Kenda Cup West Final/Big Bear Shootout #2

Love the SignWell it has come and past, the end of the Kenda Cup West. In it’s 2nd year it was a great series. Much larger talent pool than anything I encountered back at home in PA and bigger fields than at the Racers and Chasers events I racedin 2008 before I started working with Robert for the 2009/10 races. It was awesome seeing my fitness come into it’s own as the season progressed. It all started back in Feb with Sage Brush and ended this past weekend in Big Bear. I came up short on the race win but managed to prevent enough damage to my points to retain the overall lead and be crowned Cat 3 Clydesdale 34 and Under Champion. Now hope you enjoy my blow-by-blow of how this last race went down.

At the start the sun was out in full force and the temps were slowly climbing up to their predicted high of 68, which is always perfect for mountain biking. I was a bit nervous because I had never ridden at 7,0000 ft and was unsure howmy body would react. The day prior I had done a short 1hr recon ride to scope the start and finish but didn’t get into much of the course, but I always do well at blind courses. 11:18 rolled around and we were off. I did my usual strong start to see where Noel’s legs were at, at first I had him but about .25 mile into it he was on my wheel. So I hunkered down and kept spinning. We ended up peaking out at 8,000 ft at the top of the first climb which also made up the first 2.5 miles of the 17 mile course. My HR was at redline the whole time up the climb, but we were finally cresting and I was looking forward to trying to rest a bit on the flats and descents. Somewhere in that first climb I was able to rideNoel off my wheel.

Once I was off the climb and on the “rolling” section of the course I was able to put some power down and catch a bunch of the people that started ahead of me. The wide fire-roads on the course were well groomed but the inside ofthe turns were soft, something I’m used to riding here in SD. I was going back and forth with one of Noel’s teammates from SDBC . We kept this up until about mile 8.5 when we turned into the woods for the first ST section. Typical of my I went for it, little did I know coming up was a nice set of creek crossings and mud bogs. The first crossing/bog I got way off line and had to put my foot down into ankle deep mud. Lesson learned, the rest of the crossings and ST section I rocked it, felt great and full of power. Coming out of the woods we started going back up, thats when the altitude and my HR being so high started to get to me, around mile 10 Noel caught me. I was able to hold him off for a bit but as we started into the last climb at mile 12 I popped. He rode away up the climb and started opening a gap. The whole time was kept praying and wishing for the top and the fast fire-road descent into the last really technicalsection of ST which is where I could make time up. But little did I know Team Big Bear wasn’t going to make it that easy, we turned back into the woods for the 2nd time and started on some nice flowy ST with a log crossing and nice turn, then I got to the dreaded ST climb I had been told about. There wasn’t any sense in trying toride up, so I scooted up as quickly as possible and remounted. Coming out of the woods I saw the 1st aid station that was near the top of the first climb so I knew the last descent was near. I went down the fire-road section as fast as I felt comfortable. At the bottom I made the left had turn into the start of the last technical section I had ridden 2-3 times the day before in preperation of having Noel on my wheel at that spot. Lead into the woods not seeing Noel at all and knowing I wasn’tgoing to come in 1st. There wasn’t enough downhill for me to catch him. But I did manage to have an almost flawless run through the top technical section with the exception of a small tree getting in the way ofmy shoulder and knocking what little wind I had left out of me. But I held it together and started my run into the finish as strongly as I could. I crossed the line in 1:37, which was 23 min faster than I was expecting myself to do 17 miles w/22ooft of climbing.

I came away with some lessons learned on this race. First off, if I take a gel with me on the bike I shouldn’t wait till I need it. I need to plan out my nutrition better. Had I taken the gel at mile 8 like I should’ve, I could have possible heldoff my bonk moment a little bit longer and not have blown up at the base of the last climb. Secondly, my start mayhave been too much, I think on these longer courses I need to sit back a little bit more and save some for the end. Third, I really underestimated the altitude, next time I’m going to be a little bit more cautious and take straight water instead of Gu Brew as my primary bottle. Lastly, sometimes it’s better to not know all of the course, that way you’re looser and able to react quicker to situations. All the ST that didn’t involve that steep climb I felt great on and was able to just flow with it.

Now that my spring campaign is done, it’s time to take some time off and relax. I’ll be prepping for either the Kenda Cup Invitational or California State Championships in Sept. But in my down time I’ll just enjoy myself with some swimming and running with Emily.

I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me through out this season. Emily mostly for coming to all the races and not only being my soigneur but stepped up to help out with feeding the team and our other friends that were racing. I’dalso like to give a huge thanks to Coach Zippy for molding my 237lb blob into a nice lean 204lb XC monster. Without his guidance and coaching I don’t think I would’ve done nearly as well as I did this season. I’d also like to thank my sponsors (of course, it’s a requirement,lol), ESI grips, Crank Brothers, Pronghorn Racing, GU Energy Labs, Schwalbe Tires, and a huge thanks to Mike and Doug at North of the Border Bike Shop! Without the support of youguys this would be extremely expensive and hard to do as a normal working class guy! Lastly, thanks to all my fellow racers out there that I’ve become fond friends with, Brian Crooks, Doug Herrick, Kathryn La Pointe, Robert Herber, Steve Herrera, Bob Wolfe, Mike Page and everyone else that either passes me out there or I pass them. Can’t forget about my awesome teammates, Scott, Matt, and Larry (Jason), we did it guys our first season and we were all contenders!

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Rider Profile: Jason Fabiny

Our second up-close and personal expose is our very own Jason Fabiny (aka Larry according to Matt). The only member of the team with a pony tail and certified to use a nail gun. Let’s take a look at our newest team addition…

Laughin it up during the team ride/photo shoot.

Name: Jason Fabiny

Anything else that you would like to share?: Not at this time. My attorny advises against it.

Birthday: May 23, 1976

Hometown: Syracuse, NY

What is the coolest thing the team has provided you with?: My comfy G ride!

What do you do off the bike? (Job):  Carpentery

Years riding/racing: 29yrs on a bike. 13yrs on MTB. 2yrs racing.

Previous season highlights: Placing 8th in my catagory at Sagebrush. My first race ever!

This season’s goal: To be faster than Scott.

This season’s highlight: Still to be determined

Why did you build your bike the way you did?: So I can do XC and Super D. Also so I could have the Cadillac of the group.

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Rider Profile: Scott Holland

In an effort to give our supporters and fans something fun and insightful about our riders. Our first rider up is Scott Holland. He’s been one of the winningest riders in 2009 and 2010. So here is a closer look to our smallest rider.

Scott Holland showing off his "Cav" Oakleys

Name: Scott Holland

Birthday: 4-16-1979

Hometown: Boston, MA

What do you do off the bike? (Job): Mechanical Engineer

Years riding/racing: 12

Previous season highlights: 3rd CAT 3 Socal Epic

This season’s highlight: 1st CAT 2 Idyllwild Spring Classic Stage Race

This season’s goal: podium CAT 2 Socal Epic, finish my 1st ever 12hr solo

Why did you build your bike the way you did?: as light as my budget allowed to climb fast!

What is the coolest thing the team has provided you with?: Our kits rule!

Anything else that you would like to share? say hi to ya mothah for me

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RodderRacing Training Ride

fighting to stay on the leader's wheel

fighting to stay on the leader's wheel

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Idyllwild Spring Challege

Great weekend up at Idyllwild

Pics of Scott Holland’s Stage race victory

Idyllwild Spring Challenge 2010

Results
Scott Holland
XC CAT 2 men 30-34 3rd
ITT CAT 2 men 30-39 3rd
Super D Men Open 30-39 13th
Stage Race CAT 2 Men 30-39 1st!

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Santa Ynez

Great weekend of racing pics

Santa Ynez Valley Classic

Quick results

CAT 2 30-34
Scott Holland 2nd
Matt Reeves 10th

CAT 3 Clyds under 34
Kerry Waldman 1st

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Fontana RR and Rodder Racing’s Domination of the Kenda Cup West

Well kinda, we’ve been having a great spring as Scott has been reporting. Although we’re sitting in 7th place in the team standings I’ve been working hard to maintain my lead in the Cat 3 Clydes 34 and Under. The first 2 races of the season came and went early. Sage Brush was a great test of my fitness and decending skills. Then Bonelli was a great test of my ability to race tactically. I ended up 1st over the line both races by a gap of 30 sec. over the chasers. No serious dabs or crashes, just some scuffs here and there and luckily no mechanicals.

Fontana was round 3, it was also the best showing for Rodder Racing at a National level race. We had 3 out of 4 of our riders on the line this weekend. Matt Reeves coming off a huge stretch of traveling for work and banditing marathons, managed to pull out a great performance and captured 11th in the highly competive and sandbagger heavy Cat 2 30-34. While Jason Fabiny held out for 8th in Cat 3 30-34, Fontana marks Jason’s 3rd National level race and he’s already showing some promise. Looks to see Jason in Cat 2 next season!

As for me, I came into the morning with a sore throat and the clouded feeling you get when a cold is making it’s way into your body. I shrugged it off and warmed up like usual, the legs felt good and the heart was doing quite well too. Managed to get myself and nice spot in the starting group, I lined up to the inside to avoid all the loose stuff on the outside of the first 2 turns. When the whistle blew I took off like a mad man with the rest of the group. As we made the first turn to go up the first bit of the climb I was sitting 4th wheel and was feeling great. Going through the first  sections of single track and heading to the Tarmac climb things were still holding well, my HR did jump up super high right away (which should’ve been a warning sign) but I pushed through it thinking I’d be able to recover once we got on the trail. I forgot that after the Tarmac climb we kept going up, I got to a point where I lost my line and the 2 guys in my group got by me. I was relegated to playing catch up that was my undoing. The course was more technical than Sagebrush and Bonelli, not really technical but full of brake chatter bumps which kept me from pedaling. By the time I started my 2nd lap I could still see the guys ahead of me through some of the switch backs but my legs were done. I wasn’t drinking, the sun was beating and my legs had no power left. I was able to clear all the sections that caught me off guard on my pre-ride so it was a personal achievement to be able to do that. I ended up in 3rd 3:30 off the lead, I know I could’ve done better if things were a bit different. But I’m not going to dwell on this race, I have a full week of training ahead of me to prep for Santa Ynez in 2 weeks which will wrap up the 4 race marathon that has been going on since Feb 28th, a race every 2 weeks makes for a super busy early season. Thankfully things kinda spread out after Santa Ynez.

Keep your eyes out for the Rodder boys up in Solvang/Santa Ynez! Scott Holland has been itching to get out on the National circuit all winter and this will be his debut. Matt Reeves will also be coming out to help work with Scott to kick some ass in Cat 2 30-34. I’m hoping to maintain my lead in the overalls and beat my own time from last years race!

We also would like to thank ESI Grips for allowing us to use their tent as our pit for the last 2 races! You guys rock and make a killer product, check em out! esigrips.com

We would also like to thank Magura Direct, Pronghorn Racing for the awesome frames and wheels, Schwalbe Tires for the lighter faster rolling Kenda alternatives, iMountainbike for the killer new T-shirts, Sram for the dead reliable drivetrains, KMC for the bomb proof chains and of course North of the Border Bike shop for supporting us with parts and service! We also can’t forget Coach Zippy for whipping us into shape!

Photos by Tom Shao tomshaophoto.com

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Spring Racing

Well with March here racing has come in full swing!

Kerry Waldmen continues his great Clysdale results at Bonelli (1st) and Fontana (3rd)

Rider Matt Reeves fresh off the Atlanta Marathon…?
Pic for good measure. on Twitpic
Also threw down at Fontana this past weekend CAT2 11th

While Scott Holland had a great race taking 4th overall and 2nd in 30-39 CAT2 at the http://www.racersandchasers.com/ winter series finally
Share photos on twitter with Twitpic
write up in MBaction here http://bit.ly/btt0ds
PS yes thats Scott grabbing teh whole shot at the start!

Also new Rider Jason Fabony took 4th in CAT3. Great work Jason!

The racing continues with Santa Ynez Cup 4/10/10 and the Idylwild Classic MTB Stage race! 5/1-5/2

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RodderRacing Gearing up for Spring

With the first 2 races of the 2010 Season in the books Rodder Racing has had a great start!

“factory” Kerry Waldman has won the first 2 CAT3 Cylds races in the Kenda Cups series. Jason Fabony has also done well in CAT3 at Sage Brush.

Riders Scott Holland and Matt Reeves will be getting in on things in the next few weeks as the 2010 season really starts to drop!

Next up is tommorows http://www.racersandchasers.com/ race at San Dieguito River Park, with mild temps and sunny weather Spring has Sprung in San Deigo let the Racing begin!

Kerry and Mechanic Mike From NorthOfTheBoarder Bikes

Kerry and Mike

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Sage Brush Safari

Congrads to Rodder Riders Kerry “@gest24″ Waldman for 1st place in CAT 3 Cylds (34 and under) and Jason Fabiny 7th CAT 3 30-34

Nice work boys!

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