Challenge Road Race

Lindsay Myers
Challenge Road Race
1st Place Senior Women Category IV

Ok, so they started the 3s and 4s together. They told us we could work with each other but not any other groups. I didn't want to take off on the first hill because I had no idea how strong any of the other girls were...they were good climbers. I stayed in the front, not letting anyone pass me, but I wasn't killing myself off. I made sure to keep my breathing under control on both the climbs. I stayed in the front and eventually on the climbs we broke into about 5 of us up front. We stayed together for most of it, got stuck behind the master 45 who wouldn't let us pass. Several people told me about the course--2 climbs, flats, rollers and an uphill finish. I didn't think the rollers would be so hard. They were uphill rollers if that makes sense. The girls go so slowly on the flats...I couldn't believe it. I stayed in front, but didn't want to make any huge effort pulling. On the rollers we dropped two more girls, so there were three of us together at the end. They were both cat 3. I came in the finish before the cat 3 and 4 women, but they cat 3 had another lap, so that really doesn't count. I was probably 20 min. ahead of the second cat 4 and I got 20 bucks!! Woo hoo!! It paid for gas at least.
So I hurt on the hills..the flats felt good, really good, but the hills hurt-I guess they're supposed to. I felt good though for my first ever race.
--Lindsay Myers


Tyler Brandt
Junior 17-18 year old
11th Place Elite 3
Ethan, Ryan and I set out for Live Oak on Friday afternoon. We planned to stay at my grandparent’s home that night and drive up to Challenge the next morning. This worked out well so that we did not have to wake up extremely early for the race. We made it out there and got registered, and pinned some numbers. It was actually quite cold in the early part of the morning, but that would not last for long. We made it over to the starting line and sat there for about 30 minutes. Velo Promo is always late, but I can not blame them because they provide so many races throughout the year for us, and I really appreciate that. Velo Promo races are what racing is all about; its races for riders who just love the sport as the only prize is a T-shirt. I must say though, a Velo-promo T-shirt is considered to be quite the trophy in the bike race world.

Well the course started out on a crazy neutral descent. I got in front for the neutral descent and stuck behind the motorcycle, it’s quite amazing how much draft you can get from those. The pavement was horrible for this descent, but my trusty Specialized and I glided over most of it. We started up the first climb and I began to do some tempo near the front, I was not going very hard but it felt good to open up the legs a little since I had very little warm up. After a bit I dropped back and put in a small attack. I got pulled back in and Ethan attacked and Ryan blocked on the front. I think that we may have started our tactics too early, but it was a lot of fun to ride with a team. Along the course we went onto a very nice paved descent, and it was pretty steep. We got going about 5 2 mph so that was quite a lot of fun. I personally enjoy windy technical descent more than pure speed, but there is just something about going over 50 mph on a bike that provides a thrill. I sat in for much of the lap and then we hit the feed zone climb. This climb is tough and it is absolutely wide open so the sun was just bearing down on us. I went with an attack on the climb just so that I could sit on and be in front of the pack so that I would have a buffer zone and not get dropped because I was suffering. I made it up to the feed zone and poured water all over myself and then I felt decent through the final climb.

The second lap I just hung in and tried to conserve. We started the feed zone climb and I once again went with the attack to provide some room. The pack started to break apart chasing us down and about 20 guys made it up to the break that I was in. I started to really suffer on it though and was barely hanging on to the back of the new pack. I made it to the feed zone once again and got some much needed water. I then went up near the front for the start of the other climb. I suffered my way through the first part and barely hung on. I made it back up to the front for the steep section of the climb, but I was dropped there. I made it to the top not to far back and the pack was just humming along now along the flat section. I snapped up into my big ring and gave it all I had to get back into the group. I went straight up near the front and started the final climb there. One guy attacked right at the start, but he was chased down relatively quickly. At the 1 KM sign the pace began to heat up, and I was stuck in the second row. I wanted to move up so I could be ready to move quickly on any attacks, but with the yellow line rule and the ref on the motorbike right behind us I had no where to go. I was suffering and I made it to the 200 meter sign where there was a large attack and I was not able to respond. I suffered my way to the end and got caught by Zach Williams and Ryan at the line. I think that I should have conserved more, but I also think that on this day some 8 other guys were better than me.

Thanks for reading,
Tyler

Mt. Tam Race Reports

Ryan Eastman
Mt. Tamalpais Hill Climb
Juniors 15-16
3rd place

We were all very excited for this race. It would be the last race of the season. So Tyler, Ethan and I went out the weekend before and rode the course to see where to attack and other tactics to use. The day finally came and I woke up early, so Ethan and I drove to Tyler’s and then got on our bikes and road from Fairfax up and over Mt. Tam to the start in Stinson Beach. The race started and before we would hit the climb we had to ride up Highway 1 for about 4 miles. We made that right-hand turn and we were now facing the base of the climb. It was basically a sprint from there, we were climbing at a very fast pace so there were not very many attacks, but there was a couple accelerations. I worked my way up to the front and I got there and started to ride a steady hard tempo so that nobody would want to attack. I was riding there for a long time and I noticed that the pace was getting a little hard on some others. So the road kicked up a bit and I attacked and flew u p the road. I knew this would be hard to follow, a few guys got across the gap. I created a break away of 6 guys including me and we dropped the rest of the field. I was super happy my chances of winning just increases by a lot and I was feeling good. We reached the top of the major climb that was around five, six miles of steady climbing. Now all that was left was the ridge that climbed up and then went down a bit and this repeated quite a few times. We hit the first one and it was tough and steep and the whole break made it up, we crested the top and rolled down. We gained some speed and real quick we hit the next little climbing and an attack was made, one guy chased it down and the others followed. It was difficult, we were all back together again and I don't know what happened I was finding my self drifting away from them. They got about 50 meters on me but I would not give up. They were now not getting any more distance on me. They rolled over the top and then went down and t hen a little later so did I. The next little climb was the longest and I new I could gain some ground I hit the climb and just put my head down and did not think about any thing else but each peddle stroke, didn't focus on the pain and I was riding back up to the pack. There was one small climb left before the finish and I was just hammering it. I caught the breakaway right before the little climb and Peter looked back and saw me, and I knew he was going to attack right then and sure enough he did. I just held the same pace and hammered it to the finish line and I got 3rd place. I was super happy with my result and my time 45:22.

Well this race concluded my first year racing, and it was the perfect race to do so. I am looking forward to getting a bit of rest in and I am especially looking forward to next season and where it will take me.

Ryan Eastman


Tyler Brandt
Mount Tam Hill Climb
4th Place Junior 17-18

The day started out good and ended well, but the middle involved some dead legs. I got up early and Ryan and Ethan drove over to my house and we went for a warm up over Tam. I could already tell that my legs were not feeling good, but you definitely do not want to admit that to yourself before a race. I just kept rolling along hoping that they would come around before the race. We got down to Stinson a bit slower than we would have hoped and that meant for a little bit of a rush of getting pre-race duties done. I made it to the line with plenty of time, but I couldn’t find Ryan or Ethan, but they both made it there on time and we were off. Ryan, Ethan and I had ridden the course the week before and we were all excited and prepared. There had not been many tough competitors pre-registered so we had thought about doing a tough pace along the flats in order to get a really good time. However, quite a few other strong riders had showed up so we decided to just sit in on the flats and take it easy. It was a good steady pace around 22 mph, I would have liked for them to go faster, but I wasn’t going to go on the front and waste myself, especially considering how my legs felt. We got near the hill and I made my way towards the front and started the hill up there. I soon realized that it was indeed true that my legs felt terrible and I was dying to hold onto the last wheel of the shattered front group. After a few miles of the climb I lost all contact and was left to fight it on my own. My legs felt horrible, but I just kept telling myself "Keep Fightin...keep fightin..." I was caught by Danimal (Daniel Tisdell) and I hung onto his wheel for a while. I was hoping that I could find my legs and catch some riders that would blow up from the front group. That did not happen and I gave it my all to the finish, but was definitely not happy about my result. I was more than 2 minutes slower than my time of last year! I was thoroughly disappointed, but I had a lot of fun descending down Panoramic back to Stinson. Ryan, Ethan, and I plus my father and his friend Jeff rode out in the general area of the Lighthouse. On the way out towards Pt. Reyes I was suffering horribly, but I eventually found some decent legs. Ryan and I raced up a couple hill with one leg and we made our way back to my house. We were even able to drill it for the last 8 miles and we made it back with 100 miles under our belts for the day.
-Tyler

Tyler Brandt's Blog

Check out Swiftie Tyler Brandt's new Blog--lots of great photos and race reports.

Tyler's Superweek Race Reports

Tyler Brandt
Superweek 2007

Superweek takes place in Wisconsin, and most of the races are in or very close to Milwaukee. There are 16 days of racing for the category 3’s, but I was only going to be there for 7. I had the opportunity to race 3 road races and 4 criteriums. It is a very cool event because there is a lot of prize money and usually the fields are good sizes throughout the week. There is really no where else in the US that you can find 16 straight days of racing. I flew from Nationals over to Milwaukee where I met my father and then went down to host housing. We were able to stay at Bob and Carol Diggelman’s house. It was super cool of them because they were not even home, but they let us stay in their house. They came back on our last day and we had dinner with them and I really appreciated their generosity. My father and I also went to see Janice and Vince, they are really great people and I hope that we can see them again next year and that some Swifties can stay with them at their host house. Finally the racing:

Saturn Whitnall Park Road Race
Category 3
4th Place
I had the opportunity to do this race last year so I was familiar with the course. I warmed up and my legs felt decent. We started the race and I felt good, and I tried to initiate a couple of moves, but the field wasn’t letting anything go so I decided to sit in for a while. This course is about 2.3 miles and it has some rolling hills, and then there is a decent little climb at the finish so I felt good about the course. One man was able to stick an attack and he held on for the win. I fought hard through the last lap though and was able to move my way up to the front for the finish and 3 of us got a bit of a gap in the sprint and I was about a wheel length away from 2nd, but I am happy with my result. I was able to get a massage after the race and that definitely helped out my legs.

Proving Grounds Road Race
Category 3
2nd Place
My father and I drove out to the course and I think we went through the wrong entrance. The course is located in this area that is used to test cars and we drove by a bunch of cars that were wrecked, but we eventually made it. I could not find much room to warm up so I just took it easy until the start. We took off and my legs felt awful. The course is about 9 miles and we did 6 laps. The course has some rolling hills, but there are no hills that break the field up. I decided that in order to do well I must either get in a break or just wait until the end. Considering my legs felt awful I decided to sit in. It was a pretty hot and humid day so I ate and drank a lot and tried to find my legs. There were constant attempts for breakaways, but everything was being chased down so I was quite happy. Halfway through the last lap it seemed that I had found my legs a little so I moved up near the top 10 and found a good spot. As we hit the last couple of miles I was sitting in great position and I felt I had a good shot. Then we hit the final climb and I found myself boxed in. I started thinking "Get me out of here, give me an opening…!" I was able to push my way out a little and then halfway up the climb I moved to 2nd wheel then I attacked hard and gave it my all. I crested the hill with a gap and then there was about 500 meters of flat to the finish. At about 300 meters to go 1 man caught and passed me and I had nothing to stay with him, but I was able to hold onto 2nd. I was happy, but I couldn't help thinking that I had lost again.

Humboldt Park Criterium
Category 3
5th Place
This race was super close to our host house so I got the opportunity to sleep in and we made the short drive down to the course. I got a bit of a warm up and I saw Jason Cardillo from Eastside, this was his first race at Superweek and I was excited to have someone to work with. We lined up and were off. The course was pretty cool because it had a climb in it. We took off hard and I tried to make something happen, but nothing much was going on. Then 3 guys rolled off the front and no one bothered to chase. I tried pretty hard to make some bridge attempts, but nothing was working and I found myself wasting myself towards a lost cause. Then another 2 guys rolled off of the front and I was suffering. Then with 2 laps to go we hit the base of the hill and I was in about 5th position with about 3 guys from one team and Jason in front of me. Jason and another guy took off while the other team boxed everyone out. I was able to get around but they had a bit of a gap on me. I drilled it and got a gap on the field. Along the top section of the course I was going so hard I wanted to cry. I caught Jason and the other guy and along the last lap we caught one of the guys that had been in a break. Jason and I worked together and he let me take the sprint for 5th. I felt all right with my result, but I was a bit irritated that I had missed the early breaks.

Green Lake Criterium
Category 3
5th Place
The race was over in Green Lake and that was about 1 hour and 45 minutes from our host house. My race was not until the afternoon, but we left with plenty of time so that we would have time to get lost and still make it their all right. Little did we know that we would be getting extremely lost. The race directions led us onto the rural highway instead of the main freeway and although we were on the right track we decided to backtrack and it all ended up in me changing in the car and us getting their 10 minutes after it was supposed to start. I sprinted to the start line and luckily they had not gone off. I had to check in and I used the restroom while the referee was yelling out the race rules etc. The race started and I was sure happy to just be in it. The course was pretty fun, with a decent hill in it. My plan for today was to make the break and so I started out attacking like crazy and being in every move. I was determined to be with everything so that I would not be racing for something less than 1st. But then I cracked and moved into the pack for some R&R. Just then 3 guys just roll off of the front, there was not even a real attack, and they were gone. The course had a straight-away start/finish area that led into a downhill right hand turn. One lap I was sitting 2nd wheel and the guy in front took the turn too hot and slides out in front of me, I was able to stay up and had no problems. I actually thought that it was pretty cool how my instincts took control and when he went down it felt like everything went into slow motion. The remainder of the race I attempted to make some moves, but nothing stuck. At the beginning of the last lap I got pushed to midpack and I hit the hill there, but I was able to move up into the front on the hill and onto the front. I headed into the final corner in great position to win the field sprint, but some guy cut me off through the corner and he took it. Good thing there is a race tomorrow because I am tired of having the race roll away.

Carl Zach Cycling Classic
Category 3
2nd Place
I am happy to say that our drive to the race was uneventful, no getting lost. I pre-rode the course some, and got a bit of a warm-up. The course is interesting to say the least. There are tons of corners and the road narrows a lot. It is not a fun course to be in the pack in, but it is great for breakaways. The course was full of spectators though, and that was super cool. Well I got a bad place on the starting line and that cost me quite a bit of energy considering it took forever to move up through the pack on this course. I made it up towards the front just in time for the first prime. I went hard for it, but I got nipped at the line by about ½ a wheel, I was not a happy about that one. The race was quite uneventful until about 17 laps to go and they started giving out some primes. I followed some guys that were going for the prime and I didn’t go too hard for the prime, but they got a gap on the field and I attacked out of the prime. I went solo for a few laps and then t here was a $40 prime that I got followed by another $40 prime I got and then a $50 prime I got. I was suffering out there by myself, but I was having an absolute blast with the crowd cheering for me. The announcer was talking about me and I could even here some people that I didn’t even know yelling "Go Tyler!" Now that is cool. Then two guys bridged up to me and I was relieved to get some help and we got a good paceline going and we were working well together. Then there was a prime for us and the guys let me have it, plus all of the other primes, they just wanted to keep the break going. With about 6 laps to go another 2 guys bridged up to us and there was a $100 prime for 1st and $25 for 2nd. I went sort of hard, but I thought that they were going to give it to me, but I got beat at the line. The group continued to work well together and I had a feeling that we were going to stick it so I took a little shorter pulls to save some energy. With 2 laps to go an other guy bridged up. The six of us were going to hold it and I went into the last corner 3rd wheel. It was a long straightway that was slightly uphill and with a headwind so I thought that I was in the ideal position. I went with about 200 meters to go and I almost had it until the guy behind me pulled up a ½ wheel ahead of me for the finish. I had lost again. Well that was all right because I had made around $350 from the 7 primes that I had won.



Evanston Grand Prix
Category 3
4th Place
We got to drive to Illinois for this race, another state to mark down as raced in. The course was downtown and there were big crowds. It was going to be a cool race. The area had little to no room for warm up so I just hung out. I watched by the start/finish and there was an electric speed gun up that was telling how fast the riders were going. I thought that was pretty cool so that the spectators could see how fast the racers are actually going. The course was nice, with wide streets, except for the 2nd to last corner was quite narrow, I thought that would be dangerous, but luckily my group kept the rubber side down through it. It was not the ideal course for me, dead flat, but I felt confident. We took off nice and quick and I took it easy in the pack. There was some action off the front, but there was a big field today and everyone was chasing. I made a good counter as a break was being reeled in, but the pack wasn’t letting anything go. The race was quite uneventful and there were no primes, so there was nothing much to do but save the legs for the end. The pace was actually pretty slow as we were nearing the end, and it was getting dangerous as we were going into corners with the field about 10 riders wide. It is much safer to have the field strung out. Luckily nothing happened and the pace kicked up for the last few laps. I moved into perfect position on the last lap and I sat 4th wheel through the last corner. The last corner to the finish was quite far, about 700 meters and I started the corner in my 52-14 – junior gears. Well I was standing up sprinting and then I was spinning out and I had to sit down and try to get some draft in the sprint, junior gears are great. Well I was able to finish in 4th and I was quite happy considering the course.

Holy Hill Road Race
Category 3
10th Place
We made it out to the race and we pre-drove the finish stretch. I was quite excited as it was my birthday and I had the opportunity to do a bike race. I was also excited to see that I sat in 2nd place overall in the race. I got all ready and warmed up, but then we did not start until about an hour late due to the COM car getting a flat tire. Then we were off and the pace was quite slow. I guess everyone was not quite as excited as I was to do 70 miles. As we got into the 2nd lap with nothing happening I felt like playing with the field a bit. It is fun to know that everyone is watching you, since I was in 2nd overall, so I made a few attacks and watched as the field barreled after me. I made these attacks to see if I could open my legs up a bit because they were feeling pretty awful. The race was an 8-mile loop and it included a gravel climb and descent. It was horrible; the climb was not that bad but the descent hurt a lot. Gravel was shooting everywhere and it stung pretty badly when it hit you, especially in the face. Well my legs continued to feel pretty awful and the course was boring so I tried to find a good spot and eat and drink and hope for my legs to come around. I tried to get into some breaks, but the field was not allowing me to go anywhere. Eventually a break went and it had about 5 guys. My legs had not improved so I couldn’t do much. I sat in and waited for the end and even though I had great position for the sprint, I came up quite short in the sprint. I guess my legs need a couple days off.

Well it sure was an awesome trip. I had a ton of fun and got to experience a lot of great racing. My legs were hurting by the end though, I cannot imagine what the Tour de France must be like.
Thanks for reading,
Tyler Brandt

Tyler's Race Report: Nationals

Tyler Brandt
Junior 17-18 year old
National Championships

Time Trial: 44th place

At this point in my racing the time trial is the weakest part of my racing, but I feel that I am able to post a decent time, and I hope to improve my time trialing in ffered on to the line with the wind blowing my all over the place. I crossed the line with a time of 27:52 and I was a little disappointed because I was hoping for around 27:30 but I felt good with my ride nonetheless. I knew that I could not crack the leader board, but I felt that I had put in a respectable ride.

Road Race: 26th Place

I woke up bright and early for the road race. Our race started at 7:30 and I was up at 4:30 in order to get food in and it gave me plenty of time to wake up and get ready for the race that I had been training all year for. I was excited but relaxed, I knew that I would give it my all, and I felt like if I could make it without error through the first few miles and get in good position then I would do well. Getting on the start line early was almost more important than the warm up due to the 172 guys that were signed up for the race. I was able to get a decent spot in about the third row and I got a great start and was able to move up into the top 10 and find a good place to sit and relax. I felt good and then at about mile 3 I looked to my right as a Rock & Republic rider came screaming by me and in to the gravel off the road. I saw him go over the guard rail out of the corner of my eye, but I did not realize what was going on behind me. I did not even think about the consequences of going 50 mph and going over a guard rail. I did not realize that about 50 other guys had also gone down. My race was ahead and that’s where I was headed.

We did four laps out on a 10 mile circuit then returned to the start/finish area. There was one super steep climb that was about half a mile long and that was the only part of the course that I felt could be decisive until we got off of the circuit and up the finishing climb. I was able to find the sweet spot of the field and I just sat there trying to conserve my energy. I was suffering up the steep climb, but no one was drilling it up the climb so I was able to gut it out each time. The first few laps there was a dense fog that we could barely see through. I was sure happy that I had pre-rode and drove the course as I knew each corner and climb and was able to shift before each. Two guys had broken away on the first lap, a Hot Tubes rider, Ben King, who had won the Time trial and a Colavita rider. On the second lap we caught the Colavita rider and Ben King was going solo. No team was chasing too hard though and the gap was slowly increasing.

We started the final climb about 8 minutes back of the leader and the strong guys started to drill the pace. I was able to stay over the first few climbs but as we hit the long climb I was not able to hold on all the way. As I started to fall off the pace, Micah Herman of the AMD team came up behind me and gave me a little push and told me to follow him, and I tried but I just could not hold on. I suffered up to the Condo’s where Ethan caught me and he took a hard pull in our chase group of about 5 riders. Through this section my legs quads began to cramp and it seemed that they were pulling against me, it was ridiculous how painful it was. We started the final climb up to the resort and the finish and I was hurting. I tried massaging the cramp out but that did little. I just concentrated on getting through each stroke and was able to make my way to the line without too many riders catching me. I felt good with my ride, a little disappointed, but I knew that I could hang with the top guys, and if I had good legs I know that I could have gotten top 10.

Criterium: 25th Place

My race was not until 4 in the afternoon so we had plenty of time to get ready for the race and get some packing done since we were leaving early the next morning. At 12 there was a huge thunder storm and that was interesting, so we decided that we were probably going to race in the rain. We got down to the course about 2:30 and I got to look at the course and get good and ready. I was excited with the course, the finish was only 200 meters from the final corner so the sprint would be determined mostly on positioning, and if it was wet then I could have a lot better chance since I am not a great sprinter. There was also a slight uphill after the first turn and it was all around a course that I felt good about. As I was warming up it started to sprinkle, then it began dumping and thunder storms, and I was excited. I always enjoy racing the rain, it feels epic with the water shooting all over your face and you’re soaking wet.

I was able to get another good place on the starting line and I got off to a good start and even got in a little attack at the beginning and was in a break for a lap. I then took it easy and got into the sweet spot of the pack. I am not sure when, but a break went and it started to pull away. I went with a couple moves to bridge up, but each time the pack chased hard. Then as the break started to get seriously dangerous I gave it my all and took off and was able to get within 2 seconds of the pack, but then no one would pull through and drive the nail in. And then my race was done. I continued to attempt to bridge, but I got no where and I rolled into the finish disappointed that I did not make the break.

I felt good with my experience at nationals, and I feel that I was able to develop a great deal over the past year. Nationals is always a great place to test yourself against hundreds of riders your same age, and I was able to see that I am heading in the right direction, and that I am able to race with the best of them. I had a great time with the team and we had a lot of fun hanging out and watching the Tour. Thanks to all of our sponsors for giving juniors the opportunities to compete around the world. I am off to Superweek in Milwaukee and I plan on some podiums next year and maybe even a jersey,
Thanks for reading,
Tyler Brandt

Tyler at Superweek

Tyler Brandt has been tearing it up at Superweek. He's currently in second place overall in the Cat 3s, and hasn't finished lower than 5th in any of his six races!!

Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Grand Prix of Cycling
Tyler Brandt, 4th, Cat 3

Carl Zach Cycling Classic
Tyler Brandt, 2nd, Cat 3

Green Lake Criterium
Tyler Brandt, 5th, Cat 3

Midwest Airlines Humboldt Park Criterium
Tyler Brandt, 5th, Cat 3

Hammer Nutrition MGA Proving Grounds Road Race
Tyler Brandt, 2nd, Cat 3

Saturn Whitnall Park Road Race
Tyler Brandt, 4th, Cat 3

Go Tyler!