Cafe Racers’ Tell the Tales from Races and of Podium Finishes

April 19th, 2012

Photo by Jay Robbins

The road season is off to a great start for the Cafe Racers, with our new women’s team taking podiums in each of their first two target races. Read on for stories about their experiences!

If you’re a woman who’d like to ride with the RSC team, come out this Saturday, April 21st. At 9am, they, along with RSC team mentor & pro cyclist Mo Bruno Roy, are hosting a group ride and clinic for beginner women. (No charge, just show up!) Check out the details.

Following this ride and clinic at 11am, the team will host a fast women’s ride for those who are up for a pace of 17+ mph to/from Harvard for approximately 60 miles.

Read on for their exciting race stories!

Chris Hinds FUJI “Sunshine” Criterium – by Lauren Kling

Photo by Eric Baumann

Chris Hinds Criterium is at a paved, cycling specific track in Ninigret, RI. Most of the team was in attendance at our first target race of the season, with Lauren Tracy in the women’s 1/2/3 race and Joy Stark, Celia Riechel, Cait Dooley, Erin Faccone and myself in the women’s 4 race. Both races were on course at the same time – the lap was about 2 minutes and we had a one minute split between the two fields for an hour of racing. Prior to the start of the race, the promoter thanked us all for attending – he said it was the first time in 10 years that he’s been able to host both a 1/2/3 and 4 field! Previously the categories have always been combined into a women’s open race.

With a number of turns and a stiff headwind we knew it would be difficult to make a break stick on this course. Our plan was to just attack repeatedly in the hopes that we could tire out the field and I was the designated sprinter for the finish. To that end, we took turns going off of the front over and over again throughout the hour. I was aggressive at the beginning of the race, initiating the first attack, getting pulled back, and joining the next couple of counterattacks. After that I let my teammates take over and largely sat in the field, with the exception of contesting a few primes. During all this we were marking who the strong riders were – Liz McDonough, of Arc En Ciel Racing, showed herself to be a very strong rider, matching every attack we sent out. Lori Cooke of Cycle Lodge and Michelle Packer of Union Velo were also people we were keeping an eye on.

When we had about ten laps to go the leader of the 1/2/3 field, Silke Wunderwald, had broken away and was coming to the front the 4 race. We had been told we could work with the other fields if we ran into each other and I was concerned that she would breeze through our field taking Liz and Lori, who were at the front, with her. I moved forward and so did Erin. I was able to sit on Erin’s wheel while she marked every attempt of theirs to break and kept me sheltered and at the front. I got a little too eager in the last half of the final lap, getting ahead of any of my teammates attempting to lead me out – whoops. I came into the last turn second or third wheel before making my jump. Liz came around me right before the line for the win and I was able to take second place. Erin took fourth even after all of her hard work at the end and Celia got into the top ten with a strong 9th place at her first crit, with Cait and Joy finishing soon after. Lauren Tracy also got a top ten in the 1/2/3 field. All in all, it was a very successful first race for the team and we had a great time!

Tour of the Battenkill – by Joy Stark

Joy racing

Photo by Eric Baumann

With a course that sports 4,000 feet of climbing, steep grades, and 10 dirt sections, this 62 mile race deserves to be called “epic.” This was my third year racing Battenkill, which provides a motivation for me to train consistently through the winter months. Teammate Celia Riechel joined me in the Cat 4 field, making Battenkill her first ever road race. It must be noted that 150 Cat 4 women registered for Battenkill this year, requiring the promoter to split the field into two smaller fields of 75. From previous experience, I knew that the race would be uneventful until we reached the Juniper Swamp climb, about 12 miles in. Celia and I were in great position going into the climb and were able to make it over the top with the lead group of about 18 women.

The next 30 miles were largely uneventful aside from the struggle to stay with the group over climbs. What I lacked in climbing power, Celia and I made up for on the loose dirt sections, where we were able to drive the pace, thanks to our cyclocross skills. Celia flatted on a gravelly section of dirt 45 miles into the race, and found herself off the back without a wheel when neutral support gave her a wheel that was incompatible with her frame and drove away. I stayed with the leaders until Meetinghouse Road, a series of unfriendly dirt rollers, which split the group. The last ten miles of the race were the most difficult for me as I was determined to hold my placing. I was thrilled to learn that I placed 10th, and Celia an impressive 24th after recovering from her mechanical.

Myles Standish Road Race – by Cait Dooley

Photo by Eric Baumann

Myles Standish is a gently rolling 20 mile circuit race with some rough pavement sections and a fast downhill finish with a left-hand turn. Going into the race, I was the designated sprinter, and as a team, our strategy was to send a few of our ladies up the road and make a break stick. At the start, the RSC women were scattered throughout the first and second row of the 25+ women’s field, and it was an awesome feeling to have these women on my side for my second real attempt at road racing.

At the start, the pace was fairly easy, until Joy, Celia and Cindy took turns at the front. There was a bit of sudden braking and swerving in the field, and that made it difficult to move around. We made a few break attempts, but none stuck. On lap 2, Lauren and I looked at each other across the field and nodded to each other that it was on to make a move. I unsuccessfully tried to make it through traffic, and Lauren launched an attack alone that would stick for the remainder of the race. Arc-En-Ciel rider, Liz McDonough, rode away with her. With Lauren in the break, we covered any attack that other riders made, but otherwise sat in.

On the fourth and final lap, Lori Cooke (Cycle Lodge) made a move and Elizabeth Cummings (NEBC) and I went with her. The two person break was 45 seconds ahead at this point, so I worked in the blistering chase group pace Lori had set toward the finish. In the sprint, I sat back for a little too long and Elizabeth nabbed the final podium position, and I got 4th. The field was right behind us and Joy won the field sprint for 6th. Celia and Erin were our other top-ten finishers, coming in at 9th and 10th.

The next target race for the Ride Studio Cafe women’s team is the Sterling Road Race on May 12 in Sterling, MA.

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Introducing the Ride Studio Cafe Women’s Development Team

April 9th, 2012

We’re excited to announce an expansion of the Cafe Racers to include a Cat 3/4 women’s development team. The Cafe Racers formed in 2011 and was initially comprised of an Endurance team and an Elite Road team. With the addition of the 3/4 Women’s development team, the Café Racers add 8 strong, experienced women from a variety of racing backgrounds.

Co-captains Joy Stark and Lauren Kling assembled the team with the goal of improving Cat 3/4 racing experience and advancing the level of women’s racing in New England by fostering a sense of teamwork, community, and pushing the level of competition. In addition to Joy and Lauren, women’s team roster includes Erin Faccone, Celia Riechel, Cindy Brennan, Kristina Donehew, Cait Dooley, and Lauren Tracy.

We are excited about working with the women’s team to help them reach their racing goals, as well as to organize community events, rides and clinics with the assistance of team members.

We already have dates for the first set of rides. Our women’s team is hosting a monthly series of beginner 101 rides, more details will be available soon, but if you’re new to cycling, ladies, mark your calendars now for the following dates:

  • Saturday 4/21
  • Sunday 5/13 (Mother’s Day)
  • Saturday 6/23
  • Sunday 7/29
  • Saturday 8/11

The team is mentored by Elite Cafe Racer and Pro Cyclocrosser Mo Bruno Roy, as well as RSC’s Patria Lanfranchi, an elite road racer. The men’s contingent  of the RSC racers have welcomed the addition of the women’s 3/4 development team and everyone has enjoyed the opportunity to ride together and learn from each other over the winter months.

The Elite team and mentors have used their racing experience to coach the development riders at clinics and to discuss team tactics.

The women’s 3/4 development team just made their season debut this past Saturday at the 10th Annual Chris Hinds FUJI Sunshine Criterium in Charlestown, RI. They put Lauren K. on the podium at 2nd and Erin came in 4th. Four of  of the seven racers were in the money! We’re particularly proud of the team’s results as they raced tactically and worked hard to keep the pace of the race high.

Though they’ll be found racing many other criteriums and road races throughout the season, the key races for the team are:

  • 4/15 – Myles Standish RR. Plymouth, MA
  • 5/12 – Sterling RR. Sterling, MA
  • 6/2 – Lake Auburn RR. Auburn, ME
  • 6/10 – Purgatory RR. Sutton, MA
  • 6/28-7/1 Fitchburg Stage Race. Fitchburg, MA
  • 8/31 – 9/3 Green Mountain Stage Race. VT

Please make sure to cheer on all of the RSC racers, they welcome the support! Also, stay tuned for rides and events that are open to all community members that will be hosted by the RSC Cafe Racers team.

If the Ride Studio Cafe women’s 3/4 development team sounds like something you would like to be a part of, please make a point of saying hello and introducing yourself. If you are not quite ready for a competitive racing environment but would still like to be involved with the team and Cafe, RSC offers a club membership option that is open for anyone to join. Please inquire with us if you would like details about joining the club.

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All-New 622 SLX is Here but is Traveling Soon

March 30th, 2012

Our Seven demo fleet is second to none. We have an incredible selection of bikes from which you can choose to ride. We like to switch things up so that you can try the newest, coolest components and wheels, along with the frames that interest you. The key is getting what is best for you; the optimal way to determine that is by trying out the different bikes and components. Want to check out Di2 electronic shifting? How about the 2012 SRAM kit? Let us know what piques your curiosity.

Joining our demo fleet is the Seven 622 SLX, built just over two weeks ago. The bike’s inaugural ride was a 104 mile century (on the Super Saturday ride). The rider couldn’t believe how well the bike rode, it’s weight, handling ability, responsiveness, style and road feel.  He promptly came back (though he wasn’t keen on returning the bike so quickly) and scheduled a discussion to determine how his one-of-a-kind 622 will be outfitted and designed.

Would you like to test ride this incredible bike? We have it here now through April 1, then we’re loaning it out to our friends in Boulder, Colorado at Boulder Cycle Sport who will be hosting an evening called “Art of the Custom Bicycle.” No better bike to be in attendance at this event than this 622. Come in to check it out and let us know you want to ride so the moment it’s back here, we’ll get you out on it!

 

 

 

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A Taste of Battenkill in the Rain

March 29th, 2012

A covered bridge in Battenkill

Battenkill is a fun and very popular New England spring classic since it mimics the exciting pro tour spring classics going on this time of year (think Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, or Strade Bianche).  Battenkill has its own American flavor, including many kilometers of dirt roads in deeply rural areas with farm animals and covered bridges.

Each year I like to not only compete in the race, but make a trip out to the course in the weeks prior to recon the course.  While many of the key selective points remain unchanged from year to year, other parts of the course are switched up, adding new and unique challenges.

In the days prior to my recon ride, the weather forecast was grim, calling for showers, and then rain, with temperatures in the low 40’s.  It occurred to me then that I’d never ridden the Battenkill course in the rain.  For whatever reason, I’d always been lucky and had unseasonably warm, dry conditions at Battenkill.

John S and I met at Cambridge High School, not far from the start.  Immediately after we arrived the rain picked up significantly.  The thermometer in my car read 42°F.  After carefully studying weather radars on our phones (which loaded up at 1X speeds), we decided to grab sandwiches and let the rain pass.  It didn’t pass as quickly as we’d hoped, and we still ended up riding the first hour in cold rain.

The first miles of the ride went quickly, despite the rain.  I finally got to put my Rapha Paul Smith rain jacket to good use and it was great.  It was wet enough that I even used the annoyingly pink butt flap to keep my backside dry.  Wearing that flap down feels like a target for passing traffic, just asking for trouble.  But I was dry, happy, and we cruised right along, passing through the Eagleville covered bridge and into the first challenges of the day.

The day's first indication of how the dirt would be

Robinson Road is the first dirt section and it’s no big deal, being downhill and easy.  But it’s still exciting to get to this point because it’s the first indication of what the dirt roads will be like that day.  Some days it’s bumpy, other days it’s loose, but this day it was soaked:  slippery and slow.  My 23c 100psi tires sunk deep into the road and my front wheel was loose as if I were on ice.  My speed dropped below 20mph despite the negative gradient.  It was going to be a long day.

Perry Hill Road is the first significant hill of the day being a long false flat with a few steep kickers and a nasty steep part at the top; it can be a 10 minute effort.  This road is paved, so it was no different in the rain.

One of Battenkill's premier challenges

Juniper Swamp Road immediately follows Perry Hill Road, with only a short, fast descent separating the two.  They’re positioned so close together on the course that they can feel like a single effort.  There’s very little time for recovery.

The turn onto Juniper Swamp Road is almost a hairpin, and you’re turning onto dirt with uncertain traction.  Only today it wasn’t dirt, but an inch or more of mud.  For a kilometer or so the road is flat, and I pedaled hard at threshold power just to hold on to a measly 12mph. Normally my speed would exceed 20mph.  My tires were slipping around in every direction as if I were riding a sandpit in a cyclocross race.  I tried to picture myself doing this in a peloton and thought it would be nearly impossible.

By the time I got to the start of the hill my heart rate was already almost in threshold zone.  I looked up the steep 20% gradient and saw many tire tracks from a large group ride that had left earlier in the morning.  Those tracks navigated carefully around loose piles of mud, mostly remaining within the narrow, packed automobile tracks.

John approaching the top of Juniper Swamp Road

As I approached the top of the climb lactic acid was fierce and my speed dipped under 3mph for extended periods of time!  Between this ridiculously slow speed and the slippery mud, I was just barely able to stay balanced and keep upright.  Many of the tire tracks turned to foot prints.  I had to wonder how many people were able to cleanly ride the road in these conditions.

And that was just how Battenkill was going to be this day in the rain; completely ridiculous.  We were afraid to descend any faster than 15 or 20 mph.  Any small amount of off-camber in the road would send us sliding in that direction towards the trees.  And hitting a patch of thick mud would send your body shooting forward on the bike as if you were spring skiing and hit a slushy patch of snow.  It took us over 90 minutes to ride the first 20 miles.

Luckily, the rain did stop around this point and the dirt roads dried out surprisingly quickly.  The dirt did not harden up by any means, but at least my tires weren’t sinking several inches in and I could maintain a reasonable speed.

The 2012 edition bypasses Joe Bean Road, which is more than a 5 minute climb for most people at mile 25.  The bypass is much flatter and shouldn’t be selective in most cases.  This isn’t to say that the course as a whole is any easier, but that the selections may occur later in the race than in previous years.

The smell may be considered one of the race's challenges

Carney and Cassidy Road were new to the 2011 edition and are a challenging hilly dirt alternative to the flat paved run-in to Greenwich.  My first impression was that this new section was easy and just good for the farm-animal scenery.  But shortly after passing a cow pasture we made a 90 degree left hand turn and saw a huge dirt wall directly in front of us.  These steep sections can look especially menacing.  Luckily it’s no more than a 2 minute climb, and stomping on the pedals hard in my 39×26 was enough to pass it quickly.  But that initial wall is not the end.  The road descends, turns, and another wall slaps you in the face.  And this repeats over and over until I lost count.  No single climb was significantly long, but they’re steep enough and frequent enough to really make the legs sting.

The back roads around Greenwich seemed to drag on forever, probably because I wasn’t familiar with them.  There is plenty of dirt, short climbs, turns, and farm animals, but there is no single part that would strike fear into most racers.  Well, other than a mean looking guard dog that will give you good reason to sprint on a downhill.

Cheese Factory Road

After turning south onto Route 40 there are about 10 miles of what are probably the easier parts of the course.  This is new to the 2012 edition.  I wouldn’t call it easy; there are still plenty of rollers and an annoyingly bumpy dirt section on Cheese Factory Road.  But with the difficult sections that follow it, you’ll want to save every ounce of energy you can.

Along Route 113 you can see the Hudson River down on your right and you know that you’re at a low elevation.  Before too long you make the inevitable turn up onto Wrights Road, a dirt section that rises continuously for miles.

 

A little extra resistance for the ride

 

Wipe it off and it will be back

Wrights Road is a long gradually-rising dirt road, but there are a number of steep kickers that make it hard.  After each kicker it never really eases up, with the gradient remaining on the positive end of the scale.  You’ll need to be able to recover at a reasonably high power output.   And with soft dirt and clogged brakes it feels especially slow.

Another of Battenkill's premier challenges

Meeting House Road has always been part of the race, but 2012 introduces a new part of the road.  It picks up right where Wrights Road leaves off, with steep kickers and long false flats.

My legs were trashed

By the time I got to the top of the first dirt kicker on Meeting House Road I felt as if I’d been red-lined forever.  My legs were trashed.  And this was very bad since Meeting House Road is all up and down steep dirt walls.  By the time I reached safety (pavement) again I felt abused.

Taking in the scenery

 

There are several miles of enjoyable pavement between Meeting House Road and the final challenge of the day: Stage Road.  I find it hard not to enjoy this gentle pavement, despite the fact that I’m several difficult hours in the saddle.  The scenery is just too good with covered bridges, more farm animals, and winding rivers.

Battenkill's penultimate challenge

But then you reach Stage Road.  If you’re in the lead group still you know the pace is going to be ballistic.  It’s the last hill and the last opportunity for a good climber to shed the fast sprinters.  And it’s dirt, so in the rain the climb is going to be slow and long.  I would think this would favor the climbers’ chances of getting away and staying away.

A fast descent and flat 5K sprint on good pavement is all that follows Stage Road.  With about 250m to go the road turns 90 degree right before the finish in front of Cambridge Town Hall.

Summary

We were lucky to have the rain stop when it did.  While the dirt sections in the second half of the road were far from good, they were nowhere near as bad as the earlier roads.  Juniper Swamp Road was the worst, as indicated by our 12mph average speed in the first 90 minutes.  Had we continued at this pace it would have taken us over 5 hours to finish the course.  In dry conditions I typically finish recon rides in around 3 hours and 40 minutes.

I also don’t know if I’d be brave enough to do this race in hard rain.  The wet dirt roads felt like riding a MTB in snow or a cross bike in sand, and riding side by side 150 other racers would be especially scary.  While I can’t think of any amateur race editions of Battenkill in the rain, I do recall one pro race edition in the rain.   Having now had the chance to experience the ridiculousness that occurs, I am humbled and hold the pros in even higher stature than before.

Clean me!

Also, it took me three attempts before I reached acceptable bike cleanliness.   After each of the first two attempts I found significant pockets of sand that I’d missed.  Finally I decided to get more serious with the cleaning and stripped off most of the parts, cleaning them one by one.  The effort required for this one rainy day at Battenkill  managed to drag on for days after.

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