Dear Scott,
As you begin to read this edition of Fitzgerald’s Bicycles Team newsletter I would like you to imagine standing just outside the barrier tape of a cyclocross course, shoulder-to-shoulder with 5,000 cross-crazed Belgians, all ringing cowbells and/or blowing trumpets, some of whom have been drinking…a lot, while its snowing sideways. Yeah baby! Cross season has turned the corner from ”sunny and inviting” to ”cold and epic”.
Are you ready for cold and epic this weekend in Rexburg? Some serious questions will be answered for sure:
1) Can Fitzy really sit on a raft for three weeks and still be fast on his cross bike…for 45 minutes?
2) Will the Fitzy vs. Fiddee battle, which started in Victor at the Kross Kickoff, live up to the hype?
3) Can Mike Piker continue his local winning streak or will a darkhorse step in to steal his glory?
Some serious questions indeed.
In case you missed the last edition of the newsletter, I wanted to include this important piece of local racing news again:
UCJH and ICE (Idaho Cycling Enthusiasts) will offer two BIG days of Crit racing in 2010.
July 10, 2010 - Idaho Falls Alan Butler Memorial Crit
July 11, 2010 - Jackson Hole Downtown Crit
Mark your calendars now.
Thanks and please keep the race reports & pics coming.
___________________________________________________________________
Helena, MT - Double-Cross Weekend
Byers in a mid-pack battle
Piker at the pointy end of the race
Helena, MT Cyclocross Race Reports
Michelle Byers raced Saturday in Helena, placing 2nd in the Women’s Cat 4 race, and sent in her personal 10 Steps to Cross Racing:
Step 1: Walk the course (cuz’ my hubby says that’s what the pros do)
Step 2: Warm up lap - good grief it’s cold, 22 degrees and windy!
Step 3: GO!!!
Step 4: BREATH!!! (cuz’ that’s what JayP tells me to do) Lungs, Legs and Face are burning!
Step 5: Can’t feel hands or feet; can’t get clipped in…uh oh!
Step 6: Yell at Piker to go faster - Hup Hup Buttercup! WOOHOO!!
Step 7: 4 laps to go - WHAT?!?!?
Step 8: Dismount while going up run-up - no traction on snow with mountain bike shoes- gahhh!!
Step 9: Maintain composure on crazy downhill after an almost spectacular crash (it really would have been good)!
Step 10: Cross finish line without wrecking and before hubby laps me! SWEET! - Michelle
Your Editor also raced both days in Helena, MT and posted this report from Sunday’s race:
Sunday’s Montana Velo CX course was designed by Helena’s Geoff Proctor who is also the Director of Euro Cross Camp and U-23 and Junior National Cyclocross Coach. We were guaranteed a taste of authentic Euro cross.
We arrived early and walked our hounds around one lap of the course before riding it and the general theme was “steep & off-camber”. Every corner, descent, and rideable climb was off-camber and there were two sets of concrete stairs to run up as well as one set of double barriers.
A modest field lined up for the combined Masters B, Cat 4, and Women’s race including my teammate Mike who was fueled by his first-place-robbing mechanical yesterday. Also in the race was Mike’s good friend and stage race partner, Tim from O-Canada, who also suffered a mechanical Saturday which took him out of contention for the win.
Part of racing cross is the hole shot and I didn’t have it on Sunday. Going into the first technical section I got stuck behind a group who piled it up in the tight left-hander while the leaders sped off and put 20 seconds on us within half a lap. Doh! But the day’s battle was unfolding just in front of me.
A rider from the Gallatin Alpine Sports Team, who will from this point forward be known as Mr. GAS, was a few wheel lengths in front of me and appeared to be a very worthy opponent. We were only a half lap into the race but it was clear that he would be the main protagonist in my personal “race within the race”. Once out of the first bottleneck, Mr. GAS displayed some serious power on the pavement section leading into the barriers. He quickly opened a 10+ yard gap on me but a strategic error cost Mr. GAS his lead in an instant. The devilish course featured a concrete curb immediately after the double barriers which caused many riders trouble: Do you remount and try to bunny hop the curb or simply keep running? I chose to run past the curb every time and passed Mr. GAS while he was indecisive. Mr. GAS responded with a furious acceleration on the next piece of pavement and passed me again leading into the twisty grass section. An excellent battle this was. Only seconds later, I was able pass Mr. GAS by diving inside on an off-camber 180 degree turn and I could feel Mr. GAS settle in for a ride on my wheel.
Did I mention that Mr. GAS was much taller than me? Yeah, well, when we hit the first set of stairs Mr. GAS was clearing every other stair like Bo Jackson in his prime while I had to touch every stair and just like that he had another 10+ yard gap on me. Note to self: Practice the dismount-to-shoulder technique…lots.
Again, Mr. GAS was powerful on the pavement but I ran the barriers well and closed the gap down to 5 yards heading into the twisty grass. I continued to chase the orange jersey around the course for what seemed like an eternity until the defining moment: Mr. GAS came into a downhill right-hander too hot, went into the barrier tape, and I scooted by on the inside to pass him for the final time. He never quit chasing but would not recover and I would finish the race riding in “no man’s land” and take 5th. Piker had a solid race and took 2nd to his buddy, O-Canada.
I have a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. - Dave Byers
_______________________________________________________________________________________
|
Tim Kelley wins AGAIN in Boise
In a suprise move, TK chose leg warmers over embrocation but it obviously worked
Coming off a great weekend and a win on Sunday I spent the week trying not to get to excited for the big race…but when you sorta know you can win again, it’s not far from your mind all week long. Simmering on good form is nice…yet certainly a bit tedious on the psyche. Saturday dawned with an inch of snow in Boise…”a first here” they said at the race. I had won just about every time it snowed…so things were lining up perfectly. All this winning talk can be put in perspective- it’s very rare! It almost never happens to me. It’s still the most exciting thing on earth.
So, as they said go…and the 1’s and 2’s began to slip, bobble and brake towards the first turn…I cranked, pushed and skidded my way around the tree into third wheel overall. Crashes, screams, pileups were rising in concert behind me as the snow covered grass began its transformation to a mud strip of black gold through the leaf strewn park. I was 3rd wheel…we were riding away…through the sand, over the barriers down the long paved section…one lap down and me, again, at the front of the race with the 1’s and 2’s. What’s going on? Just like last Sunday I was riding a category ahead physically, and starting to think about winning the whole race, not just my Cat III division.
Chellie snapped a photo of me, my mind drifted for a second…and I cased it on a turn. Trying to hold the front wheel skid, the bars turned and I headered into the muddy strip. I jumped up and remounted but my handlebars were at a 45 degree angle. Stop and twist…not budging. Don’t break the carbon steerer tube I thought….as I chased off racing to catch up and looking far ahead as my bars looked like a bad joke. Drop the Jamis in the pit, grab for the Ritchey…..on my usual “A” bike and chasing I had one problem- the brakes were not stopping the carbon wheels causing me to come into slick black mud chicane turns …(the kind that dropped down, turned and climbed up, where you crash through the course tape on the apex if you have too much speed) WITH TO MUCH SPEED! Argh! I was winning, yet had 50 more minutes to go..only 10 mins into a race that was greasing up into a classic.
Fast forward…the dreaded feelings, all the things Mike Piker recounted in his recent win, the seeing of dead people in your own special pain cave…it all happens. Yet on the best of days, it’s sort of embraced. It’s like you are savoring the moment. One lap to go…”oh, I have this (win)” …I’m going to push even deeper just to roll this dreaded and dreamed of feeling around on my tongue. A second W! Sweet.
As you pull into the driveway to a wife, son and dog who all have that look on their face like , you just missed the better part of a key “family time weekend day…” You quietly slip out of your superhero outfit and carefully slip back into your everyday life…head out to rake the leaves, do the dishes, walk the dog…and hope they aren’t too upset at your morning of self indulgence. Ahhhh…it’s such small time thing winning my race. Conquistadors of the Minutia really. But for another week…I’m the fastest damn Cat III cyclocross racer in Boise. That’ll have to carry me for six more days. Next Saturday…it all starts over again. - Fitzy’s Boise Representative, TK
_______________________________________________________________________________________
|
The Cube Cyclocross, Rexburg, ID - Race #2
T-Race came into the corner a little too hot!
Dave Hutchinson looking fast over the barriers
Bergy looking very relaxed at the front of the race
Nice barrier technique T-Race!
Race Reports from The Cube Cyclocross, Race #2
Dave Hutchinson reports:
Well, I went over to Rexburg once again for the weekly sufferfest. It was cold and snowy but I went anyways because that is what it is all about, right? I obviously still have a lot to learn and have plenty of room for improvement. It was a lot of fun though. I felt pretty good starting out and when we hit the single track section by the lake it was pretty sketchy. The course was reversed from the previous week and the single track was pretty slick. There was a 3 bike pile up in front of me in the single track section and by the time we got out of this the main group was well ahead of us. I spent the rest of the time on my own, passed a few guys, could not seem to catch fast Tracey and got lapped by Bergy with about a lap to go. Nothing makes you feel better than getting lapped. It was at least nice to see yet another Fitzy team member win the race. I will go again next week and hope that it will keep getting easier, I wish the season was longer! - Dave H.
T-Race also reports from The Cube:
That was FUN! So The CUBE in Rexburg, ID has been doing an AWESOME job of making a challenging, supa fun cross track AND I think they topped themselves! Race #2 was outstanding! 1st off it they ran the course backwards! Something I don’t think they have ever done before! The grass to start off with was, well, like ice, I had a nice supergirl the 2nd lap, snow and ice covered bridges made for some steady riding, heading into the steep, rooty, twisted singletrack, where the branch softly wacked you in the head enough that you couldn’t see for a second along the pond made for a nice adventure, off to more grass, barriers, a choice run up/ride hill, speedy section, onto a off camber piece of singletrack, where I won’t mention names but 2 of my teamates ATE it right in front of me, thru ducks, more grass, whoop de do’s, pavement and repeat! It was REALLY fun! I sure do hope more peeps/teamates can come, ride, cheer, support and enjoy all the hard work these gals and guys have done in Rexburg, ya know, I don’t think they even ride. Enough raffles for everyone and I’m on my 2nd 10lbs of potatoe winnings! Potatoe gumbo, potatoe pancakes, potatoe soup, fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, potatoe face mask-you get it! Truley amazing! Can’t wait for Race #3! -
T-Race
___________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
Race Announcement - Dreamchasers 12/24 Hour Snow Race - Teton Springs Resort
Run, Snowshoe, Skate Ski, or Snow Bike for 12 or 24 Hours!
12:01am December 31st, 2009 til 12:01am January 1st, 2010
|
|
|
