Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Welcome back everyone hope you everyone had a great break. In case you've been hiding under a rock for the past few weeks let me just say KITS ARE IN and they look stellar. If you weren't able to get yours come by and grab it at the team clubhouse. If you didn't order one we will be doing another order in the next 2 weeks so keep an eye on your e-mail box. We have an exciting semester ahead of us with a lot of exciting races. Check out our calendar for more info!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Kit Orders
Kits are scheduled to be here this week, on January 5th! Details to come on how to pick yours up.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Welcome new members!
We would like to welcome all the new members to the club. Be you have paid your dues both on our website and the SCA dues at the SRC front desk.
Coming up we have the splash and dash series and Nathan's Tempe Triathlon. All this is available on the website!
Coming up we have the splash and dash series and Nathan's Tempe Triathlon. All this is available on the website!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Kit Sizing Trades
Hey Team,
You can use this posting as a discussion board for trading pieces of your uniform if they don't fit. Simply respond the post and let others know if you want to trade out your large for a medium and maybe others will be able to accommodate you.
Thanks,
Niko
You can use this posting as a discussion board for trading pieces of your uniform if they don't fit. Simply respond the post and let others know if you want to trade out your large for a medium and maybe others will be able to accommodate you.
Thanks,
Niko
Monday, April 20, 2009
Alan's 2009 Collegiate Triathlon Nationals Race Report
Here is a report on how my race went at the 2009 Collegiate Triathlon Nationals. Congrats to everyone that participated.
Swim
The reported water temperature was 53.1 degrees. It didn't feel too bad stepping into the water to warm up because the water temp was higher than the outside temp, but once I dove into the water my face went numb. I swam around for about 30 seconds and then decided to get out because I was getting too cold. I lined up with the first wave to the far right so I could cut in closer to the first turn of the swim. The horn sounded and we ran into the water. One guy dove in prematurely and probably smashed into the ground in the shallow water, but he got back up and continued. Being on the far right worked out well as I went around the first buoy close to the front of the group. Then people started to pass me as I am not a great swimmer. I jumped in the trail of swimmers and tried to draft for a while. I couldn’t see the next buoy because we were swimming right into the rising sun. I just blindly followed everyone else and it just happened to hit the next buoy dead on. The next few straights seemed to take forever and I fell more and more off pace with some of the girls in the top female wave passing me. The cold really got to me in the last part of the swim, my hands and face really hurt and I started to get dizzy. When I exited the swim I was extremely disoriented and staying on the carpeted path running to my bike was a challenge. When I got to my bike and pulled my wetsuit down around my ankles, I became really dizzy and almost fell over. I had to hold on the bike rack to keep from falling. I stood holding the rack for what for what seemed like forever and tried to assess if I would even be able to continue. I was finally able to get my wetsuit off and my sunglasses and helmet on. I decided not to put on arm warmers, figuring running out of transition and climbing the first hill would warm me up and help me get oriented.
Swim time = 29:32 (1:49/100yards...the swim had to of been a little longer than 1500 meters)
Bike
I had my bike shoes already clipped onto my bike which I regret now. Running out of transition on the chip seal asphalt with my bare frozen feet really hurt. Right as I was about to mount my bike some guy crashed just outside of transition going straight over his handlebars and smashing his face into the ground, I found out later he lost a few teeth. Distracted by the crash I did a really bad flying mount and tried to pedal on top of my shoes, but one hit the ground upside down and came unclipped. I slammed on my brakes, took a step back, picked up my shoe, and put it on while straddling my bike. Once clipped in I climbed the first hill, and then tried just to stay on the road while descending the opposite side. All of extremities were really numb, making controlling my bike a challenge. Once out of the canyon it was really flat and there was a tailwind while going east. I was easily cruising at 28mph+, which worried me that coming back was going to be hard. I never felt 100% on the bike probably due to the cold. I tried to drink some and eat a gel but that didn’t make my stomach feel good. It was also fairly hard to hold onto my bottle with my numb hands. Coming to the next section where you go through the canyon again I saw the first guys coming back up the hill. It was a little discouraging that the leaders were so far ahead. Descending into the canyon at 35mph+ scared me a little bit with the deep section Zipp 808 wheels I was using with the strong side winds. After the turn around and going back through the canyon again I was a least a little warmer. Pushing into the wind going west was difficult and I tried to keep my speed 20mph+ with my usual high cadence of around 100rpm to keep from burning up my legs and not being able to run well. I cruised back towards the lake not very pleased with my performance on the bike.
Bike time = 1:09:12 (21.6 mph)
Run
I started the run and immediately my heart rate exploded as usual. I slowed down a bit and tried to ease into a good pace. I was finally warm and could feel my feet again, I even poured water on myself to cool down a bit. I was a little worried that I would ‘bonk’ having only half a gel on the bike, so I took a little more, but it was hard to swallow while running. About 2 miles into the run I could tell the top female athlete was coming up behind me because people at the aid station were yelling to her that she was in the lead; duh, I think she knew. As she came up beside me I gave her a few encouraging words. I picked up my speed slightly and she dropped in pace right behind me. After the turnaround I saw Andy Suter from UA making ground on me, which wasn’t good since he started in a wave behind me. I finished ahead of him at the Lake Havasu triathlon last month, so I could tell he was having a better day than I was. I paced the top girl who went on to win (Jessica Broderick from University Of Colorado-Boulder with a time of 2:18:34) until into the last mile where I made my last kick for the finish. Andy from UA passed me, I tried to stay with him to sprint to cross the line first but my legs cramped and I just cruised into the finish since he was 10 minutes ahead anyways. I was shooting for a sub-40 minute 10K…so close, but at least I didn’t get shown up by our ASU track runner Jocelyn (41:23) on the run. She was ASU’s top female finisher at 2:41:18 taking 46th female undergraduate in her first Olympic distance race, great job!
Run time = 40:08 (6:28/mile)
Total time = 2:23:17
99th Male Undergraduate, 124th overall
Overall my race wasn't bad, I finished in about the same place as last year. Our team did well and had a ton of fun before and after the race making our trip a huge success.
Lessons Learned:
· Bring more clothes for the morning of a cold race
· Cold water is not fun to swim in
· Long swims hurt my chances of doing well
· Put on arm warmers/gloves/something if it is cold out
· Ingest more calories
· There are a lot of really fast collegiate triathletes
ASU Team Results
Female:
26. 448 Arizona State University (2:57:27 11:49:47)
=================================================================
1 47 Jocelyn Buras 2:41:18
2 68 Julie Ryan 2:46:38
3 161 Mary Cameron 3:09:31
4 172 Brenna Boyd 3:12:20
5 (199) Alka Tripathy 3:22:36
6 (216) Kelly Weber 3:34:33
Male:
32. 668 Arizona State University (2:31:23 10:05:31)
=================================================================
1 106 Alan Brown 2:23:17
2 150 Matt Kipper 2:29:21
3 186 Tom Lang 2:33:34
4 226 Gerrit Mack 2:39:19
5 (293) Dan Quick 2:54:17
6 (316) Sean McManus 3:02:23
7 (322) Andrew Bellino 3:03:38
Coed:
Arizona State University - 24th
2009 Collegiate Triathlon National Results
Alan Brown
ASU Triathlon Captain
Swim
The reported water temperature was 53.1 degrees. It didn't feel too bad stepping into the water to warm up because the water temp was higher than the outside temp, but once I dove into the water my face went numb. I swam around for about 30 seconds and then decided to get out because I was getting too cold. I lined up with the first wave to the far right so I could cut in closer to the first turn of the swim. The horn sounded and we ran into the water. One guy dove in prematurely and probably smashed into the ground in the shallow water, but he got back up and continued. Being on the far right worked out well as I went around the first buoy close to the front of the group. Then people started to pass me as I am not a great swimmer. I jumped in the trail of swimmers and tried to draft for a while. I couldn’t see the next buoy because we were swimming right into the rising sun. I just blindly followed everyone else and it just happened to hit the next buoy dead on. The next few straights seemed to take forever and I fell more and more off pace with some of the girls in the top female wave passing me. The cold really got to me in the last part of the swim, my hands and face really hurt and I started to get dizzy. When I exited the swim I was extremely disoriented and staying on the carpeted path running to my bike was a challenge. When I got to my bike and pulled my wetsuit down around my ankles, I became really dizzy and almost fell over. I had to hold on the bike rack to keep from falling. I stood holding the rack for what for what seemed like forever and tried to assess if I would even be able to continue. I was finally able to get my wetsuit off and my sunglasses and helmet on. I decided not to put on arm warmers, figuring running out of transition and climbing the first hill would warm me up and help me get oriented.
Swim time = 29:32 (1:49/100yards...the swim had to of been a little longer than 1500 meters)
Bike
I had my bike shoes already clipped onto my bike which I regret now. Running out of transition on the chip seal asphalt with my bare frozen feet really hurt. Right as I was about to mount my bike some guy crashed just outside of transition going straight over his handlebars and smashing his face into the ground, I found out later he lost a few teeth. Distracted by the crash I did a really bad flying mount and tried to pedal on top of my shoes, but one hit the ground upside down and came unclipped. I slammed on my brakes, took a step back, picked up my shoe, and put it on while straddling my bike. Once clipped in I climbed the first hill, and then tried just to stay on the road while descending the opposite side. All of extremities were really numb, making controlling my bike a challenge. Once out of the canyon it was really flat and there was a tailwind while going east. I was easily cruising at 28mph+, which worried me that coming back was going to be hard. I never felt 100% on the bike probably due to the cold. I tried to drink some and eat a gel but that didn’t make my stomach feel good. It was also fairly hard to hold onto my bottle with my numb hands. Coming to the next section where you go through the canyon again I saw the first guys coming back up the hill. It was a little discouraging that the leaders were so far ahead. Descending into the canyon at 35mph+ scared me a little bit with the deep section Zipp 808 wheels I was using with the strong side winds. After the turn around and going back through the canyon again I was a least a little warmer. Pushing into the wind going west was difficult and I tried to keep my speed 20mph+ with my usual high cadence of around 100rpm to keep from burning up my legs and not being able to run well. I cruised back towards the lake not very pleased with my performance on the bike.
Bike time = 1:09:12 (21.6 mph)
Run
I started the run and immediately my heart rate exploded as usual. I slowed down a bit and tried to ease into a good pace. I was finally warm and could feel my feet again, I even poured water on myself to cool down a bit. I was a little worried that I would ‘bonk’ having only half a gel on the bike, so I took a little more, but it was hard to swallow while running. About 2 miles into the run I could tell the top female athlete was coming up behind me because people at the aid station were yelling to her that she was in the lead; duh, I think she knew. As she came up beside me I gave her a few encouraging words. I picked up my speed slightly and she dropped in pace right behind me. After the turnaround I saw Andy Suter from UA making ground on me, which wasn’t good since he started in a wave behind me. I finished ahead of him at the Lake Havasu triathlon last month, so I could tell he was having a better day than I was. I paced the top girl who went on to win (Jessica Broderick from University Of Colorado-Boulder with a time of 2:18:34) until into the last mile where I made my last kick for the finish. Andy from UA passed me, I tried to stay with him to sprint to cross the line first but my legs cramped and I just cruised into the finish since he was 10 minutes ahead anyways. I was shooting for a sub-40 minute 10K…so close, but at least I didn’t get shown up by our ASU track runner Jocelyn (41:23) on the run. She was ASU’s top female finisher at 2:41:18 taking 46th female undergraduate in her first Olympic distance race, great job!
Run time = 40:08 (6:28/mile)
Total time = 2:23:17
99th Male Undergraduate, 124th overall
Overall my race wasn't bad, I finished in about the same place as last year. Our team did well and had a ton of fun before and after the race making our trip a huge success.
Lessons Learned:
· Bring more clothes for the morning of a cold race
· Cold water is not fun to swim in
· Long swims hurt my chances of doing well
· Put on arm warmers/gloves/something if it is cold out
· Ingest more calories
· There are a lot of really fast collegiate triathletes
ASU Team Results
Female:
26. 448 Arizona State University (2:57:27 11:49:47)
=================================================================
1 47 Jocelyn Buras 2:41:18
2 68 Julie Ryan 2:46:38
3 161 Mary Cameron 3:09:31
4 172 Brenna Boyd 3:12:20
5 (199) Alka Tripathy 3:22:36
6 (216) Kelly Weber 3:34:33
Male:
32. 668 Arizona State University (2:31:23 10:05:31)
=================================================================
1 106 Alan Brown 2:23:17
2 150 Matt Kipper 2:29:21
3 186 Tom Lang 2:33:34
4 226 Gerrit Mack 2:39:19
5 (293) Dan Quick 2:54:17
6 (316) Sean McManus 3:02:23
7 (322) Andrew Bellino 3:03:38
Coed:
Arizona State University - 24th
2009 Collegiate Triathlon National Results
Alan Brown
ASU Triathlon Captain
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Velocity Group Cycling
Hey Team,
Check out the new Velocity Group Cycling website: http://velocitygroupcycling.com/ It's a great place to get your local cycling news. I think Tom Lang's back is in one of pics on the homepage. See if you can find it.
-Niko
Check out the new Velocity Group Cycling website: http://velocitygroupcycling.com/ It's a great place to get your local cycling news. I think Tom Lang's back is in one of pics on the homepage. See if you can find it.
-Niko
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
This Week in Road Cycling: Jan 25 - Jan 31
2009 is the year of the comeback: Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, Ivan Basso, Michele Bartoli (?), Jose Luis Rubiera (sort of). That's all fine with me, so long as Jens Voigt never retires.
Oops, I forgot the most important comeback of them all.
The triumphant return of This Week in Road Cycling.
Shazzam!!!
Local Racing:
January 2009:
-Swiss Crit; January 31 - Peoria Sports Complex (http://www.azcycling.com/09cal/FLYERS/Swiss_Crit.pdf)
February 2009:
-Avondale Crit; February 1 - Avondale, AZ (http://proconcyclingaz.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=105)
-McDowell Circuit Race; February 8 - McDowell Mt Park (http://www.azcycling.com/09cal/FLYERS/McDMCR.pdf)
-VOS; February 13-15 - Various Locations (http://wmrc.org/vos/index.htm)
-Sun Devil Crit; February 22 - Tempe (http://asuctc.com/criterium.html)
Pro Racing:
Tour Down Under: The Pro Tour started early this year, with the TDU enjoying its status as an event in the highest tier of bike racing. It was a pretty sweet event, that enjoyed a lot more publicity this year than in years past, thanks to some guy.
Allan Davis (Quickstep) handily won the race this year, with three stage wins. A couple things: why would a race make the leaders jersey ochre? Also, why do Columbia's kits look so ridiculous?
Tour de San Luis: This small Argentinian stage race enjoyed a little bit more attention than it has in year past, due to the presence of a confused looking Ivan Basso (Liguigas). Honestly though, Basso rode pretty well (ninth in the TT, and sixth in the stage 5 mountaintop finish). Alfredo Lucero of Team Argentina won the overall.
Cyclocross: All you really need to know is that Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) won another world cup title. He also retained his national title and is still leading the superprestige standings. He hasn't been as dominant in years past, thanks to a batch of young riders that are challenging his dominance, but he still wins when it counts. Finally, thanks to the presence of Lars Boom, Niels Albert, Zdenek Stybar, and the ever present Bart Wellens, Erwin Vervecken and Jonathan Page, the World Championships next week in Hoogerheide should be interesting.
There you go, now you're all caught up.
Until next time,
Anthony
*all images courtesy of cyclingnews
Oops, I forgot the most important comeback of them all.
The triumphant return of This Week in Road Cycling.
Shazzam!!!
Local Racing:
January 2009:
-Swiss Crit; January 31 - Peoria Sports Complex (http://www.azcycling.com/09cal/FLYERS/Swiss_Crit.pdf)
February 2009:
-Avondale Crit; February 1 - Avondale, AZ (http://proconcyclingaz.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Itemid=105)
-McDowell Circuit Race; February 8 - McDowell Mt Park (http://www.azcycling.com/09cal/FLYERS/McDMCR.pdf)
-VOS; February 13-15 - Various Locations (http://wmrc.org/vos/index.htm)
-Sun Devil Crit; February 22 - Tempe (http://asuctc.com/criterium.html)
Pro Racing:
Tour Down Under: The Pro Tour started early this year, with the TDU enjoying its status as an event in the highest tier of bike racing. It was a pretty sweet event, that enjoyed a lot more publicity this year than in years past, thanks to some guy.
Allan Davis (Quickstep) handily won the race this year, with three stage wins. A couple things: why would a race make the leaders jersey ochre? Also, why do Columbia's kits look so ridiculous?
Tour de San Luis: This small Argentinian stage race enjoyed a little bit more attention than it has in year past, due to the presence of a confused looking Ivan Basso (Liguigas). Honestly though, Basso rode pretty well (ninth in the TT, and sixth in the stage 5 mountaintop finish). Alfredo Lucero of Team Argentina won the overall.
Cyclocross: All you really need to know is that Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet-Colnago) won another world cup title. He also retained his national title and is still leading the superprestige standings. He hasn't been as dominant in years past, thanks to a batch of young riders that are challenging his dominance, but he still wins when it counts. Finally, thanks to the presence of Lars Boom, Niels Albert, Zdenek Stybar, and the ever present Bart Wellens, Erwin Vervecken and Jonathan Page, the World Championships next week in Hoogerheide should be interesting.
There you go, now you're all caught up.
Until next time,
Anthony
*all images courtesy of cyclingnews
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
State of the Club
Hey Team,
We did a lot of great things this semester; I want to thank all of you for making it so successful. We’ve trained, raced, and partied harder than I’ve ever seen in my 3+ years of club experience. We’ve established solid relationships with great organizations and have managed in a positive reputation in our community. We’ve raised more funds than ever before allowing us to increase your benefit package and better represent our school at the local and national level. We’ve sent our first team ever to Cross Nationals and will send our largest team ever to Triathlon Nationals. It’s clear that we’ve successfully worked towards accomplishing our mission. Our future is very promising. We have a lot to look forward to. The Sun Devil 5k and Sun Devil Criterium are almost upon us and Tri Nationals will be just around the corner. So use the holiday break as an escape from school work, not an escape from training as we’ll need you again in the coming months. If you’re in town keep your eye on the calendar as we’ll be still be training, we’ll still be racing, and we’ll still be enjoying life as part of ASUCTC.
Thanks for an amazing term.
-Niko
We did a lot of great things this semester; I want to thank all of you for making it so successful. We’ve trained, raced, and partied harder than I’ve ever seen in my 3+ years of club experience. We’ve established solid relationships with great organizations and have managed in a positive reputation in our community. We’ve raised more funds than ever before allowing us to increase your benefit package and better represent our school at the local and national level. We’ve sent our first team ever to Cross Nationals and will send our largest team ever to Triathlon Nationals. It’s clear that we’ve successfully worked towards accomplishing our mission. Our future is very promising. We have a lot to look forward to. The Sun Devil 5k and Sun Devil Criterium are almost upon us and Tri Nationals will be just around the corner. So use the holiday break as an escape from school work, not an escape from training as we’ll need you again in the coming months. If you’re in town keep your eye on the calendar as we’ll be still be training, we’ll still be racing, and we’ll still be enjoying life as part of ASUCTC.
Thanks for an amazing term.
-Niko
Monday, November 24, 2008
Last month in Road Cycling
Hey, so I don't really know what happened. One week of pushing TWIRC off turned into two, and before I knew it an entire month had passed without any updates. I know most of you rely on my blog entries, and schedule your entire life around it. I'm sorry, I hope you remembered to eat and sleep.
But here it is, back in all of its glory -- except there isn't really a whole lot of interesting stuff to discuss. There are no road races happening in Arizona, and the only pro race that happened that was of any importance was the Japan Cup.
The Japan Cup, they should really call it the "Italians Racing Each Other in Japan Cup." Twelve times in the races 17 year history the race has been won by an Italian, and the last 4 editions have been an all Italian sweep. Even the podium this year was completely Italian. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) managed to hold onto his awesome season ending form that had garnered him the win in Lombardia the week before. In second was that guy who definitely spends considerable time eyebrow shaping, Giovanni Visconti (Quickstep). But that guy in third. It took me a little while to figure out who that guy was. Turns out his name is Ivan Basso, and I guess he's kind of a big deal. The picture from Wikipedia shows me that he was on Discovery Channel, which means he's probably famous because he knows Lance.
But seriously folks, the mighty Ivan Basso is back from his suspension with a new team and a stupid looking bike. It seems he's going to be just as mighty as ever. If you don't know what he was suspended for I recommend you look it up, because I don't like discussing it -- at least not on this blog (Ask me in person and I'll discuss it at length). Anyway, with absolutely no racing in his legs for two years Basso proceeded to blow the race apart on the final climb and created the selection that consisted of him, Visconti, and Cunego. Cunego beat out Visconti in a two up sprint for the win. What happened to Basso? He was just kind of hanging out -- Ivan doesn't sprint.
Pretty uninteresting stuff I know.
Even less interesting is some of the changes that have been happening over the course of the off-season. For example, the return of Floyd Landis. It probably won't be that interesting for the one-time winner of the 2006 Tour to be racing for the team formerly known as Healthnet.
Another completely uninteresting piece of new is that Rock Racing has hired Rudy Pevenage to be their new Director Sportif. Wait, actually this is extremely interesting. Who is Rudy Pevenage? He is the former director for T-Mobile and famously regarded as the mentor of Jan Ullrich. A few years ago some stuff happened, and the guy kind of dropped off the map. His return to racing is just one more step towards what will hopefully be the return of Jan Ullrich (my apologies for the crappy music in the video).
A lot of Cyclocross has been happening too, I guess that'll probably be a little bit more interesting.
Of note so far this year is that Sven Nys is encountering quite a bit more competition from two young riders: Lars Boom, and Niels Albert. Since the last time I've written, the elite 'cross racers have ridden two more world cups and three more superprestige races. With these two young racers blocking keeping Nys from winning in the biggest races. Unfortunately for Albert though, a serious crash and ruptured his spleen, knocking him out for the rest of the year. Since then, Nys has been spending more regular time on the top step of the podium.
Oh hey, check out how crappy the weather in Belgium has been lately.
Until next time,
Anthony
P.S. If anyone has any questions on anything road racing, or would just like me to look stuff up and write about it, feel free to leave a question in the comments section. It's going to be a little boring going through the 'cross results for the next month or two.
*all images courtesy of cyclingnews
But here it is, back in all of its glory -- except there isn't really a whole lot of interesting stuff to discuss. There are no road races happening in Arizona, and the only pro race that happened that was of any importance was the Japan Cup.
The Japan Cup, they should really call it the "Italians Racing Each Other in Japan Cup." Twelve times in the races 17 year history the race has been won by an Italian, and the last 4 editions have been an all Italian sweep. Even the podium this year was completely Italian. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) managed to hold onto his awesome season ending form that had garnered him the win in Lombardia the week before. In second was that guy who definitely spends considerable time eyebrow shaping, Giovanni Visconti (Quickstep). But that guy in third. It took me a little while to figure out who that guy was. Turns out his name is Ivan Basso, and I guess he's kind of a big deal. The picture from Wikipedia shows me that he was on Discovery Channel, which means he's probably famous because he knows Lance.
But seriously folks, the mighty Ivan Basso is back from his suspension with a new team and a stupid looking bike. It seems he's going to be just as mighty as ever. If you don't know what he was suspended for I recommend you look it up, because I don't like discussing it -- at least not on this blog (Ask me in person and I'll discuss it at length). Anyway, with absolutely no racing in his legs for two years Basso proceeded to blow the race apart on the final climb and created the selection that consisted of him, Visconti, and Cunego. Cunego beat out Visconti in a two up sprint for the win. What happened to Basso? He was just kind of hanging out -- Ivan doesn't sprint.
Pretty uninteresting stuff I know.
Even less interesting is some of the changes that have been happening over the course of the off-season. For example, the return of Floyd Landis. It probably won't be that interesting for the one-time winner of the 2006 Tour to be racing for the team formerly known as Healthnet.
Another completely uninteresting piece of new is that Rock Racing has hired Rudy Pevenage to be their new Director Sportif. Wait, actually this is extremely interesting. Who is Rudy Pevenage? He is the former director for T-Mobile and famously regarded as the mentor of Jan Ullrich. A few years ago some stuff happened, and the guy kind of dropped off the map. His return to racing is just one more step towards what will hopefully be the return of Jan Ullrich (my apologies for the crappy music in the video).
A lot of Cyclocross has been happening too, I guess that'll probably be a little bit more interesting.
Of note so far this year is that Sven Nys is encountering quite a bit more competition from two young riders: Lars Boom, and Niels Albert. Since the last time I've written, the elite 'cross racers have ridden two more world cups and three more superprestige races. With these two young racers blocking keeping Nys from winning in the biggest races. Unfortunately for Albert though, a serious crash and ruptured his spleen, knocking him out for the rest of the year. Since then, Nys has been spending more regular time on the top step of the podium.
Oh hey, check out how crappy the weather in Belgium has been lately.
Until next time,
Anthony
P.S. If anyone has any questions on anything road racing, or would just like me to look stuff up and write about it, feel free to leave a question in the comments section. It's going to be a little boring going through the 'cross results for the next month or two.
*all images courtesy of cyclingnews
Sunday, October 19, 2008
This Week in Road Cycling: Oct 20 to Oct 26
After this week I might need to change the name of this weekly blog post from, "This Week in Road Cycling," to, "This Week in Cyclocross with the Occasional Road Race." We'll see though, that new name seems a little long and confusing.
Anyway...
Local Racing:
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Phoenix, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
Races in November:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #5: Payson, AZ- Nov. 16; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/november_16th2c_2008.aspx
-AZ Cyclocross Race #6: Phoenix, AZ- Nov. 23; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/november_23rd2c_2008.aspx
Pro Racing:
Road:
Jayco Herald Sun Tour: CSC handed the leaders jersey around amongst themselves for the rest of the week, with Stuart O'Grady finishing off with the win.
Giro di Lombardia: Out in Italy on Saturday, the professional European road racing season came to an official end with the season ending classic the Giro di Lombardia. Also known as the, "Race of the Falling Leaves," Lombardia is a race that is full of history. A look at the hilly profile shows that the race is in the same vein of most classic races like Liege or Amstel Gold. One interesting part of the course is the climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo. The Madonna del Ghisallo is known as the patroness of cycling, and the chapel at the top of the hill is one of the most iconic places in road cycling.
Anyway, the race is the last chance of the year for the strongest riders to make their mark and clean up any unfinished business. The race was controlled by Lampre, the team of last years winner Damiano Cunego. Cunego hasn't really had a great year, with his main goal of the Tour being ruined with some crappy form, as well as a head first dive in stage 18. Needless to say, he was looking for a good ride in order to salvage his season.
Luckily for him the team's hard work payed off and Cunego was able to counterattack a solid move from Chris Horner (Astana), and soloed to the win. This was the third time Cunego has won Lombardia, and with that the season has ended.
No more road news for awhile -- sort of.
Cyclocross:
Kermiscross: 22 year old Niels Albert took an easy win over a strong field in this midweek 'cross race. American Jonathan Page was second.
Kleicross: One day before the first World Cup race of the year, and Sven Nys decided that the season wasn't going to be hard enough. Instead of completely dominating the race and striking fear into the hearts of his rivals, he decided to crash (video) and cut his face on his bike. I'm confident that this was all a strategy to more strongly intimidate his opponents for the coming year. Seriously, it has got to be pretty intimidating to line up at a race with a guy who has replaced one of his eyebrows with stitches.
Cyclo-Cross World Cup #1: I mentioned last week that the Superprestige series is one of two most important race series in the European Cyclocross calendar. Well, the World Cup is the other important series. These races always bring the best riders and result in the hardest racing. This week came down to a sprint finish between Niels Albert and Sven Nys. Nys took the win.
That's all, thanks for reading.
Anyway...
Local Racing:
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Phoenix, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
Races in November:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #5: Payson, AZ- Nov. 16; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/november_16th2c_2008.aspx
-AZ Cyclocross Race #6: Phoenix, AZ- Nov. 23; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/november_23rd2c_2008.aspx
Pro Racing:
Road:
Jayco Herald Sun Tour: CSC handed the leaders jersey around amongst themselves for the rest of the week, with Stuart O'Grady finishing off with the win.
Giro di Lombardia: Out in Italy on Saturday, the professional European road racing season came to an official end with the season ending classic the Giro di Lombardia. Also known as the, "Race of the Falling Leaves," Lombardia is a race that is full of history. A look at the hilly profile shows that the race is in the same vein of most classic races like Liege or Amstel Gold. One interesting part of the course is the climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo. The Madonna del Ghisallo is known as the patroness of cycling, and the chapel at the top of the hill is one of the most iconic places in road cycling.
Anyway, the race is the last chance of the year for the strongest riders to make their mark and clean up any unfinished business. The race was controlled by Lampre, the team of last years winner Damiano Cunego. Cunego hasn't really had a great year, with his main goal of the Tour being ruined with some crappy form, as well as a head first dive in stage 18. Needless to say, he was looking for a good ride in order to salvage his season.
Luckily for him the team's hard work payed off and Cunego was able to counterattack a solid move from Chris Horner (Astana), and soloed to the win. This was the third time Cunego has won Lombardia, and with that the season has ended.
No more road news for awhile -- sort of.
Cyclocross:
Kermiscross: 22 year old Niels Albert took an easy win over a strong field in this midweek 'cross race. American Jonathan Page was second.
Kleicross: One day before the first World Cup race of the year, and Sven Nys decided that the season wasn't going to be hard enough. Instead of completely dominating the race and striking fear into the hearts of his rivals, he decided to crash (video) and cut his face on his bike. I'm confident that this was all a strategy to more strongly intimidate his opponents for the coming year. Seriously, it has got to be pretty intimidating to line up at a race with a guy who has replaced one of his eyebrows with stitches.
Cyclo-Cross World Cup #1: I mentioned last week that the Superprestige series is one of two most important race series in the European Cyclocross calendar. Well, the World Cup is the other important series. These races always bring the best riders and result in the hardest racing. This week came down to a sprint finish between Niels Albert and Sven Nys. Nys took the win.
That's all, thanks for reading.
Monday, October 13, 2008
This Week in Road Cycling: Oct 13 to Oct 19
So the ASU cyclocross was yesterday, and I think it's safe to say it was a hit. I want to thank everyone for coming out and lending a hand. It wouldn't have gone so well without your support. Thanks!
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-AZ 'Cross Race #3: I don't remember exactly what the results were, but we had a pretty solid group of ASU racers in the men's CAT 4 race (Niko, Wilson, Tim, and Keegan). Congratulations to Niko for completely dominating the men's 4 race and taking a solid win. Congratulations also go to Keegan for completing his first 'cross race. I'll update with more complete results after they have been posted.
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Phoenix, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
Pro Racing:
Road: There has been a sizable rash of road racing, so I'll try to be thorough without being too long.
-Vuelta a Chicuahua Internacional: This race was pretty much dominated by people who speak Spanish. Seriously, every stage was won by someone from Spain, Mexico, Colombia or Ecuador. I guess that makes sense though, because 12 of the 17 teams in the race were from Spanish speaking countries. Anyway, the race was won by Francisco Mancebo, and on stage 6 someone was murdered by champagne.
-Giro dell'Emilia: This race kicked off the week for the hilly "Fall Classics" They're not really as popular as the Spring Classics, but the Italians like them. Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) took the win with a strong attack on the final climb 2k from the finish.
-Paris Tours: Sort of an anomaly among the rest of the fall races, the pancake flat Paris Tours is known as the sprinter's classic. Being a sprinter's race, you'd expect last years winner Alessandro Petacchi to be atop the list of potential winners. Too bad he wasn't invited. Francaise des Jeux's Phillipe Gilbert ended up winning the "sprinter's classic" with a late escape 6k from the line.
-GP Beghelli: Petacchi's consolation prize.
-Jayco Herald Sun Tour: Two stages into the 7 day Australian stage race, and it has been the CSC-Saxo Bank show, with Matt Goss winning both stages so far.
Cyclocross:
- GP de la Region Wallonne: The weather in Belgium doesn't suck yet, but the 'cross season went into full swing this weekend. Sven Nys used the help of his teammate Rob Peeters to distance the field, and take the top two steps on the podium. American Jonothan Page DNF'd.
-Superprestige #1: The superprestige series is one of the two most important race series in European cyclocross (the other series being the world cup). Superprestige races usually field the best riders and the most competitive races. Sven Nys usually wins them anyway, this time in a 3-up sprint between him, Klaas Vantornout and Niels Albert.
-GP of Gloucester: Back in the US, the two strongest riders on the domestic circuit were spending the weekend beating up on each other. Unfortunately for Tim Johnson, Ryan Trebon was victorious on both days.
That's it for this week. Again, thanks for all your help on Sunday.
-Anthony
*All images courtesty of Cyclingnews.com
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-AZ 'Cross Race #3: I don't remember exactly what the results were, but we had a pretty solid group of ASU racers in the men's CAT 4 race (Niko, Wilson, Tim, and Keegan). Congratulations to Niko for completely dominating the men's 4 race and taking a solid win. Congratulations also go to Keegan for completing his first 'cross race. I'll update with more complete results after they have been posted.
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Phoenix, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
Pro Racing:
Road: There has been a sizable rash of road racing, so I'll try to be thorough without being too long.
-Vuelta a Chicuahua Internacional: This race was pretty much dominated by people who speak Spanish. Seriously, every stage was won by someone from Spain, Mexico, Colombia or Ecuador. I guess that makes sense though, because 12 of the 17 teams in the race were from Spanish speaking countries. Anyway, the race was won by Francisco Mancebo, and on stage 6 someone was murdered by champagne.
-Giro dell'Emilia: This race kicked off the week for the hilly "Fall Classics" They're not really as popular as the Spring Classics, but the Italians like them. Danilo Di Luca (LPR Brakes) took the win with a strong attack on the final climb 2k from the finish.
-Paris Tours: Sort of an anomaly among the rest of the fall races, the pancake flat Paris Tours is known as the sprinter's classic. Being a sprinter's race, you'd expect last years winner Alessandro Petacchi to be atop the list of potential winners. Too bad he wasn't invited. Francaise des Jeux's Phillipe Gilbert ended up winning the "sprinter's classic" with a late escape 6k from the line.
-GP Beghelli: Petacchi's consolation prize.
-Jayco Herald Sun Tour: Two stages into the 7 day Australian stage race, and it has been the CSC-Saxo Bank show, with Matt Goss winning both stages so far.
Cyclocross:
- GP de la Region Wallonne: The weather in Belgium doesn't suck yet, but the 'cross season went into full swing this weekend. Sven Nys used the help of his teammate Rob Peeters to distance the field, and take the top two steps on the podium. American Jonothan Page DNF'd.
-Superprestige #1: The superprestige series is one of the two most important race series in European cyclocross (the other series being the world cup). Superprestige races usually field the best riders and the most competitive races. Sven Nys usually wins them anyway, this time in a 3-up sprint between him, Klaas Vantornout and Niels Albert.
-GP of Gloucester: Back in the US, the two strongest riders on the domestic circuit were spending the weekend beating up on each other. Unfortunately for Tim Johnson, Ryan Trebon was victorious on both days.
That's it for this week. Again, thanks for all your help on Sunday.
-Anthony
*All images courtesty of Cyclingnews.com
Sunday, October 5, 2008
This Week in Road Cycling: Oct 6 to Oct 12
Welcome, I want to start by thanking everybody in advance for all of your help at our cyclocross race next Sunday. We couldn't do it without all of your help. Thanks!
If you have yet to sign up for one of the 3 shifts just email me at anthony.molieri@asu.edu, and let me know if you want to help with set-up (5am-8am), registration (8am-11am) or take down (11:30am-1pm).
Speaking of cyclocross...
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: CAT 4; Nikolai Skievaski 2nd, Anthony Molieri 8th, Tim Racette 9th, Wilson Lee 11th
-Tour de Scottsdale: results are here; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/results/2008-10-05_overall.HTM
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3 (Presented by ASU!!!): Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
Pro Racing:
Circuit Franco Belge: There were no important bike races last week, so I'm just searching for races that were even slightly interesting. Franco Belge was a 4 day stage race in Belgium that was won by Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank). Of interest, American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Chipotle) spent a day in the leader's jersey before crashing and losing time.
Giro del Lazio: Alessandro Ballan debuted his new world champion's kit and bike. I'm not really sure why it has so much gold on it though.
Finally, Alberto Contador might have to contend with more than just Lance Armstrong on Astana next year. Turns out Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov has decided he wants to give it one more go. For those of you who don't know, Vino' tested positive in last years Tour for a homologous blood transfusion (He apparently used his father's blood). This caused the entire Astana team to be kicked out last year, and is also why the new Astana wasn't invited. Needless to say, the cycling community was pissed. Though, once Vino got back to Kazakhstan, things started to get a little ridiculous and he gave what is the funniest proclamation of innocence ever.
"I heard that I made a transfusion with my father's blood. That's absurd, I can tell you that with his blood, I would have tested positive for vodka."
Ha ha those crazy Kazakhs. Anyway, Vinokourov was only given a one year suspension by his federation (Vinokourov happens to by good buddies with the president of the federation, who is also the country's defense minister). It's even sillier, when you notice that Astana is a Kazakh sponsored team, built in 2006 solely for Vino, and owned by some of his personal friends. It's unlikely that he'll be back this year though because the UCI would probably do their best to keep him banned and make sure he serves the mandatory 2 years.
Personally, I see this as just one of the steps required for the return of Jan Ullrich. Although, he seems to be enjoying retirement.
I miss you Jan...
If you have yet to sign up for one of the 3 shifts just email me at anthony.molieri@asu.edu, and let me know if you want to help with set-up (5am-8am), registration (8am-11am) or take down (11:30am-1pm).
Speaking of cyclocross...
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: CAT 4; Nikolai Skievaski 2nd, Anthony Molieri 8th, Tim Racette 9th, Wilson Lee 11th
-Tour de Scottsdale: results are here; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/results/2008-10-05_overall.HTM
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3 (Presented by ASU!!!): Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
Pro Racing:
Circuit Franco Belge: There were no important bike races last week, so I'm just searching for races that were even slightly interesting. Franco Belge was a 4 day stage race in Belgium that was won by Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank). Of interest, American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Chipotle) spent a day in the leader's jersey before crashing and losing time.
Giro del Lazio: Alessandro Ballan debuted his new world champion's kit and bike. I'm not really sure why it has so much gold on it though.
Finally, Alberto Contador might have to contend with more than just Lance Armstrong on Astana next year. Turns out Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov has decided he wants to give it one more go. For those of you who don't know, Vino' tested positive in last years Tour for a homologous blood transfusion (He apparently used his father's blood). This caused the entire Astana team to be kicked out last year, and is also why the new Astana wasn't invited. Needless to say, the cycling community was pissed. Though, once Vino got back to Kazakhstan, things started to get a little ridiculous and he gave what is the funniest proclamation of innocence ever.
"I heard that I made a transfusion with my father's blood. That's absurd, I can tell you that with his blood, I would have tested positive for vodka."
Ha ha those crazy Kazakhs. Anyway, Vinokourov was only given a one year suspension by his federation (Vinokourov happens to by good buddies with the president of the federation, who is also the country's defense minister). It's even sillier, when you notice that Astana is a Kazakh sponsored team, built in 2006 solely for Vino, and owned by some of his personal friends. It's unlikely that he'll be back this year though because the UCI would probably do their best to keep him banned and make sure he serves the mandatory 2 years.
Personally, I see this as just one of the steps required for the return of Jan Ullrich. Although, he seems to be enjoying retirement.
I miss you Jan...
Friday, October 3, 2008
October Meeting Recap
Hey Team,
Thanks for coming out to the meeting on Wednesday! For those of you who missed out on the fun here's what went down:
Thanks for coming out to the meeting on Wednesday! For those of you who missed out on the fun here's what went down:
- Jenn Granillo--Chipotle Marketing Consultant--brought Chipotle Burritos for attendees and taught us about their conscious strive to serve natural, high-quality products as an alternative to your typical fast food at the same price point...making Chipotle awesome. Be sure to make it out to their pre-opening party for their new Mill Ave location.
- There were tons of races and events in September. We took a look at some of the results, pictures, and highlights.
- Kits, shirts, bottles, hats, etc. will be up on the website by Monday (Oct. 6) for members to order! Deadline for bottles/caps/shirts will be Oct. 13th, and Kits on Oct. 20th. Tri-suit fit kits are on there way and should be here in a couple of days.
- ASUCTC is presenting the 3rd AZ Cyclcross Series Race of the season in Mesa on Oct. 12th. We'll need support race day. Look out for more information from Anthony as the date draws nearer.
- VP, Matt Kipper is captain of Bike Aid Station #4 at Ironman AZ in November. The club will be out there all day showing support for our racers and handing out water and Gatorade in our best Disco-Cowboy outfits. Make sure to sign up for your spot ASAP.
- Chief of Tribe Multisport, Kevin Weitzel, shared his story of how he went from being a professional road/track cyclist--competing in the 1988 Olympics--to owning the Valley's best multisport shop. He also went into the details of club member discounts at Tribe. Make sure to come out to Tribe on Tuesday for the weekly 5k run!
As always, check out the calendar for upcoming events and races. Major thanks to Kevin and Jenn for coming out to our meeting and supporting our club! Hope that covered everything, let me know if you have questions.
Thanks,
n i k o
Monday, September 29, 2008
This Week in Road Cycling: Sept 29 to Oct 5
Howdy kids, it's been a fun week in the world of road bikin'. This past week was the world championships! Follow along as we take a look at the weeks festivities.
But first.
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-AZ Hill Climb Championships: Mt. Graham, AZ- Sept 28; I bet it was really hilly, but to my knowledge no ASUCTC members went.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #1: Payson, AZ- Sept 28; Results haven't been posted yet, so I'll update those at a later time. I was a little under the weather, so maybe Niko could write a supplement recapping the fun.
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: Gilbert, AZ- Oct 4; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_4th2c_2008.aspx
-Tour De Scottsdale: Scottsdale, AZ- Oct. 5; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/eventDetails.php?id=46
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3: Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
**This race is going to be run by the club, so look out for an email with more information in the coming weeks.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
*Cyclocross Practice: Thursday 5:30pm @ Kiwanis Park
Pro Racing:
World Championships:
Sept 23: U-23 Men's Time Trial: Adriano Malori of Italy took the win. Patrick Gretsch of Germany was second, and Cameron Meyer (Australia) was third.
Sept 24: Women's Time Trial: American Amber Neben took the win. Chrisitiane Soeder (Austria) took silver on the new P4, and Judith Arndt (Germany) got the bronze.
Sept 25: Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) decided that he was too tired to race Worlds, so the race was pretty wide open. Bert Grabsch (Germany) ended up taking a solid win with a gap of 42 seconds to second place, Svein Tuft (Canada). By the way, Tuft ended up getting a flat in the last six kilometers and ended up riding in on his road bike. American Dave Zabriskie rounded out the podium.
Sept 26: U23 Men's Road Race: Young Colombian Fabio Duarte won the gold medal in a suicide attack in the final kilometer. Simone Ponzi (Italy) and John Degenkolb (Germany) rounded out the podium.
Sept 27: Women's Road Race: Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) out sprinted Marianne Vos (Netherlands) and Judith Arndt (Germany). An attack in the last 15 k made the race essentially between these three, with only two other riders finishing within a minute of the trio.
Sept 28: Men's Road Race: With the news that defending world champion Paolo Bettini would be retiring, the road race was expected to be a show a force by the Squadra Azzurra who were going to deliver the win to their retiring champion. That's wort of how it worked out. The race was an amazing show of force for the Italians, but it wasn't Bettini who won -- it was Ballan. On the last lap, a break that included three Italians managed to make it up the road. Missing from the break were the three pre-race favorites; Bettini, Valverde and Freire. These three spent so much time marking each other, that a break of six riders (Alessandro Ballan (Italy), Joaquin Rodriguez (Spain), Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden), Fabian Wegmann (Germany), Matti Breschel (Denmark) and Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium)) managed to sneak up the road. The presence of the Italians and Rodriguez meant that the two powerhouse teams (Italy and Spain) weren't going to take up the chase. That last lap became a lap of honor for Bettini, who spent time riding shaking hands and waving to fans. Meanwhile up the road, the three Italians took turns attacking the break. In the last 3k Ballan launched an insane attack and managed to stay away till the end. Damiano Cunego (Italy) and Matti Breschel (Denmark) rounded out the podium The main group rolled in 5 minutes down with Bettini and Erik Zabel (bff and fellow retiree) holding hands. I look forward to seeing Ballan attack on Muur the in the rainbow jersey next year.
Cyclocross:
Cross Vegas - Sept. 24: Lance Armstrong got 22nd. I'm not to sure anything else really matters. I guess further up on the course there was some sort of fight between two guys for the win. I think one was really tall, and another one was dressed in a Captain America outfit. I can't be sure but this picture seems to indicate that the tall guy, I think his name is Ryan Trebon won. Adam Craig got third, and still has a mustache.
Jonathon Page's Planet Bike Cup - Sept 27 & 28: In Belgium, the Belgians like to name bike races after their heroes. These heroes don't even need to necessarily be dead either. For example, the GP Sven Nys -- won 7 of 9 times by Sven Nys. I mention this, to give a little context to why there would be a race series in Wisconsin, named after a guy who isn't dead yet. Page is the top American cyclocrosser, and in true form he dominated his own race series winning both races.
And I'm spent,
Anthony
*All photos courtesy of Cyclingnews
But first.
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-AZ Hill Climb Championships: Mt. Graham, AZ- Sept 28; I bet it was really hilly, but to my knowledge no ASUCTC members went.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #1: Payson, AZ- Sept 28; Results haven't been posted yet, so I'll update those at a later time. I was a little under the weather, so maybe Niko could write a supplement recapping the fun.
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: Gilbert, AZ- Oct 4; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_4th2c_2008.aspx
-Tour De Scottsdale: Scottsdale, AZ- Oct. 5; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/eventDetails.php?id=46
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3: Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
**This race is going to be run by the club, so look out for an email with more information in the coming weeks.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
*Cyclocross Practice: Thursday 5:30pm @ Kiwanis Park
Pro Racing:
World Championships:
Sept 23: U-23 Men's Time Trial: Adriano Malori of Italy took the win. Patrick Gretsch of Germany was second, and Cameron Meyer (Australia) was third.
Sept 24: Women's Time Trial: American Amber Neben took the win. Chrisitiane Soeder (Austria) took silver on the new P4, and Judith Arndt (Germany) got the bronze.
Sept 25: Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland) decided that he was too tired to race Worlds, so the race was pretty wide open. Bert Grabsch (Germany) ended up taking a solid win with a gap of 42 seconds to second place, Svein Tuft (Canada). By the way, Tuft ended up getting a flat in the last six kilometers and ended up riding in on his road bike. American Dave Zabriskie rounded out the podium.
Sept 26: U23 Men's Road Race: Young Colombian Fabio Duarte won the gold medal in a suicide attack in the final kilometer. Simone Ponzi (Italy) and John Degenkolb (Germany) rounded out the podium.
Sept 27: Women's Road Race: Nicole Cooke (Great Britain) out sprinted Marianne Vos (Netherlands) and Judith Arndt (Germany). An attack in the last 15 k made the race essentially between these three, with only two other riders finishing within a minute of the trio.
Sept 28: Men's Road Race: With the news that defending world champion Paolo Bettini would be retiring, the road race was expected to be a show a force by the Squadra Azzurra who were going to deliver the win to their retiring champion. That's wort of how it worked out. The race was an amazing show of force for the Italians, but it wasn't Bettini who won -- it was Ballan. On the last lap, a break that included three Italians managed to make it up the road. Missing from the break were the three pre-race favorites; Bettini, Valverde and Freire. These three spent so much time marking each other, that a break of six riders (Alessandro Ballan (Italy), Joaquin Rodriguez (Spain), Thomas Lövkvist (Sweden), Fabian Wegmann (Germany), Matti Breschel (Denmark) and Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium)) managed to sneak up the road. The presence of the Italians and Rodriguez meant that the two powerhouse teams (Italy and Spain) weren't going to take up the chase. That last lap became a lap of honor for Bettini, who spent time riding shaking hands and waving to fans. Meanwhile up the road, the three Italians took turns attacking the break. In the last 3k Ballan launched an insane attack and managed to stay away till the end. Damiano Cunego (Italy) and Matti Breschel (Denmark) rounded out the podium The main group rolled in 5 minutes down with Bettini and Erik Zabel (bff and fellow retiree) holding hands. I look forward to seeing Ballan attack on Muur the in the rainbow jersey next year.
Cyclocross:
Cross Vegas - Sept. 24: Lance Armstrong got 22nd. I'm not to sure anything else really matters. I guess further up on the course there was some sort of fight between two guys for the win. I think one was really tall, and another one was dressed in a Captain America outfit. I can't be sure but this picture seems to indicate that the tall guy, I think his name is Ryan Trebon won. Adam Craig got third, and still has a mustache.
Jonathon Page's Planet Bike Cup - Sept 27 & 28: In Belgium, the Belgians like to name bike races after their heroes. These heroes don't even need to necessarily be dead either. For example, the GP Sven Nys -- won 7 of 9 times by Sven Nys. I mention this, to give a little context to why there would be a race series in Wisconsin, named after a guy who isn't dead yet. Page is the top American cyclocrosser, and in true form he dominated his own race series winning both races.
And I'm spent,
Anthony
*All photos courtesy of Cyclingnews
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Cyclocross
ASUCTC President Nikolai Skievaski shows the proper technique when going over a barrier.
In Arizona it's easy to take 'cross for granted, in much the same way we take winter for granted. It's the brief vacation from the monotony of road racing and the heat of an 8 month summer. Before you know it, it's gone. At least, that's the way it is for people who get excited by cyclocross. For many, it's an obscure word that has very little meaning. In the subculture of cycling, it's the subculture's subculture (Maybe a little bit like indoor cycling or offroad unicycling)
According to Wikipedia, cyclocross finds its origin in Europe where, "road racers in the early 1900s would race each other to the next town over from them and that they were allowed to cut through farmer's fields, over fences or take any other shortcuts in order to make it to the next town first. This was a way for them to stay in shape during the winter months and put a twist on road racing. In addition, riding off road in more difficult conditions than smooth pavement increased the intensity at which the cyclists were riding and improved their on-the-road bike handling abilities."
A lot has changed from its origin. Now cyclocross is a full on organized winter sport with some athletes making their entire career focus strictly on racing cross. The most popular example of this is Belgian Sven Nys(video).
Equipment is a lot different as well. Nowadays there are special bikes made especially for cyclocross. The frames of these bikes are made to allow for clearance of larger tires than would be normally used on the road. Components are usually the same as on road bikes, except 'cross bikes use old style cantilever brakes. These brakes suck at stopping, but they give plenty of clearance for the larger tires and mud. Go here to read and look at pictures from cyclingnews' write up of American Jonathan Page's bike last year.
Now, the racing. Basically, a 'cross race is structured similar to a criterium would be on the road. There is a set course that racers go over, and the racers are racing for a certain amount of time not distance. The similarities end there though, because a cyclocross course is mostly done off-road. Along with the terrain, courses usually have many sharp turns that test a riders bike handling skills. There are also barriers and run-ups, which usually require a racer to dismount, and run with their bike in order to clear efficiently -- usually.
Now you know a little bit about cyclocross. The AZ season starts this Sunday, and it should be fun.
-Anthony
Sunday, September 21, 2008
This Week in Road Cycling: Sept 22 to Sept 28
Hello everyone, the road racing season is pretty much over. With that comes a little more cyclocross, and probably a little bit more verbal stupidity from me. This week has a little bit of both -- have fun.
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-Buckeye Crit: CAT 5: Luke Wandrey, 4th place, CAT 4: Nikolai Skievaski, 5th place.
In honor of Luke's amazing result in his first race ever, our Niko has written a short description of Luke's race.
"ASUCTC's newest road racer, Luke Wandrey, competed in is first race. The field of nearly twenty looked strong and many riders dropped off the peloton as they progressed fluidly through laps of the clean course. Luke remained confidently propped in the top third. The final quarter mile was plagued with a gradual incline before three turns into the finishing stretch; these technicalities added to what would become a dramatic finish. As expected, a mature brute attacked the peloton at the base of the climb, followed by a racer close on this wheel. Who else from the masses would respond? That's right, our very own Luke! He sprung around the group, flicking out of his saddle in an effort that would drain his holdings. The front two had created an insurmountable gap and the remainder of the peloton was left to fend for the scraps. Luke sprinted to a respectable forth place finish."
And since I wasn't there, I'm going to go ahead and make up a race report from Niko's first race as a CAT 4. Be prepared, it's easily some of the lamest writing I've ever done.
Niko was tired. The dragon in turn three had succeeded in roasting half of the field. Niko felt pretty good though, aside from some singed hair on his left leg. When the bell lap finally arrived, the frightened peloton was hesitant to set a go much faster. Many where too scared they'd breakaway, and be easy pickings for the hungry dragon. That is, except for Niko. He attacked hard and drew a giant sword out of his rear jersey pocket, plunging it deep into the dragon's chest. Seeing the dragon vanquished emboldened many of the riders in the pack, and they began to sprint. Niko, tired from all of the vanquishing, as well as from carrying that heavy sword, managed to hang on for fifth.
Good job to both Luke and Niko.
Races in September:
-AZ Hill Climb Championships: Mt. Graham, AZ- Sept 28; http://presteza.com/MtGrahamIndex.html
-AZ Cyclocross Race #1: Payson, AZ- Sept 28; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/september_28th2c_2008.aspx
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: Gilbert, AZ- Oct 4; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_4th2c_2008.aspx
-Tour De Scottsdale: Scottsdale, AZ- Oct. 5; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/eventDetails.php?id=46
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3: Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
**This race is going to be run by the club, so look out for an email with more information in the coming weeks.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
*Cyclocross Practice: Thursday 5:30pm @ Kiwanis Park
Pro Racing:
Vuelta Espana: In case you forgot, Alberto Contador (Astana) was firmly in control of the race. With no big mountains left, it was just a matter of survival for Contador, and a new dynasty in pro cycling will begin. Sounds melodramatic right?
Stage 15: David Garcia Dapena* (Xacobeo Galicia) took a well deserved win out of a really big break. In a way it was payback for his small Spanish team, who felt that Contador had been mean in not handing them the win the day before. The Accountant is still golden.
*Most ridiculous looking helmet on the planet.
Stage 16: Blah, blah, blah, Tom Boonen (Quickstep), Contador.
Stage 17: Blah, blah, blah, Tom Boonen's teammate Wouter Weylandts (Quickstep), Contador.
Stage 18: Imanol Erviti Ollo (Caisse D'Epargne) won a close sprint out of a breakaway group. Guess who is still wearing the Maillot Oro?
Stage 19: David Arroyo (Caisse D'Epargne) makes it two in a row for the Spanish team who is sponsored by a French bank. This is getting kind of boring.
Stage 20 TT: The final time trial, an uphill race against the clock, gave a little bit more excitement than the last few days. Contador lost 31 seconds to his teammate Levi Leipheimer who took the win. It's really not that exciting, but imagine how much tension there would have been if Leipheimer would have ruined his teammates chance at being the youngest person to win all three grand tours.
Stage 21: Picture time! The last day of a grand tour is pretty much never taken seriously, and this Vuelta was no different. It's a day for most of the peloton to relax and take it easy. Someone has to win the stage though, and this year it was Matti Breschel (CSC-Saxo Bank).
The final podium for the Vuelta: Contador-1, Leipheimer-2, Sastre-3, Moncoutie-best climber, Van Avermaet-points.
The first week was pretty neat with all of the lead changes, but this race always seemed like a foregone conclusion. The Contador era is starting to feel pretty boring. Good thing Armstrong will be back next year to bring his trademark spontaneity back to the sport.
Tour of Poland: Poland? Who cares about Poland right? Normally I wouldn't, but Jens Voigt won and I have a rule that I always take any opportunity to mention how awesome Jens Voigt is. I don't even really know what happened in the race. All I know is that he wore a plastic bag over his head in stage six and received a giant teddy bear. Here, watch this video of Jens Voigt. It has nothing to do with Poland.
Cyclocross:
GP Neerpelt Wisselbeker Eric Vanderaerden (Belgium): Belgians like giving things really long names. The Lord (Sven Nys) of cyclocross kicked off his season with his new team (Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner) by winning.
FSA Star Crossed (USA): The domestic cross season got of to a much dirty start this weekend, with team Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale rider Jeremy Powers taking the win up in Washington.
Rad Racing GP (USA): Team Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale is starting off the season pretty well. US national cyclocross champ Tim Johnson took the win a day after his teammate.
The world championships are this coming weekend so the shorter posts might not be for awhile.
Until next time, take care.
Anthony
Local Racing:
Week in Review:
-Buckeye Crit: CAT 5: Luke Wandrey, 4th place, CAT 4: Nikolai Skievaski, 5th place.
In honor of Luke's amazing result in his first race ever, our Niko has written a short description of Luke's race.
"ASUCTC's newest road racer, Luke Wandrey, competed in is first race. The field of nearly twenty looked strong and many riders dropped off the peloton as they progressed fluidly through laps of the clean course. Luke remained confidently propped in the top third. The final quarter mile was plagued with a gradual incline before three turns into the finishing stretch; these technicalities added to what would become a dramatic finish. As expected, a mature brute attacked the peloton at the base of the climb, followed by a racer close on this wheel. Who else from the masses would respond? That's right, our very own Luke! He sprung around the group, flicking out of his saddle in an effort that would drain his holdings. The front two had created an insurmountable gap and the remainder of the peloton was left to fend for the scraps. Luke sprinted to a respectable forth place finish."
And since I wasn't there, I'm going to go ahead and make up a race report from Niko's first race as a CAT 4. Be prepared, it's easily some of the lamest writing I've ever done.
Niko was tired. The dragon in turn three had succeeded in roasting half of the field. Niko felt pretty good though, aside from some singed hair on his left leg. When the bell lap finally arrived, the frightened peloton was hesitant to set a go much faster. Many where too scared they'd breakaway, and be easy pickings for the hungry dragon. That is, except for Niko. He attacked hard and drew a giant sword out of his rear jersey pocket, plunging it deep into the dragon's chest. Seeing the dragon vanquished emboldened many of the riders in the pack, and they began to sprint. Niko, tired from all of the vanquishing, as well as from carrying that heavy sword, managed to hang on for fifth.
Good job to both Luke and Niko.
Races in September:
-AZ Hill Climb Championships: Mt. Graham, AZ- Sept 28; http://presteza.com/MtGrahamIndex.html
-AZ Cyclocross Race #1: Payson, AZ- Sept 28; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/september_28th2c_2008.aspx
Races in October:
-AZ Cyclocross Race #2: Gilbert, AZ- Oct 4; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_4th2c_2008.aspx
-Tour De Scottsdale: Scottsdale, AZ- Oct. 5; http://www.dcbadventures.com/recent/eventDetails.php?id=46
-AZ Cyclocross Race #3: Mesa, AZ- Oct. 12; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_12th2c_2008.aspx
**This race is going to be run by the club, so look out for an email with more information in the coming weeks.
-AZ Cyclocross Race #4: Cave Creek, AZ- Oct. 25; http://azcross.com/content/races/october_25th2c_2008.aspx
*Cyclocross Practice: Thursday 5:30pm @ Kiwanis Park
Pro Racing:
Vuelta Espana: In case you forgot, Alberto Contador (Astana) was firmly in control of the race. With no big mountains left, it was just a matter of survival for Contador, and a new dynasty in pro cycling will begin. Sounds melodramatic right?
Stage 15: David Garcia Dapena* (Xacobeo Galicia) took a well deserved win out of a really big break. In a way it was payback for his small Spanish team, who felt that Contador had been mean in not handing them the win the day before. The Accountant is still golden.
*Most ridiculous looking helmet on the planet.
Stage 16: Blah, blah, blah, Tom Boonen (Quickstep), Contador.
Stage 17: Blah, blah, blah, Tom Boonen's teammate Wouter Weylandts (Quickstep), Contador.
Stage 18: Imanol Erviti Ollo (Caisse D'Epargne) won a close sprint out of a breakaway group. Guess who is still wearing the Maillot Oro?
Stage 19: David Arroyo (Caisse D'Epargne) makes it two in a row for the Spanish team who is sponsored by a French bank. This is getting kind of boring.
Stage 20 TT: The final time trial, an uphill race against the clock, gave a little bit more excitement than the last few days. Contador lost 31 seconds to his teammate Levi Leipheimer who took the win. It's really not that exciting, but imagine how much tension there would have been if Leipheimer would have ruined his teammates chance at being the youngest person to win all three grand tours.
Stage 21: Picture time! The last day of a grand tour is pretty much never taken seriously, and this Vuelta was no different. It's a day for most of the peloton to relax and take it easy. Someone has to win the stage though, and this year it was Matti Breschel (CSC-Saxo Bank).
The final podium for the Vuelta: Contador-1, Leipheimer-2, Sastre-3, Moncoutie-best climber, Van Avermaet-points.
The first week was pretty neat with all of the lead changes, but this race always seemed like a foregone conclusion. The Contador era is starting to feel pretty boring. Good thing Armstrong will be back next year to bring his trademark spontaneity back to the sport.
Tour of Poland: Poland? Who cares about Poland right? Normally I wouldn't, but Jens Voigt won and I have a rule that I always take any opportunity to mention how awesome Jens Voigt is. I don't even really know what happened in the race. All I know is that he wore a plastic bag over his head in stage six and received a giant teddy bear. Here, watch this video of Jens Voigt. It has nothing to do with Poland.
Cyclocross:
GP Neerpelt Wisselbeker Eric Vanderaerden (Belgium): Belgians like giving things really long names. The Lord (Sven Nys) of cyclocross kicked off his season with his new team (Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner) by winning.
FSA Star Crossed (USA): The domestic cross season got of to a much dirty start this weekend, with team Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale rider Jeremy Powers taking the win up in Washington.
Rad Racing GP (USA): Team Cyclocrossworld-Cannondale is starting off the season pretty well. US national cyclocross champ Tim Johnson took the win a day after his teammate.
The world championships are this coming weekend so the shorter posts might not be for awhile.
Until next time, take care.
Anthony
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Nathan's Triathlon Volunteering
Hey Team,
Coming out and support your teammates and all of the triathletes competing in Nathan's Triathlon on Sunday, Sept 21st. ASUCTC is aiding on the bike course and needs your help. Please meet at the volunteer tent at Tempe Beach Park at 5:30a.m. After we check in (and receive our volunteer shirts, etc.) we'll ride over to our positions on the bike course on the corner of Center and Washington. Feel free to call me at (760) 889-3742 if you need anything else. We'll see you there!Thanks,
Phil
Saturday, September 13, 2008
This Week in Road Cycling: Sept 15 to Sept 21
So I didn't bother to write a TWIRC last week, because I thought the world was supposed to end on Wednesday. Not only that, but the thought of having to write about a world were Bobby Julich wasn't racing his bike, is almost too much to bear. We're still here though, and I think I've managed to pull myself together...
Welcome to This Week in Road Cycling.
Local Racing:
Races in September:
-Buckeye Crit: Buckeye, AZ- Sept 20; http://www.wmrc.org/buckeye/index.htm
-Sonoita TT: Sonoita, AZ- Sept 21; http://www.saguarovelo.org/infosonoita.htm
-AZ Hill Climb Championships: Mt. Graham, AZ- Sept 28; http://presteza.com/MtGrahamIndex.html
-AZ Cyclocross Race #1: Payson, AZ- Sept 28; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/september_28th2c_2008.aspx
*Cyclocross Practice: Thursday 5:30pm @ Kiwanis Park
Pro Racing:
Vuelta Espana: Last time I we looked at the Vuelta together, there had only been two stages completed, and two different race leaders (Pozzato, and Valverde). If you've been relying on my updates you've missed a lot, but it's been awhile so I'll be brief.
Stage 3: Tom Boonen (Quick Step) took the stage, and Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) took the lead on time bonuses.
Stage 4: Bennati took the stage win, still in Gold.
Stage 5 (TT): Levi Leipheimer (Astana) took both.
Stage 6: World Champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) took the stage win and Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) picked up time bonuses on the road to get into the lead.
Stage 7: Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) spent the day alone, in the rain and got a stage win and the lead.
Stage 8: Stage; David Moncoutie (Cofidis) Lead; Levi Leipheimer
Stage 9: Greg Van Avermat (Silence Lotto) won from a breakaway and Egoi Martinez (Euskatel Euskadi) moved into the race lead.
Stages 10, 11, 12: Martinez spends the most days on the lead so far, and the stage winners were Sebastian Hinault (Credit Agricole), Oscar Freire (Rabobank), an angry Paolo Bettini (Quickstep).
Stage 13: Stage 13 was the day the race finished at the Alto d'Angliru. It's not the highest mountain in Europe, but many believe it to be the toughest (at some places the road ramps up to 24%). In any case, Alberto Contador (Astana) took control of the race and made a strong case for why he's the best Grand Tour rider in the game. He did that stupid finger gun thing though.
Stage 14: Apparently Contador really likes his victory salute. He won another stage today and padded his overall lead.
Tour of Missouri: The tour of Missouri was a week long stage race that showcased the power of the two top American teams in the world. Christian VandeVelde (Garmin-Chipotle) won the overall, and Mark Cavendish (Columbia) took 3 stage wins.
Tour of Britain: The return of Alessandro Petacchi (LPR) the asthmatic is back from his suspension and took three stage wins for his new team. The overall race was won by Geoffroy Lequatre (Agritubel). I would try and say something witty about him, but I've never even heard of him before.
Oh, so it turns out Lance Armstrong is coming out of retirement. The media went wild over this for a couple days, and next year is going to be an interesting one. The prevailing logic is that he will likely join his former team director Johan Bruyneel over at Astana. Bruyneel directed the Postal/Discovery team for all of Armstrong's tour victories. The problem though, is that Astana is the definitely the strongest Grand Tour team in the world right now. Is there room for Armstrong in an Astana roster that has Contador, Leipheimer, and Kloden? What do you think?
Till next time,
Anthony
Welcome to This Week in Road Cycling.
Local Racing:
Races in September:
-Buckeye Crit: Buckeye, AZ- Sept 20; http://www.wmrc.org/buckeye/index.htm
-Sonoita TT: Sonoita, AZ- Sept 21; http://www.saguarovelo.org/infosonoita.htm
-AZ Hill Climb Championships: Mt. Graham, AZ- Sept 28; http://presteza.com/MtGrahamIndex.html
-AZ Cyclocross Race #1: Payson, AZ- Sept 28; http://www.azcross.com/content/races/september_28th2c_2008.aspx
*Cyclocross Practice: Thursday 5:30pm @ Kiwanis Park
Pro Racing:
Vuelta Espana: Last time I we looked at the Vuelta together, there had only been two stages completed, and two different race leaders (Pozzato, and Valverde). If you've been relying on my updates you've missed a lot, but it's been awhile so I'll be brief.
Stage 3: Tom Boonen (Quick Step) took the stage, and Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) took the lead on time bonuses.
Stage 4: Bennati took the stage win, still in Gold.
Stage 5 (TT): Levi Leipheimer (Astana) took both.
Stage 6: World Champion Paolo Bettini (Quick Step) took the stage win and Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) picked up time bonuses on the road to get into the lead.
Stage 7: Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) spent the day alone, in the rain and got a stage win and the lead.
Stage 8: Stage; David Moncoutie (Cofidis) Lead; Levi Leipheimer
Stage 9: Greg Van Avermat (Silence Lotto) won from a breakaway and Egoi Martinez (Euskatel Euskadi) moved into the race lead.
Stages 10, 11, 12: Martinez spends the most days on the lead so far, and the stage winners were Sebastian Hinault (Credit Agricole), Oscar Freire (Rabobank), an angry Paolo Bettini (Quickstep).
Stage 13: Stage 13 was the day the race finished at the Alto d'Angliru. It's not the highest mountain in Europe, but many believe it to be the toughest (at some places the road ramps up to 24%). In any case, Alberto Contador (Astana) took control of the race and made a strong case for why he's the best Grand Tour rider in the game. He did that stupid finger gun thing though.
Stage 14: Apparently Contador really likes his victory salute. He won another stage today and padded his overall lead.
Tour of Missouri: The tour of Missouri was a week long stage race that showcased the power of the two top American teams in the world. Christian VandeVelde (Garmin-Chipotle) won the overall, and Mark Cavendish (Columbia) took 3 stage wins.
Tour of Britain: The return of Alessandro Petacchi (LPR) the asthmatic is back from his suspension and took three stage wins for his new team. The overall race was won by Geoffroy Lequatre (Agritubel). I would try and say something witty about him, but I've never even heard of him before.
Oh, so it turns out Lance Armstrong is coming out of retirement. The media went wild over this for a couple days, and next year is going to be an interesting one. The prevailing logic is that he will likely join his former team director Johan Bruyneel over at Astana. Bruyneel directed the Postal/Discovery team for all of Armstrong's tour victories. The problem though, is that Astana is the definitely the strongest Grand Tour team in the world right now. Is there room for Armstrong in an Astana roster that has Contador, Leipheimer, and Kloden? What do you think?
Till next time,
Anthony
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