NorCal Cycling News

Back-to-back downtown criteriums. Take a moment to savor those words before we get into the nitty gritty of the weekend: back-to-back downtown criteriums.

Now to the racing itself. Saturday night we had the San Rafael Twilight. Great venue, deceptively hard race. On paper there is nothing special about the course, but in practice racers are left with nowhere to hide & no chance to recover. It is call your mommy and cry brutal.

While Hernando’s prognostications weren’t exactly spot on, there was still some damn fine racing to be seen. The big boys came down to a field sprint, with former CalBerry Ken Hanson of Team Type 1 taking the win in front of Rahsaan Bahati himself, with Steve Reaney wearing the stars & bars rounding out the podium. A break of four including Chris Jones of TT1 and Justin Fraga of Webcor/Alto Velo was away for a good chunk of the race, only getting pulled back with 4 to go. Now, I’m sure somebody who knows what they’re talking about can give a much better analysis than I can, so instead I’m going to take a minute to talk up Justin Fraga and the Webbies.

The guy has flown mostly under the radar this year, showing up at a couple crits to back up his boys in green but not showing that trademark fire and brimstone he can spew like nobody else. Frankly, I was wondering whether we’d see that side of him again, but after this weekend I feel confident saying that JFraga is back and itching to crush nuts. This is a great thing for Webcor and especially for their usual breakaway whore Rand Miller, since alone each of them rides like one person, but together they ride like six guys. Somebody explain that math. In any case, it was excellent to see Fraga pouring himself into that break Saturday night, and again on Sunday in Lodi. It’s guys like these who leave everything they’ve got out on the course who keep the races exciting. Now if only the greenies could find themselves a field sprinter…

The women’s race was all about Kat Carroll. She rode herself inside out, off the front solo for over half the race, ticking off lap after wicked lap as everybody wondered when the damn lap cards were going to come out. With only handful of laps to go, her gap came down from 20+ seconds to a measly eight, and it looked like all that work might have been in vain. With two to go and the gap still looking a bit shaky, PB & Co. teammate Hanan Alves-Hyde took a risk with the remaining seconds and went off the front, dangling like a carrot between Kat & the charging field. Only Mary Maroon from Touchstone Climbing followed, timing it perfectly to take second at the line. Hanan’s risk paid off for third place.

(Photo stolen from Bob Cullinan of www.CycleTo.com. More great photos at the site, go check it out.)

On Sunday we had Delta Velo’s Lodi CycleFest criterium. In its second year, this race has everything you could ask for: community support, huge prize purses, a super-cool downtown venue with a cobbled section, neutral support from Williams Wheels, great announcing, free food and beer for the racers, and a whole lot of heat. Unfortunately I missed a lot of the men’s race thanks to that free beer, but as mentioned above I saw JFraga in a break of 5 (including Ryan Parnes of Yahoo, JD Bergman of Clif Bar, and a Williams rider who I believe was dropped - apologies to those I couldn’t identify, put it in the comments & I will give you your credit). They were caught with not many to go, and another small break, including - you guessed it - Rand Miller, got away in the closing laps. A few guys made it back up to the final break before the end of the race, making a lead group of two TT1 riders and around eight singles. Team Type 1 doubled their luck for the weekend with another win.

Edit: Commenter Josh points out that I was remiss in not giving props to Rob “Hooptie” Evans for taking 2nd place on Sunday. He made the final break and manhandled the sprint while wearing borrowed, mismatched shoes and pedals. Why would he be riding that kind of frankenstein equipment, you ask? Apparently he lost shoe in Big Red, the Montano Velo/RH Villa/BPG/what are they now? party bus, while letting loose post-race on Saturday. Good on ya, Rob and apologies for the omission.

The women’s race was a battle of the titans, Maroon vs. Kachorek. After a flurry of attacks from Dolce Vita, Touchstone Climbing and Wells Fargo, Emily Kachorek of the Wells Fargo team re-entered the race after an early mishap that sent her from the back stretch to the neutral pit. She attacked shortly after getting back into the race, catching the field in a lull and taking one teammate with her.  Mary Maroon was the only rider able to bridge the gap, showing that her early-season dominance and selection to the Nature Valley Pro Ride was no fluke: Mary Maroon is the real deal. I will not be the least bit shocked if the proseys start calling on her soon. She’s got the talent, drive and heart to really make it.

Maroon and Kachorek rotated through and built their gap, dropping the second Wells rider in the process. Kate Landau from Third Pillar, Team Vegan rider Emily Thurston, Los Gatos’ Mary-Ellen Ash and Kate Ligler from Dolce Vita tried to bridge again and again, but there was no getting past Touchstone and Wells Fargo riders keeping the race in check. Ultimately, Maroon bested Kachorek in the sprint with Ash taking the field sprint for third.

Next up: the Watsonville, Colavita and Berkeley Bike Club criteriums.

Locals shine under chilly, thundery skies

It seems there’s rarely an edition of Copper that doesn’t have a few majestic professionals taking part to prep themselves for later season grandeur by storming the training log with gear-wrenching climbs, windswept pursuits, and frame jarring descents.  From li’Levi getting ready for L’Tour to big Jacques-Maynes stomping his way up the NRC rankings … there’s almost always a turbo showing up to blow exhaust over the regional riders in this Norcal classic.  Oh, the bitterness of recollecting the only year I’d ever had a stone’s throw of a chance at winning the elite race … looking back and seeing world champ Felipe Meirhaeghe crushing up the climb to swallow my hailmary attack. He was popped for EPO two weeks later at Sea Otter … douchebag.

But not this year.  This year was a battle of the Norcal regulars ~ the up and comers, the grizzled veterans to fight it out for a year’s worth of bragging rights for taking the first big crown of the season, the epic … the classic, Copperopolis.

Lap 1 ~ setup and sitdown

With 105 miles on order, those who take the first lap flyers are either insane, or just insanely fit.  CalGiant’s Steve Reaney is, of course, both.  But what he is mostly, is one helluva team rider.  Reaney threw himself out in front of the race all day long, knifing away at the front end of the race to keep the pro1,2 peloton on the defensive from the get-go.  Yahoo! Cycling was equally represented in courage and strategy by Philip Mooney.

Mooney and Reaney are fascinating contradictions in style.  Mooney will crack a joke and giggle to himself like a 12-year old as he spins an elegant 1000 watts, while you rarely see Reaney smile unless he’s contentedly chewing on some poor cat 2’s thigh.

There was a solid group of 6 riders off the front starting the lap 2 climb in the men’s race: Reaney, Mooney, Echelon G-Fondo’s Nate English, Bahati Foundation’s Morgan Ryan, Erick Pierce of Los Gatos, and ThirstyBear’s Eric Kimbles. The chasing pack was riding with steady conviction, and thus, dwindling on every ascent.  Leading the charge were riders from Morgan Stanley, ALA-Lombardi, and Above Category Racing.  The next two laps would see groupings and regroupings at the front until finally it was down to an elite group of 5 left at the business end of the race.

United Healthcare’s Max Jenkins and CalGiant’s Jesse Moore would join the original breakaway hardmen of English, Reaney, and Mooney.  This quintet would power away from the pack, with all other riders scrambling to finish, or finish ahead of others.  But, the final 20 miles were to be fought out amongst these 5 quality riders, all homegrown talents from the Norcal.  Satisfying indeed!

Beginning the final climb, it would be Reaney leading Moore and Mooney up the feedzone, powering up the choppy, rutted false flat.  There were no smiles left from Mooney, but Jesse Moore had the look of a cat licking lips in front of a canary cage.  Up the climb and across the plateau, Moore would soar away from the race and finish with a glide to the line.  Mooney would hang on for a solid, brave 2nd ~ with Reaney overtaken by English and Jenkins to finish off the day’s work in 5th.

Great race.
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Women … chips all in

The p1/2 women’s field was chock full of all the local bombadeers we’ve grown to love over these first few months of the season.  The odds on favorite had to be Metromint’s flying ace, Molly Van Houweling.  MVH had the form and momentum to vie for a Copperopolis title, hot off her GC win last weekend in the Topsport Stage Race, as well as nabbing the final road stage.   But it was a strong contingent of Touchstone Climbing women who were on hand Saturday, led in spirit and strategy by the return of Kelly McDonald to the Norcal scene … showing that ‘retirement’ is a word not able to sit long in the vocabulary of most cyclists.

The first lap was very mild for the p1/2 women, with Metromint confident of the climbing abilities of MVH on the final 2 laps and perhaps Touchstone not willing to drill it after losing their big engine, Marley Smith, to what must have been a mechanical early in the race.  Coming through the feedzone to begin lap 2, it would be the p1/2 field riding steady, cat-n-mouse pace ~ with the cat 3 field leaders but a scant few seconds behind, and Marley Smith pounding away in solo pursuit well over a minute behind that.

The women’s cat 3 field showed, once again, that Norcal is developing more and more talent for the near and long-term future of US cycling.  Luna triathlon professional, Tyler Stewart would press the pace for the entire 63 mile event in the 3s, throttling her lithe frame up the steeps and forcing a relentless pace through the winds and across the flats of Copperopolis.  Stewart will likely upgrade to the p1/2 field after this weekend, and she very much has a future in women’s professional cycling, if she desires it.

As a former iron-distance triathlete myself, I know the beauty of solitude that the sport offers … the challenge, the inner battles, the epic accomplishment. But cycling is a world unto itself, a universe apart … a set of challenges so diverse and intricate that once you are set on that path, it is near impossible to step off.  Hopefully, Stewart will be able to convince Luna that women’s road cycling is another solid marketing step for the line of Clif products.

Joining Stewart, and equally as possessed in driving the pace of their lead group was Beth Newell (Bell Lap Sh*t-talkers), Marian Jamison (Touchstone Climbing), Francesca Barsamian (Wells Fargo), and Susan Lannoo (Bella Fiore).  These women powered across a 5-minute gap to catch and pass many of the p1/2 women’s field.  Strength and grit … and good signs for the future of Norcal cycling.  Stewart would eventually take a solo victory, with Newell outsprinting Jamison for 2nd and Barsamian ahead of Lanoo rounding out the top-5.

But in the p1/2, the cat and mouse tactics came to an abrupt end on lap 2 of the race.  Touchstone’s Mary Maroon shot off the front of the race and made a courageous solo effort for the win.  Pounding through the feedzone, Maroon was the picture of agony … chewing on her bars, mashing gears ~ a model of willpower and suffering endured.  It would be Metromint’s MollyVH next in solo pursuit, profiting from her teammate Amanda Seigle’s massive detonation of the field on the backside climb of the course.

“From wimp to pimp”

Maroon would have a 45 second gap on MVH starting the climb on the final lap.  The two would connect and ride together over the flats to set up a big showdown on the backside hill and descent into the Copperopolis finish.  It was an especially sweet moment for these two riders, as both recalled with painful clarity that it was but a few years ago that they were both off the back of this same race. But this year, these two women were off the front and dueling it out for the win.

MVH would put in a superb final climb and accelerate away from Maroon by 40 seconds over the crest of the hill.  But it would be Maroon who would put in a colossal effort of strength and daring to throw herself down the descent, chasing like a demon, a banshee, a woman possessed.  At the finish line, the crowds could easily pick out the two riders, the distinct polka dots of MVH ahead of the low, powering form of Maroon … impossibly rocketing across the gap.

“Go Molly”

“Go Mary”

Yelled from all sides, and often from the same sources ~ as all present would have been pleased to see either woman come across the line first.  But it was MVH, in full grimace and with a heroic final hundred meters that fended off Maroon’s improbable chase.

What a race, what a race.

Behind would be Metromint’s Jane Robertson sprinting past a very, very strong effort by Third Pillar’s Jazzy Hurinko, with Nicole Dolney leading a trio of Touchstone climbers in Heather Pryor and Marley Smith.
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Masters wins came in the form of Dan Bryant over Chris Phipps for the men’s 35+, Michael Pugh just grabbing a tight 45+ sprint over Michael O’Rourke,  and Mark Caldwell winning the 55+ over Peter Taylor.  Linda Elgart would capture the women’s master race against a solid field of competitors.

In Juniors racing, incredible efforts were put forth by Andreas Freund of the Davis Bike Club in the 17-18 field, and Zeke Mostov of SJBC in the 13-14 division.  Jack Maddux of Specialized would lead in a powerful chase to try and capture Mostov … but, what a solo effort by the young man from San Jose to stay away and earn the win.  Great racing in the junior ranks.

Perennial rockstar, Katrina Howard took another win in the 13-14 for the women … and it’s amazing to believe how many years this young lady has been dicing it up on the cycling circuit.  If she wants it and commits to it, this young woman will be the next Ina Teutenberg … count on it.

Tyler Williams (AIAGE/Grimway Farms) would speed away from talented Alexander Freund (Davis Bike Club) and year-round racer Isaiah Rapko (Above Category Racing) for the win in the men’s 15-16.  Tieni Duro’s Page Robertson would easily win the women’s 15-16, while Elisabeth Scheder-Beschin would take victory in the 17-18 over Taylor Meilahn.

Bunch of my pictures of the race here.
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Next up ~Santa Rosa’s Apple Pie Crits and the HippStar Menlo Park Grand Prix … see you there!
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May 22-23 … all you need to get comfortable with no brakes

2010 Women’s Track Clinic @ Hellyer Velodrome

Now, it is true that I speak from a world of bias … as someone who has a deep and forever-bound love for the art and drama of track racing ~ however, I can assert with some pretty damn strong confidence that people who ride the velodrome become better, safer, and faster riders out on the road.

Riding the velodrome implants a greater understanding of bike handling, the reasons and consequences of lateral movement of riders, how to become adept at sensing and avoiding overlapping wheels, and … of course, how to build yourself a better sprint.

This May, master’s national champ Annabell Holland will join Beth Newell (3 top-10’s at 2009 Elite Track Nationals) to provide 20 lucky women a chance to get introduced to all things fixed gear. This is the second year of the Women’s Track Clinic … and if you’ve ever had an inkling to check out velodrome riding ~ don’t miss this opportunity.

Track riding breeds finesse on the bike.  It teaches you how to increase your vision while riding and how to become more fluid in your ability to process and predict the action of bike racing.  Fixed gear riding promotes a smoother pedalstroke and allows you to realize that increasing your efficiency on a bike will provide you much more speed and power than trying to increase pure strength.

Get yourself to this clinic … and you’ll find that you’ll be wanting to get yourself a cheap fixed gear bike to add to your road riding fun.  Toss a brake on for safety out on the roads, and get to pedaling fixed … it’ll change your whole perspective on bike riding.

Register now! Only 20 spots for the weekend.

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Chileno Valley Grasshopper ~ my, oh my … what a fun time

It’s not often that everyday weekend warriors get a chance to line up next to professional cyclists for an 80 mile, 8K of climbing hammerfest … but, that’s what the Grasshopper folks offer us once in awhile.

The Grasshopper series of training rides are the stomping grounds of many a diehard who may not pin race numbers on jerseys all that often, but most certainly know how to enter the pain cave and start decorating like they mean to stay.  The Grasshoppers are where quite a few good-natured smackdowns of NorCal bragging rights are fought out … with the road events being but one part of the real party.

This particular Grasshopper was an excellent fundraiser for Ross Dillon and his family - survivors of inattentive drivers on our roads and a cruel medical insurance system.

Good cause, and feel free keep the donations flowing.

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Veronika Lenzi was out on the course taking a sweet line of fotos ~ and you should always take time to view things through that woman’s eyes ~ her lense captures more of a moment than you’d think possible.  And remember, there’s access to those memories delivered to your doorstep with a few clicks and a smattering of bucks.

This image is of the one and only Curtis Inglis popping some hooptie on a climb.  I can’t believe I was lucky enough to be out riding next to a legendary framebuilder like Inglis, a kickass artist like Jeff Hantman, and a world renowned crotch-blogger like BethNewell.

Fun stuff.
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Bissell hardman, Paul Mach, pinched out a quick quarter-report narrating how the front end of things shook down through those painful climbs and mind-numbing headwinds of Santa Rosa … making note of how pretty boy BJM, Wohlberg the Wolverine, canada RobBritton, and the two Giant StarBerries Talansky&Berrilleaux throttled each other for 3.5 hours.

It was a great ride by Talansky … only 22 years old and screaming with potential ~ out of the hooks of that Amore-Vita nonsense and riding with the Giant Berries.  He’ll get good looks at some of the best racing in the US, and be able to take home a few bucks in prize money this year.  Joining him off the front was 25-year old teammate, Jared Barrilleux (Barry-Oh!) … one cowboy of a rider that always pleases crowds with his ability to suffer and willingness to throw himself out in front of a bike race.

These two young men have the luxury of being on a top-notch squad that offers a size-able stepping stone to moving on to bigger and better things in cycling.  Well done and we’ll see.
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Speaking of bigger and better …

The Bissell squad is absolutely the best run and most stable US-domestic professional squad on the scene today.  Their media pushes are organized well, timed for effectiveness, and successfully assist the riders to brand Bissell in the minds of cyclists and fans across the country.

This year’s squad will be formidable with the addition of some key riders.  It’s hard to say that Daniel Holloway will have a breakout year - just because he’s already had national and international success as a US criterium champion and 6-day track specialist in Europe.  But, with a powerful squad behind him hungry for sprint wins … this will be a year when Hollywood will not only be a legitimate contender for field sprints, but also a year cementing him as a rider who knows how to bring the show.

Cycling is a sport of characters … of riders we want to watch, want to follow, want to support.  Holloway has the potential to be one of those riders with his brash but likeable demeanor - and this year’s Bissell squad has the elements to exploit that kind of young bravado, while also keeping both feet on the ground through experience and maturity.

Bissell has the seasoned intelligence and leadership of Ben Jacques-Maynes.  But they also have the raw animalistic power of his brother Andy JM.  They’ve got the quick and surgical accelerations of a rider like Cody O’Reilly, as well as the smooth, granite coolness of a Paul Mach.  From management to support staff to riders, Bissell is going to be showing fans around the country what it means to be professional in cycling.

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Tour of New Zealand - USA #1

Shelley Evans sprinted to victory in stage one of this prestigious UCI event, nabbing the leader’s jersey and asserting the US National team as ready to defend to the end.  The ace in the whole for the squad is, of course, world champion Amber Neben.  Neben is a rider with a palmares longer than a Kentucky derby studfarm and will be key to backing up Shelley’s bid for a first GC international win.

Key to supporting Neben will be TIBCO’s Alison Starnes … already a rider proving that she loves to paint herself purple with pain on the front-end of a race for a teammate.  Janel Holcomb is also a rider with a strong history of being in the wind for a team, and I see her as being integral to keeping Shelley positioned well while Neben directs the team on the road.

Should be a great Tour.
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Hello NorCal!

True ’nuff … it’s been a long, long spell since I’ve posted to this website ~ but I do appreciate all the writings put forth by those who’ve volunteered time and wit to the enterprise of spreading the fun of cycling in NorCal.  Hopefully, as the road season picks up momentum we’ll have more content rolling through these e-pages of interwebdom.

But for now ~ I’ll throw out some early season sass to help lube the machine.  I’ll save my comments for the Masters and Women’s racing … as I know there are at least a couple secret scribblers of this website who were in attendance in SacTown to flesh out all the ins&outs of yesterdays crit-shenanigans.  And who knows, maybe we’ll have a word or two about how the Folsom crits shook down, as well.

All hail those who spread the gospel.

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Cal Aggie Criteriums ~ v.2010

Land Park is one of my favorite venues for NorCal racing - it’s quiet enough you can rowdy it up without too much reserve, it’s wide and safe but keeps riders on toes and accurate with a couple of curb-feeler swishy turns on the backside, and it’s always good for a workout that will leave snot dripping from noses and lungs burning for breath.

My kind of day.
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Elite Women’s Event

The field at this year’s Cal Aggie Crit was smaller than perhaps hoped for ~ but packed a good strong punch and, i’ll submit, offered a rather insightful microcosm into the state of women’s cycling.

The race began with the invigorated Wells Fargo Racing Squad shooting sparks right off the line. The first 2 laps of the race were very, very quick - with both the Fargo ladies and UCDavis sending a rider each off the front.  The pack would chase hard for a couple laps, with SugarCRM doing a good amount of work, as well as Beth Newell.

A lap later, Newell would take a dig at bridging across solo - soon to be joined by another duo from WellsFargo and UCDavis … solidifying the front of the race with 5 riders - 2 WellsFargos, 2 UCDavis, and Newell.  These riders would say nothing and ride hard … the best way to run things.  Each lap, each rider would take turns at the front - getting in the early season training and doing the hard work of riding a break for the win.

What inspires me tremendously about what was seen on this Sunday in Sactown … was the courage and budding professionalism displayed by the women in the field.  The front 5 women were all business - no squabbling for pulls (… note to masters racers …), no games played … just all effort and no bullshit.  These women went after it.

Bad Ass

Winning the race was Emily Kachorek of Wells Fargo.  In the break and finishing behind were Amy Chandos (UCD), Cody Graf (WF), Larissa Fitchett (UCD),  and Beth Newell (Bell Lap Racing)..  These women show us that the future of NorCal women’s riding is strong and growing … 5 quality riders with a long road of development in front of them.  Can’t wait to see how it goes.

And what inspired just as much were the 3 women chasing behind the lead group … giving a thousand percent to stay in the race, be the race, MAKE the race.  These 3 women were no less dedicated to racing their bikes than any mens’ field ~ not one iota less brave and not one ounce less exciting to watch.  I applaud these women and their willingness to show what it is that makes bike racing a beautiful sport … never giving up, racing with honor, and a little bit of puking once across that finish line.

well done, rockstars
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But what frustrated me on Sunday - and where I’ll call out a rider to give more … because i know she has more to give … is the riding of SugarCRM’s Kim Fong.  Fong spent the majority of the race on her tops - giving the impression that she didn’t care about the race, didn’t care to expend the effort, just plain … didn’t care.  And, getting lapped in the process by BOTH groups of racers.

All this type of riding does is reinforce the negative impression that still resides in some racers, promoters, even officials … that women don’t race their bikes hard and fast, that women aren’t committed to the beauty of the sport.

This type of riding doesn’t reflect well on the team, the advertisers of the team, or her teammates.  And perhaps it frustrates me most because the women of SugarCRM are one of my favorite squads to watch in NorCal, favorites to cheer for, favorites to write about.  And they still will be - and I’ll look for another opportunity to cheer for Kim Fong, as well.  I hope she burns a hole in her chamois in the next race, shoving each and every word I’ve written about her down my craw.  Because I know she can.

So do it, damn it.

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Masters Racing … same old, same old … with a new kid on the block

Chad Gerlach won the 35+ race at Cal Aggie the way it should be done - the hard way.  He was his typical self … relentlessly throwing himself off the front and powering away like a man possessed.  And of course, he is.

Joining Gerlach were Matt Ream of Kinetics Cycles/GBI, Andres Gil of Williams Cycling, Nick Theobald of Safeway, Jason Boynton of Rocknasium, and one rider I wasn’t able to identify (apologies).

The men threw down a few kilotons of aggression at the field and each other … showing why racing in NorCal masters fields is so very, very demanding.  Each of these riders is a quality p1/2 rider and can mix it up in any region of the US as an elite.  But, in NorCal … there is a strong tradition of ‘forever young’ … and these boys exemplified it on Sunday.

The chase behind was always strong with Clover and Zenn being the largest teams to miss the move.  They chased sporadically, attempted bridging moves incessantly, and were marked dead in their tracks by the cohesive riding of the break’s teammates.

Classic masters racing - hard, fast, tactical … and a little bit acidic.

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In the end, it would be Theobald tossing in some late, strong attacks that would splinter the break - each rider doing their best to bluff, and counter.  But it was the hardman’s legs of Gerlach taking the win over Gil, Theobald, then Ream.

Great racing. Almost makes me want to be out there.

Almost.

. . .

This week I’m working for Andrew, Owner Operator of Cyclocross Magazine.  Cyclocross Magazine is doing live coverage each day so don’t miss our genius scribblings.  Below is the quick recap of the races that Barbarella and Barnholt took today.  Full coverage is available at the Cyclocross Magazine site located at http://www.cxmagazine.com

Women’s 30-34

Kari Studley took and early lead in the women’s 30-34 race and was joined by Barb (Barbarella) Howe and Andrea Smith.   Smith faltered losing contact with the two west coast riders while Howe and Studley traded the lead and took shots at each other like it was a championship boxing match.  As the weather warmed up course conditions took a sharp turn for the different as riders started crossing the finish streaked in mud.  While Howe and Studley traded blows Dierdre (Dee Dee Winfield) worked her way into third and by the last lap passed Studley to finish second.  In the final straight Studley found herself in a two up sprint with Andrea Smith and after some contact between the two riders Smith crossed the line third much to Studley’s disappointment.  Howe’s commanding win in the final laps of the 30 plus race demonstrated her drive and commitment after several years of health issues and injuries that have kept her readjusting expectations from her level of three to four years ago.

Women’s 35-39

Starting behind the 30-34 women’s Kerry Barnholt might have been at a disadvantage. Barnholt used the 30 year old women as rabbits and after taking the hold shot Barnholt ripped her way through the fields to the point that if she was racing in the 30 year old race she would have come in 5^th.   Linda Sone, a firefighter our of Minneapolis, and Nicole Duke, a pro downhill racer, rounded out the top three but never caught sight of Barnholt once she was out of the starting gate.

To read more about NorCal contenders who finished on the podium today including Karen Brems and James Coats visit Cyclocross Magazine. Even later I will tell you about my speeding ticket, my rolled tubular, and clothes selection - which i might add, is better suited to a ski trip than a bike race.

My #CalCup picks are a huge disaster with the exception of my Men’s darkhorse favorite Rand Miller.  Fabrice is a no show…probably went back to France or something, but Dark Horse pick Rand Miller has got some action going on.  He’s currently in the lead up through Suisun.  A couple of podiums and top tens have put him in the running for the overall title.  Andres Gil – who is always in the top few spots at Cal Cup– is sitting comfortably behind Rand.  In retrospect it was stupid not to put Gil on my list – hind sight is 20/20. Gil seems to have more of a penchant for the hilly races than Rand so I am looking for him to jump up to the top if he stays healthy.  Evan Huffman from Lombardi is putting in a good result too after a good run at Dunnigan and Suisun – we’ll see if he can manage the hilly events coming up.   I’m curious to see if Nate English will lay it down over the next few weeks and if rookie Elite rider Eric Kimbles can keep his form and put together a few more results to capture a podium spot like he did at the Cascade Stage Race.

Kevin Klein’s not strutting his stuff but his significant other Jane Despas has been doing some damage with wins at Dunnigan and San Ardo.  Jane would be walking away with it all if it wasn’t for Katherine Curi Mattis swooping in out of “Pro Land” to take several races.  Word is KCM is warming up for some high profile mid-west crits so likely won’t be around for the final races of the series.  That said…KCM is the hard woman of NorCal cycling having fought through all kind of injuries the last few years.  Being this close to the #CalCup title might spur her on to rack up a few more points and take the honors in 2009. Overall the women’s scene has been harder to predict, since it looks like there has not been a single rider who has consistently raced all the events.  That said Olivia Dillon is sitting up at the top, as expected, with two big finishes and a win at University. With some of the hard races and a time trial still to be scored it could be tight three way battle between Despas, Dillon, and KCM.  There is still room for a dark horse to pick up points through consistency - so I’d keep an eye on Jane Robertson, Annie Malouin, and Amy Chandos to make a podium run if they show up for the next few races.

I wasn’t planning on doing any Masters coverage, just to keep my post a little shorter…however,  Brian Bosch is just dominating.  He’s turning into a one man wrecking crew out there. He’ll probably even score some points in the P/1/2 category.  I bet he’s a good wheel to have regardless of the race he’s in.

I can’t find much good coverage of San Ardo or University – if you have the top three for either of these races please shoot them over to us at NorCalCycling News.  And remember… use the #Calcup tag if you want to twitter the top three of any race.  For complete Cal Cup Results Through 8/16 see this link.

University W 1/2/3 - 1. Dillon, 2. Starnes, 3. Malouin

San Ardo W 1/2/3 - 1. Despas,  2. Hecht

Subtitle: I had not idea this was so long - I’m like a freaking James Joyce!

I imagine that in 1978, which predates my cycling infatuation by several years, it was generally impossible to follow what was happening in Le Tour. I assume it’s like waiting for CalCup results – where word of mouth and random postings in local periodicals (internet, newspapers) – kinda, sorta, keep you informed. (Which reminders me…if you are going to one of the races could you all have pity on working parent and use a #CalCup tag to give us the top men’s and women’s race results? It would make reporting on it SO much easier. In addition it would be nice if the Nor Cal cycling communitytook over the #1 Google search for “CalCup” which is currently awarded to a field hockey tournament. While we may be mocked for the leg shaving, could there be anything more fringe than the The US Men’s Field Hockey team?)  My point being…its hard to get timely results.

That said, CalCup deserves our summer attention more than the current Euro fare of Vattenfall Cyclassic or Volta a Portugal. Frankly, it’s the next best race after the Le Tour and Oregon stage races end in July. A successful Tour and CalCup strategy are similar.  Two good time trials, mountain stage, and staying in the mix for most of the races can get you an overall win. CalCup, like the tour, is a series that rewards consistency, a varied skill set, and the ability to show up when others bail due to vacation, contract issues, or injury. CalCup offers TT’s, Crits, hilly races, and flat sprinter stages all on a Velopromo budget. Lately it’s been a home for riders either winding up or winding down their careers and if you don’t think of it as an indicator of future success already you should start paying attention. It would be easy to use CalCup as a good indicator of the next big thing in the women’s peloton. Looking up historical results is challenging, and I’m willing to admit it’s a “me” problem, but my recollection is Flavia, Brooke, and Shelly all have done some time on the podium and they are all kicking ass at the moment.

THE MEN
I’m sure a few of the pro boys like the local Bissels and D-Holla will turn up to make folks bleed but they should have too much to do with the US Pro and Ol Miss coming up, putting CalCup firmly be in the hands of the locals. Philip Mooney cranked out a win in the Warnerville TT, and from the looks of it in the USA Cycling database, this collegiate Metromint rider can do some damage in crits as well as time trials.  For the rest of the field I am just going to defer to the BAR Stat machine and gin out a few easy picks.

After last year’s win by “The Wolverine” it’s not beyond reason that Kevin Kline can prove “Lance’s Theory” (which I kind of think sounds like “Brian’s Song” – which, as a title for movie didn’t really make sense to me, but did give rise to Brian Piccolo Park where there is a sweet little velodrome) that age is an asset not a detriment.  Kevin’s experience and fitness aside, I am going to peg FABRICE (can we just agree he should have one name and should stop wearing a shirt) for an overall win.  He’s been scarily consistent and can perform in all types of events. After FABRICE I am liking Jesse Moore who could have won CalCup last year if he had shown up for a few of the early series races.  Moore’s 2009 results  look even better than last year, so if FABRICE and the leprechauns falter the Giant Berries will be drinking up the wins.

Dark Horse Picks: Rand “I Can Attack That” Miller and Nate “Best Name in Cycling” English have the tenacity, skill, and desire to show up for every race that can put them in the mix for a series like CalCup.

THE WOMEN
The women’s side should be cake walk for Olivia Dillon if she hasn’t gone pro already. Logic says Olivia can get it all just by showing up to all the races and doing her TT/Hard Rider thing – but looks like she skipped the Warnerville TT, that was taken by Lauraleen Fenech of Bici Sport. I just looked up Lauraleen on the USA Cycling DB and she appears to have some Jeannie Longo type genes and motivation.  All you need is two good TT’s and a road race Lauraleen!

If Train Tibco shows up like they did at the early season races things could change but Tibco has been MIA since Tour de Nez. Brooke Miller and the girls have been too busy on the east coast summer crit scene earning some scratch to think about CalCup T Shirts.  All of this precludes the Shelly Olds factor. The reality is, no matter what the race is, Shelly can probably snake a win from you. Team, no team… hills, no hills, she’s just on fire… f-that – Shelly is Fire.  Plus – if ProMan brings their scary juniors everyone should be afraid – they are vampire children with ridiculous gear ratios that will hypnotize and numb you for the eventual kill.

Dark Horse Picks: Kelly McDonald – 4th last year, currently 3rd in BAR – it’s a “moneyball” decision; she’s got numbers and results behind her. It would be nice to see a rider step up from one of the smaller programs like Sugar CRM, Webcor or Metromint and make it into the top three – Here’s a tip for the smaller teams: you can get a podium by showing up and being consistent. Virginia Perkins got 5th overall from three solid races last year, only one of which was a win.

Le Tour was a snooze fest, but if you folks learn to twitter me some #CalCup results all can be right again.  I’ll work on some editing and how to insert pictures for next time.