San Dimas Road Race

San Dimas was a popular junior race this year. There were 105 riders in combined fields of 15-16s and 17-18s racing together. Our team was set up well going into stage 2. Jack was .1 seconds from the yellow jersey (15-16s) and in the 17-18s we were 4th (Kyle), 6th (Dean), and 8th (I/Marcus). We knew that in order to take the lead in both categories we needed to race aggressively. The race started at 8am in the rain and cold. I started at the back of the pack (nature calls) and most of the team was at the front. Dean and Kyle set a hard tempo for the first 5 miles and I worked my way up to them. They were very smart in doing this, because on my way I saw 5 crashes. After the first of 7 laps the field was down to a manageable 50 riders. We tried to attack, but the next big event happened on lap 3. At the end of a fast descent there is a 45˚ right turn onto a dam. The road is covered in paint and metal storm drains. The front slowed and the rest of us couldn't break in time. Multiple crashes began and riders slid across the road. Jack got torn up pretty well and I did an endo over another rider. I got up quickly and chased for a few miles before catching up. Luckily Jack had some 15-16 teammates who waited for him as he untangled his bike. He caught up quickly after.

On the following lap Matt (15-16) went on the attack. He peaked at a gap of 1:30 and stayed away for 2 laps. A few large teams worked to pull him back. The third place rider on the 17-18 GC did so much work that he was dropped later in the race. Thank you Matt. After Matt was caught, Kyle and I began attacking hard. We counter- attacked each other for 3 laps. Chris (17-18) was dropped on the hard climbs, but would then chase the group down and make an attack. This helped Kyle and I out tremendously. Chris sacrificed his race to help us get away. Every time we would attack the first and second place riders on GC would chase us down. Finally with 1 lap to go I got in a break with 5 riders. I didn't work because the riders were higher than me on GC (team plan), but this forced the yellow jersey to do a huge effort to bring it back. Kyle watched this and waited behind the yellow jersey. At the base of a roller he launched an attack. He was caught and we attacked back and forth 4 times. The GC riders were tiring and we knew that this was our chance.

With 5 miles to go I attacked on the flats before a roller. I took one rider with me, but he dropped off at the top. I had a 3 sec gap on the descent and I decided to roll it. Kyle managed the front and about half way down they all slowed and didn't want to work. The gap grew quickly and by the time I hit the climb, I was out of sight. I paced myself up the climb and pushed hard over the top. I used the entire road on the descent hitting 45MPH+ in the pouring rain. I had to risk it because I was in a prime position to win and I had confidence in my equipment. My Zipp wheels had preformed well thoughout the day in the horrible weather and I knew how the bike handled in sub ideal conditions from winter training in the rain and snow. I made it down the descent safely and I pushed hard on the flats for the final 2 miles. I held the shattered field off by 17 seconds. Kyle road amazing, finishing in the first group of 4 riders and Jack took the GC in the 15-16s by 22 seconds. I moved into 3rd on GC and Kyle remained in 4th.

We tried to get away in the crit the following day, but nothing was sticking. Saturday was the highlight for the 17-18 team, because it was long enough and hard enough for us to use our fitness and teamwork. Thank you to all of my teammates for working hard and setting me up with the opportunity to break away and win solo on an epic day.

Marcus Smith

San Dimas Stage Race - Cat 3 Recap

San Dimas Stage Race - 2012

This past weekend me and my family hosted Team Specialized Racing for the San Dimas Stage Race at Casa Castellano. The team arrived Thursday night and left Sunday after the Crit. Most of the team stayed at a hotel in Upland near my house due to the fact that there would be no room for 12 Juniors in one house. So our house was instead better suited as a place to have team dinners and meeting. It was a lot of fun having all the teammates together once again.


The first stage was the GMR TT on Friday. It would be my first real test of the season on how my climbing legs really are, especially riding on a new team issue Specialized Allez and team Zipp 202s. At the end of the day, I clocked in the 3.80 mile climb at 16:10, good enough for 17th place and a new PR in the Cat 3 field of 100. Teammate Diego turned in an impressive time of 15:35, sitting in pretty at 4th place. Right off the bat me, Jon, and Jason knew we would be protecting our GC leader for the weekend and we would be gladly playing the role of domestiques. After the TT we all headed back to my house for our first team dinner of the weekend. The Lansing Family (Diego's parents) took charge of that nights delicious and nutritious Italian meal while all the other parents were there to help out with whatever cooking they can do. That dinner was the perfect meal to have before the next day's epic circuit road race. It was also a good time to wind down with the team.



The next day was the Stage 2 circuit road race around Bonelli Park. We had brutal conditions with rain, wind, and chilling temperatures all day. The last wave (Cat 2, 3, and Pro1) of races probably had the worst of that days weather. This was the perfect day to put the new Zipp 101s and Tangent tubular clinchers to the test. I'm happy to report that they performed flawlessly and were the right choice of wheel for that day.

We started in a light drizzle and eventually raced the majority of our race in a downpour. We had 8 laps (56 miles) of racing. The first 5 laps were steady and controlled even though the weather still put our bodies through the test of will and determination. Our team stayed together near the front safe and out of danger. The front was by far the safest place to be. With 3 laps to go, the weather finally hit everybody. The rain came down extremely hard (with some hail), winds at about 25 mph, temps at mid to high 40s, and rising oils on the road causing riders to have some nasty spills if they weren't cautious enough. I doubled up my gloves and that still wasn't enough to keep my hands from freezing. That made it hard to eat, drink, shift, and brake. The temps were so cold my legs were not functioning as I would have liked them to. I sucked it up and kept going. A solo rider had broken off the field and opened up a 3 minute gap. During his time out front, the field was neutralized due to the Pro field passing. As we were neutralized, Diego came beside me and Jon telling us to chase after we were done neutralized. We did just that with very little help from the field with 2 laps to go and gave it our all with the chase.



As we kept chasing to minimize the time gap, we crested the second to last climb, Diego was on my wheel while I was at the front pushing the pace. I pushed the pace as hard as I could and eventually caused a split in the field with about 20 guys in the front group containing me and Diego. We made it back around to the final climb of the race and my body finally told me I had done all I could for the day. That effort kept Diego that lead group and ended up with a solid finish. I came in exhausted just behind the main group. Jon made the time cut and was able to start the help us out the next day. Immediately after finishing, we jumped in the team van, shivering and wanting to warm up. It was nice to get home to a delicious Mexican meal waiting for us and the rest of the team.

The last and final stage was the Old Town San Dimas Grand Prix. Our plan was to go for a stage win and help Diego move up a couple of spots in GC. All race we were attacking, being attentive of other riders, and staying at the front. Each time one of us attacked or someone else attacked, the whole peloton would chase, especially the team holdin the yellow jersey. With 2 laps to go it looked like it was going to finish in a field sprint. Me and Jon stayed at the front keeping Diego safe and in good position. With one lap to go, Diego maintained position up at the front as me and Jon lost position with a big swarm of riders. Diego ended up coming out of the corner 2nd and sprinted away for 2nd place. He was one second off of being 5th in GC for an overall podium which was a bummer but still an amazing job by him and the team for finishing high up in GC.

The weekend turned out to be a good race for Team Specialized and a great weekend of teamwork with a GC win by Jack Maddux in the 15-16 and Marcus Smith winning the 17-18 Circuit Race. A special thank you to Billy Innes for building up this beauty of a bike. It performed solidly. Thanks to Smith Optics for providing eye wear and a clear lense for the brutal rain conditions! Thank you to my parents for hosting Team Specialized and the NCCF for all the support. Also, a special thanks to Team Director (and coach) Larry Nolan for his time in helping me and the team prepare for this important race.

Until next time, Thanks for reading.

Nicholas (Nick) Castellano

SMITH OPTICS 'PIVLOCK V90' REVIEW

Smith Optics has come on board as the sunglass sponsor of Team Specialized Racing for 2012. Smith Optics has generously provided 2 pairs of sunglasses (and team caps) to each junior racer- the ‘Pivlock V90’ for racing and the ‘Terrace Polarized’ for casual wear.

I had the opportunity to wear the Pivlock V90 last weekend in the 2012 San Dimas Stage Race contested in freezing cold temperatures, blustering winds, storms and heavy rains, so I think I have got a pretty good idea about how they work and what I like about the glasses.

The Pivlock V90 specs include an interchangeable lens system,
which comes with 3 different lenses- yellow mirror, ignitor, and clear. A lightweight frame (made of Evolve frame material) that is both sleek and form fitting. We got the white frame but it also comes in orange, matte black, blue, black, smoked crystal, and pink anodized. And for cyclists with less than 20/20 vision, a RX adaptor is available.

The thing you probably want to know more than anything though is if the Pivlock V90 is any good for racing. In one word, YES!

As you can see, I wore the Pivlocks under epic weather conditions and experienced zero problems. I found the frame to be very light and form fitting. Saturday’s road race was brutal. It was pouring rain and howling wind, but I didn’t have any problems with the glasses staying in place. Not having to continually adjust my glasses while racing is a huge plus for me. The weather cleared up for Sunday’s criterium, but it was overcast. I swapped out the clear lens for the yellow mirror lens, hoping the yellow tint would cut down on glare and shadows. I was not disappointed. The yellow mirror lens was the way to go!

In my opinion, the Pivlock V90 is a great sunglass for cycling. They provide good coverage, are lightweight and comfortable, and come with 3 different lenses that are very easy to change. If you are looking to buy new sunglasses, I encourage you to try a pair of Smith Optics’ Pivlock V90s.

I want to thank Smith Optics for their support and I look forward to racing in my Pivlock V90s in 2012.

Diego Binatena
Team Specialized Junior Racing

Pain Is The Name of The Game

San Dimas Stage Race:
The SDSR followed a very hard Madera Stage race. After Madera I came down with a sore throat and a cold but I fought it and was able to make it to San Dimas healthy, but tired and with very little riding in my legs.

The Time Trial was the first event, on Friday morning. I woke up feeling nervous but ready. I held a consistent pace up the climb and I almost puked twice at the finish so I know I went all out. I placed 70th out of 100, so not a great day but I was not disappointed since my teammates placed well, taking 4th, 16th, and 17th.

On Saturday we had a very windy, rainy, and cold road race. Nick, Jason, and I were in charge of protecting Diego's 4th in GC. With 3 +/- laps to go a rider broke away, and shortly after we were neutralized. After the neutralization me and Nick started to chase the solo rider (Jason had been pushed into a hay bale early on and was still chasing at this point.) Coming into the KOM climb I did not make the turn and kept going straight. I had to stop, hop a small fence and get back on my bike.

Suffering in the Road Race

I had about 16 miles of racing left. I had to finish within 10% of the winners time to make the time cut. I ran some calculations in my head and figured out that if the pack went a little faster the next two laps than the previous six I could average 15mph and barely make the time cut. It was hard but with that goal in my head I managed to finish around 13 minutes down with a 3 minute cushion. My teammate Diego finished in the pack after a brutal last two laps of racing. Nick finished right behind the pack and Jason had to pull out with one lap left.

Sunday was the day of the Criterium. The team goal was to get Diego the 12 or so seconds he needed to move into 5th on GC.  Nick and I attacked a few times to weaken the field, but every move was shut down. 25 minutes into the stage there was a sprint for extra GC time, Diego took 2nd securing some extra time. Diego also placed 2nd in the finishing sprint which was enough to bring him within 5 seconds of the podium. A great effort by the team and Diego.

Attacking in the Criterium

Thank you to everybody who made this race possible.

Jonathan Christensen

Superior Teamwork

This past weekend was the San Dimas Stage Race. It was a priority race for our team and we all went there bringing our A game. There were 105 juniors total made up of some of the best riders on the west coast. I was so happy with how this race went because I felt like it was one of the best races for the team in terms of working together for the greater good of the team. The conditions were crazy in hard rain, gusting winds and low temperatures.

Our goal for the 49 mile road race was to get Jack in the yellow jersey (.10 seconds out of first going into stage) and get one of the 17-18s into the yellow jersey. Three of the 17-18 year olds were within striking distance of the lead. We planned to achieve our goal by throwing down relentless attacks and make the race as hard as possible. For this race, the 15-16s (Jack, Matt, Oliver, Sean) and 17-18s (Marcus, Chris, Dean, Kyle) all race together so we had even more firepower than normal. The race started off fast and aggressive with Dean and I pushing the pace on the first lap. Jack crashed towards the beginning and Sean, Oliver and Matt all selflessly dropped back and helped to bring him back in the field. The field went from about 105 riders down to about 50 in just the first 7 mile loop. By lap five, we had Matt Valencia off the front by over a minute. This made it so the other teams got worn out from the chase. After that, the rest of the team kept attacking and not giving up. When one person would get brought back, another one of us would go. During laps 5,6 and 7 Chris had some really strong attacks that helped to dwindle the field away.  We attacked until one of us stayed away until the finish. Marcus Smith was the one who stayed away. He attacked on the last lap and nobody could follow. He rolled into the finish all by himself, about 20 seconds ahead of everyone else. Jack and I came in with next group of about 8 riders. Jack finished ahead of the GC leader by about 20 seconds. We completed our goal of Jack taking over the yellow jersey. We did not get the 17-18 yellow jersey, but got a solo win and Marcus moved up to 3^rd GC and I remained 4^th GC. At the end, only about 40 out of the 105 riders finished the race. Our GC spots stayed the same for the rest of the race. It was an awesome weekend!  Thanks for reading, Kyle Torres

San Dimas TT

The San Dimas TT consists of a completely steady 3.8 mile hill, almost perfect for a 105 pound rider who can't really TT besides if its uphill.

After preriding the course on Thursday, I was feeling good coming into the first stage of what would be my first ever stage race. I got to the race really early because my dad was racing before I even needed to be awake, so I got to see what the fast times were for the first riders off, which gave me a reference on how long I would have to suffer. After warming up and hurrying over to the start house so I could roll out which turned out to be unnecessary anyway, I hear Dave Towle start to talk about how much of an amazing program Team Specialized is, informing everyone that doesn't already know Larry about how much of an amazing guy Larry is. But when I roll up to get my hold I tune out Dave, and everything else, so I can focus on the suffering I was about to endure, going through what I remember from recon and what my dad told from his TT. I watch as the official silently counts down and sends me off. A short acceleration as I get up to speed and then down into the saddle to start the next 16:08 of pain. As I ride up the climb I try to keep my mind clear so I can focus on holding my power output steady. Sooner than I thought I arrived at the 1km to go sign that told  me to start ramping it up with whatever I had left, which wasn't much. I see Larry who shouts encouragement and tells me there is 200 m to go, 200 m in which I had nothing to sprint with and felt like at any second I was about to fall off my bike. As I cross the finish line so tired that I forgot to hit the lap button on my Garmin, I sound like a vacuum with a cat stuck in it and learn that I was 14 seconds away from catching my minute man. I felt confident that I gave everything I had, and headed down the hill to get recover for what was a brutal 2nd stage.
Jason Saltzman

#winning

1 second. That was the margin between the top step and second place, and overall victory for the masters team at the Merco Cycling Classic.  But this is a case where winning didn’t mean finishing first.

I was a late entry to bike racing and my perspective is narrow compared to teammates like Larry, Kevin, Billy and Dean who’ve traded paint at levels I never will. Fortunately they don’t hold my newbieness against me.  Their years and years (and years, and years and years) of competitive knowledge is something we all benefit from. However, if rapidly greying hair is any indicator of experience, I take comfort knowing that I'm quickly closing the gap. 

Let’s face it: we're masters racers, not pros, and cycling is a lifestyle choice instead of a paycheck.  Yet, aside from how they compete, these guys have much to impart about sportsmanship and conducting ourselves professionally on the road. I don’t claim to always be a saint but if my competitiveness boils over, I try to step back and take a page from their book.  This too, is something we all benefit from, which Dave Towle summed up nicely with a Facebook comment:

Merco was largely our first opportunity to race and hang out with guys we’ve been on the road with but not alongside as teammates (at least recently) including Don Langley, Bubba Melcher, Jason Walker and Steve Francisco (we look forward to Greg Anderson getting off IR soon). We’re fortunate to have these guys bring even more incredible experience but also a light, fun spirit; I can’t recall laughing so many times at any other race.

While we fell short of our goal to wrap up overall victory at Merco, we got to sync as a team, raced smart and most importantly, had fun. That’s a win in my book. 

2012 Allez

Last Saturday I received my 2012 team bike, the new Specialized Allez, equipped with Sram force. On my first ride I was really happy with its handling and stiffness. I took it over to a hill I like to do intervals on and I smashed my old record.

When I went down the other side of the hill I decided not to hold back so I could see how well the Allez could descend. The Allez descended with ease. After that I decided to go up the hill two more times just so I could keep going down it.

The third time up the hill I was pretty tired, and it was getting dark, so I headed toward my house. On the way back there is a hill about the steepness of cats hill but a little shorter. When I went home I compared the watts I went up the hill this time with my PR and this time I had gone about 50 watts harder, which I think is due to the shifting. I was able to big ring it a quarter of the way up and when I down shifted the chain stayed on and it was really smooth so I could keep sprinting up it.

When I finally reached home at dusk I was very tired but also really satisified with my new ride. The Allez is a great bike. This was also my first ride with Sram and I am very impressed, I did not have a single problem shifting, and I love the double tap feature.

I can't wait to race my new bike.

-Jonathan Christensen