Sea Otter Classic 2015

April 16-19, 2015 is just four months away.  That's an eternity for some, but not for those of us that need to plan for nine NCCF Team Specialized juniors to compete with the best in the nation. 

For those that like to fly by the seat of their bib shorts, they will see today's entry fee rise another 10 to 20%.  I've helped out USA Cycling at Sea Otter in the past so I have first hand experience with the whiners that pay full price.  $65 for a race?  That's crazy!

I'm writing today to let you know that you can save 10% on your early registration just by using the code: EARLYBIRD2015

www.SeaOtterClassic.com

I just signed up for the circuit race.  For a total cost of $44.13 I find that one a good value.  Racing on Laguna Seca Speedway!  Being part of the FUN that is Sea Otter!  Supporting SRAM, Specialize and our sponsors... and, descending at 70+kph on the Corkscrew!

Larry Nolan, NCCF Team Specialized Juniors Director

NCCF Team Specialized Juniors at the 2011 Sea Otter Classic

Specialized Shiv Masters Track World Record

 

In 2009 I broke the M50-54 2,000m world record on a Specialized Transition in Sydney, Australia... a road frame with track drop outs!

In 2014 I broke the M55-59 2,000m world record on a Specialized Shiv in Manchester, United Kingdom... a road frame with track drop outs!

 

Geeking out on a Sunday afternoon:  In the five years that have passed since my trip to Sydney, the UCI has outlawed the Transition.  I went for the Shiv for obvious reasons: fit, aerodynamics and total weight is just over the legal limit.  When you are racing in and above the 50kph range you look for speed in your training, and in your machine.  Here's how my 4 October 2014 world record went down...
- unmodified 2013 large Shiv, never built up for racing on the road
- ultra fast 2012 McLaren helmet borrowed from Don Langley (UCI legal)
- brand new 2012 Specialized large aero gloves
- brand new 2014 Squadra long sleeved large skinsuit
- brand new 2014 Specialized xlarge socks ;-)
- brand new 2013 Zipp super 9 disc wheel with new Continental tempo tire @ 160 psi
- borrowed 2014 Fast Forward front disc with new Continental tempo tire @ 160 psi
- relatively new 2014 Specialized S-Works 46.5 shoes
- Shimano 170mm cranks with 52x14 gearing at an average of 109rpms after start.
= 2:19.821 vs. old record of 2:20.413 (James Host)

Thank you Specialized for making such great products.  Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Junior Director (and still loving to race)

Aimless? NOT something you see in bicycle racers

“Your son is getting an F in physical education” was the story my wife shared with me this morning.  She was fresh off “parent-teacher meetings” last night.  Surprisingly, both parents and the failing student showed up!  That doesn’t happen very often.   

How does a freshman in high school fail PE?  It’s rather easy if you don’t show up and dress up.  Must be present to win!

How is this story related to our NCCF Team Specialized Juniors?  Well, besides some cyclocross racing, we are into the “off-season”, or put differently “between seasons” which makes it’s the perfect time to reflect on what went right and what you should be worked on.  We have been in this assessment cycle for the past month and we’re getting ready to move into the “Goals” phase.  This will be a deep dive into what the juniors want out of themselves and their teammates.  We’ll take the assessments and goals into our December team camp to ensure we are on the same page, to ensure what we are shooting for is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound (S.M.A.R.T).  Going through the assessment and goal setting process is invaluable to our team and itself is an exercise to bring us together.  The juniors are not fond of the extra time required when they might want to relax with friends and take a break from the bike, but it is completely worthwhile!

A special thanks goes out to every parent that appropriately pushes their child to be all that they can be.  The parents of the “F” student didn’t give a care about their son failing.  As you might imagine, I get pretty fired up about this kid wasting our tax payer’s money –and- my wife’s time and energy.  Thankfully bicycle racers are very goal driven. 

Fact: none of our junior teammates are failing any of their classes! 

 

Cheers, Larry Nolan, NCCF Team Specialized Junior Team Director

Goal setting

I have been working with a coach for the last four years in an effort to improve my fitness and cycling ability.  Every year, even before we start working on the racing schedule, he has me fill out a goal sheet.  There are three sets of goals that I fill out.

The first set are the three goals that you want to accomplish for the season.  For me, this included 1) Podium at Elite Track Nationals, 2) Upgrade to Cat 1, and 3) Become a dominant M123 rider.  This established my main focus for the year.  As the season progressed, Elite Track Nationals didn't fit well in the schedule and got skipped over.  However, I was able to make good on the other two.

The second set of goals are process goals.  It is fine to want to win something, but how are you actually going to accomplish it?  Things on my goal sheet included 1) Maintain 10-12 h/week of training, 2) Continue to improve on descending, 3) Work on communication to execute team tactics, 4) Post a sub 17 min climb on Old La Honda, etc.  These gave me clear, tangible goals that I could work on throughout the season.  If I was starting to hit some of these process goals, I knew that obtaining my season goals were within reach.

The last goal is your dream goal.  For the last two years, my dream goal was to win a world championship. Honestly I though that would be my dream goal for years to come, or at least until I started to outlast my competition.  However, I put it down as a reminder of what I wanted to aspire to.

As it turned out, I took my first shot at a world title this year and it paid off.  The experience was unbelievable, but I had confidence in myself knowing that I had been able to hit most of my process and primary goals.

The point is, make sure that you are thoughtful of your goals this season, Make sure they are clear and the processes are defined, but also don't forget to be a little bit bold.  You might just hit them.

Now to figure out next years goals...

Game 7 - similarities between baseball and cycling

Game 7 of the 2014 World Series is tonight.  Baseball was my first love, so I wanted to share this one. 

Let's admit it, people look at baseball and see it as a slow sport - "My god, another pitching change?".  People also look at cycling and see it as boring - "It doesn't look like they are riding hard when they have their jerseys stuffed with water bottles". 

On the surface, both sports can make most sleepy (except that the grand tours start in the early morning).  What's great about baseball and bicycle racing are the nuances of the sport: is the pitcher "on" tonight?  is the pressure getting to him?  did that leadout train drop their sprinter off too early?  bringing in the left hander made sense for those first two batters but what about the next three?  with only two teammates over the last 50km has the team leader been able to hydrate and eat for the next climb?  and, so on.

Another exciting aspect of both sports is the arousal levels of the athletes/ players.  Sunday saw the Giants blow out the Royals, and Tuesday saw the reversal.  I doubt the baseball manager is yelling at his players to pump them up before their game.  The fans yell at the players, but the fans "get" the nuances of the sport (right?). 

I would love to see tonight's game come down to the 9th inning, so that we can watch the real pressure that these players are under.  If that happens, it would be like what cycling fans got to see with the 1989 Tour de France where it came down to the final meters of the final 21st stage time trial when Greg LeMond beat Lauren Fignon by just eight seconds, after 87 hours, 38 minutes and 35 seconds of racing over three weeks.  Truly, one of our sports most exciting moments!

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Juniors Director

I love my commute, and I save time too

Silicon Valley is booming again, and traffic is horrible.  Not only do I have a beautiful bike ride into work, it often takes me less time than if I was in my car.

 

This is my morning commute going across the San Francisco Bay, from Fremont into East Palo Alto.  I love this view!

This is the commuters view.  Yes, they have their music, phones, coffee and eyeliner, but they also have brake lights!

My commuting tip: drive into work with an extra days clothes (or the whole week) and use your car as your "locker room".  This way you eliminate having to carry clothes -and- you have a car at work if needed. 

Math: 30km commute by car @ average of 45 minutes (30 minutes if 6am or 8pm, 75 minutes if 8pm or 5pm), or 30km commute by bike @ average of 75 minutes = 75 minutes of exercise for just 30 minutes of my time!  Double bonus when I leave home at 8am or leave work at 5pm and ride faster than traffic!

Practical: I rode 16,000 kilometers in my training year (Oct 1- Sept 30) and a majority come from commuting.  These are not junk miles, they are base miles, a means to get to "the morning ride" (Palo Alto) and Tuesday and Thursday night training (Fremont) as well as getting to work or home at a predictable time.  It's also my therapy!  I want to hear about your commute.... Larry Nolan, NCCF Team Specialized Juniors Director

Music and cycling

November 2014 issue of Cycle Sport came in the mail the other day.  I especially enjoyed the short piece on "Manuel Quinziato's Love of Music". 

 

Of special interest to me was this line: "It can lift you up when you are down and helps me to train".  I glammed onto that gem because there are so many articles written about riders and celebrities "favorites".  Favored books, movies, places to go and music.  My preference is to read what drives a rider more than a referral to their favorite.  This article does not bring out Manuel's reasons but it does hint to the emotional charge that riders get out of their favored tunes. 

 

I won't list my favorites, but I will admit that a 140 beat per minute song can get me fired up, a classical song can calm me down, and a good blues song actually makes me feel better about my day.  What does music do for you?  Do you have an emotional tie to what you are listening to?

 

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Junior Director

Keeping it real...

Debbie and I will celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary in November.  She is my love, my rock, and she helps me to keep a realistic perspective.  I just finished up a memorable 2014 racing season with four USA masters national championships and three masters world titles in the UK and then came home to her welcoming poster on the garage door.  What a sweetie!  On the other side of the door is a pile of laundry and a floor that needs my attention.  Keeping it real...

Living with Debbie helps to keep me grounded and helps me better direct the junior team.  Every junior teammate has either won a national championship and/ or raced internationally with USA Cycling.  Yet that fact entitles them to nothing.  No promise of a professional contract, no free lunch, and never a sense of entitlement!

I race my bike because I love to stay fit, commute to work and clear my head, keep it social and fun, plus the challenges of competition, and trying to stay fast as I age.  I am not competing with the juniors but we go through similar tests.  I need to look beyond peer racing and race with really fast people so that I can compete at nationals and worlds, not just follow.  I need to continually recreate who I am with my training, life balance and recovery.  I'm up for the challenge and I am so very thankful that Debbie allows me to reach for these goals, race my bike and help juniors as much as I am able.  Thanks babe.  Lar

The journey is the reward

I worked at Apple for 14 years and the marketing folks started using "The journey is the reward" with much success.  I thought I would borrow the notion on the eve of my long flight from California to Manchester, England.  Tomorrow's trip is not the journey I want to write about.  I hope its uneventful. 

I attended my first UCI Masters Track World Championships in 1999, then again in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009.  I turned 55 in 2013, so my goal was to go to worlds and break a new world record.

Three weeks before the big event I was taken down in a track race and broke four ribs and my pelvis.  The road back to fitness, strength and speed has been a long one, but the journey has been the reward for many reasons. 

Truthfully, I wasn't going to break a world record last year.  I just wasn't fit enough and my head wasn't on right.  My father passed away and I lacked focus and purpose.  I also made the rookie mistake of thinking I could hold good fitness for a long racing season (wrong!) 

For my 2014 comeback, I looked for patterns in my past training and quickly realized that when I set  "big hairy audacious goals", then every training session and every race had a purpose.  I carefully laid out these stepping stones to help me get to Masters Track Worlds. 

My BHAG is to win a world championship with a new world record on Monday, 6 October in the 2,000meter pursuit. 

 

A special thank you goes out to friend, teammate, 1988 and 1996 USA Olympian Mike McCarthy for teaching me to dream big.  And, the reason I am dreaming so big is because of my competition.  The current world record holder (James Host) returns to Manchester after breaking his hip last year, so he will be highly motivated.  Plus, silver medalist (Stephane LeBeau) from last years 50-54 age group turns 55+ this year.  Because I haven't attended since 2009 James and Stephane will have the advantage of starting after me and knowing my time.  If I don't place top two I don't earn the chance to race for the gold medal.  Knowing this, it's only logical to try to break the old world record.  That way I'm assured the gold medal ride.

 

Finally, even if I race poorly at this years worlds, I can look back at the path that got me here with pride... a much longer recovery than I ever expected, helping new racers at the Early Birds in January, off to camps, Valley of the Sun, San Dimas, Sea Otter and nationals with the juniors, then the build up to worlds through elite and masters state track, masters track nationals, masters road nationals (with my 2nd criterium title and 50th national championship) to the last three weeks of motorpacing and tapering.  The Journey has been the reward!

 

Thanks for supporting the NCCF Team Specialized Juniors and Masters, Larry Nolan

 

 

"Innovate or die" the inside of my 2009 Specialized SL2 fork

what were they thinking?

The other day I read how many views Nicki Minja's Anaconda has on YouTube.  I watched it.  I contributed one of the 180 million views.

While in YouTube I re-watched both the men's and women's 2012 London Olympic Points Race.  Sadly, that's 75K and 10K views respectively as compared to 180M.  Thankfully, we can learn a LOT more when we watch the Olympic points races! 

10,000 to 180,000,000!  Our sport is either incredibly small, or cyclist don't understand just how much they can learn from these videos. 

For me, the most exciting bits of a points race is that you are thinking the entire time.  Observing, judging, calculating, positioning, gambling, reacting, initiating, lighting it up, or recovering before the next explosive effort.  You're breathing through every pore in your body, yet asking the blood pumping through your body to drive your speed -and- help your brain process a bunch of information that comes at you so very quickly.  That's the beauty of this bike racing discipline.  At first is can seem confusing because riders are all over the track, but the event is absolutely beautiful if you are catching the nuances of the race.  There's riders in over their head, and opening gaps.  There's riders that are strong, but not picking up points.  And, there are even a few riders taking a full lap on their competitors to rack up an extra 20 points.  Most points wins!  In three weeks I get to compete in the points race at the UCI masters world championship.  I'll keep studying the videos, practicing my instinctiveness and hope for the best. 

So, what's the next video you'll watch? 

Women's 2012 Olympic Points Race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7evNInPvaE
Men's 2012 Olympic Points Race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy3a9ivesQ0

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Juniors Director

The people behind the scenes

It's been a little over 2 weeks now since my return to the states from my 5 week race block in Europe. Since I've been back, I've been able to reminisce on all the great experiences, all the great memories made, and all of the people that I am so grateful for who helped support me to get to where I am now. Sometimes though we tend to forget the people that do just as an important job as the people we regularly talk about. During my European racing experience, I came to a realization that there are so many unsung heroes behind the scenes that do whatever it takes to help provide opportunities such as this one. From the USA Cycling European Technical Coordinator, Andrew Hawkes, to the experienced Junior and U23 Directors to the multiple USA Cycling mechanics and soigneurs that are all based in Sittard. Without this big group of USA Cycling staff members, these opportunities to race in Europe just would not be the same. I'd like to extend a special thank you to the USA Cycling staff in Europe for helping make my first trip to race in Europe one that I will never forget.

A HUGE thank you to the NCCF board members for their generous support, thank you to Larry Nolan for your guidance and keeping it real, thank you to my parents, family, and friends for their continued support, to my coach Mike McKovich for helping to reach my potential, and to Billy Innes and all of USA Cycling for providing this opportunity to me and all the juniors that participated for a trip of a lifetime!

Keep on pedaling,

Nick Castellano

MTB Epic

Last Sunday, I decided to do an all day ride; one from sunrise to sunset. It turned out to be a crazy day to say the least. Around 11 hours of riding, 13 hours being outside the house, and a whole lot of water (phew! The previous night I actually bought a camelbak in preparation for this ride and hopefully for more in the future like it!). I packed 5 Shot Blok packages, 3 Kits Organic bars, and 2 Clif bars into my Camelbak, which was also full of 3 liters of water, to eat throughout the day! I also put 20 dollars in the jersey pocket that had my phone in it; it was not a wise decision as you will find out later. I started the ride from my house Sunday morning at around 6:45 and rode the Kettle Ride (a group road ride) all the way up to the Santa Monica mountains. I passed a lot of hikers climbing up the first (and one of the hardest/steepest) fire road in the mountains, and finally made it to the top. I hit some fun singletrack on the sides of the fire road until I hit a hiking trail going down. There was a sign that said no bikes, but I figured I could get down it without too many hikers going up it (It was only around 10 am at the time). In no way could I have been more wrong. I raced down the first part, only to find hiker after hiker trudging up the narrow singletrack trail. I would pass a group of 2-5 only to find another group 5 seconds farther down the trail. I felt like I was a robot that was only programmed to say the word "sorry". After a painfully slow hour or so of descending, I made it to the bottom. It was actually a really fun trail and had some sick drops in it due to it being for hikers, so it wasn't all bad. I rode to a subway at the base of the mountains, and went in and refilled my Camelbak. I then reached into my pocket with the 20 bucks in it and to my horror, found it wasn't there. BUMMER! I ended up not eating real food for the whole 13 hour ride! Lesson learned: don't keep money in the pocket you keep your phone in! After eating some Clif product, I headed back up to the trails and went up the fire road that has the only water fountain in the entire mountain range at the summit. I reached the summit then refilled my water and headed down a trail I had never gone down before. It turns out it was a trail that I had seen Curtis Keene, a professional Enduro mountainbiker, ride in a youtube episode of "On Track with Curtis Keene". So many fun jumps, berms, and rock drops! Halfway down that trail, I decided to take the fast jump line on the right side and got up to nearly full speed. Suddenly I looked ahead and screamed as I found myself speeding toward a 10-15 foot ditch gap that wasn't even a jump! I slammed incredibly hard on both brakes, skidded for 5 feet or so, which caused my back wheel to come off the ground and up over my head. I stopped right before the edge doing a sort of front wheelie and it felt like I was looking death right in the face as I peered over the ledge. I then clipped out and jumped off my bike, which landed in a heap right in front of the ledge of the mini cliff. I remember getting off the ground feeling more alive and alert than I ever had. I filmed the aftermath of the crazy scene using my phone, then continued down the trail a bit more cautiously. The trail was so fun that I decided to climb up the fire road next to it and do it two more times before heading down farther on the trail. Now as I went farther down, I saw an interesting side run off to the left of the road and decided to go up it; I even had to clip out to climb some of the parts. On the way down it, I descended this switchback set of stairs in the middle of the woods, but came to a dead end at a gate that said "Private Property". So I had to trudge back up this incredibly twisty and crazy flight of wooden/dirt stairs back to the top of the trail that met with the fire road. After finally making it back onto the main fire road, I descended a little bit farther and found ANOTHER fun looking trail off to the side of the main fire road. I was thinking about skipping it because of what had just happened on the other trail I had decided to do, but then I knew I would regret not doing it later. So like the fool I was, I descended about 1000 feet and hit the bottom of the canyon, only to find that the only way out was this intense river trail. I didn't want to have to ride all the way back up the other way so I decided to do it. I literally had to ride and walk down a stream for half of it, and the other half was this wacked out hiking trail that consisted of tree branches, steep drops, slippery rocks, and huge boulders blocking the way that I had to carry my bike over. At last I came to a sign that declared "trail end". It might have been the single happiest moment of my life. It took me about an hour and a half to get out! I was muddy and very tired so I traveled down to the subway and literally just sat down, put my head on the table, and just fell into a deep nap. I awoke, refilled my water pack for the third time, then headed back up to the trails for my final climb of the day. Halfway up the fire road, my bottom bracket became loose and I stopped and tried to use one of my flat changing tools and eventually my house key to screw it back in. Nothing worked, so I just decided to deal with it, hoping my bike wouldn't fall apart. Luckily at the top of the trail, there was a kind man that had an allen wrench that I could borrow. After fixing my bike and thanking him, I set off for my last descent of the day. I realized I only had an hour and a half left of daylight, so I raced down a trail called Backbone that I've ridden many times. I reached speeds up to 35 mph on that singletrack and had an epic time doing it. I reached the bottom and proceeded to race the sun home. I arrived a little bit after dark and ate pretty much everything in the house (I had no real food the whole day!). I ascended 11,000 plus feet of climbing, rode 101 miles, ended up eating all the food I had brought, and drank around 10 liters (2.6 gallons) of water! I named the ride MTB Epic on strava, yet that still barely described how awesome it turned out to be. I can't wait to go on another adventure with my bike soon!

Middle of first ascent

Enduro trail

Nice view

Start of river trail in canyon

Strava: MTB Epic

Thanks for reading,
Jules Gilliam

A maelstrom in Norway or should I say a mael-storm in Norway

Although this took place a few weeks ago, here is a quick synopsis of my latest attempt at another world championship. I wrote this for my coach shortly after I finished the masters mountain bike cross country world championships in Lillehammer.

I think the best way to look at this is I persevered and finished the race. I didn't crash so I got through it without injury although my elbow right now is almost useless. I can't think of more opposite racing conditions than what I am capable of competing in than in today's race. It rained off and on all day and about 35 minutes before the race started a torrential downpour hit the venue including thunder, lightning and hail, a literal deluge. Daryl, my brother who was there supporting me for the week, said there was a puddle by the car that was 40 wide and came half way up the wheels of the car. When looking at my power file I was off the bike almost an uncountable number of times walking/trying to run a bit.

I got a bad start, I was on the back row of the start grid and didn't clip in right away so was dfl going into the first short climb onto the first rooted section of the course. Everyone was off their bikes in front of me so within 3 minutes of the start, the front of the race was gone. I passed several riders over the next 5 minutes but that was it and I was left in a place where I passed one more guy although he passed me back in a section I had to walk while he rode away. I came within 50 feet of him by the finish but that was it. This was my little race within the race that kept me going.

I haven't seen the results but I probably was something like 15th. My lap times, about 35 to 36 minutes were 3 to 4 minutes slower than my pre-race hot lap on Friday when I rode a step below race pace. It was certainly disappointing but not discouraging. Very much out of my element but I will look for redemption against these guys when I can race them on a course on which I can really race as oppose to just survive. Hopefully there will be a next time for many years to come.

One important take away from this experience is a need to be more prepared for radically changing conditions in climates where such things are common. Maybe a little more east coast racing will help should such conditions confront me again in a world championship. That said, I’ll eventually get another world championship race where all the ingredients are there for me to win. It took me nine tries to win my first world championship and I expect the next dirt one won't take quite so long.

 

 

 

 

Flat Tires

 

 

 

                During my European adventures I had my fair share of flat tires, maybe the most when I come to think of it. Flat tires are my biggest pet peeve because usually when I get a flat tire, my ride is done, but that wasn't the case when I was over in Europe. You couldn't just pack up your bike and hop in the car to take you home, you actually had to fix it and sure enough I get a flat tire the second day I was there. I said to myself, okay one flat tire isn't a big deal. I grabbed my tire irons and a tube and fixed it. Third day I was there got two flats in one day and fourth day I got another one. Totaling my number of flats to four and I thought to myself that this is only my fourth day being here and I got this number of flat tires. Thankfully that was the last of my flat tires. So I would encourage everyone that has the same bad luck as me, bring a few tubes.

 

 

 

                                                                        - Sean



Yes, a birthday can be a very special day!

Wednesday, September 3rd is Neilson Powless' 18th birthday -and- he's going after a World Championship! 

Speaking of memories, Marcus Smith won the San Dimas Circuit Race on his 16th and 18th birthday.  That's something that Marcus will never forget!

and, I won a World Championship on my 50th Birthday!

*Neilson races in Norway at 5pm local time tomorrow in the UCI World Championships USA Team Relay.  Go ahead and imagine what it's like racing on the same team as Lea Davidson and Todd Wells!  Sean Bennett will join Neilson on the start line for the UCI Junior World Championships on Thursday, September 4 (3pm local time - 6am pacific daylight time)

 

Happy Birthday Neilson.  Make it a lifelong memory.

 

Your Team Specialized Teammates (and graduating teammates) 

 

Europe

After a little over three weeks in Europe, I'm now home having thinking about school tomorrow. The past month was the best part of my summer. Four of us Specialized 15/16s were selected and we had a lot of fun in a world away from our separate lives at home and became better teammates. The racing is different than anything you'll see in the U.S and we learned a lot from it.

I spent six days with Christian Williams and his group on the West side of Belgium before heading to Sittard, Netherlands to meet USA cycling. I was able to do two races in the time there, where I finished 2nd then 1st. It was a nice head start and I was able to adjust to being in Europe before the camp started. We had 4 kermesses before the start of the West Flanders Tour at the end of the trip. We won 3 of them, with Sean wining two and Gage winning one, Us Specialized kids have worked well together all season, and that carried over to Belgium. In one race all 4 of us were in the winning breakaway with one other Belgium rider, and we finished 1, 2, and 4.  We had great results going in to West Flanders Tour, one of the hardest races for 15/16s in Belgium. We rode well as a team and helped Gage finish 2nd overall. The racing was hectic with 150+ riders on narrow roads. You had to stay attentive all the time, and moving up in the pack was a difficult task. We did a great job as far as results, and we all rode our hearts out.

Going over to Europe as a junior racer gives us a taste of what being a pro in Europe is like, both on and off the bike. I'm really glad USA cycling gives us the opportunity to do this, and I'm happy I was able to go over with some of my Specialized teammates. Thanks to my my buddies Simon Jones, Cameron Beard, Gage, Sean, Grant, our coach John Heidemann, and everybody else who helped make this trip happen. I'm looking forward to next time.

-Christopher

Time Management

Throughout the summer, time has not been an issue. No deadlines to worry about, no stress that occurs during the school year; just me, my bikes, and fun times. But, all good things must come to an end. School is right around the corner and all the responsibilities are starting to flood back. Through the actual hours spent in school, homework given, and tests to study for, school takes up a lot of time. Juggling that and cycling can be a very tough thing to accomplish. On top of it all, I decided to join marching band this year, which is something I had wanted to do last year but thought I would have to sacrifice too much cycling and racing time to join it. However, this year I looked at the marching band schedule more thoroughly and found that it ends mid-November, well before road racing season begins. However, through joining, I have committed myself to an even more intense schedule at school and have given myself less time to cycle until it ends.That means time management is key if I want to accomplish my cycling and school goals right now. It will take an efficient and focused mind to do it all, but after I wade through the thick of it, I will look back and think, wow, I done good; then, I will know how realistic the struggle is. I will have to plan my days and time to cycle with just a bit more precision and maybe even have to prioritize my activities and decide which ones are most important. It will be difficult, but I will become stronger after I am done. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "There are no gains without pains."

Thank you for your TIME,
Jules Gilliam

Driven by goals

Goal: noun

1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.

Goals offer motivation during hard training rides, tangible measuring points, and a constant reminder of why we put so much time and effort into the sport of cycling. Goals are benchmarks set by the rider (sometimes with input from others) that drive the rider to challenge him or herself. A goal can be as easy to quantify as losing a pound or two, or as complex as developing the ability to ride off the front of P12 races.

One of my goals for this season was to earn enough upgrade points to become a category 1. I wanted to challenge myself to not only race in P12 races, but to be competitive. I started the season as a brand new category 2 rider with 0 points and never having raced a P12 race. My goal was to develop as a rider and achieve the ability to place in everything from flat, industrial park crits, to long hilly races and stage races. Having this goal constantly in the back of my head helped me push through the hardest workouts and races. Now, with two races left on my race calendar this year, I can proudly say (and show you the email from USAC) that I achieved my goal and am a category 1.

Achieving goals is always easier with support from others. Much of this support came from Team Specialized and its sponsors. I would like to thank Larry, my teammates, the NCCF, and Specialized for all of their help.

As the season winds down, and I reflect on my year of racing, I am beginning to think of the challenges I want to set for myself next year. A big part of my motivation to upgrade was to challenge myself to always race the hardest races with the strongest fields.

What goals will drive me during training and racing next season? What goals drive you?

An email to culminate a season’s worth of work

Thanks for reading,

Jason S.

Thank you

I have been racing bikes for eight years now and every year as I grow in my experience and achievements, I receive more and more support. And like many other sports or even job positions, people tend not to notice all of what goes into getting me to races and finishing well. Because we are about to cap off the 2014 road season I would really like to send out a thank you to everyone who has helped me thus far.

To begin with, I have been on ICCC (International Christian Cycling Club) since my first race. They have provided me with great coaching, and race support at most of my local races for the past eight years.

Another group I would love to thank is the NCCF/Team Specialized Racing. Since I joined a couple of years ago, the team has helped better my racing career by providing support for me to travel to larger races which has given me more experience than I could afford to get otherwise.

The final people I want to thank, are my parents and my sister. Even before I started racing they have been there for me. Throughout my racing career they have been there to help me along. I can't imagine being where I am today without their support and encouragement.

Gage Hecht

After looking back at all of the support I have received throughout the years, I want to make sure and thank all of you that have encouraged me and showed your support whether in person or via social media.

You all are why I'm here today!  Thank you!

Emotionally driven!

While riding around Lake Tahoe twenty four years ago a triple trailer clobbered me and took triathlon away from me.  A year after that accident I won my first NCNCA state championship in the criterium.  It was a good day and I remember it well, including crying in my car because it had been a long journey back to health. 

Three weeks before 2013 masters track world championships I crashed.  I cancelled my trip due to injuries (fractured pelvis and four ribs).  Today, eleven months later, I won my 125th NCNCA state championship.  I just finished a good cry. 

60 days out from 2014 masters world track championships and I very much want to take that top step of the podium.... and, then go off and have a good cry.

Yes, I am weird and proud of it!  Larry Nolan, Team Specialized

photo by world record holder Jim Turner
oh, and I want to be drug tested too!

Heers Kermesse - A Belgian Drought

        After a few days living the dream of an American Cyclist in Europe, we finally packed up and drove to our first race. All day the team was checking the weather on phones and looking up at the dark grey sky. Around fifteen minutes into our car ride it started to rain, then it got harder and then you could feel it shaking the door of the van. When we got to the race the roads were deep in water, the rain jackets were on, and the tire pressure was low. We then registered and went out for a lap around the course. The lap started with a climb averaging around 4% for about 1km. Then it flattened and it was tight corners and wet streets all the way back. The race started with bang and we were immediately shedding riders on the first climb. I launched a few attacks and so did the rest of the team. We were just trying to break them down. The rain wasn't quitting on our third lap and the race was picking up speed through the streets. On the second to last corner of the third lap Chris was second wheel and I was third, we took the corner too hot and he went down hard in front of me, I managed to jump over my bars and land on my feet, but when I picked up my bike the field was gone and my chain was twisted around itself. When I got back on the bike I rode really hard to chase back to the main field. By the time I made it back this was no longer the main field. I attacked to get to the break but it was me versus every one in the field. They would all work to chase me and then attack me. Sean made the break and finished 8th.
Overall a very hard race for the team and a great learning experience,
Grant McElroy

Love me some white handlebar tape

Yep, I hate that I have white handlebar tape when I flat and/ or have greasy hands.  But, I love white handlebar for the way it looks on my bike and because its a telling sign of how much time I spend in various positions.  Tops, hoods, drops... over time the grime and dirt just pop out on white handlebar tape. 

Better yet, as a coach I find myself checking out other riders handlebar tape all of the time.  It's like they left some clues for me.  Where do they spend the majority of their riding time?  hmmmm, let's have a look!  Not judging, just being observant...

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Juniors Director

Are you weird too?

I'm weird, and I'm proud of that fact.  Why be normal?  A normal person cannot become a champion.  I embrace the fact that I'm weird.  One of my weird routines is that I like to wear new socks for  important races.  It became a tradition after I did well at an important race.  So important was that race, that I can't even remember which one it was.  Its not that my memory is failing me, its that I've had a really good run of doing well in important races.  Thanks in part to new socks, but also for accepting my weirdness.

So, I needed new socks for some upcoming races (masters world track championships is 60 days away).  Well, www.Specialized.com is having a sale on their socks!  Oh lucky day for this weird dude!  $4 and $5 for $15 and $16 socks - sold!

Have fun with that.  Embrace your weirdness!  Larry Nolan, Team Specialized

Cascade Cycling Classic Wrap-up

Cascade Cycling Classic Wrap-up

After visiting Bend, Oregon the last two years for Master's Road Nationals, I have been looking forward to racing Cascade.  This year the schedule worked out and I was able to make the trip.  Since it was only Craig and I making the trip (plus Jason who was guest riding for Bear Development), we decided to jump in the 2s race instead of the Masters race.  I was looking for upgrade points and the 2s stage race was spread over 4 days instead of the 3 days for the Master's race.

Stage 1: Crooked River Time Trial

This TT was on the same course at the Master's National TT for the last two years, just a shorter distance.  This was great for me as I knew the course well.  Looking at my previous files, I set a goal time of 33 minutes, based on times for the previous year and what I thought I could do this year.  The course is mostly rollers, so I broke the course down into 2 mile blocks (for 8 splits total).

There was a slight tailwind out and head wind back, so I was a little ahead of my splits on the way out, catching my 30 man.  At the turnaround, however, I was struggling a little in the wind.  After 2 slow splits, I started to get back on top of my gears.  I also started picking off a few more riders, helping with my motivation.  Coming into the final few kilometers, I knew that I was a little behind my goal time, but emptied what I had left in the legs.  Across the line I had the best time so far, but I was early in the start list and had to wait through some 80 more riders.

In the end, my time was good enough for 3rd, 4 seconds off the leader.  I was super stoked, despite missing my goal time, sitting in a perfect GC position.

Lesson 1: Know the course (and use it to your advantage).


Stage 2: Cascade Lakes Road Race

This year they decided to run the road race in the opposite direction compared to previous years.  This made for a 96 mile road race with a 10 mile grind of a hill to the finish.  I have been in a few larger stage races, but this was the first time in a field of 110 riders with the centerline enforced.  This was especially important in the first 20 miles, which included a high speed descent down from the Mt. Bachelor ski resort.

Early, a small group got away and got a bit of a gap.  The GC leader did not have any teammates, so there was no real control in the peloton.  Instead there a few minor attacks and some moderate tempo in between.  About 25 miles into the race, the moto that was leading the peloton turned the wrong way!  As a result, SO DID THE PELOTON!  A few riders that were on the right of the road continued on the correct course, while the rest of us had to stop and turn around.

Since it was an official error, the moto neutralized both the lead break and the impromptu break that had formed and reset the original gap.  With racing back on, we slowly reeled in the lead break before the first feed zone.  Again a few attacks went of, but nothing of note really happened.

Passing the second feed zone and starting our way back towards the finish, Craig appeared at the front to start driving the pace.  After a long stretch of rollers and a mild climb, we were fairly strung out and rolled through the final feed zone at the base of the climb.  The final climb is a long big-ring climb.  There were a few attacks again, but nothing stuck and basically came down to attrition.  At this point I knew the GC leader was struggling, but I was not sure where the 2nd place guy was.  I was able to follow wheels as the Bear Development riders were pushing the pace.

We finally made the summit as a group of maybe 30 riders.  Unfortunately I expected the finish to be at the main ski lodge (where the National finish had been), so the real finish came up before I was ready.  I was able to dig and stay with the lead group, but was out of position to get a high placing (and any time bonuses).  After rolling over the line, I took stock of the riders to find that both the GC leader and the 2nd place rider had been dropped from the lead group, putting me in yellow. 

Lesson 2: Know the course (so you know where to go).


Stage 3: Downtown Twilight Criterium

The crit was in the afternoon, so I spent the morning pre-riding the final road race course.  Once at the crit, I got set-up and put in a good warm-up.  With the yellow jersey, I got a call-up to the front of the pack, which was essential for this 4 corner crit.  I was able to patrol the front fairly easily as minor attacks would go, but nothing dangerous ever materialized.  In the final lap, I was actually leading the peloton down the backstretch.  Into corner three a rider took a flier with no one else reacting.  I was slow to react, but still went through the corner at the front of the group.  Sprinting out of turn four, I did my best to power to the line, but was passed by two other riders.  Finishing 4th, I missed out on the time bonuses again, but still maintained my lead.

Lesson 3: Riding a crit in the middle of a hilly stage race is pretty easy (since there were no real sprinters).


Stage 4: Awbrey Bette Road Race

The final stage was four laps around a hilly 16 mile circuit, culminating in a 1K hill climb.  After pre-riding the course the day before, I knew where the danger areas were (where breaks could go, when I needed to move up, and where the decisive climbs were).  Craig did a great job patrolling the front and keeping the pace up for the first three laps.  I took one flier in the middle of lap two to bridge up to a small break, but everything came back together quickly.  The rest of the lap was spent staying near the front, suffering up the main climbs and marking the few riders within striking distance.

On the last loop, the team of the 2nd place rider (13 sec back) came to the front and drove the pace towards the final hill.  While it was nice to have someone take control of the front of the race, I knew that the last time up the main climb would be decisive.  Predictably, the 2nd place rider hit the climb hard and I did all I could to follow his wheel.  Cresting the main kicker, followed by several smaller kickers we were down to maybe 15 riders, but most importantly we were still together.

There was a short descent down to a left turn for the final 1K.  I did my best to recover and stay near the front of the group as the pace started to quicken.  Setting up for the left hand turn in the middle of the group, riders on the right side of the group went straight!  Meanwhile guys on the left side riders were jockeying for position and went down!  Fortunately I made it through and pedaled squares up the hill trying to hold position.  I knew that I had the second and third placed riders behind me, so I just kept pushing.  I ended up 10th on the stage, good enough to clinch the leaders jersey.

Lesson 4: Know the course!


Big thanks to Craig for all of the effort he put out to get me into yellow and stay there.  It also payed off to have friends in the peloton as a number of NorCal riders were up racing and would pitch in here and there.  Lastly, thanks to all of our sponsors (for both the Masters and Junior teams), including NCCF, Touchstone Climbing, Specialized, Clif Bar, and Zipp/SRAM.

Cheers,
Jeromy




 

Multiple subject lines

"Sharing", "Development", "For the good of the athlete" or "I love those voicemail messages!"

I'm having a tough time with a subject line for this one so I'll just take the machine gun approach and hit them all... they are all connected

Late last summer former world Xterra champion and Junior World MTB competitor Neilson Powless and I connected about his racing on the road.  He was quickly added to our roster.

When the Garmin junior cycling team folded last year we connected with 2013 National MTB Champ, BMXer, and roadie Christopher Blevins and he joined our team.

Both Neilson and Christopher race mountain bikes for Whole Athlete.  Late spring 2014 and Whole Athlete teammate Sean Bennett saw how much fun Christopher and Neilson were having on the road, so we added him as a guest rider.  All three race for Whole Athlete and NCCF/ Team Specialized.  Common thread being Specialized Bicycles plus Dario and my belief that a junior loving to race any type of bike is good for their development and longevity. 

2014 road nationals saw Christopher working with his 15-16 teammates to pull out wins in the road race and time trial, Gage won the time trial, while Neilson pulled off an impressive 4^th in the individual time trial then made the decisive breakaway with teammate Jason Saltzman in the criterium.  Unfortunately, a crash with two other riders extinguished the move.  Fortunately, Sean Bennett was ready and in good positon for the next move.  This one turned out to be the winning move and Sean finished 4^th in a super competitive race.  Even more impressive was that this was Sean’s 4^th ever criterium!  Nick led Matt out for the field sprint win and 5^th overall so we saw every teammate play in the outcome of the race!

Fast forward to USA Cycling Junior Mountain Bike Nationals.  Last Friday Christopher Blevins won his 2^nd consecutive 15-16s MTB National Title and Sean Bennett won his first 17-18s stars and stripes jersey.

On Sunday Christopher, Sean and Neilson teamed up in the short track championships.  One of the benefits of being director to this great group of juniors is the voicemail messages and e-mails I get after their races and here’s one I got from Christopher “It was a great weekend overall.  Especially today.  You would have enjoyed watching this one.  Sean and I were trying to get Neilson the win after his bad luck on Friday in the cross country.   We treated the short track like a criterium.   We went one-two and four.  It was great teamwork.  Everyone was wondering why mountain bikers were using teamwork.  Yay, that was kind of fun!”

Larry Nolan, Team Specialized Junior Director

(17-18's plus Christopher... l-r Matthew Valencia, Jason Saltzman, Christopher Blevins, Nicholas Castellano, Sean Bennett and Neilson Powless)

An unforgettable ride

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end” (Ernest Hemingway). In 2007 at the age of 11 my cycling journey began thanks to my dad. I remember my first ride with him riding down Foothill Expressway and falling because I didn’t know how to clip out of the pedals. From there I was determined to get better. I soon started riding at the track and quickly fell in love with everything about the sport. At the age of 14, I was invited to join Team Specialized, which furthered my journey. I will be forever thankful of the opportunities this team has provided for me.

Last week I completed my last Junior National Championship. I first started at Track Nationals in Carson, California at the Stub Hub Center. I competed in the International Omnium, 3k Pursuit, Kilometer Time Trial, Points Race, Scratch Race, and Team Pursuit. Winning the omnium when I was 14 and 16, I targeted the omnium again this year. The omnium started extremely well, winning the flying lap and setting a new Jr. National record. On the third event, the Elimination Race, I unfortunately crashed twice. This put me down on the overall omnium and at the end I finished 6^th. I had to learn how to quickly move on from disappointment. My next two events were the Points Race and Scratch Race where I finished 3^rd and 6^th respectively. Track Nationals ended with another national title. This time it was in the Team Pursuit. Thank you Ken Carpenter for your guidance and support, not only at Track Nationals this year but throughout my junior career on Team Specialized! I will always be grateful.

Straight from Track Nationals, I flew to Madison, Wisconsin with the team for Road Nationals. Some of my greatest memories with the team have been at Road Nationals and this year was no different. Along with the fun times, the team displayed great teamwork all week long. The 17-18’s teamwork approach got put to the test in the criterium because we all felt we could either win in a field sprint or a breakaway. The first half of the race went as planned, my teammates followed attacks and we were all attentive at the front staying safe and away from crashes. Teammate Nielson Powless then got into a breakaway of 6 for about 20 minutes before a crash ruined it. After the long breakaway got pulled into the pack, Noah Granigan and Jake Silverberg countered and stayed away till the finish. Teammate Sean Bennett then made a move with one other rider with 5 laps to go to bridge to the breakaway but came within a few seconds short and finished 4^th.  Back in the field, Nick Castellano was looking after me and leading me out for the field sprint. With 2 laps to go, Nick and I were towards the front. I was giving him directions because I didn’t want to lose his wheel on the last lap. Coming into 1 to go, Nick and I didn’t panic instead we decided to be patient. I didn’t want him to run out of gas and I also wanted him to be attentive in case we were going to get swarmed by the field. Coming into turn 3 on the last lap, Nick hit the front at about 33mph and led me out to win the field sprint for 5^th place. Although we didn’t win the race, Team Specialized displayed great teamwork, sacrificing each rider’s own goals for the good of the team.   

As my junior cycling journey ends, I would like to take this opportunity to thank NCCF for their endless amount of support they have provided for the team every single year. Without their help, the success of this team would not have been possible. Thank you to Larry Nolan for being a great mentor to me on and off the bike. The memories we created each year will definitely never be forgotten.  I would also like to thank my coach, Billy Innes, for helping me achieve many successful seasons. To my teammates, thank you for pushing me to be a better leader, rider, and person.  Wherever the road may take you, I wish each of you success. And last but not the least; I want to thank my parents. Thank you for always telling me what I'm capable of, for giving me the support that I needed to build a dream to chase after, and for believing that I have the talent to reach my goals.  Without each of you, I'd be nowhere near the person I am - and the person I'm still working on becoming.

Next for me is to finish the season out strong and then off to college where I will be studying at the University of Hawaii!

-Matt Valencia