Back in June we previewed the new Tri From The Heart, a small sprint triathlon donating 100% of proceeds to a local charity in Brady, Texas, to help cancer patients. Here are Team ATC's race highlights.
It was perfect race weather, with the 7am start keeping the high temps (mostly) at bay. ATC mechanic and tri stud George Schmitz led out of the water, and extended his lead on the bike with a race-best bike split. George was eventually chased down by Troy Clifton on the run, who passed him around mile 2 of the 4.8-mile course. George held on for 2nd overall.
The famous Tim Dove was 7th out of the water and 4th off the bike, finishing fifth overall and winning his age group.
ATC manager Adam Stroobandt, a talented runner, good cyclist, and less-than-stellar swimmer, was 24th out of the water. After miles of "ON YOUR LEFT" he clawed up to 6th on the bike and finished 4th overall, passing Tim Dove at mile 4 to preserve his dignity. Adam also won his age group.
The weekend was a solid showing by the ATC crew, but more importantly, a great first race for Tri from the Heart. Join us next year for a great time and a good cause.
There aren't many places where you find a mixture of beer-guzzling, cigarette-smoking bikers; spandex-wearing, Gatorade-drinking cyclists; and crowing, tree-climbing roosters. But, this weekend at the
start of the second annual Ring of Fire ride, many of the best area cyclists were present, mixed in with
Harleys, their leather-clad riders, and a few crowing, clucking chickens.
The ride had a bit of a twist from last year's ride/race. Red Licorice, the event's organizer, partnered
with Austin Cycle Camp to offer $1,500 each to the first-place man and woman to cross the line on the
84-mile Big Loop course. Last year, the distance was 110 miles and Mike Minardi and I took first-place
man and woman. We were awarded a pretty cool chain ring, but that is not quite the same as $1,500
dollars. With the money came a higher caliber of rider, and first-place anything was no longer on Mike
and I's radar, but having a good overall day and strong ride was.
This is the tale of two rides taking place in one event. First was the race, which started at 7:30am, went
for 84 miles, and included, as I said before, some of the best cyclists in the area. The second was the
84-mile ride, which started at 7:45 and included anyone who didn't care to "race," rides only a TT bike
(which was not allowed in the Open "racing" group), or, like me, those who are training for something
bigger to come.
Last year, the 110-mile Ring of Fire was part of my buildup to Kona. This year, the 84-mile Ring of Fire
ride was part of my buildup to the 70.3 Las Vegas Championships. I needed to test my nutrition and
my ability to withstand the heat and hills of the "Hill" Country. For those racing the Open, they were
thinking more about strategy and whose wheel to follow, unlike me, who was thinking more about my
salt intake and making sure my wattage stayed steady and consistent through the entire ride.
According to Gray Skinner, who races for Austin Bikes, the Open Division started out just like any other
pro 1/2 road race. Super Squadra, the largest and only team in the race with four riders, immediately
went on the attack, sending Steven Wheeler up the road. The pack is reluctant to respond with a hard
84 miles still to come. The pace picks up a bit and riders start making moves off the front. Most are
unsuccessful and short-lived, as no one really wants to join the one-man sacrificial lamb (Wheeler).
About 30 miles into the ride, the Cat 1 men split from the rest of the men and the women racers.
Thirty miles into my ride, I'm feeling good. I think, "The hills aren't so bad, the heat isn't so bad." I've
broken the ride down into two 42-mile loops. So, by my calculations, I'm almost done with the first loop
so I'm almost done! Right?
Back to the Open Division, things are getting intense – 787's Brant Speed rolls slightly off the front of the
group, which is now about 15 riders. Gray moves in behind him. They begin to open up a small gap just
before the difficult 1-mile climb. Alarm bells go off in the field as their gap grows to maybe 10 seconds.
The New Zealand Champion and heavy favorite, Logan Hutchings, who rides for Hotel San Jose, Super Squadra's Dave Wenger, and Tulsa Tough's Stefan Rothe, ride up from the field as the five of them begin
to climb. Trying to establish a gap on a climb is a good tactic, Gray explains, but also one of the more
painful experiences on a bike.
"We flew up the climb and made a sizable gap on the rest of the field as I bled out of my eyeballs to stay
fifth wheel," he says. "The eight of us pursued the leaders for the next 40 miles. The leaders came into
view just up the road around mile 60, but the field was content to let them sit for a while, knowing that
the fireworks would begin once they were caught."
Back to us regular "Joes," who are just out to test our nutrition and our legs in the hills. By the second
loop, it is 10am and the temps have soared from 82 to the high 90s. I rode the first loop in just around
2 hours, never stopping for water. On the second loop, I stop for water at mile 52 and then mile 62 and
again at mile 72! The heat takes its toll on me and my water bottles. I'm pouring half of my water on me,
and the other half I'm drinking as if I were a dying man in the desert. While we have to stop and refill
our own bottles, the Open field, for whom every second counts, have hand-up stations for their refills.
So, while I'm messing around at the aid stations, the Open field is racing for the finish and the $1,500
prize money.
Gray tells the tale: Around mile 73, with the sun starting to rise, the heat in the field turns up as well.
Logan Hutchings attacks the field just before the last big climb. Only the two riders who have teammates
up the road are able to respond. This is David Wenger and Stefan Rothe. They take off in pursuit of a
flying Hutchings. With the break having been caught, the race for the win is on. With 3 miles to go Logan
Hutchings breaks away. He ends up taking the win, coming across the line solo with a sizeable gap. In
the women's field, Jen McRae took the win with a convincing lead.
At about an hour and some change, I'm still making my way to the finish line. With no more than the
thought of an ice-cold soda and the chance to take off my shoes, which are killing me, I pedal on. I
don't remember the hills being quite so steep and I swear there was more shade the first time around.
However, the volunteers are great (especially the girl with purple hair that is cheering "Go Team ATC"!)
and the course is well marked and I do get there in the end.
At the finish, there was cold beer, shade under the trees, and a country western band playing for
everyone, regardless of whether they raced the 84-mile Big Loop or rode the 23-mile Little Loop.
The cycling scene in Austin is both large and small. On the one hand, while there are hundreds of people
competing at different skill levels and venues, when the "six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon" game is applied to
any individual cyclist in town, the game is over faster than a 25-meter sprint.
Sheri and Stefan Rothe, both category 1 cyclists and Austin residents since 2008, are somewhere near
the center of this interconnected web. Sheri, wearing the pink and blue of the Austin Flyers, is easy to
spot in the pack with her long braid, and Stefan is rarely far from the spotlight, both in his racing and
coaching.
But there's a lot more to a person than what can be gathered from race results or the community
grapevine. After all, a cat 1 cyclist doesn't happen overnight. Rather than emerging fully formed, most
competitive athletes develop in a way that is painstakingly slow and surprisingly human.
Starting Out
When Stefan was 11 years old, following a doctor's recommendation that he pick up low-weight-bearing
sports to prevent potential leg problems, his parents gave him the option of cycling or swimming. He
joined a cycling club in his hometown of Dresden, Germany, and cycling, of course, quickly became
the preferred activity. After a year of keeping up with a Junior/U23 training group of road cyclists on
his "way too heavy" mountain bike, he got his first real road bike, which sported a steel frame and pedal
cages for his tennis shoes.
His talent for cycling was something that developed over years of training, Stefan says, although he did
come in second at his first race. (It was a lesson that immediately educated him in the dangers of leading
out a sprint too early.)
In the spring of 2003, after one year of college in Germany, Stefan came to the US on a cycling
scholarship to attend Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. MSU is where he and Sheri met. They
had a computer class together, where Sheri says she first knew him as "the cute German guy."
Not a cyclist at the time, Sheri played defense on the university's soccer team. After a foot injury that
put her on the sidelines, Sheri signed up for Hotter'n Hell on a road bike that she'd ridden once before.
She had intended to do the 25-mile ride, but missed a turn, so did a sweltering 70 miles as her official
introduction to cycling instead. Although she says this wasn't a good first experience, ultimately she
decided she liked cycling better than soccer and joined the MSU women's cycling team.
Sheri and Stefan were married in 2007 in Dresden, with family and friends from both Texas and
Germany in attendance. And no, there were no bikes with tin cans tied to the handlebars, or a
honeymoon ascending the French Alps. Stefan says he didn't ride his bike for 10 days, and then returned
to Texas three days before the Hotter'n Hell 100. "It was very painful, and me and a buddy called it a day after 80 miles," he says.
Coaching & Competing
When I asked Sheri, who works full-time and is currently pursuing a teaching certification, if she
considered cycling a hobby, she laughed. "It's too all-consuming to be a hobby," she says. "It's more of a
lifestyle."
And Austin suits that lifestyle well. "It's a cycling-friendly town, a very fit and athletic city in general,
and a lot of professional athletes call it home," Stefan says. "It's a good vibe. Same goes for the cycling
community, which has a lot of creative individuals and business owners who support the sport, from
kiddie races to Pro/1 races."
Stefan has owned his own cycling coaching and consulting business, ROTHE Training, since 2008. "I'm proud to say that I really work with everyone," he says. "From true beginner or 14-year-old junior to experienced cat 1 racer – that's the core of my business idea: to cater towards the general recreational
riders and amateur or master racers rather than elite-level athletes only." He currently coaches 25 athletes, men and women ranging from 14 to 65 years old.
In addition to coaching, Stefan is a member of the Tulsa Tough Elite Cycling Team and competes in many
regional races, as well as a number of National Calendar Races. Although he strives to keep his coaching
and own competition separate in order to focus on the task at hand, he says that his racing helps him
relate with what coached athletes are experiencing.
"The best reward is when a client achieves his or her goals, be it a certain workout they were able to
finish or a race they always wanted to win," he says. "Watching an athlete win a race, it feels almost the
same as winning myself."
"And it actually takes pressure off of me, too. I try to be a good bike racer, but ultimately people judge
your ability as a coach by the accomplishments of your athletes and not your own results. Fact is, the
best bike racers will never be the best coaches. Some of the best cycling coaches out there were just
mediocre athletes themselves."
Stefan brings to the table 18 years of racing experience. The races he considers his biggest career
accomplishments include a third-place stage finish at the UCI-ranked Tour of Malaysia, the "Most
Aggressive Rider" award at the week-long Vuelta a El Salvador, and a fifth place at the University World
Championships Road Race in Belgium a few years ago.
His philosophy on cycling is based mostly on what he calls "mental strength." "You can be the most
gifted and talented rider in the world but if you have no drive or desire and mental strength to do
well then you'll never succeed," he says. "I've seen really great cyclists or athletes get beaten by less talented and physically disadvantaged riders because they didn't focus enough or just didn't believe in
themselves. If you have a plan, you've got to follow it even if it hurts."
Perhaps the most unique aspect of Stefan's coaching business is the attitude he takes toward its
expansion. These days, it seems common for large and small businesses alike to take a sky's-the-limit
approach, always striving to double or triple or quadruple sales, often before they're fully prepared or
have the resources to do so. But Stefan seems content to keep ROTHE Training on a small scale, at least
for now, and organizes his schedule in a way that allows him to also get in enough training time to stay
competitive himself.
At Austin Tri-Cyclist, Stefan conducts lactate-threshold testing and bike fits. And apart from monthly
coaching services, he also offers skills sessions, one-on-one training consultations, and power meter
installation. In short, between managing ROTHE Training and racing, he often has his hands full.
At the end of the day...
Given the challenge of combining work, racing, and the day-to-day, being a cat 1 couple isn't always
as glamorous as it seems, but both Sheri and Stefan say that it's helpful to be with someone who
understands and appreciates the demands of the sport. They don't often go on training rides together,
but they attend many of the same races and are both very active in the cycling community. Sheri is race
team coordinator for the Austin Flyers, and ROTHE Training helps sponsor local events and organizations like the Driveway Race Series, the Tour of Austin, and the 787 Racing Team.
So now that the 2011 season is winding down, what's next for the Rothes? A return to their old
stomping grounds for Hotter'n Hell, of course, and maybe a few more local and NRC races for
Stefan. "And in the off-season, there's always a chance for a cycling trip to an exotic country," Stefan
says. "We'll see."
Right, so sometimes the life of an elite cyclist is as glamorous as it seems.
Austin Tri-Cyclist carries e load heat endurance and until August 6th you can get a special 15% Off any e load product when you mention our ATC blog post. Below is an except from eload about their product.
e load ™ Snapshot
The most important physiological job of your sport drink is to maintain your fluid and electrolyte balance.
In hot conditions this can be especially challenging. A great sport drink helps in the prevention and control of heat stress, primarily by replacing sweat electrolytes and fluid as they are lost. If electrolyte balance is maintained within, and you supply enough fluid to replace losses (see our Nutrition Calculators) you are well on your way to success in the heat!
You Should Know 1..... that syptoms of heat stress include muscle cramps, stomach upset, stomach cramps, nausea, flatulence, diarrhea, headaches, dizzyness, unusual fatigue and delirium. Sometimes, a coma, and even death, can be blamed on extreme heat stress, as can a very important condition known as hyponatremia.
2..... that the most important ingredients in a sports drink responsible for the prevention of heat illness are adequate amounts of electrolytes. Virtually all sports drinks have a maximum of 1/6 - 1/2 of the concentration of electrolytes that you lose in your sweat. (8) Depletion of these valuable electrolytes are a big reason why heat stress leads to heat illness, including the ever common muscle cramps. The Anti-Cramp formula in e load™ has been helping cramping athletes everywhere.
3..... that Dextrose, the principal carbohydrate in e load™, is a high glycemic carbohydrate that is rapidly absorbed and yields instant energy. Additionally, dextrose is the carbohydrate of choice for a sports drink made to combat heat stress. The biggest reason for this is that dextrose actually facilitates sodium absorption from the small intestine, unlike other carbohydrates (1,2,3,4). This is why many oral medical rehydration solutions contain dextrose as the principal carbohydrate (5). Also, the presence of dextrose and sucrose together may enhance each other's absorption (enhanced 'solute flux'), and maybe more important than the osmolality of the carbohydrates themselves (37).
4..... that for optimal performance in the heat, replacing sodium and potassium (the two most abundant electrolytes in sweat) in the ratio in which they are lost from sweat means less chance of succumbing to heat stress. This ratio averages between 3:1 and 5:1 i.e. your drink should contain 3-5 times more sodium than potassium. Most sports drinks completely ignore this important physiological truth.
5..... that Lactic acid buildup from prolonged high level physical exertion acts like "muscle glue", and that its' accumulation may be more pronounced in the heat. Lactic acid causes muscle burning and heaviness, inhibiting normal muscle contraction, resulting in reduced performance. It makes sense to have an ingredient in your sports drink to counter these problems. Check out our lactic acid killing MultiCitrateTM (9).
6..... that everyone of you is different, with different sweat tendencies, and different levels of electrolyte in your sweat. In fact, there is a 50-100% variation in the levels of sweat electrolyte from person to person. We at Medion are well aware of the differences that exist in the physiology of individuals, and for those needing it, we enable you to ingest even more electrolyte with our innovative ZONE CAPS (see Customizing Your e load™).
7..... that excess stomach acid is a problem for many people in stressful situations, causing stomach pain, cramps, nausea and vomiting. Exercise can be stressful, especially high intensity exercise in the heat, and the extra stomach acid secreted in these situations can contribute to gastrointestinal distress. e load™ addresses this issue with its' low acidity formula. In fact, compared to a drink like Gatorade, e loadtrade; has 35 times LESS acidity.
8..... that Calcium loss through sweat may actually predispose athletes to bone loss and stress fractures when inadequately replaced. An average loss of calcium per litre of sweat is 50 milligrams (which happens to be the amount found in e load ™) (38). In the heat, e load™ is like no other! For a more detailed breakdown of e load™ and the science behind it, please see "The Science of e load™".
Relays get a bad rap – that is, when they're not being completely ignored, which is more often the case.
The general tri-population will tell you that relays aren't "serious." But honestly, that's probably their
best trait.
There's no pressure in a relay. No one's going to critique your overall time, and at most, you're
competing against a handful of other teams. You also tend to choose your strongest discipline, which in
my case, eliminates worrisome questions before the swim start like, "Will I sink?" and "Will anyone stop
me if I swim the wrong direction, or will I end up in the Gulf of Mexico first?"
Relays are also a great way to focus on improving a particular area of competition, compete in spite of
or after an injury, or ease new people into multi-sport. And sometimes it's just a fun way to participate
when you're not in top shape for a tri and still want to punish yourself in a race environment.
The Marble Falls Triathlon is probably my favorite local tri. The bike course is long (35k) and rolling,
complete with a nasty climb at the beginning and a twisty, Mario Kart-style exit ramp before the final
few miles back into town. Unfortunately, it also starts with a 1,000-meter swim. As much as I enjoyed
myself at the 2010 race, after more than a year off from swimming and nearly four months off from
running, there was no way I was going to sign up. When it comes to race entry, the aero-gear-or-no-
aero-gear quandary, and other important life decisions, one should always consider the wise advice of
Corey May: "Are the results on the internet? Well, there you go."
The relay offered the perfect solution for our ATC trio. Cassidy Santaguida, a swimmer in high school
and later on club teams, was interested in tri training and checking out the scene, and Rita Stroobandt,
a collegiate runner, and I had both fallen off the wagon in one way or another. Rita had been recovering
from a knee injury, as well as mentally recovering from Ironman Arizona, and I had more or less fully
transitioned into time trialing and bike racing.
We were put in the wrong swim wave, so Cassidy started her leg with the Women's 39 and under group.
She was fourth or fifth out of the water, a position I would never in a million years have found myself in
(oh, is that Kat just coming around the second buoy? Think we should send a rescue?). Nor would I ever have left the water feeling anything less than half-drowned, so taking off on the bike at full speed just
behind the top women and Men's 34 and under group was a new experience.
I was having so much fun that I started out going far too hard. Four weeks ago, after my husband's
aluminum-P3-vs.-steel-sedan incident (the P3 lost, but the Toyota took a heavy beating) our communal
Powertap had to be sent in for repairs. It was returned a few days before the tri, but it was my first
opportunity in a long time to use it for a race, and I forgot to pay attention to the numbers or to give
them the proper respect. After about 20 minutes, I slowed up considerably.
My goal had been to catch and pass Maggi Finley, top amateur triathlete and my new teammate on
the ATC Women's Racing cycling team (official announcement about the team coming soon). She had
left the water ahead of our relay team and was moving fast, but I figured it would be a reasonable
goal to try and catch her, since she wasn't strictly doing a TT. The joke was on me. I caught up to her at
the halfway point, just as she was coming around the cones and I was braking to start the turn. I had
underestimated her strength – as soon as she saw me, she sped up and a sizeable gap opened up again.
I was chasing her until about the final four miles, when the course turns back from Hwy 71 onto 281. I
started to give it all I had left since I knew I was close. When I finally passed her, I croaked "Good job,
Maggi," and thought that would be the end of it. Not a single guy had passed me on the course, or as
far as I knew, had even tried to. So when a few minutes later Maggi came back around on my left, I was
floored. "You know," she said, "that this is going to really mess up my run." I laughed, or tried to.
After that, I got close enough to be too close, so I passed again…then she passed again… At one point
I took off as hard as I could go on a steep hill, knowing that I was blowing up my legs and figuring she
wouldn't try to keep up with the pace, but just after the hill she was coming around me once more. We
both hit the brakes hard at the first stoplight in town, unsure of whether to turn left or go straight, with
another cyclist just to our right. After the police officer had waved us through the intersection, the other
cyclist was ahead, followed by me and then Maggi. He slowed down (I would have been nervous about
me, too, at that point) through the last coned-in section, which meant that I came in just ahead of him
and Maggi into transition, by accident more than by legitimate effort since the last section was simply
too hectic and tight to re-pass.
In transition, our relay team only needed to exchange the chip, so Rita started the run before Maggi.
Through my post-TT haze I remember Rita saying something like, "Ha, no way." She was Maggi's "rabbit"
for the first mile or so of the 4.4-mile run, and then Maggi won a firm victory against Team ATC,
averaging 6:45 miles. But we don't feel too bad about having our three parts beat by one, since in the
end Maggi not only came in first woman, but tenth overall.
Our relay team came in first in the all-female relay division, seeing as we were the only all-female team,
but we also had the best time among the mixed teams. So we got our medals and post-race barbecue
feeling like we had accomplished what we had come there for, or maybe even a little more (that's what
my muscles were saying, at any rate). And other ATCers took home top honors, as well - John Trowbridge was 7th overall and Master's Overall Winner, George Schmitz came in 9th overall, and Tim Dove took 2nd in the Clydesdale division.
So why run a relay? And why feel good about being passed by girls with an "R" on their calves? Because
first and foremost, triathlon is about having fun, and the more people involved, the better the present
and future of the sport. Besides, when the girls are on a relay team, you have an excuse – you can say
you weren't fully "chicked."
Since 2001, when Cervelo introduced their first aerodynamic road bike, the aluminum "Solo," their aero road bike designs have been considered the industry standard. The fastest frame in the world in its day, the Solo was the first road bike with airfoil shapes specifically tuned for the speeds and wind angles cyclists experience. In 2005, Cervelo released the Soloist Carbon, which was showered with awards and rave reviews for its aerodynamic prowess, as well as its handling, stiffness, and ride quality. That design has remained relatively unchanged, with only minor tweaks and improvements through the S3, which was introduced in 2008. Despite the arrival of competitors in the aero road bike market, Cervelo held that the S3 remained top dog in the wind tunnel...until now.
This is not merely another iteration of the S3, but a completely new frame, with new features never seen before on a road bike. The S3 has been dethroned.
Overview
The S5 combines many of the best features of the P4 TT bike and the R-series lightweight bikes, giving rise to a road frame with all new geometry. The result, according to Cervelo, is a bike that has 12% better stiffness, better aerodynamics, and the comfort of the S3, and also weighs 80 grams less. At 25mph the S5 will save a rider 9 watts compared to the S3. And compared to many round-tube, non-aero frames, the S5 can save up to a whopping 32 watts at 25mph. Even in a pack, where aerodynamic drag is reduced by 25 to 30 percent, a rider would still be saving between 6 and 20 watts. Anyone who owns a power meter should be familiar with how much of an advantage that can be. But the S5 isn't just slippery, it is also stiff and light and displaying amazing handling acumen under the guidance of Thor Hushovd in the 2011 Tour de France. Stiff and light enough for 180lbs of Thor to climb the Pyrenees, nimble enough to chase climbers down on rainy descents.
The S5 features deep, airfoil seat stays which are very similar to those found on Cervelo's top TT bike, the P4. The shape is especially complex where it attaches to the seat tube, which serves to improve aerodynamics, shield the rear brake caliper, and provide extra vertical compliance for comfort on bumpy roads.
The S5 features a seat tube that is currently unique among road bikes. No other road bike has such a large extent of rear wheel coverage, and keeps the rear wheel in such close proximity to the seat tube cutout. This shields the rear wheel from the air, reducing aerodynamic drag. As the dropouts remain vertical for easy wheel swaps, this will limit tire size options somewhat. Cervelo reports that 23mm tires will fit, as will some models of 25mm wide tires.
There is more to a road bike than aerodynamics. Road races often involve steep mountains where weight matters too. Cyclists sprint, attack, and corner at the limit, and stiffness is important for solid handling and power transfer. While the S3 has proven stiff and light enough for powerful riders like world champion Thor Hushovd, the S5 improves on the S3 by 12% in stiffness and 80 grams in weight. Part of this is achieved with the BBright system, first featured on the R-series frames. The asymmetric bottom bracket and chain stay design allow for a bottom bracket/crankset system that can be lighter and/or stiffer than a standard setup.
Another feature reminiscent of the P4 is the dropped down tube. Cervelo combines an integrated fork that fits neatly into the frame and a dropped down tube that hugs closely to the front wheel. The design maintains an airfoil leading edge along this curve around the front wheel, rather than a cutout, which would add drag whenever the wheel is not pointed exactly straight ahead.
A common point of skepticism about aero frames for bike racers is whether it is worth paying for sculpted aero down tubes and seat tubes if you are going to load them up with water bottles anyway. While Cervelo has maintained that aero tubes are faster than round ones even with bottles in front of and behind them, the S5 offers two features to improve on water bottle equipped performance. The first is a feature also found on the latest Lightspeed aero road bikes – a widened trailing edge on the down tube to shield the bottles from the air. Cervelo takes this water bottle philosophy a step further by offering two mounting positions for the down tube bottles. There is a low position to be used when carrying a single bottle, which reduces the gap between the bottle and the seat tube, smoothing airflow. When using two bottles, a higher mounting point is used that positions the two bottles close to each other to optimize airflow. This is another feature unique on the market right now.
Specs, Pricing, Availability - Update: ATC has S5s in stock and ready to ride!
The S5 model is a bit of a departure from previous Cervelo frames in that it will be offered in 3 levels of carbon fiber. The shape and stiffness of each offering are identical, with the only change being a reduction in weight as you move up the scale. The great news is that the S5 is not just going to be an expensive superbike like the R5ca. In fact, the entry level S5 comes in cheaper than the S3. For the weight weenies and people who simply want the best, you can pay more to have your cake and eat it too. The standard and team frames will be available at Austin Tri-Cyclist starting this August with the super light VWD frames available starting in January 2012. The S5 trim levels are as follows:
You could say that the Mopac TT is an "underground" cycling event, since it's never been a high-profile or formal race. News of it has always traveled mostly by word of mouth, with many of the same
participants attending religiously year after year. But it's not exclusive, or no more exclusive, say, than a
mental institution. You're welcome to the club so long as you think doing an all-out 8-mile time trial at
6pm in the dead of a Texas summer sounds like a good idea.
Started by RunFAR Racing Services in 2004 and long known as the "RunFAR time trial," the Mopac TT
was still going strong in 2010, held the second Tuesday of every month from the spring through the
beginning of autumn. The course was the same out-and-back, starting near the Veloway at Mopac and
La Crosse, heading south and then west until the turnaround at 45 and 1826, and returning to the finish
at the same intersection on the northbound side of Mopac. Last fall, however, the rumor mill had it
that RunFAR was moving their headquarters to Dallas. Many refused to believe it until they saw the notice on RunFAR's
website in large red text: after 7 years, the Mopac TT was no more.
Amid the wailing and gnashing of teeth, other rumors began circulating at the beginning of the 2011
season. The Mopac TT had always been popular in the cycling and triathlon community, and different
groups talked of a revival. Training on Mopac, it wasn't unusual to see a smattering of
aero helmets and skinsuits out on the old course. The addiction was strong.
Newcomers should note that even a brief flirtation with the Mopac TT is enough to cause a dangerous
preoccupation. In 2010, if you were following pro triathlete Phillip Graves'tweets, you would have seen
the telltale signs: First, a brief mention. Then, talk of records, weather conditions, times, and finally,
training fatigue from the event that he said had "become an ever increasing part of his life." No matter
how fast you go, you'll think you can go faster. Graves broke the course record, and then beat his own
time twice after. He still holds the record with a time of 15:24.8 (31.2mph).
Some of Austin's fastest professional and amateur cyclists attend the Mopac TT. Before last year, 2011 Elite National Criterium champion David
Wenger held the course record with 15:44.4 (30.5mph), set in July 2007. In April 2010, Graves beat that
time by one second on a windy day. Then, in October, Wenger set a new personal best of 15:33, but on
the same day, Graves came in at 15:25. At the following TT, Graves set the current course record of
15:24. It's difficult to compare records from year to year, however, since the course changes so much over
time. The new fast times were, in part, the result of the new turnaround added at 45 and 1826 last
year. Unfortunately, since road conditions have since worsened, it's thought that this advantage has
effectively been cancelled out. Graves' record may stand for a long time.
And yet…on June 14, the most recent TT, amateur triathlete Maggi Finley broke the female course
record with a blistering time of 17:57 (26.9mph), beating out the 18:01 I'd had the month before. Maggi's run was a firm victory, the record set in a strong crosswind on a day that most riders were significantly slower. In 2010, the course record was held by pro triathlete
Desiree Ficker, at 18:13 (26.3 mph). Before the turnaround was added, cyclist Christina Wolfe had the
fastest time of 18:22.9 (26.1mph), set in August 2008. For the women, the excitement is likely to continue, even if the record-breaking runs are Maggi, a la Phillip Graves, simply setting new smoking PRs.
The Mopac TT's appeal is hard to define. Maybe it's the frequency of it, or the fact that it's such a short,
fast course. Or, then again, maybe it's the low-key atmosphere. Although results are posted online,
which demands a certain accountability, there's no prize money or medals to be won and no official
start time. You just get there, pick up your chip, and roll out across the mats any time after 6pm and
before 7:30. And though you've got plenty of company if you show up in an aero helmet and booties,
you can race on a pink cruiser with a basket in front and still not hear anything for it.
The Mopac TT has a special place in many hearts. And since most, if not all, of the Mopac regulars have the idea that they've got a faster time in them, the event's disappearance was cause for despair.
Fortunately, just as hope was about to breathe its last, word got out that AllSports Timing was hosting
a free Mopac TT in April. The response was good, so TTs were also held in May and June. All were free,
since a permit cannot be obtained for the course. But Chris Oroshiba, owner and founder of AllSports
Timing, doesn't see that as a problem and says he plans to continue as long as there's interest from the
cycling community.
A runner and triathlete, Oroshiba had participated in the Mopac TT many times himself in the past, and
says the spirit behind it is the same as when the event first began. "The purpose of the time trial is to
provide cyclists a reason to get out and see what they can do," he says. "Even though I'm not riding, it's
still equally satisfying to go out there and hear people come back and say ‘wow, I hit my target.'"
He's also used it as an opportunity to optimize timing equipment. The first two AllSports Timing Mopac
TTs used a chip that was attached to the head tube, and mats that were fairly bumpy. In response
to feedback and testing, AllSports Timing decided to purchase the current system, which uses thin,
adhesive tags that attach to the front of a participant's helmet (just like slapping on a bar code), as well
as much smoother start and finish mats.
This is year one for AllSports Timing, but business is good, and Oroshiba says he's already had to turn
some races down. Fortunately, since the Mopac TT takes place on Tuesday, he expects to be able to
continue to have the capacity to host the free event.
In addition to looking like something straight out of Tron, AllSports Timing's new UHF (ultra high
frequency) timing system has a number of advantages compared to older LF (low frequency) systems.
UHF technology, also currently used in some types of credit cards and clothing security tags, is
essentially weightless, easy to wear, reusable, much less expensive (20 cents per tag rather than $3-
4 per chip), and readable up to 35 feet in the air (vs. the former capability of 2.5 feet, which meant
that cyclists were often missed if they crossed the mats on an upstroke). But the best part? Results are
available immediately. When you come off the Mopac TT course, you've got your standings before you
can even catch your breath.
A few drawbacks remain, however. Any timing system, LF or UHF, will have more trouble tracking an
object the faster it moves through the electromagnetic field – for example, a cyclist moving over a
mat at 30mph, as compared to a runner moving at a max of about 12mph, becomes more difficult to
read. Also, metal and water cannot be in direct contact with the UHF system. Thus, the tags cannot be
placed directly on a bike, even if it's made of carbon fiber, and cannot be placed on the body, since the
body is composed of approximately 50-80% water. Putting it on the helmet gets a nearly perfect read
rate, Oroshiba says, but he's hoping to produce a permanent seatpost mounting for the bike, similar
to professional cycling events. These systems could be reused at any race timed by AllSports Timing,
including the monthly Mopac TT.
Oroshiba, with 14 years of previous experience in the semiconductor industry, considers his business
a technology company and is full of ideas for what comes next. But he says that though they plan on
continuing the Mopac TT and even extending the season all the way through November, they can't and
won't charge for the event. "If we sell bike numbers for use with any of the races, that will be a different
thing," he says, "but it will always be something reasonable."
To attend the event, you must "like" and sign up for each Mopac TT on AllSports Timing's Facebook
page. Mopac TTs aren't scheduled in advance, but are announced roughly a week before the event (and
usually take place in the middle of the month). Results are also posted on the Facebook page.
AllSports Timing is not actively promoting the event or seeking to increase attendance. In fact, they'd
rather keep it small, since too many participants could create parking problems. The intent behind it
is not to get a lot of people out there, Oroshiba says, but rather to attract the people who really want
to be out there. His reasoning is two-fold: one, AllSports Timing gets to serve the cycling community,
and two, the company gets connected with individuals interested in future events. Next year, Oroshiba
hopes to host a 40k time trial.
As a competitor, the most important thing to remember is that although the Mopac TT is a great
opportunity to test yourself and go as hard as you can, you're not on a closed course and your safety is
your responsibility. Don't take any unnecessary risks, and be sure to watch the intersections carefully. Remember, as well, that your behavior is likely to influence the future of the event,
and some of us are dependent on Mopac TTs for our mental health. Traffic has increased in recent years
from new development in the area, but there are still no stoplights, and the Mopac TT remains, without
a doubt, the most constructive thing you can do on a Tuesday evening.
We hope the obsession continues for many years to come. Viva la Mopac TT!
