SPY/SWAMI'S SANDWICH FIELD AT ONTARIO #3/PARAMOUNT SWEEP

By John McKee

It was Easter 2012 and time again for another Ontario criterium race. The 3rd in a series of 6 for the year. The 1st 2 races were wildly popular and the fields were quite large in all the races. There were 58 finishers in 55/60+ at Ontario # 2 but only 38 riders toed the line at #3 on April 8, 2012. Easter has really had a big effect on attendance. The 55/60+ race was way early at 7:35 am so I didn't see the problem but it is a big family day so we had 21 fewer finishers. The 50+ field went from a 100 to 48 and there could have been more at #2. I got #99 and Monty Pettus got #100 at that time. Sold out at 100. Not this day. Oh well. The 37 finishers is more than the 29 in 2011 so that is good news but the growth is in 55+ not 60+(I see a lot of burnout in 60+ racers). I was able to spend the rest of the day with my family after doing the 55/60+ race and the 50+ race. Brunch was awesome with more carbs than I have had the previous 2 weeks but my weight was fine the next day because of all the hard work I had done. Way good! One of my granddaughters who we also celebrated her 9th birthday turns out is a jokester. Sydney "The Jokester" Conine told some pretty funny ones. "Why did Cinderella get kicked off her soccer team? She was always running away from the ball". Another beauty... "A young man walks by a house and sees that there is a party going on. He decides to crash the party. Our young man goes inside and sees that all the party goers are mushrooms. One of the mushrooms ask him what he was doing there. His reply 'Well...I'm a real fun guy!(like fungi- get it-Lol).

Sydney "The Jokester" Conine with her grandfather on Easter 2012

OK, back to the race at Ontario. The weather was warm for this time of year as it has been throughout most of the United States. The warmest late winter/early spring on record but I know global warming is a hoax. The Republicans  tell us it is. They of course must be telling us the truth and not shilling for large corporations. Right.
Spy/Swami's had 5 riders in 55+ and were expected to dominate. No Sho Air who is turning the 55+ races upside down but Velo Allegro was there as was Santa Clarita Velo. In 60+ the Paramount trio of Pettus, Miller and McKee were looking to sweep the podium. The race was off without a hitch. 38 racers ready to rock n roll. Nothing unusual seeing Don Davidson jumped from the gun and go off the front but I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a Paramount jersey riding off with him. I thought maybe John Sinz was warming up his legs but no it was late starting Monty Pettus. Monty use to hang out near the back at the beginning of races but he had turned a new leaf and he wasn't even that mentally positive before the race. One lap and they were back with the rest of us mere mortal riders.
The basic strategy was pretty simple. Spy/Swami's was going to try and get Kim "Breakaway" Bleth in a small group or away by himself late in the race. Other than that Spy/Swami's would be looking to launch Mike Birditt and Dale Luedtke on the last lap for a 1/2 in 55+. Santa Clarita Velo was looking to mark Kim and also launch their own riders solo looking for....maybe someone to join them? In any event it certainly helped keep the pace up because this was the fastest race of the year with a smaller field. Wow. Not that far off the 50+ pace but more on that at the end of the story.
Don Davidson did his best constantly working off the front or chasing. There were primes and Ontario is really light on primes but they seemed to have more this year. Riders off the front from the prime sprint or countering prime sprints is always popular.
The pace did feel brisk with a few lulls so to speak but they were usually short. It was harder to move up. Respites are always times for the bottom of the pack to move forward but there weren't that many. Like mentioned above Kim Bleth was always jumping and was marked by Alex Collins. Alex basically marked everyone throughout the race. If it moved off the front, Alex was jumping after them. Alex teamed up with Kim several times and then Mike Birditt came aboard and Alex wouldn't work with such a dangerous combination. Surprisingly Kim and Mike were chased down. As mentioned Santa Clarita Velo was very active in chasing and going off the front. Kudos to Rino B., Kirk Freeman and Fred "I can't read the lap cards" Hoblit. Bruce Hartley and Don Davidson were also very active through the race chasing and jumping. Velo Allegro seems to be playing a waiting game though Rod Mallory helped chased a time or two.
I see 7 laps to go and this is a dangerous part of the race. A solo break or a twosome maybe could get away and not get chased hard because the players would be saving themselves for the sprint. This is where Spy/Swami's is so strong. They have veteran racer Rick Swanson all over stuff like this and Steve "Chaser" Diamond. Steve chases everything on two wheels. Steve does need to learn that on the last lap he especially needs to bury himself to chase down lone riders trying to solo in for the win like Bruce Hartley.
Two laps to go and everyone knows this but Fred "Fun guy" Hoblit. Fred gets very active and charges ahead. He thinks it is the last lap. I am afraid Fred for a brief moment had his brain turn to "Fungi" and though he would fit in at the mushroom party well didn't do well in the race. Thanks for keeping the pace up though Fred. Once at the finish line with one lap to go for real, the bell is rang and Fred figures out his mistake. Doh!!
The pace for the last lap is modest but not too slow. After a few corners, Rick Swanson goes to the front to monitor things and pace when needed. Don Kimper of UCC has placed himself in great position to have a great finish in 60+. Mike Birditt is there lurking along with his mate, Dale Luedtke. Bruce Hartley tries to sneak attack quietly going off the front. A left, right and then another left and not much has changed except for some jockeying. You can always expect Cyril "Wildman" Hunte to be up there and causing some kind of trouble. Cyril has a new Cannondale coming in with some race wheels and will be tougher to race against.
2 corners to get around and then the dip and the straightaway to the line. Bruce Hartley is still away and Rick has his sights set on him. Rick finishes a hard pull and then pulls off to his right and Birditt launches. No one seems to be able to follow. Mike is "all in". Dale "1st Mate" Luedtke lets a gap form to Mike. What is Velo Allegro doing? I don't know but got caught with their pants down. I moved up on the right side and used some of my energy bullets to fly by Don Kimper. I was in the wind but along side the leading riders being paced by Dale.
Mike Birditt has already flown by Bruce Hartley. Nice try, Bruce. Don't know until you try. Between the last 2 corners Birditt has about 30 meters and no one is catching him. Finally Velo Allegro comes off the deck. Ricky Shorts goes by Dale and starts the field sprint. All hell breaks loose of course. The last corner is soft and gives you a bit of a slingshot and is no problem getting around. I tried to bury myself in the 55s but didn't quite get on a wheel. Dale jumped on Ricky coming by.
Coming down the stretch it's Mike "Alcatraz" Birditt with an easy win. Nice team work by Spy/Swami's. Dale Luedtke comes around Ricky for 2nd and Ricky hangs on to 3rd place. Nelson "Quiet Man" Alaan takes 4th. You don't even know he was in the race until you see the results. Nelson has a powerful sprint. He hangs out in the back of the pack until very late in the race. Following in were Don Valentin and Don "Pinkie" Dengegal. Or maybe "Bubba" would work better. Bubba Watson won the Masters golf tournament with pink highlights in his clothing kit and a driver that had a pink shaft and a pink head. Obviously he was supporting the fight against breast cancer. I assume the the pink gloves by Don were a similar gesture. The Breakaway from Cancer racers now sport some pink in their kits and on their bikes though none race in our category any more(hint hint). That would make for another dynamic element in the 55+ race though I could see a split field. A small elite 55+ group getting away.
In 60+ action I was the 1st 60+ rider around the last corner and started a good sprint from a long way's out for me but bogged down about 60 meters from the line and teammate Monty Pettus came by me on my right to take the win in 60+. I took my foot off the accelerator shortly there after and was pipped at the line by another teammate, Howard Miller. Paramount sweeps the 60+ podium. Spy/Swami's finished 1/2 in 55+ and took the last 3 spots in the race, therefore sandwiching the field. Good clean fast race. Our pace was 25.7 mph. We are usually 2 mph slower than the 50+ field but was within 1 this Sunday. I say good job 55/60+ racers! Complete results below. That's all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!

Race winners- Monty Pettus(60+) and Mike Birditt (55+)

Easter Sunday GP 3  (Rank 1.0)
Masters 55+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	47255	Michael Birditt	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	14
2	47262	Dale Luedtke	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	11
3	52251	Ricky Shorts	Velo Allegro	10
4	64439	Nelson Alaan	Cal-Pacific Export Packers / LV	9
5	36299	Dan Valentin	Citrus Valley Velo	8
6	93812	Donald Denegal	Velo Allegro	7
7	52086	cyril hunte		6
8	46255	alex collins	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	5
9	104199	Mark Parra	Team Redlands	4
10	352540	Scotty Bohlman	Jessup Auto Plaza p/b P.S. Cyclery	3
11	49110	Rino Barbagiovanni	Santa Clarita Velo	2
12	107559	Rodney Malloy	Velo Allegro	1
13	174212	Brian Carrico	PAA/REMAX	0
14	247382	Dick Gentili	Citrus Valley Velo	0
15	1254	Mark Ainslie		0
16	277180	John Roest	Team CF-Club	0
17	155459	Thomas Reilly	Santa Clarita Velo	0
18	58799	John Ward	Citrus Valley Velo	0
19	45431	Bruce Hartley	Pinnaclife Racing Team	0
20	66553	John Sinz	OCW/Paramount Racing	0
21	12354	Kirk Freeman	Santa Clarita Velo	0
22	187428	Michael Evans		0
23	9271	Pete Dern	Velo Club LaGrange	0
24	178495	Steve Diamond	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	0
25	49191	Kim Bleth	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	0
26	34753	Rick Swanson	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	0

Easter Sunday GP 3  (Rank 1.0)
Masters 60+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	219074	Leo Pettus	Paramount Racing	14
2	49424	howard miller	Paramount Racing	11
3	180386	John McKee	Paramount Racing	10
4	129293	Michael Fleming	South Bay Wheelmen	9
5	195498	Donald Kimper	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	8
6	61278	Mario Seri	Velo Club LaGrange	7
7	50498	Richard Rodriguez	Pacific Sunset Velo/Pac Sun Velo	6
8	107852	David Lang	DARE	5
9	245777	Steven Borer	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	4
10	48278	Donald Davidson	Citrus Valley Velo	3
11	45763	Robert Paganini	PAA/REMAX	2

FIREWORKS IN 55/60+ 2012 CYCLO VETS SPRING CLASSIC CRITERIUM

By John McKee

It was one busy weekend for racing in 55+ and up. No doubt about that. The last race of the weekend was the 55/60+ race at the Cyclo Vets 2012 Spring Classic Criterium. Sho Air/Rock N Road, UC Cyclery and Spy/Swami's were loaded for bear in 55+. UC Cyclery had their ace 60+ racer in John Rubcic and Paramount's duo of Monty Pettus and myself had John in our sights. It looked to be a hard fun race and I can tell you that it didn't disappoint. There is no way I can recall everything that happened in this race or even knew. I got summary write ups from Mark Hoffenberg and Mike Birditt. Were they writing about the same race?? Lol.

There were 27 known finishers including the hardy and brave young lady, Angela Wimberly. Way to go girl! Well over 30 started. A number of riders didn't finish. The weather which had shown some signs of rain but cleared a bit. No rain. Yeah! Still a little cool but not like at 7 am. The race start time was to be 9:20am. Everyone seemed to have their number on the correct side and right side up so we could start on time. On time it was. Off we went. The fireworks started right from the whistle. Bob Pellkofer jumped out of the gates like a bullet from Clint Eastwood's 45 in the movie "Magnum Force". Dale Luedtke covered this move and was fairly quickly joined by Paul Rodiguez. A very strong threesome for sure. The break was short lived. Once caught Mike Birditt jumped. Dan Nicolette jumped with him. Mike pulled hard and they got a gap. Mike wanted to "roll it" but Dan couldn't. Sho Air was worried about Mike and Socal points. Mike actually isn't targeting Socal Cup this year per Mike. In any event it was all back together. UC Cyclery must have chased and Steve Cahill did a lot of chasing through the day. I chased myself twice.

Mike Birditt a little frustrated that Dan Nicolette wouldn't "Roll It" with him but he was working for Mark Hoffenberg

Mike Birditt explaining to Mark Hoffenberg that he wasn't going for Socal Cup in 2012

There were many break attempts and small groups. Pelky was super active and got away off of a prime and Kal Szkalak joined him. The two worked it for a while. Spy/Swami's didn't like this of course. Mike Birditt went on a chase and started pulling everyone around. Kal wasn't happy with Pelky's effort there and all came back together again.

Bob Pellkofer and Kal Szkalak are off the front

I don't often chase in 55/60+ races but I had a job to do and needed to get to my teammate and help him if I could

Another break formed and this one was large. Must have been 8 to 10 riders and included 60+ racers John Rubcic and Monty Pettus. I wasn't sure if there was another 60+ rider in the group. I had a job today and that was to try and help Monty best Mr. Rubcic so off I went to try and get across. No matter that I was bringing the entire pack with me. Mark Hoffenberg took a free ride. By the time I got there I was gassed. Hoped for a respite and got a short one. That's all there was today. Hard race. The next break was a 4 or 5 pack of dangerous riders including Pelky. Was he active or what! Riding very strong right now. He likes to race the pro/1/2 events at the end of the day. After this race he was going up to Torrance to do the Pro/1/2 race there.
The small break group didn't include Spy/Swami's again and it was late in the race. Panic attack for Spy/Swami's. Was there going to be a race that they didn't get on the podium? Mike Birditt tried to get across solo. He got part the way there and decided to hold off. Sho Air saw Birditt off and Dan Nicolette gathered up Hoffy and off they went. They came around turn one there was Mike dangling and waiting. The chase group was together. Daniel Yeager and Steve Diamond of Spy/Swami's came to the front to try and help their team pull back the break. Mike Birditt recovered a little and took another pull. The break group must have not been working that well together because it was all back together again.
Less than 5 laps to go and all the riders are there. Some fresher than others but all were showing the effects of a hard race except for Mr. Pellkofer. Friggin' energizer bunny. Going to the last corner inside 3 laps to go and Hoffy accelerates a bit and Pelky springs off of this solo. Pelky goes "all in" now. He is going to try and take it to the finish. No can or will chase Bob down. Bob Pellkofer takes it to the house! Nice win for the most active rider in the race. Well deserved win.
The mere mortals are hammering it out trying to get position for the finish sprint. The 60+ race was still in doubt. On the back stretch I could see Monty was in good position compared to John Rubcic and in the pack there wasn't anything I could do to help him and told Monty so.
Mike Birditt was tired but starting picking off riders moving toward the front coming to the last corner. Coming into the corner Mike got to the front and was in the lead except for Pelky. Kal, Hoffy and Dale wanted Mike wheel after coming around the last corner. Mark got it and came around Mike for 2nd place. Mike finished 3rd. Dale came around Kal for 4th and Kal took 5th.
In 60+ action Monty felt he was in good position at the last corner but John Rubcic ever the smart racer took a sharp turn and came in toward the line along the curb and got a clear lane to sprint in. Monty had some 55+ riders ahead of him and couldn't quite give it his all. Rubcic 1st for the win and Pettus 2nd. I was following Don Kimper at the last corner and he was a bike length ahead of me. I closed the gap coming to the line but Don got the last podium spot by half a wheel. Good race for Don. I was followed in for 60+ by Steve Borer, Jim Swigart and Bruce Steele.
This was the most active race we have seen this year. Sho Air really has the goods. Hard race and fun!
Complete results below the 60+ podium picture. No 55+ pod pic exists that I know of. Nice vid by Alicia McKee below taken on the I Pad 2. That's all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!

A 55+ pod showed up- Birditt 3, Pellkofer 1, & Hoffenberg 2

Spring Classic 60+ podium- Kimper 3, Rubcic 1, Pettus 2. Ralph Elliot looking on

Spring Classic Criterium  (Rank 1.0)
Masters 55+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	47652	Bob Pellkofer	Sho-air/Rock 'n Road	14
2	45461	Mark Hoffenberg	Sho-air/Rock 'n Road	11
3	47255	Michael Birditt	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	10
4	47262	Dale Luedtke	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	9
5	54522	Kalman Szkalak	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	8
6	58847	Paul Rodriguez	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	7
7	1254	Mark Ainslie		6
8	125061	Michael Hines	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	5
9	204724	Steve Cahill	Celo Pacific	4
10	178495	Steve Diamond	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	3
11	177591	Kenneth Caldera	CA Pools /CFS Mortgage	2
12	203308	Daniel Yeager	Spy-Swami's Cycling Team	1
13	61353	Reed Moore	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	0
14	50765	Richard Roberson	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	0
15	225555	Michael Holcomb	San Diego Cyclo Vets	0
16	224838	John Berry		0
17	57008	John Stellenwerf		0

Spring Classic Criterium  (Rank 1.0)
Masters 60+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	48760	John Rubcic	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	14
2	219074	Leo Pettus	Paramount Racing	11
3	195498	Donald Kimper	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	10
4	180386	John McKee	Paramount Racing	9
5	245777	Steven Borer	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	8
6	228631	James Swigart	ACQUA AL 2/SDBC	7
7	236498	Bruce Steele	South Bay Wheelmen	6
8	51026	Theodore Lee	ACQUA AL 2/SDBC	5
9	180041	Angela Wimberly	CALCOAST Bikes San Diego	4
10	206266	James Ring	ACQUA AL 2/SDBC	3

"OH MY ACHING BACK" WINS SUPERMASTERS 2012

By John McKee

It was one busy weekend for racing for masters 55+ for men and women. Time trials and criteriums galore. The Cyclo Vets Spring Classic Criterium was selected to host the SCNCA criterium championship for those 65+ and older.
There were 17 riders to contest- 65-69, 6 to contest 70-75, 2 to contest 75-79, one rider in 80-84 and one brave sole to finish 90+. That person was of course, Gordy Shields. Still riding. Great to see. Not fast mind you but rubber side down.
The main competition was in the 65-69 and 70-74 categories. A surprisingly strong and big field showed up for 65-69. There were a few more than 17 that signed up and didn't show. The race was set for 7 am. A championship race and you have to race at the crack of dawn. Wow. Tough but doable. I left my house at 4:20am after driving back from Buelton the day before. A high miles weekend for sure and I am of course talking about driving an automobile and not a bicycle though I did 3 races. I know some of you do 3 races in one day.
OK, we the supermasters are all there early not bright but early none the less while the 55s and 60s are racking it in considering they don't race until 9:20 am. The course is the usual Hennekens .7 mile loop. You gain a little over 600 ft. in a 40 minutes race. The finishing stretch is very rough this year.
 The race didn't include one of the favorites in Hylton Murphy who had a tough crash a month before this race. Hylton is still rehabing after his accident. Hylton is 65 this year as is Bruce Steele a former winner of the championship in the 60+ category. The defending champion from the prior year was Mike Duck of Paramount. Harold Schnieder also known as H aged up to 65 in 2012 and was one of the favorites based on performance in other races he has done in 2012. Both Bruce and H plan on going to Bend, Or. for Natz this year and Mike Duck had told me he was also planning on doing it again. Fritz Tomasello was also in the field and Fritz can always be expected to be in play for a good finish. Before the race H was telling me that he wasn't sure he could ride half the race. His back was killing him from some kind of injury working on his house. He said the day before he couldn't get out of the saddle. I got a real sad story! Lol. The field also included strong riders Mike Fleming, Don Kimper, Cully White and Jean Villiot. An amazingly strong field.

Supermasters lineup 2012

7 am came and we were almost ready. Dale Harless had his number on the wrong side and the official was helping him with it. Dale placed 4th at Natz in 2010 in 65-69 but got dropped in 2011. After Dale's number was changed over the riders were given their final instructions and off we went.
This wasn't the most exciting race I have ever done but it was a championship race. Bruce Steele reved things up as expected and I was all over this. I actually jumped on anything that moved out there. I didn't assume anything. Bruce was having trouble with his asthma so wasn't as strong as I have seen him in the past. I helped set pace at times and put in a couple of surges that H complained about later. Jean Villiot was good enough to come to the front and do some work. A few riders got shelled during the race but the over all pace wasn't at all frightening if one does the 55/60+ races. I do more than anyone though Don Kimper does quite a few.

Bruce Steele leading the pack around early

H- Get yourself a new helmet that fits!

John McKee leading the pack around-Ralph Elliot in his shack doing the announcing

Daniel Wulbert gave it a whirl late in the race-I should have let Mario Seri chase him since they were 70-74

The race came down to the last few laps and since the 7 to go the pace was awful except for an effort by Daniel Wulbert. I jumped on him but was quickly chased down. I should have let Mario Seri chase him down since they are 70-74. One lap to go and Bruce Steele went to the front and I was on his wheel. Michael Edwards had jumped with a little more than one lap to go. Bruce's hard tempo looked like it was going to take care of Michael's jump. H was on my wheel as I expected. I had asked Don Kimper weeks ago if he would get on my wheel at the end and keep my buddie H off it. Nope! H was right there. Going into the last corner Bruce had overtaken Michael Edwards and gave one last surge and then swung wide. I followed for a second and this opened the door for my shadow(I got a lecture afterward from Mario that I shouldn't have hestitated). H started the sprint and then I got out of the saddle. It didn't take long to see that H was faster. This day. This time. He smoked me.
H wins 65-69. I was 2nd. Mike Fleming let up a bit at the end and Fritz pipped him at the line for the last podium spot. In 70+ Mario Seri was 1st and Daniel Wulbert was 2nd. The last podium spot in this category for the SCNCA championship went to Jacobo Melcer.  In 75-79 Robert Paganni won the affair in  two up finish. Jack Palmer was the only 80-84 rider and of course Gordy Shields was the only rider 90+.
It was a good clean race. Not too exciting though. The pace was 22.8 mph or 2 mph slower than the 55/60+ race. We were paid $200. I suggest forgetting the money. We didn't race for that. Give the 60s some incentive to race with  the 55s later. I also suggest a slightly later race time. Cat 5s traditional start a race or the group that has the least riders like the women masters. Sorry gals. If you don't show up in numbers, you should go before the men that do. That's all for now folks! Train hard and race safe!

65+ podium- Tomasello, H, & McKee

70+ podium- Melcer, Seri, & Wulbert

75+ podium- Paganini & Sowers

80+ podium- Palmer

Spring Classic Criterium  (Rank 1.0)
Men 65+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	315702	Harold Schneider	Team Simple Green/Bike Religion	0
2	180386	John McKee	Paramount Racing	0
3	177453	P (Fritz) Tomasello	Pinnaclife Racing Team	0
4	129293	Michael Fleming	South Bay Wheelmen	0
5	236498	Bruce Steele	South Bay Wheelmen	0
6	195498	Donald Kimper	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	0
7	188249	Cully White	PAA/REMAX	0
8	58170	Sydney Duck	OCW/Paramount Racing	0
9	331126	Peter Pountney	ACQUA AL 2/SDBC	0
10	266647	Allen Kizuka	Velo Allegro	0
11	99906	Michael McKinney	Pinnaclife Racing Team	0
12	one day	Ray Lafleur		0
13	57571	Dale Harless	Cycle U	0
14	198617	Roger Springer	San Diego Cyclo Vets	0
15	59805	Jean Villiot	CA Pools / CFS Mortgage	0
16	50406	Michael Edwards	Velo Club LaGrange	0
17	17745	Michael Jenkins	G S Adams Avenue Bicycles	0

 

Spring Classic Criterium  (Rank 1.0)
Men 70+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	61278	Mario Seri	Velo Club LaGrange	0
2	46904	Daniel Wulbert	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	0
3	18933	Robert Kenner	San Diego Cyclo Vets	0
4	207024	Jacobo Melcer		0
5	63449	Jim Turner	Webcor/Alto Velo	0
6	168704	James Fitzgerald	PAA/REMAX	0

TORRANCE CRITERIUM- 55/60+ RACE 2012

By Leo Longo

The night before the Torrance Crit, I was lying in my bed, listening to the rain. I live just 2 miles from the race venue, and given it was raining, I was not looking forward to racing in the rain. But by morning, the rain was gone and there was nothing in the skies but sunshine and wind. Lots of wind. This race venue can be windy in the afternoon, as those who live in the area are very well aware. But to have this kind of wind in the morning is not typical.

 

As a member of the host club, I arrived at the course early. Everything was a buzz. Volunteers were everywhere and registration was humming. Course marshals were plenty and we, The Bike Palace, were ready to put on a great event. (Shameless plug for my club)

 

There is a great side road available to warm up on, and thus no need for a trainer. As I rolled back and forth on this road, the wind continued to strengthen. The course is a 6 corner affair, with the finishing stretch into the wind. There is a chicane just after the start/finish, with a short leg to turn three. Then a short section to turn four. The next leg is almost 1/2 mile long and down wind. This stretch can be pretty fast, especially entering turn five. At this turn, you transition from the down wind section to, basically, a cross wind section. The wind will catch your front wheel if you're running deep v's, and I saw many a lead rider (in the later races) come through this turn and over correct, almost going down. You really need to know this corner to get through it as full speed. And you need full speed because this leg is short, leading into the last turn. If you are first through the last turn with a 10 meter lead, there is a good chance you can hold off the field for the win.

 

So, the 55/60s are called to the line. I look around to see who is there. I count thirteen riders. Eight 55+ and five 60+. This is going to be both easy and hard. Easy in the sense that the numbers are low and hard because the numbers are low. If you gap on the up-wind leg, and the group putts down and attack, you could get dropped on the down wind leg and never recover.

 

The whistle is blown and off we go. The first lap is as expected. Everyone is still warming up their legs. Lap two sees Ricky Shorts attack. He gets a good lead, but it's into the wind. The group brings him back. The next couple laps are uneventful with a couple more riders testing their legs. No serious threats. Then we have a preem lap. On the back side, I see that no one is really setting up to make a go of it, so I went to the front and lead the group around turns five and six. I ramp it up and am watching the shadows coming from behind. The sun is still low enough that I can see a rider is catching me. I go a little harder and his shadow stops making up ground. Then he comes again and I start sprinting. He marks me but is not overtaking me. Then with just 20 meters left, my legs give out. (I'm still recovering from a late winter illness). The rider, Rodney Malloy, sees this and puts in another effort and overtakes me for the preem. Rats.

 

This was a really hard effort and everyone shuts down. All except Deogracias Asuncion, Dao to those who know him. Dao launches a vicious attack. No one follows. Two laps later, Dao has a half lap lead. So when I say he launched a vicious attack, I mean vicious.

 

This is the way it continued until approx 3 laps to go. At this point, John LaGrandeur goes after Dao. The reset of the field is just waiting for the last lap. This was evident by the pace. We were riding along at approx 15mph into the wind and just 20mph down wind. John catches Dao and they fight it out for the 55+ win, with Dao taking it. The reset of us are groupo compato going into the finishing straight. The sprint is clean with everyone respecting each other. Ricky wins the field sprint for third in the 55+s. I'm not sure of the finishing order of the rest of us, but Howard Miller was first in the 60+ with me close on his wheel for second, and Fred Haim just another bike length behind me for third. The results are up on SCNCA if you'd like to check out the rest of the results and categories.

 

All in all, a good race. We were racing for merchandise and I know there were comments about that. For second place in the 60+ I received two Schwalbe tires and an etched beer glass, similar to what Paramount does. Our glasses showed the race name and the placing. I think that was a pretty good deal.

 

Last year there was a very good turnout for our cat at this race, and the rest of the categories too. But like a couple of years ago, this year we were up against another crit. That explains the lower numbers. If we can get on the calendar with no other competition, I would expect a good turnout next year.

 

55+ podium- LaGrandeur, Asuncion & Shorts, R.

60+ podium- Longo, Miller(you need a up to date kit, Howard) & Haim

 

Torrance Criterium  (Rank 1.0)
Masters 55+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	50532	deogracias asuncion	South Bay Wheelmen	14
2	302695	John LaGrandeur	OTR Racing	11
3	52251	Ricky Shorts	Velo Allegro	10
4	64439	Nelson Alaan	Cal-Pacific Export Packers / LV	9
5	46255	Alex Collins	UC Cyclery/JW Floors	8
6	107559	Rodney Malloy	Velo Allegro	7
7	279093	Moshe Ovadya	Velo Club LaGrange	6
8	49124	orlando hutcherson	Major Motion Cycling Club	5

Torrance Criterium  (Rank 1.0)
Masters 60+
Place	License	Name	Team	SoCal Points
1	49424	howard miller	Paramount Racing	14
2	189814	Leo Longo	Bike Palace	11
3	269972	Fred Haim	Velo Club LaGrange	10
4	3793	Raphael Gomez	Rage Cycling	9
5	301363	Mick Iwadare	South Bay Wheelmen	8