Wow! Today was so warm several riders wore shorts! We gathered at Big Sky Bikes at noon and headed west. After riding up Butler Creek, we headed out toward Frenchtown. Several of us made it out to the end of the pavement up Six Mile before turning around. We returned via Mullen (with a tailwind) where folks peeled off to head home....or ride more (you know who you are).

Thanks for a great ride, you guys!

Joshua

Weekend Rides!

Despite freezing temperatures, both Saturday and Sunday saw team rides. Meeting at Big Sky Bikes (Front Street shop), both rides were scheduled per Tamara's email for 12 noon. Four riders showed up on Saturday and headed east for the Turah/Clinton loops. We found freshly swept roads in E. Missoula with a headwind on the way out and a tailwind on the way back...perfect! I think the temp read 35 as we came back through E. Missoula.

On Sunday, NOAA reported 25 degrees when I headed for the shop. I didn't expect there to be much of a showing but at least a dozen riders met up! The sun was shining in all it's glory, but it was cold! I opted for the ski socks and ski gloves and was very happy with the choice. Together we headed west and as the tempo ramped up on Waldo Road I thought, "It's so great to be out riding with a good sized group again"....then, I got dropped. At the Frechtown overpass there was the usual pit stop and shrinking of the group. I think I heard a few guys say they wanted to make it back to watch Olympic Ice Dancing. ;) Four of us headed out to Alberton where Tamara snapped this pic of us. That's half of a Hostess Apple Pie in my hand, the other half appears to be in my mouth. With a little bit of a headwind on the way back to town, Scott and I let Tamara and John drag us home. Every time we got to a climb, Tamara just seemed to float away. Ridin' strong, T-Pain!

Jesse A. hooked up with us on our way back through Frenchtown, as did Bill Schultz. I overheard that Jesse had logged 90 miles the day before! What?! Anyway, needless to say, I find myself continually humbled by this group of motivated athletes. It's great being a part of such a strong, encouraging team! Great rides guys!

-Joshua

Fun in the Sun - Valley of the Sun Race Report!

Tamara Bessette, Ivy Audrian, Caleb Craft

Valley of the Sun: 3 stages, 3 riders, 3 top finishers!

Day One: 14.2 mile TT. Weather was perfect. 65 and very little wind. One would think that after 15 years of racing nerves would not be much of an issue - wrong. It is always the same....trouble eating...multiple trips to the port-a-potty. The nice thing about today was that i was able to help Ivy and Caleb get ready for thier races without jepordizing my preparation. Caleb raced at 9:20 and Ivy at 9:40.

Caleb finished an impressive 6th out of his field of 50 (7th out of a total of 100 cat 5's)

Ivy finished 4th in her field...shaving off almost 3 minutes from 2009.

I finished 8th in my field. My time was faster than last year and i was happy to be in the top ten. My field was a bit smaller than last year but some very strong riders that i knew would be laying down times that would be wicked fast.

Day Two: Road Race. Once again - i was able to be support for Ivy and Caleb as they raced in the morning heats. They both raced 41 miles and weather was again, perfect! Caleb finished about 8th and Ivy 9th. Finish was about 1km after the feed zone. Not a true hill top finish but enough to split things up.

My race was with the pro 1/2 women and the cat 3 women (about 60 riders total). Because last year there were 4 crashes in this race - i promised myself to be either in the top 5 or in my "safe spot" (rear of the field on the yellow line). I spent time in both spots about 50/50...but avoiding the middle of the pack where things tend to get sketchy. There were several attacks made by teams that had riders in the standings. None stuck - of course - not enough hills and too many strong riders willing to chase. I was very worried about the 57 mile distance. I haven't raced that distance since last fall....a bit scary. Started sipping my Hammer Perpetuem in the first 10 miles and continued untill the last climb.

The last 16 mile loop was a leg burner. Either soft peddaling at about 20 or throddle down at about 30...my legs were on fire...not sure i could hang on the last climb. Well - the last climb came and i decided not to wait for someone else to set pace - hit the front and started to climb. The other racers in contention quickley came around and i found myselft about 30th with 1km to go. Somehow i was able to make my way to the front of the field and was in the sprint finish. Took 5th...very happy. Although the times do not reflect - the rest of the peleton was very strung out.

Day 3: Crit. : Caleb raced at 8:45. I gave him the "nothing to lose" and "don't pull just to pull" speech. He raced perfect. Started at the front and finished at the front (5th or 6th). Took a couple of flyers. Incredible race for the new NRO rider!! So proud.

Ivy raced at 9:45. 20 minutes. She got the hole shot and totally strung the field out. I was so proud of her. She rode aggressive and put pain into the legs of the entire field. The average speed of the cat4 field increased from 20mph in 2009 to 25mph this year. I don't think she dropped out of the top 5 riders once. Sprinted to a 4th place finish. Ivy held on to her 4th place overall finish and was on the podium. Way to go Ivy!!!

My race was last. 1:50pm. Ok..so now i needed to practice what i preached. Those of you who know me know that riding in fields of 50+ is not my favorite thing. I usually start at the back...have trouble getting into my cleat....work my ass off to get toward the front...take a tolken flyer...yadda, yadda, yadda. Well - i decided not today. I started in the front row. The entire time the official was giving instructions (not that i pay attention anyway) i was saying to myself "stay calm and clip in just like a training ride". I did not listen for the whistle...rather watched the official and the minute she started to raise it to her lips i was off.

FIRST THROUGH THE FIRST CORNER!!!!!!! Yes....i was not going to ride this as a passenger. My goal was to get rid of as many of the weaker riders asap. I lead for 2 laps - standing out of every corner and holding the highest speed i could. Ivy said the field was single file and gaps opened that never closed up. I stayed in the top 3-5 riders for about 25 minutes of the 40 minute crit. Sprinted for three primes but was not able to match the power of the sprinters. There was one young rider that was scaring the crap out of me that kept getting to the front and actually lapped wheels a couple of times. We all yelled - but she would not go away. Knowing i was not giong to win this race - i settled in towad the rear of the peleton. I think i placed about 20th. It was a fun race and i really overcame some of my personal obstacles. So yes...after 15 years of racing..you can break barriers. I was pleased with my race.

Finished in 9th overall. In the money. Good enough for Feb!!!!!




NRO was a definite force despite being few in numbers. We made it clear that we could be a presence in the race, even against the folks from down south who have a serious training advantage. Look out Walla Walla!

Valley of the Sun Race Report

Tamara called today and said that she, Ivy, and Caleb are all holding on to their top standings. The 41 mile race had Caleb finishing in 6th place today. He will hold his 6th place position overall. Ivy also raced 41 miles today and finished in the top 5 with the Cat 4 women. Tamara's race was 61 miles and also had a great race. She finished with the lead pack and held a sprint finish to place 5th overall today.

Way to make your team and Montana proud! Tomorrow is the last stage and the riders will end with a Criterium. Looking forward to more strong finishes!

NRO shows up strong at Valley of the Sun

I talked with Tamara briefly yesterday and received a quick race report. One of our newest NRO riders, Caleb Craft, finished in 6th place out of 50 Cat 5 riders. He's an animal. Ivy raced with the Cat 4's and is in a stunning 4th place. She is going to be tough competition this year! Tamara finished in a very impressive 8th place amongst the Pros and Cat 1 riders. She told me her competition said "You're from Montana?!?!?!? How do you train???" The impressive results just go to show how tough we Montanans are and to be on the look out! All three NRO riders are in contention to podium this weekend.

Today....road racing!

NRO heads to Valley of the Sun SR

Ivy, Caleb Craft (the new fast guy) and myself are heading to sunny Phoenix AZ to race the Valley of the Sun Stage Race. So excited...and very nervous!!!

14.2 mile TT, RR, and Crt. About 750 riders signed up. Caleb is in one of two Cat5 fields of 50. Ivy's field will be about 50 and mine will be 52 incuding the Cat 3 women - a much better size for me than the 80+ of last years field.

Ivy flew to Tucson on Sunday - her bike transported by Andrew Genco (thanks, Andrew). She reports the weather is sunny and warm. Rode a bit yesterday - not booties - short finger golves - short sleeve jersey. I can't wait.

We packed up Caleb's Subaru this morning and he is off. 4 bikes, butt load of wheels, trainers, pump, more wheels, food, tool bag (not that i know how to use it much)....and a good book on tape.

I fly out at 6:30am tomorrow.

Stay tuned...more pic's and updates to come.

Ride on,

Tamara

FEATURE RIDER OF THE MONTH..SHAUN RADLEY

I have chosen Shaun as our "Feature Rider of the month" for many, many, reasons. We all love Shaun, so I'm sure this choice is of no great surprise. Reasons we love Shaun: he is one of the biggest cycling advocates I know, authors montanacyclocross.com, one of the most popular cycling websites in cyberspace, is the Mastermind of "Rolling Thunder," which is one of the best Cyclocross races in the Pacific Northwest, his love for the bike is infectious, and darn it - he's just about the nicest guy you'll ever know! I wanted everyone to become a little more familiar with our cycling enthusiast so I asked him the following questions:

First time you knew you had bike fever:

Growing up, my family was really into biking. We bike toured all over. I always rode on the back of a tandem because I was not strong enough to ride my own bike. It was fun family time, but I didn't think that riding was anything special. When I turned 12 my dad got me my own road bike. We road a bike tour called Red-Spoke (Redmond to Spokane in). During the ride I would purposely get separated from my folks and ride on my own. I felt fast, free, and independent. It was better then getting my first car.

Favorite ride:

My favorite road ride is the Yak Loop in NW Montana. My favorite mtb ride is Snowbowl Overlook. My favorite cross ride is Deer Creek to the switchback, up and then down the single track into the ski trails.

Most memorable ride:

When I was 19, I rode Seattle to Portland in one day with Brian. We were 100% ill-prepared. We had ridden maybe 10 hours total before the ride. It was a huge adventure.

Favorite bike:

Ramblumtick

Who or what inspires you:

I am easily inspired. I can watch a highlight video of Paolo Bettini and get excited. In cycling I get inspired by my teammates. Riding with guys like Josh, Toby, Elliot, Brian, Jdoll, and Fiore is what it's all about. This is super cheesy, but when they win a race I feel like I won the race too. When you ride, hang out, and then race together the races become more then just races. I would do pretty much anything within the rules to help one of those guys win a race. Wanting to be there for my teammates has taken my cycling to new levels.

My two favorite pro riders are Tim Johnson and Sam Schultz. If I could be any rider I would be TJ. He's the captain on the road, and a killer in cross. Sam is the best mountain biker in the US and one of the coolest people to hang out with. He never forgets where he came from, and is game for anything. The opposite of the "pro" stereotype.

What is something that people don't know about you?

I am an avid NFL fan. My team is the Seahawks.

Well, there you have it folks. Words from the man we all know and love. Rumor has it that he can be found zipping along on skate skis, but be on the lookout - he's back on the saddle again.....

Thanks for everything you do!

News From J Dunphy...we miss him!

Tamara,
I can't get my ass in gear to start training! I am so lazy! I have been "cross training" and lifting only riding out side occasionally, telling myself I will be fine. I think it is time to start for real....please tell me to get going. I am not getting serious with races until April this year, which is nice, but seriously I haven't been on my trainer once yet.
Anyway, besides being a sack of lethargy, everything else in Chicago is going just fine. Living situation is grand and I have a part time job as a personal trainer, hence the over abundance of weight lifting and running on the treadmill to 'cross train.' I have met some folks who race here, which is nice, and although they want me to join their team, I have been telling everyone that any team I join has some big shoes to fill. In short, I have not joined another team yet because I refuse to race with 'tools' whose top priority is the Chicago Criterium in July. I am still waiting to find a team that is excited about the ridiculous April "roubaix" style races they have out here.
That's it for now I suppose. Getting on the trainer to start interval work next week, got a part time job, havn't joined another team (seeing a psychotherapist to help me with this - she thinks I am having trouble letting go of my old one - probably true ;) ), am excited for roubaix style races.
Whats going on with the missoula crew? I assume Elliot and Bryce are about to peak as everyone else is just getting revved up for the season?
Hope all is well,
Jeremy