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CARR 6TH AT TOUR OF SYRACUSE! LESNAK WINS TTS! FALLON 3RD AT STATES!

5/16/2009

While performing some core exercises the day before the Tour of Syracuse, Dave Carr of Setanta/CRCA pulled a muscle in his hip. When he got to the race the next day, he could barely walk and wondered if he could race. The day started with a crit and the course was soaked with torrential waves. Dave noted the course would’ve been fun if dry, but wet it could be VERY problematic – especially with a fast downhill and a turn full of four feet of water…

The race was crash-free – except for the final lap! On the hill, a rider in front went down, someone plowed into him, and a bunch of riders hit the deck, David included. He landed on his bum left hip. David was able to roll across the line on the warped front wheel to make sure he finished with the same time as the leaders… Now with road rash and a bruise on his right quad, he had additiona problems with which to deal…

The second day started off with a 3-mile TT. David hit the gas hard and took 3rd on the day! The road race was 57 miles on a beautiful, windy course with two hard climbs each lap. With 80 starters, several breaks went up the road. When a dangerous one including a GC guy and the guy who won the Bear Mountain Cat-4s went, David organized a successful chase, showing the strong college kids how to rotate at the front. Once caught, two riders made a strong move and were gone. The whittled field of 35 riders were now racing for 3rd and were losing time to the leaders.

David hit the final climb at fourth wheel. As others surged and accelerated, he remained steady, letting some guys pass. David started notching up his effort and passed them all, shedding the field up the long climb. At the finish, only five riders were left. David lead out the sprint and still managed to get 4th of 5, taking 6th in the road race and 6th overall. David’s season is centered around June’s 3-day Giro di Jersey, where he will be peaking 100%.

LESNAK KEEPS WINNING AND WINNING, PEAKS FOR NJ STATE TT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ben Lesnak, who races unattached, has started the TT season near-perfectly. He WON Sandy Hook, WON Palisades, WON Cape May, took 2nd at High Point, WON Kingwood 36k, WON the Somerset TT... Palisades was a good course for him, very fast and he was able to put his wind-tunnel tested position to full use. At High Point, Ben took a chance and used his TT bike. He didn’t do much climbing prior to the event but was strong enough to still claim 2nd on the day.

Somerset was not a great course for Ben, technical and full of rollers. Still, Ben was able to stay aero and ride hard, tying for 1st on the day. Ben then took some much-needed rest in lieu of his peak at the State Time Trial Championships. Ben posted by far his best Fitness Test 7 days prior to the event. He certainly was in full Peak Mode. Ben had one of the fastest splits of the day at the turnaround… but had a flat on the way back. Ben guesstimated his time would’ve been a low 53:00, and that would’ve put him right there with the fastest time trialists in the state…

FALLON 3rd at NJ STATE TT CHAMPIONSHIPS and JERSEY SHORE TT

Dana Fallon of Liberty Cycle is making a full push for Nationals on July 1st, where he will contest the 16-mile time trial. When you want to go for the biggest races, you have to choose your battles wisely. Dana’s form has steadily been coming around. At the Somerset Circuit TT, Dana placed 7th in the 45+, then took 3rd overall at Kingwood’s 36k TT. Then he had a better ride in a stacked field at the NJ State Time Trial Championships, claiming 3rd in the 50+, 14 seconds off 2nd. Dana’s looking for some strong legs come July 1st. Let’s wish Dana well as he pursues the National Championship…

WINBERRY 3rd at GREENBRIER CHALLENGE, 4th at WAYWAYANDA, 2nd at TYMOR PARK

Laura Winberry of Team Campmor recently took 3rd in the Pro MTB Greenbrier Challenge race in Maryland. Laura started off fast, as she usually does, but at this distance against this field her fast start may have hurt her in the end. Laura was caught and passed by the eventual winner halfway into the race, then caught by a rival near the end. Laura and the woman rode together right up to the end, where they sprinted like roadies. Laura lost by six inches to take 3rd. What a way to finish a mountain-bike race!

A few weeks later at Waywayanda, which was reduced one lap because of the wet conditions, Laura powered to 4th overall on the day. The shortened race was not to her benefit, as she’s been preparing specifically for the longer distances of the pro events… During the first lap, Laura and three riders gapped the field. Midway, Laura and Ellen motored away from the others. Laura reported being on a very good day… On Lap two, Laura had trouble shifting through the mud and Ellen rode away. Laura was in the big ring a ton, a sign the power was there for sure…

On the very final climb before the descent into the Start/Finish area, Laura saw the orange glare of Ellen’s jersey and was able to dig deep and catch her. Ellen had put massive time into Laura last year, so this was very encouraging. If Laura didn’t have the shifting difficulties with her bike, she thinks she would’ve placed higher, but that’s mountain biking for you.

At Tymor Park, Laura had her best ride of the year, taking 2nd overall… She rode the technical sections very well and just felt the power in her legs. This race she didn’t start so ballistically, pacing herself well, getting into singletrack 4th. She paced with Janel for most of the first lap, who she has never beaten, with top rider Ellen Serruto right behind. After pulling away from Janel, Serruto passed and Laura stayed on her wheel, keeping her pace and using her as a marker. In a technical slip, she passed Serruto and pulled ahead, just Jane Pearson ahead. Laura was able to keep a fast pace and fend off the rest of the competitors, taking 2nd. Jane has been a pro for several years but Laura is starting to close the gap… At May 31st’s Singlespeed-A-Palooza at Stewarts Air Force Base in New York, Laura reported having terrific legs, leading for the first half of the Pro race. Then… she dropped her chain and waited in poison ivy as the leaders passed. Race over… But she continues to improve and shows that she belongs in the pro class…

MORAN 6th at BATTENKILL

Shane Moran of Westwood Velo – Trade Manage Racing raced with a heavy cold, and for the first half of the race he found himself at the back. As the race blitzed through the climbs, the group got smaller and smaller and Shane found himself still in contact with the leaders… Shane’s lone teammate left, Brian, attacked at one point, taking two guys with him, but only got up the road by about twenty seconds. A few minutes later he was reeled in.

The final set of climbs separated the men from the boys. Shane was ready to blow but kept his “poker face on.” After the final climb, the group was down to 15. There was a two-man crash going into the final turn, causing the group to split and two, Shane and Bryan on the wrong side of that split. They desperately chased to the line, picking off riders and did very well, taking 6th and 4th, respectively. Had they not lost contact because of the sprint, the result would’ve been even better…

SALERNO 9th at WAYWAYANDA, 9th at TYMOR, 20th at SINGLESPEED-A-PALOOZA!

First-season mountain-biker Nicholas Salerno of Death Row Velo has been improving steadily. He started the season 9th at the H2H opener. Nick races SingleSpeed and the Beginners were lucky enough to have dry conditions for their race, and Nick placed 9th of 29. The start was intense and the pack left like the first turn was the finish line. Nick was in the top-5 going up the first climb, but purposely fell back because he thought the course was going to head up an even steeper trail leading to a very technical section I pre-rode on Thursday. Turned out it didn't go that way. Nick continued up the lesssteep fire road, unable to gain back the valuable time he lost but still riding strong and steady for the remainder of the race, good enough for a top-10!

At Tymor, Nick ran a terrific race. The conditions were muddy and slippery, but the type of trails there favor this riding style. If the race was only one lap, I would have podiumed! Nick started very strong, then started to fade on the second lap, hanging on for 9th.

Nick recently raced the Singlespeed-A-Palooza at Stewarts Air Force Base in New York and finished 20th out of 59 finishers. It was his first ride up there, a fast and rolling course, where he laid down his best average speed of the year.

You can check out his training and racing diary at www.deathrowvelo.com.

ALDEN 3rd, CARR 10th at JIMINY PEAK Mark Alden of the Blue Ribbon Cycling Team had an epic Jiminy Peak. After teammate Thomas Pennell initiated the first break of the day, Roger Aspholm of Westwood Velo threw down a hard counterattack on the climb. Once caught, teammate Troy Kimball went and Mark accelerated to match him. They formed a two-man break, with Fred Thomas bridging. With the added horsepower, the gap grew to a substantial margin by the final lap. With 6 miles to go, Mark started to cramp badly and opted not to contest the sprint. With the windy conditions, the hellishly long effort, and the fast pace, Mark wrote, “That is probably the one of the hardest efforts that I have ever done on a bike. I went through cycles of feeling like crap to feeling good. Unfortunately without a lot of racing in my legs so far this season I just wasn't strong enough for a better finish.” Still, 3rd in one of New England’s monument is a great accomplishment…

David Carr of Setanta/CRCA took 10th at Jiminy Peak. David pulled hard up the final third of the finishing climb. Going into the final uphill sprint, Setanta was a train of three riders as David blasted into the finale, leading it out for his two teammates. The team took 2nd, 10th (Dave), and 11th, a most satisfying result. The finale was a mass sprint of about 80 riders in the final selection. David beat a lot of strong sprinters and was happy with his performance.

CURRAN 6th, VACCARO 10th at COLTS NECK Jan Curran of Team EPS/CSS Brielle Cyclery finished 6th at the arduous Colts Neck circuit race. A bunch of CRCA women showed up and blitzed the field. One of them won the Battenkill 3/4 race. They were very strong and Jan did her best to stay with the leading bunch, getting gapped halfway through the race. Jan had to TT solo for the rest of the race, holding off the rest of the field to finish 6th… GREAT JOB, JAN! Way to hang in there and earn a solid result…

Roy Vaccaro of Team Jimenez Velo Sport took 10th in the Cat 4/5 race. Roy made sure to get a solid warm-up because the race always starts fast. And of course there WAS a fast start, a break jumping away on the first lap. Roy jumped out on the front in an attempt to bridge the gap and wound up going it alone. The pack reeled him in on the nasty hill. On the next lap he tried to make some magic happen by shooting up the right side. Some riders were a little sketchy and got a little nervous. On an uphill, Roy was still moving up the right but was pushed off the road by some sketchy riders who didn’t hold their line. Roy plodded through a farmer’s field for some distance, and then a few of his teammates dropped back to help him reconnect.

With the break gone, the group hurtled towards the finish. On the last uphill, Roy jumped but ran out of gas near the top of the climb, only a few riders coming around him. He placed 2nd or 3rd in the sprint but with the break up the road, he was 10th overall. Roy still had a fine performance in one of his bigger races of the year, and that’s what counted…

WHITAKER 4TH at CONESTAGA ROAD RACE

At 50+ miles with two hard climbs each lap, 180+ pound Mike Whitaker of Spinners Cycling had his work cut out for him. But this was one of his “A” races because he’s confident in his climbing abilities... Mike had six teammates in the race. When the big names jumped in early moves, Mike was able to cover them all…

Two guys got away before the final lap, and the field was whittled down to the final selection on the last lap. Mike pushed the pace on the climb, and over the top it was just Mike, Opria, and Hunt, all riders Mike knew to mark. On the second climb, Mike pushed the pace again, but couldn’t shed anyone. In hindsight, he said he could see Opria was tiring and now thinks he should’ve attacked, but hindsight it always 20/20. Mike led the sprint out, taking 2nd in the sprint and 4th overall. Mike noted he was by far the biggest guy in the final group, and he was surprised he could climb with the best climbers. Overall, the race was a complete success. Mike finished top-5 and his teammate WON the race.

COSENTINO BATTLES BRASSTOWN… and WINS!

After carb-loading for a few days, Cathy Cosentino of Franklin Lakes headed down to Georgia for the Brasstown Bald Century. For the first part of the ride, she felt terrific, fast enough to make the time cut and still feeling very fresh After mile 40, the hills came in bunches and never seemed to end. Cathy wrote, “Not baby hills...long uphill sections followed by fast downhills.” She was very anxious at hitting the giant climb before the checkpoint, knowing she had to haul arse if she wanted to make the time cut. She knew many riders didn’t make the time cut and were barred from attempting the mighty Brasstown climb… But Cathy far exceeded expectations, finishing 30 minutes in front of the cut-off, one of her goals… At mile 76, the mountains arrived. Hogpen Gap was the first long climb, 8 miles with few flatter sections. Cathy noted all the encouragement from the crowd, the competitors, and the sag people really motivated her to ride to her limit. It was an extraordinary feeling… She mentioned several times that while she was feeling fresh, others around her looked like death, tired and ready to drop. Cathy went on to say at this point she found the zone, that magical feeling when you’re pushing hard and feeling great, the moment you get off the gas you’re ready to go again. Cycling nirvana! She noted the hardest part of Hogpen Gap was the descent!

Jack's Gap was a series of very steep hills which lasted from miles 86 to 92. This was purposely included to drain the riders before the Brasstown ascent… which is a “very naughty mountain,” Cathy wrote. The road curves around the mountain, up and up and up. Average grade is 15%, with steady sections at 25%, the steepest section at the top. And because of open traffic, no zig-zagging was allowed. When she got to the top, she had a priceless feeling of satisfaction. Cathy made sure to eat and drink properly during the event and finished feeling fresh, even great. After seeing her bang the ride out and complete it so impressively, Cathy’s husband has now decided to make this a goal for 2010…

HAVEMEYER 5th at PROSPECT

Rob Havemeyer of Kreb’s Cycle was not able to make the most of his peak in the spring, family, work and LIFE getting in the way. He’s still enjoying some fine form, however, as he starts coming back to the racing scene… He recently had a terrific performance at Prospect Park, in the cold rain… Midway into the race, the race was breaking up and Rob was jumping with most of the breaks. A break finally solidified with 10 riders from most of the bigger teams. Rob wrote, “Then I smashed it on the hill and we were down to 6.” Rob noted that most of the guys were working well but the one who won the race was doing very weak pulls… In the end, a rider took a solo flier before the sprint and Rob ended up chasing, dragging everyone back to him. In the fast finale, a spent Rob was still fast enough for a 5th on the day, not too bad for one of his first races back…

Let’s wish Blue Ribbon’s MARK ALDEN the best of luck as he heads back to the Balloon Festival this month to try to repeat as the winner of this arduous road race!

TORENBERG ROCKIN’ AT SINGLESPEED-A-PALOOZA

Dov Torenberg of the Tenafly Bike Workshop finished 32nd of 68 at the Singlespeed-A-Palooza. Dov is not a racer, but it’s something he wants to do this year, and this was an excellent first test. Dov started steadily, holding back purposely because he didn’t want to fall apart. He made sure hydrate and eat like a pro before, during, and after the race and reported feeling great. “I finished the race feeling strong with energy to spare,“ Dov said. Dov’s original goal was to plan a peak around June’s Darkhorse MTB gala, but he now has prior commitments and will instead delay his peak for the H2H Kittatinny and Lewis Morris races.

UPCOMING EVENTS