Our friend and teammate Doug Schneebeck, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 2010, organized and ran a very successful mountain bike race at Angle Fire resort this past weekend. The event was a fundraiser for the ALS association, and Doug has managed to raise close to $80,000 to fight this disease. Click here to donate!
The Memorial Day weekend went by in a blur of bike racing in Durango, CO. The team competed in the road race, crit, mountain bike race and time trail. When it was all said and done, the team finished with wins in many categories, including the Omnium, the King and Queen of the Mountain competition and individual races.
We all had a great time, and appreciated the friendliness of the Durango bicycling community.
The 2011 edition of the Tour of the Gila had a strong showing by Sport Systems MountainTop cycling with several top 10 GC finishes.
Joanna wrote a great race report:
Day 1 (Thursday)
Beautiful weather, check. Awesome new kits for the MTC ladies, check. Pinos Altos start, and we were off!! I was feeling a bit of déjà vu from last year, pushing hard up that damn hill. I looked around realizing how many FREAKING strong ladies we had this year. It was TRULY inspiring. I popped again prior to the Sapillo descent (that will absolutely be my goal next year). I pushed as hard as I could, hoping that I could find someone to work with once I got down Sapillo. YES, there was someone ahead of me, damn it, Cat 4/5 boy. But then!!! I see a woman, we would be able to work together through the valley. We worked together, then got caught by a freakishly strong tiny woman who worked with us for a bit more. Then it was back to two (yes the freakishly strong lady dropped us and kept going). Knowing my counterpart could climb (it was Kelly Fitzpatrick), I knew I had her at least until the feed zone. And then, why does it hate me so much, the route 15 climb. Kelly takes off (as expected), so I am left alone to fight up these hills. The reality of my time off the bike due to the wreck starts to surface. My body was starting to fail me, going slower and slower. I just kept hoping that if anyone caught me, it would be Kerry. And like a dream, there was my WONDERFUL teammate. Coming right around me, telling me to get on. I was seriously in a world of hurt at this point, really having a hard time. I love my team, Kerry was AMAZING. She stayed with me when she easily could have left me. We were at the turn to Ft. Bayard when BAM, the Pro car told us to pull over and get off. The men were finishing in a large group, so understandable. But getting back on at this point, I really wanted to throw up. We rolled across together and I truly am feeling so grateful to have Kerry there with me! Then the greatest news was how well Jen did that day!! It looked so promising for her, and I was beyond proud for her. Sadly, I knew that Jill was not feeling well and we may be down a girl…kept fingers crossed at this point though.
Day 2 (Friday)
Windy weather, check…crap. Awesome warm-up partners (Kerry, Jen and Tanya), check. No Jill, crap. Jill was sick, and opted to cheer us from the sidelines. So here we were. I had already committed to my back wheel covers, so I made that decision. I was really hoping for this to be the best day for me. Unfortunately, the wind had other plans. Kerry was off right before me. Then I went off. Listening to my coach instructions, I kept my power where it needed to be. So far, so good. But damn, this headwind made it feel like I was going to be passed by my grandma at any minute. Then it turned, and I realized it truly was a cross. A 30 mph sustained west wind. With gusts up to 45 mph. Okay, wreck in mind, SAFETY FIRST. I see the top of the hill, yay. Dump the gears, get ready to hammer, pass the girl in front of me and WHAM. I see the official at the bottom holding the flag, it was SCARY. I had to back off, and actually had to pull a hand back to my brake to feel 100% comfortable. I get pushed across the road, had to fight to stay to the right of the cones. We were literally riding the bikes at a tilt, to keep from getting pushed over. This was not the day I was planning. After the turn, I passed a few others, but then got passed by the FREAKING strong ladies. Finished as hard as I could, roll back to the car, tell Chris to ditch his disc wheel. Then we find out the devastating news. Stacey N wrecked BAD. She was unconscious, rushed to the hospital. Luckily no serious head trauma, however she outdid me on the broken bones (something I am sure she wasn’t aiming for). It really puts so much in perspective when this happens. It was surreal. I was truly happy that MTC ladies finished with all their skin and bones intact, safe and sound.
Day 3 (Saturday)
YAY!!!!! Crit day!!!!!! Where I had my apprehension with my head, I really needed this day. I had so much encouragement from Mindy and Jennifer B prior to the race. And like clockwork, at about lap 5, I started to feel so good. I knew I didn’t have the legs to sprint it at the end, but I hung in, finishing mid pack. One place better than last year!!! My mind is healing, I know it now. It felt so good to have that. Best of this race though was around Lap 7 or so, when I heard Kerry still on the pack!!! And I swear I heard her say “THIS IS SO MUCH FUN”, however I learned she was saying “I AM RIDING A FIXY”. Our dear crit hating (yes I said it) Kerry, hung in for almost the whole thing with a snapped cable from her rear derailer. I am so freaking proud of this girl at this point!!! Gila H&B fixed her bike so quickly, so she was good to go for Sunday.
Day 4 (Sunday)
Last day…exhaustion. Emotional and physical. I will say it now, that I truly considered sitting this out. My shoulder was SCREAMING at me. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME???” My thumb was just about done with shifting and braking. After a few emotional tears shed, thoughts of Stacey laid up broken, and thoughts of what kept me going through my healing (and endless hours on my trainer), I committed. I will finish this. We roll out neutral start and KABOOM, a girl freaking wrecks. WTF. I think she hit the wheel in front of her, still don’t know what happened there. So, needless to say it was a very slow start to the day. However the pace picked up. We started dropping people (did I mention the FREAKING strong ladies??). I hung until the first long stretch of hill, hoping that I would catch on the descent. I saw them….AHHH….couldn’t catch. So I got to ride the fun descents solo, saw some wildlife, committed to making it a solo ride….then made the turn through the small town. Oh THANK YOU GOD!!!! There was a pee break ahead of me. Thank God I kept pushing. Funny side note here: I mentioned small town here, the ref’s were neutralizing the women thinking the men cat 4/5 A group was catching them. So they decided to make it a pee break. Well, it was a person’s front yard. Can you imagine their surprise???? Well, they weren’t happy with this. I am so sorry I missed the altercation!! Once we started to roll again, Kerry kept mentioning a thorn in her butt from the pee brake (yep I said it). Did I mention how much I LOVE RIDING WITH THESE LADIES?? So, we all stayed together through the valley, up to the feed zone and the Lake. Then…Sapillo. I watched them all go ahead of me. Found my pace, and finished. That is what I am most proud of for myself. I do admit, I started the day in tears, and finished it with a few. Once I crossed that line though, I come to find out that Jen got 4th on the day. By a hefty margin. Then I saw the overall GC, JEN GOT FREAKING 4TH PLACE!!!! OVERALL!!!!! Again, more proud then words can say. Yes, she was a driving force in the FREAKING STRONG LADIES!!!
Joanna
Spring in New Mexico is always unpredictable, and the 2011 Dawn till Dusk race saw challenging conditions with 30 mph wind, blowing dust, rain and snow! But with perseverance, three teams from Sport Systems MountainTop Cycling came out on top. Jens Nielsen and Damian Calvert won the Duo men category. Donnie Cole and former team member Chris Casey got 2nd in the Duo men masters. Finally our junior members Jack Appenzeller and Cole Airheart were on the podium in the 4 man junior category.
Congratulations to everyone that braved difficult conditions.
For the second year in a row, Sport Systems MountainTop Cycling, won the 4-man category in the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. The team consisted of MTC riders Damian Calvert, Jens Nielsen, Jason Quenzler and team Giuseppe rider John Searles.
The team battled less than ideal weather, with winds in the 20-30 m/h range, rain and cold temperatures. But in the end, the team won by 17 minutes, and completed 22 laps (~354 miles) in 24 hours and 27 minutes.
