NorCal Cycling News

Nez, Nevada City, and Pesky blahblah

Howdy folks ~ trying out a video post.   Apologies for the slow VIMEO interface … but, the video was over the YouTube 10min barrier and i don’t have the stamina to do two takes.  So this first vidpost will be hosted on crappy slow VIMEO. Whenever I watch through VIMEO - I pause the vid, let it upload completely, then try and not cringe when it still chops up. Anyway, if I do any other vidposts, they’ll be patched through the youboobtubes.
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Norcalcyclingnews.com - June 22, 2010 from Michael Hernandez on Vimeo.

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And … didn’t have time to scratch on about how cool Nature Valley Grand Prix was this year.  Big battles by Alison Starnes and Scott Zwazinksi to keep their leaders’ jerseys … but overcome by Shelley Evans and Rory Sutherland. Great freakin’ race.

I’m darkhorse picking Starnes to win the Elite TT championships this year.
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Well - let me know if i should scrap the vidposts.  Lates,
m

Big win by the Boston Brawler

TIBCO’s Megan Guarnier wins the Tour d’ Nez prologue!!!  Megan G took another win in her gathering storm of form this summer.  This year’s Nez will be a criterium specialist’s delight, and big MiG will have a strong chance at winning the overall omnium and looting the big race’s substantial prize purse.

TIBCO holds two leads around the nation now, as Alison Starnes grips the top rung in the Nature Valley Grand Prix after her fantastic time trial effort.  The win by Starnes is huge and is one more indication of just how much potential is thundering under the surface in the TIBCO rider.

Stage 3 was cancelled at the NVGP due to tornado warnings, or some such mid-western crazytalk.  But, the hots will be on display again today … so be sure to check out the action on the interwebs and give a cheer to the locals crushing it up big.

Speaking of locals …

NorCal’s Scotty Zwizanski won the men’s opening time trial in the NVGP and again dips himself into gold in front of a field of top American racers.  Zwizza is a crowd favorite and well respected in the peleton … so, there will be some serious applause if the big man can defend the jersey against the inevitable onslaught.

CalGiant’s Jesse Moore broke the 40K time trial record out at Sattley this past weekend … a huge result for the man who has been putting in some of the most consistent and panache-filled results all year long.  Fantastic result for the Berry rider and shows that the team is looking very, very good for the upcoming Elite National Championships in Bend, OR.

Look for Moore to shine.

Metromint Molly Van Houweling won the women’s time trial championship in Sattley with another powerful display of her specialty. MVH on a TT bike is like watching two-wheeled ballet … grace and power.

Beautiful.

Speaking of beautiful …

For those who don’t know Murphy ‘the’ Mack ~ or haven’t seen him in one of Sheila Moon’s skinsuits ~ Murphy is pretty much the coolest, hippest, baddassest dude on a bike this side of NewYorkBikeSnob.

He’s tossing together a salad of bike riding and nose-tweaking this weekend up in Marin … so, check it out and support the good cause, Marine County Bicycle Coalition.

But read it from the horse’s mouth:

“murphy here.

i’m putting together this little fun ride…

so some people that have seen the poster for the ride this sunday have not heard about or know the meaning of the ‘two wheeled locust’.

there are two people in particular in the bay area that have been hating on MTB and mountain bikers for over 15 years. they start flame wars in forums, message boards and they used to go to a lot of land access meetings to lobby against ANY MTB access. they would say that if you opened any trail to mountain bikers they would “descend like a swarm of two wheeled locust” and destroy everything in their path. they used this “two wheeled locust” as a derogatory term for mountain bikers for years in their writings and on their websites.

so, this is my homage to them. it’s the Marin County Two-Wheeled-Locust.

also, the locust is a cousin of the grasshopper, there seem to be a lot of them in sonoma county.

bring a camera or camera phone! bring sunscreen. mixed terrain = road, rocks and dirt. bring any bike you like.

40ish miles. self supported. party at the finish line. we have a permit, so bring your manners too please!

cheers!

murphy

faster isn’t always better, but it’s always more fun.”

‘These bladder-wheeled bicycles are diabolical devices of the demon of
darkness. They are contrivances to trap the feet of the unwary and
skin the nose of the innocent. They are full of guile and deceit. When
you think you have broken one to ride and subdued its wild and Satanic
nature, behold it bucketh you off in the road and teareth a great hole
in your pants. Look not on the bike when it bloweth upon its wheels,
for at last it bucketh like a bronco and hurteth like thunder. Who has
skinned legs? Who has a bloody nose? Who has ripped breeches? They
that dally along with the bicycle.’ - from a Baltimore sermon in 1896

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Friday Night - June 25th … get your SuperHero on!

Bell Lap Racing is sponsoring a night of track riding, beer drinking, and superhero’d spandex debauchery.

’nuff said.

See you there … i’ll try not to be too obnoxious on the mic (this time).

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At this point I’m sure your ready for some non-track related posts.  Let me get this out of my system and then I will move onto important topics such as which million dollar bike won up at Sattely, or the injustice of the LARPD CX series being discontinued.

Overall the weekend was dominated by Jame Carney.  Carney said he was feeling sluggish going into Saturday night but ended up “Riding like a swan.”  To be frank, I don’t think that the expression was the most masculine way to describe a series of ass kickings Carney laid down on the NorCal (and West Coast for that matter) track community.  Ben Jacques Mayne even showed up to give it a go and Carney swooped both the Scratch race and Points race from Hellyer’s BMOC.  BJM does win for best TVC Twitter post… here is the quote, not sure how Twitter copyrights work so here it goes, “Dave McCook for the win if there’s any justice in the world!” you don’t hear that too much…

There were additionally dominant performances from the other T-Town/ADT regulars in attendance Laura McCaughey, David Espinoza, and Jimmy Watkins.  It was enough to give Hellyer an inferiority complex.  Sure, I guess our big guns (aside from BJM who probably did a 100 mile ride in the AM to prep for NVGP) like Shelly Evans and Daniel Holloway are out of town being all pro and stuff, but the T Town domination of the elite events sure made it clear that the next generation of Hellyer-ites need to step up.  If they don’t then I’m either going to have to step up my psychological warfare against T Town or move to a different track.

Luckily we saw a few standout performances on Saturday that give one hope.  Beth Newell lived up to her potential and lost a narrow battle in the Miss and Out (2nd) and Scratch Race (3rd) to get her on the top steps of the podium.   Pete Billington put himself on the national map with a third place in the Sprints against much more seasoned competition.  And the biggest pull of the night has to be Daniel Farinha who rode a fantastic points race, with junior gearing i might add, to get third place against a top notch field filled with pro’s, journeymen and the various ronin of west coast tracks.  Farinha just became the Luke Skywalker of Hellyer Velodrome… let’s hope he’s got another year of high school before college ruins him. (UPDATE: Word on the street is Farinha graduated on Friday!  Hope you pick a college with a good cycling program!)  Even though they weren’t wins each one of these riders put it down and moved up a notch with their performances.

Next up at the track… More crazy Friday Nite Fights on June 25.  Wear a superhero costume and get a free beer or something.

It was a warm day down at Hellyer but the racing gods looked down kindly at us visiting the temple today and slowed the wind down to a soft tropical breeze as the racing started.  There was plenty of drink and food flowing, and Hernado was in fine form as he found “The Voice” to keep the crowd entertained and buzzing.   Here are a few highlights that stood out in my mind.

Montano Velo Keirin - Jimmy Watkins showed up with his Felt team entourage and just schooled the field in the Finale, finishing with such a lead that he was able to easily raise his arms in a victory salut.  The real revelation of the race was Sam Milroy who just dismantled his heat with a win about about 10 meters and then hung in the Finale to finish third.  Sam may have just moved up from being a local hot shot to West Coast phenom.

Jame Carney - I dunno if he is smarter, fitter, or just luckier but Carney really showed the field that he is a master tonight.  Carney won his Keirin heat, won the Miss and Out and then lapped the field in the Madison.   You might have well called it “Track School By Jame Carney” out there.

SportVelo Women’ Points Race - This was easily the most exciting race to watch. Shelly Evans was a marked woman so team mate Ruth Winder cleverly took the first sprint before Hanan Alves-Hyde launched herself into what looked like a suicide attack.  Hanan got a half a lap as the field waited for a reaction but nothing came - all eyes stayed on Evans who was content to play her own game of poker.  Hanan dug for the next ten laps hanging on with a quarter to half a lap lead to win the sprint but she held a tenuous lead.  Vanderkitten Reither bridged whcih was enough to give Hanan a break and lap the field before the last sprint.  A great gamble and tactical race by Hanan who has been on the comeback trail for most of the year.  Evans won the last sprint putting her in third place making a great pay day for the Peanut Butter riders.

There are a handful of must see cycling events in the bay area

1. The San Francisco Twilight Crit (Bring it back!)
2. The San Rafael Twilight Crit (July 10!)
3. The Pilarcitos night time cross race (A little taste of awesome)
4. The Testarossa Velodrome Challenge  6 PM Fri June 11 & Sat June 12

Arguably the TVC is the best bang for your buck - while parking at Hellyer Velodrome costs $6 and you are best served if you take the carpool lane down there are distinct advantages.  The beer is free and plentiful and the prize money usually attracts a top flight field.  t is worth the drive to watch pro’s, Olympians, and world champions square off against each other on 335 meters of concrete.  The race is so big it draws the track specialists from not just NorCal but around the globe.  Here is a quick primer to help you keep score.

The Locals

Shelly Evans - Not content to be just one of the best in NorCal Evans moved onto the world stage last year with huge performances on both the track and road.  Evans has shifted her focus from the track to the road since the UCI has taken a hatchet to the track endurance program and her specialty the points race.  Expect Evans to show up one night before taking off for Nature Valley Grand Prix and the Giro.

Dave McCook - McCook is a former pro, multiple national champion, and local legend.  He’s a fierce competitor when ever he’s racing and is always fun to watch when there is money on the line.

Beth Newell - She sprints, she climbs, she writes! Newell does it all and after a successful spring campaign on the road is putting the rest of her energy this year toward the track.  She’s out for some cash this weekend, needs a new washer or something, so keep an eye on the “Bell with Wing.”

Others to watch:  Sam Milroy, Matt Talbott

Read the rest of this entry »

Mt Hood Cycling Classic

Molly Van Houweling has gotten the big GC win we all knew she had building in her legs for the 2010 season. MVH won the opening TT down in Arizona’s Valley of the Sun … but sprint bonuses bumped her off the podium.

Mt Hood, however, is a race all about sustained power and willingness to suffer … on climbs, across windswept flats, and through the wet and snow.  And MVH was on top of her game, winning the TT, defending on the mountain stages, and coming away with a prestigious stage race title.

The final criterium was dumping rain … and for anyone who has ever raced the downtown Hood River criterium ~ you know that the decision by the officials to not have the stage count to GC was one that saved many collarbones and carbon fiber frames.

Oregon stage racing … best in the country. Hands down.
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Paul Mach gave another strong showing for the BISSELL boyz … but, it was the UHC cage-fighters that took the GC at Hood with strong team riding and a stellar time trial put in by the Dutchman de Maar.

As Mach writes on his site … a bad day can make the best look like a pwnt amateur.

Mach gave it full gas to defend his 2009 title, but came up short against a full UHC squad very willing to redeem themselves for another somewhat lackluster Tour of California showing.

But a rider showing a huge amount of luster and bluster at Hood was Echelon’s Nate English.  English has been ripping every climb available in NorCal these past couple years, and it was clear that he went into the 2010 Hood River Classic with massive form and a hungry appetite for suffering.

Just about every VeloNews article about the race was forced to mention English’s name at some point, cuz the boy was ripping the front end of the race like somebody was paying him to do it.

And hopefully somebody will get the sense to do so … soon.
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Philly and Tulsa … NorCal style

NorCal based professional teams TIBCO, Colavita/Baci, Vera Bradley, and Peanut Butter represented themselves very well on the two big events on the east coast last weekend.

The Tulsa Tough was held in absolutely sweltering temperatures, and the crowds that came out were ready to party southern style … with bbq’s, garden hoses, and veneer thin wardrobes.

hellyeah.

TIBCO’s Amanda Miller won the opening stage in the Tough with a wickedly timed solo attack late in the race.  Peanut Butter’s Coryn Rivera won a stage and vied for the overall omnium victory, but would have to settle for second behind the consistent sprinting of MSU’s Jennifer Purcell.

Cari Higgins also won a stage for Peanut Butter,  taking her first road win of the year.  But again, it was the consistent Purcell who would place on the podium in all events to take the win over the two NorCal based pro squads.

In Lyne’s picture on the right … you’ll see not only Higgins taking the win, but McGuire Cycling’s Sterling Magnell watching from the crowds.

Very cool ~ recon’ing the sprint, or just straight-up interested in women’s cycling … thanks for checking them out, Magnus.
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Philly is … the big beast of US cycling.  The race used to be the US professional championships for men, but now has been relegated to a prestigious one-day event for the boyz … which is what it always has been for the women.

Ina Teutenberg has won at Philly many times and was the clear favorite going into this weekend’s event.  However, with TIBCO’s Brooke Miller having had her most successful European spring campaign to date, Peanut Butter’s Shelley Evans riding a wave of 2010 wins, and Webcor having momentum with Kat Mattis’s win in Europe and the recent addition of big-time firepower with former word champ Amber Neben … Philly was up for grabs in a way that it hasn’t been in years.

The race was one of attrition, with all teams pulling out the claws early and with ferocity.  But it would be a group sprinting it out for the final, with Evans trying an early jump to steal wind from the other sprinters’ sail.  Teutenberg, using her experience and patience, rode her HTC teammates wheel until the line was within spitting distance and then hit the afterburners hard to sweep past Evans at the line.  Brooke Miller would finish 4th, just behind Colavita/Baci’s Theresa Clif-Ryan.

So three out of the top-4 riders at Philly were from NorCal, or NorCal based teams.  Another bit of evidence that our region is the leading edge of women’s riding in the United States, if not the world.
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Speaking of Women’s Racing …

The Tour de Nez has $10K in purse for the women’s field.  The Reno-based race has been showing a strong evolution to offer strong racing for women in their historically male-dominated racing program.

With MUCH more prize money available to the men … it’s time folks start looking to enter into the omnium for the Nez.  You can find plenty of inexpensive hotels out in the Reno area and the weekend of altitude efforts will reinvigorate your summer racing season.

And remember, this is a race that gets national exposure … so, if you want to generate some media hits for your squad, and be seen by some of the top professional outfits ~ register today and make your plans to race the Nez.

If this past weekend of racing in NorCal was any indication … there are a number of teams and riders fending off the June fatigue and ready to uncork some big results this month.

The Dash for Cash race was won by Webcor’s Joel Robertson … and if he heads up to race in the Masters events in Reno, you’d be a fool to bet against him.  But the elite events are all about the youngsters, and if there was a man I’d say worth watching up in Reno it’d be Metromint’s Ethan Atkins.

Atkins was a monster on Sunday in the Pacific Grove Butterfly Criterium.  The polka dotted powerhouse went off the front lap after lap, displaying both fitness and courage.  I haven’t seen a man work that hard off the front of a race since back in the day when Jared Barrileaux was first chewing on necks and busting chainrings.

Look for big things from Atkins in the coming months.
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On the women’s side, Amber Rais always tries to head back to her hometown of Reno this time of year and will be a strong favorite to garner results at the Nez.  But a very on-form rider who can challenge is Third Pillar’s Jasmin Hurikino.  The rider from Brisbane may still be a teenager, but she is riding with the cagey, tenacious tactics of a veteran.

Hurikino was able to power away from the field at the Pacific Grove Butterfly crit with Webcor/Sportvelo rider Haley Juno-Galdes.  The two worked well off the front and had one of the best two-up sprints I’ve seen in a long time.  Juno-Galdes’ teammate, Lauren Hecht won the Dash for Cash on Saturday … a good weekend showing for the team and leads them well into the summer’s racing calendar - especially a crit-friendly omnium like the Nez.

But with her race fitness and willingness to suffer … I see Hurikino as having a strong shot at taking home big chunks of change from the Nez prizebag.
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Lastly ~ come out and have some free beer and food at the Hellyer Velodrome this weekend.  Both Friday and Saturday, the Testarossa Velodrome Challenge is taking place and you will be amazed at how cool, fast-paced, and butt-puckeringly daring these track racers are.

See you there.
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Authors Note: I don’t normally like to get involved in personal disputes but i felt the Hellyer name should be tossed around with more gravitas.  I know Newell is working on a rebuttal, i just couldn’t wait long enough.  Remember TVC is Friday, June 11-Saturday, June 12, 6 PM till close, at Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose

Dear Rand,

I enjoy your blog, i really do.  Specifically i appreciate how you keep your posts entertaining, short, and frequent.  You can ease up with the short jokes, but lines like… “I’m aware there’s a track race on Saturday, but I’m not quite ready for that just yet; I haven’t had time to rob a hipster in the Mission District, so I’m still without a fixed-gear bike” are excellent and worthy of your acclaim.

I fully encourage you to come to the track given the paltry crit options this weekend. You should definitely come to the Testarossa Challenge, which i am hence shortening to Testarossa Challenge, from  it’s original name Testarossa Velodrome Challenge at Hellyer Velodrome cause it sounds redundant, as a I believe I can make the match sprint between yourself and Beth Newell happen.  I suggest Saturday at 5 PM - I”ve got some pull with the organizers.  Specifically, if they don’t do what i say then there will be no beer.  As it happens there will be a lot of beer Friday night.  If you refuse me… there will be no beer Saturday night.  If there is no beer Saturday night lots of people will be angry.  They might even just be angry at you Rand.  That could be bad… cause lots of people chasing you might look like a scene from Under the Rainbow, and yet… that could be funny.  I haven’t decided.

There will be lots of action Friday and Saturday so even if you refuse to race Beth this coming Saturday, which i might add,  i think you should do… since she’s peaking or some such thing, there will be a of spectating to be had.  The track you see, is an ever evolving ring of entertainment.  It’s like the professional wrestling of cycling… well actually those weird games they play in gyms in Germany is really like the professional wrestling of cycling, so let’s say its like the Utlimate Fighting of cycling.   Famous east coast brawlers like Jame Carney will be there, i mean, you never know when one of these guys might come unglued and do something crazy.   Sure, i am prone to hyperbole but who wouldn’t be a little crazy to ride the Keirin.

Most of the races are “endurance” type of stuff, which the meaty sprinter types, i lovingly call them “The Heavies” , avoid like a Sarah Palin press conference.  Unfortunately the TVC, which by my previous logic i should now call the TC, had somewhat arcane qualification process.  As a result we are drawing three types of riders… money hungry pros, fast qualified locals, and a few PhD candidates… sounds like a crowd you could groove with, the PhD candidates that is.

Had i known your challenge yesterday i probably could have scored you some VIP tickets but @ironclm snagged the last pair.  As a result, you will not be able to go to the infield, and hobnob with the upper class over a glass of Testarossa wine and hors devours.  Instead you will have to mingle with the common man, in my neck of the woods, i’m the person with two kegs on the backstretch, between the cargo containers passing out cups of beer, bags of pretzels, and airhorns.

Worried we won’t have enough to talk about over a beer?  Here are some icebreakers for us…

1. TVC Poster - Awesome in its badness.  One year we had girls on the poster dancing like it was a rave.  That was the best one by far in its horribleness.  I made the one with the girls btw.

2.  Are track guys/gals hot or shapped kinda funny.  I go back and forth on this one.

3. Why do people refuse a free airhorn when i offer them one.  I find that odd…don’t you?

4. Will D_Holla smack me in the head if i lean over into the track to far? Answer is FO SHO if he can make it… i’d just do that to get a quick laugh.

5.  Make a beer pyramid with our empty cups… its like college, but now we are better at math which we all know is important for building pyramids.

6. Marvelling/Mocking the last thing Hernando said.  He’s like the Shel Silverstein of race announcers. I go just for the poetry he spits out as the race progresses. Favorite phrase of all time? “Ride the Lizard”

So there you have it… let’s make this match sprint happen.  Racing starts at 6 PM which gives you from 4-5 to get warmed up and some track legs going.  And don’t be going all crazy on your Saturday ride.  You are going to needs some fresh legs to beat Newell.

There is no humiliation at the track, or in match sprints for that matter.  There will be only massive humiliation.   Since we should have a pretty good crowd going i think you will find the atmosphere invigorating, it not a little freaky.   All in all, it should be fun since thee will be beer, a bunch of pro’s and world champions competing, and some pretzels.  Best of luck in the sprint and hope to see you Friday and Saturday Night.

Sincerely

Hellyer

Testarossa Velodrome Challenge - June 11-12

For track afficianados … this event is one of the highlights of the NorCal calendar.  For anyone who has ever been interested in seeing what track racing is like … this event offers an up-close and personal look at some of the biggest quads, quickest minds, and fastest feet in the US.

Track racing is like road racing tossed into a berzerker salad shooter.  It’s a concentrated blitzkrieg of speed and tactics, talent and aggression.  It’s a display of suffering in the purest form, like an alpine climb compressed into it’s most delicate and desiccating essentials … agony.

But it is more than simple physical pain, it is agony on stilts … because the mind must remain detached, observant ~ able to act in a milli-moment’s notice after processing a mountain of minutia … from riders, from conditions, from one’s own body.  Track racing demands focus, determination, and bravery.

It’s a beautiful sport.  And it’s open to men and women of all ages, all abilities.
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The TVC is a national level event at our home track put on by the legend of Hellyer, Rick Adams and multiple US sprint champ (and boogie-woogie rockstar), Kevin Worley.  They enlist the help of dozens and dozens of folks in the Hellyer community to put on this high-caliber and incredibly spectator-friendly event.  For 2010, Andreas Vogel has worked hard to add a Masters-aged Keirin World Championship aspect to the shindig.

But, janky non-UCI world titles aside … who wouldn’t want to mix it up with this kind of prize list on order.  Yowks ~ that’s a lot of change out there for the registering.

So, check out the schedule of events and come down to the Friday and Saturday events to get yourself hooked on track racing.
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Speaking of getting hooked

Rand Miller has been a typing johnnyappleseed on the blog scene this year … defying the calls that the blog be dead and breathing only through the help of stale air’d life supporters who don’t have Facebook accounts.  Some would say that the blogger world has transferred over to Facebook … and that may be true.  But, all i know is ~ Rand was a recent johnny-come-lately to sporting the mullet, when they were flair’ing stylish a few years ago … so, it’s only suiting that he be a blogger now, once that platform has gone the way of compact disc players.

But his writing is cool and sassy, so check it out and maybe consider doing some blogging of your own these days.  Just be sure to let me know so I can link you to the blog-O-reader on the left column of this … website.

However, we were talking track racing ~ and, for anyone who has ever watched Randimus throw himself around and off the front of criteriums in NorCal … you know that this boy is genetically destined to be crushing nutz on the velodrome.

Beth … herself one of the few remaining blogspotters … has had a blog-crush on Rand ever since he began posting anonymously on this website (hint, hint) and she’s been looking for ways to write about him on her blog for sometime.  Of course, as we all know, getting published on Beth’s blog REALLY means you’re world famous … so, this is the only way Rand will be able to do it ~ Rand must take on the track.

Just not when Beth is there without me.
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CONGRATS TO MARY MAROON!

Touchstone Climbing’s Mary Maroon has won the final Nature Valley Grand Prix Pro-Ride spot.  She will join Wells Fargo’s Emily Kachorek as a powerful 1-2 punch from the west coast in this extremely prestigious race in the midwest.

Kudos to Mary Maroon ~ not only expanding women’s exposure in competitive cycling … but also working behind the scenes to improve women’s comfort and safety in women’s riding.  Ask for her at Wrench Science and she’ll hook you up.

The Nature Valley Grand Prix is one of the most media accomplished races in the US.  Kelly Benefit’s Scott Zwizanski is even giving up defending his Tour d’ Beauce title from 2009 to compete in this year’s NVGP.
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And how did I know that Zwizza was heading over to NVGP?  Of course, by checking in on Lyne Lamourex’s most excellent website, PodiumInsight.  Remember to check out PI for when you want the best coverage.

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