Men's Elite Team News - March 2009 Edition
Just because racing hasn’t started in New England doesn’t mean the team hasn’t been racing; the team already has some podium spots in the bag for 2009!
Alex Dossin did his first race of the year back in Mid-February, a Stage Race in Phoenix, Arizona called: Valley of the Sun. Alex reflects,
just coming off of base, this is my first intensity of the year…happy to be doing it in the warm weather. Unlucky for those, like me, from colder destinations, the AZ racers have been doing intensity for a while, as races like this are important for them.
The experience was pretty good way to shock the system back into race mode, so good that Alex just completed the Tucson Bicycle Classic Stage Race this past weekend finishing 9th overall! Alex threw down a 4th place on the very first day in the Individual Time Trial approaching it with a good game plan and sticking with it
The key to this course is to go fast on the first half, but not blow yourself up having fun going too fast. The last half requires a lot of strength and focus. Some of the steep pitches I realized I could go faster by standing up rather then staying in the aero bars and I stood to sprint going into the finish as well. My preperation and tactics seemed to workout.
Alex’s Top 10 finish in the GC is especially good considering:
the race leader who informed me that he has been racing every day of the weekend for the last 2 MONTHS...he’s from California
Peter Chiu has also been tearing up the early season races, after re-aquainting himself with the racing scene in a Crit on Saturday where he finished a little further back than he had wanted, but it was simply fuel for the fire as he came back and hit it hard for a thrilling 2nd place finish at the Rutgers Livingston Campus Circuit Race. Peter’s race was a great example of how a team plan can change as the race unfolds, he reflects:
After a few late attacks, I found a group of my teammates. I looked over to Tony Hall (Luzzo’s/Columbia) and asked him twice if he was good. He had finished 3rd in the criterium the day before (from a late move) and 6th in the morning’s timetrial, so he was obviously in good shape. Beyond that, he has a lot of pop. When he didn’t respond, I figured that was a bad sign, so I slotted in behind Alex Bremer (Empire/Columbia) in 7th or 8th wheel as the final corner came. The field was already strung out single file as Nick Frey (Legacy Energy/Princeton) started the lead out for Nick Bennette (MetLife/Princeton) dropping him off with 200m to go. This was textbook and provides another learning point. As I understand it, the lead out is supposed to be so fast that nobody can move up reasonably without starting the sprint early. I yelled for Bremer to go, and he cracked open his sprint early to move me up a few places. After that, I just had to drop it into the biggest gear I had and spin my legs as fast as I could to fly by everyone else in this DOWNHILL sprint. I’m 140lbs. Gravity wasn’t exactly working in my favor. Coming around 4 or 5 people, I let out my war yelp and nabbed 2nd place! My first big result, and it was in a field with an inordinate number of Cat. 1s!
The New England based crew hasn’t been resting on their laurels either, several NEBC racers participated in the Boston Triathlon Indoor Time Trial at Landry’s in Boston. Katherine Snell had an early start and held off all the later fields and snagged 2nd place in the Master’s Women category! Roy Van Cleef had one of the earliest starts of the day and benefitted from a strong “tail wind” putting his name on the leader board and setting the pace for people to chase for the rest of the day. As the day wore on the winds shifted to an intense “head wind” and Roy’s time held, withstanding an onslaught from the entire MetLife Team and area Triathlete powerhouses! The event at Landry’s was very well run and fun, the course was the last 10k of the Boston Marathon, essentially from Heartbreak Hill to the finish, but in Reverse, so it was mostly uphill and extra tough as the last steepest kick came at the very end.
One indoor time trial left in the Cycle Ops Indoor Time Trial Series! The final event is:
- Team Psycho Indoor Time Trial – Feb 1, 2009 at Fast:Splits in Newton, MA
- Boston Triathlon Team Indoor Time Trial – Mar 1, 2009 at Landry’s in Boston, MA
- Multisport Expo Indoor Time Trial – Mar 21-22, 2009 at Zesiger Center, MIT in Cambridge, MA
While you’re at the expo, be sure to swing by the Cycle Loft booth and check out the Elite Team Riders demonstrating the Inside Ride eMotion Rollers (and give them a shot yourself)! At last year’s event Elite Team Racer and La Ruta de los Conquistadores finisher Greg Brown hopped on the rollers for the first time EVER and proceeded to ride for nearly 3 hours without crashing, even doing a few out of the saddle sprints; talk about a shallow learning curve!
With the Indoor Time Trials drawing to an end, it’s time to look ahead to racing outside; the Category 3 Elite Men are looking to target the following races in 2009 (Category 2 calendar to come):
- May 9, 2009 – Sterling Road Race – Sterling, MA
- May 16, 2009 – Lake Sunapee Road Race – Newbury, NH
- June 6, 2009 – Lake Auburn Road Race – Auburn, ME
- June 7, 2009 – Great Falls Criterium – Auburn, ME
- June 27, 2009 – Downtown Boston Criterium – Boston, MA
- July 2-5, 2009 – Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage Race – Fitchburg, MA
- July 25, 2009 – Tour of the Hilltowns – Windsor, MA
- July 26, 2009 – Norwell Circuit Race – Norwell, MA
- August 2, 2009 – Central New Hampshire Road Race – Bow, NH
- August 9, 2009 – Tokeneke Road Race – Barkhamsted, CT
As the weather trends towards spring, we have started to receive our equipment for 2009! This year, we’re very excited to be continuing on our third year with Specialized and SRAM. The team will be racing on Specialized Tarmac PRO SL framesets, powered by SRAM drivetrains, and rolling on Zipp wheels! Specialized will also be protecting our heads with the Decibel helmet. The Tarmac PRO SL Framesets features a super stiffer tapered steerer tube and a new for 2009 redesigned rear triangle that came directly from the feedback of Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini, and the other members of Team Quickstep. SRAM has also redesigned their equipment for 2009, the Rival groupset got a lot of trickle-down improvements from the top level RED group, including carbon levers, re-shaped shifting paddle, and adjustable reach. Contact Jeff Palter at the Cycle Loft to get one!
Bob Cahill, long time NEBC Member and Sponsor from Bank of America Residential Mortgage Services wants everyone to know, that even in this current financial climate, he can still help you out, especially if you are a first time buyer! Rates as low as 3.875% on a 30yr fixed with 3% down and NO PMI; $8000 Federal Tax Credit (does not have to be paid back); Conventional rates in the high 4% range; FHA financing with 3.5% down and rates ~5.00%; VA loans to 100% with no PMI and rates ~5.00%; Jumbo rates ~5.75% on a 30 yr with no pts; Super conforming rate on a 30 yr at ~5.00% with no pts (loans to $523,750 in metro Boston area). You should feel free to call or email him any time!
Well that’s it from me for now, everyone has been training hard and it’s starting to show, only ONE more week until the first training race of the year, a full weekend of the New England Training Race Staples: Charge Pond and Wells Ave!
In case you forgot, the 2009 NEBC/Cycle Loft/Devonshire Dental Elite Men’s Team Consists of: Todd Rowell (Cat 2 – Arlington, MA), Roy Van Cleef (Cat 2 – Weston, MA), Peter Chiu* (Cat 2 – New York, NY), Peter Shaprio (Cat 2 – New York, NY), Landen Wark-Acebo (Cat 2 – Waltham, MA), John Broussard (Cat 3 – Wilmington, MA), Alex Dossin* (Cat 3 – Durango, CO), and Brian Campbell (Cat 3 – Waltham, MA); * denotes U25 riders.
As always, we are hugely thankful to all the NEBC club members and our sponsors for making this possible: Jeff and Anthony at the Cycle Loft, Dave and Althea at Devonshire Dental, Bank of America Mortgage, Breakstone, White & Gluck, P.C., Attorneys at Law, CCNS, Core Structural Therapy, Lester’s Roadside BBQ, Natural Wellness Clinic, Performance Lifestyles, and Workwell Massage Therapy. Until next time, stay warm and thanks for reading.