A Full Weekend of Racing

It started on Friday evening with Jordan doing the Mustang Cross Country Invitational in Shoreview. Then we both did Hudson CX on Saturday, and Orono CX on Sunday. I'm beat, but Jordan never seems to get tired or sore. Oh, to be young again...


Jordan at the Mustang Cross Country Invitational on Friday.


Jordan at the Hudson Cyclocross Race on Saturday.


Jordan at the "Muddy as Hell" Orono Cyclocross Race on Sunday.


Jimmer, Painman, and the Red Lantern post Orono Cyclocross Race. We look like an inverse of a Cingular/AT&T "more bars in more places" commercial.

In the Cross Country meet, Jordan finished 2nd 6th grader from Hudson Middle School, moving up one spot from this past Tuesday. Jordan won the juniors < 15 (C-4) division at both the Hudson and Orono Cyclocross races. It was great to see the Gaines Brothers (Michael and Brian) back in town and racing again. I managed to place towards the back in both cyclocross races, but good enough for 5th in the Masters 35+ (A-3) division in both.

The conditions at Hudson were OK. Dag likes to layout a very tight technical course. It rained most of the day, and by the A race, there were some muddy sections to deal with, but not too bad. The A race actually ended up getting stopped due to lighting with 2 laps to go, with the finish order determined by the last completed lap. Hareland won handily.

The conditions as Orono were a whole different story. The A race was first, and started out clean, but the grassy sections quickly deteriorated into sloppy, slippery muck. I managed to slide out in one of the corners. I think I slid about 10 feet on my side and back through the mud. I fell again approaching the double barriers when my shorts got caught on my saddle. On a positive note, I was able to ride through the volleyball court sand pit every time, compared to 1 attempt and 1 endo last year.

At the end of the A race, all we could think about was how muddy we left the course for the B and C races. The B racers got so muddy, you couldn't recognized them, and their numbers were impossible to read. The C racers had it the worst. There were several mucky sections of the course which were so badly deteriorated, almost everyone chose to run instead of ride through them. The steep run-up was a complete muddy mess. I applaud MCT for the UCI quality course, but I can't imagine what the school is going to think about the muddy tracks we made through their grounds.

Props to Pmax for finishing 2nd overall at Hudson, and 1st A-3. Also props to the "brotherly love" display at the finish line of the Orono CX A race, where Doug and Dan Swanson each wanted to let the other win. In the end, Doug succeeded in getting Dan across the line 1st. Dan "Never say die" Casper was rocking it in 3rd place overall, until he rolled a tubular, and lost a lot of time, eventually finishing 6th.

Chippewa Falls Cross Country - Long Ride Home

Another weekday cross-country race. It seems like were going to these all the time the past few weeks, which we have. Carla, Jordan, and I drove all the way to Lake Wissota State Park in Chippewa Falls, WI to watch Maren and Hudson High run. It was a perfect evening, and a beautiful venue, right on the lake. Maren ran very well, and finished 16th in the JV 5K, with a personal best time of 23:57. Way to go Maren! Unfortunately for Maren, they only awarded the top 15 ribbons, so she just missed out. I explained to her that happens to me all the time. Regardless, she was very happy with her performance.

Results



After the race, I rode home to Hudson. I knew it was going to be a long ride, and required me to ride in the dark for much of the ride. On top of that, never having ridden those roads, I had to find my way west, looking for quiet roads. I didn't have any trouble finding the roads I wanted. I did get caught in a 15 minute downpour about an hour into the ride, but got to see a cool full sky rainbow as a result. Riding directly into the setting sun was also a little bit of an issue, but safe enough with the lite traffic.

It was dark by the time I got to Menomonie, and I still had 40 miles to go to Hudson. I stopped in Knapp to refuel, and called Carla to tell her all was well. There was a huge full moon, which lit up he night. I had 2 tail lights and a great headlight, so I was very visible. I finally rolled into my driveway at 9:45PM. It was one of those rides where if I knew what I was getting into at the start, I probably would have skipped it. That feeling always makes me appreciate a long ride even more.

2007 Season in Review

One of my favorite photos from 2007 (Compliments of Lunatic Biker). Hanging at Black Dog with my favorite riding partner.


Jordan's win at LSC's spring classic Gluek Road Race in Marty, MN.


Triple State Champ: 2007 Juniors 10-12 Minnesota State Time Trial and Road Race Champion, and Juniors Under 15 Minnesota State Criterium Champion.


Definitely the highlight of my summer, our cycling trip to France in July, 2007.


My solo win at the Cleghorn Road Race, another highlight of my season.

Jordan's 2007 Season Summary:
11 Road Races
6 Criteriums
26 Time Trials
43 Races Total (38 race days)
34 Wins (79% of races)
40 Podiums (93% of races)
Juniors 10-12 Minnesota State Criterium, Road Race, and Time Trial Champion
Juniors Under 15 MCF Rider of the Year Winner
Juniors Under 15 Black Dog Time Trial Series Winner
WISPORT Juniors Under 14 Road Race Series Winner
WISPORT Juniors Under 14 Time Trial Series Winner
Juniors Under 15 MCF Time Trialist of the Year Runner-up

Jimmer's 2007 Season Summary:
12 Road Races
7 Criteriums
33 Time Trials
52 Races Total (44 race days)
18 Wins (3 road races, 15 time-trials)
32 Podiums (62% of races)
Masters 35+ MCF Rider of the Year Winner
Masters 35+ Time Trialist of the Year Winner
Masters 35+ Black Dog Time Trial Series Winner
WISPORT Men 40-44 Road Race Series Winner
WISPORT Men 40-44 Time Trial Series Winner
WISPORT Fastest Male Runner-up

Congrats from Jordan and me, to everyone who raced the 2007 Road Season. We hope to see you on the Cyclocross circuit this fall.

Boom Island

I finally made it to a Boom Island Cyclocross practice. It was a great workout. I listened to Dag give a couple tips, but I really just wanted to ride as much as possible. I warmed up for quite a while with Painman. I saw Casper riding during Dag's lesson, so I took the opportunity to jump on his wheel. I had a good hour of riding in before the 30 minute practice race. The bike felt very comfortable, and soooo much faster than my mountain bike. In the race, I wasn't able to keep pace with Casper and the front group, but I was very happy. Even better, no falls. The course had a tree root that I had no trouble bunny hopping, so I even tried hopping one of the barriers just for fun. I cleared it with my front tire, but tapped it with my rear and knocked it over. If it was a real barrier, it probably would have been an endo. I won't be trying that for real, any time soon.

Jordan's first cross-country race - finally

Jordan went to physical therapy for the tendinitis in his left ankle Friday and Monday. It made a world of difference, and he is happy to be back running again. He has a couple more PT sessions to go, but he has been cleared to race.

After his disappointment of being pulled from the Hudson meet a week ago, he ran Tuesday at the Ellsworth meet. There were a ton of kids, and 6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys all ran together for 1.5 miles. Jordan had to start in the back, since he is a 6th grader, and coming back from an injury. That didn't stop him from moving up throughout the entire race. I chased him all over the course, and every time I saw him, he had moved up more places. He finished 35th overall, and 3rd 6th grader from Hudson. That earned him a call up to the front for his meet in Shoreview this Friday. Both his grandmothers were there to witness the historic event, which made it even more enjoyable for Carla and I. Nice work Jordo.

Backyard Cross Practice at Jimmer's

An excellent display of efficient cross dismounts - NOT!

For Sale: Specialized Allez Junior Comp Road Bike

Sorry, It's been sold.

Retail Price: $1100. Asking Price: $550.00.
e-mail me if you are interested: jimmerc.blogspot@sbcglobal.net

Yes, Jordan's bike is for sale. I am selling it complete, minus pedals and computer. It barely fits him, now that he's grown to a height of 5'2". It is the perfect bike to get your 10-13 year old into road biking/racing. It is a much more stable bike for juniors than most, due to it's use of normal 700c wheels, versus the smaller 24" wheels.

We purchased the bike in August, 2006. It is a 2006 model, Aluminum frame, Carbon Fork, Shimano 105 gruppo. The bike will be delivered completely cleaned up (including the drivetrain), with everything in perfect working order. There are some scratches on both shift levers, but the top covers have been replaced (see photos below).




Detailed specifications are given below:
Specialized Allez Junior Comp Double (44cm)
Click here for geometry
Frame A1 Premium Aluminum
Fork Specialized Carbon w/chromoly steerer
Rims/Wheels Alex AT400 700c
Hubs Specialized forged-aluminum
Spokes 14-gauge stainless-steel
Tires Specialized Mondo Pro, 700 x 23c
Crankset FSA Gossamer MegaExo 165mm
Chainwheel 50/36
Front Derailleur Shimano 105
Rear Derailleur Shimano 105
Rear Cogs Shimano HG50, 9-speed: 13-25
Shifters Shimano 105 STI 9-speed
Handlebars Specialized OS Zertz Comp
Tape/Grips Body Geometry Bar Phat
Stem Specialized Pro 75mm
Brake Levers Shimano 105
Brakes Dual-pivot
Saddle Specialized Junior
Seat Post Specialized Carbon
Seat Binder Specialized CNC-machined aluminum
Bottle Cages Elite Ciussi Stainless Steel (2)

Wisport Worlds

First of all, a huge thanks to Mark Brone and his Brones Bike Shop Team or putting on a great event. We did a 13.5 mile Time Trial at 9AM, followed by a 41 mile Road Race at 1PM. The course is definitely one of my favorites. Quiet and scenic, with a 50+mph downhill, and a long grinding uphill to the finish.

Jordan won the juniors < 13 in both events, taking home these really cool medals Mark had made up specially for the event. I had a sub-par performance in the TT, placing 14th overall, and 3rd in my age group. Bergman won, followed by Ian Stanford, Lance Niles, Timmer, and Mike Johnson. Congrats to teammate Paul Rennert for winning my age group. I had a better road race, finishing 3rd overall. Jim Moore and Mike Johnson got away on the final climb, resulting in a photo finish, with the nod going to Jim Moore. Congrats. Christan Griego was 4th, and Lance Niles was 5th.

You would think the highlight of our day Jordan taking home 2 really cool gold medals. Nope. He ended up winning the grand prize of the day, a pair of Bontrager Race Lite Wheels, compliments of Spring Street Sports (he actually also had the choice of the HED tri-spoke front clincher donated by HED, but he already has one of those). He promptly stated they will be employed as his cyclocross wheels, and I can have the HED Kermeses back. Gee thanks Jordo.

Click here for results.


TT recap:
I hadn't ridden my TT bike since District Track on Aug 26th. I rode it all week, hoping to get some muscle memory back. I started 1:30 ahead of Lance Niles, and I was hoping to hold him off. Not only did he catch me, but he made up almost all the time in the rolling and downhill sections, then took over another minute out of me on the final climb. Ouch. In fact, Jordan started 7 minutes in front of me, and I didn't catch him until the last 1/2 mile. He rocked, I didn't. Jordan's buddy Jake Mittelstaedt was 2nd, and Tyler Myszkewicz was 3rd.

Road race recap:
Immediately after the TT, I wasn't confident about doing another 3 laps at all, especially given my sub-par performance. However, after a short cool down, my legs felt just fine, and I was ready to go for it. Brones Bike Shop and Spring Street Sports were the 2 strongest teams again, and I was on my own as usual. I knew I had good road racing legs, and had the advantage of knowing who to watch, after racing against most of these guys at Cameron and Cleghorn. I knew one guy to watch would be Jim Moore, since I knew he was hungry for a win. So hungry, in fact, he skipped the TT to save himself for the road race. Jordan was the only junior in the race, in fact the next youngest person in the race was 23 year old Tristan Bentzler.

We had a short neutral rollout, and I did one of my well known early attacks to soften up the group a little. I stayed at the front the first time down the hill to stay out of trouble. The first time up the long climb was tough, but steady. No accelerations, just a hard tempo with Brones guys on the front. About half way up, Peter Nelson from Brones took off, and got a gap solo. No one seemed interested in immediately chasing, including myself, with 2 laps to go.

With Brones team sitting in, it was up to Spring Street and me to try and bring Peter back. Peter is an Ironman triathelete, and couldn't be taken for granted. I rotated with Paulson, Pautch, Bentzler, and Johnson until he was close, then we decided to let him dangle.

This turned out to be a bit of a mistake, as he built his lead back up to :50 by the time we got to the base of the big climb. At this point, there were probably about 20 of us, with a lot of guys getting a free ride. About half way up the climb, Mike Johnson attacked, and put the hurt on everyone. I was able to make the junction, but unfortunately, so did most of the Brones team, and none of the Spring Street guys made it. There were 8 of use chasing Peter. 5 guys from Brones, Johnson, Griego, and myself.

Johnson and I worked together to bring back Peter just after the start of the final lap. Then, as expected, Brones started attacking us. Johnson and I took turns covering, but no help from Griego. This went on all the way to the bottom of the hill. Into the headwind, Niles attacked, and Johnson covered. They were just in front of us, and I asked Griego to pull through, and he declined. I sat up, and yelled for Johnson to go, which he did. I figured Brones would be forced to chase, since Johnson had probably the best chance at winning of those 2.

After that, I simply marked Jim Moore. Moore attacked hard several times, to try and bridge, but I was right on his wheel every time. Johnson and Niles still had a gap, but Lance wouldn't help Mike at all. Then, as I was hoping, Mark Brone called for his guys to reel the front 2 back in. We were almost on top of them as we hit the base of the climb.

I was still marking Jim Moore, who attacked immediately. He'd gap me a little, I'd make it back to his wheel, he'd rest a little, then go again. He did this to me about 3 times, and we made the junction with Johnson and Niles. Moore attacked again, and we all followed. After a couple more attacks, I finally cracked. Shortly after that, Niles cracked, and I was able to make it back to his wheel. Griego and Suntgen were a little behind us, and Lance asked me to help him. I told him I couldn't and that if he pulled me up the hill, he could have 3rd place.

Unfortunately, Griego was able to bridge up to us, so allowing Lance to finish 3rd wasn't really on the plate anymore. Once the steeper part of the climb was over, Moore left Johnson on the front to do all the work. Their lead yo-yo'ed a bit because of this, and I started to think we might actually have a change to get back to them.

So, contrary to what I told Lance, I attacked to try and make the bridge. Lance was ready, but his chain locked up, and he almost went over the bars. I was able to gain separation from them because of this, but I just didn't have enough to make the bridge solo. Griego rejoined me, with Lance just a few seconds behind us. Griego took the lead, but we were approaching the finish fast. He was dead, and told me if I had anything left, I better just go, so I did.

It was too little, too late. I got to within about 100 meters when Moore opened up the sprint, and they were gone. I rolled across about 15 seconds adrift, just in front of Griego and Niles.

Moore was able to beat Johnson in a photo finish. With 6 of the 9 in the lead group riding for Brones, all of them strong, you would expect them to win right? Well they did, but Johnson almost won, and Griego and I were able to take the 4th and 3rd spots. Congrats to Jim Moore and the Brones team for a great win, and an animated, fun race.

Busy Weekend

Saturday, Jordan and I rode over to Painman's place in Victoria, from Hudson, meeting painman halfway. Carla and Maren met us there with our boat, and we spent a few hours cruising Lake Minnetonka. After we were done on the lake, we played bocce ball, grilled out, and closed out the night with a bonfire. What a great time. Thanks Painman and Hollie.

Bocce Ball. The girls dominated the boys.


Connor and I watching Baby Einstein:


Sunday, we did the minneapolis bike tour. It was a lot more crowded than we planned. We still had a great time. We did the 15 mile loop, which was the farthest Maren had ever ridden, and she did it on her pink "Townie".




After the bike tour, we had a late breakfast at Moose and Sadies. Then I spent the afternoon doing the final assembly on my new Redline Cross Bike. I finished it and even took it for a spin on our local trails nearby. It's a great ride.

Tendinitis

Jordan started Thursday's cross country meet, but the coach pulled him out of the race when she saw he was favoring his ankle. He was very upset because he was doing well, and wanted to finish. He went to the doctor Friday, and it turns out he has tendinitis in his left ankle. He now has a brace which should allow him to run.

Lead Group Shots from Cleghorn

Thanks to Jim Blodgett for the pics.


This is a shot of us at the top of the biggest climb on the last lap of the 44 mile race, with just a couple miles to go. At this point, I'm chasing after Statz and Muyers just ahead of us. Behind me, Wilcox is on the front, then Bentzler, Johnson, and Moore. The group we dropped on the hill, with Paulson and co, is just behind. The reason I'm across the yellow line is because we are taking a left turn onto a different road.


A boy amongst men. This is also a shot from the top of the hill in the 22 mile race. Jordan has stayed with the front group over the big hill. Eventually it came down to just Jordan, and 3 of these guys.

Fall Riding

Even though it's technically still summer, it sure feels like fall. There is a chill in the air, and it starts getting dark at 7:30PM. Don't get me wrong, I love the fall season. However, it's always a little sad the first time I have to put on the bib knickers, long sleeve jersey, headlight and taillight. Tonight was that night. That said, it was a great ride.

Jordan has his first cross country meet here in Hudson tomorrow. He hurt his ankle yesterday during practice, but it looks like he's going to still be able to race. Carla and I be there to cheer him on.

Roughing it and Sportsmanship

Some of the things I noticed that are different than I remember from my high school cross country experience.

1. Most of the schools have large tents with their school names printed on them.
2. They use chip timing.
3. They rode on coach buses.

In my experience, the only shelter you got was the occasional tree. Back then they used a stop watch, and we rode good old school buses. Times sure have changed.

A comment on sportsmanship. Most of the girls on Maren's team are great kids. However, there are a couple girls who have let their competitive spirit get the best of them. Examples:

Yelling "See you." as you pass a teammate.
Commenting "ha ha, I beat you." to a teammate after the race.

Maren is the type to say "Come on, you can do it." or "great race." She is definitely the encouraging type, and a good sport.

Rice Lake Cross Country Meet

I drove all the way to Rice Lake WI to cheer on Maren and Hudson High School. The meet was huge with 33 schools participating.

She was thrilled to improve her time from this past Saturday by over a minute, breaking 19 minutes for the 4K. She finished in 18:49, 20th of 141 Junior Varsity Girls. I'm proud of you girl.

Hudson dominated the event, winning the individual titles in Varsity girls, JV girls, and JV boys. They also won the team division in Varsity girls, Varsity boys, and JV boys. JV girls finished 3rd. Go Raiders.

Full Individual Results
Full Team Results

My new ride

Compliments of my good friend Jim Bell, I have purchased a lightly used bike for the cyclocross season. It just so happens to be identical to Painman's. You probably won't be able to tell us apart now.

Cleghorn Road Race Recap

One more WISPORT race complete, as the 2007 season comes to a close. I pulled off my second WISPORT road race win, to go with Dairy Days back in July. This time I was able to get away solo (you inspired me Timmer) with about a mile to go. I friggin raised my arms again as I crossed the line. It was like a natural response, I didn't even realize it until I did it. Oh well.

There were actually 2 races at Cleghorn. People could choose between a single lap, or 2 lap race. I did the longer 44 mile race, while Jordan chose the 22 mile race.

Jordan finished an incredible 4th overall in his race! He got into a 4 man break after the halfway point, and they stayed away to the finish. He said there was a guy off the front solo, and he tried to bridge up by himself. He didn't make it, then another guy caught up to him, and Jordan jumped on his wheel to make it the rest of the way. One more joined them, and they were gone. What an awesome move, and great result. Congratulations Jordo!

Click here for results.

Detailed Recap:
I was really hoping I could pull off the win at Cleghorn. I've got good fitness right now, but I knew it wouldn't be easy by any means. Spring Street Sports had a strong team there with Mike Johnson, Gordy Paulson, Tristan Bentzler, and others. Brones Bike Shop was there too with Mark Brone, Mike Suntgen, Jim Moore, and co. Matt Muyres was also there from Silver Cycling.

The race was fast right from the start with Jim Moore attacking after the first turn. I was able to join him along with a few others, as we punched our way over the rollers. 4 of us rotated on the front to keep the pressure on as a few others were able to bridge across. As we turned into the tailwind section, there were 12 of us: Johnson, Bentzler, Muyers, Brone, Moore, Ping, Wilcox, Statz, Kinart, Paulson, Frank, and myself. Brone dropped back to help Suntgen get across, but they couldn't make it back to the group.

Getting an efficient rotation going with 11 guys is tough, but we were still able to pull away from what remained of the field. We worked well together for most of the remainder of the 1st lap. There were a few attacks, but no one ever got more than a few seconds gap. As we approached the last hill before the finish, Bentzler attacked and got a small gap. He was able to stay away through the finish, only to be caught in the rollers at the start of the second lap.

As soon as we caught Bentzler, Johnson attacked hard up a climb, and I followed. We pulled a pretty good gap and worked together to stay away. We held our gap to the turn into the tailwind, and kept pressing, hoping the chasers would give up. Statz bridged solo across to the 2 of us, but wouldn't pull through. By the time we talked him into working with us, we were all but caught, and we sat up. Then it was Paulson's turn to counter, and get a gap. Moore did a lion's share of the work to get close, and then left the rest to us. I knew Gordy did a long ride Saturday, so I wasn't as worried about him, as much as I would be normally.

Once we brought Gordy back, Johnson took off again, but we were all ready for that move. We hit the long climb pretty hard, and our group splintered. 7 of us made the front group, with the rest chasing. As we entered the last few miles, we noticed the chase group had grown by a couple. It turns out Brone and Suntgen were gaining on us, and had joined the guys we dropped. Johnson asked if we should work together, and I shouted lets go. All seven of us worked in a smooth rotation, but the chasers were still gaining, as we hit the last hill before the finish.

During my warm-up, I figured it would be a good move to go on the hill before the finish, since there is only about a mile to the finish, and it's mostly downhill, albeit with a headwind. We got about halfway up the climb, and I decided to make my move. I gunned it as hard as I could, and luckily, no one followed immediately. That was enough for me and I buried it all the way to the line. I was able to hold off Johnson, Muyers, and the hard charging group by 5 seconds.

I scored a plate and medal for my efforts. Jordan scored a medal too. All that's left on the road race calendar for us now is the "Wisport Worlds" in Alma, WI in 2 weeks.

Yep, that's my daughter.

I missed Maren's first cross country meet a couple weeks ago, due to the State Road Race. I felt bad about missing it, so it was an easy decision to skip the Henderson TT and go watch her race.

I ran cross country all of junior and senior high school, and today's Meet really brought back some fond memories. One thing I noticed was there seemed to be a ton of parents present. I don't remember that many parents at my meets 25 years ago.

Maren ran the junior varsity heat, and finished 12th of 45, in a new personal best time for the 4K of 20 minutes flat. She took nearly a minute off her time from 2 weeks ago, finished 4th out of Hudson JV girls, and 1st freshman.

I was so proud of her, and so glad I was there to watch and support her. I remember how much it meant to me when my parents came and watched me race. The Hudson girls have great chemistry too. They are all very friendly, encourage each other with hugs and so on after the finish, and the boys were handing out high fives. The coach was even impressed with her improvement, and encouraged her to keep up the hard work. On top of all this, they have spagetti feeds the night before meets at an upper classman's home. What a great experience for her. I'm really glad she got involved with such a great group.

Maren earned a ribbon for finishing in the top 15 of JV girls. It is the first award she has earned in a competetive event. Way to go Maren!

Pics from Skibby's Labor Day Pool Party

Grillman Skibby:


(L-R) Pastey Jimmer, Chilly Jordan, Bernie, Chris, Ben:

Carla's First Tandem Ride

There have been a lot of firsts in my family recently. Today, it was Carla's turn. She got her own new bike a couple weeks ago, and has been riding it almost every day. She decided she was ready to give the tandem a whirl.

We set out on a 20 mile route on the quiet roads of western WI. Right away, she got scared whenever we went through a turn. Whenever we went fast, she closed her eyes. Eventually she settled in, and trusted me. We averaged 18mph for the ride. We didn't argue once during the ride. I thought for sure she would yell at me at least once to slow down, but nope. We might even try it again some time.

Jordan's First Century, And Then Some

Skibby and Red Lantern sponsored a Stone Arch Ride, followed by a Pool Party at Skibby and Olga's new digs on Labor Day. Jordan and I decided to take the opportunity to attempt his first century, which he's been bugging me to do for some time. The plan was to ride from Hudson to the Stone Arch, do the Stone Arch Hill Ride, ride back to Skibby's for the Pool Party, then ride back to Hudson. I figured he could do it, but I knew my challenge would be to keep him hydrated. You see, when your both the coach, and father, they tend to scoff a bit at advice. I can't tell you how many times I've heard those dreaded words, "I know Dad."

We departed at 8AM from Hudson, and had a very nice ride to the Stone Arch Bridge. We got to Minneapolis a little early, so we took the opportunity to look at the collapsed 35W bridge from the recently re-opened 10th Street bridge. It was packed with people, and what a incredible, and scary viewpoint.

I won't bore you with too many details from the Stone Arch Ride. You can get them from A-train. I will say I knew the ride would be a significant challenge for Jordan. It is a fairly hard ride, but Jordan did great. At one point, I was riding tempo on the front down East River Road into the headwind at about 27mph. Jordan stayed in the group, but later admitted he was worried we were going to go that hard for the entire ride.

By the time we got back to Skibby's we had already logged 75 miles, 10 more than Jordan's longest ride ever. The pool party was great fun. Skibby slaved over the grill, then Red Lantern gave him a friendly push into the pool. Skibby enjoyed the refreshing dip, that is until he reached into his pocket, and pulled out his cell phone. Whoops. Thanks Skibby, Olga, the Cleary family, and everyone else who came and enjoyed the sunny weather.

After the party, Jordan and I remounted and headed home. I decided to take try a different route home on the north side of I94, instead of going down to Summit. We rode the bus route between the Mpls, and St. Paul U of M campuses, which is closed to all traffic except buses and bikes. As I expected, we did run into a bit of traffic at the fair, but no big deal. Then we just stayed on Como, all the way down to the Capitol, and then back the same way we came out in the morning.

Jordan started to bonk a bit at the end. As I expected, he wasn't drinking much during the ride home. His excuse was the Gatorade was too "Hot" to drink, and I had to agree. We stopped in Maplewood, regrouped, and he fought his way the rest of the way home. The tally was 109 miles in 6hrs15min. Congrats on your first century buddy.

Chris Kerr Memorial Road Race Recap

Jordan and I headed to Cameron, WI Sunday for one of the fall classic road races. Normally, Shell Lake would precede Cameron on Saturday, but not this year. As a result, entries seemed a little light. However, there were plenty of fast guys there. Timmer was back after winning in 2005, but missing last years edition. Scott Flanders and Mike Johnson were present, both former winners themselves. Other notables included Pete Hanna, Mike Woell, and Gordy Paulson. The Silver Cycling and Spring Street Sports teams had good numbers, and were a strong presence during the race.

The pace was hot right from the start, with Silver, Spring Street, and Brones Bike Shop on the front. I tried to stay in the top 10, far enough up to stay out of trouble, and far enough back to respond to attacks and surges. The pace amped up for the first hill prime, and Hanna was able to distance himself from Woell to take the $50 prize. I attacked over the top of the hill to try and snap the rubber band on the back markers of our group. As we approached Dallas, Tone Coughlin and Adam Hanson were taking turns on the front, while I patiently sat in waiting for the attacks to come in the hills after Dallas.

On our way out of Dallas, a couple guys got a small gap. Gordy Paulson tried to bridge the gap, but the field closed the whole thing down as they turned into the tailwind. Scott Flanders and Mike Johnson were able to get away over the top of one of the rollers, and we were all left chasing. Those 2 can fly, so we couldn't mess around. Hanna and Timmer went hard up one of the risers, and separated themselves. I tried to follow their move, but couldn't quite match their speed. I knew it was one of those moments, so I just dug as deep as I could to get up to them. At this point, Mike and Scott were still a few hundred feet in front of us. It was Timmer, Hanna, Matt Muyers, and Me, with several others trying to get up to us. Timmer, Hanna, and Matt were working hard, but I had nothing at that point, and failed to pull through.

Scott nabbed the second $50 hill prime, as the gap narrowed to the leading 2. We were close, but others were bridging across to join us. Eventually, we caught Mike and Scott, mostly due to Timmer and Hanna's hard work. At this point, we noticed there was a small chase group not too far behind us, in fact a couple even made it across including Woell and Homme. Our pace started to lighten, so Scott called for us to keep the pressure on so we could distance ourselves for good. For the most part, everyone in our group of 9 took turns on the front. Some, including myself, sat out some of the rotations. Normally, I am willing to put everything into a break, but in this case, the odds were not in my favor. Timmer had Homme to protect him, Johnson had Bentzler, and Scott had Woell. I pulled through whenever I was in the rotation, but I stayed out of the rotation when I could.

As we rolled through the final "flat" miles, there were a few attacks, but everyone was ready. Then, as we turned north again into the final tailwind section, about 2 miles from the finish, Timmer was on the front, and gunned it through the corner. He opened a significant gap immediately, and no one reacted. Bentzler rode tempo on the front, but Timmer just pulled farther away. Finally, someone jumped and Timmer's gap stopped growing, but didn't shrink much, either. Johnson was clearly marking Hanna, and I was marking Johnson. I was in the red all the way to the finish. I'd follow an attack, it would relax, and then before I could recover, it would go again. In spite of this, Timmer was able to stay away for the win. Approaching the finish, just as Johnson had closed down another attack, Scott jumped and pulled away. I hesitated a little, then jumped around Johnson and the others. I just about got over Scott, but I waited just a second too long, and finished 3rd, with Johnson 4th.

What a great race. It was a perfect day, no crashes, and we averaged 27mph over the rolling 40 mile course. Jordan and Jake were the only 2 juniors < 14 who raced, with Jordan winning and Jake 2nd. Jordan was able to average 21mph riding the last few miles all by himself. Nice job buddy.

Official Results Posted.