District TT

First, the (limited by my perspective) overview:

Mick Hellman is the 2007 Elite District TT champ. Because that's how he rolls.
Jeff Angermann is a quadruplet. Read on for more details.
Kevin Metcalfe is back. He's sooooooo back. Be afraid.
Rob Anderson reminds me of Kent Bostick. No, seriously.
I swear, I used to be good at time trials. But now I'm just full of excuses.

Now for the details:

Ahhh, the District time trial. It has always brutalized the tender part of me that sits on the saddle, and today was no exception. It usually also brutalizes my fragile ego, and today was, once again, no exception. 40 kilometers of pain. A test of manhood. That crucial moment where you find it in yourself to keep the hammer down for the full duration, or you talk yourself out of it. And of course, let's not forget that precious time spent diddling around afterward on the gravel patch near the start, waiting for the results to be posted. Did you man up? Did you ride fast, did you rock the clock? Then you can stand tall, you can look people in the eye, you can modestly (with bashfully downcast eyes) say that you're "going pretty well right now, I guess". You can patiently listen to the excuses of your fellow competitors, stroke their damaged egos, all the while knowing - and knowing that they know - that you are better than them. A better rider. A better person. Go ahead, admit it. You'll drive home with your head held high, satisfied, eager for your next chance to impress your strength on the whimpering, huddled masses - now they know. And I won't let them forget it.

Did you not have it? Did your body quit? No, there is no such thing. If your legs were tired, it's because your mind made you train more than you should have. If you were weak, it's because your mind - your pathetic mind - Oh, how you hate it! - kept you off the bike when you should have been riding. If you crumbled, it was - once again - a cavitation of the mind. It truly is all in your head. But I digress - let's discuss what it means with respect to the gravel patch - the one with the port-a-potties on it - yes, those port-a-potties, the ones that are mounted on a trailer, the ones that rock and sway whenever some poor soul clambers into or out of one of them, in the throes of some massive pre-race gastro-intestinal explosion. It means that you have to come up with some good excuses without seeming to be making excuses. This is an art that few have mastered. "Actually, I felt really good. I rode 500 miles last week, but I don't think that mattered." But it also means that you can't be proud of yourself as a human being. You have to hover over the results, looking for some shred of consolation, clinging to a 2 second victory over some other rider with the desperation of a drowning man. At least I beat all of the 60 year olds. You have to drive home, remembering your silly, childish goals, knowing that you're a fool. A failure. An embarrassment to the uniform.

On a gusty June morning in the Sierra valley, Mick Hellman was a man. Kevin Metcalfe was a man. Jeff Angermann was a man (four men, actually). Rob Anderson was a man. This reporter, on the other hand, was not.

Mick gutted out a victory (53:12) over James Mattis in the Elite category, Jeff (53:15) generously allowed Brian Bosch a one-second advantage in the M35-39, and Kevin Metcalfe rocketed to a 52:20, the second fastest time overall, good for the win in the M45-49. Rob Anderson clocked a 55:00 in a ruthlessly Bostickian display of will. The conditions were relatively horrific, with a ripping headwind on the return leg that crushed the spirits of many, and led to some astonishing outbound/inbound split differentials - far more than the usual minute or so. I stammered to Kev that I was "on track for about a 50 flat at the turnaround", to which he laughingly replied that he rode a 23:20 for the first 20 km, adding later that "I am so on - SO on - for Putah Creek." Twist the knife, Kev. Go ahead and twist it. Just remember that I didn't wear shoe covers today.

What is it about Jeff Angermann that makes it seem like there must be four of him? Jeff, I'm sorry if this uncloaks the mystery, but I've learned all four of your identities:

1) Georg Balzac Angermann IV - postdoctoral fellow, soon-to-be faculty member
2) Wade Tarquin Angermann - biodiesel-driving, environmentally responsible alternative energy researcher
3) Vin Spanky Angermann - sports performance clinic, coach
4) Jeff Erik Angermann - husband, father, rider

Most of us live a 168 hour week. Jeff's week, if you add up all of his four incarnations' activities, is 672 hours long. No joke. And he's impeccably well-mannered.

In other news, I was able to impress Craig Roemer (victim of a mechanical failure, soon to be avenged at Tour de Nez and Nevada City) with my wide-ranging oenological knowledge: I've had both red and white wine, and I can tell the difference. Sure, there's the occasional rosé, and that tends to throw me into a bit of confusion, but for the most part, the secret is simple: red and white wine are different colors. Craig already knew that, but I can see why - it is, after all, his job.

Yours in crushing and absolute defeat,
Dejectedly stuffing myself full of chocolate chips and butter,
I remain,

Dave Bailey

EMC2/Vellum Criterium - Pro 1,2

While the rest of the guys were finishing up the battle royale in Hood, I headed over to Pleasanton for Sunday's EMC2/Vellum Criterium Pro 1,2 race. Clearly I wasn't needed earlier in the day as Larry spanked both the M45 and M35 fields. How the hell does he do it? Don't they see it coming, week after week?

We kicked off at 3:30pm or so for a 75 minute speedway race. Super fast course with wide streets and gentle corners on glassy pavement. Stiff crosswind, 70+ dreamers. What more could you ask for?

All the usual players were present. I was happy to see teammate Billy Innes as we got rolling, thinking maybe we could mix things up a bit. Pace was refreshingly FAST! No dicking around today. The wind meant that breaks were painful but the course made them so tempting. It was pretty easy to get a 5-10 sec gap if you just waited for the field to stretch out for a lap or two, then take a few hard pedal strokes into the headwind after the inevitable pause and you were gone. Problem was, nobody else picked up on the trick and you really needed 4-5 guys to keep it rolling. I got away with a monster from Starberries and we rolled pretty good for 3-4 laps or so. But when your recovery takes 5 seconds longer each rotation and nobody's bridging up, forget it. You better have more than a weekday commute in your legs if you want to play in that sandbox.

Despite every other race breaking up, it really looked like things might stay gruppo compacto. Of course, as soon as I decided that was the case five guys got out there, compared notes and put the hammer down with 20 mins to go. They got 10 secs and the field couldn't figure out what to do about it. Go fast? Go slow? Cross the chasm? As we got into the lap counter with 5 to go they stretched it out to 15 secs, then 20. You could look across the course and see them hurting each other, but they were moving - fast. Luckily with 2 to go they started coming apart at the seams and the gap came back to 15 secs. It started looking like it might turn into a bunch gallop. Billy got up there and did his part, and coming into the final lap we were only about 10 seconds behind the 3 survivors who were still rolling good. I had good position behind Briggs, who also provided much entertainment barking into his FBI collar microphone at his teammates. Then we hit the backstretch at a half lap to go, the engines at the front stalled out, and 20 guys passed on the outside. I can't figure out why these guys can go so fast during the race but can't decide what to do in the last half lap.


The one thing about this race - as in many crits - is that the race is actually to the last corner. You can hit it at 35mph, spent, get 2 seconds rest, and it's 15 pedal strokes to the line. And while people always say they know that trick, they almost never really commit to it. I could sense that pregnant pause on the second to last stretch, and it was a piece of cake to repass the 20 guys who passed me plus pick off a few more to finish in the money. The three stayed off for the V.

Good times. Anybody for Nez?

Mt. Hood Classic- Day 4: Downtown Hood River Criterium, and wrapup

Short but sweet.... that's the story of yesterday's final stage!

It was a hot and surprisingly humid day in downtown Hood River. After picking the short straw, Craig got stuck driving the rental car down from the Cooper Spur Inn while the rest of us got a nice 23mi, mostly downhill warmup, allowing us to slowly bid adieu to the beauty of Mt. Hood's subalpine forests.

I could not have imagined a better crit course. Lots of turns, with short stairstep climbing pitches inbetween, an uphill finish, and a fast, off-camber hairpin descent into a tailwind backstretch through the 'stink' (the backside of the Full Sail Brewery: Essence de fermentation, according to vintner Craig).

The day before, I lost 2'20" to the 6 leaders on the final 35mi climb, and Jonathan "Jock" Boyer (first American in the TdF, former winner of the Coors Classic) displaced me for the last GC podium spot. With a 34" deficit to Jock, I was eager to get away in the crit without him and try to move into 3rd GC. I was hoping he might be a bit tired from the previous day's herculean efforts (according to Kev, Jock was doing the Lion's share of the work in the break), but I could not shake him and it soon became evident that due to the brevity of the race, no single move would gain more than 10-12" on the field.

So I decided to wait and watch. Dan Martin and Kev had been dangling 6-12" OTF almost from the gun, and traded a Nike rider (who got dropped) for Shaun Locker (who bridged) in the closing laps. Random riders made sporadic efforts to get across, but Craig, Dylan and I were vigilant and smothered these attempts.

With 6 to go, OV (the poor bugger) was following an Amgen rider during one of these attempts and I hooked up to his wheel. Cresting the first rise, he looked over his inside shoulder for a tenth of a second... just long enough to miss the Amgen rider slipping on a manhole cover and going straight into the pavement. Mike barely had time to turn his head back around before he was in a full somersault, airborne and over the top of the crumpled Amgen rider. Amazingly, Mike took a free lap (along with Dylan) and got back in, but I'm sure he was too shaken to salvage a result with only a few laps remaining at that point. He banged up his knee pretty good, and I hope he's OK. Didn't hear about how the Amgen rider fared.

Craig and I continued to watch the gap as the race drew to a close. Dan Martin picked up a number of primes in the last 6 laps, which sapped some of his go-juice, and with 2 to go the gap was down to 6 seconds. With 1 to go, the field seemed to have given up even though the break was in striking distance. I followed an acceleration to the top of the finish climb, and when this subsided, I knew the time had come. I accelerated into the hairpin and came out of it at full speed. I got away clean and put my head down, digging into the stink of the backstretch with my gaze locked on the backside of the break.

I connected at the top of the first pitch, a mere 250m from the line, and immediately concealed myself from Martin, who was second wheel behind Kev and getting ready to start his acceleration to the line. I knew I had to get the jump on him, so I inserted myself between the two, swung to the inside, and held it for the win. Shaun was 2nd and Kev 3rd, while Craig hung on for 9th.

Props to the Safeway crew for a fine four days of racing! Mike and Robert rode their tails off to secure Dan's GC victory. Those guys really earned it.

The 6 of us were very happy with how we raced, and came away with a more thorough appreciation of each other's strengths. Everyone made the most of their talents and rode selflessly on behalf of the team. Dylan's wealth of experience and perspective was pivotal in defining strategy each day. What a great team effort!

Jeff

Mt. Hood Classic- Day 3: Wy'East Road Race

Ay Chihuahua. 89 mi and 10k feet of climbing in 4h16'. We're all cook't in a briny sweaty stew.

If we had brought the kitchen sink we would have thrown it at Dan Martin, but it STILL would have been for naught. The Canadian ball of energy went with almost all of the 30 or more attacks we threw at him, and still prevailed to win the stage. Kev was a few bike lengths behind, and the rest of us dribbled in gradually over the next 40'.

The crit is next, and should be fun even though a mere 30'. We plan to go out with a bang on this one. Results to follow...

Jeff

Mt. Hood Classic- Day 2 (Scenic Columbia Gorge TT)

Well, today went a WHOLE lot better than yesterday. We swept the podium and not in the order that any of us would have expected!

Jeff had a time trial epiphany today. Riding his first ever dedicated TT bike, he won this 18.5 mile second stage! I (Kevin) was 2nd, 11 seconds behind and Mick was 3rd. Mike Hernandez surprised all of us (and possibly himself) by placing 4th.

The course was spectacular with a good mixture of flats and rolling sections and included two climbs to spice things up. Pacing and knowing when to parcel out your effort level was very important.

At this point everybody on the team is in much higher spirits and our legs feel better after two stages than they did before the start of the race.

Stage 2:

1. Jeff Angerman 45:18

2. Kevin Metalfe 45:29

3. Marco Hellman 45:48

4. Mike Hernandez 46:17

5. Clint Chase 46:28

6. Dan Martin 46:45

GC got a lot more interesting (from our point of view at least).

1. Dan Martin

2. Jeff Angerman 1:43

3. Marco Hellman 2:13

4. Kevin Metcalfe 2:38

5. Clint Chase 3:15

6. Roger Stevens 3:24

..

8. Rob Anderson 3:35

Stay tuned for tomorrow's report on stage 3: The Wy'East Road Race- 89 miles and 9000 feet of climbing. Ouch!!

Kevin and Jeff

Mt. Hood Classic- Arrival and Day 1 (Cooper Spur Circuit Race)

Wow. It's beautiful up here.

There's something about stage racing in Oregon that leaves you in a state of awe. The quality of the rural roads, the epic courses and gorgeous scenery, the meticulousness and friendliness of the promoters, and of course the great little towns, like Hood River.

Flying into the Dalles was a treat. I got some nice shots right over the Columbia on final approach. This one shows Mt. Hood at a distance:

We previewed the TT course yesterday, and I have to say it's one of the most amazing courses I have ever seen. Here's a shot of the road surface as well as a couple of perspective shots of the location of the course:

Today's Cooper Spur CR was a beast, even though it was only ~67mi, the climbing and heat (high 80s-low 90s) took a major toll on the field, shattering it to bits and pieces. The finish was at Cooper Spur resort (where we are staying), in a subalpine meadow below the Northern slope of Mt. Hood. Of course it was Dan Martin and the efforts to keep him in check that contributed as well. Rob Anderson was our man of the day. He rode a very impressive race and finished second to Dan, who decimated the field in yet another display of dominance.

Stage 1 Relevant Results:

1. Dan Martin, 67mi in 3h5min

2. Rob Anderson @ 2:22

10. Mick Hellman @ 3:10

12. Jeff Angermann @ 3:10

20. Kevin Metcalfe @ 3:54

34. Craig Roemer @ 13:58

38. Dylan Casey @ 18:52

Tomorrow is the TT, and we are really looking forward to it. I'll get the results and photos posted as soon as I can...

Off to bed! Thanks for reading.

Jeff

Nor-Cal Junior Criterium Championships

With all the other important races this weekend (Mt. Hamilton, San Jose Crit, other out of town races), not all the AMD Juniors were able to make it to the Nor Cal Jr Crit Championships. In spite of this, the AMD Juniors once again had a very strong showing.

Following the victory by James LaBerge in the 13-14’s race, Charlie and I prepared for the juniors 15-16 race. With only two of us in the race, we knew that we’d have different tactics than if our entire squad was in attendance. Rather than form a detailed strategy, we decided that we’d watch how the race unfolded and then formulate a strategy. At the start line, we spoke to Edan (Davis Bike Club), and decided that he and I would attack 5 laps into the race. With a large field starting the race we hoped to thin out the group to a select few with these attacks. After these initial attacks, we would observe the remaining strong riders, using these observations to form a strategy for the remainder of the race.

As the race started, Charlie rode to the front and set a fast pace. At the appointed time, Edan and I came from the back and shot up the road with the help of a nice tail wind. After just a few exchanges, we were brought back by the main group. The tactic had worked – the previously large group was now only about ten riders strong. What was unusual about this race was that everyone in this group was willing to work. The group of ten kept a rotating pace line until about six laps to go.

While the race had progressed, Charlie, Edan, Zach (Davis Bike Club) and I discussed strategy. We decided to send Charlie and Edan up the road with 5 laps to go. Our observation was that the only rider strong enough to successfully chase them would be Peter (Tieni Duro). To counteract this threat, I made sure that Peter was on my wheel with 6 laps to go. Coming through the home stretch, I attacked and Peter followed, as expected. Peter pulled through, I sat on his wheel and let him do all the work, hoping that he would become exhausted. When I failed to work with Peter, the group came back to us with just over five laps to go and Charlie immediately took off. Unfortunately for Edan, he was not on Charlie’s wheel, and missed the move.

I quickly moved into position to slow the group down. Sitting at third wheel when Charlie took off, I was able to disrupt the pace of the group when the riders in front of me pulled off. The combination of Charlie’s strong riding and the disruption to the pack gave Charlie a substantial gap after just two laps. At this point, Edan began attempting to bridge up to Charlie. At first, when Charlie was still in sight, I didn’t want anyone to join Charlie, so I chased down Edan’s attacks, but once Charlie was out of sight, I let Edan go. Charlie was too far off the front and I knew that Edan wasn’t going to be able to bridge, though he continued to try. I also knew that his attempts to bridge were likely to sap his strength, hurting his chances in a likely field sprint. Eventually, Edan gave up and came back to the group.

With Charlie out of sight and on his way to victory by a substantial margin, I was able to recover at the front of the pack and prepare for the final sprint. Peter sent one of his teammates to the front with a little over a lap to go. He pulled the group around until corner three, at which point I came around. Coming out of corner four I jumped with everything I had. Hoping that I had dropped Peter, I continued to sprint until the finish. Unfortunately, Peter came around me with about 75 meters to go, passed me with a few meters to go, and took the sprint by only inches.

Despite losing the sprint, I was extremely happy with the race. We paid attention to what was happening during the race and came up with the right strategy. Our ability to execute that strategy brought us our second championship of the day!

Joel