Gold Nugget Stage Race - Day 2 - Road Race Teamwork in the Heat

Day 2 of the stage race first involved getting up early, having a good breakfast (at the Pizza Plus, where else?) then driving about an hour up into the mountains, via a spectacular canyon pass.

When we arrived at the start, the temperature was still moderate (about 75 degrees) but it was clear that it would be another hot day. The boys were facing a 45-mile road race (except Skyler, whose group had a 25 mile race ahead), over a rolling course at about 3000 feet altitude.

Junior 15-16 lineup at the road race start

Heading out into the relatively cool morning, though it was 95 degrees by the end.

Junior 13-14 group heads out for their 25 miles

The races took fairly different turns, but there was a common theme - strong performances by the AC Juniors. In the 15-16 race, Bjorn worked hard with the front group, and managed to stay up front for much of the race. The battle was going to be between Bjorn, Alastair Eckmann, and Chris Flanagan.

Bjorn hammering on Alastair with three laps to go

Bjorn worked hard, but also managed to conserve his energy, and he kept the pressure on the rest till the last couple of laps. There was a breakaway with Bjorn, Alastair, Andrew Freund and Hanson, but Bjorn turned it on, dropped the break and soloed the last part of the race, to finish with a resounding First Place!

Bjorn takes it - First Place!

Skyler's race was equally challenging, with a battle between Ryan and Henry - Skyler kept the pressure on the whole way and outlasted the other boys to finish with another First Place.

Skyler finishing the 13-14 race - First Place

Bob and Spence had been working for Bjorn earlier in the race, and as a result, were fairly spent towards the end of the race. They met up with Dom, a kid from Southern California. Bob and Dom hung together and rolled in several minutes behind Bjorn. They finished a very tough, 45- mile race in the altitude and heat, and did a great job of supporting Bjorn in his win.

Bob and Dom rolling in at the finish

Spence came in a few minutes behind them - this was the longest race, and one of the longest rides he'd ever done, and he went through 9 water bottles in the process of finishing! Well done Spence...

A very hot and tired Spence finishes his 45 miles.

After the road race, there were several hours to go until the afternoon time trial began, so we grabbed sandwiches, and headed over to a swimming hole and waterfall that Bjorn and his family had discovered two years ago when Bjorn did Gold Nugget.

The first small swimming hole was in and around a large basalt canyon, and featured a nice 12-15 foot drop off into the 8 foot pool. The boys, goaded by Bjorn, had a great time jumping into the pool and swimming around for awhile, cooling off from the race.

Bob trying out the jump at the "small pool"

Of course, because they are teenage boys, jumping off small cliffs is never enough, and Bjorn knew of a bigger place "just around the corner" - actually about a 10 minute hike across the scorching basalt. It led over to a BIG swimming hole, with a 40-45 foot rock which had several "jumping off" points. Bjorn led the way, starting with the 12-15 foot jumps, then he and Bob headed up to the top, where they did the 30-35 foot drops into the pool - which they didn't get near the bottom of.

Bjorn and Bob re-enacting Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid

Bob about to land after his 35 foot jump. Hint - wear shoes or flip flops!

After the fun and relaxation in the water, it was time to trek back to the start of Stage 3, just a short drive away. It was mercifully a short time trial course, only 3.8 miles, which was about 1 mile of mostly flat to rolling road, then a 0.8 mile hill, followed by about 2 miles of rolling "false flat" to the finish. The boys went out at one minute intervals, and hammered up the course solo.

Bob near the top of the hill climb section.

Bjorn turning it on into the "flat" section.

Skyler pushing hard at the top of the climb.

Spence was last one in - hammering towards the finish.

All the boys, glad that the TT is over - short, but painful.

After the finish, they rode down to the start,
and enjoyed the shade before heading back to the hotel

After the two races in one day, we had a long drive back to the hotel, where the boys spent much of the evening in the pool, practicing their cannonball and other techniques, then early to bed for the final day of racing - a 36-mile (or 24-mile for Skyler) road race.

Glad to be back at the hotel with the pool!

More pictures are HERE

POO Two

Well, I took another shot at the Port Ride tonight. After getting totally spanked on the 90-miler with Bill & Peter last weekend I figure I better keep the legs moving between now and the Death Ride, less than 2 weeks away!

Tonight I took it easy. Well, that was kinda decided for me-- I left a little later than usual and didn't get my usual 6 or 7 miles of warm-up before the peloton's arrival. Anyhow, the wind was howling from the west and the pace was pretty fast-- I wasn't the only guy getting blown out the back. I only held on for less than a lap.

But no worries. I just pedaled and pondered and enjoyed the wind in my face while the sun set into the advancing fog. Still managed 26 miles in 1:22. Probably climbed less than 100' total. That'll be a different story in a couple weeks' time!

Good riding..

Gold Nugget Stage Race - Junior Heat Test Weekend - Day 1

This weekend is already shaping up to be a battle of the boys against the elements - the main element being HEAT. Today after a 4 hour drive to Mariposa ("gateway to Yosemite") we arrived in 97 degree heat and pondered what the first stage of this three-day, four-race series would be like.

The boys immediately held a conference in the pool here at the motel, and determined it would be tough, but they were ready. They turned out to be right on both counts.

After cooling off in the pool, everyone piled into the van (thanks, Blair!) and we drove the 35 minutes out to the start of the first stage, the 9-mile hill climb, in Hornitos (sounds like a snack food?). It was more remote than the start of Copperopolis, with a school and a bar, and little else at the start.

Resisting the urge to hit the bar at 4 PM, the boys checked in to get their numbers - only 27 people were registered across all the classes. Junior 13-14 was about 7 boys, and the Junior 15-16 totaled 11 starters, including Spence who decided to "race up" a class.

Registration - this is about half of the entire field.

Once they were registered, the boys had about an hour to get ready, which mainly meant staying cool in the shade and avoiding getting dehydrated before the race started.

Conserving energy, waiting for the start of the race.

It may have cooled down to "only" 96 degrees by the 5:15 PM start.

Junior 15-16 team (Spence, Bob and Bjorn) waiting for the start

Skyler represented AC solo in the Junior 13-14 class today!

As the race was "one way" up the climb, I headed out in the van, and drove to the finish - sorry, no start pictures today! Along the way I observed that the first 3-4 miles were gentle rollers, like at Diablo (the start)...


...but then it began to kick up, especially the last two miles - I really wondered how this would be in the heat, and I was in the air-conditioned van!


After waiting around for 15-20 minutes at the top, with some of the other parents, the first group, Junior 17-18, began arriving. Shortly after that, the Junior 15-16 brigade came in - Bjorn first, with either a third or fourth place finish (I think)

Bjorn arrives - really wondering HOW LONG that finish straight was?

A few minutes later, Spence rolled in - he said it was maybe the hardest race he'd done to date - very fast pace from the group on the flats, then the heat really hammered them on the way up the climb.

Spence arrives, ready to re-hydrate

Bob rolled in a few minutes later - he'd had a minor mishap with a chain problem earlier, but caught the group before the climb. Still a long, tough haul up the hill and he was a hot and tired racer...

Bob rolls in - enough of the heat...

Then Skyler made it - he came in at Third Place in a competitive Junior 13-14 group.

Skyler arrives, wondering where he can get another bottle of water...

The boys were all really tired and it was clear that this was a tough start to a long weekend of racing. But after some water at the finish, then showers at the hotel and dinner, they were feeling 100% better, and ready to do battle again tomorrow...

Recovering at the finish

So now they're in the pool (at 8:30 PM) and we'll head out tomorrow for the next TWO stages - the road race in the morning (25 or 45 miles) and the time trial in the afternoon (3.8 miles). Watch this blog for updates same time on Saturday night!

Here is a link to the race website for details of the four stages.

And here are a few more pictures.

Nevada City Criterium - Bjorn, Isaiah, Lance, Levi and Ben

These updates from Jeff & Nicole Taylor, and Tom & Katie Fox, who attended the Nevada City Classic this past weekend.

It was where (among others), Bjorn and Isaiah participated in a very tough Junior crit race, and some other guys (Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Ben Jacques Maynes, Chris Horner, etc.) did the Pro race.

Jeff Taylor:
What a race it was - Armstrong, Levi, and Ben Jaques Maynes led from the gun until Lance attacked with 5 laps to go and blew it apart to take the win!

15,000 people and we had the killer spot at the top of the climb. AWESOME!

Lance broke away with five laps to go to win it.
They were high-fiving the spectators on their victory lap!

Tom Fox:

Unfortunately there were some nasty crashes in the Junior race. Bjorn and Isaiah were well positioned from the start. Then one of the older kids came into The Turn going to fast, panicked, grabbed the front brake and went OTHB.

The course marshall didn't know what to do so on the next lap another racer (specialized) running wide slid the rear and went into the first guy. The first guy was taken away by the ambulance. The official neutralized the race for at least one lap before they finally stopped and restarted the race.

After the restart Isaiah was in the lead group for a long time doing a brilliant race hanging with the bigger boys. Towards the end of the race his handle bar was accidentally caught in the hay and he went down, luckily he managed to escape with scrapes and bruises.

Isaiah and Bjorn enjoying the post-race festivities

Amazingly both AC Jr's finished in the top half of the 26 racers 15-16 category.

Isaiah Rapko:
Following up on Jeff's report, Bjorn and I raced 15-16s at Nevada City. Both of us qualified for the USA cycling regional development camp run by Larry Nolan, and this race is where the coaches observe the riders (the camp started that night).

The junior field was massive with around 50 riders starting at the same time. A good number of Socal riders who were attending the development camp showed up and made our field more competitive.

If you haven't been to race, the course is extremely demanding and technical. The finish is on a steep downhill which leads into two tight turns. After a few laps, we went by a rider laying on the ground being attended to by medics. At first, I thought it was Bjorn, who later said he thought it was me, but luckily it was neither of us. I still don't know who it was but he broke his arm in two places. The crash was videotaped by Damian Gonzalez.

Later on, a group was established containing most of the heavy hitters in the 15-16s. I was there and Bjorn was a bit off the back. Sadly, I didn't get to duke it out because I crashed with 2 laps to go on one of the highspeed corners. Bjorn got 6th and I finished with a healthy dose of road rash in 11th. -- Isaiah

Mt. Diablo Hill Climb Time Trial - JPS Finale - Three Podiums!

The Junior Points Series (JPS) concluded this weekend with the Mt. Diablo Hill Climb, a 10 km time trial that went up to the first ranger station on Mt. Diablo. The weather was perfect - clear and sunny, with some wind, but not too hot.

We had a small AC contingent racing, with Skyler holding up the Junior 13-14 crew, and Bjorn and Bob representing the Junior 15-16 group. I raced the Men's 45+ group as well, though all the boys were significantly faster ;-)

We were fortunate that Katie Fox brought their Sprinter, which provided the boys a place to hang out, and listen to teeth-rattling bass:

Hanging out with Katie in the Sprinter

First out was Skyler, who attacked the course, and won his first podium - First Place for the season-ending race, with a 34:55.3 finish time. Podium #1.

Skyler Taylor - First Place - Junior 13-14

Bjorn and Bob headed out to do battle against the usual suspects in the 15-16 group, and finished in 6th and 7th places respectively. Their times were pretty fast (31:16.9 and 31:47.8), but Torey Phillip from the Davis Bike Club finished with a 28:23.

Bob in the starting box, ready to head out on the first rollers.

The boys return from the top of the hill to find out about their results.

The Junior Points series ended with this race, and the points for all the contenders were added up. We had two AC Junior racers finish on the podium - Spence Peterson took 2nd Place overall for Junior 13-14, after a hard-fought battle with Dylan Drummond (who Skyler beat on the hill climb). Spence missed the First Place finish by the slimmest of margins. Spence had to attend a wedding back East, so he wasn't there to collect his bag of winner's schwag (don't worry - we have it for you Spence!). Podium #2.

Bjorn Fox took Fourth Place in the Junior 15-16 category - against a VERY strong field of competitors and beating out the fifth place finisher by about one point! Podium #3.

Bjorn Fox - Fourth Place - Junior Points Series - Boys 15-16

Congratulations to all the winners for a strong JPS season - this shows lots of promise for the coming year, when we'll have boys in the 15-16, and the 17-18 categories. Should be an interesting year ahead!

Final Race Results at http://www.c4racing.org/www/results/diablo9.html

JPS Series Results here

More Photos here

A Tale of Two Time Trials

Last weekend was two days, two TTs and two flavors of suffering. The events were an interesting comparison & contrast for me because they demonstrated how my riding has changed, and how my ability and perception of "suffering" (the cool way to say "working hard") has changed-- or is different based on the tilt of the road.


Both events were about 18 miles. One was Ross' Epic Hill Climb and the other was the Dunlop ITT. Both were individual events (at least where it mattered, in the hill climb). Both required maximum efforts for most of the race (ok, a little less so for the hill climb because it was a mass start with a few miles of pack riding at the beginning).


On the hill climb, it was harder for me to really "suffer"-- it was painful for sure, but though I felt like I was going as fast as I could, I wasn't "dying." That is in total contrast to the TT-- I was (much of the time) pushing absolutely as hard as I could go. In the TT it felt like a familiar kind of suffering-- I knew how deep I was going and had been there before (like in 'cross races). On the hill climb my effort seemed to be constrained from going as deep as I could go. Maybe the slope, maybe mental or physical factors outside of the actual day? Do my HRs tell a story? (hill climb/TT) Average 164/164 Maximum 173/176.


I used to be a real climber-- that was my strength. Now I guess I am a rouleur, a "distance rider" or maybe even sprinter-- due to age? muscle development? cyclocross? beer? I will never know for sure. But I know I do really enjoy the "suffering" in a TT or cyclocross situation. I realize I have a challenge to achieve that same level of "suffering enjoyment" in the climbing environment. But that is a pretty fun challenge.

Here's a hill climb rider who looks like he is suffering enough..








And one who clearly is not!










Good riding.

Dunlap Time Trial - working against the wind

Sunday completed the Weekend Sufferfest, with the Dunlap Time Trial out in Davis. We had a full contingent of AC riders - 5 Junior racers (Spence, Skyler, Bob, Alex, and Bjorn) and four Masters (Blair, Peter, Ken and Rich).

Team AC "headquarters" for the race

Praying to the time trial gods for a fast time

Spence warming up and ready for action

The courses were different for each of the categories, but the challenge was the same - one rider every 30 seconds, alone on the road, no drafting - just you against the wind. And there WAS wind, especially later in the morning, when it seemed to be blowing 15 MPH straight into the first long straightaway.

The first race was the Juniors 13-14, where Spence and Skyler competed against a familiar contingent of Junior Points Series contenders. The big battle that was expected for this race (between Dylan Drummond and Spence) did not materialize because of an unfortunate flat for Dylan within about the first mile. So the boys went out, and did some serious battle with the course before the wind kicked up.

At just 10 km (about 6 miles) they had a short course with one turn and one U-turn, but that just meant it was either a very short time trial, or a very long sprint. It was clear from the times that it was more like a sprint.




Spence nailed first place (and the State Champion jersey!) by 1:15 over the 2nd place finisher.

Skyler finished within about 2.5 seconds of the podium.


Next up were the Junior 15-16 boys, with Bjorn, Alex and Bob out - about 30 minutes later than Spence and Skyler, the wind was starting to come up a bit, and their course was twice as long - 20 km (about 12.5 miles), so it required real discipline to go out strong (but not TOO hard), and hold a high level of power all the way through. Up against the Specialized riders and other boys riding $5000-7000 specialist time trial bikes, our boys did really well.

Bob (on his home-built duct-tape and cardboard rear disc) placed 10th (most of the places 1-9 were locked up by either the Davis or Specialized teams), about 2.5 minutes out of the podium.

Alex came in 13th, just 45 seconds behind Bob, with a strong steady performance.




Bjorn, who struggled with cramping legs, finished 15th about a minute behind Alex.


Given that this was the first time trial they've ever done, the boys did great. We also have many thanks to Chad, Ian Tuttle, Woody, Craig Upton, Jeff Peterson, Kris Lunning, Josh Snead, and others who loaned their expensive time trial gear (wheels, helmets, bars, etc.) for the boys to use for the race.

Next up were the Masters, with a full 30 km (19 miles) to ride - the course was a large rectangle about 5.5 miles long, by 3.5 miles wide. First out was Blair, who raced Elite 4. By the 11 AM start time, the wind was in full force, about 15 MPH steady into the first 5.5 mile straight (the good news was the tailwind on the back straights, which was a big relief after about 30 minutes of hammering out the first part of the race).

Blair took 13th place in his group, a strong finish against some obviously committed and experienced time trialists.

Then Peter and Rich went out in Elite 5, with Peter finishing in 13th place in his class, just 1:15 behind Blair's finishing time. Rich managed to hold a steady pace, and came in 17th, with a strong finish at the final straight.

Finally, after noon, Ken headed out into the course, in the Men's 45+ class, with some serious "investment bikers" showing off their $10,000 tricked out time trial bikes.


Ken rode his 30 km without any benefit of aero goodies except the helmet, and finished in style. We took off shortly after Ken's finish, so we don't know how he placed at this point.

All in all it was a great learning experience, and Spence took home another win in the Junior Points Series - keeping the battle alive to the very end of the series!


A full set of pictures is up on the web: http://picasaweb.google.com/glocalize/200906DunlapTimeTrial?feat=directlink

And there was a pro photographer there from Hors Categorie (no relation) with good pictures of everyone:

Spence Peterson Skyler Taylor Bob Siegel Alex Howard Bjorn Fox

Blair Peterson Peter Sobrero Rich Siegel Ken Howard

In two weeks is the Mt. Diablo Hill Climb, and then next stop is the Golden Nugget Stage race out in Mariposa - 4 races over 3 days at the end of June.