Race and Ride Narratives :

Haze Thompson at the Esparto TT, August 12, 2007
Reported by David Thompson , Aug 17, 2007 :

On Sunday, 12 August, SDC-V and National Record Holder Haze Thompson [64]  won the Cat 4 Women's field at the Esparto 19mile ITT [VeloPromo, part of the Cal Cup Series in N.CA], against a bevy or 14 riders in the winning time of 48:23.3.  She was 1:21 ahead of the second place girl [Haze's riding/training companion Kim Passani-Ahktar, also from Hollister].  The Esparto course is located just outside Winters, CA, north of and between Davis and Vacaville .  The course is a 16mile out-and-back course with a 3mile leg from the start up to the main course, with total ascent of 550ft.  240 riders competed at 30sec intervals.  Haze's time was also good enough to have placed her very well up in the Women's Pro/1/2 field of 23.  That field was won by World Champion and Olympian Christine Thorburn.  Nice race, nice day, thank you very much.
Submitted by the proud and supporting husband, SDC-V David Thompson.

Crocodile Trophy, Australia, Oct 29, 2006
Reported by Cal Burgart, Oct 31, 2006 :

Cal Burgart finishes Crocodile Trophy 2006, October 29th.
I am pleased to report that I have just finished the longest mountain bike stage race of my career – the Crocodile Trophy. It is 13 days in Queensland, Australia. The entire race is in the Outback. Most stages end at primitive camp sites. Cooktown is the only intermediate “city” we end at during the race. The total distance is 840 miles. Nine of the stages pound along endless washboard dirt roads. Two of the stages are real mountain bike stages, and two short stages are essentially time trials.

There were 42 participants. Two women, four men over 50, another eleven men in their 40’s, the rest were sub 40. Curiously enough the race is organized by Austrian’s. The main man, Gerhard Schonbacher, is from the same town as Arnold, and sounds exactly like him. He competed in three Tour de France races. There were 16 countries represented. I was the only American! I was second oldest racer, 8 months younger than an Italian rider the looked like Marco Pantani.

I had no bike problems and only a few short term physical issues and ended the race feeling only tired. I expected to finish and not be last, but the surprise was I finished right in the middle of the entire field at 21st overall and 5th in the 40+ class!! I am slightly disappointed at not beating the 57 year old Frenchman who finished 20th. We went back and forth in the standings a couple times. But 20th or 21st, I am pleased.

This was a grueling race, but very satisfying to have finished so well.

Masters Worlds, Austria, Aug, 2006
Reported by David Thompson, Sep 3, 2006 :

On 23 August 2006, Haze Thompson [63] won 3rd Place and a beautiful UCI Medal, Cup, Francisco Moser wines, and a beautiful Podium experience at the UCI Masters World Championships in St. Johann in Tirol, Austria.

Her time was a new US National record time of 30:41.71, and she successfully passed the UCI bike measurements and the anti-doping control [her A Sample was not sent to a French lab....]. Her 30:41 is 1:13 better than her own US National Record set at Moriarty 2 years ago of 31:54.

Two days later, 25 August, she also took 7th in the Worlds Road Race, with a nice Cup for that presented by Pat McQuaid, the new head of the UCI. Haze was battling between 2nd and 3rd place when, at 500m to go, she went off-course due to a car accident confusion, and missed the finishing barriers; after U-turning and heading down the shoot she finished 7th overall--still excellent, but rather frustrating.

Haze continues to represent Cyclo-Vets and all of us, and is very proud to be a member of our organization. She also had a fine support team of other SDC-V racers there including Jacobo, Butch, Nigel, and non-racing husband David.

San Clemente Circuit Race, May 21, 2006
Reported by Jacques of the Peloton AKA Kevin Gilbert, May 23, 2006 :

Lunch after a race? Clams and Onions?

Sundays in San Clemente are usually reserved for reading the paper, quality time with the family, brunch, night/morning low clouds burning off by noon, maybe a stroll/run on the beach. However, this Sunday was unlike others in this quiet coastal community since the San Clam Challenge was staging at 7am. Roads were closed, police abound, and women/men in colorful spandex pelted the hillside like wild spring flowers warming for the day's events.

The first race is off late, Cat V, with none other than Josh Gruenberg riding CV colors. This course is 2.3 mile loop with one hill on the back side, the other up to the finish. With 50 riders, Josh sits in the upper 10% most of the race until the last lap/corner where he and another rider come around in a flash followed/surrounded by 30% of the Peloton. The other rider is bigger and leads out from the corner. Josh decides to go around on his left and come up the hill in a starting sprint. The hill is long and it might be too soon, however, his assumption is that this bigger guy, power/weight ratio being what it is, will die on the vine. Well, assumptions' being good/bad this guy decides to pour on the happy juice and comes around Josh close to the finish to take first by 2/3 of a bike length. Needless to say, Josh was disappointed, but took a big smiling second.

Cat IV race was a full field with Don Keith and me amongst the crowd. It was a grueling round and round with 100 riders, pushing. elbowing, fighting, tenderizing for position. On the last lap there was a crash before the last corner into the traffic cones. Fortunately, no appetizers for the crows/coyotes. Unfortunately, for us there was not much to write about except for survival. I won't bore you with the usual excuses of age difference, flatlanders and leg/knee cramps the size of California, but we looked good. If you can't be fast.

Cat III race was very exciting with Rob Panzera stirring the pot. Rob, not a patient lad watching a pot boil, flew off the handle so to speak in several breaks, including one with three laps to go. It looked as though he and 3-4 others would survive, but the "others" would not cooperate, work. In fact, one of the other guy's teammates in the break away chased down the lead. This classic mistake helped make for a disappointing finish. Nonetheless, Rob looked strong the entire race and he like Josh, did everything they could to collapse my lungs and throat. Ok, my cheerleading skill is as sharp as my trusty Henckel and I especially look good in pink and pom poms. If they continue at this pace, I am going to need some help.

50+, Arnie rides solo in the back of the pack measuring the very fast Peloton like an Iron Super Chef brewing a wicked caldron of broth. Lap ladle, by lap ladle, he tests the brew for the right tasty move. With Alton Brown precision, he peels one lap off at a time. Unfortunately, there is something not quite right, several unsavory riders get off the front and the race spoils like left out milk.

40+ 1/2/3/4 Last but not least is John Dozadelli who raced this category and PRO 1/2

Racing is like an onion, you peel one layer off at a time and sometimes you weep . . . silently of course.

Devil Mountain Double Century, Apr 29, 2006
Reported by Bobby Carter, May 1, 2006 :

California Triple Crown Stage Race
San Ramon, CA
205miles,19KFT of climbing.

To view a course description or view the website click here: http://www.caltriplecrown.com/schedule.htm#devilmountain
Tough course. first climb to top of Mt Diablo went above marine layer and cloud layer. it was thick. visibility was minimal. descent felt very slow due to road surface, some wetness and gravel, and a viz distance down to maybe 50ft. i stupidly had chosen not to wear arm warmers so was shaking from cold all the way down too.

As you might guess the field was almost totally fragmented after 15mi of 206. i began to slowly pick off people from this point onward.

Let me digress to mention that there were two start times, 0500 and 0600. i started at 0600 with a group of about 20 or so. something around 150 started at 0500.

Continuing. Climbing . Up Morgan Territory Road. This climb reminded me of Jimena's "European Way" up Mt Soledad. Narrow, twisty/turney with terrible road conditions that kept me constantly switching back and forth. although traffic was nil that was the only plus on this 10mi or so climb. very rural, probably scenic.

Next up after a too short but somewhat fast descent was Altamont Pass and Patterson Pass. Road was good, grade was 'easy' but i should have had a clue when i turned to make the climb and saw the hills all the way to the top covered with wind generators. about 6 miles of 6% into the teeth of maybe 25knots of wind (i do not exaggerate, a lifetime of water and wind have sharpened my estimation skills). quite a few riders were laboring here. as for myself i found my 80rpm 80%HR gear and zoned to the top.

Next up was some very boring climbing akin to Great Western up to the Bee Farm. It was Mines Rd-25miles.

Then the biggie. Mt Hamilton. a double crushing climb over poor roads under a hot sun with no shade. 20miles. i was in a 34X28 or32 most of the way. No relief on the descent. Terrible road surface with poorly engineered, sometimes off camber, switchbacks that you descended into then climbed out of. Wierd and very technical. mentally tough, brakes,climb,brakes,climb,brakes,climb every 250meters for 16miles of what is called downhill. Whew, 150miles down.

Back near civilization and on part of Tour of Ca route where Floyd smoked 'em begin the climb up Sierra Road-1800Ft of climbing in just over 3mi. it's pretty much like gut check on Great Western but it goes on for 3miles. another way to think of it is the elevation gain of Honey Springs but in <1/2 the distance. if i had been properly hydrated at this point i probably would have cried. as it was i only salted up. 34X32 entire distance standing. thank you Arnie for those standing trainer workouts. my speedo was saying 4mph +/- so this was maybe 45min standing. paint all over the road cheering on the pros. lots of DiscoBoys fans, and Julich, and Levi. I saw one Floyd.

This was pretty much it except there was still 40mi and maybe another 3500ft of climbing. Piece of cake. rode most of the way until now alone. rules prohibited leaving last rest stop at mile 180 alone if within 1hour of sunset. Left with 1 other guy and began picking off others. did last 15mi with 2others.

My HRM does not average so the following are estimates and memory. i climbed at 80-82% of MaxHR. On the flats or where i could pedal i rode ~75%. a lot of the downhills were too technical so my HR was up and down .

i don't know my placing yet relative to the other riders. the only person to ever pass me was on a descent. i caught him back on the next climb and and put the surge on him once and that was it.

Total elapsed clock time 16:05. Stage race placings are the combined total times of the 3 races. i will improve. i felt a lot of weakness leaving my body on Mt Hamilton and Sierra Rd.

Ciao, bobby carter.

El Cajon Crit, Apr 23, 2006
Reported by Kevin Gilbert, Apr 25, 2006 :

Cyclo-Vets were in full force at the El Cajon Grand Prix Sunday. The course was a very challenging 0.9 miles with 8 corners and very sharp "chicane" double bends. Of course, that was not enough to satisfy a crit junkie. Light rain and bot dots spattered the course making it a full throttle extravaganza. Twice during the race I lost my chain jittering over the endless bot dots.

Starting with the Cat 5 race at 7:45 a.m., Josh Gruenberg scored a second place missing #1 by a wheel length . . . very exciting. He stayed in control the entire race and refused to work for the guys upfront . .. a smart "conserve your energy" strategy.

In the next race, 40 plus 4/5 @ 9:20a.m., Josh and I stayed in 1 through 10 positions 95% of the race. The idea was to stay up front to avoid the crunch in the very tight chicanes and then to lead him out at the finish. Oh, there was this very tight chicane called the DeWalt funnel on the backside, where only 3-4 riders at a time might traverse without danger. Given the field size of 60 riders this was the eye of the hurricane on every lap. Six laps into the race on the backside two riders crashed in the third corner right in front of me with Josh on my wheel. Fortunately, the slide across the asphalt did not take the victims under our wheels . . . but inches away. After 45 minutes of racing at an average speed of 23 mph, the bell lap rang. Josh and I were in perfect position. Unfortunately, on the penultimate corner, testosterone being what it is and physical limits red lining, a nasty crash occurred in the third and fourth position. Amazingly, for the second time we avoided this pop in your face crash. Carbon fiber has a certain snap and thud on asphalt that makes you cringe and sliding across the pavement seems slightly faster and easier when wet. Unfortunately, the crash slowed the momentum and this rider could not get around in time and I finished in 12th. Josh, however, was in the money with 3rd place. Generously, he donated the prize money to Cyclo-Vets. Several other club members raced in this race and other categories and made a good showing.

P.S. There were a couple of new people to racing Sunday and they should be congratulated at the very least for starting, hanging in there or finishing the race, since this was one of the more difficult criterium courses on the calendar.

Camp Pendleton RR, Mar 4, 2006
Reported by Michael Tabler, Mar 6, 2006 :

Bull Dog Bike Race March 4 2006  
Out and back light roller course 26 miles, 4 section hill at about 11 miles.
Holding off to the day of race entry as rain was predicted gave me the opportunity to back out at the last minute. My first race...

It was a bright sunny day for the Cyclo-Vets.Chuck Gilbert (4th in 70-74 div.) was there to give me some good tips and answer some questions about racing and the course before the race.
I started in the everyone over 50 group, next to Dr. Arnie Baker (3rd in the 50-54 class), in the second row of riders. The pace started off at 30 – 32 miles per hour and continued at that pace for about the first 3 miles. I was a little hesitant as things were tight. Gradually I slipped back through the pack as riders were moving up on the sides of the peloton. By 5 miles into the race I was near the back of the pack but still in it. The group was big and had started surging over the rollers. Avoiding the competitors with SITI (sudden inadequate tire inflation) was also causing significant speed changes. I was surprised to see Dr. Baker slide back sooner than I did in the group. When these speed changes occurred he was sliding up on the side then he would slide back again. He must have passed me 4 times as the group slowed and I lightly braked. I marveled at his efficiency but didn't think I had the experience to pull off emulating him.

At about 6 miles Jacoba Melcer and Edward Renger (one and two in the 65-69 class) powered by in the middle of the pack. They were working together, moving up, and were looking good. I tried but was a little too apprehensive to follow. I stuck on the back with a couple of mountain bike riders. One of whom was Carl Yee (first in the Mt. Bike division). In a rare moment of good sense I recognized these Costco-sized guys must be very strong to still be with this pack at these speeds (25). One of these guys had a mountain bike with front and back racks for paniers (a real draft).
Then came the hill.... I said my good bye to the pack as did lots of other riders. This was at about 11 miles of the 26 mile race. On the down hill I saw Jack Palmer, Vittorio Comana (first and second in the 70-74 div.), and Gordy Shields (2nd 80+) on the other side going up.

After the hill one rider I was talking with up the hill and I worked together until two Clydesdale riders came by and I said “this is the real thing lets get on”. I came forward a couple of times and did what I could but these guys were strong. The last three miles I hung on to the finish (two turns and suspect pavement attributes in the last 150 meters) sprint (10th 55-59). A great experience.
We had a wonderful group there. The support and fellowship made for a great day.
Other Cyclo-Vets that I didn't see during the race were:
Ricardo Olimon 7th 45-49
Tara Yee 1st Athena
Ellen Turkel 2nd W50-54
Hugo Lepur 12th 35-39
Scott Mansburger 14th 30-34
Steve Zies 18th 50-54
Nigel Glibbery 15th 45-49 (stopped to take a heart break)
Angela Romeo 4th W40-44
Jen Mansburger 1st W/baby and Moca

Ontario, Feb 26, 2006
Reported by Kevin Gilbert, Feb 27, 2006:

A very good day at Ontario 7-corner Grand Prix where Josh Gruenberg placed 9th in his first finished 30plus 4/5 race.

We both raced safe in the upper 10-15% throughout the race until the first corner/last lap, two riders went down directly in back of Josh and right in front of me, slamming and then sliding across the payment slowing the entire peloton.

Josh and several other riders got away, however, the peloton chased/caught them on the last corner. In good position with 200 meters to go,  a second crash shattered the hopes of this rider's chances of a board finish. 

Nonetheless, it was a very good race where trainer class at "the house of pleasure" pays surge dividends. Can you say SURGE 4-5 times a lap!

Tour of Hope, Follow-Up
Reported by Steve Skwarlo, Oct 10, 2005 :

The Tour of Hope concluded it’s nine-day, 3,300 mile cross-country bicycle relay in Washington DC Saturday, October 8. All four teams completed their stages. The riders endured record hot weather in San Diego and a 118-degree stage in Arizona. The last three stages for my relay Team were during rain and at night. It is a credit to the riders that there were no accidents and no complaints. Everyone had a great time!

I had the privilege of being lead navigator for the stage departing San Diego. Lance Armstrong rode with the Team for the first 15 miles. My knowledge of local roads from many Cyclo-Vets rides helped me to successfully direct the caravan from San Diego to the desert near Borrego Springs.

The outreach for cancer awareness and the reception by communities was a great inspiration. The October 4 stage along the Natchez Trace in Mississippi was the most outstanding and beautiful stage. Lance joined us to ride the last 50 miles with my team.  I was lucky to be assigned as lead navigator for that stage.

The Tour of Hope website features excellent photographs and narratives of the event.

PHOTOS in Gallery

My support for this event was hard work, long hours and great fun!

Interested readers may also like The Paceline at http://www.thepaceline.com/. It's good website for this event and information about the Discovery Team.

Tour of Hope, Sep 29, 2005
Reported by Steve Skwarlo, Sep 20, 2005:

I have been selected to be part of the Trek Travel 2005 Tour of Hope (TOH) Support Staff. Along with 62 other Staff members I will be accompanying the TOH National Team on their 9 day TransAmerica relay bicycle ride. There are 24 riders on four team of six each. The event purpose is to raise cancer awareness and inform about clinical trials. This is the third annual TOH. This year the TOH starts from La Jolla at Scripps Hospital on Thursday September 29. Lance Armstrong will be at the start speaking at the send off ceremonies. Lance will start the ride with the lucky first relay team. Full detail is at http://www.tourofhope.org/toh/index.htm

This wonderful opportunity came my way through a series of events that started with a Trek Travel tour noted for sale on the Cyclo-Vets e-mail distribution. Shiela McGuirk, who knew someone in the club, posted the trip. It turned out she rode with the TOH National Team in 2004. I've followed the event since 2003 when I rode the Los Angeles kick-off ride. I contacted Trek and events began to unfold.
I made the photographs below at the Madison WI training camp August 26-28. The Madison Camp was orientation for new Support Staff and to conduct a simulated tour consisting of 30 mile loop rides with the Team from 3 PM Saturday through 7 AM Sunday. This allowed the drivers and riders to practice safe Team escort procedure.

PHOTOS in Gallery

27th Superfrog Triathlon Half Ironman, Sep 17, 2005
Reported by Gary Tingley, Sep 17, 2005:

Coronado CA.

Calm conditions, some light

Masters World Championships, Austria, Aug, 2005
Reported by Jacobo Melcer, Sep 12, 2005:

The trip was a wonderful experience and I am ready to go back next year. The results for Nigel and me were:

RADWELTPOCKAL
       Nigel – 49th, 30 minutes behind the leader
       Jacobo 47th, 6 minutes behind the winner
 
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
       Nigel, 92nd, 24 minutes behind the leader. The winner was Thurlow Rogers
       Jacobo 54th, 2 minutes behind the leader
 
RADBERGPOCKAL (12.5 Km, climb)
       Jacobo 12th, there was 15 places and I got my first Cup in the event. I arrived abut 4 minutes behind the leader.

I am happy that I decided to go. The results were ok, but with more work and better determination I am sure that next year I will be with the front group.
 
Nigel was able to complete his two races with no heart problems. In general he had fewer problems over there than in San Diego.

Fiesta Island 20K Masters Time Trial, Sep 11, 2005
Reported by Gary Tingley, Sep 11, 2005 :

Conditions: Overcast early and then sunny. Wind calm to 4 MPH blowing from the south. Temperature low 66-72 degrees.
Course: This event was held on the short course. Road conditions were excellent.

Tingley, Gary, 28:37, 26.06 avg
Raymond, Edward, 29:52, 24.97 avg, State Champion
Renger, Edward, 31:26, 23.72 avg
Smith, Russell, 31:40, 23.55 avg
Peters, Don, 31:46, 23.47 avg
Ferioli, Daniel, 31:41, 23.53 avg
Trotter, Joseph, 33:26, 22.30 avg
Haase, Robert, 33:43, 22.12 avg
Wagner, Dick, 34:22, 21.70 avg, State Champion
Turkel, Ellen, 35:11, 21.19 avg
Comana, Vittorio, 35:11, 21.19 avg
Shields, Gordy, 35:57, 20.74 avg
Milner, Graham, 37:16 20.01 avg
Gilbert, Charles, 38:32, 19.35 avg
Hendrick, David, 38:46, 19.23 avg

Fiesta Island 32K Team Time Trial, Sep 10, 2005
Reported by Gary Tingley, Sep 10, 2005 :

Conditions: Overcast all morning. Wind 2 to 5 MPH from the east.
Temperature 66-68 degrees.
Course: This event was held on the short course. Road conditions were excellent.

4th
Tingley, G., Coates, P., Dolzadelli, J., Panzera, R.
Men's Team - 140+
Team Cyclo-Vets A
43:26

4th
Zeis, S., Devel, B., Parsons, D., Melcer, J.
Men's Team - 180+
Team Cyclo-Vets C
46:25

5th
Scott, S., Holcomb, M., Counts, D., Dagman, B.
Men's Team - 180+
Team Cyclo-vets B
47:40

8th
Kaplan, R., Diggs, S., Parzen, T. Shere, J.
Men's Team - 180+
Team Cyclo-Vets D
53:08

3rd
Rutland A, Darlak C, Bowers S, Turkel E
Women's Team - 140+
Team Cyclo-Vets Women's A
56:33

2005 Record Challenge 40K TT, Moriarty, NM
Reported by Julie Kaplan, Sep 7, 2005 :

David Thompson gets the Generosity Award of the Month. I missed last year's Record Challenge Time Trial due to dual bomb scares at LAX, so I was determined to get there this year. Well, I made it to Albuquerque just fine but my bicycle continued on to St. Louis. The airlines could not get it back in time for my start so I needed to devise a Plan B. That is where David stepped up. Without hesitation he offered his spare shoes (only a half size too big), shoe covers, his spare aero helmet and his new carbon Cervelo P3. The promoter generously changed our start times so Dave could go off first and I would be the caboose. I was waiting at the finish line with an Allen wrench. David dismounted, I lowered the saddle and was off.

My race was a total team effort. I needed to warm up. The promoter brought his spare pair of Campy pedals so I could use David's shoes. I put them on Gero McGuffin's bike and I put her bike on Albuquerque teammate Tom Hendricks's trainer. Thank goodness I packed my skinsuit in my suitcase. The aero bars were a few inches too long and my backside did not like his saddle much, but I gave it my best effort. My 59:43 was 42 seconds short of the record for women 50+.

My bike was delivered to my hotel later that afternoon. Instead of doing another attempt on Monday and since David had been so generous, I decided to borrow his wife (Haze) and Arnie Baker's tandem. Our 55:33 set the national record for Women 110+

Next year I either pack my helmet and shoes in my carry on bag or I drive!

Cyclo Vet results:

PLACE RESULTS HERE----

2005 CBR California State Team Time Trial Champs, Lancaster CA
Reported by Gary Tingley, Aug 21, 2005 :

My first race in five months, I decided that since I was going to suffer with my transition back into TT racing anyway, the only way to go was to ride a 40k gut busting effort, and so I signed up for the CBR California State Team Time Trial Championships (2-man).

I arrived in beautiful and lush Palmdale CA on Saturday, and waited in the hotel lobby drinking copious amounts of Sobe Lean. The local Bank of the Dead Cactus digital marquee sign read a cool 97 f degrees. Winds were kicking up at about 10-15 mph (est.), blowing from the east.

My partner in crime, Grant Sample (Team Jose Ole) showed up at 5pm and we headed out to the race course to pre ride and practice transitions.

Wind on the course read 8mph with a digital anemometer, blowing straight out of the east. With the wind assistance, we pushed 30 MPH easily and knew that the real race will begin at the turn-around as we head back into the wind for the final 20k.

The promoter, Tren Morris, showed up with his truck and let us motor pace for about 10k of the return effort.

The next morning (race day) we showed up on the course only to find police squad cars and barricades blocking off the far end of the road leading to the registration area. We rode up to ask the cops what had happened.

Apparently a body was found earlier that morning on the side of the road.
I asked if the John Doe was wearing an aero TT helmet. The cop did not seem amused. I digress.

The race started a little behind schedule, but I felt properly warmed up and ready to tackle the distance. Surprisingly, the wind was negligible and not a factor, which was rare for this course.

I have been practicing and experimenting with time trial pacing, and looking forward to trying out my new 40k TT pacing plan. We started off as planned and gradually built speed.

15k into the race, we had a run in with some local wildlife. A pit-bull mix scurried out of underneath an abandoned car and ran into the road - started chasing the TTT group ahead of us. I guess it was extra motivation for the team as I noticed that their speed picked up right away. By the time we were on the pit bulls radar, he was too pooped to make chase.

At the turnaround I felt that we had paced the effort very well and wanted to continue to our average speed of ~27 MPH. I started to cramp at 30k and worked through the pain. The wind became a factor again and slowed our average speed. With 5k to go we started taking shorter pulls and increased the speed to 28 MPH. At the finish, we crossed the line at 31 MPH at a final time of 55:37.

I was in a state of extreme fatigue and had very labored breathing. This was one of the most difficult races I have completed in the last two years, yet very rewarding.

I took Arnie’s “No Water for 40k” advice, and it worked, although I coughed up desert dust for several minutes following the race

The 1st and 2nd place teams consisted mostly of CAT 1/2 riders, and since we raced the Open Men category, I was happy with our bronze medal finish.

Watch out for those pit-bulls!

World Senior Games, Edmonton
Reported by Don Peters, Jul 30, 2005 :

From your Edmonton World Games reporter.

The continuing saga of the chase.

Criterium report from your Edmonton reporter, Saturday, July 30.

The crit course is a 1.1K loop around the legislative grounds with a 2-3% climb after the start, then a 1% false flat followed by a sweeping descent to the start/finish.

Men 70+, Dick Wagner
Dick raced a smart race, sitting in until the bell lap. The hill split the field with the following finish:
1st – Luigi Fabbri
2nd – Robert Visser
3rd – Ken Orr
6th – Dick Wagner - +00:05

Men 65+, Don Peters
The neutral lap was at 23mph? The first lap featured an attack on the hill by Otto Altweck. The second lap featured an attack from Victor Possee, on the hill of course, and I was in serious trouble. Seven riders in the front group and five chasing to no avail.
1st – Brian Dacey
2nd – Otto Altweck
3rd – Victor Possee
8th – Don Peters - +1:21

Linda and I are taking a vacation and we will see you in San Diego somewhere around August 12th.

Don Peters

World Senior Games, Edmonton
Reported by Don Peters, Jul 30, 2005 :

From your Edmonton World Games reporter.

In my case I believe that the pecking order has been established, see below.

Road Race report from your Edmonton reporter, Sunday, July 24.

Thunder storms overnight and morning is very cloudy and very cool, aye! No access to RR venue so had to ride to start. Course goes 1.5K or so flat in Hawrelak Park then up an 8% hill for 300m, flat 1K, down past the park and up another 4.5% climb, U turn, down into park. Five laps, 55K total.

We all know that I’m not a climber so I rolled off the front before the climb, got dropped by 10 seconds or so, got back on with a hard TT effort on the flat and decent. Rolled off the front and again dropped by 6 seconds or so up the second hill. Got back on down the hill. Lap two and three were identical. Lap four, Scott Tucker, a USA teammate, asked me to attack in the park to discover who the strong riders were. I did an attack until racers bridged up. I was wasted and after the first climb I was dropped by 15 seconds or so.  Gave everything and go back on just before the second climb. Dropped again, “I’m back”. Bell lap I got back on after the first climb, just before the second climb, and stayed with the leaders up the final climb and down into the park. Various European racers were making plans but language became an issue. I choose Scott’s wheel for the sprint. I have never raced with more elbows, shoving, and close riding in my life, European style I guess. Scott Tucker, Colorado, got boxed in against the side, with me, but a good sprint go me a 7th place finish. It was an exciting and hard event and I’m pleased that I participated.

After the race the Commissaire in the follow vehicle approached me with a compliment on my nine efforts to get back on. She said that the officials in the follow vehicle could not believe that I continued to bridge up twice every lap. The officials gave me a nickname – “Yo Yo Man”. Such is a non-climbers life!

For me this was a memorial and thrilling race, one of my best efforts and some of you missed an excellent event.

Dick Wagner DNS. He wants to concentrate on the track pursuit event on Monday.

Monday, 2000 meter track pursuit qualifying report:

Men 70+, Dick Wagner placed second, by one second, and races Tuesday for Gold or Silver. Dick’s time was 3:05

Men 65+, I placed 7th with a time of 3:13:518. My first track event and I think I paid for my efforts on Sunday. I had no legs and my aerobics were not up to par.

Tuesday, 2000 meter pursuit finals:

Men 70+, Dick Wagner…..Silver medal. Congratulations to Dick.

Tuesday pm, 500 meter TT finals:

Men 70+, Dick Wagner, 5th place. Time 47:343

Men 65+, Don Peters, 7th place (sound familiar). Time 46:457