Perspective

As part of its continued development, Bouledogue tout noir cycling will be dedicating the majority of its 2009 advertising strip to a number of local and global charities. The team feels that it is of greater benefit to use what small influence we have to benefit programs meeting a sincere need rather than to enrich ourselves through product endorsements. Riders feel that they are blessed just by having the priveledge to be members of the robust and lively Chicago cycle racing scene.

Please consider visiting the following sites.

Team Heads in a New Direction

After ending a profitable and rewarding two-year partnership with a prominent Chicago bike shop, this cycling team will forge a new path in 2009 under the auspices of the soon to be approved non-profit organization Bouledogue tout noir. The official team name will be announced in 2009.

Although some of the team's current riders will be creating a new team with the previous sponsor, Bouledogue tout noir will be forging ahead with the same principles and philosophy on which it was founded.

Bouledogue tout noir had an instant impact on a burgeoning Midwestern category 3 and women's cycling scene when it debuted in 2007. "Burnham Racing (then known as Team Clif Bar Midwest) demonstrated the value of category 3 racing in 2006," said team director Jonathan Tenney. "They were real trailblazers and certainly inspired a lot of racers to reconsider their strategy. They taught me a lot about how to put a team together." Although 2007 was a good year for us, 2008 was even better. "It is pretty cool to note than the entire team (all categories) won more races in 2008 than 2007, that we did it with fewer riders, we did it with a smaller budget, and we raced in double the number of racing categories. We earned many national and state championship medals. While other teams were padding their accomplishments by recording top-10s, we had to restrict the listing of placings on our site to top-3s because we could not have fit all of our top-10s on the same page. All of these are a testament to all of the hard work done in the shop, on the web, and in the saddle by everyone who was a member and shop employee from 2007-08," wrote Tenney in an e-mail to all of the past and future members of his team.

When asked about the look of the team for the upcoming year, Tenney said: "Our jersey design will essentially stay the same, so look for a new name along with the same old stripes in 2009. Our kit was inspired by the paint jobs seen on the monster 4-cylinder engine motorcycles manufactured by the japanese in the 1970s. When I was in college I had a Kawasaki KZ1000, and it was a monster. Just huge, impressive, and very fast."

Brostrom Earns Eighth Place at the U.S.A. Track National Championships

Valerie Brostrom finished in eighth place in the finals of the Keirin at the U.S.A. Elite Track National Championships held in the ADT Velodrome in Los Angeles, California. She earned her place in the final by coming in second place in the first heat of the day. Brostrom's top ten placing, along with the solid performances of Joshua Ryan against some of the best sprinters in the country, mark the first appearances of Team GAG at the U.S.A. Elite Championships.

News from the Track

Josh and I have actually been racing all summer despite the lack of anything in written form. I graduated from medical school in the middle of June, moved across town and started my Pathology residency. And we went to Italy (that's us in Venice, nice and happy before we got lost). We have been racing Thursday nights at Northbrook, along with the occasional Saturday jaunt down to Indianapolis (Major Taylor Velodrome) and once we went up to Blaine in Minneapolis. Josh did quite well this season, especially in races he doesn't particularly like, taking 4th in the Indiana State Points Race, and in races he really likes, 2nd in the Sprints at the same event. Also lest we not forget he finished 3rd at Masters Nationals (Hellyer, San Jose) in the Team Sprint with local Kevin Perez (Turin) and someone else from another velodrome (sorry, I can't remember his name). Right now we're both getting geared up for Elite Nationals, October 1st-5th at ADT in LA.


First off, I have to throw a huge amount of thanks to the guys, especially Eric, at the Get a Grip Irving shop for helping make my bike the most amazing piece of two wheeled machinery that has ever graced the planet. (picture above by Gavin, http://www.flickr.com/photos/neverdrownout)

Northbrook 8/21/08, Elaine Nekritz 35 Lap Scratch Race
(Women's State Scratch Race)
The Elaine Nekritz race is arguably one of the best women's track races in the Midwest, with a purse of $1000. It tends to draw a lot of regional names, this year we were joined by Kendi Thomas from Major Taylor, Monique Hanley from Australia, and Elena Dorr who recently moved here from Blaine, oops I mean Minneapolis (I tend to refer to the name of the track in a city rather than the city itself). Not to mention the strong locals who were there, Kristen Meshburg, Jessi Prinner (who just returned from Junior Track and Road Nats), Francine Haas, Julie DeWerd, Michelle Dykstra, Imelda March, Wendy Gaddey, Sarah Huang and Marcie Weiss, who've been hiding out all summer in Wisconsin. I knew Kendi was coming and I figured Monique would be there since she was in town for a few road races. These two alone would make it a hard night, spice it up with some Meshburg-Prinner-Haas and the night went from hard to potentially agonizing.

We started the night off with a 15 lap Point-a-Lap race, which is everyone's favorite race. Yeah right. I think most of us viewed it a warm-up, which certainly does not equate to it being slow, rather it means no one really killed themselves for points. I sat in, tried to contest a few points, didn't win any and went into the final lap with 0 points, meaning I was tied with 5 or 6 other people for 5th-whatever place. I ended up winning the last lap, in a very gratifying way. I was sitting 2nd to last with about 150m to go and thought that I better finish with at least 1 point. I blazed around half the field in turn 3 and passed Monique in turn 4. It felt really good to lay down the speed and made me a little more confident going into the Scratch Race that I had something in the engine that night.

(photo by Gavin)

Onto the marquee event of the night. The Elaine Nekritz 35 Lap Championship Scratch Race. I've learned in my ever so short time as a track racer that I would rather do a 100 lap Scratch Race than a 30 lap Points Race. I guess some people find this strange and really enjoy the excitement of points races, and to them I say, have you ever done a Women's points race at Northbrook? I didn't think so. We can, I hate to say it, have very tedious points races that are painful in all the wrong ways. Well, I'm digressing. My point was that I actually enjoy scratch races, so I was excited for this race. And extremely nervous. We all lined up at the rail, the weather looked ominous, it had rained on and off all day and it appeared that the clouds were rolling back in. Carl and Dave came around telling us what would happen in case of rain. Ugh. Rain.

The race started, nothing too exciting for the first half. A few break attempts but nothing stuck. Then with about 12 laps to go, Jessi Prinner jumped off the front. Jessi is a really strong rider (and a junior!), I did a quick calculation in my head and figured we could work together and potentially stay off. So I bridged up to her and was surprised to see that no one bridged up with me. That was actually a good thing, as I sometimes have the bad habit of dragging the field with me. Jessi slowed down when she saw me coming and when I joined her, we kicked it into high gear. We alternated half lap pulls and consistently had a 1/3 lap lead on the pack.

Jessi and I in our break (photo by Gavin)

I kept looking back when we were coming out of the turn 2 and 4 each lap, fearing I would see the pack gaining on us. But amazingly they never did, probably due to some disorganization on their part (hey, that's fine with me). All this time my insides were hurting, my legs were burning but I was determined to keep us off the front. I tried to not look at the lap counter but ended up doing it every lap, telling myself "you can do this for 8 more laps, 7, 6, etc.". With 2 to go I was pretty sure we had it in the bag, and with one to go I knew it but we were still only 1/3 of a lap ahead of the pack so that meant no cat and mouse games with Jessi on the final lap. It just so happened that Jessi's pulls were from turn 3-turn 1, so she pulled off with one to go, which put me in a less then ideal spot pulling through turn 2 but I figured maybe I could outsprint her in the end. Coming into turn 3/4 Jessi came around me and I tried to sprint but I had nothing left. In the end I finished 2nd at arguably the biggest Women's race at Northbrook. Not too bad. I raced aggressively and actually made people react to what I did, instead of reacting to what others did. All in all it was a great night and those last 12 laps were probably the hardest I've worked all season. (And it never rained!)

There was a Points Race after the Scratch and honestly I don't remember much of it since I was still pretty gassed. I can't even remember what place I finished. Ha!

More reports to come.

Josh from that night, not sure what race(s), just some awesome shots by Tim Strege (Half Acre):

Major Taylor Velodrome's Hot Summer Nights

*Special thanks to Ed White for this fantastic photo-Val

The Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, IN held weekly racing for both cat 1-2-3 and women racers this summer in an alternating schedule between Friday nights and Saturday afternoons. Val and I made the surprisingly easy drive down for several of the Saturdays this summer. For any one who has never been there, despite not being one of the faster tracks in the country, Major Taylor Velodrome has one of the nicest facilities and some of the friendliest people, we highly recommend visiting it if you’re ever in the area. For experienced track racers they have some great racing and the banking is a comfortable medium with very smooth transitions making it a great track for beginners as well.

On the first outing (6/28/2008), their rather huge parking lot was nearly full of people getting ready for the NITE ride. By the time racing started, the stands were packed and people lined the rail of nearly half of the track. Val took full advantage of being the unknown out of town racer and cleaned house winning two of the three races and placing second in the other, which gave her a clear win for the omnium. I had a bad day on the bike but made some new friends and enjoyed the great crowd and atmosphere that usually only accompanies larger events.

For the second visit (7/26/2008) Val found herself up against a field that contained three women from the same team including Brooke Crum, who is good competition on her own with out teammates blocking and boxing for her. The rest of the field were very content to just watch and draft which forced Val to chase down countless attacks from Brooke and her teammates. Despite being up against some very well executed team tactics, Val ended up with second place for all three events. I didn’t fare quite as well, placing a depressing fifth place in the Keirin (my all time favorite race) but later turned the night around getting third in both the Miss-N-Out and Points Race. Keeping with the often fun Major Taylor atmosphere, after the races they inflated a huge screen in the infield and people from the crowd and a number of racers and officials hung out in the stands and some even laid on the track to watch the classic local favorite Breaking Away. Val and I opted to venture out with our prize money in hand to gorge ourselves on burritos from not one, but two burrito joints that the locals suggested (thank you Tom). They were decent, but thus far nowhere compares to what we have accustomed ourselves to in Southern California and Arizona (can you say Filibertos).

The final visit for the season was for the Major Taylor Velodrome Championship on August first and second, which was also the Indiana state track championship and an elite Nationals qualifier race. First up was the Keirin, in the final half lap of the women’s final Val launched off the front with perfect timing to win by a nice margin against the likes of Kendi Thomas and Brooke Crum. This marked a very significant turning point for Val, as previously she had significant reservations about racing Keirins and sprint events in general, but now she is starting to like them. Next up was the men’s Keirin where I once again choked in the final, finishing a frustrating fifth place, again. Val got second in the women’s Scratch Race and then third in the Points Race where Kendi Thomas rode off the front early in the race and eventually lapped the field. The men’s Points Race was action packed from start to finish. During the neutral lap one of the local fast guys, who will remain anonymous for this comment, said “I’m going to punch anyone who jumps on the whistle”. Sure enough, less then one second after the whistle a very strong attack was launched, which resulted in momentary laughs that quickly changed to gasps as the pace ramped up. The race continued with a steady stream of strong attacks and counters, non of which got more then half a lap ahead before eventually being reeled in usually only lasting just long enough for the attackers to pick up points from one sprint. It was a hard fought race, but I ended up falling short of third place by only the difference that two inches in the third points sprint made.

Day two held the Match Sprint which, despite being significantly rusty at, are my second favorite event. I qualified second fastest in the flying 200, and advanced through the rounds to the final but then got absolutely slaughtered by Tom Hanley. Tom finished nearly four tenths of a second faster in the flying 200, which is huge, and he won several of the other events so it wasn’t much of a surprise. This was Val’s second time doing Match Sprint. She qualified well, but unfortunately was matched up in the semifinal round against a local collegiate rider who goes to school literally across the street from the track and has loads of match sprint experience and a great jump.

Another fun weekend in Indianapolis came to a close with both of us qualified for Nationals in both sprint and endurance events. Thank you to everyone at Major Taylor for putting on fun races and being so friendly and inviting to out of town visitors.

Team Get A Grip Cycles Wins National Championship

Team Get A Grip continued it's summer success when Jonathan Gray won the United States National Criterium Championship held this past Sunday in the Chicago suburb of Downer's Grove, Illinois. In the final lap of the race, Charles Biro carried Gray along the outside of the field and dropped him off in second wheel at the top of the hill, halfway through the last lap. From that point on, it was up to the sprinter to finish the job.
"I think that XXX-Athletico tried to set up something at the end," said the new national champion, "but they were too slow and dumped their leadout in less than a block. I recognized my opportunity and jumped them with everything I had."

"When I came out of the final turn, I knew that I had won and was so excited that I started bouncing my front wheel and high-fiving my team mates on the sidelines." "Chip seems to win the really big races. At the beginning of the summer, he won the biggest criterium in Wisconsin and now he goes out and wins the biggest criterium in the nation," said Jon Tenney, the team director. "Charles was fantastic in the final lap, and the rest of the guys did a good job monitoring the front of the field during the prime sprints. Last year, we dictated the course of every category three race we entered; but because of injuries and upgrades, we were no longer able to operate with such strength. As a result, the team had to be a lot more intelligent and use the efforts of other teams to our advantage. We did it at the Hillsboro Roubaix at the beginning of the year and again here at the National Championships."


The riders on Team Get a Grip have had considerable success at Downers Grove. "At this race, the only thing that matters is good position over the top of the hill on the last lap. Once there, you give it all you have got to the end. It is a simple formula for victory, but it requires flawless execution. I think that members of Team Get A Grip have won this race at least three times in the past."

Although she was aware of this strategy, Lindsay Koren was unable to capitalize on the knowledge in the womens 3/4 event. "I had second wheel going into the last few turns, but I thought that it was too far to start my sprint so I drifted back to fifth wheel. Too bad I did not trust the advice of others, because that is exactly the place I finished."

It was a welcome result on a weekend that otherwise would have been disastrous. Eric Wiecek smashed his head in Saturday's premier event, Devon Haskell was caught up in at least one wipe out, and Cesar Correa and James Holten went down in Sunday's finale when another rider stuck his pedal in Correa's front wheel breaking the spokes. "The announcers saw Cesar in the medical tent bloody and with a ripped skinsuit. For some reason they thought it was funny and started ridiculing our team and calling us 'Get A Rip.' I am not sure why they did that, because crashes are never funny. Still, I was glad that Chip won. It made up for what was being said and showed the announcers that we are not a bunch of jokers."

The whole team would like to thank significant others, Get A Grip Cycles, Subaru, Cannondale, Sidi, and the spectators, young and old, for a fantastic end of the racing season.

Thanks is also extended to Peloton-pix.com for making available all of its 2008 Downers Grove Photos free of charge. Congratulations on 10,000 hits!

Vandeven Wins Missouri Bicycle Racing Series

Jim Vandeven, Team Get A Grip's sole Missouri resident and father of two, sewed up the Missouri Bicycle Racing Association's series (MOBAR) title this past weekend after finishing the season with two top-six finishes at a pair of St. Louis area criteriums.

Vandeven's quest to take the series began when he dominated the spring road races by winning the Dogwood Road Race and O'Fallon Grand Prix and coming in second at the Hillsboro Roubaix. "My principal goal for the year was to win this series, and I knew that I had to perform well in the early season road races. I have a wife and children to support, and I am not willing to risk a major injury by bombing corners in the finale of a criterium just to get a few extra places" said Jim. "I started all of the criteriums, but I played it safe and never really gave it everything." His secret to success was simple: "I trained harder than I ever had this winter by riding every day and doing 100 miles twice a week on a very hilly route. I became really strong, but my sprint suffered a little."

Still, the overall victory was not really assured until Jim won the Missouri time trial championship. :"I never do these time trials, but this year I went out and gave it everything for the points."

As the series went on, Jim's regular competition started to complain to the local officials in an attempt to force Jim into the elite ranks. " I wanted to win the series and was not going to upgrade until it was in the bag. People started to take it out on my wife at races. It is a shame that they tried to upset her that way. I had planned on winning it earlier, but there was some tough competition from one local rider. "

Now that Jim has the series, he will be moving into the category two ranks. He said, "I am really looking forward to racing the Gateway Cup with the other elite riders on Team Get A Grip. " We should have five or six good riders, including my brother Steve, and I expect us to flex some muscle."

Photo courtesy of John Musselman and stlbiking.com

Chicago's Two Top Teams Control Elgin Cycling Classic

After a sub-par result at Saturday's Tour of Elk Grove, only three of us lined up for the category three race at the Elgin Cycling Classic. Chad, Uwe, and I didn't really get a chance to discuss the tactics for the day but were still able to work as a single unit.

After a few warm-up laps, the attacks started with me going off the front first. I was just trying to keep the early breaks from getting away and to keep my position close to the front for any primes. As soon as I was caught, Chad countered. He went with a few others, but they were reeled in fairly quickly. It seemed it would go this way until the right combination of riders was reached. Shortly after, and about the 20 minute mark, Julian from VitaminWater-Trek snuck off the front solo on the backside. Seeing as there was a strong representation of VitaminWater-Trek guys, I jumped and easily bridged up to Julian. When Julian saw my friendly face, he knew that this break was for real.

We quickly stretched the time gap to thirty seconds. After a few more laps of continuous and smooth pulls, I believe the time gap increased even more. The announcer then called out a 100 dollar prime for the two of us. We agreed to split any and all primes evenly, to make sure that we worked together smoothly and to ensure that the break would stick. Julian did most of the work on the backside as I monitored the pack's distance, and I would take over on the home stretch and carry it through the high speed chicane. Our team mates in the pack did a tremendous job of foiling any and all attempts to bring us back.

On one of our trips through the chicane, my front end started washing out at close to 35 mph. Miraculously, I kept my bike upright and did not crash into the hay bales much to Julian's relief since he was glued to my wheel.

When the pack started to close in, the adrenaline rose. They came dangerously close at least twice before the wheel pit closed. At that point another prime was called to the leader of the next lap--100 dollars to the first rider across the line--and the pack as barreling down on us. With only two laps to go, we were about to get caught, but then a lone unattached rider bridged to us in an attempt to steal the prime. At that point, it was two against one.

Coming out of the final corner the unattached rider jumped around Julian and got a pretty good lead. Unfortunately for him, Julian and I had made an alliance and I was a better sprinter. I clicked down a gear, jumped, and gapped both by at least four bike lengths as we crossed the finish with one lap left. I eased up some to safely navigate the chicane for the final time and they came around me with the pack hot on their heels. We took very short, hard, and fast pulls to keep from being gobbled up by the rest of the race. Between turns three and four Julian started his sprint and pulled away with the other rider. Exiting the fourth and final turn I had to wind up and close a sizable gap to them as the unattached rider started to gap Julian. I gave it all I had and the three of us crossed the line together for a photo finish. We were millimeters apart and nearly rubbing shoulders at the end. Julian was third, I was second, and unattached won. Julian and I split the lion's share of the primes and took home good money. I would even venture to say that we each made more than the lone rider even though he finished ahead of us.

None of this would have been possible without the combined and dominant efforts of Team Get A Grip and VitaminWater- Trek. The break lasted the entire second half of the race.

-Chip

Talent Identification Camp at the Olympic Training Center

Last week I headed out to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado springs for a talent identification camp. I was a bit bummed to miss out on Superweek races, but I was also very excited to relive the glory days of camp. What can be better than spending a week eating and sleeping and doing the sport you love to do most? I'm also a pretty good camper. Back in my soccer camp days I won the "well-behaved" camper award (that's what you get when you are a good camper, but not necessarily the most talented).

Anyway, camp was a ton of fun. The first day we had a lab test. Most of us thought it was going to be a grueling workout and we were all surprised to find that they just wanted us to pedal for 10 minutes at an easy pace with our noses plugged and a big funny-looking mask on our face. This was an economy test - it measures how efficient your body is at utilizing oxygen for functional movement... pretty cool. Later that day we went on an easy ride around town. I was a little bummed that we didn't get to ride any hilly terrain because being from Chicago, I don't get many chances to see hills.

However the next day I was appeased! We went out for our first field test which was a timed climb up a short and steep hill. I was pretty excited to finally get to ride in the mountains. The test was short, but long enough to learn the pain of riding hard at elevation. About a minute in to the climb, my lungs started screaming for air! It burned! Afterwards, we continued our ride along a dirt road with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.

The next day I encountered more hilly fun with a timed climb up a long long road... nothing like the 47th street overpass on Chicago's lake front path. The climb started off pretty good and mellow, but the lack of oxygen soon kicked in making for a tortuous end of the climb. Can't they make mountains at sea level? Coming back down was fun - i even saw a fox! Then we ended the ride with another scenic route - this time cycling through the "garden of the gods". The red rock formations here were awesome!

The rest of camp was spent learning lots about performance testing, nutrition, sports psych, etc. We also spent a lot of time eating (the Olympic Training Center doesn't have your typical camp food - it was delicious) and watching the tour together. It was fun hanging out with and getting to know other racers from all over the country. Overall, a fun time.

--Devon

Cesar Mixes it Up with Team Toyota United in Chicago's Grant Park

Evanston Grand Prix in Pictures

Team Get A Grip thanks the city of Evanston and the organizers of the Evanston Grand Prix for a fantastic day of challenging, high-speed racing.

Families mobbed team central while the racers laid wood on the race course. Parents drooled over the team's Subaru Tribeca, and the kids loved the cycling caps courtesy of Get A Grip.

Charles thread himself through the much-publicized finish line crash, captured on video that can be found here.

Two Endeavor riders crashed into the same person a few seconds apart.

Jim Vandeven Gets New Sidi Genius 6.6 Shoes, Wins Missouri State Title

For 2008, Team Get A Grip brought Sidi on board as official footwear supplier. Our title sponsor, Get A Grip Cycles bicycle stores, believes so strongly in Sidi footwear, that it is the only shoe they carry. So, going into the racing season, we knew that we could count on the people at Sidi and their local representative David Cabanban to deliver the very best in performance cycling shoes.

Cabanban selected the Genius 6.6 carbon for us to wear because of its stiff sole, adjustable heel cup (to prevent slippage in climbs and sprints), versatility in its closure system, and the fact that it offered them in berserker green. These shoes retail for over four hundred dollars a pair and the team can't thank Sidi and Dave enough for letting us try them out. After nearly six months of racing and training, none of us could come up with a truly negative thing to say about the Genius 6.6, except that one does have to make sure that the cleat bolts are well-tightened (something that the shop fitters say can be alleviated with a little lock-tite on the bolt threads).

Aspen Gorry, one of the teams most active and successful new members said "The shoes are great! They look awesome, and the best thing about them is the adjustable heel. It eliminates any foot slipping inside the shoe giving a great feel on the bike. First rate!" The same sentiment was echoed by Lindsay Koren ,who said that she immediately added 100 watts to her sprint because the shoes were a perfect fit and kept her heel in place. "I feel like a lot more power is going into my pedal stroke on the upswing." It is probably no surprise that Lindsay swept all four of Iowa's Memorial Day Weekend races just a few weeks after getting her shoes.

The shop shoe gurus were careful to select the shoe size and cleat position for each racer. One person in particular, Jim Vandeven, was tough to accommodate because his feet are completely different sizes and have some other bizarre issues. After extensive consultation and modification, Jim received his shoes a few days ago and promptly won the Missouri State Time Trial Championship.

Jim called us and gave a report:" Today was the Missouri State Time Trial Championship in Jefferson City. The time trial was 25 miles. On the way out I averaged about 32 miles per hour, but on the way back I was lucky to go 22 because of the wind. I finished the race in 57 minutes and seven seconds, for an average speed of 26.1 miles per hour beating Shawn O'Neal for the state title."

Twenty-six miles per hour for almost an hour: it doesn't count as Subaru STI fast, but for a guy on a bike that is just blazing.

Surviving the Carnage in Evanston

Fifth at Evanston -- my best placing of the year. By concentrating on pack placement and when to open up my sprint, I'd seen my results improve steadily over the year. The tight course with the infamous "BK stacker" in the penultimate corner put a premium on pack placement; on a number of occasions I heard riders coming to grief behind me.

But staying at the front isn't any help when, in the final sprint, the people about to take first and second collide and then start taking other people out in dramatic, flipping crashes with bikes sailing six feet into the air. I narrowly squeaked by the carnage, improving three places from people crashing out in front of me.

I felt lucky to finish both this race and the Olympia Fields race -- where at least four separate crashes occurred within feet of me -- without going down. I wondered if my fortune was due to the latest addition to my gear. I recently bought a dogtag with my emergency contact information to wear when I ride. Since I was going to be wearing a necklace, I thought I might as well add to it the Ganesha pendant my mother-in-law gave me. And if I was adding Ganesha, I might as well make my own mom happy, so I also added a pendant of Madonna del Ghisallo, the patron saint of cyclists.

In honesty, I don't believe my pendants helped me stay upright, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop wearing them -- particularly for Superweek races.

Team Get A Grip Cycles Forms Partnership with Subaru of America.

PRESS RELEASE

July 17, 2008

Chicago, IL.

Team Get A Grip Cycles has agreed to a partnership with Subaru
of America for the remainder of the 2008 racing season.  As
part of this agreement, Subaru will supply the team with
vehicles and logistical support. 

“We are particularly excited about testing out the newly
redesigned Subaru Tribeca,” said team director and founder
Jonathan Tenney. “Our team is based in the heart of urban
Chicago where automobiles are not always necessary.  Since
most races are held in other parts of the country, the team
still needs an efficient, safe, and spacious means of travel.
The Tribeca is a perfect match for our team, and all of us
are beyond grateful to the people at Subaru for creating such
a useful and stylish vehicle.”

Team Get A Grip Cycles was founded on the premise that it was
possible to build a competitive cycling team with a set of
determined amateurs who focus most of their energies on their
professional life.  Since its founding in 2007, the team,
which includes leaders in economics, medicine, pathology,
archaeology, and sound design, among other fields, has
collected multiple national and state championships, over
forty victories, and one hundred podium placings by focusing
on achieving goals collectively with focused team work. 

The team’s title sponsor, Get A Grip Cycles, is the Midwestern
leader in bicycle fitting and customization and has locations
in Chicago’s north side and downtown loop.  Other team
sponsors include Cannondale, Sidi, SRAM, and On Your Mark
Training.

It isn't SuperWeek...

...but since I was in Boston for the week, I was able to find a race to keep the legs open over the weekend. The Wells Ave. training crit is a Boston institution, running every Sunday morning during the Summer for over 25 years. I rode the 10 miles out to the course and joined the A race (cat. 1-3). With over 50 riders, this turned out to be a fast, aggressive 32 miles of racing. Promising breaks slipped off of the front 4-5 times through the race, each lasting at least 5 laps. While racing on the front for most of the race, I was never in any of the moves that stuck. Just missing a bridge to the threatening 8 person break with about 10 laps to go in the race, I was forced to drift back to the pack and wait for the finish. Fortunately, the break quit working well together with about 4 to go and were caught on the last lap. In the chaos that followed on the last lap I was behind a gap that opened on the back stretch but was able to bridge across and pass a number of riders before the line to finish in the top 10. It was great to show of the Black and Green in another part of the country!

Team Get A Grip Makes Cover of Chicago's Largest Sports Magazine

This photo of Jonathan Gray, the standout category rider of the summer, was taken during the Sherman Park Criterium in June.

Last Year's Worker Become This Year's Winner

Chip Gray dominated the 2008 Grafton Twilight Criterium, one of the Midwest's largest and most lucrative races, by winning all primes* and first place late in the afternoon of Saturday, June 21st. This performance was all the more sweet for Gray who had spent all of 2007 sacrificing his own interests to help his team mates gobble up podium placings.

Devon Haskell placed second in a hard-fought women's race, while three of the four category two riders survived multiple crashes, barking dogs, beer bottles, and herculean 37 mile per hour re-entries into the peloton in order to finish the professional race.

When asked to sum up the race, the Hitman's response was "INSANE FAST!!!" With a bit more prodding he laid out the play-by-play: "Cesar, Eric, and I had bad starting positions and fought from the gun to move up. After about 5 laps, 2 or 3 guys went down right in front of me in the last turn. I thought for sure I was going over the bars, but managed to avoid towards the curb and came to a complete stop. I should have taken a free lap but instead chased from behind and luckily made my way back into the field after about 2-3 laps of chasing. Needless to say this entirely cooked me to the point of my lungs nearly bursting, which then took about twenty-five minutes to recover. We averaged about thirty-seven mph down the home stretch every single lap. If you were towards the back where gaps opened it was brutal.

The second half was better, was fairly comfortable, and we moved Cesar up to the top seven or eight in the closing laps. This hurt, and I was then slowly pushed back until I popped off the back during the final lap.

Eric was stuck behind a crash in the last few laps and had a hard time catching back on after taking a free lap. They started you back onto the course while riders went by at thirty-seven mph, OUCH!! KAPOW! better luck next time."

The first three photos of this post courtesy of Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek). Thanks, Matt!


*All you Midwestern cycling bloggers note that the correct spelling for an intermediate prize in a cycling race is "prime;" not "preem," "pream," "preme," etc. We will cover "kermesse" next time.

Devon Haskell and the Nature Valley Grand Prix-Epilogue

After the St. Paul criterium, the next race up was Canon Falls: a 70 mile road race that ends on a finishing circuit with a little climb on each lap to the finish line.

The first sixty miles went well for me. I did a good job at staying up front in the pack, got in a break attempt (it didn't get very far), and was right up front as we were about to hit the dirt road to the finishing circuit. The rest of the race went a bit downhill... as I turned on to the dirt road, somebody turned wide right into me. I managed to stay upright, but ended up off the road and out of my good position. I still hit the circuit with the main field and not in a terrible position. However, when the pace picked up, I started to struggle... I slowly faded to the back of the pack... and then I learned what BONKing is. All of a sudden my legs were gone and I just couldn't go. I finished the last two laps solo and almost thought I wasn't going to make it up the little finishing hill the last time around. Despite feeling pretty miserable, it was fun to have all the fans to myself. They must have felt pity for the lonely rider out on the course because the cheering was great - and helped me make it to the finish line.

The next day was a double race, and I was not feeling so good. The time trial was in the morning and it was held on a mostly flat course, but then they added a hill at the end (fun!). I didn't have a great ride and Kristin Armstrong rode so fast that I would have been time cut had they not extended the cut off (phew!). Spent the afternoon trying to get some rest and hoping I would feel better by the Minneapolis criterium in the evening.

That evening we arrived to a course surrounded by the bustling crowds of downtown Minneapolis - it was a fun atmosphere. As for the race, it was a tough one, but not as crazy as that in St. Paul. The first laps felt super hard. Coming around the second lap, I didn't think I was going to survive the night, but then I got into a groove and the pace seemed to settle a bit and I managed to survive another day and finish in the main pack.

The next morning we headed out to Mankato for our 90 mile road race ending in a finishing circuit with a killer hill up Main Street. Last year I crashed on the downhill of the finishing circuit and ended up in the hospital so I was hoping for a better result this time - my main goal was to stay rubber side down! (This year, the race issued a warning about the downhill... I could have used that warning last year!) The eighty miles before the circuit were mellow for a good amount of time, but through some of the cross winds, teams sent some attacks that strung out the field into a long line and made for some intense riding into the wind. For the most part things stayed together up to the finishing circuit - then we hit main street hill and the field broke apart. First lap around I stayed in the front group, but was in the rear. Second time up the hill, the pack split and I hung on to the second group and ended up finishing with that pack not too far behind the front field. Our Ryan team all had great performances and we ended up finishing 3rd as a team for the stage! It was an exciting day for us.

Lastly was the Stillwater Crit with the killer Chilkoot hill. I was thankful to have a 27 cog today! The race starts out at the bottom of the hill and is hard from the get go. I avoided getting dropped the first time up, but ended up in the back of the group. Second time up the hill, I was moving up a bit and then there was a crash right in the middle of the hill. I almost avoided it but then got cutoff by someone else trying to avoid the crash. I came to a practical standstill and struggled to get the pedals turning again. Once I did, I found myself off the back. Each time up the hill, I'd work my way up to another group off the back, but I was far from the front. I made it around the 3 laps I needed not to get time cut and then managed to ride for a few more laps before I got pulled. Even though I sort of liked the hill, my tired legs were not too sad to miss out on the last few times up. Overall, a much better experience than last year! I was happy to finish and avoid crashing this time around

:) Devon

The Bikes of Team Get A Grip Cycles

Since its inception, Team Get A Grip Cycles has ridden Cannondale bikes. The Pennsylvania bike builder has made several of its models available to the team. The following is a brief expose on what some team members are riding.

Team director Jon Tenney rides a 60 cm System Six and uses Reynolds Stratus carbon wheels for road races and Ksyrium ES for criteriums.


Eric Wiecek rolls a 56 cm System Six with ZIPP 404 wheels. Note Cannondales new super stiff and ultra light crankset.



Both Chip Gray and Steven Vandeven prefer strength and style over weight. They roll on DT Swiss's new white wheelset.

Chip's bike with silver bar tape.

Vandeven prefers white.


Cesar Correa opts for the CAAD 9 with SRM and stealth wheels.
Years ago, Uwe won an online raffle for a pair of Spinergys and is still racing them today.

Devon Haskell and Nature Valley Grand Prix Stage 1

Devon Haskell is competing in the Nature Valley Grand Prix, North America's premiere womens cycling race, as a member of the Ryan Collegiate All-Stars. She earned her spot by winning the omnium at the NCCA National Championships in Fort Collins, Colorado. Haskell has agreed to give us updates when time allows. Here is the first tale:

"The first race was crazy - It was pouring pre-race with more thunderstorms reported to be on the way. The management switched the direction of the course to make for fewer downhill turns in the rain and shortened the race (from 40 to 30 laps).

The race started out fast and strung out right away. I didn't have a great spot, but wasn't stuck in the back like last year so it was an improvement and I was ready for it to be fast. I tried to move up as much as I could and ended up dangling on the back of the large lead group. A break went off, and I was with the main pack for most of the race. Unfortunately, being in the back meant that I was constantly getting shed off the back as gaps opened and as we slowed for crashes. I think I saw a crash basically every other lap!

Finally with three or four laps to go, I got gapped after a crash and couldn't catch the main group. So I finished a bit behind. Unfortunately, the race didn't count because they decided to cancel it according to USCF racing rule 4E4... which is a rule that says you can cancel the results of a race for basically any reason (its a very vague rule). I'm not sure exactly why they nullified the results.

Now I sort of wish I got pulled because the last half of the race was really hard. But, I do agree that the course doesn't give people a fair chance to finish well if they have a bad starting spot - especially with the wet conditions.  Next race is tonight - I'll try to give updates, but it might be a while for the next one because we have a race tonight and then get back late and have to get up bright and early for a time trial tomorrow morning. Then the Minneapolis crit tomorrow night - lots of racing! Fun!!!"

Charles Biro Wins One for the Good Guys

Team Get A Grip was founded on the premise that it was possible to build a competitive amateur cycling team with individuals who focus most of their energies on their professional life. Our collection of academics, attorneys, doctors, carpenters, and salesmen have found that the difficult, urban environment is a place where they can develop as riders and as individuals who make a big mark in the larger world.

Charles Biro, working for the firm Sidley Austin LLP, perhaps earned the biggest victory for the team this year when he helped settle a major antitrust case that will help ensure that the real estate market remains competitive. The New York Times recently ran an article on this landmark case. According to Biro, the author botched some facts, but correctly conveyed the spirit of the settlement.

Winfield Criterium Weekend in Words

Team Get A Grip Girls: Seven starts equals seven top tens!

Emily "State Champ" Hutchins reports as the women's team uses tactics to humble the opposition (except one):

"Saturday's twilight criterium began on a lead-out from Devon and Lindsay, setting up Emily and Val for the first attack two hundred meters into the race. Emily and Val went off on their attack, which was strong but the rest of the pack ended up reeling them back in. Second in line for an attack was Lindsay and Devon, who did just that. After twenty minutes of attacking and doing their thing, the girls of TGAGC came down to the final two laps of the crit. Val stepped up to the front to lead the pack, while cresting over the hill Devon slipped out of the pack to jump onto the wheel of another rider. The final sprint came down to Devon and Kristen Meshburg of Team Flatlandia. Devon brought home second place with Emily in 6th, Lindsay in 7th and Val in 9th--Excellent team tactics paid off!

Sunday's National Criterium Championship would be much of the same. The girls once again showed how teamwork and having a plan can pay off, taking two podium spots with Devon taking the silver medal with Emily in 4th and Lindsay 7th. The women's team showed amazing strength in their first full squad race. TGAGC will be a threat for the remainder of the season with the amount of talent they showed at this weekend's races! Nice job ladies!

Best of luck to Val in the upcoming track races this weekend!!"

Male Riders Medal in National Championship with Skeleton Crew

Aspen Gorry tells the story of the category 3 team:

"The cat 3 portion of the team really started to gel over the weekend. Despite still being undermanned with four riders on Saturday and three on Sunday, we displayed good team tactics and finished with some good results.

On Saturday, Chip, Josh, Uwe, and I lined up for the twilight crit. Chip stole the show making every break, Josh and I were active blocking for most of the race, and Uwe made his season debut after being off the bike for a month after getting clobbered by some cars and finished strongly in the field in a difficult race. When the winning break went, it was my turn to go as Chip had just been brought back from his last attempt off of the front, but I found myself pinned in the pack and unable to make the move. I alerted Chip and he made the heroic bridge up to the break but was unable to hold on. (Sorry to put you in that situation, I will be in the right spot to make the move next time). With two laps to go, frustrated that I wasn’t in the main break I decided to try a solo effort for the line. I made it ¾ of the way up the hill on the last lap, but was then swarmed by a surging field. Josh was second wheel over the top and was able to hold on for 7th! Despite not having anyone end up in the top 5 we showed strength as a team that should pay off for some results soon!

On Sunday we only started three riders with Josh resting up for the big track events next weekend. With breaks not quite as likely on this course, we were more reserved for the first third of the race with the exception of Chip slipping off the front to steal the first prime. With Chip and I actively keeping an eye on the break attempts, Uwe made his presence felt in the middle of the race by flying up to the front of the race twice, once to bring back a threatening attack and a second time to launch one of his own. It is good to see the legs respond well to the first days of racing. No breaks were able to stay away, so the last time up the hill I drilled it to stay in the top 10 with Chip right on my wheel. Going over the top he slipped by me up to the front of the group and I stayed in the group of 8 of us that got a bit of a gap on the rest of the field. Down the final straight I held off my sprint for a moment too long and ended up 5th with Chip finishing inches from the win! Two riders in the top 5 is great, the elusive victory should come soon!"

Jim Vandeven Wins O'Fallon Grand Prix by "Something Like Fifteen Minutes."

Jim Vandeven continued to dominate the St. Louis biking scene by winning the O'Fallon Grand Prix in Southern Illinois. Jim was the sole category 3 rider to make the lead pack in the combined Pro/1/2/3 race. He worked with his break mates to establish a huge lead over the chasing pack and did not even need to contest the sprint for the win. With this victory, Vandeven increased his lead in the Missouri Bicycle Racing Association Standings.

Winfield Criterium Weekend in Pictures

Stacking the field.

Chasing a solo attack.
The hitman attacks once
twice,
thrice,
four times,
and flats.


Aspen, Josh, control the field over the hill crest,while Chip executes the bridge.

Emily tries to remember how to turn at speed.
Lilacs for a back drop.
The team holds the left side going up the hill.
Cesar was relentless all weekend.



Aspen makes the podium after leading Chip out for second place.