Slivka conquers Ironman Canada!!

I was on pins and needles for most of the day yesterday awaiting results for Megan Slivka's debut ironman. She did it!!! Her best leg was the bike, of course. We will get a race report from her asap. I'm sure she is walking funny today.

Also...NRO rider Branden Halpin finished the same Ironman in great fashion. I think he finished in the top 20 of the Pro men.

Way to go NRO riders.

Race reports to come soon. Pics too...?

-Tamara

Zoo Town Throwdown - August 2nd!

Ivy Ann Gets Her First W !!!!

It's an exciting day for me... a" proud mom". Ivy called me yesterday from Seattle to tell me she was the 2009 WA state Cat 4 Circuit Race Champion.

She said it was a 4 lap course will lots of little steep rollers...just what she likes. Field size was about 25 women. There were several attempts made to split up the field. Ivy said she chased several breaks down. The only break that stuck - was Ivy's. On lap three she attacked on one of the steep climbs and broke clean. One other rider bridged to her and they rode the last lap off the front.

It came down to a sprint and Ivy got her by about 20 meters.

Nice job Ivy!!!

I will post pictures as soon as i get some.

-Tamara

Fish Trail Criterium-State Championships

The only things I enjoy more than riding my bike are 2 foot powder days on fat tele boards, mexican food, a good Shiraz and watching bike racing. This weekend was off the hook with displays of incredible power, patience and wizard like tactics.

 

**Disclaimer** These are only my accounts and I have the attention span of a brook trout. - Scott L.

 Cat 1-2-3

 

Incredible race! Super fast! Josh Tack took a prem created a big gap with Seeley and were off the front. With these two away I knew right away this could stick. Then Brain Williams got a gap and Tamara yelled you got a gap go!!! I couldnt believe what I saw. Brain was able to bridge to Josh and Matt. Seriously one of the most impressive moves I have ever seen in Montana racing. Then the three worked together an were able to build to around 30 seconds and hold it lap after lap. The first time the peloton turned onto the finishing street and lost sight of the three you could just feel the dispair and the will being sucked from the field. Curry took charge for a few laps but was unable to make up any time. In fact the three speed up when they heard Curry had went to the front out of respect to his abilities. The sprint was out of hand. Brian Williams looked like Cavendish (seriously) bombing from 300 meters to take the victory. Seeley took second with Tack in third. Excellent race for NRO. 

Masters - 

This turned out to be an incredible race. At first, Eric Greenberg got off front and built a huge lead. I saw flashbacks to the Roubaix and seriously thought lights out, race over, how could you guys let him go? Then I realized there were some major players in the chase group. 4 out of 5 masters who will be competitive later in the 123 race. They gobbled up Greenberg in the nick of time and positioned for the sprint. John W. got into perfect position and with his sprinting prowess it was over 3 strokes in. Exciting race. Zellmer charged hard all race and Blair missed the break and was stuck doing all the work in his pack with no help and no chances of bridging. 

 

Women Cat 4

 

This was a fast race. Joey and Ivy displayed excellent racing tactics. It looked like anyone in the first break Ivy, Lynette, Anna, and Joey could pull off the win. All very strong women. Lynette coming off a very impressive Cow Country performance was most comfortable in the front and was riding very strong. Highlights include Ivy's flyer that built a significant lead and looked like it just might stick. It became evident no one was getting away and it came down to a drag race with Lynette taking it followed by Joey and Ivy. 1st through fourth were separated by 1 bike length!

 

Women Cat 1-2-3

 

I can't recall who won the first prem Geraldine or Tamara but I do know it was close and it created a huge gap that no one could answer. Tamara and Geraldine traded work and continued to put more and more time on the field. Lyndsay Campbell was enjoying the ride in the chase group not wanting to help the chase on her teammates and was seen waving to the crowd and eatin  M&M's. It was great to see the Prodigy back racing in Montana. Lisa again didn't have the team to ride back into the mix and you could see her frustration. People were on pins and needles- who saved the most matches for the sprint Geraldine or Tamara? Tamara rounded the last corner in the lead and started sprinting from the front. I saw that look on her face which always results in a W and her trademark sprint which would slay most men and easily took the win. Lyndsay Campell showed similar power -sprinting from the back of the chase pack 4 deep to take 3rd! 1-2-3! Nice work ladies.

 

Cat 4-5

 

This was awesome! It was so fast and it was the first 4-5 criterium I have been in that didn't have that accordian effect. The reason was the speed and the fact Big Bad Bryce was off the front within 5 seconds of the race. Jesse D. was able to bridge to Bryce without bringing anyone with him. Which should surprise no one given the size of his calves. Then the race was on for third. It was painful with constant headwinds and strong riding by the whole field. I saw my buddy Tyler creating a gap and thought about going with him and decided he was on a suicide mission alone in this wind and withdrew to the safety of my pack. That was the wrong decision. I know how strong Tyler is but to go solo into the wind and hold off the blood thirsty hound dogs as he did was incredible!! I remember leading the chase group when Jesse and Bryce came flying by lapping the entire field. It was like seeing a Hippopotomoose. My mind could not immediately comprehend what the hell just happened. These boy's earned their titles. The sprint came in mono a mono with JD taking the win ahead of bad Bryce and Tyler Smith taking third. Again 1-2-3 baby!!!

 

NRO nails it at the State Championship Fishtrails Criterium!

Here are a few pictures recapping the day's events.

Cow Country.....Halpin and Matty Ice!!

Halpins Report:

Cow Country Classic has always been one of those have to do races. The race is hard, long, windy and usually attracts the best of the best of Montana racers. I personally love this race because it is a test of true strength. Cow country was also one of my first road races and after quickly being dropped from the field Jason Hobson rode with me and gave me advice and helped get me to the finish line. The race was a learning experience and right then and there I decided I wanted to win that race some day. Well with a couple more years of experience and thanks to some new teammates I almost achieved my goal. I knew that the race was probably going to be between NRO, GAS, and Montana Velo. Sure enough when we hit the first hill and I put down the hurt the selection was made and less than ten of us were at the top of the climb. We rode steady for the next few rollers until we caught Brian Williams who had gone off the front solo.

Once we headed eastbound and had a tail wind I knew it was time to go. I made an acceleration and was solo for the next couple miles. Josh, Curry, and Gonzalez caught me and we worked together for the next section of the race. It was a hot, windy day without very much water and we were all feeling fatigued. On the last climb I was setting tempo and Curry jumped, Josh went with him but could not hang on so I caught Josh and we pace-lined to try and reel in Curry. Frank the tank sat on our wheels not working and when I went with 1k to go he stuck to my wheel and then came around me. I hung on for 3rd and Josh came in 4th. We nearly caught Curry on the finishing stretch but his gap was just enough. Gas retained their dominance of Montana road cycling. Hopefully NRO will be able to bring them down soon!

In the other races Matty Ice continued his dominance of the cat 4 field and Bryce was able to hold on for 3rd place. However the highly anticipated race was among the women. The ultimate work horse Linsey Corbin was able to do some serious work and make the race difficult. It came down to Linsey, Jen, and a Delphine rider. The Delphine rider took the win and Jen was 2nd and Linsey 3rd. Nice work to everyone that raced. See you at the races!

B. Halpin

Tyler Smith Nails Belt... Race Report!

Saturday began with the promise of good weather for racing on the northern Great Plains outside the village of Highwood. The first race was a nice, out-and-back 10 mile time trial. My mid 23’ time was good enough for second, but I was about a minute back from the impressive sub-23’ time put up by Lucca Scariano. After lunch, some rain, and a cat nap, the Cat 4/5 field began the 45 mi road race in typical fashion, which means about half us made a wrong turn 100 m into the course. After we all got going the same direction, the race picked up to a moderate pace; however, I was surprised to see that we seemed to be catching the Cat1-3 field. We made a repeat of the time trial course and passed uneventfully back through Highwood. Near midway through the course, there was a severe crash in the pack at speed. Two guys went down in front of me, but fortunately, I had an opening to the right and was able to get around. I looked back just in time to see a lime green jersey adding to the pile of bodies and bikes (turned out to be Jeff C). The attacks began in earnest on the hills after Highwood. Jesses A. and D. along with Blair chased everything down, and the pack was back together again for the second turnaround. Karl Vanderwood from Montana Velo made a move on the first real hill after the turnaround. Jeremy D. was on his wheel so I knew this attack was for real. Luckily, I was up front when Karl made his move and was able to jump quickly. While bridging the gap, I saw Jeremy fall off Karl’s wheel. I caught up shortly after but only held on for a few pedal strokes. After watching Karl pull away, I looked back to find myself with a large break from the pack. So I continued on, weighing my options. I turned around again to see a green jersey making a break from the group. I slowed my pace to let Jesse A. catch then cranked the pace back up with him on my wheel. Once Jesse recovered, we went to work trying to catch Karl. Jesse and I took turns taking pulls and pushing each other up the hills. On the hills we seemed to be making a dent in Carl’s lead, but he remained just out of reach on the flats and downhills. There wasn’t much hiding from the wind that day. 1 km to go Jesse and I made our last push for Carl, but it wasn’t to be and Carl crossed the line followed by myself and Jesse A.
All in all, a good day of racing in north central Montana. Nice weather, beautiful scenery, and a well organized event. Congratulations to the all the NRO winners, and a big thanks to Jesse A. for his help in the last 10 miles.

Tyler Smith

Matty Ice Rocks the Roubaix....his report:

Roubaix: What a race!

The morning started with coffee at Doug Dale's house. Brendan and I sipped on french press as Doug busied himself with his typical pre-race tasks: Locating a function bike, finding wheels, straightening handlebars, wrenching on brakes, derailleurs, seat posts etc. Eventually, his rinky-dink rig was race-ready and we piled into the Wild Rockies diesel and headed to Frenchtown.

To be honest, I was less than excited to race. The forecast called for rain and snow. Inauspicious clouds clung to the surrounding mountains, threatening to purge their icy innards upon us. I groaned frequently, bitched to anyone who would listen, and spent most of my warm-up wishing I was still in bed. I waisted as much time as I could secretly hoping to miss my start and was finally convinced chamois-up. Once upon my carbon steed the inevitable anxiety of race day set in. Soon enough, the gun (or horn/bell, I can't remember) sounded and we were off.
I had seeded myself in about dead last, hoping to avoid any sort of tangle up before the first gravel hill. Within the first 30 seconds of racing, the heavens opened up, discharging sheets of biting hail onto our group. I closed my eyes and dropped of the back, I couldn't see and my face felt like a pin cushion. The hail subsided and soon enough we had hit the first gravel hill. Someone went down in front of me, but I had time to shimmy up the ditch and hop back on the road. At that point, I caught a glimpse of Doug and Bryce up ahead and decide to go on the offensive. I upped my cadience and was soon out in front with Doug on my wheel. Near the top of the hill, a gap had formed and we decided to try and keep it. Carl (from MT velo) bridged up and the three of us took off into the distance.

My mood was improving with every pedal stroke as the gap was growing and the clouds were dispersing. Doug and I worked well together, taking smooth turns at the front. The big guy was riding really well. Unfortunately, at the end of the first loop, I flatted. I wasn't terribly surprised, but extremely disappointed. I was really starting to have fun. John and Myke, pulled up in the wheel car and threw me a spare. Soon enough, I was TTing back up to Doug and Carl who had backed off the pace to wait for me. We joined back up and finished out the second loop. Doug (trying to finish his first Roubaix) double flatted on the final gravel hill, wrapping up his day. Carl and I rode on. I decided to make the rest of the race a TT. I attacked and a gap formed. Just like clockwork I flatted again and pulled to the side of the road. Carl zoomed by leaving me to curse and shake my angry fists in the air. The wheel car saved me again, throwing my their last spare.

I was minute or so down. Perfect. I love to TT from behind. I remounted my trusty bike and started hammering. With about 5k to go, I caught Carl, sat momentarily in his draft and shake-and-baked around him Ricky Bobby style. I ended up in first and received my first up-grade points on the long road to becoming a cat 3.

Looking back, I had a great time. The race was awesome and I want to thank Bob and Tamara for putting together such a memorable event.

Thanks for listening,
Matty

2009 Rocky Mountain Roubaix lives up to it's name!

115 riders turned out to face the snow, sleet, wind and a Roubaix that lives up to it's name.  Brian Frykman took the title for the men where as Lisa Curry took the title home for the women.  Overall it was a great success!  Thanks everyone for coming out!

NRO showed up to play at the Tour of Walla Walla!

Below are a few snapshots of a very impressive weekend in Walla Walla.  It was a great race and the team demonstrated a strong start to our season.  Way to go everyone!  See you at the Roubaix tomorrow!-Joey

Rocky Mountain Roubaix!!!!!

So sorry no one has posted a race report on Tour of Walla Walla.

All I can say is "NRO was a legit presence"...as noted by many.
I will post pics soon.

On to the the Roubaix: two things

• the finish is the same as last year....
• the dirt sections are a bit softer and have more gravel in spots.

So.....use your best judgement and get ready to rumble!!!!

TONS of freebies for ALL. Tons of schwag for prizes...plus some cash, of course.

See you all there!
Tamara

NRO cyclists showing up strong at the Griz triathlon 2009!

With a smile on her face, Jen Leubke made her first place finish look easy!  Way to go Jen!
Jen prepares for a fast transition.  
After a fast transition, Matt went on to kill it on the run...  I missed the photo op finish because I was so enamored by the look of pain and suffering on his face!  (not to mention screaming at him that his buddy B. Halpin was hunting him down!)  Matt ended up with a third place finish!  Great job, Matt!
Matt - coming in strong after a fast and furious bike!

Sophia and Kelly-  you can always count on them for a good laugh!

Oh yes, ladies and gentleman...Doug is back and looking fit!

Megan and Dusty- this is just a warm up for their Ironman Canada later this summer!

More Frozen Flatlands Photos

As I saw it....NRO was the team to beat!  Way to go everyone!