Wanting to buy a mountain bike

Sandra here....

I am looking to buy a mountain bike. I may do some racing on it but really want something that I can play with beside my cyclocross bike. I do not want to spend more than $2000. So I am reaching out to see what kind of suggestions I can get on what I should buy.

leave a comment ....

Solid AGM

Thanks to everyone who came out to the AGM. And a big THANKS to Diana for hosting this meeting in her amazing house. I think we got a lot accomplished despite Ryan saying at several points through my talk he wished I would just wrap it up :)

Marcy and Kailee had some great ideas on how to really get the women out training and racing. Both of them have indicated our women's squad will be solid this year, and if it isn't, it's not for lack of trying.

Alex has indicated he is interested in doing the Sat. morning race sessions with another volunteer so you guys can switch off weekends. Please leave a comment if you can do this. I think it will be fun and there is nothing saying that the person leading the race sessions can't be part of the races!

I know Mike Healy will be great organizing fun and original racing formats for the WNS races we host!

Ryan has already put together some great Penticton Camp info and will be presenting it soon.

Rob and Darcy are going to be recruiting several other racers to ensure the new and old Cat4/5's have a great spring.

There are a few more things that will be developing after Christmas.

Thomas and I have your jersey order in to Champion Systems and they have already charged my MasterCard. So that is well on its way.

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AGM.

POTENTIAL MEMBERS: Come out and enjoy free beer and pizza while you listen to our club members chat and talk about racing and the team. No pressure, view this evening as a trial to see if you like the atmosphere. If you haven't road raced before and are just 'race-curious' come out and we'll convince you why it's what the cool kids do.

Current MEMBERS: Please, even if you can't make the AGM, please register so we have a rough idea of team numbers for the evening. Also, make sure to leave some beer for the potential members ;)

Thomas and I have been working on an agenda and projects list. Thank you to those that have emailed me with suggestions. The 'formal' part of the evening will be short. Mainly just a chat about where we would all like to see the club thrive. What worked, what didn't, what needs improvement. We are number 1, but we can improve.

Come to the spin to earn your beer! We start pedaling at 6:30pm SHARP. It is going to be a hard 60min workout. The spin class has done a small fitness ramp to prepare for the doldrums of Christmas, and this is a solid workout. Come out.

Typical Pre-Ride Conversation

Thanks to Brent T. for passing this one on.

AGM THIS WEDNESDAY!

Hopefully most members are planning on coming to hang out and mix it up with your teammates on Wed. It will be a pretty relaxed affair, with only a couple minutes dedicated to formal business. If you see anyone you don't recognize, make sure to make them feel welcome.

Also, if you want to, feel free to join in on the Spin Class starting at 6:30pm SHARP at the store. We are doing a relatively short, but tough workout before taking a hiatus for the Christmas holidays.

Please try to register for the club before the AGM !!

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Check out this video. It is 27min long ?!?! and unedited, but flip ahead to when we're running along the 'cliff' or through the forested area in the trail. Pretty neat. I was really happy with how stable and good quality the video is. This is heavily compressed so you can stream it, but the original is very high quality.

Calgary Road Runners Silver Springs XC Race 2009 from Nerd Williams on Vimeo.

Highway 549 and a gravel pit.

This was forwarded to me today.

http://www.canadiancyclist.com/dailynews.php?id=17964

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OK.

Hero cam experiment #17...

Trev, You gotta post your race Vid man .

[Editor] The picture is of me about 28min into a 29min race. The camera on my head had just filled its memory card, but had performed amazingly. I will see if I can find a way to upload. I will play it at spin too.

Commemorative Kit Order Form (UPDATED)

UPDATED .... We can order any 'short sleeve jersey' and it will count toward our minimum. So I have opened up the options on the spreadsheet for 'race cut' and all zipper lengths.

NOTE THE DEADLINE!! WE WANT TO MAKE THIS SHORT AND SWEET.

Here is the order form for the Commemorative Kit. Please fill this out and send it to Trev via the email in the spreadsheet. Please also forward payment to Trev via email money transfer asap.

We need a minimum order of 20 jerseys to make this happen. So if you were ever planning on getting this special limited edition team kit, now is the time!

Here is a PDF of the design. Note: the red in the pdf will be the same red as on our current kits.

**I had to do a slight modification to the design to stay within Speed Theory's Logo parameters.

More 'cross fun

Fingers crossed that next year I look more like the guys at 0:40 and 1:22, and less like the guy that flips over the fence and has to run back around it to pick up his bike (2:22)... :)

Extending the season: 'cross in Toronto

I was visiting some friends in Toronto this past weekend, and although I took my cycling shoes and shorts, I didn't anticipate a race... My buddy Nigel told me about Subway Cross, and another friend Shawn lent me his sweet (although a wee bit too small) rig AND loaded on his new race wheels and tubulars. Doesn't he know about my terrible reputation for staying upright? :)

Great race, though. Thanks to Cyclocross Ontario for putting it on, to the weather gods for making it not a COMPLETE mud-fest, and again to Shawn and Nigel for gearing me up.

I have to admit that I was picked up from Nigel's by Shawn because I was running late, and when I got to the course, I had to call Nigel to bring my shoes that I'd forgotten... Some things never change. :)

..

Spin props

Last night at spin we were doing a long 12min big gear set. For fun I gave people the option to do the entire set in small ring standing. Rick, Carl, Handsome Rob, and Hiroshi all lasted the ENTIRE 12min !! The core session turned into a laying down moaning session.

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Speed Theory Cycling AGM, Dec. 16th at 8pm.

We will have our AGM on Dec. 16th. Diana has offered her more than ample house to host the event. It is about 1 block from SpeedTheory and located here.

The club has grown significantly in the last year and it has become necessary to assign responsibilities within the club's membership. I will be posting some 'positions' in the coming week and you can think whether you would like to take on any of the roles. I would really like to make this club a sustainable resource (not dependent on any one individual) for Alberta Cycling into the foreseeable future and we can start moving in that direction. It will be difficult for me at first to delegate key responsibilities, but I believe it is required to maintain a club of the current proportions and momentum. With taking on key responsibilities, you will have a say in the overall direction and focus of the club and its finances, which up to this point has rested on one individual.

If you think you can create a position that fills a void, or would add some key cool aspect or function to the club, then please let me know and we can discuss at the AGM. (An example would be Keith's complete addition of a CX race offered by ST Cycling. Something that wasn't there before and now is there and awesome) The main thing I want to impress upon anyone taking on a role is that it should be taken seriously for the term agreed to. By keeping the decision making and work done to a small number of people, it has been easy to ensure good quality/value (which is what I want this club to continue to be known for), but this will have to be assumed while more people come on board. It will be fun for me and fun for any potential 'board' members to see how much further we can take this club !!

POTENTIAL SPEED THEORY CYCLING MEMBERS. Please come to this event and check out if this club is up your alley and let it aid in your decision to join us. Current members can answer all your questions and get you pumped for the new year. Come out and have a beer on Speed Theory Cycling.

Cervelo P2C For Sale

http://speedtheory.freeforums.org/cevelo-p2c-for-sale-t149.html
Joel

Three things

1.) We'll be having our AGM very shortly here. Last year we did it after a Spin Class at Bugaboo Pub just across the parking lot from SpeedTheory. This year we have waited a little too long to do that, but it will probably be on Dec. 14th at around 8:30pm. So those with kids can get them to bed and make it to the pub in plenty of time. If you would like anything on the agenda at the AGM personally, then email me and I will include it. If you are a potential member of our team, this is a perfect opportunity to come out and meet your potential new teammates. Please feel welcome to attend.

2.) Club Membership. To the right of this post is our 2010 membership link and here. Your membership expires on Dec. 31st. I generally try to get all current members that are planning on returning to sign up well before this date so we know who is coming back and also so their ride insurance doesn't lapse. So if you wouldn't mind signing up at your earliest convenience that would be great.

3.) Commemorative jersey: Thomas is going to handle this one in terms of the design (which you've seen already) and communicating with Champion-Systems. We have decided to stick with them since we all know there sizes and quality, so there will be no surprises. We are going to offer a full-zip jersey, shorts, and bibs for this run in both men's and women's sizing. This will make the process fast and efficient and keep the costs low. Watch for a post about this very soon. We need 25 to make this happen.

Monday night at 6:30pm.

If any of you guys are around your computers at 6:30pm on Monday, please go to this website:

This one

and leave a comment if it is working for you. If you can hear the music and me talking. I want to get several different people trying this out to see if it is stable.

We are hoping to start streaming our spins for satellite groups like Tom Kenny's Garage Gang and such.

Trev

Standing Start

Our teammates in recent races.

Well, it seems we had a string of triathlons dominate our recent race coverage. So, as a brief interlude to pure bike racing, here are a few shots of our teammates adding some odd events to bookend cycling.

Broadcasting and recording spin classes.

Does anyone have any experience with a good freeware program and web cam to record and host our spin classes online? As an experiment, I would like to set up a web cam and stream it to Tom Kenny's garage gang (so team members in the south can make it easier to spin) but would like some recommendations on a good web cam (hardware) and a good program to do this (software). Also, any help for implementation would be great.

Study at the UofC HPL

Basically we're interested in looking at the effect of lower body
compression clothing on short duration power performance and sustainability.
Since the testing requires completion of 6 Wingate session over the course
of 2 weeks, we're looking for males fit enough / experienced with high
intensity sprints to complete the whole 2 weeks; sprint/power type athletes
would be preferred but this certainly isn't a requirement. Also, due to
limited sizes of clothing they need to be 5'7-6'1 and weigh >80-85kg.

Contact Graeme Challis if you want to participate in this study.

In response to who? (UPDATED)

[Edit Update] I was sent a 'clarification' email last night that was really insightful and pointed out that my team propaganda post was vacant of some of the facts that prompted this news story as well as some of the history of Alberta Cycling. While my post was meant basically to pump up our team members and get us all excited for another successful race season, I in no way wanted that to be at the expense of other teams. I believe the formation and support of more teams regardless of level and ability only leads to better racing in Alberta and should be encouraged. It also leads to more cyclists on the roads which will also hopefully lead to increased cyclist awareness from traffic. What I failed to include in my original post was the development of young cyclists, of which clubs with funding have had a very active role in for significant periods of time, and of which ST Cycling has been almost non-existent. We have done a good job in getting people racing that may not have had they not had a team like ST Cycling to join, and we have done a great job in teaching them to train and race and act like a race team, regardless of ability. Because we are a team that relies on its own funding, we tend to be predominately a team of racers that have their own means to afford racing, so our grassroots approach starts with riders that are usually not U23. I think having both types of clubs in the province is very important since it targets to distinctly different demographics and gets their butts in the saddle. My original post mainly was meant to state that once we HAVE these riders in the saddle, and because we are primarily a road racing club and can focus on road racing, I think we do the best job of getting our racers training and racing like a team. It has been apparent other clubs have had to start thinking more this way and that can only be good for Alberta Cycling. [Finish Update]

Here is the latest news feed from the ABA. This is great for Alberta cycling. The more teams training and racing AS A TEAM the better.

Personally I hope that Cyclemeisters who are looking to take Cat1/2 riders from existing clubs would spend the same amount of time getting their grassroots program training and racing as a team as well and develop a feeder network for themselves and other high level outfits. Recently Amy Woodward (Bow Cycle Pres) attended one of our team spins to see first hand the value in gathering the team together through the long winter. They are looking to start their own sessions. So it indicates to me that the grassroots development of team and race skills is catching on.

I wonder which team (in recent history) got the ball rolling and the momentum going from the ground up? :) This was the plan from the outset. Our cohesive approach to grassroots cycling and producing great racers within a tight team environment has forced other Albertan teams to respond. Great. The more competition, the better the competition. Let's race!

http://www.albertabicycle.ab.ca/cyclemeisters-looking-for-riders/?id=921

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Rick, the LCD, and a race series.

Guys, have a look at the great work Rick M. did for the club and the store!! In very short order, we will have 2 full-time Computrainers and sometimes 4 set up at the store and will be hosting racing events to keep up our motivation over the long winter. The software allows drafting, pack racing, and head/tail winds, so we can simulate any conditions.

Thanks Rick for doing such a pro job.

The LCD and computer are owned by the club, so if we can get some people interested in learning the software (not just me) and helping me put on a race series or something fun over the winter, that would be super cool. Leave a comment if you are interested in helping out and we will discuss over beers one night how to set up something fun the club can take advantage of.

Dan in Tempe

Dan did the swim in 1 hour 16:45, and the bike in 5 hours 5 mins 8 seconds (roughly 35.5kph for roughly 180 km). And the run in 4:32:57, finishing up at 11:04:48, knocking just shy of an hour off his previous PB!

Great work Slayer!

God Bless Everyone

Team,

Funny experience yesterday.

Debby and I have been doing the regular Ironman village stuff and hanging out, driving around and checking out the local scenes. We went to the Arizona Mills yesterday. I must be the Arizona version of the new mall in Balzac. Anyways, stimulation overload. It is like Disneyland inside a mall. Music blaring from every store and different music in the corridors. Nothing that I can recognize at all though. I am sure the Dave Mustaine lyrics and Kerry King guitar riffs are counter productive for producing commercial spending behaviours.

The central booths are loaded with high pressure sales people. I have not done any world travelling but it must be like markets in Egypt or Turkey. You can't walk anywhere without someone wanting in your pockets. So I was walking down the walkway and I was approached by a guy that was selling protectors for iphones. Very cool scratch resistant stuff. I got suckered in and gave over the phone and was told to come back in 30 minutes. The following is the dialogue of the conversation when I came back to retrieve my phone.

"Here is your phone, all ready to go." (salesperson)

"Cool, I like how you did that, it looks like a good product." (Slayer Dan)

"Your not from around here are you?" (sales dude)

"No, why." (Slayer)

"Your actually nice, your not trying to steal my cash drawer." (sales dude)

"The guys on my cycling team are nice to you. This one time at band camp, I got into an argument with a hockey player and, ....... nevermind" (slayer dan)

"Hey whats with the tattoos, are you like an athlete. Are you an ironman?" (sales dude)

"check this out, this guy is here for ironman" he says to other sales associates.

"What the f#$k is that." says the now approaching sales not dude.

Picture the look of shock on my face now.

"It is a race, with a swim bike and run." says the sales dude who worked on my phone.

I'm standing there in the mall looking at this guy as if he just climbed out from under a rock.

"Are you shape, do you exercise lots?" says the barely functioning adult sales dude.

"Dude, look at my calves. These are so solid they can repel bullets. Look at my quads, this is Hans and this is Franz, they can tear the roof off of your car if your in an accident while you smoking, texting, injecting and whatever else you do when you drive your car! Dude, my body fat is lower then your parents mortgage rate, oh wait, they don't have one and you live on the streets!" (slayer dan)

The mall cops were really nice as they escorted Debby and I to our rental car.

have a great day.

Dan

Racing in the heat question

Team,

Does anyone on the team have experience using salt tabs? I have only used them once in Ironman Canada and have real no experience to draw from.

Yesterday in my training ride my face was covered in salt from the sweat and I am just wondering if it is worth picking up some electrolyte tablets for the race.

If anyone could provide some comments or direction that would be awesome.

Not sure if there is a better way from the prostate cancer foundation to raise money, but I think I have seen the absolute worst collection of mustaches on guys ever. Who thought it was a good idea to raise money by sticking an ugly caterpillar under your nose anyways!

Take care,

Slayer Dan

A little more humor

I found this via a friend on facebook and had to share it with you guys. Hope you laugh as hard as I did.



triplec.ca

Hipsters Discuss Cyclocross

There's been all kinds of bad crash stories on the blog lately, so here's some humour to cheer everyone up. Snagged from the Bike Snob NYC blog.

Slayer in Tempe

While most of us are starting to train again, doing spin classes, cross training, thinking about training again, dogging cars, or if you are Dallas doing epic rides. Our team mate Slayer Dan is still hard at it. He will be doing the Tempe Ironman this Sunday. The weather forecast is 73 and sunny so perfect conditions.

Dan has been training hard right through the end of the race season and is in great shape and ready to go. I am sure there will be an amazing post some time next week.

In the meantime you can follow the race at IronManArizona.com. Slayer is number 720, go time is 7am.

Photo Credit Bing from Saskatoon, great guy who takes pictures every year at Bikes on Broadway

Dude, you should see the other guy...

I am going to consider myself very lucky. You know the classic "car turns left in front of cyclist as cyclist is going straight through the intersection"? Well that happened to me on the way home from work today, but instead of just a close call, I ended up on the windshield, pretty well shattering it and rolling over the car. Now somehow I landed on my feet off to the left side of the car. I was so amazed that I was okay I couldn't believe it. My bike is another story, the wheel no longer being true is just where that begins.

It reminded me of the story last week about the guy from Ridleys and how it's just dumb luck that mine ended up this way.

And all I have to show for it is a little red mark on my knee! Oh and a broken bike.


Edit: Thanks everyone for the comments. I was kind of still reeling from the whole experience last night and I think it still hasn't really hit home yet. I've had a pretty killer headache all day and my neck and upper back are starting to hurt, so I will definitely take your advice about waiting a few weeks for symptoms to show up Trev.

I guess that even though we have the right of way in some situations, it's still important to watch out for drivers for them since they're not expecting to see cyclists. Hopefully we can come to a time where cyclists are common enough in colder and darker weather and we don't have to worry so much about that.

Great Article In The National Post

Speed Theory team member Peter Verburg rode in Levi Leipheimer's Gran Fondo this fall in California. Here is the article in the National Post that he wrote. Sounds like an amazing ride and a great story by Peter. http://www.nationalpost.com/life/travel/story.html?id=2221950

Cross-Country Skiing: Stay Tuned

As Lockie mentioned below, cross-country skiing is great cross-training, and a good break from the boredom of indoor training. I know several Speed Theory folks (including me) ski in the winter, and some others may want to try it out this year. So, once the snow really starts to fly, I propose a Speed Theory ski trip to the Canmore Nordic Centre. Although the snow cover can be a little sketchy, CNC has a few advantages:

1. A nice lodge for warming up and eating lunch.
2. Trails that are groomed for both classic and skate skiing.
3. A good variety of trails for both beginners and more advanced skiers.
4. Lessons available right on site.
5. Lots of good restaurants in Canmore for after-ski food and beverages.

Disadvantages? CNC does charge trail fees.

Anyone out there interested?

Cyclist commuter hit by SUV last night in NW

Does anyone have a name or any info on this. I hate when these things get reported and there is no name associated with it.

Trev

What's your cross-training going to be?

Take it from me...you can't ride hard year-round, and not burn out. Trev is the exception that proves the rule. So what are you going to do for cross-training, to keep fit while you're off the bike?

Cross-country skiing is a good option: a solid leg workout and good cardio for damn sure. We can try organizing something once the snow gets good.

Another option is speed skating. Calgary Speed Skating has introductory lessons for very cheap ($50 total I think?). It's called the Absolute Speed Program, and it runs for 4 sessions. One round of sessions start this weekend. Dates are November 14, 17, 21 and 24. Last year they also did a December program, but my advice is to start early, because the speed skating season is short! You can email calspeed@ucalgary.ca for more info, or go to www.calgaryspeedskating.com.

Edit: here are a couple of pics of my instructor from last year, Alexandra Ianculescu. She's fast.
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CROSS PROVINCIALS !! (updated with results)

Well, Keith and Sandra and their army of volunteers put on a top notch event to cap the Alberta CX season yesterday. I got to the venue to watch the entire MasterA/B men's race. The field zoomed through the extremely challenging circuit. Thomas, Jared, and Lachlan represented well while Craig Stappler dominated. Then it was up to me and Dallas to fly the colours for the Open event. Both of us had good races, considering neither of us are cross superstars like Schooler and Bunnin. I made it 8 out of 10 laps until I was getting pretty beat down and screwed up an easy corner and fell over. Unfortunately the shift and brake lever caught on a hump or something and snapped the hood in two and the shifter came off in my hand.

Thanks to all the teammates that came out to cheer and heckle. Cross is such a spectator friendly event, it is no wonder they draw huge crowds in Europe.

Let's see some pictures and hear some more stories !!

Results!

KeithStudios was out taking shots, here are his pics. Thank you very much!

Tour de Suisse avec Speed Theory

Last week I rode 500 km over 5 days in the Swiss alps, over many mountain cols. I rented a brand-new Trek Alpha in Geneva, complete with Look Keo pedals (they ask you what cleats you use and they put the pedals on) I had many positive comments about the team kit, and being the end of October the roads were quiet. In Switzerland the roads are billiard-table smooth with nary a pebble, and the motorists are very accommodating. As Ferris Bueller would say, if you have the means I highly recommend it.

Here was the approximate route.

Cyclocross Provincials

Alright,

Just a few days to go. Thank you to those of you who are helping me out this weekend.

RACE REGISTRATION HERE !

I know the tech guide mentions that lapped riders will be pulled from the afternoon men's races.
But after talking to Jim Smith, he feels that he can keep track of the race well enough to allow lapped riders to continue. So, if you or anyone you know was hesitant to register because they didn't like the idea of having their race cut short by the speedy guys at the front, that should not be a problem now. Sign up, race, have fun. This is the last start line of the 2009 season you'll see.

Anyone unable to volunteer or race but still want to make a contribution? Drop off a plate of home baked goodies at the school on Sunday morning.

After this it's four months of easy riding. Yay, winter.

Keith

Winter Tires - What do you use

I've been riding to work for nearly 15 years. I've tried piles of tires for the winter but have yet to find the ultimate tire. I tend to put the bike away if it's too slipper (ice) but try to make it through if it just snow.

So, what do you use? What do you like?

Championship Kit and Halloween Party.

Thomas has been working on a cycling kit to celebrate our rise to the top of Alberta Road Clubs. He wanted to make something distinctively different, yet still fully recognizable as an ST rider. Also, he was a big fan of the old Saeco kit and wanted to emulate it a bit. On the arm, is the 09AlbertaRoadCupChampions.... not so big as to be a brag. This is just a prelim and is only in its fourth generation, so it may change, but I thought I would share it with the club. The red is the same red as on our black jerseys, but comes through as a little lighter here on the image, since it is an official 'dye'. (Click on jersey to make it bigger)

We are negotiating with a company (ATAC) that wants our business (we ordered A LOT of clothes last year) to make these, so we hope the cost will be quite low for the kit.

Remember to come out Friday night at around 7pm.

While we were beer miling....

... Dallas was performing his own crazy feats of endurance. Makes me feel super silly for DNFing a 30min event. Although after the 2nd Labatt Blue I think I would have rather been riding alongside Dallas. Next Beer Mile, I am going to stick to a beer I know and like, I knew I was in for disaster from the first sip of the crap.

Halloween Party !!

Since this is a club event, food and booze are 'on the club'. Bring your whole family.

Party starts at 7pm.

Address is here.

Be sure to check out this house on your way to our place. It is crazy!

Beer Mile Results

It was a cool Saturday night with a bit of snow on the ground but clear footing on the track for the 33 individuals who took on the 2009 Beer Mile. The cast would include 16 first time beer milers with the eventual winner, Geoff "hoofing" Hopfner coming from this group. Defending champion, Luke Way came in second. The two were in separate heats and I wonder how it would have turned out had they been in the same heat.

The women saw a close battle between Cat Brown and Kelly O'Toole with O'Toole claiming the victory.

Bringing up the rear was Trev Williams. Give this guy credit as he comes out knowing that he drinks beer like he is sipping tea at a Tea Party. But he was not alone at the Tea Party as Joel "beer bottle soother" battled it out with Trev. It came down to the last 200 meters and Joel claimed victory over Trev. Hard to believe that these boys are Engineers!

This year a double was attempted and was succeeded. Rob Lukacs posted 8:15 amd 15:04, respectively for his beer miles. He was seen drinking before and after. Goosh!



In usual fashion many dressed up for the occasion.

Thanks to all who came out. See you in the spring for the next one.


Sex Time Name Age

M 6:47 Geoff "hoofing" Hopfner 28
M 7:04 Luke Way
M 7:52 John White 34
M 7:59 Kyle Marcotte 32
M 8:01 Raui

M 8:15 Rob "beer star double" Lukacs 23
M 8:27 Johnny Hammill 27
M 8:28 Keith "I just turned 40" Bayly 40
M 8:28 Mike Young 32
M 8:51 Carson Bannon 28
M 9:02 Greg "I am gonna win" Nicholson 35
M 9:21 Alan O 45
F 9:29 Kelly O'Toole 27
F 9:44 Cat Brown 29
F 10:47 Sandra "polishbaba" Yaworski 47
M 10:58 Mark Shand 31
F 11:01 Shari Boyle 36
M 11:03 Clarke Ellis 26
M 11:26 Lachlon Holmes 31
M 11:27 Jason Doornbos 26
M 12:02 Scott Curry 34
M 12:21 Evan Romanow 26
F 12:22 Tara Ross 29
M 13:07 Ryan Murray 32
F 13:08 Caroline Owens 28
F 13:17 Aoife Donnelly 27
M 14:27 Steve P 25
M 15:04 Rob "beer star double" Lukacs 23
M 15:10 Chris Campbell 32
F 16:20 Leslie Bannon 24
M 16:58 Frank "fast legs" Woolstencroft 31
M 22:47 Joel "beer bottle soother"
M 23:07 for 3laps...dnf Trev "someone has to be last" Williams 34

Technical Guide for Cross Provincials.

Here is the technical guide for Provincial Cross.

I will have the Karelo registration up by this Monday.

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Call for Volunteers

I know many of you have been enjoying the 'cross season. We have only just a few races to go until the Provincial Championships which Speed Theory is hosting.

The race is Sunday November 8th. I'm looking for a few volunteers (3) to help me out with course set up the afternoon before and then tear-down after the race.

If I could get 7-10 others that are NOT racing to help me on the day of the race that would be excellent.

Carol Mayne has offered to help with start lists/results. This is a huge help.

PLEASE EMAIL ME keithbayly@shaw.ca if you can help. I'd like to meet with all of you in the next week or so to go over some details to make things roll as easily as possible on the day of the event.

[Image was added by SpeedTheory Admin, courtesy of Ken Cheung]

Halloween Party and Beer Mile.

Some busy fun times before winter sets in.

Beer Mile Info here. Even if you aren't going to do it, come out and cheer people on. It is a ridiculous event that is silly enough you have to come. Remember, only cans (no bottles) and it has to be 5% or more. No Guinness. More Info here. Luke Way, the defending Albertan Champion will be there signing autographs and lapping me 3 times in the 4 lap event.

Halloween Party. Oct. 30th, Friday night starting around 7pm. Everyone welcome, kids encouraged for this one. Will be catered with food, and booze (if you bring a driver). Starting at around 7pm at our house. Will post address on the 29th.

Gala at the Kenny's

Just wanted to say Thanks so much. I appreciate the oppurtunity to ride with the ST squad this year, the gift was over the top. Mr and Mrs Kenny, the food was outstanding, drinks as well, and the company was Tops. ..Keith looked like hell :0) what happened on Saturday night ?

Blow Street Supercross Course Conditions

The Blow Street course is located directly across the street from the college where I work. Unless we get some serious heat today, it looks like tomorrow will be sloppy. Bring your snow tires.

Beer Mile Time.

Oct. 24th ... it is time... and long overdue.

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Winter Ironman Training

Hey Everyone,

Hope you are all doing well.

Not sure if many of you know, I am going to Tempe this November to race at Ironman Arizona this year. I figured with running my company and not setting aside time to train, if I register for a big race, I will be focused on training and commit to a regular schedule of training. If there are any small business men on the team, you all imagine how well that has turned out!!

When you are running a small business and have a varied client base, you may hear terms such as "Having a wife and a mistress." That refers to having clients that have lots of work and pay regularly and the once in a while large paying contract that tempts you like a mistress. Well throw into the mix the wife, mistress and an Ironman race. Now you are talking about major pressure and lots of guilt. All that aside, things are going really well. It's like going to church, you know you should have done it long ago and just feel guilt, guilt, guilt. You wake up at night and realize, I missed my GST remittance so that I could get a swim workout in. Canada Revenue is calling and I could't get my 100 meter time down to 1:25. WTF!

I have enjoyed reading the blog posts about the cross training and all of the successes of everyone this year and have used that as motivation for the basement training. The weekly workouts in the "Basement of Pain" have been pretty steady. We added a treadmill to the collection of furniture this fall and it has come to good use. I can get a pretty hard trainer workout and hop right onto the treadmill. No more "No running" excuses!

My transition times haven't decreased at all as I fumble around trying to pull of the soaking wet bike clothes to squeeze into my running skirt, I'll come around though. I don't know how Paul can wear those things.

Yesterday was probably one of my best workouts this year. 2 hours on the trainer, a workout of standing and sprinting followed by some big gear sets. I watched stage 17 of the 2008 TDF and it was great. You can pedal really hard when you watch O'Grady and Cancellara lay smack. I then followed that with 30 minutes pretty hard on the treadmill. I almost felt like I ran past Evans going up Alp Duez. I know I past Menchov because he cracked pretty bad.

For the first time ever I think I will going to an Ironman race really light. It has taken along time to realize that recovery meals shouldn't be beer smoothies and copious amounts of scotch. I might be able to get down to 180 for the first in 17 years!

That's all for now, again I hope everyone is doing well.

Slayer Dan

Rollers?

I'm looking to get a set of rollers for the winter. Does anyone know where I can get a good one or what's the best one to go for. I have the CycleOps Fluid II and its a good trainer but i have 2. If anyone has a set of rollers and would like to trade straight up for my trainer just leave a comment. Its only got one winter on it. Bought it from the store last winter.

Road Racer Gala RSVP

Please don't forget to email Tom and tell him you are coming.

Please respond to: tlmkenny <.a.t.> shaw <.d.o.t.> ca

Last Gasp, Rave 40km ITT - Postponed

From Lorie:

It looks like there is going to be snow and -4c tomorrow. The cold snap is suppose to end mid next week. I am going to post pone the ITT on the Ring Road until next weekend. I will keep you posted.

Although Monday looks a lot colder than it originally did (0c & sunny) Lorie is still hosting the Rave ITT. We will start at noon on Monday letting riders go. Here is what we worked out:
1.) Riders will be at 1 minute intervals.
2.) Darryl Parry is volunteering on the stop watches.
3.) 52nd street is the only live street that currently crosses Stoney Trail so we will have to make sure when we cross when traffic is clear (just like any other stop sign you come to in the city)
4.) We will basically be starting at the same spot we did for the Provincial ITT but we will be going to 17th street SE and turning around and coming back (20km out and back). (Lorie will have a cone at the turn around) We will use one carriage way just for convenience. (this gives us 40 km exactly)
5.) There will be some crews out here doing punch list stuff so don't be to surprised if you come on a vehicle. However, they will be minimal and they are aware their will be bikes on the road.

Race takes place at noon. So get there with enough time to warm up and hit it.

Directions:
Take country hills boulevard east of Deer Foot turn north on barlow trail. Drive right through our no admittance signs onto Stoney Trail. Follow Stoney Trail east to Metis Trail Overpass and park.

Alternate Directions:
Take Country Hills Boulevard to 52 st NE turn north on 52 st. When it crosses Stoney Trail turn south on Stoney Trail come to Metis Trail Overpass.

NOTE: The highway is completely finished now. They are only working on spec reports and landscaping.

KEEP AN EYE ON THIS WEBSITE UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT FOR ANY UPDATES.

ANY ABA MEMBER WELCOME. THIS IS NOT JUST FOR OUR CLUB.

Commuting crash

Well I was on my way to work on Tuesday morning, having a great ride in on what is normally a quiet ride eastbound and northbound toward the airport, and boom out of nowhere I got hit by another cyclist head on. I did not even see the guy and he was big. Blind bend, followed by narrow wooden bridge, passing runners equals an accident waiting to happen. After screaming in pain and crying for a good 10 minutes, I thought I was fine (albeit in a lot of pain) so I continued to work. Upon getting there I was quickly taken to emergency for what seemed to be a broken forearm and shock. Good news is that my forearm is not broken but really looks broken, a concussion and whiplash.

I am so mad at that commuter. As a runner I would get angry when cyclists pulled out blindly, and now as a commuter on my cross bike (which has a scratch now) I just want to lecture cyclists who do things like this!

I want so badly to race Cyclocross National this weekend. Good news is my head is likely going to be good. My forearm though, I am not certain.

Remember me and Google Street Side ?

Remember I made a post quite some time ago (April 22nd) with a video of me videoing the GoogleCar videoing me? And how we were locked in a time paradox of who was videoing the other while videoing the other? Well, they published there program for Calgary!...

Apart from this being the most cool web application I have ever seen (I really encourage everyone to really try it out, it is insane), I am now forever recorded recording being recorded recording.

Here I am. You can only see me if you are looking south down Varsity Estates Drive NW. If you are looking north, I disappear. They got two shots of the north view of Varsity Estates Drive as they turned into Varsity Estates Green, but they would have only taken one view looking directly east and south of me !!

View Larger Map


View Larger Map

New skinsuits for next year?

Champion System developed these skinsuits for NZ and they've won a lot of races at the track. Supposedly they will be available to the public soon. Trev, should we ask Champion System if they are available for team order? Maybe not suitable for 40 km ITT on a hot day, but could work for shorter ITTs or cooler days... and for those riders into rubber fetish. (Rod M?)

Dark Knight ?

Guys... I can't believe I missed Dark Knight, but it happened. That doesn't mean I don't want to hear about it. Can someone tell us all about it and maybe even upload some pics?

Trev

Starting Monday - $5 mat classes

Hi everyone, this is Marilyn and I ride with Speed Theory. I am a Pilates instructor in Marda Loop and am doing a promotion right now for some mat classes. If you are interested in supplementing your cycling training, see my website for details at www.taylormadepilates.com/promotions.

Speed Theory in Western Cyclist

There's a great article about the Speed Theory team in the latest issue. Plus a sexy ITT pic of Thomas Yip.

Here is the online version

.

Dark Night/Oval Cross

The forecast keeps getting better and better!

ITT Rave coming up.

Keep an eye on the blog for the time and place of our 'last gasp' Rave 40km ITT. It will hopefully be held on Oct. 12th morning-ish if the weather is good. It won't be 'official', it will be more like a rave, so we will announce the time and place probably on Oct. 10th or 11th through a series of clues, red herrings, misnomers, rumours, and half-truths.

HeroCams

Today I am going to order 2 HeroCams with Handlebar mounts for the club. I hope to test them over Cross season and then have people mount them on their bikes for stuff like a huge club interval session or hillclimb session. Then we can have a repository online so during the winter, you can download Mt Norquay, or Revelstoke Hill Climb, and do the interval along with your ST teammates. I think it will be cool and provide some motivation over the LOOOONNGGG winter. What do you guys think? Dallas has already field tested one from Bowcycle and it works awesome, so we know it works.

Trev

Crazy Cross night

WOW... there were SOOO many people out last night it was insane!! The girl's field was bigger than most ABA road races. The B race looked like the Cat5 start at Velocity, HUGE. The A field was a little smaller, but the quality of the field was totally awesome.

I really encourage you to come and at least watch (preferably race) the action this weekend at Dark Knight Cross.. which takes place at UofC in the evening. They have a DJ and lots of glow sticks and it is a family friendly event. Come cheer on your teammates, have a beer, and get to know each other.

Any pictures from last night? I was in the big ring for a bit of it and I want a picture of it. :)

This picture is from CanadianExposure.

Hou je van racen in de kou, modder, sneeuw en regen?

Who's all in for the Dark Knight 'Cross and Oval 'Cross this weekend? Long-term forecasts say that the weather's getting cold and wet for the weekend, so we should have some true-blue 'cross racing conditions on our hands. I'm looking forward to Fausto yelling at me for 40 minutes.

Darcy G. C for Dark Knight, Sport for Oval.

[NOTE FROM THE DARK KNIGHT RACE DIRECTOR !!] Let your hoards know that the Sport race is filling up quickly. Also, tell them that we will be giving away a Wild Rose Brewery Party Pig keg of beer in each of the starts as a lap prime ... that should get some of them interested in 'cross!!!

See you Saturday.

Ed

[Editor: The shot is from Jared at the Las Vegas Crit]

Bike P*rn

A few or the many, many beauties I saw at Interbike.

Lance Armstrong's Tour of California TT bike.

Andy Schleck's bike.

Andy Schleck's "Schleck Brothers" saddle - pretty cool.

Contador's Tour de France Yellow Madone.

Cancellara's TT bike. Notice the home-made spacers under the base bar.

Cancellara's Yellow Specialized.

Specialized Shiv.

Quintana Roo CD01.

Highroad Scott Plasma 3.

Bianchi Pico Crono.

Guru Crono 2.

Kestrel 4000 LTD.

Fuji D-6 Professional.

Jared in Pro Crit tonight in Las Vegas

While most of us will be thinking of only having one more beer before bed at 10:30pm tonight, Jared will be clipping in and participating in the fastest crit of his life!! The race starts at 9:30pm Las Vegas time and podium celebrations are scheduled for 10:30pm.. oh yah.. it is 60km long !! HOLY CRAP !!

Good luck Jared.

Chris Hooper is watching and I gave him my little Flip Video Camera so hopefully we'll have a few good videos to post by the weekend.

-------------------------------------

From Jared

--------------------------------------

Well, I am here in vegas to find what cool new products speedtheory should bring in next year. There are bikes everywhere. More on that later.

Right now I am sitting in my hotel room doing some stretching. Why? Well I somehow managed to get myself an entry into the US Pro crit series final tonight. How? I don't know. at 9:15 tonight I will toe the line with the best crit riders in the US. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. How long will I last? Trev and Kyle both guessed 2 laps. Badger said slightly longer. But only slightly. We will see.

The course is a 1k course with 5 corners and a roundabout. 60k long in the pancake flat parking lot of Mandalay Bay.

Off I go.

--------------------------------

UPDATE

--------------------------------

Jared lasted more than half way through the crit. Then apparently the pace went balistic and he got taken out by another racer. He and his bike are fine though, apparently just with a big bump on his arm he is getting X-rayed.

Patio, last evening!!

Hey Speed Theorists,

A bunch of great reasons to come down to the Ship & Anchor (Rose & Crown if the Ship is full) tonight some time after 6pm:

- it's great weather
- it might be the last of this great weather we see for a while
- we're heading into off season
- when was the last time you saw your Speed Theory buddies
- there's no race tonight, anywhere in Calgary, as far as I know
- it's Tim's (my brother) last evening in Calgary before heading to Mauritius

Hope to see lots of you there! If you want to give me a head's up, and/or find out where we are, my cell is 606-8477.

Lockie

Dark Knight Cross Race

Just wanted to make sure everyone on the team noticed that the registration for the Dark Knight cross race is open.

http://www.cyclemeisters.com/index.shtml

Scott

The BOW 80

Bowness Nationals, the 15th or so ?... went down today in K-Country. It was frickin HELL MAN !. There was almost 3 straight hours of high elevation snow, preceded and followed with rain.
Over 3/4 DNF when race Officials forced a course closure for Safety reasons.

Speed Theory was on the Podium.

Perfect for a cycling vacation.

I thought this link needed to be shared.

http://gizmodo.com/5360418/screw-a-house-im-buying-a-camper-bike

Just think the training you could get in traveling from race to race.

Scott

Stiff, sore, and PUMPED !

Wow, what an awesome turnout to the races last night. Last year for the first two races, they started the B and A's together since there was barely anybody there. This year both fields were bigger than a few of the road races this year! Awesome. Great to see so many SpeedTheorists out racing and cheering.

As for me, I am a mess today. I forgot how hard 'cross was !! I love it!

Pictures from emak2

Wind Finder

I found this ealier this year. It's nice to know what you might be up against in terms of wind some days. It's mostly accurate but sometimes can be wildly wrong... not much different than the weather predictions.


http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/springbank_calgary

Teammate Bob Woodward is cycling in France.

Just got this email from Bob:

I have been out of town. Just finished Cols de Tourmalet, Aubisque and Solour. Finished off with Hautacam. Absolutley stoked. Back in ten days.

Bob

Mt. Norquay Race Report

The suffer-fest known as the Mt. Norquay Hill Climb Championships was held under ideal conditions. Sunny and warm with only a little wind at start time, times were sure to be fast on the freshly paved 5.4 km climb to the ski lodge.

Speed Theory was well represented, and we didn't disappoint the fans at corner seven. Dennis Bland brought home silver in Master Men A. I won silver and Darryl Parry took bronze in Cat. 5. Good suffering was had by all ST racers. Congratulations go out to all of the day's winners. A special congrats to handcyclist Brian Martin and para-athlete John Bereczki. Great efforts!

Thanks to Andy, Carol, and RMCC for putting on a great event!

P.S. Speed Theory now has a team mascot: Jaya the Tiger!

Full results are here.

Mt. Norquay Roster

In alphabetical order:

Keith B., Dennis B., Harley B., Clarke E., Darcy G., Mike H., Andy H., Lockie H., Carl M., Steve P., Carlos S., Robert W.

Anyone missing?

Ryder did it !!

HE DID IT !! HE DID IT !!

First Canadian to win a stage in the Tour of Spain !!

First Canadian to win a stage in a Grand Tour since Steve Bauer in 1988 !!

Video here.

Congratulations Ryder

.

Feedback from JayLap SR

I just got this note from Arthur Bland (ERTC) via the forum:

"...I just wanted to comment on a great job you guys did organizing the Jason Lapierre Memorial weekend, awesome! I had 2 flats prior to the start of the ITT and I would like to thank the Speed Theory rider who pointed out the second one and offered to loan me a spare wheel I didn't get his name and I had a another wheel, but that tells me Speed Theory is a classy club"

On behalf of the team, thanks, Arthur.

Great sportsmanship doesn't go unnoticed. Nice work everyone.

Lockie

Look on Training Forum for 'cross skills session!

Keith could be offering a 'cross skills session that will help get you over the barriers. Mount and Dismount stuff. Make sure to reply if you are interested.

.

Test Race for COP races next year.

Email I got today (click on poster to see it bigger):

Okay crew, here goes. Please find attached the poster for the Thursday, September 17th Fall XC Race at COP. If you could spread the word that would be fantastic. If we can get the people out we will be able to seriously look at getting the weekly races up and running again here at the Park.

Again, if everyone can either register their team or get individuals to register by Monday, September 14th 5pm (email travis.ferguson@winsportcanada.ca with name and age). That way we will have an idea on the numbers and decide whether or not to run the event. Check-in will be from 5-6pm (West Ticket counter of Guest Services) and race start is 6.15pm sharp. We will be using the Calgary Corporate Challenge Course.

Travis Ferguson

Fundraising suggestions wanted

A recent appeal for assistance with a would-be cyclist (and a bit of a humourous backhanded compliment for Darcy at the end :) Sorry Darcy, I'm sure she didn't mean it that way. :)).

Any suggestions, email Mary directly, her address is: oregan at shaw, dot ca.

Lockie

"I need some help. My daughter's father has just been diagnosed with
Mesothelioma and is not doing well. When I was out for a ride last week
with my daughter (she is a 24 year old student nurse), I mentioned the
Conquer cancer ride to her. Before I could even finish telling her about it
she said "I'm in". Right now she is riding an old clunker of a mountain
bike and has put about 150k's on it this year. That is the most she has
ridden in the last 10 years. So we have lots of work to do but she is very
determined.
We have signed up for the ride (I am OK with everything) so we are committed
to it and the cause. We have signed up on the Massey Mashers team. BUT she
needs a bike - donated would be ideal but...... So I am asking everyone I
know to keep their eyes and ears open for a good but cheap bike for her to
do this ride.
She is 6' tall (I'm 5'2") and has a 36" inseam so needs a large bike.
Any help would be greatly appreciated - any ideas - like can she put a sign
up on a board at the store or or or.

I was out to watch the crit up on Stoney trail and what a blast to watch it.
Darcy finished and that is great.
Take care and thanks
Mary"

Mt. Norquay Hill Climb: Road Racing Isn't Over...

Contrary to what some have been implying on this blog, the road racing season isn't over yet! There's a little climb up the Mt. Norquay access road on September 13. For those of us on the, um, lighter end of the weight scale, this is our chance to shine.

Note: This race has a entry limit of 100 racers. Be sure to sign up early. Or, if you wish to have a convenient excuse to avoid suffering, wait until the last minute and the race might be full...

Mt. Norquay Hill Climb Blog
Registration
Technical Guide

Ouch

Not sure if anyone caught this one today... It must be the biggest crash i have ever seen in a race.



Happy racing :-)

Carson
Triplec.ca

'Cross Clinic tonight

Check out the training forum in 'The Pain Starts Here' for the time and the place tonight.

.

Confirmation that...

...we are the Champions of 2009 for Albertan Road Racing Team.

With only one event left on the calendar, we have pulled away to a commanding lead over all other rivals to clinch the title!

If I asked Thomas to make up a cool design to commemorate this occasion in a slightly different short sleeve race jersey, would we have 20 takers? (Leave a comment, it would be around $40)

Congrats guys, it was a great year. One that we will build on for next year!

Masters Provincials

We saw some great performances yesterday at Masters Provincials. Rick Courtenay is now Master C Provincial Champion! Tanya Soloman is now Master Women's Provincial Champion, Dallas got 2nd in the Master Men's Championship, and Keith Bayley got 3rd in Masters B.

The course is predominately flat with one roller and exposed. Just like most of Calgary riding. It was windy and the fields got shredded on the cross wind sections. Dallas was in a break of 5 dudes with team mate Trev, a Deadgoat, a Pedalhead, and a Bowdude by the end of the first lap. Trev got shelled off at the end of the second, and the Bowdude just took Dallas in the sprint for the line. Tanya raced with the Master C men as well as the women. She got 5th overall in Men/Women combined and crushed the next women by what seem like over 10min. I didn't see Keith's finish. Dennis and Harley got 6th and 7th in the RR respectively. The rest we need to wait for the results or comments.

Congrats to Kyle for his 7th, and to Mike Healy for succesfully negotiating the packs of Ironman.

Marcotte 7th overall

For those of you who didn't see the result, Marcotte had a solid day in Penticton using his solid bike/run to finish 7th overall. Awesome.

MARCOTTE, KYLE 27/11/7 32/MPRO 00:54:29 04:47:47 03:11:17 08:58:34

Spin Class update.

Well, that was an amazing response to the M/W option. It makes me feel great that the work I put into designing and teaching these classes is so well received.

I just recently found out I got a position as a Sessional Instructor at the University for the Fall/Spring. This is good news, however, my dream of having a tight little group of 10 athletes that I can really spend extra time on doesn't seem doable right now. Therefore, I have switched the Tues/Sun class into a duplicate of the Mon/Wed class, just with different times. Here is the link. The M/W class sold out in two days, I expect this one to take longer, but there has been a big response from the non-team-member cycling community.

Thanks guys.

Trev

Jay Lap Photos

Crit photos - Courtesy of Satnam Sidhu

Masters Provincials

So, who is in for Masters Provincials this weekend?

There is still a critical need for volunteers, anyone that can help will be given free sunscreen and a burger. And no, the burger will not be delivered 'Keith-Style' nor will it be thrown down by Dallas, aka BurgerKing, as a precursor to a leg busting attack.

Masters A: Jared, Dallas, Trev, Dennis, Harley

Masters B: Darryl, Paul R., Keith, Larry

Masters C: Rick C., Mike G.

http://www.karelo.com/register.php?BID=327&BT=10#Ev7930

Cat 4...race domination aka and then there were 7

Well I will try and keep this short. The Cat 4 team met before the race and a simple plan was established. Clarke, Mike and Simon were designated "attackers" with the green light for anytime in the race. Larry, Jason and Ed would protect Thomas and Rob who were 8 and 7 points respectively away from cat 3. This strategy was executed to perfection.

Simon started it with a kilometer zero attack. The bunch was not having any of it so they pulled him back after 10 min of hard riding. Immediately a Bici guy and Clarke got of the front, the pack, worn out from Simon's early attack let it go...and go it did. 45 or so km later, after having a very relaxing hour plus of watching other teams pull (with Simon doing his best George Hincapie impression riding on the front and pulling the pack back up to anyone foolish enough to counter attack), the race was back together.

What followed was many many small attacks by Simon, Clarke and Mike (Jason put in one attack as well just for good measure) all the while Rob and Thomas were sitting back, enjoying a mostly leisurely ride. By the last 1/2 of the last lap our frequent attackers Simon and Clarke were a bit tired so the 'protectors' (plus Mike) had to take up more of the chasing - again we kept it all together despite the more viscious (read desperate) attacks from the other teams. Mike says he hit 600+ watts chasing down an attack - all I know is we were going 30km one second and near 50 the next so for me it felt sudden and fast.

With 5 km to go the attacks were coming fast and furious so speed theory went to the front and took over the race. I must admit, I was seeing spots at the 2 km mark when my work was done and I was swamped by the field - word has it we had strung it out long enough that the last 2 km, although fast and furious, were safe and our 2 protected guys delivered the goods. Congrats Rob on the win and Thomas on 4th! Amazing job to everyone - all the team played their role to perfection and took their turn inflicting some pain. I think Rob's reaction after the race says it all. "That was the most awesome race I've ever been part of!" I agree 100% Rob and not just because of the amazing course, excellent race organization (great job Trev) and superb result (mission accomplished, 2 guys to Cat 3 so now there are 7), it was great because it proved we could dominate the race with teamwork.

Here's to amazing team work and lots of fun. I may be in Cat 4 forever but if all the races are as much fun as this I don't think I'll mind.

Larry Welsh