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.