TRIA Orthopaedic Center Your Cycling Blog

By Holly Mathews
Kowalski’s Markets Collegiate All-Stars Team
University of Wisconsin-Madison

When most people think of a time trial, it seems they usually think of 40km. While this may have been the norm, that gold standard seems to be changing to much shorter distances.  Regardless of distance, I think the proverbial “You either love time trials or you hate ‘em.” stands true, but it would be premature to tag myself with either extreme given that this was only my second individual time trial. This morning was a race of truth and I learned a lot.

The team got to the course with ample time to get warmed up, get changed and be ready to go. I was the first to go from the Kowalski’s Collegiate All-Stars Team and I found out the hard way that keeping an eye on time is just as important as hydrating, warming up, having equipment ready, this, that, and the other thing.  If my heart wasn’t already pounding when the clock was close enough to see that I had less than one minute to be ready on the ramp, it was then.  I threw my extra clothes to John (our director sportif), ran up to the platform with my bike, clipped in with 5, 4, 3, 2… and off I went.

Other than the start, the race went pretty much as anticipated—roads were rough, conditions were not optimal, it hurt the whole time and the last hill stripped my legs of the little they had left.  My performance placed me in the lower half of the field, but I’m moving forward because it’s the only thing I can do. There is a lot more racing to look forward to and I am thrilled to be here at a race of this caliber, riding with some of the best in the sport.

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By Lyne Lamoureux, Nature Valley Grand Prix
St. Paul, Minn. – The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team controlled Wednesday’s Stage 2 St. Paul Downtown Criterium from start to finish and topped it off with a sweep of the podium.

After a perfect leadout from his teammates that included yellow jersey owner Rory Sutherland, Jake Keough took the win, Hilton Clarke placed second and Robert Förster was third.

“I think we’ve proven tonight that we’re one unit, whether it’s off the bike or on the course.” Keough said after his win. “The team is one unit, we do everything together. The dedication from the whole team is perfect. Each one of those guys is a specialist in what they do throughout the whole race to perfection.”

After rain fell earlier in the evening, welcomed glimpses of blue sky could be seen for the men’s race in the entertainment district of Downtown Saint Paul on a flat, fast, six-corner course that featured brick sections around Rice Park and some of the most beautiful architecture in the Midwest.

Only three laps into the 40-lap race, Bernard Van Ulden (Jelly Belly presented by Kenda) and Carlos Alzate Escobar (Team Exergy) escaped the fast-moving peloton. One lap later, two more riders, Alex Candelario (Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth) and Tyler Wren (Jamis/Sutter Home) joined to form a breakaway. The complete UnitedHealthcare team assumed position at the front of the field, with Jonny Clarke and Adrian Hegyvary keeping the pace high.

Lap after lap, it remained the same, with Keough’s teammates always in control, holding the gap at a very manageable 20 seconds. Cooperation was not perfect in the break, but the four stayed mostly together for 31 laps of the 1.4-kilometer course. During this time, Alzate took top points in the intermediate sprint competition while Van Ulden, Wren and Candelario contested the intermediate time bonus.

With seven laps to go, the BISSELL Pro Cycling Team swarmed the UnitedHealthcare train to take over the front and the already fast pace was revved up even further, dooming the breakaway.

Keough took it in stride. “I just kind of called the guys to be really calm and to wait until the other guys burned their matches so we could go back around them,” he said. “We’re getting well drilled at this. We’ve been putting it to some good effect. Each one of the guys did a perfect effort at the end.”

One lap later, the blue train was back at the front while the sprinters jockeyed for position behind. The battle was on for controlling the front of the pack with the inevitable bunch sprint finish rapidly approaching. Every lap the speed ramped up until Sutherland took over with one lap to go.

“He’s a vital part of our leadout as well,” Clarke said about having the yellow jersey pull at the front. “Adrian worked all day and he was second overall and Rory is leading the race but he’s helping us win the stage. We’re all helping each other all tour. The roles are reversed each day and we work as a team.”

Then it became a matter of executing the peel-off as practiced successfully in many previous races.

“The order we’ve been putting into the leadout train for the past few weeks has been Frosi (Förster), Hilton and then me and it’s been working,” Keough said. “We’ve been going 1-2-3 and we’re just going to try to keep doing it.”

The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team finished 1-2-3 in Wednesday's St. Paul Downtown Criterium. Winner Jake Keough (far right) acknowledges his teammates at the finish line. (Matthew Moses)

Finishing fourth on the stage, Alzate took over the Wheaties FUEL Sprint jersey, while Van Ulden was awarded the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey. Chad Haga (Team Rio Grande) will wear the green jersey as the Nature Valley Top Amateur and Joey Rosskopf (Team Type 1-Development), the white jersey for the TRIA Orthopaedic Center Best Young Rider.

After two stages, Sutherland remains in the lead with nine seconds on Hegyvary and Tom Zirbel (Jamis/Sutter Home). The defending champion also holds the Sports Beans King of the Hills jersey.

Thursday brings the Cannon Falls Road Race. The 67-mile course through gently rolling, but wide open farmlands, finishes with six laps on a circuit that includes a short, steep climb to the line. Even a gentle wind can tear the pack apart.

Keough says his team is ready to defend the yellow jersey. “I think tonight was a lot of bullets used so we need to make sure we’re conservative and make sure we have the legs but the guys proved that they’re strong and we’re going to keep it up.”

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strong>By Cynthia Lou, Nature Valley Grand Prix
St. Paul, Minn. – World road champion Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D’Asolo presented by Cooking Light) won Wednesday night’s rainy and crash-filled St. Paul Downtown Criterium in an exciting sprint finish, while Olympic time trial champion Kristin Armstrong (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) retained the Nature Valley Grand Prix overall lead.

Shelley Olds (Diadora-Pasta Zara-Manhattan) and Chloe Hoskings (HTC-Highroad) rounded out the Stage 2 podium in second and third, respectively.

As the women warmed up, the weather quickly turned from sunny and warm to windy and rainy, leaving them to make last minute adjustments to tire pressures. Tension built as knowing glances were passed between teammates while the national anthem played and the officials made their final announcements.

Fortunately the rain subsided about 15 minutes into the race, and the second half of the hour-long race unfolded under clear skies. The road started to dry, but not before several crashes happened, including one that took down about 30 riders.

There was fierce competition for the time bonuses, the first which happened with 23 laps to go. Hosking, Lauren Tamayo (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12), and Amanda Miller (HTC-Highroad) soaked up the first round of bonuses earning five seconds, three seconds and one second, respectively.

With 20 laps to go, a break formed that included riders Miller, Tamayo, Olds, and Leah Kirchmann and Joelle Numainville (Colavita Forno D’Asolo). Their lead ticked up to a 14-second gap and lasted 10 of the 28 total laps.

As the break started to absorb time bonuses and stretch its lead, it became clear to the Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 squad that it had to start reeling it back in.

“There was a break that got off that we weren’t excited about,” explained Armstrong. “With the conditions, it was single-file all night long. It was really difficult for our team to get together and chase down another team. That was frustrating. There was a point when I came up to help my teammates to finish and close the gap. After that, we just made sure there wasn’t another attack that went off and stayed off. The energy we expended to close that break was not something we wanted to do twice. People are out to race against us. We have three of the top five, and it makes for hard racing.”

With the peloton together for the final laps, teams began setting up their sprinters.

“There was a pretty solid lead out from TIBCO, so I made my way up to their train and just tried to hold position in the last lap,” Olds said. “In the last turn, Theresa Clif-Ryan (Colavita Forno D’Asolo) jumped, and I jumped to cover it. But Bronzini was on my wheel and she came around me. It’s difficult when you have two really fast sprinters from the same team.”

“I was in front of the first position, behind my teammate,” Bronzini said. “I was in third position at the corner, and gave my best sprint today.” Bronzini said she felt confident she could win as long as she came out of the final corner no farther than three riders back.

Georgia Bronzini (Colavita Forno D'Asolo presented by Cooking Light) celebrates her victory in the St. Paul Downtown Criterium, Stage 2 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix. (Matthew Moses)

“Tonight was one of the hardest crits I’ve done in years,” Armstrong said. “People were on fire. I know that there’s been past years that have been tough, but I think the depth of this field is the best I’ve seen at Nature Valley.”

Olds, who has raced a full schedule this season in Europe, agreed: “The field this year is incredibly strong. I think, much stronger, with a lot of numbers for each team.”

The Nature Valley Grand Prix has seen a lot of growth in recent years, from stronger fields to increasing opportunities for growth and visibility of new and upcoming riders.

Jade Wilcoxson is one such rider, having been selected through the Nature Valley Grand Prix Pro Ride – a series of qualifying races across the country.

“Just having a team director and a team mechanic and having all those details taken care of has been incredible,” Wilcoxson said. “Then racing with this caliber of women – this was a hard crate.” The Talent, Ore., resident will wear the Nature Valley Top Amateur jersey for Thursday’s road race at Cannon Falls.

Other jersey wearers include Olds in the Freewheel Bike Most Aggressive Rider jersey, Leah Kirchmann (Colavita Forno D’Asolo) in the Wheaties FUEL Sprinter jersey, and her teammate, Rushlee Buchanon, in the Tria Orthopaedic Best Young Rider jersey. Though Armstrong leads the Sports Beans Queen of the Hills jersey competition, Evelyn Stevens (HTP-Highroad) will wear the jersey for Cannon Falls.

Looking forward to Thursday’s first road stage in rural east central Minnesota, Armstrong noted, “We’ll have to see what the weather does, because sometimes it’s really windy. Again, we ride as a team, we ride as a unit. The technicality of tonight was hard to get the team together, but tomorrow the roads are wide, but the finishing circuits are tough. They always are. They’re technical and tough. We’ll have to stay safe and use the same tactics as tonight and work as a team.”

The women’s race in Cannon Falls starts at 5:30 p.m. Watch the race in person or streaming online at http://www.naturevalleybicyclefestival.com.

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By Kristin Armstrong
Peanut Butter and Co. Team TWENTY12
Four-Time Nature Valley Grand Prix winner, 2006-2009

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, I completed the biggest achievement of my career by winning the gold medal in the women’s road time trial competition on August 13. It was a childhood dream to compete in the Olympics and is one of the most amazing days of my life representing the United States at the highest level an athlete can reach.

I love cycling and I love competition. After a year-long break to start a family, I’m proud to be racing this year on a team that I also am part owner of: Peanut Butter & Co. Team TWENTY12.

The Nature Valley Grand Prix is one race I’ve always looked forward to each year. Typically, I excel at the time trial, but the opening stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix, the St. Paul Riverfront Time Trial, is very different. We aren’t allowed to use time trial specific equipment in this race! This nuance creates a unique challenge for me. As a time trial specialist, I’ve always benefitted from using aero bars, disk wheels and a time trial bike frame specially designed for speed. The dynamics of this technical course, plus riding a traditional road bike for the stage, slightly changes my strategy for the race. It still favors time trial specialists like myself, but my training for the time trial will focus on my road bike rather than my time trial machine.

Every cyclist has an opinion about time trials: You either love or hate them. While many cyclists prefer not to do a long, solo effort, the ability to time trial effectively is handy whether you actually do stand-alone TT events or not. How can you benefit from this training?

• Time trial training helps any rider who has an opportunity to break away from the pack in a race. The ability to push your cycling skills and knowledge to the edge and hold it there for extended periods requires mental and physical toughness.
• Riders can train for both skills. If you know you can nail a steady speed, power or heart rate output for an extended period of time, you’ll have more confidence in the saddle. When time trialing, I mentally challenge myself to tap every ounce of energy I have and fight through any physical pain in order to compete and achieve my goals.
• Time trial training can also benefit recreational riders who never pin on a number and race. The power and aerobic capacity that make you a successful time trialist also make you a strong all around rider.

The key to success for the St. Paul Riverfront Time Trial is to stay smooth, calm and powerful on the course. There is no hiding in the pack or drafting behind teammates. Each rider must test herself against the course. This course is all about power and efficiency as riders traverse the out and back on Lilydale Road and then face the steep climb and turns up Cherokee and Ohio Street. Finesse and endurance will help everyone get to the finish. Without the aid of time trial bike technology, riders will need to stay focused. Riding time trails is a great way to get strong and will help your solo training or during the Gran Fondo rides when you find yourself breaking the wind.

In our world, we call time trials “the race of truth.” Although my peers and I will complete more than 200 miles of cycling in the Nature Valley Grand Prix, this 6.1 mile race can be a decisive factor – showing who the true contenders are for the overall win. Losing just a minute in this time trial could cost dearly in the final standings.

Cheers from spectators – especially up the hill climbs and at the finishing straight – always help motivate riders to the finish line. So bring your breakfast and coffee and watch us go for it!

Kristin Armstrong (born August 11, 1973) is a professional road bicycle racer and Olympic gold medalist, the winner of the Women’s Time Trial at the 2008 Summer Olympics and also 2 World Time Trial Championships. Before temporarily retiring to start a family in 2009, she rode for Cervélo TestTeam in women’s elite professional events on the National Racing Calendar (NRC) and UCI Women’s World Cup. She announced a return to competitive cycling beginning in the 2011 season, competing for Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 at the Redlands Classic.^[1] Armstrong earned a bachelor’s degree in sports physiology from the University of Idaho in 1995, and currently lives in Boise, Idaho. Kristin Armstrong and Lance Armstrong (known to women’s cycling fans as “the other Armstrong”) are not related.

About Time Trials:

An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre – literally “against the watch”, in Italian: tappa a cronometro “stopwatch stage”). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ITT’s are also referred to as “the race of truth”, as winning depends only on each rider’s strength and endurance, and not on help provided by team-mates and others riding ahead and creating a slipstream.

Source: Wikipedia 

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By Aaron Smith, the editor of the local blog Minneapolis Mussette, which reports on the Minnesota bike racing scene and related bike culture.

He’s just finished decimating whatever time I’ve posted as ‘personal best’ up Ohio Street. After time trialing down the Lilydale flats, kicking it in the big ring and devouring that punchy little switchback, Brad Huff is now sitting at ease. One leg on his top tube, the other unclipped, Huff’s now poking fun at one of the mechanics on his team with a fake Russian accent.

If I had tried the same I’d probably be doing my best to keep my Gu’s down.

Larry and Sophie – proprietors of the excellent Fix Studio in south Minneapolis, have just rode with me to my first Nature Valley stage and are introducing me to their good friend, Brad Huff. I’m a little wide eyed, but Brad takes it in stride as Larry asks him about how the legs feel. Larry’s expertise as a soigneur has garnered the respect of many riders at the NVGP (as well as beyond) but it’s apparent that Brad and Larry go way back. Huff describes a tightness in his right calf, nothing of concern. Larry asks him to tell the Jelly Belly soigneur to take special care of it.

It’s apparent that Huff is not the traditional PRO athlete. At this point in my journey, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the professional cyclist. I had not even raced yet and pipe dreams of taking a prime and ‘dropping the hammer’ filled my mind during the traditional Tuesday and Sunday group rides. The conversation turns to my lack of experience and I ask Huff if he has any suggestions for a budding Cat 5.

“Just stay near the front – no sense getting mixed up in the back.”

Later that evening I find myself on the final corner at the Lowertown Criterium yelling rather loudly for the Jelly Belly team. Local Adam Bergman takes a flyer off the front of the break and is looking good. This isn’t the Metrodome, this isn’t the Excel Center – there is no consistent shrine to these brave men and women who race. Even so, I feel it’s for the best. The interaction allowed and even encouraged between the fans and the PROs provides for a unique and altogether better experience for the spectator. Being a fan of this sport, as obscure as it sometimes can feel, gives you something you can’t obtain by being a fan of the ‘mainstream’ sports. A very important connection between you and the lycra-clad tornado flying by.

You can bet I’ll be right at the sidelines on that finishing straight screaming my lungs out cheering for the Jelly Belly team. With Brad’s great track record in the crits, it’s certain that he’ll be right up in the mix and most likely even taking one of the two exciting metro area criteriums. I hope to get to meet up with him again and wish him the best of luck, and I betcha I will too. Maybe this time I’ll be able to keep my jaw off the ground after watching him sprint.

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After the first day of racing here in St. Paul it seems like the legs are starting to come around to the efforts which I am asking of them. With Monday full of travel, and then just trying to get things moving yesterday, I think today was when everything started to finally come around.

This morning after almost one hour of riding, I arrived at the start of the 10-kilometer time trial just like I wanted to; confident, hot, sweaty, and armed with a solid plan for how I would approach each of the following 10-kilometers. I was aiming to finish the first test of the week in 13 minutes and some seconds, even a 13:59 would have been “successful.” In my last time trial, I set a goal which would have placed me in the top 25 finishers from the previous year, and I beat that goal. So today, I was confident for the time trial and my goal. Unfortunately, I was never able to find my rhythm on the course, and ended up finish a long ways down, losing nearly 1:45 to the fastest man, Tom Zirbel.

With my race getting off to a rocky start, I rode from the time trial back to our host house in Mendota Heights. The 20 minute ride was the perfect cool down, allowing me to pedal a light gear with a good cadence as I cleared the lactic acid from my legs.

The middle part of the day was lazy and relaxing. After getting back, I made a quick lunch, before taking a nap. After awaking from my nap, I jumped onto the massage table for a quick rub. Off of the massage table, and I was back to the couch where I remained for the rest of the day. I passed the time by checking in on the news, and then picking up a good book. Off the couch, it was a light pre-race snack, and then back to the couch for a few minutes before kitting up for the evening’s criterium.

Kitted up and ready to go, I rolled out with my roommates for the short 25 minute ride into downtown St. Paul for the criterium. It is no secret, and I make no fantasies about my criterium racing skills. In the world of domestic stage racing, crits are certainly my Achilles Heal. Driven by the morning’s frustration, along with a host of other emotions, I managed to ride one of my strongest crit’s of the season. Although I really accomplished nothing of note in the race, I did manage to stay in what seemed to be the top half of the field, finishing within the main pack.

As the legs start to come around, I am still a long ways down in the general classification, and I am hoping to continue the positive trend, moving farther towards the sharp end of the racing, maybe even off the front in the next few days. We will see what the future holds, but for now, I have a few more minutes on the couch before I crawl into the sheets for some much needed sleep.

Thanks for reading. We are off to Cannon Falls tomorrow afternoon for some autograph signing at the library, which will be followed by an all out throw-down over the course of a challenging 107 kilometer parcours.

Keep the Rubber Side Down,
C-

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The time trial is often called “the race of truth”. There will be no hiding in the pack or drafting behind teammates as each rider must test themselves against the course alone.

This will be a no-frills slug fest, with riders flying up and down Lilydale Road in this individual race against the clock and back by popular demand is the finish on top of the Ohio Street hill.

Although the riders will complete well over 200 miles in the Nature Valley Grand Prix, this 4.5 mile race will likely be decisive. Losing just a minute in this time trial could cost a contender five places in the final standings.

Men’s Start List / Women’s Start List

Event Schedule:

8:30 AM – First woman starts (TT Start Times)
9:45 AM – First man starts (TT Start Times)
12:00 PM – Racing ends

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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, cycling enthusiasts and those who just enjoy bikes riding above the speed limit, the week of the Nature Valley Grand Prix is upon us!

Starting Tuesday, we’ll have the stage-by-stage preview, with a map of the route, as well as the current standings and, if applicable, the winner of the previous stage. Keep your browser pointed to the TRIA Orthopaedic Center blog for the most up-to-date results, pictures, information and carnage, because it’s bound to happen!

Remember that it’s not just about the bike! There will be fun for the entire family during the races, so check out the Minnesota Bike Festival website for more information!

Here’s a quick rundown of the races and locations:

Wednesday, June 10th:

STAGE 1: St. Paul Riverfront Time Trial (8:30 am to 12:00 pm)

STAGE 2: Downtown St. Paul Criterium (pro/elite women at 6:00 pm; pro/elite men at 7:40 pm)

Thursday, June 11th:

STAGE 3: Cannon Falls Road Race (5:00 pm men; 5:30 pm women; all racing done at 8:15 pm)

Friday, June 12th:

STAGE 4: Uptown Minneapolis Criterium (women’s pro race at 6:30 pm; men’s pro race at 7:45 pm; all racing done at 8:45 pm)

Saturday, June 13th:

STAGE 5: Mankato Road Race (1:15 pm men start; 1:50 pm women start; all racing done at 5:40 pm)

Sunday, June 14th:

STAGE 6: Stillwater Criterium (pro/elite women at 12:00 pm; pro/elite men at 1:30 pm; all racing done at 3:00 pm)

We hope the 2009 edition is the best yet. Come see it live!

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