The new and improved Tensegrity PT Cyling for 2012

I know this is late in posting but here is the 2012 Tensegrity PT Cycling Team in our new purple kits designed by Julie Berkbuegler. I would like to thank are 2012 sponsors, Tensegrity Physical Therapy, Collins Bike Shop, Ninkasi Brewing Co, Turtles Bar and Grill, Bronto Bikes, Chance Fitzpatrick Massage and Pinch Flat designs.

Missing from the team photo are Carol Dubbels, Doug Turnbull, Emily Pfiefer, and Matt Schwartz.

So far we have had our team members this season race Half Ironman Tri's, Road Races, Time Trials, and Mountain bike races. Keep on following us through the season as we try to bring upto date race reports with triumph and humor when possible.

Kings Valley Road Race: What better way to spend a sunny day

First  I must say Kings Valley Road Race is a super fun rollie course with an up hill finish and im so glad my roomate (ryan garner )talked me into going. I have been on a racing hiatis for a while and had been dreading my return to racing, but also could not wait to get back at it. I had originally planned to mountainbike on Saturday but when I was offered a ride to the race ,the gears in my head started turning. My nerves went crazy at this point and I began to question everything about myself ,what a wreck. Despite all the fear I knew inside the time had come to get out and get back at it. I had not done a proper road race in 3 and half years ,and last year only raced a few times between cross and crits.

I got maybe an hour of sleep and jumped out of bed excited and scared all at the same time. I knew my lack of sleep may not help the matter but I really had no choice other than to back out, but my pride wasnt going to allow that, so off we went. So I get to the race ,register ,change and warm up and all seems well other than my nerves, and I begin to metally prepare myself for what may be the longest tt of my life..lol.. The course was a three lap 56 mile rolling course. My plan was to try not to get dropped or crash, work as little as possible and use the race astraining for later races..So the race began .........I felt surprisingly comfortable and settled in.

I was in the rearend of the pack not the best place to be ,the slinky effect in a 4/5 race is very dangerous and the surging makes it hard for the the people in the back to stay in contact with the group. About 4 miles in a rider in the front swerved to miss a pothole and I had my first near crash having to cross the centerline to avoid crashing..whew that was close...I recomposed and settled  back  in ...about 18 miles in there  was a right hand turn with corner marshalls waiving us on but appearantly not everyone was paying attention and only about half of the group actually turned right. The guy to my right also did not see this and we nearly collided and I was forced not to make the turn. We blew the turn, turned  around and tried to get back into contact and I did but it was short lived.

 The effort to get back on took too much out me and by the end of the first lap, at the top of the climb I was off the back on a reverse breakaway...I watched my race slip away and had no answer...God knows I gave all I had to get back into the group. This is where my race truly began...I'm guessing 10 or so of us got dropped in the cornering malay and we were strung out pretty good...The thought of quiting and riding back to car started crossing my mind and I felt mentally broken but decided to use it as fuel to get back into the race. I thought even if I finish DFL its better than DNF and if I can catch a couple guys I may not even DFL.

 I reached for my big boy pants and went for it. The second lap was a tt for me as I rode most of it alone pushing  myself as hard as possible. I caught and passed two guys, this helped me regain confidence and hope. When I reached the corner that had set my fate I noticed 4 guys in front of me. They were close now if I could just catch them we could work together and who knows just maybe....maybe my race wasn't over.... I pushed hard, real hard. I had to catch these guys... and I did..... but once again I used a ton of gas to get there. I got on a wheel and announced to the guys if they break and reset I would help to pull us back into the fold. They seemed to agree and the paceline began.

The entire third lap we worked super hard to get back to the group. They became my teamates and we got going quite fast and consistent. I knew we had a chance, we hit the last hill and could see the back end of the group and saw some of the riders that couldnt hang on to the sprint at the front end. I reached one more time in hopes of catching as many of them as I could. I tried to get out of the saddle and felt a little crampy so I sat back down and tried to go hard from my seat...I caught 5 or 6 guys and ended up 43 out of 56. Usually I would be upset by this as a result but all things considered I felt damn good about it.......This was a perfect way to get back into racing. I plan to do KVRR next year and hope to continue racing hard this year, so next time I get a better result.

Next race for me will be the Eugene Roubaix, I cant wait!

Piece of Cake

The Piece of Cake road race had all the right ingredients for a spring road race.  When signing up for the category 4/5 it had just reached capacity, so I was bumped to the more seasoned Masters 4/5 race.  This was interesting.  I had heard that the Masters ride a little more organized and thus a little faster than the Senior 4/5.  I was up for the challenge.
At 1:40 as the race started I felt great.  The sun was out, the temperature was just right, 60 degrees with a slight breeze. The race coarse begins with a good amount of gravel road.  Sounds like a lot of fun...unless you get a flat tire in the first hundred yards.  Flat tires usually don't bother me but I was the third rider to have a flat   and by the time I swapped my wheel out the group was out of sight.  I rode a hard pace with thought that I would never see the group again.
My game plan had switched from catching the group to trying to catch the other riders that sustained a flat.  There was one rider that I could see about  a quarter mile ahead of me.  I tried to catch him but I got the impression that he believed he could catch the group that was out of sight.
After the first lap I was sill riding solo.  Plan C was to enjoy the beautiful day and try not to get caught by the race that started after me.  Well I got caught but finished the race nonetheless.  I was able to catch up to a couple of riders in the last mile.
The Piece of Cake was a fun race that I will do next year.  My game plan for next year, puncture resistant tires.

Okon Udosenata

Mudslinger: Not just a clever name. And May 1st (April Fools Day), a coincidence... I think not.

With 11 inches of rain in March, nearly 4 inches in the week leading up to the event, and reports of 30-40 (depending on the source) fallen trees getting cleared from the course I knew other racers and I were in for a battle.


Like this but with more mud

This being only my 2^nd XC race and not really knowing how to prepare I just figured I’d wear clothing that would allow me to stay as dry as possible and I didn’t worry too much about overheating because I knew I was going to be out there for a while. I’m a relatively strong descender so the muddy slick conditions didn’t have me worried, but the reported long gravel road climbs had my quads and lungs ready to retreat. I put on my Raingear, taped a few gels to my top tube,  ate a banana, and got to the riders meeting just as Mike Ripley (race promoter) began to warn us of the trail conditions: standing water, slimy ruts, occasional creek crossing (ferry optional). Everyone followed his truck down a mile or so of gravel road to the race start and got roughly staged into our categories and prepared for the start.


Im in there somewhere



The course was pretty much exactly like it had been described to me…. Long gravel road climb, slimy rutted descent, another gravel road climb, long slimy descent, and REPEAT. In the first climb I just hung on the rear wheel of someone that would challenge me to climb at my threshold.

My climbing Competition

I was definitely passed by more people than I passed but I was close to the front of a pack of people that I knew I didn’t want in front of me when the trail turned downhill so I turned myself inside out to get/stay ahead of them. When we entered the first DH section there were two people just ahead of me…. One fell and the other skid (both wheels locked up) into her and got hung up. I managed to get around them clean with an alternate “bushwacker” line. I managed to pass a couple others and then caught up to the next pack over the 1+ mile descent and was feeling good. I was mostly dry, my muscles were warmed up, I had recovered from the first climb, and I was now ready for the next one. Within seconds of these thoughts going through my head I hit what I thought was a shallow puddle but was more like an axle deep bog. I was lucky to not shoot over the bars but was unlucky enough to have water shoot up my Endura capris and into my unzipped jacket and completely soak me to the bone.

What I felt like After said Creek Crossing

Before Creek Crossing

Over the next 2.5 miles of climbing I was mentally beat and had a hard time staying focused on the task at hand. By the top I had warmed the water and mud that was now attached to me to body temperature and started to feel better but everyone I had passed on the DH had passed me back as well as a couple others. Just as I crested the top of the climb I had remembered that I was racing and when I dropped into the next singletrack section I was focused again. There were 3-4 people walking a steep mud rut and they were polite enough to clear the way when they heard me approach. The next few miles were a blur of two-wheel drifting, hopping water bars, avoiding piles of crashed out people, an occasional cameraman/woman, and FUN... holy crap it was fun. All I could think was “I GET to do this part again”!?

Bottom of Panama Canal 1st Lap... STOKED to be PUMPED!

At the bottom of this section I was stoked. I thanked the volunteers at the trail junction where CAT 3 turned to go to the finish and I pedaled on toward the aid station which was the hardest climb of the day in my opinion. From what I remember it was three or four “stairs” of steep gravel road that seemed endless. I completely emptied my tank here. It may have been a bad strategy in hindsight, but I didn’t want to walk and plenty of people were. To be honest, everything after that hill was pretty much a blur. My memory from everything after it is similar to a concussion or a long hard night of drinking......foggy at best. At one point I had to push about 100yds of a muddy singletrack climb, then there was more gravel road, and even the second lap on Panama Canal was bad. I still passed a couple people, but I descended nearly 2 min slower the second time through. I was broken, shelled, cracked, bonked (any other stereotypical word for half dead).


I was kinda like this guy but my helmet isn' as cool

 I popped out onto the gravel road (ok, slowly rolled) and made the left turn toward the finish. I made it about 200yds and while still pedaling, I threw up. I was so exhausted that I laughed out loud to myself about it. I had left it all out on the trail…. literally. Awesome I think to myself as I see the, “1 mile to finish” sign. I had nobody close to me (I thought) so I pedaled at a high cadence and just tried to keep my momentum going. This involved me calling myself derogatory names out loud for motivation and eventually just panting like a farm animal giving birth. I was alone so it wasn’t embarrassing right…. Wrong! What I thought was a car in the distance was actually a guy about 5ft behind me.  I’m sure he’s got a good story about passing a delusional shell of a human being cussing to himself less than a mile from the finish. To put a cherry on top of this whole experience when he passed me I went to shift up a gear or two and try to stay with him but my bike wouldn’t shift properly and my cranks locked up. I back pedaled to free it, looked down and noticed that a side plate on my chain had broken and my chain was only being held together by one side plate. “OH NO!” I thought, not that I could’ve caught him or even kept up with him. At this point I wasn’t worried about that, I was worried that my chain would break and I’d have to run the last half mile or so of uphill. Since I wasn’t sure if that was possible I babied it until I could hear the familiar ring of my cowbell where Jen and some of the team were cheering me into the finish.

While waiting to hose my bike off with a fire truck (no joke) I asked Jen to go get me some food from the car and luckily she could understand my post-race grunt language and 1000yd stare so I was magically rewarded with a bagel and banana within seconds. Over the next hours or so I got cleaned up, loaded my bike, ate some carbs, and checked the results posted outside the gym……. WHAT?!..... 2:45:13 12 of 12 DFL in Cat2 29-34. It was a BUMMER and the first time I’d gotten last in anything I’ve done (except maybe 7^th grade wrestling). I accepted my defeat and over that night I reflected on the event. I started racing cross country and joined the Tensegrity PT Race Team this year to both challenge myself and meet new friends that shared the passion of cycling and fitness. I could’ve signed up for Cat 3 and never risked a last place finish but I wanted to jump in with both feet, go all out with my training, and really see what was possible. The next day while sitting in my cube at work wishing I was out on a recovery ride I decided to check the results again. Turns out I got 12 of 18 not the best result, but not last. STOKED! With that being said, the whole experience was very motivating and I plan on training hard with my new friends and getting better and better results as the season goes on.

Day-O: Banana Belt Race 3 Report

“Why do I race?”  This is what I am contemplating as I am half way through my second lap at Banana Belt #3. 

The race started well, I rolled along with the main field for the few miles.  Then, at the main climb, I got dropped.  Once I get dropped in a road race, it is not likely that I am going to catch back on to the group. I am dropped at mile 4 of a 33-mile race.  The sun was shining, so I decide to bury myself for as long as I can to see if this time I can catch back on to the main field.

As the miles roll by I look ahead in hopes of seeing other cyclists who may have been dropped.  I catch my first dropped rider at the end of lap 1.  I encourage him to draft off my wheel.  He tells me that he is going to drop out of the race.  I push on.

Lap 2, the sun continues to shine and the legs feel good.  I have a song stuck in my head.  My mind begins to wander,  “Why am I killing myself right now?”,  If I keep going, there is a chance I won’t be DFL”,  “Am I having fun?”.  Near the end of Lap 2 I spot another dropped rider.  I lower my head and pedal harder.

This is how I envisioned the day going, but fate and fitness had other plans.

At the start of lap 3 I catch the dropped rider.  This rider is ready to work and we take turns pulling and drafting.  I am stronger on the hills; he is faster on the flats.  We eventually catch another dropped rider and form a group of three. 

The group rolls toward the finish and I begin to plan my finishing strategy.  It is an uphill finish, so I plan to sprint with 200 meters to the line.  Since I am third in the pace line at 200 meters mark, my attack comes as a surprise.  One rider is dropped immediately and the other rider hangs onto my rear wheel.  With 100 meters to the line, my legs begin to fail.  The rider on my wheel pulls ahead at the finish.  I manage to make it to the line and avoid DFL. 

Although the day did not go as planned, I felt strong and I feel my fitness is progressing.  Why do I race?  I race because it makes me faster and improves my cycling skills. I race because it is fun.

Road trips and a Narcissistic Joy Ride on Syncline

Spencer already wrote a great race report about the Echo race. My race wasn't great and made worse by a mechanical, and a lack of early season riding. But this post is more about the weekend itself. The team carpooled up to Hermiston, then Hood River for two days of awesome riding and hanging out. We rolled into Hermiston with 3 car loads of racers at 11pm the night before the race and shared 2 hotel rooms. It brought me back to high school sports trips but with beer in hand.

Post race team nap

Post race we hurried off to Hood River to check out the breweries and hangout around the town. Some night time adventures in the name of finding a hot tub came up short but we found a 100 foot waterfall instead at the Columbia Gorge historic hotel, also they had great biscotti and coffee in the morning:)

Lewis and Clark? No Spencer and Ethan, but no less epic

On to the fun ride. For a post race ride we headed across the Columbia to the Syncline trail network just East of the town of White Salmon. We had varying paces and we trying to keep the group together. This is where things went wrong.  A few of the guys(Spencer, Ethan, and team friend Ryan McGinnis went up the road and didn't turn back) The rest of the group sat waiting hoping they would turn around. They didn't.

 So after 20 minutes Hollis,  Deireck and myself went up the road to try and catch the guys and come back down to Hollis's friends and Julie, Erin and Jen. We climbed and climbed and climbed all the way up into the snow and then came to a fork in the road. At this point a truck drove up and told us that he talked to our friends and sent them down a different way. He was nice and told us how to hit the trail from there. Note here: we told the ladies that we would ride back down to them on the road. But since the guy sent them down and we didn't have phones we thought we were good.

So the following footage is from a super epic descent down the trails Crybaby and Little Maui. On the way down we found Ethan, Ryan and Spencer.

After we got to the bottom we found out that the guy in the truck was talking about Hollis's friends and not the girls. The other guys had peeled of also and left the three women waiting for us to return. Ryan did have a phone and called and talked with the ladies. They were tired, hungry and pissed. To put it nicely we the guys of Tensegrity owe the women a night out. We made the start of reparations by stopping in Portland at Hopworks Brewery and buying the ladies many pints of beer.

So lessons learned for the team.
1. Have everyone carry their cellphones, and actually have everyones numbers programed into your phones.
2. Regroup and turn back if someone in your group doesn't show up, they could be hurt.
3. Never ever leave the ladies up the hill.

In the end all was fine and the ladies got there descent, ending an epic weekend of racing and riding with friends.

Echo, saved by Stans?

How can I begin to describe my 1^st Mt. bike race. Well it really started 3 days before, when I was gluing some super light tubless tires. Turns out the super lightweight tires are the Divas of the tire world, and don’t like to get pumped and filled with fluid (Stan’s fluid). I would fill them untill they were nice and tight, and Pssssss… a little pin hole bubble decides to pop, and release air… not such a big deal, all you have to do is shake some of the Stan’s fluid that is in them into the hole, then re-pump it up to pressure... Psssssss… I just repeated it about 40 times untill they finally held air over night. The next day on the 5 hour drive up to the race venue, and over night, my front tire the bigger Diva decided to deflate and pull away from the bead. No matter how furiously I flapped my little arms the floor pump couldn’t get the bead to reset. Long story short, I had to put a tube in it.

Ooook on to race day, did I mention it was my 1^st Mt. bike race ever, yeah well it was, and I was on brand new never ridden (Diva) tires, on a bike I had ridden maybe 3 hrs total.

We, the team, team Tensegrity + Ryan, got to Echo Red to Red, pulled up, and preceded to get ready and registered, bla bla bla, time for the preride. Off we ride up the windy road, following the windy racecourse, we veered off to the left onto a windy gravel road. Still windy, we cranked through the dust, and tumbleweeds. Blowing past bikers slung along the wayside, soon realizing that the tumbleweeds we were riding through were hiding, not so tiny two pronged, thorns (we call goat heads). Fearing for the lives of our tubes we furiously turned around and started tearing back through the goat head minefield, trying to avoid a pre race flat… Ethan’s tire went down, nothing we could do, leave him behind, the rest of us made it out unscathed, or so I thought.

Pulling up to the line I B.S.ed with a couple of the other guys trying to blow off some pre race excitement. I just happened to look down and I see a huge goat head chewing into my front tire… do I pull It? No time to change a flat… Awe F it… I pulled it, Psssss… but, hear comes my big but, but it turns out all the Stan’s fluid I left in the tire worked even though I had a tube in it, it sealed itself up. The rolling start begins. Cruising up the road I go, BAM, someone’s tire blows… They limp to the side of the road, Bam another down. We push on, down the gravel road, we turn right into a field, and then onto some single track, turns out it was not just windy but dusty too. I start passing people on the up hills, and try not to cry in terror, on the downhills, tricking myself into thinking my tears are from the wind. After pumping down the trail for a while, happy my tires are holding as I pass others stopped with flats. I see a fly over in the distance,

(a large wooden bridge over a second trail, set up to allow two riders/trails to cross simultaneously without running into each other). I approach, seeing a line of people piled up failing to ride over it. I think to myself I remember this game from cross, so I just shoulder my bike and run past everyone up to the top, hop skip and a jump back on my bike, landing lightly on the saddle. Ha ha eat my dust; you all suck (isn’t what I’m thinking of the 5 riders I just passed). This couldn’t be going better. Wait, my shoes failed to clip in. Turns out using brand new shoes means my cleat position is different. Screaming down this man made deathtrap, I bottom out no feet on the pedals, suddenly I’m sitting back on my bike, like I’m popping a wheelie.

I stop, thinking that my seat post has dropped. It’s still in it same spot, but me seat is pointing at the sky, in what I can only assume is an attempt to let me know who is punishing me for my greed. I bust out my multi-tool, and attempt to adjust my seat. I see the rails are bent and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. I raise my seat a bit, grab a granola bar out of my pocket, and jump back on my bike.

I’m annoyed as I start catching and passing people I have already passed. I keep pushing hard, I crest the top of a hill, expecting a nice well-deserved rest, only to be beat down by the steady battering ram of the Eastern Oregon winds. I do everything I can to keep pedaling and stay in the single track. I snake along the trail sometimes leaning sideways into the wind so far it looked like I'm leaning through a corner even when I'm going strait. I was doing great again, passing people on the up hill, and holding on for dear life trying not to die on the downhill. Ha I’m dominating these people. Clunk, clunk, clunk, I started to feel my back rim hitting as I road over rocks, it was going flat. I pushed on until it started to burp air; I stopped and whipped out a co2 charge, to pump it up. I connect the two pieces and hook it up to my tire… nothings happening… I try looking for a button or something to release the gas… I see nothing, I push and bend it to no avail… it must be a dud, so I start to untwist the charge from the adapter, and PSSSSSST, IT WORKS, I’m a dumb ass. Off I go again, passing people, some for the 3^rd time. I’m not so annoyed at this point because I assume my race is over due to the punishment by the lord for my callous pageantry.

I push on, I run into the far end of the gravel road, one big hill left, then a flat cruise to the finish line. I laugh as I see people up the hill walking their bikes or slowly spinning in their granny gear. I can pass everyone here. I jump up and start my out of the saddle grind. My back tire is slipping, and my legs are failing… maybe half way up, defeated, I slip into my granny gear, and slowly spin my way to the top, with everyone else. As I crest the top of the hill, my temples pumping out of my skull, ready for

the flats to catch my breath, I hit the wind again… the damn wind that I forgot about. Even with the wind I’m finally able to catch my breath, I notice some of the Cat 1’s in the field to behind me to my right, they are destroying the field, pace lining through the wind making us cat3s, 2s, and clydesdales look like we are standing still. I can see in the distance where we will meet, so I punch into the wind. I just barely make it to the intersection in time to jump on the back of their pace line. I try to hang on while the guys fly up the gravel road. They keep switching back and forth cutting the wind for each other, while I feel like a bitch just sitting back trying to catch my breath again. Finally we hit the road, and I figure I should at least try to be something other than a parasite, so I crank into the big ring (of my 3x9), and drop the hammer into the front, I say something cool like, “I’m a bad ass Cat 3 see if you Cat 1 bitches can keep up, aaah ha ha”, as I burn rubber and speed away. Ok what really happened was I said “jump on, I’ll pull you as long as I can”, and I did. I pulled for a good 3/4^th of a mile thinking I may be able to beat these guys to the finish, only to have them sprint past me in the last 400m like I was standing still (reverse breakaway).

All and all, I felt good about the race, turned out I got 2^nd in my age/division, so that was good.

The Other Side of the Clipboard

I’ve been racing in OBRA events since 2009, primarily at the Cross Crusade series. I know all about pre-registration, waivers, and race rules. I know the pre-race announcements by heart; I recognize the course marshals. Racers in Oregon are lucky – OBRA is a well-oiled machine that consistently puts on well-organized, fun events. We show up, warm up, race our races, and go home to prepare for next time.

Officials training requires proper nutrition taken seriously

A few weeks ago, several Tensegrity members attended the OBRA officials training in Salem. We are starting a new short-track mountain bike series here in Eugene this summer so we decided to get involved in the officiating end of racing. Additionally, there is a dearth of OBRA officials in the Eugene area; Tensegrity wants to contribute to the local events like the Eugene Roubaix, Twilight Crits, and PsychoCross. So Taylor, Julie, Spencer, and I spent a (sunny, beautiful) Saturday getting trained to be assistant judges and assistant referees.

I learned how little I actually know about what goes on behind the scenes at an OBRA race. There are approximately one million moving parts that make up the machine of a cycling race. From registration to equipment to results posting, it is a TON of coordinated work from a host of talented individuals.

We each chose between getting trained as an assistant judge (AJ) or assistant referee (AR). I went the route of AJ since I like numbers, organization, and detail. AJs are the folks at the finish line writing down your finishing order. We also note rule violations like crossing the centerline in the final sprint, public urination (Really guys? Right by the finish line?), and other things you should know better than to do.

Sounds easy enough, right? I put my newfound skills to the test at the Cherry Pie last weekend and found out just how hard seeing and recording thirty numbers simultaneously can be. Luckily, it’s 2012 and we can score every racer with a combination of technology and our handwritten notes. But it takes a lot of focus, which means I don’t register the people associated with the numbers. Several friends said they talked me as they rode by but I didn’t hear a word. I hope that means I was doing it right.

At the Cherry Pie finish line

(photo courtesy of Denny Rowe)

Next time you’re at an OBRA race, be sure to thank your officials. They are up pre-dawn checking the course, setting up equipment, making sure your number is pinned right side up, keeping the race fair, and cleaning up everything after you’ve left. They coordinate so that you don’t have to. Let them know how much you appreciate them! I look forward to seeing everyone out there this season, either on the bike or behind the clipboard.

Sun and Fun at the Cherry Pie

The Cherry Pie Road Race is my white whale.  This is my third time attending the race and let’s just says the previous two attempts resulted in less than stellar results. Mechanicals or lack of fitness have contributed to me being dropped by the peloton. Suddenly I go from racing to being on a solo training ride.  This year was going to be different.  The bike was prepped and the fitness was good.

We are racing!

The neutral start was jovial.  As the peloton rolled along we discussed post race plans and lack of early season fitness.  The sun was shining and everyone felt like they had a chance to win.

As the group rolled through the first few miles, the pace lifted and all the jitters of the first race of the year become apparent.  Uneasy bike handling, uneven pace, and jockeying for position was the norm.  I sat in the middle of the pack and relaxed, feeling good.  I was focused on staying out of the wind and on the wheel in front of me.

I am very aware of where the first set of rollers are on the course because this is the place I have been dropped in the past.  Looking around I find myself at the back of the pack.  We hit the first roller and I bury myself to stay on the wheel in front of me, however, when I look up from my effort, I realize the person in front of me is getting dropped.  I swing out and really start driving up the hill, but the front of the race had pulled away as I rolled past those who were spit out the back.

I pass an unfortunate racer who dropped his chain on the second roller.  He is OK and I drive on.  As I clear the first set of rollers I see the front of the race and they are a ways away.  At this point I have two choices, stop racing and enjoy the day on the bike, or keep fighting in the hopes the peloton slows and I can get back into the group.  I choose the latter and keep pushing.

Then something unexpected happens.  The guy who dropped his chain in the first set of rollers passes me.  I get on his wheel.  He is definitely motoring, but I am able to stay in his draft and somewhat recover.  I continued to sit on his wheel and we rolled into the second half of the race.

Eventually, a small group forms and one strong rider is pulling six of us along.  However, we are slowing as the “engine” of our small group is getting tired.  He needs a rest.  I pull out of the pace line and move to the front of the group.  The pace lifts and we continue along.

I figure, if our group works together we can get back into the race.  I begin to tire and swing out to let the next racer pull through.  As the next racer does a pull he stays on the front to long, the group slows and results in the main “engine” of our group to pull out of the line and push to the front.  This is not efficient, but it is all we have.

Our group pulls it together

We continue to motor along and eventually pass the juniors who started five minutes before our race.  With two miles left in the race I spot the peloton.  They are within reach.  With one last effort we reach the back of the main group.  The racer who did most of the work rolls past me and tells me to follow him.  Unfortunately I do not have anything left.  I sit on the back of the peloton as we enter the final climb. 

In the end, I finished at the back of the main group.  Although it is not the best outcome, I was happy the effort got me back to the main group. Road racing targets my greatest weakness on the bike, which is a lack of sustained power.  One race into the season I feel like I have a good base from which to build. 

Cherry Pie Race Report: A Missive

...And so it begins!

2012 starts not with the mountain bike race I thought it would, but rather, a road race I thought I'd never do again: the Cherry Pie road race. I did this race a long, long time ago and swore I would never road race again. Especially since it takes place in February, a time of year in Oregon not known for its blue skies and butterflies. Frankly I've always thought road racing to be mind-numbingly boring and not something I was likely to ever pursue.

Last year was good year of racing for me. As a Cat2 in the XC mountain bike series, I managed to make it to the podium 4 times; twice on the top step, securing 2nd place for the overall series. With this I earned myself an upgrade to Category 1 for 2012. As a Cat B in cyclocross, I started the season in early September with 11 top-ten finishes. I started the Cross Crusade series at Alpenrose Dairy by taking 2nd place and only nearly missing the win in the last minute and a half. After this, I was awarded with an automatic upgrade to Cat A status. It did not take long to realize I had a long way to go before I would be anywhere near the top-ten again! It was at this point that I revisited the idea of road racing again.

What would it take to be able to compete with these guys? They are fast, I mean, stupid fast. With most of my racing background in the off-road disciplines, I generally had no trouble competing with these guys through the more technical sections of a race; it was my fitness that slapped me right in my face.

Criteriums! This is where the fitness will be built. They are similar in nature, in that it requires and all-out effort for 45-60 minutes with little or no time to recover. I decided that for 2012, I needed to do as many crits as possible and I need to do them as a category 3 road racer.

The simple problem is that one cannot just arbitrarily upgrade from a cat4 to a cat3. In road racing you must earn your stripes.

"One does not simply walk into being a Cat3. Its black gates are guarded by more than just OBRA officials. There is evil there that does not sleep. Kenji's eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with high vO2 max, high LTs, and broken spirits. The very GU you eat is a poisonous gel. Not with ten thousand water bottles could you do this. It is folly."

Road racing: a necessary evil for the betterment of my cyclocross racing! And so, the friday before the Cherry Pie, I was informed by my roommate that I was racing on Sunday and that I didn't have a choice in the matter. Once the weather reports confirmed that I was indeed racing, I started readying my soul.

Race day! Bags packed, bike tuned, oatmeal eaten, coffee drank, nutella/jam sammy made, numbers pinned, legs warmed up, nutella/jam sammy eaten, ~2 mile neutral roll out and we were off! The race started fast. Although immediately up to 30 mph, I was quite comfortable sitting in the middle of the pack. This was my strategy: hide in the pack, do no work, go home a winner...this almost worked out.

From the beginning, one solo rider got away from the group and took an impressive 2 minute lead then about 10 miles into the race, another 2 riders got away. In an attempt to catch the second breakaway, a couple of guys moved to the front of the pack and pretended to do some work. However, after sitting in the middle of the pack for nearly 20 miles, the last 2 or 3 of which trickled by at a mere 18.5 mph, I started getting antsy. I didn't necessarily need to catch the breakaway, but I wanted to do something other than decide which wheel was the best wheel to suck. I was feeling too fresh for my own good. I decided I would put in just enough work to get the party started and then drift back into oblivion. To the front! I pulled us up to about 22 mph, where I still felt strong, but wasn't spending too many watts! I only stayed there for a couple minutes and that was enough. The real chase began and before we knew it, we had the 2 riders in sight and soon enough, we had them in our grip.

We hit the final climb of the first lap at balls-out speed and I immediately went into the red. Knowing this is where a split in the field could happen I was committed to staying with the front of the group. Once over the climb, we had a small split, though it came back together within just a couple miles. It was at this point we finally caught the solo rider who had been off the front from the beginning. Ready for round two!

Early into the second lap another two riders broke off the front, got 40 seconds on us, and stayed at 40 seconds nearly the whole time. Midway through the lap, with about 12 miles to go, we decided it was time to start the chase. Again...sitting in the middle of the pack had rendered me impatient and I felt like I needed to open my legs up a bit. 5 or 6 of us finally started working together and formed a nice tight pace line for a few miles and brought the gap down to about 10 seconds. With the final climb/sprint rapidly approaching, and satisfied with my efforts I went back to mid-pack and continued my trash-talking and started singing Lady Gaga.

As we approached the final right-hand turn to the finish climb, I knew I needed to be no further back than 10th wheel so I made my move and made the hard right. My big fear was that I would be so jacked up with energy that I would make the mistake of trying to fully sprint the 1K climb up the 7% gradient. But, I kept my head and picked a nice low gear and started the slow grind up the hill. As what felt like the entirety of the field came screaming past me I briefly questioned my tactics. That is, right up until I actually saw their tiny little heads explode one by one and I continued right on by the bloody stumps of their shatters legs. I spun the pedals, dropped a gear, spun that one up, one more gear, spun that one up too, dropped one more, 200 meters to go, passed a few guys, then a couple more, one more gear, heart beating in my ears, tunnel vision beginning, passed another guy, one more gear, 50 meters to go, finish line in sight, people screaming.....

11th place! (Which actually ended up being 10th because one guy was later disqualified for a tainted blood sample or for crossing the centerline during the sprint or something like that!)

Though I missed any upgrade points by just one placing, I am confident that with a little commitment to this road racing business, I will be racing the crits this summer as a Cat 3 and well on my way to peeing with the big dogs of cyclocross this year!

Tense-N-Grity! New Short Track MTB series to be hosted by Tensegrity PT Cycling

Bloomberg Course Details are not finalized and will be approved by Eugene Parks and EWEB

Tensegrity PT Cycling is proud to be bringing a new short track mountain bike race series to Eugene this summer. Plans are in the works for a 4 race series on Thursday nights July 12th-Aug 2nd. The course details are still being worked out but the location will be at Bloomberg Park near Lane Community College.

The course will be most likely 0.7 miles to 1.5 miles long with a mix of new singletrack, grass, and gravel road climbs with approximately 100-160 feet of climbing per lap. Tensegrity PT Cycling will be working closely with the Disciples of Dirt a non-profit chapter of the International Mountain Bike Association. The DOD are expert trail builders and will be helping in the design and maintenance of the new trails. The DOD would like to see Bloomberg park be kept as a year around training site for short track mountain bike races and cyclocross races with permanent barriers put in place.

More to come in following months. Stay tuned and keep on riding folks.

Now accepting 2012 Sponsors

Tensegrity PT Cycling is coming back for 2012 and looking to bring on new sponsors for 2012. We had some great results in 2011 including 2 State Championships in cyclocross, and an overall win in the High Cascades 4 man 24 hour race.

If interested in being a sponsor please contact:

Taylor Bushnell, DPT
Tensegrity Physical Therapy
541-338-7088

First REAL cross race

During the cyclocross season this year I was racing on Spencer's Santa Cruz Superlight (full suspension), which for a mountain bike is somewhat light and responsive. However, it is like riding a sloth when compared to a bike designed specifically for cross racing. For the last race of the season, I was able to borrow one of Spencer's cross bikes (he raced single speed while I raced geared). It was an entirely different experience, the bike was rigid!

While racing, I was able to start off strong and stay right behind Spencer for the first half lap. After that I slowly lost steam and got passed by 6 people (or so). On the second lap, I took a turn too tight, and smacked my arm into the light post that defined the inner boundaries. Undeterred, I pushed onward. I stayed back until the final straightaway on the second to last lap. The last person to pass me was still close, and I was able to draft off of him until the corner, where I passed him on the barriers. I pushed it to make a gap and ended catching up to a few of the people who had passed me before. I ended up passing a couple of them, with not much time left I was within catching distance of the racer in front of me. As I approached the final corner I kicked it into gear and by the barriers I was right behind him. I dismounted, took a leap over the first barrier, and slipped. Fortunately there was a very large gap between me and the people behind me, but I had lost my chance to pass one more person in a pretty awesome way. After a quick recovery, I ran across the finish line breathing hard and with an urge to unleash the contents of my stomach back into the world.

Overall, it was a good race for me. There was a lot of passing for such a small race, and I got to use a cross bike. I ended up getting 3rd place out of 7, which is better than I have done before. Next year I plan to actually have my own bike, and participate in more races. For now I just have to train.

The end of a successful Cross season: Men's B State Champion, and 3rd in the Cross Crusades

Taylor soloing to victory in the Men's B OBRA State Championships
Photo from Jon Muyskins 

So this season I had many goals. Of them was to come in the top 5 in the cross crusades. This happened. Another goal was to win a major race and I won the OBRA state championships which also helped my secure the Eugene Psycho cross race series before being forced up with the big boys.

The Tensegrity pain train, call the fire department. Ryan Garner and Taylor Bushnell.
Photo from Lee Ordonez

In the end it comes down to this: Cross is hard, you get better at cross then you race harder people. My 2012 season is now over with racing 2 crits, 1 road race, 11 mountain bike races and 15 cyclocross races. In that time I reached the podium 5 times(twice in mountain and 3 times in cyclocross) Next year the podiums will only be harder to find as I know race cross with the Elite guys, and mountain is always a tough battle for me.

Photo from Lee Ordonez

I want to give a special thanks to our 2011 sponsors: Tensegrity Physical Therapy, Biota Sciences, Urban Farm Massage, and a special thanks to both Collin's Bike shop and Ninkasi brewery. There local support is unheard of in this area and I would hands down recommend them for any future needs.

Now its time to ride trainers, bike in the rain, lift weights, have too much holiday food and beer, and ski. 

Much more to come Tensegrity PT Cycling in 2012.

Cross Crusade 5 and 6: A costume party on bikes

So for this double header race report I am writing about the most entertaining cyclocross weekend in the Northwest. This year it was made extra special with the Oregon Handmade Bike Show also occurring in Bend at the same time. Needless to say racing and fun were to be had by all ages, with Deschutes Brewery selling pints for 4 dollars a piece, while we sat with a beautiful Ninkasi Keg of Sleigh'r and gave it out for free.

Julie Berkbuegler using her Ninkasi Slayer Recovery Drink. 

Photo from pdxcross. You notice I am hammering with my Hammer on my bike

Onto the races:

Cross Crusade 5 (Saturday)
For the first race I was feeling good with my chances of winning. The Bend course is a bike handlers course and suits me well as a mountain biker. I pre-rode the course and knew right away I was gonna be fighting at the front. So the race starts in a flash as we head into the dusty upper start and I quickly move upto 2nd place. I ride half a lap holding this position before I bobble a turn and fall back to 4th place. That was the last time in the race that I saw the race leader Stephen Glass. He ended up putting a minute and a half on me. I stayed in 4th with no one close to catching me.

Thor ahead of most of the Men's B field. Photo Compliments of Jon Muyskins (Tensegrity PT Cycling)

Steve Prefontaine (S. Ardt) ran his first lap before switching to his bike and got 33rd in the C's.
Photo compliments of Jon Muyskins (Tensegrity PT Cycling)

Dave Bisers riding over the fly over. Photo compliments of Jon Muyskins (Tensegrity PT Cycling)

Cross Crusade 6 (Sunday)
Ready for round two after a night of little sleep, many hours in a hot tube with too many dudes and too few ladies with lots of beer. Lots of tasty Ninkasi beer also was added into my Sunday pre-ride of the course. For my costume I chose to be Thor, I thought it would be a good and intimidating costume(more likely a 80 big hair tribute look) and I think it worked. I lined up at the start of the men's B field and gave a Norse god yell out "to Vahalla"! I took off like a guy knowing what I was doing as for this race there was a prize for being the first over the flyover a quarter of the way through the course. After this moment was a scary point for me as this was the first time I was leading a race for a considerable distance until again I was pushing the bike a little too hard coming into a set of barriers. I laid my bike down on my elbow(which I sometimes need at work as a Physical Therapist). By the time I get back into a rhythym I was in 4th place again. I chased hard and closed a 20 plus second gap down to 4 seconds at one point to finishing 8 seconds back from the podium.

Angry Bird Ryan Garner chasing a Douche. Ryan rallied after a spectacular wreck over the fly over on Sat.
Photo compliments of Jon Muyskins (Tensegrity PT Cycling)

Why the course and Bend was so awesome or just watch and see why:

1) Flyover was the entrance to the beer garden

2) You could catch air over the fly over and look cool, especially if you clip your back wheel(sorry Ryan)

3) Eating so much dust and dirt made Deschutes beer taste alright
4) A guy made a full size scoot bike to push around the course (you cost me winning the best costume, my hat off to you)
5) An awesome croud with too many drinks and too little inhibition to prevent amazing heckling

Julie Berkbuegler sent me her race reports to add in as well. 

So it got a little rough and tumble again. I am doing a quick recap on my Washington Fairgrounds race and then I will dive into Halloween weekend. For some reason I found it necessary to do a super man before I even got to the barrier, my bike was literally my cape and my left foot strapped into its pedal and I landed flat chested into the dirt. It is probably a good thing that I am not at all busty. Most people would keep that to themselves, but I on the other hand like to tell all about my foolishness, faultiness and bumps and bruises. Isn't it a part of the fun too! In the last post I said I wanted to be in the top 15....well it was close but still not my goal. I ranked 16th and rode the same number of laps as the leaders, I was super excited about this. But To tell you the truth it was a little painful to add a fifth lap onto my usual 4. 

Batgirl rocking to a 10th place. Photo compliments of Jon Muyskins (Tensegrity PT Cycling)

 Last weekend was a fun one, I had the pleasure of two races in one weekend, and I am happy to say there are no bruises. Saturday I just wasn't really feeling it, the whole time I was riding I thought I might be in the top 30's but it turned out....I ranked 16th again. It was music to my ears and plenty of dust in my lungs. Sunday I wasn't feeling so hot and no it wasn't because I partied to hard the night before, so I figured I would do the best that I could. I dressed as bat girl and my nemeses was also bat girl(but I looked way better as bat girl). I battled with her for a bit and then I just couldn't  hold on any longer and she dropped me. This time I thought I was in the top 18 and it turned out.....I finally reached my goal and then some. 10th baby!  Now I regret not riding until I barfed. 

Bruises and a 10th ranking I am still pretty happy with the way this season is going. Next goal a top 5!

Super Deirick Ritter racing hard in the B's. Photo compliments of Jon Muyskins (Tensegrity PT Cycling)

The Singlespeed Hulk(Dave Bisers) "Hulk Mash Pedals!"
Photo compliments of Jon Muyskins (Tensegrity PT Cycling)