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Monday, April 23, 2012

Monday Update

It was a big weekend of racing with two sanctioned races in WI and two in IL, not to mention a WiSport road race. Photos are being uploaded (Leland Kermesse and GDVC#2) and videos being searched. Look for the full update late tonight or on Tuesday.

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

2012 Hillsboro-Roubaix, Great Dane #1

Hillsboro-Roubaix 2010
 ILLINOIS: Hillsboro - Hillsboro-Roubaix - RESULTS - Maybe it's living in the big city, or something else, but there is something about crummy roads that Illinois racers just can't get enough of.  Their spring classic race in Hillsboro offers high crowned streets paved with cobbles, followed by wind swept country lanes that gets area riders all excited every spring. Then add rain into the mix?  For example, take this great race report written by Jake Buescher (XXX), 3rd in the men's category 3 race as he writes for their team blog:

 "Waking up to a forecast of rain the entire day oddly made me happy.  I’d raced in rain before at races like Snake Alley and Tour de Grove and it was scary.  I did not feel confident cornering or descending.  So, your guess is as good as mine as to why I was creepily smiling on the hour-long drive through a drizzle from Springfield to Hillsboro.  Maybe it was the idea that this was “classics weather”.  Not only was I going to be racing on the crummiest roads in Central Illinois, but also I got to do it while soaked to the bone the entire time!  There’s really no way of rationalizing a jubilant attitude like this going into it…"

Bissel - Nuvo swept the podium in the Men's Pro 1/2 race, and for the cat 2 women ... ??? ... who knows, they aren't listed in the results. Maybe there weren't any?

Men's Pro 1/2Mac
1. Mac Brennan
2. Alex Wieseler
3.Weston Luzadder




WISCONSIN: Madison - GDVC #1 - RESULTS - Racing continued in Wisconsin on Sunday in Madison with the first of the annual double header sponsored by the Great Dane Velo Club. The same course is used on both days, but with the riding direction reversed. No pix or video from this day, not surprising since the weather was pretty raw.

Holly Mathews (IS Corp) (2011 Wisconsin State Criterium Champion) took her first win of the year in the Women's 1/2 as did perennial Men's Pro 1/2 favorite Steve Scholzen (IS Corp)..

Their team, IS Corp, has a nice wrap up over on their blog, of the women's race:

With three laps to go, the wind picked up, and it started raining, but Andrea was feeling strong and bridged back up to Holly and the Kenda rider.  She continued her fast pace and rode right by them, and continued with her lead until the last lap.  Holly stayed with the Kenda rider until the last corner, then launched a massive attack to drop the Kenda rider and sprint past Andrea for the win.  Andrea hung on for second place, and Jenn came in 4th.  Lindsey played it smart in the field while her teammates were up the road and sat in, refusing to do any work.  She timed the field sprint well, placing 2nd in the field and 6th overall.

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Monday, April 9, 2012

Schneider in Holland, Prinner in El Salvador, Ann Arbor

Photo: Team TIBCO
HOLLAND: Slocteren - Energiewacht Tour -RESULTS - Team TIBCOs assault on the the 5 stage Energiewact Tour is over and quite successful with Wisconsin's very own Sam Schneider coming in with a solid 55th overall, the team placing 7th out of 23, and congratulations in getting Megan Guanier into the top 15 on two stages, 4th on the final stage, and 21st overall. 



Energiewachttour 2012
General Classification, Final Ranking
1 Teutenberg, Ina Yoko 13 Specialized - Lululemon 11:24:45
2 van Dijk, Ellen 14 Specialized - Lululemon 11:24:52 0:07
3 Vos, Marianne 7 Rabobank 11:25:28 0:43
4 Worrack, Trixi 17 Specialized - Lululemon 11:25:35 0:50
5 Gunnewijk, Loes 26 Greenedge - AIS 11:25:55 1:10
...
21 Guarnier, Megan 49 Tibco to the Top 11:41:06 16:21
33 Millar, Amanda 50 Tibco to the Top 11:43:48 19:03
55 Schneider, Samantha 51 Tibco to the Top 11:48:53 24:08
66 Hall, Lauren 54 Tibco to the Top 11:50:19 25:34.
105 Wheeler, Jennifer 53 Tibco to the Top 12:02:23 37:38
106 Purcell, Jennifer 52 Tibco to the Top 12:03:57 39:12

EL SALVADOR: San Salvador - Vuelta Ciclista El Salvador - Elgin, Illinois' Jessica Prinner writes in her blog about her travels last week with the USA National Team. It's a great read, check it out:

"After a month and a half of suffering from mononucleosis, I finally got back on the bike in time to get my invite to race in El Salvador for the National team, having a pitiful amount of base miles logged and no intensity as of then. So my coach and I dreamt up a massively masochistic training schedule to tear my legs off and sew them back on just in time to hop on a plane and head into the Southern Hemisphere.
Looking back I give myself credit for not packing any cold weather gear and going through all the trouble to find a compact crank set, because as it turned out all the racing we would be doing would be in ridiculously hot and humid weather on mountainous courses. Not only that, but the race schedule included a five day UCI stage race sandwiched between two UCI one day races without any rest days. For those of you who don’t like long sentences that’s seven days of racing in a row.
We got three days to attempt to acclimate to the insanely hot weather as we stayed in a small complex owned by the promoter just a stone throw from the beach. If you ignored the fact that the bathroom had four adjoining doors to it the place seemed like paradise; a large shaded outdoor patio hung with hammocks beside a pool that looked over the pacific ocean. I was almost fooled into thinking we were on vacation until the first 1.1 UCI race arrived and I realized I was in for a long, sweaty week."

MICHIGAN: Ann Arbor - Kevin Lillard has a set of great photos from last week's collegiate race in Ann Arbor. PHOTOS

Tomorrow, we'll try to track down Ashley James in the Classica Citta di Padova, and U23 Lawrence Warbasse of Traverse City, MI in the Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux in Belgium.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Velo Campus, Evanston, Ann Arbor, Favorite Climbs

Photo: Chicago Velo Campus
ILLINOIS: Chicago - The Chicago Velo Campus is now open for spring training in 2012. The 166 meter wooden track has 50 degree banking, there is a full service bike shop on site, and bike rentals are available. The National Sports Center Velodrome in Minneapolis opens May 1st. Bloomer Park Velodrome near Detroit appears to be open for training if you have a season pass. Washington Park Velodrome in Kenosha is open all year for training. The status of Major Taylor in Indianapolis or Northbrook is unclear at this time.

Plans continue to build a new velodrome in Cleveland, OH



ILLINOIS: Evanston - News has been flying about regarding "The race in Evanston" being canceled, mainly from two articles published in the Chicago Sun Times ONE TWO. This was a race planned for a June weekend however, and doesn't appear to be the very popular Superweek stop which is scheduled for July 15th.

Marcus Thompson posted some nice photos on Facebook from the collegiate race in Ann Arbor this past weekend. Gives us a feeling of what conditions were like.


Video of a few climbs here in southeast Wisconsin. The Map My Ride links are on the Youtube side of each video:





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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Michigan Spring Racing, Collegiate Racing, Super Crit Video, USA Cycling Funds

Photo: Loren Eggenschwiler
There were several races over in Michigan this past weekend, but not much news coming from there. One race was in Ann Arbor which boasts a good turnout - RESULTS, also in Ann Arbor there was a collegiate race (the same event?). Again, results are sketchy with each team boasting their own news:  Notre Dame version, Marian College version. Plus there was one more race north of there on the Waterford Hills auto track - RESULTS.  Elsewhere, Milwaukee native, now living in Texas, Josh Carter took the collegiate A race down in Austin, TX this past weekend as well as Elgin, IL native Jessica Prinner who shared the victory with her team mates. That makes 4 wins for her in 2012.

More out of South Beloit, IL from Illinois Cycling:









Nearly $3 million distributed so far through LA payout program (link)

USA Cycling announced today that based on 2011 license sales, it will distribute $421,170 back to its 34 Local Associations (LA) as part of an ongoing effort to grow competitive cycling at the grassroots level.

With the 2011 payout, USA Cycling has now delivered nearly $3 million in direct funding to its Local Associations since the program’s 2003 inception.

“The LA Payout Program represents a major reinvestment of membership dollars back into racing at the local level,” explained USA Cycling President and CEO Steve Johnson. “These monies are then allocated by the Local Associations to fund specific programs in their state or region, thereby ensuring our resources are used as efficiently as possible to grow cycling in all parts of the country.”

...

 The payouts have also helped the Minnesota Cycling Federation with their new rider outreach, enabling them to offer things like junior development grants and free entries for juniors at cyclo-cross races.

“Our primary funding is the USA Cycling payouts,” explained MCF spokesman Kevin Lennon. “None of the above would have happened without the support.”

For 2012, Minnesota will continue developing the junior side of the sport, but they’ll also use the payout for a State Championship jersey program, Rider of the Year awards, and officials training.


2011 Local Association payouts:

Illinois Cycling Association $15,245
Indiana/Kentucky Cycling Association $9,580
Iowa Bicycle Racing Association $4,700
Michigan Bicycle Racing Association $8,850
Minnesota Cycling Federation $7,955
Missouri Bicycle Racing Association $7,940
Ohio Cycling Association $11,065
Wisconsin Cycling Association $8,250


 

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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Criterium Detroit City

Photo: Criterium Detroit City
MICHIGAN: Detroit - Last year, in 2011, race promoter Erica Fulk and her team of tireless workers brought back bicycle racing to the downtown Detroit area, the first in probably 20+ years, since the demise of the Tour of Michigan in the 1990s, with the "Criterium Detroit City". It was a rousing success - very popular with the locals and it drew some strong talent in the Pro 1/2 fields for men and women. Sadly, this year however, it is not to be. Stating mounting financial concerns and the inability to secure a course, they were forced to pull the plug for 2012. Fulk writes on the Michigan Bicycle Racing Assn webpage: "It is with a heavy heart, and a heavier hand that I write this email. After months, days, hours, several beers, lots of tears, a very helpful team, that I write you to tell you that there will be no Criterium Detroit City in 2012. There have been many developments in the past few months that I've been trying to fix and refix. Our course downtown was canceled due to a scheduling conflict. We tried to move the course but haven't found a suitable replacement course. We have made lots of headway with several new routes for the course, but I have been unable to raise enough money to put on the crit, or find the perfect course.

In full and total disclosure, last year I was able to raise $5,200 in sponsorship dollars, the race cost us $16,000 to put on (and that was the amount after we pulled every favor in the book). This year, I can't pull those favors again, it will cost more, and there just isn't enough time.

This is just a bump in a roubaix-esque course - there are lots of them, and you'll never know which one gave you the flat, and you know you'll get back in it.

I will be at Detroit Bike City on March 24th to talk about the future of the race. There is a future. The race will be back in 2013 in a new location. The point of Criterium Detroit City is, and has always been, to show off Detroit. To do that we will move the race course around the city and show off it's great assets.

To the racers - you have to know that for me canceling this race is the hardest thing I've ever done.  Putting the race on last year was hard, I broke down a week before the race as I was given two bills for $2,500 each that I couldn't pay. But I stuck with it. My moto last year was 'it's going to be the most amazing thing you've ever seen, even if I go broke doing it.'  I wanted to show you something you had never seen before, and I hope that I did.  In continuing with that tradition, I want to give you a race that you will always remember, and at this point I can't.  I can't keep getting you (and me) excited every time we have a silver lining. I thought we had a course, I was wrong. I thought we had a new course, I was wrong. I thought we had a title sponsor, I was wrong.  I want to give you an experience that you've never had before, and right now, I can't.

I have been trying to figure out a way around this. But I can't. I don't want to waste my planning teams time, they are a great bunch of people and I want them to focus on something that will work, like CDC 2013. I can't waste resources that I don't have, it seems that last year taught me something. Next year the race will be back - better than last year. 
"

Fear not fellow readers, the Michigan cycling scene is strong and there are many other excellent races to be enjoyed in 2012. We wish them good luck in bringing racing back to downtown Detroit next year!




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Monday, April 2, 2012

Schneider in Flanders, Busche in Spain, Selander in Italy


BELGIUM: Flanders - Ronde van Vlaanderen - Congratulations go out to Samantha Schneider in her 38th place in this year's Tour of Flanders! This follows on the heels of her 65th in the Dutch world cup race - Ronde de Trenthe on March 10th. Next up for Team Tibco appears to be the 5 stage long Energiewacht Tour in the Netherlands beginning this Wednesday along with her teammates on the start list:

49 Guarnier, Megan U.S.A.
50 Miller, Amanda U.S.A.
51 Schneider, Samantha U.S.A.
52 Purcell, Jennifer U.S.A.
53 Wheeler, Jennifer U.S.A.
54 Hall, Lauren U.S.A



SPAIN: Girona - Keeping with the European theme, Wisco native Mathew Busche (Radio Shack) keeps us informed of the war on wheels going on in Spain."Well, the end to Volta Catalunya was less than ideal for me. I crashed on the final descent about 2.5km from the finish. It makes me incredibly frustrated to think about it, but I am looking at the positives of everything to help me get through it.






We're also keeping an eye out for news on Bjorn Selander of Hudson, WI who is racing for his new Canadian team -Spider Tech p/b C10 and just raced in the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in Italy. Details are sketchy, but he and two of his team mates seem to have fallen outside the time limit on stage 3. Check out the awesome images posted over on Steephill TV.




 Sorry ... can't help myself.

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Burnham Racing Spring Super Criterium

Other stories we will be watching this week as info becomes available:

FRCC Spring Fling #1 in Waterford Hills, MI
2012 Detroit Criterium canceled.
Mike Sherer wins Colorado Springs Classic Criterium.
Kaitlin Antonneau wins collegiate road race.
Samantha Schneider rides Ronde van Vlaanderen - Dames.

ILLINOIS: South Beloit - Burnham Racing Spring Super Criterium - RESULTS PHOTOS  Nearly 500 riders took part in the first race of the Illinois Cup series this past Saturday. The weather was cloudy and cool but lacked the serious wind that seems to be the norm in this event which is held on the Blackhawk Farms auto race track on the southwest side of Beloit. Riders from all across Illinois, and Wisconsin competed as well as a few from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio! 72 riders competed in the Mens 4/5 race for the largest field of the day, but many of the other races fielded 50+ riders as well. Notable performances include (but not limited to!) Tom Driver (Velosmith) of Chicago in the Masters 30+ Cat 4/5 who mashed the gas pedal with 1 1/2 laps to go, put a solid 20 seconds on the field, and never lifted until crossing the line first for his victory.  In the Masters 30+ Cat 1/2/3, six riders formed a tight group and built a solid 30 second lead that they held to the end. Michael Norton (Michaels Cyclery) of Beloit took that sprint for the win. ( A category 1 racer from out east, it looks like he might be a force to be reckoned with this season). Photo credit: Big Ring Flyers

Photo: Peloton Star
Lastly, the Pro 1/2/3 race was a lively affair with many surges early on with a break of six riders finally getting a solid gap about 2/3 of the way through the 1 hour event. The pace was hot, with an average speed of about 27 mph posted on the gently twisty course, and two of the six were ultimately dropped. A number of Kenda riders were posted at the front of the group to mess up the chase in support of Chad Hartley (Kenda - 5 Hour Energy), as well as riders from Team XXX blocking for Liam Donoghue (I believe). The final four never built more than 20 seconds on the field and with the ringing of the bell signaling the last lap, they only held a tenuous 11 second margin. Coming around the final bend, it looked like the field sprinters timed the catch perfectly, but only Donoghue was caught, and Hartley easily out sprinted Ryan Freund (Enzos - PSIMET) and Kyle Seph (Sammy's Bike) for the win.

Men - Cat 1/2/3

Place 
NameCity, State
USAC #
Team

1
Chad Hartley   Fox Point, WI
126996  
Kenda 5-Hour Energy

2
Ryan Freund (1 - Cat1)   Lake In The Hills, IL
279249  
Enzo's-PSIMET

3
Kyle Selph (1 - Cat2)   Naperville, IL
290759  
Sammy's Bike

Photo: Peloton Star





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Sunday update ...

News from the Burnham Super Criterium is on the way. Major computer crash put the April Fools joke on me ... new hard drive - reinstall XP, drivers, software ... almost recovered.

News and VIDEO coming up ...

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Monday, March 26, 2012

2012 Barry Roubaix Videos







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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Kenosha Velosport #3

WISCONSIN: Kenosha - Kenosha Velosport Training Race #3 - A little cooler today with a change in the wind to more off Lake Michigan, but still a fairly good turnout. Organizers had music and an announcer this week, so that added to the vibe. Racing was aggressive in all categories. The only crash that was known of was in the Masters 30+ when 5 riders went down in the final turn of their race. No one was killed despite a nice set of skid marks left on the road and some pedal digs in the cement. Three riders broke away in the Cat. 5 race but never got the final bell, so they never sprinted. The Cat. 4 race simply blew apart from a fast pace from the get go. The once friendly Men's Cat. 1/2/3 race became a more serious Men's *PRO* 1/2/3 event when Chad Hartley (Kenda Pro Cycling) showed up at the start.

Class is in session, let the schooling begin!

Delay for 'registration', not sure what that was about but after about a 25 minute delay, the race begins and it was quickly evident that Chad Hartley (Kenda Pro Cycling) was present and the little Cat 1/2/3 race suddenly became a *PRO* Cat 1/2/3 event!

There were a number of surges off the front early, but nothing really developing.

Hartley simply riding tempo on the front, keeping every
thing in check and quickly the original group of 27 riders was split in half.

10 minutes in : 2 off off the front Hartley and one other /1 chaser /1 chaser / main group of 14 / 9 in the 'laughing group'.

15 minutes in: the two leaders have lapped the 9 back markers and the main group of 14 have
essentially sat up.

20 minutes, individual riders are trying to get away from the main group, hard pulls on the front
are met with shrugs by those behind. No two riders are able to work together. Their overall pace is slow.

The lead pair continue to gain time. Harley is spinning a low gear, riding on the hoods.

25 minutes. Still no cooperation in the main group and they are within sight of the lead pair.

27 minutes - the field is caught, Hartley blows through the peloton, picking up a Team Mack rider glued to his wheel.

38 minutes - 3 laps to go ... time to roll ... Hartley opens it up, dropping Team Mac.

Field now has a rotation going on the point but it's much too late. Hartley easily takes the win.

Class dismissed!


Results not yet available on line, but Tom Thiesen (The Tom-inator) (Big Ring Flyers) picks up 3rd today, and got 2nd last week. Ka-ching!













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2012 Barry Roubaix, Ripon Spring Classic, Iowa Spring Classic

Photo: Derek Graham
MICHIGAN: Middleville - Barry Roubaix - RESULTS - The first of the Midwest 'spring classics' is in the books with Mike Anderson (North Country Cyclesport / Trek) taking a huge victory over Brian Matter in the last 300 meters of the 62 mile gravel road race. Crucial in the victory was a *RUN* in the sand - cyclocross style. Bary Roubaix is the second stop in the east coast 6 race "ultracross" series, the next being the Hilly Billy Roubaix in Morgantown, WV.

Place No. Name Team Age Time Rate
1 5 Mike Anderson North Country Cycle Sport 23 2:51:05 21.7
2 154 Brian Matter Gear Grinder/bontrager 34 2:51:08 21.7
3 270 Nathaniel Williams Bissell Abg Nuvo 30 2:51:57 21.6
4 3 Shawn Adams Carbon Racing 37 2:52:39 21.5
5 26 Steve Broglio Lathrup Industries/giant Bicycles 37 2:52:39 21.5
6 118 Dan Korienek Leadout Racing/kentwood Cycling And 39 2:57:30 21.0
7 151 Ernesto Marenchin* Carbon Racing 40 2:57:31 21.0
8 272 Adam York Cleveland Clinic Sports Health 26 2:57:32 21.0
9 221 Michael Simonson Rbs Mtb Team 32 2:57:37 20.9
10 139 Matthew Light Alderfer Bergen Racing For Riley 24 2:58:24 20.9

From Kolo t.c.:

The Elite 62 mile racers took the gun first. A neutral start was not, according to a few, all that neutral, and the power men took off quick on Gun Lake Road. After some distance, Mike Anderson (North Country Cycle Sport) broke about ten meters in front of the leading pack, dangling there to be joined shortly by Brian Matter (GearGrinder/Bontrager). The two took advantage of the rough, muddy roads to forge out a fragile lead. As Mike Anderson noted in a post-race interview, the pair worked together to keep clear of a large chasing pack. While Anderson and Matter practiced their two-man time trial off the front, a group of about 10 or 15 could not organize. As Einstein Racing’s Jorden Wakeley put it later via Facebook, “No one wanted to play nice and try bridging back to the leaders.”
In the finale, Mike Anderson took off as he and Matter made the turn into the mile-long drag to the line. He shook Matter about 300 meters from the and coasted in to a huge victory. Matter cruised in three seconds back. Third place was seized by Nate Williams (BISSELL AVG Nuvo), with Shawn Adams (Carbon Racing) and Steve Brolio (Lathrup Industries/Giant Bicycles) rounding out the podium places. (A special nod to last week’s There Will Be Blood champion Dan Korienek (Leadout Racing) who slipped in sixth). 



Watch more video of Barry Roubaix: The Killer Gravel Road Race on thom.cyclingdirt.org


Watch more video of Barry Roubaix: The Killer Gravel Road Race on thom.cyclingdirt.org

WISCONSIN:Ripon - Ripon Spring Classic - While not a race at this point, perhaps this 110 mile ride of gravel and hills could grow and become one of the official Midwest spring classics. If this nice March weather continues to be the norm, the Ripon Spring Classic would fit nicely into the calendar with the pair of April races in Illinois - the Hillsboro Roubaix  and the Leland Kermesse
which have become integral in the Illinois cycling scene. Promotor Ric Damn of Ripon College has plenty of experience putting on the Wisconsin State Criterium Championship and stages of ICC Superweek, so the potential is there.



Photos: Team Big Ring Flyers

Next up on the racing calendar is the final day of the Kenosha Velosport Training Series later today as well as the Kent Park Classic in Iowa, followed by the Gaper Block Crits in Chicago and the ever popular Burnam Racing's Spring Super Criterium in South Beloit, IL not to mention the Waterford Hills training series in Michigan and the MSU "Get Tough" RR and TT also featuring sections of nasty gravel roads!

IOWA: Colfax - Iowa Spring Classic - RESULTS -  Not much news out of this one, but the course looks killer!

Photo: Bike Iowa.Com



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Friday, March 23, 2012

Misc. Pix


Vuelta Mexico?
Photo: Amantes del Ciclismo


Stemper at Redlands prologue
Photo: Deb Tracey
 

Stemper at Redlands
Photo: Deb Tacey
 

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Stemper in for Redlands

Photo: Peloton-Pix
CALIFORNIA: (where ever the Redlands race is) - From Kenda Pro Cycling:

One of the team’s most successful riders from 2011 and strong 2012 hopeful, Bobby Sweeting, has been diagnosed with a concussion, following an incident at the previous week’s San Dimas Stage Race.  As a result, the team physician, Dr. Jason Brayley,  has recommended he not start the Redlands Stage 1 ITT slated for today, and Bobby concurred.  Jim Stemper got the late call and made a last minute trip to Redlands yesterday evening to fill the vacancy.

...

 While not the avid time trialist that Bobby is, Stemper is no stranger to high ITT results and hard efforts.  Jim has placed highly in many important races against the clock in 2011, and put on a forty minute solo display last week at the USA Crits Old Pueblo Criterium last week, nearly winning the event.  Despite being caught by his own teammates with less than a full lap remaining, his efforts were the perfect set up for the team’s victory and a ticket into the USA Crits Laps Leader jersey.  Jim also had the same fate in 2011 at Redlands, nearly winning the penultimate stage with a breakaway attempt that was captured with less than eight hundred meters remaining.  The 2010 Tour of America’s Dairyland overall winner will have all of the necessary horsepower needed to support the team’s GC threats Phil Gaimon, Nathan English and Andy Jacques-Maynes in any capacity.

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Busche, Kenosha Onboard Video

SPAIN: Catalunya - Volta Catalunya - Don't tell Wisconsin native Mathew Busche (Radio Shack) what kind of weather we're having here. I don't think he would like it judging by the weather they have there in Spain for his 'local' race. He's been posting on his BLOG daily about the happenings, check it out.







WISCONSIN: Kenosha - check out week 2's on board video from Mike3215able. New graphics added showing power output and speed. Final lap starts ~29:00






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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Kenosha, Vuelta Mexico


Short on time = short post. Will try to update daily all this week to keep up with the events as they come across the news desk. 

WISCONSIN: Kenosha - RESULTS are posted for week #2 of the Kenosha Velosport training series. They are listed according to category rather than order of finish, so it's a little confusing for the 1/2/3 race that had Category 3 juniors beating Cat. 2  masters with a few Cat 2 women thrown into the mix.

MEXICO: Acapulco - Vuelta Mexico. Peloton Star is keeping an eye on this stage race south of the border since Oneida, WI native Cole House is competing with his team Competitive Cycling. They got the win on stage 3 with Thomas Rabou taking it. Competition is stiff with many top teams competing including Vita Amore from Italy. We wonder of Roberto Gaggioli is there working with the team? Other top riders include Tomas Rasmussen and Oscar Sevilla. Wonder if they felt the magnitude 7.4 earthquake today?




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Monday, March 19, 2012

Kenosha Training Race #2

A quick report on this week's racing in Kenosha, and then will catch up on other news later.

WISCONSIN: Kenosha - Kenosha Velosport Training Races, week 2 - Another day of fantastic weather and a good turnout for some early season racing. All of the categories featured aggressive tactics with the best probably being in the Cat. 1/2/3 which featured the powerhouse IS CORP junior development squad taking the top 3 places. Nate Labecki, 1st, Kaleb Koch 2nd and Kevin Lindlau 3rd (Fixie the dog did not race). Full results are not available online yet.

Photo: Jay Labecki



Here's a bunch of videos from Kenosha. The first being of the cat. 5 finish where we find John Dondero (Bens Cyclery) on the front of the field leading into the final 100 meters. Last week he got dropped, so imagine our surprise!



Masters 40+, 30+


Cat. 5, 4, 3/2/1


On board video from last week.





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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Kenosha #1 Results, Race stories

WISCONSIN: Kenosha - Kenosha Velosport #1 - RESULTS 

Tom Thiesen (Big Ring Flyers) gives us his perspective on his race with the 2's:


No matter how many numbers you look at during training over the winter, the first race of the year always serves as a reality check or calibration of expectations. It also marked my first race on my new team, Big Ring Flyers. I knew I'd been training right, so I was hoping to prove that to myself. Due to a crash in the previous race, and low turnout, the 3s were combined with the 1/2s. The course was 1km on a wide open industrial park with only two real turns.

My plan was to sit in for the first half to get the feel for the pack. For the second half, if I had anything left, I would chase or attack aggressively. The race started pretty comfortably. No one wanted to pull the field into the big headwind, so a strong solo flyer went off that stayed for several laps. It was a good effort, but a single rider in that wind would have been very hard pressed to stay off for the whole race, even if the field was not exactly drilling it. Meanwhile though, I felt very comfortable in the pack, managing to stay in the first 5 wheels. The race came back together just before the midway point, and I knew that would be my opportunity.

At the halfway mark, I chose to attack at the last corner, since there is a slight rise coming out of the corner, which would probably make it hard for the whole field to react. My attack wasn't exactly earth shattering, being maybe 700w for 20 seconds, but I was allowed to roll off the front. When I looked back and didn't see anyone with me, I sat up. I didn't like the idea of soloing for the rest of the race, and figured I'd try again in a few laps. When I got caught, the first thing I heard was "We got a gap". I didn't realize that the riders that had come up were not the field, but just two riders bridging. Bingo! We traded pulls smoothly for a few laps, putting some time into the field. One rider dropped, and then we were two. I think our gap increased to a maximum of 15 seconds. The two of us settled into a rhythm of half a lap each. Every few laps, I would look behind me when I was on the back. I saw a four person chase, but couldn't tell where the field was. We might have a chance! With two to go, my break mate faded, and the chase was closing. I figured I could hold them off for two laps because it looked like I still had about 5 seconds. When I came around again for the bell lap, the lap card said "2" again! No bell! wtf! Ok, two more laps again. On the next lap, one rider bridged up to me moving very fast. He looked strong, but he was burning lots of energy. I figured if I could hang on, maybe I could out-sprint him at the finish. But then he sat up. What?

"It's over".



The officials never showed me the final lap. At least I got second for my efforts. And overall, I'm pretty happy. I've never considered myself a good break rider, but I did pretty well at it.

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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

New Officials in IL, Old Capitol Criterium, Waterford Hills Spring Series, Ashley James, Snow Bike Racing, Kenosha video

Illinois:Chicago - From the Illinois Cycling Association -  New Officials in Illinois

The ICA would like to congratulate and welcome our newest group of officials. This past Saturday, the ICA held an introductory officials seminar and we welcome 6 new officials to the group. The seminar went over basics of officiating and was followed by an open book exam at the end of the day.

Officials are the backbone of a bicycle race, and often the first representatives of USA Cycling that a rider meets. As these officials begin their experiences as new officials and start to grow and work local events, please acknowledge this first step with welcoming congratulations.

The following are the newest members of the officiating group in Illinois:

Bill Barnes (IL) w/ xXx Racing
Chris Jensen (IL) w/ Robots p/b <3
Bob Murray (IN) w/ Beverly Bike VeePak
Nick Puaca (IL) w/ Gray Goat
Sue Semaszczuk (IL) w/ PSIMET Racing
Ted Schweitzer (IL) w/ The Q-Factor

IOWA: Iowa City - 33rd Annual Old Capitol Criterium 

Registration for the 2 day , 3 stage, omnium series May 5-6 is now open.  A total of $10,000 in prizes is offered.

MICHIGAN: Detroit - Waterford Hills Spring Training Series - Road racing in Michigan begins March 31st at the Waterford Hills auto racing circuit northwest of Detroit. Races are put on by the Flying Rhino Cycling Club.



WISCONSIN: Milwaukee - Jay Labecki posts on his blog that Pro cyclist Chad Hartley was recently in town and rode with the IS CORP juniors giving them tips and helpful hints.










HOLLAND: Drenthe - Wisconsin native Ashley James posts on her blog about her first race of the year ... the Ronde Van Drenthe, a UCI race in Holland. Well worth a read, here's a quick exerpt:

"I pinned my first number of the year. The race atmosphere was already engulfing- Euro-pop-trash-techno stretched over crackled speakers, hundreds of girls rolled around in foreign kits (big girls, small girls, girls with ripped legs, girls that might not be girls) a man shouted in dutch over a loud speaker. The nerves set in early, but nerves can be a good thing, right?

sweet baby jeebus!

My teammates are superstars- Olympic long listers, previous & current national champions. The race was filled with badasses. (baddassi?) And then there was me. A girl from Wisconsin with admittedly big dream, but permanently inked with chain grease everywhere but on my actual chain.
"





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Monday, March 12, 2012

Kenosha #1, Newsreel #5, Prelim. Superweek Schedule,

Wisconsin: Kenosha - The first road race of the season is in the books! Sunshine and warm weather brought out a good sized crowd and some very animated racing. No results available yet. Check this week's newsreel for some video footage.

Racing continues on the next two Sundays. The course is just west of Kenosha ... half way between Milwaukee and Chicago. Flyer:  http://www.ambikerace.com/2012/flyers/KV_2012_flyer.pdf




The preliminary Superweek schedule is out. Subject to change, although, any way you slice it, it's still 2 weeks of high speed bike racing!

http://www.internationalcycling.com/?q=schedule

Fri, Jul 6th Beverly Hills Cycling Classic / Presented by Vee-Pak and Beverly Bike & Ski Chicago, IL
Sat, Jul 7th Chicago Bike Race ( TBA ) Chicago, Il
Sun, Jul 8th Geneva Grand Prix Geneva, Illinois
Mon, Jul 9th Richton Park Criterium Richton Park, IL
Tue, Jul 10th The Willow Springs ( Road Race ) / Presented by - Connor & Gallagher and FleetTruckParts.com Willow Springs, Illinois
Wed, Jul 11th Willow Springs ( ROAD RACE ) - Long Course Willow Springs, IL
Thu, Jul 12th The South Shore Cyclery Classic / Cudahy Cudahy, WI
Fri, Jul 13th Racine Downtown Challenge Racine, WI
Sat, Jul 14th Fields Auto Group Waukesha / Otto Wenz Jr ( Great Downer Avenue Bike Race ) - P/B American Airlines Milwaukee, WI
Sun, Jul 15th Evanston Grand Prix Chicago, IL
Mon, Jul 16th Wheel & Sprocket - Whitnall Park / Road Race Hales Corners, WI
Tue, Jul 17th Whitnall Park Criterium Hales Corners , WI
Wed, Jul 18th Brown Deer Park Challenge p/b Milwaukee County Parks Brown Deer, WI
Thu, Jul 19th Brookfield / Maximized Living Criterium p/b Bravo Cucina Italiana Brookfield, WI
Fri, Jul 20th Chase / Food Folks & Spokes Kenosha, WI
Sat, Jul 21st Bay View Classic - Pb / South Shore Cyclery Milwaukee, WI
Sun, Jul 22nd Bravo Cucina Italiana / Whitefish Bay Classic p/b Farmers Insurance Whitefish Bay, WI













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