The UPCross cyclocross series traveled to Copper Harbor, Michigan this past weekend for a double-header of races hosted by the Red Jacket Cycling Club. Two racers saddled up on SISU bikes for the A races and the results were as good as they could be: 1st and 2nd place both days. Congratulations to Tyler Jenema of team Priority Health for his back to back wins, and to Jesse Bell of the SISU Cycles Race Team for a pair of 2nd place finishes.
Tyler opted for his full-rigid, carbon-framed 67.5-er, a one-of-a kind bike built up with a 27.5" front wheel and 26" rear wheel. Jesse was riding his brand new "The Ex", a titanium cross-specific frame pictured in a previous post.
With two races remaining on the season Tyler and Jesse are #1 and #2 in the UPCross point series. Go SISU!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Baycross 2009
Paul Belknap, nice job putting on the race. Aaron Swanson, nice meeting you--thanks for dishing out the pain those first few laps. Wes, thanks for the help and encouragement early on. Michelle, thanks for shooting the video and offering moral support.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
UPCROSS #2 & #3
#2 Al Quaal
Full Results.
6 SISU Riders took to the starting line in Ishpeming including Gauthier, Bell, Carpenter, Hill, Lerlie, and Palomaki.
In the A race, Tyler Jenema, who put on a clinic at the first race, looked strong as he led through the first laps. He led a small group of Juntti and Gauthier to a early small lead. This was until Jeff Juntti, determined to give Jenema and the rest of the group a race for their money, eventually overtaking a solo lead. Jesse Bell and visiting Paul Belknap, riding a more conservative pace, gradually motored up to a fading riders. Paul eventually passed Jenema to overtake 2nd place. Bell and Gauthier formed a chase group for the last few laps helping each other pull closer and closer to the leaders, to no avail. Juntti rolled in solo for 1st, Belknap 2nd, Jenema 3rd, Gauthier 4th, and Bell 5th. As the action formed in the front of the race Palomaki stayed consistent and road a solid race finishing 8th. Danny's bike didn't quite hold up, he broke a hood early and could never recover finishing 17th and Lerlie enjoyed the day on the bike finishing 20th.
Race notes courtesy of UPCROSS.net. Photo courtesy of XMATIC.
#3 Fit Strip
The snow that had, earlier in the week, threatened to blanket the Fit Strip with white for Race #3 on the UPCROSS calendar stayed to the west, instead covering the Keweenaw - perhaps foreshadowing the weather of the upcoming Keweenaw Cup.
The A race was tight from start to finish. The course was set up fast encouraging a group break away and midway through the 50-minute (8-lap) race, an octet established a healthy lead: Tyler Gauthier (Sisu Cycles), David Grant (Chocolay Ace), Tyler Jenema (Priority Health), Ron Williams, Dan Dehlin, Evan Simula, Jesse Bell (Sisu Cycles) and Joey Graci (Quiznos). As the race wore on and fatigue set in, the size of the lead pack slowly deteriorated. Another factor in the race was a log placed conveniently by race designer Dave Grant across the trail making the riders choose one of two options, bunny hop or dismount. Some hopped and some dismounted but most all had problems. Whether it was the dismount that caused a gap between riders, the bunny hop that caused mechanical, or the extra inch it would jump up as toes repeatably caught the edge it definitely was a factor. In the end, an elite group rode the final quarter mile of pavement neck and neck in what was to be a 4-up sprint. SISU rider Tyler Gauthier took his first UPCROSS win just ahead of an ecstatic David Grant, who also marked his best UPCROSS finish ever. Tyler Jenema, able to take over the lead in the UPCROSS standings, finished third, just a tenth of a second behind Grant. Ron Williams missed his chance at a podium finish by a second. Despite the mechanical Bell finished in a respectable 7th. Danny found himself spinning the whole race as he ran the single speed and chose the wrong gearing, finished 18th.
Full Results.Race notes courtesy of UPCROSS.net. Photo courtesy of Andy Gregg/MQTphoto.com.
Check out the new feature from the boys at superiortiming.com. They got it going on!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
West End Wednesday Night Ride
Another great ride with the Wednesday Night Range Mountain Bike crew. Although a small group last night we had a great time. This tends to be the best time of year to hit the single track and take in the views!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Chequamegon Fat Tire 40
Do you want the long story or the short story?
Short story:
I raced hard and placed 58th out of 1759 finishers.
Long story:
Friday after work, I traveled down to Hayward, WI with Dave Grant, hereafter referred to as "DG". After picking up our race packets we stopped in to KFC for the obligatory greasedown. We were greeted at the drive-thru by Susan who was eager satisfy our every culinary desire. Although she forgot DG's coleslaw, we continue to recommend the Hayward KFC.
Lodging was dicey in Hayward, so we settled into a quaint motel room in Spooner. The motel's proprietor was perplexed when we asked what the main attraction was in Spooner. She mentioned that some people come to fish, and others shoot bears.
We retired to our respective beds after last minute bike tune-ups, number plate placements, secret energy drink prep and Ambien only to rise again at 4 am. There was a hint of rain in the air as we drove 30 minutes to the start of the race where we left our bikes in the middle of the street to secure our start position. We were 7 rows back when we arrived at 5 am and heard that to get a front row placement you had to arrive at 4 am.
We caught a couple more hours of sleep back at the hotel and returned to the race start for 8:30. 1800 is a lot of people, and a lot of bikes, as you can here.
You may be able to spot me at about 25 seconds into the video. Consider that my start position is considered very good and that I had to get up at 4 am to secure it!
Anywho, the rain cleared out and made way for blue skies. The temps were high and rising, a drastic change from the 30's and rain racers experienced last year. The rollout was pretty well controlled and not too fast. There was a lot of accelerating and braking, but that's the norm. I saw one dude lock 'em up and fishtail on the pavement. Not good. I pulled a little chicanery myself and bunny hopped up onto the median putting the hammer down and passing at least 100 people in the process. It felt like the right thing to do, but in retrospect, I wouldn't do it again.
The lead group immediately got a gap on the rest of us and was probably a quarter of a mile up the road by the time they reached the dirt. I wasn't going to blow myself up chasing them alone, so I just sat on a tandem and cruised. I tried to keep the pace steady throughout the race, avoided going anaerobic, stayed seated on almost all the climbs and just hung on. Normally I blow up and end up riding most of these races by myself after getting shelled from a group. Not this time. About 1/2 way through the race I put in an effort to pull my group up to a group ahead of us. This group included ladies winner Jenna Rinehart (who beat the tar out of me in the Ore to Shore). I figured if I stayed with her group I'd do alright, so that's what I did. I ended up dropping all but two of our 20+ group on the Firetower Hill climb. From there I rode as hard as I could trying to maintain my position.
Another smaller group came together and we rode it out to the last section of Birkie Trail. I don't remember much of what happened the last few miles, except that as I crested a little hill someone shouted, "it's all downhill from here". I put it in my big gear and ripped it to the finish. I was very pleased with 58th place in my first Chequamegon and hope I earned a preferred start for the next time. The course is very fast and enjoyable to ride, and I think suits my strengths (not climbing).
DG finished 2 minutes behind me and beat his time from last year by 15 minutes! We partook in a beer and kraut-covered brat at the finish line, then jumped in the truck, still covered in dust, to make the 4 hour drive home.
In 10 hours of driving between Marquette and Spooner we didn't see a single deer. This does not bode well for the hunters this season.
Short story:
I raced hard and placed 58th out of 1759 finishers.
Long story:
Friday after work, I traveled down to Hayward, WI with Dave Grant, hereafter referred to as "DG". After picking up our race packets we stopped in to KFC for the obligatory greasedown. We were greeted at the drive-thru by Susan who was eager satisfy our every culinary desire. Although she forgot DG's coleslaw, we continue to recommend the Hayward KFC.
Lodging was dicey in Hayward, so we settled into a quaint motel room in Spooner. The motel's proprietor was perplexed when we asked what the main attraction was in Spooner. She mentioned that some people come to fish, and others shoot bears.
We retired to our respective beds after last minute bike tune-ups, number plate placements, secret energy drink prep and Ambien only to rise again at 4 am. There was a hint of rain in the air as we drove 30 minutes to the start of the race where we left our bikes in the middle of the street to secure our start position. We were 7 rows back when we arrived at 5 am and heard that to get a front row placement you had to arrive at 4 am.
We caught a couple more hours of sleep back at the hotel and returned to the race start for 8:30. 1800 is a lot of people, and a lot of bikes, as you can here.
You may be able to spot me at about 25 seconds into the video. Consider that my start position is considered very good and that I had to get up at 4 am to secure it!
Anywho, the rain cleared out and made way for blue skies. The temps were high and rising, a drastic change from the 30's and rain racers experienced last year. The rollout was pretty well controlled and not too fast. There was a lot of accelerating and braking, but that's the norm. I saw one dude lock 'em up and fishtail on the pavement. Not good. I pulled a little chicanery myself and bunny hopped up onto the median putting the hammer down and passing at least 100 people in the process. It felt like the right thing to do, but in retrospect, I wouldn't do it again.
The lead group immediately got a gap on the rest of us and was probably a quarter of a mile up the road by the time they reached the dirt. I wasn't going to blow myself up chasing them alone, so I just sat on a tandem and cruised. I tried to keep the pace steady throughout the race, avoided going anaerobic, stayed seated on almost all the climbs and just hung on. Normally I blow up and end up riding most of these races by myself after getting shelled from a group. Not this time. About 1/2 way through the race I put in an effort to pull my group up to a group ahead of us. This group included ladies winner Jenna Rinehart (who beat the tar out of me in the Ore to Shore). I figured if I stayed with her group I'd do alright, so that's what I did. I ended up dropping all but two of our 20+ group on the Firetower Hill climb. From there I rode as hard as I could trying to maintain my position.
Another smaller group came together and we rode it out to the last section of Birkie Trail. I don't remember much of what happened the last few miles, except that as I crested a little hill someone shouted, "it's all downhill from here". I put it in my big gear and ripped it to the finish. I was very pleased with 58th place in my first Chequamegon and hope I earned a preferred start for the next time. The course is very fast and enjoyable to ride, and I think suits my strengths (not climbing).
DG finished 2 minutes behind me and beat his time from last year by 15 minutes! We partook in a beer and kraut-covered brat at the finish line, then jumped in the truck, still covered in dust, to make the 4 hour drive home.
In 10 hours of driving between Marquette and Spooner we didn't see a single deer. This does not bode well for the hunters this season.
Monday, September 21, 2009
UPCROSS Race #1
Four SISU Cycles racers made an appearance at the season's cyclocross opener. Danny, Jesse, Matt and Tyler all entered the "Eh" race, which drew 20 competitors. The weather was atypically hot, with temps approaching 80. The sandy course combined with hot, dry conditions resulted in some dirty bodies by race's end.
The pace of the first lap was smokin' as everyone vied for the prime... a growler of KBC brew. Team Priority Health rockstar Tyler Jenema set the tempo for the first lap, but was temporarily distracted by some curvaceous spectators and piled up in a narrow, sandy section. He brought Jesse down with him and they were passed by a few contenders, including Chocolay Ace phenom Jeff Juntti.
Jesse fell back to 8th place after dropping his chain three times, while Tyler Gauthier fought to stay in the top 4 for the first half of the race, only to rip off his derailleur hanger, ending his day on the bike. Meanwhile, Jenema broke a chain and DA flatted, forcing both of them into chase mode. Tyler Jenema quickly made his way back to the front; DA got rolling in 8th position behind Jesse, but was unable to match Jesse's enormous ego, I mean power. The two of them yo-yo'd a bit, and picked off a few riders who went out a bit too hard. Danny and Matt beat the crap out of themselves for 60 minutes and finished respectably.
It was great to see Ishpeming native Ron Williams show up at the race! Hope to see you again Ron!
"Eh" race results below, and at www.UPCROSS.net.
Check out all of Chris's race photos here.
The pace of the first lap was smokin' as everyone vied for the prime... a growler of KBC brew. Team Priority Health rockstar Tyler Jenema set the tempo for the first lap, but was temporarily distracted by some curvaceous spectators and piled up in a narrow, sandy section. He brought Jesse down with him and they were passed by a few contenders, including Chocolay Ace phenom Jeff Juntti.
Jesse fell back to 8th place after dropping his chain three times, while Tyler Gauthier fought to stay in the top 4 for the first half of the race, only to rip off his derailleur hanger, ending his day on the bike. Meanwhile, Jenema broke a chain and DA flatted, forcing both of them into chase mode. Tyler Jenema quickly made his way back to the front; DA got rolling in 8th position behind Jesse, but was unable to match Jesse's enormous ego, I mean power. The two of them yo-yo'd a bit, and picked off a few riders who went out a bit too hard. Danny and Matt beat the crap out of themselves for 60 minutes and finished respectably.
It was great to see Ishpeming native Ron Williams show up at the race! Hope to see you again Ron!
"Eh" race results below, and at www.UPCROSS.net.
| 1 | Tyler Jenema |
| 2 | Jeff Juntti |
| 3 | Bryan Cook |
| 4 | Jesse Bell |
| 5 | Derek Anderson |
| 6 | Blu Tenbrink |
| 7 | Evan Simula |
| 8 | Andy Gregg |
| 9 | Steve Kuhl |
| 10 | Tom Mahaney |
| 11 | Joey Graci |
| 12 | Matt Palomaki |
| 13 | Ron Williams |
| 14 | Danny Hill |
| 15 | Mike Daggett |
| 16 | Toney Lackey |
| DNF | Tyler Gautier |
| DNF | Tim Shandonay |
| DNF | Eric McCoy |
| DNF | Wanhala |
Check out all of Chris's race photos here.
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