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Sunny weather for the first time in weeks greeted our racers as the warmed up for the big race. To set the scene, the 6 laps that the Cat 3 Men would race would be held on a 10 plus mile loop of mostly chip-sealed roads, much of it with no shoulders, 3 climbs (one long and steady, one medium length and steep, one short and technical) and 3 hard left turns, the last being about 400-500 meters before the finish which was on a rolling false flat.

The game plan on the day was to try our best to keep the race together for a pack sprint at the finish, with the idea that our best option would be for me to sprint it out with the pack.

It turned out to be a tough, tough race. Warm weather, lots of racers, sketchy riding/conditions and plenty of hills, whittled the pack down from 91 starters to 25-30 racers by the final lap. Our plan to keep the race together was moderately successful. On rider escaped the pack’s clutches on lap 4 and was able to build a substantial lead. He caught a huge break on lap 5. Going into the short technical climb, a small group of about 8 guys had just started to pull clear of the main pack, and both groups were charging into the climb knowing that it was a make-or-break point in the race, but to everyone’s horror, one of the “official vehicles,” the follow car for the Cat 1-2 women’s race, was at a virtual stand still in the middle of the road on the blind bend. Racers went everywhere, confusion and hot tempers ensued for both riders and officials, and the whole pack was in chaos. Soon we were back together, but neutralized by the official. That would not have been a big deal except that the rider off the front did not get neutralized and was able to build on his lead that he would barely hold to the finish. Back in the pack, confusion still reigned as we were never told when we could resume racing. So we rolled a slow steady pace for at least a couple of miles. The one positive for Rubicon, was that it brought the whole race back together and allowed some recovery, which meant that it would be all one pack coming into the finish if we could catch the break. The final lap, James B did a great job of keeping the tempo up as I sat in getting ready for the final sprint. Coming into the final hard left turn, I knew that if I cornered well, without breaking, I could move up and maintain momentum. Garage had a number of guys at the front that I knew would keep the pace up, so as we came over the last rise and I could see the 200meter sign, I was in perfect position. We hit 200 meters and I went...it may have been a bit early but I had to go before the gap closed...I was able to burst out of the pack and was in front and was in site of the line when the lactic acid was nearing its max...I could see my nearest competitor gaining on me on the right, and I could hear another coming up on my left...all I had to do was hold it 20 meters...10 meters...5 meters...did I have it?...I lunged for the line...NOPE, I missed the silver medal by mere inches. Heartbreak, exhilaration, the emotions of a finish like that are fantastic, yet impossible to describe.

As I rolled to a stop a few hundred meters later I realized that I had a flat tire. What luck that the flat didn’t happen 2 minutes before as I hit that hard left turn...all would have been lost, especially a lot of skin. Good luck shined on me that day!

The neutral roll out wasn't so neutral it seemed a bit faster than normal but us cat 4 guys ride hard. As we made our way toward the top of the decent I look to see the rider to my left having a problem holding line. In a horrid sound of carbon scrapping the ground I realize that Jason was the next guy behind that rider. The race hadn't even really started and I thought Jason was out. But no worries folks Jason's ultimate bike handling skills kicked in and like a ninja he avoided the crash.

As we got to the single lane farm road the pace was slow. Me and Jason looked at each other to figure out if we just felt great or if in fact the pace was just that easy, a rider from Haggins asks us if we wanted to go out on a break. Jason agreed and we moved to the front so they could go out as I blocked. The move may have worked until the other riders team mate sprinted by me to join them and in doing so brought the pack with him.

The hill came and as we went up it was not as bad as I had thought it would be. Jason as always looked great. The next lap was a bit faster with a team pulling up front for most of it. As our finial lap came I was looking to find some help to put Jason in a break before the hill, but there wasn't another team that really wanted to help. As we hit the hill Jason was up front looking strong but the time up front took its toll and fell back to the middle. I was riding in the front half as I watch for someone to jump out front with as the mid point came. Three guys came on my left in a strong move. Jumping on to their wheels I was waiting for them to weaken to make a move of my own but just as I was about to go with a short distance before a hard right turn to the up hill finish. I saw a streak of six or so riders blow my doors off. I went as hard as I could but in the end finished somewhere around 18 to 15 place.

All things considered the race was one of the best so far. The course was great and the climb didn't hurt as bad as it could have.

Well the longest race of the year so far began with slightly ominous weather predictions the night before...Several phone consultations were made regarding who would go, when, why, and did anyone ever race there previously feel that the course was too short or too easy? Once all those questions were answered, the final selection worked out to Jim Wood, Clark Rider, James Birkenbuel, and your narrator Hahn Rossman. An uneventful, perhaps even peaceful ride down to Elma in the trusty vanagon. Clark weighed many options for the work to be done on his new house.

The course inspection was completed on the drive up to the new staging area. Instead of having registration, and the start area at Vance Creek campground like in years past, some clever fellow (Erik Anderson?) chose to use the much larger parking lot at the defunct nuclear power plant at the top of the climb! This was much easier logistically, and afforded a certain grim spectacle to the pre race antics.79.5 miles included 6 times up the climb. This is the same amount of climbing as in years past, but with 3/4 of a lap to warm up rather than rolling right into it. All in all, I was happy with the change. The weather was a little threatening, drizzling intermittently and such, but warm. James and Hahn spent their usual fifteen minutes worrying about how much to wear, the final decision was to fore go the cock blocker shirt!

The race rolled out, over the top, and down the descent. We entered into the twisty farm road sections and some minor attacks started. Then Jim, channeling Jens Voigt, attacked with 70 miles to go and single handedly created the break which was to grind it out until the final kilometer...Now some of you more astute tacticians may be wondering if Jim is in particularly good shape, what with his top secret f22 hanger workouts and unexplained absences for "travel". I assure you that he had in fact made claims to the contrary "I'm in terrible form, but I'll race anyway" and so on. You are probably now wondering about the strategy of riding with 7 other racers for 70+ miles??? I assure you Jens would have it no other way!

For the next lap and a half Hahn carefully covered attempts to bridge with the help of Tom from the garage and that guy from Byrne with the side burns. Things had settled out nicely and I was starting to feel as if the break might stay away for a few laps, allowing me to relax somewhat. Meanwhile it has been drizzling on parts of the course, the farmers had been plowing their fields, and there is gravel and sand everywhere from the snow last week. The wheel cars are having the workout of there lives, and wishing Joe was there from NTS. Coming thru the farm road chicane I managed to hit some small bit of cow shit or grease or who knows what at the apex of my turn and was suddenly grinding my sunglasses into the pavement with my head! Fortunately I didn't kill everyone with my error, and the field managed to avoid me as I slid to the outside of the turn. I jumped up to discover that my dérailleur was bent, and missing a certain vital pinch bolt! Race over, although the ride back in alternating 53x11 or 39x11 was interesting...This afforded me an opportunity to watch as Jens, I mean Jim, worked the break up to a 2:45 gap over the next hour and a half. Some of the weaker members were left for dead each lap. The field seemed content until the last two laps, when the chase began in earnest. Unfortunately for our hero Jens, I mean Jim, his flesh was weaker than his aggression and he was dropped from the break, and then from the field...Ah better to try and fail and all that. The chase continued and I started really wondering if the break was going to manage to eek it out of be swallowed. The debate raged at the finish with many dissenters on both sides for many obscure reasons. Back in the chase James and Clark discussed the finale, with Clark offering to speed it up to the 1km mark for James. It was on and a mighty pull commenced. The break was caught and digested by the field near the feed zone. Clark's effort was spent, James pulls around to discover "what are these little stumps, where before I had legs?"...

All in all an exciting race, disappointing on several levels, especially for your narrator, and exciting and inspiring as well.

- Okay so here is how things shaped up for me and Jason ... Saturday morning (Volunteer Park) came and with the sun shinning I was pumped to ride. Jason and I did a few warm up laps and it was clear the hill was where it was going to be won or lost. The race started with a bang, the pace was fast right from the start. Jason and I moved up to the front as fast as possible and held there for the majority of the race. However with 10 minutes to go I found myself in the middle of the pack.. not where I wanted to be. Jason moved up but with my legs feeling like crap the sprint was well out of sight for me. Jason however moved up to get into the top half of the pack. All and all it wasn't the best race for us but it was a good time no matter what and the course was truly a fun course.
Waking up on Sunday was hard after racing hard and working the rest of the day. I got on the bike and rode to Boat Street to meet up with Jason. The rain had held off for us and that made me happy. The race began with a steady pace. Jason and I both charged to the front and made sure we stayed there. As a break went out Jason was all over reeling it back in as he set a killer pace. After three laps of solo work he brought the break back. Jason is a mad man he just stayed up front and pushed til the task was done. After another two laps with everyone together another break went. I waited for the pack to real them back but the break was working well and it was evident that with 5 laps to go it was going to stick. Now came my turn to bridge up to make something happen for us but after three laps of floating in no mans land the pack came up to join me. With the finial lap bell ringing as we rode by my race almost ended with a crash as my pedal clipped the road on turn 1. After removing my heart from my throat Jason and I charged up to 4th and 5th wheel for the group sprint. As the sprint came, Jason "mad dog" Webb charged through with me tagging along on his rear wheel to the finish.
All and all the weekend was a lot of fun and made me really understand that racing for Alki / Rubicon is so much fun I couldn't imagine doing anything else this weekend.

Wet was the word at Boat St./Brad Lewis. Our field was about 35 guys due to the rain, which helped weed out some of the sketchier guys. So on the one hand, it was easier to move around, but on the other, there wasn't much sitting in that you could do. After feeling terrible Saturday, both Hahn and I managed to race pretty well. I was able to get great position on the first prime, came around that last turn with a ton of speed, and was just able to pass two guys at the line who had been off the front. Unfortunately, about half way through the race, some "unknown" racer from WWU went off the front with another guy, and we never got them back. He eventually dropped the other guy, and beat the pack by 30 or 40 seconds. I guess he should be a Cat 2. Even worse, the guy dangling off the front in second was able to hold his lead and took 2nd place by literally one or two seconds. I had a pretty good final sprint to take 3rd in the pack sprint and 5th overall. I was pretty happy with that especially considering how awful I felt Saturday at Volunteer Park.

The Series started with a BANG! In the 6:00pm race, John Duquette wisely went off the front after a prime, with 8 laps to go, and quickly built a good gap. It wasn’t until 4 laps to go that he started to realize the lead might stick. Sure enough, on the final lap JD was able to dig deep enough to hold off the charge and claim the solo victory.

The 7:00pm race went also went well with Dave Rider taking his first prime of the year, and Clark finishing strong somewhere around 10^th.

I raced in the expert field. It was pretty damn fun. Looks like I made the right choice to skip North Shore. It was a pretty small field but the course was extremely challenging and fun. I somehow managed to get 2nd and even won $30 but suffered terribly over the 20 minutes as I went out a bit too hard like a cross race. I actually attacked on this big climb at the start, put a minute on the rest of the field, came around a corner and ran into 2 horseback riders. We spent over a minute arguing about who had to move and the rest of the field caught up to me. So we basically restarted the race at the top of the climb and I wasted all that energy. Then me and two other guys gapped the field on some single track, one got away from me and I got away from the other one. The last 10 minutes though I could hardly ride my bike I was so tired and my lead over 3rd plummeted from minutes to just 30 seconds. One more mile and he would have caught me for sure.

Pacific Raceways Tuesday night Crit. Series, 03-18 Race report by Nate Solomon

Okay so here is the race report ......  no shit there I was....... getting ready to deal out pain for our horrible showing on saturday then out of no where Tom Boonen comes out to me and says "Nate your the man now go show me what you are made of". So I did and let me tell you I attacked over and over tell the finial sprint where I was neck and neck with my rival form Garage Racing. What might you ask happened well let me tell you... my legs got tired and I got 2nd. Tom spit in my face and told me I am a loser. So in truth it rained like a SOB and I got 2nd with a weak sprint.

It has been a tough couple of weeks for the Rubicon road racers. If it weren’t for some great weather, our souls would be in the gutter right now. Numerous forays into breaks and some good teamwork have yet to pay off, but I think that will change soon.

Our lone Cat 4 warrior on the day was Nate. One a cold morning Nate fought hard on the hilly course to finish with a strong top 15. The later races finished up similarly with a 16^th for Clark. Unfortunately, the race will be best remembered for the officials accidentally ringing the bell a lap early which had great effect on the race. The result was confusion in the pack, which lead to the everybody slowing down to discuss what we should do (we all realized that there were supposed to be two more laps). By the time everything got sorted out, the pack was all back together, and the racers who were struggling were able to get back in the race. That aside, the Rubi boys mounted an impressive, yet early attack, on the finishing hills. James sprang to the front taking Kevin with him over the first major climb. Kevin the pushed on towards the finish. Sadly, Kevin had too much real estate to cove, Clark was out of position, and the pack was coming too fast. It was a valiant effort, but that’s racing!

Our Dynamic Cat 4 duo was back together for Indy Valley. Mixing it up with the lead 15 guys, Jason and Nate were in the thick of things until the final climb where they lost the wheels of the leading pack. The gap to the front widened on the descent and following drive to the finish, so they settled for calling it a “learning experience.”

The Cat 3 crew’s finish was not much more exciting. On the second of 3 laps, John D tried to establish a break but ended up going solo, and found himself caught in no-mans-land between the pack and the break. Between the two big climbs of the final lap, a break finally got away, only to be reeled in again on the final climb. So the pack was back together for the final 5-6 miles, or so it seemed. Two more small duos got off the front, and our boys missed their opportunity. One duo was able to stay away and take the top two spots. The rest of the top ten was left for the pack. Unfortunately, for as much as Clark lives for the pack sprint, this one turned out to be too sketchy. A lot of hard work and no pay out. Looking forward to North Shore, a course that favors riders like John D, James and Clark, we can expect good results this weekend…

Mason Lake is the perfect race to fine tune the bike handling skills and get used to being in the peleton once again. Two squads headed down to under partly cloudy skies, great weather compared to the norm. The two newest members of Rubicon, Jason Webb and Nate Solomon showed up to race the Cat 4s. Both gents were able to hang at the front of the pack for the majority of the race while still being able to mix it up at the finish. Nate set Jason up for the sprint, but a long, steady uphill finish proved just a bit long with jason finishing an impressive 10th in his first official road race.

In the Cat 3s, a strong crew of 5 took to the line together. With a number of options to go to, the overall game plan was to be as flexible as possible, for Clark and John D to try and get in the earlier breaks, to set up Aaron or Kevin in case of a sprint, or to roll with the punches should other hurdles arise. In the end, in came down to a break of 7 riders dangling just out of the reach of the pack, unfortuanately with now Rubicon memebers included. Clark was able to make the most of a tough situation, ekeing out an 8th place finish by winning the pack's rush to the line. Overall, it was a good day for most of the guys.

For the second time this year the series traveled to Kelly Creek. Like in years past we were treated with snow! This made for slick conditions for the earlier races. As the day went on it seemed to warm up some and the course got easier.

In the women's Cat. 3 race, Tracy Erbeck took to the front and never gave it up. She went on to win for the second time this year at Kelly Creek and take second overall in the series. Naoko Forderer rode a strong race taking third and fifth place for the year. Melissa Moffett was on hand as well and rode a solid race. She took fifteenth on the year. The ladies Field had a tough course and they ripped it. Great job ladies!

In his last race before his shoulder surgery Andrew Novikoff was his smiling self. Not worrying about his position as much as having fun, Drew inspired us all to enjoy the last race of the season. John Herzog was looking good and came home with a seventeenth place and thirteenth overall for the year.

In the Men's Cat. 3 it was John Duquette, Clark Rider, and Craig Fowler were there and ready to do battle. John only needed to beat David Cooke of Zooka to win the series, (so we thought, Benny Swedberg's points as a Cat. 3 should have moved up to the Cat. 1/2's when he upgraded but they didn't). Clark had his Holiday socks on once again. At the start Craig was able to get a better jump than John and found himself in second position going into the first turn. Once around the turn Fowler took the lead and steadily opened a gap of 45 seconds by the end. Duquette said later he had a good start only to be quickly passed by a large group of riders and battled back to take third on the day. Before the race Clark commented on that fact he had no legs but true to form rode a strong race in true Rubi style. James Lorette, who vowed in the early part of the race his plan was to stay on Fowler's wheel rode strong and took home second place. For most of the race Fowler was all business, with his usual stern face but on the final lap the crowd saw him call for a shot from the Cabana Boy Run Up. They didn't disappoint and had his shot ready at the top. Fowler downed the shot and cruised to his third victory in a row! As a result we'll be seeing him in the 1/2's next year.

In the Cat. 1/2 race James "the body" Birkenbuel rode a strong race, but like usual found himself with no one around to pace himself with in the later part of the race. Despite losing some power with 3 laps to go, James rode tough and finished fourteenth. James tied for twelfth on the year. After the show James commented on how he was excited to know Fowler would be racing with him next year and vowed to train even harder for next season. Hahnsome, (Hahn Rossman) coming off a nasty cold that plagued him for two weeks looked fresh and ready to race. Luckily for him he got him mandatory "one flat a race "out of the way on the warm up lap. Hahnsome said he felt strong for the first 2/3's of the race then the tank went dry and he started to feel the effects of being sick. Hahnsome, finished twelfth and fourteenth for the year.

Craig Fowler brings home another impressive victory in the men's Cat 3!!! This is not a broken record, but it seems like we are seeing a pattern for our racers as the season nears an end. Craig took a strong hole-shot on his way to victory as the planes buzzed over. Under the weather, John Duquette still managed a top 10. Tracy continued her strong riding with a 3rd place finish, with Naoko holding tight to her wheel in 4th (Naoko's top finish yet!). John H once again got to the front of the pack on the hole shot but faded back as the race went on. Most the rest of the crew finished with their evenly matched competitors...except for me of course, who pinched flatted on opening sprint through the start/finish, and was left to pick my way through the single speeders and juniors. Such is cross racing!

it wasn't so bad out there Saturday- even warm at times, but man, Sunday was a different story. Windy, windy, windy, windy! It was rough. You had to have a wheel or you were dead in your tracks.

Saturday, super mountain bike style course (whoo-hoo!) Craig ruled it on Saturday with a strong second. Aaron took a digger in the sand 3 times, James looked great, Hahn looked better. I had to get off my bike three times to put my chain back on, and had to fight back up to get second. Mo, Drew..rode hard. Who else????? oh yeah, Lincoln raced, started last place and ended up 21st!

Sunday, exciting day for the rubis! Flat course, exciting, crazy steep run up, fantastic views. Lincoln killed it again, 23rd this time. Great for a guy who had never seen a cross race until last week. Aaron kicked ass! He had a battle to get third. Great race for him, he came from way back. John Duquette WON!!!! This was an exciting race for sure. He showed true grit, he pulled a bunch of those guys around for too long. Finally he rested and then he made his move on the last lap and there was NO catching him. Craig wasn't too far behind with 8th place, finishing on his own, having no wheel to draft for two laps. I didn't see the beginning of the race, but apparently he led a lot of it. I was doing great, feeling fantastic and even had win on my mind when my chain snapped. I ran one lap and then somebody let me borrow his bike and I rode the last lap on that. I came in dead last, of course. Mo, drew, and John Herzog, I don't know, they were racing at the same time as me.

race. He definitely showed some power and we all felt great about his work out there. Hahn had another solid placing, he might have been under dressed if you ask me, but his jersey was still unzipped enough to see his manly chest. Love that about Hahn. He looked good out there. Stambaugh dragged his family out there and wondered why (again, the wind was an incredible force). He did fantastic and looked on form with his full growth mustache. Bringing sexy back, rubi style

It couldn't have been a more perfect day for cross racing. Cool temps with strong bouts of sunshine. Horse stables, green hills, singletrack, grass, and the usual helping of cyclocross clowns all added up to a great day. But one major thing was missing...the Rubicon racers tasted the full gamit of emotions, from the races well raced, to the frustrations that come with a poor performance, but nobody on the team had that sickening feeling that comes with to a major mechanical failure! That is unprecedented! Last week it was Stambaugh's broken derailure and James's rolled tire, or Clark's faulty skewer. You name it and someone has had problems with it. But the good karma must have been flowing! Aaron had a strong comeback race on the single speed, John D, powered to a 7th in the Mens 3s, Tracy continued with some impressive racing, and Craig continued to work himself back into form...just to name a few.

Tracy Wins Kelley Creek SCC #2 Womens Cat 3

2007 Cyclocross Race Reports

We are too deep in the season to go back over all of the highlights and lowlights. So lets skip the flat tires, the broken parts, and the early season bugs, and get to the highlights. Tracy posted the first Rubicon victory of the season at Kelley Creek, and is sitting pretty after 4 tops threes already this year (and with a 1 year old!). John Duquette has shown flashes of brilliance only interrupted by a honeymoon. Holly is back form France, Mo and Naoko both upgraded this year and are getting stronger each week, Clark sucks, Craig is back from the super journey up and down the Pacific Coast Trail and is looking to be in form in a week or two. Other than that, both James and Hahn are riding strong and picking their individual battles each week, and sightings of John H, Drew, Aaron, John S, Rob and Jim have been reported

2007 Road Race Reports below

Mason Lake, WA, March 3rd and 10th

For possibly the first time in history, all three Mason lakes for the Cat 3 men were decided by breakaways. New "super Rubi" Rob L, was the only Rubi crazy enough to head down to Mason #1 after we learned of the 9:30 start time. Whats up with the swap? Week two, we had a strong crew of six. But unfortunately, a flat tire for Clark as well as some hard efforts to catch the break by Hahn et al, meant no strong results at Mason this year.

Tour De Dung, Sequim Wa, 3/11/07

I think I did 16 races as a cat 5 or 4 four and somehow never got involved in a crash. Then I do my first cat 3 race and go down. The race was good for the most part. Wines, Hagens-Berman and Second Ascent all had 10 guys or something and controlled the whole race. There was a break of about 10 on the third lap and I was sure that was going to be the one that stayed away so I completely buried myself and bridged up to them. Then no one would get organized and a couple minutes later we got caught. Pissed me off. Then a group of four got away at the end of the 3rd lap and Wines, Hagens and 2nd Ascent each had a guy in it so all of a sudden we slowed to a crawl. Half of the 4th lap goes by and those four keep gaining time and I'm sitting there in recovery zone. Then I said, "Rubicon's gonna chase." Then a guy named Ben from Ti said he'd chase too so we picked our way to the front and were joined by Travis from Zoka. Then the three of us just threw it down and towed everyone for 1/2 of a lap until we caught them. It wasn't an easy feat and I'm pretty proud of doing it. I figured if nothing else that was my big accomplishment for the day. So we were one big group near the end of the last lap and right at 1k to go there's a 90 degree right hand turn. I made my turn ok and had really good position and then two guys in front of me smacked into each other. The one nearest me ping-ponged off the other dude's shoulder and flew right into me taking me out. My right ribs landed first followed by my head. It knocked the wind out of me and once I could breathe again I realized my rib cage was f@#&*d. Terrible pains with each breathe. I couldn't even get my socks off. Very little sleep last night. I just got back from the doctor and she wouldn't take an x-ray. She said they're probably fractured but it makes no difference; I just need to rest them and load up on painkillers. The Advil isn't doing much though so I'm going to try 5 or 6 Pete's Wicked Ales.

What is it with the BuDu sponsored races? They never seem to go just right, and Market Street was no different. The course is a rolling 9 mile loop, with a new finishing stretch this year which was preceeded by a steep descent, a hard right turn, a quick climb, followed by 2000 meters of rollers to the finish. We started with a large group of at least 75 riders. 3 laps in, Rubi was looking good with Jim and Rob off the front putting in their paces. Shortly after being reeled in a lap later, a solo break went off the front. It was unfortunate that our boys were not able to keep the pace because we were soon neutralized by a breakaway of Master racers that had caught our pack (allowing the escapee in our race get further out). The problem was that the officials let our pack continue racing after allowing the Masters only a small gap on the pack. As a result, we quickly caught them on the following descent, and due to the size of of the pack were unable to fully pass them. As a result, many choice words were exchanged. Then, of course, they re-passed us and the exchange of vulgarities continued. Real classy! Especially considering they were 10 or 15 minutes up on their pack and were in no danger of being caught. Maybe I don't understand racing, but it seems to me that this was the officials' mis-step an not ours. Save your breath for those who deserve it. We still had a break up the road that we were trying to catch... The following lap we were again neutralized, as was the break, so as to allow the Masters some room to race. Eventually we got back to racing. The break looked to have gotten the best of us, and remained out of view until the final stretch. The final stretch was one of the wildest charges to the line I can remember. The guy in the break had popped, and guys were launching off the front early trying to get to the line while the pack charged on weaving through riders like a game of frogger. It was such mayhem that I finished thinking I could be anywhere from 8th to 18th place. It was a fun race but one that left me shaking my head...

Independance Valley RR, Rochester WA 3/24

Race Report by Clark Rider

This was the team’s first visit to the Indy Valley race, located in Rochester , WA just 20 minutes south of Olympia . I would have to say this is one of my favorite courses out there (Other than the 8 mile loop we had to ride to get back from the start line). The course features two climbs, one moderate and one tough. It also has the requisite chip-sealed winding roads surrounded by lush green forests and some beautiful farm land. Although it rained on us much of the day, and winds were in our faces on one of the long farm roads, it was a great race for me. The two climbs kept the big guys in check, and some fast descents on slick roads kept it strung out. The main peloton stayed together until the climbs began taking their toll. Then in the late laps a crossed wheel and a crash on one of the curves split the field forcing much of the pack to chase leaving many racers unable to get back with the front group. Down to 20 riders, the race moved toward the finish. Expertly timed escapes by three different riders prior to the final climb proved to be decisive as they finished 1-2-3. With Kevin & Jim out with mechanicals, and James out due to the crash (he was OK), only Hahn and myself were left in the pack sprint to the line. A number of racers crossed the centerline prior to the 200m marker making the final approach hectic and sketchy and leading to a number of relegations. Unfortunately, due to the narrow approach there was little teamwork to be had, and I finished 7^th with Hahn a wheel back in 9^th

North Shore Circuit Race, Bellingham , WA 3/31

Race Report by Hahn Rossman

8:00 am starts times did nothing to discourage racers from showing up in Bellingham to race their bikes on a lovely course. The intrepidAlki|rubicon riders were way laid with a couple of mechanical mishaps. Loose cages and flat tires but James and Hahn managed to soldier on around the course.Which involved two big climbs, and some whipping descents. The racers made various attempts to get away from a ever vigilant peloton, which was able to top 40mph on the descents...making for a tightly controlled race. On the final lap, on the final climb Brent from Second ascent made a fine attack over the top of the climb and was just able to to fend off the rest of the peloton as they chased him over the final kilometer to the special finishing pitch (20%!) where some people blew up, some got run into the gutter, and James was able to launch Hahn like a fish up a ladder to 10th! The race was great and will be even better next year when the start time is more reasonable.

Brad Lewis Boat Street , Seattle 4/8

Race Report by Clark Rider

What a great event and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Brad Lewis’ life. The majority of the day was sunny and beautiful. Unfortunately for our Cat 3 men, the dark clouds and rain rolled in just in time to crush our spirits and significantly minimize the field. Of all of the races I have done, there are two that constantly peek into my day dreams, Brad Lewis Boat Street and Ballard. So the minute it started to rain, was the minute the frustration began. Overall, I was luckily the bike upright as it seemed that every corner was a slippery adventure. Big Dave S was not so lucky, and Jim threw in the towel, quickly narrowing down the Rubi crew. But in reality, the slick corners and the constant breaking/accelerating, made it almost impossible to use any teamwork. The race basically came down to who could get through the last corner clean. Hahn and I were grouped together and in great position, but I got cut off and was left to sprint with the back of the main pack. Hahn finished a strong 8^th, with me in 9^th and Rob just back of us in 13^th. Not bad for a race that started with 61 racers and finished with just 20.


Left to Right: 1 Jim, Johs S., and Rob get off the line 2 Clark and Rob work the corners 3 Hahn diggin deep 4 artsy shot (photos courtesy of Stephen Matera) Click here for more...

Tahuya-Seabeck-Tahuya (TST) 4/14

Race Report by James Birkenbuel

Graced with unexpectedly warm and sunny weather, the talk in the parking lot was all clothing. After the driving rain and snow flurries experienced in 2006, this years TST Road Race was a stark contrast. The first half of the race was relatively uneventful for the Alki/Rubicon Squad which this year included Hahn, Clark, James, Rob, Jim and Jon S. At the turn around in Seabeck with the peloton chasing about one minute behind, the lead car took a wrong turn along with a three-man break. In turn, this caused confusion amongst the front of the peloton and several near crashes were narrowly adverted. The officials immediately neutralized the field and many racers took a much needed natural break. The breakaway was given there 35 second lead back and the peleton was on the role again right into the climb out of Seabeck with the pace reflecting the stiff legs that were a result of the down time. The race began to take shape on the approach to the second major climb Holly Hill. With a descent just prior to Holly Hill the peloton saw speeds up to 55 mph and the break was easily swallowed up. Hahn, Clark, Jim and John came into the base of Holly in good position with Rob and James about midfield. Unlike last year’s scene of snow and racers dotting the road, this year’s climb was tight and fast. Rob opened up the throttle with James in tow and weaved thru the pack like a swordfish passing salmon swimming up stream. At the Holly Hill summit Alki/Rubicon had three racers showing their strength as solid climbers; Clark, Rob, and James led the group over the summit. Naturally Holly Hill lived up to its reputation as a decisive climb and the first real selection was made. After a valiant effort John Stambaugh would be one the many who had done their part for the day, and would not be able to bridge. Jim, on the other hand, fought his way back in what would be a virtual time trial due to the viscous pace being set by the lead group. That pace would go on for the most part all the way to the final climb at Dewatto. Nick Rhodes from Second Accent, anticipating his inability to make the selection on the final climb, led the peleton into Dewatto Hill. The remaining Rubi’s again showed that they had been working on their climbing skills, with Hahn setting the pace up the steep switch backs and Clark , Rob and James following his lead. Later Jim would admit that he did not follow the suggestions of teammate James Birkenbuel, but in fact had drank excessively, ate bar food, slept little and committed acts of “sexual relations” the night before, possibly resulting in his demise at Dewatto. The remaining Rubi’s managed the first pitch in tight proximity, but as the grade relaxed the leaders tapped their reserves and the battle was on. James, unwilling to drive the pace but able to counter the attacks remained at the front. By the Dewatto summit only 25 of the 100 riders who started the race remained, James and Rob being the last of the Rubi’s. Clark went down fighting in a last ditch attempt to bridge, and would come to the finish line with Hahn and the second group. Second Accent showed its power and drove the pace back to Tahuya with a foray of attacks one after another. The twisting descent was truly exhilarating with a surprising finish as explained here by James Birkenbuel: “ I knew I could descend with the best of them and I figured that if I could stay top five on the descent I would be assured at least a top ten finish. I don’t think of myself as a contender for a sprint finish so I was just sitting in about 5^th wheel countering any attacks that I could. At about 4k Justin Vanhulle from Second Accent launched a solo attack. This was after countless attacks by his teammates Andrew Rossette and Brent. I figured we would pull Justin back by the finish, and again, I wasn’t thinking of a win, I was thinking descend safely and stay up front. I will say that my usual courteous behavior was left at the top of that descent as I established myself as an alpha dog in the front of that group. We caught Justin just before the turn back onto the road to Tahuya. I found myself sitting third wheel behind two Haggens Bergman racers. I remember this as the point where I thought I might actually have a chance at the win. In the split second hesitation to come around those two I was pinched on my right by a Wines of Washington rider who would ultimately take 2^nd. I fell in behind him geared up and came out of the saddle gaining speed and looking for the win. But the line came up fast, so fast that Justin Vanhulle would take the win much to his surprise (spectators reported that Justin started sprinting at about 600 meters and the pack started there sprint to late…), Wines of Washington would take second (and continue to sprint down the road to some other finish line?) and I would take a shocking 3^rd place! Next to some Elite cyclocross results that I’m quite proud of this was by far my best result, and by far the most exciting road race thus far.” Rob, unfamiliar with the finishing approach, found himself mid pack for the sprint finish resulting in a very respective 14^th place.

James collects his just rewards for an impressive 3rd place

Seward Park Spring Classic, Seattle 4/15

Race report by Clark rider

It was a beautiful sunny day at Seward Park the day after TST. Surprisingly, there were still a good number of racers out for the Cat 3 men’s race. The race direction was clockwise with the finish line just down around the corner after the topside hairpin. The location of the finish line meant that if the final lap came to a pack sprint, the first 4-6 guys around the hairpin would be guaranteed the top spots. The race stayed to plan for the most part with only a few small breaks able to stay off the front for a lap or two. I just missed one prime, and had time to recover for the final laps. With two to go, Hahn and I were able to come together to start to set up the final rush. Unfortunately, two strong riders had gone off the front prior to the bell lap and had put a big gap on the field. Going into the final descent, a few more riders managed a slight gap on the field. Luckily my man Hahn was with me to hit the front with a strong pull that helped me put a gap on the pack and catch the draft of two of the riders off the front. Unfortunately, the front two riders had already gotten over the crest of the hill as I was passing the other two. My momentum going into the hairpin allowed me a small gap, and I was able to hold off the pack for third place overall.

Vance Creek , Elma Wa, April 29

Race report by Clark rider

The first race of the year with no base layers is destined to be a great day. We had 5.5 twelve mile laps of racing, with a headwind in the climbs and a tail winds on the farm roads. Our game plan was to get a guy in any break possible, or cover the break if not, with the eventual goal of springing James B and Rob on the final climb if the full group was still together. Due to the sunny weather and the sometimes nasty head winds, many riders took their shots at breakaways. Hahn and I did a lot of work in both the 2^nd and 4^th laps to reel in some breaks, while Jim managed to get in one on the 3^rd, while James and Rob sat in waiting for the finish. Coming into the 5^th of six climbs I was spent! My quads were burning and I felt the cramps begin. On that climb I kept telling myself that I had to give it my all to make James’ final lap as easy as possible while also marking any breaks. The result was that I found myself towards the front when a small group of four had put a 100 meter gap on the field. Unfortunately, all of the guys around me had a rider in the break. I was torn, chase the break and blow myself up, or sit in and risk loosing the race. Just as I was about to give up, the eventual winner of the race (Ti Cycles) pulled up next to me, asked me if I was ready to go, and off he went. I don’t know how it happened put I dropped down a gear and gave it everything I had to get on his wheel. He was able to get us 75% of the way to the 4 leaders and I was able to finish it off. Once we caught them, we both thought that was all we had. Luckily, two more riders was just what the break needed. With the leadership of big Yanni P., we quickly got into a flow as a group and due to the number of teams represented in the break, few were willing to chase us. By the time we hit the windy sections and the hills we had a huge gap. We all kept hammering until the final climb. It was not a super exciting finish. Ti-Cycles slowly just rode off the front. Having led up the first part of the climb, I settled in behind two others up the final pitch. I gave it all I had going into the hairpin but was not able to hold the other riders’ wheels, and finished 4th. Not far behind was Tim form Mobile Money, then Yanni. Back in the pack, our game plan went off as planed with Rob helping escort James to the front for an impressive 7^th place finsh! Two in the top ten at Vance creek…not bad!

Wenatchee Omnium, May 12/13

Race report by Clark Rider

The three races at Wenatchee had one thing in common, the wind. The Time trial Saturday morning was an out and back that featured blistering paces on the way out (tail-wind aided) and soul crushing head winds on the way back. Due to a lack of TT prowess, Rubicon put our focus on the evening’s Crit. Once again, there was a strong head wind on the finishing straight. The game plan was to push the pace as much as possible, then set me up for the final sprint. As usual, the pace was fast and furious, and the headwind kept the pack mostly together. We had a great final lap…I was able to get a great outside line before the final hill. I gambled that the middle of the road would eventually open up. Unfortunately, the gamble didn’t pay off as I had to momentarily let off the gas after getting pinched in the pack…eventually settling for 5^th. The following day, with the wind still blowing, we turned our focus to what would definitely be a brutal day of climbing, followed by a descent obstructed by the wind. My plan was to try and get in the top 15 while providing whatever service I could to James B. and Rob, our two climbers. But as is usually the case, the heat and elevation gains made it almost impossible to work together. James put on a strong climbing display and ended up 8^th overall. I felt great about my performance, but misplayed my cards in a final sprint which dropped me two spots down in the points and left me out of the top 10 overall.

Enumclaw Omnium May, 19^th20th

Race Report by Clark Rider for Hahn Rossman

Bad weather…bad start…go go go…crash in front…broken shifter…weekend over

Ravensdale-Cumberland RR

Race Report by Clark Rider

What a day! This was one of those classic race days, where you feel terrible, you race anyways, and you end up going well. We had had a last minute guest come into town the night before and had stayed up too late. I felt the effects the first time I tried to get in a break and quickly realized there wasn’t much gas in the proverbial tank. Luckily for me, it turned out to be a pretty standard Cat 3 race which goes something like this…Attack goes off…pack chases like crazy…repeat…repeat…everbody chills for a while…repeat scenario…last lap everybody realizes that no one is getting away, start to think about winning the final sprint. For me, this scenario was perfect. The finish line was 300 meters after a two mile flat and soft left turn. Kevin, Hahn and I did our best to form a lead out, but the fast pace of the pack made it impossible. Kevin graciously offered his lead out services and got me to the final turn with an enormous head of steam. From there, everything fell into place. I was able to hit it straight down the center of the road, and the riders in front of me were perfectly staggered like a flying V of geese. I was able to move behind each one until I got to the right gutter just in time to hit my top gear and steal the victory from all the little sprinters. I wish I could describe that feeling, but I can't…lets just say it makes all those long winter rides well worth it!

Photo courtesy of Amara Boursaw at Wheelsinfocus.com

Ballard Twilight, June 9th

Race Report by Clark Rider for Hahn Rossman

Bad weather…decent start…go go go…flat tire…relegation for riding backwords 20 feet…Race race…finish.

Alki Rubicon Little 100, June 16^th

Click here for the Little 100 page for Photos and more

Seward Park Summer Classic, June 17^th

Race Report by Clark Rider (Cat 3 Men)

There is nothing better than racing Seward Park with all the guys working for you. Going counter-clockwise, the game plan was to go for any available primes, then set up the train for me on the final lap… Dave Stoni would pull first, followed by Hahn for the second pull, with Kevin behind me to keep interlopers of my wheel. The race went smoothly, with all three primes being taken by solo riders off the front. With two laps to go, we set up the train as planned. Unfortunately, Hahn lost contact after crossing wheels with Dave. We quickly regrouped, with Kevin moving up to take Hahn’s place. Dave ramped up the pace to get us to the head of the pack, Kevin took over to get me up the hill, I then drilled it on the long bend, to take 3^rd place. Overall, it was very well executed, we just missed out due to slight mistiming.

Boston Harbor State Circuit Race Championships, Olympia Wa, June 24^th

Race Report by Clark Rider (Cat 3 Men)

All alone in the cold cold rain….

It was a normal June day in the NW. Chilly, then sunny, then pouring rain, then cloudy, etc. Other than the weather, things were looking good. A short semi hilly 6 mile loop awaited me. I had no teammates, but with only 40 riders starting the race, and nasty weather looming, I felt my chances were good to get in a break, and hopefully battle it out at the finish. Instead, the opposite happened. For each of the first 5 laps, escape attempts went off the front only to be pulled back with ease. On the final lap it became clear that nobody was going to stay away. The result was unfortunate…all of the riders came up the final hill in one slow moving pack leading up to the final 1K. Nobody on the front wanted to lead it out just to be swallowed up in the last 300 meters, so tensions were running high in the pack. Finally, within 300 meters of the finish guys started to hit it. I had chosen a wheel that I thought would take me to the promised land, but he dropped his chain, forcing me to improvise…at 200 meters was my chance to get some breathing room…I eased right behind a Garage racer and began to wind it up…but the gap to the leaders was already established and I was forced to settle for a respectable 5^th.

Capitol Crit-State Crit Championships, Olympia, WA, 6-30-2007

Race Report by Clark Rider (Cat 3 Men)

I went into the state championships feeling like I could win it all after finishing 4th on the same couse last year. I knew the key was to be in the top five on the final lap. But I also was weary of the escape attemps by others as I had seen them stay away to the finish in the past. the race went much as planned. I was able to get one prime by escaping before the top of the course, and just got pipped at the line for a second prime by Yanni the hometown favorite. Unfortunately, my goal of getting into the top five before the second to last turn did not happen. I felt like i was in great position sitting about 8 deep, but was unable to close the gap at the line and had to settle for 4th once again, one spot out of the hardware.

Joe Matava Memorial Crit, Burien Wa. 7-04-2007

Race Report by Clark Rider (Cat 3 Men)

Joe Matava is flat and fast, which means "lots of fun." Like the previous race, I went for a few primes and was able to get one. To my fortune, a rider went down with a lap and a half to go allowing me to jump up a number of spots due to the fact that I was on the opposite side fo the street. The pace remained at full throttle the final lap, I got a great line going into the final corner and held off a number of racers for a second place finish.

Redmond Derby Days, 7-7-2007

Race Report by Clark Rider

Dave returned to crit racing with a strong showing at one of the most heavily contested races of the year. A giant pack of Cat 1-2 men contested the square 4 corner course. Dave's goal was to maintain position, conserve energy, and focus on being in position for the final sprint. All was going perfectly into the last lap, Dave was sitting comfortably 6th wheel when a racer took a sketchy line and dove into the second to last corner, got tangled with another racer, which forced Dave to go wide out of the slipstream. He managed to regain his speed but only enough to muscle out a finish just shy of the top 10. Not bad!

Lake Washington Velo Series race #1, Sylvana, WA

Race Report by Clark Rider

Going into our respective races (Cat 2 for dave, Cat 3 for me) Dave and I had the exact opposite goals other than finishing well. My goal was to do all I could to instigate or join a break, while Dave's plan was to conserve energy and get a better feel for his fitness level, then fight it out at the finish. All went well...I was able to get into a break of 13 guys about 5 laps in, and we were able to hold it to the finish. A crash in the final corner gapped me off of the top 4 guys but also freed me up from the other 6-7 riders, allowing me to sprint to 5th overall. Dave was equally successful after helping to chase down an early break to bring the peleton into the final sprint as one group. Dave managed to make his way through the bunch for a top 10 finish (7 or 8th, we'll see)


Left to Right: Lonely finish, beautiful scenes, Dave R cornering (not pun intended), more tight corners. More Photos here

August Race recap by Clark Rider

The 2007 road season has come to end with no race reports since the end of July, so I am going to give you a quick recap. I was coming into the last month in top form with eyes on winning the season long series at Seward (6:00pm race) as well as his sights on a top finish in the Lake Washington Velo series. My late season side-kick, Kevin, kindly offered his services whenever needed. A strong top ten finish at LWV #1 was a good start, but a crash in the rain at “Whale of a crit” and another massive pile up the following week at Gig Harbor, left me with 9 stiches and a bad tailbone that would take 3 weeks to approach being pain free. Me and Pauh Wang (Recycled Cycles), battled it out for the final weeks at Seward, but Pauh’s sprint was too strong, and I settled for 2^nd overall on the season. Meanwhile, the bright light of the end of the season was the re-emergence of big Dave Rider on the Cat II racing scene. With little training and few races under his belt in the last 2 years, Dave competed in 3 races and had 2 top tens, which would have been 3 had it not been for some sketchy riding by a WOW rider. Good to have you back Dave. Finally, one of the highlights of the year, and one of the funnest races for our Cat 3 boys, was the Blackberry Crit in Bremerton. The Game plan for Clark, Hahn, John S, Rob and Jim, was to go out, have fun, and set up the lead out train in the last few laps, specifically going into the third turn of the last lap. Three laps in Rob took a flyer off the front, which he maintained for a couple of laps. As soon as he was reeled John took off…Then as soon as he was reeled in it was Hahn's turn, then mine then Jim's. Pretty soon, we were the favorites of the announcer who wasn’t quite sure what we were up to but was enjoying the show. Overall, we each took at least two flyers off the front. As the end of the race neared, we were able to bring a few of us together, John gave a strong lead out getting me up to the front pack, but I was unable to get around the top guys, and finished a respectable 5^th. It was a great race, and the most fun I had had all year. Definitely a fun way to bring a great season to a close.

The Latest News (race reports below):

2008 Race Reports:

Tracy Wins Kelley Creek SCC #2 Womens Cat 3

2007 Cyclocross Race Reports

2007 Road Race Reports below

Mason Lake, WA, March 3rd and 10th

Tour De Dung, Sequim Wa, 3/11/07