Ready for Track Racing

Jordan went up to the track Wednesday night for practice. Thanks to Bob Williams for offering the class, and John Baker for the loaner bike. Jordan's ready for Thursday Night Lights!

State Fair Crit #1

Despite the rain, Jordan and I opted for the State Fair Crit Tuesday evening. By the time we raced, the rain had quit, and the roads were drying out. 30 starters in the 1/2/3's. Jordan's goal was positioning.

15 minutes in, I got gapped off the back. I sat-up, regrouped, and rejoined the field 1 lap down, and rode tailgun for the rest of the race. I had a catbird seat to watch Jordan do a good job of positioning himself. He was even able to move forward in the final lap to finish 7th. Nice finish Jordan!

The field sprint was dominated by recent Cat 1 upgrade, Colton Barrett and Timmer. DanO 3rd, Woell 4th.

MBRC/Flanders managed to get in several moves off the front, but nothing stuck. However, we were rewarded with 3 ninja primes! Well done guys!

Donimator outsprinted Adam Gorski to win the Cat 3/4 race on his 14th wedding anniversary. Nice way to celebrate? What do you think Brenda?

Wisconsin Junior State Road Race Champion

(L-R) Patrick Diamond - 3rd, Jordan Cullen - 1st, Lionel Rocheleau - 2nd

Jordan won the overall Wisconsin Junior State Road Race Championship on Sunday. He raced up in age last year and was 3rd. Top step this year. Very proud!

The course is southeast of Madison, WI in Spring Prairie. A 6.5 mile circuit with several short steep climbs, that wear on your legs, and a NW wind to add to the challenge. The juniors did 4 laps.

Around 20 riders lined up, and the action started right away. Halfway through the 1st lap, a group of 7, including Jordan, had a gap. However, they sat up in the tailwind, and everything came back together prior to the finish climb.

Jordan pushed it over the top of the climb, and drew out some riders. Eventually, it was just Jordan and Lionel Rocheleau from Gear Grinder in a 2 man break, with 3 chasers: Patrick Diamond (Geargrinder), Kaitie Antonneau (Kenda), and Kevin Lindau (IScorp).

Jordan and Lionel worked together for a lap, then Jordan made a move on one of the climbs and got away for the solo win. Lionel held on for an easy second place. Diamond got away from Kaitie and Kevin, but the 2 kept him in sight and working hard to stay away. Diamond finished 3rd. Kaitie gapped Kevin on the hill for 4th, Kevin 5th. What a great race!

Results Posted

River Falls TT #3

Had some company this go round in Dan Casper and Jonathan Toftoy. Conditions were ideal with calm sunny skies. I went first, followed by Jordan a minute later. Once we were finished, Casper started in front of Toftoy by 1 minute.

I rolled good, but still expected Jordan to pass me like last time. At the turn around point, Jordan was much further back than I expected, and out of this aero position. I had a feeling he was having issues with his right leg again. I finished, and had to wait quite a while before Jordan came in. My suspicions were correct that his leg was slowing him down again. Bummer.

I figured Toftoy and Casper to beat my time by around 2 minutes. I was off by a minute. They really flew over the course. Casper stayed away from Toftoy on the challenging course. Toftoy drew back 20 seconds on Dan, but not close to catching him. Incredible rides by both.

Results (12.78mi, 600ft elevation gain):
1. Toftoy: 28:14
2. Casper: 28:34
3. Jimmer: 31:21 (PR by 19 seconds)
4. Jordan: 33:25

Jordan has been stretching, but it obviously isn't enough. Last week, prior to the TNT, he got a Sports Massage at the Fix Studio, and that seemed to make a world of difference. Looks like sports massages will become a more routine thing for Jordan from now on.

Jordan wins the Cat 3's at Snake Alley

Jordan had one of his best races ever, winning the Category 3 race at the Snake Alley Criterium in Burlington, IA.

The race consisted of 15 laps, each with a steep climb up the "crookedest alley in the world" (as seen in the photo below).



Jordan made the initial selection of 12 riders, from over 60 starters. Jordan raced the Juniors 15-18 earlier in the day, and had a disappointing 5th place finish. He knew he could do better.

With 5 laps to go, Jordan attacked his group on the Snake. He established a small gap, which slowly grew. By the finish he was 30 seconds clear, taking an impressive solo victory.

The funny thing was that after Jordan's disappointment in the Juniors race at Snake Alley, he stated "I'm not racing the Cat 3's Dad." I convinced him to shake it off, regroup, and focus. Clearly, he did just that. Well done Jordan!

TNT - Much, Much, Better

Better conditions, better legs = better day.

89degs and moderate SW winds made for some fast times last night at TNT. Toftoy ripped a new course record in 22:36, for an average speed of 29.2mph. Casper and Mulrooney both rode fixies to fast times of 23:12 and 23:43, respectively. I had a great ride, in 24:24, improving by 2mins25secs, over 2 weeks ago. Jordan improved as well with a 24:41 (1min18sec improvement). Dad wins the father/son battle this week by 17 secs. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. All of these times match the self-timed results for each rider.

We dodged a weather bullet, as a thunderstorm rolled in after everyone had finished.

Times for the later starters look off to me. I got self-timed results from several of the later starters that were slower by as much a 1min30sec from the ones listed in the results (all in increments of 30 seconds). May have been some mistakes in start order?
Results Posted

Square Lake Road Race - Grav Racin' in the rain.

Square Lake Road Race was advertised at 30% gravel, 70% pavement. Anyone who raced will attest this seemed a bit of an embellishment. It was also not as hard packed as advertised. Lots of pinch flats. I will say that Birchwood did an excellent job of marshaling the corners, and controlling traffic. Just to make it interesting, an unpredicted thunderstorm rolled in for the last half of the morning wave of racing.

I raced Cat 1/2's. It was short lived. I flatted on the first lap, buried myself to chase back on, almost made it, then called it a day. When the rain started coming down, most of my guilt from quiting washed away.

After I quit, I got in my truck, grabbed some wheels, and drove support behind the Cat 3's. Only 11 starters, with 8 left when I started following. Jordan was pushing the pace on the gravel sections, and in the feedzone hill. On lap 4, an attack in the feedzone gapped Shaw and Krueger. At 2 laps to go, only 6 riders were left: Jordan, Kermisch, Byrnes, Ribbens, Olson, and Weisgram. Kermish and Jordan made a bid to get away on the paved section, but were chased down. Due to lightning, the officials notified the group they would be finishing on this lap.

Unfortunately, Byrnes got a flat on the last gravel section. I gave him a fresh wheel, allowing him to at least finish 6th. The remaining 5 came onto the pavement with about 600m up a gradual rise to the finish. Jordan jumped first, but Kermisch was ready, and was able to get around him for the win. Jordan didn't give up, and held on for second. Weisgram 3rd, Olson 4th, and Ribbens 5th.

Carla was officiating, so we also stuck around for the afternoon wave. It was pouring rain, and officials were considering cancelling the afternoon races, but it cleared up, allowing a delayed start, albeit, with many racers opting out.

As it cleared up, it up came the temps and the wind. This decimated virtually every field. Riders were coming through the finish 1 or 2 at a time all afternoon. This made updating the lap counter and scoring a difficult task. Carla did a great job given the circumstances. We capped the day off with dinner out at the Freighthouse in Stillwater.

Results Posted

Fast, But Not Fast Enough

Finally found my legs last night at the County Cycles Time Trial. To say I've been struggling this year with my form is an understatement. Last night was the first time this year I felt like my old self. However, I was still humbled by an unbelievable performance by Jon Toftoy.

Perfect conditions last night. 80 degrees, light wind, and dry. Turn out was very light compared to the Ride and Glide TT's. Not sure why, publicity?

Start order (30 sec between riders):
Andy Tetmeyer
Eric Oftedahl
Jimmer
Missing Rider
Jordan
Timmer
Toftoy

I figured Andy and Eric would be perfect carrots for me, and I was right. I also figured Jordan would catch me for a minute. Thought I had a chance of holding off Timmer and Toftoy.

Part of my struggle this year has been getting my HR up. Not a problem last night. I was running 10bpm higher than previous efforts. I knew I was on a good ride, and caught Eric at the halfway point, and Andy at the turn onto Manning.

I struggled a bit in the stair step rises on Manning, and someone comes blazing by me. I expected it to be Jordan, but no, it's Toftoy! He's already caught me for 2 minutes?

I check over my shoulder, and can see Timmer closing too. By now, I'm on the faster section of Manning, and dig deeper. My mind and legs were working together, and I pulled back a little time on Timmer all the way to the finish.

I rolled back to the parking lot with the guys, and start wondering what happened to Jordan. Turns out he had a bad night, having some cramping issues in his right leg and glute. Despite this, he still averaged over 26mph. Jon and Timmer helped Jordan out post race showing him some stretching exercises to loosen the affected areas. Thanks guys!

Toftoy smoked a new course record, averaging over 29mph! Dave and Holly Ludwigson rode a great time on their Tandem.

Toftoy: 27:48
Timmer: 29:10
Jimmer: 29:54
Ludwigsons: 30:54
Jordan: 31:10
Oftedahl: 31:27
Tetmeyer: 31:42

Results Posted

Looking Pro

Jordan in the Cat 1/2/3 race at Wheels on Willy

The Picture Says it All

Jordan wins the field sprint against a stacked juniors field at Wheels on Willy.

Photo courtesy of Dan Barrett

River Falls TT #2

What a difference 2 weeks make. Tonight was perfect bike racing weather. 80 degrees and light winds. Nothing like the chilly blustery conditions last time. We did our 2nd practice TT in River Falls, on a course designed to match the Junior Nationals TT course.

Like last time, I started 1 minute in front of Jordan. Once again, he made up most of his deficit by the top of the first climb. I held him off to the turnaround, where a farm tractor and a couple cars made for an interesting turnaround. No traffic on the entire course until that point. Go figure.

Up the return climb, Jordan made the inevitable pass. However, I was able to hold him in sight all the way to the final descent. Near the bottom, I was able to re-pass him. This motivated him, and he re-passed me. This happened a couple more times until he passed me for good. Great ride.

Both of us improved our times over from 2 weeks ago.

Last week:
Jordan 31:40
Jimmer: 31:55

This week:
Jordan: 30:36 (1 min, 4 sec improvement)
Jimmer: 31:39 (16 second improvement)

Wheels on Willy 2010 Recap

Jordan amongst the over 100 starters in the Pro/1/2/3 Men Race

Jordan and Dan Casper on the last lap of the Pro/1/2/3 Race

Jordan on the attack in the Junior 15-18 Race

Finally made it down to the legendary Wheels on Willy Criterium in Madison, WI. We've been intending to make the trek the past few years, but always opted for racing in MN. Another beautiful day in Madison. Partly sunny with light winds. The 4-corner rectangular course is in a cool residential neighborhood, with a couple bike shops and small cafes. The finish stretch is a light uphill grade, and the course is relatively narrow, with some tough to avoid potholes.

Junior 15-18 Recap:
A nice big and strong group of 20+ older juniors towed the line for Jordan's first race. He played it cool in the beginning of the race, and got more aggressive as the race wore on. Lots of attacks, but nothing stuck, until Spenser Oswald (Baraboo Sharks) made a strong move with no reaction from the field. IScorp and Geargrinder had the biggest numbers in the race, but didn't seem intent on chasing. This gave Spencer the gap he needed for the easy win. Jordan rode a smart race, and won the field sprint, taking a strong 2nd place, in front of Thompson Remo and Darrell Kohli. Well done Jordan! Average speed 25.5mph.

Masters 1/2/3 Recap:
I started in the back, and was stuck in the back for the entire race. My legs were flat, and every time I moved up, I drifted to the back again. I resigned my self to tail gunner, and watched to make sure I didn't get gapped off the back by tired riders. I finished at the back of the field, which came down to a field sprint of over 60 riders. Average speed 27mph.

Pro/1/2/3 Recap:
Jordan was excited to race with the big boys, so he opted for the this race instead of the Cat 3's. He started near the front of the 100+ rider field, with the intention of staying out of trouble. He did just that. He came up with a strategy of marking a couple riders, and making sure he never went too far forward or back in the field. His plan worked to perfection, and he made it all the way to the end, which was a field sprint of over 60 riders. He finished a respectable 39th. Adam Bergman and Texas Roadhouse gave Colton Barrett the perfect lead out for the win. Average speed 28.5mph.

During the race, Pat Lemieux (Texas Roadhouse, Nick Vetter (SPBRC), and an IScorp rider got in a break which looked pretty good. The IScorp rider flatted, resulting in Pat and Nick almost being caught, but he returned after a free lap, and the gap grew again. Unfortunately, the IScorp rider rolled his front tubular and crashed out of the break. This resulted in the ultimate capture of the break and resulting field sprint.

Results Posted

LaRue Denzer LaRue Road Race

Back to Baraboo, WI for another hilly road race. The LaRue Denzer LaRue course is one of the toughest, if not the toughest road race course I've ever done. 2 long climbs per lap = 3800ft of climbing over 50 miles. However, since the finish is at the bottom of a long downhill, it's not necessarily a "climbers" race. It is a race of attrition, but there is generally a survivor regrouping on the downhills after each climb.

The weather was a welcome relief. A beautiful sunny, calm day.

Masters 1/2/3 Recap:
I raced the Masters 1/2/3, with very low expectations. I had some gear skipping issues just after the start of the race, and ended up pulling over on the first climb to make a barrel adjustment. I was dropped already anyway.

I regrouped after the steeper sections, and got rolling pretty good. To my surprise, I caught back up to the group in the flats on the top. I knew the downhill was coming, and wanted to be on the front, so I held my pace, and went around the entire field. I drilled the downhill and didn't even look back. By the time I got to the finish of the 1st (half) lap, I found myself alone, just ahead of the group.

Gordy Paulson bridged across and we worked together all the way to the climb. The field sat up, and we had the intention of making it to the top of the next climb before we were caught. Gordy made it, I didn't. I hooked up with Dave Eckel at the top, and we worked together to almost catch the field before the next long climb.

My legs, lower back, and mind gave out on the climb. I struggled to keep going in my 39-27. As I labored, the Cat 3 lead group of 15 riders, Jordan included, passed me. I made my way over the top, down the hill to the finish line, and called it a day. Another DNF, but no regrets. It was a beautiful day.

Cat 3 Recap:
Jordan raced the Cat 3's. He found the climbs to his liking, but held back from attacking until the last lap. He attacked the first climb of the last lap, and got a good gap with fellow junior racer, Darrell Kohli. However, they were caught by a small group of chasers on the long downhill. Jordan attacked near the top of the last climb, and got a solo gap, but was caught again on the downhill. This left it to a high speed sprint finish at the bottom of the downhill, not one favorable to riders with junior gears. Jordan finished 6th in the sprint. Well done, considering he was dropped 2 weeks ago at Circuit of Sauk.

Cat 1/2 Recap:
I volunteered to drive behind the Cat 1/2's as wheel support. Its a great way to watch the race, plus help the riders out with any problems. Kyle Jacobson got a flat on the 1st lap, grabbed a wheel, and made it back. That was the only issue on the day.

The winning break formed on the first climb, when 7 riders got away. Alex Wiesler and Kip Spaude from IScorp, Colton Barret and Bryce Mead from Texas Roadhouse, Robert White of Kenda Gear Grinder, Ben Anderson of Team Wisconsin, and Dave Hackworthy from Bianchi/Grand Performance. They worked together well, and quickly established a 4 minute gap. Gone for the day.

Bryce was the first casualty of the lead group, shortly followed by Barrett. They lost touch on the first climb of the last lap. Robert White lost touch on the final climb, leaving it to a 4-up sprint. Wiesler got the win ahead of Hackworthy, Spaude, and Anderson. White 5th, Mead 6th, Barrett 7th. Jordan Roessingh of IScorp won the sprint for 8th.

Results Posted

TNT - A Chilly Evening in Medina

40 degrees and rain are never a good combination for bike racing. Add in a moderate ENE wind, and longer than normal course, and you get some slower than expected times.

Jordan and I got there early and setup our tent for warm-up. Casper and Timmer joined us. Participants were noticeably down as expected. I started 30 seconds in front of Jordan, to provide him a rabbit. I also told him to hold back a bit for the first minute or so, to let his perceived exertion match his actual exertion.

I could tell right after my start, it was going to be a tough night. I struggled to get my HR above 160bpm, where in years past, that hasn't been a problem. About half way to the turn around, I expected Jordan to come blazing by me. The turnaround was placed further out than normal, and by the time I got there, Jordan was still 15-20secs behind me.

The tailwind on the way back was a relief, and I spun away at 90+ rpm. All of a sudden, Jordan rockets past me! I couldn't even come close to matching his pace. By the finish, he put another 20 secs into me. Nice effort!

Turns out Jordan misinterpreted my advice, and held back all the way to the turn around, rather than just the first half mile or so. Nonetheless, he set a good benchmark for himself.

Toftoy, back from his huge win at the Tour or Gila, smoked everyone. Casper was the bridesmaid, and Tyler Olson rode to an impressive 3rd. Timmer had a less than spectacular night thanks to his bike skipping gears for most of his ride. Shishilla was sporting his brand new Cervelo P4, and Merrill Lutsky put up a fast time, besting me by 10 secs. Kostik got a flat during warm-up, resulting in a DNS.

Toftoy: 24:02
Casper: 24:44
Olson: 25:33
Jordan: 25:59
Mulrooney: 26:07
Shishilla: 26:17
Lutsky: 26:40
Jimmer: 26:49

Results Posted

Looking forward to better weather...

Jordan's First Win of 2010

Jordan wins the Cat 3's
Casper wins the Cat 1/2's
The Cat 1/2/3 Ladies

Results Posted

Jordan rode smart today, in a relatively tame Cat 3 race, where most had a shot at the win. After 72 miles, and 5 times up the gradual climb to the finish, it was still group compacto, with 13 racers remaining. Jordan was patient, and outsprinted the rest for his first win of the 2010 season. Well done Jordan. Smart riding!

In the Cat 1/2 race, lots of action, with Dan Casper, Doug Swanson, and Adam Hansen establishing the winning break. Dan and Doug dispatched Adam on the last lap, and Casper took his first ever Cat 1 Road Race win, with Doug following him in, smiling with congratulations. Nice teamwork, and a well deserved win for Casper!

I raced the Master 35+. I raced aggressive, and got in a couple breaks. I ended up tailing off the back of the group at the end of the 2nd lap on the hill, and decided to call it a day. My legs will get there, and my mind will soon follow. It came down to a field sprint, with Koeneman edging out Hanna for the win. Nice work guys!

Team Flanders came up spades in the Masters 50+ with Pletcher taking his first win, and Skarpohl and Scott Flanders taking 2nd and 3rd for a podium sweep.

It was a day for the youngsters in the Cat 4's with junior Merrill Lutsky taking the win in front of runner-up 19 year old Jack Hinkens. Keep it up guys!

Carla was working as on official, so we joined her in the follow car for the Women's 1/2/3 race. The field shrunk to 5 racers after the first lap, but late in the last lap, Anne Grabowski and Jackie Carlson caught back up! Well Done. Melissa Dahlman won the sprint with Teresa and Leah Prudhome a close 2nd and 3rd.

Photos below of the Cat 1/2, Cat 3, and Women Cat 1/2/3

Sibley County Road Race

River Falls TT

The cancellation of the Black Dog TT series, has left a big hole in our schedule. No Charity TT and Synergy TT in May doesn't help. Jordan and I had planned on doing the Ride and Glide TT last night, but it filled, and we missed out.

No worries, I created a course to attempt to duplicate the one for Jr Nationals in Bend this year. It's just south of River Falls, WI. 12.77mi, out and back. 2 long gradual climbs, and 2 long gradual descents. The course at Nationals is 1 long climb to the turnaround, and then back down. Carla even joined us to help sweep the corner!

Last night was our first try at the course. I started 1 minute ahead of Jordan, and we both rode our full TT setups, complete with rear disc, and deep dish front. At the top of the first climb, I looked back to see Jordan had already made up around 45 seconds of his deficit. However, the winds picked up during our race to as strong as I've ever ridden in a TT. Miles 3-7 were all exposed crosswind. I stayed in my TT position, and struggled to keep my bike straight. Jordan got blown all over the place, and lost big time because of it. His front tire even skipped out from under him a couple times, forcing him to clip out! In hind sight, the deep dish front was a bad choice.

By the turnaround, Jordan had lost most of his gain on me. The climbing started again right after the turn around, but the tailwind made it much easier. The last half of the TT flew by. In the end, Jordan got me by 15 seconds. The results:

Jordan: 31:40
Jimmer: 31:55

Can't wait to do it again in 2 weeks!

Sconni Weekend

Photo by Frye

Skibby, Jordan, and I hit the road this weekend for the Circuit of Sauk Road Race near Baraboo, WI on Saturday, and the LaCrosse Crit on Sunday.

Winds were brutal on Saturday, making the hilly circuit even tougher. Skibby and I raced Masters 1/2/3, while Jordan raced Cat 3. There is a steep climb right after the start, and I suffered. I chased back up to the field, as they hesitated in the crosswind. An ISCorp rider attacked solo, and no one reacted. We sat there for a while, and I decided to jump around the group in the dirt, and went for the bridge. Again, no one reacted. Eventually, Gordy Paulson bridged up to me, and the 2 of us worked together to catch Bryan from IScorp.

We drilled it down the hill with the tailwind, with the group close behind. I suffered again on the climb, as Chris Halvorson bridged across to Gordy and Bryan. The rest of the field rode by me, and I had nothing. Dang! I joined forces with a couple other stragglers on Lap2, with the Cat 3 group bearing down on us.

The Cat 3 field passed us on the tailwind climb, but to my surprise, no Jordan? Turns out he was having a bad day too. While I soft pedalled wondering what happened to Jordan, Skibby caught up, and motivated me to do a 3rd lap. I struggled, and eventually dropped back to wait for Jordan. He caught up to me on the far side of the course, and we rode in together.

I was proud of him for finishing on a day when most dropped riders, including myself, hung it up early (my race was 4 laps, and I only did 3. Jordan's race was 3 laps, which he finished).

Chris Halvorson eventually shed his breakaway partners, and soloed to victory. Skibby toughed it out, and finished all 4 laps too. Nice work!

We stayed in LaCrosse Saturday night, and woke up early for Jordan to race in the Juniors. 15 racers, 10 of them being from ISCorp. Jordan had the classic "marked man" race. He attacked multiple times, and caused splits, but no one else would help him sustain an effort. He did a good job of setting up for the sprint, and was able to get 2nd, behind 18 year old Thompson Remo, of ISCorp. Well done Jordan!

The Masters 1/2/3 race was my first crit of the year. I was able to move to the front and lead the chase 3-4 times during the race, so I was happy. It came down to a field sprint, which Chris Halvorson won. Scott Flanders scored a well earned 3rd place.

After a brief rest, I jumped in the Cat 1/2/3 race. I clung to the back of the field for 30 minutes, then called it a day. Timmer and Patty Cakes got in a split of 12 riders, then attacked them and got away. Later, and ISCorp rider joined them. Timmer jumped them before the last turn, and took the win easily, with Patty Cakes runner-up for the 2nd year in a row. Well done guys!

Speeds were high in both my races. 27.2mph ave in the masters, 28.5 in the 1/2/3's (at least for the portion I was in).

Opus Crit #3 - Line Painting Episode

Results Posted.

I officiated again at Opus. Beautiful day, calm, sunny, a slight chill in the air.

During the Cat 5 race, the craziest thing happened. A city truck painting lines came onto the course, painting the center lines, and dropping cones to block people from driving on the fresh paint. The truck came and went, in the middle of the race.

As you can imagine, the Cat 5's came upon the cones and fresh paint, and a little chaos ensued. Unfortunately, one rider got bumped and went down hard enough to warrant an ambulance ride. Bummer.

Junior Merrill Lutsky, of Silver Cycling, scored his first Cat 4 win! Lots of juniors in the Cat 5 race this week. Great to see!

Linda Sone, of Flanders, won the Women's 1/2/3, repeating her performance from last week. It is really great to see these large women's fields racing!

As usual, the Cat 1/2/3 men's race came down to the final sprint. Doug won the final sprint, with Colton Barrett just edging Derek Goerke for 2nd. Typically, if you win the final sprint, you win the race, but not this week. 19 year old Barrett scored enough points in the previous sprints to take the top podium step with 17 points. Swanson 2nd with 15 points, Goerke 3rd.

Jordan had a great day in the 1/2/3's. He scored a close 4th in one of the sprints, and made some strong efforts leading the field. Well done Jordan!

Ken Woods Road Race Recap

Jordan leading the Cat 3's.
Photo credit: SkinnySki.com

Jimmer leading the 35+
Photo credit: SkinnySki.com

Results Posted

The weather usually plays a crucial role at Ken Woods, and this year was no exception. Heavy morning rain left and strong ESE winds, certainly not the worst conditions ever for the race. But, bad enough for many to opt out, making for small fields, and few places to hide.

I raced the Masters 35+ with MBRC teammates Bill Morice, Bruce MacGibbon, Jay Woller, and Skibby. Morice rolled off the front similar to Durand, but this time taking Mark Dykes (GSCA), Dan Schuller (GW), and Matt Muyers (Synergy) with him. They pulled away slowly, with GSCA and Flanders guarding the front of the group.

Brian Koeneman (W&S) pressed in the tailwind, but no one was willing to help. Eventually, Brett Whyte (RVCC) pitched in in the cross wind. The headwind on the climb kept things subdued there. By the time we reached the finish line, the break of 4 was well out of sight.

Koeneman went back on the offensive in the crosswind, with a couple attacks that guttered out the field, and blew it to pieces. Eventually, a group of 8 formed including Koeneman, Whyte, Binkowski (GSCA), MacGibbon, Woller, and myself (MBRC), Mlinar (GP), and Charlie Schad (Revolution).

Koeneman still did the lion's share of the work, but now had help. We dropped into a relatively smooth rotation, with most guys taking consistent pulls for the rest of the 2nd lap. We came upon Dykes, dropped from the break, at the end of the tailwind section on lap 2. Sadly, it wasn't his day.

With 3 MBRC teammate is the chase group, and 1 in the break, we could afford to keep at least one of us in reserve. Woller was our guy, and we kept him out of the rotation as much as possible. Being a stand-up guy, he still pulled through as necessary.

Towards the end of the 2nd lap, the break was 1min 45sec ahead. It was predictable that Koeneman would gutter us out again in the crosswind again on the last lap, and that he did. I got caught gapped on the initial attack, but caught back up after he sat up. I was not so fortunate on his second attack, gapped and dropped for good. Eventually, the MacGibbon was dropped too.

To my surprise, the chase group caught the break of 3 right at the base of the hill. Again, the wind neutralized the hill, and Koeneman was able to finish the day with a fine sprint to an impressive win. Binkowski 2nd, Muyers 3rd, Woller 4th, and Mlinar 5th. I rolled in 10th a couple minutes back.

Jordan raced Cat 3, and rode aggressive. He made the winning breakaway, and pulled his own with strongmen Jonathan Toftoy (Synergy), Taylor Olson (Synergy), and Garrett Ping (RVCC). Unfortunately, a couple guys in the final selection chose to sit on, and were able to capitalize on the others work. Toftoy attacked the group nearing the finish, and went on to win solo. The 2 sitter's-on went 2-3, and Jordan rolled in a disappointed 6th. However, another valuable learning experience for Jordan. He's got some ideas now on what to do differently next time.

DA 7800 Crank Arm Fail

Broke off during my Opus Crit warm-up. Just standing up, pedaling after a stop sign. Barely kept it upright, thinking I had simply pulled out of my pedal. Jordan yells, "You busted your crank arm off!".

I've broke a lot of stuff, but this definitely tops it all.

Junior Road Nationals Registration is Open

Click here for the link.

Registration this year is through USA Cycling, which requires you to hold a valid USAC license with the category required to qualify for racing (minimum Cat 3 for Jr Men 15-18).

Maren's Junior Prom

Maren went with her boyfriend Charlie to Prom this year. Such a beautiful girl!

First Race of 2010 - Durand Road Race

I opted for the Masters 35+ this year. I've never finished with the main pack in the 1/2/3's in Durand in 6 tries, so it was an easy call. Good thing too, that race disintegrated on lap 2 of 5.

My intention was to take it easy, and conserve my matches. My Flanders teammate Bill Morice took off solo right away. Knowing 4 laps in that wind is an awfully tall order by yourself, the move was ignored. In fact, our 1st lap was more like an easy training ride. Jim Bell and myself took light pulls in the wind, an everyone seemed content. Pmax got GSCA motivated on the front for a few miles, but then they shut it down. We doddled enough where the entire 45+ field, split into 3 groups, each passed us.

On lap 2, Binkowski of GSCA put in a couple good digs, the second resulting in a small gap with Hanna, Snider, and Jim Bell. I missed the move, and dug deep in the tailwind leg to bring them back. That narrowed the group considerably, with Morice still up the road, and out of sight.

Snide and Dave Peterson attacked heading into the climbs on the westward stretch, and it took a bit of work by Jim Bell and myself to bring them back.

Entering Lap3, Mark Mlinar turned on the afterburners, and guttered the group. It was mayhem! I got caught back a bit, and had to battle my way all the way up to Jim Bell's wheel. I'm at my limit, and when I look back, no one is left. I yell up to Mark to move over so we can rotate, and thankfully he obliges. Unfortunately for me, it was too little too late. Even after sitting out a rotation, I pop. Damn. Missing the move sucks, but making the move and then popping sucks much worse!

I dropped back to what was left of our field, and started rotating with them. To make matters even more interesting, we were mixing with the 45+ group again. They were on their last lap, and we had 2 to go. Eventually, our group finds a rhythm, and we work to stay together. None of us had any delusions of catching the lead group.

Up front, the lead group gathered up Morice, and impressively, he stayed with them. Well done! In the end, MacGibbon attacked a couple times on the last lap, and Hanna was forced to go after him in the finish stretch with Mlinar in tow. The caught MacGibbon, with Mlinar coming around for the win. Hanna 2nd, MacGibbon 3rd. Jim Bell also made the front group, but his skipping gears kept him off the podium.

I expected our group to just roll in, but Mike Phillips had other ideas. He jumped away on the turn to the finish, and no one reacted. I waited patiently, now inspired to sprint it out. I sat 3rd wheel about 400m out when I jumped. Snide was on my wheel, and we easily caught Mike. I was able to hold on for the best of the rest prize. Small consolation after getting dropped from the winning break.

Jordan raced the 1/2/3's and found it as tough as I knew from first hand experience. Like most of the field, he got caught out by the gutterball on lap 2, and found himself looking for friends. He hooked up with other riders through the end of lap 4, and then did the last lap solo. The kid will not quit a race. Well done Jordan!

Results posted

Tuesday Night Worlds #1

Carla and I officiated at the first MCF race of the season last night. Tuesday night racing on Yellow Circle Drive (OPUS complex in Mtka) has been a staple in the spring diet of MCF racers since well before I started racing in 1996. This was my first time officiating the race.

The beautiful weather brought out healthy numbers of racers and spectators. The Cat 4 and 5 men's fields were smaller than I expected. The Women's and Cat 1/2/3 Men fields were larger than I expected. We were able to keep the racing on schedule and give the first 3 races 9 laps each, and the final race was 18 laps.

There were several minor crashes during the races, as expected at the first race of the year, but everyone was able to ride away.

Since I'm usually racing in the 1/2/3's, this was my first opportunity in years, to watch the race. I can tell you the difference in speed between the 1/2/3 Men and other fields is very noticeable as a spectator.

Grandstay, Flanders, and GP all fielded good numbers in the 1/2/3 men. Jens Brabbit was the benefactor of the work of Grandstay, winning 3 sprints for a commanding win. Recent Cat 3 upgrade, Jonathan Toftoy, of Synergy, made an impressive move late in the race, staying away solo for several laps only to be caught on the last lap. His effort was still good enough for 2nd place. Dave Zimmermann of Flanders was able to take 2nd in the final sprint, which was good enough for 3rd place. Well done guys!

This was also Jordan's first Cat 1/2/3 race at Opus. He easily met his goal of staying up in the front of the race. He got in the sprint train several times, and did a good job of keying off his Flanders teammates. Very proud!

Next week, I'm racing!

Results Posted

Hilly Hundy

Saturday was a beautiful day for a long ride in the scenic St. Croix River Valley. 9 MBRC/Flanders team members opted in for a hilly century. (from L-R) Sample-Moore, Sone, Skibby, Myself, Pletcher, Jordan, Dahl, Froemming, and Gray. Parenteau joined us for a short bit too.

Over 6000 feet of climbing. The hills seemed endless...

A Good Friday

130 miles, 7.5 hours ride time. Now that is Good Friday!

Timmer hosted a 95 mile ride out of Spring Valley. I wanted more, so we drove to Spring Valley Thursday night, left a car there, and rode home. That gave us 35 bonus miles prior to the start of the ride to reach 130.

Great route by Timmer. I need to get over in that area more. The climbs are great. The crew was Timmer, Tainter, Hollywood, Toftoy, ScottyRob, Snide, Teresa, BrandonK, Jordan, and I.

The skies were clear until we got over to the Durand road race course. Right at the crest of the big climb, mother nature threw down one heck of a scary storm. Only lasted about 15 minutes, but left us all wet and chilled to the bone, with 40 miles to go. Lets just say the last 40 miles were all about mental fortitude.

Thanks for the awesome ride Timmer!

2010 Road Racing Schedule

Date	Day	Race	Location	Results
April 13	Tuesday	Opus Crit	Minnetonka, MN	Posted
April 17	Saturday	Durand Road Race	Durand, WI	Posted
April 20	Tuesday	Opus Crit	Minnetonka, MN	Posted
April 24	Saturday	Ken Woods Road Race	Sogn Valley, MN	Posted
April 27	Tuesday	Opus Crit	Minnetonka, MN	Posted
May 1	Saturday	Circuit of Sauk Road Race	Reedsburg, WI	Posted
May 2	Sunday	LaCrosse Crit	LaCrosse, WI	Posted
May 4	Tuesday	River Falls TT	River Falls, WI	Posted
May 8	Saturday	Sibley County Road Race	Henderson, MN	Posted
May 11	Tuesday	TNT TT	Medina, MN	Posted
May 14	Saturday	LaRue-Denzer-LaRue Road Race	LaRue, WI	Posted
May 15	Sunday	Wheels on Willy Crit	Madison, WI	Posted
May 18	Tuesday	River Falls TT	River Falls, WI	Posted
May 20	Thursday	County Cycles TT	Withrow, MN	Posted
May 22	Saturday	Square Lake Road Race	Stillwater, MN	Posted
May 25	Tuesday	TNT TT	Medina, MN	Posted
May 29	Saturday	Snake Alley Crit	Burlington, IA	Posted
May 30	Sunday	Melon City Crit	Muscatine, IA	Posted
May 31	Monday	Quad Cities Crit	Rock Island, IL	Posted
June 2	Wednesday	River Falls TT	River Falls, WI	Posted
June 6	Sunday	WI State Road Race	Spring Prairie, WI	Posted
June 8	Tuesday	State Fair Crit	St. Paul, MN	Posted
June 10	Thursday	NSC Thursday Night Lights	Blaine, MN	Posted
June 12	Saturday	Victoria Circuit Race	Victoria, MN	Posted
June 15	Tuesday	River Falls TT	River Falls, WI
June 18	Friday	Oregon Trail Road Race	Baker City, OR	Posted
June 19	Saturday	Pleasant Valley Time Trial	Baker City, OR	Posted
June 24	Thursday	US Junior National Time-Trial	Bend, OR	Posted
June 26	Saturday	US Junior National Road Race	Bend, OR	Posted
June 29	Tuesday	State Fair Crit	St Paul, MN	Posted
July 4	Sunday	Northfield Crit	Northfield, MN	Posted
July 6	Tuesday	TNT Time Trial	Medina, MN	Posted
July 8	Thursday	NSC Thursday Night Lights	Blaine, MN	Posted
July 10	Saturday	Synergy TT	Withrow, MN	Posted
July 11	Sunday	Hopkins Raspberry Crit	Hopkins, MN	Posted
July 13	Tuesday	Summit Crit	Rosemount, MN	Posted
July 20	Tuesday	TNT Time Trial	Medina, MN	Posted
July 22	Thursday	NSC Thursday Night Lights	Blaine, MN	Posted
July 24	Saturday	MN State TT	Scandia, MN	Posted
July 28	Wednesday	Farm Dog TT	Farmington, MN	Posted
July 29	Thursday	NSC Thursday Night Lights	Blaine, MN	Posted
July 31	Saturday	MN State Track Omnium	Blaine, MN
August 3	Tuesday	TNT Time Trial	Medina, MN	Posted
August 7	Saturday	WI State Time Trial	Burlington, WI	Posted
August 8	Saturday	WI State Track Championships	Kenosha, WI	Posted
August 11	Wednesday	Farm Dog TT	Farmington, MN	Posted
August 12	Thursday	NSC Thursday Night Lights	Blaine, MN	Posted
August 14	Saturday	MN State Pursuit Championships	Blaine, MN	Posted
August 17	Tuesday	TNT Time Trial	Medina, MN	Posted
August 21	Saturday	Toren Heuval Kermesse	Blaine, MN	Posted
August 25	Wednesday	Farm Dog TT	Farmington, MN	Posted
August 26	Thursday	NSC Thursday Night Lights	Blaine, MN	Posted
August 28	Saturday	MN State Road Race	Blaine, MN	Posted

Guess the Mystery Rider?

My first 100+ mile ride of 2010. Guess who I talked into joining me at the end of the ride?

Horner and Demong

Back in 2008, Horner gives future Olympic Nordic Combined Gold Medalist Bill Demong a buck to the finish of the Cascade Classic, after Bill crashed.

17.2lbs of Fast

Build complete. Bring on the Dog!

TT Bike Fitting

I hired Larry Foss of the Fix Studio with assistance from Tim Mulrooney of HED to fit Jordan to his new Ridley Dean TT bike. These guys both know their stuff, and Larry has all the tools to provide the perfect fit. Above is the result of his first fitting. His position will be refined over the next few weeks as he adapts to the bike.

Planet Bike National Elite Team Sponsorship Ending

Press Release

Jordan and I truly loved being a part of the Planet Bike family. Bob Downs is an inspiration! We wish all our team members, Bob, and Planet Bike the best. Thanks for the memories.

2008 Time Cross Pro Team Bike - $3000

Selling my Large (58cm) 2008 Time Cross Pro Team Full Carbon Cross Bike. The module (frame, fork, stem, headset) alone sells for $3800. Very compliant ride, perfect condition, everything is perfect working order.

Complete Bike (Shimano 10 speed): $3000/obo. Make me an offer.

e-mail: j.cullen@sbcglobal.net

The Time CROSS PROTEAM module was developed specifically for Cyclocross racing. Complying with demanding specifications created by our in-house cyclocross experts, the CROSS PROTEAM excels in the extreme conditions that these specialty races demand.

Features:
Sloping geometry
Full Carbon lugs
Full Carbon bottom bracket shell
VX EDGE HM carbon tubes with Vibraser technology
CROSS PROTEAM asymmetrical chainstays
CROSS PROTEAM wishbone
CROSS PROTEAM Full Carbon fork
QUICKSET headset
MONOLINK stem
TRANSLINK
Gloss finish
Frame weight (without Translink and stem): 1280 grams (±5%)
Module weight: 2125 grams (±5%)
Agile and robust, with Vibraser technology ideal for off-road use

Components:
Time Monolink Stem
Ritchey WCS OS Bars 42cm
Fizik Arione Saddle
Integrated Seatpost
Alex DA22 Wheelset (Optional Mavic Helium Tubulars mounted with Vittoria's for $300 more)
Kenda Small Block Eight Tires, 700x35 Folding 120TPI
FSA SL-K Carbon Crankset 175mm 46/36
Shimano Dura Ace 7800 10speed Shifter/Brake Levers
Shimano DuraAce Front Derailleur
Shimano Ultegra Rear Derailleur
Shimano Ultegra 12-25 Cassette
Shimano Dura Ace Chain
Tektro CR-720 Front Cantilever Brake
Avid Shorty 4 Cantilever Rear Brake
Gore RideOn Sealed Shift/Brake Cables
No pedals
Front Brake mount greatly reduces fork shudder during hard braking.

Now Bikes Indoor TT Results

Timmer, Jordan, and I did the Withrow TT Challenge on the Tacx trainer at Now Bikes. Timmer bested Jordan and I on his fixie. Jordan and I finished in virtually the same time, with me just edging him out.

Indoor Withrow TT Results

NSC Bike Night #2 on Vimeo

NSC Bike Night #2 on Vimeo

2013 World Cyclocross Championships in Louisville, KY!

This is Huge! The 2013 World Cyclocross Elite Championships will be held in Louisville, KY! The 2012 & 2013 World Cyclocross Masters Championships will also be held in Louisville, KY. Certainly a testament to the emergence of the sport in the United States! The last time an Elite World Road Championships was held in the US was the 1986 World Road Race in Colorado Springs, CO. World Track Championships were held in LA in 2005.

Click here for the press release from USA Cycling.

MCF Awards Party

Another successful MCF Awards Party in the books. Thanks to everyone who came. Great football game, right up until the end. Oh well, life goes on...

Click here for more photos compliments of newlyweds Olga and Skibby.

Jordan - Category 3 Cyclocross Rider of the Year

Category 4 Road Rider of the Year (Jordan - 1st, David Jones - 3rd, Rob Byers - 2nd)

Maren and Carla, the greatest cycling supporters in MN (and WI).

Skibby and Jimmer, forever...

Warning: Bike Porn

Jordan's has the bikes to do the job in 2010, now it's up to his legs.

Jordan's DuraAce 7900 equipped Ridley Helium - Sub 15lbs as seen.
Jordan's SRAM Red (not yet but, soon) equipped Ridley Dean - Sub 17lbs as seen.

For Sale: 2009 Time Edge Pulse w/DuraAce 7900 - Sold!

Update: Sold! Selling Jordan's Medium (55cm) 2009 Time Edge Pulse Full Carbon Road Bike. This amazing bike is worth over $7500. Super light (15.25lbs without pedals) and super stiff. Only 1 year old. Never crashed, perfect condition, everything is perfect working order.

$3500/obo with Zipp 440 Tubular Wheelset.
$3000 with optional Ritchey Aero OCR clincher wheelset (pictured below).



e-mail: j.cullen@sbcglobal.net

Medium (55cm) Time Edge Pulse Carbon Frame/Fork with integrated headset. Frame weight 1130g
Time Ergo Force Carbon Bars 42cm
Time Monolink Carbon Stem 100mm
Time Carbon Seat Post
Time Carbon/Ti Saddle
Dura Ace 7900 Group
- Crankset: 172.5mm, 53/39 (Brand New - Never Ridden)
- Cassette: CS-6600 11-23
Zipp 440 Tubular Wheelset
Continental GP4000 Tubular Tires
No Pedals
No Computer

Module: Frame/Fork, Headset, Stem, Bars, Seatpost, Saddle

Front End of Module

Don't Forget to RSVP for the MCF Awards Party - Jan 24

Same format as last year. We have the entire bowling center to ourselves for 3 hours. Eat, Drink, Bowl, Converse, and Enjoy!

Remember to RSVP to j.cullen@sbcglobal.net.

Current List of Attendees

Click Here for a Complete List of MCF Award Winners

The photo below shows what this year's ROY, CRY, and TROY awards look like.
(L-R: 3rd Place Award, 1st Place Award, 2nd Place Award)
TTOY awards will be different.

Click the Flyer below for a larger, printable PDF version.