State Time Trial, Rockford Crit and Stoney Creek Marathon

Team Active Racing had another busy weekend with racers headed to both sides of the state. Below are some updates from the road.

State Time Trial Championships
Thanks to Danny for the update...

Just wanted to give a report from the State TT today over near
Livonia. Jake, Mark, Nate and I raced - overall it was a pretty good
day - I cannot retire yet as I did not win :( but got fourth. The
first and second place got a 56 and 58 minute time which is fast for
the Cat 5s. I did 1:01:35 - I really wanted to break the hour but it
was not to be today - had a rough third leg. The good news is that
both Jake and Nate got 3rd in their Jr age groups which is great.
Mark also got a 4th. So overall a very good day. Thanks to Amy,
Angie and Mikey who were there for moral support! It is always nice
to have support. Sounds like a good weekend overall for everyone!

Off to shower and a nap! Photos will follow later.

-Danny

Rockford Criterium
Thanks to Devin for the great update...

Although the day dawned with overcast skies and the threat of rain, it was not enough to deter me from racing again in the Rockford Crit. Last year, with a slick road surface from recent rains and too much speed from a prime, I went down hard in the first corner, literally
shattering my rear Mavic Ksyrium wheel and getting some road rash where it should be illegal to get it. Needless to say, the memories were alive and well, and there was a psychological hurdle to overcome. Fortunately, my teammate Shane Carter was excited about his first criterium race, and gave me the extra incentive to go back and prove that last year was just a painful memory. Shane's lovely wife, Julie, came along to cheer the Team Active Racing contingent, and her support is gratefully acknowledged.

The sun came out, and a light breeze blew in from the West, and after some warmup we lined up at the start. There were 27 Cat 5s, and after the race announcements and a reminder to ride safely and not crash, we were off. 25 minutes and 2 laps would be filled with some exciting racing and pure pain up the Maple Street hill.

Unfortunately, and to his great credit, mid way through the race, Shane realized he was in extreme anaerobic debt - truly a debt he could not pay in this race - and he pulled out. He would live to ride another race, now aware of the intensity that is criterium racing. I found the leader's wheel and stayed on it the entire race. This was not going to be like last year. In the proud wheelsucking tradition of Criterium racing, I never "pulled," and never fell behind 4th place. However, each climb of the Maple Street hill became progressively slower and more painful.

After the allotted time, the final two laps developed a very small breakaway, and I was unable to kick start my sprint at the crest of the Maple Street hill. Despite my weakness, the leader and I had a break from the group, and I was able to cross the line in 2nd place, putting to rest the memories of last year's crash.

Later that afternoon, Team Active Racing's very own "Lt. Legs," Angela Bowers, raced the Rockford criterium and as she later related to me telephonically, actually led the race for several laps and then allowed two other riders to bridge the gap and join her to share in
the work at the front of the race.

Using a famous Lance Armstrong line, "No gifts," Angela powered up the Maple Street hill on the final lap only to drop her chain and suffer a severe case of "chain suck." Not one to ever give up, Angela enjoyed the fortune of the capable assistance of an off duty bike mechanic that got her chain back on and functioning. Despite the setback, Angela was able to get back on her bike and cross the line in 2nd place after a Herculean effort following her mechanical. The only sad part of this report is that due to the timing of the races and schedules of riders, we were not able to witness Angela's heroic efforts. Nevertheless, congratulations of the highest order to Angela on her 2nd place finish to accompany her 2nd place finish in the State Road Championships two weeks ago.

Speaking of State Championships, let's not forget our own Danny Wolin, State Road Champion, who competes today (Sunday) in the State Time Trial Championship. We look forward to his race report and wish him best of luck.

Thanks for reading, and keep on riding. Signing off for now,

Devin

Stoney Creek Marathon
Thanks to Josh for the update

Just wanted you to know that I did the Stony Creek Marathon this past
Saturday and it was a muddy mess. You can check tailwind.net to see
some photographs of the carnage. The race started at 10:00 am so the
humidity was relatively nonexistent. Being in the Sport class my race
was 40 miles, expert had 50 and elite 60. This was the longest
mountain bike ride I had ever done, so I was waaaay tired by the end.
When I finished I ate 3 hotdogs, 2 bananas, and 2 slices of
watermelon. YUM! I was able to take 1st place in the Sport Men 19-
29, which was really great since it was a double points day. That's
all for now, I've got another marathon coming up in a couple weeks at
Boyne. That one will be 36 miles for me, but hear it's a little
hilly. Time to train.

Josh