Hellyer Velodrome Thursday Night Results

The numbers show that the riders like the points race format, getting a workout under the lights, and hanging with their friends on a Thursday night. Lots of people tell me this too, but I do not get many comments about my write ups so I tend to take some liberties. Then again, there is a story behind every race and I like to tell racing stories.

This was the last racing of the year and we had a great turnout for racing in late September. A group of locals are heading to elite nationals so they made this their last tune-up race. I’m appreciative of that. I also like that so many Cs and Bs showed up because they put on such a good show. The competition is tighter and more riders have a chance to win.

As a racer I think it is sad when a training event pulls in more riders than the Friday Night races. As a promoter of the training event I think it is great that so many riders show up, especially this late in the season!

Finally, thank you to Joe Fineman for rounding up the prizes. Clif Bar product for all riders, Peets for the winners, and a Rudy Project helmet for Sabine Dukes, our most consistent (and improving) rider. Thanks for the cookies and brownies Jen and Marc!

C Group Results- 12 starters, 60 laps

Highlights- Julie Granshaw is one of our local riders heading to Carson next week for Nationals and she looks to not only be in great form but she rode a very wise race. She scored in eleven of the twelve sprints and took two victories along the way, including the final sprint to take the win. Tactically, taking a win can be a horrible thing if riders counter-attack the win when you and others sit up, so Julie was wise in collecting a lot of third place sprints and not letting any moves get away. Very well done Julie.

1st- 28 points- Julie Granshaw (Morgan Stanley)- 2 victories
2nd- 27 points- Tor Roberts (unattached)- 3 victories
3rd- 25 points- Wyatt Weisel (AMD-Discovery)- 2 victories
4th- 11 points- Beth Newell (unattached)- (later points)
5th- 11 points- Job Rucker (unattached)- 2 victories
6th- 5 points- Marc Franklin (Chico)- 1 victory
7th- 4 points- Julie Nevitt (SJBC)
Also- Natasha Perry (Velo Bella Kona)- 2 victories, Hanan Alves-Hyde (unattached), Ileana Garcia-Parker (Alto Velo), Justin Morgan (FresnOakland), Michael Boals (Metromint)- 4 points and a mechanical

B Group Results- 13 starters, 60 laps in 30:00 averaging 25.2mph

Highlights- This was a quick race as spectators also commented on the pace. Plus the average pace does not account for the surges in speeds. Maurice Monge was the class of the field as he secured his win before the last two sprints. The race for second place was not decided until the final sprint. Nole Studley continues to impress with not only his speed (he won the Cs race on August 2) but now with his endurance. Aaron Hunter claimed third place.

1st- 26 points- Maurice Monge (SJBC) 2 victories
2nd- 19 points- Nole Studley (Roaring Mouse) 2 victories
3rd- 16 points- Aaron Hunter (SJBC) 1 victory
4th- 15 points- Bob Parker (Alto Velo)- 1 victory
5th- 13 points- Ken Sato (Team Santa Cruz))- 1 victory
6th- 7 points- Michael Boals (Metromint)
7th- 6 points- Daniel Tisdell (AMD-Discovery Channel)
8th- 3 points- Keith Jordan (FFBC)
Also- Andreas Vogel (Cycling California.com), Mark Patten (VOS)- 5 victories, Randy Armstrong- 4 points (SJBC), Eugene Beyer (IC3), Randy Armstrong (SJBC)

A Group Results- 8 starters, 120 laps, 60 immediately following the Bs

Highlights- Road riders that think track will not tap their endurance are being mis-led. For instance, Ben Jacques-Maynes spent three hours at the track on Thursday. Maybe that is what it takes to become a National Champion?

I have been points racing for years and have a few wins but I still learn a lot in watching these races and boy was I thankful that I wasn’t racing with these guys this week. Good luck to all of you at Nationals!

1st- 44 points- Ben Jacques-Maynes- 7 victories
2nd- 25 points- Steve Palaez (Lombardis)- 2 victories
3rd- 19 points- Joel Robertson (Trumer Pils)- 1 victory
4th- 15 points- Roman Kilun (Healthnet)- 1 victory
5th- 5 point- Devon Vigus (Giant Strawberry)- 1 victory
Also- George Meilahn (IC3)- 8 points, Giovanni Rey (BPG), Brian Peterson (Alto Velo)

Thanks go out to all the riders that made this series a success and I look forward to continuing this series in the spring of 2008. Cheers! Larry Nolan, AMD-Discovery Channel Masters Cycling Team

As a racer I think it is sad when a training event pulls in more riders than the Friday Night races. As a promoter of the training event I think it is great that so many riders show up, especially this late in the season!

Thirty-six riders braved the inaccurate weather forecast, gusty winds and chillier than usual weather to compete in tonights points races. Thanks to everyone that has supported this series so far.

Thanks also to Bob Parker and Leo Menastrini for flipping lap cards.

Lastly, that survey that was posed last week had a great response. Thanks to all those that replied. Unfortunately, as Mike Hardaway responded, the county needs to get these requests far in advance so we will NOT be training on any night too soon. I am not sure how the talk of my wanting a race series in the winter got started. I was proposing a year-round night of training and racing.

Next week is the last of the Thursday Night Points Races for 2007. We have got some special prizes and more Peets and Clif Bar product and awards. With or without the BOD approval I plan to bring out some beers (cans, no glass on the infield) so please come and join us for a toast to another fine track season! I would call it great but my shoulder is still talking to me ;-(

C Group Results- 14 starters, 60 laps in 31:05 averaging 24.3mph

Highlights- Another great race to watch. Julie Granshaw stormed out to an early lead but could only watch as Garden of Edan and the Donut King stormed away from the field to collect points and seal the win for the young junior.

1st - 24 points- Edan Levaton (Davis Bike Club) - 3 victories aka Garden of Edan
2nd- 22 points- Tor Roberts (unattached)- 3 victories (later points)
3rd- 22 points- Julie Granshaw (Morgan Stanley)- 2 victories
4th- 18 points- Wyatt Weisel (AMD-Discovery)- 1 victory and a mechanical
5th- 15 points- Ryan Williams (Fresh Oakland) aka Donut King- 1 victory
6th- 13 points- Beth Newell (unattached)- 1 victory
7th- 11 points- Brandon Mark (Spine)
8th- 5 points- Natasha Perry (Velo Bella Kona)- 1 victory
9th- 3 points- Job Rucker (unattached)
10th- 1 point- Rex Ruse (BCB)
Also- Sabine Dukes (Velobella-Kona), Hanan Alves-Hyde (unattached), Ileana Garcia-Parker (Alto Velo), Justin Morgan (FresnOakland),

B Group Results- 12 starters, 60 laps in 31:00 averaging 24.4mph

Highlights- San Jose Bicycle Club dominated this race in taking the top three spots and seven of the 12 sprints. Andreas Vogel was kind enough to move out of the Cs and still placed a respectable sixth.

1st - 22 points- Aaron Hunter (SJBC)- 3 victories
2nd- 19 points- Maurice Monge (SJBC)- 2 victories
3rd- 16 points- Steve Mielich (SJBC)- 2 victories
4th - 11 points- Bob Parker (Alto Velo)- 1 victory
5th - 10 points- Matt Talbott (Summitt Windows)- 1 victory
6th - 10 points- Andreas Vogel (Cycling California.com)- 1 victory
7th - 9 points- Dory Selinger (Guiness)- 1 victory
8th- 8 points- Wyatt Weisel (AMD-Discovery Channel)
9th- 2 points- David Allbut (Team Bicycle Business)
Also- Andrew Nevitt (Safeway), Mark Patten (VOS)- 1 victory, Randy Armstrong- 4 points (SJBC)

A Group Results- 8 starters, 100 laps, 40 immediately following the Bs

Highlights- Tied on points, the win goes to Jesse Mendonca on his final sprint win ahead of Michael Hutchinson who took his second lap just before the finish line.
1st - 50 points- Jesse Mendonca (BPG)- 4 victories and the final
2nd- 50 points- Michael Hutchinson (Spine)- 1 victory
3rd- 35 points- Daniel Holloway (VMG)- 1 victory
4th - 5 points- George Meilahn (IC3)- 1 victory
5th - 1 point- Steve Reaney (Giant Strawberry)- 1 victory
Also- Shelley Olds (Proman), Dave McCook (Kelly), Keith Miller (Giant Strawberry), Giovanni Rey (BPG)

BEER on September 27! Larry Nolan, AMD-Discovery Channel Masters Cycling Team

Obviously I am a big fan of points racing. Not just as a racer, but as a spectator as well. Tonights racing was pure and simple fun! I played my promoters prerogative card and moved a few of the riders between groups in hopes of making the events competitive. With some classy assistance it worked well. Here are a few examples of why I thought tonights racing was so much fun:
1) Rob Evans and Shelley Olds sprinting handlebar to handlebar for points (ah!)
2) Marc Franklin looking after Dash when Jen Coler was racing and then Jen looking after the little tike when Marc was racing (teehee)
3) Julie Nevitt sprinting to 2nd place and then Andrew Nevitt taking 6th place (coffee!)
4) 11 Bs started and all of them scored points. You might call that a competitive race (ah yeah!)

Thanks go out to Jen and Marc for baking the cookies. Thanks to Joe Fineman for the Peets and Clif Bars. Because of their generosity prizes went six deep. Thanks to all of those that continue to support this series and the track. Another $250 contributed to the track! Maybe we can afford that scoreboard soon?

Tip time: 2006 elite scratch race national champion Dave McCook and I shared a few tips with the C group before they started. Unsolicited, but good advice all the same. I cautioned about going too hard in the first few sprints and Dave reinforced that idea by mentioning that you should always have something in reserve in a points race because you just never know when an attack might come. Of course, the intent of this whole series is to give each rider ample opportunities to learn their limitations!

Survey time: If the county approved such a notion, would you support the track being open every Wednesday night, all year long. Rick Adams could run his excellent summer series, I could move my spring and fall series to Wednesdays and we could rotate supervisors to lead all the other Wednesdays the rest of the year. That would mean that you would have a well lit place to ride on cold winter nights. Sprinkle in a few BIG Friday nights of racing and you can easily tell your friends: the track is open Saturdays and Wednesdays all year long, except for rain! Do you like that idea? More importantly, would you show up in December?

C Group Results- 9 starters, 60 laps in 34:00 averaging 22.0mph

Highlights- Andreas Vogel took seven of the twelve sprints and controlled this race but that never stopped the group from attacking him and their competitors. This was a fun race to watch.

1st- 43 points- Andreas Vogel (CyclingCalifornia.com)- 7 victories
2nd- 22 points- Julie Nevitt (SJBC)- 1 victory
3rd- 20 points- Jen Coler (Trumer Pils)- 1 victory
4th- 10 points- Carlos Soto (Synergy Racing)
5th- 9 points- Sabine Dukes (Velobella-Kona)
6th- 3 points- Ryan Williams (Fresh Oakland)
Also- Joe Pritchard (Mako), Natasha Perry- 2 victories and 12 points (Velobella-Kona), Job Rucker- 1 victory and 13 points

B Group Results- 11 starters, 60 laps in 30:47 averaging 24.5mph

Highlights- The second of three great races to watch. All eleven starters scored and all but three stayed on even laps but it was the gutsy move by Stan Terusaki (Morgan Stanley) with 20 to go that gave him the win. Maybe if the Bs had listened to Dave McCooks advice they might have saved some energy(?)

1st- 32 points- Stan Terusaki (Morgan Stanley)- 5 victories
2nd- 21 points- Mark Patten (VOS)- 3 victories
3rd- 19 points- Maurice Monge (SJBC)- 1 victory
4th- 13 points- Aaron Hunter (SJBC)
5th- 11 points- Marc Franklin (Chico)- 1 victory
6th- 7 points- Chris Wehan (Look USA)
7th- 5 points- Ted Brooks (Synergy)
8th- 5 points- Ken Sato (Rock Lobster)
Also- Randy Armstrong- 4 points (SJBC), Joakim Vinberg- 10 points, 1 victory (Squadra Ovest/ Kovarus), Tim Bisson- 5 points, 1 victory (FFBC)

A Group Results- 8 starters, 60 laps in 29:00 averaging 26.0mph

Highlights- Tied on points, the win goers to Dave McCook on his final sprint win about a wheel ahead of Keith Miller, who continues to impress me with his strength and leg speed. Both will be ready for Nationals in 3 weeks!

1st- 38 points- Dave McCook (Kelly)- 4 victories and the final
2nd- 38 points- Keith Miller (Giant Strawberry)- 6 victories
3rd- 17 points- Rob Evans (BPG)
4th- 11 points- Shelley Olds (Proman)- 1 victory
5th- 8 points- Logan Loader (BPG)
Also- Giovanni Rey– 5 points and 1 victory (BPG), Matt Martinez, Alden Tanaka- 5 points (Cyfac), Andrew Nevitt- 7 points (Safeway)

September 20 and 27- that is two more Thursday Night Races in 2007! Larry Nolan, AMD-Discovery Channel Masters Cycling Team

Speaking of the upcoming Board of Directors elections- every rider of the Thursday Night series should be interested in how the BOD spends our money. In 6 weeks of racing the riders of this series have paid close to $2000 in entry and rental fees. Are you not curious as to how the new BOD will spend it?

Three weeks remain in this series (Sept. 13, 20, and 27) plus I have started talking with folks to see if we can have one night of training or racing under the lights all year. For starters it would give an alternative date to those riders that could not make a Saturday beginner session but mostly there would be great advantages of riding and racing under the lights.

Speaking of racing under the lights, I am appreciative of what we have going on with the Santa Clara County and with the BOD. I would also like to thank all of the riders that come out to race. Thanks go out to Peets and Clif Bar for the donations. You never have to go home hungry again!

B/C Group Results- 18 starters, 80 laps in 41:43 averaging 24.0mph

Highlights- The Cs and Bs were combined because there were only 4 As at 7pm. With sprints every 5 laps we saw a completely different race than we had in weeks past. The sprinters controlled the first 45 laps with sprints and slows until Marc Franklin (Chico) and then Lionel Quinteros (Synergy) bounded off the front. Marc and Lionel worked well together and stayed away for 25 laps before Lionel joined the pack and took his lap. That left Marc out there to take the points, but not the lap so he ended up in 3rd. Overall there were 12 riders that scored points!

1st- 44 points- Lionel Quinteros (Synergy) - 4 victories and a lap
2nd- 39 points- Steven Mielich (SJBC)- 3 victories
3rd- 34 points- Marc Franklin (Chico)- 4 victories
4th- 31 points- Wyatt Weisel (AMD-Discovery Channel)- 3 victories
5th- 15 points- Andreas Vogel- 2 victories
6th- 13 points- Tom Luttrell (ZTeam)
7th- 6 points- Ryan Williams (FresnOakland)
8th- 5 points- Mark Robertson (Trumer Pils)
9th- 3 points- David Krueger (LGBRC)
Also- Sabine Dukes- 2 points (Velobella-Kona), Edan Levaton- 2 points (Davis Bike Club), Larry Szabo- 2 points (Trumer Pils), Anna Erickson (UCSB), Job Rucker, Brandon Mark (Spine), Neil Bliss (Alto Velo), Justin Morgan (FresnOakland)

A/B Group Results- 15 starters, 80 laps in 35:00 averaging 28.6mph

Highlights- Studette Shelley Olds (Proman) and newly crowned elite Criterium National Champion Daniel Holloway (VMG Racing) counter-attacked an already fasted paced race to sail away from the field, take the next 5 sprints and gain their lap. Brian Percival (Stanford) is looking ready for collegiate track nationals.

1st with 62 points- Shelley Olds (Proman)- 3 victories and a lap
2nd– 56 points- Daniel Holloway (VMG Racing)- 2 victories and a lap
3rd- 25 points- Brian Percival (Stanford)- 4 victories
4th- 17 points- Rich Del Valle (Morgan Stanley)- 2 victories
5th- 15 points (later)- Logan Loader (BPG)
6th- 15 points- Stan Terusaki (Morgan Stanley)
7th- 14 points- Giovanni Rey (BPG)
8th- 10 points- Mark Patten (VOS) – 1 victory
9th- 7 points- Bob Parker (Alto Velo)
10th- 6 points (later)- Nole Studley (Roaring Mouse)
11th- 6 points- George Meilahn (ICCC)- 1 victory
12th- 2 points- Randy Armstrong (SJBC)
Also- Eugene Beyer (ICCC), Dory Selinger (Guiness), Chris Miller (Montano Velo)

September 13, 20 and 27- that is three more Thursday Night Races in 2007! Larry Nolan, AMD-Discovery Channel Masters Cycling Team

Thanks to Matt Martinez for running the show. I was at Masters Track Nationals and have not seen results. Larry