Ken Is The Champ!

Wow, I didn’t know people cared so much. OK, I will respond to the pressure to improve my race report. I just feared boring people with details. How about bullet points!

• Missed 2 weeks of decent training leading up to race due to illness. Post-antibiotic funk and jacked up back left me questioning my abilities.
• Flew over to Vegas with Mitch and Bill McBride in Bill’s jet (45 minute trip). That’s how we roll.
• Kicked it with houseboatmates Paul Wren, Mitch, Avalon and her daughter Summersby.
• Waited til 4:30 to race the uphill time trial.
• Raced well, matched last year’s time, should have pushed harder.
• Time that was good for 2nd last year was only good enough for 7th this year. Deeper talent pool damn it.
• 7:00am road race start time under threatening skies. 44 mile course with 3500 ft. of climbing.
• Top GC guy is on the local Vegas team and has the most teammates – great!
• Gene, Paul, Bill, Mitch and I make it through the course in the lead group and head towards home.
• Gene jams up his drivetrain shifting gears and is off the back.
• Bill moves up towards the front to stay out of trouble.
• Paul launches and attack about 3 miles out and gets everyone out of the saddle.
• Race settles in as everyone smells the finish line in a couple of miles.
• With my crampy legs I move onto the front anticipating the local team driving it in to the finish.
• I guessed right, and jumped into the 4th position of their train, riding it to the turn 1/4 mile from the finish.
• Random guy behind me jumps around me and I get on him to get past the leaders.
• Thanks for the leadout Beotch! I jumped him 100 meters out and got a road race victory.
• Moved up to 5th in the GC.
• Bill gets a top ten finish in the hilly road race!
• Rain comes down within minutes of our finish. Later groups get hailed on out there.
• Had to explain a dozen times that we are not sponsored by the Nevada version of a Chicken Ranch.
• 30 minute parking lot crit, no chance of getting away, try for another win.
• Gene breaks away on 5th lap for a prime win of a Road ID.
• Mitch drives a fruitless attack with 5 to go. Local team is marking everything closely.
• Gene rolls up with 3 to go and tells me to get on his wheel – yes!
• Could not advance in heavy traffic and settle for something around 10th (thanks for trying Gene).
• Managed to move up to 4th in GC.

Overall a great time. Definitely an event to plan on next year. 45 houseboats full of racers (only 20 boats last year). Super cool having all races start right there in the marina. Stage races are the best team events – good times!

Cheers,
Ken

Cantua and Dinuba Race Reports

Made it up north to Cantua Creek on Saturday for the road race, and to Dinuba on Monday for the crit. I thought I'd give a short commentary in case anyone is interested for next year. There were a couple Chicken Ranchers at Cantua, and Hecky, but nobody I recognized at Dinuba.

Cantua was an out-and-back though farm country, 2 laps 26 miles each, with a course that was a lot like our Sunday group ride. The only real hill was a 1km rise to the finish pretty much identical to the climb up Bates from Rincon, so that came mid-race, and at the end. Otherwise it was flat or slightly rolling through farmland and the pack stayed together. That is, unless you made a suicidal, lone break-away, which I did on lap 2 for about the last 20 miles so Gene could sit in the pack, and also just for fun...they caught me at the 1k to go sign and I think Gene ended up winning the race (45+ cat 4/5) in the final hill sprint. Congrats, Gene. Hecky said the 2/3 race was just a pack, with a 2-man break that never got any ground and got swallowed up on the final hill sprint. The pro/1 race was dominated by the Yahoo team, who had 12 guys and just turned it into a team time trial when they got 5-6 guys off the front who walked away with it while the rest of the team blocked. (They did 3 laps for 78 miles). The course was pretty good pavement-wise, although if you're allergic to bees don't go there, because the cropland is dotted with hives brought in to pollinate the trees.

Dinuba was a classic downtown crit, although L-shaped so there was one left turn. Several harsh pavement joints in the turns and a big giant concrete rain-swale in the main straight made it a little nerve wracking. The Cat 5's had three big crashes on the final lap, but I did the 35+ Cat 4/5 race and there was only 1 crash, which I missed narrowly, and the usual last-lap weaving and thrashing around, but everyone stayed up. I tried the solo break-away technique with 3 to go but they were having none of it, so I got swarmed & swallowed up in the last lap. Fun race though, nice little town, no traffic problems, etc. Cheap hotels, too.

Both races were about a 4-hour drive from SB. Think about it for next year...especially at Cantua, if we could organize 4-5 Chickens for any one division, we could definitely dominate the Cat 4 or Masters, I think, especially with guys that are fast up Bates or Gube.

-- Paul


Paul's move at Cantua was amazing. He was pretty much on the attack for the second half of the race, most of it solo. I had a "free" ride to finish as the strong riders in the group had to burn matches to bring back Paul and his breakaway companion.


I was talking to a few of the riders after the race and one of the Webcor riders, a very tall German, said in his best German accent, "The Big Chicken (Paul), and the Little Chicken (me), worked very well together". I had a good laugh at being called the Little Chicken.


Well done Paul! I owe you one.


Gene

Devils Punchbowl Part Trois

Namaste, wow bike racing is pretty f*&%^% k-gnarly! ... Really enjoyed my day Saturday at 666 Puke Bowl, raced 40+ Cat 4/5 with Eric and Gene.

Gotta say pinning on my number was one of my challenges for the day. But Diane and Elda got the flap out and dialed me in. It wasn't that hot boyz (drama), or that windy ... maybe hotter and windier in SY valley Sat. All things went smooth in the lead -up to ...

#941
So, off we went and over the top I labored but was in lead group (@13) where we lost Eric , then Gene ...I was ready to turn back to the truck. Full lactic sizzle-lean, I was gapped on the first downhill by the group since I was spent from the effort of climb and was checking the Lakers score on my BlackJack .. and actually enjoyed the ride down but worked some, too much actually!

Into the wind on the next leg and sucked up by group two and the next thirteen or so riders where EB but no Gene was clocking and I had a chance to nod to my teammate, he said later I looked pretty red-faced :) , well, Eric looked good really ... I rode and hung for a couple miles with them but they dropped me as well AND with four to five other riders we re-grouped and we kept them in site. After a completely smoking quick down hill to the bottom of the climb, I dropped all the riders with me ( .. only one dry heave that was spectator viewable if launched , ego said look good thru the S/F line area :) and I did, I was surprised how much I made back ... but no contact with group 2 and the tank was well into it's burn now, and then another downhill of gyping and tacking, the 5/6 guys I dropped well, they reeled me back ... and we split again and ..

Then somewhere down toward the end of our second back stretch into the wind leg, came a train with a Team Chicken Ranch rider, Gene, and a few other riders came storming up on me, I was riding solo, ... and I hung on to their wheels to the finish (Gene, who I did not know, the two of us introduced and met on the final climb home with Gene sporting me a FasTrack Bicycle water bottle (thanks for the bottle) with some backwash to wet my whistle and lighten his load for the checkered!) .... two riders were from another team and one of them went early and then Gene jumped up and hammered them pretty nicely then the unattached rider and I went and the final rider was from the other team ...we all finished together .. 34th to 38th and I was 37th I SWEAR :) ... great fun! wooo, glad it was OVA!

Here's are après race picture ... we are basking in Brett's FIFTH-place finish (NICE!), I felt allot of support from the other Chicken Ranchers and mates on race day, Brett and Dan and I warmed up together and chilled and last minute wheel change for Brett and good teamwork (a day's highlight!) ... HOWEVER, the race itself was absent of CR teamwork, I believe if Gene and Eric and I rode together we would have all placed higher!!! Hummm.

I'll be registering for race #2 soon, in June. Since only deciding to race the first of March, with no speed training or real endurance training, I accomplished the goals and could not have a better team or done it without, Eric, Dave, Matt and the B Team blog ... sweet, thanks.

PEACE.

Rick Martz
Department of Earth Science
University of California, Santa Barbara

Punchbowl Part Deux

Hi Everyone

I was told I need to write a race report so here goes. This is my first one so bear with me.

Saturday
Devil's Punch Bowl is a very hard race! It was hot, windy, hot, with lots of climbing and very hot. Brian Hershkowitz, Dan Rudd and I rode the cat 5 race. This is my story, I will let Brian and Dan tell theirs.

On the first lap the field got blown apart on the back stretch, with a lead group of about twelve guys. Going into the second climb one guy got off the front. I pulled most of the way trying to bridge and also break up the pack. It worked on the back stretch there were only four of us left still chasing the leader. At this point I was freezing cold and could barely hang on. Two guys broke off and I was left with one guy to work with. We raced to the finish together, and he got the best of me. I finish 5th, Dan 11th, and Brian 32nd respectively. Many thanks to Elda (Dan's wife) who was there instantly at the finish line with cold water. Which I'm pretty sure saved my life.


Rick Martz ,Eric Knight and Gene Raphaelian also raced in the 40+ 4/5. Eric 25th, Rick 38th and Gene ?.

Sunday
Chuck Pontius Crit. Ok I will try not to be as long winded on this one. I showed up for the early morning cat 5 start of 7:30, which turned out to be a good thing.(hot and windy) We had full field, the pace was fast with lots of attacks that didn't pan out. On the last lap at turn 3 I attacked on the slight uphill, knowing this was my only chance on a good sprint position (I'm not a sprinter). It worked, I came into the last turn in 1st and almost made it until this big diesel engine passed me just before the line. 2nd place, and now a cat 4... I'm stoked!

Cheers,

Brett Harrison
Surf 'n Wears Beach House
10 state st. SB, CA 93101

Chickens In The Punchbowl

Yes, there were several Chickens cookin' in the Devil's Punchbowl on Saturday. And by "cooking" I mean roasting in the 95 plus degree heat and not necessarily kickin' ass. But, as everyone who's participated in this event knows, surviving and finishing the Punchbowl is by itself an accomplishment. All Chicken Ranchers who made the drive out to the high desert above the not-so-thriving metropolis of Pearblossom did in fact finish, get a great workout, dehydrate, suffer, have a blast and in the end place very respectably. With a full field of 50 in the Open 5's , Brett Harrison led the way with a 5th place finish, followed by Dan Rudd in 11th, and Brian Hershkowitz in 32nd.

With a field of seventy in the 45+4/5's, Eric Knight posted a 25th place finish, followed by Gene Raphaelian in 34th and Rick Martz in 38th in his first ever RR (you know how to pick 'em, Rick!). We didn't notice any others Chicken Ranchers so if I missed someone I apologize.

In the first race, things got started before the race even began. On the drive out in the morning we watched the temperature climb from 68 degrees in SB to the 85 at Fillmore. At this point we stopped looking. When we arrived and went for our not very necessary "warm up ride" we noticed that Brian was spinin' & sweatin' it out on his trainer which was strategically positioned straddling the San Andreas fault (really). On the way back in from our warm up ride Brian was still rollin' & shakin' on his trainer. I don't know about you Brett, but there's a chance that Brian may have over-done his warm up. The race itself got off to an interesting start in that the threats of the Starter to DQ anyone who even as much as looked at the center-line were well heeded. Read this to mean that at the beginning of the first 4 mile climb several riders were literally pushin' there way to the right shoulder. The sounds of of wheels touching was enough motivation to slip out of the pack and move up front which turned out to be a well timed move as three riders jumped on the last step before the road turned right for the last mile of the climb breaking the group up in two. While I certainly was under some stress, Brett and I made it over the top as part of the lead pack which hit the rollers hard before reaching the long descent. I moved up to third wheel and kept having to tap my brakes and decided to instead move outside and see how it felt in the wind. Next thing I knew I was in front, feeling fast and comfortable. I was having a great time and approached the right turn onto Tejon Road, but much to my surprise the CHP manning the intersection started waving me/us through as though not to take the right. I hesitated a second and a guy blew by me and through the intersection and I followed. Of course, the rest of the pack swept right through the turn in the correct direction. It was at this very moment that I heard Brett's fading voice yelling "DAAANNNN" and the CHP swear "Oh Sh-t!". After a quick brake, U-turn and what was now a left onto Tejon Road I was in full-on chase mode. I think I may have panicked a little and over-extended catching back up to the group. Once I re-connected Brett was kind enough to say "hey, don't worry about it. You're back". But all I could think about at the time was "please, no one attack on the step up ahead. I need just a few seconds to recover". No sooner did the guys at the front stand up and accelerate. I told Brett to "go" and I faded away from the lead group. I did recover and felt that I finished strong picking off close to another dozen riders over the second half. In the end the, blowing through the turn wasn't the difference for me as I could tell on the first climb that I didn't feel light and have the legs on Saturday. All in all it was a great time and experience that offered many valuable lessons and many fond memories. Looking forward to the next one, but in the meantime I need some water...

Dan Rudd