Fitzy Newesletter 9/20/06

FITZGERALD’S BICYCLES NEWSLETTER-
SEPTEMBER 2006

BRRRrrr! It is NOT too hot to ride today. At least the smoke is gone though and the dare we say…skiing…is just around the corner.

Since so much has happened since the last update…I’m going to let it all flow- so tune in and out as you like, but here’s the news from the road and singletrack.

LOTOJA 2006..or was it 206 (miles)? It’s all a bad dream.
Even with a week of medicinal pizza, beer and ice-cream, it’s still giving me nightmares. But TEAM ORANGE represented huge!
Ian Tuttle’s 2nd Place in Cat IV was awesome. Even without super-domestic Tim Kelley for the final 110 miles, and reporting seeing dead people and other dark times near Alpine, Ian was able to out-sprint the case group (with only a 6’5” sandbag of all sandbags…besting him in his category). If the team can retain Tuttle in the off-season he will be a force in 2007.
Brian Shill(dog)Shilling’s 4th place in the Pro I-II field is reportedly the best overall result for a Jackson-ite, in this Utah dominated race. Kris Lunning put in great efforts throughout to keep Shilling in position for the final drag race up the village road. Lunner held on for 6th overall, his first time off the podium in Lotoja…but he could be heard muttering- “I’m going to kill those guys,” as he left the awards to begin his specialized training for a rematch next year.
Many others from the team deserve a call out, as it is still a monster accomplishment to simply finish this race. 206 miles, over 3 mountain passes (one a 20 mile climb), with wind and rumple strips…it’s one heck of a long, hard, ride.

Brian Schilling Pro – 4th place 9:17
Kris Lunning Pro – 6th place 9:19
Ian Tuttle Cat IV – 2nd place 9:34
Dave Bergart Cat III – 13th place 10:01
Tim Kelley Cat IV - 36th place 10:24
Dave Hutchinson Cit – 26th place 12:29
Len Carlman, Roger Brecheen, Roger Smith, Kevin Patno Relay Team – 9th place 10:10

Editor’s Note: I gotta say- seeing fellow Fitzgerald’s Bicycles riders out on the course was a huge help and having friends and JayP yelling out of passing cars in the final miles was awesome. This team thing is pretty cool.

MOOSE Roubaix. aka Moose to Moose. aka What Race?

It’s 3 hours to game time as I write, so a full report to come. But I’ve put my money on a 3-peat. You go Lunner! They can trash talk all they want, but barring a flat tire…your Furious Rage and Power is 2nd to none. (jayp has you beat on F.R. alone…but not the power combo).
Editors Note- The outcome is in. Sittin’ in and waiting to pounce, Ian Tuttle looked as cool as Cancellara hoisting his (teton granite) cobble trophy, to the dismay of 2 time defending champ Kris Cross (dressing) Lunning, who finally conceded after uncountable attacks by those who knew they couldn’t beat him, but also couldn’t stand to see him 3-peat. Lunner is rumored to be living out of his truck in down a Bend, OR forest service road this summer, alongside Chris Horner…hoping that Jedi Horner gives him the magic tactical view that will allow Lunning to out whit his rivals.
Chellie Terry took the W’s trophy, with a strong push through the first dirt and a gritty effort to hang with the leaders until the devil hill. Cheers to Lori Erickson for being the Devil (fan) on the Moose/Wilson road. Of note, fresh off his sailboat Scott Fitzgerald put in a serious effort and was seen swapping pulls with the Lion of Belgian Beer-Chris Erickson, in attempt to hold onto the family title. (Janine, slowed by a book club injury may not have been at her best.)

New Bikes! Who say’s Fall is not the time for new bike stoke? Luke Lynch’s 29-er is in the house. Beware a ride with JayP, DanK and Luke…as they’ve simply got bigger diameter than you. Sexy bike Luke…podium in Laramie next year?

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Tim, Tom, Scott and Janine head to Sin City for bike overload next week, here’s hoping they remember what hot stuff to order for ’07! Speaking of 07, it’s time to start your Christmas lists…so talk to Scott about the new Campy, New Orca, New FSA cranks, New New stuff. (as he already knows).

OK…..Just when you thought we were a little’ol bike club: Top Shelf Team Racers Chellie Terry get’s Fitzgerald’s Bicycles into Velonews.com! Chellie took on the W’s Pro Peleton in the Parker Mainstreet Omnium over the weekend outside Denver, CO. 6th in the Timetrail, 12th in the Road Race and 9th in the Criterium put Chellie and Fitzgerald’s Bicycles in 7th Overall. With some of the country’s top racers present, this was a huge season ending victory for Chellie. We’re all proud she represented the team so well at this national level event. Lunner’s wheels, Bergy’s Helmet, Shop Mechanic help on her bikes and team tdi help on her bio-team car all went into her successful weekend. See article: (scroll to bottom for Chellie/Fitzy Team listings in results) http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/10890.0.html

MUST HAVE GEAR- If you don’t own the team edition, Alpine Light Jacket, I don’t envy you. This is simply the best cycling top going. It blocks wind, rain, cars (it’s bright), doesn’t flap, has rear pockets for vest, etc. and simply put…it will make you feel and look faster. Period.
Limited supply on sale at the shop- $120.

Thank you to our sponsors! We love you guys. And we hope we’ve represented you well all season. It has been the teams most successful and most visable season yet. I’ll have a recap of the season in October, with a guest writer to recap the mountain bike season.

Riding slow but clean,
tK

Congratulations Teton Park! 42 Miles of Pathways.

Well, it’s been a long wait but Grand Teton National Park has made public their transportation plan. By the looks of it, we the cycling community made out great. Check out this statement from Dave Vandenberg,

Today the park announced the Final Environmental Impact Statement for their Transportation Plan. Thanks to all of you who voiced support for pathways in the park, public participation made a difference in influencing the park’s decision to combine elements of alternatives three and four from the Draft EIS for a total of 42 miles of multi-use pathways in Grand Teton National Park.

David Vandenberg
Your Executive Director at Friends of Pathways

Thanks Jackson Hole for all your hard work on this!

Don’t forget about LotoJa!

If you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to register for LotoJa before it filled up you certainly are aware of this Saturday’s drama. If you won’t be participating in the country’s longest single day road race then I strongly encourage you to take at least 5 minutes out of your day this Saturday to stop along the roadside and cheer on any of the riders you see. There will be especially good drama unfolding sometime around 4pm when Fitzgerald’s riders Ian Tuttle and Kris Lunning will be looking to win the CatIV and Pro Categories respectively.

Endurance races are very special events in the lilves of these athletes. Recently our own Dave Byers completed the Park City 100 mile mountain bike race and wrote a great insight to what these events mean to a rider. The submition below should get everyone pumped for some LotoJa cheering!

For the 2006 E100 100-mile race in Park City I had one simple goal: FINISH

Since early 2006 this beast of a race has been looming on the horizon as my first attempt at a 100-mile mountain bike race. With 18,600’ of climbing and roughly 95% of the course on singletrack trails, the E100 would be a huge challenge and gave me plenty of motivation to train this summer.
In the end I crossed the line in 13:41:49 for a middle-of-the pack finish, my first off-road hundie under my belt, and my proudest achievement on the bike to date. After many highs and lows throughout the day the final 4-mile singletrack descent into the Canyons Resort was euphoric. I had a serious case of perma-grin throughout the final descent as I could hear the crowd and see the race banners below me at a distance and all the pain that had accumulated during the day temporarily melted away. As I crossed the finish line I was cheered by my wife Michelle, many friends, and many more strangers. Receiving my “100-mile Finisher” medal was a feeling I will not forget.
So many factors influenced my day of racing that it would be tough to give a detailed account. Pre-race anxiety, darkness, rain, hail, wind, brutal climbing, tricky descending, crashes, beautiful singletrack, more climbing, and a lot of time riding alone shaped the whole experience.
There were a few highlights:
- The anxiety and excitement of lining up for a race that I was not 100% sure I could finish
- Ripping along the Mid-Mountain trail during Stage 1 with the sun rise peaking through the storm clouds
- Seeing my wife Michelle face her demons in the rainy darkness and toe the line for the 50-mile race; her first solo mountain bike race of any kind.
- Receiving support and motivation at aid stations from Tracy Petervary, my homie Rick, and my wife Michelle when I had expected to race fully self-supported
- The ebb and flow of insane amounts of climbing followed by incredible and challenging descents

My short journey in endurance mountain bike racing has been filled with memorable experiences and inspiring people. I am inspired by the super-fast guys like Jay P. as well the racers who toe the line not knowing for sure if they will make the cutoff times. Seeing my fellow Fitzy team members at races this year and getting to know more of you has added to the experience. Only 362 days til’ next year’s E100!
Dave