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!