Garage Racing

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2010-04-28T08:44:00.001-07:00

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The 2010 season so far

2010-04-20T12:24:00.001-07:00

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 Elite Masters Team

2010-04-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

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 - 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

Sequim #1 Results and Sequim #2 Start Times

2010-03-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

Results for Sequim #1 are available! Thanks to everyone who showed up, fantastic weather and lots of racers.

Sequim #2 will have some changed start times. This is accounting for possible splits in the Cat5 men's and Cat4 women's field. See the race flyer for details.

Sequim #1 on 3/13

2010-03-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

Sequim #1 is next Saturday, 3/13. Race flyer available here. Don't forget to check the ferry schedule!

Season Opens with Garage on Podium in Oregon

2010-02-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

Racing in Washington State doesn't even begin for another two weeks, and that's time trials. Road racing is out another week beyond that.

Brian Hitchcock couldn't wait that long to climb onto the podium. At the Cherry Pie Road Race, Hitch made the early move with two other riders in the cat 1-2 field. The three gained momentum with the addition of four more riders all willing to work to ensure a successful break. Hitch crossed the line 3rd, just ahead of fellow Washingtonians Lang Reynold and Sam Johnson from Hagens-Berman.

Great opening for a season that hasn't even started for most of us yet! Write up at Oregon Cycling Action.

The 2010 Look

2010-02-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Announcing the 2010 Garage Cycling Team Car. Powered by fryer oil from title sponsor Garage Billiards and Bowl.

Mo' Garage Riders

2009-12-01T20:29:00.001-08:00

Garage riders 'stached up for Movember this past month. Under the leadership of Movember captain Steve Zeliadt, riders Dan Labuda, Tom Wick, Nikos Mills, and Kyle Farrell undertook the Movember challenge of not shaving their upper lip for the month. The upshot was raising donations for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Saying it was a tough month is an understatement. Independence Valley Road Race in the snow? No problem. Training through winter storms? We'll each take our pulls. Making the break at the Walla Walla Stage Race? Easy. Growing a 'stache? Ouch.

Garage Riders Get Dirty

2009-11-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

Cooler weather, falling leaves, and the smell of embrocation can only mean one thing: it's cyclocross time. Seattle is very fortunate to have a vibrant CX scene with two separate race series resulting in races every weekend from early September to the end of November. An unseasonably warm and dry early fall lured record number of racers out to the local race scene making for fast and competitive races across the board. And Garage racers have been getting dirty and representing in many of the categories including scoring some top results in many races. In particular, the team of Matt, Michael, and Nikos has been bringing the pain in the ever-competitive Masters 1/2 35+ category. Other cross stalwarts include John Meehan, Chad Marion, Patrick, and Dean who have been flying the Garage colors with honor throughout the season in their respective categories.

Some highlights of the season (so far):

Cross-newcomer Alex was seen with an ear-to-ear grin during the early season races.
New mama Kele Murdin made a return to racing--often in the Mens Cat3 race (much to the guys' chagrin).
Steve Zeliadt decided to start his off-season early by taking a digger and breaking a collarbone at Beverly Park.
Nikos 'Mechanical' Mills was seen at various times with a front flat, a broken pedal, or holding a crankarm wondering how the heck it came off.
Introduction of the revolutionary Papa Murdin warm-up technique: walk Jett around while Kele races, then hop into your skinsuit and race.
Matt 'Jiujitsu' Hill coming on strong towards the end of the season with a win and several top 3 placings.

Cross is a great spectator sport. Come on out with your cowbells, hip-waders, and refreshments of choice to cheer on Garage in the last few races of the season.

(thanks Nikos for the writeup!)

End of the Road (Season!)

2009-09-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Garage riders ended the road racing season at the Blackberry Crit on Labor Day weekend. Given the rainy weather on that day, some riders ended the season in the previous weeks. The last couple weeks of August were a blur with fast races, quality anaerobic time, and the team's annual ride down at Mt.Rainier.

Brian Hitchcock made his mark on the last stage of the Eugene Celebration Race. Hitch took the victory in the crit with a tough sprint from the last corner:

From practice laps, I knew it was 300 meters to the line. There were two other guys really going for it, but I just put my head down and drilled it. Went right by them like they were standing still and took the win clearly.

Congrats Hitch! Back in town Mike Burdo took 2nd in the Masters field of the Seward Park Fall Classic. Kyle Farrell was more content to just go for the cash in the 1-2 race. With every lap being worth $5, taking a half dozen laps seemed like a good option. The previous day Kyle took 4th at the Carnation Circuit Race in the 1-2s and Aaron Berntson took 5th in the Masters race earlier the same day.

With September comes the annual team ride down at Mt.Rainier. This is a chance to have a team get together, do a longer ride than the crits and circuits of the season, and pummel each other into oblivion on the climb to Paradise. The weather was excellent for the ride this year and it was a fun end of the season ride. Some pictures from the ride are in the gallery.

Masters BARR and Crystal Hill Climb Time Trial

2009-08-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

A Saturday out at Crystal Mountain usually means hitting the 'Rex for powder shots along with some quality time down Grubsteak. Not likely in August! Late August is time for the state hillclimb up Crystal Mountain Road. Riders start at the bottom just off Highway 410 and time trial up the 6 mile road faster than most cars make it up the same stretch in the winter time.

Garage riders pulled off some fast times in all fields. Mike Burdo rode to bronze in a closely matched Masters D field; mere seconds separating the top riders. In the Masters A field Flavio Rattazzi pulled a silver medal performance. In the cat 3 field Brian Hitchcock was 4th and both Robert Powell and Kyle Farrell made the top 10 in the 1-2's.

Another congrats to Mike Burdo for winning the 2009 Masters D BARR (Best All 'Round Rider) competition! Mike took gold at the state omnium and state crit, and with podium appearances at the individual time trial in Yakima and this previous weekend at Crystal that sealed the deal.

Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh

2009-08-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

What was that sound? If it was last Saturday, most likely it was the "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound of a Garage rider's disc wheel flying along. Garage fielded two teams for the state championship team time trial at Elma this year. The cat 1-2 team of Robert Powell, Brent Carlson, Kyle Farrell, and Aaron Berntson (who dutifully stepped up for the event!) finished in a solid 3rd place and only 14 seconds off of silver. The cat3 team of Alex Rosenast, Gibb Clarke, Tom Wick, and Aaron Lavin nearly put the cat 1-2 team to shame by finishing only 10 seconds behind them at 1:06:01 for the 32 mile course. Gold medals for the four contenders and over 3 minutes ahead of the next team. Nice job!

Sunday evening riders made their way to Kirkland for the 2nd annual Kirkland Criterium. Fast racing and some tricky corners didn't stop the cat3 team from another great result. Garage put three riders in the top 10 with Brian Hitchcock on the podium for 3rd. Great weekend guys, let's keep it up.

Black & Red showup to Bend and return in Yellow

2009-07-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

The Cat 2 team made its mark at last weekend's Cascade Stage Race in Bend, Oregon. The three day, four race event drew a cat2 field of more than 100 riders from the surrounding region. Jason Bethel, Nikos Mills, and Kyle Farrell played it by the book to ride away with the yellow jersey: make the break in the first stage, solidify GC position in the time trial, and defend the race lead in the remaining stages.

The team showed up ready to ride. Nikos was hot off a state championship victory at the Skagit Omnium the previous week. Jason was on form and chomping at the bit for some hard racing. Kyle was just happy to race without a Pro/Cat1 field. The Garage underdogs had a good chance of making something big.

Stage one started with Jason in an early break attempt and ended with Kyle in a 39 second deficit to the GC leader and nearly 3 minutes ahead of the field. Off to a good start! Stage two's time trial needed to make the statement that the race was over for all but a few. Kyle's second place finish in the TT did exactly that: the 39 second deficit became an 18 second lead in GC.

Jason and Nikos stepped up to defending the yellow jersey in the crit and following day's circuit race by riding tempo and marking other GC contenders. Ensuring a pack finish for the 4th stage was the best way to maintain the race lead. Kyle conserved energy and kept an eye on any immediate threats. At Sunday's finish, Garage left Cascade with the yellow jersey after more than six and a half hours of racing.

Meanwhile, the Cat 3 team wasn't about to go unnoticed. John Sindell went for the early break on stage one only to get reeled in on the long climb to the finish. Determined not to leave the remaining races without top results, John finished 4th in Saturday's crit and 6th in the following day's circuit race. Hitch also took a top 20 finish in the circuit race among a very shattered field.

Cascade proved to not only be a great weekend but a season highlight. Keep it coming!

String of Silver at State and Crit Wins on the 4th

2009-07-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

Canyon Road near Ellensburg made it's first appearance as the state championship course for the individual time trial. This rolling course snaked alongside the Yakima River and challenged riders on a 40 kilometer test of endurance. No strangers to time trials, it's no surprise Garage faired well in all categories. Results included consistent 2nd place in Cat 1-2, Cat 3, Masters B, and Masters D categories. Congrats to all riders!

The 4th of July means the Joe Matava crit in Burien. This year Garage took off like fireworks winning every prime and setup Brian Estocapio for the win in the Masters A/B race. In his first appearance in a Garage jersey, John Sindell came across the line like a rocket taking 1st place in the Cat 3 race. Keep those results coming!

Winthrop: Cowboy Up!

2009-06-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Winthrop provided the center for the Methow Valley Stage Race this past weekend. Garage riders "cowboy'd up" to the wild west town and the race. While we would of preferred horses, cowboy hats, and six shooters; the team came equipped with road bikes, helmets, and energy bars. Winthrop would have to get by with a weekend of clacking road bike shoes replacing the jingle of spurs.

The race started off with a more than challenging 10 mile time trial in Mazama. Lots of rolling hills make steady pacing nearly impossible. This is a TT to ride smart, not just hard. Garage was consistent in all fields: Kyle Farrell in cat 1/2, Morgan Coleman in cat 3, and Mike Burdo in the masters field all pulled 6th place finishes in the morning. Brent Carlson finished mid-field due to a mechanical that cost significant time.

Saturday night was a new event: a mass start hill climb up a single lane forest service road. In the cat 1/2 field Brent Carlson put in an early move to as the pace was letting up; on his return Kyle Farrell moved up to crest the steep first mile towards the front of the pack before eventually falling back to finish 9th on the climb. Morgan Coleman never needed the small chainring for the climb, flying up the hill to finish 2nd in the cat3 group. In the Masters field Mike Burdo regained face after a 6th place finish by daredeviling the descent and being the first down the hill (and presumably first to the Old Schoolhouse Pub!).

Former Garage rider Josh Gunn had the right idea by avoiding the next day's road race. Brent made the move of the day and had a 3+ minute gap on the field with two breakaway partners. Though Brent didn't stay away, the move made it much easier to sit in the pack for half the race.

Overall a good weekend with top 10 placings in the GC in all fields. Top it off with ice cream in Winthrop and Garage had a complete weekend.

Ballard, Ravensdale: Awards ?

2009-06-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

A few awards for outstanding achievement are in order from the past weekend of racing:

Energizer Bunny Award: After doing a ton of work throughout the Ballard crit, Tom Wick gave Alex Rosenast a super leadout for 3rd and still held on for 4th in the Cat 3 race. And as if that isn't enough, Tom was in the 55 mile break that stayed away for 5th at Ravensdale the next day. Just can't stop that guy.

Most Clever Use of a Disguise: Josh Gunn made a Seattle appearance on Sunday wearing some garish green and blue disguise. No one ever suspected he was a Garage double agent. The team kept a straight face as everyone in the pack asked who the the guy with no fashion sense was that dropped the pack like an anchor.

Murdin Award: This award goes to someone who finds the most creative way to get dropped from a race. Past recipients have had crank arms fall off, loose wheel skewers, slipping seat posts, etc. This award goes to Kevin Masterson for finding the only wheel-destroying chasms off the side of the road two minutes into the Ravensdale Road Race.

Big Cojones Award: A little over 2 months since the birth of Jett Murdin, Kele shows the rest of the guys on the team who's really tough and takes a top 10 in the Ballard crit and a prime along the way. All this while taking care of two babies at home!

Fish Out of Water Award: Leaving the sanctuary of the pavement behind, Kyle Farrell hit the trails for Leavenworth's Bike & Brews mountain bike race. Rumor has it the roadie attempted to draft riders at 4 mph uphill as he tried to position himself for non-existent prime laps.

Thanks to Nikos for contributing the excellent write-up!

Race Report: Enumclaw Master A/B Omnium Stage Race

2009-06-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Enumclaw Omnium Stage Race, May 30-31, 2009
Master A/B

First of all: Omnium or Stage Race? What? Both? How does that work? Really? Really?

Okay, now on to the report...

TT, Saturday morning

We were successful for the TT. Especially in parking for the race, as we got the prime spaces in the lot. However, it was a comedy of errors for the race itself. Alex was able to turn in our best time of the day, despite being dropped by the holder at the start line with 10 seconds to go, good enough for 7th place. Brian pulled out 8th place after MISSING HIS START TIME. Mike was just out of the points, and then Aaron L, Nikos, Aaron B, Robert, Tom, John M, Jay, Brad, and John M (#2) spread across the rest of the field (in no particular order). We had numbers, though: Garage was around 20% of the field.

Crit, Saturday afternoon

We were all concerned about being able to ride this 8-corner crit in dry weather, as this has not been the case for the past several years. But things worked out: it was a healthy and fun (and short! 35 minutes!) race. At the start, Tom showed off his ability to clip into his pedals faster than the average racer and hit turn #1 in lead position and in a near-full sprint. He proceeded to lead for the next several laps, never hitting his brakes and never getting much below 28mph. But the pack wasn't going to let this go, so eventually things settled. Shortly thereafter Mike ended up away in a break that looked nice and healthy: Lenovo, HB, and maybe one other team represented. Tom and Nikos and Alex spent some time swapping around and disrupting things at the front. When this break came back (after Mike had won a prime) Nikos found himself away and won another prime. Alex, too, spent some time off the front. At the end of the race Tom ended up rolling off the front with just over two to go where he won a prime and then tried to stay away solo for the final two laps. Not gonna happen. When Tom was caught with half a lap to go, the sprinters Brian and Aaron B and Nikos were rolling things well. Brian got 3rd, Nikos 7th and Aaron 8th. Tom held on to 15th for the final point in the race. (Alex afterwards wondered if he was supposed to sprint also...)

Road Race, Sunday afternoon

We went into this race with Brian 3rd place in GC, and we wanted to hang onto that. Alex planned to make some moves early, and he ended up away in three different breaks before the first time we hit the climb. Shortly after that, a break containing Mike and Aaron B got up the road, and proceeded to make TONS of time on the field. Racing was spirited. The temperature was warm. In the feed zone, John M was awesome, providing water bottles and super-soaker squirts to everyone on the team who wanted them: he was essential for the team! With just under a lap to go, Mike fell out of the break but he said Aaron was doing well and looking strong up there. (His quote afterwards was something like, "Yeah, Aaron was going places he wasn't comfortable going, but he was doing fine up there. He'll be going back there again, I'm sure.) In the pack, Nikos and Aaron L were especially strong on the hill each time. On the final climb Aaron L went off the front with a group that eventually caught the lead break just before the finish. The A[aron] Team placed 3rd (Lavin) and 7th (Berntson), and then Brian placed 14th after a lined-out leadout snafu by Tom.

In the final GC, we did very well. Aaron L placed 4th, Brian 7th, Aaron B 12th and Nikos 13th. Garage had a great weekend, and racing was a blast.

April Update

2009-05-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

April was a busy month for the boys of Garage Racing. Early April saw the first crits with Volunteer Park. Photos from the race are in the gallery. Flavio Rattazzi had a good race in the Masters field, finishing 4th. The first crit came at a high price, with both Dan Hazzard and Chris Teufel coming away with substantial injuries. Best of luck to for a speedy recovery and welcome them back to the peleton when they're back on the bike.

The Green Valley Time Trial brought excellent results for the usual suspects. Flavio not only had the fastest time of the day taking the win in the cat 1-2 field, but pulled a 3rd place finish in the Masters field in a second run. In fact, the Masters field was dominated by Garage with Matt Hill in second, Gibb Clark in fourth, and Mike Burdo in seventh. The cat 3 team showed similar dominance with Alex Rosenast in 2nd by a wide margin and Tom Wick finishing 7th.

Bread Pudding in The Dalles, OR

2009-04-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

The Dalles, Oregon proved to run the gamut in variety and quality of bread pudding. I sampled this dessert from three different restaurants while in The Dalles and, as an aside, attended the Cherry Blossom Stage Race.

Stage one bread pudding was at the Cousins Country Inn restaurant, which also happened to be the motel where teammate Brent and myself were staying. The dessert was a decently sized bowl of the typical raisin/custard/bread combo. While it was a good prep for the 80 mile Cherry Blossom stage one road race, stage one dessert was nothing to write home about and proved to be a test of endurance to finish. Both Brent and I finished the next morning's race with the pack, an unfortunate 10 minutes behind the lone leader.

With Friday evening came stage two at Baldwin Saloon in the downtown area. The historic atmosphere was complete with live piano and waitresses that could substitute for a stubborn grandma. That said, stubborn grandmas know how to make a good bread pudding. Baldwin's hit a gastronomical high note, offering a creamy custard flavor; the absence of raisins was replaced by a delightful whipped cream and blueberry topping. Following the bread pudding, the next morning saw solid individual results in the morning's 8 mile time trial. The evenings crit, shortened to 30 minutes, saw no changes in overall GC with Brent and myself finishing with the pack.

The final stage came from an unlikely source: Romul's, a very appetizing Italian restaurant with pasta dishes sure to satisfy the cyclist. Romul's gave yet another bread pudding which nixed the typical raisins for an alternative. Instead, Romul's served up a pear based delicacy. The presentation was excellent with slices of pear to top the dish adjacent to a bed of whipped cream. Uniquely different from the traditional bread pudding. The slicing of the pear was a foreshadowing of the following day's final stage slicing up the pack. Sustained climbs, technical descents, and numerous attacks on the final climb had the field broken into many groups all trying to finish the day. Brent had the misfortune of a flat with no wheel car to provide a spare. I rolled in with about a dozen racers 5 1/2 minutes after the leader, finishing the weekend 10th in GC.

Overall it was a successful weekend with many varieties of bread pudding sampled. Next up: the team will see if Walla Walla shares The Dalles raisin-aversion in bread pudding.

March Results

2009-03-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

The team posted excellent results for the opening road races of the 2009 season. Washington road racing starts with Mason Lake, a three race series riders will either show up to regardless of weather or avoid like the plague. In the cat 1/2 race, Kyle Farrell spent a good part of the day in a breakaway and ended 3rd for Mason Lake #1. Mike Murdin rounded out the top 10 in the road race opener and managed similar placings in the remaining races of the series.

In the second and third Mason Lake races Chris Teufel pushed through the pain cave with 4th and 3rd place finishes. Chris ended up in 2nd place for the series, tieing the overall winner for series points.

In Masters A/B, David Hills opened his season with a 6th place at Mason Lake #1. Meanwhile John Meehan and Matt Hill showed consistent finishes ending the Mason Lake series in 4th and 5th place.

Road racing in Sequim is another staple of the early season calendar. The team pulled off some excellent results in the second race last Sunday. Kyle Farrell finished 2nd place in the cat 1/2 field with Mike Murdin in 10th and Dan Hazzard, in his first 1/2 race, in 12th.

Sequim #2 also saw Flavio Rattazzi use his time trial skills to take the win in the Masters field. Brad Lamkin wasn't far behind in the field sprint, finishing 4th for the day.

Off to a great start in March!

Tour de Dung Results

2009-03-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

Results from the 2009 Tour de Dung races are available. Thanks to everyone who showed up for race #1 and the fantastic showing we got on race #2. Fields were larger than anticipated for the second race making for an excellent competition. Race results:

Tour de Dung Race Series

2009-03-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

Tour de Dung in the Sequim rain shadow will be run twice this year. The first race is this Sunday the 8th with the second race being Sunday the 22nd. This is a combined effort between Garage and Lenovo/Carter cycling teams. The March 9th race is also the day to that clocks spring ahead an hour, so don't be late for the ferry. Both Sequim events are part of the Washington Cup Race series. Race flyer available here.

Back from Centralia and posting results at Ice Breaker

2009-03-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

Late February has become synonymous with a weekend in Centralia. This year was no different. The team scouted out the Independence Valley road course on Saturday and headed over to the Tenino Time Trial course on Sunday. A spirited ride to say the least; everyone pushed themselves to the limit at one point or another during the weekend. Kudos to Robert Powell for being route master extraordinaire!

Having driven each other into the ground the previous weekend, this past Sunday the team turned to racing against the clock at the Ice Breaker Time Trial. Apparently changing diapers is excellent time trial training: Flavio Rattazzi lead the team with a 3rd place in the Cat1/2 field and 1st place in Masters A/B while Jason Bethel was 3rd in Masters A/B. Alex Rosenast continues to dominate Cat3 time trials with his 2nd place finish.

How I Spent the Off-Season

2009-01-28T22:30:00.000-08:00

"Off season" may be a bit of a misnomer, but it did exist for many of us. We've assessed the previous season, set goals for 2009, and found time to patch that tubular that flatted back in July. A daring bunch said "what off season?" and jumped straight into cyclocross. For many of us it meant leisurely team rides on familiar roads. Others, a weekend at home off the bike with no travels to races at corners of the state.

Whether the "off season" is too short or too long, it's near finished. Soon it'll be time to see if that patched tubular holds air and shoot for those 2009 goals. The cyclocross bike is no longer the bike nearest the door; though it still needs a good cleaning. The word "leisurely" has been dropped from team rides. And Garage riders are gearing up for a weekend camp in Centralia.

Watch out 2009. We're ready for ya.

The Garage Racing Team has a simple motto:We race bikes.

2008-09-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Garage Racing Team takes its name from the title sponsor and driving force behind the team's energy and enthusiasm, Garage: a restaurant, bar, poolhall, and bowling alley on Capital Hill in Seattle. The Garage Racing Team is the product of a coalition of several local bike racers who sought to create a different kind of team focused on fun and teamwork. Looking towards our sixth year of competing, we remain dedicated the maintaining a small, core group of riders who live for the bike. We have built a robust team of over 35 bike-minded individuals who race together for the pleasure of the challenge and camaraderie. Yet, our teammates spend their days in all different ways. Some of us build airplanes while others construct custom cabinets. Some of us design menus while others create software. Some of us engineer lasers while others build portfolios. One thing unites us: the passion of cycling and racing.

The Garage Racing Team