(Submitted by Jeff B)

In November 2010 I got an email from Thread City Cyclers looking for interest in attending the 2011 Bicycle Tour of Colorado.  I reached out to a few of my Expo friends to see if there was interest in attending.  The first taker was Keith Hurley so we booked our trip.  The cost of the tour was $390 and we got Southwest flights for just over $300.   Southwest will fly your bike case for $50 each way. – Not a bad cost considering it is an epic bike trip.  Rob Recalde decided to attend about 4 weeks ago so he joined us last minute.  You can actually sign up for the day before the event starts.   Tom Phillips also attended and has been attending for several years.  We saw Tom each day out there and gave high 5’s to him and said “Go Expo”.

The Bicycle Tour of Colorado was started in 1995 and has been 400+ miles in the Rocky Mountains each year over 6-7 days and has always included challenging climbs over several mountain passes throughout the week.  The route this year went from Central City to Estes Park to Granby to Steamboat Springs to Glenwood Springs to Frisco and then back to Central City.  The organization is fantastic and the rest stops are first class with a full stock of food.   Read the rest of this entry

In some races, the pace seems easy - you roll along knowing that you are going to factor into the results and cause pain to others. In other races, you know from the gun that the pace is way over your head and you’re going to get dropped.  It’s not a question of “if” but “when.”  Then there are races where the pace hurts, but your brain knows it’s a pace you are capable of.  And by sheer grit, determination, and motivation, you hang on – and sometimes your legs come around and you finish with the group.

The Purgatory Road Race in Sutton, MA, was one of the latter for me. A 5 lap, 11 mile rolling loop, with a stiff stair-step climb at the end, contested on wet roads in a very un-June like 58 degrees. The motivation for me to hang on past the first lap (which was strung out for way too long) was stoked by the fact that the other 4 guys I drove up with (Dave, Keith, Jay, and Cliff) showed no sign of cracking, and I didn’t want to be “that guy that got popped” on the drive home. So I hung in there, even though the pack had been severely whittled down. Dave came back on the 2nd lap and asked how I felt (not good).  He indicated he didn’t feel good since he spent the first lap trying to create a break (thanks for that), and he wanted to get back up there and help the team.

Well, the legs did come around (although a break of 4 had already gone) and I started to really enjoy the course. It might be the best road race in New England – the downhill had sweeping turns, the rolling parts were twisty, there were lake views, and the climb – though tough, was not HC.

Highly recommended; with the right motivation.

Several Expo Wheelmen have been taking to the trails this Spring as fat tire action in the Root 66 Race Series has kicked off.  After five races, Expo racers have posted some impressive finishes in the premier New England off-road series.

The Fat Tire Classic at Winding Trails in Farmington was the first stop in April 2011.  In Cat 2, Expo’s Jesse Quaglioroli finished up with a solid 5th place in a big field of 21 riders.  Chris Franson clocked in with a 22nd place effort in a monster field of over 40 riders for the 40-49 age group.  Representing the fairer side of cross-country racing, Vikki M. grabbed a spot on the podium with a 2nd place finished.  Three Expo team members hammered the big-ring course in Cat 1, with Jim H. testing his early season form with a 6th place ride, while Dave H. and Jason M. both battled mechanical troubles to finish 15th and 22nd respectively.

The second event of the series took place at Massasoit State Park in East Taunton, MA.  Heavy rains and cool temps made for a soggy and chilly slogfest for Expo’s three representatives.  Jim H. staved off frozen toed misery to finish 4th in the Cat 1 19-29 crowd, while Jesse Q. endured the deteriorating conditions to post a 6th place standing in Cat 2.

The rainy weather persisted for the 3rd stop at Winsted Woods.  Several Expo riders abandoned road racing ambitions for the day to have some fun in the mud out in western CT.  Cliff K. and Dave H. powered to victories in their respective classes on the shortened course.  Jim H. ran out of steam to finish 3rd, while Todd B., Jon T., and Jason M. grabbed 5th, 6th, and 7th respectively. The second and final leg of the CT State Championship Series also saw 3 Expo riders recognized.  Jim H. was crowned 19-29 State Champion, and Dave H. got the silver medal in the 40-49 group.  In Cat 2 action, Jesse turned in another podium effort for 3rd place.

The action really heated up for Coyote Hill as 80 degree temps made for a tough event at the Vermont mountain bike camp.  Riders had to be on their toes to keep the rubber side down while negotiating the never-ending piles of Green Mountain State roots.  Jesse led things off in the Cat 2 race riding to a 5th place.  In Cat 1, Expo reps Jim H. and Jon T. battled the physically demanding course for 3rd and 5th place finishes in their respective age groups. 

The series returned south for the June 6th running of the Domnarski Farm XC race.  The event is becoming a riders’ favorite, and it is not hard to see why.  The course has all of the elements: Endless climbing, fast woods roads, bermed motocross style doubletrack, technical singletrack, and plank sections all on a somewhat atypical 10 mile loop.  First to start was Jim H. who was rewarded for his quick start in avoiding a first turn pileup.  Jetting away up the climb with only one other rider in sight, Jim held onto 2nd until the end of the final lap.  At the finish, just 6 seconds separated 2nd and 3rd, but Jim was pleased with his best race of the season.  Cliff put in another strong ride to finish 2nd, and the podium was becoming all too familiar with the Expo kit as Todd B. also grabbed 2nd.  Jim, Cliff, and Todd were able to bag some extra prize money thanks to promoter Matt Domnarski’s coveted $10 reward for turning in a sub-hour lap.  In Cat 2, Jesse narrowly missed the hour mark, but did pick up 2nd place.  Joe T. and Chris F. nailed down 10th and 14th place finishes respectively.

The season continues into July with the next 3 races at Pats Peak, Putney/West Hill, and Wrath of the Boneyard in Meriden, CT.  Currently, Jim H. sits in 1st place in the series overall for the 19-29 years old age group.  Cliff K. holds down the 6th spot in the 30-39 overall, Todd B. is in 6th in 40-49.  Jesse is the number 2 guy in Cat 2 19-29.  Expo Wheelmen have been well represented in the series this year, and it would be great to see even more folks take to the woods at one of the remaining races. -JimH

A near-perfect spring day, combined with a challenging yet scenic route set on the quieter roads of CT, and three *deliciously* stocked rest stops motivated 11 of team Expo to tackle the TCC Century on Saturday, June 4th.  There might have been a little grumbling heard from the pack on the last few hills as we neared the 6,000 ft mark for climbing on the day, but aside from that, a smile seemed to be part of the team kit as you can see in the pictures above. -DennisD

The weather would cooperate for the Memorial weekend Killington Stage Race held at Killington Mountain in Vermont.  This 3 day, 3 stage race was a staple of stage racing in the Northeast for many years throughout the 80′s and 90′s but took a short sabbatical only to receive a stellar come-back with its revival last year.  This years race saw around 650 competitors across all categories.

This is a great opportunity to experience the Killington area resort without all of the winter congestion – the surrounding areas roll out the carpet for the racers!  For the Masters 40+, the races are staged as follows:
Day #1: 53 mile Circuit Race (3 laps of 18 miles) – with a long climbing (not very steep) back section of around 7 miles and finishes with a very, very fast sprint! The promoter recommends a 55T chainring if your planning on competing for win… I read this but thought it was excessive until I did the race and hit 47mph during the sprints. This would be a very fast Circuit and challenge you on the first day to keep your heart rate up.  A break-away would succeed to the finish; I finished with the front of the main peleton in 22nd place holding the same time as the main pack.  This is good going into the next days TT.

Day #2: 11 Mile Individual Time Trial – The TT course starts at The Long Trail Brewery and heads towards the mountain on a gradual climb that covers the full course.  There was a head-wind along the first 6 miles that made it challenging but then again it would be the same for everyone in my category.  The temps rocketed into the low 90′s at the start (3:30PM) and made it tough near the end without water.  Overall I was able to place 9th on the stage and moved up to 12th in General Classification (GC).

Day #3: 63 Mile Queen Stage Road Race – If you know the mountains in Vermont, you can understand how hilly this course is.  There are a couple of sections that hit you hard.  Out of the start you roll for 3 miles then start climbing steadily for another few miles – this is a favorite place for attacks and keeps the pace high.  In the middle at mile 25 starts a challenging section that lasts around 9 miles followed by a very welcomed feed zone (hot day!).  Just after the feed zone is a nice downhill break but the fun isn’t over as you roll into a sharp 2 mile dirt climb.  After this section are roller for a while then the final 10K climb to the K-1 Chair lift at the top of Killington Mountain.  This was a challenging stage for all competitors after the efforts of the previous two days – there would be many attempts to get off the front with some sticking and others being brought back.  At the end of the day, the group would be shattered into may fragmented mini-groups.  I was able to recover well and fight for a good placing on the final climb finishing 11th on the stage and 10th overall for the GC on the stage race.

This was my first time doing this event and I look forward to the opportunity to go back next year with my family and enjoy a mini-vacation, great racing/competition and friends. -DaveH