Michael Hast
Mormon Lake RRThis was the first time I raced in the Mormon Lake Road Race. Gary and I pre rode parts of the course and drove the rest of the course to get an impression and to finalize our strategy. Our plan was to break away in the second lap of 3 on the climb towards Lake Mary Rd. We included Lynn from team Tolero and Dan from team Stone House Group in our plan. For a successful breakaway I wanted to have more than one rider with me. We were the second to last group that started, just 2 minutes after the categroy 5 riders. Right from the start, one rider took off. A rider from team Mandalay Bay bridged the gap and both of the riders started to work together. About 4 riders, including me, wanted to close that initial gap. At that point riders from Mandalay Bay started to block, which was annoying, but great teamwork. With some strong pulls, we closed the gap on the climb towards Lake Mary Rd, the climb I wanted to break away in lap 2. Right before the turn to Lake Mary Rd., Joe from team Mandalay Bay started a breakaway. I decided to go with Joe, even though this was just lap 1 of 3. Joe had 3 teammates and I had Gary, all in all 4 riders that could help us to slow down the peloton for a successful break.
Joe and I started to work well together. We came up to "the Wall" to complete the 1st lap and gained quite a bit on the category 5 riders. About 4 miles into lap 2 we passed the category 5 riders and shortly thereafter the Masters 50+,60+ and 70+. That gave us a boost of confidence because it will be harder for our group to pass these riders. Joe and I stayed away for about 2 laps but were unfortunately caught by a huge group of riders. That group consisted of category 5, our category and Master riders, even though it is against the rules for different start groups to merge. I guess there were not enough motorcycle referees to enforce that rule. Well, after we got caught we had about 6 more miles to the finish. For me this was the most nerve wrecking part of the race. Now the plan shifted to stay with the group until the base of "the Wall" and then attack on that final climb. At the base of "the Wall", about 1 mile before the finish, there was a huge crash. Unfortunately, Lynn was taken out and Gary was involved as well. I rode up "the Wall" to the finish, finished 3rd. Afterwards I rode to Gary, gave him my wheel, so that he could finish the race. All in all, it was a successful race, with a great team strategy that worked well, especially after hearing the unfolding of the race from Gary's perspective.
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| Michael gets third! |
Williams/Perkinsville RR
The Williams/Perkinsville Road Race was an out and back race starting in Williams going downhill for about 24 miles towards Perkinsville and then back up about 20 miles. The strategy was much simpler than the Mormon Lake Road Race. Stay with the group on the initial 24 miles descent and then attack on the way back up. We started in Williams and rode through the beautiful pines of the Kaibab National Forest. After about 3 miles the road became bad with lot's of potholes and a damaged shoulder, so we exercised caution on our descent. Two riders took off on the descent, and this time we didn't chase them down. Rather we pretty much coasted down at about 40 mph. During the descent I noticed that it got warmer when the pines gave way. After we turned around, I followed one rider, passed him because he was too slow, catching the next rider. I repeated that until there were no more riders to catch. There were no real attacks, just a steady push. That was enough to put me into 1st place. After arriving at home, I realized that I had the same race number 612 in the Oracle Road Race 2 years ago where I won. Coincidence? I THINK NOT ;-)
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| Michael takes 1st and Gary snags third! |
Gary Schobel
Mormon Lake RRThis was my first time racing this road race. Michael and I were racing in the Men Cat 4/5 40
+, 50+, tandems category. The course is a beautiful, rolling 16-mile circuit with 380 ft of climbing per lap and a short 6.5% climb at 8 miles. Our category was going to do three laps for a total of 48 miles.
We arrived on Friday afternoon to pre ride the course and discuss our race strategies. Our plans were to have Michael break away half way through the second lap. It was going to be my job to block or shut down any attempts that the group would make to catch Michael and the break away group. Of course it is highly unlikely that any plans made before the race ever go exactly as planned and this race was no different. In the first lap one rider attacked and put a good gap on the group. Michael and one other rider broke away and bridged the gap.
Unfortunately, Michael and the break were caught with a half lap to go. As the categories began to bunch up, the speed increased. With the categories bunched up so close to the hill climb and the finish it is my understanding that a Cat 5 rider aggressively moved into the pack and in front of the Cat 4 group. The Cat 4 racer went down, taking a group of racers with him. I was one of those riders that went down. I felt it was by God’s grace that I was not injured nearly as bad as some of the other riders. After getting off the ground and checking out the bike, Michael had returned. I had to use the front wheel from his bike to finish the race. Due to the amount of guys from my category involved in the crash I finish the race in 5th place. I returned to the area of the crash to find that Lynn was heading for the hospital for a broken collarbone and a good amount of road rash. My thoughts and prayers quickly went out for Lynn and the guys that were unable to finish the race. It was a bittersweet finish for me; I hate to see guys injured but I was proud of Michael making the podium.
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| Just a scratch |
A 45-mile course with 3,400 ft of climbing - avg 2.8% - out and back. For starters, a special thanks to the mechanics at Single Track Bike Shop for the quick repairs done to my bike. With a sore left hip and a bandaged left elbow, Michael and I headed out with a slightly smaller category of guys. Soon after heading out of town the group narrowed to 6-7 racers. Our plans were to hang in on the descent. I would cover any attacks and Michael would focus on the win during the climb. The descent was long and fast. More then a couple of time it crossed my mind, we have been going downhill for a long time at a fast pace. Sooner or later we are going to turn around and the climb back is going to be much slower and longer. The climb up felt like a race up Mt. Lemmon. Michael passed me at the turn around and I knew we were in good shape. The leaders were just out ahead of us. For me the next 22 miles were uneventful. I crossed the finish line to find out Michael caught and passed the leader to take 1st place. I finished in 3rd place and the IC3 was on the podium again. Praise the lord!
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| Michael ends up 2nd overall and Gary grabs 3rd! |
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