Week 1: The Philly Phlyer

2016’s ECCC racing season was kicked off in Philadelphia with the traditional two-day Philly Phlyer race series.  The Penn State Club Cycling Team had a massive turnout, with twenty riders racing for the Blue and White.  Penn State partook in the TTT and road race on Saturday, and the criterium on Sunday.

3/19, Team Time Trial

The Philly Phlyer TTT course was 11 miles.  The highlight of the course were the multiple hairpin turns which demanded excellent teamwork and handling to preserve valuable seconds.  The final lap of the course finished up a hill, which put the riders deep into the pain cave.

Men’s A:  James Read, Drew Chidester, Greg Ratzell, Kevin Bernstein

The Penn State men’s A team witnessed a catastrophic crash from the Queen’s collegiate team.  As Drew described it; “it looked like they ran over a landmine.”  Carbon fiber and aero gear everywhere.  Our boys nailed down 3rd place despite the surrounding carnage.

Women’s A:  Monica Volk, Jess Bunchek, Rebecca Storch, Kirsten Pearsons

The women’s A team finished 3^rd overall.  First time A racers Kirsten and Rebecca put on a stellar performance in the early morning race.

Men’s C:  Dan Kozar, Sam Carroll, Lucas Buseck

The men’s C team successfully wound it up for a 12^th place finish.

Men’s D: Noah Smith, Cobie Arnold Jose Aguilar, Will Gowen, Jacob Brown, Charlie Akerblom, Bill Wahl

The team of Cobie, Jose, Jacob, and Bill misjudged the speed of entry on the first hairpin turn, which resulted in a minor crash.  Despite this, they pulled together and finished 3rd in the TTT, with a final time of 34:52.  A very impressive recovery and a valuable learning opportunity.  Noah, Will, and Charlie started out strong, but were accidentally led off course.

3/19, Schuylkill Scramble Road Race

The road race course was similar to the TTT course, but nixed one of the hairpin turns in favor of an additional 1 mile climb for the riders to navigate.  Riders began next to Memorial Hall, and then followed the course down a scenic route beside the river.  

Men’s A:  Drew Chidester, James Read, Greg Ratzell, Kevin Bernstein

At 39 miles long, the men’s A race was the most difficult of the events at the Philly Phlyer.  Three riders broke away on the first lap of the race, leaving the rest of the riders in the peloton to duke it out for the remaining positions.  Kevin broke away and jockeyed himself towards the center of the peloton, a position he would hold until the end of the race, with a 14^th place finish.  Greg playfully attacked early in the race, pushing the other riders to catch up with him before he was swallowed once again by the peloton.  The final two laps of the course saw a sharp uptick in pace, and the exhausted riders struggled to cement good finishing positions.  The final climb, while a formidable obstacle for the majority of the riders, was taken advantage of by Kevin and Greg, who attacked and passed multiple cyclists.  Greg finished 13^th, and Drew and James cranked their way to a 22^nd and 23^rd place finish, respectively.    

                                                                            Monica Volk sprints for the finish line 

Women’s A/B:  Monica Volk, Jess Bunchek, Kirsten Pearsons

Monica Volk and two non-collegiate professional riders executed a speedy breakaway on the first lap, and remained in the front for the remainder of the 32 mile race.  The three of them held an impressive one minute and thirty second lead off the front.  First place in collegiate already secured, Monica played amongst the pros and crossed the line second.  Jess duked it out in the center of the peloton for ideal positioning, and finished 11^th, with Kirsten right behind at 19^th.

Jess Bunchek scales the final climb while Noah Smith, Noah Stauffer, and Will Gowen provide moral support

Men’s C:  Dan Kozar, Sam Carroll 

A crash on the final turn of the course made for a difficult push towards the finish line.  Sam finished 59th out of the pack.  Dan ambitiously upgraded to category C for his first collegiate road race, and although he put out a good effort, he couldn’t quite keep up with the peloton.  Technique comes with experience.

Women’s C:  Sarah Rutledge

Sarah was reunited with a former Penn Stater, Kasinee.  Rivalries die hard and Sarah beat Kasinee to the line, 12^th place over her 15^th.  A great result for both, but only Sarah scored points.

Men’s D:  Noah Smith, Cobie Arnold, Will Gowen, Jacob Brown, Jose Aguilar, Charlie Akerblom, Bill Wahl

A pothole on the first descent caused a minor crash, thankfully with minimal injury.  Cobie powered his way to a 9^th place finish, a solid performance for his first collegiate road race.  Bill finished 26^th, while Noah, Charlie, Will, Jacob, and Jose lost contact with the peloton but nonetheless put out a good effort.

Women’s D:  Rebecca Storch
Rebecca finished 37th, successfully scorching her way past 30 other riders in her first ever road race.

3/20, Criterium at Temple University

As temperatures dipped under 40 degrees and wind ripped down the streets, the weather was a major hurdle for the criterium racers to overcome.  The final straightaway of the course barreled into a headwind, which added another challenge to primes and finishing sprints.  The railroad tracks which passed through the course added bones to the otherwise bare-bones circuit.

Greg Ratzell (left) and Kevin Bernstein (right) rip around a corner at the Men’s A Criterium

Men’s A:  Greg Ratzell, James Read, Kevin Bernstein

Kevin found a good opening for the final sprint, and secured a 10^th place finish.  Greg attacked ferociously throughout the race, but couldn’t quite make the breakaway stick against the tough competition.  Greg and James received 18^th and 19^th, respectively.

Women’s A:  Monica Volk

Monica initiated another breakaway.  This time she was joined by three other collegiate racers.  On the final lap, Monica launched her sprint and created a massive gap, notching herself another 1^st place finish for the weekend.

Women’s B:  Kirsten Pearsons

The women’s B field was combined with the women’s A field, forcing Kirsten to race with the fastest girls in the east.  The pace was a bit too fast for Kirsten to hold on to but she never quit, notching herself a 6^th place finish.

Esteemed President and Maverick Sam Carroll begins a sprint (Image courtesy of Boston University Cycling)

Men’s C:  Sam Carroll, Dan Kozar, Charlie Li

The competition was tough in men’s C’s, and the Penn State riders were eventually pulled after holding on for the first half of the race.

Men’s D:  Noah Smith, Cobie Arnold, Jose Aguilar, Will Gowen, Jacob Brown, Charlie Akerblom

The men’s D field sported 66 contestants total.  The railroad tracks knocked a bottle out of its cage, leading to a minor crash on the first lap.  The field split up into two large groups by lap 5, which spread out the riders.  Cobie held on to the first group, and landed a 17^th place finish.  Charlie led the 2^nd pack throughout the latter part of the race, and finished 30th with Will in pursuit at 34th.  Will didn’t realize the pack had split up, and began celebrating after crossing the finish line.  There’s always next week.  Jose, Jacob, and Noah held on strongly for the majority of the race, but fell off the pace of the peloton.

The Philly Phlyer was a huge success for the Penn State Club Cycling Team.  Thus far, Penn State riders have racked up a total of 177 points, placing 4^th in the ECCC.  With five more weekends remaining, the opportunity for new riders to improve and seasoned riders to dominate is all ahead.

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PSU Cycling 101: Intro to bike races

Hello and welcome back to PSU Cycling 101!  In this edition we'll be covering some of most common types of bike races that the Cycling Club at University Park competes in. To begin with there are four major disciplines in collegiate cycling: ROAD, CYCLO-CROSS, MOUNTAIN, and TRACK. 

ROAD

Criteriums

A criterium is one of the most common forms of competitive cycling in the United States. Designed for spectators, criteriums are races held on short, typically urban circuits, between 800 meters to five kilometers. These fast-paced events are usually 10-60 miles and last between 30 minutes and two hours. The relatively short, closed course features several corners and gives spectators the opportunity to view the majority of the course and see competitors many times throughout the race. Primes, pronounced “preems” are sprints within a race for all riders in the main field including breakaway riders who have lapped the field. Riders who win the prime are awarded prizes even if they do not win the overall race. Primes are used to create excitement in the middle of the race. A circuit race is a general term used for any road races that are contested over a course that is more than three miles and has at least two laps.

Road Races

 

 Road races typically take place on public roads and can be point-to-point races or multiple circuits of a loop generally from 5-25 miles in length. Road races are team-oriented, mass start events.  They can be either one-day, or multiple-day stage races.  The American road season usually begins around March and reaches its peak around late July. Road races can be held on closed, partially closed, or open roads with or without controlled traffic safety measures in place as determined by local authorities.

Although the road race is the staple of international events, it can be less spectator friendly than other types of races depending on the course route. Cyclists may not pass the same point for long periods of time and spectators looking for a particular cyclist may miss them if they are in the middle of the race pack (called a peloton).

Time Trials 

A time trial is a timed event completed by an individual or a team. The individual time trial is often called “the race of truth,” as it pits individuals against the clock with riders starting one by-one at specific intervals, usually one minute apart. It’s the most basic form of competitive cycling and the rules are simple: the athlete with the fastest time over a given distance is the winner. Like road races, the time trial usually takes place on public roads and can be a point-to-point, out and back, or a circuit format.

The team time trial is like the individual time trial, but with one slight difference, teams race one at a time and work together to complete the course in the fastest possible time.  Most stage races begin with some form of time trial; this is called “The prelude”. 

CYCLO-CROSS

Cyclo-cross is a unique, non-Olympic discipline of cycling that can best be described as a cross between road cycling, mountain biking, and steeplechase. Cyclo-cross races generally take place on a closed circuit between 2.5 km and 3.5 km in a park or other open land with competitors racing multiple laps for a set amount of time. Since the cyclo-cross season traditionally takes place from September to February, races are often challenged by adverse weather conditions such as snow, rain, wind, and mud. Riders begin in mass start fashion and must navigate through both paved and off-road terrain, often times dismounting their bikes to hurdle barriers, climb steep hills or stairs, or traverse other man-made obstacles. These events can take place on a closed circuit in an area as small as a moderately sized city park and they are very spectator friendly.

Cyclo-cross is the fastest growing discipline in cycling and because of its festival like atmosphere it is considered by some to also be the most fun.  Because of the season in which cyclo-cross events are held and the cyclists multiple laps per race the course may require maintenance following the event.  Most cyclocross events  also allow for a “pit” where cyclists can pass off a dirty bike to team members who will wash it down and make adjustments to the bike.  Watching the team mechanics can sometimes be half the fun as the try to find the perfect tire pressure or tread to give their riders the advantage.     

MOUNTAIN 

While disciplines like cyclo-cross, road, and track can all trace their lineage back to Mediterranean Europe, mountain biking began in the hills of California. In 19++ a small group of tinkerers from San Fransisco equipped old cruiser bikes with knobby tires and pieces from used motor bikes to create the flat handled, and mud flinging two wheelers that we know today as MOUNTAIN BIKES!  In the early 70's all mountain bike races were downhill events that were often referred to as "repack"  This is because the bearings in the hubs would become so hot that the grease would actually boil away and need re-packed.  It is said that the first official mountain bike race took place in 1976 and was won by the only rider who didn't crash.  It was soon after in 1983 that one in twenty of all bikes in the US were mountain bikes.  In 1993 nearly 90% of new bikes sold in the US were mountain bikes.

Mountain bike racing is often happens in one of three disciplines, either Cross Country(XC), Downhill, or Enduro. Cross Country racing is the most popular mountain biking discipline and also the least extreme of the three. XC racing is also an Olympic discipline which involves competitors racing from point-to-point through defined trail sections in the fastest time possible. XC trails can range from open fire roads to winding narrow single-tracks that will test the rider’s endurance and technical handling skills.  Downhill races are for more advanced riders whose love for speed brings them blazing down the roughest descents and root sections. Downhill races are very intense and exciting to watch, with either one or more races competing at the same time. Enduro (sometimes known as all-mountain) are more technical than XC and can involve even bigger drops and jump sections to fuel the riders adrenaline thirst. Enduro competitions tend to be staged races that can involve steep climbs and timed descents.

 

TRACK

Although it may be more popular outside of the US, many of worlds greatest cyclists got their start on the track. Track is one of the oldest disciplines in cycling, taking place in a special type of arena known as a velodrome. Velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve.  Although some older velodromes use pine boards for the race surface, many modern outdoor tracks have moved to cement.  One of the oldest arenas in the entire US, Madison Square Gardens, actually got its start as a velodrome. The nearest velodrome to State College is the Valley Preffered Cycling Center outside of Allentown Pennsylvania.Bicycles for velodromes have no brakes. They employ a single fixed rear gear, or cog, that does not freewheel. This helps maximize speed, reduces weight, and avoids sudden braking while nevertheless allowing the rider to slow by pushing back against the pedals. Track cyclists tend to be very specialized in their discipline even though nearly all forms of track racing cover a course even shorter than that of a criterium.  There are a ton of different race formats is track cycling.  Below are listed some of the most common types of races.

    *A scratch race is a mass start event in which riders compete over a specified distance and the order of finish determines the winners.

   *Elimination is another mass start race which removes the last place rider from each lap until only two riders remain. The final standings are then determined by a sprint over the last two laps.

   *Madison races (sound familiar?) are team events in which pairs of riders compete in a sort of tag-team format. Riders "sling" their teammate forward to facilitate alternating sprints that keep the pace very high during typically long races.

   *Keirin races involve pacing 6 to 9 riders with a motorcycle known as a Derny. The Derny gradually accelerates until the last lap and a half when it pulls off the track and a sprint for the finish determines the winner.


Alright everyone.... that's more than enough from me.  Please feel free to comment below with anything I may have missed and remember:  The Penn State Cycling Club meets Wednesday nights at 8:30 in Willard Building.