WC

2011-07-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a photo from my ride today over 5 Mile Hill. Although it is starting to get hot, the scenery more than makes up for it.

Yesterday, there was a ice cream ride hosted by Wheatland Wheelers. As usual there were three different rides, cruiser, social, and training ride. I went on the training ride thinking I was in better shape than the ice cream ride ~2 weeks ago. Somehow I managed up 2nd wheel back from the start of the ride. After I started my pull (we were in a double paceline), the person next to me, a rider for Audi, picked it up slightly and I started to suffer under the pace. Eventually I cracked and had to drift to the side. Although I tried to catch onto the back, I didn't have the energy and I got dropped within 2 miles of the start of the ride. :) Luckily the group slowed down and waited for me. I was very tempted to just turn around and go home at that point. After that, I avoided pulling and was able to stick on until a break group took off and we formed a chase group, at which point I got dropped off the back again. Luckily there was a regroup point within 800 meters of where I was dropped, so I caught on once again. After that, I was able to stick with the pack for the rest of the ride (~12 miles). It was my first pack finish with Wheatland Wheelers/Allegro Cyclery training ride!! I was quite ecstatic AND I got free ice cream even!

Hot Days

2011-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Walla Walla has finally started to warm up. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been blessed with lower temperatures and cooling rain. Today was the first time that I biked mid-day, and ironically there was a high of 89.5F today. I have been joining in on the Allegro Cyclery/Wheatland Wheelers rides, and those start at 7:00 AM, 7:30 AM, or 6:15 PM, in order to avoid the heat. When I started my ride today, I quickly realized how hot it was going to be, but luckily the person I was riding with wanted to go easy, so we just cruised up Mill Creek, enjoying the trees and shade once we hit the slow, gradual hill to the turn-around point. My biking partner was actually biking to a Chemistry July 4th potluck, so I got a nice 2.5 hour break before I headed back by myself in order to avoid biking at twilight. It was very nice to have a 2.5 hour break where I could stock up on food and (attempt) to satiate my ever-hungry body. Because my riding partner challenged me to a time trial of sorts, where he was going to come back the next day and attempt to beat my time down Mill Creek, I started off hard and finished harder. Over my past XC seasons and cycling season, I have noticed a trend where I seem to get lazy when its hurts or gets hard. I didn't use to be that way, but as I get stressed out and tired, my body physically shuts down and I lack the mental energy to rally. Over the past 2-3 weeks, I have started to see a reversal in this. Although it hurts, I now have the mental drive to push myself beyond the pain. On the way down Mill Creek, I only briefly dipped under 20 mph before rallying and bringing my speed back up to 22-25. This was SUPREMELY satisfying, just like the 56 mile ride 2.5 weeks ago. Although I haven't gotten any pictures of the amazing wheat fields yet, they are incredible on every ride, and next time I post, I promise that I will post some breathtaking pictures.

The Crazy Gene

2011-06-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: If you read all of this, sorry for how long this post is. I will try to keep future blog posts shorter, but this one, being my first of the summer, and me still being excited about having my bike back, ended up being much longer than it needed to be.

As some of you may know, I recently gave up cross-country running in order to focus on academics and bike-racing. This past year my bike had multiple cracks in it and although I still rode it, I was very scared for most of my rides, particularly descents. Because of that, I have only ridden 4-10 times over this past year, and I attempted a season of track running during which I specialized in steeplechase (think long-distance running + hurdles + water and you have this event). Although that season did not go as I had planned after I severely bruised my heel bone and could barely walk, strained my hamstring, badly aggravated an old injury, I enjoyed getting to try steeplechase. In early May, I finally sent my blue Orbea Onix into Calfee Design so that they could repair my cracked frame and I could safely ride it again. On Friday, I got my bike back and it was PRISTINE!!! I thoroughly looked it over and the only way I could tell there was any repair work was a faint carbon pattern under the matte of one of my chainstays. Overall, it was INCREDIBLE workmanship and I am superbly pleased with their work. Upon getting my bike back yesterday, I went for a 20 mile celebratory ride. This morning, I got up early in order to go to the Saturday morning group ride. When I got there, I found out that today was the today of the 6th annual Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic, so I joined in on that. Before I made up my mind though, I encountered one of my XC coaches who managed to convince me to do the 60 mile ride based upon the fact that there would be 10-20 riders in the pack so I would never have to pull. Within 1 mile of leaving Pioneer Park, my other XC coach who showed up had technical difficulties and because the other XC coach and I waited up for him, we got dropped from the main pack. For the next 23 miles, I had to work REALLY hard at which point we hit the first rest stop and caught the main pack. Upon leaving the rest stop, there was a wrong turn marked on the course, so the two XC coaches and I managed to once again get dropped from the pack. After several miles of the back, I suddenly found out that I could now longer climb hills any faster than 6 miles per hour. I was officially fatigued. As soon as I soon where I was, I said goodbye to the two XC coaches who continued on to finish the Classic, but I took a shortcut back home and ended up biking a total of 57 miles today, a lot longer than the originally planned 20-30. Because of this rapid immersion back into biking and how much I am enjoying it despite the enormous pain, and although I am sad to leave the amazing environment of collegiate cross-country, I have now completely dedicated myself to a prosperous 2 years of cycling!

Fall Roads...

2010-10-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

The leaves may be falling and the temperature along with it, but that isn't keeping the team off the roads! This past wednesday a group of us got out for a bit of faster past ride, and it was incredible! T-VO, Jay, Bennet, Chase and I showed up for some chilly exercise and I think we all got our money's worth. We started out on the good old Ferris Loop and after warming up, got in 15 min of good tempo that really got our legs going! After resting for a bit and cresting the hill on the return, we kicked it up again, this time practicing attacking and bridging. Though we only had a three man "peloton", it made for some interesting tactics practice. A sprint finish to round the ride out and we were back in W2! A quick jaunt over to the health center for an ice bath before eating absolutely as much as possible! I love riding. Sorry I have no pictures to put up either, but we'll get some good ones from this weekend, parents weekend!

Keep on riding everyone! (and posting, lets keep this going!)

Track Racing 101

2010-08-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, Whittie cyclists!

I hope you all are having awesome summers. Mine is filled with bikes & sun.

I moved down to San Diego in June, and I'll be here until early September when I'll be hopping the Atlantic to spend fall semester in Scotland, land of wool sweaters, wellies, and Chris Hoy. Swappin SoCal rays for Scottish rain will be..interesting. It's always above 70+ here, 85+ inland - gorgeous cycling weather. I'm still getting used to the heat, and I've got the sunburns to prove it. I have to make sure there's a water stop on all rides over 25 miles, reapplying sunscreen all the time, etc.

The main reason I'm here is for the track, although there are plenty of other perks, too (i.e. SUN). The San Diego Velodrome has launched such stars as Chris Horner, and actually in Southern California it's difficult to swing a dead cat (sorry for the visual) without hitting a former Olympian or world champion. My track coach is Dave Grylls, a 2-time Olympian, my road coach is Robert Fagnant, who rode for Jelly Belly, my host dad is Jim Rasmussen, cycling badass, and on the track I've met such cyclists as Connie Paraskevin and Tara Whitten. People here are, in general, fantastic cyclists. Maybe it's because they can train year-round, or the terrain is awesome, or their racing season starts in late January, but in any case it makes for great competition.

Track is FUN. First off, it's drastically different from road. Like, drastically. Sure there are similarities, like most of the bike components are the same, you pedal, there's a finish line, etc. But then there are the changes which threw me for a loop - no coasting, no brakes, the banking, the constant constant sprinting. One thing I thought was funny - on the Encino track there's a sign saying, "LEFT TURN ONLY."

But after two months I'm quite comfortable, and I can already feel a big change in my road abilities. Track helps you 1) spin faster and more consistently, 2) sprint like a bad ass, 3) endure more high-intensity efforts without puking, 4) handle your bike well, etc.

Very useful.

I'm not competing on the road much now except for the occasional crit. Because Southern Californians begin their road season in January, it ends mid-July. Then track takes over until late September. Personally, I think the the early-ending road season is a waste of sunshine, but hey, I'm from Eugene. We take full advantage of any and all clear skies and often racing August includes downpours.

*Oh yeah. All us Whitman riders, we're kind of hardcore. I'm not going to say SoCal riders are wusses because they do train like maniacs, but you get my point. Rain & fog send them running for their SAD lamps.*

August is National Qualifier time for the track, and I qualified last Saturday in the match sprint. I beat the reigning national champion and came in second overall. There's another qualifier this weekend, so we'll see how I do.

I'll miss Whitman come September, but I'll be back in the spring to tear up the road with you all!

Much love,

Rachel

Tour of Walla Walla Success

2010-04-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

You are receiving this email because you mean a lot of me and to the team. I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you an indepth look at the weekend's events in the Mens Pro category so you could all be a part of the excitement. I hope you enjoy the reading below and again, thank you for helping the team and myself reach this milestone.

* * *

This past weekend the Whitman team put on a great show at the 15th annual Tour of Walla Walla despite facing some of the Northwest's stiffest competition in what has grown into the most prestigious stage race of the year in Washington state. In the Mens Pro category, the field was stacked with the 110 of the best riders from the Northwest and British Columbia, plus the Bulgarian National Road and Time Trial champion and the regional elite Team LandRover Orbea (Pro team '09) which featured two New Zealand national champions.

All the Whitman riders (20 riders spanning all 8 categories) who competed and volunteered, put in their best effort racing with heart and sportsmanship to bring home some huge results. Although I do not know all the results at this time, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the success of our team in the Pro.1.2 men's field. Using a composite team of current students and alumni, we fielded one of the strongest teams in the race and brought home the goods.

My teammates, Alan Schmitz '03, Nick Littman '09, Colin Gibson '10 and team supporter Alan Adams worked tirelessly for my general classification bid, culminating in a 4th place overall. Whitman has never placed a rider so high in the general classification in the Pro.1.2 mens field at this event and as we reflect more and more about the firepower we were up against, we realize just how special this weekend has been.

Friday:

The weekend began with a challenging road race course north of Waitsburg late on Friday afternoon. After Red Truck Racing (Vancouver, CA) worked hard to bring back a small breakaway composed of Hagens Berman Team leader Soren Peterson in the final 15km, Colin Gibson helped me stay safe as the stage came to a bunch sprint finish. He delivered me to the top 5 at 500 metres to go. The sprint began early, at 350 metres and after my initial jump, I was able to dig extra deep at 150m, finding another gear and took the bunch sprint by a wheel. Amazing. All our of 5 riders finished in the bunch (same time) so the next day's time trial would decide our GC contender.

Saturday:

Thanks to the support of my coach David Youngblood and all my housemates and close friends, who covered the road with chalk and waved the flag of flanders at the top of five 5mile hill (approximately half way through the 9.3 mile event), I did a perfect individual time trial, finishing 10th, 50 seconds faster than last year race. After the event I sat 10th in GC, only 20 seconds out of 2nd place.

The criterium in downtown Walla Walla, featuring a section of the Whitman College campus, was great fun. It was a wet and treacherous race with numerous crashes at the top of the circuit (at the Apex store corner), however Colin and Nick did an amazing job of covering moves and staying close to me, protecting me from the wind. In the end colin and I were cornering exceptionally well and although I messed up the final lap (though there was still 1 lap to go) he finished 7th and I rolled over in 9th. Safe, muddy, and accidently completely rested for Sunday's 100 mile road race. Due to separations in the field, I moved up to 5th in the GC, only 55 seconds out of 1st and 11 seconds out of 2nd.

Sunday:

The classic Waitsburg road race features two climbs per lap plus a short feed hill, 90 minutes per lap and at 2.5 laps, the total time of the race was over 3.5 hrs. Colin unfortunately flatted, and although he chased his heart out for 45 minutes, he was unable to catch back on. Alan Adams monitored the front throughout the first half of the race and survived through to the end to help protect me during the final 20km. Alan Schmitz used with big frame to keep me protected in the cross winds through the first lap. Nick Littman pulled back a late (ultimately the race winning move) breakaway in unbelievable style (that guy is so strong), echeloning the whole field for twenty minutes as we drove off the penultimate climb, through waitsburg and into the final 3km, 10 minute climb of the day, leaving the lead group only 30 seconds up the road. Up the final climb I used my knowledge of the climb and partitioned my effort for the best result. Although 7th and 9th in GC attacked at 1.6 km, I let them drift 10 metres ahead. The remnants of the breakaway appeared within closing distance and although the fight for the stage win was out of reach, I targeted the majority of that breakaway group as my goal to ensure my top 5 GC position. Going for the best time, we dropped the yellow jersey and I followed Kevin Rowe (a very talented Team Exergy rider currently 4th in GC) out of the group at 1.4km to go. Over the smooth pavement left hand corner, 7th & 9th powered up the climb just ahead, and as the road tilted an extra 2-3% degrees, I followed Rowe's wheel back up to the two riders at 1km to go. As soon as I passed the 1km to go we rounded a right hand corner, the gradient dropped a few degrees and Colin Gibson, waving the flag of flanders like a madman at the finish, was within my sights. Like every other training ride, now it was time to increase the pace all the way to the line. Up the inside, on the left, 7th& 9th attacked again, and after Kevin (pasted to the right side of the road) moved left just enough for my wheels to get out of the gravel, I surged past, veering left and bridged the 10 metre gap, attacking immediately over the right hand side and opened up the sprint of the line. Moving past the 10-15 riders of the breakaway group (with Sam Johnson '07 of Hagens Berman- ultimately finished 10th in the stage- cheering me on as I blew by) at 300 metres and moved on, powering past Colin at 150 metres, taking it all the way to the line for the best time possible. Finishing 7th on the stage and only 53 seconds back of Hagens Berman's veteran rider Soren Peterson, I moved up to 4th in the GC.

This weekend has been an amazing experience and I am absolutely blown away at the quality of our team and our ability to execute with only a 5 man group (most teams fielded 8 riders). I wanted to thank all our our sponsors and supporters by sharing with you my take on the most successful weekend of racing the Mens team has ever had. I have heard great things about the women's racing this weekend and I look forward to hearing those stories as well.

Without your support, our success would not be possible. I am not going to try to name names because I would miss someone - everyone's tireless effort is what makes our team an important part of the Walla Walla community.

Thank You,

Sincerely,

Ben Chaddock '10

Whitman Cycling

Stage 1: Kellogg Hollow Road Race: 1st

Stage 2: Individual 5Mile Road Time Trial: 10th

(Snagged the yellow for my warmup)

Eugene, OR Spring Break Training Camp

2010-03-24T14:53:00.001-07:00

After racing in Eugene and Corvallis, OR last weekend, our team is enjoying some quality time together training in Eugene, OR. Big thanks to Julianna Nowlan and the Snow family for providing homestays for the week. The weather is in our favor this year, and Julianna is again helping us map out some of the most beautiful routes in the local area. Yesterday, our team split into two groups--both riding up climbs and spinning for several hours, with Julianna and John supporting our rides in follow-cars. Here are some photos from the top of the Wolf Creek climb.

The website should be updated soon with more details on last weekend's races, but I want to commend the Women's C racers on our team, in particular, for a great weekend. We had SEVEN women racing in the C field, many racing for the first time. All of the C women kept the rubber-side down this weekend, finished strong, and are excited to continue racing.

Also, we had some rain during the criterium races, and our team crafted a huge tarp fort in the parking lot.
By Emily Rodriguez

2010 Photo Shoot

2010-03-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks Alex Riddenback!

Cycling Class = Tarmac Crushers

2010-03-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Over the past eight weeks I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of young people. With the help of Cross County running coach Malcolm Dunn, I have co-taught Whitman College's first accredited road cycling class. The class, officially "Conditioning for Cycling", has been an idea of mine for a long time and I'd like to thank Dean Snider (Whitman College Athletic Director) and Malcolm for supporting my vision.

Meeting twice a week (usually Tuesday chalktalks and Thursday fitness sessions) all the students, who are also racing team members (although any Whitman College student/staff with a modern road bike can signup) have pushed themselves not only in their fitness but also their bike handling abilities.

Every session these riders tackled our many challenges with vigor, no matter how intimidating. Heart rate max tests on the computrainer, bumping practice on the grass, cornering and agility skills on the asphalt, pacelining, climbing out of the saddle and sprinting have all been on the menu - but they are all still hungry.

Today we had a great ride out of town, tackling a challenging hill and then bringing it back in good time. Everyone is very comfortable now riding in the pack so I am very excited about this season's racing, which starts in just ten days.

Riders - Thank you all so much. You have shown so much heart this whole year and I wish you all fast legs come race day. If I have had a tough training ride and am little down, your energy and enthusiasm is easy to feed off of - working with you all keeps me excited to ride every day I can.

Be sure to keep checking in as this new 2010 fleet heads out for a little cropdusting.

Sincerely,

Ben Chaddock

Mock Race February 27th

2010-02-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

Fenders off, shades down, its time to rock n' roll! Whitman Cycling invites you all to participate in our 5th annual mock race in preparation for another tarmac shredding season.

Newbie Ride (Cat5 Men and Cat 4 Women):

Meet: Reid Campus Center @ 8.20am.
Roll Out @ 8.30am sharp
Piste: 1 Counterclockwise Loop of Valley Grove

Elite Ride (Hang On!)

Meet 9.15am: Middle Waitsburg & Rainer Drive (end of Wellington if you take the bridge under the highway)
Roll Out @ 9.30am

Piste: 1 Lap of Tour of Walla Walla Sunday Course (Waitsburg Loop)

Intermediate Sprint: Grain Towers on Lower Waitsburg (35minutes in)
KOM: Top of Middle Waitsburg Climb (70minutes in)
Sprint Finish: Old Finish @ Metal Shed near Airport (100 minutes in)

After each intermediate point section the respective groups can regroup so we can all get more pack practice.

Here at the courses!

Beginner Race Course

Elite Race Course

Pioneer gives cyclists a lift!

2010-02-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

Props to Missy Navarro!

Feb.18th Article - Top 5 reasons to watch out for Whitman Cycling

Jan 26th Article - Whitman Cycling Team designs training course

Check out articles from Missy in the future here

Mock Race February 27th

2010-02-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

Beginner Course

Elite Course

See facebook event for start times

Tentative Race Flier

2010-02-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

Well lookie here! We gon' have us a race.

Race Flier here

The courses are here:

Saturday : Road Race & TTT

Sunday : Circuit Race

Stay tuned.....

2009 Season Wrap

2010-02-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

2009 Documentary:

A little slower look at our team

Collegiate CX Nats - 7th

2010-02-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

I figured it was better late than never so here it goes.

In December with a huge crew of five housemates, I took off for Bend, Oregon for the collegiate cyclocross nationals event. I attended the event in Kansas in 2007 and having the race on the west side this year made it an easy trip. The course was still frozen for the early morning start, which worked well as the corners did not degrade and I could find the grip level and push. Steve Fisher of Western Washington, a NW area CX chief did a great race and finished 2nd. He should have won though as the guy in the stars and bars is some 35 year old who placed 6th in the US masters category a few days before, so great race Fish!

Even though I forgot to register in time, they still called me up for a front row start. That was very appreciated as passing on the slick course was quite difficult. Essentially we were all just domino's. If you didn't like the way the guy in front of you was riding, he would usually make it easy for you and fall within the next 30 seconds, then you just avoid the carnage and fly right by!

Off the gun, the guy in black, Ian Crane (Western Washington / Hagens Bermann) took the whole shot. I made sure Steve went ahead into the first turn as I just wanted to finish a smooth race and knew, after only two cyclocross races this season and minimal high intensity training, that I wasn't going to challenge him. Out of the first corner, after the usual close call with tape and barriers I rode in fifth. One half of the course was straight dirt, but it was frozen. I really liked that part of the course. There was even some ice! It featured big sweeping corners where you are going fast enough to be right on the edge of grip and if you go down, it would really hurt.

The second half of the seven minute lap was in an in-field section of grass which was much more spectator friendly. The course dived down and to the right before a ridiculously slippery corner followed by the stairs. Those stairs were really sweet! There was a long sidehill afterwards which was also hella slippery, definitely saw a few guys go down there - even in the elite race in the afternoon. Next the to the big white beer tent, the barrier section came around a blind corner all of a sudden. On the first lap, right before this section, Ian went down from two guys in front on me and I had no where to go. Throwing on the brakes four guys swarmed me and all of a sudden, I had fallen back to tenth. I slowly pulled back riders within the next 2 laps but after that, the race was pretty much done for me as everyone settled into their own rhythm. Forty five minutes later, I brought it home for 7th place. I was pretty stoked as I rode a smooth race without any big mistakes and some huge saves in the tricky conditions. Full opposite lock on the handlebars over frozen mud definitely came out of the bag of tricks a few times to the relief of my bony hips.

Thanks again to Brennan for putting me up in her house. Dunco, Emily, Warren and Jack, there is no way this would have been fun without someone to appreciate my ridiculous hair styles!

Collegiate CX Nationals Video: Bend, Oregon

Levy Tops the Charts!

2010-02-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

Molly Blust and Sara Levy finished off a week of baseline fitness testing today @ Welty Training Center. Molly "Aerobic Machine" Blust held out at LT like a champ for minutes on end, spiking to 207 beats per minute just before completing here test, only 35 seconds from completing a stage @ 200watts. Excellent stuff Molly!

Sara Levy was quick to follow suit and pushed really hard to complete a full two minutes @ 240watts before moving on to 260 watts for 30 seconds. With this effort, she has the highest power per kilogram for all the women tested so far using her last completed wattage of 240 watts and at her lactate threshold around 230watts. Great job Sara!

Levy continued on to battle Rachel Hoar's leading time on the 1km of 1.39 and edged her out with a new women's record at 134.9!! She averaged 295 watts over the distance, most of which was done within 5% of this average = excellent pedal stroke so keep working on that pedal stroke Sara - you already improved a ton through that the spinscan session during your warmup!

So the gauntlet is down ladies!

Who will counter?

Fitness Tests Continue @ Welty

2010-02-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

More tests at Welty this weekend. So far Luecke has put up the best numbers

320 watts on the Conconi @ 163 lbs

New Record for 1km Time Trial: 1.19.90 @ 473 watts

Rachel Hoar still has the top Women's time at 139.5 @ 260 watts

Rachel Lights it up

2010-02-05T01:28:00.000-08:00

Rachel put it all down on the computrainer yesterday. Following the Conconi Protocol for max. heart rate, we found out some cool info that may help her go for a great spring season.

She also posted the first time on the 1km Whitman Cycling TT, also on the computrainer. Signup and try to beat her!

Check out the video of her Conconi Test here:

Ben

2010-02-03T16:15:00.000-08:00

Tour of Walla Walla

Get Stoked!

See the website here!

Paris - Roubaix

2010-01-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

The name says it all.....

When in doubt...ride!

2009-12-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

FIVE NEW Sponsors! A new cycling class! A new computrainer

A physio room!

A NEW RACE!

Hello All!

December is here. Time is absolutely freakout and stress about school so hard that your hair falls out! When stressing out, remember to take a study break and think about cycling, well at least that's what i think about, maybe you do to! I hope so.

There is lots of exciting news. First off I would like to announce four new sponsors.

1) Becky Wilson Designs (Becky Wilson) Trailer Design

2) Interior Design (John Sasser) Trailer Vinyl

3) Training Peaks Sponsorship: (Jeremy Duerksen) Coaching Account + Unlimited Rider Accounts

4) Stephenson Cellars - (Dave Stephenson) Multi Year Sponsorship

Wine tasting and live band every Sat. night @ 7.30-10pm....No cover, great band, excellent wine = super awesome time!

5) Welty Health Center - Physical Therapy Room (Claudia Ness)

6) Cycling Class new for Spring '10

7) New Bottle order

8) Clothing Order - tell your parents to buy our gear!

9) NEW RACE ADDED TO COLLEGIATE SPRING CALENDER

_______________________________________

Through our fabulous team physio Dave Tupper, Duncan and I meet with marketing director Jeremy Duerksen of training peaks over thanksgiving break - and now we have a wicked set up with the best online training log.

We will use the training peaks to suggest basic training plans to everyone on the team, or more specialized training if you are interest. It is very easy and we are very excited about this. We will start this at christmas time.

**This is help you track your training as well as help the team leaders at training camp in march decide if the longer or shorter ride of the day is best for your training**

_______________________________________

Dave Stephenson is dedicated to collegiate and junior cycling community in Walla Walla. We will be working with Dave through 2011 and look forward to a great future. See more about our new sponsor here:
_______________________________________

With the help of Claudia Ness, director of the Welty Health Center, we all have 24hr access to BRAND NEW ultrasound machine, ice bath and Dave Tupper's computrainer (accompanied by a desktop computer generously provided by the Health Centre. This is going to be a very valuable tool.
________________________________________

The new for 2010 cycling class will be run by Malcolm Dunn and myself. It will go over many things. It will be chill but legit. There will by 12-15 spots. Prereqs....a road bike and enthusiasm! We will have two class events per week. One will make use of the class' scheduled time for lecture and guest speaker. The other meeting time will be used for occasional class rides but also gives you the freedom to complete your workouts on your own time.

We will use Dave Tupper's computrainer to do power tests at the beginning of the class, as well as later throughout the year! This will show your improvements!

We will talk about: Recovery, Difference between training and exercise, improving efficiency (bike+rider=one unit), zones, periodized training, race strategy, pack riding skills, bike mechanic skills. I think this is so cool! I hope you do to! We can use training peaks for this too!

Contact Malcom Dunn (dunnm@whitman.edu)

_____________________________________

New Bottle Design: Should be a good vintage. Will feature a new color scheme for 2010!

_____________________________________

Clothing order - those who are abroad or haven't paid team dues - email Molly Blust (blustme@whitman.edu) and tell her if you plan on racing full time (due paying) and receive discounts on clothing order.
______________________________________

There is a new race added to the calender - march 13-14th in Boise, Idaho. So know there are six collegiate races we are attending.

What does this mean? If you have a hella hard semester coming up and can't go to three races but want the team sponsorship - well you can come to the first three races of the year that are all during spring break!

We will be coming back to Walla Walla the following week for a training camp, then traveling to Eugene for the 2nd race weekend in Eugene (another training camp in Eugene) then up to Bellingham before coming back to school.
_______________________________________

Finish off the semester strong and on December 11th we will have a small team meeting

Ben

Rachel says to Light IT UP!

2009-11-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

Don't get caught out after dark. It's DANGEROUS.

First of all, buy a light, so that if it does start to get dusky, you'll at least be able to see the pavement. If you can't see the road, you could run off it, or hit an unexpected pothole, or cross the center line - not good.

Second, plan your ride so that you get back home at least 30 minutes before sunset. You never know what'll happen on the road; you might go slower than you'd think, and flat tires are particularly common time-consumers.

Third, ALWAYS BRING YOUR CELL PHONE on rides. Again, you never know what'll happen. If you do get caught on the road after dark, you'll need to call someone.

Fourth, DON'T TRY TO RIDE HOME IN THE DARK. On all roads, but especially on twisty ones, cars can barely see you. Reflectors help, blinking lights are good, light clothes are okay, but if you get nervous when you're riding because it's dark, you should pull over and call a friend to pick you up.

Cycle safe!
~Rachel
P.S. Thanks Mia & Ethan!!

I pretty much got my ass handed to me

2009-10-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

John Whiting had a tough experience in Spokane this weekend.

After finishing 2nd last week in the beginners category, he tried out the men's B this week. It was 30 degrees in the early morning so he got a taste of december racing.

Enjoy!

Haha well I tried out the Men's B race and I pretty much got my ass handed to me. I started off pretty horrible in the back and then went down around one of the corners which isn't too great of an excuse considering Justin, Charles, and Michael caught up to me despite a pretty nice wipe out and flat among themselves. I can sure say those fifteen more minutes do make a difference. The course was relatively fast, but at several points was extremely bumpy, there were a ton of puddles/pot holes which were interesting, one damn root which I nailed and screwed up my front wheel, the run up was nice, and there was one basically forced puddle which got everything real nice and cold in addition to the less than desirable temperature to begin with. Although it sucks that I need to get a new wheel, the race was fun, and a definite learning experience.

Racing resumes this weekend in Walla Walla!

2009-10-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Parents Weekend!!

Awesome ride on friday with Eric, Saturday's ride had two huge groups, out past cottonwood and back on powerline, we spiced it up with one sign sprint and so good double pace lines as we came down from hood. Perfect day, headed over to merchants after the ride for a coffee and donut. Sugar is good

One more ride today and then back into cyclocross style....race in walla walla next weekend, below, straus prepares his pain face for the race during a training session at the stanger farm a few days back.

Alpenrose Cyclocross

2009-10-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend was sick! Great racing conditions. Check out images at photo gallery, plus video clips on multimedia page:

Men's D : Wardog - 5th

Men's C : B_Kearns - 2nd PLACE

Zac Strode '08 - 6th

Dave Radler '08 - 11th

Men's B : Ben : 1st

Women's B : Zephyr : 3RD!!!!

http://whitmancollegecycling.terapad.com/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.fnilfzpclnisrmrt

Thanks again to Barb and Bob Radler for the wonderful homestay, you two rock! and we'll see you in a month or so.

Next Up: Stanger Farm / Rooks Park - Oct.31/Nov.1

Portland GP Warmup Race - Nov.8

Alumni Weekend!

2009-10-02T18:13:00.001-07:00

Welcome all Alumni!

Our team ride today went out valley grove, massive tailwind on the way out! Bridget Humphrey '84 joined Zephyr, Molly, Philip and I for a solid ride. Be sure to check out our table at Reid Campus Center on Saturday from 1-2pm, you can check out sweet team gear for sale as well as jump on the teamsupporters listserve and get monthly / biweekly updates from the team throughout the year.

Team Rides (accomodate all rider abilities and bikes): Saturday 2pm-3pm

Sunday 10am - 11am

** Meet at Reid Campus Center**

If you need a bike - be sure to check out Allegro Cyclery - they have well priced bike retails,

the wheat fields are too good to miss this time of year!

Full info page here:

http://whitmancollegecycling.terapad.com/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.puvxzitykssbfebf&pageId=529756

Stanger Opens

2009-10-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

We took off to the farm today for cyclocross practice, the course has some new elements this year with a berm turn leading into the first river crossing with a super steep run out, a shorter lap in general and a MUD pit (but that will come later!)

Ben Hayes and John Whiting had some fun practicing on some real barriers. Allegro's Justin and Mike were out, as well as host Charles so it was awesome!

Can't wait for next week.

We're Back!

2009-09-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

We're Back! The team has been swarmed by new interest and with the help of all our returning riders, we have plenty of rides going out into the wheat fields.

Last week, the first week of school, each day featured something different, a different route and a different treat, on thursday we dropped by fast eddy's for a milkshake.

We all excited for cyclocross season to start up in the next few weeks. We also have our 2nd Annual Edison Elementary Bike safety rodeo coming up this weekend with the help of Kay Barga and her grade two class. September 27th will be the Gran Fondo Cancer ride followed by our first bike rodeo at Green Park elementary on Oct.3.

All those abroad, we are looking forward to you coming back, but remember that there may be some super quick freshman to contend with!

Ride on.

Ben

boy oh

2009-07-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hello, world!!!

You know, most of the time, when you ride, you learn something. Sometimes you eat it major in a crit, and you figure, maybe I won't pull that stunt again. Sometimes you don't eat during a cold as balls race, and bonk so hard you almost cry, and you learn to do the nom nom nom more during races. But sometimes, you just remember something that you forgot for a while. That's what happened to me today.

For me, it's been the summertime blues. I'm workin and workin to make that money so I can give it to Whitman. With all the working, and the racing, I'm pooped. Heck, I played bump at my workplace (the beach) with a group of 10-year-old kids, and my calves were sore for four days. FOUR!! And so the last couple weeks, I've been slumping on the bike. I'd look at my fire engine red maching, and I wouldn't want anything to do with it. No yearning to clean it's shiny gears, no itching to thrash it out on the roads, no stokage to race it. Noo!

So after a couple weeks of barely riding, I begin to look at the bike, and it starts to look attractive again. Am I wearing beer goggles? Is the 9 of a bike I'm looking at now really a 4 that I'm going to regret riding the morning after? Nope. It is only the bike that I really knew. The bike as it has been the last couple weeks has been a poisoned bike that needed nothing more than some rest to be cured.

And so today, I remembered the exhilarating flow into my legs. My riding company helped my memory. There was the Whitman Team founder:

And our own kendi thomas. You all know how she looks, but for our dear audience outside of Whitman...

And this one:

So we rode like the wind for a couple hours. After, I tried to figure what was so terrific about the ride, and I think the thing was, I had rose-colored glasses on, instead of beer-goggles.

I hope everyone's Rudy's are tinting the world well while they ride their bikes.

Nature Valley!

2009-06-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

By Kendi "OMG stage racing" Thomas

Based on the Omnium at Collegiate Nationals, I have the incredible opportunity to race for the Ryan Collegiate All-Stars Team at Nature Valley Grand Prix. The Ryan team is made up of 7 collegiate riders from all over the country and half the women who have ridden for the team have received pro contracts. It's cool. Really cool. We get the celeb treatment, for sure. For example, yesterday we went to a St. Paul Saints baseball game, decked out in gear, with our bikes and handed out trading cards (yeah I said TRADING CARDS) and Nature Valley bars. A few of us even got to ride around the field after first inning behind the Saints' mascot, the pig, on a 4-wheeler (I don't know either) and wave at the crowd. Then this morning Sinead Miller (Division I Criterium Champ and Marian College student) and I did a few radio interviews on the phone. Tomorrow we're even doing a television interview! Hopefully I will erase any goofy smiles that I may or may not have had in previous interviews. The great part is, though, that I get to wear my Whitman jersey with Ryan shorts. So I'll be representing the team!

So I'm in Minneapolis right now, sitting at our director's house, playing scrabble, cuddling with the first standard poodle I've ever met (it's not shaved or anything, don't worry) and hoping to GOD that I don't disappoint my soon-arriving family by being pulled from the race. I'm feeling good though. We prerode the TT course a few hours ago, which is the first stage of six. Then tomorrow night is the first crit in Uptown St. Paul. Should be exciting! I'll be twittering and blogging on my own blog, so be sure to cheer from afar!

Bounced checks

2009-06-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

So back home in New England, it's been a not too shabby first few weekends of racing.
First up was the Tour of Connecticut, a little stage race that looked to not be too hard, but then all of the New England elite squads showed up with full teams. Long story short, it went well, I ended up 17th and the road race was hard.
And I almost forgot to mention how much 5 hour training rides suck when they're in 49 degree steady rain instead of 75 degree sun.
And back to the racing... last weekend was the Auburn, ME weekend. All was looking good until none other than New England (and what's more, NEW HAMPSHIRE) homeboy Ted King, fresh off his first Grand Tour last week when he finished the Giro right in the middle of the field, decided to gate crash our little race.
Tactics were pretty straightforward: be in the break, so when Teddy bridges up you're already up in the break. I was in a few promising moves that didn't stick, but missed the move of the day. While covering stuff, I ended up at the front at the top of the main climb when Ted decided to start playing. Myself and one other guy managed to get onto his wheel before he clicked it into Real Legit Pro Gear (several clicks up from the dreaded Pro Gear that signifies that upshift the pros make that amateurs can't follow). And then the two of us held on for dear life as he just brought it up to 35... for a long time. And then 45+ on a little downhill. We brought the break from not in sight to about 50m back in maybe 4-5 minutes. So after this downhill there's one really short tough kicker, 30 seconds of pain, and Ted notifies us we'll need to give 'er up this kicker to get to the break. Both of us sort of swallow some vomit and get ready. Somehow we held his wheel up the kicker and around the chicane at the top. At this point, we've caught 2 guys (including Ted's brother, Robbie) just behind the break who were bridging up, and are probably 15 meters behind the break. Ted just keeps accelerating up to the group with Robbie and the rest of us can't go harder (on the flat). We got dropped (after the hill, on the flat) and watched the King brothers ride up the break and start rotating, we chased for a short while before blowing sky high. I ended up in the main field, took about an hour to recover and when moved up from last wheel I realized there were now 15+ guys up the road and just rode tempo at the front to get the race finished up with. Ted and Robbie rode away from the break and finished something like 3.5 minutes ahead of 3rd place. So that is my story of the Ted King Express and how I'd like to be able to ride it but it's actually too fast for me. It's like trying to play with the school star in gym class but he smashes you into the pain locker and locks you in there, so you're suffering in the locker room before the game even starts.
The next day in the crit I was in a 3 man break for about half the race, then was dropped from the break, then was off the front with a teammate from 7 to go (he got 3rd, I was 5th). So even though we salvaged the situation that was the second time in two days my enthusiasm wrote a check my legs couldn't cash. Lessons learned (?) and lots more good racing to be had this summer.

2009-05-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

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

Gravel...yummm!

2009-05-23T20:15:00.001-07:00

Wenatchee and finals

2009-05-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

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.

We came to play.

2009-05-15T01:34:00.001-07:00

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!)

Camel Hair Rocks

2009-05-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

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 6^th in the road race and cleaned up in the criterium with 3 prim sprints and the victory, taking her to 2^nd 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 9^th in the road race, with Colin and Nick sprinting in out for 15 and 17^th, getting three in the top 20! The guys did a ton of work to control the race in the criterium and I went 2^nd in the bunch sprint for 4^th. 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 3^rd and claimed the unofficial men’s D2 Omnium, with 3^rd place in the road race and 2^nd 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 - 3^rd

- Men’s Team Omnium Champions

- Criterium – 4^th – Ben Chaddock

Team Omnium – 3x National Champions