Gopher Cycling Blog

The Orono Cyclocross race, which is part of the Cyclocross Rider of the Year (CRY) series, will be held this Sunday. Check out the race flyer.

Here is an interesting comparison between SRAM and Shimano MTB derailleurs, as mentioned by Matt K on the listserv:

The U of M held the Lebanon MTB Time Trial this past weekend, and, as other schools in our conference had indubitably feared, dominated the event. Read Ben P's report for the details:

"The event was an off-road Time Trial: One rider went off every minute, racing against the clock to complete two 4.5-mile laps of semi-technical single track. The course features very tight, twisty single track, a number of obstacles and jumps, rock gardens, bridges, fast downhills and a moderate climb.

University of Minnesota was hosting and we delivered on our home turf. In collegiate men’s A, I rode like I had someone breathing down my neck the entire time, but wound up winning by nearly two minutes, in a time of 0:47:45. Sideburnz finished 3:06 back in 6th place, followed by Satoshi Ishii in 7th at 4:15. Satoshi’s finish was truly classic: as he crossed the line, he cased it and took out the water table- not just the jugs, but the table itself. It was pretty amazing. Anyway, Screech rounded out the field in 10th at 12:01, on his rigid singlespeed.

In Men’s B, Andy Phelps (Kansas) won with a time of 55:26, followed by the U of M’s Chris Koch, Tim Srenaski, and David Nunez. It was the U of M mountain bike racing debut for both Tim and Dave, both of whom rode well.

Collegiate Women’s A was the one-two punch of U of M’s Anne Hansgate in first at 53:10, followed by Maria Stewart 1:15 back.

Another good showing for the Golden Gophers, and a great turnout for our home race. Next week’s races are in Mankato, so again, not too far away. It would be great to get this kind of showing for at least that race, to show the conference that we’re not just fair weather racers. Check out the race flier. I know at least Maria and Sideburnz are heading down for the gravity events, as will I if I can find a big bike and some danger pants to use, and we should all head down to support the team for the XC events."

The race
flier and href="http://www.bamrider.org/images/mav_dash_reg_2004.pdf" target="_blank">entry form
for MSU's MTB race on October 2nd and 3rd are available now.

Here is some information on the women's MTB race in Iowa last weekend.
The men's results are already posted below.

Ann H and Maria S took two of the top three spots in a stronger than
usual field of women. Their strong performances and competition are a first
(second, really) glance at the incredible season that is ahead of them, be
it moutain, road, or track. Generally, it is an indication of good growth
among women in our sport, some of which are apparently schooling men's A
riders!

Here is a report from Maria:

"The women's field at the Iowa race consisted of 2 KU women,
Abra and Annie, Jenna Zander from MN State, and Ann Hansgate and myself,
representing the U. Jenna, who is the top expert woman in the state of MN
started the race at a quick pace. I followed for the first 1/3 of a lap
until she got away. The course was not technical with no serious climbs. It
was much more of an endurance race than the Kansas race, which was very
technical with many short climbs and one large climb. Jenna won the women's
field by 6 minutes, placing ahead of several Mens A racers. I finished 2nd,
and Ann rounded out the top 3. Womens racing in the NCCCC looks very
optimistic this year with many new riders."

The University of Minnesota will hold its first annual Lebanon Hills Mountain Bike Time Trial this coming Sunday, September 26. More information is in the race flyer.

The U of M MTB team was in Iowa this past weekend to race on Saturday. It got off to a slow start thanks to some road construction on 35 going South, but an extra couple hours in the car didn't seem to phase anyone the next day at Sugar Bottom Recreation Area.

In the men's A race, Ben P took second behind a UND rider, followed by Matt K in third. Here's what Matt had to report:

"The
course was short and smooth, especially compared to the 3+ hour race in
Kansas the previous weekend. It suited most Minnesota riders very well due
to it's similarity to both Theo Wirth and the World Famous Buck Hill.

The Men's A race got off to a fast start down a gravel road and not far
into the woods the whole group was blown apart with a Mankato rider leading,
Ben Portilla and a UND rider chasing and myself not far behind. The race
ended up in almost that exact order except the UND rider was able to squeeze
by Ben, who was having foot problems from squeezing into some borrowed
shoes."

The men's B race was also very successful, with Chris K ending up in second place. Here is his report:

"This was my first race ever, so it was a little rough going, but overall pretty fun. We started with the A guys, so the start was very fast. There
were four of us in the class and we all went into the single track
together. I entered in third behind the two guys from Iowa (I think the
guy in second was Iowa??). The one Iowa guy pulled way out in front as the
N.Dakota guy and myself were having trouble getting by the 2nd Iowan. He
eventually let us by and I caught the 1st Iowa guy in a few minites. The
N.Dakota guy was a ways back by this point. I rode on Iowa's butt until he
crashed into the trees. Couldn't get by him because there was no where to
go, but I passed him shortly after. From then on, I led the B class until
about 1/2 way through the second lap. Being my first race, I discoverd the
pain of cramps (a lovely feeling). N. Dakota passed me and I never saw him
again. To make matters worse, my rear scewer was not hoding, so my rear
wheel was falling off. Stopped and tightened it down as best I could.
Finished with absolutly no energy left and feeling the worst pain in my
legs.

I love this sport! The Iowa(?) guy ended up dropping out after the
1st lap, and the other Iowa guy dropped out somewhere also. I ended up
with second about 10 to 15 min behind N. Dakota."

I am sure the women did well, too, but I have not heard any results or reports. They will be posted here as soon as I get ahold of them. Stay posted. . .

It is Sunday night, and the U of M team has left Trexlertown after a successful weekend. Andrew T, Eric S, Michael S, and Satoshi I left Saturday night to drive straight back to Minneapolis, where they arrived this late afternoon. Ben R stayed the night in Pennsylvania and drove up to Boston today.

Overall, we can be very happy with our results. Ben stood on the podium three times, including a third place omnium finish among the men. The rest of the team posted personal best times each in at least one of the events. Eric's great ride in the points race qualifier deserves special mention. As a result, the U of M was the top ranked team among those without any female riders. Next year we need to change that and bring along some women to grab a podium place in the team omnium!

More information and pictures should soon be available on Cyclingnews and USA Cycling. Also, check back here for more pictures as we collect them.

Ben R won the bronze medal in the men's omnium of the 2004 collegiate track national championships, behind Bobby Lea (Penn State) and Mike Friedman (Penn State). Filling out the podium were Charles Huff (Texas A & M), who won the elite national madison last week, and Dan Larson (University of Florida). Surprisingly, Andy Lakatosh of Penn State was not on the podium, despite having won the match sprint and finishing third in the kilometer time trial. However, he dropped out of the points race.

The men's omnium standings are determined from the three individual events in which the men compete. Ben contested the individual pursuit, the kilometer time trial, and the points race, in which he finished fourth, fourth, and sixth, respectively.

The men's final points race was held over 60 laps, or 20km tonight. Ben R scored a 6th place finish after initiating an early breakaway with Dan Larson (University of Florida) that put the Penn State team under pressure to respond. A group of about seven people, among which were Ben, Dan, Stephan Rothe (MSU), Mike Friedman (Penn State), and Bobby Lea (Penn State) lapped the field, picking up some sprint points along the way.

Ben finished in 6th place with 24 points, and Eric S, who had so glamorously qualified in the first heat stuck it out with the main field and no points. This was in a very fast race that saw the likes of Andy Lakatosh of Penn State drop out, so hats off to Eric! We will have to wait for the final results to see where the order of finish leaves Eric, but there were certainly riders who were lapped by the field, and Eric was not one of them. Check back here for the results as they are posted.

The U of M team with Andrew T, Eric S, Michael S, and Satoshi I rode a
respectable time of 5:19min for 4000m today.

Andrew crashed in turn two of the first attempt, when Michael had to
suddenly pull up the track to escape Satoshi's rear wheel, who was having
trouble with maladjusted cleats. But Andrew shook it off and went right back
for a second round, which led to the aforementioned result. The conditions
where cold and extremely windy, so that the only team that beat the 5-minute
mark was Penn State, which rode a strategy of switching off Lea and
Friedman, and letting the other two riders sit in the whole time. So while
the team had hoped for a better time, it must be said that conditions could
hardly have been worse.

Track nationals finally continued Saturday evening, after torrential rains
ceased as Ivan passed along. First, two qualifying heats for the men's
points race were held, which were just short (30 laps, 10km) points races
from which the top 12 riders would advance into the final points race. The U
of M fielded Andrew T, Michael S, and Ben R in the first heat, and Eric S
and Satoshi I in the second heat. Ben and Eric got enough points to qualify
for the final, Ben by taking second in the first sprint and Eric by taking
third in the last sprint, after heroically bridging to a breakaway of two
riders with three laps to go.

The next event was the team pursuit, followed by the final points race, the
last race and highlight of the weekend.

Check out Cyclingnews for coverage of track nationals. There are no picture up yet, but I am sure there will be soon. Keep checking back.

Yesterday was a rainy day, but it cleared up around noon for a few hours, enough time to hold the flying 200m qualification for the men’s match sprint and the first few rounds of match sprint competition. Michael S (no comment) and Satoshi I (12.458sec, 25th place) completed the 200m, but did not place among the top 18 who qualified in what was a very fast qualification round.

The rain set in again around 4pm and it has been raining ever since. The remnant of hurricane Ivan have finally reached Pennsylvania, and many parts of the village are flooded, as is the track. As of right now, we are scheduled to continue competition at noon and failing that at 6pm. The weather service says that the rain should clear up later in the day, but it is somewhat doubtful. Right now we’re just sitting in a bagel place and having breakfast, waiting for the rain to stop.

Stay posted. . .

The U of M scored another podium finish last night with Ben R riding into 4th place again, at 1:10.1min. Although this time, like the pursuit time earlier in the day, would have secured a solid second place finish last year, it was not fast enough this year to break Penn State's domination, which filled out the top three spots, with Bobby Lea in gold, Mike Friedman in silver, and Andy Lakatosh in bronze. This being their hometown event, the boys obviously want to show everyone whose house they are in.

The rest of the U of M team put in strong performances as well, each rider setting personal best times on a track that is actually slower than our home track. Michael S rode into 36th place with a time of 1:16.0min, and Andrew T and Eric S came in back to back in 45th and 46th place with times of 1:16.8min and 1:17.9min, respectively, in a field of 57 riders.

This morning we are sitting around the track and waiting for the rain to subside and the track to dry up so Michael and Satoshi can compete in the flying 200m to qualify for the match sprint, which will be held right after the qualification. If and when that happens, the match sprint will be run all the way to the finals to avoid a rainout tonight. Let's hope the points race and team pursuit will not need to be cancelled, but with the remnants of hurricane Ivan heading this way there is some doubt about that.

Stay posted. . .

The first event for the men at collegiate track nationals in Trexlertown, the 3000m pursuit, was held this morning. It also gave the U of M team its first medal, with Ben R riding into 4th place with a time of 3:42min. Andrew T finished in 25th with a time of 4:01min, Satoshi I in 31st with 4:03min, and Eric S came into 33rd place, at 4:10min. There were a total of 43 riders at the start. Asked for comments, President Andrew said: “Wicked Awesome!” Right.

Tonight will see the kilometer time trial. Stay posted.

Andrew, Eric, Michael, and Satoshi arrived in Trexlertown today, after a 20-hour drive. We are all registered and prerode the velodrome.
Tomorrow morning will feature the men's pursuit, and tomorrow evening will be the men's 1km time trial.

Stay posted for results. . .

"Saturday was the short-track. It was basically a criterium on dirt. Fast, non-technical course, with some loose sandy corners to deal with and short, gradual climbs. The men's A race started out fast. Sideburnz (Matt K) and I sat in 3rd and 4th wheel for a lap or so. People were slowing too much to turn, so we both started to attack on one corner. Sideburnz told me to go for it, so I took off. A guy from ND and the lone expert rider in the race seemed to be staying close, so I dropped back after about a lap to recover. I worked with the ND guy, but the expert guy wouldn't pull, so I decided to see if he was sitting in or if he was really just hanging on. I guess they both were, because I simply rode off the front and stayed away for the remaining two laps of the race for the win. Matt hung on for 5th overall I think, 3rd in our conference.

Maria and the women's A field raced alongside the men's B racers. Maria got in with a group of guys, leaving the rest of the women's field behind in another group. At first she was just sitting in, saving energy for the XC race the next day, but her competitive spirit took over, and she hung with the leaders and sprinted it out for 2nd overall, 1st woman by a lot. If she had known that the guy in front of her was the 1st collegiate men's B racer, I think she'd have had no problem putting him away as well. It was pretty sweet.

Sunday's XC race was a real killer- a 10+ mile loop (which they thought beforehand was around 9miles), lots of technical stuff, then tight singletrack, a big climb on the back side, and some fast singletrack to finish the loop. It was also damned hot. Women did 2 laps along with the collegiate men's B field. Once again, Maria pulled out the stops and went to town on the technical stuff- leaving behind not only the collegiate women but a local hero woman expert racer as well. Then she trounced the men's B field by over 4 minutes. It was pretty dominating.

Men's A racers did 3 laps, and it was rough. We started out pretty fast- sideburnz in first to the technical stuff. Andy from Kansas got by us, so I went to chase him down. I was feeling really good, so I really gave 'er through the early rock sections but I flatted almost immediately. After that I was livid. I tried to chase, passed rider after rider who had flats- including sideburnz. I'd gotten close to the leaders when I flatted again at the big climb- this time from thorns. In the meantime, Matt passed me doing pretty well. I used my last tube and continued, trying to be more careful. As I was catching up again the curse of Kansas got me, and I flatted again and had to drop out. Meanwhile, Matt was in 4th place, behind two texas guys and a kansas guy. He passed the kansas guy and left him behind. At the beginning of the final climb, Andy from Kansas caught up with him and passed him. Matt kept his cool and kept chugging up the climb, despite cramps. Apparently, Andy cramped as well, and Matt crushed his spirit by charging up the hill passed him, cramps and all. He held on to win for our conference and took 3rd overall for Collegiate.

Overall a successful weekend. Maria is even better than last year, and Matt and I seem to be holding our own as well. However, we're not going to win the conference and qualify as a team for natti-Ice with only 3 riders. We need more people to finish races and score points. So even if you only race in the beginner catagories, we need everyone we can get. It's super fun, and nobody will put pressure on you- we just want you to finish and have a good time. Just make sure that for the conference race in Kansas you have some beafy tires."

Final preparations are underway at the National Sports Center's Velodrome in Blaine, with Andrew, Eric, Michael, and Satoshi getting one last ride in before hitting the road towards Trexlertown, PA, where they will arrive on Wednesday morning, after a projected 17-hour drive. Registration and prerides will be on Wednesday, competition begins on Thursday. Check this site for twice daily updates on our progress at nationals, here is the schedule:

Thursday morning: 3000m Pursuit

Thursday evening: 1000m Time Trial (the killermeter)

Friday morning: Match Sprint qualification & first rounds

Friday morning: Match Sprint finals

Saturday morning: Points Race and Team Pursuit qualification

Saturday evening: Points Race and Team Pursuit finals

Here is a list of who will be riding which events:

3000m Pursuit: Andrew, Ben, Eric, Michael

1000m TT: Andrew, Ben, Eric, Michael, Satoshi

Match Sprint: Satoshi

Team Pursuit: Andrew, Eric, Michael, Satoshi

Points Race: Andrew, Ben, Eric, Michael, Satoshi

(Michael may contest the Match Sprint rather than the pursuit.)

Check Cyclingnews for coverage and photos starting Thursday night.

I just glued up the tires on my track bike to get ready for nationals. It takes a little while, but it's not as bad as you might think. There are pretty good instructions on how to glue a tubular on the Zipp website, check them out if you want to glue your own tires but have never done so before.

"What are tubular tires?" you may ask. Tubular tires are tires that do not need an inner tube because they are tubular. Usually they are glued directly onto the tire, as opposed to clincher tires that require an inner tube and clinch onto the normal rims that you are probably all familiar with. Tubular tires have a reputation for providing a better ride and being more durable, even though they are a bit of a pain to change when they do flat. Additionally, they can usually be inflated to much higher pressures than clincher tires and are much lighter. Of course, you need a tubular wheelset if you want to use tubular tires.

Actually, Tufo makes excellent tubular tires, including a special kind that can be mounted on clincher rims, dispensing with the need for tubular wheelsets. They also provide our team with discounted tires. Thanks, Tufo.

The second to last Thursday track racing night saw some exciting action. As has become usual this summer, the U of M was well represented.

In the women's field, Miriam W and Julie K rode strongly. Julie finished 2nd in the omnium after winning the Miss & Out in an exciting sprint finish against Elena Dorr and placing 2nd and 3rd in the Scratch and Points races.

After a brief absence of U of M riders from the Cat 4/5 field (everyone has upgraded to Cat 3 this summer!), tonight saw a return of Maroon and Gold (in a flavor of Kenwood blue) to the 4/5's. Josh S, the Devil himself, stepped off his mountain bike and into the ring. True to his mountain biking spirits, he rode away in the first Scratch race, thinking that if he left a 100m-gap between him and the next rider, he would not likely be overtaken. True enough. The next two races, the Miss & Out and another Scratch race, saw him moving away from pure power towards a more tactical riding style, which was beautifully executed, especially in the Miss & Out that left the crowd gasping when the fourth-to-last rider was eliminated by a tire's width. The Devil won the Miss & Out and placed a strong second in the final Scratch race to take the omnium by a solid 4 point margin. Well done!

The Cat 3 field had, once again, a strong contingent of U of M riders who put the hurt on the rest of the bunch. Michael S, Eric S, and Satoshi I represented. Andrew T was out of town, at his beloved cousin's wedding. Michael finished 2nd in the omnium after beating out Brian Crosby in the final sprint of the Miss & Out and taking two 3rd places. Satoshi was 5th overall with two 4th places, in the Miss & Out and Points race.

In the Cat 1/2 field, Ben R took 2nd in the omnium and has secured himself Rider of the Year status one night before the conclusion of this year's Thursday night series, edging out Pete Hanna of GPoop. He finished 2nd in the first Scratch race, beat in the final sprint by Rob Lindstrom, 3rd in the Keirin, and 1st in the final Points race to tie for points with Rob.

This was Ben's last track night at the NSC this year; he's off to elite nationals this weekend. One more Thursday night for the rest of the crew (Andrew, Eric, Michael, Satoshi), after that it's time for collegiate nationals in Trexlertown.

Tonight's full results are posted here. Pictures may follow later, check back.

The start of the new school year, 2004-2005, is near. Welcome, members of the University of Minnesota Cycling Team, old, new, and potential.

We have an exciting year ahead of us, starting with collegiate track national championships, followed by the mountain biking season, cyclocross, winter training, our spring break training camp in Tucson, AZ, and road racing in the spring.

I will maintain this new section of our website as the year progresses, with updates about training and racing, events and miscellanea related to cycling that I think you might be interested in. If you have something that you feel others should know about, but that you don't want to post to our email listserv, email me (rich0602), and I can mention it here. Check back often, as I will try to update this site on a daily basis in an effort to make our team website a more regular destination for our members. In that spirit, please feel free to comment on any posts and get some discussions going.

Look forward to frequent postings, especially as the collegiate seasons get under way. In fact, bookmark this page now. In the beginning, I will also move backwards through the 2004 road, mountain, and track seasons in order to give you some idea of how our team has fared in the recent past.

Once again, welcome to 2004-2005, and get ready to ride!