Brian Williams takes crit!

Brian Williams racing well at the Wenatchee Omnium this weekend.

Yesterday he placed 11th in the TT and won the Crit!!!

Today is the RR. Lot's of climbing.... Go get it Brian!!!

Roubaix success!

Well, another Roubaix went down today. The green machine kicked it in high gear for some top place finishes! One of our most dedicated new riders Josh Martell placed 2nd in the Cat 5 field. Peter Young finished in 2nd place in the Cat 4 field, Lindsy Campbell found a gear that no other women had today and finished strong in first place in the Women's 1/2/3 field, and Jamie, one of our newest riders took home a sweet 1st place finish for the Cat 4 women. Last but certainly not least, the Men 1/2 field....it sounds like there was some incredible teamwork done amongst them with Josh Tack putting the hurt on the field time and time again, and Dan V. and Shaun Radley hammering to place them in 1st and 2nd respectively. Phew! You guys are killing it this year and it demonstrates what solid teamwork can accomplish in this sport.

I'd like to thank all the riders who braved the Missoula winter weather to race today. It hasn't been a very forgiving winter/spring, and I was glad to see the 85+riders who came out. I'd also like to thank our two major sponsors for making 2011 start off to a great season: Northern Rockies Orthopedic, & Big Sky Bikes. You help put smiles on our faces!

NRO doing well at Cherry Blossom

This is a picture of Lindsy working it at Cherry Blossom! Go Linds! She finished 15th in the Cat 1-2 field at yesterday's 75 mile Road race. In the men's field, Brian Williams finished 6th (can't wait to hear all about it) as Josh Tack and Dan V. also rode in within a minute of him! Way to go everyone! More to come as they have 3 more stages left to go! Today: TT and Crit! Keep riding strong everyone!

On a side note...Frozen Flatlands is today and tomorrow. Looks like the name will hold up to itself! Anxious to see how people do!

The Green Machine Takes 1-2-3!

The season is starting off with a bang for Northern Rockies! Just when you think those snow-bound legs couldn't pedal any faster than last weekend, the Men's A Category saw record speeds. Rumor has it they were clocked in at 37mph on the flats! Way to go men! Dan V. decided to make his move after the railroad tracks and time trialed to the finish line to take a well earned 1st place! After taking first place last weekend, Shaun came in with an impressive second. Also, NRO's machine Josh Tack took third to round off a 1-2-3 placing for NRO! I would also like to add that if it weren't for some punky little kids throwing thumb tacks on the road, Brian Williams would have been in the running as well. UGH! It's going to be a great season for the team! All of that training in snow, wind, rain, sleet, and hail certainly has us off to a strong start!

Clinton Training Race #1 - NRO 1-2 finish

The weather held off until the last lap today. It was cold but not too windy or rainy as predicted. There was a good turn out, but not quite what we had last year (I don't know the exact numbers.)

Shortly after the C's started, everyone groaned as the crossing signals came down and a train passed through. Depending on the length of the train, the C's could gain a serious advantage. However, the train proved short enough to not affect the race outcome. We caught the B's and C's (not sure the order or on what lap, lap 2?), but some of the B's stuck with us and put in a great effort. Of special note was Lindsy Campbell who came in among the top 10 overall! Great job, Lindsy!

On the 4th lap, Nate went off the front and the other NRO riders rode defensively. As we rounded the last turn, the headwind was fierce and Nate was reeled in. His effort ended up working perfectly for his teammates though. In the last few hundred meters, Shaun began "leading me out". There was no way I could stay on his wheel though and Shaun ended up getting the perfect lead out from Dan who had been setting the pace up front. From the finish line video you can see that the power they produced in the last 200m kept anyone from finishing very close. Nice work guys. Incredible effort, Shaun!
Thanks, Charlotte, for the photos and video! And thanks Alex and the guys from Missoula Bicycle Works for organizing this year's event. Watch the race finish HERE.
-Joshua

Tuesday Ride 3-15-2011 5:30

Are you ready? With the first training race coming up this weekend...it is time to put the hammer down. Tuesdays...starting tomorrow.

Tuesday Ride this year will meet at the UM footbridge (VanBuren St) at 5:30. As daylight extends - the ride will be moved back to 6 p.m. (in a few weeks...tba)

This is a fast paced training ride with the route decided by those who attend. Keep it safe - but don't be afraid to take a flyer and see who comes after you!!!

This ride is open to everyone - but please be aware that this is "race pace" and good pack skills are recommended.

Riding Outside - A Novel Idea

Saturday (March 5th) we woke up to big, fat snowflakes falling from the sky (and collecting on the ground).
Tamara's phone rang continuously as folks wanted to inquire if we were really going to ride. I know there are plenty of hardcores on our team that have been riding outside all winter, but this was our first official outside team ride of the year. Those that showed up at Big Sky Bikes (13 in all) were treated to snow, graupel, sunshine, and lots of dirty spray coming off of un-fendered tires. We rode up Ninemile to the end of the pavement, up Roman Creek, and then came back on Mullen. I'm looking forward to next week, when there will be enough daylight to ride after work!