Sept 20: Presque Isle Time Trial

This event marks (for us) the end of the Summer Road Racing Season... something we all look forward to! Attending were Steve Marlette, Ray Sielski, Dave Hickey and me (Henry Dimmick). Arriving to Erie at 6am... the change of season goes hand-in-hand with a change in the Sunrise ...so camp set-up for this Fall event is done in the DARK. While the venue is the same as usual, a beautiful loop around Presque Isle State Park... ...NEW THIS DAY was the addition of 2 new riders to the Ag3r Team... the one-two punch, husband-wife team of Steve and Hanna Brewer. ...and as you can see.... Hanna is a real "Knock Out" :) So, while everyone pulled out their Time Machines for this final TT of the season, I dusted off my Single Speed Fixie... and outfitted it with the latest in (not so aerodynamic) "hipster"assessories and race fuels!

Meanwhile, with such close proximity to the lake...

... one must be on constant watch for signs of forward(?) steps in human "evolution"...

Getting back to racing (!)... and to the awards, we all gathered around...

...to watch Steve Marlette and our "New Brewers" proceed to collect some hardware!

Hanna Brewer: 1st Place Women's 20-24 yrs / 87th Overall

Steve Brewer: 1st Place Men's 20-24 yrs / 4th Overall

Steve Marlette: 1st Place Men's 45-49 yrs / 6th Overall

Dave Hickey: 30th Place Overall

Ray Sielski: 34th Place Overall (Setting his 3rd Personal Record on this course in 2009!)

I, on the other hand, beat these two 9 year olds!

Henry Dimmick: 59th Place Overall

So...now we transition into The Month of Mud, and CycloCross Season!

See you all in the dirt :)

Thanks to Steve Brewer for providing a few of the better photos!

Sept 19: Crooked Creek Triathlon

By Mike Maher: Great race for me. ½ mile swim brought me out of the water about mid pack, but knew the bike course would hurt the traditional triathletes in attendance. Once on the bike, I started quickly picking off riders as the terrain went more vertical. By the end of the bike I was in first place with one other guy coming out of T1. One more guy was close behind. The eventual race winner pulled away from me on the first hill. Near the top # 2 caught and passed me. I stayed about 100 yards behind these 2 till about mile 2 when they started testing each other. About a ¼ mile from the end a guy overtook me on the downhill run to the finish. He was flying I was not. So old guy Mike took 4th overall and won my age group for the last tri of the season. Now to relearn how to ride for a couple cross races.

Sept 19: Peanut Butter Festival

Rich Allen finished in 2nd Place (50+) in the BIKE-THE-WILDS SERIES,

...a three race circuit comprised of the:

(1) FAT TIRE Challenge (June 21), (2) Shannock Valley Community Festival (July 18), and the (3) Peanut Butter Festival (Sept 19) The goal of the Series is to promote Mountain Biking and Racing in the local western Pennsylvania wilderness. Congratulations Richy... and nice Podium Face :)

Sept 12/13: Tour de Strongland

Text by Mike Maher Beatings suffered by: Brian Hopkins!!! MTB Expert: Never use anything new on race day. We’ve all heard it right? I didn’t know that applied to floor pumps. I misread my new pump and mistook 57 lbs for 27 lbs of pressure. On the first of 2 laps I crashed 13 times! (No I am not exaggerating! ) 4 times completely dislodged from my bike. After a lap I “realized” that my fork was not broken and let some air out of my tires and completed the race without any more incidences. I finished WAAAAY back. Good news….I beat Brian….bad news he asked me to fill his tires before the race as well. Sorry Brian, Really! Mike Maher - 19th Place (4th Place 40-49 yrs) Brian Hopkins - DNF MTB Sport: Rich Allen - 20th Place (2nd Place 50-59 yrs) Road Expert: I had no ambitions of doing well, but had hoped for strong team showing for a local race. Brian and I were both at the start of the expert race. That has to count for something right? The gun goes off and I work my way to the front for the upcoming brutal 1.5 mile climb up “Garver’s Ferry Road”. I knew I’d get shelled, but had hoped to hang on at least on the first brutal climb. About ½ way up a group of 7-8 riders went off the front. Then Before the top I was spit out the chase group. So a long day of being in the 2nd chase group of 10 knowing that we will never see the front of the race again. Good news x 2. I attacked the group with 1.5 miles left and soloed in for 311th place. Oh and I beat Brian who “claimed” to flat about ½ mile in. Yeah right???? Mike Maher - 21st Place (3rd Place 40-49 yrs) Brian Hopkins - DNF

Sept 11: Remembrance Ride

(Back Row - L to R) Ray Sielski, Ken DeFurio, John McLaughlin, Skip Rogers, Ed Johnson, Jason Maust, (Front Row, L to R) Randy McCracken, me and Curt Morrison went for a ride on Friday, September 11th... and like all good rides, it started at Cummings Coffee Shop! Our goal this day was to Remember the attacks of Sept.11, pay our respects to those who lost their lives that day, and to proudly fly the colors of the Unites States.

Beginning with a wreath and flag (lowering) ceremony at Diamond Park, across from the Butler Court House...

...we were then escorted by the Pennsylvania State Police...

... which took us past a Military Fuel Depot...

...the whole way to MARS...................... Pa!).

... finishing the final miles on Rt 228 into the Cranberry Twp area.

Once there, we pulled out the folded flag we received and carried with us from the Butler Ceremony...

...and handed it over for an official flag (raising) ceremony at The Ciba Restaurant in 7 Fields.

Afterwards, we rode back to Butler, with a little less formality and a LOT more speed : )

Remember... " NEVER FORGET "

Sept 8: 24 Hours at 7 Springs

Mike Maher competed in the Corporate Team competition in this years 24 hours race.

Mike was the only returning member of last years 3rd Place Masters Men's Team from 2008. The rest of us are soft!

Team TMR finished in 14th Place, with 14 Laps.

Below is a picture of Mike (bottom left) waiting out the final countdown seconds before the LeMans start (run) around the mountain top lake.

Sept 5: Tour de Tamarack

Rich Allen, T.Lyle Ferderber along with Steve and Hanna Brewer headed north to Meadville for the Tour de Tamerack.

Rich, T.Lyle and Hanna entered the 20 mile race... with T.Lyle and Hanna finishing up on the podium!!!

T.Lyle - 2nd Overall Men (1st 50-59 yrs)

Rich - 11th Overall Men (2nd 50-59 yrs)

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Hanna - 3rd Overall Women (1st 20-29 yrs)

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Steve entered the 30 mile Intermediate race... and WON it :)

Steve - 1st Overall Men (1st 20-29 yrs)

Quite the day, for the Brewer's... THATS for sure!!!

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As told on race day by T.Lyle:

Race report from the North: Sunday 10/6 saw 4 AG3R related folks venture north to the Tour de Tamarack and brought home some hardware, or rather in Steve's case, a lion a la the TDF.

Steven Brewer rode the 30 Mile Intermediate race and feared the hills. Yet he stayed in the lead group till the final descent/ascent where he charged out of the few remaining riders, gapped them on the descent and held on to win on the uphill finish.

Hannah Brewer rode the 20 mile citizen race, finishing 2nd in her age group.

Rich and I also rode the 20 miler with Rich finishing 2nd in his age group and I missed the win by 1 second, passing up the other 7 of the lead group on the final ascent, rounding the uphill bend in the lead, but having someone pass me in the last 20 yards.

Top 10 Ranking

Brian Hopkins is presently Ranked 8th in the NATION, in the classification of USAC Cat3 Individual Time Trial. (He finished 2008 ranked 21st in this category.)

In his age bracket (19 to 29), Brian is Ranked 2nd in the NATION. (He finished 2008 ranked 7th in this category.)

In Pennsylvania, Brian is Ranked #1. (He also finished 2008 ranked 1st in this category)!!!

Congratulations Brian :)

Aug 28: PMVC - 5 mile TT

Hard storms ALL DAY subsided just in time for a few brave soles to compete in the final Pittsburgh Master Velo Club Friday Night Time Trial of the season. Henry Dimmick raced the 5 mile taking 2nd Place Overall Ray Sielski also raced the 5 mile, setting a PERSONAL RECORD and taking 4th Place Overall. That's 7 Personal Records in Time Trialing for Ray this year alone :) In a separate attempt, Steve Marlette took on the 20K track record, but fell a bit short. All in all, another great season of Time Trialing from PMVC and Oscar & Stephanie Swan... bringing together a perfect mix of fierce competition in a casual and social atmosphere. A great way to end the work week and begin a weekend :)

Aug 21: PMVC 25 mile TT

Tonight was the last 25 mile Individual Time Trial of the 2009 season at the Washington Blvd Track.

18th Place - Ray Sielski set a PERSONAL RECORD by 2 minutes, 42 seconds

14th Place - T.Lyle Ferederber set a PERSONAL RECORD by 1 minute, 42 seconds

5th Place - Steve Marlette fell short of his PR by ONE SECOND

17th Place - Dave Hickey fell short of his PR by 17 seconds

13th Place - Henry Dimmick fell short of his PR by 1 minute, 36 seconds

...and FoxVelo Club rider Donnie Panizales took 20th Place - setting a PERSONAL RECORD by 3 seconds!

...and as ALWAYS...we were the last to leave the grounds, hanging around for over an hour talking and "carbo-reloading"!!!

THANKS to Shelly O'Keefe for the pictures :)

Aug 16: LaTour de LaTonka - Results

Coming Soon...

Aug 16: LaTour de LaTonka - Pics

This past weekend, Mercer County... and the Amish(!)... got a taste of something they had never seen before:

The brainchild of Ken DeFurio...

...La Tour de LaTonka is a 21 Stage, held in a Single Day Race, beginning and ending at Lake LaTonka...

...pitting Team Ag3r against...The World Team :)

So, we headed out with riders and a caravan of support vehicles in tow...

...piloted by Team Hot Chicks: Alli and Ally in the End of Caravan vehicle...

...and by Team Boy-Studs: Rich, Roger and Hunter in the Lead Vehicle...

...and held Individual Time Trials...

...Team Time Trials... ...and mass start Road Races...

...with the intent to award...The PINK POLKA DOT, King of the Mountins Ribbon(!)...

...the GREEN WEENIE Sprinter's Squeeker(!) ...

...and the coveted Overall Leader's Yellow Jersey Barbie!

So after miles and miles of Mercer County flatlands...

...and bottles and bottles of consumed drinks...

...the Eiffel Tower, and...

...the end of the race were in site!

Back at (camp), the overall Team Classification "LaTonka Cup" was awarded to the winning Team...

...then we all partyed with the energy we had left...!

Luckily, cyclists have poor long term memory... so we soon were talking of doing it all again... just not real soon!

Thanks to Rich Seevers, Allison DeFurio and (to me!) for the pictures.

Aug 12: ACA Criterium

Putting a definitive "FINAL STAMP" on his Senior-Summer racing season, Sam Morrison WON the Allegheny Cycling Association Cat 3/4 "B" Criterium at the Washington Blvd Oval.

I am sure some of Sam's "followers" will be glad to see him head off to school... but not us :(

Sniff, Sniff...!

File Photo - by Fred Jordan

Aug 9: Cleveland Triathlon

Mike Maher showed up to compete in a Triathlon this weekend... but Mother Nature changed the rules!

Storms canceled the swim and turned the event into a Duathlon: Run-Bike.

The bike leg had brutal 20-30 MPH headwinds for the first 6 miles. Ouch !!!

Mike's efforts rewarded him with 8th Place Overall, and 2nd Place in the Men's 40-44 Age Group.

Nice Work Mike!

Aug 9: Milk Race

Sam Morrison competed in the Smith Dairy "Milk Race" in Orrville, Ohio today ...the day after racing the 50 mile Big Bear Lake Ultra on his mtn bike!!! Sick :) He finished in the pack of the Cat 2/3 race. You can just see him in about 6 riders back in this PHOTO.

Aug 8: Big Bear Ultra MTB

Sam Morrison traveled to Bruceton Mills, West Virginia to compete in the Big Bear Lake Ultra Mountain Bike race. After 50 miles of off-road racing, Sam outsprinted his racing "friend!" for 6th Place in the Men's Open Division, and 8th Place Overall.

Aug 7: PMVC 10 Mile TT

Steve Marlette, T.Lyle Ferderber and Ray Sielski competed in this evening's 10 mile Individual Time Trial. ...and a special night it was, with All Three Riders setting Personal Records :) Steve set a new PERSONAL RECORD, Winning the Event, and besting his previous mark by 4 seconds, posting a time of 22:04 @ 27.19 mph. T.Lyle also set a PERSONAL RECORD, besting his previous mark by 6 seconds, posting a time of 23:50 @ 25.17 mph Ray also set a PERSONAL RECORD, besting his previous mark by 18 seconds, posting a time of 25:52 @ 23.2 mph A perfect night at the Track!

Aug 05: ACA Criterium

Sam Morrison WON the field sprint for 2nd Place in this week's Allegheny Cycling Association Summer Cat 3/4 Criterium. Sam's txt said: "...(this) race was the scariest race I've ever done. Solo breakaway went, I somehow elbowed out 40 other guys for 2nd (Place)." ELBOWS UP, Sam :)

Aug 02: Lancaster Photos & More

Here are TT Photo links of Brian Hopkins and Steve Brewer... Hopkins http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/9106376_4j8GS#609112405_pCjsA-M-LB http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/9106376_4j8GS#609111842_5c3hj-M-LB Brewer http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/9106376_4j8GS#608977480_MmtLZ-M-LB http://mlkimages.smugmug.com/gallery/9106376_4j8GS#608978805_XjKy2-M-LB ...and the link to Brian's Blog so you can read & see MORE :)

Aug 02: Tour of Lancaster County

Brian Hopkins and Steven Brewer traveled... ...well Steve traveled... 'cause Brian already lives over there...(!)... ...to the Tour of Lancaster County this past Saturday & Sunday. Featuring 3 different race formats, a Road Race, an Individual Time Trail and a Criterium, points are individually awarded in each race of the two day event in order to determine an All-Around race winner. Brian Hopkins - 11th Place Overall (Men's 3/4)... ...WINNING the Individual Time Trial...! 34th - Road Race 1st Place - Time Trial 26th - Criterium Steven Brewer - 5th Place Overall (Men's 5)... ...WINNING his Individual Time Trial too :) 16 - Road Race 1st Place - Time Trial 13th - Criterium Awesome efforts by both of them!!! For the Complete result, GO HERE ... scroll down as necessary. Watch for links to the Time Trial photos, coming soon...

Aug 01: Wilderness 101

Few of us are crazy enough to take on the Wilderness 101 mountain bike race. But 325 riders, including Sam Morrison, did just that this past Saturday! Sam used up all his water bottles, all his strength and all his HEED products(!) to finish 28nd Overall (22nd Place Open Men), finishing in in 8 hours and 30 minutes of riding! Some riders were finishing at 12 hours and with lights....YIKES...! Read all about it on his Blog @ Sam's Butt Hurts!

July 31: PMVC Time Trials

Tonight was Pittsburgh Master's Velo Club's 15 mile Individual Time Trial. Racing for Ag3r-Butler Health System were: 4th Place - T.Lyle Ferderber 9th Place - Ray Sielski DNF (Flat Tire) - Rich Allen

July 29: ACA Criterium

Sam Morrison was back at the oval again tonight... as a Back-to-Back Double-Dipped-Critter... except THIS TIME, leaves with a WIN...!!! (3/4) B-Crit 1st Place Overall 2nd Place - Most Aggressive Rider (MAR) One Prime (1/2/3) A-Crit 13th Place One Prime Round and Round Sam Goes :)

July 22: ACA Criterium

Sam Morrison was a Double-Dipped-Critter this evening, competing in both the (3/4) B-Crit and then the (1/2/3) A-Criterium. (3/4) B-Crit 4th Place with Two Primes (1/2/3) A-Crit 13+