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!

Minneapolis Musette - Great Local Racing Coverage

Campus Criterium Coverage

Easter Weekend Racing - Jordan win's Campus Crit Cat 1/2/3

Jordan outsprints Brandon for the Campus Crit Win!
Jordan stayed near the front for the entire Campus Crit

Jordan at Ken Woods
All photos courtesy of Anthony Kwan at the Minneapolis Musette

We went hunting for bike race glory, instead of Easter Eggs this weekend. Jordan found his, winning the Cat 1/2/3 Campus Criterium at the University of Minnesota. It was a Flanders versus Grandstay battle, with Jordan out-sprinting Grandstay's Brandon Krawczyk.

Saturday was the Ken Woods Road Race, where Jordan made the winning break. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to spin his 52x14 junior gearing the 43mph needed to stay with the break in the tailwind section. He regrouped with the chase, and finished a respectable 11th. He also survived a near crash when Gregg Brandt went down in a violent echelon twitch.

He was hungry for redemption Sunday at the Campus Crit. Being Easter, turnout was a bit light, with Synergy and GP noticeably absent. About 30 riders towed the line, with Grandstay and Flanders each having 4 riders. Grandstay's Dan Casper was definitely most aggressive rider of the day, getting away in solo and duo moves numerous times. Each time, Flanders, with help from a few others, chased Casper down.

Casper still found the strength to keep the field stretched out in the final laps, with teammate Ian Stanford taking over in the last couple laps. Jordan maintained excellent position near the front, and led the field into the final U-turn before the finish.

Hot on Jordan's wheel were Krawczyk, followed by Flanders teammate Mike Woell. Krawczyk clipped a pedal in the u-turn, and had to dig to get back to Jordan's wheel. Jordan surged through the curve to the finish line just enough to hold off Brandon, with Woell finishing 3rd. Both Carla and I were there to witness the amazing finish. We were definitely beaming with pride!

Prior to the start of this road season, Jordan had expressed his desire to upgrade to Cat 2, and I was against it. I didn't think he was ready. I'm definitely eating crow. I very proud of you Jordan!

For Sale: 2009 Time Edge Pulse Carbon Road Bike 59cm - $2500

I am selling my Complete 2009 Time Edge Road Bike with Dura Ace 7800 Group, Bontrager cockpit, and Mavic Askium Wheelset. The bike is in excellent condition, and perfect working order. Never been crashed, used for 1 season. No pedals included. Bike comes as pictured above.

Price:$2500/firm.

Includes:Frameset: 2009 Time Edge Pulse Carbon Frame Size XL (59cm)
Fork: Time Carbon Fork w/Carbon Steerer
Component Group: Shimano Dura Ace 7800 10-speed
Crankset: 175mm 53/39
Cassette: 12-25
Wheelset: Mavic Askium w/Continental Ultra Sport Tires 700x23
Bars: Bontrager XXX Carbon 44cm
Stem: Bontrager XXX Carbon 14cm
Seatpost: Easton Carbon
Saddle: Fizik Arione K:ium
Bottle Cages: Bontrager Carbon (2)
Computer: Shimano Flight Deck Wireless

Geometry Chart (Size XL)

Additional pictures

j.cullen@sbcglobal.net

Minneapolis Musette

A great new site for local cycling coverage! Minneapolis Musette

Durand Road Race 2011 - BRRRRR!

Jordan in an early 4-man breakaway with Dylan Knutson, Jens Brabbit, and an IScorp rider
Photo courtesey of Anthony Kwan @ Minneapolis Musette

Waking up to 2-3 inches of wet snow on the ground, strong winds, and 30deg temps was sure to be a death blow to turnout at the 2011 season opener Durand Road Race. The only thing that would keep Jordan and I from racing was the race being cancelled, so we made the annual trek. I was impressed with how many showed up! Even better, the roads were completely dry.

Jordan lined up with the Cat 1/2/3's with MBRC/Flanders teammates Adam Gorski, Mike Woell, Nick Kimpton, and Mark Skarpohl. Their field was plenty strong, with a full complement of IS Corp, GrandStay, Synergy, and GP riders. Jordan and his team rode a great race, but IS Corp took complete control of the race, putting all 5 of their riders in the winning break. Timmer was the only one to survive their onslaught, taking 4th place. Jordan drew out a group of 6 chasers on the penultimate lap, but the break was long gone. He rode valiantly, and finished 10th. Well earned!

I raced Masters 40+, whose field was most affected by the weather. So much, they combined us with the 50+. There were maybe 15 starters, and the racing was pretty civilized for the first 2 of 4 laps. We still managed to drop about half the group, including arguably the strongest rider in the race, Mike Johnson, who had a mechanical.

I attacked a few times during the 3rd lap, but every time, Birchwood strongman Mike Stensrud brought me back. After the climbs, we were down to 7 riders. I attacked again, and brought Mark Mlinar, Kent McDaniel, and Greg Tischler with. This left Stensrud chasing with Frank Lowry, and my new teammate Dave Herbert in tow. We had a gap, but it wasn't growing.

In the tailwind leg, as they drew down on us, I gunned it again, taking only Mlinar with me. We worked well together over the rollers, and slowly grew our gap. We kept working all the way to the corner before the finish. Mark being a good sprinter, I needed to get my timing right to beat him. I jumped at about 200m and held on for the win. Mlinar was gracious after the finish, as always. Well done Mark!

A few moments later, teammate Dave Herbert was able to out sprint Frank Lowry to win the 50+. Congrats Dave!

Results

I definitely owe my race win to teammates Bill Morice and Dave Herbert, who did a great job of keeping me out of the wind. Thanks guys!

1st Annual MBRC Training Camp

(Back Row - Mike Dietzman, Jeremiah Sagel, Dave Zimmermann, Dan Stocker, Dave Herbert, Jack Stack, Steve Gaertner, Merrill Lutsky, Chris Doig, Jordan Cullen, Chris Morley, Dave Grey, Todd Thurmes, Bruce MacGibbon, Jim Cullen) (Front Row - Gordon Wright, Linda Sone, Jaakko Mursu, Mike Woell, Andy Cragg, Tom Pletcher, Adam Froemming, Jim Flanders, Scott Flanders, Nick Kimpton, Ann Van Bellinger, Teresa Moriarty, Kristin Smith, Bob Scanlon, Bill Morice, Laura Krueger)

MBRC held training camp this past weekend in the beautiful bluffs of the Root River Valley. The weather was perfect, and a great time was had by all. We're ready for the MN racing season to start!

Hillsboro Roubaix - Jordan's Last Cat 3 Race

Nick Kimpton pulling the Cat 3 field, and sheltering Jordan, into the finishing circuit. 2nd Place - Cat 3 - Awesome Trophy!

We heard Hillsboro Roubaix was an awesome event, and it did not dissapoint. 65 degrees and sunny, moderate wind, on narrow, rolling, and winding country roads. Rough roads, but no gravel. The finish circuit has brick pavers, ala Snake Alley style, hence the name Roubaix. On top of a great course, the organization of the race was impressive. Corner marshals everywhere, awesome trophies & payouts. A true community event!

Jordan finished 2nd out of over 100 starters in the Cat 3 race. Teammate Nick Kimpton was instrumental in Jordan's success, with a massive pull into the finishing circuit to setup Jordan. 25-30 riders made it to the final circuit, with 14 sprinting it out for the win. Jordan had the victory in his sights, but was just beaten to the line by 29 year old Mark French. Awesome, considering Jordan's junior gear restriction.

Jordan has now officially upgraded to Cat 2 on the road. Congrats!

Ridley Poster Boy

Great shot from 2010 Cyclocross Nationals on the X-fire page in the 2012 Ridley Cyclocross Catalog!

Spring Training in Arizona

Jordan leads the Cat 3 field in the Tumacacori Road Race
On the Mount Lemmon Climb in Tucson, AZ

It's been a long, cold winter. For the 2nd year running, Scott Flanders and his family hosted us for a week of warm weather training in Sierra Vista, AZ. Tom Pletcher and Steve Gaertner were there too.

Jordan decided to test his legs in a tough road race south of Tuscon, called the Tumacacori Road Race. The course is a 6 mile circuit, with 500ft. of climbing per lap. It featured 3 steep 20% ramps in a row, that wore on the riders over the course of 10 laps.

Jordan raced the cat 3 field with 21 starters, and rode patiently. I watched from the feed zone at the top of the last climb. He was always near the front, and started attacking past the halfway point of the race. 6 laps in, it was a 4 man race, with Jordan making the selection. However, the temperature had climbed to 80deg, and Jordan faltered in the unfamiliar heat. He struggled through the last 2 laps of the race, and finished a courageous 10th. Very proud of you Jordan.

The rest of our trip, we rode with Scotter and Pletcher. The 3 of them put me into the hurt locker for most of the trip. I was pretty beat down by the end of the trip. We climbed Mount Lemmon twice, which ascends 6000ft from the desert floor over 25 miles. Jordan completed the climb in under 2 hours. It took me quite a bit longer. At the top there is a Cookie Cabin in Summerhaven, which serves cookies the size of a pizza, as a reward for making to the top.

8 days, 29.5 hours, 490 miles, 31,000 feet of climbing. A big thanks to Scott Flanders and his family for the hospitality!

Annual MCF Awards Party - Sunday, January 23rd

Click the image below to view a larger version of the flyer.

RSVP to j.cullen@sbcglobal.net with name and number in your party.

Complete list of award winners

Photo Finish

The sprint for 5th place at nationals (L-Jordan Cullen, R-Curtis White). Teammate Curtis White edged out Jordan by a mere inch. What an exciting finish!

2010 Clif Bar Devo Team

Left-Right: Jordan Cullen-15, Kolben Preble-17, Curtis White-15, Zane Godby-16, Zack Gould-15, Bjorn Fox-17, Mitch Hoke-22 (not pictured - Spencer Downing-15)

Jordan finishes a courageous 6th at CX Nationals

Bad luck prevented Jordan from making the podium at CX Nationals. He flatted his front tire just after the pit on the first lap, dropping out of the top 20 before he could ride back around to the pit to switch bikes. From there, he mounted a courageous chase all the way into a photo finish sprint for 5th place. Clif Bar Devo teammate, Curtis White, edge Jordan for 5th by just an inch.

Jordan took the result like a champion. He knew it was just another race, and didn't let it take away from all his other successes this season. I am so proud of him.

Race announcer, Dave Towle, was so impressed with Jordan's ride, he even mentioned it at the podium ceremony. Thanks to everyone for all their support this year, including his Clif Bar Devo Team, Ridley USA, and Lazer Sport. They made his success this season possible.

Jordan's Post B Race Quote in the Bend Bulletin

“It was so much better than (earlier) this morning,” said Jordan Cullen, 15, of Hudson, Wis., who won the men’s 10-29 race on Wednesday. “There’s no ice. It’s pretty good, actually.”

Cullen offered some advice for racers this week.

“Just chill, don’t panic,” he said. “If you fall a few times, don’t freak out.”