NorCal Cycling News – Cycling and Racing in Northern California

I feel like I have a hangover.  The end of the Tour always leaves an empty void in one’s stomach like when you first got dumped by your high school girlfriend, when you graduated from your local community college, or as in my case.. both at the same time.  When the tour ends you suddenly have so much free time it is a little disarming.  You can go back to cooking regular meals, reading the paper, walking your dog, or even paying attention to your work and family.  Given that all those pursuits are unsatisfying, except for the family one of course, there are multiple other summer cycling related activities you can apply your energy too.

Cascade Re-Cap

The RealCyclist.com team stole another domestic stage race making the invites to Colorado race feel a little hollow.  With the exception of Evan Huffman who hung tough for 23rd in the GC the NorCal men did not have much of a showing.  The women’s race looked like it was lining up to be a slug fest between Clara Hughs, Peanut Butter 2012, and TIBCO but was totally shaken up by aggressive riding from the Colavitta squad who gambled everything and took both the GC and Sprinters jerseys.  Pascale Schneinder (Vanderkitten) and Beth Newell (BMC Total Care) were the top local riders performing valiantly in their roles as guest riders coming in 11th and 22nd respectively.

Crit Season wraps up with this new little gem getting thrown for the Elite racing crowd down in Watsonville.  With Dave Towle showing up it is sure to be an NRC vibe and a great atmosphere.  The question is does anybody have the stones to try and beat Reaney on his teams home turf?  Rand has thrown in the towel, via twitter, and said Reaney is just better.  Will there be any other challengers?

Cal Cup

It has an awesome name, a bunch of great courses, and while most winners don’t start out trying to take the overall title they end up racing a few hellish races like the University RR in order to garner valuable points.  Catch up on the 2012 routes at the Velopomo site.  Cal Cup is the NorCal story to follow in August.

Almost Cyclocross Time!

The cross freaks are emerging from hibernation.  Chatter on the has increased dramatically the last month with bikes for sale, clinics, and new coaches popping up every day.  It’s time to dig up some old issues of Cyclocross Magazine and figure out when you need to start dismount practice.  There are even some summertime cross races and clinics happening that can help you get all polished up for October.

Master Track Nationals

The old folks are running in circles out in T-Town at this very moment. Hellyer Riders are racking up the medals, and hopefully treating the Trexlertown Tools with the animosity  they deserve.  Below is an annotated update published on the track list server today courtesy of Cathy Morgan

National Champions in respective age groups

• Scratch Race :Mark Rodamaker, John Elgart, Linda Elgart, Donna Woods, Bev Chaney
• Kilo:  Pete Billington
• 500m TT:  Mike Macdonald, Annabell Holland, Lorraine Jarvis

Utah and Colorado Stage Races

No idea when they start or what they are actually called but there are some big teams going.  Podiumsinsight.com will have the gorey details.

Grand Fondo Madness

I am not sure i really get the “Grand Fondo” appeal… didn’t we used to make fun of these before Levi made it cool?  Anyways…apparently there are a ton of them coming up including one in Palo Alto.  You know when there is a Palo Alto Grand Fondo then Satan has taken over the family business.

CCCX Insanity

Jesus… what don’t these guys promote.  We all need to try something a little different (mountain bike, cross, downhill, crazy road race) so check out what race CCCX is promoting and just go do it. I have my eye on some downhill races coming up….

 

 

 

Every year it’s the same thing. About 15 minutes after the first stage some excited viewer in my circle of friends posts the result with an innocent comment like “Chapeau Gilbert!”. The news used to be broken on email, but now it’s on Facebook, twitter, google+ or what ever service you might be using. Aside from the fact that any American using the term “Chapeau” has to upgrade their Tin Tin era French, one would think that this is an benign gesture of enthusiasm. Rarely is one ready for the Civil War-Battle of Gettysburg-like-vitriol that follows.

What this person does not know is that the other half of the world, the half that I neither understand nor will recognize going forward, likes to keep the result a secret, which they will reveal to themselves on their DVR, later that evening, like a special new age gift to myself Christmas present. These folks have rules about what they call SPOILERS, and if you don’t follow them then you are at risk of losing their allegiance for ever. Back in the day, pre-social media, I’d even go as far as to post the “rules” to my clubs list serve hoping it would proactively cut down on the bitching.

I was reminded today after Podium Insight’s Lyne posted a “get over it” comment, to “No-Spoiler” people I assume, on her Facebook profile. The irony is she’s cycling media, meaning it’s her job to break or comment on the race results. If she has to defend, or even comment on, the content of her race reports we have officially gone too far in babying the “No-Spoiler Nation.” I have friends and family that have chosen to be a on this side of the issue, which pains me to no end. I don’t get it really… how hard is it to follow the race on tv or live text feed. Why are you even pretending to work when the tour is on? (Idea! “How to fake working when watching a bike race.”) Is your life so devoid of surprises that you need to artificially construct a past race result?

You day is over “No-Spoiler” people. A new day has dawned and it belongs to us. The happy spoilers of month long stage races.

The at least 40 strong women’s field started hard at Mt. Hamilton. Attacks and counterattacks began about halfway up the first pitch of the climb. Jane Despas (Yahoo) started things off to stretch her legs.  Alison Starnes (PB2012) and Flavia Oliveria (Wells Fargo) quicky responded and got a good gap (~1min) on the much reduced field of 15 women that remained over the top of the first pitch.

At the start of the second pitch, Oliveria had a mechanical and was passed by the field. Bad luck for Flavia and bad luck of for the remnants of the field, which was once again destroyed by her acceleration as she came back by them on her way to the QoM Prize. The only woman who could hang with her this time was Tayler Wiles of (PB2012). Down the descent the two PB riders and Flavia joined forces.

Chasing behind were Kristina Seley (Specialized-Missing Link) and Susannah Breen (Fremont Bank), followed at 1 minute by Olivia Dillon (PB2012), Beth Newell (Fremont Bank), Bec Werner (Webcor), and Molly Van Houweling (Metromint). Even this last group had averaged 14mph from the start when it crested the climb.

Down the backside of Hamilton, Dillon performed her first feat of gravity acrobatics on the day, dropping two members of her group (correction — apparently Werner, not Dillion led the way down the hill) and crossing the gap to Breen and Seley with Werner.    Near the feed zone the four chasers caught the front three, who had apparently decided not to drive the pace or attack each other over the flats.  Anyway, this group of 7 soon became 9, as Newell and Van Houweling rejoined the after a very efficient chase.

At this point, it was all downhill (though 20 miles of that), and it turned out to be Dillon time. After a few PB attacks to soften up the field, Dillon countered a catch and quickly got a gap.  She then scorched through the twisty and fast corners on Mines Road.  The chase was mostly lead by Van Houweling.   And with two PB riders sitting near the front, it was never well organized even when others pitched in. Dillon’s gap stretched to 30+ seconds and she took an impressive solo victory.

The finish of the pack was marred by a bad crash. With about 500 meters to go, Starnes, who had been gapped on the last downhill, came back to the pack and attacked hard around the left. Oliveria tried to jump on Starnes, and somehow ended up on the ground. She landed partly on her face and head and was taken away in an ambulance.

In the end, the top five were Dillon, Wiles, Newell, Werner, and Van Houweling.   Notably, that 5 person podium included the last 4 women (of the final 9) to crest the climb, showing that Mt. Hamilton can be about daring downhills and determined chasing as well as going up.

I think it all started at interbike a few years ago when Hernando wore a crazy wig and white skin suit.  He brought it back to jazz up his stage presence when he started running the Friday Night Races at Hellyer.

Somewhere in there a theme was adopted and Hernando, and spectators started dressing up.  Sometimes it was host team skinsuits

Sometimes it is superheros….

And most of the time it’s just a freak show…

Here are some ideas for this Friday’s look inspired by the upcoming Bay to Breakers.

1. Male Cat Woman

2. French Sailor

3. Communist

4. French Fashion Victim

I’m sure Ken Hernandez is going to have full results up on the interwebs any minute now for the Wente Road Race … but since I may have a few minutes drop on the MAN ~ I’ll post winners of the men’s and womens P1/2 races.

The Fellas

Marc Pro – Strava took 4 out of the top 5 in Saturday’s wind swept Wente road race.  It was an impressive display from the marauding highlanders, with  JSM just ahead of teammates Justin Rossi (2nd), Spencer Collom (4th), and Frank Spiteri (5th).  Cal Giant hardman Jesse Moore was 3rd, being off the front with a rotating set of dreamers throughout most of the day.

I’ve a good few dozen pictures of the men’s race and will try and scrub out some narrative of the action as I caught glimpses of it.

But the bottom line is – the MPStrava boys came to Wente with a few scores to settle … and went straight to the mattresses to do ‘em.  They didn’t waste a ton of energy like they did at Copperopolis the week before, and didn’t have near the bad luck they had then either.

But more importantly, with the biggest team in the field, they were still able to stack the front end of the podium in an aggressive, tactical race.  Good show.

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Fremont Bank … ladies style

Metromint’s Molly Van Houweling put them to the test with 2 tremendous solo efforts during the day, but Fremont’s left-right combo was too much for the women’s field at Wente.

Susannah Breen crushed the final ascent to stamp down her authority as the climbing queen of Norcal, with her teammate Beth Newell doing the work of a day laborer to set her up all race long – and even having enough in the tank to take a solid 3rd herself at the finish.  Webcor’s Rebecca Werner continues to show her smarts and a stacked power meter to match, jumping away from Newell on the final climb for 2nd.

Devon Gorry from Bike Aptos was 4th, and Annie Fulton of Metromint was a fine 5th – again letting our region know this is a rider to watch develop in 2011.

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i’ll have a couple hundred pics up as soon as I can – likely on the facebooks.  There’ll be a link here, and more gossip about how i think the racing went.

p~0

hernando