Pintler Classic Podium Shots

First off,  thanks to all of the racers for making this year's State Championship Road Race the great race that it was.  Eighty three racers towed the line and I have some of the podium shots.  If anyone else would like to contribute some of the earlier shots to the blog, please email me at realigner@yahoo.com.  Thanks.

 

 

And a GREAT BIG Thank You to Don and Vicky Russell for officiating and to all of our wonderful volunteers:  Granite County SAR, Sharon Fillbach and Loren Peterson at GCMC, Patty MacDonald at Lambros, Christophe and Anita, Brian for following the Juniors, Miles Key and the boys at MBW, Cathy and Nolan at Philipsburg Brewing Co, (Woohoo!), and everyone else who chipped in to make this race a success.

Thanks again to Hammer Nutrition, Alex Gallego and MBW, Matt and Jim at Black Coffee Roasting Co., and Cathy and Nolan at Philipsburg Brewing for Sponsoring this race.

The Last Night to Sign up Online is TONIGHT @ 10pm

Just a quick note to remind all riders considering racing this Saturday's State Championship RR that tonight, 10 pm MDT is the end of early registration. 

Get over to https://www.usacycling.org/register/2013-2018 to register and save 5 bucks.  Plus it gets us one step closer to getting results posted ASAP and there are no cumbersome riders' releases to sign on the day of the race.

Thanks a bunch.

Erik

Race Week - Some Last Minute Updates!

 Hello Racers.   Race week is upon us.  Be sure to get pre-registered and save $5 off the race-day entry!

Course Update:   I rode the course last night and it rode FAST.  Here is my Strava for the KOM's.                 http://app.strava.com/activities/59638058

So everyone's big question is, "how is the dirt section?"  I blasted through it with my 25c tires and no gloves.  It is very hard and smooth with only a few 100-200 meter rough sections (mostly small gravel or washboard).  There is one 45 degree left-hand bend that is pot holed, but that is it.  I will mark the road before the corner so everyone has a heads up!  The rest of the course is in great shape.  In my opinion,  "the hills ain't tough enough, and the dirt ain't rough enough."

Oh, and we are hoping to give a KOM to each of the categories: Cat 1/2/3, Women' 1/2/3/4, Master's A/B, Cat 4/5.  So you ALL have to ride hard!

Lodging:   I have talked to the forest service and there is free camping at Flint Creek, 8 miles south of town on Hwy 1.  Pit toilets and no fresh H2O, but plenty of creek water.

Karen at Philipsburg Inn has tent and RV spaces.  There are coin-op showers there too.  Tent space is $12/night.  RV $???.  She also has comfortable single or double rooms for $50-70, tax included.  Give her a call at 859-3959.  They are located conveniently close to the Sunshine Station, where the BBQ cook off will be Saturday afternoon.

Official, Don Russell is offering his 5th wheel and quest house for $20/ each.  He is crawling distance from the Philipsburg Brewing Company.  Call him at 531-4033 to get in on that deal.

Registration:   We are meeting at the Rotary Bldg, just a block south of Broadway (Main street).  There is ample parking and there will be signs on where to turn, whether you are coming into town from one direction or the other.  Registration begins at 9 am and we want to be wrapped up by 10:30 am.  Racing begins at 11 am, sharp.  Racers will wear both numbers on the right side of their jersey, one horizontal and the other vertical.  This should be the same as the previous MBRA races.

Downtown:   Awards happen at The Philipsburg Brewing Company about 3 pm.  Post race we will have Gatorade and Carbohydrates,  but the locals are giving us some discounts on meals.  The Club Bar has $2 discount on a meal.  Brett at Up 'N Smoke BBQ will give you any entree, one side and a drink for $7.  Bill at the Sunshine Station has the BBQ cook off, with dinner served at 5pm,  $10 for a HUGE plate of the contestants' grillings.  He is also giving all racers a free beer!  And of course, P'burg Brewing has the best beer around and all racers and volunteers over 21 get a free beer or soft drink.  Woohoo!

P'burg Brewing also has live music beginning at 5 pm and many of the shops will be open, just not The Sweet Palace/Sapphire Gallery.  You have to spend the night and visit them on Sunday.  Just one more reason to spend the night, race at Discovery on Sunday and enjoy Philipsburg!

That's it for now.  Email or call if you have any other questions and get ready for Saturday.

Erik

Pintler Classic Update

Black Coffee Roasting Company King of the Mountain

Winners get $25 Cash and Coffee!

KOM/QOM will be scored as the total of two or three rated climbs, depending on category.  Points will be scored 7 deep in Cat 1/2/3,  Master's A/B, and Women's 1/2/3.  See where you stack up on the climbs.  Do you have the leg's to take home the KOM?

Cash will also go to the top three in Men's and Women's Cat 1/2/3. TBD

A big thanks to Sponsors:  Missoula Bicycle Works, Philipsburg Brewing Company, Hammer Nutrition and Black Coffee Roasting Co. for providing unfailing support and some real nice swag for our top finishers!

And now for some housekeeping:  I am still in need of a few volunteers to make this a roaring success.  Please contact me if you are interested in being a follow vehicle for the race.  Drivers will be reimbursed for gas and have a front row seat to the action.

As many of you may know, there have been a couple of revisions to the race categories.  Men's Cat 1/2/3 will race together, but be scored separate.  Master's A/B...same thing applies.  Women's Cat 1/2/3/4 all start together, but are scored separately.  I would like to split up categories if fields are large enough and we have enough vehicles.  So spread the word and get everyone out to Philipsburg for a great day of racing.

Lastly,  Sign in will be downtown at the Rotary Building, on block south of Broadway, NOT at the park as in years past.  We have ample parking, an indoor sign in area and restrooms.  Not to mention some seriously good coffee from BCRC.

I am still waiting on camping in town at The Sanctuary, but there is a state campground 8 miles south on HWY 1.  I should hear more this week and will post.

Pintler Classic Weekly Update - Things are Heating Up!

Hey there racers!

We've got Philipsburg Brewing Company supplying each racer (21+ yo) with a free beer and we now have Black Coffee Roasting Company and Hammer Nutrition contributing to the prize list!

I will be posting more as information (and goodies) come available.  I am working on some local camping options and will be listing the local lodging options soon. 

Remember that the Discovery XC MTB race is on Sunday!!!  How about racing road on Saturday and MTB on Sunday.

Thanks for checking in and keep checking back.

E

The Pintler Classic Road Race

 June 15, 2013

Welcome to the Pintler Classic.  MBW Racing and Philipsburg Brewing Company are proud to present this year's State Road Race.  Things are just starting to get up and running, but there has already been quite a little buzz happening in Philipsburg.  June 15-16th is shaping up to be an action packed weekend, so be sure to mark it on your racing calendar so that you don't miss it.

 Look for lots of details here including road conditions, how the KOM/QOM will be scored and some of the perks that riders and volunteers can expect when they come over to race.  I will try to update this blog weekly or as useful and fun information becomes available.

For now, know that Philipsburg is excited that the race is on and can't wait.

Erik

Roubaix '11

First off I want to send a loud shout out to Northern Rockies and Elliott Bassett for putting on another great Rocky Mountain Roubaix two weekends ago.

MBW Racing, presented by Team Stampede/Five Valley Velo had an awesome Master's A race with Alex and John taking 1,2.  Nice work guys.  Bryce and Matt raced the Cat1,2's, Jeff and Bob in the Cat 3's, Miles and Ely Cat 4's, John and Jim Master's B.

Here are a few pics of the race.  Enjoy.

Nice racing to everyone out there.  See you next time.

AMGEN Tour of California

Hey there cycling fans. I thought I'd resurrect the Blog to post a few pics from the Tour of California. Susan and I made the 3 hour trek out of the Sierra to witness the best that America has to offer. And we weren't disappointed! The day was perfect. The Expo, the crowd and the riders were an awesome site to behold, and we got a few good shots in the process.

Enjoy!

Bitterroot Classic Triathlon Allstars!

CONGRATULATIONS TRIATHLETES!

How about a big round of applause to all of those local triathletes that competed in the Bitterroot Classic Tri this past weekend. Looks like there was a lot of Orange out there again. This is a good fast-paced race that brought out some good times. Kudos to Monica LaBarge for taking the women's title. nice swim/bike/run girl. Props also go out to my friends Jean Higgins-Peretto and Lauren Fern for posting solid times!

And how about our consummate Master's Triathlete, Jeremy Oury and his daughter, Racine. Way to go you two!

Geoff L'Heureux taking the whole race, Bryan Broscious 2nd and Oury 3rd. Nice run Jeremy. Dean McGovern had a solid performance as did Jeff Crouch.

ADVERTISEMENT: Five Valley Velo Blog Administrator wanted. As most of you know I'm in California now and not so much a part of the local scene. I'd love to see this BLOG continue and I'm looking for someone to post on it. Anyone interested? It has been a blast this past year, posting basically anything I've wanted to post. (Thanks for putting up with me) Contact me if you're interested. It's a fun pastime.

Bearmouth from the Press Box

And I'm not talkin' about the Grizzly Headquarters on Van Buren!


All I can say about today's race is WOW. I had the opportunity to put on my first ever race today with the Bearmouth Road Race. I am a little bummed that I wasn't able to ride it, but I'm very glad to have been there supporting my team and (hopefully) putting on a choice event for the bicycle racers of Montana.


Susan and I got up early this morning and started up the Rocket, our two-person, stove top espresso maker. Weekends were made for caffeine, especially if you're out camping with 3 dogs! And you know that I have to be keen as Race Promoter for today's 64 miler out in Granite county.


The early morning cloud cover and light breeze made me feel easy. I knew that it would be a good day of racing. We pitched the trademark, Team Stampede/Five Valley Velo tent and started signing riders in. At first it was slow, but then the rush came. Bozeman was there in force (as usual), Flathead, Sportsman's and Great Northern were there. Five Valley, of course, was present and even a Spokane rider, Anthony Aleto, from Spokane. With the Master's men and Women we had 50 riders in total. This was a good showing for a mid-summer event.


I scrambled to find even 3 wheel cars and I had to man the 2nd turn around/feed zone as there were literally, only a handful volunteers from our team there to assist. Thanks Dean, Kyle, John and Miles for stepping up. A HUGE thanks to NRO for stepping up and providing 2 wheel cars. You guys were AWESOME.


Even so, we started within 10 minutes of our scheduled start time. First out was the biggest group of the day, the Cat 1/2/3 men. 24 riders, half the entire showing headed out. In them were Matt Seeley, Elliot Bassett, Willy Zellmer and John Weyrich. Today would turn out to be a test of the riders' resolve and ability to negotiate the climbs in 90 degree heat. Think of a stage through the Pyrenees during the tour. As I said, I was Marshall at the 2nd turn around (~mile 32) and Brad Morgan had a 30 second gap when he passed us. The riders took their water from us (thanks G.A.S. ladies) and started lap two. I was thankful to see our team all in the main group at the half way mark. Now only another hour and a half til the finish...


At 2:30 or so I talked to Shaun, who unfortunately didn't finish, and he said that he saw Weyrich out on a solo break during lap 2. Shaun figured it a sacrifice, but I wondered if the cagey veteran didn't have another plan in mind. We waited, I worried, and then we saw them round the last corner. It was a big group. They must have caught John. Who would be the winner? It was going to be close, and it was an incredible finish. Anthony Aleto (Emde) took it by 1/2 a wheel from our very own John Weyrich. Russ Schneider (Cat3 Flathead) was third, and first in his category. If you listen to the reel from the video, "WOW" just about describes how it looked. Seeley took 6th.


After the race I met up with John and it looks like he and Brad had it going on for a little while, but then Brad got into trouble and that left John along to hang on. Without Brad, a hard chase ensued. If the two of them had been able to work together, the entire outcome may have been different.


Men's master's B contained 6 riders, two from Five Valley Velo. Dean McGovern and John Weston were there to represent. Dean hung on to Big, Cliff Sheehan's (NRO) wheel for a solid 3rd place finish.


Men's Cat3's: Willy Zellmer has shown that he is learning how to play with the big kids in the playground with a 3rd place finish (10th in the bunch sprint). He's the one that looks like everyone else, deftly hiding his 15 year age!


Cat4/5 was graced with the presence of Dr. Struckman, who had to remember how to ride a bike, but came in with 3rd overall. I thought he was going to have it as he and Michael Longmire (Master's A, NRO) had about a minute on the field at the feed zone, but both of them must have tired over the hot asphault on the backside of the course. NRO crushed the field by taking 1,2 in the Cat4/5's and first (Longmire) in the A's. Nice work guys...we secretly hate you.


The ALL WOMEN'S field, Cat's 1/2/3/4 took off last (but not least). It was a powerful group of 9 women who battled it out over every hill and came down to the finish. Tamara Bessette (NRO) took it in the sprint, but Mario Schat hung in there 'til the end. Nice work ladies! You Cat4 ladies need to keep your radar out for Caroline Roy (Delphine) who took 3rd overall and 1st in her category.


A big thanks to the many who came out to race and the FEW who volunteered. The Bearmouth Road Race is truly a great race that suits any racer and we at Five Valley Velo have put it on for years. It would be a shame to let it die due to lack of team support in putting it on. We need more local races, not less.