USC dominates WCCC Championship in Davis

WCCC Championship Podium, photo by Yao Saeturn

The 2013 WCCC Series came to a dramatic end with USC riders winning both the Cache Creek Road Race and Mondavi Criterium. John Tomlinson won the grueling, crosswind-heavy road race by attacking the elite lead group of 6 with 15 miles to go and crossed the line solo, in the leader’s yellow jersey. Colin Don won the Mondavi Criterium in a similarly dominating fashion: a solo attack with 3 laps remaining, holding off the field. Tomlinson won the field sprint, earning third place.

The victory in the road race sealed Tomlinson’s domination of the WCCC Individual Omnium, winning the series by over 600 points. Following are USC’s victories this season:

• 1st place, Cal Poly Road Race: John Tomlinson
• 1st place, UCLA Road Race: John Tomlinson
• 1st place, Stanford Road Race: Brendan Larkin
• 1st place, Fresno State Road Race: John Tomlinson
• 1st place, WCCC Championship/UC Davis Road Race: John Tomlinson
• 1st place, WCCC Championship/UC Davis Criterium: Colin Don

Brendan Larkin and John Tomlinson will represent USC at the Collegiate Cycling National Championship Road Race and Criterium in Ogden, Utah on May 4th and 5th.

Thank you to our sponsors Intelligentsia Coffee, Helms Bakery, Chemex, Amy’s Gourmet, and Jessup Auto Plaza. We are looking forward to another exciting year next year for both the mountain and road seasons. Stay tuned!

Brendan Larkin Wins Stanford Road Race – Report

Photo by Yao Saeturn

When I crossed the finish line first at the Stanford road race with enough time to sit up and take in the moment, I hadn’t been the strongest rider for the past three hours. That is the frustrating beauty of cycling, the strongest doesn’t always win, the smartest and the one with a little (or a lot) of luck usually gets to salute.

I rolled away in the first mile with a Stanford rider and the pack sat back for what sounded like a tempo ride. Another Stanford guy bridged with the lone Santa Barbara guy in the race. It was breakaway as usual for the next few hours. I chose to lead up the climbs to set the pace and let the rest work more on descents and flat roads. I really started hiding from the wind on the hideous head wind section once we had established a 7 minute lead.

With approximately twenty miles to go we dropped the SB rider. I was initially pleased, but this lead to a barrage of attacks from the Stanford duo. I actually welcomed these attacks, because they didn’t put me in trouble and I could refuse to work after they began. One attack almost got me when both riders got up the rode, but I grit my teeth and latched back on the group. (rule #1 of breakaways, never get dropped)

Coming into the finish, the primarily downhill and tailwind ten miles made closing attacks easy. We got an update from the moto-ref that a chase group was beginning to gain on us, so we started to work together again to make the break survive. I continued to sit on the most, with one Stanford kid doing the lion’s share of the work and his teammate appearing to be queuing up for the sprint.

I seemingly ruined the parade for the Stanford twosome when I attacked on the final hill with 1.5 miles to go. I was certain that one Stanford rider would chase, and the other would pass me, leaving me with a respectable 2^nd. However, once I realized that I actually had a chance, the final moments of suffering were easy. With a football field length to go, I recognized that I had struck the lethal blow and soft pedaled across the line.

I don’t think my attack or tactics would have a high success rate over time, but sometimes everything just falls in place and that is what makes cycling a beautiful sport.

Thanks so much for everyone’s support this weekend and thanks to boss man John Tomlinson for putting some unwarranted faith in me. Let’s keep notching up the W’s.

Fight On!

Brendan Larkin

Updated USC Helms Bakery Criterium Flyer

Please see below the updated USC Helms Bakery p/b Intelligentsia Coffee Criterium flyer. The only race that changed time is Women A, which will now begin at 9:30am.

We’re getting very excited for the event, hope to see you out there!

Please also see the map below for parking information. Look on the WCCC Google Group for more information in the coming days.

Also, look for a race report from John Tomlinson, who got 2nd place at the Boulevard Road Race and 3rd place at the Red Trolley Criterium last weekend, in the coming days.

Karl

2013 Kit Order Link + Website Updates

Here’s the link for the 2013 Kit Order you’ve all been waiting for! Orders will ship in December, so if you’re in LA head to Bike Effect instead to get yours right away.

Also, the website has seen some major updates in the past few days. The sponsor page is now up to date, the roster is updated and we’ve even posted some of our favorite rides (north of campus for now, stay tuned for west to Malibu and Palos Verdes).

Ride On and Fight On! (Also, Beat the Buffaloes tomorrow! Happy Parent’s Weekend)

2013 Kit Information

2013 kits are here! If you are in the LA area, head over to our awesome sponsor shop Bike Effect (910 Broadway, Santa Monica) to pick one up. An online order for those outside the LA area will open on Friday – stay tuned for the link.

Stay connected with Trojan Cycling as we prepare for the 2013 Road Racing Campaign through this website, Facebook, and Twitter. Fight on!

Mountain Bike Skills are Important when Mountain Biking

Reno is a long way from Los Angeles. This might be something we all know, but it’s hard to truly comprehend it until you’ve driven it, in a car, having to stop every hour or so because you know you’re going to race at altitude and are forcing fluids. Karl and I know this, because that’s just about how our drive up north went this past weekend. While lacking some of the epic vistas of our drive up there last year, the views were stunning as always and we arrived Friday afternoon (after a 6.30am departure) to a wonderful venue up in Tahoe. This year Reno hosted its race at Sky Tavern, a resort dedicated to making skiing and snowboarding affordable so that anyone who wants to can enjoy sliding downhill fast without the barrier of cost. An excellent vibe that translated well to an excellent race. 

We pre-rode the course Friday, which turned out to be a great idea because, ladies and gentlemen, we had ourselves some real mountain bikin’ on our hands! While Parkfield is always the most popular race, its notoriety is based more on its party atmosphere than the quality of riding. UNR offered up both in spades! The race started off with a maybe 3.5 mile fire road climb, then went into a rolly singletrack bit and ended up with a mix of fireroad and singletrack screaming descent. And the singletrack was tricky! The top rolling bit had a number of step ups and creek crossings that it was good to have been able to practice, to make sure we were in the right gear and confident in clearing the obstacles. But the highlight of the course was the WAY loose and gnarly (for XC) singletrack down at the bottom. Karl and I ran through it a couple of times, and after three tries I felt good about being able to clear it all during the race. Georgia (dog), of course, was able to get through everything no problem, sitting in the shade while we struggled to keep traction in the wet grass and loose sand. 

After a horrible showing at Parkfield, I was looking forward to doing a little something at Reno. The race was at altitude, which doesn’t help those of us who live at sea level, but after a summer of racing Rim Nordics I felt confident that I knew how to handle the challenge. With so much fire road climbing, our race started off at a reasonable pace with the terrain breaking up our group as we climbed. First place quickly got out of sight, but I was able to keep second in view for all of the climb. I was able to get past Eileen, from Stanford, on the descent and hoped that I could keep her within reach again, once she passed me on the second lap, to do it again and end up second on the day. I wasn’t, but even still, I am happy to have finished third. I pushed myself the whole race, really getting after it through the rollers, and cleared everything on the course at least once. All in all, a fun day! 

Unfortunately the short track race the next day wouldn’t play out the same way. The course featured a 2/3 road, 1/3 fire road climb up into a hairpin, then down through some berms and over some bumpy stuff through the campsite (WCCC courses seem to be running the short tracks through the campground, and it makes for a great atmosphere!) and into another hairpin before spitting you back out on the pavement. I spent about half the race chasing third place and finally caught her heading around the top hairpin into the downhill, but ate it coming out of the second berm on the descent, which claimed its fair share of victims over the course of the day. Game over. With four laps to go, after a race of chasing, I didn’t have it in me to catch Liz from Berkeley again and I phoned it in for 4th. It was a great short track, and felt good to actually be racing instead of just pedaling around in circles. Great races by Maren from SLO and Eileen from Stanford to win the XC and STXC races, respectively, and thanks to Reno for giving us some real mountain biking! 

2012 Parkfield XC Race Report – Karl Tingwald 10th Men’s A

Photo by Will Scheel

Mountain bike season is here in the WCCC. My fling with cycling began with riding mountain bikes in the NICA NorCal league, so racing MTB has always held a special place in my heart.

Parkfield is always a highlight of the season – it’s the oldest MTB race in Central California and the pixie bike races on Saturday night are a WCCC classic. Virginia and I arrived in the afternoon and did a pre-ride of the singletrack portion of the course. As usual the trails were extremely dry, but not too loose.

This year the race began with a lap around camp before heading up the infamous hike-a-bike first pitch. I didn’t start well and found myself about 2/3 of the way back in the pack once through camp and on to the hill. Knowing the terrain to come, I made an effort to advance on the rolling climbs leading to the cow trail singletrack. I managed to pass 4-5 riders here, and continued my push into the first main climb. Again, I passed a few riders and tried my best to stay with a group that included Ben from Davis and a few Cal Poly riders.

I ended up falling back a bit on the descent (no surprise there) and was alone by the time the A’s route diverged from the main course. The A’s course included an extra five mile fireroad climb followed by a very hairy descent. I dug in and suffered up the climb – it really never seemed to end – passing two riders on the way to the spectacular summit. I lost one spot to Brian from Cal Poly on the way down to the finish but ended up with 10th place out of 24 starters. Pretty happy with that for my first A’s race!

The MTB season will continue with Reno, Humbolt and Chico before Nationals, and Berkeley, Santa Barbera and Fresno after. Stay tuned for more updates and race reports!

 

 

Advice by John Tomlinson – Two-time Junior Track National Champion

Just a few things I have come across over the years that I figured I would quickly share:

1. Always carry a spare derailleur hanger with you when you travel, or go to a race! 

It is a piece of your bike that is designed to break off if unnecessary stress is put onto it, and can ruin your day as usually they are specific from bike to bike and not an easy purchase at most bike shops. If you have one with you, it can be a 3 minute fix, no problem. Either call a dealer shop of your bike and ask to order it, or go here: http://derailleurhanger.com/index.htm and search for your make and model. I have had a teammate crash in his first race of the day, change his bent hanger, and race the p1/2 later that day no problem. When you bend or break one, you will need to order a new one anyhow, so might as well plan ahead!

2. Race bag spares. 

May be smart to throw a spare set of your preferred cleats into your race bag incase you break a set at a race. Also, a spare chain, and set of cables could be a smart as well as anything on your bike that is proprietary (seat post collar, bolts, anything). Just a few easy things you can keep in your race bag that could save your race when you are in the middle of no where USA at 7am in the morning.

3. Saddle bags.

It is good practice to have a stocked saddle bag (not a huge one!) if you are training a lot, and especially if you are training alone.

I always carry:

• 2 Tubes
• 2 CO2’s
• CO2 Gun head
• Tire Lever
• $20 emergency
• $1 or cliff bar wrapper to boot a tire, and
• some super stick patches that will patch a tube and get me home.          (If I am riding deep carbon clinchers, I might bring a valve extender, just     in case)

These things can keep you rolling after a small mechanical instead of ruining your day and making you call someone. Again, not a lunch box saddle bag, just one big enough to jam all that in there.

4. Below 65 degrees? Wear knee coverings and arm coverings!

I doesn’t matter if they are knee warmers, leg warmers, or tights (Embro does not count). You can really hurt your joint/tendons  if you ride in the cold with them exposed.  There is a lot of movement and not a lot of fat/blood flow to help protect them. Be sure you own at the very least knee warmers and arm warmers.

5. Mark your saddle height with a piece of electrical tape.

It’s easy. Put a piece of tape just above the seat collar leaving a 3mm window. If the post slips, that little window will close and you will know to fix the height. And if you are jamming your bike in a car and have to take the post out, you will know where to put it back.

That is it for now. By no means do you have to follow any of this, but take them into consideration!

About John Tomlinson

John Tomlinson grew up in downtown Chicago, IL and went to school on the South Side of the city. After riding his mountain bike around Chicago city parks all his life, he upgraded to a road bike and began racing at age thirteen. John quickly excelled, winning two Junior Track National Championships in the scratch race (2009) and points race (2010), which qualified him to represent the USA at Junior Track World Championships in Montichiari, Italy. John is now a freshman at USC.  He races with the Trojan Cycling Team while at school, and with Nova IsCorp Elite Cycling Team out of Milwaukee, WI when he is back home in the Midwest for the summer.

Sean Perry – 3rd place Road Race – Men’s Bs, UC Davis –

PART II

(Read Part I)

No one even tried to get on his wheel as he came up.  I let him ride right past me and off the front, sure that Davis would mark it straightaway as they did every other such attempt. Although they took their time, they eventually reacted. The chase was officially on. About half a lap after Jim and I did our thing, Mr. Beast himself, Karl Tingwald, rode up the left side of the field on the first roller and immediately assumed the front to the tune of “Alright!” and “There he is!” from some embattled riders near me.

After hitting the front for the first time all day, Karl used every last ounce of his strength to pull the field, including me, for the greater part of a lap.  By the end of that lap the break was only a few seconds ahead and doomed to certain failure. It was an impressive effort and I was not going to let it go to waste.

We finally caught the break with just under 6 miles to go, and by this point it was a given that nothing else would be allowed even a foot of breathing room. The pace slowed to a crawl. Davis assembled their lead-out train but were understandably weary of hitting the gas too early and waited in the wings. Just as we approached the second-to-last corner with just over a mile to go, the pack sprang to life and each rider jumped to hit the corner ahead of the next guy.

As always, I was not about to muscle for position at the risk of life and limb and so lost a couple of spots after the jump, ultimately settling in around 20th. However, I used some energy to pop around some people during the straightaway, entering the last corner at about 10th after being cut off by a rider from a team that will not be named.

Rounding the final corner, some riders forgot that there were about 600 meters to go and launched immediately, only to quickly sputter out. For my part, I continued to follow the surging wheels and surfed up to third position with about 200 meters to go and prepared to launch my sprint. However, just as I readied to strike, the same rider who had previously cut me off, now riding in second, swerved again (I don’t even understand why this time, as there were only three of us at the front with the entire road to ourselves), forcing me to either sit down and brake or go off the road. Easy choice. I sat in behind him and rolled across the line, seated, in third.

The result could have and should have and would have been better, but that was certainly a good enough result to be happy with, particularly in light of the terrific work the team did to get me there. I was getting nervous, but they definitely pulled through in the clutch, making for a damn exciting race, if I do say so myself. Props to Justin for sticking it out in the field in his first Bs road race, which is a lot more than I can say for myself.

The next day at the UC Davis Criterium, the plan was for me to try to set Karl up for the win, but upon seeing the technical, dangerous nature of the course, we quickly set those plans aside for another day. After witnessing two crashes in the first three laps, Justin and I mutually decided to find a coffee shop and then return to spectate. Jim and Karl weren’t having the times of their lives either and abandoned shortly after. Despite this disappointment, however, I think all of us would call the weekend a rousing success and a lot of fun to boot. Fight On!

John Tomlinson – 2nd place Crit – Men’s As, Cal Poly

Fight on! John Tomlinson

“I am going to quit…” I kept telling myself this over, and over again in the criterium race Sunday in San Luis Obispo. My legs were in so much pain. Not a good pain, a blocked, hurt muscle pain. I had raced in cold, wet conditions the day before, and my legs seemed to be telling me just that. Between a good block of training, and the cold, my legs were ready for a day off. Cal Poly Wheelman found the hardest 0.6km circuit they could in the area, which did not help my situation. It was a good-sized hill, downhill tight two corners, and a false-flat uphill headwind to the line.

We had stayed at a Cal Poly Cyclist’s apartment the night before (very generous, if I might add) and our newest, and very ambitious rider Luke Walker woke up early for his first ever crit. When he came back he had a huge grin on his face and said “that was so much fun!” Hearing that from a guy new to bike racing was probably more satisfying then any result I have gotten all year.

My race time crept up on us and I was as ready as I was going to be. After a quick parade lap with some Cal Poly VIP’s, it was race time. I took the front immediately as it was a technical course, I did not want to get caught out early, and I needed a warm up. Attacks began to fly early, as it was not that long of a race. At this point, my legs were screaming, but I tried to fake it as best I could. A break went off with two good friends, Cody O’rielly and Stephen Leece, from Santa Barbara and one other Davis rider.

I knew that I could not let that roll away. I put in a hard effort, and caught the move. After a few laps the field was strung out, but for the most part patched back together. I knew that if I wanted to get off the front now was the time to go. Going into a points lap, I hit it. My legs finally feeling like what a bike racer’s legs should feel like! I put my head down and went. I looked back and had Cody O’rielly with me and we had a gap. We began to rotate and soon got out of sight. Virginia, Luke, and Ben were yelling time gaps and it sounded like at one point we had forty-five seconds. Cody and I were pretty civil, I tried to lose him on the climb the last few laps but it was not happening. He made me look like a child in the sprint, and I rolled in second.

All in all, a fun weekend with friends and a great race at Cal Poly. Thanks so much to Danny Heeley for letting us stay on his couch, and Kat from SLO for putting a roof over our heads! Round of applause for Cal Poly!