Lotsa Fun at Compo Beach

The TARGETRAINING triathlon family came out for a fun filled Sunday. Somehow Hannah missed stealing the show and let us have sun on Sunday. Over 300 participants showed up to race, and it was a great mixture of young and not so young, with many of the local triathletes there from all the various clubs.

Dom, Eneas and I did it as a relay (largely because we forgot to sign up on time to do it as individuals). Brad Hardy was there taking pictures (all of the wonderful pictures on this blog are cortesy of Brad) because he decided to break his leg running (Brad, it has not been your year but you're one of us regardless). Adrian, Scott, Kim, Laurie, Lauren and Megan were all there. David "Old School" Yockleson was there. In fact, there were a lot of TTers there and my sad memory is unfortunately forgetting a number. Eneas/Dom will update this blog later with all the right names.

As you can see by the photos, it was a very sunny day. And somewhat breezy. We had two out of the water within the top ten. Dom had to start 6 minutes back (as did the women) because the men's field was crowded (so the relays started in the second wave). Megan was first out of the water for the women. Dom did a fast leg, so while Yockleson was well in front, Dom gave Eneas and me a fighting chance to catch up. I went as fast as I could without crashing (it has a lot of turns on the 5 mile course); I was in the aerobars most of the time. Unfair really -- no transition for us. But I could not catch Old School on the bike. Eneas took over and took off. I went backwards on the course to see how Eneas and David were faring. We had 3 in the top 10 men, which was exciting. Eneas caught everyone but the top 3, and of course David Y. was one of those guys (David got 3rd). Megan was blazing herself and got 1st woman. Laurie got 2nd only a few short months after having been very pregnant. I think we did well in age group categories, too, including top placings by Kim, Adrian and Scott. We won the relay and had the fastest time overall (by over 3 minutes), but the question is whether Dom could have gone faster on his own...or Eneas...you know I slowed them down.

This was one big smile after another event. A great day for the family.

50 laps of pulled pork?

I had to take a very long nap to prepare for this, but here it goes: This past Monday was the final stage of the Green Mountain Stage Race up in Vermont. The stage was fifty laps of six crazy turns around a very fast kilometer in downtown Burlington overlooking Lake Champlain. Very nice.

TARGETRAINING went into the race after the amazing road race up App Gap the day before and Eneas taking the win and moving to second place overall sandwiched by 0:03 seconds from the lead and back to third. The team was a bit knackered but extremely motivated to try to help him take the lead as there were two time bonuses on the course and at the finish.

For all of my faithful readers that follow my stories simply for their poetic prose and are not necessarily fans of bike racing, time bonuses are places on the course where the first four riders across the line get 8-4-3-2 seconds taken off their overall total time. Also, at the finish, the winner of the race can get as many as 15 seconds bonus. This means that hypothetically, Eneas could take the overall while the race was still going on. Of course, it would not be easy.

The race started extremely fast with TARGETRAINING going off the front early to get the pot stirring. High speeds benefit the goal as it prevents other riders from attacking us. The front of the race was a sea of green with the crowd and announcers going crazy describing how we had nine riders in the race and they knew we wanted the win. Every lap saw an attack: Nate, Adam, Craig, Justin, Eneas, Adam again, Gabe, Gabe again, Justin again, Craig again and then about fifteen laps into the race, some guy in red. Then a guy in white. Hmmm, something has changed.

Ruh roh roerge. Where did all the TARGETRAINING guys go?

In a panic I run to the wheel pit with Josh and Tri-Lyn in tow. There is Adam and Justin waiting to get back in the race and Gabe and Craig and running their bikes down the street back to the service area. There has been a major crash on the back side of the course out of site and about 30 riders were involved. Everyone gets back in and back to racing except now Justin is nursing his hand that he hurt riding his mountain bike a few weeks ago and Craig cannot breath or move his left arm. Is that important? Craig pulls out a few laps later to take an ambulance ride to find out he has two broken ribs and a punctured lung. But you should see the other guy.

The mishap and the injuries cause mayhem to our plan. Eneas gets caught out for the first sprint and loses time to the third place rider and doesn't gain anything at the second sprint either.

I radio to him his placing and the gaps to the overall leaders and with four laps to go he attacks on the fifth corner at about 75 miles per hour. Wicked fast. Only an Empire rider can come with him but Eneas is going too fast for this guy to even pull through. I can barely concentrate enough to count the seconds on my watch to measure the time gap as Nancy and baby Caden are screaming so loud that it reverberates all around the city. "go eneas" she screams as his gap grows to 12 seconds in just a lap and a half. The crowd realizes what is at stake and gets behind; only the field realizes it too. There is panic in the disco as every canadian in the race goes to the front and chases him down. He makes them work for it as Adam clips a pedal on turn two and flips his bike and Gabe has to jump a curb mtb style in order to try to stay upright in the fast field.

They catch him with a lap to go as local CCB rider Thomas Magnum wins the day on a bold solo move. Eneas finishes safely in the field at 11th and holds on to a valiant third place overall. It was amazing and the rest of the team was impressed by how just one rider can make such a difference at a race.

Great job to everyone as they all finished and Justin took 15th overall while supporting the team. This was a great weekend and event and the team really closed out the season with class.

Everyone associated with TARGETRAINING, whether staff, club riders or clients should be impressed and proud of all of their efforts. A special thank you also goes to Jess, Tri-Lyn and Josh for their help cooking meals, constantly cleaning condos and working 35mph feed zones.

NOTE: Craig was released on Tuesday and will enjoy some forced R&R but is okay.

SECOND NOTE: There apparently was a special TARGETRAINING fifth stage. While yours truly was packing the car and checking on Craig, the lads went to a local bar-b-que place for dinner. They had a "Little Fatty" contest that meant anyone eating this plate of french fries and 1.5 pounds of bbq pulled pork got to eat for free and get their picture on the wall. Well, the pace was frantic from the start but Adam was tired from his Brandon Gap efforts and dropped out early; Gabe stayed steady but couldn't handle the pace set by BFD Dave and Justin Wolverine Lindine. That is right folks, they both finished the little fatty and there is now a TARGETRAINING jersey on the wall. It is the smallest in the room I can tell you right now. Look for the team next at either Univest, the Tour of the Catskills, a physical rehab or fat camp near you this weekend! Thanks.


Kyle Wolfe

Director, TARGETRAINING Racing Teams
http://www.targetraining.com/

What was I thinking? A 45 year old's take on Basking Ridge

What a beautiful weekend. Ok, so Saturday morning Matt and I were the only takers for the 7 AM ride. And we rode for 2 hours and change in the rain. It was good to be out there. Matt's dad passed away this year, and I've had my own challenges with health, and it was fun to just go out there, with no responsibilities, and ride easy, in the rain. It felt cleansing.

Went with my family and watched the Yankees blow a game they were leading 6-2 only to lose 7-6. Now, I have been a fan all my life. But I sat right on the field level with my family. The Yankees are a big group of guys. Not fat, just big. Even Derek Jeter is big. ARod is larger than life -- all muscle. And he hit this incredible shot with the fans screaming wildly in the bottom of the 9th with no one out, and two men on, only to see it turned into a double play. Even supermen lose.

Then I read the GMSR results to see that Eneas, our superman, lost over two minutes in the easiest stage. I am disheartened, although Justin, our boy wonder, got 5th in the stage.

I go to see Young Frankenstein with my family on Sunday (Mel Brooks is one incredible 82 year old). During intermission, Tom Toal emails me that Scott Bodin won the 45+ Denville Challenge and got 2nd in the 35+ race (later I would read from Badger that Max won the field sprint and Badger did well too).

So my family accompanied me to Basking Ridge Sunday evening so I could have an easy ride on Monday morning to warm up for the first race I had done in about 6 weeks. 6 weeks earlier I had found out that my hematocrit was only 37, or pretty far below normal. But given the therapy I had gone through, the hematologist felt I was on track. Maybe on track, but zone 4 and me don't get along very well right now. And crits are pretty much all about zone 4. A little 3 and a little 5 as well, but you pretty much win or lose on zone 4 effectiveness in a crit.

But, you race in part based on innate competitiveness and, let's face it, brazen assertiveness and will to win. Thinking really doesn't factor that much into it. Heck it's a 15 mile race and the rest of the guys are 45+ or more, like me, and if you don't race you can't win, so I raced it. An hour of warmup Monday morning, absolutely perfect conditions, only 50 competitors (a small field), although there were some good ones: Aubrey Gordon (multi time national champ), Brian Wolf (multi time New England Masters Champ), what seemed like 6000 Liberty guys at their home event, the NJ Russian Rocket.

I start crits where I don't know how my form is in the same position. In the back. If I am strong, I move up. If I suck, I quit. I felt fine. In the 2nd of the 15 laps, two guys who I never even saw took off and stayed away the entire race. All zone 4. No way was I going to do that. If I could have done that I would have been suffering with Max in the 40+ in the Green Mountain Stage Race. So my lovely wife and daughters saw me in the back and said, oh well he is either saving it or he sucks today. Well, I felt I was saving it. For 3rd place, but heck, you go for what you can get (maybe...). The acceleration by the pack dropped about 10 racers in the second lap. All these guys were in the back, but were in front of me. To stay in the race, I had to accelerate faster than the acceleration. I felt good. I did it. In doing so , I yelled to Tom Toal, who had been near the front, but had drifted back. He got on my wheel, and together we then rode really fast to catch the back of the pack. Tom went back to the front, and I went back to the back, now with only 37 guys in front of me (minus the two up the road and the ten off the back). Then about halfway through the race, I ride up to Brian Wolf (who always stays about 4th wheel) and say, what's up? He said, too many guys up the road. Ok, so I take off to catch up (my moto is off the front or off the back -- it sounds good doesn't it?). This group as I get them in my sites appears to be about 5 guys. The Russian Rocket goes too, only he won't let me catch his wheel, he rides so hard I am seeing every possible color combination there is. We not only catch and drop the break group but we catch the 55+ field (who for whatever reason is on the course the same time we are -- yes we lap them). And my entire effort goes to naught as the entire 45+ pack then catches the 55+ pack. Ridiculous. So, as you have guessed, I go to the back of the pack. After 1/4 of a lap, we separate from the 55+ and are our own race again. All of a sudden, it is 3 laps to go, and I realize I forgot to try an attack with 5 to go. Would have been way too far. I don't have that much Zone 4. So I decide then and there, I'll go with 1.5 to go. What was I thinking? I wasn't. Sheer audicity or stupidity. Lots of fast guys. I don't even have my SLC-SL (fork is being replaced). Just my R3-SL. But I jump hard into the mini hill just before the bell lap. I realize I have not even created a meaningful gap. My jump stunk. Then the rider from CCB (who traveled 5 hours to compete with Brian for the regional masters championship) takes a long pull in front of me. He is first around the final first corner and I am second. He is first around the final second corner and I am second. He looks at me and I take the lead into the final third and fourth corner. Then I start to put a little more into it into the final 5th corner. Then the Russian Rocket jumps me just before the final final corner. I get back on to his wheel. But that cost me dearly. Now those colors are starting to return. We almost are cresting the final hill and I realize the Liberty guys, all 10 of them, are right on me. And the Zone 4 oxygen tank is empty. So is Zone 5. And Zone 3 doesn't count. 300 meters to go, and I am done. Cooked. Knew I couldn't win. Couldn't place. And ended up not putting on much of a show. What was I thinking? Not only do supermen lose but so do 45 year olds who should know better. But don't. Maybe next time I'll wait to attack until the final turn. Who knows, it might work.

But it was a great weekend.

Eneas by the way did not lose those 2 minutes. The race results were wrong. He ended up getting 3rd overall in one of the toughest stage races in the US.

The expected and some great developments

Eneas Freyre is the head of the cycling program at TARGETRAINING. Eneas is a father. Eneas is a great bike racer. Eneas won the road race stage of GMSR yesterday up the epic App Gap. It was freaking great. But first, how it all happened.



The TARGETRAININ Elite team went into the road race stage with the simple goal of doing what it took to score the overall victory in this four day race. Everyone was on board to support Eneas and Justin in doing so, as this course was perfect for both of them. After a long neutral section at the start of the stage, the attacks were non stop from everyone in the field. At only 75 miles this year, the winning move was going to have to be soon and super fast. The team was covering everything well until a solid attack went and the Adam Bomb covered it hard. These guys were flying and Adam was spinning his 11t cog just trying to stay involved. At the first sprint line (which was also for GC time) da' Bomb took 2nd place and robbed the overall leader of a few seconds. Yup, the sprint leader, the GC leader and the KOM leader were all in this breakaway. Adam had picked the right move.



Back in the field, Big Craig Luekens was trying to bridge but got caught. This allowed Eneas to counter will Monster Will Nowak glued to his wheel. This kid is great as I specifically told him to always be with his teammate. They finally caught up to Adam and now the move of ten had three TARGETRAINING team member in it. At the feed zone at mile 27 (which they took 56 minutes to reach, ouch!), Adam was leading the group with Will and Eneas in the group and they had built a lead of two minutes already. Wow. Adam led up the seven mile 8% Brandon Gap climb and flew down the long descent at speeds reaching 65mph.



Adam and Will were completely dedicated to making the move stick and did over 75% of the work themselves to keep the group away and put pressure on the field. In the field, CCB and the Fruities starting to panic and put 6 guys on the front to chase. It was not easy as the boys in the break were also going fast. Finally, after 60 miles, the break was caught, but at what price. Those two teams burned a lot of matches, but with our GC men doing no work. As it was caught, TARGETRAINING was back at the front making things fast and scary and bang! Eneas attacks the tired field with a tailwind move. He is gone with only a few elite riders going into the last ten kilometers. Big Craig sets tempo for a bit and then Eneas jumps them all with 2k to go and heads up the final climb. He is going hard, but the steep slope makes it seems like he is crawling. Time slows to a stop as the crowd and announcers realize he has the stage and is getting close to the overall lead. The riders behind him are speeding up but he does it! Eneas takes the stage with every bit of strength he could muster. He suffered like I have never seen him and I catch him at the line and push him to the recovery area. What a great win!


To the right is a podium picture at the top of the mountain at the finish line. Eneas is holding future GMSR winner Eneas Caden. What a great team!






What made it even better was how the team all worked together.


Adam and Will hammered themselves to make the break work which forced the other teams in the field to chase hard but allowed Eneas to sit on the move and stay fresh. In the field, the lads covered moves and kept Justin safe in case of complete disaster up the road. Especially strong was David BFD Hoyle. Dave has been finding his form all season but got it figured out on the road yesterday. He was always with Justin and even led the field through the dirt road sections to make sure that we dedicated the pace and line for our riders to keep things safe. Great job BFD!



The whole purpose of this team is to take young riders and teach them about cycling and racing and how to race as a team at the highest level, not just always try to win alone. Over the past two years this has really begun to take shape and has been a really pleasure to watch. All of my faithful readers know about Justin, but to watch Adam has also been great. He didn't finish his first Bethel Crit last year, but this year he is driving breakaways for his team and sprinting heads up for GC time. Dave is got it, and Will Nowak is amazing. He has raced alone a lot in his short career, but his natural talent now matches his tactics and he is always there for his team. Craig is a powerhouse, Gabe always ready, Nate and Lee also are always doing the right thing. What a great group of riders.



Today is the last stage in Burlinton, VT. It is a very tough fast and super technical criterium and there are GC time sprints and lots of action. The team is going to go hard to get the overall win for Eneas as he sits only three seconds off the lead. Watch for updates soon!


Kyle Wolfe

Director, TARGETRAINING Racing Teams
http://www.targetraining.com/

Caution: bike racers are dangerous when hungry

Greetings from Vermont. I am exhausted and I am not even riding my bicycle. As some of you know, we are up here in Warren, VT for the Green Mountain Stage Race, a four day four stage race in well, the Green Mountains.

Most of us arrived late Thursday evening to the condos to get settled in as the TARGETRAINING U-25/Elite Development Racing Team is starting their individual time trials first thing on Friday morning. We made some dinner in the kitchen and they ate an incredible amount of food. Amazing. The group gathered for a team meeting where we discussed the plan for the weekend. It was top secret. Win. Pretty detailed really.

The next morning Eneas, Justin, Lee, Adam Bomb, BFD Dave, Will, Nate, Craig and Gabe all raced the 5.3 mile long individual time trial. There was no parking near the start line, so the night before I had bribed a local homeowner with a six pack of beer to let me set up the team car and wind trainers on his front yard. It was perfect as there was some shade and it was only 200 meters from the start. We had Josh Jamner working the warm up area adjusting gears and setting up disk wheels and such while I was at the start area with a radio to make sure that everyone started on time. The lads had fantastic times and Eneas was able to score a 4th place, only eight seconds down on a Canadian pro rider.

That night they all ate an incredible amount of food. Again.

Saturday's stage was the fast and rolling 65 mile circuit race in nearby Hinesburg, VT. When we drove the course the night before, we thought it was going to be hard and hilly. Well, it was only add fast to all of that. 31 mph fast. Holy cow. After the first lap an awesome break came through with Monster Will driving it hard to try to get time for Eneas, also in the break. Right behind it was a Fruitie chase group with Justin sitting on. The gap to the field: over a minute. I was sooooo excited. That all came back as having both Eneas and Wolverine Lindine up the road was too much for Empire and Metlife so Adam Bomb and New Guy Gabe attacked for a two up team time trial. This stuck for a bit and then bang, Justin and some folks countered and stayed away until literally the last meter when they got caught, but Justin held for 5th and the three second time bonus it gained. The rest of them finished safely in the field.

The field up here is awesome. The new courses and time based scoring has really brought out the talent. All of the big Northeast teams, the Canadian professionals and the amazingly strong Healthnet Karl Menzies are all here. Seeing the lads race so well against these guys is pretty cool.

After the race we headed back to the rental condo where I washed the bikes, got stuff ready and made them all dinner. Which they ate. Again. In force. Like don't stand in their way scary stuff. Donations welcome, they are breaking me. Note to their parents and families: please feed these guys during the week so I am not responsible for them on race days!

Tomorrow is the all important road race that ends up App Gap, a four mile long ten percent climb in the sky. Thanks!


Kyle Wolfe
Director, TARGETRAINING Racing Teams
www.targetraining.com

"Keep Those Tires Rollin' " Bicycle maintenance tip of the week

Your bike tires are the main contact point between you and the road so keeping them ready to roll will make your cycling sessions safe and reliable. Here are some tips to keep those tires rolling smooth and fast:
- Keep your tires inflated according to manufacturer’s specifications. Making sure that your tires are properly inflated is the single most important thing that you can do to prevent flat tires and premature wear. All tires come with recommended tire pressure ratings so follow them closely. Low tire pressure can lead to pinch flats and dangerous cornering, while pressure readings that are too high for clinchers will lead to a rough and inefficient ride, and with some wheels will even lead to damaged rims and blow outs. Many people think that high tire pressures will decrease rolling resistance and improve performance. This is a misconception. For most clincher tires, a pressure reading of 100-115 will achieve optimum rolling resistance and provide better handling and a more comfortable ride. Rotating your tires is not just limited to your car. Switching your bike tires from front to back every 1,000 miles will maximize the life of a good quality set of tires.
- Keep those tires away from the sun and nature’s elements when not in use. Excessive light and outdoor conditions can damage and weaken the rubber in your tires leading to cracked and weakened sidewalls. Keeping your bike and wheels indoors when not cycling will help extend your tires’ life span.
- When installing new tires or tubes, use baby powder to keep the tire and tube from galvanizing together over time.
- Frequently inspect your tires for damage and stuck debris. You can often spot problems such as cut sidewalls or glass stuck in tires and easily repair or place the tire before your next ride. This simple preventative measure will save you flat tires and headaches on future road rides.

September -- what a month

There are so many great happenings in September it is incredible.
1. Green Mountain Stage Race. The TARGETRAINING Elite squad is racing in Vermont, as is Max Veiga. The race goes 4 days with four stages: a time trial, a circuit race, a long point to point road race and a criterium. Look for results here. And check the TARGETRAINING Blog for more on this.
2. September TT Saturday Centuries(100K). Every 7 AM from TARGETRAINING.
3. Westport Kiwanis Triathlon. Sunday September 7th at 7:30 AM. Sprint triathlon in our hometown. What fun! Please see here. Great for entire family.
4. Threads and Treads Tour de Greenwich. September 14th. This is a blast, but be careful out there. See here.
5. Charter Oak Charity Ride September 20-22 (Friday-Sunday). Great cause -- building and running a school for Bridgeport CT children who now due to the program make it to college. Founded by Andrew Boas who is a caring individual and is passionate about education and cycling. 80 miles each day. Great group of people. Great scenery. Great ride. Please see here.
6. ITP Triathlon September 27th in Darien CT. Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura ("ITP") is a very rare bleeding disorder. The ITP Foundation helps families with children and adolescents with ITP who need financial assistance to manage and treat the disorder, and raise funds to further ITP research. TARGETRAINING will be at this triathlon in force. More to follow. Mark your calendars for this great event. It is slightly longer than a sprint triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 15 mile ride, 5 mile run). Jordan Rap from TARGETRAINING won it two years in a row but this year you will see Dom Gillen and team there.