BMC-Hincapie Sportswear Development Cycling Team

Holding our Own at the Joe Martin Stage Race

Kirk Flinte — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Now that racing season is in full swing, our riders are finally able to compete in some big races. Our first couple of national caliber races were pretty tough on our young team, but the guys have stepped up and are starting to hold their own with the best riders in the country. At the recent Joe Martin Stage race, the team made great strides in their development as pros, riding strong through some tough stages and ending the race with a good result.

The toughest moment for our team at Joe Martin, was during Stage 2. The previous day featured a short, 10 minute uphill prologue so the guys were anxious to put their legs to the test on a long 177km road race stage. Toward the end of the stage things began to get hairy as speeds increased over the rolling terrain. That's when Alder Martz and Blair Turner hit the deck (along with 15 other guys) at somewhere around 40mph. Alder and Blair quickly did a bike exchange and rolled into the finish line a few minutes behind the peloton. It was obvious that something was wrong with Blair's arm. He was in some pain on the ride to the finish and a post-race x-ray revealed a fractured elbow. Blair was of course disappointed for his race to be over so quickly, but the good news is that the doctors should have him riding his trainer within a week and back in the peloton in just a few weeks.

The last stage of Joe Martin is a brutal criterium. With a climb in the middle of the course, it has a reputation of being one of the hardest crits in the country. The guys rode like seasoned veterans in the race, staying well positioned and using their energy wisely. The front group was slowly whittled down to around 30 riders and Jovan Zekavica and AJ Meyer both stayed with the leaders. As the race neared the final laps AJ worked his way into the train of the big sprint teams and finished the stage with a solid 10th place.

Now that the Joe Martin Stage race is complete, the team is heading to Silver City, New Mexico for another tough stage race – the SRAM Tour of the Gila. Gila features five stages of hilly racing at 6,000 feet elevation and higher. The guys will also be challenged by the strongest field they've ever faced, with some of their competitors testing their legs before the upcoming Amgen Tour of California. Be sure to follow the team during the SRAM Tour of the Gila on our twitter feed and Facebook page. The race also has a mobile app to help you follow the action on the go.

Brush that dirt off your shoulders

Kirk Flinte — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Tour of the Battenkill is a fairly young race, but for US racers it is quickly becoming a classic. At 200km long with gnarly sections of dirt roads and scores of steep, punchy hills it's no wonder this race has earned a UCI 1.2 rating and a reputation for being the hardest one day race in the States. Over 2,500 professional and amateur racers traveled from all over the United States, Canada and Europe to the remote town of Cambridge, NY to participate.

Our team arrived in Cambridge two nights before the race. Our hosts Eileen and her son Keane graciously opened their home to us and made each of us feel welcome. We spent the following morning riding portions of the course, hoping to gain some insight into the race. It was apparent from our recon that dirt sections four and five were going to be key in deciding the race.

The race was predictably hard at the beginning. Optimum Health and Kelly Benefits both understood the importance of dirt sections four and five and dragged the peloton to them at an unbelievable pace. After clearing those sections, we were happy to see that we had four strong riders sitting near the front of the field. Then of course, the unlucky elements that make the race exciting quickly reduced our presence to only two riders. Jovan Zekavica flatted at the end of the sixth dirt section and had an impossible gap to close once his wheel was changed. Soon after, we also lost AJ Meyer behind a small pile-up on a gravel climb. Alder Martz and Blair Turner were the only team riders left in the greatly diminished peloton.

Once things settled in a bit, Blair rolled back to the team car to grab bottles, Bonk Breakers and GUs, and to check-in with Director Thomas Craven. Thomas's advice was to keep doing what they were doing by staying fueled and attentive. As Blair rolled back into the field, the big guns of the race rolled off the front. Blair and Alder did a fantastic job of staying positioned and in contact with the main field, but at their age and physical maturity, it was impossible for them to chase down the older, weathered hard-men like Francisco Mancebo and Jeff Louder.

All-in-all it was a good weekend for the team. We may have finished 10 minutes away from the podium, but the race brought us success in the development of our riders. The guys were able to learn how to race on a technically challenging course. They learned how to negotiate through the race caravan in hectic conditions. Most importantly they learned that in top level races, bad positioning can't be "made-up" in the next straight-away or when things "settle down." They guys gave it their best, so as a team we will quite literally brush that dirt off our shoulders (and our bikes and our team cars) and capitalize on our newly learned lessons in upcoming races.

(See more images from the Tour of the Battenkill in our photo gallery.)

Redlands Bicycle Classic

Thomas Craven — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The team has been training hard all winter and racing as much as possible in the Southeast in preparation for the Redlands Bicycle Classic, their first NRC stage race of the year (and first of their career for some). The expectations for our riders were that they learn as much as possible and just simply survive the race.

Prologue
The starting Prologue was like a punch in the nose for the team. The unusual course contained several gradual climbs and then a nasty 12% ascent to the finish. Our highest placed rider finished 86th in the results. The guys gave it everything they had, but it was clear to them that they were now playing in the big league.

Blair Turner charging up the Prologue course.

Stage 1: Road Race
Even after a tough start, our riders were optimistic about the 120 mile road race the next day. With a twisting and turning course and punchy climb, the 40km circuit called for extra attention to positioning. Each time up the climb a group of 30 or so riders would have to crawl back to the peloton. Ty Magner and Jovan Zekavica fought their way to the front early in the race and were able to stay with the lead group to the end, finishing with winning riders. Our guys seemed to enjoy the tough race and everyone was satisfied with their ride.

AJ Meyer after a tough stage.

Stage 2: Criterium
Our friend Phil Gaimon from the Kenda Pro Cycling Team was in the leader’s jersey. Kenda was determined to hang on to the overall lead, so they controlled the front of the field for the majority of the race making for a smooth criterium. As expected though, attacks and speed both increased the last five laps of the race, but our guys held on and Ty Magner rolled across the line for a strong 9th place. Jovan ended up on the deck in the final lap chaos, but was unharmed and able to get back on his bike.

Alder Martz

Stage 3: Circuit Course
The final stage was another twisty course with 3 kilometers of uphill followed by 3 kilometers of downhill. Many riders were tired on the last day, so gaps started forming on the first lap. Then the skies opened up and a heavy rain mixed with chilling winds hit the field. With the speed, fatigue and bad weather, the field was thinned down to around 20 riders. As riders came off, the officials pulled dropped riders for safety and gave them a prorated time. Ty stayed with the lead group up until the final circuit climb when Mancebo attacked the group. Only twelve riders were allowed onto the short finishing laps, but Ty endured long enough to be scored for 20th place on the stage, giving him 19th overall in the final standings.

Ty and AJ talking race strategy with Director Thomas Craven.

The old adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is really true about this race experience for our riders. They endured through some really tough days of racing and can use the lessons learned and fitness gained to build on through the rest of the season.

Squad announced for Redlands Bicycle Classic, March 22-25

Thomas Craven — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Heeding the advice "head west young man," this week the team heads to Southern California for the Redlands Bicycle Classic. It's the opening event on USA Cycling’s National Racing Calendar and we’ll be one of 27 total teams in the 200-rider peloton.

Ty Magner, Isaac Enderline (making his first every trip to California), Jovan Zecavica, AJ Meyer, Alder Martz, Edison Turner, Tyler Karnes and Matt Lipscomb are rested and ready, on the heels of great training combined with some local and international racing. This is our first true test of our fitness; I’m excited to see how we do and confident in what we can achieve.

Who to watch: Ty Magner is fresh off a great tour of Uruguay and won a race last week. Jovan recently opened his 2012 account with a win, AJ Meyer bested Kenda’s Phil Gaimon to take the Georgia Cup road race, and Alder Martz won the overall Blytheville Omnium.

So, we have a bunch of guys with good fitness and more importantly, confidence. Because we’re also a new team we head into Redlands as somewhat of a sleeper, which means the only pressure is that which we put upon ourselves. In fact, Alder is the only rider to have contested this race before.

We’ll mostly be hunting for road stages but with 200 riders, I just want to make sure the guys are safe and learn from the experience.

Redlands kicks off with a 3.1 mile prologue time trial on Thursday. Friday is a 120-mile circuit race followed Saturday by a 90-minute criterium. The race wraps up Sunday with a 94-mile road race that will test every rider’s legs and fitness.

We’ll be posting updates at Facebook.com/HincapieRacing and Twitter.com/hincapiedevo. You can also follow the race at Twitter.com/redlandsclassic.