The Long Awaited Belt Race Report

Hey Y'all. Sorry about the delay, but here is a nice, little report, courtesy of our own Jeff Twohig, recounting the day's events. Jeff took second in the Cat4/5 road race last Saturday and Five Valley Velo posted strong standings again. Way to go boys!

Jeff wrote: When I showed up for the RR with Kyle and our fresh legs, from not doing the TT, we were informed that Willie had rode a great TT (Willy took 2nd). Since he had the best shot at the overall (Omnium), Willy would be our protected rider for the day.

With the wind at our back on the first stretch out of Belt we cruised the first few miles of the race with Steve Zellmer (4th in TT- NRO), Kyle, Howard Williams (Great Northern Cyclery), Tamara (NRO) and myself up front. Andrew, the Mountain biker from Missoula, launched an attack on an early climb. With nobody giving chase, he managed to open up about a 1/2 mile gap. This gap was closed a mile or 2 after heading into the back stretch with the fierce head/cross winds.

After a few minutes of slow pace and no action, Miles and Tamara Attacked into the stiff wind and stretched out the peloton into single file. Guys were trying to find any draft they could. Once Miles and Tamara got caught, I decided to counter attack from about 7 spots back, at about mile 15. By the time I passed Tamara I had a good head of steam, put my head down and hammered into the wind.

I looked back after 3-4 minutes, expecting to see the peloton right behind me. To my surprise they were a good 200-300 yards back, so I continued to push. Knowing I had teammates to block or sit in, I pushed as hard as I could to make the other teams work. However the wasn't much willingness to chase a solo break early into the race. At the turn the peloton was about 3 minutes back, and I thought, "I might be able to stay away".

After the turn, Brian Fryckman (GAS) , another GAS rider and 2-3 others pushed hard to chase in earnest. I know Kyle, and Travis worked hard to keep Willy with the chase group, but the chase group got away. Just before the top of the last climb, having gapped the remaining chasers, Brian caught me and created a gap for himself. My 18 miles off the front had come to an end.

Working together to insure 1st and 2nd, Brian and I worked into the wind on the home stretch and with about 300 yards to go and Brian on my wheel, I asked my weary legs for one more good effort. I pushed down on the cranks, out of the saddle, but my legs told me we would be finishing second today...

Willy finished just off the podium in 4th Overall (9th in the RR) & I finished 6th (I should have done the TT!). Other finishing numbers were: Kyle (11th RR), Travis (13th), Ely (17th) and juniors Joel Kramer (2nd in 13-14yo) and Adam Cook (1st 17-18 yo). A job well done. I (ErikD) struggled the entire day and placed way down in the Cat3 Omnium. All I could think of was high school initiation...ouch.

Team Stampede's First Annual Spring Potluck/Kickball Tournament

That's right, you heard it. This Monday night was what I hope will become an annual tradition-the Spring Kickball Tournament. We had a blast!

It was a beautiful night...no rain, and there was A LOT of food and beer. Being athletes, most of the dishes were some kind of past, but the college kids didn't disappoint and served us up with Taco Bell and Albertson's chicken. YUM.

Kyle passed out the new team kits and they are sharp. Although Jeremy's tri suit does look a little see through. It should make for an interesting Bitterroot Triathlon.

All-in-all it was a good night of socializing and team bonding. It's events like these that keep me coming back to the team. Thanks guys and gals for a fun night.

Belt, Montana

The Belt Omnium is this weekend! This is the first road race after the Rocky Mountain Roubaix and Five Valley Velo is planning on sending a strong group of Category 4 and 5 riders. So far we have Jeff Twohig, Ely Wilkinson, Kyle Shannon and Willy Zellmer. All of these guys have been coming on strong over the past few weeks. In the Cat 1,2,3 we won't be as well represented, but I'll try and make a go at it.

Belt is a great, early season road race and is a must-do for anyone who is planning on racing The Tour of the Bitterroot. This race consists of a 5 mile time trial in the am and the 40 mile road race in the pm. The road course is a rolling hills course without any big climbs. The one thing that riders may have to contend with is the wind. Let the Orange Crush dominate like we did at the Roubaix. I'll post a report after the race.

Check this guy out!

Glory Days

I worked this weekend at the hospital and when I rotate through my weekend I have to take a couple of days off, one each week. So today, I had the day off. It was one of those perfect days. I got to sleep in, make a bacon and eggs breakfast, caffeinate (on tea, remember..wife, no coffee) and get ready for a late morning group ride. Now that is my kind of day!

But it got me thinking about old times as I never get to do this sort of thing, being the 8 to 5'er that I am. I did get a nice taste of this last Monday, too. Thanks for the company Linsey.

So I rolled up to Le Petit and grabbed my pre-ride croissant. I have to say that I'm liking the whole Le Petit vibe, not to mention their awesome baked goods. The group gathered. Alex and Sarah, Monica, Travis, David G. and I and we headed out.

The sun was warm and the pace was easy. I could have happily napped on the back of the paceline. I started daydreaming about my days as a college student...when I had free time to make the daily group rides that our local club put on. I was a club rider long before I was a racer. My idea of fun was a few hours of casual riding to a nice bakery where we could have a pastry and espresso and then motor back home. We had all of our favorite routes, determined by the destination food stop. But don't think Missoulians on Bicycles folks. These guys (and gals) moved along nicely and we covered some ground. And there was always one significant climb that was involved.

We cycled up Hwy 200 and Alex reminisced about his racing days, when all he had to do was ride the bike. Sara wore her vintage, Louisville club jersey and the two of them rode side-by-side like boyfriend and girlfriend, no kids, no worries. David could've been on a country road west of Kalispell and Monica on Ironman Canada, both putting in endless miles. And Travis was sporting a symbol of a past conquest with his LOTOJA jersey. There was a great mix of riders, just like the group rides of my past.

Alex and Sara turned back at the Potomac store and the rest of us headed up towards Lubrecht. At the Garnet turn off we made the right and began the nearly 4 mile climb to the end of the pavement. It has been a few years since I've done this hill and with its 14-18% grade sections about ripped our legs off. It reminded me so much of the canyons in the Santa Monica or San Gabriel Mountains that we used to ride. Our food stop was the Potomac Store, a far cry from Cafe Casino in Santa Monica, but allowed us a few minutes to refuel before working the last 25 miles home.

So thanks to everyone who played a part today in jogging my memory and stirring up some happy images.

The Big Weekend

So Montana had a BIG weekend indeed. We had the annual Riverbank Run and the (Inaugural) Speedwagon Classic competitive cycling event in Polson. Peaks to Prairie went off on Sunday and I did none of them. And let me tell you, it about killed me. But I desperately needed a weekend to get some things done at the homestead and I passed on the events.

Looks like the Bank Run drew a very competitive field and the men in particular, threw down some blazing times. Whew, I would've been left in the dust! The Trifecta has become "The Race" and lots of Stampeders took on the challenge. Riki Peacock has been running strong and her time of 1:15:13 showed. The Sunday Long Runs must have payed off! Congrats to Justin Cloute for his Top 10 finish in the 5K at 17:53. And am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Former/current cyclists, Heidi Stamm and Becky Broeder ran the 10K! OMG.

The men blazed with Zack Strong running a 31:48 in the 10K leg, going on to win the trifecta at 51:43! Wow. Primo Latino ran himself into a respectable 15th place and lots of other familiar names came out. Way to go boys.

Peaks to Prairie was on my race schedule. I raced it two years ago and loved it. I wanted to get back there and race it again, but wouldn't do it with my sea kayak. I gave up 17 minutes with my slow boat and didn't want a repeat. But we DID have two Stampeders make the long trip to eastern Montana to represent, David and Alison (Forney) Gorman. I don't have all the details, except that Alison WON the elite women's solo division and David WON the men's masters solo division. Right on guys! I can't wait to hear more about it.

And last, but certainly not least, the cyclists headed up to the Seeley's in Polson for the Speedwagon Classic. Nothing like a tough 50 miler, half on loose gravel roads to knock some sense into you, right Miles? Per Matt's email, it sounded like pain and fun was had by all. I do hope that I can race it next year. Congrats to the "winner" Bill Martin. This is the guy you're going to have to watch out for on the MTB circuit.

So there you have it. It's never a dull moment here in the Garden City and you can always find somebody doing something.

Tour of the Bitterroot - sponsored by The Bitterroot Land Trust

May is fast approaching and the 2008 bicycle racing season is heating up. While Europe may have the Giro, we here in Western Montana look forward to the Tour of the Bitterroot. This year's edition will include the popular Stevensville Road Race, including the climb up El Capitan, a sweet Criterium in downtown Hamilton and will be followed by a "tour-worthy" time trial. Be sure to click on the link to the Official website!

Last year was a blast. The Bitterroot Land Trust put on a top-notch event that was fun for racers and spectators alike. This year will not disappoint, so start your planning for the biggest race of the spring! I'll post more press soon!

The Tour of Walla Walla Report

This past weekend was the Banner Bank, Tour of Walla Walla. This is the first big, regional stage race of the year and has become ultra popular. And I can see why. The race was excellent. It was a well organized event that sold out WEEKS ahead of time and Five Valley Velo had a small team of Cat 4's to represent. Our team consisted of Kyle Shannon, Ely Wilkinson, Willy Zellmer and myself. Dan Gager was slated to go, but was unable and was truly missed.

The Cat 4 race consisted of a Time Trial, a Road Race and the Downtown Criterium on Sunday morning. This was also a stage race, which meant that cumulative time would determine the GC leader and not points like at Frozen Flatlands. We were all pumped up and ready to go Friday night, on our way to WW for the Saturday AM TT.

Saturday began as a big question mark in my mind. Would the weather hold? How would we do? It was cold and windy as we warmed up. Willy Z. would be first off, then Kyle, myself and Ely. I rode hard, but didn't feel strong in my legs. Maybe it was the long drive the night before. Who knows, but I came in 2;00+ behind the leaders and I immediately realized that this was going to be harder than I thought. On my way up to the line at the TT I saw Willy just after he came in, snot dripping from his nose. I asked him how it felt and he said, "okay." Well that okay turned out to be the best time for the team, coming in at 17:22. My nose didn't run, I came in at 18:03. Kyle and Ely were down another minute. Great job from our junior teammate!

2pm marked the beginning of our 60 mile road race, but I immediately felt better. I made sure to rest and stay off my feet during the 3+ hours in between the stages. Things started off slowly and really didn't pick up. There were a couple of spots that sped up, but the race was being run very conservatively. Two big teams, Starbucks and Cucina Fresca, both from Seattle, were running the show. I worked my way to the front at the climb to begin lap 2 and forced a gap, but the teams quickly sat up and allowed the peloton to rejoin. Frustrated I moved ahead before the biggest climb on the backside of the course and was joined by a junior from O'boy Oberto. We had a gap of 45 seconds to a minute and they weren't going to chase, so I made the plan to climb ahead of the peloton at tempo, but not too hard, with hopes that a break would happen to catch us at the top. And that's exactly what happened. With about a half mile to go, all of the GC contenders sprung free from the peloton and came by us. Junior and I latched on and pushed it over the top. Three riders got away, but only by seconds, as we descended to the valley floor. "Hot damn," I thought. I was in the chase group and the peloton was behind me. Maybe this would play out well for me. But as we hit the flats and began to motor towards the finishing climb ( a 3K slog uphill) I quickly noticed that my legs were failing me. I hoped to hold on until the final 3K, but got popped at the 10K marker. I had no legs left. Steve Zellmer (NRO) caught me just before the final climb, also dropped and frustrated with himself, and we climbed the hill. My legs gone, I lost 4 more minutes from the leaders and finished 26th. Kyle was another 32 seconds and Willy 1:13 down. Ely rode hard but lost 20 minutes. 72 of the 90 starters finished!

Saturday night was not for cryin' in your beer, it was just for beer (and burgers.) We had some good pub fare with Tamara's family and our adopted teammate Steve Zellmer. After all, he is Willy's dad! Dinner followed an early to bed and rest up for Sunday's race.

The Crit was awesome. The remaining 72 riders lined up for a fast and furious, forty minute race. I was just hoping to keep it upright, 'cause in a group of 70+ Cat 4's there's bound to be some carnage. The race was fast and clean for the most part. Willy, Steve and I tried to stay up front where the race was more predictable, and my legs felt good. Kyle and Ely got caught in the back and soon the peloton split. After 20 minutes the back half of the peloton was pulled, leaving about 40+/- to duke it out. With 3 laps to go, things started to heat up and on the last lap I was sitting about 12th, but couldn't move up. I took 14th, Steve 19th and Willy 21st. It was our strongest showing of the weekend and was good to see Montana in there with the rest of them.

Walla Walla was the first stage race for most of us and was a real learning experience. And even though we didn't place, we had a great time racing in a beautiful setting and I know that I'll be back next year, if only to redeem myself. Hope to see more teammates in the peloton next year!

Good job to all the Montana boys and girls for showing off, especially our 'cross town competitors in green! Here's a shot of B. Presta rounding corner #1 in the Cat3 Crit. This was the adrenaline-charged event of the weekend.

Erik

Rocky Mountain Roubaix - A Day in the Sun

To all you cycling fans and competitors out there, welcome.

This year's edition of the Rocky Mountain Roubaix was the largest that I've seen in recent years. The excellent weather and all of the hype payed off and we had well over a hundred racers come from all over the state, Washington and Idaho in order to participate in what is arguably the greatest local road race put on. And a big thanks for the Northern Rockies Orthopedic Team for putting on such a top notch event!

I couldn't believe all of the team vans, tents and banners when I arrived at 9 am. I swear that this looked more like a regional event than a local one. Cyclists were warming up, music was playing and the sun was shining. Today was going to be a GREAT day for a bike race.

Tamara, Steve, Shaun and Bob were running the show and the categories were growing by the minute. I counted 40 guys in the Cat4/5 field, and we would also be riding with the Masters! "There's nothing like sharing half of a dirt road with 60+ other riders", I thought. Looked like fun.

The Roubaix has been going for 20 years or so, started by veteran road racer Carl Ammons and some of the early Five Valley Velo riders. Over the years it has taken a variety of different forms, but for the past 3 years has been in Frenchtown, Montana. The race is held on the same day as the infamous Paris-Roubaix road race. Paris-Roubaix is known for its rough, cobblestone roads, inclimate weather and viscous attacks from the riders. It is a test of your resolve and good fortune, and it seems that the riders with both are those who reign victorious.

So on this brilliant Sunday, we all came to the line with the same thoughts on our minds: Would our legs hold? Would we have good luck? The next two hours would tell...

My plan was simple. Right before the gun went off I was chatting with Elliot and said that I would go off the front and force a chase. I doubted that anyone would want to chase me so early in the race and I was right. We all but rolled out and were still easing up to speed when I took off. No body responded and I was soon heading up the road alone. Nice! I got so far up the road that the lead car had to come up to me and I was riding my own race. My legs were feeling pretty good, so I kept it up. I thought, "If I could only get over the 6 Mile hill and drop down into the 9 Mile Valley, they would surely have to chase." I was right, and in the process, some strain was starting to be put onto the peloton.

I stayed away for about 12 miles when I was caught by the chase group, containing 3 of my teammates, Elliot, Brendan and Adam Jensen. Toby (NRO) and Brian (GAS) made is a lead group of six. The race was essentially over at this point as the rest of the group was perhaps a minute arrears and we had 6 strong riders. Only problem was that we had Jensen...and I was in desperate need of some recovery time for my legs, so after about 3 miles in the lead group, I was off the back. But I was feeling good. I had successfully launched 3 of my teammates up the road and likely to the win. I rode two more solo miles and then was caught by the group for some needed rest. For me the rest of the race was easy. Five Valley Velo was sitting pretty up front and my boys were content to keep the peloton rolling along...just not fast enough to catch the break.

We climbed up the hill on 9 Mile Rd. and there was a crash. One of the Muleterro riders crossed wheels and went down. Travis Howard (5VV) and possibly Greg Larsen were taken down, too.

Lap 2 also included a hard crash on the pavement of the westside road. We lost Willie Zelmer and NRO's riders Doug Shryock and Jeremy.

Five Valley Velo stayed to the front of the peloton and drove up over the 9 Mile and 6 Mile hills. At one point we were two minutes down from the leaders, but on the frontage road they were within 30 seconds!!! What were they doing? It was a good thing that the peloton could not get organized, or we would've caught them. Jeff Twohig was chompin' at the bit on the final stretch and wanted to be right on my wheel for the final climb up to the finish. I lead the guys onto Roman Creek Rd and up the lower stretches of the hill until guys started to go. Howard (GNC) Rob Gillespie and Kyle (5VV) and a Spokane Rocket Velo guy shot past me. I kept thinking to myself to hang on 'til the end. I did and we took the next 3 spots: Gillespie 4th, Kyle 5th and myself 6th. The Cat 4/5 results were five of six places belonging to Five Valley Velo. Elliot took the win, Brendan 2nd and Brian Frykman (GAS) 3rd. The rest of our guys including Twohig, Miles Key, Ely, Tom Sullivan and Dan Gager were all close behind. Excellent job team!

The Men's Cat 1/2/3 played out in similar fashion with an early breakaway, but this guy (Cat3) stayed with the lead group and took the "W" for the 3's, I believe. His teammate Eric Anderson took it for the 1/2's. Sportsman's Clint Mulfield took 2nd, and NRO's Josh Tack held it together for 3rd. I'm sorry, but I do not have the standings for the women, but Danyele, Joey, Nadia and Geraldine were all riding very well. Maybe we'll get a women's report...

So the 2008 version of Roubaix was a success in every way, except the weather, but no one was complaining. As promised, but maybe a little late, I've finally got the pictures posted for this weekend's Roubaix. Check out the photo album, Susan got some pretty sweet shots!

Looks like the big boys got their day in the sun, too. Check out Boonen.

The Grizzly Recap

Congratulations to all of you who competed in yesterday's 20th Anniversary Grizzly Triathlon! I know that there were a ton of you who made your debut as a triathlete and you should be proud of yourselves. Good job Andie Rassmussen, you looked like a pro out there. I hope you come back to run your next triathlon soon.

Saturday was a banner day for racing. Some may argue that it was a little warm, but I enjoyed the warmth of the sun and it looks like you all did too.

Big Congratulations to Jen Luebke for taking the 'W'. You looked strong the whole way and made it look easy. Alison Forney-Gorman came from behind with a blistering T2 to take 2nd place, Stephanie Fisher 3rd and Emily Kipp 4th. Rhea Fuller rounded it out in 5th.

Men's reigning champion, Ben Hoffman, three-peated for the win. When I saw him come in on the bike I knew that no body would be catching him! Adam Jenson took 2nd, and Brendan Halpin ran like a man possessed to take 3rd. Young Matt Shryock rocked his usual, lightening fast run for fourth and Graham Meng held onto 5th place. It's tough racing against the Missoula boys, isn't it?

The Grizzly was as awesome as usual thanks to Race Directors Giles Thelen and Elliot Bassett. You guys really pulled all the stops and I received a ton of compliments on the food, music and overall organization. Kudos.

I had the privilege to work the food booth with Kyle, Megan, and Elliot, and they were kind enough to let me sneak away to take a few photos. I'm bummed that my wife (the real photographer in the family) wasn't able to be there, but I still got some snapshots. As an aside, she WAS at the Roubaix today (to shoot her hubby) and captured some amazing shots! I'm in the process of getting my pictures up on Flickr (due to the large # of shots), but will also make a small album on Yahoogroups, too. I'm hoping to get the Roubaix shots up in a day or two.

As always, feel free to comment on your experiences and/or send me photos.

I have lots of photos and took pictures of many folks I don't know, so be sure to check it out...you may just be there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/56809415@N00/sets/72157604525433807/

Sorry, but you'll have to rotate the photos yourselves.

Well the beginning of the Montana Racing Season is finally here and it started with quite a bang! I'll write a post about the Roubaix later tonight or tomorrow. It was just as fine of a day today.

Grizzly Weekend and a Dry Roubaix

Hello all you Triathlon fans and participants. Are you ready to rumble? Looks like tomorrow is shaping up to be a terrific day for racing. With highs expected to be near 70 degrees, you can expect the elite heats to be sweating it out and racing hard!

Thanks to everyone for voting. I'm going to have to say that it looks like you may have just picked a trifecta...My money is on Mr. Halpin for the win. This guy never ceases to amaze me. It seems that every time I see him, he's looking more ripped and fit than the last time I saw him. I don't think this boy's physiology knows when to quit! I think that if he gets into a groove that no body's gonna be able to catch him. My next bet will be on Ben Hoffman. Although he'll be trying to defend his Griz title from last year, he will have to run like an escaped convict to beat Brendan. Third goes to Todd Struckman. You guys may not remember, but Dr. Struck man ran a 3hr marathon in Seattle and took top 3 in the Garden City Triathlon last year, WHILE IN MEDICAL SCHOOL! Oops!

I'm not too familiar with the women, but have heard good things about Jen Lubke and Emily VonJentzen. Good luck to all the women and I hope the course record falls on what should be a great day of racing.

And don't forget the Roubaix on Sunday! Open Road is having a Pre-registration Party from 5 til 7pm tomorrow night. Come on over to sign up and have your one (or three) pre-race beers! This is a good time to check out the comp. start talking about how tired you are after racing the Griz and to whet your whistle before going over to the After Griz Party! I hope to see a whole truck load of you sign up for the Roubaix. Also, looks like there will be a fair amount of Spokane boys coming over here in an attempt to steal our thunder...seeing how well we did last week at Frozen Flatlands. Let's be sure to keep the medals (and bragging rights local, y'all)

Just in case there is anyone who wants to watch. A great vantage point will be at the Nine Mile Ranger Station on Nine Mile Rd. Be sure to get there by 10 am as the race will be rushing by about 10:15 am and you won't want to be in the way. Park OFF of the course and set up for some sketchy and very fast cornering on the DIRT. It will definitely be something to see!

See you this weekend "at the races."

Brendan at the 2007 Griz!!!