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SPRING RESULTS: PODIUMS GALORE!!!!
5/25/2010
DAVID RACES TWICE IN SAME DAY, TAKES 2ND TWICE!!!
Nick David of Propeller Racing did 2 Cat-5 races at Branch Brook Park and took 2nd in both… Not only are these two excellent results, but it’s also a sign his aerobic engine is strong and that he’s on target for his first peak of the year at Bear Mountain… In the first race, Nick attacked hard and took a solo flier. Only one rider was able to bridge up. The rider had been sitting in, watching the 70+ strong peloton chase, and when he realized Nick had the horsepower to stay away, he jumped and bridged. Smart riding… Nick was riding like a man possessed, lead out the sprint and JUST lost in the finale…
In the second race, Nick was heavily active, keeping the pace high. He attacked many times. On final lap, the pace slowed again, and Nick punched it. Another rider sucked his wheel to the line, but Nick didn’t care – he’d take two 2nds in one day! Congratulations, Mr. David, on two STRONG performances… When we start to peak, we use those legs with more precision and you’ll be untouchable…
ERICKSON 3rd in PROSPECT PARK
Shawn Erickson of Tenafly Bike Workshop recently took 2nd at a Prospect Park Spring Series race. In the beginning, his legs felt sluggish and heavy, still feeling the effect of the heavy Build weeks… On the second lap, he drilled it up the climb, and a strong rider leaped out, driving the pace. Then the guy was off the front, and Shawn bridged to him… But, Shawn noted, “It was like riding behind a motorcycle.” And Shawn ended up in No Man’s Land… So he sat up and waited for the peloton to catch him…
With each lap and each climb, Shawn’s legs were feeling more and more blah. On the final lap, Shawn focused on staying near the front, and going into the sprint, a gap opened up for him, and he hit it, sprinting 100%. He had a clear path to the line, but got pipped at the finish. The run-in was like most run-ins, guys were all over and he was running out of time... and then a gap opened on the right and he hit it, stayed in the saddle and then sprinted. Shawn had a pretty good line to the finish but got pipped for 2nd.
Additionally, here is footage of Shawn’s victory at Central Park earlier this month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxy0uE7LBjQ
GATENS 3rd at SOUTH MOUNTAIN, 4TH at PROSPECT PARK
At South Mountain, Brian Gatens of Kingpin Racing attacked from the gun. He’d get caught, attack again, stringing out the group. He was on a great day and wanted to get in a great workout, as planned on the schedule. On the final lap, Brian attacked again, was caught, then sat on 4th wheel, and going into the sprint he was able to pass everyone but 2 guys who jumped the sprint early… Brian reported having fantastic legs, all good news considering his first peak of the year, the Giro del Cielo, is right around the corner…
In Prospect Park, Brian made sure to stay near the front, and with 5 to go, a 5-man break split – and Brian made sure he was in it. With 3 to go, a rider couldn’t hold the pace and was dropped… Going into the sprint, Brian had fast legs but was pipped for 3rd… So 3rd and 4th leading up to his first “A” race of the year – expect big things from Mr. Gatens up at the Giro!!!
CORONEL 2nd at WAYWAYANDA, 6TH at AUGUSTA
Bladdy Coronel of Westwood Velo – Trade Manage Racing has been starting slower than usual this year… He usually comes flying out of the gate in the spring, but this year we’ve been starting much slower… He has cross in mind, so we really wanted a full block of Foundation this winter.
At the first stop in the Campmor H2H mountain bike racing series, Bladdy took 2nd at Waywayanda!!! Way to go, Bladdy!!! He had a light recovery week that week, and on Sunday he posted his best training data of the year!!! And he didn’t know he was in 2nd place, was closing in the 1st place rider on the last lap. Had he known, he said he would’ve gone HARDER!!!
Also, Mark Yaroshevsky of Liberty Cycle took 2nd place in the 10-12-year-old category. Mark’s father, Yan, is coached by Elite Endurance and uses the same principles with his son, so it’s nice seeing the training having a positive effect!!!
Up in Augusta, Bladdy also had a good race. He reported feeling very strong, staying near the front, doing plenty of threshold work as prescribed… There were three guys up the road, and Bladdy made sure he was in good position for the sprint, where he took 3rd. Great training day, ended up 6th.
RICHMAN 11th at EPIC BATTENKILL
Here is the race diary of Dave Richman of Kingpin Racing:
”This was the third time I've done this race, and though the placing wasn't as high as the previous years, I felt stronger and more confident than ever before, and that led to a better result in another area: fun. This was by far the best time I've ever had at an out-of-town race. I attribute that to being totally prepared and primed, and the confidence was there. Front to back, top to bottom, from the moment I woke up, until 16 hours later when I collapsed on the couch back home, I knew I'd prepared and trained the best I could and that helped me get the most enjoyment out of every bit of the experience. That's why I do this.
“I was looking forward to Battenkill, not only because it was the 'A' race, but because unlike all the other races I've done so far this year, Battenkill (particularly in the cat 4s) is less about the head as it is about survival and attrition, and I had a lot of confidence in the training and preparation we've done. I really do feel like I went to my limit Saturday, and on the very last set of climbs, I just couldn't stay with the leaders on the last pitch. I was in a second group of nine (a few seconds behind a front group of 7, with just about 5K to go. There wasn't an organized chase, but we were motoring as fast as we could (the last set of climbs had sapped us) and the sight of the kite was a relief. I cranked it up best I could 300 before the line and came in in the middle of our 9-man chase. Again, relief, and the satisfaction that I knew I'd gone as hard as I could and that I'd enjoyed every minute.”
WARNER 3rd at CHANTILLY CRITERIUM, 8TH at WALKERSVILLE
Pete’s Chantilly recap: “Plan was for me to chill and give a leadout to a guy on our team needing 1 point for upgrade. I sat in for 2/3 of the race. My guy was up the road with another guy for the last 10 laps, so my team was blocking and I was jumping on the hard attacks. Well, a guy jumped with 1.5 to go and next thing I know, we're off the front alone. I started pulling once I knew we wouldn't catch my guy. Just accelerated at the end, didn't really need to sprint. Took 3rd. Great day for the team.” And another fun race report: “All riders in front were Cat-1s!!!! It was an active race with lots of pretty solid 1 & 2's in the master field. Our team executed perfectly. We always had a guy up the road in the break. I countered one move and ended up with 2 guys off the front for about 2/3 of a lap. I was working really hard to get the gap up. One guy imploded though and just sat on. Eventually some strong dudes bridged but it was all f-d up and we were caught. THEN, the winning break goes. We have a teammate in it. Uh, he gets dropped. I see this and attack. Field was lined out but nobody would pull through. Everyone thought it was too far to stick. BUT, it did have ex-pro Rick Norton in it and a strong teammate and yep, they held a 20 sec gap the next 2 laps. I attacked trying to bridge but the only guy to come with me was a teammate of one guy in the break and naturally, he wouldn't help. I got so f'ing close (80 meters) but I cracked a bit.
“Last lap I spent trying to get the field going with some hard pulls. The break of 5 held it the line with 15s. Sprint totally sucked.We had yellow line rule all the way to 200m. I got stuck. I was screwed and then a dude crashes off the road on my right. And then two dudes from the same team layout right in front of me. I endo'd right over them. Miraculously, just ended up with some minor scrapes and the bike is okay. 2 other teammates got taken out as well.BUT, our sprinter did WIN the field sprint.”
Race diaries and racing videos can be found at: http://www.pwarner1.blogspot.com/
DONOVAN 5th at RAHWAY!!!
“Race was roughly 30 to 35 Cat-5 guys. Coach Burro (Aleksey Urosov, a teammate) advised me to stay in front of pack, do not do any work and to save legs. That is what I did. I stayed around 8-15th place the entire time. Moved up towards the front on last lap. We all made the final turn and I was kinda boxed in the middle around 10th place. When the group started to sprint I was right there and had the power to move past 5 others, finishing 5th.”
COSENTINO CONQUERS BRASSTOWN BALD CENTURY RIDE!!!
"Hi, Ken. The ride this year was slightly different but still hard! I started out pretty quick and averaged 19.6. Then we hit a hill and I waved good bye to my short-lived cycling friendships. I still kept up a nice pace after the hill. Scot and I met up and stopped at the first rest stop at mile 22. That was my last stop until mile 75. I felt the time constraint and was anxious about missing the cut-off. Cardio-wise, I was great.
"I did the 75 miles in 4 hrs, 40 minutes. It took another 2 to 2.5 hrs. to get to the bottom of Brasstown. The mountain took about 48 minutes to climb. I rode most of it and walked it over the wall, the 24% grade. I just couldn't do it! But, I did reach the top and wouldn't have been able to do it without your training! It isa brutal, brutal ride. Thanks for all your help. Without it, I'd still be in Georgia pushing my bike!"
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