Southern Arizona Onmium 2016

Aggressors,
 
I love road races.
 
I opted, as I did last year, to only do the road race as I am not a fan of time trials. The cat 4 group was, as I’ve noted in previous race notes, particularly large this year, and we were combined with the collegiate B. Thankfully they closed off both sides of the road this year all the way up the hill and past the finish line for a few hundred meters.
 
I approached this race as I did last year: with nonchalance…or being casually deliberate depending on your philosophy. It was a great day to be outside, smell the cactus flowers, and get in some nice climbing efforts. Brandon can tell you how the front of the group was as he played the role, handsomely I might add, of domestique for Brian (who captured 1st for the omnium in collegiate B) on the UA cycling team, but I chose to hang off the back, practice my whistling skills, and get to know some of my fellow off-the-backers. I don’t want to suggest that I wasn’t paying attention: The race was filled with, what appeared to me now on my 3rd run of it, ritual fake attacks on the downhill and surges up the climbs (all of which were neutralized) as if someone wrote a textbook entitled How to Race at Colossal Cave.
 
The race came down to the final climb as had been my experience. With the whole road open to us this time I rounded the corner and swung wide off to the left immediately getting out of the saddle. I stayed out of the saddle all the way up the hill steadily picking off riders, but I’d planned my move too late. By the time I hit the line I took 10th in Cat 4. I’m happy with that as my previous handful of races were a mix of frustration and lack of fitness, but today I felt calm and in control.
 
I can’t wait for TBC!
 
-J
 
Aggressors:
TTs are becoming sort of mechanical for me, and I don’t hate them as much as I used to.  I expected to finish 2nd behind Michael Patterson from USAC HQ, but I ended up crossing the finish line only 6 sec behind him and, as I started 30 later, beat him by 24 seconds for 1st in the TT with an official time of 30:52, my best ever on that course.  I’ve become quite comfortable riding my road bike without aero bars and I am now convinced that it works better that way.
 
I like the CCRR as it includes the Pistol Hill ascent each lap. The combined field of 32 (55+) riders was big enough to easily hide toward the back of, which I did.  Lap 1 was inconsequential, with a few furtive attacks, that were easily reeled back.  However, I should have noticed that they were almost entirely courtesy of Phil Holman, since I ride with him just about every week now.  Going over the top of the hill at the end of lap 1 Phil took off and was allowed to go.  In the downhill that followed Jay Guot, Preston Robertson, and Lou Waugaman commenced individual efforts to cross the gap to Phil and were also allowed to go.  I did not know any of this was going on as I was hanging out at the back of the peloton with my competitors.  Ultimately, Jay and Lou joined Phil, and Preston was dropped.  None of the 4 were ever seen again so the 55+ and 65+ races were over at that point.  Over the remaining laps riders continued to be dropped so by the final lap going East on Old Spanish Trail, we were down to about a dozen.  At one point the lazy-assed peloton leaders were 5 wide going about 10 mph up OST and I finally became so disgusted that I went to the front, got in TT mode, and bumped the pace quite a bit so I would at least get a decent training ride.  Finally, after the feed zone was cleared, a few standing riders contending for what was left did go by me, including my Canadian friend Roy Quade, so I stood and got on their wheels for the (sprint?) to the line.  I had no competitors left by then so I easily took the RR and the Omnium.
 
All-in-all a fun weekend, but I would have preferred it if I had been paying enough attention to try and go with Phil and the other breakaways, even tho I would almost certainly have been dropped with Preston, as we ride very close.
 
Rick E.

VOS 2016

Aggressors:
We had perfect weather but sadly, only 8 65+ guys registered.
 
I elected to do the TT this year without aero bars because I’m convinced that I am actually a bit faster without them; my body position is 1-2” lower by just laying my forearms on the top of the handlebar.  I was please with my effort; I managed to get my HR up as high as 157 and never dropped below 150.  In the end I finished 3rd (1s behind my Canadian friend Roy Quade, Dang!), nevertheless, my best finish in a VOS TT.  Ken Louder from SLC won it, as usual, beating Roy and me by almost 3 minutes.
 
The RR is the high point for me in this event.  I like the course, which includes a modest hill every lap and features an uphill finish.  Ken, Roy, and I all hung with the 55+ leaders for the 1st lap but managed to avoid any pulls.  On lap 2 the climb pace was higher and Ken Louder was dropped, and stayed dropped.  As the lap 3 climb to the finish began, I moved up to about wheel 5 behind the 55+ contenders with Roy on my wheel.  At about 150m to go, the 55+ sprint began and shortly thereafter, Roy came around me.  I accelerated and we both had to kind of pick our way thru the ejected 55+ contenders as we went for the line.  I thought I might have just nipped Roy at the line, but video frame analysis said otherwise and I finished 2nd.
 
The Crit on Sunday was fun, but mute; the 65+ podium gc positions were locked in after the RR.  The 3 of us hung out at the back of the peloton and just cruised along since nothing was going to change as long as we all finished.  I cruised over the line for 3rd in the Crit and ended up 3rd for the gc.
 
Although I viewed this event as just a training ride to help keep decent base fitness until Summer, I must concede that losing to Roy Quade by a second (or less) is starting to become annoying.
 
Rick E.
VOS Podium 2016

VOS Podium 2016

  • Mission

    Aggress is a Tucson-based statewide / regional cycling team formed in January, 2004.
    As a developmental team for both road and mountain bike racing, Aggress continues to actively – yet carefully – recruit according to a philosophy that emphasizes teamwork in both training and racing tactics.
    Our focus is to race as a team, utilizing team tactics to get our man the win. We ride in support of our designated racer, with each member in turn supported in the key event(s) of his choosing.
    We are aggressive when we race, but we behave in a courteous and sportsmanlike manner at all times. We also have team training rides that we utilize throughout the season.

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