Race Report: 2023 Bariani Road Race P12

Race: Bariani RR P12

Date: March 12th, 2023

AVRT racers: Austin King, Conor Austin, Grant Miller

Top Result: Grant Miller (6/47)

Course: The “old” Bariani Course - https://www.strava.com/segments/579474?filter=overall

10 mile loop with significant wind (15-20mph)  from the south. One small climb into a headwind before the start/finish stretch.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8704298129

Nutrition: Two bottles with 100g of carbs, grabbed two bottles during the race with god knows what in them. 75mg caffeine gel midway through the race.

Race Report: This year the Bariani RR course was changed and the overall length shortened from 100 to 80 miles due to bad weather and road closures. The new course was perfect for our truck squad, with significant crosswind sections to drop smaller riders and enough uphill to make it hard for larger riders. Going into the race we were one of the smaller squads, with significant turn-out from Mike’s Bikes (TMB), Terun, and Voler. Our plan was to try and stick on the right side of splits and mostly follow TMB, who had 7 riders in the race.

The race started fairly slowly, with the course heading straight into a headwind before turning into crosswind for a mile and then a 4-5 minute tailwind descent. I tried to navigate towards the front to prepare for the crosswind stretch coming up. Right as we hit the turn into the cross-wind the race opened up with multiple riders attacking and guttering the field. I followed wheels and found myself in a selection of around 10 riders. Annoyingly, this group did not want to work together and people kept attacking or letting wheels go. I wasn’t paying attention to my power and just focused on trying to ride smoothly. Later on I realized that we were in the middle of a really hard effort and had gapped the rest of the field by around 20 seconds and people were probably already at their limits. 

After about 10 minutes, a group of two slowly rolled off the front. Unfortunately I was boxed in on the line and couldn’t make a move to follow as three riders attacked to bridge up. As we hit the right hand turn into the climb/headwind the group crawled to a slow with multiple TMB riders appearing to try and block the group, perhaps to let their teammates come back. I attacked around them to try and bridge to the breakaway. After a hard effort I caught a few people in no-mans land and tried to organize a rotation. I didn’t realize that these guys were totally gassed and we were actually losing time to the break. This was where I made a big mistake. I should’ve taken my shot and tried to bridge the rest of the way but I saw that there were no TMB in the break and figured it didn’t have a chance with 7 guys chasing so I decided to go back to the main field.

The next two hours consisted of TMB trying and failing to bring back any time of the break. The gap went from around 30 seconds at the start to more than two minutes. It was somewhat comical to watch a team of the best riders in Norcal actually losing time to a group of what was eventually 3 break-away riders - two of them masters riders! When it was clear that TMB was running out of gas, Conor came to the front and started pacing the tailwind stretch. I told him to go full gas out of the corner and attempt to make a split in the field. 

When we hit the turn he lit it up and there were huge gaps behind us. I did almost 500 watts and that was in his draft! Unfortunately for us, the moto ref decided not to let us pass another group that was pedaling at a coffee ride pace. We actually had to stop pedaling for 30 seconds and let the whole group come back before the moto let us pass. We stepped on the gas again to pass the group and stretched the field back out. It was obvious people were at their limits but no gaps were opening in the top wheels.

When we hit the headwind stretch the group slowed to a crawl again. Fed-up with the pace and getting cold I decided to attack. At first no one came with me and I resigned myself to trying to bridge solo. Luckily after a few minutes alone I looked back and two groups were trying to bridge. Eventually we had a group of six riders and we locked into rotation. The pace was hard but I could tell I had some of the best legs in the group. When it became clear we were going to catch the break I started looking for opportunities to save energy and started to think about how to win.

Unfortunately that all came to a crashing halt when I slid out on the turn into the headwind section with 1.5 to go. After a quick systems check (body okay, bike okay) I tried to hop back on the bike but unfortunately my chain had dropped. I spent way too long (45s) trying to get it back on before a course martial helped me. I immediately put down the power to try and catch back on but quickly realized my break-mates were long gone. At this point I just tried to do the highest average power I could do for the last 30 minutes. All I wanted to do was avoid getting caught by anyone and catch anyone falling out of the break. I was successful on both fronts and managed to catch one person with a few minutes left in the race, moving me up to 6th.

Overall it was a great day for the team with Conor grabbing 9th and Austin 11th. This was my best finish in a P12 race and I know that if I’d kept it up in that corner I would’ve been racing for a podium position.

Race Report: Tucson Bicycle Classic 2023 - Men’s Cat 2/3

Race: Tucson Bicycle Classic - Men’s Cat 2/3

Date: 3/3/23 - 3/5/23

AVRT Racers: Cameron O’Reilly, Nathan Martin, Jon Wells, Grant Miller, Austin King, Andrea Cloarec, Jack Liu, Shane McGuire

Top Results: GC: Cameron (1/110), TT: Nathan (7/110), RR: Cameron (2/110), CR: Andrea (22/110)

Course: Rolling uphill TT. Rolling road race with a gradual climb/descent and plenty of wind. Narrow four-corner circuit race with a downhill into T4.

Nutrition: Scratch and maltodextrin, about 500ml water and 60g carbs per hour

Summary: This was the first time since at least 2019 that AVRT has sent both men’s and women’s teams out of state to compete in a national level race. I’m extremely happy with both the team results we achieved (1st in GC for Women 3 and Men 2/3 and 15th for Women P12) as well as how well everyone worked together off the bike. Thanks to everyone pitching in, the whole operation ran very smoothly and we arrived at every stage well fed, rested, and prepared to race. A huge thank you also to our financial sponsors Dave Keefe Real Estate/Action Properties, B5 Capital, Summit Bicycles, and Palo Alto Concrete and Construction whose support helps us cover some of the costs of attending races like this.

(Most of) the squad after our first ride in Tucson

Stage 1 Time Trial: Strava

The time trial was pretty straightforward: a 3.5 mile effort on a rolling uphill similar to Cull Canyon but shorter. We had a tailwind so I estimated it would be about a 9 minute effort. My pacing strategy was to stay a little over my FTP on any flat/uphill sections and let off the gas a little on the downhill portions since there wasn’t much to gain by spinning out. Overall I averaged about 355W for 8:51, right behind Nathan at 8:50 putting us 8th and 7th respectively on GC, about 15 seconds behind the leader. Andrea, Jon, and Grant all also put down very fast times at 9:09, 9:13, and 9:14, meaning we had 5 people within about 30 seconds off the leader! This was a great team result and gave us many cards to play in the RR on day 2.

Stage 2 Road Race: Strava, YouTube

The Road Race was AV’s best shot at establishing a GC lead. Our strategy was to have Andrea, Jon, and Grant initiating and covering earlier moves since they would all be GC threats if they got up the road, while Austin, Shane, and Jack would keep the pace fast and ensure earlier moves without AV didn’t go far, as well as help position Nathan and I for later moves that were more likely to stick. The ideal scenario was getting Nathan or I into a late race move with the minimum number of people ahead of us on GC.

This race was a really cool experience for me as one of the protected riders. With the rolling terrain I was consistently able to see the front of the pack, and at every opportunity noticed an AV jersey up near the front. I was able to relax and focus on conserving energy as well as staying safe amidst all the sketchy wheels and crashes. I fully trusted my teammates to cover anything threatening, and they delivered. 

On the second lap, Andrea and another rider who was not a GC threat went off the front. This was a great scenario for AV, since Andrea was high enough on GC to force Fort Lewis College and Fount Cycling, who had GC1 and G2, to chase. The wind and limited gradients meant the pack didn’t have a huge advantage over two strong riders rolling turns, and Andrea stayed away for about 40 minutes while other teams burned out all their domestiques chasing, which turned out to be critical for the later part of the race. I moved up toward the front of the pack as the gap began to close at the start of lap 3, anticipating a counter attack. When I got near the front I was ecstatic to see Jack “setting pace” on the front while other riders shouted “GO AROUND HIM, HIS TEAMMATE IS UP THE ROAD”. 

As the chase deteriorated into bridge attempts, I was fresh enough to cover these and neutralize many of them as riders realized they were not only bringing another AV rider up to the break, but also a higher placed GC rider. We caught Andrea’s break around the start of the downhill, at which point I drifted back in the pack since nobody would be able to create separation on the gradual downhill. Once we made the turn at the bottom with about 7 miles left, the pack predictably sprinted out of it then slowed due to the headwind (exactly like the SJBC practice crits for those of you that have raced these), allowing me to move up and find Austin. 

As Austin navigated me up closer to the front, an attack went with Grant covering (about 4:10 in Jon’s video). The break dangled a few seconds ahead, causing the pace to surge as the field narrowed from 10 wide to 5 wide. Austin kept me sheltered and moving forward; with less than 7 miles left and a tired field now was the chance for something to stick. As Grant’s break began to come back, Andrea pulled up alongside me and shouted to get on his wheel, which I did. He brought me steadily up to the front then when we were sitting about 15th wheel I told him to punch it, slingshotting me off the front left of the peloton just as two other riders countered from the right. Jack was on my wheel and he just let my wheel go; the rest of the AV riders gathered at the front blocking the whole field (very effective when we had 6 riders and the road was narrow) and watched as I broke away. The other two riders, Ben (solo) and Max (Project 74), were both behind me on GC and I still had Nathan in the field, so I knew immediately I had to fully commit to the break. We rolled smooth turns and communicated positioning to stay sheltered from the crosswind. When I looked back I could see the field of ~100 riders only a few seconds back. It was sort of like a scene from a movie where characters are fleeing a literal army behind them. Meanwhile in the pack, it was very clear the break would go away when the GC1 rider went to the front desperately trying to close the gap as no one was helping. 

As we approached the finish I could tell all three of us were exhausted. Had this been a one day race our 20 second gap would have incentivized more gamesmanship, but given we all had at least some GC ambition it wasn’t until the final 100m that anyone opened a sprint. Ben launched and I couldn’t follow, but still came 2nd to collect some bonus seconds and, more importantly, a 21 second gap on the rest of the field. This gave me the GC lead by 3 seconds over Ben, who moved up significantly with his bonus seconds, with a solid gap to the rest of the GC contenders. 

Happy team after a successful effort

Into the Leader’s Jersey!

Stage 3 Circuit Race: Strava, YouTube

The circuit race was very chaotic. The course itself was relatively flat, meaning there were few opportunities to drop riders or create separation for a breakaway. Since I had only a 3 second lead on GC, the goal was to position me well for the intermediate bonus seconds so I could try and secure my position before the field sprint that I was extremely unlikely to place in. Despite starting at the front of the pack, however, I was quickly shuffled back as riders began surging and attacking. In the first 10 minutes or so there were two large crashes, which took out both Shane and Grant as well as really spooked me for the rest of the race. While I have the fitness to tailgun a 2/3 field and chase back on around dropped riders, this isn’t a great strategy and I need to get more comfortable fighting for front positions in P12 races.

I spent most of the race latching onto teammates’ wheels so they could help me navigate up through the field. Since the course didn’t do much to tire people out, riders were always driving the pace at the front (whether because they wanted a result on the stage, for GC, or just wanted to ride hard for no reason) and we had only one lane for a 100+ person field, there weren’t the same opportunities to burn a match and move up 50 spots that there are on some local crit courses like San Rafael or Santa Cruz. Thankfully my teammates did a great job of keeping the field stitched up all race and preventing any splits or breaks that would have threatened my GC standing; Jon and Jack stayed glued to the wheels of GC2 and GC3 for the whole race, making sure they didn't take any bonus seconds. No breakaways stuck and we finished as a pack after a crash within 3k of the line (which unfortunately involved Nathan). None of the other top GC riders had taken any bonus seconds, so my slim lead from the road race held and I held onto the jersey for the overall GC win!

GC Podium

Successful defense of the GC lead!

Race Report: 2023 Tucson Bicycle Classic - Women’s P/1/2

Race: 2023 Tucson Bicycle Classic W P/1/2

Date: March 3-5, 2023

AVRT racers: Ari Pascarella, Robin Betz, Gina Yuan

Results:

Time Trial: Gina 20/55, Robin 40/55, Ari 44/55

Road Race: Gina 36/54, Ari 37/54, Robin 38/54

Circuit Race: Gina 24/47, Robin 43/47

Overall GC: Gina 15/43, Robin 38/43

Summary:

Tucson Bicycle Classic is a three day stage race in Tucson, Arizona. The first stage is a 3.4 mile time trial, the second stage is a 80 mile road race, and the third stage is 12 laps around a 4 mile circuit. The size and competition in the P/1/2 field was at a level we don't get to experience often in our local NCNCA races. We really took this weekend day-by-day, with the goals to LEARN A LOT (both from the pros and about each other) and to HAVE FUN!

Day 1 Time Trial (written by Ari)

Course: Uphill, 5.6k (3.5 miles)

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8654534243

Nutrition: 1 Gu prior (more ritual than necessity); No bottles 

My aim for the weekend was to come in with realistic expectations in a stacked WP/1/2 field, practice positive self-talk, appreciate the experience of traveling and racing with the team, and have fun! 

After lounging and relaxing at the cars with Gina and Robin and a comical number of bathroom breaks, it was time to warm up. A focused warm up served the purpose of priming my legs for gradually increasing my power, so I felt ready to go. While waiting in the staging area and staring at my competition going off at the buzzer one by one, I put my affirmations to work and focused on keeping my attitude and energy high. Thanks to some guidance from team mate Grant Miller as well as wisdom from TrainerRoad, I had a few process goals to focus on such as 1) pace at subthreshold from the start (read: even though you’ll feel good, don’t go all out from the gun), push the effort past threshold on the risers, try to stay tucked and aero, push it on the second half and go for a negative split, and then give it everything you have on the final “climb.” I focused on power with a goal of 205-215 avg watts and 11:30 finish time. After joking with the start clerks about not dropping me, I settled in to my target and kept my breathing steady. As anticipated, a woman from Miami Nights passed me. Not as anticipated, I passed a racer ahead of me. Feeling confident I dug deeper and tried to keep the gas on and remain steady. In the final effort, my lungs were on fire and the finish line offered a sweet relief. My result was better than I’d expected with 220 avg watts and 10:46 finish time.

Not the fastest out there (43 of 54), but I had fun and gave it the best I had on that day! The TT race overall was short, fast, and surprisingly enjoyable (minus the post-race cough). It was a great start to the weekend. Going in with a personal goal and realistic expectations kept my spirits high heading into the next stage. It also allowed me to be present for celebrating my teammates’ (Gina and Robin 20 and 39; As well as Nathan and Cam in competitive GC positions after the TT and Alana 1st in GC !) and I tried to soak in quality time with the team to help unwind. This served as a much needed respite from the nerves for the upcoming road race.

Day 2 Road Race (written by Robin)

Course: 82 miles: 4 laps of a 20.3 mile vaguely square loop with 700ft climbing per lap. A few rollers in the first 4 miles followed by a straight downhill section that still needed a bit of pedaling, then some flats and a slight uphill climb with a headwind

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8660794278

Nutrition: 3 bottles of Robin’s homemade drink mix (350 kcal cyclic dextrin + 120 kcal scratch guava flavor), 1.5 sleeves Clif blocks

My goal for this race was to stay with the group for as many laps as possible, with the dream of a pack finish, and help my teammates out as much as possible. Since you have to finish each stage of the race to proceed to the next one, I knew I would be finishing one way or another, but really did not want to do 60 miles solo which felt like a real possibility.

After a brief warmup we lined up on the start. I put a bottle in my jersey pocket since we weren’t sure if the men would finish in time to offer us a feed, and put a few sleeves of Clif blocks in my other pocket. I told my teammates to wear gloves since it’s a big race and you never know. I was more nervous about the possibility of a really long solo day than about any results, which took a lot of the pressure off that I usually feel. The field size in this race was 53 starters which is about five times the size of a good Norcal womens’ race, which I have had previous experience with but Ari and Gina hadn’t, so focusing on being a good teammate and mentor also helped distract me from what felt like an inevitable beatdown by the pros.

It started pretty reasonably and I found my groove in the large group. I ride a fair amount on the local group rides where I am similarly outmatched by strong riders, so have gotten pretty good at weenie-ing around to conserve energy whenever possible. I found myself pretty comfortable and hidden from the wind and able to get in the big race lizard brain of “gap? Move up. Gap? Move up.” for the next few hours. Gina and Ari were initially near the back but quickly got the hang of things and were similarly well positioned. Whenever I was nearby I made sure to pester them to eat and drink, and all of us finished the race with good nutrition and hydration.

I was most nervous about the slight climb to the finish, as I can’t hide from doing work on the uphills and that’s often where I get dropped. I made sure to be near the front and did lose a few spots the first time around, but was still well within the group and noted from my lap counter that it was about 10 minutes.

Lap two was pretty chill. Some of the other riders complained about it being coffee pace, which I always think is funny, because if you’re complaining, get to the front and make it interesting! Given that we were still over 20mph average, I was pretty happy to go “coffee pace”. An increasing headwind on the hill section meant I was doing z2 in the bunch, which was great! I changed my goal from “try to finish in the bunch” to “you can and will finish in the bunch.”

On the roller section at the beginning of lap three some attacks flew and it got a bit spicier. I found myself shredded off the back along with a few other riders. Not to worry, I knew the course by this point and knew I could get back on as at the bottom of each roller the group would bunch up and brake, and by taking a smooth pace and punching it there I could avoid big watt expenditures and make up time. I pick up Ari and Ilan (from Terun, gotta look out for my Norcal homies) and we make it back to the group without issue. This made me feel great as I am working on developing my domestique skills.

I was a bit nervous about attacks on the climb on lap three so wanted to be near the front on the corner before it, so I plan on moving up as much as possible on the flats. At the end of the prior downhill section I take a wide line on the corner and end up passing the entire field and going from the very back to on the front. I don’t really know what to do on the front so I just pedal z3ish until the group swarms around me and hides me again. The headwind intensified and we went pretty slow up the hill so it ultimately didn’t matter, but I’m trying to build my pack skills so was happy with the execution of moving up 50 spots for free.

In lap four, Jack and Shane areis at the feedzone, and I want to throw an empty bottle at Jackhim since it’s hard to put bottles in my pocket while riding in a group. No one lets me move over to the feed side which is kind of annoying, but all I have to do is throw the empty bottle hard enough to clear the group. I get Jack’s attention and give it a good throw, and it sails through the air, over the group, heading toward a random dude who is NOT paying attention whatsoever…. Well, it’s empty, so I hope it doesn’t hit him in the head, but it shouldn’t be that bad….. It loses altitude and misses his head, beaning him right in the balls instead. I yell “sorry!!!” and retreat to the anonymity of the bunch.

Lap four is chill until we get down the descent, and then everyone starts to think about position. I find myself in the back with Ari, and tell her “we gotta get to the front.” She gets on my wheel and I move up along the side and end up approaching the final corner on the back of the Miami Nights train with Ari and Gina right behind me, which is totally ideal. As small fry, I didn’t want to get in the way of actual leadout trains (it’s kind of rude and dangerous), but still wanted to be positioned as well as possible.

The course was narrow for the group size, with only a single lane available and a moto ref who was watching like a hawk for centerline violations, which would be an immediate disqualification as we approached the finish. No one wanted to go into a headwind, so we’re going about 17mph and I’m doing low z2 watts.

I’m at max focus since I am the LEADOUT MAN taking my teammates to VICTORY and everyone is jittery and nervous and packed like sardines, and right as I think “hmmm someone is definitely going to crash. I hope it’s not in front of me,” someone goes down about 2 riders in front of me and all three of us are caught in the pileup.

I land on top of another rider who completely cushions me. The palm of my hand hits the pavement but that’s it, and since I always wear full finger gloves to races I get a tiny bruise and that’s it. I pop up to my feet immediately and officials help untangle all the bikes and riders. Ari and Gina are fine and their bikes are extricated.

I yell “go go go!” and they get back on the road. I put my chain back on and catch up to them and get to fulfill my dream of blowing up giving a leadout. The “3k rule” is in effect for this race, meaning despite our mishap in the last 1k, we will be awarded the same finishing time as the group. This probably is better than the result I would have gotten otherwise, so I’ll take it!

The only real casualties were the guy at the feedzone and my rear wheel which had a pretty decent hop in it, and wouldn't clear the brake pads anymore (rim brake gang). Fortunately I was able to borrow a loaner for the circuit race, and since it’s aluminum I can just bend it back into shape and true it at home.

Day 3 Circuit Race (written by Gina)

Course: 12 laps of a 4.2 mile 127 ft circuit

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8666589966

Nutrition: sooo much pasta, peanut butter, and veggies at the airbnb

I was feeling more confident moving around a clogged road compared to yesterday, and had more of an idea what was going on at the front. But still not that much of an idea. Breaks were forming from the start and there was one with ~7 riders that was otf for a while. I was getting the hang of moving around the amoeba, while the large, organized teams reeled stuff back.

Then there was a crash behind me going into 4 laps to go and the lead car neutralized us to a stop halfway up the climb. I was quite worried because neither Robin nor Ari were there with me until Robin rolled up and told me she saw Ari on the ground. I was glad I was carrying my phone (I don't usually) and was able to text my teammates not in this race to check up on the situation.

The officials cleared the course and they released 2 riders off the front who had a 55s gap. Then they let the field go. I wouldn't have known any of this if not for the neutralization. I asked someone if she knew who was in the break and she was like idk but doesn't matter they're gonna get caught. Amazing intuition. Miami Nights organized a fast chase effort and I was right on their wheels. Then it slowed down and Primeau Velo in particular took over to start the leadouts. My goal was survival, and it takes more confidence and mental stamina than I had that weekend to stay in good position. I shuffled backwards to finish at the back of the field (which at this point had definitely reduced in size!), not before a rider flipped over a cone beside me, and well the field did catch the break.

Unlike the road race, the final lap was carnage-free and the field sprint was an amazing sight. The teamwork and pack skills at this level of racing was so crazy and exciting. I felt inspired every day by the toughness and encouragement from my teammates Ari and Robin. And by the stellar performances of our cat 3 women and cat 2 men. With 2 bunch finishes, I kept my GC standing from the TT (sans some riders who crashed out or otherwise withdrew). Expectations exceeded! I have what it takes to hang with the pros, and know where I want to improve.

Race Report: 2023 Bariani Road Race - Men’s Masters 3/4

Race: 2023 Bariani Road Race- Men’s Masters 3/4  

Date: March 12, 2023

AVRT racers: Nat Green, Shai Traister, Brian Shreeve

Top Result: Nat (9/45), Shai (12/45)

Course: Six clockwise laps of a 10-mile loop.  Original plan was 3 laps of a 20-mile loop, which is the normal Bariani course, but the course was changed a few days prior to the event because of mud blocking parts of the road.  The course is mostly flat or rollers, with a short, not-very-steep hill on the back stretch before a right hand turn onto a section with terrible pavement, and then a left hand turn shortly before the finish that pitches down and then right back up.  We had the late start time (11:30, but the race didn’t start until after noon), by which time the rain had picked up again and came down consistently until the last lap or so.  The wind was a major factor, blowing quite hard from the south, which gave us a strong tailwind for a two-mile section by the highway, and mostly hard cross-winds for the majority of the course, with a cross-tailwind on the northern part of the course, and a cross-headwind on the southern part. 

Strava: Bariani - masters 3/4 - 9th of 40 or so. | Ride | Strava

Nutrition:  I brought two bottles of Skratch mix and a bunch of gels.  With the mid-day start time, I wasn’t sure whether and how much to eat before the race, and in retrospect, probably should have just gone for a normal breakfast, but instead just had a few stinger waffles. I also dropped a few gels on the road during the race, probably because I was wearing thick gloves, so had nothing to eat for the last hour.  Luckily one of the other riders in our breakaway handed me a bag of sour patch kids, which, while delicious, were quite chewy and difficult to eat while cycling hard. 

Recap:  We had three riders in the race for AV, as did a few other teams (Dolce Vita, Velo Kings, and Rio Strada), along with a few teams with two riders (including SJBC).  They started the Masters 35+ and 50+ together with very similar race numbers, so it was difficult to tell who was who, and we all treated it like a single race (it ultimately didn’t matter, since only one of the 50+ riders ended up in the break, and he was dropped after a lap or so).  It was a large field, and with the center line rule in effect and a moto official policing the line, it made it very hard to move up.  With the crosswinds, we knew there was likely to be a split soon into the race, and that it would therefore be important to stay at the front.  Unfortunately this was easier said than done (for me, at least), and with a neutral rollout, I found myself swamped by other riders and near the back by the time racing started, and spent most of the first lap trying to move up whenever I could.  Luckily no one got off the front in the first lap, but on the second turn of lap two, I could see the group starting to string out and realized that I needed to do a max effort immediately or I would miss the split.  It took 2 minutes at 430 watts to reach the group at the front that was pulling away, and I was just able to latch on. 

There were about 12 others in the break, and while we quickly put quite a bit of distance into the group behind, we never settled into a great rhythm.  Part of this was a function of the crosswinds on most of the course, which didn’t allow for normal pace-lining and required echelons that the group was having difficulty organizing consistently.  Part of it was also that there were a number of riders who clearly just planned to sit in, which caused other riders to attack in frustration, further preventing any real organization.  The result was difficult and tiring riding, with minimal draft to recover and a lot of surging.  By lap 4, we had dropped three riders (including the only 50+ rider), and there were nine of us left, with one rider each from seven different teams, and two individual riders.  At this point, an SJBC rider went off the front.  We got a bit more serious about organizing at this point, but there was still a lot of gamesmanship and arguing, with some riders refusing to pull through and others attacking in frustration.  This resulted in the SJBC rider remaining about 15-20 seconds out through laps 4 and 5.  We finally got a good rotation going through the cross-tailwind on lap 5, and I could really feel the difference as we were going a lot faster with less effort.  As soon as we made the turn onto the next section, though, the attacks and gamesmanship resumed, and we hadn’t much, if any, progress catching the SJBC rider.

By lap 6, I was really feeling low on fuel.  I had already dropped a couple of gels and dropped another one at the beginning of the lap.  Another rider in the break took pity on me and gave me some sour patch kids.  That was a nice gesture, but unfortunately I was already getting bad cramping in my legs, and by about a third of the way through the lap, I could no longer pedal and realized my choice was between slowing for a minute to try to work through the cramps or getting off the bike completely.  I was able to work my way through the cramps by soft pedaling for a minute or so, but that coincided with another surge by the break, so I realized I had no hope of catching up, and just did a steady effort to the finish line, since I knew I had a comfortable distance to the group behind. The SJBC rider was able to stay ahead of the rest of the group through lap six, so an impressive effort by him to ride away solo in these conditions.  At the finish line, I met up with Brian, who unfortunately had flatted out (but conveniently did so right near the end of the circuit, so he had a minimal walk). 

According to Shai, who was in the main group, when he realized there was a gap and a group was pulling away he tried to bridge up, and made it to a group of riders ahead of him only to realize there was another group further ahead (the break). He tried bridging across to that group but was getting tired after a big effort in the headwind. He took a quick look behind and saw that he was pulling a group of ~10 riders strung behind him. Shai also saw that I had made it to the break, so he decided to shut it down and let other close the gap.  A couple of riders attacked trying to bridge across, but he saw the gap to the front group keeps increasing and we never saw them again. Shai was not sure if this was the best choice at the time – it was still early in the race (lap 2) and the break was fairly sizable – but it would have required a massive effort in the headwind, which Shai wasn’t sure he could do.  Shai’s group wasn’t well organized, but several riders took turns at the front. After realizing they were not going to catch the break, Shai pushed the pace on the uphill section and the chase went down to four riders, who took good rotations for two additional laps before dropping two more riders. After another lap, the rider Shai was with opened a small gap on the section with the potholes/water on the road, and Shai could not quite close the gap in the strong headwind, and Shai rode mostly solely on the final two laps to finish 12th.

Overall, the team was happy with the effort in difficult conditions, and I was pleased to have made the split and stayed with a strong group of riders until the last lap when I cramped.  Two clear areas to improve would be (1) nutrition – it might have been more effective to get more of my calories from my bottles, rather than gels, given the heavy gloves I was wearing in the cold and rain – and just generally I should have consumed more; and (2) staying near the front in a big field on narrow roads – I knew I had to, but was not nearly aggressive enough during the rollout to maintain my position, which ultimately resulted in my being forced to do a bigger effort than I should have had to do to make the split, which likely contributed to cramping later on (or at least burning matches that I could have used on the last lap had I not cramped).  The third area of improvement that I am less sure about is in terms of organizing the group better in the break to chase down the rider off the front.  I’m not quite sure what we could have done to convince non-working riders to help chase – it might just have been too big a group to organize successfully, with the difficulty exacerbated by the windy conditions that required different formations after every turn to work together effectively.  If anyone has good ideas, let me know.

Race Report: 2023 Land Park Crit - Men’s P12

Race: 2023 Land Crit - Men’s P12 

Date: March 11, 2023

AVRT racers: Jon Wells and Grant Miller

Top Result: Jon Wells, 15th of 49

Course: 1.1 mile loop at William Land Park in Sacramento, CA. The course is a pretty straightforward loop with a chicane on the backside and one real 90 degree corner into the finish. Course is nearly flat and had little to no wind on the day; however, it rained quite hard prior to our race so the course was very wet.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8699370655 

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

Race Recap:

Game plan coming into the race was for Grant and I to be in any moves that had Mikes Bikes since they had by far the largest team in the field with 8 guys.  The next largest teams included Terun and Voler, each with 5 riders. 

Things got underway with all of the large teams only really marking each other and left a couple different breaks of mostly individual riders shuffling about.  I found myself near the front for a prime lap around 10 minutes in (which I won) and then kept attacking to start a move with 5 other guys that would last for maybe 2 laps total.  Upon being brought back, Grant attacked nicely over the top and got away with 2 others.  

This proved to be the move of the day as they would stay away for around 30 minutes as Grant swept up even more primes.  All the large teams missed the move; however, everyone in the pack looked to TMB to chase as the largest team.  They took to the front and set tempo, reeling in the break with 4 laps remaining.  

While this all happened, I sat in conserving energy for the sprint while trying to stay away from the fighting for the back of TMBs train. I was being a bit complacent and not paying super close attention and got caught by surprise when I saw the lap cards say 2 to go.  I ended up being too far back to really contest the sprint and ended up in P15.  Overall not too bad of a result considering how I felt like I did very little correctly coming into the end of the race.  Happy for us to take some primes and for everyone to stay upright in the wet conditions!

-Jon

Race Report: 2023 Bariani Road Race - Men’s Category 3

Race: 2023 Bariani Road Race - Men’s Category 3

Date: 8:05am start, March 12th, 2023

AVRT racers: Andrew Ernst, Matt Koenig, Matt Carvell, Flo Costa, Josh Worley, Daniel Fonyo, Fraser Bulbuc

Top Results: Andrew Ernst 1/30 and Matt Koenig 3/30

Course: A different, shorter loop with a shortened overall course was used due to “excessive mud and water” on the original course. The course was 6 laps around a 10-mile circuit with 300 ft of elevation gain per lap. There was a strong south/southwest wind of ~15 mph. The southbound stretch leading to the finish featured the biggest hill of the course. Most of the race was dry, though there were a few short periods of rainfall that kept roads damp and corners slick. The one mile section of road heading west, just before the before the finish, featured poor pavement, flooding, and hidden potholes. 

See course here: https://www.strava.com/activities/8704763991

Nutrition: Fueled with 3 Wiggle gels and 200 calories of Gu Roctane mix in one bottle. I carried a second bottle with just water and had a third bottle of water in the feedzone. I typically aim to consume 200-300 calories per hour and fell just short of that.

Gear: With rain falling all week and more rain forecasted throughout the race, I opted to ride my Specialized Diverge set up with 30mm tubeless GP5000s rather than my SL7. I felt that the gains that could be made in the way of stability and grip made up for the losses in weight in aerodynamics. I went without a saddle bag and rain jacket in attempt to compensate for the added weight and drag that came with riding the Diverge. 

Recap: The biggest competition was Dolce Vita with 6 riders, though a few other teams had ~3 guys. We decided that Matt K and Daniel would be our protected sprinters. Fraser was a third option for sprinter. Flo, Matt C, Josh, and myself were there to chase breaks and attack, keeping Dolce on their toes. 

Lap 1 started FAST. The first section was downhill with a tailwind, so it wasn’t really possible to just “sit in.” After turning NE, crosswinds strung everyone out. My highest 4 minute power during the race came during this section. A few decent riders were caught behind gaps and dropped. When we turned into the headwind, the pace fell and there was a chance to recover before the hill and rough pavement that came just before the start/finish line. We lost Daniel to a flat early on. 

Lap 2-3 were less intense. One solo breakaway rider was off the front for a short while and easily brough back by the group. A second solo rider put a more serious gap on the field, gaining ~45 seconds.  Dolce wouldn’t chase, so Josh, Flo, and I took turns taking small digs to keep the breakaway rider in sight and force other teams to keep the peloton stitched together. We eventually caught that solo rider. Fraser fell victim to a flat. 

Lap 4 saw a significant crash in the right hand turn at the NE section of the course. One of the front riders slid out and took a few guys with him, Matt C and Josh got caught up in the crash. Flo was ahead of it. Matt K and I were able to navigate through. This crash caused a major split in the field, leaving just 7 riders in the front group. AV made up 3/7 with Flo, Matt K, and myself. No other rider had a teammate. At this point I felt we had the race locked up. Flo and I could attack forcing others to chase. Matt K could sit in and save energy for a sprint against a small, exhausted field. I put in a little extra effort after the climb and nobody wanted to close the gap. Seeing that, I figured I might as well go for it. I did threshold for about a mile and settled in at sweet spot when I saw the gap around ~20-30 seconds. I ate a gel and tried to get a little more aero. I rode sweet spot for lap 5 and settled into tempo for lap 6 when I could no longer see the chase group. Matt K and Flo did a great job disrupting any organized chase attempts. 

Meanwhile, Matt C caught back onto the main chase group along with a few other riders from the crash (impressive). A Dolce rider got away late during lap 6 and took 2nd. Matt K won the field sprint for 3rd. 

Having such a big team with unique individual strengths was a huge benefit. Had I flatted or been caught in the crash, I have no doubt that another AV rider could have filled my role to get AV the win. Overall good communication and team tactics. I admit still have a lot to learn!

Race Report: 2023 Bariani Road Race– Women’s Cat 4/5 & Master 50+

Race: 2023 Bariani Road Race - Women 4/5 & Masters 50+

Date: March 12, 2023

AVRT racers: Steph Hart, Louise Thomas, Chris Davis

Top Result: Steph (2/14 W4/5), Louise (8/14 W4/5), Chris (3/4 Masters)

Course: 4 laps around a 10-mile circuit with 300 ft of elevation gain per lap. Key features were (a) ~2 miles of 1% grade and a headwind that leads into a ~0.5 mile 4% hill each lap (b) so-so pavement ~1 mile before finish line (leading to many flats in the field, including Chris) (c) on and off rain throughout the race (I’m starting to bandwagon on this “allergic to riding in the rain” business…)

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8705310222

Nutrition: 1 bottle of Gatorade

Recap: Teams were Eclipse (5 riders), Super Sprinkles (3 riders), and SJBC (2 riders). Going in, Chris predicted a race of attrition, so the plan was just to see where things were at, and if the pack was still together, attack on the hill at the end of the third lap. The first 2.5 laps were largely uneventful- both Louise and an Eclipse rider attacked but got pulled back by the field. Coming up the hill on the third lap one rider attacked gaining ~10 seconds on the field and Chris moved to the front of the peloton to bring her back and I followed, established a gap from the field and quickly passed the rider up the road. No one followed right away, and as a solo rider in the headwind I was feeling pretty out of luck but was joined after a couple eons minutes by 3 other riders (1 Eclipse, 2 Super Sprinkles) and we were able to get a 4-person rotation going.

At the start of the last lap one of the Super Sprinkles riders attacked from the break, and the Eclipse rider and I traded pulls with the other Super Sprinkles rider sitting in (smart move). I wasn’t too concerned about the solo rider as I assumed she’d get burned out in the headwind section, but just as she was getting a pretty solid gap, we were joined by a second Eclipse rider who bridged up. The two Eclipse riders appeared to be turning themselves inside out to bring back the Super Sprinkles rider up the road, while I was going full gas just to hang onto their wheels. Eventually the rider up the road is caught and the 5 of us are back together, but at this point I’m wondering who here has any matches left for the next half lap... At the base of the climb, one of the Eclipse riders went down after a touch of wheels on a rough section of road leaving 4 in the break. Shortly thereafter (2ish miles to the finish) the Super Sprinkles rider who spent ~15 minutes alone up the road at the start of the lap attacked. I looked around, realized that the Eclipse rider wasn’t going to chase, quietly cursed to myself, and then tried to chase down Super Sprinkles. Half a mile later it was pretty clear I wasn’t catching her, but I seemed to have second place locked up and so slowed down a bit, checking behind me every once in a while. I happened to turn around one last time with ~200m to go and saw the eclipse rider just a few seconds back. I panicked and then sprinted to the line managing to just hold her off (sprint is a strong word here but was definitely pedaling faster). Louise rolled through a couple minutes later after the main pack fell apart in the final lap. Chris flatted with 1k to go (second race in a row) but still managed to hang in for third place in the masters field.

Join the Friends of the Polo Fields

Hello! This is primarily targeted to those who ride in/near SF, but we wanted to advertise it more widely since improving conditions for cycling is a universal goal for Alto Velo. Many of AV's SF-based riders frequently train at the Golden Gate Park Polo Fields Cycling Track. The track is a 0.75-mile asphalt oval for bikes only; it is the only long stretch of asphalt in the city without stop signs or traffic lights, without cars, and without pedestrians. It’s a unique resource for training and a very important component of the SF cycling scene for riders of all abilities. However, it’s in need of some maintenance and access improvements.

A few AV members and others in the SF cycling community are starting a group to improve this training ground. The “Friends of the Polo Fields” group will work with SF Rec and Park to improve safety/hours/conditions of the polo fields cycling track. Please join us, and share the invite link along to anyone else who enjoys the cycling track and wants to help make it better! This will be a low-effort, low-emails group.

https://groups.google.com/g/fotpf

Note: some have had technical difficulties with this link. If so, please email me (jdbesmer@gmail.com) and I’ll happily add you to the group.

Race Report: 2023 Bariani Road Race– Men’s Cat 4

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

Date: 8:15am start, March 12th, 2023

AVRT racers: Logan Allen, Will Hakim

Top Result: Logan Allen 3/30

Course: A new course this year as the original course had “excessive mud and water.” The new course is 6 laps around a 10-mile circuit with 300 ft of elevation gain per lap. A strong south-south-west wind of 10-15 mph meant each leg had a considerable wind component. The leg leading to the finish featured the biggest hill of the course into the headwind. Light to medium intensity rain speckled the course for the entirety of the race leaving corners slick. Good pave quality for most of the race besides a half-mile section within a mile of the finish with flooding, which obscured deep potholes that contributed to many mechanicals. 

Course map with wind arrows (CW direction)

Nutrition: Fueled with Gu Roctane ultra endurance mix. 90g carbs in 1 bottle. 1 bottle water. 2 sleeves clif bloks. For the intensity of the race, it felt sufficient. Did not utilize neutral feed.  

Recap: Teams were Dolce Vita (6 riders), Don Chapin (2 riders), Super Sprinkles (4 riders), and AV. Lap 1 was uneventful. Very mild pace. A solo rider was off the front within sight for most of it, no one seemed interested in pushing to chase it back. At the start of lap 2, the break is brought back together and a pair of riders separate and slowly gain 20 seconds on the field. The downwind section is fast and after a chase group attempts to bridge and is brought back, I counter-attack and solo bridge to the pair. I pull through after reaching them and take a turn on the front. We all seem interested in working together. We take turns for the next lap and a half, aided by the field being temporarily neutralized by race officials as the master’s fields were passing. After that, the field does some work and begins closing the gap. There is some confusion among the officials and the break is neutralized and then caught before the end of lap 3. Lap 4 is uneventful. I try my best to shelter and conserve energy in the crosswind sections. Lap 5 there two more breakaway attempts, one by Don Chapin teammates and one by Will and Cole, a VeloKings rider. There is a crash on the hard right turn at the top right corner of the course taking out a Super Sprinkles and Dolce Vita rider before the break with Will is reeled back in. Near the top of the hill at the end of lap 5 an unattached rider attacks. Daniel from Super Sprinkles and I chase. The attack is more than I want to commit to following so I give up his wheel and settle in to work as a pair with Daniel. We take turns for the rest of lap 6, and watch as the lead rider’s gap grows, despite our efforts. Daniel makes a huge surge up a hill and I can’t hold his wheel. In no-mans-land, I push threshold for the remaining 2 miles and come in 3rd. Will contests the field sprint for 6th. 

Overall sentiment was that for a team of two, we rode a very dynamic race with a well-executed strategy. 

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.