Maumee Valley Wheelmen Rider Blog & News

Support for Evan Yaghnam

Allen Kraus — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:27:17 GMT

https://gofund.me/8c2ba9617

Race Workers needed for June 9, 2020 race at Woodville

Allen Kraus — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:40:18 GMT

We still need 2 workers for next week's race. Please contact Allen Kraus at 19akraus@gmail.com to sign up. If we don't have enough workers we will be unable to hold the event.

Year End Awards & Trophies

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 22:32:11 GMT

WotY & MI Nominations

It's the time of the year to nominate candidates for the Club's Wheelman of the Year and Most Improved awards. Please send your nominations to Scott. And please provide a brief description as to why you are nominating the individuals!

Return 2018 Trophies
If you are the holder of one of the Club's annual rotating trophies, then please make arrangements to return them to Scott. Please have the trophies returned by Monday, September 30th.

Fall Trash Pickup

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 22:01:31 GMT

Trash pickup along our two mile segment of SR-64 is scheduled for Saturday, October 5th. Meet at The Fort by 8:00am. The task is handled most effectively with a minimum of eight workers. If you aren't aware of the Club's role with this program, then more info can be found here.

Fall 2019 Breakfast Ride Time Change

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 22:00:08 GMT

A reminder that Breakfast Rides now depart The Fort at 9:00am.

2019 Clothing

Sat, 02 Mar 2019 00:17:59 GMT

Our clothing store is now open - click here for more information.

Indoor riding

Tue, 01 Jan 2019 22:06:03 GMT

I am selling cycle ops rollers ($100.00) and a Schwinn ic Pro spinner $150.00). 419.930.7347

Fall 2018 Breakfast Ride Time Change

Sat, 22 Sep 2018 18:58:34 GMT

On Saturday, September 29th the Club's Breakfast Ride will switch to a 9:00am start time. It would be wise to check-in with Facebook Messenger on each weekend day to determine if a group is riding on the road from Fort Meigs, and/or if a group is departing Waterville for a ride on the towpath.

Spring 2018 Breakfast Ride Time Change

Wed, 04 Apr 2018 23:09:53 GMT

On Saturday, May 12th, 2018 the Club's Breakfast Rides will switch to an 8:00am start time at Fort Meigs. The B group will depart at 7:55am and the A group will follow five minutes later at 8:00am.

Spring 2017 Breakfast Ride Time Change

Mon, 01 May 2017 20:44:08 GMT

On Saturday, May 13th, 2017 the Club's Breakfast Rides will switch to an 8:00am start time at Fort Meigs. The B group will depart at 7:55am and the A group will follow five minutes later at 8:00am.

3 Oct 2016 News

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 12:39:31 GMT

News about end of year awards, 2016 banquet, and fall Cyclo-cross series: 03Oct16

2014 Club Banquet

Fri, 02 Oct 2015 20:01:41 GMT

MVW Club Banquet

This year's Club Banquet is scheduled for Friday, November 13th. The event will begin with drinks at 6:00pm. It will again be held at the Maumee Bay Brewing Company located at 27 Broadway St., Toledo, OH 43604. Additional information and reservation procedures will be forthcoming.

WotY & MI Nominations

Return 2014 Trophies
If you are the holder of one of the Club's annual rotating trophies, then please make arrangements to return them to either Steve or Scott. Please have the trophies returned by Thursday, October 15th.

Breakfast Ride Time Change

Sun, 13 Sep 2015 22:20:53 GMT

The venerable Breakfast Rides will depart Fort Meigs at 9:00 and 9:05 am beginning Saturday, 26 September 2015. A text will be distributed when the rides progressively make the switch from the road to the towpath.

Also, please make note that the Club Banquet is scheduled for Friday, 13 November, and the event will be held at its usual venue--Maumee Bay Brewing Company. Details to follow in a few weeks.

Club Clothing Orders

Fri, 31 Jul 2015 14:00:04 GMT

The Club's clothing store on the Voler website is open. The ship date for this order is the third week of September and the order deadline is August 3rd.

Welcome to the Voler Online Ordering System

Maumee Valley Wheelmen has decided to use the Voler Custom Online Order System for collecting and processing your cycling apparel order. Please follow the steps below to place your individual order for inclusion in the overall team order.

1. Click on this link to access your team order site: http://www.voler.com/custom/ordering/li/9534

2. Click on “LOGIN” to enter your Login/Billing Info. Click on “Create Account” to save the information and to create your new User ID and Password. You will automatically be directed to the home page for your team order. If you are a returning customer, please use your original Login and Password.

3. Click on “Begin Shopping" to gain access to the orderable products page. To place items in your shopping cart, click on the item you want to order, then the options you want to select, then the “Add to cart” button. You can choose to “View Your Bag” or “Continue Shopping” after adding each item. Repeat these steps for each item you want to order.

4. After placing the last item you want to order in your shopping cart, click on “View Your Bag” to display the items. Carefully review the items and make any necessary modifications or deletions. Because each item is custom built, refunds and exchanges will not be accepted. After you have confirmed your order is correct, click on “Proceed to Checkout” to complete the secure checkout process by entering your credit card payment information.

5. After you have completed the secure checkout process, an Order Confirmation will automatically be displayed and e-mailed to you for your records.

6. After the order deadline date has passed, you will no longer be able to access the order site. If you have not completed the checkout process for your order by this date, any items in your cart will be removed. The Order Deadline and the Order Ship Date are displayed on the order homepage. The Ship Date is the date that your order will be shipped from Voler.

Thank you for your order. If you have any questions, please call 800-488-6537 and ask for assistance from a Voler Customer Service Representative, or send us an email at sales@voler.com.

Evansville RR (Defiance) on 30 June

Thu, 25 Jun 2015 20:53:48 GMT

Information for the Evansville Road Race can be found here: http://maumeevalleywheelmen.com/Club_Race_10_Evansville_RR

Photos from 1981 Great Toledo Bicycle Race

Allen Kraus — Fri, 29 May 2015 00:36:52 GMT

Grab your hairnets and wool jerseys! The Great Toledo Bicycle Race, circa 1981, was hosted by our very own Maumee Valley Wheelmen. Thanks to Dave David M Barnes for the slides!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/68185902@N08/

Here is an article in The Blade from that day in ancient history...
https://news.google.com/newspapers…

Spring Trash Pick-Up

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 20:50:00 GMT

The Club's spring trash pick-up along SR 65 is scheduled for Saturday, May 2. Meet at the Fort at 7:45. A ride to breakfast will follow the task. Please remember a minimum of eight people are needed to handle this most efficiently. More info can be found here.

2015 World Championships in Richmond VA

Allen Kraus — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 00:25:34 GMT

I am going to this next September. There are multiple races every day from the 19th through the the 28th. I'm planning to leave Friday morning (18th), stay in a hotel each night in the Richmond area (Candlewood Suites South) and return Monday the 29th. I'm looking for several others who are willing to share the travel expenses. I can carry 3 other people and possibly up to 6 bikes. Great places to ride and just 4 miles from the main downtown race venues. Post here or get in touch with me if you are interested in this.

General Membership Meeting

Sat, 04 Oct 2014 18:59:41 GMT

The Club will hold a general membership meeting on Thursday, 23 October at 6:30pm. Thee meeting will be in Waterville at Mike Faehnle's place of business. The address is Rock of Ages Memorials, 111 Anthony Wayne Trail, Waterville, OH 43566. For a map of the location can be found here.

So that I have an idea of attendance, please contact Scott if you plan to attend. You may also text me. Additional meeting details will be e-mailed.

Breakfast Ride Fall Time Change

Sat, 20 Sep 2014 15:52:37 GMT

Beginning Saturday, 27 September Breakfast Rides will depart from the Fort at 8:45am and 9:00am. Coinciding with this change in start time is the likely possibility that a number of folks will begin riding the towpath to breakfast.

A website notice will be posted, and a text will be distributed, when the shift to towpath riding begins. For more information on Breakfast Rides click here.

Sunday's Club Race 20 July

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 13:34:54 GMT

This Sunday's scheduled Club race has been canceled. Criterium venue issues should be finalized this week, so that we can proceed with the Club Championship Criterium on 24 July. More info will be broadcast when it is available.

Breakfast Ride Time Change

Sun, 04 May 2014 21:17:59 GMT

Beginning Saturday, May 10th Breakfast Rides will begin one hour earlier. This means the first group will depart Fort Meigs at 7:45am, and the second group will leave at 8:00am. A reminder text has already been sent, and another one will follow this week.

Towpath Report

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:51:31 GMT

I rode the towpath this afternoon, and I thought others might like an update on the trail's condition. In fact, I'm posting this from my phone while eating lunch at Fernando's. The temperature was a scant 24 degrees with mostly cloudy skies. Had the temperature been above freezing, or had it been sunny, then the towpath would have been incredibly sloppy.

Even with the sub-freezing temperature, the first three miles of the trail were moderately muddy. Between mile three and four the remnants of ice and snow surprised me. If it were warmer, then it would have been entirely mush, slush and muck. West of mile four the surface was firm and dry until mile eight. The last three-quarters of a mile were a mixture of slop and ice, and there was one section that was long enough and slick enough I elected not to ride across it.

In summary, the towpath is once again rideable, but one must be willing to contend with a fairly messy affair! For those wanting the least muddy option, I would suggest riding the road to Bend View parking lot. From the parking lot use the gravel path to access the trail just west of mile 4.25. If you're riding with others, be in front, as riding on someone's rear wheel will be an utter mess!

Spring Trash Pick-Up on SR 65

Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:30:21 GMT

The Club's spring trash pick-up along the two mile section of River Road is scheduled for Sunday, April 13th at 8:00am. The date is later this year due to the amount of snow from the winter. As usual, all participants are to meet at Fort Meigs at 8:00am. More info can be found here. Safety vests and trash bags are provided by ODOT. A ride to breakfast in Grand Rapids will follow after the task.

Final Clothing Fit Session

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 01:16:30 GMT

The final clothing fit session is Tuesday, February 11th. It will be at Steve's house from 5-8pm. Click here for more info.

Clothing Fit Session

Fri, 07 Feb 2014 21:13:36 GMT

Please remember to attend one of the Voler clothing fit sessions. The first one is Saturday, 08 February at Mountain Man from 1-4pm. Click here for more info.

Voler Clothing

Eric Wharton — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 01:49:46 GMT

The Voler clothing was used for our "Red-Bike" kits last year. While I can only speak of my experience I found the Voler kits to fit very well. The bibs fit me better than most and the jersey was well made. The ordering process was easy and the product arrived as expected. I definitely give Voler two thumbs up.

Breakfast Rides On The Towpath

Sat, 18 Jan 2014 01:31:02 GMT

Given the weather and temperature and coupled with the icy towpath conditions, this weekend's Breakfast Rides will be on Old 24 on CX bikes. Meet at Roch de Bouf at 9:00am. Although there is some fresh snow, there is still plenty of ice beneath that newish layer. I attempted to ride the towpath on Wednesday, 15 January, and it was rather treacherous. Unfortunately nothing has melted since then.

Race #5 Thursday, May 16

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:26:00 GMT

Race #5 on Thursday, May 16th will be a two lap TT at Otsegp Park. The new course that was going to be used is being re-surfaced.

Please arrive early for the TT, as it will ease sign-in issues, and it helps to get folks properly seeded for the start.

Breakfast Ride Time Change

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:42:37 GMT

Beginning Saturday, May 4th Breakfast Rides will begin one hour earlier. This means the first group will depart Fort Meigs at 7:45am, and the second group will leave at 8:00am. A reminder text has already been sent, and another one will follow this week.

Club Trash Pick-Up

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:46:15 GMT

The Club's spring trash pick-up along our two mile section of SR 65 will be Saturday, 06 April. Meet in the parking lot of Fort Meigs at 8:00am. The customary Breakfast Ride will take place afterwards from the Fort area.

Breakfast Rides

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:49:05 GMT

With the improved weather Breakfast Rides have returned to the road. The first group departs Fort Meigs at 8:45am, and the second group leaves at 9:00am. If you have any questions, please contact Scott.

Breakfast Ride Time Change

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:45:01 GMT

Beginning Saturday, 29 September Breakfast Rides will depart at 9:00am. Beginning with the first weekend in October a number of folks may begin riding the towpath to breakfast.

Cherry Roubaix Weekend

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 01:56:46 GMT

Sunny, low 80s, Traverse City, and two days of racing what more could be better? The weekend kicked off with the Old Town Criterium in downtown Traverse City. We had a very competitive field that was dominated by mostly Bissell and Priority Jerseys. Bissell was out in numbers with Mac Brennan, who had recently been placed on the Bissell Pro Team, so my guess was they would be looking to make a statement. After my last experience I made my mind up that my race was to stay near the front the entire time, at all costs, so right out of the gate I got myself to the front. Being near the front made it an entirely different experience than what I went through in Milford, there were actually times when I found myself heading off of the front with small break/chase groups and there was not nearly as much fighting for position. That said, after getting a feel for what the pace was going to be like and expending energy with no gain, I realized pretty early that my only play was to survive until the end and then try to sprint it out, with a goal of finishing in the money. Despite an average speed of nearly 28mph, a two man break eventually formed off of the front just shy of the midway point of the 50 minute crit. With about 20 minutes to go I started to notice things getting really hard and seemed to be getting more noise/vibration from my rear wheel over the brick section and began to think maybe I had a flat, but it was only noticeable over the one section and I was not 100% sure it was flat. After two more times over the brick section and the handling of the bike starting to become difficult I convinced myself to stop, sure enough my rear tire had gone soft. I have never experienced a mechanical during a crit, only a crash, but for those who think it is a relaxing experience and a chance to rest up, your nuts!! It was stressful working with the guy to get my pit wheel, on and my brakes were not lining up correctly so in a rush I just opened them all of the way up, then getting launched back into a race that is moving at 28mph stinks. Despite all of this I somehow managed to get back in about the same spot I had left off, although the new rear wheel felt strange and I certainly could have used more rear brake. With 5 laps to go we had closed down the gap to the two man break to 20 seconds and I started to get the feeling that I may get to sprint it out for a win instead of third. Then the pace car ensured that we would get to sprint it out for 1^st by taking out one of the guys in the lead group as he tried to go around one side of the pace car when it unexpectedly slowed. Coming into the last lap I knew that I had to fight to get myself as close to the front as possible, Rob Foshag came by me and I knew he was a good wheel to follow and about half way through the last lap I was right on it. Typical with all of my sprints this year things got nuts and I almost went down, losing a couple of spots leading into the last corner, but managed to sprint it out down the straight coming across the line in 8^th!! Well into the money and I was able to check off the goal I set before the season started of finishing in the top 10 of a Pro/1/2 race!!

With the great result from the day prior I went into the road race feeling relaxed and like I actually belonged racing with the guys I was racing with. Make no mistake, with 86 miles of racing and over 6,000 feet of climbing I knew that it would be the hardest day I had ever had on the bike. The first 30 minutes of the race were insanely fast, fueled by constant attacks and two challenging climbs. The pace up the second climb of the day was all out, in an effort to stay towards the front my legs and lungs were on fire as we approached what seemed like the crest, and I was not sure how much longer I could hang on. Then to my horror we turned the corner and the hill just kept going, at that moment I was almost certain I was going to get dropped. I don’t really remember the pain and suffering, but I am sure it was intense. Somehow I crested the hill on the back of what was left of the main field. Of course sensing damage had been done, the aggressive pace continued and I suffered in agonizing pain for the next two or three minutes just hanging on the back. Finally a small two man break established, so the frantic pace on the flat ground seemingly let up a bit, or was at least smoother and easier to settle into. However, the third hill was a double tiered hill and nearly a repeat of the second hill, had it not been for a downhill section afterwards and the fact that there was basically a split in the field my race may have been over there. The last hill was a climb up to the start finish at the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain Ski Resort and based on appearance it seemed that it would be the most challenging; however, the feed was located on the hill, which neutralized things a bit making the most challenging part getting your bottle and then getting back on. One lap down, three more to go, except now I knew the course and where to conserve energy. The second lap was pretty easy going up the long first climb, a nice steady tempo in which everyone took the opportunity to take on some calories, but that didn’t last long as a couple others took the opportunity to try to make a move up to the break. Knowing the course, made the second lap somewhat easier, although your pace when racing on a hill is mostly dictated by the fastest guy, so it was still very much a battle to stay alive. As the race turned onto the third lap the field started to disappear from both ends, with three more guys going up the road, and a lot of people falling off of the back. The once 40 person main field now consisted of maybe 15 guys and 5 guys were up the road. At the start of the last lap, we got word that what had once been over a 3-minute advantage to the breakaway was now down to just over a minute and a half. Upon hearing that, what was left of the teams that did not have guys in the breakaway rolled to the front, but a chase was short lived as it seemed like everyone was exhausted and no one really wanted to do any work. Despite the main field’s reluctance to pull back the break we managed to pick up three of the five in the last 10 miles of the race, leaving only two off of the front. With the absence of the feed to neutralize things, I fully expected the final climb to be a battle, with a select group then fighting it out in the sprint about a half mile from the crest of the hill. To me this was fine, because it meant less thinking, all I had to do was have the legs and follow wheels, if I didn’t then I was pretty confident that I had enough to beat at least a few of the guys in our final group of now 18, to finish in the money. Surprisingly enough everyone seemed content with it going to a bunch sprint because the pace up the final climb was tolerable. I even debated making a move myself, but opted for the less painful route of waiting until the sprint. As it turns out I may have been better off attacking on the hill because despite having a decent position leading into the sprint, I began experiencing significant leg cramps in the lead out and it became an effort to just hang on to as many spots as I could in the sprint. In the end I crossed the line 13^th in the field sprint, for a 15^th place finish. Another great result for the weekend and in the money for the third race in a row!! While it may seem somewhat silly to get excited about getting a check for $30, at this point it is at least a realistic goal that I can set for myself. Hopefully with some hard work in the off-season my goals and expectations will change to the point where I can start making goals to finish on the podium.

Ohio State Road Race Championship

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 02:36:40 GMT

The Ohio State Road Race takes place in Shreve, Ohio. The course itself was 9 mile loops with 750 feet of elevation gain per lap, most of it coming from a climb right at the start of the course. Our race was 8 laps of this course which put the total elevation gain for the day at over 6,000 feet. The race started quickly, with the first attacks coming as soon as we hit the hill, I stayed patient and just tried to follow wheels keeping a close eye on both Paul Martin and Kirk Albers with Panther. The second time up the hill Paul countered an early attack, knowing that this could be the winning break I gave everything up the hill to stay in contact with Paul and the other 3 to 4 guys who had joined him. Paul must have sensed the break was not the right combination of guys, the field was too fresh, or maybe he was simply trying to wear out the legs of those of us who were eager enough to follow him out, because as quickly as he started the break he ended it by sitting up. He certainly did the latter to me because on paper this would turn out to be my biggest effort of the entire race. The remainder of the second lap continued to be fueled by attacks and small breaks forming off of the front and being brought back. Of course none of this happened on flat or downhill sections, so there were many other serious efforts that had to be made. At the start of the third lap you could sense a change in what was left of the field, almost as if everyone somehow knew that this would be “the lap”. As we hit the hill for the third time I could see a familiar jersey of Mark Sobb just ahead. Mark had started in the Cat 5 field ten minutes after our start and was turning for the last of his three lap race, at that point it gave me perspective on just how fast our first two laps had been. I didn’t get much time to reflect on that or to even to as much as say hi because as soon as we got around him it was on, with attacks coming from both Paul and Kirk. By the top of the hill a large break had formed and I found myself faced with a pretty big gap to get across, it took another huge effort, but I made it. The disappointing part was that it seemed that I had pulled a few people up with me and several more got on during a downhill section that was a bit later, so all of that work for what felt like nothing. To make things worse I was feeling pretty bad and the attacks were not letting up. Finally on a headwind, uphill section with what seemed to be a harmless three man break off of the front, Kirk went hard to get across the gap. What followed was a mad scramble of wheels and pedals that left me trying to make it across on my own. My main concern was making it across so I didn’t really bother to look behind me until I was nearly there, legs exploding, but when I did I realized I was pulling a guy who I had raced with as a 3 across. In hopes that he would help me finish closing the last 50-feet, I flicked him through, but he jumped me leaving me to finish it on my own. I made it onto the back, but was guttered and into a cross wind and the pace of the break was not letting up, so dry heaving and stamping on the pedals was all I could do to stay on for maybe 30 seconds and then I fell back to what was left of the main field.

I was not real sure how many guys made it into the break, it seemed like 20 because when the main field swept me up there was only maybe 12 guys left and it was obvious that every single one of them had a teammate in the break. The nice part was that the pace for the remainder of that lap was as civilized as it had been since the start of the race, unfortunately that only lasted until we hit the hill for the fourth time and then the racing commenced. The cramps started on the 5^th time up the hill and they were bad, the kind that make you afraid to get out of the saddle, all I could do was focus on the wheel in front of me and suffer. At the turn of the 6^th lap, excitement ensued when the guy in front of me decided it would be cool to grab my bottle that Jeff Smith was handing off for me. I am not sure how he thought it was his, given that it was purple and Jeff was wearing a MVW jersey, but he did. I yelled out indicating that he had just grabbed my bottle and his response was to turn around and try to hand it back, the only problem was he took my front wheel out. Somehow I managed to get to the grass on my feet and was able to “run it off”, leaving my bike in the middle of the street. Fortunately I had some great teammates who had my bike ready to go, and with a push I was off. As I started my chase back on, someone yelled about using the adrenaline, which was useful advice had I not been suffering severe leg cramps and the main climb was not within a mile of the incident. To put it simple that time up the hill was hell. For the most part my legs seemed fine on the flat ground and I was able to do my share of work to keep the pace up and with two laps to go there were only seven of us left, the rest had just disappeared. We hit the hill for the last time and two guys attacked; I was in the middle of a giant leg cramp, so I just simply could not follow. The attack had dropped two guys off of the back, so now it was my group of three chasing a group of two and by midway through the last lap it was apparent that we were not catching them. I found myself on the front with about 2K to go and could not get either of the other two to pull through, so I set a steady tempo that I knew I at least had a slight chance of sprinting from. In the end I was only able to hold one of the two off, but was surprised to find I had finished 14^th. It was just enough to cover my entry and pay for dinner the next day, but it was my first payday in the Pro/1/2 field! The race itself was maybe my hardest effort ever on a bike; compared to racing in the Cat 3 field, just finishing the race felt like a top ten, finishing in the money was like a podium finish, so I was certainly satisfied with the result.

My 2012/2013 Cyclocross Schedule

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:27:16 GMT

Here is a list of my Cyclocross races for the upcoming season. If anyone is interested in participating give me a shout. The more the merrier. For those not in the know, Tailwind is the SE Michigan series, OVCX is the Southern Ohio Series, and USGP is the National Series.

Also considering CX practice nights again at Pine Glen Park in Toledo if there is enough interest. We did on Tuesday nights in the past. It's very informal, but a good time to work on skills and ask questions if you are new to CX.

2012/13 CX Calendar

Saturday, September 16^th – Tailwind CX – Columbus, MI.

Saturday, September 22^nd – USGP: Madison, WI.

Sunday, September 23^rd – USGP: Madison, WI.

Saturday, September 29^th – Tailwind CX – Kensington Metropark

Sunday, September 30^th – Tailwind CX – Kensington Metropark

Saturday, October 6^th – Grampian Challenge

Sunday, October 7^th – OVCX – Dayton Gearfest
Saturday, October 13^th – Peak 2 Peak MTB Race – Thompsonville, MI

Sunday, October 14^th – OVCX Gun Club – Cincinnati, Ohio

Saturday, October 20^th – Ohio State Cyclocross Championship – Dublin, Ohio

Sunday, October 21^st – Ohio State Cyclocross Championship – Dublin, Ohio

Saturday, October 27^th – Tailwind CX – Lake Orion, MI.

Sunday, October 28^th – Tailwind CX – Lake Orion, MI.

Friday, November 2^nd – UCI 3 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Saturday, November 3^rd – UCI 3 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Sunday, November 4^th – UCI 3 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Saturday, November 3^rd – Iceman Cometh MTB Race – Traverse City, MI

Saturday, November 10^th – USGP: Louisville, KY.

Sunday, November 11^th – USGP: Louisville, KY.

Saturday, November 24^th – Tailwind CX – Waterford, MI.

Sunday, November 25^th – Tailwind CX – Waterford, MI

Sunday, December 2^nd – OVCX – Indianapolis, IN.

Sunday, December 9^th – OVCX – Yellow Springs, OH.

Sunday, December 16^th – Tailwind CX – Addison Oaks

Saturday, December 29^th - Chicago Cup CX – Bloomington, IL.

Sunday, December 30^th – Chicago Cup CX – Bloomington, IL.

Friday, January 11^th – US Cyclocross National Championships – Madison, WI.

Saturday, January 12^th – US Cyclocross National Championships – Madison, WI.

Sunday, January 13^th – US Cyclocross National Championships – Madison, WI.

Saturday, January 26^th – Cincy Kings International CX – Cincinnati, OH.

Monday, January 28^th - Friday, February 1^st – UCI Masters World CX Championships – Louisville, KY.

Giant dose of reality in Milford

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:21:28 GMT

As a reflection of the length of my race, this recap will be short. My first Pro/1/2 race, an amped up UCI team that was looking to make a statement to the “local guys”, and a course where I crashed at last year turned out to be the perfect storm for a very humbling experience. Knowing that moving up in the 70 person field during race would be difficult, I made certain to line up in the front of the field. At the start of the race I was actually in the front row. The whistle blew and we were off, by the time we reached the second corner I had given up 30 positions in pure fear of crashing myself or someone else. I had gone into this knowing that physically, it would be a fast race, what I didn’t expect was the actual speed of the race itself. Everything felt as if it was in fast forward, and I felt as if I was in everyone’s way and everyone was trying to take me out, it was like my first race all over again, only exponentially faster. I soon figured out that while not physically comfortable, sitting at the back was mentally comfortable. Tail gunning any criterium is about the hardest place to be, but when there is a field of this quality on a course that has a very sharp left hand corner at the bottom of the descent and then heads quickly back up hill, hanging on to the field was like staying on a raging bull. Although by about minute 20 I began to figure out where I could conserve energy and where I had to pump out 1000+ watts, and was actually very confident that I could stay on until the time was right and then try to move up before the finish. Well about 5 minutes later all of that changed when there was an attack or something on the front, and as I came out of the corner to head up the hill all I could see was people scrambling for wheels, some making it across the gap and other just sitting up and calling it a day. My first instinct was to write the “big check” and try to get across the gap, but then I noticed a guy that I had raced with as a 3 trying to get across in front of me, so I jumped on his wheel figuring that we could work together. However, it seemed that he had other plans because after I took my first pull and pulled off to let him pull through I realized I had dropped him. I was now alone and all I could see was the field pulling away in the distance. There was no sense in fighting anymore, so I pulled the plug and rode up on the sidewalk, becoming a spectator. Turns out, had I stayed in, I would have been pulled in a couple laps along with the other guy I was dropped with and would have received a 53^rd place finish. While certainly not anything to be remotely proud of, in some strange way it would have felt better than receiving a DNF. On to the next one!!

Tour of the Valley Time Trial (Stage 1)

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:37:17 GMT

The weekend kicked off Friday night with an 8.4 mile time trial that started from Mastropietro Winery. The venue is really cool, with food, a live band, and if you wish wine after the time trial. Time trialing is one of my strengths and it would be the one event during the weekend where the results would be primarily in my hands, so I had high expectations. The first part of my warm up went well, it was my 1^st time using power, so it was kind of fun to mess around with that while getting a good solid warm up. Things turned a bit south about 20 minutes before my start time, when while as embarrassing as it is to admit, I actually somehow fell over while trying to turn around in the middle of the road. The bike and myself were mostly unharmed, with the exception of a pretty good bruise on the palm of my hand and to my ego. To make matters worse, as I hopped back on the bike to complete my warm up with my 1min intervals, I discovered that my bike kept trying to skip out of gear when in my 11 tooth. Typically this would not be a concern, because heck when would I need a 54x11, but the last 1 mile drag was slightly downhill and with the wind. I tried several things to fix it, but only caused myself to nearly miss my start time. I managed to put everything behind me and actually had a good time trial, passing my 30 second guy within the first 3 miles, my minute guy within 5 miles, and my minute 30 guy within the last mile. The overall effort was hard, as it felt like a strong headwind for 75% of the course, and sure enough the last mile with the wind was complicated by the chain skipping when under load in the 11 tooth. Despite this I crossed the finish feeling pretty confident that my time would put me on the podium.

After my cool down, I discovered that my rear tire was really soft and I was certain I had fully inflated it prior to the time trial. I threw some air in the tire to see if it would hold air, changed, and headed off to grab some food with my family, and check results. Looking at the posted results I was horrified to not even see my name in the top 6, or 10, 20…, I was not even on the results list!! To make things even more disturbing, the winning time was listed as 16 minutes, over 3 minutes faster than I had gone, and 2 minutes faster than the Pro/1/2 winning time. There was also an 18 minute time that rivaled the winning Pro/1/2 time, so with those times and given the time that I had thought I ran it appeared that the best I could do would be 5^th place and that was once I figured out what the heck happened to my result. Long story short, after a bunch of stress and effort on my part and the race official’s the many errors were corrected, the 16 and 18 minute times went away and my time was figured out, putting me in 3^rd place. So a podium finish, but much more stress than I had hoped for the evening. To add more stress to things I still wanted to figure out what was going on with my rear tire, which would take more time once I got back to the hotel for the evening. As it turned out, it seemed that the valve may have been bad or there was a slight leak in the tire, because it was corrected by pumping a bit of Slime that I picked up from K-mart into the tire (yes, Slime from K-mart). As to if it was low during the actual TT, I only have to assume it was at least a bit low, but dwelling on what could have been would do nothing for me for the weekend and I was satisfied with a 3^rd place result.

Tour of the Valley Road Race (Stage 2)

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:36:23 GMT

Last year’s road race was difficult to say the least and with promise of this year’s racing being more difficult than last year, I was prepared to hurt. The course was a 27 mile loop that we would do twice and nothing about it was flat, even the “flat” parts were just false flats. The worst part of the course was a series of “rollers” from miles 11 to 21, we would call them mountains around here, every one of them were over .5-miles long with the longest at over 1 mile. What made this section so difficult was that it was literally climb and then descend right into the next climb, which gave your legs no time to unload. My strategy was to stay towards the front on the climbs, as I was certain that there would be many attacks and splits in the group. I would take a cautiously passive role on the first lap and then become more aggressive on the second lap, when everyone was not quite as fresh.

The guy in the yellow jersey (yes they actually have a yellow jersey, which makes this race that much cooler), was on a team called The Bike Shop, out of New York. They were a strong team that had about seven guys in the field. From the start of the race they had a strong presence, from protecting the yellow jersey well to sending a guy up the road, setting up what I thought was a move for the guy in yellow to go clear and have a team mate to work with. Knowing that he had a better time than me in the time trial and making the observation that he was about 30 lbs lighter than me I figured he would be the guy to watch. Then half way through the 1^st time over the “rollers” and after their guy up the road was pulled back, the entire team just vanished. I figured they were setting something up for the second time across the rollers, but later was surprised to find out that the yellow jersey was struggling to hang on. The 10 mile stretch of rollers, was followed by a long false flat which was not any easier on the legs and left me wondering if I had the physical ability to do what we just did over again, but by the time we made the long gradual descent back into town for the second lap I was ready to go. We hit the “rollers” for the second time hard and it seemed that I was not the only one holding back a bit the first time around because there was attack after attack. Seeing that there were others who were willing to do some damage, I decided that I would just try to cover pretty much everything and hopefully end up in a break, or throughout the process we would destroy the field and there would only be a few of us left. Then the muscle cramps started. I think through a combination of increasing heat/humidity and the relentlessness of the “rollers” my quads had enough and I began to have severe muscle cramps. These were the type of cramps that threaten to put you down on the side of the road, and they were relentless. While I was in a pretty bad place with the cramping, I knew that I could not fall back in the field, one because I had no clue how many people were behind me and two because if a cramp hit that made it impossible to pedal, I wanted to at least give myself a chance to stay on once it lifted. So I just looked straight ahead, trying to flush my legs on the descents and thinking about anything to take my mind off of the pain on the climbs. After finally making it through the rollers, I discovered I was not out of the woods yet when my quads continued cramping on a flat section as the group lined out after an attack. As we started our final descent into town, as I began to see new faces joining me at the front, I realize that we had not done the damage that I had thought through the rollers. The lead out into the sprint was fast and long, to make things worse we only had a single lane with gates setup on both sides of the field from 100 meters on that made it feel like you were cattle being herded into a pen. I held strong in the front, then at 1k out some one decided to advance positions on the other side of the yellow. Upon hearing protest from the field, he tried to tuck in making contact with a guy in front of me, which set off a chain reaction of banging bikes and caused the guy in front of me to come over on my front wheel. Having your front tire buried in someone’s rear tire so deep that you are threatening to take off his rear derailleur at 46 mph is never a good feeling. All of the commotion took me out of position and opened up opportunities for others and the best I could do was grab 13^th place, legs cramping so bad I could not even stand to sprint. Given the work I had done throughout the race and the position I felt like I was in before chaos ensued, I was disappointed with a 13^th place finish. The one good thing about the whole situation was that the race referee for once actually witnessed the flagrant yellow line violation and relegated the rider, but this in no way made the result easier to digest. I was also surprised to find out that we finished with a field of 30, which given the nature of the course and the pace of the race I am still not sure how that happened.

Tour of the Valley Crit (Stage 3)

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:35:27 GMT

When looking over the overall standings Sunday morning I was surprised to find that despite my 13^th place finish in the road race, which was heavily weighted with regards to points, I was still in 6^th place overall and had an outside shot at winning the whole thing if things fell into place. My main concern with Sunday’s crit was the amount of soreness my legs had developed due to riding through the muscle cramps during the road race, and how this would affect my ability to complete a one hour crit that would take me up a short, but very steep section of roadway multiple times. Despite my concerns this effort was one of those where once you settle in after the first 5 minutes or so everything just goes away. I really rode a great race, putting myself in all of the right positions and picking my moves well. Minus the two cars that somehow found their way onto the course and the torrential downpour at about 30 minutes in and a major crash that followed, the race was pretty uneventful, which as I seem to always get the short end of the stick when things happen, was good for me. With the roads still very wet on the last lap, I knew I needed to be real close to the front on the second to last corner, which was at the bottom of a hill and where the crash had occurred earlier. Sure enough, a guy who had gapped the field a bit went down hard on the wet pavement, but I was ready for it and was able to go inside and avoid the crash. From there it was a bit chaotic with people trying to make last minute moves. I held my position and was in second wheel heading into the final 200 meters, when two guys came around. Knowing that this was my time to go I went to make my move around the guy in front of me, but it seemed that every way I went he went and I just could not get around him. At one point I tried to squeeze between him and the fence, but it was not going to work, so I sat back and cruised to a 4^th place finish. I was satisfied with the finish in the crit, but knew it would not be enough to get me a win for the weekend or even put me on the podium. In the end I finished 5^th on the weekend, which out of 37 people going for the overall GC, was a pretty solid finish. The upgrade points earned from the 4^th place in the crit and the 5^th place overall was enough to get me my Cat 2 upgrade, so the next race report will likely be from a whole new perspective!!

MVW Rider Takes up Space in Flint

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:34:34 GMT

MVW racer William McLaughlin blew off the last Sunday's event at the velodrome to (putting it kindly) participate in the Cat 1-2 event at the Le Champion Pave criterium in Flint, MI. The main attraction of the race being 0.4 mile stetch of a false flat, brick road leading up to the start finish line. Durable equipment was the order of the day.

Although feeling at home on the rough pavement (thanks to his many miles on the roads of Metro Detroit), Will managed to miss the move (again) and waited, with what was left of the field on a hot, humid day, for two ringers from the west coast (of Michigan) based Bissel Elite/Master's squad to lap the field.

To add insult to embarrasment, Will also happened to pick a bad wheel on the final sprint and wound up having to try and bridge a 20' gap instead of fighting for the finish line leavings that the Bissel squad had left for the bunch.

Mediocre race for a mediocre racer. At least there is symmetry.

MVW Represented at Bloomer Park 3-Day

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:26:54 GMT

Will McLaughlin flew the colors of the MVWin the "AA" (noob) races as part of the NAS-TRACK International (we had racers from Toronto!) 3-Day race at the International Velodrome at Bloomer Park this past weekend, following in the tradition of luminaries as Dave Teal and Pio Apostoli.

Hoping to get enough track time to participate in the marquee madison events before the summer is out.

Terry Reisch

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:34:46 GMT

Finally a weekend with just one race to focus on, Terry Reisch took place in Hillsdale Michigan and in line with the name, the course contained some elevation change. Our race was 8 laps of the same 4 mile circuit. A 10 man breakaway was established shortly after the start of the second lap. The typical break where no one wants to do any work, so I found myself doing much more than my share just to make it stick. After trying a couple of times to get away on my own, I resolved to the fact that I was going to have to take this one in an uphill sprint. The sprint was very similar to the one at our Lost Nations course, so I figured I would go with what worked the last time and try to go hard early and make a gap and hold it. The problem was my legs were pretty tired, so I didn’t make the gap that I had hoped, and two guys in the break were quick to get on my wheel. In the end they both made it around me and I finished 3^rd. Finally, after a long dry spell I managed to find the podium! Overall I had a great race and rode really strong which gives me a lot of confidence for this weekend, Tour of the Valley, which is my target race of the year.

Madeira, Hyde Park, and Grandview

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:40:03 GMT

Planning a weekend with 3 criteriums in a row seemed like a good idea at the time, but the intensity of both the heat and the competition made this a tough weekend to recover from. When we arrived at Madeira the outside temperature read 104, stepping out of the car felt as if you were stepping into an oven. Looking at the forecast the temperature was set to drop from 104 to 85 degrees by race time. Which is good from the perspective of not having to race in the heat; however, the dramatic drop in temperature created some violent storms and delayed race times by nearly 2 hours. Madeira was a very technical course with two sharp 180 degree turns at each end, certainly not my type of course and proved very difficult to navigate with a field of over 60. Every time through the 180s it was pure madness, more of a game of “bumper bikes” than racing. Unfortunately every time I would work my way to the front I would either end up in some one’s back wheel as I got jammed up on the inside or someone would end up in my back wheel as they tried to go to the inside, knocking me back 10-20 spots. This coupled with the fact that my bike kept coming out of gear upon acceleration made the 8mph to 30mph sprints out of the 180s really difficult. In the end I was not able to gain a good position at the end of the race and finished a disappointing 20^th.

For anyone looking to attend just one race a season, Hyde Park would be towards the top of my list of “must do” races. An awesome course combined with thousands of partying spectators gave racers the feeling of being pros for a day. On a narrow climb through what was more of an alley than a road, spectators lined the road, beverages in hand and more than willing to share with anyone who had enough racing and would “stop for a beer” (some people actually stopped). To make things even more of an experience, a live band was jamming out about halfway up the hill close enough to the course that you could have reached out and grabbed the guitar. The racing was intense, one of the hardest races I have done all season. We started with a full field of 100 very capable cyclists and were started based on when we registered, which put me starting about 70 back. The battle to the front of that field was intense, with many hair raising moments, and yes some pushing and shoving. Once I finally made it to the top 10-15 people I wasn’t about to give up my spot and fought hard to stay within the top 15, which required more pushing, shoving and hair raising moments. The intensity was the same throughout the entire race, FLAT OUT!! I only had an opportunity and ability to take a drink maybe 3 times, it was one of the hardest races I have been a part of. With a few laps left a 3 man break somehow overcame the extreme pace and formed just seconds off of the front, I quickly made a move to go across, only to realize that I did not have the legs to even start the move. Sitting in about 8^th wheel coming around for the last lap, I felt really good about my chances and even thought there was a good chance we would sweeping up the breakaway, which was dangling just seconds off of the front. However, on one of the last corners, someone making a desperate move to gain position nearly caused a crash in front of me and caused a small split. Once I hit the long finishing straight it was all about putting my head down and making up as much distance as I could. In the end the three men off of the front made it, and the best I could do was finish 8^th in the bunch sprint, putting me in 11^th overall. Normally an 11^th place finish would be a disappointment, and given that I felt like I was in the perfect spot coming into the last lap it sort of was, but heck 11^th in such a large stacked field on a technical course is a victory in my book.

Grandview, was my last chance to lose skin during that weekend, and with some high speed corners keeping my skin was right there with winning the race on my list of goals for the day. With temperatures well into the 90s the weather did not disappoint. The course contained the largest hill of the weekend and would be the main factor in determining the outcome of the race. An early race crash on one of the high speed corners created a split in the field, one that I was on the wrong side of. Sensing that this could be the end of my race, I quickly took chase, quick enough that I thought I was one out of a group of only three or so that stood a real chance of getting back into the race. I chased hard for nearly two laps before getting back on, only to see a large number of people heading out of the pits as if they had taken a free lap. My understanding is that in order to get a free lap you had to actually crash and to my knowledge only two people went down, but with all of the people filtering out of the pits a large group must have gone in as if they too were involved. At the halfway point of the race the hill had selected about 15 of the strongest individuals out of the starting group of 40+, myself included. The last few laps I fought hard to stay in the top 5, which may have turned out to be an error on my part, as the hill provided a perfect opportunity to move up before the last lap and staying so close to the front took a bit of energy that I could have used at the end. About halfway around on the last lap I found myself stuck in the “middle lane” to a strong surge from behind, I moved to the outside as quick as a could, but lost a couple of positions. A sharp left hand corner at the bottom of the finishing hill provided a perfect opportunity for a desperate move from behind on my inside, which sent me into the outside curb, nearly causing me to crash. The move worked out well for the individual who made it as he was able to carry a ton of speed up the hill; however, I had to slow significantly opening the door for more people to come around me. Again I found myself in a position of making up as much distance before the finish I could, and again I found myself finishing in 11^th place.

Not quite the weekend I had hoped for, but I am well aware of the fact that technical criteriums are one of my biggest weaknesses. This coupled with the fact that I am still in one piece after such a crazy weekend, I am not too disappointed with how things went.

4th of July Breakfast Ride

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:44:49 GMT

A call to Mama T's this afternoon revealed the restaurant will be open for breakfast on Independence Day. Thus, there will be a Breakfast Ride on July 4th. The first group will depart Fort Meigs at 7:45am and the second group will leave at 8:00am.

Mount Pleasant

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:34:09 GMT

For those who are not aware Mount Pleasant is a three day stage race that consists of a 4.1 mile prologue on Friday, a criterium on Saturday, and then a 54-mile road race on Sunday. I competed in all three stages in hopes to use the weekend as preparation for Tour of the Valley, which is a stage race in July that is one of my target races for the season.

Despite the fact that Mount Pleasant was really just preparation for later in the season, I was going into the event with high expectations, particularly for Friday’s prologue. Things did not get off to a great start at no fault of my own. Without going into detail, the race director made a last minute decision that totally contradicted information posted on their website, which left me scrambling at the last minute to change my bike setup from a rear disc to a normal aero wheel. Due to a shortage of time I was not able to do my normal warm up, or much of a warm up for that matter. To make things worse I nearly rode off of the side of the start ramp. So I found myself 2 minutes into the effort with my insides feeling like they were being torn out and my legs feeling like they were going to explode. After backing things down slightly on a couple downhill sections I was able to recover somewhat and get into something that resembled a normal paced effort. I came across the finish line at 9 minutes 35 seconds, about 30 seconds slower than I wanted to be, putting me in 6^th place. I hate saying I was disappointed with a 6^th place finish in a strong field, but with everything that went on, I was.

The criterium course was a nice course through downtown that contained a couple of tight technical corners. Shortly after the start of the race two guys went off of the front, with things being so early in the race the field did not respond and I was not overly concerned, that was until I realized that the two guys off of the front were 1^st and 3^rd in the prologue. The gap quickly grew to 40 seconds and I knew unless I could bridge the gap the race was over, so I made a solo effort to get across. After a couple of laps of being out on my own I managed to bring the gap down to around 30 seconds. On about my 4^th lap out, a points prime was called, and while the field would not work to win the race itself they worked pretty hard to pull me back for one lousy point. I managed to stay out long enough to get the point, but the field closed the gap and swept me up, at that point any sense of forward progression was over. I set myself up for a solid sprint for 3^rd, but was forced into a curb on the exit to the final straight and only managed to grab 8^th.

After the previous two events 1^st and 2^nd place in the GC were pretty much locked up and I was sitting in 5^th at the start of the road race. With all of the events I had done this season and the only win being in a time trial, I was beginning to feel as if I had a monkey on my back and really needed to win. With temperatures well into the 90s, heat was definitely a factor, this combined with endless attacks from the start of the race made for a very difficult first 20 miles. After a mad scramble to contain an attack at mile 25, I could sense everyone in the field was hurting, myself included, so naturally I dug deep and went. I quickly found myself putting a large gap on the field, to the point where at times I could not even look back and see them, so I wrote the “big check”, put my head down, and dug in for the long haul. After about 10 miles into my solo effort the two guys who were sitting 1 and 2 managed to bridge up, I jumped in with them, but our trio would be short lived as the field had responded to the threat of them joining me and were not too far back. What followed was a furry of attacks that I really don’t remember to well, as all I was doing was hanging on for dear life, but at some point the guys sitting 1 and 2 in the GC got off of the front. I could not let that move go and put in a solid effort to make it across the gap. After such an intense race I was starting to get tired and overheated, and began having trouble getting back on after the modest pulls I was taking. On top of this the field seemed as if they were just letting us sit out, one of the guys even commented that they were just screwing with us (he actually used another term, but we will keep this PG). That comment stuck in my head and when I finally lost the wheel in front of me and had the option of trying to dig through the intense pain and dehydration to attempt to make my legs put out the extra effort to get the wheel back, or give in and let the field sweep me up and hopefully eventually sweep them up, I gave in and chose option B. I later found out that the field was being driven by efforts from Ventus and Priority, who had guys in 3^rd and 4^th in the overall and since the guys in 1 and 2 had such dominant efforts the previous days they were out of reach, even for the guy sitting in 3^rd. So once they saw me falling back, the chase began to fall apart and the field slowed. By the time I realized what was happening I was too far dropped to get back on, but it didn’t stop me from trying. One of the worst experiences I have felt in racing was sitting in the peloton, watching the wheel I was once on, ride away into the sunset. As we were closing those final miles, the combination of heat and the intensity of the efforts that I made for the day left me questioning if I even had the legs to contest the sprint. A last minute attack by two guys from the main field left everyone sprinting for 5^th and I somehow managed to fight my way to the front and take 3^rd in the field sprint for a 8^th place finish.

I did get finished in time to watch Scott Hunter take the win in the Cat 5 field, congrats to Scott!!

With three consistent finishes, I managed to finish 4^th overall for the weekend and while I left Mount Pleasant with enough cash to foot the bill for my entry and gas, I am still lacking a win in a mass start event for 2012. The monkey on my back is turning into a gorilla and I am really hopeful that my three peak weekends from June 30^th until July 15^th bring about at least one win.

Tour de Frankenmuth and West Branch

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:38:01 GMT

I am a couple of weeks behind with posting up results of my USCF racing. One, between the new baby and all of the training/racing, I am finding myself short on time. Two, it is not as fun to post up results when you are not making the podium.

Frankenmuth, with bright sunny skies covering the rest of the country, it was naturally cold and raining for most of the Tour de Frankenmuth. The race itself was not overly exiting, just a typical road race with attacks and chases, at one point I was part of a 7 man break that I am really still not sure how it failed. A sharp corner at about 1K out leading into a downhill sprint made for an extra nervous peloton over the last few miles. I fought hard to stay in just the right position, about six back, then at about 2K out it happened, a group of about 10 cyclists made an illegal pass about 5-feet on the other side of a double yellow line. I was caught completely off guard, as were most of the others that the cyclists passed and despite the very vocal outrage of many in the peloton the 10 didn’t as much as glance over their shoulder. I quickly found myself sitting in a real bad spot heading into the final corner and narrowly missed crashing when me and two other cyclists locked handlebars/shoulders. Now finding myself far back in the field, my only option was to try to thread it down the left side between the field and barriers keeping people from going into oncoming traffic. After striking a couple barriers at over 40mph, I decided that it wasn’t worth hitting the deck and called it a day finishing 19^th.

West Branch, the wet and chilly trend continued to the West Branch road race, on top of the cold and rain we were met with strong 20-25mph winds. For those who have not raced West Branch, it is certainly not a flat race, with the finish crested on top of a 1.2 mile hill that is about 6-8% the first portion and then kicks to 10-12% over the last 700 meters, our field climbed this hill a total of 3 times. This race is a race that rewards strength and suffering, so I came into it looking to make up for my poor finish in Frankenmuth and hopefully find myself on top of the podium. Within the first 15 miles of the race I found myself in an early break away with three other very capable guys, but we were brought back after about 10 miles. After suffering my way up the hill for the 2^nd time I discovered that I had a flat front tire. I had wheels in the wheel car and there was 22-miles left in the race, but the pace of the field was really picking up, I was using my tubulars so the tire itself was not totally flat, just real soft. So I had a decision to make, change the wheel and try to chase back on, or try to make it to the end with a flat front tire. I decided to try to stick it out, keeping as much weight as possible off of the front tire. I managed to make it through the last 22-miles, but by the time I made it around to the final climb my tire was unglued from the wheel and made it completely impossible to stand at all on the climb. Despite the flat tire I did the best I could to suffer my way up the hill and managed a 9^th place finish.

The criterium was nothing really exciting, just 45 minutes of high speed racing. The last half of the race a real hard working guy who always seems to get the short end of the stick at the end of races managed to ride his way off of the front . Having been in a few breaks with the guy and having lots of respect for him as a cyclist I decided that I was going to have no part in chasing and left it up to the rest of the field to bring him back. Well the theme of the Cat 3 group seems to do as little as possible and hope someone else does all of the work (typically me and a couple of other guys in the field), so by 4 laps to go his solo lead had grown to over 30 seconds and it was obvious that he was going to go all the way. I then positioned myself for the final sprint making my way to about 4^th or 5^th wheel, but just before the final corner the field moved up along my left and right hand side totally boxing me in. I tried to make a move on the inside of the corner, but quickly found myself pinched off into the gravel. From there it was all about making up as many spots as possible for an 11^th place finish.

Tuesday southview ride

Wed, 09 May 2012 02:13:14 GMT

Awesome ride. Totaly euphoric. Tony and Dan were the ambassadors of watts and pain tonight. Great ride and Rachel,,, impressed as usual my friend. Awesome group.

Cone Azalia

Mon, 07 May 2012 21:21:58 GMT

After suffering a total of three flats during Thursdays “race in the rough”, it did not leave me with a lot of confidence for Cone Azalia. However, after taking a ride around the course Saturday afternoon and finding the conditions to be much better than I expected my confidence grew a bit. In fact, the course conditions were so good that after our morning warm-up, Dan and I decided that an extra bottle in a jersey pocket would not be needed. As predicted the first two laps of the race were fast and furious with attack after attack and lots of failed breaks. What was not predicted was than Dan would lose a bottle three minutes into the race. Despite the looming threat of dehydration, Dan raced very aggressively, managing to make it into a few of the breaks, while I did my best to bust up the chase, all of the attempts to get him into a break were quickly shut down. I knew that for a race like this the best place to be was close to the front; however, my desire to stay close to the front of the race quickly resulted in me becoming the “work horse”. As the race progressed, the pelotons growing dependence on me and a couple of other guys to do all of the work became clear.

After working hard to bridge to a large break that had a real chance of working, only to have the break instantly brought back by those that seemed so unwilling to work with me when I was on the front, I decided I had enough and rolled back to mid-pack. When two guys went off of the front I left it up to someone else to bring them back, but with everyone’s plan for the day being to do as little work as possible, the gap quickly became a concern. After being spurred on by a couple of failed attempts to get across to the two guys, the peloton managed to close the gap, but to only one of the two guys, it seems that the other had decided to go it alone. Looking down the road I could see the solo leader making his way around a group about a minute ahead of the peloton and at that point I knew the move was dangerous. It seemed that only a couple of the others felt my concern, as it was nearly impossible to form any type of chase. I think some even questioned whether there was actually someone else down the road.

After putting up with nearly 5-miles of a peloton that seemed resolved to race for second place, Dan and another guy decided that they had enough, taking matters into their own hands and making a great move to bridge across. I was on the front and knew that if I could join the two, then the three of us would stand a great chance of getting across, putting Dan and I in a great position for a good finish. But I had to go across in such a way as not to screw up Dan’s move by bringing anyone with me. So I waited until they were a ways down the longest section of dirt and then went as hard as I could off of the front. My move managed to catch everyone off guard, and while there was one guy who was able to get on my wheel, I quickly rode him off. I then set out on one of the hardest five minute efforts of my life to get across to Dan, the work that I had already done combined with the initial jump and the bumps that seemed to shorten every breath of air that I desperately needed almost got the best of me. I managed to make it within twenty feet of Dan’s back wheel and my legs started to give out. I was actually able to yell up to Dan to slow up just a touch so I could make the final push to close the gap, hearing me he slowed for a second and I made the final push and got across. Once across I did the best I could to compose and then got to work.

Unfortunately, seeing that the race was falling apart in front of them, those with fresh legs began to make their way across to us in groups of twos and threes and it seemed that the more people that made it across the slower our pace became. Soon we were the same dysfunctional group that we had once been several miles prior, all be it a much smaller group as the mad dash left many people finishing the race solo off of the back. The rest of the race there were several other attempts to get something established, but it became real apparent that the theme of the day was dysfunction. At the turn of the last lap with my ankles and legs severely cramping and not having even seen the solo leader in nearly 20-miles, I began making plans to conserve energy and setup for a sprint finish for 2^nd place. I made my way back to Dan and let him know my plan, hoping that he would be there at the end for a solid lead out, little did I know that lack of hydration combined with his very aggressive role during the race had taken its toll and that that would be the last time I would see him during the race.

With about 5 miles left to go, we actually brought the solo leader back into our sights, pulling the gap to within 30 seconds. Even with him dangling out there everyone seemed content on racing for 2^nd or taking a free ride up to the leader, and I refused to be that free ride. With the last mile or so into a strong headwind it turned into a cat and mouse game of who could keep their nose out of the wind, I wasn’t playing it and just maintained a comfortable tempo on the front. Within the final 400 meters the attacks started. The plan was to be patient and hopefully find myself in a good position for the final 100-150 meters due to the headwind, but one strong move at about 250 meters tested my patience and I bit. Despite my hardest effort the wind combined with my cramping legs and ankles just proved too much and I came across the line in 5^th in the very tight bunch sprint, taking 6^th overall.

I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have my sights set on winning, but a 6^th place finish in any race, let alone such a difficult, hard fought race is a good finish. I left feeling really good about how strong and aggressively both Dan and I rode, and most importantly I didn’t flat!!

Willow Time Trial

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:15:19 GMT

Willow Time Trial officially marked the start of my race season, yeah there was the training crit last week, but I took that for what it was, a training crit. Being that Willow was part of the MBRA points series I wanted to do well and had prioritized it as a "B" race, meaning that while I would not be making any real taper in my training I would at least alter my week to allow me to be as fresh as possible given my hefty training load. Well the whole idea of slightly changing my week went out the window when I realized that the clubs Otsego TT was on Thursday. For me fatigue do to training stress typically lags two days, so ideally I would take Thursday off of the bike to be as fresh as possible on Saturday. However, I really like the Otsego park TT and had set a goal of going below 20'30" this year, so I decided that I would have to do both and just do the best I could to recover by Willow. Conditions were not ideal at Otsego, but I managed to achieve my goal for the season by going 20'16". The mere 20 minute effort at Otsego does look like much on paper, heck it is just 20 minutes, I had forgotten just how painful and long 20minutes at TT pace could be. The last 2 miles of Otsego all I could think about was Matt saying, "save a little the 1st part, because you will be fighting the devil all of the way back" and it seemed that I was, or at least I thought.

On to Willow, weather conditions predicted were not the greatest, with cold weather and rain, but that did not seem to damper a large turnout for the TT. The 1st indication that Thursday's TT was going to have at least some effect on my performance came during my warm-up, the 1st of my two, 3 minute L5 intervals hurt much worse that it had on Thursday, unfortunately the 2nd was no better, but I figured I would grit my teeth and give it my best. Using Thursday night’s effort as somewhat of a gauge for my pace at Willow, I decided I would try to target an average speed of 27mph. However, after the 1st of 6 laps it was apparent that holding my average at 26.6mph was a better pace. I knew that a 27mph average would result in a time that would be tough to beat, at 26.6mph, it would be close, so I needed to make sure I gave it all I had for the other 5 laps.

There is something strange about how your body adapts to a certain stress over a certain duration, most of my "long" intervals had been in the 15-20minute range, so once I hit 20minutes it was like my body and mind were saying, "ok now you are done, right?". Well no, I still have 10 more minutes! The last 10 minutes was pure hell on a bike, if I had fought the devil on Thursday night I have no idea who I was fighting during that last lap. The only thing that kept me on pace was thinking of the tired look in Michelle’s eyes as I headed out of the door this morning. That tired look was the only way I knew that it had been somewhat of a difficult night with our 3 week old daughter Lauren, because despite how much easier it may have made things to wake me up, she allowed me to get a full nights rest. I could not let them down, if she could fight through a sleepless night for me, I could suffer for another 10 minutes! And so I did, giving it all I had left right until the finish, stopping the clock at 30’ 04”, a mere 4 seconds faster than 2^nd place in Cat 3 and good enough for 5th place overall.

So, I finished in August on a high note and am starting in April on a high note. Not sure how crazy I am about being marked, but I will get to wear the red points leaders # for at least one race. Now on to Cone-Azalia!!

Tuesday Night Rides

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:07:29 GMT

The venerable Tuesday Night Rides have started this season. This very hard effort training ride begins at Southview High School, a map of which can be found here. Rides begin at 6:30pm from the front parking lot. Distance is roughly 40 miles and the duration is less than one hour forty-five minutes.

Equinox race

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:13:58 GMT

Great event. A pot hole kept my want to finish with the main, but loved it. Awsome ride and even better people. Thanks to everyone and a big ty to Steve Samms for getting the food.

wind ride with Jeff and Pio

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 01:54:57 GMT

They worked me today. At mhr for 75% of the ride. I couldn't pay for a better workout. Thank you to Jeff and Pio. Stats on my Facebook.

Icy Ride

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:05:59 GMT

As if a Pugsley isn't heavy and slow enough on its own, there's nothing like an extra ten pounds to contribute to the the beast's sapless sluggishness. My ride down the Slippery Elm Trail turned from snow to slush at about the halfway point, and the sloppiness was evident by ride's end. Click photo to enlarge.

The Ride

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:29:31 GMT

The Ride by Kevin West: The sun comes up, wind is quiet, the ride is soon, I'm not fully awake, start the coffee, get the gear put out in waiting, you hear the beep, the dark water of a habitual beginning is ready, poor the cup, relax, getting stoked in translation (the paper, the news, the dog, the wife) distracted, I'm back... I'm riding today, with Toledo's fastest, the "elite", my friends, my drug dealers of adrenalin, epinephrine, and fear. I am dressed and ready. The warm up, pedal strokes of a forgotten heart rate so the legs feel the current. Veins are ready for an O2 at max, the heart knows the "road" ahead, and is ready. 30 riders meet to start the stress of, the push, the pain, and the worthless reward to the end, to which most all hold to an utmost value, at the end. A few miles hold great conversation, one rider pulls out, the game begins, heat rate goes from 130 to 155, excitement and anticipation are the cause of 20 of them... You slip in to hide from the wind, "where is the big guy???" you think to yourself, you sprint to find him... life is good... he blocks like a train, heart rate is down (for now), the mind takes over to prepare, where is this guy, and that guy??? (to make the sprint), stress... cant find... I see one or two, plan my assault, one mile from the sprint, feel good, pace is raced, threshold, what threshold?, screw it, tuck in, get pushed, fight..., back in, "my race", hands grip the gel'd carbon bars of extension, your hands become stems, stems become forks, forks to wheels, and you are the road. You feel 10 riders who feel you, they listen, as you do, for the changing of the next gear, you and all in it, hear the shift, hamstrings trade roles with quads, watts are put to the test and Vo2 is waiting to max, tucked in behind the first loser (of the sprint) he went to early, great blocker tho, save some, vroom vroom vroom of a "masher" is on your six, pull out, surprise him, you have the jump, the sign is 500 meters, 200 meters, he is at your shoulder, 100 meters, neck and neck, the sign, I lunge, one half a wheel takes the sprint, "who got it?" , "you did", "are you sure?" yes he states... "good run" he says. "The ride has just begun..."

My 2012 USAC Race Schedule

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:03:08 GMT

The 2012 season is fast approaching and I have a pretty full schedule planned for 2012. Below are the USAC races that I am planning on attending for 2012. This is just a tentative schedule and there may be a couple of races that I have prioritized low, that I may skip to focus on a higher priority race or just simply get more training in, especially the earlier races. I think Mark Sobb and Mike Peiffer will also be going to as many of these as they can fit into their schedule's. It would be cool to get more Wheelmen to join us, as it is always nice to have some other strong guys to work with. I will be starting the season as a Cat 3, Mike a 4, and Mark a 5, I think we are all hoping for a great season, so this may change as the season progresses. I am taking care of my travel arrangements and Mike and/or Mark will be fitting into those arrangements whenever possible. Feel free to send me an email if you are interested in a particular race as I may have room in the van and/or hotel room and if not we can at least all hook up at the event. Most of these races are on the Michigan Bike Racing Association MRBA website, if not I have the location in parenthesis.

April 15- AAVC Spring Training

April 22-AAVC Spring Training

April 28-Willow TT

May 6-Con Azalia

May 26-Tour of Frankenmuth

June 2 & 3-West Branch Road Race & Criterium

June 8-10-Mount Pleasant Stage Race

June 30-Hyde Park Criterium (Hyde Park, Ohio)

July 1-Grandview Criterium (Grandview, Ohio)

July 13-15-Tour of the Valley Stage Race (Youngstown, Ohio)

July 28-USA Pro National Criterium

July 29-Milford Criterium

August 5-Hines Park TT

August 11 & 12-Cherry Roubaix

August 25-Sylvania Classic

September 2-Via Italia (Windsor, Ontario)

September 3-Debates-Devos ProAm

Lumberjack Registration

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:40:39 GMT

Registration for Lumberjack 100 opens on Saturday, March 3rd at noon, and it closed the same day. If you are registered for the race, then please include your name on the Club's event registration list. Click to do so. This way members may see who else is planning on racing, and then joint travel arrangements can be made. Registration info can be found here.

Iceman Registration

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:36:47 GMT

Registration for 1012 Iceman opened on Thursday, March 1 at 10:00am and was closed by 4:14pm. You can read about the registration process here.

If you are registered for the race, then please include your name on the Club's event registration list. Click to do so. This way members may see who else is planning on racing, and then joint travel arrangements can be made.