P/1/2 Podium in Lombard

Hi readers. Seth here, writing a short recap of Sunday's ABR Illinois State Championship Criterium in Lombard.

After a long Superweek in Wisconsin, with the large, national-level P/1/2 fields really whipping me into shape in a bunch of 100-kilometer criteriums, it was time to come back to Chicagoland and test out some new form. Although the course in Lombard, essentially a 1-mile, windy oval with no more than 20 feet of elevation is not exactly suited to my twiggy climber's frame, this is exactly where I was hoping to see some improvement after Superweek.

Meeting a small field at the start line, presumably because many were exhausted from the long haul of July races or maybe because there were still some also in Whitefish Bay, just north of Milwaukee, whatever the reason, I wanted to make sure this race wouldn't be too lazy or too easy before a finishing sprint. So I clipped in first and fastest from the gun and went to the front to whip up a fast pace to start the race.

Lo and behold, I look behind and see that only two other guys were really ready to ride. The others in the Pro/1/2 field were content to let us go, even though the event was an uncharacteristically short 45 minutes (which I would argue should encourage only very short leashes on breakaways). In any case, these two and I decided to keep rolling and see what would happen. After a few minutes, two bridged up to us, and, with a nice gap, we decided to give this sucker our all.

Halfway through the race, we all had the thought, I'm sure, that this was bound to be much harder than we had calculated. I was already counting down the minutes at 20 in, but, after some mistakes riding in the breakaway earlier this year, I knew that the first and most important rule was to ride it to the bitter end. So I kept on, along with the other two original members. One of the bridgers eventually couldn't handle the pace, however, and another could no longer pull. He sat on the rest of the race and was not a factor.

With pleasure and a bit of disbelief (too good to be true?), our gap hit the one-minute mark close to the end of the race, meaning we would soon lap the field. Nice! To make it fairer in the last few laps, we took shorter pulls, but, of course, the attacks had to come sometime. With two to go, one of my companions attacked incredibly hard. Neither my mate nor I could match his acceleration. So we decided to try to bring him back together by equally pulling as fast as possible these last two laps. It just didn't happen, though. The attacker was the strongest man. My companion won the sprint at the line, with the sitter-on not being a factor, meaning I took the final rung of the podium.

At first, I was a bit disappointed ending up 3rd out of what was a 5-man main move of the day. On the other hand, I had never gone from the gun to the finish in a successful breakaway, and of course I hadn't in a Pro/1/2 race either. So it was definitely progress! I have to admit that Superweek has brought me on some great form. Let's hope I can keep it up and get some more results in the P/1/2 field with it, including by continuing to develop that strength capacity for going with a winning last-lap attack after a long breakaway!

SUPERWEEK - BREWER'S HILL CRITERIUM - CAT 3

Today's players consist of Eric, Chip, Jon, and myself(Steve). It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee, and we know today's course is well suited for our racing style. Aggression, Aggression, Aggression!!! With a nice little hill just before the finish, going up 60 times, we figure to make a break stick or simply shred the field. As it turned out, it was a nice day for a break.

Roughly half way through the race Chip and I slowly roll off the front, the field seemed to be giving us a rather long leash, so we decided to take advantage. After a sharp effort, we had a nice gap super fast. A couple others bridged up and then the field really started chasing. After a few laps, things started to come back together, but I wasn't ready to give up. I held a decent tempo just off the front, and pretty much like I expected, the counters began. After a few other attempts, eventually a group of 9 formed with most of the teams being represented. This was the group that would stick and actually wound up lapping the field.

Lapping the field is an interesting thing. The simplicity of a break becomes rather complex or confusing the instant you reintegrate. The first thing you think is get to the front as fast as possible. Next you're trying to get on the same page w/ your teammates and make sure everyone knows what to do. It's funny how you're not exactly sure who all was in the break with you, when you were working together just minutes earlier. I'm sure this is more the case w/ a large break, such as a group of 9 like ours.

My team was awesome today!!! Chip and I started things off while Eric and Jon controlled the pace behind. Chip later joined in controlling the chase. As soon as we lapped the field, Eric brought me straight to the front and kept me safe. Then the guys sat back a bit and let me take advantage of the Beans and Barley train who was taking care of Loberg, their guy in the break.. With about 3 to go my team came forward again, Chip upped the pace for about 2 laps and then Jon took the reins for the last one. The only unfortunate happening was Jon going up one side while I was on the other. The rider who got his wheel, who I didn't even remember being in the break, wound up 1st and I was 2nd. So close! But I'm happy with a 2nd place Superweek finish, especially considering who won was also the guy who ran away with the overall.

Big thanks to my team!!!
Steven Vandeven

Team Get A Grip Cycles Prepares for an All-Out Assault on the International Cycling Classic

Starting on July 13th, Team Get A Grip Cycles will be bringing its full weight to bear on the International Cycling Classic, the longest running cycling stage race in North America.

Riders will be facing seventeen straight days of racing held on various courses in the Milwaukee and Chicago areas. For a complete schedule, go to internationalcycling.com.

Condolences

Staff and team members of Get A Grip Cycles offer their condolences to all affected by the death of Beth Kobeszka at this weekend's Proctor Cycling Classic.