Hopkins Raspberry Crit Recap

Cat 1/2/3 Podium (L-R): Michael Woell - 4th, Micah Moran - 3rd, Tim Mulrooney - 1st, Nick Kimpton - 2nd, Brandon Krawczyk - 5th

Overnight and morning rains turned to hot and sunny skies for the 2011 Hopkins Raspberry Criterium. Tim Mulrooney of Synergy Racing won the Men Cat 1/2/3 race, from a 3-man breakaway which led most of the race. Breakaway companion Nick Kimpton of MBRC/Flanders was 2nd, with Micah Moran of GrandStay Hotels 3rd.

The 3-man break formed before the midpoint of the race, and with 3 of the strongest teams represented, there were few left to chase, as the gap drifted between 15-30 seconds for most of the race. Mulrooney, Kimpton, and Moran were sharing the work equally as a few riders tried unsuccessfully to bridge the gap solo. With a few laps left, Michael Woell of MBRC/Flanders made his bid for the leading trio. He closed the gap to 5 seconds, but the bell lap came too soon, and he was left to ride in solo for 4th place, as Timmer easily won the sprint. Brandon Krawczyk of GrandStay Hotels won the field sprint for 5th, followed by Derek Goerke of Bianchi/Grand Performance.

The Women's Open race was dominated by MBRC/Flanders racer Teresa Moriarty, who chased down a late race solo move, then attacked the field with a few laps left. Only Bianchi/Grand Performance's Zoe Reker was able to follow Teresa, with the two of them sharing the work for the final few laps. Teresa out sprinted Zoe for the win, with Zoe taking 2nd. The field sprint was won by Patricia Black.

The Masters 35+ race was beset by a 1st lap crash. A minivan went around a barrier blocking a parking lot exit, pulling right in front of the field as the riders exited the final turn to the finish line. Several riders piled into the side of the van, with MCT/Freewheel's Kevin Lennon getting the worst of it, crashing hard on the pavement. Everyone was able to restart, except for Kevin, after a short delay. The race came down to a field sprint, with ISCorp's Phillip Godkin taking the victory, followed by Lazlo Alberti, and Chad Wiesgram.

The Men's 3/4 race saw 3 separate solo breakaways, first by Peter Hagerty of Bianchi/Grand Performance, then Ben Schinke of Balance Fitness/Erik's, then Seth Iverson of Omnium Racing. However, each was reeled in, leaving it to a field sprint, with Brady Prenzlow of Balance Fitness/Erik's Bike Shop taking the win. Andy Frye of Wilier BikeThrow Racing was 2nd, and Peter Hagerty 3rd.

Jordan Cullen takes 2nd in the Cat 1/2 Northfield Crit

The winning 5-man break formed late in the race.
The finishing Sprint
Northfield Cat 1/2 Podium (L-R) Dylan Knutson - 3rd, Pat Lemieux - 1st, Jordan Cullen - 2nd

We made the 7 hour drive home from Lawrence, KS this morning to make the annual Northfield Crit was well worth it. A great event, not to be missed. Jordan's Grandma, Papa, and Carla met us there to watch.

The Cat 1/2 race was fast and furious, with move after move. Some looked like they would stick, only to be brought back. Jordan and his MBRC/Flanders team were very aggressive.

The winning move came with less than 10 laps to go, when Dylan Knutson attacked on the finishing stretch, and was quickly joined by Pat Lemieux, and Dan Casper. A short time later, Jordan Cullen bridged up. Finally, Flanders teammate Michael Woell bridged the gap making them 5 strong.

The gap to the field was never huge, between 10-15 seconds as the laps ticked by, and Grand Performance led the chase at the front of the field.

On the final lap, Jordan led up the climb, then Woell attacked. Lemieux gave chase, with Jordan on his wheel, followed by Knutson, then Casper. They went into the final turn in that order. Lemieux easily won the slightly downhill, tailwind sprint. Jordan and his 52x14 junior gearing could hold Pat's wheel, but couldn't come around. Dylan Knutson finished 3rd, Woell 4th, Casper 5th. Gregg Brandt won the field sprint for 6th.

Flanders teammates: Adam Gorski was 9th, Toby Henkels 10th, and Merrill Lutsky 11th. Great job MBRC!

Is it a coincidence that the top 3 (Pat, Jordan, and Dylan) had all raced at the Tour of Lawrence, and made the 7 hour drive this morning?

Tour of Lawrence

Jordan win's a $100 prime with 2 to go in the Pro/1/2 Crit.

Our trip to Lawrence, KS was worth it. Jordan finished 14th out of 72 starters in the tough Pro/1/2 Circuit race on the KU campus. 14 laps on a 4 mile circuit with 400ft of climbing per lap. Jordan said it was the toughest race he's ever done.

Jordan rode well in the Crit too. He won a $50 prime, and then a $100 prime with 2 laps remaining. He actually thought it was $500, which explains the expression on his face in the above photo.

We head home in the morning for the Northfield Crit.

Top 10

Criterium Photo compliments of Candisnaps.com

Jordan scored a pair of top 10 finishes in both the 15-16 Junior Boys Criterium and Road Race. 8th in the Criterium, and 10th in the Road Race.

The temperature during the Crit was a muggy 95deg with 80 starters on a rectangular course. The Chipotle Development team was very dominant in the race. In particular, Chipotle's Danny Parks was very aggressive, launching several attacks, including the final winning move, winning solo. Jordan took charge late in the race, chasing down a 2-person break with Parks and Logan Owen. Jordan finished a strong 7th in the field sprint, giving him 8th place.

The temperature during the road race was in the 80's, contested over 3 laps of a 15 mile rolling course. The race stayed together for the first lap, then Jordan and Logan Owen started attacking. There were at least 3 big crashes, one of which took out one of the race favorites Phillip O'Donnell. Jordan was lucky to avoid all of them. Rudy Peterson broke away solo to a 2 minute gap with 1 lap to go. The field caught Rudy, and then another rider, Jake Silverberg, made the winning move with a couple miles to go. He soloed into the finish, a few seconds in front of the field. Jordan finished 9th in the field sprint, giving him 10th place.

I'm so proud of Jordan and all the racers competing here in Augusta. These are a great bunch of kids, and it's great to see the maturity they have, and the respect they give each other, at such a young age. Congrats to everyone!

Jordan Cullen 2nd in the Junior 15-16 Nationals Time Trial

(L-R: 5th - Michael Dessau, 3rd - Danny Parks, 1st - Jonathon Schilling, 2nd - Jordan Cullen, 4th - Phillip O'Donnell)

Jordan rode his way to a silver medal today in the 15-16 USA Cycling Nationals Time Trial. His average speed was 28.3mph over the 19Km course. Jonathon Schilling was the winner, 9 seconds faster than Jordan. 3rd place Daniel Parks was less than 2 seconds behind Jordan.

The weather was very unpredictable today. It was 95 degrees as we drove up to the course, when a front moved in, the temp dropped 20deg, and it started pouring. Jordan was last to start in his group, and it was 77deg, dry, and calm. It started raining while he was on course, and the wind picked up too. He considers himself lucky, as he slid on the wet road at the turn around, just saving it.

The last few kids to start (riders start alone, every 30 secs), were seeded such that they were the fastest of the bunch. The only exception was Logan Owen, who sat on the hot seat of race leader, starting 3rd out of over 80 15-16 yr old boys. In fact, it was 5 of the last 6 riders to start that pushed Logan all the way from the hot seat, to his final position of 6th place.

The starting order for the last 6 was:
Daniel Parks
Phillip O'Donnell
Michael Dessau
Curtis White
Jonathon Schilling
Jordan Cullen

Their finish order was:
1. Jonathan Schilling
2. Jordan Cullen
3. Daniel Parks
4. Phillip O'Donnell
5. Michael Dessau

A huge congrats to all the riders today. These kids work so hard, and sacrifice a lot. Each one of them is a winner in my book!

Sizzling in Georgia

We hit the road bound for Augusta, GA for USA Cycling Junior Nationals this past Saturday morning, after a successful Grad Party for Maren Friday night. The original plan was for Adam Bergman and Lisha Herold to go with, but Adam bailed on us, leaving us a party of 3.

Stopped overnight in Nashville, TN. Amazingly, we stopped in Atlanta for a bite to eat, and ran into Mario Macaruso, from MN, who was headed the opposite direction. What are the odds?

Arrived in Augusta at 4PM, and it was 101degF. We rode from our hotel up to the TT course and back with Sarah Huang. Monday, we did recon on the TT course, and today we did recon on the RR and crit courses. It is hot, but not that bad when your riding, just when you stop.

The TT course starts on the South Carolina side of a large Dam and heads west into Georgia on a rolling, tree lined course. The pavement is smooth, and the road will be closed for the TT. Very nice!

The Road Race course is on the Fort Gordon military base. It is a 15 mile scenic loop with rolling climbs. Pavement is pretty good, and I assume the road will be closed on race day. This course definitely gets an "A".

The crit course is downtown, in a typical rectangular clockwise layout. Should be fun to race, and watch.

We do miss the bike friendly town of Bend, OR this year. Even though the courses here are grade "A", the riding around town is very bad. Lots of traffic, stop lights, and no bike lanes. Makes me realize how awesome those roundabouts were in Bend.

Jordan and Lisha race the TT on Thursday, Crit on Friday, and Road Race on Sunday. Good luck to both!

We are staying at the Staybridge Suites. Our room is awesome, with a kitchenette, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 3 flat screen TV's. We have yet to eat out since we got here.

Countdown to US Jr Nationals

Jordan continues to be on a hot streak. His dominance in the Cat 3's at the NSC Velodrome prompted Bob Williams to upgrade him to a Cat 2. Last Thursday Night Lights was his first Cat 1/2 track omnium, where he placed 2nd in the miss-and-out, 5th in the point-a-lap, and 1st in the 10mi Scratch race. In fact, he lapped the entire field solo in the scratch race. Way to go Jordan!

This past weekend was low key, with no racing on the schedule.

Last night was the 2nd State Fair Crit. It was pouring during the Cat 1/2/3 race, so turnout was light. 33 crazy racers started the race, and Flanders had strong representation. Jordan attacked with 5 of 30 laps complete, and got away solo for the remainder of the race. He was out of sight most of the race, but the field closed in during the final laps. Jordan rolled across the line in victory just feet in front of the hard charging field, led by Will Mayavski, and Tim Mulrooney. Flanders did an excellent job of covering the front of the field during Jordan's break. Jordan is rewarding his teammates with the 4 Rock Bottom Brewery Growlers from all the ninja primes he won.

Tonight is Farm Dog TT #2, then we head to Augusta, GA on Saturday with Adam Bergman and Lisha Herold. All 3 of them are racing at nationals, with me there for support. Their first event in the Time-trial which is on Thursday, 6/24.

I do want to give a shout out to the local cycling community for all their support for Jordan. He is inspired by all of you, and we really appreciate all your positive feedback.

Jordan Cullen is WI State Road Race Cat 1/2 Champion at 15!

Jordan's expression says it all

Jordan took, by far, his biggest victory ever Sunday, winning the Cat 1/2 WI State Road Race. He broke away solo on the last of 10 laps to win by several seconds over Tristan Schouten of ISCorp.

Our weekend started with the MN State TT in St. Peter, MN on Saturday. Jordan rode his fastest ever 20K in a time of 26:16, averaging 28mph. That alone was worth celebrating!

After the drubbing the MN Cat 1/2's took at the Durand Road Race earlier this year, Jordan was ready to be "ISCorp'ed" in the Cat 1/2 WI State RR. He was up to the challenge. The course is a 10 laps on a 6.5mi hilly loop, with 400ft of climbing per lap.

ISCorp was 6 strong, with Great Dane Velo, KS Energy/Team WI, and Wheel & Sprocket fielding strong teams as well. Jordan was flying solo, and with junior gears to boot. Right from the gun, the 2010 WI State RR champ, Kip Spaude goes in a 3 man break with Dan Ajer of GDVC, and a KS Energy/Team WI rider. This is the same thing that happened last year, and it was the winning move.

Jordan stayed patient, while various chasers kept the break at around 1 minute for much of the race. Lap 7 saw 3 more riders bridge to the break, making them 6 strong. The 9th lap proved to be very decisive, as the break was caught by a small group of chasers at the base of the finish climb, leading into the bell lap.

Tristan attacked the group on the climb, and only Jordan could follow him. The two punched it over the top, and never looked back. The 2 leaders rode hard, and worked together to successfully seal the fate of the chasers.

On the backside, Jordan attacked on the final climb, and opened a gap. He ride his heart out, and stormed to a solo victory. Tristan charged in a few seconds later. The sprint for third followed another few seconds later. Congrats to everyone on a great race!

A heartfelt thanks to Flanders Cycles, Ridley Bikes, HED Wheels, Lazer Sport, and Coach Gordy Paulson for all their support. Jordan couldn't have done it without you!

Jay Richards SkinnySki Interview with Jordan

Jordan talks to Jay Richards about his first MTB race ever, the Freewheel Frolic.

Farm Dog #1 - Flanders Domination

Farm Dog #1 was dominated by Flanders riders, with a total of 5 category wins, including the fastest overall times in both the Men and Women's divisions. Well done team!

Nick Kimpton - Men Open Winner
Jordan Cullen - Junior Winner
Jim Cullen - Masters 35+ Winner
Teresa Moriarty - Women Open Winner
Teresa Moriarty - Women Stock Winner

Fastest Overall Times:
Nick Kimpton - 18:06
Jordan Cullen - 18:16
John Shishilla - 18:31
Jim Cullen - 18:54
Jeff Lombardo - 18:59

Melon City and Quad Cities Crit Recap

I finally got back in the saddle for the Masters races at Melon City and Quad Cities Crits over Memorial Day Weekend. A nasty thunderstorm resulted in a 2 hour delay, plus a wet race at the Melon City Crit. My legs were not really there, but I managed an 8th place to win my entry fee back. Dan Casper soloed to an impressive win in that race. Congrats Dan!

The Quad Cities Crit was hot and windy. I went from the gun, taking another rider with me for 6 laps or so. Teammate Woell made the winning break after that, and I tail gunned the rest of the race, with one final attack with 2 to go, which didn't stick. Woell finished 4th.

Jordan race Pro/1/2's both days. He was riding near the front all race at the Melon City Crit, including making a late race breakaway. He was gunning for a top 10 finish, only to have his dreams dashed when a rider in front of him touched wheels on the downhill at 40mph, causing a big pile up which brought Jordan down. Luckily, he landed in the grass, and was not injured, but his bike had enough damage to force him to borrow a bike for Monday.

Pete Davis of ISCorp, was generous enough to load Jordan his bike for the Pro/1/2 race at Quad Cities. Because of his last row start, plus less than stellar legs, by the time he made it to the front of the group, the winning break of 20 riders was gone. He tried to bridge, but didn't make it. He hung in there, and finished 27th, just 2 spots out of the money. Well done Jordan, and a big thanks to Pete Davis!

The Snake Charmer

Juniors 15-18 Podium: Jordan Cullen (2nd), Drew Dillman (1st), Lionel Rocheleau (3rd)
Jordan leads the Pro/1/2 field up the Snake

Memorial Day Weekend brings our 3rd annual pilgrimage to the Quad Cities of Iowa for the Snake Alley Criterium, Melon City Criterium, and Quad Cities Criterium.

Saturday was the famous Snake Alley Criterium. Jordan raced twice. First Juniors, then Pro/1/2. Jordan finished a strong 2nd in the juniors, after a race long battle with a strong Prochain/Turner team.

Jordan really shined in the pro/1/2 race. He rode an amazing race, leading the field up the snake several times, and chasing down breakaways. He finished 14th. Definitely the most impressed I've ever been with his riding. Way to go Jordan!

Tuesday Night Time Trial #2

Photo courtesy of Memories by Dee and Twin Cities IC3

Cooler temps, moderate winds, and dry roads made for a much more enjoyable TNT Time Trial than 2 weeks ago. These good conditions plus no Opus brought record turnout of 96 racers.

Jordan broke the coveted 24 minute barrier, clocking a PR of 23:55, over 30 seconds faster than last time. His time was just fast enough to beat Timmer, definitely a major milestone for Jordan!

I played rabbit again for Jordan, starting a minute before him. He still caught me, but I was satisfied, clocking a 25:09 for 15th place.

Toftoy continued his domination, clocking a course record 22:16, nearing 30mph ave. Ian Stanford was best of the rest almost a minute back, followed by Casper, Roeser, and Kimpton.

I have to say Twin Cities Spoke IC3 have raised their game this year, and are putting on an incredible Tuesday night event in Medina. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to race the clock and a challenging 11 mile course.

Freewheel Frolic MTB Race - Jordan wins his first MTB race

Jordan's first ever MTB race was a muddy one
Someone needs to be hosed down

Jordan made his debut in Mountain Biking today at the MN Season Opener, the Freewheel Frolic. Soaking rain made for a muddy race, but Jordan prevailed, winning the Comp class overall by 3.5 minutes.

Jordan did 4 laps on the soggy course, spending most of the first lap picking his way to the front of the Comp field, which is staggered in waves, with Jordan starting in the 2nd wave. The muddy conditions wreaked havoc on people drive trains, leaving many to call it a day early.

On the 3rd lap, Jordan over shot a turn, and piled into a barbed wire fence. He cut up his leg, but that didn't stop him. He remounted, and carried on. That's the kind of toughness it takes to be a winner! He finished first in the Comp class, and caught may of the elite field as well, who started a full 7 minutes in front of him.

Halfway through the race, the sun came out, which was not a good thing for the riders. This dried the course, making the mud stickier, and accumulating on the bike. Jordan's bike must have weighed twice it's normal weight by the finish.

The event was a lot of fun, and I was very impressed with the organization. We will be back.

NSC Velodrome Opener - Jordan wins the Cat 3 Omnium

Photo courtesy of Anthony Kwan

Jordan shined under the Thursday Night Lights for the season track opener at the NSC Velodrome. The Cat 3 competition was tough with 16 riders, including a contingent from both Speedfix and Flanders.

The Cat 3's started with a Win and Out, with Speedfix's John McGuire taking a commanding win, followed by Nathan Brennaman 2nd, and Jordan 3rd.

Next were the Chariot Races, where Jordan was able to win both his heat and the final.

The last race of the night was a 50 lap scratch race. Speedfix's Rich Bergstrom took a flyer right away, and Jordan rode aggressively in pursuit. Jordan's aggression resulted in getting away solo, and lapping the field. He didn't stop there. He continued his aggression, and got away again, this time wit Speedfix's Matthew Montesano, and Flanders teammate, Merrill Lutsky. Jordan towed them around to lap the field again. That gave him his 2nd race win of the night, and 1st in the nights omnium. What a performance!

Tour De Grove

Jordan leading the Cat 2/3 field at the Tour De Grove

Jordan and I did the Tour De Grove in St. Louis, MO this past weekend. The Tour de Grove, on Sat, is a big money NRC crit on a 1.7mi technical circuit, and is run as a criterium. The Dutchtown Classic is another NRC crit on Sunday.

We opted out of the Midtown Rally Crit, held Friday night. Unfortunately, our friend, Adam Bergman, crashed hard in that race, and broke his collarbone. What a bummer.

Despite the rainy, cold, and windy conditions, Jordan rode very well on Saturday in the Cat 2/3's. He stayed up front the entire race, and went for it late in the race, only to be caught with 2 corners to go. Still a great effort!

Sunday was a bust. Still cold and rainy, Jordan was feeling sick, but still warmed up like normal. He decided last minute to not start, which was a good choice. I started, and lasted 15min, until I got caught behind 2 different big crashes, and called it a day.

The highlight of the trip was seeing the St. Louis Arch. Definitely a must see!

A Stormy TNT

Photos courtesy of Don Callander of Twin Cities IC3

The first TNT in Medina was held last night under scary skies. It was muggy hot before the start, which turned into rain during the race.

Our starting arrangement was Me, Casper, then Jordan, every 30 seconds. Casper caught me for 30 seconds much quicker than I'd like. Jordan took a bit longer than I expected, stating afterwards he didn't have a great ride, with his rear brake rubbing a bit. Couldn't have felt too bad, he still took a minute out of me, averaged 27mph, and set a new PR by 15 seconds.

Top 5:
Toftoy
Casper
Roeser
Timmer
Jordan

I was way down in 11th, but still relatively pleased with my ride. I seem to have all my equipment issues behind me.

Win #201 for Jordan - Dar's Time Trial

Jordan's Trophy for youngest rider at the 2002 Willard TT
2011 Results

Jordan's win at the Campus Crit was a milestone, his 200th career victory. Today was win #201 at Dar's Time Trial. He scorched the 16mi rolling course. Even with a strong East wind, he won by almost a minute, averaging over 27mph. Well done Jordan.

For those of you who didn't know him, Dar Volrath was a great sportman and leader of the Wisport organization. He passed away in 2004, but his ledgend lives on through Dar's Time Trial. I remember back in 2002, when Dar and his family watched Jordan for me, while I raced. What a great family friendly event it was.

In fact, the Willard Time trial, now called Dar's Time Trial, was Jordan's first official race in 2002. He was the youngest racer at age 6. Maren also raced, age 8. I remember being so proud of them both, and Dar was right there encouraging them too.

Dar finishing the 2004 Firehouse 50 with neighbor Mike Hipsher.

Time Trial Season is Here

An amazing shot of Jordan by Bruce at www.skinnyski.com

The Ride and Glide TT kicked off the time-trial season tonight. All the usual suspects were there, minus Toftoy. Casper had the ride of the night on his fixie. Jordan started 30 seconds behind me, and came screaming past about 5 miles in. He smoked me for more than a minute.

Top 5:
Dan Casper - 28:19 - 28.6mph ave
Ian Stanford - 28:58 - 27.96mph ave
Timmer Mulrooney - 29:16 - 27.68mph ave
Jordan Cullen - 29:31 - 27.44mph ave
Jimmer Cullen - 30:42 - 26.38mph ave

Jordan finishes 7th in the Pro/1/2 Old Capitol Crit

Old Capitol Crit Pro/1/2 Start - 51 racers
Jordan flanked by Steve Tilford and a host of others

Jordan headed down to Iowa City, IA for the Chris Lillig Memorial Cup in Iowa City, IA this past weekend. I couldn't go, so Adam Bergman offered to take him with. Thanks Adam! In the Pro/1/2 field, he finished 21st in the Road Race, 8th in the Time Trial, and 7th in the Old Capital Crit. Way to go Jordan!

Saturday morning was the 52 mile ICCC Road Race. It was windy and warm, causing a lot of riders to drop out. Jordan finished in a small group, taking 21st.

Saturday afternoon was the 10 mile ICCC Time Trial on road bikes. He finished a strong 8th, just over 1 minute behind winner Brian Jensen.

Sunday was the famous Old Capitol Crit. The course features a challenging climb, and fast descent. Jordan was vigilant all race, even getting into a break with Steve Tilford. In the end, Brian Jensen and Adam Bergman got away with Adam taking the win. Jordan finished a strong 7th place, after watching Steve Tilford crash hard on the last lap. Way to go Jordan!