Gone with the wind: blowing through the stage 2 time trial

(Oregon rider Karsten Hagen [ZteaM] is racing the Matsers 35+/45+ race at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. He sent Cycling Action this report from the Stage 2 Scenic Gorge Time Trial).

By Karsten Hagen

We left the start house facing headwinds so strong I was considering starting in my small ring. Nevertheless, my goal was to keep Jeff Bannink (Team Type1) from passing me. I mean, I haven't had this much horsepower nipping at my heels since I threw a water balloon at a guy on a Harley when I was 8.

Everyone in our race had the same goal; break up the GC and score some extra time. Dave Zimbelman (ZteaM) was an angry man after cramping up and getting shelled yesterday. He more than made up for it today by storming the course showing everyone else out there how to time trial. Paul Bourcier and Bannink rounded out the top three (yep, Jeff passed me).

Tomorrow, the time gaps in the GC will be measured in five and 10 minute chunks rather than seconds. But I'll think about that then.

Mt. Hood - Baldwin takes Scenic Gorge Time Trial, Pitel regains lead

RESULTS
Mt. Hood Cycling Classic
Stage 2 Scenic Gorge Time Trial, June 5

Women Pro/1/2/3 Stage 2 Time Trial
1. Edwige Pitel (Sorella Forte) 50:05.01
2. Leah Goldstein (ValeAct Capital) +.05
3. Patricia Bailey (Wines of Washington) +1:42
4. Melissa McWhirter (Veloforma) +2:18
5. Robin Farina (ValueAct Capital) +2:37

Wome Pro 1/2/3 GC
1. Edwige Pitel (Sorella Forte) 4:57.17
2. Leah Goldstein (ValeAct Capital) +.02
3. Melissa McWhirter (Veloforma) +2:06
4. Patricia Bailey (Wines of Washington) +2:22
5. Robin Farina (ValueAct Capital) +2:27

Men Pro/1/2 Stage 2 Time Trial
1. Chris Baldwin (OUCH-Maxxis)42:44.67
2. Paul Mach (Bissel Cycling Team) +.03
3. John Chodroff (OUCH-Maxxis) +.35
4. Mike Olheiser (warp9bikes.com/tristar) +1:00
5. Nathaniel English (ZteaM) +1:11

Men Pro/1/2 GC
1. Paul Mach (Bissel Cycling Team) 4:37.13
1. Chris Baldwin (OUCH-Maxxis) +.15
3. Morgan Schmitt (Bissell Cycling Team) +1:22
4. Mike Olheiser (warp9bikes.com/tristar) +1:22
5. John Chodroff (OUCH-Maxxis) +1:44

Mt. Hood amusement park open for business

(Oregon rider Karsten Hagen (ZteaM) is racing the Matsers 35-45 race at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. He sent Cycling Action this report from the Cooper Spur Circuit Race).

By Karsten Hagen

HOOD RIVER -- Today's Masters race was a 3rd rate amusement park haunted house ride through every kind of weather June can throw at humanity. At first, we flew on rails through shimmering 90 degree heat and slick humidity. Attacks were active and quite noble; my teammates got involved often and we put a good face on the race. There was the usual bitching and complaining about heat and lack of feedzones. But when it came time to race, we got after it.

Then, everything changed.

The sky became bruised and sullen and the wind reminded us that the Gorge is no place for complacency. The temperature dropped 30 degrees and hail pelted us as if it were being shot by malicious kids in the bushes. Our amusement park ride became slow, choppy and full of irritated, middle aged men.

For every attack, there was a response, but no counterattack. It was as if nobody felt motivated to hang by themselves in what was becoming a hail and wind driven maelstrom worthy of a Wagenerian opera.

But why am I talking about Opera at midnight on a Thursday?

I, myself, got sick of being batted around by a field that was moving slower than a funeral procession in New Orlens. I made a move, got joined by someone from River City Bicycles and forged one of those fleeting and wordless partnershps that breakaway compatriots have enacted in countless races since the turn of the 20th century. We slogged it out and were joined by John Browning (Cyclepath Racing), a superhuman being from another planet.

The three of us tried our best to put time on the field in what I thought was a sure bid for victory. We worked through the switchbacks up to Cooper Spur with some semblence of efficiency and finished the lap with no field in sight.

Unfortunatley for me, as we crossed the line at the top of the climb, I realized we still had a lap to go. My legs seized up in thermonuclear powered cramps almost immediately and it took every ounce of willpower my mama gave me to put any effort into the descent.

But that descent is sure fun!

We were summarily caught and executed by the chasing field at the bottom of the hill and rode our way into another tempestuous headwind. My seeapost managed to work its way down about 5mm during the race and my legs felt like death had come to them at least 40 years early.

The finish was uneventful, but very, very hard. I managed to hang onto the main field; pretty good for a 200 pound dude!

McWhirter, Mach take Cooper Spur wins, overall leads at 2009 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic

RESULTS
Mt. Hood Cycling Classic
Stage 1 Cooper Spur Circuit Race, June 4

Women Pro1/2/3 Stage 1
1. Melissa McWhirter
2. Robin Farina
3. Gillian Moody
4. Leah Goldstein
5. Alisha Welsh

Women Pro/1/2/3 GC
1. Melissa McWhirter 4:07:00 0:00:00
2. Robin Farina 4:07:02 0:00:02
3. Leah Goldstein 4:07:09 0:00:09
4. Edwige Pitel 4:07:12 0:00:12
5. Alisha Welsh 4:07:27 0:00:27

Men Pro/1/2 Stage 1
1. Paul Mach
2. Morgan Schmitt
3. Justin England
4. Rob Britton
5. Corey Collier

Men Pro/1/2 GC
1. Paul Mach 3:54:26 0:00:00
2. Morgan Schmitt 3:54:34 0:00:08
3. Chris Baldwin 3:54:44 0:00:18
4. Rob Britton 3:54:44 0:00:18
5. Mike Olheiser 3:54:51 0:00:25

Olheiser, Pitel strike first at Mt. Hood Cycling Classic

RESULTS
Prologue Time Trial, 3.1 miles, June 3

1. Mike Olheiser (Warp9) 06:12.63
2. Paul Mach (Bissell) 06:14.47
3. Chris Baldwin (OUCH-Maxxis) 06:14.57
4. Morgan Schmitt (Bissell) 06:18.14
5. Roman Kilun (OUCH-Maxxis) 06:18.54

1. Edwige Pitel (Sorella Forte) 07:20.05
2. Robin Farina (ValueAct Capital) 07:23.36
3. Leah Goldstein (ValueAct Capital) 07:24.77
4. Gillian Carleton (Total Restorarion Cycling Team) 07:27.47
5. Melissa McWhirter (Veloforma) 07:27.62

Beardsley wins PIR Tuesday race; Ironclad supports hospitalized teammate

Gentle Lovers' Steven Beardsley picked off his first PIR win of the season Tuesday night as the Pro/1/2/3 field covered 16 laps of the 1.9-mile racetrack. Beardsley finished ahead of Land Rover-ORBEA's Mike Northley and Cyclepath Racing's Christian Tresser.

The Ironclad Performance Wear Cycling Team led the peloton at a cruising pace through the first two laps of the Cat. 3/4 race in a show of solidarity with teammate Kristin McCarthy, who was hospitalized with serious injuries she suffered in a crash in the women's race Monday night.

Once the racing started, Liberty Cycles' Gary Allen took the top prize in the Cat. 3/4 race ahead of Ironclad riders Dave Dezellem and Mark Crawford. In the Cat. 4/5 event, Capo Racing's Sam Radokovich finished ahead of Trevor O'Neal and James Ralston (Hammer Velo).

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series, June 2

Cat. 4/5 - 30 finishers
1. Radokovich, Sam (Capo Racing) 15
2. O'Neal, Trevor 15
3. Ralston, James (Hammer Velo) 10
4. Pugh Lance, (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 8
5. Anderson, Eric (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 7

Cat. 3/4 - 58 finishers
1. Allen, Gary (Liberty Cycle) 15
2. Dezellem, Dave (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
3. Crawford, Mark (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
4. Thompson, Cliff (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 12
5. Ballantine, Jeff (Portland Velo) 7

Cat. Pro/1/2/3 - 85 finishers
1. Beardsley, Steven (Gentle Lovers) 22
2. Northley, Mike (Land Rover-ORBEA) 12
3. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 12
4. N/A
5. Leonard, John (Rapha Racing) 10

Brubaker takes first June PIR Monday; Steger repeats in shortened Masters race

Veloforma's Tina Brubaker won the first night of the Monday PIR June series in a race marred by a crash in the last lap that required medical attention for at least one rider.

Brubaker won the Open Women's race ahead of Nissy Cobb, Laura McGraw and Dawn Riddle.

In the shortened Masters 1/2/3 race, Mark Steger (Nike) repeated last week's win by racking up five hot-spot points. Charles Warner (Veloce-felt) and Christian Tresser (Cyclepath Racing) finished with three points each.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
PIR Monday Night Series, June 1

Novice Masters Men
1. Hagmeier, David
2. Munson, John
3. Gotting, Tad
4. Gornick, Jon (Hammer Velo)
5. Koller Mark

Novice Women
1. D'Elia, Traci (Portland Velo)
2. Graham, Lisa
3. Heathman, Lisa
4. Gibbs, Zan (Sorella Forte)
5. Parker, Rachael (Olson's Bikes)

*Masters Men 4/5
1. Pollock, Jeffrey 6
2. Borum, Jason 4
3. Cagampang, Juan 3
4. Emerson, Mike 2
5. Martin, Joe 2

Women's Open
1. Brubaker, Tina 20
2. Cobb, Nissy 14
3. McGraw, Laura 10
4. Riddle, Dawn 9
5. Krill, Deann 7

*Masters Men 1/2/3
1. Steger, Mark (Nike) 5
2. Warner, Charles (Veloce/Felt) 3
3. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 3
4. N/A
5. Quirk, Dan (Veloce/Felt) 2

*finish canceled due to crash, based on hot spots only

Baldwin signs with OUCH-Maxxis, will ride Mt. Hood Classic

Chris Baldwin, One of the country's top domestic riders, will start the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Wednesday in the OUCH-Maxxis team kit after the former Rock Racing rider signed with the team this week. VeloNews.com has the complete story.

Registration deadline near for USA Cycling's NW Athlete Development Camp

Youth racers aspiring to higher levels have a chance to learn from some of the Northwest's most experienced and successful coaches at the USA Cycling Northwest Athlete Development Camp June 14-19 on the campus of Pacific University in Forest Grove.

"It's gonna be a sweet set up," said camp manager Jim Anderson. "We're going to be housed in the newest dorm on campus, and we've got some great rides planned around the area."

USA Cycling will be sending the lead coach from Colorado to work with a contingent of top Northwest coaches. Anderson said campers can expect a coach-to-racer ratio of about one to five.

The camp will feature two days of skills training that will include bumping, maneuvering and cornering, along with other handling skills specific to racing. Campers will have the opportunity to learn and practice fundamentals including team time trialing, working a paceline as if in a small breakaway, criterium starts and endurance rides.

Participants will get a chance to ride with top local amateurs and members of Land Rover-ORBEA, Portland's UCI Contintental Men's Cycling Team. Campers will also be hooked up for testing, once for five minutes and then another 20-minute power test and will benefit from one-on-one meetings with coaches.

"There won't be a dull minute," Anderson said.

Evenings in the dorm will feature presentations on bike maintenance, pre-race preparations, nutrition for races and for training, and race tactics, including videos.

The top-two athletes at the camp will get recommended for the next level of development camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, where they will have the chance to meet more coaches, undergo more testing and more training.

"It's a little more intense and advanced," Anderson said of the Olympic Training Center camps. He said Oregon juniors Austin Arguello, Ian Boswell and Jacob Rathe, all currently racing the with the USA Cycling Junior National Team in Europe, benefited from attending development camps.

Cost for the camp is $750 for the week. Room, board and all instructional fees are included.

The camp is open to female and male cyclists. Juniors of racing age 14­-18, and Seniors aged 19­-22 are eligible. Some racing experience is preferred (Collegiate A/B, Cat 3/4), but high school or collegiate varsity sport experience is acceptable.

Automatic qualifiers can sign up online at www.usacycling.org by clicking on the "My USA Cycling" link. You can request eligibility at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/dmnzzv

Registration ends this week. Interested participants can contact Anderson by phone at 503-975-8229 or by email at info@nwcyclingcamp.com

(Photos courtesy of USA Cycling)

Midtown-Hutch's takes OBRA Men's TTT crown, Therapeutic Associates tops women's field

CORVALLIS -- It took a little Masters power Sunday to finally unseat the Land Rover-ORBEA squad's month-long domination of the senior men's top podium rung.

The four-man Midtown Direct/Hutch's-OIC squad of Paul Bourcier (40), Robert English (44), Galen Mitterman (28) and Nick Skenzick (30) covered the 28-mile course in 56 minutes, 40 seconds to take the Senior Men's crown and set the fastest overall pace of the day.

The Land Rover-ORBEA "Kiwi" team of Logan Hunn, Mike Northey, Aaron Tuckerman and Roman Van Uden had to settle for second on the day, crossing the line 11 seconds slower at 0:56:51.

The ZteaM Masters powerhouse of Mick Walsh, Clint Chase, Matt Slater and Karsten Hagen set the third fastest time of the day at 0:57:15, good enough to easily win the Masters 160-199 event. The HP Chiropractic/Hammer Nutrition team of Aaron Coker, Seth Hosmer, Jason Riffle and Kyle Valenta finished fourth on the day at 0:57:26.

The Land Rover-ORBEA "USA" group of Bobby Sweeting, Jim Camut, Josh Bartlett and Carson Miller settled for the eighth best time on the day at 0:59:08, possibly still recovering from Saturday's effort when Sweeting, Camut and Bartlett swept the OBRA Road Race Championship podium.

Therapeutic Associates/GENR8 Cycling Team's Pamela Archer, Karey Miles, Jill Howe and Lisa Turnbull took the top spot in the Senior Women's event, covering the 28 miles in 1:06:27. The Gentle Lovers squad of Joanna Mensher, Sirkit Valentin, Erin Plomin and Dawn Riddle set the second fastest women's time of the day at 1:08:06. The Cat. 3 IJM.org team of Sile Kiernan, Martha Brown, Audrey Baldessari and Allison Howard set the third fastest women's time at 1:08:55.

RESULTS
OBRA Team Time Trial Champions
May 31, Corvallis

Junior Women
1. Carolyn Cartwright, Liz Cartwright, Fiona Graham 1:45:18.
Junior Men
1.Dan Birman, Joe Prettyman Lance Pugh, George Zack (BBC) 1:07:36.
Masters Men 160-199
1. Mick Walsh, Clint Chase, Matt Slater, Karsten Hagen (ZteaM) 0:57:15
Masters Men 200-239
1. Steven Holland, George Shrek, Ivan Meadors, Rob Annen (Finnegan's Toys/Discover Chiro) 1:00:26.
Masters Men 240+
1. Dave Russell, Michale manning, Lance Brigman, Greg Hartman (Three Rivers Racing) 1:04:08
Men Cat. 3
1. Ron Babcock, John banks, Steve Brown, Todd Rosier (Portland Velo) 0:58:30.
Men Cat. 4/5
1. Sean Bagshaw, Ian Bagshaw, Cory Longiotti, Jason Peters (Flywheel) 1:01:38.
Senior Men
1. Paul Bourcier, Robert English, Galen Mittermann, Nick Skenzick, (Midtown Direct\Hutch's OIC) 0:56:40
Senior Women
1. Pamela Archer, Karey Miles, Jill Howe, Lisa Turnbull (Therapeutic Associates/Genr8 Cycling) 1:06:27
Masters Women 160-199
1. Anne Linton, Kim Reuter, Rhonda Marin, Colleen McClenahan (Sorella Forte) 1:11:48
Women Masters 200-240
1. Debra Windus, Barb Thiele, Pam Reid, Renata Hahn (Team Rose City) 1:14:27
Women Cat. 3
1. Sile Kiernan, Martha Brown, Audrey Baldessari, Allison Howard (IJM.org) 1:08:55
Women Cat. 4
1. Sunny Gilbert, Gretchen Landis, Heather Paris, Brenda Spinney (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 1:09:04