Women’s 3/4 Race Report — Chuck Pontius Criterium

Who Raced: Shelby Walter (1st W4), Lisa Buckland (6th W3), Hani Lou (DNF), and Sochin Lee (Pack)

It was a very warm day in Valencia. We didn’t start until 10:10 so it was pretty warm by then. We all warmed up together for a bit and talked about strategy and what needed to happen in order to get to the front before sprint. The third turn was a slight uphill to a downhill finish. If we weren’t at the front after the jump it would be near impossible to catch the leaders.

We started at the front of the group and the race started just fine. We warmed up in the pack and got a handle of our surroundings and the course. The group for the most part was a good group of handlers and nothing too crazy. There was however a lot of breaking in the corners causing the back to really slow down. I found that it was best to stay on the outside of the group and since the turns were wide I could come around nicely and not get caught up in the slowing. The place I was most worried about were the bot dots in the road. I found myself trying to come around at that point and into the second turn going over the dots. I was worried that there could possibly be a crash there, but luckily there wasn’t.

However with about 6 laps to go there was a crash in the first turn and unfortunately Hani got caught up in it. One of the Swan sisters went into the turn too tight and went down and Hani ended up on top of her. I was almost on top of Hani but I was able to unclip and somehow get around it unscathed. There were a couple jumps but the group would try and break away from the front which never ends up working out. Lisa attacked from the back and came around and got away and was a good distance away for a few minutes. She sprinted for the prime and got it.

The pace wasn’t too bad until the last lap. At the bell lap the group took off. I found myself sprinting from the front the entire lap and coming around the last turn giving it all I could. I knew that I didn’t have room to let up the slightest bit. I gave it my all and found myself sprinting through the finish line. I finished with a group of about five Cat 3′s with the rest of the pact not far behind us. Lisa ended up 6th in the Cat 3′s with a strong finish and I won the Cat 4′s.

Over all it was a good race. Hani got lucky and came away from that crash with very little road rash and not even a scrape on her bike. Like every race many lessons are learned and I am looking forward to applying them to my next race.

Shelby Walter

L’Etape du California Race Report

My experience today was quite unique, so I thought I would write my first race report to share with the club, as I’m sure most of you have been where I was today and can relate to the experiences cyling has to offer and what it can teach you.

Event: L’Etape du California

On the first climb up to Baldy Village, I ran into trouble as my rear tubular wheel flatted out. This was a huge disappointment. I had a game plan and goals I meticulously thought out for months and now my chance to execute all of it was not happening. SRAM support eventually showed up 44 minutes later and swapped in a new rear wheel.

Problem was, the brakes rubbed every time I stood (and towards the end, were rubbing regardless of standing or sitting). We tried out 2 different wheels, same result with both. I was basically given the option to either quit there, or go as is…so on I went and focused on mostly staying in the saddle. ~60 miles later after the GMR->E Fork->GMR route, I was back to Baldy Village again and was left with the ~5 mile treacherous climb to the ski lifts.

I’ve had quite a few experiences through sport. This one being so fresh in memory, I’m not sure I have ever had such a battle with myself. With a mile to go, I was reduced to getting off my bike 4-5 times. I hated stopping. Never did I image this is what I would have to do. Battling thigh cramps and faint dizzy spells, each time I stopped I thought my day was done. I was literally draping myself over my handlebars, trying to avoid from fainting and ending up on the ground.

Yeah, I was miserable. Here I was, less than a mile to go to the finish, and I was done. I was physically and mentally done. I just couldn’t figure out how it would be possible for me to go on. But each time I stopped, after the 1-2 minutes I spent resting, I eventually looked up at the hill in front of me and the descent behind me. I could either quit now and face that failure for the next year or finish what I started. Each time, I clipped in and somehow dug deeper than I may ever have before and started peddling up. As bad of shape that I was in, I’m still not really sure how I did it, but I was going to finish this damn thing. And finish, I did.

This just may be the most proud I’ve ever been of myself for completing an event. I didn’t quit. I’m stronger than I thought I was, and I learned that today because of riding a bike.
Thanks for reading. L’Etape, see you next year.

Chad Moston

LA Circuit Race Cat 4

LG racers:

Keith Howes 10th
Joseph Casino 22nd
James Brill 25th
Drew Kogan 30th
John Smart 31st
Wade Hewitt 42nd
Mark Capabo 43rd
Oleg Nashelskiy 59th
Michael Reith 65th

To the uninitiated the LA circuit race is a wide open civilized race, but in reality is a place where cyclists ride how they drive… The traffic violations on display were numerous, including:

Reckless driving.

Tailgating.

Initiating a left turn from the wrong lane.

Going slow in the fast lane.

Wrecking for no apparent reason.

All the above were demonstrated in a race that was 6 laps, approx 24 miles!

The 2010 LA Circuit race was my initiation to racing as a Cat 5, which after getting wrecked by another rider I swore I would never do again..but Jaycee posted in a team email that I was a ” notable absentee ” from the Cat 4 group, my ego got the better of me and I entered the 2012 race.

It was a 3:32 pm start as the reliable LAX onshore wind was picking up we were called to the line. The team plan was basically the same as everyone else’s – trundle around for five laps…ramp it up on the back straight get to the last corner in the top ten then a drag race to the finish.

Whistle sounds and we are off..
Downhill and downwind…legs are feeling great
1st turn … No wrecks but sketchy
Uphill and into the wind…legs not feeling so good
2nd turn… No wrecks but really sketchy
Downhill and downwind…legs are feeling great

Repeat five more times….

So you get the gist of this course…

By now it is readily apparent to me the necessary course of action is to stay in the top 10 into every turn. The back straight into the wind is getting more hazardous on each lap, the pace sometimes slowing abruptly, the group suddenly swerving across the road, riders are getting tired and sitting up or trying to avoid pulling into the wind. The race now has become a game of survival and choosing the good wheels to follow.

The Prime lap is announced and a rider from Ritte jumps hard, myself and another rider bridge up stay away for half a lap but are promptly swallowed up by the peloton, a few more attacks follow then things settle until the last lap. Our team is positioned well with John Smart, James Brill in the mix. On the back straight things start getting a little nervous as riders start jockeying for position then a rider crashes about 20 places back blocking the train with my other team mates. The lead group jumps hard about 800 meters from the final turn and I dig deep to get around with them. The final straight is fast with the wind behind us, the pace picks up with the field stringing out. Suddenly at 300 meters to go a rider starts his sprint hard .. a line starts on the left side getting some momentum, John Smart is riding hard getting on that train, I try to be patient as I wait for the 200 meter mark as the big dude from Bike Palace jumps hard and a few of us go with him on the right side of the road, it is a thrilling and exciting 40 mph finish, erasing all my bad memories of years gone by! My first top 10 with La Grange.

Thanks to all the Cat 4 racers, it is the team experience that makes it fun!

Keith Howes

Once a Bike Racer, Always a Bike Racer

by Lisa Buckland

I remember the first time I won a bike race.  It was Mothballs in Goleta in 1992.  I had just joined Coastline Racing.  I’d done a few collegiate races for UCSB prior to that race and had a couple of top ten results, but I’d not gotten to put my hands up in the air until just then.  Flush with a massive endorphin dump, I shouted something like, “We’re all Goddesses!!!!”  I’m sure everyone around me thought I was a grade A geek.

I raced consistently for eight years locally in California.  I helped to form and manage the Santa Barbara Bike Club women’s team in the early nineties.  We were just a small amateur team that liked to race with the big girls.   Our team raced Superweek (one of my favorites), Ore-Ida, Redlands, Hotter than Hell and other stage races that no longer exist, like Visalia.  Racing was different back then. A lot of the races for the Cat 3’s were combined with the pro ladies.  We’d find ourselves as relative noobs racing with the best women in North America and we LOVED it.

Mt. Laguna Classic

There is a book, still available, titled THE CLIMB UP TO HELL by Jack Olsen. It is an account of an ill fated attempt on the north face of the Eiger in the Swiss Alps. The title tells you all you need to know about the venture.

The third loop of the Mt. Laguna ride, which consists of three different routes up the “hill,” is more like the climb thru Hell. My computer registered pitches as steep as 27%!!

The final tally was 102 miles and 9700 feet of vertical gain.

Alex Amerri and Rick Jacobsen were also there to share the fun.

Riding a bicycle is a worthy pastime for a variety of reasons, one of which, although rarely mentioned, is that it teaches humility. The “road” doesn’t care who you are or what you do, it simply, as Faulkner characterizes, “prevails.”

I learned a lot more about humility on this ride.

Skip Nevell

LA Circuit Women’s 3/4 Race Report

Who Raced: Lisa (13th), Betsy Kogan (15th), Amy Rice (18th), Mary Jane Bowman (25th), Sochin Lee (29th), Christina Ricofort (33rd), Cathy Robbins (Pack).

LA Circuit tends to bring out all the L.A. women and Sunday was no different. In the three years that I have been a member, this is the largest group of La Grange 3/4′s I’ve seen in one race.

Because we’ve not spent a lot of time racing or training together and some of the ladies are new to the team, it was hard to know what to expect. Therefore, somewhat hard to come up with a strategy. Before the race, we talked about what was most important…stay toward the front as much as possible to avoid the accordion effect of two hairpin turns and possible crashes; make sure everyone had a wheel, try to cover attacks and to try to get Amy Rice in a break. While breaks have gotten away and stayed away, this was not really a course conducive to a break staying away. A few women tried to go over the course of the race, no one got away for longer than a few minutes. A couple of women tried to ride right off the front, rather than attack from behind and to the side which was somewhat comical.

As the race progressed, things became really sketchy with many women taking really narrow lines through the turns. This caused the whole group to slow WAY down and squeezed too many people into the inside of the turn (some women even took their foot out of their cleats). After the race, we discussed that it made more sense to swing wide to avoid the serious loss of momentum that was happening twice each lap. Several times I wanted to attack before the first turn because it would have been the best chance to get away considering how much effort it took for the pack to get back up to speed. I just didn’t have the fitness to take a flyer myself. I was however, impressed with the fact that most of the women were able to keep their line around the turns on the outside.

The other frightening behavior stemmed from when the pack caught up to women who had tried to get away. Instead of riding past them when we caught them, the women in the front were actually BRAKING…HARD! Which caused a lot of squirrely action in the back. I was surprised at how slow everyone got before the last turn. This is exactly when the pack should have picked it up (with so many of us in the group, this is where both La Grange and Helen’s could have helped). Even after the last turn, the pack stayed too slow. I ended up getting boxed in toward the back of the first half of the group and couldn’t get out. Once the pack picked up and in the last 250 meters, I was able to swing wide, following the wheel of Hannah Swan and get around a bunch of girls moving up about 10 spots. I think we topped out at over 33 mph in the last 500 meters.

Everyone rode really well. Amy pretty much stayed near the front the entire race. The rest of use moved around taking turns at the front of the group, covering breaks and moving back to rest. Next time we race, we’ll have a better idea of each person’s fitness and strengths. It was good to have so many of us out there working together and lending each other confidence.

Lisa Buckland

Womens 1-3 Race Reports – Vlees Road Race and LA Circuit

Vlees Road Race Report – Womens 1-3
Who Raced: Julie Cutts, Melina Bernecker
Placing:    Julie (2nd), Melina (4th)

The Vlees Road Race should be renamed to the Swarming Bee Road Race, due to the fact that we had to ride through the swarm of bees at the bottom of the hill after the start/finish line 4 times.  Fortuneatly, we were warned about them before the race and were told to ride through them with our mouths shut. That didn’t help my friend Keely who go stung in her helmet and had a goose egg on her forhead all weekend. I told her she had a bee in her bonnet!  I wondered what other athletes besides bike racers would intentionally ride through a swarm of bees not once, but 4 times. And that was just our group of racers. We are a strange breed.

Our race started off with an attack at mile 2 from Ruth Clemence and her team mate.  This seemed so early for a breakaway but it was effective for the Incycle team because those girls stayed out there for a lap and a half.  We let them hang out there intentionally to let them get tired, but at some points the gap would get a little to big for my liking and we would have to close it down at some points.  All the teams helped in keeping them in a desirable distance, but it was taxing to keep judging how far was to far, and then putting in efforts to respond to that distance.

During the 2nd lap, two younger girls bridged up to them,  I didn’t think they were strong enough to help the other 2 gals in original break.  Plus, they expended a lot of energy bridging up, and took too much time to get to them. They were left in the wind a long time.  I thought about going with them when they went, but for some reason I just didn’t think it was worth expending my energy at that time.  In the end, that break was caught at the top of the hill ,after the first turn around by the freeway.

Melina and I had covered our time of chasing and waiting. It just so happened that when Amber attacked I was able to jump on her wheel.  It was great knowing that Melina was in the pack behind me doing her job.  This is why a team is so important.

I was in the break with Amber for half a lap and we managed to stay away until the finish. Amber whooped me up that hill and took 1st !! I was happy to take 2nd and come away with no bee stings. Melina took 4th as she always finishes strong, even when she has been looking out for me.

La Circuit Race Report – Women’s 1-3
Who Raced: Julie (1st), Melina (9th),  Alicia (11th),Bee (pack),Cathy Keely (pack)

It was amazing to get a picture with most of the La Grange Women’s race teams. It was great to meet some of the 3/4 women and get to socialize with them.  This was the most fun part of the day for me.

The race was short but the course was perfect for me.  5 short laps of waiting to see if a break would get away, and none did.  It was fun to have a team of 4 there to cover all the attacks and to do a little attacking of our own.  I didn’t use much energy during the race due to the fact that  Bee, Alishia, and Melina were all very active.

After the final corner, I tried to just stay in the draft and watched as the Helen’s team made an excellant train on the right side of the course.  I didn’t get in that bc I had just gotten momentum from the sprint out of the corner and ended up with more speed but was trapped in a little.  I yelled to let me outc and as soon as I got an opening, I sprinted like I have never sprinted before.  It was a long sprint and with 50 meters to go, I remembered the only bit of advice my coach gave me for this race, “Don’t forget to breathe if you do a long sprint.” So at 50 meters I took a couple of good breaths and that carried me over the finish line!! I don’t know how he knows what is going to happen at each race, but I’m glad he does, because at each win, something that he taught me that week sticks in my mind and we win.

Once again, win or no win, I am thankful to have my La Grange team/club and sponsors.  It makes racing fun and I love being part of such a great organization! Thanks for making my dreams come true.

Julie Cutts

Race Report: Vlees Huis Cat 4

De Vlees Huis Ronde – Cat 4 men racers:
Pete Brandenburg – 18th
Jaycee Cary – 43rd
Ethan Milius – 45th
Ethan Halpern – DNF (heat)
Drew Kogon – DNF (heat)
avg temp – 98.6F per garmin

It was hot. Most of us westsiders had not even seen temps over 80 in 6 months, let alone doing a hard 60 mile race in 95+. It got hard quick as all 100 of us hit the big climb 5 miles in. I was in the front 20 or so and saw most of the other LGers around too. Ethan M tangled with a much slower rider coming backward through the tight group and went down but he got up off the mat and continued. Higher up Drew was present near the front but he was looking a bit flushed. Over the top of the climb, there is a short fast descent straight into a U-turn then back up to the top. I knew from last year that a good chunk of the field could be dropped at this accordion of pain so I put in an effort to stay at the front over the climb and around the U. For the next couple hours it was a heat mirage of rollers, descents, U turns, climbs and drinking whenever I could safely reach for the bottle. The group got smaller until there were about 20 left. At some point on the first lap two guys broke away and I figured, like last year, too early, they wouldn’t make it. There wasn’t much I could do about it anyway and the rest of the group seemed to be in the same boat – the heat made it really hard physically and mentally to do anything but just slog along. We were dropping people but apparently not catching the break. We passed several riders from various categories dead stopped on the side of the road, leaning over their bars totally spent.

On the 5 mile flat before the finish I had some twinges of cramps but nothing too serious. I sat 2nd or 3rd wheel to stay attentive and in front of any splits. I’m no sprinter but with the steep climb to the finish I was liking my chances of a top 10. When I heard the swarm coming from behind I was ready, stood up, sprinted 10 pedal strokes, and my legs just seized up with cramps. Everybody passed me and I rolled in 18th. After seeing their zombie stares and listening to their whimpering for 3 hours I was kind of shocked that every last one of them was able to get up that hill that fast, but that’s racing sometimes. The two first-lap breakaway guys stayed away for 1st and 2nd. Truly epic rides by them.

By riding so close to the front in the end, I definitely saw more wind and did more work than if I had hidden further back. Maybe that would have prevented the cramps. but maybe not. Back at the car I learned that Ethan H and Drew had succumbed to the heat after one lap. Jaycee finished, rolled to a stop and said something about the hardest thing he’d ever done. Ethan M finished and said nothing, just climbed off his bike and laid down in the middle of the road until we could convince him to crawl into the shade of an orange tree.

Thanks for reading,
Pete

Race Report: Vlees Huis Road Race, Cat3., 2 laps (60 miles)

Vlees, to me, is one of the most interesting courses in our calendar year due to the variety in terrain. It’s a Y shaped course that goes out and back through a few climbs and a lot of short steep punchers with a finish that’s a 750 meter puncher followed by about 200 meters of a flat section.

The day was hot hot hot, 95 degrees throughout the race, and not a trace of any shade. I was racing this one alone with my plan being to get to the finishing ramp intact, and depending on my position, either attack all out or wait for one and then counter.

Looking at the racers and teams around me I noticed that Ritte were the only ones out in great number (maybe 7 or so) and the rest consisted of no more than two team mates, but mostly individuals. The situation was a double-edged sword as I figured the pressure was on Ritte, but at the same time if they had a representation in a break then it can go the other way.

This race is known to shatter fields early so I was a bit disappointed to see the field intact after the first lap. It was at this point that Ritte launched a gentle attack, which was followed by two other riders. I thought it was a bit early for a break to stick and reminded myself to be patient but alert to see if others attempted to bridge. I stayed up front rotating with others, keeping the break in check when after few miles and into a climb the Ritte rider was dropped giving me relief as the pressure was now on them to set the pace.

By observing the riders they had up front (and lack of one particular rider) I realized their plan for the race and tried to make alliances with a few other lone riders so that if I found myself in an unfavorable position, then at least others would react and create a situation that would be advantageous to me.

Meanwhile the break upfront dropped and then gained a few riders with a final count of three in the break…. and they seemed to be gaining time. Finally, Ritte launched the move that was going to be the only hope for me to attempt at podium. It was Dana Skriver, a state TT champ, a powerhouse, and a talented racer who took off and put a nice gap between himself and the field. No one went with him, even after my previous warnings, and I knew I had to go so I put in a massive sprint to bridge up to him. We had a bit more climbing left and then were on our way down the hill (he later told me he had put on a 54 toothed ring for this specific purpose) and into the valley. At this point I was pegged, on the brink of blowing up. The heat and winds were relentless and played havoc on my body and mind. I tried my best to take pulls but they were futile; not only was I fatigued but trying to keep the same speed Dana set was, for me, impossible ( I kept thinking about the race the week before at San Luis Rey when the break I was in with three others got caught 1.5 km from the finish). The third cyclist in the front group was dropped and we were now chasing two, closing in but not fast enough. If I would have equaled Dana’s effort then different story, but I also knew that if you’re going to choose to be on anyone’s wheel then this is the only one you would want.

As we came into the ramp, we were so close that it seemed we might just catch them. I got on the front and put in a steady hard effort that was too hard for Dana from all the work he did, and I really didn’t want to drop him but at the same time not let the chance of catching the two up front get away. When I looked back again Dana was gone and I rolled to the line 50 meters from second place.

Yair

Womens 1-3 Race Reports – San Luis Rey and Surf City Cyclery Crit (formerly CBR)

SLR Womens 1-3 Race Report:

Who Raced:     Julie Cutts, Melina Bernecker, Bee Eschenwald
Who Placed:    Julie- 1st, Melina – 7th (relegated to 10th?), Bee – DNF (injured)

Once again I thought I had missed my start time as I made my way through the men to start line to find no women. Fortunately, Stu was as the line and assured me that I was indeed early for once and that because I was so nervous, I should get a good result. He was right!

I was told by my coach to practice my patience on this race and not chase everything down and not attack too early.  This was very hard for me to do, since I am a worker and I love to make a race, not just sit in one.  But I listened to him and was patient, I took a few pulls when needed and chased a few of the breaks I thought might stick, but other than that, I sat, sat, sat.

I was keeping track of who had been working during the race and by the last lap, I knew who was fresh and who was tired.  Melina had done a lot of work during the race and I wasn’t really sure how she was because she is so strong and can still finish well after working hard during the race.

The last climb was awesome.  Someone else got out front and drilled it up the bottom half of the hill.  I had experienced being in the back of the pack in one of the previous laps on the hill and knew I needed to be in good position going into the last corner if I was going to be able to counter attack or attack on the last climb.  So I sat in about 7th in the train going up.  I felt so good being in that draft, but knew the pain was coming.  As soon as the front pulled off, I used her momentum to attack.  I am a time trialer so attacking on a hill is good practice for me to broaden my horizons.  Everything my coach told me to do, I did for once.  I kept a hard pace a long time until there were only 6 of us left.  Then I pulled off the front to recover for a minute and then attacked again.  I did 10 seconds of sprints and then would tt it, repeatedly until there were only 3 of us left.  Once there were 3 of us, I had to turn back on the brain and conserve for another thing that would broaden my horizon, and that is to sprint. I used a draft coming into the final corner and patiently waited to come around for the sprint.  It was hard to believe that I had won it and I was the most excited for this win because I had listened to my coach and had won by being smart and by a sprint! New things for  me for sure.

Melina finished so strong even with all the work she had done. It was amazing.  Unfortunately she was penalized a few spots for not holding a line at the finish, which we all thought was ridiculous because none of the women racers had complained.

After the race, we realized all that we had done together, and even though we didn’t have a real plan, we raced as if we had planned it all. We were good at reading each other and I so look forward to racing with the women’s team more because the mo joe is so there!