Brian Hopkins attended the Church Creek 40K Individual Time Trial.
His effort has him positioned in 1st Place of the Mid-Atlantic Time Trial Series!
You can read all about it on Brian's Blog HERE
20110731
PMVC Friday Night TT
Brian Hopkins was in town for the PMVC Friday Night 20 mile Individual Time Trial... and he made his presence known!
-------------------
Text by Oscar Swan:
Results of 20m TT
A fast night with fast people. The men's record was broken twice, first by Brian Hopkins with 43.25, and then by Paul Carlson with 41.44. Gray Patton broke her 1-year-old women's record with 46.39.
-------------------
The weirdest part, is that this is the SECOND TIME Brian has set the track record at this distance, then later in the evening had someone else break HIS record...leaving him BRIDESMAID again :)
The results on the evening were:
2nd Place Overall - Brian Hopkins
2nd Place Men's Open
Temporary Track Record
Personal Record by an incrediable 1:46!
4th Place Overall - Steve Marlette
3rd Place Men's Open
Personal Record by an just as incrediable 1:39!!
12th Place Overall - Dan Schar
8th Place Men's Open
16th Place Overall - Kirk Morrison
5th Place Men's 50+
17th Place Overall - Donnie Panizales
10th Place Men's Open
21st Place Overall - Ray Sielski
6th Place Men's 50+
Also... Steve Brewer was in attendance as a SuperFan to cheer everyone on!
-------------------
Text by Oscar Swan:
Results of 20m TT
A fast night with fast people. The men's record was broken twice, first by Brian Hopkins with 43.25, and then by Paul Carlson with 41.44. Gray Patton broke her 1-year-old women's record with 46.39.
-------------------
The weirdest part, is that this is the SECOND TIME Brian has set the track record at this distance, then later in the evening had someone else break HIS record...leaving him BRIDESMAID again :)
The results on the evening were:
2nd Place Overall - Brian Hopkins
2nd Place Men's Open
Temporary Track Record
Personal Record by an incrediable 1:46!
4th Place Overall - Steve Marlette
3rd Place Men's Open
Personal Record by an just as incrediable 1:39!!
12th Place Overall - Dan Schar
8th Place Men's Open
16th Place Overall - Kirk Morrison
5th Place Men's 50+
17th Place Overall - Donnie Panizales
10th Place Men's Open
21st Place Overall - Ray Sielski
6th Place Men's 50+
Also... Steve Brewer was in attendance as a SuperFan to cheer everyone on!
20110727
ACA Criterium - CRASH
Steve Brewer hitched a ride from Indiana, Pa. to the Allegheny Cycling Association Wednesday Night Criterium....and as it turns out, was glad he had a driver for the trip home.
After successfully making it into a 10-man breakaway, just as the break group came out of Turn #4 heading for the finish, another rider had a mechanical malfunction that caused him to veer right into Steve, crashing them both completely OUT.
Steve's jersey was torn, his helmet was smashed, his bike saddle rails were broken...
...he "pulled" a spoke out of his deep dish carbon wheel...
(WARNING: The Following Link contains Graphic Content!)
...and ultimatley Steve needed stiches to his
"achilles webbing" ...to close a tear in the skin big enough that you could see his achilles tendon. (See for yourself!)
While (all of us not there) were worried ...Steve soon began FaceBook posting from the hospital ...so we all knew he was "mostly" OK...! Ain't technology great?!!
PS -
They also did a CAT Scan on Steve (since his helmet was broken) ...and found that he DOES in fact have a brain!
Mystery solved :)
PSS -
Mark Briercheck was there too ...pulling up when the main group came upon Steve after the crash.
PSS -
Thanks to Mark Nichol for looking after Steve.
--------------------------------
Mark Briercheck's FIRST HAND story:
Steve Brewer and I headed down for the weekly Wednesday nighter (7/13/11) A Criterium at the Oval. Our original goal was to set the one lap mass start record by me leading out Brewer and then Brewer firing the after burners on his awesome sprint. Unfortunatley, due to our mis-understanding of the officiating, we found out the officials weren't quite prepared to check records for each lap. So we scrapped the record setting idea for the night and just decided to focus on the race.
The A race was a decent sized group with 35+ riders in the field. The pace started fast and stayed fast for most of the 55 lap race. Brewer and I kept tabs on each other taking turns staying towards the front and watching the breaks. A number of opportunities arose during the evening for breakaways (as both Steve and I each got into at least two solid escapes)...yet the strength of the field was showing its form and reeled it back every break.
With one lap to go Brewer was positioned towards the front of the field and I had started to drift back to watch Steve win it all. Then, after rounding turn number 4 just as Brewer had full clearance and a clean line of sight to the line....
**BAM**
I see Brewer and one other rider in red go down hard. I sprinted over to see Steve lying on the ground not moving. Bob Gotlieb is the other guy who went down. After a few moments Steve started to move around and just had the look of "What happened?". Turns out that Gotlieb broke something on his drive train and just went straight down. As a result he hit Brewer from the side.
Steve never saw it coming.
As Steve stood up and looked around lots of people pointed out that he's bleeding a lot. His response: "Is my bike ok?"
And yes, that's Brewer Bike Racing: Hard. Fast. Bloody!!!
After a quick trip to the ER and hopefully only minor bike repairs - Brewer will be back in action.
After successfully making it into a 10-man breakaway, just as the break group came out of Turn #4 heading for the finish, another rider had a mechanical malfunction that caused him to veer right into Steve, crashing them both completely OUT.
Steve's jersey was torn, his helmet was smashed, his bike saddle rails were broken...
...he "pulled" a spoke out of his deep dish carbon wheel...
(WARNING: The Following Link contains Graphic Content!)
...and ultimatley Steve needed stiches to his
"achilles webbing" ...to close a tear in the skin big enough that you could see his achilles tendon. (See for yourself!)
While (all of us not there) were worried ...Steve soon began FaceBook posting from the hospital ...so we all knew he was "mostly" OK...! Ain't technology great?!!
PS -
They also did a CAT Scan on Steve (since his helmet was broken) ...and found that he DOES in fact have a brain!
Mystery solved :)
PSS -
Mark Briercheck was there too ...pulling up when the main group came upon Steve after the crash.
PSS -
Thanks to Mark Nichol for looking after Steve.
--------------------------------
Mark Briercheck's FIRST HAND story:
Steve Brewer and I headed down for the weekly Wednesday nighter (7/13/11) A Criterium at the Oval. Our original goal was to set the one lap mass start record by me leading out Brewer and then Brewer firing the after burners on his awesome sprint. Unfortunatley, due to our mis-understanding of the officiating, we found out the officials weren't quite prepared to check records for each lap. So we scrapped the record setting idea for the night and just decided to focus on the race.
The A race was a decent sized group with 35+ riders in the field. The pace started fast and stayed fast for most of the 55 lap race. Brewer and I kept tabs on each other taking turns staying towards the front and watching the breaks. A number of opportunities arose during the evening for breakaways (as both Steve and I each got into at least two solid escapes)...yet the strength of the field was showing its form and reeled it back every break.
With one lap to go Brewer was positioned towards the front of the field and I had started to drift back to watch Steve win it all. Then, after rounding turn number 4 just as Brewer had full clearance and a clean line of sight to the line....
**BAM**
I see Brewer and one other rider in red go down hard. I sprinted over to see Steve lying on the ground not moving. Bob Gotlieb is the other guy who went down. After a few moments Steve started to move around and just had the look of "What happened?". Turns out that Gotlieb broke something on his drive train and just went straight down. As a result he hit Brewer from the side.
Steve never saw it coming.
As Steve stood up and looked around lots of people pointed out that he's bleeding a lot. His response: "Is my bike ok?"
And yes, that's Brewer Bike Racing: Hard. Fast. Bloody!!!
After a quick trip to the ER and hopefully only minor bike repairs - Brewer will be back in action.
PMVC Track Bike Night
FIXIEs ...are a major workout!
Steve Brewer and Henry Dimmick took out their single speeds and headed to the PMVC Friday Night at the Track for some high-rev racing. Because of the need for a moderate gear to get up the front straight, heading down the back straight into Turn #3 can be a 125-150 rpm experience! Tears your legs right OFF.
The Final Omnium Results were as follows:
2nd Place - Steve Brewer (15.5)
5th Place - Henry Dimmick (6.5)
-----------------------------------
Text and Individual Races results by Stephanie Swan:
Friday Night Track Night is the best-kept bike-event secret in town.The quality of racing is good and evenly matched, and the chance for anaerobic training is unmatched.
It seems that the existing records for the 200 meter flying and standing start are not that bad, as no one broke either one. Steve Brewer came awfully close to the standing start record of 17.61, with a time of 17.64.
Steve Bedillion made a valiant try for the standing-start 1-lap record, but fell short by a little over a second. Here are the results:
RACE A: 2-lap TT
3. Steve Brewer 2.19
7. Henry Dimmick 2.25
RACE B: 10-Lap Handicap
1. Steve Brewer
5. Henry Dimmick
RACE C: Sprints (2 heats + repechage)
2. Steve Brewer
4. Henry Dimmick
RACE D: Win and Out
4. Steve Brewer
5. Henry Dimmick
RACE E: 2-Lap Olympic Sprint
2. Dimmick/Ferrar
3. Brewer/Peterson
Steve Brewer and Henry Dimmick took out their single speeds and headed to the PMVC Friday Night at the Track for some high-rev racing. Because of the need for a moderate gear to get up the front straight, heading down the back straight into Turn #3 can be a 125-150 rpm experience! Tears your legs right OFF.
The Final Omnium Results were as follows:
2nd Place - Steve Brewer (15.5)
5th Place - Henry Dimmick (6.5)
-----------------------------------
Text and Individual Races results by Stephanie Swan:
Friday Night Track Night is the best-kept bike-event secret in town.The quality of racing is good and evenly matched, and the chance for anaerobic training is unmatched.
It seems that the existing records for the 200 meter flying and standing start are not that bad, as no one broke either one. Steve Brewer came awfully close to the standing start record of 17.61, with a time of 17.64.
Steve Bedillion made a valiant try for the standing-start 1-lap record, but fell short by a little over a second. Here are the results:
RACE A: 2-lap TT
3. Steve Brewer 2.19
7. Henry Dimmick 2.25
RACE B: 10-Lap Handicap
1. Steve Brewer
5. Henry Dimmick
RACE C: Sprints (2 heats + repechage)
2. Steve Brewer
4. Henry Dimmick
RACE D: Win and Out
4. Steve Brewer
5. Henry Dimmick
RACE E: 2-Lap Olympic Sprint
2. Dimmick/Ferrar
3. Brewer/Peterson
20110724
Tour of the Valley
Kirk Morrison was BAITED :)
Dan Schar got everyone all charged up to do the 2011 Tour of the Valley, then after Kirk signed up (and paid), Dan realized that that his son's Birthday was that weekend (?)!!!
Anyway, Kirk dutifully headed to Youngstown solo, Friday, then Staurday, then Sunday for the TT, the Road Race and the Criterium.
-------------------------
Kirk recalls the blur of the weekend as follows:
This past weekend was my first, 3 day stage race (the Tour of the Valley) which was held in the Youngstown area. The series started with the Friday evening TT where I finished in 14th place (out of 23 competitors for the Masters 50+ group). This was staged from the beautiful Mastropietro Winery with a scenic, rolling 9 mile, out-and-back course over fairly narrow, country roads.
The second stage was the Saturday RR where I was able to hang with the lead group until about mile 25 where my lack of “hot weather” (90 degree temps at the 11am start) training caught up with me. This stage started and finished in downtown Columbiana, Ohio. I finished this 45 mile RR stage in 18th place which left me 17th in the overall standings.
The final Sunday Crit was very fast (reminiscent of the Steel City Showdown) with a short, block length, 10-12% grade on every lap. This course was in downtown Youngstown with the start line adjacent to the Youngstown State Univ campus. The pace was very fast through this 6 turn course where I finished in 15th place out of 25 competitors.
My final standing for the Omnium (all 3 events) was 18th place.
The organization was outstanding (one registration for the entire weekend !). I look forward to coming back next year with some “faster legs”!
- Kirk
Dan Schar got everyone all charged up to do the 2011 Tour of the Valley, then after Kirk signed up (and paid), Dan realized that that his son's Birthday was that weekend (?)!!!
Anyway, Kirk dutifully headed to Youngstown solo, Friday, then Staurday, then Sunday for the TT, the Road Race and the Criterium.
-------------------------
Kirk recalls the blur of the weekend as follows:
This past weekend was my first, 3 day stage race (the Tour of the Valley) which was held in the Youngstown area. The series started with the Friday evening TT where I finished in 14th place (out of 23 competitors for the Masters 50+ group). This was staged from the beautiful Mastropietro Winery with a scenic, rolling 9 mile, out-and-back course over fairly narrow, country roads.
photo by Mike Briggs
photo by Mike Briggs
photo by Mike Briggs
The organization was outstanding (one registration for the entire weekend !). I look forward to coming back next year with some “faster legs”!
- Kirk
ACA Criterium
FoxVelo rider John McClintock is training the next generation of riders!
Here is a brief report on his activities from a recent Allegheny Cycling Association Tuesday Criterium:
-------------------------
I just wanted to pass along a race appearance for me, my son, and a friend of his. We went to the oval on Tuesday. My son and his friend raced in the Jr/Women's race and I did the C race.
My race was 38 laps. I rode 36 smart laps and 2 stupid laps and ended up in 16th Place!
My juniors had a great time, with my son Tyler McClintock finishing in 10th Place, scoring 2 points!
We all want to go back soon!
- John McClintock
Here is a brief report on his activities from a recent Allegheny Cycling Association Tuesday Criterium:
-------------------------
I just wanted to pass along a race appearance for me, my son, and a friend of his. We went to the oval on Tuesday. My son and his friend raced in the Jr/Women's race and I did the C race.
My race was 38 laps. I rode 36 smart laps and 2 stupid laps and ended up in 16th Place!
My juniors had a great time, with my son Tyler McClintock finishing in 10th Place, scoring 2 points!
We all want to go back soon!
- John McClintock
20110721
PMVC Friday Night TT
Lots of Ag3r & FoxVelo peeps attended (this week's) Pittsburgh Masters Velo Club, 15 mile, PMVC Friday Night Time Trials.
...just not me :(
-------------
THANKS to Fred Jordan for all the following photos:
-------------
It was a FAST NIGHT, and the Overall Placings were:
4th Place - Steve Marlette (Personal Record by 2 seconds!)
6th Place - Dan Schar (Personal Record by 35 seconds!)
14th Place - Mark Briercheck
15th Place - Randy McCracken (first time at this distance)
16th Place - Kirk Morrison (Personal Record by 21 seconds!)
19th Place - Donnie Panizales (first time at this distance)
21st Place - Ray Sielski (Personal Record by 21 seconds)
26th Place - Rich Allen
...just not me :(
-------------
THANKS to Fred Jordan for all the following photos:
-------------
It was a FAST NIGHT, and the Overall Placings were:
4th Place - Steve Marlette (Personal Record by 2 seconds!)
6th Place - Dan Schar (Personal Record by 35 seconds!)
14th Place - Mark Briercheck
15th Place - Randy McCracken (first time at this distance)
16th Place - Kirk Morrison (Personal Record by 21 seconds!)
19th Place - Donnie Panizales (first time at this distance)
21st Place - Ray Sielski (Personal Record by 21 seconds)
26th Place - Rich Allen
...When Viewed by Category:
Mens Open
Marlette – 3rd place
Schar – 4th place
Briercheck - 12th place
Panizales – 13th place
Mens 50+
McCracken – 3rd place
Morrison - 4th place
Sielski – 6th place
Allen – 7th place
ACA Criterium
Mark Briercheck soloed an Allegheny Cycling Association Wednesday Night Criterium (A Race)... a great way to stretch the legs mid week.
After animating the race in and out of a few breakaways, he settled in near the finish to stay out of the sprint chaos, ending up in a safe 19th Place!
After animating the race in and out of a few breakaways, he settled in near the finish to stay out of the sprint chaos, ending up in a safe 19th Place!
20110720
Butler (Running) Road Race
FoxVelo member Roger Lutz got out his running shoes (again) this summer for the annual running of the BULLS(?) ...AND of the Butler Road Race(!), which he completed in Personal Record Time!
Roger finished in 11th Place of the Men's 30-39 Division, and in 95th Place of 268 total finishers, despite wearing racing number #93!
THEN, upon reflection on his effort and result, AND the completion of his Cummings Coffee Double Espresso, he proceeded to immediately go out and buy a brand new bike!
He ain't dumb :)
Welcome back stiCk!
You can check out the stories of Roger's comeback HERE
The Butler Road Race is Presented by Butler Health System!
Roger finished in 11th Place of the Men's 30-39 Division, and in 95th Place of 268 total finishers, despite wearing racing number #93!
THEN, upon reflection on his effort and result, AND the completion of his Cummings Coffee Double Espresso, he proceeded to immediately go out and buy a brand new bike!
He ain't dumb :)
Welcome back stiCk!
You can check out the stories of Roger's comeback HERE
The Butler Road Race is Presented by Butler Health System!
Hilly Billy Roubaix
Dan Schar was headed into Hilly Hill Billy territory to race the much dreaded (and respected) Hilly Billy Roubaix. Unfortunately for Dan...he could not carry enough spare tubes with him!
----------------------
In Dan's SHORT Words:
Well.
My 1st ever Hilly Billy Roubaix race didn't go according to plan... at all. Not even 20 miles into the seventy mile race I already had five flats.
At the last one I was out of tubes and patches, and the sag wagon was right behind me (indicating I was the last person on the course at that point). Nothing I could do but give up the ghost. It's still stinging as I really wanted to finish it. Next year for sure!!!
To read much more from Dan, go HERE
----------------------
In Dan's SHORT Words:
Well.
My 1st ever Hilly Billy Roubaix race didn't go according to plan... at all. Not even 20 miles into the seventy mile race I already had five flats.
Yard Sale by Dan Schar!
At the last one I was out of tubes and patches, and the sag wagon was right behind me (indicating I was the last person on the course at that point). Nothing I could do but give up the ghost. It's still stinging as I really wanted to finish it. Next year for sure!!!
photo by Dan Schar
--------------------------To read much more from Dan, go HERE
PICC Erie TT
FoxVelo member Donnie Panizales elected to attend the Presque Isle Cycling Club, Rick Gorzynski Memorial Time Trial on a day when everyone else was somewhere else! Too bad for Donnie :(
However, since Individual Time Trialing is a race (against yourself...and the clock), I guess all he really needed was himself...(?)!!!
When the dust settled...and THIS TIME, there IS DUST at this race venue(!),...
Donnie finished:
11th Place in the Men's 40-49 Division
43rd Place Overall
However, since Individual Time Trialing is a race (against yourself...and the clock), I guess all he really needed was himself...(?)!!!
When the dust settled...and THIS TIME, there IS DUST at this race venue(!),...
Donnie finished:
11th Place in the Men's 40-49 Division
43rd Place Overall
20110718
PMVC Track Bike Night
Steve Brewer took his new Fixie Track Bike out of his holster for the first time...and proceeded to spin at 150 rpms until his legs and lungs exploded!!!
--------------------
Words by Oscar Swan
The rain held off, sort of, until the last event. Everyone got points. Ties were decided by 2-Lap times. A nice tight group of riders. Next time, everyone bring someone else. Points are indicated cumulatively.
Race A. 2-Lap TT
5. Steve Brewer 2:16 (1pts)
Race B. Miss N Out
3. Steve Brewer (4pts)
Race C. Sprints
2. Steve Brewer (8pts)
Race D. Snowball
6+ Steve Brewer
Race E. 2 Mile Handicap
5. Steve Brewer (9pts)
OMNIUM (Overall)
5. Steve Brewer (9pts)
--------------------
Words by Oscar Swan
The rain held off, sort of, until the last event. Everyone got points. Ties were decided by 2-Lap times. A nice tight group of riders. Next time, everyone bring someone else. Points are indicated cumulatively.
Race A. 2-Lap TT
5. Steve Brewer 2:16 (1pts)
Race B. Miss N Out
3. Steve Brewer (4pts)
Race C. Sprints
2. Steve Brewer (8pts)
Race D. Snowball
6+ Steve Brewer
Race E. 2 Mile Handicap
5. Steve Brewer (9pts)
OMNIUM (Overall)
5. Steve Brewer (9pts)
20110715
Carlisle TT
Brian Hopkins is an "outcast"...!
Actually, it's not that he's been "cast out", but simply that he lives 4 hours away from the rest of us in Mt. Holly Springs, Pa.
The upside (besides not having to ride with us all the time!), is that he is able to attend many good "out-east races" that we are too lazy to travel to (regularily).
This time, it was the Carlisle Individual Time Trial... where according to Brian, he made "...every mistake possible leading into this race."
....then went ahead and WON the RACE anyway! Silly Brian :)
Read more about it HERE
Actually, it's not that he's been "cast out", but simply that he lives 4 hours away from the rest of us in Mt. Holly Springs, Pa.
The upside (besides not having to ride with us all the time!), is that he is able to attend many good "out-east races" that we are too lazy to travel to (regularily).
This time, it was the Carlisle Individual Time Trial... where according to Brian, he made "...every mistake possible leading into this race."
....then went ahead and WON the RACE anyway! Silly Brian :)
Read more about it HERE
20110714
Colavita TT
Steve Marlette did an Individual*Individual Time Trial at this month's running of the Colavita TT.
![]()
![]()
* - Steve was the only Ag3r Racer in attendance :)
------------------------
In Steve's Words:
The Colavita TT went well for me this Sunday.
1st Place in my Age Group.
2nd Place Overall
![]()
The only thing that could of made it better was if my three dogs would have got me something for Father's Day!!!
BTW, The guy who placed first set a new course record (he broke his own record). 28.7MPH avg speed-wow!!
![]()
* - Steve was the only Ag3r Racer in attendance :)
------------------------
In Steve's Words:
The Colavita TT went well for me this Sunday.
1st Place in my Age Group.
2nd Place Overall
The only thing that could of made it better was if my three dogs would have got me something for Father's Day!!!
BTW, The guy who placed first set a new course record (he broke his own record). 28.7MPH avg speed-wow!!
20110713
Bailey Hundo - Lauchpad
Sam Morrison raced a 100 mile mtn bike race called The Bailey Hundo.
Racing the Men's Open Pro Division, Sam turned some heads when he finished in 7th Place Overall...!!! Check the Results HERE.
Afterwards, the following thing happened:
------------------------------------------
![]()
Moving On Up?
Racing the Men's Open Pro Division, Sam turned some heads when he finished in 7th Place Overall...!!! Check the Results HERE.
Afterwards, the following thing happened:
------------------------------------------
Ag3r-ButlerHealthSystem
Press Release!
Moving On Up?
We are NOT talking about George Jefferson here...but Sam Morrison! Due in part to this result, Sam has received and accepted, an offer to begin riding for the Epic Pro Cycling Team.
Epic Pro is the (pro) arm of the Epic Endurance Cycling Team. Their emphasis is on the (long) mtn races like the Bailey Hundo, Transylvania, Breck Epic, and more.
While this is not Sam's first offer to ride for another Team, this is his first Pro Team offer, and one that is (scheduled) to provide him with much more, and "local" (Boulder Area) support than Ag3r-ButlerHealthSystem can.
You can learn (a little) more about both groups at:
EPIC PRO:
EPIC ENDURANCE:
Congratulations Sam :)
-------
Sniff, Sniff.
Our little boy's all growed up, Mah...!
20110707
PMVC 10 mile TT
On a beautiful mid-June night, a handful of Ag3r-ButlerHealthSystem riders headed to the Bud Harris Track on Washington Blvd for the PMVC Friday Night Time Trials.
After the "pavement" settled (as there is no dust at the track!), the boys all finished in good standing!
4th Place Overall - Steve Marlette
10th Place Overall - Mark Briercheck
16th Place Overall - Kirk Morrison (2nd 50+)
19th Place Overall - Ray Sielski (3rd 50+)
22nd Place Overall - T.Lyle Ferderber (4th 50+)
...a SLOW night, with no Personal Records set :(
After the "pavement" settled (as there is no dust at the track!), the boys all finished in good standing!
4th Place Overall - Steve Marlette
10th Place Overall - Mark Briercheck
16th Place Overall - Kirk Morrison (2nd 50+)
19th Place Overall - Ray Sielski (3rd 50+)
22nd Place Overall - T.Lyle Ferderber (4th 50+)
...a SLOW night, with no Personal Records set :(
20110706
Terrible Two (Hundred)
YIKES -
FoxVelo rider Luke Scrivanich rode 200 miles while climbing 16,000 feet during the Terrible Two, the second of three rides making up the California Triple Crown!
------------------
Luke narrated the following due to being too weak to actually type the words himself :)
A road report from the June 18th Terrible Two double century ride. Objective: Finish the ride before 10pm to procure an 'I Did It' t-shirt and get credit for California Triple Crown series.
This epic ride was billed as the most challenging of the double century CTC series and it met all expectations. Several experienced long distance specialists commented during the event that the TT difficulty surpassed the Devil Mountain Double (2 highest paved peaks in San Francisco Bay Area) and the notorious Death Ride.
I barely slept the evening before, anticipating the upcoming event and the 3:45am alarm. Out of the house by 4:15am, registered , and ready to roll at 5:30am with early morning cool temps in low 50s. We started with 251 riders, including 3 tandems. This ride started innocently enough in Sebastopol, which also happens to be home base for left wing of N. CA and where many of the Haight Ashbury hippies gleefully retired.
The course crossed through Santa Rosa, a short ascent on Bennett Valley Rd and then first major ascent (at 25 miles) of Trinity Grade, which was featured in the old Coors Classic stage race and more recently in the Tour of California. I lost contact with the lead group on the Trinity ascent, never to be seen again. The descent off the back side of Trinity is steep and twisty, and is followed by a short ascent over Oakville Grade and then a quick descent into Napa Valley.
The next 40 miles roll through the picturesque vineyards and meadows of Napa and Alexander Valleys. We formed a 10 person paceline near St. Helena, which swelled to almost 25 riders by the time we hit the first rest stop in Calistoga (mile 55). The next major climb began at Geysers Road, with the twin-summit peaks at miles 81 & 84, topping out at 2700'. The Geysers is in the Mayacamas Mt range, and contains the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world, with naturally occurring steam field reservoirs just below the earth's surface.
The descent off the backside of Geysers begins with an extremely steep drop of about one mile, then a gradual downhill through Sulfur Creek Canyon with steep, unstable terrain. After passing through Cloverdale, a short climb and a descent into Dry Creek Valley led us into the midway lunch stop at the Lake Sonoma Dam (mile 110). It is now 12:30pm and 7 hrs into my ride. I'm thinking I should be able to finish this thing in under 14 hours, right? However, this was WISHFUL THINKING . . .
That's because after lunch is when the Terrible Two gets truly terrible. The first half of the TT climbs 7500' in 110 miles. The second half climbs 9000' in 90 miles, 5000' of it in the first 30 miles after lunch. We headed out onto Skaggs Springs Rd which is a 35-mi road the Army Corps of Engineers built to bypass Lake Sonoma in 1981 and access the coast. It has a classic saw-toothed profile, with endless series of steep, sun-baked climbs and false summits. Temps rose to the high 80s at the summit of the first 2000' monster. This was followed by a very steep descent into a deep canyon, followed by another 2000' grinder. Along the way I passed at least a dozen cyclists pushing their bikes up the steepest grade. I was thanking the lucky stars that I recently changed out the 11-25 rear cassette to a 12-28. I saw one guy throw his "*#$&ing-bike" into a ditch, announcing his day was done! There was carnage in the back of the field and it was time for me to move forward to catch some of the folks who actually had a chance of finishing this ride!
After a long descent into coastal region with towering redwoods and coveted shade, we hit the final assault prior to the coastline with a wicked 1.7 mile, 900' wall. After a rest stop at the crest, we did a tricky descent followed by a short climb, then down to the coast at Stewarts Point. The course turned south on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) and we caught a slight tailwind as we headed down the coast along the phenomenal scenery of rugged rocky cliffs and pounding surf for 15 miles. Although this Hwy 1 section is considered easy, it actually added nearly 1000' of climb to the total before reaching the next rest stop at Fort Ross (mile 162) at 6:30pm. At this stop I learned that 50 of the 251 cyclists had already abandoned!
The climb on Ft. Ross Road is 2.6 miles and climbs 1500' - it averages 11%, but has sections over 15%. At this point I could barely keep the pedals moving, but vowed not to dismount and push my machine. Fortunately it was shady most of the way, and I actually started to cool off approaching the summit. This peak was followed by a bumpy, narrow descent, a more gradual climb up Black Mt, and a then a long, technical descent into Cazadero. During this descent my front tire flatted - I was unable to find any embedded road debris and hoping this was simply a pinch flat from the densely pot-holed road.
I rolled into last rest stop in Monte Rio (mile 184) in a small group at 8:20pm, where I installed lights that were pre-delivered to the stop, and was urged to get back on the road quickly or lest I may miss the 10pm cutoff. I had come so far and was certainly not willing to surrender my main objective! However, I couldn't afford another flat, as it was getting dark and I would lose time trying to repair in the dark STRESS!
I found a riding buddy as I headed up the Bohemian Hwy towards Occidental and the group eventually grew to 3 musketeers desperately trying to find our way, with limited visibility, back to Sebastopol. Fortunately, I know these roads well and we didn't miss any turns. We finally finished at 9:43pm, with 17 min to spare! The final 90 mi had taken me over 9 hrs!
This ride ranks at the top of my list for most physically demanding events I've ever engaged in. My total time for the 201 mi and 16,500' was 16:13, with 14:04 in the saddle for average of 14.3 mph. Not exactly a blistering pace, but considering this was my first TT and second double century ever, I was immensely satisfied with the result!
Overall I finished 144th out of the 251 registered. 178 actually completed the ride.
FoxVelo rider Luke Scrivanich rode 200 miles while climbing 16,000 feet during the Terrible Two, the second of three rides making up the California Triple Crown!
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Luke narrated the following due to being too weak to actually type the words himself :)
A road report from the June 18th Terrible Two double century ride. Objective: Finish the ride before 10pm to procure an 'I Did It' t-shirt and get credit for California Triple Crown series.
This epic ride was billed as the most challenging of the double century CTC series and it met all expectations. Several experienced long distance specialists commented during the event that the TT difficulty surpassed the Devil Mountain Double (2 highest paved peaks in San Francisco Bay Area) and the notorious Death Ride.
I barely slept the evening before, anticipating the upcoming event and the 3:45am alarm. Out of the house by 4:15am, registered , and ready to roll at 5:30am with early morning cool temps in low 50s. We started with 251 riders, including 3 tandems. This ride started innocently enough in Sebastopol, which also happens to be home base for left wing of N. CA and where many of the Haight Ashbury hippies gleefully retired.
The course crossed through Santa Rosa, a short ascent on Bennett Valley Rd and then first major ascent (at 25 miles) of Trinity Grade, which was featured in the old Coors Classic stage race and more recently in the Tour of California. I lost contact with the lead group on the Trinity ascent, never to be seen again. The descent off the back side of Trinity is steep and twisty, and is followed by a short ascent over Oakville Grade and then a quick descent into Napa Valley.
The next 40 miles roll through the picturesque vineyards and meadows of Napa and Alexander Valleys. We formed a 10 person paceline near St. Helena, which swelled to almost 25 riders by the time we hit the first rest stop in Calistoga (mile 55). The next major climb began at Geysers Road, with the twin-summit peaks at miles 81 & 84, topping out at 2700'. The Geysers is in the Mayacamas Mt range, and contains the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world, with naturally occurring steam field reservoirs just below the earth's surface.
The descent off the backside of Geysers begins with an extremely steep drop of about one mile, then a gradual downhill through Sulfur Creek Canyon with steep, unstable terrain. After passing through Cloverdale, a short climb and a descent into Dry Creek Valley led us into the midway lunch stop at the Lake Sonoma Dam (mile 110). It is now 12:30pm and 7 hrs into my ride. I'm thinking I should be able to finish this thing in under 14 hours, right? However, this was WISHFUL THINKING . . .
That's because after lunch is when the Terrible Two gets truly terrible. The first half of the TT climbs 7500' in 110 miles. The second half climbs 9000' in 90 miles, 5000' of it in the first 30 miles after lunch. We headed out onto Skaggs Springs Rd which is a 35-mi road the Army Corps of Engineers built to bypass Lake Sonoma in 1981 and access the coast. It has a classic saw-toothed profile, with endless series of steep, sun-baked climbs and false summits. Temps rose to the high 80s at the summit of the first 2000' monster. This was followed by a very steep descent into a deep canyon, followed by another 2000' grinder. Along the way I passed at least a dozen cyclists pushing their bikes up the steepest grade. I was thanking the lucky stars that I recently changed out the 11-25 rear cassette to a 12-28. I saw one guy throw his "*#$&ing-bike" into a ditch, announcing his day was done! There was carnage in the back of the field and it was time for me to move forward to catch some of the folks who actually had a chance of finishing this ride!
After a long descent into coastal region with towering redwoods and coveted shade, we hit the final assault prior to the coastline with a wicked 1.7 mile, 900' wall. After a rest stop at the crest, we did a tricky descent followed by a short climb, then down to the coast at Stewarts Point. The course turned south on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) and we caught a slight tailwind as we headed down the coast along the phenomenal scenery of rugged rocky cliffs and pounding surf for 15 miles. Although this Hwy 1 section is considered easy, it actually added nearly 1000' of climb to the total before reaching the next rest stop at Fort Ross (mile 162) at 6:30pm. At this stop I learned that 50 of the 251 cyclists had already abandoned!
The climb on Ft. Ross Road is 2.6 miles and climbs 1500' - it averages 11%, but has sections over 15%. At this point I could barely keep the pedals moving, but vowed not to dismount and push my machine. Fortunately it was shady most of the way, and I actually started to cool off approaching the summit. This peak was followed by a bumpy, narrow descent, a more gradual climb up Black Mt, and a then a long, technical descent into Cazadero. During this descent my front tire flatted - I was unable to find any embedded road debris and hoping this was simply a pinch flat from the densely pot-holed road.
I rolled into last rest stop in Monte Rio (mile 184) in a small group at 8:20pm, where I installed lights that were pre-delivered to the stop, and was urged to get back on the road quickly or lest I may miss the 10pm cutoff. I had come so far and was certainly not willing to surrender my main objective! However, I couldn't afford another flat, as it was getting dark and I would lose time trying to repair in the dark STRESS!
I found a riding buddy as I headed up the Bohemian Hwy towards Occidental and the group eventually grew to 3 musketeers desperately trying to find our way, with limited visibility, back to Sebastopol. Fortunately, I know these roads well and we didn't miss any turns. We finally finished at 9:43pm, with 17 min to spare! The final 90 mi had taken me over 9 hrs!
This ride ranks at the top of my list for most physically demanding events I've ever engaged in. My total time for the 201 mi and 16,500' was 16:13, with 14:04 in the saddle for average of 14.3 mph. Not exactly a blistering pace, but considering this was my first TT and second double century ever, I was immensely satisfied with the result!
Overall I finished 144th out of the 251 registered. 178 actually completed the ride.
20110701
Posts "Off the Back"
I am behind in Race Results Postings... due to traveling much of the last 2 weeks.
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