News report filed by Jon T

Cool temps, steady rain and the first cyclocross race of the season.  Do I need to say more?  I guess so.  Blunt Park in Springfield Ma. has been the first cross race of the season for the past few years.  The Cyclonauts do a nice job putting together a fun and challenging course in a tight area.

Joe T. and Lance were up first in the cat. 4 race.  Who knew the wet pavement would be SO slippery?  Not Lance until he went down while jamming his brakes hard to make the 180 degree turn in to a single track.  Joe made it through unscathed and Lance picked himself up and quickly got going again after falling to about 30th position.  By the end of the race Joe had finished somewhere around 20th and Lanced pulled himself back up to 9th.

Joe T

My race, the 45+ men, was next.  Everybody cleared the start and made it  through the first trail section.  The second section of pavement took out two guys in front of me, on a straight no less.  I rode in 5th spot for all but the last 2 laps when the two guys who had been riding my wheel got around me in a tricky running section and got a gap.  I managed to close the gap, but couldn’t come around them and finished 7th.

Jon T

Cliff and Dave were up next in the 35+ race, which is typically a very hotly contested race, yesterday being no exception.  I missed most of the race as I was giving my bike a quick wash and lube.  When I got to the race, Cliff and Dave were trading spots for 3rd and 4th, each with a healthy drool going on.  Good stuff in a cross race! I didn’t notice the blood on Cliff’s knee until a friend pointed it out.  Apparently Cliff didn’t get the memo re: slippery pavement, or he chose to ignore it.  Either way, he apparently did a full on belly slide at the end of the starting pavement.  In the last lap Dave took advantage of some lapped riders to put some time into Cliff.  Dave rolled in 3rd with Cliff in 4th.

Cliff and Dave

For me, this is the cycling season that makes me happiest.  There is such a sense of community and comradery.  If you’ve never raced one, you should.  It’s a blast and could even make you a better rider.

EXPO/Superior Energy got on the podium this past Sunday at the Blount Fine Foods Criterium in Fall River, MA.  Teammates Chris and Aki lined up for the Cat 3 race that went off at 1pm.  Unlike the previous two years of stifling heat, the conditions were just about perfect.  The racing was still hot though, with a number of well-known Cat 3/Masters racers in the field.  After a race full of attacks, counterattacks, and break attempts – and rare back-to-back-to-back primes (3 prime laps in a row!) – the field was still together at the bell lap.  Aki provided his wealth of technical and strategic savvy, and Chris – hungry for a chance at the field sprint – saved his matches for a big fire at the end.

The final corner is a LONG way from the finish, and into a headwind, but Chris thought he was in a good position, even being 10 or so guys back.  Waiting as long as he could, and seeing guys at the front beginning to launch, he pulled out on the left side and sprinted for the line.  One guy was clear off the front, but as the line came up, Chris heard a guy coming around him.  Digging deeper, he and the other guy threw their bikes at the line.  The officials said it was too close to call and had to review the video.

Chris got nipped out of 2nd by inches – a true photo finish.  But still good enough to get our jersey on the podium and some exposure for our sponsors!

For Chris’ perspective on the race along with additional details and photos, click here.  For Aki’s view (he always seem to see and notice more), click here.

The New England road cycling season basically spans from April through October, and geographically is literally scattered across the entire map of the northeast.  With that in mind, there are only a few road races that actually take place in our home state of Connecticut over that seven month span of each year, and the Tokeneke Road Race is held near the end of the season.  Looping around the Barkhamsted reservoir, this course is not only challenging, but is also very beautiful and fast.  This is a hilly race with over 4000 feet of elevation ascent in the 44 miles (for Category 4 racers).  Relative to other races, this is a short race and an extremely fast course, which has riders eagerly vying for position to earn upgrade points just before the end of the season.  This year the Expo Wheelmen proudly displayed our sponsors on our jerseys at a race that was practically in our own backyard.

Team Expo lined up five Cat 4s together (Dave J, Dennis D, Joe T, Mike M, and Tom H) in the deep field of almost 100 riders at the race on August 8th, 2010.  Even though they started together, it didn’t take long before each of them were separated and off racing on their own.  The hills and tough competition, combined with varying degrees of fatigue and differing levels of fitness made for five very different Expo experiences.

Dave J’s mental fitness was clearly in excess of his physical fitness as he toed the starting line on Sunday morning.   A couple of days of riding immediately prior to the Tokeneke event clearly sapped his energy and he reluctantly retired at the start of the second lap.  He ended up driving away armed with a big lesson learned, and determined not to repeat the same mistakes.

Dennis D has perhaps raced one too many races over the last few weeks as he suffered and suffered pushing the pace over the first lap.  He changed tactics on the 2nd lap though and managed to hitch his wagon at the back of the lead group and pretty much let them pull him to the last hill, leaving him in 27th place and a minute forty off of first.  For more details on Dennis D’s trials and tribulations, read here.

Tom H tested his mettle in his first ever Cat 4 race.  The field challenged him in ways he hadn’t experienced previously with the Cat 5s.  The pace was much faster on the descents, forcing Tom to hold his brakes with a white knuckle grip.  The field attacked the hills harder as well, but Tom managed to stay close enough to the field such that he could close the gap with a group of chasers on the few occasions he was dropped.  Even the officials seemed more challenging – one official barked some harsh words (though done clearly as a demonstration of “tough love”) to motivate his group of chasers to close the gap.  Fortunately, Tom responded to all of the challenges, and ultimately bombed the final decent placing himself in the upper half of the field prior to the start of the final climb (reaching his race goal).  He climbed his way to 33rd for a good finishing result.

Mike M started the day still smarting from a flat tire and subsequent DNF two weeks ago at the Tour of the Hilltowns, so his goals for the day were more focused on finishing – ride a strong pace and finish with a pack.  While Mike lost contact with the lead group on the day’s first large climb, he got into a groove with two different groups throughout the course’s two laps.  Due in part to the “share the pain” approach Mike and his chase groups employed, he ended up finishing strong and feeling that it was a fun race and a good course.

Joe T had registered for the Tokeneke Road Race with even more modest goals than Mike – taking a big step in his physical recovery and finishing his first road race of 2010.  Well to make a long story short (the long story can be found here), Joe finished the very well organized race feeling as though it was the perfect day for him and inspired him to already look forward to racing it again next year.

Submitted by Cliff K

As Saturday morning arrived and with the forecast calling for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s there was little debate as to what to do, time to race the mountain bike!  It’s been several months (May 23^rd to be exact) since the last time I threw a leg over the mountain bike in competition.  I arrived at the venue around 10:30 for an 11:20 start and proceeded to see a few friendly faces upon registering for the event.  I did my usual prerace preparation which consists of asking a few people who actually pre-rode the course what to expect.  Since I was actually early to a race, by my standards at least, I set out to find Jon Tarbox who was also racing the Cat 1 race and see if he had any additional information I could use.  He was just heading out for a preride and warm up but let me know that I could ride the beginning of the course and come back the dirt road.  With 20 minutes until the start of my race I set out to see the first part of the course.  To my surprise the first mile or so was tight singletrack with loads of corners and a decent amount of rocky terrain.  Once seeing this I started to get excited as I knew that the race would reward more than just fitness which is generally a good thing for me!

Based upon my limited preride I decided that if possible I wanted to get the holeshot and try to lead for the first part of the race until the course opened up on a dirt road after a mile or two.  My plan was executed perfectly and I was able to get a reasonable gap on the first section of singletrack.  From there I backed off as I knew it was going to be a long tough race.  I was passed by 2 guys about half way through the first lap on the one section that had a sustained climb.  I was already at this point working on how to save energy as the race was on the longer side, 24 miles for how demanding the course was.  The back third of the course had lots of flow with many corners and a few tough rock gardens.  It was on this section I was able to pass back for second and get close to the first place guy.  As we were just approaching the finish line I saw the leader pull over and start to fix a rear flat, perfect, guess I’m going to lead the first lap!  Around halfway through the next lap I was passed again on the longer sustained climb section and was not able to recover the gap on the back section.  In the end I finished second a few minutes from the win but also five minutes up on 3^rd place.

All in all it was a great event and I will sure to be back next year but this time I’ll be slightly more prepared and looking for a win!

Team Expo was out and about over the last week.  Amongst other places, they were spotted in Oxford Massachusetts and in and around Windham NY where the following two news posts were filed.

Hodges Village Dam MTB Races

Recent Expo addition Jim Honda took on a competitive field in the Cat 1 Men’s 19-29 group at Hodges Village Dam as part of the Root 66 mountain bike race series.  A fair amount of dust to line the lungs didn’t detract from overall excellent conditions, and the hard packed motocross-esque course was perfect fodder for Jim’s new Trek Top Fuel machine.  After challenging for a podium spot for much of the race, Jim suffered debilitating cramps which saw 6 riders pass by on the last lap.  The legs recovered enough to bring it home to the finish line for a 9th place result.  Congrats to Jim on his top 10 finish!

Tour of the Catskills Stage Race

All eyes in New York seemed glued to the exploits of Floyd Landis this weekend, including Dennis D’s wife whose only race photos from the two road races were of Floyd and the rest of the Pro field.

Floyd Landis & the Pro Field

Back in CT though, team Expo’s attention was focused on its sole representative in the three day stage race.  Dennis D took on the tough hills (including the infamous Devil’s Kitchen) and the even tougher Cat 4 competition on the beautiful roads at the extremely well run event.  In short, the hills and competition proved to be just a tad tougher than Dennis D as he just barely cracked the top 20 overall in the final general classification.  Check out these links for more details on the prologue, stage 1, and stage 2.

Stage 2's Finish Line

In addition to EXPO Wheelmen representing at the Fitchburg Longsjo Stage Race and Tour of the Hilltowns (covered earlier), we’ve also been racing some of the more “grassroots” races – local crits.

Sponsor and teammate Aki S raced at New Britain July 11 (report here) and he, along with Chris A, raced at Naugatuck the following Sunday, July 18 (report here).

For those of you that don’t race but want to see what it’s like, be sure to check out Aki’s helmet cam videos.  His footage of the Keith Berger Cat 3 race is a study in team tactics and includes prominent displays of EXPO kit (not to mention bike handling skills).  Check it out here.

Finally, if you want to try out racing, you probably already know about the weekly crit series at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Tuesday nights.  It’s a fun venue and will give you lots of practice in a safe environment.  There are two races – “B” and “A” – with the beginners through Cat4s racing first in the Bs.  But don’t let the laid-back atmosphere fool you – both races are hotly contested.  But EXPO is well-represented, especially among the Cat4s in the B race.

Teammates Aki and Chris do the “A” race and were able to surprise the Cat1s and 2s last Tuesday, July 20 with Aki leading out Chris for the win.  Read more about it here.

With July winding down and the Tour de France over, there are only a few races left – that is, until ‘cross season starts.

Those posts will have to wait, but only for a little while…

Team Expo lined up four Cat 4s for this year’s Tour of the Hilltowns.  The rough roads and packed field took their toll on half of team Expo as Mike M’s ride was cut short by a flat, and Dave J’s aspirations for a good race were derailed as he came to a halt to avoid a pile-up (he’s OK).  The hills, in particular that beast of a climb called East Hawley Road, and tough competition brought on a case of bad cramps for Dennis D as the race drew to a close, sending him a minute or two off the lead pack (read his write-up here).  The only rider to leave the event with a smile on his face was Dave D, either due to some satisfaction in a great personal effort, or because he’s a masochist and loved the pain inflicted by the Tour of the Hilltowns.

This week we have Expo News filed from two different race reports.  The first comes from Dave H from last weekend’s CT State Championship at New Britian, CT where he scored another podium finish.  The second report comes from Jon T about his top 10 finish as well Johnathan S’s  mechanical challenges at the Pat’s Peak MTB race.

CT State Championships (by Dave H): 

Great race today – I lined up with 65 competitors, the sun was out and the heat was up. At the whistle I attacked to get something going early. I was able to get up the road a bit and had A.Zane Wenzel from Benidorm join me but it wasn’t meant to be as we needed more in the break to make it work and soon the pack caught us. That was just the start of the activity! There were a flurry if attacks throughout the race, and I tried my hand in a few to take my chances but also made sure to leave a small amount of energy in case it didn’t work.

Coming into the last 3 laps the pace went up as high as it could and we were strung out with a few teams taking turns. I stayed in the middle of the excitement at the front not allowing myself to go back any further than 6th or 7th place. This paid off as we came through the last lap on the back side up the short left hand hill it was full speed into the final left hand downhill corner then the sprint. I was in good position and let it all out for the final sprint. I was able to take the Bronze medal for CT masters 35+. This is my best year for placing in States as I was able to medal Bronze in the Pro-3 race here three weeks ago as well.

Pat’s Peak MTB Race (by Jon T):

The Expo Wheelmen were represented at the Pat’s Peak mountain bike race this past Sunday by myself, Jon Tarbox, and Jonathan Sawn.  Pat’s Peak ski area is in Henniker, NH and hosts the race as part of the Root 66 race series.  The weather was beautiful, though quite hot for mounatin bike racing.

This year’s race took place on a primarily new course relative to years past after it was discovered that a large part of the old course was not on ski area property.  The trail designers and builders did a great job putting together an interesting and very challenging 5.2 mile course. The course climbs a total of 850′ per lap, mostly on technical single track and a few sections of gravel access roads.  The aggressive main descent from the top of the mountain was as tiring as the climb, leaving you with sore hands and a very stiff back (in my case any way).

Jonathan discovered a crack in his chainstay on Saturday.  He decided to attempt a “splint” with the creative use of hose clamps and bits of metal and wood and give the race a go.  Jonathan lined up for the cat 2, 19-29 race and took off for three laps of the course.  After two laps It was evident that the “splint” wasn’t going to hold and he pulled out of the race.  That was his first DNF ever.  Sorry to hear that, Jonathan.

I took the start with 7 others in the cat. 1, 40-49 group who were set to tackle four laps.  At the gun, two guys were off like a rocket, the rest of us felt that pacing may be a better approach on this course.  At the top of the mountain on the first lap, one other rider had gone ahead and I had about a 20 second gap on the remaining riders.  The down hill proved to be my undoing and all my gains were lost by the bottom of the mountain.  We continued to trade places a bit, but settled in to our positions by the third lap.  The fourth lap was a survival-mode slog for me.  I finished the four laps in 3:03 in 6th place, about 30 min. behind the winners.

This was a great day at a beautiful venue on a really tough course, and it beats crit racing any day in my book.

The 2010 road racing season is now nearly half way done, and the EXPO Wheelmen have been racing and creating news almost every weekend.  During the weekend of June 26/27, EXPO racers stacked the field at both the Three Village Tour Road Race as well as the Keith Berger Memorial Crit.  EXPO had a few competitors placing in the top 15 of the Cat 4 and Cat 5 races, including Dennis D (read his post here), with Tom Hixson scoring the best finish at 4^th in the Cat 5s.  There were a few other EXPO racers who dodged a few crashes in some of the races, and there were also mechanical misadventures for one unlucky rider (read here).

EXPO’s Keith Berger racers had some good results to report on as well.  Chris A and Aki S each had their own view of how the Cat 3 Keith Berger race played out (here and here), which included a Prime for Cliff K.  Dennis D also claimed a Keith Berger Prime in the Cat 4 race earlier in the day, where he was also joined by Steve Y and Dave J in pushing the pace of the race (read more here).

EXPO isn’t just about showing up for adventure and fun – there’s also some pretty fierce competitive spirit donning EXPO gear.  That drive manifested itself in New England’s premier race last week at the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage Race.  Dave H notched a top 10 GC placing in a very tough Masters Category, and he even scored a stage 4 victory!  Read more about his stellar results here: Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and Stage 4.

Speaking of Dave H and great race results, check out all of the Expo results from the 2010 Expo Wheelmen Time Trial Series.  Better yet, come down and join us on Thursday nights all summer long.

In addition to racing, EXPO team members are helping the community through charity rides.  And nearly a day doesn’t go by without some group of EXPO guys and gals getting together for a group ride.  Speaking of which, read on to hear Steve Y’s report on last month’s MS Bike Tour, and then continue on to hear about JC S’s fun out on a recent group ride.

MS Bike Tour (by Steve Y)

One June 6th, 2010, six EXPO Wheelmen participated in the MS Bike Tour in Windsor, CT.  It is an annual event benefiting multiple sclerosis research.  Over the years, many corporations and individuals have participated.  The MS Bike Tour is the premier cycling series in the nation with more than 100 extraordinary rides across the country.  The weather was not ideal but that did not deter us.  A big storm was moving in and a tornado warning later in the PM.  We started on wet roads but no rain.  Then from mile 10 to around 25, it poured on us.  We were completely soaked but that did not slow down our pace.  One of our EXPO teammates, Steve Yau, had a mechanical at mile 51 – his derailleur cable broke.  Luckily the SAG wagon came to the rescue.  Bob from Alternate Spokes bike shop who volunteered at the rest stop graciously fixed the bike.  Bob didn’t want any money and he asked Steve to make another donation to MS.  Consider it done!

We are back on the road.  The condition is now hot, muggy and windy.  We heard that another storm front is moving in.  We spin easy to drain the lactate acid for a few miles and we are back on pace.  We pacelined through the wind and made good progress.  The team made it back to the finish line before the nasty storm hit us.  A hot shower never felt so good.

It was a great ride and there were about 600 riders and countless volunteers who braved the weather to support a great cause.”

Willimantic July 1^st Group Ride (By JC S)

A large group of 10-15 riders headed out for the weekly hammer fest on Wednesday evening, June 30th, leaving from Willimantic at 6 PM.  Five EXPO club members were present including J.C., Mike, T.J., Lance, and Jeff.  We were also joined by several members from the Thread City Cyclers club.  The first hour was an absolute slugfest, with Mike and T.J. dueling it out on the hills and Lance pushing the pace on the flats.  You would think that Lance would be slowed down by riding on a cross bike, but he continually pushed the pace.  Shortly after the hour mark, things settled down a bit while still moving along very quickly.
Ride Stats: 1 hr 55 min & 39.4 miles

Be sure to check back here on the news tab on a regular basis going forward as we hope to have multiple updates each month recounting the stories from many of the Expo adventures.

Plainville Spring Series March 6, 2010