Tri del Sol

 

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Saturday, Michigan. Despite the name, the sun was hard to find and severe weather rolled in. WSI athletes still had a great time with great results. Check out what our racers had to say about their races.

Matt Wright

I raced the Sprint Aquabike again this year and managed to win the division by 4 minutes. I got a slow start in the water, 750 meters of swimming, and then it was on to the bike course for 13 miles. I started 5minutes behind the sprint tri guys, so I passed a lot of people on the bike course. It was laid out well, marked and marshalled where the turns were. I felt really good on the bike and made up some time. The weather was perfect during my race and I was able to finish with no issue. I had all my gear packed up and then the severe weather rolled in with lightening and the race director had to shut down the race. This is always a great event: well organized, staffed and plenty of volunteers

Dave Goff, Sr.

As always Tri Del Sol Was a great race with beautiful weather! I did the Sprint Duathlon. I had a good bike, but struggled with the last run ended up second in my age group.

 

Peggy Hasse

Tri del Sol  triathlon turned out a 2nd place age group finish for me in the sprint race. Time was around 1:20:ish. I had  a good swim (got to wear wetsuits!) with no problems, fast bike at 22.7, and an 8:31 run pace. Bike course is the bomb, with just enough rollers to keep good speed. The run was challenging being the first tri of the season and pushing the bike a bit. Good weather until the storm rolled in and caused some of the other racers to DNF.

 

Kellie Sparks-Kramer

Tri del Sol was the 1st duathalon of the season for me and it was HOT and HUMID…. I did the sprint { thank God}. I finished up 1:31:35, 2nd in age group and was excited to see a 21.4 mph bike average. I am looking forward to next year.

 

 

Pictured are Peggy (left), Dave (2nd from left), and Kelli (right)
Pictured are Peggy (left), Dave (2nd from left), and Kelli (right)

RAAM 2015 Race Report

kathy_roche-wallace-raamThis was my third attempt at the Race Across America, the longest bike race in the United States (and some say the toughest sporting event on the planet). My first crossing of the U.S. was in 2011 and I was fortunate to have crossed the finish line in the time allotment. By doing so, I set the record for the women’s solo 50+ category, being the first woman in the history of the event to complete the race in this category. The second time I attempted the crossing was in 2013. Unfortunately, I was forced to stop the race due to a combination of upper respiratory issues, caused by forest fires in Colorado, compounded by a demoralizing headwind in Kansas. Yeah, riding into a 20 mph wind when you can’t breathe is no fun.

This year I got further than 2013 and made it just before West Virginia. But with roughly 400 miles to go, I made the decision not to continue for the safety of one of my crew members. Being so close yet having to drop out of the race was not an easy decision, but safety is not something to compromise on, especially with a race like this. While I was not able to cross the finish line this year, it was an honor to again defend my title and retaining the record for yet one more year.

My sincere gratitude to all, since just to be able to stand on the start line is a feeling of accomplishment and not something that can be done without the support of many key people. I would not be able to experience this if it was not for the help of family, friends and a couple of specific people like Eric Cook with WSI, Chip Murdoch of College Chevrolet, James and the crew at Niterider and Alan and Mike from Team Active.

My crew holds a special place in my heart – You are all amazing!

  • 2011-Eric (Wallace), Charles, Mark, Amy, Kelvin, Mara
  • 2013-Eric, Mark, Chuck, Zandra, Mike
  • 2015-Eric, Charles, Deb, Liz, Barb

To check out some photos of the race and updates on RAAM, be sure to visit (and Like!) my GoKathyGo Facebook page. You can also check out my website at www.GoKathyGo.com for even more information about what I’ve got planned form my next “big adventure.”

Stay on Top of Your Pedals,
Kathy Roche-Wallace- #415

 

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!

 

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.

 

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