GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll

GamJams Tech: Premes, Picks, Promos — 8-5-10

As a cyclist, the search for newer and better gear is constant — there's always something else out there. Premes, Picks, Promos will highlight both the next big thing and the sleeper deal.

As much as we'd like to, we can't really ride our bikes everywhere. Sometimes, you just have to put it on the rack and drive. Case in point: vacation.

The Saris Bones 3 has been our go-to rack for a few years now. But it only works on my car, not my wife's car. And that's the car that drew vacation duties. Because there's an external spare tire, we needed something different. I went with the Yakima Sparetime for two reasons: One, it's well-built and secure. Two, it's what we had in the store. 

Installation was reasonably easy: Remove the spare, put the Yakima mounting plate behind it, reinstall the spare. After that, you install the rack assembly to the mounting plate and tongue, tighten it down and go to town. The rack is, essentially, bolted onto the car, with the spare itself providing stability.

Nice design, huh? It was pretty straightforward from my perspective. Unfortunately, the picture on the right is the product of that design. That's the seat tube of a Madone, scratched down to the carbon. (Also, that's our garbage can to the right. Just ignore that part.)

The bike itself is fine. There are no scratches in the carbon. But that's a lot of paint. And this, believe it or not, came after having padding on the tube.

When I showed the picture to our Yakima rep, he seemed surprised — he hadn't seen that before. He's going to check with Yakima's tech guys to see what the deal is.

In the meantime, I have a few theories. First off, the brace that holds the seat tube is too hard and too narrow. It's cup-shaped, but the only thing it will fit is old-school steel tubing. The seat tubes on both my Madone and my wife's bike are much larger ... like most every other bike out there.

GamJams/Pre-Reg.com holds Cat 3 Cup Team Lead, WWVC's Taylor Measuring Waist

Whole Wheel Velo Club's Nicholas Taylor thinks a pair of Mountain Khakis might fit him perfectly. He has put up points in the last three Cat 3 Cup events, with a 5th at RGS Title Reston Town Center Grand Prix, 3rd at the Hagerstown Challenge, and then a win at the vaunted Giro di Coppi. The streak has vaulted him into second place in the Individual Standings with 30 points, only a single point in the draft of Greg Wittwer (GamJams / Pre-Reg.com). The two square off for the series lead in both the road race and the criterium at this weekend's Tour of Page Valley.

In the team competition, the GamJams / Pre-Reg.com squad enjoys a little more padding to its lead, maintaining an 18-point gap over Arrow Bicycle / Route 1 Velo, and 21 over WWVC and Haymarket / HomeVisit. Still, with a win worth 15 points and two Cup Events races on tap this weekend, the team standings could be as upended as swiftly as the individual.

The Page Valley Road Race Course is the same challenging circuit used last year, and as the Championship Road Race for both MABRA and VACA the competition will be especially intense. The Luray Criterium is a new event, on a particularly selective course. The loop is 0.8 miles with eight 90-degree corners, and a finishing climb at a 7% average grade. (Watch an on-bike video of the course here.) Points gained at the Tour of Page Valley will definitely be points earned.

Pre-Reg for the Tour of Page Valley events by Friday at noon.

Cat 3 Cup Individual Standings:

Place     Name    Team    Individual Total
1    Greg Wittwer    GamJams/Pre-Reg p/b Cutaway Clothing 31
2    Nicholas Taylor    Whole Wheel Velo Club    30
3    Brigham Lumm    Arrow Bicycle    27
4    Sigberto Garcia     NCVC/UnitedHealth Group    22
5    Andrew Bridges    Haymarket Bicycles    21
6    Matthew Latyszonek      Fat Frogs Racing    19
7    Jonathan Phan    Team Carytown Bicycle Company    17
8    Joshua Flexman    CycleLife / Raw Talent Ranch    15
9    William Scanlon    Nature's Path/3 Sports    15
10    Mike Fawell    HPC    15

From Cat 3 to UCI Continental: Joe Dombrowski signs with Trek/Livestrong as Stagiare

"Local Hammer" doesn't really do justice to 19-year-old Joe Dombrowski. Firstly, the rising cyclocross star turned roadie is underserved by the term "hammer" - he's more like a Dewalt-16 Nail Gun, capable of driving 6-D nails through 2x4s at 200 yards, in rapid succession.

And now that Joe has signed on as a Stagiare with the Trek/Livestrong UCI Continental team, the "local" moniker no longer applies as well. Joe races the Tour of Utah with the squad later this month. He had been in contact with the team since the spring, and the deal was sealed with Joe's impressive performance at the Cascade Classic in July, where he finished 20th overall on GC in the Pro/Cat1 category, and was 5th in the Young Rider classification. Axel Merckx extended him the Stagiare invitation at the race.

Asked about how the contract will affect Joe's cyclocross season, the erstwhile GamJams Cat 3 Cup p/b Mountain Khakis leader replied, "'I'm stretching my road season out a bit longer than I had planned, so I'll be done after that. I will still race cyclocross, and am planning to do a full season as of now. Jared Nieters, Ryan Dewald, and myself are going to be racing as a team this fall."

GamJams Survey: Among the Masses

Here's how it goes at GamJams Survey headquarters: "Oh, you race bikes? Do you do RAGBRAI?"

And ... sigh.

(RAGBRAI, for the record, is the weeklong, Iowa-spanning ride that has been in existence since long before Lance Armstrong invented carbon fiber. And, despite its description — a weeklong bike ride across Iowa — it's actually fairly entertaining.)

But no, actually, we don't "do RAGBRAI." We may slip in for a day now and then, but that's not the season's objective. Nor do we aim for the other mass-start rides that pop up around the area. But we'll ride them now and then — the routes are solid, traffic is managed. Heck, maybe you'll see something new.

So here's the question: Are we alone? Do you jump in with the untamed peloton or stay far, far away?

10 Questions With... Nick "Versus Gravity" Sachanda

by David Kirkpatrick, Features Editor

At a couple potato chips below 240 pounds, Nick Sachanda doesn't at first glance look the part of bike racer. But in his first season of competition, Nice came out and won his very first collegiate road race, and then stuck a solo break to win at Reston, one of the toughest and un-flattest crits in the region. In the battle of Nice Versus Gravity, Nick is laying down the hurt.

(photo by Joe Mallis.)

10 Questions With... Nick Sachanda

(GamJams) Tell us about your pre-cycling athletic background.

(Nick Sachanda) Before I started racing my bicycle, I was a football player, for 7 years. That includes 3 years in college (which was a Div. III school). Freshman year of college, one of my friends was training for a marathon, and I thought "I want to do something like that, but I don't want to run all that way," so I bought a road bike and did a sprint triathlon the following summer. Then 2 more the next. Then I got really focused on football, which lasted until the neck injury junior year that caused me to stop playing. Senior year, I decided I was not very happy with what I saw in the mirror, so I started running - up to about 25 miles a week (and down a whole bunch of weight) by the end of the year. Last summer, I ran a half-marathon and decided to get the bike out again for another triathlon - the Nation's Tri, right after I came out to DC. Shortly thereafter, I started riding more and running less...


(GJ) Why and how did you get started riding and racing bikes?

(NS) ...which happened after Sam Rynas, one of my GW teammates, put a flyer for the GW team in the seat rails of my commuter bike locked up outside of the law school. I saw it and thought it would be fun to have people to ride with. When I finally showed up for a group ride, discovered I was comparatively pretty strong, and found out they would let me race collegiate as a grad student, well, that was it. I'm sold. After a winter of riding with the GW and NCVC crews, my first race was at NC State in February. Now there's really nothing else I want to do with my free time.


(GJ) What aspects of your athletic background have transferred most readily to road racing?

Could'a, Should'a, Would'a p/b RGS Title: 08-03-10

Here's how this weekend's racing could'a, should'a, and would'a turned out if it hadn't'a turned out the way it did...

There seems to be more mountain bike racing going on lately.  That, of course means, the road season is thinking of winding down. That, of course, means the 'cross season is thinking of getting wound up.  That, of course, means "those racers" (and you know who they/you are!) are just starting to get all geeked up.

In the meantime, there was some ultra-endurance, off-road action at the Wilderness 101 up in State College, PA:

• DC Mountain Bike (DCMTB) was feeling good at first and then took a tumble.  Fortunately he "took a bunch of pills/gels" at an aid station.  Random pills and gels, huh?  Isn't that what they all say?
• Okay, so Bikes, Travel and Bagels was a bit undertrained for this one.  It seems that "less is more" did actually work for him (even though it involved a lot of cursing).
• Doing Silly Things With Rocks knows that "chicks dig geologists."  That's cool enough.  But when his race report has the phrase "then the danger began," you know they dig him even more.
• I'm not even sure if he reports on the race, but Big Bikes: 2 Dumb 4 Gears has some funny stories to tell with pictures of everything.  Check out the socks and his migrating bike rack.
• Post-race recovery is not Dennis B. Murphy's strong suit.  You know, if you book on line, you not only save money, you also avoid sleeping at rest stops (and we all know what they really are, don't we?)
• When Pfun With Pflug tried to deny the popped tire, J-Pok offered to hang out with him.  These two single-speeders just sound like they always have fun (while stealing the top podium spots).
• Ahh, the ol' "hey, your saddle bag is about to come off" trick.  Yes, Karen Potter takes care of her buddies and was pretty sure her buddy would catch back on eventually.  Really.  Seriously.

Elsewhere in PA, but still off-road, some folks were taking the Bear Creek Challenge for the PA State Championships:

• A picture is worth a thousand words for Euphoria, especially when it includes a medal.
• The Hebrew Cyclist documents a solid fist pump and a "cwaaaazy" last lap.
• Okay, Crankin' Out The Love officially makes me sick.  She "didn't want to race, didn't want to be there, and then struggled all day."  Then she took second anyways.  God, I'm a loser.

Updates:

• The Snapple Tri Team went up with "the DC crew" to race the Tour of the Catskills.  You have to read their report: it's a blow-by-blow of how the amazing last stage played out with great results for several local riders!  Thanks, Snapple.  Your good stuff just got better!

Any more great race reports floating around out there?  Send them to me here.

Could'a, Should'a, Would'a is brought to you each week by RGS Title, a leading settlement company that has settled over 300,000 transactions. They've sponsored some of your favorite races in Chantilly and Reston, and now want to help you close on your next home - the one with the bigger garage for all your bikes or the dedicated workout space so you don't have to ride the rollers in the boiler room anymore. With 24 locations across the Mid-Atlantic - at least one has to be within riding distance.

If you pedal, use RGS to settle. 

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Gus Grissom races for Team GamJams Racing, teaches Greek and Latin at DeMatha Catholic High School, and writes a dissertation in his spare time.  He compiles this column strictly for fortune and glory.

Monday Multimedia p/b Arlington Florist: 8-2-10

Want to see what Fast looked like this weekend? Here it is:

• Michael DeNino shot the Wilderness 101 in State College, PA over the weekend.

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Know of others? Tell me and I'll tell everyone else.

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Monday Multimedia is here courtesy of Arlington Florist. They know your intense preoccupation with this sport is bound to get on somebody special's nerves, and they want to help. Order online for local delivery anywhere in the country. Or call them at 800-881-8309 and tell them GamJams led you out.

It's Monday. If you raced, get your Economic Impact Calculator on.

Please take a minute to fill out the GamJams Economic Impact Calculator if you raced this weekend and spent any money at all local to the race (gas, food, lodging, Tegaderm, etc).

GamJams Economic Impact Calculator

If you don't yet know what it is:

One of the biggest challenges all race promoters face is convincing a town or municipality or local development corporation that a bicycle race adds real economic value to an area, instead of just clogging the roads with so much lycra. The GamJams Economic Impact Calculator is a quick way for everyone who has raced to help the promoter secure the venue next year, by simply recording all the money you spent locally.

Your 30 seconds of record-keeping now could be worth 60 minutes of suffering next year.

List Lurker: 07-30-10

While you were busy hitting the delete key, I was busy living life as a lonely list lurker.  Here's what you missed on the regional list-serves this week...

Across the Virginia Cycling Association, folks were posting a few interesting items:

• I know some teams claim a long and distinguished lineage, but here's the real deal Virginia cycling.  Tom Houff is doing research for a Bryan Park Centennial celebration and he's digging through the archives of the Library of Congress.  You will be fascinated to find out who's really the oldest team in these parts.  Read the article and note that they are expecting 2,500 riders for a Thursday night club ride.  2,500!  Even Tim Rugg, affectionately known to his 'mates as "Ruggy Bear," would call that a good turnout. (even if he'd rather race Greenbelt...)
• Think you're fast?  Prove it.  The Fiorucci Virginia State Senior TT will be held in Stony Creek, VA on 22 August.  Cycor Cycling promises that practically enveryone will take home some great schwag and, if that's not enough, it's all part of the GamJams Cat 3 Cup p/b Mountain Khakis.  So there's pants-schwag, "panschwag," on the line.  Go fast; get pants.  Your buddies will thank you.
• The VCA finally proved that they were just as susceptible to weird postings as their neighbors in MABRA as both list serves got completely focused on a picture of some tri-guy who had like 23 Gu gels taped to his toptube.  Folks just couldn't resist this one and everyone had to chime in with "this one time, at bike camp, I saw some guy tape 30 gels to his toptube and then I stuck a flute up my seatpost...  But, honestly, I can top them all (and that's what it's really all about, no?).  I once saw a guy whose bike was actually made of Resin-hardened Gu.  It tasted fine, but wasn't exactly "laterally stiff and vertically compliant..."  There, I win.  Now we can move on.

In other news, it was business as usual for the "type first, type hard, show no mercy" MABRA-kai's...

• Lance Anderson is giving away carbon fiber frames (and Ruggle-buddy is asking "WTF?  Where is everyone?").  Sure they are broken, unrideable and don't come with anything on them (other than the cracks). But, hey, they're free!  And that's a pretty good price for carbon fiber!  Hit him off-list for details on the free, pre-broken stuff....
• Think you're fast on one gear?  Prove it.  The MABRA Track Championships are being held up in Trexlertown PA on 29 August.  There are all sorts of events that I don't understand but they will take a break for lunch.  So it's probably going to be fun.  Take your fixie down from the rafters and go show everyone how fast your legs can turn over.  We need to be careful with this.  If attendance is low, Harley's own Ruggle-Muffin will call you out (and Hutch Buddy will help you register)!
• The unbelievably complicated BAR Standings have been updated.  I know.  They are barely comprehensible.  But BAR Administrator, Dave Harrell, has promised to make them easier to review once he's finally over this lazy streak he's been on lately.  I mean, come on, only one update per week?  Sometimes folks race twice!  Why are you not including all the points our little Ruggy Puff is amassing in those tiny fields at Greenbelt?
• The first rule of The Haynes's Point Noon Ride is that you don't talk about Hains Point.  Apparently that doesn't apply to videotaping the absolute madness that is "The Noon Ride."  Seriously, watch this video and make your own commentary in a British accent.  Say things like "spot of bother" and "elastic is snapping" and you will feel cooler than a purple, sleeveless jersey.  It'll be 7:42 of the best time you'll enjoy today.  The soundtrack alone is worth it.  Man, this almost makes me want to ride such a dynamic course.
• The big topic of the week, of course, was Jeff Travis' Greenbelt results.  First, there was a little funny from Pete "My Ancestors Raced Bikes" Custer.  Then there was a little love and hate thing between Tony Abate and the Ruggy Bear.  In the end, as usual, nothing was decided other than stuff like this makes me "all tingly inside."
• For the record, FUD: Female Urination Device.  Who knew they needed it but apparently this is something that helps both Abate and Ruggy Bear go tinkle standing up...

Got any comments, interpretations, re-interpretations, or mis-interprations?  Send them to me; I've got nothing better to do than to sit in my darkened room and live vicariously as a list-lurker...

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Gus Grissom races for Team GamJams Racing, teaches Greek and Latin at DeMatha Catholic High School, and writes a dissertation in his spare time.  He compiles this column strictly for fortune and glory.

GamJams Survey: On the Table

A day in the life of a professional rider: Rise, eat, ride, eat, massage, sleep, eat, sleep.

Even Cat. 5 beginners have the eating and sleeping thing figured out, but massage? That's in a zone far beyond the space we occupy at GamJams Survey Headquarters. But we know of others living in that kind of airspace. Are you one of them?