The first three stages of Nature Valley are in the books and let me say, all two or so hours of racing we’ve done have been “epic.” The first stage was Wednesday morning, a 6-mile time-trial.  The course went out for about 2.5 miles on a flat road, looped back, then finished at the top of a hill a little over a half-mile in length.  Having the hill at the end made the race a little tricky, I think the key to a fast time was making sure you had enough gas left to storm the hill because that was where you could potentially lose the most time if you blew up.  Paul Martin put in an impressive ride for 21^st place, earning him the green jersey for the best amateur rider.

An interesting feature of this time-trial was that only mass-start-legal or “regular” road bikes were allowed – no aero bars and no disc wheels allowed.  The goal, according to the promoters, was to keep the logistics reasonable for the smaller teams.  For our small team having to transport 6 extra bikes to the race would have been an expensive nightmare so I’m certainly glad for the rule, I hope it catches on!  Somewhat surprisingly the winning time was only 24 seconds slower than last year.  A few guys made small pads on the tops of their bars to rest their forearms on, I saw the officials ask a guy to remove a shoelace connecting his brake hoods that he was apparently going to hold on to, and the KBS team rode TT bikes refitted with standard road bars and shifters.  United Healthcare was apparently complaining about this (mostly because Scott Zwizanski of Kelly beat Rory Southerland of UHC) but I don’t really see a problem with it.  Really as long as the bikes follow the rules – which they did – it’s not any different than riding a Ridley Noah or an aero Cervelo road bike.  Remember Ivan Dominguez riding a Fuji TT frame when he was on Toyota-United?  In fact, it could have even been a slight disadvantage to the Kelly riders as they effectively ended up riding road bikes with heavier frames and extra-low handlebars.  This of course brought up an interesting debate on weather or not time-trial-specific bikes should exist at all in road racing.  Not all of us agreed on this one so all I’ll say here is that I think they shouldn’t.

The second stage was on Wednesday night, a crit in downtown St. Paul.  It’s difficult to describe how hard a crit like this is, with such a big and strong field, but I will say that I was unceremoniously dropped with about 10 laps to go.  On the bright side, Paul defended his jersey and as a spectator for the last 10 laps I got to see some great riding by Ryan Knapp.  Ryan was held up by a crash in the  penultimate lap and denied a chance at a really good finish but was mixing it up at the front when it mattered the most and really looked like he belonged there.

Stage three was an evening road race starting in the rural town of Cannon Falls, scheduled to be 66 miles.  However, after around 18 miles of windy racing were were waved to the side of the road by the officials and sent back to town because of a tornado warning!  Not very many people took this very seriously, especially since heading back into town meant heading directly into black skies and what appeared to be a storm.  We later found out that a record number of tornadoes (35!!!) touched down across Minnesota so it was definitely a good thing the race was canceled.  On the way into town we passed the United Healthcare team RV, a stark contrast to our arrangements which included my old VW Jetta that I had driven all the way from Ohio:

You may be wondering what else we’ve been up to, what with only about 2:15 of total racing in the books for the first half of the race.  Well, for starters the six of us are split into pairs and staying in host housing: I personally may never understand why people invite bike racers into their homes but we’re very grateful to Sarah, Tara, and “Skibby” for their hospitality.  Host housing is great because it allows us to meet interesting people, learn a little bit about the area we’re visiting, and it means that we don’t have to get up early and scramble off to try to get to McDonalds before breakfast closes.

While not racing, popular activities have included sitting by the pool and excessive use of the social networking service “Twitter.”  We’ve also gotten to see some of the local sites, including a bike shop/cafe called One on One Studios (http://www.oneononebike.com/ ) which was highly recommended by a number of people.  It was definitely worth the trip and if you’re ever in Minneapolis we highly recommend stopping by.  The shop has some cool bikes on display (including a lot of single-speed mountain bikes) and a great cafe but perhaps the coolest part is a huge “bike junkyard” in the basement:

There’s everything down there from POS dumpster bikes in heaps to vintage Eddy Merckx frames, most for sale on some kind of barter system where you can apparently build your own bike and attempt to name your own price.

It’s not all fun and games though, I would compare down time during a stage race to procrastinating on big projects in college:  You can distract yourself temporarily but the race always looms in the background.  We’ve got another evening crit coming up and then a 95-mile road race that’s supposed to be full of steep climbs so it’ll be back to business soon enough.

-Dan Campbell

This past Sunday (6/13) was the Ohio state road racing championship.  The race is typically held on a course near Dayton that isn’t particularly exciting but typifies riding in Ohio in the summer:  Flat and narrow farm roads, excessive humidity, one minor hill, and a somewhat sketchy descent. The race was 7 laps for a total of 90 miles so at least the heat and humidity would be a factor.   A good group of Panther riders showed up (we are after all technically based in Ohio) so our chances for a result looked good.  I was worried that with such a strong Panther presence the field would race negatively so I started things off right by attacking as soon as the race started.  Two riders joined me and we were off:

We were out of sight quickly and then not a whole lot happened.  Lisa Martin did a nice job in the feed zone, I probably wouldn’t have finished at all if she hadn’t been there every lap.  Eventually the Huntington Bank rider succumbed to the humidity, and with around two laps to go and a 4 or 5 minute gap Paul Martin bridged up all by himself.  This would be a big deal if Paul didn’t do it so often, I think he’s bridged a giant gap solo in just about every Ohio race I’ve done with him.  That sealed up the top two spots and left the rest of our team to fight for the remaining places.  Kirk Albers stormed away with a late-race attack for 4^th and Andy Moskal outsprinted what was left of the field for 5^th.  Reigning Ohio time trial champion Andy Clarke (have to plug the sponsor, right?) was an impressive 12^th.  All in all a successful day for the team.  Also, as you can see from this great podium picture, Paul and I look ridiculous and apparently have really gross veins on our shins:

-Dan Campbell

Chris, Greg, I were up in Mount Pleasant, MI for the criterium on Saturday. Greg experienced some bad luck with his seatpost early in the race, so Chris and I shared the workload of covering threatening moves. Racing in Michigan seems a bit different than other states… tentative and Cat 3-esque (if that makes sense), which can become very frustrating when you only have 1 or 2 teammates. Anyway, there were several moves with either me or Chris in it that looked good but always came back. It came down to a field sprint and I had Chris on my wheel with 1 to go (in the top 5). After the last corner there was some bunching and Chris couldn’t open up his sprint. I think he ended up 6th.

Greg and I started the 104 mile RR on Sunday. The two of us were heavily marked which made things quite difficult on the 2 of us. Greg put it some big efforts early on to bring back a fairly threatening break but his bad luck continued with a crash in the feed zone (due to some rider who couldn’t handle his musette bag) Greg was stranded by the wheel car and his race was over. I eventually got into a good break with 4 and 2 bridged up to make it 6 (maybe 45 miles from the line?). The Bissell rider who won sat on the whole time. I was in the hurt locker for the last 20 miles because of a missed feed. Ended up 4th, which was bittersweet considering the win was certainly within reach. Hopefully a good build up to success in WI and at Hyde Park.

-Vince Roberge

I am still not quite sure why anyone would want to get to Oklahoma sooner than anybody else,   except maybe to leave sooner. That is of course unless you have set your sites on the city of Tulsa. This past weekend we traveled there for a weekend of America’s finest crit racing, they are not playing around. Being such a big money filled prize list and so close to our Arkansas domain, not going really would have been a huge mistake.

Race one, I was feeling up to the challenge of competing with some of our nation’s top amateurs but like many big races the nerves were in over drive. After the first lap and seeing how much room the corners had I was able to calm down enough and get to racing. This figure 8 course however did not provide much in the way of places to move through the bunch. I took a few shots at pushing by the field but my freshly glued tubular was putting me on edge too much for any extreme chances to be taken while diving into a corner. I finished in mid bunch with few impressive moments to report.

Race two, after spending a day in wonderfully warm weather either having breakfast at a café or spinning out the legs on a wonderful trail along the Arkansas River race time was 2030. The course today was

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Despite talk the week before of staying home, getting some rest, etc.,
a good chunk of Panther’s northern contingent headed to Kentucky for
the Tour of Red Red Gorge Omnium, consisting of a Time Trial on Friday
(which only Ryan did); a rolling 50-something mile RR on Saturday; and
a 91 mile RR on Sunday which featured four good-sized climbs.
Saturday’s road race was fairly aggressive, but given the short
distance and nature of the course it took a while for anything to get
away.  With a little over 10k to go I found myself in a group of 9 or
10 riders.  I was the only Panther representation in the group, which
contained a couple fast sprinters, and I wasn’t feeling particularly
great at that moment, so I didn’t contribute much to the pace making.
Team Nuvo, however, had three riders in the move, and apparently liked
it’s makeup. They were successful (barely) in driving it to the
finish, despite the strong efforts of our riders back in the field to
reel it in.  I figured my only chance to win was by attacking, so I
gave it a go from around 3k out; the move was unsuccessful, and I
ended up finishing 4th in the sprint.

As expected, Sunday’s race started out fairly slow, save for a couple
of riders going off on “suicide” breaks, as everyone knew that the
real action was going to take place on the climbs.  Each time we went
up a hard climb, a group of 10 or so would form at the front, then
eventually get caught by the dwindling field. Each time we had nearly
the whole team making the selections on the climbs, so it was obvious
that it was going to be a good day for the Panther boys.  About
halfway through it started to rain, which led to Dan and Chris being
taken out of the race as a result of crashes whilst descending.  Chris
gets the team hardman award for dislocating his shoulder, then
immediately popping it back into place himself. After the final major
climb, the front group was established for good. Ryan and I were both
there, and after a few miles we went to work attacking the break.
Ryan made a nice solo move that lasted for a few miles, and after he
came back I was able to counter and solo the last 6k to victory.  We
narrowly missed out on going 1-2 with Ryan finishing 2nd in the group
sprint for 3rd overall.

-Greg Christian

Tulsa Tough may be the greatest overall weekend of Pro/Am racing in the USA. Tulsa is an absolute gem in the rough, the rough being Oklahoma. From the onset, the promoters did a fantastic job, starting with host-housing applications on the race website. Host housing is much more than just a way to save a few bucks, but a way to be part of the community and to live with another person or family for a few days. In my experiences, they have always been good and the hosts are always very interested in racing, diets, training and the overall lifestyle. Our host for the weekend was a gentleman named Bob, an avid cyclist and outdoorsman living in the coolest part of town.  Lucky us.

The race is a three day series setup omnium style, meaning you can start one day without finishing the previous day. Also, each day is scored separately, although at the end of the series points are added from the three days to determine the overall winner.

Friday- 9:15pm. Starting well after dark we had a 70 minute, figure eight course through the Blue Dome District. The longest section was two city blocks, making for a very technical crit that averaged 28mph. Everyone was on par in terms of fitness within such a tight course, but it was technique that made the difference. Also, you had to skip the heart attack when a massive fireworks show started about halfway through, to the surprise of everyone. With 7 laps to go in the 40+ lap race I crashed with three others. I think I was hit from behind, but not sure. Regardless, I hit the pavement at 35mph on a slight downhill, to the excitement of about 500 onlookers. I did a full 360 then laid there for a few seconds, waiting for a tire to run over my face. That Never happened. I jumped up to the applause of the crowd and made it back to the SRAM pit to get back in on the very next lap, about 60 seconds later. Zach, Wade and I all finished in the pack, while Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) sprinted to the win.

Saturday- 8:30pm. 80 minute crit. Another night crit, but this one started in dusk so our eyes had some transition period midrace.  This race was in the Brady Arts District, and even more people showed up to cheer us on. Soundpony, the greatest bar outside of Durango, CO, had beer on tap to lubricate the throats of its majorly awesome hooligan crowd. Mega-phones in tow, they lined the streets spewing beer and yelling at every single rider.  Just as in the night before, Dave Towle announced the entire race while having access to live TV coverage from his booth. Also, there were two huge jumbo-trons on course to spectators could see about 80% of the race at all times. All three of us kept it upright this time, finishing in the pack, again behind eventual winner Brad Huff.

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The Snake Alley Crit is the shortest crit our team will race this year but arguably the hardest.  Only 20 miles but 20 times up the brick paved 5 switchback Snake Alley for a total of 2,460 vertical feet of climbing in 90 degree heat.  Because the race is short and the Snake is super narrow, start position is critical.  I was lucky to get a call up to the front row and several of my teammates had start spots in the 2nd and 3rd rows.  Vince got a great start and attacked early to stretch out the field.  A few laps in, Volodmyr Starchuk, the Ukraine National Champion and 2nd in the road race the day before attacked and I bridged up.  The two of us established a good gap on the field as I gritted my teeth to hang on over the Snake each lap and pull through on the descent.  It was looking promising until I dropped my chain with five laps to go on the climb.  Getting started after a dropped chain on a 12% brick climb is about impossible, so I did the best cyclocross bike run I could muster for the rest of the hill, remounted at the top and chased.  I was caught by 2 chasers and finished 4th, disappointed at missing the podium.  Ryan and Chris both put in strong rides finishing in the top 20.

Muscatine is the stop in between the Burlington races and the Quad Cities Crit.   The race is held in a park on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, with enough of a hill to make it hard and a speed bump at the bottom of the hill where you can catch some major air at 35 to 40 mph.  It was even hotter today, 92 and humid, enough that feeding was allowed for a 40 mile race.   Chris Uberti made his way into a promising break of 8 riders in the first third of the race that built a 45 second gap.  Having our faster finisher in the break we were content to let it ride until we saw Chris on the side of the road, having been crashed out of the break.  With a no free lap rule on the 1 mile course, Chris was out of luck and we were left to chase.  Greg and Ryan both put in huge efforts and brought the gap back to 25 seconds and I attacked to bridge up.  I got within five seconds but ran out of gas.  I rode in the last four laps with a Jamis/Sutter Home rider for 8th place.  Ryan was second in the field sprint for 10th place.

-Paul Martin

Each summer Competitive Cyclist hosts and promotes the Ronde van Burns crit series. It’s a simple concept- 55 minutes of racing on a Tuesday night.  Five bucks to enter and you always get more than you pay for.

For the 2010 edition the Panther pb Competitive Cyclist team will ride all of the races. Just to keep things interesting, our own sponsor built a team of the remaining local racers that they feel can take us down. The SRAM Froggies (get it?)have about ten riders and are solid I will admit. So, 10 guys vs. 4 guys, but the 4 are all cat. 1’s.

About 20 minutes into the races a few attacks had been thrown out, but nothing was really sticking. Finally, Wade (Panther) laid down an attack and was quickly marked by local stud Peter Beland (BMC/Wal-Mart).  Those two are both known to have some punch, and once they got about 15 seconds up the road I did everything I could to bridge up to them without pulling the field. I went, and turned around and had a clear gap. My two remaining teammates were blocking and I made it safely to the duo up the road. With about 30 minutes still remaining, and 95 degree temps it was going to be an effort. We grew our gap while taking perfectly timed pulls lap after lap. Shortly after we got up the road Zach and Kris (Panther) tried to bridge up with two other Froggies in tow. They came within about 15 seconds of us but didn’t make it. We never even knew they were trying to bridge up, and just kept the pace at the 26-28mph range. Once they were back in the field I think it was pretty calm for the rest of the race for the pack. Meanwhile Wade, Peter, and I were leaving nothing left in the tank, and just burying ourselves to stay away.

With four laps to go, Wade attacked Peter and I to get away. Peter quickly followed and it didn’t stick. Immediately after that, I gave everything I had for my attempt at a break from the breakaway. It worked. I quickly grew a 15-20 second gap for the three remaining laps. I saw the field in front of me, and out of principle felt obligated to overcome them. It would just be cool. So, with about 300 meters to go I made it around the entire field and came across the line with my arms in the air, as they continued on for one more lap. Wade then jumped Peter for 2^nd, while Kris won the field sprint. Panther went 1^st, 2^nd, and 4^th. Not a bad way to start out the week, and open up the legs for the upcoming Tulsa Tough series this weekend.

Full race flyer and results can be found here. www.competitivecyclist.com/ronde

Click here for the complete album with nearly 200 photos from the race last night, all taken by Competitive Cyclist photographer Rob Karman.

-Noah Singer

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