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On course for Beijing...
Adam Craig grew up in Exeter and is now one of the top mountain bike racers in the world. Up next, the Olympics?
Read the full story here...
- By MIKE LOWE, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
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Rebound SPL Outdoor Training Sessions Schedule April 24, 2007
Starting today April 24th we will be offering the following training sessions weekly.
Tuesdays from 12-1:15pm cycling session typically some type of interval or specific workout with lactates when applicable.
Tuesdays from 5:15-6:15pm running session-a variety of workouts will be covered check the training board for specifics
Wednesdays from 12-1pm running or cycling session with more strength and tempo type workouts check the training board for details.
Thursdays from 12-1pm running session similar Tuesday evenings workout.
Thursdays from 5:15-6:45pm cycling session - some strength and interval workouts but most will consist of our new Technical series focusing on MTb, ROAD, and Cyclo-cross*
All the workouts will be headed by either myself, Dave Cieslowski, and Justin Wadsworth. Details of all the workouts can be found at Rebound SPL on the training board at the front desk or you can check www.cdcbybowen.com under the news section for updates to daily training and schedules. Details of our Technical series will be available soon.
A 10 session punch card will be available for $100 and an individual session will $15. Some of you may have punches left over from our indoor cycling classes which will be good towards our outdoor training sessions. Punch cards will be available at the front desk.
Hope to see you all this season,
May 7, 2007
Back in Bend, we high-fived Brig as he set out again to So-Cal, for the third race of the national series, while Ben and I traveled to southern Oregon to represent the team at the state championships. Psyched to be represented at the "big race," we eagerly awaited Brig updates all weekend. While Brig rode admirably, finishing the xc despite feeling poorly, we were most amused with Brig's fellow Bend travel/racer companion who was wow-ed by Brig's well thought out, improvised, hotel hot-plate culinary skills.
Meanwhile, in Ashland, OR we were to throw our lot in at the Spring Thaw, Oregon's (perhaps too early in the season) state championships.
None the less, southern Oregon was in full spring bloom, and we opted to sleep outside and fore go sleeping in another nappy, over-priced hotel in favor of "keeping it real," as well as enjoying the spring beauty found in the hills, rivers, and lakes in southern Oregon.
Our "keeping it real," may have been the beginning of our undoing. Friday, after pre-riding the course, or at least the opening HOUR-LONG climb and 3000' elevation gain, we flipped it and descended back through the snow and icy puddles back to the van. It probably took us two hours and one expensive meal to get warmed up and feeling normal again. Friday in town was bright and sunny and after some tea and relaxing at one of Ashland's hippie-infested coffee houses, we retired to the outskirts of town to camp, anxious to begin the relaxing and unwinding process.
After a quick dip in the lake to soothe the legs and clean our offensively-strong smelling bodies, we realized how cold it really was. There would be no sitting around and rehashing the day, chuckling while discussing fellow racers over dinner preparations....it was freezing. We made dinner as fast as possible, cleared the van out, and got in our bags to read and chat in relative warmth until it was dark enough to consider sleeping. All that cold and climbing must have done the trick, 'cause i slept like a log.
Ben and I are both early risers...but a 9 a.m. start? ...When there is snow on the sides of the trails up at 5000'+? Not a popular idea...and our legs agreed. It was hard to get started that early, but the climb was long enough to get into a rhythm, get out of said rhythm, think about what you will eat for lunch, the weather, your broken headlight, who might have the cheapest replacement part, how your girlfriend is doing down in Fontana, and back into the climb...
After the long fire-road slog to the top, Ben crested in third, I in fifth. Rolling across the top, Ben closed ground and quickly caught second place upon entering the stupid-fun, swooping and treed single-track descent. Our Maxxis tires, Larsen TT on front and the fast rolling Oriflame on the rear, were the perfect choices for the buffed trail.
Once on top, I made the mistake of sitting up and riding with slower riders, thinking I needed help across the long flats before beginning the downhill. Slower riders are rarely much help and I ended up in 8th, third semi-pro. Ben held on to 2nd overall. Our Orbea's were perfect on the long climb, thanks to their sub-23lb nature, and the surprising plush rear end allowed both of us to gain ground and spots on the downhill.
With the race over early, we had the rest of the day to have pizza and beers by the creek with our competitors, before moving on to our next destination...the Umpqua Trail. After another cold night, Sunday dawned bright and early and we rode the junk out of our legs, or so we thought... after 3.5 rad hours of river-trail single-track. We were so stoked on the riding, we failed to realize over the day, we would climb 10,000'. Not really a recovery ride, but a great day of riding with bros after a lack-luster race.
Racing at home this weekend for the Cascade Chainbreaker - fun times ahead!
-- Bend Elite crew
April 20, 2007
Sun? At Sea Otter?
When we arrived to sunny central California, the trail conditions seemed to be great, as was the weather, clear and in the mid-60s. Perfect for racing, especially after facing the furnace in Arizona a few weeks back.
In the first race of the weekend, Ben showed up and put down a fast time in the Time Trial (TT), a short test of power and handling abilities, finishing 40th in a large Pro field with a 3min29sec effort.
We were very fortunate to be able to stay with Ben's folks only miles from the venue. The Thompson house will be a hard act to follow as far as future race accommodations go. We would awake to the smell of freshly brewed, local organic coffee, and stumble downstairs to see a huge container of muesli waiting for us as well as fresh fruit and a stocked fridge. Relaxing on their expansive back deck, overlooking some central Cali woods with coffee in hand, a cool breeze and a bright sun proved a perfect start to the day.
Saturday we awoke to overcast skies..."perfect...we won't get too hot," or so was the sentiment, still overly sensitive to the heat after AZ. Overcast turned to light rain..."perfect, the short track course will be nice and tacky..."...light rain gave way to heavy rain and winds, postponing the semi-pro start from for three hours. Monterrey would receive half an inch of rain that afternoon, or a third of April's average rainfall. The course soon turned to slop, not as bad as last year, but defiantly a soup, where skinny, "pizza-cutter" tires would be a boon.
Ben started in the first heat of the pro men's field and fought to hold on to decent positioning in the always hectic start. It was cold, muddy and continued to rain, but the conditions were familiar to us Oregonians. Making a heroic last-minute pass on the climb, Ben scored 10th after passing his Rocky Mountain Cycles rival.
I was psyched about the slop and the cold (once I got warm) and used the conditions to my advantage. On the first lap, I attacked going into the downhill after realizing the others couldn't weren't riding well in the deluge. I held on for second place after getting passed up late in the semi-pro race.
Saturday night we were again treated to a gourmet meal, this time courtesy of chef Ben. We dined and laughed and told stories of the day with friends and fellow Bend racers back at our "home," feasting on stuffed and roasted chicken breasts, a cold corn, bean and broccoli salad and fresh bread all from, Whole Paycheck...er...Whole Foods - just the thing for tomorrow's long XC race.
Saturday's rain served another purpose; it turned the previously bullet-hard XC course into a fast and grippy race-track. Unfortunately, the mud took its toll on my brake pads the day before, and I had no stopping power after 15min of racing, I crashed pretty hard on one of the many fast downhill sections, despite being in good position and feeling good.
Ben spent much of the first lap working his way up from a low call-up through the 100+ starters in the Pro field inching by on the short punchy climbs and big-ringing on the flats and sipping his Hammer HEED in anticipation of a long day at the office. As the miles and elevation approached the claimed ~7000ft ascent and 40+ miles, Ben was able to put those December base miles to good use and move through some of the visiting euros to finish in 48th place.
Afterward, we were rewarded with fresh pasta, a huge salad and baguette back at the Thompson villa, before starting the long slog back to central OR.
Meanwhile, Brig was down in his home state of Texas, representing the team at the Warda and had this to share: “Well, while the boys were off in California I went down south to ol' Tejas for a wedding, and, lucky for me, the 5th stop of the Texas Mountain Bike Series in the booming metropolis of Warda, TX (Dairy Queen is looking into it). Always kind of funny to think that the mountain bike season is almost over down there, and it hasn't even really begun here. Anyway, a $100 hole-shot check guaranteed a fast and dangerous start... something I can't say I really wanted to partake in. After the dust settled Scott Henry (Trek-VW), Will Black (Colonel's Bike Shop) and I formed a small gap on the rest of the field. Having not pre-ridden the course I was content to follow the leader for a lap, but just before the start of lap two I decided to have a go in the lead. To my surprise the legs felt good, so I just pedaled and let the Orbea soak up all the ruts and rocks on the twisty 24 mile course. Just under 2 hours after the start we had our first win of the year. Even better, my girlfriend (and soigneur) and her family got to watch. Even better still, the victory was followed by a wedding with delicious Texas BBQ, beer, and music.. Yeeee-haw.”
All in all, a very successful weekend, with a 1st, a 2nd, and a top 10 and more top rides from Ben against one of the most competitive fields in the world. Again, our Orbea OIZ’s worked great on the fast course with 7000'+ of climbing. A big thanks to all of our sponsors, especially our bros at Sunnyside Sports, in Bend, OR. Their mechanics have been crucial in keeping our rigs running smoothly.
The next weekend of racing is only weeks away...
-- The Bend Elite wrecking crew
April 2, 2007 – Fountain Hills, AZ - Trial by fire. Such was the case at the first national race of the season, in the crippling heat, on the exposed, pedaling-intensive, rolling desert course, just east of Phoenix, AZ.
Oppressive heat, flat tires, and a fast early season pace separated those who live in the southwest from those who don’t. Despite, the course was highly enjoyable, with high-speed, sweeping corners, rocky technical sections and quick power climbs, all on fast singletrack with questionable traction.
Brig set the bar high, with a 21st place finish in the TT on Friday, to start the weekend of racing. James finished 25th in the semi-pro field, following a conservative ride. Saturday’s twilight short track saw Brig and Ben fight tooth and nail for position. A mistake in the call-up left Brig and Ben at the back of the 100-rider pack, but both raced valiantly to finish in good position in the notoriously fast event.
Sunday dawned bright and…hot. The day of the 40 mile xc race would be prove to be the hottest in days, with temps hovering around 100*….ouch.
After suffering a flat in chaos of the pro-men’s start, Ben managed a quick change and spent the lap catching flailing racers, setting a tough pace. Two laps into the four-lap race, Ben had ridden himself into the top-30, no small feat, especially in foreign conditions so early in the season. Then a flat… then another and another, until Ben’s supply of fix-it tools was exhausted, as was his patience. He rode on his rim/walked to the finish line, finishing his trying day.
Brig started well too, but became too dehydrated to safely function. Determined to get his money’s worth, Brig forced his way to the finish, a commendable job, as a third of the field did not.
In the semi-pro field, James hung with the lead group for the first two laps, milking his camelback and liking his chances. The water-supply dried up and the heat took its toll, as James suffered through the third 10-mile lap, trying to figure out if it was appropriate or legal to ask the few spectators on-course if they had any potable liquids to spare.
After slamming all the water his belly would hold in a 30 second pit stop, James would go on to have a considerably better fourth lap, ending up in 10th place.
A tough way to start the season, but a purpose was served…our Orbeas proved to be light and efficient, fast on the climbs as well as the rough descents and we are all happy with how our form is developing. Sea Otter in two weeks…
Ben and James were lucky enough to have a few days after the race to head up to Sedona for some fun slickrock riding and a few good hours of bases miles under the sun.
Until next time - Bend Elite MTB http://www.bendelitemtb.com
8-17-05
Congratualations to Jeff Collins for winning the overall New Mexico Road Series in the C category. Jeff finished off the season with a win in the Taos Alpine Classic Omnium. Also congratulations to Scott Virtue for finished Third Overall in the B category. Scott has had an outstanding season, with a few races still to go.
Congratulatons to Nina Baum on an outstanding performance at the Deer Valley NORBA National. Nina finished 11th in the hillclimb, 10th in the cross country and 11th in the short track. Great Job.
Also congratulation to Jeff Collins for winning the state RR in the C class. Jeff also won the Tuesday Night Crit Series in the C class and is currently winning the overall in the New Mexico Road Series.
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