Racing This Weekend 7/3-4

The Marion Classic is still on schedule for Saturday, although it has been scaled back a bit. The larger payouts should still draw a crowd. This is a good opportunity for the 4/5's to race in a competitive field with the potential to come away with some cash. It may prove difficult for any 3's planning to race. The fields have been combined into a Pro/1/2/3 event. I think that's a little more than my legs are prepared for.

The inaugural Firecracker 50 Circuit Race will be run on Sunday at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, IN. This is a circuit race, kind of like a long crit. It is on a 2.5 mile course and races will range from 20-40 miles depending on category. Races like this are a great opportunity for us to support new local races and help them grow. The more events we can help be a success the more opprotunities we will have to race close to home. 4/5 race early and 3's go off at 1:10pm so everyone will be done in time to grill out and enjoy some fireworks in the evening. Hope to see you out there!

June 26-27 Results

Official results are posted for Hyde Park Blast and Morgan Monroe State Park.

Nothing spectacular to show for Saturday's Hyde Park crit. Erin's 7th place finish in the Women's event was top honors and pretty respectable among one of the most competitive fields of the season. Dustin's 14th was the highest finish for the men. We all suffered from late registration which started us near the back of the field, nerly 90 riders in the 3's and 4's. The race started around a 180 degree hairpin turn. By the time you got around it the front of the field was about a quarter mile down the straight. It was a victory in itself that each of us fought our way up to the front group and finished there in a race that saw many riders drop out (both voluntarily and being pulled by the officials).

Sunday's Morgan Monroe SP race was equally hot, but longer and with a two mile climb. The 3's start list was too small to entice any participation from Indiebike but the 4's field was deep with 50+ riders registered. Indiebike had a handful of riders represented and one rider in particular had a breakout performance. Dave Cornelius finished 9th, his best finish to date, and he pulled it off on one of the toughest courses in the region. WAY TO GO DAVE! Thanks for representing IB on a tough, tough weekend.

Hyde Park Blast prelim update

Wow, that was the toughest crit I think I have ever done. It was HOT. The course had two tight technical sections. There was wind on the LONG finishing stretch. And we were called up to the start in the order we registered, so we started near the back and had to work just to get up into a decent position. The official results haven't been posted yet. Team IB had their guys in the front group at the finish of both the 3s and the 4/5s but we just weren't able to move up far enough to contest. I absolutely was on the brink of dropping out just 15min into the race but decided to continue as an exercise in mental toughness. I don't know about the rest of the team but I was suffering bad and recovered slowly after the race. Did I mention it was HOT? More to come...

Back to Work

Well after a slight lull in the race schedule the past two weeks Team Indiebike is back in action this weekend. While we may not have been racing we have certainly been hard at work training, so watch out. I know some riders took the opportunity this weekend to join up with the local CIBA group ride. Including the ride up to Carmel and back they put in 70 hard, fast miles. A few others rode down toward Sweetwater lake to ride hills in preparation for the upcoming races which will include a little more elevation change than us flatlanders are used to. Tim and John continue their preparation for Leadville in August (wow I still cant believe they are really doing it). I rode in town this weekend but still managed to be in the saddle for more than six hours.

This weekend Indiebike returns to racing with two great events:

Saturday we will be heading over to Cincinnati, OH for the Hyde Park Blast. This is going to be a huge event with big fields, lots of spectators and a big purse. So far the roster includes Cory, Dustin, Brad and Steve. Racing starts after 4:00 pm so you don't even have to get up early.

Sunday is the return of the Morgan Monroe State Forest Road Race. This classic race was greatly missed from last year's schedule. It includes several trips up Beanblossom hill, one of the best and most notorious central Indiana climbs. Its the same climb featured in the Hilly Hundred Sunday route but without the fried chicken a few miles up the road.

Lets have a good showing this weekend. Come and put that training to the test. Save time and money. Don't forget to preregister.

IB in Italy

Two of Team Indiebike's own, Joe Laux and Aaron Wrobleski, had the pleasure of traveling to Italy this May. That's right, during the Giro. Finally, here are some pictures of Joe and Aaron riding on the streets of Italy and on some of the same passes that have hosted stages of the Giro. As if that weren't cool enough they got to do it all on DeRosa frames built up with full Campy. Don't be jealous, next year Aaron has promised to pay for the entire team to go.

When in Rome...

Joe is really putting off a "euro" vibe with those capri pants.



He's trying his best not to look too American. If he plays it cool maybe that hot chick will notice him...

Riding in the Rain

Getting up at 7:00am to ride and leaving while it is still raining...

Dedicated training or stupidity? You make the call.

Tour of Red River Gorge

Erin Hetzel-

I raced at Red River Gorge this past weekend and did well...4th in the tt and another 4th in the first road race and was contending for a top 3 in the omnium but dropped my chain during the road race on the last day and had to ride alone for the last 30ish miles. I still managed 8th and 5th in the omnium though...but the races were so much fun and the terrain was so awesome!

Eagle Creek Fast Crit

The CAT 4 race had 2 riders in the field from Indiebike P/B OrthoIndy. Brad Sheridan and Jeff Laux. A field of nearly 40, brad and jeff played their hands well. They were both seen taking pulls in the front, hiding, and usually always positioned in the top 10 which means coming into the final laps they were in perfect position. Brad took a strong pull with 3 laps to go and the group reacted and the pace then increased. As the finish neared, Brad was in position to score well, but was boxed in and finished 10th. Jeff came around at the end with a clean sweep and made a strong final sprint to finish 4th. Great job guys!

The CAT 1-2-3 race had a field of 24. Only 2 from our squad, Cory Swihart and Steve Ellis. A strong field with some strong names to go up against. The entire race was all about covering attacks and trying to make moves. Cory took an effort about 22 minutes into the 65 minute race to solo for nearly 2 laps and then settled back into the pack. Immediately followoing, Steve Ellis counterattacked perfectly and solo'ed off for a few laps and then was brought back by the group. At this point, IndieBike was marked and seen doing some work to show some threat and also build our squad's respect. The rest of the day, a few breaks were tried, but never stuck. Towards the end with 3 to go, Nuvo sent a guy off the front, then followed with a block. The group realized it was a block and then took off after him and went for it. Coming into the final lap, Steve and Cory were in good position for sprinting it out. Fatigued from Saturday, Steve and Cory both sprinted into the final to only find themselves 7th and 12th. Great efforts guys!

McCormick's Creek RR

Highlights

1. We were all together at the starting line
2. A successful bottle hand-up from Sherry to Gus late in the race
3. Aaron kept his 9 year streak of not eating taco bell in tact. TB is also the place where Aaron made the comment that he could have ridden a few more laps and felt great at the end. Also the place where Gus, Joe, and Sherry wanted to punch him in the face

Cat3 Race

The entry list was small for the 3 race, so they combined the 3's with the Masters. This made for a fast race with the Zipp Factory Team and CFW Team for a full 10 laps of racing up a hill that featured three separate kicks. Three guys broke off the front, including riders from Zipp and CFW. Both teams had guys in the break and plenty back to block. The remaining riders could not mount an organized chase. The field came to a sprint on the final lap. Dustin took 1st place in the 3's (6th overall) and Cory took 2nd place in the 3's (7th overall) for a clean sweep of 1-2 in the 3 race. Steve Ellis had a mechanical midway through the race, and stuck in and rode out the race solo, which is very respectable considering the wind and climb. Great job Steve!

Cat4 Race

Indie had some great numbers in the 4's race and finished with three in the top 8. B-Rad, Big Wobbly, Joe, Gus, Michael, and Mike made the trip, and while I can't speak for everyone, a few of us probably wished we hadn't. My legs told me this was one of the hardest races they've ever done. It must have been a combination of heat, humidity, and 9 times up a hill with a little kicker at the top but to say they were "torched" would be an understatement. The race turned into a war of attrition and by the end, the starting group had been whittled down to 8. Some great riding by Aaron brought back a few breaks that looked like they could stick and only some "unfortunate" positioning on the final turn meant the results weren't quite what we were hoping for. That said, a day on the bike is better than a day at work; though this race felt a little too much like work.