Good Results at Lanterne Rouge TT

A great turnout on a great course at he Lanterne Rouge Time Trial near Leavenworth on April 28th. The team got a bunch of podium spots in several categories, and we were well represented with big participation by both the men, and Chica-D’s.

Here are some result highlights:

Bill Mason, 1st Men Master 65-69
Susan Ruettimann, 1st Women Master 40-44
Andrea Noland, 1st Women Master 50-54
Lynn Wilson, 2nd Women Cat4 (without any TT setup!)
Aline Zimmer, 2nd Women Master 50-54
Cathy Goodger, 2nd Women Master 55-59
Bree Ginden, 2nd Women Master 35-39
Paul Fancher, 2nd Men Master 50-54

There were four other Big D riders who placed third and several others with top-fives. This event was the first race for many members of the team, and with great results like these, you will see more new Big D faces at TT’s and other events soon.

Photos below, and more from danrphoto here.

Mason is all business in the Time Trial
Fancher puts the hammer down in the 50+ field
Wilson goes fast on any type of gear

Big D Welcomes New Partner Lanterne Rouge

Since it’s inception, Big D has always had a relationship with Roger Harrison and Lanterne Rouge. Roger is a former racer, a promoter, photographer and the biggest advocate of cycling in the state of Kansas. He’s the guy with the bullhorn and the big red van at all the local races. We count on Roger to provide guidance for our team and as a partner, we are joining him in his promoter capacity in helping with the Lanterne Rouge Time Trial on April 28th.

Harrison at the last Vet Cross race in Leavenworth

Big D will be out there in Lowemont helping out with the race on the 28th, and so too will be Roger Harrison. If you see him, please thank him for all he does for cycling in Kansas. Racing in the sunflower state wouldn’t be the same without him.

Kelley Gets First, Team Collects Hardware at Bazaar

New rider Ryan Kelley made an audacious move in the 4/5’s to get himself in the top spot at Bazaar, while Big D made a mark in all the other categories entered.

Bazaar Road Race was just as hilly and windy as always, and no race group stayed intact in the 25+ mph head wind which greeted the peloton heading south. There were crashes in every large group as the wind gusts played havoc with the riders ability to hold their line. If you got caught out of your group, you had a major task ahead of you to get back in.

Here is Kelley’s account of his superior effort in the 4/5 race, the biggest field of the day:

“I went into the race not really planning on getting a great result and just focusing on getting a good workout in. I met up with Shawn Knight and we discussed what the team tactics were going to be for the race. I’d done this race once before, as a 5 last year, and got shelled off the back at the first turn around, so I knew that if I was going to go full gas anywhere, it had to be there. I sat in the pack most of the time until the first turn around, when there were two crashes (one that I narrowly missed being caught up in) and I took it as a sign that people in the pack were starting to get tired and careless. About a mile after after the wreck, the first hill came up and I decided that I would launch a little attack to see how everybody was feeling. Instantly, a few people were on my wheel and we had a gap starting, but no one was able to pull through with enough power to keep the break going. It was doomed to failure, so I waited for us to get pulled back. About a mile to the first turn, I made sure I stayed in good position before the peloton mushroomed out.

Kelley was dominant in his first race for Big D

When we hit the first turnaround, I was behind two other riders who started pushing the pace, and it wasn’t fast enough to make a selection so I just laid it down as fast as I could for about a minute, then I turned back to see who was with me, and realized that I was alone. It looked like someone threw a bomb in the peloton. Groups of 3 to 10 riders everywhere, so I put my head down and pushed as hard as I could. A majority of the time I was spinning out my 53×11 at 105 RPMs!

When I hit the second turn around, I was greeted with the most horrible headwind I could imagine after 25 miles of TTing, but I knew the team was counting on me to keep the move going, so I got as small as I could and just kept pushing. A group of 3 riders were about a minute behind me and working together to pull me back. They even told me to slow down when we passed. I eventually caught the masters 50+ field and after that I was having a hard time telling if the riders coming after me were the masters, or if it was the group of 3. So I just put myself in the pain cave and focused on the next turn, the top of the next hill, and finally the finish line. At the mile to go sign I knew I had the victory locked up! And what better way to win than 30+ miles solo?”

Schleicher and Wilson stayed close to each other most of the race

In other racing, Skittles (James Summers) was positioned well in the 1/2/3’s but got tangled up with another rider, crashed and flatted with just a few miles to go. He held on for 13th, coming in bloody with a flat front tire. Rochford’s account.

Lynn Wilson got third in the women’s 4’s, while Chica-D teammates Rochelle Schleicher and Susan Ruettimann came in second and third in the women’s 40+ race. Paul Fancher was in the masters 50+ money with a fourth place finish, Bill Mason and Donavon Hottman grabbed third and fourth in the 60+, Shawn Knight came in with a top-five in the 4/5’s.

Mason used his TT skills to pass several riders heading north

See more images from Bazaar here.

Three Big D Riders Place in Spring Fling Overall

Shawn Knight and Ron Marney got second and third place in the Cat 4/5 overall in the Spring Fling criterium series in Lawrence which wrapped up March 24. Knight has been finishing high in each week of the series, with Marney right behind him. Shawn had to sit out week four because of illness but Ron filled the gap with a first place finish that week. Marney said that he wasn’t looking for an overall podium, but after his points collection in week four, he found himself in the hunt.

Knight was strong throughout the series
Marney was a formidable presence in the 4/5 field

It was a forgone conclusion that Lynn Wilson would podium for the series in the women’s 4’s. She has been doing well in her first year of racing, and has finished in the top three every week of the Spring Fling. This Chica-D has been showing up for races and gaining a lot of experience. She will be a serious force as the season goes on.

Wilson was a consistent top-three finisher

Special thanks to Roger Harrison of Lanterne Rouge for providing the top two images for this post. See more of his images on his Flickr site.

Rochford, Wilson & Hottman Claim Overall Podium Finishes for Perry Series

Ryan Rochford, Lynn Wilson and Donavon Hottman finished out their Perry races with podium finishes!

Wilson got 2nd with consistent performances in the women’s 4’s. Hottman held on to 3rd, and Rochford’s supreme effort for KOM points kept him up there in 3rd.

Once again it was a James Summers/Rochford show in the mens 3’s up until the KOM climb. Rochford was in the red after nabbing two points in the KOM sprint against Bicycle Shack’s Kyle Skinner but lost contact on the backside.

The two of them worked hard to get back into the group and to get Ryan recovered. They made a valiant effort to finish 10th and 11th on the final day of racing. Read Ryan’s full account here.

Hottman laid claim to the King of the Mountain in his 60+ race. His race mainly stayed together with the exception of the KOM and the final climb. “I decided I had accomplished 3rd place and just needed to finish not kill myself. 1st and 2nd place for the series had been locked up before the race began,” said Hottman. Still, Wheels ended up 4th in the final and 3rd overall.

Lynn Wilson capped off a great series with a 2nd place overall. “If I had come out for the race last week, I could have finished first,” said Wilson, referring to the week #2 racing in heavy rain.

She has also been doing the Spring Fling series on the Saturdays before each Perry race, so her accomplishments in her first year of racing are even more amazing.