Race Report: 2023 Snelling Road Race - Men’s P12

Race: 2023 Snelling Road Race - Men’s P12 

Date: Feb 25, 2023

AVRT racers: Austin King, Cameron O’Reilly, Grant Miller, Nathan Martin, Shane McGuire, Jack Liu

Top Result: Jack Liu 9/38 (overall), 4/26 (Cat 2)

Course: 4 laps of a 23-mile rectangular course. Mostly flat with a couple bumps here and there. A very bad pavement downhill section right after the feed zone hill. The finish is an uphill kicker after two consecutive right then left turns.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8622081769

Nutrition: I started with 2 bottles of 60g sugar bottles, grabbed 2 bottles during the race, and lost one in the shitty pavement section. Also ate lots of gels throughout the race.

Race Recap:

The weather forecast predicted freezing and rainy conditions, thus many people were on the fence before the race. Eventually we had 6 riders decide to test our luck, making Alto Velo the biggest team in the race. Despite fearful competitors including local pro Quinn Felton, project 74 and mike’s bikes, we had a strong squad and were confident to win from either a break or field sprint. 

One issue with racing in cold and wet weather was that it was really hard to recognize everyone, including our own teammates, when we all had our vest/jackets on. We did a great job as a team in the first lap. For the first half, Cam and Shane were near the front covering attacks and countered. Grant and Nathan took over for the second half, and bridged over to a break with the help of Shane. Austin and I were just sitting in.

However, we were quite unlucky: Cam got a mechanical 30min into the race and dropped out; Nathan hit a pothole underneath the big puddle on the road and flattened out; Grant flattened out when he just bridged to the break; Shane sacrificed himself chasing the break back; then Austin unfortunately crashed out in the 3rd lap. So it was just down to me into the final lap……

Quinn Felton made several ferocious attacks that were heavily marked by everyone. When it’s done, a break of 3 sneakily went away with ~12 mile to go. People didn’t know about my teammates’ bad luck and even asked if I had any teammate in the break, and of course I said yes and sat in. Quinn, riders from Terun and Dolce did some strong pulls (or more like Quinn singlehanded) trying to bring down the gap, but a project 74 rider was also blocking the chase and the gap just kept going up and we never saw the break again. Going into the final 500m, I was in a decent position, but without any team driving the pace, it suddenly slowed down and I got swamped. I tried to make up some ground in the last two turns and managed to finish 6th in the field in the uphill sprint.

While this wasn’t what we had planned for the race, everyone still played his role well while he was in the game, and we definitely learnt how to communicate more effectively as a team when things happen. It’s also a lesson to all of us that anything could happen in a race and we should always plan for the worst. Lastly, I’d like to thank our sponsor Agile: I always had lower back pain issues after spending several hours on the saddle, which severely affected my ability to put down power near the end of a long race (and made me shy away from long road races). However, earlier this year before the season started, I did a bike fit with Amy Babcock at Agile, and my back issue has significantly improved! Now I was feeling so much better and alive during long races like Snelling and really happy that I’ve done the bike fit with Agile.

-Jack

Race Report: Tucson Bicycle Classic 2023 - Women’s Cat 3/M

Race: 2023 Tucson Bicycle Classic W Cat 3/M

Date: March 3-5, 2023

AVRT racers: Kelly Brennan, Skyler Espinoza, Alana O’Mara, Niky Taylor

Results: 

Day 1 Time Trial: Alana 1st

Day 2 RR: Niky 1st

Day 3 Circuit: Skyler 1st, Kelly 2nd

Overall GC: Niky 1st, Alana 2nd, Kelly 5th

Recap: Tucson Bicycle Classic is a three day stage race in (you’ll never guess) Tucson, Arizona. The first stage is a 3.4 mile time trial, the second stage is a 60 mile road race, and the third stage is 9 laps around a 4 mile circuit. We’ve split this race report into three sections to describe each of the stages.

A lot went into this race and this trip. The success that our Cat 3 squad had was made possible by the huge logistical effort coordinated by the group. Getting 15 people and 15 bikes to an out-of-state stage race was no simple task and we had our fair share of challenges. Highlights include but are not limited to: building 12 bikes in the front yard of the Airbnb because we were locked out until 2 hours past check-in; driving to multiple bike shops in an attempt to fix Kelly’s seatpost (we never succeeded); discovering we didn’t have enough beds and buying a couple air mattresses; stacking bicycles in U-Hauls to transport en masse; Alana’s bike breaking right before stage 3, and so. Much. More. Seriously not sure how to put into words what an amazing team effort this was. We are incredible. Feel free to applaud.

Within our Cat 3 squad, we learned once again how to support and be supported by each other. Not only in the race but in the lead up to racing and the aftermath. We dealt with a lot and also accomplished a lot. It was a whole dang journey. Please enjoy our race report! 

Chapter 1 Day 1 Stage 1 Time Trial: Written by Alana

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8654249192

Nutrition: Prerace: LMNT salted watermelon for my water, and some of those cheap Belvita granola bars because they are tasty. Nothing on the bike because the ideal is to be light as possible.

Course and Recap: The course is 3.4 miles of smooth-like-butter road, one open right turn, and an average of a 2% (i think according to Shane’s pre-race calculations) grade with some rolly bits. The first half was more flat, and the last mile was up a ~mild~ hill (yay for me!).

Prior to the time trial, we all chatted about goals. I was coming into this race really as my last. This was a huge goal of mine for the season, upgrade to Cat3 and do one big last race before residency starts. So I let the girls know that I wanted to go all out for the race. Prior to the race, Alex plotted out the course on a website and showed me my ideal power to target throughout the race, so it gave me an idea of what I could hold. I was super excited - I love punchy ten minute efforts especially with a little elevation involved. When I got to the course, Skyler gave me the extra tid-bit of useful info which was, when you turn right you still have a bit to go. I probably would have gone out too hot if it weren’t for this advice. 

I was feeling really ready and rested when I got to the line. Having a bike hold is also the coolest thing (because if you don’t know this yet, I suck at clipping in).  When the beeper went off and they let me loose, I just immediately felt so dialed in. I settled into the exact power that we had predicted and got into a TT position on my bike. Everything felt super smooth, I pedaled hard on the little down hills, gaining speed to carry me through the little kickers.  With one-mile to go I just put as much pressure on the pedals as possible. I kept seeing flags on the side of the road, but really had no idea what they represented. I pushed super hard to each one - finally getting to the finish. 

I finished and felt completely juiced. It was the best feeling. I just felt that I had timed it perfectly; I didn’t die at the end but knew all my muscles were screaming. I noodled on down back to the start, peering at the cactus and the amazing views with no idea how I did compared to the field. Alex met me and said he had good and bad news - now i was GC. I was pumped, it felt really good to start the weekend like that. I hung around and got to watch Alex race (he also did super and beat me which was supposedly his goal 😈) then we went to find lots of food and go to the AirBnB to discuss team tactics.

Chapter 2 Day 2 Stage 2 Road Race: Written by Niky

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8660794814

Nutrition: I ate so much. 3 clif bloks before the race, a syrup gel, 2 sleeves of clif bloks during the race, a Kate’s bar, a kid’s clif bar, and 2 large bottles of skratch. 

Course and Recap:  The TBC road race course was a 20 mile square-ish loop with about 900ft of climbing per lap. The course starts out on some winding rollers, then turns into a straight section of rollers. Then it’s a right turn onto a very straight downhill section that is one of those roads where you’re like “it’s cool that I’m going downhill but gee I’m still pedaling quite a bit.” Then you turn onto a very flat very straight road and then you turn onto the final stretch of overall uphill rollers to the finish. Hands down the best part of this course is that it was completely dry. All the rain this year and then racing Huffmaster had really tanked my mental health. Being warm and dry was my favorite part of this whole race. 

Alana was sitting pretty in 1st in GC with 40s on the field. Our plan was to force a break with Alana in it, plus either me or Kelly or ideally both. There were bonus seconds on lap 1 and at the finish for the top 3 positions and we wanted them. I was feeling hyped because did I mention how happy I was to be warm and dry? Kelly and Skyler recognized my hype and told me explicitly that I needed to chill in the first lap and let Skyler set things up on the front. Kelly said we could put the pressure on in lap 2, but no real attacks allowed until the beginning of lap 3. They told me if/when I felt antsy, don’t attack, eat something instead. 

When the race started I focused on taking care of Alana. I kept tabs on her and tried to keep her on my wheel and make sure she was protected at all times. The pace was quick which was nice. Skyler controlled the front. Kelly floated between helping her and checking in on Alana and me. I remembered my instructions and every time I felt antsy I ate something. I ate a lot. 

At the end of lap 1 I got boxed in on the inside, which I didn’t care about until I realized I’d forgotten about the bonus points. Skyler led Alana and Kelly out to cross the line first and second but I was way out of position. I sped up but was too late for third. I felt kind of dumb for forgetting the plan and getting complacent. But it made me more determined to do my job right for lap 2. I ate some more food.

We had decided to put the pressure on in lap 2, and that’s what Kelly did. She got out front and started pushing the pace on the rollers. Skyler and I touched base, and we worried that this plan was maybe having Kelly do unnecessary effort in the wind. I felt antsy and wanted to get Kelly off the front. So on the next roller instead of eating I attacked.

I blew past Kelly, who immediately dropped the pace. I got a gap, then kept it steady out ahead. A rider who we had marked as a threat bridged up to me. I got on her wheel and stopped working. She was super strong and kept us out front for a few minutes. Since we knew she was a threat, I attacked again up a small roller and into a downhill curve, again getting a gap. She worked to catch me and then again I sat on her wheel until the group reeled us in.

I regrouped with the team on the downhill section. I ate some food. It seemed like a pack finish was a likely scenario. We decided if it came down to that we could do a leadout for Alana. On the long flat section I ate an entire granola bar, then told Skyler that I had eaten a lot of food and wanted to do some attacks. She laughed at me and told me I could go have some fun. I went up to Kelly and asked if she wanted to dance. She said sure. I figured we could either do a joint attack or trade attacks to wear out the field. Alana was chilling, clearly had plenty of matches left to burn and was in great shape to follow me or Kelly for a break. I figured if Kelly and I started attacking then we’d either get our originally desired breakaway or would wear out the field before a pack finish. 

Kelly and I kept the group pace pretty calm until we turned onto the last lap. Then a rider came up and kicked it up a notch. I stayed on her wheel in second position. Then coming into the biggest kicker (a small hill?) I launched off her and attacked hard. I felt pretty good. I think Kelly and Skyler are onto something with this whole “eat more” thing.

I looked back at the top of the hill and realized neither Alana or Kelly were with me. In retrospect this may have helped me get away, since a solo rider launching 20 miles from the finish in windy conditions probably doesn’t seem that threatening. And in the moment I figured I was about to get chased down. But the longer I stayed out the longer the group had to chase, and I knew Kelly and Skyler were well equipped to take care of Alana. So I decided to commit to a solo effort for as long as I reasonably could.

It’s awesome when you can combine a bunch of things you’ve learned to do something new. I remembered how Kelly had us punch the rollers at Cantua to maximize our break in that race, so I did that. I’d learned from the stage 1 TT and some (maybe obvious) coaching advice from Gina that I should not try to sustain 350W out the gate and should instead ride at my FTP, which I have finally learned. I kept eating and drinking as much as I could. I had complete trust in my teammates to get a result if I blew up and got caught, and knowing they had it covered gave me courage to commit. Right before the downhill section the moto told me I had a 45s gap. 

I focused on my speed on the downhill, staying around 30-33 mph. On the flat I switched to watching power, keeping it a bit lower than FTP knowing the uphill headwind section to the finish would be tough. The moto told me I had a 1:30 gap. I turned onto the headwind section and slowed down immensely, but watched my power and was able to keep it steady. I crossed the finish with a several minute gap on the field and no more food. It was pretty cool to ride away like that and I’ve never done that solo before. I also felt a bit lonely.

Kelly: To set up for the pack finish, Skyler and Alana and I (Kelly) formed a leadout train with me (Kelly) on the front, then Skyler, then Alana. The idea was to lead Alana out. I pushed on the front into the headwind for a couple of minutes to keep Skyler and Alana in good position in the front of the pack. With 200-300m to go, the group started sprinting, and Skyler and Alana came around me. But we may have been too late and they got boxed in at the finish. While it didn’t quite work out, it was a great exercise to execute some team strategy for the group sprint.

Niky: I watched the pack finish, then met up with Alana and Kelly and Skyler. We debriefed and talked about what had happened in the race after I went off. While we were a bit confused about things not quite going as planned, but we also realized that we were absolutely crushing this race. We now had me in GC 1st with 2:50 to Alana, who had almost a minute on the rider in 3rd. We also had Kelly in a threatening 6th place GC. We were 2 for 2 on stage wins. Our first stage race was lining up pretty damn well. All we had to do now was get through the stage 3 circuit.

Chapter 3 Day 3 Stage 3 Circuit: Written by Skyler

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8666542040

Nutrition: UCAN lemon energy powder before race, honey stinger caffeinated drink mix & clif shots during. 

Course and Recap: 9 laps of a 4 mile, more or less square circuit. Slight uphill between turns 4 & 1, slight kicker into long downhill between turns 3 & 4. 

Our goals going into this race were first of all to keep everyone safe and to protect Alana and Niky’s GC positions. We talked about a secondary goal being to set up Kelly for intermediate bonus seconds to try to move her up as many places as possible in the GC overall. 

The race was pretty hard from the start, lots of strong women in the field trying attacks. However, there were enough women in small teams/independent riders to help us cover attacks, and no breaks got away. After the first intermediate sprint our plan changed a bit, and we were more focused on keeping everyone safe and getting a good finish result. 

At three to go we knew that it would likely come down to a field sprint so I talked to Niky about leading me out. I knew that I wanted to be on her wheel going around the final turn, and that I wanted us to be 1-2 or 2-3 at least. That final corner sketched me out and I wanted to feel confident before sprinting for the line. Our plan was to have Alana sweep behind me but just as we were forming those plans Alana’s shifting stopped working. We told her to stay safe and do the best she could, and with 2 to go Niky and I started moving up into position. Kelly also moved up and got on my wheel. On the last lap we were at the front on the kicker before the downhill and Kelly encouraged us to go for it. Honestly that part was harder for me than the sprint– we went super hard on the hill to set us up to be leading for the downhill and it was the perfect move! We even had a little gap on the field! Niky sent it down the hill with Kelly and I yelling encouragement and we got through the corner safely and then opened my sprint to create separation and take the win. 

The end of the race was such an incredible feeling for me– I’ve raced a lot but never been led out by teammates and it was so cool to be able to set up what we imagined and convert it, and have Kelly come in right behind me. The high of the race was brought down pretty quickly by us realizing we hadn’t seen Alana yet, and then her coming in with a broken bike and her GC position in question because she had lost a lot of time. However, since she had gotten the mechanical in the last few km, the officials gave her a pack finish which meant she didn’t lose any time and got to keep her 2nd place GC. It was really special to keep the jersey and keep Niky and Alana in their GC positions, and complete the hat trick of wins for the weekend! And a great, great group of women to share it with. 

Conclusion:

This race was a journey. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication within the officials and they called the wrong racers to the GC podium, so we don’t have a correct podium photo. But we do have a photo of us all on the ground in high emotion after stage 3, which I think is better anyways. We managed to get 3/3 stage wins and the top two spots in GC. Our results are a testament to the teamwork we had as a cat 3 squad and more broadly as an AV team. Some specific thank you’s to Grant for figuring out lodging, Gina and Austin for spearheading transportation logistics, and everything that everyone who went to Tucson did as part of the group effort. Thanks to everyone on AV and beyond for your support and helping us make the most of this experience. Can’t wait to do it again sometime :)

Race Report: 2023 Copper Valley Circuit Race - Men’s Cat 3/4

Race: 2023 Copper Valley Circuit Race - Men’s Cat 3/4

Date: March 5, 2023

AVRT racers: Drew Mathews

Top Result: Drew (8/12)

Course: A 2.75 mile out and 2.75 mile back stretch of road with nice pavement. Rolling terrain with an overall uphill on the way out out and downhill on the way back, with the finishing straight coming after a slight downhill. Our race was held at 60 minutes long, and we ended up doing 5 laps. 

Strava: Copper Valley Cat 3/4

Nutrition: Coming off of doing the Cat 4 race an hour prior to the start, I refueled in between with 36 grams of carbs from Lundberg rice cakes and two Untapped maple syrup packets chalking their way in at 26 g of carbs a piece. 

Recap: 

Coming off a good result in the Cat 4 race that morning, I decided to give the Cat 3/4 race a go after warming up in my car and changing into some dry clothes. 

My goal was to finish with the bunch and gain some more race experience with higher caliber competition. Two other riders who did the Cat 4 race showed up at the start line along with a quartet of SJBC riders, two Velo Kings riders, and a handful of other independents. 

From the start, the race was significantly more difficult than the Cat 4 race. The clouds opened up for much warmer and nicer conditions, and I think it contributed to the group's collective eagerness to have some fun racing. 

Attacks went early and often in the first half of the race, with a Dolce Vita rider and the SJBC riders leading the onslaught. It felt like I was constantly chasing the group from the back, but I managed to hold on into the second half of the race. 

Around the midway point, two riders managed to breakaway with a significant gap. After half a lap, one dropped back while the other surged on. This rider was part of the SJBC contingent, though I think it was unclear to some because he was wearing a slightly different jersey - a San Jose State jersey. Consequently, the SJBC riders controlled the front, making weak pulls to ensure their rider would roll on solo.

Bridge attempts went and were chased back. Some caught on to the fact that the SJBC riders were slowing things down and went to the front, including myself, to make an effort to chase him back. Eventually the lead rider put in a minute on the field, and going into the last lap, the field slowed down after realizing the leader would take it to the line. 

Some attacks went on the last lap after the field slowed to a casual pace, but they were chased back. The SJBC riders took to the front on the last half lap to keep the group together, and we rolled past the 1 km to go sign, though I missed it. Riders went for the line at the 200 m to go sign, where I chased from the back to hold on for 8th. 

I’m happy with the result and to have stuck with the pack to the finish. It was a fun experience to race with some Cat 3’s - the pace and strategy was definitely at a higher level. All in all, it was fun racing for a second time that day and good to get more race experience!

-Drew

Race Report: 2023 Copper Valley Circuit Race - Men’s Cat 4

Race: 2023 Copper Valley Circuit Race - Men’s Cat 4

Date: March 5, 2023

AVRT racers: Drew Mathews

Top Result: Drew (5/13)

Course:  A 2.75 mile out and 2.75 mile back stretch of road with nice pavement. Rolling terrain with an overall uphill on the way out out and downhill on the way back, with the finishing straight coming after a slight downhill. Our race was held at 60 minutes long, and we ended up doing 5 laps. 

Strava: Copper Valley Cat 4

Nutrition: I had some oatmeal at home before driving out to Copperopolis in order to give myself a three hour window to fully digest before the race. I had one or two Untapped maple syrup shooters in the hour to thirty minutes before the start. 

Recap: 

In the days coming into this race, I was nervous about how I would feel on race day. I generally was feeling really weak on the bike the week prior and was unsure if I would be up to snuff to race on Sunday. However, on the eve of the race, I had a good feeling about how the next day would go and decided worst case scenario I would get dropped in a race I didn’t have a lot riding on, so I decided to make the early trek to the central valley in the pouring rain. 

The pre-reg list had a little more than a dozen names, and the team showing up with the most riders was the Mike’s Bikes Dev team with a group of three. SJBC also showed up with three riders. 

My goal for the race was to salvage a good result given how I was feeling leading up to the race. I knew I’d have to race tactically smart without having good legs, but I was also fairly confident this wouldn’t be the most challenging race given the number of entries and the weather. Going in solo, I decided to accomplish my goal I’d sit back in the pack for most of the race and try and stick with the main group to the finish, forgoing any breakaway attempts. 

The race started off at a very chill pace as the rain decided to pour just after setting off. The first half of the race was marked by a relatively friendly pace set on the front with attacks going and failing to stick or being chased down. At each end of the course was a 180 degree turn around, and per usual coming out of that turn was where I had to spend most of my energy to catch back on to the strung out field. 

A little after halfway through the race, a Work Health Solutions rider got a gap and consequently got into a solo breakaway. He maintained this for about a lap, after which bridge attempts started to go from the pack. One bridge attempt split the field, and a chase group of five riders came out the other side that I managed to claw my way onto. We caught the Work Health Solutions rider and went into the last lap as a group of six. 

The lead group consisted of two SJBC riders, one MBRT rider, the Work Health Solutions rider, a Pen Velo rider, and myself. We rolled along into the last half lap together and slowed the pace down after the final turnaround. Meanwhile, a strong Mike’s Bikes rider was solo time trialing his way back to our group, and after sizing him up, I was concerned about his ability to win the sprint if he caught back on. I called this out to the group and did a pull on the front to make sure we made it to the finish before the Mike’s Bikes rider could catch us. Assessing my competition, I felt my best chances to win were in a sprint, and I sat towards the front to cover any attacks and otherwise help bring the group to the line together as the two SJBC riders sat on the front. 

At the 1 km to go sign, the Work Health Solutions rider attacked, prompting the Pen Velo rider to follow. I chased the Pen Velo rider, who managed to get a gap on me, and I managed to tow along one SJBC rider and the MBRT rider. Both came around me and eventually the other two to sprint it out, with the MBRT rider taking it at the line. I did my best to come around the two riders who attacked at the 1 km sign, but I ended up holding on for 5th. 

All in all, I’m very happy with the result - I got on the (extended) podium for the first time, and I gained a couple upgrade points. I’m glad I raced despite how I was feeling leading up to the race; it gives me more confidence in the future for similar situations. I kind of ran out of gears at the finish, at least so much as not being able to ride out of the saddle to the line. The finish line came on a slight decline after a gradual downhill, so the finish was relatively fast. I wonder if I need to upgrade my 52-36 chainrings to a 53-39 combo. I see room for improvement with my sprint, but I also wonder now if I will have more luck attacking from further out in the future. Overall, I had a good time racing in some bad weather! Excited to be back next year.

-Drew

Race Report: 2023 Merced Criterium - Men’s Cat 4/5

Race: 2023 Merced Criterium - Men’s Cat 4/5

Date: 2023/02/26

AVRT Racers: Fraser Bulbuc

Top Result: Fraser 1/40

Course: The course is a 0.6 mile almost four corner crit on the streets of Merced. Most of it is at least two lanes wide, and the first, second, and fourth corners are 90 degree right-handers. The third corner is where things get interesting. It resembles a three-quarter turn around a roundabout, narrows to one lane, and has bad pavement. There’s only one racing line through it. The pavement on the rest of the course is fair to good. During the race, there was a moderate cross/headwind on the final straight.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8628022357

Nutrition: One bottle with 60g of carbs which I drank through my warm up and the race.

Recap: The field was 40 riders with 33 Cat-4 and 7 Cat-5 combined. There were a few teams with multiple riders, but Velo Kings had the most with 7. I was without teammates and knew position would be important for carrying speed through the third corner, so I planned to sit around fifth position as much as possible. I was ready to join a break, but otherwise, I planned on conserving energy for a late attack or bunch sprint.

There were lots of attacks but nothing stuck for more than a lap. The headwind on the long straight made it difficult for small groups to stay away, and the field was eager to chase. The pace was reasonably high, and the race became strung out with lapped riders getting in the way at times. I was able to stay around fifth position for most of the race and let other riders cover moves. After attacks were consistently brought back within a lap, it was clear things would come down to the final few laps.

On the penultimate lap, an unattached rider attacked into the final corner. They established a gap going into the final lap. This was threatening, but two riders were quick to chase, and I followed in their draft. I was content being third position in the chase as it allowed me to stay out of the wind until the sprint.

On the final lap, a moto and two lapped riders were on the racing line of the third corner right as the field was passing. This forced us to take an outside line, and I ended up losing a position. The solo rider off the front was caught just as the sprint started out of the fourth and final corner, which was about 250m from the line. I had noted the headwind earlier, so I wanted to be patient with my sprint. I stayed in the draft of a rider until about 150m to go at which point I launched my sprint and passed them to take the win.

-Fraser

Race Report - Cherry Pie Criterium E4

Race: 2023 Cherry Pie Criterium - Men’s Cat 4

Date: February 20, 2023

AVRT racers: Drew Mathews, Colin Karpfinger, Brian Shreeve

Top Result: Drew (8/42), Colin (13/42), Brian (DNP)

Course: New course for 2023 due to construction. Flat crit with a bunch of somewhat tight turns around a parking lot, connected by 2 straight sections. Good road conditions with a couple of dusty corner apexes that you had to be careful about.

Strava: Cherry Pie Crit Cat 4 

Recap: 

Coming into this race, I was feeling excited about how I could perform. I realized doing openers would help me a lot after feeling stale at Cantua Creek, and I was confident in my cornering abilities at a very technical criterium. Colin was coming off of dealing with an illness that forced him to sit out of Cantua, and Brian decided to join in for his first race of the season. I showed up early during the break before the P/1/2/3 race and got to pre-ride several laps of the course. 

EJ from NorCal Cycling’s Couch to Crit series was notable in the field as well as a number of Dolce Vita riders. Colin and I didn’t talk much strategy before the race except for a quick comment about not chasing each other. 

We knew from advice from others that getting to the front early on this course was crucial due to the likelihood of gaps forming out of corners and from crashes. Colin and Brian got out to a good start while I struggled to clip in on the start, and unluckily for Colin and Brian and luckily for me a rider crashed and knocked some cones onto the adjacent straightaway causing a restart. I had a much better start on the restart and made my way to the front most 10 riders in the first couple of laps while Colin and Brian made their way through the bunch. Colin got caught out in a group where a gap formed from the lead group and decided to wait for others to close the gap due to me being up the road, but no one did such. Colin kept it upright after bumping shoulders heavily with a rider at one of the early corners, shown for all to see in the Norcal Cycling video. Brian dropped out around halfway into the race. Colin and I avoided a couple of crashes in the middle part of the race and kept it upright into the later stages of the race.

On the third to last lap, I was sitting third wheel in the lead group of around 10 and attacked on the straightaway opposite the start finish. The pack had slowed, and while I was feeling good, I was hoping to force a further selection of the lead group. I forced others to chase, but I clipped a pedal on a subsequent corner. I kept it upright, but I lost a lot of my momentum and allowed the pack to regroup. I definitely spent a good chunk of energy in this attack, which didn’t help me in the end. 

The group stayed together heading into the last lap, and it continued so ⅔ into the last lap until the winner attacked early and held it to the line. I was sitting around 5th wheel heading into the sprint, and got passed by a few riders before the line, holding on for 8th. Colin finished in the second group for 13th place. Excited to work on my sprint for future races!

-Drew

Race Report: Huffmaster Hopper - 2023 Grasshopper Pro Women

Race: 2023 Huffmaster Hopper, Pro Women

Date: February 25, 2023

AVRT racers: Kelly Brennan (for Stanford), Niky Taylor

Result: Niky 5th, Kelly 6th

Course: Lol. What to say. This race is 89 miles, I’ll call it 25% cyclocross and 75% terribly flat. The first 30 miles or so is farmland, some gravel but most paved. Then at mile 40 it climbs into the hills. It’s back down to flat around mile 53 with a bit of rolling, then at 67 there’s a climb and the main descent. Then you’re back on flat for 15ish miles to the finish. Apparently in normal conditions it’s basically a road race when the dirt is dry and hard packed. This year was not like that.

This race was a challenge before it even started. I swapped my tires from my normal 44mm WTB Raddlers to some 3rd hand 32mm Pathfinders a friend gave me. I also put on a larger chainring. I figured my new roadie gravel bike setup was basically invincible. So I tested it out the day before the race and slid out and crashed on a road corner. I was mostly fine, but it wasn’t exactly the pre-race prep I was going for. 

Day of the race I was feeling a bit off. But it was fun to see people. Having learned the night before about the conditions, a lot of us were laughing and lamenting our narrow and slick tire choices. I was curious and more than a bit apprehensive about the experience I was about to have. 

Kelly and I lined up and she pointed out the people to watch for. Then we were off along with the pro men. That was cool. People did some fake attacking but the pace was chill. Our friend Skyler (who got 5th in pro men!) did a casual attack and I followed for fun. Then he did another attack which I didn’t follow, but turns out that was a real one that maybe I should have gone with because then we hit the first gravel section and everything blew up. 

The dirt was terrible. The mud was sticky and it was five times harder to pedal and stay upright. The group shattered. Most of the women fell back except Maude who pushed ahead to stay with a front group. I found myself next to Leslie, and I locked onto her wheel and line knowing how solid a bike handler she is. 

When the gravel section ended, I found myself in a group of three with Leslie and Riley. We started working, by which I mean Riley would pull for a while and then Leslie and I would each do our best and then Riley would pull some more. We absorbed another guy into our group and then got caught by a larger group that included a bunch of women, including Katarina (the eventual winner) and Sarah (eventual 3rd). 

This group stuck together until the climb. Riley was crazy strong and did so much work on the front. It felt like every time I got to the front I would just immediately get wrecked by wind, and within a few seconds Riley would calmly take over for me. I was so impressed and grateful because I wasn’t feeling great. The flats were boring and the group was antsy and my right leg was aching from my crash and I couldn’t turn my neck very well.

We got to the climb and almost immediately there was snow. I set the pace up, keeping it a bit fast but nothing unsustainable. I felt my body lighten up, happy to be on something other than a flat road. Another woman attacked past me and Katarina followed. I didn’t chase—it was getting sloppier and I didn’t want to risk blowing up. But they stayed within reach. The gap shrank and I felt confident I’d catch them. And then I tried to shift down a gear, heard a painful crunch, and my bike stopped working.

The one and only time in this race where I felt sort of in my element lol. That lasted about 2 minutes.

I nearly crashed but managed to hop off. My chain had gotten sucked, jammed between the cassette and spokes. I tugged at it but couldn’t get it out. Riley rolled up and stopped to try and get it unstuck for me which was so nice of him. I told him to go. Everyone in our group passed me and was gone.

The last time I got a chain stuck like this was on my way to my thesis defense, which arguably was a higher-stakes scenario. Thinking of that reminded me that this is bike racing and it’s for fun, even if it’s rough sometimes. I used a tire lever to gently push the spokes away from the cassette and pulled the chain out. I got back on and continued up.

Honestly I’m pretty glad I got that mechanical. I was so in my head about racing and attacking that I’d forgotten to be present with myself and the ride. So I looked around and realized I was biking in a snowy winter wonderland, and it was wild. My bike was sliding everywhere and it was hilarious. For the moment, I was happy to be riding alone in a beautiful place. I pedaled through the sloppy mud and rolling hills for a while, alone with my thoughts. It was nice. But I also realized how long and slow the rest of the day was going to be alone.

At mile 55 the course turned back to road. I heard someone shouting my name and looked back to see Kelly! She caught me not long after. I was stoked to see her and it was perfect timing because the course was flat again. We started working together to get through it. I tried to do more pulling on the road where my tires were well suited, and then followed her more on dirt stretches.

Around mile 65 my chain was terribly dry and pedaling got even harder. I started to feel so frustrated with my bike, my chain, the narrow tires that didn’t handle the way I’m used to. I tried to keep smiling with Kelly, and I was grateful she was there. Mile 70 was the second feed zone. I stopped and got my chain lubed, filled a bottle, and grabbed some snacks. Then I looked at what was next and laughed and said out loud “wait what really?” Some guy said “yeah it’s peanut butter mud” and in my head I thought “I am allergic to peanut butter.”

Kelly and I started hiking up the climb and it was just ridiculous. It was basically 6 inch deep sloppy mud the consistency of peanut butter. It was hard but at least it wasn’t a flat road, and I was again struck by how hilariously insane it is that I have the privilege to choose anything I want to do in life and this is the hobby I’ve picked. My bike gained five pounds from mud sticking to everything. I had plenty of clearance with my narrow tires, but Kelly and others had issues with mud clogging the bike entirely. It was stupid and ridiculous and hilarious and very difficult. When we got to the top, Kelly and I were able to get back on and ride down for the most part. I felt pretty accomplished doing that. We also had a good time laughing and whooping and screaming as we made our way down, and got many laughs and whoops in return. To my surprise we passed a lot of the pro women. 

We exited the crazy muddy section and got back onto some relatively smooth dirt. Kelly was pretty far in front of me having used her better technical handling to descend the mud faster, and it took me a few minutes to catch up to her. Then we got back into our time trialing groove. Quick shoutout to the guys who gave us bacon quesadilla hand-ups. Best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.

We knew going into this race that the last 10-15 miles were going to be brutal, but that didn’t make it any less so. It was flat, and there was a killer headwind. The terrain alternated between patches of sticky mud sections, washboard, and pavement. I don’t know what I would have done without Kelly. Probably would have cried. It was horrendous but Kelly and I crushed it. 

About 2 miles from the end I hit the darkest place I think I’ve ever been on a bike. I didn’t even have the strength to speak and tell Kelly, I just fell off her wheel. A guy drafting us saw me struggling and said something along the lines of “hey, we’re almost there, you’re strong, you got this.” That was nice and gave me the boost I needed for the final push. At the last turn Kelly told me to send it. I rode the longest 200m of my life and finished at exactly the 6 hr mark.

Kelly, somehow still smiling. Me, completely dying. Also Kelly where are your gloves??

This race was brutal. While the mud and snow were tough, it was at least interesting and unique to ride (and walk) bikes in those conditions. But flat roads and headwinds should go die in a hole. I hated this course but I’m grateful for the mental and physical toughness I gained from it and the lessons I learned. And I’m proud of myself for doing a race that I knew wasn’t going to play to my strengths, even when I wasn’t at 100% going into it. It was awesome to hear about other people’s experiences on the course and talk with the other women after the race. I’m also really proud of myself and Kelly for supporting each other and being incredibly strong. Turns out we got 5th and 6th which I’m pretty damn proud of.

Hopefully this report wasn’t too negative. I still like bikes. I’m still going to ride and race hard stuff. Overall I’m glad I did this but frankly I’m sick of rain and snow and I can’t wait to ride in dry conditions again.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8623092432

Nutrition: Feed zones at miles 45 and 67. Both had scratch and snacks. At the start line I had a syrup. During the race I ate: 1.5 sleeves of clif bloks, 2 waffles, a kates bar, a fig newton bar from feed zone 2. I drank 2 large bottles of skratch. 

2023 Snelling RR Women’s Cat 3/4, 40/50/60+ (raced together picked separately)

Race: Snelling RR 

Date: February 25, 2023

AVRT racers: Cat 3/4 - Louise Thomas, Jennifer Steele, Steph Hart, Elizabeth Ordman

Masters - Chris Davis, Kristin Hepworth, Lora Maes

Top Result:   (Cat 3 /4) Jennifer 3rd, Louise 4th

(40/50/60+) Lora 1st, Kristin 2nd (1st 40+)

Course + Recap: 23 mile loop done twice through central valley country roads.  The only road with centerline rule was Turlock Road, the rest of the course was closed to cars.  Sections of really bumpy pavement, especially the first stretch of road on Cox Ferry.  The first half of the lap is fairly flat and the second half has a section of rollers.  Finish is on a short uphill.  It was cold, like we could see snow in the hills cold.  Lucked out with no rain during the race but there were about 4 left over water puddles from the prior day’s storms covering the entire road that we had to roll through.   

Race plan - Chris and I chatted a couple of days before the race and decided that we would ask the race officials to start the masters field with the Cat 3/4s.  We were set to start separately.  Given there were only 5 pre-reg, we wanted to be in a race with more people.  The fields were much smaller possibly due to the weather forecast.  The plan was for me to try to get in a break with the cat 3 / 4 field and drop the rest of the masters. 

We talked to the rest of the master ladies before the start and everyone agreed to start with the 3/4  field. Almost had a wrinkle as there was a day of reg master who was having reservations about the 5’s joining our field but she finally agreed.  Then one of the Fat Cake women had to change a flat before the start so we waited in the cold.  We then started about 10 minutes late.  Rolled out on the 6 mile promenade with the entire group, everyone trying to warm up in the cold temps.  They stopped us at the start line, gave some instructions and off we went.  

The first stretch of road is the worst with potholes, everyone made it through ok.  Jamie Chapman from Monarch was setting some aggressive moves early on but the pace settled after turning on the Turlock Road.  There was a center line rule in effect on Turlock, all other roads were closed to traffic.  The group stayed together for the most part with a few attacks, Louise made a strong attack but it was pulled back.  The field was starting to stretch a bit by the time we went through the chicane.  I got on Jamie’s wheel for a while knowing that she was the wheel to follow.  At the beginning of the rollers there was a slight lull in the pace and seeing my time at 50 minutes I decided to take a gel then Jamie attacked.  I was almost choking on my gel trying to stay on but put in the hard effort knowing I could stay on if I made it.  Note to self, don’t eat where a possible attack might occur.  At this point I was ecstatic to know I had made the break and dropped the rest of the masters field, but we still had another lap and I didn’t want to get too comfy. Jamie pretty much led the second half of the first lap.  Then the second time through Cox Ferry on the crappy pavement and through the huge puddle of water covering the entire road, Jamie pulled off with a flat.  So now it was me, Steph, Jennifer, Louise with 2 Super Sprinkles, solo Eclipse, and solo Team City Rider.  I also lost one of my bottles right before we turned off Cox Ferry.  Since it was cold, I hadn’t drank a whole lot so I was ok.  

We hadn’t really planned what we were going to do on the second lap, in retrospect we should have talked race strategy and appointed a captain.  But regardless, we all worked well as a team  - we were the majority with 4 riders, and we were communicating well with each other. Louise was working hard on the front then Jennifer and I would trade off taking pulls to give her a break.  Then Steph was taking pulls later in the second lap.   The other solo riders did not do much work off the front.  The second lap pace got a bit more civil but I was paranoid that someone from the masters field would chase us back so I started taking pulls to keep the pace at tempo.  Within 10 miles to go, I was feeling comfortable that I had the win for masters so I started taking longer harder pulls on the front.  When the rollers came, I told Steph get to get on my wheel and I’d launch an attack but it didn’t stick.  The solo riders did not do very much work and clearly had more in the tank.  Then the pace got really slow a few miles to the finish, everyone conserving for the sprint.  I burned my last match and pushed hard off the front up the last few rollers to see if anyone would chase, then I was gassed and let the cat 3 /4 field sprint to the finish, I had the masters win and rolled easy through the finish.  But noticed Chris standing at the finish, she flatted at some point!  One of many casualties of the road today.  Jennifer, Louise, and Steph were all there for the final sprint. 

Kristin also made a strong very effort to pass the SJBC rider right at the line for 2nd place in the masters.  Elizabeth finished strong doing mostly a solo effort on the course.

I am so impressed how everyone came together as a team and faced really tough conditions together.  We had extra creeks and weird noises coming from our bikes, lost water bottles, got our feet wet in the puddles, and had some flat tires.  But it was the funnest day racing with my teammates!

Nutrition during race:  1 sleeve of Clif blocks, 1 bottle of Fluid

AV Wednesday Intervals 03/01, by AC Coaching

Hi guys, new week of intervals, let’s play with the power this week. Ramp up Variations
Any level is welcome, come and do the effort at YOUR pace. I’ll be here to explain the training, help with pacing, give advice, and answer to any questions.

The meet up is at 7.15am
Back down around 8.15am.

Session: Ramp up 3* (3/2/1/30")
Ramp up intervals, with half time rest.
3 sets of:
3' @100%, 1'30r
2' @110, 1'r
1' @120%, 30"r
30" @130+
3 minutes rest before the next set.
Control your effort on the first 3 and 2 minutes, keep ramping up the power through the reps.
And keep the rest very low, focus on the effort!

Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3049221988200414344?v2=true

Summary: 15 miles / Up&Down Kings. One warm up loop, Manuela/olive hill. After going on Kings for the intervals.

Start: Village Bakery Parking, Woodside. Intersection Canada Road / 84
(Woodside Intersection)

Time: Wednesday 1st March, Meet 7.10 a.m., Leave 7:15 a.m.

Ride etiquette: https://www.altovelo.org/ride-rules

Ride Leader: Andrea Cloarec, AC Coaching

Race Report: 2023 Cherry Pie Crit Mens Pro12

Race: 2023 Cherry Pie Crit - Men’s P12 

Date: February 20, 2023

AVRT racers: Jon Wells, Jack Liu, Adrea Cloarec

Top Result: Jon Wells, 8th of 47 

Course: 1.12 mile loop at Napa Valley College. The course had a ton of corners with 16 per lap.  The course began with a very tight, technical section featuring several u-turns before letting out onto the shorter backstretch.  After another, shorter technical section filled with more turns, finally came the finishing straight.  It was the longest straight section of the course ~500m long and very slightly uphill.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8595401544 

Nutrition: a triple scoop (90g carbs) bottle of caffeinated Flow Formulas.  Try it for yourself with code “Jon15” for 15% off here.

Race Recap:

Hate reading? You can watch my race recap here (and of course smash that subscribe button): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL50n-ILkZE .

Gameplan coming into the race was for Jack and I  to try and represent in dangerous looking moves since the technical course seemed like it could favor a breakaway.  If the break did not succeed, then we were going to set Andrea up for a sprint.  Mike’s Bikes and Terun both had ~6 guys each so we were only interested in covering moves that had both of those teams represented.

We did a very good job being present in moves with both of the big teams throughout the race.  There were lots of good efforts but always someone unhappy and willing to drag it back together.  While the pace was very high and many people did not finish the race, it became apparent after ~45 minutes that the race was coming down to a sprint.

Mike’s Bikes took over the front of the race with a very high pace at 2 laps to go.  On that same lap there was a crash very near the front that left ~12 riders in the lead group.  I was the only AV rider on the right side of that split.  Mike’s Bikes kept the pace very high and raced very smart, not allowing any opportunities to come around.  I came into the final stretch 8th and after hesitating a second on starting my sprint, I then left myself with little opportunity to get around anyone.  Felt very confident in the group today and feeling good about the rest of the season.  We’ve got lots of super strong dudes and I can’t wait to see some orange and blue on the P12 podium!

-Jon Wells

Race Report: Snelling Road Race E4

Race: 2023 Snelling Road Race - Men’s Cat 4

Date: February 25, 2023

AVRT racers: Nat Green, Will Hakim, Fraser Bulbuc, Ian Twamley, Drew Matthews

Top Result: Nat (1/22), Fraser (2/22), Drew (6/22), Ian (10/22), Will (14/22)

Course: Three clockwise laps of a 23-mile course that was used for last year’s race, but differs from prior years.  The course is mostly flat with a slight downhill in the first section (Cox Ferry), slight uphill on the next two stretches (Turlock and Looney/Monte Vista/Bledsoe) and rollers in the final 6-7 mile stretch (Keyes).  Cox Ferry Road had very bad pavement and two unavoidable water sections where the road was flooded from recent rain.  There was some bad pavement in other parts of the course that was mostly avoidable.  The finish is on a short uphill after a couple of quick turns.  Weather was about 40 degrees and did not change much during the race.  Light rain was forecasted, but very little fell during the race.  Wind was blowing slowly south to north, and was not a major factor. 

Strava: Snelling E4 - win! | Ride | Strava

Nutrition:  I brought two bottles of Skratch mix (purchased from our fine sponsor, Gelvio) and a bunch of gels. I lost a bottle immediately on one of the many bumpy sections on Cox Ferry (as did many other riders), so I had to ration the one remaining bottle a bit.  I considered grabbing a bottle from the feed zone at the beginning of lap 3 (thanks Gina and Hoss), but was off the front and not thinking totally straight at that point and just powered through.  It probably would have been a good idea to have eaten more and had more to drink, but I still felt okay by the end.

Recap:  We had the biggest team with five riders.  Other teams included Dolce Vita, Velo Kings, and SJBC with 2-3 riders each.  There were a few strong individual riders, as well.  Our plan was to cover attacks during the first lap (and counter attack), and then launch our own attacks during the second and third lap to either stick the breakaway or tire the field to give Fraser, our designated sprinter, an advantage at the finish.  Will, Ian, and Drew were setting the pace at the front during the first lap.  An individual rider attacked and quickly got a big gap, which increased to close to three minutes about three-quarters of the way through the lap, despite Will and Ian making big efforts at the front and trying to rally other riders to help with the chase (who showed no interest in doing so).  Will dropped back to ask us to come up to help chase, and the AV squad went hard in a rotation for the next 20-30 minutes or so, and brought the gap down to around 20 seconds by the start of the second lap.  A couple of individual riders eventually joined the chase, but the other teams did not help out.  

The breakaway rider dangled in front at about that 20-second margin for another half of a lap until we caught him on Turlock road.  There were a number of attacks on Turlock road after that from AV and other teams, with none sticking.  Shortly before the right turn onto Looney, I launched an attack and was joined by a rider from Dolce Vita.  We stayed away for about 15 minutes, but he didn’t seem committed to the break and only pulled through a couple of times halfheartedly.  The group caught us before Keyes.

The group then slowed a bit.  Since by then, I’d had time to recover from my prior attack, I decided to go again.  No one followed my initial move and I was able to open a gap of about a minute by the end of Keyes road averaging a little over 4.5 w/kg (about 315 watts) for 20 minutes until the turn onto Cox Ferry to begin the third lap.  I then tried to settle into a pace that I thought I could maintain for the next hour or so if I were able to stay away through the finish, and just focused on keeping up the pace and making it to the next turn ahead of the group.  Every time I looked back, I saw that the group was still at about the same distance as the last time I looked back, so I just told myself to keep the power up to the next section and to see what happens, confident that my teammates would be disrupting the chase and that the other teams might be having a difficult time organizing themselves to bring me back, which turned out to be the case:  Ian and Will reported that only three riders were making a concerted effort to chase, and they were not organizing well, and Will and Ian marked two other strong riders who potentially could have bridged.

Even with about five miles to go, I thought I had a good chance of being caught if the other teams in the group finally got organized or a strong rider attempt to bridge, and it was only with the finish line a couple miles away and the group still 45-60 seconds behind me that I realized I was going to make it, and I rolled over the line, relieved.  I had been able to average about 4.1 w/kg for over two hours, which was the longest sustained effort I think I‘ve done – having the pack within sight the whole time really helped with motivation, as well as wanting to get the team the win (although I figured Fraser had an excellent chance of winning the sprint even if I had been caught). 

In the pack, Will got back on the front with about 1.5km and started driving the pace, with Ian and Drew behind him followed by Fraser, as they went through the final two turns before the finish.  Drew took a wide line on the final turn so that Fraser could launch inside out of the final corner and he outsprinted two Velo Kings riders to take the field sprint.

I have reached the podium a few times at road races and have a couple of time trial wins, but this was my first road race win, and my first win with AV.  It was awesome celebrating with the team at the finish line and I was very grateful to be able to work together with everyone to achieve this result.  It was also cool to see Fraser win the field sprint with a lead-out from the team so we could go 1-2 on the podium, and overall it was just a memorable day and team effort.  

In terms of lessons learned, it was a reminder to me that attacking solo is a solid tactic even in a flat road race, where a reasonably organized group should be able to bring a rider back with relative ease, since even managing minimal coordination between multiple teams is not a sure thing and can devolve into gamesmanship, arguing, etc.  And when the team has a very strong sprinter, as we did, even if the breakaway attempt is brought back, you’ve likely tired out other sprinters (or at least their teams), while your own sprinter has been able to rest.  As a corollary, it was also a reminder to me that if you don’t have many other teammates with you, you run a real risk by allowing even a small break to go.  It’s quite possible, for example, that the solo rider that was off the front for much of the first and second laps would have been able to stay away if we didn’t have a reasonably big team that was quickly able to get organized to reel him in - maybe the other teams would have pitched in if they didn’t have us there, but maybe not.  Obviously, the optimal strategy and tactics depend on the dynamics of the particular race, the strength of individual riders and teams, and many other factors, but I recommend giving the break a shot if you’re on the fence - at the very least it’s a good workout.

Race Report: Cantua Creek - Men's E3

Race: Cantua Creek Road Race - Men’s Cat 3

Date: 2/18/2023

AVRT racers: Conor Austin, Flo Costa, Daniel Fonyo, Nico Sandi, Josh Worley

Top Results: Flo 1/22, Nico 2/22

Course: 24 miles out and back on flat road. Two 180 turnarounds. Our field did this 3 times totalling ~70 miles. The finish is on top of a hill made up of a few rollers, with the final 1k being uphill. Cool scenery with green hills and almond blossoms.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8583655618

Nutrition: Clif Bar, gels, shot blocks. 2 bottles of rocket fuel (malto + gatorade). Basically tried to eat and drink as much as possible. I made myself eat every time I saw someone else eat or even think about eating.

Race Recap: 

Our team for this race was me (Flo), Conor, Daniel, Josh, and Nico. We had all previously discussed that the plan would be to use our numbers to our advantage to control and tire out the rest of the field, before leading things out for Daniel in the final sprint.

The race started pretty chill (and pretty chilly). Around 15 min in a solo Pen Velo rider went off the front. I bridged up to him hoping to get a free ride off the front and force teams behind to work. We rotated a bit but he was not too thrilled by my short pulls so he attacked me. I didn’t want to spend too much energy this early in the race so I dropped back and waited for the main group to catch me.

For the rest of the first lap Nico, Conor, and I rotated with a few other guys on the front to keep the gap to this solo rider in check. When we reached the finishing hill we quickly closed the gap. With the guy caught the pace settled down again and Nico spotted me for a pee break. Baller.

Soon some attacks started up again, mainly with Conor dishing out some pain. Nico and I helped control while we made sure Josh and Daniel continued to sit in. After the turn around about halfway through the race, I saw the pace about to slow down as Nico pulled off of the front. I took this opportunity to make a move and was followed by another dude.

We spent the next hour and a half rotating really well together as our gap to the field slowly increased. We took strong pulls but I had just enough time to recover and force myself to eat/drink after every pull.

Meanwhile in the group, only about 8 other guys were working to chase us back but Nico, Conor, Josh, and Daniel made it impossible for them to get a good rotation going. With one lap to go Daniel said he wasn’t feeling great so we decided to lead it out for Josh. Nico and Conor continued to patrol for the second half of the last lap.

Our two-man break reached the base of the final climb with a solid gap to the field, but I knew the group would carry their speed a lot faster up the hill. With about 1km to go, I saw the field quickly gaining on us. There would be no time to play games – I took the front again and ramped up the pace, distancing myself from the other guy. Behind my teammates were lined up for the sprint but were being careful not to chase the break. Attacks started to come which unfortunately dissolved the team leadout.

I continued my effort and with 400m to go I put my head down for one last sprint to the line to finish the job. I managed to hold off the main group to secure the win. Behind, Nico was able to follow moves as others started their sprints too early. He was patient and managed to outsprint the rest of the field for second place.

This was definitely a team win, and only one of many over the course of the weekend. I am very thankful to be part of such a strong and supportive team. I was stoked on the victory and really surprised myself with my final effort after working hard in the break. The weekly AC/AV Wednesday interval ride on Andrea’s program have been paying off ;)

Looking forward to more racing!

Race Report: 2023 Cantua Creek Road Race - Men’s Cat 4

Race: 2023 Cantua Creek Road Race - Men’s Cat 4

Date: February 18, 2023

AVRT Racers: Drew Matthews, Fraser Bulbuc, Ian Twamley, Jeremy Besmer, Logan Allen, Maxime Cauchois, Michael Fryar, Steven Li, Will Hakim

Top Result: Fraser 1/38

Course: Approx. 70mi and 2000ft of elevation. The course consists of three 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.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8583318306

Nutrition: Approx. 50g of carbs and 250ml of water per hour. I planned to consume more carbs and water but my second bottle bounced out of its cage on the first lap. Fortunately, the temperature was low (~45-55F), and in my role as our protected sprinter, I wasn’t doing much work so this was enough.

Recap: AV was the largest team in the race. We had 9 riders in the field of 38. Our plan was to have Drew/Ian/Logan/Maxime/Michael/Steven/Will attacking and covering attacks, myself as protected sprinter, and Jeremy as race captain. We were prepared to win from a breakaway or bunch sprint.

The race started slow, and the first two laps were largely uneventful. There were a few attacks but we covered them and nothing stayed away for long.

Near the end of lap two, Jeremy attacked on the uphill section going into the turnaround and caused a split. This reduced the field down to ~25 riders for the third lap, though 2 AV riders were caught on the wrong side of the split.

During the first half of lap three, Will attacked. He was committed to staying away or making the non-AV riders work if he was to be brought back. He was out front solo for about 30 minutes but was eventually caught midway through the second half of the lap.

Shortly after Will was brought back, an unattached rider attacked and Ian followed. The pair continued to gain time on the bunch, since we weren’t going to chase our teammate, and it appeared that they would stay away. However, with about 5 miles remaining another unattached rider attempted to bridge to the group of two. We liked our odds of Ian against one rider on the rolling uphill finish but not two. So Jeremy made the call to bring them back, at which point Jeremy, Logan, Maxime, and Michael drove the pace on the front and caught the bridging rider with about 2 miles remaining. Because of the increased pace, we anticipated that the break containing Ian would be caught and the race would end in a bunch sprint. 

We practiced lead outs the weekend prior at team camp and attempted to organize ourselves on the front, but our leadout in the race did not go as planned. The final mile was chaotic. The pace was not fast enough to prevent late attacks, and I got swarmed and lost Jeremy’s wheel. I found myself boxed in until the ~800m mark when things opened up and I was able to find the wheel of two other sprinters. I stayed in their draft until the ~200m mark then pulled out into the wind and sprinted past them. I didn’t have a particularly strong sprint on the day, but my timing was better and it was enough to take the win for AV.

-Fraser

Race Report: 2023 Pine Flat RR W P1234

Race: Pine Flat RR W P1234

Date: Sunday, February 19, 2023

AVRT racers: Kelly Brennan, Skyler Espinoza, Lindsey Raven, Gina Yuan, Niky Taylor

Top Result: Kelly and Niky 1-2, Gina 4th, Lindsey 5th, Skyler 6th

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8590318926 

Nutrition: 1.5 bags of Skratch chews during the race and 1.5 bottles of water+superfuel

Course + Recap: Pine Flat is ironically hilly, and is the most beautiful course I’ve ever done. We rode about 20 miles on a curvy, flowy, fun out and back road. Then, we descended into the Fresno Valley for the next 20 miles, and looped back towards the hills with a 3 mile climb, 6 mile descent, and final climb to the finish. ~61 miles total.

We had the same strong team as at Cantua Creek the day before! Because it was the five of us on AV and two other ladies, we decided to keep it as a fun, fast team ride together until the climb. Our goals were to continue getting experience riding with each other to practice for Tucson and have fun! One of the other ladies, Sarah, was really strong at Cantua Creek, and had done better than me at Low Gap, which was hilly, so I thought she was our biggest threat and I was most concerned about her on the climb.

The race started out as we had imagined - a fast group ride. We were carving through the turns and enjoying the beautiful lake view. Lindsay did a great job getting on the front, continuing to push the pace, and we dropped one non-AV rider. As we started the descent into the valley. Gina and Niky got to the front and Gina used her amazing descending skills to gain a pretty significant gap on Sarah. Lindsay, Skyler and I sat on Sarah’s wheel and let her pull us back to Gina and Niky.

Once we were all back together, Skyler got everyone organized so that her, Lindsey, and Gina took turns on pulling on the font. This was invaluable teamwork because it allowed Niky and I (and Sarah) to rest before the climb. They set a swift pace along the river, and then we turned back towards the hills. Before the climb while Sarah was on the front, I chatted with Niky in the back and asked what she wanted to do. She told me to go for it, which surprised me - I didn’t think I could do it - she had pre-ridden the course and I knew she could. Once I thought about it more, I realized that I had nothing to lose by going for it and trying.

From a team strategy perspective, I think Niky’s intuition was spot on. If Niky went ahead, I wasn’t super confident in my ability to do well against Sarah - we have similar riding strengths and styles. But I was very confident in Niky climbing and descending faster than Sarah. That was a match I felt really good about. So if they caught me, then Niky could launch.

At a little kicker initiating the climb, I just kept the pressure on and realized that I had a gap. I pushed hard to extend that gap up the climb. Fortunately, lots of twists and turns in the climb kept me hidden. The climb was hard not only because it was long, but also because it was really steep (8-10%) at the top. I tried to climb as fast as I could without blowing up. The descent was relatively flat, so I time-trialed as much as I could. And then the finish was a little longer and steeper than I imagined based on the Strava profile.

At the finish, I was pleased, and not surprised, to see Niky not very far behind me. 😀She had climbed with Sarah for most of the climb and then attacked up and over the steepest part of the climb! She gained more time on the descent, and had a healthy lead to come in right behind me.

Overall, it was really fun to work as a team to get the best result we could for AV! We were really grateful for our teammates keeping us protected to be able to launch our attacks effectively. And it was great to have some strong competition to keep us on our toes and execute some strategy.

Race Report: 2023 Cherry Pie Crit - Women's P/1/2/3

Race: 2023 Cherry Pie Crit - Women's P/1/2/3

Date: February 20th, 2023

AVRT racers: Ari Pascarella, Gina Yuan, Jennifer Steele, Lindsey Raven, Sharon Marucut, Skyler Espinoza

Top Results: Gina 3rd, Skyler 4th

Course: https://www.strava.com/routes/3062575108007079228 ~16 corners, 60 minutes. Two technical sections which I call the squiggles (top) and loop (bottom), connected by a 300m straightaway on the left and a 700m straightaway on the right. The finish is about 500m into the right straightaway.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8594731161

Nutrition: Bottle with SIS and clif bloks on stand-by.

The night before the race, Ari with all the intel from having raced Cherry Pie gathered us for a Zoom call where we shared our thoughts and feelings. This was going to be a stacked field including four strong riders on Monarch Racing and some day-of registrations including two pro crit racers Dani Morshead and Melanie Wong. We made a plan knowing that previous years had been won in breaks instigated (by Dani) near the start of the race, and had each of us mark a rider we deemed a threat with similar strengths.

I figured out all the best lines during the previous race and was ready to rip it. At the end of the first lap I moved up along the right straightaway and flowed through the squiggles. The first few laps are chaos because people don't know the course yet. Coming out of them with me were Dani, Melanie, and Skyler. The field was not together. Dani and Melanie put in some hard pulls (attacks?) and when we reached the right straightaway Melanie yelled at AV to do more work. The break was in our favor with me and Skyler, and we had to strike the right balance between keeping everyone happy and setting up the end game. I put a dig in through the right side and squiggles. We all worked to various degrees, but I was happy to work to establish this break without Monarch and other non-pros. The first 10 minutes were really hard.

Monarch needed to chase. Some tried to attack and bridge, or make up time in the corners which forced their less technical teammates to surge, and otherwise tow all of AV through the straightaways. Ari, Jen, and Lindsey were amazing at staying near the front, communicating with each other, marking riders, and shutting everything down. Must be frustrating to do an epic attack just to see AV on your wheel. Sharon fell off the pack in this chaos, but still finished the race strong. I could use the loop turnaround to gauge the gap, which the announcers called to be 20 seconds. The gap grew to a minute and more.

30 minutes into the race with enough of a gap, Dani and Melanie had no desire to bring two AV to the line. Dani attacked on the left straightaway. It was hard. Every time we entered the straightaways I anticipated another attack. Skyler dropped. Dani and Melanie rotated in front of me knowing the situation. Then they would be quite mean and yell at me to work, "at least the corners". They were so persuasive I led the squiggles once (I couldn't see Skyler anymore), but then Dani attacked from behind and I could not trust again. I passed Skyler at the loop turnaround and she yelled at me NOT to work. I needed that reminder!

The pros did not know who I was, so they were maybe a little concerned I'd be a threat at the end, but still more concerned about each other. Apparently they had entered the race with a plan to work together, and when that was done then they could work against each other. A few more attacks flew and since I was at the back I could see them coming and tell the other person to chase... I didn't really have an end game. I was pretty settled for 3rd since I can't outsprint Dani's 1100W and Melanie's 800W. Maybe I was hoping they would attack each other enough to be tired? Actually I should've convinced each one to drop the other with me and I could've instead gotten 2nd in a sprint. That could've been fun.

Anyways, after the race (Dani won for the 3rd year in a row), they complimented my cornering and told me I did the right thing in ignoring them and they aren't actually that mean. It was really cool to ride in a break with these two pros. I'll try to beat them next time. We all congratulated each other, then I celebrated with the team and took some pictures with pie.

Notes about cornering on this course:

• I almost never pedalled through the corners, preferring to go into them with speed and lean hard.

• I really trust my bike and its tires to just roll over things like metal plates, bad pavement, gutters, and flecks of gravel. This helps me corner with confidence through more adverse road conditions. I think this comes from drafting fast people and doing my intervals on a variety of terrain.

• You don't really get line choice in a blobby group so technical skills are more beneficial in a break, and if your breakmates have similar technical skills.

Race Report: 2023 Cherry Pie Crit - Women's Cat 3/Master's

Race: 2023 Cherry Pie Crit - Women's Cat 3/Master's

Date: February 20th, 2023

AVRT racers: Gina Yuan, Lindsey Raven

Top Results: Gina (3rd overall), Lindsey (5th overall, 4th Cat 3)

Course: https://www.strava.com/routes/3062575108007079228 ~16 corners, 40 minutes. Two technical sections which I call the squiggles (top) and loop (bottom), connected by a 300m straightaway on the left and a 700m straightaway on the right. The finish is about 500m into the right straightaway.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8593714669/

Nutrition: Bottle with SIS and clif bloks on stand-by.

This course is a technical ~16 corner crit. The Strava elevation on the course map is pretty accurate for a bunch of weird lines in a parking lot. Lindsey and I congratulated each other for simply showing up this early after a weekend of racing in Fresno. We were both so mentally fried from all the race-analyzing this weekend that we agreed on the simple strategy of not working against each other.

Lindsey wanted to warm up and can go fast through the technical parts of the course, so she flew through the first part of the race and I sat on her wheel. There was all sorts of skidding and pedal striking going on in the field, but no crashes fortunately. Even though gaps were opening up, I didn't want us to pull super hard on the straightaways since they were long and it seemed the field could always close the gap.

At one point, Ilan (Terun) had a gap on the field, and I tried to form a break with her. But it was just not a good match since she couldn't follow my wheel through the technical sections and I didn't want to wait up every time. I guess I could've tried to hammer solo for 30 minutes but I was not feeling that, so we all rejoined the group and chilled for the second half. Everyone knew the course better now so we made our way through the chicanes together with no fuss. People tried attacking on the straightaways but they were so long and all attacks were quickly shut down.

One to go, I asked Lindsey to go to the front and set a sustainable pace because I thought it might be hard to move up otherwise. She did a great job all weekend setting a hard, steady tempo at the front when it mattered. As we entered the loop, I let her wheel go and yelled at her to GO since it would be hard for the pack to move up in the technical section. It kind of worked, but Lindsey was tired from pulling so much and that finishing straightaway is just so long. Two people came around me as we exited the loop and I tried to use them as a leadout, but I was not able to catch on. We caught Lindsey right before the line. I finished just ahead of a strong rider who had beat me in the sprint at Cantua Creek, so I was happy about that. Now that Lindsey and I were experts in the course, we got ready for our second race.

A-ride 2/26/2023

This week’s A-ride we’re doing the “World’s best route” according to the very objective Strava Segment named like that. 3 famous climbs, Old La Honda, West Alpine and we’ll finish with Kings.

Pace will be nice and easy (the day before a lot of us will race at Snelling a long 100 miles race). So we’ll regroup at the top of each climb.

Route: https://www.strava.com/routes/3061058783889183860

Summary: Summit - Sand Hill - OLH - Down West OLH - Climb West Alpine - Down Page Mill - Ride Portola to Woodside - Climb Kings - Coffee Stop AC - Skyline to 84 - Down 84 - Back Palo Alto through Portola, Arastradero.

Regroups: Top of OLH, Top of West Alpine, Top of Kings

Start: Summit Bicycles, Palo Alto

Time: Meet 9 a.m., Leave 9:10 a.m.

Ride etiquette: https://www.altovelo.org/ride-rules

Ride Leader: Andrea Cloarec

Race Report: 2023 Livermore Criterium - Men’s E3

Race: 2023 Livermore Criterium - Men’s E3

Date: 2/12/23

AVRT Racers: Conor Austin, Josh Worley

Top Results: Conor (3rd/33), Josh (8/33)

Course: Flat 3-ish corner biz park crit with heavy winds.

Nutrition: Gu salted lime gel w/ 35mg caffeine about 10 mins before the start and used one small half-full bottle of water during the race.

Race Recep: This was Josh and I’s first race as teammates. After racing for a year and a half solo, we were finally able to convince Josh he’ll have more fun with a team, and what an addition he has been so far! Check out Nico’s Pine Flat E3 race report to see what kind of engine he’s got. American Muscle at its finest. 

Livermore is probably as straightforward a course as we’ll have all year. Three wide 90 degree turns with a long bend many consider to be the 4th corner. Other teams were well represented and we had identified who their protected riders would be as well as who strong solo riders were. Our plan for the day was to sit in near the front and follow any solid moves that form but never be the ones to chase, close gaps, or initiate moves. We wanted a bunch finish where we could go for a win from a sprint taking advantage of another team’s leadout.

After going in circles for 30ish minutes with no moves sticking, it became clear that the well represented teams would just chase each other and their own teammates to bring the race to a sprint finish. Josh won a prime lap for himself and from there we were fine with sitting in and making sure we were well positioned for the finish.

The finish was a bit more hectic than we expected given how wide the road was. As we came into the bell lap there were 3 or 4 different lead outs forming across the road. Josh and I lost each other in that moment and were not able to lead each other out. We found ourselves on the back end of two different team lead outs. With three turns to go a group of three riders found themselves up the road with a gap. I snuck across the gap quickly without allowing anyone to find my draft and latched onto the small group. We hit the headwind with one turn to go and the field made its way back to us but was stretched out enough that I felt comfortable making a go at it from where I was. A lone rider made his way up from the middle of the field taking an outside line through the final turn and found himself right next to me before launching his winning sprint. I hopped onto his wheel in the hopes that he would bring me all the way past the two riders in front of me with enough room to spare for me to sneak past him at the line. It was not to be and I came across the line 3rd.

I should have hit the gas pedal earlier and gone for it on my own without relying on the drafts of others. I certainly had the power for it at that point and my sprint is in good form despite it being early season. Hopefully I can still find myself at the pointy end of things as I make my way up to the P/1/2’s!

Best,

Conor

2023 Pine Flat Road Race - Women's Cat 4

Date: February 19, 2023
AVRT racers: Louise Thomas
Top Result: Louise (2/3)
Course: (copied from Ian and Nico's reports) 62 miles, 4,000ft. Rolling for the first 26 miles on an out-and-back overlooking Pine Flat Lake. 2 mile fast, non-technical descent into a 16 mile valley with minimal features, then the main 11 mile climb that starts with rollers, gradually getting steeper until the last mile averaging about 10%. 6 mile descent into a 1 mile climb to finish the race.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8589899595
Nutrition: a banana and yogurt before the race, 2 bottles of malto/fructose/sodium citrate mix + a singular cliff blok during the race

Race Recap:
There were only four women pre-registered for the race and one didn't show up, so the race started with just three of us. Christina and Natalia (the other two riders) had both been in the break with me and Steph at Cantua Creek RR the day before, so I knew they were strong and willing to work together.
Since it was unlikely for an individual rider to be able to stay away on the rollers, we decided to work together for the first part of the race. For a while it turned into a fun group ride - the scenery was amazing, I was slowly starting to warm up from the frosty morning, and we all working hard in a pace line to keep the speed up.
We stayed working together until about mile 50, where unfortunately Natalia got a flat. After briefly checking to see if she had a spare tube (she said she did, but we later found out it was the wrong size), me and Christina decided to push on. It was a race after all.
We continued working together for a bit, but as we reached the main climb I could hear Christina starting to struggle so decided up the power and see if I could drop her on the climb. I managed to get a gap of 10 m or so and thought I had her for sure, but Christina just wouldn't give up and managed to catch me just after the crest of the hill.
This was followed by a 6 mi downhill section before the final climb. Christina tried attacking a couple of times but was unable to make anything stick either, so we went into the final climb together. I pushed to try and get a gap like I did on the previous climb, but this time Christina stayed right on my wheel. With maybe 30 m to go she launched into a sprint. I tried to respond but my legs refused to cooperate and go any faster, so I ended up with 2nd place.
Overall I really enjoyed the course, it's just a shame there weren't more women to compete against.

-Louise

2023 Livermore Crit - Womens 4 & Novice

Date: February 12, 2023
AVRT racers: Louise Thomas, Steph Hart
Top Result: Louise (7th/11)
Course: 40 minutes of a flat .94 mile, 4 corner crit course
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8552055171
Nutrition: half a water bottle of maltodextrin/fructose mix and a caffeinated cookie dough bar before the race, a few sips of the rest of the bottle during the race.

Race recap:
Having crushed it together at the Early Birds crit training a couple of weeks prior, I was excited to be racing with Steph for my first crit of the season. Eager to get started, I spent the first couple of laps on the front before realizing that tactically probably wasn’t a good place to be. In my attempt to get other people to pass I dropped the speed down to coffee ride pace, but no one else seemed to want to take a pull.
Eventually I got off the front, but the pace stayed pretty low. After a few laps of sitting in I launched an attack to spice things up a little but didn’t manage to get any separation. I guess everyone’s legs were still pretty fresh at that point. A few laps later Steph also launched an attack, but again didn’t manage to get any separation. In hindsight we should have been more coordinated with our attacks and then maybe would have had better luck getting one to stick.
The rest of the race was fairly unanimated. There was one other woman that attacked, but apart from that everyone seemed content to sit in. Going into the final few laps it looked like going to be a sprint finish, which historically has not been my strong suit. To try and maximize my chances I positioned myself as the second wheel, but then just before the final corner got swarmed from either side. Not seeing a way to go between the other riders, I decided to back out and go around the pack but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to make up the lost ground so ended up coming in 7th. Overall it was a bit of a frustrating result, but I’m grateful for the support from the rest of the women’s team in debugging how to avoid situations like this in the future.

- Louise