2005 Road Race Reports
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LWV #3, Carnation Road Race, 8/20/05
I'm not dead yet!...says Dave Rider after sliding out & tearing up his knee and legs on the hairpin turn at Seward Park just a few weeks ago...straining his ligaments to a prime finish at last Thursdays crits... wrapping his legs in 6 yards of gauze before Saturdays race in Carnation. I'm not dead yet!...the snot dripping Rider grunts after losing a sprint prime midway through the Carnation speed-fest.
As we discussed before the race, we needed to mark 2 Broadmark riders who were also in the points hunt for overall champion. One particular rider rode to an impressive solo victory just weeks before, placing himself duel leader of the series. The other rider is a compact, muscular sprint specialist, who preys behind other lead-out trains (Rubicon's!) and steals victories with 10 meters to go. The Broadmark soloist was easily marked and tag-teamed by Gabe, Hahn, Clark and James and was virtually taken out of the overall standings. The Broadmark sprinter, unfortunately, had his day & finally came around our fallen Clydesdale at just the right time to take the overall title. D.R. fought hard for a top 10 finish & earned enough points to secure a 2nd place overall.
Rubicon has done an incredible job controlling race tempos & lead-outs for their sprinters all year long. On Saturday, our efforts came about 10 meters too short. It was great to see Broadmark take the win...but you couldn't help to think, "what would of happened without all that guaze?"
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Go to www.wheelsinfocus.com to view more photos
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LWV #2, Boston Harbor Road Race, 8/13/05
It was a great day for racing with temperatures hovering in the upper 70s on a beautiful rolling course just outside of Olympia. Our Cat 3 men were represented by Clark Rider, Dave Stonich and Gabe Hajiani. Luckily for all of our competitors, Dave Rider, winner of the first of the 3 race series was out with a smashed up knee. As a result, our boys had to come with a new game plan. Basically, it went like this; work at the front, get someone in the breaks, and if no break stays away, work to get one guy to the line. Things went as planned for the most part. Clark instigated one short lived break, Dave was in a prolonged break, and we lined up Gabe for the final sprint. Unfortunately, none of the breaks were able to stay away (except for the solo rider who won the race) and a tough-(up hill/false flat)-pack sprint finished with Clark one spot out of the top ten just ahead of Gabe and and the remnants of the pack.
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Baker's Health Start Foundation Triathlon, 8/7/05
Alki-Rubicon's John Duquette triples up the effort to win the overall title at the BHSF Triathlon!!! (Click here to go to the Bellingham Herald article)
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Volunteer Park Crit # 2, 8/7/05
I wish I could just copy and paste the first Volunteer Park race report from back in June, where Alki-Rubicon teamwork ruled the day. Unfortunately, a group ride over the Cascades, 1 wedding, and 1 baby, were the story. Clark Rider was the only "official" Rubi rider to make it to the race. Fortunately he was not alone. Joined by Scott Forrest (a relative from Colorado) Clark suited up to do battle for the first time with the Cat 1-2 riders. Due to the race being the Master State Crit Championship, the Cat 3s were grouped it with the big boys. Both Clark and Scott raced hard, spent some time on the front and finished in the pack. The race highlights were dominated by a late break that was able to establish itself and take all of the podium spots (I was sucking too much wind to know what was happening up there!). Although it was a small field, it was definitely a good taste of what it would take to race up one more notch.
Thanks go out to Scott for racing incognito with Alki Rubicon and to all the family members stationed at each corner of the course!!!
Thats Scott on the left, (guy in middle???) Clark on the right
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Ravensdale-Cumberland Road Race, 7/31/05
Lets start out buy giving three cheers to Mark Koff and the 4 Corners Team for putting on a great race!!! I hope it becomes an annual event that will attrack enough competitiors to get the ladies their own category. Here was the layout: 28 mile loop with one short steep climb, windy roads and beautiful back country. 3 laps for the Cat 1-2s and two for the Cat 3-4-5s. Like many of the Cat 3 squads, Rubicon was missing many of their riders due to weddings, vacations, and probably a few BBQ induced hang-overs. As a result, the cat 3 men's race was dominated by the relentless attacks of team Broadmark who had the largest group of riders. Towards the end of the first lap, a group of five was able to firmly establish a break that stayed away. Broadmark and Valley both had strong riders in the break, which meant that the other teams had to work together to bring the peleton back. The brief appearance of a old Datsun pick-up truck between the break and and the peleton reeked of foul play. It seemed as if the race was a foregone conclusion at that point, but the peleton was able to sneak single file past the slowed vehicle. With under 4 miles to go the terrain was mostly downhill until it kicked up again in the last mile. The peleton used this to there advantage, and a la Tour de France, caught the escapees just prior to the finish. The result was a pack sprint to the finish. The Rubicon group of James, Hahn and Clark worked to set up Clark for the final sprint. Tactically the trio had a great race and worked hard to reel in the breaks, but after all was said and done, there wasn't a much left in the tanks for any of our riders, and all finished firmly in the midst of the pack.
for photos check out Amara Boursaw's web site, Wheels in Focus
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Lake Washington Velo Race #1, Skagit Flats Race Report, 7/10/05
Guest columnist Dave Stonich:
The first of three Lake Washington Velo circuit races proved to be a success for the Cat 3 Rubicon squad, as they launched Dave Rider to a 1st place podium finish on a fast & extremely flat course. In true Rubicon form, the Cat 3 boys were aggressive from the gun, sending Gabe and a few well informed Broadmark riders on the attack within the first 1/2 kilometer. After being reeled in 1 lap later, the boys quickly countered with another attack by Dave Stonich. With 6 more circuit laps to complete, the furious tempo was clearly established by Rubicon. While other teams waited for our next move, a few brave riders attempted to break from the pack, only to be scooped up by the strong efforts of Clark and Hahn. With 5 Rubicon riders always communicating and plotting near the front of the pack, the group was able to stay out of unnecessary crashes and avoid the plug-ups of the narrow country roads. As the pack rolled through it's 4th lap, the sprint bell rung and the crew quickly reacted by moving Dave Rider to the front of the pack and through a tight hairpin turn just 400 meters from the start/finish line. The group effort (along with Rider's superb sprinting abilities) sealed up the intermediary sprint competition and, once again, left the other sprinters shaking their heads in disbelief. Knowing Dave Rider was a marked man for the final laps, the team formed a 5 man pace line, maintained a controlled tempo at the front of the pack & work to keep their man out of trouble. Not often seen in the Cat 3 ranks are teams working effortlessly together to pull off tactics that usually exist in the upper categories. While some riders did attempt to disrupt the Rubicon train in it's final kilometers, they were soon nudged to the back of the group, forced to watch us deliver Dave Rider to a sweet sprint finish. The team celebration continued in the race parking lot with a handful of cold Rainer Beer.
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Redmond Derby Days Criterium Race Report, 7/9/05
For those of you math types here is an equation for you:
(Huge payday) + (dry conditions) + (flat course) + (1 tight turn) + (7 primes) + (road turtles..those little yellow things) = one intense race!
All of the categories out at Redmond were super-competitive, and that was definitely true for the Cat 3 men. Going into the race, the Alik|Rubicon plan was simple. Attack, get in breaks, go for primes, recover, and with 4 laps to go, string out the field and set up Dave Rider for the final Sprint (That's pretty much how it goes for every Crit!). Hahn, Gabe, Clark and Dave all took turns at the front with Dave taking one of the primes. With 5 laps to go, the boys began to set up for the finish. Disaster was narrowly avoided by Hahn, as he a fellow rider got tangled up on the straight-away with Hahn careening perilously towards the anouncers booth. Miraculously, the crash was avoided, but Hahn had to pull out with a broken spoke. With Hahn out, Clark moved to the front to pull the pack around for the following lap and for the last $100 prime. From there on out it was the "Dave Rider Show!" Going into the final two turns, Leif Clarke of BRI broke from the pack, seemingly on his way to victory...but it was a long sprint, and as Dave said after the race, "I was feeling goooooood today." Leading the pack onto the final straight away Dave shifted into overdrive, holding all challengers at bay, and sprinting past Leif for the win!
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Capitol Criterium Race Report, 7/02/05
Happy Forth of July to all!!! Hope you didn't blow off any fingers. Alki-Rubicon racer turnout was low this weekend due to various festivities but we did have representation at the Capitol Crit cat 3 race by Clark Rider and Hahn Rossman. Both the Cat 1-2 race and the cat 3 race were dominated by break aways. In the cat 3s, the host team, Valley Athletic, got their manYanni Papadopoulos into the break. With the help of his of teamates in the pack chasing down all challegers, he and the eventual winner, Devin Bodony-Johnson (Rhodes Cycling), were able to build an insurmountable lead.. With those two big boys off the front it became a battle for pack primes and 3rd place. Clark Rider was in great position to place in the top 10 going into the final descent, but found himself caught in "no-mans-land" between 3 riders off the front and the pack coming up fast. With no one to draft off of, Clark got swarmed at the line, finishing somewhere around 15th. It was your classic case of good tactics and intentions, but nothing to show for it. The Cat 1-2 race took similar form. A pack of around nine riders escaped the peloton and quickly built a strong lead. Rob Campbell, also from Valley Athletic, had a stellar day taking two primes and eventually the win. He and Russell Stevenson (BRI) eventually dropped their fellow escapees and lapped the field. In their two man head-to-head sprint, Rob made a strong move up the outside of the final straight away that Russell did not have the answer for. Nice work Rob!
Unfortuanately, It was not a good day for Seth Davis, our good friend and Fiance of Alki|Rubicon's Holly Walker. Seth was in top form this week after recently winning the Oregon State Road Race. He was working well on the front of the race, and looked to be a force to be reckoned with, when a grisly crash left him with a broken arm. Seth, get well my friend!!!
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2005 Ford Ironman Triathlon, Coeur D'Alene, 2005. 6/27/05
John Duquette describes his day in Coeur D'Alene:
The good news is I was three minutes faster this year than last but the somewhat bad news is despite a faster time I only managed 5th in my age group (out of 190 I think) and 31st overall out of nearly 1800. I had a very good swim for me but for unknown reasons fell apart on the bike ride. I have no excuses or answers as I was very confident in my fitness but is was just one of those days when I couldn't get the pedals turning and I ended up biking 6 minutes slower than last year, when I thought I'd be a bit faster. Luckily I got it together on the run and hurt like I have never hurt before to set a new p.r. and run a 3:15 marathon off the bike. Most importantly 5th in my age group was good enough to get a slot to the world championships so I will be back in Kona in October (sadly cutting into the cyclecross season).
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Gig Harbor Circuit Race, Race Report, 6/25/05 (cat 3 men)
40 miles, 10 laps...piece of cake! In the first racing of what will hopefully become an annual event, we showed up thinking it would be a walk in the park. The course featured one hair-pin turn and one hill climb that seemed tame from behind the wheel of the Vanagon. In reality, 10 times up any hill, with the finish line at the crest, can make for a hard day. Early attempts to make a break from the pack were unsuccessful. It wasn't until 3 laps into the race that a group of 5 riders was able to stay out, including Rubicon's Gabe Hajiani. Each of the bigger teams, (Garage, Broadmark, and BRI ) had riders in the break, so the tempo of the pack stayed low until late in the race. With three laps to go and the lead pack down to 2 riders, the tempo picked back up...but to no avail. The two excaped riders had put over a minute and a half on the pack and the peloton was relegated to sprinting it out for 3rd place. Gabe did an impressive job of recovering from his early break, and with a little help and encouragement from Dave Stonich, was able to sprint up the hill to grab 6th place overall.
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Cascades Edge Triathlon, Enumclaw-Race Report, 6/11/05. (guest columnist John Duquette)
Where in the world is John Duquette? Well, he's doing stuff like this...1.5 K Swim, 40K Bike, 10K run. Here's John's recounting of the Triathlon...
First race of the year and a chance to check my fitness for the upcoming Ironman Coeur d'Alene in June 26th. The swim didn't go as well as I would have liked as I got my goggles kicked off and couldn't find a good group to swim in. Things got better on the bike and I moved from 17th place to 4th place over the course of the ride. The bike was hilly and windy so the times were pretty slow but I felt strong and in control. Ended up with the 4th fastest bike split. I'm a runner though and when I got off the bike and was told I was just over a minute down I knew it was over. I took the run out hard and split 5:26 for the first mile and took the lead just before the mile 2 marker. My 2 mile split was 11:06 and my three mile split was 16:30 and I kept the hammer down for about 25 minutes. Knowing I had a good lead I backed off and jogged it in, saving the legs for later races.
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Ballard Twilight Criterium Race Report, 6/11/05
Just another case of Deja Vu! Last year's rain soaked crash fest in Ye' Old Ballard looked like it was going to repeat itself this year and ruin the racing for all but the most blood thirsty of fans and fool hardy of racers. But fate managed to smile on some Saturday. After rain early in the day, the roads dried off in time for the cat 1-4 women's race, and stayed that way until the final laps of the Cat 3 men's race. With impending nuptuals for Jane next weekend, none of the Alki|Rubicon ladies wanted to risk wedding road rash for the chance of glory in Ballard, so lets skip to the Cat 4 men's race. It was a fast and tight affair until two laps to go when Patrick (?) from Second Ascent went on a solo break, and held it all the way to victory. Our boyz James and Aaron were looking to be in perfect position to nab some top spots when a nasty pile up brought much of the pack to a halt. Not letting that deter them, Aaron was able to sprint to a 7th place finish with James just outside the top ten! The Cat 3 men's race served up more of the same. With the race sponsors offering up 11 primes in the 50 minute race, the result was a punishing, super-fast, and super-competitive race. Riders from the big teams, the little teams, the clubs, and those unaffiliated, were launching off the front of the pack vying for their share of the booty. Alki|Rubicon was no exception. Clark Rider went on a solo flyer for 2 laps, but was unable to nab a prime and was inevitably reeled back in. The other four gents spent time on the front of the pack, including a prime win for Dave Rider. But the real story here was another great team performance to help Dave Rider to victory. With 3 laps to go, and the rain starting to fall, the speed picked up ane the conditions deteriorated. As a result, the back-end of the pack got edgy and got dangerous, as evidenced by a 3 man pile up just before the bell lap. By working hard early to get to the front of the pack, Dave Rider and Dave Stonich were in perfect position to avoid the danger in the pack and carry their 200 plus lb frames through the tight corners with little or no slowing. As a result, the pack got strung out and only the top10 to 15 riders had any real shot at the victory. On the bell lap, Dave Stonich, (in his biggest gear as usual) kicked it into high gear to get Dave Rider to the final stretch. Rider took over from there and outsprinted the competition to Victory. Great work Dave! (I don't know how he can be so fast when he was so slow as a kid!?!)
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Volunteer Park Criterium Race Report, 6/05/05
A great day of racing for Alki|Rubicon started with the return of one of the team's veterans, Anne Marie Kessler. Almost three months to the day after the birth of her first child, Anne Marie was back on the road circuit and finished in the pack in a competitive Cat 4 women's race! Great job A-M , you are definitely an inspiration! Not to be outdone, the Cat 3 Alki|Rubicon men decided to put their stamp on the day as well. The boys, Gabe Hajiani, Hahn Rossman, Clark Rider, and Dave Stonich put on a display of beautiful team tactics and delivered Dave Rider to the steps of victory in front of the Asian Art Museum, and that would prove to be all Rider would need. With less than 6 laps to go, Hahn, Gabe, and Clark took turns at the front of the pack realing in the few escaped riders remaining off the front and stringing out the pack for the final lap (see photos below). As planned, with one lap remaining big Dave Stonich took over. He and Dave Rider powered the last lap on the front of the pack, as they hit the backside climb, big Stonich released and Dave Rider was "off to the races." With only one other rider standing in his way, Dave was able to power through the line for a hard fought victory for Dave and a great mental victory for the team. Nice work Fellas!
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Enumclaw Race Report, 5/12-22, by guest columnist Holly Walker (Women's cat 3): The field was stacked for the Women 1-3. Amongst us was Leah Goldstein, who would have raced in the Olympics last year had she not broken her hand. The full Symmetrics team traveled down from
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Wenatchee, Washington State Omnium Race Report, 5/14: "It was the best of times...It was the worst ot times..." The Wenatchee/Washington State Omnium wasn't the Tale of Two Cities but depending on who you talk to, it could be described that way. Three races, with a mixture of huge hills, technical corners, blistering descents, and a bit of rain, made for a weekend of racing where consistancy on the bike was a must. Due to a thin showing by Alki-Rubicon, there are few team highlights to share, but all who attended returned from apple-country having left all they had on the road. James Birkenbuel (cat 4) demonstrated his versatility on the bike by taking 8th place overall (8th in the TT, 6th in the Crit, and 7th in the hills), Solid! Nice work James!! Holly Walker (cat 3) showed her hill climbing prowess by leading the pack to the top of the climb. Unfortuantely, her waif-like build would only allow her to descend so fast before her distanced competitors were able to close the gap. (Next year we'll load her up with water bottles at the crest!). Hahn and Clark, rest up brothas, the crits are comin' and the boys are back in town!
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Seward Park Spring Classic Race Report 4/17: Spring was definitely in bloom at Seward Park. Last year's Cat 3 State Crit Champ, and Seward Park series winner Dave Rider, picked up where he left off by winning the Boat Street Crit last weekend and the Seward Park Spring Classic on Sunday. With a strong pull on the back side of the course from Dave Stonich, Rider was able to out muscle his opponents to take the first prime. Clark Rider had similar visions of granduer going into the second prime but ended up with the "Muddiest Racer Award" after hitting a moss covered spot in the gutter which lead to a power-slide-nose-dive into a mud bog on the side of the course. For Video Click here (link may expire). After taking a free lap, Clark was able to get back in the race to witness brother Dave single handedly overpower the pack to win the finishing sprint. If this is a sign of things to come, it is going to be a fun year at Seward Park...
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Tahuya-Seabeck-Tehuya Race Report 4/16: Big Mama Nature threw another curve ball on Saturday by sending in the torrential rains in the morning (to weed out the fair weather racers) only to defy the "weatherman" by bringing out the partly-cloudy skies by race time. What a great day for racing!!! The Alki|Rubicon team had no top finishers, but everyone who braved the teeth rattling chip-seal, the stiff head winds on the road out of Seabeck, and the soul crushing hills followed by un-ending rollers, all finished the race with big smiles and the sense of accomplishment that comes from competeing in one of the toughest races held in the Northwest! (lessons learned= don't trust the weather man, pre-register, finish with a smile!)
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Boat Street Race Report 4/10: Oh Baby! Chalk up a victory for Alki|Rubicon! Sunday was a great day for racing in Seattle. No rain for the first time in 6 years, and Alki|Rubicon took advantage. Aaron Erbeck once again put his foot down in the cat 4 race, taking the only prime that wasn't won by Brian Nelson the collegiate phenom from WWU who won the rest of the primes and the race. Aaron finished 5th place on the day. Very impressive after taking 3rd at a windy Vance Creek the previous day.
After Kenny Williams dominated both the Master As and the 1-2 Pros, the cat. 3 men conluded the day by setting a torrid pace and finishing with the most exciting sprint of the day. Early in the race Big Dave Rider foreshadowed things to come by nipping Ian McKissick (Second Ascent) for the first prime of the race. Not to be out-done, McKissick went on a solo break taking the next couple of primes. McKissick's gap on the field grew to what seemed an insurmountable lead, but the experience of the boys from Alki|Rubicon, Broadmark, BRI, and the rest of the pack, made sure that that wouldn't be the final outcome. In the concluding laps, Gabe Hajiani worked to string out the field up front while Dave Stonich help power Dave Rider around the course. On the final lap, Rider made his move through the pack on the back-side climb. Around the final hair pin, perfectly set up in the middle of the pack, Dave put his 6'4" frame into high gear, powered down the straight away, and on to Victory! Nice work Big D!!!
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