Gila Monster

With Elijet nurshing his spawn, Leo, Jeremy and Vic went to Gila.  Photographers seem to have been banned from filming Aggressors, so…

Leo or DZ?

Leo:   This was one for learning/mis-haps.

I crashed in the feed zone on day one.  I chased on, but got dropped at the climb.  80th.

On day two (The Day of the Wind), I dropped my water bottle in the first mile (wind and loose jersey), and then my rear water bottle cage broke… and I thought it was my rear derailleur.  This caused me to back out of the pack at the start of the climb.  This was bad enough, but having chased on somewhat, I then got dropped on the descent.  I then fought for 48 miles.  66th.

The TT gave new meaning to “hump day” as in getting humped up the you-know-what by a supposedly fast bike.  Downhill at 48 with side head-winds with a tri-spoke front wheel is not a good plan.  84th out of 89, stayed 66.

The crit was totally fun despite the hangover.  Great hard fast course.  By the way, don’t take the warm-up lap; you end up starting at the back.  I moved up to 65th!

I was ready for Sunday, but got there late and had to chase on.  I then tore off my thumbnail somehow, and then got relegated for a white line/yellow line violation, right at the base of the big early climb.  Got dropped, but chased on.  I then rode through for about 30 miles, surviving some hard stuff.  A break developed, and I jumped.  20 miles of beautiful hell ensued, and I finally cracked near the base of the climb, and got dropped at the first switch-back.  I climbed steady/slow and rode to, you guessed it, 66th!  I finished at 61st place, having moved up each day.

Jeremy would succumb to sickness and withdraw.

Vic made Velonews for real:

Vic

I did well on Wednesday to throw down a series of early attacks and get myself into the break, but still finished in 110th place and lost 10 minutes. On Thursday I attacked no less than 3 times in the first 5 minutes of the race, but got nowhere and was dropped immediately on the first climb. I rode the remaining 70 miles to the finish solo. I would get caught by a chase group every 20 minutes or so, but I was so blown that I couldn’t hang on to any of them for longer than a minute. I lost 38 minutes and finished in 156th place. On Friday I had the worst TT I’ve ever ridden, missing my start because I was caught in the UCI Bike Check waiting line, then having nothing but lactic acid in my legs for the entire first half of the TT, then hitting my knee on my handlebars sprinting up the hill to the turnaround. I lost 14 minutes there and finished in 162nd place. On Saturday was the crit, I got dropped with 2 laps to go, lost 4 minutes, and finished in 132nd place. Sunday was the final, leg breaking mountain stage: 105 miles with 3 major climbs. It was snowing. I got dropped in the first 10 minutes of the race, then spent an hour in the caravan trying to catch back up with the peloton. I did catch back on but got dropped again around an hour later, 2 miles from the top of the first major climb. I rode the remaining 40 miles through the mountains to the finish with a small chase group, who dropped me in the Pinos Altos with 10 miles to go. I lost 43 minutes, and finished in 93rd place.
I ended up in 96th place in the final GC, 1:46:13 off Levi’s time. 194 guys started the race, 101 finished.

On to Arkansas!    -Vic

May 6, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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State Crit Championship

Congrats to both Rick and Doug for a strong Aggress showing!

Report by Rick

Doug Perry and I traveled to Scottsdale to represent Aggress.  It was a combined group with 12-14 total riders.  On lap 2 (I think) Reg Dowdall (SW Hand, 60+) implemented a furious attack and no one pursued.  I had no idea he was even gone off the front until people watching us started yelling “you’re 20 sec down, you’re 30 sec down, etc.” as the laps continued.  The peloton did start reeling him back toward the end but he still had around 20 sec the last lap.  With 3-4 laps to go Ralph Duckett and another rider broke hard to the outside on the 2 block staightaway and I started to follow them and decided “naw’ it’s too early and remained where I was behind Norm Kibble, Robert Tompkins, and our own Doug Perry.  With about 1 lap to go the gap maxed out at about 80 ft and then the rest of us started picking up the pace and by the finish sprint it was 30-40 ft.  Norm Kibble, surprisingly, broke late in the final lap and faded to the rear. Doug Perry, on the other hand, sprinted hard and nosed out Robert Tompkins at the line to be #4 across the line.  I cruised in behind them to be #6 across the line.

From Doug: I went into the State Crit Championships today with two objectives — don’t get hurt and finish. Since I’d only done two crits in my life (both last year), I felt those objectives were all I could hope for. Things actually went really well and I ended up getting 2nd in my 60-64 group which had about ten in it. Reg Dowdall took off the front after the 2nd lap and we never saw him again … I think he won it by 20 seconds, or so. Second place came down to a sprint and I was able to pull around Norm Kibble and win the sprint at the end. Today was very satisfying.

May 6, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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La Vuelta de Bisbee

4 stages in under 24 hours…

Jim had a solid all around race having the top Aggress finish in the prologue; when it was all done, he stood 52nd GC.  Out of 87 starters, 73 finished…    RESULTS

Saturday: Kurt contested the RR finish and took 6th and ended the day with 19th in the TT moving from 50th after the prologue to 20th GC.

Leo’s Bisbee:  I was terrible in the prologue getting 66th.  For RR1, I did great for me, surviving horrible cross winds in the most difficult RR I’ve ever done.I felt great going up the last hill, but relaxed too much at the end (stupidly “saving myself” for the TT) and lost 42 seconds, which was pretty much it for me. (44th place)/48th GC.  Then I sucked at the TT losing major time to everyone.  On RR2, I was thinking about whether to contend for improving GC, or to try to place high on the day.  He would roll off with an emerging break that swelled to nine riders. “There was some fireworks between the Dutch guy and the lazy tourist,” as all was not tranquil in the break.  ”We worked like hell (I was only able to pull every other rotation) and got the gap to four minutes.”   Leo held off most of the pack as the break splintered on the pass.  ”I put my head down and pedaled, passing one of the Phoenix guys to finish 26th on the day and jump to 39th place.”

Meanwhile back in the peleton, Jim and Kurt rode the train until the real show started heading up Mule Pass.  Paul Thomas and company went to work to pull back the break shelling riders as they went.  Kurt held on until the last mile and was the last one to pop from their group.  He would lose four minutes on the stage and drop to 25GC.

Leo the Lionhearted: “It (this event) was beautiful.  This is a grand sport.  It takes a lot to put such strong people on their limit, but when they get there it’s marvelous to be a part of, and to see.  Watching Jake drag Paul up the crest of Mule Pass at 14 miles an hour (into right cross wind) was sublime, verily.”

From Vic riding with the big kids, “That shit was hard. Except for the TT. That was easy. I tried to follow some United Healthcare guys up mule pass today and that was the end of that. Kablooey!”  He took 15th in the TT!  Good luck in Gila!

April 26, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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Tour of the Tucson Mountains

 

Doug Perry represented Aggress in the TTM.  

I did the TTM yesterday, but had my worst time of the three years that I’ve done it. I got gapped from the leaders around mile 25 and couldn’t get back on and ended up riding with a group of five and did most of the pulling. Only consolation is no one passed us, I pushed at the end and easily won the sprint in my little group, and I finished 2nd out of 70 in my 60+ age group (in the two years before I was first in my age group). I think I need to move up closer to the front in these type of races when I know the pace, or difficulty, is going to pick up. I was around the middle of the lead pack when the push came and I got dropped (from the lead group).  TTM Results

April 26, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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Colossal Cave Stage Race

12 Annual Colossal Cave Stage Race 2010 Presented by Aggress, Presteza and Tachycardia Racing             Report by Kurt Garbe

Aggress put on a great race in conjunction with Presteza and Tachardia.  Don stepped up as race director sportif and Slow Brian taking on some fast math as the results guru.  The whole team stepped up and put on one of the smoothest races I’ve ever done.  Thanks to all for an excellent event!

Cat 5 Gus placed a strong 4th in the TT.  He fought through a crit crash and finish 15h GC.

Cat 4 Doogie’s first as a 4.  He finished 11th GC with a solid all-around ride.Doogie getting it done
Cat 3 Elliot was helping me and finished 13th GC.He was poised for a strong finish in the crit,but was sent off road by a crash that cut the field.

Eljet sucking some wheels

Kurt finished 5th in the TT and 4th in the crit after making the split caused by a crash.   He would miss 3rd place by inches after leaving the (non) chase to race leader Robert Chorost  seemingly gifting his lead to Merry who broke away with a Bicycle Haus rider in the waning laps.  In the final road race it was down to the wire.  Places 1-4 were so busy marking each other, two ‘non contenders’ slipped by to take 1st and 2nd bumping Kurt off a third place GC podium.  He was initially awarded 3rd on the stage, but Chorost protested and won giving him the GC win and dropping Kurt to 4th GC.  Omnium math sucks sometimes.

Results

April 16, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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Tucson Bike Classic

Report by Kurt Garbe:  A full Aggress team turned out for the TBC.  Rick had a brilliant weekend and take  2nd overall in the 65+ category.  Jim was solo too in Cat 5b race; he took 5th overall with a very solid showing.  I had a very lucky ride and finished 11 seconds out of first in 7th place in the Cat 3 TT.   The team worked brilliantly for me and I fought for a very dangerous 8th in the RR and 3rd in the circuit.  I finished tied for 5th in time overall, but got 6th as the 5th place finisher had a better time in the TT.  Neil had a very solid ride finished right behind me in 7th in GC, with Brent slotting in at 12th, 24 seconds back.  Leo was 1:13 down in GC and worked hard to help advance me.  Jeremy and Bryan both worked hard for the team; Y is off the health mark, but did what he could to advance the team.  Thanks to Elliot for the effort, but he would tear off another deraileur and not start the road race.

 

Thanks to Brian, Doogie and The General for support.  You guys are awesome!    TBC RESULTS

Vic took an impressive win in  the Cat 2 road race and made it intoVelonews!  He was one second out of 1st!

March 19, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report, Uncategorized

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North End Classic

From Elliot Anderson: Day 1 – Got 3rd (of 14) in the Cat 3 crit, a lot of turns, a kicker short hard
uphill on the back side of the course, rough bumpy terrain throughout (concrete, asphalt, tile, pot-holes) but Im good at technical turns and fast corners etc (8th in tour de gila technical crit and tucson wed night crits are similar) and the kid in front of me right before the final turn was cooking and wiped out hard (i knew he was going too fast for his own good,tired and sloppy, happens to everyone, but he looked dangerous right before he went down..) and almost hit him but then stayed upfront and got 3rd behind a short stocky Bicycle Ranch racer and a young kid was was strong all day (who also won 3 of the 4 primes’!!)
Day 2 – Y and Kurt were amazing out there today – attack after attack and solo TT to create chasing and a bad ass lead out totally delivering me to the line beautifully.  Got 6th in the day (4th and 5th were the same 1st and 2nd from day 1) and places 1-3rd today were yesterday’s finishers of 6th, 4th and 15th respectively, but enough to bump me from 3rd to 5th (even though there was a tie for 3rd).

Elijet and the podium babe

I learned a lot and felt honored to have the guys work for me.  Got 5th overall, $40 cash prise and 2 more points towards cat 2, only 22 to go!  ahahhhah!!!
2010 NEC Old Guy Crit report. By Rick Ellwanger
50+ and 60+ guys raced together; about 20 total.  The 10 turn course winds thru the historic “Old Town” district of Yuma and includes a 2 block long hill.  There were only a few other guys in the 60+ class and I made a point of keeping track of where they were.  At the start of the final lap I moved to the front of the peloton and started to gradually pick up the pace.  I knew I had only 1 serious competitor (Roy Quade from Calgary Canada who had finished 3rd gc in VOS) and he was at that moment 5-6 positions back.  I knew Bob Pongratz and other 50+ guys would pass me at some point  during the lap and my plan was to force my way onto a wheel as they went by and try and stay ahead of Roy.  No one challenged for the lead on the hill climb which surprised me a bit but since they didn’t I made sure I took the next 3 downhill turns at the highest speed I could muster to discourage passing.  Finally at the end of the longish straightaway going into the last 3 turns Bob Pongratz and 2 other guys overtook me.  I accelerated a bit to get on rider 3s wheel and then we were thru the penultimate turn heading for the last turn and continuing to accelerate.  I turned wide and carefully on the final turn and I was able to pedal all the way thru the turn at max effort and I just continued to grind across the finish line.  Turns out Roy was on my wheel going over the line but that was the best he could do.   Eureka, the plan worked!
In fairness, he enjoyed revenge the next day and beat me in the circuit race.

March 3, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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Cart Crit Carnage

Cart track yesterday was great (for the most part).  Doogie went down in the final corner with mere laps to go.  He was on or near the front most of the C race.  His company in the scruff helped kill the Seven!  He donated some skin as well, but he is ok.  Perhaps we should start a running division…
Bryan won the B race with a searing attack on the group!  Elliot had been out solo and held on for 4th or 5th.
Dave Swanson beat us like rented mules (thanks Vic for the line) in the A race.  There were only seven riders, four of which were Aggress.  I was having a sandwich-enduced side ache and couldn’t sustain an attack with Y half way thorough the 45 min. race; however, I hid out long enough to attack the group with 3/4 of a lap to go and took 2nd and a prime.  Elijet was breathing down my neck at the finish.  Y took the ‘field sprint’ giving Aggress 2nd – 4th. Leo did some serious work on the front before retreating to the sweeper spot.
Rick also had a strong showing mixing it up with the youngster crowd.  He seemed to be the only 60+ rider out there and he had a very strong ride.

February 20, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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24 Hours in the Old Pueble

iMike Puchowicz took on the solo category.  Beto Villegas gave it up for him doing amazing support:  We await the full details, but here is the preliminary report:

9th out of 96
Everything hurts.  Beto is the best pit support person ever, and I got a glimpse of what it’s going to be when I’m 90 and my wife has to dress me because I can’t do it myself anymore.

February 20, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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Valley of the Sun

VOS was great.  Brian was tremendous in his support.  In the 60+, Rick finished 5th GC!  In the 5’s, Doogie finished 10th overall! I finished 24th and Y in 28th in the 3’s.  It was an excellent weekend and a great time dusting off the racing shoes.
Vic won the 2’s RR!  He smoked the boys in a straight up sprint.  Vic also took a huge dig in the 2’s and spent 1 1/2 lap off the front in the crit. It was an all-in move.  It didn’t work, but damn it was cool to watch.  He finished in 14th.
 
 
Warming up for the Crit.  It turns out nobody brought a camera.
How the RR evolved for the Masters 50/60 +.  From Rick Ellwanger:
The RR was my best event.  Shortly after the rollout I moved to the front of the 50/60 combined peloton so I could enjoy a clean path around the first corner and be a little ahead of the inevitable acceleration that I was sure would follow.  It did, of course, and I slipped back to 10-12th and I felt pretty comfortable there.  About a mile after the turn we passed the Cat 5b group; How could that be?? (50 wheel sucking pussies all afraid to take a pull, that’s how!).  The first trip up the hill to the S/F line was uneventful although about 1/3 of the way up Franz Hammer went by me on the shoulder and I tucked in behind him back up to the front.  I think he just wanted to see who was on the front because he just sat a little behind and to the side of the leader as the hill got steeper. Eventually I started losing it a bit and slipping back; by the top I was 3/4 of the way to the back of the peloton, but I rested on the downhill back to hwy 187.  Lap 2 was mundane until about 2/3 of the way up the hill climb at which point several riders broke off the front to vie for the KOM points and prem. (to be recaptured on the downhill).  As the main peloton approached the summit we overtook several riders from the Cat 5a group and there was a crash about 3/4 of the way back in the peloton, just in front of me, involving 5-6 riders and about a dozen of us ended up with a 100 yd gap to the rest of the peloton as a result of slowing to avoid the wrecked riders. We started working together to recapture and actually were able to close the gap a bit by the turn back onto 187.  At the turn I took the lead because I knew I could take the turn full speed with pedaling and most of the group stayed with me thru the turn.  The main peloton had slowed a lot to go around that corner and we gained on them significantly right there.  The last 30 yds was quickly closed and we were back in the peloton; Whew!  Halfway up the final hill climb to the S/F line the peloton splintered as the pace increased noticeably and the landscape got a little confusing as we overtook some additional riders from the 5a group, and my fleeting thought of moving to the front of the pack for the final sprint evaporated.  I resolved to hang with my splinter group, and was able to do so, across the line.  All in all, a good effort, and a great learning experience.
RESULTS

February 20, 2010 · Filed Under Race Report

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  • 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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