|
|
|
I must say, this has been a good trip. I was wondering if flying to Brazil for a week before Nationals was a good idea, turns out it was, for a couple reasons.
First of all, it was the right thing to do, it's an honor to attend an event where the best of the best athletes in all of North and South America converge for two weeks of competition amongst our fellow hemispherians... There's a ton of events, today saw Taekwondo, Open Water Swimming, Mountain Biking, Fencing, Weightlifting and Gymnastics, and it was only the first day of the games, tons more random cool stuff to come...
Second of all, I had the best Washington, DC layover, probably the best layover period, ever. Flew down from Maine on Monday afternoon, hopped on the USOC bus over to George Mason University where we would be doing Pan Am Team Processing and getting our shiny new clothes and assorted sundries. After dropping off my stuff, Jason Berry (producer of Offroad To Athens) picked me up with a bike to borrow and took me to some ripping local singletrack for a sunset spin, which turned into a sunset of pinning it having a great time, that guy rips too... After that, we went to a barbecue and caught up with some friends, new and old, ate meat and picked a kayak out of the quiver for me to borrow the next day... Morning brought meetings and shiny new swag, midday brought a nap, and the afternoon brought a very refreshing, very entertaining, very much-needed run down the legendary Great Falls of the Potomoc, nothing like warm water and twenty footers to get you fired up for an international flight... Smooth check-in, some sleeping pills and I was in Rio the next morning. Totally makes up for the dozens of times I've gotten taken advantage of in Dulles airport and not made it home till the next day...
I've never been to a proper "Athlete Village" (sorry, I'm on a computer lab unit or I'd send some pics....). Turns out they're crazy places, everyone is a badass of some type or another, there's a massive tent for a dining hall that's open 24 hours a day, there's a huge "international zone" where athletes mingle taking in live music, street performers and a variety of interesting general culture. All surrounded by 15 ten story apartment buildings of various pastel colors (ours was aqua-marine green, just like the rivers of Oregon...) which ring a lagoon complete with lit fountains. Awesome. Except for the perpetually broken elevators... Ah, when in Rome...
And the racing. Brazil has a formula. Big MTB event= huge rainstorm two days out that renders the courses and venue totally unusable. Everyone panics. Practice is held in the mud the day before the event, but under sunny skies. The event dawns sunny, hot and with perfect conditions on perfect terrain. Black dirt singletrack up and down through the jungle. It's awesome. Everyone races and is stoked. It's happend three times in a row in Brazil for me now...
The race itself was the first time ever a Gringo has gone into the woods first at a Pan Am event, to my knowledge. That gringo was me after doing some bubba scrubbing over a few sweet start loop jumps and foiling the Brazillian blocking tactics... Feeling strong is great. I opened a gap on the first techincal climb up the small looking but very worth hill that the course looped up and down three times. From there it was just a steady charge to get time on Rubhino, the Brazillian hope who made a solid effort to keep up, pretty impressive actually. For the next four laps he and I distanced ourselves from the field and I maintained a 40 second or so gap on him, the serpentine course giving plenty of opportunity for spotting your opponents progress. The last couple laps the heat got to the local boy and, thankfully, not to me as I sipped ice cold Coca Cola and extended my lead. Like I said, feeling good and being able to ride within yourself is nice. The fans were definately partisan though, which was entertaining, not really booing me, but definately not impressed with my lead over their boy. Most of the comments were funny and I was able to laugh along, but a few... well, that's for another story...
At any rate, Pan Am Games Gold seems to be a big deal down here, it's been great to have a few days in a huge city racing bikes, relaxing and meeting a bunch of people from different countries and sports. I'll be back in four years if they'll have me.
Thanks for all the support, from both the USOC, USA Cycling and the Giant Mountain Bike Team along the way.
Cheers,
AC
|
|
Dedicated Athlete, Leading supplement maker to use stringent real-world testing in product development
WOODSTOCK, Georgia, July 16, 2007 — In its continuing effort to provide athletes worldwide with the best line-up of sports nutrition products money can buy, Georgia-based supplement maker Dedicated Athlete has unveiled Project Black Label.
Modeled loosely after SRAM’s Black Box program, where cycling components undergo extensive real world testing before being put in the hands of consumers, Project Black Label will allow independent Universities and top-level athletes to use and evaluate early versions of Dedicated Athlete products before their release on the open market.
Field testers for this revolutionary program will include members of the Giant Professional Mountain Bike Team as well as some of the world’s top athletes in various disciplines. Their critical analysis and feedback will in turn be used to refine and improve Dedicated Athlete’s top-tier product line.
“Over the years I’ve been approached by a number of professional athletes looking for a way to extend their muscular endurance, increase tactical decision making and achieve optimum performance legally,” explained John Gamble, founder and CEO of Dedicated Athlete. “By bringing these top athletes on board to essentially assist in product development will allow us to constantly improve our consumer offerings.”
Dedicated Athlete’s Project Black Label line-up will include an electrolyte replacement drink, a pre-hydration energy drink, and few others still held high in confidentiality.
“As an athlete myself, it always bothered me to find out that some companies didn’t truly do their research,” explained Gamble, who was once an elite level cyclist. “This program will give consumers the assurance of knowing that these products have been tested — and performed — under extreme conditions.”
Keeping in line with this leading edge philosophy, Dedicated Athlete is also launching a new research and development website on August 1, 2007, that will reveal every step of its product development process. This will represent a new level of supplement manufacturing transparency, giving consumers confidence in both the purity and effectiveness of Dedicated Athlete products.
“People are tired of being misled by untested and ineffective nutritional products,” said Gamble, who studied biochemistry/ physiology. “Our new field testing protocol and R&D website will set us apart in the industry, and show that we are not sweeping anything under the rug. It will all be there for the consumer to analyze and scrutinize.”
Dedicated Athlete will also post medical abstracts and full research documents regardless if the outcomes were positive or negative. The new website will feature a consumer education center, where users can submit questions and have them answered directly on the site.
“Our philosophy is that constructive feedback is never something to shy away from, but instead it is a way to continually improve our products,” said Gamble.
The new website will also boast an athletes’ page similar to My Space, where Dedicated Athlete product users can post profiles, cross promote other sponsors, and write their own blogs. The new athletes’ website will be powered by Sponsorhouse.com, which allows athletes to directly contact potential sponsors.
“I am very proud of the direction we’re headed in,” said Gamble. ”I want people associated with Dedicated Athlete to hold their head high, knowing that they are part of something more than just a sports nutrition company. We support clean sport and our athletes support clean sport.”
FAST FACTS
—— Dedicated Athlete’s top selling supplement, EP-NO, is designed to help increase hemoglobin by increasing serum ferritin with absorbable iron and their Blood Enzyme Complex that includes natural sources of liver and beets. Liver has a full amino acid profile and natural beetroot has clinically shown strong antioxidant properties for the blood. EP-NO also provides the building block for the blood with vitamins B6, B12, C and Folic Acid. The Dedicated Athlete product line also includes Rapid Recharge recovery drink and Athletes Multi-Vitamin.
—— Dedicated Athlete is based in Woodstock, Georgia and is operated by founder and CEO John Gamble. Gamble also assisted in coaching the Fort Lewis College (Durango, Colorado) men’s cycling team to a second place overall finish at the 2003 national collegiate road cycling championships, and he continues to coach a select number of elite level cyclists.
—— Dedicated Athlete currently sponsors some of America’s top road cycling teams and athletes, including Jittery Joe’s, Team Slipstream presented by Chipotle, Jelly Belly, the Giant Mountain Bike Team, reigning world cyclo-cross world championships silver medalist Jonathan Page, and the TIME/Dedicated Athlete/Cyclesafe.org developmental squad.
“Support Clean Sport”
|
|
Fairfield, CA: The Jelly Belly Pro-Cycling Team announced this week that it has accepted invitations to compete at the internationally sanctioned Tour of Qinghai Lake and the Tour of Hong Kong this summer. Jelly Belly Candy Company, the title sponsor, is the maker of the internationally famous Jelly Belly® jelly bean, the American sweet preferred by President Ronald Reagan. The company recently introduced Sport Beans™ jelly beans, a sport performance jelly bean, in Hong Kong.
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to send our riders to compete in such prestigious and competitive races,” said Jelly Belly Candy Company President Robert Simpson. “China is an emerging market for Jelly Belly beans and Sport Beans. The exposure the team will garner during its appearances will create excitement for our products.”
Riders scheduled to compete at the Tour of Qinghai Lake are Andrew Bajadali (US), Alex Candelario (US), Nick Reistad (US), Brian Dziewa (US), Matty Rice (AUS) and James Meadley (AUS).
“These races are considered among the world’s premier cycling events, so our riders are honored at the invitations and are looking forward to a strong showing,” said Danny Van Haute, Team Director. “The Tour of Qinghai Lake actually suits us well, it is a long, tough race at altitude. Several of our top riders live and train at altitude so we’re confident we’ll do well. Look for Andy Bajadali to really excel when the climbs get steep.”
Riders Reistad, Rice and Meadley are also scheduled to compete in the Tour of Hong Kong. Joining them will be Brice Jones (US) and Bryce Mead (US).
Van Haute added, “The stages for the Tour of Hong Kong are mostly flat circuits so we are sending our ace sprinter Brice Jones. With two NRC stage wins under his belt, he’s enjoying the best season of his career.”
While in Hong Kong, the team is scheduled to make promotional appearances at area bike shops and candy retailers. They also plan to conduct a mini training camp for the Future Stars, Hong Kong’s aspiring competitive cyclists ages 8-18.
About the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team:
|
|
My race was yesterday (July 4th). The Firecracker 50 which was also the Marathon National Championships is always on the 4th of July.
There were over 700 racers and hundreds of people lining the street for the start. The racers lead out the 4th of July parade so we got to 'high five' the kids as we rolled down Main Street. It was a really fun atmosphere to start a race.
Being my first Marathon distance I decided it was best to start conservatively. It turned out to be a wise strategy since the race was just over 4.5 hrs, shew! And the race started at 9600 ft. and climbed to 11,300 ft with a total of 10,800 ft. of elevation gain over the 50 mile course. I felt like I was dreaming due to the lack of oxygen.
Alison's husband, Greg, was in my dream too. haha He and I rode
together for a couple hours until he had a mechanical of some sort.
At the end of 4.5 hrs, I managed to capture the National Championship after a long battle with some tough Chix who are well experienced in the Marathon type races. Wow, those ladies are hard core! I learned a lot and am proud to have earned the Stars and Stripes!
Shonny V.
|
|
Here’s a quick synopsis of how to go from finally riding strong to being a groveling, sniffling weakling in three short days. Step 1: Race fast enough at a world cup to actually make yourself tired. Step 2: Sleep six hours, then travel 30 hours to get home. Step 3: Get two poor nights of jet-lagged sleep. Step 4: Get tipped off that the high country singletrack is open, then take the singlespeed out on a nice five-hour ride in the hills, have a really good time. Step 5: As if you’ve never trained before and know nothing, stay dehydrated for the rest of the day while trying to catch up on things around the house. Viola, you’ve got a cold. And feel terrible. Shocking. To preserve these terrible feelings, fly to Deer Valley at 7500 feet, your body will be so embattled with sickness and acclimatization that you’ll be sure to stay guttered for a goodly while. Amazing, that after eight years as a professional, I’m still making these kinds of rookie moves… Good thing we’re a group of professionals here on the Giant Mountain Bike Team. Everyone else can hold it down for Emmett (who has a fractured humerous, making her the toughest chick I know, and making her sit out for at least a weekend…) and myself while we grovel…
And hold it down they did. Of our three active racers, DH’ers Amiel Cavalier and Jared Rando, plus a very skinny and fit Carl Decker, there were no less than eight podium finishes over the weekend. In fact, none of the boys finished off the box all weekend.
Amiel got the party started in grand style with a (not really) surprising win in the mostly downhill Super D on Friday night. He made quite the entrance to the finish straight, hucking to flat big enough to flatten both his tires, and one of his rims (Tom is going to make him build a new wheel) before sprinting to the line with the telltale, and classy, pssssst, from both wheels. Awesome. Decker got schooled by some other DH boys but still held on for 5th and the series lead….
Next up was the XC, where we would find out two very important things. First, Carl is skinny, fit, and rested. Therefore, he’s fast. Second, I’m sick and tired. Not fast, dropped out after one lap, something I haven’t done in years, and don’t condone, but was definitely the right thing to do in the name of getting rested up for the World Cup showdown in Quebexico the next two weekends. Carl is really in shape though, after politely asking me to get out of the way he rode solidly through the field to finish fourth, his best XC result in quite some time. Well played. Carl retired to the condo to cook steak and sweet potatoes and I flew home to lick my wounds, and rub mucous on them…
Gravity boys had a strong showing in the Dual Slalom, taking the fourth and fifth spots for Rando and Sammish, respectively. I kind of wanted to go watch them roost some turns and try to learn a thing or two but couldn’t muster the strength to get up the hill…
Sunday is DH and STXC day at NMBS, and the last day for the boys to keep the streak alive. Which they did by the skin of their teeth. First off, Carl was the aggressor in the chase group for the Short Track, a sure-fire way to get pipped on the last lap and end up last in the group, which was still 5th, strong. DH’ers had solid runs with no flats or breaking stuff, thanks to some shiny new ’08 Shmano XT parts keeping their bikes slim and nimble, specifically the Shadow rear deraiuler. Same result as the slalom, the elder Rando 4th and the youngster 5th.
Although mountain biking is an individual sport, sometimes it’s good to remember the team aspect, between watching tv and making dinner or just sitting around working on our respective aussie or mainah accents, it’s good to have a good crew to cruise around with, even better when they pick up the slack for the slackers…
|
|
Champerey WC Report
Now, as globetrotting bike racers we face various challenges. Being in shape, food, travel, sleep, navigation, luck, etc. Over the years a respectable skill set develops to deal with said challenges. One skill set I’m still struggling with, however, is controlling the kid in a candy store syndrome that strikes when we get plopped smack dab in the middle of an absolutely stunning environment. This happened in Champerey, Switzerland this week, where we were allegedly staying to compete in a World Cup #3 on Saturday. Driving up the valley with the 3000 meter Dents du Midi towering over the perfect village nestled above a gushing glacial creek I immediately identified the kid in a candy store syndrome that would control the rest of the week.
I was still confused and eating muesli on Tuesday morning as Emmett pulled out a map and asked for some route planning advice. We settled on her riding a couple passes and looping it out however possible. This immediately gave me rest day envy. Kelli’s out exploring and I’m just supposed to go for a spin? Boo, Hiss. The comprimise was to counteract her multiple pass ride with some local exploring. First up was the “Galeria” a trail blasted in the face of a 100 meter limestone cliff. Unsure of the legality of the ride, I put on my best dumb American face and set about railing one of the more entertaining trails I’ve ever been on that just happened to be notched into a wall and protected by a two foot tall rickety wooden fence. Awesome. From there, responsibility took over and I went to suss out the race course, which, it turns out, was simply transplanted from Essex Street Hill in Bangor, Maine. Perfect, I’ve ridden there a few (hundred) times on the classic slimy rocks and roots sprinkled over false flats and steep climbs. What a nice surprise. As I wondered how Kelli’s trek was going, feelings of guilt started to seep into the candy store for our esteemed Soignieur Ms. Brutsaert, whom I suspected was still at the hotel trying to e-mail pictures to Giant for posting on the Ride Life website. I walked in just as she was getting her bike shoes on and made the international gesture for “come quick, sweet trails await”. Ten minutes later we were mobbing down perfect rocky switchbacks to the creek and on down an uber-classic (and semi-overgrown) river trail. Even more perfect. Oh, dang it, I forgot it was a rest day, oh well, one more steep climb wouldn’t kill me. So long as I could make it back and be napping before Emmett got home from proper training… I just barely made it.
The next day our incredibly accommodating British hotel staff pointed me up into the hills toward the Col de Cou for a classic ridgeline singletrack in the high alpine. After an hour forty and 1100 meters of climbing everything from pavement to goat paths I reached the Col, classic as it were. Unsure of where the trail peeled off amongst the cow tracks, I considered consulting with the gaggle of ten-year-olds who were milling about, evidently enjoying a class field trip, but then noticed a prominent ribbon buried with snow along it’s climb to the ridge. Must be what I’m looking for. Turns out it was. I haven’t seen storybook ridgeline singletrack like that in a long time, or ever. Popping over rolls with huge peaks in the background and cows wearing proper massive cowbells in the foreground before fading into old-growth forest was an afternoon to remember. You can see from the photo.
Ah, right, we were there for a race… Good thing Thursday was deemed an emergency day off in order to rest up from the weeks playing. One of the most scenic ice baths I’ve ever taken finalized the (less than optimal) preparation for Saturday’s showdown. Unfortunately, Kelli felt the effects of her week spent riding up huge hills and never really got it going in the race. It was the kind of course that if you weren’t charging, you weren’t really going to have a good day. She finished it out midpack somewhere and went out to do some more exploring in the afternoon…
I was pretty sure I was still tired from the week’s riding while standing on the start line. Turns out I wasn’t. Or even if I was, it’s June now and I’m in shape so it doesn’t matter. What a relief. After holding my 63rd position or so on the start loop (walking festival) I observed my ability to shift into a harder gear and pedal faster at will. Combine this with the fact that I was riding the glorious Anthem Advanced, giving me the option to take irresponsible (and entertaining) lines at speed and get away with it, and it appeared that I was going to have a banner day. Then it started to downpour. Even better. Definitely going to be a banner day. With this in mind, I started passing guys like it was my job, working into the top twenty after about three laps, then continuing to ride through guys as the sun came out for the last half of the race. Somehow I wasn’t derailed by two of the clumsiest dismounts (by dismount, I mean falling off the bike while it stops suspended by roots, trees and course tape, much to the amusement of the throngs of spectators) I’ve ever had and kept the momentum rolling all the way into tenth place with two to go. I was within striking distance of Thomas Frischneckt in 8th but just couldn’t get there. I’ll settle for 10th and the realization that the hard work does pay off eventually. Julien Absalon won over local hopes Christoph Sauser and Nino Schurter, a battle I got to watch unfold a couple minutes up the serpentine course. Those guys are fast, but not THAT fast…
Now it’s back home for a few days of bill paying and such before the Park City, UT NMBS this coming weekend, then we go to the homeland. Not one but two World Cups await in Quebec to close out June, I can’t wait! Maybe we’ll see a few of you there…
Cheers,
The Team Giant Euro Crew,
Adam, Kelli, Elke and Tom.
Special thanks go out to Giant for setting us up with Elle and Tom for Euro support, this level of racing isn’t possible without a solid crew, those two are best in the business for sure, at least we got one good result to make them proud. (and earn some prize money to pay their hotel bar tab…)
Oh yeah, it looks like by riding fast I secured myself a spot on the Pan Am Games team (if the UCI updates the world rankings by Tuesday…) This is a great opportunity to travel to Rio de Janiero, Brazil to compete as part of the US delegation on July 14th in this once every four years event. Unfortunately, it ixnays the possibility of doing the cool racing in July swing of the Cascade Creampuff and Downieville Classic. Maybe in 2009…
|
|
After having such a good time with the local racing at home (and in Minnesota), Kelli and I decided to sample some European local shenanigans. Some consultation with the UCI website, Michelin Europe Atlas and our Czech consultant, Katerina Hanusova, determined that racing one of the Czech Republic National Series races would be good eastern Europe local racing culture. Leaving Offenburg under a steady rain to drive further north and east seemed like folly at first, but after some driver switches and napping the clearing skies made it clear that we were doing the right thing. Unfortunately, in keeping with the local spirit, we didn’t have a plan other than knowing the race was in Ceska Kamenice, aboiut 25k from the German border. Since Elke is such a clever German speaker, she busted out the plan to simply roll towards the border and get a “frirenwonhung” (vacation rental apartment) somewhere cool looking. Well, Bad Schandau, a town 7k from the border and on the banks of the Elbe River, looked pretty cool with it’s massive rock towers rimming the canyon surrounded by a national park. We saw a rental sign and stopped to check it out. Ten minutes later we were settled into a nice little place for the week at a very reasonable rate. I love it when a plan comes together. The rest of the week was spent exploring the area, riding into Czech through the parks, hanging out down by the river, watching South Park on Tom’s laptop, etc. Good, relaxing times.
The race snuck up on us pretty quickly, legs still a bit tired from getting tricked into going for awesome rides all week… Since Kelli raced a couple hours before me, I volunteered to sleep in and ride the 30k to the race as a warmup, not sure if this was a good idea, but you’re supposed to commute to local races by bike, I was just staying within the guidelines for good times. Upon arrival I was greeted with a scene that definitely was I the same spirit as the Cascade Chainbreaker but on a much bigger scale. Teams were parked up and down the tiny one lane streets surrounding a Senior Citizens Home with a full on race setup on the back lawn. Massive inflatable finish banner, DJ playing music and calling the women’s race, which was underway (20 minutes late, on par for local events…) and a bunch of people cheering and eating pork products. Looked like a good time. Little did I know that there was another DJ party area at one of the steep drops on the course as well, always good for the creation of crashes and ensuing heckling over the PA…
Just as I rolled up, Kelli came ripping by, the announcer calling her Gibson (her middle name) and giving an encouraging fifth place report. I was happy to hear fifth, as she was covered pretty solidly in black dirt, a sure sign of crashing while sweating… Fortunately, she was still riding strong and held down fifth for the last two laps, getting a good workout and a good confidence boost from last weekend’s German struggling.
The mens race started on schedule, twenty minutes too late. Also right on schedule was some random Czech guy slaying it for the first five minutes and putting a huge gap on the rest of us. Fortunately, some Spaniards and I had reeled him in by the top of fthe climb and set about railing some pretty awesome rocky, sandy singletrack. We all ran down the drop Kelli had packed it in on and admired her courage for even trying it… Starting the second lap I was feeling spry and had a go at the front. This lasted a few laps after the hugest, most musclebound racer I’ve ever seen broke his bike, not surprisingly… About midway through our seven laps I started to get realistic and the locals started reeling me in. One got by, then another, and I ended up sprinting with a fellow Czech Giant team rider for third place. He blew my doors off. Not even a contest. So I settled for 4th, which still got me some sweet podium time, after, in local spirit, each and every category was presented with their awards and trip up onto the blocks. Good money was given too, not sure what 9,000 Korun means but it seems like a lot when they give you a card saying that amount. Turns out it’s about four hundred bucks. Definitely enough to take Tom and Elke out for Greek Food and beers. Not before Kelli and I had a nice 30k cruise home into the sunset though, we need to get in shape, big World Cup race coming up this weekend in Switzerland…
Kelli and Elke were very helpful with the driving to Czech… They watched Supertroopers in the back of the well-stuffed van…
|
|
The Wheels of Teal:
"The first race you have fun.
The second race you go fast.
The third race you crash."
Sage words from the Race Director at the Novice Driver's meeting at my first Rally race two months ago. So far, I'm happy to say he's right. So far, I've only done two races.
This winter's off-season was well spent. When I wasn't skiing or having a beer at Deschutes, I was usually in the garage working on my new Rally Car project. Or sitting in front of the computer trying to track down a used Rally Car widget for less than a Metric Assload of money. Though I usually enjoy both of these activities, I must admit, it was feeling a lot like work there for a while.
My muse was a sorry looking Teal (I like to call it blue) 1993 Subaru Impreza. With a 1.8 liter engine and front wheel drive, it was the antithesis of racey, but I could see the diamond (or maybe an agate) in the rough. Over the winter the car saw more TLC (and abuse) than it saw in it's first 14 years combined. New Engine. New brakes. New Transmission. Intercoms. Rally Computer. Flywheel. Clutch. Exhaust. Wheels. Tires. Lights... I even managed to get most of the faded Purple window tint off of the glass. Just as important as what went in was what went out. A weight weenie with a Cut-off wheel is a happy man indeed. There's a hundred pounds of well engineered but unnecessary Subaru crap in my yard now. And the Wheels of Teal were ready (?) for action!
The first race was in Washington and we had fun. It's funny how similar everything is to Mountain Bike racing. People check out each-other's tires and (in some cases stock) suspension and tell stories about where they blew a turn or "had a moment" behind the wheel on the last stage. Rally racers, like MTB guys, are friendly and supportive. You get dirty and you sleep well at night.
The driving was intense. The first stage was a trial by blowtorch. 100 MPH straightaways--even in a 125 Horsepower car-- over the roughest wettest shit I'd every driven fast on. This on a single lane road with high speed blind crests and lined everywhere--everywhere!-- with moist dark, healthy, terrifying TREES. After a few stages we found our groove and I stopped looking where I didn't want to go. At the end of the weekend, we were 3rd in Group 2. On the podium for our first race. None too shabby. And my service crew/Dad didn't have to fix anything. Great weekend.
Six weeks (and an Arizona National and Giant Team Camp and Sea Otter) later, my codriver, Jon and I were back for more at the Oregon Trail Prorally. Oregon Trail is one of seven National series races that determine the National Champion in all six rally classes. Every hot-shoe with a budget would be there and it would be interesting to compare my Wheels of Teal times against current National Champ, Travis Pastrana's. I was fortunate enough to fly down and watch him drive to 15th overall at the World Rally Championships in Mexico a few weeks earlier, so I knew what to expect: a proper routing.
On day one of the Three Day event, we lined up 56th of 76 cars. We were pretty excited to have moved up 20 spots after only one event. The cars were amazing, even including a Group B Audi (one of the most ferocious racecars of all time). The races--on and around PIR track-- were a good warm up with minimal danger and were great for the fans in attendance. We surprised ourselves with the fastest 2WD time of the day on the most technical stage, the SSS, or superspecial stage. The National Champion Group 2 and Group 5 guys were probably a bit surprised by the Wheels of Teal too.
Day Two was 70 miles of wet and wonderful gravel roads in the coastal mountains. With our first set (ever) of NEW rally tires, the car felt great and I became scarily comfortable with break-neck speeds on blind slippery roads. The timing people were really nice and kept saying "Great Job!" at the finish of the stages. We thought they were congratulating us on not crashing, as maybe 10% of the field had roof damage by the end of the day. At the end of the day we loaded up, got a burger and went to bed without seeing the results.
Day three dawned to dreary greyness (hey, it's Portland!) and we rolled to the car park. As we unloaded the W of T, another Bend racer came over and exclaimed "How did you do that?!" When I asked "What?" he showed me the results: I'd managed 3rd Overall in the Region (behind two sweet Subaru STI cars) and was the fastest 2WD car in the country! With the re-seed I was lined up for the day 19th with all the factory teams. Behind me was Burmeister: 3-time Group2 National Champion, in a Mazda backed 400 Horsepower Mazda3! Holy crap! The timing people weren't just being nice. Maybe they're surly and dour to most everyone else. Turns out we were flogging the shit out of the Wheels of Teal out there!
As the final day of racing progressed, I stopped looking for the Mazda in the rear view and drove some quick stages. Most of the time I'd lose on the climbs to the faster cars I could regain on the descents by driving loose and burning up my brakes (fun!). At the end of the day I had won the Regional Group 2 title and would have won the National Group 2 race and a stack of Benjamins if I'd payed the extra entry fee to be counted in the National scoring. Oops.
So that's what I've been doing between bike races this spring. Burning gas and kickin ass-- though I probably do have the most fuel efficient car at any of these rally races. Hopefully the cross-training aspect of all this continues to translate well to bike racing. I'm racing my Anthem in a Super-D at the Fontana National in about 4 hours. Naptime.
Thanks for reading,
Sorry for the long winded and belated update,
Carl M. Decker
Giant Professional Mountain Bike Team
|
|
Stellar Field and Top Results for Timex Multisport Athletes at the 4th Annual Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida
Orlando, Florida. May 20, 2007
On a typical Sunday in Orlando you can expect people to attend the many theme parks in the surrounding area, but this was not your typical Sunday in the Sunshine State. Over 2,000 athletes from around the world were there to test themselves at the 4th annual Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida event. With a stellar field on hand, as well as gorgeous sunny weather, the Timex Multisport athletes did not disappoint and posted solid times and results against the world’s best.
Aerodynamics specialist Jordan Rapp flew the Timex flag (albeit with little wind resistance) in the Men’s Pro racing to 11th place overall and coming away with the 7th fastest bike split of the day (2:08:33). Andrew Hodges ran into the 14th spot overall with the 5th fastest run split of the day posting a speedy 1:16:35. Former pro cyclist, Curt Chesney came away 16th in the pro field and had the 9th fastest bike split of the day with a 2:10:48.
On the Pro Women’s side, Canadian Natasha Filliol ran into the top 10 with the fastest run split with a 1:26:22. Texan Kim Hager had the 4th fastest run (1:29:24) of the day and came away 9th in the pro women’s field after a stellar final leg.
On the amateur side, Kevin Grogan, finished 10th in the most competitive age-group field, 30-34, and posted a solid 4:33:09. Recent college graduate, April Gellatly, finished 2nd in the women’s 18-24 category as well as coming away with the fastest swim (31:48) and bike (2:37:53), out of 39 competitors in her category.
The team came away with great results and look forward to seeing them reach their goals throughout the season.
Team Results
Blake Becker- Pro Men 18th 4:12:55
Curt Chesney- Pro Men 16th 4:10:17
Natasha Filliol- Pro Women 8th 4:44:12
April Gellatly- W18-24 cat. 2nd 5:02:18
Jacqui Gordon- Pro Women 11th 4:50:53
Kevin Grogan- M30-34 cat. 10th 4:33:09
Kim Hager- Pro Women 9th 4:48:20
Andrew Hodges- Pro Men 14th 4:07:00
Jordan Rapp- Pro Men 11th 4:03:41
Look out for Timex Multisport Team members at upcoming races-
IM Coeur d’Alene- June 24th
|
|
Big Victories for the Timex Multisport Team
May 12, 2007 - Panama City Beach, FL
Timex Multisport Team member Carole Sharpless scored a victory at the 25th annual Gulf Coast Triathlon (Half) with a stellar time of 4:39:36. Carole stepped two places higher than her 3rd place in the ’06 event and took her 1st overall victory of the year. Gabriella Loskotova placed 4th in the event with a time of 4:45:03.
May 20, 2007 – Millington, TN
Twenty-three year old Timex Multisport Pro, Laura Tingle, from Louisville, CO, stole the show at the prestigious Memphis in May triathlon coming away with top honors in the overall women’s field. Her time of 2:02:32 was enough to take her biggest win to date. With a consistent swim, bike, run, she was able to hold off 2nd place by a few seconds.
June 3, 2007 – Bristol, NH
Vermont native, Alex Mroszczyk-McDonald showed that you can train and have good results even in the colder regions of the US as he pulled off a solid overall win at the Mooseman (Half) Triathlon up in Bristol, New Hampshire this past weekend. His time of 4:06:11 let him enjoy the victory and give him good morale headed into Ironman Lake Placid on July 22nd.
|
|
Zyemtsev Wins 2007 Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene.
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. June 24, 2007
Timex Multisport Pro Viktor Zyemstev used the fastest run of the day (2:47:05) to secure his 2nd Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene vitory. Viktor ran down Canadian Pro and 2-time Ironman Champ, Tom Evans, in the closing miles to secure his 6th Ironman victory.
As the race unfolded it looked as though it was going to be a close finish. After the champagne cork flew, Viktor spoke about the last few miles as he and Evans ran shoulder-to-shoulder. “We ran together through the last four miles. I try to push all the time, but he stayed with me. I felt bad and a little dizzy, I pushed again at mile 25 and he backed off.”
“I don’t know if I had another one, but it’s better I push early to see what he does. I knew when he didn’t go with me, I had it.”
1. Viktor Zyemtsev UKR 8:33:32
2. Tom Evans CAN 8:34:34
3. Michael Lovato USA 8:40:39
4. Jasper Blake CAN 8:46:09
5. Bryan Rhodes NZL 8:46:38
6. Luke McKenzie AUS 8:53:23
7. Adam Jensen USA 8:56:53
8. Jim Vance USA 9:06:40
9. Swen Sundberg GER 9:14:41
10. Billy Edwards USA 9:16:09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|