Ice Weasels Cometh

Ice Weasels Cometh, RI

http://dirtwire.tv/2015/12/ice-weasels-cometh-highlights-2/

It's not fall, its not winter. It's the season of CX! Well for my mind CX just kept creeping into my dreams, my desires, my focus in training. My first races in September didn't go so well. I would have a decent start and then something would fall apart, being me or my gear. I rolled tires in the first three races, I found my fitness not quite up to par with the gents that had been training specifically for CX since June or those coming off of a strong road season. I figured this was alright though. I really wanted to be "driving" the bike come November and December anyway.

When I last raced CX in 2009 I was still living out at the gateway to the Pacific Northwest in Idaho. I would find myself heading over to Boise, down to Salt Lake City or Ogden, over to Bend, OR or to Portland, OR. All long road trips, all really good scenes for CX. With all the CX hoopla going on around the U.S. over the past decade, New England still has the history and the depth that other regions will always be chasing to catch. I've really been fortunate to find myself in New England CX scene this fall. Heck I am fortunate that my road season took a break in August/September due to some back issues and I found myself rested and hungry to race in October and November. Original intentions focused on fall road racing suddenly became mired wandering down to Massachusetts or Rhode Island to race CX. However, after one race and I wasn't mired at all. I simply had lost focus on how much I enjoyed CX. How much I enjoyed the scene and the people that race CX, the difficulty and skillset required for CX. These folks are true Hedonist of the sport. I have a dear friend that resides in Belgium and races CX. Don't be misled, I don't have direct experience with Belgium CX racing or culture, but listening to his experiences I see similar CX fanatics  here in New England. It is truly amazing to see so many different folks having fun and making a party out of chasing one another around in the woods, the mud, over barriers, through sand and up steep hills in tights.

Running through the Pawty! - Ice Weasels

So, as with so many other New Englander's the right direction to go this time of year is CX racing. Now, I am perpetually driving to RI and MA as we head into its final month CX here in New England. As folks turn their final build focus to CX Nationals the first week of January in Asheville.
Myself, well I hadn't really put Nationals as a real expectation this year. While it was always in the back of my mind it seemed just out of reach with the other life balances I look to keep in check every day. As I write, I have found myself in a final build and headed to Asheville. A dress rehearsal for Nationals in CT? Yes but definitively No. The details are coming together, I am going through my gear with a fine tooth comb, my training is on tract and fitness is still rising. And most importantly my hunger is at an all time high. I am looking forward to what Asheville has to throw at us in January. I am looking forward to a road trip with our "director sportif". The stories and dialogue that only a road trip produces when couped up with a friend for hours. After all, its the journey that actually carries the most value. The destination? Well, I've done the homework and I just have to go do what I do, drive the bike. Let the moment take its course.

 

Through Woods - Ice Weasels

Driving the bike through the Kitty Litter

Sand Cornering - Ice Weasels

Punching it through Kitty Litter - Ice Weasels

Podium - Ice Weasels

 

RANGELEY GRAVEL GRINDER: Old Dog, New Tricks

The prospect of riding a gravel grinder has increasingly intrigued both cycling road racers and mountain bike riders for a few years now. So when the posting for the Northwoods Gravel Grinder to be held in Rangeley, Maine during the late September foliage season popped up on Bikereg.com, a bunch of us decided now is the time to give it a try.

Beautiful Rangeley, Maine

Rangeley is the last outpost of civilization in the northwest corner of Maine and features gobs of lakes, mountains and forests. It also features an extensive network of logging roads and private camp roads leading to secluded lakes and excellent fishing spots. Drew Hufnagel, who organized the event, and his crew did an amazing job of piecing together a 35 mile route and a 79 mile route that took advantage of the wilderness setting and served up a full gamut of bike riding challenges.

Spencer Nietmann, Troy Barry and I (Hank Pfeifle) of Downeast Racing joined 40 or so others who were evenly split between the two routes offered. Not a huge turnout but a new event has to start somewhere and maybe this post will entice more to give it a go next year. Now I must admit to being an old dog roadie with limited mountain bike experience, whereas Troy (former USA 2-man x 12 hour national mountain bike champ + pro CX licence) and most others on the starting line had a mountain bike heritage. Cyclocross bikes predominated the mode of transport selection with 33mm wide, mini diamond tread centers and slight knobby edge tires as the tire choice. Tire pressure ranged from 45 lbs to 80 lbs depending on one's estimate of the road surface conditions (no preview of the course was possible as the route was on normally closed private property).

Lakes & woods abound in the Rangeley region

We rolled out of town on Route 16 but soon turned onto the dirt road that goes around Dodge  Pond.  Upon hitting the dirt, the "go" switch went on and the pace quickened. Ah, this surface is fine - just a few potholes. Mr. Hufnagel had informed us to follow the signs, arrows on the roads and florescent green tree ribbons. A mile into the perfectly fine Dodge Pond dirt road the route markers all pointed towards a .. what? .. a stream bed? Why, whats wrong with this dirt road we're on? Off we go onto this stream bed (actually it WAS a road) and Troy really turns up the heat. Time to dwindle the herd. One thing I have learned during my limited time on a mountain bike is that, if you don't know what you are doing, follow someone who does. That fraction of a second of learning where the good line is through the mayhem of rocks, holes and tree limbs can make all the difference between sticking around or going backwards. Onto the back wheel of Matt Reynolds I went and a couple miles later six of us emerged intact onto the next road. Phew! And that's how the whole ride went - good roads, stony roads (ugh), wash boardy roads (ugh x 2), long gradual uphills (nice), long speedy downhills (nice x 2), crazy fast rutty downhills interspersed with humped culverts (yikes!!), big rocks, grassy centered roads (is this really a road??), questionable bridges over streams  - everything you could think of to test your skills.

Uphills, flat tires and just plain craziness eventually shattered all semblances of  people riding together which means, a) being able to take care of yourself in the middle of nowhere, and b) being able to solo TT for 60 miles are good & necessary skills to have. Mountain bike descending skills are a prerequisite as you need to be comfortable on the speedy and always tricky downhills. Steve Edwards of PVC incorporated the full package of gravel grind experience, bike handling skills, climbing ability and a mechanically clean negotiation of the route to earn the well deserved win. Troy Barry used all his considerable skills (he hit 45 on one of the gravelly, rutty downhills - don't tell his wife) to overcome two flats to nab 2nd. Matt Reynolds rode an error free ride for 3rd and, after fixing a flat of my own (with tube assistance from Ron Dunn - thanks), I managed a 4th place with John Liston hot on my heels (that guy can fly downhill - fun to watch hard to overcome).

Experienced gravel grinders opined that the Rangeley route was mid-level on the gravel grind extreme scale based on the many Northeast options out there. Dang. In other words, practice up and be ready for everything when you enter these events. Fast or slow you'll have a memorable time.

DER takes the Fight to Vermont

Labor Day signifies two things; the unofficial end of summer and the end to 4 great days of racing at the Green Mountain Stage Race.  The 2015 edition of the GRMS had deep and talented fields, brutally steep mountain roads and oppresive heat.  In typically fashion the DER boys put up a fierce fight day-in and day-out, highlighted with 2 trips to the podium in the Cat 3 event.  Not satisfied with making the break on the Day 4 Crit, Zev Myerowitz attacked with 1 lap to go so he could enjoy the glory of crossing the line by himself.

Zev pumping his fist with joy on day 4

On the day 2 circuit race John Boucher clawed his way over Duxbury Gap 4x so he could contest the final finish.  Anyone that has tried to go toe-to-toe with John for a local town-line sprint knows it is a tough ask, and the other GMSR riders felt that same pain. John had the motor firing on all cylinders at the finish and was just a few bike lengths off the top step, a great results for this up and coming sprint man. 

John finishing 3rd, a few lengths off the win

John enjoying his glory on Day 2

John ripping the bottom corner on the Day 4 Crit, with the field strung out behind

Eliot Pitney took up arms against the Cat 2 field.  A strong performance on the Day 1 TT resulted in a 6th place finish.  He also hung tough on the Queen Stage with the mountain goats and finished 12th on the day, moving himself into the top 10 in GC.  A fast day at the front of the pack in the Burlington Crit didn't net any time bonuses, but every time Eliot hit the front the pack's legs were begging for relief  (A huge change from last year when Eliot was hanging on to the back of the pack on for dear life).  Great effort Eliot!

Eliot clawing his way up the final pitch of App Gap.  Look how steep that is!!!

The Masters squad of DS Hank Pfiefle, Joe Lynch and Troy Barry were hit by the injury bug on Day 2 when Troy was forced to pull out of the race.  Hank and Joe continued to grind out the miles in the 40+ event during the day, and impart wisdom and knowledge to the youth of DER at night.  Their wealth of racing knowledge was always appreciated when breaking bread together at night.

Joe Lynch ripping a crit corner in Burlington

Joe, Eliot and Hank after conquering the Queen Stage and App Gap

One racer that could have used a few additional pearls of wisdom was Cat 4 racer Gary Dugas.  Gary overcooked a corner coming down Middlebury Gap and had a spectacular crash as a result (he has the shredded kit to prove it).  Without any major damage to bike or body, Gary's teammates quickly turned from bike racerts to ER nurses and acquired all the necessary items to give him a saline bath and dress the wounds. Gary will be back in action in no time, watch for him this upcoming CX season, he should be shredding the fields in no time!

Tired of cooking, the boys hit the town on Sunday night and enjoyed some Mad Taco in Waitsfield

Thanks for following along with our racing adventures.  For more instant up to the minute doings of all things DER, you can find us on both instagram and twitter @racingdowneast

Help us build our social media empire!

Until next year.....

Stage Racing & Its Addictive Appeal

John Boucher, Troy Barry & Eliot Pitney atop Killington

This past weekend a bunch of us Downeast Racers played stagier and rode the Killington Stage Race (KSR) capably hosted by Gary Kessler, the Killington Mountain area and the gracious people of Vermont. Those who follow Downeast Racing postings know how our trip was highlighted by the dominating performance of Zev Myerowitz in the Cat 4 class with his two stage victories and the garnering of the General Classification, Sprinters and Climbers jerseys. Impressive, yes, but what happens now that Zev moves up a class and faces stiffer competition? As in all sports, as you continue to move up in class you eventually equalize in ability with others. And then the outright victories become more elusive. Think about it - guys ride entire years, heck, careers without a victory. Yet they keep coming back for more and as happy (happier!) as the first day they put their bike on the starting line. Why do you think that is? Well here's a theory - it's the personal victories within the ride that provide so much satisfaction and, yes, elation. Our just concluded KSR experience provides many examples to support this theory. 

Take Matt Moon's ride in the 1st stage of the Pro-1-2 field, the 4x17 mile circuit race with the screamingly fast sprint finish. If one were to peruse Matt's results over the past year they'd see a number of 14th, 25th and such finishes not knowing, and thus not appreciating, that he rode those races in slave service to others on the team. His teammates know his value, note his work ethic and marvel how he can flow through a pack. On Stage 1 Matt was released to race his race and RACE he did - 3rd. 3rd! You'd have to be there to fully understand the value of this finish. You'd have to have ridden in the middle of 80 guys tightly bunched & averaging 41 miles an hour over the final 2 miles to understand how nerve wracking that is. To come in 3rd knowing that you had the speed, skill and NERVE to duke it out is so, so, sooo satisfying. We his teammates, too, were so happy. His witnessing wife & kids - happy. Proud. Matt didn't say but you could tell he was jacked up. Probably too excited to sleep well that night. As an athlete, you live for that emotion.

And Troy Barry's ride on the day 2's Queen Stage provides another example of my theory of the addictive satisfaction of personal victories. Troy and I rode the 40+ category and we kind of pooched Stage 1 by missing the break. Actually there is no "ifs, ands or buts" about our botching it and we were definitely bumming afterwards. Fortunately in sports there is another day, another race and redemption can be attained. In stage racing that redemption can be claimed the next day.  The KSR Queen Stage is "lumpy" with a 7k lump at mile 25 to the KOM line and the finishing 8k, 10% average lump at mile 60. The assemblage of 40+ riders this year was very aggressive and all knew that the trip to the KOM would be vicious as would it be up the multiple hills afterwards. Field splits inevitably happen on hills and you have to be toward the front of the pack to make the break. I was fortunate to be among the 9 guys who crested the KOM hill and felt bad that there was no Troy among us. On we raged and on the following downhill a couple more guys fought their way back to us. No Troy. Keep pedaling. Keep hanging on to the break up the hills. We finally came to a dirt road hill that carried us back to Route 4 and the 9 mile upwind, upgrade slog to the Killington Skystation and the start of the finishing climb. If you didn't make it over the dirt hill with the break, you'd easily lose 15 minutes battling the wind and hill by yourself or in a small shattered, dispirited group. So imagine my joy when halfway up the dirt section I heard, "Hey, how's it going?" and saw Troy's beaming face next to me. Yeah, his smile said it all. The relief, the validation of ability and the internal elation and satisfaction of proving oneself able to overcome mistakes and adversity. And for me having a teammate by my side just amplified everything positive. What a great moment and then later to see Troy battle up the final climb to finish 9th - wow, icing on the cake.  

Well ... no trophies or jerseys for Matt, Troy and we other Downeast Racers but we had plenty of great moments and can say that Zev's victory haul is symbolic of how we feel inside.

Zev goes off at KSR

The Open 4/5 field let Zev roll off the front of the Queen stage of the Killington Stage Race at mile 1 and by the top of the first climb at mile 6 he had a nice little cushion and a little bit of company.  Zev continued to press the pace through the valley, sucking up top honors at the sprint hot spot and ground out the North road climb with the break, nabbing a few KOM point in the process.  Not content with the pace of the break, Zev rode them off his wheel in a screaming headwind, while following the river back into Killington.  With only 1 major effort left, Zev paced his way up East Mountain road taking stage honors and the available KOM points.  It was a big mouthful for the announcer to say, "your General Classification Leader, your Sprints Point Leader AND your King of the Mountain Leader....Zev Myerowitz", but he managed just fine!  Zev is going to come home with a trunk of new jerseys for his collection.

Rumor has it that one of the members of the break was so shattered from trying to keep up with Zev that he had to stop on the final climb, and a local family took pity on him and gave him water and a pizza to refuel. 

Zev was a one man wrecking crew today, a man among boys, who is ready to step up to the Cat 3s.  Good on ya Zev!

SCARBOROUGH CRIT #7: RESULTS & FINAL STANDINGS

Hi All,

The seven race Scarborough Industrial Park Criterium Series concluded today on a spectacular spring day with action amped to maximum voltage due to generous and novel primes offered on just about every other lap for the men's A, B and women's fields. Race organizer Downeast Racing extends a warm thanks to Gorham Bike & Ski for their continuous Series support, Central Maine Cycling Club for their Series long prime support (boxes & boxes of Clif bars), Frederick Bros. Oil Company of Scarborough for the cash prime support throughout the series, Momentum Barracuda Bike Racing team for their cash prime support, Rainbow Bikes (Lewiston, Maine) fabulous cash support, Starbucks Coffee for their gift cards, individuals such as Graydon Stevens, Joe Lynch and  Jeff Dixon for their cash prime support, and Scratch Bakery for their $25 dollar gift certificates. And, lastly, thanks to all the participants who braved early season cold weather and came week after week to make this a very strong and important southern Maine racing event. With that said, here are today's results.

MEN'S 'A' RACE

Race winner John Boucher (L) with series winner Ta Herrera (C) and series runner up Travis Kroot (R)

John Boucher went from gasping for air while pushing puny watts in January to surging to crit wins in May. Just goes to show what a focused mind can accomplish.  
  

1	Boucher, John
2	Marchesault, Jeremy
3	Herrera, Guillermo
4	Kroot, Travis
5	Edwards, Steven
6	Sebok, Edward
7	Nietmann, Spencer
8	Coughlin, Neal
9	Salvato, Luke
10	Robinson, Matt
11	Caron, Mark
12	Hitchcock, Carl
13	Dixon, Jeff
14	Costigan,Gregory
15	Grenier, John
16	Denis, Paul
17	Pryhuber, Andrew
18	Lynch, Joe
19	McGrath, Steve
20	Pitney, Eliot
21	Myerowitz, Zev
22	Hamlen, Devens
23	Vallancourt, Dan
24	Benington, George
25	Follen, Eric
26	Green, Chris
27	Moon, Matt
28	Guyette, Austin
DNF	Stevens, Graydon

MEN'S 'B' RACE

Race & Series winner Zev Myerowitz

Zev had his hands full today as the pack made the collective decision to keep him in sight as in short sight. No powering away today, well .... at least not until the final 200 meters. 

1	Myerowitz, Zev
2	Geib, Josh
3	Doughty, Jeff
4	Robinson, Matt
5	Poulin, Christopher
6	Cartwright, Jonathan
7	Pryhuber, Andrew
8	Somers, Liam
9	Guyette, Austin
10	Michaud, Craig
11	O'Donnell, Matt
12	Waldroup, Michael
13	Ho, Benjamin
14	Stivaletti, Mike
15	Seger, Jeff
16	Talbot, Pete
17	Brubach, David
18	Ryan, Kent
DNF	Strehlke, Todd
DNF	Costigan,Gregory
DNF	Brewer, Dan
DNF	Daigle, John

WOMEN'S RACE

Race & Series winner Jessica Duppler

Jessica Duppler made the trip up from Portsmouth and just crushed it today. The ladies rode with the Men B and Jessica was riding 5th, 6th wheel through the primes comfy as could be.
 

1st	Duppler, Jessica
2nd	Preston, Angelea
3rd	Makoujy, Stephanie
4th	Creswell, Katherine
5th	Fanning, Martha
6th	Monaghan, Jane

Congrats to all and let's do it again next year.

SCARBOROUGH CRIT SERIES: Calling All Women !!

Watching Stephanie Makoujy line up for the Scarborough Crit #4 with the guys reminded me of a scene that played out on my front yard a few weeks ago. Down by the water, a gaggle of some 100 Canada Geese had gathered. Among them was a lone Snow Goose. Stood right out. Beautiful to behold. And, not wanting to sound all male piggy or anything, the same can be said for Stephanie. When it comes to riding her bike, Stephanie can slot her way into a favorable position among the charging peleton as comfortable as can be, looking as comfortable among the guys as was the Snow Goose among the Canadians. Now, I don't know how accommodating Canada Geese are when it comes to sharing worms and grubs from the lawn with Snowies, but I do know that the guys in the Scarborough Crit Series are very much on the non magnanimous side when it comes primes and podium spots. And that's a problem for Stephanie. Wrestling with the guys for position and sticking around through all the surges and attacks makes her stronger, faster and a better bike handler, but it is not giving her much of a chance to win.    

In bike racing, or anything, learning how to win is important and takes practice. We of the Scarborough Crit Series would like to give all women a fair chance at winning a Series race. To do that, we would like to field an ALL WOMEN field, and for us to be able to do that we'd need a minimum of 10 women signing up. Why 10 women? Because we plan to have equal pay as per the men - $30-$20-$10 for 1-2-3 and two primes which, self evidently, costs money. Also one could argue that 10 people are necessary to constitute a FIELD of racers. The entry fee is affordable - $15, and one day USA Cycling licenses ($15) are available at the sign-in. The race would be 12 laps (15.6 miles) and would start this Sunday at 8:00am (ten seconds after the start of the men's B race). 

For those not familiar with the Scarborough Crit Series, it is a 7 race series with race #5 this Sunday. The course is located in the Scarborough Industrial Park at the end of Lincoln Street in Scarborough, Maine. All entry sign-ups are "day of" entries.  The course is a 1.3 mile oval with no technical corners.  

So, ladies, please know we in racing understand that it is no fun to show up and get shelled 2 laps into a race. At race #2 we actually had 6 women show up but soon realized that the men were administering heavy psych damage as woman after woman was dropped from the pack. The proof of the damage was week #3 when just the lone Snow Goose landed on the start line. Let's make that a gaggle.  

Tour of the Battenkill

Our Director Sportif (DS) has been preaching visualization this spring.  Play out race scenarios in your mind ahead of time, so you are better prepared come race day.  One thing I hadn't considered, or perhaps better said, I hadn't put enough emphasis on is that the other 70 guys in the Cat2 Battenkill field all had similar goals. As we pulled out of the starting grid it was mass chaos to move up, and I found myself being squeezed out, caught behind a touch of wheels and resigned to watching the first series of attacks go up the road. I had not visualized this type of start! With Matt Moon masterfully patrolling the front of the group I found a crease along the right edge of the peloton and moved from the back of the pack up towards the front, and as the group slowed on a gentle incline I attacked at mile 7 of the 87 mile race . Former DER member Fred Thomas quickly latched on and 2 more racers came across.  The break was formed and the gap started going out.  First a minute, then 2:30....we had a good rhythm going, the visualization was working.  Around 45 miles in we hear that 8 guys are bridging over and they make the junction shortly thereafter. A few flat tires later and the group is down to 10 headed into Joe Bean hill where 3 guys pull away from the rest with ~12 miles remaining. Fred and I just don't have enough to stay with them over the top, and try and organize a small chasing group of 5. We don't have the horsepower to pull them back, but we manage to hold off the remaining peloton behind.  1 member of the leading trio fell off the pace in the final miles and we reel him in just over the top of the final dirt climb. One last attack in the final kilometer creates enough separation that I can ease my way across the line for 3rd, earning another trip to the podium and a jug of chocolate milk.

Afterwards I hear that Matt flatted out, chased for miles and miles but eventually climbed in the DS van and took up feedzone duties.  I hear he had enough time to pull out his phone and take a few Battenkill selfies while waiting for the wheel van, we'll see if any of those surface on the Internet! Thanks to Matt, Hank, GBS, Giant Bikes and the rest of the DER team for the support this weekend.  Cheers to you!

Sugarloaf Fat Bike Racing - First Annual

Sugarloaf Fat Bike Racing

This year Sugarloaf resort, Carrabassett Region NEMBA and Maine Huts and Trails teamed up to host the First Annual Fat Tire Festival to support the ever growing popularity of biking in the region and the excitement of the on-snow fat tire riding movement. The highlight the Fat Tire Festival was the on-snow race featuring a timed climb up mountain to the top of  the banked slalom course. The descent was seperately timed in the high banked slalom course Awards were given in several divisions to the fastest climber and descender as well as to the racer with the fastest combined time.

Start of the Fat Bike Race

The conditions were pretty difficult with the temperatures in the mid to high thirties all night and rain for several hours before the 7AM start. On top of this the groomers attempted to lay down some fresh corduroy an hour before the race leaving the trail slushy and un-ridable. The uphill TT became a running festival. I took to getting off the starting grid quickly in an attempt to avoid getting run through by pedals and tires up the back of the calf. The tactic pushed my HR into the low 190's quickly but spread the field out quickly as well. 

Stretching out the field

I had been Nordic skiing all winter so the lungs and remainder of my body remained calm. However, the pain in my calves (from running with a bike) started when we hit the steepening headwall below the top of the DR East lift, where we would ultimately turn and traverse to the top of the bank slalom course for the descent.

The banked slalom was silly, fun and a bit treacherous all at once. With the snow so very soft and freshly groomed even the fat 4-inch tires were sinking beyond the rims as your front end was being put in directions that the driver had not intended. Ultimately, finding a little purchase on the harder un-groomed snow was the key to gaining enough speed to rip through the soft slushy groomed corners. At the end of the event (which was a sprint) laughing and stories of crashing riddled the finish line air. Having done this with my wonderful wife on the line as well made it all the better of a sharing experience for me. We had the opportunity to meet some new folks in the mountain biking community  and celebrate the newer success's that NEMBA and Carrabassett Valley are enjoying. Oh, and I did celebrate the fastest climbing and overall times. RIDE ON!

Scarborough Crit #2 Race Report

Hi All,

Warm weather and tepid breezes induced many of the region's best to descend upon the Scarborough Industrial Park for the 2nd race of the 7 race Scarborough Crit Series. The combination of excellent weather, large fields and plenty of lucrative primes made for active racing in both the A and B fields.

The A field ready to go

"B" Field Report: Last week the 12 lap (1.3 mile laps) race was dominated by strong winds and the strong legs of Zev Myerowitz (Downeast Racing). Unfortunately, young Zev was in Montreal taking continuing education courses (chiropractor - and a good one) and that left the door for 1st place open for the rest of the talented field. With the benign weather, the peleton managed to stay mostly intact setting the stage for sprint sensation Andrew Pryhuber (Bowdoin College) to seemingly bolt from nowhere come money time to gobble up the majority of the primes. Nice job, Andrew. However, when it came to winning the race it was Josh Geib (Rancourt Racing) moving up one place from last week to take the win with Andrew 2nd and Christopher Poulin rounding out the podium with a strong 3rd place effort. 

Women's Showing: The race organizers and the race participants were pleased to see a strong women's attendance at the 2nd Crit race mingling with the B field. A nice surprise and we were more than happy to reward the women with prime money and prize money. Stephanie Makoujy won both the prime and victory pots.

"A" Field Report: The "A" race featured a large field that consistently turned 25 to 26 mph laps marked by many attacks and prime excitement. Ta Herrera (Downeast Racing) snagged the first prime with a field sprint, and Scott White (Rancourt Racing) nabbed the midway prime with a strong multi-lap solo effort. It was the 3rd prime with 5 laps to go that produced the real fireworks with Ta taking the sprint and Spencer Nietmann tight on his wheel and propelling the two to a quick 50 meter break from the field. Under Nietmann's urging, the break grew to a few hundred meters making many in the pursuing field nervous. The first to attempt a bridge was Eric Follen (Momentum Barracuda) but the attempt was frustrated until teammate Mark Caron and Scott White joined him and together they finished the bridge with 2 laps to go. The 5 worked well until the final bell when Spencer adroitly attacked his break-mates and booked for home alone. 1.3 lonely Spencer miles to go and the field behind was winding up. Like a ravished tornado the peleton swept up the 4 and began to bare down on Spencer with malevolent intent. The sound of 80 wheels whooshing along the tarmac can be intimidating, but Spencer kept his head (and his legs churning) and crossed the finish line comfortably clear of all chasers. Ta, even after many laps of working in a break, managed to sprint from the field for 2nd and Neal Coughlin (Rancourt) showing an excellent turn of legs for 3rd. 

In conclusion a good day of racing and it was nice to see so many there. Full results will be posted on our Downeast Racing Facebook page.

Strung out single file

SIPC #1 Report: Wind, Cold, and Tactical Racing

Travis here with the coverage of "SIPC" #1: Yesterday kicked off the first Scarborough Industrial Park Crit of 2015. This year the Downeast Racing crew took the helm in running the race along with Jim Smith, the local face of USA Cycling and a huge key to this series' survival and success.

First off: the B Race, Zev and a fellow rider crushed the race from the start. They did a successful 2-man TT with Zev taking (I think) top spot on all primes! Zev also came in with a great kick (not something he's known for given his long distance background) and created some serious long distance over 100m on his fellow breakaway member! Matt Robinson patiently waited in the field as teammate Zev took the victory, when it came time to lay down his sprint...he quickly showed that he wants to throw down in the A sprints this year - and we hope to see him right up in them!

Onto the A race: as the Boys in Blue, we have some pretty big numbers for a local race and decided to break up into two teams of four, by what helmets we were wearing - letting the field know at the start line.
"Team Air Attack + Joe": Joe Lynch, Ta Herrera, Eliot Pitney, Travis Kroot
"Team Not Air Attack, Not Joe": Zev Myerowitz, Matt Moon, Matt Robinson, John Bouchard

It was a cold first race at just over freezing for the start, but there was no waiting around to ease into it. The crosswinds on both the back stretch and the start/finish made it a battle from the very start. Eliot took to the front - after the very early attacks were launched and promptly failed - and guttered the whole field, letting absolutely no one have reprieve from the winds. He rode to the opposite side of the road as the crosswind, so no one could sit to the side and be protected. I sat back in the pack attacks smiled at this bold, and effective move. He was burning up his own legs to dish out the hurt.

No one took to overtaking Eliot, attacking, or forming an echelon so it was just 30+ guys suffering in a crosswind. Soon enough, Matt Moon launched off the front and I was in place to cover. Joe Lynch joined us and we were 3 strong, intelligent riders; we were rotating perfectly into the wind and driving the pace. It was possible, barring very good field coordination, that we could stay away.

The Chase After Attack with 5 to go.

After a whole bunch of laps - and a prime where I took $25 and Matt got $10 - a group of 3 was dragged up by a star of the B race last year - Spencer. I was happy to see that both Ta and Eliot were the only guys with him, so now my entire sub-team of 4 was up in the break of 6. We worked together to get the mid-way prime, Ta taking the 2 points with 1 point for me. The break kept working well with the tough winds. As it reached 5 laps to go, I knew it was time for us to use our numbers to solidify a victory. I attacked on the slight uphill (tailwind) and used it as a launching pad, Joe was on my wheel and, after informing him I was attacking with a “Nooooo!” as he appeared to accelerate, he backed down and a huge gap immediately formed. I went into a TT I hoped to last 14 minutes or so.

Going For The Win p/b Dave Palese's Bike Fit!

After 1.5 laps, I take a peek back and Spencer is dragging me back – once again with Ta and Eliot – who were working hard to stick on his wheel. Now it was 3v1, and our chances were more solid than a 4v2. Another half lap (about 2 laps to go and before Spencer could fully recover, with Eliot and Ta still feeling the bridge back to me) and I went again, this time with the full intent to hold off my one, very strong chaser through the finish line. I looked back a few times and could tell he had started to hold the gap that I created. It was nice coming into the bell lap (1.3mi/~2K to go) with the spectators cheering about a solo rider! All I had to do was hold on for 3 more minutes, and if I didn't I had the comfort that Ta and Eliot can both kick hard despite the hard day we all hard. Coming out of the uphill with a bit over 400m to go, I knew I had the win. This knowledge made the last 30-40 seconds a bit less miserable, which was eased even more when I watched as Ta & Eliot cleanly take 2nd & 3rd place only a few seconds back.

It was a nice kickoff for the team, and I'm sure we'll see even more people coming out when it is neither Easter nor 27°F at the start of the B race!

I love racing in the wind. It quickly shows who knows how to handle adverse scenarios and adapt to them, whether by experience or quick thinking. Eliot crushed the field just by guttering the race, when even a single organized group of 5-10 would have neutralized most of the damage he was trying to cause. Then in the break, I took the helm of rotating one direction on the back stretch and switching the rotation for the start/finish section. Matt and Joe were smooth and experienced so it was easy with them. Once we had the 6 man group it was a quick "this is what we're doing" and everyone responded quickly and positively...all of this led to the break holding off the field. I expect that if the field formed an echelon to try to reel us back in we would have had a lot more trouble staying away.

And...I made a friend at the race.

The Easter Bunny sure liked the Downeast Racing baby blue!

http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=How The Race Was Won - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2015&dashboard=omloop-het-nieuwsblad&id=NcJ5Qq3OhuE&yr=2015

It always pays to hang in there even if the odds are against you. No try, no get.



http://www.steephill.tv/players/youtube3/?title=How The Race Was Won - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2015&dashboard=omloop-het-nieuwsblad&id=NcJ5Qq3OhuE&yr=2015

March 1st & the Promise of Spring

March??

March heralds in the promise of Spring - warm sun, greening grass, beckoning roads. Yes Spring happens every year but belief dims when the thermometer reads 2 and the snow gauge reads 36 on this most anticipated of mornings. But Downeast Racing does still believe as we pedal in the basement, rumble the fatbike up the snow trails and slay the hills & dales at the various Maine cross country ski centers. Our new Castelli kits are in, new Giant bikes are getting assembled, and new Giro helmets and shoes now glisten awaiting the dirt and grim surely to be accumulated from the clearing roads of New England. Our mid-March team training camp in Asheville, NC is all locked down where we expect to emerge with faster, sun blessed legs. 

New England Dirt Roads in Spring

We'll start the racing season at the Miles Standish Road Race (Plymouth, MA) and then head over to Cambridge, NY for the Tour of the Battenkill. With racing season in sight, we can come out of our winter hibernation and allow ourselves the privilege to keep all updated on the team composition, training, racing and all the good things associated with riding the bike. March and April in Maine are kind of cruel as we both watch out the window and see snow or cold brisk, damp winds with one eye and watch guys in t-shirts playing golf with the envious other. But maybe that what makes New Englanders tough??

Summer Warmth Will Come

Oconus Riding

This last month has seemed particularly harsh in the weather department.  The snow has been piling up, the wind has been howling and this cold snap shows no sign of letting up.  In step my wife and her need to find somewhere warm to park herself (with a fruity cocktail with an umbrella) and escape the dreary dull Maine winter.  This year we packed up the kids (and a bike) and headed south to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  At night it is down to 75 degrees and we have spent the last few days wilting in the sun as the mercury tickles 90 degrees.  It has been fabulous.  I've managed to sneak out in the morning and explore the island roads.  There have been some beautiful coastal rides and downright brutal efforts to climb up into the rainforest, but I can't complain about the views and the weather!

Caught the sunrise on the coast

The local bike path runs right along the water

The old tower on the top of El Yunque

Not sure why I'm smiling after climbing 3400' vertical over 10 miles

The proof of a successful trip, booze on the beach in a pineapple with a pink umbrella!

Winter takes hold

With winter settling in most people head indoors and spend their time on the trainer/rollers.  For those who are hardy enough to brave the elements, there is another option: The Fatbike.  

With no snow to speak of in Cumberland country, a short drive north to the Carrabassett Valley opens up a fabulous network of trails and huts maintained by Maine Huts & Trails.  

20 miles of pedaling on the groomed trails brings you to the Flagstaff hut.  The hut is fully supported and you can grab a meal and a beer or just a pipping hot cup of coffee.  

If you haven't taken the plung in buying a fatbike, or just want to know what all the fuss is about, check out the Rental Fleet at Gorham Bike & Ski.  They have more than enough Specialized Fatboys to go around.  

The crew taking a quick rest at the

Midway yurt.