Carefast | Storck Race Results from So. Cal. Feb. 27-28

Jurupa Valley Criterium

Cat 3/4

Race Report by Danny Pearce

Jeff, Tyler, Zac and I lined up for the 3/4 race. The goal was to discourage breaks and lead Zac out for a sprint. The race was shortened to 25 minutes due to a crash earlier in the day. Being a short race, the field wasn’t letting anyone get away. Any attempts were squash quickly. A lot of them due to Jeff and Tyler. As expected, they crushed their “break duty” role.

Crossing the line with 1 lap to go, Tyler and Jeff were 1 and 2. With Zac on my wheel, we rode up to 6th position. I’m feeling confident with our team setting the pace and Zac on my wheel with a ½ lap to go. A surge comes up the left side. They created a pinch in the group from cutting right, while individuals in the pack cut left trying to get on. This causes a rider to go down, taking out Zac. [Insert multiple expletives]. I made the quick decision that I’d be plan B.

I put in a couple big efforts to make up position. I was 7th wheel coming into the last corner, jumping up another two positions after the turn. Sit-in…. Try to recover for a second…. Nope, not going to happen. Bryan Wierzchucki jumps. I match his sprint but didn’t have the legs left to come around him, ending in a 2nd place finish. Kudos to Impact. They ran a legit 4 or 5 guy lead-out train.

Overall, the day was bittersweet since Jeff and Tyler did a great job putting myself in a position to lead-out Zac, only to have Zac taken out. I’m confident our plan “A” would of gotten Carefast on the top step. Great Job guys! Thanks Elliot for the solid workout plans leading up to Saturday.

Cat3

Race Report by Tyler Chairsell

We lined up with Mike, Yash, Jeff, Danny and myself. Zac was taken out in the 3/4 race on the last lap, so he sat out on this race. The plan was to take Jeff to the line for the sprint finish.

We decided that that we need to push the pace of the race so that we can position ourselves for the finish. Mike set the pace early consistently catching break attempts without surging. Yash did a great job covering attacks from some strong riders. Jeff and I stayed up front for most of the race. With 4 laps to go I found myself up front setting the pace with Jeff on my wheel. No other teams wanted no part in taking the lead. So I just up front going as easy as I could without going too slow.

With 2 laps to go Yash and Mike took turns pulling in the front. I took over again and attacks started. We slowly brought them back then Danny took over the pacemaking with one lap to go with Jeff on his wheel and then myself sweeping for Jeff. Impact team came around Danny on the third turn. Jeff tried to join their train but too many guys followed so we were drag racing right next to them. Then crash out of turn three caused a Cast Shadow rider to attack so we followed. Jeff put an effort into and out of turn 4. Then we started to get swarmed. That’s when I went with everyone else. I held good position until the slight uphill to the finish. I started to get passed right before the line. I probably got a top 10-15 place finish. I thought we controlled raced pretty well. We just came up short at the end. Timing is everything. Great work boys!

Masters 50+

Race Report by Mike Allec

I was solo in a good size filed of around 50 racers. There were a few decent size teams, most notable was BBI, a regular force in this age group. I kept to my standard plan when solo, only follow good looking breaks, freelance the sprint if it stays together. I was really focused on keeping my mind in the race for the whole 40 min (well 35), keeping position and anticipating moves.

First half of the race was pretty quiet, just a few half-assed break attempts. Now that I’ve done a couple of races around this category, it’s easier to know what attacks you never follow. In the 2nd half of the race BBI starting launching attacks, so I ended up following more than a few, but nothing stuck. Things calmed down after the lap cards came out so I got ready to for the sprint. Elliot had pointed out a guy with a big spring number, so I was watching for him.

With 3 to go, I got swarmed in the last corner, lost some positioning. After hearing Elliot yelling at me as we came by I started moving back up. I ended up a little too far up, sitting 3rd wheel behind 2 BBI guys. One guy pulled for a lap, and as we came into the final lap I knew I was not in a great spot now sitting 2nd wheel. I decided to stay there and wait to either attack if the guy pulled far enough into the lap or fight the swarm when he pulled off. The latter happened, and as he pulled off I got into a pretty good position. The guy Elliot had pointed out made a move to the front, and I thought ‘ah perfect!’. Not sure what happened, but he only made it about half way up the little hill, then slowed up and pulled off. I got caught in the swarm and about 20 guys went around me, race over.

Boulevard Road Race

Cat 3

Race Report by Yash Gokul
Cat3

Lining up up with a field of 70 in one of the toughest road races on the calendar. So. Cals best climbers were all there so the plan was to stay close to the front and avoid any mishaps on the twisty 10mile decent and take as much cover and hold on for the 10 mile accent ….. for three laps.

The eventual victor solo’d away in the first lap of a quite windy day. No one could survive a solo dash for 50 miles…. Right?

With a strong tail wind blowing up the tail end of the main climb. It felt like a fast paced furnace. Literally everyone was hitting PR’s and a new KOM was crowned.
Unfortunately for me I found myself in a chase group maintaining a 1 min gap to the leaders after the first lap. After the second lap I found the chase group dwindling down as guys quit or got dropped.
At the end I rolled in 20minutes behind the leaders with 3 others….. Just happy to finish such a brutal race.

Some things I learned and Notables:
-Cattle guards are dangerous…. A guy went in one on the descent … handle bars hitting the ground in a crash of epic proportions. (taking out several racers)
– The best moves are the ones no one believes have a chance…
– Don’t come back to Blvd unless you are 140lbs or under

Masters 35+

Race Report by Elliot Grothe

This may get lengthy.

Lined up against Monster Media (Tintsman, Coxworth, Demarchi, Easter, Bordine, Big Bill, and friends) and Helens squad (Wikstrom, Manzella, Moston, and more friends). Between these two teams, fifteenish, they had about half the field of 30-35.

My plan was don’t follow anything until after the first lap, figuring a break would be up the road already by that point and perhaps I get in the second chase group.

First lap, a group of 5 get away before we even start the descent portion. The pace is easy, until we hit the first gradual backside climb, which isn’t even part of the actual main climb. I’m in the gutter, trying to draft going 17mph and people are getting dropped. For reference, last year in the 3’s we went 14mph on this section, with triple the riders. I just make it over and start thinking, wow the main climb is gonna get crazy. Oddly, we take the climb really easy. Over the top I look around, The group is roughly 10 now, with the break still up the road. Over the top there are 6-8 attacks as MM and Helens are blitzkrieg’n each other. I follow a few, even putting in an attack of my own. All together though as we descend.

Again I find myself in the gutter on the first gradual climb on the backside, 6-7 mins of just hanging on for dear life. Our group is single file, ten guys, it hurts, legs are heavy but I make it. We get to the main climb and I am hoping we go easy again. No, not this time, it’s harder and the struggle is real. I start getting dropped at the KOM sign. I’m 15 seconds behind over the top. Another rider has been dropped, I catch him and proceed to drill the rollers as hard as I can. This rider never helps, just stays on my wheel which is smart. I get us back to the group just as we start the last 300m climb to the finish, I get popped right away, while the rider who made it back with him, is able to stay in the group-he would end up getting 12th.

Anyway now solo, Karl Bordine and Chad Moston catch me on the descent, now three of us working. We get to the backside climb and drop Chad, so now just Karl and I. We catch Tintsman, back to three. Onto the main climb, we catch Randall Coxworth. Now 4 rolling to the finish, I’m kinda pissed, about getting dropped, but I’m finishing with three strong strong riders on a brutal course. Bordine hits it hard up the last 300m, I am empty but I see we are catching Mike Easter. I dig harder, Karl is about 10 seconds in front of me, Tintsman and Coxworth are about 20 seconds behind me, I just want to catch Easter now, Karl catches him first and pushes him the last 50m to the finish.

I roll in 5 seconds later-15th. I’ll take that.

Great work guys on such a gnarly course!