ND Race Report (part one!)

Just a quick update! I don't want to write too much... and I still want to hear back from some of the other guys to get a feel for how the races worked out for them... but I thought you'd like to hear how the race went!

How does 4th in the Women's crit sound? Or how about a strong top-10 finish in the women's C race? A group of Men's Ds that all finished strong (out of 70 riders, no less!)

How about first place in the Team Time Trial for the Men's Cs?

...Not bad for a race weekend, I'd say!

More to come.

Cycling's Next Big Star

Lightweight Wheels
Di2 Dura Ace
Aero Helmet
Custom Carbon Frame

Face it. His bike is better than yours. And he even has podium girls at the finish line.

Triathlon for Life

Thanks to everyone who helped out with triathlon yesterday! It was a success, despite not getting as many competitors as we had hoped for. Everyone seemed to have a good time and the event ran smoothly. I just wanted to share some of the pictures we took with everyone and hopefully next years will be even more successful!

This week's humorous video from Ryan

Remember, Mid-Race stretching is very important.



Good luck to the CWRU Racers on their non-collegiate (and totally unaffiliated with Case) race this weekend!

Spring TuneUp Fundraiser

We've reserved the Case Quad for TuneUps on March 30th and 31st. Our fundraising goal is $450 over the 2 days.
More to follow...

What Chilean MTB'ers do for fun...

Urban Downhill. All the excitement of mountain biking's favorite backwoods action sport! Now with the added danger of... dogs?
Just watch

VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

Racers post some serious results

Though I'm going to hold off on a full race report until we get the full rundown of the results (still waiting on the MWCCC), I'd like to let all of you know that our club's first race of the season was EXTREMELY successful.

Not only did all of our racers cross the finish line upright, unhurt, and only mostly waterlogged, more than half of the team finished in the top 50% of their division. Racers Matt Demarest (Men's D) and Audra Horomanski (Women's C) finished in 5th with Matt out-sprinting his pack and Audra rolling across the finish line after leading her group to the top of every climb. Eric Young (Men's D) took home 9th after helping pull along the group, and Kevin Steiner (Men's C) initiated and lead a serious break (no kidding, he jumped at 42 mph and then pulled the break along at something like 30 mph for nearly a mile) and took 13th. Ryan Pierce (Men's D) finished 23th, after just barely sprinting past the only remaining rider in his 10-man chase group, but was unable to reel in the remaining members of Matt and Eric's pack. Evan Maynard (Men's D), who was plagued with mechanical issues in the beginning of the race, finished strong, but was unable to connect with a chase group. New members Tyler Young and Eric Silverman (both Men's D) put in a serious effort and crossed the finish line feeling good to have raced, but certainly tired and undoubtedly cold.

As soon as I get the formal results from MWCCC (and maybe some quotes from our racers!) I'll write up an extended race report. Saturday was one hell of a race, and I know we're all glad to have participated!

Another reason we need a team car

More to come...

Just Watch This

I'm pretty sure someone turned down the gravity for this video because several times I found myself thinking "there is no way someone should be able to do that on a bike."

Collegiate race weekend checklist

Copied from my earlier email, but I thought it would be a useful addition to the blog as well.

Most of these things are obvious, but I thought it may help some people to have a physical list to crosscheck during packing/preparation. I hope everyone is surviving mid-terms and getting at least some sleep. At this point, being adequately rested may be the most useful thing you can do toward improving your performance this weekend.

1) Helmet. No helmet, no race.

2) Shoes. No shoes, no race.

3) Jersey and shorts. Time to sport those Case colors with pride.

4) Bike. Of course. Try not to make too many changes (ie - new wheels, seat post height changes, new cables) between now and the weekend. If you do tinker, be sure to get some outdoor miles in the next few days. You should not have your first experience with new equipment in a huge, fast, twitchy peloton.

5) License/authorization to ride or $ for 1 day license. No license/ATR/1-day, no race. Most promoters are sticklers for this, and they get very annoyed if they have to look up your information. Be responsible and make their job easier. Some people take a picture of their license with their phone/ipod/blackberry/etc and keep that as an additional back up.

6) $$ for entry fees. I believe it will be $13 per race. According to the honorable VP Ryan, we should try to get a receipt for later reimbursement.

7) Sunglasses and/or cycling cap. It's calling for rain so some may prefer a cap to glasses. I'm kicking myself for not buying a Case cap.

8) clothing for racing in cold and/or wet: arm warmers, tights, baselayers, vest, jacket, skull cap, ear warmers, knee warmers, leg warmers, shoe covers, wool socks, wool sweater (seriously...an old, worn wool sweater is warm even when wet and breathes well), rain cape or jacket. Whatever you have to wear, bring it!

9) gloves. Cycling gloves +/- warmer gloves.

10) Water bottles. These races are short enough that you should only need 1 on the bike, but you may want another one for post-race. Consider gatorade/HEED/Powerade/etc, but only if you have been using/training with it already. Try not to change eating/drinking habits on day of and during race.

11) "energy food" -- Gu, gel, cliff bar, honey stinger, fig newtons. Whatever you like (and have used before). You almost certainly will not eat during the races, but you will want to top up 15 minutes before and will want to refuel immediately afterward. If you do try to eat during the race, be extraordinarily careful while riding in the pack. Have the wrapper of a cliff bar or granola bar already torn to make it easier. Try to eat when the pace is easiest and when you are at or near the back of the pack so you aren't putting too many others at risk. Bear in mind that the back of the pack is one of the worst places to be, so there is added disincentive to eating during the race.

12) Change of clothes for before/after race. You may be waiting for awhile after (or before) your race (especially on Sunday for the women's crit). You probably will want to change out of your cycling apparel, assuming there are places to change.

13) Safety pins for your race number. Usually promoters provide these, but with so many racers possibly showing up, it's best to have a personal, backup supply with you. How many you need varies by individual preference. While you can get away with just 4 (1 per corner), you'll likely have a nice parachute effect. I consider 5 pins to be minimum with 7 or 8 being preferred.

14) $ for food for the weekend.

Bike Lights!

Not sure how I feel about this...

Tell Us About Your Bike Lights! from BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE on Vimeo.

Good video nonetheless. Remember to bring bike lights out on rides as the weather improves (especially since we're not lucky enough for a 9 PM sunset yet)

Pretty inspiring video

The Bicycle City. Trailer from Greg Sucharew on Vimeo.