 40 meters away. From there the riders plunge down a sloped section to the second turn and this is the most dangerous section out there. Riders have to scrub some speed swing left into the left turn lane and then make a 90 degree right turn. There is a hole in the road that is marked and is a problem that riders have to avoid. It has been there for years. The set up reminds me of a turn in the Foodpark ride in OC on Sat. but the San Marcos turn is tougher because you have but 2 lanes to turn into while avoiding this hole and the slope is greater. The corner at San Marcos is also off camber. The riders have to hit this at a good speed because the pace on the next section is always fast. Up to 34 mph. There might be a slight downward pitch to the road but it isn't readily apparent. The 3rd turn is level and is taken at pretty much full speed. The 4th turn takes you into the power climb and it is important to take as much mo into the climb as possible. Its tough but the thing about it is once you get up it you are going to have to do it again and again each lap. Yikes. Once you hit the last leg you are breathing hard and hoping for a bit of a respite but nooooo!! More pain. The 5th leg is about 250 meters to the finish and is slightly uphill most of the way and with little speed coming into it, you have to power your bike along as best you can. All in all a pretty tough layout. The flyer mentioned 60 ft. gained per lap but my cycle computer was showing close to a 100.
The 55/60+ race was to start at 7:40 am. I got there before 6 am with Dale Luedtke showing up a few mins afterward and parking next to me. Dale served as the cat 5 mentor/advisor in the parking lot. Pointing out to some bonehead newbies that peeing in the bushes and elsewhere is frowned on. Dale helped some hopeless racers with their numbers upside down but Dale had to scratch his head with the guy that locked his car with the keys in it and his helmet in it as well. Not much Dale could do there. Oh those cat 5s.
The 55/60+ race started a few minutes after the finish of the cat 5 race with a few less than 20 55s and 11 60s. The course "rep" hurt attendance with the 60s plus the early start time. The juniors raced after us which are always the "rabbits" at most race events. 40 minutes of racing ahead. The first lap or two saw some shadow boxing with most riders getting up the climb in good style. Craig Jones decided to mix it up and ventured off the front. I believe that Mark Huffman joined him at some point early on. Each lap saw more riders struggling. Kal and then Paul Rodriguez were able to get away from the group. Most splits occurred after the power climb on the 5th leg. Craig ended up dropping back and the 3 UCC riders were together and no one was going to bring them back once they started working it together.
2 riders did hit the deck after turn 2 when a cone was clipped and a Citrus Valley Velo rider(Dick Gentili) hit the spinning cone and went down. Don Kimper went down on top. Neither rider broke any bones and seemed alright after the race. That left 9 60+ riders in the race. The 2 top climbers in the 60+ group were SBW's Bruce Steele and Paramount's Jim Morehouse.
Through the middle of the race there were 2 small chase groups with Paramount's Howard Miller leading the front chase group. The 2 groups meshed after a few laps. Phil Richards did some good work in the 2nd chase group and I finished the chase off after it was so close that it was easy. Near the end of the race there were the 3 UCC riders off the front, the main chase group of about 10 to 11 and everyone else off the back in ones and twos.
The break group decided amongst themselves on the finish order while the rest of us had to fight it out. The order of finish for the 3 55s was Paul Rodriguez, Mark Huffman and Kal Szkalak.The last lap of the chase group saw a moderate pace with the real push coming on the climb and the sprint toward the finish line. Dale Luedtke powered his way to win the bunch sprint and make it 1 through 4 for UCC in 55+.
In 60+ Bruce Steele kept a good position in the peleton and kept up the pressure to the finish line to win the 60+ race. Phil Richards hit the wall coming for home after leading everyone out and was passed by Jim Morehouse who finished 2nd and then myself who took the last podium spot in 60+. Phil finished 4th in 60+. What a relief to have this race over with. Hard event for sure. The remaining places in 55+ were:
5- Jones
6- Rosemeyer
7- Miller
8- Mayne
9- Dufour
10-Haim
11-Pollack
12-Gomez
13-Edwards
14-Sanda Timbal
The remaining 60+ places were:
5- Crain
6- Fleming
7- Pettus
8- Pags
9- Forte
Thats all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Moreno Steps it Up at Ontario for 55/60+ Racers
By John McKee
On a day when age proved to be insurmountable for EVERYONE even Tom Watson and Lance Armstrong. First Tom Watson at age 59 having a chance to win the British Open with a par on the last hole boogies it. He then fell apart in a 2 up playoff. He would have been the oldest person by far to win a major golf tournament. Then Lance also showed his age when he couldn't answer Schleck and then the Wiggins group on the climb to Verbier. Age is a bitch and then you get older. LOL. I have to say that the scenery in Hi Def on Versus was fantasic. Now compare that to the scenery and the smells of Ontario, California. Now thats a big LOL. Thats where the 55/60+ racers were today July 19, 2009 at Ontario # 4 Criterium. Ray Moreno the promoter of the Ontario race series stepped it up a bit for the 55/60+ racers with $200 in prize money, good start time at 8:05 am and pre reg until the Wed. before without a late fee. Thank you! I wonder how this all happened. I must take some credit but Dale Luedtke and Kal Szlalak had been pestering Ray for some time to get us some cash. 34 riders lined up at 8:05 am with 13 55s, 19 60s(good job 60s) and 2 gals that didn't show in the final official placings so it is unknown what cat they were racing. One of the gals dropped out early and it is unknown what happened to the stronger woman. 40 minutes of racing in pretty warm conditions. Early and there was a cloud cover which made it a bit humid and sticky. Kind of what it is like in the Eastern US this time of year but milder. The race started out rather mild with Mark (Mr. Tempo) Wisnosky of SDBC doing a lot of the tempo work in the race. It didn't take long before Phil (The Jumping Bean) Richards jumped the field. Phil has to ice down his knees and ankles after every ride but always races aggressively. Phil is retiring from being a postal carrier to being a full time cyclist in retirement. Seems like we have been do
wn this path before with JR. Phil is either going to fall apart and or get better. Phil lasted a couple of laps and there was no major chase but the pressure was kept up. Not many slow periods today. You knew Kal was going to make a major move and he did about 6 or 7 laps into the race. He did on the top of the course where there are 2 corners to go to the finish line. When he jumped I shouted at Bruce Steele to get on him and I got on Bruce. Monty Pettus also of Paramount got on my wheel. We started to work it and had a small gap but it was closed down by someone and Kal threw in the towel. I think Kal was looking for a stronger mix of riders. We were all 60+.The next move several laps later proved to decisive. Kal jumped with Ricky Shorts. Craig Jones who is showing excellent form took off slowly. No one got on his wheel and he made it across the gap to make the break group 3. Howard Miller, Rino Barbagiovanni, George Chester, and Bruce Steele were trying to chase down the 55+ racers. I tried to make a jump to get across the gap or get us close and then let someone else finish off the break. I closed the gap in half but ran out of gas and Dale Luedtke used this as an opportunity to get across. Dale went by without his usual speed thinking I could catch on but the fuel tank was saying empty for myself. I needed to sit in and refuel.
Dale made it and this looked like it but the pesky Howard Miller and Georger Chester redoubled their efforts to actually reel in the group. Ricky was spent and dropped back but Kal wouldn't give up and kept going. The 3 remaining riders started to slowly pull away again. Astonishingly the 3 got away again! The 55+ fire power wasn't there and without any 60s in the group there was little encouragement for them to bring the break group back. The 3 break riders worked together well this time and they got pretty far up the road with 3 laps to go. No bringing them back. All during the chases UCC member John Edwards was doing a good job jumping on the different chases and legally disrupting the chases. This is John's first race back in a while. John got knocked down on the road by a trailer with a boat on it and broke his arm badly. Nice to see John back. I saw John about a month ago on the Wed. Oceanside ride through Camp Pendleton. Hard fast ride and John was using it to hone his race skills. Glad to have you back, John. The break group had the finish stamped all over it. Craig Jones knew it. Kal and Dale knew. In fact everyone knew it. Sorry, Craig. Craig worked on the last lap with the knowledge he was riding with the 2 fastest finishers in 55/60+ racing. Yikes. Craig did some work near the end of the last lap and then Kal pulled through with Dale on his wheel. Was the finish in doubt. NO but that was for 55+. Dale won with Kal second and Craig third.
Ontario GP (Rank 1.0)
Masters 60+
Place
License
Name
Team
SoCal Points
1
219074
Leo Pettus
Paramount Racing
14
2
129293
Michael Fleming
Coates /On Deck Foundation
11
3
180386
John McKee
Paramount Racing
10
4
58170
Sydney Duck
Unattached
9
5
234791
Loren Stephens
EDGE Racing
8
6
57726
Ernest Hoffer
EDGE Racing
7
7
236498
Bruce Steele
South Bay Wheelmen
6
8
61278
Mario Seri
Kahala LaGrange
5
9
171652
Stephen Whitsitt
South Bay Wheelmen
4
10
45763
Robert Paganini
Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA)
3
11
50498
Richard Rodriguez
Nytro Racing
2
12
101582
William Carvin
Unattached
1
13
47098
Peter Volpe
Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA)
0
14
45342
Domenick Forte
PAA / RE/MAX
0
15
188249
Cully White
PAA / RE/MAX
0
16
223119
C Kevin Post
South Bay Wheelmen
0
17
56242
Edward Keck
Velo Avanti Cycling Team
0
Ontario GP (Rank 1.0)
Masters 55+
Place
License
Name
Team
SoCal Points
1
47262
Dale Luedtke
UC Cyclery/JW Flooring
14
2
54522
Kalman Szkalak
UC Cyclery/JW Flooring
11
3
18156
Craig Jones
Velo Avanti Cycling Team
10
4
52251
Ricky Shorts
Velo Allegro
9
5
49424
Howard Miller
Paramount Racing
8
6
46547
John Edwards
UC Cyclery/JW Floors
7
7
49110
Rino Barbagiovanni
Santa Clarita Velo
6
8
297255
Mitchell Odell
Unattached
5
9
196820
George Chester
Amgen Cycling Club
4
10
243425
mark wisnosky
ACQUA AL 2/San Diego Bicycle Club
3
11
155459
Thomas Reilly
Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA)
2
12
228631
James Swigart
ACQUA AL 2/San Diego Bicycle Club
1
13
245777
Steven Borer
Citrus Valley Velo
On a day when age proved to be insurmountable for EVERYONE even Tom Watson and Lance Armstrong. First Tom Watson at age 59 having a chance to win the British Open with a par on the last hole boogies it. He then fell apart in a 2 up playoff. He would have been the oldest person by far to win a major golf tournament. Then Lance also showed his age when he couldn't answer Schleck and then the Wiggins group on the climb to Verbier. Age is a bitch and then you get older. LOL. I have to say that the scenery in Hi Def on Versus was fantasic. Now compare that to the scenery and the smells of Ontario, California. Now thats a big LOL. Thats where the 55/60+ racers were today July 19, 2009 at Ontario # 4 Criterium. Ray Moreno the promoter of the Ontario race series stepped it up a bit for the 55/60+ racers with $200 in prize money, good start time at 8:05 am and pre reg until the Wed. before without a late fee. Thank you! I wonder how this all happened. I must take some credit but Dale Luedtke and Kal Szlalak had been pestering Ray for some time to get us some cash. 34 riders lined up at 8:05 am with 13 55s, 19 60s(good job 60s) and 2 gals that didn't show in the final official placings so it is unknown what cat they were racing. One of the gals dropped out early and it is unknown what happened to the stronger woman. 40 minutes of racing in pretty warm conditions. Early and there was a cloud cover which made it a bit humid and sticky. Kind of what it is like in the Eastern US this time of year but milder. The race started out rather mild with Mark (Mr. Tempo) Wisnosky of SDBC doing a lot of the tempo work in the race. It didn't take long before Phil (The Jumping Bean) Richards jumped the field. Phil has to ice down his knees and ankles after every ride but always races aggressively. Phil is retiring from being a postal carrier to being a full time cyclist in retirement. Seems like we have been do
wn this path before with JR. Phil is either going to fall apart and or get better. Phil lasted a couple of laps and there was no major chase but the pressure was kept up. Not many slow periods today. You knew Kal was going to make a major move and he did about 6 or 7 laps into the race. He did on the top of the course where there are 2 corners to go to the finish line. When he jumped I shouted at Bruce Steele to get on him and I got on Bruce. Monty Pettus also of Paramount got on my wheel. We started to work it and had a small gap but it was closed down by someone and Kal threw in the towel. I think Kal was looking for a stronger mix of riders. We were all 60+.The next move several laps later proved to decisive. Kal jumped with Ricky Shorts. Craig Jones who is showing excellent form took off slowly. No one got on his wheel and he made it across the gap to make the break group 3. Howard Miller, Rino Barbagiovanni, George Chester, and Bruce Steele were trying to chase down the 55+ racers. I tried to make a jump to get across the gap or get us close and then let someone else finish off the break. I closed the gap in half but ran out of gas and Dale Luedtke used this as an opportunity to get across. Dale went by without his usual speed thinking I could catch on but the fuel tank was saying empty for myself. I needed to sit in and refuel.
Dale made it and this looked like it but the pesky Howard Miller and Georger Chester redoubled their efforts to actually reel in the group. Ricky was spent and dropped back but Kal wouldn't give up and kept going. The 3 remaining riders started to slowly pull away again. Astonishingly the 3 got away again! The 55+ fire power wasn't there and without any 60s in the group there was little encouragement for them to bring the break group back. The 3 break riders worked together well this time and they got pretty far up the road with 3 laps to go. No bringing them back. All during the chases UCC member John Edwards was doing a good job jumping on the different chases and legally disrupting the chases. This is John's first race back in a while. John got knocked down on the road by a trailer with a boat on it and broke his arm badly. Nice to see John back. I saw John about a month ago on the Wed. Oceanside ride through Camp Pendleton. Hard fast ride and John was using it to hone his race skills. Glad to have you back, John. The break group had the finish stamped all over it. Craig Jones knew it. Kal and Dale knew. In fact everyone knew it. Sorry, Craig. Craig worked on the last lap with the knowledge he was riding with the 2 fastest finishers in 55/60+ racing. Yikes. Craig did some work near the end of the last lap and then Kal pulled through with Dale on his wheel. Was the finish in doubt. NO but that was for 55+. Dale won with Kal second and Craig third. All the 60+ racers were in the bunch. The last 3 laps were a bit dicey because no one wanted to give themselves up to ride tempo. I encouraged Steve Borer from mid pack to pace. He was at the front. Steve did do some good work. With 2 laps to go I asked PAA member Cully White if he would help me on the last 2 laps. He said he would. Cully has come back t
o racing after a layoff. Cully finished 2nd at MBGP in 55+ a few years ago. Cully kept me in good position. The last lap came and it was bunchy and bouncy for the pack. With 2 corners to go on the last lap Howard Miller made a jump for it on the outside of the pack. Ricky Shorts got going seeing this as an opportunity(Ricky couldn't get his brother out to race). I also saw this and jumped but a few seconds late. We got going wide and Howard and Ricky had a great line through the last corner. I jumped on a train with Loren Stephens, Mike Fleming and Monty Pettus. I knew being on Monty's wheel at the end of a race is always a good place to be. Coming home Howard faded a bit but Ricky came on to win the bunch sprint. Monty waited to about 150 meters and jumped Fleming and Stephens. I also went but didn't get out of the saddle. Doh! Monty won the 60+ sprint over Fleming. I was coming on but didn't have it to take Mike and finished 3rd. Mike Duck was also coming on and passed Loren for 4th in 60+. Loren was 5th. Howard Miller finished 5th in 55+ with John Edwards taking 6th. Ernie Hoffer in his best race so far this season finished 6th in 60+. The overall speed per several riders was over 25 mph with the average wattage at 260 watts. Good hard race. The complete placings were:
o racing after a layoff. Cully finished 2nd at MBGP in 55+ a few years ago. Cully kept me in good position. The last lap came and it was bunchy and bouncy for the pack. With 2 corners to go on the last lap Howard Miller made a jump for it on the outside of the pack. Ricky Shorts got going seeing this as an opportunity(Ricky couldn't get his brother out to race). I also saw this and jumped but a few seconds late. We got going wide and Howard and Ricky had a great line through the last corner. I jumped on a train with Loren Stephens, Mike Fleming and Monty Pettus. I knew being on Monty's wheel at the end of a race is always a good place to be. Coming home Howard faded a bit but Ricky came on to win the bunch sprint. Monty waited to about 150 meters and jumped Fleming and Stephens. I also went but didn't get out of the saddle. Doh! Monty won the 60+ sprint over Fleming. I was coming on but didn't have it to take Mike and finished 3rd. Mike Duck was also coming on and passed Loren for 4th in 60+. Loren was 5th. Howard Miller finished 5th in 55+ with John Edwards taking 6th. Ernie Hoffer in his best race so far this season finished 6th in 60+. The overall speed per several riders was over 25 mph with the average wattage at 260 watts. Good hard race. The complete placings were: Ontario GP (Rank 1.0)
Masters 60+
Place
License
Name
Team
SoCal Points
1
219074
Leo Pettus
Paramount Racing
14
2
129293
Michael Fleming
Coates /On Deck Foundation
11
3
180386
John McKee
Paramount Racing
10
4
58170
Sydney Duck
Unattached
9
5
234791
Loren Stephens
EDGE Racing
8
6
57726
Ernest Hoffer
EDGE Racing
7
7
236498
Bruce Steele
South Bay Wheelmen
6
8
61278
Mario Seri
Kahala LaGrange
5
9
171652
Stephen Whitsitt
South Bay Wheelmen
4
10
45763
Robert Paganini
Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA)
3
11
50498
Richard Rodriguez
Nytro Racing
2
12
101582
William Carvin
Unattached
1
13
47098
Peter Volpe
Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA)
0
14
45342
Domenick Forte
PAA / RE/MAX
0
15
188249
Cully White
PAA / RE/MAX
0
16
223119
C Kevin Post
South Bay Wheelmen
0
17
56242
Edward Keck
Velo Avanti Cycling Team
0
Ontario GP (Rank 1.0)
Masters 55+
Place
License
Name
Team
SoCal Points
1
47262
Dale Luedtke
UC Cyclery/JW Flooring
14
2
54522
Kalman Szkalak
UC Cyclery/JW Flooring
11
3
18156
Craig Jones
Velo Avanti Cycling Team
10
4
52251
Ricky Shorts
Velo Allegro
9
5
49424
Howard Miller
Paramount Racing
8
6
46547
John Edwards
UC Cyclery/JW Floors
7
7
49110
Rino Barbagiovanni
Santa Clarita Velo
6
8
297255
Mitchell Odell
Unattached
5
9
196820
George Chester
Amgen Cycling Club
4
10
243425
mark wisnosky
ACQUA AL 2/San Diego Bicycle Club
3
11
155459
Thomas Reilly
Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA)
2
12
228631
James Swigart
ACQUA AL 2/San Diego Bicycle Club
1
13
245777
Steven Borer
Citrus Valley Velo
Thats all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Close and Not Close at Masters Natz 2009
By John McKee
The tandem 110 division started 12 teams to race 50 miles and it comes down to this finish. Fritz Tomasello is in the back and Dave Prechtl is in the drivers seat(On the left looking at the photo). Nice job guys winning your first "shirt"!
In the 60+ road race Kenny Fuller doesn't like to leave it to close finishes. Kenny prefers solo victories like you see below. He makes it look easy but of course as we all know it ain't! Kenny just keeps attacking until everyone else wilts. Kenny now has 38 Natz jerseys.
In the 60+ road race Kenny Fuller doesn't like to leave it to close finishes. Kenny prefers solo victories like you see below. He makes it look easy but of course as we all know it ain't! Kenny just keeps attacking until everyone else wilts. Kenny now has 38 Natz jerseys.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
2009 60+ NATZ CRIT A PIECE OF CAKE?
By John McKeeHow you' ll. Nothing like spending a week in the southeast United States to pick up some verbal color. I spent a week in Kentucky, Tenn., and Alabama. First off to race Natz in the criterium and then to travel to Grant, Alabama and visit family in a place I hadn't been in 52 years. Lets start with the race.
The 60+ Nationals were concluding with the criterium on July 3rd, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky at the famous Churchill Downs race track. Home of the Kentucky Derby. The course is a 1/2 mile oval on the infield of the track. Pretty fast course except going into the wind toward the start/finish line. The first 2 events(road race and time trial) were won handily by Kenny Fuller eariler in the week. Probably the biggest margins he has ever had so going into the criterium it was no secret who the favorite was. Ken Louder of Utah was the 2nd strongest contender having finished 2nd in the road race and 3rd in the TT. There were a few crit specialists in the mix with some road racers and time trialists not partaking. 27 riders signed up with 23 lining up at 2 pm on the 3rd. My race strategy was simple. Stay near Kenny Fuller. I had talked with Kenny prior to the race on a Saturday training ride and he invited/advised me to stay near him and go with him when he jumped the field which was as sure a thing as could be and would be no surprise to anyone out there that had the slightest awareness of what was going on.
The race was for distance rather than time which is what we do in Socal to make sure the promoter can get all the events completed. 22 miles to be done by the race winner whoever that would be. The race was off. I put myself right behind Kenny figuring that was the premium spot.
Ken Louder almost fell off his bike at the start and I thought that was a bad way to start and then I felt my right pedal resist the cleat on my right shoe. One side of the pedal had been hard to get into so I flipped my Speedplay pedal and inserted my cleat/shoe. Of course by then everyone but Ken Louder were in front of me and the pace was crazy fast. I had lost Kenny's wheel and had to work very hard to move up. I got up there and rode near Kenny but I couldn't get his wheel. Butch "The Glueman" Holt of North Carolina had attached himself to Kenny's wheel and he was locked on. Smart play as Butch finished 8th in the prior year. Butch had higher aspirations in mind in 2009.
Kenny sat in for about 8 laps but a 2 person effort at a break brought out the fight in Kenny Fuller. Kenny went off to catch the 2 and of course "The Glueman" was right there along with Ken Louder and myself. This was hard but Kenny didn't lead it so the effort was caught by the field. Everyone was stressed but together. The pace settled down again but of course the inevitable happened going against the wind. Smart play on Kenny's part. Jumping the field into the wind. Unless you were right on him you would have to close a gap into the wind which was pretty tough. Kenny was off with Holt, Louder and Dave "The Haybaler" Stephens. Dave had finished 9th in the prior year in the crit and was also looking to move up. Dave came into this year's event in good form with a 7th place finish in the road race and a podium 5th place finish in the time trial. A good finish here would put him 3rd in the overall standings for 60+ racers in 2009. Dave had more on his mind then just the race though. Dave is from North Carolina and has a farm. He had 200 50 pound bales of hale to load by hand when he got home. Dave must have a strong core and with his blond hair, definitely doesn't look anywhere near his age.
I wasn't napping but was slightly out of position and jumped hard to catch on but there was already a gap and I couldn't close it. Kenny was going hard. So much for my prior race plan. 4 guys gone. I was really discouraged but probably not as bad as the "The Haybaler". Dave had taken a pu
ll in the break group and got over stressed and was dropped. Yikes! That hurt. "The Glueman" stayed right on Kenny's wheel(see pic to the left) and wouldn't pull through so he got "the lecture" in race protocol in a lead break group.Lap after lap went by and the lead 3 were on their way to lapping the field. In the mean time a number of riders were doing kamikaze solo jumps. Impossible to cover them all because the pace was pretty high but none of the moves worked right now. Going toward the finish line which was into the wind the threesome had lapped the field. Kenny Fuller went around the right side of the pack and Ken Louder went up the left side. Kenny found an opening and jumped and I mean he jumped hard. I was amazed. I was in the middle of the pack at the time and no one in front of me even tried to get on his wheel. Ken Louder got caught up on left side and had to move around to find an opening. By the time he did Kenny Fuller was long gone and no one was catching him.
After this "The Haybaler" made what seemed like another fruitless solo jump but it was a strong move. Like I said earlier, Dave came in with good form. Dave got a little gap and used his time trialing ability to stay away. Louder did finally find an opening and I thought this was a good time to be on his wheel. Just as he started a move a rider in the middle quickly moved to the right blocking him causing Louder and myself to break. Somewhere in the process I got off Louder's wheel and there he goes. 2 other riders, William Stone and Thomas Lobdell both of Indiana were right on him. Lobdell finished 8th in the crit last year while Stone is new to the 60+ category. The threesome used Louder's strength to get up the road. They hooked up with Dave Stephens and you could see 6 spots gone with 5 of them on the podium because the race was getting short. Kenny Fuller just lapped the field for the 2nd time and went right on by. Dave "The Glueman" Holt got on Kenny again although he was a lap down to Kenny and one lap up on most everyone else.
There were a number of riders that couldn't keep up and were lapped many times. I think they should have been pulled because it was hard to figure who was where but all I knew was with 2 laps to go we were going to sprint for 7th place. I wasn't all that excited about that.
In the meantime Kenny Fuller rolled across the finish line having completed the 22 miles in 53:21 or about 24.7 mph. Some of it totally by himself. It was a piece of cake for Kenny but that didn't mean he got to eat cake after the race. You probably remember from the TV series "Seinfeld" one of the characters in the program was "The Soup Nazi". Well Kenny's significant other, Pam Mooney(soon to be Fuller) calls herself "The Food Nazi". She has been rough on Kenny totally changing his eating habits and slimming him down. K
enny has to sneak off to the bathroom to eat the good stuff like kids did when we were in high school trying to find a place to smoke. The day after the race it was Kenny's birthday so I understand he got a small piece of cake. Pam has been great for Kenny but this has only made things tougher for the rest of us.After Kenny crossed the line, Ken Louder finished 2nd solo. Butch Holt since he was one lap up on everyone placed 3rd. There was a sprint for 4th between Stephens, Lobdell and Stone. "The Haybaler" won handily over the 2 hoosiers with Lobdell taking 5th and the last podium spot(There is a vid of the finish below).
The bunch sprint was for 7th and I can't say I was totally committed but 4 of us were pretty close at the finish with Horacio Ahumada of New York coming off a 4th place finish in the road race taking the sprint for 7th place. Jeff Morin of Conn. was 8th, Loren Simons of Michigan 9th and myself 10th. It was a good hard race and the strongest rider by a long shot won. This race was harder than the last 3 years and especially the last 2 years.
Louisville is a pretty nice place and my wife and I had a good time although after 2 6th places finishes the 2 prior years the 10th place did kind of sting. Drove down to Grant, Alabama afterward and saw an area I hadn't been in 52 years. What a change. There wasn't indoor plumbing in individual homes or farms in the mid 50s when I was here last but now everyone has pretty nice homes. Nice place now actually. Not a great place for a vegan like myself though. Animal products prevail. I made do and especially enjoyed visiting with my uncles Arnold and Donald Sanders, Aunt Earlene Sanders and cousins Charis Sanders and Delphine Veach. My fam from Alabama are actually all American blue bloods having decended from John Alden who came over on the Mayflower and helped established Pylmouth Rock, the first settlement in America from European folk. Thats all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!
| Men - Master - 60-64 | |||||||
| Place | Points | Name | Time | License | Bib | Team | |
| 1 | 90 | Kenny Fuller | 53:21.0 | 46765 | 377 | Simple Green/Cycles Veloce | |
| 2 | 85 | Ken Louder | 53:27.3 | 179491 | 390 | FFKR/SBO P/B Tour of Utah | |
| 3 | 80 | G Butch Holt | 53:27.8 | 61823 | 380 | Carolina Bicycle Company | |
| 4 | 75 | David Stevens | 53:29.2 | 248476 | 410 | Veloproject.com | |
| 5 | 70 | Thomas Lobdell | 53:29.5 | 45607 | 389 | Scarletfire/verizon Wireless | |
| 6 | 65 | William Stone | 53:29.8 | 47749 | 411 | Labor Power | |
| 7 | 60 | Horacio Ahumada | 53:30.2 | 60985 | 360 | Cafeteros Cycling | |
| 8 | 55 | Jeff Morin | 53:30.3 | 239670 | 398 | Mystic Velo | |
| 9 | 50 | Loren Simons | 53:30.6 | 47936 | 407 | West Mi Priority Health | |
| 10 | 45 | John McKee | 53:31.2 | 180386 | 396 | Paramount Racing | |
| 11 | 40 | David Fishel | 53:38.5 | 58350 | 376 | Mob Squad - U Build It | |
| 12 | 38 | Robert Brust | 53:39.0 | 60610 | 367 | Unattached | |
| 13 | 36 | Charles South | 53:39.5 | 33532 | 408 | 3 RVs | |
| 14 | 34 | George Liolios | 53:41.0 | 45603 | 388 | Rainbow Inks | |
| 15 | 32 | Paul Mehlenbeck | 53:41.7 | 47107 | 397 | Badger Velo Club | |
| 16 | 30 | Ed McAlister | 54:10.1 | 273356 | 394 | Greenville Spinners Racing Team | |
| 17 | 28 | terry bork | 54:11.4 | 279668 | 366 | Unattached | |
| 18 | 26 | Neil Sutcliffe | 54:15.8 | 229527 | 412 | Unattached | |
| 19 | 24 | Alfredo Uribe | 54:29.6 | 46024 | 416 | Redline Racing/LTP | |
| 20 | 22 | David Burnside | 54:30.6 | 5597 | 368 | GVCC-Pedallers | |
| 21 | 20 | Prewitt Lane | 54:34.2 | 20291 | 384 | Clarksville Schwinn | |
| DNS | 0 | Harold Baselice | 249434 | 364 | Unattached | ||
| DNS | 0 | Stephen Bennett | 68855 | 365 | Colobikelaw.com | ||
| DNS | 0 | Bill Cole | 239860 | 370 | Savannah Wheelmen | ||
| DNF | 0 | Walter Lay | 20594 | 387 | Team Louisville | ||
| DNF | 0 | Loren Stephens | 234791 | 409 | Edge Racing | ||
Thursday, July 9, 2009
San Luis Obispo Road Race - July 4, 2009
By James Morehouse
A pretty surreal two days. Seven and a half hours to get to SLO Friday. Checked into a Motel 6 at three times what it cost me in Bakersfield last June. Noisy people most of the night, then up early into chilly, low clouds typical of California coastal areas in the early summer. Sixty one degrees. Not anything close to the 106 I suffered in Arizona only on Tuesday down in Apache Junction. I had to get through the military check point. Having USAA insurance (thanks to my ex-wife's ex-husband's stint in the Air Force during the Vietnam era) made it easy to slip by. The race started late and I saw that Glen Baldwin, a former Paramount rider was in the line next to me. He’s living in Central California now. The race was appallingly slow the first two laps. The climb was not much of one, stairstepping up with 8% kickers in the “worst” spots, but probably more like an average of 5% for about a mile or so. The descent was a kick in the pants. After the Bakersfield descent, this was not an issue, but the holes in the road, the depressed asphalt, cattle guards, and a couple of tight turns with sand and dirt in the corners made it exciting. Mid way through the race the sun burned through and a rider got free and everyone sat there not wanting to hurt enough to go chase him. He was a 55+, so I (foolishly) let him go. Instead, I concentrated on leading up the hill and shaking guys off the back. On the last lap I cut the number of people left down to five, but there were three out there now, all in the 55+ group. Only Bruce Steele and myself were left in the 60+. As I was unsure of sprinting against him, I took a flyer too far from the finish and ended up getting caught, and Bruce got by me anyway. So Bruce (California Criterium Champion for 2009) beat me for first. I got second, and 8th overall. Bruce was 5th overall. Then I drove 420 miles back home. Here I am, and I am still reeling from the driving, the experience, and I'm home, and WTF just happened?
Camp San Luis Road Race (Rank 2.0)
Masters 60+
Place
License
Name
Team
SoCal Points
1
236498
Bruce Steele
South Bay Wheelmen
28
2
283640
James Morehouse
Paramount Racing
22
3
8283
Michael Crystal
CA Pools Racing
20
4
204901
Steve Close
Team Chicken Ranch
18
5
45047
Glenn Baldwin
SLO Nexus-Gym One
16
6
271696
Bruce Coffey
SJBC/SugarCRM
14
7
286467
JAN VALENCIA
Velo Club Monterey Racing
12
8
280958
John Adams
G S Adams Avenue Bicycles
10
9
45342
Domenick Forte
PAA / RE/MAX
8
10
115793
Jim Roebuck
Southern California Velo
6
10
Masters 60+
Place
License
Name
Team
SoCal Points
1
236498
Bruce Steele
South Bay Wheelmen
28
2
283640
James Morehouse
Paramount Racing
22
3
8283
Michael Crystal
CA Pools Racing
20
4
204901
Steve Close
Team Chicken Ranch
18
5
45047
Glenn Baldwin
SLO Nexus-Gym One
16
6
271696
Bruce Coffey
SJBC/SugarCRM
14
7
286467
JAN VALENCIA
Velo Club Monterey Racing
12
8
280958
John Adams
G S Adams Avenue Bicycles
10
9
45342
Domenick Forte
PAA / RE/MAX
8
10
115793
Jim Roebuck
Southern California Velo
6
10
Camp San Luis Road Race (Rank 2.0)
Masters 55+
Place
License
Name
Team
SoCal Points
1
47819
Karl Weber
CA Pools Racing
28
2
61353
Reed Moore
UC Cyclery/JW Flooring
22
3
187845
Henry Pfister
Simply Fit/Action Sports
20
4
72880
Mike Marotta
Simply Fit/Action Sports
18
5
108843
Eric Nelson
SLO Nexus-Gym One
16
6
45928
David Shackle
Central Coast Velo
14
7
196820
George Chester
Amgen Cycling Club
12
8
48240
Lawrence Brooks
Unattached
10
9
269972
Fred Haim
Kahala LaGrange
8
10
46135
Frederick Proudman
Taleo Racing
6
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