Weekend Ahead - May 8 & 9

Lot's going again here in the Midwest. Many top riders are traveling south to Arkansas for the Joe Martin Stage Race, so here's your chance to grab up some upgrade points!
Minnesota:
Sibley County RR Saturday May 8 A 17.75 mile loop over open, rolling farm land using Sibley cty rd 12, 19, 27, 5, & 6. The finish line is about one mile up the two mile climb on cty rd 12.
Iowa:
Black Diamond Road TT  Iowa City Sunday May 9 24 miles distance if road conditions allow.
Missouri:
Thurs Night Mr Bumpy Face Track Series  St Louis. Thursday May 6th Racing practice. A variety of racing going on at the Penrose Velodrome. See flyer for details.
Wisconsin:
USA Cycling 2010 Collegiate Road Nationals  May 7,8, and 9th in and around Madison. See flyer for details.
Matt Wittig Memorial Race  Muskego Saturday May 8th at Muskego Park. 100 ft of climbing per lap.
Illinois:
Verizon Wireless Two Person TTT  (ABR) Garden Prairie, IL Saturday May 8th part of the mid-america time trial series.
Indiana:
Planet Adventure Brookside Park CMT Circuit Race Indianapolis Saturday May 8 Brookside Park criterium
IRS – Eagle Creek Traditional Criterium (ABR) Saturday May 8 Indianapolis at Eagle Creek Park, part of the Indiana Race Series.
Monrovia TT #1 (ABR) Monrovia Sunday May 9 40k, part of the Indiana Race Series.
Michigan:
Tour of Kensington Valley  Milford, MI NW of Detroit. Saturday May 8, eight mile circuit race.
Cone-Azalia Classic Road Race  Milan, MI Sunday May 9 Ten mile loop with 4 miles of gravel/dirt near Ann Arbor. "The Paris-Roubaix of the Midwest!"
Ohio:
Nothing scheduled.

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Collegiate Nationals come to Madison - May 7,8, & 9th

This weekend the US Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships will arrive in Madison for the first time since 2004. More than 500 riders from 100 teams are expected. Racing begins Friday with the road race held near Bluemound State Park, Saturday will be the criterium held on the Capitol Square course in Madison, and Sunday will be the team time trial in Waterloo at the Trek HQ. The men's road race will include over 8,000 ft of climbing over it's 72 mile distance. Complete information can be found HERE.

2010 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships

Madison, Wisconsin

May 6-9

Friday May 7

8:30 am  Men’s Division I Road Race       Blue Mound State Park     72 miles (5 laps)

8:40 am  Men’s Division II Road Race      Blue Mound State Park     72 miles (5 laps)

1:00 pm  Women’s Division I Road Race  Blue Mound State Park     58 miles (4 laps)

1:10 pm  Women’s Division II Road Race Blue Mound State Park     58 miles (4 laps)

                       

Saturday May 8  
8:45-10:45 am    Coaching Clinic and breakfast        Madison Concourse Hotel 

12:00-4:45 pm    Registration & Packet Pick-Up*       Madison Concourse Hotel 

3:00 pm  Women’s Division II Criterium   Capitol Square - Madison     45 mins
4:00 pm  Women’s Division I Criterium    Capitol Square - Madison     45 mins
5:00 pm  Men’s Division II Criterium         Capitol Square - Madison     60 mins

6:15 pm  Men’s Division I Criterium          Capitol Square - Madison     60 mins

8:00-9:30 pm   Collegiate Awards Banquet     Monona Terrace - Madison 

Sunday May 9     
9:30 am         Women’s Division II TTT    Trek Bicycle HQ - Waterloo 19.2 miles

To Follow**    Women’s Division I TTT     Trek Bicycle HQ - Waterloo 19.2 miles

To Follow      Men’s Division II TTT          Trek Bicycle HQ - Waterloo 19.2 miles

To Follow      Men’s Division I TTT           Trek Bicycle HQ - Waterloo 19.2 miles

To Follow†    Awards Ceremony              Trek Bicycle HQ - Waterloo 40 mins‡

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Retro Ride #1

Something a little different:

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Registration Opens For Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic ! June 11-13, 2010

Minneapolis (May 4, 2010) – Registration is now open for the  Fixed Gear Classic, a thrilling three days of track racing at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minn., that leads off the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival.

The Fixed Gear Classic provides different fields for men (Pro-I-II) and women (Pro-I-II-III) in a unique dual omnium program that showcases separate competitions for sprinters and endurance specialists. Competition begins Friday night, June 11 and runs through Sunday, June 13. Events will include both men’s and women’s Madison races along with cross-over events like the Miss-n-Out that offer points for both omniums.

“Track was a part of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival for the first three years, from 1999-2001, culminating with the 2001 Elite Track Nationals,” Nature Valley Grand Prix Executive Director David LaPorte said. “We brought it back in 2008, but the economy forced us to take a year off in 2009. Now it’s back, this time we hope for good. By bringing track racing under the same media and marketing umbrella as the Nature Valley Grand Prix, we hope to gain national exposure for this sport even in non-Olympic years.”

Fields are filling fast through online registration, which closes June 4. Down-loadable registration forms and more details can be found at http://www.nscsports.org/sports/cycling/events/fixed_gear_classic.htm.

The Fixed Gear Classic is run in conjunction with the Nature Valley Grand Prix, the premier stage race on the 2010 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar. This year’s race includes stops in Saint Paul, Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Menomonee, and Stillwater. The Nature Valley Grand Prix is a part of the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival, a volunteer-run event, with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the festival’s benefiting charity. More information can be found at: www.NatureValleyBicycleFestival.com .

Attached photo courtesy: Jonathan Chapman Photography


For More Information, Contact:Sean Weide
Communications Specialist, Trailhead Marketing
P.O. Box 24263, Omaha, NE 68124-0263
Phone: 402.541.2594 | E-Mail: sean@trailheadmarketing.com

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Weekend Review - May 1 & 2

     You've seen what's happened here in Wisconsin the past few days, what about the rest of the Midwest region? Let's try to piece it together, shall we? In Minnesota on Saturday, there was the Marty Road Race near Marty, MN. Wind was a factor there just as in other areas. It appears that Pat Lemieux just nipped Adam Bergman on the line after 80 miles and a 5 rider breakaway in the Pro 1/2 event. You can find some photos here and the results here.

     Iowa had some mountain biking but nothing on the road, so we move down to Missouri and the Artie Miller Memorial Belleville Race which was really in Illinois, but just outside of St Louis. Results are here, photos can be seen here. We do have some bike cam action on YouTube which I'm guessing is Pro 1/2, but the narrative doesn't say for sure:

We already know that Wisconsin had the Circuit of  Sauk on Saturday and the LaCrosse Fitness Festival Criterium on Sunday, as well ras the WiSport Dar's Time Trial on Saturday, but in addition to all that, ABR had a criterium in a Kenosha business park. Up against stiff competition from the USAC races in LaCrosse and Chicago, as well as the first WORS MTB race of the season, they did have a pretty good Masters turnout, but other cats were rather sparsely attended. Props to ABR for providing some race details on the results link given above, check it out as it sounds like they had some fun: "Clearing skies, No rain, warming temps and a West breeze were the weather conditions. This wide road course is great for very fast speeds but wind will slow you down. Unfortunately, the owner of a business on the east north/south street did not want his driveway access slowed down by a bicycle race so the course went down an inner road, through a parking lot, then excited inches North of his driveway. This chicane tested riders technical ability. (Did I hear a possible new course for the Sept event?)"
     Next we move down to Chicago's north side for the Vernon Hills Grand Prix. Being the 3rd largest city in the US (25th worldwide), they've got their own little party going on there, so when they put on a local race it usually is a pretty big deal. Sunday was no exception as the Cat. 5's had 45 riders and the Cat. 4's had 61 !  Here's a helmet cam of the Cat. 5 finish. (I have no idea what that UFO is next to the course):

Over in Indiana at the Fat and Skinny Tire Fest, there was a road race on Saturday and criterium on Sunday. Unfortunately, there aren't any results posted yet and no stories from the roadies.  A few photos can be found here.  In Kokomo, there was a 40k TT scheduled. There is no data at this time to confirm that it actually happened however, the same goes for opening day at the Rochester Hills Velodrome in Michigan. Georgetown, OH had a road race on Sunday, part of their spring series, and we have some RESULTS! 


That about wraps it up for this past weekend. If it's not reported by Tuesday, it's not news, it's history.

BREAKING NEWS!: Mike Sherer (Verizon U25) has a recap of the Pro 1/2 events out of Indiana.

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Video from LaCrosse

Here's some video that was taken on Sunday and shared on YouTube.

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2010 LaCrosse Fitness Festival Criterium

As part of the Second Annual LaCrosse Fitness festival that included running races, bike rides, and seminars, the second annual edition of Festival Criterium was held on Sunday May 2nd, 2010 at Riverside Park, right on the Mississippi river, and just two blocks from downtown LaCrosse. With absolutely perfect weather, there was a good rider turnout from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and even some from Thunder Bay, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Actually, the racing began Saturday with a citizens 2.4 mile individual time trial up the infamous Grandad's Bluff, a brute of a road, climbing out of the Mississippi river valley. This was won by Ian Stanford (Grandstay) in 8 min 40 seconds. 

Sunday had the criterium racing on the 0.7 mile city criterium course. Morning events included the Jr. 10-14 won by Garrett Roth (IS Corp), 2nd Christopher Sodergren (Baraboo Sharks), and Sam Beste (IS Corp) third. Thomson Remo (IS Corp) won the Jr 15-18 , Jordan Cullen 2nd (Flanders), with Lionel Rocheleau (Geargrinder) 3rd. Masters 50+ saw John Van Susteren (LAPT) ride away with Gordy Paulson (Planet Bike) and despite a fairly organized chase, they were never caught.

Men Cat 4/5 were next out and this group set the tone for the rest of the day that being that turn one, was the 'crash turn'. A number of riders went down in several separate incidents, usually the result of a rider hitting his inside pedal which sent them literally flying over the curb and onto the sidewalk. The result of the race's last crash was that three riders got away and built a 20 second gap, however the horsepower it contained was just not enough and two of the three were brought back into the field. Mankato rider Toby Henkels (unatt), with his number pinned on upside down in true Cat. 5 tradition, rode strongly however and stayed away for a convincing victory. Pat Diamond (Geargrinder) was second, Paul Kumm (IS Corp) 3rd. The one Grand Performance rider who face planted turn one did decide to go to the E.R. for evaluation after some thought, so we hope all is well and that he's back on the bike soon!


The Masters Cat 4/5 riders on the local Brones squad demonstrated great team work by getting two of their riders in a 7 man break, while the remaining 4 or 5 effectively discouraged the chase to the point where the break got a lap up on the field. The only time it happened today. Too bad they didn't get the victory though. That went to Dave Gray (Flanders), John Franceschi (Geargrinder) was 2nd, Barney Sheafor (Fisher) 3rd.


Women's Open included all categories today and only the strong survived to contest the sprint. That was led by the strongest of them all, Linda Sone (Flanders) in convincing fashion. 2nd was Bianca Bergman (Texas Roadhouse), 3rd Katie Spittlehouse of Canada (Thunder Bay CC).

Master's 3/4 went without incident until about lap 20 when the "turn one meat grinder" was turned back on. Several riders were swept clean off the course just as had happened earlier, and just like in the earlier race, this set up four riders nicely off the front. Unfortunately, only two of the four had the speed to take advantage of the situation, and  were actually able to almost lap the field ...  sprinting just behind them as they finished. Jeff Melcher (Team Extreme) from West Bend held off local rider Josh Shively (LaCrosse VC) for the victory, Canadian Marian Pyszczek (Lifesport) of Winnepeg, MB took 3rd.

Masters 1/2/3 lived up to expectations as a blistering war on wheels. Multiple attacks were all neutralized over time and it came down to a one lap test of tactics and speed. On the bell it was Grand Performance and Grandstay at the front, pouring on the coals, but neatly tucked in the draft was IS Corp's super hero Chris Halverson (IS Corp) ,and right on his wheel was former Tour de France professional Jeff Bradley (Velosport IA). Halverson was first through the last turn, and first across the line. Bradley was 4th through the last turn - second across the line, and Scott Flanders (Flanders) was 3rd, but just barely.

Men Category 3 was another big focus of the local team RVCC/Brones. They managed to keep it all together until the closing laps when they sent a single rider off in search of victory. It looked like he might just hold his 20 second gap to the end, but with two laps to go, he was brought back and caught. Sitting in and resting this whole time, Garrett Ping (RVCC/Brones)  launched his winning field sprint just nipping Travis Heller (Team Extreme), and Nickolas Frye (Team Wisconsin) for an exciting victory right on the line!

You know that the racing season is in full swing when the Pro 1/2 event is the main event of the day, not the Cat. 4's, and nobody has to tell you that because you get chills up and down your spine from the anticipation. So it was today, as the largest field of the day (70) lined up and listened to an excellent live singing of the national anthem. Right off the bat, a number of riders tried to force the winning break, perhaps looking to get a lap up, but the correct combination of riders were never up the road, and the one's left behind were never happy. In fact, the racing got quite aggressive at times as evidenced by the loud discussions between the riders, but everyone was well behaved and kept their hands to themselves and on the bars where they belonged. 
Half way through, 11 riders did eventually escape including last year's second place, Pat Lemieux (Texas Roadhouse), and the winner of yesterday's Tour de Sauk, Jordan Roessingh (IS Corp). So, now all the major teams were present up the road and they gained time on the field: IS Corp, Flanders, Grandstay, Grand Performance, and Texas Roadhouse. In the closing laps, Pat Lemieux launched his own bid for victory from this lead group, perhaps to revenge his 2nd last year, but Tim Mulrooney (Synergy), and Brian Rach (IS Corp) still had enough gas in the tank to chase him back down. First across the line was 42 year old Mulrooney, easily taking the win over Lemieux and Rach. Ian Stanford (Grandstay), winner of the uphill TT on Saturday, was dropped from the break and just held off the field sprint for 11th over Colton Barrett (Grandstay). Bergman was 14th, Bradley 15th, Remo 46th, Sedgwick 47th. It was a fine ending to an excellent two days of racing in Western Wisconsin.

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Monday Motorpacing #4

Retro motorpacing!

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Back Online!

AT&T DSL was down most of the day. 

Appears fixed now, so will get the daily updates posted soon.

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2010 Circuit of Sauk (Sauk County Wisconsin)

Wind was the story of the day with gusts of 25 to 30mph making a tough course even tougher. If you didn't have the legs today, there was no way to hide in the pack and fake it - you were done. The 15 mile loop is fairly hilly with long rollers and one 'wall' that's too early in the lap to really be a deciding factor in the finish, but steep enough to thin out the pack quickly. As slow as the climbs were, the descents were screaming fast with that wind at your back, some as long as 1.2 miles. This fairly new course to the Wisconsin Cycling Association's calendar is arguably one of the most scenic, being held in a very rural area in southwestern Wisconsin, the nearest town being six miles away.

Early results include: Jr 10-14 Everett Jones (Baraboo Sharks), Women 4 Vanessa Curtis (Unatt), Masters 3/4 Jeff Melcher (Team Extreme), Men 4/5 Tony Damhoff (Unatt), 2nd Alex Ochowicz (Unatt), 3rd Andrew Tegge (Team Wheel & Sprocket)

The Men's Cat. 3 race was the only one that pretty much stayed together until the end, with a small bunch sprint being won by Brandon Meinke (Pegasus), 2nd Brian Abraham (Fisher Midwest), 3rd Mark Norton (Team Wisconsin), then Liam Donaghue and Eric Blankinship both from IL. 



The Women Pro 1/2/3 race was heavily split up by the course and it came down to a small bunch  sprint taken by Kelly Hess (Kenda), 2nd Rachel Roessingh (IS Corp), 3rd Antonia Leal (Planet Bike) , then Meshberg, Wentworth, and Spittlehouse from Thunder Bay, ON, Canada.
 


Masters 4/5 was won by Jonathon Lang (Hampshire), 2nd William Pankonin (XXX), 3rd Matthew Bennett (Unatt).

Masters 1/2/3 was taken by (surprize!) Chris Halverson (IS Corp) who solo'd the last lap and a half. 

Jr. 15-18 winner unknown! (Baraboo Sharks)(#494) who took the three up sprint over Patrick Diamond (Gear Grinder). A well earned 3rd went to Lionel Rocheleau (Gear Grinder) who came from way back, pretty much out of sight of the leaders, and bridged up to contest the sprint.  

In the Pro 1/2 event, Jordan Roessingh (IS Corp) and Cole House (BMC) led the field the first of five times up the 'wall' in their 80 mile race. For much of the race, however, it was a three man break comprised of Jordan Roessingh (IS Corp),  Frank Dierking (Team Wisconsin), and Ryan Freund (Verizon/ABD) who built up over a minute lead at it's maximum. Several small chase groups developed and they managed to close that gap down to a mere 20 seconds over the last 30 miles (2 laps). So close, but not close enough. The last time up the wall, Jordan looked relatively fresh as Dierking was glued to his wheel, but it was just too much for Ryan Freund, however, who lost contact on this move, eventually getting caught by the first chase group, and rolling in 7th. Dave Moyer (XXX) just nipped Tristin Bentzler (RVCC) by inches for third place.  Chris Padfield (ReCycling) was 9th, Dewey Dickey (Mercy/Specialized) 10th, John Acker (Wheel & Sprocket) 12th, Luke Seemann (XXX) ... well, he finished.  For the win, it was all Jordan Roessingh (IS Corp) over Frank Dierking (Team Wisconsin) in the side by side drag race to the line.

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WISPORT - DAR’S TIME TRIAL - FESTIVAL OF THE WHEEL

WILLARD, WISC. -- Brett Whyte pulled it off by a slim margin Saturday in the usually windy (and this year was no exception) Dar's Midwest Time Trial Championships in north central Wisconsin.

 

The Brone's Bike Shop team rider edged out Elmer Colyer (Big Ring Flyers) by one second to claim the men's title in the 16.2 mile time trial that is part of the WiSport Series of races.

 

Whyte won with a time of 36:57. 

It was Brone's win on the women's side too with TT powerhouse Joan Carlson scoring the overall win with a time of 40:47

 

Full results from the event can be found here: http://www.wisport.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=56

 

The WiSport Series continues May 15 with a time trial in Rib Falls, Wisc.: http://www.wisport.org/2010/pdf/2010%20Ribfalls%20.pdf 

 

Report by Nate Phelps

 

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Cat. 3's in the news?

Okay, this is for real. Springfield, IL's newspaper the State Journal - Register (a real newspaper) has an article (very short) in their sports section about local Cat. 3's changing teams! Check it: 

CHICAGO — Burnham Racing, an elite cycling development program based in Chicago, announced the additions of  Springfield’s Christopher Curran and Nicholas Ramirez to its Category 3 roster.

Curran and Ramirez finished first and second, respectively, in the 2009 USA Cycling Illinois Cat 3 Road Race Championship, last September in Willow Springs. They are currently competing for the Illinois State University cycling club on the collegiate calendar and will line up with Burnham Racing for events throughout the summer.
 “We’re thrilled that Chris and Nick are coming on board for the upcoming summer campaign,” said Eric Goodwin, Burnham Racing’s Managing Director. “We had no choice but to notice their results last fall and we assumed we would have to go head-to-head with them this year."

Burnham Racing Team.

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Euro Pro Connection #8

Switzerland's Tour of Romandie continues today with a twisty 23.4km time trial in the town of Moudon. Wisconsin's Matthew Busche (Radio Shack) had stated that he's been feeling more comfortable on his TT bike but finished this stage in 133rd (beating Mark Cavendish by 16 seconds!). Illinois' Christian Vande Velde (Garmin - Transitions) put in a smoking 15th place, 1:14 behind the winner. We finally get some photos of these two riders, from stage 2. Busche seen here riding behind Sergio Paulinho.

Over in the Tour of Korea, Jelly Belly's Michael Friedman continues to lead the overall after 7 stages. While listed as a resident of PA, he does have family in the Chicago area and so get's recognition here!

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Get Well Brad Sohner!

You may or may not know him by name, but you know his voice ... one of the strong announcing voices of 10 Speed Productions who are at the finish line of every Superweek and Tour of America's Dairyland stage. Brad unfortunately broke his arm in a bike wreck recently, but is otherwise doing fine and fully plans on being trackside at ToAD and Superweek again this summer. (seen here at Shorewood with super fast South African Jay Thompson, then with the MTN team). Heal fast Brad ... we love your work!

10 Speed Productions will also be at the finish line of next month's Collegiate Nationals in Madison this May 7, 8, and 9th.

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Artie Miller Memorial Bicycle Race - Belleville (St.Louis)

Add this one to the calendar for this weekend:


Artie Miller Memorial Race - Belleville, IL Sunday May 2, 2010 presented by Velo Force Racing Team and Big Shark of St. Louis. $1,999 in cash and prizes, Course Description: A 6+ turn technical criterium circuit with an uphill finish along the historic streets of Downtown Belleville.

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Odds and Endz

Okay, so there's not much new going on here in the Midwest, so can I go National for a bit?


Tour of the Gila - Did you see that Team Radio Shack is going with a retro kit? Using logos from the 60's.

Then there's this whole thing at the Dana Point GP in California with Rahsaan Bahati: “Going into the turn 6, Jake Keough saw me underneath him and he did a couple chops, OK, no problem, to protect the inside,” said Bahati. “He came underneath and out of the straightaway he saw me on his hip, looked at me, turned right, right, right until I went down. It was so blatant. That’s why I was so upset."  Since they will be racing in the Midwest, we owe it to ourselves to know what's going on.

But did you see the video? Bahati got *CHOPPED!* big time, and HE got fined? Can't wait to see those guys race here!

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Season Opens at Rochester Hills Velodrome this Saturday

The first velodrome to open here in the Midwest, Rochester Hills , in Michigan, begins their summer schedule this Saturday, May 1st at 10am.


Here is their weekly schedule as posted on their web page:


Monday
10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.   ~ Open Riding (for season & day pass holders)
5:30 p.m. - ½ hour before park closing  ~ Young Riders Night for junior riders, basic instruction & practice.

Tuesday
10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ~ Open Riding for season holders.
5:30 p.m. - ½ hour before park closing  ~ Elite Rider Training Session, high intensity efforts.

Wednesday
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. ~ Open Riding for season holders.
5:30 p.m. - ½ hour before park closing  ~ Race Training

Thursday
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.  ~ Open Riding for season holders.
6:00 p.m. - ½ hour before park closing  ~ New Rider "Track 101" Velodrome Intro Riding Class
(Open riding is also available but "Track 101" riders take precedence.)

Friday
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.   ~ Open Riding (for season & day pass holders)
5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ~ Warm Up for NAS-TRACK Madison Racers (June - August)
7:30 p.m. ~ NAS-TRACK Madison Racing League Races

Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.  ~ "Track 101" - Velodrome Intro Riding Class
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.  ~ Development Races - Scratch, Points, Madison Training
4:00 p.m. - ½ hour before park closing  ~ Open Riding (for season & day pass holders)  


Sunday
10:00 a.m. - ½ hour before park closing  ~ Open Riding for season holders.
  
Remember that this is a 200 meter wooden track with banking of 44 degrees in the turns. NPR did a short story on this velodrome which you can listen to here.


The Rochester Hills Velodrome is located just north of Detroit.


View Larger Map

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Weekend Ahead - May 1 & 2

OKay, there's a lot of racing offered up this coming weekend, May 1 & 2, 2010. Let's take a look.

Marty Road Race - Marty, MN Saturday May 1, Northwest of the Twin Cities, put on by the Loon State Cyclists. 16 mile loop with chip timing.

Circuit of Sauk - Reedsburg, WI Saturday May 1, West of Baraboo put on by the Baraboo Sharks Racing Team. A 15 mile scenic loop with one significant climb, otherwise rolling through the beautiful pastures of western Wisconsin.

Vernon Hills GP -Vernon Hills, IL Sunday May 2, North suburb of Chicago, put on by RDS cycling. Flat, one mile criterium with 4 corners. Part of the Illinois Cycling Cup.

Grand Dad's Bluff Hill Climb TT - LaCrosse, WI Saturday May 1. Part of the LaCrosse Fitness Festival. 2.5 mile TT with 600 ft of climbing. See video below.

LaCrosse Fitness Festival Criterium - LaCrosse, WI Sunday May 2. presented by the LaCrosse Velo Club. Nifty city criterium course right on the Mississippi River.

Dar's Midwest Festival of the Wheel TT - Willard, WI Saturday May 1. WISPORT  16 mile loop.

Kenosha Business Park Criterium - Kenosha, WI Sunday May 2. ABR Fast 1.2 mile criterium part of the IL / WI Rider of the Year (ROTY) Competition.

Fat & Skinny Tire Fest RR - Winona Lake, IN Saturday May 1. presented by KCV Cycling. 8.8 mile laps with good prize money. Check out ALL the cycling fun at the official website: FatAndSkinnyTireFest.Com

Villiage Road Criterium - Winona Lake, IN Sunday May 2.  Day two of the Fat and Skinny Tire Fest. 0.55 mile long, fast criterium loop with good prize money!

Kokomo Time Trial Series #1 - Kokomo, IN Sunday May 2. Presented by the Break-Away Bicycle Club. 40k for Men, 20k for Women. Out and back - course record: 50:51 (sounds fast!)

Georgetown Road Race - Georgetown, OH Sunday May 2. presented by Big Dave's Sports. 12 mile loop with one small climb. #6 of the Ohio Spring Race Series.

Lastly, the mountain bike racing is also beginning this weekend in both Iowa and Wisconsin.

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Wednesday Fixie Fix #6

Surface NYC made a trip to Velodrome in Kissena Park

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Weekend Final Results - April 24 & 25, 2010

All the weekend results are now posted. Good, now we can get on with our lives!

• Ken Woods Memorial Road Race - Canon Falls, MN
• Goosetown Racing Time Trial - Iowa City, IA
• Iowa City Road Race - Iowa City, IA
• Old Capitol Criterium - Iowa City, IA
• Big Shark Tour of St. Louis - St. Louis, MO
• Whitnall Park Spring Criterium - Hales Corners, WI
• Fitchburg Fast and Furious - Fitchburg, WI
• ABR Single Bong TT - Kansasville, WI
• WiSport Pedal For Proceeds RR - Whitewater, WI
• Willow Time Trial - New Boston, MI
• Spring Valley RR - Waynesville, OH
• Races at the Lake - Munroe Falls, OH
• Vandervorts Corner RR - Dayton, OH

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Power To The Peloton

What kind of power does it take to ride away from a P/1/2 field? 632 watts according to the Verizon U25 team who was kind enough to share some power data from the Leland Kermesse in Illinois two weeks ago as Ryan Freund and John Meyers did a two up TT for 70 miles, winning the difficult gravel race in grand fashion. So, if you can push 3.9 watts per Kg for 3 1/2 hours, then maybe you can join them in their next winning move!

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The Euro Pro Connection #7

Today is the Prologue of the Tour of Romandie in Switzerland. Midwestern riders on the start list are Matt Busche (Radio Shack) and Christian Vande Velde (Garmin - Transitions). Matt just completed the 258km Liege-Bastogne-Liege in Belgium, looking for THE break but didn't make the cut when it mattered. "I began the day looking for the early break. With the race starting on a gentle climb, it suited my ability to hopefully get in. I was unfortunately not part of the right mix of guys though, and missed the break. I remember seeing them go away though, knowing that was likely the break, but my legs were not so good and I couldn't/didn't make the jump because I was trying to recover from a previous effort. The break was gone and I was sentenced to spend the rest of the day in the field." You can follow the Tour de Romandie daily over on Cycling Fans.

At this past Saturday's Whitnall Park race, BMC's Cole House showed up. Oneida, Wisconsin's BMC rider (2007 Wisconsin State Road Champion) competed for the US National Team in Belgium's Triptyque des Monts ed Chateaux (Hills and Castles of Triptyque). Held not far from the Tour of Flanders, USA's Talor Phinney went on to get 2nd overall, but Cole had a different experience as blogged by Ben King. Cole states: “I followed Phinney through a corner. I guess he didn’t learn his lesson in the time trial, because he pedaled through it and washed out. My fork snapped, and the support vehicles were caught behind Nate’s crash. That was the end of my race. Phinney kept going.”

Recently, Cycling news did an article on Cole House which is great reading. Currently aged 22, this is his last year riding U23 and hopes to go full Professional next year. 

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Monday Motorpacing #3

Oui, c'est une bonne formation à motorpace derrière un Derny!

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Weekend Review - April 24 & 25 - early report

With cold rain covering much of the region, this was one springtime weekend to be remembered for a while. Soggy shoes and embrocation were the norm. Even up in Minnesota, at the Ken Woods Memorial Road Race, they got rain in the morning. Field sizes seemed moderate but most fields drew riders in from surrounding states.  In the Pro 1/2, Grand Stay Hotels put 4 riders into the top 5, Pat Lemieux took the Collegiate A race, and Leah Prudhomme won the Women's Pro 1/2 event. You can find many great photos from there at SkinnySki.Com.
Moving down to Iowa and the Old Capitol Criterium weekend, Steve Tillford has a nice write up of what went down in the Pro 1/2 road race on Saturday (official results are not yet online) and in the 33rd Old Capitol Criterium on Sunday, Pat Lemieux took the win with a nice solo effort. 

At the Big Shark Tour of St. Louis Saturday morning there was the Carondolet Circuit race in the morning (photos) and the Big Bottom Time Trial in the afternoon. The TT had to be stopped half way due to lightning, hail, and tornado warnings.
Despite the conditions, Don Lowe took the opening TT with a blistering average speed of 29.775 mph. 

Here in Wisconsin, it was time to pretend you were Belgian again as the temperatures never got out of the 40's and the water never stopped running through your toes. Fresh from his own cycling trip from Belgium, Luke Seemann (ChicagoBikeRacing.Com) gives an excellent report on conditions in Hales Corners: "As soon as I stopped riding, I started trembling with cold. I was soaked, and my feet felt like bricks. Quickly I headed to the car and cranked up the heat." No strangers to this type of weather, Cole House (BMC) was present to show everyone how it's done across the pond as well as IS Corp's Tristan Schouten (raced UCI level 'cross in Belgium) who took this day's Pro race as well as Sunday's Fast and Furious race on Sunday in Fitchburg. Of course Schouten lives in Sheboygan, right on Lake Michigan, and it's always cold there anyway.  Andrew Zens of Chicago's Team Spidermonkey also shares his race stories.
No results coming out of Michigan or Ohio just yet, so let's wrap this up with a little video from our WiSport friends who share their experiences from Saturday:

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Volunteers needed for Collegiate Nationals

Wisconsin Cycling is announcing that volunteers are needed:

On May 7 though the 9 the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be hosting Collegiate Cycling Nationals here in Madison, Wisconsin. There will be over 500 top collegiate racers from around the country coming to Madison to participate in this event. Right now they still need volunteer help to make this event a success. Volunteers will get a free T-shirt!
Times help is needed are as follows:
Road Race at Blue Mounds State Park
Friday May 7th 7am to noon
Friday May 7th 11:45 to 4:30pm
** 100 Volunteers on Friday are needed to make the event a success
Those who volunteer for both shifts on Friday will be provided with food and refreshments!
Criterium on the Capitol Square in Madison
Saturday May 8th 2:45 to 8pm
Team Time Trial at Trek in Waterloo
Sunday May 9th 7:30 to 10:30am (Please be aware that this is Mother's Day.) 

Please contact Yvonne Schumacher at yschumacher@wisc.edu if you are willing to help or if you have any questions. 

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Cutter's Win!

From the Indiana Daily Student:

The Cutters take their fourth win in a row after a 30 minute rain delay in the 60th running of the Little 500 bicycle race, at Indiana University. On Friday, Teter won the women's edition of the race.


Elsewhere, word has it that in Iowa, at the 33rd Annual Old Capitol Criterium Weekend, a rider hit a deer! Wha? Hopefully more details on that later.


In Whitewater, Wisconsin,  Nate Phelps reports:  Christan Griego battled wind and rain to ride to a solo victory Saturday in the Pedal for Proceeds RR in Whitewater, Wisc. Griego (Brones) held off the field for about 19 of the 24 miles of the race to capture the victory by about a minute over the chasing field. Julie Phelps (Big Ring Flyers) took the women's win. Wind, rain, mud and manure were the elements (and the fashion worn home by all) during the day -- typical weather for this weekend of racing.  The WiSport series (www.wisport.org) continues next weekend with Dar's Midwest Time Trial Championships in Willard, Wisc.

Lastly for now, in Hales Corners more racers fought the rain and cold in the Whitnall Spring Criterium. Photos and results from that event later, but here's some 'sights and sounds' from today's Pro 1/2 race.

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Little 500 Bicycle Race - Listen on-line today and tomorrow!

WIUX Radio will be broadcasting from today's Women's race and tomorrow's men's race in Bloomington, IN.

Kappa Kappa Gamma has the pole in this afternoon's 100 lap, 25 mile race where there is a 70% chance of rain. The Cutters have the pole for Saturday's 200 lap, 50 mile, men's event. 

Note that those times are Eastern time! You may also have to set your firewall to allow the audio stream to connect.

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The Euro Pro Connection #6

You may not be able to pronounce it, but the Eyjafjallajokull volcano kept Matt Busche (Radio Shack) from racing in the Flesch Wallone this past week. He is on the start list for Sunday's 96th running of Liege-Bastogne-Liege however. Good luck Flip!


Sadly, that's about all the news there is to report from our midwest Euro Pros. Here is an interesting read about Team Radio Shack's 'service course' though: "We have two team buses, twelve team cars - six race cars and six soigneurs cars - two big mechanical trucks, two small trucks, two private cars, two VIP vans, one camper and a lot of bikes," he told Cyclingnews, adding with a grin, "If this volcano doesn't clear up, we'll probably have two ferries."

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The Weekend Ahead - additions

These races were missed in the weekend preview:


Louisville, KY Jude Clark Criterium Saturday April 24, 2010 All categories and just across the river from Indiana.


Kansasville, WI  Single Bong TT Sunday April 25, 2010 ABR A great course right on the IL / WI border. - - >

One more addition:

Whitewater, WI Pedal For Proceeds RR (WISPORT) Saturday April 24, 2010 at UW-Whitewater. Details are fairly hidden since there doesn't seem to be a 'flyer'. Go to the WISPORT page, then Racebook and scroll down until you find it. Ugh!

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The Weekend Ahead

Assuming the cold, rainy weather has no bearing on riders' decision if they will be racing or not, let's see whats happening across the Midwest this weekend, April 23 - 25. European racing? Who's got time? Look what's going on right in our own backyard!

Canon Falls, MN  Ken Woods Memorial Road Race Saturday 4/24/10 Just down the road, south of the Twin Cities and sponsored by the Gopher Wheelmen. "The course is 21 miles of good paved road with rolling hills and one longer gradual climb shortly prior to the finish. The entire course is in open farmland where the wind can be quite a factor. KWMR is also once again part of the collegiate district championships, with collegiate road race fields and a team time trial." 21 to 84 miles for all categories with chip timing.

Minnetonka, MN  UMN Spring Criterium  Sunday 4/25/10 1.2 mile twisty course at the OPUS business park. This is a collegiate only race event.

Iowa: The 33rd Annual Old Capitol Criterium Weekend!


Iowa City, IA Black Diamond TT  Friday 4/23/10 10 miles for all categories (5 miles out and back) starting at 4pm and presented by Goosetown Racing. Bring a pump, bring your own water. Plenty of pain available on site.

Iowa City, IA Iowa City RR Saturday 4/24/10 Part of the Old Capitol Criterium weekend. 13 mile loop with rolling hills southwest of Iowa CIty. All USAC Categories.

Iowa City, IA Old Capitol Criterium Sunday 4/25/10 Here it is, the big one! $5,800 total prize money and featuring the Pro 1/2 Chris Lillig Memorial Cup.

St. Louis, MO Tour of St. Louis Three races in two days presented by the Big Shark Bicycle Company. Two day, three race omnium, points awarded 10 deep in all categories plus daily prizes.

St. Louis, MO Carondelicious Circuit Race. Morning of Saturday April 24, 2010. Course Description: An undulating 1.3 mile circuit course along the beautiful lakes in Carondelet Park in South St. Louis City. The course is winding, wide open, with silky smooth pavement. The course has two mild climbs and an uphill finish.

St. Louis, MO Big Bottom TT Afternoon of Saturday April 24, 2010 9 miles out and back on smooth, fast pavement. Bring your aero gear!

St. Louis, MO Delmarvolous Criterium Sunday April 25, 2010 0.8 mile rectangular criterium. Course is wide open, mostly re-paved, fast and very Delmarvelous.

Hales Corners, WI Whitnall Park Spring Classic Saturday April 24, 2010 presented by Team Wisconsin / MC2. A challenging 1.1 mile loop with 80 ft of climbing per lap and soft turns, running clockwise. Not much rest on this one, and hope you like to climb!

Fitchburg, WI Fast and Furious Sunday April 25, 2010 presented by Mad City Velo. A new race on a new course.

New Boston, MI Willow TT Saturday April 24, 2010 (registration closed, no race day registration!) 13.2 miles with electronic timing.

Spring Valley, OH Spring Valley RR Sunday April 25, 2010 part of the Ohio Spring Race Series held in the greater Cincinnati / Dayton area.

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Ride or Race? Centurion and Race the Lake

There is a new kid on the block: Centurion Cycling. It is a mass start ride/race held this year in three North American locations - Colorado, Wisconsin, and Ontario. The Wisconsin event is going to be held on Saturday August 8 starting in Middleton with a route that extends 25, 50, or 100 miles towards Blue Mound State Park, the highest point in Southern Wisconsin and includes 6,000 feet of climbing. While similar to "Race the Lake" which is a mass start ride/race around Wisconsin's Lake Winnebago, there will be no prize money for this race, but it will be fully staffed and equipped with chip timing. Yesterday, Centurion published their route maps and the 100 miler is a real leg breaker, featuring two laps up the infamous Pinacle Rd just outside Blue Mound State Park. 

Race the lake will be held on Sunday, August 22nd and is a one lap, circuit race around Wisconsin's largest lake, Lake Winnebago. "Lake Winnebago…One of the largest inland lakes in the United States and the most popular lake in Wisconsin will be the 90 mile course for the event. This is the LONGEST timed, all citizen bike race in the United States." It features not only a brutal "KOM" climb cresting at High Cliff State Park, but a $2,000 first place prize that really gathers attention from area racers such as last year's winner Ryan Bauman of Trek/Livestrong. Here's the payout: 

PRIZE MONEY: $10,000 prize purse to overall female/male winners!
Overall Male winner - $2000, 2nd place - $1500, 3rd place - $1000 4th place - $700, 5th place - $600, 6th place - $500, 7th place - $400, 8th place - $300 9th place -$200, 10th place - $100.
Overall female winner - $1500, 2nd place - $800, and 3rd place - $400

You'd be hard pressed to find another race around here with that kind of payout!


So, check you calendars. You may find yourself on the starting line of either of these great events this coming August.

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Wednesday Fixie Fix #5

Yup. That's Lance!

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