March 2010 Entries
(by Shelley Marenka, USA Cycling Coach and Fitness Expert)
Here are some tips to help your next century ride go smoother. Happy pedaling! Ride On, Ride strong, Ride Safe!
(1) One to Two Weeks Before - Drop your bike off at your local bike shop for them to give it a quick run thru… Don’t wait till the last minute… they get really busy; especially if the ride is in your town.
(2) 12 Hours Before - Lay out all your gear—Sunscreen, shorts, jersey, gloves, socks, shoes, helmet.. Read More...
Roman Kilun of UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis ventured to the Central Valley of CA to take on the 2-day, 3-stage Topsport Stage Race this weekend & came away with two stage wins & the overall title against a strong NorCal elite field. The race opened with a double day Saturday, starting with a 90-min. circuit race in the early part of the morning. Kilun rode conservatively to save energy for the time trial that would follow just 1 1/2 hrs. after the end of the circuit race. Read More...
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis made a late bid in the final kilometers of the Redlands Classic to deliver Rory Sutherland to a stage and overall win, but the effort was disrupted just a couple hundred meters from the end.
“Brad White did a great job to bring back a late attack by Luis Amaran (Jamis) on the final lap in downtown Redlands,” said Team directeur sportif Gord Fraser. “Karl Menzies took over the front with Rory on his wheel..." Read More...
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis took control of the Stage 2 Redlands Criterium in the final 10 laps and delivered sprinters Jake Keough and Andrew Pinfold to 2nd and 3rd in the sprint. “The guys executed really well today,” said Team directeur sportif Gord Fraser. They were really dialed in, they took control and executed a lead-out the best they have all season.” Read More...
Rory Sutherland of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis took 4th place in the opening prologue of the Redlands Classic, just six seconds back of stage winner Ben Day (Fly V Australia). “I came off feeling good from last week,” Sutherland said. “I’ve done every single race since Merced. The legs started coming around at San Dimas."... Sutherland was one of five UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis riders to place in the top 17 today. Read More...
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis will take on the NRC season opener in Redlands this weekend. For many people, this begs the question: What is the NRC and what does it mean? The National Racing Calendar is USA Cycling’s national race series, which, essentially, helps determine the top team racing a full season in North America. The NRC also determines an individual national champion, with riders accruing points for race wins and placings during the season. Read More...
"I’m looking forward to another season of racing. Any suggestions of how to deal with race jitters before I get to the start line?"
Read Marilyn's response ...
Rebecca Much did exactly what she needed to do to secure the overall title of the Tucson Bicycle Classic Sunday. “I just kept thinking that if I can win this stage I can win the overall,” she said.
She timed her sprint on the uphill finish to perfection, going 100 meters from the line to take the win in the circuit race, and secure the 10-second time bonus she needed to make up the seven-second deficit she had to the race leader going into the stage. Read More...
Marc de Maar, the team’s Dutch addition, took 2nd in the opening race of the Dutch criterium series Saturday. De Maar, training back in the Netherlands between camp & the Redlands Classic, took the start of the GP Oud Vossemeer looking to get some racing in his legs ahead of Redlands, and he nearly pulled off the win. “There was a break of two up the road and I was in the chase group coming to the finish,” he said. “I caught one guy in the sprint but but came up a few inches short of the win."
...Continuing with the plan from Saturday, UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis was keen to get into as many moves as possible again today. “We had another good day covering moves,” White said. “Johnny (Clarke) did a good job to get in the main move, and I got into a couple moves early as well.” While White didn’t secure any additional points in the Sprint competition today, he still held a large enough lead to hold onto the leader’s jersey. Read More...
Rory Sutherland of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis sprinted out of a late-stage five-rider break to win the second stage of the San Dimas Stage Race. The winning move came as a result of strong teamwork from his UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis teammates. It also came after some re-assessing of the race strategy after the team’s top rider in the overall standings, Chris Baldwin, crashed on the second to last lap. Read More...
Whether you consider yourself a climber or a non-climber, there is one thing for sure…with every climb there is pain. I tell my athletes, “change what you can change and the things you can’t change, leave alone.” Although you can’t change the course profile or your anatomical disposition, you can improve your climbing through mental, technical, and tactical preparation. (I’m assuming that you are including climbing work in your training program.)
Read more ...
Karl Menzies secured the first ever overall win for the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis, finishing 3rd in Sunday’s final stage to win the omnium at the Tour de Murietta. “The guys had another good day today,” said team directeur sportif Gord Fraser. “They worked really well together yesterday in the crit & again today in the road race. They’re executing really well, and the teamwork was critical to getting Karl the overall win against some strong competition.” Read More...
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis continued its preparations ahead of the first NRC race later this month in the opening time trial stage of the Tour of Murietta this morning.
The team got off to a very good start, taking the top four positions in the time trial, as well as 6th and 7th places.
“This first stage was a good chance for the guys to get on their new Kuota Kween K TT bikes under race conditions,” said team Directeur Sportif Gord Fraser. Read More...
Sprints, or speedwork, and intervals are two very different animals. Speedwork has maximal efforts, maximal recovery time and every advantage is used to go fast, aided with the wind or slight downhill. Intervals can be with the wind, against the wind, uphill...on a course that mimics an upcoming race or event. They too have a specific time, in this case submaximal work but, unlike speedwork, the rest is a specific time regardless of how well the athlete has recovered.
Read More ...
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis put the MERCO races in Merced this weekend to good use en route to 4th and 5th places in the criterium & road race respectively. “It was a good chance for the new guys & the veterans to start working together under race conditions,” said team Directeur Sportif Mike Tamayo. “And while we go into every race with the intention of winning, we also wanted to treat this weekend’s races as sort of like a pre-season game in football." Read More..
Don’t believe it. Just because the media has medal tallies up to the ying yang, it isn’t what motivates the athletes to reach beyond their grasp sending them to utter exhaustion. Remember the German speedskater who fell down in the final metres with arms and legs sprawled across the finish line or Canadian figure skater, Joannie Rochette, who persevered through unimaginable grief to nail her program. Don’t be fooled, it’s not for the glory of the media or... Read More...
The 2010 season got off to a strong start for Team TIBCO. Ten riders went straight from its training camp near Santa Barbara to Merced, CA to open its season with the Snelling Road Race and Merced Criterium this weekend. They came away with two wins, as well as two more podiums.
Rebecca Much opened the weekend with a strong win in Snelling, leading a Team TIBCO charge that saw the team take four of the top five places, with Devon Haskell finishing 3rd. Read More...