2010 55+ & 60+ SOCAL POINT STANDINGS

 "ANNIHILATOR" LUEDTKE &  "TITANIUM" RUBCIC

 "BICEPS" SZKALAK

 "WIPEOUT" STEELE

 "VEGHEAD" MCKEE &  "OAK TREE" BIRDITT

Below are the Socal point standing as of July 29th, 2010. In action above are the 3 leaders in each category. 

 
SoCal Cup Standings For 2010

Masters 55+

Place	Name	License #	Team Name	SoCal Points
1	Kalman Szkalak	54522	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	395
2	Dale Luedtke	47262	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	306
3	Michael Birditt	47255	Swami's Cycling Club	235
4	Michael Mueller	46688	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	206
5	Alex Collins	46255	Canyon Velo	196
6	Mark Planellas	202041	Southern California Velo	164
7	Steve Cahill	204724	Moonlight Velo	162
8	Mark Huffman	59572	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	152
9	Robert Willcox	69952	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	133
10	Gary Shuey	44197	Citrus Valley Velo	119
11	Eddie Morris	49080	Amgen-UBS Elite Masters	114
12	Kim Bleth	49191	Platinum Performance Cycling Team	110
13	Keith Ketterer	48434	Amgen-UBS Elite Masters	99
14	Mitchell Weinstock	55591	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	99
15	Ricky Shorts	52251	Velo Allegro	84
16	Paul Rodriguez	58847	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	77
17	Victor Miera	280155	Allegiant Airlines/Pain MD's.com	71
18	Warren Wicks	202108	Swami's Cycling Club	66
19	Rino Barbagiovanni	49110	Santa Clarita Velo	65
20	Steve Bernede	126351	Unattached	58
21	Rick Swanson	34753	Radsport Cycling Team	55

SoCal Cup Standings For 2010

Masters 60+

Place	Name	License #	Team Name	SoCal Points
1	Bruce Steele	236498	South Bay Wheelmen	251
2	John McKee	180386	Paramount Racing	234
3	John Rubcic	48760	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	197
4	George Chester	196820	LIVESTRONG Army KC / Midwest Cancer Care	195
5	Leo Pettus	219074	Paramount Racing	193
6	Raphael Gomez	3793	Cycles Veloce	174
7	Kenny Fuller	46765	Cycles Veloce	169
8	Michael Fleming	129293	Coates Cyclery Cycling Club	129
9	James Morehouse	283640	Paramount Racing	127
10	Carlos Cruz	48651	Canyon Velo	126
11	Glenn Baldwin	45047	SLO Nexus Cycling Club	122
12	Hylton Murphy	72995	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	101
13	Donald Kimper	195498	ACQUA AL 2/SDBC	87
14	Jean Villiot	59805	CA Pools/DeWalt	73
15	John Edwards	46547	UC Cyclery/JW Flooring	60
16	Robert Paganini	45763	Pasadena Athletic Assoc (PAA)	58
17	Richard Rodriguez	50498	Pacific Sunset Velo/Pac Sun Velo	46
18	Michael Crystal	8283	METALMTN Cycling	46
19	Phillip Richards	238828	Citrus Valley Velo	44
20	Michael Barnes	220804	ArtsCyclery.com/Wild Horse Wines	42
21	Hans Jorgensen	222120	Canyon Velo	42
22	Loren Stephens	234791	Pinnaclife Racing Team	41
23	Daniel Crain	246256	Paramount Racing	38
24	John Diemont	71231	Webcor/Alto Velo	37
25	Sydney Duck	58170	Paramount Racing	34

CBR BAR SERIES AFTER ROUND 7

California Bicycle Racing-2010 BAR (Best All-around Racer) Series, Masters 55+
Name, Team Crit Number  Total
1 Dale Luedtke, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring  283
2 Kal Szkalak, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring  250
3 Ricky Shorts, Velo Allegro  203
4 Al Shorts, Velo Allegro  188
5 Howard Miller, Paramount  144
6 Rino Barbagiovanni, Santa Clarita Velo  118
7 Don Denegal, Major Motion  108
8 Rodney Malloy, Velo Allegro  100
9 Witold Czulak, Amgen  72
10 Steven Borer, Aqua al2/SDBC  70
11 Mark Planellas, SC Velo  65
12 Gary Prideaux, Lightning Velo  60
13 Vic Viscio, Velocity  60
14 Wayne Rosenkranz, Radsport  58
15 Brian Cote, Sho Air/Sonance  52
16 Philip Walters, Encino Velo  52
17 Thomas Reilly, PAA/ReMax  50
18 Rick Carrera, Simple Green  46
19 Alex Gonzalez, Velo Allegro 41
20 Sanda Timbal, Velo Avanti  36
21 Steve Cahill, Swami's  36
22 Paul Rodriguez, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring  36
23 Reed Moore, UC Cyclery/JW Flooring 32
24 Al Levi, SBW  28
25 Alex Collins, Canyon Velo  28

California Bicycle Racing-2010 BAR (Best All-around Racer) Series, Masters 60+
Name, Team Crit Number  Total
1 John McKee, Paramount  264
2 Rich Stahlberg, Ironfly  222
3 William Carvin, Unattached  188
4 Leo Pettus, Paramount  126
5 Michael Edwards, Herbalife/La Grange  114
6 Allen Kizuka, Velo Allegro  106
7 Mario Seri, Herbalife/La Grange  98
8 Donald Davidson, Citrus Valley Velo  74
9 Barney Feigenbaum, Ironfly 62
10 Michael McKinney, Radsport  38
11 Doug Knox, Time Factory  38
12 Sydney Duck  34
13 Doug Feist, Fog Racing  28
14 Michael O’Connor, Alliance  26
15 Phillip Richards, Citrus Valley Velo  22

CRASH MARS 2010 55/60+ SAN MARCOS CIRCUIT RACE

It is July 25th, 2010 and the San Marcos Circuit Race is scheduled. Pre reg of the 55/60+ racers was at 24 and by the time we all lined up there were somewhere around 33. 25 ended up finishing. The day was overcast and slightly cool but the weather wasn't the focus of the racers. The difficulty of the course was on the minds of many. That surely is the reason for the low turnout of 60+. The course is 1.7 miles and the stated climb is 65 feet per lap but that doesn't do justice to the course. The power climb after turn 4 is hard enough but when you turn for home after turn 5 there is no rest. It feels like your tires are stuck in tar. There is a false flat to the finish. Another 300 meters. The only rest on the course is after turn one which gives you a very short rest before flying around turn 2 in an off camber turn. The infamous pothole we saw last year was gone so everyone could focus on making a fast and safe turn.

The race was off after the officials eliminated a 60+ rider because he was wearing a yet unapproved Catlike helmet. I believe that after July 1 it will meet the necessary testing standards. The Cervelo Test Team and the Euskaltel Euskadi team use the helmet and we all saw it in the Tour De France. Kal Szkalak and Steve Horine took off and opened an immediate gap and 3 UCC riders formed a blocking formation at the front. Something akin to the flying wedge formerly used in football kickoffs before it was banned. Alex Collins had trouble getting into his pedal and Mike Birditt was snoozing somewhere in the back. No one else would move to the front and take over. That included myself but I was saving myself for the climb. I didn't really care if 2 55+ riders went up the road. Alex Collins did go to the front between turn 2 and 4 and take a hard pull. The first power climb was fairly slow and I was thinking alright. I stayed with the main pack the prior year so I wasn't too concerned about getting dropped but the climb was harder than I remembered and the leg to the finish line made it all the worse. On the bottom of the course the next lap Mike Birditt made it back to the front and took a long hard pull. To Mike a race that might be hard for myself like this one could be no problem for him. He is riding very strong right now and planning to peak for his Natz race on August 8th in the 55+ criterium race. Dale Luedtke will also be there.
Steve and Kal took turns pulling and tried to take maximum benefit of having just 2 of them on the corners. The fourth lap Mike Birditt took another monster pull after turn 2 and got his speed up to 35 mph. That area is slightly downhill but I know this put me under a lot of pressure. Mike looked to Alex to pull through but Alex tried to jump across since Kal and Steve were getting pretty close. Alex didn't make it and the pressure came off before we dove into the power climb. I got popped along with Raffy Gomez. There were 4 60+ racers left in the pack including John Rubcic, Bruce Steele, Jim Morehouse and Monty Pettus. Monty got dropped last year but traded places with me. There were a few other riders that got dropped earlier.
Steve and Kal kept working it and the pace actually slowed a bit. Lap 4 turned out to be the fastest of the day. UCC was doing a nice job of blocking. They had 7 other UCC riders left in the peleton.

Somewhere around 6 laps to go Mike Mueller jumped across the gap. Mike Birditt had a loose federation with Warren Wicks(also on Swami's), Steve Cahill, and Alex Collins. They let Mike Mueller get away. Mike got going quickly and got up to Steve and Kal. Soon after the connection Mike got a flat tire. Mike went to the wheel pit and got to sit out one 1.7 mile lap. The racers per the officials instructions got a free lap for a flat up to 3 laps to go. Once Steve and Kal came back around a fresh Mike got on it and they really punched it. Steve decided to go back to the pack. I was riding off the back with Raffy Gomez and Kal and Mike came by going quite fast just outside of 3 laps to go. They had a gap that wasn't going to be bridged.

The main field caught Raffy and myself with 2 and 1/2 laps to go. Raffy jumped in the middle of the group but I hung on the back and eventually fell off the pace. I didn't see the point. I wasn't going to stay in the pack so I could race for 5th place.
On the last lap the pack kept a moderate pace between turn 2 and 4 until Paul Rodiguez of UCC started his jump for home near turn 4 which would take everyone into the power climb. This is where confusion reins as to what happened next. What we do know is riders started piling up and those that didn't go down all have their own stories of a close call. Those that I know of that went down were Bruce Steele, Richard Gentili, John Rubcic, Warren Wicks, Monty Pettus(3rd this year), Richard Roberson, and Steve Cahill. There were probably others but these are the only riders I am aware of. Lots of road rash, broken frames, wheels, helmets, pedals, shoes, & kits. The worst of the whole thing happened to John Rubcic. John ran into Bruce Steele who was one of the first to hit the deck. Warren Wicks came into the riders down and tried to jump them but to no avail. John went flying over Bruce and broke his left collarbone and 3 ribs. John stayed down until an ambulance was able to take him to a local hospital. After X rays and a consultation with a specialist, John was released and spent the rest of the day at home with his wife, Laura. He wasn't in a lot of pain because he was so shot up with drugs.

Back to the race. Kal Szkalak and Mike Mueller came to the line with their hands together and obviously quite happy. Kal was given 1st place and Mike took 2nd. Of those that got through Mike Birditt found the wheel of Mitch Weinstock and was able to jump off of Mitch and get by Paul Rodiguez for 3rd place. Paul was 4th with Mark Planellas taking 5th place and Mitch coming in at 6th place. Dale Luedtke barely got by the crash and was slowed to a crawl and couldn't get back on the leaders. Dale was 7th and Alex Collins 8th.
In 60+ action Don Kimper was the first 60+ rider up the hill and was thinking of stardom but Jim Morehouse chased him down and passed Don near the finish line to win the 60+ category. Bruce Steele and Monty Pettus remounted and finished 3rd and 4th.
This was a hard race for me but maybe easy or moderate for others. The crash overshadowed the finish of the race. Are there lessons to draw from this. Surely! Safety first over the lust for a good placing. One really bad move can snowball and bring down a lot of racers. Complete placings below. That's all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!

55+ Placings

1- Szkalak
2- Mueller
3- Birditt
4- Rodiguez
5- Planellas
6- Weinstock
7- Luedtke
8- Collins
9- Wagenaar
10-Burns
11-Dufour
12-Horine
13-Moore
14-Mayne
15-Bernede
16-Cahill
17-Wicks

60+ Placings

1- Morehouse
2- Kimper
3- Steele
4- Pettus
5- Gomez
6- McKee
7- Pags

SAN MARCOS PREVIEW WITH PHIL & PAUL

Phil: Welcome to the San Marcos 55/60+ race preview. Let's have a look at the racers we should see in the race.

Paul: It looks like there are 15 riders in the 55+ category:

1	Michael Birditt	Masters 55+
2	Steven Borer	Masters 55+
3	Ken Burns	Masters 55+
4	Steve Cahill	Masters 55+
5	Peter Dufour	Masters 55+
6	Stephen Horine	Masters 55+
7	Dale Luedtke	Masters 55+
8	Reed Mayne	Masters 55+
9	Michael Mueller	Masters 55+
10	Mark Planellas	Masters 55+
11	Fred Provence	Masters 55+
12	Paul Rodriguez	Masters 55+
13	John Wagenaar	Masters 55+
14	Mitchell Weinstock	Masters 55+
15	Warren Wicks	Masters 55+

Phil: Yes, well there are 9 riders pre registered in 60+ category:

1

William Carvin

Masters 60+

2

Domenick Forte

Masters 60+

3

Raphael Gomez

Masters 60+

4

Donald Kimper

Masters 60+

5

John McKee

Masters 60+

6

James Morehouse

Masters 60+

7

Leo Pettus

Masters 60+

8

John Rubcic

Masters 60+

9

Bruce Steele

Masters 60+

Paul: There are some extremely strong bike riders in this race.

Phil: Yes there are. This looks like it is going to be a superb race but I really don't know who is going to win.

Paul: UCC/JW Flooring has a very strong team and is going to try and time the finish to perfection.

Phil: Yes, let's have a look at their riders for the day.

Paul: Paul Rodiguez won last year in 55+. He caught everyone unawares early on and rode like a man possessed.

Phil: They also bring to the table Dale Luedtke, Kal Szkalak, Mitch Weinstock and Mike Mueller as possible winners.

Paul: You know Phil this is in fact a very difficult course. I don't know if Dale will have anything left in those legs after 40 minutes of racing. If it is a bunch sprint he will go for it if he can.

Phil: Mitch Weinstock or Mike Mueller could make a move early on or they could set up their sprinters Kal or Dale late in the race.

Paul: It does look to be a big battle with Swami's bringing to the table Mike Birditt, Reed Mayne and that happy wanderer Warren Wicks. Mike is your 55+ criterium champion and Warren is a very strong bike rider.
Reed hasn't won a bike race this year but he is a very important team member.

Phil: Well So Cal Velo bring Ken Burns and Mark Planellas and we know what they can do. Steve Cahill is going to be there and is riding very well but when is that man going to learn to sprint.


Paul: UCC also has Steve Horine, and John Wagenaar to support there big bike riders. Look for them to bury themselves for their team leaders.

Phil: Yes indeed. Steve Borer is coming off a good performance at Ontario. He was caught 1 kilometer from the line. Look for him to mix it up.

Paul: It is going to be magical. Look for someone to make a very clever move or go straight over the top.

Phil: You know we are also going to have a good race in 60+ but we have a heavy favorite in UCC's John Rubcic.

Paul: John knows how to get to the front on the last lap without using a awful lot of energy and time the finish to perfection.

Phil: Look for Bruce Steele the defending champion to to do well but he is going to have to make a move. In 60+ it could be every man for himself.

Paul: Climbing specialist James Morehouse will be there and is riding very strong. He could do some damage. John McKee of Paramount has very good form right now and won at Ontario Airport several weeks ago. That was a pretty impressive performance.

Phil: I don't think you have to worry about sprinters Monty Pettus and Mike Fleming. They were off the back last year. Could be a very long day for them. Don Kimper had some very bad luck last year and could do well.

Paul: You know Phil the Tour de France is going to finish on the 25th so some of the big fans of 55/60+ racing won't be there.

Phil: You mean like The Borat Trio, The Clean Bottle Guy, The Caveman Couple, The Yellow Le Tour Suit Guy, The Butt Moon Men, & The Devil Man.

Paul: Yes well they have opted to be at the last stage of the TdF rather than be at San Marcos for the 55/60+ big show.

Phil: Well we will all see you on Sunday and see who the Road ID rider of the day is going to be.