Villanova Cycling

2012 Power Advantage Classes

2012-01-26T19:49:00.001-08:00

The team at High Road Cycles Thursday night for the Power Advantage Class. We're turning those cranks even on a rainy day.

In these photos: Cam Piper, Jeff Yau, Dan Maston, Andrea Basque, Brian Peloso, and Marc LePrince

**Special shout-out to Anna! Thanks for taking these photos!!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T10:28:00.000-08:00

Can you believe its already New Year's Eve? If you're having trouble coming up with a new year's resolution, here's one to think about: "In 2012, I will make an effort to get on my bike and ride more"!

Have a safe and happy New Year's!

<3 The Villanova Cycling Team

Cycling for Water

2011-12-25T11:05:00.000-08:00

Check out these two guys cycling to advocate one of the most overlooked issues in today's world...clean drinking water.

http://cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2010/11/26/intv.sweeney.bamboo.bikers.cnn.html

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

The Villanova Cycling Team would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays!!

Got a cool cycling story to tell? Let us know!

Another Benefit to your Prostate

2011-05-22T14:45:00.001-07:00

A recent study done by Harvard scientists found coffee to lower the risk of prostate cancer. Just another way to protect your prostate!

•http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/17/coffee.prostate.cancer/index.html?hpt=Sbin

•http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/health/research/24prevention.html?_r=18&ref=health

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Specialized BG Fits at High Road Cycles

2011-04-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

Isaac at High Road Cycles in Wayne recently gave one of our members a complete bike fit. We knew Katie had power before but with the new fit she will blow away the competition.

Good work High Road Cycles for your very professionally done fit

Boston Beanpot 2.0

2011-04-04T14:25:00.001-07:00

April 2nd-3rd
•Racers: Justin (Men's C), Cam (Men's C), Jeff (Men's D), Arielle (Women's Intro), Katie (Women's C)

Cold and chilly but a great weekend for Nova cycling. Although the road race was cancelled due to "expected" snow that never came (you can never trust weathermen AND weatherwomen), both the TTT and ITT proved to be quite a race for the team. This weekend was Arielle's first race weekend and Jeff's race back from his month absence due to bike issues and illness. Justin and Cam, for Men's C2, took 3rd for the TTT. And both finished top 10 in the ITT. Arielle finished top 10 in her race, earning her first points! The tufts criterium was a challenge (for other racers) the next day, with 6 turns, but unaffected Nova's performance. Much emphasis was placed on the importance of the "pre-race", which was the practice lap before each race.
Justin and Cam raced Men's C2. Justin won all the primes and led the entire race but unfortunately crashed on the last lap, but still finished 6th. Cam chilled out in the group behind the top three racers and ended up winning the crit!! He also took 3rd for one of the primes. Arielle finished 5th in her first criterium race! Katie performed as good as could be expected in her first Women's C race. Justin is also the sprint points leader in the Men's C division, at least for this week.

•Justin gives an enthusiastic thumbs up during one of his lead laps

•Cam's sprint finish!

•Cam and Justin in the 2/3 spot

•Results:
~TTT: C2
-Justin, Cam, Jeff (first mile)
-8 teams (13.6miles)
-3rd Place (0:35:53.60) - 25pts

~ITT:
-Arielle: Women's Intro
-10th (0:24:55.48) - 3pts

-Katie: Women's C
-25th (0:23:29.97)

-Jeff: Men's D
-34th (0:21:59.04)

-Cam: Men's C2
-10th (18:17.33) - 3pts

-Justin: Men's C2
-3rd (17:49.04) - 18pts

~Tufts Criterium:
-Justin: Men's C2
--6th Place - 8pts
--1st in Prime 1, 2, 3

-Cam: Men's C2 (33 Starters, 35mins)
--1st Place - 22pts
--3rd in Prime 3

-Katie: Women's C (38 Starters, 35mins)
--31st Place

-Arielle: Women's Intro (11 Starters, 20mins)
--5th Place - 7pts

-Jeff: Men's D2 (49 Starters, 25mins)
--35th Place

A couple shout outs for this weekend. We would like to thank Justin's aunt, Janet, for supporting the team with cheers and forth e donated first aid kid which helped to heal Justin's wounds. Also thanks to Katie's friends Molly, Tim, and Hadley for cheering. And a big thank you to Cam's Dad for hosting us.

The team at the Boston Commons

VP, Justin, on a horse at Cam's house with the help of Rhonda

The team with Molly and Tim at Fire and Ice in Boston

Location:Westminster and Somerville, MA

Yellow Springs RR CANCELLED

2011-03-24T14:37:00.001-07:00

Last minute, unforeseen issues has forced the cancellation of this race...unfortunately.
A team ride will probably take it's place this Saturday.

Always.Ride.Fast.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Philly Phlyer Recap (March 19-20th)

2011-03-23T22:05:00.001-07:00

Racers: Will Kavanagh, Evan Hollenshade, Rob Abramo, Garrett Olsen, Justin Yeash, Cam Piper, Katie Beringer, Quent Dickmann, Carrie Rose

•Garrett: Men's A
--Riding in Maillot Jaune as Series Points Leader
--Circuit -- 8th of 48
--Crit -- 14th of 47
After the race weekend, Garrett remains the series points leader with 273 points! HE REMAINS IN YELLOW FOR ANOTHER WEEK!
•Rob: Men's A
--3rd in Crit

•Justin: Men's C
--Philly circuit C2: 10th out of 41
--Temple crit C2: 10th of 39
•Cam: Men's C
--24th in RR (Circuit Race)
--8th in Crit

•Kav: Men's D
--25th Crit
•Quent: Men's D
Freshman and first year rider Quent Dickmann placed 21st in the Men's D circuit race and 17th in the Men's D criterium, seeing continued improvement in the second race this week of his career.

•Carrie: Women's C
--RR- 10th (3 points)
--Crit- 16th
•Katie: Women's Intro
--RR: 7/19 (4 points)
--Crit: 4/16 (7 points)

The team travels two vans strong to this "home" race in local Philadelphia. Representing Villanova Cycling in blue and white kits, with the men's having at least two racers for each race category (except Men's B). For the women, Carrie Rose tackled Women's C in hopes of moving to Women's B in the very near future. Katie Beringer had a notiable performance in Women's Intro, accumulating a total of 11 points from both her races...finishing FOURTH in the crit!
Both Justin and Cam finished top 10 in the Temple criterium. Kavanagh makes his debut in Men's D for his first race of the season, fighting the pain from a previous injury to finish 25th in the crit. Most notable rider of the weekend is awarded to our captain, president, and fearless leader Garrett as he defends the yellow jersey as the series points leader. Yes fellow collegiate competitors, get used to seeing the back-side of Garrett because you will be seeing a lot of it. Be on the lookout, if you're not on guard, he will destroy you.
Garrett's fellow Men's A teammate, Rob Abramo, jammed during the criterium, finishing 3rd!

Always.Ride.Fast.

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Location:Philadelphia, PA

Upcoming Weekend of Races

2011-03-23T13:03:00.001-07:00

2 Racing Fronts in one weekend!

Rob Abramo and Garrett Olsen will be heading down to Charlottesville, VA to race the:

Jefferson Cup RR 2011/Nature Valley Pro Selection Race
http://www.bluewheel.com/jefferson-cup-2011/

Former President and Villanova Cycling Alumnus James Miceli will also
be heading down to join his old teammates.

As for the rest of the team...

Men's 4-5:
Justin Yeash
Cam Piper
Quent Dickmann

Women's Open:
Carrie Rose
Arielle Kogut

will be traveling locally to Chester Springs, PA to race the Yellow Springs Road Race this Saturday (the 26th).

Both the Men's 4-5 and the Women's Open races will be a brisk 27miles.

If you're in the areas of Charlottesville OR Chester Springs this weekend, come check out some of the races!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Charlottesville, VA and Chester Springs, PA

Philly Phlyer Race || March 19 & 20

2011-03-16T18:34:00.001-07:00

Check out the Philly Phyler Race this weekend if you are in the area! Villanova Cycling will be defending the "Maillot Jaune" as the series leader! Location is easy to get to and whether should be decent. I hear 70 degrees on Friday so maybe the good weather will carry through the weekend.

Local Weather
Official Blog of Collegiate Racer || Garrett Olsen
Leaders Recap Article
DIRECTIONS / RACE DETAILS

SATURDAY - CIRCUIT RACE
(5Laps / 32 miles) Fairmont Park (Just Outside Philly towards Villanova)
*Not too spectator friendly - Come if you just want to tailgate and
hang out.
MENS A @ 2:15PM
MENS C
MENS D
WOMENS C

SUNDAY - TEMPLE CRITERIUM
(1.1 miles course / 60mins) Temple University Campus
*Very spectator friendly - short course - many laps so you get to see
the whole race in front of you.
MENS A @ 12:45PM
MENS C
MENS D
WOMENS C

Columbia Race Weekend Recap

2011-03-16T12:08:00.001-07:00

First weekend where the Big Four is in full swing and all present. Unfortunately, because of the cancellation of the Steven's Race due to the heavy rain days before, the team had to travel elsewhere to find some competition to take down.

The next venue for the slaughter was just a few blocks away in central park. Garrett and Rob did their best in the Pro/1/2 race, but the intensity of the day before did not favor the best results in the New York Spring Series. Justin, however, stepped up to the occasion. In the 3/4 race, in a field of 50, Justin came in 6th place winning him 31 points in the series which also corresponded to $31. Let's do the math, registration cost $27, Justin won $31. Any cyclist can and do the subtraction to see that Justin won $4. First time to win money cycling for him. A couple of shout outs are in order as well. We would like to thank Ray Junkins for showing us around Hoboken and Katie Beringer for bringing the "tiger blood."

THE BIG FOUR IN TIMES SQUARE!!
Columbia Race Weekend (Stevens Cancelled)- March 12-13th Racers: Garrett Olsen, Rob Abramo, Justin Yeash, Cam Piper, Katie Beringer •Overall ECCC Team Omnium 4th place overall with Total: 47 points •Men's A Criterium: 60 minutes --Garrett: 3rd place, 58pts 2nd place in primes 3 and 4 --Rob: 4th place, 52pts •Men's C Criterium: 30 minutes --Justin: 9th out of 58, 4pts 4th place in prime 1 --Cam: 18th place •Women's Intro: 15 minutes --Katie: 7th place, 5pts •Men's CAT 3/4: --Justin: 6th out of 50 •Men's Pro 1/2: --Rob: 18th place --Garrett: 23rd place •Men's NYC Circuit Race: --Rob: Pack Fodder - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:NYC

Rutgers Race Weekend Recap

2011-03-16T11:43:00.001-07:00

Rutgers Race Weekend: (March 5-6)
"Rutgers Scarlet Scurry"

Racers: Garrett Olsen, Rob Abramo, Matt Kwasnik, Carrie Rose, Justin Yeash, Katie Beringer

Results:
•Carrie: Women's C's
Points Race: 16th Place

•Katie: Women's Intro
TT: 14th out of 24
Crit: 19th out of 27

•Justin: Men's C
ITT: 5th out of 30 div C2
Crit: 5th out of 33 div C2

•Rob: Men's A
Time trial: 7th
Points race: 5th

•Garrett: Men's A
Individual Time Trial: [2.2 miles]
4th of 52 (4:30.56)
Criterium: [60 min.]
4th of 58
Points Race / Circuit Race: [60 min.]
7th of 46

Great results by team as a whole! Notable finishes by Justin, Rob, and our fearless leader Garrett.

Always.Ride.Fast.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Rutgers University

Jeff's New Bike

2011-03-14T13:29:00.001-07:00

A brand new Trek bicycle!

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Location:High Road Cycles, Wayne

Navy Race Weekend (Feb 26-27th)

2011-03-13T16:42:00.001-07:00

Carrie was the only Nova team member to enter the race for Women's C's. Kicking butt in the criterium, Carrie won all three primes and then finished first! She also took 2nd in the time trial. Way to go Carrie!!

Results-

Criterium:
1st Place - Prime 1, 2 and 3
1st Place overall

Time Trial:
Distance: 17mile
2nd Place - 00:55:07

Always.Ride.Fast.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Annapolis, MD

Updated Pain Cave

2011-03-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

We have couches!!

No this is not a "club house" but this is our second home, with our 5 trainers and all our equipment for the race weekends stored here. The pain cave is invaluable and we are very fortunate to have this facility.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:St. Mary's Garage, West Campus

ACCC a go-go, baby!

2011-02-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Garrett Olsen, Rob Abramo, Carrie Rose, Jeff Yau, and Quent Dickmann are heading down to William & Mary to race against the ACCC. This will be the first race weekend for three of our development riders, and the first weekend of Garrett's swan song with Villanova Cycling. We're very excited to race down with the ACCC and see what competition this conference has to offer.

Ride Bikes. Fast.

Kav

Welcome to THE CAVE!!

2011-01-31T16:10:00.000-08:00

Introducing the Villanova Cycling Club's new training facility...THE CAVE!!! Located in St. Mary's on West Campus, The Cave is the new home of the Main Line's collegiate cycling powerhouse, thanks to lots of intense lobbying by our club president, Garrett Olsen '08/'11. Our new space, equipped with four CycleOps trainers from High Road Cycles, allows the team to meet for indoor training sessions on the trainers on campus, as opposed to lugging bikes, trainers, etc. to somebody's off-campus house or apartment for an indoor practice.

The Cave is a big part of the future we're building for Villanova Cycling. Thank you all for your continued support.

Ride Bikes. Fast.

Kav

Official Water Bottle of Villanova Cycling!

2011-01-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

After months of anticipation, Villanova Cycling is very pleased to present the final design of the team's new official water bottle! We partnered with Specialized to be one of the first teams with access to their new line of Purist bottles. The technology behind Purist is incredible. Each Purist water bottle features a squeeze top similar to those used on CamelBak Podium water bottles, but the real kicker is the silicon dioxide infused interior lining, which keeps any taste, odor, mold, mildew, etc. from seeping into the sidewalls of the bottle. You can put Gatorade in your bottle for a ride on Tuesday, forget to wash out your bottle and next week, if you want water in the bottle, just do a simple rinse of the Gatorade residue and your water won't taste like week-old warm Gatorade! Here's your gamechanger, folks.

Happy Holidays from VU Cycling

2010-12-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

Wanted to wish all of our lovely fans a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, and, most importantly, Happy Festivus!

Get ready for 2011 because it's going to be a breakout year for Villanova Cycling. With a cadre of returning veterans (Garrett Olsen '11, Justin Yeash '11, Alex Cosan '11, Robby Abramo '12 and Will Kavanagh '13) leading a crack squad that includes some promising new blood (Cam Piper '14, Jeff Yau '14, Matt Kwasnik '14 and Quent Dickmann '14), the ECCC is not nearly prepared for the onslaught soon to be coming out of the Main Line.

Very excited to be working with two new sponsors, LA Fitness and High Road Cycles of Wayne!

Ride Bikes. Fast.

Kav

Army Spring Classic 4/17-4/18 (For Real)

2010-04-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

After Blogger ate my last post, here's my rewrite. Two drafts never hurt anyone!

ARMY SPRING CLASSIC

Up to the beautiful hills at West Point, NY, the United States Military Academy for an excellent weekend race put on by the great Cadets team. The weather treated us pretty well and because we only had B Riders- only Garrett, Justin, and I made it out to ride for the weekend, we decided to drive up on Saturday morning.

This did not work out as planned.

Though we arrived with a decent amount of time at the race course, our warmup time was unfortunately compressed; we got back to the parking lot and a frantic F&M rider let us know that the race was starting. Bummer! I had to make a late bathroom break of course, which left me chasing the field.

HT: Chatura Atapattu of drexel for pics!

That may look like a smile, but it's not. Fellow Lenape Valley Regional graduate Gina Denunzio cheered loudly as I climbed the hill by myself a few hundred meters behind the field, and I was heartened to see friend of the team Aaron Horvath jump in and join the race late... but it wasn't meant to be on Saturday.

Justin and Garrett fared much better, making it only about a hundred meters behind the race and catching the pack, working solidly through the race.

New friend of the team Stephen Wright of Hamilton won the race in spectacular fashion, staying away for the whole race because of his anger at the field!

Let's get this kid some glasses!

Garrett and Justin maneuvered their way ti 18th and 28th place finishes, respectively. Not too shabby for a late start!

And at the end of the day, what the heck is cooler than a Hummer Pace Car.

Maybe only Garrett visiting Orange County Choppers HQ! And also, a team dinner at the Junkins Residence. Ray, a great friend of the team and leader of the Stevens squad, had a great dinner for us at his house near West Point. Many Thanks! And congrats to Kim Junkins (Ray's Sister) from Syracuse for her intro class win.

SUNDAY, HILL CLIMB AND CRITERIUM

Expanding our Northeast Diner Tour at the Neptune Diner near Newburgh, NY. Kudos to Ali, Garrett's girlfriend, for sticking it out with us this weekend!

A beautiful day at West Point for a climb up Stoney Lonesome. Justin and I rocked out on the Hill Climb Time Trial. In much pain, I finished 7th in the trial; not so bad. Justin (and season leader Max Korus) pulled a James Miceli and took a wrong turn on the way up, oh well. Of course, good friend Aaron Horvath won the time trial; that man is a glutton for pain.

B Criterium

After saving himself from the HCTT, Garrett had a spectacular performance in the criterium. The Army course is one of the best for viewing; from a spot on the hill a spectator can see the entire course. With the train in the background and wide turns, the course made for great racing

Garrett and Justin worked well together to net a Villanova presence in every single prime, like myself and Garrett at Yale- a solid effort.

I jumped into a breakaway that tried so hard to stick, but it just didn't happen. I was extremely burnt up from that hill climb, and I have something weird going on with that course; after being whistled in a driving rain storm in my first D race there four years ago, I think the West Point crit got into my head.

A great race by Justin, for sure; hard work net great finishes- 11th place!

Garrett jumped into a remarkably well formed Army train right at the end of the race for a stunning second place finish, maintaining his lead in the Division 2 B class ECCC rankings. Very Well Done!

And last, Kudos to friend of Villanova Nick Garcia of West Point, who rode a great leadout train to victory. A great weekend put on by the West Point squad shows why it's the longest running collegiate race in the country.

Thanks for making this post work, blogger!

Army Spring Classic 4/17-4/18

2010-04-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Blogger exploded my post! Something about "double editing." Just as I finished it. Argh!

Yale University, 4/10-4/11

2010-04-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

RACE THE ROCK

There it is, the site of so many emotions for Villanova Cycling this weekend. Yale University set up a great race at East Rock Park in scenic New Haven, CT. And Romeo and Ceseare's market runs a great deli in New Haven. Villanova Cycling collectively dropped about a hundred bucks on the most delicious subs and fine Italian confections and lusted after a 5kg ($60) jar of Nutella on numerous occasions this weekend.

Hill Climb ITT

The weekend began well for Villanova Cycling. Look at this guy trucking up the rock!

Those long intervals on the trainer this winter added up to a win for Rob. The course was moderately un-hilly for the first two thirds, and then a grinding but quick ascent to the top of the rock. Beautiful views up top! I was a quick five seconds behind Rob, leading to a personal best fifth place finish for me. Garrett and Justin did well also, finishing 21st and 27th respectively in a field of 49. Joe finished 25th in a monster field of 95, and Will Kavanagh worked hard to finish 13th in his second intro experience. Villanova made a strong showing as usual in the time trial!

Circuit Race

Joe led off the day on the intense Yale Circuit course. Racing around the grounds of East Rock Park, it seemed that the roads had taken a beating with the winter snows. The weather was wonderful Saturday, a stark contrast from the rainy madness of a year ago.

(HT to Chatura Atapattu)

Joe maintained good position throughout the race, netting a 9th place finish and a point for Villanova Cycling.

Will Kav had another solid effort in the intro field. Unfortunately, a bum ankle kept him from finishing the race, but with some key stretching, Will should be able to take intro (and beyond!) in the future.

"What's the Gap!?" Unfortunately Rob got a flat tire on Lap 1 of the B mens' circuit, so we couldn't send him to the front for the climb up the Rock to the KOM jersey. Justin, Garrett, and I navigated our way through the race, its potholed course causing us (and our bikes) much pain. Garrett and Justin caused the field a great deal of pain by taking monster pulls off the front.

The course diverted from its normal loop on the last lap to a climb up to the top of the rock, same as the time trial. We raced up its curvy course, pounding our way up to the line, me leading the pack. Near the top of the hill, with less than a hundred meters to go, a group of fans stood in front of the sign directing the field to the right. As I led, I had no idea which way to go. No marshal from Yale was present to direct me. As such, I veered left instead of right to the finish line, and picked up a flat tire among some grass at the finish, leading me to a disappointing 19th place finish. I saw that KOM jersey slip by... but that is racing, unfortunately. Garrett and Justin finished 33rd and 43rd respectively. The efforts of Villanova Cycling were not commensurate with finishes on Saturday... but Sunday is a new day.

STAY TUNED FOR SUNDAY'S POSTING!

Bucknell 4/3/2010

2010-04-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

You're looking at a set of TTT winners right here. By 19 seconds. Heck yes. After a nice night of sleep at the All Suites Inn, (replete with in room kitchen), we showed up nice and early at the dusty parking lot of the Bucknell Race Course in Central PA- lovely Mifflinburg. I wasn't feeling too great before the start, but just focusing on short, complete, powerful pulls, we rode up and down the 12.1 km course.

KM you ask? Yes. Villanova Cycling has switched over to SI units in honor of our European Cycling brethren. Also, it makes you feel faster. 25 MPH no longer- now you're rocking out at 40KMH.

D Road Race

The course wound around a farming area near Bucknell University, by Amish farms and what-not. The course had rolling hills and one moderate climb that made for pack racing and bunch-sprinting. The finish was a bit sketchy, a somewhat narrow straightaway with a slight downhill, leading to a fast and furious finish.

Joe Pawelczyk led off the day in the D road race, netting an impressive ~~5th~~ 4th place finish. He held off challengers throughout the course, and maintained position at the front of the pack throughout the race. Experiencing no contact lens difficulties, Joe saw his way through the pack to a great finish.

B Road Race

Powered by the presence of girlfriend and "Race Mom" Katie Beringer, and our bravado, Garrett and I convinced Justin to put in his upgrade to the B class for this weekend. FOUR VILLANOVANS IN B! Did anyone ever think it possible?

After much discussion of team tactics, we decided that we'd attempt a breakaway mid-race, working together as a team to make it happen. Early in the race, a Penn State rider, who eventually won, broke off the front. We maintained the gap at 20-30 seconds for a lap or two (each lap was 15 km, 75 km total race), but after lap 3, the time trialing, triatholon-ing leader had rode away from the pack. As such, the race sat up until the last lap, until I took a monster pull off the front, for 10 km.

I wound my way down the backstretch and onto Dice Road in the front of the pack, pulling at 42.5 kmh the whole way, putting the hurting on the pack (and myself). While this effort netted me a 13th place finish (and 14th for Justin in his first D race, Congrats!), Garrett and Rob turned the effort into 5th and 7th place finishes- a solid effort after a long day of work. As we drove home in our rented Enterprise van along the Susquehanna, Garrett and I calculated- 6 hours on the bike on Saturday.

And I wouldn't rather be doing anything else- beautiful day, fun racing, and a great team. Ride Bikes. Fast. Villanova Cycling.

Princeton Stevens Jersey Devil 3/27-28/2010

2010-03-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

First you say "SHUT UP, BODY!"

Thanks Jens Voigt.

When you begin to taste blood, you just say, "shut up body!"

And that's what we did this weekend! I could say that "mechanical failure" was also a theme of the weekend, but it didn't seem to hamper anyone, Garrett and Rob especially. After Joe's bike was parted out for derailleur cables, Villanova Cycling rode to victory- its first ever in the B class.

Mercer County Park ITT

No real pictures from this event because well, crap, it's an ITT. After arriving from sweet lodging at my grandparents' soon to be solar powered house in Hamilton, NJ, we rode early and chilly at the 4.2 mile ITT circuit on the 2 lane park driveway.

Not much else to report here. We all did pretty well, especially Garrett and I finishing within .3 of a second of each other. You know what they (I) say, "train together, finish together"

ITT Results
Justin - 5th - 11:15.71 - 12 pts
Rob - 9th - 10:58.44 - 12 pts
James - 11th - 11:02.72 - 7 pts
Garrett - 12th - 11:03.09 - 5 pts
Joe - 13th - 12:14.33 - 0 pts
Will - 13th - 14:36.42 - 0 pts

Cadawalader Park Criterium

Woah, Trenton. A criterium through a bombed out park? This road was looking pretty sketchy. A nice little setup on a 1 way driveway gave us numerous views of the course from which to partake the eventual carnage. The C, D and Intro races went off well for Villanova. Justin notched a career best seventh in the criterium, leading the race around for numerous "sponsorship laps" demonstrating the beautiful new Villanova Jerseys provided by Canari. Robby and Joe rocked out in the D race, Robby notching a first place in a mid race prime sprint. Go Robby! In his second week in the intro class, Will Kavanagh gained valuable race experience and killer insights from the best coaches of the ECCC.

The B race was an interesting undertaking. As we navigated across the potholes and cobblestones of the central Jersey course (I half expected to see a U Turn), mechanical failures beset 2/3rds of the team. Garrett broke a rear derailleur cable halfway through the race, and after taking a few free laps, returned for a spectacular finish. Rob was beset by the eternal problem of Mavic wheels... a dry freehub. I heard the characteristic whine from 50 yards away and knew instantly that his freehub certainly needed a little loving. We bumped and banged along to a monster last lap collision that sent me flying to the outside- no damage, no fall, except to my sprint speed. Garrett came back into the race with only 2 speeds and sprinted to an impressive 5th place finish.

Criterium Results
Garrett - 5th - 23 + 5 pts (1st in Sprint 4)
Justin - 7th - 6 + 3 pts (2nd in Sprint 1)
James - 13th - 3 + 3 pts (2nd in Sprint 4)
Robby - 13th - 0 + 5 pts (1st in Sprint 2)
Joe - 16th - 0 pts
Will - 19th - 0 pts
Rob - 20th (with 3 full stops!!!) - 0 pts

Skillman Circuit Race

Sunday began equally early for the first of the "mountain stages" of the ECCC. The race ambled through scenic (and wealthy) Montgomery, NJ, starting at Johnson and Johnson's facility there. It wandered up a big hill on Grandview Road, across to Dutchtown Zion Road, and back down on the Great Road. I use words like "ambled" and "wandered" to describe this race's slow pace, plodding up the hill, and then breaking the sound barrier on a sweet, long descent.

After getting a great dinner from my grandmother and mother (thanks!), VUCC was ready to shock the ECCC. Racing profoundly early, Robby and Joe tested out the course in the unseasonable cold. Justin came next in the C class, doing prodigious work for the C class, and coming in to a solid 12th place finish, cementing his role as a contender in the C class.

And now, for this public service message- always do bike maintenance. Specifically, CHANGE YOUR CABLES when necessary. Thanks to Wheel Life Cycles of Belle Mead, Rob was able to make the beginning of the B race; however, severing ones front derailleur cable at the beginning of a B race is not likely to make for easy climbing. Many thanks to Wheel Life and Knapp's in Lawrenceville this weekend for providing Villanova's neutral support.

The B race was a quiet affair, 6 laps long, 5 of which were pure jockeying for position. The big hill started to hurt a little more each lap, providing a preview of the mountains to come at Army, Dartmouth, Yale and the like. The race became interesting as we headed around the final corner- Garrett and Rob were set up for a sprint and I was shuffled a little bit back from an earlier pull on the backstretch. I saw my opening as we rounded the final curve- the road widened dramatically. I put the acceleration in at exactly the right time considering my rearward drift, and surged from 20th to 5th. In ideal position, Garrett began to "whomp whomp" along, edging out a Naval academy rider by a hair. VICTORY FOR VILLANOVA CYCLING!

And with some creative cropping by Will K, we have this masterpiece:

Nice work! My pain face is clearly more awesome though.

See all the pics at: http://picasaweb.google.com/kavy11/PrincetonRaces# Major HT to Will Kav.

We'll see you all next Saturday for the Bucknell Road Race; good Catholics that we are, we'll be taking Sunday off to celebrate Easter.

Circuit Results
Garrett - 1st by 0.5 inches (the FinishLynx picture is AMAZING) - 48
pts
James - 5th - 28 pts
Joe - 10th - 0 pts
Will - 11th - 0 pts
Justin - 12th - 1 pt
Rob - 13th - 3 pts
Robby - DNF - 0 pts

Philly Phlyer 3/20-3/21

2010-03-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

While the men of the grand tours were running 300km from Milano to San Remo, Villanova Cycling was cementing its name as a force to be reckoned with in the E-tri-C. In our home race, Villanova Cycling introduced a new rider, entertained numerous family and friend spectators, and lit up the velocityresults.net scoreboard! Under perfect blue skies that gave me and a few others a touch of sunburn, we raced to collegiate glory.

Saturday Race, TTT and Circuit West Fairmount Park

Drexel and UPenn hosted a great race on a traditional Philly course, the West River Drive circuit. The day began with a team time trial, which Garrett, Justin, Rob and James (myself) participated in. Unfortunately, we had a few van issues and other factors in the morning which caused us to, erm, avoid our proper start time. Fortunately Alan Atwood allowed us to ride the course, as we had all warmed up and been ready to go. With strong pulls by all of us, we rode into a provisional fourth place in the B class, on a team of 3 B riders and 1 C. I knew we'd be successful- these TTT's are a great team experience and a good way to get points. Our prerace breakfast of Bagel Factory didn't exactly sit well with me, and it goes to show you- you HAVE to go to the diner before a bike race.

The circuit race was a triumph for Villanova Cycling in all classes. Starting a wide D field were Joe Pawelczyk, Tim Higgins, and Robby Napp. All three blasted down West River Drive to spectacular finishes, navigating the hills of Chamonuix impressively. Tim's upgrade from Intro went well, and the ECCC should be ready for a force in the Men's D field from Villanova.

Villanova Cycling introduced Will Kavanagh, a freshman rider this weekend into the intro class. I always maintain that intro is an awesome way to get started- the off course clinic and coached lap led me into cycling, and they're definitely a great start for most new riders.

Justin Yeash cemented his status as athlete extraordinaire, finishing a solid 7th in the Men's C field, in only his 5th race ever. Justin looked great taking turns on the front of the pack, leading the charge through Fairmount park's new roundabout to a solid top-10 finish.

HT: Dr. Seth Whidden, our awesome team advisor, for the sweet pictures!

The Men's B race was a welcome challenge; one which the B team prepared for well. We practiced leadouts and sprint position throughout the week, and our efforts paid off with some of Villanova Cycling's highest finishes yet. Garrett's sprint power renders him a Cavendish-esque challenger at the end of every race, and Rob's constant improvement is making waves in the B class. With some veteran leadership by myself, other teams are starting to take notice of Villanova: our training and tactics are giving us a great jump on the B field.

Look at that sprint finish, Garrett "whomp whomp-ing" along, standing on those pedals!

Saturday:
TTT:
4th place, 14:30
Intro Men:
Will Kavanagh- 22nd
D Men:
Tim Higgins- 40th
Joe Pawelczyk- 17th
Robby Napp- 27th
C Men:
Justin Yeash- 7th
B Men:
James Miceli- 10th
Garrett Olsen- 6th
Rob Abramo- 14th

SUNDAY, PHILADELPHIA NAVY YARD CRITERIUM

Major props to Penn and Drexel for setting up the Navy Yard criterium; this is a course we have to keep in the ECCC! It reminds me of the famous Tufts criterium in a way, a very technical six turn course with treacherous sidewalks. The eerie post-industrial landscape of the Navy Yard makes for a remarkable Mario Cart-like course- it was suggested that arrows on the road might lead to a speed boost, and that a ramp into one of the abandoned buildings might unveil a secret bike race, much like Wario's Stadium.

Is this inside a warehouse? Perhaps...

And indeed, a major thumbs up goes to the State of Pennsylvania for redeveloping the area, namely by repaving the roads. With planes headed into Philadelphia Airport screaming overhead, 'Nova had another great day at the race. Additionally, we look forward to the support of Bob Biese of the Bicycle Den, a cat 1 coach and 1991 Villanova Alum. Look at what Wildcats can do on a bike!

Joe, Justin, and Will Kavanagh navigated through the D, C, and Intro classes before the punishing B race in the hot afternoon sun. All three flew across the 6 turn, L shaped criterium masterfully, avoiding crashes and finishing well!

HT: Will Kav for Sweet photography skills!

The B race started with a bang- the breakage of Rob's chain. Thanks to master mechanical engineer and bike technician Garrett, Rob was able to race to a stellar finish. The three of us started in the back of the field, and spent the first chunk of the race bridging to the front. In the chess game of a criterium, we angled for position throughout. Garrett's strength in corners is very apparent in technical crits like these; his lines through the corner are impeccable for energy saving. As the end of the race approached, Garrett and I were nearly absorbed in a crash; it was only though an Armstrong-esque navigation up a sidewalk apron and back over a curb that we were able to stay in a race. After going around that near-disaster, I'm pretty sure I had a mini heart attack, my HR spiking up to 7 billion beats a second. Rob and Garrett maintained composure and sprinted to a fantastic 3-4 finish. For a crowd of the parents Abramo and Olsen, they provided a thrilling finish to the weekend. We may even get some video footage from the Olsens up here, continuing our foray into new media.

Look how fast Rob is, hair blowing in the wind... get a haircut! (I think I need to take my own advice!)

Overall, Villanova Cycling is constantly improving, staying true to its mantra for this season. We're traveling together in vans, eating together, and improving together, which has us looking towards a successful season! Princeton and Stevens up next week in central NJ, which will see our first (almost) road race; a circuit through scenic Skillman, NJ, with 300+ feet of climbing per lap.

Sunday:

Intro Men:

Will Kavanagh- 16th

D Men:

Joe Pawelczyk- 18th

C Men:

Justin Yeash- 16th

B Men:

James Miceli- 12th

Garrett Olsen- 3rd

Rob Abramo- 4th

Philly Phlyer this weekend!

2010-03-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Come see Villanova Race this weekend in Philadelphia!

Midweek Update!

2010-03-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Addition to our race reports: Best Attitude (Sunshine ++) award of the week goes to Tim Higgins! Tim is Mr. Good Attitude- bringing true awesomeness to Villanova Cycling.

Columbia and Stevens Weekend 3/13-14/2010

2010-03-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

RAIN! All consuming, wet, frightening, terrible rain. Rain permeates every inch of one's being when they decide to ride a bike through it- and rain causes a whole host of problems when combined with wind of 30-40 MPH proportions. As a unifying theme of this past weekend, I can't think of a better one than rain...

Or perhaps the new Black Eyed Peas song, "I'mma be" I think top 40 stations should be called top 10 stations, considering they all play a very short rotation of songs... As they say, "I'mma be a brotha but I ain't be Lehman," appropriate for New York City

And another unifying theme- THE VAN. (Seen here double parked at Chipotle- official food of Villanova Cycling) Nothing like a 15 passenger van to make a weekend great- we were really a team, travelling in style. Villanova hooked us up with a great model through Enterprise rent a car. Vans also rock the house on gas mileage... much better to spend only $75 on fuel rather than two tanks of gas for a Taurus and an S4. Villanova, here's my plea: let us drive your vans rather than making us rent them at high cost!

SATURDAY 3/13

Saturday saw the debuts of two new Villanova riders, Tim Higgins and Alex Cosan. Both of them did wonderfully in their respective intro races. Major props to Alex for being only the second woman ever to race for Villanova Cycling- let's get some more of this out there! Columbia is very serious about hosting this race, not only running it through a nor'easter of epic water and wind, which truly drenching downpours, but even in bringing New York City's best Belgian Waffle truck to the course. Om nom nom....

An award for "best fan" goes to John Olsen, Garrett's brother who came out to the course, braving the terrible conditions. The races were truly insane- with nowhere to warm up effectively, most of us went in pretty cold, and the results weren't anything to write home about. If you weren't on the east coast on Saturday, I cannot understate how frighteningly powerful this wind and rain was...

Saturday:

C Men:

Justin Yeash- 33rd

B Men:

James Miceli- DNF (argh! last lap wipeout through a lake of a puddle... bummer. I'm fine though!)

Garrett Olsen- 17th

Rob Abramo- 26th

I Men:

Tim Higgins- 8th

I Women:

Alex Cosan- 16th

Also on Saturday... shout out to Gina DeNunzio of Rutgers University- the fourth Lenape Valley Regional HS graduate to race in the ECCC. Who knew that Byram, Stanhope, and Netcong were a hotbed of Cycling action!?

Accomodations- 43 St Nicholas Place, Harlem NYC

Look at how much Garrett and Justin are enjoying our accomodations! Through a great connection of Justin, we managed to stay in a house in Harlem, inhabiting two floors for the weekend. Many thanks to Dave and the other dudes at the house- the location was super convenient and parking turned out to be relatively easy.

And another big shout out to Alex Cosan and her sister for taking us to dinner at Patsy's Pizzeria. Quote of the night- "Do you have a dessert menu," asked Garrett. "It's a pizzeria!!" responded the frustrated waitress. That was some seriously tasty thin crust pizza- may I recommend sun dried tomatoes everywhere. Good for the health!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention our NYC subway quest- here's Garrett looking dejected because it took us an hour or so to go from 155th st. to 72nd st. on the same subway line- a power outage and a sick customer slowed our progress.

SUNDAY 3/14

Of course, we started the day at a diner. Yonkers Raceway diner- good stuff but a little pricey!

FDR Park, Yorktown Heights, New York. Mercifully, rain ceded to grey skies and showers- though the course was wet, beautiful pavement prevailed. Look for our boy Raymond Junkins from Stevens in the picture above- he promoted the race masterfully. Our day was much better on Sunday- we were able to actually unpack the van, set the EZ-UP tent and go to town. Justin started the day with the Mens' C race; he was holding the front and getting used to the competition of ECCC action. With monster calves and a sunshine award in the bank for always looking up, Justin is becoming a force in the C class.

Tim and Alex raced next, after Alex attempted to fix her tiny size booties with Justin's hunting knife. Both did a great job in their second ever intro races; equally deserving the "chill" award for keeping cool in the face of ECCC competition. Kudos to Alex for garnering our only team points of the weekend- awarded for national standing! Both Alex and Tim had big finishes, keeping it real for Villanova.

And last but not least, the B race. Sort of sketchy with the wet pavement, the race went quickly at only 45 minutes in duration. With Rob moving up to the B class, we had a solid team in one class for the first time in Villanova Cycling history. We have to work to refine our tactics- maybe together with Dartmouth? Garrett and Rob held the front through much of the race. I skinned my finger while adjusting my computer sensor during competition. In the final bunch sprint, Garrett and Rob maneuvered for position while I was penned in the back. We finished together all in the top 20- look out B class, we have big plans!

Sunday:

C Men:

Justin Yeash- 16th

B Men:

James Miceli- 17th

Garrett Olsen- 16th

Rob Abramo- 13th

I Men:

Tim Higgins- 10th

I Women:

Alex Cosan- 5th

Final Conclusions: Another very successful weekend. Our team is gelling, we're making progress, we're all growing and making the most of our team support!

NEXT WEEKEND: Philly Phlyer. We invite all of our friends and sponsors to come Saturday and Sunday to our home race, at Memorial Hall on Saturday and the Navy Yard on Sunday. See website and postings this week for more details.

Rutgers Day 2, 3/7/2010

2010-03-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

Look at that sweet sunglassess on Garrett: Oakley Jawbone Glasses- premium eyewear technology from our valued sponsor, Oakley.

Day 2 of Rutgers started early at the Edison Diner- 2 eggs, hashbrowns, toast and coffee are the racing fuel of champions. We needed a good breakfast to help us navigate Rutgers' circuit race, an almost 3 mile loop around the Rutgers Athletic Center, pockmarked by potholes worsened by the epic New Jersey winter of 2009-2010. Hopefully that is over- these 50 degree days are a welcome relief from the doldrums of winter roller training.

Saturday Results Update (courtesy of John Frey, Velocity Results)

D TT:

Mark: 34th, 7:32

Robby: 46th, 7:41

C TT:

Rob 3rd, 6:35

Justin 9th, 6:46

B TT:

James 13th, 6:35 (holy crap I earned points in a TT!!!!)

Garrett 23rd, 6:43

D Crit:

Mark: 41st

Robby: 47th

C Crit:

Rob: 5th

Justin: 20th

B Crit:

James: 12th

Garrett: 20th

Sunday Races:

D: Mark flew around the course with a strong performance, staying in position in the peleton throughout the race. He navigated the course spectacularly, making friends in the D class. Unfortunately, he was swallowed up by one of the gaping potholes on the backstretch on the last lap, and took a rough fall. He bounced back quickly, and with no broken bones, he'll be back out with the team soon.

C: Rob Abramo and Justin Yeash. Both of our C riders are adjusting nicely to the rigors of ECCC competition! Rob and Justin held strategic positions in the peleton duringthe race, working together with other riders. Rob was unfortunately bitten by the potholes, flatting mid-race. With no free lap to change tires under circuit race rules, Rob unfortunately had to take a DNF. That hasn't discouraged him, and Garrett and I look forward to his upgrade to B's next week! Justin raced to an impressive 16th place finish in only his second time seeing the racers of the ECCC.

Noooo, not a flat! Snakebite....

B: Garrett and I refined our team tactics, navigating the peleton of the speedy B class. Making friends across the class, I'm developing a feel for having teammates in a race to work with, something that has only happened perhaps twice in my ECCC career. Chalk one up for Villanova Cycling! As many B races do, this one finished with an all out field sprint, everyone jockeying for position coming into the last corner. Garrett and I ended up racing up the sides of the peleton during the last lap and catching onto the front. Garrett was leading the pack coming through the last turn, and I caught onto a Dartmouth train- is an alliance in order as we soon will have 3 riders in B's? Our finishes were spectacular; myself in 8th place (aaugh, another 8th place!?!?) and Garrett in 18th in his first weekend in the B's.

Up next: Columbia and Stevens next weekend. Looking forward to some sweet accommodations in Harlem, a perfect race course at Grant's Tomb, some delicious Belgian Waffles, and a new Stevens course on Sunday at FDR park.

Rutgers Day 1, 3/6/2010

2010-03-06T15:58:00.000-08:00

Rollin' up to Rutgers... Bike transit on the Turnpike.

Individual Time Trial:

'Thrilla on the Riva, Johnson Park, Rutgers

After a delicious breakfast at the Edison Diner- I suggest you roll up for their #2 special: eggs, hash browns, toast, coffee and juice for five bucks, we rolled to River Road up off of 18 in Piscataway. Our race was a 2.8 mile Individual Time Trial- 6 and a half minutes of pure pain!

D team: Mark Reimlinger and Robby Napp- both of our new racers loved the ITT; Mark loved it so much, burned so many riders that he vomited with exuberance after! That may be the first vom in Villanova Cycling Team history. Garrett took a picture, but I'll spare you with editors' discretion.

The secret to our team success, courtesy of Mark:

C: Rob Abramo and Justin Yeash. Rob smoked the C class, finishing 3rd with a time 6:33. Justin came in close at a blazing 6:46, in his first collegiate competition.

B: Garrett Olsen and James Miceli. Garrett toasted the new B field with his brand spanking new Scott Addict R2, and I clocked a 6:35, my best time in 3 years of the frozen toe.

CRITERIUM!

D: Mark and Robby performed spectacularly in their first go 'round the Rutgers Criterium. Starting in our 1 of a kind team tent:

Mark and Robby cruised around the potholed Rutgers course, each notching their first placement in a collegiate race.

Rob and Justin carried the C class, Rob finishing in the top 5 after holding the front of the pack for much of the race. Though an insane sandbagger from Princeton nearly lapped the field, Rob and Justin had a strong showing in their C debut.

Garrett and I made waves in the B class, staying with the back and forth interval workout nature of the bumpy crit, placing top 10 for me and top 20 for Garrett. Garrett said, "Doubling the duration, upping the maximum intensity (27-29MPH)... B class riders were a lot more predictable, you can trust them a lot more." Though he was apprehensive at first, he doesn't thing he's outclassed, and neither do I! Both of us stayed in contention, and are looking to perform well tomorrow!

We'll update with results from www.velocityresults.net and more pictures when they're posted.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's posting; Rutgers Day 2, RAC Circuit- this time it's business!

And the theme of our trip: U Turn- gotta be from Jersey to navigate those U-turns on Rt. 18!

AC Century!

2010-03-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

So, what do you do if you want to ride your bike and the snow refuses to melt and/or stop? Go somewhere else, of course. It especially helps if it's spring break. That's just what we did: after some clutch free hotel rooms from Justin, we (me, Justin, and Rob), rode Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. No snow in AC... but there was another natural obstacle...

Boom. 100 miles. Caesars parking garage, Atlantic City. That ride went from the Caesars parking garage, down three flights, along ocean avenue in Ventnor, Margate, Ocean City, Strathmere, Sea Isle City, Wildwood, down all the way to the cape may point... and back! We were a little short of a hundred miles, so we raced up to the top of the parking garage at the end- 10 stories!

So, that natural obstacle: give you a hint- my eyes are burning right now, still. WIND. Epic, epic wind. In my face. For 6 hours. It was a WNW wind, so it buffeted us sideways the whole way. As we raced up each little bridge between the barrier islands on the shore, the wind showed us who was boss- and a truck allowed rob to be crowned "bridge champion," gaining 7 bridge wins, though three came from drafting off a conveniently placed NEMF truck. 6 wins for me, including two come from behind wins at the end. I'll obviously be applying that skill to the Rutgers race... oh, wait... no I won't, because there are no hills. Overall, a great ride, record braking for the three of us.

As a sidenote, people who winter down the shore are pretty darn nice. Wawa clerks, the Jackson Mountain Cafe staff- all very accommodating to our quest.

For good measure, here' s a grainy cell phone pic of Lucy the Elephant in Margate- a jersey icon.

Yesterday we rode around Hammonton, NJ in the Pine Barrens- also the blueberry capital of the USA. People say hills are disorienting; but I have to say, endless pines are crazy. We managed to get a good timetrial workout in at the end, as Rob had to rush back to Horsham to work... we smoked it. Ready for the Philadelphia TTT? I think so.

Looking forward to Rutgers this weekend- weather in the 50s? Heck yes.

And for fun's sake, here's a mapmyride: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/nj//652126756571337238

2010 ECCC Season

2010-02-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's time to ride. bikes. fast.

The Villanova Cycling Club is thrilled to launch into the 2010 ECCC season, starting at Rutgers University only two weeks from tomorrow.

Our team has grown substantially: Myself (James), Garrett, Rob, and Justin are planning on racing every weekend, and we're very excited to be able to bring new riders to our races. Mark, Robby, Alex, Kendra, Will, Frank, Tim, and of course leadership from graduates Joe and Evan rounds out our team nicely.

Stay tuned to the Villanova Cycling Blog for full race reports each weekend, insightful commentary, and perhaps a bit of good natured trash talking.

In the words of a great rider: it's time now to "get on [our] bikes and ride!" The snow is melting, the temperature is warming up, and we're ready to go!

TEAM PICTURES

2009-05-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

2009-03-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the race recap for the past weekend at UDel.

Saturday's Event - Road race (17 mi laps with 1500ft climbing per lap)

D2-class (1 lap): Garrett and Joe both did well in this event. Garrett somehow was able to grab another first place victory while Joe took 7th. Pretty shocking because the road race is Joe's type of event. Apparently he lost both contacts in the race and wasn't comfortable participating in the full sprint. Garrett on the other hand bullied his way through two riders riding very close together, screaming angrily as he pulled into first.
C-Class (2 laps): Ben, Corbin, and I competed in this. Garrett was kind enough to display the scores to the b-ball game as we rode by for our two laps. I got dropped from the pack around halfway through the second lap. I passed a few riders after getting dropped and eventually rode in a pace line with Corbin (fellow Nova rider) and two other riders. I beat Corbin in the sprint because he blew up right before the finish line and took my usual 19th place (out of 53). Ben got dropped after the first lap and I believe grabbed 41st or 44th.
B-class (3 laps): James was holding his own with the pack. The b class did not split up nearly as much as the c-class. Unfortunately there was a big crash early on in the sprint which James got caught up behind it. James ended up getting 18th place. The two riders went down real hard in the crash, one went face first into the pavement and was knocked unconscious for a little bit. He was fine. The other army racer, got some serious road rash and went to the hospital. Apparently you could see some bone on either his elbow or knee.

Saturday's Event - Criterium (course map)
Note: the map in google maps is not up to date (all construction was fully finished and buildings were occupied when we raced) The course I mapped out on mapmyride doesn't really show the intensity of the turn. The location where the hazard marker is where there was a foot path across the road. The foot path was cut into the hill and cut level and made with cobblestones/bricks. Then right after the foot path there was a very quick change in grade that could result in some air if taken quick enough. I showed the picture icon where crashes would probably take place. Believe it or not, in the woman's B race, the pace motorcycle crashed at this turn and he had to be taken to the hospital in a stretcher. They used a follow car for the remainder of the races and the car would squeal its tires after passing over this foot path a couple of times. Now for the races...

D2-Class (20 min): Garret placed third and Joe placed 17th out of 31. Garret might be forced to join me, Ben, and Corbin in the c-class because apparently there is a rule if you grab three podium finishes you must move up.
C-class (30min): for some reason Ben didn't get put up on the results. I, as usual, placed 19th... the epic curse, there were 45 riders. I did have one very close call almost eating shit on the nasty turn. After taking the turn pretty hard I began pedaling too early and scraped my left pedal on the pavement. I was pedaling hard enough that the force lifted my rear end off the ground and drifted it over a few inches to the outside of the turn. This also resulted in bringing the bike past perpendicular and angling a bit to the right, while my right foot automatically released from the pedal and i landed on my saddle. The crowd all yelled out with "ohhh" followed by everybody clapping as I regained my balance and pulled this one out of the bag with my superior bike handling skills. This incident cost my priceless seconds and resulted in my loosing the pack and fighting with the first follow pack. While Garrett had a valiant effort in cheering me on with various pictures, including one of a skoal tin, a failed to really remain in the race. I ended up completing 24 out of 30 min.
B-Class: James did superb, throwing his usual race strategy to the wind and riding up front for a number of laps grabbing 2nd in two prime laps. He ended up placing 7th. His race was quite an awesome race to witness.

Check the Villanova Cycling website for pictures!

Garrett's Race Report

2009-03-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

Mine is forthcoming... but here is Garrett's!

Garrett (me) did my first TT(15th)+Crit(11th) + Road Race in D's(8th)
Tahir did his frist TT + Crit + Road Race in E's
Josh did Crit(19th) + RR(19th) in C's
James did TT + Crit + Road Race in B's

The weekend went very well with the extremely warm, weather stuck with us
all weekend. The princeton crit had a legitimate climb after a hard right
hander which I and think many found quite challenging. Except for maybe Nick
Frey who gapped the A field by 52 seconds on a 1:45 second lap crit. No
crashes on our team which was awesome but there certainly were many in the C
and D races. The field of talent has apparently stepped up its game as in
the D road race we had mutiple legitimate attacks throughout the race rather
than a group ride with a sprint to the finish as I was told would happen.
Manny plans to move from C to D. Though after using his unreal bike skills
to avoid a 5 person end over end flipping crash mess in front of him at the
sprint to the finish in the raod race, it would clearing be sandbagging with
a move to D. I personally learned that we should use some type of horn or
white board to relay information during a race to our riders as to what laps
we are on and where the leader (most likely us) is in relation to the field.

Priceless moment of the weekend.
. . . . . . . . 15 feet from the turn in on a 20 mph 90 degree corner
Kid on Zipp 404's and Cervelo Bike in D Crit Race: "Hey man everyone needs
to brake at the same spot in to the corner so we can keep on pace to chase
down the lead group"
Me, "Alright man you got it"
. . . . . . . 0.004 seconds later . . . . Crunch . . . . . .Psssstttt
(Tubular Blowout from hitting concrete curb)

Dude went too deep into the corner and ran out of road and in to a monster
curb.

Snow in Virginia

2009-03-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

So I signed up to work in DC over break at the IRS. I had my official government employee orientation this morning (snooze). However, my commute was far from a breeze, unless you count the wind that almost BLEW ME OFF THE BRADDOCK ROAD METRO STATION. Seriously, water covered the raised platform, and it was like walking on ice at 6:30 this morning. It snowed six inches in Virginia on March 2nd. Clearly, I'm being conspired against when it comes to bike riding.

I decided to come here over break because I figured it'd be a balmy 40 or so degrees, maybe I'd be able to venture out in only arm warmers and knee warmers on my newly cleaned but still effed up bike. I took it to the shop last week for a tune up, which turned into $179 for a new derailleur which is still making funky noises. Freaking shimano 105, it's totally a piece of crap. Some of us aren't nearly as good at bike maintanance as we are at bike riding, so we choose to pay people money to keep those complex machines running in tip top form. It really frosts me when my bike comes out worse after mantance.

Back to the snow: I sincerely feel bad for the rest of you ECCC schools. We're lucky to be at the southern end of the conference and snow still completely annoys the crap out of me.

Further updates: Less than a week till we race. I'm 21 now! Buying alcohol is fun! Can't wait for the Thrilla' I would love to do that ride from rutgers to princeton. 19 miles. I'll just need someone to drive my car/ ride with me. River road is a fun little bike jaunt!

Last, Bent Spoon for Primes??? Ask me what I think of Bent Spoon, their pretentious ice cream... how about HOAGIE HAVEN PRIMES? Seriously though, Kudos to Princeton and Rutgers for what looks to be a great opener!

Too Long...

2009-02-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

It's been too long because my bike has been a problem. Sometimes, I wish I were a mechanical engineer like most of the rest of the ECCC! Silly Liberal Arts degrees...

Apparently something funky was going on in my derailleur. I brought my beloved Scott CR1 into Human Zoom for a tune-up pre season. I guess the fact that the derailleur was bent for a long time finally bit when the new chain was put on... communism.

Co-captain Josh is away for the weekend, and thankfully he's also about 5'11" so I managed to borrow his bike for a pretty epic ride today. This was the legendary "vino velo" ride, starting from the art museum in Philly at 9. That meant that I was on the road at 7:30 to cruise from Villanova, pick up former president Kevin in Ardmore. That is WAY THE HECK TOO EARLY especially when your roommate has a cold and coughs all night long. It's 2:30 and I'm so tired right now. It's naptime.

The ride was great though. Even on only a few hours of sleep, I felt really strong and ready to rock and roll for the season. Philly has a nice mix of rolling hills, bigger high percentage grade climbs, and flat out straights, and I managed to stay in the saddle and near the front on a pretty bunchy but fast ride. It was solid.

In other news, I can't wait to use this blog as a place for detailed race reports. What else am I going to do during ECCC downtime with my laptop?

WIND!

2009-02-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

Can the wind stop already?? My sweet new wheels aren't exactly designed for a day facing 20 MPH winds. The Easton EC90 Aero rim catches a whole hell of a lot of those gusts, and I feel like I'm about to be blown off my bike.

We rode 37 miles today out to Ridley Creek State Park in the driving, face searing wind. A 2hr and 15min ride felt like a 4 hour marathon- climbing a hill with that much back pressure really saps the energy. 32 degrees and sweating bullets through my winter jacket doesn't help much either.

I'm ready to get on with this ECCC business- I'll be ready to fight that wind at the Thrilla'

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Maybe I'll delve into restaraunt reviews tomorrow, I'm going to the White Dog Cafe near UPenn with Shanna... looks to be delicious!

The Stock Market Run

2009-02-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

As the lyric from that Wolf Parade Song goes, "You are a Runner."

Yesterday I did my favorite new run just to keep my legs light and fast. Yeah, it did take my an hour and 15 minutes to lug my heavy legs up and down the "volatile" hills of the stock market run, so named in the fall when things were out of control on Wall Street.

It's beautiful today, high of 66 and sunny. When we're freezing our butts off at the Thrilla' on the Riva down at Rutgers.... then we'll know what's up.

(p)HILL(adelphia)

2009-02-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Quick ride today after yesterday's long ride... 28 miles out to Philly and back. I went home a sweet way though, up one of the five hills of Lower Merion, AKA La Collina, or "The Hill" in Italian. You may recognize it- it's visible from 76 heading out of Philly. Yeah, straight up the hill, hell yeah. Epic Win. PS- It's been beautiful the past two days. Hopefully we'll have some race weekends that look like this... stellar.

In other news, I'm going to go see a nutritionist a week from today. Hopefully she'll tell me how to eat 3000 calories per day and not feel hungry all the time anyways.

Homework time!

Sunday Riding

2009-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

Where the hell is my helmet????

After being up for 23 hours continuously on Saturday (one of which was a roller workout with a 123454321 interval, trademarked by me) I went to bed and got up early to make sure I'd be able to find stuff for my ride in the lovely springy weather. Apparently, my helmet was the challenging item. I thought I'd misplaced it; it wasn't in the usual hanging on the handlebars spot when I looked Saturday night. Then again, a party was going on, so there wasn't much I could do...

I live in an apartment that's about 500 square feet. Not much place for a big helmet to hide! I looked around and around, no luck. I ended up leaving and borrowing an extra helmet from coach for the day. His extra is "flip top" style, i.e. the strap in the back is busted so the helmet was falling over my eyes all day. Bummer. Still, we got in 50 solid base miles out to Doylestown, PA- a nice ride, not that hilly, but really trafficky. My bike got soaked and completely covered in salt and grossness, so that's another half hour I had to take at the end to clean everything off.

I went to do my laundry afterwards, and as I was transferring the mountain of laundry from my hamper to a washer... AHA! My helmet! What was it doing at the bottom of my hamper? Who th heck knows. Case of the missing bike stuff, part 5 million for me, is solved.

YOGA!

2009-02-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

Here's my cross training for the year: YOGA!

Each friday for me is Yoga Friday, and this will lead to the introduction of two key characters: Shanna and Josh.

Rather than ride on Fridays, I head to the yoga class at the Villanova gym. I've been doing it for about a year and a half now, and I was introduced to it by Shanna. She's also an Econ major, also from New Jersey, and totally the greatest. Earlier this year, I convinced Josh (team VP, from NY, riding for 2 years) that yoga was a good idea.... the kid's a champ. He beasted the side crow pose... look it up.

Rockin. Dinnertime. Later.

Who Am I?????

2009-02-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

Like the tackling guy on that one scrubs episode, I'll answer the question... WHO AM I?????

I'm James Miceli. I'm a Junior Economics Major with a concentration in Writing and Rhetoric at Villanova. I'm originally from Sparta, NJ, way up in the great white north of Sussex County. Things I love: my girlfriend, habitat for humanity/ service/ helping people, my friends, cycling, Villanova, films (not movies), fine wines and cheeses, long walks on the beach, etc.

I'm in my third year with Villanova Cycling. I am also coincidentally the third president of the club. Running the team carries quite a bit of responsiblity, but with the help of Dave Lauria (coach), Chris McAlpine (Club Sports Director), and the two past presidents (Carl and Kevin) who may be known around the humble new ECCC blogosphere.

Last year I raced in the C and then later the B classes of the ECCC. I'll keep it close to the vest for now, but we'll see where this year takes me. Penn State, here we come. Villanova Cycling is in gear, outfitted in our new Canari suits, and ready to roll.

All we have to do is let all the ice melt and get out on the road...

Joining the ECCC Bloggers

2009-02-04T13:35:00.001-08:00

Hello Riders and Readers!

As a Writing and Rhetoric Concentrator, it only makes sense that I offer up a blog about the other passion in my life that occupies my spring... Villanova Cycling!

Stay tuned for more posts...

-James