Rio Strada Racing - Ellsworth Road Bike - Team Issue

Members of Rio Strada Racing will compete aboard the new Ellsworth Scant Road Bike. Ellsworth's unique frames and innovations offers a combination of lightweight, stiffness, and durability to give Rio Strada Racing a crucial advantage in Road Races.

July 13, 2008

Curtis - Rick Bradley, Ron and I headed out at o'dark-30 to race. Good conversation, and a pleasant drive. Registered and got ready for 3 22+
mile laps (i had 70 miles at the end). Rick was doing the 35+ 1-3 so had to do 4 laps. The course is incredible. NIce grassy foot hills, cows, farms, limited traffic, WIND. Opening 15 minutes started with a series of climbs, nothing too bad. Then we hit the rolling flat section. The pace was moderate. then the attacks started. first one was furious- Ron bridged to the lead group, so I was off the hook and sat up hoping to have an easy ride. as expected the field regrouped and the next 12 miles where a series of attacks and counters. We finished the first lap and where about to
climb the hills again. I was sitting in a bad spot near the back of the pack. I had drifted back while tossing water bottles and searching for GU. The pack accelerated- I paused to finish my GU. BAD move. I was not 2-3 bike lengths of the back- and then there was another attack. Long story short I chased for 4-5 miles with the pack in sight. Settled down hoping to catch stragglers. Got stung on the head and had to stop to get the Bee out of my helmet. caught some guys and had a good pace line gowing- cramped so bad with 5-6 miles to go I had to stop and walk. Limped into the finish tired/cramped/dehydrated and with a bee sting. Overall I had a great time.

Gilbert - The ride from the Masters 35+ 4/5 view.  Number one, this is a great course, fast, just enough of climbing to separate the field.   The major climbing takes place within 200 meters from the start and goes thru the feedzone and Finish line. The first climb pitches up gently levels out and then pitches up again a bit steeper. (for 4/5's you do it 3 times) From that point on you are hit with 2 or 3 power climbs and 1 or 2 fasts descents. Roads are a bit narrow with the center line being strictly enforced, so if your not up front it is hard to move forward with guys strung across the width of the single lane.  This would have been the perfect race for all us Rio Strada 4/5' s to control. I without a doubt think we could have had 3 or 4 top 10 placings. In fact the Davis team was out in force again, but failed or did not have the ability to control the race. A team with 3 guys played their cards correctly and finished at the front.  I had a great ride and was in the hunt after 1 & 3/4 laps when two guys in front of me banged together and came out of their pedals right in front of me. I managed to stay upright, but my front wheel ran into one of the now shoeless pedals and bent a spoke on my recently trued Rolf's. I initially didn't notice a problem until one of the fast descents and then the wobble started. Things held together despite the wobble and i was in hunt on the final climb, but could find no way thru the riders in front of me (the sprint up the final climb was contested by about 25 riders). The lead up to the finish is where things fell apart for the Davis team, they started leading too far out and by the time we started the last (steepest) part of climb they had all exploded.  All and all a great course. Great weather cool and overcast in morning and no smoke. PS. the dairy had cheese samples on hand, some really good stuff.

July 13, 2008

Nicolas - Besides the pedal scrape going around the last corner and loosing my water bottle on the 2 lap things went well. The long uphill finish got
to me about half way through be I sucked it enough to be there for the sprint. Ended up 5th. One more until Cat 4's!!!

James Elder - Nic I rolled in to the sign table just as the Pro 1/2 finished everyone was arguing including the 7 guys in the break.  My race started off really well and I stayed up front ( top 5 ) for about 8 lap but after several attacks and breaks by the wells fargo and the synergy teams being up front wasn't the place tobe. I ended up getting dropped near the end (didn't finish last) but as far as any of you will know I could have finish 7th since they didn't have a camera and everyone after 6th will get a DNP.

Yezin - Woke up at 4AM feverish and vomitting.  Went back to sleep until 10AM. Woke up and was first to make my bed.  Best place I've had all year.

July 5, 2008

Sergio Jimenez - The little hill really hurts after a few times.  That's all I have to say.  Every time up that thing, at the top, I was pretty gassed.  I
seemed to recover well though on the front end of the course so that was good.  Spent most of the time towards the front and out of trouble.  Ron
chased a break for a few laps.  I put in my two cents as well but started getting tired after about a half lap so shuffled myself back into the group.  Before the race Ron said that on the last lap we needed to punch it up the climb on EITHER the inside OR the outside.  So with one lap to go, I of course went straight up the middle.  Ron launched really hard on the outside and went down the hill in great position.  I had no where to go but follow the line dictated by guys all around me. After the hill it seemed to stay strung out and we came into the finishing straight with mostly the same position that we crested the hill with.  I got just far enough up front to see Ron take second by a good gap.  I got 10th, a velobob t-shirt, and $25.  (which pays for the 1/2/3 race I ditched). Good times.

Ron Rouse - So, going into the Vacaville Crit I was going to work for Serigo and try and get him the win....well, things don't always work out the way you planned :) First off, I would like to say that hopefully next year we see more Rio's out at this race, it is a much better course then Davis in my opinion.  During the first half of the race Serigo and I stayed at or near the front, I helped to chased down a break or two trying to keep it
together for Serigo so things were going well.  At around the mid way point of the race is when the hill starts to burn, at first we are cruising up it at 20-22 mph and then later at 20 mph my legs were like "really, again up this stupid hill."  So, I just sucked it up since Serigo seemed to be looking good and I wanted to help him get the win. So around the time my computer show 40 minutes of race time I started looking for the lap cards at the start finish line (SFL).  And every lap, when we would pass by the SFL I will look all over the place for the stupid lap cards and NOTHING!  Over and over I looked and still nothing!!  So, on one lap we were starting to pick up the pace considerably so I asked a guy next to me "hey, how many laps left?", he looked at me and laughed and said "you're kidding right?", which I replied "No, I am serious...what lap is it?", he then replied again, with a you-are-a-knuckle-head look on his face, "The Last Lap." Unfortunately at this point in the race i was almost at the back of the pack since the hill was kicking my butt, so then, in a panic to help Serigo I started moving up as we approached the right hand turn that leads to the hill, if I had found out after this turn it would of been too late for sure to move up.  At the hill I was only at about mid pack so I had to gas it up the climb, not knowing which side Serigo was on I took a guess and choose the left side and unfortunately he was not there so when I reach to front of the pack I swung over and bumped out the guy in the 5th spot in the line and then started looking for Serigo. Unfortunately, I could only hope that Serigo saw me swing in and he would then move up and get it behind me, however this is not that easy since as you start down the hill it is basically is the beginning of the sprint, since there are only two more turns, so the speeds are high and therefore hard to move up at this point. So, at the front with me are two guys from some team. I got 2nd, a t-shirt and $120 bucks!

July 4, 2008

Yezin Taha - Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh! Flatted at mile 13 before the first climb.  Fixed the flat in about 3:30 (don't ask me why it took so long, I don't want to talk about it), and made it within 400 meters of the pack at the top of the climb.  Lost them on the backside and flats.  Hooked up with others at mile 31 and rode back in.  Swapped a wheel with a Sierra Nevada guy so he could stay in his group about 5 miles from the end.  Looking forward to Vacaville. Did okay at Davis.  Won a prime just to see what the sprint was like, then blew myself trying to break away.  Got back in and finished okay. Thanks to Ron for getting me to move up.

Jim M - My group, Cat 5 45+ was fairly small (about 15) and combined w/the 35+ young punks (also about 15).  I rode up front for a change and was in a group of 5 that actually had a small gap on the field through the initial rollers.  The group pretty much busted up on the climb.  Passed a couple guys, then time trialed the 2nd 20.  Caught a few more guys through the remaining hills and flats.  It was quite a sufferfest out there with the hills, potholes, and lack of water.  I checked the results and found out that I actually wound up 5th and won a t-shirt! Woo Hoo!!  Oh yeah, and my heart rate never went below 180 after mile 15 (seriously).

Steve Offerman - Sorry for the long report, but I want to read this again next year before I sign-up for Leesville again. We rolled out at about 9 am.  Weather was calm and warm already.  The first 10 miles was an easy roll-out going only about 17 MPH.  Good chance to relax and talk with Mike V for a while.  Our mellow start all ended in a second when we turned onto XXX road.  Immediately the pace kicked up and the road turned to *crap*.  Potholes and cracks only begin to describe the surface.  There were also broken sections of pavement, areas of deep gravel, and sections of dirt road.  When someone tells you that the pavement is bad at Leesville Gap ….believe them!  I hear that Copperopolis is worse – it is hard to imagine. I got a lot of varying advice about tires and what pressure to run.  In the end, I was confused about what to do and went with my usual Michelin tires with pressure around 105.  Pre-race I was a little concerned about the gravel and dirt, but these sections were better than the pavement and rode like carpet.  The pack was actually riding pretty slow at about 15-17 MPH.  Since there wasn't much of a drafting advantage, I headed to the front where I could see the obstacles. At about 15 miles we started up the big hill.  Heaven for me as I like the hills!  Being at the front I was able to set a reasonable pace for myself.  As we ascended, the attrition started!  The climb lasted about 20 minutes total (without many rest sections).  By the time we hit the top, there was a group of 7 riders ready to hammer.  We jammed down the mountain – roads weren't quite as bad here, but still a lot of hazardous potholes.  The group was working well together despite the surface.  About 3 miles after the descent, there was some confusion around a corner and 2 riders went off the road.  We turned up a dirt road hill and slowed way down, but the riders weren't to
catch back up.  Now there were 5 of us. We rotated to perfection and kept up a speed around 25 -26 MPH.  The road surface improved significantly after halfway through the race.  At about 35 miles (I think?) we started up the second significant hill.  This was a much shorter climb, but steep enough to be very tough at this point in the race. I have to admit I struggled up this one and was the last over the top.  Then our descent.…. This one was much faster!!  I was in the back starting down and let a little gap open between me and the last rider – I kind of figured it wasn't too much and I new I could probably catch up in the feedzone ahead.  We hit the bottom and then it happened….  I was about 50 yards back but could not get back to the group!! Here is the lesson:  If you aren't a particularly strong descender (like me), glue yourself to the pack going downhill because even a small gap could be too much when the road flattens. Then the stages of grieving:  1.) Denial – I know I can catch them!!  TT position and pedaling as hard as I could.  2.) Sadness – If I wasn't so dehydrated, a tear would well up in my eye.  3.) Anger – How did I F**K this up!  I lost them on the descent!!  4.) Aceptance – Put your head down and finish the remaining 20 miles as well as possible. That was the LONELIEST and LONGEST 20 miles of my life!!!!  I was like a wounded animal trying to fend off a pack of hungry dogs.  At about mile 45 I passed one of the leaders who was on the side of the road putting air in his tire.  Now I was in 4th.  I continued to pedal as hard as I was capable, but I didn't have much in the tank.  My legs were also on the edge of cramping. I was suffering with every pedal stroke.  At mile 57 we made a right hand turn and immediately left the nice pavement for dirt/gravel road again – this went on for about a mile and a half.  Goddamit!!  On the gravel, the rider I passed earlier came up with another group of riders – I tried to hang, but I couldn't hold on.  After the gravel we made a left turn back onto to pavement.  My computer read only a mile left, but there was no finish line in sight!!!!  I continued my slow, painful march to the safety of the line – still no pack in sight to my rear.  At about mile 63, I could see some riders in the distance behind me and see the finish in front.  I put my head down and tried to finish strong, though I am sure it looked pretty feeble.  In the end, I wasn't caught and finished 5th.  My computer read 64 miles (not 60). This was a very tough race!!!  I can't remember feeling that bad I in a very long time.  20 miles by yourself just sucks.  What a crazy day!!

July 4, 2008

James Elder - My 35+ 4's race didn't go as planned.  Started off well but it got pretty tough 4 or 5 laps in and I ended up mid pack ( I must have really been on the back the way Ron yelled at me to "MOVE UP" over the next 6 laps).  I caught my second wind and "MOVED UP" within a couple of bikes of Kenny. I was feeling pretty good at this point and my thinking changed back to placing not just surviving. Then I learned why you race in your drops, coming out of turn 3 with about 8 laps to go the guy inside me swung wide and hooked my bars.  We were hooked together and heading straight for the curb.  I was leaning back and basically fought him off me when the guy inside me finally ran out of room in the gutter.  He hooked something on my bike as he fell and it literally yanked me down on top of him.  I got back up quickly and made it to the pits and got right back in.  I felt really good at first and still had thoughts of placing but with two to go I was mid pack and headed back.  I sat up on the back side of the course and finished last.  I could have sprinted past one Davis rider and finished second to last so I have that going for me.  I'm pretty sore today, but almost no road rash.  The guy I landed on separated his shoulder so it could have been worse.

Nicholas Oliver - Well, I was worried for a minute about 1/3rd the way through the race... Since I've been on vacation for the last 12 days I didn't really get the chance to ride as much as I should have... Thanks to Ron yelling "move up" I was motivated a fought through the burn to stay within the top 15ish. On the last lap I managed to move up to about 6th before the zig-zag. Going into the last turn some dude decided to dive into the corner from the outside which forced me to tap me brakes, slowing me enough that I couldn't take the sprint. I passed a few guys though finishing 4th. Great race..

James - I crashed. I got up, I road more. My bike told me where to stick it and I finished DFL! I was feeling good. I was sitting in the first third of the pack and then about 17 minutes into the race we were going into turn two and someone hit me on the inside. I have friction burn on my calf from them hitting me. That forced me up the hill into an other rider and that is where the bikes and riders started hitting the pavement. It was an ugly wreck. I know five people when down and there was a screaming kid of a lawn, not sure what happened there. Once the field had passed I made sure I was relatively ok, grabbed my bike and make my way to the feel lap pit. I was riding in the back of the pack for the next 8 laps or so and then started to move up. I was injured and the sweat running into the still bleeding road rash just sucked but I was going to make a run at the top twenty. Then when they called two laps to go my bike told me to get bend. I didn't know what was happening – other than my break started
rubbing. I tried to pedal trough it. I was not working, so drop out of the pack and hit the lever then sprint back into the back… That didn't work. It was getting more and more tension. By the time I finished I was DFL and the brake pad smelled like burning rubber. The right brake lever was rotating down. Not the best race for me. But I am generally ok and unless I need to replace the handlebars so is the bike. I would have been far happier if I could have had a liter at Sudwerk after all that.

June 21, 2008

Yezin taha - Napa has a good thing going with their downtown criterium.  The race course was tough and technical, the setting is perfect, and it feels like it is going to take off as a big race draw year after year. I raced the E4s today at 8AM.  It took a few extra minutes to get us going, but once it started it did not let up.  The secret to doing well at Napa is to get off the line FIRST!!!!  Unfortunately, I had a pretty miserable time starting off, and ended up at pretty much the back of the pack off the bat. I spend the next half of the race moving up the pack.  I finally got within thirty spots of the front, and hung out there for a while to catch my breath.  This is easily the hardest course I have ever ridden for making up places.  While I was hanging out on a wheel, only one person tried to get around me, and he couldn't... and I wasn't even trying to hold him back.  Like I said, it was a difficult course to move up in. Anyway, I wasn't very successful moving up from there on out.  I'd get a position or two every lap, and sprinted for the finish for twentieth or so. 

June 15, 2008

Steven Larsen - Sunday. Father's day. And the Nevada City Classic. The race rolled off and I was incredible nervous. I took control at the top of the hill and rolled down for our first time through the start/finish in a complete aero-tuck. According to the announcers, we were clocked in at 53mph down the hill. That's definitely zooming. anyway, prime bell was rung and I took it. Then another, then another, then another. I got all but the last prime. Which, actually was my plan. The told the rider who got it to keep going and I instantly sat up. Peter Taylor gapped the field (or what was left of it). This attack came with 3 laps to go and I don't think anybody expected it to stick. I knew though that if there wasn't a rider off
the front the 3 climbers left in the group would keep attacking me until I cracked, this breakaway forced them to work steadily and in the meantime help me take a breath on the climb. Rolling through with 1 lap to go the gap was still 20 seconds. Somehow me and one other rider (who won in '07 and came out all the way from UTAH!!!) caught Peter on the flat part before the descent to the finish. The utah rider took the initiative and started to sprint over the roller. I sat back and coming down the descent I took the risk and dove left through the 45degree turn with about 250 or 300 m to go. The risk was that at that speed there was a large bump and it caused my wheel to skip and bounce. I pulled myself out of it and began doing what was really more of a spin out drill rather than an actual sprint. I pulled myself low and I pulled off a win. I was ecstatic! It was a huge win and I couldn't believe I actually won on such a tough course. Anyways.back to training. Thank you for reading!

June 14, 2008

Steven Larsen - So today was junior district crit down in livermore. As Bryan and I drove in we noticed the course was less wide than previous yrs. Then we figured out that it was reversed, a big deal for a race that hasnt changed in some 6 years. So i began warming up and it was relatively warm with a slight breeze on the finishing strench coming from west. So as in any Junior race we hammer it for the first 4-5 laps. Coming into the 6th lap i believe, i came out of the last corner and the bead of my tire seperated and i basically rolled a clincher off my rear kysrium ssc, yeah not on my list of fun things to do before i die. But anyway i was chasing an attack down when this happened at probably 28ish
i dont know for sure though. The back wheel was fish tailing everywhere and i kept it up unbelievable long according to some spectators. Though
it bugs me no one got it on tape. I probably went some 25-30ft and when i was trying the bring the back wheel it just went out. So lesson learned guys dont try to powerslide on soft aluminum rims. So my ksyrium rim is trashed, which sucks. I managed when the bike did go out to basically take my new cervelo up in the air and land on my butt instead. (Hey Ron the Larsen trend continues, do you have anymore med shorts?) I ran to the pits which were about 150m down the way and changed my wheel out and got back in with my butt half hanging out.. Oh well!! Once i was back in it was attack after attack mostly from DBC and Specialized. I sat near Tieni Duro's main man Peter Taylor and i followed him around, or DBC's Zack Wick. So the laps counted down 7-6-5-4... And a 2man break went somewhere inside 2 laps to go and specialized blocked. SO i came into the last lap with San Jose's Daniel Farinha and rode away the last half lap he gapped me in the last turn, which was partly due to the nerves from previous incidents. I started my sprint and held off the field and plus some, to take a 4th place after a blowout and crash because of it. So not a bad day in my mind. Sure could've done better, but like i said my nerves we kinda shakey. Just got some gu stuff for 4th...

Bryan Larsen - I was all over to spectrum this weekend. Feeling good, feeling bad. Riding aggressive, riding defensive. My weekend began in Livermore for jr district/state Criterium championships. I told myself I would not let Davis control it and to make them work, well I blew that one. Alex controlled the front while a davis and Lombardi rider rode off in the first 10 laps. I did some chasing towards the end and tried to get people organized but none of it worked. We brought the gap down from 30 seconds with 5 laps(ish) to go down to 7-8sec with one lap to go and maybe 2 or 3 seconds by the finish. I crossed the line 2nd in the group and 4th overall. It was my WORST finish at district crit for the past 5 years. I was never lower than 3rd and disappointed I drove back home only to collapse on my bed when I got home and sleep for 4 straight hours.

June 14, 2008

Brian - I did the masters 4-5 race with Jeff, Jim, Steve, Robert and Luis. From the beginning I don't think a lap went by when there was not some sort of an attack taking place, and at least one Rio was always involved in either the break or the chase (or both). Steve O. and I made it around for close to four laps off the front midway through the race  . However in the end it came down to a field sprint with Davis starting a pretty good lead out at 3 to go. By the last lap I was about 4th wheel coming towards the last corner when a group came up the right side, I was able to latch on and finish in 8th.

Yezin - I rolled out to the Folsom Criterium on Saturday along with a bunch of other Rios. It was nice to see so many of us there. The course was in great shape, and there weren't any tricky parts in it. Not much wind to speak of either. For once, there were attacks in the 4s right off the bat. There were 7 primes handed out throughout the race, but even those weren't bringing the breakaways back ; Jeff and I managed to participate in just about every breakaway there was, and Steve O put in a huge effort to bridge up to a breakaway pack. Unfortunately, "no- man's land" claimed Steve until the pack caught back up to him. I got away in a couple of breaks, but none of them stuck. Either the guys I was with were worn out when we grouped up, or they just had no clue of how to rotate. However, Jeff was able to pull off a fantastic breakaway with 8 or so laps to go. He shot off the front with another guy, and just continued to pull away. I went up to the front of the pack to cause a little disruption, then just settled in and watched as Jeff pulled further and further away. It was a great feeling to see a Rio doing that in the 4s... I don't remember a breakaway sticking in any of the 4 crits I have been in yet. Anyway, Jeff's gap opened up to about 30 seconds for a few laps, but then their pace
started to suffer and pack began to move in.; Some big dude jumped and caught up to them when they were about 15 seconds off, and somewhere along the way Steve O made a jump off the pack to try to catch up with Jeff.; If Steve had been able to make it through "no-man's land", then I think Jeff and Steve would have been duking it out for first. The pack ended up catching Jeff, and I shot around to try another breakaway. Then, about half a lap later (wtih two laps to go), I noticed my bike wobble around a turn.; I looked down and my rear tire was going flat, so I pulled out. I don't remember how everyone placed in the sprints, but they were all in the top 20. Great job fellas.

June 8, 2008

Nick - So, the first suprise of the day came while registering for the Cat 4/5 Race, preems(?) would be offered, 13 to be exact... I know a lot of you don't think thats anything to write about but for a first year racer, always hearing that damn bell in all other races, it was nice to know that awards would be available for us lowly 5's. The course was similar to Wente, w/out the bot dotts.. Very good pavement which made for a fast race.  I hung out in the middle for the majority of the race, wanting sooooo badly to go for a preme but knew my chances for a sprint at the finish would be less if I did.    So, with 4 laps to go I thought about moving up but actually didn't react for 2 more laps. 2 to go, moved up to about 25-30 and took a big swig of H2O for the final go...    Final lap, on the last straight away I followed the surge on the inside gaining about 10 places going into the final corner. As I came into the turn I toticed everyone going to the inside so I switched down to my 12 and hit it as hard as I could through the finish... I knew I had a decent finish because I was the first through corner #1 and I had stopped pedaling at the finishline.     I ended up 6th and $15 richer.

MAY 18, 2008

Chris Husing - Master 35+ 123 report -   Most of the usual suspects where present except the specialized master pro team and the Z team.  Since I was the only Rio (again!), I resorted to the teamless tactics.  Let the big teams cover the breaks then bridge up to the break.  This strategy proved promising 3 times, but each time we were chased down.  Throughout the race, ones and twos were popped off the back during hard surges and on the second to last lap there was a gnarly crash.  By the time we started our last lap, there was 15 or so left.  Two riders got ahead and were riding well.  As we set up for the sprint, we caught one but the other stayed for the win.  S. McCaw and P. Allen came around me in the sprint and I got 5th.   As a side note: this has never happened to me.  As we were going though the neutral feed zone (very nice tough for Modesto RR) one of the feeders threw the water bottle at me.  The weight of the full bottle landed into my front break lever slamming my break on and almost making me crash...crazy.
 
Robert Leever - Did the 4-5 race with Chris Barker. Flat, flat, flat. There wasn't even a freeway over crossing. No wind to speak of either. Just like
was stated before, it was a crit with 1-2 miles between corners. Chris and I rode in the pack (at the back, talking away, for more than a few laps) for most of the race. Some of the Roaring Mouse guys tried to get away on the first few laps, but they were not really strong enough to make a clean break. Soon, everyone just settled in and rode it out waiting for the last lap. A nasty wreck occurred a few miles from the end when a BEER guy shot off on the left and a couple of guys touched wheels in their haste to chase him down. A Davis guy we noted earlier because of his riding style(I don't think his cadence went over 40 rpm = all day) moved off the front and opened a 100 yard gap four corners from the end. Then I'm not sure what the heck happened. I was just behind Chris at about 2K from the end, waiting for someone to chase the Davis guy down when everyone started shouting. I then noticed a train of riders moving up on the left. I was thinking that there weren't that many guys behind us when I realized they were the 1,2,3's catching us and passing us. Everyone was yelling and screaming. Some of the 4-5's hopped on the back of the train and moved up causing more shouting. Then the 1,2,3's slowed and we started passing them! Soon (but not soon enough) a ref showed up and gave a us a "do not pass" order, but by then the damage was done and some of the 4-5's were already gone. I have no idea where I finished and it will be a miracle if the promoters can sort out how we all finished. Kind of boring except for the drama at the end. Not too bad though....7 down, 3 to go till the upgrade.

Mark - Bring your shin guards and eye protection... LOTS of gravel from the chip-seal pavement.  Glad my titanium bike doesn't have any paint or
it would have gotten sand-blasted.  I didn't think this course was that hard.  Of course, I sat in the back all day.  If there had been any wind it would have been different.  Imagine a flat Bariani - without any wind... that's what we had.  Without wind, the course had no teeth.  Steve Offeman was actually racing at the front at times. (I was merely participating in the race at the back.)  The course was a nine mile loop out in the middle of a bunch of dairy farms.  (Nice aroma on a hot Sunday morning.)  Lots of turns for a RR course; made it seem like a giant crit.  Nothing ever got off the front.  I don't think it was negative racing so much as no one was strong enough to hold off a large field on a flat, windless course.  One or two guys would try something, get about 300 yards away and either quit or get reeled in.  Steve and I covered everything!  He was in the front a lot, I was in the back a lot... we had the entire Peloton surrounded! Sorta like how Kobe and Luke Walton combined for 37 points Friday night (Walton had 3, Kobe 34).  Came down to a big field sprint. Steve said he was around 25th or so, I was a the back of the bunch.  Kudos to Sergio for his pre-race advice.  We found the Merlock ride (#10) that Serg said was stronger than strong.  Of course, he ended up winning it!  If we did anything wrong, it was that neither Steve nor I followed #10 to the front.  The guy was right next to me with about 7 miles to go.  Needless to say, I spaced out and lost track of him.  By then it was too late. Overall, fun day.  Easy course (today)  Safe... no wrecks or any real boneheads in our group.

MAY 17, 2008

Brian Agnell - Good to race in the morning it already felt hot at 8 am. I did the elite 4-5 's w/ Nic and was going pretty good untill about 3/4 into it a guy just kind of tipped over in front of me. He took out 4-5 others and sent myself and another guy onto the sidewalk.  It was kind of funny because there were people on the sidewlk watching the race, I even weaved through some kids that were riding their bike in the opposite direction on the sidewalk. So I get back onto the course and catch up to the back of the pack but never really got back into the race.  Nic looked really good!  He is a natural crit. racer!  Hung out after our race and watched Sergio in the 123's  he looked strong also.

Nicholas - I sware... I need to get out of the 5's! One of the same guy's from the Wente Crit that was yelled at the entire race caused a crash today.  He was all over the place. Other than the crash that took out about 6-8, it was just a steady, strong pace.  At one point I thought, there is no way I am going to finish this race. That was about half way through. Being with the 4's was definately harder than I thought it would be. Brian A was in the front half of the group the entire time and I was in the back half until the final 3ish laps when I slithered my way toward the front. I made it onto the sprinters group rounding the last corner, took the outside and fought my way up to 23 out of about 60. I don't know where Brian ended up but it was a very challenging day for me. I'm looking forward to being back with the 5's next week

Sergio - 35+ 123.  Maybe 30 guys.  Hot.  First 10 or 15 minutes it was mellow and I stayed near the front.  Then for the next 5 minutes or so there were several flyers and counters.  Until the eventual break was formed, it was single file and tough.  By this time there were two groups off the front, and the main pack settled down for a bit.  I was able to recover for a while.  Then the pace picked up again as we picked up all but three that were about a half lap up.  With five to go gaps were opening, and I was basically in survival mode having to go full gas to stay on the train.  I limped across the line towards the back of the main group.  Thanks to Nick for shouting plenty of encouragement.  I'm officially on vacation and off to Bodega Bay.

MAY 10, 2008

Gilbert -  As a first time Berkeley Hills RR guy, I had heard tales of Baby Bear, Momma Bear and Papa Bear and for the most part they were true.
Baby bear was easy, Momma Bear kind and in the words of a James Brown tune, "Poppa don't take no mess". The masters 35+ 4's followed the same pattern as Yezin's elite 4's. We went out at a group ride on the bike trail pace for the 1st lap which was great for me. The second lap picked up a bit, especially when we hit Papa Bear for the second time. At this point the lead group of about 20 split from the rest and the race was on. As we pushed around for the 3d lap the carnage on the road was apparent, a female rider was off the road crying crocodile tears and a young guy was off the road cussing like a drunken sailor. One of the things I've noticed going between racing in the 35+ and 45+ groups is the amount of cussing, when guys bump in the 35+ group you get "watch what the @#$% your doing you @#%* squirrel, When guys bump in the 45+ group you get, "watch out, hold your line brother". Anyway, back to the race, 3rd time up Papa Bear, Mr. Hangover had convinced me that the pain was no longer worth the effort, I finished somewhere in the 20-25 position. So, key learning, NEVER drink before doing this ride, it is not worth it, arrive early and warm up it will be doing your legs a favor, be alert although this is a climbing race there are some very fast decents with buckled, potholed, sand, etc portions of road. Oh, take Papa Bear very seriously, he goes on forever, kinda like my dad used to lecture me.

Yezin - I had never done the race before, so the first time around was just to learn it.  Nothing major happened the first lap, no one was interested in going fast, and the pace was very mellow.  Not quite as mellow as the masters 45+ who we caught at the end of the first lap (and who then got embarrassed and charged past us five miles later), but still pretty mellow. The second lap was more of the same.  I don't think anyone dropped during the climbs, and the flats were more of a sunday cruiser bike ride pace than an actual race. It was starting to look like a mass finish line sprint.  Then, the crash happened. I've never seen a crash like this before.  We were heading down a big hill between 45 and 48 MPH when one guy went a bit wobbly on some bumps.  He bumped into another guy, and they couldn't get themselves straightened out in time.  The wobbly guy went down, and a domino affect started.  Four or five guys went down in the first mess, when all of a sudden a bike went helicoptering into the air over our heads.  It hit, or landed in front of, a guy in front of me (after I thought I had picked a safe line to avoid the first crash), and that is when it went crazy. Bikes, water bottles and people just exploded across the ground.  The right shoulder of the road was taken up, the center of the road was taken up, and debris and bikes made it into the oncoming lane of traffic.  We were still doing 40-ish MPH at this point, and couldn't stop, so everyone who was left up had to either scoot through the middle, or go into the other lane.  Luckily, there was no oncoming traffic. My safe line was shot, so I cranked a hard left and went into the other lane, passed by the mess just in time to see a guy catapult higher than my head and take what looked to be a header straight into the ground... at 40MPH.  It was sickening. A bunch of people were caught behind the wreck, the wreck took out about 10 guys, and only fifteen or twenty guys were in front of it.  We pedalled hard to catch back up to the pack that got away, and the race was down to forty or so riders. Everything settled back in, and we just rounded the course.  Guys started dropping on the hills, and the final group was only 25 strong... when another guy went down one KM from the finish.  The pack split to avoid the wreck, and some dude slammed into me yelling at me to get out of his way as he leaned his full weight on me.  I just stuck my line, and let him get his balance off me instead... and I didn't even get a thank you for it. I stuck with the group for the next 300 meters or so, but my bender from the night before caught up to me (not to mention only riding five times in the last month, and my quads cramped up solid. I finished in the top twenty. I followed up on the wreck afterwards, and most everyone was okay.  Two guys went to the hospital, but no one had any head injuries.  Mental note for next hilly race, "an 11-23 just doesn't cut it".

MAY 10, 2008

Nicholas - Cat 5 - The Cat 5's today were a bit anxious and squirley, especially out of the corners. Several guys had obvious control problems when down in the drops so I tried to steer clear of them. Unlike the Wente Crit, I tried to just stay in the front 3rd of the group. For the most part everything was pretty smooth and chill.  No breaks were able to get away due to two De Beers guys keeping the front locked down.  Going into the last lap I worked my way up to about 20th position and just waited to see what was going to happen. The De Beers guys went for it at the start of the last lap. I knew they wouldn't be able to sustain that effort for the entire lap so I moved up as close as I could going into the last corner. I was sitting about 15 back as we approached the final corner, Ken was up ahead of me as was Rich, a Airport River ride regular.  As several guys bonked off the front, I shifted down and cranked it as hard as I could through the corner and all the way through the finish and ended up 7th
out of 47. Ken was 3rd.. It was a great experience...

Ken - Cat 5 - Squirrelly is a good description of the cat 5, one would think if your brave enough to race, you should have some bike handling skills... But no, guys wouldn't hold there line in turns, grabbing handful of brakes, squaring corners, etc etc ... So, here is my spice on what happened, like Nick said we hung out in the top 10-15 most of the race, with about five laps to go some guy comes completely out of his line and almost taking nick down, i heard Nick give him a few choice words. so with one lap to go i moved to about 6 or 7 hoping to make things happen, all a sudden some guy try to make room were there wasn't any, kinda reminded me of BMX, so i gave him a little love tap and he almost went down.. from there i put my head down gave it everything i had passing 3 or 4 guys and finishing 3rd ...

APRIL 27, 2008

Dave S - Master 35+ 4 - Let me start by saying this was a full roster of 100 attitude ridden, sketchy riding knuckleheads on what would otherwise be considered a wide open, safe course.  It seems to me, the less technical the course the less safe the race is.  Enough of my postulating, back to the race. Pace was immediately fast right off the gun, average speed ended up being 26.9 mph.  Being the only Rio in the pack, I was looking for quick wheels to make my way toward the front.  I felt good and had decent position most of the race, staying out of the wind, but maintaining
position in the top 30 or so.  There was a curve on the backside of the course that curved into the road a bit.  Several riders close to the gutter were getting pinched and slowing that side of the field down. Lots of yelling and cursing as the accordion effect made its way to the back.  I made mental notes throughout the race to say away from that pinch point and stay on the other side of the group.  All went as planned until the second to the last lap when (no surprise) on the backside near the infamous "pinch point," I heard a loud crashing sound directly in front of me. Bikes and bodies were flying and the guy right in front of me went down as well.  Through some miracle of God I somehow stayed upright, weaving my way through the carnage of taco'd wheels and flying water bottles.  There was a neutral lap as a result, then the last lap after that.  I never checked the results, but think I finished somewhere in the high 30's.

Dave S - Elite 4- This race was much more tame by comparison, smooth riding through the turns and the "pinch point" on the backside was picked up by everyone early on.  Yezin, Steve Larson and I raced this one.  Yezin stayed toward the front most of the time, Steve behind him while I was a few riders behind Steve.  Not very eventful other than some guy solo crashing into the curb.  Whatever...  After about 30 minutes into the race, I started feeling like crap. Wasn't sure why, but ploughed on. Last 2 laps got pretty fast and furious as a small group broke away. The entire group reacted and quickly pulled them in.  By the last lap we were all together, where again a small bunch escaped on the second to the last turn.  I finished toward the back on this one.  As I slowly rode back to the car and opened my trunk, there were two large full water bottles sitting there.  No wonder I felt like crap, no water since my first race!  Dummy!!  So, yes, it's true, I will now officially blame all my shortcomings on placing in races as a "drinking problem." Sounds like a good excuse, right?

Sergio - Cat 3 - 45 minutes of loafing followed by 5 minutes of 119 guys (yes 119) that all thought they could win it.  I was beyond boxed in, which is my own fault.  Couldn't even sprint anywhere.  32/119.

Sergio - 35+ 123 - Race started almost two hours late due to several bad crashes in the juniors and womens race (old team mate of mine now on Tibco went down hard and got a trip in the ambulance.  Looks like broken elbow and a few ribs. Not good)  By this time it had been 5 hours since my morning race and I was hungry, cranky, and tired of sitting around in the 90+ weather.  Race was fast, go figure.  I somehow ended up in the brake of 10 or so that stayed away.  I ended up in the brake.....but didn't stay there.  It would seem I can't do 32mph sharing pulls into the wind.
Me and three other guys floated back to the comfort of the field, where I spent the remainder of the race licking my wounds and trying to get
keep my lips from sticking to my teeth.  Crossed the line with the main field. 

Steve O - elite 5 - I returned to the battlefield the next morning to race the crit with Kenny L and Nick.  I pre-rode the course and felt it to be pretty reasonable and safe.  But I have to agree with the others that there was alot of squirreliness going on.  On about our 3rd or 4th lap there was what sounded like an explosion from behind.  For the next two laps, we passed he bloodied remains of a cat 5 rider sitting on the curb.  I spent most of the race just trying to stay out of trouble.  On the final lap I put myself up to the front and rounded the last corner in about 5-6 position.  I gave it everything I had with Ken on my wheel.  Unfortunately what I had left after the RR on Saturday wasn't a whole lot.  Ken took 8th and I was 13th. Nick finished very solidly in his 1st crit (I think 22)!!  Congrats guys. Good racing!

Yezin - Cat 4 - The mens' cat 4 was pretty fun despite the madness.  We averaged 26.6 mph for 45 minutes, which was due to the long sweepers and open straightaways allowing us to hold our speed.  The strange thing about holding your speed is that people do strange things in the corners at speed.  The most popular item today was blowing out of your pedal while in a full lean and pedaling.  I'm not sure why that was the choice of idoicy for today, but it was popular.  I saw a couple guys do it (including coming into the final straightaway in front of me), and just nail themselves on the top bar.  I'm going to have to research this, but those guys should qualify for Darwin awards since there is no way they will ever be able to have children now. I did fairly well in the race.  I tried for one prime, but didn't get the gumption to try any others.  I wasn't really interested in going for the prime at the start, but I got tired of the jostling in the middle of the pack, and took off to the front.  All of a sudden, I was in the lead on the back stretch, and figured I'd just hang out for the sprint. Some other dude with thunder-quads put the hammer down in the last 80 yards though, and snookered me. The last four laps really heated up, and it was tough to stay in the front.  Throughout the race, we'd get a good line going, and settle in at a decent pace, when two swarms of riders would come along the sides, pass us, and then bunch up for the turn.  I'd go from 10th or 15th to 40th in a couple seconds.  I decided on the last laps that I would wait until I saw the surge coming, then run up the side of the pace line I was in as they came around.  That kept me in the front for the last few laps. The last lap was going as planned, I was holding my position well, and came into the home stretch about tenth.  Then, dude blew out of his pedal and racked himself on the top tube.  It really was
amazing watching him do everything he could to keep his crotch off the top tube, but it was hopeless.  He is probably still crying. I had to brake and wait for ball-buster to settle down before I could get back in the mix, but thankfully I didn't fall too far out.  I hopped back up into the pack,
and then realized an eight man break got away while the other dude was racking himself.  I could have bridged it, but then I would have pulled everyone else up and worn myself out, so I just hung out in the second pack until 80 yards or so, and took off.  I caught a couple guys in the
front pack, and dropped everyone in the second pack.  I ended up in seventh, although they scored me as eighth.  That should count for a point since there werer 84 guys in the race.

Steve L - Cat 4 - So i was in the 4s with Yezin and Dave so i never saw Dave except after we finished but Yezin was goin at it constantly. I think he went for a prime but died close to the line and got passed...Overall though the 4s werent that fast little accelerations and people just being stupid like riding into a curb solo. I ended up boxed in near the finish and got like top 20 or something.Im really suprised there weren't anymore crashes but there easily could have been, people riding in gutters and pinching on the sweeping turns, really dangerous.

Steve L - Juniors-   Now the juniors. It started out slow but by the 2nd lap we were going full fledge. Attack and slow down constantly. Zach from DBC JNRT and i gapped the field but he realized it was me and quickly sat up and stopped. eventually Zach and Marcus SPECIALIZED slipped off the front and i wasn't of knowledge of this. Once the gap was over a minute Sam bolster from RFAR and i were unable to pull it back as swift and tieni duro weren't helping despite not having a man in the break. Eventually there was a nasty crash when some genius decided to try to pass in the gutter and took out 7-8 guys. One guy had to be taken away in ambulance with a broken collar bone and a nasty concusion because of this we were neutralized with some 4 laps to go for about 5-6 laps we had cooled down and then the refs completely stopped us it was redicioulous. So we started up again basically from scratch mean while we were all out of H20 and they wouldnt allow the parents to give us water when we were just sitting there in the 90+ degrees. in end i was 6th wheel out of the last corner and was bridging to 2 guys only about 15 ft up the road on the left side then the field decided it was coming over and i got boxed in at the left curb unable to sprint i just rolled in...probably about 5th or  6th .

APRIL 25, 2008

Chris H- Race report for M 35+ 1,2,3 -   I was the only Rio in this race.  The course was not as hard as I remember some 8+ years ago.  I got "popped off the back" (some would say"dropped") on second climb.  Knowing this group of riders, I continued to race getting in small groups and eventually finished.  Since this was a race of attrition, I finished in the top 30 or so.  I really wished I could say 12th place, but can't.  However, it is habit to always review the results prior to leaving the race.  I was very surprised to see that the officials listed me in 3rd place, just above Kevin Metcalf. Immediately, several cat 1's and ex-pros began saying "who is Chris Husing."  Fortunately, as much as I liked seeing these guys squirm, I said "I am Chris Husing and I was not up there."  Now I am going to embellish the story a bit.  They sequestered me and marched me to the official to declare that Chris Husing was not 3rd place.  I sure hope that all of you appreciate the publicity I gave Rio Strada today.

Jeff - I signed up for the 4's race to race with Yezin instead of signing up for the 35+4's. The race started and surprise surprise, no Yezin. 3 laps, 4 times up the climb. 1st lap fairly easy, no problems on the climb, most of the 100 riders probably stayed together. I worked my way up to the front 1/3 of the pack for the next time up the climb. There was a brake about ten riders up from me when we hit the steep part. I had to sprint up the steep part to close the gap, put me into the red for a while. We crossed over the over pass and started the roller climbs on the other side. I was not fully recovered and was pushing hard to stay with the lead group. Recovered on the down hill and stayed near the front and prepared for the next time up the hill. This time upthe hill, most of the pack was gone, probably only 30 left. The pace was fierce up the climb, I caught a good wheel and was doing well. 5-7 guys broke away on the steep section. I was in a group of about 12. Was doing my share of the chasing when a guy in front of me started to loose control going up a hill, faded back and swerved into my front wheel, my foot came out of the pedal, but I stayed upright. While trying to get my shoe back in the pedal, some guy from behind me started whining, get out of my way, I am barely hanging on. I laughed at him and told him to pay attention and relax! Me and about 3-4 other guys started laying it down and caught the lead group on the flats before the last time up the hill. Unfortunately the rest of the 12 sat on and wouldn't help. All the guys in the lead pack where about 40 lbs lighter than me, damn climbers! I stayed with the lead group up the final climb until1.2 K to go where the hill gets steep. The group accelerated and I tried to stand up to match the pace when my legs cramped. I soft pedaled for a while, almost fell over, then regrouped and made the top off the group a ways. I finished probably 15-20Th. Great day, I saw a few other Rio's out there. I saw Michelle who looked like she was in the mix in her race,nice job. The one thing I must say is, damn you Yezin, you could have won that race!!!

Yezin -   I had trouble getting my heart rate up on the drive to the race. However, upon realizing I had left my shoes at home, I was able to spike my heart rate back up to 240 bpm. This could be a very effective warm-up technique for future races. I'll try it again tomorrow... with the shoes this time.Damn it, damn it, damn it.  I passed on a message that I wasn't going to make it, but I don't think it got to you.  Sorry for missing the race.  Then, to top it off, my transmission blew up...