By Tim Radcliff
Matt Howley gets on the podium at Lincoln Park, with a 3rd in the Cat 4’s. Well done Matt – we’ll look for pictures and a summary!
I did the 40+ 123’s and found the race extremely challenging. A XXX rider went from the gun solo, followed a little later by a very strong chasing trio. I was marking two folks – I just chose 2 I knew were strong, as you cant look at field like that and try to cover every move. They were all strong. So when Mark Swartzendruber went, so did I. We chased, but did not make ground on the front 4. And out of nowhere, a Union Cycling rider bridged to us. This guy was strong.
The end result: I got snapped off my 3 man chase group after 5 laps and with 9 laps to go, stuck in no-man’s land. I dug hard and time trialed all the way to 2 to go, and I started to believe I could hold off the field which had been slowly gaining and then retreating and then ultimately gaining on me.
With 2 to go, I noticed a group of about 10 riders coming up fast on me. I was so disappointed. Then I realized it was the front four riders lapping me, and about 6 cling-ons from the peloton I had been holding off. What a bummer. My chasers got a free ride on the super strong front four.
I hopped on board and hobbled in to finish 9th. In talking with Mark Swatrzendruber after the race, his average power for the entire race was 387 watts. I am not there yet, so much work to be done….
I accomplished what I wanted – a super strong workout. But clearly this sport is about mental toughness as well, and by being cracked off a break, I realize I need to harden up when it matters most.
I hope to see many of you Sunday at the time trial. I hope my legs stop hurting by then.
John Fraser TT Summary
Mr. Alvestad continues to impress with another spot on the podium. Jostein
did a mountain bike race on a fixed gear bike, among some of the most
advanced mountain bikes money can buy. And he solo’d away and won by over
three minutes! Congratulations Jostein!
That’s the good news. The bad news is that our slim margin over ABD
disappeared today at the Maple Park time trial. In very windy conditions,
and chilly conditions, ABD came out the victor and collected the team prize
cash.
But back to good news- we had a FANTASTIC showing of the EMC2 colors. It
was great to see teammates old and new giving it a go. I think almost all
of us were slower than years past as we ate headwinds longer, and the sweet
tail winds seem to be done too soon. Some highlights:
- Reeves in super early season form at 22.24 was our fastest of the day
- Newest member Tom Ferguson clocked a 26.29 in first ever attempt. Welcome
Tom! - Dan Kurowski briefly escaped brutal hours at the office to hit 31.20. Nap
time, Dan! - Jim Ward hit 25.49 even though he reminds me that he was cold and wanted to
sleep in. - Gus Rosada tested a new tt machine to hit 25.58
- Bob Majcen punished himself twice to hit 26.35 and 26.30. Consistent! Wow!
- Jim Landenberger pushed to a 26.58 even with the tall-guy disadvantage in
those winds. - Steve Jesanis clocked a fine 23.17. Too many cocktails the prior night did
not slow him down. (keep that up) - Tim Moran showed off his new tt machine at 25.10. Pretty sweet for a brand
new ride. - I did a 23.48
- Michael Stavridis rolled a 25.19, well done indeed. Africa is paying off.
- Matt Howley clocked a 23.30 on his newly fitted BMC
- Tony Meadors recovered from playing a gig last night to ride 25.52
Notably missing was our ladies team. We really want you ladies to join the
suffer fest and join us on the road.
But importantly, here is what I noticed: times were all over the place.
Some clocked times similar to last year, some added quite a bit. And this
is true not only for EMC2, but for all participants. It was truly a brutal
day. The wind and chill made the race that much more challenging. I spoke
to one of the area’s best time trialists and he said he simply can’t
benchmark this race. He was minutes slower at higher or similar watts. He
is probably right.
So. Focus on the positive- we had a great turnout, with guys going really
deep in really challenging conditions. I thought we did awesome. Yes, we
lost to ABD today, but we beat a whole bunch of other teams. And I really
enjoyed seeing our wonderful teammates. You guys are awesome.
Well done EMC2.





























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