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Written by Beau:
This past weekend’s FLC Squawker Road Classic was a great introduction to racing as part of a team. I had a blast witnessing what a positive impact a unified goal can have in this sports experience and it was a real pleasure to have four of us in the Men’s IV/V field. My legs were slow to respond in the TT and I suffered my way to a 6th place finish before feeling 2x as strong on the way back from the finish to the car;) Being new to the sport and lacking TT experience Trey impressed with a solid top 10 finish.
The crit was typically fast for the .5 mile 6 turn circuit that includes a punchy hill and descent proceeding the turn into the finishing straight. I was thrilled to be a part of the lead group that lapped the majority of the field and to witness James ride a tactful race culminating in an impressive sprint to 2nd as I barely hung onto the lead pack to finish in 8th. Lance was just behind tying for 12th. We celebrated the day with an incredible meal put on by Charlotte and James that featured some delicious Colavita pasta and two amazing homemade sauces. It was a real treat to see so many of the team’s faces and check out the new Castelli Kits.
Not really sure how the legs would respond to a full weekend of racing, but feeling jumpy from the team feast, I decided to just go for it in the road race and find out what the legs thought latter; falling on my birthday I think Trey felt obliged to entertain me. We shot off the front less than a ¼ mile into the race and James and Lance did a fantastic job of disrupting early efforts to chase us down which allowed us to gain nearly a minute by the bottom of the climb on the first lap. Just as the climb eventually took its toll on us after a fast start it worked to separate the field and produce a small chase group that was closing in on Trey and I by our 2nd time up it. Seeing the writing on the wall we sat up, refueled and regained smooth form in time to jump in with the new lead group; having James there made it easy for us to do so. The last two laps were a little jumpy as riders acted on the urge to whittle things down. The penultimate climb left just James at the front with two others. I refused to give up on the idea of catching them and was left solo in between the lead and the next group behind. I of course never got any closer being alone in the wind but managed to hold my own out there and finish 4th behind James’ second podium finish of the weekend. As Trey was in the group behind me he did not pull in the chase efforts to catch his own teammates and proved further the gentleman near the line by by not contesting 5th with the rider who had chased; Trey took 6th just behind the “Angry Catfish” rider out of Minneapolis who was also racing on his birthday.
It was a fine way to spend a birthday weekend and I am grateful to do so with such a great team. I look forward to the coming season!
Next up CMU’s Maverick Classic:
First Race is Always a Bit of a Blur:
The SpinGeeks of St. George Utah put on a superb event, and this in spite of a cold front that pushed start time temps into the upper 30’s with strong breezes out of the north and east, in spite of no fewer than four goat heads that ended my road race after three miles (note to self wheels in truck even if it’s jam packed), and in spite of not one Mexican restaurant asking ‘red or green.’ Still, the events were well organized with stage results being delivered via email by the time I got back to the hotel after each stage. Amazing efficiency.
Saturday’s racing included the increasingly familiar two stage format, a morning time trial followed by an afternoon crit. Nearly everyone was left lamenting slow TT times. The wind made it really hard to find the gear. But, Josh McDowell, riding for Fort Lewis this weekend, rode top thirty on a road bike with drop bars. Awesome effort given all the aero helmets and disk wheels.
The Cat 3-4 Crit field was fit and fast, seventy-five riders mostly from Utah and Nevada and many of whom began the season in February at the Valley of the Sun. So, I found myself, like many a developing baseball player who is encouraged to allow the game to slow down and let the action come to him. However, as the first race of the season often proves, my legs weren’t quite as good as imagined them to be, so I found myself always reacting to accelerations and just trying to find safe places to recover between efforts. Still, I managed a pack finish in very fast crit that averaged 29.5 mph even though I lost quite a few places skirting a crash in the last lap. Josh rode aggressively, spending a few laps off the front in a group of three. Fort Lewis tried to disrupt the rhythm on the front, but at least two teams from Vegas were determined to bring the race to sprint.
In all, still a great way to start to the season. —Lance Webster, Dolores, CO
Mellow Johnny’s 2013 in Dripping Springs, Tx.
On the Thursday before Sunday’s race, I set out on my first trip to Texas. My roommate Payson of RMCF Sweet Elite and myself of Colavita SW cycling were both chomping at the bit to rip some single-track, and get the 2013 season underway. After doing a pre-ride of the rocky techy course with punchy climbs, I had a good feeling about my fitness and technical skill for the upcoming race, especially after doing a three-day skills camp in Moab the prior weekend. There were only about 20 guys in my Cat. 1 19-29 field, and despite it being my first sanctioned, non-collegiate race I felt confident in all the work I put in over the winter months. As the gun sounded, I let myself fall into about 7th position. This allowed me to get an idea of whom I was racing against. Within 4 minutes I had worked my way up into third wheel, just behind a local Texas racer, with Colavita teammate James Rowan leading us out. I felt really fresh, so I made a move to the front just before the first descent, and pushed the pace back up the mirroring climb. I couldn’t hear anyone behind me, but I kept the pace up for the rest of the first lap. The theme of the second lap was passing other category riders, and trying not to lose too much time in the process. By the third and final lap I felt content with my lead and the pace I had been riding, so I just focused on a clean line and smoothing out the track as much as possible. I made one final push in the last kilometer to solidify the win for the first race of the season. James finished in third, putting two Colavita SW riders on the podium. The 2013 racing season is underway and looks promising.
Sean, Steve Eldridge, and James Rowen went down to bask in the PHX sun and ride all the McDowell Mtn Park trails for 40 miles of early season MTB racing.
James finished 5th overall in the 0-29 age group only 11 minutes down.
Steve Finished 11th over in the same “young guns” age.
Sean finished 4th in SingleSpeed Open overall only 18 minutes down.
From Sean: “First race of year was about 30 degrees warmer than the norm and pushed each of our limits to go the 41.5 miles against the AZ boys since they’re in the height of the season. Lots of slobber with dirt and sweat to the finish line. Good times as usual being back in the saddle and pushing into the unknown.”
Nice early season form gentlemen!
Orville Practicing new skills out on the Road Apple trails.
One-on-one MTB skills training with one of our teenage riders. He was much improved at the end!
Beau, Trey, Keith, and Lance yukking it up.
We had a great ride last Saturday on the roads to Canyonlands!
Form Steve:
Race information: McDowell meltdown.
The race was the first of the AZ mtb series, and the weather was perfect. I had fun racing in Arizona, the weather was great for racing. The race started of pretty fast and the course was a roller coaster. I finished 15th in cat. 2 and with a time of 1hr 34mins. I had an amazing time and loved the race environment in Arizona.
See the Sponsor Page for more info. Thanks!
Colavita is sponsoring amateur (and ladies Pro team) cycling teams all over the USA, and CSW is one of them in 2013, again. Amazing support from this Italian food company! Thanks!
If you are interested: kashmore@advantas.net or 505-258-0592
Thanks! Keith Ashmore, Manager, Farmington, NM
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