WIND SHATTERS FIELD AT CARSON ON EASTER

By John McKee

It's April 4th, 2010 and the 55/60+ group has already had one race in Ontario and now there's another race in Carson in the early afternoon. It is the CBR #4 in it's BAR series. I think it goes without saying that the field would be light and I already blogged and gave you the names of those that doubled up. Upon getting to the course in Carson there was a very strong wind blowing directly north. I was thinking that this would be toward the finish line but once I got to the registration area and saw that the races were going in a counter clockwise direction I knew this was going to be a hard race. It was a head wind after the last corner coming home.
Only 20 racers lined up to contest this race at 1:10 pm. The wind must have been at least 20+ mph. The 55s that lined up were mainly the very strongest and only 6 60+ racers were there and I had this sinking feeling that this race wasn't going to stay together and was I up to it. Yikes. I could have stayed at my daughter's house in Orange after the Ontario event and eaten my face silly and had Mimosas(orange juice and champagne). No! I had to go and shoot my mouth off about getting other 55/60+ racers out so naturally I had to come out. Was I in over my head. Would I get blown away so to speak. Only the strongest would survive. As the courses and the conditions get tougher the harder it is on the 60+ crowd. Some of the 55s don't quite get it yet but wait and add 5 to 8 years to you and see how it affects your performance. There is a lot more to staying competitive than just riding the bike. Enough with the soapbox.
The race was off with Wiford Czulak in the field. Wiford had floated the rumor that he wasn't in Carson to do the 55/60+ race but other races but when we lined up, he was there. Wiford is a large guy but his cycling strength for a 55+ racer is almost off the charts. The first couple of laps weren't bad and there was some jockeying but everyone was still together.
Around the 3rd lap there was a serious move and riders that saw what danger there was started to move across the gap or get left behind. This of course occurred going into the wind. The toughest time of course. I got across but was totally winded. Everything disintegrated at the front and things were back together but this just supported my theory that this was going was going to be a sufferfest.
On the uphill part of the course Richard Stahlberg shot off the front. Richard is riding very well right now and races like he is 55 and likes to stay right at the front. Richard is 60+ this year but his form is excellent and can mix it up with the 55s. Richard was off the front for less than a lap and another 60+ racer Doug Knox used his max reserve to catch up. About this time Don Denegal starts a move near the
start/finish line. I believe Don had been in the pit for a while with a mechanical/flat or something. Don't know how long he was out or whether he was attacking out of the pit or coming off the back of the pack. Ricky Shorts was right on this and shortly there after Kal Szkalak also jumped on this move. Since we had just gone by the start/finish area we were into the wind and the race was at its hardest. Riders saw this as the time to make the move and the strongest 55s jumped into action which included Wiford Cruzak, Dale Luedtke, Mike Birditt, and Steve Cahill. Doug had fallen off the pace and was coming back to the main field.
Wiford, Mike, and Steve shot by Richard and Richard was able to lock on. Now there is 3 guys in front. 5 guys are in the first chase group. The main field which I am part of has shrunk to 6 guys. Al Shorts tried his best to pull the main field back into the main action up front but slowly you could see the 5 pack ride off ahead and finally made contact the the 3 leaders. It was then 8 riders in front with one of them a 60+ rider. All Richard had to do was hang on and he would win his race. The other 7 had to battle it out.
In the main field that I was in included Al Shorts, Rod Mallory, Doug Knox, William Carvin, and Reed Moore. The 55s and myself did the most of the pulling with Al doing the most. Up front there were 2 Swami's and 2 UC Cyclery/JW Flooring riders with the the speedy Wiford Czulak of Amgen and Don Denegal of Major Motion. Mike Birditt decided to do what he could help his teammate Steve Cahill have a good finish. Steve is strong but raw out there. Mike has mucho experience and knowledge. Mike told Steve to sit in and do nothing! Mike would ride tempo when necessary and he did for the last 4 laps of the race. Coming up the hill for the last time with one corner to go Richard Stahlberg had a go to give everyone a boost. No skin off his nose. He had his race in the bag. About this time Wiford flats. Yikes! Bad timing. Kal called to Dale to jump and Dale did eventhough he thought this was a little premature. As you know from my posts Dale can bring home the bacon from pretty far out and today was no exception. Dale came smoking in for his second win of the day and Kal was 2nd. Steve Cahill nosed out Don Denegal for 3rd with Don 4th. Here is where it gets dicey as to who placed where. My best guess is- Ricky Shorts 5th, Mike Birditt 6th and Wiford Czulak 7th. Richard Stahlberg was of course the winner of the 60+ category.
In the main field Al Shorts carried us to near the end and Doug Knox jumped the field on the inside and no one could respond quickly enough. I think most of us had one thing on our mind and that was to get this thing over with. It was hard out there and surely we got a great workout. Doug Knox was the 2nd place 60+ finisher. I was 3rd. Reed Moore was the first 55+ finisher in our group and the rest of the guys dribbled in. Glad it was over.
Thanks to all that made it out to Carson to do the 55/60+ race. I know it was a tough day to come and race in the afternoon and I especially thank those racers that doubled up at Ontario and Carson and to the few 60+ racers that were in difficult circumstances in Carson but gave it a go. Hats off to you. I was actually glad I raced the double and enjoyed the total experience but boy was I hungry! Food and drink awaited me in Orange. Oh it tasted good! I also made my granddaughter's 7th birthday party. Happy birthday to you, Sydney Conine! That's all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!

THE SPEEDY SPRING FORWARD AT ONTARIO

By John McKee

It's Easter Sunday April 4th, 2010 and Ontario had the second of its race series. It's later in the year of course than the first one but it is still pretty cold at 7 am. Upper 40s and it wasn't bad when we raced but standing around afterward it was frigging cold with a blustery wind coming up. The pre reg numbers weren't very good but by the time we lined up there were 45 racers. Don Kimper and Steve Honine even though they pre reged weren't there because some bonehead told them the time had changed to the afternoon and they believed it. Doh! Check the latest flyer. It would have to have the updated time schedule.

22 60s and 23 55s were there and ready to rock and roll. The group rolled out at around 7:40 am. Everyone but Loren Stephens. Loren clipped a cone and fell down. Sanda Timbal  barely missed him and didn't go down as well. Loren got up and chased. He had to put in a pretty good chase too because Kal Szkalak of UC Cyclery/JW Flooring started the ball rolling with a good effort. Kal wanted to make the race hard for everyone and he and his teammate Dale Luedtke were but 2 of those that made the race harder and more interesting. Alex Collins, Phil Richards, Mike Birditt and Monty Pettus also put in efforts to pick up the slack. Eventhough the pace was pretty good there were still lulls in the action and there were a few posers that would filter into the front ranks. There was a new 60+ guy in a white jersey and a SC Velo guy with a paunch that I knew would crack when the pressure got put on. The SC Velo guy ran out of gas so bad at the end that Carlos Cruz almost ran into him and had to brake to avoid contact. Know your place and go places you are known and can handle.

As is usually the case the primes are very light at Ontario. I don't even pay attention to what they are but the series points prime always seem to bring some life to the pack. Once everyone hears that the pace slows. Energy conversation. The pace of course picks up as the line draws near. Not actually sure who won both the 55 and 60+ primes. Phil Richards was sprinting  so I assume he knew no 60+ guy was ahead of him.

No clear group of riders got any distance on the pack during the race. Some of the 55s are selective with who they break with. Wrong combo for whatever reason and they shut it down. There was one break that did get away and it included Kal Szkalak of UCC, Phil Richards of CVV, and Mike Birditt of Swami's. They were working it pretty good and got a decent gap. Wiford Czulak of Amgen thought this looked dangerous and tried to come across. Wilford is a very strong all around rider. Wiford got 2/3 the way there and it looked like he stalled out but he got his second wind and made it to the other 3. Phil was the only 60+ rider in the group and had the most to win. He would be guaranteed a victory if they could stay away. The other 3 would have to sprint for the win in 55+. Mark Planellas of SC Velo worked hard to pull back the foursome. Kal decided to throw in the towel with Wilford there. Kal has a chance sprinting against anyone but he figured UC Cyclery/JW Flooring had a better chance at a win with both him and Dale Luedtke sprinting for home. Both were comfortable sprinting in a bunch and Dale has a long sprint and can take it home from pretty far out.

Once the foursome got caught there were less than 4 laps to go. The jockeying was too start without anyone or team willing to give themselves up. The pace still wasn't bad until the last lap and then it was dreadful. The group got tighter and more anxious. Everyone was looking to UCC and Kal and Dale. Wiford, Mike Birditt and Monty Pettus were marking them closely. With 3 corners to go someone took Tim Marquez's front wheel out and he slammed the pavement. He got skinned up but no broken bones. No one else went down. I didn't see it so it was behind me. 

From the 3rd to the last corner to the last corner is when the race always heats up but not this race. This was the slowest lead in I have seen here in a while. The last corner is a sling shot but no one took advantage of it. Finally Mike Birditt jumped the field and started the sprint. He lead it out and was looking pretty good coming toward the line but Dale and Wiford were coming in hard and fast and low and behold 60+ racer Monty Pettus was also tearing it up coming home. Monty is looking stronger every week and right now on a flat course can challenge any 60+ racer in the country and that includes John Rubcic. John is also riding well so it would be quite a show to see both of them go at it. Monty topped out at over 37 mph in both the 55/60+ and the 50+ race that he finished 4th and passed 10 or so racers coming toward the line. Don't know what numbers Dale Luedtke had. Dale doesn't use a power meter, heart monitor or even a speedometer when he races and only uses his heart monitor when he does intervals in training.

All 3 of these guys got by Mike meaning Mike was 3rd in 55+ and Monty was 1st in 60+. Dale edged Wilord to take 1st place in 55+. 4th place went to a surprisingly fast Wayne Rosenkrantz in 55+. Loren Stephens put the bad start behind him and put in a blistering sprint and passed a lot of riders coming in 2nd in 60+. John Edwards of UCC placed 3rd in 60+ with Mike Fleming placing a respectable 4th. Placings to 12 places are below:

55+

1-Luedtke

2-Czulak

3-Birditt

4-Rosenkrantz

5-Szkalak

6-Collins

7-Briggs

8-Rino

9-Planellas

10-Riley

11-Gentili

12-Sinz

60+

1-Pettus

2-Stephens

3-Edwards

4-Fleming

5-Gomez, R

6-McKee

7-Cruz

8-Chester

9-Rodriquez

10-White

11-Pags

12-Richards

That's all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!

DOUBLE DUTY HEROES ON EASTER SUNDAY

By John McKee

Getting racers to go to 2 different venues on the same day is tough enough but on a day like Easter is understandably extra tough. Just wanted to get some ink to those that did the Ontario race in the morning and the CBR race in the afternoon. I wanted to get a pic of all of us in Carson but way too hard. Just have to go with a honorable mention. Those that did both were:

Dale Luedtke
Wiford Czulak
Mike Birditt(with his wife and dog)
John McKee
Michael Edwards
Kal Szkalak
Sanda Timbal(Sanda did a total of 4 races including the 2 55/60+ races)
Doug Knox
Tim Marquez(Tim raced Ont. and was at CBR with his car pool buddie Doug but because he crashed at Ont. he was too sore to race).
Reed Moore


Great job by all of you!

BAR SERIES LEADERBOARD AFTER 3 EVENTS

California Bicycle Racing-2010 BAR (Best All-around Racer) Series, Masters 55+

Name,                  Team   Crit Number 1   2   3 Total

1 Dale Luedtke, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring 42 42 38 122
2 Kal Szkalak, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring   38 38 34 110
3 Ricky Shorts, Velo Allegro                     36 34 28 98
4 Howard Miller, Paramount                     30 32 26 88
5 Al Shorts, Velo Allegro                          34 12 30 76
6 Rino Barbagiovanni, Santa Clarita Velo  22 26 20 68
7 Witold Czulak, Amgen                            0   0 42  42
8 Vic Viscio, Velocity                              12 14 14  40
9 Don Denegal, Major Motion                    0 36 0   36
10 Mark Planellas, SC Velo                       0  35 0   35
11 Al Levi, SBW                                       0 10 18  28
12 Alex Collins, Canyon Velo                   28  0   0  28
13 Thomas Reilly, PAA/ReMax                 2  24  0  26
14 Wayne Rosenkranz, Radsport              26  0   0  26
15 Gregory Painter, Velocity                     24  0   0  24
16 Rodney Malloy, Velo Allegro                 0  0  22 22
17 Philip Walters, Encino Velo                  10  0  12 22
18 Joe Mastro, Team Velocity                    0 22  0  22
19 Craig Jones, Velo Avanti                        0 20  0 20
20 Steven Borer, Aqua al2/SDBC             14  6  0  20
21 John Luke, Unattached                           0 18 0  18
22 Richard Barron, Simple Green               18  0 0  18
23 Sanda Timbal, Velo Avanti                      0  016 16
24 Rick Carrera, Cycles Veloce                   0 16 0 16
25 Alex Gonzalez, Velo Allegro                    0 0 10 10
26 Ken Burns, SC Velo                               0  0   8  8
27 John Sinz, Canyon Velo                           8 0   0  8
28 Reed Moore, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring    6 0   0 6
29 Rick Roberson, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring 4 0   0 4

California Bicycle Racing-2010 BAR (Best All-around Racer) Series, Masters 60+

1 Rich Stahlberg, Ironfly                          38 38 42 118

2 John McKee, Paramount                      36 32 38 106

3 Donald Davidson, Citrus Valley Velo    32 42   0  74

4 Allen Kizuka, Velo Allegro                     0 24  32 56

5 William Carvin, Unattached                  34 18    0  52

6 Leo Pettus, Paramount                         42   0    0  42

7 Michael Edwards, Herbalife/La Grange30 10    0  40

8 Carlos Cruz, InCycle                             0   0   36 36

9 Barney Feigenbaum, Ironfly                  24 12    0 36

10 Mario Seri, Herbalife/La Grange           0   0  34 34

11 Sydney Duck                                       0  34    0 34

12 Doug Feist, Fog Racing                       28   0    0 28

13 Michael O’Connor, Alliance                26   0    0 26

14 Phillip Richards, Citrus Valley Velo        0  22   0 22

15 Michael McKinney, Radsport                0 14    0 14