Peloton Star

Podium shot from Quad Cities: Andrew Crater, Chad Burdzilauskas, Colton Barrett.

Victory post up by Snake Alley winner Vladimir Starchyk.

Podium shot from Muscatine / Melon City Jrs 15-18: Tony Wieczorek, Graham Dewart, Chazz Martin.

Photo Credit: Dominick Wieczorek , Andrew Crater, Vladimir Starchyk.

Continuing on from the Quad Cities Criterium, now in it's 45th year, Team Aerocat's Andrew Crater won the Pro 1/2 field sprint for his first victory at this event. The Quad City Times has a nice post-race video interview that's well worth watching. Kristin Meshburg won the Pro Women's race in a field sprint. Quad City Times has her post race win video interview as well. (Photo: Quad Cities Times)

In her own words:" With 2 to go Kristin Wentworth from Kenda started the leadout. I was happy to be on her wheel but I was nervous because I didn't see any other Kenda around and knew she couldn't hold it for the entire two laps. Sure enough at 1 to go there was a swarm and I found myself boxed in at about 6th or 8th position. I pretty much bullied my way out (sorry Emily) but I went up the outside not really sure what I was going to do next. Right when I hit the front, in front of the Holiday Inn, Trish Black attacked hard. She got a gap and it took me until the 2nd to last corner to catch her wheel. Thankfully she went wide and I passed her on the inside line. I went as hard as I could and didn't look back. I really expected to be passed at the line but I was able to hold off the chasers! I can't even tell you how happy I was!!!! I have always wanted to win this race and it felt great!"

There is no news coming out of Chicago's three day series of Masters races, so we move on to the inaugural Great Midwest Marathon and Endurance Festival with it's Tour of Elkhart Lake. The cycling races continued to be plagued by low turnout. Full results are now available for all the cycling races and other sports with exception of Monday's time trials. The inline skaters did two laps of a 5 mile loop that included one climb and a tricky section of road that caught a number of skaters off guard as evidenced by the fresh blood streaks visible as they came around to begin their second lap.

The cyclists rode a different loop for their time trial on Monday morning, the same loop in fact that was ridden during the road race on Sunday except now it was for 6 laps and a hair over 26 miles. Turnout was a bit better for the TT with a number of triathletes now in the mix and a few guys who, buy eyeing their space age rocket machines, obviously love their time trials. No results are available at this time, but times under an hour were recorded.

Lastly, although mountain biking is not a dicipline usually covered by Peloton Star, an exception certainly has to be made is this Saturday's WORS "Big Ring Classic" MTB race held in Crystal Lake, IL The finish of the elite race came down to the wire between: Brain Matter (1st), Darrin Braun (2nd) and Mark Lalonde (3rd). (Photo: Christine Czarnecki) If this had been any other catagory, they would have all crossed the line in a heap! Congratulations to all three who we will certainly see later this fall during the cyclocross season.

Late addition: ABD's Master's Weekend results are showing up. The overall for Saturday + Sunday is here, but not the three day overall. Saturday's results are posted, but not Sunday or Monday's. (Sheesh!)

Perfect weather for the whole weekend. What more could you ask for?

Minnesota
MN Memorial Weekend - Four races in three days for the good folks up north. Some of the results are now available at the Endurance Promotions website and some photos from the final Target Criterium are over at Cycleture, where the photo on the right is from.

Iowa
Memorial Day Weekend - The big one here in the midwest. Four days of racing drawing from the deepest talent pool the area has to offer.

Results for all the categories for the first two events can be found HERE, in this top-secret, hidden, searchable database.

Burlington Road Race - So, we've already covered the Pro action of this one as narrated by Mike Ebert of Verizon U25. The break got away and was won by former Argentinian National Champion Juan Pablo Dotti (Aerocat) who has called Lawrenceville, Georgia home the past two seasons. In 2009 he raced in a number of midwestern races including Superweek and the Tour of Elk Grove.

1	47	JUAN PABLO DOTTI	LAWRENCEVILLE	GA	AEROCAT CYCLING
2	58	VOLODYMYR STARCHYK	LUNATA 55012		AMORE E VITA-CONAD
3	99	WILLIAM NOWAK	EVANSTON	IL	VERIZON U25 P/B ABD
4	64	ERIC YOUNG	BLOOMINGTON	IN	NUVO/CULTURAL TRAIL
5	26	MIKE SHERER	BLOOMINGTON	IN	VERIZON U25 P/B ABD

Snake Alley

The race blow by blow was covered earlier but here's the top 25 results as can be found in this top secret, searchable database HERE. Volodymyr Starchyk of The Ukraine started at the back of the field and simply rode away from everybody. Also, photo (Becca Finley) from the rarely publicized side show - The Cobbled Climb! A seriously steep (20%?) climb with bread loaf sized cobbles that most race up on MTBs but a few hard core roadies tackle this on their race bikes!

PLACE	NUMBER	NAME	CITY	STATE	CLUB
1	105	VOLODYMYR STARCHYK	LUNATA 55012		AMORE E VITA-CONAD
2	6	TRISTAN SCHOUTEN	PLYMOUTH	WI	UNATTACHED
3	90	ERIC MARCOTTE	PHOENIX	AZ	TEAM PISTA PALACE
4	88	PAUL MARTIN	NORTH ROYALTON	OH	PANTHER PB COMPETITIVE CYCLISTS
5	99	CHARLES B. HUFF	SPRINGFIELD	MO	JELLY BELLY P/B KENDA
6	93	EMILE ABRAHAM	ATLANTA	GA	AEROCAT CYCLING
7	8	BRYCE MEAD	STERLING	IL	TEXAS ROADHOUSE
8	101	STEVE TILFORD	TOPEKA	KS	TRADEWIND ENERGY/TREK STORES
9	41	DAVID HACKWORTHY	HUDSON	WI	BIANCHI/GRAND PERFORMANCE
10	49	JORDON ROESSINGH	MADISON	WI	IS CORP CYCLING
11	100	ROB WHITE	BROWN DEER	WI	ABD/GEARGRINDER
12	1	ADAM BERGMAN	LINO LAKES	MN	TEXAS ROADHOUSE
13	21	RYAN FREUND	LAKE IN THE HILLS	IL	VERIZON U25 P/B ABD
14	86	DEREK GRAHAM	GRAND RAPIDS	MI	BISSELL/ABG
15	97	DIEGO GARAVITO	LAWRENCEVILLE	GA	AEROCAT CYCLING
16	20	MIKE SHERER	BLOOMINGTON	IN	VERIZON U25 P/B ABD
17	4	BRIAN JENSEN	LAWRENCE	KS	TRADEWIND ENERGY/TREK STORES
18	31	RYAN KNAPP	COLUMBUS	IN	PANTHER/COMPETITIVE CYCLES
19	58	GREGORY STROCK	MARTINSVILLE	IN	TEXAS ROADHOUSE CYCLING
20	32	CHRIS UBERTI	WEST LAFAYETTE	IN	PANTER/COMPETITIVE CYCLIST
21	91	ROLF EISINGER	LOUISVILLE	KY	CLEVELAND CLINIC,RGF SOLUTIONS,FELT
22	98	PAT LEMIEUX	ST. PAUL	MN	TEXAS ROADHOUSE P/B MOTOREX
23	102	JAMES STEMPER	WAUWATOSA	WI	KENDA PRO CYCLING P/B GEORGE INDER
24	72	NICHOLAS COIL	PRAIRIE VILLAGE	KS	TRADEWIND ENERGY/TREK MIDWEST
25	50	ALEX WIESELER	OCONOMOWOC	WI	ISCORP

The Iowa Hawkeye has a nice write up on the lower cats.: RED ZONE DOMINANCE: Andrew Dillman was just hoping for a better finish than last year's fourth-place showing in the Junior 15+ race.

Dillman did three spots better, taking the event over Alexey Vermeulen and Lionel Rocheleau.

"Even when I wasn't trying to gap, I was making the turns so hard I was gapping anyways, so I knew on the last lap if I was at the top of the hill with a little bit of gap, through those turns if I was going a little bit faster that I might be able to keep it for the last lap," Dillman said.

Dillman's victory finished off a sweep for the Red Zone Cycling Team from Louisville, Ky.

Melon City Criterium - Muscatine, IA results for this race can be found at the race webpage, or at the USA Cycling page.

" Sunday's Melon City Criterium in Muscatine was another hot one. The course had good flow with two tight and slow corners, long steady down to a speed bump (more like a launch ramp), then a steady uphill to a tight corner before the finish. " (World of Bikes) Podium Insight provides the blow by blow (photo by Caitlin Coar):

"Following the usual early aggressions a powerful group rolled off the front after 12laps and somewhat surprisingly was never seen by the peloton again. Texas Roadhouse had two representatives in the break – Adam Bergman and Jeff Schroetlin – whilst Eric Marcotte (Team Pista Palace), Chad Burdzilauskas (Kenda p/b Geargrinder), Brian Jensen (Tailwind Sports) and Ryan Freund (Verizon Wireless) made up the remainder. Although the group was rolling well they never gained more than 45seconds on the bunch but without a cohesive chase it never could quite come all back together."

Pro/Elite 1-2
1 Eric Marcotte PHOENIX AZ Team Pista Palace
2 Chad Burdzilauskas Indianapolis IN Kenda Pro Cycling
3 Adam Bergman LINO LAKES MN Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team P/B Motorex
4 Brian Jensen LAWRENCE KS Trade Wind Energy
5 Ryan Freund LAKE IN THE HILLS IL Verizon u25 Team p/b ABD
6 Jeffrey Schroetlin DECATUR IL Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team P/B Motorex
7 Nick Frey PRINCETON NJ ciclismo racing
8 Paul Martin NORTH ROYALTON OH Panther/RGF Cycling p/b Felt Bicycles
9 Andrew Crater ASHEVILLE NC Aerocat Cycling Team
10 Ryan Knapp COLUMBUS IN Panther pb Competitive Cyclist
11 Colton Barrett N SAINT PAUL MN Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team P/B Motorex
12 Stephen Tilford TOPEKA KS Tradewind Energy/Trek
13 Zach Reed EDWARDSVILLE IL Dogfish Racing Team
14 Alex Wieseler OCONOMOWOC WI ISCorp Cycling Team
15 John Eisinger LOUISVILLE KY Unattached
16 Emile Abraham Atlanta GA Aerocat Cycling Team
17 Derek Goerke MAPLE GROVE MN Bianchi/Grand Performance
18 Eric Young BLOOMINGTON IN Unattached
19 Kip Spaude WATERTOWN WI Nova Cycle Sports Foundation Inc.
20 Michael Woell MINNEAPOLIS MN MBRC/Flanders
21 Shadd Smith OVERLAND PARK KS Mercy Cycling Team
22 Tristan Schouten PLYMOUTH WI Planet Bike
23 Logan Garey BOULDER CO Team Rio Grande
24 John Grant LOUISVILLE KY Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team P/B Motorex
25 Volodymyr Starchyk Lunata Uk

Quad Cities - Rock Island, IL Eight corners packed into a 3/4 mile criterium course with a big, raucous crowd. Results from all categories can be found at the race website.

Place	Bib	Name	Age	City	St	Team
1	51	Andrew Crater	32	Asheville	NC	Unattached
2	73	Chad Burdzilauskas	30	Indianapolis	IN	Kentucky Flyers
3	9	Colton Barrett	19	N Saint Paul	MN	Kentucky Flyers Cycling Inc
4	54	Emile Abraham	35	Atlanta	GA
5	33	Derek Goerke	29	Minneapolis	MN	St Paul Bicycle Racing Club
6	86	Stephen Tilford	50	Topeka	KS
7	40	Christopher Uberti	23	West Lafayette	IN	Panther pb Competitive Cyclist
8	43	Eric Marcotte	30	Phoenix	AZ	Pista Palace
9	47	Ryan Knapp	26	Columbus	IN	Panther pb Competitive Cyclist
10	41	Nick Frey	22	Princeton	NJ	Ciclismo
11	96	Logan Garey	32	Chicago	IL	Team Rio Grande
12	44	Michael Woell	29	Minneapolis	MN	Minneapolis Bicycle Racing Club
13	98	James Stemper	24	Wauwatosa	WI	TEAM GEARGRINDER
14	78	Gregg Brandt	24	Winona	MN	GrandStay Hotels
15	29	Ben Damhoff	25	Morrison	IL	TEAM GEARGRINDER
16	42	Erik Meier	20	Baraboo	WI	Baraboo Sharks
17	5	Matthew Brandt	22	Kirkwood	MO	Mesa Cycles Shop and Racing Team
18	49	John Eisinger	28	Louisville	KY	Unattached
19	109	Volodymry Starchck	30	Lucca	IT
20	82	Joseph Kukolla	21	Indianapolis	IN	Nova Cycle Sports Foundation Inc.
21	110	Ryan Freund	24	Lake In The Hills	IL	ABD Cycle Club
22	45	David Zimmermann	26	Eagan	MN	Minneapolis Bicycle Racing Club
23	58	Paul Martin	38	North Royalton	OH	Panther pb Competitive Cyclist
24	15	Mike Sherer	24	Bloomington	IN	ABD Cycle Club
25	102	Christopher Hall	24	Fort Collins	CO	Unattached

From the Chicago Tribune:

The path of a national bicycle route proposed to follow much of Lake Michigan's eastern shore and cross the Upper Peninsula will be left to local planners, a state transportation official says.

The route, which is part of roadway network being planned by the Adventure Cycling Association, would stretch from southern Mississippi to Sault Ste. Marie and connect with other major interstate bicycle routes crisscrossing the country, much like the Interstate Highway System.

The route will pass through or near the cities of Holland, Muskegon, Ludington, Traverse City, Petoskey and St. Ignace using existing roads and paths, The Muskegon Chronicle reported.

The exact route will be determined by local governments based on guidelines laid out by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said Joshua DeBruyn, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The guidelines consider factors such as road shoulders and sewer grates that don't trap cyclists' tires.

Thomas Anderson, a Muskegon bicycle shop and a member of the West Michigan Trails and Greenways Coalition, said such a route is long overdue. He hopes people will take advantage of the route as part of the national fight against obesity.

"It gets people in control of their own lives when they ride a bicycle," Anderson said.

DeBruyn said the proposed national bike route could draw positive attention to Michigan and bring more tourists to the state.

Because the route would use existing infrastructure, including roads and bicycle paths, the only necessary cost would be for signs marking it, DeBruyn said.

However, the route is still in the early planning stages, and any dates for putting up signs or other such steps are undetermined, he said.

------

Information from: The Muskegon Chronicle, http://www.mlive.com/muskegon

Racing continues throughout the region. Too bad there's there's no news coming out of ANY of them!

Case in point: it took until MIDNIGHT to find out who won the Snake Alley Criterium (the number one race for a 1,000 miles around) and that was just from one outlet, Podium Insight. Meanwhile, the inline skating world had live text updates, with photos and video clips (!) being broadcast to Inline Planet from middle of the Wisconsin farmland covering their Elkhart Lake Marathon Race! (it's a great read by the way, and the photos are fantastic! *grin*) As long as we're covering that event, it was 3 time World Champion Jorge Botero, of Columbia who took the bunch sprint today to win that race in Elkhart Lake. He worked together with his teammate, 18 times World Champion Tony Muse to keep the breaks in check throughout. C'mon cycling world - lets get our act together, eh?

Steve Tilford as always, has something interesting to say about the races he does. He covers Snake Alley nicely in his latest piece but also has some sour grapes to share:

I have to say that I’m not too big on this Ukrainian guy coming to cherry pick the races here. Roberto Gaggiolli set it up. I like Roberto. I’ve been getting beat up by him the last 3 decades. But, there has always been too much suspense floating around his name. Then and now. So, when some guy, that doesn’t speak English, that I’ve never heard of, comes and spanks everyone at a regional race that pays $2,000 to win, I have to call foul. Even if there isn’t a foul to be called. I guess that is how it is nowadays.

Back at Elkhart Lake it was like having the local police department block off your favorite training route for you and your closest training buddies. Except, your local Tuesday night "Hero Ride" would have had more riders. It is what it is though, so you kit up and race who shows. If that gives you the pleasure of being the Sheboygan County World Champion, so be it! Nothing wrong with that! (that picture is deceiving, there were 10 riders in that race, not two).

Opening night at the Northbrook Velodrome
(It wouldn't have been my choice of music, but to each his own)

Podium Insite has the results of the 2010 Snake Alley Criterium (bravo!)(photo credit right: Tristan Schouten) Podium Insite writes:

Ukrainian National Champion Volodymyr Starchyk (Amore e Vita) who despite starting a hundred riders back picked his way through the field to hit the front after 5 laps of the allotted 20 laps. The only man able to stay with Starchyk was former US road race champion Paul Martin (Panther p/b Competitive Cyclist) who was raked over the hot coals each time up the climb as the Ukrainian kept the pressure on. With 6 laps to go Martin was beset by misfortune as a mechanical issue forced him to fall away from Starchyk.
A chase group of 16 riders formed behind the two leaders from which Tristan Schouten (IS Corp) and Eric Marcotte (Team Pista Palace) emerged as the strong men, ditching their companions to join up with the unfortunate Martin. Starchyk kept on his metronomic pace on to claim a deserved victory. Schouten won the sprint for second ahead of Marcotte and Martin. Brad Huff (Jelly Belly p/b Kenda) took the 12 man sprint for 5th.

This is Starchyk's 17th year as a cyclist and fourth year as a pro according to the bio at Cycling News. Prior to riding with Amore & Vita, he rode for Russian team Mapamap and Latvia's Bantprofi. He is the 2006 and 2009 Ukranian National Champion.

Schouten writes in his blog: I got off the front with Marcotte in chase of Paul Martin and 1 other rider who had been off most of the race with about 4 laps to go. This was the move I had been looking for and we drilled it. I had been off the front of the chase group earlier with Brian Jensen which I thought might be able to bridge, but I don't think Brian was feeling that great and after a lap we just kind of sat up. I wasn't suffering at all on the climb and could really stand up and just put the power down and my recovery over the top was great. I think everyone was suffering more and more with the heat late in the race and once we were away that late we were able to stay away and ended up catching Paul Martin after dropping his chain late. We didn't catch the lead rider, but I was able to outsprint the Marcotte and Martin for 2nd on the day. I was blown away taking a sprint against those two, it was a pretty special feeling standing on the podium at the race I've been coming to for about 10 years and dreaming of winning.

Man, there's a lot going on today, but very little info available.

Michigan

Tour de Frankenmuth - Big turnout at the Bavarian beer garden today according to this Michigan blogger. Oh, I guess there was a good turnout at the road race too. Check out Nate Benke's racing photos.

Iowa
Snake Alley - Okay, as of this moment there are NO REPORTS from Snake Alley? The big one, the grand daddy of them all, and no one is reporting who won?
What's up with that???

Illinois
Masters Weekend Day 1 - Ummm, yup. It happened. I guess. Same goes for Minnesota's Memorial Classic.

Wisconsin

Tour of Elkhart Lake - Criterium - With stiff competition from Iowa in it's 42nd year, and Chicago's Master's Weekend, you've got your work cut out for you to start a new series elsewhere. Organizers did a great job in finding an awesome criterium course right in the touristy section of Elkhart Lake, among tons of shops, restaurants, hotels, and upscale condominiums. The course is actually part of a car racing circuit used in the 1950's and the racers really liked it. There were plenty of spectators in the form of vacationing couples and families that enjoyed the show as they walked from their hotel to the beach and back. Racer turnout, however, was - disappointing. Small fields plagued the day. Perhaps a larger payout to winners will be called for if this race is to survive against the competition. The Women's champion today was Gear Grinder's Kimberly White, and the Pro 1/2 victor was local Josh Nagode (Gear Grinder) who just finished a successful collegiate season at Lindsey Wilson College.

One of the interesting events on this day was an inline skate criterium, won by Bont's Norm Kirby. Following that, a 75 meter skater vs cyclist sprint, for both men and women, was run. Kim White (cyclist) beat her skating opponent by several lengths, but it was a very close race for the men. The skater (names unknown), got a good jump on the cyclist, but he did a great job in closing the gap. A throw at the line gave the narrow victory to the skater.

Cycling turnout is again expected to be low for tomorrows road race. However, the inline crowd is expecting their event to be a barn burner. According to Inline Planet:

Among the top men are Powerslide's Jorge Botero, last year's NROC men's champion, and Tony Muse, an 18-time world champion.

Among the top women are Bont's Debbie Rice, the 2008 NROC women's champ, and Luigino's Peggy Girgenti.

Other notable skaters include:

* Bont's Norm Kirby
* Simmons' Alex Fedak
* Il Peloton's Morgan Williams
* Team Hoigaard's Herb Gayle
* Team Rainbo's Cale and Margo Carvell
* Midwest Skate Club's Danny Fredrick, Eric Plath and Eric Krueger
* Asphalt Beach's Steve Larios

Also in the mix will be free agent Ty Fidler of St. Louis, who is coming off two marathon wins in Indianapolis.

And then there's the young star, Zach Stoppelmoor, an 11-year-old Cado Motus skater who won his division this spring in the highly competitive Trophée des 3 Pistes in Europe.

So, if rider turnout is again poor, we will have plenty of world class inline racing to watch!

Mike Ebert of the Verizon U25 gives us a nice early report from the Burlington, IA road race held yesterday, Friday May 29th:

Within the first mile of the race Erik Loberg of ISCorp and Matt Brandt of Mesa attacked separately but joined up to build a 4 minute lead. As they came through the feed zone their gap hovered around 2 minutes and Verizon u25 p/b ABD rider Will Nowak had bridged to within 30 seconds. He caught the pair shortly thereafter and then as they headed towards Mediapolis around mile 50 there were joined by Juan Pablo Dotti of Team AeroCat and an unidentified rider from Ukraine.

Read more at the link above to see if the break made it to the line! Sounds like a great start to a full weekend of racing. Peloton Star will be at the Elkhart Lake races this weekend, so check back here for reports from there.

St. Louis – Elite professional cyclists from across the United States will travel to St. Louis on Sunday, June 13th, 2010 for the National Racing Calendar Tour de Grove – Missouri’s biggest single day race. This year’s event will mark the 1st running of the only NRC USA Cycling sanctioned professional men’s and women’s race our region. In addition to the NRC Tour de Grove Circuit Race, the event’s companion race, the Mid Town Alley Grand Prix, will initiate a new racing venue
and will also feature the county’s top men’s and women’s teams. A full weekend of activities surrounds these national-class races, with fun for the whole family.

National Racing Calendar (NRC) Tour de Grove – Race Weekend Schedule:

Saturday, June 12, 2010: The Mid Town Alley Grand Prix ,10am – 5pm
The weekend begins with the $5000 cash purse Mid Town Alley Grand Prix. Fan friendly races will be held for all amateur categories, kid’s races at 2:45 am for children ages Big Wheel to 12 and professional men’s and women’s events beginning at 3:00 pm. Neighborhood events and a race day Expo will add to the festive atmosphere. Details on www.tourdegrove.com Saturday Night, June 12, 2010: Tour de Grove Street Sprints/Drag Races. 7pm – 11 pm Beginning at dusk, we will light up Manchester with a 200 meter sprint competition. Between 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm you will find the fastest finishers with a series of round robin, elimination heats for 100 of the quickest men and women on wheels. Beginning at 10:00 pm we will turn up the volume and showcase the pageantry and showmanship of the fastest Drag show on the planet- the Tour de Grove Drag Race.

Saturday Night, June 12, 2010: ARTCRANK Poster Show, 7pm – Midnight
Also, from 7:00 to Midnight, the nationally acclaimed ARTCRANK Poster Show will be adorning the walls of the Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester Ave, in the heart of The Grove. ARTCRANK is a showcase of bicycle-inspired original poster artwork that people can enjoy looking at and afford to take home. Every show features posters created by local artists from the host city. Admission is always free, and posters are priced to let everybody take home at least one. ARTCRANK began in Minneapolis in 2007, and has expanded to Denver, Des Moines Portland, San Francisco and St. Louis.Sunday Morning, June 13th, 2010: The Tour de Grove 5K, 7:30 am Starting at 7:30 am Sunday morning, athletes will be able to race on foot the Tour de Grove race course. $1700 will be up for grabs to the fastest athletes in the men’s and women’s fields.
All racers will be chip timed and have the opportunity to test themselves on a unique and windy course. Race entry is $30.

Sunday, June 13th: The Tour de Grove Expo and Street Festival, 8 am- 6 pm
Check out everything you need to know about cycling AND entertainment on site at the Tour de Grove. Ride your bike down after the St. Louis City Open Streets event or the Trailnet City Bicycle Tour and take advantage of our onsite Bicycle Valet Parking. Feature exhibitors will include the St. Louis Science Center, Verizon Wireless and Official Merchandise along with a line-up of cycling advocacy groups and cycling-related entertainment, such as BMX Stunt Shows and an outdoor music stage.

THE MAIN EVENT Sunday, June 13th, 2010: The NRC Tour de Grove
VIP tickets availableCatch all the pageantry and race action of Missouri’s biggest national cycling classic from The Tour de Grove VIP Tent, the limited access, fully catered VIP tents, curbside and right at the start/finish line. The county’s elite pro men’s and women’s cyclists will attack the 2.8-mile circuit from the Manchester Ave across I-64 and back for the inaugural running of this event. Pro Women at 1:00 pm, Pro Men at 3:00 pm. The fastest men and women in the US will compete for a combined purse of $22,500.

Amateur Racing from 8 am - Noon Open to all categories of USAC licensed riders $2500 in prize money will be on the line. Check out the tomorrows stars today and cheer on local talent as the lay it down on the same course the Pro’s will use later in the day. Kids Races at 12:40 pm Five different age groups will race across the same finish line as the pros. Categories: Big Wheel, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12. Cost is $5. All racers will receive an official Tour de Grove Kids Race T-Shirt, Race Number, Ribbon AND fabulous goodies from the St. Louis City Museum, the St. Louis Science Center and Jelly Belly. Top 3 in each age group will receive Tour de Grove Build-a-Bears! Donations to this event will benefit Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.

Want to be part of the action? Sign up now to be a Tour de Grove bike race volunteer. Hundreds of volunteers are needed for race day in the following areas: course marshals, stage crew, and hospitality. Visit www.tourdegrove.com for more information.

# # #
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mike Weiss Jerry Bruce Alexis Tucci-Hansen
Event Director Event Liason- Expo/Sales Grove Neighborhood Liason
Tour de Grove Tour de Grove Tour de Grove
tel: 314/920-9606 tel: 314/645-1362 tel: 314/610-9879
mike@bigshark.com jadiggity@gmail.com tuccihansen@hotmail.com

Tom Held of Milwaukee's Newspaper JS Online just linked another article from the Brookfield, WI local paper, Brookfield NOW, somewhat describing the new Brookfield Criterium course added to this year's Superweek series. This is a totally new, exciting course, and not yet added to the Superweek website, so we are left with some detective work to try and figure out where the race will be held. The article states: "The course, which is about eight-tenths of a mile, would wrap around the Public Safety Building, Civic Plaza and City Hall." This map roughly shows the loop. It's also stated in the article that the Brookfield Common Council will vote on issuing the race permit on June 1st.

View Larger Map

What with the demise of the Tour of Missouri this year, it's very exciting to have Superweek continuing it's 42 year tradition of providing entirely new venues for racers to compete on.

Minneapolis (May 27, 2010) —This weekend’s Mt. Hamilton Classic Road Race/Memorial Day Criterium in California marks the end of the 2010 Nature Valley Pro Ride qualifiers. The final two riders selected will join the five men and five women who have already qualified.

Sunday’s 63.5-mile point-to-point road race begins in San Jose and climbs 4,500 feet to the top of Mt. Hamilton before finishing in Livermore, Calif. The Memorial Day Criterium is a flat and fast, four-corner affair in the Morgan Hill Business Park.

“It’s been exciting to watch the unfolding of this year’s Nature Valley Pro Ride”, said Nature Valley Grand Prix Director David LaPorte. “From the start – at Hillsboro Roubaix – to the finish in the Bay Area, the Nature Valley Pro Ride has highlighted the best in grassroots racing. The message is clear: bicycle racing is thriving in this country.”

The previous stop of the Nature Valley Pro Ride was the Bear Mountain Spring Classic in Harriman State Park in New York on May 16. Anna Barensfeld of Brookline, Mass. (riding for LadiesFirst Racing), was the female qualifier. The men’s qualifier was Jacob Mueller, who lives in Skippack, Penn., but whose hometown is Fond du Lac, Wis., which is close to the cities where the Nature Valley Grand Prix takes place. Mueller rides for the amateur Kelly Benefit Strategies/Lateral Stress Velo club.

Other women’s qualifiers for the Nature Valley Pro Ride are Sue Butler of Portland, Ore., Nancy Jones of Monroe, Ga., Emily Kachorek of Sacramento, Calif., and Kristen Meshberg of Lyons, Ill.

Previous men’s qualifiers are Zach Garrett of Sumter, S.C., Grandon Gritters of Mission Viejo, Calif., Joseph Schmalz of Lawrence, Kan., and Gabe Varaela of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.

The 12th annual edition of the Nature Valley Grand Prix will be held in East Central Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, June 16-20. Nature Valley Pro Riders who are invited to compete in the Nature Valley Grand Prix earn free entry to the race, generous travel stipends, team clothing, housing, ground transportation, and staff support for their composite teams. They also receive pro-level recognition before, during and after the events, including pre-race call-ups and participation in promotional and media appearances.

For more information, visit www.NatureValleyProRide.com.

About the Nature Valley Grand PrixThe Nature Valley Grand Prix, which takes place in Eastern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, is the premier stage race on the 2010 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar. The 2010 race will include stops in Saint Paul, Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Menomonie, and Stillwater. The Nature Valley Grand Prix is 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.NatureValleyGrandPrix.com.

About Nature ValleyNature Valley, the brand that created the granola bar category in 1975, brings variety to healthy, active consumers looking for wholesome and great-tasting snacks. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Nature Valley is part of General Mills, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. For more information, visit www.NatureValley.com.

– NVPR –

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

There is no money in the Missouri State budget to support the 2010 Tour of Missouri as reported by VeloNews, and local news outlets such as KSDK. They will net get the Million dollars that they were asking for, so, unfortunately the ToM will more than likely go extinct just like the Tour of Georgia, the Tour de Trump, and the Tour DuPont. The chairman of the Tour of Missouri stated in the velonews piece: “Unfortunately, it’s proven once these events are gone, they don’t come back,”

Memorial Day weekend is here! Okay, everybody to Iowa! Whoa, okay ... we know that's the big show, but what ELSE is going on this weekend?

Minnesota
MN Memorial Classic-May 29 through May 31 - Three days of racing…Lester Prairie Road Race…Watertown Circuit Race & Time Trial…Target Criterium. Lots of primes and product prizes. Facebook.

Iowa

Memorial Day Weekend Bike Races - May 28 through May 31 - FOUR days of racing ... featuring the feared Snake Alley Criterium up the cobbled 12.5% crookedest street this side of the rockies!

Burlington Road Race - Friday May 28, 2010

Wapello to Burlington Road Race - Friday May 28, 2010

27th Annual Snake Alley Criterium - Saturday May 29, 2010

31st Annual Melon City Criterium - Sunday May 30, 2010

43rd Annual Quad Cities Criterium - Monday May 31, 2010
Includes a raucous cheering crowd and one of the best wheel pits in the world! Back in the day ... the drunk spectators used to reach over the barriers and tap you on the helmet as you raced by!

Wisconsin (ABR)
Tour of Elkhart Lake - Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - May 29, 30, & 31 - The new kid on the block with a criterium, road race, and time trial. Part of the Gream Midwest Marathon and Endurance Festival which includes cycling, running, and inline events. A much anticipated event in this area.

Illinois (ABR)
Memorial Day Weekend Master's Races Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - May 29, 30, & 31. Three days of criterium racing and over $4,000 in prize money. Very popular among the Chicago master's riders.

Michigan
Tour de Frankenmuth - Saturday May 29 and Sunday May 30th - Road racing on a 15.5 mile course on Saturday followed by a 130 mile "Grand Fondos" on Sunday. Nine time Tour de France racer Frankie Andreu and a number of local Pros will be there to lead the way. Bike expo and swap, hot air balloons, and fireworks to boot!

Ohio
Buckeye Criterium - Saturday May 29th - on Ohio State University Campus.

Newmark Center Cycling Classic - Sunday May 30th - Office park criterium with excellent pavement.

Scenes from the 2009 Snake Alley Criterium:

Our newest European neopro Matthew Busche (Radio Shack) of Wauwatosa, WI writes about his first time back in the peloton after a two week bought of illness. The whole blog his here and it's great reading, but here's an exerpt:

For me, today was fast and it seemed that every time I thought I was moving up in the field, we would come around another corner and I was would see at least 100 guys strung out already 200 meters up the road. I found it nearly impossible to move up because of the speed and technicality of the course. It was like a giant criterium with turns coming at least every kilometer, or so it seemed. These factors also made eating and drinking a chore. For the entire race today I drank ONE water bottle and ate far less than was needed. The water bottle situation was created by a few factors. At some point during lap one, I hit a pot hole on these wonderfully conditioned Belgian roads and out hopped bottle number one. Shoot!

Just a heap of stuff on various topics from various sources.

Peloton Star was at the Kenosha Velodrome Tuesday enjoying the second night of racing in the 2010 season. There was a fairly good turnout of both racers and spectators on this last 'training' night. Starting next week, they race for money.

Events during the evening included 3 lap sprints, unknown distance, and the featured 50 lap points race. The unknown distance was just that, ranging from a very short 2 lap, Cat 3 race which caught half the field napping, to a rather drawn out Cat. 1/2 event of perhaps a dozen laps where Alex Wieseler (Nova/IS Corp) went out solo from the gun, only to be caught just as the bell rang. His efforts were vindicated in the final event however, the 50 lap Cat. 1/2/3 points race where they sprint every 5 laps, with double points being awarded on the half way and final sprints. Wieseler escaped with two other riders early on and they held a half lap lead over the rest of the 20 or so riders. Perhaps gassed after a full night's racing, he sat up just before the final, double point's sprint, yet still won the event by a single point! (unofficially) Well done.
Here's the finish line video from Urbana's Cat. 3 race. It was very close.

WiSport had their uphill L'Alp Bl'Huez Time Trial ascending BlueMound, the highest point in Southern Wisconsin with gradients up to 20% in places. Here's the video from Team Big Ring Flyers.

More news rolling in from this past weekend's racing.

Liz Brunson has uploaded another huge set of photos from Sunday's Tour of Champaign - Urbana taken with her Canon 1D Mk 4 camera (oo-la-la!) Check those out if you raced there.

Up in Minnesota it seems that the Square Lake Road Race offered a bit more dirt than the riders cared for and there were many complaints about that. In fact the 12.1 mile loop had 36.5% dirt (4.4 miles) with some of it rather deep. All in all though, it appears that it was a good race overall.

In Michigan, the West Branch Road Race and Criterium was a big success. Saturday's road race course was 22 miles around with 1100 feet of climbing, finishing up the steep Muur van Westé Bränchewas (!) Results are now available for the road race but not yet for the criterium. More about the race can be found on the Michigan Bicycle Racing Association website.

The Saint Leon's / OSRS #8 Series Finale in the Indiana/Ohio border results are now available. Texas Roadhouse cleaned up with Greg Strock taking his second win of the year in the Pro 1/2 race and Kentucky's Colleen Cornellius getting her second season victory as well.

Lastly, from Missouri, Superhandydave leaves us with another super front/back split screen video from the O'fallun Criterium. Thanks once again Superhandydave!

Why can't I hear the Locusts and Cicadas? and where's the corn? Oh, it's not August? It's May? Another scorcher across the land took it's toll on the pelotons.

Missouri
Tour de St. Genevieve. Results and here. This was also the Missouri State Road Race Championships held under sunshine and 90 degree temperatures. Very little chatter about the race this morning, so it must have been tough, however it's nothing but high praise for the race from the riders. Brian Jensen took the Pro 1/2 win, but he's from Kansas, so that gave the Mo State RR Championship to second place Matt Brandt (Mesa Cycles) of Kirkwood, MO. Christine Roetger (Mesa Cycles) won the women's title.

Wisconsin
Cafe Hollander Sussex Criterium. Results. Another race highly attended by IS Corp but this time won by Colavita's Timothy Clark, his first ever victory and well earned too with temperature nearing 90 degrees. Aaron Busche writes (any relation to that other Busche?):

Eventually, 2 IS Corp riders and a guy from the local Colavita squad got away and the race was definitely on from there. At this point, it seemed as though the field was splintering. And it was...there was a gap at the top of the hill I closed, and basically from there, the field seemed to dwindle to about 20 guys, maybe, actually make it 15 or so. Of that group, 6 or 7 were IS Corp. They set up a pace line that no one could get in and if you tried, you got removed almost immediately. This is why I believe they are like bees. No one can get into the hive. Don't take it the wrong way, perhaps I am slightly jealous, but, it is quite impressive.

The Women's Open race was attended by no less than 5 IS Corp riders as well as 8 Kenda riders! However, it was Madison's Holly Mathews (Unattatched) who took the victory from a very talented field that included, among others, Kaitlin Antonneau (Kenda) who just recently returned from Europe racing with the US National team. Antonneau won yesterday in Hartland and placed 5th today. You will recall that Holly Mathews also took the win in Chicago's Monsters of the Midway last week. Some team will surely sign her up very soon!

Illinois

Tour of Champaign-Urbana (Results and Results) Day two of the two day series featured a tricky criterium course, initially a figure 8, but then later changed to something with a 180 with 200m to go? Pro 1/2 won by John Eisinger (Unattached) who had also earlier this season also won Indiana's hilly Brown County Road Race. Listed as Unattached, but he's ridden for Cleaveland Clinic Sports Health, Tokyo Joes, and other teams. Second was William Nowak (Verizon U25) who also was second Saturday in Champaign and first at Fox River Grove. Third was Kirk Albers (Panther) who is 41 years old and the 2009 Ohio State Road Race Champion.

Women's open was taken by ABD's Jessica Prinner, also second Saturday in Champaign and winner in Fox River Grove. Also just recently returning from a successful trip to Europe with the US National Team. Second place was Patricia Black (Morgan Stanley Smith) who recently won two stages in the Masters division at the Joe Martin Stage Race. Third was Vanessa McKenzie (Proctor).

Michigan

West Branch Classic No results are available at this time, but we do have a nice report from Yooper rider Chris Lynch of Negaunee, MI who rides for Sisu Cycles. He placed 2nd in the Cat. 3 criterium on Sunday. He has written a very nice summary of both days including these words:

I shot the inside of the last corner, knowing that the right side of the road would be the clear part out of the wind. My move in the corner got me into 8th place and I sprinted my heart out behind two guys for about 50 meters allowing me to spin up real nice. I flew around them on the right shoulder about 250 meters from the finish, it was a long straight. It looked like a long ways to go still and I was afraid I had gone to early with the head/cross-wind. I felt good and just kept pedaling while my confidence built to the finish. I crossed the line, sat up, looked back and just caught the rest of the field crossing the line. I had won the field sprint! I was extremely happy, I had broken my dry spell and gotten a podium finish.

I was very pleased with my results and much to my surprise I got called right back to the podium for 3rd overall for the weekend. All in all I walked away with a 100 dollar check, a 6-pack of beer, a Michelob Ultra hat, and most important was that I have my confidence back.

That's the news for Monday morning. More added as reports become available.

Some early results are in!

Hartland Criterium: Sounds like IS Corp. was out in force for this one:

IS Corp had enough guys to cover every rider from every team, and launch two guys off the front every lap. Finally, on the prime lap 6 dudes got away and I think 8 of them were IS Corp. Timmy tried in vain to bridge but was marked by the 25 IS Corp riders that weren't in the break.

The results confirm that fact - 13 IS Corp riders in the Pro 1/2 race!

O'Fallun Criterium: A hot day in Missouri according to Steve Tillford:

We raced in St. Louis today. A 1 mile loop with one climb per lap. It was in the upper 80’s. It felt like 100 to me. I don’t think that anyone in the race was acclimated to the heat.

Results show that Tillford's team (Tradewind Energy) got 1st, 2nd, and 6th. Well done! Photos are already available for O'Fallun as well.

Square Lake RR in Minnesota was a bit muddy according to brief reports on Facebook.

Results:

1 767 Pat Lemieux 3:02:19.1 Men Cat 1 2 Kentucky Flyers Cycling Inc
2 752 Jonathan Toftoy 3:02:20.3 1.216 Men Cat 1 2 Synergy
3 755 James Parker 3:02:47.5 28.355 Men Cat 1 2 St Paul Bicycle Racing Club
4 763 Adam Bergman 3:02:54.6 35.546 Men Cat 1 2 Kentucky Flyers Cycling Inc
5 759 Gregg Brandt 3:02:55.0 35.883 Men Cat 1 2 GrandStay Hotels
6 779 Colton Barrett 3:02:56.0 36.849 Men Cat 1 2 Kentucky Flyers Cycling Inc

That's all the news at this point.

Morning add:

Tour de Champaign - 5 man break succeeds - 1. Dave Freund (Verizon U25) 2. Will Nowak (Verizon U25) 3. ? Panther 4. ? 5. 5 6. MIke Sherer (Verizon U25) takes field sprint. (photo credit: Verizon U25 p/b ABD)

PHOTOS by Liz Brunson

Stay cool!

Just ran across these today, they are from LAST week and not posted to the USAC site. (results) These were found at Cycling Update:
(image by Fryguy)

The day's final race, the 1,2,3 race was animated early by Randy Reichardt, Vitamin Cottage, who gained an early advantage over the chasing field. When he was caught, a select group of leaders formed. Halfway through the race, Dickey attacked the field and a chase group of Reichardt, Bryan Moritz, Bikes 2 You, and Jared Osterloh, Zealous Racing was formed. Dickey remained solo for the victory with Moritz outsprinting Osterloh and Reichardt for 2nd.

1) Dewey Dickey, Mercy/Specialized

2) Bryan Moritz, Bikes 2 You

3) Jared Osterloh, Zealous Racing

4) Randy Reichardt, Vitamin Cottage

5) Clark Priebe, Powerade

6) Chad Bishop, Melon City Bike Club

7) Cam Kirkpatrick, Rassmussens

8) Brian West, Colorbiotics

9) AJ Turner, Colorbiotics

10) Mattias Perret, ICCC

I thought this was news worthy since this is the last race Dewey did before the USADA showed up at his home for drug screening which he refused for complicated reasons related to his long medical history and the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for some medicines he is on. This is nicely chronicled on Steve Tillford's Blog as well as ChicagoBikeRacing.Com. Evidently the application process can be rather lengthy and he didn't receive his exemption until just a few days after the USADA wanted to test him.Obviously, this is a hot topic lately in the cycling community and Peloton Star will do it's part in keeping riders abreast of any news here in the Midwest.

If you find yourself in the position of needing to take a drug for medicinal purposes that are on the "banned list", the USADA has all the information and forms you and your doctor need to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption.

It's quiet here in the Midwest, so ride along with Bicycling Magazine as Lance Armstrong abandons the Tour of California. Excellent video.

If the embedded player isn't working, try this link: http://video.bicycling.com/video/ATOC-Lance-Armstrong-crashes-ou

More here:

Dude in Freemantle, Australia shows up for a training ride on a fixie?

Claims to be 130 mile fixie ride. Doubtful, but the tune is cool.

It's looking like good weather across our region for this weekend. If you're not too sore from the Bone Ride, let's see what's cookin'.

Minnesota
Square Lake Road Race - May Township, MN - Saturday May 22nd - 12 mile lap, chip timing and "good quality dirt roads to create a course that is approximately 70% paved and 30% dirt."

Iowa
Nothing scheduled.

Missouri
O'Fallun Gold Cup - O'Fallun, MO - Saturday May 22nd - 1 mile loop with rolling hills and tight turns.

Le Tour de Sainte Genevieve - Sainte Genevieve, MO - Sunday May 23rd - Web Page - 1 hr south of St. Louis, 34 mile loop with 3 major climbs and KOM competition. "First run in 2007, riders raved about the challenging and selective course on quiet, scenic roads. The community of Ste. Genevieve welcomed the race with open arms, and provided an army of helpful volunteers. This one had all the right ingredients to be a great race. In 2008 race organizer Todd Parker and the community of Ste. Genevieve put on an even better race. Today Le Tour de Sainte Genevieve has earned a reputation as Missouri's finest road race."

Wisconsin
The Hartland Criterium Hartland, WI - Saturday May 22nd - Held at the Hartland buisness park, flat 1.1 mile loop with soft, wide turns.

Cafe Hollander Sussex Criterium - Sussex, Wi - Sunday May 23rd -Held at the Sussex Corporate Center.

A'lpe Bl'Huez TT - Bluemounds, WI - Sunday May 23rd - WISPORT - 10 mile TT finishing up the brutal climb to the highest point in southern Wisconsin.

Illinois
Tour de Champaign Champaign, IL - Saturday May 22 - .8 mile 4 corner criterium with good payout. Day one of the Tour de Champaign/Urbana with $11,250 in total prizes.

Urbana Grand Prix - Urbana, IL - Sunday May 23rd - 8 corners on a 1 k course. Good payout. Day two of the Tour de Champaign/Urbana with $11,250 in total prizes.

Barstow TT - Barstow, IL - Sunday May 23rd - ABR - 20k time trial.

Indiana
St. Leon Road Race - St. Leon, IN - Sunday May 23rd - Hilly 18 mile loop presented by Big Dave Sports. More Info. 2010 Ohio Spring Race Series Finale (the race is actually in St. Peters, IN but they don't want to change the name and confuse people)

Kokomo TT - Kokomo, IN - Sunday May 23rd - ABR - 20k and 40k time trial.

Michigan
West Branch Classic Road Race - West Branch, MI (east of Houghton Lake) - Saturday May 22nd - Hilly 22 mile lap with tough finish climb. Prize money also for the two day omnium.

West Branch Classic Criterium - West Branch, MI - Sunday May 23rd - 6 corner criterium.

Ohio
Nothing scheduled (see St. Leon, IN Road Race).

Linkbar

State Cycling Associations

Forums

Support Peloton Star!

Breaking Away

Liam wins SSC !

Pacholski wins in Kenosha!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Friday, May 28, 2010

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Friday, May 21, 2010

Thursday, May 20, 2010

On Facebook

Peloton Tees

Peloton Tees

Einstein was WRONG!

Blog Archive

About This Blog

Lorem Ipsum