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The Burning Bridges

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No, there are no bridges actually burning, it’s just the rubber on the wheels of the Bridges’ family bikes from their extensive adventures in racing this summer!

On June 28th both Katie and Kevin tackled the Lumberman Triathlon presented by 3Disciplines Racing in Cadillac, Michigan.

Kevin:

I raced Lumberman Triathlon as a Half Iron distance, 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run. This was my first tri of the year and I have been biking a lot so I thought my swim and run would suffer.

The Lumberman Triathlon is held in Cadillac. I was impressed with the whole race: a great swim, the bike is on good roads with scenic views of northern Michigan, and the run around Lake Cadillac is very flat with ample water stations and cheering spectators. And as a 3-D event it is very well run.

I was happy to PR this race with a 5:35. My swim time was 38 minutes, which is good for me, and I averaged 19.7 mph on the bike. I was hopping to be over 20 mph, but the bike course had some nice climbs so I’m OK with it. I was able to run in under 2 hours and that’s been my long run pace for a long time. I ended up with a 4th place age group finish, I’m happy with the result, but I know with more work I can get faster.

Katie:

Race morning was probably the most perfect race weather for a triathlon. A hint of chill in the dawn, but warming up for the bike. We were greeted by a sea of bouys in the mirror-calm lake. I would swim past the sprint and Olympic distance bouys to the farthest yet: the Half IM distance. I took this in during a quick course meeting and we were off and on our way. I swam in a small group, until it was just two of us working our way across the course. It was a loooong swim, but I stuck to it and didn’t really need rest or have any problems. I had the energy to run up to transition to the bike!

The course started out in town, a few turns and we were out in the beautiful countryside. The course was flat for the first few miles, and I had to remind myself: this is a long ride, don’t go out so fast. I kept my head and remembered to drink. Once the sprint and Olympic athletes had turned around, the course began to get interesting. Hills, lots of hills, fun roller coaster hills I never see in Calhoun County. I’m glad I saved some energy for those hills. Just past the turnaround, I started passing athletes on the way back in. I worked a little harder and put everything I had getting through the rest of the course. Nearing the finish of the bike course, I was riding all-out around 21-22mph. I was lucky not to have that 13.1 run to do, and I dropped the bike in T2 to cross the timing mat to finish 2nd.

I learned a lot from doing the Aqua Bike, which I’ll take into my next race, Steelhead. Proper hydration and fueling is key, and I nailed it perfectly this race. And I probably will save a little more on the bike so I can run. But maybe Steelhead won’t be so hilly…

 

July 11th, their adventures continued as both Katie and Rose led out the Strut for Strays 5k, a local run to raise awareness and funds for the Humane Society of South Central Michigan.

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While they had the lead down for the runners, Kevin, Marie and Scott were racing the Miller Energy Criterium.

Kevin:

The Miller Energy Crit or BTR Crit was my first crit race, I was very nervous because I’ve always had issues with my cornering. OAM Now offered a race clinic on Friday night where they taught crit skills and techniques. The cornering drills were very helpful and Frank Andreu gave us tips, which was really cool.

I ended up finishing 22nd not as well as I would have liked, but I was on the lead lap and had all my skin at the end of the day so I can’t complain.

Scott:
The Miller Energy Crit was my second crit. I did the junior (which was the state crit) and the cat 5 races. Taking some notes from a previous race I was more comfortable. Since it was a crit the juniors could race elite men, in their respective category, and the junior race. So my plan was to hang on and not burn too many matches to save my legs for the cat 5 race 30 minutes after. When the race really picked up I sat up and took it easy saving my legs for the races I had a legitimate chance at. After that it was a quick number repining and a refill of the water bottle, and headed to the start line once again. The first prime of the race came early, I was in a great position, and it would not have taken much effort so I went for it, and got it. I snagged a XL Bontrager jersey, very big on me, but I’ll still wear it in a group ride or two. After that I tried to save as much energy as I could until the finish. I hung on for 11th after using a lot of energy to get in a good position on the final lap. That’s bike racing!

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Marie:
The BTR Crit was my first crit race. I did the cat 4 women’s race, which turned out to be a pretty small race. It was a beautiful day and it was a good race for a beginner. Right when we started out, we had to turn hard and it became hard to navigate around others for a second. After that, it became impossible to catch back up to the peloton. So I just went as hard as I could and managed not to get pulled. Overall, I think it was helpful to just learn more about the crit and how it goes. I went to Team OAM’s race clinic the day before and learned a lot about bike handling, how to sprint, and how to race a crit in general.

And as if that wasn’t enough, on Sunday both Kevin and Scott headed to the Maple Hills Race for the Wishes.

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Kevin:
Maple Hills Road Race was the day after the BTR crit, I went into this race feeling I needed to be more aggressive and stay closer to the front. On the first of two laps a two-man break went up the road a little ways. I hesitated at first, and then I noticed one of the riders was Adam Cefai. I thought maybe I could bridge up and make it a three-man break. I took off after them and right as I caught them I looked back to see our gap on the field only to see the whole field right on my wheel. So instead of joining a break away I pulled one in. I feel bad kind of bad, but he does not race for the team anymore. The second lap was a little calmer but I was getting tired from climbing. At the finish I was able to beat out a few riders in the final sprint for a 7th place finish, my best so far in a road race.

Scott:
I raced cat 5 35 and under. Tristan Greathouse, good friend of mine, also a strong junior rider for team OAM now/athletic mentors, hatched a plan. We would both breakaway up one of the courses’ hardest hill with 10 miles to go. We did that, we got away with one other rider, established a pace line. Then we quickly dropped back to the peloton and focused on the sprint finish. The pace relaxed a bit but with 5 miles to go it got faster, knowing now important positioning is in a bunch sprint, I got up to third in line with 2 miles left, soon I found myself in the middle again, the effort wasted. With one kilometer to go I was about tenth in line and the pace slowed a bit down. The last turn was in sight so I went for it. Attacking when nobody wanted to pull the field and everybody was coasting going slower and slower. I got to the turn quick, looked behind me and saw a nice gap, maybe 5 seconds, with the finish line in sight and a roaring group behind, I put my head down. Lactic acid up to my eyeballs, I was suffering. 250 meters to go the group came around; completely gassed, I sat up and rolled in. I was not afraid to lose.

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It is clear that this family embraces the concept of staying active! After all, a family that plays together, stays together! Race on, Bridges and don’t let your fires go out!

 

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Herman Miller Brickyard Criterium: A race report from Devin

Photo taken from Herman Miller Brickyard Criterium web-site (www.hermanmillerbrickyardcriterium.com)
Photo taken from Herman Miller Brickyard Criterium web-site (www.hermanmillerbrickyardcriterium.com)

The Herman Miller Brickyard Criterium was the first criterium on my race schedule this year. I’ve placed in the top ten at least twice in the years that I have raced it.

The venue is great. It’s an almost 1-mile circuit around the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. The one thing I don’t like about this crit is the combination of categories. For the past few years, cat 3 and cat 4 have been combined. This presented for a hard race. Last year I finished 28th or 29th, but was the 4th place finisher in cat 4.

The day started out cool and rainy in Battle Creek but as I continued the drive to Grand Rapids the rain stopped, the skies cleared, and the temps began to rise. It was a beautiful day for racing.

The race was scheduled for 50 minutes and three laps. That’s almost an hour at full on race mode, which is becoming increasingly difficult now that my race age is 50, and the majority of the cat 4 field is composed of much younger riders. My strategy was to hang with the lack as much as possible.

The race was fast, fast, fast right from the start. For almost 20 minutes I was able to hang on, but after a prime lap, I could not keep up with the acceleration. I wasn’t the only one dropped, and because we were out of contention, we were pulled from the race. While frustrating, it is for the safety of the remaining riders not to have slower riders on the course, especially through the corners.

I’ll work on my intervals for the next two weeks to prepare for a single category criterium in Kalamazoo July 11.

Final results: 44 out of a field of over 50. Disappointing, but not totally unexpected for my advancing years.

 

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The Traveling Circus

Dan Frayer and his traveling circus were at it again. Haven’t seen them at the races? Just look for them under the red striped tent. (Not really, but a tall bearded guy on a pink bike is not too hard to spot either!)

Traveling Circus #8 
“The Hills of Grayling”

DFRAYER HANSON HILLSOn Sunday morning, June 7th, I woke up before the sun to pick up my pal Bill G.  Bill G. and I have been traveling across, around and through the state of Michigan chasing podiums since 2002 when we raced together for Western Michigan University.

It was a quality road trip spent sharing old stories and discussing pre-race jitters with the looming gray clouds in the distance.

The venue was Hanson Hills.  (a big emphasis on “Hills”)

A ten mile cross country loop with fast flowing trail and long grinding climbs.  The first lap was quick with me getting shelled off the back shortly after the start.  I was convinced that I was the back of the pack and I was not interested in suffering for last place so I slowed things down and enjoyed the trail.  At the start of lap number 3 (yes, 3 laps, 10 miles each + 30 painful mountain bike miles) another rider came from behind.  I saw his race number was close to mine and I quickly realized I was not in last place.  This gave me a rush of motivation and I pushed myself as the rain starting making the trail a bit slick in spots.

I managed to keep the bike upright for a 9th place finish out of 12 in the expert 30-39 class

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Le Tour de Mont Pleasant

Kevin

Le Tour de Mont Pleasant is a 53 mile road race held in Mount Pleasant. This year it was the state road race. The weather was cooler than expected, but after the race started it didn’t seem too bad, even with a little rain mixed in.

 Overall, I felt very good about my race. I was able to stay in the lead group the whole race and my cornering has improved since my last race. It makes the race a lot easier when you can keep your speed up through the corners. I ended up finishing 10th, my highest finish to date. With a little more work, I think I’ll be able to race with these guys.

Devin

The Tour de Mt. Pleasant has been a main race in the Michigan road cycling calendar for the last 7 years. It began as a two-day event with a criterium on Saturday and a road race on Sunday, all starting and finishing on Broadway in downtown. The third year, a time trial was added, and this year, there was a time trial Friday and road race Saturday. The Tour de Mt. Pleasant is the only road race where the pros actually race a pro distance: 109 miles. The remaining senior categories race 53 miles, and the juniors 29.

The start and finish this year had been moved out of downtown, and for the first time I’ve raced it, the finish was a long straightaway with the entire road open for the last half mile. That the road was wide open would factor into my finish; more on that later.

Weather always plays a role in any race, and rain was threatening all morning. It was a cool 56 degrees race day morning, and about an hour before my race, I met my teammates Kevin and Scott Bridges. Kevin would race cat 5, and Scott juniors. We warmed up by riding downtown and following the old criterium course and then returning to the new start/finish area 10 minutes before my race began. Scott has been having a great year, winning most, if not all, of his races. He’s a strong rider who is learning to be a very smart and skilled rider, thanks in large part to his great attitude and being there for the group rides and accepting the coaching he gets from our more experienced racers, like Danny Wolin.

At 9:45, I lined up with a total of 55 cat 4 racers, more than 80% of them young enough to be my kids, since my racing age this year is 50. After the usual pre-race announcements (center liner rule, wheel car follow, etc.), we were off. Like a shot. Speeds reached over 30 miles per hour and heart rates spiked at over 180 the first mile of the race. When the young guys realized they couldn’t maintain that pace for the remaining 52 miles, they backed off and settled into a more comfortable, yet still fast, race pace of around 25 mph. Of course, speed would vary throughout the race, based on wind and elevation, but for the entire race, we averaged just under 24 mph at 23.76 mph.

Back to racing. Over the course of the next 40 miles or so, there were multiple attempts to form breakaways. Several held off for anywhere from 2-5 miles each before finally being caught by the peloton. Going into the strong east wind, in particular, made it difficult to stay away.

Throughout the race, I had positioned myself near front but never on the front, so as to conserve energy. With the wind out of the east, that meant when we were riding south, I was on the right side of the peloton; when headed north, on the left side. East or west, we either had the wind at our back or were riding into the teeth of the wind, as it was fairly strong and cutting. Our speeds dropped to as low as 18 mph into the wind, as fast as 32 with the wind.

With six miles to go, we made the final turn north. The pace picked up, and I was able to maintain speed and position. Once the road opened up, I accelerated even more and came across the line in what I thought was at least within the top 15 places. While out of the money (paid out to 8 places), I was still very happy with the result, since the official USA Cycling web site’s “race predictor” had me coming in at second to last. Maybe that was the extra motivation I needed? Maybe it was riding in the mountains of San Diego county last weekend? Whatever the case, my official placing was 10th out of a field of 55 in the Michigan road race championships. I’ll take it!

For a full race report from Scott on Le Tour de Mont Pleasant, check out his latest race updates here.

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Go, Scott, Go!

So there is this “kid” everyone refers to as Scotty. You may have seen him working away at it is a whole different story. He has been tackling a race almost every weekend and is going at them full speed and determined. He is definitely an entirely different person when he is on a bike! Keep up the great work Scotty, and we cannot wait to see what the rest of your summer brings you!

Le Tour de Mont Pleasant

This race was one of my biggest goals for the season, the state road race. HeldJr RR Champ in Mount Pleasant this year. I raced the junior race. 10k into the race a small group of three made it up the road (myself being one of those). While trading turns with the small group and covering attacks, it was hard to conserve energy, the most important part of the race, who ever had conserved the most energy would win. So I tried my best to do so. 300 meters from the finish I launched my sprint, and I held. I won the state road race.      

Zeeland Twilight Criterium

            This was a Category 5 Criterium in the evening sun of downtown Zeeland.The thirty-minute race was high speed, and it was hard to keep a safeScott Zeeland position in the front for the whole race. With one lap to go, I got my self in a good position expecting most of the riders to burn up after their efforts on the front during the lap. But they stayed ahead of me and I made it across the finish line in sixth place. It was a very nicely ran race.