North Branch Cycling Club

North Branch Hosts 2010 Illinois State Trial Championships

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:10:00 -0000

***Registration has been closed pending approval of our race application and permit. A minor bureaucratic snafu. Apologies.***

September 4, 2010
HELD UNDER USA CYCLING PERMIT
RACE HELD RAIN OR SHINE
MILKY WAY PARK, HARVARD, IL

Only the above listed race is permitted and sanctioned by USA Cycling. No other races or activities at the event are sanctioned by USA Cycling.

Registration

Register on-line at www.bikereg.com.
Adults On line Pre Reg on or before Aug 31 $35.00 Day of Reg: $45.00
Masters 60+ and Juniors Pre Reg on or before Aug 31 $20.00 Day of Reg: $30.00
On line Registration closes August 31th at midnight

Only On-Line and Day of Event Registration is available.
A second race is $15

Race Day Registration opens at 7:30 A.M. and closes at 10:00 AM. First rider off at 9:00 AM
Start order based on pre-registered entries. Specific start time requests accommodated.
Start times will be sent by e-mail to pre-registered riders.

Course

30 km on the well known Harvard out and back big dipper course (20km for Juniors and Seniors).

Location

Register at Milky Way Park near the corner of Lawrence and Brink St. (Rt. 173) Starting gate is just south of 173 on Flat Iron Rd.

Rules

All USA Cycling rules apply. Helmets are required at all times while riding your bike at the race site. 20K event distance applies to all juniors and age classes for Women age 60+, and Men ages 60+.

Prizes

Categories and Age Groups listed below with three or more entries will compete for State Championship Jerseys and/or Medals. You must hold an annual USAC license to be eligible for a championship jersey. The Promoter and IL Cycling Association reserve the right to modify categories based on participation.

Cash Prizes for Overall Fastest Riders Male and Female: 1st: $100, 2nd $75, 3rd $50.

Longmarker awards for riders posting faster times than in 2009 at the North Branch Time Trial.

North Branch Time Trialists Post Strong Results

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:15:03 -0000

North Branch's time trialing squad has quietly been posting consistent results in the American Bicycle Racing time trial series.

On June 26, 2010 three members medalled at the 40 KM test promoted by Team Apache in Paw Paw, IL.

Jack Arnolde racing in Cat 4 finished second. John Hoffman racing in Masters 40 placed 5th and also set a new club record for the distance. New member Brad Moore, training for Ironman Louisville, placed second in Masters 50 and also established a new club record.

Podium placings and new club records have been a regular occurence this season. Hoffman established a new club record in the 33 km distance and Jack Arnold also posted a club best in an early spring 10 mile test.

Club records have been updated and can be viewed in the Race Results section of the Members Only Forum.

Matt Samples Goes 1-2 at Wonder Lake

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:33:51 -0000

Matt Samples has proven that he can race without crashing by taking 1st place in the combined Cat 4/5 Masters race at this past weekend's crit at Wonder Lake. He also finished second in the Cat 4 only heat. Congratulations Matt!

Cat 3 rider Ed Hernandez recovering from a lingering knee energy also raced. It looks like he may soon be getting support as soon as Matt upgrades.

Full results here- Wonder Lake Crit

Race Report: Muskego Crit

Wed, 19 May 2010 18:14:15 -0000

Pop Goes The…

Whitnall was a solid indicator that the climbing form was in place for the WI classic season. You know the formula, 1) find a local park; 2) find a hill on that local park; 3) run a circuit race (AKA crit) on said course; 4) arrange for rain on race day. Whitnall was held in terrible weather, which led to an unfortunate close encounter with the asphalt. After that race, I decided that I was going to lay off races in the rain. Thought was that I don’t paid enough (okay, I don’t get paid a dime) to risk showing up for work on Monday on crutches. The deciding factor was the rain status at the point of registration. If the tears are falling from the sky before I plunk down the moolah, then it’s a no go. Well, the clouds were threatening on the morning of Muskego, but there wasn’t any rain falling down…yet.

There I am walking back from the registration table trying to remember if numbers go on the left or right sides. All of a sudden, that first drop hits me square on the head and a steady rain starts to fall. Great… the formula for a WI classic race is in effect rain and I’ve already thrown my money on the table. Wet shoes, wet socks, wet chamois suck when you’re standing at the start line waiting for the official to blow that whistle. At least, I had the promise of a hard hour of racing as final conditioning for the upcoming Monsters of the Midway. Well, let’s work on staying upright this week, okay?

For those that haven’t raced this course, Muskego is generally similar to Whitnall, except that Whitnall’s 3 tiered climb is condensed into one stretch at Muskego and the final 30 feet usually packs a wallop. Sure enough, Muskego maintained its status as a race of attrition as riders started to fade a few laps into the crit. The signs are unmistakable. First, the hips start rocking, then the shoulders start rocking, then those same shoulders start sloping forward, then you just sit up and throw in the towel. Lap after lap, riders were popping on that short 30 feet stretch from the finish line to the top of the climb. I was doing my best to move up in the pack and avoid those popping riders. Suddenly, I felt my hips start to rock, but I managed to make it to the top with the pack and moved through the field on the downhill stretch. The next time up the hill, my hips started rocking earlier than before and then my shoulders got into the rocking motion- I still made it up the hill with the group and moved through the field. This next climb was going to be the critical test.

Climb starts and hips start rocking…
Half way up climb and shoulders start rocking…
Three quarters of the way up the climb and the shoulders start sloping forward…
I get a few pedal strokes from the top and I just sat up in the saddle and threw in the towel.
Five laps to go and my legs just popped from under me…

Now, my goal for this race immediately changed and I was committed to holding off the pack for five laps. Yeah, I much prefer to hold off a pack for a race win rather than getting lapped, but it was the hand dealt to me by the Cycling Gods, and I couldn’t much complain. I spent most of the week in DC for business drinking wine and loading up on calories. Life is full of both sweet and sour- this sour situation definitely hurt as I pushed the sore muscles to ignore the lactic acid and push myself up the hills to limit time losses to the field. All the efforts paid off as I soloed in behind the field as spectators were walking away oblivious to the fact that I gave it my all to finish on the lead lap.

Hey, I didn’t crash. I gave it my all. I had fun. That’s a good day of racing…

Race Report: Whitnall Crit

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:07:58 -0000

Can't Get 'Nuff of a Free Thing

Whitnall was back for 2010!!! That news came to me like a burst of good news a few months ago. You see, Whitnall profile with a 3 step staircase is a perfect match to my strengths, but the event was cancelled this year. With great excitement, I prereg'ed for this event (1st Cat 3 rider to do so) without checking the weather forecast. Oh, Mother Nature, you suck worse than showing up to the Lake Forest METRA station early Sunday morning to find there's no Mafia ride that day. The skies were pouring buckets as I debated the merits of using the car's heating AC in place of a warm-up on the bike. No dice, so I rolled out in a drizzle that progressed into a full rain by the start of our race.

I was coming off an R&R week, so I figured that a key early strategy would be to ease into progressively harder efforts on the staircase climb and hope that no one launched a successful early attack. Well, attacks took place, but they weren't successful, so goal #1 was solid until PSSTTTTTT. Crap! Flat rear tire just as we're about to make that right turn into the 1st hill. The next 5min became an intense cross training workout as I proceeded to sprint up the hill backwards in the wet grass. I did remember to stay calm and shift into the 53x12 before changing out the rear wheel. Unfortunately, I didn't even think about all the crud that lodged into my cleats during my slip and slide sprint up the hill. Let's review a good restart fundamentals following a free lap restart.

1) Stay calm.
2) Ensure that you're in the correct gear to accelerate up to field speed.
3) Get ready for 2 painful laps as your body reacclimates to the race pace.

Hold up. There’s a 2a) step that became clear to me as the race official pushed me off to the main field.

2a) Clip in.

All that crud in the pedals made it close to impossible to clip in, but I finally managed to coerce the cleats into the Speedplays and punish the legs with a harsh acceleration back to the field’s pace. Two laps in and I was finally grooving along with the field and moving up well towards the front. I decided to stay over to the right as I crest the first of the three steps and slot in behind a rider one back from the front of the pack (let’s call this guy Joe). Suddenly, I look over and the rider to Joe’s right swings over to the left and just clips Joe’s front wheel. You all know that horrific sound of overlap wheels. Up until I started bike racing, I thought the sound of William Hung singing anything at all was the most horrific sound I’ve ever heard, but now the sound of overlapped wheels has assumed the top podium. Overlapped wheels are the true test of a riders skill ability. In fact, USA Cycling should give you 20 upgrade points to Cat 3 if you demonstrate that you could save overlapped wheels without going down. Well, that guy in front of me would have been deducted 200 upgrade points. That dude panicked so bad that he almost immediate went down right in front of me.

“This crap is going to hurt in three, two, one… BANG!!!”

Amazing how everything seems to slow down when your mind realizes that you’re about to get smashed into asphalt. I did my best Superman impersonation as I went flying through the air over the bars. My bike basically did a perfect track stance as I nailed the sprawled bike in front of me. During the slo mo phase, I knew to pull back my hands and roll onto my back. The left knee took some damage as I rolled to a halt. Okay, loyal readers, what’s the first thing that goes through the mind of any racers post crash?

Is it “Am I okay”? Wrong!!!
Is it “Did I tear any clothing”? Hell no!!!
Is it “Where’s that SOB that wrecked me out”? Hey, this wasn’t the Dana Point crit…
Is it “Is my bike okay?” Bingo. And thankfully, the bike was unscatched.

I immediately jumped back on the bike and rolled into the pit for my second free lap of the race. Listen, it has been many years since I’ve taken a free lap, so I figured that I was due a double dipping during Whitnall. Once again, the first two laps sucked after the adrenaline wore off while we waited for the field to come back around. A break had formed right at the time of my crash (in fact, that break likely led that guy’s questionable decision to swing left right into the wheel of the rider in front of me), so the main field was content to feign interest in chasing the break while dreaming of dry clothes and heated car interiors. With a banged up knee, I was definitely okay finishing in the pack and considering that a moral victory.

Did I have the legs for a solid result had I not crashed and flatted? Sure.
Was it cool to finish in the field after flatting and crashing? Definitely.
Was I struggling just to finish in the field last year? Unfortunately yes.
Am I happy with Whitnall 2010? Absolutely!!!

It’s all good…

Introducing Road Bike Clinic- Apr 25th

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:44:13 -0000

Come one, come all to North Branch's bike handling clinic conducted by me, Ed H. The scope of the clinic is to cover everything from road bike basics (shifting, pack riding tactics) to advanced road bike techniques (counter-steering, bumping, and overlapped wheels). We will start off with theory, then work specific drills to reinforce proper techniques. Specific components of this clinic are:

1) Crash prevention: theory followed by overlapping wheels, bumping (make sure to slap on older tires for the overlapping wheel drills)
2) Cornering: theory followed by proper lines and counter steering
3) Pacelines: theory followed by practicing pulls at actual speed

We will meet up at the Panera in Deer Park (starting point for P-McH-P ride) at 8am sharp, then roll to a near-by location for the clinic. Clinic will last ~1hr, then we'll continue on an abbreviated training ride. Clinic is open to team members who have paid due for 2010.

Please sign up via the website calendar.

Ed

Race Report: Burnham Crit

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 00:19:21 -0000

Life is a Highway…I Want to Ride It All Night Long

Last week’s "race of panache" was a huge confidence boost early in the season, so I decided to venture out to South Beloit to line up for the Burnham Crit cat 3 field. As the first USA Cycling race, Burnham is generally the “Easter Sunday” of Chicago racing. You know how it goes, all the Catholics come out of the wood works for Easter Sunday. It’s almost a form of penance to roll out of bed early on that particular Sunday morning, dress up the kids in pastel outfits, and follow them around looking for eggs. That reminds me, I need to find those pastel outfits for next week…

Only the hardcore, overly ambitious racers drive up to Kenosha, but Burnham is the Milan-San Remo of the Chicagoland racing scene. For those of you who haven’t lined up for this Midwest Milan-San Remo, the Burnham Crit takes place on a bona fide car racing track- not the NASCAR type of track. This track was decreasing radius turns, no typography, sweet chicanes, and a long ~300m drag strip finish. The car skid marks on most of the tight turns serve as warning signs for inattentive cyclists. Early in the race, I had a guy come darn close to my left side midway through the chicane. Just as I was about to lean into the guy to hold my line, the rider managed to correct his line and apologize, explaining “I’m still trying to learn the layout of this course. The road just ran out on me.” Yes sir, there was some rubbing during this race, especially in the final 5 laps, but then again, in the words of Harry Hogge in "Days of Thunder","rubbing, son, is racing".

Last week, I chose to race with panache over results- well, this week was all about results. My strategy was to watch for breaks from one particular Burnham racer. You see, Burnham has hosted this race for 3 years and one particular team member owns this race like a dog that’s pissed on a fire hydrant every day for 3 years. Plan B was to sit in and contest the pack sprint. Let me guess what you’re thinking- what if this Burnham racer isn’t lining up for this race? Well, I noticed that the rider was sporting jeans and a sweatshirt once I rolled up to the line, so plan B was in effect. Oh, there were breaks, many breaks and most included some combination of xXx or Burnham racers. The field must have reeled in 10 breaks during the course of the 55min race- each time, my legs felt great and confidence ebbed for a solid placing.

“Five laps to go. Five laps to go” yelled the race official as the “gruppo compacto” rolled through the finish line. This was the moment of truth. I had been sitting mid pack most of the race to ensure I wasn’t doing too much work while watching out for careless riding. Time to move up. There was a right turn where the field slowed down considerably time and time again. I decided to latch on to a flyer on the left side and slide myself right towards the front of the pack. Working through a few openings led me right to the front of the pack behind two xXx riders- perfect positioning with 2 laps to go. Suddenly, a few riders explore down the left hand side and I see the black jerseys of xXx and Burnham among that group. The field surges in a futile attempt to reel in those drag racers, but the collective legs of the peloton are feeling the effects of 50min of racing and that group manages to gain a decent gap on the field.

At this point, many cyclists are racing cross-eyed at their limit and that immediately increases the risk of an accident. Guys were yelling as the scent of burned rubber and cork started to emanate from the field of 35 racers. Thankfully, no one went down in those final laps, but there were way too many close calls after 50min of clean racing. At one point, riders near me slammed on their brakes and I had no option but to slide back a few rows in the surging pack. No worries, I had one lap left to move up and knew a thing or two about that drag race finish. Bell lap. Bell lap. Bell lap. I start replaying all the amazing workouts that have led to this moment. Then, I start reminding myself that it’ll be the last time that I make this right turn and that left turn. I managed to move up to 15th place by the u-turn leading to the final turn- wasn’t looking like I would be on hand for the sprint as a results of the braking action during the previous lap.

The second that we rounded that final right turn, the field just surged with ferocity. “Way too early, boys,” I thought as I matched the surge while sitting in the saddle. At about 300m to go, I shifted into the 53x12, jumped out of the saddle, and summoned all my frustration from last year’s season. Riders were dying left and right as legs gave out from premature sprints. The scene was surreal. I had latched on to a Team Extreme rider who was flying through the pack. We came around at least 7 or 8 riders in the final 200m. The speed differential was unbelievable- riders were sitting up before the finish and I was flying by then at least 5mph faster. That final sprint was incredibly painful, but each passed rider gave me motivation to focus on the next rider instead of the hellacious lactic acid burn in both legs. BOOM. Finish line. Captured 9th place out of the field of 35.

Burnham racing will go down as a heaping load of vindication after an incredibly disappointing 2009 season. The top 10 result was a great validation of solid off-season training leading to 2010. This one will go a long way to keeping motivation up and reducing risk of burning out. Looking forward to more results!!! Regardless, I am definitely enjoying this highway. Good stuff.

Race Report: Kenosha Crit 2

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:27:10 -0000

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday at Kenosha’s Raceway Park

In the words of the wise and insightful, Katy Perry:

’Cause you’re hot then you’re cold
You’re yes then you’re no
You’re in then you’re out
You’re up then you’re down

Aside from the gutter innuendoes to those lyrics (and most Katy Perry lyrics), it is amazing how that chorus so eloquently captures both the whims of Mother Nature and my interest in lining up for this race. Let’s review the last 24 hours worth of climate change in Chicago. Yesterday, kids were running around the neighborhood in shorts and short sleeve t-shirts while cyclists around the city were flashing hairy legs on old, favorite cycling routes (at least cyclists with the luxury of flexible work schedules- a group which yours truly does not belong to). This morning, those same kids were running back indoors with sneakers coated with snow and an appetite for hot chocolate. Twenty-five degree drop in 24 hours- stupid Mother Nature.

So, I’m loading up for the race this morning wondering why in the hell cyclists (or athletes, in general) subjective themselves to the crap that they do on a regular basis. Here it’s 29deg F with the wind chill and I’m considering driving up north of the border to meet up with other fellow lunatics. Damn right, Katy Perry, I am in, then I’m out when it comes to this Kenosha #2. Finally, I decided to suck it up and test out the legs in the Cat 3 field. That turned out to be a great condition since the sun won the battle against the clouds, and the day turned out to be a perfect one for Sunday, Sunday, Sunday at Kenosha’s Raceway Park.

The plan for today was to gauge fitness via the Cat 3 field (instead of the Masters 30+ Big Guns that I raced against last week). My stretch goal was to attack the field for a breakaway attempt, then contest a field sprint if the break attempt wasn’t successful. Flash forward to the 3rd lap into the race- 3 riders are off the front, including a rider from a WI Ski & Bike sponsored team. Well, that Ski & Bike team had 2 other riders left behind in the field and they were perfectly blocking the rest of us monkeys. Actually, it was impressive watching that team work the field over so expertly- kinda reminded me of collegiate racing when we had a coach yelling tactics from the side of the road.

“Ed, you have a rider off the front, move up and block”
“Ed, drop the hammer now.”
“Ed, ride faster. Now, ride faster” – that’s the point when I would throw a bottle his way on the next lap.

Well, the peloton’s pace was very casual, even though we were delivering decent wattage on the back stretch into that damn wind. Right as we reached the base of the back stretch, I thought about my goal and arrive at a fork in the road (figuratively, that is).

The Devil sitting on the right shoulder of my North Branch jersey was yelling: “Dang, that is some tough wind. Why not just sit on these two Ski & Bike riders and stay within your limits until the pack sprint”.

The Angel sitting on the left shoulder of my North Branch jersey was yelling: “C’mon, Alice. Hit it with your purse. Grow a pair and attack right now. This is Kenosha- time to try crazy crap and live to learn the lessons.”
I decided to flick the Devil right off my shoulder before shifting in a huge gear and delivering 1,021W to gap the field on the backside hill into the headwind. I managed a decent gap and got within ten bike lengths of the breakaway.

Unfortunately, the Ski & Bike boys decided to chase me down and no one seemed prepared to help me out in my quest for glory. I opted to sit up and merge back into the field around 5th wheel. Well, the S&B boys decided to ratchet back the effort as soon as I merged into the group and I felt fully recovered within one lap. Right at the base of the hill, I decided to put in another hard pull- more to bridge the field to the riders than to breakaway myself. I ended up pulling hard for one full lap which wasn’t the smartest thing to do (for all you Juniors reading this blog), but then again, my intent today was to smack the legs around with a meat tenderizer and reap the rewards later in the season.

Well, that hard pull really tapped out the legs, so I decided to drift back to the pack and take a lap to recover. You see where this one is going, don’t you? Right as I started to flush the lactic acid out of the legs, there’s another attack off the front and the peloton decides to crank out wattage like it was going out of style. My legs were suffering as I was riding the rivet in an attempt to respond to the violent acceleration. My good friend, Ric Otero, yelled at me to hold his wheel, which I managed to do for a brief second before the elastic snapped into the head wind. Dang, I was cross-eyed and turned my legs inside out with that final effort, so I decided to ease up a bit, then get back to a hard effort.

My guess is that I finished somewhere in the top 15th, but then again, it wasn’t about the results exactly. I could have sit in the entire time and sprinted against the field for a top 5 placing. Overall, I’m damn glad that I listened to the Angel and rode with panache. I was much better off burning several matches rather during the course of the race than waiting to burn a single one in the end of the race. Great affirmation of the winter work!!!

Race Report: Kenosha Crit 1

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:52:29 -0000

Mixing It Up With The Big Guns

Amazing what four long months of winter training does to a cyclist’s mental state. The season’s first race up in Kenosha was a great chance to catch up with old friends that I haven’t seen since August. Then again, it was also an interesting glimpse into the mind of uber-dedicated cyclists who were hungry for a chance to test their conditioning. Let me tell you- on a whole, we are one burrito short of a value meal, my friends.

“I have logged 1,500 miles out on the roads so far this off-season.”

“I did a 2hr CompuTrainer session earlier today, then road up to Kenosha to race in one of the fields, only to ride back home immediately after the race.”

“I won the Masters 40+ this morning, then lined up for the Master 30+ race immediately afterwards and captured 2nd place in that race, as well.”

Well, let’s visit the mind of the average American…. “Uh, I think that I’ll roll out of bed around 11am, then sit in front of the TV and watch the basketball conference championships while drinking PBR. Oh wait, I also think that I need to change my clock… do I fall back or spring ahead?”

Yes, folks, Sunday was the start of another Chicagoland road racing season. The familiar sound of floor pumps and derailleurs graced the 80th Avenue industrial park in Kenosha. Those were the welcome sounds. Unfortunately, there was also a very unwelcome sound that would bring on the pain throughout each and every race- the sound of gale force winds. I was planning to race the Masters 30+ race, but sit in the field to conserve energy for the Cat 3 race later In the day. Well, the “Who’s Who” lineup at the start of the race made it quite clear that my plan to “sit in” wasn’t going to play out exactly as planned. Druber was flashing his Scarlet Fire threads and Leader bike. A hoard of Verdigris Masters racers rolled up from the Northbrook area with Delfino in tow. Within two laps, the attacks had begun and the hammerfest was underway.

I did a solid job of mixing it up with the big guns, even driving the chase for a brief period into the head wind. I decided that it was best to scale back the effort to preserve some matches for the upcoming Cat 3 race. Well, the headwind on the long back stretch made it quite clear that there was to be no “sitting in” on this particular day. Either I suffered to stay with the group of Cat 1’s and Cat 2’s or I suffered dealing with the headwind. I chose the headwind and forced myself to push out 350W-450W on each headwind climb. Well, the gas tank was tapped out by the end of the race, but I managed to finish only a lap down from Druber and his breakaway companion. There would be no Cat 3 race for me later that afternoon, but I took great satisfaction from enjoying a Chipotle burrito (carnitas, of course), the company of my family, and sore legs by the time 2:15pm rolled around- the start of the Cat 3 race.

Pre-Season Report: Another Trip to the Cycling Gods' Altar

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:10:31 -0000

It's the eve of the season's first race- Kenosha Velosport spring training crit. In less that 12 hours, I'll be on my way to defining the new season of road racing instead of looking back to a season full of disappointments and failure. At risk of sounding like a friggin' philosopher, one of life's biggest disappointments is to make 90% of the necessary sacrifices for a particular goal and falling 100% short of that goal- so much sacrifice and none of the goal to show for it. Well, this season is all about vindication.

This year, I enter the racing season at the end of my second Build 2 training week (for you Joe Friel disciples out there), so the legs are benefitting from fantastic Base mileage and 2 weeks of solid Build workouts. For the first time in years, I enter the racing season below my target weight for May's "Monsters of the Midway". Hell, I was never able to get near enough my target weight goal to call it a realistic goal.

In 12 hours, I hope to be scripting a great blog detailing an epic breakaway and glorious victory. Regardless, the last few months have been glorious and the discipline and commitment to my training has been epic. Tomorrow is the start of a long and rewarding season. Vindication will come this season. Perhaps not at Kenosha tomorrow, but I am focused on that prize and I will hoist it above my head by the time Fall brings this glorious season to an end.

May the Cycling Gods smile on me this season.. Sacrifices have been laid out all winter long and legs are locked and loaded. It's almost race day, baby, and there's nothing finer than pushing yourself to the limits with a smile on your face and a burning sensation in your legs.