Chainbiter 8.0 report

Blake and the L'Achouff Elf

This Saturday, the Rutgers University Cycling Team competed in Farmington, CT at the Chainbiter 8.0 cyclocross race. We spent the night in the area, hosted by Ted Chalker's generous relatives.

Rolling out before dawn, we arrived at the race venue with plenty of time to preride the course and fully appreciate the cruelty of the course designers. Honestly, they could have been much more evil ... there were very few off-camber turns, and most turns were designed to encourage momentum-retention. However, between the multitude of gratuitous hairpins, the plethora of large curbs, and the two rideable-but-only-just sandpits (one of which had a 90 degree turn in the middle!), there was nowhere to hide in this race.

Going into this race, we knew that we had to race intelligently. With Northeast Cyclocross having notoriously large and fast fields (about 110 starters in the B race, and at least 80 in the C's), and with another race as a target the next day, it was necessary to focus our energies on the Collegiate competition.

Our results, posted at bottom, were the result of gut-wrenching work and hard-earned skill. Avoiding crashes, pileups, yard-sales, and other synonyms, we each fought to earn as high a collegiate ranking as possible. Personally, I spent 3 laps trying to outpace a UNH rider, only to find out that he was on some other, non-collegiate team with a similarly-designed jersey.

The most notable performances of the day came from our freshmen, FarmerAndy and Kyle. In his 3rd ever bike race, Andy dealt with pedal problems (which have since been fixed) and throngs of screaming fans to produce a respectable finish in a tough field. Kyle, riding a 'cross bike for only the second time ever in his 1st ever bike race, rode incredibly well, putting out tons of power and riding the volleyball pit like it was pavement, until a mid-race burnout forced him to cruise in (no more giving blood the day before a race, okay?). Also worthy of mention are Ted, who finally got himself to stop smiling and start hurting, and Jay's van, which carried 7 bikes, 2 spare wheels, 4 racers, and an elf.

Kyle opens a gap and is too fast for this digital medium!

Overall, Rutgers took 1st in the D1 ECCC competition, despite having no female racers. This is a testament not only to the depth of our team, but also to the fitness and dedication of each of our racers.

Results:
Charlie Florek
-64th B, 4th B-collegiate
Don Yungher
-66th B, 5th B-collegiate
Jay Nossen
-77th B, 6th B-collegiate
Blake Bedoya
-35th C, 7th C-collegiate
Ted Chalker
-53rd C, 10th C-collegiate
Andy Glaser
-57th C, 11th C-collegiate
Kyle Carroll
-72nd C, 13th C-collegiate

The bikes, the Team, and the Mascot"

Overall: Rutgers takes 1st ECCC-D1, extends lead!

Craigmeur Photos

Cyclocross + Mud = Happy

At long last, photos from the Craigmeur race from Oct 28 have been posted online. I present to you: the muddiest race I've ever done!


Jay Charges up the Run-up
Don Rides the Soupy Switchback Descent
Don Loves Run-Ups, for some reason
Charlie can Corner
Chaz Looks Ahead to ECCC Dominance
A Little Post-Race Pose

photos by Britt Nemeth, www.brittnemeth.com

D is for Dope. D is for Don.

Craigmeur Race Report

in a word... MUD!


in a few more words:

charlie, jay, and i traveled to rockaway with no naive illusions of a crit-like race and dry chamoises (how the hell do you pluralize that?). it'd been raining for 24 hours, it rained on the way there, and it rained while we warmed up. there was a mild drizzle as we lined up.

all 3 of us started on the front line, with chaz starting brilliantly to get himself in 2nd wheel in a field of about 12. jay and i went back and forth for a lap, but it soon settled into a suffer-fest of riding tempo and barely moving forward. then, holy crap, the sun came out! at the finish, charlie got 2nd, i got 5th, and a fast-closing jay got 6th. charlie's prize was accelerade.

just as eskimo's have dozens of words for snow, we cyclocrossers could fill an entire dictionary with terms describing mud. this course had all of them... there was soupy mud on the switchbacks that looked scarier than it was, as the ruts disappeared as soon as you chose your line. there was gravely mud that was terrifically fast. there was slightly grassy mud that sucked the power out of your legs, there was incredibly grassy mud that made you feel like you were trackstanding, and somewhere on the course, there was a section of mud with every ratio of grass to mud in the spectrum. there was on-camber mud (which was fun, and surprising, as i'm used to evil off-camber), and there was mud so thick and peanut-buttery that your front tire movements made the amusing sounds of flatulence. there was mud so full of sand that, well, suffice it to say that if it put grooves in our rims and shaved the sidewall of charlie's tire, it can do some damage to the skin you land on when remounting. 'nuff said.



definitely a crazy race, and one i'd do again, in any conditions. that's one of the great things about 'cross... not many of us excel in mud, but we all love it!

ECCC CX #1 "Total Domination"

Jay has style (photo: Dennis Smith)


Before the Rutgers football team extended its undefeated streak on Sunday night, the Rutgers Cycling Team continued its dominating cyclocross campaign.

The collegiate cyclocross series kicked off this weekend in Bridgeton, NJ at a race sponsored by Team Beacon. After several weeks of preseason action, Rutgers was ready to rock. Rutgers had an enormous presence at the race, bringing seven racers down to put their stamp on the collegiate series in its opening weekend.

Don displays his technical prowess and new Scott Cross Comp bike (photo: mike@phattire.net)

Rutgers did not disappoint.

In the Men's C, Rutgers went 2nd, 3rd, and 5th in the collegiate category with Blake, Ted, and Andy representing big time.

Rutgers swept the men's B with Charlie 1st, Don 2nd, Mark 3rd, and Jay 4th.

With this incredible weekend, Rutgers take a commanding lead in the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Cyclocross Series.

Mark, RU Cyclocross DS, had this to say about the weekend, "We're over the moon. It's been a natural progression for a team that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past three years. We've won a number a state championships in 'cross and been on the podium in the Mid-Atlantic and New England series, so it's natural that we came prepared for the innaugural collegiate cyclocross series. Now we just have to keep our lead."

Mark does something weird (photo: Dennis Smith)


Racing action continues with ECCC races in Connecticut at Chainbiter 6.0 and Massachusetts at the 16th Annual Cycle-Smart International. Rutgers will again bring out a massive and gifted team to extend its lead.

ECCC Collegiate Cross Schedule
10/29 Beacon 'Cross - Bridgeton, NJ
11/4 Chainbiter 6.0 - Farmington, CT
11/5 Cycle-Smart Int'l- Northampton, MA
11/5 Nittany Lion Cross - Fogelsville, PA
11/11 CX Easterns @ UNH - Durham, NH
11/12 HPCX - Jamesburg, NJ
11/19 Evo - PA
11/25 Bay State Cross - Sterling, MA
12/9 Stedman's Cross - Kingston, RI
12/10 Caster's Cross - Warwick, RI
12/15-17 Cyclocross Nationals - Providence, RI

Photo Blog - Rutgers Superprestige 10-25

my class let out early tonight, so i got to go watch the wednesday night 'cross practice, camera in hand. some of the pictures i took tonight came out pretty well, so i decided to post them... want to fight about it?

mark at granogue... not technically from wednesday, sue me

scrumming is a bit more relaxed on wednesday

if ralf has to run, he does it in style!

farmer andy's crash causes chaos on the ralf-switchbacks

ted rolls through the scary narrow gate

mark likes to go hard

mark and mike in pro-ish matching kits... so hot right now

kyle did his first 'cross ride ever and couldn't stop smiling

MAC Opening Weekend

Don has his mail forwarded to the pain cave

This weekend marked the kick off of the Verge Mid-Atlantic Championship Cyclocross Series with races at the Granogue Estate in Delaware and a horse farm in Coshocken, PA.

Rutgers rolled deep on Saturday at Granogue with Ted, Jay, and Don in the Cs and Mark and Charlie in the Bs.

In C action, Don fought back from a terrible 6th row start position to finish 8th in a field of 70+. Jay finished not too far behind in 15th, and Ted rounded out the Rutgers crew in 54th.

In the Bs, 90 guys lined up for the toughest course on the Mid-Atlantic calendar. Charlie and Mark both had inspired rides on this grueling and technical course. Mark finished 23rd and Charlie right behind in 25th.

Charlie and Mark avoid first lap chaos and power away.

On Sunday, while the rest of the 'cross crew were taking a break, Jay went out to race the Wissahickon 'cross race in PA. Inspired by his solid result on Saturday in the Cs, Jay started with the Bs and had a great race to finish 49th.


Next weekend, the Rutgers crew is doubling up with a NJ Cup race at the Craigmeur Ski Resort in Rockaway, NJ on Saturday and the Collegiate CX series opener on Sunday in Bridgeton, NJ. Look for solid rides both days as the RU crew only seems to get stronger!

NJ Cross Cup #1

FarmerAndy shows how it's done.

The Rutgers 'cross crew headed up to Mahwah, NJ to let their presence be known in the first round of the NJ 'Cross Cup Series.

In the C race, Blake and Ted toed the line. Ted met with some bad luck and flatted early on, but Blake hung tough on the very difficult course to finish 11th.

Our lone junior, Andy (affectionately known as FarmerAndy), raced the 15-18 race. Not only was this his first cyclocross race (and 2nd time on a cross bike), but it was his first bike race ever! Andy rode a brilliant race and displayed some great technical prowess to finish 4th.

In the Bs, Rutgers represented big with Charlie, Jay, and Mark lining up front row to battle for the hole shot. Charlie avoided a first lap crash that split the field and scooted off with the front group to hang on for 4th in a tough field. Mark rode a steady race and finished 8th in a vaguely dramatic sprint finish. Jay had another great ride to finish 15th. Jay continues to just simply get faster.

Next weekend, the crew is in action in Wilmington, DE for the MAC series opener at Granogue. Last year, weather played a key factor with mud making difficult sections even harder. Don finished 2nd in the Cs and is looking for the win this year. Charlie had a great race and is looking to improve on his 12th from last year.

Guide to Cyclocross Technique

Episode 1: How to Take the Barriers



1) grab a lot of brake. mostly the rear one, as you don't want to flip forwards. it's best to lock up the rear wheel, as this will let the treads really bite in to the turf.

2) unclip your left foot. then clip it back in.

3) unclip your right foot, then swing it over the seat in as wide an arc as possible. this stretch will keep you loose as you acrobatically clear the barriers.

4) swerve a little. this will let your competitors be more aware of your position. they'll appreciate the knowledge, and you'll have that much more room in which to maneuver.

5) grab some more brake. you can never grab enough brake in a 'cross race.

6) keep both hands on the hoods. otherwise, you might not be able to brake enough (see #5)

7) slam the front wheel into the barrier. this will pop the rear wheel up, allowing you to...

8) grab something on the rear half of the bicycle, such as: the toptube, seatpost, saddle, seatstay, seat tube, or rear wheel (spokes or rim). this will help you lift the bike over the barrier. if you did #7 correctly, the rear end of the bike will already be at shoulder level.

9) failing #8 (don't worry, not even the pros get this right every time), pause in between the barriers. you've got 4 meters (sometimes more, cough cough AUGUSTA) of real estate in which to reset yourself before the next barrier. take your time... you paid your entry fee, this course is as much yours as anyone else's.

10) step, hop, or prance over the barriers. style points are awarded, which will then be subtracted from your time at the end of the race. remember to smile for the photographers.

11) place your left foot back on the left pedal. more advanced riders may try to clip in while rolling by propelling themselves with their right feet, but feel free to clip in while stationary if that's more comfortable.

12) swing your right leg over the saddle. again, swing it in as wide an arc as possible, to limber up the legs before you have to start pedaling again.

13) sit back down on the saddle. take care to protect your giblets.

14) pedal.

Tour de Rutgers

Chris hanging out post-Tour

On Sunday, Rutgers Cycling participated in the Tour de Rutgers. This 13 mile tour winds its way through the five campuses of Rutgers University at a social pace to provide a fun day for all.


The ride stops to regroup while Mark shows off.

Rutgers Cycling was joined by cycling enthusiasts throughout the Rutgers community and by extra special guests the Colavita U19 team. Having missed out on a ride with RU because of rain when they last visited, the Colavita gang came out again for a fun day of riding on a sunny Sunday morning.



The TdR was a great success! It was wonderful for the team to connect with alumni and cycling enthusiasts from around the community. We are especially grateful to the Colavita riders and their parents who joined us to tour the campus on wheels!
Post-ride the Rutgers/Colavita crew discuss plans for a training ride.

Superprestige #2

Not from last night's practice session

Tonight we had a big crew out for cross practice... 20something or so.

Sadly, only Jay and I were came out to compete for the hallowed RU Superprestige Leader's Jersey.

Round one and I hammered off the front to get the hole shot and ride cleanly through the tricky dicky S turn. Ralf and Eric Schlauch came around me and did their go fast thing while Craig and I took turns at messing with each other. I felt terrible, and I simply couldn't shake Craig. Finally, on the last lap, I put in a mega-attack on the back side of the course and got a gap. Craig fought back and got on my wheel going into the barriers. I hit the barriers as fast as I could with no brakes, rode cleanly through the off-cambah and Craig was gone. I rolled in 3rd... 1st in the points (7). Jay rolled in shortly behind for 2nd (5).

Round 2 came, and I was not feeling it. I took the start slow and got on Eric's wheel. We hit the grass and Ralf turned on the gas. We passed Rich Bauch (Colavita) who go the hole shot, and we motored through the S turn, off camber, and U turn. Coming into the flat before the barriers, Eric turned on the afterburners, and I dug deep with everything I had to stay on his wheel with Ralf on mine. I hung out by the skin of my teeth with Ralf and Eric for another lap until Ralf crashed on the off-camber, and Eric drilled it on the pavement. I sat up and rolled around as hard as I could while seeing stars. Eventually, a Liberty guy caught and passed me for 3rd, and I let him go. He wasn't dismounting, so he was faster that me. I hung on for fourth... 1st in the points (8). Jay came in 2nd (6).

Soo... I hold onto the leader's jersey for another week.

Current points standings:

Mark 26
Jay 17
Don 7
Charlie 5

I go into a rest week with a pretty decent lead. Look for someone to take the jersey from me next week. My money is on Jay.

Saturday is Cookie Puss 'Cross on Livingston. 10 AM. If it's raining, it's cancelled. Winner gets some sweet ice cream cake (so does everyone else). Mark doesn't get ice cream cake.

-Mark

Whitmore Supercross Day 2

Despite a little early panic Saturday night, the Long Island race went pretty okay.

HermesCraig, HermesMike, and I headed to Southampton, NY for the 2nd day of the the Whitemore Supercross cyclocross race. With a two UCI races and big money, it was a treat to watch some of the finest cyclocross racers in North America throwdown.

Me? I raced the Killer Bs.

Mark making contact with 5th place rider Frank Zgoda

I got a good start (except for being chopped going into a corner by HermesCraig) and suddenly found myself 4th for a while. A few more laps in and I got passed and passed again. I buried myself to get up to the guy in 5th. With 2 to go, a Strictly Bicycles rider who I'd caught up to and passed caught on and wanted to work together. Unfortunately, I was so gassed, that when he came around he also dropped me.

So, I was content to settle for 6th, but I was terrified to get caught by the guys in 7th and 8th for whom people were cheering, so it sounded like they were close. They weren't. I had over a minute gap on them. I kept the gas on as much as I could and rolled in solo for 6th.

This was my first cross race since August, so I was pretty pleased with the result, despite finishing one spot out of the money. I've raced this race every year and have gone, now, 6th, 7th, and 8th. Every year the results keep improving!

This weekend is a break from racing, then the season starts in earnest with the Westwood Velo 'Cross race in Mahwah, NJ. I'm hopeful that my form continues to improve, and I can turn in another good result.

Congratulations to HermesRalf who finished 3rd in the Masters on the first day of the race. Ralf looks great in red and black!

Hillbilly Hustlin'

Saturday morning, Jay and I braved the moderate conditions and mid-day start time to take on the Hillbillies. The race, appropriately enough, took place in Gloucester county.

The course was on fast material but had more corners than one of those crazy dice from Dungeons and Dragons (which no, I've never played). Honestly, if Craig had designed the HP race that way, each lap would be 8 miles long. The B field was about 20 strong, and the start was fast but surprisingly safe.

At the first corner, I was in about 10th wheel, and the field was already lined out. Gaps were opening, but there wasn't much room for a poor handler like myself to pass. It wasn't until we hit the first mulch pit (a dismount-worthy obstacle for the first 2 laps), then the first barrier (who puts a barrier just before a corner?), and finally the pair of barriers (who puts barriers just after a 180-degree corner?) that I was able to do my usual run-fast thing and move up.

I only crashed once... the dude I was following was fooled by the weirdly-designed optical-illusion corner-that-wasn't, and found himself at a dead stop, perpendicular to the direction of the course. I tried to correct, only to find myself ninja-rolling... fortunately, there was no bum-bruising today. This was where Rob, from UPenn, passed me.

I spent 3 of the 6 laps chasing Rob down, finally catching him with 1 to go. Unfortunately, there was a hard-charging single speeder coming up behind me, and I could only hold him off for a little bit before he was on my wheel. I let him past, hoping to sit in, but he cornered too well, and after one particularly loose hairpin I couldn't pull him back. I was almost able to claw back to a fading rider, but I ran out of real estate, finishing 6th.

Jay, in his first-ever B race, fought valiantly to move up through the field. However, he was plagued by a series of dropped chains. The last of these came with about 600m to go, allowing 3 riders to pass him. Jay finished 13th, but certainly had the strength, handling, and fitness to have earned a higher placing.

If there's one thing I've learned at Rutgers, it's that you have to make your own rules about points. In the spirit of Mark's Rutgers Superprestige and everyone's favorite Rutgers World Championship competition, Jay and I tracked down Rob from UPenn to take a "Collegiate Podium" photo, because "sixth" doesn't sound as cool as "first".


Collegiate Podium (l to r): UPenn Rob 2nd, Don 1st, Jay 3rd

Rutgers Cycling Superprestige #1

Wednesday night marked the kick-off of the newest Rutgers Cycling jersey competition: the Rutgers Cycling Cyclocross Superprestige Series.

This points series is contested over the course of the season during the Wednesday night 'cross workouts.

We started the first round off with a bang.

The usual RU 'cross crew of Jay, Charlie, and I came out with special guests Don and Blake both free from class. With five on the line and points only going three deep, sparks were gonna fly.

For the first interval RU Cycling advisor Andy set a blistering pace at the start to get the hole shot. The rest of the group eventually came together and rode steady until the dreaded off-camber section by the volleyball court. I came into it right behind HermesCraig to find Charlie and HermesRalf sprawled on top of each other... crash-o-rama.

I took this as an opportunity to attack.

I set a hard tempo and killed it going into the barriers. Once I hit the road, I decided to let Charlie latch on and do some pace making. We rode together for half a lap until I popped off the back. No warm up will do that to you sometimes.

Okay, I'll settle for 2nd to Charlie.

Going into the barriers, I notice a very stealthy Don has latched onto my wheel. Like a ninja, he came around me at the barriers and that was the last I saw of him. Don not only dropped me, but caught and dropped Charlie and then held off HermesRalf for almost the entire interval!!!

For the points, Don rolled in for first (7), Chaz for 2nd (5), Mark for 3rd (3).

Round 2 came around and Charlie made the unfortunate discovery that one of his spokes had ceased to be affixed to his rim. He decided to pack in it rather than risk taco'ing his wheel. Blake headed off to class.

Then there were three...

The "whistle" blows, and I go out hard to get the hole shot. I lead all the way past the volley ball court and into the back section before Ralf comes around me. I look back and there's a pretty good gap between Don and I. I hammer on the flat leading into the barriers and who is on my wheel? NinjaDon. Don attacks, I counter to lead into the barriers. I panic a little when my foot re-clips into the left pedal and I hesitate over the barriers. Don is on his bike and leads into the off-camber telephone pole section.

Then, well, Don fell on his head. Okay, actually, he fell on his butt. Hard.

I checked to make sure NinjaDon was okay and then drilled it.

I spent the rest of the interval futily trying to close the gap between Ralf and I while looking over my shoulder to make sure NinjaDon wasn't on my wheel and Jay was far enough back.

I rolled in for 2nd behind Ralf, first in the points (8). Jay took 2nd in the points (6). Don DNF (0). Am I missing any RU guys here? Lemme know.

For round one of the RU Superprestige, the points standings are as follows:
Mark 11
Don 7
Jay 6
Charlie 5

This week, I got the leader's jersey. I'm going to sleep in it. I might have my bike painted to match it. It's hott.

The Superprestige series continues next Wednesday with a 5:30 start time. Can I hang onto the leader's jersey? Well, Don won't be there, so maybe.

-Mark

Bleed From Your Eyes ride, Sep 26

Will and Chris climbing Mt Horeb Rd

Perhaps it was the weather getting a little colder, or perhaps it was the fact that classes are in full swing. Either way, turnout for today's ride was less than it has been.

Nevertheless, Chris, Will C, and I decided to kick it old school... and by kick it old school, I mean ride really really hard.

A few weeks ago, I bragged to Charlie that I'd just set a personal record on the Mt. Washington climb, beating my old time by a full 30 seconds. Today I rode the climb even faster... 38 seconds faster! But I still finished well behind Will and Chris!!!


Raritan Valley, from the top of Washington Rd

We were all pretty hurt at this point, so we rolled slowly over to Mt. Horeb rd, where I darted ahead to position myself for some photographing.


Chris and Will climbing Mt. Horeb Rd

Once past the climb, we agreed that running an individual time trial (for lack of enough riders to do a TTT) would be a waste of time, and boring. So we did a 3-man TTT all the way to the end of the road, with nice short pulls to keep the speed high. Will's aerobars didn't exactly hurt, either.

The final climb was Morning Glory rd. The tactics here were simplified by the small number of riders, but the (relatively) gentle grade of the road kept the speed high. I sat at the front, keeping the pace high in the hopes that nobody would have the legs to attack. Will's efforts on the first climb proved to be his undoing on this last climb, and soon only Chris was on my wheel. He came around with about 700m to go, but was unable to drop me. Still, the pace was now up around 25 mph, and we were still climbing. I tried to sprint around him, but the wind was brutal. I ducked back into the draft, then surged again with 100m to go, finally cracking Chris.

Usually, I pedal down the descent to get my speed way up, but today I sat up and coasted the whole way, gasping for air. Yowza.


Rolling Home on River Rd

With a 3rd and a 1st for me, a 1st and 3rd for Will, and two 2nds for Chris, we each got 8 points. Furthermore, Will's joke-cracking while he tortured Chris and me on the first climb earned him a -12 point penalty; however, Will squared his score, then called "no backsies!" in anticipation of my rebuttal. Also, for tearing up the first climb (seriously, that was the fastest I've seen anyone climb that thing), Chris and Will both get 2 bonus points.

Thus, the score is now:
Will C. ....38
Don........37
Chris......33
Charlie....17
Steve......10
Kyle........8
Ted.........5

Will is in the Rutgers World Champion jersey, and looks resplendent in rainbow.

World Champion... Will C ... coincidence?

Colavita U19 Team Visits Rutgers

Saturday morning the Colavita U19 Team visited with the Rutgers University Cycling Team to check out Rutgers and learn about collegiate cycling. Rain cancelled plans for a group ride, but the prospective students and racers were treated to a meet and great in the student center with bagels and great campus tour led by Blake. Over 25 prospective students and parents came for the campus visit making it a successful and fun recruiting effort!

Blake talks to the Colavita riders about dorm life.


Don and Blake answers questions in a small group.

The meeting.

Bleed From Your Eyes Ride, Sep 21

Early Thursday morning, Chris, Kyle, Steve, and I met to continue the quest for Rutgers World Championship points. After a lap around Busch and Livingston campuses to warm up, we held the first Rutgers WC Individual Time Trial in Johnson Park.

Even as Fabian Cancellara won the other World Championship over in Austria, our grassroots competition was held Eddy Merckx style, mostly because the only team members who own aerobars had early classes. The wind gusting downriver (upriver? i don't even know which way that thing flows), which may have seemed harsh to freshmen Kyle and Steve, was appreciably gently compared to the gales experienced by competitors at the Rutgers Race last spring. With the sun shining, the picturesque stage was set for eye-bleed-inducing competition.

As the only cyclocrosser in attendance, I volunteered to hold for the other 3 riders at the start of the out-and-back course. Naturally, we received more than a few confused stares from passing motorists.


Practicing the 'Cross Starts - photo by Steve
Steve set an early best time, after protesting that he's not a time trialist. Chris charged home next, narrowly besting Steve's time. Kyle, who had never TT'ed before, made a series of bottle-related blunders that cost him an inordinate amount of time. He finished in a time that failed to do justice to his strength on the bike. Having started conservatively on the tailwind leg, I turned around and charged into the headwind fast enough to finish in between Chris' and Steve's respective times (mostly due to my super-sexy skinsuit).

Score:
Chris....7
Don......6
Steve....5
Kyle.....4

After another lap around the Piscataway campuses, the time had come to race the second ITT. Avoiding the complications of unnecessary mid-ride hydration, Kyle bettered his first ride by a significant margin, resulting in a time just behind that of Steve, who produced consistent, impressive results. Chris got a great start, and looked to be flying on the home stretch. However, digging deep, I just managed to beat his time - again, I attribute much of my speed to the skinsuit, the arms of which encouraged me to "Ride Hard, Ride Fast" (we miss you, Alicia and Alessandro! I know you read this blog!)


Resting after the first ITT - photo by Steve
Score:
Chris....13
Don......13
Steve....10
Kyle......8

So, Chris and I tied for points. However, accounting for equipment, time differentials, and the Badass Index, Chris clearly emerged the winner.


Chris, Rutgers ITT World Champion - photo by Kyle
Just to complete the masochistic self-flogging, Chris, Kyle, and I rode a 3-man TTT into the headwind, over the entirety of the park. Despite the efforts of a gaggle of geese (I've always wanted an excuse to use that phrase!) to interfere with our ride, we rode a strong, smooth paceline to once again flaunt the speed limit and scorch the course.

In a post-race press conference, Chris issued a challenge to Cancellara, to determine the true World Champion. Rutgers University Cycling has not yet received a response from Cancellara or the UCI.

This leaves the overall Rutgers WC standings in a state of turmoil:
Don........29
Chris......23
Charlie....17
Steve......10
Kyle........8
Ted.........5
Will C. ....-4

You may be wondering what happened to Will C's points. The power of Don, Ride Organizer, is great and mysterious.

With Charlie's Rutgers World Champion jersey being kept warm for the week, the competition will continue next Tuesday, with a Hill Sprint / Team Time Trial extravaganza that promises to throw the leaderboard into the depths of anarchy and cause various eyes to bleed.

Wednesday Night 'Cross Practice

Once again Rutgers Cycling is hosting the Central NJ CX practices on Livingston campus.

We're two weeks into the practices, and things are looking good. Wednesday night, Jay, Charlie and I from RU and Craig, Ralf, Harold, and Chris from the Hermes all came out for two sets of eye-bleeding efforts.

Over the course of the past three years, these practices have gone from a "go your own pace" training ride to an all-out training race. The crew that is coming out regularly is so even that in addition to get in efforts, we're working on race tactics and riding in a group. It's phenomenal.

On the Rutgers front, Charlie and Jay are looking good. Jay is perhaps in the best shape of his life and putting out some excellent efforts on the course. Charlie's fitness increases week to week, and he'll be ready to throw down by the time the Mid-Atlantic series begins on October 21st at Granogue. I'm continuing to see some steady improvement, and I'm hoping for a good season.

In due time the rest of the RU cross crew will make its way out to practice. Don is stuck in class, Blake is building his bike, Ted is building his bike, and some of the new folks are still trying to find Livingston...

The team has a wealth of races to choose from this season. With the new NJ Cyclo-Cross Cup Series, Rutgers will be looking to dominate on home turf. With three podiums in the NJ cross championships in the past two years, Rutgers is poised to continue its local success in this series.

RU will also continue to compete in the Verge Mid-Atlantic Series which featured incredible performances by the team throughout the season, including Don taking 2nd overall in the C category.

Additionally, Rutgers riders will be again travelling throughout the northeast to compete in the Verge New England series and non-series races in Long Island.

Finally, the big goal again for the season is Cyclo-Cross Nationals with Rutgers in the hunt for a spot on the collegiate omnium podium.

Bleed-from-your-Eyes Ride Report

Sweet sassy goodness. That was quite a ride.

The opening salvo of this year's Rutgers World Championship competition was fired this morning, and boy oh boy was it loud. Charlie, Will C, Ted, Chris R, and I met at Brower, rolling out slowly in anticipation of some hurting.

The details of the competition were, briefly, that there were 4 sprints, 3 of which were at the top of climbs. Points were awarded as 5 for 1st, 4 for 2nd, etc. We went around my favorite hill course (see map). We were laughing, cracking jokes, in some cases singing, all the way down to Bound Brook.



At the first climb, up Washington Road, everyone shut up. A hung-over Chaz moved to the front and set a hard pace. As far as I can tell, he never attacked, he just shed riders off his wheel like candy bar wrappers (don't worry, we didn't litter). Will held on the longest, finishing second ahead of a 3-up sprint for 3rd.

Sprint #1: Washington Rd... Charlie 5, Will 4, Don 3, Chris 2, Ted 1



We cruised over to Mt. Horeb road, at a "recovery pace". Maybe I was hallucinating, but I thought I saw a 4 year old on a big-wheel pass us, shouting "on your left!" in his little high-pitched voice. On the false-flat at the bottom of the climb, everyone was still looking at each other, and this conservative riding continued until halfway up the steep part. Impatient as ever, I put in an attack, only to have Charlie come around me like I was standing still. With Will surging hard at the end, I managed to hang on for second, even though I was distracted by the pretty stars fluttering in front of my eyes.

Sprint #2: Mt. Horeb Rd.... Charlie 10, Will 7, Don 7, Chris 4, Ted 2

After a short descent, the most tactically interesting part of the day began. The mostly-flat 5k of Mt. Horeb Rd gave us the perfect terrain on which to duke out a flat sprint. However, we were all in pain at this point, and all we could do was hold a paceline. Then Ted cramped, having missed his morning donut fueling regimen, and Charlie flatted. They waved us on, and Will put in a vicious attack, which I just barely managed to cover. I countered, but he latched on, then moved to the front to keep a gap between us and a resurgent Chris. I put in one last attack, but it was of no use, and Will held on to my wheel through the end of the sprint. (note: for safety's sake, this sprint was neutralized, such that Will and I both received points for 1st place, Chris got 3rd place, and Chaz and Ted both got 4th).

Sprint #3: Mt. Horeb Rd, flats... Charlie 12, Will 12, Don 12, Chris 7, Ted 4

Now things were interesting. With a 3-way tie for 1st (certainly, though, due to Charlie's flat tire) and a big-ring climb ahead of us, something epic was sure to transpire on Morning Glory rd. Chris moved to the front and set a withering pace, with Charlie, Will, and myself all fighting for his wheel. Towards the top, Charlie accelerated sharply, and only Will could follow... but neither of them had either done this climb before!!! They were fooled by a false flat towards the top into believing they'd finished. In all fairness, I shouted at them to keep riding, and even waved them on, but it was to no avail. Chris pulled me up to Will's wheel, after which I attacked them, almost (but not quite) catching Charlie before the summit.

Sprint #4: Morning Glory Rd... Charlie 17, Don 16, Will 14, Chris 10, Ted 5

It could be argued that Will should've been awarded 2nd for that sprint... however, I've decided to be completely selfish and rule this ride with an iron fist. So, at the end of the day, Charlie will be wearing the Rutgers WC jersey, at least until next week.

We were all looking forward to an easy ride back to campus, but then Will had the brilliant idea that we team-time-trial back. We did. It hurt. I think I died a little inside. Thanks, Will.

Once in Johnson Park, Charlie's cruel streak was exposed. He proposed one final sprint, from the Rt 18 underpass to the "stinky sewage pipe". I don't even know what happened, my peripheral vision was going. I think I found myself in first wheel, attacked desperately, then dropped back, as Will sprinted up on the right to take the sprint.

In conclusion, there's probably something wrong with us. We were all hurting, and bad... yet we were laughing, singing, and generally enjoying ourselves for way too much of the ride. As we rode through Busch campus, Will, Chris, and I had stupid grins on our faces and were talking about how much fun that was. We should be put away in rubber rooms.

Next week, the Rutgers WC competition (aka Bleed-from-your-Eyes Rides) will continue, with a Thursday morning ITT through Johnson Park. Anyone, with any bike, is welcome.

thursday morning ride report

there is nothing to get your day started like a group ride. a little bit of socialization, a little bit of intesity... okay, a lot of intensity. it's better than coffee.

jay, mike, will p, chris, and i met up this morning to ride 1st bridge. i'm not going to pull punches... relatively speaking, this was a pretty strong group. jay and mike can mix it up with the best on single-track, chris is capable of some "monster pulls", as will put it, and somebody needs to explain to will that "out of shape" doesn't exactly describe his fitness level.

so we start rolling down river road, then cut through bound brook, and it becomes pretty clear: while the power we're putting out as a group is plenty good, the skill level leaves something to be desired. little things, like going from 2nd wheel to first smoothly, pulling smoothly, dropping off smoothly, not braking EVER, things like that. generally, smoothness.

so, by the time we got to elizabeth road, the plan had evolved. instead of doing a group ride at moderate pace, we picked the pace up a bit so that pulls would be no more than 30 seconds long, forcing us to practice the smooth.

the improvement was immediate. we've still got a lot of work to do and a lot of experience to gain, but there is no doubt that the group was more cohesive, more productive, and way less scary by the time we got to the sprint on van cleef. technically, i guess i won, but that's only 'cause i caught the other guys looking at each other when i attacked early. chris almost bridged up to me in one decisive move, showing yet again that he is going to be a powerhouse over the coming year.
we continued to cruise through franklin, getting to the "Greg Lemond Hill Sprint", so named for reasons that i've never understood. it was mike's turn to pimp-slap us; he looked at me and said "when can we start sprinting?" (there had been some confusion at the first sprint). i replied "well, now, but we've got like a mile left, and i'll just jump on your wheel".

he sprinted. i could not get his wheel. dude is fast.

alas, the length of the effort got to him, allowing the chris and will train to catch him. chris took the KOM points (do you get it yet? chris is strong!)

residents of franklin, jay and mike left chris, will, and myself to softpedal home. when will turned towards college avenue, chris and i decided that the burning in our legs wasn't quite painful enough. we did a nice little team-time trial from landing lane to old town. personally, i kept hoping that we'd get pulled over for speeding... perhaps someday.

Victory at Iron Hill!

Rutgers Cycling brings home another Mid-Atlantic Super Series victory.

Charlie brings us this race report:

"Jay, Mike, and I headed out to Iron Hill near Newark, DE for a great
race on Sunday. The course was alot of fun with some rocks, alot of
loose stuff in the tight turns, and some fast decents and even a jump
or two. The course was well marked and in great shape, making for a
very enjoyable race. A prologue lap + 3 was the menue for the day.

The prologue and first lap was a great time to get your lungs FULL of
dust from the loose stuff and we had a good time finding some of the
surprises lurking around the sharp bends. Things opened up for the
second lap and I started turning it up (I was in fifth or so, playing
my usual start slow and wind it up strategy). I started feeling
really good as I started pulling riders back behind my wheels. Jay
had put in a big effort at this point and by the end of that lap he
had gone too far into the red and had to retire. Meanwhile,
Mike 'hopped-up-on-redbull' Phelan was crashing hard from the peak-y energy drink effects. Oh yeah, and he forgot to drink water due to his X-treme buzz. As a result, he had to pull over and try to catch up on hydration, but he definitely got back into it...

In the last lap, I had passed everyone (though I thought there were
still a rider or two ahead of me). I kept pushing and put 3:00 on
the field, obtaining the best overall time for sport class. Mike got
his act back together and finished a very strong 7th in Sport Single
Speed, now wanting to work on his descents where he lost some time.

All in all, I think we each learned something about our riding, and I
am amazed at our body's adaptability, being that I just started
getting back on the bike 3 weeks ago.

Charlie"

Congratulations to Charlie, Jay, and Mike! The results just keep on coming.

We Like to Go Hard

This is my favorite part of the year. Everyone starts rolling back into town, and you get to see who has done his or her homework over the summer. I'm pleased to say that a lot of the Rutgers crew have done their homework.

I wanted to do a "hard" group ride today. Sometimes that can be hit or miss. Today it was a hit. The boys must have watched a motivational video because we were rolling pretty fast.

Dave is going good, real good. He's rapidly developing into a great rider. He's got the 'cross bug too, so he'll continue to get in some great training throughout the fall and winter.

Don is well-rested from his time off the bike, and looking fast. Wow!

Alessandro (once again) put in some monster pulls. He'll be missed when he and Alicia leave for Texas at the end of the month.

Will C. is the new guy on the block. He comes to us from hilly Ithaca, where I also went to school. Once we get him a uniform, he'll be looking spiffy.

If this is a preview of the 2006-07 RU team, it's going to be a good year.

Quick Little Story

I did a solo training ride the other day, just hill repeats to failure (and fail I did!). On the way there, rolling through Bound Brook completely decked out in the Rutgers University kit, I passed by a middle aged couple sitting on the stoop of a townhouse. Suddenly the lady shouted at me, "hey, Rutgers! you want water?!?"

"No, thanks! Got plenty!" I shouted back, then continued on my merry way.

45 minutes (and 6 miles) later, I was limping back home. As I passed by the middle aged couple again, the lady shouted, "hey, Rutgers! you want a burger?!?". And man, I could smell 'em being BBQed... temptation!

"No, thanks! Gotta get home!" I shouted back, possibly making a bad decision (who doesn't like free burgers?)

It's cool being called "Rutgers"... I am a fan of our kits.

'Cross Under the Lights

Friday night marked the, rather early, kick-off to the Rutgers Cycling cyclocross season at the Sussex County Fairgrounds. As part of the NJ State Fair, this race attracted many spectators and drew a large and competitive field from around the Northeast.

After braving Friday night traffic heading north, the Rutgers crew arrived with just enough time to get on the course before the opening race, an individual time trial on the course. The course was short (approx. 2 min laps) and technically challenging with berms, a tight, banked corner, two set of barriers, and "Denali" a short, steep peak in the middle of the lap that claimed many a rider.

The women's race kicked off the mass start racing for the evening, and Brandi jumped feet first into her first cyclocross race. The women's field was stacked with elite riders, many of whom have appeared previously on the podium in their age group at cyclocross nationals. Brandi, however, put in a brilliant ride, riding in 6th until a crash took her back to 9th place. This is Brandi's best racing result in her quite short career, and she shows much promise for the cyclocross season when it begins in earnest in October.

In the sub-elite race, Rutgers fielded an impressive team: Ted, Jay, Mark, Don, and Alessandro. A crash in the banked turn at the start took out both Mark and Jay, but they fought back to get in contact with the main bunch. With 3 laps to go, it looked like a Wednesday night 'cross session, with Alessandro, Mark, and Craig from the Hermes riding together as a group. With two to go, Alessandro got a gap on Denali that Mark could not close. Alessandro rolled in as the highest placed RU rider with Mark and Craig finishing shortly behind him. Results, unfortunately, have been unavailable, but our best guesses put Alessandro and Mark in the 20s in a field of over 50 riders.

Thus ends the exposition cyclocross action for RU. The Mid-Atlantic and NJ State Cup cyclocross races kick off in October. Look for Rutgers to be a force throughout the season. Rutgers will also be fielding races for the 24 Hours of Allamuchy in September and the collegiate mountain bike series beginning in September.

Next weekend, some of our mountain bike crew heads to Delaware for the Mid-Atlantic Super Series race at Iron Hill. Look for more exciting race reports.

Rutgers Cycling Season Kick-off!

The RU Cycling season kicks off this Friday, August 11th, at 'Cross Under the Lights, part of the NJ State Fair at the Sussex County Fairgrounds.

With one cyclocross workout behind them in preparation, the RU crew is looking pretty good. In years past, the Fairgrounds has been kind to RU with 3 state championship podiums on this course and multiple wins during the November cyclocross series held there. The Rutgers 'cross crew is primed to continue its success at the Fairgrounds.

Representing Rutgers: Don, Alessandro, Jay, Mark, Brandi, and Ted.

This race will be Don's first after months spent off the bike due to surgery. If last night's practice is any indication, Don's form is on track, and he will smoke everyone in any run. Don wants this. He wants it real bad.

Alessandro will be leaving Rutgers Cycling (and NJ) at the end of August, so this will be his farewell to NJ cycling. In 2004, Alessandro was 3rd in the state 'cross championships at the Fairgrounds. Perhaps his farewell ride will net him the win...

Jay has spent his summer doing two things: painting and riding his mountain bike. This 30 minute race will be but a blip on Jay's radar as he is preparing for the 24 hours of Allamuchy in September. Look for Jay to get the hole shot and clear the barriers in a single bound.

Mark, the resident cyclocross fanatic, comes into this race after a summer spent racing on the road. His fitness is certainly there, and he's hungry for some results in cyclocross. In 2004, Mark also reached the podium in the state 'cross championships at the Fairgrounds and finished 10th against a deeper field in 2005. Look for a mean face and flying mutton chops.

Brandi is a newcomer to cyclocross. In fact, Tuesday night's practice was the first time she had gone over barriers! She has, however, shown immense promise and growth over the course of the 2005-06 season. Brandi is a fierce competitor with a steady-state engine to match. She may very well be the women's cyclocross revelation of the season.

Ted is threatening to race 'Cross Under the Lights on his single speed 'cross bike. Ted is also fairly new to cyclocross having only raced at Highland Park 'Cross last year. Ted, however, is an impressively strong rider who continues to only get stronger. Ted will surely put in an impressive ride with only one gear.

And there you have it! Friday night promises to be a great night for Rutgers Cycling!

hill ride controversy (gasp!)

with last week's dominators out of competition this week (mike and jay claim to have jobs, but i think that their hematocrits were too high and the "jobs" were an excuse to avoid being tested), the field was wide open... until alessandro sent out an email saying he would be riding with us.

dave kim, dave allara, alessandro, chris redmond, and i met at brower (which is surprisingly nostalgic after a long summer), then headed into bound brook to meet mike bogdan, one of the new guys. within a mile or so, we were at rt 22, about to start going, well, up. this is where the controversy began.



hill #1; washington rd:
during the easy slope at the bottom, dave kim and chris sat at the front, having a chat. neither of them had ever been up washington rd before. we hit the first steep bit, and needless to say, the conversation stopped. i glanced back and noticed that a gap had opened.

the three of us continued up for a while, with dave sitting at the front. i glanced back at the stop sign, about 1/3 of the way up, and saw that the gap was pretty big. this gave me an inexplicable nervous feeling.

by the time we got to the switchback, the reality of the situation finally got through to my hypoxic brain... alessandro doesn't just get dropped like that. i moved to the front and started hammering, knowing what was coming. as i approached the 2nd switchback, alessandro was hot on my heels, having closed a 20+ second gap in about half a mile. i just barely held him off at the top.

hill #2; mt. horeb rd:
i hit this climb on the front and started pushing immediately. this climb starts off really steep and becomes moderate by the top, so i wanted to open a gap as quickly as possible. before the end of the steep section, alessandro came chugging by.

i dug deep and tried to minimize the gap, and was only about 10 yds behind as we approached the summit. alessandro sat up and coasted to the top, giving me the chance to turn myself inside out, close the gap, and do a sloppy, half-hearted bike throw. i meant it as a joke, but by god, i pipped him!

flats; mt. horeb rd:
the plan, concocted en route to bound brook, was to have alessandro attack on the flat part of mt. horeb road, so that the rest of us could form a pace line and try to pull him back. he was being a nice guy, though, sitting at the back and chatting with mike. before i knew it, i had attacked!

okay, attacked is a slight exaggeration. let's just say that i got out of the saddle, accelerated slightly, and said to chris "dude, give me a gap before you start chasing, i can't get one on my own". i managed to hold off the pack for about a minute before they chased me down mercilessly... all of the work here was done by chris and dave kim.

about a minute later, alessandro attacked. we immediately lined out and started taking 10 second pulls. suffice it to say that our line got shattered. we only caught alessandro when we regrouped at an intersection.

hill #3; morning glory:
once again, dave kim and chris showed their mettle, moving to the front and setting a wicked pace. perhaps sensing weakness, chris opened a little gap over the rest of us. having seen over the past few rides just how fit chris is, i couldn't risk letting him solo away, so alessandro and i closed the gap and sat in.

with morning glory being relatively shallow, drafting played a huge role. when chris' pace slowed a bit, i could've attacked, but i realized that alessandro could easily have latched on. the only choice i had was to wait for alessandro's inevitable move and hang on for dear life.

but the move never came! i waited, and waited, and waited, and finally lost patience towards the summit. i probably should've waited another few hundred meters, but i made my move, looked back, and saw that alessandro was spinning behind me rather comfortably. bad news for don...

and yet he never attacked! for the third time, i reached the peak in first wheel. later, on the way back, i asked him why he hadn't come around me. alessandro replied, in his customary matter-of-fact way, "it's less work to draft"

-------------------------

so here is the controversy, my friends. there is no doubt that alessandro was the strongest on the day. also, dave kim and chris did the vast majority of the work in the wind. but damnit, i reached the KOM "lines" first, on all 3 hills!

what say you? who gets the KOM jersey? who gets the "most aggressive rider" award? can there be a sprint jersey for a hill ride? where's rosener?

please post a comment... this is clearly a matter of life and death!!!