The Bike Shoppe/Chick-fil-a Racing Team

LOTOJA Success!

2011-09-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

The 2011 LOTOJA Classic was a huge success for TBS/CFA! We had the potential to win or podium in all 5 categories we entered and that potential was realized in a big way.

In the elite Pro Cat 1/2/3 division we were stacked with Darren Goff, Manny Cypers, Jody Harris, Denis Porter and Blake Fessler. All 5 had high hopes and it was Darren who made it into the day's winning break. With every leg punishing pull, Darren fought his way to a solid 4 place finish! At LOTOJA, that's a podium finish!

Justin Gibson repeated his winning ways this year winning the Cat 3/4 division. His day was made all the better with his wife, Keri, also winning the Women Pro Cat 1/2/3. They did this on their 18th anniversary! In the process Keri took Queen of the Mountain honors as well. Not a bad way to celebrate almost 20 years of marriage. Trent Olsen also rounded out the Top 10 of Justin's group with his first attempt at the 206 mile classic.

We had great performances across the board. Some bad luck hit Farrell Spackman as he took a tumble over someone who crashed in front of him ending his day.

Up next is the season ending Harvest Moon Criterium hosted by the team on September 24th in downtown Ogden. Look for more great finishes from SMr Crit series winners Ben Towery and Darren Goff and the rest of the team. This year's Harvest Moon will see the largest women's cash purse of the year in Utah!! http://www.teamexcelerator.com/

Already August!?!?

2011-08-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe its already August! This season is flying by. TBS/CFA Racing continues to make its presence known across all categories.

The Capitol Reef Classic Stage Race was a big one on our list this year. We sent a strong squad. Our best place GC rider was Heather Smith with a 3rd in the Women's Cat 4. Our men made it interesting however. While the TT wasn't our best result, Ben Towery (me)rode to a 5th place in the short but difficult stage 2 circuit race in the Masters B category. The next day saw Doug Olmstead in the top 10 of the road race. Ben made a go of it as well but was gassed in the last long climb.

Trent Olsen was 6th in the circuit race after flatting. Manny and Darren were primary aggressors in the Pro 1/2 Category with Darren placing 8th on GC. Blake Fessler was also strong in the Cat 4 Men with a 7th on GC.

We also had a strong contingent at the Chalk Creek Road Race which doubles as the State Masters Championships. This was another big one for us as I had high ambitions for a state championship.

The out and back course isn't long, only 50 miles total. But I suffered on the way up. The rolling hills were taking their toll and it took all I had to stay with the lead group. At the turnaround I was expecting a big break away but no one really wanted to stick their nose out into the headwind coming up the canyon. With a Gu in my mouth and a chance to sit in, I recovered well and started taking part in the action. I was without teammates so I let the other riders with bigger teams do most of the work. I would however mark some of the stronger looking breaks and keep things at a pace that I like.

With 5 miles to go there's one last climb. I again thought this is where we would see a breakaway attempt but it didn't happen. With 3 to go, I broke away but the wind held me back. I settled into second position for the final downhill surge and made the last turn in front. I didn't want to be caught in a crash around a turn only 1km from the finish. With a little gap I saw the short and steep uphill finish and started my sprint. It wasn't meant to be however and I got caught by Mike Underhill, who I have been battling all season. He and I are both built better for sprinting than climbing and he just got me.

Still, 2nd place ain't nothing to shake a stick at and I'm proud of the effort.

Darren and Manny tore it up at the Tour de Park City Gran Fondo going 1-2 in their age group and Darren finished 3rd overall.

We have been mixing it up at the Simply Mac Crit Series as well in Ogden. Right now we have Keri Gibson leading the points race for the ladies, I'm ahead by 1 point in the B flight and Darren took the win last week. He and Darren are right up there in the points chase.

Stay tuned for more!

Summer Update

2011-06-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

We've had a great summer so far! Manny, Ben, Heather and Keri all participated in the Road Respect (http://www.roadrespectutah.org/) bike ride from Logan to St. George. Ben only road to SLC but the rest made it the entire way! The campaign is geared towards drivers AND cyclists so hopefully we can all just get along.

On June 11th we hosted the 3rd annual Powder Mountain Hillclimb. Norm Bryner set a new record at 41 min 9 sec for the 6 mile, 3300 vertical foot climb. The Ogden Standard Examiner has a great slideshow here: http://www.standard.net/slideshows/2011/06/11/powder-mountain-hillclimb.

The racing has been great as well. Manny took in the Utah Summer Games Omnium this past weekend. Here's his report:

The games started out Thursday(cycling) at 10 am. It was a blistering 88 degrees already. The climb was 4 miles which I compared to the Divide. It was dang hot with no chance of reprieve from the sun beatin right down on us. The fastest time was laid down by the current record holder, Brian Jeppson, of 21:20 (record set at 20:30 in '06). He weighs a whopping buck forty wet.....maybe. I was fourth overall at 23:50 which was good enough for gold in the 30-34 age group. When I got within 200 meters to go, I stood up and put a good push in for the line. NOT a good idea. I immediately pulled over and threw up 3 times. Every bit of the bottle and a half I drank on the way up came out!! My head felt like it was on fire. I wasn't sick at all, just got super over heated. I knew that if I didn't replenish quick, the rest of the weekend could be a disaster. So I got to the car, popped some electrolyte stimulant tabs from Trace and started drinking like crazy. Felt better within an hour.

That evening was the ITT. A 5 mile out and back (10 miles total). There was a crazy cross/tail wind going out so I knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to go out too hard but that I needed to take advantage of the situation. I made the turn and the guy who started 1 min behind me was only 32 seconds (according to my calculations) behind at the turn. I'll admit, I was scared. I kept to my plan (avg 300 watts out, TH + 20 watts in) and pounded the 5 miles back into the finish line for a second overall, (21:16) 3 seconds behind first, and another age group gold. BTW, beating the guy who closed the 1 min start gap going out, by a minute twenty!! Thursday was by far the hardest day!

Friday came, HOT and windy again, with a noon crit start time. The crit was held in a new subdivision that has no homes because of the down economy. Pretty nice, smooth roads. It was a 3 corner coarse because one end was just a big sweeping turn. The two long lengths were head/ cross and tail/cross. I did my usual and attacked 3 times early with no success. each time the group just grabbed my wheel. About halfway through, 4 of us upped the tempo and worked together to find ourselves off the front. one lap latter it was down to me, another 30-34 dude and a 35-39 guy (the crit was 19-39 men, scored separate, raced together). I knew I needed to get rid of the other fellow age grouper so I made him pull the entire stretch into the wind then I attacked, 20 yards before we turned and he popped like a zit! The 35-39 er and I finished strong, worked well with one another and I managed to win the sprint and another age group gold.

Saturday was the last day and day of the 60 mile RR. I had my van packed and ready to go when my uncle said, "jump in with me and we'll just ride together." I didn't argue and quickly threw my bike and stuff into his car. 20 mins later, we get to the starting line and I didn't grab my nutrition bag or an extra water bottle (the race was self supported). I managed to rummage a probar, bag of shot rocks, and a bag of power blasts from my cycling bag. I asked if we'd get hand-ups at the turnaround and I was told yes so I didn't stress. For those of you who know me, I have to eat a lot on the bike or I bonk, so the lack of fuel was a worry. The race started and we rolled out nice and easy. I attacked once, 4 miles in, with no success so decided to sit in but stay towards the front. Again we were a group of 19-39 year olds. It was an out and back course up over a summit and down into New Castle so we had to climb both directions. 8 miles in, Marty, who didn't appear to be very strong, started hammering the climb and I looked back and we were only 4 again, 2 of us were the same as in the crit. We just kept goin pretty good and got into a rhythm and dropped 1 dude. At the turn around, 2 dudes made a good effort to bridge and got within 15 seconds. We turned the pace up and continued to pull away. Back tracking in my story, there was NO support at the turn!! I sucked down a bottle and a half on the way out and only had half a bottle to get back!! I was stressin to say the least. 85 degrees in the dead of the sun with only 10 ozs of H2O with 29 miles to go was not a comforting feeling!! I decided to only drink when my mouth got really dry. I kept it together and ran out with 4 miles to go. The finish was a 1 mile 8% climb, sort of like the old East Canyon. The 3 of us stayed together and I sprinted for the overall with 100 meters to go. That resulted in another stage gold and the Omnium gold. 5 gold medals total!! I am stoked!!!

Manny

Rock 'n Roll!

2011-05-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

That's really what crit racing is all about. There's usually a fair amount of rock 'n roll playing on the loud speakers and high intensity, close course racing will really get your blood pumping!

This past weekend TBS/CFA Racing took on the best Utah has to offer at the State Criterium Championships. For some of our racers it was bad luck as they were taken to the pavement by crashes while others saw good results.

Heather Smith was set up for a good finish but was forced wide into a barricade and crashed. Some cuts and scrapes and a damaged helmet but she's ok, frustrated more than anything.

Ben took a well earned 5th place in the Masters B category. After working hard to stay up front Ben was the first to jump free on the final lap. With half a lap to go the group started their sprint and Ben made a solid kick for 5th. It was his best finish in 3 years!

Trent rode his first crit as a Cat 3 racer and put in some solid efforts. On the second lap he was slowed up by a crash in front of him and had to spend 4 laps solo trying to catch back up to the pack. He did it and made it a close race. Positioning himself well for the sprint he was just out kicked for 7th place taking 8th by a tire width.

The Cat 1/2 group saw the most exciting racing of the day. With a 40 plus filed of racers, it was on from lap one. Midway through the 90 minute race and group of 5 made it free. All five had large teams in the pack so it was up to TBS/CFA Racing to brigde. Easier said than done however with no help. The breakaway eventually caught back up to the group. On the final lap, Manny worked hard for his 14th place and Darren was wiped out by a crash in front of him. Some road rash, but he's ok. Bummer though that this was 2 years in a row he was taken out on the last lap of the state championships.

Next up is the Bear Lake Classic on May 14th. This is a great race taking in 1 or 2 laps of beautiful Bear Lake on the UT/ID border. Watch for more great results from the team "eatin' mor chikin"!

Cold weather, hot racing!

2011-05-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Antelope Island Classic is one of the most anticipated races of the Utah season. The course provides plenty of challenge and opportunity for discerning racers. And for the past 3 years, the weather has been a major factor. This year was no different. The roads were dry for once, but the cold was there is full force. 30 degree temps greeted the racers to the island.

The racing got underway at 8 a.m. for TBS/CFA Racing. Blake took a hard earned 7th place in the Cat 4's to add to his upgrade point tally. Justin Gibson was right behind on the steep uphill finish for 9th. The Masters Men made a great showing next. After working extremely hard to stay with the leaders on the tough power climbs on each of the 3 laps of the island, Doug Olmstead scored a season best 9th place. Ben Towery faded back to 17th on the steep final 200 meters but made a race out of it.

The TBS/CFA ladies also had a successful outing. Keri Gibson made the top 5 in the 1/2/3's and Heather Smith scored a 7th in the Cat 4's.

Manny Cypers finished a well earned 12th in the Pro 1/2 category and our best finish on the day went to Darren Goff who landed 3rd on the podium.

This team races as a team and the success is enjoyed by all. The great results wouldn't happen without the help of the group. A huge congrats to Dustin, Kevan, Jody, Denis, Danielle, Jaren and Trent for finishing strong and supporting their mates!

The busy schedule continues this week with the State Crit Champs and then the always competitive Bear Lake Classic.

So far, so good!

2011-04-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Even with the ridiculously cold weather, TBS/CFA Racing has been tearing it up on the racecourse!

2 weeks ago, the team went down to Provo to check out the UVU Road Race. We were greeted with the best weather we've seen at a race this season and were able to strip off the arm and leg warmers for the first time. It was perfect weather for this small but very well run event. Hats off to the guys at Utah Valley University for a great event!

Heather Smith was our only lady who raced, but she made it well worth her while placing 2nd in the Women's Cat 4. Division.

We had Manny, Jody and Darren contest the Cat 1/2/3 division. Darren's close to upgrading so we put some emphasis on getting him to the front. Manny was first to breakaway but his effort ended in a slippery corner and crashed. It was then Darren's turn. He and 2 others put 5 minutes on the group and sprinted to 2nd place!

Our Cat 4 Men really stepped it up as well. Trent and Blake were very close to having their upgrades and so all 6 riders putting a serious team effort to put Trent on the podium. We attacked, countered and covered making sure Trent and Blake were always safe and never had to pull. The focus paid off and Trent took first place! Blake followed with a 6th, Dustin 7th, Doug 8th and Ben 13th in the 38 man field.

Next up was the always difficult but popular East Canyon Road Race. With a forecast calling for snow, we were prepared for the worst. While it was 35 degrees, the snow stayed away. East Canyon is a climbers race, especially this year with 2 trips up to Hogs Back. Darren again showed his strength and took 5th in the Cat 3's and Blake scored well at 5th in the Cat 4's. Our ladies rocked it as well with Keri Gibson taking 4th in the Women 1/2/3. The entire team did well and scored in the top half of every cat we entered. Great job to all!

With the season going so well, we want to thank our awesome sponsors... The Bike Shoppe, Chick-fil-a in Riverdale and Newgate Mall, Harristone, Sun Valley Mortgage, Endure Electrolytes, Trek Bikes and Jim Gilland Law Firm!

Spring Update

2011-04-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Its been an eventful spring, and the racing has only just begun! We've had solid results, crashes and many enjoyable miles on the team's brand new Trek Madones. We've finally started to creep out of the basements and off the trainers and hope for some good weather to finish spring racing.

We had solid performances across the board in St. George at the Tour del Sol. Save for some chilly weather it was an outstanding event. Kudos to the promoter at Spingeeks who only took over the event just a few weeks prior to the event.

A stage race consisting of a TT, crit and road race, the Tour del Sol provided an early season test for the team. Darren Goff proved to be the strongest of the TBS/CFA squad. He took 5th on GC in the Cat 3's. Darren's been working hard for his Cat 2 upgrade and is almost there!

Sponsors Jody Harris (Harristone) and Denis Porter (Sun Valley Mortgage) manned up for the always tough Hell of the North. The Utah version includes dirt roads and unpredictable weather. The rough conditions took their toll and Denis went down. Stitches took care of the wound but the nice staph infection afterward was uncalled for! Denis motored to 9th in the Cat 1/2 division proving his intense winter training is paying off.

Nate Baldwin was in Houston for a half Ironman and we'll have more as we get updates.

This weekend you'll see TBS/CFA racing at the UVU Road Race and Team TT. We will also be at the Tax Day Circuit Race in Idaho. The team's coming out party will be the revamped East Canyon Road Race on April 23rd.

See you on the road!

And they're off!

2011-03-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

The racing season has officially begun. TBS/CFA Racing started the season with a bang at the RMR Crit Series two weeks ago. Jodi Harris, Denis Porter and Manny Cypers contested the A flight. Trent Olsen and Darren Goff fought it out in the B's and Kevan Steed and Ben Towery raced in the C flight.

Denis made a great showing sprinting for 5th place. Our C flighters finished strong in the pack while the best finishes of the day were the B flight racers. Darren podium'ed for 3rd place while Trent finished just behind in 4th. We've also had Dustin Nielsen out there this past week making a strong showing.

The first UCA Points Series race of the season kicks off this weekend in St. George. The Tour del Sol stage race will feature Manny in the Cat 2's, Darren and Nate Baldwin in the Cat 3's while Ben and Dustin will be joined by Blake Fessler and Doug Olmstead in the Cat 4 division. This will be a great test of early season fitness and readiness.

The 3 stage race has a time trial, criterium and road race. Look for TBS/CFA Racing to make a strong showing. Starting next week, look for the team in the new black and white kit!

Winding up

2011-02-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

We are just a few weeks away from the official beginning of the 2011 race season! Its hard to believe that its already here. TBS/CFA Racing team will be suiting up for the RMR Crit series in March at Rocky Mountain Raceway in West Valley City. These are popular races that typically bring out the best in each category. It will be nice to use these as an early season tune up and shake out those winter legs.

The first points race of the season will be on March 19th in St. George at the Tour del Sol. This 3 stage race will be the first true test of how winter training went.

We had planned a St. George trip this weekend, but the forecast called for snow, even down into St. George! So its at least one more weekend on the trainer.

As we wind up for the season, we want to thank our sponsors! The Bike Shoppe and Chick-fil-a are incredible places to buy Trek bikes and eat the original chicken sandwich. Harristone and Sun Valley Mortgage are huge supporters of our team and they are sure to not disappoint if you're building with stone or looking for mortgage solutions. And now that its tax time, are you in need of resolving an IRS issue? Give Jim Gilland a call, and he'll solve it for you. And let's not forget Endure Electrolytes! This stuff is great. No more cramping when you're on this product.

Until next time, see you out on the road!

Winter Training Camp

2011-02-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

This past weekend TBS/CFA Racing Team set off for 2 days of training and bonding at our first team camp. We traded cloudy 20 degree temps in Ogden for sun and 60 degree weather in St. George, UT. It was the first chance that many of us have had to ride with one another.

We started the trip with delicious chicken and biscuit breakfast sandwiches from Chick-fil-a then boarded the famous "bike bus" driven by non other than our man Matt Howard of The Bike Shoppe. Loud music, Nacho Libre and The Dark Knight kept us company as we all got to know each other on the trip down.

We were greeted by sun and warmth in St. George and headed out for 30 miles of riding. Many of us have been putting plenty of time on the trainer indoors but not so many miles out on the road so we had to get used to being back on bikes! That happened quickly though and the group pushed pretty hard up the "Utah Hill" outside of St. George.

A quick ride, then it was pizza for diner and finally a team meeting, bonding and mild mischief.

Saturday was meant to be a long, mellow base building ride. We stuck together for thee first half up to Gunlock Lake the the tiny town of Veyo, home of Veyo Pies, one of the best mid ride stops ever! Matt and Jodi shared a banana cream pie, yes a whole pie, but it had bananas...health food, right? The group turned around and headed back, hitting the Utah Hill one more time. A few headed back the short way back to town but managed to hit 54.3 mph along the way! Down hill with a tailwind will do that!

Back on the Bike Bus for the ride home, many slept, others got to know one another and Matt proved a 22 passenger bus with a trailer can be driven just as nimbly as any sports car!

Thanks to our many sponsors for the great trip! Especially to The Bike Shoppe and Matt Howard. We are supported by the best group of companies in the west.

You'll see the new team at the RMR Crits in Salt Lake City and the Tour del Sol in St. George in March. Watch for the new team kit to make its debut shortly there after.

2011 TBS/CFA Racing kit!

2011-01-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

New year, new look, new team!

2011-01-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

2011 is setting up to be the best yet for Team Excelerator!

First off, note the exciting name change: The Bike Shoppe/Chick-fil-a Racing Team. Chick-fil-a in Riverdale, Utah and Newgate Mall in Ogden, UT along with Matt Howard at The Bike Shoppe in Ogden, are the new title sponsors for the new look team.

Second, we have added a significant amount of depth and talent to the roster. We'll be fielding racers in the Men Cat Pro/Cat 1/2, Cat 3, Cat 4, Masters and have also added a rockin' women's team who will be representing in the Women's Pro/Cat 1/2/3 and Cat 4 divisions.

Third, our new look will be completed with our new team kit, set to roll out soon.

We have added some killer sponsors this year as well. Check out the links to the right for Chick-fil-a, The Bike Shoppe, Harristone, Sun Valley Mortgage, Endure Electrolytes, Trek Bikes and Gilland Law Firm.

Watch for us to be "eatin' mor chikin" and breaking away at races all over Utah. Follow us here, on Facebook, Twitter and of course, on the road!

Harvest Moon Criterium!

2010-09-22T20:22:00.001-07:00

Don't miss the last UCA Points race of the season! This awesome downtown crit takes place in Ogden, UT on Saturday the 25th. Here's all the details: http://www.teamexcelerator.com/Harvest%20Moon%20Criterium.html

See you there!

Keep on rollin'

2010-08-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

As the Tour of Utah kicks off it brings bike racing to the forefront of the local sports media and cyclists and non-cyclists get a glimpse of big time pro cycling. While its awesome to have the T of U going on lets not forget how successful this year has been so far for TE.

Darren and Trent have obviously been kicking butt and taking names. Darren was 2nd at the Tour of Park City and is currently leading the standings at the Simply Mac Crits. Trent is the Masters B State Champion after winning the Chalk Creek Road Race. But we have shown tremendous depth this year too. Farrell has won most of the TT's up in Logan in his age group. Aaron Thomas has been on the podium at the Snowbasin Crits. Jerald sprinted to a best ever 4th place finish at the Bear Lake Classic. Ben won a prime a few weeks ago at the Simply Mac Crits and Kevan took 2nd in a prime sprint as well.

There's been some bad luck though. While contending for the lead at Chalk Creek Road Race, Ben flatted and despite a super, nuclear fast tire change couldn't catch back up. Trent was involved in a crash at the Tour of Park City but still finshed 21st. Darren would be a Cat 3 by now but was involved in 2 race ending accidents.

But through it all, TE is showing class and character. A big shout out to our awesome sponsors! They have taken great care of us!

Next up for TE is the Sanpete Classic road race on Aug 28th, LOTOJA on Sept 11th and the Harvest Moon Crit on Sept 25th. We're the sponsoring club for Harvest Moon so make sure you get out and support this awesome event!

Capitol Reef Classic race report

2010-07-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Darren Goff made his stage race debut this weekend at the Capitol Reef Classic. He railed to a 3rd place on GC! Gongrats, Darren! In his own words, here's what went down:

For my first time trial ever, I felt really good considering I was on my regular bike with no aero bars. I took 7th out of 34. The circuit race that took place later that day was so hot it made everyone really tired. It was two 17 mile laps with three POWER climbs of about 0.8 miles each. I pulled away on the first lap on the third climb and soloed until about three miles to the finish. I was dead tired and got caught. Me and another guy pulled away on the decent, but I bonked at 200 meters to go and ended up with 6th for that race. Looking back, I know I broke too soon, but it was fun to see how long I could keep the break.

For the RR, I stayed with the group until the major climb around mile 30. A five man group (including me) broke away and put a 5+ minute gap on the group. We took it into the end where I sprinted to win the day. After the race the #1 and 2 in GC guys told me they were done around the 10K mark and I could have gone off. It would have been nice of them to tell me that then instead of after the race!!!!! A few lessons learned by me. It was a good time.

I took 3rd in the GC with 30 seconds under the leader. I was happy with that considering my stupid tactics from the day before.

Summer Update - TE is rockin' it!

2010-07-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a busy for one Team Excelerator. We hosted yet another successful Powder Mountain Hillclimb. Nathan Cisney of Roosters Cycling once again set the pace uphill and won the overall. TE's very own Darren Goff took the top spot in the Cat 4's and Trent Olsen made the podium for the Cat 5's. Check out the story in the local paper here: http://www.standard.net/topics/sports/2010/06/16/everything-and

We've also been racking up the results at other local and regional events. Darren is dominating the A flight racers at the Snowbasin Crits and Trent Olsen won the B Flight tonight. Trent also took the Cat 5 win at the E Center Criterium a few weeks ago. Just recently Ben Towery rode to a strong 11th place at the Little Mountain Road Race as a Masters 35 + B racer. He was with the leading pack up until the end when some leg cramping made him fall off the pace. Ferrall Spackman took 14th in the Cat 4's. Kevan Steed, Aaron Thomas, Robert Castro, Jason Knighton, Brooke Dominguez and Jerald Olsen have all been mixing it up and making their presence known on the race course.

TE will be contesting the Chalk Creek Road Race in a few weeks and watch for us at LOTOJA as we've stacked the Cat 4 field with 6 racers.

Check out these pics of TE's success:

Powder Mountain Hillclimb, June 12th!

2010-05-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

While Team Excelerator has been visiting the podium, most recently at the Bear Lake Classic, the team has also been preparing to put on the 2nd Annual Powder Mountain Hillclimb benefitting the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. This is the steepest, toughest and most rewarding hillclimb in Utah and Team Excelerator and race sponsors are proud to bring this race to you again. Check out all the details at teamexcelerator.com. See you there!

Now, back to the podiums, Trent Olsen took third in the field sprint at the Bear Lake Classic on the 15th. Jerald Olsen came in 4th right behind Trent for his best finish ever. Ben Towery was the best placed Cat 4 racer at 16th. Darren Goff unfortunately was riden into the pavement by another rider from another team who could not handle his bike. A bummer for sure as Darren would have for sure placed high on the finish list!

3 races, 3 podiums

2010-05-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend saw Trent Olsen and Darren Goff take on the Utah State Crit Championships. Trent is proving to be a force in the Masters B field. This is guys 35 + who are Cat 4's and 5's. After suffering 2 flats in the last 2 races, he pulled though the crit event and sprinted to second place! That makes 3 podiums for TE in the first 3 races of the season. Unfortunately, Darren wasn't so lucky. Darren made the upgrade to Cat 4 after taking second place in the first 2 events of the year. He was in a break away with 3 or 4 others when a rider in front of him went down. Darren had no where to go but into the barriers. He's a little road rashed but says he'll be ready for Bear Lake. Here's what Trent had to say:

"Darren was riding so strong and no doubt in my mind had this race won!!! He did a lot of work out front and still had more power to give when the crash happened. Darren had no where to go when the guy in front of him went down and Darren hit the plastic barrier pretty hard!! Darren, You still ROCK in my book cause we know who OWNED that race! Hope you heal quick brotha!"

We'll see 10 of the 11 member race team at the Bear Lake Classic on May 15th. Look for TE to make a showing there and continue the success. Here's some photos from yesterday's crit action.

So far, so good

2010-05-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

The season has opened on a very positive note for Team Excelerator! The first 2 races we've entered have seen Darren Goff take second place in each, at Tax Day Circuit Race and East Canyon Road Race. He'll now be racing with Ben, Kevan, Farrell and Vladimir as Cat 4's. One of our new racers, Jason Knighton, also managed to finish his first grueling race. We're proud of him and know he'll keep improving. East Canyon also saw Ben and Farrell finish in the top 20 as Cat 4's, both putting in solid efforts. Jerald Olsen continues to improve as well and he'll tackle the Masters B division with Trent Olsen at the Bear Lake Classic coming up on May 15th.

Trent has had a bit of bad luck however. He has yet been able to show his awesome strength due to flatting in his first 2 races! Lets send some positive no flat energy his way for Bear Lake.

Kevan Steed attended the suffer fest that was the Antelope Island classic last weekend. Last year the weather was wet and rainy the entire time. This year the weather gods added cold and hail to the mix. Frozen fingers made it tough for Kevan to even shift but he didn't quit and is a better rider because of it.

Darren will race his first race as a Cat 4 this weekend at the Utah State Crit Champs this weekend in downtown SLC. The watch for the above racers with Brooke Dominguez and first timer Robert Castro at the Bear Lake Classic on May 15th.

Don't forget to put the Powder Mountain Hillclimb on your calendar for June 12th!

Let the racing begin!

2010-04-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Here it is. Team Excelerator will begin our racing season this weekend up at the Tax Day Circuit Race in Idaho. Jerald Olsen, Trent Olsen and Darren Goff will represent. These are some of our strongest riders. We wish them luck! April 24th will see the whole team contest the East Canyon Road Race. We'll have Ben Towery and Kevan Steed out on their new Mercury Bikes. We'll welcome some of our new to racing members as well. We'll be missing one key rider though, Aaron Thomas injured himself at the Master's Skiing Nationals in Sun Valley last week. He clipped a gate in the slalom. He still managed to tale 5th in the super G, but will be nursing the injury for a few more weeks. Lets hope he heals well!

There's been a lot of excitement for TE's 3rd season and we can't wait to get rolling! We are also anticipating a good turnout for the first race hosted by TE this year, the 2nd Annual Powder Mountain Hillclimb benefiting the Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Look for that to happen on June 12th!

St. George Team Camp

2010-03-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

Team Excelerator continues to gear up for the 2010 season. We held a team training camp at the end of February down in St. George. It was a great chance for the new team to get together and get to know each other as well as get some good early season miles on the legs. The biggest thing I noticed at the camp was just how cool everyone seems to be on TE. We have put together a great group of riders. I also took note that our new recruits are very strong riders and will definitely make some noise this year. Guys like Ferrall Spackman, Darren Goff, Trent Olson and Aaron Thomas. These guys are FAST!

The camp started with a afternoon 45 miler that saw Aaron hit the tarmac after a cleat failed. A seasoned ski patroler, he's a tough dude. After a quick bike adjustment and cleat replacement, he was back on it for Saturday's long ride.

After a lively pizza dinner we sat around and got to know each other and planned out the year's races. You'll find our full squad at the East Canyon Road Race, Bear Lake Classic, Little Mountain Road Race, Chalk Creek Road Race and the Harvest Moon Criterium. You'll also find TE riders at the weekly crits, Tour of Park City, local charity tours like Little Red Riding Hood and of course LOTOJA. Not to forget our marquee event, the 2nd Annual Powder Mountain Hillclimb on June 12th!

On Saturday, we set out on the Zion's Century. It was cold, but the rain stayed away for the suraton of the ride. We all got in some great miles and had a great time. We topped off the weekend with a great dinner at the Bent Spoon then headed back home in the pouring rain.

2010 is shaping up to be the best yet for TE. See you on the road!

Ready for 2010

2010-02-09T21:17:00.001-08:00

Team Exclerator is ready for the 2010 season. 2009 saw great growth and expansion. We hosted 2 successful events, the Powder Mountain Hillclimb and Harvest Moon Criterium. Look for those events again this year. We also had greater participation and better results.

For 2010, we have added depth and experience to the team. We'll be in St. George on Feb 26th and 27th for a team training camp and begin racing in April.

We've added soem great sponsors and kept some of our loyal favorites as well. Peregrine Health is on board for their third year as sponsors along with Vitality Nutrition and The Bike Shoppe. SRAM is with us again after a successful partnership in 2009. We'd like to especially welcome our newest sponsors, Gilland Law Firm, Velonology and Mercury Bikes! And as always, our awesome team kit was designed by master graphic artist David Bunnell.

Watch this space for updates and photos as we get geared up for our best season yet!

Harvest Moon Crit is on!!!

2009-09-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Contrary to what the Utah Cycling Assoc. website says, the Harvest Moon Crit on Spet 26th in downtown Ogden is back on! The previous promoter decided he did not want to do the event anymore so I have picked up the pieces and put the event back on. All the logitics and infrastructure is in place and the US Cycling permit is pending. We'll have prizes, medals and $1000 in primes! Stay tuned for more details.

Also, good luck to everyone doing LOTOJA this weekend! Ride hard and be safe!

Finishing Strong

2009-08-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

As the season winds down, Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company is still in high gear. Crazy hard races, team time trials, charity rides and gearing up for LOTOJA are just a few things we've been up to.

Jerald Olsen once again tackled the insanely difficult RANATAD, the race around Nebo and Timpanogos in a day. The combination of mileage, heat and 12,000 feet of climbing make this race a doozy. Jerald improved on his time and placing over last year, but it took some creativity to get there. See, Jerald broke some spokes during one of the descents. With no chance of dropping out, he scooted bike to the nearest shop along the race course and they repaired it for him! He climbed back into the route and finished 25th out of 85 riders! The guy's a mountain goat and nothing can stop him!

Kevan, Todd, Blake, Jim, Chad and I all contested the 111 mile ULCER Team TT. The weather felt more like November than August. It was cold! Having the max 6 rider line up was a huge benefit this year and we were able to create quite the draft on the first half of the course. Kevan, Todd and Blake peeled off for the duration leaving me, Chad and Jim to bring it home. I wish I could say I was a huge contributor to the effort, but this was all Chad Holmes! His pulls were wicked strong and he never showed any sign of letting up. The headwind was fierce! Jim, having just completed the 170 mile Tour of Park City and me, having put in intense miles but not long miles this year, really limped to the finish. When we cross the line, we did so in 5 hrs 17 minutes, good enough for 7th place. I have yet to see the full results, but that time beat all the other classes winers, so we feel good about what we accomplished. Looking forward to next year!

Our ladies continued their strong rides as well. Jaqueline Mason rode her goal time in the 60 mile edition of the ULCER. She has been busy this summer riding the Tour of Riverton and will ride the Legacy Parkway ride in Seprember. Keep up the good work Jaqueline!

We also had Todd and Blake riding in the 1000 Warriors ride. This is a charity ride supporting military families that runs along the "queen stage" of the Tour of Utah. It finishes with the grueling 10 mile Snowbird Hillclimb. The race suffered a terrible accident in the beginning as one rider went through the rear window of a lead car. Todd and Blake weren't involved, but we hate to hear of things like
that! Todd was feeling some knee pain and decided to call it early. He needs those knees for LOTOJA. Blake finsihed strong however and it was all for a good cause!

Up next is LOTOJA then a season ending crit at the U of U. We have Todd, Blake, Greg and Jerlad all racing Cat 5 this year for the whole 206 miles. Kevan, Targhee, Cory, Tim and I will once again take on the relay, hoping to improve on our 16 place out of 50 from last year. Rob and Rhonda will also do some marital therapy in the 2 person relay. Good luck to everyone! This is what most of us train all year for!

Team Update: The women ride, crits and more!

2009-07-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

It has been an exciting summer so far for Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company. While the hillclimb took up a lot of time and attention, team riders have been busy riding and racing.

Two of our ladies rode in the Little Red Riding Hood tour in June. Derai Paul and Emily Price enjoyed brisk but pleasant weather in Logan. Over 2500 women participated in total. Emily rode the 36 mile option while Derai pushed herself hard to complete the 45 mile option. Derai is riding this year after dusting off her bike. She last rode regularly 16 years ago! She's been getting back into things this year and has already put her goal time for next year on her to do list. We had the team car there to support and there were plenty of families around as well. This female only ride benefits breast cancer research and it was a great day for all involved. Great job ladies!

The Ogden Cash Crits have been well attended by TE riders as well. Ben Towery was successful in not only finding someone to watch his daughter so he could race but put one in the W column for TE as well, winning a prime 2 weeks ago and then taking 3rd in last nights final crit. He missed 2nd by a tire width! Check out the photos on http://www.jossiephoto.com/. Ben also finished a respectable 13th in the Chalk Creek Road Race last weekend. This was the race where he crashed last year, so it was nice to get that monkey off his back.

Coming up for TE is the ULCER Team TT. Ben, Kevan and Jim took 7th out of 22 last year in this event. This year the team is stacked with these 3 being joined by Chad Holmes, Todd Anderson and Blake Mason. The goal is to break the 5 hour barrier for the 111 mile race. And our resident mountain goat, Jerald Olsen, will once again tackle the RANATAD, the Race Around Nebo and Timpanogos is a Day. Good luck to all!!

And finally, The local outdoor TV show, At Your Leisure, aired and excellent piece on the Powder Mountain Hillclimb. If you didn't catch the show, here's a link to the clip:
http://www.atyourleisure.info/episodes.asp?season=7&episode=47&category=4

Powder Mountain Hillclimb p/b Diamond Peak Mountain Sports

2009-06-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Eden, UT - The first ever Powder Mountain Hillclimb, presented by Diamond Peak Mountain Sports, was held this past weekend in the Ogden Valley. The road bicycle race, organized by Team Excelerator, attracted weekend warriors and elite riders alike. 50 cyclists lined up on SR 158 to tackle one of the toughest bicycle climbs in the west. Chris Hong, a rider for the elite Bob’s Bicycles team, said that this was one of the toughest races he’s ever done. Chris was using this race to tune up for the Tour of Utah which runs in August. He finished first in the Men’s Pro/Cat 1/2 division and third overall.

The battle for the fastest time to the top, an almost 6 mile, 3300 ft slog up to Powder Mountain Resort from Wolf Creek Utah, was fast and furious for the best climbers. 15 year old Keegan Swenson of Cole Sport, Nathan Cisney from Rooster’s Brewing Co. and Hong were absolutely railing it up the road. Hong attacked Swenson and was able to gap a bit, but Swenson’s steady tempo proved too much and Hong was eventually overtaken. It was then Swenson and Cisney who battled it out for top honors. In the last grueling mile Cisney wasa bale to pull ahead and finish in a standard setting time of 41 min 20 sec taking the overall and 1st in the Men’s Cat 5 division. Swenson was only 30 seconds back good enough for second overall and 1st in the Men’s Cat 4 class. Hong crossed the finish line 2 min 9 sec back.

Everyone who finished this race can consider themselves winners, says event

promoter, Ben Towery of Team Excelerator (shown here rockin' out). He was very pleased with the turnout and the quality of the riders who competed. The weather was absolutely perfect and the difficulty of the ride was countered by the beauty of the Ogden Valley.

Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company was well represented with 9 riders. Jerald Olsen, Kevan Steed, Greg Stuart, Kirk Johnson, Cub Newton, Mike Christoperson, Todd Anderson, Blake Mason and old friend Jim Gilland. All put in an outstanding effort and we thank them for representing the team well!

A very special thanks goes out to the sponsors of the race: Diamond Peak Mountain Sports, Rooster’s Brewing Co., Peregrine Health, Powder Mountain, Wolf Creek Utah and EBSI Websites.

Full event category winners:

Overall: Nathan Cisney (shown below right)

Men Pro/Cat 1 /2: Christopher Hong
Jr. 10-18: Kyle Wright
Men Cat 3: Manny Cypers
Men Cat 4: Keegan Swenson
Women Cat 4: Lisa White
Men Cat 5: Nathan Cisney
Male Masters 55+: Shannon Storrud
Male Masters 45+: Todd Flitton
Female Masters 35+: Vicky Nielson
Male Masters 35+: Dan Minert

Team Update

2009-06-03T20:52:00.001-07:00

Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company is in high gear as the season moves forward. As you can see, our presenting sponsor, Pinnacle Auto Company has outfitted the team with a sweet Jaguar team car! Matrix Signs did an awesome job on the graphics as well! Look for the car at events around the states and of course when you take a trip to Lehi to shop for a car!

Two of our ladies will be riding the Little Red Riding Hood tour this weekend. Emily Price and Derai Paul will be in Logan to participate in one of the biggest women only rides around. Good luck to them both! We'll be there to cheer them on. On June 13th, look for TE to contest the Utah State Road Race Championships during the Little Mountain Road Race in Logan as well. Kirk and Marcy Johnson will also be riding on June 13th to support the fight against diabetes in the Tour de Cure in Brigham city.

And, as you can see from the pic below, TE doesn't just ride on the road. We have triathletes, mountain bikers and cyclocrossers as well. This is Rob Perkins, owner of one of our sposnors, Peregrine Health, running in the St. George Tri. We have some talented and dedicated athletes and we're proud to support them all.

Utah State Crit Champs and Bear Lake Classic

2009-05-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company's racing season is in full swing. This past 2 weeks has seen TE racers in the Utah State Criterium Championships and the Bear Lake Classic.

Kevan and Ben took it on the chin in the Cat 4 crit champs in downtown Salt Lake City. These 2 guys made the jump from Cat 5 to Cat 4 this year and are learning quite a bit about racing and the kind of fitness needed to compete at the next level. It looks like it will take some time to get their legs under them, but they're putting up a great effort. To fulfill the goal of at least being with the lead groups, Kevan and Ben have significantly increased their training intensity. No longer will just getting out to ride suffice, so training has become more technical and focused. The next race these 2 will be June 13th for the Utah State Road Racing Championships at Little Mountain.

Jerald Olsen contested the Bear Lake Classic and notched TE's best result of the season so far. Jerald contested a group sprint for the finish of the 50 mile lap of Bear Lake and came in 15th out of 50 riders. The finish was close as he was mere seconds off the podium. Jerald has seen continual improvement over the last 2 years and he really deserved this great result. Kevan was registered for the event but came down with pneumonia. He's assured us he hasn't been kissing any pigs, so H1N1 isn't the worry.

You'll see TE riders at the RMR crits and the Cash Crits in Ogden starting in June. Good luck to all!

East Canyon and Antelope Island Road Races

2009-05-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

The past 2 weekends have seen TE riders in the East Canyon Road Race and Antelope Island Classic. Both races provided a great early season challenge for our riders. Of the last 7 weekends in Utah, only one has been sunny and dry. Niether of these races fell on that weekend and what were already tough races were made even tougher with cold, wind and rain.

Jerald Olsen was the lone TE rep at East Canyon. The race starts with a brutal, steep climb. It tends to seprate the group. Even with an injured back, Jerald attacked the hill with strength and held on the rest of the race to finish his first race of the season strong. Jerlad travels a lot for work, but takes his bike wherever he goes. I'm sure he puts more miles under his tires than anyone else on the team.

Kevan Steed, Greg Stuart, Todd Anderson, Blake Mason and Ben Towery all tackled the Antelope Island Classic out on the Great Salt Lake. Conditions were nothing less than epic with rain falling steadily almost the entire race.

For Kevan and Ben, who are racing up one class from last year as Cat 4's, the race was eye opening. This is a super competitive group with strong weekend warriors and aspiring prod alike. The race started on the causeway and the leaders set a blistering pace of 28 mph. With spray from the tires, finding a good line to draft was difficult. We were soaked instantly.

Once on the island, we did 3 laps of the inner loop then took a 10 out and back to the south end of Antelope. It was here that all involved needed to prove their metal. Ben and Kevan took turns pulling each other ro finish near mid pack, which was the goal for this first race.

Todd, Blake and Greg all contested the Cat 5 class in the same brutal conditions. Greg and Todd both suffered flats but got back on the horse and finished strong. I think most everyone involved were happy to have that race over with. Our clothes were balck and soaked and it took quite a while to get warm. Congrats to all involved.

Next up is the Utah State Crit Champs in downtown SLC. TE shines in the crits and we have high expectations. Hopefully our training lives up to that!

RMR Crits

2009-04-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

The racing season is now in full swing. Jerald Olsen will be representing the team at the East Canyon Road Race this weekend and we'll have no less than 6 racers at the Antelope Island Classic on May 2nd. Kevan Steed, Todd Anderson and Blake Mason have also been taking part in the weekly crit series out at Rocky Mountain Raceway. Here's Kevan report from last night:

"The race was fast and furious last night.

"They made some modification to the coarse. Only using the top or East half of the ¼ mile track and weaving in and out of the pit area. It was fun and exciting. A and B Flites were extremely fast and I was getting nervous. I arrived early enough to run through the coarse to get comfortable with it, noticing where the hazards are and the good spots to break. Blake and Todd arrived after the As & Bs were racing so they didn’t get to run the coarse, which I feel is a disadvantage.

"We lined up and I would say there were easily 45-50 racers in the C Flite. The first lap was neutral for those who didn’t get practice runs in, then it was off to the races. No one broke away at first, but the tempo increased with every turn. My only advice was to ‘not get dropped’. This coarse strings you out, most of the time in a single pace line. If you lose the wheel in front of you, you’re on your own. Which is what happened with Blake & Todd.

"My goal was to stay with the lead group, and for the most part I stayed top 10-15. When the call rang out with “3 laps to go”, I found myself in a small group of 5 off of the front and my HR at 180. Not knowing how much longer I could hold on, unfortunate or not, a few others were able to join us, which allowed me to slip in behind and recover. Just before that, I was sad to see that we were coming up on a familiar jersey, and ended up lapping Todd. With words of encouragement to my teammate, I desperately struggled to hang on to this lead group. As we entered the straightaway towards the finish line and having counted how many were in front, sprinting my guts out and making sure no one was going to pass me in a spread out finish, I found myself taking 10th place.

"Realizing afterwards how strung out the race was and 3 or 4 groups that were created and actually lapping others, I feel pretty good that I stayed in the 1st group and actually had a top 10 finish. For the first timers (Blake & Todd) not counting the oval, which I feel is a completely different race, I think they did great and most importantly learned a lot. They are anxious to do it again."

Thanks Kevan! And good luck next week!

Velo Vie Vitesse 300 SE review

2009-03-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

For 2009 Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company has added an exciting group of industry partners: Velo Vie Bicyles and SRAM. Thanks to our shop, The Bike Shoppe in Ogden, UT, Jerald and I have been able to take advantage of the sweet opportunity to ride SRAM equipped Velo Vie Vitesse 300 SE bikes this year. Kevan will also be building up the "team bike" very soon. I have had about 2 weeks on the bike so far and I thought I'd write a little review.

When the frameset arrived on my doorstep I was amazed at how light the package was. After taking the new steed from the box it was quickly noticed that the box and packaging weighted more than the frameset! This thing is wicked light. I was also impressed at how sexy the bike is. My mouth was watering to get the thing built and get it out on the road. I felt like a kid at Christmas.

For budget reasons, I went with SRAM's Rival groupset. SRAM doesn't make anything low end, and Rival is no exception. You get plenty of carbon and sexy black componentry in a package that weighs less than Shimano Ultegra SL but comes in at a price slightly below. Jerald's bike is equipped with SRAM's top end Red, but Rival has benefited from some trickle down tech from Red. Many pro teams actually spec Rival parts for their rigs. Bontrager Race Lite wheels, Race Lite handle bars, Race X Lite stem and Race X Lite seatpost round out the spec on my bike and is how Kevan's will be equipped as well. My bike weighs in at a respectable 16.5 lbs with pedals and bottle cages. Jerald's Red equipped bike comes in just under 15 lbs. with Reynolds carbon wheels.

Nate Folger at The Bike Shoppe built up the bike with incredible attention to detail and the bike was dialed from the first pedal. "Pleasantly surprised" was his reaction to the finished product. Kudos to Nate for his mad building skills!

The finished bike is striking to look at. The in-your-face graphics scream "this is a race bike" and the ride matches the message. From first pedal, I could tell this was no beach cruiser. It is stiff, very stiff. And according to Velo Vie's marketing, it is unabashedly so. Why such a stiff bike? Well, its built from ultra high modulus carbon in order to have every available watt of power to be put down on the road, where it should be. All this stiffness rewards the rider with a ride that is fast, very, very fast. This is a true to the core race bike.

The sensation is hard to describe. I came from a relatively high end aluminum frame to this bike and I could tell instantly the difference. The Vitesse 300 SE is such an upgrade, I feel like I may have unfair advantage. It's now up to me to make sure I have a motor in good enough shape to be worthy of such a thoroughbred. I have been able to hammer a bit and the bike reacts with excellent quickness. With every pedal stroke I can really feel the power being put down. Nothing is lost in the frame and fork. I love the feeling of speed and responsiveness with this bike.

The SRAM drive train is also impressive. The shifting is quick and deliberate. I also like the minimalist carbon lever set up. All the cable housings are run under the bar tape for a clean and aero cockpit. The hollow cranks are plenty stiff and there's nothing cooler than black colored stuff.

I'm super stoked about my new rig this year. I'll be focusing on crit racing this summer and I think I have the right tool for the job. Thanks to Velo Vie, SRAM and The Bike Shoppe for getting Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company race ready for 2009!

2009 Jersey Revealed

2009-02-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a snap shot of what you'll see Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company wearing this year. Thanks again to all our sponsors!

A big shout out to David Bunnell of Bunnell Concepts for creating the jersey. You rock, Dave!

Team Excelerator p/b Pinnacle Auto Company 2009

2009-01-31T20:12:00.000-08:00

Our inaugural year was nothing short of a huge success! Here's a brief summary:

4 riders moved up in racing category.
A few of us raced for the very first time.
Our founding female member completed her first century.
22 top 10 finishes.
11 podiums.
4 wins.
3 crashes.
1 photo with Miss Utah (see below).

Because of this, we head into 2009 with even bigger goals. We lost a few riders but have gained even more and we have even more depth this year. We have a group of 4 women now. We have added key financial partners and industry sponsors. We have adopted a bike trail in Davis County and will be hosting a hillclimb this summer boasting the highest finish of any road race in Utah.

Keep an eye out for Team Excelerator presented by Pinnacle Auto Group!

A special thanks to our sponsors: Pinnacle Auto Company, Peregrine Health, Price Orthodontics, Vitality Nutrition, The Bike Shoppe, Velo Vie Bicycles, SRAM, Bunnell Concepts, Best Impressions Photography, Matrix Signs and World Bicycle Relief.

Ogden Criterium

2008-09-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-06-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

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.