Housler wins Powder Mills Park, Seneca Crit and overall at Empire Championships Omnium

Housler domination. Brendan showed his versitility winning both a hilly road race and a flat criterium. Minerva and Dietrick scored podium placings in both of the Masters 35 races and finished one-two overall. Mike Burri's consistancy earned him a solid 3rd place overall for the weekend in the Masters 45.

Housler wins Corning Circuit Race

JW Dundee's Brendan Housler took yet another win in Corning cat 4/5 race! Earlier in the day Brendsan powered a 6 main break in the cat 3/4 field and took second. Minerva took 5th in the Masters.

Housler wins Bristol Road Race

JW Dundee's Brendan Housler took another win at Bristol Mountain to cap off his time in the category 5s. Mike Burri rode to a 9th place finish in the MAS45 field.

Housler takes Hollenbeck Spring Classic

JW Dundee's Brendan Housler attacked a strong 50-rider category 5 field six miles from the finish to win the 2009 Hollenbeck spring Classic! Minerva scored a 6th place in the cat 3/4 field.

Paris to Ancaster 60K April 19, 2009

by John Roden

I always enjoy this race, which is good as I've done it about 10 times. 60K on and off road, some single track and mud bogs, farm tracks and lots of dirt roads. Point to point into a searing headwind. About 2000 riders this year, Canadian cylcoross champions, Jeremy Powers from the US, some lady that did the Olympics or something, quite a talented top 10 for sure. I spent the week being really sick, which wasn't the easy week I had in mind. Coming up into the last couple days, I convinced myself I was feeling better and that my nose wasn't so runny, but I suspect it just my infected sinuses swelling shut. Ick. Stayed over in Hamilton ON the night before with the family. Found that I had to construct a throne of pillows to keep from coughing all night, not a good sign, but thankfully the hotel provided about 19 pillows per bed, which seem to be the new fad.

Off to the race. Decided to warm up not at all and just lined up early and chatted with people. Start was utterly ballistic. I'm suffering right from the gun, but settle in as the course goes down a double track gravel road at about 28 mph with occasional hair raising near misses. Course turn right up a hill and I feel my body redline, uh oh. Keep grinding away and look for some wheels and make it onto the tail of first group. Ride a while and overshift my chain and then it gungles around the crank arm and locks, drat. Stop and extract it while the race rides off, bye bye.

Jump back in and start riding and after a time am in the second group. Turns out to be a pretty ineffective group all considered, as only a couple guys were motivated to chase to actually get back in the race and the others were real happy back in fiftyith freaking place. I make it off the front a couple times alone or with others but to no avail. The rest of the day goes as thus, I feel pretty strong muscling a big gear but really suffer on the hills. That's life. Finish is 35th. or something. Take a shower and drive home. Not a real red letter day, but it was my first legitimate race since hurting myself a year ago, so I guess that's a plus. Got a few snapshots this time around.

Ramble Around Prattsburgh 2009

by John Roden

I really like the idea of an epic sort of course for a bike race, something on dirt roads and cow paths, through the woods but also with enough fast stuff that a cross bike is the weapon of choice. This race fit the bill, down in the absolute middle of nowhere sort of near Naples NY, this race featured huge hills, fast downhills and all sorts of surfaces involving dirt of one sort and another. We decided to make a family day of it, especially since the race was pretty short at a couple hours.

The gps takes us down some one lane dirt roads without signs and season roads and before we know it we are in Prattsburgh, one of those old towns with a main street facing a village square. No sprawl concerns here, it's a small town for sure. Tie up the dog and he promptly digs a hole for himself to escape the 80-ish degree heat, oopsie.

First hot day of the year, in fact it was snowing last week and since we are adding more facts the last hot weather exercise I did was maybe 2 years ago, so I'm pasty white and not exactly heat acclimated, but nobody else is either.

We do a couple miles neutral behind the motorcycle, I chat with people I have not seen sice ski or cyclocross season and we generally have a grand old time.

Our group is maybe 100, so a decent sized field with some good riders. Heading back by the start, we begin the race in earnest with some attacks that go nowhere until Dan Staffo finally sticks one and gets maybe 10 seconds up and stays there. I've been team mates with Dan on and off over the years and we have raced road, cross and MTB together, he looks strong and fit, so perhaps that's the move. We hit the first climb of the day, a pretty steep grind on blacktop of maybe 2 miles. I'm hurting at this point, but sitting right off the front. Look back toward the top and realize we have ridden right smack off the front and are all alone in a group of about 8. I look around and see a lot fo familiar faces, Jason Hillimire a roadie / MTB type who favors the ultra distance races, strong but a wildcard after training out west all winter. Duncan Douglas, always strong and last year's winner, has competed in the Olympics for ski biathlon and remains fit. Eric Grimm, a many time ironman, adventure racer, roadie and MTB racer and another elite xc skier. Plus me and a couple other guys.

So, we all take our pulls and Dan is still dangling a little off the front and after a while Duncan notes that there is a "f-ing big ass hill" coming up, which I'm guess means it's pretty big. We turn left and sure enough. For a big lout I'm an OK climber, as long as the climb isn't steep and long together and I don't do my best work in the heat. This climb had all three components, but I tried to put it out of my mind as I stared at Eric's tire and willed my way up the climb. In time, our group all blew apart, with me in the penultimate seat coming up over the top. Crap. I put a little computer on my bike for this race since I had an extra after selling off the TT bike, so I was curious about how fast we were going. Coming up on the ridge, I looked down and was surprised to find myself banging along on the barely passable dirt cart path at 32 mph. The bike was creaking and banging away but I was making progress back up to the group. After a while we went back down into the valley on a really bumpy mess of a road, I rode the brakes some to avoid a flat but still managed about 40 and in so doing was able to re-integrate the group of Eric and some other guy and we had now 4 riders, with three single riders out in front of up. We started up a real long gradual climb with a very steep kicker at the top and dropped one guy, so now we had a rolling run in back to town on dirt roads. Third was in sight still and if we worked he was catch able. Eric and I were game but the other guy was just kind of dangling off the back. Being a diplomat for the sport, I hollered at him and he started pulling through but kind of stalled half way to the front of the echelon in the wind. I put my hand on his back and shoved him the rest of the way to the front, I guess he was maybe tired and not just sandbagging. We hit a farm road covered with deep silty dirt, so I rode at the front fro a while and the one guy was kind of dangling 5 feet back, so I punched it for a while until we hit the blacktop and sure enough it was just Eric. I sat up and waited for Eric which was a good thing as we hit a long headwind section.

Third was just right there, maybe 300m up the road. We hit a sign saying Prattsburgh 1 miles, but then we had to head through Mr. Mcgreagors farm. Blowing past flopsy and mopsy, we went on some fun single track through the woods and a big mud pit about 50m long. I had on road shoes, so I did not want to unclip or run under any circumstances, so I picked a line and settled back on the seat and got through the mud OK. Eric tried to run it, which cost him and I left the woods with a gap with 1mi to go. I put my head down and rode in, finishing 4th.