Welcome, Talmadge Mincey

Cycle Logic would like to announce it's newest member, Talmadge "Tal" Mincey.

Tal's incredible work ethic and ability to ride fast will be a valued asset to the team, but his easy-going, friendly personality is what makes Tal such a great aquisition. We look forward to having Tal in the orange and grey and representing our team for years to come.

Tal had one heck of a debut for the team this past weekend at the State Road Race Championships held in Ocala. Only a cat 5 and participating in the most competitive field of the day (the Masters 30+), Tal more than impressed with his 12th place finish in his age group. Just keeping pace with a field chock-full-of Pro,1,2's certainly speaks volumes to the potential of our newest member.

Please join us in welcoming Tal Mincey to the team by leaving a comment.

photo courtesy of Gerry Bouchard

Lake Louisa Circuit Race #3 Recap

Ron and James showed up at the third installment of the 2008 Lake Louisa Circuit Race series this past Tuesday night  to test their training.  Both of us had only been on the bike seriously for about a week and a half.  My work schedule and Ron's injuries from the Deland crit kept us from doing any serious training in the weeks prior, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing us both a well needed rest from the early Florida racing schedule.  We are both ramping up for the State Road Race in Ocala in June, so we figured we'd try our legs on the rolling hills of Lake Louisa.

With only two Cycle-Logic teammates showing up, and about 6 Armada teammates present, we saw immediately we were outnumbered.  I gave Ron explicit instructions not to start any fights (he's bad about that sometimes J).  Seriously though, with that many of one team showing up, we figured they would ramp up the pace, and hopefully take some responsibility in pulling in any early breaks.  Although we watched them intently waiting for one of them to charge off the front, it never happened.  One unattached guy got away early, and two more joined him in the following laps. 

Ron and I both tried to share in the work, attempting to keep the pace high enough to wear out some of the other riders while diminishing the gap at the same time.  With the wind in our face on the final descent, Armada put their big guy on the front and he hammered his way down hill, reducing the gap to mere seconds.  After the turn around, Ron immediately got away from the group, and with no intentions of slowing down, immediately caught two of the three guys who had been in the wind off the front for nearly the entire race and expeditiously passing them on the first small hill.  Unfortunately, one of the Armada guys (Dave Perry, I believe - a lanky hill-climber-looking guy) was right on Ron's tail and stayed there until they were halfway up the final hill. 

I still being in the pack approaching the final ascent to the finish, attacked the field with the craze of a rabid mongoose.  Keeping an eye on my shadow to make sure nobody was following, and watching my heartrate steadily climb far past my comfort zone, I kept my head down, and stayed as aero as I knew how.  Although we did have an uphill tailwind, I pegged my HR at 185, and reached deep to keep my momentum as I approached Ron and Dave.  Once I reached them, they stood up and started accelerating again.  It took all I had to not give up at that point. 

 

I mean, I was dying!!  

 

The hopes of possibly getting a 10 second draft off of these guys was all that kept me from passing out!

 

 …and they stand up and accelerate?

 

Looking back, I could see the pack far enough away to tell that if I held my pace, I should be able to hold my current 4^th place spot, so I just pulled whatever motivation I had out of my burning legs, and aching lungs and kept it going.  Although I sounded like a steam engine with my huffing and puffing at the finish, I kept my 4^th place, with Ron coming in 3^rd.

 

We both came out to test our legs, and get a good workout, and came away with a 3^rd and 4^th. 

Congratulations Ron.

With three and a half weeks to go, I think we should be ready for the Ocala Road Race.

 

See you there.

 

JP/ CL

State Criterium Championships

Weekend Race Report - submitted by Scott Pfaff

Saturday, May 17th 2008
Scott's race
Saturday’s race was held in the parking lot across the street from the Lakeland Civic Center. When I first looked at the course on Friday night I thought “alright! this is going to be flat, no problem I can handle this..” well let me tell you this 6/10th of a mile 8 corner course was anything but easy. It seemed all you did was: pedal..corner, pedal..corner, sprint..corner and then you got to coast for about 10 seconds along the back stretch just before you slammed into a tight left hand turn that was about as wide as a sheet of plywood.

The first 7 or 8 laps were the worst then you finally got the rhythm of the course and then only thing you had to worry was when your heart was going to burst out of your chest. The pace of the Masters 35+ race claimed its fair share of victims, I was almost one. For some reason I stopped paying attention and drifted way too far back, you know like 20th place, the place where you watch breaks go away and there is nothing you can do about it. I was back there thinking about crocheting or needle point or something important when the next thing I knew there were giant gaps all around. It took about 4 laps to recover from that fiasco and get back on with the lead group, yeah I know it serves me right but when you only have 3 matches to burn in a race everyone is precious (yes I only have 3, I’m old remember). I held on to the bitter end and finished in the spot they hold for me in every race, 14th.

Justin's race
Justin’s race was for some reason very nerve racking, his mom and I talked about it after the race and we couldn’t quite put our finger on why we were both so nervous about this weekend. Maybe it was the word “Championship” attached to the weekend or maybe it was because it has been almost a month since his last race. What ever the reason we both had butterflies for Justin.

Justin started his race by attacking immediately and was able to get a gap of about 20 yards. We had talked before the race about doing this and seeing if he could get one of the older kids to go with him. If not he would hold it for one lap and then ease back into the group. Well he held for 1 lap and none of the older kids would bite so that was that. As he eased back into the group one of the older kids from Colavita attacked and stretched the group out in a straight line for about a half lap fortunately Justin was paying attention and was able to fold right into the group and stay with the leaders. Team Calovita had two riders in the 13-14 age group riding in support of their 10-12 year old points leader. It was allot of fun to watch the kids experimenting with team tactics at this age, it makes the race feel like a scaled down pro event. The points leader would attack while his teammates would block and Justin would have to cover with no help from the other team. It made me happy to see him pay attention to the race and understand the tactics that were being employed. He never let the break get too far before he would reel it back. This happened about 4 or 5 times before they gave up and decided to let it come down to a sprint.

The bad thing about our position on the course was that you could not see the last two corners before the final sprint. You could see the course up to 3rd to the last corner but that was it. Justin was 4th wheel going into that corner so I felt pretty good with his position in the group. But I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw him come around the final corner with about a 10 yard gap on the field. He was standing and sprinting out of the saddle like we had talked about so many times before but he never really seemed to know when to do it. This time he had it timed to perfection and was going for all he had. He just got nipped at the line by a 14 year old to get second in the overall group and first in his division. The kids in his division never made any ground up on Justin once he started his sprint. The best part of the win was the new handle bars Justin won for me, well okay, he’s not really going to give them to me but I can dream.


Sunday, May 18th 2008 “Championship Day”

Justin’s race was at 7:45 am and needless to say the butterflies started at 5:00, Jan and I both felt exactly as we had the day before. We have always felt a little nervous before Justin’s races I think that’s normal for parents but I’m beginning to think that because Justin is becoming more competitive in his racing we’re becoming more anxious for him.

Justin’s race started with an attack by the boy who leads the 13-14 age group points series and was the boy who nipped Justin at the line on Saturday. Justin went with him for awhile but came back to the group. When we talked after the race he said he was afraid he would blow up and not be able to sprint in the end. The group worked fairly well together with a few attacks on the hill leading up to the finish line. Justin was able to react well to all of them and was well placed going into the final laps. This race was not nearly as exciting as the day before as I think the older kids, while still riding in support of their points leader, were obviously thinking of their own podium position on that day.

The boy who broke away at the start was never really threatened by the group and won the overall race easily. The part that I did not expect was how the rest of the race would unfold. This course has a long incline leading up to the finish line, it’s not really steep but after going over it time after time after time it really hurts, I speak from experience on this one. The other feature of the incline is that you can’t see the corner or the lead up to the top of the hill from the finish line so it’s always a surprise as to who is going to be leading at the crest of the hill. Well to my surprise who comes blowing over the top first but Justin and he has about a 20 yard gap on the field. This time though there is nobody in the field to challenge him to the line and he wins riding away. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited as a pig in a mud bath! I was excited for the win but I was also excited because I think Justin maybe starting to realize how to finish a race, that’s something I still haven’t learned how to do!

My race started the way they all do, I look up and down the start line and say, "what am I doing here?" It seemed every pro that was 30+ years old had decided to have a go at winning the “State Championship” jersey. I know what you guys are thinking “that’s no way to start a race”! Well I still haven’t gotten over this feeling and I have been racing with these guys for 2 years now so I doubt it’s leaving anytime soon. I think it may stem back to this same race last year when I pre-rode the course in my car the night before and thought humph that hills not so bad! Well 10 minutes into last years race and 8 times over that D#$% hill and I was, how does James say it, “Attacking off the back”.

So we are sitting on the line and the official is going over all of the pre-race stuff and the guy next to me, who I have been racing with for awhile, leans over and says “what are we doing here with these guys”? Well immediately I feel this great weight lifted off my shoulders, I think at least I’m not the only one. About that time the whistle blows and the pain begins. The first fifteen minutes of a race are always the hardest for me, it seems like I always struggle to find that just right position in the field. The one where you only do the amount of work that is expected and not one bit more, remember I only have 3 matches.

The pace was hard this year but I was able to hold my position throughout the race and while I’m not going to make any teams stand up and take notice, except maybe the ones in my dreams, I finished the race without getting dropped. Yes I know, I finished in one of those reserved spots for Scott J. Pfaff, 16th.

More Sugarloaf photos

by Gerry Bouchard

SugarLoaf recaps...

photo by Gerry Bouchard
Submitted by Roger Montes
Following a tough, painful, and feeling like a “Kentucky fried idiot” on a 5 times wall climb it was hard to get motivated for another chicken run…or was it? Sugarloaf Mountain had definitely taken its toll on all of us, but we were all craving that greasy, fast speed (Rocky II).

Rob “Rowdy”, Eric “Vegan-power” and myself “Primetime” came out on Sunday to represent the Orange and Grey. The race was set at 50 min +2 laps on a flat and fast 2.2 mile circuit thru a curvy tree lined road, with a short (thank God) uphill finish only ±200 meter from the last 90° right turn. From the gun, the race was fast with attacks from the never ending ninjas of Preferred Alliance…bring it! On a course not in favor of breakaways, except for going full throttle on the uphill, we did everything we could as a team to attack, cover attacks and set the pace high. Rob took that to heart, and the man nearly raced himself out of the race. At times, it felt overwhelming to have someone respond at:

Roger: Rob get up there.
Rob: “Okay”
Roger: Rob go
Rob: “Okay”
Roger: Rob squirrel!!! Rob killed squirrel.

Eric also did an impressive job covering and attacking the field. Before the race he mentioned to be somewhat tired from the previous day (finishing 8th on Sugarloaf Mt.), but half-way into the race he found a second wind and immediately came to the front to set the pace. He tried getting in a few breaks with Rob and I slowing the field down, but nothing was sticking.
We knew the race would end up on a full-on field sprint (like all the Cat 3 Races), so our plan was to set the pace high during the last lap to be in good placing at the last turn…we didn’t think everyone would have the same idea! Eric was able to fight his way up, but Rob and I were bunched up in the middle finishing 8th (Eric), 19th (Roger) and 29th (Rob).
The results don’t quite show it, but Cycle Logic rode extremely aggressive, and in my mind the three of us got podium that day….Great job guys!!!



Submitted by Kerry Duggan
Considering that us Cat 3 men were racing against girls, this Saturday's Sugarloaf road race was plenty hard. Once again, new teammate Eric Stubbs place the highest at 8th. Rob Robins was a few seconds behind him and this old dogg was (ahem) a few further seconds back in the final single-digit hill "sprint" finish.

The first two or three laps were fairly contained as people were more worried about surviving Das Loaf than breaking the elastic. Eventually a few small squads dangled off the front only to be reeled in with the assistance of all three of us.

At some point Roger apparently traded his race pass for a feed zone pass and Rachel eventually joined him. On the last lap three riders managed to maintain just enough of a gap to barely survive a large pack sprint up Das Loaf. I think if Eric had a little more hill he would have been top 3.

Eric, Rob and I had a fun time working together and perfecting our team skills by helping each other stay in position, ride efficiently and chase down escapes. I think Eric was bewilderd by this teammate excessively rotating pack position from extreme front to extreme rear several times during each lap - particularly on the big hills. This valid advance technique ensures maximum climbing efficiency. In unkind circles it is known as the "Fatman Fade" but allowed me to be more fresh toward the end - enabling me to soften up the pack by attacking off the front just before the last climb up Sugarloaf.
So what if I was chased down immediately by a girl and a fred!

I was also worried my recent lower back spasms would can the race for me but once again found my body prefers that position over all others nature had intended. Unless of course there is a beer in my hand and there was soon after.
Cheers!
K-Dogg

Cycle Logic ToG trip recap...

...Coming Soon



ToG updates and copious amounts of photos to be posted here...I know, it's going to be hard to wait, but you'll have to.

UPDATE:For a photo slideshow of the Tour of Georgia trip go here

Box of Nuts

Enjoy the literary stylings of our very own Kerry Duggan.

Forrest Gump's mother said that life (like a cat 3/4 race) is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.

In Sundays Spring Fling RR too many of the chocolates were rancid or full of dangerous nuts - and the box was way too full. Narrow roads and Nazi officials created a 90 something nervously careening anaconda peleton that snaked back at least 100 yards.

I was impossible to move up without crossing the yellow line of death. It took Eric, James and I about 3 of the 6, seven-mile laps just to move up close to Roger, who for some reason had no problem staying in the front dozen or so.

After abusing 2' wide gutters and sprinting into blowing headwind sections we managed to claw our way to the front and effected a few breakaway attempts or chasedowns. Unfortunately it became clear that, like most cat 3 races - ain't nobody goin' nowhere no how.

When the final sprint loomed up like a cliff before a herd of drunken lemmings, we watched 80 - $5000. bicycles try to squeeze into 8 slots worth a total of $200. in their bid for glory. I think Eric placed well but us older guys did the math and backed out of the mele. Bok, bok, bok. No worries eh Jayson? In the end we all advanced our fitness, tempered our terror and even managed to work as a team a little. And.......nobody crashed. At least this race.

That's good enough for me.

Best wishes to Ron and Jayson.

As a long time master's racer who hasn't done a cat 3/4 race in 20 years, it was amazing to observe the antics of hyper, brain dead youngsters taking stupid risks - safe in their certainty of immortality. Unfortunately once you have the bug.......there is nothing else that will do.

K-Dogg

The bad news and the good news...

The good news is we are all still alive and kicking. some not kicking as hard as they normally would, but kicking nonetheless with both feet.

Last week, Jayson O'mahoney got tangled up with a piece of furniture in the road while on a group ride in Gainesville. He was carted off by the local EMT's and checked out at the hospital. He will be in a neck brace for a few weeks, and tending to some road rash for a little while but as I said, he's still kicking with both feet. I believe by now he is recovering at home.

submitted by the victim himself
Actually, I didn't touch any "furniture" on the road. Rather, another rider on the Hipp ride did - or at least that is what I heard. All I remember is seeing a rider on the ground in front of me with nowhere to go at 30pmh. Gary Yates counted eight riders down at this crash. Without a doubt it was the worst crash I've ever had the misfortune of being involved with. I didn't go to the ER that night but after prompting by several people I headed there on Friday, April 11. I believe the guy who caused the crash may have flicked something up from the side of the road which brought him down. Unfortunately I have nothing but bad thoughts for him. He is an inexperienced, weaker rider who had no business partaking in the Hipp ride - on this occasion and prior.

I have road rash on both hips, left knee, left hand, left cheek, right ear, left side of nose and some minor spots elsewhere. The ER staff at North Florida ran a CAT scan and determined I have 2 x vertebrae compression fractures. I count myself as very lucky; I quite possibly could have ended up as a quadraplegic because of this crash. I will be seeing a neurosurgeon next week but initial prognosis is no surgery is required. My beloved Kestrel EMS 300 frameset has a broken right side chainstay. Craig Calfee of Calfee Design should be able to repair it but I have managed to find another such bike new old stock
in a bike shop far from Gainesville. At least the bike is repairable / replaceable.

My primary focus now is to heal for my trip to Australia in three weeks. At this stage I think I will be forgoing the State Time Trial due to lack of training time.

Jayson

In today's circuit race in Deland, Ron Palsgrove got roped into a 4 to 6 bike pile up that occurred directly in front of him. I could have sworn he was clear until two bikes slid right in front of him. Ron, too was provided a ride by the local EMT's. After a couple hours in the hospital, and a dip into a barf bag, Ron was released with only a mild concussion, a sprained shoulder, and a little bit of road rash. I must say, I believe Ron saved me from getting involved because the two bikes that slid in front of him were headed straight towards me. Ron, while I appreciate the effort, that is not what we mean by "taking one for the team".

I'm sure I speak for everyone in saying we wish you both a speedy recovery and we look forward to seeing you on the bikes as soon as your healing permits.

Some more good news:
Cycle-Logic has picked up two new memebers!!
Mike Arena: currently a category 5 racer. You may recognize the name from the messenger bag donated by him during the Bring It On Series earlier this year.
Eric Stubbs: A strong Category 4 racer with impressive results in some tough events.
We look forward to riding and racing with both of you.

JP/CL

The Move!

submitted by James Penrod
Ahh!! Racing in your home town. There’s nothing like it. And, as with anyone who has ever performed in front of the home town fans, I wanted to impress them like no other.

THE EVENT:
Sunday’s event would be a road race just outside of Tallahassee where I spent the majority of my formative years, riding my bike, causing trouble, MAKING A NAME FOR MYSELF. The course was hilly, and the field small, but hey!! I grew up here!! I’m a hill climber!! These other chumps don’t stand a chance (not even that tall lanky guy with the orange and grey kit who always stays on the front of the pack).

I got this!!

So, I secretly scoped out the course with my own personal DS/ Massage Therapist (Ms. Veronica Geist). As I suspected, the course was hilly (I think I already said that). I could see where I would make my moves, and where I would break away from the pack.

THE RACE:
The morning of the race, it was a little cool, with rain just on the edge of town, but not reaching us quite yet. It wouldn’t rain all day, but I wasn’t going to let anyone else know that little tidbit of information. We lined up at the start. These chumps don’t understand who I AM!! I’m the birthday BOOYYYYYYEEEE!!!!! We descended the first hill in a tight pack, and climbed the other side. The legs were getting warm, these weapons were ready to fire at any moment. It was hard to keep them in check. We descended the next hill then climbed again, this time I got on the front just to give them a taste of the pain they were about to be inflicted with. That tall lanky dude was right behind me, and it seemed like I couldn’t shake him.

THE MOVE:
Over the next few miles I shot off the front a couple of times just to get my heart rate up and the lactic acid coursing through my legs. I knew that wasn’t going to work. My plan was much more cunning. My plan had NEVER been done before.

As we approached the steepest of the climbs, I knew this was the spot. As I eased gradually back into the pack, resting myself for what was to come, I slowly made my way to the very last position and just as we started to climb, BAM!! I did it. I took them all by total surprise!!

I attacked off the back as they sped up the climb with no response from the peloton. They were afraid to chase backwards!! I did it!! It worked!!

I watched from behind as my lead off the back grew while they climbed this monstrous hill. It was tough, but I had to keep them well ahead of me if my plan was to work.

With the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I soloed around the course for the next lap and a half, making sure no one else was going to explode out of the back of the pack to catch me. I watched as the pack steadily lost site of me from behind.

After almost an hour of solo riding, one rider caught me, and we worked together keeping the main group at bay in front of us, knowing if we started playing games, it would mean the end of what could be the sweetest finish for the two of us.

We came in together in a blaze of glory and the home town fans cheered as we sprinted for the finish.
I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER.

ps: you won’t see me in the results because they only recorded the first 35 riders, but I was there!!

I was there.


Seriously though, congratulations to those that raced this past weekend. The courses weren’t easy for anyone, although some of you made them look much easier than they really were.

See you chumps next weekend!!

Bike America Cycling Festival - Miami

Alright, whomever said there were no hills in South Florida was lying through their teeth!!

James Penrod, Ron Palsgrove, Scott Pfaff, and Ken Sallot arrived at the Vista View Park circuit race in Davie Florida last weekend wondering what it was going to be like racing on a retired garbage dump. I mean, how hard could it be, right?

Although the view from the parking lot appeared a little intimidating, I think we still had hopeful thoughts that the grade would be a gradual one to get to the top. To my surprise, the approach on the back side of the hill was straight up with only a slight downhill, followed by an immediate climb to the sky. With a minimal flat headwind to recover, the subsequent laps progressively tore at our legs, dwindling the lead pack at what seemed like every pedal stroke.

In the 4’s race, James Penrod lasted a total of 3 laps (15 minutes) with the lead pack, and then battled the hills against a 12 year-old. "In my own defense, the kid probably weighed less than his bike, so obviously it was easier for him to climb the hills than me," stated Penrod in his own defense.

Ron and Ken stayed in the lead pack the entire race, and although a pack of approximately 10 stayed off the front, Ron and Ken finished 12th and 13th respectively and James finished 27th with a total of only 40 riders finishing in the 4’s.

Good job guys!!

Webster-Roubaix

*This race report was written and submitted by our resident Australian, Jayson O'Mahoney. When reading the following report, be sure to use a "Crocodile Dundee" accent and disregard his South-of-the-Equator spelling of tires (tyres)...G'Day Mate.

Rob Robins, Jayson O'Mahoney and Roger Montes kick back with a couple of cold ones and reflect on the hard and dirty Webster-Roubaix race

For those not aware, the Webster-Roubaix road race is a 9.5 mile loop that takes in the cattle country around the little town of Webster, Florida. Webster is also known for it's flea market, as attributed to the advertising found along I-75. What makes this race so different from other races on the Florida scene is the dirt road section, which is approximately 2.5 miles in length. This section of road is strewn with potholes, loose gravel and lots of dirt and dust.

(left) O'Mahoney flying around the Webster-Roubaix course.

The promoters (who did a great job at this race in my opinion) combined the Cat 3 field with Cat 4 making for a field of 110 riders - according to the announcement by Tim Molyneaux at the start. Race distance was approximately 65 miles or seven laps of the course. The promoters were nice enough to have a neutral rollout from the start / finish line (on the dirt road) to allow fair play and that sort of thing. The race was underway as soon as the last rider made it to the first paved road.

During the neutral rollout it was a mad panic to clip in and try and move up in the bunch without being obvious about it. As soon as the bunch hit the first paved road, the first attacks of the day went. I have no idea of the carnage behind me; I was concentrating on the wheels in front of me and trying to hold position among the first 20 - 30 riders. It was also nice to see two of my teammates alongside me - Rob Robins and Roger Montes were right up there. I'm not sure what happened to James and Ron in that first hectic lap.

Everyone was fighting for position to hold themselves near the front. As the bunch approached the dirt for the first time, it was almost a sprint-like situation to be positioned appropriately. I found myself around 25th wheel heading in for the first time. Being that far back meant I was covered in clouds of dust and the like. It was a little unnerving the first time over the dirt; the speeds were holding around 25 - 26mph. Everything on the bike was being pounded. I was glad I spent the time preparing the bike and test riding on dirt roads a few weeks before. Installing some older American Classic aluminium bottle cages complete with blue loctite on the cage bolts kept my fluid supply secure. Beefy 32 spoke wheels and 24mm+ tyres were the order of the day!

As soon as the first dirt road pass was made, the hammer went down again on the regular paved roads. It was obvious that riders were going to be shelled here. In these first early laps each corner on the road course was punctuated by a fast increase in speed which really stretched the bunch out. The constant shuffling around in the bunch near the front continued for the entire race, as did the almost sprint like positioning to hit the dirt road first.

During the 3rd or 4th? pass over the dirt road, Roger suffered a slow leaking flat (as I found out post race). I was sitting on his wheel through the dirt (he is an awesome MTB rider and has great handling skills) so I was surprised to see him going rapidly backwards. I was feeling much more comfortable by this point of the race on the dirt road section. It was almost as if I was in a "groove". I found myself riding a 53 x 15 or 53 x 14 gear, sitting right back on the saddle with my hands on the tops of the bars. This combined with my Vittoria 24mm Pave tyres (shameless plug there) gave the bike a comfy ride - if that was possible.

During the final lap, two guys managed to get off the front. That was surprising as the main pack was not letting anyone go. A couple of guys tried to bridge across (including Ben Page) but this break was snuffed out and a pack sprint on dirt was in the cards. I thought about launching an immediate suicide counter-attack but one rider against the might of the bunch intent on sprinting cancelled that idea. Fighting for position at this point was much more intense. I also took a brief look behind me and saw that our once large pack was down to ~ 40 riders. Coming into the dirt for the final time I managed to slot myself in the top 15, very close to Rob Robins, Ben Page and Eric Stubbs. Unfortunately for me a rider in front of me hit the big pothole right after the turn onto the dirt which killed his momentum. It also killed mine as I was on his wheel :( However, I managed to salvage things somewhat and stayed within 20 metres of the sprinting pack. I rolled across the line for 19th place in Cat 3. Rob Robins took 5th in Cat 4 which was a stellar effort. Ironically a Cat 4 guy won the race... this seems to be a regular happening when 3's and 4's are combined.

I loved this race. I really wish the distance had've been longer as it would've played out better for me. Perhaps for the 2009 edition the promoters will combine the 3's with Pro 1-2 as they did for the 2007 edition. At the end of the race just about everyone resembled a West Virgina coal miner. I looked pretty bad myself, not helped by the five day beard coated with sweat, dirt, snot, etc. We had a bit of a team get together afterwards to down a few brews (thanks to Vern and James!), talk about the race and marvel at the condition of our bikes.

Over and out.

Take Stock in Children century - 2008

A recap of this year's Take Stock in Children ride contributed by our very own Rob Robins:

For what was originally conceived as another fun day on the bike, as the date for the 2008 Take Stock in Children Century approached, the outlook was starting to get a bit grim. The forecast called for steady twenty to twenty-five mph winds out of the WSW with gusts in excess of 40 mph. Moreover, hi-temps were expected only to reach 60 degrees (that's cold by my standards!) before beginning a rapid decline. The night before the ride my phone rang and delivered unexpected news: last minute cancellations by two riders. The loss of strong teammates from what was expected to be an already small field, coupled with the forecast of unyielding winds, meant this would be no easy century and certainly not a fast one.

But that is the thing about cycling: Just when you think it is going to be more of a drag than a good time, the sport has a way of reminding you that the fun is in the challenge and the reward is succeeding at the challenge through camaraderie and teamwork. This year's Take Stock in Children Century would deliver the goods, dishing out a huge helping of satisfaction to the riders who took part.

I arrived at the Martin Luther King Center in Ocala and met up with fellow cyclists from Cycle Logic and Gainesville in general. Mike Robinson (aka, "Dr. Pain)", Anthony Musallo, Paul Messal, Ron Palsgrove, John Duggan, Doug and Leslie Folkerth, and Jan Pfaff were among the many friendly faces. As anticipated there were very few riders signed up to do the 100 mile route and other than my teammates I recognized no one from the Florida Cycling race circuit. And by my definition, it was cold, so on went the jacket, on went the gloves.

Given the go ahead by the event promoter we began the standard, somewhat languorous departure of early morning century riders everywhere, tooling along at low effort, feeling the legs. No more than a mile into our journey did Paul Messal alert us to the fact that Anthony Musallo was nowhere to be found and in all likelihood was still in the can, back at the start. Paul made the call for us to group together and wait for Anthony so that we could pace him up to the main field and we obliged.

Some three or four minutes later and Anthony could be seen charging along from the direction we all had come. With Anthony in rotation, lighter than he had begun the day, we began a steady, hard effort to catch the lead group. Given the wind and the fact that many of us had just rolled out of bed a short while before, the spirited pace of the chase was something of a shock to the system. Arriving at the front of the ride a short while later, we were fewer in number but warmed up and raring to go. Perhaps not surprisingly, in that we were still agitated from the chase, we formed an accidental breakaway of 5 or 6 riders at a point less than 10 miles into the century, leaving behind the main field of 15 or 20. Fully cognizant of the fact that to continue to ride hard would mean a long day of steady work with no help other than from ourselves, we charged on: Anthony Musallo, Ron Palsgrove, Mike Robinson, yours truly, and a Citrus Cycling rider. (Later we would be joined by another rider who had originally set out to do 50 but caught on with us and attempted the 100).

And for the large part, that is how the day would go: A five to six man echelon, fighting the wind, dodging the dead fall from the trees -- both already on the ground and en route to terra firma from above -- and occasionally riding two abreast to chit-chat, but all the while working hard to get back to home base. The gusts of winds were as fierce as anticipated and on a number of occasions were strong enough to blow the whole echelon several feet in any given direction. Good bike handling practice for sure!

We stopped just once, at the 45 mile mark at Boulware Springs and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at a SAG stop that has surely spoiled me for all other SAG stops to come. The Take Stock folks provided sandwiches from Crispers and a variety of cold drinks, even some gels for the rest of the ride. Here I had been conditioned by all previous centuries to expect peanut butter and maybe some fig newtons, yet there was turkey on rye and potato chips in abundance! Another luxury that the Take Stock Century afforded us was a police escort that stopped traffic at every intersection so that our little group of 5 or 6 riders could pass through unimpeded. Now that is pulling out all the stops! (I am certain we got some puzzled if not indignant looks from the motorists who were made to wait).

We averaged a modest 20.3 mph for the day, benefited from a tailwind near the end (A century first for me! It is always a headwind at the end of centuries, never a tailwind!) and arrived at the MLK center well ahead of the rest of the field and pretty well wiped out, but with a feeling of having accomplished a goal and of having had a great time in the process.

 

A "Haile" of a race!

It was a great day for racing for at the Southeastern Regional Championship mountain bike race in Gainesville, FL at Gatorback - Hailes Trails. And Team Cycle Logic had a great race!

This course was extremely technical, two laps for a total of 10.5 miles, with steep rooty climbs, heart stopping drops, and gravely rutted limerock climbs and descents. If you didn’t pick the right line, the slightest error could send you tumbling into the deep quarries below.

Justin Pfaff proved his bike handling skills, and with his endurance from road racing, placed 3rd in his class, leaving the remainder of the field nowhere in sight. [Justin raced in the 11-14 age group, Justin is only 11 - editor]

And Doug Folkerth’s road training and winter stadiums paid off, as he sprinted the last 200 yards to a 3rd place finish, outpacing the guy on his back the entire way by 20 seconds!

Way to go, guys – you rock!

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