Josh Englands Blog

Last Criterium for USA season 2009

2009-08-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

The final race for my 2009 American season was the Binghamton criterium. I have done this race the past 2 years and it is always tough. This year it was a USA crit series and NRC race.

There were a few break aways but nothing really stuck for extended periods. It was a coarse that was easy to sit on but difficult to get off the front. in the last 10 laps Hayden tried to ride across to a small group off the front and almost made it but the bunch was on a mission to pull back the break, so Hayden was pulled back in. with four laps to go it was high tempo and difficult to move up. about half a lap to go it settled enough for me to move up a bit but not enough. i crossed the line in 14th with Hayden right behind me in 17th.

Looking forward to heading home back to NZ tomorrow.

Glencoe Grand Prix, Chicago

2009-08-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

The race was a 1 km 4 corner circuit down newly paved residential streets, the most difficult part of the course was the very sharp turn onto the finishing straight.

The weather was terrible initially with races being held up due to lightning strikes before we started. The race had 10x $100 primes and a pretty good purse for the finish. I felt strong from the beginning and managed to pick up the first two primes in a row, from there the race was full of attacks. Hayden made a great solo attack, opening a promising gap for an extended period in the middle of the race causing the field to chase hard.

I went after another prime 7 laps from the finish, the primes were coming lap after lap so i ended up off the front for about 4 laps solo, i was caught by a break of four riders with 3 laps to go, as we closed in on the final lap so did the bunch on us. We got caught with 2 corners to go, i was still at the front and the bunch was in tatters after shutting the gap so quickly. A rider jumped early going into the last corner i jumped right onto his wheel out of the final corner for the perfect leadout. It was all on for 200m to the line, i managed to get ahead before the line taking the win. Hayden had an awesome sprint, taking second coming from far back going into that last corner.

I am stoked with the result, its great to be sprinting better. Finally i have a result after working so hard for the last 3weeks it is very satisfying.

Flying back to Kutztown tuesday.

Meijer Classic Grand Rapids MI

2009-08-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the write up from the subway website, its got it pretty covered.

I didnt feel my best for the day but still not a bad result.

The SUBWAY® – Avanti Team raced the Meijer Classic in Grand Rapids MI. Allen, England and Godfrey coming to the end of there Mid West racing program were keen to pick up the pace after a meager showing at the Elk Grove Tour the previous weekend.

The Criterium event was held under testing conditions with clement weather lifting just in time for the main event but leaving much of the course wet for the whole race. Adding to the testing event was two sections of brick in the one kilometre circuit.

Other top US teams at the event were Bissell, Kelly Benefits and Kenda Surprise Cycling Team.

Godfrey having a call up at the start of the race covered a lot of the early moves with aggressive racing by the field taking advantage of the wet conditions. Eventually after several promising moves SUBWAY® – Avanti was represented in two riders managed to slip the field from Kenda Surprise and Bissell.

Unfortunately SUBWAY® – Avanti missed this move but England managed to make a promising group of five that threatened to ride the two leaders down. Unfortunately for England some of his breakaway colleagues didn’t want to work and the main field caught them 15 laps from the finish.

Going into 10 laps to go the break of two had 1st and 2nd in the bag leaving SUBWAY® – Avanti racing for 3rd. After a disorganized last couple of laps Godfrey managed to win the field sprint for 3rd with England a close 5th.

This leaves one race to go in the Mid West for the SUBWAY® – Avanti Team. The Team is yet to find the top spot on the podium but with two podiums and several promising results with only three riders the team is quite happy with its first US campaign.

Elk Grove

2009-08-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x0OVmYPCro

elk grove stage #3

2009-08-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

110km crit: i made the first break of the crit and won the first prime, we ended up staying out there for about 15km. The coarse was 1.2mile with a hairpin turn after the start finish. i felt pretty good but never got close enough to the front towards the finish. the coarse was tough to pass on especially when you have teams on the front driving it.

hayden ended up 15th.

elk grove stage #2

2009-08-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

todays stage 150km road race 10 laps of a circuit with 27 each lap. it was a very interesting race. i managed to ride across to a 3 man break at one point and got there in time for the prime, ended getting pipped on the line for it though, pretty gutted about that. i was top placed subway rider at 31st not such a great result. hopefully there will be an improvement tomorrow.

tomorrows race: 110km crit

elk grove stage 1

2009-07-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

first stage was a 4.5mile tt, i borrowed mikes tt bike which wasnt ideal but better then riding the drops, i ended up about 90th with a 9:16. hayden finished around 50th with a 9:02.

road race 15okm tomorrow afternoon hopefully i will see some better results.

chicago pix

2009-07-28T18:26:00.001-07:00

chicago videos

2009-07-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YjxyP_MtLI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7wIPEi939Y

big chicago crit

2009-07-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

well, Chicago crit was on a flat wide open coarse, the hammer was down from the start. because the course was so wide it made it very dangerous being able to ride 5 wide through some corners at full speed. This was probably the most dangerous/dodgy race i have done. I followed a lot of attacks for the whole day but nothing stuck. The course wasn't hard enough to put the peloton under pressure.

2 laps to go we did a burner up the side of the bunch together before getting chopped once we were up there. A crash happened a corner later at the front which caused the top 30 riders to go everywhere and then the chase was on to get back together. this left us in a position not so favourable and we had to work very hard for the last couple of laps. I wasn't able to move up enough before the final lap when it strung out. i rolled over the line 27th and Hayden 18th.

Very disappointing day when you know you have the legs to go better. looking forward to next weekends Tour of Elk Grove, have to make up for this one.

superweek race #3 kenosha

2009-07-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Todays race was a 100km crit on a 1km 4 corner circuit. The weather was looking a little dodgy all day but the rain stayed away till about half way through before drying up for the finish, thanks goodness.

The race was flat and wide open, which meant that it was going to be fast. The first half of the race was chaos again as usual with us covering a lot of breaks. I thought i had made the break of the day and was feeling pretty comfortable but obviously there was too much fire power still in the field and we were pulled back.

Hayden managed to get in the move of the day with aussie rider Hilton Clark, a rock racing rider and one rider from the weis team. The field was still riding fast but the break away group managed to lap the field and it didnt take them too long, they were going quick.

After lapping the field Hayden made his way back up to the front of the peloton, it was the job of Jason and i to try keep the field together and let no breaks get away. A few small breaks went but nothing stuck. Coming into the final laps i was getting swamped by waves of riders constantly after i kept putting the effort in to get up front. 2 laps to go things starting getting serious, a guy managed to hit the deck at about 8th wheel coming into a corner with just over 1 lap to go. I got a little held up as i was right behind it but managed to stay clean and get back on the group. From there it was too late for me to get to the front to help Hayden out in the sprint which was a shame. Hayden managed an awesome 2nd place getting beaten by Hilton Clark who had a lead out from Carl Menzies. i rolled over the line in 12 place. not a bad result considering the amount of work i needed to do and a great ride by Hayden.

Next race Chicago Sunday.

Superweek race #2

2009-07-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Todays Lake front 150 km road race was on a 24 lap circuit. Either end of the circuit had reasonably steep short climbs. This we had fellow Subway-avanti team mate Jason Allen racing with us.

As always we covered every attack we could from the start and there were quite a few to begin with considering the distance of the race. It wasn't until we got close to half way through, the peloton split into 3 groups. Hayden and i ended up in the 2nd group. No one was really chasing the front group, we got them as close as thirty seconds, we would get close but couldn't close the last bit. I happened to be working and ended up rolling off the front of our group across the flat part of the coarse were i was joined by a Kahala La grange rider, followed by Emile Abraham. We worked well together and managed to make it across the gap pretty quickly. once we got across the group was pretty settled and we stayed together until about 2km to go when the attacks started, again the finish was very strung out i managed to get pipped on the line ending up 6th, with Menzies and Heath Blackgrove taking out the top two spots.

Again it was a pretty successful day. looking forward to upcoming weekends racing.

My first superweek race

2009-07-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

Well we arrived in Milwaukee Wisconsin (a good 12hour drive west of Kutztown) a couple of days ago to rode the final week of international superweek.

The race today was a 100km road race at Whitnall park, it was held on 3.6km circuit on private park road. the circuit was rolling and consisted of a short sharp climb up to a false flat finish. Hayden and i spend time from the start looking for a break we were sure would stick on this coarse, Hayden ended up in a great one which i thought would stick but ended up getting pulled back at the half way point, immediately i covered an attack which formed a group that stayed away. The break away group of about 9 riders from a range of teams including, Garmin, jelly belly, Kelly benefits, a South African team and also Heath Blackgrove of San Jose, We all basically stayed together till the last half lap when the flyers started and we all got strung out. we hit the bottom of the climb with a few small gaps. I had enough gas to put in a half decent attempt at the sprint i ended up choosing the wrong side to go up and got a little held up. i rolled over the line in fourth place just ahead of fellow kiwi Heath. I was pretty happy with my day considering i felt like i still had bad travel legs.

Now looking forward to wednesdays 150km road race.

Kutztown and Iron hill criterium

2009-07-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Since I have been here in Kutztown Pennsylvania I have only really been training and the closest thing I have done to racing is the local derby training race a couple of times a week. Well this weekend was the first chance for me to see how I was really going, with track racing on Friday and Criterium on Saturday night.

Track racing on the Friday never happened for me as my track bike didn’t turn up on time. That wasn’t exactly a bad thing as I was feeling pretty fried from training throughout the week. I went down to the track to help out Hayden and some of the NZ U23 riders that are in town. Track races for the night consisted of mile race with heats, a six lap Wheelrace and a 60 lap Madison. Hayden had a successful nights racing featuring dominantly in all races. Hayden paired up with NZ development rider Jason Christy in SUBWAY® – Avanti colours and rode into second in the Madison. Ending a good nights track racing.

Saturday, I had a short ride in the morning with a couple of efforts in there and actually felt pretty good which was nice.

Iron Hill Twilight Criterium - USA Crits series race, Hayden and I both had a call up for the start of the race which meant we started on the front row for the 60 lap 60km race. It was a fast four corner circuit false flat finish, down hill back straight up hill to the finishing straight. Hayden and I never ventured outside the top ten from the start covering attack after attack looking for the one break that would stay. Eventually after numerous break attempts I ended up in the right one consisting of six riders including Colavita, Garmin and Harley Davidson.

We got away just before the halfway point of the race, it was a long time off the front with all of us chasing to eventually lap the field. I felt really comfortable in the break and with less then six laps to go we managed to lap the field and this was when it got difficult.

When we got on the back of the hundred strong field there was a lot of tired guys losing wheels so moving up was very difficult. The bungy effect on this course is terrible, you have to really drive it hard out of the corners and then make sure guys don’t let wheels go in front of you. This happened five or six times to me and it took a lot of energy to make sure I stayed in touch and try move forward as much as possible. I lost touch with the break guys that lapped the field so I didn’t really know where I stood going into the final sprint.

The short amount of training I have done so far was starting to show, I was just hanging on for the last couple of laps passing people at every opportunity. I ended up crossing the line in 7th. I also managed to pick up a couple of midway primes. I was very happy with my result and the way Hayden and I rode the race for Subway with just the two of us was excellent. Hayden had an awesome ride at the front of the peloton while I was off the front keeping tabs on the attacks and impressively picking up four consecutive primes in the last 10 laps.

The whole nights racing was an awesome atmosphere with over 20,000 in the crowd and a lot of people all around the course cheering for subway being such a well known brand here in the US. We had no idea who they were but appreciated there support! It was fantastic.

Josh England

2009 America trip

2009-07-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since i have posted on this blog and i have decided to get it up and running again now that im back over here in America. posts comming...

here is a short clip i was involved in before i came over here
http://www.tv3.co.nz/PACIFIC-BEAT-ST---13/tabid/742/articleID/60853/cat/654/Default.aspx

T town Omnium

2008-06-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend i drove out to Pennsylvania with team mates Bennet, Hayden Godfrey and Joanna Godfrey. The events where, 1km scratch race, 12km points race, elimination with (42 riders) and a 5 km scratch. Hayden rode very well as always, Bennet and myself were made to realise you cannot just turn up without doing any track training and expect to beat up on people, but all the same had a lot of fun and gained a lot from the trip. I had a great weekend, and look forward to returning there again soon.

Weekend of local racing and misfortune

2008-06-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

After getting back from racing out east, we are now back in Ohio. Last weekend we had 2 good local races. On the Saturday we had the Garrett Wonder memorial criterium which was on a 4 corner short circuit, Team Inferno dominated the race, with our lead out staying on the front all the way till the finish taking out 1st through 3rd with myself in second. it was a great days racing with an awesome result.

Sunday, we had a troubling start to the day when shortly after being picked up in the team truck to head to the race, we managed to hit a dear at over 80km/h which seems to be a common practise in Ohio when you see all the deer lying on the side of the road when your out training. The deer managed to do enough damage that the truck was undriveable. After abandoning the car we managed to get a lift to the race from other team members. The race we were heading to was the Starbrick criterium in Nelsonville which 9 time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreau was announcing. It was a four corner 800m circuit that had the finishing straight of bricks, it was a fun day of racing dominated by team inferno again.

Team mate joe cooper did his best to save the deer but it wasnt too happen.

A successful weekend for all except the team car and deer, now i have a 2 week gap for training before my next race, tour of Ohio.

Tour de sommerville

2008-05-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

This was my first ever big usa crit last year and it scared the heck out of me. It is a four corner 1km circuit with 228 starters, it was kayos i never looked back but there were a lot of crashes, it is one of the most dangerous races with such a big field. this year i got to start up the front of the race and that is where i remained till about 4 laps to go after working for the guys when my doors blew off as our team started the bunch lead out for the finish. coming into a couple of laps to go coltivita took over but Hayden godfrey ended up with an awesome result of 4th. the teams was very happy with how everyone rode and Hayden's result.
http://www.velonews.com/photo/76758
http://www.velonews.com/photo/76743
next race is ricola 2 days away

Bike jam 2008 NRC

2008-05-27T16:11:00.000-07:00

First big race back was Bike jam in Maryland, this race was an NRC (national race calender) event. We had a full squad there it looked to be a tough day with a lot of the big teams showing up. the circuit was more like a circuit race then a crit. it was i a city park which meant there were no curbs but some tight corners, after my warm up i realised my legs were shot from the 6 hour drive down the night before, but as the race went on i actually felt better. i had a hard time with positioning and avoiding crashes but buy the time i started moving up it was far too late and far too fast i was pretty disappointed with my performance i need to lift my game. i ended up finishing round 40th of about 120 riders. team mate jeff hopkins finished 7th.
i have two more big crits this week, and am looking forward to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVcwBgLneOI

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos.php?id=/photos/2008/may08/bikejam08/080524-BikeJam-207

Back on the bike

2008-05-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am now all healthy, I'm back on the bike and training is back in full swing. The weather around Columbus has been very disappointing and not what i was expecting compared to last year, when your out training and you can here tornado warnings that's not so good, haha.

I'm looking forward to my first race back, Tym Tyler's race at sugar grove this weekend should be a great challenge.

Riding on hold

2008-05-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Not so good news, I ended up missing the last two days of racing as i came down with strep throat. I tried to start the Charlotte race and fell to bits in the first 10 minutes. I am really gutted, its not what i need right now and its a shame to have not been in the helping the team in the races. I was stuck on the sideline doing the best i could on the radio, not that it probably helped much as the guys would have struggled to understand me with my accent and the rest of the commotion going on.

Over all the team did well, with Jeff Hopkins finishing the week off in third overall, Bennett 5th on the last day and the rest of the guys finishing in the top 20.

I have been assigned time off until completely better then its big miles getting ready for more USA Crit Series and Tour of Ohio.

Downtown Walterboro criterium

2008-05-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

This race was pretty crazy it started in the dark and there were large sections of the coarse not lit up. it was a 80km crit on a 1 mile loop. i had a better start this time, but managed to get 2 consecutive punctures on the same hole on the course. i finished in 41st place, i had a bit more energy then i should have left but just couldn't get through the bubble then with 2 to go got caught behind a crash. I'm disappointed with this ride, still searching for a good result.

Beaufort crierium

2008-04-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

This was the second race of the speedweek series, with 140 odd starters, on a very tight rough circuit. Of all the starters only 40 odd finished. I finished 35th it was a very hard ride. i felt my performance was ok but im still working towards better results.

next race tomorrow night

Athens twilight

2008-04-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMnKqq9xWJo

This was the biggest event of the speedweek series. The crowed reaches between 30 and 40 thousand all lining the streets of down town Athens. The race doesn't start till about 9 at night and finished close to 11. It is a 4 corner 1km circuit with a few rollers in it. we do 80 laps.

Because of my computrainer result i got to start front row behined the call up. It was chaos over 100 riders on the tight circuit. Most of the race i spent trying not to burn to many matches and slowly moving up, I never got to see the front of the race. All through the race riders were shelling off only about 50 riders finished, there were quite a few crashes which made things interesting but i managed to avoid them and not get caught waiting.

Coming into the last 12 laps i tried to start moving towards the front of the race, with about 5 laps to go and a few close calls i had moved up a big bunch of spaces but i started cramping up and the chaos in front of me wasn't giving any more opportunity's to get any closer to the front. I rolled in over the line in 29th position.

I was reasonably happy with my ride, i survived well. I know i have a lot better results in me so I'm looking forward to the rest of the week, my speed should start picking up a lot since this was my first full blowen crit since last season.

My next race starts on Tuesday night, cant wait...

computrainer test for athens twilight start grid

2008-04-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

After our 10 hour drive down to Athens Georgia, we had to do a computrainer hilly 4mile tt, they had 8 trainers set up on a stage and ran heats all day, the top 8 times went through to the final that night. The time trial was to qualify your grid position for the start of the twilight race the following night. i ended up coming 15th and team mate Bennett qualified 3rd. In the final he managed to get 6th. It was a good start to the weekend and i am happy with how I'm feeling and looking forward to the start of the the twilight race.

Second win in as many days

2008-04-22T12:41:00.001-07:00

This race was just west of Columbus, the weather was supposed to be cloudy with no rain, how wrong could it be. It poured down the whole race, i haven't been that cold since last season i was here.

The race was very flat, I had team mates Marco and Joe racing with me. The coarse was an exposed 100km 5 lap race. We started attacking the field early on, it took a while before the break went with Joe over a minute up the road by himself and then a chasing group of 5 with me in it. Joe had an awesome ride, holding the field off till 400m to go, which in all was 50km of the race he went solo. The chasing group was very inconsistent making it perfect for Joe to stay away. At one stage i was sure he would hold us off and take the win, but coming down to the last 10km the group took off. It came down to a bunch sprint that i took out with Joe rolling in 4Th.

Hopefully we don't have to do much more racing in the rain, nothing beats a day out in the sun on the bike.

First victory

2008-04-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

Well this was my first race being properly settled into the states, it was a circuit race in Cleveland called round the lake, there was a strong field there with riders from Texas road house, RGF and team type one. I managed to get into the decisive break away with two Texas roadhouse riders and two RGF riders, I thought I basically had no chance without a team mate, but i worked hard and answered every attack until the finishing up hill sprint. I was very happy to have won this race it is a great way to start the season.

Back in the USA on the Infernoracing team

2008-04-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well i made it in one peice after 30 hours of transit. I have my new bike kit which looks awesome. Will post photos soon. See infernoracing.org for a calender of the events the team is doing this season.

Elk Grove criterium

2007-08-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Elk Grove is the first real race i have done since super week and getting sick. it was only a 60km crit. it was a big circuit about 2.5miles. the course had 2 big 180degree bends at each end. about half way into the race i managed to crash sitting up in the top ten, in one of the hair pin turns. it was my fault i went into the turn way too hot as i was going to attack coming out of it. both wheels slid out from me and i slid a decent distance. i have a few big scrapes on my arm which i used to break my fall and slide on. my hip also took a good whack as well. i was pretty hacked off, but considering how many crits i have been doing and not having crashed yet, i feel i got off lightly. it was a great race with 17g up in prize money, a sprint every second lap for 500 dollars, and 4g to win. my team mate Marco had an excellent ride and picked up second overall as well as a few primes.

next week is the pro-am race again in Chicago.

superweek final day

2007-07-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

well the final day turned out to be a tough one. 100km on a short rough tight cornered circuit. i was still stuffed from my efforts from the day before, so i basically fell into formation for the race and hung on, it definitely not the way i like to race but my legs gave me no choice. of oer 100 starters only 42 finished and i ended up about 37th. we averaged about 46km/h.

i have had an awesome time here at superweek it has been an excellent racing experience.
i am very tired and ready for recovery time.

got the Charlotte criteriums next weekend.

downer criterium

2007-07-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

today's crit was only 90km with a four thousand dollar prime with 10laps to go in the 80 lap race. the bunch went nuts. i had a great days racing felt really strong but when it came down to the crunch and lining up for the sprint with 3 to go i didn't back myself to go for it. i was happy with my strength but not the end result. i made a few break aways that didn't stick and i missed the one of 7guys that almost lapped the field.

final day tomorrow.

kenosha criterium

2007-07-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

well Todays crit was a wide open 4 corner circuit. It was a fast 100laps of 1km. I made many attempts for breaks but ended up missing the key one of 7 which lapped the field. i was disappointed there are only two exciting days of superweek left.

Green Bay 100km crit

2007-07-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

well today's ride was not too great it was a wide open flat 4 corner circuit. I had mechanical issues from the start which I wasn't able to use the sram pit to sort it. So I just had to keep going and do the best I could. I wasn't able to push it too hard coming out of the corners or attack. I was pretty gutted. I finished about 50th probably after a crash in the final lap held a lot of people up.

I have a day off tomorrow, then the final three days of Superweek.

Cedarburg 100km crit

2007-07-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

A four corner circuit with a climb on the second straight, it was a fast hard crit I tried to get away a couple of time early on but it wasn't going to happen. I ended up losing one of my bottles out of the cage on a nice size pot hole only a couple of laps in so it was 1 bottle for me for the next 90km in the warmth of a sunny afternoon, not a lot of fun! I was seeing stars at the end.

The circuit was quite dodgy and a break of three riders got a gap and managed to stay away. I managed to get 22nd from the bunch sprint.

I didn't feel the best today, but there are some of the best days of racing coming up.

Evanston 100km crit

2007-07-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

It was a 2 hour drive down towards Chicago for the Evanston criterium, the second to last NRC race of the superweek series. I was feeling great after a rest day. The coarse was a figure eight shape with plenty of man hole covers and pot holes.

For the first time I managed to get a start position close to the front. This was short lived after i punctured only 5 laps into the race, when you are given a spare wheel at sram race support pit you have to merge into the last third of the field after the free lap. I moved in comfortably and back up to the front quite easily within a couple of laps. I am now feeling more comfortable in the bunch then ever.

Initially there were a lot of attempts at breaks but the pace was high enough and the field was fresh enough nothing stuck. I made a few solo breaks trying to get across to some threatening breaks.

Two riders eventually managed to get clear of the field, then laps later a group of 3 got away, when they got out to about 15 seconds i jumped across and help start chasing the leaders, we were soon caught by 2 other riders before catching the leading two riders. the break was now 8 riders strong including Adam Bergmen (Colavita), Peter Dawson (South Australia), Viktor Rapinski (navigators). We were clear enough from the field to not have to worry. Coming into the closing three laps the attacks started, I held back waiting for the sprint. With half a lap to go Haydens Team mate attacked with half a lap to go when i was on the front. I was expecting the others to follow but it never happened and i got stuck there till a late chase started. Coming out of the final turn I started sprinting from the back. I came past and managed to hold on to 2nd place and fast catching Adam. We averaged over 45km/h for the day.

I am very happy with my achievement and now have a great confidence boost for the final week of racing.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2007/jul07/superweek07/superweek0711

Green lake 100km crit

2007-07-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

This was a more difficult crit as i was quite tired from the previous nights racing. The figure eight course was just over 1km. There was a short hill going up towards the finish. The field was smaller but strong, the pace was on from the gun. A break went with 5 guys and lapped the field then coming up to the finishing laps there was another break of 3 riders away. I took a flyer with about four laps to go I didn't have anyone go with me which made it difficult to stay away, I got caught with half a lap to go. throughout the whole race people were popping in ones and twos the bunch was the smallest it has been towards the end of the race. i was pleased with ow i went but im still looking for a top result.

Day off tomorrow then another crit down towards Chicago, its going to be a great race

Shorewood 100km crit

2007-07-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

This was another NRC race today with a great field of over 120 riders. A four corner circuit with one straight riddled with pot holes and raised man hole covers. I Felt great again today, i missed the break away of 10 riders that went in the first quarter of the race. The pace was high averaging around 47 km/h for the race. There were a few bad crashes but i managed to keep myself safe. It was a really exciting race. I'm not sure exactly where i came but it was somewhere in the top 40.

Looking forward to tomorrows criterium another 100km on a nice short circuit.

Botanical Garden road race

2007-07-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

This stage was 90km of a short 3.6 km rolling circuit with one short steep climb to the finish. We were a couple of men down today, Bennett and myself were the only ones starting. The Rock racing professional team turned up 8 men strong. t\The plan was to look after ourselves for what looked like it would be a bunch finish. I basically just sat in and tried to keep myself fresh for the finish rather then try and attack. A break of 7 riders managed to get clear towards the end of the race I was sure it wasn't going to stick but it did. Bennett put in a great effort to get away in the closing laps but got pulled back not far from the finish. I felt excellent today but just didn't have the greatest positioning for the finish, I was on the end of the rock racing train with about 2 km to go but got majorly swarmed coming in a to a tight section of the coarse before the finishing climb. I am very happy with how I am going just need some results to show it. Next race is Thursday a 100km short circuit crit.

Saw fellow Kiwi Dale Tye help her team to their first NRC win today.

Alpine Valley (NRC) road race

2007-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

The stage was 165km on a 15km circuit, the course had about 3 wall climbs in it which did not suit me at all. Brandon was going well and he missed the split in the groups so Bennett and myself worked our butts off to try get him back in. We cooked ourselves in doing so but we left Brandon with about 100m to shut down. Only a few km later we came across Brandon on the side of the road crashed out. He had hit wheels with the guy in front and he went down hard breaking his collar bone. The team is gutted because Brandon's strength as a rider and leader. Brandon is hoping to go in to surgery as soon has he can and make a speedy recovery.

Frankie had an awesome ride making the break away and working very hard he came 5th, very impressive.

superweek #2

2007-07-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Another 100km crit in blue island Chicago.

The coarse was a 4corner 1 mile circuit. There was a good breeze out but nothing to worry about. I decided to go on the attack today as i was feeling great. On my second attempt at a breakaway at 16km in i managed to get a break that stuck with three other riders. We got a lead out to 1 minute and almost had the bunch within sight, I was pretty sure that we were going to be able to take the lap, but the commentators kept on putting primes in for the bunch so it would speed them up and also put in multiple 100 dollar primes to split us up.

Three other riders bridged across with about 20 laps to go. At this stage there were riders from 5 different nations in the break. The break eventually got caught with 8 laps to go, i was stuffed. the counter attacks went which eventually won and i just hung in the bunch till the finish.

I was really happy with how i rode, a little disappointed we didn't make the lap but made a good go of it. I spent a total of more then 65km off the front.

Rest day tomorrow and first road race on Monday.

superweek day 1

2007-07-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Well today was the first super week race in Beverly hill on the out skirts of Chicago. 100km of a 1.6km crit circuit.

The race didn't have the numbers that i was hope but it was hard all the same as the coarse was on the side of a hill. a break went early with 2 of my team mates, it eventually lapped the field. I really liked the coarse, i didn't seem to have any problems, there was a lot of slowing with long accelerations along the straights coming out of dodgy corners. i felt awesome and was disappointed that i missed the break as the coarse suited me and i had surprisingly good legs. Bennett and Brandon both took a lap which meant it was my job to set them up for the finish, we picked up 3 top 20 placings.

looking forward to tomorrows stage, another 100km crit.

Jackson Hole Wyoming

2007-07-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

I am on vacation now in Jackson Hole for 5 days, it is awesome here. The town sits at about 6000 feet altitude, its making for an interesting visit. I did a local race today just for a bit of fun, it was a 12 mile time trial with the last 6 miles going up the side of the mountain. I went hard going into the bottom of the climb and then tempo up. The altitude makes it difficult to push yourself as your lungs start to run out before your legs do and once you are in oxygen dept you have to back off a lot more for your system to get back on top of things. I ended up finishing fifth with a time of 41.46. It was a great day finished off with a bit of fly fishing.

Super week is starting on the 13th of this month, I'm feeling a lot healthier and looking forward to the great racing.

Grandview 45mile crit

2007-07-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

well after trying to get healthy for the whole week being mucked around with bronchitis. there was a great local race on and i couldn't miss it, even though i had been on antibiotics for two days and not really getting any better i wanted to start. I started the race with the intention of racing for the rest of the team and lasting as long as i could whilst still making sure i don't push myself to far with being sick.

well i rode at the front of the field practically the whole race chasing down attacks and working with team mates, i was not expecting to last long as i felt pretty bad all day. the criterium was on the side of a hill which made it a tough coarse that would have suited me if i was in good form. i ended up making the break away with 10 other guys which eventually shattered, and i was so spent i just couldnt shut down any more gaps and ended up dropping off the break in the closing couple of laps with 2 other guys, i had an excellent day and surprised myself, finishing 9th and team mates in 2nd and 5th.

next race for me is super week and im looking forward to getting better and getting more racing.

New Clips from the last stage

2007-07-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

part 1 springfield http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v22KTjxgeQ

part 2 springfield http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCe_Cvc-JrI

part 3 springfield http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gGNsNUh5ng

final stage 60km crit

2007-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

A 1km four corner circuit. It was another great race for the Abercrombie & Fitch team. We had to seal the deal on the jerseys and that's exactly what happened. The race started off fast every team was having their turn attacking us. Our job was basically to keep the bunch together unless i got into a break away with guys that were not a threat then I was allowed to go try take a lap on the field. I put myself into a lot of positions were i got into small breaks but nothing would stick or there were the wrong people in the break. I was having a go at doing this as well as just covering attacks all the way down till 4 laps to go when I was smashed and had to start thinking about getting into the lead out train. The last coupe of laps were really intense with some people taking some big risks to move up, but it was safe on the front. Coming into the closing lap I was only good for a sweeper as i was fried. Marco took out the final sprint in fine form.

We finished the tour with Mark Hekman in yellow, Marco Aledia in green, Tim Swain in polka dot jerseys and I managed to finish up in third position over all. It was an awesome tour, we all had a great time and everyone rode over and above expectations to get these fantastic results. i was really happy with my consistency. i place in the top 7 in five of the 6 stages. i had my best day obviously on the second day were i won the hill primes, the stage and took the yellow jersey.

Jimmy also had a nasty looking crash check out this clip on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i740hrygToI

stage 5 50mile circuit race

2007-06-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

The 12mile circuit had one climb on it which was pretty tough when you didn't have good positioning as a lot of people could not keep up with the tempo going up and would let wheels go. I had a particularly bad day. I just didn't feel on top of things, thanks to my strong team mates i just had to make sure i covered the breaks i was in a position to and that make sure i was there for the sprint to go for the time bonuses.

Everything was going well until the closing 2 miles where i was in the line up which was unorganised as no one team really took control of the lead out. I got swarmed and ended up back half way through the bunch. Luckily there was 'some room' on the outside between the two last left hand turns and i basically sprinted around the outside of the bunch and swung into second wheel through the final corner. I burnt all my matches making my way up to the front and once i was onto Hekmans wheel for the lead out all i could do was just hold on. I ended up rolling across the line in 5th place. I was disappointed with my ride but i am still up their on GC and looking forward to a great crit on the final day tomorrow.

stage 4 worthington 40mile crit

2007-06-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

In this stage we had Hekman in second place on GC so we were really looking for the win for him to take the time bonus to move back into the yellow. I had an average day finishing 7th not having a lot left for the sprint. it was a tough circuit on the side of a hill in Columbus. The team worked really well together. I finished the day sitting 3rd on GC and second in King of the Mountains competition.

part I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0mw5i6ZS9M

part II http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxeXqeseZHo

part III http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss9rk1l11RU

here are some videos of the crit.

stage three

2007-06-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

70mile road race with 6 major climbs. I started the day in the yellow jersey and also leading the KOM competition. My job for the day was basically to make sure i was there for the finish and try and maintain my lead in yellow. the climbs were steep which shattered the bunch each time. we had Tim Swain get away in an early break and he spent up until the closing 3miles on a steer step climb. he did a fantastic job and picked up 3 KOM's so now he is leading that competition. mark Hekman made a break away in the last 20miles to go, they stayed away and held a 50 second lead. I lost the yellow jersey at the end of the day although finishing 5th in the stage and felt great. We now sit 2nd and 4th on GC. 1st 2nd and 3rd in climbers jersey. and first and second in sprint jersey. the Yellow is what we wont so for the next three days we have our work cut out for us with 2 crits and one not so hilly road race left.

tour of Ohio stage 2

2007-06-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

A 60 miles on and 8.3 mile circuit. the course was hilly and had a mean 300m steep hill to the finish. the day started off with a thunder storm which cleared as the race went on. we had Marco in yellow and Hekman in the sprint jersey. I won the first KOM in a break that i was covering and then the second by a good team lead out. only a third of the field made it to the finish in the bunch. I had another great lead out into the base of the climb to take out the up hill sprint to the finish. it was a great days racing for the team and myself.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2007/jun07/tourofohio07/tourofohio072

tour of Ohio stage 1

2007-06-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

First stage was a 40mile crit on a 1 mile figure eight circuit with 130 starters. The race started off fast and didn't let up till the finish. The Abercrombie guys had a great race, every break away was either covered of initiated by us. The circuit was tight in areas with all 90 degree bends. this made for exciting times with people trying to bomb corners and touching pedals. the team stayed out of trouble. the field although stretched out the whole time and shelling half the field came down to a bunch finish with perfect lead out set up from 5 laps out. It was a fantastic evening with Abercrombie take out the first and second. Marco now hold the yellow jersey and Mark Hickman's riding the green sprint jersey. good work guys. i felt awesome in the race covering breaks and attacking. I finished with bunch time. I'm really happy with were my form is at the moment, hanging out for the second stage circuit race.

louisville crit 80km

2007-06-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

This was a pre tour of Ohio crit we went to, we didn't really have it together as we usually do but we know know what we have to look into for the tour. I felt fine but didn't manage to put myself into the right position to finish well on the tight figure eight 2km curcuit. I'm looking forward to the start of the Ohio tour.

Saint Louis circuit race 100km

2007-06-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend Hayden Godfrey and i hired a car and drove 6hrs Saint Louis to do a circuit race, it was about 20 laps of a 3 miles. The course was really Roley but the wind was in the right directions that we had tail wind up hills and head wind down hills, this made sitting in the bunch quit easy. Hayden and myself teamed up for the race as we had no other team mates. There was a lot of attacks from he two bigger teams but nothing would stick and anything that looked half dangerous Hayden or myself had it covered.

We came down to about a 50man bunch sprint. My job was to lead out Hayden, the bunch was so dodgy because the course was not really difficult to stretch it out, this meant that i had to be on the front early for decent with a 90degree left hand bend at the bottom about 1km out from the finish. I bombed the corner with Hayden two wheels back, i ended up gaping the front of the field which forced the guy between myself and Hayden to chase me, the lead out worked well and Hayden came flying past at the bottom of the up hill sprint, Hayden held on to get third place. I didn't have enough left to hold on to a top 20 finish up the hill which was a shame but we were happy with the ride and i learnt a lot and had great experience racing with Hayden. I now have my form back and am feeling great.

ville road race

2007-06-04T09:31:00.001-07:00

A small road race with 3 laps of a 20km circuit. the coarse had a nasty climb of about 700m steep then about 4km of gradual climb and undulations to the finish line. On the first lap i set the tempo up the climb and by the time we had reached the start finish we were down to three including Hayden Godfrey. We maintained a high tempo and got rid of the third rider coming into the last lap. Hayden and i stayed together down to the finish where i led out and he came around me. it was a good training race, and great to have some hills to ride.

St Albans, Grand Prix criterium

2007-06-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

It was a 1km 4 corner circuit with a couple of hundred meter 13% climb. we had 50minutes plus 3laps. The field was not very big but the race had a good purse for the win for a small race. I had no team mates at the race so i was prepared to be picked on by other riders. The race was fast and a group of 5 of us lapped the field. The bunch was together coming into the finish where i won the sprint.

Somerville criterium, New Jersey

2007-05-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

My first NRC criterium.
It was a 1Mile+ coarse with nice big wide roads and the corners were not too tight so the bunch carried a lot of speed. We had 42 laps, with a Field of 220 riders, with teams like, jelly belly, navigators etc.

The race was fast from the start it took me a while to figure out the best places to ride in the peloton to save energy but i soon settled in and got the hang of it. The raced stayed together from 10 laps out we had to start moving towards the front so when the pace went on we did not get caught out, about this time was when things started to get pretty hairy a lot of guys fighting just to be in the top quarter of the field made for some close calls and nasty crashes. considering the size and speed of the field there were not a lot of crashes, which was great.

In the closing 3 laps it was like no race i had done before, moving up was almost impossible, people were bouncing off each other everywhere and teams were trying to move there trains up to the front. I was up towards the front sitting in top 20 hoping for a top 40 finish but i kept getting swarmed and loosing places rapidly. the last few laps you just have to run on adrenaline, I was to far back on the last lap and got caught behind a nasty crash so i ended up rolling in in the top half of the field. it was a blast of a race, I learnt a lot and i cant wait for the next one to do better.

Joe Martin day 3 final stage

2007-05-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

The final stage of the tour was a 90minute criterium. The course was quite big and technical including a descent with a 90degree turn at the bottom, s bends and an nice sized up hill sprint. I felt better today then any other day but still not the best. It took me a while to settle into the race and get a feel for it. I thought the coarse was pretty crazy and i was expecting a lot of crashes.

With 130 riders on the coarse the bunch stretched out quite far, there was a lot of the elastic band effect and me not being so confident I placed myself further back then I should have. realising after 20min or so that it actually wasn't so bad and that I should be trying to move up, I found that I was using a lot of energy and when I hit the hill again I would loose the positions. I ended up lasting 60min of the race before hitting the wall.

I am confident that when i have my form back that I will be able to race well in these races. Although performance wise I wasn't going well the past four days, I am happy to have now done my first lot of NRC races, I now have a lot more of an idea of what to expect from these races. I am looking forward to the next NRC race to be more use full for the team and prove my myself. It is a long season so I'm going to have times like these but there are a lot more better times to come.

Joe Martin day 2 stage 3

2007-05-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

The evening stage was a 2.8 mile uphill time trial. after this morning stage i was not expecting a lot but i knew my body was used to have two hard sessions of riding in one day. I started off really well selecting to ride up in my big chainring, I felt great till i hit about the half way mark where it got slightly steeper. I couldn't keep on top of the gear and got bogged down, loosing a lot of pace. I ended up about 106th which wasn't very pleasing but i didn't get time cut so that is one good thing.

Joe Martin day 2 stage 2 (140km)

2007-05-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

well today i felt really bad after yesterdays ride, my muscles were not in as bad a state as they were yesterday but i was definitely tired. The coarse was 11miles out to a 23mile circuit which we did three times then back in 11miles to the finish. The circuit was really rolley and had a descent climb in it. I blew on the third lap of the circuit on the main climb, i was not impressed when the bunch was still so big (80+). I ended up finishing in a small bunch with 2 other team mates. I'm disappointed in how the weekend is turning out. but atleast its great training. I had been riding really well up until now, I'm not really used to the speed of this caliber of race and i just have bad legs this weekend. I cant expect to be flying all the time.

stage 1 Joe Martin

2007-05-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

My first NRC pro race went well, 175km rolling terrain (160 riders). The weather was really hot to start with then all of sudden there was a downpour in the middle of the race and cleared slightly towards the end of the race. Early in the stage a group of riders got away, the peloton cruised nicely till the main climb then the chasing began pulling the break away back from 11Min's. The main climb was at 110km and was a 13km climb not very steep but it was fast. I hung in fine the peloton was quite big at the top of the climb. The last 15km was quite fast spent most of it sitting at around 50kmh+, which was a killer for that length of time. A nasty crash happened right next to me in the last 5km were a hand full of riders went down. The break got pulled in the the closing kilometers, i didn't have enough in the tank to try mix it with the front guys for the sprint. the finishing circuit was tight and dodgy. I finished with bunch time not exactly sure on the position.

Cone Azalia classic (75miles 100+ riders)

2007-05-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

This was a 7 lap 10.5mile circuit with 4miles of gravel per lap in two sections. 35mph cross wind on gravels sections. We reached the first gravel section within 2 km of the start and i happened to hit the roughest part of the pot holes. My handle bars slip down and i lost both drink bottles and causing me to drop back in the peloton. Not a good start.

By the end of the first gravel section i hadn't noticed that a break of 7 riders had gotten way off the front but 2 of my team mates were in it. Thinking it was safe i was comfortable sitting in the bunch not needing to chase and leave it up to the two guys to keep it covered off the front. At the second gravel section much to my shock both of my team mates who were in the break (Bennett and Jimmy) were standing on the side of the road both with punctures. Not good again.

We were pretty much the only team without someone in the break and only chad and myself in the peloton, the race was basically over, but did not want to go down without a fight. With no other teams wanting to work i took it upon myself to keep it rolling in hope of getting the break back in sight. I was feeling really strong. Coming into the last 2 laps everyone had been messing around and only a couple of others had helped, chad had done his best to help me out and was riding well until being forced into the ditch by a competitor and dropped off the back. By this time the bunch had dwindled down to around 20 riders with 6 up the road.

On the closing lap we still didn't have the leaders in sight. About 5km from the finish one of the teams sent rider off the front of our group after doing no work, hoping to get away to pick up 7th place. I had it covered and attacked with only one guy able to follow me, the rest of the bunch had smashed apart trying to make it up with us. I caught the rider who was on the attack and the three of us put time into the rest of the field. Coming into the closing sprint everyone was trying to pull out their tactics for the sprint but in the end i took it out after everyone had put down there best effort to jump away. Over all i finished 7th which was pleasing considering. I was disappointed for the team but happy with my racing form.

Race around the lake (criterium)

2007-05-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Todays race; A criterium around a small lake with one small climb on the finishline, I was marked a lot in the race everymove i made or was in got shut down, the pace was really on and off with a lot of attacks and chasing. I had 4 other team mates with me. It was a great advantage being mark because everyone would follow what i did and stopped paying as much attention to other team members. In the closing 3 laps i went out on the attack seeing if i could get away and also knowing that team mate Bennet was marking the stongest rider in the field who was chasing me down all the time. Nothing in the closing laps stuck but i made people hurt. The final 1km i lead the field out with Bennett on third wheel and having a good sprint on him it worked out perfectly for Bennett for the win. It was the hardest crit yet but there is harder to come and im looking forward to it.

The biggest proffesional win for A&F

2007-04-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Team mate Mark Hekman just won one of the biggest and most prestigious criteriums in America, being an amateur team racing in a professional race is hard enough but wining is unbelievable. the last time an amateur won the Athens criterium was 1992. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/apr07/apr30news2 (see"Pigs flew for Abercrombie team in Athens)

congratulations to the boys,

sunday road race

2007-04-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today was another race, a small 7mile circuit with more than 6 steep hills on it one of them being over 1km. The race was a small race with low numbers. the field was split at about half way with my team mate Tim and one other guy.

We kept the pace high and road around to the final lap with everyone taking on there share of the work load. i was trying to set up the win for my team mate but with only the three of us what ever was said could be herd by the other guy, in this case Tim did not want the other guy to know that his bike for the last two laps wasn't going into the big chainring. I had no idea that this was the case so when time was going off the front of us he would wait for us to catch up, it wasn't till after the race that i found out. It would have been a perfect set up. Tim was supposed to ride off the front and i would just sit and mark the guy that was with me and make him do all the work, if he caught Tim i would counter attack and we would do this until the guy cracked. It didn't work out and came down to a sprint which i won. i am pleased with my progress and am looking forward to the big races.

first criterium

2007-04-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

well today i got my third win of three races, it was my first criterium. It was on a flat 1.5 mile circuit.

We had a break away of 7 guys with 2 two other team mates who made the break, just over halfway through. my team mates and i did the most work trying to keep the break away from the rest of the field.

Two guys got off the front of our break in the last half of the last lap. My team mates and I were back in what was left of the group. My team mates were warn out and i timed my attack perfectly, i got off the front with no one on my wheel, and bridged to the two others coming into the last corner before the sprint, it was perfect timing because they both started sprinting as they were exiting the corner and gave me the perfect position for a lead out out to take the win.

2007-04-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

My first weekends racing was very successful. i had two wins from two races. I had a chance to meet fellow team mates and local competition.