It was cool and windy on Sunday morning for the Myles Standish RR held in Plymouth, MA on a new course for this spring classic.
The field was a bit smaller than usual due to the Battenkill race going on in NY but the guys that showed up were riding strong and going fast.
Team FUJI/Clif Bar had a 4 rider squad for the Pro 1-3 race: Mark M, Frank M, Shawn M, and Mark G.
Shawn has been focused on winning a race this spring so the guys put together a good effort to help him get that accomplished.
Mark M snuck away fairly early with Jeff Craddock (CCB) and the two were out of sight of the field and stayed away for about 7 or 8 laps. When the two were caught with about 9 laps remaining in the race there were only 15 riders in the front group.
From that point on Mark G and Mark M worked the front of the group to keep the pace moving to prevent any attacks and to keep the chasing field from catching. Frank looked after Shawn in the group to keep him protected from the wind. Mark G looked great today and dug deep to help the team, especially considering he had raced the day before and finished 8th in the 40+ race at Battenkill.
With 3 laps to go Jim Thomas (NEBC) made a very strong attack. It took a lot of energy to bring him back after a full lap of chasing.
Mark and Mark continued at the front until 3/4 lap to go when Skip Foley (MRC) took over with a fast pace which pushed Mark G back through the group. Mark M grabbed Skip's wheel with Frank and Shawn in line. Apparantly Shawn was getting bounced around by Peter Vollers and Patrick Goguen but he found a way to get reconnected with Frankie.
With less than 1/2 lap remaining Fabio Piergentilli attacked Mark M jumped across to his wheel to make sure he didn't get away...Frank and Shawn followed.
As soon as Fabio saw that Mark M had connected to his back wheel he sat up. From there Mark M took the front until just before the final turn where Frank came through with Shawn glued to his wheel and Jeff Craddock to his.
Shawn jumped around Frank with Jeff looking like he had the perfect set up to come around for the win. Good thing Shawn had one more kick in his legs and he held on for the win with Jeff taking 2nd and Frank holding on for 3rd.
It was a fun race with a great result at the end.
Nice work Shawn...Welcome back!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Chris Hinds Crit at Ninigrit Park by Mark Gunsalus
On Saturday April 11, 2009 Team FUJI/Clif Bar headed down to Ninigrit Park for the Pro 1,2,3 race. The line-up was Mark McCormack, Shawn McCormack, John Grenier and I. The rain started just in time for the race and conditions were made more difficult by temps dropping into the low 40’s.
The race started out lively with Mark M, Shawn and John getting into the action at the front. Unfortunately, I had to pull out at mid-race as my chest cold was hurting and the conditions were perfect to set the health meter back. So back to the truck I went and blasted the heater. I had a great view of the race being parked right near the start/finish.
My complaints became minor in hurry after John was taken down hard by another rider on the front straight and broke his collar bone. I quickly went to the line and helped him get out of wet clothes and into some dry ones. John is one tough guy. We hope for a quick recovery and have him back to racing soon. Fortunately for John his brand new FUJI SL-1 was fine.
The race really began to progress as Mark initiated a 5 man break including Nick Keough and Gavin Mannion. The break quickly got a good gap after Mark’s violent attack and the group looked like it had a good chance of sticking. A chase group quickly ensued and Shawn buried it to successfully bridge. Shawn did some great work and really helped the chase group stick while not gaining time on the lead break of 5.
The finish was perfect. Mark went solo and buried it for two laps. He was able to stay away from the three chasers and easily won the race. Shawn geared up for the field sprint and easily won it with a gap and ended up 5th. A McCormack one-two punch.
According to Mark, the most impressive rider of the day was Gavin Mannion. Gavin, although still a Junior, spent more laps than anyone off the front. He was still taking substantial pulls in the final break and had plenty in the tank to create another split at the finish to take an impressive 3rd place. Mark M looks forward to seeing Gavin racing as a Pro in the next few seasons and winning the biggest races he goes after.
Next stop for me is Battenkill in the 40+ race. It will be a fast race for sure.
7th Annual Chris Hinds Memorial Criterium Sponsored by FUJI
Pro 1 2 3 Race Results
1 Mark McCormack TeamFUJI/Clif Bar
2 Nicholas Keough BikeReg.com / Cannondale
3 Gavin Mannion Hot Tubes Junior Development Team
4 Jim Thomas NEBC/Cycle Loft/Devonshire Dental
5 Shawn McCormack Team FUJI/Clif Bar
6 Ciaran Mangan CCB/ RACING
7 J Alain Ferry Millwork One
8 Alec Donahue Spooky/NCC/Kenda Cycling Team
9 Ryan MacDonald Mathieu's Cycle p/b Insight
10 Durrin UMass Bike Racing
The race started out lively with Mark M, Shawn and John getting into the action at the front. Unfortunately, I had to pull out at mid-race as my chest cold was hurting and the conditions were perfect to set the health meter back. So back to the truck I went and blasted the heater. I had a great view of the race being parked right near the start/finish.
My complaints became minor in hurry after John was taken down hard by another rider on the front straight and broke his collar bone. I quickly went to the line and helped him get out of wet clothes and into some dry ones. John is one tough guy. We hope for a quick recovery and have him back to racing soon. Fortunately for John his brand new FUJI SL-1 was fine.
The race really began to progress as Mark initiated a 5 man break including Nick Keough and Gavin Mannion. The break quickly got a good gap after Mark’s violent attack and the group looked like it had a good chance of sticking. A chase group quickly ensued and Shawn buried it to successfully bridge. Shawn did some great work and really helped the chase group stick while not gaining time on the lead break of 5.
The finish was perfect. Mark went solo and buried it for two laps. He was able to stay away from the three chasers and easily won the race. Shawn geared up for the field sprint and easily won it with a gap and ended up 5th. A McCormack one-two punch.
According to Mark, the most impressive rider of the day was Gavin Mannion. Gavin, although still a Junior, spent more laps than anyone off the front. He was still taking substantial pulls in the final break and had plenty in the tank to create another split at the finish to take an impressive 3rd place. Mark M looks forward to seeing Gavin racing as a Pro in the next few seasons and winning the biggest races he goes after.
Next stop for me is Battenkill in the 40+ race. It will be a fast race for sure.
7th Annual Chris Hinds Memorial Criterium Sponsored by FUJI
Pro 1 2 3 Race Results
1 Mark McCormack TeamFUJI/Clif Bar
2 Nicholas Keough BikeReg.com / Cannondale
3 Gavin Mannion Hot Tubes Junior Development Team
4 Jim Thomas NEBC/Cycle Loft/Devonshire Dental
5 Shawn McCormack Team FUJI/Clif Bar
6 Ciaran Mangan CCB/ RACING
7 J Alain Ferry Millwork One
8 Alec Donahue Spooky/NCC/Kenda Cycling Team
9 Ryan MacDonald Mathieu's Cycle p/b Insight
10 Durrin UMass Bike Racing
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Gear Works Tuesday night ride - 3/31/09 - by Mark M
I had the good fortune of timing my sales route yesterday so that I arrived at Gear Works in Leominster, MA a few minutes before their 6pm ride rolled out.
The parking lot was packed with riders of all levels eager to get the first Tuesday Night Gear Works Ride of 2009 underway. I was psyched to be getting out on the road on a weekday given that my rides lately have consisted mostly of 20-40 minute rides on my powercrank equiped Fuji Team on an indoor trainer.
Daren was testing out a pair of the new Shimano RS-80 Carbon Composite clincher wheels that I loaned him and I was hoping to give Greg a chance to ride on my SL-1 for a few miles at some point on the ride...he is a big fan of FUJI and I am hoping he will make the leap so that his road bike will be as fast as his cross bike.
It was 55 degrees at ride time and the sun was in full glare. I headed out with the "A" group which consisted of many familiar faces. I was happy to see an old friend Rob Holt who I haven't seen in several years. He still looks just as fast as he was when we were both younger.
The ride rolled out of town and through a few sets of lights before getting out to the rolling countryside that made for a great loop. I was pleased to recognize a few sections as we cut through the Sterling RR course and on some of the roads that I used to train on during my 7 hour winter rides back in when I raced full time.
We only had one mechanical. Tom (from FCC) had a puncture as we were leaving the Sterling RR course. The group slowed/stopped and allowed Tom the chance to repair his flat. This was when I let Greg take a spin on my SL-1. We have similar saddle heights but I have a longer reach. It was fun to watch him do a few jumps/sprints and turn around with a large grin on his face. I couldn't help but think back on my younger days when I would try something new. Once Tom rejoined the group, Greg and I switched back to our own bikes and the ride resumed.
The pace for most of the ride was quite fast, single file most of the time, and the group would splinter on the tougher climbs and regroup on the downside. I was suffering for the first 1/2 of the ride and started to feel better in the 2nd half. The ride route seemed to get more challenging as the miles ticked on. There were several lengthy climbs that finished with steeper grades at the top which allowed this ride to act as a natural interval workout. We all rolled in two by two for the final 5 miles as the sun was set and the sky was darkening.
Daren and Greg pulled out a few Blue Moon's and after a few hours of conversation at the shop I was back in the car heading home.
That is a great way to end a long day.
Thanks to the crew at Gear Works and all of the guys that take part in that ride for letting me join in on the fun. I hope to make it back a few times this Spring and Summer.
If you find yourself in Central, MA on a Tuesday evening, bring your bike along and enjoy the ride at Gear Works. You won't be dissapointed.
The parking lot was packed with riders of all levels eager to get the first Tuesday Night Gear Works Ride of 2009 underway. I was psyched to be getting out on the road on a weekday given that my rides lately have consisted mostly of 20-40 minute rides on my powercrank equiped Fuji Team on an indoor trainer.
Daren was testing out a pair of the new Shimano RS-80 Carbon Composite clincher wheels that I loaned him and I was hoping to give Greg a chance to ride on my SL-1 for a few miles at some point on the ride...he is a big fan of FUJI and I am hoping he will make the leap so that his road bike will be as fast as his cross bike.
It was 55 degrees at ride time and the sun was in full glare. I headed out with the "A" group which consisted of many familiar faces. I was happy to see an old friend Rob Holt who I haven't seen in several years. He still looks just as fast as he was when we were both younger.
The ride rolled out of town and through a few sets of lights before getting out to the rolling countryside that made for a great loop. I was pleased to recognize a few sections as we cut through the Sterling RR course and on some of the roads that I used to train on during my 7 hour winter rides back in when I raced full time.
We only had one mechanical. Tom (from FCC) had a puncture as we were leaving the Sterling RR course. The group slowed/stopped and allowed Tom the chance to repair his flat. This was when I let Greg take a spin on my SL-1. We have similar saddle heights but I have a longer reach. It was fun to watch him do a few jumps/sprints and turn around with a large grin on his face. I couldn't help but think back on my younger days when I would try something new. Once Tom rejoined the group, Greg and I switched back to our own bikes and the ride resumed.
The pace for most of the ride was quite fast, single file most of the time, and the group would splinter on the tougher climbs and regroup on the downside. I was suffering for the first 1/2 of the ride and started to feel better in the 2nd half. The ride route seemed to get more challenging as the miles ticked on. There were several lengthy climbs that finished with steeper grades at the top which allowed this ride to act as a natural interval workout. We all rolled in two by two for the final 5 miles as the sun was set and the sky was darkening.
Daren and Greg pulled out a few Blue Moon's and after a few hours of conversation at the shop I was back in the car heading home.
That is a great way to end a long day.
Thanks to the crew at Gear Works and all of the guys that take part in that ride for letting me join in on the fun. I hope to make it back a few times this Spring and Summer.
If you find yourself in Central, MA on a Tuesday evening, bring your bike along and enjoy the ride at Gear Works. You won't be dissapointed.
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