By John McKee
It was April 10th, 2011 and the date on the race calendar for the Cyclo Vets Criterium. This race was chosen to host the Super Masters SCNCA Criterium Championship for men & women.The men's
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| Women lined up to race- That's Trish "The Dish" on the left |
categories were- 65+,70+, 75+, 80+ and 90+ just for Gordy Shields. Gordy has a very impressive resume which includes 3 Natz titles and 3 top 10 World races. Gordy holds the national time trial record for 20k in 80+, 85+ and 90+. Gordy is 93 years young this year on April 20th. Gordy was not only the oldest rider but the only entrant in 90+. There wasn't even anyone 85+ racing although Link Linquist is 84 this year and plans on competing until he is a 100 or.... but he definitely plans on making it to 100. You should see him skip rope. Damn. Definitely better than Rocky. The women's categories were 40+(skipped 45+ which will be July 17th), 50+, 55+, 60+,65+ and 70+.
The 60+ men racers would be racing at the same time as the Super Masters and scored separately for $200 cash and no championship. Their championship will be with the rest of the masters categories at the Paramount race on July 17th, 2011. The women's championship races started at 7 am. The rain that has plagued or threatened to damper earlier SCNCA races was no where to be seen. Clear skies and cool temps although it felt like it was warming up quickly.
The women had 11 racers total for the 6 categories. All the gals looked fit and rode well. The 2nd oldest in the group was Trish Kimper and she had no problem keeping up eventhough she was giving up possible 25 years. Nice job by all the women. I know there are other fit women riders out there these ages but getting them to race is near impossible. Paramount has had several but..... The word criterium strikes fear in so many riders from its reputation but I know from reality that training rides are where the worst accidents happen. Complete results for the women are below. 6 champ jerseys can be purchased but some of our women have so many that they may not bother.
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| Hylton leading the field around |
Following the women were the 60+ men's race along with the 65+ group and up. Racing at 7:45 am for 40 minutes. The race was off on time and of course Hylton Murphy(60+) tried to jump ship like Claudette Colbert in "It Happened One Night". Everyone knew he would and in fact he told me he would Friday by message and wanted me to follow. I got on his wheel and another rider who I can't identify got on me. I had a target on my back. Everyone knows me and figured I was the favorite in 65+ so it was always the green light for a full on chase. I caught Hylton soon after he started his move with the other rider on my tail and we had a little gap and Hylton was really laying the wood down. My tongue was hanging out and I couldn't pull through yet but it didn't matter because everyone else got on us quickly. I later asked who was chasing me because there were 2 other escape attempts by myself and the answer was "EVERYONE". LOL.
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| Phil Richards drilling it and leading the field |
Phil Richards(60+) is riding quite strong and he attempted a solo effort half way through the race and I tried to come across to form a twosome but when I got near Phil everyone else was very close so I quit. Phil was tired as well. Hylton later tried another escape attempt soon after John Magnanti(65+) had made his move off the front with about 10 laps to go(See pic). John was not that far away to begin with so I thought to leave him there but he added to the distance and Hylton started to close on him and this looked very dangerous because Mags is 65+. I couldn't let this go so I put in a super chase and got everyone else close and went back to recover. When Hylton got to John he was pretty much out of gas so Hylton didn't want to burn too many matches trying too hard or try to get away again because he was John Rubcic's(60+) lead out man. They have done this so many times they could be napping and connect up out there and their strengths play perfectly to a long lead out by Hylton and sprint for home by JR. JR gets a super draft and you might imagine by looking at the podium pic. In the old days Hylton use to lead out and hang on for 2nd while JR got first. Hylton almost did as well here but that's later.
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| Mags off the front with Hylton ready to team up |
The pace actually hadn't been that bad or slow as far as I was concerned but my legs felt the 3 efforts but had plenty left for a finish. Once the lap card went to 5 laps to go it was slow city. Hylton wasn't going to jump and the 65s were going to sit in for a bunch sprint which usually is my thing but not in a slow build up. I am better in a fast build up. I know there were some guys trying to keep the pace up like Don Kimper but there wasn't enough of this. Counting down from 2 laps to go Phil Richards thought he would steal the show and jumped hard on the back side. Fred Nicolet jumped on his wheel and I was 4th wheel and we were going fast. Once we turned for home Phil threw in the towel and of course no one wanted to give themselves up so the pace went WAY down. Riders were coming around me on both sides. I should have used a tip that Mike Birditt gave me but I went brain dead. JR was lining up on Hylton and I couldn't get to them. I tried to back out and get to the first corner on the inside and move way up. Once around the corner it is all over because the riders go back to the curb. I didn't make it in time and got caught in the inside tar pit. I always like to race from the outside here and at most places but especially here. Mike Duck of Paramount and Monty lined up on JR. They weren't "given" their wheels but they got them anyway. This was the move that mattered. Fritz Tomasello was in the middle somewhere and Mario Seri also was stuck on the inside but ahead of me.
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| Pettus, Edwards, Lapped 80+ rider, Lang, Rubcic and McKee |
Most of the riders in this event do one race a year like one this so it was chaotic in the bunch. When the pressure was put on riders were going backward left and right. Most riders left in the pack were 60s and 65s with a few 70s and 75s. Most 70+ and over had been off the back from the beginning. Thankfully no one went down and I don't remember anyone going down in this race which usually finishes off the Cyclo Vets Ominium over the years.
The 60+ racers were now driving the last lap. Hylton took JR around the last turn and started to slow and John went into his patented sprint that made him look like he hadn't missed a race although this was only his 3rd race and really his 2nd competitive race of 2011. John won 60+ going away by a long shot. Monty had been on Mike Duck's wheel and shouted for Mike to go after rounding the last corner. Monty came off Mike's wheel to finish 2nd by a long ways in 60+. Mike Duck was the 3rd person across the line and the winner of the 65+ race. This was Mike's first race this year and was an underdog but Mike has been training at the Encino Velodrome and his track training showed. Good job by another Paramount member. Hylton Murphy rolled across for 3rd in 60+ followed by David Lang for 4th in 60+.
I finally found my way to the outside near the second to the last turn. Way too late but I started to sprint anyway. I went way wide to pass lots of riders and was coming for home and saw Mario Seri coming in on the far left side. I was shooting to pass Mario and had Fritz Tomasello on my right. Fritz and I have raced many a races together and I hadn't beaten him many of those. Fritz and I were running up on 2 60+ riders that were going "backward" near the finish. They were trying but Fritz and I were gaining on them. We tried to squeeze between them but couldn't catch Mario. Mario Seri was 2nd in 65+ and Fritz was 3rd. I finished 4th. In 70+ David Benner won the race and is a Cyclo Vets member but lives in Virginia so the SCNCA champion was Jacobo Melcer. The 75+ champion is Robert Paganini, the ageless one. The 80+ cat was won by Jack Palmer who just aged up this year. He beat out Link Linquist who was 84. Link will be alone in 85+ next year. Gordy Shields of course won the 90+ category. There is a good video below of the finish of the 60+/Super Masters race. Compliments of Alicia McKee. Thanks, hon!
The Cyclo Vets always put on a great event and this year was a limited program but they did a nice job none the less. Gary DeVoss was the race director and asked for some advice from this 55/60+ bike racing guru(many months ago) that writes a blog and has promoted the Paramount race many times. He was glad to help if he did. Complete results for the 60+ and all the women and men's championship races are below. Podium pics for the men's super masters championships are below except 70+ plus 60+. Unfortunately no podium pics of the women were available before I published. There was great confusion at the time of the 70+ podium so I didn't take a picture.
The 55+ race followed the 60+/Super Masters and it was fire works from the start. There was always riders off the front and UCC had 11 riders out there. In the end Mark Helvie and Kim Bleth stayed off the front to the end with Mark taking the sprint for 1st place. Mike Birditt won the field sprint for 3rd. Complete results for 55+ are at the bottom of the page.
Going to finish with a non bike racing item. Reading the LA Times on Monday I saw something I had to share. Tues. April 12th, 2011 is the 50th anniversary of the first human orbiting the earth. After his flight, Yuri Gagarin made this statement "Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship, I marveled at the beauty of our planet. People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty-not destroy it." That's all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!
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| 80+ Podium- John Sanmartini, Jack Palmer, Link Linquist |
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| 75+ Podium- Kurt Steiner, Robert Paganini, Stuewe Hurst -between 75 & 80 guys have trouble with podium salutes |
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| 65+ Podium- Fritz Tomasello, Mike Duck, Mario Seri |
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| 60+ Podium- Hylton (Long legs) Murphy, John Rubcic, Monty Pettus |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Women 40+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 334358 | Therese Ellsworth | CALCOAST Bikes San Diego | 0 |
| 2 | 271884 | Anne Lorenzana | CALCOAST Bikes San Diego | 0 |
| 3 | 203336 | Michelle Rhea | | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Women 50+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 271515 | Jane Faulkner | Team Cycles Brixton | 0 |
| 2 | 171362 | Alexandra Tabata | Team Redlands | 0 |
| 3 | 214038 | Julie Hamilton | SD Cyclovets | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Women 55+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 141377 | Suzanne Bowers | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Women 60+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 51985 | Vickie VanOsdol-Castaldi | Ironfly | 0 |
| 2 | 193139 | Sherry Newsham | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Women 65+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 202346 | Patricia Kimper | ACQUA AL 2/SDBC | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Women 70+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 235409 | Patricia Baker | Cal-Pacific Export Packers / LV | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Men 65+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 58170 | Sydney Duck | OCW/Paramount Racing | 0 |
| 2 | 61278 | Mario Seri | Herbalife LaGrange | 0 |
| 3 | 177453 | P (Fritz) Tomasello | Pinnaclife Racing Team | 0 |
| 4 | 180386 | John McKee | Paramount Racing | 0 |
| 5 | 57571 | Dale Harless | Cycle U | 0 |
| 6 | 71812 | John Magnanti | | 0 |
| 7 | 198617 | Roger Springer | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| 8 | 171652 | Stephen Whitsitt | South Bay Wheelmen | 0 |
| 9 | 186694 | Butch Richardson | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| 10 | 138501 | Thomas Gardner | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Men 70+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 18933 | Robert Kenner(Out of State) | National Capital Velo Club/UnitedHealthcare | 0 |
| 2 | 207024 | Jacobo Melcer(SCNCA Champ) | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| 3 | 46904 | Daniel Wulbert | UC Cyclery/JW Flooring | 0 |
| 4 | one day | Ed Renger | | 0 |
| 5 | 99513 | Edward Camarena | Veloce Santiago | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Men 75+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 45763 | Robert Paganini | Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA) | 0 |
| 2 | one day | Stuewe Hurst | Pasadena Cycling | 0 |
| 3 | 261008 | Kurt Steiner | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Men 80+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 55524 | Jack Palmer | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
| 2 | 235545 | Link Lindquist | Team Velosport Club | 0 |
| 3 | 50695 | John Sanmartini | Velo Avanti Cycling Team | 0 |
| Super Masters Criterium (Rank 3.0) |
| Men 90+ |
| Place | License | Name | Team | SoCal Points |
| 1 | 46810 | Gordon Shields | San Diego Cyclo Vets | 0 |
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