Race Reports – Page 18 – WSI Cycling Team

May 14, 2015

Fort Custer Stampede

The Fort Custer Stampede is a favorite for many WSI riders for many reasons; one being that it is home turf. Being close to home means racing with your bike family (everyone you ride and train with), seeing those familiar faces from the trails, and knowing the course like the back of your hand. This year the event took place on Sunday, May 2nd and the weather was perfect!

As a part of this event, WSI headed up a food tent for racers and their families to be able to have a grilled burger, hot dog, chips and water while at the event. Providing over 500 servings of burgers and hot dogs combined definitely took a community effort! With a combination of donations from Home Depot of Plainwell for charcoal, Bandeen Orthodontics and Team Active for food and water no one left hungry! For the second year in a row we also rounded up goodwill donations for an amazing program, the Hot Wheels Bike Shop. The Hot Wheels Bike Shop is an program that teaches middle school students team building and practical skills while also learning how to fix up bikes. At the end of the program each student gets their own bike. The program is taught at Battle Creek Public Schools by one of our WSI riders, Dan Frayer. We raised over $650 for the program, allowing them money to buy much needed bike stands!

On to the racing……

WSI had 14 riders participating in the Stampede ranging from 5 y/o to 50+! Peyton Elder and Jacob Goff took on the Beginner challenge for the 10 and under age group. Jacob improved his time dramatically from last year and it was Peyton’s first year racing with the “big boys”. The boys finished 31 seconds apart with Jacob coming in at 1:28:59 and Peyton at 1:29:30. Not too shabby for a couple of 7 year olds!

Also riding beginner were Dilan Goff, who placed 2nd in the 11-14 a/g and David Goff Sr.

The sport class was full of WSI riders and great competition! Kellie Kramer raced Stampede for the first time and loved it, placing 2nd in her a/g. Keith Wilkinson, Stacy Rainey, and Dave Cobeen also rode sport. And we cannot forget the sport class fat tire riders Dan Frayer and Dwight Denisuik. Once again, Danimal Frayer (as Dwight is lovingly referring to him as) inched his way past Dwight with a 6th place finish at 1:32:34. Dwight was a mere 1 second behind with a 7th place finish at 1:32:35. Dwight is determined to beat Dan by the end of the season and the gap is closing!

Racing expert were Matt Gaffner and Charles Elder. Matt decided he was not quite ready to hang with the expert boys yet and is highly considering sport for next year. He may not realize there is a rule about not turning back once you go expert. Charles chose expert so he had time to finish and be able to ride with Peyton in the beginner race. He knew he was out of his league but put his best pedal forward and rode hard.

Overall, it was a successful day on the course and on the grill! For more great pictures of the event check out our Fort Custer Stampede photo album on Facebook. While you’re there, make sure to “LIKE” our page.

WSI Rider Results:

Expert

Matt Gaffner 2:06:32

Charles Elder 2:18:45

Sport

Keith Wilkinson 1:34:33

David Goff 1:35:32

Stacy Rainey 1:36:21

Dave Cobeen 1:38:36

Kellie Kramer 1:45:56

Sport Fat Tire

Dan Frayer 1:32:34

Dwight Denisiuk 1:32:35

Beginner

Dilan Goff 54:35

David Goff Sr. 1:08:32

Jacob Goff 1:28:59

Peyton Elder 1:29:30

Kid’s Race

Carson Elder

May 6, 2015

Hey, cyclists can be runners too!

Many of our athletes venture into more than just cycling. While some view the sport of running as torture, others find pleasure in hitting the pavement on foot. Both Derrick and Cindy have done just that over the past month.

Derrick has been enjoying the Run Michigan Cheap series, which is a series of running races that highlight some of Michigan’s great running paths and locations. His first event was a half marathon on the Kal-Haven Trail. Coming into the race he was ill-prepared with his longest training run being only 9 miles. The last 4 miles were filled with torture, pain and a push through it attitude. And push through it he did, with a finish time of 1:40. That translates to a 7:38 minutes/mile pace. Unprepared or not, that is a noteworthy time! His goal is to be under 1:30 for the next one.

The second in the series was tacked on to a vacation up north in Traverse City. He felt the need to add at least some healthy aspect to the trip, despite the large amount of wine that had been consumed at wine tastings. He opted for the 10k instead of the half. The course was on the beautiful Leelanau Trail. He took the overall WIN with a finish time of 43:40 (7:01 minutes/mile)! Derrick has enjoyed the race series and recommends it for anyone looking for a fun, cheap way to run Michigan.

Cindy got bit with the running bug last year after training for her first 10k. She decided this year to sign up with a group of area runners and complete Borgess Run Camp, a training program that prepares runners to the Kalamazoo/Borgess Marathon. Every week at during training runs, Cindy was decked out in her WSI gear and became known as the runner that runs in cycling clothes. The Borgess event took place on Sunday, May 3rd and there were over 8,000 runners registered in the 5 different events. With it being one of the first warm days of the year, she was not anticipating a pace much faster than 10:30 minutes/mile. However, she finished the 13.1 miles in 2:08:15 (9:49 minutes/mile): an all time personal best! She placed 24th out of 119 in her age group. The only downside to the new adventure was the fact that this event takes place the same day as the Fort Custer Stampede and she had to miss out for the first time on the mountain biking action.

Cindy is excited to be able to use this new found love for running as a launch pad into a triathlon journey.

April 14, 2015April 14, 2015

The Lowell 50

The Lowell 50 is a classic gravel road race that covers the countryside of Lowell, Michigan including a unique covered bridge. It offers both a 34 mile and 57 mile option. The event took place on Saturday, April 11th and WSI was well represented by Andy, Paddi, Danny and the Bridges family.

Kevin getting ready for the start of the 57 mile race

Kevin was the only brave sole to tackle the 57 mile challenge hoping that he would have logged some miles by this point in the race season. Mysteriously throughout the looped course he always seemed to be encountering a head-wind. After he split with the 37 mile course it became flat (still windy) farmland and he partnered up with another rider, who coincidentally was an Ironman as well. His realization of the day: the bike was great, the motor still needs some work!

Paddi, racing single speed, enjoyed her ride alongside Andy. She came in 9th overall for the women although the results grouped her with the men since she was the ONLY FEMALE SINGLE SPEED! Rock on, Paddi! Their biggest excitement of the day was a fat tire blowout right next to them that had them thinking they were being shot at.

176635_970202126347082_4944570906392794048_o — Katie’s brand new PINK TREK

Both Katie and Scott placed 4th in their age group. It must run in the family. Whether the ride was windy or not, Katie was going to enjoy it. She had a brand new pink ride from Team Active! Scott is working his way up the ranking in racing this year and is enjoying the learning moments. For this particular race he experienced working with a pack of riders as a team to push each other through.

Danny improved his time from last year by 20 minutes, finishing with a time of 1:46 and taking 7th in his age group. There are some wicked fast riders in that group!

All-in-all it was a beautiful, sunny, WINDY day for a race!

April 2, 2015May 9, 2016

Barry-Roubaix, The Largest Gravel Road Race Around

While Melting Mann signaled the end of winter, Barry-Roubaix means it’s time to bring on Spring! On Saturday, March 28th, thousands of cyclists lined the streets of Hastings, Michigan as far as the eye could see. Conditions leading up to the race favored cyclists; with hard packed roads and no mud or ice. The temperature, a brisk 13 degrees at the start, was a friendly reminder that you never can quite predict the end of March weather in Michigan.

Dreams of personal bests, podium finishes and just plain finishing filled WSI racers’ minds. For Katie Bridges, this was her first Barry-Roubaix experience, and Devin Winton and Kathy Roche-Wallace opted to tackle the challenge on a single speed. For Kathy, completing the 62 mile chall 11013380_1612767902271233_4228198439824729488_n enge on an old Bontrager single speed, even to her, sounded crazy and stirred up pre-race jitters. She was comforted by the words of her father (and biggest fan) who passed away last year: My darling daughter, stay on top of your pedals. Devin struggled mentally to stay engaged but was determined to keep up in the single speed category with riders half his age. In his “old age” he is quite pleased with 15th.

As the race carried on, riders were taunted by the infamous climbs of the three sisters, and the last hill that quickly reminded riders, such as 220 lb. Eric Cook, of the power of gravity. Minor problems such as rocks in cassettes and frozen water bottles were the biggest challenges of the day for most. Great conditions had many cyclists opting for road bikes. This decision proved to be rewarding for some, helping David Goff secure a spot on the podium coming in 2nd in his AG. For Charles Elder, however, the race was cut short just under 4 miles. After changing one flat, he hopped back on only to discover the front tire was flat as well. Fellow racer, and WSI alumni, Jack Miner, passed by and left a t 11121787_1612765168938173_7885631336882144293_n ube but it turned out to not be a fit. While Charles flatted on the course, some were lucky enough to make it home first before discovering a flat.

Barry-Roubaix is a spring cycling must for riders and spectators alike. It is a well run, great all around event and a great way to kick off the 2015 cycling season! Special thanks to Jack Miner for securing the team an awesome squatting ground and tent set-up, and April and JJ for playing the role of “team photographer” for the day.

For more photos from the event LIKE our Facebook page.

Check out below to see how WSI riders faired this year:

Team competition

WSI/Team Active: 28th out of 36 teams

24 Mile Chiller

David Goff, 1:15, 2nd in AG

Dave Cobeen, 1:24

Peggy Haas, 1:26, 4th in AG

Katie Bridges, 1:54

36 Mile Thriller

Scott Bridges, 2:00, 6th in AG

Dan Frayer, 2:05

Eric Cook, 2:09

Devin Winton, 2:07

Kellie Kramer, 2:12, 4th in AG

Andy Weeks, 2:13

Dwight Denisiuk, 2:14

Keith Wilkinson, 2:16

Stacy Rainey, 2:15

Kevin Bridges, 2:21

Paddi Thornburg, 2:28

David Goff Sr., 2:33

Jana Turpin, 2:44

Charles Elder, DNF, double flat

62 Mile Killer

Kathy Roche-Wallace, 4:02

March 13, 2015

Melting Mann: Lives Up Its Name

It was a brisk 30 degrees on the morning of March 8th as racers lined up for the Melting Mann: A Race Through No Mann’s Land. The course, whose main attraction is Mann Rd., consisted of conditions ranging from dirt roads iced completely over to frozen rutted mud that would grab your tire in an instant. As the temps began to warm up and the course got well-used the frozen mud turned into the real deal, speckling racers with dirty faces and muddy behinds. WSI was well represented at the event taking home several podium finishes. Overall, it was a great event, and riders are looking forward to next year’s challenges in the Melting Mann.

David Goff placed second in his AG for the 22.7 mile course.

David Goff Sr. placed 4th in his AG for the 32 mile course.

Peggy Haas was the first female finisher on the 22 mile course with a respectable time of 1:32 (and that was all done on about an hour and a half of sleep).

Kellie Kramer placed 4th overall in women and 1st in her AG on the 32 mile course with a time of 2:09:08

Dwight Denisiuk raced the 32 mile course in the single speed division with a time of 2:14:21