Weekend Preview - June 11, 12, 13th (Part 1 - Track)

The season is rapidly heating up, and there's lots of racing to be done this weekend. The big races are starting so let's get it in gear!

TRACK

Minnesota
Fixed Gear Classic - June 11, 12, 13 - Blaine, MN at the National Sports Center Velodrome, the high banked wooden track built for speed. Sprint, scratch, tempo, Madison - all the events will be contested. From Fixed Gear Fever: "U.S. Olympian Colby Pearce, multi-time U.S. national champion Kacey Manderfield and Pan American Games silver medalist Emile Abraham of Trinidad and Tobago headline the star-studded field for this weekend’s Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic.

Action in the three-day event begins Friday at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minn., and leads off the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival.

Pearce is a 14-time national track champion, a bronze medalist in the Pan-American Games and was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in Athens, Greece. Abraham has won 24 national titles on the road and track, while Manderfield is a Michigan native, but will be racing at The National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine for the first time."

Also from Fixed Gear Fever: "Kacey Manderfield will be making the trip out to Blaine, Minnesota to ride the Fixed Gear Classic, June 11 – 13, 2010. This will be her first Professional ride for her new UCI Track Trade Team – Cycle Loft.

Shortly after returning from her first Pro Six Day at Rotterdam, Holland in January, where she placed 6th over-all with partner Teresa Cliff Ryan, Manderfield signed a two year deal with Cycle Loft / Parlee. Team owner Jeff Palter was extremely excited to have Kacey on board. “She’s a great athlete, but she’s also a great ambassador to our sport. Right now, the sport needs people like Kacey,” said Palter.

A native from Michigan, Manderfield will be racing at The National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, for the first time. “It seems odd that I have raced everywhere else, but a track such as the NSC, relatively close to where I grew up, has escaped me. So I’m really excited,” said Kacey. “I’ve also heard good things about promoter Bob Williams and that he’s a big Six Day fan, so we’ll have lots to talk about.”

Manderfield will leave her Trexlertown base on Thursday for Blaine, and after the Fixed Gear Classic will remain in the mid west for a series of criteriums at Americas Tour Of The Dairy lands."




Iowa/Wisconsin
Iowa State Track Champs - Sunday June 13 - Kenosha at the Washington Park Velodrome. Open to all riders, not just those from Iowa. Perhaps a good chance to try the track or just spectate! Races begin at 10am.Entry fee for all classes $25
(one entry fee cover all events)
Likely events to be:
- 200m flying start sprint
- Match Sprint
- Individual Pursuit
- Points Race
- Kilometer

Road bikes will be allowed for timed events, but shifting will be prohibited during event.

Indiana
Hot Summer Nights - Friday June 11 - Major Taylor Velodrome - Racing for Men category 1 & 2, 3, and Women. Selected Friday nights; June 11, 18; July 9, 23, 30; August 20, 27; September 10/17 Registration 6 pm - 7 pm; racing starts at 7:30. At least 3 events per category. Admission free for spectators; $25 entry fee includes USA Cycling Insurance fee

Michigan
NAS-TRACK #1 - Friday June 11 - Bloomer Park Velodrome - Weekly racing begins on the steep, 44 degree banked wooden velodrome. (insert cool video here - still struggling with a re-direct computer virus!)

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Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic Begins Friday

Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic Begins Friday

Minneapolis – U.S. Olympian Colby Pearce, multi-time U.S. national champion Kacey Manderfield and Pan American Games silver medalist Emile Abraham of Trinidad and Tobago headline the star-studded field for this weekend’s Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic.

Action in the three-day event begins Friday at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine, Minn., and leads off the Nature Valley Bicycle Festival.

Pearce is a 14-time national track champion, a bronze medalist in the Pan-American Games and was a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in Athens, Greece. Abraham has won 24 national titles on the road and track, while Manderfield is a Michigan native, but will be racing at The National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine for the first time.

“It seems odd that I have raced everywhere else, but a track such as the NSC, relatively close to where I grew up, has escaped me. So I’m really excited,” Manderfield said.

Other prominent athletes registered include Cari Higgins (Peanut Butter & Company TWENTY12), Liz Carlson (Classic Cycling Essentials/Bicycling Magazine) and Austin Carroll (Adageo Energy Pro Cycling).

The MN 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 at 6 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at noon. 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.

The MN 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, Menomonie, 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.

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ToAD Pre-Registration Ends This Sunday

2010 SCHEDULE Thursday, June 17 Shorewood Criterium Cycling Classic Friday, June 18 Thiensville Fiddleheads Coffee Criterium Saturday, June 19 Giro d' Grafton USA CRITS Race Sunday, June 20 Appleton Crit Monday, June 21 Elkhart Lake Road Race at Road America Tuesday, June 22 Sheboygan Harbor Centre Crit Wednesday, June 23   Trek Waterloo Classic Thursday, June 24 Greenbush Road Race Friday, June 25 Fond du Lac Bicycling Gran Prix Saturday, June 26 ISCorp Downer Classic Sunday, June 27 Waukesha Carl Zach Cycling Classic ADVANCE ONLINE REG ENDS SUNDAY, JUNE 13 Click here to Register Over $105,000 in Cash & Primes! Women Cat 3/4, Pro Women 1/2/3, Pro Men 1/2, Cat 3, Cat 4/5, Masters 1/2/3 35+, Masters 4/5 35+ Juniors Races on closing weekend ______________________ Giro d' Grafton Saturday, June 19 Part of the 2010 USA Crits Calendar Click here to learn more ______________________ Fond du Lac Bicycling Gran Prix Friday, June 25 Check out the Bike Art Along the Course! ______________________ Tremendous Thanks to Our 2010 Sponsors www.TourofAmericasDairyland.com

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Motley Heap

Nate checks in from WISPORT:

Ok... here's the update from Montfort.

Quick update on what is posted:
On the TT Joan Carlson (Brones) was actually the event winner for women with a time of 36:17. Julie was second. And she does have a USAC license, she just doesn't use it. LOL. I'm trying to get her out for Greenbush (4 days after a marathon)

NEW STORY
Sunday's Panther Dash RR in Montfort, Wisc. featured about 2,600 feet of climbing over 39 miles with the win being contested by a largish pack of lead group riders -- maybe 25 -- that stayed together most of the race until some of the late climbs stared pairing down the field.

Upstart racer Alec Schielke (u/a) held on for the victory, following up a strong showing in the Cat. 5 division of the Tour of Elkhart Lake last week.

On the women's side, Joan Carlson (Brones) hung with the lead group of riders most of the race and took the women's overall victory, following up on her TT win on Saturday.

ThePanther Dash also featured a two-day team competition.

The Big Ring Flyers team took the team time trial victory and managed to hold off Team Wheel & Sprocket -- who took the RR win -- for the overall win for the weekend team competition.

Craig Curtis (Wheel & Sprocket) took the overall individual male win for the two combined stages while Joan Carlson took the women's overall title.

Results are posted at www.wisport.org

Karl Hakanson gives us his take on Elkhart Lake during ToAD:

Everyone - Go to the Road America website. There is a toolbar near the top of the info that will get you to maps. Recommend you print one as a guide. Recommend someone talk to ToAD about having several track employees available for sign-in. You are going through the OLD Main Gate at the north end of the track. I've been through the sign-in procedure John mentioned will happen. It probably takes 2 minutes per person to sign in. You may also have to get a wrist band. Quick as it is things can get backed up with 6 plus cars.

I assume racers will park in the Paddock. Large toilet facility is located next to the medical building. Once you're racing the the only place to "hide" is probably Kettle Bottoms between turn 11 and 12. The track is surrounded by low fencing, concrete barriers and cyclone fencing. Suggest ToAD do a sketch showing where to park, stage, etc. Also will you have any concessions available or is it totally BYO.

Racers - I see from the ToAD posting this will be a new location. To get a feel what they mean by hilly, check Google for some videos and simulations for car racing. Also find friends who road the track in past years for the Cancer ride. I tried access gradient/slope/grades information through google maps but my connection didn't work. Google Earth may have potential. I'm a photographer nut with a love for sports cars and motorcycle racing. I have limited track access but here is a thumbnail (I'm guessing on % slope from  looking at it from the side) - Start - Finish to 1 is flat to slightly downhill. Turn 1 to 2 same. Turn 2 to 3 is a nice downhill, maybe 5%. From 3 to 4 it appears flat and then from 4 to 5 (I haven't gotten back because access limited) another downhill but steeper - 4% to 6%. Oh, watch out for rubber build-up from race cars at the corners, Also, remember the gravel run-offs are designed to stop race cars very quickly. Corner 5 to 6, a compound sloped hill probably averaging 10%+(this is the steepest). Turn 6 to 7 and then down to 8 is a steady downhill, again 4% - 6%. This, the Carousel and the climb to the finish are probably the most open for wind. Now from Corner 8 it's relatively level into and through the Carousel which is partially banked (I can't tell from the sidelines but I am guessing you will have several cambers and reverse cambers throughout the course.) The carousel ends at turn 10 then stays relatively level to 11. From there you are in the Kettle Bottoms which I have never been able to access but appears to be downhill when viewed from Canada Corner (12). Looks like 5%. You now start the climb back up to the start finish climbing from 12 through 13, a slight level area from 13 to 14, and the the turn and long climb to the finish (I guy I know has said this last climb seems very long starting about 100 yards past 14 and then climbing at about 6%.        Enjoy. 

Spectators/Photographers - Watch the sun and cyclone fencing. It would be great if Road America and ToAD agree that spectators can get to the edge of the track or at least to behind the concrete barricades where the race photographers can go. If so, the easiest way to get past the fencing is to look for access gates which are small sections of brown wood snow fencing. These are used by emergency vehicles in some locations. For car access around the track, check the map. Except for the west side, there are a lot of roads with the roads closest to the track starting at corner 3 through the carousel. My shooting favorites (keep in mind I don't have press credentials and I use a 80-400 zoom or 24-200 zoom) are inside corner 1 for panning, shooting from the sides of Sargento Bridge between 3 and 4, Corner 5, the hill to Corner 6 (both sides have benches but some locations on the north side allow you to see the hill to corner 6 and track from 13 to 14 and most of the climb to the finish (binoculars recommended and a very long lens), Corner 6, both north and south hill bleaches at 7 where you may also see go karts or motocross practicing, Corner 8 and the carousel (great for car and motorcycle pans.) Oh, from the begining of the climb at the home stretch down to corner 1 you have mostly cyclone fencing on the east and the pits on the west. Again, depends on what Road America will allow.

Editor's note:

ToAD Pre-registration ends this Sunday, June 13th @ 0100 EST!  

Superweek:  Superweek Pro Tour 2009: Race Audio Highlights, with Official Race Announcer, Eddy Van Guyse. The 2009 International Cycling Classic Celebrates its 41st Anniversary! Listen to WUWM's Lake Effect program on the History of

Superweek, here!

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Weekend Recap - June 5th and 6th (Part III)

Race description below. Wait for it ...

Read all about it:
http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot.com/

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Weekend Recap - June 5th and 6th (Part II)

On Sunday, the Land of Lincoln became the Land of Criteriums.

Illinois
O'Fallon Criterium - Results - Small fields were again the norm on Sunday. Will Nowak (Verizon U25) gives a great report on both days of racing, but for Sundays race he reports: "This was another frustrating day for me. After Saturday I definitely knew who the strong riders were and I planned on gaining my revenge with a “W”. The field was even smaller than Saturday, only about 20 riders. We all clipped in and as I come out of turn 1 around 15th position I see the riders who went 1-2 on Saturday already have a gap on the field. “Who would let them go?”, I wondered. By the second turn I got to the front and attacked but the field was on me before I could close what was already a significant gap. ... " Those two riders went on to lap the field and it was:

1	10	David Henderson (1 - Cat1)	Columbia, MO		54845	13	Columbia Bike Club Race Team
2	9	Zach Reed (2 - Cat1)	Edwardsville, IL		29400	12	Dogfish Racing Team
3	8	William Nowak (3 - Cat1)	Evanston, IL		258778	5	Verizon u25 Team p/b ABD
4	7	Devin Clark (1 - Cat2)	St. Louis, MO		186238	8	The Hub Cycling Team
5	6	Bryan McVey (4 - Cat1)	Arlington Heights, IL		264045	4	ReCycling Team

Jessica Prinner (ABD) made it two in a row by simply riding away from her competition in the Women's race and taking the win. Way to go!

Wonder Lake Criterium - Results -Photos The second annual edition of this popular race right on the shores of beautiful Wonder Lake wasn't highly attended in some categories, but the 4's and 5's made up for that again in spades as they have in all the Chicago area races. Rapidly rising star, Ryan Freund (ABD), seen here, took the Pro 1/2 race who will probably be joined by another rapidly rising star in the 3's, Tim Speciale (PSIMET) who got his first win of the year. He details his entire race in this blog entry where he states: "I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so unmotivated at the start of a race.  I tried 3 separate times to get a real warm-up in and it just wasn’t happening.   Then as I started making my way to the start finish, it began to rain.  Part of me wanted to just call it a day and go home and drink some beer.  I didn’t…" I'm sure he's glad now that he didn't as well as his team's sponsor who's getting lots of exposure these past few weeks. PSIMET teammate Aaron Hampton, Cat.5 summed it up so elequently: "however, watching the CAT 3 race changed that. one thing i love about cycling is the limits. the ones you know about and the ones you don't. pushing beyond them to do something one didn't think or know they could do. this is cool to see. watching a teammate do it, well that's priceless."

Wisconsin

Spring Prairie Road Race / Wisconsin State Road Championships - Results - Photos - (Peloton-Pix will have tons of photos posted once this report is finished) The Spring Prairie road course is fairly new, just brought into service the past few years. It is in an area of Wisconsin that is not new to cycling though. Two former Superweek courses are nearby: the super tough MGA Proving Grounds road race was run just 5 miles to the southeast, and the positively brutal Alpine Valley road race course is just a few miles to the north. No surprising then that this course slapped the smile off of everybody's face once the race began, and for some during the neutral roll out which added a bonus trip up the nasty 18% climb just before the finish!
The Masters 50+ started the day off with a bang, featuring many area top 'old school' riders such as John Van Susteren, Gordy Paulson, Tim Stumpf, and now back rocking the peloton like he did 'back in the day' - Charlie Holbrook (LAPT) who shows us that not only does he remember how to win a race, but he remembers how to celebrate that win as well!

In the 'not old yet' Master's 30+, Luke Seemann (XXX) gives a great version of how his race went as he used the fast approaching thunder shower as a platform for his move (seen here): "
With two laps and 12 miles to go, it started to rain. After cresting the hill, I attacked. I was soon caught. I attacked again. One rider came with, but he fell off. I had a good gap so I kept going. It started to rain harder. Thunder crackled in the distance. I was wearing my Flanders socks, so a bubble of Euro cool wicked all the water away, but it made for an unnerving descent: I couldn’t see a thing, but fortunately the road was smooth and straight, so I just stayed in a tuck and hoped for the best. I wasn’t going as fast as I might have under dry conditions, however, and the pack caught me at the corner." Mark Winston (2CC) went on to win that race with an impressive drive over the top of that 18% climb using a gear that was visually much larger than everyone else around him. 

Pro 1/2 - "No time to wait around" must have been the thoughts as Kip Spaude (IS Corp) and two other riders got down to business right away and quickly built up a 3 minute lead over the 53 rider field. (apologies for not getting the numbers of the other two riders) They worked well together while the field acted like they didn't have a worry in the world. "They'll be back" seemed to be their thoughts as they left the trio out there to bake on the hilly country roads. Well they were right, to a point. Nearing the end, the three rider break became two, and with two laps left it was down to only Spaude as he forged on. Kip, in case you don't know, has his own Facebook fan page called: "No one rides as hard as Kip Spaude", and so he did, coming across the line first with about 30 seconds advantage over IS Corp. team mates Jordan Roessingh and Tristan Schouten as their team swept the podium.

         


Spaude did give a nice post-up, but he was buried in cars at the time..



So many more stories to tell, but to just keep it short and sweet, props to everyone who tackled the nasty-tough course, some times in the rain to compete on this day. The largest field of the day, by the way, was the last one - the non-WI Cat. 4/5 filled with 67 road race loving FIBs (Fast Illinois Bikers), and that's who's photo we leave you with today.

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Weekend Recap - June 5th and 6th (Part I)

(Here's hoping this saves when I click publish!) Lots of action this past weekend. Three state championship races were held across IL and WI which will be covered last.

Minnesota
St. Peter Time Trial - Some blistering times were posted in the 40k time trial with the top Pro 1/2 slot being 50:40 by Grand Stay's Ian Stanford. The top 9 Pro 1/2 places were all under 55 mins and even the best Cat. 5 time was 53:40!

Ohio
Grand Prix of Groveport - Results Photos by Jeffrey Jakucyk. This was a 23 mile time trial that was anything but flat - a very hilly and challenging course. Who would think that with a tough course and chip timing, that the Pro 1/2 event would come down to a tie! Both Andrew Clarke (Panther) and Matt Weeks (Carbon Racing) posted the same time of 49:22 to share first place. Paul Martin (Panther) was third in 50:03.

Michigan
Duck Lake Beach TT - Results - Two laps of a rolling 20k rectangle was won by Nathan Willams in 53:31. Second was Dave Heitikko in 56:23, third went to Mark Hotchkin 57:27.

No results yet out of Indiana, look for them over at IndianaRaceSeries.Com.

Wisconsin

Panther Time Trial (WISPORT) Results Photos This was supposed to be a two day TT/RR series but only the TT results are listed (where's my WISPORT reporter???) Robert Marhefke (Unattatched) won the men's14.3 mile TT and Julie Phelps (Big Ring Flyers), seen here on the right, took yet another victory in the women's race. Well done! When are we going to get her a USCF license?

Illinois
Coleta Time Trial (ABR) - Illinois State TT Championships - Results "This hilly course on country roads started heading west from Coleta, half way around you reach the top of the world and a few seconds later you're back down and continue finishing heading south into Coleta. After the race the Fire Dept had a good barbecue for the riders and workers while awards were handed out." Bryce Mead (Tempo Velo) and Leigh Tompson (Vision Quest) are your new IL State TT Champions. Congratulations!

Illinois
O'Fallun Road Race - IL State Road Race Championships - Results - A pleasing course with hills, tunnels, nice "twisty-curvey" stretches of road it was a rider favorite, but situated closer to St. Louis (1 hour's drive) rather than Chicago (5 hour's drive), this race logically attracted more riders from MO than IL. Interestingly though, the discussion from the MO side is more on center line DQ's compared to the discussion on the IL side which is more along the lines of mud slinging and outrage for having the IL Champ. race so far from Chicago. According to reports, up to a dozen Cat. 4's were DQ'd for center line violations, many denying that they did in fact cross the line.  Wild Card Racing has a nice summary of the "No Drop" Cat. 4 race: "The last 10 miles of the race were 10 of the most frustrating miles I've ever ridden. We were going 16-17 mph. The whole group was still together. The group was all bunched up and nobody had any room to move up. I don't know who the hell was blocking the entire race or what the hell they were thinking, but I was pissed. 2000 meters to go, 18 mph. 1000 meters to go, under 20 mph. The last hill should have split the group, but again we took it incredibly slowly. I had no room to move. I had to stop pedaling several times to avoid running into slower riders. 800 meters from the finish line the race started.... ". Project 5 Racing also reports slow races and problems with DQ's in the Women's 3/4 race: "As we approached the 2k from the finish mark, we were neutralized as the P/1/2 field passed - then the guys slowed down, slowed down!!! - just as we were in what should be our critical attack stretch of the course. With the guys jamming up our race, I went by the pace car and said “We gotta go!” to which the driver replied, “I’m not gonna call you on it.” So I took that as approval to go and hit it as hard as I could all the way to the finish line. I was DQ’d for passing the pace car. Disappointing." Luke Seemann (XXX) reflects similar slow racing conditions in the Pro 1/2 field: "Only 22 men lined up for the P/1/2 state championships in O’Fallon, and six or seven were from the Dogfish team of St. Louis. XXX Racing-AthletiCo had me and Dave Moyer, and a hodge-podge of other teams were represented by one, two or three riders. The first of four 22-mile laps was extremely pokey. A Nuvo rider went off solo after about 10 miles. The peloton shrugged. “80 miles in the blazing sun? Ha!” (He would stay away and finish 3rd, a gutsy effort.) Midway through the second lap, three more riders got away, two of them Dogfish. There was no cohesive chase. Dogfish obviously did not want to contribute to the chase, but nor did any of the teams with only one or two riders. None of it was improper or unwise, but it yielded a rather negative race. " None the less, Zach Reed (Dogfish) of Edwardsville, IL wins the Pro 1/2 race and is the IL State Road Champion for 2010. Jessica Prinner (ABD) of Elgin is the IL Women's State Road Champion for 2010. Congratulations!

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Software Trouble

Computer virus trouble here at Peloton Star making it nearly impossible to post news. Will hopefully get back on line Tuesday because it was a wild weekend of racing with lots of news (and some great photos out of WI) to share!

So, bear with us as we work out a solution to our trouble.

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2010 Superweek Schedule - Complete

There were some "TBD" dates on the first weekend of the schedule that have now been filled in!

Thu, Jul 8th Bravo Cucina Italiana Media Day Whitefish Bay, WI
Fri, Jul 9th Beverly Hills Cycling Classic / Presented by Vee-Pak and Beverly Bike & Ski Chicago, IL
Sat, Jul 10th Geneva - Mill Race Cyclery Classic ( final details pending ) Geneva, Illinois
Sun, Jul 11th The Homewood International Cycling Classic / Presented By - Point Root Beer Homewood, Illinois
Mon, Jul 12th Richton Park Criterium presented by Chicago Dough Richton Park, IL
Tue, Jul 13th The Willow Springs - Epic Road Race Willow Springs, Illinois
Wed, Jul 14th Lake Geneva Criterium presented by - Simple Cafe and The Geneva Lakes YMCA Lake Geneva, WI
Thu, Jul 15th The South Shore Cyclery Classic Cudahy, WI
Fri, Jul 16th Brookfield Criterium Presented by Hammer Nutrition Brookfield, WI
Sat, Jul 17th Schlitz Park Endeavour Cycling Challenge Milwaukee, WI
Sun, Jul 18th Evanston Grand Prix Evanston, IL
Mon, Jul 19th Wheel & Sprocket Whitnall Park Road Race Hales Corners, WI
Tue, Jul 20th Bucyrus International Cycling Classic South Milwaukee, WI
Wed, Jul 21st The Hincapie Sportswear Lakefront Road Race Milwaukee, WI
Thu, Jul 22nd Racine.org Criterium Racine, WI
Fri, Jul 23rd Chase Food Folks & Spokes Kenosha, WI
Sat, Jul 24th The Great Downer Avenue Bike Race Milwaukee, WI
Sun, Jul 25th Whitefish Bay Classic Whitefish Bay, WI

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Flashback - 1993 Superweek

With the big race series just a few short weeks away, let's get in the mood by looking back at some races past. Here's part 2 of the 7 part video series on YouTube:



Here's another one ... 1992:



There is video even older than this, we'll try to dig it up!

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Info - Tour of America's Dairlyland (ToAD)

Press release regarding those racing at Road America:

Attention! Special parking instructions for the Road America Road Race on June 21st!

Grounds open at 7:15am!

Everyone needs to enter “Gate 6” for Road America and you will be directed by Security Staff on where to go. Everyone must also be ready to SIGN A SEPARATE WAIVER before you are allowed to enter the grounds. Please be prompt a...bout doing so!

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What a finish!

Okay, you saw the still photo ... here's the video of the super tight sprint finish at the WORS Big Ring Classic! Mark Lalonde, Brian Matter, Darrin Braun and Chris Peariso in the sprint at the end of the WORS Trek Big Ring Classic, May 30, 2010, in Wausau, WI.

Sprint Finish at the WORS Trek Big Ring Classic from Team WORS on Vimeo.

 

 

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Weekend Ahead - June 5th & 6th

It's June! Speed is improving, starting to feel like the season is moving along. So, what's going on this weekend?

Minnesota
St. Peter Time Trial - St. Peter, MN - Saturday June 5 - 20K and 40K southwest of the Twin Cities.

Iowa
Nothing Scheduled - Iowa takes a rest.

Missouri
Nothing Scheduled - Check the Illinois listing for O'Fallun.

Wisconsin

Spring Prairie Road Race - Spring Prairie, WI - Sunday June 6 - Wisconsin State Road Race Championships featuring the 18% final climb just before the finish. $2,300 in cash prizes. See video below. (recall that Matt Busche won the Pro 1/2 here in 2009, beginning his rise to a professional contract last year!)

Panther Dash Stage Race (WISPORT) - Montfort, WI - Saturday and Sunday June 5 & 6 - 14 mile TT on Saturday plus 39 mile road race Sunday. Held in southwest Wisconsin, so expect some climbing!

Illinois
O'Fallun Grand Prix - O'Fallun, IL - Saturday and Sunday June 5th and 6th - Illinois State Road Championships on Saturday, a criterium on Sunday.

Wonder Lake Criterium - Wonderlake, IL - Sunday June 6th -  1.3 mile circuit right on Wonder Lake, northwest of greater Chicago.

Illinois Time Trial Championships (ABR) - Coleta, IL - Saturday June 5th - 27Km with some elevation changes. Former IL TT Champ. course in western IL.

Michigan
Duck Lake Beach Time Trial - Whitehall, MI - Sunday June 6th - 20K and 40K in western Michigan.

Indiana
McCormick's Creek Road Race - Spencer, IN - Saturday June 5th - 4.5 mile loop, includes a citizens category but no Pro 1/2 field?

Eagle Creek Fast Crit. - Indianapolis, IN - Sunday June 6th - Eagle Creek Park, There is a park fee of $5.00 that will be charged at the gate….Car Pool.
Park’s policy not mine. Again, great place to bring the family - plenty of playgrounds, a swimming lake, and good viewing areas!

Ohio
Grand Prix of Groveport - Groveport, OH - Sunday June 6th - Ohio State Time Trial Championships. 23 mile loop - NOT FLAT!

Mill Creek Criterium - Youngstown, OH - Sunday June 6th - One mile loop. All races are in the morning!

Also worthy of note: Tour of the Red River Gorge, a three day omnium series (Fri, Sat. Sun.) in Lexington, KY that will probably draw many riders from the southern part of the midwest.

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Recap - Memorial Day Weekend (Part III)

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.

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Recap - Memorial Day Weekend (Part II)

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!)

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Recap - Memorial Day Weekend (Part I)

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

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