mo' biker bloggery

Well, this weekend is the US Open Cycling Championships ... for the big names. The men have a ProTour event and the women a $10K prize list at a $10 entry fee.

that's sweet...


At the moment, there are only 50 women reg'd for the race. I really hope they see more women and a couple of the high-end teams show up for their race. Yeah, it's still 2nd billing to the men's ProTour thingy... but, you gotta take advantage of the possibility some NBC exec might see the race and catch a fancy on part of the action ~ maybe keeping an eye out for future events.

and they better race their asses off.


For the women's race, it looks like it'll be a showcase for the smaller regional teams. TargetTraining and Advil/Chapstick are fielding good sized squads ... but, Tina Pic is on the start sheet with a couple of her Colavita teammies.

Who can beat her in that start list?
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For the men? It's got to be Dominguez as a favorite right now. He's winning sprints from the tops ... with ease. Will the race be hard enough to crack his team? But even if it's hard enough to make a separation ... Toyota still has someone like Vogels to get in the hardman's move and nail a win (though he may not have the legs, yet).


BJM hasn't ridden to his potential as a one-day artist yet. But he's fit, fast, and hungry right now.

is this his moment?


Should be a good race. Somebody get that shit on the interwebs asap.
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Here on the homefront we've got the old NorCal classic ~ Copperopolis. There might be a few domestic pro's not on the start lists for the US Open race, but more likely it'll be a bunch of regional hotshots taking it on against any Sea Otter mountain bikers looking to get in a ballbuster of a day's training before their big show.

Copper, for those who don't know, is just a hellish bit of fun. It's Roubaix-like roads and leg-breaking climbs eat away at your resolve almost as much as your high-end bike componentry. The cratered, twisty descents always claim a few dozen victims to pinch flats or outright crashes. The high-plains winds sweep under all the weak who can't hold position as the pack strings out in desperation along the reservoired plateau. The hot, baking hot, suffocatingly hot climbs shatter riders like so many pieces of discarded glass.

I remember a couple years back when F.Meirhaeghe showed up and won it from us. I skooted off the front with a couple of other guys, showing my usual respect for visiting dignitaries and riding with my typical 'ride it like you stole it' mentality - but when the Meirhaeghe show turned the volume up to 11 ... we were all dropped silly into silence.

I think it was a few weeks later he got popped for EPO.

... and now he's racing again in Europe. dirtbag.
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My pic for this weekend is Jesse Moore from Cal Giant in the prosey division. He looked very good at Ojai last weekend and I know the guy has climbing juice. I think the Berries will have a strong enough team to put him out there in good position ... and who wants to see Hunt win again? Fighting the Giant's will be the RHVillians ... with Bucholz on big song right now and junkadonk finally slapping that monkey off his back. But, Copper is one helluva big fight to pick. We'll see.


For the Women? It's likely that Touchstone will put in a couple of their climbing machines to contest the win. Maria Monica and Jill McLaughlin can handle high tempo work out front and have the race endurance to snatch the ring. Webcor's Curi has been cutting her teeth all over the place lately and I'd love to see her nab another win. But, i never know what races that bunch of brainiacs will travel to. They could be in the Bahamas racing right now, for all i know.

I'm interested to see if PROMAN will field a team at Copper this year. They've got Drumm, who can get over hills like you wouldn't believe sometimes (Nevada City last year, for example) ... but, I'm not sure if this is a race they'll make a presence at. Jane "ms congeniality" Despas will always be at the tough races ... making life miserable for everyone involved.

Dunno ... i'll be interested to see who comes out on top of this one.
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For the Geezers - we'll probably have the most talented field ever for Copper. All the teams are riding well right now with each squad fielding 2 or 3 valid contenders for the win. I see this as being a battle royale for the geriatrics this weekend - all for bragging rights and beer buying after.

Hot favorite is probably Phipps and his big-lunged mullet of a riding style. He's not the prettiest bugger on a bike, but definitely one of the strongest anytime the road points up. Still, i reckon the Strawberries are gonna make some moves on the old-guy scene and should be pushing hard to get themselves on top of the podium. Spine always has riders out for this race with Hutch and the Gaver flying that flag - and EMC has been knocking on the door all year and hungry as ever. And we'll see how many Sierra Nevada and CVC have showing up to the dance. Throw down.

The Disco Geezers are likely to be running full guns and I don't see anyone with as much overall talent as them. We BagBoys will be pushing the gears half-strength with Taz just coming back from septum surgery and da'Pasconator out with illness. We'll give it our best, but definitely will be firing 6-cylinders against all the big V-8's.

... just the way we like it.