GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll

Evan Fader... So Hot Right Now

by Robb Hampton, Features Editor

(photo credit: Amy Jones)

For many riders, finding the balance within oneself is a journey that is often never found. Kelly Benefits Elite Team Rider, Evan Fader, claims that balance has been found..and he has the results to prove it. 2010 marks Fader's first year with Kelly Benefits and so far, it's been a season worth noting. Evan has stood on the top spot of the podium at Vint Hill Criterium, Walkersville Road Race, and Chantilly Criterium. He also has his name next to other top finishings to mark the young season.

Evan has a rich history of elite level racing among MABRA's finest. Evan came to the scene racing for Capitol Hill Bikes/Route 1 Velo as a Cat 3 in 2006. After receiving his upgrade, Evan signed up to the Rockville Battley Harley Davidson powerhouse and enjoyed great success between during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, most notably stepping on the podium at Iron Hill Twilight in Pennsylvania. He had a brief stint at Richmond Pro Cycling last year before heading over to Kelly Benefits for 2010.

We had a brief sit down with Evan over lunch in mid April. Evan is quiet yet he is direct and to the point. Perhaps this is a reflection of his racing style and how he trains. We find out a bit more about the mysterious inner workings of the one they call "Darth Fader," his new team, and a few fond memories of a training camp from years' past.


Like many amateurs, you now have a day job. This is different than previous seasons where you were focused mainly on bike racing, hunting NRC points, and dreaming of being a domestic pro. You are having the best season yet. What up wit dat?

I found an inner peace with myself. Life is more balanced these days. I found my wife, got a job I like. Life is good. My fiancé is coaching me too, which has been awesome. Aside from knowing her stuff she has been super motivating. She makes sure that I stay on track.


Did you fall in love with your coach or decide to get coached by your fiancé?

Professional Bike Fits... So Hot Right Now

by Robb Hampton, Features Editor

One of the most important things a cyclists can do is get properly fit. Many people claim they can do bike fit. However, bike fit is always best when done by an experienced professional. Having the proper fit will not only remedy biomechanical issues and prevent potential injuries, but it will also help generate additional power. If the bike fit is for a competitive cyclist, the fit also strives to make one more aerodynamic. Of course, this all focuses on achieving an ultimate goal: getting faster on the bike.
 
There are many professional bike fitters in the region (have a look at the GamJams Coaching Directory to find one near you.) Over the past two years, I have been fortunate enough to ride for a team with one of the best bike fitters in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Chris Richardson, owner of Bike Doctor Waldorf, has been fitting cyclists of all types for over 14 years. Throughout that time, he’s performed over 3,500 independent fits using his own blended methodology of bike fitting consisting of several fitting techniques.
 
Chris is certified to use Fit Kit 1 and 2, F.I.S.T, Michael Sylvester Fit Level 1 and 2, and Wobble Naught. He is also is certified to use RAD (rotational adjustment device) and is trained to use DartFish Motion Capture Software. Chris has worked with several professional road and mountain bike cyclists as well as assisting clients to reach the ultimate aerodynamic time trial position that produces the most wattage but yet, still be UCI legal.
 

Carbon Fiber Wheels Under 1K… So Hot Right Now

by Robb Hampton, Features Editor

I love me some wheels. For anybody that knows me, I like to throw on the deepest carbon wheel that I can get away with without getting blown all over the place. Carbon is fast. It sounds cool and it looks good!
 
Yet only a few years ago a bike racer only had a few options for carbon fiber wheels. The Zipp 404s and Mavic Carbones set the standard for fast. Campy and Shimano quickly followed and the big boys continued to set the bar high in terms of research and product placement on ProTour teams, both big reasons why the mark-up of these wheelsets were often over $2,000. Yikes!
 
As with any technology, other companies started catching up. New companies emerged and started to release their own carbon wheelsets. Many companies developed wheels with the same type of carbon and build style. Some developed nearly exact replicas. An added bonus of all this development has been the price point of these wheelsets often reaching below the $1,000 mark.
 
I get a feeling that there were wheel builders all over the world scoffing at the prices of high-end wheelsets and declared they could make a comparable or even better wheel for less money and actually make some money doing it; capitalism at its finest.
 
Now, it should be noted that I don’t have any of the following wheelsets and I haven’t even ridden them. All I know is that they are less expensive than what I’m used to and many make similar claims for aero benefits and weight. I am hoping that I can get my mitts on a few pairs of these during the summer and really take them to task but for now, all I have to go on are claims these companies have made on their websites.
 
PSIMET Custom Bicycle Wheel – You want custom wheels? This is your place. PSIMET has done all the research for you as far as getting the best bang for your buck. They use the same carbon rims as some of the large companies but they can lace them to whatever you want, including a Powertap hub. When asked what sets PSIMET apart from other companies, PSIMET Owner, Rob Curtis told me “our key value is that we nail down the specification based on each rider and what they need. I don't build to a spec that is meant to look good in a catalog. I build to a spec that works for each rider.” Sounds good to me.

Trade Zone Training Series... So Hot Right Now

by Robb Hampton, Features Editor

With several feet of snow on the ground and metropolitan residents still resorting to lawn furniture to hold parking spots, it is hard to imagine that the racing season is just around the corner.

Yet the annual kickoff to the ‘real’ racing season starts this Sunday with Trade Zone #2. Bayside Velo/Bike Doctor Racing hosts the weekly training race at the Collington Center Industrial Park in Upper Marlboro, Maryland every Sunday until March 21st.  Tradezone #1 was delayed as a result of Snowpocalypse. 
 
The annual training series has been going on for as long as many bike racers in the area can remember. It is the same course that Bobby “The Baltimore Bullet” Phillips uses for his annual Turkey Day Circuit Race to culminate the racing season in September where prizes often include frozen turkeys.

MABRA vets are familiar with the 1.3 mile course that includes the famous downhill sprint, crosswinds, and fast speeds. Beginners will appreciate the wide roads and relative safety of the course and ability to simply sit in and experience pack riding in a race setting. However, there are always some wheel eating divots left over from winter so editor suggestion is to leave your carbon fiber hoops at home. It is a training race after all. Promoters are doing their best at the moment to fill in any cracks.

We all know that the Trade Zone Training Series is the pinnacle of many racers’ season that is why this year the top 3 places of each race will be featured on GamJams the Monday after each race. The Trade Zone series will continue each Sunday, weather permitting, through March 21, the week before Jefferson Cup.

Registration is open and there will be registration at the event as well.

Bike Doctor, RoadID and Honda of Annapolis are sponsoring the training series. 

5 out 5 hot chilies - one for each TZ still on the schedule.

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Besides being the judge of hotness for GamJams, Robb Hampton is a husband, father, avid cyclist with a certifiably average VO2Max. Robb races for the Cat 3 Bike Doctor Racing Team. 

Embrocation... So Hot Right Now

by Robb Hampton, Features Editor

In case everybody hasn’t noticed, the temperatures have started to take a nosedive.  Mrs. Thompson, my 2nd grade teacher tried to teach me something about the revolution of the earth around the sun while rotating on its axis creating seasons which, in turn, would change weather patterns and the like. I never really paid attention to all that new age science stuff so I don’t know how it all works. What I do know is that it’s getting cold outside and my basic human instinct tells me to stay warm, by any means necessary.

I’ve tried a few things to stay warm when the weather dips. I couldn’t keep the fire going on a torch I carried with me on the bike (the flame kept flying back in my face anyway) and a space heater was too bulky to carry with me. I could take the easy way out and wear leggings along with everybody else but why be normal? What I have found that works, really well, is embrocation.

First, what is embrocation? According to Free Dictionary.com, embrocation is a medicinal liquid that is rubbed into the skin to relieve muscular stiffness and pain. Ok..well, we all know cycling has it’s own vernacular so this is the definition I came up with. Embrocation is stuff you put on your legs to make them tingle, feel hot, look shiny, and loosen your junk up. And it’s awesome.

Cyclocross... So Hot Right Now

by Robb Hampton, Features Editor

Seriously. It's very hot right now and this GamJams editor is already seeing knobby tires all over the place. Group ride? Check. Commuting? Check. Parked outside of Starbucks? Check. There are skills practices popping up all over the area and we are sure that the Delaware Mafia in Wilmington has been stretching tubular tires since February of 2007 for this season. So what's the hub bub scrub? (get it? hub? bicycling? anyone? whatever, I thought it was clever). 

Cyclists of all abilities, shapes, and sizes are gluing on tread to their mountain bike shoes, finding just the right PSI for hard packed grass, and doing something none of us would ever think to do; go running! gasp! This is all in preparation for the biggest thing to hit cycling since STI levers; Cyclocross. CX. Cross baby!!

For some, the season has already begun. However, the grand kickoff is still about a month away with the Nittany Lion Cross Race in Fogelsville, Pa on Sept. 19th and the 'Jeff Cup of Cross Racing' Charm City Cross on Sept 20th. Then we'll see a major drop in registration soon after and the season will continue through December where some might go to the hippie enclave of Bend, OR to race at the National Championships and stock up on hemp necklaces. You can find a full schedule at http://www.midatlanticcross.info/2009.html

Cyclocross was developed in Europe as an off-season training program for road racers and quickly became a sport of its own. Racers compete on bikes that look, in many ways, like a traditional road bike but with treaded tires and stronger brakes with more clearance. The course is typically 1-3 miles in length with a series of obsticles ranging from barriers to run-ups and sand pits. The promoter often throws in his or her own special blend. The Ed Sanders Memorial Race in Lily Pons, Md course serpintines around a series of ponds. Many have fell victim to an unfortunate crash into one of the swampy ponds. Races usually last between 45min to 1 hour. 

So what is the allure to the masses to participate? This sounds really really hard. For many, that's the allure. For others, the allure is stemmed from the duration of the race. Training doesn't neccasarily include countless hours in the saddle. Focus on intensity and you should be o.k. You can also go to your race, compete, and get home quickly opening up more time in your day. Lastly, it's a great spectator sport. Unlike road racing or time trialing where your friends and family will maybe see you once or twice, you can follow your friend on the course and run around to many different vantage points, yelling and screaming like a hyena - beer in one hand and cowbell in the other. Again, unlike road racing where there is so much etiquette, Cross rewards you for your blue collar behavior. 

Cross is also a great workout. Steve Fife, my teammate from Team Bike Doctor said "Cyclocross starts off like a criterium, then a road race and a time trial combined, all while you are using skills from mountain biking." 

There are a ton of other reasons why Cross has taken off. Too many to go into in this short column. I asked many crossers why they race cross and they all usually just say "it's fun!" So borrow a cross bike from your buddy or shake off the dust on your mountain bike and try a race. 

Cyclocross. Mistress to many and yet prison cellmate named Thumper to others.

Cross gets 5 out of 5 Zoolanders.  

 

(photo courtesy of Les Doerfler. Not the one of Zoolander - the other one.)

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Besides being the judge of hotness for GamJams, Robb Hampton is a husband, father, avid cyclist with a certifiably average VO2Max. Robb races for the Cat 3 Bike Doctor Racing Team. 

Chuck Hutch... So Hot Right Now

by Robb Hampton, Features Editor

By now we should all be sick of hearing about the smiling leg breaker that has landed in the MABRA region last year. If you’ve done any group ride within 50 miles of D.C. or lined up for a Cat 1/2/3 or Masters 35+ race chances are you’ve seen this guy ride next to you, smile, ride past you, then take off up the road only to get smaller and smaller as he rides away. 

You’ve also probably seen his blog, seen him featured on this website, and heard just about everybody talk about how fast this guy is. To make things worse, he’s a nice guy who characterizes himself as “hella goofy.”

So, you know this guy already? Why mention him here? Chuck Hutch is the new black, folks. He completes us. He is MABRA. Well, maybe not but chew on how quick Chuck has made an impression on our local cycling scene. Keep in mind that there are several of you out there riding your bike for your whole life and most of us haven't heard of you yet.

Chuck Hutcheson came to DC area a couple years ago from the Sacremento, CA where he was an elite level bike racer…8 years ago! He picked the bike back up after those 8 years to recover from a broken leg he suffered from horseback riding. He went to Hains Point one day and the next thing you know, he’s lining up at Tradezone in a Harley kit. Soon after, he’s laying down the hurt in regional races.

For 2009, Chuck is going for his self-titled “Triple Crown” which consists of The MABRA Best Area Rider (BAR) for Senior Men, Masters 35+, and Greenbelt overall series winner. In addition, Chuck rides for not just Battley Harley Davidson but for Armed Forces Cycling Team. Workouts there include doing right arm curls with your 15-pound bike. In addition to getting crazy ripped with a bunch of soldiers, Chuck is going to reprazent The United States at Military Worlds in Ireland, being chaperoned by none other than Sean “talk slooooweeer” Kelley. 

So next time you see Chuck grinning ear to ear, don’t take it personally. He’s just having fun riding his bike.  He can’t help it that he’s fast. Give him a pat on the back and tell him good job and good luck. 

Chuck gets a score of 4 out of 5 Derrick Zoolanders.

Chuck Hutch…So Hot Right Now…Chuck Hutch.

(photos courtesy of Jim Wilson and Bruce Myers.)

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Besides being the judge of hotness for GamJams, Robb Hampton is a husband, father, avid cyclist with a certifiably average VO2Max. Robb races for the Cat 3 Bike Doctor Racing Team.