Connecticut Challenge and Pan-Mass Challenge

The TARGETRAINING gang is focused less on racing both this past and upcoming weekend and more on dedicating itself to help those who have felt cancer touch their lives.

Cancer is hardest on family and friends who deeply care for those afflicted with the disease. For Eneas, he was touched very personally when the mother of his lovely wife Nancy was diagnosed with cancer. Eneas races with pink handlebar tape to make clear that his thoughts go beyond the realm of racing each and every day.

Jeff Keith, a co-founder of the Connecticut Challenge, lost part of his leg to cancer as a teenager. He has fought on mightily. A superb athlete, Jeff is also a tireless worker for the cause of militating against the effects of cancer. Jeff ran across the US on one leg, but more importantly, is the father of a lovely family whom he supports and who cares for him. Along with his charity's partner, John Ragland, Jeff has poured tremendous energy and intelligence into crafting Connecticut's version of the Pan-Mass Challenge.

Team Brent was founded to help the McCreesh family in their effort to support their youngest, Brent. As a 2 year old, Brent and his family found out he had a cancer that had severely metastasized (that means it spread). Brent lives today and is an incredible testament to our ability to fight on. That such a young person should have to live through this is both sad and inspiring; how hard can it be to go up a hill or to get ready for a training ride compared to Brent's travails and the struggles his family has had to endure? Endurance is life. And Team Brent, a group of 20+ cyclists, ride in honor of Brent's survival and to help others do the same.

Many clients inspire us to undertake these two weeks of contributing in a very small way to the community around us. One of our great client families had cancer strike in their midst. Last year father, mother and son rode the Pan-Mass Challenge together. Healthy. Fit. Strong. They inspire us. So does our client who has had cancer twice. She rides well every times she trains with us. You could not tell by looking at her that she has had to deal with this twice. She has a young son who probably cannot envision his mom ever sick. And the way she rides, we cannot, either. She inspires us. So many of our clients have lost family members to this multi-faceted disease. They resolutely continue. They are inspired.

Cancer is one of those uncontrollable, horrific items that happen. And then we (the collective) are faced with dealing with the fact that we are not in control of our destiny. We draw strength from each other, and we need strength ourselves, to face the reality that life and death are not that far apart. We have and will overcome. Or face death well. And we do our best to help those face their personal battle with hope and ultimately with dignity and joy. Oncologists are the heroes who everyday have to fight to allow us to survive. This never-ending battle reinforces that every day we live we have to represent who we are to our fullest, because life is certainly short. It is our only chance to be ourselves and to ensure that we live it well.

So when Eneas, Team Brent and the rest of us ride the Pan-Mass Challenge on Saturday and Sunday, we ride in support of everyone who has and will have to deal with this ongoing scourge. We are the fortunate, the ones who are healthy enough to ride fast and strong, to observe cancer, to experience it while overcoming it, even if only for a while. We certainly are not laughing at it, since cancer is an opponent always looking for weakness. We thank God for modern medicine and science, and all those who have helped get science to the point it is at now.

We will do our best to be brave for everyone who has and will have to face it. You are not alone. We are there with you, every pedal stroke of the way.

To our families and friends who suffer or worry, you are with us, always. You are with us, especially when we are riding fast and strong, going up that hill, aiming for that finish line, enjoying just being.

2008 Univest Grand Prix Selects TARGETRAINING

Sparta Cycling, organizer of the Univest Grand Prix, has invited TARGETRAINING to compete in the classic road race on Saturday as well as the Univest Criterium on Sunday. The Univest Grand Prix is one of the premier cycling races in the Northeast and its younger cousin, the Criterium, is quickly becoming important as well.

The team, including manager extraodinaire Kyle Wolfe, captain Eneas Freyre, and young guns Justin Lindine, Ben Zawacki, Lee Rosenthal, Craig Luekens, and Adam St. Germaine, along with our own Matt Baldwin, earned the right to compete in (and a chance to win) this 100+ mile race through the hills of Lancaster County.

The history of the Univest Grand Prix's race usually sees a select group of riders entering the finishing circuits, where it completes the first part (an 80+ mile road point to point race, which causes the peloton to shrink to a small gruppeto). The remainder of the shattered peloton then battle it out in what is a painful, fast 20 loop finishing circuit with a tough, repeating hill just in case anyone still feels fresh. Will Frishkorn, who got 2nd in the 3rd stage of the 2008 Tour de France, won Univest in 2007. So this is a tough race with top competition. Eneas placed 9th in the 2002 version of this race and will be a strong guiding force for the entire team. In 2005, Anthony Colby got 3rd for TARGETRAINING and in 2006, Frank Pipp got 4th racing for TARGETRAINING. This younger TARGETRAINING team will we hope live up to the tradition of responding to the challenge of this arduous contest.

Final team selection will be announced in the coming weeks. To see more about this race, please go to http://www.univestgrandprix.com/.

Soggy Sunday Spritely Saturday

Saturday was a beautiful day for 55 mile and 4300 feet of climbing in and around Windsor Mass. So a bunch of us went to suffer, hoping to inflict damage, only to find that this was a weekend where damage was inflicted on us. No real damage, only perhaps a little of the psychic variety, or the keep humble type (always useful for us). But the 3.5 mile 1200 foot climb certainly created a lot of effort from all of us that raced. And we did race, in the Pro-12 field (who raced 90 miles), the 40+, the 50+ and the Cat 3 field. We were scattered across route 8, 116, 112, and 9, and back to the finish line in the State Park. Wonderful scenery. Perhaps the best time was going to the local ice cream place after. Or grabbing dinner upon arriving back in Westport. Or simply going to sleep on Saturday night.

Sunday was a different type of day. It was a day of wash-outs, or near wash-outs, as the low humidity clarity of Saturday was replaced by rolling thunderstorms. First it hit Greenwich, where Dom Gillen snuck in a win at the Greenwich Triathlon. Of course, it was run as a duathlon due to too rough waters. Mitch West got 7th overall and 2nd in his 30-39 age group. Dave Yockleson got 10th overall and 1st in the 40-49 age group. Then it hit Brooklyn. Eneas Freyre ventured all the way to the end of Flatbush Avenue to Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett field only to find out that the time trial he was ready to judge had permanently recessed due to inclement weather. Dr. Rob Weiss found himself similarly out of patience. Yes, the flood hit Floyd Bennett but they could have raced. Back in Westport, the sky opened and then just as suddenly, it stopped raining. Judging themselves lucky, Tyler and Rick took a hardy group out riding through splashes and wind for a surprisingly bucolic 2 hour Sunday bike ride.

So nothing extraordinary to report for this weekend's festivities. Scott Bodin raced for Freedom in Stirling, NJ, but he has yet to report. And the Tour De France finished, although it was missing the other best team, Astana. We do congratulate Cervelo Bicycles and the fantastic CSC-Saxo Bank team, a team that we admire and for whom we wish nothing but the best.

Charity Wine Tasting Wrap Up

We would like to take the time to thank our host, Jordan Ross, and everyone that attended our Pan Mass Charity wine tasting last night at TARGETRAINING Tri & Cycle. A good time was had by all as we were treated to tasty hors d'œuvre and fantastic wines from around the world. The Chilean and Argentinian Lafite's were exceptional, actually ... Spending time listening to Jordan's perspective on wine tasting, the art and the science behind it, made the event all that much more enjoyable and memorable. We would like to recognize all of our contributors that helped sponsor this event:

Harold Kamins
Peggy Kamins
Rob Adler
Bonnie Adler
Mike Wallace
Cathy Hausman
Michael Driscoll
Kim Driscoll
Andy Kaplan

and special thanks to Howard Jamner and family for their kind donation to the Pan Mass Challenge as well.

Thank you for all of your support,
Eneas Freyre

Sunday race day across TARGETRAINING

Now, we don't have everyone's results, so please send in results and we'll update this entry accordingly.

Lake Placid. Mimi Boyle got 9th overall woman, 5th fastest time split and second in her age group. As one of her male teammates said: "Just want to add my congratulations to Mimi for a devestating race at IMLP!!! Remarkable!!! I was out there the whole day-- some brutal conditions to race in-- did NOT stop raining from 6:40 a.m. on...Saw Mimi out on the bike course-- crushing it! 5th fastest bike split for ALL WOMEN!! As Greg said, 9th woman OVERALL! 2nd in her AG. I could go on...Way to put it all together Mimi-- there was no luck involved." I believe that one other TT'er braved the race but am awaiting results...

New York City Triathlon. Valentin Lopes and Michelle Faurot joined Dominic Gillen and Jordan Rappin what was a very competitive, apparently heavy jelly fish filled swim, with the current going north rather than flowing south. Jordan got 6th overall in a 1:52+ while Dom managed to get 9th overall in a 1:55+. Valentin did a 2:12 while Michelle did 2:28, and they both competed in the Elite Age Group Category. Lyn McCabe did a 2:35, placing 5th in the 30-34 age group. All very fast times! Congrats!

Litchfield Hills Triathlon. TARGETRAINING's newest training colleague Wolfgang Ermeling won this event in a course record 2:05:21. He did the fastest bike leg, and after riding with him on our Wednesday rocket ride, we know he is fast (and 40 -- how's that for you young ones).

We know that Kim Driscoll won her age group (but please remind me what event) and Justin Colby got 2nd in his duathlon in his age group.

In cycling, the Masters team showed up for the Naugatuck Criterium. We were defending our title from last year but this year we came up a little short. With three off the front with two to go, Scott Bodin and friend of TT Chris Pile launched off the front. Scott just missed catching third place so Scott and Chris got 4th and 5th. Stephen Badger won the field sprint for 6th place. Three in a row just not starting with 1 -- next race!

Footnote: Saturday in the brutal heat many many clients did the 100 mile ride (or at least 2 of the 3 35 mile loops). Congrats to everyone. You are now officially well prepared for the upcoming charity rides (CT Challenge and Pan Mass Challenge).

Club rats and jellyfish

She got out of bed at 4:15 only to walk down a damp dim street filled with barefoot giggling girls, their unstrapped high heel shoes dangling from a drunken post diner food finger. How was this possible, she thought out loud, how can they be still having fun when I am headed towards this test of skill and practice?

These new age cowgirls preceded her own self being crowded like cattle being loaded onto freight cars headed for slaughter, only instead of the 22 caliber hammer, she lined up for the timing chip; this modern day scarlet letter: Triathlete. It seems as if technology and Big Brother were following her everywhere she went, only to report her splits and disillusioned performance to anyone with a computer and a still sleeping bike racer. The angst of possible betrayal and disappointment loomed everywhere.

Tired, empty and confused, she walked from one transition to another, was this it? Does she go here? Who are these people in these dark rubber suits and why are they lined up in front of those fiberglass boxes? She missed her new friends with the bare feet. Surely they were having more fun? It seemed like ages ago.

The chaos and waves of the river that Henry discovered so many years ago were powerless against her. Nothing could stop her, not gloom, doom or the occasional jelly fish sting. “What else have you got to throw against me Poseidon?” she yelled to the sky. Hills flattened and curves became straight in a blur of color and speed around that park in the center of the World. Call it what you want, forty kilometers, twenty four point eight miles or even a million cubits, it didn’t take long at only 1:21. After transforming herself like a multisport Gregor, she passes the Chief Clerk again in the lot. He says good luck as she runs away with the speed of all eight legs from that classic story.

Brunch afterwards was an earned reward. She basked in the glory of besting all of her friends. They may lead happy lives in glorious places, she thought this time to herself, but personal course best by eight minutes they cannot yet begin to dream.

The train out of town was uneventful save the occasional question and stolen glance. Home again. Back to life and the hope of more events soon again. Maybe more hill training. The thoughts were endless and sleep only comes with difficulty. She lays awake yet dreaming of Westchester soon. Darkness arrives with a smile. 2:35.16; just tri to beat that.

Pan Mass Challenge Charity Wine Tasting

Hot day for TARGETRAINING team!

Today was a fun and exciting day for the TARGETRAINING U-25/Elite Bicycle Racing Team.

First, most of the elite team was down in Mt Holly, NJ for the almost-NRC circuit race down there. Held on a fast 3.75km loop with a fast finish straight turning hard into what can only be described as a steep goat path and then some twisty circuits, master star Tony The Tiger Taylor joined Eneas, Adam Bomb, No Nickname Nate, Stylin Ben and guest rider Gabe Lloyd for 30 laps of hot pain. It was pretty exciting getting there as the Cross Bronx Expressway was closed for almost an hour with a truck accident, the team Volvo deathmobile was making lots of noises and it turns out there actually is some traffic in NJ on a weekend in July. Who would figure?

There were lots of professional and regional elite teams competing for almost $12,000 so it was extremely fast and extremely intense from the gun. With Adam and Gabe covering moves at the front at mach 5 and keeping it all together, Eneas and Tony stayed cool in the field. Tony was actually directly quoted as saying "yo". Riveting. Finally, with about 15 laps to go, Eneas made the exciting end of a 16 man split as the field started to really suffer from the heat. Over 50 riders had already dropped out. With the break dominated by Colavita and some friends from Rite Aid, Eneas took the chance to attack the break through the bumpy twisted back section with 4 to go and only three others could match the effort. Eneas was so-pro the few laps before as he had been taking a bottle of water each lap and dumping it on his head to stay cool. Of course, then he would throw the empties at my head, but that is another story.

Speaking of stories, look for the article written by Kirsten Robbins on cyclingnews.com as she interviewed Eneas about his score after the race.

The last remaining Colavita rider sat there doing nothing like me in my high school Latin class and barely came around Eneas at the finish for the score. Eneas was awesome for 2nd place. Good stuff. A few of the lads suffered pretty hard from the heat, their chains and their efforts, but all felt great to see the team leader score yet another podium in his steady career.

Also today, our own Justin Lindine competed in only his second national level mountain bike race up in Mt Snow, VT. It was the pro/elite national championships and he took 13th. Holy crap that is awesome! Great job to Justin for representing TARGETRAINING off the road as well.

The team will be at some local events and then return in force for the Tokeneke Classic and others towards the buildup to GMSR. Look for more reports!

Thanks for reading!

Kyle Wolfe

Manager, TARGETRAINING Racing Teams
http://www.targetraining.com/

Saturday TARGETRAINING Century

Our 3rd and last CT and Pan Mass Challenge build up ride will be this Saturday at 7AM from TARGETRAINING. It will be a true century (100miles)! The course is a scenic 34mile circuit that we will complete three times (!). It loops back to TARGETRAINING for food and water stops after each circuit. Clients are welcome to take part in some or all of the ride. We hope to see everyone on Saturday!

This weekend's activities

1. TARGETRAINING's 100 mile ride to get ready for charity rides. Eneas will publish more on this but this Saturday we kick off at 7 AM. We have already done the 50 and 75 mile versions.

2. NYC Olympic Distance Triathlon. Sunday morning. Dom Gillen and Valentin Lopes will be presenting TARGETRAINING. If others are going, please let us know. If we have 4 guys going please make certain we register as a team (Mitch, Greg, Old School?).

3. Lake Placid Ironman Triathlon. Big event for those going. Good luck!

4. Mount Holly-Smithville International GP Pro/Am. We are sending the Elite/U-25 squad down there. Eneas and Tony Taylor will join the young guys. Should be fun!

5. Simulted Triathlon Sunday. Tyler will be running the show -- should be fun. Sign up now!

Sobe Norwalk Triathlon recap

While Dom was shut out from racing the Sobe, TARGETRAINING clients did attend and raced well! David Booth got 5th in his age group and did a 1:10. Rob Labanca got 4th in his age group and did a 1:12. He finished just ahead of Michael Driscoll who got 5th in his age group and also did a 1:12. David Sklar got 14th in his age group and did a 1:19. Joe Bogdan did a 1:20 and got 20th in his age group. Dean Shapiro did 1:24 and 30th in his age group. Kim Driscoll did a 1:25 and got 3rd in her age group (Congrats!!). Mary Money got 5th in her age group and did a 1:28.

New Britain Roundup

The Masters team went to the New Britain Criterium this Sunday. Scott and Rick did the 45+, and Scott pulled out the victory. Scott won the sprint after double pumping (he won the sprint, sat up because there was more road to go, and then won it again). It was a nice win for Scott and it may have been the first outright win of the season for the Masters team, who has a slew of second place finishes (and a neck full of gold medals from Stephen Badgers' top dog in Connecticut victories). Abdul made the winning break in the 35+ race only to have his chain skip in the sprint. So Abdul, supported by Stephen, Scott and Max V. got 6th place. Stephen got 10th. In the 30+, a large break got up the road and TT could not bring it back. Stephen got 9th. The Masters team skipped the 123 race. Junior team member Ryan Storm got 16th in the Cat 3 race. Little Max (15 years old) finished the Cat 5 race.

New Wednesday Night Group Ride Course!

Get your climbing fix this Wednesday night at our 6:15PM group ride out of TARGETRAINING. We will have a modified course that will tackle new climbs in the Fairfield and Westport area.

Amica RI 70.3 Report

First, congrats to Allie who's going to Worlds; Mitch, who COULD have gone but is doing some other strange race; and Greg, who also received a roll down slot but is also doing some wacky race (other CT notables Oakes Ames, John Wilson and Chris Thomas were insanely fast as well).

After getting over the logistical challenges of registering for the race (stuff had to be checked in at each transition area, conveniently located 50 miles apart with timings that didn't quite correspond to when people could check themselves in), it was race morning. Beautiful day, some good swells in the water, but very nice conditions. I swam what now appears to be a conservative 30:18 - felt very comfortable, probably too comfortable. Through transition, then after about 200 meters on the bike, I lost my 2nd water bottle and stopped, got off and walked back to retrieve - wanted the drink for the long ride but also the bottle had a Blaisman sticker given to me by Mr. Blais the day before who warned me not to dump the bottle. Felt so guilty I picked it up...until it fell off again a few miles later. Got over the guilt. Ended up riding 2:28:32, a one-minute PR but still way short of what it appears was possible (I apparently slowed a bunch the last 16 miles after 1:43 for the first 40M, though I thought I was going quite fast...could have been traffic the last mile or two...dunno).

Now the fun part...seeing how my achilles would hold out for the run. I was able to do my modified run stride OK for the first 7 miles or so and was under 7-min pace, but things got bad by 8-9 miles and I couldn't do anything about it like changing the stride, opening up, planting my foot better, etc. Crawled in with a 1:36 for a 4:40:17 finish, 9th in the AG and - it turns out - one spot out of Worlds (which took 4 excruciating hours after finishing to determine). I also tried out a Blais-influenced roll to make up for the guilt of losing the bottle.

Now to rest my achilles...hopefully it can be ready by the "Greenwich Olympics" in two weeks, but if not, it will be August/September tris and a full onslaught on the NYC Marathon (again assuming full recovery and ability to train).

Rhode Island Half Ironman Sunday June 13th Results

Once again TT had a great showing on a really tough day! Mitch finished 23rd overall (including pros), 5th in his age group. Yoke was 10th in his age group. Greg overcame adversity (bad stomach, unable to hold anything down on bike and run) to finish 9th in his age group. And Allie, benefiting from a somewhat depleted age group, managed to win her age group (15th amateur woman). Great job everyone!Full results here.

Justin's mountain bike effort; brief Fitchburg recap

Justin Lindine decided to take a little break from road racing. Instead, he took on the toughest mountain bike pros in the country at the race at Wyndham Mountain today. Justin managed to grab 22nd place in the event out of approximately 70 starters. Todd Wells was there and must have suffered a major mechanical so he DNF'd.

In Fitchburg, Eneas grabbed 15th overall. TARGETRAINING coach Anthony Colby, who rides for Colavita Sutter Home got 4th overall (Colavita's Kyle Walmsley won the overall). Chris Jones got 5th overall. The team rode well but had a little bad luck. The Cat 2 team grabbed 3rd in the criterium stage. The Masters team had a bunch of tough luck. Ben Liang got 8th in the Cat 4 circuit race. Due to his strong racing, Ben is now a Cat 3.

Festival Atmosphere at the Pat Griskus Sprint

The Pat Griskus Sprint Triathlon in Middlebury CT is not just another local race on the CT schedule. This after-work classic has been running strong for 21 years, almost as long as the sport itself. Not only does the race attract over 500 area athletes, it attacts an impressive field of sponsors eager to show support for this event. This year the expo area included the Timex and Thule "big rigs", as well tents from Louis Garneau, the Navy SEALS, Elite Bicyles and of course TARGETRAINING. One would have to travel to a race with over 1500 competitors to find an expo area this well supported. We are fortunate to have an event like this in our backyard. Sign up early for 2009, it is truly a mid-week classic.

TARGETRAINING's Summer of Fun

TARGETRAINING's Summer of Fun! click on each to find out more.
Summer Swim Program
Summer Simulated Triathlon Summer Series
Charity Wine Tasting July 23rd
Summer 10 Session Pack
Summer of Speed: TARGETRAINING Tuesday's
Summer Customized Bootcamp Program

The Pat Griskus Sprint Triathlon

In July 1987, Ironman triathlete Walt Tajmajer and others organized a local sprint race, which was then held at Bantam Lake. There were approximately 250 triathletes, and Honorary Chairman was Pat Griskus. Pat was a nationally recognized runner and triathlete who competed using an artificial leg. He had lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident at age 19, but he ultimately accomplished his goals of running road races, marathon, ultra-marathons, and triathlons, all over the U.S. and Canada, setting world records for amputees. He completed the prestigious Hawaii Ironman Triathlon (140.6 miles total) in October 1985 and 1986. He was the first amputee to do the Ironman, and at that time, the only one to have accomplished this twice. In October 1987, he was in Hawaii training for Ironman, when he was struck and killed by a truck. The sprint triathlon was renamed in memory of Pat Griskus. Now in its 21st year, there are over 500 triathletes, and many volunteers and sponsors involved. The race has earned a fine reputation as a quality event and has raised over $180,000 for charity. See original here .

Dom Gillen grew up in a neighboring town. If I recall correctly, the Griskus was the first triathlon he raced in and the first he won. Dom and Tyler Johnson, who is his cousin, went up to this race conducted in Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury CT. The competition was fierce, with Chris Thomas, from Easton CT, who is another registered pro triathlete with a full time job, there to test the cousins. And our friends Wolfgang Emerling and Ian Ray. There was even a special guest appearance by our old pro team manager, Tom Schuler (hey Tom! you should have called!). A bunch of TARGETRAINING clients went, including Mike Driscoll.

The official results are here. Looks as if Dom and Tyler were able to come in first and second, but Tyler had to run fast to make up ground. We are hoping Dom will be able to put together a brief race report with more action in it.

The Republican American Milford's Mark Jaffee wrote a cool article on it as well. Here. MIDDLEBURY — While the predicted thunderstorms never showed up at Quassy Amusement Park on Wednesday evening, thousands of spectators and nearly 500 competitors certainly were present.Including Domenic Gillen.The Milford resident captured his third BMW of Watertown Pat Griskus Sprint Tri- athlon championship at Quassy Amusement Park.Under ideal water temperature of 78 degrees and air temperatures in the 90s, the former UConn swimmer and ex-New Preston resident completed the half-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run in 56 minutes, 37 seconds. He beat out his cousin, Tyler Johnson of Chester (58:15), by not quite two minutes.“If the race was a little longer, Tyler would have caught me,” said Gillen, 30. “He made up a lot of ground.”Johnson, 28, a former distance runner at Auburn University, wasn’t so sure that he could have outrun his relative.“Maybe, but I don’t know about that today,” said Johnson. “I don’t think Domenic is giving himself enough credit. It was a real good race.”MIDDLEBURY — While the predicted thunderstorms never showed up at Quassy Amusement Park on Wednesday evening, thousands of spectators and nearly 500 competitors certainly were present.Including Domenic Gillen.The Milford resident captured his third BMW of Watertown Pat Griskus Sprint Tri- athlon championship at Quassy Amusement Park.Under ideal water temperature of 78 degrees and air temperatures in the 90s, the former UConn swimmer and ex-New Preston resident completed the half-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run in 56 minutes, 37 seconds. He beat out his cousin, Tyler Johnson of Chester (58:15), by not quite two minutes.“If the race was a little longer, Tyler would have caught me,” said Gillen, 30. “He made up a lot of ground.”Johnson, 28, a former distance runner at Auburn University, wasn’t so sure that he could have outrun his relative.“Maybe, but I don’t know about that today,” said Johnson. “I don’t think Domenic is giving himself enough credit. It was a real good race.”

Ride to the top of the world

I realize that this is nothing compared to Jaroslaw's recent conquest of the world's highest peak on foot, but I thought I'd share a couple pictures of my recent ride up the country's longest continuous climb that you can do on a bicycle. The ride up the Haleakala volcano on Maui starts at sea level and climbs to 10,000 feet in 36 miles of road. The overall average grade is between 5% and 6%, but that is deceptive because the first 14 miles of the ride are more "rolling" than climbing, while the last 22 miles are unrelenting, switchback after switchback, with not a single break in the climb. And it gets progressively steeper as you go, with the last 3/4 of a mile at 12-13%, which is absolutely brutal after 4+ hours of nonstop climbing into thinner and thinner air.

The ride back down, however, is a blast.

The first picture is me with my riding buddy Toby, whom I met the morning of my ride when we both rented bikes from the same bike shop. The picture was taken in front of a little food shop at about 3,500 feet, which is the last place to get any food or drink (not quite - there is a lone water fountain about a mile from the summit). Alas, Toby did not make it - he was probably the smarter one, and bailed at about 5,000 feet. The next 5,000 feet were pretty lonely.

The second picture is me at the summit (wearing a surfing rash guard under my jersey, as it was about 45 degrees up there at 10,023 feet, and I had not brought any cold weather cycling gear to Maui, so I stuffed a rash guard in a jersey pocket).

Third is "Science City", the USAF radar station that is the only thing at the summit besides a tiny national park ranger station.

Fourth is the peak of the big island of Hawai'i poking above the clouds, as seen from the summit on Maui.

Last is the start of the road back down. You can see that the terrain looks very much like the surface of Mars, with the barren red volcanic dirt and the scattered volcanic rocks.

Best,

Jim (member of the TARGETRAINING Cycling Club)

My Ride...Cannondale Slice Review

The new 2008 Slice from Cannondale is the first full-carbon tri/TT bike from Cannondale. The improvements over 2007 are remarkable. The geometry has changed a bit to better accommodate a steeper (78+ degree) riding position. The ride quality has improved due to the the carbon fiber chainstays designed to dampen road vibration. No longer is Cannondale synonymous with teeth rattling stiffness. This bike is made for the long haul. I spec'd mine out with the SRAM Force grouppo, which includes lots of cool carbon bits. The crank, rear derailleur cage, shifters and svelte brake levers are all carbon, making this a lightweight and affordable option for a tri bike setup. I opted for the FSA Vision aero/base bar and stem combo. The armrest cups are rock solid and instill confidence when all your weight is resting on them.

My first ride on the Slice was during a combo hill climb workout in East Rock Park, New Haven. 3 climbs to the top of the park and then 3 six minute runs around a grass field. The ride to the park goes through some sections of really crummy city pavement. The bike is smooth through the rough stuff and wants to ridden hard. In fact, the faster and harder you go, the better this bike feels. The climbs are steady at around 5-6% grade for 7-8 minutes. The seated climbs in the aero bars felt great both in the big ring at 85 rpms and in the small ring at 105 rpms. Out of the saddle the bike feels like, well, a bike that wants to be ridden in the saddle. Descending on this bike takes some practice. I found myself sliding off the back of the saddle MTB style to navigate the fast switchback descents of East Rock. The geometry of this bike is set up to be ridden flat, straight, and fast, fortunately most triathlon courses are set up the same way.

Cannondale specs this bike out with a cool rear mounted water bottle holder and has an option of an integrated SRM using the BB30 bottom bracket and the Hollowgram Crank. I would like to see a better seat clamp that makes adjustment of the saddle angle easier. I spotted Bill Keith, the Cannondale product manager at the Health Net triathlon, he was sporting a slick white slice with new graphics so you can bet to see that color option in 2009.

In conclusion: Smooth is fast, fast is smooth. This bike makes me feel fast even when warming up. I can't wait to give a go in my first race.

Kick off Summer Practice Triathlon at Sherwood Island

Today Dom Gillen, head of the TARGETRAINING triathlon program, ran the first of TARGETRAINING's summer series of practice triathlons. He successfully coached a group of clients through a sprint distance triathlon. Another way to say it is that a bunch of TARGETRAINING clients completed an early Sunday morning triathlon on July 5th at Sherwood Island, Westport CT.

These simulated TARGETRAINING triathlons are held at beautiful Sherwood Island in Westport CT. Sherwood Island is a great venue with a great beach, an excellent, flat cycling and running loop closed to traffic except for beach goers, and nice facilities. It costs $7 to get a pass for the day (it's fun for the entire family), but you can also bike there from TARGETRAINING (which is only a few minutes away by bicycle).

Dom spends time coaching the athletes through the entire triathlon, including both transitions. It is a fantastic way to be prepared for upcoming races. And it is just plain fun.

You may use the TARGETRAINING summer 10 pack to attend these sessions. You can sign up for a single practice triathlon too for $30. These practice sessions offer no prize money and no timing system but you get to go fast while getting coached (all sorts of pointers). Write to Dom@TARGETRAINING.com to find out more.

Wishing a speed recovery to Sal Abbruzzese

Sal is a very good cyclist who has been riding extremely well this year. He trains with Paul Levis, one of TARGETRAINING's Cat 2 riders, and also with Ed Espitia, one of Sal's teammates on CRCA/Blue Ribbon Translations. Sal recently won a time trial event.

We wish him a speedy recovery. Yesterday at the Gimbels ride, he crashed into a pole and got badly hurt. Apparently he cracked a number of ribs, punctured both his lungs, and so severely damaged a kidney that the doctors had to remove it.

For those who would like to wish Sal a speedy recovery, you may email plevis@mac.com. Or you may send cards to Sal's home at 180 Palmer LaneThornwood, NY 10594.

Sal is an expert cyclist. We don't know exactly what happened, but he hit a pothole at high speed, hit someone's wheel, and lost control of his bicycle, jumping a metal divider (where his bicycle apparently broke into 2 pieces) and then slamming into the pole at around 30 mph.

Sal and Paul usually don't do the Gimbels ride -- it was a fluke they decided to do it (convenience, boredom, who knows). They decided on a whim to do it.

The Gimbels ride, named after the Gimbel Brothers store that used to reside at the start of the ride on Route 100/Central Avenue in Yonkers (there is a Macy's there now) is a very fast, famous training ride done every Saturday and Sunday (almost every weekend of the year) . Many experienced, very talented racers go there. Sometimes, a TARGETRAINING rider will go. In fact, just plain a lot of cyclists go there -- it is a melting pot of cycling.

It can also be a dangerous ride. It can be dangerous for many reasons. First, it goes through crowded streets all the way from Yonkers through White Plains through Greenwich, sometimes New Canaan, to Pound Ridge, then Rye and back into White Plains (it is not quite a loop -- the official start is about 10 miles from the finish). Second, there are no pace cars, no officials, no coaches keeping the ride under control, no marshals ensuring that oncoming traffic knows the ride is coming. In other words, it is a race/fast ride that tries to police itself. Third, it is a crowded ride. Over 100 riders will show up for the ride. Fourth, it mixes fitness and skill levels. While the groups split up and selection separates riders, riders who were dropped can re-appear (via shortcuts). Riders pressed to their limits are usually more dangerous in group situations -- try seeing straight when you are going all out.

Please train, but please do so in a way that mitigates risk to yourself. We want you fit, but most of all, we want you healthy. Please everyone wish Sal a fast and full recovery.

A few cool pictures to admire

I wanted to add a few pics for everyone to look at:

First: the squad after winning the Housatonic Hill Road Race

Pictured: David "BFD" Hoyle, Matt Baldwin, Will "Monster" Nowak, Adam "Bomb" St Germain, Justin "Wolverine" Lindine, Eneas "I Crush You" Freyre, Stephen "the" Badger, Lee "Leero" Rosenthal, "Stylin'" Ben Zawacki, and Nathanial "No Nickname Nate" Ward

And a cool shot of the Tour of Ohio as seen from the caravan in the team Volvo

Tailgating? I wasn't tailgating.

I hope everyone likes these!! Thanks for reading.

Kyle.

Cox Charities Criterium

This past Saturday was the Cox Charities Criterium up in Providence, RI. This year there was a 2/3 and a P/1 race but on the NRC calendar; meaning big money and big teams. Very exciting.

The 2/3 race had Adam, Will, Josh and Dave in a 125 person field racing a 1+ mile loop with a nice headwind section, a steep hill, and lots of corners. Adam Bomb and his friend Gabe made short order of the race by attacking about 9 laps in and making a huge gap. Then 4 really good sprinters bridged up. None of them on TARGETRAINING. BFD blocked like hell and the break was gone. Up front, Adam (who is running for Mayor of Providence, FYI) was a crowd favorite and tired to drop his companions on the hill on each of the last 3 laps, but nothing stuck. He got beat in the sprint and took 4th, but is definitely coming on to form for Fitchburg later this week. Good stuff. Next time guys, don't let the 3 fastest cat 2 sprinters in New England bridge to your teammate!!

Then, there was the Pro/1 race. This was interesting. More interesting however, was the look on Matt Baldwin's face everytime Richard Friese announced a different call up to the front line: Ivan Stebic (UCI B world champion); Henk Vogels (didn't he used to lead out Robbie McKuen?); Davide Frattini (U-25 Giro D'italia, whatever); Kyle Wamsley (Sommervile x2), Jon Page (cross worlds silver medal), Mark McCormack (USPro Champ), blah blah, blah. Some of these guys have ridden the Tour de France. Is that a big race?

Oh yeah: we had Eneas Freyre, Craig Luekens, Ben Zawacki, Matt Baldwin and Justin Lindine. Either good champions or sunglass wearers each of them.

The race started off fast and Justin and Eneas were super active. A large break got up the road and then when Stevic bridged 45 seconds in about a half a lap (wow!) the break exploded and Wamsley beat two others at the finish.

However, the other pro teams were nervous about Justin Wolverine Lindine and decided that he had to carry an extra bike with him for the last two laps.

Yes, that is Sebe Haedo on the ground and yes, that is his bicycle hanging off of Justin's handlebars. Ouch. Neither Justin, nor his two bikes were able to finish.

Matt and Craig rode strong despite the fast 50 mile race and finished safe and sound. Ben admitted that he should have actually ridden his bike during his training sessions and promised to do better next time. I completely understand. In the resulting sprint, Eneas was able to avoid some of the chaos and finished a strong 15th. Nice job against a stupid fast field. These guys can move!

Next up, Unionvale RR for some and Heartbreak Hill CR for others. Stay tuned!


Kyle WolfeManager, TARGETRAINING Racing Teams
http://www.targetraining.com/

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

As you all know, Justin had won the last stage of the Tour of Ohio last week. To say that the team had a few beers afterwards to celebrate was an understatement.

It was the bottle of champagne, however that led to the idea that we should race a small criterium on the way home to Connecticut. Hahaha, we all said. Wouldn't it be funny if we pulled up and raced a local crit, we all said. Genius' all.

Well, as fate would have it, there was a small criterium in Bloomsburg, PA at 2pm on that Sunday. It was 2 miles off of I-80 and we were going that way anyhow. So we went and did the race. There were only 20 local entrants and this one guy from Rite-Aid. Clayton Burrows. Is he fast? I wasn't sure. It was the beer talking.

We started off pretty strong with 8 green guys patrolling the front at all time. The attacks and counters were constant on this flat 4 corner course. We went five for five with primes until finally Justin got away by himself. Surprise. You may have read about this scenario before. However this time, the Rite Aid and another bridged up to him. This was not good. Justin sat on the break and the team chased from behind. Will He's A Monster Nowak and BFD were at the front just killing it until the move came back. Phew.

Then, Nate jumped off with 6 laps to go and held the hard chasing field for 5 laps when Lee and BFD Dave made some last minute jumps and moves while Justin and Will set up Stylin Ben Zawacki for the sprint. Unfortunately, the beer and that EXTREMELY FAST Rite Aid guy beat him and we had to settle.

Oh well, it was still a good race and they were awesome. I guess 7 races in 8 days was a bit too much. We got back in the car and continued to drive East. More on that later.


Kyle Wolfe
Manager, TARGETRAINING Racing Teams
www.targetraining.com

Stamford Triathlon

Like my friend Mr. Yockelson, I was rather concerned with the pre-race logistics involved in two transition areas and sending my wetsuit and goggles in a bag prior to the race hoping they would arrive at the water in time for the first wave. My swim went well and myself and two others duked it out around the furst two buoys and then I eventually settled into and held on to second place in our wave, seconds behind the race leader. Once on the bike I was just behind the race leader for about a mile before I decided "what the heck" and overtook him. This was the first time I can ever remember getting a police escort for 24 miles, and I enjoyed every minute of it! Behind the police car was the WEBE 108 car and then some jeep with a guy with a TV camera. This allowed me ample time to see all of the sharp turns and corners navigating the bike course. I felt good on the bike and pushed quite hard the whole time. I had a feeling I had not dropped the guy behind me, but refused to look back.
As I pulled into T2 I was feeling pretty good, and hoping my race lead may be able to hold up. These thoughts were quickly shattered-- Tim Snow (pro from Mass) had been letting me lead the bike course for a reason-- he ran by me at mile 1 like I was standing still! I was thrilled to be able to hang on to second despite a run that was less than blazing.
All in all, I had a lot of fun and was happy to make a nice showing. Another great race for Targetraining with wins in several age groups. Rhode Island 70.3 is next!

Todd Wells -- 2008 US Cycling Olympian

Todd Wells, who TARGETRAINING sponsored when he rode as a member of the 2006 TARGETRAINING Professional Cycling Team, has been named to represent the US in the 2008 Olympics. Todd, who is currently and consistently sponsored over the years by GT Bicycles, will be one of two US members racing in the cross-country mountain biking event. Todd had a phenomenal run this year to clinch a spot, automatically qualifying by having the top international ranking of all US racers. Todd finishes include four top 15 placings including 6th, 11th, 13th and 15th (with the 15th occuring at the World Championship). Adam Craig is joining Todd to represent Team USA. Congratulations to Todd and to GT (great role model as a sponsor company). All of us at TARGETRAINING wish Todd the best of luck at the Olympics. For the full story on the Olympians selected to represent the USA in cycling, please see http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=3696.

Stamford Triathlon Race Report

There's always trepidation when competing in a first year race, and with its two transition areas and promises to port swim gear back to the finish after the race, the Stamford Triathlon certainly caused a share of pre-race angst. I made out meticulous lists (moreso than my usual obsessiveness would drive) on Saturday for what to bring in which bags to which transition area. Since this was a local race, I had plenty of company with whom to commiserate, both from the TT crew and other area triathlon groups.

Fortunately, everything went according to plan, including the weather, which, though warm and humid, stayed dry. The water was calm and left me hoping for a great swim, which ALMOST came to pass save a bit of bad sighting on the last 300 yards or so where I could have used one more buoy. I figure I ended up about a minute slower out of the water than I otherwise would have.

T1 worked out well, and I packed my swim gear in the transport bag and crossed my fingers (happily, the race folks managed the gear port excellently). I headed off on the bike, and except for almost nailing people biking the opposite way (the one thing race officials should change for next year....opposite side of the street riding and hairy crossovers), had what I thought was a decent ride on a pretty fair course (somehow, I missed the third steep hill in my pre-race drive).

Through T2 feeling good...except for having to run on pavement in flats, which (as it did the week before and 2 weeks before) cause the return of some achilles pain. Felt good for the first 2 miles but had to ease off a bit at 3.5 after a twinge, but managed to maintain a slightly slower pace through the finish (and had the eventual women's winner fly by me like I was standing still with just over a mile to go).

The run ended up just a bit short (6.1 per the officials), which was fine with me at that point. I ended up in 2:11:53, good for 7th overall and 1st in the 40-44 AG. TT was well represented in the tri and the aquabike (will let you folks post for yourselves, Mitch, Michelle and Megan). Now I'm licking my wound(s) (achilles needs a few days off from running) and getting ready for the Rhode Island 70.3 on July 13.