NorCal Cycling News

Read-up and follow along with the next generation of superstars:

I am Peter Taylor and I raced Paris-Roubaix juniors today. This is probably the most prestigious one day race for juniors in the world: 122k and the last 80 miles of the pro course against the best juniors in the world. Before the race the U.S team junior team director gave us our battle orders. Stay up front, protect Lawson Craddock and Nor Cal’s very own Ryan Eastman and hit the first cobbled section in the front.

The race started with all its craziness. Junior races in Europe are sketchy, every rider wants to be at the front and most will do anything to get there.

Coming into the first cobbled section I was near the back, due to a string of bad lack and near crashes for 5k. Over the first few cobbled sections riders in front of me got gapped off and I spent much of the first half of the race chasing back to the ever diminishing pack. Fortunately this put me in good position to tow back team leader and one of the best juniors in the world, Lawson Cradock, to the lead group.

Many riders opted to ride in the gutter. Many of them got flats or crashed when they got their tires stuck. I opted to ride every cobbled section to avoid crashes and move up. The race split up quickly over cobbled sections 6,5,4,3 and 2. I found myself in a small group with teammates Ryan Eastman and Jaun Carmona entering the city of Roubaix while teammate Lawson Cradock was up the road in a four man break with the World Champion Jasper Stuyvens. We entered the stadium and Ryan sprinted to take the group win for 13th and I took 17th. Lawson Cradock took 3rd behind the World Champion Jasper Stuyvens. The entire team including David Kessler and Mathew Lisbscomb finished, a feat that only 66 of the 120 or so starters managed. This is an amazing improvement on the last time the U.S raced with only 1 finisher.

After the race we got to see Cancellara come into the velodrome solo. What a perfect way to finish a wonderful day au Enfer du Nord.

[thanks, Lyman!]

Collin Samaan & Phillip Snodgrass … chasing the pro dream

Two of the U-23 riders from the Wells Fargo Racing Team are heading over to Belgium to compete in euro-races this spring and summer.  Though we’ll miss their animating presence on the Norcal circuit for a couple months, we wish them well in their pursuit of the pro contract.

These are young men with great stories ~ Collin survived a near fatal, coma-inducing car incident when he was 15-years old.  He builds everyday to repair from a serious head injury and has shown more and more these past 2 years that he has what it takes to be in the professional ranks.

Phillip dropped everything and transplanted himself from to Norcal to pursue his dream of riding with the pros.  His is a story of sacrifice and desire … exactly the ingredients needed for a rider to make the jump into the big leagues.

For those with a few bucks banging around and want to be a part of making Norcal the continued breeding ground of American and Euro pros … please help the Wells Fargo Racing team send Collin Samaan & Phillip Snodgrass to Belgium this spring/summer.  Donations, however modest, will be very much appreciated and can be made via PayPal at www.c4racing.org.

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San Dimas drama

One look at Mara Abbott and there’s an indication that this is a woman who wants to go uphill … fast.  The new recruit for the PBdozen indicated in a recent Cyclingnews article that it’s the ability to remain grounded to home&community and inclusion on a squad that allows for individual quirkdom that she found attractive in the offer from her new team.

If there’s one thing that M’Abbott can do ~ it’s give a powerfully good interview.  She’s press savvy in a way that makes you want to cheer for her not only as a quality racer, but also as a plain ‘ole coolio cat from the homestead.
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InaT the Barbarian went into the San Dimas Stage Race’s final criterium down about 90 seconds on Mara Abbott.  Abbott’s team had slaved themselves like Spartacans the day before to protect her GC lead over the grueling, hot and dirty circuit race that ensnares itself around corporate parking lots and crawls over the mini-mansion’d hills of north Los Angeles.  Team Vera Bradley’s Alexis Rhodes was a rockstar off the front all day long, punishing herself enough to get a solid hold on the sprinter’s jersey and throwing her new team on to the national map in their first outing of the year.  And it was very cool to see Colavita-Bici get their first win of the season early with the fine sprinting form of Kelly Benjamin.  Everybody played out there on the day.

But this race was a battle between the youth and ambition of the PB&Js vs the experience and devouring desire of HTC’s Ina Tuetenberg.  What a show, what a show.  And to say that San Dimas set up an incredibly fascinating Redlands Stage Race this weekend is an understatement, indeed.  Ina showed not only her tenacity and fitness, but also gave a textbook display on tactical ability.  She waited until halfway through the criterium … working with her teammate Evelyn Stevens to scare the PB&J’s into burning themselves up early with high tempo and sprint efforts to protect Abbott’s lead against time bonuses

… and then the Ina struck.

Anyone who has seen this woman race knows she has an acceleration that claps like a thundergod.  She can explode a race in 5 pedalstrokes … and her many years of racing against the best have taught her not only how to use that power, but when.  TIBCO’s Meredith Miller, Vera Bradley’s Robin Farina, and Colavita-Bici’s Carmen Small joined her in the move, but it would be Ina going solo for the final 4 laps that would give her the win in the crit, and take away the GC from Abbott.   What a race.

The young PBdozen will take a great lesson from San Dimas … with nothing to hang heads about when one of the best cyclists in the world just plain whoops you.
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Bariani RR … now that’s racing

The women’s field at Bariani was packed with good strong teams and every single one of them amp’d and willing to launch off the front of the race.  From lap 1 on, the teams were sending riders out on the attack, the speeds of the peloton shedding riders every few miles like a good sufferfest should.

It was Metromint, Touchstone, ThirdPillar, and WellsFargo who were the strongest teams in effect … and each had their heroines mashing and bashing to set something up for a winning effort.  Molly Van Houweling was the day’s crusher … off the front for most the 2nd half of the race in move after move … especially impressive since she’d done a time trial that morning as warmup (yoinks! that’s fitness, folks).

But it would be individual riders who would have big impressions upon the race.  TIBCO’s Alison Starnes would be in her 2nd race of the day @ Bariani … and at the front of the field in critical moments ~ inspiring the others to chase or accompany her as much as possible.  The weekend was good experience for the young Starnes ~ as it is an entirely different race when you’ve got a bigger’n life bulls-eye on your back as a legitimate pro in a regional race.  There is a lot of responsibility put on the shoulders of a rider like that … and it’s good to see that Starnes is on her way to learning how to conduct herself like a pro and accept graciously the heavier burden of racing with all eyes on you.  It makes a rider stronger, and it makes them smarter.

Another individual impacting the race was the Iron-trigeek Tyler Stewart.  She would do a yeoman’s amount of work in chasing down break after break … not yet experienced enough in road racing tactics to know how to get separation from a pack before laying down the power of a burner effort, and absolutely crackers when it comes to knowing how to conduct herself in a field sprint.  But hopefully she’ll get more races under her belt and see the beauty of a real sport.

But it was the V12-engine block of Touchstone Climbing’s Marley Smith who would surprise all and shatter dreams with a final solo acceleration over the KOM as the field was closing in on yet another breakaway attempt led by Molly Van Houweling.  Smith would power a massive gear across the plateau, a dramatic display of determination before swinging left and dropping into the rolling, drag-race finishing 500 meters.  She would take the race with seconds to spare as the field galloped in behind.

Wells Fargo’s Emily Kachorek would take the field sprint, just in front of the developing road rider, Beth Newell.  This was a weekend that would see Kachorek showing again that she is a racer very much rising to the top of the class amongst NorCal road riders.  Kachorek displayed consistent sprinting prowess, an uncanny ability to position herself well in the field, determination and grit to follow and initiate attacks, and a tremendous amount of racing fitness.  This is a quality rider and I hope to see her on top of the Best All-Around standings in the NCNCA soon.

Hard fought win in Bariani … showing this is going to be a tremendous season in NorCal racing.  Can’t wait, can’t wait.

Flickr pictures of Bariani & Landpark

Landpark Criterium thoughts coming up…

Pro Squads selecting paths to SoCal

The real start of the US pro cycling season for 2010 will be down in LA for the Redlands Classic.  With the lack NRC races thus far, it seems that many teams have been hitting events in their respective regions to prep form and fine-tune team tactics for the first big meeting of juggernauts … and cracks at the biggest national and international media exposures.

From the Tucson Bike Classic, to the Tour of Murrieta, to our own central valley March classics … teams have been sending out feelers and testing each others’ strengths and squads.  The San Dimas Stage Race is the final hotspot for riders as they prep for the following week’s Redlands mayhem ~ with the proximity of San Dimas helping to settle in LA-lungs, usually a good idea for most teams who come from non-smog’erific regions.

Karl Menzies showed good form at Murrieta, the Bahati Foundation will be looking to build on their Merco success at San Dimas, and Kelly Benefits has been in Asia and beyond bagging tons of high-octane racing miles as they prepare to capture their first Redlands title.

It should be a damn good show.

This weekend’s racing in Madera saw how the Bissell boys are looking like a very strong unit of riders for Redlands, indeed.  Since the famed Oak Glen climb doesn’t showcase in this year’s Redlands again … it’s likely going to come down to a very fit, powerfully fast, and extremely gifted tactical rider that will take the men’s crown.  Ben Jacques-Maynes looks to be poised and ready to make his bid for an overall he’s come close to more than a few occasions.

The Redlands Prologue is a vicious effort that demands good aerodynamics for the opening mile, strong bike handling skills for the initial climb, and an iron will to suffer for the final kilometer.  That gawdamn thing can take a year, or two off your life … especially influenced by the poor air quality possible on the day.

BJM has always been high on the leader’s board for the opening TT, but it’s not necessary to win the prologue to take the overall at Redlands.  What it will take is conquering that final Sunset Road Race … and what warfare that stage will be ~ count on it.  Without radios, the Sunset stage will be less controllable, and more about pure fitness, positioning and patience … and courage.  At Madera, the Bissell boyz showed that they’ve got good strong horses waiting to gallup, with Britton, the Mach, and BJM … but they’ll need a full squad of strongmen able to withstand what will be major bombs dropped from the likes of Kelly Benefits, Fly V, United Healthcare - just to name a few.  The official start list hasn’t been released yet - so we’ll have to see just who and how many of the UCI continental teams are going, and if bigger outfits like BMC are showing and going.

Women’s Racing … too many amateurs ~ but good for the future

It is painfully obvious that Ina-Yoko Teutenberg must be called the major favorite for repeating her crown at Redlands.  Her early form shown at the Merco RR and Crit were breathtaking … evidenced by her earthshaking fearlessness to throw herself off the front of a race.  This woman knows suffering and what it takes to grab for the crown.

And, after watching our NorCal women racing these past few weeks … I’m going to say Ina’s example is one I’d wish more of them would aspire to.  But more on that later.

For Redlands, the PB&Js have signed Mara Abbott to their squad this year ~ a rider who’s been on the podium a couple times, but never won Redlands.  Yet, I haven’t seen her name on any reg sheets thus far in 2010 … so, it’s hard to think she’ll have the speed and race fitness to contend against the HTC powerhouses with only San Dimas in her legs as preparation.  And with Shelley Evans off to fight it out for a world championship jersey on the boards of Copenhagen … a stage win or podium seems realistic for the newly designed squad.  The rest of the team is talented and hungry, but it would be a huge step up for them to overtake HTC’s depth and experience.

It’s possible that Amber Neben may show up and try and win the race solo again ~ but one has to wonder if there will be enough in-fighting of powerful squads to see her take advantage and strike out and steal the victory.

TIBCO will undoubtedly have a strong squad at Redlands, but I am not convinced that the team has the tactical flexibility to be a David against the HTC Goliath.  But they have horsepower in spades - one of the major breakthroughs has to be Alison Starnes who rocked a record breaking TT at the Madera Stage Race this weekend.  She isn’t a rider who can explode away from the field on a climb, but if she finds herself with a gap … this is a rider with the courage to lay the throttle open and surprise ~ if given the opportunity.

Colavita will have their squad ~ and they are always a crowd pleaser, but it seems difficult to believe that they’ll be able to contest for the overall at this year’s edition.  Similarly, the relatively untested Team Vera Bradley Foundation riders will have a difficult task of matching the race legs of other squads who have been active early in the year - but, we’ll have a better indication after seeing their form at San Dimas.

Webcor should have a squad full of potential … with a former Redlands’ winner in Alex Wrubleski, and the ever-powerful, all class Kat Curi Mattis back with the green team.  Mattis was one of 7 pro women to race with the men’s p1/2 field at the Madera Stage Race … signaling that these pro women are committed to doing what it takes to bring up the form and fight it out at Redlands and the European cycling beyond.

However, the lion’s share of the 2010 Redlands’ women’s field will be comprised of amateur and composite squads with young, up and coming riders looking to test their teeth against the best.  NorCal will send a good contingent … and hopefully they will see just how high the bar has been set to make it as a pro rider, both physically and tactically. .

Madera Madness

The Madera Criterium was an absolute slugfest for the men’s p1/2 teams … as Bissell and Yahoo! pushed a 4 rider, 50 minute break off the front against howling winds and a horribly depressing central valley distribution center landscape.  CalGiant was forced to give chase to protect Jesse Moore’s GC position from the TWO time trials that preceded the criterium.  They brought their 8 6 men to the front to conduct a soul-grinder of a team trial, lap after painful lap to try and track down the breakaway quartet.  Ben Jacques-Maynes and Rob Britton were joined by Brian Bosch and Ryan Parnes in the long bomb move, only being caught with 2 laps to go in the 70 minute event.

The pursuit was a slaughter to the field, shredding the race into pocket after pocket of suffering, windswept riders … ultimately seeing only a couple dozen strongmen left to fight it out after the capture of the breakaway.  Phil Mooney, who had flatted in the morning’s TT, jumped away from the field with a lap to go and powered away for a convincing team win for the Yahooligans.  Parnes would take the field sprint in front of teammate Pat Briggs for a Yahoo 1-2-3 … with Bissell similarly positioned in the overall classification.

… to be continued

don’t know why anybody’d like bike racing …

a lot of not too much action pictures
will be uploaded to the flickr account … asap.

[very much thanks for getting the site back up]

Not-so-Recent News d’ NorCal

Egads ~ the time does fly, don’t it?

The three-day weekend of “intro to territories d’ fresburg” went as most thought it might … lower turnouts in the p/1/2 fields - and dominated by the Yahooligans - while strong showings of the human categories as weekend warriors and up-and-comers take a look at what it’s like racing in February … in the middle of nowhere.

On the topic of field sizes ~ I’ve always been of the opinion that team size should be limited to 8 riders in fields under 50, and 10 for fields over 50 … but, considering the Cantua/PineFlat/D’numba races are VeloPromo dinkfests ~ limiting team entries would reduce field sizes from 20 to 16 … so, what’s the point?

Still, it was good to see the Yahooligans building more morale early in the season with results being spread amongst their team like they were sharing candy stole’d from a mini-mart guarded by retards.

Kinda reminds me of that old SATURN pro’team commercial (yes, they used to have commercials on the tube that featured cyclists other than L’Armstrong) … where the men’s team is crowding off the front of some fake-race … having a nice, polite discussion about who will win the race ‘this time.’  I think that commercial also had a shot of one of the Saturn riders stopping to pick up a gel packet that another rider throws to the ground mid-race.  The Saturn riders stops, picks up the trash, pedals up the litterbug rider … “scuse me, i think you dropped this” … then rides away, straight up to the front of the race.

a-yup.
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CCCX … puttin’ on the ritz

The CCCX madmen are back to putting on some road events to compliment their down-home dirt races that make most of the Monterey folks wonder why anyone would ever drive more than an hour for the honor of paying an entry fee.

The circuit race was a sweet little bucket of closed roads that the military once used to move all their toys around as they practiced their tough-guy diplomacy.

Better use, these days.  Too bad most of that territory is going to be cut up and pasted together with somewhere near affordable housing … ah well.

But this weekend the old Fort was used for some polite warfare and the best foto finish of the early season was caught and hammered by the one and only SteveAnderson (best graphic-ly oriented weatherman i ever did meet).

It’s Nick Theobold taking the 35+ win ~ just coming around CCCX promoter Keith Defiebre in the sprint … showing excellent bikethrow-skilz and a strong desire to get to that line first.

Kudos to Nick and the CCCX crew for putting on more events.
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SAMAAN wins @ Burlingame slippyfest

And it was nice to see the WellsFargo cats get their first men’s p1/2 win of the season with Colin Samaan nailing a wet and wild course.

Well done - looking forward to seeing more of what’s to come.

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More later, with feeling ~ i suppose …

What do I, Hernandito, fear more than anything in the world?

Is it a slow, painful death? No. Is it a cloned Tyrannosaurus Rex? No, because they can’t see you if you don’t move. Is it spiders? Nope. Women? Close…but not quite.

In fact, what I fear the most is being scolded by Michael Hernandez for not blogging frequently enough. I was the recipient of such treatment recently (the pot calling the kettle black, perhaps), and my only hope is that I might regain his affection by spewing words in your general direction as often as possible.

I’ll start by saying that this weekend reminded me why I love the NCNCA.

I love the depth of talent, the intensity of the competition, and most importantly, the broad spectrum of personalities. We have loudmouths, cool heads, clowns, professionals, and up-and-comers. In spite of the diversity, the riders all seem to know one another, so this time of year feels like the “back to school” days of high school. Everyone’s wearing new clothes, reconnecting with friends they missed over the break, and trying to reinvent themselves in a new year. People are excited and fresh, not yet beaten down by the long, hard racing calendar. If you ask me, January-February is the happiest time of the season: the cliques are not yet fully formed, the feuds have not begun, anger has not been incited, and smiling faces are more prevalent than game faces. Like I’ve said before, bike racing is supposed to be fun…and it’s nice to see people enjoying it. Look at all these happy bike racers:

This weekend was a particularly appealing example thanks to the Spring-like sunshine, a welcome intermission in the otherwise dismal weather we’ve had. Here’s to a great season of bike racing!

While the one and only Mike Hernandez has eloquently–if not bitingly–covered the racing at Sunday’s Cal Aggie Criterium, it seems only fair that I write about some of Saturday’s races. I might throw down a few extra words about my perspective on Sunday’s races later this week.

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Traditionally promoted during the mid-summer months, the Folsom Criterium elicits memories of soaring temperatures and searing quadriceps. The course is wide open, with two gentle corners and one long sweeper, meaning that the powerhouses can really open up the throttle, but breaks are hard-pressed to get out of sight. On Saturday, this great course hosted the season-opening criterium, and I was amazed to see how many crit-monkeys came crawling out of the woodwork.

W/1/2/3

Knowing you’ve got a race won before you hit the line is a beautiful and all-too-rare occurrence. The pain and dedication required to reach that point is beyond what most human beings are willing to endure; however, once you’ve reached the threshold where the pack can no longer catch you, all that pain and suffering seems to melt away. Given the difficulty of such a feat–especially against a high-powered NCNCA peloton–when a rider wins solo, it’s should be adequately lauded by the cycling media.

The Touchstone Women’s team came out swinging, and after a brutal bit of aggressive racing by the entire team, it was new recruit and ex-Metrominty Elis Bradshaw digging deep for the solo victory.

By the way, is she pointing at her jersey logos? If so, that’s some sponsor-savvy victory salutation, though I’d rather see a good old-fashioned two-handed salute.

Take a good look at the empty road behind her, and imagine the hard work required to get that kind of gap. (Not to detract from the win, but I’m sure her 75 teammates helped her out.)

Anyway, you gotta love watching Elis race, and if this kind of fitness and aggressiveness is any indication of what’s to come, she’s bound to have a good season. Is the 2010 Touchstone squad going to take over the “crit team” mantle from the depleted SugarCRM team? Only time will tell.

P/1/2

In spite of the best efforts of the usual breakaway riders like Max “Sticklegs” Jenkins (resplendent in his new United Healthcare kit), Chad Gerlach, and seemingly the entire Clif Bar team, the pack seemed hellbent on keeping the race together. Lap after lap, a group of overzealous psychopaths would launch off the front of the race, only to be brought back within a minute’s time.

As the laps dwindled and the speed increased, it was evident that a bunch sprint was coming, but there was no clear favorite for the win. With one lap to go, Chad Gerlach looked hungry for an early-season victory, Williams’ Norcal sprinter Randy Bramblett was making aggressive moves to hold position, and Safeway had loaded a bunch of riders onto the front of the pack. As the field hit the meandering backside of the course, several riders tangled and a Chico Corsa rider went rocketing off the course and up a grassy knoll a la Lance Armstrong/Joseba Beloki.

Thankfully, everyone’s bike handling skills prevailed and not a single rider went down; unfazed by the scuffle, the field continued its wild stampede toward the finish line. Out of the final corner, it was still anyone’s race…until Jan Weissenberger (Safeway) mercilessly emasculated the entire, high-caliber men’s field. That’s a sweet, sweet victory for a guy that has narrowly missed the top step of the podium many times; I think this is his first win in the P/1/2’s.

And so, after reflecting on these Folsom races, I’d like to revise my opening statement.

My greatest fear is going head-to-head with Elis Bradshaw or Jan Weissenberger in January. That’s just askin’ for an ass-kickin’.

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With the first, inspiring races in the books, and a race calendar bursting at the seams, 2010 is sure to bring some of the best races this district has ever seen; here at NorCalCyclingNews, we’ll do our best to document the new season of racing. Stay tuned, and race hard!

Talk to you again soon…

Welcome back, roadie nerds!

It’s been a long winter here in Hernandito-land, but I’ve emerged from my seemingly interminable hibernation with a renewed vigor for the blogging lifestyle…and a notable lack of fitness.

I was reminded of the cyclical nature of the cycling seasons by fellow blogger seabiscuit’s most recent post. Each year, summertime blog posts about roadies give way to wintry writ about trackies and ‘crossers, followed by a January resurgence of the roadies. It’s reminiscent of the classic Volterra predator-prey model, shown below.

Being a road racer myself, I’m biased to lump trackies, ‘crossers, hipsters and MTB’ers into the category of “prey.” Deal with it.

As you can see, it’s the time of year when the hungry pack of roadies rapidly expands, concomitant with an increased frequency of blog posts by…well…me.

Without further ado, are you ready for the 2010 Road Blogging Season [cue MNF music]?

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The Mount San Bruno Hillclimb - Jan 1, 2010

Photo from Illuminix Studios

I have a question for anyone that participated in this race. What is wrong with you? It’s 10am on January 1st! You should be hungover and asleep on some random acquaintance’s couch. My guess is that you want to die tired, sad and alone, because that’s the only outcome I envision for you hillclimbing lunatics.

OK. Not really.

In all seriousness, I have a lot of respect for those who participate in the San Bruno Hillclimb. It takes an awful lot of willpower to drag yourself out of bed and up a huge mountain that early in the season–I mean, look at the face on this Wells Fargo rider–and so, for your willpower alone, I salute you.

Photo from Illuminix Studios

Chris Phipps (Morgan Stanley Old Guys), perennial climbing freakshow extraordinaire, was my pick to win the P/1/2 race for the billionth time, with Tracy Colwell (Webcor) a close second. However, as Phipps noted in twitter-mangled English, he was upstaged by young climbing phenom Menso de Jong (Metromint).

As far as the women’s race goes, it appears (according to the oft inaccurate USACycling Database) that category 3 rider Rebecca Rising took the top placing.

Now, I’ve heard rumors of a Mount San Bruno curse, whereby the rider that wins this race each year fails to perform for the remainder of the season; I bet it’s a lie. Mythbusters, where are you when the really important debunking is required? I say, be on the lookout for these two San Bruno victors for the rest of the season!

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Speaking of Chris Phipps (how’s that for a segue), am I the only one that finds it a bit ironic that an old Masters racer is the only guy who has figured out how to use modern technology? I recommend everyone follow him on Twitter (ChristoPhipps), because he’s been quite diligent about tweeting results within minutes of their finality.

If Velopromo has figured out how to use online registration, we can collectively figure out how to post results online the day of the race!

Come on everyone, use those stupid iGadgets you’ve been lugging around in your pockets! I’ve even hopped on the bandwagon with my very own twitter account. Follow me, my twitter name is TheHernandito. I apologize, I just set the damn page up and I haven’t quite figured out how to type anything useful in 140 characters. When I get the hang of the confounded thing, I’ll try to update with some frequency because, let’s face it, tweeting is easier than blogging; both, incidentally, are easier than bike racing.

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Admittedly, I may have returned to the world of blogging a bit too early. The real bike racing season won’t begin for another month, so I’m a bit short on content at the moment. I suppose the Early Birds have started, but since those races have neither results nor spectators, I have no idea what’s been going on over there in Fremont. No crashing, I presume.

Anyway, I hope you’re all excited for the upcoming road season. Get your comment-fingers warmed up and prepare for another onslaught of mindless, bicycle-themed bloggery!