So Colin Gibson and I headed down to Enumclaw on our way home for summer this past weekend. Gibson threw shit down! Winning the Cat 3 men's TT, only six seconds off the course record, then broke away in the crit, even though there weren't any semitrucks to follow and then won the two up sprint for the victory and a stranglehold on the omnium points, here are a few highlights.
He made the poster shot!
http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/
No idea what is going on here:
http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/2009/Enumclaw/RR/3/pages/94AD7154esr.htm
Suffering in the road race:
http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/2009/Enumclaw/RR/P12/pages/94AD6966esr.htm
Ian crane taking a break:
http://www.wheelsinfocus.com/2009/Enumclaw/RR/P12/pages/94AD7041esr.htm
Sunday, May 31
Saturday, May 23
Monday, May 18
Wenatchee and finals
So this is a short post because really, I'm just avoiding a final paper that's due in 5 hours. It may or may not have much to do with bike racing.
Some of us went to race the Wenatchee omnium this past weekend. According to vet of the race Mr. B. Chaddock it was boatloads of fun so some of us who either
A) didn't have much work for finals at this point or
B) were unrealistic about their abilities or willingness to do lots of work either at the race or this (Monday) morning after the race before their 4pm due date
decided to go.
The four of us (Ben, Andy, Kendi, and myself Duncan) packed ourselves, our gear, and 6 bikes into Andy's frequently-used car and headed out from Walla Walla for the final race (sort of) of the collegiate season.
Some of the highlights have nothing to do whatsoever with bike racing and they include:
107.3 FM: The Yakima Valley's PARTY STATION.
Given, we were listening in on a Friday night but STILL, absolutely awesome music, mostly hip-hop mashups and remixes. Actually it's really good right now as well (11 AM on a Monday morning), live streaming found here. I still can't believe there is a radio station devoted to this, especially in Yakima of all places.
Other cool things:
The grocery store. We found some screaming deals on both consumables and entertainment (DVD's).
Very nice glass beer mugs and T-shirts for every registered racer.
Dusty's burgers. They may be many times more expensive than Mac-Do but a medium fries and double bacon cheeseburger was more than enough food and tasted many times better. I need at least twice that many hamburger patties at a normal fast food place to satiate my hunger after a road race as beastly as the Wenatchee course.
Our hosts (the Valaas family) were awesome, thanks so much for welcoming us in and breaking in to the neighbor's house to find us some comfy floor space.
The races were fun too, someone else will probably write up a report and I need to get back to my other essay but suffice to say it was hot, the crit under the lights was awesome, the road race was BRUTAL, Ian McKissick is a lot faster than me in a time trial, and all of us need a little break from racing.
Some of us went to race the Wenatchee omnium this past weekend. According to vet of the race Mr. B. Chaddock it was boatloads of fun so some of us who either
A) didn't have much work for finals at this point or
B) were unrealistic about their abilities or willingness to do lots of work either at the race or this (Monday) morning after the race before their 4pm due date
decided to go.
The four of us (Ben, Andy, Kendi, and myself Duncan) packed ourselves, our gear, and 6 bikes into Andy's frequently-used car and headed out from Walla Walla for the final race (sort of) of the collegiate season.
Some of the highlights have nothing to do whatsoever with bike racing and they include:
107.3 FM: The Yakima Valley's PARTY STATION.
Given, we were listening in on a Friday night but STILL, absolutely awesome music, mostly hip-hop mashups and remixes. Actually it's really good right now as well (11 AM on a Monday morning), live streaming found here. I still can't believe there is a radio station devoted to this, especially in Yakima of all places.
Other cool things:
The grocery store. We found some screaming deals on both consumables and entertainment (DVD's).
Very nice glass beer mugs and T-shirts for every registered racer.
Dusty's burgers. They may be many times more expensive than Mac-Do but a medium fries and double bacon cheeseburger was more than enough food and tasted many times better. I need at least twice that many hamburger patties at a normal fast food place to satiate my hunger after a road race as beastly as the Wenatchee course.
Our hosts (the Valaas family) were awesome, thanks so much for welcoming us in and breaking in to the neighbor's house to find us some comfy floor space.
The races were fun too, someone else will probably write up a report and I need to get back to my other essay but suffice to say it was hot, the crit under the lights was awesome, the road race was BRUTAL, Ian McKissick is a lot faster than me in a time trial, and all of us need a little break from racing.
Friday, May 15
We came to play.
Race report by Kendi "the brains of the Whitman Cycling Team" Thomas
We set out (half of us in a plane, the other half in a car) on Tuesday night for Boise. Through the generosity of Ethan's dad, we had a whole office building to ourselves. Unfortunately, the only business we attended to was sleeping. And we tried that, but Colin kept stealing our blankets, crying "But I'm coooooollllldddd!" We awoke Wednesday morning, consumed at least a small child's weight in egg and scone at Big City Coffee in Boise, rode in Xtreme Wind Wyoming, and I single-handedly won the Stateline Sprint Omnium. We finally arrived in Fort Collins around dinner time.
Thursday was logistics day. We got up early to drive the road race course and preride the Masonville loops. Everyone felt good about their openers, though we could all feel the altitude. It's so dry in Colorado! The rest of the day was spent lounging around, picking up race packets, and getting massages by our very own masseuse, Dave "Magic Fingers" Tupper.
The DII Womens race started at 8am (ouch!) so we got up painfully early. The first thing we heard about the weather was courtesy of my coach Kent Menzel, "See my eyes? I'm not crying! It's just REALLY windy outside!" Greeeaaat. Yesterday there was absolutely no wind! When we got to the course, we quickly realized there was no stopping these hurricane-like winds. Someone mentioned something about 40mph gusts. Things were blowing everywhere, papers, numbers, small animals. I tried not to get gusted on the rollers. My bike was practically riding away from me.
The race was hard. This year they ran the course the opposite direction, starting with a real live neutral (opposed to a GIANT climb in the first 5 minutes last year). I think everyone expected the race to break up, but because of the wind things stayed together pretty much the whole time. All four of us were there almost the whole time, which is always great. Tons of climbing/tons of fun (ahem). We descended into the finish with a huge head/crosswind and I got 6th, Mia 15th, Emily 13th (who managed to crash 1 and a half times AND finish top 15!!) and Roxy 21st. I was a little upset about how the finish played out, but happy that we all finished so well. And my friend Rita (from Depauw) got 2nd!
The whole team after the road race.
Saturday: Another early morning. (Come on, crits at 8am??? I'm pretty sure that's illegal in at least 3 states.) We were all excited, especially after our sweet showing at the conference crit. Now that the road race was over, there was a definite change in energy, everyone was super fired up instead of super stressed. That is a stressful road race. Especially when you're on a flat road going 5 mph as hard as you can, trying to hold your bike straight. (Apparently many others weren't as concerned as I about riding in a straight line.) Anyway, we had completely forgotten about the previous day's stressors and totally focused on what was to come. We decided early on we wanted to have fun, try and control the race, get the leadout, and the win. Though these were our goals, I don't think any of us expected to accomplish them all so brilliantly. We were active the whole race, all four of us. I had planned to be conservative, but 10 minutes in found myself off the front, winning a prime. Okay, there was no turning back. All of us attacked at least once and I got 3 primes (I think?) and Mia got 1! I really thought (maybe more like hoped) that Rita (the brains of Depauw Cycling) and I would have stayed off. But the course wasn't nearly technical enough. When it came around to 2 laps to go, it was no problem getting people to let us have the leadout. Mia went to the front, set a good pace, then a faster pace, then a blistering fast pace (I can't say for sure, but I'd say there were three, at least four girls crying on the side of the road after being dropped by this maniacal leadout) delivering me into the final corner first wheel. I knew from the primes that I had sat in for, it would be way too hard to come around someone sprinting for the finish. So, I lead it out, HARD, and prayed (and I don't pray) that I wouldn't get second this time around. I soon realized no one was passing me. I was...winning? I was going to win?! I WON!!! Finally. I was so happy that I threw up my left hand to celebrate, which I NEVER take off the handlebars. Maybe I was having a body spasm, it's hard to tell from the photos. Afterward, all I could think about was how WELL we rode the race together. I could never thank Mia more for what she sacrificed for me. Mia is a badass sprinter herself! She could have done really well in the sprint, but instead she gave it all to me, which is the ultimate compliment. And Roxy got 6th, too! Unfortunately, in an incredible streak of bad luck, Emily got crashed out on the second to last corner. As a team, we could not have ridden a better race. In the wise words of Dave Towle, "Whitman College has a high cycling IQ." We could all sleep well tonight (maybe except for Emily, who had a nice raspberry on her hip).
Later that night at the banquet.
TEAM TIME TRIAL. 38 degrees and raining: ideal team time trialing weather. Today we were not the first to ride, so we lounged around for a while. It's hard to say lounge when it's freezing and you realize you forgot gloves, leg warmers, and your number. But, I'd say we accomplished it alright. Warm-up. Time to start. 1 minute....30 seconds...check my tires (good time to check tires)...man that tire feels soft....Mia, feel this tire....Mia: Oh my god....Colin: Nothing you can do about it now. GO!!! Best time trial we've ridden together all year. Good thing too, because turns out, it was the first one we WON all year!!! By a minute!!! We couldn't have been happier. It will probably be impossible to ever simulate this amount of happiness. Picture the happiest thing you've ever seen, and quadrupletriplemilliondouble it.
And that's a good place to end. HAPPY. That's what this weekend could be summed up with. That is what collegiate cycling is all about, and no better way to end it than on such a successful note. But, even if we hadn't won, even if I hadn't won, even if those things hadn't happened, I still would have loved every minute of it.
(Special thanks to Tracey Neill who kindly offered us (very last minute!) a place to stay in Boise on the way back!)
We set out (half of us in a plane, the other half in a car) on Tuesday night for Boise. Through the generosity of Ethan's dad, we had a whole office building to ourselves. Unfortunately, the only business we attended to was sleeping. And we tried that, but Colin kept stealing our blankets, crying "But I'm coooooollllldddd!" We awoke Wednesday morning, consumed at least a small child's weight in egg and scone at Big City Coffee in Boise, rode in Xtreme Wind Wyoming, and I single-handedly won the Stateline Sprint Omnium. We finally arrived in Fort Collins around dinner time.
Thursday was logistics day. We got up early to drive the road race course and preride the Masonville loops. Everyone felt good about their openers, though we could all feel the altitude. It's so dry in Colorado! The rest of the day was spent lounging around, picking up race packets, and getting massages by our very own masseuse, Dave "Magic Fingers" Tupper.
The DII Womens race started at 8am (ouch!) so we got up painfully early. The first thing we heard about the weather was courtesy of my coach Kent Menzel, "See my eyes? I'm not crying! It's just REALLY windy outside!" Greeeaaat. Yesterday there was absolutely no wind! When we got to the course, we quickly realized there was no stopping these hurricane-like winds. Someone mentioned something about 40mph gusts. Things were blowing everywhere, papers, numbers, small animals. I tried not to get gusted on the rollers. My bike was practically riding away from me.
The race was hard. This year they ran the course the opposite direction, starting with a real live neutral (opposed to a GIANT climb in the first 5 minutes last year). I think everyone expected the race to break up, but because of the wind things stayed together pretty much the whole time. All four of us were there almost the whole time, which is always great. Tons of climbing/tons of fun (ahem). We descended into the finish with a huge head/crosswind and I got 6th, Mia 15th, Emily 13th (who managed to crash 1 and a half times AND finish top 15!!) and Roxy 21st. I was a little upset about how the finish played out, but happy that we all finished so well. And my friend Rita (from Depauw) got 2nd!
The whole team after the road race.
Saturday: Another early morning. (Come on, crits at 8am??? I'm pretty sure that's illegal in at least 3 states.) We were all excited, especially after our sweet showing at the conference crit. Now that the road race was over, there was a definite change in energy, everyone was super fired up instead of super stressed. That is a stressful road race. Especially when you're on a flat road going 5 mph as hard as you can, trying to hold your bike straight. (Apparently many others weren't as concerned as I about riding in a straight line.) Anyway, we had completely forgotten about the previous day's stressors and totally focused on what was to come. We decided early on we wanted to have fun, try and control the race, get the leadout, and the win. Though these were our goals, I don't think any of us expected to accomplish them all so brilliantly. We were active the whole race, all four of us. I had planned to be conservative, but 10 minutes in found myself off the front, winning a prime. Okay, there was no turning back. All of us attacked at least once and I got 3 primes (I think?) and Mia got 1! I really thought (maybe more like hoped) that Rita (the brains of Depauw Cycling) and I would have stayed off. But the course wasn't nearly technical enough. When it came around to 2 laps to go, it was no problem getting people to let us have the leadout. Mia went to the front, set a good pace, then a faster pace, then a blistering fast pace (I can't say for sure, but I'd say there were three, at least four girls crying on the side of the road after being dropped by this maniacal leadout) delivering me into the final corner first wheel. I knew from the primes that I had sat in for, it would be way too hard to come around someone sprinting for the finish. So, I lead it out, HARD, and prayed (and I don't pray) that I wouldn't get second this time around. I soon realized no one was passing me. I was...winning? I was going to win?! I WON!!! Finally. I was so happy that I threw up my left hand to celebrate, which I NEVER take off the handlebars. Maybe I was having a body spasm, it's hard to tell from the photos. Afterward, all I could think about was how WELL we rode the race together. I could never thank Mia more for what she sacrificed for me. Mia is a badass sprinter herself! She could have done really well in the sprint, but instead she gave it all to me, which is the ultimate compliment. And Roxy got 6th, too! Unfortunately, in an incredible streak of bad luck, Emily got crashed out on the second to last corner. As a team, we could not have ridden a better race. In the wise words of Dave Towle, "Whitman College has a high cycling IQ." We could all sleep well tonight (maybe except for Emily, who had a nice raspberry on her hip).
Later that night at the banquet.
TEAM TIME TRIAL. 38 degrees and raining: ideal team time trialing weather. Today we were not the first to ride, so we lounged around for a while. It's hard to say lounge when it's freezing and you realize you forgot gloves, leg warmers, and your number. But, I'd say we accomplished it alright. Warm-up. Time to start. 1 minute....30 seconds...check my tires (good time to check tires)...man that tire feels soft....Mia, feel this tire....Mia: Oh my god....Colin: Nothing you can do about it now. GO!!! Best time trial we've ridden together all year. Good thing too, because turns out, it was the first one we WON all year!!! By a minute!!! We couldn't have been happier. It will probably be impossible to ever simulate this amount of happiness. Picture the happiest thing you've ever seen, and quadrupletriplemilliondouble it.
And that's a good place to end. HAPPY. That's what this weekend could be summed up with. That is what collegiate cycling is all about, and no better way to end it than on such a successful note. But, even if we hadn't won, even if I hadn't won, even if those things hadn't happened, I still would have loved every minute of it.
(Special thanks to Tracey Neill who kindly offered us (very last minute!) a place to stay in Boise on the way back!)
Wednesday, May 13
Camel Hair Rocks
This past week the team and I took off the Fort Collins, Colorado once again for Collegiate Road Nationals. Glenn Silver and David Tupper returned as chaperones after a two year hiatus, reviving the atmosphere of the historical 2005 and 2006 national champion teams. In our prerace meeting last week we set some pretty high goals for ourselves, and now looking back, we meet almost every single one. Kendi went 6th in the road race and cleaned up in the criterium with 3 prim sprints and the victory, taking her to 2nd in the Women’s Omnium. All the girls finished in the top 20 in the road race and on Sunday decimated the field by over 1 minute in the Team Time Trial, despite numerous small hiccups along the way. Duncan attacked the main group and finished 9th in the road race, with Colin and Nick sprinting in out for 15 and 17th, getting three in the top 20! The guys did a ton of work to control the race in the criterium and I went 2nd in the bunch sprint for 4th. I really wanted to win the bunch sprint and I think it probably came down to the line I chose in the final corner. Nick and Duncan also came through in the top 25 after Nick did a great lead out. On Sunday, we kept it all very professional. I am really proud of our intensity all the way through the weekend and with the TTT last, we really did a great effort. Everyone did the maximum and we averaged over 28 mph for the 37 minutes. I felt quite good and since I didn’t contribute on Friday, I knew I had to do a big job. It was really fun to drive the pace at the front as we passed the Mesa State team, with our follow motor bike and a few other cars trailing closely. In the final two miles I went to the front and gave everything I could give. Once we got the finish in sight, Nick finished off a wicked long pull (which took us over the penultimate hill), I dug deep and delivered the guys to 600 metres to go. I knew we had given everything and left it all on the road, I came across the line smiling and laughing as I’d seen the three of them, Colin, Duncan and Nick, line up three abreast and charge up the 150 metre finishing climb together. At only 19 seconds behind Furman University, only 7 behind Princeton, both of which have pro riders, we took 3rd and claimed the unofficial men’s D2 Omnium, with 3rd place in the road race and 2nd in the criterium. Wow, I can’t believe this. The women’s team donated 265 points while the men’s side gave 235 to account to a 500 point total, absolute and utter domination, winning by 100 points! Everyone on the team, including our three chaperones: Zac Strode, Glenn Silver and David Tupper equally contributed to our success and should wear those stars and bars jerseys with great pride. Hell of a weekend. Let’s do it again next year!
We need to sign the flag and retire it. This weekend was a lot of firsts, and few lasts for our single senior, Nick Littman.
Women’s Team:
- Team Time Trial National Champions
- Women’s Team Omnium Champions
- National Criterium Champion – Kendi Thomas
Men’s Team:
- Team Time Trial - 3rd
- Men’s Team Omnium Champions
- Criterium – 4th – Ben Chaddock
Team Omnium – 3x National Champions
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