Psychology Specialized Commercial

Commercial for a school Psychology project.

Specialized Transition from Cameron Vaughan on Vimeo.

What do you suggest for juniors? Endurance with intensity - part 2

For juniors on endurance and intensity ... I wasn't kidding that this topic can be highly controversial!

Firstly, the whole topic started as "off-season" so I wanted to point out that the majority of a riders time is going to be with endurance. It's the amount of intensity that is up for debate.

Secondly, the good old days were all about "base miles" in the off-season. Today riders are adding intensity to their off-season so that their "base miles" have more quality to them. Yes, too much early intensity can lead to burnout, or feeling stale.

Thirdly, if endurance rides are the main focus, then let's define endurance for a minute. Endurance is the ability to resist fatigue over time. If a juniors longest event of the year is 3 hours we are not talking about 4 and 5 hour rides in the off season.

Next, let's define how a junior accumulates endurance. If a junior rides 10 hours a week during the season, but does so only through local group rides, it will be difficult to prescribe hours of solo rides in the off-season. I like to recommend that riders break up their endurance rides. For instance, they ride solo before joining the group ride, and then ride solo after the group ride ends. Doing so allows them to warm up properly, get the group ride in, and think about their training and fitness on the last part of the ride.

Bottom line, the off-season work for a junior should be aligned with their goals. Here's three examples with varying advice:

Athlete #1 going into their second season: I'd advise that they keep their riding fun and fairly unstructured (frequency and intensity), but still have them track the weekly hours (volume) so that they understand the importance of off-season work and how it correlates to late season performance.

Athlete #2 is about to start their fourth season, has huge expectations and a past history of "burnout" at the end of the season: first I'd look further into the "burnout" and determine if we're talking physical or mental. Typically young athletes just need more variety in their workouts or a break from the bike. Secondly I'd explore their huge expectations to see if they were real. If their expectations were not I'd advise intensity and only endurance rides if fun and social. If the huge expectations are real, then the athlete may need to refresh their perspective on how the off-season work helps them in their goal events (goal setting).

Athlete #3 is also going into their fourth season, has huge expectations, can stay motivated all year long and has no prior signs of "burnout": cycling rewards consistency and persistence. If an athlete can get enough variety into their workouts (solo/ group, road/ mountain/ track/ cross, weights/ cross training/ stretching) I have no problems advising that they up the endurance in the off-season and pepper in the intensity a bit.

Kevin has a lot more than four years of experience, but this is what he does. Lots of varity and a true love to ride his bike.

If you haven't already read it I highly recommend Kirsten Dieffenbach's "Bike Racing for Juniors". I hope this helps. Cheers, Larry Nolan

Jan. 2, 2011 Nutrition and Racing Clinic

Nutrition Talk with Stacy Sims, PhD.
and
Race Ready 2011 with Larry Nolan
Benefitting Team Specialized Juniors

Stacy Sims, PhD gives an exciting and meaningful presentation that you will not want to miss. Her work with national and pro cycling teams is cutting edge, yet practical. Arm yourself for the New Year with information and motivation!

Larry Nolan is an Early Bird leader, has over 30 years of racing and coaching experience, and currently manages Team Specialized. He will provide you with tips and tactics that you can use in your next race.

When: January 2, 2011 from 5pm to 7pm
Where: 48989 Milmont Drive, Fremont, CA
Meeting @ Mission Springs Community Church
Cost at the door: $10, discounted to $5 for teammates, Early Bird mentors, U23s and Jrs. Donations are tax deductible so bring your checkbook!
Who: Experienced athletes of all levels.
Questions: Contact Larry at TeamNolan@hotmail.com

off-season: intensity, or long-slow-miles?

Coaches love to argue this one... what's your optimum off-season INTENSITY level?

Since there's never an easy answer on this one I called my teammate Kevin Metcalfe last week to argue it.

Kevin and I have been teammates since 1995. When competitors ask how Kevin puts the hurt on everyone year after year they assume he's a genetic freak that can climb and time trial. Well, the truth is, he works very hard to improve every aspect of his cycling. This guy is more serious about his training than any three racers that I know. You guessed it, Kevin drills it in the off-season. How much is his secret!

What's your off-season intensity look like?

Larry

MTB polo reflections

As a guy I look at MTB polo as pure fun... on the bike, in the sun, with friends, enjoying a beer afterwards.

As a teammate I look at MTB polo as an opportunity... to have fun together, to communicate, and to score!

As a coach I look at MTB polo as a chance for teammates to develop their competitiveness, their skills, and their tenacity.

For all of these reasons I thoroughly enjoyed today's game. While the juniors won 13-11 I couldn't help but notice the improvements that all of the juniors had made in the past year! MTB polo is all about getting into the fray and none of our teammates backed off or gave an inch. Chris, James, Andrew, Matt, and Peter brought the game to a whole new level!

Oh, and we will have a rematch on Jan 1!

USACDF Marin Classic

Last weekend, I geared up for the Marin Classic ride. I was a little tired because my old school's homecoming was the night before but with a double shot espresso and 1 and a half cups of coffee, I was ready to ride! Steve McCauley, the director of the Development Foundation invited me on the ride to help out and be able to talk to the supporters about my trip to Europe. CHP was out to block off intersections and keep cars from bothering us. It was awesome! Taylor Phinney was the guest on the ride and I got to talk with him a bit which was really cool. It was a great opportunity to be able to ride with some of the supporters of the USA Cycling Development Foundation and be able to chat with them and thank them for the support. Without these guys, people like Peter, Eamon, and I would not have these incredible chances to go over to Europe and race with the National Team. It was also great to see Ralf Medloff, the mechanic for the National Team while I was in Europe. Ralf and Steve were in the follow car for the ride and they would have me drop back and point out people who were struggling so I could help them out. I pushed people up hills and brought others back to the group. After the ride, we had a delicious lunch at a very nice house. It was probably the biggest house I have ever been at. The owners of the house were very kind to provide food for thirty hungry cyclists!

Up next, 'cross racing!

Torey

Mount Diablo Challenge

Sunday was the Diablo Challenge. My goal was to break 50 minutes. I followed Kevin to the front row at the start. The first half mile is horrible road. I was worried about getting a flat (got 2 flats there the week before). I led the group through the bumps and then positioned myself near the front of the group. The first half was really hard, but uneventful. Going up the the halfway point Chris Phipps counter one of Kevin's moves. I got on his wheel and he kept surging to and trying to drop me. Soon the two of us had a small gap. I should have stayed steady and dropped off his wheel in the beginning, but I fought to stay on. At exactly the halfway point I fell off. I ended up in the 2nd group. 4 riders were up the road and I was in the next group of 4 with Kevin. We rode hard and I was in the "pain cave". With 4km to go Kevin started surging to drop the Berkeley rider. He dropped me multiple times and I fought to catch up again. In the last few kilometers I tried some attacks, but didn't get far. We finished together up the final pitch. Kevin ended 6th and I finished 7th. I didn't worry about my time during the race, but looked up at the end and saw 48:24 and completed my goal.

At the top all the riders hang out. I saw Matt and Tommy Barger, who are Founders. It was great to talk to them and hopefully I will be able to ride with them this fall.

Thanks to Kevin, Rob, and Peter for all their help getting ready for and during the Diablo Challenge. In Septemeber, when I asked Kevin and Rob about strategy they told me how to race near the top. I thought I would be dropped and by myself for most of the climb. It was motivating knowing that they thought I could stick with them and the other fast riders.

2010 Season

2010 USA Elite Track Nationals - photo credit Mike Gladu

As the NCNCA upgrade coordinator I see a good number of requests (avg. 100 a month) and think about this often... "when is it time for a 52 year old to downgrade?"

I especially pondered this question at the Madera stage race (March) when the 1/2/Pros whomped on me in the hill climb. I'm really not sure how much longer I should hold onto my category one road license. It's safe to say that 2011 will be interesting.

For my category one track license, I now have a new 2011 goal: I want to compete at the 2011 USA elite track nationals in the omnium. I placed 9th this year in the six event format (flying one lap, 30km points race, miss and out, 4km, 20km scratch, killermeter). Doing this event was such an eye opener. A superb mix of suffering and fun! I was under prepared for how frequently these young pups attack and for how hard the racing would be. I'm not saying I'll place any higher but I plan to be better prepared next fall! oh, and I want to hold onto that category one track license too!

Masters racing was fun and very competitive in 2010, but just like the juniors that I coach, we need to be appropriately challenged in "category" races so that we are best prepared for "age-graded" races. I was able to earn my 42nd USA National Championship in the points race this year, so my 2011 goal is to win the National crit championship and to help Kevin win the road race in Bend. Goal #3 is to win at masters track nationals.

Overall, the 2010 racing season was all about the juniors. Thirteen young athletes came together to form a team like I've not seen before. They worked hard, they listened, they won, and they had fun. They take a new level of confidence and humbleness into the 2011 season that will be contagious for new teammates. Managing this team has been a fantastic experience for me. Lots of learning and we all hope to make 2011 an even better year than 2010!

Thanks for following our team. Cheers, Larry Nolan

2010 Season

3 weeks ago was my last race of the season, which was the Giro Di San Francisco on Labor Day weekend. I finished 13th in the pro/1/2 race, that was very challenging. A group flew off the front about 15 minutes into the race and ended up lapping the field. Teammate (and father) Dean LaBerge was one of the 8 and was able to hang out until he lapped the field. He hung onto 8th overall and I placed 13th overall; 5th in the field sprint.

I raced so much this season and I have achieved so many accomplishments and learned so much. We worked very well as a team the entire year and we had fun in the process. We were able to capture all state championships and picked up a silver in the National Time Trial from Eamon Lucas. We then went to Canada for Tour De L' Abitibi in July and were very successful. We won the 1st stage (myself) and had the brown jersey! Unfortunately, I crashed the next and lost the overall, but I still held onto the blue jersey (best young rider). Meanwhile, Eamon, Peter Taylor, and Torey Phillip were all sitting good, waiting for the Time Trial. After the time trial, Eamon ended up being our GC guy, sitting in 3rd place overall. I slipped down to 29th overall. That afternoon, we had a short 50-KM race. Andrew Lanier and I were able to get away about 10KM into the race, and got in a break of 11. We stayed away barely, but we all picked up 30+seconds on GC. I then moved up to about 15th overall, and only about 30 seconds out of best young rider. Satge 5 was the longest, and a wet stage. The roads were slick and at one point in the stage, about 1/2 of the 155 man field fell down due to the slick roads with oil. Eamon and I had crashed. Eamon had a scuff on his chin and was fine, but I wasn't as fortunate. I had a couple really deep cuts and got 5 stitches that evening. I was able to start and even finished 15th on the fifth stage. Eamon was still sitting 3rd overall and only 1 second out of 2nd (1st place rider secured his placing). The last stage was a true smart man's stage: crosswind for first 30km and straight headwind for the next 45km before doing 9 laps in town. I was able to help Eamon pick up those valuable seconds on the road on a sprint point and he placed 6th on the stage. Overall, Eamon finished 2nd, I finished 11th, Peter and Torey were right together about 15-20th, and Andrew and David devoted their results to the team.

After the Tour, I came back home and did some local crits in Suisun, and Santa Clara, and Vacaville. I also won Sea Otter this year in April and upgraded to a category 1 cyclist on the road! I couldn't have done this good this year if it weren't for the fact of my great teammates and support of staff(all of the masters) and supporters and sponsors. Thank you everyone for an amazing year! I'll be back next year for 2011! See you at the races!

Next stop, Giro Della Basilicata!

Torey Philip is racing with the 17-18 USA National Team in Italy.

The Giro Della Lunigiana was my first ever big European stage race. There were 172 riders competing for the green leader's jersey. The course for stage 1 was 95 km and had one small climb that we rode up twice. In the first half hour, we averaged about 50kph. A rider from Kazakhstan won solo. I finished in the peloton.

Stage 2 was 101 km and had a steep 2 km climb in the middle and finished on a brutal 4 km climb. After about 20 km, my teammate, Austin Boswell, went down in a crash. I stopped to give him a wheel because he was one of our protected riders but we found out the derailleur hanger was broken so he had to wait for a spare bike. I remounted my bike and worked my way through the caravan to get back into the peloton. After the climb, some teammates and I moved to the front to chase down a breakaway. We caught the break and a couple minutes later, CRASH! A rider a few spots ahead touched wheels and took down me and two of my teammates, Matt Lipscomb and Kristo Jorgenson. Luckily I just landed on bikes and people so I was able to bounce back up quickly. I got back to the lead group right before the finishing climb. I was amazed at how fast these European kids can climb. I can climb pretty well back in the US but over here, I finished 81st about 4 minutes down. After the race, Austin and Kristo took a little trip to the hospital to get their injuries checked out.

Stage 3 was the hardest stage. It was 117 km with 3 climbs out on the course and a 7 km climb to the finish. The pace was fast the whole race. On a descent, an Italian rider ran me off the road and into the grass. Luckily I didn't hit the deck. Matt got into an early break so Kristo and I did some blocking at the front. The break eventually was caught. On the way to the finishing climb, a crash split the peloton and once we hit the climb, I tried to bridge up to the lead peloton but they were just to fast. I finished 69th at 5 minutes down.

Stage 4 was definitely the fastest. It was 100 km and we did 2 circuits with 1 big climb and 1 small climb. Each time up the big climb, I got dropped and had to ride through the caravan on the descent to get back to the peloton. On the second lap, the peloton split in two. I finished in the second group 4 minutes down. Overall, I ended up 71st. This was probably the hardest race I have ever done and probably had the hardest climbs I have ever ascended. I learned a lot and hopefully, I will eventually be able to climb as well as these guys!

posted by Larry for Torey

Suisan Crit

Hey Everyone,
So 2 weeks ago was the Suisan crit. It was a fun race and weekend. I spent Wednesday through Sunday at Matt's house. We did the "Noon Ride" and The Spectrum ride with David and Dylan, Steve was at the Spectrum ride. So when we got to the Suisan crit it was freezing cold. I got my kit and started to warm up. I was on the rollers for about 15 minutes and then jumped on the course. It was a solid course but in my race there was a car parked on the backside during my race, they didn't move it until the 3's race. I had a really good position on the start line, which really helped my positioning. I was at the front the whole time around 5th or 6th wheel. One rider went off the front, many attacked to pulled him back but it didn't work. It was last lap, I was sitting in 4th wheel and there was a crash, I completely avoided it, making the field split. There were 7 riders in that group and I finished 6th missing 5th by a bike throw. I would like to do REALLY welll in the 4's at the Clovis Criterium, the day before the Giro. We'll see how it goes.

-Jack

Belgium

Hey everyone!

I am having a great time in Belgium right now. On Wednesday, I raced in my first kermesse in the town of Kemmel. The course had a small cobbled climb and went on some narrow farm roads. It started to rain right when the race began. I got into a couple breakaways but nothing stuck. It began to rain harder as the race went on. The field also got smaller and smaller. The cobbles were getting very slick near the end of the race. I ended up finishing 10th and won 18 euros!

On Thursday, I raced in another kermesse. It was a mostly flat course on narrow roads with a tiny hill and the street that the start/finish line was on had small cobbles. Once again, I tried to get in the breakaways but none of them worked. I was having a hard time trying to get the Belgians to work with me. I ended up 26th and won 5 euros.

Saturday, we have another kermesse and on Wednesday we head to Italy!

Torey

West-Vlaanderen Cycling Tour

Last Friday we started a 4 day, 5 stage, stage race. On Friday we did a TTT. We finished 7th of 24 teams. We had a Kermesse that night. We have had Kermesses each day since. I finished in the top end of the 140 rider pack both day. Breaks got away both days, but I wasn't able to get into either of them.

Today was a flat fast Kermesse. I started in the middle of the pack and slowly moved up. I found that if I stayed in my 52x16 (hardest gear allowed for 15-16s) my legs would lose their pop after accelerating from 10kph to 50kph out of every turn. I started shifting into my 52x18 and could accelerate faster and move up through the group. With 2 laps to go (12km) I got near the front. I fought for position and stayed in the top 15. With 1.5km to go a break of 2 riders got up the road. At 1km to go I jumped and got a gap on the field. I stayed away until the final turn. The pack caught me and I was shelled off the back.

I risked it and it didn't pay off, but I gave it a try

Tomorrow is the final day.

First Kermesse

We arrived in belgium Wednesday. We have been riding around the area. We have ridden cobbles and visited the HTC-Columbia Service Course.

Today we had our first kermesse. We started with 60-70. At the end of the first lap I attacked and was solo around the start/finished. I was caught soon after. I got in a few attacks, but nothing I was in stuck. My "teammates" (technically there is supposed to be no teamwork in kermesses) Michael and Colin got in a long break, but were caught with 3 to go. With 1 lap to go I put on the "pants" and forced my way to the front. I was top five with 1km but lost it through a technical section with flower boxes in the road. I sprinted early and finished 15. The money goes deep at Kermesses and I got a few Euros.

We have another kermesse tomorrow.

Master's Road Nationals - Day's One and Two - The Ticket Puncher Strikes

Somebody finally convinced Rob Anderson that a little rest now and then is a good thing and ever since he's been on a tear.

Yesterday was the Time Trial in Taylorsville, Kentucky. It is a tough course that is about 23.5km long with three pretty tough hills in it and a few more rollers to make sure that if you didn't pace well you would pay for it dearly. Based on past experience and how we are riding we all felt that we had a pretty good chance of winning if things went well. Chris, Craig and myself didn't pace as well as we could have and paid accordingly. Chris was 2nd in the 40-44, Craig was 4th in the 45-49 and I was 2nd. But the big story of the day was that Rob has found his TT legs again and won the 55-59 title by 6 seconds!



BTW, it was hot at the TT, probably around 90 degrees and humid when we raced.



Today was Rob's road race. Today was also supposed to be the hottest day of the week. When his 9 lap (~45 miles) race started the heat index was 115 degrees. On the second lap Rob started a move that included former team mate Wayne Stetina, Dave Leduc, Bill Kellagher and one other. As the laps ticked off Rob popped them off one by one. Stetina went about 4 laps in, Kellagher went with three to go and finally Rob dropped Leduc with one lap to go. We were very worried about Leduc because he is quite a finisher. In the final lap Rob put 2 minutes into Leduc and after the finish Leduc collapsed from the heat. It was brutal just standing in the feed zone and watching let alone racing! Even though we are a bit biased, Craig, Chris and I thought that Rob rode an unbelievably strong race. It bodes well for the World Master's Championships later this month in Austria.

Late in the race, announcer Dave Towle gave Rob a new nickname, "Ticket Puncher" because that's what he was doing all race long, punching tickets!

Chasing Medals – Gold at Track Nationals

     Day 1 of track nationals was the 500-meter TT for jr. 13-14 boys.  There were thirty-two of us and I was second to the last to start.  I warmed up and listened to the times that the other kids did until it was my turn to go.  I knew that I had to beat the time of Chazmichael Morales of 38.? seconds. Before the start, I took a few deep breaths and looked at the start timer and then took off.  I finished the day in 3rd, but most importantly I got points for the overall omnium.

     The next day was the qualifying and finals scratch race. There were only 12 spots available to move on to the finals in my qualifying heat.  I took it easy to save my energy for the finals, but still made sure I qualified. Our final scratch race was held in the evening and all twenty-four of us tried to get a good spot on the rail. We rolled out as a group waiting for the gunshot to begin the 12-lap race. The referee pulled his trigger and the race was on.  Daniel Parks made the move as soon as it started and I followed. We had a little gap but it wasn't big enough. The rest of the race was slow with some attacks.  I knew I had to keep an eye out for Chazmichael during the whole race.  It was then the bell lap.  I was in a perfect position, sitting third wheel.  Grayson Brookshire made the jump and I was in his slipstream.  In turn 3, I started my sprint coming over the top of him but I was still tied with him.  Out of turn 4, I took the lead and held it the whole way. Getting first place was great because I got my first gold medal and it also moved me into 2nd place in the omnium, 2 points behind Chazmichael.

     The points race didn't look too good on the third day because it was storming all morning and the races had to be pushed back to the afternoon.  After a morning of confusion, it was finally my qualifying heat for the points race. Each heat qualified twelve racers to the finals.  Since my heat had only twelve of us, I went easy because I knew we would automatically move on to the finals. Then it was the finals race and all twenty-four riders were anxious to get the race started, including me.  I knew I had to beat Chazmichael by at least two places in order for me to take the overall win.  This race was 30 laps with sprints at every 6 laps. I got points early on in the race, but after one of the sprints Daniel Parks jumped.  Riders tried to get on his wheel but left too big of a gap that I couldn't close it.  Daniel Parks won the points race and I came in second.  I didn't care about the second place finish because my interest was on Chazmichael’s placing. There was no news for at least 5 minutes and then we finally got the results.  Chazmichael had gotten 4th and I got 2nd, which meant I had become the track national champion! 

     I’m glad I went to track nationals this year.  It definitely was redemption for not getting gold at road nationals.

-Matthew Valencia

Team Specialized is travelling across the USA

Life is pretty good when you only have four priorities in your day and that's what we've had in the past five days. We left the Bay Area early Monday morning (July 12)for our drive to Val-d'Or Canada for the Tour de l'abitibi, the largest Juniors stage race in the world. 7 stages over 6 days (July 20-25) for 585km of racing.

+ Monday we made it to Salt Lake City just after we enjoyed a short ride in Elko Nevada. 3 states and 756 miles down.
+ Tuesday we moved across 80 with our 22 bikes, van and trailer to Gallala, NE two states and 608 miles later. Before sundown we jumped on our bikes for a two hour paceline ride without stop signs or lights.
+ Wednesday we covered Nebraska and Iowa and etched into Illinois where we stopped for a ride along the Mississippi river. Another 629 miles
+ Thursday we headed up to Wisconsin for Super Week and a great 100km crit in Cudahy, WI (212 mile day). German, French, Columbians and lots of American talent in this P/1/2 race. Dean, James, Eamon, Andrew and I were up for the challenge and Eamon was on fine form. He made the break and the six of them took a lap before we were half way through. We protected him, fed and watered him and he had a great race to finish 5th. Fifth place at Super Week!
+ Friday we slept in, Dean and I raced the masters event of Super week in Brookside, WI. Let's just say that we were both marked pretty well and a bit less than 100% after the 100km the night before. We took 4th and 3rd place and then headed to Ann Arbor, MI (326 miles).
+ today we have 284 miles to drive to Toronto to pick up David, Peter and Torey from the airport.
+ tomorrow we need to get 459 miles from Toronto to Val-d'or
+ Monday, July 19th we will have our team presentation
+ Tuesday, July 20th the team will race the first stage!

Drive, sleep, eat and ride. Life is great! Larry

National Criterium Championship

It was a 20km race, with lots of turns. Matt and I didn't get the best possible start at the line, but we were o.k. There was a crash right off the line before the first corner. I got stuck behind the crash. I had to chase for the whole race, but then I found myself in fifth wheel. I stayed here for a lap because everyone was yelling at me to stay. We came up to 2 to go. I waited, until right after the second corner I attacked, not knowing how close the group was ahead of me. I was almost there, probably 2 seconds off. I talked to Dylan Drummond and Matthew post race and they said there was somebody chasing me from behind so they didn't change their pace so I could get on. I was at my limit during the attack, putting everything I had into those pedals. I started the race in 70th place and finished 7th. After the race, I couldn't even drink a coke without getting nauseous. Every race I did at Nationals, put me at my limit. It was a great time. I want to say thank you to Larry for the team talks, and to Billy for working on both my road and TT bikes.

-Jack Maddux

Track Nationals - Day 2 to Day 4

Hello from a very comfortable RV traveling at a smooth 65mph down highway 80 in lovely green Indiana! Track nationals are now over, and two new red, white, and blue jerseys are already back in NorCal! Here is what happened in days two, three, and four of track nationals.

Day 2:

For the 17-18 boys, the points race was on the schedule. This race was probably the best suited race for me. However, I knew it was going to be extremely tough, but it was nationals. If it wasn’t there would have been a problem and who likes an easy race anyways? In the qualifier I planned on doing as little work needed to qualify, no point in killing your self if you do not need to just to qualify for a harder race. A group of two rolled off the front so only the top ten from the pack qualified. My chances were getting smaller, but not too small. I was able to bridge up to them with out totally killing myself. If the break stuck I would automatically qualify. Another guy bridged and we eventually lapped the field. A little much? Yes, but the pack just sat up and did not care, which made sense it was only the qualifier. I was able to help Ryan Gadow (San Jose Bicycle Club) score points and qualify. In the final I hoped to repeat my points race at nationals last year and roll off the front and win the race, but last year my race was much shorter and this year I raced like the extra distance did not make a difference. The race was 78 laps with sprints every 6. This meant the chances of going off the front were high because of the closeness of the sprints and the amount. However, in my multiply attempts to stretch the rubber band of the field I did pay attention to how much I was stretching mine. Right around half way through the race I found out how much I stretched my rubber band and I snapped it! Not the best thing to find out but that is racing. I got dropped and eventually pulled, but that is all apart of racing unfortunately and you have to be able to win gracefully, but more importantly LOSE GRACEFULLY. Daniel Fahrinha on the other hand rode a great race and ended up 2nd place, missing 1st place by three points and beating the 3rd place rider by over 20 points! The same day Matt Valencia was in full hunting mood for omnium points in his scratch race, the second out of three events for him, and boy is he a darn good omnium points hunter! Matt won his race putting him only two points behind the leader of his omnium!

Day 3:

Scratch race and team pursuit was on the schedule for me.  Both of the races I was very excited for. The team pursuit I was doing with Ben Barthel (5th in the individual pursuit) Neil Shepherd (4th in the individual pursuit) Matt Lipsocom (2nd in the individual pursuit) and myself (6th in the individual pursuit). With high hopes of taking down the “dream team” National Team with the alien, Texas creature Lawson Craddock, Ryan Eastman, Nate Geoffrion, and Benny Swedberg. We knew it would be tough, but we knew it was not impossible. Thankfully we went off after the national team. After seeing them go are hope got higher and higher. In the second half of their pursuit their team just blew apart. Nate and Benny were gassed and only Ryan and Lawson were together. They ended up doing a 3:42:something. This was a lot more reasonable than we were expecting. However, we were too worried about dropping each other that we went .5 to .7 seconds slower than we were supposed to each lap giving us a final time of 3:45:something. Although we were happy that we stayed together, we were frustrated that we did not go as fast as we could. We finished 3rd, with the Young Medalist Team winning with a time of 3:39:something. Then in the scratch race final I planned on trying to get away, but also I was going to make sure I did not kill myself before the finish of the race. With only 30 laps in the race it was going be short and fast. Myself and a couple of other tried to get away multiply times but nothing was getting away. I attacked with four to go but was quickly pulled back in and countered by a young medalist rider who almost stayed away but when Matt Baranoski started to sprint, nothing was faster. He finished first with Chazz Martin 2nd and the Young Medalist rider 3rd. Matt also had his points race in which he raced a very aggressive race and placed second to Daniel Parks and won the omnium by one point!! Ruth Winder (Peanut Butter & Co. 2012) did not stop attacking in her scratch race and eventually stayed away to a very well deserved victory!

Day 4:

No racing for Matt or myself, but Daniel Fahrinha participated in the Madison with Colt Peterson and boy was it an exciting race. Daniel and Colt both made the race very hard. The race came down to the last sprint and Daniel and Colt needed to win it but the sprinters still had some gas left and Benny Swedberg and Jesse Marans ended up winning the race and Daniel and Colt came in 3rd.

Over all it was a fun, exciting, educational, and hard track nationals.

Thanks for reading,

--Andrew

Track Nationals - Day 1

Hello from lovely, hot humid, and terribly uncomfortable Trexlertown, Pennsylvania. Today was the opening day of junior track nationals. Matt had his 500m ITT today and I had my extremely painful 3k individual pursuit. Matt had a very good ITT pulling off a 38 something placing him 3rd giving him 3 very valuable omnium points! In my pursuit I had a stress filled warm up as I had to do last minute mechanical work to my bike, but thankfully I was able to warm up on my road bike while my dad dealt with the issues. The bike was race ready with plenty of time and I passed the jig and weight test on the first time which was a huge relief as it took three times to pass at road nationals. I was in the 11th heat and boy was I ready. Legs were warm and I knew what I had to do. I had what I thought was a good start but later learned was quite slow. Although for the remaining eight laps I was able to keep a steady pace and gradually accelerating faster and faster each lap. Below are my splits recorded by my dad:

• Lap 1 - 29.14
• Lap 2 - 24.72
• Lap 3 - 24.82
• Lap 4 - 24.28
• Lap 5 - 24.26
• Lap 6 - 24.45
• Lap 7 - 24.23
• Lap 8 - 23.94
• Lap 9 - 24.58
• Total Time: 3:44.42**

**Time recorded by my dad. Official time was 3:45.051

This put me 6th over all.

Next race: points race

Thanks for reading,

--Andrew Jr.

Natz

Nationals was easily the hardest race of the year. Bend was hot, although not as hot as last year, and Craddock won everything.

We had a great showing, and we raced together really well.

Together in the crit everyone managed to finish unscathed, but still with some troubles. Turn 3 constricts the course from a 3 lane road to a one and a half lane wide road. Early in the race I was at the front taking advantage of it. Each lap the leaders would charge into the corner forcing everyone behind to chase hard. At the front, I buried myself to keep the pace high and force separations. Unfortunately going into the sketch-corner, some jokers attack on the inside, the group is seven wide, we are going to crash. Right then people crashed. I saw it coming and managed to just have to unclip and drop a chain. I took a a free lap, but USAC doesn't put me in at the front third of the field where I was. The official lets me start halfway through the bunch which means by the time I am up to speed I am holding on to the back for dear life. Two laps later, another crash. Two more, I flat. Same procedure for being put in. At this point any plan we had was crashed, scraped, and flatted apart.

The road race consisted of frenetic attacks and more chaos. 200 meters into the race I heard scraping and snapping and a spoke flying by my head. I see Torey on the ground, and a Specialized S-Works tumbling down the road. And then there were seven. Every rider fought to get to the front, only to get there and realize that nothing was happening. The first two laps followed this pattern, the second two were chaos. My plan was to roll off the front with one and a half laps to go to draw out some of the team's threats. I rolled off, got a gap, and riders bridged. We were working well together, until all of a sudden the group was there. Up the first of several climbs a rider attacked. I tried to follow, blew up and sank like a stone. Getting back into the group up the climb took everything I had. Unfortunately by then Craddock attacked again and the field was completely strung out. Andrew Lanier and I got caught in the second split in the group. We tried to pull back our group single handedly, which didn't work. Eventually, with a half lap to go, I got people working. The two of us got a breather, but were still gassed. Organization blew apart in the last kilometer. We thought it was unsportsmanlike like to sprint. Others didn't. From puling the group for 18 kilometers we were blown and couldn't sprint. So much for sportsmanship.

In the end the racing was good, and we worked well together. Every success was a team effort, I just fell on bad luck.

17-18 National Road Championships

The 17-18 Road National Championship Race held in Bend, Oregon was 113k consisting of four 27k circuits with two climbs per lap. This was to be my last chance to earn a national junior championship and I was determined to give everything I had. Team Specialized fielded a team of eight: Andrew Lanier, Andrew Bennett, Daniel Tisdell, David Benkowski, Eamon Lucas, James LaBerge and Torey Phillip.
Knowing there would be over 125 starters, I made sure to get a spot on the front row to avoid all the craziness that usually accompanies a neutral start. There were no crashes in the neutral section, but almost as soon as the race started and, unfortunately, Torey got caught up in a bad crash that took him out of the race. After this, I made sure to stay up front for the rest of the first lap to stay out of any trouble. On the first climbs everyone surged as usual. In an effort to conserve as much as possible I spun up the climbs and would drift nearly to the back, wait for the pace to slow down to move to the front and then stay there until the next climb. My teammates, David Benkowski and Andrew Lanier, both moved me up on several occasions, so I could spend as little time in the wind as possible. Thanks guys.

Coming into the first climb on the third lap there was a group of 7 two minutes ahead and Andrew Bennett and a chase group of ten had just been reeled in. Andrew Lanier and I tried to sneak off the front before the climb, but we were immediately chased down. Our move was countered on the climb and a group of 8 very strong riders had a ten second gap on the field. I traded a few pulls with Juan Carmona before moving back to rest when I saw that this group was going to get caught but Lawson and Tanner Putt countered immediately they were caught. They got a lot of time very quickly so there was no time to try and bridge. On the final lap I saw Daniel Farinha, SJBC, making a move. With nine riders up the road there was nothing to lose and so I bridged and we started to work together. We got out of the field’s sight, but were brought back within five minutes. On the second to last climb I attacked again just about where Billy had advised and didn’t look back. I made sure to push really hard after the top of the climb as both Charlie Avis and Billy had said I could pick up a lot of time this way. At that stage the motor said we were 1min and 25 secs behind Craddock’s lead group. Charlie yelled encouragement to me and Daniel Farinha who was the only rider who stayed with me. Over the last climb we caught the remnants of an earlier break. I jumped as hard as I could before catching them, however, two riders were able to stay with Daniel and me. I felt that if we worked together we had a good chance of catching the leaders and knew that Lawson was about twenty seconds in front. At this point, I was still racing for the win and worked harder than the others who may have been racing for 3rd. With 700m to go I realized I had worked too hard and would not factor in any sprint so I tried an attack over the last little roller; I didn’t get a large enough gap and finished 6th place overall but we had pulled Craddock, possibly the best rider in the USA, back over a minute.

This was my last National’s junior race. I gave all for the win but missed the podium as a result. I want to thank Larry, Billy Team Specialized and my teammates for all their support.

2010 road nationals

My first race was the road race, which was about 25 miles. We started with no immediate crashes and the pack stayed together until the third lap. There was a break that included Phillip O'Donnell, Daniel Parks, Dylan Drummond and me but there were many surges that I ended up falling back. I decided to stay with the pack to try and chase the leaders down but the gap was over a minute. At 200m to the finish line, I took off and won the field sprint getting fourth. The next day was the crit. Jack and I didn't get a good start because we were not in the front. Jack was pushed to the fence and he was also behind a crash at the first turn. This caused us to miss the lead group of 2 that stayed away. I was in the second lead group of four riders, which included Dylan, and Jack was in the main field. The lead group of two lapped the main field. I didn't want to get caught so I asked Larry what the gap was between us and the 2 leaders. Since the gap was 15 seconds, we increased our speed and never got caught. At the end, there was a field sprint and I finished in 5th place. Jack, on the other hand, at 2 laps to go he almost bridged up to my group getting 7th. The last event was the time trial, I didn't feel as fresh as the other two days because I did most of the work in the crit. I did though push my pace for the first half of the time trial at a fast speed but couldn't maintain it as I approached the hill. I got 7th with a time of 18:40.

-Matt Valencia

Time trialing!

Team Specialized ripped up the time trial course at the USA Junior Road National Championships. This is a shot of Jack Maddux on his way to 10th place in the 13-14 race.

Bend OR - Day 2

sprint for 3rd - 200 meters to go!

Matt and Jack put on a show for us and I wanted to take a quick time out from the busy week to say "thank you" for all the teammates and parents that have been out there cheering them on.

For those that missed the action, here's what I saw: 7:30pm start time, the premier start time for the night. Seventy 13-14 year olds lined up for a 20 lap, 20km, 7 corner, 1 inside sweeper USA Road National Criterium Championships. The whole team pre-rode this course in the morning but by the time the snow fencing went up it was one of the most technical courses we had seen in a long time. "Be at the front" was the team chant!

Unfortunately there were 3 crashes in the first lap. Insane. We saw road race winner Phillip O'Donnell and 3rd place road race finisher Grant Parks coming through the last corner with a 15 second lead on the 1st lap! Zeke Mostov (San Jose) was in chase, Matt Valencia behind him. Zeke went 100% to bridge, while Matt chased but also saw that three riders were coming up behind him so he waited and then went to work on the chase. That's heads up racing! The two leaders were absolutely flying. Philip and Grant caught the field ("lapped") but could not catch Matt and the four man chase. Coming into one lap to go Jack leapt out of the field and bridged across to Matt. He was flying!

Philip O'Donnell won his 2nd championship in two races, Grant crashed in the last lap and ran across the line for 2nd, Matt took 3rd in the sprint and ended up 5th. 2nd trip to the podium for the 2nd day in a row! Jack came across in 7th after his massive effort at the end of the race. I could not be more proud of how Matt and Jack rode tonight!

USA Cycling coverage and details of Bend- Day 1 road race, with a nice picture of Matt and Jack http://usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=5068

Periodic Blog updates and a few photos www.http://teamspecializedracing.blogspot.com/

FaceBook updates (you do not need to have an account to view pictures and stories)http://www.facebook.com/TeamSpecializedRacing



Time trialing tomorrow! Larry

Bend Day one

Matt and Jack at the USA Junior Road National Championships

Matt and Jack in their road race

Matt was 4th (won the field sprint), Jack was 13th. Nice results guys!

On our way to Bend

Torey, Chris, Eamon and James with Mt Shasta

junior track championships

Sunday was the Track State Championship at Hellyer Velodrome. The 13-14 category had three events which counted as an omnium. My first event of the day was the 500m time trial. After a false start, I placed 3rd. The next event was a 12 lap scratch race and I finished 2nd. I was tied with Zeke Mostov in the omnium after the first two events. The last event was the points race that consisted of 24 laps and sprints at every 6 laps. I got 3rd, so I ended up 3rd in the omnium. It was my 3rd time at the track this year, so I didn't have high expectations.

-Matt Valencia

Sattley Time Trial

Eamon and I went to the Sattley TT to get some good training before the Nationals TT. He raced in the Elite Mens and I raced in the Mens U23. This was my first time ever competing in a 40 km time trial. I made sure to not go too hard at the start. I felt great all the way to the turn around averaging 47.6 km/h. I realized after going through the turn around that the way back was a headwind. With 5km to go, I started to REALLY HURT. I crossed the finish line with a time of 52:14 and averaged 46 km/h. I was incredibly happy with my time. I ended up 2nd in my race. Evan Huffman from Yahoo! Cycling beat me by 41 second and Chris Stastny from Cal Giant Cycling finished 3rd. Eamon rode very well and finished 9th in the Elite Mens.

Thanks to all the Masters on the team for the TT tips! All the advice has helped me so much.

District Criterium and TT

Hey Everyone,

The district criterium was a windy race. We started, and of course there was a attack right at the line. Attacks, attacks and attacks. We covered them all. It was bell lap, Dylan Drummond "sprinted" because he thought it was the last lap. It was half a lap to go, I started my lead out for Matthew Valencia. I was at max, attacked out to the left in the final turn and Matthew flew by me and claimed the State Champion Criterium title. We put Larry's teachings in to the race, and it worked! One of our best races this season. Teamwork is the key.

It was the District TT, I started my warm up on the rollers. It was 100 degrees, but living in Fresno, I was acclimated to the heat. We were lined up, I saw Matthew go out of the starting ramp looking strong. I started my race, it was so short so I decided to leave everything on the course. No "vacations". I finished, catching my 30 second man at the finish line. Results are up, Mrs. Taylor comes up to me and the rest of the team to announce that I was the State Champion. I was so excited, I won last year, so I had to defend. It worked! It was a strong effort made by the team at Dunlap TT. Specialized podium-ed in EVERYTHING. Every TT and the Junior Points Series. I placed 4th in the JPS and Matthew placed 3rd, beating me by 1 point. Marcus got 5th in the 15-16 JPS James got 3rd and Andrew won 17-18 JPS. I think we can all be proud of what Team Specialized did today. Congrats to everyone.

Windy Panoche Road Race

Last weekend was Northern California's District Road Race Championship. There was a lot of surges in our race. There were also many attacks even up the hill that it split the group. The front group consisted of 7 riders, which included myself and my teammate Jack Maddux. The wind was brutal on our way back that no one wanted to work. This caused those that were dropped the opportunity to catch us. Since I knew that we were going to have a field sprint, the plan was for Jack to lead me out. But our plan was spoiled because we were boxed in with about 500 m to go. Then at 200 m Dylan Drummond jumped and held it to the line and I finished 3rd by a bike throw.

Grass Valley Training Camp and Panoche Road Race

Hey there guys,
The Grass Valley Training Camp was loads of fun, but at the same time being very hard. Day 1: We did a 60 mile ride with I believe to be 7,000 feet of climbing. It was very, very hard. I rode with my teammate Matthew for most of the ride. Overall fun day. Day 2: 104 miles, 2 sprints, 1 KOM and many more miles. There was an excellent lunch provided by the Philipp's. We had approximately a 3 hour lead on the pros and after that lunch it about down to 45 minutes. Thank you for the lunch, I really appreciate it. Thanks for that weekend, it was tons of fun.

Panoche, the NCNCA Road Race State Championships. It was a different, unusual race. The field was surging. Attack after attack, after attack. Our speeds would go from 25mph to 10mph causing many "dropped" riders to catch back in the group. I was in this race with my teammate Matthew. It came down to a field sprint, Matthew placed 3rd and I placed 5th. It was a good course, VERY windy. Kudos to: All 17-18 riders, Marcus Smith, Larry Nolan, Dean Laberge, Craig Roemer, and Billy Innes, you guys did great this weekend.

~Jack Maddux

Panoche Road Race

Sunday was the Panoche Valley Road Race. Peter, Andrew, David, Daniel, James, and I raced 67 miles in the 17-18's field. The real racing began when we got to the climb. Andrew made a strong attack and got a decent gap. Shortly after, Peter bridged up to him and the gap began to increase quickly. The rest of us covered attacks. With about 26 miles to go, Peter and Andrew's gap was up to 4 minutes. I looked at the faces of other riders and saw that they were hurting from the harsh headwind so I attacked. I looked back and realized nobody was on my wheel and the field wasn't chasing. I put myself into time trial mode and after 6 miles, the gap between me and the field was at 1:30. With 2 miles to go, I finally reached Peter and Andrew. We agreed that Peter would take the win, Andrew would take 2nd, and I would take 3rd. After crossing the line, we waited a few minutes for the rest of the team to come in. David won the field sprint, James finished 6th, and Daniel finished 8th. What a great weekend!

3 Etappen-Rundfahrt der Rad

I just wanted to update you all on the stage race I did in Frankfurt, Germany! This was a 3 day race called the 3 Etappen-Rundfahrt der Rad and it had an 8km time trial and two road races - one that was 92km and one that was 103km.

Stage 1

The time trial was a great course for me. Flat and no wind! 8km of pure power which almost sounded to good to be true. So just to make things more interesting it decided to rain just as we arrived. I really don't mind riding in the rain but there were five turns on the course and they were all u-turns and with the rain they were SLIPPERY. Anyway, my start time comes and I take off. I settle in around 50km/hr and come up to my first turn and nearly come to a dead stop so I don't fall. I kick back up and I am off again. I'm flying down the road and feeling great. A few u-turns later I am 1 km from the finish and I'm in the cave. It is raining and it was one of those moments when you just feel like a beast! I drilled it and crossed the line at 11min and 17sec. I was 42nd on GC at the end of the day.

Stage 2

The second stage was a 25km rolling climb to a summit and then a rolling desent with a 3km climb to the finish. I was feeling good and I was in the front of the group racing aggressively but smart. About twenty five kilometers into the race I went down, not extremely hard but I was on the ground long enough for me to have to chase the peloton down. I worked my way through the caravan and back to the group. By this time there was a group off the front of about 30 guys which we ended up chasing down. It was so intense. We were all just drilling it! When we finally caught them it was nice to know that all that energy was not wasted. So we came to the final climb and I was digging so deep just giving everything I had to stay but with 2km they rode away from me! Let me tell you these kids in Europe can climb!

Stage 3

The third stage was a 103km stage, mostly flat with some long rollers. Not to bad, sounds like a great stage for me but once again there is always something!! A very steep 3km climb at the end of the race. I don't get it. Does every race in Europe have a hill climb at the finish? Okay. Once again I'm feeling great and I'm riding great! Setting tempo up the hills, riding at the front and riding smart. My mission that day was to attack after the first sprint section 32km into the race. So with the sprint coming up I find myself jockying for position! I'm right there! I actually have a shot at getting some sprint points! We're flying down this hill towards the sprint line when I see the sign for 500m. I swing left and jump! There was another kid that jumped too and I almost got him but he snagged it at the line! MAN! I got second and a few points but now the real game plan goes into effect . ..the attacks. Paul, Tanner and I take turns just flying off the front forcing the pack to chase. We did that for about 10-15km and finally stopped when it was apparent that nothing was going to stick. So with 5k to go we are just hauling down the road, flying around round-abouts and dodging road furniture as well. And then we were at the base of the 3km finishing climb! Up, up, up and I was dropped with about 500m to the line. Better then yesterday but I still need to work on my climbing endurance. I was very happy with my effort considering the miles upon miles of climbing I've accomplished here. This experience has really opened my eyes to what I am capable off and what I can endure in my training and even more so in my racing.

I will be off to another 3 day stage race and will fill you in on the details when I get back.

Eamon

Be liked, be feared

Teammate and former professional Mike McCarthy has presented at the past USA Cycling development camps. One piece of advice that he gives to the campers is "be liked, be feared". He really does a great job in his talk. Hopefuly he will come back to camp July 5-10!

This expression and advice has weighed heavy on my mind this past week. When our competitors took an impressive win at Cat's Hill their reaction surprised me. It should not have, but I was caught off guard by how much they enjoyed beating "Team Specialized". I hope that the teammates that are reading this understand (and live) our teams goal: to be the best team in America, we need to be gracious in victory and in defeat.

Cycling is a funny sport in that we don't get to taste victory very often. We get to eat humble pie on a regular basis. Best to get along with your peers, and have them fear the way you race your bike.

Larry

The desired affect is what you get

"The desired affect is what you get when you improve your interplanetary funksmanship" - Parliament/ Funkadelic - P.Funk (Wants to get funked up), Mothership Connection (1975)

This 70's Funk song kept running through my head at the Wente Road Race on Saturday, April 24, 2010. Just like the junior squad our masters team targets the USA National Championships and UCI World Championships. The races that they do to prepare them for these important events is mostly their choice... except when we get the bright idea to coordinate an effort. So, we decided to line up for the 65 mile Wente Road race with a full 45+ team. Our intent was to leave our competitions with a "dang, I'm glad they don't race with us every weekend"

Our desired affect was what we planned! 1st (of 5) times up the climb we lit up the pace and our 90 rider field was down to 32 riders, including all 5 of us (Mick, Kevin, Rob, Craig and me). This early pressure was the springboard for Craig to launch an attack where only Jim Allen (VOS) could latch onto. They were gone!

We could have sat back and celebrated but on the 3rd climb we picked up the pace again and watched Kevin launch his attack at the top. Solo. Can he close a 1:42 gap to Craig? Rob, Mick and I loved what we were seeing. No organized chase behind. Kevin caught Craig and Jim, went through them and soloed in for the win. Craig was 3rd.

I love teamwork! Cheers, Larry

Big Day Out in Monterey

Towards the end of the neutral section of the Sea Otter M35+ Road Race I decided to try something I'd never done before. It just kind of came to me. Less than five minutes after the official start I put in a dig, got a gap and settled in for a long ride alone.

In 1987 I raced for the Avocet Team. One of my team mates, Calvin Trampleasure was legendary for his long range attacks. Both solo and in small groups. He once told me that the key was to get your gap and then ride at a tempo that you could sustain until the end. If that was fast enough to stay away from the chase, good for you. If not, get caught and try again later.

Twenty-three years later I got to try his advice out. The hard truth is that nobody wins a race in one of these long range attacks because they are stronger than the field. They win because they don't fall completely apart and the field either misjudges or gets discouraged.

You CAN do a few things though to maximize you chances of succeeding though.

1. Ride the SHORTEST DISTANCE POSSIBLE! You'd think that this is a no brainer, but sadly it's not. At Sea Otter we had the whole road, but even if you only have one lane, you should ALWAYS think about the line you are taking. Don't blindly follow the path of the lane like you would in a car, ride straight lines from apex to apex. This may not seem like much of a differnce, but go out to your local high school running track and look at the start lines for the 400m race to get an idea of how much further the outer lane travels in one lap. Over three hours of racing this can add up BIG TIME.

During my day out, I was religous about taking the shortest line. EVERY TIME the road curved I was heading straight for that next apex.

2. Ride a steady tempo that you can sustain for the remaining distance. Pretty straight forward I think. Don't treat a 60 mile solo attack like a 10 mile time trial.

On this one, I could have done better. My first hour average power was 30 watts higher than my overall race average power. Part of that could be put down to just generally falling apart towards the end. I probably should have ate and drank more throughout the race. But part of that was probably a pacing issue. It's easy to go a bit too hard when you are still fresh.

3. Wheel choices. I left my Zipp 404's in the car because I thought that the light 202's would be better for this hilly race. About 5 minutes into the race I realized that was a poor choice.

4. Most importantly, have good team mates in the field to stymy the chase. Without team mates disrupting the chase it would be just about impossible to pull something like this off.

5. If it works, enjoy it as much as possible, becuase there is NO WAY they will ever let you get away with it again! :-)

I like to "listen" to music in my head when I'm riding. 80's "hair metal" is good for a ride like this. Ratt, Night Ranger, Dokken, Y&T, etc. Alanis Morrisette, not so much...

Murray Swanson

I hope someone who reads this entry knows Murray Swanson. If that's the case, please tell him about it for me.

This isn't about what we normally post on our blog. This is about kindness.

My non-driveside pedal came out of the crank arm in the Sea Otter Masters 35+ 1,2,3 road race on Saturday (we're still trying to figure out why?) just when I was cranking hard out of the saddle pushing over a little rise. I went straight down into the pavement. Not sure what had just happened, I layed there on my back dazed and confused and, quite frankly given my recent osteoporadic medical diagnosis, a little scared. Looking up at the sky, not wanting to move, the pain started to make its presence felt in all the body parts that had made contact with the road.

Suddenly a concerned face appeared over me. He had a helmet and racing jersey on. It was someone I didn't know but had seen all morning with me in our race. Someone I'm sure Kevin, Craig, Chris and I had been putting the hurt on for the last two and a quarter hours. Someone who stopped racing, giving up any chance he might have for a good finish, giving up his team responsibilities to help someone he didn't know and had never met. Why?

I can only guess and the answer for which can only come from him. But I don't need to guess what kind of person he is, it was obvious. He is kind and compassionate, someone to admire.

He stayed there with me until the firemen came to take care of me and Bob Leibold, our old friend from Velo Promo, loaded up my bike and helped me into the van to take me to my car. Once this man was sure I was in good hands, he finished his race, way off the back. Before he left, I asked him his name. He said Murray Swanson. I shook his hand and thanked him as best I could. Thank you again Murray, and even though I know you don't expect anything, I owe you one. My wife thanks you too! You're a wonderful person.

I don't know when or how but somewhere down the road, I am going to pay this one forward.

Sea Otter was a Classic

Off for a short vaca tomorrow but first a quick race recap. Just back from a couple days at the Sea Otter Classic and had a great time. Always fun to see the cool new stuff on display and enjoy the festival-like atmosphere. Also nice to catch up with cycling buddies from Southern Cal and see how things are going for them.

Anyhow, here's an abbreviated recap of the circuit and road races.

Circuit came down to a break with Chris Phipps / Morgan Stanley, Kevin Klein / Yahoo!, Kevin Metcalfe and I. It concluded with a field sprint of me vs. Kevin Klein, which pretty much anyone can predict. Todd Manley shot this cool video with the outcome.


After a hard circuit race we were a little unsure of what we'd have left for the 69-mile road race. Turns out Kevin Metcalfe had plenty, as evident when he took off about 2 miles into the race on the first climb and stuck it all the way to the finish. Miles 2-59 were pretty boring as Craig, Rob and I policed the race but also whittled it down to a selection of 7-8 on the final climb. I attempted to lead out Craig but lost him on the last little kick about 100m from the finish and was out-sprinted by Kevin Klein. No matter since our Kevin won. Craig took 4th and I took 3rd.

Great weekend, great fun. Now for a few great few days off to reset for rest of the season!

Napa Gran Prix

Saturday was the Napa Gran Prix in Napa, CA which is where I live. It's my hometown race and I finished 6th last year in the category 3's field. In Saturday's racing, all the races except the pro/1/2 race was a win-n-out, which mean the 1st person to cross the line with 4 laps to go finishes 5th place and is neutralized is done with his/her race. This goes with 3 laps to, 2,1, and the final sprint for 1st place.

I raced the category 2's race with Eamon Lucas. There were many attacks going up the road, but none stick very well on the short .4 mile course. It got mostly back together until Eamon followed an attack and he got in a break of 3 up the road. With Eamon on his own, on the front, I knew I had to be at the front to follow any possible bridges up to that group. Eamon stayed away the rest of the race, and with the win-n-out situation, he finished 4th. I was still in the pack, but laps were going by very quickly in these closing laps...so quickly that I did see a 2 lap to go sign. I found my self way too far back with 1 lap to go. I went straight to the front, caught the front group in the head wind section before the U-turn and the finish and sprinted for the win. I finished just about 3/4 of a bike length behind the winner and now with not winning the sprint, it resulted me to finishing with a did not place (DNP).

I then raced the pro/1/2 race with my dad (Dean LaBerge) and it was very fun for my dad to watch that day. I was at the very front all day, until Nate English and a Metromint rider got a good gap and nobody was wanting to chase. I attacked and got the field all strung out, and as I went around the U-turn I heard a crash behind me. It was the guy right behind me; the field was stopped. I knew this was my chance to go solo across and I did. I caught up with the breakaway riders and started working together with them to increase our lead. Meantime, my dad is following any surges or attacks, making sure nobody else gets up the road to join me. Our gap increased to as much as 20 seconds and we knew with 5 laps to go, that we were going to stay away. All I could think of is winning the race because no junior has won a pro/1/2 race since Taylor Kuphaldt, and we has a very strong junior. We kept on working together, until 1-2 laps to go. Nate chose to drive it around half the course, before the head wind and the U-turn. And as I got around the turn, I made my move in the head wind, got around the U-turn, and sprinted as hard as I can because I wanted to make no mistake in losing this race, even though I didn't see anyone when I looked back. I had won my 1st pro/1/2 race!! And the best thing about it was that my dad was able to see it from the back side of the course when I won! My dad took 4ht place in the race.


It was a great day for the team overall as Eamon took 4th in the cat 2's, Chris LaBerge took 3rd in the cat 3's, Dean won the 35+ race, Larry and Kevin took 2nd and 4th, respectively in the 45+. Just overall a great day for the team! And I still can't believe I had won my 1st pro/1/2 race! Just can't thank the sponsors enough for how much they help support our team! Thanks for reading!

Paris-Roubaix Jr. Race Recap

I am Peter Taylor and I raced Paris-Roubaix juniors today. This is probably the most prestigious one day race for juniors in the world: 122k and the last 80 miles of the pro course against the best juniors in the world. Before the race the U.S team junior team director gave us our battle orders. Stay up front, protect Lawson Craddock and Nor Cal’s very own Ryan Eastman and hit the first cobbled section in the front.

The race started with all its craziness. Junior races in Europe are sketchy, every rider wants to be at the front and most will do anything to get there.

Coming into the first cobbled section I was near the back, due to a string of bad lack and near crashes for 5k. Over the first few cobbled sections riders in front of me got gapped off and I spent much of the first half of the race chasing back to the ever diminishing pack. Fortunately this put me in good position to tow back team leader and one of the best juniors in the world, Lawson Cradock, to the lead group.

Many riders opted to ride in the gutter. Many of them got flats or crashed when they got their tires stuck. I opted to ride every cobbled section to avoid crashes and move up. The race split up quickly over cobbled sections 6,5,4,3 and 2. I found myself in a small group with teammates Ryan Eastman and Jaun Carmona entering the city of Roubaix while teammate Lawson Cradock was up the road in a four man break with the World Champion Jasper Stuyvens. We entered the stadium and Ryan sprinted to take the group win for 13th and I took 17th. Lawson Cradock took 3rd behind the World Champion Jasper Stuyvens. The entire team including David Kessler and Mathew Lisbscomb finished, a feat that only 66 of the 120 or so starters managed. This is an amazing improvement on the last time the U.S raced with only 1 finisher.

After the race we got to see Cancellara come into the velodrome solo. What a perfect way to finish a wonderful day au Enfer du Nord.

Capitol Crit, Salem,OR

Going to the Capitol Crit in Salem, OR, we were rained and snowed on, so weren't sure who would be at the race. It turns out it was all the fast people that would be willing to race in a snow storm. The course was around the Oregon State Capitol building, 4 corners, fast, wide open streets, and even some broken pavement and potholes.

The Pro 1/2 race was fast from the start. There was always an attack, or always a break. I was in a few of them, and sometimes went solo. The legs were there so even as hard as the race was, I felt good. After me a Land Rover guy attacked and were brought back in, the field punched it, and we were left hanging on to the back for 2 laps. While I was recovering, riders started going off the front 1 by 1 and eventually they grouped up to form another chase group. With 10 laps to go I charged off the front by myself to bridge up to the chase group. I shut down their gap of 30 seconds in 4 laps, but had to go through hell to get there. Coming out of the last corner, a 3 man break was still away, but the sprint out of group was going to be crazy. Land Rover was leading it out, but I nipped everyone on the corner. I ended up getting 4th in the field sprint and 7th in the race. It was a good day, one where I actually raced in the sun and not the snow.

Copperopolis M35+ Race

Win, lose or draw, Copperopolis is one of my favorite races. It was the first road race I ever won, when I was a cat 4 two years ago. But that’s not why I like it. Copper is a mental grind thanks to the deceivingly hard first climb, cross- and head-winds on the back section, false flats and infamous bumpy descent to the finish line. Last year I merely survived the P/1/2 field and finished. This year I set my sights on 35+ field and expected a good result with my form coming around. However, after a somewhat unexpected trip back east this past week I set aside any personal aspirations to gladly ride for Billy and Kevin, particularly with a really big field for a masters race on the start line.

The race went more or less than expected as we’d seemingly broken the will of much of the peloton after the 1st climb on lap 2. A few attacks and re-shufflings later, Kevin rolled away with a small group, which was one of the scenarios we’d hoped for. I spent the rest of the race playing policeman and shutting down attempts to bridge. At the end of the day Kevin ended up 3rd. Obviously we wanted the win but with Dan Bryant and Chris Phipps taking 1st and 2nd, it’s hard to find two nicer guys in the master’s peloton that you’d like to see on the podium.

Results aside, I still love this race. Somebody commented that “when you’re going good you don’t feel the bumps. When it’s a bad day, they’re worse.” Even though my legs were never great the bumps weren't all that bad.
-Chris Lyman

This is a little story about an apparent oxymoron, Larry Nolan and a race with over 5,000 feet of climbing. I apologize in advance if I embarass Larry in its telling.

I see Larry for the first time this morning at the start line. He informs me that he's had a nasty cold, hasn't ridden all week and that I may be on my own today. "Go for it and don't worry about me" he says. Hmm, what do I do now? Ride at the front, look for a promising break and be smart, this seems like the best approach. Fortunately it's a 45+ race and not the 35s. These guys have a knack of riding climbs briskly but noodling along on the flats, and covering any attacks that have any sort of threat but never pulling through on them, effectly neutralizing them regardless of when they go. A somewhat negative approach to racing. I know this and, of course, so does Larry.

What a surprise when this is exactly the way the race unfolds. On the first of three laps, the opening climb is done at tempo, I go near the front on the big climb and stay there. We start with about 60 guys in the group and I'm informed by Mike Vetterli, a racing buddy who rides for the Olympic Club, as we finish the climb and begin the inevitable noodle along the flats, that we did the climb between 320 and 340 watts and shed half the group. It seemed a lot easier than that to me and, happily, Larry is right beside me.

The climb on lap two is done with more enthusiam, led the entire way by John Ornstil, also a racing buddy on VOS. I stay glued to his wheel. The nice thing about racing as old men is we all tend to become racing friends, probably because of so much mutual suffering for nothing but the stories that ensue. This time Mike Vetterli informs me that we pushed it up about another 20 watts in the 340 to 360 range. Yeh that felt a little harder and now there was only a dozen or so of us left. I know the race needs special attention at this point even though we begin to noodle once again on the flats because, if I had my way, I'd test the metal of the group and I have to be sure I am ready if someone else has the same thought. I stay second or third wheel at this point and don't concern myself with what's behind me, ready to respond if someone wants to have a go. For some reason, I just come to the conclusion that I won't see Larry for the rest of the day.

Over the last 3 or 4 seasons, I've raced mostly in the 35s with only a few jaunts into the 45s. But I do know that for some strange reason, the pack always lets John Ornstil roll off the front at some point in the race, completely ignoring it like it isn't even happening and away goes John. Well, here's where it happens again. The first time check, 30 seconds, a collective shrug of the shoulders. The next check, 1 minute 30 seconds, same response. And on it goes until we reach the start of the final lap and it's gone to 3 minutes. Now there are a few rumblings in the group.

The final time up the climb, Mike Vetterli goes to the front and steps it up another notch. Cale Reeder from Echelon Grand Fondo/Z Team takes his wheel and I take Cale's. On one of the few areas of respite on the climb a guy gets between Cale and me, this turns out to be fortuitous. As we hit the steepest part of the climb about 3/4 of the way up, Cale overlaps Mike's wheel and goes down instantly. With a guy between Cale and me, it gives me enough time to swerve to miss the crash but nearly end up going down the bank on the opposite side of the road. I'm gapped and push it hard to get back. I get there by the time we reach the top. Oh yeh, guess what, we start to noodle even though the new time to John is 3 1/2 minutes.

I know you won't believe what happened next because it shocked the sh@#$ out of me. About 2 minutes into the noodle, Larry rides up beside me and says hello. I nearly fell off my bike. The race has taken a dramatic turn and I now need to do what I can to catch John. Fortunately I have a willing helper in Mike Vetterli and we cajol and at times badger the group into doing an orderly chase. The collective commitment ebbs and flows, but as the next time check shows, 1 minute 44 seconds, the carrot and stick approach is paying off.

Curiously and suddenly, the group shuts down the chase and there is only about 7 kilometers left to go. Hunter Ziesing, also of Echelon Grand Fondo/Z Team (actually the owner of the team), comes to the front and loudly announces, and I am paraphrasing, "I don't care if it kills me, I'm going to sacrifice myself to bring this back". This gets me excited and I take a pull. Immediately there is a final time check, 28 seconds and we have one final 300 meter hill to climb. This looks very good for us.

I go back to check on Larry. He says he's feeling some cramping and I should go to the front in case an attack goes on the final climb. He says if there is one, he won't be able to respond and I need to go with it. Advice heard and heeded. I get back to the front.

Mike Vetterli pushes it up the final climb but only at tempo and nobody seems either willing or able to attack. This is beautiful for Larry and me. The last piece of eye candy is John Ornstil 100 meters ahead of us as we start the final descent. We're on him instantly. Now all I have to do is guard against anyone getting away on the this screaming descent. I make sure I stay second wheel all the way down and Larry is either right beside me or on my wheel all the way to the bottom. I am sooooo jacked up.

But what am I supposed to do as we hit the bottom with 2 kilometers to the finish? This is where finishing school starts for me and something I want to impart to not just our juniors, but all our masters too.

Almost the instant I ponder what to do now, Larry screams "go Rob go!" Perfect! My thinking shuts down and I just go. Then Larry screams "harder!" and I go harder, then "faster" and "faster" again. Suddenly we are at the 1k to go sign and the turns to the finish begin. Larry yells "get left!", I go left. Then Larry shouts "go right!" I go right, and so it goes. No one comes around me and we are about 250 meters from the finish. Forget Larry's screaming, my legs are shattering my ear drums. Larry barks one last command "everything!". I obey.

At the 200 meter to go sign, I am fried and Larry comes flying by me. I suddenly see he has about 4 bike lengths on everybody. Uh oh! it's a false flat from about 50 meters to the finish. Larry cramps up and gets squeezed by about 1/2 a bike length by two guys and finishes third.

I roll to the finish and see Larry a little way down the road. The race has been over for about a minute and as I get to Larry I can see his hamstring muscles convulsing in spasm and knots right through his cycling shorts and I knew he had given everything.

How does he do it? Struggle all day, fighting to stay in striking distance on the climbs, clawing his way back on on the flats. 5,000 feet of climbing with his clydesdale body and suffering like nobody else has in the front group and still have the will to put himself in excrutiating pain from monster cramps and come within a bike length of winning. I guess all you have to see is his 14 or 15 world championships and you have the answer.

I will tell you it makes it easy for me when I see such courage, to bury myself to get him to the line. I will do it anytime, anywhere. Thanks Larry!

As a post script, I hope our juniors see the value in Larry's commands at the end of the race and it's something we need to always do as masters too. I am not a mind reader and we don't have the luxury of early season training camps to practice our lead outs to make them mindless. If you are the leader and your teammates are leading you out, scream at them with direct orders, loud, short and clear. It mitigates mistakes and always gives us the best chance of success.