Brian's Bike Blog V.4

Almanzo 100

koeneman — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:47:34 +0000

6 hours 16 minutes. Gravel road epic under the radar 100 mile road race. Best free race on the planet. Period.

Downer Classic Criterium 2010

koeneman — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:32:49 +0000

Ever since I was a kid I looked up to the guys who raced Downer. The atmosphere is great with huge crowds, live music and lots of cash up for grabs. The back straight is lined with old trees and beautiful homes a few blocks from Lake Michigan and the finish straight rolls right past Cafe Hollander, a few restaurants and lot of bars (this is WI, after all). There also a long history of racing at Downer–I think this is the 40th year. There is typically a large mid-race crowd prime-this year over $5000! I’ve placed on the podium here in 2009 but that was racing masters. This year I wanted to try to make it with the pros. Fortunately, I was able to stay in with the leaders and finish w/o too much trouble. I was concerned about crashes, especially in turn two, which is a near hairpin. Luckily, this year the group was solid and no one went down (at least that I saw). The team rode very well and I tried to get John Acker to the front with 4 and 3 to go but I only managed to just get him inside the top 20. Matt, Jason and of course Kevin rode very well. All made their way near the front on a few occasions. Morgan tail-gunned the entire race but finished w/o looking worse for the wear. The guys learned to communicate better and gained confidence as the series wore on. Everyone was pretty tired but the team is meshing well and we’re all looking forward to racing together more soon.

Hup hup, Wheel & Sprocket!

Tour of America’s Dairyland

koeneman — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:58:41 +0000

I’m back from my home state of WI. I love WI, especially in the summer. Matt Muyers joined me for the first day at Greenbush for the road race, a beautiful course through some great wooded backroads. The course was reversed from last year and now included a long gradual uphill grind to the finish. There were also several climbs but only two that could really force a selection. The rest was rolling over varying roads, some bumpy and rough, others pristine, smooth and narrow. I managed to sneak away in a three-man break near the end of the 2nd lap, roughly 15 miles into the 60 mile race. It was a bit too early for a breakaway but we worked well together and established a nice gap. Soon the Cafe Hollander rider was popped and there were only two of us remaining but, with a long ways to go, I didn’t want to invests too much in the effort so I only did my share. A small chase group was forming behind us, including Chris Halvorson from IS Corp, so we let up and allowed them to come up to us. Now, with an IS Corp rider (and arguably one of the strongest master’s races in the country) and two others to share the work, I knew the break would succeed. Fearing an attack, I tried to control the tempo on the climbs and it worked. We stayed together until the final lap when the XXX rider attacked on the second climb splitting the group. Chris responded and I hung on his wheel and he brought him back on the descent through the trees. With about 3K to go I was stuck in second covering another attack and knew Chris was behind me waiting to jump. With about a K to go he did and I tried to react but he had three bike lengths before I could get up to speed. The finish was a tough uphill on a bumpy road into a headwind. I was worried about cramping in the sprint but hung on for second, albeit barely. My bike toss at the line made the difference! It was pretty cool to get on the podium but I never got a kiss. The podium girl told me that he heals weren’t high enough to reach my on the 2nd step!

Later that night Brian Krueger joined us for Leon’s custard and spent the night at my dad’s place in Oshkosh. We had a fun morning drinking coffee and riding down to check out the marinas on lake Winnebago. Later that day Tracy came to meet me and we headed to Fond du Lac for the 6:00 pm start. As soon as we started I know the leg were there. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had the legs to sit in comfortably and actually make the front and get in a few moves. I was positioned well for the final and feeling fabulous. Unfortunately, with just 300 meters to go when my front derailleur tore of the frame and blew to bits. I was forced to coast it in as the money spots passed my chattering bike by… I found out later that my SRAM Red chainrings were so worn that the chain was lifting off the rings under pressure. I was pretty upset about not being able to sprint but it could have been worse. I could have crashed or broken the frame.

After the race we headed to Milwaukee watching the moon rise and enjoying another beautiful day… Before we checked in a Casa Eccles we hit Piccola Pizza. Yum.

Solstice

koeneman — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:47:46 +0000

Happy summer solstice, everyone. I celebrated and hope you did too. I love packing in as much fun during the long days as possible. I went for a nice run, played, worked, got a massage, drank, and played some more. I enjoyed simple pleasures and capped a perfect day with a sunset solo ride that lasted until nearly 10:00. The colors in the sky were dramatic and I slept like a baby.

Tomorrow I leave for WI to finish the Tour of America’s Dairyland. Three or four more stages of fast racing…..

Tour of America’s Dairyland pt. 1

koeneman — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:48:19 +0000

After a fun day with the kids I headed as far as I could toward WI. I ended up at a pretty scary EconoLodge near WI Dells but I was so tired that I didn’t care and slept well. I woke up and did an easy ride around Mirror Lake before heading the rest of the way to the race. Shoreview is a great neighborhood on the north end of MKE. I raced a Superweek stage hear last year and loved the scene: the front stretch is lined with cafe’s, shops, and restaurants and the back course is lined with beautiful homes and old growth elm and oak trees. The course itself is flat but really bumpy and not too technical. Of course the pace as fast but I had not trouble sitting in. However, getting to the front was really a challenge for me. I have never been able to hold position in front of “the bubble” and, unfortunately, Shoreview was no exception. Kevin wasn’t feeling too well and the few times I tried to usher him near the front he lost my wheel or decided not to go. Matt was riding strong too but getting the front was really difficult with all braking in the corners. Anyway, John Acker ended up 21st and the rest of us were further back out of the money.

Day 2 I had a great morning riding the bike trails through Wauwatosa discovering the village and Cafe Hollander. I had a nice meal, tried to fix my squeaky, squeaky brakes, took a short nap and headed up to Thiensville for stage 2. Shortly after checking in, the rain started and I wished that I had raced the master’s race instead. The roads were dry and the field was pretty mellow. TK was looking great and a small break of three rolled off the front and held it all the way to the finish. It looked like a good race for me, safe, fast and some significant attrition. The pro race was entirely different, of course. Within a lap or two the rain increased and the turns were very slippery. There were at least three crashes and I was nervous. At 6′ 3″ my center of gravity is pretty high and turning on wet brick is a real challenge. I decided not to race my carbon tubulars and was riding low pressure clinchers but I slid out anyway on turn one and completely lost control. Both wheels were sliding and I went careening off the course and, luckily, into the grass. I was fine but a little freaked out so I didn’t even bother with a free lap. I was going backwards through the field anyway, losing position in almost every turn. A few laps later I was off-the-back and rode for another few laps before bailing altogether. It’s nver fun dropping out of a race, especially after traveling so far, etc.. As soon as I finished I got in my car and drove all the way back to MN. I needed a few days away from the high anxiety race scene before heading back. I’ll spend a few days at home working, hanging with my kids and then head back Wednesday for the Waterloo criterium near the Trek factory, one of our team’s sponsors. This time, I’ll be in a better place mentally and I’m going to ride at the front! Tonight I have to clean my bike. It’s still dirty from racing in the rain on Friday!

Rainy Victoria Road Race

koeneman — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:49:59 +0000

Victoria road race. 50 miles, 5 laps on an open course with a few small hills and one larger/steeper climb about 2 K from the finish. Yes, it was dreary again but we were able to get rolling before the real rain started about 10 miles into the race. The field was relatively small but there was some talent so I knew the race would be hard. I’m tapering a bit for the upcoming Tour of America’s Dairyland series but wanted to get in a solid effort and try to get another decent result. GP made up about half the field and both Flanders and Synergy had strong riders in the mix. I was racing w/o teammates (which is fine) so I knew I had to be attentive. The attacks came almost immediately with Dave Zimmerman (Flanders) launching after the first left hand turn and the field was strung out single file. There were several counter attacks and this kept up for about 25 miles with no one really getting away. The rain continued and it was pretty cold and windy making responding to the sharper attacks a bit of a strain on the cold legs. I covered just about everything up to this point when Mike Woell (Flanders) and Dale Sedgewick (GP) attack and no one reacted. With GP and Flanders all over the front the break was established and the race turned into a ride. I get the lazy tactics but I don’t like negative racing. If someone is trying to chase, or trying to assemble a chase, let them do so. Go to the back and have a smoke and let the race be about something.

Eventually, Tim Mulrooney (Synergy) and Dewey D (Mercy Care) contributed to the chase and the three of us worked hard, but not too hard, to limit the break’s advantage. It seemed that at any point we could have brought the break back but we never really sealed the deal. We let them dangle at 20 seconds for a while when I had to drop to the back to pee. It took a while to rejoin the group and by the time I did, the break had extended their lead to closer to 45 seconds. The chase lost momentum and everyone was cold and wet and unmotivated. later, Adam Hanson (Synergy) came to the front and started working like mad to bring the break back. For some reason, Dewey & Timmer were no where to be seen. Even a little help would have made the difference. I suppose they were waiting for the capture and certain counter attacks to come from the GP riders with fresh legs. Jens Brabbit (GrandStay) came to the front to help a bit, especially on the tougher climbs into the wind but it was mostly Adam drilling it alone. I helped some but he was making good tempo so it seemed like the race would come back together. Adam had a tall order to bring back a solid break alone, even with fresh legs. Essentially, he couldn’t make a dent alone and it was too late. Up ahead Dale attacked Mike over the top of the climb and dropped him. Mike did get back on Dale’s wheel into the finale but Dale had the kick to win. The bunch sprint for third was won by a Nature Valley rider who never hit the front the entire race, not once. Zimmerman (also with fresh legs) was 4th. I was 6th behind Dave Hackworthy (GP). The prize $ went to the top 6 only so I was lucky to squeak in the cash.

Post race food and a hot shower near registration was awesome. After some coffee and I headed back to Karl’s for a nap and watched “Lost in Translation”. I forgot the ending and, seeing it a second time, I was moved. Later I went to the Strip Club in St. Paul for an awesome meal. I was inspired to pay more attention to my blog, and many other things.

Sunday was a great time swimming, napping, and watching a marching band with the kids. Afterward, I did a nice recovery ride (on the gravel, of course) near the Kasota Prairie. I made some great orange roughy with arugala and fresh tomatoes and fell asleep watching “The Last Picture Show”.

Graveliscious

koeneman — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:59:58 +0000

I love to ride the gravel roads in southern MN. I spend a lot of time on the pavement & there’s something alluring and simple that I like about riding these back roads. The scenery is new, it’s slower, quieter, you have to pay attention to avoid punctures, and the entire riding experience feels more organic. I love the connection to the earth and thinking about how some of the narrow gravel roads evolved from simple paths to what they are now. And in many cases, they haven’t changed much at all. Paved roads, on the other hand, have been widened and resurfaced so many times that they are nearly a foot higher and three or four times as wide as their original form. Riding gravel is also a great way to get lost. The roads may T unexpectedly or simply end and they often follow the topography in interesting ways. I removed my GPS from my bike over the winter and haven’t replaced it. I like the challenge of finding my way home w/o it. So, take your road bike on the gravel and see if you can get yourself lost. Enjoy.

St. Peter Time Trial

koeneman — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:03:26 +0000

I woke up early for a 5K run happening in St. Peter. I wasn’t running, mind you, but providing bike escort for the lead pack of runners to make sure they stayed on course. The day before the promoter of the run, Gustavus’ nordic ski coach, drove me around the course. I took good notes and brought them with me the next morning. I was glad I did because the course had lots of turns and I’d hate to be responsible for leading someone off course. After the 5K, I rode up to the start of the 40K time trial to finish my warm-up. It was a nice change to be able to race so close to home and I was motivated for a good ride. The weather was a little dreary but I started on dry roads.

40K time trials are one of the toughest events I know. The effort is a challenge both physically and mentally. You ride as hard as you can with only your own thoughts. There is no drafting, no respite, no one to tell you to push harder or back off for fear of blowing up. The effort is usually just under an hour an hour but it seems like an eternity. I play tricks to keep me going: 10 pedal strokes on the right as hard as I can. Switch repeat. Then I try 20 pedal stroke on the outside of my pedals as hard as I can. Switch repeat. I use the edge of the road or the center to find the smoothest pavement. I’ll slide over closest to the trees in the cross wind, drift back to milk a little tailwind. Catching riders is good motivation but the temptation to draft for a moment is hard to resist. I crossed the line in 51: 49 seconds for an average speed of 28.75 mph. This was a new PR for me. There are many, many things I love about cycling but one of the best is still being able to improve at 42. I won the 35 plus division and had the second fastest time of the day. Ian Standford (GrandStay) won by just over a minute. Ian is a true specialist and was riding the new Trek concept TT bike that Lance will be using in the Tour. Ian is one of the test riders for Trek or HeD. Yes, he’s that good.

After the race Ben, Jess and I went to the St. Peter Food Co-op and had a nice long lunch as the rain rolled in. Complete results here: http://mcf.net/index.php/results?view=event&layout=results&eventKey=210

Sqaure Lake Road Race Wind, Rain, and Gravel

koeneman — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:48:31 +0000

After a poor showing in WI I opted for the masters race at Square Lake. The course included three sectors of gravel per lap, one small ring climb and a few really rough washboard sections and an off camber descent or two. I think we did five laps of the course, the last two in the rain which made the race even cooler. All told I think we raced through 15 sections of the soft & loose stuff. This was a new course and I hope the promoters use it again. I love racing like this as it tests your equipment, your head, and your legs. I’ve found that riding gravel takes a bit of finesse. You have to ride light on your bike and let the front end float a bit. At the same time you can’t weight the back of your bike too much or you risk a puncture. It’s a subtle thing but, when you’re doing it right, I think it makes a diference.

Typically, the masters field is pleasantly free of big egos, negative racing, f bombs, etc.. I also like it that it’s a bit safer and I have had the most fun racing with these guys this year. Today I was really happy with the legs despite Pete Hanna being the best in the final sprint. I’m not sure it would have made the difference but I chased down an attack with about 2K to go on the last downhill gravel section before the final turn. I brought the flyer back but also gave most of the field a leadout into the finale. Another mistake was lining up for the sprint near the yellow line. This allowed Pete to jump on the right side of the road and get the gap needed to hold me off for the win. Before I could react he was three lengths ahead with Mike Johnson (Chippewa Valley Cycling Team)) in tow. The uphill sprint was into a slight wind and the two crossed the line a half a second in front of me. I placed third. Pete was pretty happy with a nice win and I later learned that he had flatted (along with a few others) on one of the gravel sectors. The best move of the day goes to Pete’s Bikethrow.com teammate, Dan Cleary. Seeing that Pete flatted Dan stopped and gave him his wheel allowing Pete to rejoin the group. Dan’s race was over but Pete went on to win. Teammate defined.

I think the finale result may have been a bit different is Jay Woller (Flanders) hadn’t flatted with one lap to go. Jay was riding well all day and he flatted in a terrible place. Jay is a good sprinter and I think the mix at the end would have included him had he not been forced to abandon. Brent also rode well in the gravel sections. He seemed to be improving as the race went on. Mikey P and Jim Bell were both solid too. Jim seemed to be having fun the entire race. Only 24 riders finished the event, many out with punctures from the rough secttions.

Result: http://mcf.net/index.php/results?view=event&layout=results&eventKey=204

LaRue Denzer LaRue Road Race & Wheels on Willy Street Criterium

koeneman — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:35:11 +0000

Some weekends things just don’t click and bad luck seems to multiply. I drove from MPLS later Friday as far as Mauston, WI and got a room at the Super8. I was tired and feeling ish. I ate a crappy breakfast and finished the drive to LaRue in the morning. I planed to just race the master’s road race but broke my chain halfway through the race. I was covering an attacks when it snapped. Luckily, I didn’t crash or wreck my new bike. I had to walk a long ways before Wade came up and pushed me up the hills. Eventually, I had to stop because I was trashing my shoes pushing my bike along. An official radioed Mark, one of the promoters out on course and he picked me up. Driving a lead vehicle, especially on a hilly road course, is pretty crazy as I found out sitting in his back seat w/my bike in my lap. I felt carsick by the time I got out. A mechanic was on hand and he fixed my chain so I decided to ride the pro 1/2 race. Knowing I would be dropped on the climbs, I rode conservatively and tried to start each climb near the front to allow me some time to drift back. Sure enough I was dropped on the first climb and has to chase back on to the group. I repeated this for about 30 miles before I came completely unhinged. I actually preferred the long climb over the two short steep climbs. At one point, I asked Pat LeMieux how he managed to carry his big frame over the tops of the climbs and he said “mind over matter”. The next time up the long climb he rode right next to me and gave me some encouragement. It did help but I red-lined anyway and as soon as there was an attack I was dropped. I think the group rode pretty easy after that. A break of four got away and everyone else just rode it in, I think. IS corp has a rider win and in thirst. Dave Hackworthy road well for 2nd, I think.

Next up: Madison’s Wheels on Willy Street