Archive for April, 2010

Race the Ridge ’10

Race the Ridge is back for 2010! The Ridge Meadow Area’s premier cycling event will rock the town May 1-2. This year’s race will again consist of 3 exciting stages: We’re bringing back our challenging Thornhill road race course from last year, followed by the scenic 23km individual TT in beautiful Golden Ears Park. Most exciting is the return of the Town Core Criterium after last year’s beautification project construction forced us to relocate the event. But now it’s back and the course has been revamped, so it’s better than ever! Click here to register. Check out all the details below.

Events:

Road Race – Saturday, May 1 – Thorn Hill Elementary School
Time Trial – Saturday, May 1 – Golden Ears Provincial Park
Criterium – Sunday, May 2 – Maple Ridge Town Core

Road Race and a TT on the same day?

Here are two precedents, one of great historical significance and one much more recent.

1) July 1986, Alex Steida (7-Eleven) won the YELLOW Jersey in on Stage 1a of the Tour de France on a Split stage with a RR and a TTT. (yes, we know the rest of the story…)
2) April 2010, Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) won the final road stage of the Three Days of De Panne in a tricky cobbled sprint into De Panne. This road stage was followed by a TT in the afternoon won by David Millar (Garmin-Transitions)

There is both historical and recent precedent that would show that running a RR and TT on the same day is acceptable in a stage race. Our goal is to run an event that is challenging and fun for all participants. We welcome your comments and suggestions and will do our best to keep improving our race.

Registration:

Early Bird (February 1-28)$90
Standard (March 1-31)$100
Late (April 1-29)$110
  • Register online at Karelo.ca here
  • Registration closes at 6:00 pm, Thursday April 29
  • No day of registration

Accommodations:

The Ramada Inn has once again come on board to offer all racers a discounted rate of $79 for a standard room or $89 for a mini suite. Just quote group number 2315.

Ramada Inn
19267 Lougheed Highway
Pitt Meadows, BC V3Y 2J5, Canada
(604) 460-9859

Categories:

Cat 3/4 Men – 75 rider max
Cat 3/4 Women – 75 rider max, 12 rider minimum for a separate caravan
Cat 1/2 Men – 75 rider max
Cat 1/2 Women – 75 rider max
U17 – 30 rider max

Stage Race Layout:

Race the Ridge is a timed stage race. The lowest cumulative time wins. You must start every event. You must complete every event to be given an official finish. There will be time bonuses available in the crit as outlined below.

Time Cut

  • There will be a 20% time cut off in effect for the Road Race only.
  • Exceptions will be consider under unique circumstances

The time cut is in place to prevent soft pedaling of the road race to save yourself for the TT. This has happened in the past and is not true to the spirit of Race the Ridge. A 20% time cut is very generous, and we estimate that you would be lapped almost twice if you were to miss the cut. Keeping track of lapped riders will not make our lives easier, but we feel it is necessary to provide the best possible race experience.

Prizes:

Individual stage prizes may be picked up shortly after each race. The coveted overall title will be awarded after the 1/2 men’s Criterium on Sunday.

Stage Prizes
TBD

Overall Prizes
Cash Purse to be determined based on enteries
Great prizes from Local Ride Bike Shop and more.

Notes:

  • Please be courteous of our neighbours. No littering, no public nudity….. You know the drill.
  • Please be prepared to present your racing license. BC residents may purchase “day of race” insurance.
  • No refunds

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Thorn Hill Road Race – Saturday, May 1

8:30 am – U17 – 30 minutes
9:10 am – Cat 3/4 Men – 7 Laps
9:20 am – 11:40 – Cat 3/4 Women – 4 Laps
11:35 am – Pro, Cat 1/2 Men – 10 Laps
11:45 – Cat 1/2/3 Women – 7 Laps

  • Sign-on opens at 8:00 am, and closes 30 minutes prior to each races.
  • The Road course is open to traffic. Center line rule is in effect.
  • Approximately 9.8km per lap.

Maps and Info:

Course mapParking and RegistrationDirections

click on maps for details

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Golden Ears Time Trial – Saturday, May 1

4:15 pm – U17 depart
4:30 pm – All Categories depart

  • Sign-on opens at 3:30 pm.
  • Riders will leave @ 1 minute intervals.
  • Riders will start in alphabetical order by category, starting with the 3/4 women and ending with the 1/2 men.
  • The time trial course is open to traffic. Center line rule is in effect.
  • Approximately 21.5km out and back.

Maps and Info:

Course mapParking and RegistrationDirections

click on maps for details

______________________________________________


Town Core Criterium – Sunday, May 2

10:00 am – Cat 3/4 women 30 minutes +2 laps
10:45 am – Cat 3/4 Men – 40 minutes +2 laps
11:45 am – Cat 1/2/3 Women – 45 minutes +2 laps
12:45 am – Kids Race
12:55 am – U17 – 15 minutes +2 laps
1:15 am – Pro, Cat 1/2 Men – 55 minutes +2 laps
2:45 pm – Awards Presentation

  • Sign-on opens at 7:00 am.
  • Awards presentation starts shortly after the last race.
  • The Crit course is closed to traffic. Watch for people.

Time Bonuses:

StagePrimes
1st    20sec5sec
2nd12sec3sec
3rd8sec1sec
4th5sec
5th3sec

Maps and Info:

Ready to Race the Ridge?

Race the Ridge 2010 is upon us. Get all the latest up to date details here, including TT Start Times.

Barry’s Roubaix Results ’10

Cat 1-2 Women’s Winner Jean Ann McKirdy

Thank you to all the racers and volunteers for making Local Ride’s first Roubaix race a success. We hope you had fun!! Here are the results. Some photos are posted here.

Feature Reports

Results

Men's podium1/2 Men’s Podium: (l-r)Jason Thompson, Curtis Deardon, Tyler Trace, Mike Sidic, Cuylar Conly

Roubaix Tech: A Barry’s Roubaix Report

By Mike Berkenpas

Barry’s Roubaix is modeled after the infamous Paris Roubaix, one of the most difficult one day bike races in the world. What makes the Paris Roubaix so challenging is the many sections of extremely rough, cobbled roads. It is not only demanding to the riders, but also puts incredible strain on the bikes. Team mechanics and riders often use different bikes and components in an attempt to make the jarring ride more bearable, and to ensure the bikes are operating perfectly to the end. If there is a weak point on the bike the cobbles will find it, as happened in the 2006 Paris Roubaix when race favorite George Hincapie had his handle bars break off of his bike causing him to fall a break his collarbone.

P1090972

The Barry’s Roubaix, although not nearly as rough as the real thing, is still demanding on equipment and requires a few changes from the standard race day setup to ensure the race goes smoothly. The bike that I used for Barry’s Roubaix is the Giant TCR Advanced 2. This bike is very comfortable on the gravel dikes in Pitt Meadows, where the race was held. The full carbon frame does an excellent job of making the gravel feel much smoother. Despite the smooth ride the bike is incredibly quick and responsive; this allowed me to avoid crashes in front of me, and to jump onto other riders’ wheels when the pace got high. I did make several changes to the existing bike to prepare for this race. The lightweight Pro Race 3 tires where swapped off for something a bit more resilient, the Maxxis Re-Fuse tire. It has a Kevlar belt to prevent flats and a knurled surface to provide traction in a wide range of conditions. The wheels where also changed to Shimano Ultegra wheels. Shimano wheels have no rider weight limit, so you know that they are strong. I have also raced cyclocross on my set of Ultegras, so I have first hand experience of the beating these wheels can take. Both of these changes add weight to the bike, but it’s a small price to pay for reliability.

P1090264 The Race was a blast to ride in. High speeds, fighting for control and position. It is easy to see why the Paris Roubaix is such a wildly popular race around the world. This year in the Paris Roubaix, Fabian Cancellara won by over two minutes, solidifying his status as the greatest cyclist in the history of the world. I, despite spending a month growing a moustache similar to Fabian’s, did not fare so well. On the second last lap instead of soloing away from my competitors in a show of unspeakable power, I ran out of gas and was dropped. But my bike preformed beautifully and I was able to enjoy the race without fear of equipment failure. Perhaps next year I will, instead of growing a Fabian moustache, copy the second greatest cyclist in the world, Bradley Wiggins, and lose 30lbs.

Barry’s Roubaix Is a Success!

Roubaix Sunday brought uncharacteristic blue skies, but that did not make the racing any less challenging. Winds picked up in the afternoon, and the extended, bumpier course with an elite field of cat 1/2 racers ensured that the competition was tough. Aside from the competition on the bikes, there also appeared to be a bit of a competition going on, on the upper lip of many of the men at the start line. The complete Local Ride Race Team showed up with moustaches, but Jeff Ain shamed them all and gets props for the most-manly-Roubaix-moustache award.

The Cat 1/2 men’s field was 45 riders deep, and contained some big names and fast legs. Cody Campbell (Trek-Livestrong U23), the only rider to race the true Parris Roubaix cobbles was on the start line, as well as Olympian Zach Bell racing for Kelly Benefit Strategies. However, it was Trek Red Truck who showed up in the greatest strength and numbers, and ultimately dominated the race.

The men raced 12 laps, which was 120 km and included 40% gravel. An early attack from Nathan MacDonald, a U-23 rider on Team Trek Red Truck, resulted in him soloing off the front of the group and staying out for a large portion of the race. He was eventually brought back, and a series of breaks went, but were shut down by the chasing group. On the last lap the group fractured. Tyler Trace (Trek Red Truck) attacked on the gravel section of the last lap and gained a gap, but with several small groups of chasers in hot pursuit. He managed to maintain his lead and win the race just ahead of the chasers. Curtis Deardon (Garneau Evolution) beat out Mike Sidic (Team H&R Block) for second, Jason Thompson (Garneau Evolution) took fourth, and Cuylar Conoly (Westwood Cycle/Cannondale) was fifth.

In the women’s Cat 1/2 race Local Ride Racing showed up with a strong contingent of riders, containing Jean Ann McKirdy, Sandra Walter and Rachel Canning. Westwood Cycle/Cannondale also had four riders on the line, including Kristine Brynjolfson and up-and-comer Jasmin Galesser.

The women contended 10 laps, which was 100km on the gravel and windy roads of Pitt Meadows. Sandra Walter took an early flier off of the front, but was brought back after a lap by efforts by Jasmin Galesser and Kristine Brynjolfson of Westwood Cycle/Cannondale. At the midpoint of the race a series of attacks caused the group to split and Claire Cameron (Mighty Riders), Kristine Brynjolfson (Westwood Cannondale), Jennifer Schultz (Fresh Air/ Balance Point Racing), Marie-Claude Gangnon (Glotman Simpson) and Jean Ann McKirdy (Local Ride Racing) broke away from the group, with Sandra Walter (Local Ride Racing) bridging up to join them. The group was split further, into a 3 person lead group, containing Cameron, Brynjolfson and McKirdy with three laps to go. On the last lap McKirdy soloed away from that group to take the win. Claire Cameron and Kristine Brynjolfson finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, with Jennifer Schultz taking the sprint behind. Sandra Walter rounded out the podium in 5th.

The 80km, Cat 3/4 men’s race was dominated and won by Team Coastal. With 51 starters, the race was aggressive and stayed together to the end. Scott Inman of Team Coastal unleashed his sprint to take an exciting win. Jason Kilmartin (Balance Point Racing) was 2nd, Keith Jones (Garneau Evolution) was 3rd, Emil Marcetta was 4th and Graham Laurie of Pheonix Velo rounded out the podium in 5th.

In the Cat 3/4 women’s race Mighty Riders took the majority of the top places. A group of six raced together for the majority of the 60km race, splitting close to the finish. Jenny Lehmann of Mighty Riders took the win, Morgan Cabot was 2nd and Stacey Hutton also of Mighty Riders finished 3rd. Rounding out the podium was Jenelle Cassidy of Local Ride Racing in 4th and Virginia Sellars Balance of Point Racing in 5th.

The U-17 races were lead by Local Ride Racing’s Maggie Coles-Lyster and Pete Whalen, Both enjoyed special edition Barry’s Roubaix Gold Brew Root Beer on the podium.

A big thank you goes out to the volunteers and sponsors who helped make the race a success:

LOCAL RIDE BIKE SHOP

KICKING HORSE COFFEE

CYCLES LAMBERT

NATURE’S SUNSHINE

GOLDEN EARS PHISIOTHERAPY

TIFOSI EYEWEAR

TARAXCA JEWLERY

GIANT BICYCLES

MET HELMETS

THE CITY OF PITT MEADOWS

PITT MEADOWS REGIONAL AIRPORT

METRO VANCOUVER