I’m typing this from the back seat of Todd’s car as we return home after competing in the Masters World Championship for Cyclocross.  This is it.  Cross season’s over.  Really?  Now what?  For the past year this was my target, and now that it’s over what happens?  It’s been a long season this year.  We started in August and raced almost every weekend up to now.  Even planning for this all along, It’s been a challenge to keep motivated.  We managed though andTodd Bowden, Vickie Monahan and myself made the journey to Louisville, KY.

The world Championships for cross have never been held outside Europe until this year.  The masters worlds were held as a test event in advance of the Elite worlds to be held next year.   The promoters did a great job under tough conditions. Joan Hanscom and Bruce Fina, have fine-tuned the process after many years of promoting the USGP of Cyclocross, the biggest series in the country.  So it was no surprise that they had an answer for all the twists Mother Nature had in store.

The last real race in New England took place on December 17^th and 18^th leaving almost a month until worlds.  Since none of us had ever tried to continue racing this late in the year, we had to find ways to hold on to our fitness for nearly another month.  Luckily we were able to gather a few friends and hold the “fake races” at MCC.  In the last week leading up to the trip there’s not much you can add to your fitness.  It is what it is, as they say.  The only thing left to obsess over was the weather.

We all have smart phones with the Weather Channel app installed, so from 10 days out we watched the weather, sometimes multiple times a day.  It looked good.  The forecast called for light rain on Wednesday then above freezing temps and sun the rest of the week.  Perfect!  Todd and I had heat races Thursday and we both wanted a sloppy track, but not necessarily raining.  Well, we all know how weather predictions usually go and this would be no exception.

We left for Louisville Tuesday after work and spent the night in a cheap hotel along route 80 in western PA.  Eight hours after leaving Wednesday morning we pulled in to the Eva Bandman Cyclocross Park just in time to ride the course before it was closed for the day.  Heavy rain Tuesday night and most of Wednesday had left the venue a soggy mess.  We were told that pumps had been running all day to clear the flood water that covered a good amount of the course.  So after eight hours in the car we kitted up and took to the course to see what was in store.

Two laps were all we could stand.  Everything was covered with mud.  Thick river bottom silt that sticks to everything combined with chopped grass to make a dense adobe.  The majority of the course wasn’t too bad though.  Sure there were deeply rutted sections, but there were still some good lines to be found.  It was the last quarter lap that was going to be the challenge.  A steep bank was climbed then descended five times in a row.  There weren’t any courses we raced this year with a feature this difficult.  None of the uphills were rideable and two out of three dowhills were barely rideable, and then only with a foot out and the rear brake doing all the work.   This was going to be good.  All season I’ve been running my mouth about the courses being so easy.  This one would not be.

On our way to the hotel we stopped and picked up our numbers for the heats.  The numbers were picked out of a bag at random and would determine your staging position (allegedly).  We also had to get a pass to be allowed in the pits during the races.  We headed across town and checked in to the hotel, did a load of laundry and enjoyed the amazing homemade lasagna that Vickie brought for dinner.  There was a little nervousness in the air as we prepared our gear for the seeding heats that Todd and I would race the next day.

As we arrived at the venue Thursday morning we could see that the course wasn’t made any less sloppy by the light overnight rain.  Todd’s race was first and would be 3 laps and supposed to take 30 minutes.  They did three laps, but it took 45 minutes for everyone to complete them.  Todd rode really well and was in the front group until the last lap then faded just a little to finish in 5^th.  The next field did 3 laps also in about the same amount of time.  There was a break in the racing from 12:00 to 12:45 to allow riders to inspect the course.  The heats for the 45-49 racers, my group, were up next and very few people took a preview lap, opting to go on the intel gathered yesterday.  The promoters made the decision to shorten the heats to 2 laps in order to stay on schedule.  One of the good calls they made.

I was in heat 2, so was sitting on the trainer during heat 1. The temperature dropped from over 40 during the morning races to just above freezing for the afternoon heats.   I watched as the weather  turned from rain to snow during heat one.  As I changed for the race I was glad that we had setup our warm-up area in a heated tent.   I made my way to the start for the call ups. Yesterday I drew number 12, which should have put me on the second row, but after just a few names were called it became apparent that, for some reason, they were calling up alphabetically.  I was on the last row.   The heat went off and the 2 laps were completed in just a few seconds under 30 minutes.  I finished 16^th out of 32.  This would determine my starting position for the main event.  At the end of the day the course was a sloppy mess, rutted from tape to tape.  The weather was forecast was for cold temps.

Friday was a day off for the three of us and we were in no hurry to get going.  Like good crossers, we brought our own French roast coffee and French press which let us enjoy a healthy coffee buzz from the comfort of our room.  We took full advantage of the hotel breakfast then returned to the room for more laziness.  Something was nagging at me that we should probably get out and at least see the course, but nobody was really motivated to put a plan into action.  After all it was 16 degrees out.  The course was only open from 12:00 to 12:45 and about 11:30 we finally decided to head out.  This turned out to be one of the better decisions we made during the week.

My cross experience is fairly limited.  I’ve done a lot of races in the four years I’ve been at it, but have never had a race under these conditions.  I’ve heard of the legendary races in Kansas and Providence and even this year in Madison, where a muddy course is locked up in deep frozen ruts, but had never seen it let alone ridden it.  You know the saying “how does it work”?  Well, that was my first thought after riding the first few feet.  Frozen Ruts…..How does it Work?  It turns out that if you try and just ride along with the ruts you will very quickly and violently find yourself on the ground.  What you have to do is “paperboy it”.  Todd overheard a rider saying she just” paperboy’d” her way around the course.  So, like a paper boy making his way back and forth across the street, chucking your paper in the shrubs, you zigzag your way down the course.  One and a half laps later I felt just enough confidence that I should be able to complete the race without being DFL or breaking any bones.  Vickie, on the other hand, looked scared.  No amount of assuring her that she has great bike handling skills (which she does) or that once the race started she would blaze through seemed to help.  She was nervous.  Todd didn’t seem to be fazed by any of it.  I think he could ride through a pit filled with oily broken glass and alligators (or whatever would be really extreme conditions) and make it look smooth.  We’re really lucky to have his talent on our team.

Friday night was pretty uneventful.  We went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner then hit the hotel to get everything ready for the big day.

Saturday morning, and the air was thick with anticipation and excitement.  Vickie has gotten her fear under control, but is still pretty nervous.  I’ve been working all season on handling race stress and turning nervousness into excitement, so I practice all my best lines on her.  I think it worked.  Like I said earlier, Todd doesn’t seem fazed. Normally.  This morning even Todd was showing intensity I’d never seen.  He was quiet and busy with preparations.  We were getting ready to race the one race we’ve been preparing for for  a long, long time.  This is the WORLD MF’ing  CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

Vickie was up first at 10:20, my race was at 1:00 and Todd would go at 2:00.  We decided to get to venue by 9:00 in order to take advantage of the open course and ride a couple laps.  We were relieved to see that the promoters had modified the course a little.  They had tastefully moved the tape around to provide a rideable line through most of the course.  They would move the tape out on one side of the course by a foot or so to a point where you would be forced to cross the ruts to pick up another clean line on the other side.  A few areas had been filled with dry soil and others were left just the way they froze.  The most technical parts of the course, the steep off camber hill and “stone steps of death” were left untouched.  The uphills were actually pretty rideable, but the down hills were either parallel tire ruts or deep, chaotic frozen foot prints.  No part of this course would be relaxing.

At 10:00 the sun was out, but the temperature was still well below freezing.  The course was rock hard.  Vickie’s field of 18 racers sprinted off the pavement into the grassy frozen ruts and we held our breath waiting for the carnage.  It didn’t come and they all made it through clean.  After 2 laps she had ridden up to 5^th place and seemed to be getting the feel for it.  But, like I said the course was not relaxing and the crashes started.  She toughed it out, even after smashing her face into the metal barricades that lined the course, and finished strong.  Unfortunately the mishaps took their toll and she finished up 12^th of 18.  Pretty damn good for someone who had never ridden a cross bike before June of last year.

At noon the course was open for inspection.  Based on the laps I did at 9:00, I made the call that I would benefit more from warming up on course and try to dial in the lines, than sitting on the trainer.  That turned out to be absolutely the right move.  The sun had started to make the course greasy and the 35 -38 psi I had found good at 9:00 was now way too high.  Mud and grass caked my bike which meant bike changes were going to be critical.  I was surprisingly relaxed as I went to the start.

I had watched the 50-54 race start just after Vickie’s race and there were six separate crashes in the first section of ruts.  I decided that given my forth row start position I would be conservative at the start and try to ride my way up through the field.  There was one crash in our start and it was right in front of me.  Luckily I avoided it and was forced the right way to where the good riding line was.  I rode well for three laps and was up to about 25^th spot. I had switched to a clean bike and the Griffos didn’t react like the Limus tires I had been riding and I crashed.  Not hard, but I rolled off course and my bike was tangled in the tape.  3 guys passed me.  I got back on and caught them.  The next time through the pit I got back on my Limus tires and started to catch people again.  I rode up the steep climb before the stairs of death and realized my back tire was going flat.  I rode the half lap to the pit and switched bikes.  Two more crashes later and I finished the race in 31^st place.  I met my goal of finishing higher than my starting number, which was 32.

Todd was up next.  I rode directly from the finish to the pit and got ready for action.  Vickie and I were there, but were we ready?  Not really.  Todd slotted in about 9^th place coming through the ruts at the start and was there going through the pits.  Shortly after the pit there was a sand area with one firm line through it.  The approach to the sand was a maze of deep glazed ruts with one smooth line around the long side of the curve.  I watched Todd ride the sketchiest line across the ruts and into the sand.  He was now in forth.  I said out loud “WOW”.  By now the course was a sloppy mess in some areas and the pit was crazy with activity.  The next time the racers came through the pit Todd was driving the Train!  Oh shit, Vic and I are freaking out.  We don’t have any tools, brushes, rags, nothing and our guy is leading the world championship race.  Game on!!  Todd comes in and switches bikes and we go to town ripping mud off it and using a borrowed brush and bucket to get it as clean as possible.  He comes back in and switches bikes and I tell him it’s as clean as we could get it.  “Man I hope it works” is all I’m thinking.  I don’t know why I didn’t think to use the pressure washer on the first bike, but for the next one I did.  Much better.

By the time the race had 2 laps to go the duo from Boulder Cycle Sport of Pete Webber and national champion Brandon Dwight had taken over the front of the race. Todd had slipped back to fourth place and was fighting it out with Mark MacCormick, former multi-time national champion.  Todd would hold on to 4^th with Pete Webber taking the rainbow jersey.

Our work was done.  On the previous muddy days I had loaded all the muddy clothes into the hotel room shower and pre-rinsed them during my shower.  I would take them to the hotel laundrymat after.  Today none of us felt like doing laundry since we were heading home the next day.  We stuffed everything into bags and put it away.  The bikes got cleaned just enough so that the hotel staff would let us bring them in.  Far from clean though.

We went out to dinner then returned to the hotel to meet out new friend Jose, the Spanish national champion (we think).  He didn’t speak any English.  We also met up with Paul Nyberg and the five of us walked to the awards ceremony for the day’s races.  We wanted to get an early start home the next morning so we called it a night.

Our good friend Amanda Bedard was racing the next morning.  Amanda and Paul Nyberg have spent quite a bit of time with our group and we were disappointed that we weren’t going to see her race at 9:30.  As it turns out, by the time we finally got the car packed and were ready to roll it was 9:30 so we decided that since we were there anyway we should stick around and cheer Amanda on.  She rode really well and I’m pretty sure she finished 7^th.  We hit the road and 14 hours later I was home.

I was hesitant at the end of the year about whether I could make this trip.  Work was slow and I was broke.  Some good work came my way and I decided that I would go.  I’m so glad I did.  This was possibly a once in a lifetime experience.  The bonds I’ve made with friends are worth far more than the cost of the trip.  I’m going through a rough patch right now with a serious illness in my family.   The person who got me into bikes when I was in high school and showed me the way to see and enjoy life, music, art, nature is struggling.  I was thinking about some advice for my daughter the other day and though I never told her I think it’s true.  Learn from the past, think about the future but enjoy today.  As Homer Simpson said “you could wake up dead tomorrow”.  See you next year.  Maybe.

Jon

While the propane heater was blasting, on the chilly morning of December 10th, we finished setting up the course and opened racer registration inside the big white tent.  Well over 100 racers came out to try to score some points and try out this challenging course.  Many spectators were scattered around the course, some were heckling in cyclocross fashion, and some even setup their own barbecue lunch.  The highlights of the course include the gnarly off camber mounds of dirt with switchback turns, long grassy straight-aways, the fast turns that carve through the loose dirt in the woods, and the run-up and ride down on “no-brakes” hill.  Needless to say, there is something for everyone.

All four categories went off smoothly and many racers finished the course with smiling faces and fast beating hearts.  We heard one racer comment, “I did 17 cross races this year, and this is my favorite race out of all of them!”  With that sort of feedback, we are really excited about the word spreading for the 2012 rendition of Silk City Cyclocross.  Mark your calendars once the 2012 cross schedule is out!

Thanks to all of the support from the racers, spectators, and sponsors, and everyone who made it all possible.

Also, thanks to Steve Yao for the awesome collection of photos that he posted here.

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.

Exposition Wheelmen had six riders at the event in three different categories. Dave H raced in the Masters category which had a stacked field of former pros. Mike P raced in the Category 3 which appeared to be a very intense field of guys working towards going pro. The Category 4 race was very tough since some up-and-coming riders were destroying the competition, but Dennis D, Mark S, Jon T, and Joe T fought back against the fire breathing mountain snakes just as the folklore would suggest.

Stage 1 – Time Trial

The first stage was a hilly and technical individual time trial course, which was 11 miles long and included just over 700 feet of climbing. In the race handbook it was stated many times that if you do not brake on the technical downhill corners, “You will crash.” There was a passing shower in the morning which elevated the level of anxiety among us since the already tough course was now a little bit trickier with wet pavement. Luckily, the course was very safe and fast, so the warnings about crashing turned out to be a myth, and in the end the Expo racers all finished with respectable times inside the top 20. It ended up being a great start to the event. Dave said. “The TT was the best course I’ve ever raced a TT in and heard that from many others.”

Stage 2 – Criterium

The second stage on the first day raced around a large block in the quaint downtown of Bennington and was a classic four corner criterium with a small hill on the back straight. The streets flanked by small shops and restaurants were lined by spectators much of the day. It is a perfect location for a downtown race and the weather cleared up to be a fantastic day.

The Cat 4 crit lined up on the street and went off like a dragon from its lair – full speed from the word go. Dennis, Mark, Jon, and Joe were all at or near the front of the field pushing the pace. In fact, our Expo riders pushed the pace so hard at the front of the race many riders cracked creating a large split in the field. At one point, nearly half off the riders got pulled from the course since they were in danger of being lapped. Joe and Mark both won a hotspot field sprint, and Joe charged hard in the sprint to finish 6th with Mark right on his wheel, while Jon and Dennis were happily still with the main field to maintain their overall general classification standing.

The Masters Crit started off at full speed with Dave attacking off the front in the first lap. Dave must have inspired former US pro Peter Vollers who sped off the front of the group like a beast after the second lap. Dave attacked in full chase mode trying to reel in Vollers and they put over a half a lap gap on the field. Dave said, “The Crit was exciting- I saw the opportunity to be the aggressor on the first lap and took it – it was super challenging but great to hear my teammates encouraging me throughout every lap of the race – it made all the difference. Also, I had new personal best for numbers.” Dave set the cruise control and made a huge solo effort to hold off the field for the rest of the race and took second place. It was an amazing race to watch!

Mike raced the Cat 3 crit and raced in the top 10 most of the race. He went off the front with one lap to go, but got reeled in by the pack and ended up finishing 14th. This was Mike’s first fast criterium and he is ready for more.

Stage 3 – Road Race

After the frost melted off the car windshields on the second morning, we drove to the start of stage three in the beautiful town of Manchester, VT. We started out bright and early, arrived at the large park to sign in, and were greeted by a sky of beaming sunshine. We knew the 62 mile day in the big hills was going to be tough. I counted nine climbs on the course profile, and five of which were large categorized climbs.

In the Cat 4 road race, the day started out with a sprint competition on the road at the 11 mile mark where Joe bridged up the road to a solo breakaway rider, and won the points and the prize for the sprint competition. Once the riders hit the big climbs, Joe slid back in the field, but Jon, Dennis, and Mark worked hard to stay close to the race leaders over the “king of the mountains” competitions, where they kept their eyes peeled for the lurking dragons. Mark thought this stage had tougher climbs than Battenkill. Jon ended up 9th, while Dennis grabbed 11th. Mark and Joe finished in the middle of the field.

Dave raced hard and stayed with the veteran pro racers until he found himself riding with a chase group to the finish where he found himself racing for 11th place for the stage. Dave ended the day strong, but felt the effects from such hard efforts on the previous day.

Mike worked hard to stay with the Cat 3 racers, but ended up learning the importance of food intake during such a long road race. Mike ran out of energy since he bonked towards the end of the stage, but he still rode it out to the finish.

Overall Results

The overall general classification results for the Expo Wheelmen were great. Jon had complete focus through all three stages in the Cat 4s and went home with 5th place. Dennis’s training, consistency, and determination paid off since it kept his overall time near that of the leaders and he grabbed 11th place. Mark proved to be learning how to race very quickly, since he did an amazing job and earned 13th place overall. Joe T did better than he had anticipated and placed 20th overall and took 2nd place in the Cat 4 sprint competition. Dave placed 10th overall and also took second place for the Masters sprint competition. Mike finished his first Cat 3 stage race with a vengeance and proved to be a very competitive racer.

Summary

Everyone put forth gallant efforts to slay the beasts and had a fantastic time doing so. The courses were on fantastic roads for racing and had lots of marshals and volunteers who did a great job, and the event was very well put together and very well organized. This is a highly recommend “to do” race. Dave said, “This is now my all time favorite race to replace Fitchburg and will be on my calendar next year for sure. Great support staff and promoter and volunteers. Watching teammates race together was a ton of fun.”

Mark mentioned how these towns in Vermont are great places to visit which makes it possible to come race for the weekend and bring the family and make a weekend out of it, like Dennis did… Thanks to Dennis’s family for the cheering squad!

We hope this promoter will repeat this event next year so we can bring more Expo teammates out to find the key to the secret door to the majestic mountains to unlock the treasures of the dwarven kingdom in 2012!

Wednesday, April 27, marked the opening week of the EXPO Wheelmen Time Trial Series.  Thirty six riders attended the opener under cloudy & threatening skies.  The weather held off, but it was still misty and breezy.  All of the racers faced a head wind which resulted in some slightly slower times. But everything went off without a hitch thanks to the hard work of our volunteers.

We heard many great comments about the race and expect the turnout to remain high.

Thanks everyone who participated!  Looking forward to seeing you next time!

And remember, you can always go to the “TT Series” tab at ExpoWheelmen.com for the latest TT info.

Click here for more photos from last night!

On a day when much of the world was watching the goings on of a certain race in Belgium, most of Team EXPO decided to participate in America’s version, making their way to upstate New York last Sunday to compete in the Tour of the Battenkill – America’s Queen of the Classics.

The initial reports are starting to trickle in via Facebook and Twitter, but as we wait for participants to weigh in here at the EXPO Newsroom, the photo here of the team at the line should whet your appetite.

And if you want to see more pics, be sure to click here – courtesy Steve Yau (EXPO’s unofficial official photographer).

Congratulations to all who participated!  No matter how you did, Battenkill is a MAJOR addition to your cajones palmares!

The weather was worse than the previous week with temperatures about 15 degrees lower and winds seemingly 15 mph higher.  With these conditions there were more than just 65 hungry and fit riders Team EXPO had to contend with.  After a very short warm up we hit the course for the neutral roll out.  As soon as the flag dropped we were given a vivid reminder that this was going to be a cold, windy, hard, and fast race.  The pace rose immediately with riders trying to get away early.

Unbelievably (especially for a cat 4 race) a solo rider was able to get away and stay away for the remainder of the race (Chapeau! to Rod Millott from CRCA/Foundation) despite the best efforts of the main group to pull him back.

Mark, Jon and I were able to stay near the front of the group for the first few laps with Jon sticking his nose in the wind on multiple occasions; getting into a solid break and chasing down a couple also.  Dennis was no where to be found during this time.  The weather conditions forced you to concentrate so much on your positioning within the group that it was nearly impossible to look back and check on Dennis’s situation.  As the race proceeded Mark faded from the front and Dennis appeared looking a little rattled (read his latest blog for an up close and personal explanation) but comfortably moving his way into the relative safety of the group.

There were multiple break attempts and bridging efforts but none of them were successful and as the final laps approached and passed it was clear this was going to turn into a bunch sprint for second place.

As we neared the finish, the pace quickened again with Jon, Dennis and Jason sitting near the front waiting to pounce.  As we approached the 1KM to go sign a rider jumped off the front and Dennis quickly accelerated to grab his wheel.  Jon was in perfect position to allow them to get away and simultaneously increase the pace just enough so that the main group did not respond.

At the final left hand turn Dennis had a pretty good gap on the main group.  Jason was about 10 riders deep as the group plowed into the roaring head wind and riders immediately started blowing up left and right.  Jason was able to wheel-surf until about the 100 meter mark and then he buried his head and uncorked all he had left in his legs in a mad dash for what looked like 4th place.  As it turned out, Jason had more in his legs than he thought as he pipped Dennis at the line for third.  Overall it was a great race for Team EXPO with Jason taking third, Dennis fourth, and Jon; riding aggressively all day and still managing a top 15 final result!

Running late, I made it to the line just as the whistle was blown. Usually I don’t have a plan when I race, but Saturday was a bit different. I hoped to ride a little bit more conservatively and allow others to share the work. I took a couple of flyers to see who to look for and managed to get into a large break that lasted until the end of the race. On the last lap of the race, teammate Mark gave me a monster lead out into the last corner where I was sitting third wheel. I let it hang and took the WIN!

(Editor’s note: A most understated win report – Congratulations Lance!)

Bethel CDP Gold Race, Cat 4

Again racing semi-conservative, I felt great and my legs were strong. I held good position throughout the race and was racing smart. Then came the last lap. Maybe I should have paid attention to the lap cards, since I had no clue that it was the last lap. There I was saving my legs, wondering why everyone around me was sprinting so hard for a prime(?!)

Lesson of the day…watch lap cards. Finished OTB.

Bethel CDP Gold Race, Cat ¾

Representing Team EXPO: TJ, Paul Q, Chris A. and me. The plan for this race was to keep the field together and help Jeff Murray’s team keep the yellow jersey. No breaks got away and they kept their jersey. I finished 16th, while Chris came in 20th and Paul finished strong as well. (Click here for pics & finishline video)

Bethel CDP Gold Race Pro 1-2-3

Chris, Aki, and Paul started this race. Chris looked very strong throughout, holding his position well to the finish with the main group. Paul road well and also completed the race with the main field.

Great weekend with good friends and teammates!

Plainville Crit (03/19/2011)

After spending some time riding in beautiful sunny California,  Cliff and David decided to line up for their first race of the year at the Plainville Spring Series and they were joined by Todd who was able to get a head start by participating in the first race of the series a few weeks back.

It’s hard to believe that we start racing the first week of march here in CT. Things would align and enough snow melted to have clear roads to race on. We only wish it were a bit warmer; it’s always tough to get motivated when the temps are in the high 30′s or low 40′s.

Expo’s plan was to get a good warmup and see what the legs would do! There were around 40 people lined up to do the 1/2/3 race and ready to brave the cold temps and very strong wind.

David would test his legs first by going hard from the start. At first the group let him go, then a couple of guys, Ed Angeli from Target Training and Guido Wollmann bridged across. After a few more laps with the group 4 more riders bridged across an formed a strong break-away group! This group, though not in it’s entirety, would stay away from the entire race – though Dave would eventually feel the effects of the initial efforts and fall back to the pack.

Once there, it opened the door up for Todd and Cliff to animate the race a bit. They would trade time up at or near the front working to keep the pace high and trying and close the gap to the break; it would come close but it was not to be. The pack finished with a strong sprint and Cliff, Todd and Dave all finished near the front. All in all it was a good day to get out and test the legs. The Expo guys showed good early season form and had some fun racing and preparing for the upcoming season!  Let’s hope for warmer weather soon!

Trooper Brinkerhoff Memorial Spring Series B Race (March 19th, 2011)

The calendar read March 19th — close to spring, but Mother Nature reminded team Expo that it was still winter as Jon T, Jason C, Steve Y, Keith G, and Dennis D all lined up to compete at the Trooper Brinkerhoff Memorial Spring Series race.  With winter like temperatures and gale force winds buffeting riders as they screamed over roads ravaged by the winter of 2010-11, the Expo boys had enough to contend with, yet they also had to take on a fairly aggressive and very competitive field in both the A race (where Keith raced) as well as the B race (where the rest of the guys lined up).  Despite having to handle such big challenges, Expo ended the day with some pretty good results — a 10th place for Dennis D (read his observations here) and top 20 finishes for both Jason and Steve.  Perhaps more importantly though, all of the riders ended the day with their first road race of the season now under their belts which in turn increased their excitement and anticipation for more road races in the coming weeks.