UAH Qualifies Rider for Nationals 2nd Year in a Row

UAH Cycling Team Captain and Founder, Curtis Grace, was informed Tuesday that he has been formally invited to race in the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships in Madison, WI on May 7th and 8th.

This marks the 2nd year in a row, of the 2 years of UAH Cycling's existence, that the team has qualified a rider for Road Nationals. Curtis also qualified and competed in the championships in 2009 in Fort Collins, CO.

Curtis' invitation is a sign of the potential UAH has for developing elite talent in the future, and the team hopes to continue its streak of sending riders to Nationals for years to come.

Due to prior commitments, and Curtis' concerns as he returns to health from intensive shoulder surgery over the winter, Curtis has decided not to attend Nationals this year. Curtis will instead focus on continuing his recover from surgery and building his fitness through the summer, fall, and winter, so he can return for his senior season in May 2011 and race at a higher level. Curtis will be competing in the less elite, but equally competitive Category 3 field at the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, AR May 8th and 9th instead, where he hopes to achieve a solid result.

UAH Cycling and Curtis would like to thank USA Cycling and Jeffrey Hansen, as well as SECCC Director Nathan Haslick for extending the invitation, and we look forward to sending Curtis and many more UAH cyclists to Road Nationals in years to come

Season Recap

It has been a while since we have updated here, for many reasons.

The Men's C Team had a great finish at the SECCC Conference Championships in Mars Hill/Asheville, NC. Davis took 20th in the Road Race and Crit, with Hunter Leo finishing 22nd in the Crit and Justin Wilson finishing 25th in the Crit.

A Rider Curtis Grace capped off a disappointing season with a last minute invite to Road National Championships in Madison, WI.

A down year in terms of results, but the UAH Cycling Team saw a marked increase in participation, and things are being set in motion for UAH to attract National caliber talent in 2011, as well as develop further the 6 returning riders (Curtis, Hunter, Davis, Mark, Justin, Barrett) and the expected new recruits.

Be sure to check here for the progress of the UAH Cyclists as they participate in USA Cycling racing this summer!

UAH Charger Cycling Classic - DETAILED INFO

Hey everyone,

In lieu of our official website, which we have been unable to access for some time, I will use the blog as our vehicle to post information about our race weekend. I know riders from other schools check this from time to time, and this may be easier to check on the fly than downloading the flyer from the collegiatecycling.com/seccc website.

SATURDAY APRIL 10 - Road Race/TTT/ITT

Mens A - 8AM - 73 miles

Mens B - 8:10AM - 56 miles

Mens C - 12:00 PM - 39 miles

Women's A/B - 12:10 PM - 39/47 miles

All races on Saturday will use the same course. It is 8.5 miles long with 3 corners. There are only 2 notable hills on the main loop. About 4.5 miles into the lap there is a very short, very steep hill lasting only about 150-200 meters. it averages 12% but should take fields less than 30 seconds to climb it. The second hill is at 6.5 miles and is much more gradual, averaging closer to 6% and is maybe 2-300 yards long. both hills are immediately followed by descents, and should not prove to be too tactical except to riders already on breakaways hoping to extend their advantage.

Except the 2 hills, the main loops is very flat, very fast, and has very high visibility. riders on breaks will not be able to hide very well, especially on the front stretch which is almost 3.5 miles straight as an arrow.

This main loops is the TT/TTT loop and serves as the main loop for the Road Race. Here is the link:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/al/owens-cross-roads/203126840732567543

You may notice I have used "main loop" a lot. that is because this loops is not the only part of our road race. Once you have finished your set number of laps, you leave the course at the corner of Cherry Tree and Old Gurley Pike (NE corner of route), and head down Cherry Tree for a few miles. You then turn left onto Keel Mtn road, enjoy about a mile of flat before hitting what we like to call Keel Mountain. For about a mile and a half you will climb 900 feet for an advertised average grade of 10.6%. MapMyRide.com suggests it may be closer to 12 or 13%, and in my experience with MapMyRide in the mountains of North Carolina, it is notorious for being wrong...on the low side...There are sections over 20%, some in switchbacks, some deceptively after switchbacks. This is not a climb we incorporate into our training.

The profile:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/al/owens-cross-roads/448126840812583740

note, i couldnt find the "crest" of the hill on MMR, but rest assured you will not have a flat section of road to make up lost time from the climb. At the very end of the steepest part of the final pitch, you will be done.

If you don't have at least a 26 or 27, you may regret it.

Pertaining to the climb, we will have some rules and suggestions:

1) Absolutely NO Trailers going to the top - The curves are too sharp and the pitches too steep, and there is no room at the top for them. There is simply a line in the road where the officials will park with their clipboard and write your names as you trickle in one, by one, by one.

2) Please do not drive to the top unless you talk to official or Nathan. As I said, almost no room up there. We will try and organize some shuttles to get coaches and spectators up the hill to see the finish

3) BE CAREFUL GOING BACK DOWN. Riders, after going up, you will know how steep it is going down. I know dozens of Huntsville riders who have launched off the side of that descent because they were not paying attention. Using carbon wheels? I recommend finding a ride back down, at least to the bottom. yeah, its that steep

4) Feel free to chalk the road in support of your teammates. But please keep it clean. We don't want to be forbidden from doing this again

SUNDAY APRIL 11 2010 - CRIT

9AM - Men's C - 30 min

9:45 - Men's B - 45 min

10:45 - Women's A/B - 30/45 min

11:45 - Men's A - 60 min

Not much to say about the criterium except it is super cool we get to host it on campus, across the street from NASA and essentially every Aerospace and Defense contractor that exists (Including our title sponsor, ITT Defense).

No surprises on the crit. You will get a slight rise, and I do mean slight, up the last stretch before you turn the corner to sprint. Start finish is on the East side of the course, across from the Softball Fields.

Teams staying through the A race that arrive before the race start may park in the Softball/Baseball parking lots. Everyone else needs to park in the lot on the north side of the course next to Madison Hall and the Shelby Center. We will run on time and we will be doing exact time, not time+laps.

Course:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/al/huntsville/383123808297071481

If anyone has any questions at all, please feel free to contact me at

uahcycling@gmail.com . I respond very quickly

Sponsor Spotlight - Trailhead, INC

When the UAH Cycling Team was forming in fall of 2008, one of the first sponsors to come on board was Trailhead, INC.

Thanks to the support of Master Mechanic Matt Blevins and the generosity of owner Tommy Reagh, the UAH Cycling Team enjoys an unparalleled level of support from its sponsor bike shop.

Trailhead was founded in 2005 and has spent all 4+ years at 604 Andrew Jackson Way in the 5 Points area of Huntsville, AL.

Trailhead is an authorized dealer for Specialized, Haro, Masi, Intense, Ellesworth and most importantly, UAH Cycling Team Bicycle sponsor Blue Competition Cycles.

Trailhead also offers a full service department, led by Matthew Blevins, which is capable of any repair you can throw at it. Consistently rated the best service in town and with the fastest average turnaround of any shop in town, roadies, townies, fixies and mountain bikers can all depend on a superb standard of excellence from the Trailhead service department

Most recently Trailhead has expanded to offer full bicycle fit services, provided by Body Geometry Fit Technician Matthew Blevins. Matt recently attended Specialized's BG Fit School in California, where he learned from the same BG Fit experts who this year will fit both the Saxo Bank and Astana professional cycling teams. You can get the SAME fit system for only $175. And most importantly, Trailhead is the ONLY full fit service in Huntsville, and the next closest to Huntsville is in Birmingham! As if all that has not convinced you, consider this: Getting your bicycle fine tuned and fit to your specific anatomy and flexibility will make you faster and more comfortable on your favorite steed. Just check out what Matt Winstead, local star rider and former professional cyclist, had to say about his recent BG Fit:

"Through my career in amateur and professional cycling I have tried many bike fit specialists across the country from Colorado, Arizona, Georgia, etc. paying hundreds of dollars to fly for these fit sessions trying to find the perfect formula. I have read countless articles on fitting and done a lot of experimenting myself with bike fit. The BG Fit System that Matt Blevins uses at Trailhead is a proven system based on Dr. Andy Pruitt's experience at the BCSM in Colorado, where I visited many years ago for bike fitting and running gait analysis with Dr. Pruitt. After coming full circle through the other fit systems available, I’m now back on a BG fit and can honestly say it’s better than any I’ve gotten. I would recommend to anyone looking for more comfort and performance in cycling to visit Matt Blevins at Trailhead."

Matt Winstead, Retired Pro Cyclist – Kenda Pro Cycling P/B Spinergy

To get your BG Fit, call Trailhead at (256) 534 - 1333 . Ask for Matt

Finally, Trailhead is currently having a huge end of winter blowout sale! All 2009 models must go! All Haro Bikes 10% off. All 2009 and earlier models are on sale! 50% on select Giro and Bell helmets! 50% on Blackburn floor pumps and select Blackburn products!

Head to Trailhead and experience the best shop experience in Huntsville!

Trailhead, INC

604 Andrew Jackson Way

Huntsville, AL 35801

256 -534 - 1333

www.trailheadinc.net

Florida State Race Weekend

Florida State University Race Weekend

A heavy heart followed the UAH Cycling Chargers to Tallahasse, Florida this weekend, the five cyclists being the first athletes to represent UA Huntsville since the tragic shooting February 12^th. The immense impact on our University and the Huntsville community was heavy on our hearts the whole weekend, and we all went into the weekend hoping to honor our community and University by representing it with honor.

Joe Bray, Barrett Eubanks, Justin Wilson, Mark Temple and I (Curtis Grace) composed the team this weekend, the team’s first official outing for the year. It also marked the first weekend we were able to use our new trailer, which we were able to tow to the race thanks to Hunter Leo, our teammate who will be joining us after this weekend for the rest of the season.

We learned many things this weekend, many of them related to the wonderful gas economy brought by a V8 and a 12 foot trailer. Once we got to the race though, the value of our investment was clearly apparent. No unloading cars, no stressing about where things are. Everything cleanly and neatly placed in the trailer meant less time for preparation and more time to enjoy ourselves. The ramp also makes for a great place to lounge in the sun. Much thanks to ITT Defense for providing the majority of the funding for our trailer.

Apart from showing up in style, the team represented on their bikes as well. First up on Saturday morning was the Team Time Trial. Joe, Barrett and Curtis made up the TTT team, which will add Hunter Leo as its 4^th rider next week and also feature Davis Yarbrough as an alternate at some races. For those unfamiliar with the Team Time Trial, it is probably the most glaring example of the usefulness of teamwork in cycling. 3 or 4 riders work together to ride a set course in the fastest time possible. At the most elite levels, a Team Time Trial can feature average speeds close to 35 miles an hour. Since this was the first time Joe and Barrett and I have even ridden together this year , this first TTT was more for practice and gauging fitness than anything else. The course was a bit hilly for a time trial, and speeds suffered accordingly. The team looked incredibly sharp in their new kits though, and we learned each others strengths and weaknesses and started to get a feel for the rotation (amount of time each rider spends on the front). The team finished in style though, with Curtis pulling the team across the line at over 29mph in front of the cameras and crowd. Be fast when it counts!

Immediately following the TTT was the Individual Time Trial. Mark and Justin competed in the ITT, and Mark even passed the TTT team going the opposite direction just as they were finishing. Mark blasted the time trial, his experience as a track runner at UAH becoming extremely useful. We got to see Justin start, and his experience in the ITT at Florida proved extremely useful. Where he finished at UF with gas still in the tank, he came across the line utterly exhausted after a solid 10 mile effort. Mark also finished strong, but like Justin at Florida, suggested he could have gone a bit faster. He spent a little more time complaining about his bike though. Weight does matter I guess.

The Chargers then proceeded to head to Subway and break their credit card machine before preparing for the afternoon road race.

In the C’s Justin and Mark would have a 35 mile hilly effort in front of them. Joe and Barrett had 51 miles in the B’s while Curtis had the privilege of going 67 miles in the A category. Mark and Justin fell off the pace early, it being their first road race ever and unfamiliar with the sudden accelerations that typically come out of corners. They grouped up with some other C riders that had been dropped and an A rider involved in a early race crash (more on that later). Joe and Barrett did fine with the cornering but it was the hills that eventually ended their day. After almost 46 miles of racing, and with a strong breakaway of 4 riders off the front, the intense climbing efforts by the B pack shelled Barrett and Joe in the closing miles of the race. At about the same time, the B pack was passing the A pack that had started 5 minutes before them…

The A race looked to be interesting from the start. The hills in Tallahassee aren’t particularly steep or long, but offer enough of a challenge that any strategy had to take the climbs (and subsequent descents) into account. A small group sat about 5 seconds off the front at about 14 miles into the race when disaster struck. A Mars Hill rider stood to attack a small hill when his chain snapped and he crashed, causing a ten rider pileup that not only took those riders out but caused a bigger gap for the riders up the road. Once the breakaway riders realized there was a crash they attacked. I happened to avoid the crash and saw an opportunity to be in the winning move of the race. I teamed up with 2 Georgia tech riders, one of them former B superstar Stephen Leotis. We were slowly gaining on the break, and the fractured peleton was doing little to chase back on immediately. Hitting the final hill of the lap, I took over the work for Leotis and bridged the gap to the break. But I worked too hard to do so, my heart rate was through the roof and my legs were screaming with lactic acid. I stayed with the break for about a minute before realizing I was not rested enough to be in a breakaway (and likely not in good enough shape to last 50 miles off the front) and I knew the pace would remain incredibly fast for longer than I was comfortable with. A chase group was about 20 seconds back at the time and I dropped off. Just as I dropped off Leotis caught on. The chase was more concerned with picking up riders split by the crash, (rightly) thinking that it would be easier to catch the break with more riders. Unfortunately very few riders were interested in chasing and most big teams were represented. I had no gas to do another big effort, but pulled through when expected. Also, I had 2 good friends on other teams in the break, and chasing your friends down is bad etiquette. Kudos to Ben Grier and Bryan Derstine for an epic ride. After efforts by Mars Hill and UGA failed to produce a solid chase, we sat up, Mars Hill sent a rider to bridge the gap, and we finished the last 30 miles at an easy pace before setting up for a fun sprint.

Sunday featured a fast, fun criterium in a new development north of Tallahassee. 1.1 miles long and with a serious kick of a hill at the finish, it proved to be a challenging course for all categories.

The same accelerations the hurt Mark and Justin in the Road Race hurt them even more in the crit. A Crit is a really intense, relatively short race on a closed course where cornering and high speeds are the norm. It is not unusual to see average speeds upward of 30 mph in professional crits, even more impressive considering most are less than a mile and feature at least 4 90 degree corners. The tactic of a criterium is to ride as fast as possible in the beginning to shell riders and set up the main group. Accelerating out of corners and up any hills is the best way to make those early selections. Mark was the first to learn this lesson, and a few laps later it was Justin. The race officials then engaged in what was a very unsportsmanlike course of action. They began to pull dropped and lapped riders. Usually in a criterium you only pull lapped riders if their presence on the course impedes the regular race. On a 1 mile course, those riders do not present much of a danger. I could even understand the lapped riders, the C race started with 46 riders. But pulling dropped riders who have not been lapped is just bad judgement and contrary to the open environment of collegiate cycling. Those riders deserved a chance to compete, and even if pulled should be assigned placing based on that. Regardless, all dropped and lapped riders were pulled out of the race, and Mark and Justin had a short day.

Joe and Barrett were up next in the B’s race, which was a bit more interesting and had less dropped riders. A large breakaway ended up going up the road and with all major schools represented, the main group sat up and rode easy (much like in the A road race). Those in the break were very aggressive as they tried to thin the group out a bit. The gap from the group to the break grew and the gap from the break to the main field shrank. With about 3 laps to go the breakaway lapped the field and sat in for an easy finish with the top 12 places already guaranteed. Joe and Barrett, still early in their training for the season, played it safe by sticking with the main group and aiming to finish with the group. They did both, sticking together most of the race, representing UAH well.

After 80 miles of racing yesterday my legs were politely asking me not to race. I went into the crit with the simple goal of finishing with the main group and not getting shelled off the back. Last year, my last several crits ended with me being lapped several times or settling for being assigned a place and being pulled from the race. After a rough crit in Florida I had low expectations. Despite a FAST first lap and some intense attacks the first few, I sat in very comfortably. Ben Zawacki from Clemson was very aggressive from the get go, and his persistence paid off midway through the crit when he ended up in a breakaway that ended up delivering him the win. The main pack again let up a bit, but a few breaks tried to go and one succeeded. Most were chased down really quick by teams with riders in the break. After 68 minutes at 25 mph, the race came down to an uphill sprint. I had decent legs, but a lot of riders sat up on the hill impeding any full out sprint. I settled for a top 10 field sprint, which put me somewhere in the 15-20^th place range. Considering I was totally prepared to get dropped, I was incredibly pleased.

The drama did not stop there, though. Since we at UAH support our teammates, most of the team were sitting in the truck with the doors open (75 degrees and sunny!). That combined with all the peripherals plugged into the car power sockets had drained our battery. A jump would have fixed it, but the hood would not unlatch. So after an hour and a half of waiting for AAA and then watching the technician become baffled, we finally were back on the road, and we are now heading home.

Results will be posted later this week as the official results become available. Photos may be added later tonight

Next weekend we head to Statesboro, GA and the infamous LaQuinta Inn for a weekend of racing on the rolling hills of South Georgia (not much unlike the Tallahassee hills). We bring a full TTT team this time, with the added caliber of nationally competitive rower Hunter Leo, a recent convert to bicycle racing.

University of Florida Swamp Classic - Part 1, ITT

It is official. The 2010 Collegiate Road season has begun!

Justin Wilson and I (Curtis Grace, your self designated narrator for the next 3 months) are in Gainesville, Florida for the University of Florida Swamp Classic. UA Huntsville's Cycling Team started the season with an Individual Time Trial this morning in Archer, FL; about 15 miles outside of Gainesville.

First, a few things.

1) It is Florida and the high today was only 58. This is very disappointing.

2) In addition to the relatively cool temperature, we had the pleasure of racing with a 15-20mph wind which was conveniently blowing towards us on our return trip in the ITT. More on that later.

3) Gainesville is a great town, and I would have to rank it in the top 5 college towns

4) Michael Boyco (who is hosting us for the weekend) has the jankest, tiniest $750 a month apartment in the history of jank apartments. But on a sliding scale of how cool a jank apartment can be, this one is way close to the top. Much thanks to Boyco and the UF team for hosting us, without that we could not have afforded to come to Gainesville.

5) Huntsville - Gainesville is about a 9.5 hour drive each way. Not sure the relevance to anything there, but I wanted you all to know how far UAH is willing to travel to race!

Ok, now onto the racing.

For those unfamiliar with Collegiate Racing, it is almost mandatory that you A) misplace riders registration and B) start at least 15 minutes late. TopView sports, the organizers of the weekend, succeeded in both categories, even upping their game by starting 20 minutes late and losing some registration info for UF riders (in addition to Justins!). Honestly, I would be disappointed if a bike race went smoothly, I would have nothing to write about.

I had a 10:10:30 start time, which translated into about a 10:30 start time. The trip out was great, a 15-20 mph tailwind made for a fun 28mph average until the 4.6 mile turnaround. Thats when the fun started. Mechanical problems, biomechanical problems (had shoulder surgery in winter), and a 15-20mph wall made for a harrowing final 4.6 miles. Thank You to Eric Doehrman and his lovely wife for letting me put her Mercury Trident Time Trial bike through the paces this weekend. Also got to ride on the new Uberhund integrated aerobars, and I must say, they are impressive. All in all, my time was 11 seconds faster than last year, the wind was WAY worse, and considering how much surgery affected my training, I feel pretty good about the year to come.

Enough with me. The real story today is Justin Wilson, starting his first bike race ever. Justin joined the team in the fall, bought his first road bike about two months ago, and came into this race with no contact with road racing ever. Justin did his ITT like a real man, Eddie Mercx style with only drop bars and standard alloy wheels. The organizers lost his start place, and had to stick him in a different slot. Having never done a TT before, and having no way to gauge his effort, he came across the line with a little extra juice in his legs, wondering why there was throwup on my shoe covers. Next time he will certainly push harder, and Justin is going to have a great season.

Tomorrow is the first REAL race of 2010, a downtown .7 mile criterium. The ITT tested our high end endurance and aerobic capacity, but the crit will test our high end speed, handling, and fast twitch sprinting muscles. Stay tuned for updates tomorrow.

Oh.

And.

Go Colts beat the Saints!

Route for Wednesday Club Ride 1/20/2010

Ride leaves promptly at 11:oo AM . I am on a very tight schedule, so the ride will leave no later. if I am not there, I am already on the course. Which is why I am uploading the course!