Another Opus Update

Thanks to Skibby and the Loon Staters, the last night of Opus will be presented by The Fix...which means massage primes!! That's right, everyone will be sprinting for massages!

As Paula mentioned in the last post, we'd like to get together after the race on Tuesday to chat about the race(s). And to encourage you to show up for our little chat session, MWCMR is going to provide a pizza dinner...delivered to Opus around 7 pm. You won't want to miss this unique opportunity to have free pizza delivered to you minutes after a bike race!!

On a side note, if you're interested in buying a MWCMR t-shirt for only $15, let me know and I can deliver it to you at Opus. All proceeds will go towards our sweet end-of-series awards. They're white t-shirts with the MWCMR logo:














See you Tuesday night!
Sarah

Opus on May 30th

A brief Opus update from tonight before I get to the fun one next week: 16 racers started. Most primes were shared among Flanders' Teresa and Shana, Velo Bellas Margot and Laurel, Linda from Hollywood, and I may have snagged one somewhere. Final results? I have no idea.

Next up: May 30th Opus. This one's special because the Cat 1/2/3's have informally agreed to stay out of it. So it's essentially the first Cat 4 crit of the season! There's also rumor of bonus primes (small prizes in addition to the normal points system). It'll be 12 laps as usual. Tell your friends; don't miss this one!

Here's an idea: what would you guys think of having an after-race informal discussion on May 30th? I'd call it a clinic but I don't want it to be formal, particularly since I have no coaches lined up yet. We didn't get a chance to do that after Opus #1 so this would be one way to make up for that.

More things are in the works as well, including a pending all-team group ride schedule of 2-3 rides before the next road race. This will give you a chance to work on pacelines and group riding skills. Stay tuned!

Paula

Up next in the series...the State Road Race

Just as a reminder, here is a list of the remaining races in the MWCMR series:

• June 24 State Championship Road Race, Plainview, MN
• July 4 State Championship Criterium, Northfield, MN
• July 9 Hopkins Criterium, Hopkins, MN
  

Since we have a little bit of a break in the MWCMR series, be sure to check out the MCF Race Calendar for all of the other races you can do before the State Road Race.

And don't forget about the amateur races that are part of the Great River Energy Bike Festival/Nature Valley Grand Prix. There are two amateur races that Cat 4 Women can do: the St. Paul Time Trial and the Mankato Criterium. Click here for more details. And click here to register for those events.

Still need something else to do? Go check out the Thursday night race series at the velodrome and watch some of the MWCMR participants duke it out on fixed gears! You can even place bets on who's going to win (and win prizes!), kind of like horse racing...minus the horses, jockeys, and roses for the winners....but you get my point. And if you want to heckle, instead of yelling "work together", I highly recommend yelling "turn left".

TT Results & Series Results

Congrats to Gwen Steel on her win at the TT today...she looks like a total pro in this photo (more photos at www.skinnyski.com). Here are the results from today's TT in the wonderful weather:

1. Gwen Steel 40:43
2. Karla Kingsley 40:46
3. Heidi Hittner 41.53
4. Annie Bakken 42:17
5. Alexandra Kerl 42:56
6. Maria Benson 43:10
7. Maleaha Laski 44:14
8. Krista Straight 45:54
9. Jodi Billy DNF


Rumor has it there was some drama for the Series Leader when she got a flat tire during the TT, but her teammate Jodi came to the rescue by giving up her bike, so Karla remains in the yellow jersey!

Here are the series standings after 2 races:

Bike Club TT: More Notes & Clarification

Just a reminder that at tomorrow's Bike Club TT Challenge the MWCMR event is designated as the 20k distance. Any Cat 4 racer wishing to go the 40k distance is welcome to do so; however, please note that those results will not be included in the overall MWCMR Series.

We know there will be Category 4 riders choosing the 40k distance, and in order to minimize any confusion at registration please be sure to either find the line designated, "Cat 4 Women - 20k - MWCMR," and/or tell the folks at registration that you are indeed a Cat 4 racing the 20k.

Other notes about the course: some gently rolling hills but overall it's fairly flat. It is common to see riders doing their warm-up on a trainer since it is more controlled and very important to get in a good warm-up. If you have a trainer, it's a good idea to bring it.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., there is a mandatory meeting at 8:45, and the first rider will go off at 9:00.

We'll have results posted here as soon as we possibly can.

Good Luck!

Last night's track event

I wanted to thank all of you who came out and participated in the Women's Track Night event last night...we had a great group of riders, and I was very impressed with your track riding skills (and no fear!). I also want to thank track director Bob Williams for his time and help (especially since he's feeling under the weather) and Miranda Gohn for helping out last night too. We hope to see some of you at the track again this summer!!

Women's Track Night

The Women's Track Night event at the Velodrome is scheduled for tomorrow night...however the weather isn't looking good. Rain will cancel the event. But let's hope for the best!

















Directions to the velodrome can be found here. Park in the parking lot on the north side of the velodrome and enter through the gate that will be open on the N-NW side of the velodrome. Walk to the south side of the velodrome and enter through the stairs that go under the velodrome...we'll meet in the center of the velodrome. Bring warm clothes!! For more info, check out the flyer.

Be sure to call the track hotline if it looks like rain: (763) 785-5651. Bob updates the hotline around 5 pm. If we do end up cancelling due to rain, we'll try to re-schedule the event for sometime in June.

We hope to see you tomorrow night at the velodrome!

Bike Club Time Trial Challenge - second race in the series!

We just wanted to clarify a few things about the upcoming Time Trial Challenge on May 13th in Withrow. There are two races that day - a 20k TT, and a 40k TT. The MWCMR race will be the 20k race (12.4 miles). So when you register, make sure you're signed up for the 20k race as a Cat 4. You may even want to mention that you're doing the MWCMR race just so that there isn't any confusion. You'll most likely get a start time when you register...so make sure you're at the start line BEFORE that time...if you miss your start time, the additional time will be added to your race time (e.g. if you show up 2 minutes late for your start time, you'll have 2 minutes added to your race time).

Here is a little more info from the race promoter regarding the Bike Club TT in Withrow (between Stillwater & White Bear Lake)

• Registration: 7:30 - 8:45, 8:45 Mandatory Pre Race Meeting

• Registration, parking and awards at Sal’s Angus Grill: 12010 Keystone Ave, Stillwater, MN 55082

• Registration fee: $25, (+ $10 for 1-day USA Cycling lisc. if you don't have an annual license)

• 9:00am start time for the 20Km TT

• 10am start time for the 40Km TT

• After the race, stick around for beer/pop & brats at Sal's (it is FREE with race entry)- Sal's is the restaurant where you register.

• 1:00pm awards at Sal's: including raffle of Scott TT frame (must be present to win and get prizes from race)

• 40 Km has 2 divisions, A and B. "A" pays out cash including $300 first prize. "B" pays out prizes to top 5, with prizes including HED wheels & Clip-on aero Bars, Shimano Wheels, Shimano Carbon shoes, Castelli Clothing! 20Km has just one class and pays out prizes, same as B class in 40Km. Obviously, separate mens and womens categories too.

• DIRECTIONS: Hwy 36 east towards Stillwater, exit on Manning, head north to 122nd, turn left, race will be on your left after about 2 miles.

• Any Questions Call Now Sports ( 651-644-2354) and talk to Bob S.

Important Info!!

1. The Black Dog Time Trial series starts on May 3rd! These are great races for beginners...it's just you against the clock! The Women's categories at Black Dog are "Open" (any age; bike can have aerobars), "Stock" (any age; bikes are "stock" - no aero equipment & 24 spoke minimum per wheel), and Master's 35+ (your racing age must be 35 or above..bikes can be aero or stock). Just a note that since Black Dog is a series and gives overall series prizes at the end of the season, it's best to do the same category (Open, Stock, or Master's) for each Black Dog TT if you plan on doing all of them. All USCF rules apply at Black Dog - so make sure you have your helmet on at all times (even while warming up) and make sure you're wearing a jersey with sleeves.
   
2. The Avon Road Race this weekend has a women's Cat 4 only race, and it's the first Rider of the Year (ROY) event. Please note: contrary to any previous information we may have provided about ROY, there WILL be a ROY competition for Cat 4 women. MWCMR will NOT replace ROY- instead, we get two competitions for Cat 4's this year...very cool. Click here for more info about ROY. All ROY races are flagged (they're highlighted in blue and they say "ROY") on the MCF race calendar.
   
3. The Lilydale Time Trial is also this weekend (Sunday) and it's also a ROY event! So it's a great weekend to get to know our friend ROY...these are great events, and we highly encourage everyone to get out and do them.
   
4. Women's Track Night is next Wednesday, May 10th at the velodrome! There's no need to RSVP, just show up at the track. The flyer has most of the information you'll need, but if you have questions, send Sarah an e-mail or post a comment on this blog. Please note that we can't ride at the track if it's raining, so rain will cancel the event...check the track hotline for a cancellation - the hotline is usually updated by 5 pm.
   

Racing season is in full swing and it's so exciting to see so many women out racing this year!