Scottsdale Cycling Festival
Did the Scottsdale Cycling Festival this weekend; an upscale venue with lots of exhibitors, good food, hotties, etc.– 10-4 Rick E.
The UCF sanctioned Criterium was held Saturday at the cutesy shops area at DC Ranch; a 1 km circuit with 7 turns including a 180 at the top of the hill. As usual, 50/60+ rode together and most of the usual characters were there.. I implanted myself toward the rear of the peloton and tried to stay on Bob Pongratz’s wheel as much as possible. Attrition gradually reduced the size of the pack from around 18 to 10-12 by 4 laps to go, and I was the only 60+ guy still in the pack. At 3 laps to go Bob Pongratz and Steve Cullinan made their move to the front. In perfect Pavlovian response, I almost went with them, but then some late season wisdom enveloped me in its warm embrace and I realized that my race was already won as long as I didn’t crash and that I would certainly not be able to complete the remaining 3 hill2/3 climbs on the backside of the circuit at the now faster pace, so I just hung there at the back of the pack and cruised over the finish line with a big smile while Cullinan and Pongratz established a modest gap from the rest of us and sprinted it out for the 50+ win. Got no cash, but did get a fancy medal (Hmmmmm), a decent gift card for Landis Cyclery, and a pretty nifty front/rear LED bicycle lighting system.
Sunday was the 70 mile Tour de Scottsdale fun ride. No platinum passes for this ride. David Benjes simply set up self-designated start chutes based on your own estimated ride time supplied at registration. It actually worked out reasonably well. A critical feature that made it work was the rolling start. Speed was held at about 15-20 mph for the first mile and a half by a motorcycle cop at the front of the peloton. It helped avoid the insanity you frequently see right off the start line in El Tour. The first 10 miles was uphill to Cave Creek and the peloton I did most of the ride with actually formed up and got organized fairly quickly. We could see the lead peloton with a few dozen or so riders which had now formed up in front of us and we were steadily rolling by all the bs-ers who had lined up ahead of us in the sub 3 hr start chute. Most fell behind us… What were they thinking?…. a few were able to hang on. A gentle climb from Cave Creek East to Pima Rd followed and we continued to roll by detritus from the lead peloton. Pima Rd was a downhill rip to Dynamite Rd and nothing much happened. By now the lead peloton was established and rolling and gradually pulling away from us. Dynamite Rd was several miles of climbing followed by several miles of descending. I felt pretty good at this point and did my last significant pull approaching the Dynamite Rd summit. We did acquire 3 more pieces of detritus from the lead peloton during the climb. Our peloton numbered 70-80 at this point. A right turn at Tonto Verde and then miles of slightly downhill gentle rollers into Fountain Hills. Since I knew the route was going to go right by my Sister’s bar/restaurant in Fountain Hills I mad sure I was in the #1 position at the front of the peloton going by her place. And yes! There was my family lined up in front of the bar watching me cruise by at about 30 mph (slightly downhill right there) in all my glory at the head of a mass of cycling humanity. Does it get any better? As soon as we were out of sight I slunk back to the middle of the peloton and re-buried myself. From Fountain Hills we turned West on Shea Blvd and commenced a major hill climb up Shea. My little glory stunt now came back home and I started slipping back as the peloton fractured going up the hill. By the summit the peloton pieces were spread out over half a mile and I was about 2/3 of the way back in a group of 4. However 2 monster Carlos Obrien riders summited 100m behind us so we just patiently coasted until they arrived and tucked in behind them gradually accelerating to 43 mph going down Shea back into Scottsdale. Ahhhhh! The physics of downhill mass! By the turn North at 136th St we had re-acquired another dozen or so riders from the fractured peloton and numbered close to 20. The remaining miles back to DC Ranch were mostly flat and mundane and nothing much happened. Toward the end we actually got a little “chatty” and the temperature escalation was starting to become an issue. The girls with ice-water trays immediately after crossing the finish line were a nice touch and much appreciated.
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
Flagstaff Omnium
Rick took the overall for his Category at the Omnium! Congrats! Next round of beers at the Barrio is on him.
Report by Eljet
It was intense and great this weekend; Cat1-3 together for all 3 stages – the Snowbowl Hill climb was 6 miles up like Lemmon (got about 21st of 28 cat 3’s), the 1.8 mile loop circuit race (15 laps) that same Sat. evening was flat and fast as hell with multiple attacks from the cat 1’s against each other (which I amazingly was able to hang with till the end). One of those was a counter attack from Justin for Vic that stayed away. Two Bike Haus riders joined Justin, then another no-name and the four kept it away and J-bird won for Tri-sports! In this circuit race the pace was quick and it was windy and multiple cat 3’s couldn’t cut it (I finished at the back of the peleton lead group, but didn’t know how many 3’s were there.) The RR was a fast initial descent, a couple power hills before the turn around that nearly left me solo for the last 37 miles, but I stayed with the group till the incline started to increase about 15 miles from the finish. The real climbing started 12 miles from the end, which was when my body decided it was totally wasted and I crawled to the end in a very jello-like fashion, but still finished and got the desired 15 points given for just finishing all 3 stages.
It was great to see Jim and Leo and Rick out there, Leo in the 3’s had a tough time, and some fitting issues for stage one hill climb, but did great stage 2 out sprinting me and hung in tough for the RR. It was also pretty exciting to watch Jim the beast in the circuit race in 4’s going crazy off the front in lap 9 of 10 pulling those mothers back.
Report by Rick E.
We enjoyed a great race weekend in the cool piney woods of the Flagstaff region. All in all pretty good weather; 30s-40s in the mornings, 60s by midday.
There were 3 races in an Omnium format: (1) the Snowbowl Hill Climb, (2) Foxboro Circuit Race, and (3) Wupatki Road Race
There were four guys in my age class including Herb Johnson, who came over from San Diego to spoil my sweep of the event by abusing me in the hillclimb; Oh well! In the circuit race Saturday afternoon I got dropped from the combined Masters peloton at the end of lap1 when GST went off the front and the peloton tried for awhile to hang with them and eventually failed. However, the pace was fast enough that I couldn’t hang but fortunately my competitors fell off sooner and I was able to hide for awhile behind a couple of the other riders that got dropped about when I did. Eventually I got lapped by 2 pairs of GST riders who would be the first 4 riders over the finish line. The Wupatki road race on Sunday was a GREAT RR; I loved it. I felt good and was able to hang with the combined Masters peloton all the way out and most of the way back up the hill to Sunset crater. The peloton did sort of fracture into pieces at that point but I was able to hang with my small group to the finish. I would rate this as one of my better efforts to date; I was literally miles ahead of my competitors at the finish.
My final tally for this event was 3 firsts and 1 second.
Signal Peak Challenge (Pinos Altos, NM)
Race Report by Beto Villegas
Strong field showed up for this one with some good representation from AZ. The SS division fielded several Pros from Texas and New Mexico. The race start was insane with 2000 ft of climbing the first 5 mile. I was positioned in the 4th spot until I was able to make a break toward the top of the first major climb. The summit trail consisted of 2 miles of power rollers and huge embedded rocks that were momentum killers, which suited me well. Once I connected with the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) it was mostly fast twisty downhill for the next 10 miles. I chased on the next climb but failed to reconnect with the leaders. David Wilson was traveling home from a two and half month racing tour in the rocky mountain state, so I knew he was in great form. To my surprise he finished 2nd and 5 minutes behind his hometown rival who set a new course record. I finished 3rd and a little over 3 minutes behind Wilson. My finish put some cash in my pocket and beat my best time by 3 minutes.
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
Sonoita-Patagonia Time Trial
Sonoita-Patagonia Time Trial by Fast Bryan once again:
