TOUR OF THE GILA
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Stage 2 - Fort Bayard Inner Loop RR
The 80-mile course (77.9 for Men 2) includes 5,781 feet of climbing with a very technical 1,000+ drop at mile 28.7, the 3-mile descent has numerous sharp corners, hairpins and 2 switchbacks.
"This will be one they'll be talking about for years, one for the history books and a character builder for sure." ~Team Director Kurt Stockton
The story today was the wind, a wind so fierce it made for an unbelievably tough day of epic proportions. "It was the windiest day of racing I have ever experienced," said Team Director Kurt Stockton, "on or off the bike." Kurt said the wind was blowing so hard at one point the riders were at a 45 degree angle struggling to keep their bikes upright and getting blown into oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. Fortunately cars yielded to the racers, some having to drive off the opposite side of the road.
Gusts of up to 75 and 80 mph were reported, and due to the direction of the course, riders experienced headwinds, tailwinds and cross winds. Riders got pelted with blasts of sand and couldn't take their hands off their handlebars to drink. VeloNews reported the winds forced riders onto the dirt shoulder, even the sidewalk, and at one point slowed the pack down to 20mph on a descent that normally produces 50+ mph speeds. (Source: http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/04/news/amaran-wins-sram-tour-of-the-gila-stage-2-leipheimer-second_113709#ixzz0mXe0WkRp) This article even quotes Lance Armstrong as saying he isn't sure he's ever seen wind like that in a race.
Our riders battled through it all. The Pro Men race came apart in the first 10 miles. The first climb of the day was early on and with the wind being what it was, even a bike length gap was too much to bridge. Sergio Hernandez and Corey Farrell were close to the front and fought to stay with the main pack but when riders in front of them dropp ed back, there was no getting across even the smallest gaps. And yesterday's brutal mountain finish was replaced with today's brutal wind finish. Sergio and Corey were in a group of 25 riders that finished in the first group after the main field. Danny Heeley struggled with the altitude early on and after battling through the day, had to pull out just short of the finish.
FYI, Luis Amaran of Jamis Sutter Home / Colavita outsprinted Levi Leipheimer for the win. Levi finished 2nd.
There was a small break of about 9 in the Men Cat 2 race. Cory Greenberg performed well and finished in the second group after the leaders. Kit fought back after an early flat. He and Aaron Schneider also finished the epic day.
Official results TBD, not posted yet for any of the races (at location or online).
Tomorrow is Stage 3, Dan Potts Memorial Tyrone Individual TT. A technical 16.15 miles, the course is out and back, climbing both faces of Little Burro Pass (elevation 6,394'), steeper on the return. Pro Men begin at 9:30am. Men 2 start last after all categories. Let's hope the wind takes a day off.
Check out the video from yesterday's Stage 1: http://www.youtube.com/user/theroaddiaries
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
NOW men take on Stage 1 of Tour of the Gila
TOUR OF THE GILA
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Stage 1 - Silver City to Mogollon RR (94.1 miles)
Long tough, and windy, day for the NOW-MS Society men racing in New Mexico. Today was the 94.1-mile Silver City to Mogollon Road Race. The racing was so tough, the field was completely blown apart. All single riders were finishing.
In the Pro Men race, all our men performed well in a field of serious competition including Levi Leipheimer, Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, the Fly V team, United Healthcare.
A 10-rider break got away early in the race. The field didn't take it seriously and within 20 miles they had a gap of 10 minutes. Those teams without riders in the break Bahati Foundation, Jamis Sutter Home / Colavita, then began to speed up the pace and eventually brought it back.
The wind was not a factor until later in the race. A cross wind began to take it's toll and at least half the field shot out the back. At about the same time, a crash did some damage as well. Then an epic category 1 climb at the end of the race added insult to injury.
Sergio Hernandez was in the race, riding strong the whole day. He placed 61st. Danny Heeley did a great job as well back after his nasty crash at Dana Point. Corey Farrell also raced strong. All are in for tomorrow's 80-mile Fort Bayard Inner Loop RR which includes 5,781 feet of climbing with a very technical 1,000+ drop at mile 28.7, the 3-mile descent has numerous sharp corners, hairpins and 2 switchbacks.
FYI, Levi won the race. Lance 22nd.
In the Cat 2 Men's race, there was an early break of 8 or 9 that eventually got a 10-minute gap. In the midst of some very aggressive racing, attacking and chasing, Cory Greenberg rolled easily off the front without attacking, and got a gap ahead of the field. He stayed away until the beast of a climb when the field caught up to him. Cory finished in a strong 14th place.
Aaron Schneider finished as well as did Kit Karzen. All Kit's suffering through these past big road races is really paying off, as the track champion is becoming more and more of a road racer. He told Kurt he has never hurt so much as he did today and that he couldn't even stand on the climb his legs hurt so bad. But he fought through it and finished strong. All the Cat 2 men are set for tomorrow, their race is 77.9 miles.
According to Team Director Kurt Stockton, we are on to Phase 2 now!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Stage 1 - Silver City to Mogollon RR (94.1 miles)
Long tough, and windy, day for the NOW-MS Society men racing in New Mexico. Today was the 94.1-mile Silver City to Mogollon Road Race. The racing was so tough, the field was completely blown apart. All single riders were finishing.
In the Pro Men race, all our men performed well in a field of serious competition including Levi Leipheimer, Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, the Fly V team, United Healthcare.
A 10-rider break got away early in the race. The field didn't take it seriously and within 20 miles they had a gap of 10 minutes. Those teams without riders in the break Bahati Foundation, Jamis Sutter Home / Colavita, then began to speed up the pace and eventually brought it back.
The wind was not a factor until later in the race. A cross wind began to take it's toll and at least half the field shot out the back. At about the same time, a crash did some damage as well. Then an epic category 1 climb at the end of the race added insult to injury.
Sergio Hernandez was in the race, riding strong the whole day. He placed 61st. Danny Heeley did a great job as well back after his nasty crash at Dana Point. Corey Farrell also raced strong. All are in for tomorrow's 80-mile Fort Bayard Inner Loop RR which includes 5,781 feet of climbing with a very technical 1,000+ drop at mile 28.7, the 3-mile descent has numerous sharp corners, hairpins and 2 switchbacks.
FYI, Levi won the race. Lance 22nd.
In the Cat 2 Men's race, there was an early break of 8 or 9 that eventually got a 10-minute gap. In the midst of some very aggressive racing, attacking and chasing, Cory Greenberg rolled easily off the front without attacking, and got a gap ahead of the field. He stayed away until the beast of a climb when the field caught up to him. Cory finished in a strong 14th place.
Aaron Schneider finished as well as did Kit Karzen. All Kit's suffering through these past big road races is really paying off, as the track champion is becoming more and more of a road racer. He told Kurt he has never hurt so much as he did today and that he couldn't even stand on the climb his legs hurt so bad. But he fought through it and finished strong. All the Cat 2 men are set for tomorrow, their race is 77.9 miles.
According to Team Director Kurt Stockton, we are on to Phase 2 now!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Elite men to race TOUR OF GILA with Lance Armstrong in the mix!
On Wednesday our U25 men will begin competing in the 24th Annual SRAM Tour of the Gila. The 5-day Stage Race takes place in Silver City, New Mexico from Wed, April 28th to Sun, May 2nd.
5 days, 339 miles, 25,231 feet of climbing...
And Levi Leipheimer, Lance Armstrong and Jason McCartney will return to the race their Mellow Johnny's team won last year. Other teams include United Healthcare / Maxxis, Jamis Sutter Home / Colavita, and Fly V Australia.
http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=4830
FOR ALL THE LIVE ACTION, stay tuned to Team Director Kurt Stockton: http://twitter. com/KSMCycling (or on Facebook)
NOW-MS Society Roster:
Men Pro 1 (up against Mellow Johnny's): Corey Farrell, Danny Heeley, Sergio Hernandez
Men 2: Cory Greenberg, Kit Karzen, Aaron Schneider
Stage 1
Wed, April 28
Silver City to Mogollon RR
94.1 miles
9:05am Men Pro 1
9:45am Men 2
Stage 2
Thu, April 29
Fort Bayard Inner Loop RR
The 80-mile course (77.9 for Men 2) includes 5,781 feet of climbing with a very technical 1,000+ drop at mile 28.7, the 3-mile descent has numerous sharp corners, hairpins and 2 switchbacks.
9:00am Men Pro 1
9:40am Men 2
Stage 3
Fri, April 30
Dan Potts Memorial Tyrone Individual TT
16.15 miles
9:30 am Men Pro 1 start first, Men 2 are the final category to start
Stage 4
Sat, May 1
Downtown Silver City Criterium
The 1.08-mile 4-corner course includes a high speed descent on the 4th corner and 80 feet of climbing per lap.
11:35am Men 2 (32.4 miles / 30 laps)
3:15pm Men Pro 1 (43.2 miles / 40 laps)
Stage 5
Sun, May 2
Gila Monster RR
The 105.7-mile course (102.6 for Men 2) includes 9,131 feet of climbing and 8,252 feet of descent.
7:55am Men 2
8:40am Men Pro 1
For more info about Tour
5 days, 339 miles, 25,231 feet of climbing...
And Levi Leipheimer, Lance Armstrong and Jason McCartney will return to the race their Mellow Johnny's team won last year. Other teams include United Healthcare / Maxxis, Jamis Sutter Home / Colavita, and Fly V Australia.
http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=4830
FOR ALL THE LIVE ACTION, stay tuned to Team Director Kurt Stockton: http://twitter. com/KSMCycling (or on Facebook)
NOW-MS Society Roster:
Men Pro 1 (up against Mellow Johnny's): Corey Farrell, Danny Heeley, Sergio Hernandez
Men 2: Cory Greenberg, Kit Karzen, Aaron Schneider
Stage 1
Wed, April 28
Silver City to Mogollon RR
94.1 miles
9:05am Men Pro 1
9:45am Men 2
Stage 2
Thu, April 29
Fort Bayard Inner Loop RR
The 80-mile course (77.9 for Men 2) includes 5,781 feet of climbing with a very technical 1,000+ drop at mile 28.7, the 3-mile descent has numerous sharp corners, hairpins and 2 switchbacks.
9:00am Men Pro 1
9:40am Men 2
Stage 3
Fri, April 30
Dan Potts Memorial Tyrone Individual TT
16.15 miles
9:30 am Men Pro 1 start first, Men 2 are the final category to start
Stage 4
Sat, May 1
Downtown Silver City Criterium
The 1.08-mile 4-corner course includes a high speed descent on the 4th corner and 80 feet of climbing per lap.
11:35am Men 2 (32.4 miles / 30 laps)
3:15pm Men Pro 1 (43.2 miles / 40 laps)
Stage 5
Sun, May 2
Gila Monster RR
The 105.7-mile course (102.6 for Men 2) includes 9,131 feet of climbing and 8,252 feet of descent.
7:55am Men 2
8:40am Men Pro 1
For more info about Tour
Sunday, April 25, 2010
NOW women weekend race repot.
Saturday, April 24 & Sunday, April 25
Wente Vineyards RR & Crit
Devil's Punchbowl RR
Chuck Pontius Crit
Elite riders Lauren Liscinski and Jenna Kowalski raced the Wente Vineyards Road Race and Crit in Northern CA this weekend. In the Crit today, Jenna came in 8th & Lauren 9th in a field of 50. They were among only 29 riders out of 40 who finished the RR yesterday.
At yesterday's Devil's Punchbowl Road Race... Ivie Crawford got 1st place in the Jr 15-18 women's race. Betsy Kogan took 6th in the women's 4 race. One rider soloed the last lap and took 1st. Betsy was in a 6-man chase group that finished a large gap ahead of the rest of the pack. In the Pro Men race, Sergio Hernandez came in 2nd. And FYI, Floyd Landis was 3rd.
At Chuck Pontius Criterium today, Betsy Kogan, Julie Guthrie, and Ivie Crawford raced the women's 3/4. Results were scored separately... In the 4s: Betsy 7th. In the 3s: Ivie 3rd and Julie 5th. Immediately after, Ivie and Julie raced again in the 1/2/3. They followed and chased down attacks by Incycle and Helen's in a tough, highly competitive race.
In Dorothy Wong's women's 2-day challenge for the riders who raced both days, Betsy placed in the top 3 of the Cat 4s. Ivie won the Junior division.
Wente Vineyards RR & Crit
Devil's Punchbowl RR
Chuck Pontius Crit
Elite riders Lauren Liscinski and Jenna Kowalski raced the Wente Vineyards Road Race and Crit in Northern CA this weekend. In the Crit today, Jenna came in 8th & Lauren 9th in a field of 50. They were among only 29 riders out of 40 who finished the RR yesterday.
At yesterday's Devil's Punchbowl Road Race... Ivie Crawford got 1st place in the Jr 15-18 women's race. Betsy Kogan took 6th in the women's 4 race. One rider soloed the last lap and took 1st. Betsy was in a 6-man chase group that finished a large gap ahead of the rest of the pack. In the Pro Men race, Sergio Hernandez came in 2nd. And FYI, Floyd Landis was 3rd.
At Chuck Pontius Criterium today, Betsy Kogan, Julie Guthrie, and Ivie Crawford raced the women's 3/4. Results were scored separately... In the 4s: Betsy 7th. In the 3s: Ivie 3rd and Julie 5th. Immediately after, Ivie and Julie raced again in the 1/2/3. They followed and chased down attacks by Incycle and Helen's in a tough, highly competitive race.
In Dorothy Wong's women's 2-day challenge for the riders who raced both days, Betsy placed in the top 3 of the Cat 4s. Ivie won the Junior division.
Kendall Ryan 9th in Pro Race of 120 Riders
Kendall Ryan is currently racing in Italy with the US Junior National Road
Team.
Today she raced the famous Grand Prix Liberazione, which is a UCI pro race
and not a juniors race.
Out of 120 riders, Kendall secured 9th place. Very impressive. She was the
highest placed American.
Congratulations Kendall
Louise
Team.
Today she raced the famous Grand Prix Liberazione, which is a UCI pro race
and not a juniors race.
Out of 120 riders, Kendall secured 9th place. Very impressive. She was the
highest placed American.
Congratulations Kendall
Louise
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Shortest race report in history!
hi club!
here's the race report from saturday's (that's april 17th, my mom's
birthday!) fun times at the encino velodrome. there was a time trial
thing in the morning. and an omnium after that. and another omnium
after that - but we didn't play in that one.
love,
scott
here's the race report from saturday's (that's april 17th, my mom's
birthday!) fun times at the encino velodrome. there was a time trial
thing in the morning. and an omnium after that. and another omnium
after that - but we didn't play in that one.
love,
scott
Sea Otter Classic-NOW men's race report
Hi this is Stephen Leece reporting on the NOW-MS Mens team and our experience at the 2010 Sea Otter Classic. The event is a big ordeal with 4 days of road and mountain bike racing at the Laguna Seca raceway and the area surrounding it. Many of the major companies in the cycling industry are there as well with booths set up.
On Thursday, Cory Greenberg, Kit Karzen, Aaron Schneider and I lined up to race the Sea Otter criterium. The course was boomerang shaped with two technical turnarounds and the race was timed for one hour. It was fast from beginning. Bissel Pro cycling team and Yahoo had come in numbers and were intent on forcing a break. This was the sort of action we would be seeing all weekend. The turnarounds and a riser in the course dramatically reduced the field as the racing was very aggressive. At around 25 minutes I was the last NOW-MS man standing in the main field. A group of 4 Bissel riders led and a chase group of 8-10 was behind them. The race solidified and I stuck in for the field sprint and managed 5th in 6th in that.
Corey Farrell increased our numbers to 5 on Friday as we headed out into the hills for a 68 mile road race. The course was laps of a hilly loop with an uphill finish and one difficult steep climb per lap. It was aggressive at the beginning again for a four laps until a breakaway of 2 Bissel and 2 Yahoo got away. Kurt, my mom, and the neutral feeders kept us well hydrated throughout the race. A hard pace up the hill got the better of Aaron and Kit. Cory G. and I were dropped on the final climb but we managed to catch up to the field before the finish. At the finish, Corey F. finished strong up the hill and placed top 15 with u23 and P/1/2 combined. In u23 category alone, he placed 3rd while Cory G. and I rounded out 4th and 5th. After getting on the podium we got to meet and greet some of our sponsors at their booths like Sierra Nevada and Gu.
The circuit race on Saturday would wrap up our racing in Monterey. Our start was at 2:30 but we came early because Kit had some interviewing to do with SRAM. We also were at the course to cheer on the women's team with Phil Keoghan who provided an entertaining impression of Lawrence of Arabia (see photo). After a team meeting and a good warm-up, we rolled up to the line ready to race. The course has one short and tough climb followed by a fast descent that began to cause separations even early in the race. Aggressive racing again whittled down the field which had been the largest of the three days. Midway through the race, a breakaway of three riders got away on the climb and was able to build a sizeable gap. With three laps to go, the Bissel riders in the main group drilled it up the hill and gapped the field. I was just on the edge of the group that formed with them but could not hold their wheel up the climb and had to fall back to the peloton. On the final lap, I attacked early and barely held on as Cory G. came in winning the field sprint right behind me. This put me in 5th in the u23 category and so I made the podium for a second day.
Racing at Sea Otter was painful but rewarding this year, as well as a lot of fun. Thanks to Kurt for getting us host housing which turned out to be amazing. Kit was happy to make friends with the hospitable `mom' and `sis' of the Herbst family and it was good to live and race as a team. The pro's from Bissel were a good model of how to race both aggressively and successfully as a team which provided a good learning experience for us.
I hope you've enjoyed the race report and that it's not too long.
Thanks for reading!
Stephen Leece
On Thursday, Cory Greenberg, Kit Karzen, Aaron Schneider and I lined up to race the Sea Otter criterium. The course was boomerang shaped with two technical turnarounds and the race was timed for one hour. It was fast from beginning. Bissel Pro cycling team and Yahoo had come in numbers and were intent on forcing a break. This was the sort of action we would be seeing all weekend. The turnarounds and a riser in the course dramatically reduced the field as the racing was very aggressive. At around 25 minutes I was the last NOW-MS man standing in the main field. A group of 4 Bissel riders led and a chase group of 8-10 was behind them. The race solidified and I stuck in for the field sprint and managed 5th in 6th in that.
Corey Farrell increased our numbers to 5 on Friday as we headed out into the hills for a 68 mile road race. The course was laps of a hilly loop with an uphill finish and one difficult steep climb per lap. It was aggressive at the beginning again for a four laps until a breakaway of 2 Bissel and 2 Yahoo got away. Kurt, my mom, and the neutral feeders kept us well hydrated throughout the race. A hard pace up the hill got the better of Aaron and Kit. Cory G. and I were dropped on the final climb but we managed to catch up to the field before the finish. At the finish, Corey F. finished strong up the hill and placed top 15 with u23 and P/1/2 combined. In u23 category alone, he placed 3rd while Cory G. and I rounded out 4th and 5th. After getting on the podium we got to meet and greet some of our sponsors at their booths like Sierra Nevada and Gu.
The circuit race on Saturday would wrap up our racing in Monterey. Our start was at 2:30 but we came early because Kit had some interviewing to do with SRAM. We also were at the course to cheer on the women's team with Phil Keoghan who provided an entertaining impression of Lawrence of Arabia (see photo). After a team meeting and a good warm-up, we rolled up to the line ready to race. The course has one short and tough climb followed by a fast descent that began to cause separations even early in the race. Aggressive racing again whittled down the field which had been the largest of the three days. Midway through the race, a breakaway of three riders got away on the climb and was able to build a sizeable gap. With three laps to go, the Bissel riders in the main group drilled it up the hill and gapped the field. I was just on the edge of the group that formed with them but could not hold their wheel up the climb and had to fall back to the peloton. On the final lap, I attacked early and barely held on as Cory G. came in winning the field sprint right behind me. This put me in 5th in the u23 category and so I made the podium for a second day.
Racing at Sea Otter was painful but rewarding this year, as well as a lot of fun. Thanks to Kurt for getting us host housing which turned out to be amazing. Kit was happy to make friends with the hospitable `mom' and `sis' of the Herbst family and it was good to live and race as a team. The pro's from Bissel were a good model of how to race both aggressively and successfully as a team which provided a good learning experience for us.
I hope you've enjoyed the race report and that it's not too long.
Thanks for reading!
Stephen Leece
SAnta Cruz Crit Race Report-Lauren Liscinski
Who: Lauren Liscinski
What: Santa Cruz Criterium
Where: Santa Cruz...duh
When: Sun April 18th
Why: Because I didn't suffer enough at Sea Otter
The morning of the Santa Cruz Crit was filled with quite a bit of doubt. The past three days had been brutal; physically and mentally, over at the Sea Otter Classic and my body yearned for a rest day. However, in my mind I had not earned a rest day. In a weird way I wanted to punish myself for my previous poor results. It went without saying; though it had been said out loud as well, that I needed to learn to suffer, and suffer I did.
After registering and getting dressed I got on the rollers determined to get in a good warm-up. If I learned one thing at Sea Otter it was to never underestimate my warm up. I needed to be ready to go from the gun, there would be no “first five lap warm up.” My hamstring was acting up as it had cramped in the circuit race at Sea Otter causing me to quit the race the day prior. I told myself it would be fine and to just ignore it. Rolled to the start line a bit too late and got stuck on the back row. Looking around I realized most of the same women from Sea Otter were present; yep, this is really going to hurt.
The course was technical and challenging. Uphill from Start/Finish to a downhill u-turn, fast descent, sharp right turn over a river with two little pitches, right turn to a power climb then flattened out but still climbing to the finish line. While racing collegiate this would have been my type of course. But I was with the big dogs now, and it was all I could do to hang in. We were sent off with 30 laps in our race and after 4 times up that climb I thought my hamstring was going to tear in two. I’m going to get dropped from this race too. I can’t even last ten laps with these girls. The negative thoughts started to take over in my head. I wanted to be positive so much but my body was feeling terrible and this turned everything around in my head. Then I told myself the advice another racer had told me going into this race, “the first five laps will be the hardest, just hang in till then.” It’s going to get easier, just stay with them one more lap. Just one more time up the climb. Its going to get easier. It never got easier I just kept tricking myself that it would.
The fatigue from the previous races really set in when I saw 13 to go. We’re only halfway done?! Each lap I would get over that steep hill as fast as I could, move up on the u-turn and descent, fight for position going into the final right hand turn and then drift back up the climb again only to repeat. This was getting mentally taxing. Kurt told us the analogy of your energy being money in the bank and that however much money you start with you need to ration out because you need to have some left at the end. Previously I would have thought this “money” was purely physical, but he was right when he said that when you’re making a conscious effort throughout the whole race it wears you down. Telling myself “move up move up move up” was losing its effect. Thank goodness Kurt was there to yell it at me too! I suffered a lot throughout the race, and at times felt as though I would cry because my legs were burning so badly, but this was my punishment.
A group of three had gone up the road and after a few hard laps when I thought we would catch them the field sort of decided it was happy to sprint for fourth and stopped chasing. I definitely did not have enough energy to attempt to bridge across myself so I simply did what I needed to do to stay in the group. Nothing eventful happened the last few laps except I realized that I am not capable of counting to three. I looked at the lap cards when there were 3 to go and then when I looked up at 2 to go I was utterly confused that the lap cards read 1. Well, with some awful planning on my part and not much left in the bank I did what I could to move up on the back side of the course. Didn’t have much of anything for the sprint but passed a few people to finish in the middle of the group somewhere. It felt good to be done; and to have finished with the group. I am very happy that I decided to race even though my legs were feeling terrible and my self confidence had been stomped all over all weekend. I had a short lesson in suffering that Sunday afternoon. My self induced punishment turned out to be a positive experience, more of a reward than anything else. This sport is crazy.
What: Santa Cruz Criterium
Where: Santa Cruz...duh
When: Sun April 18th
Why: Because I didn't suffer enough at Sea Otter
The morning of the Santa Cruz Crit was filled with quite a bit of doubt. The past three days had been brutal; physically and mentally, over at the Sea Otter Classic and my body yearned for a rest day. However, in my mind I had not earned a rest day. In a weird way I wanted to punish myself for my previous poor results. It went without saying; though it had been said out loud as well, that I needed to learn to suffer, and suffer I did.
After registering and getting dressed I got on the rollers determined to get in a good warm-up. If I learned one thing at Sea Otter it was to never underestimate my warm up. I needed to be ready to go from the gun, there would be no “first five lap warm up.” My hamstring was acting up as it had cramped in the circuit race at Sea Otter causing me to quit the race the day prior. I told myself it would be fine and to just ignore it. Rolled to the start line a bit too late and got stuck on the back row. Looking around I realized most of the same women from Sea Otter were present; yep, this is really going to hurt.
The course was technical and challenging. Uphill from Start/Finish to a downhill u-turn, fast descent, sharp right turn over a river with two little pitches, right turn to a power climb then flattened out but still climbing to the finish line. While racing collegiate this would have been my type of course. But I was with the big dogs now, and it was all I could do to hang in. We were sent off with 30 laps in our race and after 4 times up that climb I thought my hamstring was going to tear in two. I’m going to get dropped from this race too. I can’t even last ten laps with these girls. The negative thoughts started to take over in my head. I wanted to be positive so much but my body was feeling terrible and this turned everything around in my head. Then I told myself the advice another racer had told me going into this race, “the first five laps will be the hardest, just hang in till then.” It’s going to get easier, just stay with them one more lap. Just one more time up the climb. Its going to get easier. It never got easier I just kept tricking myself that it would.
The fatigue from the previous races really set in when I saw 13 to go. We’re only halfway done?! Each lap I would get over that steep hill as fast as I could, move up on the u-turn and descent, fight for position going into the final right hand turn and then drift back up the climb again only to repeat. This was getting mentally taxing. Kurt told us the analogy of your energy being money in the bank and that however much money you start with you need to ration out because you need to have some left at the end. Previously I would have thought this “money” was purely physical, but he was right when he said that when you’re making a conscious effort throughout the whole race it wears you down. Telling myself “move up move up move up” was losing its effect. Thank goodness Kurt was there to yell it at me too! I suffered a lot throughout the race, and at times felt as though I would cry because my legs were burning so badly, but this was my punishment.
A group of three had gone up the road and after a few hard laps when I thought we would catch them the field sort of decided it was happy to sprint for fourth and stopped chasing. I definitely did not have enough energy to attempt to bridge across myself so I simply did what I needed to do to stay in the group. Nothing eventful happened the last few laps except I realized that I am not capable of counting to three. I looked at the lap cards when there were 3 to go and then when I looked up at 2 to go I was utterly confused that the lap cards read 1. Well, with some awful planning on my part and not much left in the bank I did what I could to move up on the back side of the course. Didn’t have much of anything for the sprint but passed a few people to finish in the middle of the group somewhere. It felt good to be done; and to have finished with the group. I am very happy that I decided to race even though my legs were feeling terrible and my self confidence had been stomped all over all weekend. I had a short lesson in suffering that Sunday afternoon. My self induced punishment turned out to be a positive experience, more of a reward than anything else. This sport is crazy.
Sea Otter Classic-Women's race report by Jenna kowalski
Sea Otter Classic April 15-17, 2010
Women’s P1/2 RR, April 16, 2010
By Jenna ‘Jammer’ Kowalski
It was a beautiful day; a cloudless sky, warming temperatures and a calm breeze. Lauren, Julia and I departed our fabulous host house in the hills south of HWY 68, leaving behind our desires to bounce on the trampoline and ride circles in the pasture on a Go-Kart, to head for the famous Laguna Seca raceway…
We started off the morning with a grueling warm-up climb up the main entrance to the raceway, a taste of what was to come for later in the day, and began race preparations for our 12:08 start (find Kurt, get bottles/GU, go to the bathroom 5 times, etc). Lining up under the Bridgestone Banner (I think that’s what it was?) we secured spots at the front of the 40+ rider field until about 15 of the 30 professional women were called up to the line. After a quick briefing we set off, trailing the lead moto off of the track and into the hills of Fort Ord for a neutral start. I don’t know who the start was neutral for, considering I was riding in Zone 4 after about 2 minutes.
After a long winding downhill – which we would later climb into the finish, we made a left and then the right turn up the feed zone climb, where the real racing began. The race consisted of 6 laps around an 8.5 mile rolling circuit in Fort Ord, featuring a 900 ft climb through the feed zone with areas as steep as 13%. The climb was just enough to start shaking us off the back of the pack on the first lap. Lauren and I dug deep to maintain contact on the downhill, and kept position in the group until lap two, where the brutal gradient got the best of us.
The next two laps found me chasing down the group with riders from Touchstone and InCycle, while sharing war stories with Kit. On lap 4 I caught another rider from InCycle, and was soon after blessed with the company of teammate Lauren. We finished our final 2 laps on the circuit with empty offers of Bloody Mary’s and Margaritas from the neutral feeders. And with only small change left in our pockets, we made our way up the final climb to the long-awaited finish.
Although the majority of my race was off the back of the finishing peleton, I am happy to say that I finished the day with a crooked smile on my face and pocketful of experience. And while our season may be marked with ‘growing pains,’ we look forward to the many challenging races ahead, which will ultimately lead to our success in the future.
Many thanks to the NOW-MS Society for all of your unwavering support!!!
Women’s P1/2 RR, April 16, 2010
By Jenna ‘Jammer’ Kowalski
It was a beautiful day; a cloudless sky, warming temperatures and a calm breeze. Lauren, Julia and I departed our fabulous host house in the hills south of HWY 68, leaving behind our desires to bounce on the trampoline and ride circles in the pasture on a Go-Kart, to head for the famous Laguna Seca raceway…
We started off the morning with a grueling warm-up climb up the main entrance to the raceway, a taste of what was to come for later in the day, and began race preparations for our 12:08 start (find Kurt, get bottles/GU, go to the bathroom 5 times, etc). Lining up under the Bridgestone Banner (I think that’s what it was?) we secured spots at the front of the 40+ rider field until about 15 of the 30 professional women were called up to the line. After a quick briefing we set off, trailing the lead moto off of the track and into the hills of Fort Ord for a neutral start. I don’t know who the start was neutral for, considering I was riding in Zone 4 after about 2 minutes.
After a long winding downhill – which we would later climb into the finish, we made a left and then the right turn up the feed zone climb, where the real racing began. The race consisted of 6 laps around an 8.5 mile rolling circuit in Fort Ord, featuring a 900 ft climb through the feed zone with areas as steep as 13%. The climb was just enough to start shaking us off the back of the pack on the first lap. Lauren and I dug deep to maintain contact on the downhill, and kept position in the group until lap two, where the brutal gradient got the best of us.
The next two laps found me chasing down the group with riders from Touchstone and InCycle, while sharing war stories with Kit. On lap 4 I caught another rider from InCycle, and was soon after blessed with the company of teammate Lauren. We finished our final 2 laps on the circuit with empty offers of Bloody Mary’s and Margaritas from the neutral feeders. And with only small change left in our pockets, we made our way up the final climb to the long-awaited finish.
Although the majority of my race was off the back of the finishing peleton, I am happy to say that I finished the day with a crooked smile on my face and pocketful of experience. And while our season may be marked with ‘growing pains,’ we look forward to the many challenging races ahead, which will ultimately lead to our success in the future.
Many thanks to the NOW-MS Society for all of your unwavering support!!!
Monday, April 19, 2010
NOW women's race report -Sea Otter Classic
Sea Otter Circuit Race
Pro Women 1/2
April 17, 2010
Written by Julia Lafranchise
Laguna Seco; where cars race; and sometimes souped up two wheeled machines race, but never the two wheeled machines you have to pedal; burning calories and raising your heart rate, right? Wrong. April 17, 2010. A cloudless morning in NorCal; the girls and I lined up at the start line of a two hour circuit race (read: really long crit) at the bottom of a race car track. As the gun went off and the race began it seemed like everyone was conserving; knowing that the race was long, and quite hilly. This was a nice change to earlier races with the pro peloton; it meant I had time to observe and absorb some of the techniques the other teams use. As a whole our team was able to find a comfortable place (at the front of the peloton) and learn from the talented girls around us. I feel privileged that I had the opportunity to race next to these girls.
With less than $10 in my pocket of efforts; I did the best I could, but when the going got tough, the weak were weeded out. It was a great experience; one I have learned from. Each weekend of racing brings a new lesson; I just hope that someday I will be teaching those lessons. . .
Until next time,
JLAFRANCHISE
Pro Women 1/2
April 17, 2010
Written by Julia Lafranchise
Laguna Seco; where cars race; and sometimes souped up two wheeled machines race, but never the two wheeled machines you have to pedal; burning calories and raising your heart rate, right? Wrong. April 17, 2010. A cloudless morning in NorCal; the girls and I lined up at the start line of a two hour circuit race (read: really long crit) at the bottom of a race car track. As the gun went off and the race began it seemed like everyone was conserving; knowing that the race was long, and quite hilly. This was a nice change to earlier races with the pro peloton; it meant I had time to observe and absorb some of the techniques the other teams use. As a whole our team was able to find a comfortable place (at the front of the peloton) and learn from the talented girls around us. I feel privileged that I had the opportunity to race next to these girls.
With less than $10 in my pocket of efforts; I did the best I could, but when the going got tough, the weak were weeded out. It was a great experience; one I have learned from. Each weekend of racing brings a new lesson; I just hope that someday I will be teaching those lessons. . .
Until next time,
JLAFRANCHISE
Torrance Pro 1-2 Race Report
Torrance Crit Pro 1/2 Race Report by Adam Masters...
AND please check out the attached photo of Sea Otter U23 Road Race podium: Corey Farrell 3rd, Cory Greenberg 4th, Stephen Leece 5th! (and more shots from Sea Otter, photos by Dede and David Leece)
When: 4-18-2010
Who: Sergio Hernandez, Adam Masters
What: PRO 1-2 Torrance Crit (75 min race)
Results: 2nd, 28th
Written by: Adam Masters
After realizing I wasn't going to make it to Bakersfield, I settled to get a great workout at the Torrance Crit. I talked to Sergio and he mention it would be fast, but little did we know it would be fast from the gun.
One rider went immediately and 5 riders followed. I was still in the middle of the pack settling in. Then Sergio attacks and creates a 4-man chase group. I went to the front and slowed the field down with some La Grange guys. They all eventually lapped the field. I managed to test the legs and got 3 good attacks in but nothing would stick. I came to workout, so I did. I want my hurt box to be even bigger.
I noticed everyone who ended up behind me kept making remarks about my size or weight... but it didn't stop me from being present. From a quick glance others thought I was Sergio, but I'm still smaller then he is! I had hit a wall after taking one lap pulls and thought my race was done, but I suffered more and caught the back of the peloton where I caught my breath, ate and got water.
After the hanging out of the tongue session, I moved up feeling fresh and pulled back a 5-man break where I told Sergio to get on my wheel. Once I closed the gap I just went straight around them and took a one lap pull to launch Sergio on another move which had 5 guys in it. Sergio kept attacking them. (I guess when you're 120lbs (me) - 130lbs (Serg), this is what you do??) Anyway, they lasted for a couple of laps.
All together with 7-9 laps to go and instead of sitting up and getting out of the way, I pushed forward and pushed forward and pushed forward. I made it to the front right behind Sergio's wheel with 2 to go but couldn't turn the legs to make it up in front of him for one last effort, but I didn't need to as Sergio positioned himself for a mad dash sprint for the line and he gets nipped by Chris D. of Amgen. Sergio takes 2nd and I roll over in 28th. Great learning experience for my first official PRO 1-2 race. I definitely didn't want to JUST SIT IN.
Thanks for reading!
Adam Masters
AND please check out the attached photo of Sea Otter U23 Road Race podium: Corey Farrell 3rd, Cory Greenberg 4th, Stephen Leece 5th! (and more shots from Sea Otter, photos by Dede and David Leece)
When: 4-18-2010
Who: Sergio Hernandez, Adam Masters
What: PRO 1-2 Torrance Crit (75 min race)
Results: 2nd, 28th
Written by: Adam Masters
After realizing I wasn't going to make it to Bakersfield, I settled to get a great workout at the Torrance Crit. I talked to Sergio and he mention it would be fast, but little did we know it would be fast from the gun.
One rider went immediately and 5 riders followed. I was still in the middle of the pack settling in. Then Sergio attacks and creates a 4-man chase group. I went to the front and slowed the field down with some La Grange guys. They all eventually lapped the field. I managed to test the legs and got 3 good attacks in but nothing would stick. I came to workout, so I did. I want my hurt box to be even bigger.
I noticed everyone who ended up behind me kept making remarks about my size or weight... but it didn't stop me from being present. From a quick glance others thought I was Sergio, but I'm still smaller then he is! I had hit a wall after taking one lap pulls and thought my race was done, but I suffered more and caught the back of the peloton where I caught my breath, ate and got water.
After the hanging out of the tongue session, I moved up feeling fresh and pulled back a 5-man break where I told Sergio to get on my wheel. Once I closed the gap I just went straight around them and took a one lap pull to launch Sergio on another move which had 5 guys in it. Sergio kept attacking them. (I guess when you're 120lbs (me) - 130lbs (Serg), this is what you do??) Anyway, they lasted for a couple of laps.
All together with 7-9 laps to go and instead of sitting up and getting out of the way, I pushed forward and pushed forward and pushed forward. I made it to the front right behind Sergio's wheel with 2 to go but couldn't turn the legs to make it up in front of him for one last effort, but I didn't need to as Sergio positioned himself for a mad dash sprint for the line and he gets nipped by Chris D. of Amgen. Sergio takes 2nd and I roll over in 28th. Great learning experience for my first official PRO 1-2 race. I definitely didn't want to JUST SIT IN.
Thanks for reading!
Adam Masters
Sunday, April 18, 2010
NOW MS at Santa Cruz, Torrance and Sea Otter Race results
Sunday, April 18, 2010
* Santa Cruz Criterium Race Results
* Torrance Criterium Race Results
* And... "It Pays to Read the Fine Print" A Race Report by Louise Keoghan (Sea Otter Women Pro 1/2 Circuit Race) - a must read!
We had fewer riders at Santa Cruz Crit today than had raced at Sea Otter. All rode well. It was a good end to a tough weekend. This course is not a flat course, has a u-turn, uphill sprints. It was a great opportunity to re-evaluate where we're at, refocus and get stronger.
Lauren Liscinski and Jenna Kowalski toughed it out in the women's crit today. The race was fairly aggressive, with about the same competitive field as Sea Otter, with TIBCO, Peanut Butter & Co., Webcor. There was a 3-rider breakaway that stayed away (with a rider from each TIBCO, Peanut Butter & Co. and a local team). Lauren had a great race, rode well, finished in the field, in the bunch sprint.
Cory Greenberg, Stephen Leece and Kit Karzen raced for the men. Kit started out at the front of the pack. Cory had a great race, was being active and aggressive. Stephen rode very well also. Bissell once again had the numbers and a plan, they got 2 riders in a break. There were some attempts to pull them back but none worked. Cory finished in the top 20.
NEWS FROM TORRANCE: Christine Barron 3rd in women's cat 4. A one-woman break got away. Christine was 2nd in the sprint.
"It Pays to Read the Fine Print" A RACE REPORT BY LOUISE KEOGHAN (Sea Otter Classic Pro Women's Circuit Race)
The course description for the Sea Otter Circuit Race reads, “Circuit racers will experience the thrill of riding the Laguna Seca Raceway with thousands of fans cheering them on. The course includes a challenging 300-foot climb and an awe-inspiring descent down the world-famous Corkscrew.”
I really think that in order to be humane and adhere to the Geneva Convention (which set the standards in international law for humanitarian treatment of the victims of war), they should add… “and if you are doing the 2-hour Women’s Pro 1/ 2 race, that’s approximately 20 times around. Up and down!
With chants of “Dead Man Walking” from blood-thirsty spectators, Jenna, Julia, Jen Jo, Lauren and I made our way to the start line, after a thorough briefing from Kurt Stockton. Kurt reminds me of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s so calm and wise. Just the kind of voice you want in your head, 1. before your plane goes down 2. after your computer crashes, forever 3. moments prior to an NRC race.
A race of this caliber starts with a roll call of all the famous and truly fabulous to the front. “Would the following please step forward… our very own Ten Times World Champion, the Eight Times National Road Champion, the Six Times Criterium Queen, the Five Times Ruler of the Universe”... The list goes on...
And I’m thinking, “Who is going to be left?” Me? I half expected to hear “Oi you, at the back. Step aside, let the world leaders through.”
Of course, I wasn’t letting any of this get inside my head. Earlier my favorite Sports Psychologist, Abigail Lufkin, assured me that being really nervous is a good reminder you that you are alive, present and ready for action.
And ready for action I was. Likewise, my trusted companions and NOW-MS teammates, who have been racing hard all season.
The first time over the power climb feels fine. Kurt warned us it would feel good, but not for long? The descent, however, is brilliant every single time. This is a bona fide speedway. The pavement is super smooth and the banking is designed for cars going over 100 miles an hour, around corners extra fast. It’s exhilarating. Pot holes, bumps and stones just don’t exist. It’s about as good as it gets for a racing surface.
An hour into the 120-minute race, riders started to drop off. The pace was pretty intense. Three riders off the front, a small chase group behind, a second chase group way behind that, the field even further back, some wounded soldiers next…. and finally the completely and utterly dead who were kindly dragged off the course, to make way for the support vehicles.
I know all this because I was one of the “incoming wounded,” but I wasn’t alone. There’s something comforting about swapping war stories with fellow teammates and once sworn enemies, whilst wide eyed and covered in sweat. You also get to cheer those who are left in the race, knowing that you are spared the pain.
With only 32 left in the field, out of 55 starters, it was clear that the breakaway riders had it in the can, along with the small chase group. The officials decided to shorten the race for the main field, placing them accordingly just shy of 1 lap to go.
Races like this remind me why I put myself through the pain. I do it because I am privileged to be racing with top women from all over the country, I can race on a amazing course like this, I learn from a Sports Director who has years of experience, I get to have fun with a team I love, AND I’m allowed to write race reports like I’m actually the real deal.
It’s so much easier to watch a race from the sidelines, but being amongst it is the best feeling in the world. You can’t always win, or finish for that matter. It’s the doing that counts. I don’t think you can overestimate the thrill of it all.
But be warned – the next time you read a circuit description like the one at the top, be sure to check the fine print first. The race organizers are sneaky like that. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it hurts good. Next race please.
* Santa Cruz Criterium Race Results
* Torrance Criterium Race Results
* And... "It Pays to Read the Fine Print" A Race Report by Louise Keoghan (Sea Otter Women Pro 1/2 Circuit Race) - a must read!
We had fewer riders at Santa Cruz Crit today than had raced at Sea Otter. All rode well. It was a good end to a tough weekend. This course is not a flat course, has a u-turn, uphill sprints. It was a great opportunity to re-evaluate where we're at, refocus and get stronger.
Lauren Liscinski and Jenna Kowalski toughed it out in the women's crit today. The race was fairly aggressive, with about the same competitive field as Sea Otter, with TIBCO, Peanut Butter & Co., Webcor. There was a 3-rider breakaway that stayed away (with a rider from each TIBCO, Peanut Butter & Co. and a local team). Lauren had a great race, rode well, finished in the field, in the bunch sprint.
Cory Greenberg, Stephen Leece and Kit Karzen raced for the men. Kit started out at the front of the pack. Cory had a great race, was being active and aggressive. Stephen rode very well also. Bissell once again had the numbers and a plan, they got 2 riders in a break. There were some attempts to pull them back but none worked. Cory finished in the top 20.
NEWS FROM TORRANCE: Christine Barron 3rd in women's cat 4. A one-woman break got away. Christine was 2nd in the sprint.
"It Pays to Read the Fine Print" A RACE REPORT BY LOUISE KEOGHAN (Sea Otter Classic Pro Women's Circuit Race)
The course description for the Sea Otter Circuit Race reads, “Circuit racers will experience the thrill of riding the Laguna Seca Raceway with thousands of fans cheering them on. The course includes a challenging 300-foot climb and an awe-inspiring descent down the world-famous Corkscrew.”
I really think that in order to be humane and adhere to the Geneva Convention (which set the standards in international law for humanitarian treatment of the victims of war), they should add… “and if you are doing the 2-hour Women’s Pro 1/ 2 race, that’s approximately 20 times around. Up and down!
With chants of “Dead Man Walking” from blood-thirsty spectators, Jenna, Julia, Jen Jo, Lauren and I made our way to the start line, after a thorough briefing from Kurt Stockton. Kurt reminds me of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s so calm and wise. Just the kind of voice you want in your head, 1. before your plane goes down 2. after your computer crashes, forever 3. moments prior to an NRC race.
A race of this caliber starts with a roll call of all the famous and truly fabulous to the front. “Would the following please step forward… our very own Ten Times World Champion, the Eight Times National Road Champion, the Six Times Criterium Queen, the Five Times Ruler of the Universe”... The list goes on...
And I’m thinking, “Who is going to be left?” Me? I half expected to hear “Oi you, at the back. Step aside, let the world leaders through.”
Of course, I wasn’t letting any of this get inside my head. Earlier my favorite Sports Psychologist, Abigail Lufkin, assured me that being really nervous is a good reminder you that you are alive, present and ready for action.
And ready for action I was. Likewise, my trusted companions and NOW-MS teammates, who have been racing hard all season.
The first time over the power climb feels fine. Kurt warned us it would feel good, but not for long? The descent, however, is brilliant every single time. This is a bona fide speedway. The pavement is super smooth and the banking is designed for cars going over 100 miles an hour, around corners extra fast. It’s exhilarating. Pot holes, bumps and stones just don’t exist. It’s about as good as it gets for a racing surface.
An hour into the 120-minute race, riders started to drop off. The pace was pretty intense. Three riders off the front, a small chase group behind, a second chase group way behind that, the field even further back, some wounded soldiers next…. and finally the completely and utterly dead who were kindly dragged off the course, to make way for the support vehicles.
I know all this because I was one of the “incoming wounded,” but I wasn’t alone. There’s something comforting about swapping war stories with fellow teammates and once sworn enemies, whilst wide eyed and covered in sweat. You also get to cheer those who are left in the race, knowing that you are spared the pain.
With only 32 left in the field, out of 55 starters, it was clear that the breakaway riders had it in the can, along with the small chase group. The officials decided to shorten the race for the main field, placing them accordingly just shy of 1 lap to go.
Races like this remind me why I put myself through the pain. I do it because I am privileged to be racing with top women from all over the country, I can race on a amazing course like this, I learn from a Sports Director who has years of experience, I get to have fun with a team I love, AND I’m allowed to write race reports like I’m actually the real deal.
It’s so much easier to watch a race from the sidelines, but being amongst it is the best feeling in the world. You can’t always win, or finish for that matter. It’s the doing that counts. I don’t think you can overestimate the thrill of it all.
But be warned – the next time you read a circuit description like the one at the top, be sure to check the fine print first. The race organizers are sneaky like that. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it hurts good. Next race please.
The Now MS teams at Sea Otter-Thursday and Friday race report
Sea Otter Classic
Thu, April 15th & Fri, April 16th
Race Results
Men 1 / 2 / U23 Road Race (Friday): Corey Farrell 3rd, Cory Greenberg 4th, Stephen Leece 5th (of the U23s)
MTB Race (Friday): Kendall Ryan 4th
Women 4 Circuit Race (Friday): Vikki Appel 1st
For the Elite riders, today was a tough Road Race, a difficult course, the finish was a 2-mile climb. The men were up against the Bissell team which brought out their A team this weekend. Their Tour of CA riders are at Sea Otter. The NOW-MS Society men (Corey Farrell, Cory Greenberg, Stephen Leece, Kit Karzen and Aaron Schneider) all rode great together. Corey Farrell was at the front most of the race. Yesterday's crit was really challenging, mentally and physically. And a chance for the men and women to learn where they can be more competitive.
Kendall Ryan placed 4th in the Mt Bike race today. She was in 2nd for most of the race, right behind the leader until an unfortunate crash. She's fine, just a scraped knee.
Congratulations to Vikki Appel for her 1st place finish in the Women Cat 4 Circuit Race today!
Coming Up Next...
For the Elite men and women, tomorrow is the Circuit Race. In the women's race, Lauren Liscinski, Jenna Kowalski and Julia Lafranchise will be joined by Jennifer Johansen and Louise Keoghan. Kendall Ryan is off to Italy.
Circuit racers will experience the thrill of riding the Laguna Seca Raceway with thousands of fans cheering them on. The course includes a challenging 300-foot climb and an awe-inspiring descent down the world-famous Corkscrew.
Circuit Race Times:
11:30am Women 1/2 - 120 mins
2:30pm Men 1/2 and U23 - 120 mins
Thu, April 15th & Fri, April 16th
Race Results
Men 1 / 2 / U23 Road Race (Friday): Corey Farrell 3rd, Cory Greenberg 4th, Stephen Leece 5th (of the U23s)
MTB Race (Friday): Kendall Ryan 4th
Women 4 Circuit Race (Friday): Vikki Appel 1st
For the Elite riders, today was a tough Road Race, a difficult course, the finish was a 2-mile climb. The men were up against the Bissell team which brought out their A team this weekend. Their Tour of CA riders are at Sea Otter. The NOW-MS Society men (Corey Farrell, Cory Greenberg, Stephen Leece, Kit Karzen and Aaron Schneider) all rode great together. Corey Farrell was at the front most of the race. Yesterday's crit was really challenging, mentally and physically. And a chance for the men and women to learn where they can be more competitive.
Kendall Ryan placed 4th in the Mt Bike race today. She was in 2nd for most of the race, right behind the leader until an unfortunate crash. She's fine, just a scraped knee.
Congratulations to Vikki Appel for her 1st place finish in the Women Cat 4 Circuit Race today!
Coming Up Next...
For the Elite men and women, tomorrow is the Circuit Race. In the women's race, Lauren Liscinski, Jenna Kowalski and Julia Lafranchise will be joined by Jennifer Johansen and Louise Keoghan. Kendall Ryan is off to Italy.
Circuit racers will experience the thrill of riding the Laguna Seca Raceway with thousands of fans cheering them on. The course includes a challenging 300-foot climb and an awe-inspiring descent down the world-famous Corkscrew.
Circuit Race Times:
11:30am Women 1/2 - 120 mins
2:30pm Men 1/2 and U23 - 120 mins
Good day at Saturday Sea Otter Classic for NOW-Leece on Podium!
[Attachment(s) from Kendall Seyer included below]
Sea Otter Classic
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Race Results
Everyone stepped it up today and rode well, made our Team Director proud. It was a challenging day. The circuit race was more difficult than previous courses at Sea Otter. This course combined criterium tactics in a road race type course. The weather didn't help, the wind picked up as the day went on, progressed quite a bit from the earlier women's race to the men's race that started 3 hours later. There was a cross wind into a headwind on the climb, a climb that keeps going and going, and eventually drops off into a cockscrew descent on the raceway. No physical or mental break the entire race.
In the women's race, Jennifer Johansen and Louise Keoghan today joined Julia Lafranchise, Lauren Liscinski and Jenna Kowalski.
Jenna attacked and was off the front solo for awhile. The women all rode at the front, knew where they needed to be and they were there. When things got tough, they fought valiantly.
In the men's race, more riders showed up today that on Thursday and Friday. There was a 5-rider breakaway that went through more formations than you can count. Corey Farrell, Cory Greenberg and Stephen Leece were in the chase group. They fought it out and did well. The Bissell team hit it hard on the climb. Bissell came out on top again but not without a fight. With 3 laps to go, there was a big split in what was left of the main field (approx 25-30 riders). Stephen was where he needed to be to get a shot at a podium finish. He came in 5th of the U23s. (Two U23 riders were in the winning breakaway.)
As Kurt put it, the evolution of Kit from a junior track and crit racer to an Elite road racer continues. He fought hard and suffered, as they all did. Tough day but good day for all NOW-MS Society racers at Sea Otter.
And... Cat 4 rider Vikki Appel had a great weekend at Sea Otter. After yesterday's win, she came in 4th today in the women Cat 4 Road Race.
That's it for Sea Otter Classic 2010. Tomorrow, Santa Cruz Criterium! (Lauren Liscinski, Jenna Kowalski, Julia Lafranchise, Jennifer Johansen and for the men: Cory Greenberg, Corey Farrell, Kit Karzen, Stephen Leece)
Attached is Stephen Leece on the podium today. Thanks to Kurt Stockton for the photo.
Check out Corey Farrell in action (from yesterday's race) on cyclingnews.com: http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/sea-otter-classic-road-race-ne/elite-men-u23-men/photos/116047
Kendall Seyer
NOW-MS Society Cycling
Director of Communications & Marketing
kendallseyer@yahoo.com
Sea Otter Classic
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Race Results
Everyone stepped it up today and rode well, made our Team Director proud. It was a challenging day. The circuit race was more difficult than previous courses at Sea Otter. This course combined criterium tactics in a road race type course. The weather didn't help, the wind picked up as the day went on, progressed quite a bit from the earlier women's race to the men's race that started 3 hours later. There was a cross wind into a headwind on the climb, a climb that keeps going and going, and eventually drops off into a cockscrew descent on the raceway. No physical or mental break the entire race.
In the women's race, Jennifer Johansen and Louise Keoghan today joined Julia Lafranchise, Lauren Liscinski and Jenna Kowalski.
Jenna attacked and was off the front solo for awhile. The women all rode at the front, knew where they needed to be and they were there. When things got tough, they fought valiantly.
In the men's race, more riders showed up today that on Thursday and Friday. There was a 5-rider breakaway that went through more formations than you can count. Corey Farrell, Cory Greenberg and Stephen Leece were in the chase group. They fought it out and did well. The Bissell team hit it hard on the climb. Bissell came out on top again but not without a fight. With 3 laps to go, there was a big split in what was left of the main field (approx 25-30 riders). Stephen was where he needed to be to get a shot at a podium finish. He came in 5th of the U23s. (Two U23 riders were in the winning breakaway.)
As Kurt put it, the evolution of Kit from a junior track and crit racer to an Elite road racer continues. He fought hard and suffered, as they all did. Tough day but good day for all NOW-MS Society racers at Sea Otter.
And... Cat 4 rider Vikki Appel had a great weekend at Sea Otter. After yesterday's win, she came in 4th today in the women Cat 4 Road Race.
That's it for Sea Otter Classic 2010. Tomorrow, Santa Cruz Criterium! (Lauren Liscinski, Jenna Kowalski, Julia Lafranchise, Jennifer Johansen and for the men: Cory Greenberg, Corey Farrell, Kit Karzen, Stephen Leece)
Attached is Stephen Leece on the podium today. Thanks to Kurt Stockton for the photo.
Check out Corey Farrell in action (from yesterday's race) on cyclingnews.com: http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/sea-otter-classic-road-race-ne/elite-men-u23-men/photos/116047
Kendall Seyer
NOW-MS Society Cycling
Director of Communications & Marketing
kendallseyer@yahoo.com
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Kendall Ryan Dana Pt Race Report
Riding as a team at Dana Point GP
By Kendall Ryan
The Dana Point Grand Prix Pro womens criterium went off at 2:00pm Sunday afternoon. Our NOW-MS Society U25 squad: Julia Lafranchise, Jennifer Johansen (Jenjo), Jenna Kowalski, and I were hungry for success. All the riders gathered up to the line to start the race. The chief official said the rules of the race and asked, "Are there any juniors present?" I raised my hand along with Coryn Rivera, Alexis Ryan, Tara McCormick, and fellow teammate Ivie Crawford-- the most juniors I've raced with since Road Nationals last year. It was great to see more juniors racing up in category races. The official had us ride backwards on the course to junior roll out near the wheel pit. For junior gear roll out, before or after a race, I have to put my bike in the biggest chainring in the front and on the smallest gear on the rear cog and roll my bike backwards. Thus causing the cranks to rotate a full revolution that measures out to 100 inches. Since juniors are development riders our knees are at risk of injury when pushing too big a gear. So by having a smaller gear compared to our competitors it forces us to spin more. I consider this an advantage for the future.
The race started off with intense attacks from all the bigger teams: Helen's, La Grange, Incycle, and Vanderkitten. With every attack was one of our riders, and the rest of us would get to the front and slow it down. Then after that attempted breakaway was swallowed up by the field, another one of our riders would counter. Our goal for this race was to combine the skills we learned from all the previous stage races Team Director Kurt Stockton planned for us to do, and use them in the race. Let me tell you, I was really impressed with how well we rode as a team.
It was two laps to go when Jenjo launched a massive attack on the back stretch coming into the final turn. She was going for the gamblers prime of $100. She held off the field and won the prime, the field swallowed her up, it was THE FINAL LAP! I was sitting about mid-field. The pack sat up after the first corner out of six, and I knew I had to move up quick. I made many maneuvers to get towards the front, squeezed under on the inside of the corners, dived through holes, and then was suddenly sitting third wheel out of the second to last corner. There was still a long straightaway before the last corner. My heart was beating so fast, everything suddenly went into slow-motion. I was sitting on Incycle rider Pam Schuster who was right behind Beatriz Rodriguez who was stringing it out for the finish. A Vanderkitten rider started sprinting when we were half-way through the stretch of road on my left side. I knew I had to go. I sprinted as hard as I could past both riders in front of me, diving through that last corner in first place. I could see the finish line right in front of me, just about 200 meters. I held them off and posted up on the line for the win. A Helen's rider was second and Coryn Rivera of Peanut Butter & Co. was third. Julia Lafranchise placed 7th in the bunch sprint, and Jenjo was in the mix after a hard effort. Jenna unfortunately crashed in the last corner on the last lap. She has stitches in her finger now, but she rode a great race.
After the finish I gave my dad a big hug and he said, "Where did that come from?" I said "I have no idea!"
Kendall Ryan
By Kendall Ryan
The Dana Point Grand Prix Pro womens criterium went off at 2:00pm Sunday afternoon. Our NOW-MS Society U25 squad: Julia Lafranchise, Jennifer Johansen (Jenjo), Jenna Kowalski, and I were hungry for success. All the riders gathered up to the line to start the race. The chief official said the rules of the race and asked, "Are there any juniors present?" I raised my hand along with Coryn Rivera, Alexis Ryan, Tara McCormick, and fellow teammate Ivie Crawford-- the most juniors I've raced with since Road Nationals last year. It was great to see more juniors racing up in category races. The official had us ride backwards on the course to junior roll out near the wheel pit. For junior gear roll out, before or after a race, I have to put my bike in the biggest chainring in the front and on the smallest gear on the rear cog and roll my bike backwards. Thus causing the cranks to rotate a full revolution that measures out to 100 inches. Since juniors are development riders our knees are at risk of injury when pushing too big a gear. So by having a smaller gear compared to our competitors it forces us to spin more. I consider this an advantage for the future.
The race started off with intense attacks from all the bigger teams: Helen's, La Grange, Incycle, and Vanderkitten. With every attack was one of our riders, and the rest of us would get to the front and slow it down. Then after that attempted breakaway was swallowed up by the field, another one of our riders would counter. Our goal for this race was to combine the skills we learned from all the previous stage races Team Director Kurt Stockton planned for us to do, and use them in the race. Let me tell you, I was really impressed with how well we rode as a team.
It was two laps to go when Jenjo launched a massive attack on the back stretch coming into the final turn. She was going for the gamblers prime of $100. She held off the field and won the prime, the field swallowed her up, it was THE FINAL LAP! I was sitting about mid-field. The pack sat up after the first corner out of six, and I knew I had to move up quick. I made many maneuvers to get towards the front, squeezed under on the inside of the corners, dived through holes, and then was suddenly sitting third wheel out of the second to last corner. There was still a long straightaway before the last corner. My heart was beating so fast, everything suddenly went into slow-motion. I was sitting on Incycle rider Pam Schuster who was right behind Beatriz Rodriguez who was stringing it out for the finish. A Vanderkitten rider started sprinting when we were half-way through the stretch of road on my left side. I knew I had to go. I sprinted as hard as I could past both riders in front of me, diving through that last corner in first place. I could see the finish line right in front of me, just about 200 meters. I held them off and posted up on the line for the win. A Helen's rider was second and Coryn Rivera of Peanut Butter & Co. was third. Julia Lafranchise placed 7th in the bunch sprint, and Jenjo was in the mix after a hard effort. Jenna unfortunately crashed in the last corner on the last lap. She has stitches in her finger now, but she rode a great race.
After the finish I gave my dad a big hug and he said, "Where did that come from?" I said "I have no idea!"
Kendall Ryan
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Kendall's Pro win at Dana Pt Grand Prix
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/04/news/cantwell-wins-dana-point-grand-prix-criterium_111448
Dana Pt Race results for NOW!!!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Dana Point Grand Prix - Criterium
Race Results
Congratulations to Kendall Ryan for her win today in the Dana Point Pro Women race!!! Attached is a podium shot of Kendall. Nice job to Kendall's teammates, Julia Lafranchise 7th place and a prime, Jennifer Johansen and Jenna Kowalski primes also.
Adam Masters got a top-5 finish in the Cat 3 Men race. In the Cat 2 Men, Cory Greenberg was 9th in the breakaway and Kit Karzen 5th in the field sprint.
The Pro Men race was very aggressive with a competitive field of approx 150 riders. Danny Heeley was riding very aggressively up front but unfortunately got caught in a monster crash coming out of the last turn with 5 laps to go. The crash brought down 35 riders and changed everything. Danny is fine although his bike not so fine. Corey Farrell came in top 20. Sergio Hernandez also had a very good aggressive race.
Dana Point Grand Prix - Criterium
Race Results
Congratulations to Kendall Ryan for her win today in the Dana Point Pro Women race!!! Attached is a podium shot of Kendall. Nice job to Kendall's teammates, Julia Lafranchise 7th place and a prime, Jennifer Johansen and Jenna Kowalski primes also.
Adam Masters got a top-5 finish in the Cat 3 Men race. In the Cat 2 Men, Cory Greenberg was 9th in the breakaway and Kit Karzen 5th in the field sprint.
The Pro Men race was very aggressive with a competitive field of approx 150 riders. Danny Heeley was riding very aggressively up front but unfortunately got caught in a monster crash coming out of the last turn with 5 laps to go. The crash brought down 35 riders and changed everything. Danny is fine although his bike not so fine. Corey Farrell came in top 20. Sergio Hernandez also had a very good aggressive race.
Monday, April 5, 2010
More NOW race results
At the UCLA RR Thomas Hubbard was 3rd in the P/1/2 and apparently detonated the race with a brutal attack early on!
In Ontario, Christine Barron came in 2nd in the women 3/4.
CBR Dom Hills, Betsy Kogan placed 4th of the women 4's in what has become a women 1,2,3,4 race.
In Ontario, Christine Barron came in 2nd in the women 3/4.
CBR Dom Hills, Betsy Kogan placed 4th of the women 4's in what has become a women 1,2,3,4 race.
Race Report CBR Crit
Race Report by Jon Hippensteel
Racing: Jon Hippensteel and Kevin Hinton
Race: CBR "Ride it like you sole it" Crit
"I wanted to send a little update to recap my second ever crit race. Since I
had been lapped twice during my first ever crit race in Dominguez Hills at
the beginning of March, I went into the Cat 5 this morning with less than
hopeful prospects. We rolled across the line at 7:04am and after a warm-up
lap, the race was underway. As opposed to last month, I rode a much smarter
and more tactically efficient race, and was able to hang mid pack the entire
time. It was great having Kevin with me which also gave me confidence.
Kevin did a great job shepherding me around the peloton when he wasn't
attacking it...
Many thanks are also due to the bonecrusher, John Velez, for the use of his
trainer and his brutal Spinnervals 9.0 "Have Mercy," which helped
tremendously with my fitness and stamina. My job doesn't allow for any am
rides. If not for John, I wouldn't even be on the team, and would probably
still be riding shirtless on PCH with no helmet on the weekends!! Just
kidding!!!!...
As we rounded the fourth corner, and approached lap number five, I was still
feeling strong and was able to maintain my place in spite of the rapid
position shifting beginning to occur. I started moving up during the white
flag lap, and coming around the final corner, I kicked it into high gear and
flew around the outside to charge across the finish line just outside the
top ten, in 11th place.
After today, I'm officially addicted to cycling and can't wait 'til the rest
of snow melts on the mountains so I can devote more of my attention to it.
I'm an adrenaline junkie at heart and this sport definitely fulfills that
need plus the benefit of making new friends too!"
Racing: Jon Hippensteel and Kevin Hinton
Race: CBR "Ride it like you sole it" Crit
"I wanted to send a little update to recap my second ever crit race. Since I
had been lapped twice during my first ever crit race in Dominguez Hills at
the beginning of March, I went into the Cat 5 this morning with less than
hopeful prospects. We rolled across the line at 7:04am and after a warm-up
lap, the race was underway. As opposed to last month, I rode a much smarter
and more tactically efficient race, and was able to hang mid pack the entire
time. It was great having Kevin with me which also gave me confidence.
Kevin did a great job shepherding me around the peloton when he wasn't
attacking it...
Many thanks are also due to the bonecrusher, John Velez, for the use of his
trainer and his brutal Spinnervals 9.0 "Have Mercy," which helped
tremendously with my fitness and stamina. My job doesn't allow for any am
rides. If not for John, I wouldn't even be on the team, and would probably
still be riding shirtless on PCH with no helmet on the weekends!! Just
kidding!!!!...
As we rounded the fourth corner, and approached lap number five, I was still
feeling strong and was able to maintain my place in spite of the rapid
position shifting beginning to occur. I started moving up during the white
flag lap, and coming around the final corner, I kicked it into high gear and
flew around the outside to charge across the finish line just outside the
top ten, in 11th place.
After today, I'm officially addicted to cycling and can't wait 'til the rest
of snow melts on the mountains so I can devote more of my attention to it.
I'm an adrenaline junkie at heart and this sport definitely fulfills that
need plus the benefit of making new friends too!"
Two podiums at UCLA RR
Congratulations to Julie Guthrie and Nate Whitman for their podium finishes at UCLA Road Race this weekend.
Julie came in 3rd in the Women III/IV and Nate placed 3rd in the Men IV.
And, a solid performance from Jon Hippensteel at the CBR crit in Dominguez Hills. Jon placed 11th in the Men V-- his 2nd race ever!
Julie came in 3rd in the Women III/IV and Nate placed 3rd in the Men IV.
And, a solid performance from Jon Hippensteel at the CBR crit in Dominguez Hills. Jon placed 11th in the Men V-- his 2nd race ever!
Friday, April 2, 2010
NOW U25 Womens Race Report for Redlands
They don’t let just anyone race the Redlands Bicycle Classic
by Jennifer Johansen
They don’t let just anyone race the Redlands Bicycle Classic. To be accepted means you’re supposed to be there. You’re supposed to be there with some of the best women cyclists in the world; some real-life, world-class athletes. This opportunity was meant for the NOW-MS Society Women’s Elite Team, an opportunity to learn and bump bars with the best.
With SDSR under my belt, I arrived in Redlands Wednesday evening with a beautiful Specialized S-Works, amazing teammates (Lauren Liscinski, Julia Lafranchise, Jenna Kowalski, Kendall Ryan, and special guest rider, Tammy Wildgoose), epic support crew, a superb director Kurt Stockton, the best climbing legs I’ve ever had, and some fresh confidence.
Thursday morning at 11:10 AM, Prologue TT. I began my ascent up the TT course. I put in a decent time, placing me amongst some strong women. Admittedly, I did get passed, but only by one rider; a rider by the name of Kim Anderson of Team HTC-Columbia who started 30 seconds behind me.
Recover. Check out The City of Beaumont’s Road Race course.
Friday, Stage 1: The City of Beaumont Road Race. The course does one large lap and then two smaller loops for a total of ~109 km. First initiative: get myself to the front and stay there. The race started with a fast slightly downhill tailwind sections into a left turn where the course starts climbing to the first QOM. In order to hang with the likes of Mara Abbott, I HAD to get to the front before that turn. And I did. The rest of the race was a battle to stay toward front, and most importantly stay toward the front leading into the climbs. I got dropped up the climb with a group of around 15, including one of my teammates, Kendall Ryan, on the 2nd to last lap, but we were able to chase back on to the peloton where I stayed until the final climb of the day. I came into the climb at the back after getting a feed (big mistake, I’m not sure what I was thinking.), my legs had had enough and I went off the back. I finished 2:45 down from the leaders. Jenna Kowalski, Kendall Ryan, Tammy Wildgoose and I lived to fight another day. Unfortunately, some poor luck for Lauren Liscinski and Julia Lafranchise (who spent the day battling flats and avoiding crashes) meant we were two down.
Recover.
Saturday, Stage 2: The City of Redlands Criterium. This was hands down the hardest crit I’ve ever done and the most emotional I’ve ever been on a start line. The cutest 7-year-old girl wished us good luck and belted out the national anthem for an excited crowd and an anxious field. Once the gun went off, honestly, it was all I could do to hang on. Bad legs? Maybe, but these girls were flyin’! Kendall Ryan rode a great race, smart and strong. She was in the top 15 wheels all day and finished an impressive 13th! And that’s on junior gears! Ladies and gentlemen, watch out-she turns 18 this year. Our guest rider Tammy Wildgoose finished in the pack and all of us get to race the final and most challenging, IMO, stage.
Recover.
Sunday, Stage 3: The Beaver Medical Group Sunset Road Race. The race started off with a 5-mile “neutral” section. Everyone was battling for good position because the first lap QOM was going to drive the pace hard up the first climb. As soon as we got the green from the official, they drilled it going for the QOM, and dropped most of the field. All four NOW-MS ladies ended up in a group of around 20 riders, including riders from the top teams-HTC-Columbia, TIBCO, Peanut Butter 2012, and Colavita-to name a few. We rode until pulled by the officials to receive a pro-rated time for the stage. This is how most “finish” this race, which is just a testament to its selectiveness.
I can’t write this without acknowledging the achievements of the Elite men of our team. Corey Farrell, Cory Greenberg, Danny Heeley, Kit Karzen, pro rider and team alumni Sergio Hernandez and guest riders Blake Anton, Thomas Hubbard and Charles Bryer had a good race finishing 18th on team GC, a great improvement over last year. I’m hoping our women’s team follows their lead. We will take this incredible experience and all the lessons learned (some pretty painful) and come back next year faster, stronger, better.
I can’t thank my team, NOW-MS Society, enough for their unwavering and whole-hearted support of their U25 development program. They have worked tirelessly to connect us with high quality and supportive sponsors that allow us to race at this elite level. Check us out on our website: www.teamvrc.org and on our Facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/NOW-MS-Society-Womens-Cycling-Team/243102731721?ref=ts. You can find the Elite men at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/NOW-MS-Society-U25-Mens-Cycling-Team/295199539303?ref=ts
Kendall Seyer
NOW-MS Society Cycling
Director of Communications & Marketing
kendallseyer@yahoo.com
by Jennifer Johansen
They don’t let just anyone race the Redlands Bicycle Classic. To be accepted means you’re supposed to be there. You’re supposed to be there with some of the best women cyclists in the world; some real-life, world-class athletes. This opportunity was meant for the NOW-MS Society Women’s Elite Team, an opportunity to learn and bump bars with the best.
With SDSR under my belt, I arrived in Redlands Wednesday evening with a beautiful Specialized S-Works, amazing teammates (Lauren Liscinski, Julia Lafranchise, Jenna Kowalski, Kendall Ryan, and special guest rider, Tammy Wildgoose), epic support crew, a superb director Kurt Stockton, the best climbing legs I’ve ever had, and some fresh confidence.
Thursday morning at 11:10 AM, Prologue TT. I began my ascent up the TT course. I put in a decent time, placing me amongst some strong women. Admittedly, I did get passed, but only by one rider; a rider by the name of Kim Anderson of Team HTC-Columbia who started 30 seconds behind me.
Recover. Check out The City of Beaumont’s Road Race course.
Friday, Stage 1: The City of Beaumont Road Race. The course does one large lap and then two smaller loops for a total of ~109 km. First initiative: get myself to the front and stay there. The race started with a fast slightly downhill tailwind sections into a left turn where the course starts climbing to the first QOM. In order to hang with the likes of Mara Abbott, I HAD to get to the front before that turn. And I did. The rest of the race was a battle to stay toward front, and most importantly stay toward the front leading into the climbs. I got dropped up the climb with a group of around 15, including one of my teammates, Kendall Ryan, on the 2nd to last lap, but we were able to chase back on to the peloton where I stayed until the final climb of the day. I came into the climb at the back after getting a feed (big mistake, I’m not sure what I was thinking.), my legs had had enough and I went off the back. I finished 2:45 down from the leaders. Jenna Kowalski, Kendall Ryan, Tammy Wildgoose and I lived to fight another day. Unfortunately, some poor luck for Lauren Liscinski and Julia Lafranchise (who spent the day battling flats and avoiding crashes) meant we were two down.
Recover.
Saturday, Stage 2: The City of Redlands Criterium. This was hands down the hardest crit I’ve ever done and the most emotional I’ve ever been on a start line. The cutest 7-year-old girl wished us good luck and belted out the national anthem for an excited crowd and an anxious field. Once the gun went off, honestly, it was all I could do to hang on. Bad legs? Maybe, but these girls were flyin’! Kendall Ryan rode a great race, smart and strong. She was in the top 15 wheels all day and finished an impressive 13th! And that’s on junior gears! Ladies and gentlemen, watch out-she turns 18 this year. Our guest rider Tammy Wildgoose finished in the pack and all of us get to race the final and most challenging, IMO, stage.
Recover.
Sunday, Stage 3: The Beaver Medical Group Sunset Road Race. The race started off with a 5-mile “neutral” section. Everyone was battling for good position because the first lap QOM was going to drive the pace hard up the first climb. As soon as we got the green from the official, they drilled it going for the QOM, and dropped most of the field. All four NOW-MS ladies ended up in a group of around 20 riders, including riders from the top teams-HTC-Columbia, TIBCO, Peanut Butter 2012, and Colavita-to name a few. We rode until pulled by the officials to receive a pro-rated time for the stage. This is how most “finish” this race, which is just a testament to its selectiveness.
I can’t write this without acknowledging the achievements of the Elite men of our team. Corey Farrell, Cory Greenberg, Danny Heeley, Kit Karzen, pro rider and team alumni Sergio Hernandez and guest riders Blake Anton, Thomas Hubbard and Charles Bryer had a good race finishing 18th on team GC, a great improvement over last year. I’m hoping our women’s team follows their lead. We will take this incredible experience and all the lessons learned (some pretty painful) and come back next year faster, stronger, better.
I can’t thank my team, NOW-MS Society, enough for their unwavering and whole-hearted support of their U25 development program. They have worked tirelessly to connect us with high quality and supportive sponsors that allow us to race at this elite level. Check us out on our website: www.teamvrc.org and on our Facebook fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/NOW-MS-Society-Womens-Cycling-Team/243102731721?ref=ts. You can find the Elite men at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/NOW-MS-Society-U25-Mens-Cycling-Team/295199539303?ref=ts
Kendall Seyer
NOW-MS Society Cycling
Director of Communications & Marketing
kendallseyer@yahoo.com
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