Race Team Blog

May 22, 2006

We've started a blog where team members can post race reports, photos, etc. So for the latest on what the team is doing, check out the blog.

Addison Road Race by Jimmy Guignard:

May 6, 2006

When Tom and Sheila picked me up a cloudy Saturday morning, Sheila wasn’t a happy stoker. Apparently she woke up crooked, and the fact that I couldn’t figure out how to work the fork mount on the Thule rack left her sputtering in frustration. She secured my bike to the car, muttering expletives under her breath, while I folded myself into the back of the plush Oswald Cycle Works Team Micro Car and cowered. I should have known that Sheila’s mood was premonition of things to come.

The weather in Addison was questionable. Forty-seven degrees and cloudy skies. I spent precious energy shivering outside the trick team car, debating on knickers or shorts. While I fumbled with my shorts, Tom and Sheila motored off on the tandem to warm up. I soon followed with Jared. Twenty-five minutes before the starting gun, the skies opened. In minutes, I was soaked, and my legs felt raw from the rain and road spray. Should have gone with the knickers. Water ran down my legs and into my shoes, and soon I had a bad case of squishy toe. Crap. This race was gonna be miserable.

And it was. We lined up, a random sampling of fifty or so yahoos in various states of hypothermia, including some people in cotton (?!!) and a couple of guys on recumbents (one wearing cotton!). The gun fired and we were off, cruising easily at about 23 mph right into the teeth of the rain and the wind. Getting comfortable in the pack was out of the question—road spray made tight drafting unpleasant, like riding in a pack of weirdly-dressed, mischievous teens wielding Super Soakers full of cold, gritty water.

And so we rode. Seeing a small climb ahead and finding myself about 2/3s of the way back in the pack, I pulled out and rode to the front. I knew there was short climb somewhere, but I wasn’t sure where, so I figured I’d make everyone pass me if this was it. It turned out not to be much of a climb, and I was able to chat with Jared a bit. I noticed a guy in a yellow jersey off to my right looking across the front of the pack and acting itchy to make something happen. Sure enough, near the top Yellow Jersey jumped—right before the downhill and into the headwind. Needless to say, he didn’t get far—maybe twenty-five yards—before the pack quickly reeled him in. It reminded me of a brilliant attack I initiated once in a road race—downhill with a tailwind. I’ve gotten smarter about burning my matches since then, not that I could light one at Addison anyway.

We finally hit the hill about a mile later. (Actually, around here, I guess one would call it a “hill-let.”) I flubbed it for two reasons: 1) I wasn’t aggressive in trying to stay with the leaders; and 2) I wasn’t fit enough to be aggressive. At the top, I looked around and saw Tom and Sheila, Pam, Jane, and Pony-Tailed Dude. We weren’t far from the lead group, and I briefly had hopes of catching them. But we didn’t get organized quickly enough and that was that. Bye, bye, main field.

After the turnaround, we had a tailwind. I locked in behind the Tom and Sheila-powered tandem and felt like Petacchi’s offspring as we motored along at 34 mph. It wasn’t to last. We settled into a rhythm. T & S pulled on the down hills, I pulled on the up hills, we got attacked by other riders. T & S pulled on the down hills, I pulled on the up hills, we got attacked. As so it went for several miles. I was getting a bit grumpy, and bumped everyone off the tandem’s wheel after my pulls. Weirdly enough, Sheila’s mood was now the brightest part of the race as she joked about food and cold and other silliness.

By this time, my body was rebelling in a big way. My jaws were numb, and I couldn’t feel my arms from the elbow down. I kept trying to shake blood into my hands to no avail. At times, I wasn’t sure I could maintain control of the bars.

About six miles from the finish, our gruppetto had a chat, and we started working together. Soon, we had a fully functioning paceline. Big fun! We covered the final few miles in style, until finish line shenanigans bubbled over. T & S jacked up the pace, providing me with an excellent lead out. I sprinted for what turned out to be 21st place. Kind of goofy, I know, but it was nice to have a kick after 34 cold, wet, hard miles.

No need for a cool down. We rode straight to the car and shivered into dry clothes. Numb from the elbows down, I could barely pull my wet shorts down or dry shorts up. We walked inside the school and told war stories while we shivered uncontrollably.

A shout out to the following folks:
• Kudos to the group for riding so safely in such poor conditions.
• T & S were total studs on the tandem. They won their category. Awesome performance from two people who don’t eat meat!
• Joe Allis TT’d in by himself from the turnaround. We couldn’t catch him. He also finished second in his age group. Total studliness!
• Jared finished fourth overall. Pretty good for another guy who doesn’t eat meat!
• Tioga Tom Kaufman had a strong race as well, finishing 16th.
• Addison did a superb job hosting the race. I look forward to it again next year.

- Jimmy Guignard

Addison Road Race by Tom Oswald:

May 6, 2006

What do you get when you combine 46 nutjobs in tight shorts with 45 bicycles and 40-degree rainy weather in the Amish country of the Southern Tier of New York? You get the bone-cold, sodden manure-fest known as the Addison Road Race of ‘06. Addison is an open citizens road race that attracts all kinds of riders. This year we had everything from a dude with a GPS on his recumbent to a cadre of strong regional racers. Sheila and I were the sole tandem team.

The morning started gray but dry here in PA. Not long after we crossed the NY border, though, things changed from cool to wet and downright cold. After picking up our race number and t-shirts Sheila and I attempted a warm-up, but only succeeded in soaking our chamois (we weren’t sharing just one, but what the hell is the plural of chamois?). We were just making ourselves colder than we were before, so we retreated to the car until closer to race time. Then after shivering on the start line for a few long minutes, we were off.

Tandeming among a pack of single bikes can be challenging. It’s difficult to match the accelerations and frustrating when you’ve got good momentum going and then no place to take it when the group suddenly slows in front of you. It requires anticipation. And for the first few miles we were doing well. Reading the moves. Sitting in comfortably (if you can call taking cold spray from above and below “comfortable”). And I could see exactly what was going to happen next when this low-slung recumbent (without a GPS) came splashing past my left knee. But that didn’t make it any easier when he squirted off the front and the group snapped from a lazy blob huddling for warmth into a long thin line. Back where we were it wasn’t long before that line started to look more like a Morse code message. I asked Sheila for a little more oomph and we closed down some of those gaps and reattached ourselves to an ever-dwindling lead pack.

Things calmed down for a bit, and then we really scared the bejeebers out of an Amish man’s horse as we slogged up a rise. It was shortly after that, when I had a little better view of the road ahead, that it began to dawn on me that the rooster tail mist we were riding through was not composed entirely of rainwater. I tried to keep my mouth closed and breathe through my nose.

Next came the hills, and soon it was back mouth-breathing again as about 20 of the toughest left us gasping in their wake. We’re both riding well. Sheila is probably the fittest she’s ever been, and we were climbing faster than we ever have. Still, the tandem just doesn’t go uphill all that great, and all we could do was watch and wince as that train pulled away from the station without us. At least Jared, our teammate, was on it.

We ended up in a group of 5, including our other teammate, Jimmy G., and went into full chase mode. It took a while to get everyone to cooperate, but with Jimmy’s help we finally got organized and roared back into town with a strong tailwind and legs numbed by the cold. It’s hard to believe that we never caught back up to the leaders, because it felt like we were absolutely flying. Anyway, it felt great that Sheila and I were able to do the lion’s share of the work. And when it came down to the end we were able to practice some good teamwork and lead Jimmy out for an excellent sprint, even if it was for 21st place. The best news is that Jared finished 4th in his battle for the win, and he took 1st in his age group.

Basically for us, the whole thing came down to 90 minutes of abject misery, followed immediately by an intense sense of euphoria. The suffering was over. Once we stopped shivering enough to get the car key in the lock, we’d be able to get into some warm dry clothes. There was a chance we might regain the feeling in our extremities. We covered 34 miles faster than we ever have before, and under some really heinous conditions. Now that’s my idea of a birthday well spent. Oh yeah, did I mention it was my birthday? Happy birthday to me!

-Tom Oswald

Our 2006 Season

April 12, 2006

Things are looking great for the 2006 racing season. We were able to add Fuji Bicycles as a sponsor. Many of the team members took advantage of that opportunity and are now out happily training on their new Fuji bikes. Our race calendar is shaping up nicely too, with a healthy mix of road and mountain bike events. We're adding more all the time, but here's our schedule as of now:

Cat Classic - May 6

Addison Race Fest - May 6

Mohican 100 - June 3

Laurel Flyer Road Race - June 10

NY State Time Trial Championship - June 17

Raccoon Rally - June 24-25

Jasper Road Race - July 1

Watkins Glen - July 15

Wilderness 101 - July 29

Kinzua Classic - August 13

Ole Bull Midnight Madness - August 19

Shenandoah 100 - September 3

Laurel Classic Mountain Bike Challenge - September 9

See you at the races,

- Tom Oswald

Wheel Around the Hub road race by Josh Beals:

Saturday, September 24, 2005

On Saturday, September 24 Jimmy and I went to represent the team in Smethport at the “Wheel Around the Hub” road race. Personally, I think it should have been named “Wheel around and around and around and around… the Hub”. Anyway, it was a great day for a race. The course was a fast 7.5-mile circuit that included a plank bridge, metal grated bridge and lots of turns. It followed the same route as the original 1890s race, although the roads have been much improved since then I am sure. The race went out fast right from the get-go and within a few minutes the field separated into a couple of groups. Jimmy and I were in the lead pack and just stayed towards the back and let the others do the work. The second lap was fast and painful and I worked way too hard to stay with the group. The third lap was relatively calm until the very end, right before start of the fourth lap, and then it just exploded. That’s when I parted company with my only teammate and forged ahead to catch the lead group. I eventually caught back onto the group but was just as quickly dropped again. I figured my best bet was to just relax and wait for the next group. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be a next group, at least not in sight. So I decided I was going to have to race by myself. The flatness of the course really worked me over and the wind totally blew. Fortunately, when I was in my moments of total agony, right on the verge of calling it quits or sitting up and waiting for the lost second group, I would see someone ahead of me in the distance. That was all the motivation I needed to ramp it up and pass them. Those riders were like the proverbial carrot in front of the donkey so I guess that makes me the _ _ _. The people I passed were not from the long gone lead group but were people that I was lapping, so that at least was a good thing and knowing that kept me going. I never caught the lead group, but I never got caught either. I worked like a dog, felt like a dog, looked like a dog, and probably smelled like one at the end. I’d like to say I brought home some swag, but I didn’t. I would like to say I brought home some good results, but I didn’t. I would like to come up with some excuse why I didn’t, but I can’t. All I can say is what a great race…. Oh yeah, and Jimmy is the man.

- Josh Beals

Laurel Classic Mountain Bike Challenge by Jimmy Guignard:

Saturday, September 17, 2005

I have been on my mountain bike maybe four times this past summer, including one race in Reno. However, conversations with Tom Oswald prior to the Laurel Classic led me to the following vision: nice climbs punctuated by sidewalk-smooth, tree-lined singletrack. Mike Mistifer's talk about Stinger on the way to Kinzua challenged that vision a bit, but I figured I could just run that 100 yards or so. Suitably blinded by this vision, I set up my bike for speed--45 lbs. pressure in the tires and stiff front fork. I also adjusted my mindset to training ride, not racing, though secretly I thought I might kick some butt. I was looking forward to some fun.

My set-up strategy paid off well while cruising up the gravel roads at the start of the race. I passed a number of folks--surprising for me on a climb of that size--and led a small group into the first section of good ol' Appalachian singletrack. We were moving at a good pace until I encountered a good ol' Appalachian singletrack conglomeration of wet roots. Zzzzzzzzz buzzed from the back tire as I spun out, barely popping my foot free of the pedal before crashing down. Mumbling apologies to the guys now passing me, I collected my wits and got back on the trail. I should have known then and there I was in trouble.

The trail turned flat and then down. It was excellent and, I imagine, beautiful, though I was too focused (scared?) to look anywhere other than as far down the trail as I could see. I tried to process roots and rocks as they entered my sight line, but routinely pinged off them and into the weeds. Sensory overload . . . and I kept getting passed! It slowly dawned on me that I was moving SLOW on the flats and the descents.

Stinger was relatively uneventful. Thanks to Mistifer, I knew to surf the right side, and I nearly made it to the bottom before a tree grabbed my bar end and flung me off my bike. I jumped out of the way as several yahoos barreled past in various states of uncontrol. Where the trail turned into road a few hundred feet later, I promptly caught said yahoos and dropped them on the hill.

And so on. I kept passing people on the uphills and kept getting passed on the downhills. I thought for a while it might have something to do with the fact I knew absolutely nothing about the trails (this being the first time I had seen any of them), or that I was just a big chicken. But then I realized that it was Tom's fault! I was SLOW because of Tom! He filled my head full of visions of pristine, buff singletrack with nary a root or rock in sight. At the moment of that realization, my mantra became: "Tom is full of shit." This mantra, repeated at various internal volumes, depending on the intensity of the moment's crisis, was like a shot of Gu. That is, knowing that I would be able to tell him in another, oh, three hours or so kept me going.

Too bad that Gu didn't include electrolytes. At the half way point, I began cramping. Quads, hammies, calves, it didn't matter. The cramps were indiscriminate. Several times, most notably on the powerline, I had to get off and walk, which gave me a chance to look around. It was beautiful up there, hardwoods interspersed with evergreens, clouds, downed trees sprouting new growth. The smell of decay. At that point, I was hoping not to be a major contributor to that smell. But then I'd think "Tom is full of shit!" and my resolve would return.

I began the final descent hoping for no broken bones, because I was past caring. I was on the edge of control, bouncing around on my super rigid Stumpbouncer, riding the fine line between preserving myself and finishing the damn race! Then, I caught a guy riding his rim to the finish. My competitive instincts took over. I wanted to pass him. I let off the brakes a bit (so I thought), but he stayed in front of me. Even guys riding their rims were faster than me! He bobbled near where Darling Run pops back onto the road, I passed him, and surged to hold my place to the line. Mark grabbed my bib tag, and told me I placed 12th. Then he told me to get out of the way. Or maybe that was Sheila. I don't remember. All I know is that I had a message for Tom...

Some stats for comparison: Peavine Challenge, May 2005, Reno, NV. 19.5 miles with 3400' of elevation gain. I raced Sport Male Vet and finished in 7th place with a time of 2:10:11.

Laurel Classic, Spetember 2005, Asaph, PA. 22 miles with 2500' of elevation gain. I raced Sport Vet and finished in 12th with a time of 2:37:34. Ouch!

- Jimmy Guignard

Shenandoah Mountain 100 by Eric Franck:

Sunday, September 4, 2005

The day started at 5:00 a.m. with Chris Scott waking the riders in his usual way, banging on his gong. The race started at 6:30 with 335 riders. The weather was cool and clear - a perfect day for a 100-mile ride. The trails were dry, fast and well groomed. The climbs were long and plentiful, descents fast and challenging. Aid stations were well stocked with water, Gatorade, fruit, PB&J sandwiches, candy, Coke, mechanics, chain lube and lots of helpful volunteers.

A Trek/VW team rider finished first in 7 hours, 57 minutes. The last person to finish came in with a time of 16:14. I, the lone Oswald Cycle Works rider, finished in 13:07, 267th out of 300 finishers. I had a great weekend and a good ride, and am planning to do the 8th annual next year.

- Eric Franck

Ole Bull Midnight Madness by Matt Tomb:

August 20, 2005

Hi, my name is Matt Tomb and I just finished the Ole Bull Midnight Madness 12-hour mountain bike race. I was on a four-man team with Matt Fuller, Justin Avery, and Kyle Mattison. We took first place in the Junior Team category. For our efforts we all received a Midnight Madness jersey. Pretty cool! I was the only Oswald racer there.

It was a twelve-mile racecourse of mainly dirt roads, with about a half-mile of singletrack just before the finish line. It was a relay endurance race with a Le Mans start. At the transition tent you had to get off your bike and hand the baton to the next rider on your team. It was a cool race. The track conditions were good except for the second climb, which was a little soggy. The weather was good, just a few sprinkles. It was a great time. I hope to do it again next year.

- Matt Tomb

Kinzua Classic Road Race:

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Still in their first season, the Oswald Cycle Works bicycle racing team is enjoying some great success at regional events. August 14 at the Kinzua Classic Road Race, near Warren, PA was the team’s best showing yet. The challenging course covered 30 miles of hilly roads in the rugged terrain of the Allegheny National Forest. The team’s constant training on the steep Tioga County roads prepared them for the task well, as they were able to land five riders on the winners’ podium.

The first of seven racers for the Oswald team was Josh Beals, of Roseville. Beals completed the course in 1 hour and 20 minutes, finishing third overall and third in the under-25 age group. Hot on his heels were Tom Oswald, first in the 35-44 age group, and Dr. Jared Schneider, first in the 25-34 age group. Sheila Kasperek, from Mansfield, was first in the women’s 25-34 age group. Wellsboro’s Jim Hepp was the winner of the mountain bike category. Also representing the team well were Jimmy Guignard, Mansfield, and Eric Franck, Wellsboro, both competing in their first road bike races as Oswald team members.

Owasco Flyer Road Race by Josh Beals:

Sunday, June 26 proved to be a great day for the 200 racers that showed up for the Owasco Flyer road race. The race started Emerson Park on the beautiful Owasco Lake, near Auburn, New York. The Owasco Flyer is a 36-mile road race that starts off fairly flat as it travels along the west side of the lake. Then the course ends with about 14 miles of short, steep climbs and descents and ultimately finishes on a hill. The top finisher for the Oswald crew was OCW mechanic, Josh Beals. Josh finished 20th overall and 5th in his age group with a final time of 1:35:41. He stayed with the lead pack through most of the race but lost contact about 8 miles from the end. Riding alone for the next 6 miles, he attempted to close the gap but eventually got sucked in by a chase group of about a dozen riders. He then went on to finish sixth in that group’s sprint finish. Overall it was a successful race but Josh is motivated to improve his standing in this event next year.

- Josh Beals

Laurel Flyer Road Race:

Saturday, June 11, 2005

The Laurel Flyer Road Race was a success again this year. Some of the usual Oswald crew were unable to race since they were helping to run the event (thanks, gang!), but those that did compete made a fine showing. Jared Schneider turned a 1:06:33 for sixth place overall and third in his age group. Matt Potter was holding back some for a race the following day and still came up with a 1:09:27, good for 5th in his age group and 14th place overall. And perhaps most notably, OCW mechanic Josh Beals, in his first bike race ever, went over the handlebars and lost some skin when he got caught up in an early crash, but managed to get back in the race and catch the leaders, eventually finishing 3rd overall and 1st in his age group with a time of 1:05:09.

Blue Marsh Mountain Bike Race:

Sunday, April 10, 2005

The racing season has officially begun for the Oswald Cycle Works Race Team. On Sunday, April 10 the team caravanned to the Blue Marsh Ski Area in Bernville, PA, for the first race of the Mid-Atlantic Super Series, a series of 13 mountain bike races in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. The weather was excellent for racing, about 65 degrees and sunny, and the course was fast and mostly dry, with just a few short muddy sections to keep things interesting. The near perfect conditions drew a huge crowd, with almost 500 racers in attendance.

The Oswald Team’s most notable result was Jared Schneider’s 3rd place finish in the two-lap Sport Single-Speed category. Tom Oswald managed 11th in his Sport age group. The iron men of the team, Jim Hepp and Matt Potter, both completed three grueling laps of the course in their debut performances at the Elite/Expert level. Showing he is a competitor of true grit and determination, Potter dismounted and ran with his bike to the finish line after his chain jammed in the closing minutes of the race.