O-Cup Windsor

After coming so close the day before in Detroit the team were very motivated for the win in Windsor. Being back on Canadian soil meant the lads knew the competition. We talked about who the strong riders were and where possible threats would come from.

The first thing that struck me about the race was the heat. It was like racing in an oven. I am not sure of the exact temperature but it was well into the high thirties. It was so hard to get a breath and this was only going to get worse as the race hotted up.

Early in the race we were super active, firing men up the road in every move. It was only a matter of time before one of the moves stuck. The elastic snapped and Kevin Hazzard was set free with three other guys. We patrolled the front of the bunch to ensure no counterattack could make it across to them.

The break worked well together and lapped the field with still about thirty minutes of racing remaining. From here the pain would begin - it was time to start making that uncomfortable tempo. Pete and me went about making the pace while Ed was kept fresh to look after Kev in the finale. A chase group had gone clear but it was decided not to chase at one hundred percent but instead to make sure they didn't catch the back of the main bunch. We had Dave up in the chase group messing things up and it all panned out well.

Me and Pete shared turns until one lap remaining. I opened up through the start finish line to string out the bunch and gave it full gas for about 400 meters. Pete hit it hard as soon as I pulled off, bringing Ed and Kev into the second from last straight. Out of the last corner Ed went for it with Kev in his wheel, with meters remaining Kev stuck his head out in the wind and accelerated to claim victory.

I felt like I had won the race as I heard the announcer proclaim the winner. It was a magical feeling a truly great team effort.

Elite 1 Men – 65km
1. Kevin Hazzard (Jet Fuel Coffee/ La Bicicletta)
2. Anton Varabei (Cycle Solutions/Angry Johnny’S)
3. Brandon Spencer (Kallisto/Wheels Of Bloor)
4. Chris Balestrini (Garneau-Club Chaussures)
5. Jeffery Schiller (Garneau-Club Chaussures)
6. Dave Byer (Jet Fuel Coffee/ La Bicicletta)


Photos from cyclingphotos.ca

Detroit City Criterium

I touched down in Toronto a few weeks ago. The plan had been to hook up with the Jet Fuel/La Bicicletta squad to race the tour de Toona but for one reason or another the team decided to withdraw at the last minute. Instead of a stage race I was left with the prospect of racing criteriums everyday for eight days.




There were so many unknowns starting out the week. I haven't raced a lot of crits in the past and the thought of racing around in circles for two plus hours was less than motivating. Also this was my first real block of racing in North America so I wasn't sure what standard to expect.



We traveled down to Detroit - which I had been warned was rough and rundown. It turned out to be nice city and an ideal location for a bike race. We raced in the heart of the downtown area and although the crowds weren't huge at this one, a unique buzz was in the air. The races are really packaged over here. Every race is a presentation with an announcer, rider call ups and hoarding.




The squad for the day consisted of Pete Morse, Kevin Hazzard, Ed veal and Dave Byer. Sean Kelly was the teams director. This is a team of people I'd get to know very well over the next week. All bar Dave Byer traveled to Milwaukee with us. I love these blocks of races/stage races, the banter is always on a different level to one day races.

Boom...and the race was off. From the very first corner I had difficulty with the speed these guys were hitting the corners at. A majority of the races over in North America/Canada take the form of criteriums and this was really reflected in their cornering style. Fast into the corner, late off the power, lay the bike down at a crazy angle and early on the power through the exit. I was losing easily three bike lengths through some corners and fighting to catch the wheel before the next corner came. The first half of the race really followed the same format for me, brutal in the corners and playing catch up in the straights. Despite my poor cornering my legs were good. I just needed to sort out how to go around corners and I would have a great week.

Late in the race Dave got into a good move that looked as though it would stay clear.The problem for us was Dave found himself in a three man break away with two riders from the Mazur Team. We knew if we let this break go to the finish they would play a one two on Dave and take the win. With about five or six laps remaining me and Kevin starting riding a heavy tempo on the front to bring the move back. Although it felt counter intuitive to be chasing our own man, we were riding for a win. We rode hard, lining out the bunch until the last lap and got the break within touching distance. From here Pete was going to bring Ed to the last corner (about 300 meters from the finish) where Ed would open up his sprint. The plan was working well until Pete and Ed got separated briefly just before the last corner. The wind Ed hit took away from his sprint and he was beaten by a wheel length. Second place!

It wasn't a bad start to the week and one thing I knew going into the rest of the week was that the boys had some fire power and used it not for individual good but for the collective good of the team.

Results Pro 1 Men
1. Jeff Schiller (Garneau) 17:45.1
2. Ed Veal (Jetfuel Coffee/Labicicletta) 0.18
3. Jason Valenti (Nine2Five Pro.com) 0.43



Photos from www.cyclingphots.ca