Saturday, February 27, 2010
Lago Vista Day 1
Lago Vitsa is a monument of Texas cycling, and this year, it has weather to match its . McKinney Velo had a small contingent at Lago day one, but a nice result in the 40+ nonetheless. With just 2 teammates, CP (Chris Powers) battled a tough field stacked with heavy hitters from THSJ to take a strong 2nd behind Will Ross. First is always the target though and with MVC reinforcements on the road to Lago -- look for a 9 man team Sunday, that'll be the goal.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Webster's, MVC style...
Recently, CP (MVC's Chris Powers) used the term "clean wheels" to describe a victory by MVC fast finisher, Shane 'Sammy' Haga -- what does that mean, you ask? http://emcguire.smugmug.com/Sports/Pace-Bend-2212010/11321509_6Gnvz#794935853_W8th8.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Dateline Pace Bend
Newsflash: Shane ‘Sammy’ Haga adds to his W collection. Haga built on his strong effort yesterday at Walburg with a convincing sprint win in the 3s race at Pace Bend today. To say Shane was disappointed that he got popped from the long, winning break at Walburg on Saturday would be quite the understatement. But with Teammate Jamey Munroe riding a solid race and some super domestique help from MVC Cat 3 team captain Steve Borski, Haga turned Saturday’s disappointment into a Sunday celebration. Borski’s sacrifice almost set Munroe up for a placing too, but as so often happens in the final sprint at Pace Bend, a crash marred the rush to the line. Jamey was forced out of his pedals and off the road, but at least his body and his bike came away unscathed. Of course the best away to avoid the carnage is to get out in front of it, and that exactly what Shane. Congratulations Shane on your 2nd W in 2 weeks of racing and your 3rd as a 3.
Although MVC didn’t have near as many at Pace Bend as it did at Walburg, Nokki, Kolb and Michael Winders did take on the 35+ 4/5. Alas, their luck was bad, bad and worse. All three stayed active and did there best to remain near the front 10-20, but then Tim got hit with a flat... and with no wheel truck help around, he ended up walking half the PB course. Nokki and Winders made it to the finish and even put themselves in position to contest the sprint, but like the 3s race, the story at the end of 35+ 4/5 race was a big crash. Fortunately for our boyz, all they suffered was frustration (and not broken bones like others). That’s not much consolation though when you work hard to put yourself right “there” when it’s money time, only to have bad luck rob you of the chance to close the deal. Let’s hope these guys have better luck at Lago.
Although MVC didn’t have near as many at Pace Bend as it did at Walburg, Nokki, Kolb and Michael Winders did take on the 35+ 4/5. Alas, their luck was bad, bad and worse. All three stayed active and did there best to remain near the front 10-20, but then Tim got hit with a flat... and with no wheel truck help around, he ended up walking half the PB course. Nokki and Winders made it to the finish and even put themselves in position to contest the sprint, but like the 3s race, the story at the end of 35+ 4/5 race was a big crash. Fortunately for our boyz, all they suffered was frustration (and not broken bones like others). That’s not much consolation though when you work hard to put yourself right “there” when it’s money time, only to have bad luck rob you of the chance to close the deal. Let’s hope these guys have better luck at Lago.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Dateline Walburg
Here’s a recap of MVC @ the Walburg Classic. First, to no one’s surprise who’s ever raced at Walburg, the predicted nice weather was a bad report. It was wet, and a little windy, and for extra fun, muddy. In other words, it was another Walburg Classic. Before we get to Jamey’s Cat 3 race report, here’s what we know about the other 4 races with MVC personnel. Well, to be accurate, what we know about Hammer and the 4s and that we still don’t know anything... except that the race is over.
Team Hotel San Jose hammered the P 1 field to set Josh Carter up for the win. Brownie fought valiantly as the only MVC-ite in that field, but finished well back of Carter. Nevertheless, he deserves our praise for taking on that challenge.
Nokki and Kolb tell us that the old(er) 4/5s have learned to race as teams. Nokki made the lead group but got guttered and slipped back to Tim in the 2nd group. Tim paced him back to the lead, but the teams in the lead used the weather and roads and split things up again. At that point, Nokki and Tim decided to save themselves for Pace Bend. Best of luck tomorrow boyz!
Once again, MVC made it’s presence known in the 40+ field. Seven started – Adams, the Patrick Burkes, Davidson, Powers, Price and Weber and 4 finished in the top 7! Bling Burke and road team coordinator Oz Weber made a 5 man break that also included OKC Velo’s Peter Erdoes and Lance Armstrong’;s regular ATX training buddy, John Korioth. Sensing that Korioth was the strongest in the group, Oz launched a late race attack to force Korioth to chase... and it worked but Koroioth was still able to hold off Bling and take the win. Bling was 2nd and Weber took 5th while Powers and Adams lead in the field taking 6th and 7th.
Congrats to all the race podiums and thanks to Team Brain and Spine for another classic Walburg Classic.
Now, here’s Jamey’s inside Cat 3 report:
“Shane [Ed. Note - that would be Shane “Sammy”] Haga was in a Cat 3 Walburg break for 45 miles and looking strong with a 2 minute gap and, at least at the start of the break, 8 guys to work ... Guys popped until only 4 were left including Shane.
Epic rain, enough wind to make it hard, and mud ... Excellent!
Last lap, chase of 5 went with 8 miles to go and we [ed. - “we” is Jamey and Steve Borski; Trevor had been caught up in a crash by then] didn't think it would stick ... It did ... but unfortunately Shane fell out with 5 miles to go in a 72 mi race. He said he did too much work and then they used him later on. I gave Shane a Gu and told him to regroup but he was shot.
Borski and I had been at front disrupting the chase in a good way. The remaining 3 from original break stayed off the front and damned if a 4 man the chase break didn't stick too. Borski and I were up front and trying to help a chase but guys must have been tired as we could never get it going.
I attacked with 2 mi to go but could not hold it as they chased me down pretty quickly and it was clearly a suicide mission ... Borski countered which was awesome but they did the same to him
Sprinting for 8th as we hit the finish hill and I had great position ... But I unclipped for 5 seconds after taking evasive action from a guy's bars next to me .... Lost 15 or so places ... and ended up having to repass them to regain original position and could not make it all up. Missed 8th by about amount of unclip. Not that 8th is great but it does have upgrade points with it ...
Borski and Shane soft-pedaled in but both raced great.
Borski rode like a champ doing textbook blocking at the front for all 3 laps! Tucson did him good!
Only 40 out of 80 finished, I think... Our only tactical mistake was not getting into that late chase break ... But we didn't think it would stick and we were still blocking as Shane was still up the road so did not want to invite a chase.
Looked like we had finished Paris Roubaix with the mud and wet from the rain!
Trevor had bad luck as a guy wrecked him on lap 2 on a right turn in the rain which sux. [Ed. Note - Trevor wasn’t hurt and his bike was fine too; but several bikes became entangled and by the time everyone unraveled the mess, there was no chance of chasing back on.]
We will try again tomorrow.
Jamey Munroe”
Team Hotel San Jose hammered the P 1 field to set Josh Carter up for the win. Brownie fought valiantly as the only MVC-ite in that field, but finished well back of Carter. Nevertheless, he deserves our praise for taking on that challenge.
Nokki and Kolb tell us that the old(er) 4/5s have learned to race as teams. Nokki made the lead group but got guttered and slipped back to Tim in the 2nd group. Tim paced him back to the lead, but the teams in the lead used the weather and roads and split things up again. At that point, Nokki and Tim decided to save themselves for Pace Bend. Best of luck tomorrow boyz!
Once again, MVC made it’s presence known in the 40+ field. Seven started – Adams, the Patrick Burkes, Davidson, Powers, Price and Weber and 4 finished in the top 7! Bling Burke and road team coordinator Oz Weber made a 5 man break that also included OKC Velo’s Peter Erdoes and Lance Armstrong’;s regular ATX training buddy, John Korioth. Sensing that Korioth was the strongest in the group, Oz launched a late race attack to force Korioth to chase... and it worked but Koroioth was still able to hold off Bling and take the win. Bling was 2nd and Weber took 5th while Powers and Adams lead in the field taking 6th and 7th.
Congrats to all the race podiums and thanks to Team Brain and Spine for another classic Walburg Classic.
Now, here’s Jamey’s inside Cat 3 report:
“Shane [Ed. Note - that would be Shane “Sammy”] Haga was in a Cat 3 Walburg break for 45 miles and looking strong with a 2 minute gap and, at least at the start of the break, 8 guys to work ... Guys popped until only 4 were left including Shane.
Epic rain, enough wind to make it hard, and mud ... Excellent!
Last lap, chase of 5 went with 8 miles to go and we [ed. - “we” is Jamey and Steve Borski; Trevor had been caught up in a crash by then] didn't think it would stick ... It did ... but unfortunately Shane fell out with 5 miles to go in a 72 mi race. He said he did too much work and then they used him later on. I gave Shane a Gu and told him to regroup but he was shot.
Borski and I had been at front disrupting the chase in a good way. The remaining 3 from original break stayed off the front and damned if a 4 man the chase break didn't stick too. Borski and I were up front and trying to help a chase but guys must have been tired as we could never get it going.
I attacked with 2 mi to go but could not hold it as they chased me down pretty quickly and it was clearly a suicide mission ... Borski countered which was awesome but they did the same to him
Sprinting for 8th as we hit the finish hill and I had great position ... But I unclipped for 5 seconds after taking evasive action from a guy's bars next to me .... Lost 15 or so places ... and ended up having to repass them to regain original position and could not make it all up. Missed 8th by about amount of unclip. Not that 8th is great but it does have upgrade points with it ...
Borski and Shane soft-pedaled in but both raced great.
Borski rode like a champ doing textbook blocking at the front for all 3 laps! Tucson did him good!
Only 40 out of 80 finished, I think... Our only tactical mistake was not getting into that late chase break ... But we didn't think it would stick and we were still blocking as Shane was still up the road so did not want to invite a chase.
Looked like we had finished Paris Roubaix with the mud and wet from the rain!
Trevor had bad luck as a guy wrecked him on lap 2 on a right turn in the rain which sux. [Ed. Note - Trevor wasn’t hurt and his bike was fine too; but several bikes became entangled and by the time everyone unraveled the mess, there was no chance of chasing back on.]
We will try again tomorrow.
Jamey Munroe”
Friday, February 19, 2010
MVC & Walburg
The real Texas racing season starts tomorrow at the Walburg Classic, and “classic” is an apropos title. Walburg is usually a battle of attrition... 24 mile loops run on narrow farm country roads in a predominately east/west direction. There are a fair number of rollers on the loop (including ah uphill finish), but the attrition is almost always weather driven - cold, windy, wet – often all three. None of those conditions are on the forecast for tomorrow though, but the prediction here is that the forecast will be wrong... out on a limb, yes, but it’s a pretty sturdy limb.
MVC will have a presence in 5 of the fields:
Borski, Haga, Munroe and Rigby will take on a 75 rider strong Cat 3 field;
Michael “Hammer” Caney will fly solo in the a surprisingly small Cat 4 field, not that 59 racers is all that small, especially on the narrow roads of Walburg, but a 59 rider Cat 4 field, at Walburg?!?;
Nokki and Tim Kolb (making his MVC race debut) will tackle the 35+ 4/5 race;
Adams, 1 of our P. Burkes, “Country” Davidson, Powers, Price, and Weber will battle 36 others in the 40+ filed; and
Brownie will join an extremely strong 49 racer P, 1 field.
Best of luck to all our MVC racers for strong, safe racing! Stay tuned for reports.
MVC will have a presence in 5 of the fields:
Borski, Haga, Munroe and Rigby will take on a 75 rider strong Cat 3 field;
Michael “Hammer” Caney will fly solo in the a surprisingly small Cat 4 field, not that 59 racers is all that small, especially on the narrow roads of Walburg, but a 59 rider Cat 4 field, at Walburg?!?;
Nokki and Tim Kolb (making his MVC race debut) will tackle the 35+ 4/5 race;
Adams, 1 of our P. Burkes, “Country” Davidson, Powers, Price, and Weber will battle 36 others in the 40+ filed; and
Brownie will join an extremely strong 49 racer P, 1 field.
Best of luck to all our MVC racers for strong, safe racing! Stay tuned for reports.
Friday, February 12, 2010
MVC Alt Sat Ride fro 2/13/2010
Hey Internet Readers -- Due to the anticipated sloppy conditions in the morning of February 13, an MVC spawned group will depart from the usual locale outside of Starbucks in the Tom Thumb parking lot at Hardin and Eldorado at 2:00 p.m. It's been suggested that we cut the top (i.e., northernmost) 8-9 miles off the route, but that decision has not yet been made. Spread the word and come join us.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
'Jim Hoyt for President"...
That is the lead post in a growing thread on the TxBRA general discussion forum praising Jim's efforts in support of Patrick McCarty. Jim, Max Miley and the RBM/Elite team have stepped in to give Pat a racing home as a bridge to a new pro team contract after Pat's deal with Rock Racing fell through. Pat's RR contract was voided when RR couldn't obtain UCI approval for a Pro Continental license in 2010. Rock was only a Continental team in '09, but 1/2 of the roster of Continental teams must be under age 28, and Pat hit 28 in 2010.
As a Texas racer, Max Miley needs no introduction, but some may not know that Max was Pat's original coach (dating back to when Pat was 14). Max helped steer Pat to great domestic race success as a junior including a couple of national time trial titles. That lead Pat to the US National U23 team where Pat ultimately achieved a top 5 World U23 ranking and several race successes before embarking on a pro career with US Postal/Discovery, Phonak, Garmin and OUCH. Pat is one of the "good guys" in Texas racing and the recent TxBRA thread speaks to his popularity, and the resulting appreciation for Jim Hoyt's help keeping Pat in the racing arena.
Jim's efforts are not a surprise to McKinney Velo though. Jim, Rhonda, Woody and the rest of the RBM family have been great friends of McKinney Velo and our club objectives and we are quite thankful for their support. Jim's support and commitment to Texas racing will be particularly evident when we Bike the Bricks in Historic Downtown McKinney on June 11, 2010. Details very soon... But until then, thank you Jim.
As a Texas racer, Max Miley needs no introduction, but some may not know that Max was Pat's original coach (dating back to when Pat was 14). Max helped steer Pat to great domestic race success as a junior including a couple of national time trial titles. That lead Pat to the US National U23 team where Pat ultimately achieved a top 5 World U23 ranking and several race successes before embarking on a pro career with US Postal/Discovery, Phonak, Garmin and OUCH. Pat is one of the "good guys" in Texas racing and the recent TxBRA thread speaks to his popularity, and the resulting appreciation for Jim Hoyt's help keeping Pat in the racing arena.
Jim's efforts are not a surprise to McKinney Velo though. Jim, Rhonda, Woody and the rest of the RBM family have been great friends of McKinney Velo and our club objectives and we are quite thankful for their support. Jim's support and commitment to Texas racing will be particularly evident when we Bike the Bricks in Historic Downtown McKinney on June 11, 2010. Details very soon... But until then, thank you Jim.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
2/10/2010
The forecast for today calls for temps approaching 40, no precipitation and light winds. So, MVC sprints in Craig Ranch are on. 6:00 p.m. on the roads outside the TPC and Cooper Clinic entrances. Come join in if you can.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
MVC 3s at The Driveway
Shane (Sammy) Haga followed up his Saturday victory with a strong 2nd today. Credit to Hobson and Munroe for a great lead out.
MVC 40+ Team @ The Driveway
With an embarrassingly strong team of 9 racers -- Adams, Brownie, the Burke triplets (the Patricks and Tim), Miller, Powers, Price, and Weber -- the MVC 40+ team was constantly on the attack this morning in the 40+ races at The Driveway. And it paid off... CP took 1st, Oz took 5th, and MVC took every prime, including Bling winning the gambler's prime ahead of CP's win!
3s are racing now... hope to have another win to report from that group later.
3s are racing now... hope to have another win to report from that group later.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
MVC @ Belterra
Cat 3s: With a perfect lead out from Clay Hobson, Shane (Sammy) Haga took a big W earlier this afternoon. And Clay held on for a well deserved 2nd. We don't anticipate many more days like this for Haga and Hobson, but only because their days as 3s are numbered!
40+: MVC fielded a super strong squad for the 40+ at Belterra today. And as expected, MVC was active at the front throughout the race until Bling slipped into what proved to be the winning 5 man break late in the festivities. Sadly, Bling was squeezed against the curb in the sprint and was forced to settle for 4th. But tomorrow is another day. Stay tuned and keep your eyeballs reading here for more news.
40+: MVC fielded a super strong squad for the 40+ at Belterra today. And as expected, MVC was active at the front throughout the race until Bling slipped into what proved to be the winning 5 man break late in the festivities. Sadly, Bling was squeezed against the curb in the sprint and was forced to settle for 4th. But tomorrow is another day. Stay tuned and keep your eyeballs reading here for more news.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Belterra/Driveway Race Weekend
For the first time in '10, McKinney Velo has a team traveling to a TX race... yes, Brownie and CP raced as a "team" at Copperas Cove and did fantastic -- fantastic as in 1st and 4th! But this weekend is different. This weekend, MVC has 10 racers pre-registered to race in Austin; 8 in the 40+ races and 2 in the 3s. So keep your eyeballs reading here for updates on the results turned in by Shane (Sammy) Haga and Jamey in the 3s and Adams, Brownie, the Patrick Burkes (Bling and PT), Rocket Richie, CP, Seabass and Oz in the 40+ races.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
It's Wednesday in McKinney...
and elsewhere, of course, but we're not the Elsewhere Velo Club. We're MVC and on Wednesdays in February and into March, we have sprint workouts under the lights of Craig ranch by the TPC and Cooper. Start time is 6:00 p.m. -- lights are not required, but they are recommended. As long as the weather cooperates, our 1st official Wed Nite workout of '10 is this evening; and if it goes anything like our 1st unofficial workout last week, expect good fellowship and some excellent speed and lead out training.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Flying solo at ToNB
Congratulations to MVC's CP (Chris Powers for those without a program) for finishing 5th and 6th at the Tour of New Braunfels road race and crits this past weekend. CP accomplished these fine results racing solo against a filed stacked with talent from Joe's Pro Bikes' masters team and several other stout racers from SA and ATX. It's going to be a much more level playing field this weekend -- Hello Austin, MVC is coming to town!
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