The Gateway Cup

by Sarah Rice
The Gateway Cup races are a set of 4 fast crits, attended by regional and national racers in St. Louis. They’re some of KMesh’s favorite races ever. While we drove down, she told me that Joe Berenyi won gold and set a new world record on the track. That gave us great positive energy.

Day 1: Lafayette Park

This was a nighttime crit in the remnants of Hurricane Isaac. Deep rivers of rainfall were running in the corners of the course toward the sewers. We could barely see. I was racing my brand new Psimet carbon tubulars and this time as a new cat 2, I lined up with household name pro riders from at least 12 different states. I wasn’t intimidated (yo, my teammate is a household name too!) and all the gals were super-nice. I was proud to see a Spidermonkey team presence in a real pro race- YEAH! I lined up right next to Laura Van Gilder. I tried to stay calm and focused, but I was shaking so hard at the start line, I could barely stay up.

At the whistle my first thought was “Get Van Gilder’s wheel NOW.” And I did! In a smallish field of strong riders, everyone attacks the start and we all did, in a furious mob. I tried to maintain decent position toward the front and was a bit surprised to find that I could do that. Mesh threw in a little attack and others did too here and there, but everything was getting reabsorbed. Then she threw in a big one. I went hard to get towards the front few spots, and heard a voice “Don’t chase down your own teammate!” – from Laura Van Gilder. I was trying to get in a good position and went too hard, too early. I should have waited about 10 seconds and let Mesh get more distance before going toward the front, because others saw me positioning and immediately shut Mesh down. I rode the group up to Mesh, embarrassed at my mistake. Then I did the right thing and countered hard, but no one countered my counter and the field was on my butt. Boo.

I was barely hanging on for the last several laps. On the final lap (THANK…GOD…) I had lost a lot of spots and was looking for a way up and not finding it. Then there was a crash right in front of me on the inside of corner 3. I instinctively went hard inside, heading straight for the corner. There was maybe a 4-inch gap between the crash and the curb, and I threaded the needle, pitched the bike back out of the corner toward the course, and took off in a full sprint toward the front group of riders. My chest felt like it was going to explode. I only caught one rider in that group and finished 17th. Mesh flatted with 3 to go. Tough luck.

After the race Laura Van Gilder talked to me about strategy between two teammates and timing for getting in position when your teammate attacks, etc. I was thrilled to get an indepth, on the fly lesson on strategy from her, and told myself I’d get better at this. To give you an idea of how poor the conditions were out there- Mesh won a prime on that first little attack, and she had no idea till we went to get my 17th place payout. Surprise $$ was a great way to end the day

Day 2: Francis Park

It was drying up as Kristen and I warmed up, but while we were on the start line listening to the instructions, the torrential rain hit again, very suddenly. The start was a little uphill and as we took off I could actually see rain water flowing in a little river down the hill, right underneath my tire. Yikes. There was a real opportunity there if someone had had the guts to do a hard start-line attack, but no one did.

This was a difficult race for Mesh, as she lost a tooth in a crash there last year. She said nothing about it- champions don’t whine- and she rode with more and more confidence and ease as the race progressed. I felt fantastic. The new wheels stuck the corners and I was 100% confident despite the rain. They called a $100 prime and I wasn’t quite in position for it, but Lindsay Durst from IScorp was. Another strong rider or two went with her to fight it out. A break with them could stick, so I attacked right after the prime. Lindsay caught my wheel and took a pull. I rested for a corner, then went on the front again, hard. Took a peek back and… I was all alone, with the field right there behind me. Damn, what happened? Oh well. I tucked back in and rested for a few laps. KMesh took a long pull off the front and I wanted others to give her a break, so I attacked a little just to make them work, and once other people were on the front I backed off. Tucked back in. I still felt good, and the laps were going by quickly.

Carrie Cash went off the front solo with around 8 to go, and the field was letting her dangle. I realized we’d catch her on the leg before the uphill with about 2 to go. When the pack absorbs a strong rider like that off the front, things can slow up. So when we caught her and the pace slowed, I took a good, fast line into the uphill section and blasted it, all out attack with 1.5 to go. No one chased. I had a gap and maintained it through the start-finish line. The announcer said my name! I rounded turn 1 on the final lap and peered back to see a wall of mellow mushrooms and vanderkittens bearing down on me. Stood up to try to hold them off, but I was getting tunnel vision. This move wasn’t going to work. I got swallowed up and found a wheel, very tired. At the end of the race I saw Kristen go by, and I briefly caught her wheel and rode it up past a couple other riders for 20th. Last. Spot. In. The. Money. KMesh was 18th. Not the best result for us, but in a way it was—KMesh exorcised a demon by racing confidently on that course again, and I had clearly found my nerve. My attacks weren’t smart, but they were smart. Kelly Clarke told me one Gapers Block race that she needed to feel what it was like being on the front, and what it was like being off the front. I did that at St. Francis. I probably could have done better if I had sat in, but I wouldn’t trade anything for the experience.

Day 3: Giro della Montagna

This was the signature crit of the series. It was in a little Italian neighborhood with tons of fans watching and cheering. There were narrow streets and a little grinder of a hill. It was dry at the start, and there was a little sprinkle of rain as we raced, but nothing like the previous two days. Because of the narrow roads, positioning yourself within the pack was key. This is something I definitely want to work on next year. I drifted backwards, then attacked up, then drifted back, and it used a lot of energy. I couldn’t find a rhythm, and the little critic inside my head was buzzing. “Seriously, are you a cat4 still?/Look I WAS cat4 a year ago, cut me some slack/GEEZ the cornering in cat4 wasn’t this bad/if you don’t like it get up front/I don’t think I can/You were yesterday! GET UP THERE!” Etc. There was dialogue with my tummy too. With double-digit laps left I was starting to heave and throw up. This was ugly.

Mesh attacked the field hard and got a gap! But just after she blazed across the start-finish line, they rang the bell for a $200 prime. She went even harder, with Jannette Rho on her wheel. Then EVEN HARDER, and Kristen LaSasso bridged to her (YES! She could take the prime AND the race!). I sat in, heeding Laura Van Gilder’s advice. LaSasso took a pull! This was awesome! But then the field unleashed a furious counter, Diana Ferrera pipped Mesh at the line for the prime, and I saw Mesh going backwards as I crossed the start-finish line mid-pack. She was done.

A couple laps later, Vanessa Drigo and Laura Van Gilder took off together and gapped the field hard. Everyone was pretty resigned to let them go. Boo. I wanted to attack and get people fired up to go get them, but I was nauseous. I found wheels, moved up, up, up, little by little, and was around 6th or 7th wheel from about 6 to go till about 2 to go. I seriously wanted to drop out and couldn’t because my position was too good. On the final lap I ran over a water bottle in the street, and lost spots on the hill. But I did sprint, and got 3 riders at the very end to finish 17th again.

Day 4: Benton Park

This would be our last crit of the season. KMesh said nonchalantly, “I’m gonna win today”. The weather was drying up, but there were still occasional annoying spots of rain. The course was a twisty figure-8 with a few windy straightaways, the kind of course where Mesh and I tended to do well. Jason Meshberg advised us to sit in. Laura Van Gilder, Kristen LaSasso, and the other fasties were here for the money and weren’t going to let anything get away. The advice was to sit in, then fight for position the last few laps, then win it.

We rolled around. I was still getting pinched, bumped, and squeezed backward and then fighting forward. For the first time I saw someone hook someone else’s bars in a crit, right in front of me. Fortunately it was Carrie Cash, who managed to un-hook herself with only the slightest waver. I wanna be able to do that!

They called a $200 prime. KMesh got in position behind me and I blasted it. So thrilling to hear all those pros yell frantically “Left! Left!” as we streaked by. They shut us down 2 turns later. KMesh pulled in front to give me a break. I wasn’t gonna let her pull if I could help it, so I got back in front. Everyone was being lazy, and we were ½ lap from a $200 prime! I briefly went for it again, but this time KMesh was wise and didn’t go. The fasties were all there. They sprinted past me, and a couple of them went up the road for the prime.

A little later KMesh attacked and got up the road again. Kristen LaSasso was with her! Yes!!! LaSasso took a pull for KMesh, and it was looking like the two of them were going to get away. I sat in right next to Laura Van Gilder. I told her, “I listened to you.” She smiled and nodded. KMesh was back in front. Then two things happened simultaneously- LaSasso attacked and gapped KMesh, and Van Gilder took off hard to bridge up to LaSasso. KMesh was returning to the pack. The best thing would be to make a “negative” move- bring it back together, tuck KMesh in the pack to rest and shut down LaSasso and Van Gilder before they got together. When you have to make a “negative” move, everyone is your teammate, which makes it a bit easier to execute. I chased about halfway, then Carrie Cash took over. Diana Carrerra and Vanessa Drigo finished it off. I think that sacrificing myself and chasing very hard was the right thing to do to avoid a repeat of the previous day. I was also looking to earn some respect. I was awed by that beautiful coordinated move, and psyched that I led the charge to shut it down.

After that chase I was gassed. There was no way I could sit in and recover for a decent sprint. I was inadvertently letting gaps open up, nearly falling off the back, then working my way up slowly through the pack, riding tired. Mesh looked great though, and was weaving up in the top 6 wheels consistently. The only reason why I found anything at the end was to watch her sprint for a podium finish (3rd!!!). 4 people got me at the line and I finished 22nd, 2 spots out of the money. My worst result of the series, OUR best result ever. I was really proud of Kristen for saying she was gonna win and then just doing it.

 

++++++++  NOTES  ++++++++

Later on, Sarah noted, One awesome thing about Gateway was that Matt James photographed and featured the women as much as the men:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/gateway-cup-2012/tour-de-francis-park/photos/237392 

Also, read Kristen's report here: http://www.pwppedalingwithapurpose.blogspot.com/2012/09/gateway-cup-st-louis-mo.html

Tour of Lawrence Criterium

Photo by LanterneRougeici

by  Michelle Moore

When I got talked into doing my first Crit race back in March 2012 (Gapers Block), I thought I’d be “one and done.”  While my amazing Spider Monkey teammates taught me about crits, and even rode the course with me, I wasn’t really a fan. It was cold, I popped off the back quickly and worked much harder than necessary since I was ALONE for 28.5 of the 30 min race. Not one to give up easily, I went out the next night and tried again. For the record, crits are a LOT more fun when you stay with the pack, not to mention a HELL of a lot easier!

When I learned about Le Tour de Lawrence, I was all in. Not necessarily because I was eager to “race” three different events, in three different days, in three digit temps. No, it’s because Lawrence is my alma mater. I have fond memories of the campus and my “glory days” there, and I knew the community would fully support this event. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!

So, after an evening of street sprints so colorfully painted by Mark, I took on my first circuit race (see Mikey and Hayes’ report – if they ever write them :).  It wasn’t great, but it was my first so I’ll always remember it – especially getting to ride on the campus I walked for four years (Dean was fortunate enough to get an extra year). J  I will not miss the hill by the Library though, she was a real bitch!

Sunday’s Criterium race is something I was actually looking forward to throughout the weekend. It was an event that I knew something about, and felt that I actually stood a chance at not being DFL (reference #1).   As I lined up at the start line with 28 other women, including my fellow crit racer, Kelly Clarke, we were showered with cheers and screams from our teammates:  Mark, Dean, Vanessa, Mikey, Rebecca, Scott , Roxanne and Hayes.  Such supportive Monkeys!

I’ve always had a fear during racing, and if I’m being honest – even during group rides – of being able to clip into my pedals in an appropriate amount of time, without causing a crash or looking like a complete fool. To my surprise, and after Mark making me practice over and over and over again, I got my foot on my pedal, kept pedaling and without looking down, smoothly clipped in. Nailed it!

I’d had a chance to ride the course a few times before the race started, so I felt comfortable the first lap knowing where the turns and hills were located. If there is one thing that most Americans have a misconception of, it’s that Kansas is flat. It is, in fact, NOT flat – at least not in Lawrence, KS.  It was a great course, forming a sort of Figure 8 around all the “hot spots” of the downtown area.

The first lap of the race I was just trying to figure out my positioning in the pack, how the pack would respond to the turns, how they would jump out of the turns, etc.  The difficult thing about crits is that it feels like you are constantly turning, and have very few straights to move up in the group. Oh, and that you’re heart rate is near 199 for 30-40 straight minutes. This race featured eight different turns, one right after the next.  After the eighth turn, the road straightened out, and sloped slightly downhill to the finish. This is where I turned my body inside out to jump on a wheel and/or move up in the group. It felt amazing!

Often I found myself along the gates on the far right side, which initially freaked me out because I was slightly terrified of crashing. However, once I figured out how to stay calm and carry on, I just stayed focused on the wheel in front of me. 

As I came around the eighth turn each lap, and sprinted down the straight away, I was rewarded with roars from my teammates.  It gave me the fuel I needed to keep pushing on. I wanted them to be proud of me, and it was really fun still be part of the peloton.

As they announced we had five laps to go, I think I threw up a little in my mouth.  Not only did it feel like we’d already been racing for an hour, it was ridiculously hot out – at 10AM!!  I’ve never had to drink during a race, and I wasn’t sure how to do it going so fast and turning so much. So, I kept an eye on the group and when they drank, I drank. With the temps being so hot, I tried to drink every lap where I could. I got real tired of trying to lick the back of my throat since it felt like I had a cotton ball in my mouth the entire race. Anyway, I told myself that I could hang on for 10 more minutes.

Photo by LanterneRougeici

So, the laps melted away, and all of a sudden we had two to go. I knew the next time we came across the start line, these women would be moving into position for a strong attack and sprint to the finish.  I was already happy with my performance since I was still with the group, but it sure would be nice to “place” in the race too.  So, as we started the final lap, I gave it everything I had. I felt myself gapping the group a bit, and I heard the words of Mark Zalewski in my ear “you do everything you have to in order to grab a wheel. Even if you have to puke.”  So, I dug in and gave every last bit of myself I had left. 

I wasn’t in a great position with a half lap to go. Coming into the final turn, a girl in the group took herself out on the fence (the very thing I was worried about earlier). I was far enough back that I was able to maneuver around her, jump out of the final turn and sprint my ass off.  I had no idea where I was in the pack, but I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face

My teammates celebrated with me, and I was once again hooked on racing. I love my bike, even if I ride 650s Oh, and I got 12^th. So, not quite a top 10 finish, but it was my best race to-date.  When’s the next one?

Glencoe Grand Prix Race Report

Sabin on the podium!

by Sabin West

Glencoe was the first race of the season for me and I wanted to see where my legs stood. Seeing that I've only managed one ride with the Monkeys this year I had moderate expectations for myself. I met up with fellow Monkey and lifelong friend, Aaron Byrnes, and we did some warm up laps. It was Aaron's first Crit, and only my second after placing 5th in last years Tour of Elk Grove.

The weather was absolutely perfect. PJ and other fellow Monkeys joined the starting line where we all kind of lined up in the back. I thought to myself, being in the back is a bad idea, but I am in good company, 5 Monkeys deep.

We're off! I slide to the left and make my way up to the first corner and find myself in 8th or so position. Aaron holds my wheel, PJ, David, Geoff all together... second corner, Spidermonkeys deep, we form 2 x 2, a pyramid... Turn number three, things get sketchy, we hold our line... Turn four, two Team Tati and 2 other teams up front, the sprint line, Spidermonkeys paving the way!

We were looking good. I would hold 3rd-5th wheel for the next few laps with teammates moving in and out and then by lap 4 felt good enough to lead a round and pick up the pace. I learned from last year at Elk Grove that pulling to long resulted in a poor sprint, so I let off the gas and shifted to tactics.

The bell rings! Final lap and we're all in good position. The guys off the front start to move. I respond and give chase. Turn one, turn two, turn three... I'm in 6th position. Last turn, here we go! I motor up the runway, 6th position, 5th position, 4th, 3rd... and call it like I see it flashing three fingers at the line.

My second crit race ever. My first podium finish. The Spidermonkeys did great, 2 top ten finishes and Aaron just shy at 11th place. Great job everyone. I can't wait for the next race.


Official Spidermonkey Participant List:
Aaron Byrnes
PJ Cavoto
Kelly Clarke
Brandon Diffenderfer
Tim Driver
Kristi Hanson
Drew Kushnick
Stephanie Kushnick
David Loring

Kristen Meshberg

Peter Monko
Geoff Pomerantz
Sarah Rice
Hayes Sanborn
Masayuki Tsuchiya
Sabin West

Lake Bluff and Glencoe Crits Race Report

Photo by Ali Engin

Kristen Meshberg has been having a phenomenal season, and we're very glad she's rockin' the 312 Spidermonkey jersey this year. Race reports are new to Spidermonkey as a team, but Kristen writes one for every race she does. They're a great way to gauge your improvement, make goals, and learn from every race.

From early June's Lake Bluff and Glencoe races:

When the gun went off I was thrilled to get a great start!  When I hit the first twisty section in great position I knew things were going to be ok!  I was so happy I yelled "F Yeah!"  Sometimes I crack myself up in races.  I settled in and rode the best I could.

Read the rest at Kristen's blog.

Snake Alley Race Report

Sarah on the snake
Photo by Cathy Frampton

by Sarah Rice

I think that getting better at bike racing really means mapping out a new set of passages in your pain cave. So 4 weeks after two facial bone fractures, I lined up for my first regional P1/2/3 race ever. My first hilly crit ever. Snake Alley. I warmed up with Kristen and except for the heat, felt quite good. K was targeting this race, her warm-up was perfect, she seemed to be in the zone. She told me about her previous experience, finishing 16th, one spot out of the money.  So she had a score to settle.

We went to line up and I realized I had my number on the wrong side. So instead of making my callup and getting my spot, I had Eric and Jason re-pin me. I mis-clipped the start worse than I ever have, and had to sprint to catch the pack. Took the sharp inside line on the first corner to catch on, at a hot pace. Hit the snake mid-pack.

The climbing wasn't as bad as I had envisioned, but the heat made the snake feel like a pizza oven. Lots of people were cheering, Eric, Jason, the Psimet crew, Cathy Frampton, and Sue Wellinghoff. So great to see them out there despite the heat and human misery they had to witness. At the top of the snake, I felt like a punch-drunk fighter heading into the technical descent. Normally I am pretty good on those, but I wasn't. My lines on the turns weren't as crisp as I like them, and I was a little timid. And too slow. That put me desperately trying to catch on during the part of the course at the bottom the hill, where it actually resembled a real crit. I saw Kristen ahead- she was able to bomb the descent, and caught some good wheels. I chased. Demoralized, trying to chase through the start-finish line, seeing the number "2" on the lap counter, heading up to the snake again. This wasn't going well. Survive, survive another lap, I told myself. The leaders were already way out of sight.

It got worse. I survived one more lap, then two. Kristen was way up the road. Then I saw her on the side of the course, just before the snake on lap 4. I looked to see if she had crashed. She said she was fine, keep going! The voice inside my head screamed MOMMY! But it was time to put the big girl panties on and go up the snake again.

Somehow, inexplicably, I found a rhythm. Up the snake. Down. Keep it clean, stay loose, solid through the bottom section, just ride it. I was all alone, but kept pushing. 6 laps down. Made it halfway. 8 laps. 10 laps, and I hadn't been lapped yet. I was passing a few riders who had mechanicals or who just popped. It felt good to ride past an IScorp rider who was walking the snake. On lap 11 it finally happened, I got lapped by Jeannie Kuhajek and Kaitlin Antonneau, the first and second place riders. Third place Emma Bast lapped me on the first downhill section. I couldn't catch on to work with them- still too timid on the descent. I could have stopped, because they were done and I had a lap left. But I felt good, and after so long not feeling good, I wanted to take my last lap. I wanted to do my 12th snake. So I did, during the men's warm-up lap. I crossed the start-finish line laughing at myself. I thought I came in last. I was off the back, all alone for a long time. But Snake Alley has incredible attrition. Turns out, I was 16th- one spot out of the money.  So I've got a score to settle.

The Memorial Weekend Omnium

Katie Isermann at Quad Cities
Photo by Elizabeth Rangel

Kristen Meshberg and Sarah Rice were at The Memorial Weekend Omnium this past weekend, which has three criterium races in the Quad Cities area (Iowa and Illinois).  A lot of pros come out, and there's some top notch racing. Sarah Rice reported on all three races:

          Snake Alley

          Melon City

          Quad Cities

Fox River Grove Criterium Race Report

Photo by Jason Steeno

by  Hayes Sanborn

Day #2 of the Fox River Omnium

After racing twice on Saturday, I tried to rest up as much as possible on Saturday night, but a bachelor party with all you can eat meat dinner isn't recommended before racing a hilly crit x 2.

I still remember Norge as my worst cross race of the year. It had everything I don't do well, wrapped up in one course. When I saw a crit was being held at the same location I had to redeem myself. I'm a slim guy, that would totally crush the big guys on the mountain of a hill we had to climb over and over, is what I thought when I signed up. I climb well on gradual grades, anything I can tap out a rhythm, I'm golden. This hill was not one of those grades. I struggled up each lap trying to turn the cranks over while losing contact with my group. Every lap was a repeat of the lap before, get dropped on the climb, and reattaching on the downhill and head wind section leading back to the start. I refused to look at the laps to go counter as I knew that would only make it hurt more. Luckily, I wasn't the only guy that suffered up the hill, I would finish mid pack in the 5's race in almost the identical spot as the day before in Elgin. This race was hard, very hard. I ended the race with an Intensity factor of 1.07 in the first race and a 1.02 in the second. I'm getting stronger but still not strong enough (are you ever?). The Omnium is a great event featuring two very different courses and I highly recommend making the drive out to the burbs for this race next year. I think the highlight of the day was the many shout outs I got from the hecklers on the hill when they saw me racing twice, almost back to back.

Official Participant List:
Drew Kushnick
Stephanie Kushnick
Hayes Sanborn

Monsters of the Midway Race Report

PJ looks good in orange!
Photo by Velogrrl

by PJ Cavoto

Monsters of the Midway; Hearing all the rumors that this event has a lot of crashes didn't give me lots of confidence for these races. I actually caved and shaved my legs for the 1st time in preparation. Fortunately, my experiences were very good and the surfaces were dry. That can't be said for the races earlier in the afternoon and morning.

The Cat 4/5 race went well. I maintained solid positioning throughout the race staying on the inside of the whole course and avoiding any trouble. But when it came down to the finishing lap. I just didn't seem to have what it took to get me to the front and finish with a strong sprint.

PJ, Pete, Ben and Geoff lined up before the race
Photo by Bevan Brookfield

The Cat 5 race was a blast. We had four Spidermonkey's in the race and decided that Pete Monko would be the guy. Ben Sparks, Geoff Pomerantz, and I all stayed up near the front and kept attacking the field. I actually sprinted down the back side three times to cut the field off before turn 3 and then would hammer it all the way to the finish line just trying to thin the field and tire guys out. Pete tried to break away after one of these attacks and I attempted to block, but it wasn't successful. Last lap Pete had my wheel coming around turn 3/4, and we seemed to be in perfect alignment for the finishing stretch. But when I went to step on the gas nothing came out and told Pete he had to go it alone. At that point some faster wheels were already to far ahead of us and Pete ended up with 8th place. All in all, we practiced some great tactics and seemingly had things lined up to place. The experience should serve us well in applying to future races. Thanks Drew for coaching and strategizing with us for this race.

Official Participant List:
PJ Cavoto
Drew Kushnick
Peter Monko
Geoffrey Pomerantz
Geoffrey Scott
Benjamin Spark
Masayuki Tsuchiya
Trent Williams

Lincoln Park Criterium Race Report

by Kelly Clarke

It's easy to get excited about races that happen within the boundaries of the great city of Chicago, especially those that happen in our backyard. So when xXx announced the Alderman James Cappleman's 46th Ward Lincoln Park Criterium to replace last years south side Sherman Park race, the Spidermonkies were all in. Though, in all honesty, I was far more excited for the Leland race happening the day before. I had never tried my hand at a road race, and I fell in love with the grueling depictions of last year's race. I was set to ride Leland no matter what Mother Nature decided to bestow on us that day. The Lincoln Park crit was not my priority, but you can't say no to a race that's happening in your own back yard.

Toeing the line with Michelle Moore

I arrived at Montrose Beach unprepared and late. One of the things that holds me back from being a serious and successful cyclist is simply that my social life is very important to me, and sometimes I'm not willing to make the sacrifice for a good night's sleep. After Leland on Saturday, I had celebratory post-race lunch and beers with Sarah Rice, Kristi Hanson, Annette Stahelin, and Annie Byrne. Sarah bought us our beers with the money she earned getting second place in the 1/2/3 race at Leland - what a great teammate! Reasonable people would stop there, knowing they were racing again the next day. But when we got back to the city I rushed out to Roller Derby where I met some co-workers. From there, we watched an exciting Blackhawks playoff game that went into overtime and left us nearly closing down the bar. With little sleep, minimal warm-up, and legs that still felt the gravel roads from the day prior, I lined up for the race. I leaned over my handlebars and closed my eyes for a minute or two. I could have taken a nap right there. But then I started joking around with Dean Okun and Michelle Moore and felt better. If I forget to mention this later, there were a ton of Spidermonkies that came out to cheer us on and it was awesome!

Justeen, Dean, and Vanessa - just a few of those out cheering

I had pre-ridden the course on Thursday with my old pal Annette and it had been incredibly windy. The weather report called for 9mph on this Sunday, but as the weatherman often lies, the wind felt more about 15-18mph. The cold gusts would definitely be a factor in the stretch to the finish line. The course was more interesting than the only other place I've done a crit - Calumet Park for the Half Acre Gaper's Block crits. I figured the 180 degree turn would break up the pack more, but Sue Wellinghoff said she thought it worked as an equalizer, because it slowed everyone down (full article). Regardless, it would take more skill and calculation than the easy corners I had seen at Calumet Park. I was intimidated by the prospects.

Map of the course

To start the course, there was a slight incline after the first turn, a slight descent into the second turn, and incline and then descent into the 180 degree turn, and you come out of the 180 going uphill. A descent takes you into the fourth turn which is a gradual and easy turn made difficult when gusts of wind start hitting you. The home stretch lies just west of the lake with nothing to block the wind. When I talk about ascents, this is obviously nothing like the aggressive hills we saw in Galena a couple weekends prior, but they were notable enough to influence placement of possible attacks.

Having no real expectations, at the start of the race I pedaled at a comfortable pace. Somehow this landed me at the front of the pack. Then just before the second turn, Marie Snyder came around and a handful of the faster girls followed. I dropped back, approaching the 180 turn. I expected it to be chaotic and scary. It wasn't at all. Everyone slowed down so much and took wide enough lines that it seemed very safe.

At the front to start the race

Out of the 180, everyone sprints back to the pack, so it makes sense that the first people into that turn will have an easier time recovering. You would want to get back into a good position before getting to the fourth turn of the course, because the wind is so rough on that final strait away that having a solid place in the pack could make a huge difference. I never found that sweet spot in the pack. I stuck near the pack, but never fully integrated.

Looking ahead, I could see Kristi, Stephanie, and Michelle with great positioning. I was hanging on, but I started to drop back. Then on one lap, around the fourth turn, I saw Michelle go down. She got tangled with another girl and they both went flying. I swerved around them. I was worried she was OK. I tried to shout to teammates, telling them to make sure she was not hurt. I was kind of rattled. In my trying to locate teammates on the sidelines, I had fallen off the back of the pack. For the rest of the race they would gain a little more distance each lap.

The last two laps, I could see the leaders coming back towards the fourth turn as I was in the second turn, approaching the 180. It was kind of like cyclocross, when the course doubles back on itself and allows you to see just how far back you are. Also in the last two laps, girls started dropping off the pack. I made it my goal to just start picking people off as they fell back. Going into the final turn I saw Michelle ahead of me. Good. She was fine and was able to take a free lap. Crossing the finish line, I saw Dean, and he shouted to me, "Stephanie got second!" Awesome! After finishing, I caught up to Michelle and asked her what happened. She had crashed, but aside from a scrape on her hand she was totally fine. I was impressed she had been so calm and able to find the officials to take her free lap. She did everything right.

Later on I heard that Kristi's lead out helped Stephanie get into position for her second place finish. It was a pretty selfless act for her to come out of the 180 sprinting hard to lead towards the finish. And Stephanie is so strong this year. I'm really excited that I get to call these women that race with great intuition and power my teammates.

Stephanie on the podium!

I have a lot of work to do before I am racing at the level I want to be, but it's been great to look up to Kristi Hanson, Stephanie Levin, Sarah Rice, and Kristen Meshberg. They have a lot of experience and it's fun watching them race. It's also been great to see Michelle Moore come out in her first season and basically kill it with great positioning and strong riding. Ladies, you teach me a lot every time I ride with you, and I'm grateful for it.

Thanks to everyone who came out to race and/or cheer!
And congratulations to Kristen and Sarah on their third One-Two finish!

Official Spidermonkey Participant List:
PJ Cavoto
Kelly Clarke
Brandon Diffenderfer
Tim Driver
Kristi Hanson
Drew Kushnick
Stephanie Levin Kushnick
David Loring
Kristen Meshberg
Ken Mitchell
Michelle Moore
Geoff Pomerantz
Sarah Rice
Geoff Scott
Ben Spark
Trent Williams

5th Annual Spring Super Criterium

The course at Blackhawk Farms Raceway

The Burnham Spring Super Crit is a huge event for Spidermonkey Cycling, because we co-host the event and support the race with volunteers. As a result, we usually have the largest cheering section among any of the teams out there. It's always a ton of fun and a great way to get the race season started.

This year, we have collected a series of short race reports from some of our teammates.

PJ CAVOTO (Men's Cat 4/5 and Masters 4/5)

Being the second only Criterium that I have participated in, I certainly was nervous about getting hurt. My years of MTB riding, and 10 years plus of road cycling, I feel comfortable being on a bike and racing in a pack. But just like riding a bike in city, its not yourself you have to worry about, its the other drivers.

The course quickly put me at ease with plenty of room for 4 to 6 abreast and lazy turns where typically little speed would need to be scrubbed. Unfortunately, the 4/5 races, braking was applied by many nervous nellies...

My goal in the Cat 4/5 and Masters 4/5 was to stay with the leading pack and finish near the front of the field. I had been away on business all week and was feeling flu like that morning. I took 18th in the 1st race and decided in the second to try for better finish. I fought to stay in the stem of the cherry with little success. Obviously, that is where everyone wants to be on the last lap. So after getting knocked off the wheel in front me several times...I concluded to just burn myself up and make the field work to stay with me in the last 1/4 of the finishing lap. I successfully stayed on front till the last turn. Then of course the field blew by me and I ended up crossing the line in 40th. I knew that would be the result, but also knew I wouldn't podium, so figured lets feel what its like on front pulling the peloton around the track.

The experience was terrific! What a neat place to race! I would certainly go back!

TRENT WILLIAMS (Men's Cat 4)

The race was fast, but at the same time quite conservative, no attacks, or teams dominating the race. As the race went on, it appeared as if it was going to be a sprint finish. Having raced the cat 4/5 race an hour prior, I knew I had to position myself well. But unlike the previous race, no one made any attack until the absolute last straight away. By the time the sprint came around I found myself boxed in. The guy ahead of me did a great job to pull me into 16th, but I didn't have anywhere to go to sprint around. I need to work on positioning.... (lesson learned)


STEPHANIE LEVIN KUSHNICK (Women's Cat 4)

This was my 2nd time racing the super crit and I really like the course because it's not technical, which is good for me! The Women's 4 race was 5 laps and they were pretty uneventful, I pulled at points just to stay warm! The pace picked up with about 1/2 of a lap to go and the two girls from Cutting Crew were at the front. The field was together until around the last straight away (about a .25 mile I believe) when it broke up. The two girls from Cutting Crew took 1st and 2nd, ex-spidermonkey Vanessa took 3rd, a girl I rode Little 500 with took 4th, I took 5th, Kristi finished in 8th, and Stewart in 12th. It was a fun first race of the season for me and great to be on the start line with other Spidermonkeys!

Start of the Men's Cat 5 race

BEN SPARK (Men's Cat 4/5, Men's Cat 5 and Masters 30+ Cat 4/5)

This is not my first race, but it may as well be, since I last raced a few races 15 years ago. My experience then and at the Burnham SSC was not knowing how to approach the typical final sprint of a criterium and my results speak to that. However, what I enjoyed most was mixing it up with the pack during the race, taking a turn on the front and something new.....I felt like I belonged to a team. Even though I didn't know most of my fellow Spidermonkey racers, I felt a connection with them during the race. When a fellow Spidermonkey was on the front trying to push the pace or bridge a gap I was motivated to do what I could to help, even if I had nothing left in my legs. I completed 3 races at the Burnham SSC and loved each of them.


SARAH RICE (Women's Open and Master's 30+ 1/2/3/4)

I was tired Saturday morning. I didn’t have the brains or the energy for heroics. I decided to just do whatever Kristen Meshberg did. NOTE TO SELF: THAT’S A VERY GOOD PLAN. Racing with Kristen was like dancing with Fred Astaire: she was in the right place at the right time the entire race. She was so good that she made me look good by association. But it goes without saying that we looked good. We were both wearing Spidermonkey kits.

We attacked the start hard, as planned. We had a gap in the first turn, but it was a small field of very strong riders—Anne Meyer, Erin Woloszyn, Skylar Schneider, Daphne Kariganis, Lindsay Durst, and others. They caught us right away. Kristen went for the first prime. I didn’t have the legs to go with, so I blocked. She dangled off the front, got more space, easy did it, till she had a 15 second gap. I let her inch forward a little at a time, and the pack wasn’t chasing. Someone asked me if I was going to close it. “Hell no. We’re teammates.”

I should have lied.

30 seconds later, Erin Woloszyn charged and caught her. The whole pack came back together, but now we knew that Erin’s would be the wheel to mark at the end. The attacks followed a pattern. Erin Woloszyn jumped first, then Skylar Schneider, Anne Meyer, and Lindsey Durst, all in a line. Repeat.

We decided to get them to go early and ride their wheels through the long sprint to the finish. On the final corner, the Durst/Meyer/Schneider train was on the outside. Erin Woloszyn blew past them on the inside with Kristen on her wheel and me on Kristen’s. Kristen pulled around Erin’s right at the same time as I pulled around her left. Whoops! We should have taken the same side, but we’d never coordinated a lead-out move because we’d never ridden together before! I went all out, trying to get in position to lead out Kristen. I was almost there and told her to get my wheel, but she couldn’t get over to me so she just held on. In the end she was out in front and moving so fast, I caught her wheel and stayed on it till the end. Definite room for improvement on finish technique, but 1-2!!!!

Kristen and Sarah on the podium

KRISTEN MESHBERG (Women's Open and Master's 30+ 1/2/3/4)

Went to the line in the women's race with my new teammate Sarah Rice for the first time. We had a small field but it was actually bigger than we'd expected, with some really strong riders present. Sarah and I got to know each other and raced together really well! We got every prime and went 1/2 in the race! Confidence boosting for the both of us!! Then for more training and another chance to race together we jumped in the men's 30+ field finishing safely with the field.
See Kristen's full race report here.

Vanessa Buccella interviewed Kristen and Sarah after their race.


BRANDON DIFFENDERFER (Men's Cat 3 and Men's Cat 1/2/3)

Cat 3:
I lined up for this race not looking to get some speed in the legs. 2 or 3 laps into the race I took a short pull on the backside of the course to test my legs, and they didn’t respond like I wanted, so I pulled a Nate Iden and tailgunned for the remainder of the race. The only difference between me and him is that he finishes better than me. Two laps to go I decided it was time to move towards the front, albeit with the rest of the pack which made it difficult. I was sitting on two ABD wheels during the last lap when I was shuffled back between corners 3 and 4 and couldn’t recover in time to factor into the sprint, although I’m doubtful that would have made a difference.

Cat 1/2/3:
Wow, that was fast, 27.6 mph average over an hour of racing. I’ve never easily pushed that big of a gear before. After 20 minutes of racing, Andy Daley looks at me, recognizing how tired I was, and says “Don’t worry, the break will get away and we’ll slow down.” There was one thing I learned during this race, don’t ever listen to Andy Daley. While I was hoping his words were true, the pace never relented and the break still managed to get away. Excitement took over in the pack as the break was getting reeled in in the closing laps, and I have to admit that I was a little excited to watch this even though it wouldn’t affect me one bit. Three riders in the break managed to hold off the field sprinters even though the pack was barreling down on them in the final stretch. This can be seen at the 6:30 mark of this video.

This was my first year racing at Blackhawk Farms and I’m excited to go back next year. A big thanks goes out to Burnham racing, especially Eric Goodwin, for putting this event together and to all of the Spidermonkey and other volunteers at this race.


Spidermonkey Official Participant List:Peter Cavoto
Stewart Chapman
David Cushman
Brandon Diffenderfer
Kristi Hanson
Andrew Kushnick
Eric Landahl
Stephanie Levin
Kristen Meshberg
Sarah Rice
Hayes Sanborn
Benjamin Spark
Trent Williams

All in all, this was a great event at a great venue. Many thanks to all who came out, raced, volunteered, and cheered! Also thank you to Mrinal Shah, Jason Knauff, race director Eric Goodwin, and Burnham Racing for all of your efforts to make this event happen. Can't wait for next year!

Sherman Park Criterium, 6/14/08
Race #8

4th place/50

xXx AthletiCo did a great job, from what I can tell. I was (and still am) pissed about my result but my prize was by far the nicest trophy I have ever won for anything. Thanks, guys! Trophies like this make it easier to justify so much time and compulsive training on the bike to non-racers, people like my wife.

I really didn’t care about going for a result in this race until it started. These last two weeks I have been tired, bordering on exhausted or suffering from possible burn-out. Instead of obsessing with riding, I had been trying to focus on the end of school (I'm a teacher) and being responsible there rather than preoccupied with my rather serious whims on the bike. Shirking my responsibilities for the bike must be mediated by some kind of maturity.

So, I spent little time on the bike and it felt pretty damn good.

Report:
This was by far the sketchiest race I have entered. Iowa had crushing wind causing people to loose their line, today many riders just couldn’t hold their line. I was in midpack and in the back for most of the race so I saw nearly everything bad happen. I also got to quickly identify the nuts I should keep behind me and then moved to the front half as the race progressed.

The course was a ~1 mile loop around Sherman Park at 55th and Racine. Nice park. Built in the same era as Humboldt park with separate changing rooms for men and women on either end of the park pool. Several Spartan cement pedestrian bridges linked the pool area with the playing fields banked by the park’s lagoon. The course was a closed park drive that circles the lagoon, with a slight downhill start and a slight uphill final 50m to the finish. There were no corners and just a few minor spots of rough pavement. The soft edge of the course caused a few close calls and the drenching rain we’ve had put a bit of mud in my eye. All in all a nice course, I’d rate it 8/10.

Short version: The race was not eventful. There were a few attacks, none stuck. From midpack I kept an eye on any breaks and they were all 1 or 2 riders and were eventually sucked back in. I felt pretty strong and with 10 min to go, I was confident I could earn a place. With two to go I was quite sure I could get a podium at least, on the bell lap I got caught out front and lost the sprint for 2nd and got toasted at the line for 3rd. I placed 4th and got a damn nice trophy for the effort.

Nice shot of Grant throwing the bike for 2nd and me about to finish 4th. After closely examining the photographic evidence, Grant must have been moving at light speed because he was pretty far behind me in the previous shot and then is more than a length in front in this one. I must have been more dead than I thought. (Thanks to Luke for taking a perfect finish line shot!)


So the last lap is all that really matters for me. As the bell rang, I was 3rd wheel crossing the line and before I knew it I was on the front. Fuck. I pulled off and grabbed 2nd wheel (perhaps I should have dropped back a few more, but I was concerned that everyone would have been too guarded). This guy was on the front for like 2 seconds, so I’m on the front again. Fuck.

Now my options were jump and go for it/try to hold ‘em off for 1k; not pull and hold for a bunch sprint; pull off and see what happens. I did the stupid thing: stayed on the front and didn’t do anything. I let the pace drop just a bit, but then nothing. The winning move came from a xXx rider who jumped at 200m and pulled away so damn strong and smooth that even as the race was happening I couldn’t help but admire it. It was so strong decisive that I knew it was the win. I tried to jump on his wheel but didn’t really "try" to jump it, I just accelerated a bit and held a higher pace but not enough to keep with him. Looking back, I think I had the strength; I didn’t have the -- I dunno, the blood lust, I guess. With 75m to go I jumped and thought I could hold for 2nd but at ~50m Grant (xXx) came around my outside. I was not holding my line too well because I was reaching my limit and we bumped shoulders while sprinting out of the saddle, but not badly enough to knock him off his momentum (congrats Grant!). I came into his lane and after the race joked that it was because I saw him coming around. That was not true, and not funny--though I didn't realized it until I was riding home later on. That shit can be dangerous. I didn’t do it intentionally. Another xxx rider who was way on the inside took 3rd, we both threw the bike, he won the throw. (edit: he had me by a wheel, at least...damn. Two Half Acre guys were watching the finish (thanks for the beer!!) and one had me for 3rd, the other 4th. I guess it was pretty close.)

Once again, I was the lead out man for 2nd. I’m starting to feel like the horse that xXx rides in on.