El Tour 2010
Vic came in 16th overall.
Elijet 47th – still needs to top my 23rd place from a few years ago – KG
Mike Mishevch 92nd
Pete Fry 344th
Doug Perry finished 358th,
Kelly O’Conner 996th
Liz Perry 1136th
Report by Liz Perry:
As I was approaching the Sabino Canyon area, I started to cramp in my quads. While walking through the wash, I thought I was probably over-heated and that was why I was cramping. I stripped off my arm and knee warmers and shoved them in my already full back pockets. I looked at my watch as I was climbing Snyder; it was 9:45a.m.
I continued to cramp, but kept going. On the Frontage Road, my quads totally seized and I couldn’t ride anymore, I pulled over and almost fell off my bike because my legs were going crazy with bizarre spasms. While standing there, a Mexican guy pulled over, asked me what was wrong and I told him cramping. He puts three little white pills in my hand and says “put these under your tongue, they’ll get you to the finish line. Don’t worry, it’s just quinine”. So I put the pills under my tongue and in a few minutes, the spasms that were rocking my quads stopped. I made it to the finish line.
Lessons learned from my first 109:
- find a group and stay with them, if I get dropped, wait for the next group and never ride alone
- start doing more intensive intervals and less mileage
- get some strong guys from my team to ride as domestiques.
From Doug Perry:
There were about 3,500 in the 109 event. It was a VERY WINDY El Tour !!!
Pete and I were going strong for through Sabino .. he was with the leaders and I was 8 minutes off the leaders pace … then the hills, pain, cramps, wind … all set in … neither of us got platinum … Pete was approx 5:12 and I was approx 5:15.
Fom Eljet (Wolf in sheep’s clothing) Some serious pros racers are there usually, this year I saw James Carney (x-Olympian) and a rider for team BMC, Garmin-Transitions (now Garmin-Cervelo) and Bahati (I was racing to help my x, now current teammate again, soon to be x again (since he got hired for a pro team for 2011) win. The goal was to contain the race when needed before the 2nd wash (by speeding up the pace to thin it out to keep us safer and not let others crowd around, and ideally deliver Vic to the crucial 2nd wash. I helped Vic getting him in the wash #1, pretty cool to see.
It was sweet racing for Vic, the competition was stiff…me 46th (45th last year..god!) in 4:36:41, little more than 4 minutes behind winner.
–
El Tour Resultshttp://www.pbaa.com/!ETT/ETT10Results/ETT10-FS.html
Kentucky Camp Epic Marathon Race
Kentucky Camp Epic Marathon Race report by Beto Villegas
Good turnout today, 30 showed up for this one. Scott Morris and I opened a gap from the rest of the field on the first major climb. I decided not to push the pace and save my legs for the long windy road ahead. But, the pace soon picked up after I attacked on the first downhill section and was able to open a small gap. I put the pressure on the chasers until I made an unplanned stop at the Kentucky Camp monument to top off my water bottles. I pulled out of the town site still in the lead somehow. I was already starting to feel dehydrated and my stomach was not feeling right. I pressed until I felt a bonk coming on and hiked my bike up some steep switchbacks, which was also a good time to refuel anyways. I refueled, hydrated and suffered like a dog for the top spot, just 5 minutes in front of second place.
Cochise Classic
Cochise Classic – Beto Villegas
Roll out temps were nippy, probably 49F. Good warm up to the Mules. Start of the climb I jumped to the front and set the tempo, Troy Burns followed my lead and 10 of us got over the top together, with a big chase group of approximately 20 on our heels. Two riders got dropped on Davis, one rider who kept attacking us on the flats? Troy put the hammer down, see ya bold one! We were eight strong in the final stretch, with Burns, Chris ? (Tri-Sports) and mua doing the bulk of the work. Rock Racing rider and teammate attacked at the 15th Street traffic light. RR sits up for a block, I swing around, chase, and sling-shot off his teammate opening up a significant gap. Green light on 10th Street, legs feeling great, in the bag!!!!! As I’m getting ready to turn the corner, the event vehicle cuts me off (WTF!!!) I slammed my brakes to avoid colliding with the vehicle, losing all my momentum. By the that point, the chase is on and was caught half-way to the finish line on the final stretch. As I rolled through the finish line I had to constantly remind myself that it was a charity ride and protesting was not an option. Better luck next time! Finishing time was 3:53, one minute from the course record. Great day on the bike!
Note: Pete Fry won the 45 mile event! Congrats Pete!
Results: http://www.perimeterbicycling.com/!CCCC/cochiseresults-10.html#ninetytwo
State Hill Climb Championship
State Hill Climb Championship – Congrats to new AZ State Hill Climb Champ Doug Perry!
After the beating I took at Kitt Peak last week, I decided to limit my pain and did the 10 mile instead of the 20 mile. When I woke up I saw that it was going to be about 82F at the start of the race, but figured it would only be getting cooler as we climbed … wrong! It was plenty hot (until you got to the very top, at least that’s what I heard). Although it was by no means my best effort, I was able to come in first in my age group and will get the polka dot state champ jersey … that’s pretty cool. Maybe next year I’ll do the 20 mile route with the rest of the team … but only if I train better and get back to AZ earlier to get used to the altitude and the mountains. Spending the summer at sea level in Pennsylvania has definitely not helped! – Doug Perry
It was gorgeous! Thanks for the cheer. I must have done something wrong though. I meant to take 10 minutes off last year’s time, but instead I added 15 minutes. Honestly, I think I got way too systematic about the whole thing. Much too much planning and thinking about it…the perfect bike tune, the perfect nutrition, the perfect warm-up. (Sorry, Doug, I was in the middle of my perfect warm-up 🙂 Our wives got to chat at least)
Anyway that Mt. is a BAMF, and I was not. When Paula’s teammate and Jo Roberts passed me with 5 to go I knew something was really up. No slight on them, they are great riders butcome on! Then, I was suffering leg cramps for the last 3 miles to ice that crap cake of a time trial. Well, my two year old still clapped for me and I got a great roar from Gus and Leo at the top. They might have been mocking me but I was too tired and cramped to care. BTW Did anyone know that Gus is actually from Brooklyn? Ha-ha, that guy was funny, huh?
Jim Averill
I got 9th of 18 Cat 3’s and it nearly killed me on the mountain. Post race, I felt relatively good and cold (as I spun out the legs to mile post 136). I love this race, the mountains were awesome (thick cloud cover that from the bottom looked like the race would be called off by mile 12), the camping at arcadia (mile 11, mile post 125) was great, fresh air and the top to Riggs Lake (32 miles up.beware last 12 miles are dirt road) was great with trout fishing and some osprey cruising around.
Eljet
I had a strong day on the bike, didn’t have the back cramping I suffered on kit keeping me at about 70%. Instead I was on last years stated champions wheel for about 5 miles letting him set a pace that I thought would surely get me to the top with a killer time. But then I grabbed my balls and said whateva (as we say in Brooklyn) and took off to never see his slow ass again. then grabbing the wheel of another state champion for a few and didn’t want to make the same mistake twice and attacked on him too, never to see him again. Feeling like a bad ass New Yorker that I am now, just went as hard as I could to the finish line putting a couple dozen riders behind me. Thinking that I was behind the first pack of rider to the finish line, I noticed that half of the entire field was already there, eating, clothes changed, and ready to go home. What the fuck?
So I’m hangin’ up the bike till next year. Great riding with you guys.
Salute
Gustavo Ramirez Amado
AZ City Cotton Classic
AZ City Cotton Classic #2 July, 2010
Rick and Gus represented at the AZ City Cotton Classic #2 this past weekend and were dominant in their respective groups. Two firsts in the 20k event. Gus also did the 40k event and felt so bad about kicking the boys’ butts in the 20k that he spotted them all a few minutes in the 40k and then still took 2nd. The guy has evolved into an animal. Well done!
Kitt Peak TT 9-19-10
Excellent day at Kitt. I’m finding my climbing rhythm again after missing it for a year or so. Many ascents help. I’m not fast but it feels great.
Gus blasted by me at about mp9, dude’s a stud with a chickey fan club. Desert Foxes baby!
Some day the whole team will eat a purple pickled egg out of Elliot’s used Chinese takeout box with mashed cabbage burrito in it or whatever the hell that was.
The look on Gus’ face when he got a whiff was priceless.
Graham awaits. –Leo
From Rick E.
“I think I’m finally burned out. This was my worst hill climb ever! I repeatedly had to get my speed up to 10-11 and then after a while I’d realize the pain was gone and look at the computer which now read 8.” – highlights seemed to be on the downhill for Rick. We need a downhill TT!
From Doug P.
Just wish my time was only 3-4 minutes slower than last year! It was 10 minutes slower!! Think it was a combination of the wind, not being use to this altitude (came back late Wednesday night from sea level PA), not use to climbing mountains (PA has lots of hills, but no mountains), and probably most important .. not use to working that hard! Time for me to get in shape!
From the wolf dressed in sheep clothing, aka Elijet – “…day of pain and wind”
AZ State TT Championship
AZ TT Championship report by former Aggressor Vic Riquelme and new AZ state TT champ.
Is that a fricking milk crate podium? Ghetto!
The Arizona City TT Course was the stage for this years Arizona State Individual Time Trial Championship. The course was a 40 kilometer out and back, with a healthy dose of false flat and crosswinds. I had local Cat.2 TT strongman Dave Swanson(Taser/Kenda), who I considered the man to beat, starting only 60 seconds ahead of me. I knew that if I could take time from him on the outbound cross-headwind leg and get him in sight, that I would have a chance to match his speed, which was a big threat. I did the first 20k very fast, and was pushing a HUGE gear (54×12) up the false flat, with a headwind. I saw Swanson coming the other way after the turnaround, and I knew from the split time that I had taken at least 20 seconds out of him. I was able to see him for the rest of the race, and I focused on his silhouette on the horizon. I managed to keep him in sight all the way to the finish, and I knew I had won. I was 1st in the Pro/1 race with a time of 52:49, and was the 1st placed Arizona man over all in the 40k discipline. Dave Swanson(Taser/Kenda) won the Cat.2 race and was around 40 seconds behind me. David Glick(RideClean) and Nicholaus Schreiber(Landis/Trek) filled out the Cat.1 podium.
I won, bitches!
Rick E. took third and rounded out the podium in his category. Congrats!
http://www.teamfrisky.com/AZTT/Results/2010_ITT_Results.pdf
Hillside RR 8-22-10
Report by Rick E.
This was a tough race. The 50/60 guys rode as a combined field, as usual; perhaps 10-11 total. The initial (mostly) downhill rip was civilized; old guys are a bit more patient. Then there were rollers and the uphill attacks began in earnest. Shortly before the turn from highway 96 to 97 the peloton fractured on a longish uphill and I ended up with 2 big Landis/Trek guys that I could pull away from on the uphills but they re-acquired me on the following downhills. After a while I gave up and stayed on their wheel. Approaching the turnaround, I saw Bob Pongratz first with one of my competitors (Jim Morehouse from Las Vegas) shortly behind him. Just before the turnaround I saw Ralph Duckett going the other way and at the turn, figured he was about 2 minutes ahead of me. I saw the 4th place guy in my group about 3 minutes later coming toward the turn after I and the Landis riders had already rounded it. At that point I knew the race was set, barring catastrophe. I stayed with the Landis guys until the real uphills began about 7-8 miles from the finish, and then rode away from them to finish 3rd. I was a little disappointed, having kind of hoped to finish 2nd, but the unknown rider from Vegas (Morehouse) was strong, finishing 2nd in the combined group right behind Pongratz.
Report by Elijet (edited by Kurt)
Jim, pistols for 12th in definite style; that sh*t was hard. Your face looked puffy and red, I know from the 4’s that Jim worked hard with Echelon and Landis a lot. Leo and Jeremy: great job. I enjoyed watching my competitors get annoyed and spend some energy catching Jeremy on the massive initial descent as he flew away many times.
As usual, I was worried about the shorter hard power climbs, especially when the other strong riders were drilling the tempo on the penultimate climb. As I got dropped off the back at that point, the group of 22 went down to 10 quickly with me fading back in 11th. I knew I had to stay calm and tempo myself and so, I finished in 7th. The end was exciting though… this dude and another Bike Haus guy were all trying to claw our way back; we work together for not very long, before I dropped the Bike Haus guy, then slowly dropped the other rider, caught Matt P. from Eschelon and Troy Burns.
The point being, had I known those rollers were the final rollers, I would have definitely TT and stayed away from the yellow guy with my lead. But, he was right there with me at the 1k mark and I was determined to win the sprint… With 1K to go, I was drafting, then he was drafting and then he slowed down and I wasn’t into that. I swerved and slammed on the brakes and forced him ahead, got on his wheel and we were side by side for the last 200m. He drifted into my draft and popped back out in the last 30 meters and was gaining fast, looking to win, BUT then ELJET did with the most extreme, ridiculous bike throw ever, and the only one that I’ve ever used – it was so sweet & won by inches to clench 7th (sounds like a clencher indeed- had to leave that one:).
View from the front – The Gladiator – Vic
Different course….same result! booyah!
I attacked the main field halfway up the final climb and bridged across to a small break that had a 45 second gap. I left them behind a mile from the summit and rode solo to the finish. Watch out bitches; I’m a climber now!
http://www.azcycling.com/10cal/RESULTS/hsrr.pdf
Thunder Road TT 5-30-10
Three Aggressors (Rick, Gus, Neil) represented at the Thunder Road TT quite credibly.
Gus won Cat 5 and Neil finished 3rd in the Cat 1-3 combo behind Vic and winner Paul Thomas. Rick won by default, but had a solid time nonetheless.
http://www.azcycling.com/10cal/RESULTS/TR-10_results.pdf
Cascade Cycle Classic
Elijet traveled to the great north woods for the four stage, three day event. Kurt Garbe, a native from the area, was able to check the action and track the jet’s progress.
From day 1:
