Dean at Lawrence Duathlon
Dude at Lawrence Duathlon
Anita at Lawrence Duathlon
Spring Fling Final Week
Glorious
weather on Saturday for our final Spring Fling Criterium in Lawrence. We
started with the Master's 35 + race. The pace was fast, but not fast
enough for Art Mathisen. With a light breeze across the damn, conditions
were ripe for an attack. Art attacked the field. Carl jumped out to
help Art. Art experienced a little of "Argy Bargy".
Pushing and shoving. This diminished his enthusiasm. We had no
places in the Master's 35 +. Art did place in the final series, taking
5th place.
Next was the category 4 women's race. Ann Parthemore had wrapped up the points in this race, winning the four previous criteriums. Mary Still took 4th, Danielle Lansford took 6th and Ann Parthemore took 7th.
The Men's Category 4/5 was another fast paced race with Carl Fischer, Spencer Wallace, Marc Welde, and Brendan Sheehan all taking turns driving the field. The pace was still around 25 MPH. No joy for the team in this race.
The women's three four was a terrific team race. Shawn Morelli, Mary Still and Danielle Lansford attacked early leaping away from the peleton. They worked together to make the field chase. Erica wisely stayed in the field making the other women chase. The field gradually pulled Mary and Danielle back in. Shawn stayed out front through the sprint lap taking points away from the other teams. Erica stayed with the field leaders and sprinted for the final sprint taking 3rd in the Sprint and 4th in the race.
Last race was the men's category 5. The race was fast and short. Twenty minutes. Our team stacked up the finish. Spencer worked for his teammates lining them up for the finish sprint. We were 4th - Spencer Wallace, 5th - Sean Smith, and 6th - Marc Welde.
Final results for the team for the series: Women's 3/4 Erica Haas was 2nd. Men's Master's 35+ Art Mathisen took 5th. Category 4 women Ann Parthemore was 1st. Category 5 - Spencer Wallace was 1st.
click to view the pictures
Next was the category 4 women's race. Ann Parthemore had wrapped up the points in this race, winning the four previous criteriums. Mary Still took 4th, Danielle Lansford took 6th and Ann Parthemore took 7th.
The Men's Category 4/5 was another fast paced race with Carl Fischer, Spencer Wallace, Marc Welde, and Brendan Sheehan all taking turns driving the field. The pace was still around 25 MPH. No joy for the team in this race.
The women's three four was a terrific team race. Shawn Morelli, Mary Still and Danielle Lansford attacked early leaping away from the peleton. They worked together to make the field chase. Erica wisely stayed in the field making the other women chase. The field gradually pulled Mary and Danielle back in. Shawn stayed out front through the sprint lap taking points away from the other teams. Erica stayed with the field leaders and sprinted for the final sprint taking 3rd in the Sprint and 4th in the race.
Last race was the men's category 5. The race was fast and short. Twenty minutes. Our team stacked up the finish. Spencer worked for his teammates lining them up for the finish sprint. We were 4th - Spencer Wallace, 5th - Sean Smith, and 6th - Marc Welde.
Final results for the team for the series: Women's 3/4 Erica Haas was 2nd. Men's Master's 35+ Art Mathisen took 5th. Category 4 women Ann Parthemore was 1st. Category 5 - Spencer Wallace was 1st.
click to view the pictures
Spring Fling Criterium Results from March 17, 2012
Saturday
was warm, but very windy. Gusts of 25 miles per hour poured straight off
the lake. As we warmed up we noticed a wall of wind riding into the
Chicane. As always, Ron Stratton had secured the best possible spot for
our team to warm up. We put up our tents and prepared for racing.
First was the men's master's race. I was in the field hanging on for dear life. We had ridden 4 of our 14 laps. Carl Fischer attacked off the front of the field before we reached the start finish line. Not really sure why Carl attacked as no bell had rung. The official told us the sprint lap would be selected randomly. Fortunately for Carl, as he crossed the start finish line, they rang the bell signifying that this laps would be the sprint lap. In an unbelievable demonstration of endurance, Carl held off the field for an entire lap to take the sprint! Art Mathisen did his best to keep the pace very high. He stayed at the front of the field and stretched our pack into a straight and winnowed line. Art held on to take 2nd in this super fast race.
Next was the ladies' category 4 race. Due to the Spring Break at ILE, several of our ladies were not present; however, Ann Parthemore pushed the pace. No other woman could hold her wheel and she solo'd to victory. Mary Still raced exceptionally as well taking 5th. Anita Gonzalez showed great improvement in this race too.
Next was the Men's category 4/5. Another punishingly fast race. 24.9 miles per hour average for 16 laps. Spencer Wallace took 4th.
The ladies category 3/4 was a true demonstration of team work and hard riding. Our team was lead by Shawn Morelli who pushed the pace for over half the time. Next Ann Parthemore drove hard at the front of the field. Finally Erica Haas attacked to take 3rd overall. Ann survived for fourth and Shawn took 8th. Mary Still rode the double - finishing the race.
The last race was the men's category 5. 20 minutes of hard racing. Spencer Wallace took 4th in a hotly contested finish line sprint. All in all it was a terrific day in Lawrence. One more race to go next week. Can't wait!
First was the men's master's race. I was in the field hanging on for dear life. We had ridden 4 of our 14 laps. Carl Fischer attacked off the front of the field before we reached the start finish line. Not really sure why Carl attacked as no bell had rung. The official told us the sprint lap would be selected randomly. Fortunately for Carl, as he crossed the start finish line, they rang the bell signifying that this laps would be the sprint lap. In an unbelievable demonstration of endurance, Carl held off the field for an entire lap to take the sprint! Art Mathisen did his best to keep the pace very high. He stayed at the front of the field and stretched our pack into a straight and winnowed line. Art held on to take 2nd in this super fast race.
Next was the ladies' category 4 race. Due to the Spring Break at ILE, several of our ladies were not present; however, Ann Parthemore pushed the pace. No other woman could hold her wheel and she solo'd to victory. Mary Still raced exceptionally as well taking 5th. Anita Gonzalez showed great improvement in this race too.
Next was the Men's category 4/5. Another punishingly fast race. 24.9 miles per hour average for 16 laps. Spencer Wallace took 4th.
The ladies category 3/4 was a true demonstration of team work and hard riding. Our team was lead by Shawn Morelli who pushed the pace for over half the time. Next Ann Parthemore drove hard at the front of the field. Finally Erica Haas attacked to take 3rd overall. Ann survived for fourth and Shawn took 8th. Mary Still rode the double - finishing the race.
The last race was the men's category 5. 20 minutes of hard racing. Spencer Wallace took 4th in a hotly contested finish line sprint. All in all it was a terrific day in Lawrence. One more race to go next week. Can't wait!
Spring Fling Criterium 3
Saturday was warm. We
drove to the race and the temperature was a balmy 48 degrees! I was excited that I would not face another
33 degree start for the master’s race.
The sun was shining and we set up in our normal place. Again, Ron Stratton was the man; he carried
all the stuff we would need to get warmed up as a team.
The first race was the Men’s Masters race. It was 14 laps long. The winds were straight off the water, which
meant they pushed riders down the finishing lap. Warm temperatures and favorable winds meant
this would be a fast race! The Masters
did not disappoint. Santa Fe Trails had
a great warm up. We were ready. Or, so we thought. So was everyone else. The race started blistering fast. Into lap two, we rode into the chicane. Up hill and into the wind, we were riding at
30 miles per hour. That was too much for
this rider. I was told after the race
that the leader kept this up for three laps!
Art Mathisen and Mark Ramsden were the only riders able to keep pace for
our team. Not only did he keep the pace,
he was in the three man break away off the front of the field. I knew this because he lapped me with three
laps to go! Art ended up taking third
place in one of the fastest amateur criteriums I have ever seen.
Next up was the women’s category 4. Ann found the course to be faster and women
showed up who had not raced in the previous races. Ann rode with the lead group, Danielle Lansford (fifth) and Mary Still (seventh) rode in the
next group. Anita Gonzalez and Patricia
Schnieder were next. Ann held on to win
the race.
The mens’ category four race started at 12:30. The race was fast too. Average speed for the pack was 25 miles an
hour! Down the finish stretch the pack
routinely rode above 30 miles and hour.
This is a flat course! Spencer
Wallace finished eighth in this race.
The women’s category ¾
started fast as well. Ann
Parthmore set a high tempo, keeping the pace high for her teammate Erica
Haas. Ann led the field through the
final lap, into the chicane and head wind.
The high pace punished the field and allowed Erica the opportunity to
wait for the perfect moment. Erica
attacked and won the final sprint taking second in the race. Ann held out for seventh place. Mary Still and Danielle Lansford rode very
strongly throughout the race.
Finally the men’s category five race started. We had a terrific representation for Santa Fe
Trails. Sean Smith and Sparky Anderson
rode well at the front of the field.
Spencer Wallace had the speed though.
The race was only twenty minutes long.
Spencer rode near the front. In
the final lap, Spencer attacked with about 200 meters to go. Spencer raced off the front of the
field. The race made the curve Spencer pushed hard on the pedals holding the
field off to take the win with a punch through the air!
Big thanks to Roger Harrison for all the great photos! Thanks to all our teammates who stuck around
to help clean up, especially Mary Still, Danielle Lansford, Ron Stratton, and
Marc Welde.
Lake Perry Road Race 1 - March 4
The Perry Road Race
Series began with a victory for the Santa Fe Trails racing team in the CAT
5’s. The CAT 5 race was 4 laps on a 5 mile circuit with an 800 meter
uphill finish. Spencer Wallace raced with one teammate, Will Hunt, a UK Army
Officer training at Fort Leavenworth for a couple of weeks. The race began with
a very fast tempo on the downhill leading to the road over the dam as the
riders unleashed the fury in their legs and rode the tailwind across the scenic
route. The pace slowed, however, as the riders settled in to an easy pace
fearing climbing the Perry mountain 4 times.
With the “mountain” looming in the distance and a tailwind at their backs, it was easy going for the field for the first 3.5 miles of the race. Spencer had enough of the conversational pace and attacked the field with 1.5km to go on lap #1 creating a sizeable gap on the field. Will was the only one to follow and this newly formed international coalition held the break and crossed the hill #1 and #2 just as the chase caught up. Mission accomplished as the field was hurting from the chase and climb and several riders were dropped off the back.
The group reformed on the downhill and then slowed as the teams reorganized on the flat road of the Dam. Will then took his turn on the field and attacked on lap 2. The peloton was confused and had no idea who this International Man of Mystery could be. The Manx missile himself would have been proud of Sir Hunt, and it was clear to the riders that his acceleration was too hard to follow. As Will moved further up the road, Spencer stayed in the pack to block and refused to contribute to the chase as the field slowly organized to try and reel in the lone Brit with the wind blowing hard in their faces.
Will was strong enough to stay clear for a lap and a half and easily claimed 1st in the King of the Mountain points on top of the climb of lap 3. The Peloton finally caught Will on the flats of the final lap, but not before putting all of the teams in the hurt locker. The hard chase and headwind took its toll on the entire Peloton and all of the teams were scattered and unorganized as the final lap began. With 2km remaining, Will and Spencer moved to the front to pick up the tempo prior to the hill. Still suffering from the effort of the chase, the 3rd lap climb, and now the increased pace, the entire field splintered except for 12 remaining riders. As the Peloton entered the gravelly roads with the pace very high, Will reached deep and again attacked the field. No one could follow the acceleration and Will crossed the line by two bike lengths ahead of the 2nd and 3rd place riders and Spencer followed closely behind the Podium contenders for a 4th place finish. This was Will’s first victory of the season, and a memorable one here on U.S. soil.
With the “mountain” looming in the distance and a tailwind at their backs, it was easy going for the field for the first 3.5 miles of the race. Spencer had enough of the conversational pace and attacked the field with 1.5km to go on lap #1 creating a sizeable gap on the field. Will was the only one to follow and this newly formed international coalition held the break and crossed the hill #1 and #2 just as the chase caught up. Mission accomplished as the field was hurting from the chase and climb and several riders were dropped off the back.
The group reformed on the downhill and then slowed as the teams reorganized on the flat road of the Dam. Will then took his turn on the field and attacked on lap 2. The peloton was confused and had no idea who this International Man of Mystery could be. The Manx missile himself would have been proud of Sir Hunt, and it was clear to the riders that his acceleration was too hard to follow. As Will moved further up the road, Spencer stayed in the pack to block and refused to contribute to the chase as the field slowly organized to try and reel in the lone Brit with the wind blowing hard in their faces.
Will was strong enough to stay clear for a lap and a half and easily claimed 1st in the King of the Mountain points on top of the climb of lap 3. The Peloton finally caught Will on the flats of the final lap, but not before putting all of the teams in the hurt locker. The hard chase and headwind took its toll on the entire Peloton and all of the teams were scattered and unorganized as the final lap began. With 2km remaining, Will and Spencer moved to the front to pick up the tempo prior to the hill. Still suffering from the effort of the chase, the 3rd lap climb, and now the increased pace, the entire field splintered except for 12 remaining riders. As the Peloton entered the gravelly roads with the pace very high, Will reached deep and again attacked the field. No one could follow the acceleration and Will crossed the line by two bike lengths ahead of the 2nd and 3rd place riders and Spencer followed closely behind the Podium contenders for a 4th place finish. This was Will’s first victory of the season, and a memorable one here on U.S. soil.
Spring Fling Criterium Series March 3
Great racing today at Spring Fling Criterium Series! We were lucky to bring along Will - an officer from the United Kingdom who is visiting Fort Leavenworth for two weeks. He was excited about the opportunity to race and pledged to work with our team if given the opportunity to tag along. How awesome is that?
Big Ron Stratton and Carl Fischer selected a new site for the Team's tents. They rock! Tucked away behind the brick wall at Campground #1 we had two tents with walls. We also had a heater thanks to Roger Harrison. This was phenomenal! It was pretty cold with some hard blowing wind, but our team benefited from superb site selection. We had a cozy site to warm up.
First up was the Men's Masters 35 +. Carl Fischer and Art Mathisen both placed (I think 4th and 6th). Very fast and hard race.
Next was the women's category 4 race. Wow! Ann Parthemore again crushed the field. Breaking away and riding untouched from the start. Kirsten Carl also broke from the field and kept clean wheels for third place. Danielle Lansford and Mary Still also placed in the top eight.
The men's category 4/5 race came next. Turbo fast. We tried, but I think we all came up empty on this race.
The ladies 3/4 race. This was another great demonstration in team work! Kirsten Carl and Danielle Lansford set a very fast pace for the women's 3/4 race. After two laps, Ann Parthemore and Erica Haas attacked. This dropped most of the field. Then Ann attacked again. Erica rode the wheel of another women chaser. Ann just kept going. The field couldn't respond. Ann won. Erica took second. Even cooler? Last week's winner was dropped by their team tactics.
Finally the men's category 5 race. This was an exciting race! Sean Smith, Sparky Anderson, Spencer Wallace and Will attacked hard going into the intermediary sprint. They succeeded in getting points. More importantly they stretched the "elastic" of the lead group. Will encouraged the group to drive the pace. Only 8 men remained in the lead group. This included Will, Sean and Spencer. Spencer made a fierce attack from 300 yards out. Will and Sean followed. Spencer won the final lap! Will and Sean finished in the top 4.
Superb race! Can't wait for next week!
Big Ron Stratton and Carl Fischer selected a new site for the Team's tents. They rock! Tucked away behind the brick wall at Campground #1 we had two tents with walls. We also had a heater thanks to Roger Harrison. This was phenomenal! It was pretty cold with some hard blowing wind, but our team benefited from superb site selection. We had a cozy site to warm up.
First up was the Men's Masters 35 +. Carl Fischer and Art Mathisen both placed (I think 4th and 6th). Very fast and hard race.
Next was the women's category 4 race. Wow! Ann Parthemore again crushed the field. Breaking away and riding untouched from the start. Kirsten Carl also broke from the field and kept clean wheels for third place. Danielle Lansford and Mary Still also placed in the top eight.
The men's category 4/5 race came next. Turbo fast. We tried, but I think we all came up empty on this race.
The ladies 3/4 race. This was another great demonstration in team work! Kirsten Carl and Danielle Lansford set a very fast pace for the women's 3/4 race. After two laps, Ann Parthemore and Erica Haas attacked. This dropped most of the field. Then Ann attacked again. Erica rode the wheel of another women chaser. Ann just kept going. The field couldn't respond. Ann won. Erica took second. Even cooler? Last week's winner was dropped by their team tactics.
Finally the men's category 5 race. This was an exciting race! Sean Smith, Sparky Anderson, Spencer Wallace and Will attacked hard going into the intermediary sprint. They succeeded in getting points. More importantly they stretched the "elastic" of the lead group. Will encouraged the group to drive the pace. Only 8 men remained in the lead group. This included Will, Sean and Spencer. Spencer made a fierce attack from 300 yards out. Will and Sean followed. Spencer won the final lap! Will and Sean finished in the top 4.
Superb race! Can't wait for next week!