Dan Staffo Update

Last week’s racing at the Tour of Battenkill went well for our team. This was my 3rd year doing this race and the conditions were the toughest I have seen with the 90 degree weather, very soft dirt roads and dust. Roger Aspholm got a gap on the 2nd. dirt road section on a steep climb and was gone for the day, winning by over 5 minutes. I rode aggressively all day with a lot of attacks to get something going but everything was being brought back. Stephen Badger, Dave Taylor, Matt Howard and another rider got a gap on the field. I let them open a bit of a gap and then went across to them on a false flat section. I know Badger has a very good sprint so I figured my only chance was to jump first and get a gap and hopefully hold on. I jumped first but Badger came around me and Howard nipped me at the line for 3rd. I really needed an 11 as I had my 12 spun out.

I ended up 3rd on sunday at the GVCC Classic at Bloomfield for a good weekend of racing.

This past weekend was Sturbridge and Palmer in Massachusetts. Rob Dietrick and I left at 5:30 am Saturday for 12:00 start at Sturbridge. There was a new course for Sturbridge this year which consisted of a 15 mile loop with a long 2 mile drag up a hill to the start/finish. Things kicked off pretty quickly as found myself in a break with a CRCA rider and Frank McCormick (Fuji). We hit the long uphill section and about halfway up I saw a group of about 4 coming with the pack about 10 sec behind them. The 4 riders made contact with us with the field strung out behind. I put in a bit of an acceleration which turned out to be costly. Roger jumped on the steeper section of the hill with Mark McCormick on his wheel. I was unable to close the gap, came close but not quite. I realized after where I made the acceleration was not the right place and that I should have waited for the steeper section where Roger jumped. So there were 4 guys in the break, never to be seen again. A group of about 6 of us (with some heavy hitters) got a good gap on the last loop. We were working well together and I figured we were going to make this stick. I took a look back and saw the field closing in quickly and everything was back together. I waited a bit and went again and got away solo with about 4-5 miles to go. As I reached the base of the long uphill drag to the finish, Bill Yabroughty had bridged to me and the 2 of us had about a 15-20 second gap on the field. We took turns pacing each other up this hill trying to hold on. We hit the steeper section of the hill and gave it everything we had which probably allowed us to finish ahead of the field by about 2 seconds. I ended up 6th on the day and was very happy with that.

The Palmer Road Race was ok, with the race ending in a big field sprint.

Paris to Ancaster, Ontario 60K

John Roden

We decided to do a little family outing to the city of Hamilton, Ontario and stay in a swanky hotel and head up to the Paris Ancaster race all rested and ready for this 60K off road race. Wishing to get their money’s worth, the kids decided to stay up all night messing around, and the morning found us tired, grumpy and in the middle of a downtown that must have been a happening place during the Ford administration.

I always dislike the start of this race. There are well over 1000 people hurrying up like mad to get down this narrow dirt road before the trail goes up a steep hill about 15 minutes into the race. This year was typical, with the pack just winding down the road, rocks flying, people trying to move up without enough room, general chaos. I was sitting in about 5th. position, keeping myself out of trouble, when I started to drift back a few spots. Thinking that I needed to move up pronto, I started looking for a hole when some oaf off to the starboard side goes cartwheeling, sending a rider sliding on his bottom across the road right at me. I miss him with my front wheel, but he keeps sliding and takes the bike out from under me and I go down hard and someone else plows into me. I’m lying on the ground waiting for the traffic to clear, get up and knock my brake lever back in place and jump back in the race, bleeding and a tad sore in my sitting region. I am now behind the whole first wave of 200 riders and just hitting the messy sections. Things look pretty bleak for the home team.

I start chasing my way through the field, first we hit a long and windy road section, then some single track in the woods, but I’m still pretty amped and moving my way up. Dan Staffo gave me a new workout this week called an “easy week” which left my legs feeling rather spunky, got to try those more often. After about 15 minutes, I’m starting to really suffer and have worked up to the third large group on the road. We start working together and in time regain the second large group just before we hit the woods again. I ride to the front and try to floor in through the woods and emerge alone with a group of 6 maybe 30 seconds up the road. I’m really starting to tire, but I’m able to finally ride acrost the gap and join my new pals.

Upon joining this group, I see a cast of familiar faces and ask what’s going on with the race and find that we are in fact leading it, well hot dog! Over time, we drop a couple riders and I manage to get myself dropped in short order on an uphill. Now I’m all alone on the windy, soft dirt road just watching the break ride away. Drat. We hit the headwind and the group of three isn’t really killing it, so I’m able to finally get back with the leaders, whew.

For the next hour, we work very nicely together through the windy sections and finally our group falls apart a bit coming down the Powerline mud chute. I’m able to do OK and come out 2nd wheel, but we are caught back in short order by cyclocross star Peter Morse (Jetfuel) with Nathan Chown (Handlebars) riding like a house on fire. In time, Eric Box rejoins and we have 4 again.

The last couple miles are pretty hilly and the final climb is brutal. Eric comes unglued first, then Peter and Nathan light up the final climb and I’m off the back, but lumber in for third, my first time on the podium on about a dozen years doing this race, so I'm pretty happy with my day, especially after the rough start.

Tour of Pelhan, Ontario

I really got in touch with my inner Fred today. Started off last night by having to steal a bottom bracket off the TT bike and bolting it up kind of late and figuring it'd work OK. Late start today, family had to bail at the last minute so did the quick drive to Canada alone. Got to race with maybe 20 mins to start, finally got suited up with about 7 minutes to warm up, no worries until the chain starts skipping. Upon inspection one of the pins was half way out, oof. Back to car for a chain tool, having no luck with the repair. Rode toward start line with 3 mins to start and bike isn't working at all. Figure I have to do the repair right and remove a link and press the link back in the old fashioned way. I'm fumbling around and dropping stuff and it's start time now. I hear the motorcycle and here comes the race, and there goes the race. I finally get the pin in and shove the tool in my pocket and jump in around 75th. place. The first 5 miles are on some twisty, hilly dirt roads and the people back here are riding like granny, so I put my head down and just kind of weave my way through the squealing brakes. After about 10 minutes of chasing I see what looks to be the lead pack maybe 100m off the front, so I ride across the windy gap and finally make it up there. The pack was going kind of slow (hence my being able to catch them) because there were two riders on the same team as the one rider off the front, a real strong cyclocrosser who wold stay gone for the duration. I'm spanked from chasing, so I sit in the group and have a drink and take stock. We hit the first trail section and I'm in second spot, doing OK through the woods behind another cyclocross star.
We hit a gravel uphill and I decide to run it, which turns out to be a really stupid move, so I drop two place right there. We hit a really slippery muddy icy section of trail with off camber clay and icy snowmelt, I make a few more mistakes and drop back to 6th. We hit the roads again and I chase back up to 5th, he's sitting on my wheel in the winds but I don't care at this point as we are out of contention anyway.
After a spell, we hit the last off road section of the day, where I get a rear flat. I ask a volunteer how much further and it's just a click and a half, so I just ride it in on the rim, Almost wiping out in front of the OPP officer on the last corner. I manage to drop another place on the run in and finish 7th.
On a positive note, the snow tires and snow thrower are put away, let the season begin.

Staffo Unshackled

Johnnycake #3
I was in Utica last Friday visiting my father so Saturday I decided to drive out to Albany to race the final Johnny cake series race. The race was 9 laps for 63 miles which included the hill referred to as the "Koppenberg" . There was an early split of about 15 riders which included all the big guns such as Cory Burns (fiordifrutta), Roger Aspholm (westwoodvelo), Justin Lindine (target training) and Aiden Charles (nerac) just to name a few. I saw this split but was boxed in as I was riding alittle cautious do to not knowing the course along with being alittle nervous racing in a large group for the first time this season. The field did start to chase and got the gap to within 20 seconds but that was about it. With 2 laps to go a group of 7 of us went clear from the pack. Then with 1 to go Alec Donahue (team Nerac) got a gap on our group and I was able to bridge to him on the Koppenberg and the two of us finished 8th and 9th as the the break
of 15 was blown to bits. Other than the mistake of not being in good position early in the race I was happy the way I rode and feel the form is on the right track for Battenkill and the rest of the spring races. Finished up the weekend with a great 5 hr ride up and around Canadaigua lake with my teammate Rob Dietrick.

Team Dominates Spring Campaigns

Rochester Report

Last Sunday was the final stage of the prestigious Giro Series. The team clinched first place overall with Staffo beating Mr. Sprint himself to the line. It was do or die and Dan put on the after burners to insure overall victory. The last day was anything but tame. Miles before that Rob Dietrick put the winning move on the peleton and brought home the stage victory, claiming third overall for the series.

Buffalo Report from John Roden
After starting 4 weeks ago on the scorched plains of the greater Pendleton area, the Race to the Sun reached the sunny, verdant hills of Marilla on Sunday. With a warm breeze at our back, the pack rolled down the main street of Marilla, amid the cheers of various stray dogs and free range chickens. With some small hills and a decent selection of crosswinds, the course held the potential to break things up a bit and promote some more aggressive racing, maybe.

The first move of the day found Dorfman and Burget off the front, gaining a couple minutes over the slumbering pack. Despite a large field of about 30 and a pretty flat course, the field showed no great interest in the two riders who were vanishing well up the road.
After maybe 20 miles, the two off the front cracked and it was all even, so a series of attacks started, but the hills were not quite steep or long enough to get the job done. After a long spell of the attack-weld-regroup cycle, a group of about 10 remained. On the bell lap, Skalski noodled off the front and just kept going, going, gone.

On the last time up the rolling hills, Roden, Nye and Halter rolled off the remaining group, but a tactical Halter said no dice and Nye said fiddlesticks to Halters non-work ethic, so Roden joined in the inaction and a perfectly good little spilt was re-absorbed by the dwindling pack.

Garret and Youhess both launched nice "Hail Mary" attacks from the 1K kite but were reabsorbed as the sprint wound up. Nye led the sprint out from a goodly ways, Halter tried to come over the top on the windy side, reconsidered and tried to sneak by on the white line but ended up on the shoulder, bouncing his way into third behind Nye.
Roden slogged in for 4th. with Farrel rounding out the remaining points.

Joe Halter 57
Jason Skalski 54
Ryan Nye 18
John Roden 15
Frank Mesi 8
Dan Staffo 7
Kevin Mahoney 7
Ben Willis 6
Dan Youhess 4
John Garrett 3
Jim Costello 1
Mike Luther 1
Scott Farrel 1