Team Colleen - Race Against Time TT

Research shows that several traumatic side effects can be observed on an Elite rider after accomplishing a time of 27:27 on a 20k TT. These effects include but are not limited to: sudden downgrading of bike handling skills, improper removal of cleats from pedal, sudden drop in elevation and finding comfort in gravel parking lots. Attached is a picture of one of the case studies found in our research this morning. This specimen experienced all the effects listed above:
 

-Christian Maldonado

Avondale Criterium #1

A handful of members from the Trisports.com/Eclipse Racing team decided to double-up on the racing action this weekend and headed up to the Phoenix area for the Avondale Criterium #1.  These early season races are a good test of fitness and for the opportunistic, a chance to snag some crucial upgrade points.  The Avondale course is fairly simple with 3 turns and a wide sweeping bend before coming back to the start/finish. The smooth pavement and non-technical aspect of the course typically makes for some fast racing.

Up first was the Men’s Cat 2/3 which involved Andre McNulty, Justin Orkney, Christian Maldonado and Brian Ellis. There was a lot of strategy discussion prior to the race but the main focus was to keep Christian out of trouble and get him a good finish (and hopefully some of those sweet upgrade points). The pace was fast from the start and despite hard efforts from TriSports, Bike Haus, and Carlos O’Brien’s, no break was able to stick. With the group all together the finish would come down to a field sprint. On the final lap Andre was sitting in 6th position with Justin on his wheel and Christian close behind. Through the final sweep, Andre gave his last kick with Justin soon to follow. Thanks to their efforts, Christian was able to sprint his way to 5th place and Justin took 7th!

Next on the agenda was Andre racing in the Men’s 40+ division. Andre rode smart and stayed near the front for the entire 40 minutes of the race. As such, he managed to keep the rubber-side down and finish strong.

Unfortunately, Andre had to head back to Tucson early for work which left Justin and Brian to contend with the Pro/1/2 field. Based on the UA Crit the day before, the large field size and the fast course, there was one thought going into this race…

Despite being 75 minutes long, most of this race was a blur. There were plenty of attacks and Justin and Brian tried to cover most of them (or at least the ones that seemed like they were worthwhile). After about 45 minutes, a break of about 8 riders got up the road containing a few notables such as Eric Marcotte (ELBOWZ racing), Jon Parrish (Bike Haus Elite), Tanner Putt (BMC Hincapie Sportswear) and a handful of other riders from Bike Haus, Carlos O’Brien’s, Landis-Trek, etc. With just about every team represented and content with their riders up ahead, the field sat up and rode tempo the rest of the race before getting pulled a few laps early to let the lead group finish unimpeded. The final podium was Eric Marcotte (1^st), Tanner Putt (2^nd) and Jon Parrish (3^rd).

Wrapping things up for the day was Christian in the Cat 3/4 race. The field size was enormous so Christian wisely stayed near the front and marked the wheels of a few select riders. As with the previous races, the pace was fast for the entire 45 minutes and a handful of futile attacks never went anywhere. The race came down to a field sprint at the end and Christian was able to finish in 3^rd place!

-Brian Ellis

University of Arizona Pro/1/2 Criterium

The 2012 University of Arizona Pro/1/2 Criterium was the last race of the day starting at 4:30 on Saturday, so I had a long time to think about it.  This was going to be my first time lining up with a pro field and they did not disappoint.

The field of approximately 40 jumped off the line and besides someone trying to take out my teammate Andre McNulty just after the first turn, it was honestly the safest Crit I have ever taken part in.   This makes sense, as these are the best cyclists in the state and some of the best in the country.  A break of 6 or 7 formed after one lap and they were not too be brought back.

Justin Orkney with the chase group

The chase group became a fierce game for position.  If you were towards the back it was not going to work out well as you were constantly breaking going into the corners and sprinting out of them to get back into the groove.   Unfortunately, this is exactly where I found myself.  After roughly 5 laps, I could not keep the pace and was dropped from the field.  I joined up with 2 other teammates (Shawn Daly and David Welsh) and we formed a second chase group trying to regain contact with the field.  I specifically remember David saying that we needed to keep our pace as the main field might slow.  After about 5 more laps, we were waived off the course and were done for the day.  Little did I know, the break that had formed after the first lap was just about to catch us.

Congratulations must go out to my teammate Justin Orkney who was able to stay with the main field and complete the race.

Andre McNulty post-race (with child)

-Mike Radcliff