What makes Rutgerscycling great? Teamwork!

That's right, teamwork is what makes this developmental team, well... work! We train together, eat together, (sing together), travel and race together. Along the way, we encourage each other, teach each other what we have learned over years of ups-and-downs, challenge each other to reach new heights, and support each other in our endeavors to meet our goals. It has been amazing to see how the team has grown over the last three years. Ask not what your team can do for you, but ask what you can do for your team and we'll continue to watch the Rutgerscycling dominance grow.

Dennis Smith captured two photos of teamwork in action this last weekend. Mark's perfect hand up in concert with Jay and Don screaming for me to get up that hill got me through that race.





Please support Dennis and order some of his wonderful prints that really capture the atmosphere of the mountain bike and cyclocross races that we attend. dennisbike.com

Granogue Photos

Charlie was working hard during the Expert race...

...so the Sport riders (Don, Jay, and Mark) waited for him on the road climb...

...where Mark fed him a fresh bottle

By the finish, Charlie had earned some High Fives

Don, Mark, Jay, and Charlie

MASS #2: Granogue

At Granogue, the Rutgers University Cycling Team represented again.

In the sport senior I category, AngryMark had a great start... but he was seen as too much of a threat by a disrespectful competitor that decided to run him off the course. Mark pressed on, passed the guy that ran him off course and got back into the mix. Unfortunately, this wasn't the best day for his allergies, and he had to withdraw halfway through the race. Mark hopes to rest up and be at full strength for a big weekend of road criteriums starting on Friday(?).

Jay and Don battled it out in the sport singlespeed open category. Don launched massive missiles of fitness at the race course to fly up the hills and across the fields. Jay used his mastery of singletrack and descents to conserve his energy for the final meters. Their skills propelled then to 6th and 7th place finishes, but which of the diverse strengths won out?... This week, Jay's skills saved him enough energy to best out Don in the last minutes of the race. Jay celebrated with the LZB (Look, Zip, Ballin' - Dave Kim 2007) taunt as he approached the line.

In the expert senior category, I wanted to prove that hanging in 9th or 10th for most of the French Creek race and finishing 14th (after falling apart), was not a fluke. After a painful first lap (really, is starting that fast necessary?), I found my flow and started to eat through the competition. Lap two was nearly flawless and I was feeling great. During the third lap, I could feel the end of my legs coming, but I carefully measured my efforts to continue gaining on the competition without blowing up. In the end... Granogue was my first top ten finish in the expert category! (Barely, I finished 10th) This would not have been possible without my awesome teammates that cheered me on at no less than three places on the course per lap and fed me with a constant supply of energy drink under the hot sun. The high fives exchanged on the finishing straight went two ways: them congratulating me for turning myself inside-out for a great result and me thanking them for motivating and supporting me to continue at that pace. Thanks guys!!!

French Creek

After a long, successful season on the Collegiate Road circuit, the Rutgers Cycling team has turned some of its attention to the dirt and the knobby tires. Charlie, Mark, Jay, and I went out to French Creek State Park in Pennsylvania for a jaunt in the woods, MASS style.

Jay's Pre-Race Warmup
Charlie, racing in the Expert class, was first to go. He finished his race looking like he'd left everything out on the course. With a 14th in a very competitive field, Chaz put in a great ride and seems to've actually had fun!

Chaz Rolls to the Start
Mark raced Sport Senior Men, and had a fantastic start. He was riding in 4th place after about 5 miles of racing, including the killer road-climb and the ensuing endless, rocky descent. Unfortunately, the Butyl gods were not smiling on him that day, and his rear tire flatted. Even worse, the innumerable rock gardens had thrown his flat-fix kit from his bike, and his race was over.

Don Wishes For Suspension
Jay and I raced Sport Single Speed... and because we're maniacs, we raced with no suspension. This made the descents interesting, to say the least. We started somewhat conservatively, making up a lot of ground on the road climb. Jay bombed every descent like a man on a mission, and I climbed like a roadie, feeling very much out of place. We were in the hunt for the podium for a while, took a quick accidental detour, and ended up comfortably in the top half of the pack. About as comfortably as two dummies with rigid forks can be.

Jay Cruises as if on a Full Suspension
Next week... Granogue!!!

Charlie, Mark, Don, and Jay

Team Photo!

Presenting... the super fast 2006-2007 Rutgers University Cycling Team!


To cap off the end of the season we took the (much needed) team photo last night. It's been an amazing season with an ECCC cyclocross championship, more wins and podiums in the road season than I can keep track of, two super successful races promoted, and a super high level of energy and participation throughout the team.

2007-2008 is looking pretty bright for the Scarlet Knights.

Cycling is a Social Sport

People back home at Rutgers always seem to ask me over and over: Why do you do cycling? Isn't there some other activity that would look better on a resume? See but to me that's not what cycling means to me. It's not just another leadership organization or honor society. Cycling to me, other than being a hard-core endurance, muscle building sport is almost like a social club; I think I realized it this weekend. When I first joined cycling, it was almost obvious to me that people at these races mainly stuck with each other in their own groups form each school. But this just isn't true. I've made so many friends from being involved with cycling, and not just within Rutgers Cycling. Maybe its also because I was in intro's all this year and we made a little bonding circle. Either way everyone is really tight knit. If one person isn't there, everyone else notices. We all share stories about our schools and what we do to train for races. When I got my new bike, EVERYONE noticed (probably because it was a big upgrade, but still). It's nice to have that in any sport. When I raced this weekend, I was always talking during my race trying to keep people up with me. 'Cmon ______ we can do this together!" I just hope that when I upgrade to D's people are just as inviting. Being involved with Rutgers Cycling has really changed me in that aspect. I've learned to keep more of an open mind. People are a lot nicer and open than one would normally assume. It's very reassuring and optimistic about people as a whole. Well, that's my two cents for the day. Thanks for a wonderful season everyone, can't wait to do CROSS!

Kevin Miller

Easterns!

This past weekend the mighty Rutgers Cycling team headed to New Paltz and Poughkeepsie NY for the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Championships hosted by Vassar.

The team has had its most successful road season in years and was psyched to end the season on a high note.

The team was sure not to disappoint with an impressive roster including: Charlie, Rich, Dave K., climbing phenom Alex, Mark, Chris, Kevin, Jay, and Will.

Intensity, thy name is Will

Saturday brought the brutal road race in New Paltz. With Intro men doing 10 miles, D and C men doing 35, and Bs 60, it was going to be a hard day in the saddle. In the Cs, Jay, Mark, Rich, and Charlie tried to hold it down, but the climbing expertise of the teams who live near mountains put them all in a spot of bother. Mark was the highest placed C in 62nd.

Hot off his victory at Army, Kevin was psyched to lay it down in the Intro race... and lay it down he did. Kevin crashed out on a technical descent. He came out a-okay and his bike suffered only a flat and a bent bottle cage.

Kevin went boom.

The story of the day was in the Bs. Newly minted B Chris and mountain goat-like Alex were set to tackle the grueling 60 miles course. Chris ran into some bother early on but Alex made the crucial early select group of nine who would shatter the field. Alex finished an AMAZING 6th in this incredibly difficult race.

Alex, proof that climbers do come from NJ

Saturday night brought the team banquet where the RU squad rested and recharged. The team did a healthy amount of carbo-loading in the form of brownies to prepare for the criterium on Sunday.

Early Sunday morning brought the criterium. If NJ doesn't have a lot of mountains, it does have a lot of criteriums, and the team demonstrated its skill at crits early on. Dave kicked it off with an impressive 3rd in the Ds. Mark and Rich rode an impressive race in the Cs, and Mark also finished 3rd, crucially, ahead of riders from Columbia. Kevin continued to have a heartbreaking weekend. Despite riding beautifully in the Intro crit, he got in a bad situation in the last corner and lost position for the sprint. He still pulled off an impressive 8th place. Weary from the previous day's efforts, Chris and Alex sallied forth in the Bs for an hour long crit. Chris got caught up in an early crash and was forced to chase, but Alex hung tough and finished 23rd. The main event was the A men's criterium, and Will C. joined the team in Poughkeepsie on Sunday just for the crit. The race was blisteringly fast, but Will hung tough to finish in the field.

Dave is a baller. On the D men's podium.

Dave and Mark show off their hardware

The C Men's Criterium Podium

Chris, as most know, has been the revelation of the season. Going into Easterns, Chris had a slight lead in the C men's overall standings. With his move to Bs, that overall lead was in doubt. With some crafty riding by his teammates, Chris' overall lead was defended, and he took home the D1 C men's overall title!!!!

Chris on the podium. Division I C Men's overall champion!

And that puts an end to another collegiate road season. Look for the RU Cycling crew in action throughout the summer on both the local road and mountain bike circuit. The team will gather together again for collegiate competition in the Fall when they hope to defend their ECCC Cyclocross championship!

Rahway River Criterium

Because torrential rain and flooding wreaked havoc on the UNH road course, the Rutgers team was in action a little closer to home at the Rahway River Criterium, hosted by the Cranford Bike team.

Mike, honorary RU rider gives us this report:

Rahway... was a Good Idea. Mark, Harold and Pluto (Will P.)
rode from the shop to the race. Jim, Dave K., Rich K., Ray D. (and
Brittany, too!), Chris R., Craig, Andy and myself drove. Bob showed
up to play the role of the ultimate-tifosi/soigneur by providing us with ample camp chairs, bananas, oranges, powerbars and vocal chords.

Jim set the tone early on by riding away from the Cat 5 field during
the first lap. He was joined by what we were told was a Cat 2 from
Guyana -- huh?! Jim held his own for the duration of the race and was
only outfoxed at the finish. Second place in his first road race!
Nice job Jim! Rich and Ray showed their strength in the field finish,
both taking solid placings. (Though, in my opinion, Rich would have
done better if he hadn't spent so much time on the front!)

Dave, Chris and Pluto took it to the Cat 4 field hard. Some Westwood
guy made a sneaky move and took the solo win. Unfortunately I was not
paying attention in trying to prepare for the 3/4 race but I think
Dave took a good placing in the field sprint and Pluto put in a good
showing, too. Unfortunately Chris flatted and was not given the
benefit of a free lap . . . jerks!!

The main event for the Rutgers/Hermes team was the 3/4 race, in which
we had Craig, Mark and myself in the oh-so-hot green and yellow,
joined by the dashingly good looking Scarlet Knights Dave, Chris and
Pluto. The plan was to work for Mark and put one guy in every move.
Chris was very active while Dave and Craig kept Mark safe. Pluto went
with a promising move but, when it looked doomed, he came back to the
field. I bridged to the break myself and it turned out that it would
stay away. A DKNY guy made a sneaky move with about a lap to go and
outfoxed the break. I took the sprint for 2nd while Mark pulled a
solid 11th with a good performance in the field sprint. Nice work,
team!

Andy, Craig and I rode the P/1/2/3 race. I don't think there were any
current pros, but by my count, there were at least two former pros.
The race was fast and hard. I'm told I initiated the winning break
but, in a group of four and way out-gunned, I had nowhere to hide and
came back to the field. Craig and Andy did a superb job of setting me
up for the sprint. We got a bit boxed in but I was able to regain a
couple spots and pick my way to third place field finish, sixth
overall. Thanks again to Craig and Andy!

My First Win With My New Bike

by: Kevin Miller

So, if you have not heard, this weekend at the Army RR was my first win. It also happened to be the first race I used my new Litespeed in. It seems that the bike really was the difference between me finishing at the back of the pack and winning my race. The Army RR was one of the hilliest courses I've done, if not the hilliest. I really believe that if I had my '89 Schwinn during this race I would have not only done nearly as well, but I probably would not have finished any where near my capability just because it was so hard to shift with downtube shifters. It was really nice to be able to shift without taking my hands off the drops, and the weight of the bike was like riding on a cloud compared to the steel, 27lb bike I was used to riding. During the race I was able to break away from a lot of people and attack with full force. I kept up with everyone at the front of the pack and pulled for most of the race. I was even able to oust a kid from C Mellon who, and I quote "got a sweet deal" on the zips he was using. At the end of the race, when the field sprint started, the top three of us- a kid from Delaware, C Mellon (not the one using the zips mind you), and I blasted away from the rest of the pack at the last up hill into the downhill finish. The Delaware kid and I were head to head in a full-out sprint when I realized that I wasn't in my highest gear. I shifted and killed it into the finish. When it was all over it took a few seconds for me to wipe the spit and snot off my face before I realized- I JUST WON!!! My computer said I topped out at 41.6 mph during what must have been the sprint. It was probably the proudest moment I've had all season in cycling and proved to myself that I was in the right activity, and that it really was just the bike, not my ability that had hindered me.

Army Weekend - CaptainChaz

I'll be the first to post a race report, but I know that some other team members have much more interesting reports. Here is the category C road race from my POV:

After yawning on the startline, a whole lot of fresh air woke me up as we quickly descended into the first corner. On the first lap, the peleton ascended the climb at a pitifully slow rate, so I was able to take in some great scenery from the back third of the pack. A few efforts went (slightly) off the front during the flat portion of the race, and I abruptly moved up to the front of the peleton on a mild uphill, where the pack slowed for no reason. A rider asked if I wanted to bridge up to a guy that was within sight, I was bored and said "sure," and off we went with two others. I left my cycling glossary at home, because I thought that we were just going to pull him back, but others wanted to break away (of course, in vain). So, we were exposed to the headwind for a while until being caught by the peleton. When caught, we (stupidly) stayed on the front through the end of the flat and down the descent. At the time, the effort didn't seem like it was draining too much energy. I later found that I was incorrect.

I blew up one-third of the way up the second climb, not being used to seated climbing. For some reason, I couldn't figure out that I could have simply shifted up two gears and climbed standing up. Exhaustion is a funny thing. Regardless, the time on the front resulted in me loosing contact with the peleton on the climb, so I had a nice tough training ride with some beautiful scenery on Saturday. Had I been smarter (or brought my cycling glossary), I could have participated in a race. Unfortunately, I was impatient and thus had a very enjoyable training ride. Live and learn - Charlie

PS - Don was able to hang with the peleton on the second climb, so I owe him a dum-dum.

Dance!

This picture was found a while ago and though it has absolutely nothing to do with cycling, it has come to out attention that our very own NinjaDon has a second life...being a dancer at the Jacobs Pillow School of Dance.

Rutgers Cycling Takes On Boston

by Kevin Miller

LIVE (almost) from the Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic-here's the race report, or rather weekend report. When the team gathered in the parking lot of Brower at 5PM Friday, who knew the awesomeness that would ensue during the weekend? Some dubbed it the undergrad race; others dubbed it the undergrad race with super-senior Jay. Either way, everyone packed all their gear into Chris's van and Dave's SUV, and we started the journey to Boston- stopping on the way in Connecticut for Dunkin Donuts. Andy was sporting his cornrows and gold chain (a regular Grand Master Flash). We passed other people with bikes on their cars and proceeded to scream about Rutgers Cycling out the window. Then, BOOM, fast forward a couple of grueling hours on the road and we arrived in Boston. Destination: the MIT fraternity Delta Tau Delta (which was like a mansion). The brothers, many of whom cycle, had let us stay in their second floor bedroom and provided many couches and mattresses for us to rest and live in for the weekend. Friday night, several of us went out to peruse the city, and some decided on hitting the sack early for the race the next morning. We woke up early, and set off for Grafton, MA where the Beanpot Road Race would take place- on the campus of the Tufts Veterinary School- a very small, but beautiful campus in rural Massachussets. The course was very up and down hilly, with the largest being right smack dab in the middle. In the D's, Dave would race adamantly, with Andy following close behind. Racing C's, Chris finished 4th (after a giant truck was practically stopped during the sprint), and Jay and Rich held up with the rest of the pack. I finished around the middle of the pack, and Alex put in a good sprint in the B's. After the race came and went, we headed back to the frat house, stopping for pizza in a small shop and watching re-runs of Wrestlemania. Next morning- Sunday was to be the Beanpot Criterium- located on the Tufts University Main Campus. This is clearly one of the most dangerous crit courses out there, having turns named Carnage Corner, and the like. Fortresses of hay bails were laid out to prevent serious damage. Andy and Dave, racing the D's, were entangled in a massive crash that threw them out of the crit, Dave's on the last lap. In the C's, Chris finished second overall (and got a sweet medal to prove it), and Rich and Jay followed close in pursuit. I raced Intro's in what was probably my best race to date. Alex topped it all off with a decent finish in the B's, and we all went to a Burrito joint where they were having a meal deal sponsored by the ECCC. We headed home, stopping for some Auntie Anne's on the way, and then hit New Jersey, where it was pouring rain. Sadly, nothing gold can stay, only in our memories. :) Boston was beautiful! Pictures coming soon.

Pinecone RR

As told by HP Hermes cyclist, Mike Jenks:

Today, Hammonton, NJ played host to the 2007 edition of the Pinecone
Circuit Road Race. The Cat 3/4 race was a 48-mile affair full of my
absolutely favorite terrain: flat, flat, flat. Mark, Will C., Will P.
and I met at the Dunkin Donuts in the HP at the wonderfully fresh hour
of 5:15AM (I was late, as usual).

Once at the race, my day began rather inauspiciously as we were
heading out to do a pre-race roll-around (note: this was by no means a
warm-up). As I tried to show off my CX skill in the
field-turned-parking-lot, I fell to the ground--much to the amusement
of my teammates.

The race itself went off pretty slow at first. Two guys decided to
head out at about mile 6, one guy was unattached and one guy was from
the platoon that was Team Beacon. They held a 20 second or so gap for
a long, long time. As it looked like they were to be caught, an attack
went in and I joined a chase group of four or five. The six or seven
of us worked very well together, running the gap up to 30 seconds
again.

At this point, as told by Will C., random guys in the field started
"attacking." I put attacking in quotes because it was more of a
(horrendously ugly and consisting of poor form) sprint that happened
to drag the entire field along. We came back with about 15-20 miles
left.

At that point, I decided to do what I was supposed to be doing all
along: sit in. I plopped myself onto Will C.'s wheel and, for the most
part, never moved from it. Another break of six or seven went up the
road but didn't gain much advantage. On the final circuit (the final 6
miles), a lone attack went that got quite a gap as everyone was
tentative, not wanting to waste their energy for the sprint. Will P.
did some great work at the front, keeping the pace high and the race
safe while we debated whether or not to give a full chase to the
one-man breakaway. The final stretch was long, maybe 3km corner to
corner. At this point, the lone attacker was still up the road and we
started to get mixed up in the argy-bargy. There was an intersection
with a flashing yellow light at about 600m from the line. Mark went
full gas at that point on the right as the field surged on the left.
Will C. followed easily with me tucked behind him. I yelled a wee
early for Will C. to go but he hit out anyways and I marvelled at how,
under the power of Will's massive pistons, we went around people like
they were standing still, including the single breakaway rider. I hit
out for myself, also a wee bit early, with maybe 200-250m left. With
about 75-100m to go, I looked behind and saw a few bodies in the
distance but no one seemed to be closing. I had a good enough gap to
sit up at the line and point at my jersey in recognition of one of the
most phenomenal leadouts I've ever seen, let alone been a part of.

Will C. crossed the line in 9th, earning himself a cool $30 while Mark
and Will P., their legs spent after all the support they gave me,
rolled in with the field.

To add some symmetry and closure to the day, again, I tried to show
off my CX skills in the field-turned-parking-lot, again, I fell over,
again, much to the amusement of my teammates and the various
officials, registration workers and young children who happened to
witness the feat.

Victory!

Rutgers Cycling has been chalking up wins all this season. In fact, the team has taken at least one win every weekend of the collegiate season thus far.

Perhaps as a prelude to the Beanpot weekend in Boston, the Rutgers Cycling Karaoke Team (an off shoot of the cyclocross team) took another prestigious win in a hotly contested karaoke competition at Harvest Moon Thursday evening.

Don and Will took home the win (and $100 gift card to Best Buy).

The win was not, however, a solo effort. As on the road, teamwork was key. Don started the aggression off with a rousing song. This move was countered by some karaoke sandbagger singing Christina Aguilera's "I Am Beautiful." Jay covered the move with "The Entertainer."

As the competition came to the bell lap, Mark started the lead out at 1k to go with "The Humpty Dance." HermesMike (honorary Rutgers rider) took over after Mark tired with an amazing "Video Killed the Radio Star." Mike's no slouch and he delivered Will C. and Don to the line for an absolutely stunning "Mr. Roboto" (Styx).

The Mighty Rutgers Cycling Karaoke Team

Bucknell Race Report by Rich

Rich, in his final two D races, had a great weekend at Bucknell. Here is his report:

Saturday: 27mi circuit race
It was a muggy, wet, and cold morning when we reached the circuit race site in Lewisburg, PA. The C, D, and Intro Men's races began at 10:30, and by the time we arrived, registered, and changed, we had minimal time for warming up... in fact, I didn't warm up at all!

The C's went off, and we D's took the line in a very sloppy fashion. As everybody tried to squeeze to the line, we were unexpectedly interrupted by a horse and buggy. Which was weird. The race got underway with the typical missed clip-ins and swerving chaos. Knowing that our race would be 3 laps of 9 miles each, we treated the first lap as a warmup, which was fortunate for me since I hadn't had time to do so before the race.
A Most Unusual Delay
The second lap, while not that fast at all, was certainly eventful. A number of 1- and 2-man attacks went off the front, only to be brought back almost immediately.

During the final lap, the intensity of the race ramped way up. Attack after attack strung the group out through the hilly headwind section. I decided to bridge up to a lone Penn State rider, using the steepest ascent as the springboard for my move.
Ray Riding Comfortably in the D Field
The pack had to work, but they eventully brought us back ... honestly, I mostly just wanted to have a fun time destroying that hill at full throttle. This left me with dead legs, though, and I dropped to the tail end of the pack. It was there that I met the zebra clad motorcycle ref. I asked him if he was enjoying the view, and he said, "yeah, but you guys are insane!" When we reached the wicked 120 degree turn, I was still in last, but within a few hundred yards and a crit-like sprint I was back in 5th wheel.

I led into the last corner, then slowed a bit to find some draft. I was riding behind Dave, again in 5th or so wheel, when the pace picked up drastically. When a spot opened on the side, I yelled at Dave to follow, then decided to go for it. I sprinted like mad and pulled away from the pack! This happened about half a mile from the finish, and I was fighting to hold my ~200 foot gap all the way to the line. With the finish line in sight, I started to feel the effort, and my speed slightly dropped. When the first of the other riders started to appear in my peripheral vision, I shook my head in semi-disappointment. Still, I was happy to end up in 11th place for the day.

Sunday: 20 minute criterium
My plan for this race was no secret, at least not among the Rutgers team. I was going to take advantage of the highly technical course and attack when everyone was tired from the first prime. This was the first race I have warmed up for yet, and I felt good at the starting line. I was somewhere in the middle of the pack, but I sacrificed my spot to move to the back and start with Ray.

When the race started, we were instantly set back. Some rider in front of us decided he didn't like being upright and promptly fell to the asphalt when the whistle sounded. I lost track of Ray when that happened, trying hard to get back in contact with the pack. By the third turn I was settled in behind Dave at the back of the group. At the end of that lap, the officials rang their cow-bell, announcing the prime.

I immediately spewed profanities in my head. I had told everyone my plan to attack, and here I was cruising at the back of the strung-out pack. By the 3rd turn, I was at mid pack. By the cafe at the 5th turn I was in about 10th wheel. By the time we reached the line, I still wasn't in any position to attack. I was disappointed with myself and just stayed in about 4th wheel for the first 3 turns. Then I saw my opportunity: A Penn State rider attacked, giving me the perfect conditions for a successful breakaway. I sprinted up the side of the road and latched onto his wheel. We instantly kicked the pace up a notch. We both knew what we wanted and were not going to get caught.

I wanted to look back and check our gap, but I've seen enough footage from the Tour to know that once a rider starts turning around and seeing the pack, that his attack is over. So I never looked back.
Rich's Winning Breakaway Builds Its Gap
For the next two laps, we both worked our tails off, although with a bit of disorder. We weren't quite working together, but we weren't working against each other either. The final prime bell rang as we passed the line, and I decided that rather than contest a prime, I would save my strength for the last lap. He crossed the line first on that lap, and we kept chugging away.

Riding at that speed was actually pretty scary. During my first lap off the front, I rode the 5th corner so fast that I didn't see the pothole at the inside of the turn... my race almost ended right there! As the race progressed, we both got used to powering through every corner, since we didn't have to worry about any other unstable D riders like the chasers did. Many times my pedal would scrape the ground or my rear wheel would skip over a couple inches, yet we kept the pace and managed to avoid crashing.

After I gifted him the last prime, the PSU kid and I worked as a team. We both took turns pulling, and when one tired, the other would know to get in front. The final lap came, and I think he tried to pull away from me after the 2nd turn, but I shifted up a gear and powered my way back to his wheel. At this point I'm not sure what was on his mind, as I was riding comfortably in his draft up until the last corner.

I went into the finishing straight feeling fresh and confident. He started weaving back and forth, trying to juke me off his wheel, but I wasn't buying it. He swerved to the right and I rocketed off in an all-out sprint. This sprint was different from the other sprints I've contested; Normally the my head wants to keep pushing, but my legs scream at me to please stop. Today, though my legs didn't say a word, and the only thing going through my head was "there is no way I am losing this". The confidence I experienced through the entire sprint felt awesome as I crossed the line. When it finally dawned on me that I had won, I threw my fist in the air and let out a deep breath. It felt really good to win.
Congratulations to Rich, Crit Winner!

Bucknell Men's A Crit... Live Updates!

1:03
Welcome to our Live Coverage of the Men's A Criterium, held on the campus of Bucknell University. The course is almost completely flat, with 6 corners and a long drag to the finish line. The A's will be racing for 55 minutes. SpikyHairWill fought hard yesterday, but is confident that he's left enough in his legs to stick it to his field.

1:09
How is this possible, you ask? After a wildly successful morning (Rich 1st D, Chris 3rd C, Alex 4th B), the Rutgers Crew is basking in our glory in a coffeeshop located at the 5th corner. And there's wireless!

1:16
And they're off! Will is sitting in 10th wheel in a field of 50

1:23
A group of 4 went off the front and was soon joined by 3 more. Will is sitting comfortably in the field, letting some of the teams with more riders do the work to pull back the break

1:26
Yale, UNH, Dartmouth, Army, Bucknell, Columbia, and Penn State are all represented in the break. Lehigh is leading the chase.

1:32
The gap is 30sec, with riders from Dartmouth now blocking at the front. Will is in 15th wheel in the chase group.
Will Corners (photo by Don)
1:39
With all of the primes being swallowed up by the attack, and with most of the bigger teams represented in the break, there's not much happening in the peleton. The gap is now 55 seconds.

1:41
A lone rider from Brown from was attempting to bridge, but he's been caught a lap later.

1:43
The break is really moving, with both Dartmouth and Yale represented by 2 riders each. A rider from each school is contributing to the pacemaking at the front, really stringing out the small group.

1:45
The chase group is strung out as well, perhaps trying to avoid being caught by the attack, which is now 30 seconds behind them.

1:47
Will is sitting in 7th, but as 53x12 has noted, his body is really rocking as he closes gaps up the sprinters' hill between turns 5 and 6.

1:50
53x12 was wrong. Will seems to be climbing the hill rather comfortably, and was actually seated the whole time.

1:52
The gap between the two groups is only 10 seconds, and the race-moto is no longer between them. The attack doesn't seem to be making up much ground, although the chase group seems to have eased off a bit as well.

1:58
With the race entering the endgame, Will is still positioned very well, about 10 from the front and looking hungry. The break has caught the main pack, and the tactics have just gotten a lot more complicated.
Will Corners Again (photo by Kevin)
2:00
A rider from Bucknell has attacked! The pack strings out in pursuit. Is this the rider who is up a lap? Or one of his teammates?

2:02
The pace is brutal. There are a lot of riders looking pretty miserable, with tongues hanging out of mouths and plenty of yanking on the handlebars.
NinjaDon and 53x12Will in LiveUpdate HQ (photo by Kevin)
2:06
BeastMasterChris, our reporter at the Finish Line, has reported that a rider from Bucknell and a rider from UNH put in late attacks to cross the lne first and second, although it's unclear who actually won the race. Will had been shuffled back in the last lap as the pace ramped up to EyeBlood-inducing speeds, finishing a strong 19th after a 55-minute war of attrition.

2:09
That about wraps it up. I'm going to go pack the car and drive home... back to the real world! Congratulations again to Rich, Chris, and Alex, as well as all the rest of our racers, for thir exciting performances this weekend. See you in Boston!

Candy Mountain Ride report by Jay

The first ever Candy Mountain Ride took place today. The premise of the CMR is that anyone who beats CaptainCharlie up a climb gets candy. It was Charlie's idea, based on this brilliant animated opus

While everyone knew that this would not be at all like taking candy from a baby, we had to try. The ride was made up of CaptainCharlie, AngryMark, HartailJay, ProfessorAndy, Dave Kim, Ray, Rich, and E-Town (Even though he is an Secret Henry's Riders and DCCOC member, he was so excited about this ride that he decided to move to Edison for 6 months so he could compete in the series). Side Note: Dave, Rich, and Ray need nicknames.

Le Train Rouge headed down River Rd to Mountain Ave for the first climb. When ProfessorAndy took off, Rich grabbed his wheel. I was merely interested in candy, so I sat on Charlie's wheel and everyone else joined in. ProfessorAndy rejoined the pack and Charlie started chasing down Rich (it seems he wanted to keep his candy). At the switchback I let him go, and when E-Town grabbed his wheel the two began to work together to get Rich. The Professor and AngryMark came around me, and I latched on. The dogfight was taking place in front of us, and the excitement caused Mark and me to jump. Rich was within sight and I wanted points (a meager but acceptable substitute for candy), and yet Rich held me off.

Mountain Ave
1. E-town
2. Chaz
3. Rich
4. Jay
5. AngryMark

The ride then went through Martinsville and up Mount Horeb. I must admit that I got dropped at the light on Chimney Rock Road and was not in contention (I was damn thankful for rest). I'm not sure what happened, but it probably looked like a scene from 300.

Mount Horeb
1. E-Town
2. Chaz
3, Mark
4. Andy
5. Rich

Climb 3 was to the end of Ferguson Rd on the Allesandro Loop. I would like to neutralize this climb since I don't think any of us knew it was a contested climb. However, even if this wasn't counted, I still wouldn't win any candy, so:

Mount Allesandro (newly renamed in honor of the legend):
1. Andy
2. Mark
3. Chaz
4. E-Town
5. Rich

Climb 4 took place on King George. Everything started off mellow, but a 2 man breakaway suddenly darted up the road. They'd gone so rapidly, we were working so hard, I couldn't tell who was up in the break. Charlie and Ray? Charlie and Rich? I bridged up, knowing that being on Charlie's wheel would bring me ever closer to candy. It turns out that the two guys in the break were Rich and Ray, so my effort only worked to pull the pack back together. After the slight downhill, Charlie took the lead. I made my move along his right side... I was breaking away! Or so I thought... E-Town came around me like I was standing still. Sitting in second, I could still taste the candy. AngryMark was gunning for me, but I managed to hold him off (I think... The actual top of the hill is a stop sign, so the finish of the climb is a bit before that).

King George
1. E-Town
2. Jay
3. Mark
4. Andy
5. Chaz

Today wasn't just the inaugural Candy Mountain Ride. It was also the first official Bleed From Your Eyes ride of the season. With that in mind, the Rutgers guys were also racing for overall points.

Overall (points)
1. Chaz (14)
2. Mark (12)
Andy (12)
4. Jay (7)
5. Rich (5)

Chaz's consistent, powerful riding have earned him the Bleed From Your Eyes jersey, at least until next week (jersey courtesy of Dave Kim). Still, having dominated in the hills, E-Town clearly won the day... his rides these past two days have been quite the introduction to Central Jersey training.

Next week's BFYE ride will be a sprint ride, in the form of a trackie-style Miss-and-Out with the Hermes crew. Will E-Town defend the (in spirit) jersey? Will Chaz defend the actualy jersey? Will Will will himself to victory and claim the jersey for his own? Find out next week!

Sunday, Bloody Sunday by Will C

Today NinjaDon, AngryMark, and I drove the red train to Princeton and back. It was cold.

Don planned to do 6 x 15 min efforts and so led the way into brutal headwinds on river road. Don also sprung a nosebleed during his first effort. Rather than pull off, he continued to work at the front, riding so hard that he covered his self and bike in blood. This was hardcore; we were 20 minutes into a long and hellish ride and Don had already handicapped himself a point or two of the ole’ hematocrit.
Don's Legs: AccelGel(left) and Blood(right)
After the bloodshed on River Rd. I suffered behind Don and Mark all the way to Princeton. Don did his 6 intervals. Mark did his share of the pulling. I sat on and complained about how weak I felt. In Princeton we stopped for delicious coffee at Small World Coffee. We talked, we laughed, we cursed the canceled races.
Blood on the top tube
The way home was uneventful until the moronic, I mean brave, ‘cross racers (Mark and Don) decided to ride though a patch of ice that the smart road rider (me) had decided to ride around. Mark made it through but Don had a little spill. Thankfully, Don and bike were unscathed, although Don was sad that he did not add to his impressive blood collection.
Blood on the Rear Triangle
During the rest of the ride we shook things up a tad. Don attacked on a hill (Don won, I lost, Mark wasn’t trying) and I took a sprint by lying to Don and shamelessly attacking my two teammates when they weren’t ready.
Blood on the Don
Our return to New Brunswick was met with cheers and vivacious applause. We all received honorary medals from the Mayor for bravery in the face of unrelenting cold. Don would go on to receive high honors for his injuries sustained on the battlefield. Mark found a new calling and lived his dream of starting an all-cyclist coffee shop (no spandex, no cleats…no service). I continued my auditions for Saved by the Bell season 18, but was told I do not have what it takes to be the next Zach Morris.

Return of Bleed From Your Eyes

Perhaps a better name would be "Bleed From Your Nose", because that's how hard I rode.

CaptainChaz, SpikyHairWill, and I met up in the park and rode out toward the Watchung hills. We had a tentative plan to "do a little Team Time Trial", but that plan was easy to abandon in favor of a friendly jaunt through the hills. Perhaps to add some enmity to our innately competitive spirits, Will was wearing his old Cornell kit.

We took the infamous Alessandro Loop, shallow enough to be a popular early-season route but hilly enough to make the ride slightly more complicated than most.

Pleasantries were exchanged down River Rd and through Bound Brook, but the Chimney Rock climb marked the onset of our little skirmish. I was on the front, pulling Chaz and Will at increasing speeds in the hopes that this would prevent them from attacking. Will later informed me that my plan was working... until I exploded and watched Chaz beat Will to the peak. Don's Max Heart Rate: 195

My riding companions were kind enough to wait for me in a nearby parking lot as I struggled to catch my breath. We rode over to the next quasi-climb, a false-flat up Ferguson Road that we were happy to "neutralize" by riding at tempo.

After a quick descent, hostilities resumed on the climb up King George Rd. Chaz led the group until he could lead no more, at which point Will upped the pace to lung-busting levels. He was smart, too, dancing around rough-patches so late that I couldn't help but lose momentum riding through them. Needless to say, he beat me to the top. Don's MHR: 196

Chaz took us through a few more rollers, followed by a long descent to the Rt 22 crossing. He and Will fought each other the whole way down, descending at breakneck speeds... which was cool to watch from a distance at a more reasonable velocity.

Riding home on River Rd, we took advantage of our last opportunity to tear each others' legs off. Charlie put in a vicious counterattack after he and Will pulled back my rinky-dink effort, which was neutralized by a combination of Will, myself, and the red light at 287.

Once we'd passed the last of the traffic lights, our skills pretty much went out the window. Nobody was drafting, but we were all riding tempo-ish. Will looked back at me and said something, which I interpreted as "do you want to draft already or what?" It turns out he actually meant "let's attack Charlie now". Which we did. We went fast for a while. When Will's pace started drifting, I considered my options: pull through, or attack? So I attacked, "winning" the sprint to Johnson park. Don's MHR: 195

There were no pictures from this ride. There were barely any tactics. It was brutal, windy, and non-stop. The attacks were fast and furious, perhaps too fast and too furious. Can we recover by Saturday for the Grant's Tomb crits? Can the forecast of "wintry mix" even hope to hold us back? Stay tuned, same Blog time, same Blog channel, for race reports!

Philly Phlyer Report by Dave Kim

Report from Dave Kim, 2nd in the Intro Men's Circuit and 1st in the Crit

Saturday was the road race. It consisted of 2 laps total; the first was coached, and the second was the race. The coaching was cool. They showed us how to paceline and climb. This lap was also good because it was pretty much a preride of the course. We regrouped at the start/finish and started the race. It started off fast, but once we hit the river road things started to calm down. From then on, the pace was kinda slow (18-20ish). Me, Dave A, and Taylor stuck together the entire race in the front, directing traffic.

After the last climb, we could all see the statues of the finish line. People started getting antsy in their pantsy, and a Harvard kid started to take off. I grabbed his wheel and was in 2nd or 3rd wheel going into the last turn. A couple of riders took the turn wide, so I tried to take it inside so I wouldn't lose my position. That put me in the front, and when I looked behind me, the rest of the field was a good 10-15 yards behind me. This is my chance! So I booked and made a run for it.
Unfortunately, an NYU guy got on my wheel half way and sprinted past me. I finished in 2nd. Dave and Taylor finished 7th and 8th. Kevin Miller came in at 20th.
Dave drills the Circuit for a strong 2nd
TTT...Kevin, Dave A, and Taylor laid down an awesome time of 24:46 (which was better than most of the D times!) They were the only Intro team, so they racked up some points.

The Crit followed. We learned how to clip in!!! Hooray. I stayed in the front for the short 5 laps. Before I knew it, there was one lap to go, so I chucked my bottle [this is actually a bad idea, and will no longer be practiced in the interest of safety -editor] and put on my game face. After fighting all race, I was in an awesome position, and just before the last corner the NYU guy decided to go for it. I couldn't just let him win it again, so I pulled out and got all over his wheel. On the last straightway he tried to shake me off his wheel, jumping from the left side of the road to the right, but I wasn't having any of that. I waited til the last possible second and sprinted right around him. Shake and bake. My first ever road win. Kevin and Gerry finished strong in 14 and 16. Looking good out there.

Thanks to everyone for cheering us on. We couldn't do it without you guys.