It was nice seeing the riders and racers at the Milford House last night and it was also a great time to hang out with everyone from the shop! Today we had the Milford Crit race, our regular Sunday road ride from Walled Lake and a impromptu group ride from Waterford to Milford to watch the races. Thanks everyone from coming out for the rides and for stopping by the Cycletherapy tent at the race. So, how did the race go for us? Well we wanted to have more riders but, due to injuries and the race categories filling up quickly we only had one rider.
Mr. Mark P. was representing Cycletherapy - Specialized at the races with his Crux Cyclocross bike. Early in the race Mark took the lead and held that lead until 21 minutes left then he settled into the pack of riders. Coming up on one lap to go Mark bolted to the front and carried the pack until the final climb. On that final climb he encounter some intense competition leaving him to finish about mid pack.
It was a great event! And nice to see all levels of riders out on the course. We even saw some Mountain Bikes on the course in the CAT 5 group! So congrats to all the racers, promoters and sponsors for a great race on a perfect sunny day!
Picture to come soon! Next up, a little trek up north to Big M.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday Group Ride in Walled Lake
We had our first Wednesday group ride from the Walled Lake Cycletherapy store!
As the time got close to 7:00 pm riders started showing up for the Mountain Bike group ride from the Walled Lake store to the Tree Farm course. We had about seven riders who dared to brave the rain.
As we started our ride, we got a few strange looks from people in passing cars but, little did they know that the rain felt kind of refreshing after the weeks of heat. After the short two mile paved section to the park we entered into the single track and that is where the fun started. We had the entire trail for our own use.
While riding in the trees the heavy rain was diminished by the tree canopy. We had a nice slow pace going and for the first time in months I actually was able to just look around and enjoy the forest. The rain could be heard hitting the leaves and there was a cool green glow from the rain reflecting the light off the leaves. The ground and the trees had a dark look which amplified the green color above even more. The ride, the scenery made the event perfect.
After 90 minutes of riding we ended up back at the shop soaked but, not cold or exhausted.
Thanks Jen for organizing the ride and not letting us back out.
As the time got close to 7:00 pm riders started showing up for the Mountain Bike group ride from the Walled Lake store to the Tree Farm course. We had about seven riders who dared to brave the rain.
As we started our ride, we got a few strange looks from people in passing cars but, little did they know that the rain felt kind of refreshing after the weeks of heat. After the short two mile paved section to the park we entered into the single track and that is where the fun started. We had the entire trail for our own use.
While riding in the trees the heavy rain was diminished by the tree canopy. We had a nice slow pace going and for the first time in months I actually was able to just look around and enjoy the forest. The rain could be heard hitting the leaves and there was a cool green glow from the rain reflecting the light off the leaves. The ground and the trees had a dark look which amplified the green color above even more. The ride, the scenery made the event perfect.
After 90 minutes of riding we ended up back at the shop soaked but, not cold or exhausted.
Thanks Jen for organizing the ride and not letting us back out.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tree Farm Relay
Every year, we look forward to this fun race. This year was no exception. We arrived early to setup the Cycletherapy-Specialized village and get ready for the race. Most of the early part of the day we had a chance of thunderstorms but nothing developed, leaving the course fast and dry!!
Our lead out rider in the four person relay was Mark P. who killed the lap times and quickly put us into 2nd or 3rd. At that time we did not know because the start was a little bit of a rush! Next was Dave Z, then Derek H and finally me. But things got a little out of order. We where told that our rider Derek had broken his collar bone. After we found out that he was OK I took off to make up the lap and our time. During that lap my heart rate was averaging 170 bpm, a tad higher than I would have liked. The lap felt great and I came into the finish, only to be stopped by Mark P before the finish line. It turned out the rider who broke his colar bone was NOT Derek but another friend (who is also OK now) and that my lap would not count! I was kinda disappointed because that time was my best ever! Eventually, we all finished our laps and ended the race in third, missing second by ten seconds. Not bad but, we will do better next time! Next on the list is Big M. Always a great race venue.
Our lead out rider in the four person relay was Mark P. who killed the lap times and quickly put us into 2nd or 3rd. At that time we did not know because the start was a little bit of a rush! Next was Dave Z, then Derek H and finally me. But things got a little out of order. We where told that our rider Derek had broken his collar bone. After we found out that he was OK I took off to make up the lap and our time. During that lap my heart rate was averaging 170 bpm, a tad higher than I would have liked. The lap felt great and I came into the finish, only to be stopped by Mark P before the finish line. It turned out the rider who broke his colar bone was NOT Derek but another friend (who is also OK now) and that my lap would not count! I was kinda disappointed because that time was my best ever! Eventually, we all finished our laps and ended the race in third, missing second by ten seconds. Not bad but, we will do better next time! Next on the list is Big M. Always a great race venue.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Newest Team Member
Hello Everyone, I would like to welcome Tom Lining to the Cycletherapy-Specialized racing team. Tom was one of the original founders of the team and now he is back. We look forward to racing, riding and working with Tom at the various clinics through the year!
Welcome Tom!
Welcome Tom!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Catching up
Wow, has time gone buy fast!
Racing every weekend the team has had some really great moments. Half way through the season three of our riders are in the top 5 in point standings and another two are in the top 10 of their group within USAC!
Lake Orion High School race series was a great time for many of us to race during the week. Three of our riders took overall podium spots in that series!
But, during this time we have had a little curse on our team. Several riders have wrecked, taking them out of the road bike series and the same thing on the mountain bike series. Of the seven riders in the mountain bike group almost half have had wrecks that have forced them to stop riding for a few weeks.
With all the injuries it is nice to have a few weeks off before we start racing again!
Racing every weekend the team has had some really great moments. Half way through the season three of our riders are in the top 5 in point standings and another two are in the top 10 of their group within USAC!
Lake Orion High School race series was a great time for many of us to race during the week. Three of our riders took overall podium spots in that series!
But, during this time we have had a little curse on our team. Several riders have wrecked, taking them out of the road bike series and the same thing on the mountain bike series. Of the seven riders in the mountain bike group almost half have had wrecks that have forced them to stop riding for a few weeks.
With all the injuries it is nice to have a few weeks off before we start racing again!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
6 Hours of Stony Creek
By Jay Jones
My intentions for this race was to use it as a tune up for the Mohican 100 in Ohio in 2 weeks. I wanted to gauge my fitness and see what I had to work on. Pre-race bantering on the MMBA Board had me wondering about gear ratio, but I stuck to my original plan and went with a 34x18 on my Specialized Stumpy fully rigid 29er.
With the weather playing a huge role in this race, I also decided to stay with a Specialized S-Works Fast Trax LK up front and Specialized S-Works Renegade in the back, this prove to be a worthy set up as I had no issues except in the greasy spots, but then again, everyone did. So the extra wheelset with more knobbier tire was not needed.
As we lined up for the gun to go off, I spot Wayne Cook, a man who I have chased in just about every race around here. He's fast and he's good. I am unable to spot any other bikes with just one gear so I focus on him...for about 3 minutes because he takes off as soon as the gun goes off and I settle into a nice little group of 7 riders.
We wind our way through the roller coaster section of the race course and we have a pretty good clip going. Michigan Endurance Queen Danielle Musto is in this group along with 16 year old Kurt Voight. As we come to an intersection of single track going across two track, the lead portion of this group stays on the single track and I know enough to turn left onto the two track, so I shout out to them and keep speeding on and they all somehow turn around. A few minutes later, they catch up as they all have gears and I pick a nice little place in the pace line and let them pull me around.
We do this for about 2.5 laps, it's a blast and the pace is higher than I expected or planned, but this is a training ride and a fact finding mission, so I don't mind. This group finally splinters and I am working with Kurt and someone else. I'm happy with where I'm at and finally settle in.
Laps 3-5 I am alone and with a few people here and there, grab a wheel when I can on the flats and then make a move just before the single track so I am not held up. Just after starting the 5th lap, I come up on a few people that I'm not really suppose to catch or much less pass...but nonetheless, it's at a most opprotune time as it's at the beginning of a long flat section. One such rider is Chris Goddard and I grab his wheel and let him know it's me. He pulls me up to the famous Wayne Cook, the man I marked at the start line. I am quite amazed at this situation and us three end up working together for a little bit. Wayne and I end up dropping Chris and then we take turns pulling and take turns checking each others weeknesses and strong points out. He's fast on the flats and I can make time on him on the climbs. We both make a quick stop in the pits, mine is about 15 seconds long, enough time to grab a fresh bottle and some Enduralytes and I'm on my way.
As pull away I look behind me and no Wayne...until about three minutes later, he pulls up behind me and sits on my wheel. We have some fun together flying through the roller coaster section and he shouts out, "Jay, slow down, I don't want to race today, I wanna ride!" We both have a good laugh. But all he was doing was setting me up for a decisive move on the flat section...I sat up a little to stretch and he hit the gas and within 10 seconds he's 100 feet in front of me on a long steady climb. My legs cannot answer so I settle back into my pace and am content to watch him slowly ride away. I decide right then that I will continue to run my race and keep plugging along, I feel pretty good and only my left quad is cramping a little, nothing that a few more Enduralytes and some Hammer Sustained Energy doesn't cure.
As I arrive at my pit at the end of my 5th lap I'm all business and my friend Robin Scurr is waiting there with a fresh bottle (as he has been all day long). He knows exactly what to do and gives me some encouragement then sends me on my way. I am riding all alone on my 6th lap and have a nice pace going. I am surprised at my pace and still am feeling good. About half way thru the 6th lap I come around a corner just before a long climb and I see Wayne pushing his bike, as I ride past him he says, "the race is yours, good job!" So the competitor in me puts an explaination point on the climb to make sure he sees me and keep pedaling (which is hard to do, cause Wayne is a good guy). With him conceding I am rejuvenated, which is a great feeling so late in the race. I press on and continue to keep a decent pace up. I finish the 6th lap alone, stop to grab one more bottle and head out for my 7th and final lap. I ride all alone, pass a few people and have a good lap.
As I near the final huge climb, definitely the hardest climb in the race, I am determined to stay on the bike as I have made all the climbs all day long. I have about 5 revolutions per minute, but the bike is moving and I'm still on it. I push thru and come into the start/finish area and Brent Walk (race promoter) shouts out my name on the P.A. system. I am dirty, wet and tired, but I have a smile and I am very happy with today's "training ride".
I end up with 7 laps, 73.58 miles in 6:01 hours, avg speed 12.2 mph, max speed 29.3 mph, avg heart rate 149 bpm, max heart rate 169 bpm, climbed 6133 feet and burned 5870 calories!
I get 1st Place in Single Speed Solo and 2nd place overall in the Solo class...not to bad for a 51 year old asthmatic!
Go race!
With the weather playing a huge role in this race, I also decided to stay with a Specialized S-Works Fast Trax LK up front and Specialized S-Works Renegade in the back, this prove to be a worthy set up as I had no issues except in the greasy spots, but then again, everyone did. So the extra wheelset with more knobbier tire was not needed.
As we lined up for the gun to go off, I spot Wayne Cook, a man who I have chased in just about every race around here. He's fast and he's good. I am unable to spot any other bikes with just one gear so I focus on him...for about 3 minutes because he takes off as soon as the gun goes off and I settle into a nice little group of 7 riders.
We wind our way through the roller coaster section of the race course and we have a pretty good clip going. Michigan Endurance Queen Danielle Musto is in this group along with 16 year old Kurt Voight. As we come to an intersection of single track going across two track, the lead portion of this group stays on the single track and I know enough to turn left onto the two track, so I shout out to them and keep speeding on and they all somehow turn around. A few minutes later, they catch up as they all have gears and I pick a nice little place in the pace line and let them pull me around.
We do this for about 2.5 laps, it's a blast and the pace is higher than I expected or planned, but this is a training ride and a fact finding mission, so I don't mind. This group finally splinters and I am working with Kurt and someone else. I'm happy with where I'm at and finally settle in.
Laps 3-5 I am alone and with a few people here and there, grab a wheel when I can on the flats and then make a move just before the single track so I am not held up. Just after starting the 5th lap, I come up on a few people that I'm not really suppose to catch or much less pass...but nonetheless, it's at a most opprotune time as it's at the beginning of a long flat section. One such rider is Chris Goddard and I grab his wheel and let him know it's me. He pulls me up to the famous Wayne Cook, the man I marked at the start line. I am quite amazed at this situation and us three end up working together for a little bit. Wayne and I end up dropping Chris and then we take turns pulling and take turns checking each others weeknesses and strong points out. He's fast on the flats and I can make time on him on the climbs. We both make a quick stop in the pits, mine is about 15 seconds long, enough time to grab a fresh bottle and some Enduralytes and I'm on my way.
As pull away I look behind me and no Wayne...until about three minutes later, he pulls up behind me and sits on my wheel. We have some fun together flying through the roller coaster section and he shouts out, "Jay, slow down, I don't want to race today, I wanna ride!" We both have a good laugh. But all he was doing was setting me up for a decisive move on the flat section...I sat up a little to stretch and he hit the gas and within 10 seconds he's 100 feet in front of me on a long steady climb. My legs cannot answer so I settle back into my pace and am content to watch him slowly ride away. I decide right then that I will continue to run my race and keep plugging along, I feel pretty good and only my left quad is cramping a little, nothing that a few more Enduralytes and some Hammer Sustained Energy doesn't cure.
As I arrive at my pit at the end of my 5th lap I'm all business and my friend Robin Scurr is waiting there with a fresh bottle (as he has been all day long). He knows exactly what to do and gives me some encouragement then sends me on my way. I am riding all alone on my 6th lap and have a nice pace going. I am surprised at my pace and still am feeling good. About half way thru the 6th lap I come around a corner just before a long climb and I see Wayne pushing his bike, as I ride past him he says, "the race is yours, good job!" So the competitor in me puts an explaination point on the climb to make sure he sees me and keep pedaling (which is hard to do, cause Wayne is a good guy). With him conceding I am rejuvenated, which is a great feeling so late in the race. I press on and continue to keep a decent pace up. I finish the 6th lap alone, stop to grab one more bottle and head out for my 7th and final lap. I ride all alone, pass a few people and have a good lap.
As I near the final huge climb, definitely the hardest climb in the race, I am determined to stay on the bike as I have made all the climbs all day long. I have about 5 revolutions per minute, but the bike is moving and I'm still on it. I push thru and come into the start/finish area and Brent Walk (race promoter) shouts out my name on the P.A. system. I am dirty, wet and tired, but I have a smile and I am very happy with today's "training ride".
I end up with 7 laps, 73.58 miles in 6:01 hours, avg speed 12.2 mph, max speed 29.3 mph, avg heart rate 149 bpm, max heart rate 169 bpm, climbed 6133 feet and burned 5870 calories!
I get 1st Place in Single Speed Solo and 2nd place overall in the Solo class...not to bad for a 51 year old asthmatic!
Go race!
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