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Monday, July 23, 2007

you know the quickie-randoms are in order...

shyte on the shingle ... coming in late to work to watch the Condor and Chicken peck each other's eyes out this morning ~ makes ... no time for the scribblins, dammit.
-

Levi ATTACKS!

no really, it could happen.

sigh.

how about that Popovych? I think he's becoming my new hero. Riding at the front every chance he can, attacking hard to try and set up his teammate(s) ... and, i mean ~who can't like a guy sporting a nickname of "popo"?
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Madison Madness

i'll admit it, i was pretty bummed with how i rode the Madison Friday nite. I think the long hours there and maybe a little lacking in the sugar calories dented my decision making. The legs were OK, but the mind was on vacation for an event that i really think Dunaway and i could have done better at. But the race was fast ... Peterson said we did 60 laps in around 20 minutes [edit: 25 minutes ... great, now i feel like a total loser for blowing exchanges, thanks Brian;) ] ... so, can't blame it all on my stupidity.

I blew 2 exchanges pretty badly, though. One was the killer that put us out of the lead group and chasing for a good 10 laps. oh man, i was pissed at myself for that.

After having a couple of foreigner teams take the limelight from us locals, the next day was all about tattoo-ing "NorCal" on some foreheads. (thanks for the pic, Robin)
-

Saturday we had the Scratch and Points Races to throw down weight. I'll admit it, I was on BJM's side to win both. I mean, the foreigners all came in hordes and he was solo ... so, i saw it as fair. Besides, it wasn't as if I wouldn't have taken the knife to Ben, too - if the circumstances had called for it.

The Scratch was early and my legs were still fat and lumpy from the midnight-Madison the nite before. BJM started smashing ankles from the gun and earlier than later there was a move of him, Ken Williams, JAndy and me off the front. JAndy and I blew it a bit and got gapped off from those two, so they went wide and finished taking a lap on the field.

I did a little work to keep Ben protected for the last few laps and then he unleashed a big gear sprint, overcoming Williams' 3 teammates trying to box him in for the win. Satisfying to start the day with a nice NorCal muscle flair.

Later that nite - after a bunch of races and half a dozen hours of waiting around - we did the Points Race with a VERY big field and a nice chunk of change prize list. Brian Peterson intro'd the race with a cool remembrance of John Peckham ... it sent an absolute wave of dedication through me - no way was anyone but a local winning this race.

The first sprint was more tactics than pure speed and I grabbed points but got overtaken near the end, so was already down. BJM scored, as did Williams. Soon after, BJM scorched off with a break of 3 others, taking all the points amongst themselves. It was a good move and we watched it unfold sprint after sprint.

Ben would be consistently nabbing high scores while the pack took turns going nutz trying to bridge across. Finally, Dunaway and I burned some matches and came across with a couple others, but it shut down the break and the pack snatched us all up.

The BPG boys would hit out on moves and i took my own digs, but in the end the 4 in the original break would take the top steps with me scraping out the leftovers for 5th. Ben would win the event and ... i'll admit it, i was pretty damn proud that one of our own stepped up big.
-

ah shyte, i'm already behind. Romances about how the PROMAN chicks went nutz on the women's scratch race will have to wait.

and ... sprinter booties.

oh, the sprinter booties.

61 comments:

dr-nitro said...

Levi is a pussy. Okay, I'll hold off on that judgement until Wednesday, but if he does not attack then, he certainly is. He either needs to attack for himself, or Contador. It's a win/win situation for the team.

But it sure the heck is fun seeing the feathers fly the last two days. And how about your Columbian cousin, Juan Mauricio Soler Hernández?

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

i can't but sing, "La Cocharocha" whenever he gets up out of the saddle.


i loved when he offered water to Rasmussen ... "no man, i don't need your wetback water."


classic. love the guy.

Brian Peterson said...

Upon further review of my data, with much more oxygen in my brain, the Madison was about 25:30. Keep in mind, that's for 59 laps, since Steve and I can't see each other coming, missed some exchanges, and got lapped.

Compare that with the 60 lap points race that was 27:20, at least for me rolling across at the back. A lot more riders to keep the speed up.

Sometimes emotion can fire you up, sometimes it can drain you.

I'm glad BJM won John's race.

Anonymous said...

ProMan girls kicked serious ass in the scratch race, nobody stood a chance.

Anonymous said...

shelley rode HARD CORE there's no other way to describe it. when she went there was nothing anyone else could do about it. she just ripped the gap open and if she knew what that performance was worth against those heads of state, shelley'd know that she's got some stars and bars in her future.

Velo Bella said...

I keep wondering where Shelly's talents end?

When you consider that she can also win the Queen of the Mountains at Hamilton (how many of those girls at the track can claim that one?), take a crit sprint against the best, and hold her own against the vets in an NRC stage race...

And we haven't even talked about her up and coming cx skills.

Proman rode a fantastic race. All the sprinters looked at each other waiting for someone else to chase...

PAB(a.k.a.CID) said...

levi, popo, contador, chickens....

meh.

-

i had wayyyyyy more fun cheering the local heroics. in fact, i always do.

Anonymous said...

Shelly does not need her team mates and traditionally in track you have none. At the International level you have your own lonesome and that is it. the sooner they stop the roadie tatics the better she'll be.

Robin Horwitz said...

A -

I completely agree. She would've dominated the races last wknd without her team (no offense intended and the teamwork was awesome).

Shelley just has it.

Anonymous said...

team work is not awesome in track racing. it will only hurt you the better you get because world cups and bigger races you don't have team mates. learn to win on your own efforts and that is what makes a track racer.

Brent said...

Shelley is capable of so much and its super exciting to see. She has the drive and the head to do it.
Her ability to listen in Learn is a major factor.

She has a good chunk of the full package to be a good all around racer. Hopefully she keeps things in line and keeps rest in her arsenal of training.


Levi.. attack? He should, the guy stays tucked in the entire day every day..snoozer. All talk.. bawk bawk.

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

TEAMWORK IN TRACK RACING


"An impressive combination of individual strength and teamwork brought Australia Commonwealth gold and silver in the women's points race at the Manchester velodrome."[CommonWealth Games]


"At one stage it appeared O'Shea might not be strong enough to make it across to the bunch, but the superb teamwork of the Victorians, who rode with intelligence, helped secure the win. "It was worst pain I've ever had but I had my team-mates James Langedyk and Leigh Howard helping me out," O'Shea said. "They just sacrificed themselves, Langa's got second (silver medal) so it was awesome."[Aussie Nationals]


"Team tactics are important here, as the leadout is often quite long. If one team can get two of their riders in the final, then they are at a distinct advantage." [Keirin]


or a little more locally:

"Strong team work contributed to overall wins in each of the three categories. Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Bill Dean, each of Veloworx Racing, won the C's and B's, respectively, while Brian Smallwood (Encino Velo) took top honors in the A's due to strong teamwork in the points race..."[encino]

or

Mass Start or "Scratch" Race:

"Not surprisingly, all the riders in a Mass Start race start at the same time. The riders all cover the same distance, with the winner being the first rider to cross the finish line at the end of that distance. Although speed is important, tactics and teamwork are equally vital."[SD]


want more?

dr-nitro said...

Well, Bruyneel up and said today that Contador is the team leader now. Time to go home and cry to Odessa, Levi. That, or go crazy and attack.

As for the Chicken, is getting roasted right and left. Now McQuaid and the ASO president are the latest to throw him on the Grill. I'm guessing that the yellow in the jersey comes from a certain liquid.

WarrenG said...

I thought the teamwork was essential. Shelly would find it near impossible to get away from Jennie or Becky straight up in a scratch race (not the same as enduring the repeated sprints in a points race on the same night they did the keirin). They'd (should) sit on her wheel and then beat her at the end. Did you see how easily Jennie won the sprint for second?

Nicky killed herself staying away so long, and with her half lap lead she had to be taken seriously. Just as Becky and Jennie, et al were at the front finishing off the catch Shelley got past them and was gone. The other Proman riders followed every attempt by the others to chase. And how hard did Becky and Jennie want to chase? And with 10 riders on their wheel? Their sprint finals were to be held soon after the scratch race. Becky and Jennie took care of business in the two sprint events, showed well, and when a local rider wins it's nice.

Becky and Jennie are in the midst of their off-season. The races they care most about begin in October, run through Worlds in March, and then wind up again for the Olympics. This few months is about the last rest block they'll see until after the Olympics. And T-Town hosted a big night of racing for Women last Friday night.

PAB(a.k.a.CID) said...

umhmmm, saw that one coming...

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

i can't say what Reed has been doing could be considered "off-season", Warren.


the girl is fit right now. may get fitter (i hope so, because that's a big talent) ... but, she's fit now.

Anonymous said...

expert newbie.check the results in the olympics and worlds and see how many american team mates there has been in endurance racing.check the uci rules on team work and colusion.c's b's local racing from around the world? you are so impressive with yor internet skills and find out about the dq at the commenwelth points mans due to colusion from trade team team mates.

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

collusion is something that occurs between riders from opposing teams ... not the same team, sparkplug.

teamwork is essential for all levels of cycling.


ALL levels.


try it, you might like it.

Anonymous said...

if its your blog you are never wrong.

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

there, there darling.


we can still be friends, can't we?

Anonymous said...

does that involve team work?

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

exxxxxcellent.

Anonymous said...

touche

Anonymous said...

is it just me, or should "anonymous" grow some and give a name...

Anonymous said...

OV, you got mentioned on TBF today...

Hooptie said...

Someone needs to clue Slipstream in on this no teammates concept.

Teamwork got Creed a National jersey...teamwork got the US Women the only (endurance) podium spot @ a 2006 World Cup.

Are Worlds and the Olympics the only track races where you cant have any teammates?

WarrenG said...

OV, small point, I know, but in Jennie's blog that you linked above blog she says she is in her "preparation phase". Not "pre-competition", and not "competition phase", like all(?) of the other riders except Becky who were racing the endurance events.

For her, that would likely mean minimal time above threshold, lots of gym time, some extra long endurance rides, some high rpm sprints, no lactate tolerance efforts, etc. -Like we "trackies" (!) might be doing in March.

Like you alluded to in the sprints, part of being a professional at a developing event like AVC Hellyer is not coming in and stomping all over the locals in every race. Especially when the money difference between 1st and 2nd place is not big compared to other income and goodwill.

And from what I've seen at Masters Nat's and Worlds, teamwork is basically allowed among countrymen (except in match sprints)as long as one rider isn't taking themselves out of a race for the sole reason of helping another rider. IOW, there can be many valid reasons why a rider might chase this rider and not that one, or help one rider score but not another, or choose not to sprint all-out.

Anonymous said...

An "Anom" telling another "Anom" to grow some and use a name. CLASSIC! Only on the Internet!

Anonymous said...

Oops!

Sincerely,

Anom

Anonymous said...

loved the racing and energy this weekend.

the chic's rocked. Olaf rocked. How many races did you do anyway? ... sick.

re: the comment chain...

i heard some others unhappy about teamwork... but hey a little passive riding in the front or a well timed counter never stopped anyone from going around and attacking for themselves. And teamwork is the name of the game at every big road or track race. period. it pays to have friends and goes down bitter/harsh if you don't. you got to embrace it or the biter taste ain't never going to go away. I def tasted the bitterness before, but with some Cointreau and sugar it makes a hell of a cocktail.

heck if it was simple and the strongest man (woman)always won then we would be triathetes (boring)

;)

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

get down with your reasonable self...


i really wish i had more hours in the day. so many stories to spin about the little moments of heroism and ... coolness


who needs sleep anyway

Team TWENTY12 said...

WOW, i leave the house for a couple of hours and the slam fest begins! i am not sure whether to laugh or cry
Firstly, i and the rest of Shelley's team are perfectly aware that she is a super star capable of anything and everything alone or with a team.
secondly, shelley is new to track racing and needs her confidence nurtured, if that means team mates racing with her and for her then so be it. Shelley is a very confident road racer and has no problem winning criteriums alone even when other teams are working against her. She managed a top 10 last year at elite track nats too.
So it may not be 'traditional' to race as a team on the track but that appears to be changing doesn't it! we enjoy it, it is not going to hurt her natural talent. At the end of the day its all great - look how much attention we are getting! When the team stops getting talked about i will begin to worry. We have huge plans for the team and they include racing on the track with a TEAM at elite level - so screw you!
did you notice how much fun we were having, thats a huge part of keeping someones spirit fresh so they don't become a fucking bitter old track racer - whoever Anon is!

Robin Horwitz said...

Some good old fashioned trash talking between Hellyer and Colorado Springs about BJM and the other no shows (wussies).

Have fun: http://www.fixedgearfever.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=24144#24144

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

niki is so hot when she's hot.

Velo Bella said...

And, I mean this in no offense to ProMan, but their tactics were ridiculously obvious.

Why didn't anyone get on Shelly's wheel and get ready when the field caught Nicola?

And in my short viewing of the sport, I have seen teamwork (or collusion, whatever) between many racers, including some young local riders with international stars in their eyes. Do they need to learn a lesson too?

At the Hellyer AVC, I saw lots of teamwork between Momentum, Alto Velo, Easton and others not even on the same team (i.e. Rodamaker and Paleaz). Should we piss a bit on their success too?

Anyhoo, the tactics made the race crazy exciting, the fans loved it and totally got into it.

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

get you ass home

Velo Bella said...

ack!

Velo Bella said...

And I am still in awe of Jennie's strength. Holy Shit that kicks ass.

Team TWENTY12 said...

Bella you are right! Tactics were so obvious that some of us are going to Hellyer tomorrow morning to practice trickier tactics!
xxx

WarrenG said...

I love a gal with spunk! Even when she's spunking my butt to the top of a hill like my wife did to me an hour ago.

It looked to me like the three riders who might have been able to follow Shelley had already done work, and were still on the front when she came by them. One second of indecision and it can be all over. That's track racing. You win and lose that way.

Mark was helping himself by helping Steve, but Mark got a little trapped and and his 59 year-old legs running near "E" couldn't overcome that.

And because nobody has said it yet. I saw the women's racing on Saturday and in one of the races there were something like 14 or 16 riders. I can say for sure that is the largest field of women riders in a race at Hellyer since I started riding there in the late 80's. "Smiles everyone. Smiles! Welcome, to Fantasy Island"!

Velo Bella said...

They don't need to be trickier, just committed. And your gals are. (not the insane kind of committment btw)

The chase did not unify and commit.

Honestly, I think that they initially did not think Shelly could stay away that long. Once they realized she very well could, it was too late.

There is more to tactics than just lead outs...

And that made it so much fun!

I was totally envious of your and Tracy's role. And therein lies the draw to attracting more racers. I doubt my own ability to do something phenomenal like Shelly. But damn, I know I have the strength to someday play a role the way your gals did for Shelly.

And thats motivating and exciting and watching you guys race makes me want to get out there too. And I bet I wasn't the only one. There were lots of cyclists in those stands.

sign my (bubble) ass up.

Velo Bella said...

Warren G said:
It looked to me like the three riders who might have been able to follow Shelley had already done work, and were still on the front when she came by them. One second of indecision and it can be all over. That's track racing. You win and lose that way.

Nope. They got a gift. Julie Granshaw single handedly (leggedly?)brought Nicola back. The big gals all got a free ride on her efforts.

Velo Bella said...

time check

Team TWENTY12 said...

Bella you would certainly rock that bubble out there! yes, i love having the role of 'banging my head against the wall' (BJM)Love it!
BTW - not quite sure why Julie decided to drive the chase, girl needs more patience,(she also knows that i can't tt and i'm a bit of a one pump chump and would have died sooner than later) make those sprinters work, they would eventually, however it was all a win win for us on that occasion.
Bubble Bella any time you want to join us for lack of own team mates you are more than welcome!

WarrenG said...

Nicky basically died about a lap before she was caught. I thought it was odd that another rider(s) would ride hard to close a gap that was going to close on it's own in another lap or two, and in doing so she lost track of the viable threats behind her, like Shelly. I think sometimes people make mistakes about gap sizes and what they mean on the track because they're used to the spacing and speeds of criteriums. Or they're too impatient. Prior to the catch we saw Becky, Jennie, Ann, and even Mary take turns on the front to keep the gap manageable, especially when it grew out to a half lap and became a real threat.

The Proman gals made the race interesting to watch. Elite Nat's qualifiers are on the 11th/12th. Top 3 women in each event get an invite to the show in October. Shelly could use some teammates at nat's too.

veloandvino said...

I watched, I cheered, & I hugged. In bike racin everyone has to use whatever skills they have to win races. If we all sat around and watched the chicks ride around for 15 laps at 15 mph and then sprint the last 200 meters, that would have been a real snooze.

In the end the best woman won!

Anon=sissy.

Anonymous said...

i think Proman showed they are savvy and can use their road skills to their advantage.

teamwork not allowed on the track? you're kidding. i may be new but i know about factions and super combines, these things aren't rolling around looking for help it is ingrained and developed over years of racing a dozen times a week together. just cuz proman wear the same kit and race like a well oiled machine doesn't mean they're evil or hindering Shelley's meteoric progress in cycling.

so their tactics in the scratch were obvious, yeah cuz you can see 100% of the race course, but i agree with VB, why didn't anyone do anything about it? cuz if you'd seen the way she ripped off the front, and the seriously hot pursuit involved, there wasn't anything anyone could do about it. kinda the same in the points fri night, shelley did it on her own with no teammates after 5 laps but still bridged at mach speed and had enough to go for the sprint a lap after catching. and then rode out of her gourd against the country's best (sprinters, i might add) to get the points to win. all business, super serious until 2 cm after the line when the big smile comes back out.

i think we all agree SHelley's on her way to being a star, and after this weekend she might start believing too.

Casey said...

I can remember a number of elite national points races where the winner was determined not by who had the strongest legs in the race but rather by who had the largest wallet to buy up the largest coalition. Since we are talking about riders from different teams working together this would fit more into the category of collusion than teamwork. It has happened in the past an I'm sure if someone wants to go to the Olympics badly enough it will happen again in the future.

X Bunny said...

what casey is describing is as disillusioning as hearing about another case of doping

but teamwork, that's what makes it fun!

Team TWENTY12 said...

Bravo x bunny!

Anonymous said...

Shelley is so much stronger and better then all of you. Except when JO Jo took her out at Candlestick Point in that cross race. She cut her off bad and left Shelley grinding the the pavement and then Shelley was no good at all.

Unknown said...

Ah heck. I just like Shelley. She's cool, friendly, humble, and completely gracious. It's been my experience (and observation) that those rare riders who possess all of these (IMHO):

1. Physical Ability (um, duh - I think everyone's in agreement on this point)

2. Tactical Savvy (she's still learning, but she also seems to be one quick study, IMHO)

3. A Killer Instinct (she's got that)

4. A Great Personality (see my aforementioned attributes about Shelley)

...will go a LONG WAY. I can't wait to see her meteoric rise continue next season.

Anonymous said...

Shelley is a pocket rocket!

Anonymous said...

I have been reading and I have come to the conclusion that Olaf really is a Drama Queen~

Anonymous said...

Levi
better do a major throw down move on the next stage. He has to go for broke or he will end up 4th or 5th, 5th if Kloden is anywhere close to him before the final TT.

Levi has got to do the nasty on the boys and then Contador has to light it up on the final climb with more then 3 km to go, he has to start the break up with 5-8 km to go.

I think the Discovery team can win this thing, if not, Rassmusen will be in yellow come Paris!

Anonymous said...

But wait, Nome Agusta said Rassmusen will lose everything. What about that?

Little_Jewford said...

anon-m-ass has a point, in that out certain events (is it WCup's as well as Olympics and WC's these days) its one rep per country so there is a need to learn to race sans team mates .... but the idea that team tacticts are "wrong" or that even obvious tactics make for "bad" racing in bunk.

By far (I mean by leaps and bounds) the best track racing I've seen, live or on video, was the 96 olympic trials which was basically a slugfest between Shaklee and the US pursuit team. Schaklee was working for Brian McDonough and the pursuit team was to qualify a 5th rider through the points race slot (so they would potentially have a fresh pair of legs between the qualifiers and the medal rounds). It was 100% obvious each team was working for a specific rider but it lead to a back and forth battle over 100 (I think) laps that came down to the final sprint ... gripping shit .... was it something that would happen at the olympics...no...did it make for crazy great racing when you get two deep teams on the track...hell yes....

Ron Castia said...

Nome also said Vinny would forget about the GC and go for stage wins.

I wonder if that will happen?

Lyne said...

Ouch
http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/tturns51.jpg

dr-nitro said...

Geez, you trackies are a chatty/catty lot. Must be from the dizzying effect of going around in tight circles.

As for the cartoon, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I hope that the Condor eats him up tomorrow so we can get to talking about metal plates in one's head.

dr-nitro said...

FUUUUUKKKKK!