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 :)

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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)

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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.

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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.

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 Place - Steve 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  :)"

TMR Roofing's got our "Back"

Out in Colorado, they do this thing called "Short Track".  Here is a picture of S.A.M. at the Start...

...and HERE is a link to a video of S.A.M.'s BUTT during the race. 

TMR Roofing never looked so good  : )

THANKS to Yuki Saito for the Video!

PMVC Master's Criterium

Kirk Morrison closed out the Friday Night Pittsburgh Master's Velo Club Season by competing in the 40+ Open Category Master's Criterium.

During the 40 laps (20 miles) of racing there was lots of wheel to wheel action, with Kirk finishing in 14th Place.
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In Kirk's Words:
I enjoyed last nights Masters Crit. This was a first for me as I was able to survive some pretty good accelerations from the group. I made some moves for Primes (none successful) and helped to chase down a breakaway. It was surprising how quickly I could slip from the front to the back after a hard effort. Fell off the back a few times but was able to catch back on to finish in the pack.

Thanks to Stephanie for the encouraging cheers !


Great parking lot after-event!
Exceptionally well run by Oscar, Stephanie and Sophie. Highly recommended !

TT Photos - Supplemental

Here are a few pictures by Shelly O'Keefe from last Friday Nights PMVC Individual Time Trial:

PMVC Friday TT

The last PMVC Friday Night TT of the 2010 Season was a 15 mile event...with the final races using our TT bikes not far behind.  Here comes CycloCross!

After "buying some speed", Kirk headed out onto a busy (and crowded) night on track. 

In the end, Ag3r riders found themselves occupying many of the money placings offered by Oscar & Stephanie Swan... "Thanks" to them  :)

1st Place - Brian Hopkins
3rd Place - Steve Marlette
4th Place - Dan Schar (PR by 1:28)
5th Place - Henry Dimmick
8th Place - Kirk Morrison (PR by 0:47)
13th Place - Rich Allen
15th Place - Mark Briercheck
16th Place - Ray Sielski (PR by 0:03)

Of course, the "racing" is only PART of any event for US. Afterwards, The Team hung out well after the last racers had left the venue and the street light had lit...

Steve Marlette joined the 15 people infield party attended by his wife and neighbors...

Dan Schar re-hydrated(!)...

...and Henry apparently had something sour to drink!

As always...a terrifically painful way to end the week  :)

Colavita Eastern Ohio TT

Steve Marlette and Henry Dimmick headed into Ohio for the 4th in this 5-race Colavita Eastern Ohio TT Series.  Despite the rainy drive and overcast skies, what we found was:

A paved parking lot for warm-ups...

A Starting Ramp...attended by Promoter Brian Baird of Applied Vision, an engineering partner with Agr!

An extensive prize list...

...and GREAT Organization & Sponsorship...

...all combining to make this race an totally enjoyable experience!  After the (dust) had settled...

Steve finished in 1st Place of the Men's 40-49 division

...and Henry finished in 3rd Place of the Men's 50-59 division.

This is a race we will have to come back to!

Smith Dairy Milk Race

Dan Schar and Mark Briercheck headed off to the Smith's Dairy Milk Race.

Dan finished in 12th Place while Mark finished further back as a result of his last minute surprise attack for the line in hopes of stealing victory!

You can read ALL about the race on Dan's Blog by clicking HERE!

PMVC Track Bike Night

Oscar Swan (and his megaphone!) has returned from his (summer in Europe) to run the final TT and Track Bike nights of the 2010 PMVC Friday Night Series.

On this LAST Track Bike (Fixie) night of the season...

...Henry Dimmick remembered how much "fun" racing (6 events) back-to-back-to-back is...by throwing up (only once!) DURING the final 15 Lap Points race.  Sorry, no pictures are available!

Taking 5th Place Overall in the Omnium, Henry placed as follows in the individual events:

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6th Place - 1 lap TT

6th Place - Elimination Sprints

3rd Place - Chariot Race

6th Place - Miss & Out

1st Place - 2 Man Relay (w/ Jason Zimmerman)

7th Place - 15 Lap Point Race

PMVC Friday Night TT

As the end of the 2010 Time Trial season quickly approaches,  a "short list" of Ag3r riders rushed to fill the last available starting slots for the recent "short distance" Pittsburgh Master's Velo Club 10 mile TT event!

While only a few of us raced this night, many good times and placings were snagged by Ag3r riders:

3rd Place - Steve Brewer (PR by 36 seconds)
5th Place - Steve Marlette
10th Place - Dan Schar
11th Place - Mark Briercheck (1 second behind Schar!)
22nd Place - Kirk Morrison

Xterra Appalachia Triathlon

Mike Maher gave the Xterra Appalachia Triathlon ANOTHER try...hoping to have a better time of it this time around.  Considering all that went wrong in his "3 strikes & you're OUT" attempt, improvement should be a "lead pipe cinch"!

THIS time around, Mike took 4th Place in the Men's 40-44yrs and 22nd Place Overall

To read about Mike's LAST outing, click HERE.

Canoe Creek Triathlon

Hannah Brewer & Mike Maher competed in The Canoe Creek Triathlon.

Hannah finished in 1st Place (Women's 20-29), and 5th Place Women's Overall

This was the first showing of the her Ag3r tri suit, which she believed brought good luck because it was her fastest run time ever!!!

Showing that CHIVALRY is not dead, Mike took 2nd Place (Men's 40-44), letting Hannah take the top honors on the day!

TWO Podiums... Well Done Tri-People :)

Bear Creek Resort

Sam Morrison spent the weekend at the Bear Creek Resort ... racing!!!

First up, the Super D:  Sam took 3rd Place out of 24 racers!  Gravity is his friend :)

The following day, Sam again line up to race, but THIS time it was for the Pa. State XC Championship.

Showing that pedaling is actually his strong suit (no suprise for a 150 pounder!) Sam fought his way to 2nd Place in the Cat 1 Mens, 19-24 age group.  Awesome Results!

National Master's TT

Kirk Morrison rode his momentum from the Pa. State Master's TT Championships clear to Louisville, Kentucky for the USAC Master's TT National Championships.

Competing in the Men's 50-54 yrs Category, Kirk took 35th Place.

From the Pa. State Master's TT, to the Master's Nationals TT...Kirk traveled LOTS of miles and competed in the best TTs the USA has to offer... ALL IN ONE WEEK.

Nice Job Kirk  :)

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In Kirk's Words:
Yesterdays Masters Nationals were quite an eye opener. Lots of strong riders. Tough conditions with temps over 95F, very high humidity and bright sun over the entire course.

I finished the 25.8km Mens 50-54 Nationals TT in 35th place (38'13") out of a total field of 39 riders. The surprising thing is that I had a fairly good ride with an avg HR of 183bpm (including a new high of 192bpm on several hills). It was great to see riders at this level. Very motivating and enlightening .... Highly recommended !!

Pa. State Master's TT

Kirk Morrison took a shot at the Pa. State Master's Individual Time Trial Title...finishing in:

16th Place (Men's 50-54 yrs) ...with results also reported here.

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In Kirk's Words:
I ended up placing 16th in the 50-54 age group with a time of 31'34".  The race was held over a fairly hilly course with over 500 feet of climbing over the 20K.

I couldn't help but note that my time would have put me in the top 10 for the 30-34, 35-39 and 40-44 age groups (and #11 for the 45-49 group). I'm surprised that there are so many fast guys in the 50+ group.

I was hoping for a better result but considering that I've only had 2 days to get used to the UCI Legal position (had to move my saddle to the rear by over 5cm !) I can't complain. The "illegal" position was definitely more comfortable and faster. No pics ... hopefully I will be able to get a few
at Nationals on Tuesday.

Envy Types:

Equipment Envy!

Speed Envy!

THANKS to FRED JORDAN for the GREAT Photos here...

...and for those just added to the Friday 25 mile TT post below.

Run with the Deer Flies

Hannah Brewer took on her first TRAIL RUN at the "Run with the Deer Flies" 15k.

Turns out, she's pretty good at it, finishing:

2nd Place Woman 20-29

5th Place Woman's Overall

12 Place Overall

With results like that, she was obviously running FASTER than the deer flies...not "with" them as the race name implies.  Something that can be appreciated by all those who have been bitten by one of those MONSTERS!

Friday Night TT

The first 25 mile distance of the PMVC / IC Bikes Friday Night at the Track finally arrived...and went. 

In order to keep the track safe, a 30 rider limit was set for the evening.  Ag3r was able to land 7 of those valuable seats.

Dan Schar - 5th Place Overall
(sub one-hour / no aero helmet / no aero wheels)

Steve Brewer - 7th Place
(sub one-hour / Personal Record by 3:26)
(first time beating Marlette!)

Steve Marlette - 8th Place
(sub one-hour / Steve's 11th sub one-hour time)

Brian Hopkins - 10th Place
(sub one hour / riding Merckx style!)

Mark Briercheck - 13th Place

Ray Sielski - 17th Place
(Personal Record by 2:44)

Hanna Brewer - 25th Place

Shannock Valley HEAT Festival

Mike Maher & Rich Allen competed in the Shannock Valley Festival.  Mike did the 5K run, then joined Richy for the Mtn Bike Race.

5K RUNNING RACE:
Mike Maher
9th Place Overall
3rd Place 40-44 yrs


MTN BIKE RACE:
Rich Allen
27th Place Overall
3rd Place 50-59 yrs

Mike Maher
44th Place Overall
4th Place 40-44 yrs

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In Mike's Words:
The Running race was first and it was brutally hot. Finished 9th overall and 3rd in my age group despite faltering at the end.  The MTB race was later that morning starting at 11AM. Just to make sure it had warmed up enough. I completely imploded after mile two. I could hardly turn the pedals on the flats.  But here’s the interesting part…

Average pace for the run 7:20/mile
Average pace for the bike 7:43/mile

Now that’s embarrassing!!! 
Another point of interest: They carted a guy out with heat stroke. Pretty bad.

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In Richy's Words:
Did the MB race in the 89 F temp but tried not to let it bother me since Randy and I train in the heat.

Past the guy, Pat, leading my age group point series about 2 miles into the race and actually stayed with some of the experts for the first halve of the race but then wilted on the hills.

Past a check point and asked the guy how much further and he said about 4.5 miles to go. I'm like how far?? I didn't believe him but I didn't know so stayed on the same pace. Then a couple minutes later I hear someone yell my name out from behind me, it was Pat, and I just missed a turn! Not sure how because the course was pretty well marked. By the time I got turned around and heading down the right trail he was gone. As it turned out where I missed the turn was just on the edge of town 2 blocks from the finish.

Pat finished a few seconds ahead of me for second and I brought up the rear in 3rd. "A guy" from WV won the age group, he's really fast.

I think I'm second in points w/ 2 races left.

The New Kit

Ag3r's 2010 Kit, taking over ...(and over taking!) ...our 2008 Kit   : )

PMVC Friday TT

The most recent PMVC Friday Night Time Trial was contested at the 20 mile distance.

3rd Place - Steve Marlette
6th Place - Kirk Morrison
11th Place - Ray Sielski
16th Place - Hannah Brewer

In a seperate effort, Steve Brewer attempted to re-set the newly broken 12.5 mile track record...falling a bit short of the mark.

This was also the first (in-person) public sighting of our new KIT  :)

Stay Tuned for Pictures!