On Saturday, Tripleshot Cycling put on the BC Time Trial Championships in Cowichan Valley on the Island. It had looked like there would be no provincial TT champs this year, but at the last minute, Tripleshot came through and put on the event in conjunction with the BC Masters championships.

With what appeared to be no TT’s on the horizon, I put away the TT bike after Banff Bike Fest in mid-June, so I had a couple weeks after the announcement that the race was on to get re-acquainted with being folded into an uncomfortable position for 40k and still maintain power. I hit up my favourite TT training location — the only place you can ride for longer than 10k with no traffic lights in Vancouver — the road out to Iona Beach. The TT form came back slowly, culminating with a strong set of V02 max intervals and a 15km tune-up race the week before the championships.

The course was a non-traditional championship course, with nearly 500m of climbing in the 40km race. The first 10km were uphill, the next 20km were rolling and the last 10km was mostly downhill. Pacing would be difficult, with the ideal pacing strategy would involve riding harder than threshold for the first 10km, holding threshold as best as possible for the next 20km, and then getting aero and spinning the legs quickly on the downhill at the end — i.e.: go hard, then hold on for dear life.

With Christian Meier entered (United Heatlhcare Pro Cycling, 2nd place to Svein Tuft at Nationals) and starting two minutes behind me, I had some serious motivation to start the race too hard, but I tried to hold back and ride just above threshold. The first 10km went to plan, but the heat and rolling hills in the second 10km were taking their toll and I was convinced I was riding too slowly. I got a motivation boost at the turn-around when I saw that Christian had only put 35 seconds into me. On the way back I drove it as hard as I could on the hills and did my best Dave Zabriskie impression on the descents to keep the speed high while recovering.

After the race, everyone I talked to had the same feeling about the course — the heat, hills and pacing strategy made it hard on everyone. Christian won (no surprise there), I came second and Dave Vukets of Trek Red Truck finished third. Overall, happy with my ride and looking forward to trying to go one better next year.

Stephens silver, Vukets bronze, Meier Gold (not pictured).

The Thursday Nighter in Richmond.

Jones and I the only GEers. Big group of As at the race.

I attack on lap 3, spend a couple alone with a big gap until Zach from HR and that East Coast guy in the red+white Swiss kit bridge, and eventually Schwingboth, too. Four of us pace-line the hell out of that course for 12 laps, huge gap despite a semi-truck that cuts us off (and only us off; Jacob yells “Sidewalk!” and we hop on it for half a stretch at 45kph!) as well as passing the Bs. My HR is 184 while sitting in; can’t see the screen while taking a pull.

And then suddenly Jacob sits up during his shift: we’re caught. We’re all kinda shocked seeing as we’re basically the strongest guys there and we were puking it…except that The Twins, Cyrus, Rory and that big Westwood guy (+ four others) were pacing the pack back to us. An immediate second counter and Zach makes it (strong man, that Zach), but we bring them back. Third and final move sticks: all us original break guys in it again, plus Cid and another, and we’re ahead by oh, 5 seconds, on the last lap. We’re basically caught so I jump on the last corner, but immediately hear this whooshing come up beside me but it’s not a break guy with the same idea as me, it’s Rory pulling a teammate out from the pack, going a good 25 per cent faster than us. Cyrus manages to jump on it and wins. I’m sixth.

Hard night. Twenty laps. Then I had a concert to be at by 9:00pm and managed to make it back to Adria’s in 40 minutes, solo time-trialing from the race!

The show I had to get to: Future Islands at the Media Club.

Jeff

Donate to the BC Children's Hospital

The annual Garneau Evolution Whistler Charity Ride is coming up. This Saturday, August 6, our racers will ride from Vancouver to Whistler—and back—in support of the BC Children’s Hospital. It’s part of our mandate to be a cycling team that’s relevant to its community, both inside and outside cycling. Plus it’ll be one heckuva training ride (have a feeling Gerth is gonna be hammering those hills).

We’re looking for your support, too. See our donate page to help us reach our fundraising goal.

2010 Ride Stats:
9 riders (+9 to Squamish)
250 km in the hills
8 hours in the saddle
10,000+ ft of climbing
6,000 Calories each
3 middle fingers from motorists
1 round of vomit
1 broken bone

$3,700 in donation raised!

The 2011 Rides
Whistler – 250km
Huge! The ride with traverse the spectacular Howe Sound along the improved Sea-Sky Highway.
This will be a tough hilly ride for racers.
A great way to scope out the road before the Fondo.
We plan to have support for this ride.

Squamish – 140km
Out and back to Squamish for a scaled down but equally appealing option.
Recreational racers are welcome but it is a difficult ride. The group will regroup periodically.

Both rides will hopefully be supported with wheels and food (you provide both). If you’re interested in helping out, let me know.
You must have a valid CyclingBC license to participate.

This will be your best ride of the summer!

When
Saturday August 6th
Both rides leave at 8am from “Bean Around the World” on Cornwall at Cypress. Please confirm with us if you plan to attend.

Fund raising
The ride is in support of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. BC Children’s serves more than a million BC children and funding goes directly to essential services. Please find more information at http://www.bcchf.ca/main/index.php.

To participate, each rider is expected to raise a minimum of $75, to be presented the morning of the ride. Even if you are not joining us for the ride, please give to GE riders soliciting funds in the next several weeks.

We’d like to reach $5,000 in funds this year. This will need more riders and more donators!

Donations can be made online: https://secure.bcchf.ca/SuperheroPages/main.cfm?Event=ICE&Member=17697

Jesse Reams climbing White Rock, photo by Doug Brons

Hill climb results:
http://www.allscenes.com/tourdewhiterock/results-homelife.tsp

13. Stephens, David 01:53.65
14. Reams, Jesse 01:53.89
16. Werner, Jeff 01:54.36
19. Thompson, Jason 01:56.43
31. Gerth, David 02:01.50
33. Rothengatter, Mike 02:05.18
37. Buckosky, Kyle 02:08.03

56 starters
Best time around was around 1:45.

8 races, 11 days, 260 laps, 500km

BC Superweek, the biggest set of races at the peak of the season in the province, starts tomorrow and doesn’t let up for 11 days.

GE will be there for every race, with nearly every one of our racing men on the start line. As always there’s Delta this weekend, then White Rock the next. Evenings mid-week will see the return of the Giro di Burnaby and, new for this year, the UBC Grand Prix.

Friday July 8, 7:40–8:40pm Delta Criterium #1
Saturday July 9, 7:25–8:30pm Delta Criterium #2
Sunday July 10, 9:00–1:00pm Delta Road Race (starts in Surrey,
finishes in Delta)

Tuesday July 12, 7:45–9:00pm UBC Grand Prix Criterium (Start at
Mahoney & Sons and race around the Beaty!)

Thursday July 14, 7:20–8:30pm Giro di Burnaby Criterium (Hastings at Carleton)

Friday July 15, 7:30–8:30pm Whiterock Hillclimb
Saturday July 16, 6:00–7:00pm Whiterock Criterium
Sunday July 17, 9:00–12:30pm Whiterock Road Race

See our events page for a calendar view of the schedule, or check out the race websites:

http://www.bcsuperweek.ca/
http://www.tourdedelta.com/
http://ubcgrandprix.com/
http://www.girodiburnaby.com/
http://www.tourdewhiterock.ca/

Download a PDF of the 2011 Superweek Race Bible.

[Ed. note: as Alistair just pointed out, there's also more than a thousand corners to turn this Superweek]

Deardon 5th 2:39.3
Stephens 6th 2:40.9
Werner 17th 2:47.9
Thompson 24th 2:51.5
Gerth 26th 2:53.1
Biggar 29th 2:54.0
Martin 43rd 3:00.8

Seven Garneau riders are competing in this year’s Banff Bike Fest: Deardon, Martin, Thompson, Werner, Stephens, Gerth, Biggar.

Thompson at the start of the 2011 Banff Prologue

Four of the guys travelled in the new Gerth / Garneau race-mobile, a suped-up travel van. Two time trial bikes and multiple wheels inside; four bikes on the hitch rack outside. Captain chairs like a rec room sofa, dual TVs and stereos and…well it’s a definite improvement from four guys with bikes and bags crammed in a Jetta.

The new Gerth / Garneau mobile at the usual breakfast stop, in Kamloops

Luxury digs with a stunning Shushwap view at Paul + Kristine's place in Kamloops, where we stopped on Wednesday night's drive

The prologue was this Thursday afternoon. It’s the same as last year: 1.7km with half of it a steep climb. Most of us rode our new Garneau road racing bikes, but wearing skinsuits and TT helmets. It was doable in the big ring. Still waiting on results. Hard to tell our performance, though the wet and cold and the elevation was noticeable.

Relaxing back here at the Hidden Ridge Resort up Tunnel Mt. Rd. Bikes and drying skinsuits everywhere; some groceries we just picked up from Safeway. Six of us in this chalet-like room (Biggar staying in town with his girl).

Tomorrow is the 70km Stage 1 road race (it was shortened from the usual 80km at the last minute due to wolves in the area). This has historically finished in a bunch sprint, though that sprint is really on a short hill finish, so it can break up pretty quick. Previous years saw separate times for even a couple bike lengths, though last year the bunch got same time. There will be break-away attempts by most teams, but look for us to make sure we’re pumping the finish when it counts. Time bonuses are significant for stage wins here, so a top three, 10-6-4 is valuable.

The Saturday crit, though it doesn’t usually shake up the GC, could award us some time bonuses and potential stage podium, with Werner finishing 8th in last year’s bunch sprint and looking to move up this year, especially around that 180 hairpin and that 65kph+ finishing stretch.

Saturday’s  TT is the real maker of this race. We’ve got our three fastest here (Stephens, Thompson and Deardon). We’ll revisit strategy for Sunday’s 143km final road race after that shake-up.

Update June 6, 2011, 17:20
Stephens had a ripping time and was 4th after the prologue TT. Then moved to 3rd overall after the first stage RR. Second TT came down a bit, to 10th GC. Waiting for results from today’s final RR.

Stephens in the Mt. Hood Prologue time trial. Image by Pat Malach.

A four-rider breakaway formed the last time up Seven Mile but couldn’t stay away to the finish. Photo: Pat Malach

Abercrombie, Stephens and Thompson are racing the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic…right now! We’ll embed the official race twitter right here. As of three minutes ago Thompson was in a breakaway:

The time trial is a new one for 2011, running along Dallas Road, the former training grounds of Howard and Werner. It’ll be a tricky event with two tight turn-arounds. And with such a short distance tactics will primarily consist of go hard, go harder, and keep your speed through the 180s.

The four corner criterium in the heart of historic Victoria features a fast little descent, a cross-wind back stretch and a little climb to the finish. Racers know to watch for the round reflectors and crosswalk paint on the road (esp. if it’s wet) and for corner one, which can become quite a squeeze. This will be a particularly fast Bastion with rumours of a number of pro riders competing and a full contingent of H&R and Trek riders from the Vancouver mainland over as well.

We expect to do well in the crit, with the power of Stephens and Deardon at full form and the experience of Howard and Werner on the course, both of whom raced this one in the late 1990s (Howard last competed here in 1998) and Werner having won the Category 3 race in 2010. Extra points for Bastion’s place as a premier BC race as it’s now sponsored by Howard and Werner’s former team captain and Victoria cycling legend Robert Cameron.

Time Trial information
Criterium Information

Map of the time trial course on Dallas Rd., Victoria

[Ed. note: In conjunction with our mother-club, Escape Velocity, Team GE volunteers to be one of four, monthly-rotating teams to organize and run a large club race in Vancouver]

Abercrombie and Thompson running sign-on

Weather was good, all races started and ended on time, no reported crashes or disputes, and only a few cars managed to interfere with the racers. Nine riders from Team GE arrived on time, did his duty, and stuck around for takedown.

Thanks to Kyle (+ Dad), Gerth (+ Jennifer), Keith and Guy for course marshalling; Tim, Jason for manning the sign-on; Ted for handling everything at the finish line and Jeff for coordinating.

Somehow we didn’t win, though. We’ll rig it better next month.

GEer Jeff Werner wins a wet and slippery Enumclaw criterium this Saturday evening. Howard was right there with him, and it was a close finish with Trek Red Truck’s Cody Canning trying to make up the gap Werner created on the two last corners.

Abercrombie and Thompson managed to stay upright. Buckosky went down, though, and hard. We’re monitoring his condition and will see how he feels about racing the 140km road race tomorrow.

Werner led the sprint from the second-last corner and held off Trek Red Truck's Cody Canning

Image via wheelsinfocus.com

The final sprint:

MUTUAL OF ENUMCLAW STAGE 2 Criterium Pro 1/ 2 Men ENUMCLAW, WA 2011 from RideITLikeUstoleIT!!! on Vimeo.

And one of the at least four or five crashes:

Werner’s GPS file from the race: