Support for local racer

There is a HUGE 5 day juniors stage race (The Tour de l’abitibi) held in Canada (40th annual this year) at the end of July that has been touted as the largest junior stage race in the world, and is part of the UCI Juniors Nations’ Cup.

Two of our fellow Central Florida Cyclists have been invited to attend as members of the Florida Velo Development Team (Jimmy Page of Citrus Cycling and Will Willis of ASV/Gold’s). Obviously this is a HUGE opportunity for these guys as well as the rest of their team plucked from South Florida (Preferred Alliance) and North Carolina (Hincapie) as these guys will be competing against 26 other teams from around the WORLD (including the USA National Development Team)!! This international competition is considered the most important development road race of its category. It is also North-America’s most difficult and longest in duration and distance.

Obviously, traveling and supporting a 5 day stage race takes some funds, so Citrus Cycling is holding a benefit ride (metric century and some shorter distances) to help these guys pay for their trip the weekend after Independence Day. It would be great if we could get a bunch of us to show up and support these guys and ride alongside the future legends.

I’ve attached some links that explain the race and the benefit ride below.

floridacycling.com

TourAbitibi
(click on the English tab at the top right if you cannot read French)

Citrus Cycling

Team Armada


JP/CL

They're Here!

The long-awaited, much anticipated photos from our trip to the Tour of Georgia. There are many many many photos, some may seem like duplicates, but this slideshow was generated by compiling the photos from three different groups of people.

A large amount of work went into trying to add captions and descriptions for most (at least the fist half) of the pictures...so make all the time spent on this stupid thing worth while by reading a few of them.

If anybody would like a high resolution version of any of the pictures in this slideshow, contact the team and we'll work something out for $20-$30/photo.

Enjoy the photos by clicking HERE
-OR-
Go to www.5count.com/ToG-Gallery/

Catching Up

Be sure to scroll down our blog to find new additions, announcement and results. We have also updated some older posts with great photos thanks to our resident pro, Gerry Bouchard. We've been lax in our updates and have recently made a concerted effort to bring you back up to speed, "Catchup", if you will. Some entries of note:

• Stolen Bikes!!!
• State Road Races, Age Day and Category Day
• New Member: Tal Mincey
• Sugarloaf photos by Gerry Bouchard
• A State Crit report by Scott Pfaff
• Photo Slide show from the trip to North Georgia for the Tour of Georgia

STOLEN BIKES

This past weekend, two of our teammates had their bikes stolen. Below is the original email from our very own Rachel Hallum regarding this heinous act.

Hey everyone,

Last night Roger and I had our bikes stolen from the Turkey Creek area (off Hwy. 441, near Alachua). Some jerks literally ripped them off our roof racks.

The bikes are a silver and black CANNONDALE SYSTEM 6 and a black and white SPECIALIZED TARMAC EXPERT with red handlebar tape (both are between 49 and 52 cm; I can't remember the exact frame sizes). The Specialized has a couple of scratches on the top tube. Both of them are missing their front wheels, and the Cannondale is also missing the back wheel.

PLEASE, if you see these frames anywhere, or if someone tries to sell them to a local bike shop, PLEASE LET US KNOW.

My number is 386-956-9231.

Roger's number is 352-870-8600.

State Road Race Championships-Age Day

photos by Gerry Bouchard
It was once said, "To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport." -Scott Martin

Members of Cycle Logic confronted pain this past weekend on the beautiful State Road Race course surrounded by horse farms in the Ocala area. Saturday's races were reserved for all the age-groupers and Cycle Logic made it to the podium on more that one occasion.

The Juniors 10-12 race once again saw Justin Pfaff step up onto the top of the podium as he took his second State Championship jersey of the year (ed. Justin also won the State Criterium Championship back in May).

Kerry Duggan, Ken Sallot, Rob Robins, Tal Mincey and Scott Pfaff were the other brave teammates to vie for a State Championship crown.

The veteran, Kerry Duggan, had no problem keeping pace with a deceptively strong 45+ Masters field to finish in the lucky 13 spot for his 50-54 age group. In the 30+ Masters race Ken Sallot got caught behind a gap in the peloton and was forced to venture forward solo. Despite having to race the following day, Ken drove it hard to the finish for a respectable 39th on the day.

Competing in the same race as Sallot- Rob Robins, Tal Mincey and Scott Pfaff were left to fight for position in the field while some of the fastest men in the state forced the pace at the front. Tal's first experience in Masters races proved to be a successful one as he was the teams top finisher in the ultra competitive 35-39 age group. Tal finished 12th and more than proved his worth as Cycle Logic's newest teammate. Rob Robins continued to show his great form as he slotted in just two spots behind Tal for 14th.

Still in the same race, but competing against the 40-44 year olds, Scott Pfaff pfinally reaped some glory after sewing the seeds of consistency all year long. Racing against these same guys week in and week out proved to be the advantage for Pfaff as he knew the wheels to watch in the closing laps. Staying close to the front and giving it everything all the way to the line resulted in Scott's first ever podium finish as he placed 2nd in his age group!

State Road Race Championships-Category Day

Cat 3's
With our expanding number of category 3 teammates, Cycle Logic was able to field four strong, smart, competitive cyclists for the Cat 3 race. So Rob Robins, Eric Stubbs, Gerry Bouchard and Kerry Duggan toed the line. (Would have been 5, but some moron stole Roger Montes' bike the night before the race)

With the feed zone packed with other Cycle Logic teammates and supporters, the heat of the day was kept at bay by way of copious amount of ice-cold fluids. The boys in Orange and Gray were vigilant at the front in the early laps and Rob Robins was diligently going with everything that attempted to go up the road.

In the end, it was gruppo compacto and a bunch kick was surely going to be served. Due to Eric Stubbs' pension for finding the front at the end of a race, the boys sacrificed themselves in hopes of yet another good finish by Eric and once again, he didn't disappoint. Placing 7th gave Cycle Logic an outstanding finish in a supremely competitive field. Rob gave it a dig in the sprint but was bumped into the grass and was forced to roll through cyclocross style.

Cat 4's
Ken Sallot, Anthony Musalo, Mike Arena and James Penrod took to the line in the Cat 4 race which started in the heat of the day at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The blistering sun would soon be replaced by Armageddon-like clouds which ultimately brought hurricane force winds, lightning, thunder and cold rain.

With all our 4's on top form for this race, hopes were high that we'd be able to work some tactics and have a serious card to play in the finale. With Sallot working tirelessly at the front in the early laps covering any promising move, the field thinned under the pressure and heat of the day. Musalo and Arena negotiated the hills effortlessly while Penrod found the pace to be easier than his spirited training rides over these same roads.

As the storm approached the race officials shortened the race by two laps and gave the field "one to go". With lightning strikes hitting the ground only a stones throw away from the finish line and the wind blowing riders all over the road, a portion of the field wisely exited the race and took cover along with the many stranded spectators.

Musalo bravely forged ahead for the final lap managing to stay at the front of the attacking field. As the remnants of the cat 4 field came into view on the finishing stretch, the wind was blowing the rain and the riders sideways. Unable to see the finish line Musalo misjudged his kick slightly and still managed a 9th place finish.

All of our team, friends, family and supporters stayed safe and the worst of the storm passed without casualties.

All in all, a great weekend of racing and some more great results for Cycle Logic. Thanks to all the teammates who came out and raced, volunteered driving wheel trucks and official cars, worked as corner marshals, or picked up trash along the course following the races conclusion. Cycle Logic has once again shown it's support for the Florida racing scene through its willingness to help.

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!!