Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Tyler Grahovec 3rd place Sea Otter Cross Country race 
Christian Leask
10:46 AM |
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Cy warming up for the Tuesday night training crit in Marietta, GA
Christian Leask
9:11 AM |
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Sea Otter race report - Tyler Grahovec
Sea Otter Race Report – Tyler Grahovec
The trip out was smooth and first up, after pre-riding the course with Arlo (a local Pro) on Friday, was the Short Track race on Saturday. Short Track is a 25-minute pain fest on an off-road course that is less than a mile long. Shey (travel partner for this trip) and I talked about making a move early to get away form the group. It worked but a group of 4 riders formed the first chase group and caught us after a couple of laps, I was still on the front when I clipped a pedal in the corner which sent me to the ground. I jumped back on and caught them on the next climb I sat in and we dropped one rider so now it was down to a group of 5 riders. One the last lap I made a big push to the front on the back straight trying to get in to single track first but it didn’t work. I ended up crossing the line in 4th place right on the wheels of 2nd and 3rd. Not a bad way to start the weekend with a podium. It was an all CA or GA podium.
Sunday at Sea Otter only means one thing Cross Country racing and this is one heck of a XC course19.5 mile lap's with 2500 feet of climbing each lap. We had 2 laps to do of this monster course which has everything sand, fast single track, gravel road, 2-mile climb and heck just for fun a lap of Laguna Seaca car race track. When you line up for the start with 98 other riders it always best to be in the front, well lets just say I was in the opposite position. I went in to the single track in the middle of the group, and I could still see the leaders. After a couple of mile they had a gap on us, I could see Shey up there so it gave me a target to aim for. The whole race I was just moving forward and keeping my nose out of the wind. Towards the end of the second lap I came out on to the 2-mile climb with Shey and 2 other riders. We started asking each other what group we were each in and came to the conclusion that we where all in the same class. Fun, after 2+ hours of racing we are still in a group of 4 riders. About a mile in to the climb one rider put in a good effort to break away from our group. He got a gap on us, and I could have pulled him in but I would have pulled the other 2 with me, with that effort I don’t think I would have had anything for the sprint. Shey came around me to pull at the top of the climb and on to Laguna but when we got out on the track I could still see the rider in front of us so I got on the front of the group and punched to see if we could catch him. The 3 of us where still together, with 500 meters to go I came back around Shey and gunned it we dropped the other rider and now it was just Shey and I, he started his sprint and got a ½ a wheel on me then I grunted it out and the line to come back by him and take 3rd buy 1/10 of a second. After 2:50 of racing it came down to 1/10 of a second.
Well we had another CA/GA podium. Not to bad of a trip 4th in STXC and 3rd in the XC
Christian Leask
6:43 AM |
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Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Results from Sea Otter
Travis - 5th Short Track / 7th XC
Lucas - Super XC 84 / TT 76 / STXC 84 / XC 64 / Overall 66
Tyler - 4th Short Track / 3rd XC
Stories to follow
Christian Leask
6:49 AM |
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Cheaha - Race Report Pro 1/2
Charles {nervous} at the starting line: "I wonder, how am I going to fare against the fastest pros in the country in a crit that pays $10,000?"
18 minutes later....
Yeah, the question that was on my mind all week was answered in short order.
Warming up I had high hopes. I mean, these guys don't look all that different from me. Sure, they're a little leaner, and most have some fairly bulging quads poking out of their so-pro shorts, but I kinda look like them. And come on, I train every day after work...for at least a couple of hours.
One of the bigger differences I suppose, is that their quads and shorts appear regularly on VeloNews. Oh, and they don't train after work....it is the work. "Honey...I'm off to ride tempo....see you in 5 hours after which I'll play video games and then turn in for 10 hours of sleep!! And can you stop at the Pharmacy?? My EPO 'scrip is running low!!!!"
Okay, I'm over it.
Did I let myself expect to keep up with them? Well, I did. And I'm going to. Maybe not next time, but some time. First I need to beat some Cat 2's.........
Christian Leask
6:44 AM |
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Tsali - Travis Wins Junior X / Chris Brown 7th - Race reports from all
Tsali Pro
Tsali...incredible race. Extremely hot, fast, epic,
etc.
Pacesetter riders where everywhere. Dave, Tyler,
Lucas, Travis and I were representing.
I can't speak for Dave, Tyler or Travis as I bailed
pretty quickly after the race but the Pro/Semi-Pro race
was a blast. I can say that because my legs went numb
and the race went incredibly well for me. The plan
was to lead Lucas out at the start so that he could be
with the leaders going into the single track and take
over from there. So Lucas and I lined up next to one
another and I thought everything was going to plan as
I killed it on the short fire road before the
single track. Then I looked back going into the trail
head and he wasn't there (I found out later that Lucas
had been sick and hadn't been able to ride much at all
that week, he still managed a 14th...I have not seen
final results, but Lucas thought he was around 14th
which is great considering there were around 35
Pro/Semi-Pro riders in our field).
So I am with the lead group now and figured I would
see how long I could hang and hopefully that would
give me enough of a gap over the rest of the field to
maybe maintain and get a top 10. Stayed with them for
a good while (man it hurt) and two riders flatted
(Andy Mills and Anthony Slowinski). Long story short,
slowly got dropped off that lead group, still hung in
there by myself, saw Charlie Storm at times but
couldn't bridge the gap. Andy Mills caught me near
the end of the left loop and we kicked it to the
finish. I attacked him near the finish to solo in for
7th (I think, maybe 6th). Top Semi-Pro...2 hrs 23
minutes according to the HR monitor.
That is my view of Tsali, what a day.
I hear Savannah went really well, sounds like the team
is coming together. I can't wait for Raccoon MTN RR
this weekend.
Man it feels weird to ramble on about a race…
Chris
Tsali Pro / Junior Expert report – Lucas / Travis
Just wanted to give everyone the final on some of the results from the Tsali race. Thanks Chris for trying to help me out in the lead out. Sorry I couldn't make more happen but I guess between being sick and a bad start it just wasn't in the cards. But hey, we tried, and your finish was awesome. Congrats on a great race. After dangling just a couple of minutes of the lead group in about 9th place my legs finally cramped out on me for a while. I did manage to recover though and made one final surge with about 20 minutes to go and pulled in a couple of guys to finish in 13th place. What a day, I was so exhausted and cramped up by the end I could hardly peddle without my legs locking up on me. All and all I was good though considering that was the only riding I'd done due to being sick.
Travis had a great race. He laid down a serious smack down on those jr. boys with a huge win. I think second place was a good 4 minutes behind him. Travis took off from the gun, had a gap by the end of the first 500 meters, was the first one in the woods, and never looked back. That’s how to win a mtb race. This makes Travis' 5th win of the year so far and he has been on the podium in 14 of his 18 races so far. Travis bet me before the race that he was going to catch me before the end and I am happy to report the he did NOT catch me and my time beat his by 20 seconds. Maybe next time Trav.
We will both be heading out to sea otter this week. Travis for the Jr. expert races and me for the pro stage race. Dave and Tyler will also be there so hopefully there will be many good results to report on.
Good luck to everyone racing this weekend and hope to see all of you soon.
Lucas Livermon
Tsali SERC # 3 Expert 30-34
It was awesome to see so many Pacesetter kits at the race. Dave and
I had a great time pre-riding with the Livermon clan on Saturday. I
think Chris did a great job on the kit, as it seems to stand out
among the other uniforms.
The race was interesting for me, I didn't actually have a teammate
in my class, so no one could yell at me when I got my typical bad
start. I thought for a change I would try to make it to the front of
the group before the single track. It worked I went into the woods
in about 8th place, we had a little team tactics going on in front
of us, the guy in second place had a teammate in third place sit up
and hold us back so first and second could get a gap. It worked till
the course opened up and I made my move. Went from 8th to 4th in one
swoop. A few more miles in I had sitting in 3rd, with 2nd in my
sights and about a 20-30 second gap over 4th. I was descending
trying to catch 2nd place when I heard a loud crack which was my
chain blowing apart as I was descending at 22mph, it wrapped up in-
between the cassette and the wheel which made for a great 11 minute
stop in the middle of the race. After I put the chain together I
cased back up to 12th place. It wasn't what I had hoped for but at
least I will be confident for the start at Sea Otter next weekend.
Great job to everyone that raced this weekend! Lu thank you for the
feeds and Chris let your wife know thank you for the cheering
section!
Tyler
Tsali Sport 40-49
I would like to say it was very nice to meet and spend some time with Lu Livermon and Darryl McKenzie at the race today. I hope to meet all my Pacesetter Bros. soon.
We lined up and my best guess was 50 Sport over 40's were there. Conditions were great. No dust. I reminded myself I need to "feel the pain". My race started and I went for the mid-pack. We all funneled into the woods well and I stayed in my spot. People in front, people in back. My HR was 180 by the time we got to the first steep rocky climb. After that, I saw one after another step off the trail as I went by. I motored along and started passing a couple Sport over 30's. Yea! Considering the promoter was leaving 5 minutes between classes today, I was happy to see the 30 something’s. Not half done yet.
So I'm bombing down the other side of the big climb (with the wooden water bars) and I'm hauling butt and passing people. I hopped over some big roots and when I landed I hear piss, pisss, piss, pisss .... Leaves stuck in my frame I hope? I keep riding 'til the front tire goes flat and I crash. Crap. I fix the tire and motor on. I cramp up on the last big climb on the loop and I kept pedaling. I finish in 45th. Too bad about the flat. I was running 35 psi instead of my normal 40 looking for a little more traction. I'll run 40 from now, on! Now I'm looking forward to SERC #4 Tanasi.
Bill
Christian Leask
6:36 AM |
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Savannah Omnium Pro 1-2
Weekend in Savannah.
Savannah Omnium Pro 1-2
Present and accounted for: Chotas, Ben, Russ, Charles, and myself
Let me start by saying that Savannah is a really cool town to race in, and I've visited a few.
We started our weekend's adventures in Forsyth Park located among the historic squares of Savannah. It helps to have a bike race around a really cool town square, opens a few new souls to bike racing, who knows maybe a little kid got inspired.
Before the criterium we all gathered together and solidified the thoughts that have been echoing through our yahoo group the last week; we have to get ourselves racing as a team. We set out to be active throughout the race and make sure we had at least one Pacesetter team member in any move that went up the road. To that point we were very successful. Everyone took turns policing the front of the pack. Nothing could really get away with long straight a ways and wide streets to allow the pack to move.
With 5 laps to go we found ourselves closing in on our second goal, lead out Russ for the final sprint and try to place a few of us in the top ten. That might have worked if it were not for the unmerciful temptation of a 5 lap to go, $100 prime. I do not know what came over me, but I decided to leave my third position (with Charles and Russ in tow) and have a run at the prime. Now for those who don't know this already, don't sprint for a prime in the final 5 laps unless your subsequent plan is to drift to the back of the pack and watch your team mates fend for themselves. Let's just say it was not one of my best moves. To make it worse, I got nipped at the line by a rider who stayed in my blind spot until the last few meters.
Russ somehow managed to place 15th and the rest of us came across as fotter.
The second race was an individual time trial that started only a few hours after the criterium finished. The race featured a 10-kilometer undulating road with no shortage of crosswinds. Everyone dug deep and we managed to place 3 riders in the top 20, Russ at least maintaining his Omnium standing by placing 15th. Time trials only look glorious on TV; in reality you just slobber all over yourself while trying to convince yourself that this is not the worse pain ever, and surely it can't kill you.
After a relaxing evening exploring the Savannah historic district, we returned to racing Sunday with even more determination. The last race was a circuit/criterium encircling the Georgia Tech Savannah campus. The course was flat and fast, and Pacesetter was once again represented in every move that came out of the pack. And once again we closed in on the final stages of the race with the plan of placing Russ in a position to sprint out the finish in glorious fashion.
Luckily the promoters abstained from tempting me a second time and I remained at my post with Charles, Ben, Chotas, and I all taking turns pushing forward to get Russ into position. The pack exited the final turn with myself and Russ in third and fourth position respectively. Unfortunately for us, one of the Krystal riders was sideswiped by another rider and sent wobbling down towards the final meters on a disintegrating front wheel. Even though I could not get Russ into the final 200 unobstructed, he managed to make it around the near disaster and had a drag race towards the line against a bevy of sprinters. Even though he had to start his effort way too soon, Russ managed to come across the line in 3rd place, moving him into 8th overall in the Omnium.
Overall it was a breakthrough weekend for all of us, and a much needed taste of success. A few more races and we will have the lead out train barreling towards a first place.
Thanks for everyone who came out to support us and congrats to my teammates for making the weekend a success.
Mike Gann
Short Report By Charles
Russ bagged 3rd today on a superb lead out by Mike. Everybody raced well all weekend.... things are looking up. Sleep now.... details later.
CR
Christian Leask
6:34 AM |
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Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Mike Gann Coment on Ben's Rock Hill race report
Mike Gann:
We will have vengence in Savannah, even if I have to turn myself inside out. The results may not show it but everyone really pushed themselves this weekend and made a great effort. The quote that Ben missed from me was as follows; "The race conditions this past weekend make my all time top 5 worst ever, and two of the top five were snow/hail storms."
Thanks again to everyone who raced and turned out to support us. If it doesn't kill you...
Christian Leask
11:06 PM |
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Raccoon Mountain, Chattanooga, Chris Chotas - Team Leader
With teammates in Rock Hill, SC racing on the road and Macon, GA racing mountain bikes, I must admit that the Raccoon Mountain training race in Chattanooga was the least exciting of the three races this weekend that I had to choose from. This event is somewhere between a race and a group ride- you must hold a USCF license to participate, but there’s no money on the line- just your pride and some bragging rights. This event comes two weeks before the “real” Raccoon Mountain Road Race, so it will be a good opportunity to get reacquainted with the course for when it really counts.
A family obligation kept me from traveling to Rock Hill, and the mud scared me away from Macon. So Chris Brown and I teamed up to defend his title at the Chattanooga Spring Training Series opener earlier this spring, and we made the best of it anyway. Brown and I had talked a longtime friend of mine and Brown’s Litespeed co-worker, Tres into racing with us in the “A” race, against Tres’ better judgment. We told him it should be no problem, the race wouldn’t be that hard. He’d be a third teammate. That was true all the way through the 10 minute neutral start, and until Brown had to pee 2 ½ minutes later. As soon as we hit the actual course and the race was underway, Brown announced that he “needed to go kinda hard and shut off his bladder”. The first climb of the day, and Brown drills it, dropping Tres, who was never to be seen again, along with several others. Five minutes in, and we’re back down to two teammates.
The only one to respond to Brown’s attack was local Cat 1 rider Steve Carpenter, who gave me a free ride up to Chris. When we finally made contact, Brown apologized to Steve and explained that he just needed to shut off his bladder. No response whatsoever.
Every time anyone would go up the road, either Brown or myself was in the move. And anytime one of us was up the road, we’d follow wheels of those attempting to bridge. These guys hate us. Me, Brown, and Steve shared the work on the climbs, and soon the group was whittled down to about 10 guys…..
On the second lap, Steve attacked on the stair step climb, and got a good gap, and quickly gained 30+ seconds. He spent the next 10 or so miles solo off the front, until we finally reeled him in near the base of the final climb. During the descent, Brown and I took turns taking a 90 pound junior climbing specialist off the back of the group and forcing him to bridge us back to the group…..he had not done much work all day, and we both knew he would be dangerous on the final climb- he’d taken 4th in the Pro1/2 field at the River Gorge Road Race last fall……All in good fun, but we didn’t want him to be any more fresh than he needed to be.
So things are looking good for me- Brown says he’s not feeling all that good, for me to go for it; I figure Steve’s pretty well blown, and I’ve got one guy to watch- the little kid. He takes off like a bat out of hell at the base of the 1.5 mile finishing climb. I follow him, and we instantly have 100 meters on the group. The kid blows and I’m solo. Steve bridges up to me at about 400 meters from the line and I’m dying. But I figure I can sit on and come around him at the finish, knowing he’d been working hard during his solo stint off the front, and plus he’d just worked pretty hard to bridge to me…..Wrong. 200 meters and Steve jumps. I’m done. And here comes Brown going about 30mph uphill “not feeling all that good” in his big ring. Right. There goes second. Thanks, I’ll take third. If Brown had another 10 meters, he would’ve taken Steve as well.......I wish I felt that good on my bad days……
All in all, it was a great day, some really good training and great weather. No payout means you have nothing to lose, and pretty much everyone is willing to throw down to make these events a little more exciting. Plus, after hearing about the weekend for the rest of the Pro1/2 guys, I don’t think Brown and I brought home any less money than anyone else this weekend……
Hopefully next week we’ll be writing stories about domination and money making in Savannah, GA……
Chris
Christian Leask
12:19 PM |
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Monday, April 04, 2005
Rock Hill Pro 1,2 Road Race - Ben Carter
Rock Hill April 2nd 3rd
Pro 1,2
Russ, Ben, Mike, Lucas
Circuit Race: Saturday
No one knew what weather to expect when our race began. Rain, cold, then sun, then wind, then rain again were the conditions before our race. We started to warm up but then found our selves in the car waiting out the rain. We had to make a decision on how much clothing to wear, leg warmers or not, arm warmers- no question, Defeet Undeflector or vest, Decisions, decisions! 101 pro 1,2 racers lined up for what seemed to be an ordinary circuit race. Well, besides the fact that Honey Stinger, Cane Creek, Bianchi, Tiaa-Cref and the lone Jittery Joe guy, making their presence. Thankfully, we started with no rain, but the wind was no joke! The course was a loop around a lake with a slight hill and two sketchy turns. The second corner was scary due to a cross wind that could take your bike out from under you-literally! This turn shot you into a full headwind going to the finish line. This was where the problems started. The rain came back and it got faster and harder. I turned around about 20 minutes in and could not even see the back of the group. I turned around about 7 laps later to see the motorcycle and about 10 people behind me. Needless to say, it got faster and Lucas was gone, then me, then Russ. Mike is the only one to finish. He rode great and we were very happy to have him finish with the field. I think about 35-45 people finished out of 101.
Road Race: Sunday
The morning was shaping up to be a great day. Sunny and low 50’s. 75 to 85 guys started the 112-mile RR. Lucas was on the sidelines today. The order came from his dad and me that he would not be racing as sick as he was. Sea Otter is much more important!! Russ, Mike, and I headed out to what would become a very hard and long race. Russ went with a 12-man break about 15 miles into the race. They went up the road quick. I thought it was the one. Mike policed the front while I just tried to stay away from the back. That was hard enough. After the break reached 4 minutes it was go time. Russ and the others had been driving this break for 60+ miles. The peleton had enough and was getting antsy. The pace went from tempo riding to fast. Guys started exploding everywhere. When we saw the break up the road it was on. I think some of the guys had spare legs or something, because all of a sudden if you couldn’t go 30+ mph in a pace line after 75 miles on your legs then you were gone. Unfortunately, Mike cramped and I held on for about 10 more miles. Russ’s break was caught and he came out with me. Game Over!!! Russ and his group worked harder than anyone in that race. I wish it had stuck. Oh’ yea 20-25 people finished the race. The weekend was filled with great training. You will always learn something racing with a talented field!
Quote from Mike Gann: Road Race
“I haven't felt this blown in a really long time. I know that I trained a little too hard last week, but the race was really hard. I guess its good training, but I hate to not finish a race”.
See ya soon,
Ben
Christian Leask
10:30 PM |
1 comments
Macon Madness Race Report Sport 19-29 - Joel Price
Driving into the parking lot I saw a fellow cyclist wearing the
Pacesetter Steel uniform? I thought to myself "I thought I was the
only sucker on the team that was racing in these conditions?" But no,
Bill came out to represent the team as well. It was nice to meet Bill
and many thanks to Bill's wife for the support. She was our lonely
fan out there supporting us with a warm cheer every lap.
As I pulled up to the start/finish line with the rest of the Senior
Sport class, I was definitely a little anxious, and curious to see how
my handling skills would hold up in the super muddy trail conditions
and tight single track. My two previous races last year, in Colorado,
were much, much different than what I was facing here in the "dirty"
south. Out west the trails typically have long climbs and wide-open
downhill, so you can actually get away with being a pretty sloppy
rider if you have some fitness.
From the start I wasn't confident enough to blast off the front and
try to control the race from the front for many reasons, but mostly
because I'd never rode the course before and didn't have a clue on
what to expect around each corner. I settled in around mid-pack out
of 20+ racers before entering the single track. When we first entered
the single track I noticed about 5 guys were slowly but surely getting
off the front. I didn't really panic because I knew we had plenty of
racing to do and tons of mud to battle through. As the mud got
thicker and the corners got tighter, it seemed that every other racer
was either wrecking, or getting chain-suck. I was fortunate enough to
somehow stay upright through most of these sections with no mechanical
problems. To put the mud into perspective, there were about five
muddy sections on the six mile loop that were anywhere from 50 to 250
feet long and six to 18 inches deep. I'm talking hubs, and sometimes
frames were disappearing into the earth? It was definitely comical at
times?
After finishing my first lap, I was definitely much more relaxed and
feeling good about how things were going so far. The trail opened up
for about a mile through the start/finish line and I managed to pull
past two more racers. About halfway through my second lap I passed
another. On the final lap I managed to pull the third place racer
into my sight. Who happened to be this kid named Ethan Quell, a 15-year-old phenomenon, like Travis, but about 90 pounds soaking wet!!
Yep, he held his own and ended up leaving my sight and placing 2nd and
I finished 4th. I feel I have to mention this because once the
picture of us on the podium gets out on the web and you see this kid,
you'll think to yourself? "hmmmm, I didn't know Joel raced in the 10
and under class, I thought he was at least 25?" It's all good?.
I've already blown up a picture of him and placed it on my dartboard
for therapy and motivation, ha, ha, ha.
All and all it was a solid first race of the season. I was happy just
to finish in those conditions. Until next time…
Joel
Christian Leask
6:44 AM |
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Macon Madness Sport 40-49 Race Report - Bill Feier
As for my race, I had a pretty good one. The trail was mud city. I should have taken the camera. I would have had well before and after pictures. The day started out a little cold and windy. I worked all day Saturday putting a floor in the Pacesetter habitat house. I spent 7 hours hauling floor joists and 4x8 sheets of decking and hammering my ass off. I was sore when I got out of bed on Sunday so I wasn't sure about the Macon race. Nevertheless, I warmed up and went to race. There were 3 rows deep of Sport over 40's and we all took off pretty fast. The mud holes came up soon and seemed to be the equalizer. As the race went on, the mud got deeper. Axle deep. I had my mud wheels on and they did their job. My laps were 35, 35, and 36. I busted my ass on the second lap but kept the lap time consistent. I ended up with a 20th place. I felt pretty good about my lap times. The race was a confidence builder because the conditions were tough and I hit all the obstacles pretty well.
Christian Leask
6:43 AM |
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