Hot Masters' Track Action

by Brean Masters Track, June 25th Kissena Velodrome, Queens New York

I'm filing this race report because I feel like I raced intelligently, and I'm proud of that.I showed up almost three hours early due to the train schedules (I came from Montauk), so I had plenty of time to hydrate and eat before racing.  A rarity for me.  I also got to catch up with John Campo, the driving force behind the Kissena Velodrome, and a man with enormous legs and a huge heart.  He lamented at the poor track conditions (due to a disastrous and costly resurfacing some years ago) and the numerous rainouts this year (eight so far!), both of which have left attendance pretty light.  He is trying to figure out how to construct a 250m velodrome built on pylons on the infield of the existing track.  That would be so cool.

I also got to talk to a guy named Robert, who used to race on the track as a teenager and was just out there to have fun and keep in shape.  We continued to be friendly throughout the night.  I also spied George, who I remembered from somewhere as a very strong rider excelling in breaking away.  However, no Andrew LaCorte, Jerry Martinez, or any of the other strong masters I remembered from years past, excepting Campo.  Our field would be about ten masters and one junior.

The week before, I was in a pileup at Northbrook and suffered a bruised coccyx and ribs.  This night, I tried a few efforts, and nope.  no way.  No sprinting for me.  I'd have to ride smarter than that.

Race 1:  Miss-n-Out

My least favorite race.  But since it was a small field, I decided that I would focus only on not being one of the first two riders pulled.  I did this, but boy was I hurting from my crash.  I thought about withdrawing from both that race and racing all together, but then stuck it out a few more riders.  Before I knew it, it was four left.  I made a big effort to shed the last guy (remember, no sprint, I had to wind things up over time), and then sat in for a lap.  In the final lap, I was actually a bit boxed in under the sprinters line with the leader, Robert, ahead of me.  Nearing the 200m mark, he pulled out of the lane and I put the effort in, winning by a good margin.  My theory as to why he pulled out is that the track is bumpy enough that turn 4 can kick your rear wheel out.  He either didn't want this to happen, or just didn't want to get boxed in the lane.  Either way, I felt I raced smart and lucky.

Race 2: Scratch

I forget how many laps this was, but early on, George went (remember George Wendt from cheers?) for a break.  I got on his wheel, and stuck there for a few laps and took a turn up front.  Eventually, the field caught us and somebody let me in near the front.  Thank you.  The track was so bumpy that my glasses fell off.  I caught them before they fell to the track and eventually tossed them onto the infield.  Pretty fancy, huh?

In turn 2 on the bell lap, I turned it on, knowing I would lose any sprint, and barely held off the field for a win.  Now I had 14 omnium points and the closest competitor had 6, ensuring me a win for the night.  But then Alan, the head official mentioned something about adding another race.  Boo.

Race 3:  7 Lap Point-a-Lap

Since there would be a fourth race, I knew I had to get second or better to ensure a win.  So I went at the whistle and took the first two points, and actually stayed out long enough to get a third.  Okay.  Win for the night guaranteed.  I pulled up and simply needed to make sure I did not get lapped by the field (turns out that the officials added an extra lap by mistake.  It didn't change the results, though).

Race 4: Flying 500

It's a mass start sprint starting in turn four, and going for a lap and a quarter.  I knew I didn't have to place to win the night, so I semi-dogged it.  But after turn four, I was just behind the front three, and made a play for it.  Unfortunately, Robert tried to pass under a guy named Mike and got his bars turned by Mike's thigh.  He crashed in dramatic fashion.  I avoided injury and coasted over the line.  Robert was taken to the hospital with head injuries, etc.  I hope he's okay.  He seems like really nice guy.

the livin's easy

Summer's officially here, and it's about time that weather started to cooperate. The rain relented, the heat swept in, and with it came a big weekend of racing. The Allvoi Cup, Saturday 20 June, Northbrook Velodrome

Special thanks to Marcus Moore of Yojimbo's Garage. With his support and loaning out plenty of valuable equipment, that man truly exemplifies a willingness to connect people to their passions. As always, thanks for the gear mang. With the Tour of America's Dairyland to the north, and Cobb Park not too far away, turnout was light, but the vibe was right for the inaugural event in this three part series.

This first trip was attended by Molly, Al and Jeff. Al set the pace for a hectic morning by breaking his chain on one of the two collective warm up laps. (Mike Ferron came through big by running to nearby Garner to get him a new one). Then he lost his compression cap of his headset, had to resort to a Schwinn loaner bike, found some problems with his aero bars, and couldn't get the one pump we brought to work. It can be quite stressful running around frantically trying to locate a 13mm wrench to replace some foreign bike's front wheel. The man stayed undeterred and was sure as hell gonna race that day. And race he did. He claimed 5th in the 3K pursuit (3:51.78), 7th in the Kilo (1:18.16), and 8th in the Scratch. He also got 1st on the day for "my bike has a legitimate use for duct tape on it" category. Be looking out for him to pop back fast and furious.

Jeff fared a bit better by placing 2nd in the 3K pursuit (3:49.19) and winning the Kilo (1:12.15). The omnium was in the air after the Kilo. A bit of the "If it bleeds, we can kill it" mentality was going around with Jeff sharing the top spot with bike racing phenom, David Moyer. Alas, it was not to be as the scratch race unfolded a 4th place for Mr. Perkins and a familiar 1st place finish for Dave. Jeff still landed 2nd in the omnium and has a pretty nice vantage point for the rest of the series.

Molly shook off the pre-race shudders to overcome her dragon, the 2 kilometer pursuit. The lone lady with drop bars matched up against nationally renowned racer, Miss Debbie Dust, and came in 2nd with a respectable time of 3:05.04. The time gap was cut down considerably in the 500 m. Molly brought out her ri-donk-ulous long sprint to notch a 42.97 second place time. Second place in the scratch race against Debbie and above team Alberto's notched a fine last day to be 23. Molly got the 2nd spot on the podium and also has a very good starting position on the series.

Fox River Grove Cycling Challenge, Sunday 21 June

First to tackle the alpine ski-hill of the western 'burbs were the ladies of the crew: Christina, Jamie, and Molly toed the line for the women's 4s race. Christina made the cut to stay in the break, and while the final lap brought all kinds of ferocious attacks, she held on for 5th. She's clearly bringing those Thursday night track skills up into the hills. Jamie stayed solid, bringing home a hard-won finish on a tough course.

Avi had his entourage in tow for Father's Day, and while the sign couldn't be beat (Go Dad Neurohr!) he almost missed the start trying to get everyone on site. It's a good thing this wasn't a 9 am race.

He and Mike were slated to go back-to-back, first up in Masters' 4/5. The race was quick, and so was the carnage. Mike stayed with the lead group throughout, and though the testa della corsa escaped late, he stayed strong to finish 7th. A couple of hillside attacks got Avi a bunch of spots late in the race, and he came in just off Mike's wheel for 8th.

No rest for the weary though, as they were back at it minutes later in the 4/5s, this time joined by the mountain man, Adam. Avi had burned all his matches on the previous race and focused on making the cut, while Iron Mike miraculously rode off with the lead group yet again! Amazingly he hung on for another top ten finish, Adam a few spots back, and Avi, well, finished.

There was nothing left to do but ring the hell out the giant cowbell for the Zombie himself in cat 3. A couple riders slipped off and a couple more chased, and Al couldn't be held back: he was in the break. As he put it so well in the podium interview, "they were attacking like a pack of gators" but he stayed up there for fourth.

It's summer 2009, Chicago, crank up the racing and rip off the knob.

Top Ten Reasons Adam Clark is the Man

10. When waking up at 4 am to get to a race, it always helps to have entertainment. In this case, Adam, in his full track kit, in a gas station deep in hunting country, doesn't disappoint. I'm pretty sure I overheard "Git R Done" somewhere.

9. His words of messengerly advice: "Don't zone out on the hot chicks when you're filing at state court...just focus on the Snickers bar and get in the right line."

8. His anecdotal history of Madison, in this case involving a 30 pack and a friend from Chicago who got lucky in Adam's bathtub. Unfortunately the squeek-squoork sound effects don't translate well to the written word, but use your imagination.

7. Another Madison incident that he insists was not a hallucination: it involved him ollie-ing a live squirrel that tried to cross the sidewalk in front of him, and ended with his board getting flattened by a car. He escaped unscathed, as did the squirrel.

6.  His new state motto: "I'll let you see my Johnson in Wisconsin." Best when sung.

5. He was "That Guy Racing With A Beard."

4. His pre-race game plan was "to act like I'm drunk. What's up duuude?"

3. He didn't train much this spring. He hasn't raced this season.

2. Instead he rode 1,007 miles around Lake Michigan in 13 days. Then he took a single rest day, and...

1. Grabbed 7th place in the Race of the Future! With 4,400 feet of climbing, half the field abandoned in both the 3s and 4/5s, and most Chicagoland riders staring in awe at that stuff called elevation, Adam just Got R Done.

In other news, Al "I'm not much of a climber" got 6th in the 3s, then came home and rode to Northbrook, but we all know he's made some sort of zombie deal with the devil. Elsewhere in the 4/5s, Avi slogged to 15th place, while Mike mashed for 19th, despite being stuck with a 23 in back. At least when you bring Adam along, you're guaranteed to have a great time.

Velocity Chicago, 2009

First and foremost, Erin Dickey is the greatest announcer in the history of the game. In fact, it would not have been the weekend it was had we not had the organizing and selfless officiating of Mr. Ben Fietz, organizing work of Augustine Montes and Julio Saravia, the COG boys, and certainly Mr. Mike Morell putting it all on paper. Not to mention the grand overseer and orchestrator, the crew over there in NYC better known as Cyclehawk. These people deserve the first of many props to be handed out for a very successful day of racing.

The rain hit hard and quick in the morning but left us with a very secluded, sunny day at the Washington Park Velodrome.  Those that rolled the dice got what they earned just as those that stayed in got what they deserved!

16 people registered for the avid cyclist racing. 15 were men, 1 was a woman. A very accomplished track racing woman. Miss Valerie Brostrom proved to us all why she is held in such high regard and contributed to an exciting mixed field. Regrettably, I do not have race by race results but we have quite a list of omni points winners. Overall winner was Andrew Yeoman of Team Pegasus. He won an exciting Match Sprint and scratch race. 2nd overall was Stanley Schultz. He was 2nd man in the Match Sprint and earned el vomiteur title by throwing up instead of racing the scratch race. He bounced back with an impressive performance in the points race by winning every bell lap. The podium was rounded out by the aforementioned Dr. Brostrom as she took third with her tiebreaking performance in the points race by placing higher than Brandon Scheiner.

The turnout for Messengers was 8 total. 7 male and 1 female. It was a tricky situation so we decided it was best to make the 1 woman earn her way to a ticket by mixing in with them big boys. She certainly earned it. Christina Peck celebrated her 2nd race flying the colors of team Cuttin' Crew in fine fashion. She nabbed 4th place in the scratch race and a hard fought 3rd place in the points race, notching her a 4th place overall in the omnium. Congratulations Christina!

The third messenger overall went to Adam Hanzel. A strong cyclocross rider showing great fitness and talent, riding his way to 3rd in the Match Sprint, 6th in the scratch and 4th in the points race. Jeff claimed top spot in one event, a very close and dramatic Match Sprint with Al Urbanski. All biases aside, Mr. Perkins exercised brilliant execution against his challenger. The video may seem like a close race but to all onlookers that were present, Urbanski was clearly outmatched. Then Jeff selflessly stepped aside and allowed it to became the Al Urbanski show.

Simply put, you're 2009 Chicago VeloCity champion, Al Urbanski SHUT. IT. DOWN! He toyed with his competition in the scratch race and soloed to an easy win. Only to follow it up with a flier to take the points race. Oh. He wasn't done. Against most tactical sense, he took off in a race that's designed to discourage breakaways. He went on a flier during the exhibition Miss-N-Out (AKA Devil takes the hindmost...thanks Erin), and claimed a clear victory for a pair of LAKE shoes. Absolutely amazing display of talent and raw skill. Congratulations, Al, we're all proud and excited to see what you can do in NYC.

Without further ado, here is your list of omnium results:

Points - Avid Cyclists:

25 - Andrew Yeoman (Men's Winner)

16 - Stanley Schultz

10 - Dr. Valerie Brostrom (Women's Winner)

10 - Brandon Scheiner

5 - Tyler Avery

4 - Chris Jensen

4 - Chris Kessler

3 - Max Riordan

1 - Niles Gibson (DFL)

Active Couriers

25 - Al Urbanski (Men's Winner) (Miss-N-Out winner)

23 - Jeff Perkins

9 - Adam Hazel

8 - Christina Peck (Women's Winner)

7 - Nico Cabrera

3 - Phil Breuer

3 - Eric VM (Kieran framset raffle winner)

As always, thanks need to go out to our sponsors and supporters. It's not even a matter of marketing anymore. These people truly support what we all love to do, because they love it too. That's what makes their service and products great and that's just good for everyone. It's only right to help those that help you. Shout outs to the big dogs: Cyclehawk Courier, New Belgium Brewery, Blue Cycles, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Yojimbo's Garage, LAKE cycling, Continental Tires, Sun Ringle, Chrome, Panaracer, COG magazine.

Thanks!

Photos by Just.Max, Christina, Candles, the son of Chris & Pete D)

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Best. Forecasting. Ever. Assuming they got it right this time, the rain is supposed to clear up by noon.

WE ARE STILL ON!

The 4th edition of VeloCity presented by Cyclehawk is at its biggest and baddest yet. 6 velodromes across the country will host messengers and city bikers with a shared passion for track racing. The top male and female messenger will contest each other for round trip tickets to the 7th and final velodrome on the list, Kissena in NYC. That clash of champions will bring out the top male and top female track racing messenger and reward them with round trip tickets to TOKYO!

You've seen this around, you know the deal. Your mission, should you choose to accept it lies before you...

Firstly, let me emphasize, there will be no cost for admission. Just come, participate, appreciate and soak in one of the finest sports around. Noon is the scheduled start time at Washington Park Velodrome in Kenosha, WI. Ben Fietz will provide an introduction to track etiquette and rules. A short clinic will follow with simple drills and techniques. The introduction will conclude with a paceline.

Sometime around 2 PM the racing will begin. Omnium categories are split into Male city bikers, Female city bikers, Female messengers and Male messengers. If the female turnout requires, the women's fields might be combined.

Here is your list of races:

First Event (Omnium):

Match Sprints

Second Event (Omnium):

10 Lap Scratch

Third Event (Omnium):

25 Lap Points Race, (15 for women's fields) Points every 5

Final Event (Exhibition):

Combined Field Miss-N-Out

Omnium points will be awarded up to 6 places deep in a 9, 7, 5, 3, 2, 1 fashion.

Common sense rules apply and we will be sticklers about them:

No booze at the velodrome

A good, protective helmet is required (i.e. no hairnets)

 Drop bars only, with bar plugs

No brake mounted at all

Sorry, no conversions

We will try to bring along as many drops as we can. If you don't have plugs sitting around then use a 2-liter cap and some electricians tape. Do SOMETHING, you're creative enough to figure out what will work and what won't...

The awards will be given out at the track. You will then be asked to blow your mind past the extent you've blown your lungs and legs by partying and consuming as much beer as humanly possible. "Good ol' Midwestern party" as Mr. Von Munz would call it. The event list for that is as follows...

Only event:

Beat Augie.

You've got questions? We've got answers. Hit us up on the comments. Sponsor list is deep and getting deeper. If that isn't motivation enough, think of coming out and increasing your odds of being in the next, latest and greatest issue of COG magazine. Yeah. They'll be there.

Can you dig it?

This Sunday, June 7th at 6 PM at Goose Island restaurant and brewery, Yojimbo's Track Cats is having a fundraising event that sounds fan-tastic. The raffle prize list is very deep with several great items. The money goes toward funding the continued success of this local juniors program.

Don't be alarmed if you notice a spike in fashion sense... Costumes are not entirely necessary but come highly recommended. Without a doubt, I can tell you it has been far too long since the last time you watched 'The Warriors'? Tell you what, prime if you can name 7 gangs without using the internet.

For those of you who absolutely can't make it, there are plenty more chances to get involved. Be warned the experience is very rewarding and addictive. Donations can also be arranged by coordinating via email with: donate-at-yojimbostrackcats.org

WE GOT NEXT

Los Angeles had a record turnout. Portland looked like it had a beautiful outing. Chrome has really been showing out.

Cyclehawk continues the tradition with us on June 13. Milwaukee and Chicago meet in Kenosha. Stay tuned, there are plenty more details to come...

Snakes, Melons, and Quads. Hell Yeah.

by Mike The Snake Alley criterium kicked off a race packed weekend for the crew. We parked the Cruiser above the brick switchbacks of the "snake" and snagged a spot mid-hill for one of our couches -- a prime cheering/heckling position.

Molly was the first to race and showed some true grit and resilience by finishing despite having to pull over after cramping up.

Later Max, Avi and myself lined up in the 65 man 4's field. As expected, the start was fast and chaotic as everyone scrambled for position heading into the narrow climb. I found myself behind Max near the back of the field for the first lap. It can be difficult to pass riders on the snake and for the first two or three laps I had trouble navigating around slower riders. Finally, around lap five, I came around Max and started to bridge between the isolated groups of riders up the road. Sometime around lap eight I made contact with the lead group and was able to sit in on the flat sections for a couple of laps. With two to go I took the lead heading into the switchbacks.

As I rounded the bend I could hear the roar of my teammates as they realized I'd made my way to the front of the race. I've read that riding HED wheels can motivate a rider to climb harder, but they've got nothing on the energy some screaming teammates with a cowbell can generate. Cresting the hill I'd managed to open a small gap on the rest of the field, but by the time we crossed the start/finish for the bell lap the group was back in my draft. I managed to find myself fifth wheel heading into the final straight, but my legs weren't up for the sprint. I crossed the line eighth. Max had cramped toward the end of the race and had to pull out, while Avi narrowly missed a payout finishing 17th.

But Avi wasn't done. He immediately lined up with the 30+ open field for another 12 laps. Sure, he may have been off the back after the first circuit, but a few laps later the chants of "A-vi, A-vi, A-vi" began to gain steam. By lap ten the chant could be heard all the way at the start/finish area as the spectators along the snake saluted his efforts. Avi climbed the snake 22 times in his back to back races.

Up next Al Urbanski worked his way from the back to the front of the 3s for 16 fast paced laps. Al managed to move from 35th to 20th in the first half of the race before gaining eight more places on the final descent and sprint to finish 12th.

Sunday we raced the Melon City Crit.

At Monday's Quad Cities Criterium Molly helped create an early break. Two riders managed to attack off the front of the group, but Molly and two others gave chase through the eight cornered course. The riders stayed away, but Molly unleashed one of her trademark sprints to finish fourth. Another great finish for Godlufski and the crew's best result of the weekend.

In the Master's 4/5 race I managed to stay upright and corner my way to eighth place. Later, in the 4's race Jeff handled the quick, technical course brilliantly staying in great position through-out and finishing tenth in the field followed closely by Max who picked up 16th place.

In the 3s the efforts of Stan and Al were thwarted by a wet course and several crashes.

All in all, a wonderful weekend of bike racing. Special thanks to Molly's family (Kathy, Ray, and Bruno) for opening up their beautiful home to our team and being such amazing hosts. And to Bradley and Rachel for their physical, emotional and spiritual support.

(Photo credits: Bradley, Michael Kelly, South Chicago Wheelmen and Brian Morrissey, xXx Racing)

...and now a word from our sponsors

Racing isn't cheap. It's no secret that we can use all the help we can get. We're lucky, though. We've got partners in this, sponsors that are down with what we're trying to do, and they're helping us get there one way or another.

So we've made some changes to the site in 2009, to get more eyeballs on them. So do yourself a favor, check them out, over on the left side of the page...yeah, keep going, all the way down. Because they're not just supporting the crew, they are supporting Chicagoland racing. Those prizes and primes don't grow on trees.

With that said, we're gonna take a short commercial break: Get yourself over to the Lake Cycling warehouse sale on Saturday May 30th. You shouldn't just go because they're local, and they support local teams like us. You should go because they'll have good stuff cheap. 1315 Sherman Place, 10-5. Grab the flyer for more info.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming. We'll have a full writeup of the Iowa adventure shortly.

Northbrook opening night!

It was a great opener. The weather was beautiful, the competition was intense and the crowd was excited. The lovely Miss Gavin-Smith was not always as serene as Mr. White's photo would suggest (thanks Ed). She was out working for her teammate Molly, the master of the 700 meter sprint (said to be "ri-donk-u-lous" by some) and claiming her stake at a 4th place tie in the omnium.

 

Molly got the top honor in the Women's 4s. She snatched 1st in the scratch race and 1st in the Win-n-Out. Very exciting displays of strength and aggression in the long sprints to victory.

Al was the top performer on the men's side. After a 9th place finish in the scratch, he bounced back to counter a break set up by Jeff and Brean in the points race. He and Dave Moyer went on the long journey ahead of the pack and Al earned himself 2nd place followed by a victory in the Win-n-Out. Al got 2nd in the evening's omnium.

Jeff was third in the omnium with a 4th place finish out of a 4 wide sprint in the Scratch, a 4th place in the points race, and a go-go gadget throw for 2nd in the Win-n-Out.

Bre got his money's worth by partaking in 4 events on the night. He got 6th in the scratch, 5th in the 4's points, a top secret result in the Master's race and rounded out a great team performance in the Win-n-Out at 5th. His omnium result in the 4s placed him at 5th for an early step in his season.

The fans were fantastic! The bus was full capacity and even a couch made it out to the infield. Big thanks again to Ed White for fantastic photos of the crew. Word is grilling is a must for this upcoming Thursday, May 21. Be sure not to miss it!