Pigeon carcass.

Hey everybody. Dallas here, was just puttin it out, that while Trevor is recovering/ resting this week. Lets pull together and pickup the slack for him for the upcoming weekend of Time Trials. I can help organize, do whatever, I also have the Big Timing Clock from the A.B.A from Kipp.

Haven't heard any news yet from the Doc's or Alex, ?. But I heard they had to cut Trev's dress off in the ambulance ?. jk, rest up bud, hope you're ok and see you soon :0)
Lots more time to ride bikes.

[Editor Skinless Trev] : Thanks Dallas and for everyone's comments. That was a pretty crazy fall, that is for sure. I think if I didn't hit my head, it would have just been chalked up to losing most of the skin on one side of my body and destroying my bike and helmet, but the head stuff was a little weird. I got a chance to collect my bearings in the long quiet ambulance ride into Edmonton, they gave me Adavan (for anxiety) and Gravol (for my concussion nausia) and I was able to close my eyes and get my HR and blood pressure down. By the time Alex, Mark, Lachlan, and Rui came to the hostpital, I had come out of the shock and was just lamenting about not being able to eat until the CT scan. All scans checked out though, and there was no bleeding in the brain or broken ribs, just a lot of strained muscles. Apart from the 4 square feet of skin loss, I have a crazy black and blue chainring mark on my butt! I guess when I fell, I just stuck my butt up for someone to crash into. I'm back in Calgary as of 2am this morning and am really starting to feel my scrapes, but I am doing awesome compared to what could have happened if my helmet had fallen off before I hit the deck (the new locking systems on helmets these day work!). It is crushed on one side and I can't help but think that would have been my head. So all in all, I am doing great. Thanks guys.

BTW: Does anyone know what happened ?? I think I remember a dude falling directly in front of me, but I was 2nd wheel I thought. How did this this happen?

We are hosting this week's C4 race... and a reminder to register for June 6th

http://c4racingwns.blogspot.com/

.

We only have 12 ST'ers registered so far for June 6th. We should be about 50. Get on it and register. We are good for volunteers, so everyone is clear to race that isn't on the 'Volunteer List' on the right.

Pigeon Lake: Another Course Update

ERTC made another adjustment to the course, which I think makes it more interesting. The details are available in the technical guide. Now, the back half of the old course is the front half of the new course, and Cat 5s do the loop twice.

Also, I received word from Jeff Davis that the Cat 5 field is full.

A writer.

The ABA just called me and they are starting a new magazine called 'Western Cyclist'. It is going to be distributed pretty widely apparently. Anyway, they want to do a one-page feature on SpeedTheory Cycling. They want it to be on the club in general, why it's different, how cool it is to be part of, what we do during race season and off-season... that type of stuff.

Can someone step up and I can put you in contact with Kipp at ABA and he will tell you how to go about it. It is just one page.

Trev

Jason Lapierre 2009 Giro Pool Fundraising- FINAL RESULTS

FINAL RESULTS:

1. Trev (9)
2. Darryl (8)
3. Joel (5)
4. Thomas & Larry (4)
5. Alex & Mike (3)
6. Andrew (since I miss some updating, my $$ is donation)

Congrats.. Trev I owe you $40 (you're $20 and mine)

Everyone else should pay Trev... (maybe a new Kit fund for him ;)

there are some lessons learnt, I think the TdF one will run smoother and have a new winner!!

Good Luck this weekend!

Gang,
I won't be with you at Pigeon, but I'll be cheering from Canmore.

On another note. I think there should be some sort of recognition when someone moves up a category. I just learned that Alex has moved up to Cat 1/2 (the poor bastard). That's very impressive. Way to go Alex!

I know Thomas moved into Cat 4, anyone else?

Mount Baldy Ride.

As I mentioned in a previous post before Penticton, I was hoping to sucker some dude into riding the Mount Baldy loop with me. I was delighted when I got back to the hotel from an easy ride to behind Summmerland with Jared, Tanya, and Ryan when Lachlan said he wanted to try it. We packed up, drove to Oliver, and went from about 300m to 1750m in about 37km. About 24 of that on gravel! Awesome. The climb is more of a staircase then a gradual ascent like Anarchist or Apex where there is no retreat... on this climb, you could find your bearing a bit between brutal seated gravel slopes. My phone (from which I was taking video) died on the gravel descent off Mount Baldy to behind Anarchist. We then climbed up to the summit of Anarchist from behind and decended into Osoyoos. We stopped there at Timmies for a chilli, then battled a headwind for the remaining 30km to the car. In all, a 120km with about 40km of climbing. Can't ask for much more than that !

Link to a little movie Lachlan and I are in.

.

First Crit Ever!

I just raced my first crit tonight, and I have to say that I didn't think it would be THAT intense for the whole race. It was a heck of a lot of fun for anyone wondering if they want to take part in Midweek Mayhem. I'm happy to report that there were no crashes at all, so it seems to me that these are about as safe as a regular road race.

The only thing that I didn't really like was that I was in a 300 meter sprint for what I thought was 4th place, but was actually 6th due to a 2 man breakaway that I had no idea about...heck, I didn't even know what place I was in until someone told me that we had caught up to the lead group (which was actually the lead chase group).

So if you're a little tentative about these, take it from a rookie that they're not as bad as you're thinking and are a lot of fun and great training.

Pigeon Lake RR Roster

Apparently Speed Theory is sending the most racers in the history of PLRR to the event this weekend. Here's the roster that we know of so far:

Women B (2):
Kailee, Sandra Y.

Cat 5 (15) :
Mike C., Clarke E., Darcy G., Alejandro H., Andy H., Mike Healy., David M., Rui R., Aryeh R., Mark S., Joel S., Rob W., Andrew W., Mike Hoang, Jay M.

Cat 4 (6):
Mike G., Carlos, Thomas, Slayer, Rob L., Larry

Cat 3 (5):
Keith, Stephen, Lachlan, Ben, Jason

Cat 1/2 (7):
Trev, A-Train, Dallas, Douche Rod, Frank, Jared, Dennis

If your name isn't on the list, please post so we can add it. Also, are there any volunteers out there for feed zone? The Cat 5s and Women probably won't need a feed, but everyone else might.

[Editor (BTW, that's Trev, not DarcyG): The photo is of me coming first loser at Velocity. Jeff Davis just emailed it to me. After 138km, it came down to a bike throw for 2nd !! I thought it was a cool shot.]

Penticton summary.

Well, we had a great group of riders for Penticton. I think the camp as a whole was a big success. There were several of us that have been to 'camps' before and several newbies to big miles, it was a good mix. Next year, we will make an organized attempt at getting more people out. Things we could do better in the future would be to have a solid 'team hotel' or 'team house' so everyone can relax together and recover well without having to go downtown to meet after the ride. The players: Chris Hooper showed his hand. He is very fit and after he gets a silly triathlon over with in June, will be at the road races laying it down for the team. I had lots of time to try to convince him to just start racing road now, but he is a stubborn dude. Marilyn toughed it out with us for every ride while she was there, totally cool, she can push a big gear. I was trying to teach her how to attack on the downhills, but she couldn't stop smiling while doing it. We need to work on her race face. Ryan's wife Kyla must be an angel accepting the Ogopogo has her living quarters for a week. That place reminded me of the movie Trainspotting. Dallas can lay the hurt on people for extremely long periods of time without seeming to get tired himself. The first two days while he was there were 53/11 days and I think my legs never recovered. He will take RAAW by storm, and I'm excited for him. Being a sprinter, Lachlan did awesome on all the long climbs even though he couldn't sign sprint for long stretches of 11% grade and probably got bored. On Apex, Stephen would have said Lachlan got his PhD in suffering. It was cool to see a dude push himself that hard. Jared and Tanya are the fittest couple out, and absorbed all the miles like it was nothing. Jared is ramping up for a triathlon and I hope he will switch to the road after he gets that out of his system since he is currently our best bet in a sprint finish. Cat and Mike never rode more than 3 meters from each other. It was 'cute'. You can tell they are still in the fun preliminary stages of a long road. When Jenn and I want to go on vacation, I go to Penticton and she goes to Cranbrook simultaneously. :)  Frank can spin at an RPM too high to register on his bike computer, uphill, for long distances. It was cool to watch him (from behind) ascend Anarchist, making it look easy while I looked like a crab on a bicycle.

Thanks guys for a fun time.

Pigeon Lake: Throw Out The Plans...

Just noticed on the ERTC website the course has been completely changed. It's no longer around the lake. So much for strategy...

Some great articles worth reading before Pigeon

There have been a number of posts relating to race strategy and how some plans have or have not worked out as well as hoped.

While there is an endless amount that can be learned and experienced below are links to a couple of terrific articles from PezCycling, definitely worth the read.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6822 - Part 1
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6928 - Part 2

Another great one on either pre-riding ot pre-driving a Road Race course and what to look for
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7010

Enjoy,
Michael

Blog Administration Update

Some news for all the faithful readers and participants of the Speed Theory Team blog. Anonymous posting has been . . . disabled. I suspect a common question might be why so I will entertain that thought, albeit briefly.

1. The Greater Internet dickwad theory (see above)
2. Douchebaggery can be practiced elsewhere. Most everyone's day-to-day lives must contend with this BS, I'd prefer my hobby was douche-free
3. Don't write cheques your legs can't cash. You can't cash a cheque without a name and photo ID.

On the subject of trash talk. Trash talk is good but do remember to keep it real, there is a fine line between trash-talk and antagonizing. It is a fundamental goal of this club to promote cycling, racing and encourage people that are not racing/riding to get out. Any actions that hinder the achievement of this goal are against the core ideals of the team. Being a part of Speed Theory or any other ABA team is a privilege, treat it as such.

With that, wind 'em up, encourage and have a good time.

Cat 5 Pigeon Lake Practice: Sunday - Important Update

Thanks to all who came out for today's ride. A big shout-out to Mike G., whose wealth of knowledge and experience made for a great teaching session.

Mike G. has informed me the Second Cup has closed. Darn recession. Since some people may not check the blog before tomorrow, we'll keep the same meeting place, and the ride will start at 9:30 am. Pre-ride java will need to be replaced with pre-ride Gatorade sipped from water bottles in the parking lot. I was trying to keep Fausto happy...

I'll be "leading" a race simulation practice session for the Cat 5s (and anyone else who is interested) this Sunday. Meet at 9:00 am at the Second Cup at the corner of Country Hills Blvd. and Harvest Hills Blvd. NE for pre-ride coffee and discussion. Riding will commence around 9:30 am. We will do two laps of this route.

June 6th ITT

OK guys, we have all the volunteers we need for the June 6th event. Thanks for the great response. If you are not providing or are a volunteer for this event, you will be expected to have someone for our big JayLap weekend. We will need quite a few more vounteers for that. Fortunately we will have our main volunteer leaders again, but we will need marshals and stuff for the crit which is new for us.

So, go ahead and sign up for the ITT !! Follow this link.

.

Saturday Race Simulation for Pigeon

When: 9:00am in Cochrane. Meet Here (LINK)
Where: Horse Creek Road (LINK) Will modify on the fly if needed, not sure I got this right.
Duration: 60ishKM

Plan: I will bring colored tape or something to break us into teams so we can work on tactics. We will try to ride the majority of the 60K at race pace. We should be wrapped up by 12pm at the latest, the goal will be to complete sooner. There is a small 10 minute ride to the 'start' that we can use to warm up.

Drop a comment if you're attending.

PS: The Cat5ers will be working on race sim, it is open to anyone but if you're a Cat 1-2-3 speedster you might have bunch of fiesty 5s boxing you in. ;-)

Pigeon Lake

Next weekend is the Pigeon Lake RR. Just wondering who's going in all the Cat's?

I already emailed the race organizer to sign up and I'm already heading up to Edmonton Friday night to visit some friends, then heading to Pigeon early Sunday morning.

Cat5 Skills: Edworthy Hill 6:30pm

Cat5s and anyone else interested:

Tonight looks like it will not be colder than a polar bears toenails. Ergo, we will be doing some hill work at Edworthy. On tap will be hill pacelining, 2-3 up hill attacks, and boxing/anti boxing tactics. You'll get some fitness benefits too as this is pretty much 3 on 3 off intervals.

Safety is key, Edworthy is busier than ever so as long as we're aware and ride like we did Tuesday it should be fine. I'd like to compliment the Tuesday night gathering for some stellar single file riding when traffic approached.

Meet at the hill: HERE

Rui, do you need me to bring my cross bike?

See you this evening.

C4 Race Tonight

Is anyone pulling their winter gear out of storage and planning to do the C4 Race tonight? I would put this on the forum but I can't remember a. My username or b. My Password...it's a predicament.

Tales from the Cat5 Skills Sessions

First off, many thanks to all the brave souls who attended last evening. It was a great mix of shoulder rubbing and pack dynamics. We finished with a sprint lead-out drill that was a mix of power and comedy as none other than our Rui Reis ripped his rear derailleur hanger right off his bike after a few serious pedal strokes. Rui, aka HeMan, was unavailable for comment this morning but that was likely due to his current gym workout of leg squatting 2 blue whales. And that's the warmup!

This evening's session is cancelled. While I was truly stoked to see everyone come out last night, it's going to be even colder tonight and I don't want anyone catching H1N1. We will convene thursday at Edworthy to work on hill pack techniques.

I must say, everyone rode extremely well last night and I can see that everyone is soaking up knowledge and skills from each other. That is fantastic so keep it up! Also, last night was my first real gig at pseudo-teaching so please post any feedback (positive and negative) in the comments.

Perogy XC

More mtb action this Sunday in Edmonton.
Anyone wanna share a ride this time?
keithbayly@shaw.ca

Training camp report

220km. Logged it.

Lost Opportunities for Cat 5 and the Speed Theory Gals

Message to the Cat 5 team and the girls

I know that Saskatoon is a bit of a drive. You guys really missed a good opportunity to race though. The Bikes on Broadway race weekend is an excellent race. Tons of great volunteers and good courses. This would have been an excellent chance for you to try and put some of the skills that we are talking about into race situations.

The average age of the Cat 5 group from what I saw must have been about 18. You all could have completely controlled that race. There was only 12 girls that competed in the women's category. You would have lost to Tara, but hey, racing is racing!

Bikes on Broadway is an excellent chance for new riders to come in and get experience RACING. Not saying that it would be easy points for upgrading, but it could have been some easy, very easy points for some of you.

Think about it next year. Use that race as a launch pad for getting points and at least more racing experience. You can go into Pigeon Lake super motivated after you slap Team Saskatchewan all weekend.

Later,

Slayer Dan

Bikes On Broadway Race Recap

Everyone,

This past weekend Jason Buijs, Michael Godfrey and myself raced at Bikes on Broadway in Saskatoon. This is a great race put on by the Cycledelia club in Saskatoon. Typical 3 day stage race with a time trial, road race and criterium over the May long weekend.

The time trial was the first night with ideal conditions for racing. It was warm and sunny, tailwind, and lots of spectators. We got our starting positions and then proceeded to start warming up. Michael had some issues with his Zip wheel and had to change it at the last minute. He was super focused dealing with that, especially just before his start time. I am amazed how he quickly swapped his rear cassette from one bike to another, it was like a magician. I would have been a blubbering mess breaking things with my Leathermen handtool!

Jason road a super steady time trial. The course has lots of potholes and tricky spots for handling. He was super cool as he motored down the course. He slid in the middle of the pack and was looking good.

Michael, the professor of time trial was totally focused on his race. The holders were great this year, they didn't drop him! His time reflected his course knowledge, excellent conditions and a fast start. An excellent 6th place finish was the rewards of his efforts.

I was supposed to be the last rider so that changed my focus. I wanted to ride pretty hard and try and get a good position in the GC. I felt pretty strong after the C4 race and wanted to build on that in Saskatoon. Singing "Seek and Destroy" in my head, I was trying to catch anyone and everyone down the road. I glanced at my HR monitor a couple of times to make sure I was in the right zone and slid in with a reasonable time. The sun shines on a dog's ass once in a while and I posted best time for Cat4.

The road race had very warm and sunny conditions with the wind direction completely reversing from the time trial. The road is undulating and similar to the ride out to Madden. There were some attacks from the beginning by Juventus - Darren. Nobody was letting any escapes go at all. Darren and I both took turns out front playing with the group. Not trying to tempo, breakaway effort and resting. Everyone meant business.

We made the turnaround and headed south with a big tailwind. The silliness started on some downhills. Not sure why riders felt that was a good time to launch some attacks. You need to be super human to pull that move off! Lots of accelerations on the hillclimbs. Jason pulled out to the front and had a go to try and change the motivation of the race. He was quickly joined and then had to sit up with a charging group of 30 riders.

Michael set pace on most of the climbs. That guy has lots of moxie and the group was getting stretched by his pace. I was sitting in doing no work as GC leader. Patrolling the front was Michael's job, I was talking about TT, handlebar sumo's and new albums coming out this summer. After the last turnaround and heading home in a headwind, the group started to take shots at each other. Team Manitoba - Woodland had the numbers in the group and they were sitting in. Michael was stretching the guys out again and setting a harder pace. 

Juventus - Lance and I watched the groups and then made a series of surges to try and change the pace. We had a few good rotations but could not shake the charging group. As we approached the final climb, ERTC - Travis pulled a solid attack and had the gap. It was a strong move and the boys had to work to real him in. Manitoba was now at the front, showing all of their cards.

As we approached the final turn it was a mass bunch sprint. Jason was super strong and roared past me. I was on the left handside holding a line against the yellow line, hoping to catch some wheels. Instead I was swarmed from the outside by at least 2 sketchy riders that should have been disqualified. The finish was really sketchy with dangerous moves. The Manitoba boys had strong riders with questionable handling skills and there could have been issues. My Aunt told me later that the second place finisher nearly sawed a cat in half that had made its way onto the course. I finished with the group and happy that I was not involved in any crashes, there were lots of scary moments in the final 250 meters.

The Monday crit race took place in very difficult racing conditions. The temperature had dropped at least 15 degrees overnight and it was very windy. I had a 1 second lead going in and wanted to try to stay with the leading riders. The crit was pretty tough going, Manitoba had the numbers and blocked me out. The road is similar to the main street in Bagdad, tons of potholes and lots of debris. I had some really bad lines and nearly shook my molars out of my head.

Jason and Michael rode really strong in the crit. Both of them cornered really well with solid lines and represented Speed Theory with flying colours. I worked really hard to hang on to the back of the lead group. I was not aggressive enough when I needed to be and watched my race lead evaporate on every prime leap. As the race got longer I felt stronger, the hard efforts at the start took the hard jam out of my legs though.

All in all, a great weekend for us. Jason finished 17th, Michael finished in a tie for 7th and I finished 3rd.

Thanks for a great weekend guys.

Slayer Dan

Volunteers needed for Calgary Marathon

Hi,
I am the volunteer coordinator for the Speed Theory aid station at the Calgary Marathon. Speed Theory is sponsoring one of the aid stations and I am trying to get 15-20 volunteers to help me give out water, gatorade and PowerGels to the runners on Sunday May 31. I realize that this is a very busy weekend for triathletes, runners and cyclists alike. That being said, if you could help me out Sunday morning between 8 and 11:30, I would greatly appreciate it.

To help out please contact me at 403 999 7028 or email me at grantburwash at gmail dot com.

Thanks and see you at the races,
Grant

Cat 5 Skills Training

Hello Team,

I have presently broken the forum and will move this post as soon as I fix it. Cat 5s (and anyone else interested) will be going on a skills training binge this week. The first session is this evening.

Where: Bearspaw Dam Road
Time: 6:30pm
Duration: 1-1.5 hours (dependent on weather)
Focus: Pack riding, sprint leadouts.

This is a straight road with no turns, we will focus on riding shoulder to shoulder in some simple pack drills and work on how to navigate through through the crowd. Then we will work on sprint lead outs which will be vital at Pigeon and other races.

Check the forum, these will be in there shortly:
Wednesday: Corners and Rollers (likely retreat road)
Thursday: Edworthy for some climbing pace line prep.

On the weekend we will run a race simulation, location is TBA. Heading into next week we will use the crits and C4 WNS as prep and then race. There will be a team meeting for all cat5s heading to pigeon next week as well. I'll sort that out as soon as I can.

Points of order:
These skills rides aren't going to be about fitness, they are focused on skills. I know these sessions conflict with the Tues Crits, and the C4 WNS. This will be the only week where they conflict. Once we complete this weeks sessions, all technical development will move to the crits and the C4 WNS. These rides will go regardless of the weather. I will not drag everyone out for 4 hours if its snowing but if we suffer together we will succeed together. We might be racing in some ugly weather so let's build an advantage.

Day 3 of Penticton Training Camp - a girls perspective

This is a message from Paradise. After 2 days of hard riding and 2 nights of roughing it at the Ogopogo Motel the boys (Trev, Lockie and Tim) moved to the Breeze Inn. The Ogopogo was advertised as "clean and quiet". 1 out of 2 ain't bad. Ryan's wife, Kyla, had to pull out the Clorex wipes to disinfect all smooth surfaces, even Trev was reluctant to sit on the couch with ground-in oil stains from the back of someone's neck and there was a toilet paper dispenser that was stocked for a year. In comparison, the Breeze Inn is paradise. As Trev just said "I feel like we have rented a whole house!"

This is my first time riding in Penticton and it has been unbelievably hard and beautiful. This my third day of climbing. That is pretty much what it is all about here. Climbing until someone falls off their bike and lies in the middle of the road from pure exhaustion (Lockie). As one of three girls that is out here I have to say that the guys are amazing to ride with. Even though they could ride circles around me, someone is always saying a word of encouragment, helping me get ahead of the group, even waiting for me at times. Yesterday though, I returned the 'waiting' favour, by letting Frank catch up after a long steep ascent. That boy will be good when he learns to climb.

Today was a 'recovery' day. Whatever! We road up the Giants Head 3 times. Someone read that the grade was 18% but I can assure you there is a section at the beginning that must be 20%. As much as I was shocked each time they said "we are doing it again"... I loved it. It was 10 or so minutes of going as hard as I could. The best part of the ride was at the end of our 95kms when I dropped Dallas in my big ring on a long fast flat section along the lake. That boy will be good when he learns to push a big gear.

Any girls wondering if they should have come to the camp, the answer is YES you should have. Tanya, Cat and I would have loved some more girl presence. The rides have been manageable because usually there are extended sections of the ride that you can choose to leave out (like the Apex - an 11km relentless climb). Honestly, I am exhausted but I haven't stopped laughing since I arrived. It is a great trip and I encourage the girls to come to future camps and training rides. Represent.

One more important note. We did our traditional lowest pulse and blood pressure competion at the back of Safeway by the pharmacy. Subsequently, there was an announcement over the PA at Safeway that the winner of the Speed Theory Pulse Off was Marilyn Taylor.

Pigeon Lake RR Registration

Pre-registration for Pigeon Lake is available through the ERTC website.

See you in Penticton.

My cell number is 403-831-8738. I won't be riding Sat. since I get in in the evening, however, Ryan 'Disco' Murray will be at the Dennys and leading the group. I will see everyone Sun. for our Apex ride! Call me if you have any questions.

Print this out so you know when we're meeting.

Remember:  a bathing suit. blinky lights. passport. rain gear. there is a 'no whine' rule. 

.

Looking for a Rider

Hello

Trev, I know that you mentioned that you saw the google car mapping the city streets. You should see if they need someone to man this unit in the city, might be some great training.

http://gizmodo.com/5255361/google-street-view-employs-high+tech-tricycles-for-hard+to+reach-places

Scott

Pigeon Lake Road Race Cat 5's

I know that Pigeon Lake is still two weeks away, but from what I'm hearing, it's the next race that a lot of people are going to.

After our poor tactics at Velocity, I'd like to get together with the cat 5's that are coming to Pigeon and talk/practice tactics so that we don't just pull people around all day again. I guess it's a little more obvious with a hilly course (ie. attack on hills), but it would be nice to be organized. Maybe we can even start our functional training groups?

If anyone knows of a good place to go that has similar hills to the Pigeon course where we can practice this, post it and maybe we can set something up soon. I'd be free this Sunday.

Clarke

Race Wheels

After being in the triathlon scene for many years and working in the bike industry, I have had the opportunity to try a number of wheels, some of which I like and others that I do not. Speed Theory is having a huge blow out on 2008 Zipp wheels, so I decided that I would post my thoughts on race wheels.

Depth vs weight:

There are two main reason why people use race wheels: decrease weight and to improve aerodynamics. Depending on the race, aerodynamics or weight may be a more important factor. Some wheels, like a disc, have incredible aerodynamics, but are not allowed in road races/crits and are to heavy for hilly courses, and hill climbs. Typically, the deeper the wheel, the more aerodynamic it it. On the other had, the deeper the wheel the heavier it is. For this reason, the most popular wheels are around 50-60mm in depth. This allows excellent aerodynamic benefits while still maintaining a lighter wheel that can be used on all courses. Shallower wheels, or even non deep dish rims are excellent when weight is the main concern and these wheels can also be much more responsive.

Tubular vs. Clincher:

In my experience most people who go with clincher tires do so as a defalt. Almost everyone is familiar with clincher tires and like the convenience of being able to just change a $8 tube as supposed to a $120 tire everytime they get a flat. The reality is that once understood, tubulars are not difficult to deal with and less prone to flatting (no pinch flats). Like most things, learning to tape or glue on a tubular is a skill that you only learn with pracitce. If you are willing to take the time and learn how to do this, you can save a lot of weight in your wheels. The weight saved on tubulars wheels is all in the rims, meaning rotational weight. In your wheels this is the most important weight to minimize because it is constantly accelerating and therefore requires a lot of energy to keep it continually moving. For example Zipp 404 tubulars are 1250g and Zipp 404 clinchers are 1615g. This is a huge amount of weight you can save, just by chosing one wheel over the other. By going tubular, you can race on an aerowheel, while maintaining the weight of a climbing wheel. My recommendation is to tape your tubular instead of glue it. This allows you to change your tires during a race or right before a race/ride and not have to worry about letting the glue settle. In my opinion tubulars are a much faster wheel at the same price and can be used by everyone.

What I use:

My favorite wheel to race on is the Zipp 404 tubular. This wheel is around 1250g and is an excellent balance between aerodynamics and weight. For me, racing on the draft legal ITU circuit, a disc is not an option and many of the courses have sharp turns and hills. For these reasons, I want a wheel that is responsive and lightweight, while still giving me the benefits of added aerodynamics. Tubular is an obvious choice for me because I have learned how to use them and want the decreased weight and improved performance. It is a race wheel after all.

If you have any questions or want to learn how to use a tubular please come in and see us at the store. Happy riding.

Grant

Riders On The Storm

Team,

Michael Godfrey and I are heading to Bikes On Broadway this weekend. I didn't hear much chatter this week about other riders are going. We are both super pumped to take the momentum you all are creating and dole out some pain in Saskatchewan. I'm riding high right now, I beat Alex in the C4 time trial. I'd like to hear more from him on it. He must have a good excuse. For me, its like the second biggest accomplishment EVER!

Michael has been texting me all week. His strategy is pretty sound. Basically, attack on every hill. Then surge on all the flats, then attack more. Sounds like a lot of work on my part trying to keep up the Irish Nightmare (hopefully he is Irish).

I will have relatives there to cheer us on, some of you have met my travelling Auntie from Fort St. John. I am hoping to hear some extra loud cowbell in my race. Cause you know, when Bruce asks for more cowbell, you gotta give him more cowbell!

Have a great long weekend everyone.

Slayer Dan

Wine & Cheese Night

Good day,

My Fiance & I are hosting a Wine & Cheese evening at our house next Saturday (May 23rd) and I thought it would be cool if Speed Theorists took advantage of it for a little get together. I've posted details here.

Cheers,

David

Bacon Buffet

I know there are a couple other mtb racers on the team. Any of you want to share a ride to Stoney Plain this Saturday? I'm only going for the short race, coming home that evening. Email me keithbayly@shaw.ca

The Stoney race course is terrific! One of the best in the province. True xc racing. If you ride mtbs at all, you should be there.

Sunday's ride in Penticton.

I am PUMPED !!

Course !  190km !!

Elevation Profile: The last climb is Apex Mountain right to the ski lifts ! KOM points awarded.  ...  it's on !!

Training Camp Document

Also, the Mount Baldy ride  (link here) looks relatively clear. So an assault on that peak may be doable. It is only about 35km of gravel so not that bad. I have done it twice and it is an awesome climb. Maybe we'll have an optional ride up there one day? I have a feeling I will get voted down, but I can try :)

Here is Sunday's IMC/Apex Ride.

Here is Monday's Giant's Head Ride.

Here is Tuesday's USA ride. A reminder to BRING YOUR PASSPORT !!

Here is Wednesday's Mt. Baldy, Anarchist ride.

2010 Road Nationals in Edmonton

Just announced by the ABA. Edmonton will be hosting the 2010 Road National Championships. If I recall correctly, there's no "qualification" standards (at least for Master's riders). Start training... =) =)

Race the Ring 30km ITT

Our event is 'live' on the right hand side of your screen. 

Day licenses are FREE for this event. Therefore... tell your non-ABA friends to get out and race !

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Tonight and Penticton

C4 Race:  Hopefully the weather doesn't suck it like this whole spring so far for tomorrow night. If you raced the RR and ITT last weekend, I would suggest limiting your gears tomorrow night to above the 17 when you are in the big ring. You want your cardio to take a hit more than your legs. Just spin like crazy. If you did the RR and no ITT, then crunch it until Retreat Road as hard as possible and then gear restrict yourself. If you did neither, then lay down as fast a time as possible.

Penticton: If you are coming, cool. But please remember that since we have made this an 'official' training camp, that only ABA members, or club members can join in the training rides. They are more than welcome to join in at the pub and coffee shop later..of course ! Your group-riding non-ABA, non-club friends can buy a temp club membership if there is interest, but you HAVE to let me know. Please don't put everyone else in an awkward situation by showing up with a friend that voids everyone else's 3rd party liability.

I am not sure who is going. Please leave a comment here in this form:

Trev and Lachlan 17th - 22nd Ogopogo

Ryan 16th - 23rd Ogopogo

Jared and Tanya and Frank 16th - 24th BB

Marilyn 15th - 18th BB, 19th - 20th ??

Cat and Mike Y. 16th - 19th ??

Mark 16th Farm with goat and sheep

Dallas 16th - 18th Ogopogo

Chris 16th - 19th Tiki Shores

 

have no fear

Don't be afraid of the name...Midweek Mayhem isn't really all Mayhem. The Crits have been going on for nearly 14 year now in Calgary. They're actually a part of cycling heritage in Calgary, like those in Victoria, U.B.C. in Vancouver, and Ottawa and other larger city centers. You could actually tour across Canada and do them like a series.

Anyways, I know we all like to go the races. So why not come out and check out the Crits?. I lived here for 6 years before I ever went, mainly because I just didn't know about them and was doing other group ride stuff on Tuesday's. But if you haven't ever come out you should. I only started Road Racing in 2004, and Crits have always been my weakest race... it takes practice.
Really it's no different than any other bike race, Prizes, volunteers, fun, cool Organizer guy :), and always a good way to get some fitness.
Also I've raced many Crits in the last 5 years and have never crashed. (It's a rumour that crits are dangerous). You don't need a Crit to crash do you ?...IE: last weekends road race ?. Criteriums are no different.

But what makes ours better is that the fields are smaller, we run A, B, and C Categories, and it's really is a great way to practice for the bigtime/ big field ABA RACES.
Crits are an exciting part of Road Racing and if you gain some talent, technique and strategy from them, you will only benefit. Remember that Time Trial Pionts only go so far before you need some 'mass start' pionts. So drop over sometime and volunteer as a Corner Marshall and check out the action... but bring your bike too.

Wed. night, and the TTT

OK guys, most of you will be coming out to the C4's first race this Wed. night. Should be fun. It is perfect timing for your next hard workout if you raced on the weekend. It is a road bike TT. Here is the plan. After the event. Don't leave the finish line, we will wait for all our dudes, then pack up. I want to get all the Cat5's and 4's together and we can discuss some race tactics that are directly relevant to what happened last Sat. and will keep happening unless we get a bit of an education. We won't do a 'classroom' type discusion, we will form into teams, and do some practicing, so you can implement it at Pigeon Lake. Refering to the picture, we will also explain what happens sometimes when pedaling through a tight corner :)

Also, about the TTT. I have to give credit where credit it due. Even though H&R are our target club to beat this year, we are all just a bunch of guys racing bikes and like a good race, regardless of club. Competition is awesome, and I am sure they feel the same way. Regarding the TTT, they handed SpeedTheory our butts on Sunday! It was totally awesome. Their team of 4 dudes looked full-on pro out there and it was really a thing of beauty that I got to glimpse. I wanted to pull to a halt, wipe the sweat/drool/snot from my face and watch. They started either 3 or 4 minutes behind us and finished about 15seconds behind us! It was totally awesome. Congrats to H&R for pulling together such a spectacle for us to witness yesterday.

Three Gritty Sandbaggers TTT Report

No one's mentioned the TTT yet, so I'll get the ball rolling...

Rob W., David M., and myself did it up Merckx style for the TTT yesterday. We had the great honour of starting one minute ahead of the H & R Block crew, who looked decidedly more pro than us. We set a torrid pace off the line, and managed to hold off the guys in green for about three solid kms. =) =) Rob and I traded pulls on the hills, and David was the man in the lead for the two long downhills back to the start. It was a great 40 kms of teamwork.

I'm waiting for Fast Frank's TTT report. It will probably come with an Explicit Language Warning, so send small children out of the room first... =) =) =)

Darcy

I had fun during the CAT 3 race and my only complaint is I wish it was a lap longer or they need to throw in a few hills. A few observations: The team worked well together, there were seven of us and with few exceptions Speed Theory was attacking at the front. Ryan and Keith did a great job at getting away for almost an entire lap eventually coming back to the group. It was a very difficult course to try and get away, after Alex and Ben attack Alex commented that “there were going to be no black and red jerseys getting away today”, oh the young have no faith. Alex then proceeded to move to the front and try and pull the group around the course, this tactic was quickly corrected and we saw very little of Alex and Ben until the fourth lap. Then the peloton saw them in a big way, more on that later. Keith, Ryan, Jason and I launched attacks which the peloton would feel later and Lockie as per plan stayed off the front and out of the wind.
In the Fourth lap Alex did a text book attack from the back of the pack, on the inside, and by the time he hit the lead riders he was hitting the sound barrier, one massive attack. A young ERTC rider and the eventual 1st place finisher went after him and eventually bridged up. What was as impressive was Ben Adam’s decision to bridge up after it looked like the break was made. It was a big bridge and a true testament to his focus and fitness that he made it up and was still able to help Alex for the balance of the race. Ben later blew up and probably could have run across the line faster than he rode.
After we tuned up one of the ERTC guys who was intent on helping pull the Peloton up to the lead group Speed Theory and ERTC tried to control the front. Lockie was still locked and loaded in case the peloton caught the group but it soon became obvious that there were too few riders willing to get organized to chase. Hats off to the junior riders from the Oval who helped with this and put in big efforts, they came to race. Keith’s experience throughout the race was invaluable. He was aggressive and communicative. He eventually pulled up beside me and told me he had done everything he could do and that I had to keep Lockie up front, out of the wind and lead him out for the pack finish. I endeavored to do this and eventually lead the pack down the home stretch, the pack swarmed around me near the finish, something I’m very familiar with; unfortunately Lockie was not on my wheel but dealing with not crashing into a ditch.
We were very happy about Alex’s finish; it was good to see him happy.

Lastly it would be good if those involved in any crashes checked in on the Blog to let us know how you (and your bikes) are doing. Don’t worry most of us have been there, we are concerned teammates and just want to know how you’re doing.

More memories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzhJdbedKyY


Stephen

Catastrophic Cat 5

Catastrophic Cat 5

So the lesson of this race is pretty obvious; if you can’t drop the pack, don’t pull them around the course. This is exactly what we did. It was also catastrophic for crashes as well. More about that later.

The race strategy was flawed from the outset. The loosely defined plan was to have two guys at the front, putting the hurt on the rest of the group rotating out frequently. Sadly, this would have worked if we had cat ½ guys but, being lowly cat 5ers, we didn’t have enough horses in the tank to drop any of the pack. In fact, the Team Speed Theory guys should be quite proud in that we were at the front of the pack for the entire race… expect the finish line portion which apparently is where it's important. Several Speed Theory guys work like madmen at the front. Of special note: There was a tri-athlete guy, who’s name I forget (sorry) who worked like a yeoman for the first two laps. He was awesome. I believe he was in the crash but I can’t be certain. I didn’t see him after the race, I hope he was ok. Alan O (AKA Ditch) also worked his tail off pulling long and hard. Other ST’rs would work their way up and haul freight for many minutes at a time. The rest of the pack (I should say lazy bastards but this is a public blog) sat in. And I mean really sat in.
I kept expecting things to break up. Small short burst from us would simply speed the whole pack up. In effect, we pulled the pack around so they could have fresh legs at the end. Lesson learned.

There was an awful crash into lap 3. One of our guys touched a wheel and things went bad for many riders. It was too bad since we had 7 guys at the front and we were just about to put some serious hurt to the pack (who would have simply jumped on our wheel, but I’ve already belaboured that point). I figured seven guys, short hard pulls and we’d have someone in the running. But within minutes of our grand plan the crash happened. I hear there was a broken arm and Bart’s helmet was impressively severed in two pieces. I hope everyone recovers quickly.

Not a good race for the cat 5ers in terms of finishing, but it was great training and learning.

Tom

Velocity RR report

Great weather for some wicked racing in Edmonton today. In cat 1/2, Trev had another great showing with a 3 person break-away, and snagged 2nd in the final sprint with a throw across the line. Some great teamwork by the (other) guys in cat 3 saw Ben and Alex in a 4 person break-away, with Alex bringing it home for a 2nd place. Way to go, guys!

Some new faces in the womens and cat 5, great to see.

Giro Coverage

Cycling.tv does not have coverage this year. http://www.universalsports.com/ has it FREE! 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM every day. Audio was in Italian today but video was good. If you go to www.eurosport.com you can find an audio stream with commentary by Sean Kelly. Sean's Carrick-on-Suir accent has mellowed over the years and you can now understand what he is saying.

Meeting time on Sat. night.

Just in case I am too tired to tell everyone. We will meet at 6:30pm at the Boston Pizza in Stoney Plain (right beside the Motel6) for the team dinner. I want to hear a TON of war stories and about making other teams suffer!

Free beer for all ST members and their spouses, girl/boyfriends.

Crankmasters... 

If any Crankmasters show up, you can have a free beer too :)

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2009 Giro d'Italia Pool - Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser

Hi all Avid Cyclists...

Team Speed Theory is hosting a Fundraising for the Jason Lapierre Memorial Scholarship

It's a fun way to do something good, follow a sport we love to participate in, and for one person to earn a nice chunk of change to use as you wish (In my case bike equipment).

Giro 2009 Fundraising read the rules on the spread sheet.

The more involved the greater goes to the cause, the winner, and increases the interest in our great sport.

Andrew Wolaniuk

NOTE: THIS IS OPEN TO ALL WHO READ THIS BLOG! EVEN THE H&R GUYS :)

Download the Giro Pool Spreadsheet

View the 2009 Giro Start List

Just a small movie from yesterday's training ride.

I think it is totally awesome that when I post a training interval ride and meeting, that 20 dudes (and one dudette) show up ! Our hard work will pay off. By maintaining the great momentum we have with team spirit and racing focus, we will force other clubs in Alberta to respond and the level of racing will increase for everyone. I am glad we are finally getting outside to meet each other. It was killing me having teammates I barely knew.

We will continue to focus our attention to our grassroots building of the team by maintaining a core group of experienced racers who can provide direction, motivation, and knowledge. Our prime directive (a little nerd talk for Matt) is to get people on their bikes, training smart, racing hard, and racing safely. Essentially, to encourage a healthy racing lifestyle.

We have 31+ St'ers about to decend upon the road race scene on Sat. That is awesome.

We have 4 registered TTT teams. One in every category. That is awesome.

Poor quality video, high quality team.

Wednesday Night Ladies only Group ride

Hey Speed Theory Ladies,

Starting may 20th 2009 I will be leading a wednesday night ladies only group ride. Im working for the ABA this summer and one of there goals is to get more girls out on their bikes. I think this will be a great way to encourage female cycling and for all of you to meet some other female cyclists. The rides will depart from the south side of the olympic oval at 6:00pm. Feel free to bring along friends or family that may or may not have riding experience. 

Feel free to contact me at work: 403-210-7984, cell: 403-966-3543 or by email danielle@albertabicycle.ab.ca

I look forward to seeing you all

Danielle Kenny

Saturday Morning in Edmonton

Let's all make sure to be there by 10am at the latest. All Cat4s,5s and women should bring a trainer to warm up on. Alex and I will have either his ST truck and a tent setup, or the fully-coated ST Xterra. The group warmup will provide several opportunities; to warmup, to enable you to be instigators in the race immediately, and most importantly, to devise a devious plan of attack based on who is there and the current race conditions.

Cat2s and 3s, please be around the warm up area to be able to answer any wind, tactic, nutrition questions from the dudes on trainers.

Peak Power/Speed Theory Affiliation

Howdy Speed Theorists,

My name is Ryan Saranchuk and I'm the Director of Exercise Science at Peak Power. We are an applied sport science company, and I specializing in testing and training cyclists. Trev and I are happy to announce a partnership between our company and your team, and he asked me to post a blog about what we can offer you.

As Speed Theory team members you are exclusively entitled to a discount of 20% off most of our performance testing (VO2max, maximum lactate steady state, body composition, critical power, pedal stroke analysis, etc...), or programming. Testing will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, establish a baseline of fitness, monitor how effectively your training is working, as well as establishing your individualized training zones based on heart rate and power output. I have tested Stephen Kenny, Trev, Lachlan, and Alex, so if you have any questions about me and what it is that I do, feel free to ask any of them. I am excited about this partnership and am looking forward to helping you dial in your training and racing so that you can achieve your cycling goals faster than you thought possible.

Our website is www.sportdevelopment.com and you can reach me personally at 403-210-4098 or ryan@sportdevelopment.com if you have any questions or want to book an appointment.

Best of luck with the racing this summer!

Ryan

Penticton Training Camp

Just a reminder about this:

http://speedtheorycyclingteam.blogspot.com/2009/03/penticton-training-camp.html

Deadgoats, we would love your company.

TTT teams.

Here is what I am thinking:

Cat3 TTT team:  Keith, Lachlan, A-Train

Cat2 TTT team: Trev, Dallas, Frank

Cat4 TTT team: Mike G, Thomas, Rob L.

Cat5 TTT team: David, Rob W., Darcy G.

Women's TTT team: ??

Comment if you need a team and we will put it together. It seems like you need to know the amount of people on your team before you register, so we need to figure this out soon.

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Velocity RR and Aerobic ITT

Team:

This weekend is the Velocity Road Race and Aerobic ITT. It's a focus weekend for the team and a great time. The RR is much flatter than Lethbridge so there should be less pack shattering on climbs and the only challenge will be from cross winds, head winds and various other types of wind.

Most people will drive up Sat. morning to the road race. Or stay in a close hotel if early mornings are not your thing.

Velocity Road Race Planning details:Velocity RR is Saturday, May 9th. REGISTER HERE !!

• RobL and RobW are heading up Friday night to the lovely Park Ave Inn.
• Map from YYC to Josephburg: MAP
  

Aerobic ITT Planning Details:

• Aerobic ITT is Sunday: Details here.
• Hotel for Saturday Night: Motel 6
• This is close to a BPs for another team dinner Saturday night. Since this is a focus race, the team will be supplying FREE BEER for all team members and their wives that make it to BP ! (Rob, if you bring an escort, we will include her in the 'free beer' thing)
  
• Map from RR to Hotel: MAP

I will update this post with more detail as I get it.

Roster:

Cat5 (12 so far)
Rob Woolley RR/ITT, Clarke Ellis RR/ITT, Aryeh Rosenberg RR/ITT, Darcy Gullacher RR/ITT, Steve Pickett RR/ITT, Charles Finstad RR/??, David Morgantini RR/ITT/TTT, Mike Hoang RR, Tom Kenny RR, Mark Shand RR, Bart Ujack RR, Alan Oikle RR.

Cat4 (4 racers)
Rob Lukacs RR/ITT, Mike Godfrey RR/ITT/TTT, Larry Welsh RR/??, Thomas Yip RR/ITT

Women (2 racers)

Marilyn RR/ITT, Kailee Boyle RR

Cat3 (7 racers, FULL TEAM !)

A-Train RR/ITT/TTT, Jason RR/ITT, Lachlan RR/ITT/TTT, Ben RR, Ryan RR, Keith RR/ITT/TTT, Stephen RR, Len Conlin ITT/TTT

Cat2 (6 racers!)

Trev RR/ITT/TTT, Dennis RR/ITT, Rod RR, Dallas RR/ITT, Kyle RR, Frank RR/ITT/TTT

Yup

!! Well there ya have it folks, Trevor Williams, Top 'non-Olympian' at the Lethbridge Road Race!!. I'm getting suspicious of the werewolf like ability of this guy to grow facial hair ?... how much 'natural' testosterone does this guy really produce ?. Never mind 5 o'clock shadow, Trev looks like Wolverine's brother by 9am with thick chops he grew over night.
Is it true Trevor that you fathered 19 kids since you were 15 ?. Inquiring minds want to know.

The Hill Climb, yes, only 2km. I knew I could do it. Somehow I won ?. For first place I earned a hacking couch for the next 12 hours, and a gift certificate for a free chest cold that I cashed in today. Ughh. Speed Theory also takes 2nd position Podium, for a lead in the ABA Team Pionts Standings, Cat 1/2.

Mountain Bike XC. I'm surprised I didn't come out looking like Lockie. That was the 3rd ride on my newest Race bike, and had a 'new girlfriend first time' experience trying to get this thing up the hills, down the singletracks, and around the lapped riders. My seat kept slipping down in the collar and I stopped a few times to adjust it back .
The lowlite of the race was my amatuer pass of Deadgoat friend Devin Erfle on the only double track / steep downhill section. : I rolled right into the outside and neglected to call track ( wasn't feeling that confident ).. then Devin pulled right as well, just as I was there. We tangled bars and somehow he sacrificed for me and took the crash while I speed wobbled off to the right, twisting my seat in the collar. Devin was in a heap but I'm sure the rocks broke his fall as he was still vocal, so I knew I could keep racing. As I rounded the valley and looked across he was standing and I yelled an endearing "are you ok ".... "grumble grumble". Uh ?. No, I'm guessing he's not ok.
After the race I apologized sincerely, it was both our faults. But he was walking better than Lockie.

Road Race. After waking up sad, due to the Hawks beating my Team, I took my depression out on the hotel Breakfast buffet. Eating 3 plates to Marilyns, 1. Then we burned down to Magrath.

The Race starts, ' small field'. Lacking any H&R and 5-6 other A.B.A regulars. I pull a fools attack ASAP, not to test my fitness but to bolt ahead and let that bacon fart go I was holding in.
KM 10 I see The Wolfman Trev Williams Sastre and an ERTC kid go wailing by on the outside, it was exciting. Looking around this early in the event, nobody goes after them >? . I however know this is only a 116km race and any good time trialist could have his day here. Several of us in the Peleton had also raced the day before, IE: race Cody Canning, Roddi Lega, Erik Bakke, Rod M, myself and Trevor too. We're slow to warm up.
Around km 12, Craig Deboffle (Bow Cycle) and Shawn Adamson( Juventus) make a break. I must have been flossing or something but I totally missed that ?. I sat in, Rod sat in, and Trevor's chance of success was growing by the minute. I knew they couldn't catch them, not in this wind. At this time I knew ST was a part of a Top 5 for this day.

At the first turnaround, I attacked. Only ERTC rider Jon Wood was able to come after me, after a long effort he caught me on the downhill the fat bastard, and I'm 180 lb. ? \Well the guy must be born part MAVIC because he attached himself to my wheel like a Mexican parasite and I wasn't gonna shake him. We near the next turnaround double back on the course and Trevor and the ERTC kid have a great lead, about 6 minutes. In between in no man's land @ 2mins, is Deboffle and Adamson, they are my mission.
With my Giverator in Maximus, I T.T up to Deboffle and Adamson, ERTC wheel sucker takes about 1 pull the whole way, claiming, 'You're too strong, I can't pull through". I started to think he was hitting on me but I know Jon is married. Anyways I catch Craig and Shawn and they look like buzzard meat about this time. And with a short burst I pop Shawn on the KOM doubleback. Now it's 3 of us after the last turn around, the last 3 of Top 5.
I pull towards the Finish line and away from the chase. I'm sure I can get a Top 5 now if I can maintain it. Craig sucks wheel the whole way back, just to survive, but is the utmost sportsman and rolls neutral across the line behind me, while Jon Wood takes my sprint. I got 4th. ERTC owes ST some prize money...

Tips - Know your competition. Who are the Time Trial guys, who are the Sprinters ?. Who has big side burns and who has a pony tail ?.

- When one of your men is up the road, stay OFF the front, if you are on the front, ride nearly bloody neutral. Who cares if the break wins by 20 minutes if you have Team mate there. Win from the Chase pack if you have to for 5th or 6th. Remember Points go 10 to 12 deep in the ABA depending on the Race Category. Check your rule book.

- And, bring a BBQ to Magrath next time for some post race food.

Cat 4 Report

Team,

I got some messages today mentioning that I had not posted yet. It sounds like some of you actually like reading my posts. Sorry for the delay.

Well, that Cat4 race started off pretty smoothly. Coming from Trans Rockies where the neutral start means, "Force the fire truck off the road and get at it!", I was very relieved for the cautious start. Bicisport had numbers, we had numbers, obviously it was going to be a 9 man battle Royal. King Kong Bundy, Big John Stud, Andre the Giant, SuperFly Snuka style.

The first 20 km were disorganized and guys were struggling with the wind. The paceline was taking along time to get established. Three riders were off the front within distance, the group was letting them sit out there, not forcing anything, waiting to see if they look for comfort within the group. 

I was following strict orders from El Capitan to sit in the group and look for shelter. Rob and Carlos were taking pulls and trying to stay out of trouble. Guys were really disorganized getting to the first climb. Roy and James were hanging out at the front, I was trying to cover their moves with assistance from other Speed Theory riders. When the Bici riders made their move, Michael jumped on their wheels. I was with them to the top and then they surged again. Michael was super strong, riding fearless, Carlos was licking his chops getting ready to attack, Rob knew that there might be hot chicks down the road and I was looking for the heart paddles!

I was stuck in "No man's land" I couldn't stay with Michael's chasing group, and I had distanced from the main pack. I worked really hard for minimal gains and it didn't make sense for me to pace the pack up to Michael. Michael had the boys in his wheel house so I was going back to the group. I really needed some recovery, I am not sure if the Bow Cycle jerseys changed colours or if I was in bad shape, all I could see was arm warmers that pink plaid, it was like staring at the sun. Your not supposed to look, but you do anyways.

The chase was in earnest to the bottom of the large hill. Roy and James were well paced by Michael and then they left him. Those guys were on great form yesterday. We re-formed at the bottom and set a hard pace to the top. It was a great move for us, we got the selection we wanted. All of the ST boys were in the mix for the chase. Michael set an awesome pace that shattered lots of guys. I was able to tuck in on the climb and keep the heart rate lower. The final turn during the climb south confused Michael and I felt bad to pass him, I think he thought it was a bit shorter. We saw the group ahead and felt that we could catch them on the way back. I think I got the "King of Fat Guys on the climb" award, prize should be coming in the mail.

After the turnaround, with the wind at our backs, and the steep downhill we made another separation. Michael's diligence of hill repeats didn't serve him well on the downhill. Sometimes, my consistent Krispy Kreme training pays off and with the course prevailing downhill to the finish, it was Tsunami time. If every one forgot the term Tsunami, refer back a few posts to the emptying of the SAIT pool and the banana hammock.

We worked really hard coming back and we couldn't catch the leaders. Even my dashboard sumo was sweating. The sumo was really good at letting the guys know when to drop back and let me do some work. Much like Roddie said, it was a 47km TT getting home.

I'm not to sure how the results worked, the top 8 had the same time. Roy and James were in another class. 

Coming back, I did get some feedback about the team. Once again, comments were made about the size, class of the leadership of our team, and the overall sense of organization and rider skill. There are riders that are very envious of our team. I am very proud to wear the red and black in racing and training.

Keep up the good work guys and gals.  Have a great weekend racing in Edmonton this weekend and I look forward to reading the posts. It was really good to hear the success of the Cat 5 riders and their race. It will be great to work with some of you in Cat 4 when you stop to visit us. Great work Carlos, Michael and Rob. We worked well together.

You'll hear more from me later this week.

Slayer Dan

Roadies welcome at Calgary track meet (May 23-24)

The Calgary track scene (www.cbtl.ca) has already started, and they offer Learn To Ride clinics for $10, last time I checked. It's a fun experience to fly around on the track, even if you're not about to become a trackie.

There are only two track meets a year in Calgary, with the first coming up on May 23-24. Roadies that can't make it to the Calgary velodrome in Glenmore for the two introductory lessons, can just rock up with their road bike and kick some butt anyway:

Calgary trackies spit in the faces of roadies, call the roadies' mothers "fat", and request a duel

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Bearspaw Crit

Those of us that missed out on the Lethbridge Party wound up in Calgary at the Bearspaw crit. Another fine event hosted by the good folks at Crankmasters that had excellent turnout and even better weather.

Speed Theory was well represented, RobW, Alle, Aryeh, Darryl, Steve, and one other gent (who I have shamefully forgotten the name of, please post a comment so I can correct this error and a million apologies in advance).

First off, these guys are effin fast. Darryl set a course record, Alejandro dropped everyone in the TTT like a bad habit, and Steve put the hurt on in the road race. Wicked, I am stoked to hit up a larger road race with you guys.

Thanks for coming out guys and thanks to Crankmasters.

My first Road Race

My first Cat 5 Race.

I was a little nervous not knowing how well I would do. I’ve ridden my bike a lot but not in a competitive environment where other guys are trying to crush my spirit. Looking at some of the bikes and quads on some of these guys, not to mention I’m no spring chicken, I was a little unnerved.

The team had a good plan. I like plans. I’m good at following plans. Plans don’t always seem to work out like… you planned. But in this case… the plan worked!

Our goal was to start spreading out the pack after the first hill. Have a few guys up front pushing the pace on hills two and three to separate the wheat from the chaff. This seemed to be working except I really didn’t notice the hills. I’m sure they were there but I was so busy trying not to do something stupid I didn’t notice. I was focused on moving around the pack, taking a short pull, then slipping back, but not too far back and working my way through the pack again. This required all my concentration as there were indeed a few sketchy riders who jiggled and wobbled like a fat chick at a hoola hoop party.

The wind was from the NW and everyone was echeloning (if that’s a word) across the road. Whoever was at the front was pulling the entire pack until…. All of sudden, the pack thinned out into a long thin string along the yellow center line and I was left out thrashing in the wind. “What the hell was going on? I can’t draft in this! Who in their right mind would do this to me?”

Then, looking along this long line of riders, gaps were beginning to form. Slower guys were struggling against the wind as if they were by themselves, the wheel ahead of them was doing very little and they were suffering. I looked up the line to see who was the devious mastermind behind this plan. And there was Carl, smiling away as the pack started to break apart. It was brilliant! He had the help of other Team Theory players deploying this evil and brilliant plan. Before I knew it the pack had disintegrated into smaller groups and we were game on.

The big hill was looming and I did not want to be too far back. Simon, who was in the unfortunate crash, had caught up and was moving towards the lead group, I knew I needed to be close to him if I was going to hang on.

At the bottom of the hill there was a big surge. Simon and some other fast guy were in the lead. Several other guys including Thomas and Joel had sprinted by me but since I have virtually no ability to sprint, I simply settled in and turned the pedals in true ‘Randonneur’ fashion. The hill was long enough that if you went out too hard, too early you could blow up and I started reeling in rider after rider. I caught Thomas about two thirds of the way up and that’s where the Team came together. We got to the top of the hill and were greeted by a good size wind. There was the lead group of Simon, Joel and the other fast guy and a second group of two guys quite distant from the lead. Thomas and I worked the wind taking 20 seconds pulls. It seemed to take a long time but we slowly pulled them in. Another fellow work his ass off to catch us and we were now a group of 5 about a minute or two behind the leaders at the turn around. There was no way in hell we were going to catch them and I knew that Thomas needed points to move up so we agreed he would sit in and I would do his pulls. If anything went wrong for one of the riders in the lead group, Thomas would have a chance at 3rd.

I pulled, gave the signal, no takers, I pulled some more, gave the signal, no takers, Thomas and I slowed down to a snails pace, they all sat in. One fellow took a few pulls which I appreciated but the other guys sat in. If that’s the way it’s going to be, then so-be-it. I pulled for the remaining 20km’s or so with Thomas tucked in.

Joel had blown up and was off the lead pack. He later told me that he made some tactical errors and blew all his matches at the wrong times and was cooked when we reeled him in.

Thomas played it perfectly. We picked up at the pace even more at the 3km mark. We were surprised at how quick the finish line came up and I yelled for Thomas to go. In retrospect, a better ‘code word’ than “GO NOW”! should be deployed but he had the jump. I eased off for a second to make the remaining riders around me and voila! Thomas was over the line.

It was an awesome first race. The tactics deployed by the team were excellent. Carl I believe deserves the credit for destroying the big pack with his yellow line tactic. Simon and Joel were awesome in the lead and I felt great through ride. I came in 6th place but one of the guys in our pack was disqualified for some reason which gave me 5th place. No podium but it was better than I could have hoped for.

Thanks everyone for a great first race!
Tom

The Weekend Warriors

Great weekend, lots of hard racing and good company.

Shout outs to the unsung heros of the Cat 5 Race...

Joel and Carl gave some huge efforts in the first half of the race. I'm sure this led to shedding a few competitors and hurting most everyone else.

Clarke and Andrew for surviving the crash and working hard to finish the race.

Thanks to anyone else I missed, I couldn't always see where everyone was but I know everyone was working hard. Funny thing I got comments from 4 people in the peloton who were in shock at the numbers, strength and organization of Speed Theory in the Cat 5 race. I think this speaks loudly for the commitment and effort of the racers and management of our team. Kudos to everyone on a successful showing this weekend.

The Jens Voigt award for hardness goes to my wind shield and lead out man Tom K. Tom worked super hard at the front of the race in the first half, then when the peloton shattered on the KOM he and I did a 2 man paceline to catch the group that was chasing Simon. Tom then basically dragged 4 of us across the prairies and gave me a perfect opportunity to beat out the others for a 3rd place sprint finish.

It was also great to see Marilyn out to battle the women's division for Speed Theory this weekend.

Great job to everyone that made it out to Lethbridge. Super impressive season opener!

Midweek Mayhem

Midweek crit action starts this Tuesday at University Research Park.
Info and registration available online at www.midweek-mayhem.ca

Another report

Lethbridge road race this morning. Great job, Trev! Woo!

I had a fun mountain bike race on Saturday (thanks for lending the bike, Trev), mixing it with numerous cat 2 & 3's (much to the chagrin of the rest of the field). First MTB race, second time on single track ever. Was feeling fantastic for the first 500 metres of uphill before the hurt set in (similar to my road race today). For the downhill, I know from other sports my usual style is to push it 'til I fall, then ease back...and repeat (watching me skiing must be amusing), I tried to hold back a bit on the death-defying front, but near the end I wanted to make up time and let loose. Having a 25 pound bike break-dance on my spine as I slide down a hill at high speed is not something I wish to repeat soon - but it was super fun overall, and I'll be back. I knew I looked as bad as I felt when, as soon as I finished, Trev said "wow, tough ride? I have to take a picture of your face".

Great weekend for the club!

Well, the club sure represented well this weekend. Everyone got in some serious suffering (Stephen's favourite word) with either a brutal high intensity hill climb, or a relentless XC race inside an oven, or a crosswind filled rollerfest road race. Thanks to Phil Rayner for a great weekend. I didn't hear or see of any hiccups to anyone's race experience in terms of organization.

Personally, I had a super weekend. Something was clicking and I am happy it corresponded with a few races. The climax was today's road race....

...I've always thought it would be super cool to one day get good enough that after a race somewhere, sometime, a dude walks up and tells you he needs to follow you into the outhouse since they need to check to make sure you raced 'on your own'. My goal since I started athletics in 2000 was to one day be good enough that someone cared enough to check to ensure you were clean; to be in a race where the level was high enough that a drug tester was present would have even been good.

As the years have gone on, I have slowly come to the realization that maybe I should switch my goal to having coached someone who gets to the level where someone cares enough to drug test them :)  ...

...well today, was a great day for me, and I think I am pretty happy with the compromise. Today I was the sole dude in a breakaway with an amazing athlete who has been to numerous world class events, including the big show (Bejing). We broke away early in the race, and it was just me and him for about 95km. Trading pulls. Me and an Olympian !!  Sure. It may have been a training day for him. But just being able to be at the pointy end of a race with a dude who was riding a custom painted Cervelo with the Olympic rings that CERVELO GAVE TO HIM !! was nothing short of awesome. He decided my company wasn't to his liking on the last downhill crosswind and laid it down to drop me. However, I would like to think I kept him honest in the last 10km to the finish while we were mano-a-mano about 10-20seconds apart. Thanks Paul for making me think all the training was worth it!

I hope the other SpeedTheorists will pipe up with their stories of the weekend, but I wanted to share with you guys something that still has me smiling.

Trev

Coullee Cruiser

It was a fabulous day in Lethbridge. Some excellent climbing and some great suffering in the cross country.

Hill Climb
Cat 2's
Dallas took over all
Trev placed second

Cat 3
Locky placed 3rd
Alex was 1 second behind for fourth

Cat 5
Joel took second place
Yours trully placed 5th
The rest of the results will come later.

In the cross Country
Novice
Lockie took a beating and was leading the group for the majority of the race. Then, in good Lockie fashion crashed (Trevs bike). Apparently a good end over end, some minor blood and contusions to take second place. While Rod came in around 5th.

Thomas in the sport category came in around 6th.

Trev in Expert still suffering worked incredibly hard through the race to take seond place. He looks like hell but says he feels great. I think he's lying.

Dallas in Elite look cool through the whole race and took 4th in elite.

Dinner at Boston Pizza. We're in a huge B&B getting ready for tomorrows big road race.

Coulee Cruiser Race - Who's Going? - Updated Racer List

With the GP Bici canned, everyone should be rested and fresh for the Coulee Cruiser next weekend. Who is planning to be there, and which races are you doing? Post like this:

Darcy Gullacher, Cat 5, HC and Road Race

This way we don't have a bunch of racers named Anonymous showing up. =) =)

I was down in Lethbridge for Easter and checked out the hill climb by car. It appears to be a consistent climb that kicks up just a touch at the end, but nothing too serious. It's in a gully, so it will feel a lot like Edworthy, but twice as long.

Here's who I have:

Darcy Gullacher HC/RR
Clarke Ellis RR
Andrew Wolaniuk RR
Thomas Yip HC/XC/RR
Carl Miller HC/RR
Tom Kenney HC/RR
Mike Healy HC/RR
Joel Souchotte HC/RR
Simon Williams RR
Andy Hill HC/RR

Cat 2/3

A-Train HC/RR

Keith RR

Dallas HC/XC/RR

Trev HC/XC/RR

Rod HC/XC/RR

Lachlan HC/RR

Dennis HC

Cat 4

Rob HC/RR
Slayer RR

Mike G RR

Carlos RR

Women

Marilyn

Anyone missing?

Team Dinner in Lethbridge Sat. night ?

 Let's all meet for dinner somewhere close to the finish of the XC.

Let's say 6:30pm at......  THIS BOSTON PIZZA

ALSO... I just put the RR course into MAPmyRIDE and the profile looks brutal going out!! Follow this link and if the profile doesn' automatically come up, click on 'Show Elevation'.

Trev

OK, guys, quick.. I need a cool, REAL name.

OK, since our race is A GO !! for June 6th on brand new fresh closed HIGHWAY !! on NE Ring Road. We need a cool name.

We need a name that reflects the full-on coolness of this event.

I met with the media lady on Wed. and she needs a name....   you have 2 hours.

Thomas thought of   'Lord of the Ring(Road)'  ... if you want to vote for this one, then leave a comment too.