Crit season started early this year with the Cascadia Criterium series kicking off in late May. Over the course of three consecutive weekends, this brand new series encompassed a total of six races. The courses varied between the old tried and true such as Ballard, Boat Street, and Seward, to brand new events at Woodinville, Fremont, and Tacoma. The racing was fast and furious as racers earned cumulative points vying for podium spots in the overall.

The Masters 35+ division saw some epic battles over the course of the series. With strong Canadian representatives adding to the already competitive field, it was a cage fight till the bitter end. The black and red colors of Garage Racing were prominent throughout the series animating many breakaways and collecting primes along the way. After combining for a total of 8 top 5 finishes, Nikos Mills and Mike Burdo finished 3rd and 4th overall for the series.

Kudos to Robert Trombley and all who made this new series possible. Garage Racing has already marked this down as a must-do for next year.




(Photo courtesy of Wheels In Focus)

Via Tribunali Neapolitan Pizzeria announces "5@5" in conjunction with Peroni Beer, The Stranger, Caffe Vita and The City of Seattle's Bicycle Program to raise funds for the local biking community.

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 Through Wednesday, June 9th 2010 Via Tribunali Neapolitan Pizzeria will host its 5@5 campaign in conjunction with Peroni Beer & The Stranger to raise funds for the local biking community.

5@5 is a campaign focused on raising funds for the Seattle biking community. Every Wednesday beginning May 12th we will open our doors to the Seattle biking community. Ride your bike and you will receive a free margherita pizza and we will be selling $3 Peroni Beer.

The $3 purchase of Peroni will be donated to the selected biking community partner on the given week.

Each week 5@5 will take place at a different Via Tribunali Location from 5-7PM.

Locations:

• Wednesday, May 12th: Georgetown 5-7 pm benefiting Bike Works
  
• Wednesday, May 19th: Capitol Hill 5-7 pm benefiting Garage Racing Team
  
• Wednesday, May 26th: Queen Anne 5-7 pm benefiting Trips for Kids Seattle
• Wednesday, June 2nd: Belltown 5-7 pm benefiting Bicyle Alliance of Washington
• Wednesday, June 9th: Fremont 5-7 pm benefiting The Bikery

Addresses for locations are on the Via Tribunali website.

Saturday was the first circuit race of the year with the Michelob Ultra Circuit Race at Glenwood. Circuit races are about half the distance of a standard road race. With Michelob Ultra on the line, riders can still consume the same amount of beverage and not be concerned that half the distance is only half the calories spent. Is that the idea?

Tom Wick started the day with a 2nd place finish in the Cat 3 race. Tom put in a massive dig with one other rider coming into the finishing straight, getting a jump on the field and maintaining it to the line. Jay Hilwig pulled a similar move in the Masters A/B race to get a jump on the field and take 2nd in that race. In Masters C/D, Chris Broyles unleashed the power to claim 5th. Brian Hitchcock took 3rd in the field sprint in the Cat 1/2 race, placing him 6th for the day.

Sunday the old-and-slow guys went out to Longbranch for the Masters State Road Race Championship. The normal course had an additional section tacked on that included some leg-sapping rollers, a short climb, and a tough section with significant headwind making this a real grinder of a race course. Only the most deserving were going to finish at the front of this course. Kevin Masterson and Nikos Mills softened up the Masters A field giving Kyle 'not-so-old and not-so-slow' Farrell a chance to slip from the pack with one breakaway partner. After holding the rapidly dwindling pack off for the better part of three laps, Kyle crossed the finish line solo and convincingly claimed the State road race title.

With a slew of top 10 performances including a State Championship, this was a great weekend for the Garage Racing team.

Garage Racing Team is proud to announce our partnership with Sonadei and their Cape Verde Bicycle Organization. The team is working with Sonadei and their Cape Verde Bicycle Organization by donating team kits. The CVBO gives us a great opportunity to help support positive cycling experiences around the globe. Garrett from Sonadei outlines their motivation:

There is already much being done regarding outfitting, supplying, and training many west African countries with bicycles and in bicycle repair. Peace Corps Volunteers in the Republic of Cape Verde, together with Sonadei, have made an inroad into this neglected country in terms of bicycle advancement. As more and more third world nations have international support with bicycles, it is fitting that one of the next steps is that some of these new cyclists move towards using the bicycle outside of cargo and simple transport but for exercise and competition. As cyclists in Europe and the US know, having a team uniform can make you feel pride for your sport and your team and make you feel a part of something larger. With this in mind, Sonadei wants to further advance the already ongoing donations of bicycles to include bicycling apparel from cycling teams in the US to these countries already being aided by many American and international bicycle organizations.

Garage Racing Team looks forward to the results of Racha de Bicicleta 2010 where Garage donated jerseys will be given to race participants and volunteers. To learn more about CVBO check out their site. Your team can donate old race kits too! If you are interested email: "support at sonadei dot com".

Yo, Oregon, you got something more difficult you can throw our way? Err, this wasn't really what Brian Hitchcock and myself were thinking after last weekend's Cherry Blossom stage race. A very tough weekend in The Dalles, Oregon.

The Columbia River Gorge has some excellent riding, big hills, strong winds, and racers cranking up the hurtitude over four races. Friday's 80 mile road race was a cakewalk compared to Saturday's queen stage. Zero flatland, significant headwinds, big hills, climbs on dirt roads, technical descents; basically the kitchen sink of racing. Hitch lost under 13 minutes on the day, which was more than respectable considering the competition at play. Hitch ended up in the top 20 in GC for the weekend.

Sunday morning was the only time my legs decided to do anything significant. I took 11th in the morning's 8 Mile Creek Time Trial (which, incidentally, is a 10 mile time trial despite the name).

Tough, tough race. I'm sure it won't be any easier next year!

Garage is two months into the 2010 season, and we have produced some outstanding results!

The season started back in February with the Frostbite TT, on a nice and dry and not even particularly cold day in Snohomish. Alex Rosenast chalked up Garage Racing’s first win of the year, with a stellar Cat 3 time. Kyle Farrell placed 5th in the Pro-1-2 category, Chad Marion was 7th, and John Sindell was 10th. Jason Bethel was 6th in Masters. Our season was underway!

The next weekend was the Icebreaker TT in Auburn, and Alex Rosenast dominated the Cat 3s again, with another win! Jason Bethel placed 8th in Masters, and Kyle Farrell placed 8th in the Pro-1-2.

Mason Lake 1 was the next day, the first Sunday in March. The weather was again surprisingly nice, and results flowed. David Hills placed 8th in a very fast Masters 2-3 race. In the Cat 3 race, Aaron Berntson spent most of the day off the front, and he was only caught 1km before the finish. After a pretty harrowing crash around 500m that removed Morgan Coleman, Aaron Lavin, and much of the rest of the field, Tom Wick sprinted for 3rd place. In the Pro-1-2 race, Brian Hitchcock was active and off the front for the end of the race, and he ended up placing 4th.

Garage Racing and Kryki Sports co-promoted the Sequim Road Race #1 the next Satuday. We had record numbers, with just shy of 500 racers! People loved coming out and racing on the peninsula and getting more good dry weather racing in. We all volunteered to help the event run smoothly and we didn’t end up in any results from the day.

The next day was Mason Lake 2, and “Mr. Consistent” David Hills chalked up a 9th place in the Masters 2-3 race. Michael Wasserman was 10th in the Cat 3 race.

The next weekend was Garage Racing/Kryki Sports’s Sequim 2. Again we had huge numbers of racers, thanks to the good weather and the well-promoted race! David Hills was 7th in the Masters event, which proved to be our only result of the day. (Way to go, David!)

Mason Lake 3 followed, and Kyle Farrell was good enough for 8th in the Pro-1-2 race. Michael Wasserman turned in a 7th place in the Cat 3s.

The Independence Valley Road Race, on Garage Racing’s “home course” was a mixed bag. In the morning races, Michael Murdin placed 7th in the Masters race. We had no Cat 3 or Pro-1-2 results, unfortunately: many of the Cat 3s were victims to various problems (crashes and mechanicals, mostly).

The Ravensdale-Cumberland Road Race was the next day, and though we didn’t bring a huge Garage contingent, our Brians still did well. Brian Estocapio was 3rd in the Masters race after spending most of the day off the front in a break. Brian Hitchcock placed 10th in the Pro-1-2. Hitch spent a large part of this rainy day off the front with a few others. And (non-Brian!) Michael Wasserman placed 5th as Garage Racing’s lone rider in the Cat 3 race! Nice!

The first weekend in April saw a race on the east side of the state, the Frozen Flatlands Omnium near Spokane. Two Garage riders made it over there: Chris Broyles raced Cat 4, and Brian Hitchcock raced Pro-1-2. Brian placed 9th in the first day’s (cold!) time trial and then he won the first day’s (cold!) road race. The next day, Brian placed 4th in the second road race, enough to WIN the overall Pro-1-2 omnium! Congratulations to Brian for his first Pro-1-2 win!

The Volunteer Park Criterium was the next Saturday, and Nikos Mills placed 5th in the Masters 1-3 race. Michael Wasserman placed 8th in the Cat 3s. Chad Marion placed 9th in the super fast Pro-1-2 race.

The next day, Olympic View Road Race near Elma was a new race for the calendar. Several Garage riders went to this race. In the Masters 1-3 race, Jason Bethel placed 4th, Aaron Lavin placed 6th, and David Hills placed 9th. In the 90-mile Pro-1-2 race, Kyle Farrell spent more than 50 miles off the front with a few others, and he ended up placing 2nd. Brian Hitchcock placed 9th.

The first Washington stage race of the year was next: the Tour of Walla Walla stage race. Garage Racing brought several racers to the event. The Pro-1-2 and the Cat 3 events started with a road race on Friday evening. Brian Hitchcock placed 9th in the Pro-1-2 category. In the Cat 3s, Matt Heck and Christian Kittleson stayed with the front group. Saturday was a TT and then a criterium. In the Masters TT, Alex Rosenast placed 7th. Matt Heck was 7th in the Cat 3 TT (with what I think was his first time on a TT bike!) In the Masters criterium, Nikos Mills and Dan Hazzard picked up some primes, and Tom Wick finished 7th. In the Cat 3 criterium, Matt Heck and Michael Wasserman gained some time on some of their competitors by staying with the front group in the blistering-fast race. Sunday was the road race. The Masters race ended up coming down to the final 3km climb, and Kevin Masterson stayed with the front group and placed 7th, gaining lots of time on most of his competition. Alex Rosenast was near the front as well, also solidifying his general-classification standing. At the end of the event, Alex placed 7th in the Masters GC! In the Cat 3 race, Matt Heck stayed in contact with the front group, and ended up taking 7th place in GC. Nice job, all! (And thanks for arranging the team house, Steve Z!)

Garage Racing has started the season with lots of high placings, a few victories, and a lot of great teamwork and comraderie. Here’s to more of the same!

Garage Racing is pleased to announce the new 8 man Garage Elite Team.

Note: this is an April Fools' joke post. It is NOT real. But you're not the only one who thought it was - Jason & Kyle fooled many people with this one! --TW

This will be an all Masters Elite Racing Team to race in selected NRC races for the 2010 season and all the NRC races for the 2011 Calendar. Thanks to significant extra funding from the Garage and other primary sponsors for making this happen.
A Garage Racing spokesman stated “getting an Elite Masters Team together has been a dream for so many of us for so long - now it’s a reality” He added “As a Masters racing team with excellent funding, the Elite Team will have all the most expensive equipment available”.
In addition to the NRC races the team and will continue to compete in local NW Masters races, the obvious question of course will be which category to race in, Masters A/B or Masters 35+?


Urine Testing

With the new Elite team comes a new responsibility to support clean athletes. The added funding was also in part to provide independent urine testing for all members of the team.
This “Urine Passport” can be used, for example, to determine conclusively whether any urine found in, or near a Mason Lake residence matches one of our riders. Any team member found to have urinated in a non-sanctioned facility will be suspended from the team and have all his expensive equipment taken away.

Elite Masters Roster

David Richter	Seattle	WA
Mike Hone	Seattle	WA
Ian Tubbs	Kirkland	WA
Ian Mensher	Seattle	WA
Todd Herriot	Seattle	WA
Russell Stevenson	Seattle	WA
Ian McKissick	Mukilteo	WA
Michael Emde	Spokane	WA