"Always thank your parents"

The Northern California Cycling Foundation (NCCF) Founders and Board of Directors help to bring together all of the goodness of Team Specialized.  On the "race course" the Junior squad does what it does best, but its' time to extend a long-overdue THANK YOU from the team to the parents for all of your help during 2011. 

Not just the road trips; mental and nutritional support before, during and after the races, but also a thanks for being such a big part of the TEAM.  Van racks and trailer fixings, help with driving, picnics at the races, air cooled and heated comforts, special meals, fun road trips, and none of that "little league parents" stuff!  You were just as big a part of the 58 Juniors wins in 2011 as they were.  Thank you for a great 2011!  Larry

Road to Recovery

It has been about 10 weeks since I had surgery on my hip. My problem started in the 2011 season with a labrum tear and bone impingement in my hip. I knew there was a problem about half way through the year when my power kept going down and down. It wasn't diagnosed until August. I have not been able to ride my bike since the surgery.  I get to ride for the first time on December 19th. I cannot wait. During the last 10 weeks, I have been going to physical therapy 2 times a week, using the elliptical machine, swimming and doing a lot of core work. It has been a big challenge to be patient through this whole process. My doctor and physical therapist say that I am doing really well, much better than expected. The doctor even said I should be the "poster child" for the type of surgery that I had.

I go to a physical therapist in my hometown, Laguna Niguel. It is called Rausch Physical Therapy. They have been doing a great job of getting me back to 100%. One of the really cool things I get to do at their office is use an Anti Gravity Treadmill. This treadmill was originally developed for astronauts while on prolonged space flights. They used it so they would not lose bone density in space. It is now used for people to recover from injuries. It is pressure controlled from the waist down. It allows patients to maintain cardio fitness and range of motion without putting too much pressure or weight on the injured area.       

Should be back to normal in no time!

Kyle Torres

Team Specialized Racing Announces 2012 Junior and Masters Squads

Roster Captured One World Championship, 14 National Championships and 22 State Championships in 2011

Palo Alto, CA -- Team Specialized Racing has announced its Junior and Masters team rosters for 2012, with seven returning and five new juniors ages 14-18, and nine returning and five new masters members.  In 2011, the riders collectively captured one world championship, 14 national championships and 22 state championships in the criterium, road race, individual time trial (ITT), team time trial (TTT), track, BMX and mountain bike (MTB) disciplines.

This is Specialized’s fifth years at the team’s title sponsor and will be providing the Tarmac (SL4 & SL3) and Allez for road race events, and Shiv TT for time trials. In addition to these bikes, the team will be riding Specialized Prevail and TT2 helmets and S-Works Body Geometry shoes. Co-Sponsors also include SRAM, Zipp, Clif Bar and Smith Optics.

Returning Junior Team Members, 2012 Racing Age, 2011 Championships

• Chris LaBerge, age 18
• Marcus Smith, age 18
• Dean Haas, age 18
• Kyle Torres, age 18, ITT State Champion (Southern California)
• Diego Binatena, age 16, Road Race State Champion (Southern California)
• Jack Maddux, age 15, ITT National Champion, Criterium and ITT State Champion (Northern California)
• Matt Valencia, age 16, Road Race State Champion (Northern California)

New Junior Team Members

• Oliver Barajas, age 15
• Nick Castellano, age 15, Road Race State Champion (Southern California)
• John Christensen, age 15
• Sean McElroy, age 13, Road, Criterium, BMX and MTB National Champion, Road Race State Champion (Southern California)
• Jason Saltzman, age 15

The mission of Team Specialized Racing is to prepare juniors to compete and win national and international races. Multi-time masters track world champion Larry Nolan directs the program with a wealth of knowledge gleaned from the highest level of amateur cycling. Junior riders are also guided and mentored by one of the best master's teams in America, awarded the USA Cycling Best All-Around Team at masters nationals in 2011.

Returning Masters Team Members, 2011 Championships

• Rob Anderson, ITT World Champion, ITT and MTB National Champion, ITT and TTT State Champion
• Chris D’Aluisio
• Marco Hellman
• Billy Innes
• Dean LaBerge, Criterium National Champion
• Chris Lyman, ITT National Champion, ITT and TTT State Champion
• Kevin Metcalfe, ITT and Road Race National Champion, ITT and TTT State Champion, ITT National Record
• Larry Nolan, Track and TTT State Champion, Track National Record
• Craig Roemer, ITT State Champion

New Masters Team Members, 2011 Championship Results

• Steve Francisco
• Greg Anderson
• Don Langley, Road Race State Champion
• Bubba Melcher, Criterium National Champion
• Jason Walker, Road Race National Champion

Team legacy members and mentors include former Olympians and National Champions Ken Carpenter, Dylan Casey, Mike McCarthy, and Thomas Weisel. Team founders include Steve Cassani, Dr. Fred St. Goar and Wyatt Weisel. 

Follow the team at Facebook.com/TeamSpecializedRacing, and on Twitter at @SpecializedNCCF.   www.TeamSpecializedRacing.com.

Clif Bar Buyers Guide

We are in the middle of the offseason and at this point many riders are sick of whatever they are eating on their long rides. Maybe you have eaten too many bars that are neither solid nor liquid. Or you have become too accustomed to a flavor from over eating it that you need a change. Here is your guide for which Clif products to eat and when.

The first product line is Clif Bar Blox:

This years I raced and trained mainly on Strawberry and Mountain Berry. Both of these flavors are relatively sweat and are great for the first 1-2 hours of a ride or race. The Strawberry taste better as they warm up and soften in your pocket, but I recommend eating the Mountain Berry while they are still relatively solid.

Recently I have experimented with the Orange and the Black Cherry. Both of these flavors are a little more tart. I prefer to eat these in the later parts of a ride. I feel like I'm eating something with more substance.

The second product line is the Clif Bar:

There are 18 different flavors, but there is one clear winner. Crunchy Peanut Butter is hands-down the best. The flavor varies drastically depending on it's temperature, but I haven't had a bad one. I love this flavor, because I know, no madder how tired I am I will always want to eat it. This is huge, because the worse thing to happen is when you are close to bonking, but you don't want to eat what's in your pocket.

Some close seconds are Chocolate Almond Fudge, Chocolate Chip, Cool Mint Chocolate.

I was going through the list on Clifbar.com and saw the flavor Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch. I haven't tried it yet, but I am going to make a point of tracking one down and testing it out. I'm salivating just thinking of the possibilities.

The third product line is Clif Roks:

These are bite sized balls with a solid surface with a softer core. The three flavors are: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate. My favorite for a post ride recovery is the Peanut Butter. My taste buds changed when I exercise and they want more of a bitter/tart taste. The Peanut Butter satisfies those needs. The Chocolate (taste like a Tootsie Roll) and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough are really good for lighter workouts where your taste buds haven't changed as much.

If you have already, go explore Clifbar.com . There is information on each product, nutrition, and the many flavors and variations. I barely scratched the surface of their products, but hopefully now you will know where products to try. These are my favorites, what are yours?

Thank you Clif Bar for your amazing support this year.

Thanks, Marcus Smith

What A Year

On my flight back from the Olympic Training Center I had lots of time to think of how successful this year has been. This year has been an amazing experience. Our team started bonding right away at team camp. Everyone got along great. That platform launched us in to the racing season. The 15-16 team had an amazing early season. We put out a great team effort to win the yellow jersey at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race and San Dimas. Not to mention our double win at Sea Otter. Time flew through the rest of the season. Last week Jack, Diego and I were in Chula Vista, CA for the USA Cycling Junior National Camp. We had a great time. It was cool to see the guys again. We had a fun week. It was nice to be able to ride in 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We even got to ride with Chris Horner of Radioshack. Also the week included other rides, skills, and two field tests. We all had a fun time under the sun of Southern California. Thank you USA Cycling for that!

As the year draws to end I'd like to thank Team Specialized and all of our supporters. Thank you Wyatt Weisel and Steve Cassani.  Thank you Larry Nolan for directing this incredible year! Cannot wait to go back to California!

Phil O'Donnell

No More Junior Racing

This year was my final year racing as a junior rider, although, I raced more category races than junior races. It all started back in February where I took 13th overall at Valley of the Sun in the 2's before crashing on a training ride a few days later. Once I was back on the bike after the crash, then sickness came knocking on my door. This was not the ideal way to start out the year but after slowly regaining fitness and confidence, I came back and won Cat's Hill Classic, State Road Race Championships, and also the State Time Trial Championships.

Next stop, Augusta, Georgia for Nationals. I don't think I have ever gone to a place more humid than Georgia! You just feel sticky when you walk outside. My best result was 11th in the TT. After Nationals, teammates Jeff, David, James, Willy, Kyle and I all headed to Tour de l'Abitibi in Quebec. The team rode great. James got a stage win and Willy finished 6th overall.

After l'Abitbi, I came back home and raced almost every Cal Cup race. I had some good results finishing 9th at University Road Race and 3rd at Esparto Time Trial before finishing off my season at Folsom Cyclebration where I finished 3rd overall, grabbing my final points needed to upgrade to a Cat 1.

I definitely had my ups and downs this year but overall, it was a pretty great season and I couldn't have done it without the help of all my teammates as well as Larry Nolan, Billy Innes, Wyatt Weisel, all the founders and sponsors, and also my parents! It has been a great two years racing with Team Specialized and I look forward to seeing the team continue to create some of the best junior riders in the country.

Now that I am done with junior racing, that means it's time to say goodbye to those annoying junior gears! Now I'll be racing with a nice, 53x11 in the elites where I will be riding for Team Mike's Bikes with another graduating Specialized Junior, James Laberge.

Thanks again to all who have been a part of my 2011 season!

Torey

2011 Season and Beyond

2011 has been a one of a kind year for me and the team. It's also my last year on the year as I am graduating from the program and onto an Elite team for 2012. 

I started my year on the wrong note by getting sick, and staying sick for over a month. I still raced the races in February but I still wasn't getting better as we reached late March when we went to San Dimas Stage Race. I ended up finished 2nd in the road race, which wasn't too bad but the team held a perfect lead out for me and I didn't cap it off. Sure, the teams' season might not have started off as good as we hoped but that's why we are road racers; we have months up to races to prepare for and training and riding as a team to practice for. We eventually had 6 guys (including myself) race in Amos, Quebec, Canada from July 19th-24th. This was the only UCI Juniors races in North America and obviously it was one of our big targets to go good at. We did exactly that with getting Willy Zellmer in the winning breakaway on the first day and finished 5th! We were all happy but we were eager for more. The next day it came down to a field sprint, but there was a steep hill in the last 300 meters which made it much more difficult. I was able to follow the French lead out train and jump out of the turn the steam up the hill to the finish with my hands up! It was my 2nd win in 2 years at this race and I couldn't have done it without my awesome teammates of: Kyle Torres, Willy Zellmer, Jeff Perrin, Torey Phillip, and David Benkoski! They brought me behind the French riders and their job was done from there; it was up to me. By the end of the race, we finished 6th overall, multiple top 10's and 15's, and won an award for "The best non-national team!

After the Canadian racing, I traveled back home and got some rest after the long stage race. I kept racing after, racing most criteriums and some road races and was able to cap off 4 top-6's in the pro/1/2's in the closing month and a half of the season. Overall, I want to thank all of our sponsors that help us get to where we are now. Also, I want to thank Wyatt Weisel, Larry Nolan, Fred St. Goar, and the list goes on forever...and all of the masters!

It has been a great 6 years being along with the program but it is my farewell to the program and I'm looking forward to being old and joining the masters team and helping grow this amazing sport.

Thank you again and I will be racing for Bikes Bike Cycling Team next year, where I will be continuing with my teammate Torey Phillip. 

Thanks for reading.

--James LaBerge

2011 Racing Season wrap-up (part one)

As we get ready to file our bid for USA Cycling 2011 Team of the Year we have the chance to reflect on many highlights for the team.  We'll chop this one up into a few sections and start with the juniors.  Let's go back to last years winter camp when we shared our goals (and how we did against them)

I - develop and support every teammate (14 junior teammates in total living in four different states; eight upgrades; five events with all riders and successes at each event; directing, encouraging, mentoring, support by the entire team)

II - teach and execute optimal and exemplary teamwork (Valley of the Sun, San Dimas, Sea Otter wins and podium placings through teamwork)

III - win local races, state and national championships with style, class, grace and dignity (58 junior wins in 2011; Nationals TT; Colorado TT; California RRx3; California Crit, California TTx3)

IV - win international events including l'abitibi GC, European events withe USA national team and junior world championships (stage two Tour de l'abitibi; tour of West Flanders)

V - create a following of our winning ways on and off the bike (zero to 3,000 FaceBook fans in 19 months!)

Overall, 2011 has been a good year.  We laid out some aggressive goals which aligned with the talent we have on our roster.  We fell short with the big dreams like Nationals, l'abitibi GC and Jr Worlds but achieved so many other successes along the way.  Every one of our fourteen junior teammates took their cycling game to a new level.  They all have bright futures and it is our hope that they look back on the 2011 racing season with great memories of individual growth and team successes.

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Junior Director

USA Pro Cycling Challenge

Being a resident of Colorado I was able to spectate the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, or Tour of Colorado.  For those of you who don't know this race was huge because it is the first big tour in Colorado since the Coors Classic ended in the late '80's.  The race was in the mountains most of the week after the start in Colorado Springs on Monday.  The last stage started in Golden and ended with circuits in Denver.  Where I live in Lakewood is pretty much sandwiched between Golden and Denver.  This is the biggest race I had ever been to. The final stage that I watched had over 250,000 people spectating.  The coolest part about the race was that it went up Lookout Mountain, around the two mesas in Golden and then downtown into Denver on the roads I ride all of the time!  I watched the start of the race in Golden and I got to see the Schlecks and Tour champion Cadel Evans among other top level pros.  The finish of the race was at the Civic Center Park which is across the street from the Capitol building.  I couldn't really tell what was happening most the time in the race because the barriers were lined 5 deep for the last straightaway.  It felt like the Tour de France.  

Finishing circuit in Denver 

Aerial View of the finish

Riders going up Lookout Mountain

Just like the AToC Levi won the overall

This race was so much to watch that I can't wait until next year!  The race got upgraded so there will be even more teams and riders next year.  Hopefully one day I can race the USAPCC in my home state!

-Dean Haas

Team Specialized - 2011, by the numbers

Here's a quick update of our 2011 Racing Season, which is not yet over. This is strictly a numbers update:

- one stage win in North America's only UCI Nations Cup (James LaBerge on stage one at the 43rd Tour de L'abitibi)
- one UCI Masters World Time Trial Championship (Rob Anderson in Leige, Belgium)
- one USA Junior National Points Race Championship (Andrew Lanier, Jr. in Frisco, Texas)
- one USA Masters Road Race National Championship (Kevin Metcalfe in Bend, OR)
- one USA Masters Criterium National Championship (Dean LaBerge in Bend, OR)
- one USA Junior Time Trial National Championship (Jack Maddux in Augusta, GA)
- one USA Junior National Team kermesse win (Diego Binatina in Heesert, Belgium)
- BEST all around team USA Masters Nationals (Craig, Rob, Dean, Chris, Kevin and Larry)
- two USA Masters Time Trial National Championships (Chris Lyman and Kevin Metcalfe in Bend, OR)

- two Canadian Masters National Championships (Rob Anderson in Waterdown, CA)
- five category one juniors (James, Torey, Willy, Jeff, and David)

- five events where all fourteen juniors travelled hundreds (and thousands) of miles to be together for races and training camps

-seven juniors raced in Europe with the USA National Team (Dean, Kyle, David, Andrew, Phil, Matt and Diego)

-eight of fourteen juniors upgraded their category in 2011 (Diego, Jack, Matt, Kyle, Torey, Willy, Jeff, and David

-fifty six wins in the 2011 racing season by the Masters squad

-fifty seven wins in the 2011 racing season by the Junior squad

-one hundred thirteen wins in the 2011 racing season by the Masters and Junior squads

=one great team of sponsors, supporters, racers and 2792 FaceBook fans!

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized

Team Specialized upgrades

As the 2011 road season starts to wrap up (Nor Cal District Criterium Championships are in Oakland today) we want to reflect back on the great year that our team has enjoyed.

Upgrading from one category to the next is a reflection of a riders progression of skills and abilities but the athletes also need to place well in races to accumulate the points needed for the upgrade. Upgrading Juniors can be a hot topic of discussion. One wants the athlete to get a sense of accomplishment and confidence, but throwing a junior into racing with professionals with more experience, skills, abilities and speed will remind the athlete of just humbling this sport can be!

Team Specialized started 2011 with fourteen teammates. One category four, four category three's, eight category two's and one category one. 2011-to-date the juniors have started 651 events, placed in the top ten in 236 of them, taken a podium placing in 104 events and have won 57 events. Of these 651 events the juniors competed in elite events more often than junior events (383 to 268). In doing so, they prepared themselves for top level national and international events.

Congratulations to all teammates for either upgrading or helping your teammates to upgrade. Eight of 14 Team Specialized teammates upgraded in 2011
2 to 1 - David Benkoski, Torey Philipp, Jeff Perrin, Willy Zellmer,
3 to 2 - Kyle Torres, Jack Maddux, Matt Valencia
4 to 3 - Diego Binatena

Cheers, Larry Nolan, Team Specialized

Trip Of A Lifetime

Last Thursday, after school was out, five Assistant Scout Masters, one Scout, and I drove to Yosemite for the trip of a lifetime. We got into our campsite at about 9:30Pm. I guess you could say it was "dark out". We quickly set up our tents and went to sleep, because we knew what was awaiting us the following day. We woke up at 5:00am, so that we could get started on our 16+ mile journey. As soon as we parked and got out of the car we all took out our cameras, and took a picture of our goal. This is the shot I got:

We divided into two Groups. One that was going to the top and another that was going to the furthest point anyone can go without a permit. Two ASMs were going to the furthest point without a permit. The rest of us were going to the top. The group that was going to the top had a faster pace than the other group, because we knew just how far we had to go. As we hiked up the mist trail we stared in awe at the falls we were passing, along with the stairs that constantly beat up our legs, one step at a time. We got to the top of the falls, and took a few pictures, but we couldn't stay long. We had to keep moving. Once we found the trail we continued on to be confronted with another water fall. Like the previous one, we stopped to take pictures. We got to the top of the final water fall and had about a mile and a half of flat land to walk on. Then the fun would start. We got back to the climbing and back to the seemingly endless view of trees. Before we got to the line where we needed our permits, we stopped for some lunch. Yummy, a ham sandwich on a bagel. We grabbed our permits and headed up half dome. We got to the base of the ropes and got ready for a steep climb.

We found a few people that were staying behind from another group and asked if they could watch our packs as we climbed Half Dome. They generously accepted. We got our Carabiners, and ropes, strapped ourselves in, and headed up the 45 degree rock face. We got up to the top and breathed a sigh of relief. We took many pictures, and headed back down knowing that the hardest part was still ahead. We got down grabbed our packs and headed down the mountain. One of the scary parts about going downhill was twisting an ankle, or getting dehydrated. We safely got down to the first falls, having already changed our socks to try to prevent blisters. We approached the falls and met up with one of the other ASMs. We were quickly informed that the other ASMs had to go back because of fitness reasons. We were all tired and wanted to be back at the cars, so that we could get some victory pizza. We had 4 miles left, and a lot of switch backs. The other scout and I decided to have some fun by running. That joy lasted about a mile. So we had to walk, because we knew we would have to wait for the rest of the group. We walked very slowly, and the pain started to kick in. We waited for the rest of the group at 2.2 miles to go. When we got going again it was at a very slow pace, but it was faster than the rest of the group. As we got roughly 1 mile to the valley floor I noticed that I was pulling the map out every 3 minutes. Each time hoping there would be a "you are here" dot, but there wasn't. We finally got to the valley floor. We knew that the car was half a mile away. I got into my racing mindset. I ramped up the speed and when the car was 100 meters away I leaped from the huge pack of 2 and won the race back to the car. That win made the pizza 10 times better. I would then pay for that win for the next 4 days, with constant pain throughout my entire lower body. That really was the "Trip of a lifetime".

Great Way To End The Season

Folsom Cyclebration was the last race I had on the calendar for the 2011 road season. It has a time trial and criterium on day one and a circuit race on day two. It was a nice change driving only 20 minutes to get to the time trial compared to the 2-3 hours I spend in the car driving to other Nor Cal races. The course for the time trial was a slightly longer version of the course used in the local 10 mile Tuesday Night TT’s that I attend regularly so I was well prepared. Unfortunately there was way more wind than usually. For the first half of the race, the wind was at my back and I was doing everything I could to spin my 52x14 as fast as possible. When I went through the turn around and began to head back to the finish, the wind was now going straight into my face. The last two miles were the most miserable two miles of my life but I was able to set a fast enough time for 9^th (and after uploading it to Strava, I also set a new PR on the Tuesday Night Course!). Craig Roemer put up a really good time and took 2^nd behind Justin Rossi.

Later that afternoon, we headed over to the criterium and met up with Jack Maddux and Matt Valencia. It was Jack’s first ever Pro/1/2 race and he had no problem racing with the big boys. He even got into a couple breakaways! I felt really comfortable at the head of the peloton and got into a couple breaks but nothing stuck. With about 8 laps to go, I found myself in the winning break. We built up a decent gap over the field and with about 4 laps to go, I was getting nervous that we would get pulled back so I kept pulling on the front to keep our gap from coming down. With two laps to go, the attacks started going right and left up the road but nobody could get away. In the sprint to the finish, I got boxed in between a couple riders and a very muddy gutter and had to settle for 6^th, which is by far the best result I have ever gotten in a Pro/1/2 crit. I also went from 9^th overall all the way to 4^th overall behind Jonathan Teeter, Rand Miller, and Justin Rossi.

The next day, I headed down to the circuit race and met up with the rest of the team. The course was a 4-kilometer loop with some tight corners and a roundabout. The plan was to get me into a break or let a break with no GC threats go up the road. In the first 15 minutes of the race, three guys that were further down on GC broke away and built a pretty large gap over the field. Craig, Matt, and Jack did a great job controlling the field and covering moves. Halfway through the race, attacks began to come from Jonathan, Rand, and Justin but nothing was getting away. I tried to counterattack there moves but I was always chased down immediately. With one to go, Craig took a flyer off the front to keep the pace high. With a kilometer to go, I worked my way up to the front to set myself up for the sprint and ended up 9^th on the stage. I finished ahead of Justin though so that put me into 3^rd overall for the final general classification.

I could not have asked for a better way to end my road season. It was great to have teammates out there riding in support of me at a somewhat hometown race and grab my best ever Pro/1/2 result. Awesome work by Craig, Matt, and Jack!

Up next: Cyclocross!

A picture is worth a thousand words, or in the case of my blog entries, several thousand

The Perfect Race

Relevant story #1 – March 1994 and it’s my first Subaru-Montgomery event with teammates. I lead-out my teammate to the win, and I finish 6th. Shortly after the line my teammate is in my face screaming “we could have gone one-two if you had been more patient!”

Relevant story #2 – December 2010 and I’m asking our junior teammates for their 2011 goals. I give an example so that they have a better understanding of what I want to see. I state that my goal is to help teammate Kevin Metcalfe win the 2011 USA Nationals Road Race. I’ll be able to help if I am fit and smart enough to hang with the chase group as he soars off the front, or win the sprint if he is caught. And, I’ll know I’m fit when my weight is down and my power is up (the Juniors raced on this same course at their 2010 Nationals and it has 300 meters of climbing over each of the 28km loops).

The Perfect Race

Sunday September 4 in Bend, OR. Teammate Kevin Metcalfe and I are lined up with 55 other competitors for the 2011 USA Cycling Masters 50-54 Road Race National Championships. Kevin and I have been teammates since 1995. Our pre-race talk was short and crisp. I’m at his disposal until he launches his move. I don’t need to finish the race to help him. Looking through the starting line-up we calculate that no other teammates will completely sacrifice their race. It turned out that Kevin had a handful of teammates! First, we guessed that Roger Worthington would be highly motivated for this race. When Kevin attacked 25km into the 84km race Roger was all over that move. So too was John Novitsky. When 1st, 3rd and 4th placed riders of the nationals individual time trial go up the road there is no looking back. The three worked together well.

Behind in the chase group Kevin had help from yours truly as well as a certain competitor that tried to lead the chase when the break first went clear. Problem was the “chase” was too aggressive and competitors were unable to pull their share. Next competitor to help Kevin was a big rider that would go to the front and chase for long periods of time. Because he pulled for so long and received little help the breakaway gap opened. Two competitors asked me in the last lap if anyone was still off the front, so that was a big help too. Finally, a competitor wearing compression socks in 90 degree heat would hit the front when the paced slowed and no one wanted to be on his wheel since he rode so unpredictably. It’s the subtleties that make bicycle racing such a great sport!

In the last 10km of the race we get word from the motor referee that Kevin has a “one minute 50 seconds lead” and I swear the whole feed zone could hear my “yahoo!” scream. Now I just needed to shake off the cramps and hope for the best. I suffered well right up to the last climb where Brandon Lofton attacked. I followed him and then sucked out all of the oxygen in that section, and we had a gap. 3km to go. Brandon and I worked together and sprinted to the line. It was a close one!

For Kevin, he won solo by a minute and a half. This was the one that he wanted. He’s won something like twelve Masters National Championships on the velodrome and last Wednesday he won the time trial for his first “road” championship. But winning the USA National Championship road race was his goal. Not only was I happy for Kevin and his winning move, but I was happy to be part of it. One-Two, that’s the “perfect race” to me!

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized

Giro Di San Francisco 2011 - Pro/1/2

Labor day weekend is usually a 3 days weekend for most family's where they go to the beach and have a good time. This isn't the case of myself and many other cyclists around the world. There is the annual Giro Di San Francisco on none of the the city itself. I personally raced the pro/1/2 race with Marcus Smith, David Benkowski, and Matt Valencia. It just so happened to be Matt's first pro/1/2 race and he was in for a good treat as his first race in the pro fields of Northern California.

Before you know it, the race is on! 40 miles of Criterium racing in downtown San Francisco. I didn't get much of a warm up due to personal problems with my car so I used the race itself to help warm me up and see if I can make anything happen towards the end. David was aggressive from the start, attacking and following many moves throughout the race. Marcus was up at the front the entire race too and followed some attacks. Matt was in there most of the race and I think he learned a lot from his first pro/1/2 race. Moving later into the race there was a crowd prime going around that was going to be called out at 6 laps to go and I was licking my chops for that one more than the finish because it was almost $250. The field let a random rider go out there and take it instead and now I'm starting to think about the finish. David and Marcus are also up here in the front of the pack but somewhere David lost the wheels sometime during this and finished in the pack. Marcus positioned himself well, in the top 10, but wasn't in contention for the win. Meanwhile all of this positioning is going on, Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly) rode away from the pack and nobody reacted until 2 laps to go. We reeled him in to 10 seconds by the finish but he won solo. Smart move by the Professional. McGuire had the riders today, instead of Cal Giant, so I jumped into position behind their train and oddly enough, no one fought for the wheels with me so I took that wheel into the last turn and sprinted behind the McGuire sprinter and held onto 3rd with junior gearing! I felt relieved after the race to get a good result in a hard race. Marcus still held onto 14th, too, so it was a good day overall for the team.

Jack Maddux and Chris LaBerge also raced in the Elite 3's earlier in the day.

Thank you for reading.

--James LaBerge

FINDING SUCCESS IN EUROPE

Racing in Belgium is the hardest bike racing I've ever done. The Belgians are so aggressive. They are so fast. It's so hard and everyone is going for it. And that's exactly how I won the Heestert Kermesse and it was a great win for me! I broke away in the 63-kilometer kermesse with about three kilometers to go and won a race with 97 riders.

An American Coup in Belgium

As part of the 2011 USA Cycling 15/16 European Development Camp, six Americans travelled to Belgium to compete in four kermesses and a four-day stage race. The USA National team consisted of Logan Owen (WA), Miguel Byron (FL), Geoffrey Curran (CA), Stephen Bassett (TN), Will Barta (ID), and me, Diego Binatena (CA). In the West Flanders Cycling Tour I finished 40th out of 156 racers, but that doesn't tell the whole story...

In the first stage, Geoffrey won the prologue to claim the yellow jersey. Logan finished second, only 1 second behind, with the rest of the team all finishing in the top 20.

After stage two, Logan claimed the yellow jersey. I survived a crash and a flat but I worked my way back in the peloton to finish in the lead group. It was a brutal day!

The third stage of the Tour was extremely difficult. We had a huge target on our backs, and we did all we could to hold off the endless attacks from 25 European teams working together to rip the jersey from our backs. Sadly, at day's end, we lost the yellow jersey.

On the last day of the Tour, a determined and focused Team USA regained the yellow jersey for the victory, showing some American might on European soil! Logan attacked with 10k to go with some non GC contenders and captured the yellow and green jerseys, and Team USA claimed the overall team GC title at the West Flanders Cycling Tour Stage Race!

The Future...

I really enjoyed my three-week experience in Belgium. The racing is out of the world and so is the coffee! Surprisingly, I found out that we young Americans are pretty equal with the best in Belgium and that we are fast enough to win races there. This trip has given me the encouragement to believe I have a future in cycling and that I can succeed in Europe. Racing there has changed me forever!

Many thanks go to USA Cycling Race Director Michael Heitz, Team Mechanic Nicholas Salerno, Larry Nolan and Team Specialized Racing Juniors, and last but not least my teammates on the "European Dream Team" for all of their support.

Diego Binatena, Team Specialized Racing Juniors

2011 masters road nationals championships

Firstly, you don't need to win a national championship to earn the right to say "thank you". I'd like to thank Thom Weisel for adding me to his team way back in 1994 when I was relatively new to racing. Thom and my teammates taught me how to win races. Thank you to Wyatt Weisel for carrying the torch after the Subaru-Montgomy/ US Postal / Discovery Channel teams evolved and starting the junior program. It's been a great five years, we've have a positive affect on many young lives and 2012 is shaping up to be another great year. Thank you to the juniors who help to keep me young and on my toes, everyday of the year. Thank you to my wife Debbie who has been my best friend for the past 31 years and keeps me smiling and loving life.

Mostly, I wanted to take a time-out before the road race to say "thank you" to my masters teammates. I raced nationals in Kentucky in 2003 and vowed to not return. Unfortunately, masters nationals returned to Kentucky in 2009 and 2010 so I have missed racing and hanging with you during these important, but fun filled days at nationals. You epitomize hard masters racing and a winning attitude so I just wanted to say thank you and good luck tomorrow Dean, Chris, Rob, Craig and my teammate since 1995 Kevin Metcalfe, who I predict will win the road race tomorrow... With my help (of course)

Larry Nolan

My highlight from Masters Road Nationals

It’s been a great week of racing in Bend at Masters Road Nationals, which kicked off Wednesday with the time trial. Kevin handily won his age group, Rob and Craig were both on the podium finishing 4th, and I was fortunate enough to score my second stars & bars.

Standing atop the podium to receive the champion’s jersey would seem like the obvious highlight of my week. But that actually didn’t happen until Dean and I lined up for the crit together yesterday, and he rocket the sprint to win his ag criterium national championship.

The crit is pretty much the opposite of the time trial where success results from talent, timing, nerves, bike handling and other skills that I still don’t comprehend. Yet my understanding of how the win culminated from years of dedication, and what it meant to Dean, was as clear as the S (for Specialized) on our jerseys. It was an honor to be the on the same course with Dean and part of the tremendous accomplishment.

I came to cycling from the solitary sport of triathlon. Being part of a tight-nit squad like Team Specialized Racing is something that endears bike racing to me. Seeing teammates win is as meaningful as doing it myself. Fortunately this week I’ve been able to enjoy it from both perspectives with us winning three national championships and three additional podiums.

Potatoes, Potatoes, Potatoes and Mystery Meat: Story of the 2011 UCI Track Junior World Championships

Moscow, Russia. 5885 miles from home, just being there was sure to be an experience let alone racing at the Junior World Championships! Going into the trip I could not have been more excited, except for the flight that seemed never ending. I am completely and entirely thankful for the support from Team Specialized Racing, The Northern California Cycling Federation (NCCF), the Northern California Nevada Cycling Association (NCNCA), the Northern California Velodrome Association (NCVA), in addition to the numerous individuals who made this once in a life time experience possible.

After surviving the roughly 15 hours of flights it was utterly amazing to be able to ride on one of the fastest tracks in the world along with experiencing world famous land marks such as Red Square and the Kremlin. The track in Moscow is a true 333 meter track made of Siberian Pine with banking of 11 degrees in the straights and 41 degrees in the turns. The track also features fairly short straight-aways for its size, creating very wide and smooth turns which contribute greatly to the speed of the track, along with the 10 meter width and the mid-turn, several stories drop  from the rail to blue band. But enough with the geeky technical information of the track, as some are probably asleep. Just understand this track is fast. The 200m record was set here (~9.5 sec)

I was in Moscow for the points race which would be 72 laps of fast, hard, active racing with sprints every six laps and to prepare for this I spent more time than I would ever want looking at the back of my dad’s scooter helmet and back than I would like. This proved to be extremely helpful as the race averaged a brisk pace of roughly 32 miles per hour, realize that that was for 24 kilometers with sprints every 2 kilometers.

Typically in a points race, the racing starts off a bit conservative but this was throttle on from the gun. I made it my goal to stay within the top 7 or so through out the race because the only direction this race was going was forward. The way racing should be. I also planned on keeping a cool attitude for the first half, roughly, to avoid having a weak finish as the last sprint in all points races serves as the tie breaker. However with a group of four getting off the front within the first 7-10 laps and cooperating and eventually taking a lap and gain 20 points along with the points they picked up along the way. This meant having to start racing aggressively a bit sooner than planned. However with the racing being so active and most break attempts not succeeding, choosing the right time to make the aggressive moves was tricky and required patience and precision, it was a track race after all. Then with roughly 34 laps to-go I went down (only my second crash on the track in seven years, perfect timing huh?), but thankfully was able to get back in with just some wood burn. By the time I got back into the pack it was roughly 27 laps to-go and another small group was off the front, and they would soon take a lap making seven people total taking a lap. I ended up finishing in the pack at the final sprint.

Although my result was nothing extraordinary, the experience most certainly was. It was fast as hell (pardon my French), aggressive, extremely tactical, and one huge adrenaline rush, along with one big continuous fight for position, resulting in a lot of close riding, huge emphasis on close.

Cheyenne Canyon Time Trial

Last weekend I raced the Cheyenne Canyon Time Trial in Colorado Springs.  It is one of my best results to date.  Second in the Pro1/2.  The climb is 5 kilometers long and the beginning isn't too steep.  But it gets steeper halfway up with the last kilometer over 10%.  I've won this race 2 times before (SM3 2009, 2010).  Bettering my time each time, this time I did the race in 15:30. Tom Danielson has the record and it is 13:34. The winner is a cat 1 and won the other hill climbs this year (Mt. Evans, Lookout Mountain and others).  He finished in 14:50. This happens to be the same climb that is used for the power tests at National Camp at the Olympic Training Center.  This is one of my favorite climbs anywhere and it was a pretty good race.  Every year I get closer to the record! 

-Dean Haas

Some Time Off The Bike

I am kind of going off the cycling topic for this blog, but
I have not been able to ride for the past couple of weeks because of a hip
injury.  Although it is disappointing
that I cannot finish up the racing season, it has been nice to take a mental
and physical break.  During this rest
period, I had the opportunity to go to  Maui.  It
was a very special trip because 12 members of my extended family all got to go.
 This is the first time that the 12 of us
vacationed together.  We stayed in North
Kanapali at the nicest hotel I have ever been in.  Every day, we all had a great time doing all
the typical tourist activities like snorkeling, going to a Luau and eating a
ton of food.  On one of the days we went
to the Grand Wailea for the most amazing brunch any one has ever seen.  It was impossible to go there and eat less
than 4,000 calories.     My
favorite thing about the trip was seeing some incredible sea life, while
snorkeling.  On every outing we saw at
least one huge sea turtle.  One time, I
even swam next to one for a solid 10 minutes or so.  This was a trip of a lifetime and it is one I
will never forget.

As far as my hip, I should be able to do some hard riding
soon. I have a Doctor's appointment tomorrow to get a MRI and I will know more
after that.

Kyle

Mt. Evans Hill Climb

While the 17-18s were racing the 43rd Annual Tour de L'abitibi, I was at home in Colorado racing one of my favorite races, the 46th Annual Mt. Evans Hill Climb.  Mount Evans is one 54 14,000 foot mountains in Colorado and it has a road that goes all the way to the top.  The climb is 28.5 miles long and although it is not steep it is extremely difficult and it can be below freezing at the top and snowing in the summer time not to mention the fact that the summit of the mountain is at 14,264 ft making it the highest paved road in North America.

Mt. Evans has been won by the likes of Jonathan Vaughters, Scott Moninger, Ned Overend and of course Tom Danielson who holds the course record.  This means that every year the race is going to be hard and it was just that this year.  The climb starts in Idaho Springs, a town just west of Denver, the climb starts with 7 miles up a canyon and then another 7 miles of steeper grades until the pay station for the Mt. Evans highway.  The second half of the climb is the hardest part because the pay station is at 10,000 feet.  Another 4 miles past the pay station is where the treeline ends and 5 miles from the summit is Summit Lake where there is snow all year round off the road and there is permafrost under the road.  After Summit Lake the starts to get hard because of thin air and cold temperature and steeper grades.  This is when road is actually on Mt. Evans and the road soon turns into a series of about 15 switchbacks in 3 miles that get extremely difficult a mile from the top.  Mt. Evans can be likened to Alp d'Huez with its switchbacks except harder.

 A few miles from the summit high winds are common.

Switchback at 13,000 feet.

Summit Lake 12,000 feet 5 miles from the summit.  

Training ride at the top.

Enough about the climb and about the race.  There aren't a lot of tactics in a hill climb especially one this long it is pretty much just being the strongest rider.  The climb up the canyon was very fast and when got to mile 7 there was an acceleration and until Echo Lake where the pay station is the race was fast and gets a little bit steeper and riders were getting dropped.  That day it was windy, windier than usual and the wind was coming from the South mostly instead of the West making some nasty headwinds.  The race stayed steady for past treeline and the road goes mostly South for awhile and stayed hard and although I was suffering I was staying with the front off the race until Summit Lake where there were some attacks.  After that the road becomes steeper again, it is pretty flat even downhill by the lake and I couldn't hold the speed.  Around a kilometer later I could see that race pretty exploded and there wasn't really a group anymore.  I finished 16th in the race in 2:01:27 slower than my time the year before when I won the cat 3 race in 2:00:30 and the winner did 1:57:37 making the times this year very slow.  Peter Stetina won in 1:50:00 last year and Tom Danielson has the record of 1:41:20 a record I would like to beat one day.

-Dean Haas

Cascade Cycling Classic 35+ race report

By Chris Lyman

This past weekend teammate Craig Roemer, Morgan Stanley rider Greg Anderson and I headed to the Cascade Cycling Classic for the 35+ race. CCC is a great event with four demanding stages attracting top riders. This year was no different with Northern Cal hardmen Chris Phipps, Andreas Gil, Jonathon Eropkin, Jason Walker, Brian Choi, Matt Carino, Hernando and others, along with Sam Krieg, who won Mt. Hood earlier this year plus numerous past RR and TT podiums at nationals.

I had a fairly hectic work week leading to CCC and arrived feeling like lousy. After a Thursday afternoon pre-race ride I started to wonder if I’d forgotten my race legs at home.

Feeling the same way on stage 1, I decided to stay hidden in the field until the climb to Mt. Bachelor. With numerous teams fielding a full contingent of riders, as long as a break didn’t get away with everyone represented I felt confident playing it safe.

With about 15k to go a serious attack got up the road with Andreas. Veloce, a local team, did a lot of work at the front and caught the break just as we started the last climb. The field was immediately reduced to about 20 riders as a solid tempo set in and I was hit with a nasty calf cramp, which left me struggling to hang onto the back. As it ramped up, Chris Phipps attacked (no surprise) and nobody could follow his surge. Jonathan Eropkin and Sam did a lot of the initial work on the front and kept Phipps :10-:20 in front of us. I joined in and took hard pulls trying to maintain our gap, knowing that if we did by the flat section then we’d be able to bring him back.

Unfortunately none of the 12 or so other riders chipped in when it flattened out and it was left to the three of us to chase until under 1k to go when suddenly all the wheel suckers found their legs. Chris finished :20 ahead and bagged a :10 time bonus, and I knew that was probably too much to give him.

Stage 2 was the TT that climbed 750 feet in about 5.5 miles. Once again my legs weren’t there and I struggled to find a good cadence for the climb. After a grueling 16:38 outbound leg the return was a merciful and fun 8:46 at 38 MPH. Enough to win but the stage but only take back :11 on a TT custom made for a climber like Phipps. That slotted me into 2nd GC with Sam just behind.

Stage 3 was a fast but uneventful crit won by Andreas Gil. Chalk up another W for Nor Cal!

Stage 4 was the Awbrey Butte Circuit Race, a guaranteed sufferfest with sharp rollers, a 1.5k climb and the infamous Archie Briggs, which ramps to something idiotic like 15% before leveling out to a more reasonable pitch.

Before the start I saddled up to Sam and we discussed both being there to win and not finish 2nd or 3rd. We made a truce to not chase each other in order to force a move, and our intent to go out swinging. Sam must have attacked 25 times and Jonathan and Jason continuously peppered the front with moves. While not trusting my legs, I decided to wait until when I hoped Phipps’ team would be softened up.

After a mental error on 3rd lap – going for a bottle just as the lead group surged and getting gapped off – Roemer put in a huge effort to bring me back to the front and I finally found my legs. I started attacking to see who would chase and then Sam and I got into a nice rhythm launching one big move after another. After two final all-chips-in efforts - one bridging solo to Sam as he was left to cook and another to Jason - I had done all that I could and was near the point of cracking. With the two climbs yet to come I tucked in out of the wind and kept my fingers crossed that I had enough to get over Archie Briggs.

Attacks continued but without any real snap as everyone was spent. A small group of about 15 made it over Briggs and headed to the line. I felt enough to reach back for one more effort and was trying to figure out where to make it when a few more guys made it back on and swarmed to the front. A moment of hesitation and the opportunity was gone so I rode to the line knowing and finished with the small group, preserving my 2nd GC.

Andreas did Northern Cal proud winning again while Jason Walker sprinted for 3rd and moved up to 4th overall GC.

Overall it was a great weekend, and ended up resembling an NCNCA event with a Nor Cal sweep:
Stage One - 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Stage Two - 1st & 2nd
Sage Three - 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Stage Four - 1st & 3rd
Final GC - 1st, 2nd & 4th

A special thanks to the O’Shannon family, our gracious hosts who put up with us crowding around the kitchen TV to watch the Tour as we ate breakfast each morning!

Looking forward to heading back for Nats in a few weeks.

43rd annual Tour de l’abitibi - Amos, Quebec, Canada – Day Five/ Stage Six

Stage six had the 122 starters competing for nine laps of an eleven kilometer downtown Amos circuit. There was some hard racing, many breakaway attempts but in the end we had another field sprint. Eighty one riders on the same time, and 109 riders will go on to today’s seventh and final stage.

Thibaut Boulanger of the France National team won for the third consecutive day. Team Specialized’s Jeff Perrin almost pulled off the win. Coming into the last 6km Jeff attacked and bridged up to the three leaders, worked with those that could match his speed and then started his sprint. He was caught in the last fifty meters, yet still hung on for 7th place.

Stage six results –
1- Thibaut Boulanger, France National
2- Alex Darville, USA National
3- Anthony Morel, France National
7- Jeff Perrin, Team Specialized
34- James LaBerge, Team Specialized
41- Torey Philipp, Team Specialized
60- Willy Zellmer, Team Specialized
65- David Benkoski, Team Specialized
81- Kyle Torres, Team Specialized

General Classification, after six stages
1- James Oram, New Zealand 10:55.14
2- Dion Smith, New Zealand +.19
3- Colby Wait-Molyneaux, USA National +.23
4- Kristo Jorgenson, USA National + .27
5- Willy Zellmer, Team Specialized + .34
6- Jean Emile, Canada National + .36
7- Alexy Vermeeulen, Pro Chain + .42
8- Thibaut Boulanger, France National + .43
9- Daniel Eaton, Mid South Regional + .50
10- Gregory Daniel, USA National + .53
20- Jeff Perrin, Team Specialized + 1.13
22- Kyle Torres, Team Specialized + 1.15
26- Torey Philipp, Team Specialized + 1.23
36- James LaBerge, Team Specialized + 1.42
44- David Benkoski, Team Specialized + 1.57
132 starters on Day one, 109 finishers

Team General Classification (time of top three riders on each stage)
1- United States National Team 32:47:25
2- New Zealand National Team + .04
3- Canada National Team + 1.11
4- Team Specialized + 1.19
5- Kazahkstan National Team + 2.00
6- Pro Chain + 2.09

More pictures are posted on the Team FaceBook page : www.facebook.com/#!/TeamSpecializedRacing

On stage seven in 2010 the riders were greeted with 20 mile per hour winds and the field was separated. Twenty two riders went clear. The wind looks light right now, but that doesn’t mean that the racing will be easy.

USA National would love to leap frog either Colby or Kristopher into the lead but New Zealand won’t have that. Canada needs a stage win and if Thibaut Boulanger of France takes another win he will move into 5th, ahead of Willy. We can’t have that! In fact, we’re still making plans to win this whole race.

Au revoir, Larry

43rd annual Tour de l’abitibi - Amos, Quebec, Canada – Day Four/ Stage Five

Stage five was the longest of the week at 120km. The 130 starters rode from the southwest and were aided by a strong tailwind/ crosswind averaging 46.6kph on the stage. The stage finished in a field sprint, less 31 riders that lost time and 8 riders that were time cut or pulled out.

The France National team swept the podium for the second consecutive day with a 1-2-3 finish. James sprinted to 12th place. Willy was off in a threatening 14 man break but New Zealand missed the move and sacrificed two riders to bring the break back.

Stage four results –
1- Thibaut Boulanger, France National
2- Kevin Goulet, France National
3- Anthony Smorel, France National
12- James LaBerge, Team Specialized
23- Torey Philipp, Team Specialized
35- Willy Zellmer, Team Specialized
51- David Benkoski, Team Specialized
69- Kyle Torres, Team Specialized
78- Jeff Perrin, Team Specialized

General Classification, after four stages
1- James Oram, New Zealand
2- Dion Smith, New Zealand +.17
3- Colby Wait-Molyneaux, USA National +.20
4- Kristo Jorgenson, USA National + .24
5- Willy Zellmer, Team Specialized + .31
6- Jean Emile, Canada National + .37
7- Michael Reidenbach, Colavita + .39
21- Jeff Perrin, Team Specialized + 1.10
22- Kyle Torres, Team Specialized + 1.12
25- Torey Philipp, Team Specialized + 1.20
38- James LaBerge, Team Specialized + 1.39
49- David Benkoski, Team Specialized + 1.54
132 starters, 122 finishers

Team General Classification (time of top three riders on each stage)
1- United States National Team 26:06.16
2- New Zealand National Team + .04
3- Canada National Team + 1.11
4- Team Specialized + 1.19
5- Mexico National Team + 1.47
6- Kazaskhstan National Team + 2.00

More pictures are posted on the Team FaceBook page : www.facebook.com/#!/TeamSpecializedRacing

Five stages down, two big stages to go. Today will see the riders go through the two eleven kilometer circuits in Amos nine times. Fourteen corners in the east loop, three corners in the west loop with a bridge across the river in between. The race starts in Amos, so today is a relaxing day and then some hard racing at 5pm.

Au revoir, Larry

Brazilian ramblings

How is it possible that dreams sometimes are prescient?

Even at my age, each day can bring a learning experience. Sometimes the lessons are hard.

Today started with excitement for me. I felt really good, like I’ve been feeling all this championship season. My warm up confirmed my race preparation was right. I toed the line as the first call-up to this year’s Master Mountain Bike World Championship in Brazil and the race started with an explosion, like it always does.

It’s the dead of winter here. I pre-rode the course for three days earlier this week but stuck to the trainer yesterday as once again it rained hard and I’d had enough of riding in the nasty stuff. The course was a muddy mess each time I rode it, not what I am used to in the dry dusty races I do in the Bay area. I wore my training pads and for good reason, I think I hit the deck 20 to 25 times in the mere six laps of the course I completed in practice over my three days outside. The pain of those times face down in the mud convinced me how to ride (nay, run) the dangerous parts of the descents. As a point of reference, those dangerous sections made up at least ¾ of all descending on the course. I expected these descents to be the daunting challenges come race day.

I was wrong.

Now common sense and good thinking suggested making sure all your equipment has been tested prior to a big race. I always do this, until today. After today, I always will.

As I always do for Mountain Bike World Championships, I bring two identical bikes, one for the race and one for training. This year I put an all new drive train on the race bike before I left home; chain, cassette, cables, cable housing, new wheels, tires, rotors and brake pads too. I wanted everything to be perfect, no worn parts. I rode it around on the road at home to see if everything was working, it seemed fine.

At the race venue, I always do one lap on the race bike at quasi-racing speed to do a final test. This year I didn’t. The course was too much of a mess and I was constantly crashing while practicing. I didn’t want to risk going down and breaking something on the race bike or taking a chance of gumming up the cables and risking bad shifting. Even at 56 years of age, we make bad decisions.

The first 200 meters of the race course is flat, the next 300 meters climbs on pavement at 20 percent, the perfect way to start a race for me. Somebody jumps by me as we hit the climb. No problem, I kick a little bit and drop him easily. Benny Anderson, the current Swedish National champ and reigning European champion pulls up beside me. He beat me for the first time in four tries two years ago in France when he won his first World Championship. I knew he was the one I needed to beat today to win.

I’m riding tempo and decide it’s time to test Benny. I shift down one gear and get out of the saddle to attack. Pop! My chain jumps a gear and tweaks on an angle as the rear derailleur lurches down the cassette. What the f@#* just happened. I put a little pressure on the pedals and realize I am about to break the chain as the rear wheel locks up. I stop and get off the bike, pick the rear end up with one hand and spin the pedals with the other, the only way to correct the problem.

Benny’s put 50 meters on me and I know he heard the crunching of my chain, opportunity knocks or should I say crunches for him.

I pedal and the chain jumps again on the cassette, and again, and again, and again. I realize that, at this point, I can ride nothing more than tempo as any more pressure than that yields the same troubling result. How do you win a world championship riding tempo???

We crest the top of the start loop and hit the first tricky descent. I can see Benny cautiously finding his way down to the start/finish line about 75 meters in front of me. I see his strategy given his knowledge of my circumstance.

To hell with it, I’m going to rip this descent and take my chances. My heart’s in my throat a couple of times but I get back to Benny by the bottom and we’re on to the first of two full laps.
Now I can pedal again but fear the outcome. Sure enough the problem persists, I need to make a barrel adjustment for the rear derailleur on the fly and see if it makes a difference. The first climb of this lap is 50 meters in front of me.

Twist the barrel adjuster, pedal. Nope, that didn’t work. Twist the barrel adjuster, pedal. Uh oh, I’m on the climb and my amateur attempts at a mechanic’s work have failed. Not only that, but I have adjusted my way out of even being able to ride at tempo on the climb. Even the easiest of pressure on the pedals is now unworkable.

This is an easy climb I can do in my big chain ring but with every pedal stroke the chain jumps. I get off the bike and start running as I watch Benny sprint away from me. I crest the climb and I realize that caution needs to be tossed. I scream down the descent, but this is the easiest of the 10 to 12 descents in front of me. I fear trouble lies ahead but what choice do I have.

Immediately I’m on the next climb, I see Benny in front of me climbing with speed. I have no choice but to run again and the first challenging drop is up next. I cut it loose and crash! Not bad but it shakes me up. Unhurt other than a trickle of blood down my knee and elbow, I remount and let it go again.

Next climb up, next piece of running and I no longer see Benny in front of me. Someone at the side of the road says he has a minute on me.

And so it goes. Run up each climb, take my chances on the descents. Other than that one crash, this strategy (it’s all I can come up with at this point) is working.

Through the start/finish and the bell rings. Again someone says “one minute to the leader”. A surge of adrenaline hits me as I realize I’m still in this race, in the last 15 minutes since that first crash I’ve haven’t given up a thing to Benny.

Now I know what Benny’s thinking as he has a friend out on the course who may have seen me running up climbs that make no sense to run, unless you have a mechanical problem. Benny climbs hard and takes no chances on the descents, probably off the bike on all of them. My only chance is that he continues this strategy while I take even more chances on the descents.
I now hit that descent I crashed on in lap one, this time though I go even faster.

Usually I act rationally, in fact, it’s been years since my days of irrationality.

This is the world championships and, given the circumstances, I need to take chances to even have the slightest hope of winning. It’s that slightest hope that puts rational thinking into the dust bin.

I make it past the point of the crash last lap but I am going much too fast and I’m headed for a tree. My front wheel is in a rut and I the brakes aren’t slowing me down. My choices are slowing down by putting my face square into the trunk of that tree or dive off the side of this descent down the embankment.

It’s not like you actually make a decision given those choices. Survival instinct takes over and I’m off the side of the trail careening downward. Suddenly I flip and come to a sudden stop. I’ve fallen into a 4 foot hole filled with vines and broken tree branches. I shake my head, neck seems okay. I move my arms, they work, legs work too. Okay, now what? I look up and my bike is across the top of the hole. I pull myself up grabbing vines until I get to my bike. I push up and throw the bike back onto the hill and struggle to crawl out of the hole. Suddenly the Columbian that finished third behind me last year after I broke my pedal is coming cautiously down the descent. I lost 8 minutes to a broken pedal and beat him by 3 minutes on top of that, this tells me just how costly my mechanical nightmare has been to me today.

He goes by me as I get back on course. Thirty seconds later we cross the road to start the next climb. The Columbian is 50 meters in front of me and Benny’s friend is there and tells me Benny’s 3 minutes up the road. Sounds like I was in that hole for about 2 minutes.

The race is over for first but damned if I’ll give up fighting for second. I am running up the climb with every last bit of energy I have. I catch the Columbian and push by him. I am seeing stars.
Now that I’m in front of him and bleeding from both knees and elbows , with many bruises I can’t even see, no more chances on the descents. I take them all cautiously, top tubing it. We’re back on the road and he’s back on me. Up the final climb of the day and I’ve gapped him with my running.

For some strange reason, I decide to try pedaling the bike as I hit the only gentle part of the last climb knowing the Columbian will be riding it much faster than I can run it. I put it in the 36 on the back but as I put it in the gear, I don’t let up on the shifter paddle, thinking that keeping the pressure on the cable might stop the chain from jumping. This only works at the top of the cassette as such pressure on the paddle in any other gear would just move the chain up the cassette. At the top, it butts up against the set screw and can’t jump. Why didn’t I think of this earlier? Sh#*!

My legs are fried from a race spent running up every climb. Constant pressure on the paddle is taking all my will power as my thumb is cramping but I am nearly to the top of the course and I’ve put another 30 meters on the Columbian. The last descents to the finish line are tricky and he’s behind me far enough that I think I can top tube each one.

I’m on the last tricky switchback drop before the finish and I see he’s ten meters behind me. Okay, get off the top tube and let it go!

Bad idea, down I go into the mud.

Just as I get back on he goes by me. Seventy five meters to the finish and one last dagger enters my heart. What a day or should I say night(mare).

Two days ago, I had a dream. It woke me up in a cold sweat. It was one of those dreams where you absolutely believed it was actually happening. I dreamed I was racing in today’s championship, I was battling it out for first, second and third. Believe it or not, Benny was in the dream. I had trouble with the details but Benny won, someone unknown to me finished second and I was third. I swear it took me 5 minutes to realize it was just a dream. How weird is that????