Glencoe Grand Prix Masters 45+ 1234

A friend of mine from WI reminded me that three years ago I told him I would not likely do the Glencoe Grand Prix again given it is extremely technical, and diabolical. It is the most difficult criterium I have done. Yet, since then I never liked the idea of quitting or giving up on it, either. So upon hearing that new teammate Scotty Miner was going up for the 45+ Masters race, I decided to give it a crack again. The weather looked good, and I was coming off a solid three-day race series in Wood Dale.

First, to the psychology. I was defeated before the gun went off. I had the demons of the sharp, fast turns in my mind. I have seen the crashes live and in the photos. I was wondering if my 6’4” frame and 190 pounds could handle the brake, jump, brake, jump, brake pattern of Glencoe. My gray matter which helped propel me the prior weekend to 45 minute suffer-fests in the form of solo or two-man break-aways was suddenly an anchor. I had doubt. I had reservation. And you simply cannot do well in a race with these thoughts dominating your mind.

I tried to breathe and focus prior as I warmed up. I rode next to local strongman Fabio Orlandi who shared with me how he had been popped off the pace the year prior. Fabio? Popped? This guy dishes out pain every time I throw my leg over the top tube in a race with him. OK. So what’s the strategy? Fabio stressed the importance of lining up near the front and STAYING near the front. The accordion effect coupled, with riders blowing up like firecrackers in the first 5 laps underscored the importance of getting to the front. Every time a rider pops, you have to pass that guy AND bridge the short gap. Each of those efforts hurts and taps you more. OK. Got it. But there was an issue before the gun went off. I was number 34 and riders were staged by numbers. I was in the back. Great.

Adrenaline pumping, I wasted no time at all moving from 34th wheel to 10th. I worked my ass off to do what he said. And it felt OK. My concerns of fitness were subsiding, but I held on to a healthy dose caution in those turns. I noticed one of my main targets, Paul Swinand, comfortably at the front 5. Always the front 5. Now that guy knows what he is doing and is confident.

Accelerations came and went, and I was feeling fluid and more confident each lap. But I also noticed my 47 year-old ticker was pegged high. Really high. 175bpm +/-. Damn, this was a fast pace. And sure enough, about half way through the race, after a swift acceleration and strung out field, three guys in front of me lost it in a turn at the bottom of the climb. I glanced up to see two of them rolled into the bushes over the curb. I also glanced forward to see Paul and three guys had a gap, followed by 2 foursomes, followed by me trying to bridge after that crash.

“Pop.” I am not proud of it. But I popped. Not physically, but mentally. That negative energy I had pre-race showed up, and I used the crash as an excuse to watch the leaders roll away from me. I did not get off the gas entirely, but I surely did not eat enough shit to bring them back. A quick glance over my shoulder and I realized I WAS the back of the peloton aside from 1 chaser. Dammit. I failed.

“C’mon Radcliff! Dig for God’s sake!” Honestly, I said a pray asking for a bit of strength knowing how pissed I would be if I packed it in and left the course. In a brief moment, I reflected on my nephew who was in the hospital for almost three months, touch-and-go, and how his attitude for life was so strong. I needed his strength and attitude. I had looked at my handlebars where I taped “Daniel 5” to remind myself I can go deeper for 5 minutes if he can fight a disease that was trying to claim his life for three months. My prayer for strength was answered in the form of a XXX rider who wheeled up and said, “Let’s get em back.”

Done. I am all in. We essentially did a two-person time trial slowly reeling in the two foursomes which had become 8 behind the breakaway. Each time we came down the start finish, we could hear the announcer referring to “the remnants of the peloton coming through” and they were not referring to me and my new partner. They referred to that group in front of us. I had to go deeper.

Four laps later, we had reconnected. Awesome. I am going to finish this son’bitch. And I promptly took up my place at the back only to find the pace was so much more manageable in a draft. I actually dreamt of having enough left to punch out a sprint for a top 10. Then, with 2 to go, the pace quickened and I was right back to holding on. Those darn chicanes and brakes and jumps still suck when you are 10 deep. And just when I got ready to jump in the last lap to go for the line, I felt a locking up and lead weight that was not going to let me do anything. I was simply out of gas. I limped in 12th, humbled by how strong and quick these 45+ guys were.

What’s the difference between this race and a wide-open office park crit? My Garmin data shows the spikes in power. That coupled with HR and speed make this one of the toughest crits in the area.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/321345011

I am proud to have finished in the bunch. I am glad I came in rubber-side down. And I was glad to see Scotty Miner mixing it up with me. I am glad I did not give up on this race. Will I do it again? Let me drop 15 pounds and do more intervals, then I will answer that.

About 25 riders lined up for the neutral start to the 46 mile, 8 lap race just outside of Lake Geneva. The race was heavily dominated by local teams LAPT, Trek Midwest and Team Wisconsin (KS). My favorite breakaway buddy, Scott Pearson and myself lined up in the back. There probably was only 5 riders that weren’t on one of the three big teams and Scott and I chatted about how it would play out. Scott pointed out John Van Susteren, from LAPT (the hosting team), as the wheel to watch.

LAPT sent a guy up the road from the beginning. He dangled mostly in sight but there was very little organization from the other teams to work to bring him back. The only progress we made on reeling him in for the first hour of the race was when some of the independent guys would attack, but nothing much came of it because the strong LAPT riders were very quick to jump on the wheel of any attacker and bridge the field back up to them. As soon as the attacker would start to slow, the LAPT chasing rider would sit up and refuse to come through. It was a simple blocking strategy, but with the numbers and strength that they had there wasn’t much anyone else could do about it. I was a little frustrated that the other teams with numbers didn’t just take control and bring the rider back in. I didn’t think he was going to last out front by himself for the entire race, but it was starting to get boring.

Scott and I had both put in attacks and got in mini breaks that were quickly reeled in. It wasn’t working, so we started to form a plan. We picked a point to attack but agreed the field needed ‘softening up’ a little before then because the pace had dropped quite a bit. We had caught the lone LAPT rider, but they had demonstrated they had control and it seemed like the field was wondering what to do next. When the pace dropped to 17mph I reluctantly decided that I would try to do the softening. If nothing else I could create a opportunity for Scott, but either way, I didn’t travel 1.5 hours for a casual ride that would end in a sprint dominated by other teams.

I attacked. LAPT jumped on my wheel and we strung the field out. But this time I didn’t ease off, I stayed on the gas for a while. There was a strong crosswind and I wondered what damage I could do. After a few mins I eased off a bit, and of course, Scott then jumped and got up the road with a couple of guys. One was Van Susteren. I was pissed. Even though that was my plan I hated seeing those guys ride away. I sat in and stewed for a few minutes to catch my breath. I felt OK and decided that it was now or never, so I attacked again with the objective to bridge. There was a guy in ‘no mans land’ between the field and the break so I managed to get to his wheel, and then up to the lead group.

I had brought a few riders with and then a couple more followed. I think we were now 8 in the break. I have no idea how far back the field was. I tried to get us organized but it seemed like Scott, John and myself were the only ones working. Each time I would tell one of the other riders to pull through, I would get ‘I’m gassed’ or ‘I’m barely hanging on’. Scott attacked, John and I followed. I checked in with John and suggest that we need to work together and that hes probably going to out sprint Scott and me anyway. By the time we are done talking, the other 4 or 5 riders have caught back on. So much for ‘barely hanging on’

This happened 2 more times. The 3 of us get away and the rest would claw their way back. The 3rd time Scott attacks, I am pulling off from the front and on the wrong side, and I can’t get to Scott and John. Damn those crafty old guys! Scott and John are now up the road and there is about a mile left to go. Doug Bailey from Trek Midwest attacks us and gets some distance away from us but short of Scott and John. I’m not buying anymore ‘I’m gassed’ so I sit on wheels for a minute or so and then launch myself up to Doug Bailey. I caught him just before the last corner that turns into the 300m finish straight. We look at each other for a bit and I out sprint him for 3rd. As predicted, John out sprinted Scott for 1st.

In summary I was happy with the result. Out of 25 starters, there were only 5 Cat 3s and only two of those finished. Me in 3rd and the other Cat3 was last. I had a number of guys come up to make and say that I raced really strong, and John Van Susteren said that I ‘animated the race’ which totally made my day. I always love racing with Pearson and there were plenty of other classy riders in the field as well. The course made for a fun circuit race with nice rolling hills and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Masters 5’s – submitted by Todd Pogreba

Team EMC2 had a bit more fire power this morning as I lined up with Dan Kurowski, Steve Ravenscaft, Ed Severini( my good friend and riding partner there to support team EMC2), and myself, Todd Pogreba.  Brarrazas Bothers was present 6-7 riders deep to maintain their 1^st place spot. It was obvious their tactics were a bit more advanced than a typical Cat5s.

The race went off without a hitch. No break-aways as EMC2 and Brarrazas were the only teams in contention. Other than a few novices who would sporadically zig-zag it was a fairly safe race. The only close call was when a goose and angry bird took their spat out on the course and breaks were suddenly tapped. We rode an even pace, mid 20s. Steve R, provided some good cover but misreading the lap counter jumped too early, burning him out.  Ed S gave some decent pulls and a good uphill effort. Dan again helped a lot.  A few times, I got stuck out front.  Dan made his way up, to take the lead, and give me a break, as well as cover throughout, he gave a lot to the team.

In the end I thought I had more than I did. Took the turn at the top of the hill too wide losing ground and crossed the line 6^th.

I placed an honorable 2^nd overall for the series. I learned a lot this weekend and did it rubber side down. I see there is safety in numbers so I strongly urge all our Cat5 guys to join and race together as we advance to Cat4s! We can do it! Go Team EMC2!

Radcliff comment – It doesn’t matter what category you are in, winning and being on the podium is hard.  Congrats Todd and team.  A podium in a three-day race is awesome!

Masters 40+ 4’s

Steve jumped in a larger field that seemed to have the whole of the Tower Racing present.  They always seem to have a ton at this race – nowhere else.

Steve looked strong and fluid throughout the whole of the race.  I had him pegged to place near the top in the field.  However, it is really tough going against that many teammates, and Steve was solo today.  He had a very strong race – present in the front, and I believe I saw him make a move and had a few with him.  I was hoping it would stick.  But, again, tough to break a large team who seemed content to sit on everything until a sprint.

Steve rolled in 11^th, but the sprint was bunched, and the difference between 1^st and 20^th was barely a second.  It was a great effort, and great to see him out there!

Masters 40+ 123’s

An interesting start to my race.  The number 1 rider overall did not come out.  Nor did my next closest rival behind me in 4^th.  So I felt I had a shot at eeping 2^nd place overall behind Scott Pearson if I played it right.  After a 2 person escape went up the road, I just focused on Scott and we both tried repeatedly to drop each other and the field.  But what foiled it was the teams who were off the front served to shut down any effort from me and Scott, even if we went together.

So the escape won by a huge margin and it came down to a sprint.  I now knew Scott was not a strong sprinter, so I reckoned I had a chance.  And I made the most of it by winning the field sprint (3^rd place) and Scott lost enough slots that I took the overall from him.  1^st overall.  That is two podiums sealed today!  What would the 30+ Masters hold with me and Mr Reeves?

Masters 30+

Similar strategy, different day.  I would try to cover moves that did not contain Gareth or me.  Once or twice I tried to attack thinking Gareth could counter.  The first 10 minutes just felt furious to me.  I am interested in Gareth’s view, but we were hauling ass and Burnham Racing kept fire-cracking guys off the front.  After one particularly hard chase to a threatening escape, Gareth did what he does best.  Hammer the shit out of you in a break.

He escaped with Scott Pearson. . . the same Scott Pearson I just raced against, and a Burnham Racing guy.  Most of the overall favorites sat in trying to get to them, but between me and Burnham, there was no help.  And thank goodness for me, Gareth was out of site pretty damn quickly.  I was fading after that opening.  I can see him in my mind – head down, cranking out the rhythm.  I understand he and Scott Pearson just about cracked off their third partner, Nate Iden, several times.

Again, I can’t comment on his race because he was half the course in front of me.  But I understand Nate finally cracked and it was Scott and Gareth.  Gareth took a lesson from Scott and jumped him and stuck it to the line.  First Place!!!  What a sweet win!  Congratulations Gareth!

Addendum from Gareth - I figured that Scott would expect me to sit on his wheel and try to cover the inevitable attack that he would put in somewhere in the last 2 laps. He has done this to me a few times and its around a 50/50 chance that I can latch back on to his wheel, so instead I decided to attack him going up the hill with 1 more lap to go. I held him off for about half a lap (Nate stayed with him for a while but then dropped off) but he clawed his way back on despite all my efforts. He then attacked me on the hill and I managed to get on his wheel and rode it to the finish and out sprinted him. When I got on his wheel I heard him say ‘OK you got it’  and we both knew at that point that the race was mine. Scott was on his second race and the two of us had been driving the break for 40 mins.

Below is a video of the first 30 mins of the race from Brian Kulak (rides for Sammys). For those following along, the winning selection is made at 22:00 and you can just make out the pack sitting up briefly at 22:22.

Special thanks to Alan Grigoletto, Jim Ward, Matt Howley, Todd Ferguson and his wife for coming out to cheer us on.  (I hope I did not forget anyone today).  I am proud of how we did as a team.  2 overall podiums ( a 1^st and 2^nd), 5 individual race podiums (3- 2^nd places, 1 3^rd place, and 1 win).  The training rides and teamwork paid off this weekend!

Happy Memorial Day, all!

Tim Radcliff

Masters 5
Todd Pogreba did it again! Another 2nd place! Congratulations! The same guy beat him yesterday, so they are locked in 1 – 2. Once again Dan Kurowski helped Todd and played a key role in helping him conserve for the finale. Dan is getting stronger by the day – they both looked fantastic! If Todd can finish tomorrow strongly, he will stand on the podium for the overall! Cat 5’s – consider helping a brother out!

Masters 40+ 123
I lined up once again with a similar strategy as yesterday – watch a few key guys. I was 5th overall and a smart race might help move me up. But I am not a smart man. I love to go for it, even if it is not always smart. And after a barrage of attacks in the first 10 minutes, the front 10 guys sat up after a catch of one of my rivals. So I jumped. Again. Just like yesterday. And just like yesterday, no one came with me. SO I got a decent little gap after 1 lap, but this time I could see Scott Pearson (Apache) bridging with no followers. So I sat up a bit, let him hitch on, and we were off. 15 minutes into the 50 minute race, we got in a groove and ate it. I don’t believe we ever got more than 25 seconds on the group, but worked very well together.

With 12 minutes to go, the gap was just under 20 seconds, and we both took monster pulls. Then poof. The field gave up. 30 seconds, and climbing. We had this one in the bag. Unfortunately, I had few matches left, and Scott jumped with just over a lap to go after I was finishing a hard pull. I knew I could not get him,
and just TT’d as hard as I could to roll in 2nd – now 3rd overall. That break felt great.

Masters 4’s
Tim Moran rode out of his mind. As the pics show, he won primes – THREE primes – and not by a bike throw. He won by a huge margin. I actually tried to get him to stay on the gas after one prime because the peloton sat up – they had no idea what was hitting them. It was Tim Moran!

Tim rode a sensible race and after a bit a group of 7 split away. I saw Tim bridge like hell to the group, as it looked like this was the winning move. Legs were tired, and the snap was going. Unfortunately, there were few drivers of the effort, and 2 guys never like doing all the work, so the group of 7 slowed and eventually the whole thing came back together. I really thought that was the move, but it was now time to plan for the final laps. Tim rode very smart, and based upon his three primes, Bob Bondiman (watching) and I thought he had it in the bag. What we did not know was that Tim got pinched on the backstretch, and just when the sprint surge started, he was stuck to the gutter.

Rather safe than sorry, he came out of the final turn too far back for his liking, and finished in the middle of the pack. But – he is three primes richer and he flew the colors very, very well.

Thanks Bob Bondiman and Matt Howley for coming out to cheer us on! Matt is looking great by the way. 1 crutch, and he will be back in 5 or 6 more weeks. Look out for Holy Cowley Howley!

Rubber side down,

Tim Radcliff

I believe we had only 4 guys out there today. But it was a beautiful day for racing – nice and cool, and dry. And. . we did have Alicia and Kyle Kalinich cheering us on! Thanks to you both! I needed it.

Master 5’s
In the 5’s, Dan Kurowski and Todd Pogreba lined up for battle. While I missed the first part, I saw a few moves that ultimately were shut down by riders not interested in working in the break that had formed. Maybe we’ll call it ‘conservative’, because break-aways can sting the legs.

Dan spent a good bit of time up front and did cover some threatening moves, which turned out to be very important for Todd. So it came down to a final lap of eager, sprinters who were ready to be more animated.

In the final lap, Todd took a gamble instead of mixing it up with a bunch sprint. This is, of course, safer than being in the mayhem. But it requires a deep dive into the pain cave to stick it from so far out. Todd launched from the back stretch before the next to last turn. He punched it up the hill with the field chasing him down. After turn four, he was all in, committed to sprinting the last 300 meters and only one guy had the legs to come around him. Super move, super sprint. And like I said, I am sure Dan’s work help set that up. Congratulations to you both.

40+ 123
I lined up solo in the 40+. I had 2 guys I wanted to watch, and tried to be smart as the first series of attacks and catches happened. After a strung out catch of a small group, the front of the group flattened – an ideal time to jump because it indicates those leading guys are tired and not interested in keeping the pace up. So I abandoned my strategy and took a flyer, hoping I might draw another strong guy with me, like Scott Pearson, Tom Doughty, or an Enzo guy. But this did not happen, so I was faced with a solo TT if this move was going to stick. My timing was perhaps not so smart, as we were 15 minutes into a 50 minute race. I am sure this is what the field was thinking.

It was a quick decision for me. “Why not!!! I am here to race and suffer!” SO I got in a groove as I watched them let me slip away. For the first few laps, I had no conviction this would be a good move, but I plowed on. A 10 second gap became 15. Then 20. Then 30. Then 47. THEN the mental gymnastics kick in. “Holy cow, Maybe I CAN do this?!” I kept digging only to hear the gap come down to 32. Bu then back to 45. Cool – maybe they are disorganized in their efforts. Better for me!

For about 25 minutes, I was trying to be a rock star. Then, the number came down very rapidly. I fast moving group of 7 guys were coming up to me. The field was still nowhere in sight, but the freight train was in my rear view mirror, so I recovered trying to make sure I latched on. Success.

We almost lapped the field and it came down to a final lap of tactics. Joe Bereyni jumped early and hard and everyone watched. “Uh, guys? He is a gold medal Olympian.” So fearing I had no bounce in my bungee for a sprint, I chased hoping to hook up. I did, but the counter attack was too much for me and I rolled in 5th, happy with the effort.

30+ 1234
Gareth and I lined up for a speedy ride. I had one goal, knowing I was going to be pooped: Try to cover all moves that did not contain Gareth or me. I tried, but 2 guys slipped up the road quickly. An Enzo’s rider (they had a small bunch in the race) and a Weather Channel guy. They were gone in a flash.

Gareth got in some promising moves, but were shut down, and I tried to counter to soften the crew. All I really did was soften myself up, I think. No matter, because Gareth saved my bacon by getting in a solid move that was NOT coming back. You know that position he gets in. . . head down, wrists over the handlebars, TT position. That drove the group, and they were gone. So while I cannot comment on his race dynamics, mine got easier. Watch the moves behind him and tagged on if I needed to, without doing work.

The original two breakers lapped us, and this for some reason woke up my group (the peloton). In fact, while Gareth’s group had been out of sight, all of a sudden, they were only 10 seconds in front. Had he not been in the move, I would have bridged, but I could not do that. And with 3 laps to go, my group backed off, and I bet Gareth’s rocked. . . because they got way out from us again. So I was sprinting for 11th at best. And when Tom Driver of Burnham jumped with 2 to go, I got on his wheel. The two of us stayed clear of the field for 2 laps to finish behind Gareth’s group, me right behind Driver for 12th. Gareth rolled in 6th place overall, 4th in his sprint. Nice work, Mr. Reeves.