Thanks to The Cyclist – Lawyer for the Photo
The first weekday race at the Golden Bike Shop MTB Short Track race was a success. About 50 racers came out to battle at the Youth Services course this past Wednesday.
Results are posted on the Routine Leg Works site along with the Golden Bike Shop site.
The next race is May 23rd.
The RLW Gravel crew headed east to conquer some gravel south and east of Bennett, CO. The ride brought us through the Bijou Valley that handed us some 13% gradient climbs. A stop in Deer Trail for refueling and visit with racers doing the road race then back to Bennett via Strasburg. The route did include some of the roads used in the AntiEpic.
Check out the route here: http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=389302
Thanks to Chad and Scott for a great ride.
Here are some photos of last weekends ride east of Greenland, CO. We rode the first and last sections of the AntiEpic route. Also, many of the roads we were on will be use for the Dirty Century. Great time with two new members of the RLW team. Thanks for the ride! ~ Mike
Look for RLW team at a race near you.
April 7, 2012
First off, thanks to the Colorado Endurance Series and especially Ben Welnak for organizing the AntiEpic Gravel Grinder. This was my first big gravel ride in my home state since the riding Bayou Salado a few years back.
I left my house with temp reading in the car a comfortable 42 degrees. By the time I reached the Greenland Trail head parking lot the temp read 24 degrees. With the expected temp to reach the low 60s, my clothing choice was difficult. My legs did have a heavy coating of Flahute + on them. So to quote a fellow gravel grinder “go light, freeze at night” and that I did.
We rolled out to the official finish at the corner of Greenland Road and Mesa View. Ben gave the last instructions and we were off. My hands and toes were numb so it was a relief to get moving so as I could get some blood moving. I quickly spun out as the lead group pulled away and we strung out on the road. After Elbert, the route headed north along Maul Rd then onto Comanche Creek Rd before heading east to Deer Trail. The 100 mile cutoff was tempting but riding the whole route was more tempting.
I had planned to stop in Deer Trail and refill by bottles. There were a slew of riders leaving town as I was rolling in. One other rider was at the convenient store. I filled my bottles, topped off my Camelbak and slammed a Gatorade Recover. I headed back out onto the course after the 3 mile detour and a 15 minute stop. We headed south toRidge Roadwhich seem to last forever as I had some intestinal distress from the Gatorade product. The wind started to blow from the south that added to that misery. Can’t stop, won’t stop rang loud in my head as I rode on.
The “B” road: Mark Stevenson would have been very happy with Ben’s inclusion of this nasty stretch of road. It wasn’t bad, but it was dry. Rumors were that this could be a 3 mile hike a bike section (insert TIv2 flashback). I did opted to walk one section as the loose dirt, tire selection, and gearing would have cost me a match or two. Once back to gravel we were 36 miles to the finish. The sun was sinking fast and I really wanted to get the ride done in the day light.
At mile 125, the steepest climb of the day. With weary legs I did my best to get up and over it without walking. I achieved my goal but it required a couple switchbacks. From there it was a straight shot back to the car. The wind picked up as the sun went down behind the mountains. Luckily I had been pessimistic and packed my lights. The last 10 miles were cold and dark. I rolled into the parking area with only a few vehicles left and I couldn’t feel my hands or feet, just like I left the parking lot almost 14 hours earlier.
As far as gravel grinding goes, this is high up on my chart of rides to do again. Plus, I plan to do a couple more rides in the area for later this year. I am overall happy with the performance and experience.
Mike
Update on GPS Data: My Garmin Edge 305 died at mile 137 with a elevation gain of 8683 feet. The last 23 miles were hilly, so I would guess over 9000 ft of elevation gain.
Update 4/12 @ 3:17pm: Results are posted. http://antiepic.blogspot.com/2012/04/antiepic-race-results-pictures-and.html
A few pictures of the Routine Leg Works Team tent.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
A little friendly competition took place last weekend that involved three teams of the hardest hardmen on the Front Range. These Flahutes, from the beer drinking dad’s league, showed up at an undisclosed location without oversight from a governing body with no registration lines or late fees. This competition amongst the CO CX Clash riders was hotter than the current feud brewing between the USAC and ACA (but that’s for FMVC to discuss) or even the Rapha-Focus Cross Clash on CrossResults.com.
The CO Cross Clash was simple; drink a beer, run around the pavilion, then head out onto a course that was not or would not ever be approved by Mud and Cowbells. And the winner was, well we were all winners for heading out on a Sunday afternoon to hang with friends, talk cyclocross, race bikes, bash the norms, and drink some beer. And of course we used liberal amounts of embrocation!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Check out this video of some of the Routine Leg Works team members riding in the Boulder Racing CX #3 at Interlocken on October 22, 2011.
If you are racing or watching at the Boulder Cup this Sunday (10/30) then stop by the team area close to the Belgium steps and say howdy.
Posted in cyclocross, let's get it on, Team RLW
The TRS 80 was fed the data and crunched out the following results.
We had a few debuts to the standings this week, most notably the tandem State Farm boys. In tenth, the Insurer of the Pain Cave aka Prefontaine aka Mr Iron Man showed his metal as he decimated the rear of the field putting OSAITW in his rightful place. The Hebrew Hammer aka Carlos Jr rocked the straight bars to garner 5pts that put him on the board in ninth. With 8pts in eighth place making his first appearance in the standings was Furious George. In seventh place, the Muscle brought his “A” game out to Monarch HS and put the hurt on the RLW boys. Sixth place in the standings this week, the Big Teplitzky, received zero pts as he opted for a bye week. In fifth, proving that over training can pay off if you are “In Search of DFL” is OSAITW. The Sheppard of Pain proved that turning your front yard into a private cx course and holding daily races against his wife pays off putting him into fourth. Lars Zoom keeping it consistent is in third. With his debut, Speedy T doubled down rocketing him up into second in the standings. Notorious holds his commanding lead in the standings.
Week 2 Standings:
place, name, (wk1 + wk2), total
*NOTE* This is a friendly competition based on the results from the local single speed racing scene and is in NO way affiliated with any governing body or its partners. This is purely an exhibition, please no wagering. And remember, derailleurs are for failures.
I have liked the Geekhouse energy and vibe for a long time! Cool CX video to build a little stoke for the weekend races.Watching this video, I am reminded of how much I love my new CX frame Raven Cycle Werks. Thank you Taylor and John for all your hard work to make these happen for the RLW team. I will follow this up with pics and a detailed description in the near future.
Posted in cyclocross, inspiration, Team RLW
