MVC Win at the Mellow Johnny's Classic

Four of us made it down to the inaugural Mellow Johnny's Classic at Juan Pelota Ranch. El Guapo put on a bike-handling clinic for the Cat 2 30-34 class and pulled off a win despite being a bit out of shape. Mr. Manganese (Brandon) and I raced in a large Cat 2 35-39 class along with Todd Murphy. Todd's brother talked him into racing some dirt, and he picked a good one for his first mountain bike race.

The trail was a blast. Four inches of rain on Friday made for lots of slick rocks and several mud bogs. There were some great downhill sections and plenty of long, sustained climbs.

After check-in Saturday, we considered skipping our planned pre-ride lap to avoid having to figure out how to clean the bikes. But, what fun would that be? Luckily, we were able to hose the bikes down right in front of the Radisson in downtown Austin.

The Cat 2 race was early Sunday morning before the sun had burned off the overnight fog, so the trail was still as wet as the day before. Call-ups were by registration order (I think), so I started near the back of a big field. I drilled it at the start and made my way up to around 15th by the time we hit the technical singletrack. I kept picking people off when I could, but as I was soon catching riders from earlier groups, I had no idea how many were left in front of me. All I could do was keep pushing. Climbing towards the finish, I caught and passed Pedro (sorry man, I couldn't leave that out) and knew I had to be near the front. Close but not quite. I finished second.

We hung around for the Pro race later in the day to watch and snap a few photos. I got one decent shot of Lance before he flatted out (click the photo for a larger version). Check Pedro's Smugmug site for more. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, the 2009 XC National Champ, dominated the Pro race. Wow! Fast! I can't wait 'til next year.

Results

--Brian

Thanksgiving Day MVC Ride

McKinney Velo will help everyone enjoy their Holiday by kicking the day off with the usual Sunday route leaving Hardin/Eldorado at 7:30 a.m. -- ride early, end hungry.

Official MVC "Off-Season" Notice

EDICT: MVC recognizes the period between October 15 and January 15 (Sunday January 17, 2010 this time) as the "off-season." As such, our regularly scheduled Saturday(8:00 a.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m.) rides will be ridden at we like to call a "social" pace. It's a pace that's perfect for base miles, for small ring, high cadence leg work, and for anyone and everyone to sneak a turn in a paceline and to get comfortable with that essential element of road racing. These off-season rides are a great opportunity for MVC members and friends at all fitness levels to come out for fellowship and to sharpen your pack riding skills. See you on the road.

Stepler Conquers Kona

Joan Stepler flew the MVC Tri Team colors in Hawaii over the weekend as she competed in the Ford Ironman World Championships. Joan qualified for Kona by finishing 4th in her age group at the Ironman USA Lake Placid, and her effort in Kona was equally noteworthy. Here are her numbers:

ATHLETE RANK AGE/DIV 2.4 SWIM 112 BIKE 26.2 RUN TOTAL

Stepler, Joan 51/23/37 45/W45-49 01:36:28 06:09:50 05:30:13 13:27:41

Congratulations Joan on a race well swam/ridden/run. We can't wait to see you on the TV highlights in December!

Ride Green, Ride Clean, Ride... as Hannah Montana!

Bike riding is environmentally friendly, so using a family bike rally to promote renewable energy makes perfect sense. Check out this event to be held at White Rock Lake on Halloween 2009... looks like a great opportunity to grab the kids, dial your pace below below 20+ mph and follow through on that promise to take the family out for a family ride:

Roll Beyond Coal Bike Rally/Saturday, October 31 - Come on out for a fun-filled event supporting renewable energy, green jobs, and clean air with a brighter energy future beyond coal! Bike the 9.4 mile route around White Rock Lake with your family and friends starting at The Bath House on 521 E. Lawther Drive in Dallas. Prizes to be given for the best Halloween and Clean Air costumes! Registration: 8:30 am. Bike ride: 10:30 am. Cost: Adults-$10.00. Students and children 12/over-$5.00. Children under12-Free. Sponsored by the Sierra Club. Pre-registration information and more details are available at www.dallassierraclub.org or call organizer Lori at 972-980-7176.

MVC's Wednesday ride schedule

Hey Internet --

During the days of daylight (and for a few early year months,under the lights of Craig Ranch) MVC holds a weekly Wednesday night ride. The daylights savings season (April through October) rides leave from McKinney High across from Town Lake in, where else, McKinney... as the days get longer, so do the rides. Links to the three routes used on Wednesday night are set out below. The usual start time is 6:00 p.m., although in April/May and September/October, the time is pushed earlier to either 5:45 or 5:30. Check the MVC web site calendar, MVC's Twitter page or here for specifcis. For example, on September 16, 2009, we will start at 5:45 and ride the medium route... late starters can effectively ride backwards to meet the group by simply staying on FM 2933 all the way toward FM 545, and if you haven't run into the pack by 545, turn left toward SH 121.

After October fades away, we will take a 2-ish month break before early January when we re-start the Wednesday night Craig Ranch "Under the Lights" sprint workouts pioneered so successfully last year by Oz and the 'Bass. More details as the time nears.

Here are links to the three Wednesday night routes we use:

Short route: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/mckinney/new-hope-/903124275743443836

Medium route: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/-mckinney/new-hope/658124275802157602

Long route: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tx/-mckinney/new-hope/382124275936067642

2009 Texas Tough Grand Prix

People of the internet--

We invite you to join McKinney Velo as we enjoy the 2009 Texas Tough Grand Prix in Victory Park, Dallas TX -- a tremendous event that supports Children's Medical Center Hospital of Dallas. This non profit hospital that does not turn any child away writes off over $40 million per year to treat kids that are not insured or under-insured.

Spread the word, Professional Racing in Dallas Thursday Night, September 17, 2009. A FREE fun filled evening for all. Tell all your friends and family this event is going to be a big spectacle with plenty of fun activities on Victory Plaza for all ages.

check out the video.

http://www.txtough.org/crit/spectator.html


http://www.txtough.org/

MVC at Hotter n' Hell

MVC has over 20 arcers take part in one or moer of the races offered in the Falls last weekend during the HHH weekend. While some of outr guys had nice races, our women were oustanding.

MVC @ HH:

W 1,2,3 Fri Crit:

1st Jennifer Purcell Team Hotel San Jose
2nd Lauren Robertson FCS Cycling Club
3rd Ginny King McKinney Velo Club
4th Kristen Andreasen Bikesport/ION
5th Rheannon Cunningham Team at&t-Brain and Spine Cycling

W 1,2,3 Sat RR:

1st Lauren Robertson FCS Cycling Club
2nd Ginny King McKinney Velo Club
3rd Mina Pizzini McKinney Velo Club
4th Rheannon Cunningham Team at&t-Brain and Spine Cycling
5th Christine Newth Colavita Racing Inc.

W 1,2,3 Sun Crit:

1st Jennifer Purcell Team Hotel San Jose
2nd Ginny King McKinney Velo Club
3rd Lauren Robertson FCS Cycling Club
4th Rachel Byus Team Hotel San Jose
5th Rheannon Cunningham Team at&t-Brain and Spine Cycling

W 4 RR:

1st Regina Hancock Tom's Bicycles
2nd Donnette Spencer Plano Athletic Cycling Club/PACC
3rd Barbara Rudolph Plano Athletic Cycling Club/PACC
4th Monica Hyslop
5th Kim CHANCE
6th Rebecca Perkins McKinney Velo Club

M 1,2,3 RR:

1st Joshua Carter ABD Cycle Club
2nd Heath Blackgrove Team Hotel San Jose
3rd Russ Walker TX TOUGH Cycling
4th Mitchell Comardo Bike Barn (Texas)
5th Ian Dille Super Squadra

****************************

30th Christopher Powers McKinney Velo

33rd Patrick Burke McKinney Velo Club

35th Michael Brown McKinney Velo

40th Stephen Weber McKinney Velo Club

M Cat 3 RR:

1st justin rempel Bicycles of Tulsa
2nd Royce Strange GS Tenzing
3rd Mark Jansen Team at&t-Brain and Spine Cycling
4th robert snedden Mirage
5th William Rader FCS Cycling Club
6th Matthew Fox RPM/Hayes Brake Cycling Team
7th Luke Germann McKinney Velo Club

M 40+ RR:

1st Richard Lamb Southern Elite
2nd Les Akins Oklahoma City Velo Club
3rd Jorge Merle Dallas Racing
4th Tom Lattig Mirage
5th Mario Velasco

11th Bryan Perkins McKinney Velo Club

15th Trevor Rigby McKinney Velo Club

24th Johnny Moore McKinney Velo Club
25th David Garrett McKinney Velo Club

M 35+ 4,5 RR:

1st Michael Braden Plano Athletic Cycling Club/PACC
2nd Don Campbell Rockwall Cycling
3rd Polo Lopez Chain Reaction - San Antonio
4th Jerry Lewis
5th Patrick Mahan McKinney Velo Club

12th Nokki Choeynim McKinney Velo Club

19th Michael Winders McKinney Velo Club

Jr 4,5 RR:

1st Danny Parks GS Tenzing
2nd Noah Williams GS Tenzing
3rd Gonzalo Ramirez Tuneros Racing
4th Joshua Thresher Team Power Train
5th Hunter Stewart GS Tenzing

11th Justin Hicks McKinney Velo

M Cat 4 Sun Crit:

1st Tyler Matthies B & B Bicycles
2nd Redding Shelby Team Bicycles Inc.
3rd Imari Miller GS Tenzing
4th John Sieczkowski
5th Rodolfo Arredondo SSPI Inc.

22nd Justin Hicks McKiney Velo

M 40+ Crit:

1st Les Akins Oklahoma City Velo Club
2nd Jorge Merle Dallas Racing
3rd David Carl Jones
4th Rod Dittrick Bike Barn (Texas)
5th Trevor Rigby McKinney Velo Club
6th Brian Handal M7 Racing
7th Bryan Perkins McKinney Velo Club

Jr. 4/5:

1st Noah Williams GS Tenzing
2nd Imari Miller GS Tenzing
3rd Gonzalo Ramirez Tuneros Racing
4th Joshua Thresher Team Power Train
5th Danny Parks GS Tenzing

8th Justin Hicks McKinney Velo

McKinney Velo's 1st Nat'l Champion!!!

Congratulations are in order -- Earlier today, Mina Pizzini finished 6th overall among the women, and WON her age group at the USAT National Championships!! We're so proud [dabbing tear from eye...]

2009 USAT Age Group National Championship ResultsUSA Triathlon August 22, 2009

Top 10 Male Overall
Name Hometown State Age Group Age Gender Time
Joe Maloy Brighton MA M20-24 24 M 1:57:23
Sean Jefferson Palm Beach Gardens FL M25-29 27 M 1:57:35
Devon Palmer Saint Paul MN M20-24 22 M 1:58:43
Parker Roth Spartanburg SC M25-29 29 M 1:59:25
Mark Harms Madison WI M30-34 34 M 1:59:32
Rusty Pruden Kirkland WA M25-29 26 M 1:59:38
Samuel Morgan Atlanta GA M25-29 26 M 1:59:39
Nathan White Des Moines IA M25-29 26 M 2:00:00
Samuel Hauck Omaha NE M25-29 25 M 2:00:06
Doug Clark Morristown NJ M40-44 41 M 2:00:09



Top 10 Female Overall
Name Hometown State Age Group Age Gender Time
Kaitlin Shiver Satellite Beach FL F20-24 20 F 2:08:13
Lindsay Woodward Gainesville FL F20-24 24 F 2:10:19
Cathy Yndestad Apple Valley MN F30-34 31 F 2:13:39
Alicia Parr Durham NC F35-39 39 F 2:14:00
Bethany Handley Oklahoma City OK F25-29 28 F 2:14:14
Mina Pizzini Dallas TX F40-44 42 F 2:14:45
Linda Robb Juno Beach FL F45-49 45 F 2:15:00
Lindsey Whalen Chicago IL F25-29 28 F 2:15:09
Haley Chura Smyrna GA F20-24 24 F 2:15:09
Tami Ritchie Ankeny IA F25-29 26 F 2:15:26



Age Group Top Finishers


F40-44
1. Mina Pizzini (Dallas TX) 2:14:45
2. Peggy Yetman (Beaumont TX) 2:18:56
3. Barbara Sherwood (Salt Lake City UT) 2:23:24

Sad days in McKinney and Austin

McKinney:

North Texas Multisport triathlete Jonathan Wells of McKinney passed away on Sunday August 9 from a heart attack. He was 52. NTM was kind enough to include some McV members in a memorial ride last Sunday. NTM is making a donation to the American Heart Association in honor of Jonathon. If you would like to make a donation in his name too, go here:

https://donate.americanheart.org/ecommerce/aha/aha_index.jsp

Austin:

The Texas racing community suffered a shocking and tragic loss when Kevin Underhill died from head injuries he sustained in a crash while racing in the Thursday night racing series held in Austin at the Driveway. Our condolences go out to Kevin's family and friends. As a small gesture in remembrance of Kevin, we wanted to share some words from his sister [originally posted on the TxBRA forum]:

"Sadly my brother Kevin did not survive his injuries. Kevin's organs have been donated and will bless 9 people with the gift of life something that will continue what he did best, helping others. Our family and Lisa have appreciated your thoughts and prayers and wonderful stories of how he has blessed your life. Thank you to those of you who came to the hospital to share your stories and memories and hugs. There is no fault in this accident it was just a tragedy. Kevin loved every minute he was biking or climbing and it was so excited to be trying something that would challenge him. He died doing what he loved and he would not want anyone to feel that they were at fault. He loved his friends and treasured them. Just hug and appreciate your family and friends a lot more.
God Bless you all,
Carla Underhill Norris"

For more about Kevin, I encourage you read this: http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/fitcity/entries/2009/08/17/cyclist_dies_after_crash_at_th.html

Wed Nite Ride Recap

Great Wed Nite ride... 24 riders total riders participated, and 18 of them were in the orange and blue. The group included some Wed Nite first timers both from outside McV (Tim Kolb and Stephan Terrill; glad you could make it and we hope you come back) and from within McV (high schooler Justin Hicks, Ginny King, Matt Pond and McV's newest member Chris Powers - welcome to McV Chris!) With Duece, Bling, Oz and Powers preparing for the P 1,2 100 miler at HHH, the pace was strong. After Raintree and I got popped on CR 500 right around the halfway mark, the lead group was down to 9... and I'm told that the efforts of CP and Bling ultimately shed 2 more. Ultimately, CP, Bling and Oz fought it out at the Wed Nite sprint line... and FYI, that would be the '09 Wed Nite line near Lawn Meadow and not the old school Wed Nite at the New Hope city limits sign where we finish things off on Sat and Sun.

McV representing at the 8/11 TNC A Race...

Excellent A Race for McV at the TNC's last night. Timmy TB makes the 1st key break. Junior follows the wheels that bridge to that break to be sure McV is properly erpresented. Then Timmy TB makes the counter break that formed after the field came back together under the efforts of Matrix (which didn't have anybody in what at one time was about a 15 man lead group! Can you say asleep at the wheels?) That break stuck and Timmy TB took 4th overall. Oz then led out Junior who took the field sprint over CrOzzy(!) while Oz still held on for 7th...

A Race

Racer Place Team

Nick Kiernan 1 Texas Tough

Max Miley 2 Matrix

Gary Glanger 3 Park Place

Tim Burke 4 McKinney Velo

Luke Germann 5 McKinney Velo

CrOzzy 6 Texas Tough

Stephen Weber 7 McKinney Velo

Phillip Snodgrass 8 Metro VW

Chris Carlson 9 Matrix

Troy Owens 10 GS Tenzing

Hot Rocks/Rockwall

Nice job Saturday at Hot Rocks by Ginny King -- 3rd in the women's race, and Patrick 'Bling' Burke who took a hard fought 4th in the Men's race with help from Brad 'Bass Price, Steve 'Oz' Weber and Tim 'Timmy' 'TB' 'Tonto' Burke.

Great result Sunday in the 3s race for Shane 'Shaggy' Haga who took a solo win after Luke 'Junior' Germann softened the field by getting in a 3 man break that lasted some 10 laps. From there, Jeff 'Radio' Steinman helped launch Shaggy's winning move. Marco 'Polo' Corsi, Walt 'Disney' Megura and Steve Borski also get assists:

Men 3.

1 Shane Haga McKinney Velo
2 Jeffrey Bauer Matrix/RBM
3 Richard Lamb
4 Luke Germann McKinney Velo
5 Steve Minnerly PACC
6 Kyle Sigl Broken Films Racing
7 David McGaffin Rockwall Cycling
8 Jeff Steinman McKinney Velo
9 Marco Corsi McKinney Velo
10 Jesus Chaparro
11 Mark Moeller GS Tenzing
12 Stephen Borski Mckinney Velo
13 Jeffery Scherer
14 Bert Cross Iii Team Hotel San Jose/ Redbudsports.com
15 Walter Megura McKinney Velo
16 C.alex Castaneda matrix cycling club
17 Jared Reynoso Matrix/RBM
18 Daniel Fontenot PACC
19 Jeffrey Townes Alliance Environmental
20 Bryan Perkins McKinney Velo
21 Ken Smith
22 Les Stark GS Tenzing
23 Matt Tynan GS Tenzing

In addition to their fine efforts in the Saturday RR, Bling and TB also managed top 10 finishes in windy, hot and humid conditions Sunday:

Mens P123.

1 Heath Blackgrove Team Hotel San Jose
2 Bret Crosby TX TOUGH Cycling
3 Cody Foster
4 Austin Stewart GS Tenzing
5 Richard Lamb
6 Timothy Burke Mckinney Velo
7 Chris Powers AT&T
8 Jonathan Sunolt
9 Patrick Burke Mckinney Velo
10 Edgar Ibarra SSP, inc
11 Nick Kiernan TX TOUGH Cycling
12 John Trujillo
13 Jed Rogers TOYOTA / Cycling Team p/b GCCA
14 Leo Frayre
15 Joseph Lafico TOYOTA / CYCLING TEAM p/b GCCA
16 David McGaffin Rockwall Cycling
17 Steen Rose Solar Eclipse
18 Gary Glanger
19 Jason Davis
20 James Lawrence Matrix/RBM
21 Joey Spragins Rockwall Cycling
22 Bill Short
23 Robb Bush Colavita/Cooking Light/Texas
24 Stephen Weber McKinney Velo
25 Estephen Sanchez
26 Steve Stewart Colonel's Army
27 John McAllister Velossimo Racing presented by Jack and Adam's Bicycles
28 Jack Marsh Rockwall Cycling
29 Michael Kincaid TX TOUGH Cycling
30 Bert Cross Iii Team Hotel San Jose/ Redbudsports.com


Finally, nice job by Michael 'Hammer' Caney (10th in the 4s) and Michael Winders for 6th in the 5s.

Another MVC State Champion!!

Congratulations to McV's newest state champion, Mina Pizzini -- Women's Cat 1,2 State ITT Champ in a fantastic 0:58:07!!!

Cat 1/2
.
Place Time Finish Start TOD Bib# Last First Team Cat/Class USAC Lic Race Age
.
1 0:58:07 3:28:37 2:30:30 9:30:30 211 Pizzini Mina McKinney Velo Cat 1/2 Women 101676 42
.
2 1:00:01 3:32:01 2:32:00 9:32:00 214 Beaudet Annick Team at&t-Brain and Spine Cycling Cat 1/2 Women 222232 40
.
3 1:00:02 3:31:02 2:31:00 9:31:00 212 Wolfe Christina Team at&t-Brain and Spine Cycling Cat 1/2 Women 246079 34
.
4 1:01:47 3:34:17 2:32:30 9:32:30 215 Willhite Jenny Team Solar Eclipse Cat 1/2 Women 188342 30
.
5 1:02:20 3:32:20 2:30:00 9:30:00 210 Cunningham Rheannon Team at&t-Brain and Spine Cycling Cat 1/2 Women 252159 32
.
6 1:07:09 3:38:39 2:31:30 9:31:30 213 Rothe Sheri Austin Flyers Cat 1/2 Women 2

Safe Passing Bill Petition

McKinney Velo:

Please sign this petition and show your support for the Safe Passing Bill!

http://www.biketexas.org/component/option,com_philaform/form_id,32/Itemid,1/

WWJVD?

A must read about McV team hero Jens Voight: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf2009/columns/story?id=4344207

For those who are time pressed, here is the essential text:

"What Would Jens Do?"

Break the back of the peloton.

Dig deep in his suitcase of courage.

Put _____ in a spot of trouble.

All of the above.

More McKinney Tri News!!

File under the heading "Joan Stepler is a stud!"

This comes courtesy of MVC's Super Dave Millwee, a Tri Stud in his own right: Congrats to Joan Stepler who finished 4th in her age group at Ironman Lake Placid and got a very hard-to-come-by slot to the Ironman World Championship in Kona Hawaii!! We'll see you on TV! IN FREAKING CREDIBLE!

MVC Tri Team Dominance

Cooper Summer Sprint Triathlon

MVC's Tri Team played in our backyard Saturday. Did someone predict "carnage?" Someone was right!!

Tyler Baker 3rd overall 1st m30-34 age group
Dave Millwee 5th 1st m40-44
Todd Murphy 12th 2nd m35-39
Ray Eckenrode 14th 4th m30-34
Clay Christopher 16th 3rd m40-44
Mike Kesterson 17th 3rd m35-39
Dan Brooks 44th 6th m45-49
Jon Sparling 90th 8th m20-24

Mina's Tri Assault

Disco Tri- Mina Pizzini-Pond 1st overall women

Waco Tri- Mina Pizzini-Pond 1st overall women

Jens Voight for Honorary Team Captain

On behalf of myself, I'd like to nominate Jens Voight for honorary MVC Team Captain. His credentials, as first reported by The Street Kings from the upper West side of Old Town Scottsdale, as as follows:

Jens Voigt doesn’t read books. He simply attacks until the books relent and tell him everything he wants to know.

Waldo can’t be found because Jens dropped him on a hill training ride… on K2.

Jens doesn’t spin or mash the pedals… he kicks them into submission.

Jens Voigt puts the “laughter” in “Manslaughter.”

Jens Voigt climbs so well for a big guy because he doesn’t actually climb hills; the hills slink into the earth in fear as they see him approach.

If you are a UCI ProTour rider and you Google “Jens Voigt,” the only result you get is “it’s not to late to take up Football, Fred.”

Jens was a math prodigy in elementary school, putting “Attack!” in every blank space on all his tests. It would be the wrong answer for everybody else, but Jens is able to solve any problem by attacking.

Jens’ testicles are bald because hair does not grow on a mixture of titanium, brass, steel, and cold, hard granite.

Eddy Merckx was actually a neo-pro at the same time as Jens, but Jens dropped him so hard that he shot backwards in time to the 1960’s, where he became a great champion.

Jens once had a heart attack on the Tourmalet. Jens counterattacked repeatedly until he kicked its ass.

Jack was nimble, Jack was quick… and Jens still drove him to quit racing bikes and become an ice dancing commentator on Lifetime.

If Jens Voigt was a country, his principle exports would be Pain, Suffering, and Agony.

If Jens Voigt was a planet, he’d be the World of Hurt.

Jens Voigt doesn’t know where you live, but he knows exactly where you will die.

Jens Voigt doesn’t have a shadow because he dropped it repeatedly until it retired, climbing into the CSC team car and claiming a stomach ailment.

Jens Voigt once challenged Lance Armstrong to a “who has more testicles” contest. Jens won… by five.

When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jens Voigt jumps out and attacks.

You are what you eat. Jens Voigt eats spring steel for breakfast, fire for lunch, and a mixture of titanium and carbon fiber for dinner. For between-meal snacks he eats men’s souls, and downs it with a tall cool glass of The Milk of Human Suffering.

Jens Voigt believes it’s not butter.

Jens Voigt can eat just one.

The first time man split the atom was when the atom tried to hold Jens Voigt’s wheel, but cracked.

Jens Voigt doesn’t complain about what suffering does to him… but suffering constantly complains about getting picked on by Jens Voigt.

Jens Voigt can start a fire by rubbing two mud puddles together.

Guns kill a couple dozen people every day. Jens Voigt kills 150.

Jens’s tears are so tough they could be the world heavyweight mixed-martial arts champion. Too bad Jens never cries.

Jens Voigt rides so fast during attacks, that he could circle the globe, hold his own wheel, and ride in his own draft. At least as long as he didn’t try to drop himself.

Jens Voigt nullified the periodic table because he doesn’t believe in any element, other than the element of surprise.

The grass is always greener on the other side. Unless Jens Voigt has been riding on the other side in which case it’s white with the salty, dried tears of all the riders whose souls he has crushed.

DO I HEAR A 2ND?

MVC @ the Cooper Crits July 11

IC3 and one of MVC's key sponsors, RBM, in conjunction with a very gracious host, the Cooper Fitness center, put on a first time race in our backyard (an undeveloped subdivision in Craig Ranch) on a very hot Saturday, July 11. Two other MVC sponsors also had a big presence. Aruba Sport had its display there and contributed to the primes, while SmartWater and Vitamin Water saved many of us from heat exhaustion. The course's challenging blend of technical corners and elevation changes, when combined with the heat, made for some aggressive racing. And MVC was thick in the middle of it. By my count, 20 MVC-ites toed the line at least once, and a handful of hearty (or in my case, probably foolish) souls raced more than once. Highlights were the near textbook racing tactics employed by Weber, (Bling) Burke and Price in the 40+ and Jr. Germann and Haga in the 3s, and the fine showing by Nagel and King in the 50+ race.

Chris Powers initiated an early split in the 40+ that Price and Weber quickly joined. After a 2 lap chase, Burke also bridged to what was then a 9 man lead group (the 3 from MVC, Powers, OKC's Peter Erdoes, Kurt Bickel and his teammate, Phil Wilson, Matrix's Jeff Bauer and Jorge Merle.) Soon thereafter, Patrick attacked and went solo for 2-3 laps. After he was caught, Brad countered. All the while, Steve was marking Powers, so when Powers countered Brad's move, Steve was immediately on him. With Patrick and Brad following wheels, the other 5 gave a hard chase for several laps but Powers and Steve held their 20-40 second gap until the chase gave up. From their Powers and Steve lapped the main field before Powers took the win at the line. Patrick just nipped Brad for 4th behind Erdoes giving MVC 3 in the top 5.

In the 3s, after the field had been under pressure from several racers chasing primes, notably Jeff Bauer, Luke and 2 others got a gap, and with Shane riding perfectly behind -- soft peddling through corners when he was on the front and being perfectly positioned to disrupt any chasing the rest of the time -- he was rarely more then 2 or 3 riders from the front -- the break stuck. Luke then powered up the inside to take 1st in the 3 man sprint, while Shane easily bested the main field to take 4th overall.

50+

1 262 STEVE MINNERLY PACC
2 261 BILL NAGEL MCKINNEY VELO CLUB
3 259 MICHAEL WOERNER GS TENZING
4 253 DAVE PARKS MIRAGE
5 264 MARK STECK CORINTH CYCLING CLUB POWERED BY
6 256 BARRY KLUNDER TEAM BICYCLES, INC.
7 258 Ginny King McKinney Velo
8 255 CHARLES WOOLCOCK MATRIX / RBM
9 257 STEPHEN MARINO METRO VW/FCS
10 260 STEVE THOMPSON TEAM BICYCLES, INC


40+

1 615 CHRIS POWERS TEAM AT&T-BRAIN & SPINE CYCLING
2 607 STEPHEN WEBER MCKINNEY VELO
3 602 Peter Erdoes OKC Velo
4 606 PATRICK BURKE MCKINNEY VELO
5 604 BRAD PRICE MCKINNEY VELO
6 609 JEFFREY BAUER MATRIX/RBM
7 608 KURT BICKEL JOE'S PRO BIKES
8 605 PHILLIP WILSON JOES PRO BIKES
9 619 JORGE MERLE PARK PLACE DEALERSHIPS/DALLAS M
10 601 ROBB BUSH COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT/TEXAS
11 600 MIKE READE MORITZ CHEVROLET CYCLING
12 618 JEFFERY SCHERER
13 613 JUDGE DOBRIENT UNATTACHED
14 603 JONATHAN GARRETT COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT/TEXAS
15 612 MARCO CORSI MCKINNEY VELO
16 614 RICH MILLER MCKINNEY VELO
17 616 Kevin Shea Dallas Bike Works
18 617 CHRISTOPHER PEASLEE TEAM BEAVER
19 611 WALTER MEGURA McKinney Velo
20 621 Carl Hentschel GS TENZING

Cat 3

1 329 LUKE GERMANN MCKINNEY VELO
2 303 Bonds Paul OKC Velo
3 314 KYLE SIGL BROKEN FILMS RACING
4 320 SHANE HAGA MCKINNEY HIGH SCHOOL/VELO
5 313 JERRY ROUSH PLANO ATHLETIC CYCLING CLUB (PA
6 333 DARWIN DARR MIRAGE
7 312 SHAWN DAURELIO MIRAGE
8 331 MARC MONTEMAYOR COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT/TEXAS
9 322 Jason McCombs Lonestar Racing Club
10 330 Todd Farrell Metro VW
11 325 CRAIG FULK COLAVITA/COOKING LIGHT/TEXAS
12 305 JEFFREY BAUER MATRIX/RBM
13 321 STEPHEN BORSKI MCKINNEY VELO
14 315 MARK RAWLINGS GS TENZING
15 332 JARED REYNOSO MATRIX/RBM
16 316 DANIEL FONTENOT PACC
17 319 TREVOR RIGBY MCKINNEY VELO
18 335 DAVID MCGAFFIN ROCKWALL CYCLING
19 311 KEN MACLEAN GS TENZING
20 317 MARK ASHTON MIRAGE

MVC @ the 'drome 7/10

Check out these MVC results from track racing in Frisco on July 10... congratulations to those MVC trackies who performed so well!

Cat 3 103 Kelsey Oliver McKinney Velo 159
Cat 3 105 Craig Erickson Matrix / RBM 106
Cat 3 108 Rhyne Rundell McKinney Velo 92
Cat 3 104 Royce Strange GS Tenzing 74
Cat 3 106 Tyler Chausse B and B 68

35+/C4 204 Jamey Munroe McKinney Velo 160
35+/C4 203 Craig De Cleary Infinity Cycling Club 157
35+/C4 205 Joel Hawks Plano Athletic Cycling Club 153
35+/C4 224 Kent McQuade Frisco Cycling Club 143
35+/C4 215 Lauren Dunn unattached 94

M30-39 103 Kelsey Oliver McKinney Velo 146
M30-39 108 Rhyne Rundell McKinney Velo 90
M30-39 21 Christopher Kutach Matrix / RBM 43
M30-39 37 Leo Frayre Ten Speed Drive 23
M30-39 30 Tony Digivolano 0 23

Follow MVC on Twitter!!!!

http://twitter.com/mckinneyvelo

Firecracker 50 - Breckenridge Colorado

Millwees more than Escape...

Tremendous results from the Millwee brothers at the grueling Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Dave placed 7th and Scott came in 40th (despite a major bike mechanical) out of close to 300 starters in the 40-44 age group. Check out the amazing pictures on the link next to their results.

Great job !

http://raceresults.eternaltiming.com/index.cfm/20090614_Escape_From_Alcatraz.htm?Fuseaction=Results&Class=Olympic%7EM40-44

MVC News & Notes

Here's some stuff you should know:

MVC-ites stepping up. A number of MVC road racers have upgraded in the last few months. Off the top of my head (so if I miss someone, I'm sorry), Mitch "deuce" Blackwell, Patrick "bling" Burke, and Brad "seabass" Price upgraded from 3 to 2; Luke "junior" Germann (Cat 4 State Crit Champ!)and plain insane Shane Haga (3rd at the Cat 4 State Crit and 1st overall State High School Champ) from 4 to 3; and Justin Hicks (3rd overall High School B league) and Patrick Mahan from 5 to 4.

Broken Boy Soldiers back in action -- that's a Raconteurs reach, by the way. It's been a a really bad Spring for MVC shoulders, but our broken boy soldiers, Tim Burke, Deuce and Johnny "white shoes" are all back on the road... and from 1st reports, as strong as ever. Welcome back Boyz!! You were missed.

Summertime Race racing: Finally, let's all join in wishing some good luck to our MVC crew heading to Copperas Cove -- Mahan and Murphy in the 4/5 35+, Burke, Corsi, Munroe, Price and Weber in the 40+, Germann in the 3s and new MVC-ite Mina Pizzini in the Women's Open

Deuce in the DMN

Check this out, MVC's fitness... well, let's be honest -- he's a GENIUS, Mitch "Deuce" Blackwell, was given the opportunity this week to share his wealth of knowledge with the entire DFW health conscious community. Well done Deuce!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving2/stories/DN-nh_comeback_0602gd.ART.State.Edition1.5094d72.html

Valley Creek Bicycle Rodeo

Valley Creek Bicycle Rodeo

Riding to Work

I think all cyclists ponder commuting on their bikes at some point. Unfortunately for most, it's just not practical or realistic. Well this year things finally came together for me when a small workout area and shower were installed in my office building. My last excuse for not giving it a try was gone!

So for the past month or so, I've been riding to work at least once a week. In my case it's 15 miles on a combination of bike paths and residential streets. Just long enough to get some exercise, but not so long that it effects my schedule. Last night I met Bibi at the lake on my way home and added an extra hour. Normally I have to skip work or ride in the dark to get three hours on Wednesday!

The first couple times, as I was rolling down my driving at 7:15 on a weekday, I felt that same twinge of guilt that I feel when I leave the office early for "a meeting". But once I got rolling I thought, "Hey, I'm going to work just like everyone else. No need to feel like a slacker!". I felt even better when I saw the gridlock on LBJ as I rolled up to my office only 20 minutes later than if had taken my car.

So for all of you that have been thinking about commuting, do yourself a favor and try it.

rpm

Race News From Planet MV

In the last 10 days of March, McKinney Velo racers began what we expect to be a steady, season long procession to the results podium. Tell us about it Doc... Ok, I will.

Fayetteville Stage Race – Mitch "Deuce" Blackwell set the bar high for everyone in 2009 with a sterling effort in the 84 rider strong cat 3 field at Fayetteville, taking a fine 3rd place in the final GC. Deuce put himself on the podium with a 2nd in the 1st stage road race – just missing MVC’s 1st W of ‘09 by... Deuce’s system of measurements is a little ‘unorthodox’ but if I’ve converted properly, he lost by the width of a hair of undetermined thickness – and a 6th in the 2nd stage TT (although he was only a handful of seconds off the TT podium.) After taking a mid-stage time bonus during the 3rd stage road race to secure his 3rd place position on GC, Deuce was content to safely finish with the pack. It wasn’t to be though as a group of 3s crossed the centerline too early in the final sprint, and then crossed back causing a massive pile up. Fortunately, considering all his hard work over the previous two days, Deuce crashed close enough to the finish that he was credited with the same finish time as the main pack even though he never actually crossed the finish line – well, not unless he did so in the back of an ambulance.

As a result, along with his 3rd place on GC, Mitch brought home a shoulder that before his surgery (see blog note below) looked like the shoulder of a anorexic supermodel wearing a wet sweater. Nonetheless, congratulations are in order as we wish Deuce a speedy recovery. And congratulations also go out to the MVC teammates who diligently supported Deuce in Fayetteville – Fireman Steve Borski, Jamey ‘Wheel Suck’ Munroe (11th in both road race stages), Richie the Rocket Miller and Brad Seabass Price (10th in the 1st stage road race.)

Ronde von Manda - One week later, Munroe took on the cat 3 field at Ronde von Manda, determined to build on his two 11th place Fayetteville finishes. And he did. Defying his nickname (and racing without teammates), Wheel Suck raced aggressively, jumped in key moves and then locked up a 3rd place podium spot in the final sprint to the line. Keep racing like that Wheel Suck and we’ll have to change your nickname... just kidding; you’ll always be "Wheel Suck" to us, but maybe someday like a fat guy is "slim."

TNC - B Race; week three - MVC had started the ‘09 Tues. Nite Crit season with some decent results... Johnny White Shoes Moore taking 3rd in the season opening B Race; and Steve Oz Weber getting in a race long break in the A Race that same night before finishing 4th while Timmy Burke took the field sprint for 5th. While those efforts were nice, it’s been reported (by me), and confirmed by the Seabass, that you don’t get 1st for finishing 3rd. So for the week 3 Plano TNC B race, MV-ites Corsi, Davidson, del Busto, Garrett, Haga, Megura, Miller, Moore, Munson and Perkins set out to get a W for someone, anyone, in the planet MV kit.

From the outset and throughout the race, we had a rotating group of racers patrolling the front, alternately attacking and jumping into efforts from other teams, all in an attempyt to make a break stick. White Shoes and Plane Shane Haga were particularly active. Johnny never let a group get a gap without him or another MV-ite being a part of the mix. And Haga took a couple of solo fliers during the race, but he couldn’t entice anyone from another team to join him, and conditions were not ripe for a long solo escape... or for a breakaway.

With 5 to go, it was obvious the race was coming down to a field sprint. We didn’t quite get organized like the Mario C. Saeco train of the 90's, but a mass of orange and blue did start moving toward the "sharp end" of the race. On the bell lap, as I approached the front on the inside of the backside sweeping curve, I found myself on White Shoes’ wheel, while White Shoes was on Pedro "El Guapo" del Busto’s wheel. Hmm... old slow guy, following old fast guy, following young really fast guy – not the way we drew it up. So I told Johnny I was coming by and then jumped past him on the inside, hoping that he, Pedro and the other MV-ites near the front would fall in line and get set for a proper lead out. And they did. I came through corner 2 and launched my sprint... to corner 3. I hit it 1st and then died, my race done. But not before I looked to my left in time to see the beauty that was El Guapo and Plane Shane Haga jumping perfectly off White Shoes’ wheel and taking it to the line in that order. No disrespect to the other B racers that night, but it really wasn’t even close. And Johnny White Shoes, who has still never uttered the words "that sprint was just too long for me," held on for a solid 6th.

Mitchell...Get Well Soon

Our thoughts are with Mitch Blackwell as he recovers from shoulder surgery. Get will soon Mitch, we need you back out drilling it making us all faster !

McKinney Gym Equipment

I found an excellent place to get gym/fitness/performance equipment. It's up on 380 (South side) a half mile west of Custer. The guy who runs it, Paul Johnson, is one of the best guys I've met in a long time. This is serious stuff for a very good price. I spent a long time looking for various implements for home use and this is the only guy who had them. How many places in the metroplex can you buy from 3 to 200 lb kettlebells?? If you've got kids in sports, he's got stuff that can benefit them too. It's set back off the road a bit but worth finding.
www.mckinneygymequipment.com

Ken

Trash Talking at our 1st Quarter Adopt-A-Highway cleanup .

McKinney Velo / Jesuit Ranger Roundup

In 2008, McKinney Velo dipped its collective club toe into the race promotion business when we helped Andrew Armstrong and his Jesuit High Cycling club put on the Jesuit Ranger Round Up just outside of Celina Texas in far northern Collin County. The course is a rolling 9 mile rectangle that produced some dynamic racing in '08. This year, McKinney Velo is jumping chest deep into race promotion beginning with the 2009 edition of the Ranger Round Up on Sunday March 8. AA has graciously renamed the event the McKinney Velo/Jesuit Ranger Round Up for 2009. Follow this link and sign up for what looks to be a splendid day of road racing following the Horse County TT and the Denton Rhapsody Crit being run on Saturday.

To people of MVC, we have a nice 20+ group of MVC club members who are volunteering to help make it a success. But we are a racing club... and this is our race. Let's make our mark on the results sheet too, so get yourselves registered.

To all non-MVC racers, bring it on. We love a challenge and we love competition, so we invite you to pre-register and come join us Sunday morning for a guided tour of the Round Up pain locker.

Lagovista 2009

Just a quick recap of La Primavera II 2009. Cat3 Marco and Rich

Lago was fun. After 3 laps half the field was dropped. There was a headwind up the climb so it was difficult for anyone to get away. After the third lap all the remaining riders rode well. Richie and I finished with the lead group. We enjoyed the race even though the results were just OK. Neither of us were stressed by the race so it bodes well for the season. Oh we did not get beat by any of the girls eaither :-) There were about 6 Cat12 women riding bandit in our race who all got dropped. Apparently none of them had registered for the race either.

It is a shame more of you did not join in the fun..... Marco.

Waaaaaaaallllburg!!!!!!

I'll start my blog out with a quote because I think it is fitting. "Bike racing is about two things: pain and revenge. If you go through so much pain that you want revenge, you've got it made." - Bobke
Ohhhh how we were not playing Tiddly-Winks on Saturday. The day started with a 40 minute delay. Because of the windy conditions we had to wait on the Cat 3’s to clear the course. We all know what that means for us ole guys…cold, tight muscles. The roll out started out nice and tame, but once we turned right into the wind, the race was awn! The race started with the usual players attacking and trying to split the field up and it worked. Weber fired off on a hard attack and 20 minutes into the race I found myself in the lead group of 8 or 9 with the usually players, fighting for a spot to hide. With nobody wanting to work together and 15 minutes in the gutter I found myself in a spot of bother and fell out of the group. I was able to regroup with 4 guys, including the dude with the white tube socks and hairy legs (kinda embarrassing), and the chase was awn. We chased for about 20 minutes or so and came to within 75 meters of the lead group, who were very disorganized and a classic bonehead move was made by my fellow combatants. We made another right hand turn into a vicious crosswind and rather than continue to work together, two of our small party decided to pull hard around us on a hill…ultimately dropping us. Lets just say they did not make it. My new friend and I regrouped with the next group, which was occupied by Lil Mike Adams, and the next chase was awn. Our group seemed to be working well, but time with this group was to be very limited. After crossing the start finish for the second lap, a gust of wind blew hard. One of the riders over corrected taking us both into the grass. That was the end of my time attending this party. Not only did he take me in the ditch, but he turned around and headed home! Leaving me out there all by myself. I thought about quitting, but did not want to start the year off with a DNF. Not to mention hearing the Wrath of sheeeeeet I would get from Weber….so I rode on. It was not long before I looked over my shoulder and found a small sea of ORANGE leading the chase lead by Weber, Richie and Johnny White Shoes. Once we regrouped and got organized the three of us worked really well together and started to make up some ground. We made a right hand turn on the only road where we had a little relief from the wind and picked up a nice tailwind. We drilled it for about 15 minutes and before our last right hand turn, our group had dropped from about 15 to about 8….must have Johnny White Shoes high pace he was pushing in Zone 3….or whatever you guyz with coaches call. We got the group ahead of us in sight and shut it down to let some of the other riders move up and do a little work, but you guessed it…nobody did. We rolled in to the finish line and JWS drilled it up the hill. With Weber on my wheel, we jumped about a 100 meters out, but with the stomach bug fully set in by now, he was not able to go. Took the sprint for a solid 12th or 14th….who really cares I guess. “It was definitely the hardest conditions I have raced in” was quoted by Weber and coming from him, that says a lot. Not a bad showing for the Teams first race. Mike Adams in 10th, me 14th with Weber and JWM right behind. Lots of fun boyz and I look forward to many more good times this year. Out!

Vitzy: 2007 State Crit Champ

SAMS CLUB ms150

Mas-O-Menos - Spanish for Cramps and Dehydration!

Bibi and I spent the weekend in Terlingua Texas for the Mas-O-Menos Marathon Mountain Bike Race. Terlingua is close to the Mexican border, just west of Big Bend National Park. The brave people that live there like to call it "God's Country". Assuming God is a horny toad that enjoys dust and the occasional Chilli Cook-off, then I suppose they might be right!

It really is a great place though and the bike racing is totally unique. The course is two 50k laps, featuring a treacherous two mile climb, followed by a fast rocky five mile decent to the finish. The sun also plays a huge factor as the sky is usually cloudless and there isn't a tree over three feet tall. On the second trip up the climb you can definitely feel it.

I raced the 40-49 class. We had 60 starters with only 40 finishers. I hung on for 11th. Bibi finished 3rd in the women's 30-39, once again scoring the only Miller Family Payout! Bryan Fawley won the overall with an amazing time of 4:05, almost 10 minutes ahead of second place. That guy is scary fast on the mountainbike.

Click here for full results:
https://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?year=2009&id=92&info_id=15755

Let the racing begin!

Yes, the racing season is already upon us. This isn't the road cycling racing season, though. While most cycling teams, say McKinney Velo, are off at exotic locales engaging in spirited training camps, the multisport racing season has begun. Of course, it may not be the multisport that most people think of, that being triathlon. It's still a little chilly to be taking a dip in the water, so we stick to dry land. This is the season of the duathlon.
For those not familiar, the sport involves running and cycling with either a format of run-bike-run or run-bike-run-bike-run. Distances of the three-leg races aren't predictable as they are dependent on the available course real estate. Five-leg races are usually referred to as "F1" duathlons and consist of three 2-mile run stages with two 10-mile bike stages mixed in. Competing in duathlons has taken me to a variety of venues, including Texas Motor Speedway, Joe Pool Lake park, The Ballpark in Arlington (finish line was near home plate as everyone ran down the third base line from the outfield), a rodeo arena located in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma and various other parks in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana.
Unluckily for me, for the second year in a row, kicking off a new job has robbed me of the opportunity to commune with my MVC brethren at training camp. At least this year a little early-season competition would help take some of the sting out of missing out.
Each year the multisport racing season in this region kicks off with the Frost Yer Fanny duathlon. The venue this year centered around Williamson County Regional Park, located in the Leander/Cedar Park area. The format for this race involved two run and one bike leg. The runs were both 5k (3.1mi) with a 21-mile bike leg in between. The temperature at the start of the race hovered around a balmy 38 degrees with overcast skies. The one saving grace, and an oddity for recent weather, was that there was only the slightest breeze. One of the biggest challenges of these cold-weather races is deciding what level of clothing to go with. Cold-weather cycling usually dicates one clothing setup whereas cold-weather running commands something completely different. Combine the two along with the fact that you have to change shoes a couple of times and the choice becomes increasingly difficult. Do I layer heavy and burn up on the run? Do I layer light and freeze on the bike? I chose to go with a maximum of two layers at any point on my body and it worked out well. If the wind had been blowing any harder, my choices would have been drastically different. Besides, who would want to sacrifice the silky aerodynamic smoothness of a skinsuit by putting on an additional layer over it?
On the first run leg, the Garmin Forerunner is always a lifesaver. I was aiming for a conservative 8min/mi pace (not much of a runner) as to not blow up on the first leg of the race but found myself at a 6min/mi pace right out of the gate. I continually monitored my GPS-based pace and slowed until I was at my target while letting many, many people pass me. Always a hard thing to do, but being able to instantly monitor pace has saved me in multiple races.
With the full race lasting in excess of an hour and a half, there is also the issue of nutrition to take into consideration. The combination of both running and cycling again introduces difficulties in one's plan.Taking on too much fluid or food before either run leg can cause multiple stomach and muscle difficulties but taking in a race worth of nutrition while in time trial position on a bike can also be difficult. I usually choose to take in quite a bit during the run to bike transition, take in fluid and other small bits of nutrition intermittently during the bike leg, and then take on one more gel shot during the bike to run transition. Works well for me but everybody is different (I particularly like Jeff Steinman's TT fluid system. Note to self: copy that.).
One benefit of the multisport world is that it is easy to measure progress from race to race as everything is speed/pace based. This is in contrast to cycling-only races which are much more dynamic and one isn't always focused on individual results but, rather, contributing to the team goal. For the cyclist, the multisport world always offers a change of pace and a chance for some cross-training in the off season.
This is something that makes McKinney Velo great. It isn't just about road cycling. We are also a diverse group of athletes. Along with the roadies, trackies, mountain bikers and cross riders, we are also runners, multisporters and casual enthusiasts.
Enjoy the ride.

MVC Training Camp 2009 - Humpin' in the Hill Country

More pics and updates coming soon...

[Applause, Applause, Applause] Congratulations to Mike "Pantani" Adams for his 5th place yesterday in the 40+ at CC! Your double secret probation is officially lifted and your officially on the MVC team now.

Again in a font color someone can actually read:

To the tune of "Rich Kid Blues" by the Raconteurs:
Winter appetite means eatin’ lots of food
The bibs are getting thin and a bit see through
That’s why I’ve got the exposed butt crack blues…

...it's a work in progress.

To the tune of "Rich Kid Blues" by the Raconteurs:

Winter appetite means eatin’ lots of food
The bibs are getting thin and a bit see through
That’s why I’ve got the exposed butt crack blues…

...it's a work in progress.