2010 ABD Indoor #2 Hilly Course Results

The February installment of the ABD Time Trial Series was another rock'em sock'em fest of man verses computers on a rolling, hilly terrain 10k course. On this day, congratulations goes out to Stacey Appelwick. This was her first overall win in a time trial beating the likes of a very talented Jessie Prinner. Will Novak did what he does best as he took the top spot on the men's podium yet again. Meanwhile, Charles Gerlach continued to solidify himself as a legitimate contender for the men's series overall title, while Mark Swartzendrubber cracked the podium for the first time this season nipping Dan Verner for third by a mere 5 seconds.

The racing got so crazy at times that I heard from race control that some rider dropped a chain in the middle of their battle against the machine. I have no idea how one would drop a chain in the middle of an indoor race, but who am I to say? I also heard the usual complaints about calibration. The bottomline is that we may never get the man verses computer saga fully figured out. This is why in the end, the series is usually settled on the road!

The ABD series has been such a breath of fresh air this winter as we cannot quite get a break from the other machines that reek havoc in our lives called snow blowers. Therefore, it is always nice to see the likes of Pat and Jerry Beam, and a lot of the master's riders that really make the ABD races competitive yet fun, social events.

The next race in the ABD series takes us to Winfield Middle School once again.  On March 20th, racers will be treated to a 9k hill climb challenge. Check out www.abdcycling.com for details. The next MATTS event will be held on 3/6 at Vision Quest in Highland Park. Racers will be racing the 2008 Cholet Tour De France 29k course. Racers have 30 minutes to see how far they fair. See you in Highland Park in two weeks for the second to last episode of "Man Verses Machine" before all heck breaks loose as we cannot take another day of snow...all bets will be off as things get dicey and fueds are settled rock and chip style!
-DP

2010 ABD Indoor TT #2 this Weekend (2/21)

Sparks will be flying and rubber will be burning at this weekend’s second installment of the ABD Indoor Time Trial Series. This time, participants will be challenged by a 10k rolling hills course. The last race saw Will Novak scorch the flat course in a time of 13:57 besting “2009 Indoor Champion,” Dan Verner, by seven seconds. On the ladies side, the competition was fast and furious as well with Kristen Mesberg (16:01) and Jessie Prinner (16:10) leading all women on the flat 10K course.

Will another Compu-trainer malfunction again keep Mark Swartzendrubber from securing another top three overall podium finish? Will Charles Gerlach and Christain Waterstraat show they belong in the class with the indoor behemoths? Will Leigh Thompson or Debbie Dust make cameo appearances? It is anyone’s guess. If you are going raging mad riding your indoor trainer in the doldrums of your basement or the cold has you down, come on out to Winfield this weekend and check out an indoor time trial.

The next race in the series (Race #3) is a 9k hill climb. Here is the breakdown for this race: 1k flat, 1k @ 2% grade, 1k @ -2% grade, 1k flat, 1k @ 1%, 1k @ 2%, 1k @ 3%, 2k @ 4%. For more information visit: http://www.abdcycling.com

Vision Quest 2008 Cholet Tour de France Indoor 29k TT course is the next race on the docket. For more information on this race visit: http://www.visionquestcoaching.com This race is part of MATTS which is giving out $5000 in cash and prizes this year. Check out www.ambikerace.com for full series details.

2010 Vision Quest Indoor Time Trial Tour de France Style 3/6

O.K. all you Tour de France want tow bees....here is your chance to race on a time trial course that the tour pros use right here in Chicago. Well sort of. Riders will be racing on the "infamous 2008 Tour de France Stage 4 time trial course in Cholet" at the Vision Quest Coaching Highland Park Headquarters using a Computrainer setup.

At 29k long, this will be a unique challenge for cyclists and triathletes alike to break up the winter training season. The event is part of the Mid America Time Trial Series (MATTS). Visit the VQ website for registration and event information at: http://www.visionquestcoaching.com/general.php?id=1325

MATTS 2010 IS ON!

Hi everyone. The editor of this blog has been gone a while. Found a new girlfriend at the end of the season, and well this is my excuse. Some may call it lame or otherwise. I think I can handle the abuse! The phrase is "I think." At any rate, I have taken on the Mid America Time Trial Series Coordinator Position.

We have roughly 17 races on the schedule this season which is just plain awesome! Robbie Ventura and his Vision Quest Squad are putting on a 30k simulated Tour de France time trial on March 6th. Bryce Meade, pro racer (Jelly Belly) is putting on a new 23K race near the Iowa /Illinois Border in Coleta, Illinois on June 5th. (This course will most probably be the toughest on the circuit this season with many hill climbs involved.) Mark Swartzendruber, a time trialing legend in these parts, will also be involved in putting on two races. His Verizon Wireless Cycling Team will be putting on a 2-person 39k TT in Garden Prairie on May 8th. Mark will also be involved in putting on a 40K in downstate Champaign the following weekend (May 16th) with Wild Card Cycling. Please visit http://www.ambikerace.com/2010/flyers/2010%20Mid%20America%20Time%20Trial%20Series.pdf for a full copy of the MATTS 2010 racing schedule.

The Midwest Time Trial Series has been going strong for over 25 years. Thanks goes out to the many sponsors, teams, race promoters, and race officals that make the series successful year after year. Our sponsors on board for the 2010 season are Profile Design, Sram, and Park Tool USA. Teams hosting races this year are Athletes by Design, Verizon Wireless, Vision Quest, Rock Valley, Oil, Wild Card Cycling, Tempo Velo, Apache, Midwest Masters, DICE Training, Windy City Wheelmen, and Verdigris Racing.

The series is still actively pursuing a title sponsor for the upcoming 2010 season to help pay for printing costs associated with flyers that go out to bicycle shops and help with either merchandise or money to pool for overall rider awards.

Since I took on this role so late in the season, I want to grow the rider participation in the series over the next few years. I want to do this by adding sponsorships and adding swag like wheelsets, groupos, etc. to our overall end of the year prize lists.

I am open to any and all suggestions to improve the series. Any changes must be made at WIL meetings. Any rider wanting to make a suggestion or change should attend these meetings.

Lastly, I will be doing an upcoming article on the ABD Indoor Time Trial Series. Mark Swartzendruber and Dan Verner are going head to head in this series as usual. However, there is a new Sheriff in town, and his name is Will Nowak (Unattached) who turned in the best time in the first installment of the ABD Series held on January 24th. He turned in a time of 13:57 over the 10K flat course besting series notables Drubber and Verner. The next indoor TT is on February 21st. It is a rolling 10k course. Will an apparent computrainer malfunction ruin Drubber's day again, or will Verner and Drubber square off like Man Verses Food eating a 10 pound Philli Steak with Cheese. May the best man win. That's a wrap -DP

2009 MATTS Bryce Master 20K TT Results and Recap

Brian Akers, WDT Allvoi pumping the pedals in Harvard Saturday

Harvard, Illinois was the site of the Bryce Master 20k TT this past Saturday. For those of you keeping score, this was the 15th installment in the MATTS racing series. The usual suspects showed up to wrangle with fast, flat country roads and agonizing headwinds to post some of the fastest 20K times of the year. Going out, riders fought 25-30 mile per headwinds only to be rewarded by pushing the 54-11 (riding at speeds in excess of 30+ miles per hour) on the return trip home.

Jeff Otto (unattached) rode the fastest time of the day rolling the course in 24:52. Christian Giego (Brones RVCC) was second with a 26:21; and Mr. Brian Harris (PYOC), one of the most consistent and fastest riders on the MATTS circuit blistered the course for the third fastest men's time with a 26:26. Other notables on the men's side were Mike Jones (PACT) 26:53; Reed Oliff (unattached) 27:02; Jim Kombol (Vision Quest) 27:56; Derric Ungaro (WDT Allvoi) 26:57; Brain Akers (WDT Allvoi) 27:15; Curtis Bice (ABD) 27:16; Peter Allen (XxX) 27:19; Charles Gerlach (unattached) 26:50; Morgan Wiswall (Wheel & Sprocket) 27:15; Michael Stevens (Team Mack) 26:54; Charlie Thalheimer (Verdigris) 28:32; Dan Madsen (ABD) 27:40; Robert Burke (PACT) 28:35; Ken Rounhaus (Team RVO) 28:42; Gene Nozicka (Albertos) 30:46; Gary McGovern (Midwest Masters) 36:21; Bob Herbert (Midwest Masters) 36:25 Robert Burns (Team Mack) 31:18; and rounding out the field, 80 year old Ray Putman (Midwest Masters) with a 38:37.

On the ladies side, none other than Debbie Dust (PACT) rode the fastest women's time of the day with a 28:52. Diane Roanhaus (Team RVO) was second, blazing the course in a time of 30:37. Agnieszka Motyka (ABD) took home the bronze with a time of 31:17. Other notables on the woman's side were Shawn Uemura (Northbanch) 32:18; Bizzy Vega (unattached) 33:48; Rose Nguyen (unattached) 36:19; Gladys Aguirre (Kenosha Racing BC) 36;31; Joy Houser (ABD) 37:54; Christy Hoff (Midwest Masters) 38:28; Melissa Andrews (unattached) 38:34; Dena Kneisl (unattached) 38:38; Nancy Beck (Midwest Masters) 43:25; and Audrey Fleshing (unattached) 43:57. Please go to http://www.ambikerace/ for full results.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in Harvard this past weekend. Coming up this Sunday 8/9 is the Double Bong 40K TT in Kanasville, Wisconsin. Please go to http://www.ambikerace/ for race details. If you are curious to know why this course is named Double Bong, well... I am sorry to inform you that it is not what you may be thinking. The race is actually held near the Richard Bong State Recreation Area in Kenosha County. Richard Bong was the highest scoring air ace in World War II, and the area that is now a State Park was to be commissioned as the Bong U.S. Airforce Base which never materialized. Anyway, just a tidbit of information. Sorry to disappoint any of you who thought otherwise. See you at the races!

2009 MATTS Sub Hour 40K Club-Updated (8/4)

Mark Swartzendruber (Verizon)
Chris Mosora (Verizon)*
Mike Jones (PACT)
Brian Harris (PYOC)
Brian Akers (WDT/Allvoi)
Curtis Bice (ABD)
Peter Allen (XxX)
Ron Matteson (Freeport Bicycles)
Jim Uemura (Unattached)
Daniel Madsen (ABD)
David Irion (Endure It)
Daniel Dodson (North Branch)
Rob Jungels (ABD)
James Sneddon (ABD)
Kieth Vogel (Unattached)
Dan Norbeck (Vision Quest)
Peter Allen (XXX)
Luke Taggart (Wild Card Racing)
Doug Peterson (WDT/ Allvoi)
Eric Gauthier (Multisport Madness)
Thomas Altemus (RVO)
Ken Roanhaus (RVO)
Darin Steiner (RVO)
Loch Miwa (Flatlandia)
Michael Stodden (North Branch)
Debbie Dust (PACT)
* Denotes ridden on a single speed

2009 Cordova 40k TT Results and Recap

On Sunday July 19th, many of the TT Chicagoland faithful made the three hour trek to the tiny little town of Cordova, Ilinois along the Illinois-Iowa border to make some noise at the 7th Annual Dr. Craig C. Schultz Memorial 40k. This was somewhat of a tricky town to get to as Route 84 is well camouflaged amongst the city streets in Port Byron, Illinois. This caused many of us to miss this turn as we traveled to and from the race. I am confident that Port Bryon does this intentionally so outsiders will get lost and buy fresh bread from the little old lady on the corner. There really was a fresh bread stand in town. Not sure about the old lady, but it just makes for good story telling.

OK, back to the race. The weather was a bit on the cool side with temperatures hovering in the mid 60's by start time. A solid Westerly wind (as evidence of an American flag blowing near the start) was also cooking up some antics of its own.

There were three riders who broke the old course record of 54:20. One of these riders was none other than Aurora local Chris Mosora (Verizon) who rode a 54:15 for the third fastest men's time of the day on a single speed, fixed gear bike! Talk about fast, this guy looked like he was riding a motorcycle! Way to go Chris! Debbie Dust (PACT) 102:09 rode the second fastest women's time of the day followed by none other than Diane Roanhaus (RVO) 103:53 who finished third on the women's podium. Awesome job ladies!

Other notables from the area were Brian Harris (PYOC) 54:26; Mike Jones (PACT) 55:13; Brian Akers (WDT) 56:48; Peter Allen (XxX) 56:51; Dan Madsen (ABD) 57:04; David Irion (Endure It) 57:40; Ron Madsen (Freeport Bicycles) 58:53; Ken Roanhaus (RVO) 59:08; James Snedden (ABD) 59:08; Loch Miwa (Flatlandia) 59:09; Doug Peterson (WDT) 59:53; Don Lowe (Mack) 1:00:00; Rob Jungles (ABD) 1:00:13; Bob Marshall (ABD) 1:01:52; Stephen Miwa (South Chicago Wheelmen) 1:07:35; Nancy Haymann (Albertos) 108:37; Marilyn Powell (ABD) 1:11:39; and rounding out the best in the area was Stacy Appelwick (Endure It) with a 1:14:14. Great job to all the riders who made the journey. Complete results will be posted on www.dicetraining.com and www.ambikerace.com

A special thanks goes out to the race promoter Donnie Miller (DICE) and the folks in Cordova who allowed us to use their Park and Township Civic Center to stage the race. Donnie is unique in that he knows many racers by first name, and he really goes the extra mile to put on a first class event each year! Thank you!

Next up.... Allvoi Cup #2 pursuit results and sub hour club additions.