Early Bird Criterium Race Report, Robert T

The Early Bird Criterium was very instructional. The clinic was mostly about cornering. The kids clinic worked on starting and stopping. The team warmed up together.
At the start of the race I made an early break I only worked when there was a tail wind, well at least I tried to. The group was for guys Robby, Jack, and a kid on the CVC Team. We later got caught by the older guys with 3 or 4 laps to go. I was going to lead out Robby to the sprint but he was pushed off my wheel. Then on that lap I got dropped.The race was really fun and again instructional.
Till next time,
Bobby T

Early Bird Criterium #3 Race Report, Robbie

Robbie Race – Early bird report Sunday 17th

Clinic – this week they taught us more about pace line and be comfortable. Coach Robert taught us a bunch of that last year so this was like refresher. I got stuck in with 7 women to practice so that was kind of interesting.

Cat 5 race- This one was a lot harder and faster than the other ones. Maybe it was because the weather only had out serious riders. It was a pack of about 45. The last two weeks they broke us into 2 groups. This time they kept us all together. The race started fast. They were averaging about 25 – 27. After about 4 laps the back of the pack (where I was at) started to get dropped. We were doing about 20 – 21mph after that. I saw the big gap opening up and I wanted to go catch up. I didn’t realize how big a gap it was but was going to go try anyway. I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have caught up but was going to go for it. Then one of the OLDER mentor guys started yelling for me to stay with the group. I was not happy but since it was for learning I stayed with this group. We got lapped on about the 9th lap by the fast guys. I stayed in our group and was able to keep pace. I felt good about the race since overall the pace was pretty fast. I saw lots of guys getting dropped and picking back up on the next lap so that made me feel better.
I sprinted for the finish in our group and was somewhere toward the front of our group at the end.

Jr race – It really started raining hard right before we started. I don’t know why but was I still cold from the earlier race and was shivering. I just had nothing. I raced anyway. Joe and his team took off really fast. I got dropped along with some others almost right away. I think most of them were older so I didn’t feel bad. I was soaking wet, my face was covered in dirt or mud and rain. I raced the rest of the way with another guy and we helped each other draft. The main group split in two and we jumped on their wheel as they went by. We were doing about 17 – 20mph. I was in the GONE cave.

It was fun and I learned again not to be in the back of the pack. Once they start to go away it is really, really hard to try and catch them. But I got some good training and exercise.

Thanks for reading,
Robbie

Early Bird Race Report, Stuart

Before the race there were two clinics. One for adults and juniors, and one just for juniors. I did them both. Afterwards I started to warm up with my teammates Robbie, Robert, Sophia, and Stefan. When I was riding the course it seemed pretty easy, but I did not know how long I was going to ride. Then after I was done riding the course we got out the trainers and started riding for about 30 minutes and then waited for the race to start.
At the start there was about 30 juniors (18 and under) there. We had to line up younger people in the front and faster people in the back. We a minute or so head start from the older people. It did not take long for them to pass us.
In the middle of the race I was in a group of three with a mentor. We would switch off taking the lead in our line. Then after awhile I tried to breakaway but they caught me again. So then I was back in my little pack. We got lapped once from the older people.
At the end at the last corner it was a dead on sprint. I was still tired from my breakaway attempt. My pack went ahead and beat me. After I finished we were instructed to go into a parking lot and discuss the juniors race with the mentors.
I learned to breakaway that you need to be strong enough to hold the lead and not have them catch you back.
Thanks for reading,
Stuart

Early Bird Race Report, Robbie

early bird crit. Cat 5: 1-10-2010
At the beginning of the race I had the goal of just finishing the whole 40min. of the cat 5. And at the starting line of the race I was as nervous as anyone would have been doing their first full Cat 5 with all the older guys. It’s the beginning of the year and I am doing these rides for conditioning and experience. Everyone says cat 5 is a bit more dangerous since they are usually beginners but since it is learning races and no winners it is more controlled. So it helps my nervousness.
When they signaled us to go I got on some ones wheel and just tried to keep up with the pack as it went speeds of about 21 – 25mph. It is sure a lot easier at that speed when you are drafting the entire time. As the race progressed I had to move to a ton of different wheels as I was at the back and middle of the pack, but I know that the way I was racing I was doing much better than last week. I felt better in the pack and was using some of the things they were teaching us in the earlier clinic and last week’s clinic. (like pedaling all the way thru the turns and which lines to hold in the turns)
About half way thru the race there was fairly big wreck that was right in front of me. About 5 or 6 guys. Some bikes got messed up. I don’t think anyone was hurt bad. Luckily I saw it coming and pulled out. They let us rejoin on the next lap. I was able to hold on and finish with the main group which was my goal. There wasn’t a ton of strategic moving as we were supposed to be learning pack rules and stuff. The race was hard and with 5 laps to go I just wanted to make sure I finished. The pace picked up and we were moving pretty fast. There were about 5 – 8 guys that kind of sprinted for the finish. I sprinted also but was somewhere in the middle to the back of the pack. They taught us in the after clinic that if you are in behind the 12th – 15th place not to sprint or you can cause accidents. I was just glad to not get dropped (last week I got dropped with about 4 – 5 laps to go.) So I was glad to finish and still have some energy at the end. I am going to get to go to one more week so I can be a little closer to Cat 4.
Jr Race.
It was really cool to race with the Rocket teammates again. It was fun to see everyone. It felt like old times last year. The race was a controlled and supervised 30 minutes. We kept a good pace. They had 12 years old in with older kids to 17 years old. The groups got broke up at the start. Robert and I were in the second pack and we kept up with the older group of kids. Robert was riding strong. Almost the entire group spent a lot of time on working with each other and learning drafting techniques. The mentors and coaches were in the middle or right behind us giving advice. The older kids were moving pretty fast and were stronger. Robert and I were just drafting and hanging on wheels. We made it. I think I came in about 4th to 5th. I was totally exhausted afterwards but happy I finished. Special thanks to coach Tom who helped mentor today and gave some really good tips to me afterwards. I hope I can remember them…..I will try. Thanks coach Tom.
-Robbie

Early Bird Race Report, Sophia

Before the race there were two clinics to go to; one for juniors and for adults, and one just for juniors. The one for juniors and adults I found more helpful than the one just for juniors. In the one for juniors we went over stopping and starting and clipping in. In the other one we went over pace-lining. After these clinics I had my dad lower the seat height of my bike and fix my gears that kept switching. Then we went on trainers for half an hour before the race. Ten minutes before the race we went to line up and I got a spot in the second row. Luckily, this race didn't count at all and the mentors were there to help us through-out the race.
The race official let the younger kids go first and then we all started after that. The mentor that was closest to me had me work with a few kids that were much slower than me and I couldn't catch up to the lead pack. After a while I was getting upset about how slow I was going (and because we had another mentor that was helping) he looked at my expression and told me to follow him to break away for the kids we were with. By this time we had been passed by the main pack and I was still upset but I followed him. I was working with him basically all the way and sometimes I took a pull. Eventually another group consisting of one of my brothers and 2 other racers passed us and I held on for as long as I could (10 seconds at the most) then I was dropped again. I eventually lapped the kid that I was "working" with at the beginning and I did pretty well. After the race there was a debriefing about what happened during the race. Overall on a new bike and the first race of the season I think that I did not great but okay.
Thanks for reading,
Sophia

Early Bird Criterium Race Report, Stefan

Early Birds Criterium Race Report, Juniors Category

Before the race, I had attended two cycling clinics which taught me how to corner better and how to start and stop better on my bike.

Just before the race I was feeling good. When the race started I drifted to the front of the pack and led them for about half a lap. Then my teammate Robert attacked, splitting up the pack and leaving me behind. I managed to hang on to three other riders who had also been dropped. A Spine racing guy and I were working together while the other guy just hung on. We forced him out into the wind to help us work. We stayed like this for most the race.

At the end the guy who had been sitting on attacked about half-way into the lap. Since I had been pulling and was tired, I realized that I was kind of worked when the Spine guy went off too. So I sat up and pedaled to the line.
Thanks for reading,

Stefan

CyclingNews.Com Team 2010Presentation

DJs Produce-Rocket Sports Racing Team announces 2010 squad

The DJs Produce-Rocket Sports Racing Team, a junior development racing team based in Northern California, supported by Rocket Sports Foundation, Inc., has finalized its team roster for the 2010 season.

California State Champions, Ryan Messersmith, Jon Christensen, and Sophia Fuller will co-captain the team which includes returning riders like California State Road Champion Robbie Farrens, Robert Terra, Stuart Fuller, Benjamin McDonald, Connor Phillips, Katelyn Messersmith, Abba Christensen, Bowen Terra, Stefan Fuller, and Jackson McDonald. Benjamin Binder is new to the team.

In 2009, along with winning five California state championships titles, Rocket Sports Racing scored age group wins at the Cats Hill Criterium, the Cherry Pie Criterium, the Panoche Valley Road Race, the Davis Criterium, the Sacramento Cyclo-Cross Series, and four top 10 placing at USA Cycling's Junior Road National Championships.

The squad will be coached by the long time USA Cycling juniors coach, Robert Fuller, and Tom Fahey, a multi-time national track champion.

The team's title sponsor is DJs Produce, an organic produce company based from California's San Joaquin Valley.