Hub City and Big Time Crit Racing this Saturday

Boston City Hall Plaza

 

Racing junkies Ta Herrera, Jeff Dixon, Joe Lynch and myself can't get enough of this criterium stuff and will take advantage the high wattage Boston Mayor's Cup to satisfy our need for speed. Fields are filling in all categories and we can expect our fellow competitors' energy to be fully charged by the 5,000 or so spectators projected to surround the course. Around and around we'll go on the kilometers worth of road bordering the plaza. Sunshine, mild temperatures, raucus crowds and the whirring of fast bikes - that's gonna be a good day!! 

Maine Apple Classic: Dan fires us up!

Mr. Podium: Eliot Pitney
 

Dan Vaillancourt was excited this morning. Was it because of the Maine Apple Classic 44 mile road race, which was about to start? Ummm ... somewhat. Was it because of the sun dappled crisp Maine early fall day? Ummm ... Kind of.  Here's a guy who, at the pro level, rode the Tour of Ireland and the Tour of Chile and the Tour of Utah among many other pro races, and what excites him this morning? .....Wearing his wind vest!! Go figure. Maybe it's what it symbolizes. Changing seasons - Changing fortunes? But, no. In retrospect it wasn't anything deep like that. The vest was just a cover for the fact that he just loves riding his bike. And to get to do it with 60 like minded souls on a perfectly surfaced course with seven equally amped teammates - well, yeah - who wouldn't be excited. So Dan laid out the Downeast Racing team plan for the race. And you know what? We executed that plan to perfection. Well, almost. We got two guys (Fred & Eliot) into a five man break during the first ascent of Cross Hill (4 x 11 mile rectangle loop) and we then controlled the chasing pack allowing them to establish a safe time cushion. The one wrench in the plan was Eric Follen (Momentum Barracuda) who attacked and attacked and attacked on the last assault of Chase Hill, got his seperation, and solo'ed in from 7 miles out. Change of pace on a hill - fun if you can do it and very tough to handle when it's being administered. Good job, Eric.The remainder of the break stayed together with Eliot taking 2nd, Brendon McLaughlin (Boston) 3rd, Eric Weinrich (Momentum) 4th and Fred 5th. Our Matt Moon stayed alert and niftily built a 2nd break from the field with 6 miles to go in an attampt to nab 6th place money but, sadly, it must be reported that he got nipped at the line by a break-away companion. Good aggressive move, though, Matt. And Dan? He was all happy directing team traffic throughout the race. And not contect with that, he (and Eliot and Zev) rode 70 miles back home just because you can't beat time in the saddle on nice day - especially when it's cool & crisp and you get to wear your wind vest!

 

Apple Classic this Sunday: Will Feature Maine's Best

Blue team will need to dig deep this weekend

 Sunday heralds in the Maine Apple Classic Road Race contested around scenic Webber Pond in  Vasselboro. It won't be all peaches and cream however. Because it's apple season? No, because the gang at the Central Maine Cycling Club have established a most fair circuit that does contain the increasingly famous Cross Hill where the legs and will power become progressively strained over the course of the 4 x 11 mile laps. Now in its 3rd year, the race continues to increase in competitiveness as the word spreads of all the positive features of the race - New pavement. Plenty of marshalls. A course where both sprinters and climbers feel they have a chance to win. We at Downeast Racing very much look forward to toeing the line and greatly appreciate all that the Central Maine Cycling Club does for our sport..  

Blue Team to Race at Portsmouth Crit

Pitney & Herrera

 

Yellow, red and orange usually dominate the Fall color palette, but expect to see blue enter the mix as cycling's road racing calender enters the tail end of its New England season. Up next for the Downeast Racing squad is the Portmouth Crit this Sunday in downtown Portsmouth, NH where we have entries in both the 40+ (10:45am) and the P-1-2-3 (12:00 noon) fields. One DER team member showing outstanding form is Ta Herrera as evidenced by his savaging of ALL Strava segments in the Maine mid-coast area. Frankly, the locals are fed up with his whirling dervishness and Ta's retreat back into academia, for them, cannot come soon enough. But fellow New England racers are eager to challenge Mr. Herrera as an oft asked question at the recent Green Mountain Stage Race was, "Is that Guillermo guy racing at Portsmouth?". Yes. "What do you call him? Todd??"  No, it's "Ta" - the derivation of which remains a mystery but his racing talent is no secret. Blue-mates currently slated to join Ta are Peter Cole, Jeff Dixon, Hank Pfeifle and Troy Barry. See you in Portsmouth!  

GMSR: Plenty of Satisfying Moments

Zev's GMSR cat 4/5 crit win

 

If you look at Dr. Zev Myerowitz's bio on his Cape Chiropractic website, you soon realize that this guy is quite the brainiac. Magna Cum this and Summa Cum that but, wait, no mention of criterium bike racing experience. That's because he hadn't done any, which makes his win at the Green Mountain Stage Race criterium (cat 4/5) that much more impressive. The night before the race he asked his more experienced Downeast Racing teammates for some advise. "Stay at the front". "Pedal through the corners - it's faster that way". "You are stronger then the others in the field - attack when you feel them weaken". Check. Check. And check. Done. Done & Won. As mentioned earlier, the kid's a quick learner.

 

Eliot tired after 4th place Circuit ride

 

Eliot Pitney is another smart guy and he knows that charging across the finish line by yourself AHEAD of the field provides much better odds at placing well than sprinting from the pack. But chugging along at 35mph for a mile with 70 snarling guys behind you waiting to pounce ..... Ummm, that's not so easy to do. But Eliot did bolt from the field in an attempt to bridge to what proved to be a winning 3 man break, and that effort garnered a well earned 4th place finish in the Stgae 2 ciruit race (Cat 2 field). Well done, Eliot.

 

Fred celebrating 2nd place TT performance 

 

Fred Thomas is used to podium finishes in his specialty - time trialing. But nothing is a given in sports and trying your luck against new blood from around the country does give you sleepness nights. To see Fred in TT mode is witness to the power of drool, spittle and determination. Great focus and an extraordinarily efficient wind profile body position allows Fred to maximize all power into forward motion. Another fine performance, Fred.

 

Slaving at the front makes Matt thirsty

 

If there was a podium for sacrificial domestique work, Matt would be on the top step after every race. Unfortunately domestiques toil away in obscurity with the rewards being a tired body and, most importantly, the complete appreciation and respect from his teammates and racemates who fully understand the value of his work. Without Matt, podium finishes by his teammates would be far fewer.

 

Hank gets a call-up at the GMSR crit

 

Placing high in GC (General Classification) is what it's all about for many who approach a stage race, and such was the case for me. Placing well on GC is very satisfying, and the organizers at GMSR are very good at giving that accomplishment some recognition by calling up the top 5 guys on GC to the start of the crit race. If I say so myself, fine performances in the TT and the Queen stage placed me 4th on GC (50+ field) and a solid ride in the crit confirmed the placing. Nice job ... ME!

 

Joe and Sarah wash the fatique away

 

And what's the most satisfying part of stage racing?  How about plunging down Middlebury Gap and watching the beauty of 50 guys weaving through the descending corners knowing that your Giant can handle the 55mph speeds and high g-forces thru the corners with ease. Or summoning up the will to pass that last guy at the finish of App Gap. Or drinking that one Long Trail back at the team house. Or knowing you had the strength to mix it up with the best and come away with a haul of good performances. And lastly, how about hanging out with your friends and family and maybe showing off a bit (!!). So fun. So satisfying.

  

GMSR Day 1

Day 1 of the Green Mountain Stage Race is in the books and there is a lot of blue hanging around the top of the General Classification leaderboard.  Highlighting the day was Fred Thomas's 2nd place finish in the Cat 2 event, 18 seconds off the winning pace and Eliot Pitney was another 13 seconds back, good enough for 10th on the day.  Matt Moon rounded out the DER field in the Cat 2s putting out a strong effort finishing in just over 16'.

Fred on the second step of the podium

Hank Pfeifle was 9th in the Master's 50+ event, just under a minute off the pace.  Joe Lynch put down a strong effort in the Master's 40+ event finishing in just over 16' and team sponsor Zev Myerowitz of Cape Chiropractic & Acupuncture, entered in the Open 4/5 event, finished 4th 20" back of the stage winner.  It was a strong showing across the board for Downeast Racing.

The TCRs are washed and put away for the night, ready to tackle the hills in the coming days

Welcome to the Green Mountains

Green Mountain Stage Race: Up, Down & Around

Yours truly in GMSR yellow vintage 2009

 

 

We Downeast Racing guys love our blue, but we'd swap that color glady for yellow come this weekend in the Green Mountain Stage Race (GMSR). Yep, we are headed to Warren, Vermont to race Friday (6 mile TT with first 2 miles uphill), Saturday (circuit race), Sunday (Queen Stage with finish up App Gap) and Monday (downtown crit in Burlington). We'll have Eliot Pitney, Fred Thomas and Matt Moon in the Cat 2 race, Joe Lynch in the Cat 3 race and me (Hank Pfeifle) racing masters 50+. Yes, the General Classification leader yellow is nice, but sprinter green and mountain climber red polka dots are also nice looks. Hummm .... we've got some work to do.