Tag Archives: Cycling

Monday Track Race report

July 30, 2018Cycling, Uncategorized#CKC, #fixie, #grasstrack, #kca, #KCBC, #KStrackracing, #lawrence, #localcycling, #moveup, CyclingMivan

By Mike Ivancic

At 49, you might think I’d slow down a little—or as my mom likes to say, “Sit your butt down for a minute!” But instead, I found myself trying something completely new: track racing.

Now, if you’ve never raced on a track before, let me tell you—it’s as raw and pure as cycling gets. No brakes. Fixed gear. One gear, one goal: go fast. The track I raced on wasn’t your typical velodrome. It was a 333-meter grass-and-dirt oval carved into a field just northwest of Lawrence, Kansas. Tires with bite were mandatory, and so was a sense of humor.

Track Racing: Old-School Vibes and New Challenges

The local track community showed up in full force, blending experience and youth with equal parts grit and good vibes. I knew a lot of these racers from the road and CX scene, but some were new faces—and serious fast.

One standout pairing was Scott Williamson, perched atop his sleek Specialized, and Connor Remboldt, whose 1989 rusted steel frame made more noise than a cowbell at a cross race. Both brought serious speed and plenty of wins on Sunday, as we duked it out for the Kansas State Track Championship titles.

Podium Moments (and New Kit Confidence)

Somehow, I ended up on the top step of the podium in two events, and 4th in Cat 4. Not bad for my second time ever on a track. I’ll admit—our new KCBC kit didn’t just look sharp; it felt fast, too (and maybe just a little slimming).

It was also great to share the day with Dave, a teammate, cycling official, and president of the Kansas Cycling Association. Dave’s one of the many people who keep our local scene alive and thriving. I gave him a little grief for having to race me in the 45–49 category, but we both know that’s where the real battles happen. Between his work, racing, and support from his wife Cindy, this family is a pillar of the KC cycling world.

Between the Races

Track racing isn’t just about speed—it’s about community. Between events, we caught our breath while the kids’ races lit up the infield. After the final whistle, racers and spectators stuck around for some well-earned conversation and a beverage or two. The vibe? Relaxed, inclusive, and supportive—everything that makes grassroots cycling great.

Want In?

If you’re curious about track racing or just want to know what it’s like to go full gas without brakes on a grass track, check out localcycling.com. The people behind this scene are working hard to keep it alive—and growing—in Kansas City.

Up Next

There’s a bit of a breather in the KC race calendar this weekend, but the next two are stacked:

August 5 – Swope Park Criterium
August 12–13 – Junction City Classic

So dust off your road bike, stretch those legs, and get ready. Whether you’re chasing points, podiums, or just a new challenge—there’s a spot for you in this community.

Happy Monday!!!

Crash, Comebacks, and KCBC Grit: A Midseason Recap from Missouri

July 25, 2018Cycling, Uncategorized#CKC, #criterium, #cyclingcrash, #frozetoes, #independencemissouri, #KCBC, #roadie, #roadrace, #trumancup2018, #usac, CyclingMivan

By Mike Ivancic

This race report is unofficially brought to you by the letter “C”—for Crash. Because every rider knows: it’s not if, it’s when. And my when came hard in Columbia, Missouri, during the Froze Toes Road Race, held July 15—the Missouri State Championship Road Race. It was my worst wreck since I first clipped in back in 2010, and let me tell you: Missouri pavement does not forgive.

Ironically, despite its name, the Froze Toes race felt more like Inferno Heels. With temps pushing past 90°F, the 31-mile road course offered a fast, flat profile—except for the kicker in the final 500 meters. And if you’re carrying 20–30 pounds more than the featherweights in the peloton, you feel every inch of that uphill finish.

Unfortunately, my day ended early—taken out at mile 11. I still managed to finish, albeit 25th out of 27. Not ideal, but part of the game.

KCBC Shows Up

Despite my misfortune, KCBC represented well.

Dan Shaffer took on the Masters field and earned a solid 12th out of 20. Steady and dependable.
Kurt Wilson raced in the Cat 3 field and landed 26th out of 30.
Lynn Wilson powered to a brilliant 2nd place, narrowly missing first by inches—and picked up some podium cash for the ride home. (Note to self: get a picture of Lynn on the podium next time!)
Shelly Milner, racing for the first time since surgery, rode a strong race, finishing 5th despite missing a turn. Without the detour, we may have seen her on the podium.

Special thanks to race director Aaro Froese, whose passion for cycling is evident in every detail of this well-run event. Froze Toes may leave some skin behind, but it’s a race built with heart.

The Truman Cup: KCBC Women Steal the Show

The following weekend, the Truman Cup took over the racing calendar—a 3-day omnium with a Friday time trial, Saturday circuit race, and Sunday criterium. I was sidelined with injuries, but the KCBC squad rolled deep in orange.

Highlights from the women’s field:

Michelle Lingenfelser took 3rd in the TT and 1st overall in Women’s Cat 4.
Lynn Wilson doubled up on Sunday, snagging 1st place in both 40+ and Cat 1/2/3. Incredible performance from a true workhorse.

In the men’s events:

Kurt Wilson grabbed 1st in the circuit race.
Shawn Knight locked in a 2nd place finish in the Sunday crit (40+).
Kyle Guinn clocked a strong 3rd in the Friday TT.

Even from the sidelines, I enjoyed seeing so much KCBC success. I spent Sunday at the crit, not quite 100% yet, but lucky enough to hang out with Michelle’s son, Nash—a future cyclocross or BMX racer if I’ve ever seen one. Smart, enthusiastic, and already soaking up the racing world

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Gratitude, Crashes, and Kenny’s Redemption

A big shoutout to Shelly Milner, who came out all weekend to support the team. Whether it was setting up, passing out water, or cheering like hell at the finish line—Shelly reminded us what real teammates look like.

And while I was bandaging up my crash wounds, Kenny Carlson was in the woods racing MTB—and hitting trees. Literally. Despite splitting his chin open mid-race, Kenny shook it off and won the Cat 3 race. Guts, grit, and a podium finish to prove it.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Pikos decided to make a little side trip up to Ft. Dodge, Iowa, where she snagged 3rd in her category at the RockNrail 1850 Crit. Well done, Piko—and we know your Facebook’s got the photo evidence!

In cycling, there’s pain, yes. But there’s also perseverance, support, and family. Every race isn’t just about podiums—sometimes it’s about who showed up, who helped out, and who refused to quit.

As I always say: Every friend you have today was once a stranger. So go out this weekend, meet someone new, and maybe even hand them a water bottle at the finish line.

Thank you for reading.

Monday Race Report – KCBC 7/2/2018

July 3, 2018Cycling, Uncategorized#CKC, #kca, #KCBC, #kcbc racing, #lawrence, #lonestar, #lonestarlake, #revolutionracing, #Subaruracing, #tourof lawrenc, #WNW, CyclingMivan

The Tour of Lawrence was the feature event this weekend. It was going to be a hot one, that along with the wind, will make an out and back time trial even tougher. Friday evening was the start of the time trial with a headwind out, coupled with a climb. So, knowing this is one thing, doing it in the most efficient way? Well that would be a question for our very own Kyle Guinn. He did the absolute best out of us all. Kyle took 1st overall in the Cat 3 and won it by almost 15 seconds. Great job Kyle. If you have any advice or secrets please share it with the rest of us. We are all proud of you. As for the rest of us? Well, Michelle Lingenfelser took 2nd place in the Cat 5 and missing 1st by 8 seconds. Everyone second guesses those 8 seconds. Did I leave it all out there? Where could I have made up those 8 seconds? You will have a chance to redeem yourself soon enough. Miss Jennifer Piko threw her hat in the ring in the Cat 4 and suffered with the rest of us to take 5th place. Great effort Jen. Then there is the Cat 4 men and I (Mike Ivancic) ended up taking 8th place. Those are all respectable places. We win when we show up and give it 100% no matter where you place.

Day 2 was even hotter than Friday. The crit was at Haskell University in Lawrence. This 2+ mile course had a ton of turns and an uphill finish. KCBC had a total of 8 athletes that entered the race. 3 of those were the best part of the 8. Our womans team once again showed up ready to race and contend. Madison Shepherd was first up and man did she put on one hell of a race and it was, once again a sprint finish. Madi came out of the final turn behind the cyclist from Tulsa and just could not get past her. Great work Shep! Jennifer Piko rode one of her stronger races and placed 17th out of 20. This was a very large cat 4 womans race. Michelle Lingenfelser also placed 2nd and the only reason she did not win this race was because there was a prem on the final lap. ( A prem is a premium / something of value that is given to the 1st cyclist to cross the start/finish on a certain lap that the officials decide) So, when they announced the prem and belled the final lap, this created a bit of confusion and Michelle let Kate from GP Velotek take the prem and therefore the race. I am going to go out on a limb and say, that will never happen again to Ms. Lingenfelser. As for the men of KCBC? Well, the top racer was once again Kyle with an 11th place finish, Michael Morris 13th and Shawn 21st in the cat 3 race. New KCBC teamate Mike Harrison took 8th in the 60+ category and was 2nd as a cat 4 in the 60+. I, on the other hand, suffered and struggled to stay on with the main group. This tends to happen when you are assisting the director of the race and there all day. Yes, I know what excuses are like, everyone has one:) So, 23rd place is not last but wow! We all suffered in that heat. I was impressed with everyone that showed up to race. But, I have to say one of the most impressive efforts I witnessed, was the one that Michael Allison (Cat 1 racer), from Olathe Subaru racing, put forth. Michael Allison set out on a 75 minute race in 100 degree heat. Micheal took off from the start and built about a 2.5 minute gap over the course of the 1st half of the race. He worked so hard and kept pushing himself but there was a chase group of 4 cyclist and one of those on the chase was a kid by the name of Alex Hoen (pro racer). In that chase group there was also 2 other Subaru teammates that were doing what they could to slow down the train. The lead was cut to 1 minute then 40 seconds. The take over happend right in front of me and we were all amazed when Alex took Michael over. But that was not what amazed me. Nope, what I was impressed with was not the speed that Alex overtook Michael. It was when Alex passed Michael Allison, Michael dug down deeper than he may ever had and he made such a huge effort to chase and get on the wheel of Alex Hoen. So, here is a high level racer that just put out a ton of effort, gets caught in the last lap and has the grit to accelerate enough to catch his opponents wheel and stay on it until the finish. Michael and Alex were neck and neck all the way to the finish line and Alex took the win by half a wheel. It was the best race of the weekend.

Day 3 was the road race around Lonestar, KS. Good news is it was much cooler, the bad news? There was a climb just before the finish. We fielded 8 and had a much better showing on the mens side. Our ladies did a great job with Michelle taking the top podium spot (that’s 1st place for all the non racer, or anyone that has never watched the Olympics). It was not a solo finish for Michelle, oh no! She had to work on that hill climb to beat Alexandra Borjarski-Stauffer (we should recruit her). Michelle did an outstanding job keeping her on her rear wheel through the climb and all the way to the finish. Great effort Michelle, super proud of you! Madison took 4th in the cat 4 and Jennifer finished strong at 14th. As for the men? The big win of the day goes to Mr. John Newman. John put in some incredible efforts and with a group sprint up the hill John worked his way into that 3rd spot. The cat 4 mens field was solid 25 men that all were strong climbers. I was officially pop’d off the back on the hill after the 2nd lap and could not recover. licking my 21st place wounds. As did my good friend John Field. Mr. Field entered the 40+ race that fielded some of the top cat 123 athletes. John is 52, he is also a cat 4. I give him props for sticking with that group as long as he did. John did not finish (DNF) and will be back in a few weeks for the Truman cup road race. As for our boys in the cat 3, they did a great job working the field and Kyle ended up in the 6th spot with Michael shutting the door behind Kyle with 7th place.

The Tour of Lawrance ended up being a well ran 3 day race and next year it will be an omnium and I have a feeling it will bring some bigger teams. As some of you know, my focus is on women in racing. This race series had a total 498 entries. I have said it before, you have 100 women at a race and you will have 300 men. Well, here is proof. 125 women raced this weekend. If you are a race director and are reading this, I think you might need to adjust your marketing. Working with Cindy Bracker (race director) this weekend was a blast. Everyone did a great job and helped out even when they were hot, sweaty and tired. I am proud of all the volunteers that came out and made a bunch of new friends throughout the event. Thank you.

Wednesday Night Worlds!

I want to close this out with something I heard at Wednesday. After the A race Michael Morriss had some words with Shadd Smith about something that happened during the race. I was not in the race and do not know if a wheel was chopped or someone perceived that he was aggressively overtaken? All of that does not matter. Shadd and Michael had some not so friendly words and Michael ended up walking away. All of this was overheard by the official, who let it play out. He knew that if it got to heated he would have to step in. The reason I want to share this story is because of what I was told by this official on Sunday after the ToL, over pizza and a beer. He said that Shadd came up to him this weekend and that Michael had sent him an email. The first thing the official thought was, oh shit! But then Shadd continued to explain that it was a good email and an apology. Michael Morriss, you gained the respect of many people with one email. Well done Mr. Morriss, you are a good man. I don’t mean to air any dirty laundry here, but we all have to realize that everyday we are being watched by those who are new to racing, a Jr racer or a parent that came out to see their 20 year old race. The race gets heated and we all might say something that we regret later. Our egos are no way the size of non athletes:)

I have more respect for a man who lets me know where he stands, even if he’s wrong, than the one who comes up like an angel and is nothing but a devil. ~Malcom X

~every friend you have today was once a stranger. Go out and respectfully meet some strangers!

Monday Volunteer and Race Report

November 21, 2017Uncategorized#360 racing, #Cameroon, #cowtown cycling, #cx, #KBCRX, #kca, #kcbc racing, #Lawrence cycling, #optimal wellness & cryospa, #uplift kc, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

It was a busy weekend of meeting new strangers and spending time with family and friends. I was asked by my daughters if I wanted to help with some volunteering at a local organization called Uplift KC. They bring food and supplies to the homeless of Kansas City. Seeing how we just purchased a house that had a bunch of clothes that was left behind. This was perfect timing. Below is a picture of some of the girls filling little bags of aspirin. I had the pleasure of doing some of the heavy lifting. This is what happens when you are perceived to be in good shape and look like you can lift a sack of 50lb potatoes with out much of a struggle. No, there were no potatoes to lift. Just moving boxes from here to there. To some this may seem trivial but they are some of the things that are needed to keep the operation moving. You can not always be on the front line. The support role is a huge void that always needs filled. Uplift was doing a great job in organizing, keeping the place looking great and taking care of our homeless population. I have seen the vans around town handing out food and clothes. I didn’t realize that they are a pretty lean operation and currently have 3 vans. I met several of the ladies there and promised that I will be back with more supplies and help with any heavy lifting they need. Find an organization near you and and go meet some pretty cool strangers. You never know where it will take you.

After volunteering I headed out to help re-build a deck with Tom G and Alain. Tom and I have known each other for some time, all of our kids went to school together and he and his wife are awesome. Alain is one of our contractors and has been in the states for about a year. He is originally from Cameroon, when he got to Kansas City I worked with him to get all of his stuff together and some medical help. He also stayed with me for a few months. I am also helping him send a container over to Africa and we will be going there in February to receive it. That will be a fun blog to write. Below is Tom, Alain and I. these are very good men that I completely trust and have faith in. If I was ever to need anything at anytime, I know they would be there.

Sunday, was race day and it was the category state championship race. I was, once again going to do two races. The 40+ master and the single speed race. I had Volker bikes put together a single speed out of my pit bike. This race was put on by 360 racing and is always a great race in Lawrence KS. In the masters race there is a very strong racer that I am always chasing. His name is Damian Almanza and he has beat me 8 out of the last 8 races:) Actually, Make that 9. Yes, once again he took the top step of the podium. I did get to hang out with him after the race. It was nice to get to know him a little better. I have to admit, I was feeling him out on his road race interest. I would love to have an athlete like him on our road race team. I also got to race with Mark, Kyle and Kenny with KCBC. Of course I got to hang with Marco, Haley, Maryanne and Clymer. It is so much fun hanging out at a race and getting to know everyone.

My favorite youth to watch. This is Franklin. Watch out for this kid on the pro tour!

Below is a pic of Damian and I. Every time I see Jesse getting ready to take a picture I try to strike a pose:) This was my super hero pose. It was tough not to laugh.

Just before my second race I got to get into some compression equipment. There is a new Cryo salon in Lawrence. Thank you Optimal wellness and cryo spa

Here is after the race at the pig in Lawrence with Clymer and Maryanne. I think Clymer should ask her out:) They seem to be having a good conversation.

More suffering:) So I finished 5th and 7th. I will be re-gearing the single speed soon. My quads still hurt.

Thanks for reading and remember. Every friend you have today was once a stranger! So, go out and meet new strangers.

Monday Race Report (Veterans Day, Go Army!)

November 13, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#cx, #cyclocross, #elitecycling, #jkmiguel, #kansascycling, #kca, #KCBC, #keenwealth, #KSCXchampionship, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

When serving in any branch of the U.S. Military, trust and loyalty are vital to accomplish every mission. You must trust your command to make the right decision and your fellow soldiers to have your back when you are put in harms way and everyone has to do their part so that no one is injured or killed. You must also be loyal to your command and fellow soldiers or this could erode trust. In the civilian world it is not generally a life or death situation. But trust and loyalty are extremely important.

I open with this because it is Veterans Day and KCBC racing did a group ride on Saturday and I got to witness some of the same comradery I enjoyed while serving in the Army. These are a bunch of guys that love to ride and support their fellow rider. Below is a picture of Mark Horn, I would say that Mark is the General and he takes on the leadership of the team. I have always had great respect for Mark since I got to know him as I coached his son in soccer (in my opinion his son is the best HS keeper in KC). Mark does a great job in rallying the troops and he truly gets excited for you when you share your ride or race stories with him. Mark also will light you up like a drill sergeant if you do something that he feels is dangerous while racing or riding in a group. He will also bust your chops if you are on another team and you make a tactical mistake. I got to see this first hand and it almost resulted in a fight. I knew at that moment, when I got off my bike to stand by Mark and go to battle, that this was the team I needed to be on. For all I know, he may have been the one in the wrong. That didn’t matter, I was still ready to have his back. That is what a good leader instills in his troops.

The General giving direction.

Sunday, The Keen Wealth Classic. This race is the KS CX State Championship for age group. So, the goal was to stay upright and finish in the top 30%. So, that didn’t exactly work out because of a flat in the final lap. Although, I did finish 6th out of 14 and 3rd in my age group. I also gave the single speed race a shot and ended up placing 3rd and really enjoying the single speed. Below are the pictures of the the podiums and race pics.

I got to hang out with so many friends on Sunday. It was a great time. That seems to happen when you are at the race at 9am and leave at 5pm. It’s a full day of work:) The picture above is of Kyle and I. Kyle is on the team that I race road with. KCBC had several racers at this event. It was great to see everyone they are all is so helpful. Mark was encouraging me to power up a hill and sprint out of the corner as he let up a little to slow the person that was trying to catch me. Shawn was in the pit telling me to go go go and catch a wheel. Kenny was my rabbit and my goal was to catch him.

So, last week I mentioned Clymer (aka Lantern Rouge). Above is a photo of him and I after the race with Jesse Miguel taking the selfie. Clymer is new to the area and I can tell he will be a strong rider once he gets his race legs back. Not to mention he seems to be an all around nice guy. Jesse is takes so many great photos. If you get a chance, visit his Flicker page.

General Horn giving the troops a pep talk after the race:)

Miss Haley taking 1st yet again!

Thanks for reading that race report. Do what you love and meet as many strangers as you can along the way.

Monday Race Report 11/6/2017

November 8, 2017Uncategorized#boulevardbrewing, #cx, #cyclocross, #lanternrouge, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

The Boulevard Cup 2017 was a bit chilly and windy but didn’t keep away the cyclocross fanatics. I swear if it was muddy or snowy there would be more racers out just to prove that they are tougher than their competition, myself included.

Below is a picture of me as i was dismounting before a run up and torqued my right knee. It was the same knee I whacked with my peddle just before the race began:(

Oh, and yes that is a new kit I am wearing. It is the”defenders of Freedom” jersey. The knee was fine. I just needed some ice and rest and all was well. Here is a better pic of the full kit.

It was a great course and I got to hang out once again with some really awesome athletes. Here is a pic of Dr. Rob. He also races with the U.S. Military team and was racing the 50+ masters race. He and I went to lunch after the race to catch up. He did the BWR training ride with me in San Diego last year and totally hooked me up when I got sick. Such a great guy. I look forward to hanging out more with him. He is a strong gravel rider and a beast on the road.

Of course no race would be the same if I didn’t get a picture with Maryanne. I like hanging out with her. Such a great demeanor. It will be my goal to get a pic with her after every race:) She says that if a guy ask her out on a date she always says yes. I think that is the best way to know what you like and don’t like. Good for you MM!

I also ran into a new racer from Maryland. I met him about 3 weeks ago at the Joules Cross race. His name is Clymer and he came out to race after being out of it for several years. I was proud of that dude! He just showed up and we started talking. That is the whole point of my blog. Meeting new strangers, right? Sorry, no pics of Clymer.

As always, go out and make some new strangers. Thank you for reading.

Oh, I almost forgot. I finished 10th out of 20. I did have fun though!

Cannon Ball Run Race Report (Coffee Stranger)

September 5, 2017Uncategorized#air bnb, #cannonball cross, #coffee, #cx, #iowa, #mason city, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, CyclingMivan

After 12 hours on the road, from Houston, to get to Kansas City to handle some business. I am in KC for about 3 hours then I head north to Mason City Iowa for a cyclo-cross race. For a total of 17 hours on the road out of 24. So, not the best way to start a race weekend. Not to mention, I did not ride a bike since last Sunday. Trudging through water for 13 hours is exercise right?

Prior to arriving in Mason city at 8pm my Air bnb host Crystal sent me a text asking if I wanted spaghetti or chicken with spaghetti squash. Since I only eat fish I was happy with the squash with butter and garlic. I thought it may have been a bit assumptive but, a closed mouth doesn’t get fed right? She actually made it and it was amazing. Man did I pick the right house. Not that there were a plethora to choose from. Crystal and I hit it off and as I ate we talked and hung out then finished watching a movie. It was very comfortable and she made me feel at home. Air bnb strangers are some of the best to meet.

This was the first CX of the year and I wanted to see how I stacked up against the Masters 45+. The course was awesome and very technical. I finished 9th out of 15, beating 4 guys that were higher ranked. I was 1st in the Cat 4. After the race I sent a text to Crystal that I would return soon. Of course she asked if I was hungry. Once again, not turning that down:) Her friend had caught some crapi and thought that would be outstanding. When I returned Crystal helped with my laundry and we made dinner together. At this point, this is what I call a race wife:) It is a phrase I heard when I rode across Iowa 5 years ago. It is a person who takes care of the basic needs. A race husband is similar, but they generally take care of bikes, tent set up, you know more of the heavy lifting:) It is primitive yes, but it is very much an effective relationship and most needs are met from both sides. By the way I am an exceptional race/ride husband and father.

Sundays race time was at 12pm and I got to the course at 8:30am to ride around and just test out the course again. The direction changed and it was a bit more technical. after my pre-ride I rode over to a coffee shop that was near by. I sat down to finish the Harvey blog and have a veggie burrito and coffee. As I sat there writing an man came in and ordered a latte with soy milk and sat at the table next to me. I was pretty sure that once I finished writing I would look up and start a conversation. Just before I finished he sneezed, I said bless you and that was a perfect time to end my writing and indulge in my second favorite hobby, meeting strangers. He asked if I was racing and I said yes and I did yesterday too. His name was Garen and he went on to explain how he went over yesterday to race and after getting on the course and getting to the top of the flyover, which is a wooden structure you walk up and then ride down the other side. It is very steep and I even questioned riding down it, he backed out and went home. I have to give him credit for admitting that. Most men are to proud and would never mention it. We spoke a bit more about the course and cycling. I can tell he really wanted to do it. So, I encouraged him to go get his bike and I would lower his tire pressure and ride the course with him. I am both affable and manipulative but only for a positive outcome for all involved. So, Garrett went back to his house to get his bike and I prepared for the race near my truck. I was surprised when he showed up and actually had tires that would do pretty well on this course. I dropped his tire pressure and had him ride around in the grass with me. Not to bad for a virgin racing in the 65+ category:) We rode the course a bit and on a steep hill I told him to use his rear brakes mostly. Well, he grabbed his front brake and slid out. I asked if he was hurt he said no and then asked which one was the rear break? I laughed and said the one on the right and rode ahead. I was a bit concerned for his safety at this point and thought that if he raced today he might incur an injury. so, I let up a bit on the talking him into racing and went on to do some dismount and whole shot work. Just before our race I had enough time to ride the course. I lined up and here comes Jarrett. I look over and asked if he signed up. He turned a bit and showed me his number on his right side. I told him to be safe and said a quick prayer:) If he died in the race then at least I gave him the permission slip to enter into cycling heaven. I had lapped him twice so he had to of finished 4 laps. When I went through the finish line I half expected to see Jerry sitting on the side drinking one of the free Sierra Nevadas. But, he was no where to be found. Did he go home? surely not! After a few minutes I see his rainbow Campagnolo kit out in the distance. I filled a cup of water to douse him with and grabbed a beer to open to celebrate his victory!!! I was super proud to see him finish. I have to say, I have seen some good riders stop in the middle of a race because it is just to taxing. But not Terry, he was all in and not at all a quitter.

So many strangers this weekend. Remember, every friend you have today was once a stranger.

The forgotten Monday Race report from 8/21/2017

September 4, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#criterium, #KCBC, #moveup, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, Cycling, Papillion, Papillion twilight criteriumMivan

This weekend took me to Papillion, NE for the Papillion twilight criterium. I have never been to Papillion before so I was excited to see how this race would compare to others. It did not disappoint. I made it to the race around noon and the volunteers were just setting everything up. I had a chance to meet Matt, the race director, and of course asked if he needed any help setting up. They had everything rolling very smooth. He gave me a few pointers about the course and the possible rough spots.

This was going to be my last road race for the US Military Endurance Sports team. I am moving my affiliation to a local team here in Kansas City called KCBC. I have had several guys ask me to be a part of their team, but I feel that these are the guys I can help and in turn they can help me move up. You will hear more about the KCBC team in the near future. I will be staying with USMES for the cross season.

My 1st race was the 40+ Masters. This race has all fields represented from category 1 to category 4. Being a cat 4 in this race is like racing a Chevy Corvette against a Honda prelude. Out of the 8, 40+ guys I finished 3rd. There were a total of 15 in the race and I was 6th overall. This was my best road finish ever. I actually only signed up for the race because there was another USMES guy that was supposed to race in it. His name was William O’Brien and he was nice enough to take the picture below. I want to thank William for not showing up, and giving me 3rd place:) My guess is that he would have been right there with me. In this race I worked much smarter than harder. This really was my only option because the majority of the guys out there were faster than me. So, instead of spending any time out front, I had to sit in and tail gun. This basically means hold on for dear life. I did get dropped during the prime lap, but was able to work with one other guy to catch the small pack that broke away. That took almost everything out of me. I did have about one match to burn in the sprint and I actually used it to pass one guy and go head to head with my fellow dropee. in the last turn he was in lead and I pulled up next to him and just laid it down. We both worked hard in that last 100m. At the last second I did a bike throw and just beat him by a tenth of a second. After the race we congratulated each other on a hard fought race and of course I had to make sure he was a 50+ racer. He was, I laughed and thanked him again for all his work to catch the pack. I didn’t realize that I took 3rd so when the results came out, I said out loud, “I took third”? Totally surprised by that finish. I say that because I always know where I am in a race. You have to or you might miss a guy go around a turn and break away from the pack. I was working so hard to hold on, the only thing I could pay attention to was the wheel in front of me and the turns.

The next race was about 2 hours after. I had to eat and try to keep off my feet. Both I did with some success. I was surprised to see several cat 4 guys from KC show up. Actually, KC had about 10-15 racers show up. I will post a link to the results later. In the cat 4 race I knew what I had to do and I knew the course. The one thing I did not know is would my legs hold up. I also was 100% that I was mentally all in. Not that I am ever not:) This race had a cat 4 national champion in it and of course he was 14 years old. His name was Luke and both him and his father were very pleasant to talk with. During the race Luke and I ended up in a small group behind a 6 man break, that are very tough to catch. I worked as much as I could for him. He sat in for a bit until he knew that he could bridge the gap. When he took off I tried to hang on but since I was just in the wind pulling for him, I was dropped. I did manage to hold on to two of the guys with our 4 man pack. This meant that there were 7 in the pack ahead and 6 laps to go. Want to guess the odds of a 3 man pack catching the 7 in the pack ahead? Slim and none. So, I worked hard with 4 laps to go then 3 laps to go. As I came across the finish line and saw 2 laps to go, I noticed a shadow behind me. These two guys were on my ass and having me drag them around the course. I sat up, dropped my speed to 15 and they were still behind me. I moved to the left and dropped my speed even more and insisted that they pull through. Then one of them jumped and jumped hard, they almost dropped me with 2 laps to go. I made them both pull for those final laps and in the sprint I had the choice of taking 8th, 9th or 10th. We all went into that final turn at top speed and in the sprint I took 2nd out of the three of us and secured a 9th overall out of 25. The legs did well!

After the cat 4 race I sat with Chris from foodys and watched the 3’s race and then the pro 1,2. By the time the pro 1,2 race started it was Chris, Zach and Finn (son o

f Shad, cat 1 racer) sitting around. This is why I stick around the races. To support those guys and girls out there but to also hang out with people I may have never had the chance to meet. Out of the 4 of us we had a span of 4 generations. Finn 11, Zach 26, Chris 33 and me 48. I think that’s pretty awesome. We sat around, watched the race and watched Finn do his BMX tricks, poked fun of each other and, for me at least, just enjoyed every ones company. Racing is fun, but hanging out with these 3 was way more entertaining. After the race, Chris and I were going to grab a bite at the local brewery and asked Zach and Jordan (cat 2 racer from KC) if they wanted to join us. We all met at Nebraska brewing and had a beer, ate dinner and cracked jokes all night and just relaxed. I did tell a few war stories:) I might share some of those here one day.

Thank you for reading. Now go out and meet a stranger and be nice to cyclist:)

Monday Race report 8/21/2017

August 21, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#criterium, #KCBC, #moveup, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, Cycling, Papillion, Papillion twilight criteriumMivan

This weekend took me to Papillion, NE for the Papillion twilight criterium. I have never been to Papillion before so I was excited to see how this race would compare to others. It did not disappoint. I made it to the race around noon and the volunteers were just setting everything up. I had a chance to meet Matt, the race director, and of course asked if he needed any help setting up. they had everything rolling very smooth. He gave me a few pointers about the course and the possible rough spots.

This was going to be my last road race for the US Military Endurance Sports team. I am moving my affiliation to a local team here in Kansas City called KCBC. I have had several guys ask to be a part of their team, but I feel that these are the guys I can help and in turn they can help me move up. You will hear more about the KCBC team in the near future. I will be staying with USMES for the cross season.

The next race was about 2 hours after. I had to eat and try to keep off my feet. Both I did with some success. I was surprised to see several cat 4 guys from KC show up. Actually, KC had about 10-15 racers show up. I will post a link to the results later. In the cat 4 race I knew what I had to do and I knew the course. The one thing I did not know is would my legs hold up. I also was 100% that I was mentally all in. Not that I am ever not:) This race had a cat 4 national champion in it and of course he was 14 years old. His name was Luke and both him and his father were very pleasant to talk with. During the race Luke and I ended up in a small group behind a 6 man break, that are very tough to catch. I worked as much as I could for him. He sat in for a bit until he knew that he could bridge the gap. When he took off I tried to hang on but since I was in the wind pulling, I was dropped. I did manage to hold on to two of the guys with our 4 man pack. This meant that there were 7 in the pack ahead and 6 laps to go. Want to guess the odds of a 3 man pack catching the 7 in the pack ahead? Slim and none. So, I worked hard with 4 laps to go then 3 laps to go. As I came across the finish line and saw 2 laps to go, I noticed a shadow behind me. These two guys were on my ass and having me drag them around the course. I sat up, dropped my speed to 15 and they were still behind me. I moved to the left and dropped my speed even more and insisted that they pull. Then one of them jumped and jumped hard, they almost dropped me with 2 laps to go. I made them both pull for those final laps and in the sprint I had the choice of taking 8th, 9th or 10th. We all went into that final turn at top speed and in the sprint I took 2nd out of the three of us and secured a 9th overall out of 25. The legs did well!

After the cat 4 race I sat with Chris from foodys and watched the 3’s race and then the pro 1,2. By the time the pro 1,2 race started it was Chris, Zach and Finn (son of Shad, cat 1 racer) sitting around. This is why I stick around the races. To support those guys and girls out there but to also hang out with people I may have never had the chance to meet. Out of the 4 of us we had a span of 4 generations. Finn 11, Zach 26, Chris 33 and me 48. I think that’s pretty awesome. We sat around, watched the race and watched Finn do his BMX tricks, poked fun of each other and, for me at least, just enjoyed every ones company. Racing is fun, but hanging out with these 3 was way more entertaining. After the race, Chris and I were going to grab a bite at the local brewery and asked Zach and Jordan (cat 2 racer from KC) if they wanted to join us. We all met at Nebraska brewing and had a beer, ate dinner and cracked jokes all night and just relaxed. I did tell a few war stories:) I might share some of those here one day.

Thank you for reading. Now go out and meet a stranger and be nice to cyclist:)

Monday Race Report. The Truman Cup

July 20, 2017Cycling, Uncategorized#criterium, #independenceMO, #moveup, #ragbrai, #thetrumancup, #timetrial, #usmes, #usmilitaryendurancesprots, #womansfreestate, CyclingMivan

The Truman cup is a series of races that start with a 5.6 mile time trial on Friday night then on Saturday there is a 3 mile circuit race that is a 4 lap race. Sunday is the 45 minute crit. All of the races took place in Independence MO this weekend.

During my race weekend in Lacrosse, WI I met a few fellow cyclist. One of the guys I met that weekend was Ryley. We hit it off immediately. Ryley was a new cat 5 and was fast, I mean, I would put him up against or in any cat 3 race and he would easily beat half of the field. So, Ryley decided to make the 9 hour drive down to KC for this race, and I am glad he did. Here is a picture of Ryley and I tooling around the city.

Another friend that came in for the race is DK from San Diego. Of course she did not drive:) DK and I will be doing the RAGBRAI this week. RAGBRAI is a ride across Iowa. Not sure why it’s not a race, seeing how you probably want to get across it as fast as possible. I am kidding, Iowa is pretty cool and so are the folks that call it home. You will hear more about DK over the next week. We have way to much fun and will hope for no injuries and or arrest this coming week. Thank you DK for all the cheers during the race.
Friday – The Truman Cup Time Trial. This is a solo event so you have to go as fast as you can for 5.6 miles. The last 300m is basically where you empty the tank. Ryley and I headed out to Independence a little early to get the legs warmed up and check out the course. Fairly flat and a pretty good road. All start times were just after 6pm and each racer would start 30 seconds after the next. My goal is always to catch the rider in front of me. After that 9 hour drive I knew his time trail would suffer, and it did. He placed 11th and I took 6th with a 13:26 time, Fastest I have done on that course. During the TT we met some guys from St. Louis that were in town for the entire series. Super nice guys from a few different teams. To celebrate we decided to head out to Lulus. Possibly my favorite Thai restaurant in KC. So, while we were at the restaurant Ryley and I were talking about dating and how I find cyclist attractive. He was explaining how I should ask out a non cyclist. So, with out hesitation I point to a server and asked Ryley if maybe I should ask her out. As he shrugged his shoulders she walked by and I politely asked if she would give us a moment of her time? She stopped and said “of course, whats up”. I proceeded to ask her if she would like to go out on a date. I think Ryley may have been a bit uncomfortable with this whole experiment. Me? on the other hand, I was eating it up:) She was in a relationship and was super nice and went on to explain how when she was in roller derby a lot of the dating happened in the roller derby circle and that most of those relationships didn’t work after they left the sport. I don’t believe I will be leaving cycling anytime soon.

Saturday – The Truman Cup Circuit Race. This is a 3 mile course that has a 1 mile climb, 1 mile of flat and a mile of down hill. I does seem to favor the climbers. Saturday’s heat index was like 300°. Ok, that is a bit high, but it felt like it. This race took it’s toll on several of the strongest riders. I went for a break in the flat of the first of 5 laps. Not the best idea but I wanted to spread that field out. The break did not stick and they caught me on the hill because of a mechanical issue. Ryley crushed this race and took first and $100 for the win. Super proud of that dude. We hung out and chatted with the St Louis guys as DK continued to drink free beer at the Bier co tent. She is possibly already drunk but took some awesome pictures and maybe got some digits:)

Sunday – The Truman Cup Crit. With less than a mile loop, 6 turns and 45 minutes of racing, this is never a dull moment. This race had 51 racers in it and was as fast as it has ever been. We did 18 miles at about 26mph and it looked like the island of misfit cyclist. There were about 30 different teams. Ryley and I held on to the front most of the race and possibly worked harder than we should have but, that’s racing. He took 6th and I placed 16th. Overall we were 4th and 10th in the 3 day Omnium. I was proud of us both!

Always have to give props to the women’s free state team. They always win and look good doing it. Great job ladies!

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