Race Reports

Teammates:

• James Yang (6th)
• Will Brickler (16th)
• Myles McGinley (17th)
• Jason Tang (20th)
• Zac Ooi (DNP)

Weather: Beautiful, and surprisingly mild winds.

Course: 3.8m circuit, pan flat and very open to winds. 11 laps made for a 41.8m race.

Plan:

Make the race as hard as possible. We had the largest team numbers (6) in the race and could benefit from making sure the race didn't come down to a bunch sprint. Alex Akins was in the house --one of the top sprinters in Norcal. We were planning on looking for opportunities to break open the field and to generally be aggressive throughout the race. In a bunch sprint James would be the guy.

What happened:

Off the gun Colin Patterson from Voler Factory Racing (VFR) took off down the road. There was a bit of dithering about what to do about it, and a lot of people got boxed in by the narrow lane immediately after the start straight. Pretty quickly some guys started chasing and it was a bit strung out. I recall there were two separate chasing groups of 4 riders ahead of me; I latched on to the rear one as it closed the gap to the further one. Once I landed into the group of 8 that were "chasing" it was clear that they weren't very coordinated, nor were they moving very fast. Colin wasn't that far off ahead, so I jumped and bridged to him solo (this was like a 1minute effort). The two of us started taking pulls immediately; we didn't really have any conversation about what our intentions were. It was clear to each of us that we were both in for going the distance.

From there we traded 1-1.5 minute pulls for 4-5 fast laps and consolidated a large gap; we held a 26.5mph average. Annoyingly there was not a single person (including the motorcycle marshall) who would give us any info about the gap timing. Thankfully we did get some occasional timings from Colin's girlfriend.

After 6 laps I was starting to fear a cramp and decided to lower the intensity a bit. I was trying to keep the power level roughly the same, but take shorter pulls than my break partner. For the next 4 laps I did manage to lose the crampyness.

Going into the last couple laps it seemed that we had a large enough gap to slow down the pace a little bit. The 11th lap was the slowest of the ride. Half way along the northbound straightaway Colin looked back and told me he saw something. It may have been a ruse or it could have been the Team California JRs guy (Ryder Ritchie) who had apparently escaped the peloton and was chasse patating. In any case I started taking a long hard pull ... after that Colin attacked me towards the end of the eastbound straight. I didn't really respond with an all-out effort for some reason. I guess my body and brain were exhausted, and my ego was satisfied with second place --just too happy to be there. I rolled in 10 or so seconds or so behind Colin for second.

Probably another 20? seconds later the solo bridger Ryder came through. Finally we saw James Yang take third in the field sprint behind Alex Akins (Mustangs) and Flo Costa (AVRT).

Effort:

Race was 41.8m in 1h:37s, at 26.2mph. In our 2-man break we averaged 26.3mph. For the whole race I did 303W/316NP; by way of comparison, Colin did 330/339NP. For the first 4 laps I did 325W/337NP and Colin 339W/346NP.

Many thanks to the whole squad working behind me to contain bridging attempts and slow coordination. I'm pretty sure it made the long break possible today.

Teammates: None

Course:

3 laps totaling 65 miles, 5.1k ft. Large climb (800 ft) early, followed by rollers/flats until ¾ through where there is a smaller puncher (200 ft) and then big descent to the finish line. Winds were out of the SE and so made for lots of crosswinds with notable tailwind on the second half of each lap.

Field:

Field was 10 guys with no real team presence. Sycip / Devout is a jr. team that had 3, but based on Strava sleuthing, was more concerned with 2 Velo Kings riders and solos riding for Specialized Sacramento and Alto Velo.

Plan:

Stay near front and ensure no serious breaks get away. Use the top of the main climb and crosswinds/tailwinds on the flat section to put pressure on and look for break opportunities, especially on final lap.

What happened:

First lap started slow until we reached the main climb where tempo picked up a bit, but again slowed as we entered the flat section which is exposed to headwinds. No one was motivated to do work at the front and it ended up being the same 2-3 of us even despite actively pulling back on effort. During this time, I tried to get a better read on who would be motivated for - and most capable in - a break. I thought my chances of success would be best if the pace was higher. There was a little riser before the course turns sharply back west and becomes slightly downhill where you can also benefit from a tailwind. I decided to carry momentum into that and high tempo off the front to see if anyone would chase while trying not to expend too much energy and staying below lactate threshold. I built a pretty quick 30-45 second gap (imagine there was a lot of disorganization) and tried to settle into a good tempo. ~7 miles later, Lief, the Specialized rider, and a Velo King rider bridged up to me by the end of the descent. We collectively decided that it’d be best to put pressure on (again, I’m thinking without burning matches) as we felt our group may have the legs to stay away and knew the other Velo Kings rider shouldn’t support any chase.

We worked pretty well together, but the Alto Velo and second Velo King rider eventually bridged up to us by midway up the main climb on the second lap. We now had 5 and everyone was really motivated to maintain pace. After rotating through the initial portion of the flat section, the Alto Velo and one of the Velo Kings guys were showing notable fatigue. Lief and I put in a dig on that same riser as I did on the first lap and worked together to keep pace with the tailwind which, a move which ultimately dropped those two and had the other remaining Velo King rider dangling of the back. He later caught on and we entered the third lap as a group of three.

Approaching the climb, I had a minor cramp scare and so tried to tread as carefully as possible over the next 5 minutes seeing how it’d manage. The Velo King rider dropped early into the climb which left two of us. ~200 ft from the top Lief put in an effort which I initially matched, but between being on the limit and the scare of pushing myself into cramp territory and jeopardizing my race, couldn't hold for more than 2-3 minutes. Didn’t take long for him to put 45 seconds into me after the crest and it was a solo mission from there on out for the last three quarters of the lap. I told myself to keep power down and stay as close as possible as the bumpy descent could wreak havok and I might be able to steal one (I had dropped my chain 3 times on laps 1 and 2, but managed to finesse back on). Didn’t turn out to be the case and I finished in second with no one in sight, ahead or behind, ~1:30 back.

All in all, pumped for my first podium and awesome to see all the Dolce podiums and cat upgrades this weekend James Yang, Michael Coughlan, Ben Yee, Paul Silvis, Tim Snyder!

Teammates:

• Aaron Smith (13th)
• Jason Tang (DNP)

Weather:

50s with wet standing puddles and some rain later on

Course:

Bumpy as shit with a bumpy ass ripping descent. Cross winds and tailwind galore. Paris Roubaix of California. 5 laps (21mi each) totalling around 108mi total.Plan: Aaron and I to support Jason, get in the early break (ideally with Mark Tucker)

What happened:

Favorites in the field - Gavin from Aevolo, Tobin (Keegan’s right hand man), Ryan Gorman (Voler), Max Rye (Voler), Mikes Bikes (Tim McBirney, Matt Koenig, Dillon, etc.)

The race started off amicably. Make the left turn onto the bumpy ass shit road and I made sure to be near the front to avoid any potential mishaps. From there around 12min later we start the first 10min main climb which felt reasonable. After the climb, just rolling past the lake reservoir, Marcis (Bear Devo U23 Cyclocross) rolls off the front. No-one responds and shortly after Roman (Mikes Bikes) bridges up. Then Tobin goes and Mathias (Velo Kings) goes as well.

They end up getting a minute 30sec on the field still on lap 1. We hit the last kicker before the bumpy ass descent and I was positioned near the front ready to rip on the descent. I start to wind it up and Mark Tucker (Velo Kings) comes with me and we send it. Coming off the descent Mark puts a monster dig and we have a pretty big gap on the field which was fractured coming off the descent so we quickly work together to establish a bigger gap.

Eventually coming into lap 2 we start the main climb again but this time we take it at a good sustainable tempo just nice and steady. Passing the reservoir again we see the break up the road containing Tobin, Romin, Mathias, and Marcis. We bridge shortly after turning heading towards Felix and now we’re feeling really good about this staying away.

We start rolling through as a group, felt really special going through Salt Spring Valley Rd with the group riding a tightly knit echelon with the wind coming from right to left. We were hauling making good time and eventually end up with a minute 30sec gap on the field and at one point the moto ref saying it’s too far to tell (wtf-- not helpful at all). Towards the end of lap 2 we take the descent at a reasonable pace (Roman’s words - let’s not try to kill ourselves this time on the descent).

Lap 3 - Heading to the feed zone climb I see Jason Tang on the side of the road.  Now on the main climb Mathius is the first to get popped, Mark Tucker goes shortly after to help bridge Mathius back up (or so he says) so he goes off the back. Now it’s Roman, Tobin, Marcis, and Myself. We keep rolling and eventually Mark Tucker comes back solo to the group after the resevoir. Back to 5 people.

Lap 4 - Back on the main climb, I plead to the group (with Mark a fellow diesel agreeing) that Tobin and Marcis shouldn’t ride the climb too hard so that Mark Tucker and I can help contribute to keep the “field” away. Marcis, “maybe.” Which I said, “you and Tobin are just going to drop us on lap 5 anyways.” Doesn’t work ofc. Marcis starts turning the screws with Tobin just following. Mark says sayonara followed by Roman, and eventually it proves to be too much and I get dropped as well. Still hoping and praying they’ll let up on the flats near the lake so I can catch back on, but they kept putting on the heat. Tobin and Marcis are gone. I look back and see Roman and Mark working together so I sit up and wait for them.

We connect and as we make a left onto Rock Creek Rd heading towards Felix we see a group of 4/5? chasers containing Mikes Bikes (Tim), Ryan Gorman (Voler), Nathan Martin (Alto Velo), Gavin Hlady (Aevolo). I start really conserving energy now skipping pulls and really thinking about how I can survive and put myself in a race winning position. I strategically sagged the last little kicker before the descent, knowing I would most likely be able to catch back on so I let about 10 bike lengths go starting the descent.

I pass Tim McBirney, Nathan Martin, and I see Gavin right on Ryan’s heels as they exit the descent. Tim uses his 420W FTP (ofc) and catches up to me on the fast section towards the finish line and he pulls me back to Ryan and Gavin. Nathan Martin is dropped. We enter Lap 5.

Lap 5 at the flat section before the main climb Tim rolls off the front and I don’t follow. Gavin tells me to just get on the wheel and I tell him dude, my FTP is like 320, I’m cooked. lol

Ryan sitting behind me and Gavin now is just soft pedalling with me just riding at Z2. Tim just rolls away. Eventually Ryan (too late) trys to put a hard dig to bring back Tim (felt like 30mph but probably not b/c I’m tired). As we head to the feed zone climb, I wish them luck as I knew my time is near. I get dropped.

Mantra from Jason Tang (don’t stop pedalling--keep pushing) repeats in my head as I keep a steady reasonable tempo knowing I just got ~20mi left. I see Nathan Martin (Alto Velo) coming up on the climb and I thought okay maybe I should work with him and we can make good time on the flats. I noticed Nathan was getting gapped on the steeper sections of the climb so I took that to heart. He told me “this course sucks” and I told him I’m glad we can roll together on the flats.

Coming towards the technical sweeper turns near the barn at the town of Felix, I notice I got a pretty decent gap on Nathan. I just press on tempo and realize it’s growing so I just kept going thinking well I guess I got 6th at least.

Lots of solo riding later, I see Ryan and Gavin together so I keep pressure on the pedals, you never know what might happen (flat, mechanical, etc.) Head to the last kicker before the descent thinking I’m almost home. Back is killing me at this point and I’m ready to get off the bike thinking how cool would it be if I was just a little stronger to get on the podium. Well coming down the descent my prayers were answered. Halfway down the descent, I see Tim McBirney on the side of the road with a mechanical (flat tire). Poor Tim. Roll in to the finish for 5th and completely wasted.

Thanks for the words of wisdom Jason (rolling with Mark to climb tempo away from the climby fuckers was super smart!) and props to Aaron for finishing strong with dad legs. ❤️

Super proud with the rest of the team showing up crushing the Cat 4's Jacobey 🥈! 35+ 3/4 Michael Coughlan winner winner 🥇 ! Ben Yee 🥈, Paul Silvis 🥉.

Teammates:

• Michael Coughlan (🥇 1st)
• Paul Silvis (🥉 3rd)
• Tim Snyder (6th)

Course: One major ~10min climb, crappy roads, crazy decent, 2 laps for Masters ~ 42 miles

Weather: 63% headwind, Temp: 53-58°F

Recap:

Coming into this race, I had swapped my tires for 30mm GP5000s running at 60psi to hopefully deal with the rough terrain. With this being my first time racing this course, I still had some major concerns of how I’d be able to stay mechanical trouble-free and keep all my water bottles on board from all the stories Paul and Tim were telling me on the drive there.

The pre-race plan for myself was to stay close to front on the climbs and then attack after the 2nd big climb at some point to gun for at least 2nd place to finally have enough points to get to Cat 3. Paul was planning on attacking either on the 1st big climb or 2nd big climb depending on how things developed and Tim was going to hang in to see if we could get a sweep. I was feeling pretty strong and rested for this race, probably the most prepared all season so far to put myself in a position to get a result.

Lap 1: The first big climb started off pretty chill.. I was up in the front trading a few pulls and in particular another rider that had a full on gravel bike (which I was started to envy already just 15 mins into the race) was taking most of the time up front. Once we got to the top, I was pleasantly surprised that we already had dropped 1/2 the field. Then Michael Coughlan identified himself as Dolce, which at first I shrugged off since he wasn’t in uniform, but then Paul confirmed. We were 8 at this point, and on the small climb before the decent Paul did a bit of a mini attack which dropped 2 more. On the decent I dropped back to the back of the group since this is where I had feared the most descending for the first time. While it was rough as hell, it wasn’t all THAT bad…no bottles dropped and the corners were way more manageable that I previously had thought. The two we had dropped were able to catch back on by the time we got to the bottom of the climb.

Lap 2: Still with 8 of us going into the big climb, Michael started to attack off the front about 1/2 way up. I put in a mini attack to try see if I could break away so I could work with Michael to have a higher chance of a 2nd place, but after a ~10s push I couldn’t get enough separation so I shut it down and waited for another opportunity. After we crested the top, it was just Paul, myself, a PV rider, and the gravel bike dude after the climb with Michael at least 30 secs in front of us and gaining… this was the salty point where we revealed that Paul and I weren’t going to put in work to chase. Tim was a bit behind at this point, but I had confidence he could out TT and/or sprint the last 2 guys for at least 6th. Once we made the sharp left turn to head back to the finish, I pushed at the front to see if I could get some separation. In hindsight this was not a good spot to do this since it was a slight downhill so of course everyone stayed right on my wheel… so I waited for the next mini hill and attacked at ~600+ watts for 20+ secs, looked back and I was able to drop them finally, then went into TT mode all the way to the final small climb before the decent. I descended much more aggressively this time around, dropped my chain multiple times in the process but luckily was to be able to cycle through my rear derailleur to get it back on each time. With the finish line in sight I looked back and it was just Paul who had caught back up and we rolled in together to complete the 1, 2, 3 sweep and I got my Cat 3 upgrade points!!  Super stoked also for James Yang and Jacobey Johnson for getting on the podium in their respective races!! Awesome day for DVC!!

Also this race put our 35+ team well into the lead on BAT points so far!! Tim Snyder movin on up as well!

Teammates:

• Michael Coughlan (🥇 1st)
• Ben Yee (🥈 2nd)
• Tim Snyder (6th)

Weather: 50s with wet sections

Course:

Bumpy, just 2 laps for masters so only around 42 miles

Plan: My plan was to attack pretty hard on the 2nd time up the climb, or the first if the group was moving slowly

What happened:

The first time up the climb was a nice comfortable tempo, so I was happy to sit in and wait for the second time up. We dropped almost half of the field already. Mid-way through the first lap Michael Coughlan rode over and gave me a heads up that he was riding for DVC. I probed with a few smaller attacks on some of the shorter climbs but the group chased so I waited. Just before the 2nd big climb, Tim Snyder pointed out that with 4 Dolces in a group of ~8 riders, we might be better off if the group stayed together vs. having me attack on the climb and split things up -- so I decided to sit in. Michael opened a gap near the top of the climb and Ben/I hung in to let others chase. We gave them a heads up that Michael was with us, and they were pretty salty but it is what it is.

So we have Michael off the front, and Me/Ben Yee sitting on the chase group of 2 other riders. Once it became clear that the chase would fail, we probed with a few attacks. Ben went off the front and opened up some distance. My group was closing on Ben but he managed to hold them off . I attacked just before the final climb and caught up with Ben. We crossed together and Ben secured enough points for his Cat 3 upgrade

Teammates: None

Weather: Cold and rainy, not very windy

Course: One hairpin turn, one steep climb

Plan:

(survive! haha) Save energy and hold a good position (top 5) during the last 3 laps for a strong sprint

Summary:

First time doing Santa Cruz Crit. I was aware of the sharp/dangerous hairpin and very steep climb before the finish line.

Crit pace, crashes and intense first 20min (slow in the hairpin and very hard in the climb)... After 25min a separation was created (5 riders) and I was at the second half. Nobody was closing it so I attacked to join the first group. It took me one full lap at zone 4/5 (almost didn't make it), but I was able to join the breakaway. Five laps to go, a subset of 10 riders caught us. During the last three laps, I was very well positioned (top four riders) and minimized my energy use.

Last lap: Stronger pace, but I was able to start the last climb in second position. At the climb, someone attached extremely hard and the rider who was leading the group tried to catch him (both created a separation that was impossible to catch them...). By the end of the climb I was ahead of the group and by mistake/fatigue lowered my gear (rather than shifting up) and two riders got ahead of me (150ft away from the finish line). I quickly shifted up correctly, sprinted, and passed them again 😊 finishing in third place

Teammates: None

Weather: A perfectly calm and sunny 60 degrees

Course: Fast course with one chicane

Plan: Win

What happened:

I've raced this course a few times now and really enjoy it as it's smooth and fast. There is only one technical chicane which can be taken fast as long as you are near the front or else you can get the accordian affect. Usually the winners use this to their advantage. My plan originally wasn't super clear. I wanted to watch for any breaks that might happen or if that failed, judge my legs and attempt an attack at 1.5 laps to go by using the chicane to gain a gap. If I did this, I knew I needed to be smarter than at Cal Aggie where I sat on the front too long pulling the field around to have the snap needed to get away.

Either way, 10 minutes before lining up, my right/rear shifter battery died and left me with one gear. I checked the batteries the night before and it had a green light so don't trust the indicators! No one had a sapre battery and the race was starting so I just lined up anyways hoping I had the right gear.

The race started off slowly with one rider from Monster Racing immediately riding off the front. I've seen him do this before and wasn't concerned so I let him dangle. On lap 2, he's actually got 5 seconds on us already so just before the chicane, another rider makes a big attack to bridge. I'm pretty far back at this point and a few riders jump up including a rider from Terun. I grab his wheel and we moved up to the top few in the pack before the chicane again. In the last corner before the next lap, the rider from Terun goes and I follow and pull through to make it to the now 5 man break. We were moving fast but the rest of the pack chased hard and mostly closed the gap. At this point I was second wheel into the chicane on lap 3 and thinking this race is separating at least. The Terun rider rotates off and then I looked back debating if an attack was worth it and that's when Alex screamed to go. I took the bait and hammered it out of the chicane and we gained significant separation while everyone else fell back. It turned out that this was an optimal time as the field thought it was going to slow down to regroup.

From here, we maintained a 10 second gap up to I think around 25 seconds by rotating pulls. We ended up rotating for all 6 primes to evenly split them 3:3 which was great teamwork and mostly due to Alex paying more attention to them than I was. After 20 minutes or so I figured we had this and started to think about how to go for the win. I had noticed that I was taking the chicane significantly faster than Alex to the point that I needed to let off the pedals entirely if I was in front to get him back on my wheel. My plan was to use this advantage and attack as hard as possible out of the chicane. Unfortunately, I rotated poorly / second guessed myself on how much speed we needed to maintain and ended up second into the chicane. I still ended up attacking but because I was second wheel, he was easily able to get back on. From there we both slowed down and recovered a bit with both of us side by side at this point at the final stretch. I again made the first move for a heads up 1 on 1 sprint a bit further out and he followed for a very close finish by 1/4 of a wheel for a very satisfying finale.

Teammates: None

Weather: Headwind on the finishing straight, tailwind on the back section heading toward the court house museum.

Course: 4 corner crit with a muddy / wet chicane feature on the backside.

Plan: Win.

What happened:

Knowing the technicality of this course from doing it a year ago, I knew it would blow up fairly quickly especially on the backside chicane near the courthouse. Gabe let me know to watch out for Mark Tucker (Velo Kings) and Steve Reaney (Cycle Sport). I’m familiar with the palmares from both of them as national champions. Steve has the most experience so I made sure to keep an eye out for any funny business coming from him (US Elite National Crit title). I also noted Jerome Nadel (Thirsty Bear) there as well (another nat champ) so I weary about going to the line against Jerome and Steve.

Name of the game was to mark Mark. Been following the Masters racing scene from a birds eye view and it seems like you have a 80% chance of Mark Tucker creating the winning break of the day, so I made sure I marked every single move he was in. I was confident I can out sprint him, so as long as I’m in the break I had good odds.

Once the racing started I settled in to the pointy end of the pack, and the attacks started coming. I immediately noted that the field was taking the backside chicane a bit more gingerly than what I was used to so I kept note of that. Just like I suspected Velo Kings started to attack and counter. The move that broke the straw on the camels back was the attack and counter from Nick (Velo Kings) followed by Mark Tucker (Velo Kings). I covered Nick, then I knew Mark would launch afterwards and he did on the tailwind section heading towards the chicane. As soon as he went I told him to hit it hard as I knew the pack would splinter in the technical section and we would whittle down the field.

Making the right hander into the finishing straight after Mark and I took a pull and we had the winning break-- Mark Tucker (Velo Kings), Steve Reaney (Cycle Sport), Jerome Nadel (Thirsty Bear), and Don Chapin (Courier). We started to rotate and I noted that Jerome and Steve were taking the weakest pulls, so after we established a gap I started to think about how I can potentially get rid of them and stack the cards more in my favor.

A little over halfway through the race, there was a cash preme and after the right hander on bloc headwind straight Mark Tucker attacks really hard, I get on his wheel and think about sprinting him for the preme, but thought this would be a better opportunity to use this as a launch pad to get rid of the other guys as we had a small gap heading towards the tailwind backside. Don, Steve, and Jerome eventually make it back there and I put in a hard dig on the tailwind section heading to the technical dirt chicane. I continue to pile on the pressure coming out the chicane and into the block headwind and I notice it’s just Don and myself with a couple sec gap to Mark, Steve, and Jerome, (they were playing games) so I tell Don this is our chance.

He’s stoked and motivated to guarantee top 2 so we work together with myself doing the majority of the work. We continue to grow the gap each time through the chicane and I see the moto ref in the distance with the tail end of the field not far behind.

I wanted to make sure I put myself in the best possible odds so right when we were getting close to the field I told Don that I’m getting gassed and I need him to do the last bit to the tail end of the field. He does the last pull we make it right to the field through the chicane section and I used my momentum to move up.

They called 1 lap to go and I made sure to position myself near the front for the best chance of success, but all I cared about is Don. I didn’t see him around so I sprinted within the top 10 of the pack for the dub.

Appreciate the support from all the Dolces at the event. It was fun cheering on our 4/5 squad from the sidelines and putting myself to work for Kevin in the P123 race afterwards.

Teammates: None

Course:

90mi, 3500’ elevation

Plan:

Coming into the race, I really wanted to podium to stay in GC contention.

Summary:

The starts were staggered by age groups, so we had the U19/20-29/30-39 going off together. The group was strong and had a ton of talent, which made for a great day. I was in a bit of a hole before the race as traveling for 10 hours, I could only get about three hours of sleep, but outside of that, the preparation going into Huffmaster was the best I could have done. We started the race with a solid pace of about 21mph, but no actual moves were made for the first 40 miles. At the start of the first major climb at mile 41, the field stretched out when four strong riders sent a vicious attack, leaving nine other guys and me behind. Once we crested the climb, it was an awesome descent down to aid station one. Here is where my first bottle ejected, which was bad, but I was not too worried as I had a USWE pack and one bottle left. With the rules implemented, we were forced to stop at aid station one to refill bottles for people without hydro packs, so this gave our group some time to rest up for a minute, which became crucial later. We left in a group of ten and went onto some of the best gravel of the day, averaging 18mph and dropping a few riders in the process. At mile 50, I finally finished my USWE pack and was down to one bottle, but at mile 52, on a ripping descent, I lost my second bottle going from gravel to road. This was a pivotal moment for me as I now was without liquids with 40 miles to go. I did not stop and had to use a match to catch up with the group, but luckily, when I caught up, the pacers sat up, so I got a little break. I started cramming any nutrition I had and hoping that the gels' sugar and electrolytes would keep me from popping. The last aid station was at mile 68, and five of the riders decided to stop, but as I was rolling in to get some liquids, the Alto Velo rider whom I was racing against decided not to stop and attack the last climb, so at this point, I made the decision not to stop and roll with him as I was feeling dehydrated but felt I could manage. Once we crested the climb, it was a fantastic switchback descent that went on for about 9 miles. We got to excellent rolling gravel roads at the end of the significant descent (mile 80). I could tell the Alto Velo rider was looking weak and would not take a pull, so I started to throw some attacks and make him work really hard to get to me, and eventually, he began to pull. In the end, five riders caught up at mile 87 due to the slow pace. I sat in for a few minutes but sent a flyer at the last mile with two other guys to make the rest of the group spend energy as I knew I had the legs for a sprint finish and really trusted myself. We came into the last 300 meters as a group of 6-7 riders, where I sent a left-side sprint, won the bunch sprint, and secured 3rd place. It was a tough race, and I took some notes on things to improve, but I was stoked with this result and remained 2nd in GC for the series.

Teammates: None

Course:

90mi, 3500’ elevation

Summary:

Was pretty happy with my result at the previous Hopper (6th out of 100) - was hoping for something similar in this race, but had been battling some illness and new job stress coming the race, so was trying to focus on being as efficient as possible.

After about 30 miles of road and modest gravel riding, the first selective feature is a 2.5mi climb. I didn't have the top end to stay with the leaders in the group, but kept motoring at/above my own FTP. Dropped plenty of riders, skipped the aid station after the descent and just kept motoring on the dirt between the final two climbs.

Ended up jumping on the wheel of the 3 leaders from the 40+ and 50+ groups, so kept a good average pace up. Eventually was caught by a large chasing group, but was able to shed most of them on the final Huffmaster climb and its technical descent. Ended up working with the TRT crowd from the 40+ and 50+ groups, who were furiously chasing their leaders up the road.

On the final 5mi of dirt, I was able to attack and drop the rest of the group (with 2 riders in my field). Didn't end up reconnecting with what were the 13 from my field up the road, but happy enough with the result, given my fitness level. I should be in a good position for the overall standing with two stages in the series to go.

Teammates: Michael Sianturi (12th)

Course: Parking Lot Loop

Plan:

Stay in the top 10 and go with the break if any.

Weather:

Light rain, Strong wind gusts, Wet/worn pavement

Recap:

This was my first race ever. The technical nature of the course was only compounded by the weather. Going into it the plan was to stay with the top 10 to avoid any chaos out the back and not get yo-yo’ed by surges taking place in the front. The first corner proved that plan was my best bet as two people crashed out.

There were only two good straightaways on the course and both were areas where the front group would surge and I just held onto the wheel of the last guy in the group. That proved to be a mistake because the kid who took first went for a solo breakaway and stuck it. I couldn’t see when he went and would have gone with him. If anything I learned that being too conservative can cost you. On the last lap I still had a lot of strength and didn’t throw my sprint hard enough because I thought I was alone which caused me to lose by half a wheel. Live and learn on that front and ready for the next race!

Teammates: Larry Tiglao (13th)

Course:

Rolling hills with one long climb and a short steep climb to the finish

Plan:

Stay with the front few guys on the main long climb & attack on the steep finish

Weather:

Really nice day with moderate winds

Recap:

This course favors me, but I've been recovering from something this week so I had no idea what to expect. The first half of the race was pretty timid. Florian Schneider made a few moves off the front to see if he could roll away early as he did for the win last year, but we made sure to keep him in sight. Paul Levy, who would eventually win, went off the front and was trading pulls with another rider. The group didn't seem motivated to chase, but it concerned me since we were approaching the main climb. I decided to attack to motivate the group, and I sat up once they caught me. It worked for bringing Paul back, but in hindsight it wasn't the best timing as I put Larry under pressure on the front.The group fractured pretty quickly on the main climb as expected. I was feeling pretty weak and I let a gap open, but fortunately I was able to close it down with one other help from Michele Lisi. Our group of 7 traded pulls & came in to the last climb together. Paul Levy attacked I just didn't have the legs to follow. I sprinted for 4th at the line and lost it by inches. Looking back, I could have had fresher legs if I was more patient to let a few others chase down attacks. Lots of mistakes on this one, and mediocre fitness but I'll take the wide angle podium and a hard-earned $2 bill

Teammates: Ben Yee (5th)

Course:

Out and back with a rolling uphill finish

Plan:

Look for or initiate a break before the final stretch back, otherwise attack the final climb.

Weather:

Relatively calm first lap. Headwind on the way back for the second lap.

Recap:

After racing this field last year, it seemed like breaks happened more often than not and the field would sit up after 20-25 minutes if it wasn't caught. The plan going into this was to try to get into a break with more than 30 minutes left to race. If that didn't occur, then I'd rest to attack the climb but I didn't want it to come to that as there were several sprinters, some strong riders from last year, and the unknown fitness factor this early in the season. The people I had an eye out for were Florian, Eric, and Glen. Florian I knew could stick in a break and Eric had strong results last year. Glen took BHRR last year through... less than kosher tactics.

Straight out the gate, people started attacking so I stayed up front covering moves. I probably covered more of these than I needed to and possibly to my detriment as nothing was ever serious. Ben stayed rested in the pack. Things settled in by the first turnaround and the group eventually chilled out into a slower pace.

Around the middle on the way back for the second lap, we ended up neutralized and I was itching to get something to happen. Once we were cleared, I rolled back up to the front and eventually did a mini sprint to see if anyone would come with. One guy in a pink jersey grabbed my wheel but he wasn't interested and we both rolled back. Again, I kind of just upped the pace to tempo and rolled off the front not committing to anything and watching my heart rate. The pack actually chased this time and brought me back. This was when Eric made a serious looking counter attack and I grabbed his wheel. We pretty quickly separated and he looked committed so I prepared for the long haul.

After 6-7 minutes, we hit the turnaround and I could see that we had about 12-15 seconds on the peloton. Knowing that this was our move, I dug in with some hard pulls in hopes that the chase would give up. The marshal eventually told us we had 20 seconds which grew to over 40 seconds and I knew we had it.

Unfortunately, around that time my hip flexor started cramping so I mentioned to Eric that I needed to take shorter pulls. With 1km to go, my leg seized up and I couldn't pedal anymore. I let Eric go, massaged my leg, and was able to keep a sub threshold pace which prevented more cramping. I rolled in for an uneventful second place finish.

I'm excited that the plan worked though slightly bummed I didn't get to contest the finish. Huge props to Ben on the field sprint. What a great start to the season!

Teammates: Tim Snyder (🥈 2nd)

Course:

For our category, the course consisted of two out-and-back laps along a two-lane road with good to excellent pavement. The section of road is mostly straight and flat with some rolling hills near the start/finish. The finish is slightly uphill with a ~2-3% gradient.

Nutrition:

Two 21oz bottles with Skratch Superfuel, ended up only drinking 1.25 bottles, temps were low and intensity really didn’t hit until 3/4th of the way into the race. Took in a one gel as well per hour.

Weather:

• Headwind: 46% @ 5.3-7.3mph

• Longest Headwind: 28m 41s

• Air Speed: 23.7mph

• Temp: 54.3-54.4°F

• Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr

Recap:

The field was 27 deep with a bunch of strong cat 3s and only a few teams with 2 riders. The plan was to watch for breaks and go with them if they looked promising.The race started pretty quick off the line, but then settled in with a few mini attacks that were quickly covered for the first out and back. This was my first time racing this course so I was playing things pretty conservatively by staying mid pack as much as possible. Due to the course setup, we had to be neutralized twice through the whole race to let other categories pass by.Tim was pushing up front quite often, looking to go with any break attempts. Once we were released from our second motorbike neutralization, a break started to form, I figured it would be brought back so I just followed mid pack as I was doing all race… I didn’t notice until later that it was Tim up there and he was able to get away along with an Alto Velo rider. At this point, only a 6-8 riders were trying to get organized to take pulls to catch up, which I had to go with just to stay near the front, but it only lasted for ~10 minutes after the U turn.  I just sat in at that point until we got to the finishing climb.With 1k to go there were 8 in the bunch and I started my push, passing 4 by 500m to go and then passing another 2 in the final 200m sprint uphill to take 5th. Not so bad for a season opener, will try for a break away next time around!

Teammates: Marcus Beltramo (7th)

Event: Cal Aggie Crit 35+123 (combined with 50+123)

Result: 2/24 (3/60, overall)

Weather: No wind or sun, not cold; minimal wind

Course: Mostly non-technical, except for one chicane

Plan: Cover moves, especially Mark Tucker

What happened: Velo Kings repeatedly attacked starting lap one. Mark exchanged going off the front with his VK teammates. Marcus and I took turns covering. We did a good job marking each move, but none turned into anything. The speed was high and the field was large enough that the break was quickly brought back each time. The race was only 40 minutes so around halfway through Marcus advised we quit patrolling the front and begin to position for finale. With a handful of laps to go, Marcus helped move me up. I mostly kept towards the front for the last few laps, and did my best to follow Mark’s wheel whenever possible. On the second to last lap, Mark shot to the front going into final turn and mostly held position at the front for the next lap. By this point I was in top 10ish, so I was fine if he wanted to be at front. I figured others would cover any attack he made. The rider order stayed mostly the same going into chicane, but on the back side before the final pinch, the rider following Mark lost his wheel after an acceleration, and no one else responded to close the widening gap. This allowed Mark to get a good lead going into pinch. I was still 5 to 10th at this point. But seeing that no one was seriously chasing Mark, I made my move and overtook folks going into final pinch. I was forced to open up earlier than I had hoped and wasn’t sure what the gap was behind me as I tried to catch Mark in final drag. I couldn’t quite close it. Right on the line, Dave Koesel came around me. As for learnings, I should have spent more energy to stay closer to Mark’s wheel in the last lap. My sense was that folks would have been able to stay with him in the final five hundred meters, but guess not. If I had been number 4 or 5 going into chicane, I think I would have had a better shot of covering his move. Solid opening race! No podium pics because race organizers used tiny numbers, which caused havoc on timely scoring of race.

Teammates: Myles McGinley (DNP?)

Course:

46mi, 6100’ elevation, a climbers dream

Plan:

Low Gap was my first race ever back in 2023, and I planned not only to do better than last time but also to get up onto the podium.

Summary:

There was a neutral rollout that quickly ended up being an all-out sprint as the Ukiah police escort decided 25mph would be the right lead-out pace. I was pushing the pace and trying to find people with a good idea who were strong and sticking to their wheel. As we approached the first climb, which is roughly 1600’ at 8% grade, my goal was to finish in the 23-25 minute time frame. I crested the top at 23 minutes and set a new PR for power. There was little room for rest as the next climb was coming up within less than 1 minute. The next climb was a 6-minute effort at a similar gradient, and by that point, I was in an established group of seven riders. Descending into the valley is always a wild time with tight switchbacks and slick roads. The valley is where you can make or break the rest of the ride, as people love hammering this section. I was able to ride this section while staying in zone 2, which brought my heart rate down tremendously as I gathered myself for the next big climb of 1400’ and a 6% grade. Right before the first aid station and first sector of gravel, Myles and I attacked the group of seven and established a big gap, bringing only one other rider, which was great for splitting the group up. Getting through this climb was great, and at this point, my nutrition plan and power plan were working, as I had little fatigue and no cramps at all. Approaching the last climb of 1400’ and 8.5% grade, I knew with how I was feeling if I could just push myself to stay at threshold, it would give me a good shot of solidifying my spot and not getting caught by the group behind. As I got to the top of the last climb, I had just enough water/mix to make the decision to skip that last aid station and power home. It was a ripper averaging 30mph+ for most of the descent, and I pushed it to a point not to let up until I crossed the finish line. I finished the race in 2:58 and secured 2nd in the 19-29 group, which was an incredible feeling as it gave me a gauge of where I stand in my age and with some of the legends around the area. There is still so much to improve on, but I am excited to start the season with a bang.

Teammates: None

Course: 46mi, 6100’ elevation

Result: 6/99 (30-39 age group), 3:06 time.

Summary:

This course is defined by two pretty large sustained climbs, the first one paved, the second one on private forest roads. I'm not super competitive on major sustained climbs in races, so tried to just keep it between Z3/threshold for the first climb (these races aren't often won or lost quite as much on these kinds of selections as road races), but was pretty disappointed by how many places I was giving up by the top. Collected a group of us that grew and grew on the descent, then the start of the off-road section, ultimately dropping the slower riders in group and picking up some stronger riders ahead.By the time we started up the off-road climb, tons of people were popping and I was catching and dropping a lot of riders who paced- or ate poorly. The dirt descent was wild - at least 1/3 of it was like a straight up Belgian cross course and tires were slicing through the recently packed waterbars. Kept the rubber-side down all race, no mechanicals, ate well, and eventually caught and dropped a couple more guys on the way to the line.