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.