Project 5 Racing

Nemesis = something that a person cannot conquer. Evanston is my nemasis - ok, maybe that is a bit extreme, but it feels right after today’s race.

The turnout for the W3/4 race was a bit smaller than I had anticipated. Except for the Alberto’s army (luv ya girls!), and one each from Half-Acre, ABD, Kenda, and Flatlandia, most of the racers were from out of town and unknown to me. I did not know what to expect.

Last year I rode about mid-pack and was pushed into the curb at turn 4 - one witness to that show called it a “spectacular crash”! Well, this year I was not about to allow anyone to do any Phil Liggett-ing of my performance. Stay out front = stay safe.

So - that’s what I did…for the most part. Tibco had 5 racers on the line and kicked off the race with an attack. Alberto’s countered - and they went back and forth a few times. Good thing was that the pace was high enough that there was no pile up going through the corners.

But then fluky things started happening…

The wind blew barriers onto the course in front of the hotel on the back straight-away - we veered to the right. On the next lap, the barriers were still in the street - with a security guard standing there making no attempt to pick them up. Hhhhmmm.

6 to go in our CRIT race - and it is NEUTRALIZED due to a delivery truck on the course! It entered the course near where the barriers went down - Hhhhmmmm.

Ok - so much for the bit of a string out we had going. 1/2 lap later we are let go again, but we are now all in a bunch. The pace never quite picked up to the “not-so-fast, but fast enough to keep racers strung-out” pace we had been going. With the final laps and slower pace, some swarming started to happen on the straight-aways. 1/2 lap to go, I am sitting 4th wheel, on backside straight-away - not too far from the wind-blown barriers or where the truck entered the course - an unattached rider moves up my left side and abruptly shifts to her right - quick/clean move that perfectly set her derailleur in my front wheel and ripped out a few spokes and sent me to the pavement.

I understand there was a crash at turn 5 (BK Stacker) immediately after mine in which the lead girls I was following crashed into a barrier taking 3 of them out - maybe crashing earlier was a good thing?

Well - Evanston. Will I see you next year?

Thanks to all the racers that joined us in Des Plaines. What a day! A plethora of Masters Age Group and category races, combined with reasonable fees, and wonderful weather enticed many racers to not just double-up, but triple up in many cases. And the competition was deep! Also, your generosity resulted in many boxes of food and a sizable cash donation to the Food Pantry.

We truly extend our appreciation to the City of Des Plaines for opening their arms warmly to the racers - the many families that pitched tents in their front yards and watched the races, the many kiddies that participated in the neighborhood race, the good samaritans that distributed sandwiches and water to the volunteers, the policemen patrolling both on bikes and ATVs that expressed interest in the strategy of the crits, and to the Mayor for setting a good example of wearing his bike helmet as he toured the course on his bicycle. We hope that you experienced something new and interesting - and that you may consider welcoming us all back next year for the first annual Tour of da Villas. 

Thanks to American Bike Racing (ABR) and especially Tom Olson for coordinating another great racing event. My teammates and I (Cathy) have a new appreciation for the amount of work involved in coordinating a race - and I only helped out on race day! I cannot yet imagine the amount of effort that goes into obtaining approval for the event, preparing for race day, and the post-race work involved. 

Thanks to all the P5′ers that assisted with the day - including the Scott family! It was a bunch of fun to work with you all in a non-racing kind of way.

Regarding the racing itself, for the women, Alberto’s stacked the line with their team in red for both the women’s 4 and Open/Masters races. They would have 2 red jerseys on the top of the podium for the 4s - great job! For the Open/Master’s women’s race, in addition to Alberto’s, ABD, Kenda, Bouldougue Tout Noire, and Village Cycle Sport each had at least a couple riders on the line. All the Project 5 ladies raced - really cool to have all of us on the line together again! The race played out fairly simple - Bouldougue #1 attacks to the left, we chase her down. Bouldougue #2 attacks to the right, we chase her down. Repeat. Final results were a couple of Bouldougue’s then the rest of us - nice job, ladies!

The men’s races were exciting to watch. For Project 5, John (Masters 50+), Kevin (Master’s 30+), Tim (Master’s 30+ and P/1/2/3), Shawn (cat 4), and Q (cat 4 and P/1/2/3) raced.  John had a solid race, but missed getting in the break that would stick. In the Master’s 30+, Kevin and Tim raced with the biggest field of the day - there were multiple attacks making it also one of the most exciting races of the day. The 4’s race had Shawn spending a few laps well out ahead of the pack when he attacked after a prime. When Shawn re-integrated with the field, Q counter-attacked and was off the front for a few laps. Very exciting. The race came down to a field sprint. The attacks started early in the P/1/2/3 race. Luke Seeman and Chris Mosoro were off the front early and soon joined by about 5 more racers. Nearing the mid-point of the race, the pack grew unsettled. A few racers bridged to the break and a few fell off the break. Q made the break! Tim settled in to do some blocking - except to collect part of a 2-place prime was announced about 3/4 way through the race. Q stuck with the break group until the finish line finishing 7th -FANTASTIC! In the closing laps, Chris went off the front and soloed in for the win.

Again - thanks to all that joined us - racers, neighbors, ABR, P5. Enjoy the holiday!

A few Project 5 Racers headed south for the Peoria Classic, the IL State Crit Championships - John, Tim, Shawn, Q, Ginger, and myself. After racing the week in ToAD, and experiencing Whitney Gagglioli’s utter (or should I say “udder”?) domination, I decided to bail on the last day of ToAD and head to Peoria. Thankfully Ginger was game for that, too.

John and Tim had already raced when we arrived. From their accounts, the heat and humidity of the day would play a factor in the outcome of each race.

15 women lined up for the W3/4. As we looked around at the start, we recognized most of the competition. Great turn-out from XXX and Mack. Then we were off…The first lap was so slow that I could hear spectator’s asking, “This is a race?” before the announcer jabbed us as we passed the start/finish with a “And her come the ladies setting a blistering pace” - but that would be it for the jabs. Attacks started immediately after that. Just before mid-point of the race, an attack stuck with Ginger, Proctor, and XXX-Mia off the front. Mack chased desperately as I latched onto their wheels. After a couple laps, just when I thought the break would stick, something happened and the gap started reducing. So I counter-attacked and Proctor and XXX-Mia joined me in a new break. For the 2nd half of the race, we worked well together to maintain our break. On the backstretch of the last lap, wind in our face, the three of us eyed each other. You could feel how antsy we were getting. About 1 block from the final two turns, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and attacked. As I went into the first turn, I looked and saw I had a gap. From there, it was up the hill and down the finishing stretch, eyes forward just putting everything I had into the pedals. After I crossed the line is when I looked back - yes, I got it - the jersey! Ahhh - it is a good feeling.

After our race, Q and Shawn lined up for the cat 4 race. Big competition in the race, including Kyle Selph of Tower Racing who came with his entourage. Q positioned himself well throughout the race and attacked on the last lap. Q did not leave anything on the course. Kyle nipped Q at the line - so close! Solid 2nd place in the State Championship race - just fantastic.   

Ginger rejoined J and myself (Cathy) for the Downer Classic. What a terrific party setting! Between Cafe Hollander on the right and Via and Original Pancake House on the left, great food and drink was pentiful. Another gorgeous day after a night of storms. 35 women were at the line today each determined to make their attempt for the cow jersey. At the whistle, the field took off. Four turns on the clock-wise course - 90, 60 (tight, tight, tight), 105, and 105 (nice sweeping corners before the approach to the finish). Before each corner, the pace picked up with the lead riders not interested in getting caught in a bunch with riders with sketchy cornering skills. As expected the pace also picked up for the primes - but no real break-away attempts today. With the $100 prime, Ginger attacked on the backstretch and strung out the pack the most all day. After that, J and Ginger both took pulls at the front helping to string out the pack. On the final lap, the field was still pretty tight. Coming out of the final corner, a Geargrinder racer veared left across my path just as I was getting out of the saddle - I not only had to stop peddaling, but also reverse the bike a bit so she didn’t hit my front wheel. Dang! There went the train - Whitney, Jannette, Dena and one other girl up the inside. I tried to ramp up my speed, but it didn’t happen. A couple others passed me near the finish. 7th.

The shortest - and flattest - course of the series was sure to be fast. So fast, that the town put a copper-speed-reader up so we could see just how fast we were going. Jerel and I decided to dare the starter’s whistle and make a final potty break which put us at the back of the pack for the start. With the whistle, the 27 W3/4 racers were off - and off fast! Attacks started immediately. J got trapped behind a few girls having troubles clipping in and cornering - frustrating! After a few laps, Whitney was off the front with another girl with probably the largest gap of the week in any race. It took a while to organize, but finally I got a couple of ladies to work with me to reel it back in - a match or two burned. The speed reader consistently posted 26 mph or so each time I looked - I do wish my computer was working so I could see what the real speeds were. With about 6 to go, in the lead pack there was a crash at the start/finish line - could the lapped rider that tried to latch on at turn 4 have been a contributor? At 4 to go, Smart Cycling’s Meghan attacked hard. She stayed out for a lap or so. The pace remained high with two to go. At one to go, ISCorp started a lead out. Before turn 3, another ISCorp racer, Holly Matthews, jumps to the outside and I get her wheel. Looking back from turn 3, Whitney is with us, but the three of us have a sizable gap. After turn 4, as Holly starts to ramp up her speed, I am only able to match her - Whitney passes us on the inside to take the win. While the visit to the podium was sweet, the cow jersey remains the real elusive treat. Tomorrow?

Q raced the 4/5’s after us. He positioned himself well within the pack throughout the race, chased down a few attacks, and gunned it in the last lap to hold on to a 5th place finish in an extremely strong field. Excellent!

Well kids, I am in a much better place when compared to last year, but man do I have a long way to go. Here is an update of the past two days…

Waterloo: Circuit race in a cute little town. On the backside a longer hill with a steep kicker and well, I knew there would be some separation, but if I shifted back into the big ring after the kicker I would be able to bomb the descent and catch back on but had trouble shifting back into my big ring after it for the descent on most of the laps. Didn’t come in last though and wasn’t lapped so some progress. Knowing people wanted to jump early in the race to cause some separation in the field, 2nd lap just before the climb (which narrows quite a bit), Cathy was sitting 3rd wheel. This is perfect, Cathy can go and get away, except that didn’t happen and there was an attack on the hill the next lap (prime), and I was quickly off the back. Came in not last and wasn’t lapped. Progress. KEVIN P….awesome job out there!!!!! Sorry we didn’t have a chance to chat after. I was going to buy you an ice cream at the flower/ice cream shop combo storefront. Odd but it looked good.

What was amazing at Waterloo was heading over to TREK with Cathy to get a behind the scenes tour with her friend who works there. So cool. So cool. So cool. What an experience.

Greenbush: Road Race today. Well what is up with these race profiles? 3% grade…either I am really fatigued (possible) or somebody doesn’t know what 3% grade is. Again a challenging racecourse that allowed me to use all of my gears, wish I had a few more. I think I located some new muscles by the way. Cathy and I drove the course last night and we had a plan (for her). I knew this course was going to put me off the back and it did right where I expected there to be an attack. I needed my momentum to make up these hills and the climbers crushed that momentum around mile 3 (of 20). So I had a nice TT and bombing the winding blind turn downhills was SO MUCH FUN! Did not come in last. Second to last. Again progress and a great day of racing. There isn’t much else I rather be doing today except winning that cow print jersey.

Looking forward to a few more flat days of no hills. Hoping to see a darn jersey and looking forward to drinking some chocolate milk!

Wish everyone was up here racing. Super professional, class act, well run event. Everyone is so great and encouraging, even of women’s cat 3/4 racing. Just like all of you guys! If you have any ideas that you want to race, don’t second guess yourself, come up here. It’s been awesome!

A gorgeous day in Sheboygan after a night filled with thunderstorms and tornadoes. So thankful we did not have to camp last night. Cool coffee shop hangout last night and great breakfast at a mom/pop joint - ahh, Wisconsin.

Matt lined up with about 30 other cat 3 men when the sun was the hottest of the day. Barely a wisp of a cloud was in the sky. Immediately there was an attack off the front that stayed away for a couple laps. Once he was swallowed up, a group of 5 created a break after a counter-attack. With primes, that group of 5 whittled to 2. The pack could not organize for the chase. Soon 5 riders broke away from the pack to try to reel the two in. Matt was still in the peloton about mid-pack, but moving up. After a few more laps, the peloton absorbed 4 of the 5 in the chase group and Matt in a solo effort took off to chase the 3rd place rider dangling in no man’s land. For the next 5 laps or so, Matt and the other racer remained about 10 yards apart. Primes offered to the pack threatened their gap which had grown to 20 seconds. With three to go, Matt caught the solo racer. With one to go, Matt tried to attack on the backside of the course. Coming out of the final corner, the two racers were nearly side to side - a drag race to the finish…but wait - the pack came around the final turn! Can they beat out the charging pack? Yes! Matt held on to 4th after a very exciting and heroic effort in a field where other teams had the numbers stacked in their favor. Great job!

For the W3/4 race, about 25 lined up earlier in the day. With a number of races complete in the series, not only is the result of the race itself playing into each racer’s strategy, but so is the chase for the overall. Whitney’s overall lead is almost insurmountable - but the 2nd - 7th positions are just points apart. A few new faces to the race also added to the excitement. The race sets off at a leisurely pace until ISCorp attacked - hard. The pack was slow to react. Only after a couple of back to back primes was she reeled in. Another couple of back to back primes increased the pace of the race a bit, but there was more eyeing each other than pushing a hard pace. Jerel attacked with a few remaining laps stringing out the pack. She attacked again a couple of laps later with the same result. No one was going to get away today. On the final lap, I tried to jump before the 2nd to last corner - and I did a fine job (so not intended!) of setting up a leadout for Whitney, Jannette, and GearGrinder, myself finishing 4th. Jerel - even after all her attacks late in the race finished with the pack.

On to Madison, getting ready for Waterloo tomorrow.

What a cool course for a race! Think Burnham’s Blackhawk Farms course on steroids - lots of them. You now have an idea of Road America’s course…Swooping downhill stretch, a kicker uphill, more downhill, before a long rise, false flat, and super-kicker to the uphill finish line. Another great turnout for the 3/4 women with 31 on the line. Alberto’s, XXX, Cuttin’ Crew, Smart Cycling, and Project 5 represented Chicago well today.

Lap 1 Smart Cycling’s Meghan jumped off the front and lifted the pace immediately. About 2/3 into the lap, my back wheel started wobbling bad and I had to call for a mechanical. Not a flat, but a slight adjustment by the mechanic and I was off trying to chase down the pack. Jerel helped pull me a good bit of the way back - thanks, girl, that was awesome! It would be another lap of pushing it on the downhills and uphills before I would rejoin the pack. With 4 more laps to go, I settled in to recover.

Smart Cycling and Alberto’s attacked after the start/finish and stayed away for better than 1/2 a lap. On the 5th of 6 laps, the pace picked up stringing the entire pack out. On the final lap, the field was neutralized just after the start/finish - so much for picking up the pace. So the cat/mouse started, no one really attacking until the false flat before the final super-kicker when XXX’s Heidi hit it. With that, the field that had been packed coming up the long rise spread out so those that still had some energy could go. Not many positions changed on the final climb, other than the ToAD overall leader, Whitney, surging up the outside to take the win. Heidi finished 2nd - nice job! I finished 6th. J won the field sprint of her group -way to go!

John and Matt raced the cat 3’s - 12 laps = ouch. For the first few laps the field was together with Matt and John teaming well. Then, as Matt put it, “the sh!t got real”. Guys started attacking on the hills and when the field came around the next lap there were now many pockets of racers. With a racer off the front, Matt was in the chase pack but John had gotten caught behind a gap and was in a pocket further back. The groups of racers pretty much stayed that way for the remainder of the race. 

Another fun day of racing down - on to Sheboygan!

Thiensville, WI

Friday started off the Tour of America’s Dairyland for Jerel, Matt, Tim and me (Ginger).  It started as a sunny humid day that ended with a thundershower that cut Tim’s race short.  The course was a fast four corners with a slight decline into each corner.  Jerel and I were in the Women’s 3/4 race and I believe it was the fastest one that Jerel and I have been in this year.  The start/finish stretch was where the pace was picked up every lap.  Both Jerel and I worked hard during this race.  I lost position in the final lap and ended up just outside of the money for the final field sprint.  This was our first time seeing Matt in the P5 red, black and white since he went away to college to ride for the Dartmouth team.  He looked so comfortable and in control in the Cat 3 race moving around the pack at will.  Tim looked great in his race, but unfortunately was pushed off the road in a corner and went down causing a mechanical on the bike so he had to run over to the wheel pit for a new wheel and adjustments.  Once back in the race dark clouds started looming closer bringing with it some lightening, so the race was cut short by about 15 minutes.

Grafton, WI

Saturday had a much bigger field for the Women’s 3/4 race – 39 on the line.  This included more of the Chicagoland contingent that wasn’t there the day before, including our Cathy.  The course had 2 rises and 6 corners with the final one being more than 90 degrees.  There were two crashes in our race, one of which took out at least five ladies.  Jerel ended up getting caught behind the larger crash.  I am happy to say that everyone was okay.  On the final lap Cathy maintained a great position and ended up taking 3^rd, with Stacy Applewick and Janette Rho taking 1^st and 2^nd  , respectively.  It was so great to see our Chicago area ladies take the entire podium.  Matt rode again in the Cat 3 race and was positioned well throughout, but on the final lap was caught behind a crash, as was Tim in the Masters Pro, 1, 2, 3 race.  Shawn D. joined us on Saturday to ride in the Cat 4 race.  He had been off his bike for a while, but held his own in the race getting caught behind a couple of crashes.

Appleton, WI

Sunday was another beautiful day.  This was a four corner, flat course with a slight rise and headwind on the back half.  The women’s 3/4 had a smaller crowd of 27 on the line.  The field would get strung out during primes, but otherwise pretty much stayed together.  Jerel and Cathy rode beautifully maintaining positions and moving around the field.  On the final lap Jerel helped me out and pulled me to the front on the back stretch which put me into position for the final sprint.  Thanks to Jerel, I ended with 9^th and Cathy with 11^th.  Again we had a Chicago area woman on the podium with Janette Rho taking 2^nd.  Matt was next up in the Cat 3’s where he went off the front to take a $50 prime.  I missed Tim’s Masters race so an update will be coming soon…

A couple of us P5’ers out on this day - Kevin P, Q, John, Cathy and me (Ginger).  A strange day weather-wise: cool early morning then humid as all else for warm up and during the W3/4 race it rained on only one half of the course!

Q had the first race in the Cat 4s.  We saw him moving around the field easily.  Next up was Kevin P. in the Cat 5b race and he looked very comfortable up front.  The Women’s Cat 3/4 was next.

Cathy and I were on the line with 24 other women.  It was great to see so many Albertos and XXX ladies.  Once the 30 minute race was going XXX was very active with attacks.   Albertos followed their lead and threw down a few attacks. Cathy tossed in a few as well and was off the front for a lap at one point.  None of the attacks stuck and the group stayed together.  At 2 laps to go we were strung out and Cathy and I were towards the front of the group, things were looking good.  Then as soon as we crossed the start/finish with 1 lap to go the back of the field swarmed us  so we had to struggle to keep our position near the front. As the end was approaching Cathy offered me her wheel and put it down.  It was a beautiful lead out.  I started my sprint and went around Cathy.  I couldn’t see anyone, but knew they were breathing down my neck. I just kept pushing and crossed the line.  I can’t believe it!  I just took first place!  Thanks to my ultimate teammate, Cathy.  Albertos finished strong with a 2^nd and 3^rd.

John had two races a little bit later and had a fantastic field sprint for 4^th in the 50+ race.  Cathy then had her second race of the day and finished 4^th as well.

This was a fun day of racing and XXX did a great job with the event.