Brumble Bikes News

The day started off with clear skies. Our race was scheduled to take off at 1:10pm. By about 12:00pm the sky was starting to show signs of unrest. Darkening clouds were appearing sporadically as we anticipated our day of racing. Off we went! The CLR contendors were, me, (Jay “Broken Wing” Millas), Anson ” The Kid” Ross, Ale ” The Mad Chilean” Cifuentes, and Bryan “The Engine” McGill. The race began with classic CLR tack! Anson was off the front as quick as the neutral start had ended. He and another rider managed to hold a fierce pack off for a little over a lap before being absorbed.  Ale and I did our share of work trying to maintain the front of a fast-paced pack. Marking what we could, and trying a couple of moves of our own. Bryan was next to get himself into a move with potential, but after close to a lap the move was absorbed and we were a break-less field again. With nothing sticking and a long race ahead of us I headed to the back. This proved to be a bad move as I found myself in a bad state along with Anson, I suffering from a stomach cramp, and Anson starting to explode from his early break away attempt.  This period of rest worked for me but not for Anson with his legs and or lungs giving out by the 3rd lap, partly from allergies and partly from the attempt to stay away from a fast paced field hell bent on not letting anyone get away. One CLR rider down. We pushed on.

By the 4th lap I had recovered and was making my way back up to the front to find Bryan and Ale still trying to maintain! Ale was showing signs of fatigue from trying to mark everything on his own and attempting to bridge a gap from a 4 man break that had occurred while I was recovering in the back of the field. As the race went on my legs felt better but a crash at the top of the climb in the 6th lap gave me a quiver as a silence spread across the field. It was official by then that no-one was going to chase down the break and this would be a race for 5th. Half way thru the last lap, Ale, Bryan and I rode to the front to set ourselves up for a sprint finish. With around 4 miles to go Ale gave a teaser attack to try and trick up the field. It was reeled in quickly and so began our attempt at a lead out. After Ale’s attack I found myself in the middle of the field and I couldn’t get to the front with time running out. Ale gave Bryan one last pull and Bryan started his big engine finale. This move would’ve worked had it started a little closerto the finish. As we approached the last corner Bryan ran out of gas. Ale was swallowed up by the field, and I was left to fend for myself. We zipped around the corner and up we went. With quality cramps in both legs, I gave my head the strange side-ways 1/2 cock and stepped on the pedals!! Coming from the back 3rd of the field it was all I could do to fight my way thru the mob for any kind of decent finish. This was not had. With my poor finish being the best of the day this was not CLR’s time to shine.

Ending results – we will race another day!

Brumble Bikes Sponsored CAT III CLR Riders: Alejandro, Anthony, Anson, Bryan

The main story of the day was the weather – seeing snow on the ground as we drove into the park did not really do much to make us want to race.  Fortunately it had warmed up a little by race time to the tune of 40-45 degrees with a 15mph wind and steady rain.  After sitting in our cars waiting for the start time (instead of warming up on the bikes), we rolled up to the start line.  Looking around, there was a range of clothing from people wearing shorts and arm warmers to knee warmers and jackets.

After the initial downhill freeze, the race got going pretty quick.  Alejandro got into the first break and Ant and I sat at the front of the pack, but as more and more riders bridged the gap we decided that we’d better catch a ride up as well.  There were a couple of quick breaks that came back really fast before I got into a small break that seemed to have some pretty strong riders in it.  We worked well together led by a rider from BH and built a pretty decent gap on the field.   This lasted about 15 miles until the coordination started to break down and the field was closing down the gap.  Looking around, I think several of the other riders in the break were suffering quite of bit from the cold, but other than having blocks of ice for hands, I was feeling pretty good.

The field came together briefly shortly before the feed zone, which was also where a lot of racers decided to call it quits.  Right after that another BH rider attacked up the hill and I decided to follow again.  We were joined by three other riders and quickly built up another decent lead.  Anthony at this point was our only guy left in the field and he said there wasn’t much energy being put into a chase.  Back to the break, James Ruhl (Scotto’s) and I got a gap on the rest of the break on a climb with about 20 miles to go and decided to work together to try to stay away.  We worked well together, staying consistent up the climb and pushing it on the decents.

Turning the corner for the final 5 km climb to the finish I was tired, but still felt like I could win.  I put in an attack with 4km to go but it didn’t have much punch and James easily followed.  I sat on his wheel for the next couple kilometers trying to recover but James was really starting to push the tempo and I was having trouble staying with him.  With 1km to go, the hill pitched upward and I lost contact with the wheel in front of me.  I’d given everything I had staying away for over 50 miles and just didn’t have enough in the tank for the win – all in all, we were pretty happy to come away with 2^nd place in a really hard race.

Race: Arc-en-Ciel Criterium at Ninigret Park

Team: CLR Racing

Riders: Ant, Anson and Ale

We have learned about the importance of a clear objective and a clear plan before entering a race. It provides porpoise and focus as the race develops. Our objective was clear, get CLR a win. The plan, attack and get a break going (shooting for Ant to be on it), as the conditions where perfect for this … Extra Windy ! (Emphasis on Extra … )

After maybe 15 to 20 minutes of chaos, Anthony was in a 3 man break (Plan A was in motion … the weasel is out, I repeat the weasel is out! … the chicken is in the oven!),

Ant was gaining seconds as the race went by. My job at that point was reduced to mark everything out there and enjoy the free rides that bridge attempts bring with (which by the way are not that enjoyable). Anthony managed very well in the break, I could see from the distance equal pulls and most importantly … commitment to the break. Ant was doing his job, knowing that if the break was to come back we still had a good chance from a filed sprint (Plan B).

Overall result?, well, we got second place from the break, with Ant being nipped at the finish line by Pete Bowring (Green Line Velo) and I got the satisfaction of winning the filed sprint (as you may know, egocentric wannabe-sprinters have to always win something … at least try !)

At the end I was very happy to see Ant get his well deserved podium finish, and very happy to see and feel how we are starting to click together as a team.

We went in with an objective and we pulled it off working together and committing to each other. Things to work on… well, where do we start?, as there are many. We are supposed to learn from every race, every race needs to be a lesson, so we’ll have to do some thinking before we let you know, but don’t’ worry, we’ll keep you posted as we fine tune not only the tactics, but the whole team ! …

Good job boys !

Ale

Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race

CCB International

Marblehead, MA

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Pro 1/2/3

Team: Ale, Bryan, Ant (me)

The day started at 5am for Ale, Bryan, and my self as we headed up to Marblehead MA for some Stretching of the legs in our first Pro 1/2/3 circuit race of the season. The previous day our team wrapped up the Plainville Spring Series taking the team classification and kept Ale in the yellow for the individual classification. Anson squeezed his way to fourth overall. Before I get down to business on our race at Marblehead the team and I want to express how well run the Plainville Spring Series ran, the volunteers and Race Director Jim Thompson are class acts.

Arriving at Marblehead the boys and I found a great parking spot and preceded to registration with out a hitch the CCB team and their volunteers run an outstanding race. Race day was windy and temps were in the mid thirties, perfect race conditions for Ale and Bryan’s first experience in a Pro 1/2/3 race J. Our objective for this race was to stay safe in the top 20 and soak in like a sponge how the other big teams such as CCB and CCNS race. This race was going to be a learning experience for us. Our other goal was to gain exposure for one of our sponsors Brumble Bikes Amos is the owner and rides for the CCB so it was important that we attend this race. After a warm up on our trainers we headed out to the start line of the 2.2 mile circuit. On our way to the start Bryan felt the dreaded soft tire so we flipped around back to the parking lot to perform a very fast tube change. There is nothing like a little pre-race panic! When situations like this occur its nice to have your teammates there to help, we made it to the back of the starting line just as the gun went off, the race was on. The first Three laps were spent working are way up towards the front of the field. Ale snaked his way through the field very well as Bryan and I did the same, our goal was to keep position up front in the field. A few more laps went by and we saw Ale go with a move that included both CCNS and CCB riders. While watching this move unfold Bryan yells to me hey Ant we are towards the back, we found ourselves working to maintain position near the front of the field once again. I worked my way through the field the next few laps making it a point not to get caught out in the back of the field which was around 80 riders. At some point during working our way back up we saw Ale come back to the field around this same time Bryan punctured and had to abandon the race. The race continued on CCB, CCNS, and Fuji had riders in the break. Around 12 laps to go the pace was still going good it was for sure heads up racing in a Pro 1/2/3 race everything is smoother when comparing it to a Cat 3 race but carried much higher average speeds as to be expected. Another lap went by and on a short rolling hill on the back side of the course I saw Ale falling back to where I was sitting in the field. The field was going pretty good and I knew Ale’s short time in the break of about 9 riders at the start of the race must be feeling felt in his legs now. As Ale rolled back I yelled a quick hang in there mate to him and the race went on. At 10 to go there was a very bad crash on the backside of the course that took down a handful of riders. I only heard the crash and later after the race found out Ale had avoided it by going into some ones yard. Ale continued on and chased with a few other riders to finish the day. With 6 laps to go I settled in to the top 15 riders and kept close near Amos and a few of his CCB mates watching and learning. I was feeling it in the legs with 4 laps to go I think the previous day’s race efforts were finally catching up. 2 laps to go a few riders got off the front with Amos in the mix. Bell lap I fought to keep my self in the top five riders, on the back side of the course as you approach the 90 degree turn towards I latched on to a CCNS riders wheel I was sitting third wheel at the front. We made the turn and gassed it to the short climb which led to the down hill finish. The main field sprint exploded at the base of the climb and it was 30 seconds of yelling at my inner warrior to keep fighting and finished in the main field sprint.

Marblehead was a well organized spring race that gave our young team the opportunity to stretch our spring race legs out and learn more about each other as teammates on the commute to the race. On behalf of my self (ANT) and my CLR teammates we want to thank all those involved in putting on the Michael Schott Memorial Circuit race and thank you to everyone who supports our team and team sponsors.

Final Day Results:

Bryan: DNF (mechanical)

Ale: 53

Anthony (Ant): 33

Plainville Spring Series 3/19/11
Team: Bryan, Jay, Ale, Anson, Anthony, and Ben

It all began around 4pm on Friday. The phone rings and it is Bryan calling. “So, what are you up to tomorrow? Want to Race” My initial thought was no way, of the last 11 weeks I have been on the road sailing 7 of them and I had not raced a bike since cross in December. After a little thought and reflecting on how I felt on the bike the last week I said what the heck. I will go my hardest and see if I can help out the team defend the yellow jersey Ale is wearing and the over team competition lead. So to the computer I went. I didn’t even have a 2011 racing license. A few clicks and a few dollars later I was legal to race.

This was the first time I have contested a race with teammates and specifically teammates who are all working for a common goal. In the past I have made alliances on the road with other riders but never before have I been surrounded by true teammates. What a pleasure it was to ride with these men today. I also finally found an outlet for an urge that is generally quite detrimental to my results. I have this issue that I will call the “golden retriever” syndrome. When a golden sees a tennis ball sail past he can’t help but chase it. A bike race for me is a bit like that. I just love to chase riders down. Generally in a crit or a road race this torpedoes my chances at success but with a team to ride for and a teammate in the leaders jersey I was free to spend the day chasing to my hearts content.

Going into the race I knew my fitness was not where I want it to be so I told the boys I would do all I can early and see how my legs are later in the race. With that in mind I set to work marking as many of the early moves as I could. The first 15 laps were relatively low key. A move would go and one of us would cover it. To my surprise I felt like I had decent legs. As we got closer to the 25-lap prime the pace ramped up a bit and our leadout train came together without much drama. Important points were up for the taking and we claimed them all with Anson taking the prime and Ale second. I had taken an early pull leading into the prime and then I sat up a bit to keep my eye on the back of the field for any post-prime attacks. None of these materialized. The pace was laid back for about a lap and then it got back to business as usual with attacks by the field and the CLR men marking them all. The attacks were slightly more spirited at this point in the race but none amounted to anything in no small part due to the efforts of our team.

The next big thing on the radar was the points available at the 10 laps to go prime. At around 16 laps to go Anthony launched a blistering attach and was quickly far up the road. The field did not react and the men of CLR did our best to keep the pace at the front of the field moderate to give Anthony all the help we could. He made great progress and built roughly a half lap lead with 12 laps to go. Finally the field began to pick up the pace and seamlessly the CLR train formed up to get Ale in position for 2nd if Anthony stayed away and to take the prime if the field gobbled Anthony up. Again I took my place towards the front of the train so I could be in position again to watch for a post prime attack. It was close but Anthony stayed away to take the prime and we delivered Ale into position to take 2nd. Yet again CLR claimed all the available points. This time around there was a small move right after the prime but between the efforts of Bryan and me these efforts were neutralized.
Now 9 more laps to the finish. Again there were the normal attacks from the field and as before the men of CLR put them all to bed. With two laps to go yet again our leadout train came together nicely and to my surprise my legs felt pretty darn good. It was time to burn the last matches in the book and deliver Ale to the front for the win. After a series of monster pulls down the backside of the course the field was a bit strung out with CLR at the front. I drifted back after my pull and watched our efforts come together as Ale took the win and we further tightened our grip on the yellow jersey and the team competition.