20100924

Peanut Butter Festival

Rich Allen completed the final race of the 2010 Ride-the-Wilds race series, the Peanut Butter Festival mtn bike race in New Bethlehem, Pa.

Peanut Butter Festival Results HERE
Rich Allen - 22nd Place; 3rd Place Men's 50+

Ride-the-Wilds Series Results HERE
Rich Allen - 3rd Place Overall Men's 50+

Congratuations Richy!

End of a Different Road

The Iroquois Sports Boosters, Presque Isle Individual Time Trial, is how Ag3r has historically celebrated the end of the Road Racing Season.  Over that history, beginning with Henry Dimmick attending the Fall 1998 edition, the weather has been all over the map...from warm, sunny & calm ... to dangerously windy and raining with standing water on the course.  This time, FoxVelo & Ag3r racers were met with warm and dry, but windy conditions!


Steve Brewer4th Place Overall (1st Mens 20-29)

Steve Marlette: 12th Place Overall (4th Mens 40-49)

Randy McCracken: 27th Place Overall (8th Mens 50-59)

Dave Hickey: 36th Place Overall (11th Mens 40-49)

Kirk Morrison: 37th Place Overall (14th Mens 50-59)
New Personal Record!

Ray Sielski: 62nd Place Overall (18th Mens 50-59)

Hannah Brewer: 74th Place Overall (2nd Women 20-29)
New Personal Record!

Mark Briercheck: 86th Place Overall (14th Men 30-39)
Lost on Course  : )

Full Results: HERE
While weather is what USUALLY makes the biggest "mark" on the Presque Isle events, this edition will be remembered for Bike Breakage. Steve Marlette had a seat mast failure before the race, and Steve Brewer cracked his aero bar mount out on the course.  Maybe it wasn't a bad day for (all) Ag3r riders... but it sure seemed to be a bad day for our "Steves"...and for Mark! 

As our token Marine (Rich Allen) would have wanted, Ag3r soldiered on to: "…improvise, adapt and overcome"!!!

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In Steve Marlette's Words:
What do you do when you have gotten up at 4:00am, driven 2 and a half hours to Presque Isle for a time trial race, and your seat post color breaks a half hour before your start time?....You get out your Gorilla Tape and fix it!  After 15 minutes of trying to find spare parts from kind strangers that would work, I finally secured the seat post with Gorilla Tape just in time to make it to the start line. 


The seat post really did not hold me back at all during the time trial. I fell that I may have been fast if I had gotten a better warm-up, but other than that, it was not a bad performance.  I highly recommend getting some Gorilla Tape and taking it with to races. Steve Brewer should carry it with him during the race so he can repair things like his aero bars that broke out on course, while he is racing.

Afterwards...the hearty headed out for a leisure ride and a few "Pumpkins" !!!

20100920

End of the ROAD (Season)

Dan Schar celebrated the "official" end to the 2010 Road Racing Season by standing atop the PODIUM at the West Virginia State Individual Time Trial Championships!


To read all about what he had to do to "...get his mind right...", goto "Rider Blogz / On the Schardar"

20100914

NEOCX #2 - Wendy Park

Henry Dimmick, Hannah Brewer and Rich Allen...


...drove into Ohio with a color coordinated "sister act" photographer in tow (Charis Brewer)!...


 ...to the North East Ohio CycloCross Race #2 at Wendy Park...

Photo by Sonic

...right outside Cleveland...

Photo by Sonic

...right along Lake Erie.



Photos by Sonic


In the Men's C Race:
Rich Allen finished in 6th Place

Photo by Ben Stevens  : )

Henry Dimmick DNF with a flat front tire

Photo by Charis Brewer!


Note to Self:
30 psi is too low :)

In the Men's B Race:
Rich Allen respectively withdrew after passing me!

Photo by Charis Brewer!

Henry Dimmick finished in... "like" ...32th Place(?)!!!

Photo by Ben Stevens  : )


In the Women's Race:
Hannah Brewer finished in 10th Place.

Photo by Charis Brewer!

Photo by Ben Stevens  : )

Photo by Rick Plowman

It was a BEAUTIFUL DAY for cross... which means it was NO WHERE NEAR "Real CycloCross Season: )

Concrete Cross

Steve Brewer and Brian Hopkins attended the South Mountain Cycles & Coffee Bar CycloCross race.

In the Cat 3/4 Race,
Brian finished in 16th Place
Steve finished in 20th Place

...with both these boys now racing as USAC Cat 3 Cyclocross riders!

Movin' on UP  : )

Nittany Lion Cross

Brian Hopkins was just a number at the Nittany Lion CycloCross...

...finishing a not too bad 37th....out of 122 registered riders!!! 

Now THAT is a MASS START race...

To read all about it, click HERE : )

Tour d'Strongland

Two days of racing were organized by the Strongland Chamber of Commerce...and the Maher Family took full advantage of this back-yard racing!

MTB
Sierra Maher - 2nd Place (Novice Race)
Mike Maher - 1st Place Master (Intermediate Race)

Road Race - Division II
Mike Maher - 3rd Place Overall (2nd Place in 40+)
Kirk Morrison - 14th Place Overall (2nd Place in 50+)

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In Kirk's Words:
This past weekend Mike & I raced in the Tour de Strongland Division II road race. The race was going great with both Mike and I riding in the lead group of about 12 riders (out of a 33 rider field).


Unfortunately at mile 7 my front wheel was crossed by a veering competitor causing me to crash pretty hard. After realigning my wheels (they wouldn’t turn !) and brakes I worked to chase back onto the lead pack but ended up finishing the last 14 miles solo.


In the end Mike got 3rd overall in a field sprint finish (2nd in the 40+ group) and I ended up with 14th place overall (2nd place in the 50+ age group).


Unfortunately, my crash resulted in a broken helmet, a torn jersey and a fair amount of road rash. In spite of this tumble, I have to say that I was pumped to be able to hang with the lead group. Now I just need to watch out for those wayward pack riders !


Results link: http://www.strongland.org/ROAD_2.pdf


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In Mike's Words:
Well, not a bad weekend for an old guy. Took first in the masters division of the Tour De Strongland Mountain Bike intermediate Race on Saturday and my beautiful daughter took 2nd in the novice race despite a nasty wreck a mile in. The attached pics will show the trophy envy on my part.


Sunday’s Tour De Strongland Road Race II took on quite a bit of adventure….even before the race started. Kirk Morrison and I were riding around and talking about the race route ect. I was making fun of how last year Brian Hopkins flatted at the race beginning before even getting out of the neutral start.


We were lined up in the race queue when I heard pssssssssssst. That’s right a flat tire while waiting for the race to start. I sprinted back to my truck, on a flat tire, and began a panicked speed change. Somehow during my frenzy, I ripped the stem out of the new tube. Now frantically I’m pulling crap out of my truck looking for tube # 2. Here it is. In it goes. I discharge a C02 and it’s got a hole. Tube # 3 goes in and spill my final CO2 cartridge into the tire and off I go. Not sure if I would have made it back to the start in time without Gary Bywaters delaying the gun. Thanks GARY!


Unfortunately AG3R’s drama was not over. About 4-5 miles in Kirk touched wheels and down he went. I never even knew until after the race. Somehow he bravely managed to finish 2nd in the over 50 group despite some lovely new rash. My efforts to quick change several tubes paid off with a 3rd place overall and second masters. Narrowly missing 2nd by a half a wheel after a prolonged closing sprint.

I’ve also enclosed a pic of the best chain ring tattoo, maybe ever!!!

Tour de Tamarack

Rich Allen & Mark Briercheck headed north to Meadville for the Tour de Tamarack.

Mark finished in:
5th Place of the 30 mile B-Race
1st Place in the Men's 30-39 yrs Category


Rich finished in:
9th Place of the 20 mile C-Race
1st Place in the Men's 50-59 yrs Category

Awesome Job Guys!

Thanks to Roger James for the Photos :)

-----------------------
In Mark's Words:
It was a beautiful chilly Sunday morning for the start of the 17th Annual Tour de Tamarack.
On the warm up lap Rich and I sported our super nice and toasty AG3R jackets!!!  The course was set on some beautiful hilly country roads with very few hazards. Gotta love fast and smooth tarmac.

Rich signed up for the 20 miler and I opted for the 30 miler. I'l let Rich break down the details for you on his epic event.

As for the 30 mile race:
With a starting field of 87 riders, the 30 mile race was supposed to be a neutral start up the first hill and then the pack would unleash. Who has ever seen a neutral start really be neutral? Well we hit the hill at the rev limiter and you could hear the heart rates climbing fast! By the top of climb #1 I'm sure that we had already shed a bunch of the field.

About 8 miles in the group was a bit jittery so my friend Ryan McDermitt and I were sitting comfortable and supposedly safe in the front at about 10th position. Not surprisingly two riders touched wheels and riders started to go down like dominos. McDermitt and I cut to the left to get around the group but still got caught in it. McDermitt went down but avoided injury. I came to a complete stop and unclipped. I checked on McDermiit and he was fine....except for his snapped fork! I saw that I couldn't help him so I clipped back in and sprinted to catch the field.

The next two laps were a lot less dramatic but every time we hit the climb more of the field got dropped. By the time we were within a half mile of the finish our field had shaken out to 9 riders. I got into a decent position and gave a decent kick at the sprint and came up with 5th for the day!


Afterwards, I met up with some guys for a training ride in Zelienople!  Couldn't ask for a better Sunday! ....ok...maybe if I won the sprint... ;- )


briercheck

NEOCX #1 - Manatoc

Ag3r's Cross Season Opener?  ...The North East Ohio CycloCross Series (NEOCX) Race #1 at Manatoc, of course  : )


Steve Brewer - 2nd Place (Men's C)
Ray Sielski - 10th Place (Men's C, 50+)

Hannah Brewer - 9th Place (Sport Women)

Steve Brewer - 18th Place (Men's B)

---------------------------------
In Hannah's Words:
I raced the "big girls race" -- the open women's category, which was part of the B race. I certainly wasn't a shining star, but I hung on, and had a lot of fun.

According to Random Spectator # 1, the guy who finished 3rd overall in the Men's B Race "Got smoked like a bad cigar", as Steve sprinted past him at the end of the C race to take second place overall! I had to laugh, and of course, was proud of him for "smoking that other guy". In this photo, Steve is pictured behind the 3rd place finisher as they are going over the barriers during their last lap.


It was a fun event, and I see why Steve (among others) are so pumped about CX season.

---------------------------
In Ray's Words:
First Saturday of September, Hanna and Steve Brewer flanked by Ray Sielski attended the NEOCX #1 at Camp Manitowac Ohio. An iffy day turned out to be a perfect day for cyclocross. Partial sun and cool breezes combined with a hard track to make for a fast race.


The course had plenty of single track littered with roots, and was mostly flat and dry, making the grassy fields less technical while bringing us quickly to two sand pits. The sand was deep and slowed you down to a crawl very quickly. If you could maintain balance then a 180 degree turn took you through the second pit. Another 180 degree turn took you into the first of two run ups. This proved to be a calamity for many as they were well of balance through the 2 pits and 2 run ups.


Winner of the B race was on a mountain bike and bunny hopped the barriers.  The event was well attended with a carnival atmosphere of sponsors and riders.

20100905

Devil's Backbone

Steve Brewer and Brian Hopkins raced the Devil's Backbone long mtn cross race in Wintergreen, Virginia....65 miles of off-road pleasure/pain!

1st Place  - Some Guy @ 3:44:03
43rd Place - Brian Hopkins @ 4:46:24
47th PlaceSteve Brewer @ 4:59:00
Last Place Finisher - Some Other Guy @ 7:38:30

YIKES : )

To read more, GoTo Brian's Blog from the Right Sidebar.

2 Mile Run MTB

Rich Allen ran and rode in the 2 Mile Run Mountain Bike Race...and may never know how he finished!

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Richy says:
Raced the 2 Mile Run MB race and it didn't go very well at all.

The race started a with a 100 yard sprint to where the bikes where staged then up a "mountain", actually a sled riding hill. Since I was in no hurry on the run I had a lot of passing to do before heading into the woods, gota pass as many as you can before the single track. Into the woods on to some double track passed a few more and was on the back of the lead pack. I hear someone behind yell hey Rich I need to get around you so I pulled left and he went right, it was Justin never saw him again.

A mile or so later we got lost, actually we found a long string of riders going up the hill we had done a couple minutes earlier so back up the hill looking for the course, someone yelled "it's over here" and off we went.  After getting dropped and hooking up with a slower group we got lost again but this time we caught and passed the guy leading the point series "Pat " for my age group that, was the second time I passed him! I hear someone behind me yell hey there's a Roadie infront of me he passes me and it's Brian Parker never saw him again.

About mile 9 we got lost again and when we where found I was back passing Pat again. About mile 12 or 13 I started cramping got passed by Pat but never saw him again either. I hate cramps!

The 18 mile distance was a little long for me to race, gotta give credit to those experts that do it all the time, I've been sore for like 3 days! Because some people got lost and some didn't the race organizers aren't sure what they're going to do about the scoring.

King of the Rockies

Sam Morrison raced the King of the Rockies Winter Park series finale race.

Sam finished in 20th Place out of 40+ in the Pro Division...despite using his SS frame outfitted with gears.


Sam said:
"Kind of a shocker to the system after a year of full suspension. Had a 36 single ring up front (no cable stops for front derail), and it was WAY too big. The steep stuff felt like I was still on my *ss  :)"