As we started to get rolling, Chicken and Miguel rolled up and the fix was in. We kept the pace steady to stay away and Miguel sat on the back and waited for the sprint. He punked us in the end by having the freshest legs so he has the belt until tomorrow.

Ladera Ranch Grand Prix

I was not at this race but here are the placings I noticed. Lance was 13th in the 30+ race and Ashley Diamond was 14th in the Pro woman with Hilary right behind in 20th. Not a Vegas guy but definitely a friend of the Paul Tracy team, Jason Bausch won the Pro race and Dotsie was third in the Pro Woman.

Tour De Gap:

We split the team for this race with myself, Kenny Sweet Legs, The Arctic Squirrel, Chicken, The Boss, and RS in the 35+ race. Schaefer, Balchesaurus and Polocko were in the 45+ race. Michelle was rocking the house in the woman Cat 4. Here is how it went down.

Stage 1: Climb like a Billy Goat stage

They combined the two fields for the climbing stage. You start off at 9k and go up to 10.5 in the first mile. Ridiculous. Than you descend for ever and start climbing back up to the finish. The Boss, RS, Chicken, Balchesaurus, Schaefer, and Polocko all made the front group that came together on the descent. On the climb past Duck Creek the fireworks started as Mexican Snaggle Tooth was off the front with Bruce Bilado. Polocko and Balch went to the front and started to do mad tempo to bring the break back. On the climb to Duck Creek, Louie and Schaefer were trading pulls like prize fighters to soften up the field for a major attack. Schafer attacked and went up the road with another rider from Utah (Armstrong).

They ended up staying away and Schafer attacked him at the end to take the win. Behind him the 35+ race was yet to be decided. Chicken and Jonathan went to the front to keep the speed high. Louie attacked and the

game was on. Chicken was not far behind and Louie ended up winning the stage with Chicken right behind for second. RS was sitting just behind third place on time so the GC was definitely not decided. The rest of us finished ready to roll for the next stage.

Michelle took third in the road race for a nice podium for the PT ladies

Stage 2: The Crit Show

45+ Balch and Schafer were sitting in and watched Polocko get a nice

45+ gap

with Ken Louder (that is Jeff Louder from Health Net's dad). It came down to a field sprint with Balch on the front pinning it on the last lap, Schafer goes fying up the outside before the last corner to take the win with Balch hanging on for second. WOW, who new Mark could sprint??

35+ We started with the Mexican Snaggle Tooth going from the gun and we

35+ let

him twist in the wind for 5 or 6 laps. Once he threw in the towel, Louie and Chicken going flying by me and started putting time on the field. How do you let 1 and 2 on GC get away is beyond me but that is exactly what happened. We were just sitting in the field watching the show when the Arctic Squirrel showed off some of that legendary leg speed and bridged to the break. Once he got there, they announced the time bonus preem and poor Jay did have any time to recover and got disconnected with the sprint for the bonus. Kenny was patrolling the front and keeping every one in check until the Boss and Chicken dropped the other rider from the break and lapped the field to get to us. At this point Kenny ramped up the pace and we started a team time trial to lap the rest of the field. Louie and Chicken ended up lapping the entire field and than got to contest the sprint with Chicken coming out on top for the W. Louie was second and I think jay was third.

Michelle was mixed in with the Pro field and rode a tough race to get third and win a preem.

Stage 3: Gap Road Race

45+ Balch attacked early but was eventually brought back. He attacked

again and got a nice gap. At this point Don Armstrong bridged the gap with Schafer in tow. Schaefer got a free ride and now there were 2 PT boys in the break. At this point Balch took one of his famous strong man pulls in the break and this created a little gap, Mark let the gap grow and Balch ended up staying away to solo in for the RR win and moved into third on GC.

35+ You got to love RS. He has the strength of an OX. He picked an

35+ early

attack by Bruce Bilodo to cover and never looked back. Andre a local racer from Brian Head bridged to them and that was the last we saw of them.  We wanted RS to get at least three minutes to move into 3rd on GC. He was pounding it hard to get that time and we jsut rode temp at the front. The third place rider realized that he might lose his placing and put in a serious attack. We let him dangle and Jay and Kenny did an awesome job to ride tempo at the front and keep the lone attacker at a reasonable distant. When we hit the road back into town the lone attacker started to pull away and the boss put out the order to bring him back.

Then myself, Jay and Kenny turned the pain dial to rivet and pinned it hard to bring him back. That was a hard chase and I was very glad when the job was done. We ramped up the pace when we came into town to get ready for the finish. RS stayed away to take the win. I made a mistake on the approach into town and took a wrong turn. The turn caused a crash behind me that took Fast Tony down. Chicken and Louie got out safe and took the last couple of placings in the race. Good race, sorry about the crash!!

Michelle did some hard riding in the wind to take third place.

Stage 4: TT Hell

The TT was an out and back with a wicked head wind on the way back. RS needed to do a good time to keep his third as the guy he bumped can really TT. The wind was howling which made for a real leg burner. The guy from Canyon that was in a fourth put in a scorching time of 22 flat to win the TT stage. louie posted a 22:06 for second and Chicken was the one second brides maid at 22:07 for third. RS was a little tired from his efforts and came in tough but not enough to hang onto third, but ended up fourth overall. That was 1st on GC for the Boss, Second for the Chicken, and fourth for RS.

The 45+ guys had good times with Mark winning the stage with a 22:15.

bruce hung tough to end up 4th on GC.

Michelle did a good ride to secure her third place overall on GC for the PT ladies.

Other Cats of note:

6-29-07
There will be a charity ride for Trenna on 7 July at 7 AM starting at the Albertson’s on Charleston and Town Center. Please come out and show your support. The intent is to raise money to help the family with the rising medical bills. Plenty of prizes for raffle.

Contact Jared or Denise at 310-6080 for more information.

6-21-07
Saturday the 9th of June was a black day for most of us on the local training ride here in Vegas. It was a large group that tackled the loop. On the descent several circumstances came together at the wrong time to create a bad crash. We had lots of inexperienced riders, a fast descent, and a car at the wrong time and place. At the bottom of the descent we were moving at 40 mph when a car was traveling at low speed on a blind corner. In the confusion that followed a local rider, Trenna, from McGhies went down at very high speed and had very serious injuries that I will not go into. First I want to ask everyone to say a prayer and hope for her speedy and full recovery. Second I want to stress that some types of riding can be inherently dangerous and for all of us to remember to be cautious out on the roads. In no way am I saying that this could have been avoided because some things you can not avoid. Third, lets remember that it is our responsibility as experienced riders and racers to always coach and guide younger riders to avoid situations that can cause harm to themselves and others and to try and learn from these types of situations.

In addition, there will be a charity ride for Trenna and her family in July. (More information to follow)

Also, in order to raise money the wonderful folks at Gizmo will be selling socks with local team colors. See www.Gizmosocks.com for more information.

6.25.07

I am going to start by pointing out an article in the latest edition of Velo News.  Check out the last article on the back page written by Maynard.
He has long written the at the back column for Velo News and this one really hit home.  I too have noticed a lack of respect amongst the new comers to our sport for cyclings traditions and the reason that many lessons are passed on from experienced rider to neophyte.  He lists various violations, such as not pointing out debris in the road, learning to ride smoothly, having a smooth pedal stroke, holding your line, and other little items that more accomplished riders take for granted.  His resounding theme is that the more accomplished riders have a duty to continue to point out poor riding habits in order to make the peloton safer for all of us.  He also comments that with the influx of beginners into our sport, it has become common place to ignore the faults of another rider and not say anything for fear of upsetting their delicate sensibilities.  Something to think about the next time a rider decides to check behind him in the middle of the bunch at the local crit, or swerves in front of a slower rider while passing and comes within millimeters of brushing them in order to look cool.  Lets keep the wisdom of our sport alive and keep teaching for all of our safety.  If you are in Vegas, spend an hour or two watching Bruce Balch ride and see how he never wastes effort on show and go type moves, only ones that leave you gasping for air.

TNW Report:
On lap two we had a break get off the front containing Hansel, Little Hurt, and the Chicken.  A fine mix of non-sprinters up the road.  The three teams shut down any chasers and poor Lance was left to pull the field around with his usual interval type surges on the backside of the course.  He got the field close but not enough and the Pro Cyclery guys were not helping with the chase and the break stayed away.  Little Hurt laid down some speed to best the Chicken with Hansel coming in third.  That was a nice effort to hold off a hard charging field and Bingleheimer Pete (that is his sprinting name) picked up the bunch sprint.

Chris Hansel paying the price for a long break

Chris, Andy (Little Hurt) and Chicken in a breakaway looking for the win!

State Crit Champs:

I went out to Carson, CA for the state crit champs.  The field was packed with talent with most of the major teams having 5-7 guys in the field.  The pace was hot on this 4 corner flat sprint course.  I got in a break at the mid point with Jerry Jayne, Scott Raymond, Dan Voight and we got 20 seconds up the road after I won a preem.  We were brought back and with 15 min left in the race another break got up the road.  Lance and Gagne did a nice job of bridging up.  John Allen from Velocity did a nice long pull to bring them close and the momentum of the field shut down the break and the field sprint was in the works.  A rider from NOW won the race with Mike McMahon in second and mark Nobel in third.  I ended up 15th after I got pinched in the corner.

I did the Pro 1-2 race and it was fast and furious with Tony Cruz from Discovery setting a blistering pace before he broke a chain.  Bad Ass Carl Bordine won the race off the front and I finished in the field.  Little Hurt was hunting points and ended up in 20th place to fill the last spot in the money.  GOOD JOB ANDY.  Lance did some good work for his team to set up the win for Carl and help his sprinter DeMarchi get in the top ten.

I had to save the best for last.  The Troll picked up another podium in the Cat 4.  He ended up 2nd and got a nice little trophy for his troll house.
All kidding aside he made a good move to hold off the field for second.  He may be honing his skills for a category upgrade.  Little Hurt, he is hot on your heels.  Hillary whooped some ass to take the State Championships in the 35+ ladies category.  NICE

News from Mark in UT

The Dead Dog Classic is a great race, Great courses and well put on. I know it is far away but you should look at this race for next year. It is part of the CO race series so I got beat up on buy them, it only took 15 minutes into the RR before they knew who I was and it was ugly from there. I needed some "mates".....
3rd in the RR
3rd in the TT

Did not stay for the final GC results but was 4th or 5th to many damn time  bonuses for me to figure 9 ( hate time bonuses)  Ride on Disciple

Random Thoughts:

WOW, was that the Chicken in a break on a flat course???  Great Job.  Lets bring those legs to Cascade.

Mark continues his ass kicking up North.  Nats is around the corner and he is looking good.  Louie has been cross training cleaning up the RV and working his forearms driving cross country.  Mark, you may have to carry the team on this one.

I got a lot of questions about if my team was coming to the race next weekend.  It seems that when we show up in force, other riders take notice.
Keep up the good results.

Sounds like Tour De Gap may not go off this year.  Lets start talking about Rancho Sisquock road race in Wine country as an alternative.

Little Hurt has some pop.  If you are going to beat him, you need to make sure he is not there for the sprint.

The BIg Boss finally put some oil in his car and won the race this weekend.
Nice job Paul.   Keep the Monster coming.

I still have not seen the sea of yellow at the front of the peloton.  Come to think of it, I have not seen them at the back either.  I have to say that the Troll has put up more results by himself in the Cat 4 than Fast Tony's entire team.  Troll, I think you should call Fast Tony and see if you can get a big money contract for next year.  You are easily the best Cat 4 in the State at the moment.
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6.19.07

What a weekend of racing.  I want to open by pointing out what a great job the organizers of the High Uintas Classic did.  This was a well run stage race with epic courses and awesome organization and support.  You guys in Vegas that do not get out to some of these races are really missing the boat.  Some of the best races I have done this year just got eclipsed by this one.

Previous Race Results:

Just checked results and Lance scored a 6th place in the Ontario Crit last weekend in the Masters 35+.  I did not notice any other names except Big Ryan was in the top 20 in the Pro 1-2 Crit.  None of the crits from this weekend were posted so drop me a line if you know of any Vegas All Crit All Stars that rocked the house.

TNW Report:

Last week saw mild winds which of course kept the field together.  Several attacks and breaks made some serious moves but with no wind and the sprinters geeked up to get it on, nothing stayed away.  Chris Gagne blasted the field for his first sprint win of the season.  Did anyone see the Chicken try to get away solo??  Looks like the Chicken is starting to get some speed back in his legs.

High Uintas Stage Race

OK, I need to take a minute and lay this out for you.  The PT Team went up North to support our Man Mark Schaefer in his quest to whoop some ass on some of the Utah gang up there that he is always taking on solo.  Myself, the Boss, and RS (Jonathan) made the trip to Utah and Wyoming for an epic stage race.  I can not say enough about the degree of difficulty and the level of competition.  Here is how it went down:

Stage 1 Over the Top Road Race

The course starts in Kamas UT and ends in Evanston WY some 87 miles later.
It begins with a 32 mile climb to the Bald Mountain pass at 10700 feet (that is not a typo) and than descends into Evanston WY.  Degree of difficulty is 10+.  The day started with an attack at mile 2 by the fat man and another rider from Idaho that stayed away for 25 miles of climbing.
The boss, Mark, and RS caught me just before the feed zone 2 miles from the top of the pass.  At this point we had a very select group of climbers and once I was caught the fireworks began.  Mark pulled away from the field after the feed zone solo and that was the last we saw of him.  He soloed away for approximately 45 miles and won the RR and put 5 minutes into the chase group.  Louie was sitting pretty in the chase group and punked them in the sprint for 2nd place.  Myself and Jonathan came in the third chase group about 45 seconds behind Louie and placed 12th and 15th.  Myself and almost all of the riders from Utah were impressed with the solo effort that Mark made to stay away and put that much time in the field.  There was wicked cross winds with all of us in echelons on the flat approach to Evanston and mark did it solo and put time on the field.  AWESOME

Stage 2 TT

The TT was a flat out and back course with a couple of rollers but nothing you would consider a climb.  Mark rocked the house with a good time to place 3rd in the TT.  Louie placed 5th bit unfortunately lost a little time to some of the guys in his chase group and was knocked into 5th on GC.
Jonathan and myself both had good times to place in the top 15.  I moved into 10th on GC and Jonathan had moved up to 12th.

Stage 3 Crit

The course was a one mile loop with 6 blocks of climbing and than a fast descent to the start finish straight away.  The plan was to keep Mark safe and take the stage win.  RS started the fireworks with a nice attack on the hill to get away with two others.  He picked up the time bonus preem to move him into 9th on GC.  After the preem the field came all together.  The boss was killing them on the climb and caused a separation.  He had about 5 guys with him from different teams.  I soloed to bridge to him and than the field caught us with 2 laps to go.  On the last lap RS lit it up on the climb to keep anyone from jumping and than we drilled the front on the twisty descent to put the Boss in perfect position for the sprint.  I came out of the last corner first with the Boss tucked on my wheel.  He launched around me to win the sprint and I managed to hang on for third.

GC

Mark was the overall champion and well deserved.  Louie ended up 5th.  I was 8th on GC and RS did a great job with the preem bonus to move into 9th on GC.  All of our riders were in the top ten.  AWESOME

Now you thought we were done with race reports but guess who decided to go global on us.  That's right gang; your current bronze medalist at the state championships went out to Hawaii and kicked some ass on some island boys.
Kircher did a stage race in Hawaii and got 2nd in the TT and 2nd in the RR to win the overall in the Omnium.  That is two huge wins for the PT team this weekend.
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6.3.07

Not too much to report on racing this week since most of the results were not posted.  Here is what I have so far.  If any of you have anything to add please feel free to chime in.

TNW Report:

This week was a little strange with different groups getting off the front and getting chased down.  Big Ryan Jarrell and Danny Murphy got in a two up break when I flatted and had quite a good gap on the field.  Once I got a spare tire from the Old Man (Simo) I jumped back in and started and attack not realizing there was a break up the road.  Myself, Troll, Double Chip, a Mc Ghie's guy and the Polish Steam Roller (Merick) got in a group and pulled away.  I did not realize their was a break until we caught them.
Ryan and Danny jumped in and we were gone for the night.  At the end I jumped the group on the last lap and Ryan pulled his ass off to get Troll w/i striking distance.  Unfortunately for the Troll he brought Double Chip with him.  Troll got me at the line only to raise his hands in a premature victory salute.  ALA Erik Zabel he was beat at the line by Double Chip and Mark took his second victory in a row.  Appears Double Chip is riding really strong right now.

District TTT Championships

The PT team of RoboCop, Balchesaurus, the Boss, and Chicken contested the four man TTT.  They put in a solid effort to get the bronze medal.  The entire team finished together.  The final results have not been posted so I can not tell you the time splits but a good performance.  I heard Hansel was in the two man TT but again, no results so I will have to update you next week on any other Vegas placings.

Saturday was a training ride out at Red Rock for me.  I hung out with the Allegiant gang and completed Potosi to top off a lot of climbing.  Other than RS there were no PT riders out.

Sunday was secret training with the Boss out at Mt. Charleston.  RS, myself and the Boss went to the top and than over the road to Deer Creek and back.
The boss is climbing well and RS was very strong at the end.  I suffered like a dog and I still can not feel my legs today.  Damn that Mountain is hard on a fat man.  We did see the CES Team, all 6 of them, out training on the mountain.  I also spotted Hileman and Steph out climbing.  Looks like it is that time of year when the racing crowds head for high elevation and cooler temps to train.

Random Thoughts:

It killed me to not be in the TTT but I am glad that you guys rode hard and took a medal.  It is a good sign that as racers you are not satisfied with anything less than a win.  The PT resume is really going to look good this year.

Did anyone see who won the CSC Invitational?  That is right gang, Rashan from Rock Racing.  Big win for him.  I also noticed that a friend of mine on that team, Sergio Hernandez was 39th in Lancaster yesterday.  Good to see some local guys getting some good action out in the NRC.

I know that many of you never venture outside of NV or California to race but check out Amgen at the Mt Hood classic.  Jerry Jayne was 5th overall on GC.  That is what you do when you have a good budget with solid riders.
You venture out to National Caliber races and test yourself against the best.  Something to think about for all the big budget racing teams here in Las Vegas.  By the way, what are you spending your money on??  I half expect to see Fast Tony pull up to the Tuesday night crit with a personal masseur and a chef to cook meals.  All I ever get from Louie is Tic Tacs and water from the hose.

Troll, the race does not end until you cross the line.  First to raise their hands is not the winner.  Ask Eric Zabel and Oscar Freire at Milan San Remo.

Mark Henry has been riding really well lately.  That was him climbing up the loop with the top climbers.  Keep an eye on him if he gets out to a race.

Little Hurt should be closer to that Cat I.  Let me know Andy.  I will personally throw the next Cat I upgrade party.  Looking forward to testing your drinking ability.  Come to think of it, has anyone upgraded this year???  Lets get the word out that moving up in category is a noble accomplishment.  Maybe Fast Tony could kick in some upgrade bonuses.

Spider Monkey is about to return to the Peloton.  We miss you Ryan.  Get on back and start training.  I need guys in the break that will pull through.
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5.27.07

Hey Gang,

Lots to talk about from the long weekend of stage racing.  You are going to see that the actual race reports this week are going to be condensed because I have way to much to write about and keep it short so my apologies up front for not getting too detailed but I want to keep it readable.

Let me again point out what a quality race the folks in Flagstaff put on.
There were virtually no glitches and the timing for a stage race was right on.  The downtown crit was awesome with tons of spectators and some very exciting racing.  For those of you in the Vegas Peolton that do not get out and support this kind of race, you are missing out.

Unfinished Business:

Last week results were not posted from Ontario at press time.  Chris Hansel notched another crit win in the Masters 40+ race and the Troll capitalized on his good form and sprinted home another victory in the masters 4-5 race.
Good job guys.  Little Hurt kicked ass against a stacked field in West LA College circuit race and won the field sprint for 7th in the Pro 1-2 field.
I have done that race and even I shudder to think of doing intervals on that hill.

TNW Report:

Last week saw Double Chip finally score a W.  He has been chasing breaks all year and finally paid some dividends.  A break got away with a couple of laps left and he sprinted for the win.  Nice Job Mark.  he has been chasing that W all season.

Summit Center Classic:

Master 35+ Prolog:

Louie 1st, Mr. Freeze 4th, Kenny 6th.  This was uphill, short, and lung burning.  The boss kicked ass to put the Yellow Jersey in out control.

Crit:

Downtown Crit with 6 fast corners and huge crowds.  Boss was smokin from the gun to take $100 preem on lap one with Kenny and chicken setting him up and sweeping the corner.  PT battled with Rideclean for the bonus time at the finish.  Kircher rocked the house to string the field out and we took the boss to the corner first to go for the sprint.  He ended up getting nipped by a Rideclean rider and Chicken came in for 3rd.  Two valuable time bonuses picked up.  PT won all but one preem.  Louie 1st on GC and Chicken moved up to 3rd.

Circuit Race:

Hard circuit with 70 minutes of racing on a 2 mile circuit with some nice rollers and lots of wind to make it tough.  The team rode a flawless race and covered any move that was dangerous.  I took a digger when a danger man from GST took a corner to hot and i Hit the deck hard.  The split had Silverman from Rideclean up the road and the Boss bridged up.  By the end of the race the boss gained 50 seconds on the field.  Kenny kicked ass to get second in the field sprint and 5th in the Circuit race.  Chicken lost his 3rd place but we secured 1st overall with the time we gained.  Oh and by the way, Louie won the race.

RR:

We had first overall so we planned on negating any dangerous moves and delivering our climbers to the foot of the finish climb fresh so we could win the stage.  Kircher and Kenny rode an impressive tempo to keep the field in check.  Silverman won the time bonus out on the course so we had to make sure he could not gain anything else on the last climb.  Alex and Chicken were impressive covering moves towards the end of the race on the rollers and in the crosswinds.  Kircher took over in the last 10 miles and drilled the front to keep the pace so high that no one could attack.  We delivered the boss, chicken, and Alex to the base of the climb.  They rocked the house with Louie leading up the climb and getting a gap.
chicken came back to bridge to him and go on for the win.  Louie came in 2nd and Alex was just behind for 5th.  We secured the overall with Louie in first, Chicken in 4th and Alex 6th on GC.  Great weekend and great teamwork.

Master 45+

Prologue:

Bruce was second

Crit:

Bruce TT off the front on lap two and lapped the field by the end of the race for the W and secured the jersey

Circuit:

Bruce won it

RR:

Bruce was generous and gave his breakaway partner the win and he secured the overall for 1st on GC.  The Balchesaurus is back with a vengeance and to say he was dominating this weekend is an understatement.  I can not say more than that.

Ladies:

Prologue:

Michelle was 4th and Jen was 8th

Crit:

Michelle kicked ass for 3rd and Jen was right behind in 5th

Circuit:

Michelle in 3rd again with Jen right behind in 6th

RR:

Michelle was 4th and Jen came in 9th.  Michelle ended up 4th on GC and Jen was 8th.  Both in the top ten and they both rode very well this weekend against some tough girls.  Very consistent placings to stay in the hunt.
Oh and they were both the best looking but they do not give prize money for that so Louie had to give up his $100 preem.

Pro 1-2

Little Hurt was the only rider from Vegas but he was a one man wrecking crew.  He placed 8th in the Prologue, 4th in the crit, 9th in the Circuit and I think in the top 15 in the rr.  I did not get his final GC placing but I believe he was in the top 15 so he definitely got some upgrade points this weekend and that was with no support.  Awesome riding Little Hurt.

Lance was the lone rider I saw in the results for Vegas in the Crits in Socal this weekend with an 8th placing in the Dana Point Crit.  The rest of the weekend he was racing his ass off in support of his teams personal war against Rock Racing.  News on the street is that 5-star and Rock have been battling in the sprint finishes and bumping and grinding out wins.

Random Thoughts:

Mr Freeze was impressive this weekend.  His strength at the end of the road race and on the climbs was much appreciated and he had a great finish and Prologue.  He even went out to dinner with us one of the nights.  We have to get Alex to hang out with us a little more often.  I like his wierdness.
How scary did he look doing his warm ups before each race.

Kenny B rocked the house in the circuit race.  I am sure that No Pop will not be looking for a rematch any time soon.

Kircher's tempo riding was putting some of us in difficulty.  I being one of them.  Kircher, I am getting tired of chasing you down.  I am pretty sure that you do not realize your own strength but you are killing your own teammates.  When you are on the front go 80% of what you consider tempo.

The Chicken found his climbing legs on the last day.  Kenny stole them for the Prologue and than snuck back in the road race and gave them back.  Nice W for the Chicken exactly a year ago to the date.

The boss delivers, need I say more.

Balch delivers.

Andy B, you rock.  That was bad ass.  I am sorry I could not make the 10PM drink appointment but that Crit took a lot out of me.  Next time.

The girls were awesome this weekend.  Every race they get better and better.  Jen, thanks for the clean up at the Circuit race.  I love the feel of peroxide in an open wound!!!

Shout out to the Vegas riders, how you missed a quality race like this is beyond me. Maybe you can make it out to Tour De Gap.  Quality stage races and suffering is what makes this sport epic.  The strategy and the battles that went on in the Masters category this weekend was impressive and made the race exciting until the last day.  Hope to see you step up your game sometime soon.
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5.20.07

Hey Gang,

I have a few things to go over this week.  Some of you were out racing and the rest I saw out training.  Most of the PT gang took a break from racing this weekend to get in some good training to be ready for next weekend.  I have seen very few non-PT racers on the start list for Flagstaff.  I will say this again for the benefit of the Vegas race community.  I all too often here complaints that there are few races close to our city for people to participate in.  It is sad that we will have 45 people show up for a local non-sanctioned practice ride, but when there have been really good quality stage races in areas close to us that are not SoCal crits the turn out is less than encouraging.  If you don't go to these races, they will eventually disappear.  Tour De Storm is a very good example of a great race close to home that got very little participation because the Vegas locals decided that Tour De Summerlin would be a better choice.  PLEASE!!!!

Rodney at pro Cyclery was hit and run by a car out at Desert Shores when he was training.  He also has a broken clavicle like Ryan.  Be careful out there gang.

TNW Report:

This week was a barn burner with a surprise win pulled out by none other than the Troll.  PT riders kept attacks going all night and with 4 to go a move containing myself, Little Hurt, Lance, Double Chip got caught and Robo Cop countered with a little passenger in tow.  The Troll got in the break and Robo Cop pulled them away.  In the final 200M the Troll uncorked a sprint and got his first win.  Props out to the Troll for some smart tactics.  Apparently the coaching by Dark Cloud has dome him some good.  He will have to be counted as one of the favorites and watched very closely from now on.

District TT

I checked the results and a few Vegas riders made it out to the High Desert.  Hillary Crowley won her age group in the woman 35-39 category.
Chris Hansel was 13th in the 45+ division.  Nice job you guys and Hillary bringing home the jersey and the bragging rights.

Saturday training ride consisted of myself, Chicken, the boss, Balchesaurus, Dr Stan, THE BIG BOSS, RS, and Robo Cop.  The pace up the loop was set by Balch and than finished off by the boss.  Chicken was hot on his heels confirming that all his crazy dieting and training might actually be working.  At the top of the climb, THE BIG BOSS, PT was waiting for us and he bombed the descents.  Mark Henry put in an attack at the end and Balch worked his ass off to bridge PT to the group.  All of us opted to do Potosi and Balch set a killer tempo up to the top in a head wind and in his big ring.  The good news is all the guys on the team except for one were able to keel the pace, the bad news is I was the one falling behind.
It was a very good day of training.

While we were out training the Arctic Squirrel was testing his legs in NorCal.  Here is his report:

Modesto crit  L shaped loop with lots of bots dots in the road.

Missing in attendance was Dean LeBerge and the entire Discovery Masters team, but in attendance was Safeway, Lombardi Sport, EMC, CVC, Clover (with Bubba Melcher), and Morgan Stanley (with sprint Ace Billy Clark).

Going into the race my tactic was to watch Billy Clark and move when he moves.  About 10 minutes into  the race, Safeway created the break.  All teams were represented in the break except Lombardi and Morgan Stanley.  I have watched Morgan Stanley pull back break after break in earlier races this season so I assumed they would do the same in this race and my plan was still to watch Billy.

With about 20 minutes to go Bubba got a little nervous shot out of the pack to try and bridge.  I thought, if anyone can get across it's Bubba.  Well three riders went with him but he eventually rode them off his wheel.  He hung out there on his own for about 3 laps and it didn't look like he was going to make it.  A couple others tried to get across without any luck so it looked like I was stuck.  All the while Morgan Stanley and Lombardi were on the front of the group but not gaining any ground.

Finally with 5 laps to go I realized the group was not coming back, Bubba wasn't coming back, and to take the field sprint for me would have meant I was sprinting for 25th place or so.  Big Whoop!  Completely out of character I thought well I gotta try something.  I jumped the pack and started my attempt to bridge.  Two guys went with me but I hate one of them so I jumped again and shook them both.  I spent three laps chasing (by myself) full throttle and actually caught the break at the same time as Bubba.  He looked at me a little surprised that I was there, (that made two of us) ha ha.

Sadly it was all for naught!  I fired all my bullets on the bridge and got popped from the break on the last lap!

Good News:
I had the legs to bridge.

Bad News:
I didn't get a result.

Random Thoughts:

SORRY BOSS, I will explain later but Sunday was a bad day

Jay looks like he is coming around.  Pray for his house to sell.

The chicken is beginning to scratch again.

Thurlow Rogers once again won the state TT.  Is this guy ever going to have a bad day??

See all of you in Flagstaff or TNW.
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5.6.07
Hey Gang,

Happy Monday.  This weekend was the Barrio Logan State Crit Champs and the very tough and challenging road race at San Luis Rey.  There was a lot of good racing this weekend with some great lessons in tactics and team dynamics in both races.  Collins showed up in force for Barrio with a good
5-6 riders in the field.  Glad you guys made it.  It would have been nice to have seen some other Vegas teams represented but of course, I forgot that most of you have ended your seasons.  Well here is how it all went
down>

TNW Report:

This week the break away ruled the day.  A group got off early containing Balchesaurus, Little Hurt, and Hansel.  The group got a good gap before any real chase got organized.  Pro Cyclery sent a guy up the road to bridge with the Chicken hot on his heels.  Once I saw that they had a good gap I bridged and Chicken put in a pull to drop the Pro Cyclery rider.  After we got off from the group Brandon from Collins came up with Kircher on his wheel and the three PT riders decided to work on our Team TT and tried to bridge to the break.  We almost caught them on the last lap but the Little Hurt did not want to give Chicken any bragging rights so he pinned it to keep us from catching the break.  Hansel won the day and notched a W for Collins.

Barrio Logan

In the Master 30+ race I was the lone rider for PT.  Collins had the Troll, The Winner, Hansel, Josh, and Padgett.  All of the big favorites were in the race except for Mark Scott.  A small break of 4 started from the gun containing Mike Williams, Brian Keith, Donny Carroll and one other guy.
Thurlow, Noble, Bordine and the rest of the field were all watching each other and the gap grew to at least 25 seconds.  Some of the Collins riders were trying to chase but they were not putting a dent in the gap and I got a little nervous.  At the half way point I attacked and went solo with a DeWalt rider on my wheel.  He would not work because he had a man in the break and I was hoping that Thurlow or Bordine would bridge to me so we could bridge to the break.  I got reeled in after winning a preem and just like clock work, Carl Bordine launched and the rest of the field missed the move.  He went through the break and kept going for the win and the jersey.
A little disappointing that with all those riders in the field no one thought to cover Carl.  Collins had the best finisher of the Vegas riders with a 15th for Padgett.  No need to mention my placing as it was not on the podium.

In the Pro 1-2 race I sat in just to get a work out.  Lance was working his butt off for Five Star and Brandon Gritter took second behind his brother Kyle to get the jersey for the championship for Five Star.  Good job Lance of working for your boys.  I finished in the field.

The ladies rocked this weekend with Alicia, formerly of CES to take 2nd in the Ladies 3-4 crit.

San Luis Rey

The road race for 35+ had myself, RoboCop, Mr Freeze, RS, and The Boss.
The Boss decided to send Kircher up the road from the gun  zone and he was quickly joined by Mark Scott, and Wayne Stetina and several other riders.
With most of the teams represented, we sat on the front and watched the gap grow.  The Boss was a little worried about the company that Kircher had in the break but we were steadfast in blocking and letting the gap open up.
ALex was awesome and spent the day pacing the climbs and blocking the wind for the boss.  The wind was howling on the backside and took its toll on the field.  Little did we know that a nuclear explosion was about to go off in Kircher's body.  He cramped like an epileptic and got dispatched from the break.  The boss and Freeze did everything they could to put the boss in contention but the gap to Mark Scott and Stetina was too much and Louie had to settle for 6th.  That is racing.  Everyone road hard and everyone finished except for RS who gets a pass on this one.  You ask why I am so easy on RS.  Well let me tell you about his first race of the day.  That's right folks.  RS did the Cat 4 race in the morning and whooped some ass to get 3d.  He probably would have won but he decided to start his sprint from 1k out and got nipped by two guys at the line.  I am pretty sure he should be upgrading now so he can come out and kick my ass in the masters races.

Tactics 101:

As a team, if you are going to chase, leave someone in reserve to attack once the catch is in the bag.  It is basic.  Do not let the efforts of your team mates go unrewarded.  You should never have a chase without  a plan to move someone in position to win.  If you are going to chase, organize a team TT to accomplish the goal.  If you needed an example, check out the chase Kahala had organized in the Pro 1-2 race this weekend.  They did not succeed but they had every man rotating on the front.

Random Thoughts:

When Simo says you need to drink, he is not kidding.  Kircher is still sitting at his desk at work today trying to work the cramps out of his forearms.  Louie said that he had a seizure at Quizno's after the race and they almost had to call the paramedics.

Can the boss read a race??  He told me we needed to limit time just in case and I said NOOOOO!!  Sorry boss, you are the better tactician.  I stand corrected as usual.

Freeze is a hell of a wind block and worked his ass off for the boss this weekend.  Great job Freeze  He still managed a top 20 finish after all that pacing on the climbs.

RS gets the Iron Man award this weekend.  He is unstoppable.  He hung tough in the Master's race after a very hard Cat 4 race.  Did I tell you it was hot this weekend.  I am not sure what was in those red bottles you were drinking but Simo looked a little woozy after he sniffed them.

Kircher, DRINK.  Maybe you should have ate at Sizzler the night before.
Kidding.  I know it was killing you to finish when your body was shutting down on you.  Way to hang tough and finish the race.  It takes a brave man to go from the gun and I was really glad it was not me for a change.

Simo was the man of the hour this weekend.  He was great in the feed zone and saved me from suffering a similar fate as Kircher.  Thank You PAPA

Jay was racing on Sunday in NorCal.  I will let you know how he did once he gets back to me.

See you all on Tuesday.
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4.30.07
Hey gang,

Welcome to the official start of summer.  I can tell it is summer because I have switched to Polar water bottles here in the desert and I am bringing a cooler to races.  I can also tell because a lot of the so called racers here in Vegas have gone underground and probably will not be seen until the fall.

I love being on a team where different guys step up to get the win.  I also
like that we race in other locations other than SoCal.    This weekend was
all about RS and Mark Schaefer.  The Force from the North is kicking ass up in Utah.  Read on and enjoy that he single handedly whooped some ass on Kenny's favorite team from Utah.

TNW Report:

This week the sprinters were back.  Lance and Dark Cloud attempted to get away but they forgot to take a PT rider with them so we brought them back in to the group.  I got away after that with Spider Monkey and a CES rider.
We stayed away until 2 to go when the field caught us and the field sprint was on.  I think Lance took the sprint but I need confirmation of that.  I was too blown to look up the road and see the winner.  For the record the Troll finished somewhere close to me and announced that he is the better rider.  I will have to train harder.  That big budget contract from Collins has increased his racing fitness.  I conceded defeat.

Race Report from Utah written by The Force from the North

 East Canyon RR is a 60 mile race with 2 major climbs. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. The was a brake within the first 2 miles consisting of Dirk and one of the guys from BM which as I have explained had enough riders to be one third of the field (ya think they worked?). There are only a couple of other guys in the group strong enough do do anything and go figure they were not willing, they just wanted to watch.....I did what work I felt like (needed some training) just waiting until the bottom of the last climb. Bottom of the climb it was PT time, I heard the brake was 2 minutes up the road time to ride. I rode all of them off my wheel except one BM ride (not sure why more were not there they were all well rested).
Caught the brake and continued to push up the climb, the 4 of us got over the climb together. There was a decent followed by a 4-5 mile rolling section to the 1K up hill finish, I kept driving the brake (they did at least pull trough) then in a true PT way WAXED THEM IN THE SPRINT!!! Let that be a lesson on there mother F...en ass. I love being part of PT racing you were all with me in mind and spirit, thank you.

Put me on the list
1st place master East Canyon RR

Devils Punch Bowl

In the masters race it was me, Robocop and the boss up against most of the good climbers in SoCal.  Amgen had a stacked team and Collins Motorsports had Hansel, Luna and Padget out to test there climbing legs.  We obviously wanted to set up the boss for a win so I attacked from the gun to try and get anyone to chase and than Kircher and the boss were on their own to contest the rest of the race.  I hit the climb solo and than tried to get in the field once they caught me on the climb.  Kircher rode well and was in the mix until after the climb on lap 2 and kept Louie protected and out of the wind.  I was not in the mix after the first climb but it ended up that the boss got ganged up on by Amgen and Leibert who appeared to be in cahoots with the Amgen guys.  Gustavo got up the road on them and Noble and Leibert where not helping the boss chase.  He managed to pull out 4th after battling the field by himself on the last lap.  If you are missing the point let me drive it home.  Louie needed some guns at the end of this race and for the second week in a row he did not have any teammates to help out.
Amgen had 5 guys at the end of the race.  I am as guilty as the next guy so I am not pointing fingers.  Lets all make a commitment to kick up our fitness so we can give the cuban some help.  The results have not been posted but pretty much the entire field finished in front of me.  Dotsie was in our race and got 9th and Kircher finished in the top 20.  Not sure where the Collins guys finished so maybe they can send me a note and let me know how they did.

In the Cat 4, our very own RS (Jonathan) kicked ass to notch a win.  On the first lap he was in the field.  On the second lap he was in a break of 8.
On the last lap he was down to him and one other guy.  I saw the look in his eye when he came through the feed zone and that other rider had no chance.  he rode like a pro all day.  Great job Jonathan.  That should cement his upgrade on one tough race in 90+ temps.

The PT ladies had to race at the hottest part of the day and I for one am glad that they made the masters race in the morning.  I did not see results but I understand they made top ten.  I will update later but great job.
That heat was ridiculous and that pavement on the climb was scorching.
Good Job Michele and Jen.

In the Cat 4-5 Master 40+ race the dominant team in Vegas right now, CES had a good representation.  I did not see the placings as I decided to leave before I melted but I am sure that the sea of yellow was seen from satellites above.  I will get results when available in Velo News.

On Sunday Kircher dragged me and Chicken around Red Rock on our TT bikes until I blew.  Chicken soft pedaled for most of the ride than hit Kircher hard on broke back to solo home.  Good workout.  On Sundays when we are not racing we are trying to practice TT so lets get some of you PT riders out to join us.  Be prepared because Kircher is riding out of his ass and will break you.

Random Thoughts:

Get out and race.  The heat can be beaten with lots of water and a testosterone patch on your nuts.  Ask Flloyd.

Nice to see some Collins guys at a road race.  Want to come out to Flagstaff and play with us on Memorial Weekend???

Mark is coming to Cascade.  Looks like he is starting to shake off the winter fur.  nice job beating up on Kenny's buddies in Utah.  Tell them your team will be riding with you soon.  I am planning on doing the High Uintas and the Bear Lake RR with you.

The ladies continue to impress.  I would not want to bet against them in Flagstaff.

The TT training is going well.  Kircher just needs three guys that can ride his wheel for 40k for the team TT so they can get a medal.  He will not need you to pull as he can do it by himself.

The boss is looking for some good climbers.  Any takers.  I am getting Lipo this week.  Seriously, lets not talk about what we are going to do, lets just do it!!

Chicken was on Mt Charleston this weekend to work on the climbing.  He felt lonely at the top and had a vision of defending his title at Flagstaff.  As he day dreamed of the yellow jersey he was passed at a blistering pace of 4 MPH on the climb by a 200 Lb fat man and promptly went to the side of the road and threw up.  Keep working on the climbing bro.
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4.23.07   
Hey Gang,

It is a cold and windy Monday here in Vegas and I am a little glad I get to take a rest day today after being dragged up and down the Canyon roads in Malibu.  Here is all the news on Conquer the Canyons stage race.  Before I get started I feel the need to give a little shout out to all you racers here in Vegas.  We are now just starting the warmer months and the Vegas representation at the races has been dwindling every month since the start of the season.  I heard a lot of talk about big budgets and grand plans to be well represented race teams.  I am not seeing it.  What in the hell are you guys doing with all that money??  Lets get out and race.

TNW Report:

Last week once again saw the break away artists get over on the sprinters.
Well, not exactly.  Greg Christian and Lance Coburn got in the break as well.  I will give it to Lance, he was matching pull for pull and was the strongest in the break.  The break started with Mark Henry, Gregg, Fast Tony, Mexican snaggle tooth, Balchesaurus, Lance, Hileman and maybe someone else I can not remember.  We kept the pace high and Balch and Lance were matching hard pulls to keep us away.  With 2 to go I attacked to get rid of some dead weight and went solo for a lap.  Mexican Snaggle Tooth bridged hard to get up to me and than sat up.  As we crossed the line with one to go he put his hands up for the imaginary win and pulled out.  Lance, Balchesaurus and Christian picked me up and we went the last lap to watch Lance sprint from the front to take the win.  Kenny pulled the sweet legs out of their hiatus and sprinted for the pack sprint to do justice to the Colnago donated by Arctic Squirrel.

Conquer the Canyons.

We had a two day three stage race.  The first day was a uphill time trial for 8 miles up a canyon road.  It seems a black cloud has been hanging over the PT team when it comes to TT's lately.  The promoter gave Louie the wrong number so he did not start at his appointed time and once corrected it appears they still screwed up his time by 20 seconds.  This little error cost us second in the TT and an overall podium.  Balch put in a good time (even though he dropped a chain) as well as Alex, CHicken, and RS(Jonathan).  Us non-climbers phoned it in for mediocre times and we were ready to rock and roll in the Circuit Race in the afternoon.

Jen and Michelle both had good times and were in contention for the overall in the womans field.

In the Circuit Race the ladies ruled the afternoon with Michelle placing 4th.  Great Job.  Jen rolled in right behind and they both had a great race and bragging rights for the rest of the day.  They both finished better than their significant others.

In the Circuit Race for the men we decided we wanted to hunt breaks and attack as often as possible to soften up the competition and than set Jay up for a sprint if it all stayed together.  Their were numerous break attempts with the boss covering dangerous breaks with GC guys.  Kircher, Chicken and Alex were really active on the front and kept the pace high and kept attacking.  Kenny helped keep Jay out of the wind and safe for the sprint and Kircher was off the front as well as Chicken several times.  The GC teams were too hungry to keep their positions and not lose time and we did not get anyone off.  Chicken, Bruce and RS tried to control the front at the end of the race and Jay was in position for a good sprint but got taken out of the placing by riders sitting up in front of him.  Very disappointing that we did not get a placing but we need a little more work on our team tactics.  The good news is Jay smoked out an awesome sprint for a preem and RS picked up a late preem working the front of the field.
Louie was sitting in 5th on GC going into the last day.

The RR was 5 laps of an 8 mile loop with a one mile leg burning climb that we had to do every lap.  We started the race with all 9 guys still in the race and our climbers ready to attack to get back as much time as possible.
The first time up the climb saw several of us put in difficulty (if you read between the lines that means I got popped) with the first lap having a really fast pace.  Alex, the boss, chicken, and RS were all in the mix with Kircher just behind.  Each lap saw the field get smaller and smaller from attrition.  Pat Caro broke away with Mark Fluss from Central Coast.  The Chicken, Alex, the boss, and RS were in the chase group but were not getting much help.  On lap 4 Chicken got the call from the boss to give it his all to chase down the break.  Alex dropped a chain that took him out of the front group and we had the boss on his own chasing to limit time on the two escapees.  Louie ended up winning the sprint in his chase group to take 3rd in the road race.  Nice job Boss to get a podium in the road race.  The move up of Pat Caro and another rider dropped Louie into 7th on GC which was his final position.  RS finished not far behind in the RR with Alex and Chicken just behind him.  Kircher rolled in next and than Bruce and I was left to sweep up the stragglers on the course.  Most teams would be happy with that performance but we have set the bar really high so the 7th was good but not what we are capable of.  At least our season is not over like the other racers in Vegas and we have another chance to shine next weekend at Punch Bowl.

Random Thoughts:

Keep working towards our goals, we need to give Louie some more guns at the end of the race.

Where is all the money in the peloton??  Are any of the big budget all crit all stars planning on showing off those beautiful new kits and colors for the spring races??  I am sure that your sponsors will be happy to get a little exposure other than Tuesday Night Worlds.  STEP UP  How are you going to have any photos for your resume if you do not race.  Of course you could take your Jersey and super impose it on a photo on Chris Walker.

Mark, how is it going in Utah??  Have you started racing yet.  Drop us a line and let us know how you are doing.

Did anyone see Jay kill that preem.  I know that the whole team let out a collective sigh when we saw that speed.  Lets put it to some good use in some upcoming races because that was fast.  Mark Scott actually wanted to know where we found you.

Has anyone got a lucky rabbits foot or some voodoo or something we can waive over Louie and get rid of the TT dark cloud.  Chin Up boss.  That was a nice recovery to take that third in the road race and give the field a taste of things to come.  The season is not over by a long shot.

Shout out to the PT ladies for a kick ass weekend.  You gals rode great and looked even better.  NICE!!!

See ya Tuesday
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4.16.07
Hey Gang,

Happy Monday.  This weekend had some highs and lows for the PT Gang.  I guess sometimes you got to take the bad luck with the good.  Here is all the news worth printing for this week.  I do not have all the details of the exact tactics of the stage race in Tucson but the boss made it very clear that he had an awesome supporting cast.  More on that later (just a
teaser)

Lets start off with some of the bad news.  The BIG BOSS did not have a good weekend down in Long Beach.  I did not see the crash on TV since I was racing but I understand he hit the wall really hard.  I am not sure the exact nature of his injury but PT is not going to be driving for a while.
I understand he is up and around already and lets hope his recovery time is short and he will be back driving in very little time.  Hopes and prayers out to PT for a speedy recovery and maybe he can get out to a few of our races and hang out, drink some beers, clean Louie's bike, drive the team car and make himself useful.

TNW Report:

This week saw the revenge of the break away artists.  Double Chip started off a nice attack and I followed to cement the gap.  Hansel and Noe
(Allegiant) came along for the ride and we were gone.  Jorge Alvarado from Socal fame bridged up and we worked really hard to hold off the field.
Jorge is strong as hell and actually attacked the group since we were not keeping the speed fast enough.  Hansel kept the speed up to bring him back with 2 laps to go and Jorge took advantage of the small rest to attack our group again and solo in for the win.  Hansel came in second and the field was hot on our heels at the end, but we did hold them off. Nice job gang and some really good training.  I liked Hansel's quote when he saw Jorge working us over like little bitches "Who the fuck is that guy???"

Tucson Stage Race:

I can let Louie add in to this as I do not have all the details but I do have a deadline to work with.  The PT Gang went down to Tucson and took on the AZ and NM teams and came out with the overall win.  I do not know all the details as I was racing in San Diego but he made it very clear that Mr.
Freeze and Sweet Legs turned themselves inside out to fend off multiple attacks from a strong contingent of AZ riders.  The boss took 3rd in the TT and won the next two stages to secure the overall.  That is 2 wins and a podium and a win overall.  That being said I checked some of the competition and that was a tough field.  Biaggi, Silverman, and Cimiglia are all National Caliber Masters.  I am sure they are going to want some revenge in Flagstaff so that is shaping up to be a really good race.  I wonder if we can get any other Vegas teams out to that one.

San Diego Omnium:

Myself, Chicken and RoboCop went down to fight it out for the Omnium.  The TT was early Friday and I had never done this course.  It is 2 laps around Fiesta Island.  Robocop looked to have the best time but he did not have a computer and the officials screwed up the start order and added 30 seconds to his time.  This put him out of the points so we had to settle for the Chicken clawing out a time to put him into 11th.  Not what we had hoped for but racing an Omnium is all about staying consistent and getting points wherever you can.  I did a sub 19 with no disk so not setting the world on fire but much better than I would have done in the past.

The road race was 2 laps on the Boulevard course.  We started the course haulin ass from the whistle with Kircher launching an attack.  I countered off a move from Leibert and got off the front solo on the downhill.
Kircher countered my move when I got caught and went up the road with Mark Scott.  This took all the pressure off of Chicken and the chase was on.
Mark Fluss launched a severe chase on the rolling climb approaching the main climb that shattered the field.  The Chicken held on for dear life and tried to go with but got caught in the second chase group with Mark Fluss and Leibert up the road.  Leibert dropped Fluss on the second climb to the finish and Chicken out sprinted Mark Scott in the second chase group to get 4th.  he got nipped on the line by McNulty who was riding out of his ass.
Considering this was his first race back from his break, he was riding very well to get 4th.  Kircher kicked ass to get 9th in the road race and I dragged in behind in the third group on the road for 14th.  Tough race but we had Mike in 6th in the omnium.

The crit was like a Northern Classic.  It was raining at the start and the road grime coated us like Belgium Warriors.  The plan was to scratch for any possible points for Chicken so we could move up in the Omnium or at least hold our placing.  The laps were furious with lots of attacks and very high speeds in wet conditions.  Kircher started rocking from the gun and had the field strung out single file.  I dedicated myself to leading out Chicken for the two bonus preems and the finish.  The first sprint we did not hook up but he rode Mark Scott to the front and got 2 points in the sprint.  The second preem I took Chicken into the corner and part way down the straightaway and he picked up another point.  With 4 laps to go Kircher took over the front and kept Chicken in perfect position.  I took over on the last lap and got him into the last corner in position to sprint his little legs off.  The Chicken was killing himsef against all the big name sprinters and secured 6th place in the crit and 6th overall for the omnium.
Definitely a team effort.  That 25 bucks was hard fought.

This week is Conquer the Canyons and looks like we have the whole team going down.  Leibert and company are rocking so this should be a great battle.  Looking forward to this one.

Jim's Soap Box:

If you get dropped out of the break and than lapped, you probably have no business getting back into the break.  Sit in the field and think about what kind of training you need to do to be stronger for next time.

Random Thoughts:

Damn I love breaking away.  Greg from Cynergy lapped the entire field in the 45+ crit solo in San Diego.  I have never accomplished this but a certain little Cuban has done it twice since I have been on the team That must be an awesome feeling.  To see Greg catch the field and raise his hands as he lapped them was cool.  Keep training because that is some serious motivation to be that strong.

Kircher does not require any kind of warm up.  His work in the road race and the crit this weekend was incredible and very selfless.  Great Job

Alex and Kenny get super domestique award this week.  The boss told me how many attacks they had to deal with and it appears that the AZ racers were united in their quest to beat the boss.  Kenny and Alex rocked the house to keep the boss fresh.  I say we let them race Flagstaff and we can drink beer in the feed zone and watch.  They don’t need us!!

The Chicken worked his ass off on the Crit this week to scratch out those points.  Way to tough out those sprints when you were tired.  Awesome riding

Has anyone seen the Vegas race teams.  I know most of you stop racing as soon as it warms up but damn.  I am putting the word out now, come on out to Flagstaff and support a great race that is not the usual Socal Crit and help make this a great race.  Step up!!

Just a note to the PT gang, we need to start talking about target races for the summer.  I am planning on doing Cascade for sure and need to decide between High Uintas or Tour De Nez since they are on the same weekend.
Drop me a line and let me know what you thinker.  I will also be doing State in Vandenberg.  Everest Challenge is a must and I am sure I will see all of you there.

Special Note to the BOSS:  I really do not give Louie a lot of press time because lets face it, he is really not that good of a racer.  Actually that is not true we just take it for granted that he is going to place on the podium.  So far he has ridden some incredible races this season and when his teammates were in a position to win or place he has sacrificed himself to help his teammates.  He is setting a great example for the team and it shows in everyone's performance on the team.  Lets rock the house this weekend and set the goal to get two PT racers on the podium.
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4.9.07
Hey Gang,

Happy Easter!!  I took a break from racing this weekend to hang out in town and get in some training.  Plenty of stuff to go over so here we go.

TNW Report:

Last week was once again a sprinting show with Dark Cloud (Gebbia) taking his second sprint victory in a row.  As usual the PT boys were active on the front but our best sprint, the Midget Cuban Missile was unable to secure a win.  Who knew Louie could sprint??  He did a fine job this week rubbing elbows with the Vegas All Crit All Stars.  It seems the peloton is very hungry as they will not let anyone get away for very long.  Those of us non sprinters are going to have to organize our attacks a little better so we can get away and draw out those big legged sprinters.

Saturday the Chicken, myself and Balchasaurus went out for the normal Vegas training ride.  Little hurt was storming up the canyon from the gun and kept the pressure up when he hit the loop.  Chicken and Balch were in the chase group and got to the top of the loop just behind Andy.  Looks like Chicken is maintaining his climbing legs so that is good news for the upcoming road races on the schedule.  As the majority of the group took the right turn too Pussyville at Blue Diamond, the Paul Tracy riders took the high road to Tuff Town and went to Potosi.  We did the back side as well and finished off with another loop just to make sure Chicken and Kircher completely killed my legs.  Balch was climbing well and we did have one brave soul that tagged along for the extra climbing.  This JR kid named Mathew from Pro Cyclery got a little lesson from the Balchesaurus on climbing tactics but my props out to this kid for hanging tough.  He cracked at the end but he is only 15 and was riding very well.  Look for this kid to be pretty good if he gets some good guidance and advice.

Sunday was the big day for the BIG BOSS.  PT was driving in the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix and did really well to secure 3rd.  Nice job boss.  If any of you want to see how to handle a podium and represent your sponsor, check out the TV coverage of Paul sucking down Monster right out of the car like it was the sweet nectar of the gods.  Kenny drinking Kettle and soda looks very similar, did Paul get some coaching????

Sunday was TT day and I have to report that Kircher is on drugs.  He tortured me and Chicken for three hours of excruciating pain.  I am not sure what I did to deserve this kind of punishment but I will not be asking for that again anytime soon.  We worked on some positioning and looks like Kircher is ready to go for the Team TT title by himself.  Hopefully some of you guys on the team will have the pleasure of sitting on his wheel so you can get a free ride and a medal because I am pretty sure he will not need our help.  Good training, I am sore!!

The only noteworthy result that I saw from Ontario this weekend was Miguel from Allegiant got third place in the masters 30+ race.  Hopefully his finger did not fall off when they took the podium shot.  GOOD JOB MIGUEL

Great TV this weekend with the US Open live on NBC on Saturday and the Ronde on Sunday.  I will say that yes, I did pick the winner of the Ronde and I am negotiating with Versus to take Phil Liggets spot when he retires.
If you doubt me you can confirm with the Chicken as to my forecasting abilities.  Of course I totally blew the US Open as Sven Tuft was not on my list.  I am going on record to advise you that Karsten Kroon will win Roubaix and my outside pick will be Gusev.  Many of you have no idea what I am talking about because these riders do not participate in Tuesday Night Worlds.  Do not worry, they are beneath you and probably would get spanked if they tried to race against you at TNW.

Random Thoughts:

Little Hurt, it is OK to allow us to warm up before you TT up gun club.  I actually had to chase.  Nice move but I did not get to finish my latte.

When do we get our Monster??

Fast Tony's team was out in force (all 3 of them minus Tony) on Saturday.
Their new kits look good.  I hope they actually wear them in a race someday.

The Balchesaurus pulled me and Chicken up Potosi in a head wind on Saturday and never came off of the front.  Very impressive for an old dinosaur.
Conquer the Canyons is going to be fun.  Kircher went and did Potosi alone and than ripped off my legs on Sunday.

No news from the Arctic Squirrel lately.  Jay, check in and let us know how you are.

Vuelta Valencia stage race has been changed to just a crit.  That is the weekend of May 12-13.  This might be a good weekend to do a training camp somewhere to get ready for Flagstaff.  PT riders let me know what you think,  If anyone knows of a good road race somewhere else we can do that weekend let me know.  Maybe we could go up and torture Schaefer that weekend in Utah.

Has anyone seen Kircher's Cervelo.  I am hoping he gets it soon so he will not take his anger out on me and Chicken.  I do not think I can take much more lactic acid in my legs.

See some of you this weekend in San Diego.  The rest of you go down and rock Tucson.
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3.5.07
Let me sum up this weekend of NRC racing by saying, WOW!! THANK WHATEVER GOD YOU PRAY TO THAT WE SURVIVED!!  What a weekend of white knuckle, fast as hell racing.  The first big race on the NRC schedule and all the players were there in force.  Only the Paul Tracy team was there from Vegas so here are the reports on the races we were involved in.

The Crit was 32 laps (not timed event) for a mile a lap.  This course was really technical with a chicane and a lot of fast corners.  The pavement was hideous which resulted in a lot of poor riding even in the masters.
Our plan was to hunt breaks and set up a sprint for Jay.  Kircher did a great job of single handily pulling back a dangerous break and Louie rode the front of the peloton like he was surfing.  With 8 laps to go in the race we were all on the front ready to set up a lead out when some Fred in the back decided to turf it on the straightaway at 32 mph.  They stopped the race for the ambulance and all the guys that were on the rivet had a chance to rest and they put the lap count to 12 and restarted us.  Not good for us but hey, that is racing.  Kenny rocketed to the front and had the best position of the day on the restart.  Chicken put Jay on his wheel mid pack and pulled him up to me and we went to the front to get the show started.  Chicken, Louie and me did a 3-man TT with 5 laps to go to hold the front for the remainder of the race.  Jay was bumping and grinding to hold wheels and got swallowed up by the surges.  Somehow the silly Chicken ended up being the best sprinter of the day for Paul Tracy and pulled out 17th place.  We were aggressive in controlling the front at the end of the race but we still need a little work on controlling the lead out.

Jay and I did the Cat II race and I will just say that we are lucky to come out unscathed.  On the last couple of laps in the race their were no less than 4 crashes.  We came around a corner and ran into the back of Mount People.  They were stacked up so bad that it was literally a 6 foot pile of riders in the corner.  We cruised home to finish with our bikes intact and our nerve a little shaken.  I did hear Chris Carlson's name announced several times so he was working his butt off in the front of the race.  I know that he was not in the placing but he rode a hell of a race and was very active in trying to get breaks going.

The Pro race was contested by Louie and Chicken.  Mid way into the race the two of them were lined up behind each other when a rider chopped Louie in a corner and took both of them down.  They both came home uninjured and happy to not be involved in the huge crash on the last corner that took out some of the 5-star riders.  The write up in the CyclingNews does not mention all the crashes but the Pro race was by far the worst of the day with guys coming into the pits on a regular basis.  I hope next year the promoter can find a safer venue or at least convince the city to repave the roads.

The road race was three loops of 25 miles each.  The course has some little rollers at the end to sap the legs but nothing to really make a selection.
We really wanted to put a rider or two in the break and than save something for the end if it came down to a bunch.  Kircher started the fireworks by attacking and you could tell how hungry the field was.  Without any wind to make the course more difficult it was easy for riders to chase and keep the race together.  I bridged to Kircher and we tried to make a go but the field was on us in second.  Louie tried some attacks as well as Kenny and Jay but after the first lap it was obvious that all the big teams wanted to keep it together and was keeping anyone on a very small leash.  Lap two was really mild and we all sat in to see what would happen on lap three.  Lap three we lost Kenny when he had a mechanical with his wheel after he hit a big pot hole.  Kircher flatted not long after that and Jay, me, The Boss, and Chicken were left in the field.  I had not seen Chicken all day but as we got to about 5 miles from the finish he just appeared at the front like they dropped him out of an airplane.  On the rollers approaching the finish we moved Jay and me to the front and met up with Louie.  As we came into the last 5k of the race we were coming up on the woman's field and all hell broke loose.  We were blowing by dropped riders at 34MPH and it got really dangerous.  I came out of the last roller with the front group of riders and started to sprint when I realized there were about 15 woman riders all strung out across the finish.  I decided to not kill myself or another rider and did not contest the sprint.  This was a good decision as several of the woman got plowed into by the masters and I was a little sad to see several girls go down as a result of our sprint.  I ended up somewhere around 15th place with Jay, Chicken and Louie coming in safe right behind me.

Random Thoughts:

Rock Racing's black kit looked really cool when we saw them out riding on Friday.  At the race they showed up in all white kits that were pretty much see through.  I would suggest some butt hole covers as a courtesy to your fellow riders.  I really do not need to see that in a race.  The Escalades for team cars were interesting as well.  I am having Kenny call Paul to see
if we can get some team cars.   I am pretty sure we could get a great deal
on some Yugos or something.  Since Chicken and Louie were doing way better than half of their team in the race I think a couple of Yugos for the team is not too much to ask.

Kircher, order the right sizes.  Be on time.  Sizzler rules!!!

Did you hear the announcer giving Paul Tracy props for controlling the front and stringing out the field.  We will get the finish right pretty soon.  Stay focused and keep sacrificing for each other and that big win is on the horizon.

Henk Vogels almost got bum rushed by Chicken.  I am pretty sure Chicken will be adopting the negative rise stem just to be like him.  It was pretty cool talking to him on our training ride.

Is 6 racers and a drunken old man watching Cat House on HBO gay??  I am not sure.  The amaretto was much needed on Saturday night.  Thanks again to Simo this weekend.  We all needed some care for one thing or another.  He really came in handy this weekend for bike repairs, feed zone, good advice, passes to park with the pros.  THANKS SIMO

How does Chicken keep finishing in front of me in Crits.  You little bastard.  I am going to pound you in the TT in San Dimas just to beat you on your own turf.  Great job this weekend and way to finish tough in the road race.

Kenny and Jay looked like they were on a tandem in the road race.  Every time I saw one of them the other was right next to him.  You guys rode a solid race.  Those Cervelo's looked really good.  Kenny did a good job of keeping Jay sheltered and ready for the finish.  NICE

Kircher pulling back the break in the Crit in less than one lap was impressive.  Keep it rocking.

Louie could not have ridden a better Crit.  Any of you that think he is not a good Crit racer, pay attention to how well he holds position at the front.  I was impressed.  It is almost like you know how to race??

San Dimas is only two weeks away, keep up the intensity!!
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2.26.07
Hey gang,

Happy Monday.  Based on some of the results I have been checking, it looks like a lot of you were out racing this weekend.  Glad to see Vegas well represented down in Socal.  Let me get through some housekeeping on some results.

This is the latest from VOS.

Andy Bestwick ended up 13th place in the Cat II road race, 14th in the Crit, and 26th overall.  DAMN.  That is a performance worth giving some praise on.  He keeps up this pace and we may have another Cat I party to throw here real soon.  Great Job Andy.

Greg Christian was 3rd in the Cat II crit.  I am sure he would have been up there on GC as well but he missed the start time in the road race because of traffic.  Nice job Greg.

I can not comment on the Crit in Ontario as I did not witness the race as I was out doing secret training with the Chicken after our race in Long Beach but it looks like quite a few of the Collin Motorsports gang was out racing.  Here are the results I noticed.

Pro 1-2   Lance Coburn in 20th
Cat III      Bill Woolf  8th (Collins)
Master 30+ 1-3  Ryan Jarell 3rd, Scott Miller 8th,(Collins), Jeffon (I think Allegiant)13th Master 40+ 1-3  Jeff Padgett (Collins) 3rd and Chris Hansel 6th.

Good showing by the Collins team out at Ontario with some Podium Performances.  Good job Vegas!!

Chicken and I headed to warmer temps this weekend to race and train.  On Saturday we opted to climb like Billy Goats into the heavens.  We did Glendora Mountain (same road as TT in San Dimas) and than kept going all the way to Mt Baldy.  The road is open all the way so i am a little disappointed they have kept the TT in San Dimas to the shortened distance but it is still going to be tough.  San Dimas is going to be quite the battle between all the top Master's teams.  Hope all of you are training.

As for the Paul Tracy Team, we opted to do the Master 30+ race in Long Beach.  I think every bad ass in SoCal and a few NorCal racers showed up for an hour of speed work.  This course was fast even with the winds that kicked up.  Myself, Chicken, and Mr. Freeze started off and we were taking turns covering breaks from the gun.  The field was super hungry today and I do not think that any break got more than ten seconds off of the front of the field.  The sprint was really fast with a huge wide straight away to keep every one convinced that they were still in it.  I tried like hell to move into position on the last lap but a crash on the barriers on the right took me out of contesting for a win and I was a little tired from the previous days training.  We all finished in the field and thanked our luck that we were not involved in the crash.  Results have not been posted but Mark Noble from up North won.  We will be up against him, his team, and all the other NorCal studs next weekend in the first NRC race of the year in McClane.

I saw Little Hurt, Smiling Miguel, and Spider Monkey from Allegiant and Lance from Five Star in the pro 1-2 race but we did not get to see the finish.  I will let you know how they did once results are posted.  I did see Spider Monkey chasing on the front after the hair pin with his bobble head in full effect.  That is when I know he is on the rivet.

I also saw Chris Gagne in the Cat III race but I did not see his placing in the sprint so you will all have to wait until next week for results.  Good Job Vegas!!

This week is McClane Pacific.  On the start list from Paul Tracy is the boss, myself, Chicken, RoboCop, Sweet Legs, the Arctic Squirrel and Simo to provide the Amaretto.  I have not hear of any other Vegas racers going to that race, so drop me a line if you are going.  It is a great race.  We have not had the chance to go head to head with the Collins team so it looks like we will have to wait for another couple of weeks.  Are you guys doing San Dimas??

Random Thoughts:

Climbing sucks but the views from the top of those peaks are well worth the pain.  Lets hope it pays off in some good fitness.

How bout that Ivan Dominguez.  Nice sprint on the last day.  By the way, if you remember back a couple of weeks ago, a certain fat man who writes a little news letter told you the inside scoop on who would win the Tour of California.  You did not get that inside edge from Cyclingnews.com now did you.

Mr Freeze did his first race of the year on Sunday.  He looked great.  He is going to be one hell of an asset in San Dimas.

I heard the Balchesaurus dragged Kenny up and down the loop this weekend.
Do you think he might be a little motivated??

Chicken, if you are going to do an alpine climb, (by the way, you only did the equivalent of the first climb at Everest Challenge)you need to eat!!!
Silly Chicken

Jay was racing in the rain this weekend in Merced and got tangled up in a little crash.  No damage to Jay or the bike but he was not able to contest the finish.  Do not worry Jay, you are going to have a little more help this weekend.

I will let you know about the first NRC race of the year.  Should be a barn burner.  I vote that we send RoboCop up the road in the RR and the rest of us can stop at the side of the road and have some wine with Simo and watch the finish.

Jim's Soap Box:

Tuesday night worlds is just around the corner.  I am going to say this several times during the year.  Remember this is a training race with only the local bragging rights on the line.  I was amazed last year that when I would place in big races in SoCal, nobody even said congrats but when I soloed away from the Crit field on Tuesday night my phone would ring off the hook.  That being said, keep it safe.  I know for some of you this is the most important race of your career but most of us want to race on the weekends and can not afford to go down in a training race.  Hold your lines and be more courteous than you would be in a normal Crit.

Till next week keep training.
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2.19.07
Hey gang,

I am sure you were waiting on the edge of your seats for this one.  The first big stage race of the year did not disappoint with a strong showing by Paul Tracy riders.  As always I will try to represent the events of the weekend to the best of my recollection but I do make mistakes so if I miss something or get it a little wrong, sorry.  After all I am a masters rider so the mind is slipping a little.

Most of the team made it out for this one with the exception of Alex and Jay.  Jay was up in Norcal rubbing shoulders with the Pro Tour riders at the Tour prologue and Alex was tending to the new edition in the family.
Congratulations out to the Pendleton's on the new baby.

We split the team with four of us in the 30+ (Chicken, Sweet Legs Kenny, RS Jonathan, and me)and four in the 40+ (RoboCop, the boss, Mark, and Jimmy Neutron(Bruce)).  The TT started well with Chicken posting a good time for 6th place on GC and myself, Jonathan, and Kenny all within  a second of each other further back.  The boss also posted a good time for 6th in his cat with Kircher in 15th and Mark in 9th.  Three out of 4 in the top 15 was damn good.  Chicken went home with bragging rights for the team with the best time of the day.  Jen represented in the woman's field and it was her first race of the year so she knocked out a decent time to get back into the swing of things.

Going into the road race in the 30+, our strategy was to try and work with the Amgen team to keep it together until after the KOM bonus and than attack the race leaders to try and get a rider up the road to get some time.  Chicken followed a sweet lead out by Jonathan and Kenny to try and get the bonus and just missed placing 5th in the KOM.  Right on Cue, Jonathan went with the counter and was up the road in a break.  He had an Amgen rider with him so we started shutting down the field.  The AZ teams really screwed up by not chasing and limiting their losses.  The leaders of the break got enough time to leap frog into the overall lead and Jonathan jumped from 28th to 10th overall.  We had a little misfortune during the race when Chicken who was 6th on GC flatted.  Kenny was awesome in giving up a wheel but Chicken was unable to get back on in the cross winds and dropped down in the standings.  I was blocking at the front for Jonathan and did not realize Chicken had gotten a flat.  A definite error on my part that cost the team some GC but we were very happy with Jonathan's fourth place in the road race.  Jonathan was so focused he did not realize he was on the last lap and crossed the finish line and just kept going for another lap thinking that the race was still on.  Now that is running scared.  I finished with the field and should have been in the top 20 on GC but they did not score my finish.

In the 40+ road race, Kircher attacked and was off of the front for most of the race.  Balch, Mark, and the boss let the other teams do some work when the boss launched a counter and bridged to Kircher.  Kircher took over on the last climb and paced the small break up the climb at warp speed.  The boss sat in the draft and than shot out to sprint for the road race win.
The win and the time bonus bumped him into second overall.  Nice team work to set up another road race win for the team.  Kircher had the strength of ten men today.  Mark got caught up in a little crash on the climb but he was not hurt.

In the woman's race, Jen had a good day to finish with the field and keep working on her fitness for later in the year.

Going into the crit, the 30+ team had no chance on getting a GC placing in the money so the crit was all about trying to get a stage win.  We wanted to keep the pace fast and try to work the last lap to our advantage.
Various attacks tried to get away but the field was too hungry and with five laps to go we tried to line up and set up a sprint win.  As a team we did not communicate well and even though we were lined up, we really were not sure who we were working for.  Kenny was having trouble with his gears and I thought I was leading out Kenny.  Needless to say Kenny was not able to sprint because of his mechanical and Mike was killing himself for me to go for the win.  Mike ended up getting 5th in the crit and I placed 10th with Jonathan safe in the field to keep his 10th overall on GC.  We needed a little more direction to really set up right for the win but it was good we all rode at the front and will be ready when Jay gets in the mix.  Great job to Jonathan for getting a top ten in his first masters stage race.

The 40+ guys put on a crit show with Balch, Mark, and Robocop keeping the field together and putting the boss in perfect position for the sprint.
Louie came out of the corner in third wheel and busted out a hell of a sprint for the stage win.  Awesome job guys.  With the stage and bonus he secured second overall on GC.  Podium Baby!!  Kircher and Mark were also in the top 15 but the exact placing on GC was not avail at press time.

Jen rode a smart race to finish in the field and work on her speed.  Better days to come for our aspiring legal eagle but she looked comfortable and rode a good race.

Other Notables:

Greg Christian had the best TT time in Vegas with an impressive time and 17th in the cat II.  I really was not able to see much more than that as most of the Cats were racing at different times and results are not posted.
Jabanero finished 5th overall in the Cat 5 and should be upgrading soon.

Fast Tony was pack fodder but did win a preem in the crit in the 40+.

Jim's Soap Box:

My hats off to those of you in the Cat II race that gutted out the wind and finished.  I heard of several team mates of a Vegas team that opted not to finish because the race was hard and left their team mates to struggle on alone.  Of course these are my own opinions, but if you start a race, finish the race.  Your team mates may need you the next day.  If you do not have the fitness than you should be riding to get that fitness.  I am proud of the efforts that I have seen in the past from my team mates to make the time cut so they could be there the next day to lend a hand to help someone win a race.  That spirit keeps your team strong.  Funny that I surround myself with riders that follow this rule and we have a tendency to win races.  Go figure.

Random Thoughts:

Does Fast Tony know how to read his bike computer?  The time he told us he did in the TT would have put him in the top ten in the Pro 1.  Thank god they did not use his timing system as I would have done a sub 25 and would be getting ready for my debut in the Pro Tour.  I am sure Bjarne Riis has my contract ready.

Do you really need pedals for a time trial??

Can some one install a clicker on Jonathan's handle bars so he can keep track of the laps?

This is a crack on myself, Damn it Jim, pay attention to the Chicken at all times!!  Will not happen again Bro.

Damn, the boss can sprint!!  He is so low to the ground I think he has an unfair advantage.

If you would like the entire history on Bruce Balch's racing career, ask Kenny.  From Las Vegas to Phoenix and back again he heard every race story that he has and than some new stuff from this weekend.  Nice to see a class rider back in the peloton.  Hopefully he can be an example for some less than impressive riders to live up to.  And do not worry Bruce, we got rid of the evidence out of your car.  Kenny and I enjoyed the beer.

Kircher is about to rip off somebody's legs.  I am warning all of you now, do not get in a break with him.  You will only suffer behind him like a hamster on a wheel.  He is a machine and does not have human feelings.  You have been warned.

Kenny, I can not wait to see what you can do with that raw power of yours.  You damn near dropped me with three laps to go in the crit.  Get that bike fixed and lets get you that win.

The drunken sailor was in rare form.  What happened to all the amaretto??  I think he was drinking in the feed zone.

Drop me a line if you have more to add.
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2.12.07
Hey Gang,

I have a few additions to last weeks results.  I am sure that most of the time I will be a little behind because the Socal results take a couple of days to get posted.  Here are the following honorable mentions from last weeks Red Trolley Crit.

Hilary Crowley from Pro Cyclery got 6th in the woman Pro 1-3 race and 2nd in the womans 3-4 race.
Greg Christian Pro Cyclery was 11th in the Pro 1-2 In the Cat III race Eric Broussard Allegiant Air was 8th and Chris Gagne Five Star was 14th.

Nice job to all of you.

I was down in Socal this weekend to dial in the TT bike and do some speed work in the Brea Crit.  Simo did an awesome job of working on my position and the bike to make sure I am ready for next week and I got in some great training on the TT bike.

I understand that there was a battle royal going on the loop this weekend.  I heard all this second hand but it seems that all the most fashionable people were out showing off their climbing skills.  I understand that the Balchesaurus did a nice tempo to launch Chicken and the boss in hot pursuit of Greg Christian.  Sounds like all the PT guys are on their game going into VOS.  I was sorry I was not able to see it but glad you guys are kicking ass before a big stage race.

The Arctic squirrel was seen racing in the rain up in NorCal and pulled off a second in the men's Cat II-III crit.  He told me one guy was off the front and he had a bunch of team mates in the field blocking like crazy.
Nice sprint to win the field by the squirrel.  That is the second placing of the year and it appears that El Diablo is starting to stoke the fire in the poor squirrels legs.  The second day saw poor squirrel racing some of the top NRC racers in the country and hanging on for dear life.  Nice training Jay and be confident that if you had the team with you I am sure that second would have turned into a W.

I did the crit in Brea on Sunday.  Alas the poor fat man was racing alone but it was a good boost to my confidence.  As I looked at the starting line to see Ivan Domingues and the Toyota United boys as well as Kyle Gritters from Health Net, Tony Cruz from Discovery and all the Succesful Living guys, I knew I would get a good work out.  The pace was moderate to fast and I covered quite a few breaks and pulled back a couple.  The Five Star guys were really active but no one was interested in getting away so the field stayed together for the inevitable field sprint.  I did not contest the sprint as I am not quite ready to show Ivan my awesome turn of speed, that was a joke, but I am really happy with the speed work and I tried to represent Paul Tracy as best I could.  I tried hunting breaks but nothing was going to stay today.

Chris Hansel was in a break to take a nice second place in the 40+ race.  I did not stay to see the Cat III race or the masters 35+ so I will have to get results for next week.  I saw a few Vegas guys in the Cat III race hunting points so we will have to check and see who came out on top.

VOS is this weekend so we should have a lot of racing to report on next week.  This will be the first appearance of the force from the North, Mark Schaefer.  I am looking forward to seeing how the 40+ guys do in this race as they looked pretty stacked with Bruce, the boss, Kircher and Mark all racing 40+.

Random Thoughts:

How did Peter Anderson like getting thrown into the mix on Saturday??  I hear he did quite the TT to lead out Chicken for a sprint at the end of the canyon.  Chicken sprinting???  OK that is a little silly.

I talked to the real Fast Tony, Tony Cruz for about ten minutes.  He gave a shout out to Jay and than we talked about his plans and Discovery's training camp.  You heard it here first, Leipheimer is climbing out of his ass and should be a serious threat for Tour of California.  Tony is an outside shot at the Discovery Tour Team.  Good Luck Tony!!

Apparently the Troll thinks that I ride at the front too much.  I will notate your advice in my book of bad advice.  In case you did not notice the front of the race is where breaks form and people in the front cross the finish line first.  Just letting you know in case you were wondering.

I hear Balch is like a high school kid getting ready to go to prom.  I feel sorry for some of you guys at Tuesday night worlds.  He is going to kill people.

Hansel informed me that the Collins Team will be skipping VOS for the CBR race in Dominguez.  Looks like it will be a while before we square off with them.

Jay told me the Discovery Masters team up in Norcal is kicking ass.  I will give you a full report when we go up against them at McClane.

Speaking of McClane,  I will be doing McClane and than Murrieta before San Dimas.  If you are planning on racing either of these races, I need a head count for rooms.  Drop me a note.

Has anyone seen Fast Tony's team in a race yet??  I have been looking but I have not had a sighting.  I guess they are saving it for the Tour De Summerlin.  I will have to keep training so I am ready to hold on when the time comes.  Just kidding around but it would be nice to see more people that have all this money to race get out and race.

See you guys and gals in Phoenix.
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2.5.07
Hello Gang,

Finally I get to report on some real racing.  We started our season off with a bang this week.  As always I want to remind you that the opinions and versions represented are strictly my own and if I missed something or said something that is in error, too bad.  If you have an account to add or additional information, please feel free to chime in.

Boulevard kicks off the official road season and the Socal cup.  It was great to see all the new teams and the adjustment of talent from one team to another.  The race is 22 miles per lap with a lot of climbing to the finish.  In other words, this was a damn hard race course and most of the all crit all stars were not present and accounted for or they were doing about 4.5 MPH up the climb.  All the usual players were there in the Masters 35+ with Amgen, Cynergy, CA Pools, Velocity, and Shroeder Iron all well represented.  Myself, Chicken, the Boss, Sweet Legs, and RoboCop were all on the start line.  The strategy was to cover any break and keep the boss and Chicken in reserve for the finish to the top of the climb.
Worthington from Cynergy attacked and Kircher and me chased from the gun.
The decent was wicked fast because of the winds and we had a two man break up the road without us in it.  Kircher kicked ass to bring it back before the rollers.  Sweet legs had some bad luck and dropped a chain at the first climb and that was all she wrote for him.  That was too bad because he was riding really well.  Trying to recover and do the rolling climbs before the big climb took its toll on me and Kircher and we both were off the back on the big climb on lap one.  As I looked up the road there was an unusual sight.  Is that the Chicken attacking on the top of the climb??  He got away with Mark Scott and Pat Caro and they had a nice break going.  This was perfect and kept all the pressure off of the boss so he could be fresh for the finish.  Before the last climb, the break was reeled in and Chicken killed himself to set up the boss for the win.  The boss was in the front group and sprinted for the hill top finish.  he had to jump a little early because of another rider dropping a chain and Pat Caro just nipped him at the line for the win.  The boss got 2nd and Chicken gutted out the climb and out sprinted his group for 9th.  Two Paul Tracy riders in the top ten for the first road race of the year.  NICE!!  I finished back in 30th and Kircher was right behind for 36th.

The next day, Kircher, Chicken, Sweet legs, and me decided to skip the crit in San Diego and opted to do a training ride in Socal for miles with the boss.  We all enjoyed the incredible weather and got in some great miles to get ready for Valley of the Sun.

Other notables:

Awesome job by Andy Bestwick to get 40th in the Pro 1-2 race.  That was a stacked NRC field with all the best pros on the line.  Much respect out to you Little Hurt.  Anyone else that finished that race deserves some props as I was told the pace was crazy fast.

Chris Hansel opted to do the 45+ race and got an 11th place finish.  Almost top ten.

Random Thoughts:

If you do not understand all of these or miss the inside jokes, come out to the races and join the fun.

Kircher is a human lizard.  He is not allowed to drive to any races in the summer as I will not sit in a car and sweat my ass off because he thinks it is too cold.

WOW.  Did you see Slipstream's new kit.  The argyle arm warmers were a little too much.  When Chicken told me he liked them than I figured out these must be the gayest kits in the peloton.  Go Figure.  Metro sexual is in this year.

How funny was it for Aaron Olsen (pro tour rider for T-Mobile) to have to ask us to borrow a pump and needed help to pump up his tires.  Chicken was a little smitten.  He was truly gracious before the race and it was pretty cool to rub shoulders with a Pro Tour rider.

What is with Hansel's porn star mustache??  I thought Tom Sellick had joined the peloton.

The boss is a cuban goat.  Awesome job this weekend.

Kircher's power base keeps growing.  His chase on the first lap and the speed on the descent was impressive.

Did anyone see Chicken actually attack and get in a break.  The Chicken is back my friends.  Look for him at a podium in the near future.

Amgen has a strong team so the showdown at VOS should be fun.  Bring your fast legs.

The drunken Sailor (Simo) was awesome this weekend.  Thanks for the Amaretto and all the help in the race. I know he was glowing with pride watching his boys battle the other teams.

If you did not notice, every team is using strategy and tactics.  All I can say is the rest of the season is going to be fun and we just fired the first round.  Strap it on boys because we got a war to win.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions of the author does not reflect the beliefs of LUV2bike or any of its affiliates.

PaulTracy.com

Wins & Podiums 2007

Every team member must push himself and set a goal to be on this Wall of Fame

as many times as you most possibly can when toeing the line and proudly wearing the Paul Tracy team kit. We all can do it!

Total Team Wins.....37    Total Team Podiums.....55

SR = Stage Race..... RR = Road Race..... Crit = Criterium..... TT = Time Trial

TTT = Team Time Trial..... HC = Hill Climb

NATIONAL & STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

1^st Gold - Team PaulTracy - USCF National Tandem RR Championship

          (Louie Amelburu & Mark Schaefer) - Mens Master - PA

2^nd Silver - Team PaulTracy - USCF National Tandem TT Championship

          (Louie Amelburu & Mark Schaefer) Mens Master - PA

3^rd Bronze - Team PaulTracy - So.Cal / Nevada State TTT championship

          (Amelburu, Anderson, Balch, Kircher) Master 35+

1^st Gold - Louie Amelburu - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

2^nd Silver - Bruce Balch - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

3^rd Bronze - Michael Anderson - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

3^rd Bronze - Mark Schaefer - Utah State TT Championship - 45+

3^rd Bronze - Steven Kircher - So.Cal / NV State RR Championship - 40+

3^rd Bronze - Steven Kircher - So.Cal / NV State RR Championship - 35+

3^rd Bronze - Marek Sierski - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

WINS AND PODIUMS

“THE BOSS”.....15 WINS - 12 PODIUMS

1^st Gold - Team PaulTracy - USCF National Tandem RR Championship

          (Louie Amelburu & Mark Schaefer) - Mens Master - PA

1^st Gold - Louie Amelburu - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Tour De Gap SR Overall - 35+ - UT

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 1 RR: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ - UT

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 3 Crit: High Uintas Classic - 35+ - UT                  

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Summit Center Classic SR Overall - 35+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 3 Circuit: Summit Center Classic - 35+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 1 Prologue: Summit Center Classic - 35+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Superior RR - 40+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Tucson Bicycle Classic SR Overall - 35+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 2 RR: Tucson Bicycle Classic - 35+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 3 Circuit: Tucson Bicycle Classic - 35+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 2 RR: Valley of the Sun - 40+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Stage 3 Crit: Valley of the Sun - 40+ - AZ

1^st - Louie Amelburu - Underground TT - Pro 1/2 - NV

2^nd Silver - Team PaulTracy - USCF National Tandem TT Championship

          (Louie Amelburu & Mark Schaefer) Mens Master - PA

3^rd Bronze - Team PaulTracy - So.Cal / Nevada State TTT championship

          (Amelburu, Anderson, Balch, Kircher) Master 35+

2^nd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 2 Crit: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ - UT

2^nd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 4 TT: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ - UT

2^nd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 2 RR: High Uintas Classic - 35+ - UT

2^nd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 2 Crit: Summit Center Classic - 35+ - AZ

2^nd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 4 RR: Summit Center Classic - 35+ - AZ

2^nd - Louie Amelburu - BLVD RR - 35+ - CA

2^nd - Louie Amelburu - Valley of the Sun SR Overall - 40+ - AZ

3^rd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 1 TT: Tucson Bicycle Classic - 35+ - AZ

3^rd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 3 RR: Conquer the Canyons - 35+ - CA

3^rd - Louie Amelburu - Stage 3 RR: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ - UT

“THE DISCIPLE”.....8 WINS - 7 PODIUMS

1^st Gold - Team PaulTracy - USCF National Tandem RR Championship

          (Mark Schaefer & Louie Amelburu) - Mens Master - PA

1^st - Mark Schaefer - Tour De Gap SR Overall - 45+ - UT

1^st - Mark Schaefer - Stage 1 RR: Tour De Gap SR - 45+ - UT

1^st - Mark Schaefer - Stage 2 Crit: Tour De Gap - SR - 45+ - UT

1^st - Mark Schaefer - Stage 4 TT: Tour De Gap SR - 45+ - UT

1^st - Mark Schaefer - High Uintas Classic SR Overall - 35+ - UT

1^st - Mark Schaefer - Stage 1 RR: High Uintas Classic - 35+ - UT 

1^st - Mark Schaefer - East Canyon RR - 35+ - UT

2^nd Silver - Team PaulTracy - USCF National Tandem TT Championship

          (Mark Schaefer & Louie Amelburu) Mens Master - PA

3^rd Bronze - Mark Schaefer - Utah State TT Championship - 45+

2^nd - Mark Schaefer - Skull Valley 40k TT - 45+ - UT

2^nd - Mark Schaefer - Hunstville 100 RR - 45+ UT

3^rd - Mark Schaefer - Wolf Creek Pass RR - 45+ - UT

3^rd - Mark Schaefer - Stage 2 RR: Cascade Classic - 45+ OR

3^rd - Mark Schaefer - Stage 2 TT: High Uintas Classic - 35+ - UT

“BALCHESAURUS”.....4 WINS - 6 PODIUMS

1^st - Bruce Balch - Stage 3 RR: Tour De Gap RR - 45+ - UT

1^st - Bruce Balch - Summit Center Classic SR Overall - 45+ - AZ

1^st - Bruce Balch - Stage 2 Crit: Summit Center Classic - 45+ - AZ

1^st - Bruce Balch - Stage 3 Circuit: Summit Center Classic - 45+ - AZ

3^rd Bronze - Team PaulTracy - So.Cal / Nevada State TTT championship

          (Balch, Amelburu, Anderson, Kircher) Master 35+

2^nd Silver - Bruce Balch - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

2^nd - Bruce Balch - Stage 1 Prologue: Summit Center Classic - 45+ - AZ

2^nd - Bruce Balch - Stage 4 RR: Summit Center Classic - 45+ - AZ

3^rd - Bruce Balch - Stage 1 RR: Tour De Gap SR - 45+ - UT

3^rd - Bruce Balch - Stage 2 Crit: Tour De Gap SR - 45+ - UT

“CHICKY”.....3 WINS - 8 PODIUMS

1^st - Michael Anderson - Stage 2 Crit: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ UT

1^st - Michael Anderson - Nevada Police and Fire Games - TT - Overall

1^st - Michael Anderson - Stage 4 RR: Summit Center Classic SR - 35+ - AZ

3^rd Bronze - Team PaulTracy - So.Cal / Nevada State TTT championship

          (Anderson, Balch, Amelburu, Kircher) Master 35+

3^rd Bronze - Michael Anderson - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

2^nd - Michael Anderson - Nevada Police and Fire Games RR - Overall

2^nd - Michael Anderson - Tour De Gap SR Overall - 35+ - UT

2^nd - Michael Anderson - Stage 1 RR: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ - UT

3^rd - Michael Anderson - Stage 4 TT: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ - UT

3^rd - Michael Anderson - San Dimas SR Overall - 35+ - CA

3^rd - Michael Anderson - Stage 2 Crit: Summit Center Classic - 35+ - AZ

“ROBOCOP”.....3 WINS - 7 PODIUMS

1^st - Steven Kircher - Sanpete RR - 35+ - UT

1^st - Steven Kircher - Nevada Police and Fire Games - RR - Overall

1^st - Steven Kircher - Aloha Classic Omnium Overall - 35+ - Hawaii

3^rd Bronze - Team PaulTracy - So.Cal / Nevada State TTT championship

          (Kircher, Anderson, Balch, Amelburu ) Master 35+

3^rd Bronze - Steven Kircher - So.Cal / NV State RR Championship - 35+

3^rd Bronze - Steven Kircher - So.Cal / NV State RR Championship - 40+

2^nd - Steven Kircher - Stage 1TT: Aloha Classic Omnium - 35+ - Hawaii

2^nd - Steven Kircher - Stage 2 RR: Aloha Classic Omnium - 35+ - Hawaii

2^nd - Steven Kircher - Nevada Police and Fire Games TT - Overall

3^rd - Steven Kircher - Underground TT - Pro 1/2 - NV

“RS”.....3 WINS - 3 PODIUMS

1^st - Johnathan Edwards - Stage 3 RR: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ UT

1^st - Johnathan Edwards - Green Belt Series Crit - Cat 4 - Washington DC

1^st - Johnathan Edwards - Devils Punch Bowl RR - Cat 4 - CA

2^nd - Johnathan Edwards - Green Belt Series Crit - Pro 1/2 - Washington, DC

3^rd - Johnathan Edwards - San Luis Rey RR - Cat 4 - CA

3^rd - Johnathan Edwards - Stage 2 Crit: Tour De Gap SR - 35+ - UT

“POLOCKO”.....1 WIN - 1 PODIUM

1^st - Marek Sierski - Skull Valley RR - 50+ - AZ

3^rd Bronze - Marek Sierski - So.Cal / NV State Hill Climb Championship

“TENACIOUS”.....7 PODIUMS

3^rd - Michelle King - Tour De Gap SR Overall - Cat 4 Women

3^rd - Michelle King - Stage 1 RR: Tour De Gap SR - Cat 4 Women

3^rd - Michelle King - Stage 2 Crit: Tour De Gap SR - Cat 4 Women

3^rd - Michelle King - Stage 3 RR: Tour De Gap SR - Cat 4 Women

3^rd - Michelle King - San Marcos Crit - Cat 4 Women

3^rd - Michelle King - Stage 3 Circuit: Summit Center Classic - Cat 4 Women

3^rd - Michelle King - Stage 2 Crit: Summit Center Classic - Cat 4 Women

“THE WINGMAN”.....2 PODIUMS

3^rd - Jimmy Robbins - Sanpete RR - 35+ UT

3^rd - Jimmy Robbins - Stage 3 Crit: High Uintas Classic - 35+ - UT

“A. SQUIRREL”.....2 PODIUMS

2^nd - Jason Lilje - Apple pie Crit - Cat 2/3 - CA

2^nd - Jason Lilje - Golden State Crit - 35+ - CA

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