Issaquah Triathlon

Triathlon is in full swing in the Northwest.  Congrats to the Cycle University Triathlon team.  Everyone did a wonderful job.  Also If anybody is interested a group of triathletes/runners have been meeting at Redmond watershed every wednesday at about 5:45pm.  If you can excape from work a little early head on over.

contact me at seamss@spu.edu

Coach Scott

Track Season gains momentum: Big races on the way.

Track racing in the Northwest begins to hit a peak in late July. National caliber events--such as the FSA Grand Prix in Seattle and the Portland based Alpenrose Challenge--lure out the fastest track racers in the USA and Canada with prize lists boasting upwards of $15,000.

After returning from a hard education of track racing in Europe through the winter, Coach Adrian and I raced the track full-time last summer--including the FSA Grand Prix and Alpenrose Challenge, as well as multiple other Nationally ranked races--with the specific focus of crushing the Madison (which is an event consisting of multiple two-man teams and involves complex tactics and pure endurance).

Our ambitions were often met with big wins and healthy pay-days. But, there were also numerous disappointments, such as a second place in the Madison on our home turf at the FSA Grand Prix, losing to a team we had beaten both at the Alpenrose challenge and at the larger event, Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minneapolis. There was also the time at Alpenrose Challenge when I missed breaking the track record in the Pursuit by a mere second. This record has not been broken since the 80s.

This Summer much has changed. Adrian will be out of town for both races, choosing to focus on pursuing his goal of professional road racing, and thus putting track racing on the back-burner. I have chosen to do the opposite and focus solely on the track, yet real life has crept up on me and my usual free time to train for the track has been filled with work obligations and worries about paying off student loans.

Track races season culminates down in L.A. in early October at National Championships. Will Adrian be rusty at the Madison from missing very important races? Am I going to be able to keep up my high level of fitness from past years?

There are a lot of unknowns and variables this summer, and this will undoubtedly add to the suspense of how Adrian and I are to defend our reputations as two of the fastest track racers in the USA. I will keep you posted with inside perspectives from all the upcoming races. Stay tuned.

In the meantime: Come see the races for yourself!!!

-The Seattle FSA Grand Prix is at the Marmoor Velodrome July 25-26. There will be festivities, a beer garden, and events for kids, as well as insane track racing action!
-The Portland Alpenrose Challenge is July 17-19.

Major Taylor Project soars at Flying Wheels.

Major Taylor Project Rocks Flying Wheels

Youth from the Major Taylor Project are gaining momentum as they train and prepare for the much anticipated Seattle to Portland bike ride. Flying Wheels was seen as fun-filled preparation day for the youth focused on completing the S.T.P.

During the week the Major Taylor youth, with the guidance of program instructors and volunteers, bike together on scenic training rides. Through the course of these rides the youth learn fundamental bike maintenance and proper riding safety. On the weekend the club ventures out on longer, more epic rides that explore areas of Seattle many Major Taylor youth have never even seen before.

Danielle Rose, an instructor and coordinator for the Major Taylor Project tells her story of Flying Wheels:

"On Saturday, June 13th, thirteen youth ages 14-18 from the Major Taylor Project at Global Connections High School and the YES Foundation of White Center joined 3,000 other riders for Cascade's Flying Wheels Summer Century. The students arrived at the Velodrome at 8:00am and looked nervous and tired, faced with the day's ride ahead of them. Most were signed up for the 45-mile loop in preparation for the upcoming STP ride. One of the youth who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, on only his second day riding with the Major Taylor Project and using a hand cycle borrowed from Outdoors for All rode the 25-mile loop. He plans to ride the STP, if Outdoors for All has a hand cycle available for him to use.


During those 4-hours, the students seemed affected by the transformative effects of pursuing a long and challenging ride. When the group congregated in the parking lot at the end, there were many friendly volunteers and fellow riders to thank for their encouragements along the way, and stories to share of near misses and endless hills. The most commonly asked question at the end of the day? When are we riding next?! Now the group is training intensively for STP, with 10 youth signed up, and 6 more possibly joining us, we're going to have a big group. Thanks to all of the riders in advance who will cheer them on as they work towards their biggest riding accomplishment ever! If you'd like to volunteer or donate, please let us know."


Major Taylor Link:
Click to read more about the project

Coach Adrian keeps his big result streak going.

I am writing this race update for Adrian since he is currently recovering from a long weekend of racing by taking a nap. Somehow, for some odd reason, he has been napping for three days straight.

Last weekend, in Baker City, Oregon, racers competed in a regionally prestigious stage race, The Elkhorn Classic, which is known for its uncanny ability to predict the next up and coming Pro Northwest rider. For the past five years every winner of this grueling three-day/four-stage event has landed a large Professional Contract for the next race season.

From the start Adrian lead the race after winning the opening Time Trial by a solid margin. He held this lead all the way to the last day, a day full of unexpected drama.

The last stage of this event usually consist of a 105mile road race which ends in a brutal 10mile climb to the finish. Yet, this year, despite the spell of sultry summer sun the Northwest has had, the morning of the final race in Baker City began with 30 degree weather and a snow storm. The official referees of the race decided for the safety of the riders to shorten the race to the last 25 miles.

This put Adrian at a serious disadvantage. His skill set as a racer is best suited for long, hard-man races, not pure climbing. And now he was forced to jump straight into an epic climb without the ability to tire out his competitors in the previously planned 90 miles leading up to the climb.

The final results of this race are still not decided upon as the official results have not been publicly announced.

Here is a first hand account from Adrian of the final moments of the race:

" I think I won? I finished in the front group of about 5-10, one guy won solo by I think 30-40 seconds and I had 54 seconds on him at the start of the stage. I also crashed 1k from the base of the climb and rode the whole way with my bars twisted to the side and my front wheel rubbing."

Let's knock on wood and cross our fingers for Adrian...

Here is a sneak peak at a part of Adrian's race resume--don't tell him I showed you!

2009 Highlights

Cherry Blossom Classic Stage Race

1st, 8-Mile Time Trial
1st, Columbia Gorge Road Race
1st, Volunteer Park Criterium

1st, Frostbike Time Trial

1st, Icebreaker Time Trial

1st, Carnation TT Series #2

1st, OSU Collegiate A Road Race

1st, UW Collegiate A Criterium

2nd, Brad Lewis Memorial Criterium

3rd, Athens Twilight Crit

3rd, Computrainer Grid Qualifiers
3rd, Carnation TT Series #1

5th, Stage 4, Mt. Hood Cycling Classic

11th, Stage 2
Tour of Walla Walla Stage Race

2nd, Wilson Hollow Time Trial
3rd, Waitsburg Road Race
2nd Overall
Collegiate Road Nationals

4th D1 Omnium
6th, D1 Road Race
7th, D1 Criterium

Major Taylor Project makes the news!

That's right! The Major Taylor Project is now officially famous ;)

Last weekend King 5 news brought their news-team to the Marymoor Velodrome where students from Evergreen high school were learning how to ride on the steep banks of the racing track as a part of one of the many out of school field trip the Major Taylor project offers.

Here is the link:

http://www.king5.com/video/index.html?nvid=362416


If you would like to help the MAJOR TAYLOR PROJECT in any way, give me, coach Dan (dan@cycleu.com), a shout. We always can use bike parts and bikes, especially race bikes and race tires for students who wish to pursue racing and longer distance riding.

Upcoming Major Taylor events the students will be doing: Flying Wheels and STP!!! I will be riding with them on both these events. Needless to say, I am super excited.

Track Seaon is Most DEFINITELY underway

Yes it is.

Quick Update: Track Racing is incredible! About a month ago, after taking the winter and early spring off from dedicated training and racing in order to have a bit of fun, I caught the bug again and am back in the groove of getting in shape and kicking butt. Track Racing is the main reason for this. I just love the pure simplicity and raw tactics of Track racing.

On the track the key to success is: Attack, and Attack, and Attack and...

All the main players were there at the first Friday night of pre-season racing. I knew the first race of the evening racers would be riding passively. So, before the race even began I decided I would spice it up and attack from the gun. Inpre -season racing there is no money on the line, and nothing to lose, so I might as well just use the opportunity the get fit and take risk.

My plan worked. My next plan was this: every time I got caught, attack again. Never let up. I was not concerned about the win. I just wanted to crush it.

And this ended up me getting two second places, one win, and giving my competitors tired legs and grumpy grins. I don't think they had planned on the pre-season racing starting out quite so fast.

But, I have an agenda, no, a VENDETTA: track National Championships. last year my vendetta to dominate the Madison with Adrian H. at Track NATs had been fouled by Adrian breaking his shoulder in a bad bike crash that left him unconscious and in the hospital.

Well, now Adrian H. is absolutely on fire, and I am quickly nipping at his heals. We have six months before NATs, and in the meantime there are a lot of races to rehearse our vendetta...

Stay tuned for Track racing action...

The Major Taylor Project makes headlines

A little over a month ago I was hired onto the Major Taylor Project team. This project, which is a non-profit organization, backed by bike advocacy giants, the Cascade Bicycle Club, founded by long-time cycling community member, Ed Ewing, and supported by the dedication of numerous instructors, such as Danielle Rose, is focused on diversifying cycling and giving disadvantaged youth the opportunity to experience the absolute thrill and freedom of riding a bike.
Whether it be riding to school, gaining fitness, having freedom to hop on two wheels and go anywhere, or pursuing the possibility of racing, the Major Taylor Project wants to make the students know all of these options are possible!

Throughout the few weeks that we have been working at schools the buzz is already spreading fast. Just a few days ago an article was published in the Seattle Times about the Project.

Check it out:

seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009204529_cycling11m.html

Almost every occupation I have had has either revolved around biking or with working with youth: whether it was working as a mechanic at a bike shop, coaching other racers, racing bikes on the Pro circuit in the USA and Europe, or teaching kids how to rock-climb and row, working at a pre-school with infants, and teaching ancient Greek mythology at an art high school.

In the past, working with kids has been natural for me. Kids are such fun humans to be around; they are more willing to try adventurous activities, they are more willing to make mistakes, they are less judgmental, and when I am around kids I can just act like my goofy self. Kids are the best "bosses to work for" because they don't pressure you or have unnecessary expectations.

Yes, of course it is fun to have a job where I ride around all day exploring new bike paths and scenic roads which a bunch of rowdy and enthusiastic high schoolers.

But, the other day I realized something more, something more meaningful about what exactly my role as an instructor for the Major Taylor is. Last Saturday, the students from Global Connections High school in Seatac came to velodrome in at Marymoor park to learn how to ride track racing bikes on the steep curved walls of the outdoor bike race arena. Many of them had not even heard of a velodrome, let alone seen one.

One student in particular, his name is Abdul, was very nervous. I could tell his confidence in himself was lacking. He did not believe that he was capable of riding on the steep walls without falling off. I rode up to him and said, "how are you doing?"

"I can't ride on that," he replied.

I paused for a moment and said, "What do you mean? Sure you can. I just saw you riding on the banking over there."

"But, that is not the steep part. The steep part is where you fall off."

"Alright, check this out," I said. I then biked with him to the steepest part and began riding as slow as I possibly could.

"Oh man," he said, "You aren't sliding off."

"You are right," I answered, "I am not sliding. You see, the weird part about this track is that it is just shallow enough where you won't slip off. You want to give it a try?"

"Yeah." he said with mixed enthusiasm and skepticism.

"Alright, awesome." I said non-nonchalantly, "This is what we are going to do. We are going to pick-up speed on the straight part of the track, and as soon as we hit the steep turn we are going to pedal as fast and hard as we can. The tricky part is that as soon as you get scared and think you are going to fall off is when you have to pedal harder and faster because the harder you pedal the more it will make your tires stick to the track."

By this point we were nearing the banking. "Alright, let's do this!" I shouted. "pedal harder NOW!"

With a serious face he started pedaling harder. He shouted over to me, "I have to pedal harder?"

He kept on asking me this over and over, and every time he asked this I just hollered, "Yup!"

If I could hazard a guess, I would say Abdul was not actually asking if he needed to pedal harder, rather, he needed to believe in himself, and in order to do this he needed positive reinforcement that what he was doing was right.

Him asking me. "I have to pedal harder?," simply translated into: "Am I doing this right? I am not sure of myself and want to do this so badly."

Abdul was more than capable. All he needed was to believe this himself. Allowing these students to believe in themselves is what I find so rewarding about this Project. Because this feeling of "being capable" at riding a bike will seep into the rest of their lives where they will feel capable at any endeavor or dream they decide to pursue. Biking is merely the catalyst for a chain reaction of self-confidence these students deserve.

As we exited the steep banking Abdul pulled away and started hooting and hollering and whooping it up.

"I did it. I did it!"

"Of course you did," I said, "I knew you would. Now, let's see you ride up to the blue line half way up the track."

"Oh man, there is no way I can do that," Abdul exclaimed.

I looked at him and said, "Abdul, give me a break. You just said you couldn't ride on the steep part and you just did. Now you are going to tell me you can't ride higher up the track? I know you can do it and you know you can do it."

By the end of the field trip I was watching Abdul riding with ease on the highest parts of the track, maneuvering his bike like he had done it a million times before.

Moments like these are why the Major Taylor Project is so damn cool. And the best part of it all is that I am involved with it.

I you want to become more involved, you can:Call Cascade Bicycle Club at 206-522-2453.

Coach Adrian does the believable.

Last Saturday, April 25th, 2009, in Athens, Georgia, at one of the biggest Criterium races in the World, The Athens Twilight Criterium, Adrian Hegyvary secured the biggest result in his racing career, a third place finish.

Now, you must understand, cycling results are very different from most other sports. In most other athletic disciplines, you win or you lose. Whereas in cycling, a high paying professional athlete may go years without ever winning a race. The esteem of a bike racer depends upon their ability to help secure "results," whether it be by helping a teammate win, or by placing top ten in a world class race. Adrian placing third at the Athens Twilight Crit is a monstrously amazing example of this.

What is even more amazing is how Adrian got to this place in his bike racing career. Last year Adrian had had one of his worst racing seasons ever. He had an entire year of no results on the pro road racing circuit (though he did kick butt on the velodrome), and ended the season with a horrific crash that put him in the hospital with a torn shoulder that would prevent him from attending track National Championships, where he would have been a favorite to win the Madison and other endurance events.

In the Fall Adrian began attending the UW Law School. Doubt concerning the direction and possibility of his future racing career haunted him. On several occasion Adrian was on the verge of hanging up the bike and calling it quits. After seven years of solid dedication to cycling, his ambitions seemed to be leading nowhere.

But, despite the stresses of life and school, Adrian decided to just keep on doing what he loved. And what he loved was to train and ride his bike. In all honesty, it is quite frightening how much Adrian loves bikes.

You see, the point behind all this is simple: there was no magic new training plan that Adrian did that took him to the next level. There was no fitness fairy that came from Never-ever land and sprinkled Adrian with lactate threshold dust. Nope. Adrian's jump to the next level as an athlete occurred solely because he did not quit. He kept on training, stuck to it, and after seven hard years he is finally seeing the results that will land him a high-paying professional contract.

One last thing should be said about this all. One of the main reasons preventing Adrian from quitting--even when quitting seemed logical (just ask him about his European racing experiences...)--is that Adrian loves racing his bike. He is not doing it to prove his self-worth, or to prove anything to anyone. He is doing it because he is passionate about it and it fulfills him. This mindset is absolutely mandatory to make any life passion sustainable.

All to often people burn out because they are trying to prove something to themselves or to others, and they begin to forget the simple pleasures of their activities, and when this happens the little voices of failure begin to get louder and louder. So, always remember to do something because you love it.

Take it to the next level.

Track Racing Season is Almost Here!!!

Track season is almost here! And let me tell you, I cannot wait. This race season has been a roller coaster ride for me. My early days and late nights have been filling up with countless projects, commitments and jobs, ranging from leading after school bike programs, to art consulting, to late night Djing , to writing for small local publications, to personal coaching and training. I shouldn't be astonished that my time to race has somehow vanished. But, the beauty of Marymoor Track Racing is that it is every Friday evening when I have no plans except to race, race, race.

Every Friday afternoon I lead after school bike rides for the Major Taylor program at the Global Connections high school in Seatac. The rides end at 5pm, which gives me just enough time to throw my bike in the back of my pick-up and dive straight into the endless lines of traffic on I-405 all the way up to Marymoor, just in time for racing, which begins at 7pm sharp. If I am lucky I may get a bit of a warm-up.

My main incentive for training for the track these past few months has been solely to beat my best-friend, adversary, and co-worker, Adrian Hegyvary. If you have been following the local road racing scene, you well know that Adrian has been destroying the competition.

On the track him and I are always neck and neck--literally, because we are practically the same height, and figuratively, because we both beat each other on a consistent basis (thus making us perfect Madison partners). Though, I must say, there is no way I am ever going to let him beat me in a pursuit.

This season he definitely has an advantage over me. Every good track racer knows he or she must have a spring big road road season to have a good track season. Well, unfortunately I have not raced much this spring due to my interest in other non-cycling related projects, whereas Adrian has decided--despite the monstrous time commitment of being a full time law school student--to keep on pursuing professional cycling.

Yet, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. Being in shape is an integral and necessary part of my existence. I have been doing a lot of secret solo ninja training camps consisting of bi-monthly half-marathons, stair running, fixie hill sprints, and CycleU InCycle classes. Let's see if this is enough to be on par with Hegyvary...

The beauty of track racing is its controlled environment and simplicity. As a racer you only have to worry about tactics and fitness. The track is always the same; there are never any high-speed descents or sketchy corners, the pavement is predictable, and you never have to worry about racing in wet weather.

The reason why I personally enjoy track racing more than any other cycling discipline is because I find it to be the most cerebral. Because it is such a controlled environment I only have to worry about complex tactics and going hard. Because of this I can get into my brain more and hit those higher levels of consciousness (aka, the athletic zone, aka, tunnel vision). In Criteriums and road racing I cannot establish such high levels of focus since I am always worrying about crashing in a sharp turn or getting a flat because of some massive hidden pothole lurking in front of me.

As a spectator track racing is great to watch. The race unfolds before your eyes, you can see the whole spectacle happen right there, and you have the option of drinking cool beer in the warm fading sun. Though, do be warned, bring a jacket, because its gets mighty cold when the sun blinks goodnight below the horizon.

I will be there every Friday that I am in town. I hope you are there as well supporting your local racers. Come watch the fixed gear madness ensue!!!

Northwest Domination

Quick Race Update:

Despite being sick from a poorly timed migraine, Coach Adrian placed second over-all at the grueling Tour of Walla Walla Stage Race. I hate to say it, but he missed the overall win by a mere four seconds...just imagine the damage he could have done with full ammunition.

Nice work Adrian. Keep it going!

Coach Adrian Does it AGAIN!

This weekend was a back to back Criterium Fest.

On Saturday there was the Volunteer Park Crit, a scenic race swirling around the colossal brick observatory tower of Volunteer Park. This Criterium is known for its smooth and fast descent that directly links into a big chainring mashing ascent to the wide open finish line.

The next day, on Easter Sunday, there was the Brad Lewis Memorial Criterium, also known as the Boat Street Crit. Sharp off-camber turns amd numerous road obstacles distinguish this fast and relatively flat Crit. The short length and tricky corners always packs this race with excitement and mayhem.

Both days called for wet weather. Yet, the weather had other plans and decided to save all the miserable rain for Sunday. This meant Volunteer park was dry, sunny, though a little breezy, and had a good showing of cheering spectators--some spectators were even doing human pyramids and pulling all kinds of circus like tricks of balancing people on top of people.

The men's Pro 1/2 race started off quickly with a flurry of attacks from numerous teams. A small break-away of five riders established a respectable gap from the get-go, but the pack had no intention of letting them stay ahead. With about 40 minutes left the peleton finally pulled in the break-away, and, as soon as they were caught, CycleU Coach, Adrian, launched a monstor attack up the grueling uphill portion of the race course. The only other rider able to hang with such an effort was Jamie, riding for team Doppio Cycling presented by Gin-Optics.

Adrian and Jamie worked efficiently together and began increasing their time gap away from the field. Soon they were 30 seconds ahead of the pack. There were a few nervous moments when the pack pulled them back to 18 seconds, but, over-all Adrian and Jamie dominated the pervasive field and crossed the finish line with a 25 second lead.

On the last lap Jamie attacked Adrian on the finishing climb. Adrian managed to cover the attack and then countered the attack on the slight uphill straight-away leading into the finish line and held Jamie off by about ten bike length for the win. Go Adrian!!! Both Jamie and Adrian showed that hands down the are two of the strongest Northwest riders this season.

The following day the weather decided that all us bike racers had too much fun at Volunteer Park and accordingly thought it best to start raining all day with miserable amounts of wetness. I must say, the irony was laughable when the sun peaked out literally seconds after the end of the Men's pro 1/2 race.

Unfourntely the foul weather meant the crowds were sparse. Some of the only true bike warrior fans were friends, family, and supporters of Chad Nikolz and his Gin-Optics eye-wear company which boasted two tents, a barabecue, and a bumping sound-system playing fun and dancy tunes. All day the Doppio Cycling / Gin-Optics team was crowded with merry folk dancing and laughing and trying to stay positive and dry despite the cold temperatures.

The Men's Pro 1/2 race played out very similiarly to the previous day. From the gun there were many small break-away attempts that never stuck. Within minutes the orginal pack of 30 riders had slimmed down to 18 as riders concerned for their health pulled out of the race. The course when wet can be very tricky, dangerous, and a short-cut to getting a cold.

Adrian, pulling his signautre move of this season, attacked half-way through the race and immediately established a huge gap from the field. Soon his teammate, Sam Johnson, began to bridge the gap while bringing another rider from team Lenova along with him.

These three riders worked well together and eventually lapped the field with about 10 laps to go. The sprint was soon coming up and riders began forming lead-out-trains to set-up their sprinters for a harrowing finish.

With one lap to go Sam Johnson proved to have the most pop in his legs after 90 minutes of freezing racing. He took the win, directly ahead of Adrian, who claimed his respectable second place finish.

Coach Adrian is a fine example of the caliber of racers that CycleU has as coaches. Way to go Adrian-keep on givin' them hell!

Tri Season is almost here!

Triathlon season is fast approaching for the pacific northwest. In California and warmer parts of the world racing is in full swing. May 1-3 California hosts the wildflower triathlon, a big event on the West Coast. This will be my first race of the season. I am competing in the olympic distance triathlon on May 3rd.

My training has been lower in volume then normal but with more intensity and i have been doing a fair amount of stair climbing in the wamu tower and the columbia tower in downtown Seattle. I am excited to kick off the season in California. Pacific northwest racing will start at the Issaquah triahtlon on May 31st and I hope to see Team Cycle U and the rest of the community out there.

Last summer I was training and racing in Santa Barbara all summer so it is a great to be back racing in the pacific nowrthwest.

Hope everyone is looking forward to a great summer full of sunshine and of course lots of swim bike run.

Scott Seamster
Cycle U Coach

FINAL Season TT Standings!

After three months of fierce competition our Friday night indoor TT series has drawn to a close. With just a few points separating the top riders it was again a nail-biter finale. BIG congratulations to this year's series winners Martin Criminale and Sile Kiernan. Be sure to give them a pat on the back when you see them at the races... they can be found destroying everyone else on the front of the pack. Here are the top-5 from the men's and women's fields:

1. Sile Kiernan

2. Martha Walsh

3. Cathy Varland

4. Tina Ziegler

5. Lisa Picard

1. Martin Criminale

2. Adrian Hegyvary

3. Dustin VanWyck

4. Alex Telitsine

5. Kyle Farrell

We're done with the Friday night racing for the year, but we'll keep the Wednesday night 10 milers going until attendance starts to drop. Also feel free to pull together some teammates and reserve a time slot for yourselves either Wednesday or Thursday night. Thanks to everyone for coming out, see you next winter!

PLACE	NAME		28-Nov	5-Dec	12-Dec	2-Jan	9-Jan	16-Jan	23-Jan	30-Jan	6-Feb	13-Feb	20-Feb	TOTAL
1	Martin	Criminale	11		16		8	11	13	14	13			86
2	Adrian	Hegyvary			7		15	24	2	7	14		9	78
3	Dustin	VanWyck	11	7	6	9	4		13		14	11		75
4	Alex	Telitsine			5	5	12	9		11			2	44
5	Kyle	Farrell			7	3	7	5		5	4	9		40
6	Aaron	Shaw	11	6	4		10							31
7	Travis	Dougan	4	3	2				6	9				24
8	Wroy	Renaghan							9		11			20
9	Mick	Walsh						6	3	7				16
9	Eric	Brihagen	7				9							16
9	Jon	Kaufman			3			2		4	4	2	1	16
12	Ian	McKissick	9	6										15
12	Evan	Brown				6		9						15
12	Sile	Kiernan	1	2	6		3				2	1		15
12	Dale	Harless	2	2		1		3		3		4		15
16	Todd	Baumeister	7	6										13
17	Martha	Walsh	3	3		2		1		2				11
17	Mark	VanWaes			6						5			11
17	Frank	Colich				4	7							11
17	Cathy	Varland					2	2		4	3			11
17	Ryan	Dean			3				5				3	11
22	Mark	Freeman					1	2			6			9
22	Don	Moe		4		2				3				9
22	Nelson	Jay					2			6			1	9
25	Clint	Chase								8				8
25	Kevin	Raymond								5		3		8
27	Tom	Mayer		2		3				2				7
27	Todd	Gallaher		3			4							7
27	RC	Rogers	5	2										7
27	Greg	Kauper						5		2				7
27	Gerrit	Dahlquist					1			6				7
27	Brad	Kilcline									7			7
33	Tina	Ziegler	1		4									5
33	Lyle	Tenpenny						4	1					5
33	Lisa	Picard					1	2			2			5
33	Sam	Johnson											5	5
37	Tony	East									4			4
37	Ezra	Sheppard							4					4
37	Elaine	Jameson					1	1	1		1			4
37	ER	Brown						1			2		1	4
37	Alison	Howard						1			1	2		4
42	Suzie	Kauper						3						3
42	Rhae	Shaw									3			3
42	Jadine	Riley					3							3
42	Garth	Ferber										3		3
46	Peter	Girard									2			2
46	Gabe	Templeton	2											2
46	Christine	Estrada			2									2
49	Nancy	Eiselt									1			1
49	Mandy	Lund			1									1
49	Ken	Edleman	1											1
49	Judy	Sentz							1					1
49	Craig	Undem	1											1
49	Christi	Kenyon								1				1
49	Chris	Seymour									1			1
49	Brad	Haley		1										1
49	Martha	Medcalf										1		1

TT Results: Wed, March 5

NAME		FINISH TIME	PLACE	AV. SPEED	MX. SPEED	AV. WATTS	MX. WATTS	AV. HR	MX. HR
ADRIAN	HEGYVARY	26:19.6	3	22.8	33.1	331.0	426	0	0
KURT	BROWN	25:49.2	2	23.2	29.2	300.6	432	173.6	187
MARTIN	CRIMINALE	25:16.2	1	23.8	30.6	318.5	517	158.1	163
JON	KAUFMAN	35:18.3	5	17.2	27.5	207.8	369	190	190
CHRIS	SEYMOUR	29:47.8	4	20.1	27.0	216.4	374	173.0	195
JULIE	ROBERTSON	31:09.4	4	19.3	26.4	173.7	292	176.7	188
MARTIN	CRIMINALE	25:59.5	1	23.1	29.6	296.3	475	153.8	161
HEIDI	COPES VAN HASSE	28:35.7	3	21.0	28.6	210.7	329	0	0
JON	KAUFMAN	28:10.5	2	21.3	27.6	247.1	346	0	0

Update from Austin, TX

Hello Seattle!  

Coach Tammy here, coming at you live from Austin, TX (or “ATX” as we call it).   

Life here in Austin has been, and continues to be, fabulous.  Graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, at least in the Exercise Physiology & Sports Psychology departments, are beyond challenging, and I am being kept on my toes 24/7.  On the rare occasion that I have some down-time to enjoy, I get out and enjoy swim-bike-running in the 70-80F weather with my posse of new Austin cohorts.  The people here are amazingly open and friendly, the music scene is beyond description, the food is diverse and delish, and there is rarely a dull moment in “weird” ATX.

All this being said, I’ve missed a lot back home in Seattle, the opening of the new Cycle U space being among the items at the top of that list.  Coach Craig, and all of us who have the pleasure of being a part of CU, have worked long and hard for this new level of success.  Cycle U now has a space that reflects the level of service and professionalism that we all strive to deliver…. And I’m stuck here.  Not there.  

Enter Spring Break…. Seattle here I come!  I will be in town March 13-18^th, attending the Cycle U hosting of the USAC Power-Based Certification Clinic, meeting up with existing and newly-added clients, and hopefully leading a session of InCycle or two.   Stop by to say ‘Hi’, or drop in for an InCycle session.  I am so looking forward to seeing all of you!  

Just one thing… I’ve gotten a little spoiled here.  Could y’all do something about the rain???  

Thanks...  CU soon!  Coach T. 

What's Your Favorite Zone?

by Dan Harm

    I really don't know where the past four months of InCycle has disappeared to. Yesterday, as I was doodling in my calendar all the things I had to do this week, I realized that there is only a little over a month of InCycle left. Yes, I know; I shouldn't get too upset since InCycle is going to be offered in the Spring and Summer and on and on into the years to come. But, regardless, I get nostalgic about eventual endings.  

    It's not just for InCycle. Even in College I remember I would get a little sad towards the end of the quarter. My peers thought I was crazy because they were excited as all hell to be done with school. Yet, my feelings towards each of my classes ending was a mixture of excitement about moving onto the next step, and of a sentimental appreciation for the enjoyable learning journey I had ventured.   

    I felt the same way when I worked at an Art school for gifted high schoolers. At the end of the year I knew the seniors would slip away into the folds of the big world. I knew they were ready, I knew they had learned so much, and that I had been a part of what they had learned. But, even though I was so excited to see these former high schoolers find their place in the world, I was still filled with hints of sadness, for next year I would not see their faces roaming the hallways and book shelves.

    The same holds true for InCycle. All the people in InCycle have become familiar faces to me. I know what hobbies they like, what they do for a living, how their kids and pets are doing, how their daily lives are going. They are all interesting and lively people who share two of my life passions: riding bikes and staying healthy.

    Every class I see improvement in their skills, technique, and most of all fitness. Even though I have no trouble seeing the physical improvement of InCycle members, for some reason it is still hard for some of them to see it for themselves. Many still have doubts about how much they have improved.

    Having doubts about one's self can be very useful, for it prevents complacency and promotes an eternal search for advancing one's self. But, there comes a point when an individual must applaud their achievements and be proud of the hard work done.

    Throughout the course of four months InCycle members have gone from barely being able to hold zone 3 for a five minute intervals, to being able to hit Zone 5 for ten minutes. If this is not a clear indication of progression, then I don't know what is. When we did our first Zone 5 interval in InCycle, all the members were shocked. Many of them said they had never hurt so badly and that they were disappointed with their average watts. To this I answered: "Look at it this way: Four months ago you could not have even attempted Zone 5 for ten minutes. And now, you are doing it."

    Me being witness to over 120 people improving their lives by riding a bike and staying healthy is quite a reward. I know next year I will most likely see a lot of familiar faces at InCycle. There will also be a lot of new faces as well. Each class is different. Changes and endings are inevitable. Lives change, people move around, and, as we all know, every good time must come to an end.

    Yes, it is hard to accept change. But, as InCycle draws to an end next month I at least know that deep down inside every-one's favorite Zone is Zone 5. And this is what moves me onwards.

The Big Moment, by Dan Harm

Today I was asked a question: "what was the one big moment in cycling that motivated you to take it to the next level?"  For a few moments I sat in silence. My mind reeled backwards through the five years I have been racing bikes. Various emotions and visceral moments trudged their way to the front of my brain where I could look at them with mixed feelings of excitement, satisfaction, and ultimately, confusion.

    Bike racing is such an integral part of my life, I just can't narrow it down to one moment. Though it may sound odd, I see bike racing almost as a relationship. A relationship full of hardships, trying moments, doubt, and broken expectations. And, like any long-lasting relationship, there is a tremendous amount of commitment and dedication I have towards racing that allows me to work through the hardships, helps me make compromises in order to "save" the relationship.

    My life mentality is simple: that which takes the most effort is the most rewarding. Effort usually consists of commitment and hard work. This mentality holds true for every aspect of life. When I was in school, homework never bothered me. It boggled my mind when my peers would complain about essays and tests. My reply to their complaints was, "You do realize you are in school?" It seemed obvious to me that if I were to enroll in a University then I would have homework; so, why complain about the obvious?

    This dedicated mentality holds true for my other passions in my life as well: my artwork, my music, my lovers, friends and family. The more effort I put into a relationship with a drawing or a lover, then the more rewarding the outcome will be. Then, if I keep on putting effort into these relationships over a long period of time, I will learn so much more about myself and the person or object or sport I am involved with.

    I know I am going on a bit of a tangent here, but there is a point, and it is this: there was never a big moment in racing that brought me to the next level. What has kept me racing was my willingness to dedicate myself to racing even during times when it seemed absolutely pointless.

    You see, I have another life theory: one must dedicate themselves the most when everything seems hopeless. Every relationship would fail if it were not for dedication, because, as I mentioned early, every relationship will have struggles, and dedication to the relationship will sometimes  be the only glue holding everything together.

    For many years I struggled with being an unorthodox bike racer. I was not gifted with the narrow and intense focus necessary to be a life-career professional racer. Every since I was a kid I have always been distracted by others facets of life I find interesting. Art, music, traveling, adventure, and a little bit of chaos has always captivated me, and trying to enjoy all this while being a pro racer is not possible. I found this out the hard way this past summer. I was trying to juggle many life passions and I was dropping all the balls everywhere. At the Tour of Utah, one of the USAs most challenging professional stage races, I gave up. The months of traveling on the road, the years of having to go to bed at 10pm every night while my friends were partying, the years of training for hours and hours in frigid temperatures all caught up to me as I raced in 100 degree heat at 8,000 feet elevation with the fastest riders in the world. I cracked hard.

     But, instead of quitting racing all together, I found a compromise. I realized that I needed to re-evaluate WHY I race. The only answer I could come up with was typical: I love racing. I just love racing my bike. And, even if I don't have the personality to be a career pro racer, I can still race my bike because I love the sport, the adrenaline, the healthy lifestyle and the people involved within its community.

    Once I realized all this I actually began to excel for the end of my race season. In a matter of months I went from "breaking up" with bike racing to "convincing" my bike that it should get "back together with me." Three months after I broke up with my bike at the Tour of Utah we took a trip together down to L.A. We went down to L.A. to compete at the Elite Velodrome National Championships. All the fastest guys in the USA would be there. My bike was a bit nervous about my fitness. Everyone there was second guessing me and my commitment.

    I did not want to let myself down. I did not want to give up on the five amazing years I had racing my bike. After all, bike racing has taken me all over the world, it has given me my amazing job as a coach, it has given me a healthy body, and it has taught me so many life lessons. With this in mind I raced my heart out and took  2nd place at National Champions.

    So, to conclude, when I look back and remember all the experiences racing a bike, it is not the happy moments of winning and traveling that has kept me going. Rather, the tumultuous moments--the moments where I wanted to give up and quit it all, the moments where I wanted to walk away and never look back--these are the moments that motivate me and make me appreciate so much more that I am still on my bike racing stronger than ever. Racing is my life long love.

Weight Loss & Cycling

by Coach Lang Reynolds

Like most American kids, I participated in a lot of sports when I was growing up.  Over the years, I have played basketball, baseball, football, ultimate, and lacrosse.  I have rowed crew, ran cross country and track, wrestled, and raced bikes.  Amont those I was exposed to, I eventually gravitated towards the endurance sports, and over the last ten years have spent most of my time outside either running or riding my bike. 

Cycling and running are both fantastic sports; I am very thankful to have discovered them at a relatively early age and have already enjoyed a decade of participation.  They also have in common, however, something you don't get in stick-and-ball sports: a certain neurosis (shared with their sister sport triathlon) at the competitive level with regard to body weight (surpassed only by another sport in which I've participated, wrestling, which gives most every participant a bona fide eating disorder by the time they graduate).

This obsession stems from the cruel reality of the physical laws we all learn in high school (you must produce a force to accelerate your mass) and also from the many images of the sports' archetypes and heroes.  Take Lance Armstrong's famously meticulous weighing of food on a gram scale, or the incredibly gaunt Janez Brajkovic, celebrating his second place in last October's Giro di Lombardia.  This image has changed over time: compare, for example, Eddy Merckx, Raymond Poulidor, or Bernard Hinault with Alberto Contador, Denis Menchov, or Carlos Sastre.

In looking at these images of athletes at the top level of the sport, we must understand a few important facts.  Putting aside the question of doping (a whole can of worms for another day), these athletes are professionals for a reason, namely that they are prodigiously talented.  This is not to say that they do not train and prepare vigorously, but simply that a high level of talent is a prerequisite for achievement at the top level of the sport.  Talent has many facets, one of which is body type.  Simply put, the Darwinian process of victory has selected for athletes that not only have huge engines but are also predisposed to being relatively skinny.  More importantly, though, is the fact that being at the top level of the sport requires attention to every detail that affects performance.  They have already maximized the effectiveness of their training, perfected their position on the bike, and ensured the relative supremacy of their equipment.

During almost every group ride or training session I overhear talk of losing weight or being overweight, and I must confess being guilty of participating in such talk at times.  When it comes down to it, however, performance gains realized through weight loss are usually quite small, depending on how much weight an athlete has to lose, especially compared to the performance gains realized by concentrating on increasing sustainable power.  Even on a climb such as Crystal Mountain, the state Hill Climb Championship course, a 5 lb weight loss is easily out-matched by a 7 watt gain in sustainable power for an average rider.  Moreover, the side effects of trying to cut weight too quickly and the reduced quality of life inherent in counting calories can also outweigh the potential performance gains.  In other words, chill out people.  Significant progress can be made simply by maximizing your nutritional regime with respect to your training as well as general food intake.  Rather than thinking simply about weight as holding us back or something to reduce, we should think more broadly about general health and proper nutrition first.  You will probably not be able to "diet" your way to being faster on the bike, but if you take a hard look at what you put into your body and ensure you eat a selection of highly nutritious food and leave out those foods we know are "bad" for us, you will enjoy better overall health and weight loss will probably follow. 

I am not a nutritionist, and there is plenty of information out there on healthful nutrition for the endurance athlete.  It's pretty simple, though:  eat food that our bodies can use efficiently and provide valuable nutrients in addition to calories, and don't eat those that do not (refined sugars, alcohol, refined grains, etc); time food consumption around ride time; eat moderate amounts.

Body weight is, strictly speaking, a component of performance.  It is, however, one small component that frequently receives far more attention than it deserves among other components that have a much larger return on investment for improving performance, in terms of time and energy spent.  Here in the endurance sport community, we need to re-frame the topic of weight loss in terms of overall nutrition and health.  For all the time spent thinking about how much weight we need to lose, going on a diet, breaking that diet, bonking on a training ride, we could be thinking about and affecting real changes in our complete nutrition that benefit our overall health and are sustainable for years down the road.

TT Results: Wed, Feb. 25

NAME		TIME	PLACE	AV. SPEED	MX. SPEED	AV. WATTS	MX. WATTS	AV. HR	MX. HR
EVAN	BROWN	24:48.8	2	24.2	30.5	338.8	632	0	0
GARY	HOCKING	26:09.9	4	22.9	29.0	297.7	532	0	0
JULIE	ROBERTSON	29:05.5	8	20.6	26.5	202.8	344	186.4	193
KURT	BROWN	27:33.1	5	21.8	28.5	263.3	445	0	0
MARTIN	CRIMINALE	25:44.0	3	23.3	30.5	304.8	538	158.4	166
BRAD	KILCLINE	24:43.2	1	24.3	31.6	331.8	489	180.0	192
JON	KAUFMAN	27:35.1	6	21.8	28.5	271.0	407	0	0
CAMERON	MALLORY	27:51.8	7	21.5	29.7	263.0	774	172.6	183
KYLE	FARRELL	25:33.4	1	23.5	31.0	304.0	436	0	0
CATHY	VARLAND	28:55.7	4	20.8	26.3	214.8	364	0	0
ALEXIE	MONTALAND	32:25.4	5	18.5	25.0	163.0	291	0	0
MARTIN	CRIMINALE	25:55.3	3	23.2	30.3	299.7	470	159.0	170
BRAD	KILCLINE	25:51.7	2	23.2	30.9	299.3	408	164.1	181

TT Results: Friday, Feb. 20

NAME		TIME	PLACE	AV. SPEED	MX. SPEED	AV. WATTS	MX. WATTS	AV. HR	MX. HR	POINTS
ER	BROWN	17:16.7	3	21.5	31.6	269.5	668	162.2	170	1
ADRIAN	HEGYVARY	14:59.3	2	24.8	33.6	367.1	423	0	0	2
SAM	JOHNSON	14:32.6	1	25.6	33.6	389.2	517	0	0	3
ADRIAN	HEGYVARY	14:53.2	1	25.0	33.6	372.3	441	0	0	4
SAM	JOHNSON	16:03.8	3	23.2	32.8	308.4	623	0	0	2
NELSON	JAY	16:19.5	4	22.8	30.1	279.8	462	0	0	1
RYAN	DEAN	15:16.8	2	24.4	30.2	348.3	529	0	0	3
ADRIAN	HEGYVARY	14:48.1	1	25.1	33.8	376.0	736	0	0	3
JON	KAUFMAN	17:22.0	3	21.4	28.9	264.7	392	0	0	1
ALEX	TELITSINE	16:19.7	2	22.8	31.7	281.1	509	0	0	2