[News report filed by Dennis D]

Team Expo proudly paraded the team kit up and down the hills in and around Glastonbury CT yesterday as Dave J, Steve Y, and Dennis D tackled the Dirty Dozen Hill Ride.  The ride was somewhat unique.  Here’s how it works (as copied from the flier): “Riders will follow a pace car to each climb at a leisurely pace. At the base of each hill an official will signal the beginning of the sprint with a blow of a whistle. Another official will be waiting at the top of the hill to record the top 5 places.“

Despite the pain (or perhaps accentuated by the pain for the sadists riding on Saturday), the ExpoWheelmen thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.  Dennis D consistently finished near the head of the field on each of the sprints in the “Competition” class, and Dave J and Steve Y duked it out scoring great finishes in the “Open” class competition.  Those sprints only served as temporary (yet painful) interruptions to what was mostly a great social tour through the local back roads on what turned out to be a beautifully crisp late autumn morning.

You can find Dennis D’s write-up here, and you can check out Steve Y’s ride stats over here.

Dennis, Dave, and Steve smiling before the hills

[Submitted by Keith G]

The second stop on the verge calendar drew a handful of Expo racers up into Maine.  “Located in the rolling hills of New Gloucester, Maine Pineland farms, is a 3,000 acre working farm, diverse business campus and educational and recreational facility.” This was a new venue to all of the Expo contingent except Keith who had been up to a Verge race there 6 years ago and remembered it was worth the drive.  The weather for the weekend was windy and frosty cold in the early mornings, but the sunshine warmed things up with highs of 50 both days.  The perfect cross weather quickly melted the frost from the grass from the scorching action on the course.

Jon T, Cliff K, Dave H and Keith G loaded Dave’s truck to the gills with 7 bikes, 2 extra sets of wheels, a rooftop carrier and enough clothing and extra equipment to fix anything.

Team Expo arrived at the event about 5 pm and proceeded to change and then get in a few laps. It was going to be some fast tight racing was the recurring observation. The course was fairly short; riders were doing 6.30 minute laps. This course was going to be punchy, meaning you have to hit the gas leaving every corner. A neat feature about this course was you actually got to ride through a large barn on every lap. The Expo boys all had concerns about the course but they decided they would let the chips fall where they may.

The lodging for the weekend was actually a highlight of the trip. Our own Kurt P opened to his teammates his beautiful home, which is situated on Sebago Lake, and the home commanded stunning views. There were bedrooms aplenty allowing for everyone to have their own beds (thanks again, Kurt!)

Day 1 racing

Joe T had made the trip up as well and was the first to go off. Seeing how he raced @ 8:30 am, his teammates missed his start.  Joe was on a tear despite struggling to keep his cross bike upright on the frosty grass, and ended up 4^th in the 35+ cat 4 field.

Next up was Jon T, after getting off to a slower start he reeled in many fast guys and worked his way up to his best finish in a Verge event of 11^th.  This moved Jon to 8^th place overall in the 45+ points series.

Next to go off was the 35+ masters’ field.  Each of the Expo guys had different goals for the race yet all were all met.  Cliff lined up to a second row start, and was sitting comfortably around 13^th, after a few laps he had some bad luck and flatted.  He pulled the plug and planned on saving what he had left for Sunday.  Dave, on the tail end of his cold, had stated that he “just wanted to race and have fun” and put in a stoical performance and a solid 29^th.  Keith G had a 3^rd row start ( Dave H kindly gave up his spot for Keith who otherwise would have lined up in the last row) found a few good openings, made some crazy passes to put himself in good position, rolling in at the 8^th spot.

Kurt took us on a cool down ride into Sebago state park to show his teammates some nice up-close views of the water.  Warm showers followed by great local seafood ended day one.

Day 2 Racing

Once again Joe T put in a great performance showing that Wheaties really are the breakfast of champions.  Joe came in second and was only 30 seconds off the leader. With that performance Joe now will likely be upgrading to the cat 3′s. Nice job Joe!

Next on the roster was Jon T.  After a very impressive start by Jon he slotted in 6^th position and began digging hard. The bummer about having teammates race right before the start of your race is that you really can’t spend a lot of time watching them (and more importantly, heckling them) as you have to prepare for your own race.  John ended up 11^th again in a very talented 45+ field.

35+ was next.  Cliff and Keith had a second row start, while Dave was in the traffic heavy third row. Cliff had a good start and got around some traffic and was sitting around 14^th after the first few laps. The wheels of good fortune were not smiling upon Cliff this day either.  Cliff had the air taken out of his tire on this day too.  He rode to the pit got a wheel and still finished 21^st.  Dave got a good start and settled in with a group.  Dave was riding well, making clean turns, and having a good time.  At one point it was said that Dave was actually seen smiling while racing cross (apparently there are pictures to prove it).  Keith had the start of a lifetime, slotted in with some fast guys but then the undoing of his race ensued. First it was a chain mishap, and then it was a self induced error, then another chain mishap, then a bobble on the last lap that took him down once again.  It got so bad and funny for Keith that he took a money handup going over the barriers… yet amazingly he still rolled in for 11^th.

Team Expo did a small warm down ride, packed the rig and got ready to head home. They ended their weekend with a great lunch @ Pineland Farms where they were fortunate enough bask in the view of a snow covered Mount Washington.

[Filed by Joe T]

The Mansfield Hollow dam is the backdrop for the annual Thread City Cyclists cyclocross race.  This year, like many others, it was a true fall day with blustery winds, and cool temperatures.   Since this is a local race for most of our club members, we had a good showing of Expo Wheelmen both in the race, and along the sidelines as spectators.

The Cat 4 race was the first race of the day where Joe T. battled with other riders in the top 5 spots and ended up finishing 4th.  Jim H. worked hard on a classic cross bike that was hand built by his father, moving up from the back of the pack to grab 15^th place.  Lance J. started out the race very strong, but then rolled a tire off his rim which ended his race early.  Marty S., Chris F., and Dave J. found the course challenging, but finished the race and had a great time.

The Men’s 2/3/4 Masters 45+ had Jon T. charging hard inside the top ten, where he grabbed a nice 7^th place finish.

The Men’s 2/3/4 Masters 35+ was fast from the whistle and Cliff K. rode hard with the leader of the race to set the pace.  Even though it isn’t as technical of a course as Cliff prefers, he still managed to finish in 2^nd place.

Lance J. decided to try his luck again for the Mens 2/3/4 race, but it proved to be a day filled with misfortune  after his rear tire exploded and tore off his rear derailleur.  Paul Q. was also in this race and may have caught some of these dreaded mechanical issues, as his racing was set back by a set of loose handlebars.

Keith G. represented Expo in the Mens 1/2/3 race where he held 2^nd place for much of the race until he had a chain malfunction.  Keith ended up finishing in 4th place.

The Expo Wheelmen continue to have an excellent cross racing season and there is just over a month yet to go.

[Submitted by Dave H]

Great weather, good racing and hanging out with friends were all on tap for Oct 10^th weekend up in Providence at the Roger Williams Park, host of the USA Cyclo-Cross Nationals a few years ago.  The course is one of Dave H’s favorites with the very technical turns, super long straight-away sections and the uphill pave’ finish line.  The venue is setup with many vendor tents in the center of the race course showing off their products, it’s a great opportunity to chat it up with these guys/gals and understand what’s new in their product line for the upcoming season.  There are also a few food vendors on-site (of course), most notable was one of the main sponsors of the event “Bobs Red Mill” with their signature Irish Steel Cut oatmeal – this made for a great early morning breakfast!

The two days would see Cliff, David, Jon and Keith in the Masters field, Dave Dubos and Joe Tindal in the Masters CAT 4 field all lined up to lay down some watts on the competition and see what they could do on this exciting course.  Dave and Joe raced on Saturday and were the first to get their shot in the CAT 4 race against 83 other racers… They successfully battled the competition to a great finish for both with top 10′s.  Dave taking 7^th and Joe 10^th – Great racing!

Next on tap were the Masters CAT 1-3 – The course broken-in some from the previous racers…  On Day 1, with everyone staging in the chute – the whistle sounded and the mad dash to the front ensued.   With everyone battling for position the team was able to all get close to the front just as they entered the tougher sections with Keith and Cliff getting the best positioning right up front.

The competition was very tough – New England has a significant presence in the Cross world and more so with this category of Masters…  In the field were two current USA National Champions and two former USA National Champions, one of which is also the former US Pro Road Champion.  That wouldn’t deter Expo though…  After battling back and forth, a few mishaps and too many flats – Keith flatted out and Cliff had a double flat, front and rear – though he was able to get to the pits and use the spare bike – not his bike though so size was an issue…  Final tally, Jon 16^th, Cliff 12^th, David 20^th and Keith, though a super strong race was out due to the flats.

Day 2 would be similar… only with the absence of Joe and Dave.  Again a fast start was on tap and some leg ripping efforts right from the beginning.  As the race progressed, speeds would be high and the corners and switchbacks tricky.  Keith was in great position up in the front group with Cliff and Dave H. just behind them – Keith would take a corner a bit wide and wash out – quick recovery brought him back to our group and the three Expo guys were do a few laps together near the front of the race.  The same corner would end up taking Dave out of the mix as well – some additional bad fortune (flat on the pit bike) would push him further out of the group.  Despite the issues and mishaps the team was able to put up some very solid results with Keith securing a top 10 (10^th) Cliff in 12^th and Dave in 30^th.

As always, Expo had a great showing of racers and supporters at the venue along with good times!

[Submitted by Jon T]

On Friday October 1st, some of the Expo ‘cross crew headed to what Cycling News recently deemed one of the “pillars of US cyclocross”, the New England Nationals, the Great Brewers Grand Prix of Gloucester.  This is the big one for New England, a must do at some point in every cross racers palmares.

Through torrential downpours Team Expo arrived at their hotel, the Cape Ann Inn and Marina, located directly on the water and less than a mile from the race venue.  After a delicious dinner at the Causeway Restaurant, they hit the sack in anticipation of the first of two days of racing.

The morning dawned with crystal clear skies and cool temps.  Everyone wondered how the previous day’s downpours had affected the course.  Dave H., Cliff K., Jon T. and Keith G. hopped on their bikes and made the short ride to Stage Fort Park to check out the course.  The park is located immediately adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, making for some incredible scenery.  This can also make for some horrendous weather conditions.  Not this day, this was going to be a beautiful cool, dry day.  A few quick preview laps down and it was time to move the entourage to the venue.  Expo had purchased a tent site along the start finish stretch for both days, so once setup they had a front row seat for all the action.

Day one’s course was like nothing the guys had seen before in a cross race.  A downhill start, on pavement, into an off-camber turn.  It seemed a little sketchy, but for the most part everyone, in all the fields, made it through unscathed.  The typical cross weekend will have the racers doing a less technical “power” course one day and a more technical “drivers” course the other.  Day 1 was the power day.   While still plenty technical, the course was fast and tough.  The races went fairly well, but not great.

Jon T. got psyched out by the downhill start and, despite a second row call-up, found himself at mid pack, by the first half lap.  He managed to claw his way back to 16^th.  Cliff, Dave and Keith contested the intensely competitive elite masters, 35+ race.  Most people agree that this is the fastest race of the day after the elite men’s race.  The pace was blistering, with Keith finishing 16^th, Cliff 20^th and Dave, still battling his cold, came in 31^st.

Day two started much like day one, with clear skies and cool temps.  The Expo guys all hurried over to the venue to set up the tent.  When they got there they were pleasantly surprised to see that always amazing Dave H. had come over in the pre-dawn hours and set the entire encampment up for us.  Thanks Dave!

The course for day 2 would use the traditional uphill drag on the pavement for the start.  The major change in the course was the addition of a short wall of a run-up near the beginning of the lap.  With some extra off-camber sections and several more twisty corners, the course was a little more technical, but the dry conditions still would ensure a very fast race.  Day two would find all the Expo guys improving their results.  Jon T. finshed 8^th, Keith 12^th, Cliff 17^th and Dave 25^th.

Both days found the team enjoying the days other races and other activities at the venue.  The Gloucester venue is one of the more spectator friendly, and everyone was treated to some amazing races in the Elite races that close out the day.

Check out this YouTube clip for a more visual version of this story.