August Racing News

Winter Park -Tipperary Creek:
The 2010 "Epic Singletrack" mountain bike race series concluded on Saturday August 28th with the Tipperary Creek/King of the Rockies cross country race. The 25 mile long course, which travels from Fraser to Winter Park, is a racer favorite because it is run on some of the area's best trails. It brings the racers through lots of twisty singletrack, bomber descents, challenging climbs, and the standard assortment of streams, bridges,rocks, roots and trees.

Along with one of the best courses in the country, there was excellent weather on Saturday morning, drawing a crowd of more than 500 mountain bikers. The fields, top to bottom, were the largest and most competitive of all of the Winter Park races.

The Green Mountain Sports racing team was out in full force, with twelve racers competing in the Winter Park racing season's final race. Team photographer extraordinaire Annette Hayden was stationed at the Vasquez creek crossing, about 3/4 of the way through the course, and got some great shots of each racer's own unique way of navigating the creek crossing.

One way to get across was to portage the bike, displayed expertly by Chris Shamis:



Another way was to push the bike through, and let the others do their own thing off to the side, as shown by Marjie:



Another way to cross was to ride through the deep part of the creek (like Chris) while your competitor falls by the wayside:



Some, like Blaine, were able to ride smoothly across (without the distractions) on their big wheeled machine:



And others made it through employing their own unique "ride the top tube and paddle with your feet" hybrid style. Careful there Rob:


After everyone crossed the creek and the race was over, we celebrated the end of the race and the season. For the Tipperary Creek race, our team came away with 1 win, 4 top ten finishes and 11 finishers. Craig Hofer continued his winning ways, taking first place in the Expert Mens 45-49 race. Other top ten finishes included Marjie Tokarski in 4th, Ed Tokarski in 4th and Pat D'Innocenzo in 6th.

As the 2010 Winter Park race series concluded on Saturday afternoon, the overall season series results were tabulated. The season standings were calculated based upon each rider's best five finishes out of the seven races. Three Green Mountain Sports racing team members came out victorious in their category!!!

Ed Tokarski finished first in the Expert Men's 40-44 Category for the 2010 season.



Craig Hofer finished first in the Expert Men's 45-49 Category.


And, Mike Schaub finished first in the Sport Men's 50+ Category for the 2010 season.

Special thanks go out to Mike Schaub for serving as Team Captain at Winter Park. Mike helped make it a great season for all of us with his dedication and hard work!!

A number of other Green Mountain Sports racing team members finished the season at Winter Park in the top ten overall:

* Bill Marcoux finished 3rd for the season in the Sport Men's 40-44 Category.
* Chris Phenicie finished 4th in the Pro Category.
* Marjie Tokarski finished 5th in the Expert Women's 40-49 Category.
* Rob Tokarski finished 5th in the Sport Men's 40-44 Category.
* Chris Shamis finished 10th in the Expert Men's 45-49 Category.

In addition, GMS Racing team A finished 6th (out of 38) in the team competition, and team B finished 26th. Many thanks to all racers who participated this year.

With only a few more weeks left in the road and mountain bike racing seasons, cyclocross will be upon us in no time. Time to get those cross bikes out! More info about this year's cyclocross season will be coming soon on the blog.


Road Racing News:
The ACA Colorado State Road championships for Masters and Juniors were held on Saturday August 28th in Deer Trail, CO. Separate races were held for 35+/4, 35+/ 3 and 35+/Open masters riders with the Cat 4's racing a total of 41 miles and the Cat 3's and up racing a total of 56 miles. Jim Hebert led the way for the Green Mountain sports racing team with an 8th place finish in the 35+/Cat 3 race. Ben Frost took 17th in the 35+/Cat 4 race and Brent Web finished 20th in the 35+/Cat 1-2/Open race.

The Green Mountain Sports racing team was out on Saturday August 21st for the Raisin Hope Classic, a fundraiser for the Raisin Hope Foundation and Craig Hospital. The races were held on the 1.7 mile long CSP loop in Golden under sunny skies and warm temperatures.

GMS racing team members raced in the Masters 45+ and 35+ races, and came away with two 4th place finishes. Craig Hofer continued his string of strong racing with a 4th place finish in the 45+ race.

Later in the day, Mitch Westall crossed the line with a hard fought 4th place finish in the highly competitive 35+ race. He was followed by Scott Hartley in 9th, Brent Webb in 30th, Chris Phenicie in 32nd and Craig Hofer in 34th.

Sunday August 15th was the day for the ACA Colorado State Senior Road Championships. The road races were held at the Air Force Academy on a hilly and scenic course. GMS racing team member finishes included Ben Frost in an impressive 4th place in the 35+ Cat 4 race, Jim Hebert placing 11th in the Cat 3 race and Dan Maduff finishing in 37th place in the Cat 4 race.

On Saturday, three GMS racing team members took part in the BRC Real Estate Criterium in Highlands Ranch. Scott Hartley finished 12th in the 35+ Open/Cat 1-2 race, Brent Webb finished 27th in the 35+ Cat 3 race and Ben Frost placed 12th in the 35+ Cat 4 race.

The Mike Nields Memorial Bannock Street Criterium race went off on Sunday August 8th. The course was a figure eight style 1-mile loop through the streets of Denver. With the great weather, there were large crowds of spectators as well as lots of racers in all of the various fields.

We had five racers from the Green Mountain Sports racing team out there for the Sunday Crit action. To kick things off for GMS racing, Craig Hofer won the Open 45+ race! Craig has been on a tear at both road and mountain bike racing of late. Way to go Craig.

Immediately following the 45+ race, Craig jumped back in the action and competed in the Open 35+ race. He was joined by three other teammates, racing in the 52 man field. GMS racing team finishes in the Open 35+ race included Scott Hartley in 12th, Craig Hofer in 18th, Chris Phenicie in 19th and Peter Lopez in 36th. Jim Hebert competed in the Cat 3 race and finished in 43rd place.


Winter Park - Mary Jane XC Race:
Race number 6 of the 2010 Winter Park mountain bike race series was held on Saturday August 14th. The weather was sunny, the skies were blue, the course was in tip top shape, and the Green Mountain Sports racing team was there for some rugged mountain bike racing.

This race was unique in that it started at the top of the mountain rather than at the base of the resort. The race course consisted of multiple laps of a 4 mile long circuit that included a steep fire road climb along with rocky, rooty and twisty singletrack at the high mountaintop elevation. After completing their circuits, racers headed downhill for 8 miles of (sometimes) hair raising descents. The course was tough on both racers and their equipment, as a fair number experienced either crashes or tire cuts, wheel failures and other mechanicals.

Our team had 10 racers finish the race. Racing in the Pro category was Chris Phenicie:



Racing in "Expert" were Craig Hofer, Peter Lopez, Ed Tokarski and Marjie Tokarski:






And, racing in the "Sport" category were Emma Atkins, Blaine Haskell, Bill Marcoux, Mike Schaub and Rob Tokarski:


It was an outstanding race for the team with 4 podium placings and 7 top ten finishes! Ed Tokarski, Craig Hofer and Mike Schaub came away with wins and Emma Atkins finished 3rd; while Marjie Tokarski, Bill Marcoux and Rob Tokarski also placed in the top ten. Winter Park served up yet another day of fun racing and great weather. The next (and final) race of the series will be on Saturday August 28th, the Tipperary Creek "King of the Rockies" XC race.


Other MTB Racing News:
On Saturday August 7th, the Keystone Ski resort hosted the USA Cycling Colorado State Mountain Bike Championships. The Championship races were a part of the Mountain States Cup "Keystone Revival" race weekend. The weekend's festivities included a whole host of XC, Super-D, Short Track and Downhill races.

The Pro and Cat 1 XC State Championship races consisted of two laps of a 10 mile loop which climbed to the summit of the mountain, and then descending back down over some of the same trails used for the Super-D. The course included 1,900 feet of climbing per lap (much of it on singletrack) and long, bumpy, twisty and challenging descents.

Pat D'Innocenzo was the sole member of the Green Mountain Sports racing team competing at Keystone and finished 2nd in the State Championship XC race (Category 1, 50+). For additional coverage of the State Championship races, click below:

Mountain Flyer Magazine coverage of Colorado MTB Championships

I miss my car

At times, I've considered getting rid of my car. I don't drive it very much and I have pay for its upkeep, taxes & fees, attempt to fix it and wash it twice a year. Before the great C&O ride, I realized that the rear passenger brake pads were used up. So, I parked the car at my parents' house (where the car tools live) and ordered some pads. The pads arrived and things were difficult- requiring special tools to retract the piston in the caliper and then the caliper didn't retract because it seems to be hyper-extended and broken. It's been a big mess and I haven't had my car in about a month. While living without hasn't been particularly difficult, as in I can get around by bike and if I really need a car to go a long distance, I can borrow one or get a ride, I really miss my car. Driving is fun.

In other news, did anyone notice how hot it was yesterday? I did one of those trans-Talcott rides and thought I was going to die. I went through three water bottles and a big bottle of Gatorade and didn't feel normal until this morning. You'd think that about a gallon of liquid with be sufficient for a five hour ride.

Lincoln Town Truck, as seen in Glastonbury during Brendan & Johanna's sojourn to the state forest.

Bikes Outside: Pratt Still Lacks Racks in Fact

I've seen this hardtail on Pratt Street dozens of times. It's one of the regulars at the ornate iron fence in front of the late, lamented Tanuki Japanese Noodle Kitchen. It's still not a proper bike rack, mind you, but it is one of the prettiest improvised bike racks in town.


Circumstantial evidence points to bike messenger usage though a derailleur-geared mountain bike with disc brakes is a bold departure from messenger orthodoxy. It's not a bad idea, though, as there is plenty of off-road goodness to be had near downtown Hartford. What better way to cap off the workday than a knobby-tired happy hour?

Here's mud in your eye!

more 2011 Tarmac colourways

I'm loving that there is so much info on the new years bikes coming in!

Body Geometry Romin carbon-reinforced saddle with contoured profile for optimal power position
The FACT carbon fork is light, stiff and compliant with a tapered steerer and 12K weave construction
New FACT IS 8r carbon SL2 frame with tapered head tube and elliptical seatstays is race-ready stiff and fast without sacrificing compliance
Smooth, precise Shimano 105 STI shifters are renowned for their race-ready performance and exceptional value
FACT carbon Pave seatpost uses a Zertz insert to minimize road vibrations for greater comfort but remains stiff and efficient
Adjustable 4-position oversized alloy stem with 31.8mm bar clamp for strength and versatile positioning

...I should have consolidated these 2011 posts!

HERES ANOTHER 2011 BIKE!!!!

the specialized P24

its basically a 24" bmx

I want one, retails suppose to be $500usd

2011 Roubaix, Tarmac and Overhauled Allez Officially Announced!

Taken from bikeradar.com

Specialized 2011 road: new Roubaix SL3, Allez and CruX

By Jeff Jones

The all-new Specialized Roubaix SL3 (Jeff Jones/BikeRadar.com)

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The all-new Roubaix SL3, a completely redesigned Allez platform and the new CruX cyclo-cross line were the main points of interest on day one of Specialized's 2011 road press launch in Keystone, Colorado.

Specialized also announced updates to the race oriented Tarmac and endurance focused Secteur, as well as keeping us in the loop with respect to which version of the time trial specific Shiv is going to be mass produced.

Roubaix SL3 is unveiled

We first spotted what we thought might be the Roubaix SL3 at this year's Paris-Roubaix, where Fabian Cancellara rode it to victory with an untouchable 50 km solo breakaway. So impressive was his performance that he was accused of having a hidden motor in his bike, something that he of course vigorously denied. But the story wouldn't go away, prompting the UCI to announce that it would be scanning bikes for illegal devices at races in future.

Specialized, who sponsor Cancellara and his Saxo Bank team, took it a little further. The Roubaix SL3 was unveiled to reveal a giant (hopefully fake!) Duracell battery attached to the downtube.

"We want to come clean. The 2011 Roubaix SL3 will not have batteries," said Specialized's Road Product Director Brent Graves.

Batteries not included on the Roubaix SL3

Joking aside, the full carbon Roubaix SL3 is Specialized's best attempt yet at making a comfortable road bike that can still win the toughest one day race in the world. It's the flagship of their endurance road area, which also includes the Secteur, Ruby and Dolce.

"We've made sure the Roubaix delivers the highest performance for the greatest number of riders," said Graves.

How? Specialized say the smoothness is a combination of vibration damping and vertical flex engineered into the frame (we're not going to use the term "vertical compliance" if we can possibly avoid it).

Zertz elastomer inserts

The damping is done via the Zertz elastomer inserts in the seat stays and in the forks. These aren't anything new, but Specialized has changed the way they're inserted into the stays. They're now mechanically fastened to a cavity in the seat stay. The seat stays themselves have been redesigned to accommodate this.

The flex is introduced through shaping the tubes and using a different modulus of carbon fibre. The shape is flattened so it will flex up and down at the seat tube junction, but not flex sideways. Specialized claims the SL3 has a vertical deflection of 5.7mm/kN, 0.6mm more than the SL2 and (naturally) more than any of their rivals.

A beefy front end

This vertical comfort is all very well, but the bike has to handle confidently and respond quickly when a rider puts the power down. To this end, Specialized have kept their curved "cobra" top tube, which widens and feeds into a beefy tapered head tube to ensure plenty of stiffness at the front end. The forks feature a raised bearing to allow for a "more efficient carbon structure" between the crown and the steerer. The fork has been redesigned slightly too, using a two bladder moulding technique to make it stiffer.

The bottom bracket to chain stay is once piece, again with the aim of increasing the efficiency of power transfer. There's also internal cable routing throughout to allow for Shimano DI2

Specialized say a painted 56cm Roubaix SL3 frame weighs 965g, nearly 100g lighter than the current model S-Works Roubaix SL2.

The SL3 frame design will be used in the 2011 Roubaix Pro and Expert models, while last year's SL2 design will trickle down to the 2011 Roubaix Comp and Elite frames.

On the road

We were able to take the Roubaix SL3 for a 50 mile spin from Keystone to Silverthorne, up the Ute Pass road and back. The smoothness of the ride was immediately apparent, and we enjoyed the confident handling on the descents and in the wind. The power transfer was excellent too. It didn't lose its nerve in the gusty cross/headwind on the way out, and it rewarded us with a top speed of 35mph on the flat on the way back.

The geometry of the Roubaix with its massive head tube made it tough for us to get an aggressive position. If we were going to race on this bike we'd opt for a smaller frame size and a longer stem. However, if you're willing to sacrifice a bit of aeroness for comfort, this bike will suit you.

Secteur: the aluminium Roubaix

Secteur Elite

The Secteur series of road bikes is a more affordable, mostly aluminium version of the Roubaix. The Secteur features the same geometry and design as the Roubaix, right down to the Zertz inserts in the carbon seat stays, fork and seat post.

New for next year is the use of the SRAM Apex group (double compact chainset) on the Elite model. Specialized say they will be one of the largest supporters of SRAM Apex in the future.

Tarmac given a new fork

Tarmac SL3

The race specific Tarmac has undergone a few tweaks for 2011. It keeps its aggressive geometry and makes very few admissions to vertical flex - there's no Zertz inserts in the seat stays or the fork, and the seat stays are triangulated for more stiffness.

More stiffness seems to be the mantra for most ProTour riders. For them it equates to more confident and positive handling and better power transfer.

The Tarmac is already very stiff, but Specialized have come up with a new fork with a bigger cross section so the blades are much wider and stiffer than the pervious version.

Is it a case of stiffness that goes up to 11? Possibly, but again you can't argue with the results. Riders on board Tarmacs have won more than 25 ProTour races this year, and given that Alberto Contador, Fabian Cancellara, Frank and Andy Schleck will all race them at the Tour de France, there's no doubt the frame will enjoy more success.

Allez gets extreme makeover

The Allez Comp

One of the most exciting bikes shown at Keystone was the well-known Allez. which has been completely redesigned for 2011.

Like the Secteur aligns to the Roubaix, the aluminium Allez now aligns to the Tarmac. The geometry is identical to the Tarmac, which makes it an ideal entry level race bike.

Stiffness has been emphasised on the Allez so it should tackle road races and criteriums with equal aplomb. Its stiffness to weight ratio has been increased by 20% compared to the current model Allez, and while it's not at the level of the Tarmac SL3, it's not far off.

There are two versions of the frame: the top level E5 and the A1, which is 75g heavier than the E5.

The E5 features a 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" tapered head tube, while the A1 has a straight 1 1/8". Both frames have the Tarmac-like triangular seat stays, raised bearing placement in the fork, oversized chain stays and a braze-on rather than clamp-on front derailleur to help increase bottom bracket stiffness.

Most importantly, it's been ridden to victory in Specialized's famous Friday afternoon lunch ride, a world championship for those who take part.

Cyclo-cross: Enter the CruX

The carbon CruX

The final machine to be launched on day one at Keystone is the CruX, a new cyclo-cross platform for Specialized. This doesn't take the place of the popular Tricross series, but it's aimed at a higher level of performance.

The CruX comes in carbon S-Works and aluminium E5 frames. A key feature on both is the internal cabling in order to keep things clean in a mud-fest as well as making it less painful to shoulder your bike. On the front, a 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" head tube is aimed at increasing stiffness, while a one piece forged front brake cable hanger should help reduce brake chatter and squeal.

The CruX will be available as both a complete bike and a frameset.

Transition and Shiv: Ignore the UCI

Specialized's two time trial frames, the Transition and the Shiv, are essentially unchanged for 2011.

They have both come under scrutiny by the UCI, the world governing body for cycling, and this has dictated which markets they're aimed at.

The Transition because the fins behind the fork are deemed to be a non-structural fairing, which is illegal under UCI rules. But it only seems to be at the ProTour level. So ProTour riders have been racing fin-less Transitions this season, however these bikes aren't available for general sale. If you are doing a UCI race on a Transition, then it's best to check with the commissaire beforehand about the legality of your bike. It may well be allowed.

The Transition will be offered in six sizes, but the S-Works module will be discontinued as it's been superceded by the Shiv.

The race-proven Transition

The Shiv module

The Shiv in its first and fastest incarnation has been banned by the UCI, mainly because of its "nose cone", again deemed a non-structural fairing. Thus, ProTour riders have been racing on modified Shivs that aren't intended to be sold to the public yet, and Specialized won't say when they will be.

Specialized have instead turned to the lucrative triathlon market, where the Shiv has been fully approved by the World Triathlon Corporation, who govern Ironman races and USA Triathlon (the International Triathlon Union hasn't approved it, but they don't typically allow full time trial bikes in competition). While the Shiv is still available in relatively limited quantities as a frameset module, it does mean you can buy a faster bike than the one Fabian Cancellara is allowed to race.

Prices for all 2011 Specialized bikes are to be confirmed, but the word is that they'll be "aggressively priced", which is good news for the consumer.

And that's all from day one at Keystone. Stay tuned for more road (and mountain bike) offerings in the coming days.