X
Who the hell is Mark LaLonde?
The home team strikes again. After a couple local VICTORIES both KRISTEN and MARKO went on to advance their names on the domestic list. Teammates Kristen and Anna tore up the TORONTO UCI event with a spectacular third and sixth. Sunday proved to be equally as difficult in terms of conditions while the team went to town finishing second and sixth. Congrats.
Week after week results reveal the same names. Johnson, Wells, Anthony, Powers, Trebon, Driscoll. What's the secret to cracking this equation. MARKO LALONDE! 9th place on day one of the USGP round 2 event. Word on the course had him in 7th until a mud infested bobble spit him back to ninth. Word up. I'm predicting a top 8 by nats.
I'd like to think that the troops are picking up steam in my absence but deep down I know its the nature of the blood. The young BLOOD opened fire on the MN scene with a polluting fourth place in the cat 1 field aboard his custom ELLIS single. Great work men and women!
Kentucky waterfall.
Perhaps we should rewind. Race reports come and go as quick as a USGP hour of power. The report could be as easy as: with the sound of the gun we were off.... no wait, fast and furious the pro packed peloton bottle necked into the first turn... wait wait wait. We started, I pedaled fast, I finished 14th, the end. It's not that simple unless I want it to be. There is a lot of racing that takes place in an hour and I happen to enjoy every second. Day one showed us a beautiful circuit on the ex Louisville golf course. The field was stacked with cycling news super hero's and plenty of amateurs vying for a crack at the scene. I was called up third row directly behind MARKO and MATTER on the left inside. The official gun released the viciousness onto the pave. Into the first left I snagged the railing and four went by. I struggled to keep balance in the aggressive field as we approached the first barrier. I came in hot and ran up on a competitor as he went off kilter forcing his rear wheel into my front. I got spun and my bike went under the tape as a spectator rescued it for me. I hounded ten wheels until Marko came into view. He was on the front of the chase group which appeared to be content with the PB skin suit lead. I latched on for a lap and moved towards the front by the count of four. Through the start finish I put a jump on that separated both Marko and I from the group. As we approached the barriers we were in the clear as I overheard the announcer praise TREBON for his acceleration. I glanced over only to see Ryan out of the saddle pulling mach speed over 40 seconds ahead of us. So fast! As the laps wound down we approached a rider who turned out to be Adam MCGRATH who was in the lead of the U23 race. I went by and he hopped on for the remainder of the race. Marko took a pull, I took a pull, Adam took a pull as we came within racing range of Matter in twelve. Over the green monster it was apparent that Brian would finish ahead of us as we battled for 13-15. Marko got a jump and I went with him, that was it. 13/14 out of 58ish UCI elite.
Day two brought nearly the same course and plenty of sunshine along with the same star studded field. You can feel the awesomeness in the air as the announcer stokes the crowd with competitor stats and facts. I believe Marko was referred to as the "PLANET BIKE PHENOM." Approaching a similar start position I had my work cut out for me with the quick narrowing of the course. Once off I was placed in nearly the same position as the day prior only with much cleaner lines. My legs popped out of each corner as I latched onto the chase group (10-15th plc) behind Marko. As we came off the pavement I caught the raucous roll. No, not my tire just the audio. All is well...right? I floated around the next couple of corners with the repulsive idea of a flat. It didn't take long until I was empty and still a ways from the pit. One by one riders went by as I witnessed the top ten disappear. I made my way to the pit and grabbed my 15.5lb RIDLEY. I continued to stalk riders one by one as the mental went into hibernation. I came upon the second chase group of eight and rode right through them. As we neared the barriers my adrenalin took the wheel and launched me over. ONE. T-w-o, as I clipped the second and rolled. Look closely, I'm still clipped in. Look closer and you'll see how close I am to taking out a couple children. Look closer and you'll see teammate KRISTEN freaking. I shouldered the impact and thanks to a kind spectator was mounted up in no time. The next turn I felt a kink. A kink in my shoulder. I had no feeling or strength of grip with my left limb. I mustered half a lap one handed as I rolled under the tape near Elicia and Andrea (thanks for the help guys!). I was in to much pain to complete the last two so I packed it in and watched Mark tear his way to tenth with Brian a close 11th. Great work from my two Wisco compatriots! With a bum race under my belt along with a separated shoulder I'm feeling the fire... as long as I can recover. The blacks and blues are great this time of year as I've already begun photo documentation. Thanks to the Planet bike team and T6 for making this trip possible along with my three teammates who killed it out there.
photos: ©JAMIE YOUNG.
USGP #1.
14/57 on the day. An early hang up set me back for a couple laps before bridging up to MARKO's group. Threw an attack on the group and Marko was the only one who covered it. We hunted down one more rider as we approached the next group before time ran out. Straighten the kinks and a top 10 will be in the forcast.
On the wings of a knobby tired pilot.
Small flock, large audience. The Camrock race is not only one of the best courses in the Midwest but also the longest continuously run cx race in Wisco at 22 years and running. Yes, at 7 years old I was more interested in eating worms but look where that got me... racing the CR course in 08 and winning. By lap two both Steve SCHLOZEN and Swiss powerhouse Guillame and I separated ourselves from the group. I tempo'd the majority of the race with four wheels in pursuit. Steve washed out once or twice before checking out as Guillame shared a couple laps with me before pulling some Euro pull-over shenanigans. I made the slow-mo move as I bettered my competitive companion in the tech section and gapped with my log-hopping capabilities. Win #1.
Day two showed even a smaller crowd as the rains began to fall. Little bro JAMES upgraded to the quick race which kept the motivation high. I rode conservative from the gun while keeping tempo (whatever that is). Gaining confidence with each lap the gaps began to grow. I was riding smooth and taking chances to advance my future.... or so I thought. Unexpected washout. Head first to face. Cracked helmet, cracked face. 1st place. Props to James for his finish. This mean more to me than cool. Thnk-u super fans. Pho-toes: HAAS.
...Just in
Gots to get paid! I'm surprised this one hasn't made it's way to Velonews. Speaking of news, T6 is on a diet. GET AFTER IT!
Day 2.
The correlation is lost somewhere along the way. From fat tired knobbies to drop bars and a cluster. It's raw power which I tend to lack at times but more important the mentality to hold a wheel that's moving quicker than yours. Day 2 of the Jonathan Page PLANET bike cup came and went but without making a spectacle of the Wisco cross scene. The chicane of pain may have lacked the dollars bills that it did on day one but was made up in metal. Iron Maiden to be exact.
With most everyone returning from the prior day and the addition of Tim Johnson the pace was for sure going to smoke. I hooked up another third row call up on the left behind MARKO and MOLLY. On the gun I punched the awkward line which seemed to work well on Saturday and sure enough I slid right in the top twenty. Fortunately MATTER was a wheel in front of me going through the S so I committed early. Marko joined and we began to pick then of one by one until we gained a top ten. By this time in the race the front is generally settled and it's more survival than residual. As we punched every stretch I compared my fitness to the day prior. I was racing better despite the massive palm blisters covered in athletic tape and synthetic glove. I made my way to the front of our group and attempted a pull or two which was quickly depleted on the barricades and then again on the back stretch by Brian. Matters move was good for us. We're so used to working the mtb course that it was almost second nature to go which left Yves Corminboeuf in no mans land... until Brian washed out on a 90 and Marko rode over him. I was pretty blown up and had a hard time taking advantage especially 4.5 laps out which I'm sure was apparent to the competition as they made their way back to my wheel. We snaked our way through the superfans and through the finish area with three to go. A glimpse of the stars and stripes caught my attention... Tim Johnson? He was coming back to us as I fought to keep straight vision. Marko was making quick work of our group as he continued to push harder with every stroke. It was apparent that we would race each other and maybe Johnson to the line. As we got gripped for the finish I lost contact when my back number caught a stake on the back side forcing me to squirrel out. I attempted to latch back on but at this point it was to much. I raced in at ninth, one place off yesterday but still good enough for points. It's great to be back on the bike and feel alive. Thanks to PLANET bike for never ending support and all the superfans who are benchmarking Wisco X. Superb job to little bro JAMES who cleaned house in the threes both Saturday and Sunday while racing his new ELLIS ss. Next up, the LOCAL stuff...
JPPBC day 1.
It's been twenty days since my last race effort. The ride has been absent for nearly as long. With my thyroid condition trading blows with the reality of a new career I've been down and out. A trip to Vegas briefly diverted me from the anticipation of cow bells but was soon revived once I saw the hoards of "pros" walking the strip. It was time to get back on it. My return flight was delayed which cut into my Friday night bike build as I postponed it until the AM. By noon I had my new PB Ridley on the roof as I pointed towards Sun Prairie for day one of the Jonathan Page PLANET bike cup.
The field size was great for the venue as the notable names ran deep. My registration put me in the third row behind MARKO who trailed WELLS. As the gun went off I rallied without expectations. Ride smooth and get a feel for the bike before letting loose. I settled in the top twenty by the end of lap one and managed to work into the top 15 by the end of lap three. I was gaging off riders I knew as I caught a glimpse of MATTER working it near the front. Threw that plan out the window as Marko blows by me after a lack luster start. I put a revolution of power strokes in but he already had fifteen meters. I was in no mans land for a lap or two until Wells came by after a wash out early in the race. I lack the ability to close gaps so I stuck with Todd for half a lap who drew me up to Molly's wheel. I was popped pretty good and my lack of riding was apparent. It's hard to hide in front of international competition as we bobbled until a U23 Euro joined us and did work. I was riding the off camber faster than my two friends so I pushed through with four to go. My gap stuck and Matter appeared to be coming back while Marko was on a rampage to snag a podium spot. In the end I stayed even and rode in for eighth which was good enough for a handful of UCI points...
FUN-damentals.
I willingly exhibited my new PLANET bike skin suit for nine hours this weekend. Granted, eight hours longer then any given race day it was for a great event. The Jonathan PAGE cross clinic went off without a hitch as x fiends of all ages and abilities gathered at Badger Prairie park for a Saturday of FUN-damentals. Bad habits were broke, techniques improved, and new friends made. It was awesome hanging with my teammates before we crack down on the competition. Next up is Michigan as we head to the TAILWINDS UCI race on September 20-21st.
