| Shootout Bike Ride Tucson, AZ 7/13/2008 - Gord Fra | |  For today's Shootout write up visit the link below.
http://www.ride-strong.com/shootout-bike-ride-tucson-az-7132008-gord-fraser-takes-yellow/
Written by Tyler Ford |
| Shootout Bike Ride Tucson, AZ 7/5/2008 - Paul Thom | |  For todays Shootout update visit:
http://www.ride-strong.com/shootout-bike-ride-tucson-az-752008-paul-thomas-takes-yellow/
Written by Tyler Ford of www.Ride-Strong.com |
| Shoot Out 5/17/08 | |  The pace picked up immediately after Valencia, and remained relatively steady with a large group of riders sharing pace line duty at the front. About a mile before the bridge, everything was strung out and the pace was beginning to take its toll as gaps began to open up. At the bridge, a group of about 20 riders formed a lead group. Over the next couple miles the lead group dwindled down to 13 riders. Well before the sprint hill, Tim Carolan (White Mountain) came to the front and drove the pace to the base of the hill. Gord Fraser (in Carmichael gear), Jake Rubelt (Rideclean), and Jonathan Scholnick (UofA Cycling) easily pulled away from the group and finished in that order.
On Old Nogales, Fraser made sure to put a stamp on the day by taking the in-town sprint. He was followed by Tyler Jorgensen (Team WM) and Bryan Schlegel (Aggress).
This week's shoot out commentary was written by Scott Baker |
| Shoot Out 5/10/08 | |  It was a sprinter's feast at the May 10th 2008 shoot out.
The weather in the days before this morning's ride had been difficult for training: windy, dusty, hot. The air felt thick, and looked jaundiced and dirty across the Rillito/Santa Cruz basin. As the ride developed, a light breeze cut across South Mission from left to right. The group started with 100 or more riders, and there were various problems such as a long train at Main cutting the group into pieces, and bad luck and outright cheating at several lights along the way.
By the time the pelaton got to Mission and Valencia, everyone was looking at each other wondering what was going to happen next.
Curtis Gunn (Successful Living) responded with a lengthy attack into the breeze which quickly shattered the group into a string of chasers stretching from the Cathedral turn-off almost back to Los Reales. After the first cattle guard the desperate and relaxed alike had reconstituted into a hard charging group of about 70 riders. At the front a paceline formed, weaving back and forth into the wind, composed of ten or so team riders, including GST, Colavita, Carmichael, Eclipse and some individuals.
The pace was even and fast, very fast.
At the bridge, a group of 50 went over and continued a difficult but not crushing pace with no real breaks. It was not possible to pick out a bridge winner from one third of the way back, but it must have been one Speed Racer just edging out the others in punishing conditions. This would generally be Dan Naef (ProCon). Please advise.
The difficulty persisted as the group maintained a very high level to the mailboxes with small futile breaks forming and dieing off in the beating sun. Tim Carolan (Landis) prevailed out of a hard pedaling group to grab his moment of glory at the old school second sprint point, which some claim is no longer relevant to the matter. Carolan disagrees, at least for today, and so do those few who tried to beat him to the line.
With the large number of riders, the approach to Sprint Hill was fast but ponderous, and opportunities for attacks were few. Ed Gilligan (GST) escaped briefly, but was suppressed by a Summit Center Rider. John Simonson (GST) got off for a mile or so, but was swallowed up by a solid chase.
As the road turned up for the sprint hill, a group of four separated, after some animation by Jarred (Colavita), Doug (tri.), and Naef among others, composed of Scott Baker (GST), Gunn, Carolan, and John S. (U of A). The group stayed away and fought hard all the way up, with Gunn taking top prize, followed by Carolan, then John S. and finally Baker just missing third place.
There were some tragic flats on the rollers, including Dwight Nelson (Southwest Hand). Hopefully he'll make it back to Starbucks in time for the Tuesday ride.
Despite these upsets the group reconvened, and after moving through town was back up to 70 or so riders, minus Gunn who abandoned the group either to drink beer at the golf course or ascend Madera Canyon by himself, or possibly both.
On the interminable roll-back on Old Nogales Highway there was either a tailwind, or at least neutral air, as the pack hit speeds of 35mph on with no real struggles. The only breaks in the monotony were supplied by two Green Valley police officers pretending to guard the pecan orchards, and various shenanigans by people who seemed to have driven their cars to the store, who then decided to compete spiritedly to be in the top twenty, five miles before the sprint. Luckily, there were no crashes.
The final sprint was a real barn burner as Aggress set up a nice lead out after Carolan (Landis) made a gutsy final attack and nearly stayed away. Others from Presteza, Eclipse, and Carmichael tried to get away as well, but Aggress showed good patience and lead-out chops, with Brian Schlegel sling-shotting Brian Ten Eyk out for the final flag, followed by Gilligan in second, and apparently Jake the Sprinter (Southwest Hand) taking third for the second week in a row.
The average speed of the group at Old Nogales and Valencia was 23.7 mph, practically a record.
This weeks commentary was written by Leo Marsursky |
| Shoot Out 5/03/08 | |  Dawn broke beautifully (it was sunny and cool, maybe F 50) for the May 3, 2008 Shoot Out. The Tour of the Gila and the San Tan and Cinco De Mayo crits depleted the field a bit, but about 70 people showed up for the fireworks.
The group rolled slowly to Valencia, and the mild pace continued for several miles.
After early probing by various riders, at about MP 17 some five guys rolled off the front including Scott Biaggi (GST), Mike Middleton (Rhino), Mr. Glick (U of A), John Sholberg (ph)(U of A), and a Summit Center rider. It was a good combination for the field, and despite some futile efforts by individuals (tri-Doug, attacker Juan Carlos (unk) and others) the group stayed away until the hill, being more or less controlled by GST and Rhino. The Summit Center rider got dropped several miles before Shoot Out Hill, leaving four in the hard working break.
Sholberg (U of A) seized the ultimate glory on the hill, taking first, with possibly Middleton (Rhino) fighting for second. In the peloton there was some competition for the pack sprint, as a finely pedaling Peter Brown (GST) took pack honors (and possibly a technical third overall), chased closely by Juan Carlos, having been led out by Jon Black (GST) and Leo Masursky (GST).
The group re-convened over the hill, and rolled along as normal for this time of year. However, at the tracks at Duvall Mine Rd, Masursky manufactured an escape staying away for approximately 25 miles to the finish, taking an uncontested first place at the traditional sprint finish line. The Curtis Couple are eye witnesses to this solo effort, having been present at the intersection of Duvall Mine and La Cholla as Masursky proceeded safely through the (green) light there, already about 30 seconds up on the field.
Approximately two and a half minutes after finishing his race, Masursky watched as the pack surged to the line in a titanic battle for second place. Jake Rubelt (Carmichael) pipped sprinter Jake (SW Hand) at the line. Travis Huxman (Eclipse) may have stabbed for third, but it was a bit hard to see in the chaotic melee.
With no less than eight teams (GST, U of A, Rhino, Summit Center, Carmichael, Southwest Hand, Eclipse, Old Pueblo, HLAP) actively involved in this edition of the Shoot Out, there is great promise for the superheated summer struggles to come!
This weeks commentary was written by Leo Masursky |
| Shoot Out 4/19/2008 by Tyler Ford | |  Visit this link for today's commentary: Click Here
Or visit www.Ride-Strong.com
Also check out www.roadbikerides.com |
| Shoot Out 3/8/08 by Tyler Ford | |  Today's commentary of the Shoot Out was written by Tyler Ford
Visit this link for today's commentary: Click Here
Or visit www.Ride-Strong.com |
| 3/1/08 Shoot out | |  The pace picked up as expected soon after Valencia. A group of 6-8 strong riders started a brutal paceline. Other riders would jump in for a pull or two before deciding that they were way over their head and dropping back. The overall speed of the ride caused a split near the bridge a group of 20 or so forming off the front. The hill sprint was won by Evan Hyde (UofA Cycling). Following Hyde was a mountain biker with the last name of Schultz and Dave Swanson (Summit Velo).
Unfortunately, today's ride will primarily be remembered for two bizarre crashes that took place. The first crash was caused when a rider hit a bump in the road causing his handlebars to snap in half. This sent the rider and my teammate, Steve Morton, hard to the ground. Both were scraped up pretty bad, and Steve had injured his shoulder and/or collar bone. In what must have felt like a death march, Morton rode one handed for the next five miles in order to have a family member pick him up from Green Valley.
While the GST boys stayed with Steve to make sure he was able to make it to Green Valley, the rest of the group continued to town. Half way down Helmet Peak we came upon a Sheriff's vehicle with lights flashing. There were numerous riders down, busted up bikes, and a lot of confusion. It turns out that in an effort to pull over the riders, the officer pulled head-on in front of the pack causing brakes to be locked up and a chain reaction of riders going down.
(I didn't witness the second crash. If anyone who witnessed it would like to provide a first hand account, email me at bakerscottk@comcast.net and I'll include your commentary.)
Today's commentary was written by Scott Baker
(Addendum on Crash #1 provided by Steve Morton) I have taken off the cast on my left wrist and am going to try and get into a position so the shoulder and wrist can type. Thanks to all who stopped and my mates that stayed with me after the mishap,especially T.J. the Michelin guy. It has been a long time since I have taken a spill, so what I have been doing is going over the day and try and figure if things could have been different. Mr. Simonson and I had a brief conversation at the start and he commented on not going down and my response was " don't even talk like that". The field was definitely star packed with the usual pros and out of town neo-pros. Todd Wells, the GT guy, one of the worlds best cycle-cross guys, and a really humble good dude. The pace was fast to say the least, and a small group, I believe smaller than normal due to the pace, had formed past the bridge. Mr. Gunn and Mr. Cooke (Health Net) were at the front of group 2, and I was directly behind them listening to the conversation coming from Mr. Gunn. His plan was to let a big gap open up and then launch so he and Mr. Cooke could bridge. Several people would go by and bridge-up to the small field up the road. Mr. Ricotello went by with some fast athletes and made a comment to Mr. Gunn about what he was doing. He and Mr. Cooke asked if we were ready and then launched. Wow, we were, well to be honest, not much respect. Some of us gathered and echeloned back to the group with the help of Rene, Adrian a stud Tri-Sport guy and Mr. Wells. This is were the fun started, I think again of the events that led up to me flying over my friend Doug Friman. In my at least 18 years of being able to be part of this great ride, what I have noticed most is the small things that we don't do. Mainly, when you are in the front of the group your job is to point out obstacles, whether it makes it back to the rest of us is up to us. Doug was very upset, I called him later that afternoon when the x-rays showed no breaks that all was good with me and work etc. If you get a chance during a ride ask Doug about his accomplishments and what he has done, he, like his friend T.J. don't say much, can ride like the wind, and are great humans. My point being, this was not Doug's fault, I think someone could have pointed out the hole. I, after calming down wanted to go home to Mommy and my middle son met T.J. and I outside of Sahurita. I will be seeing Dr. Siegel Tuesday morning and will mend. The nurses at TMC were having a hard time believing my pulse was 49-55 especially with the obvious pain. I am lucky to be able to be on the Shoot-Out and can't wait to get the heart rate up. |
| Shoot Out 2/2/08 by Jon Chadroff | |  Today's commentary of the Shoot Out was written by Jon Chadroff
Visit this link for today's commentary: Click Here
Or visit www.Ride-Strong.com |
| Shoot Out Commentary for 1/26/08, Tucson, AZ | |  Today's commentary of the Shoot Out was written by Scott Biaggi.
Visit this link for today's commentary: Click Here
Or visit www.Ride-Strong.com |
| Shoot Out 1/19/2008 | |  Today's commentary of the Shoot Out was written by Tyler Ford.
Visit this link for today's commentary: Click Here
Or visit www.Ride-Strong.com |
| Shoot Out 1/12/08 | |  The pack tends to be huge this time of year, and this weekend looked to be over 100 riders. Soon after Valencia a paceline developed containing about 15-20 consistent riders and a handful of others who would jump in for one or two pulls, realize they were in over their head, and drop back to the comfort of the pack. This kept the pace fast, and likely discouraged many riders from trying to go off the front. Near the bridge, some of the stronger riders really started driving the pace, eventually shattering the pack into three or four groups. The lead group contained about 20 riders, who appeared to represent 19 different teams. I only noticed three local team in the break (GST Racing, Rhino, and WM) and all three of those riders were at the tail end, doing their best to suck wheel and not get popped. Over the sprint hill, the big boys took over with the top three spots taken by Curtis Gunn (Successful Living), Matt Cooke (Navigators) and Sheldon Deeny (U23 National Team).
This time of year there is also a large contingent of riders who veer off toward Madera Canyon in order to up their mileage for the day. Many of these riders are the out of towners who come to Tucson to train in the winter and punish us during the shoot out. Therefore, the Madera split helps everyone. They get the extra miles they need, and the in town sprint on Old Nogales can be contested by the weekend warriors. As was mentioned in some of the posts last summer, a new light has been added on Old Nogales about 800 meters before the sprint sign. Today it was red, so everyone started from a standstill. My stellar bike handling skills required unclipping, so when the light turned green I was forced to watch the sprint unfold from about 100 meters back. Miguel Folch (Unattached) took top honors, followed by Matt Jones (Eclipse) and Tyler Ford (GST Racing).
This week’s commentary was written by Scott Baker.
This is also posted on www.Ride-Strong.com |
| Shoot Out 12/15/07 | |  A fair size group of probably 100 started on what was a cold day, estimated by some to be in the low 30's as the group rolled along Mission Road. Steady pace started at Valencia, with the first casualties coming off after only a couple of miles. The author can report on that subject as he was riding at the absolute back of the pack as it passed San Xavier Mission and surrounding residences. It was cold enough that not even the stray dogs expressed any interest in chasing. Driving the smoothly increasing pack speed were Mike Sayers (BMC), Curtis Gunn (Successful Living), winter visitor John "Yale" (does someone want to get his last name?) and 6 or 7 others. Action began to heat up though as the road ramped up (the false flat gets false) and the group stretch into a single file stream. The rotation numbers dropped down to the beanie-wearing Sayers, Gunn, the Yaley, Scott Baker (GST Racing), and perhaps one or two other henchmen. The author moved toward the front for a better view. Gunn and Yaley moved away getting a 50 meter space about 2500 meters before the bridge, and yours truly closed that gap down, with Scott Leonard (Rhino), Baker, and Sayers in close tow. By the bridge, the group had narrowed to far less than 50 riders, with the majority of those either giving up the ghost or purposefully sitting up to enjoy a longer, more civilized ride. It looked like about 20 riders made the final selection.
Can not report on who was first over the sprint hill or on Old Nogales, as this author surrendered at the slag heap.
This weeks commentary was written by Kurt Kroese. |
| Shoot Out 12/8/07 | | | Not much to report for this week as the rains have kept everybody away. But the Shootout goes on rain or shine. The word is about 10 to 15 riders rolled out under menacing skies. A complete deluge by the time the group rolled toward "A" mountain. A crash on Mission in front of Gord takes him down. Only the hard-core continued as the group dwindled to 10 or so by the time they got to Valencia, 5 of which were cloaked in GST Racing colors. By the time the wet peloton had made it to bridge they were down to 6 riders - The GST crew and one other. Somewhere before the Sprint Hill one of the GSTers flatted. The group being mostly GST waited. After the repair they all decided to pack it in and head home as the delay had sucked the last bit of incentive as well as body heat out of each rider. |
| Shoot Out 12/01/07 | |  The howling wind and rain on Friday night seemed to have discouraged many regulars from attending Saturday's Shoot out as only 25 to 30 saddled up for the ride. GST came out in full force sporting their new black and blue jersey kits, and with their majority numbers chose to lead the pack once things ramped up after Valencia. Riding into a 20 knot headwind did the job of keeping those typically spunky from jumping off the front as we drove like a spear up to the bridge. However, despite the wind, John (previously known as "the Yale guy") attacked at the bridge and brought the other newcomer Walter (From San Diego) along with him. GST as a whole sat up, which left about 6 others (Mike Middleton:Rhino, Frank the Norwegian (SummitVelo), Curtis Gunn (Successful Living), two Aggress guys (Brian Ten Eyck & ?) and myself (Rhino) to chase. They didn't stay away long and so the 8 of took our turns in the wind up to the sprint hill. Curtis, who called December 1'st "Day One" of his training year lead the charge up, but peeled off early, John Yale was next with big Frank on his wheel and me tucked in behind. Gravity caught up with Frank and I stayed shielded behind John until the second tier where I made my move to the top,: John and Frank followed. I think John was holding back because that kid's got a lot of power in those legs.
Had a nice tail wind coming back down Old Nogie and we kept it going at about 28 - 32 mph. It rained a little on us, but not enough to soak in. GST caught back on shortly before the in-town sprint as we rode fairly easily with the sails up. Frank made the first move towards the in-town sprint and kept his distance to the line, followed by an Aggress rider and ?.
This weeks commentary was written by Kyle Akin, Team Rhino |
| Shoot Out 11/24/07 | |  The shoot out commentary has lagged behind. Having ridden the majority of these Saturday mornings over the last few months, the author fairly comments that the Shoot Out is as strong as ever. It is the reporting which is weak. There have been basically the usual suspects on a weekly basis, with local star retirees Jim Riccitello and Gord Fraser making cameo appearances from time to time. If asked to peg the best and most consistent rider over the last few months, Mike Middleton of Team Rhino immediately comes to the author's mind. Mike has been riding really strong and often making whatever breaks develop. Also notably improved is teen Juan Carlos ___? (last name unknown) of Summit Velo, who hails from Obregon, Sonora. The appearance of his father on the motorcycle, shadowing the group safely behind and assisting saps with mechanical problems, is appreciated, at least to this author. As typical, the shoot out swelled in size through the latter half of September and into October and early November as people prepared for El Tour de Tucson.
El Tour has now come and gone, and as seen by the ride on Saturday, November 24, 2007, we are back to the truly usual suspects, with probably only about 60 people starting the ride and 18 or so making it to the sprint hill. The weather was cool, with wind blowing easterly. Cloud cover was to the east, blocking the sun. It was one of those southern Arizona days where it became cooler as the day progressed. The group started relatively fast, and with fewer people along for the ride, there were fewer places to hide. The crosswind also took its toll quickly. Again, Mike Middleton was pacing at the front, and under his direction, the group easily managed weak attacks from unknown star seekers.
It was not until about 4 minutes from "the bridge" that two youngsters slipped off the front, namely Thomas Jondall (Summit Velo) and this other whippersnapper wearing Yale attire. For reasons unknown, perhaps weary from a Thanksgiving feast, Thomas J. pulled off at the top of the bridge, leaving the Yaley to fend for himself. It appeared that the group underestimated the unknown Ivy Leaguer, as he powered away over the next several miles, completing a rare solo break away. Small groups started to open gaps, but local powerhouse Tim Carolan (Eclipse) and steady Mike Middleton managed these minor threats. The Yaley finally came into view with approximately 5 k to go, but his sustained effort had clearly been too much for what had become a small crowd of about 18 riders. Pace was consistent to the bottom of the sprint hill when Leo Mazursky (GST) invited Jon Black (GST) to attack early. Mr. Black politely declined, and not wishing Mazursky's lead out to go unnoticed or unappreciated, the author launched to Mazursky's wheel and started an admittedly suicidal assault on the sprint hill well below even the first stair step. A gap opened, but the author was well aware of the inevitable, which occurred. It is unknown to the author who made it second to the top of the sprint hill, but the game was already over with the Yaley calmly waiting for the group at the top, appearing as if he had had time for a sandwich.
Cold set in as the group moved toward the descent on Duval Mine Road. One chap had a thermometer, which read a crisp 42 degrees F as we began what was a slow trip down the hill. Many were underdressed, most notably Jon Black who ran out the door without arm warmers. With everyone's blood thin from record setting temperatures in the Tucson summer which lasted until mid-November, the group appeared to be on Valium as it made its way through the pecan groves. It was Frank Barnes of Summit Velo who woke things up, spreading the group out single file.
As the road opened to three lanes on Old Nogales, the Yaley went to the front, but the group gave him the hairy eyeball. Mazursky again sparked efforts further as the group barrelled toward the speed limit sign. The author followed Mazursky's lead and again failed miserably as a fellow from Waste Management passed hard to the left toward the sign. The inimitable Ray Dunn of GST, perhaps known equally for his coffee roasting prowess as for his sprinting skills, went right and appeared to narrowly deny the youngster from Waste Management. Another shoot out safely went down for the books.
This weeks commentary was written by Kurt Kroese. |
| Shoot Out 7/28/07 | |  This weeks shootout was a sloppy, wet, gritty affair, but still a fun time for all. The tone for the day was set when at about 5:45 am waiting for the shootout to start the sky opened up for about 10 minutes of hard rain and then the rain moved on. It seemed like it must have moved on directly on the path that the shootout was following since we seemed to be following right behind it so the roads stayed nice at wet most of the time until we reached Old Nogales heading back into town. Since they were rebuilding the bridge at St. Mary's, Ralph took us on a nice tour of downtown to get around the construction. Unfortunately the riders that normally wait at St. Marys and Grande by the Churches Chicken joint missed the boat since the shootout bypassed them. The shootout also ran into a road closure just south of the 22nd overpass so we backtracked to 22nd and caught the bike path to get around this closure. Finally we made it unobstructed to Mission so we could start the real ride.
The ride was pretty uneventful except for the young horse running loose along side the road and the pace remained pretty steady until right before the bridge when a few riders that were only going to the bridge ramped up the pace a little. After going over the bridge the pace slowed again and Dwight Nelson (Southwest Hand) decided he needed some alone time so he jumped off the front and the pack chased him until about the mail boxes when everything came back together. Sprint Hill was taken by Peter Brown (Team Rhino) with Neal Becwar (Presteza) second and I heard it was Dan Naef (Summit Velo) in third.
Coming back into town the road was finally dry for the first time and we were enjoying a nice tail wind. A few hundred meters from the sprint sign Peter Brown (Team Rhino) ramped up the pace with a long lead out and was joined by several others. Shortly before the sprint Tyler and Mimi Ford (GST) riding their tandem took over the pace with Todd (Ride Clean), Frank Barnes (Summit Velo) and Mike Clemens (Presteza) jumping on the tandem train. At the sprint sign it was pretty much agreed it was a tie with Tyler & Mimi Ford, Todd, and Mike Clemens all crossing the line side by side in a photo finish. The rest of the ride was uneventful and I think everyone was just happy to be on dry roads so they no longer had spray flying up in their faces. All in all a good ride with cooler temps for a change.
This weeks commentary was written by Mike Clemens |
| Shoot Out 7/14/07 | |  Gord Fraser, becoming the man of many jerseys, was wearing the RideClean colors today. He along with fellow "teammate" Rob Alvarez (RideClean) were away before the bridge. The rest of the group stayed together with no sustained splits all the way to the sprint hill. It was Fraser and Alvarez, one two over the top. Not sure who was third.
During the recovery, as the group neared the tracks just before Duval Mine Rd. a Sheriff was waiting for us. As we rode by he made sure to let everyone know that they must ride to the right side of the road and two by two through Green Valley. As we came down Duval, there were at least three other Sheriff's cars well-spaced making sure we were following orders. This created a pretty mellow pace back in on Old Nogi.
As the group neared the store the pace began to ramp up. Eclipse organized a 3-4 man lead out that looked like it would succeed. However, the new stop light at Hughes Access Rd. turned red and shut everything down. The light turned green and what was once organized became a 1000m drag race with no established leadouts. Tyler Ford (GST Racing) came hard down the left side catching the leaders off guard. After an extra long sprint he took the honors. Teammate Jay Guyot (GST) came around Kyle Akin (Rhino) for 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
This weeks commentary was written by Jay Guyot |
| Shoot Out 6/30/07 | |  After the bridge a 7 rider break developed and stayed off until about Helmet Peak. With the large group back together, many riders were ramping it up for the top of the hill sprint honors. The first to the top was Pablo Sanchez Soria (Eclipse), followed by Dan Naef (Summit Velo), and Ulric DeYoung (Hagens Berman) although some who witnessed the finish would give their vote to DeYoung as he rode hard to the top of the hill while the other two eased off a little short.
Coming in on Old Nogales, the top three spots appeared to be taken by Brian Ten Eyck (Aggress), Scott Baker (GST Racing), and Frank Barnes (Summit Velo), but it was hard to know for sure.
This week's commentary was written by Scott Baker |
| Shoot Out 6/23/07 | |  Disclaimer: It’s hard to follow the two previous write-ups. While this one may not be as much fun to read, we (GST Racing) are doing our best to make sure a shoot out write up is being consistently posted since Bicycling magazine highlighted the shoot out in their current issue and referenced this site as a place to read weekly commentary.
A couple miles after Ajo, Jared Gilyard (Eclipse) went solo off the front and was soon joined by John Simonson (GST Racing). The two of them worked together, building up a 200+ meter lead. As the group neared the bridge, several other riders would try to bridge up solo or in tandem. After the bridge, the break away had grown to at least seven riders. Those riders included Denny Vaughn (Summit Velo), Kyle Colavito (Ride Clean), Steven Miller (Waste Management), and Shane Peltonen (Eclipse). Even with the additional riders, the break seemed to hover at about 200 meters off the front. However, there did not seem to be any concerted effort in the pack to bring them back as nearly every team was represented in the break and it gave everyone permission to ride a good tempo without doing anything to crazy. The pack closed considerably in the last few miles before the hill, but the break stayed away and the sprint was contested from that small group. First up the hill was Miller, followed by Vaughn and Peltonen, respectively.
As mentioned in recent posts, the addition of traffic light just before the in-town sprint has changed the dynamics. Fortunately the light was green when the pack arrived and the sprint was on. Vaughn, the defending National Champion in the 40+ crit, took the opportunity to polish up his sprint before heading back to Pennsylvania to defend his crown in a couple weeks. Vaughn's teammate, Nick Schreiber, took second followed by Brian Cornelius (Waste Management).
This week’s commentary was written by Scott Baker |
| Shoot Out 6/16/2007 by Marty Mares | |  This morning Shoot Out started with Marty Mares rolling up before the start of the ride with a question for a few of us. “He asked if anyone had watched the weather forecast for the Morning?” Of course we all said NO. He then went on to say “that they were predicting 100% pain for the morning specifically relating to the Shoot Out.” Well Marty and his forecast were right on.
Tyler Ford
____________________________
Today’s Shoot Out will most likely be remembered as the “June 2007 Summer Slugfest!”
There was a rumor this week that GST and Eclipse were going to team up and set a hard tempo after the light at Valencia, but with so many strong teams and individual riders, it was challenging to just stay near the top 20.
The hard pace was sustained all the way to mailbox hill. The slight decent that follows is sometimes a place to grab a quick breather, but the pace continued fast and furious with many riders sharing the work load.
We continued balls-out for several more miles and then, 5k from Sprint Hill, Kurt “The Magician” Kroese reached in to his hat and pulled out a can of whoop-ass! It was a bold move from GST’s notorious “out of nowhere’ magic man, but short lived due to the packs’ awesome fury.
There did not appear to be any type of attack at the base of Sprint Hill that I was able to detect from my position. Just a steady lifting of the pace that shed riders like cocktails at The Dunn X-Mas Party. (Footnote to all: Ray is the ‘Dean Martin’ of Tucson).
The sprint was won by: First was Nick Schreiber (World Deaf Champion), then Richard Moore (Rhino), and Jason Karew (Eclipse).
Among the memorable sights I recall at this point in the ride was Peter Brown (Rhino) rolling up alongside me at the top of the hill with his tongue hanging out so far he looked like Gene Simmons from KISS (I know you were just faking it to make me feel good Peter).
It appeared that many of the conversations beyond Sprint Hill surrounded the suffer session we’d just endured. Catching up with Craig Bellman during this brief rest segment of the ride, he seemed so fresh that my suspicions continue to mount that he is either using performance enhancing drugs, or somehow got his hands on that youth elixir Norm Kibble was mixing for so many years.
As we made the turn down Duval Mine Road, GST Terror Twins John Simonson and Jesus Lamb took a flyer that opened up a ½ mile gap almost instantly. If it wasn’t for the traffic light on La Cholla, I’m sure we would have never seen them again.
Rolling into the pecan grove flats, the speed picked up again and a large pace line formed. Having done the ride the past few weeks, it seems that riders are doing a really good job rotating during this part of the ride.
Le Final Sprint:
The new traffic light didn’t stop the group this week, but can someone please make the call that the line should be moved forward so this isn’t a factor anymore?
Retirement hasn’t slowed down Mr. Gord Fraser one bit as he came around the powerful tandem of Butch & Caren to take the day.
If next week is anything like this one, it should be another buffet of pain for those so inclined.
This week’s Shoot Out write up was written by Marty Mares.
| | More Pictures |
| Shoot Out 6/9/2007 by Scott Blanchard | | 
Let me start off by saying "OUCH"! Not the usual kind of self-induced lactate flood one generally gets to experience at 6:40 in the morning but the kind that comes from smashing the pavement at 25 mph. Right near MP 11 or so out by the cattle guard Mike Middleton while sitting about 5th in the paceline was lead into a pothole, lost the bars and took a hard dive to the left until he met up with the pavement. Fortunately there were no cars coming. I'm not going to bitch too much but anyone who reads this please consider what you're doing out there. I know many of you do but it only takes 1 second of inattention. It affects many people's lives. Mike could just have easily died today. There is no reason to gutter the shootout. While it is a fast ride it's not a race. Whether guttered in the potholes and broken pavement to the right or, worse yet, on the yellow line to the left we all have to take responsibility for each other. Point stuff out, ride safe, take care of each other. It's fun to be competitive but no one wants to die needlessly. Riding on a daily basis is dangerous enough.
My second thought and I'll stop! :) It has been suggested by many people that we not race through Green Valley (police included). From the first light to the last we should always neutralize and roll through there as a group, 2 wide, and obeying the traffic lights. This is critical to us being taken seriously and having a defense if necessary. Everyone out there is 107, blind, and pissed off. Once past that last light it can be game on again.
Now for the shootout! It was actually a beautiful day here in Tucson. An actual slight chill in the air! I still think it's remarkable to see so many people get together at 6 am to go hammer their brains out! Sick SOB's! Things were normal enough...Ralph leading us out and taking head count (he is the head master you know), police having a meltdown telling us to ride single file? WTF! Who trains these people? 267lb guys on 13 lb $7000 bikes with carbon tubulars, 18 gram 140$ water bottle cages and yellow jerseys straining at the seams. Add to that old torn-up, grubby, flea-bitten dogs looking at us like rotten hunks of Javelina good for the eatin'. Things missed were Jimmy Riccitello screaming obscenities at everyone, the Gay Wolf, Socks, old man Gord, and 793 time break-away master and all-time Saturday morning gold medallist (sometimes referred to as the local hammer) Rob 'Shootout' Alvarez.
From the get go the pace was moderate with the typical flurry of attacks. GST riders, Waste Management riders, Eclipse riders and many others all throwing punches. Nothing was going away today. Everyone was eager to chase and even after a small break near the bridge it came all back together again. After Mike crashed the shootout sat up for 8 seconds to make sure he staggered to his feet and then it was back to the serious business of kicking each other's asses. As far as shootout's go it was not a fast one, not an attacking one, but a steady one to be sure. Coming into the sprint hill WM and Eclipse had some leadouts going. Eclipse went a little too soon but were stacked 5 deep. Kendall pulled off, Shane pulled hard mid-hill but Ron Jensen came out of nowhere up the left. Scott B went around Shane to the right and brought Pablo with. Jared got boxed so it was up to Pablo at that point. Scott pulled Pablo across to Ron and Pablo got on. In the last 100 feet Pablo could not come around and Ron went on to win clean. I consider the top the sign just prior to the top. You have to have something objective and the "top of the hill" is not. Right near the top a flying Richard Moore (Tricky Dick) passed Scott and came in side by side with Super Pablo. Game over. From there the pace was easy through town but picked up to 30 again coming down ONH. Seeing the final sprint from my vantage point was not possible! :) I saw a lot of dude ass but that was it. I think some WM guy got it. If you can live through that sprint hats off to ya! I think I did see
I think I'll spend the day swapping to Ti bolts and drilling holes in my cranks and bars. Well...maybe I'll have a bucket of KFC and some cheese fries first? Does anyone know if I can deep fry butter?
This weeks commentary was written by Scott Blanchard.
http://www.eclipseracing.org/
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My sincere apologies to Jeff Gould regarding statements made in last weeks Shoot Out Commentary. In an attempt to be funny I came across offensive and I truly didn't mean to be. Sorry.
Scott Blanchard
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| Shoot Out 6/2/07 | |  Saturday's shoot out was not as memorable as most. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I only got to sleep a few short hours prior to the roll out, after a couple of frosty malt beverages and an order of chili cheese fries. If I could make it around on this diet just think of my potential.
After the light at Valencia the pace was momentarily slow. This didn't last long as there is always some a-hole that has to ruin it for those who chose to drink the night before. This time it was my teammate Jesus. Not the one from Nazareth but south of Speedway. The tempo picked up to the usual sting in the tail but didn't go crazy due to a fortunate head wind that kept the group together. I believe it was not too far from the bridge the Robby Alvarez (RIDECLEAN) made his usual move up the road. He was eventually joined by, guess who, yes Gord Fraser (Master's 35+ unattached), two Waste Management riders and a Rhino. Sorry I wasn't paying better attention but trying to keep my world from spinning was my main concern. A large chase group formed at the bridge and made the usual futile atempt to catch the break prior to the sprint hill. Now, I didn't ask but I would put big bucks on Gord winning the sprint hill.
The ride into town was complete madness. There were about 40+ riders hitting it hard and a huge number of them rotating. Actually, I hate to say it but there were many of them should have no part of that paceline. There were riders giving everthing they had to pull through. I was just waiting for one of these sketchy guys to hit someone's wheel and take out half the pack. In this situation you can do two things; ride at the front or at the way back. I chose the later, not wanting to have anything to do with that rotation. Unfortunately, the new light at Hughes Access stopped the group prior to the sprint. $100.00 to anyone who takes that light out. Once the pack took of again it was full gas. Tyler Ford (GST Racing) led out Gord as if there was some prize money in it for him. Gord did his best Gord Fraser (former Canadian Nat'l Champion) immitation and crossed the 45 mph sign victorious once again. Kyle Akin (Rhino) was 2nd. Not sure who was 3rd.
This weeks commentary was written by Scott Biaggi. |
| Shoot Out 5/26/07 | |  It was a perfect morning for a ride around the block, so 100 or so riders who didn't head up to Flag for the Summit series gathered for the weekly Saturday shootout. The warm up to Valencia was pleasantly uneventful, despite the rash of flats due to the abundance of busted bottles on the road. Ah yes, gotta love graduation season.
For several miles after Valenica, it was a chit-chatty group until we approached the newly paved section when Rob Alvarez (RideClean), Curtis Gunn (Successful Living) and a few tag-alongs decided to stir it up a little. After a few unsuccessful attack attempts by the mortals, Alvarez and a young man wearing stars and stripes (don't recall the name) were off the front long enough to attract the attention of Gunn who decided that the cream had finally risen to the top. Dave Rimron (Carmichael Training), Peter Brown (Rhino), Scott Leonard (Rhino) and Daniel Miller bridged to complete the selection. (Daniel Miller was here from Durango for his brothers wedding, missing his first Iron Horse Classic in 5 years.) The 15 man chase was half-hearted with Doug the tri-pro and a Time Market tandem doing more than their fair share of the work, closing the gap to 50 yards (when in Rome, I use the metric system) at the base of the sprint hill. Sprint hill champs were Dave Rimron, Curtis Gunn and Dan Miller.
In Gords absence, Dave Rimron (I think riding Gords Gilmore) was cracking the whip and driving the pace line down Old Nogie. The group got caught by the new light before the sprint marker, which made for an interesting re-start to the sprint. A fresh legged Peter Brown lead most of the final 150 yards to finish first. Rob Alvarez finished second and it was too close to call between Travis Huxman and Ironman Todd Sadow.
This weeks commentary was provided by Kyle Akin of Team Rhino |
| Different Shootout Perspective... | |  ..."Commentary from Coda del gruppo (rtail end) "
While the GST Racing hard legs week after week chronicle mixing it up in a break or two and work to set things up for a shot at bragging rights to the "hilltop sprint" south on Mission and/or at the city limit sign/sprint on the way back to the UofA, some mention of the battle going on at the back of the pack should be noted.
To all those seeking out the chemistry of this ride a final velcro ratcheting can be heard just prior to Valencia, the final light to be encountered for a long long time. Wind it up time can be counted on 9 of 10 times within a quarter of a mile after the light. Wind it up is defined as somewhere between 25mph and 28mph for 3-8 miles that often times produces a single pace line in pursuit of a 3-5 person break. The first humbling event usually occurs during the first surge when the social talk stops, heads are down, collective 75-120 rider pistons are pumping and a couple of the pro's that are in town decide it's time to go to the front.
Truly unbelievable how they can effortlessly click it up a notch and come around the tight pack, not noticing a few glances of "how does he do that". If lucky just past the cattle guard the initial surge of testosterone burns off, the pack redevelops and possibly even a "SLOWING" ripple command can be heard. It lasts for 1-2 minutes on average and then someone jumps again. Invariably I can look around about milepost 18 (15 minutes of hard pack tempo time) and yes, there are no shadows to my left/right/behind. First dozen or so have been shot out the back and its time to stay glued to the wheel in front of you. It's always good to fling a quick scan ahead to spot a team jersey in the break to provide moral support. More important however is to pay attention to little gaps 3-4 wheels ahead as members of the bleeding quad squad start to pop. Kinda fun to fight your way past more dejected/rejected souls and tuck back into the vortex. It's also interesting to grab some of the vocabulary being spewed from some very good riders that get dropped most likely due to stringing too many hard days together with too few easy days. Good gauge of whether or not the tempo has been hard is when I flip it at the bridge and a steady string of 15-20 riders are still making their way up Mission. A nice payback group TT can ensue all the way back into town on occassion so the gradual outbound incline is paid back.
Once or twice a year I can stick all the way around and bomb down Duval Mine Rd with some mad dog tandem drilling the pace and then suck a wheel for the long fast push on Old Nogales Hwy into town. Lose contact somewhere before Helmet peak and I pick up a few stragglers to roll down Helmet, turn right and roll up Nogie waiting for the pack. At the UofA start/finish point its grab a cup of coffee/scone or continue due east for another 40 minutes home. Nice to wrap up a 3.5 - 4 hr hammer fest and its only 9:30.
This commentary was provided by Mark Zajicek. |
| Shoot Out 5/19/07 | | No Commentary this week due to Colossal Cave Road Race. It seemed like 80% of the riders turned around at the bridge most likely just wanting to put in a small effort on the day before the race.
GST Racing encourages guest commentary from riders on other teams. Just contact one of your favorite GST Team members and let us know you are going to write something up. |
| Shoot Out 5/12/07 | |  Great early morning weather. The thermometer was expected to climb into triple digits by the afternoon, but at 6:00 it was perfect. The pace of the ride picked up almost immediately after crossing Valencia and never slowed much. While very few riders were able to get off the front for long, many were content to rotate at the front to keep things moving at a brutal pace. A group of close to 40 riders were still together at the sprint hill, but by the time the first riders crested the hill all were spread out by nearly 100 meters. Gord Fraser (unattached) showed he still can take the sprint hill at will. Fraser was followed by Jared Gilyard (Eclipse) and a late charging Dennis Lach (Presteza).
The overall fast pace of the day continued on Old Nogales Highway. As the group approached the sprint sign Scott Biaggi (GST Racing) went to the front and drove the pace forcing all others into a single file. With about 400 meters to go Scott Baker (GST Racing) moved way left followed by teammate Jay Guyot. At this point the sprint was on. As the two GST riders closed in on the line, Fraser proved he is still a men among boys and came flying by on the right side easily taking the sprint. Guyot held on for second followed by Travis Huxman (Eclipse). Baker commented afterwards, "I thought it might have been a little early to start the leadout, but when the G-Unit tells me to go, I go."
This week's commentary was written by Scott Baker. |
| Shoot Out 5/5/07 | |  The wind was already picking up as the pack rolled out of the university area. By the time riders crossed Valencia there was a strong cross wind coming from the west. There were several attempts early on to break away from the pack, some meeting with modest success. By the time riders approached the bridge, the pack had splintered into several clear groups. Four riders were off the front. This group consisted of Gord Fraser (unattached), Phil Zajicek (Navigators), Rob Alvarez (Ride Clean), and John Parrish (Team WM). They were followed by a chase group of 15+ riders, who were followed by a larger group of 20+ riders, who were followed by a string of less fortunate riders who had been popped in the wind. Parrish fell back and was caught by the first chase group who extended their lead on the second chase group. Fraser, Zajicek, and Alvarez easily stayed off until the sprint hill. One of the veteran members of that trio commented on Parrish's strong early riding. "The young guys want to ride with the men. They take a few hero pulls and then pay for it later." (Well, maybe that's not verbatim, but you get the gist.) After the sprint hill, the three man break dropped back to the main chase group. As the riders turned onto Duvall Mine Road they were caught by the second chase group who had made it their mission not to ride into town alone. As soon as the group reformed, Adrian Schumacher (Presteza) launched a counter attack. Scott Biaggi (GST) joined him and it was game on. Although they were caught, Kyle Akin (Team Rhino) and a rider from DWC managed to get away. They put their heads down and decided to see if they could last until the sprint sign. Their numbers grew with the addition of some of the old timers and group of riders who had come down Helmet Peak that included Jake Merry (SW Hand) Matt Jones (Eclipse) and Richard Biocca (DWC). They pace lined until the sprint sign and Jones took the honors. |
| Shoot Out 4/28/07 | | A medium sized shootout ride today due to local races in the area. David Glick (Eclipse) was the first to the bridge in what was a slow but vehement ride. Shortly after the bridge, TJ Tollakson (Professional Triathlete) made a solo breakaway attempt and slowly rolled away from the peloton. Tollakson was soon joined by local pro, Doug Friman (Professional Triathlete), and the two soon worked together to create a very sizeable gap. The peloton was unsuccessful in the chase attempt as Tollakson continued to pull hard and widen the gap. In the final sprint it was Tollakson out dueling a fatigued Doug Friman for his second Shootout Victory in a row. Final Standings, 1) Tollakson 2) Friman The third place sprint was unnoted since the peloton was far behind but it is estimated that David Glick was in the mix.
This week's commentary was written by TJ Tollakson |
| Shoot Out 4/21/07 | | Cold and rainy morning and only about 20 riders met at University for the ride. Only 9 riders actually left for the ride and all but 3 turned around at Ajo and Mission. The three continuing the ride in dismal conditions were TJ Tollakson (Professional Triathlete), Hillary Biscay (Professional Triathlete), and Dr. Andre (The Giant, AG triathlete). Tollakson was first to the bridge followed by Dr. Andre then Hillary Biscay regroup with Tollakson after the bridge. Dr. Andre returned home after the bridge. Tollakson won the final sprint of the ride winning the battle against the elements. Final standings, 1) Tollakson, 2) Biscay
This week's commentary was written by TJ Tollakson |
| Shoot Out 4/14/07 | | No Shoot Out commentary this week due to Tucson Bicycle Classic stage race.
However, as we all know, the Shoot Out still goes on rain or shine, race or no race. Ralph says the Shoot Out was lightly attended today. In fact the Senior Shoot Out may have had more riders. Gord Fraser still came out to hammer the group. Ralph estimates about 25-30. The bummer is photographers from one of the big cycling magazines showed up to do a story on the Shoot Out (it is suppose to be one of the top 3 group rides in the U.S). Ralph told them that April is a bad month numbers-wise because of so much local racing going on. He urged them to show up in May but apparently they declined. So, they took pictures with a smaller group but they spent time photographing the route and getting background info too. |
| Shoot Out 4/7/07 | | No Commentary this week due to U of A Crit this past Saturday.
HOLD ON! THIS JUST IN! We just recevied an anonymous email containing the vital info. Here is the gist of it - Lots of people were racing the crit so they either warmed up and turned back at Valencia (early racers) or they went to the bridge and turned back because their race started after 9am. After the bridge here is what went on from our anonymous poster's perspective:
After the bridge, Gord Fraser (HealthNet, retired), a Jet Fuel guy and Race.com guy (semi pros) broke away. There may have been others that couldn't hold on. Jet Fuel Coffee guy fell off their pace and joined the 8 man chase group that contained 4 Team Rhino guys. The chase group made zero ground on Gord, but in all honesty, couldn't seem to maintain an organized rotation. Into a dead headwind, Scott Leonard (Rhino) gave Kyle Akin (Rhino) a lead-out at the bottom of the sprint hill. Akin came within 10 meters of catching the Race.com guy. Gord, Race.com, and Akin, one, two, three, over the top. Gord and others went to Madera. In-own sprint was Leonard, Akin, and some other guy (no jersey specified).
[Editor's note: Gord came back and raced the Pro/1/2 category in the crit that afternoon]
GST Racing encourages guest commentary from riders on other teams. Just contact one of your favorite GST Team members and let us know you are going to write something up. |
| Shoot Out 3/31/07 | |  Most of the local talent must've been in Superior Saturday, but that doesn't mean the shoot out was slow, actually I find the contrary to be true on such occassions. As usual it seems when the cats away .... Once the group hit Valencia the pace was momentarily slow, then began to ramp up into a single pace line. The first move was made by Chris Gould (GST Racing) who was in town for the week back from his new job in Little Rock. He dangled off the front for maybe a half mile looking like he was dying to get caught. Once he was brought back Scott Leonard (Team Rhino) along with two others made a quick counter and immediately got a 150 meter gap. As usually is the case with these early moves, they never seem to last. Everyone stills feels fresh as the tempo has yet to sap the strength from the peloton's legs.
It must be the hypoxia, but I always have a difficult time remembering when and where certain events took place. However, Leonard's break came back probably a mile or so before the bridge. Once it did, Todd Mion (RideClean) made a hard move up the side of the peloton with one other rider. This was a strong move and lasted for awhile, but with the bridge now in sight and Todd's move apparently slowing the time was ripe for a counter. About 250 meters from the bridge, Leonard made his second move of the day. I immediately jumped on his wheel thinking this was the right time to go. I pulled thru and took a long pull approaching the bridge. At the base of the bridge Todd was slowing dramatically. At this point I couldn't help but ramp up my effort to try and come by him as hard as possible. Call it "left over memories" from the previous Sunday in the Tumacori RR.
OK, a quick aside: At Tuma Mike Middelton (Team Rhino), John Dehnert (RideClean) and I made a first lap move, in the Masters 35+, that lasted 7 laps until John flatted. John, Todd and Doug Loveday (RideClean) are teammates. So once John was gone team Rideclean ramped it up and brought back our break. I was suffering at the base of the climb when Todd blows by me with Loveday on his wheel and launches Doug for the win. I was done, morale in the toilet. I digress, but you get the idea.
Back to the Shoot Out. Approaching the bridge I give it my all to blow by Todd. Sweet payback. Up and over the bridge Mr. Fraser (HealthNet, retired) makes his first appearance of the day. After the bridge the group is down to about 5 or 6 os us including Gord, Leonard, Heath McFarland (unattached) and a couple others. The pulls are made and this becomes the established break of the day. A rider falls off this group here and there. About a mile into it I start to really feel bad. I mean bad, lungs, stomach, legs, a complete bodily shutdown was eminent. I make one more pull through, get off the front, and instead of just dropping off the group and going back to the safe confines of the chase group, for reasons I can't explain, I get back on the back of the break. Next thing I know Gord is behind me and I'm in the rotation. With two in front of me and Gord behind me the body quits responding to input from the brain. I pull out of line. I have gapped Gord! Dumb move. The last thing I remember is looking to my right and seeing Gord give me a hand jesture that a N.Y. cabby would give someone who just cut him off. He also yelled something I didn't make out but we all know what it was.
I watched the break go up the road toward the mail boxes and softly spun until the chase caught up. From there it was business as usual.
A couple of the guys from the break either fell back or were caught after the sprint hill, but Gord never was seen again. He kept going, not waiting to re-group after the sprint hill. The shootout always regroups after the sprint hill. As we dropped down Duval Mine Rd. Steve Morton joined the group coming from La Cañada Rd. and said he saw Gord motoring in by himself and was wondering what happened. I told him the story. You wouldn't think that would piss him off that much, do you?
Can't say who won the sprint hill but I'll put my money on Gord. The sprint into town was taken by Chris Gould. Nice job Chris. See everyone Saturday.
This weeks commentary provided by Scott Biaggi |
| Shoot Out 3/24/07 | | No Commentary this week due to Tumacacori Road Race (which GST helps to put on).
GST Racing encourages guest commentary from riders on other teams. Just contact one of your favorite GST Team members and let us know you are going to write something up. |
| Shoot Out 3/17/07 | |  It seemed like a pretty large group this week with only a Phoenix crit to compete with. We started with a pretty good headwind, but either it mellowed out, or there really is something to be said about riding in the back. I suppose that may also explain why there wasn't a break-away group this week. I do recall seeing an orange BearNaked/Cannondale jersey fighting on his own for quite a long time, but no chase ensued until the lead up to the sprint hill. The understandably weary BearNaked/Cannondale rider, with one of his team mates tried to follow a lead-out by Rene Ortega (Rhino), but Gord Fraser made his move at the first sign of fatigue and broke the spirit of the rest of the contenders with his final charge over the top. Gord first, Kyle Akin Second and ? Third.
The pace back in to town was lead by a Time Market tandem duo who seemed to be in a real hurry, pushing the group at about 32 MPH. The Eastern side-wind blowing right to left once again made for some happy drivers on Old Nogales, but thankfully there were no road-rage incidents. Again, in the comfort of the back, I don't know who was doing most of the work up front, but I do know that Gord had something to do with it because it was brutal. Leading up to the in-town sprint, Gord was up front and everyone else was watching his move. With Colin (Fair Wheel Bikes) on his wheel, Gord just slowly ramps up to full speed all the way to the sign with no one able to do anything in front of his draft. At the last 20 Meters, Rene Ortega came around Kyle Akin (Rhino) and Colin to take second. Third was too close to call.
This weeks commentary was provided by Kyle Akin of Team Rhino
As always, GST Racing encourages guest commentary from riders on other teams. We thank Kyle for helping out this week. |
| Shoot Out 3/10/07 | |
Any volunteers for the Shootout commentary this week? If so, contact one of your friendly GST Racing team members. |
| Shoot Out 3/3/07 | |  Today was one of the smallest groups in a long time. It may have been because of the time change (starting at 7am instead of 7:30) or because there is a stage race going on in Globe this weekend, or the windy, cold weather. Whatever it was the group was small.
During the warmup, as we came around A Mountain (Shouldn't this be called A Hill?), somewhere between there and Ajo Rd. a group of 4 riders separated from the pack. Most likely because the pace seemed extra slow, they were cold and wanted to get that sweat going. As the group neared Valencia the foursome became 6 riders. They made the light and started working together. Dwight Nelson (SW Hand), Don Lewis (Rhino), Tyler Ford, Jay Guyot and Leo Masursky (all GST), and another guy on a bike with aero bars were able to stay away for the first 4 miles or so. As the group was caught immediately others began a series of attacks but nothing stuck to the bridge. Some time after the bridge two guys from the Canandian team sponsored by Jet Fuel Coffee (Red/Black jerseys) got off the front and the chase was on. They were able to stay away all the way through the sprint hill and go one-two over the top. Kyle Akin (Rhino) lead the pack up the hill for third.
Once onto Duval Mine Rd. we picked up the headwind. Not a real fast pace down OD. Maybe 25-28mph average. As we turned onto Old Nogales Hwy the wind became a pretty brutal head/cross wind from the Northeast. The group was only going 22-24mph. No regular rotation either. People seemed content to sit in and chat with their neighbor. As we crossed Sahuarita/Helmet Peak Rd. the pace picked up a bit. It didn't take much of an acceleration to create a gap in the the group. People seemed not to want to chase too hard. After a few of these gap&close efforts 3 riders got away. GST riders Scott Biaggi and Tyler Ford along with a local pro from Sierra Vista (do not recall his name, blue/white jersey). Soon a 300 to 400m gap opened up. Back in the pack they were having trouble organizing enough riders to chase into the head/cross wind. They'd get going, make up some ground then fall off. By the time we neared the Circle K the front group was starting to break up. As we went by the store it was obvious Biaggi was going to try and solo all the way to the sprint sign. The chase group picked up the pace as they got to the place where the highway widens into 5 lanes (Hughes Access Rd). Little over a 1000m left to run down the soloist. In the end they only got within 100m of him. Biaggi took the honors for the inbound sprint. Quite a joust ensued for 2nd place between Kyle Akin (Rhino) and Jay Guyot (GST). Both jumped about 100m out and Guyot was able to hold off the charging Akin to the line.
This week’s commentary was written by Jay Guyot |
| Shoot Out 2/17/07 | | | No commentary this week as many are at the Valley of the Sun stage race. |
| Shoot Out 2/4/07 | | | No commentary this week as many are at the Usery Pass road race. |
| Shoot Out 1/20/07 | |  When the group rolled out, it appeared to be considerably smaller than the past few weeks. That is likely due to cloudy moist weather and the possibility of rain. Fortunately, the wet weather never materialized and the group continued to gain in numbers as the ride rolled out of town. After crossing Valencia, everyone continued at a conversational pace for about a mile before some of the big boys still in town for winter training moved to the front. From then on the pace remained hot. After the bridge, the pace began taking it’s toll on large numbers of riders as the lead group dwindled down to about 25 riders. The sprint hill was swept by the big boys as Phil Zajicek (Navigators), Andrew Guptill (I assume a new addition to Navigators for ‘07), and Matt Cooke (LSV/Kelly Benefit Strategies) crossed the line in the first three spots.
The pace back on Old Nogales was fast, but steady. Sprint honors were taken by Travis Huxman (Eclipse). Junior rider, Ryan Zupko (Swiss American), came across the line third. (The rider who crossed second rides for Cannondale’s Bear Naked mountain bike team, but unfortunately I am unable to recall his name.)
This week’s commentary was written by Scott Baker |
| Shoot Out 01/06/07 | |  The first shoot out in 2007 was reminiscent of other January shoot outs. Some of the big boys are in town for winter training miles, and that can make for a relatively fast ride out to the sprint hill. The first move of the day was when one of the “out of towners” went off the front and was soon joined by Tyler Ford of GST Racing. The pace picked up considerably soon after, and from my perspective, didn’t seem to let off a lot. From my vantage point (hanging on in the back of the pack) I could see riders getting off the front and then being brought back. Sprint hill honors were taken by Phil Zajicek (Navigators) and Curtis Gunn (Successful Living). According to Gunn, “Phil and I were going head to head. I notched it up one level, and then Phil notched it up two.”
The pace back on Old Nogales was more comfortable, but as the ride got within a few miles of the sprint sign a handful of riders came to the front and began rotating, keeping the pace fast, yet steady. With about 200 meters to go someone jumped and Jesus Lamb (GST Racing), sporting his new team’s 2007 kit, grabbed the wheel. Others tried to react, but Lamb would not be denied the sprint sign victory. I was unable to find out who finished second, but Lamb’s teammate, Jay Guyot, crossed the line third.
This week’s commentary was written by Scott Baker |
| Shoot Out - January 6th, 2007 | |  This time of the year the Tucson’s Shoot Out is tons of fun! Although chilly in the mornings if dressed right not a big deal. It is tons of fun because Tucson gets athletes from all over the world that come to Tucson to train in the winter. So the peloton is packed with world class cyclist. Not to mention that Tucson has a few local studs of their own like Gord Fraser, Phil Zajicek and Curtis Gunn that are right up there with the Big Boys.
Today the Shoot Out had a special guest -- Sorry but I did not get his name. The was a very strong rider that made it all the way around that was from Bicycling Magazine that is doing a write up on the Shoot Out that will be published in the magazine about the Shoot Out being one of the best group rides in the country. How cool is that!!!!!
Todays ride was steady and fast. Once we hit the light at Valencia it was game on. The big boy’s road away from the peloton. Gord Fraser, Phil Zajicek, Curtis Gunn, Rob Alverez (all Tucson riders) plus a few more which I did not get their names (sorry) rode of the front about 3 miles before the bridge. The peloton chased until the hill. From what I was told Phil Zajicek took the sprint at the top of the hill.
Coming in was steady and fast. At the 45 speed limit sign the sprint was on. GST rider Jesus Lamb took the sprint. Way to go Jesus!
As the weeks progress closer to race season the Shoot Out gets faster and faster.
We welcome guest commentary.
This weeks write up was written by Tyler Ford.
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| Shoot Out 1/6/07 | |  The first shoot out in 2007 was reminiscent of other January shoot outs. Some of the big boys are in town for winter training miles, and that can make for a relatively fast ride out to the sprint hill. The first move of the day was when one of the “out of towners” went off the front and was soon joined by Tyler Ford of GST Racing. The pace picked up considerably soon after, and from my perspective, didn’t seem to let off a lot. From my vantage point (hanging on in the back of the pack) I could see riders getting off the front and then being brought back. Sprint hill honors were taken by Phil Zajicek (Navigators) and Curtis Gunn (Successful Living). According to Gunn, “Phil and I were going head to head. I notched it up one level, and then Phil notched it up two.”
The pace back on Old Nogales was more comfortable, but as the ride got within a few miles of the sprint sign a handful of riders came to the front and began rotating, keeping the pace fast, yet steady. With about 200 meters to go someone jumped and Jesus Lamb (GST Racing), sporting his new team’s 2007 kit, grabbed the wheel. Others tried to react, but Lamb would not be denied the sprint sign victory. I was unable to find out who finished second, but Lamb’s teammate, Jay Guyot, crossed the line third.
This week’s commentary was written by Scott Baker |
| Shoot Out 11/18/06 | | | There is no shootout write up today due to El Tour de Tucson. |
| Shoot Out 11/11/06 | |  There was a good turnout today, as I’m sure many decided to use the ride as a tune-up for next week’s El Tour de Tucson. Summit Velo had an especially strong showing, including a group of Flagstaff riders down for the weekend. Before continuing, I should state that when it comes to the shoot out, some days you have it, and some days you don’t. Today, I didn’t. Therefore, although I’m writing this week’s commentary, my vantage point for the day was less than ideal.
Once the pace picked up, numerous riders began testing their legs. Some of those riders included Summit Velo members Denny Vaughn and Dan Shannon as well as Arizona Feed’s Kurt Kroese. However, the break of significance ended up belonging to Nick Schrieber (Summit Velo), Heath McFarland (Unattached), and (Rob Alvarez (Landis). Despite strong work at the front of the chase group by Garret Ford (Eclipse) and Adrian Schumacher (Presteza), the trio was able to stay off the front, cresting the sprint hill in the previously mentioned order.
Near the base of the Duvall Mine Road decent, the pack came to a screeching halt, as a sheriff responding to numerous motorist’s complaints about riders taking the entire roadway, pulled the group over as he called for additional backup. He wasn’t happy, and although I couldn’t hear everything he said, I believe it went something like this:
“What we have here is failure to communicate. Some men, you just can’t reach. So, you get what we had here today.”*
He continued to explain that his preference was not to stand there for an hour writing everyone a citation, but if it happened again he would. I’m pretty sure he meant it. I guess we’ll find out in the next couple weeks.
The pace returning on Old Nogales was hot, with riders beginning attacks well before the in town sprint. A group of about ten riders got split at a red light back at “the store” and despite consistently working a rotation, barely caught back on before the pack surged to the final sprint honors. A mass of riders made the big effort for the sign with Schrieber taking first at the line, making it a double for the day. He was followed by Ford and Richard Biocca (DWC).
All in all, a good tune-up for next Saturday.
* Apologies to the film Cool Hand Luke, or for you younger readers, the intro to Guns and Roses’ Civil War. |
| Shoot Out 11/04/06 | |  Surprisingly, with El Tour a mere two weeks away, the Shoot Out was smaller than average this week. The weather was once again the reason why we live in Tucson; absolutely perfect. The return of the Shoot-out World Championship jersey was short lived as it was absent again this week. Rumor has it that Curtis Gunn (last week's winner of both sprints) took it with him to New Zealand to represent.
Since neither Gord, Curtis, or Rob Alvarez were in attendance, there was no one to establish law and order. This usually means a day of break-and-chase. As expected, a couple Eclipse guys attempted a break after Valencia. They sustained it for quite a while, but the group kept them within reach and ultimately reclaimed them a couple miles short of the bridge. Fellow Rhino Scott Leonard jumped at the bridge, and I foolishly followed thinking I might be able to help somehow. Peter Brown (Rhino) thought we may have had something going and he joined the fight. After a couple of rotations, I knew I bit off more than I could chew and I let Peter and Scott go. Shortly thereafter, the group reformed and we chugged up the stretch to the mailboxes. Midway up the short hop at the mailboxes, the tandem team of Evan Unger and Dwight Nelson (Southwest Hand) got out of their saddles to get a head start on the downhill. The experienced Leonard saw this and knew it was critical to grab their wheel. No one else was able to catch the trio as they continued to put distance on the group all the way to the base of the sprint hill. As gravity turned the tables on the tandem, the fresh legged Leonard charged up the hill to claim the weekly title. The race was clearly for second as Rhinos Rene Ortega and Peter Brown charged at the base. I followed and Team Rhino went 1-2-3. Scott Leonard, Rene Ortega, Kyle Akin. (A strong young rider from Summit Velo continued his sprint passing me after the speed limit sign. Which begs the question, is the "line" at the top or at the sign near the top? I usually quit at the sign.)
Having so much fun after the mailboxes, the SW Hand tandem picked it up again heading down towards Duval Mine Rd. Once on Duval, they upshifted into their 11 and motorpaced a split group who held on down to the stoplight reaching speeds of up to 68KPH. Feeling their Wheaties, Evan and Dwight continued to lead the 11 remaining and charged back on Old Nogie at an average 48KPH. With about 500 meters to the in-town sprint, Rhinos Rene and Peter decided to attempt a surprise early break by coming up the right of the leading tandem. With so many spinters in this remaining group riding on fresh legs, this created an all out mad dash to the sign. Peter came around Rene with 100 meters to go as the ever explosive Travis Huxman eventually Eclipsed the charging Rhino (Peter Brown) at the line. Andre the giant held Richard Biocca off to claim bragging rights to third.
You can always count on the tandems to make for an entertaining Shootout. Good times.
This weeks commentary was written by Kyle Akin of Team Rhino |
| Shoot Out 10/28/06 | | Nobody stepped up to write up the Shootout today but here is a quick synopsis of what happened at the Main end point as well as the in-bound sprint.
Curtis was the man.
After a few break attempts, Rob Alvarez (Landis), John Denert (Grand Canyon), Kyle Akin (Rhino) and another were caught at the base of the sprint hill. Gord Fraser (Health Net) promptly made his move and Akin grabbed his wheel. Curtis Gunn (Successful Living) attacked the second half of the hill. Fraser tried to match the jump, but after a few seconds, let him go. Akin followed to hold third.
Approaching the in-town sprint, the Eclipse tandem (Garrett Ford & Jack Phillips) were up front on the wind side (heavy east to west crosswind). The GST tandem (Tyler & Mimi Ford) slowly worked it's way up the left with Kyle Akin in the draft. Richard Biocca (DWC) made his move on the left. Akin left the
sanctuary of the tandem to face the wind mano-a-mano with Biocca. Curtis would have none of it and bolted up from the right hand (windy) side of the tandems. Curtis by a bike, Akin by an inch, then Biocca.
Again, we encourage anyone who has a good grasp of what happened on the Shootout to write it up and email the write up to any GST Racing member. They will get the write up posted. |
| Shoot Out 10/21/06 | |  Today was not your normal run-of-the-mill shootout for a couple of reasons. Initially, it was The Detour. Then the Jersey re-debuted. Oh, yeah, and a giant tow truck tried to run the peloton off the road. Other than that...
The weather was perfect today. With a very slight nip in the air, the group rolled out at 6:45a, most riders dressed in arm warmers and vests. Less than a mile south of Valencia there was a roll-over accident. The police had the road completely closed. The Peloton had to turn around. We headed back to Valencia, then east up over the Freeway and then south into a neighborhood. Somewhere along the way traveled through a trailer park and on to San Xavier Rd. Moving West we headed back under the freeway and jogged around going past San Xavier Mission, ultimately back onto Mission Rd. a little over a mile south of Valencia and the accident.
Just after we began the detour, as he removed his Health Net jacket, there It was... Its baaackkk! After an absence of over a decade. The Shootout jersey. On the shoulders of last week's winner, Gord Fraser. Slightly faded but nonetheless carrying much history and honor. Gord was ready to defend.
Once on Mission a couple of GST riders (Tyler Ford and Chris Gould) got things rolling - going off the front and waking the peloton from its detour stupor. Once these guys were caught things smoothed out in terms of any big extended attacks off the front. An acceleration at the bridge pretty much caused the final selection of those who would be in the lead pack as well as who would be contending for the Shootout jersey.
A couple of guys were away just before the mail boxes but as the group accelerated toward the Helmet Peak intersection they were bought back. The pace ramped up a couple of miles from the sprint hill with various short attacks seemingly testing the volume of riders that might follow. As the pack hit the base of the hill the group kind of splinted. Some got a little boxed in. About half way up the hill René Ortega (Team Rhino) jumped and gapped everyone. Scott Baker (GST Racing) chased. Ortega ultimately taking 1st. Baker 2nd, and Kyle Akin (Team Rhino) 3rd.
On the way back in the group was pretty mellow and orderly. Riding two by two with the outside guys just inside or on the white line. That's why it was odd when, couple of miles north of Helmet peak road a big flat bed tow truck with mounted car came by extremely close to the group. Riders started yelling. The truck decided to come to a stop causing the group to to come to a complete stop. Then it started back up and drove away without incident.
Our mellow pace ramped up as we headed toward the final sprint point. First to make a move was Richard Biocca (DWC) going hard down the left side from a long way out. He gapped everyone by about 10m initially. Three GST riders with others in tow came down the right side. The guys were pushing into a headwind. About 200m out Jay Guyot (GST) launched from behind his teammates. He caught Biocca with about 30m to go and as he crossed the line Peter Brown (Rhino) just nipped him by an inch. Evan Unger (Southwest Hand) was third.
Big day for Team Rhino with Ortega taking the Shootout and Brown the inbound sprint. The Shootout jersey is a traveling jersey. Look forward to seeing René in it next week.
This weeks Shootout write up was written by Jay Guyot. GST welcomes members of other teams to write up the Shootout each week. Just contact us and let us know you are going to do it. |
| Shoot Out 10/7/06 | |  A slight headwind on the way out kept the pace steady. Within a mile a paceline developed and although it fluctuated in size, it stayed intact until the mailboxes. Every so often two or three riders would jump, build up 20-30 meters on the pack, and hang out there until the paceline brought them back. I doubt anything was off the front for more than a minute with the exception of a break that developed after the mailboxes and probably stayed away for about a mile. Coming into the sprint hill a few riders including Curtis Gunn () and Jimmy Riccitello got off the front. Gunn, with the support of Riccitello stayed off and crested the hill first. Coming out of the pack Kyle Akin (Team Rhino) and Scott Baker (GST Racing) came by Riccitello and took second and third, respectively.
Coming into the sprint on Old Nogales the speed picked up about a mile before the line, putting the first 10-12 riders into single file. A train of riders came by on the left and the sprint was on. Jay Guyot (GST Racing) was the first to commit himself. He went a bit too early as Dave Jonsson (Summit Velo) and Kyle Ward (Team WM) came around him for first and second. Guyot hung on for third.
Additionally, one rider really putting the hammer down today was Scott Ellis (Saguaro Velo). Lately, the Saguaro Velo boys have been mixing it up on a much more regular basis. Ellis must have decided it was time for others to get a good look at the back of his jersey as he helped to drive the paceline and was off the front a couple times.
This week's commentary was written by Scott Baker |
| Shoot Out 9/23/06 | |  It was a perfect day for the Shoot Out , not too sunny and yet not too cold. That would change after the warm up . The riders in the front began to realize that a head wind was brewing. The head wind did not deter the riders at the front and the ride started to pick up. It was looking like a normal Shoot Out .
A small group of riders had broken off the front and riders from teams WM and Eclipse strung out the Shoot Out and caught the small break. The ride slowed down a little. Suddenly, there was a crash in the back of the pack. About fifteen riders went down. This led to a large break from the remaining pack. The break stayed away the whole time. Riders could see the sprint hill. Tensions brewed in the pack as the riders looking for the first attack to set them free to cover the attack. Rene Ortega (Team Rhino) had made the first move for the hill. Craig Belman (Le Scomparse)and Scott Baker (GST Racing) followed the attack. Rene Ortega held off Craig Belman and Scott Baker for the win. Craig finishing second and right on his back wheel was Scott Baker.
On the way back on Old Nogales Highway, the group stayed together. There were some isolated attacks to break away but none were successful. The road had gone from two lanes to four. Teams WM, GST and Eclipse wear forming their lead outs and their sweepers. Team WM was in the front with Tyler Jorgenson (Team WM) and Kyle Ward ( Team WM). From the far left, Nick Schreiber ( Team Summit Velo) sprinted for the win. Tyler Jorgenson took second and Kyle Ward took third.
This week's commentary was written by Andrew Jorgenson of Team WM.
As always, we invite and encourage guest commentary for riders on other teams. GST Racing thanks Andrew for being the first guest writer to break the ice. |
| Shoot Out 9/16/06 | |  You can tell that fall is in the air and the heat of the summer is over. The morning ride started off with cool breeze -- border arm warmer weather.
It was a big pack that headed down mission road. Once we hit the light it was a steady pace to the bridge. There were a lot of people riding the Shoot Out that were riding the Arizona State Time Trial on Sunday so the pace and attacks were keep in check. Curtis Gunn took a few flyers but quickly shut it down playing with the group.
The pace was kept fast and steady heading up the hill. As always Rene Ortega put it down up the hill and took the sprint to the top. Tim Bolton from Eclipse took 2nd.
The pace coming back to town on Old Noge was steady and fast with no attacks. Things started to heat up about a mile before the sprint. Heath McFarland took a flyer and had a huge gap and was looking as though he was going to hold the peloton off to the sign. Eclipse took over heading to the front of the group to chase down Heath. Travis Huxman put the hammer down and ended up closing the gap on Heath. The sprint was on! Peter Brown was on the Eclipse train and was the victor in the sprint followed by Jeff Parker (Eclipse) for 2nd and Tyler Ford for 3rd (GST Racing).
See you next week!
This weeks write up was written by Tyler Ford.
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| Shoot Out 9/9/06 | | There is no Shoot Out commentary this week due to the State Championship Hill Climb at Mt. Graham.
As always, we invite guest commentary from those who have participated. |
| Shoot Out 9/2/06 | |  As the ride left campus, the wind was blowing pretty hard. It appeared that the way out would be mostly into a headwind. However, the wind may have died down, because once the ride got moving it didn’t seem to be the factor one would have expected. While no breaks developed early, riders came to the front and began a pace line keeping the pace fast. This continued until the bridge when the pack seemed to break into three distinct groups. Not because of an attack, but because riders began to fall off the pace opening up gaps. The lead break consisted of seven riders. Gord Fraser (Healthnet), Rene Ortega (Rhino), Travis Huxman (Eclipse), Kurt Krouse (AZ Feeds), Ulric De Young (Waste Management), Scott Baker (GST Racing), and a rider from Summit Velo (The name escapes me, but I’ll learn it for the future.) He is a rider who has been dubbed the “Wolf Cub,” due to the fact that early in his riding he was always seen riding with the infamous “Grey Wolf.” However, as of late he seems to have cut the ties and is progressing into one of the stronger young riders on the shoot out. The main chase group contained 20-25 riders, with another group of about 8 riders 150 meters behind. This third group worked together hoping to minimize the damage and put themselves in position to catch back on after the sprint hill. After the mailboxes, the main chase group began to take back time powered by the mixed tandem of caren and Butch Jackson (Le Scomparse) and got within about 50 meters of the break by the sprint hill. Fraser easily crested the hill first, followed by Baker, and a charging Jimmy Riccitello who accelerated out of the chase group to take third.
Further back, the smaller chase group had crested the sprint hill, but were still not in sight of the main field. They continued to work together knowing that if they didn’t catch back on by Duvall Mine road it was likely to be a lonely ride home. Although they continued to gain time, they were still a good 300-400 meters off when the main field turned onto Duvall Mine Road. Knowing it was now or never, they gave it everything they had and were able to claw their way back on about a mile or two later.
Returning on Old Nogales highway, 7-8 riders opened up a gap on the field. The break, including the tandem, stayed off and was never threatened by the rest of the peleton. Two riders, Huxman and Ortega, had also made the break on the way out. This time they were determined to make it to the podium. Huxman took the honors, followed by Emiliano Jordan (Eclipse), and Ortega.
This weeks Shoot Out Write up was written by Scott Baker. |
| Shoot Out 8/19/06 | |  Today's shoot out can be summed up in two words: Curtis Gunn.
Gunn (Successfulliving.com) showed up on his TT bike using the shoot out as final preparation for his upcoming TT at the USA Cycling Professional National Championships.
A few breaks developed early on, but each was futile. OnceGunn got in the aero position for a "hard effort" anything up the rode was soon brought back into the fold. The overall high pace of the day took it's toll on riders allowing 8-10 riders, including Gunn, to get off the front after the bridge. There were no counter attacks, as the strategy was clearly to stay on the train lead by Gunn without falling off. This was easier said than done, and the break soon dwindled down to four riders including Jimmy Riccitello, Scott Baker (GST Racing), and Joe Delgado (Team Rhino). After the mailboxes Delgado decided that he had had enough and fell off, leaving the other three to continue on their own. They stayed off until the sprint hill with Gunn easily powering over the hill first, followed by Baker and Riccitello.
The sprint on Old Nogales proved tactical, as no one wanted to make an early move toward the line. That was fine with Norm Kibble (Team RPM) who, at the age of 60, has one of the most explosive sprints in town. Kibble jumped hard, and no one was able to grab his wheel. Behind him the race for second had developed with Isiah (Endeavor) coming across just ahead of Jay Guyot (GST Racing) and an Aggress rider.
This weeks Shoot Out Write up was written by Scott Baker.
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| Shoot Out 8/12/06 | | 
Today's pack wasn't especially large consisting of about 50 riders.
However, about 90% of those riders would probably rank in "Tucson's top
50."
Before long, a break of 5-6 riders developed. They were caught
after about a mile, and Heath McFarland (unattached) immediately went off the front followed by Scott Baker (GST Racing). McFarland and Baker opened up a gap and traded pulls for about two miles before Rob Alvarez (White Mountain) bridged up to the pair. After awhile McFarland fell off and the other two continued.
Just before the bridge Denny Vaughn (Summit Velo) closed the gap to join the pair. At the base of the bridge both Alvarez and Vaughn said they were pulling off (likely racing the next day at Skull Valley). Baker with no race plans the next daydecided to continue solo. Back in the main pack a break occurred atthe bridge leaving the majority of riders behind. Baker stayed off for several more miles but was caught just before the mailboxes by the chase group which consisted of about 10 riders who were well represented with regards to local teams. 200 meters before the sprint hill John Simonson (GST Racing) began driving the pace in order to lead out Baker. It may have been a little early as the group began to slow early on the hill.Neil Becwar (Presteza) sensed weakness and hit it hard opening up a gap on the rest. Baker followed, but Becwar proved too strong cresting the hill first followed by Baker. Matt Jones (Eclipse) came across in 3rd.
Returning to town on Duvall Mine road a group of 10 riders, including Jones, got off the front and decided they would try to stay off until the Old Nogales sprint. They worked well together equally sharing in the pace making. It proved successful as they were never caught and found themselves in position to challenge for sprint honors. Jones (obviously miffed that he had only mustered 3rd on the previous sprint behind two riders closer to his father's age than his) decided to show everyone who was boss. He came across the line first followed by Isiah
(Endeavor) and Frank Barnes (Summit Velo).
This weeks Shoot Out write up was written by Scott "Off The Front" Baker.
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| Shoot Out 6/24/06 | |  It was hot today. Lately, in the mornings its been somewhere in the 70s at 5:30am. This morning it was already 85 degrees up north at my house.
Definitely going to be a 3 bottle day. There was a little wind out today although at 5:30a Mother Nature had not settled on a direction. As we rolled neutral down Mission the group was large and growing. Seemed to have big showings from teams Eclipse, Rhino, SummitVelo, and Presteza.
Surprising move by the Grey Wolf today as instead of attacking the peloton during the warm up he made his move after Valencia once we got rolling. Not sure if anyone responded.
As mentioned the group rolled out pretty easy. I was still socializing a bit and unknowingly getting shuffled to the back as the first moves were made. From what I have heard the break came with Corey Steinbrecher (JellyBelly) and a couple of others off the front. Rob Alvarez bridged up at one point. The break stayed away through the bridge then slowly deteriorated over the span to the mail boxes. After passing helmet Peak the mixed tandem of Butch and Caren Jackson (Le Scomparse) made strong move to get away before the sprint hill. There was still a couple of guys off the front - possibly Peter Brown and the youngster from Summit Velo? The Eclipse guys organized at the front and ran down the tandem just before the hill. The pace was fast as we began rolling up the hill, Eclipse rider after rider spending himself to get their guy into launch position. As we neared the top of the hill it looked like it was going to be Scott Blanchard. But tucked in behind him was Pablo Sanchez who just kind of exploded by everyone in the last few meters. Pablo first over the top followed by Craig Belman with Blanchard holding off Kyle Akin for third.
Cruising down Old Nogi there was a slight reprieve from the heat. Humid, cooler air flowed over the group as we rolled through the orchard area. The inbound pace was steady, maybe 26-28mph. As we neared the Circle K the Eclipse crew again took control at the front and began driving the pace. There was a slight head wind as well. With the Eclipse train cooking down the right side, Butch and Caren kicked the tandem in gear and started winding it up down the left side. I found myself on the left side so their wheel looked as good as any to get on. They really wound it up passing by the Eclipse train. With almost 300 meters to go I put my nose out into the wind and decided to go for it (thinking it was more like 200m). But with less than 20m to go Corey from Jelly Belly on the right, then Isaiah from Endeavor on the left, came around yours truly from GST taking the honors by a bike length. Corey first, Isaiah second, Jay third.
Time to refill those water bottles. It was hot today.
Today's Shoot Out write up was written by Jay Guyot. |
| Shoot Out 6/17/06 | |  My sister called on Saturday. She usually rides the shoot out, but decided to do a mountain bike ride with her husband instead. She said, "I heard the shoot out was easy today." As always, it all depends on where you're sitting. I thought it was pretty tough.
Here's how it unfolded. Early on, well before the bridge, there were numerous attacks. One break with three riders got away from the pack.The riders were John Denhert of Grand Canyon Racing, Rob Alvarez of White Mountain, and Jason Karew of Eclipse*. Eclipse was very well represented in the pack and chose to treat this day as a practice race.They moved to the front to control the tempo and cover attacks by other riders. Attempts were made by some riders to bridge, but none were successful. However, the pack was closing fast after the mailboxes and breathing down the neck of the break by the sprint hill. The top three places were taken by Jason Karew, Rob Alvarez, and a fast charging Craig Belman who was able to come from the pack and go around John Denhert at the end. I apologize that I can't report on the Old Nogales sprint. I flatted about 400 meters before the sign and wasn't able to get a report.
* I didn't ride the shoot out last Saturday, but I learned that John, Rob and Jason got away last week as well. They were joined by a Jelly Belly rider and stayed away. That's some impressive and aggressive riding. However, let's make sure they don't make it three in a row.
This weeks write up was written by Scott Baker.
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| Shoot Out 6/3/06 | |  Well if finally feels like summer and things are heating up. Although it is getting hot it is nice to get out early and hammer out 60 miles before most people are out of bed.
The shoot out started off this morning with 2 husband and wife tandem teams getting up front and setting a steady pace. Butch and Caren Jackson and my wife Mimi and I. We set a good pace up until the first cattle guard and then Curtis Gunn took over. Soon after Curtis attacked and was off the front with a couple other riders Curtis flatted which quickly changed the dynamics of the ride. The ride was steady and fast for the most part with little wind.
Things got cooking before the base of the hill with Eclipse and Rhino setting the pace to position their teammates for the King of the Mountian. Kyle Akin took 1st, David Glick was 2nd, Denny Vaughn held on for 3rd.
Coming back Curtis Gunn was back in the group and up front hitting it hard making the ride back to town steady and fast. There was a good group of people working hard and rotating through. Setting up for the sprint Curtis Gunn made a hard move setting the pace with Peter Brown on his wheel. Out of nowhere and to the left of the road Jay Guyot of GST attacked hard letting everyone know it was game on. The finish to the sprint was Denny Vaughn-Summit Velo 1st, Unidentified SW Hand 2nd, and Jay Guyot-GST 3rd. Although there was not a write up last week Denny Vaughn won the sprint last week. Looks like Denny’s wheel is the place to be.
Another Grey Wolf Story: The Grey Wolf appeared at the front of the group as we were coming in on Park during the warm down. He would like attack and get off the front then turn right at an intersection and circle back and do it again. Someone said he ran a light or too. This eventually pissed off Scott Leonard who rode up next to him and started yelling at him.
We were coming up to a red light and to get away from Leonard the Wolf ran the light, put his arms up as if he'd won something and then did a throw down gesture pointing toward the ground as if that was the line and he was daring Leonard to cross it. Leonard was stopped at the light with the rest of us and could only flip him off and mumble "idiot" or something similar.
Marty Mares would have loved it. I don't know what goes on in the Wolf's head but he is good for comic relief.
This weeks write up was written by Tyler Ford |
| Shoot Out 5/20/06 | |  Saturday dawned with yet another clear bright warm sunny day in Tucson.
What a drag it is to live in southern Arizona. :-) The scent of another shoot out was in the air. This must have been what brought out the Grey Wolf. Clad in black and red with matching flowing scarfs, he looked marvelous as he prowled back and forth at the front of the peleton eye-balling for weakened prey.
Shortly after we got rolling the mixed tandem of Les Comparse went to the front setting the early pace. This morning’s group was large but light on Pro riders as they must be off racing for money rather than the Tucson Weekly World Championships. A few miles before the bridge Rob Alvarez and Shane Peltonen got away. A few riders made attempts to chase but they didn't have the numbers and were quickly brought back to the main pack. Other than the two away the main group made it the bridge together (although the tandem decided to head back early). As we crested the bridge you could see that there were a few teams with large numbers out today. Eclipse, Rhino, and GST looked to have anywhere from 5 to 8 people each in the group. Soon after the bridge a small chase group developed consisting of 2 Rhino, 2 Eclipse and 1 GST rider (remember, the two leaders were still out there and almost out of site). They stayed away from the main pack all the way through the mailboxes. As we reached Helmet Peak road we were all back together again and steaming toward the sprint hill. About a mile from the hill the Eclipse guys organized up front and drove the pace, successfully launching David Glick to lead the pack over the hill and get third behind the out-of-site Alvarez and Pelteton, one, two, respectively.
Even though there were no tandems left in the group we headed down Duval Mine road at a respectable 35-40mph. Oddly enough we did seem to catch every red light as we crossed the freeway and transitioned onto Old Nogi highway.The inbound pace was fast today as group really powered all the way into town at 30+mph, catching other groups that had turned down Helmet Peak as well as the Senior Shootout along the way. Again the Eclipse guys had the numbers and were doing a lot of the drilling up front.
As we neared town you could see the body language of the sprinters start to change and twitch with anticipation. Various groups began to organize, guys looking for the right wheel to grab. With about 1K to go, from the left side, Peter Brown, outfitted in rocket red today, jumped.Nobody went with him. Over on the right side the Eclipse guys and some of GST were organizing and keeping the pace high. With about 500-700m to go Eclipse began to really lay down the power with three guys in their lead out group, the third being Travis Huxman, followed by GST rider Jay Guyot and others. The group ran down Peter and with about 200m to go Travis and Jay jumped with Jay taking the honors, Travis second and third was too close to call.
Just another lousy day in Southern Arizona, heh, heh.
This weeks Shoot Out commentary was written by Jay Guyot.
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| Shoot Out 5/13/06 | |  Marty’s Perspective:
After helping to set a fast pace early on, Phil Zajicek and Curtis Gunn turned back at the bridge in preparation for a race on Sunday.
The tempo continued on nice and hard up through Mailbox Hill, with no major moves coming until the amazing mixed tandem of Butch and Caren Jackson blasted away about 3 miles from Sprint Hill. The tandem stayed clear till the start of the climb, which was pretty damn impressive. Tim Carolan was the strongman on the hill, but he made a u-turn just shy of the apex handing over top finish honors to Neil Becwar, Scott Baker, and Paul Arbo (finishing in that order).
As was the case last week, Peter Brown set a mean pace on the rolling section past Sprint Hill. Last week I wrote that we thought Peter had a hot date, but now we think he just likes to make people suffer.
Having a tandem along always changes the dynamic of the ride on the downhill at Doval Mine Road. I found this out the hard way with two other guys when we tried to get away. The moral: never piss off Butch & Caren when they’re riding a 58X11 geared tandem.
The tandem continued to be the main pace setter on the road back to town, while everyone else prepared for the final sprint. Always a powerful finisher, Peter Brown took the final sprint followed by me, with Jay Guyot and the tandem on the line tied for 3rd.
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| Shoot Out 5/6/06 | |  With many riders racing events this past weekend it was one of the smallest groups for the Shoot Out I’ve seen in a while, but it was still a great ride.
The pace picked up quick at the start with several guys pitching in to set tempo. The Most Aggressive Rider Award goes to Peter Brown, who was at the front all day and jumping away constantly.
No breaks got away before the bridge, but just afterwards, it got interesting. Past the second cattle guard is the slight uphill section of the ride I fondly refer to as “the hard part”. Scott Bak | |
