Ogden Criterium

The last road race of the season was a fast and furious one as Ben, Kevan and Joel lined up for the Mountain to Metro Criterium this past weekend. The short and fast course was set up on 25th, Washington, Grant and 26th streets in downtown Ogden. That race was part of a bigger festival so it was fun to race in front of a crowd. Our Cat 4 and 5 riders raced together in this one.

The pace was fast from the get go for the 40 minute race. Not long into it, many of the lapped riders dropped out and the group was whittled down from around 50 riders to 30. 2 riders broke away early and forced the peloton to chase for the duration. Kevan kept the heat on throughout while Ben battled to stick with the leaders. Joel suffered through some late race cramps. With such a short course, the corners were scary fast with numerous "almost" accidents. With 3 laps to go, Ben made his move but was swallowed up the last lap and finished with Joel towards the back. Kevan however motored to third place, his best finish of the year! Congrats to all 3 riders for representing TE well.

This has been an awesome first year. TE has posted 22 top 10 finishes, 11 podiums and 4 wins. Not bad for an inaugural season. Thanks to all who have participated and keep in shape this winter. We will be making some announcements in the next few weeks about sponsors and some ideas for next year.
We still have one racer not done yet though. Targhee will be racing cyclocross this fall and we'll keep tabs on him.

The Big One: LOTOJA!

Here it is folks, the big one. The race that many of us trained all year for. Logan to Jackson is the longest one day race in the US that's sanctioned by US Cycling. Its 206 miles of climbs, wind, cold, beautiful vistas and sore keesters. Some race to win, others just to finish. Either way its an amazing experience. One that rewards those who conquer with pride and the overwhelming feeling of an awesome goal accomplished. LOTOJA is on many a bucket list and this year Team Excelerator had 12 riders in the race. Here's some of their stories:

3-5 Man Relay

Ben Towery, Kevan Steed, Targhee Child and sponsor Cory Price on "Team Excelerator White" battled it out against sponsor Rob Perkins and his buddies on "Team Excelerator Blue" for bragging rights in this competitive relay category. The loser was to buy lunch for the winner in this showdown that was a year in the making.!

Targhee and Rob led the two teams off to Preston. Last year Targhee averaged 17 mph for the first 35 miles. Much to the teams' surprise, Targhee and Rob rolled in to Preston at an average of 23 mph! Ben was to take the next leg to Montpelier for the White team and was barely ready as they came in so fast. After sizing Blue's next rider up for the first few miles, Ben put in the climb of his life, motoring up Strawberry Pass and into the next stop in just over 2.5 hours. It was then Kevan's turn to show his climbing prowess. He raced into Afton to pass the batton to Ben completing the tough stage with an average speed of 22 + mph. Ben was able to warm up prior to taking a second stint on the road and hammered the windy leg at just under 23 mph. It was then up to Cory to bring it home.

We had been hoping to get in to Jackson in 10.5 hours. It was a huge surprise then when Cory raced thorugh the finsih line with a total time of 9 hrs and 53 minutes! 6 teams finsished within 5 seconds of each other and the White team took 16th place overall out of 58. Cory absolutely slammed his way to Jackson and won the White team a nice dinner. The Blue team rolled in a little over a half hour later all smiles. While they lost the bet for dinner, they still finished in the top half and knocked over an hour off of Rob, Cory and Targhee's relay time from last year. Rob and his boys put up some impresive numbers up the climbs and on the flats.

Fun Ride Relay

Team members Kirk Johnson and Troy Headly also participated in a relay. Here's a shot of Kirk in this year's Xterra Triathon in Ogden. This was supposed to be a family event for Kirk but unfortunately his wife was hit by a car earlier this year and broke her hip. One of many horrible car/cyclist encounters this year on the roads of Utah. In her place, Troy took over and put in the most miles he has all year. A true LOTOJA addict now, Troy wants to ride the race solo next year. Good job to both of you and we hope Kirk's wife recovers well.

Cat 5

Our long hauler, Jerald Olsen, competed in LOTOJA for his first time this year. There isn't anyone out there who prepared better for and rode more miles than Jerald to get ready for LOTOJA this year. With his family supporting him along the route, he put in an incredible 10 hour and 45 min time on the clock. What was amazing was how good Jerald looked at the end. He was smiling ear to ear. Last year, when Ben and Kevan finished, the ylooked like death warmed over. Not Jerald. His preparation paid off in a big way. Having climbed more than 120,000 verticle feet this year, the LOTOJA climbs were no match for this mountain goat. Way to go Jerald!

Master's 55+

Jim Gilland is our inspriration. Riding as much as he does and as fast as he does, gives us all hope for all our athletic futures. Having done LOTOJA multiple times, Jim was wanting to put down his best time ever this year. Illness struck however halfway through the race and it almost put the breaks on the race for him. This is where it gets inspiring however. Jim dug deep. He thought of friends who have experienced much worse during their rides and decided to push on through. Looking quite pale at the end, Jim also had the look of someone who didn't quit. Good on 'ya, Jim

Cat 4

Joel Rackhem, Casy Marker and Russ Parry all represented in the very competitive Cat 4 division. Joel won the event last year in his class and was looking to repeat. Casey is another one of oru workhorses on the team and can climb like a mad man. Having missed their meals in Montpelier, the raod looked long in front of the three. They however also dug deep and bridged the gap back to the leaders in the group. Hanging tough all the way to Jackson this class had 2 riders break away and the battle for third came down to a field sprint. The fast and furious finish saw Joel come in 5th, Casy 6th and Russ a very respectable 12th. Russ had to bridge a big gap to get to where he was. Way to go guys!

Good job to all. This has been an awsome year for TE. We have one more race, the Harvest Moon Crit on Sept 27th. Watch for TE to take the podium in at least 2 classes.

ULCER

This past weekend, Team Excelerator had 4 riders participate in the ULCER, a 111 mile ride around Utah Lake. Ben, Kevan and Jim competed in the team time trial while Cory Price put some miles in the saddle with his brother on the tour.

For the team time trial, TE was feeling pretty good at their chances for doing well. All 3 guys had had really good weeks training and were familiar with the route.

The start was slow, but many teams decided it was OK to attack and pass with traffic all around. Well, sure enough, somebody went down right in front of us. It was a buddy of Jim's actually. The guys face was pretty beat up. We stood by to help and divert traffic around the scene. He'll be OK, but had to be hauled off in an ambulance.

They quickly got back to business and TE hammered the next 50 miles to make up time. Kevan however, flatted over a rail road track about half way. Undeterred, TE got back on it and hammered out the second half. Ben lead the group out in a hurry and his teammates likewise pulled him home. It was an excellent team effort that put TE in 7th place out of 22 teams. 5 hrs 27 minutes was the official time. Without the crash and flat, they would have been in around 5 hrs and 10 minutes. But an awesome effort. They were rewarded with lots of food, chocolate milk and a nice photo op with Miss Utah!

Cory and his bro came in around 6 hours and enjoyed the hot day around Utah Lake.

This weekend will see TE riders Kevan and Ben make to haul up Little Cottonwood Canyon in the 30th Annual Snowbird Hillclimb. Kevan's a natural climber who should do well. Ben is going to put in some more climbing miles before LOTOJA. Good luck!

RANATAD

Funny name, epic ride.

This past Monday, our long hauler Jerald Olsen, conquered the 160 mile RANATAD, or Ride Around Nebo And Timpanogos in A Day. This is no small feat. It involves 12,000 feet of climbing and since its Summer in Utah, the air temp hovered around 98 degrees. Jerald fought past the heat and the flats of his riding mates, who eventually abandoned the race.

Congrats to Jerald! He should be very proud of his accomplishment. He's totally ready for LOTOJA now.

Chalk Creek Road Race

It seems as though Team Excelerator has hit a streak of bad luck, with 3 crashes in 4 weeks, 2 while racing and one on a training ride. Ben Towery was the un-lucky rider this time around at the Chalk Creek Road Race.

Ben, Joel, Jim and Casey all represented this past weekend for TE. Casey made the jump from Cat 5 to Cat 4 and put in a strong race with Joel. The Cat 4 group is dominated by team tactics, but Casey and Joel are strong enough riders to hold there own. They finished strong with main pack. Jim finished in the top half of his Master's 55+ class. He's made a strong recovery since his traing crash just a few weeks ago. It is exciting to see the team progress through the classes and make themselves known.

Ben made himself known as well, a bit more for his bike and body ending wrong side up on the pavement, however. After winning a prime in last Thursday's final Ogden Cash Crit, he had a ton of motivation going into Saturday's race. A long gradual climb out and a fast downhill back to the finish suited him well. After working hard to stay with the leaders, a few attacked at the turn around. Ben and 3 others managed to bridge back to the front 10 or so leaders when Ben took his eyes of the wheel in front of him a a split second, hit it and then hit the ground. He put his bike back together and managed to finish the race in 27th place out of 50 riders. Bloody, bruised and showing bit too much skin, but a strong finish indeed.

Ben will now join Jim Gilland and Kevan Steed in the ULCER 111 Mile Team Time Trial. Cory Price will also be putting in the grueling and hot ULCER miles with his bro-in-law. Our long hauler Jerald Olsen will spend Aug 4th doing the RANATAD, a 160 mile suffer fest with 12,000 feet of climbing through the Mountains of Utah County. After that, we've got the Snowbird Hillclimb and then LOTOJA. Good luck to all and lets keep the rubber side down, eh boys!

Team Update

Even without the updates, Team Excelerator has been busy the past few weeks. There's been some good training miles put in and some great racing at the Cash Crits.

Casey, Jerald and Russ have been hitting some climbs up the divide and Powder Mountain. Brett Poor has been putting some miles on getting ready for LOTOJA. He ran a marathon this spring and says its good to be back on the bike. Kevan, Ben and Jim also did some climbing up The Divide and Old Snowbasin Road, doing some recon for the Mt Ogden Road Race. Jim hit the pavement, then dirt on Old Snowbasin. He was bloodied up a bit and his helmet looked as though it saved his life. He soldiered on however. Targhee and Cory actually ran into Jim out in Eden on their trip around the valley the next day. Way to get back on it, Jim!

Coming up for TE is the remainder of the Cash Crits at BDO, then the Mt Ogden Road Race Aug 2nd. Aug 9th will see TE represented at the ULCER and Huntsville 100. A week later is the Snowbird Hillclimb. Then on to LOTOJA. There are 12 TE racers participating in LOTOJA this year. We'll be well represented! Good luck!

Team Excelerator Wins Again!

For the third time in as many weeks, Team Excelerator took 1st place at the Ogden Cash Crits. Here's how it went down

TE had 4 riders in the B Flight. Casey Marker, Targhee Child, Ben Towery and Russ Parry. The pack started slow but answered each breakaway by bridging to the leaders. TE didn't contest the prime laps but kept in touch with the leaders. The pace stayed hot for the duration. With multiple teammates, the Biker's Edge guys tried to send off a rider and block the pack. To counter, TE, with some help from Bingham's, wedged their way in between their foes to keep the break from getting away. As the last lap approached, TE's rivals kept up the break and block moves until Casey broke away 1/4 of the way into the lap. Russ, Ben and Targhee were content with letting their teammate go and the rest of the field had no answer. Casey solo'ed the rest of the way for an emphatic win. Ben and Russ held their own in the field sprint while Targhee finished his second crit strong.

Congrats to all involved! And thanks to our sponsors, Price Orthodontics, The Bike Shoppe, Vitality Nutrition, Mountain Valley Health Services, Business Law Associates, Slacker Sack and Bunnell Concepts for making Team Excelerator possible.

Utah Road Racing Championships

TE riders Ben Towery, Kevan Steed, Jerald Olson, Russ Parry and Joel Rackem raced in the Utah State Road racing Championships this past weekend. The weather was beautiful, if not just a tad warm.
The Cat 5 men, Ben, Kavan, Jerlad and Russ, raced around the 16 mile loop 3 times. The last half of the course took the riders up a steep, 1 mile climb that had the potential to really break up the group. The pack completed the first lap and a half together with Ben pulling up front once or twice. The second climb was decisive however. Ben, Kevan and Jerald fell back a bit, but Russ soldiered on. After a windy last lap, Russ took 11th, Ben 22nd, Jerald 25th and Kevan came in at 26th in the 40 + rider field. Joel also took 11th in the competitive Cat 4 field.

TE also keeps showing its strength on the crit course in Ogden. After 2 victories, Ben will now mix it up with Joel, Russ and Casey in the B flight on Thursday nights. Look for Targhee Child to keep improving as well in the C flight. The Thursday night crits a make a great family outing and are very spectator friendly.

Emily Price had a great time at the Little Red Riding Hood Century and TE riders will be representing at the High Unitas Classic this weekend. Good Luck to all!

Sugarhouse Crit

Another great day for TE riders! Russ Perry took first place at the Sugarhouse Crit. He set himself up for the perfect sprint and pulled off a big win. Congrats to all TE racers these past few weeks. We've been able to show depth, versatility and good sportsmanship.

Ogden Cash Crits

Its been a busy couple of weeks for Team Excelerator. We've been at the Salt Lake Century, Garden Creek Gap Circuit Race and Ogden Cash Crits.

Casey Marker is proving to be a force to be reckoned with. At the Garden Creek Gap race in Idaho, he pulled off a top 10 finish even after flatting on the last lap of the circuit.

The Cash Crits in Ogden have also been fruitful for Team Excelerator racers. Casey again put forth an awesome effort in the B flight on Thursday June 5th and sprinted for a 3rd place. He has joked that he should tattoo a big number 3 on his calf as this was Casey's third 3rd place finish this season!

Ben and Targhee put together a great team effort in the C flight. Targhee led the group out until the first prime lap. He set up Ben nicely for a big sprint helping Ben win the first prime. The second prime went uncontested by TE, but the pace picked up after that. Ben joined 2 others in a breakaway on the last 2 laps and out sprinted his rivals to take a decisive first place. Targhee finished strong in the group sprint. You'll find these and other Team Excelerator riders at the Ogden Cash Crits every Thursday night at Business Depot Ogden this summer.

Up next for the team is the Little Red Riding Hood Century for our lone female rider, Emily Price. Jerald Olson will contest the Draper Hill Climb. Then the Utah State Road Race Championships are on June 14th and The High Unitas Classic on June 21st. Watch for Ben to try and transfer his crit winning form to a road race and Kevan and Jerald to prove their climbing abiltiy at the State Champs. Look for Casey as well to break his lock on 3rd place at the High Uintas. He's a powerful climber which should suit him well from Kamas to Evanston.

Bear Lake Classic

This past weekend provided for some great racing up at Bear Lake for TE. Casey, Kevan, Joel and Russ all represented and represented well. Russ took 5th in Cat 5 A while Casey did the same in Cat 5 B. Kevan hammered into the top 10 in the same class. The weather was beautiful and for those who haven't done that race before, its definitley one to put on your calendar for next year.

I was entered to race knowing however my wife could go into labor anytime with our first child. That happened on Thursday May 15th and Damia Abigail was born later that day. She was 6 lbs 12 oz and happy and healthy. The happiest day of my life.

Up next for TE is the Salt Lake Century this weekend. There will also be a few of us up in Idaho for the Garden Gap Road Race. Also, our lone female rider, Emily Price will be doing the Little Red Riding Hood century on June 7th. The Ogden cash crits are also going on at BDO on Thursday nights. Watch for TE riders to score top finishes there as well.

Good luck to all!

Criterium Fun

Yesterday was a great morning for a crit. I took my two boys and they had some great fun. I was able to get a little video footage of the finish. When I watch it in slow motion on my computer it looks like TE took every spot but first. Next time, we'll get him. Great job guys!

Next Week 5-5 to 5-10

FYI on riding this week. I will be riding on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week. I plan on leaving West Clinton Elementary School at 6:00am and riding for about an hour. If you are interested in joining me please shoot me an email so I know to wait. I am planning on mixing up workouts with intervals, slow rides and probably a time trial at the end of the week.

tchild@destinatiohomes.com

East Canyon RR Report

Team Excelerator was well represented at the East Canyon Road Race this past weekend. Casey Marker stood on the podium in 3rd place for the Cat 5 class! Here's how the race went down for our Cat 5 racers:

After a frantic earlier than posted start, Ben Towery, Casey Marker, Russ Perry and Kevin Steed took off in sunny, cool conditions. The pack stayed close with a moderate speed until the first, tough climb of the day. Russ and Kevin powered up the climb. Ben showed some of his climbing weakness and got dropped like a bad habit. Casey, meanwhile, dropped his chain during a shift. He frantically fixed his chain and motored up the hill and re-joined the main group.

Almost half way through the race, Russ ran into trouble with a flat. Ben was back a bit and was able to help pull Russ back into contention. In the meantime, the class broke up into different groups. Casey held on in the lead group. Kevin kept the chase group going through the flats while Russ solo'ed up towards the front. Unfortunately, Ben's legs were filled with lactate acid and was in "I'm here to finish" mode.

The climb to the finish was brutal. The lead group deteriorated but Casey was part of the breakaway finishers, eventually sprinting to third place. Russ put in a courageous after flat 15th. Kevin and Ben held on to finish, way out of the money, but finishing strong.

We also had a TE member race Cat 4. Joel Rackem rides in another club's colors, but he's a training partner ans supporter of TE.

Joel's class had some excitement with a big crash and lots of broken carbon. Joel was not involved, but nobody likes being close to a wreck. Joel Rode strong and finished with the lead group. Good job to all!

Next up is the BDO Crits in Ogden on May 3rd. Look for Casey Marker to prove his podium finish was no fluke and Ben Towery to redeem himself. Russ Perry will want to put his flat tire behind him and we have many other TE racers who will be racing with the best of the pack.

Friday, April 25th

Good luck to all those racing tomorrow. We look forward to the details on Monday.

Cory Price and I are ridig tomorrow morning and we would love some company. We were planning on completing the Conconi Test, but we did ot get any more takers on the opportunity. If you are interested please call me 668-3609. If you are interested in riding then we are going to leave from West Clinton Elementary School (2750 West 1800 North, Clinton)at 6:00am. Hope to see you there.

The Start

Here it is, the official start to the team blog.

This post is coming from Targhee. I would like to invite anyone who is interested in completing a Conconi Test to email me at tchild@destinationhomes.com. This test will help you locate your anaerobic threshold (AT). After you have this number you will be able to train around it and see your improvements over time. I am thinking early Saturday morning at 6am in front of West Clinton Elementary (2750 West 1800 North, Clinton). If you need more information then that shoot me an email. Please let me know if you are planning on coming. We will need at least three people to make it work. You will need a heart rate monitor, if you have one. If not, no worries you can use mine.