Super Squadra

Over at Source-E I have done a review of the last few weeks of racing including the HHH. It’s a bit Phil-centric but will tide you over until we get a nice big post about Gateway Cup which starts this Friday night. Enjoy here.

Well I’m proud to say that I’m officially a cat 1 bike racer. I’ve finished my first ever National Criterium Championships—a rite of passage for any cat 1 who, at some point in their cycling career, believes it’s time to go against the best amateurs the US has to offer. Luckily Ian, Dave, and Phil are all veterans of the race and gave me insight on how they felt the race would unfold. I was definitely nervous as the first words that came out of their mouths included hard, crashes, very hard and yes, crashes. So, you get the picture. I was re-thinking this whole trip right from the beginning. But I had heard so much about Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago, that I was really more curious than anything.

I’d also heard all about the great crowds, the tight corners, and of course, the podium. The podium was the target that Super Squadra was aiming for and we didn’t care if we got the result through a break with Dave or through the inevitable sprint finish with our big-bodied sprinter Phil. The game plan was fairly simple. Ian, Dave, and I were to stay towards the front and follow as many moves as we could, while Phil conserved energy for the sprint. Ian stressed a good starting position so we all camped out at the start finish line waiting for the course to be cleared. We rolled out after the Pro Women’s race was completed and got positions in the top 20 before the officials issued the annual call ups of past champions or future favorites. This ended up being one of the more important moves I made all day as 156 riders comprised the field for the chance to wear the National Championship jersey.

I had personally never seen the course before and I didn’t have a chance for a pre-ride so the first five laps were a fact finding mission. I tried out different lines and got used to the course. Right from the start I knew it was going to be a fast course with many tight corners. It was fairly easy to take the corners at speed though unless other riders were chopping you which seemed to happen more often than not. The course was comprised of 8 corners and was right at a mile long. Our race was 50 laps or 50 miles and ended up taking us around 1:45. Ian and Dave did a great job controlling the front and even made some moves that either saw Dave off the front collecting a prime or Ian chasing down a serious break. As for myself, I tried to stay towards the front as much as possible—which was harder than I thought. I was able to sit in the top 10 for around two laps before I got shuffled back into the mix. Being able to hold your positioning on such a technical and fast course is a skill that I will need to work on in the future.

I finally found a comfortable zone right around 50 guys back and did my best to stay right behind Phil. With around 10 laps to go I saw Phil starting to make his move up the field and it was an impressive sight. My main goal was to be there for Phil and move up the field and protect him for as long as I could. That was easier said than done. I tried to sneak in on corners and shoot by others on the straights but I couldn’t stay with Phil as I battled what seemed like a stronger rider for every single wheel. Phil has this knack for moving up in these races and using his intimidating size to get where he wants. From my back seat view the last five laps continued to see others drop off and the big guns started to battle it out. While the rest of us were just holding onto wheels I could see Phil bumping around in the top 20 holding his position. With the jersey on the line the top amateurs in the US bombed the final corners and sprinted up the final rise to the line where Ken Hanson, a former pro, won the title. Phil had a superb race and finished in 10th place.

As I finished the race I had a greater understanding for how hard this race is and how even a top 20 placing is something to be extremely proud of. Super Squadra finished with a top 10, a couple of primes and more importantly was active in a race that included the best of the best. With my first year under my belt hopefully I can go back in the future and continue to get better and better.

The Driveway’s back in slightly cooler temps (I was in a long sleeve skinsuit I’m just assuming because I didn’t faint it was cooler) and shorter days. It was a decent field for the Driveway with plenty of locals back and prepping for HHH. Brain and Spine no doubt buoyed by their individual time trial title delivered by Erick Benz have been showing solid numbers lately at both the Nighter and the Crit. Erick would prove his strength and be a factor from start to finish in the race. We shoved off and due to my tardiness I was quite surprised to find we would be covering the shortest loop yet on the day. It featured zero elevation gain and with the new bermed corners racers can pretty well pedal the entire lap. After only a few laps of aggression a large-ish break formed with more and more riders bridging across.

As the nascent break was making its way in front of the Ladies’ Night fan section, a touch of wheels (I assume, I had just rolled through for my turn) brought down no less than four or five riders. There were more than a few celeb victims in BLee, Will Ross and Ally Brandt. I know all these riders were ok but I’m always sorry to see anyone fall off. May their inconveniences be small. When the dust settled on the crash we had three Squadras in about eight but only a few laps later it was three in five. Steven, Dille, Benz, Robert Biard and I became temporary allies. Yes, we could see you Wenger trying to come across but apparently you kept shelling your sole bridging partner. Our group of five neared the remnants of the field and it started to get a little ugly in the break. Attack after attack was launched at Erick and Robert but um, no dice. Sure the loop was pretty non-technical but they were giving us no leeway, chapeau to their vigilence.

Finally I countered Wheeler as we were riding through the group’s chamois-clad detritus and found myself alone with four laps to go. The chase was off and it took little to consolidate the lead for the win. Wheeler and Dille cleaned up for 2nd/3rd. Wenger survived his Driveway that he didn’t win.

Last night was the first ride with all Squadra members present since a certain Double Park death march. I am afraid time trials don’t count due to the dread and suffering factor. Since that long weekend ride, Dille has gone off on his Midwestern race sojourn, Wenger and Wheeler have logged many hours on the time trial bikes and I’ve gained a few ounces on my left hand (hopefully the gain ends there!). Though our informal reunion was last night at the Austin Tuesday Nighter (taken handily by PJ Rabice) we actually get to pin numbers on and line up on Thursday with the return of the Driveway. Words and arms were flying between a certain lithe Squadra member and a wiry THSJ/TXTough rider last night so maybe Thursday should produce more of the same. We welcome the return of our in-town rivals and wish them a hearty congrats on their summer exploits. This weekend is Crit Nats in Downers Grove and we go with the goal of making an impact on the racing outcome and hopefully find our way on the podium.

After a weekend of solid performances at the State Time Trial Championships, Super Squadra is back where it belongs - on top!  Not only has the team jumped back to first in the P1-2 TXBRA team competition but our very own Dave Wenger has taken over the top spot in the P1-2 TXBRA individual competititon.  Following closely behind is Phil Wikoff in second giving Super Squadra two riders in the top 3.  Ian Dille and I are rounding out the top 10 while sitting in 9th and 8th place respectively.  Add all of these points together along with Alan Ting’s points and you have the number one ranked P1-2 team in Texas.  With some big TXBRA races coming up including HHH and the State Road Championships we will be doing everything we can to keep our place on top.

States went off with out a hitch. All team members met up at Bicycle Sport Shop Central at 7a to pile into the BSS Sprinter along with five pairs of Zipp wheels. You know, a pair 404s for back up. Getting to Pattison was a breeze with Dille behind the wheel, but something was holding me back. My stomach. Two slim fasts later, we are out of the van and gleefully pinning on each others numbers in the shade next to a church. Good times! Vacation in Pattision, it has something for the whole family unlike San Diego!

While I can only write for myself, I can sum up the individual time trial in one word; fortunate. My prep going into this weekend was very good, never missed a beat from AT&T weekend to State TT training wise. Kevin Burandt helped me track my finish time down so I know where I needed my intervals to focus power and time wise. Taper complete, until forces of nature took wrath on my choice of veggie burger with cheese for lunch on Friday. Within an hour of lunch, I felt terrible. That would be the last solid food consumed until well after the Saturday TT. So, when I finished at 280w and a time of 53:15, I’m happy. Very happy. Very fortunate to pull in 3rd. Wheeler and Wikoff had excellent rides for 6th and 9th as well. The Squadra was happy.

Sunday’s TTT was done to perfection given the state of the team’s slightly weakened TT leader. We pushed forward cautiously in the first half of the race while we had the wind at our backs, then turned up the intensity of the pulls for the return. Dille, Wheeler, and Wikoff lead the team to a 50:32 finishing time with much of that coming from Steven’s efforts. While the result was not what we were after, anything other than a win, keeping a perspective on things is important. We kept the team together so that we could have a competitive time and placing despite illness and are now the leaders of the Texas Cup in the individual as well as team standings. Good things come to those who eat bland, Downer’s Grove is next. HHH, Gateway Cup, Strong-Wenger Wedding, States, then TX TOUGH round out the rest of the calendar.

Wish Ting luck at Junior Nationals.

Old San Antonio Road is now chip seal. More chip than seal. Thanks to Serotta High Speed Geometry, when I took the right turn on to the road with loose gravel under my front wheel, I had just enough weight on the front end of the bike not to wash out. Good luck trying this maneuver on Canadian Carbon!

Dear Mr. Serotta,

Ian Dille here. I’m the former Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada pro for whom you built a custom Ottrott ST in 2005. You might remember that bike. It was an amazing blend of carbon fiber and Colorado Concept titanium tubing. It also had a custom green and yellow paint job with bright red Serotta decals. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ride that bike much. I spent most of that year battling knee problems and was relegated to promotional duties rather than racing.



That’s how I ended up at your Serotta open house in Saratoga Springs, New York. I met hundreds of die-hard Serotta owners there. I heard Davis Phinney and Ron Keifel talk about their glory days back in the1980s, winning Tour de France stages on the initial steel creations you built for 7-Eleven. I helped lead a 62-mile ride through the Appalachian foothills past some of your previous factories, and I toured your current shop—a bustling warehouse of precision CNC machinery and artisan-like frame builders.

Now that the knee problems have cleared up and I’m racing again, somehow I was lucky enough to find myself riding one of your latest creations, the HSG. The name, which stands for High Speed Geometery, may lack the imagery of your custom models such as the MeiVici—but it couldn’t be more fitting for how we ride our bikes. Fast.

This year we’ve raced our bikes in the mountains of west Texas, across choppy chip and seal roads cutting across the wind blown plains, and at blistering crit speeds through corners riddled with potholes. In every instance, the bike has excelled.



The thing I enjoy most about your bikes, Ben, is the ride quality. Whether it’s a five-hour training ride or 90-mile road race, the HSG soaks up road chatter better than a double thick chamois—keeping my back, shoulders, hands, and feet feeling fresh. The compliant RoadMax seat stays slope gently from the seat tube to the rear wheel, while the S-Bend chainstays, developed in 1984 specifically for Davis Phinney, America’s most prolific sprinter, maintain rear end stiffness.

In fact, the HSG is one of the stiffest and lightest bikes you’ve ever built. It laughs in the face of the torsional forces put out during mass gallops to the line or while rocketing up 15-percent grades. Because your company manufacturers its own carbon fiber, rather than outsourcing to factories over seas, you’re able to maintain stringent control over the design and production process. The TC2 Torsion Core tubing used in the HSG is some of the strongest and most durable carbon fiber you’ve ever used on a Serotta bicycle.

Ben, I’m sure people tell you your bikes are amazing all the time. I’m also sure you never tire of hearing it. Simply put, we absolutely love our sleds. I know racers tend to say this about whichever bike is currently underneath them, but this is without a doubt the best bike I’ve ever ridden.

Thanks for sponsoring our team.

Yeah me neither. I am quite sure Dille doesn’t want to but due to a season of mass-registration on my part our team is again stacked on top of each other with only one rider in between. Dille will be first off a bit after 11 with Wenger, Steven and I all following at one minute intervals.

Super Squadra expects and hopes for a lot out of this weekend. It kicks off the final block of racing for the 2008 season. Life has certainly played a role in our preparation for this weekend in both positive and negative ways. Dille coming off a block of Superweek and midwestern crit racing may have form or fatigue but how either will affect his abilities in a 40k TT on consecutive days remains to be seen. Wheeler has had a nice long preparation period without many interruptions since returning from his nuptial festivities in mid-June. Wenger too is looking forward to defending his individual title and his stiffest competition comes from friend and co-worker Stefan Rothe.

Wenger will pull on his donkey hat on Sunday to tow us around as long as he can in the team time trial. With the few tests we have had as a team we can feel confident in our technical abilities. Whether I will show up with post-wedding legs still and hold us up or rise to the occasion may very well be the biggest factor to our TTT success. Dille and Steven especially have been great, both fluid and strong. Whether I can support these kids and stand on whichever step of the podium with my head held high or not, we will know soon enough. When you’re sitting indoors in the AC or lounging down at the springs, think of us at high noon finishing off our TTT.

Read all about it. State TT and TTT write up challenging BSS pb Girling to go 31mph for 24.8mi.