Team News

Magnificent Team Work Leads to 3rd for Dan Yankus at Maple Hill Race for Wishes

July 17th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Collin Snyder, Team OAM Now Cyclist

Did you read my last blog entry about racing trade secrets? I forgot one: If you line up at a 105 mile road race without a strong team behind you, don’t attack a half mile into the race.

However, that’s exactly what I did at the Maple Hill Race for the Wishes Pro 1/2 Road Race, with one small exception: I had a ridiculously strong group of team mates lined up beside me. Representing Team OAM Now was the power house Dan Yankus, limitless sufferer Alex Vanias, and strong man Pete Ehmann who, despite breaking a rib 2 weeks prior at Herman Miller, finished 4th in Saturday’s BTR Energy Crit.

Our plan was simple: I would attack early, and make it stick. Shortly after we made our first turn away from the start, I went to the front and attacked. As we had reasoned, the collective response was nothing. After getting a couple hundred-yard gap, one other masochistic soul decided to join me. We worked our butts off for two laps and, at one point, managed to get about 2 minutes on the field.

Shortly after the start of the third lap, a chase group of 4 bridged up and breathed new life into our tired break. Our average speed popped up and, pretty soon, our gap of 45 seconds ballooned up to nearly 2:45 just a few miles down the road. At this point, I was starting to feel toasty, but with enough water, I felt like I could handle it. The six of us kept motoring on, digging ever deeper into the tank. Eyeing the competition, I knew I was one of the smaller fish, but I had to keep going for the team.

About a lap and a half later, my savior came. Dan Yankus had followed David Williams for nearly a half an hour to make it up to our break. When I bridge a break, I normally sit in for a little bit. Not this group. They went straight to the front and upped the pace even more. At this point, I was hurting. I hung with the now group of 9 until a relentless pace from the big hitters popped my original break companion, EPS’s Bryce Nuiver from the first chase group and, ultimately, me at precisely 3 hours and 75 miles in. My legs had had enough.

I switched to endurance/death march pace, envisioning an eventual swallowing from the field. I soldiered on, keeping an eye over my shoulder to spot the inevitable. In the distance, I could see a chase group coming up fast. It was Alex Vanias along with two other riders. I took one look at their pace and knew I had nothing. I watched them quickly fade into the distance. I felt like I was barely moving, and made a deal with myself that when the eventual field caught me, I would try and hold on, but if they dropped me before the start of the last lap, I would throw the towel in.

Shortly thereafter, another chase group came barreling through, this time, it included Pete Ehmann. Pete said he was on the rivet for way too long and they attacked hard to keep me from jumping on. Little did they know, I was dead, so the joke was on them. This unfortunately popped Pete, so we decided to ride in together. The pack didn’t catch us before we started the last lap, so based upon my deal, I had to keep going. For the next 17 miles, we marched on slowly but surely, giving each other motivation to continue. When we reached the final bump (which felt like a mountain), we looked back to see no one. With a 2 mile downhill run into the finish, we realized the pain was not in vain. We had stayed away from the group. Without a great teammate like Pete, I never would have pushed myself on that last lap and would have eventually rejoined the field; I’m ever grateful. My stretch goal of never actually riding with the field came to fruition, with 104.5 miles of pain in my legs. I must say, you probably won’t see me writing another blog about attacking at mile .5 of another 100+ mile road race any time soon. I might have to put a limit of 80 or so.

Overall, it was a great day for Team OAM Now’s elite team, with every rider finishing ahead of the break. Dan managed to clean up what I started and finished 3rd on the day. Alex and his ever lasting motor earned 7th, and Pete and I finished 14th and 13^th respectively.

This was team work at its finest. I knew I could sacrifice my race knowing that my move would eventually lead to overall success for the team. It has been an honor and a pleasure to ride for such a great team with amazing support from teammates, staff and sponsors of Team OAM NOW!.

Trade Secrets: Things They Don’t Teach You About Racing

July 9th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Collin Snyder, Team OAM Now Cyclist

We all know the basics: ride a lot, eat right, pay attention, and success comes with hard work. However, there are some things in racing that can only be learned through years of trial and error. After seeing a new Team OAM Now racer lose a race after a small error on the first lap, I put together a cheat sheet to help young racers succeed. If you find any of this useful, share the love and share this on Facebook!

Gloves: Racing is inherently dangerous and accidents happens. While I rarely use gloves when I’m out on a solo training ride, I always wear them while racing. Back in 2008, I crashed hard in a Cat 4 race going about 30mph. Making a 4 hour drive home with hands that looked like I had exfoliated them with a cheese grater made me think twice about clothing choices. Ever since then, when I race, it’s with full-finger MTB gloves. I’ve seen others take it one step further and wear Craftsman Mechanics gloves or, in Rich Stark of AAVC’s case, bright orange gardening gloves.

Pin Your Number down: One thing that will instantly identify you as a noob is not pinning your number correctly. In running races, it really doesn’t matter all that much. Use 4 safety pins, put them through the 4 little holes on the number and place it wherever you see fit on your jersey. Do this in road racing, and your guaranteed a number that acts like a parachute and tells others “Stay away from me. I don’t know how to put a number on, so don’t count on me making it through this next corner.” Instead, use the steering wheel on your car to stretch the jersey out a bit, and go to town. The more pins the better. You want to let as little air as possible get behind the number. Do not use the holes. If it’s a race that requires 2 numbers, insure you can still use your pockets. Place the edge of the number along the top edge of the pocket. Again, pin away.
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Racing Isn’t Always About the Results

July 6th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Roxane Kippen, Team OAM Now Triathlete

Team OAM NOW Multisport athletes have been reeling in the podium finishes this year and are on track for another phenomenal season of performances. However, not every race goal involves standing atop a set of steps. Sometimes we race just for fun and sometimes we race to train. The T Rex 10 Miler and Wimpy 8K Trail Run on 4^th of July was a combination of both fun and training for five of our multisport ladies.

Training plans include some high intensity days that can, oftentimes, be substituted with a race. For me, it is definitely easier to go out and do a hard run with a group rather than by myself or just one or two others. Choosing to do a race in place of a hard training day allows an athlete to focus on the training without all the stress of race day. It also gives an opportunity to test one’s limits…how much of a gap can I close in the last mile of a run? How hard can I push on climbs and still maintain decent speed on downhills and flats? If I go out hard, how long can I hold that pace? You’d be surprised by the things you can learn from doing B & C (lower priority) races that you can work to improve for A races.

There are a growing number of events available from which to chose, especially for running, so it is not hard to find a lower key race to mix up your training venue. The T Rex 10 Miler and Wimpy 8K Trail Run is held at Fallasburg Park in Lowell, MI every 4^th of July. It is a pretty challenging course with some technical single track trail and some big gravel road climbs. Course signage, with T Rex cutouts, were a reminder not to take things too seriously though.

I chose to race the Wimpy 8K (just under 5 miles) to help teach my body to run fast on tired legs. The day before the race, I rode 30 miles of trail on my mountain bike which left me a bit fatigued. Amy Kimber, Cheryl Sherwood, Erin Young and Raquel Torres all ran the T Rex 10 Mile race. Amy decided to do the race the night before, Cheryl had ridden 100+ miles the day before, Erin is training for a 100 miler while still regaining her fitness after having a baby a few months ago, and Raquel was just wrapping up a very hard week of training. Clearly, winning was not the name of the game.

Our goal was to have fun and get in a quality training day and we all accomplished our mission. While I did end up walking part of a huge climb on a gravel road (this same climb is one of the first on the Lowell 50 course), I did push to close the gap on a female runner ahead of me on the return route to the finish. I’d say it took me a half mile to close the gap, up and down the gravel road, but then I really struggled to stay with her for the last mile in the trail and my legs just didn’t have what it took to pass.

Trail running is a great alternative to the constant pounding of pavement. It also builds hip and ankle stability and leg strength. Although, it does take a bit of concentration to maneuver around trees, over rocks and roots and up sandy hills. Raquel is a new trail runner and said the obstacles were definitely a challenge for her, but she is looking to improve her run and focusing on adding some running races to her training.

The T Rex was a very well-run event with no fancy chip timing and, in turn, no crazy expensive race entry fees. Post race refreshments included a make your own snow cone station along with a giant table full of raffle prizes. I’ll definitely be back for this one. Mid-July the multisport team kicks it back up a notch with several Michigan races. Keep an eye out for us at Tri del Sol, Clark Lake Triathlon, Little Traverse Triathlon, Caseville Triathlon and Tri Allegan.

Brian Reynolds Training Plan and Race Strategy Earn Him a 4:10 Finish in His First Half-Iron!

July 2nd, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Brian Reynolds, Team OAM Now Triathlete

A few weekends ago, I completed my first half ironman distance at the Grand Rapids Triathlon. Grand Rapids was an “A” race that I trained for, for the past 7 months. When Mark Olson (my coach) and I sat down last September, we set a goal to break 4:15. To accomplish my goal, I woke at 4:20am in the mornings to go to master’s swim group for 1.5 hours and swam at least 5000 yards per day, three times a week. I was doing 2-4 quality runs and 2-4 bike rides per week. Between the months of February and May, I focused more on my running to prepare for the Fifth Third River Bank 25 run, my other “A” race, and resumed regular triathlon training after.

After Fifth Third, I developed peroneal tendonitis in my left foot which meant I had to reduce my running significantly. Fortunately, I was able to swim and bike just fine. I found my foot injury to be a blessing in disguise because I was able to focus on my biking which was lacking at the time. Mark had to modify my training to include a several longer rides of 2 hours or more. In a 6 week span, I increased my Functional Threshold Power by 8% which is significant improvement in a short amount of time. During that span, I had some of my best bike workouts ever. My body was craving cycling. The more I rode, the more my body responded to the challenge. These long rides also gave me the opportunity to work on my nutrition which was the biggest unknown to me because I’ve never raced a Half Ironman before, let alone competed for over 4 hours.

One week before the race, I did the GR tri practice swim where I picked up my new Aquaman wetsuit. The wetsuit uses Metal Cell technology which enables the neoprene to stay close to the skin to help keep you warm by allowing less water to get into the suit. People like me, who have very little body fat, find this extra warmth beneficial because it means I’m burning less energy in the water. In addition, the expected water temp on race day was 66 degs F so the suit would come in handy. After swim practice, I rode the course on my TT racing bike to do a pre-race workout. The workout was to go easy the first hour, then ride at race pace effort the last hour. Overall, I felt good throughout the ride, but in in the last ten minutes of the ride, I was uncomfortable, as if I was running out of energy. After the ride I did an hour run. During the run, I felt okay for the first mile, but then I began to feel terrible during the 2nd and 3rd miles. I recognized this “terrible feeling” as being low on glucose, so I started to take in calories until I started to feel better. The calories helped and I began to run more normal again. This was an important discovery a week before the race because it made me realize that I needed to take in more calories on the bike. Before I started the bike leg, I would have already burned through glucose during the swim; thus, I would have to make up for the glucose loss on the bike.

On race day, I woke up at 4:20am to rain and scattered thunderstorms, so I wasn’t sure if the race would even start. When I arrived at the race site, there was a light drizzle and everything was soaked. In fact, I had to pin my number to my bike because it wouldn’t stick otherwise. In the transition area, I placed my running equipment in a large plastic bag to keep it dry. After setting up transition, it was time to get my wetsuit on and head towards the start.

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Frankie Andreu Joins TEAM OAM NOW to offer FREE Cycling Clinics During Kalamazoo Race Weekend

July 1st, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

Kalamazoo Race Weekend begins on Friday, July 10, with the Team OAM Now/Athletic Mentors Race Clinic. This clinic, now in its 7th year, open to both men and women of all abilities, offers riders and racers an introduction to the basics of racing. Clinic leaders, who are seasoned racers, offer additional tips and tricks as well as drills to practice these skills. Joining the Team OAM NOW race team to lead the clinics are Frankie Andreu, nine time Tour de France competitor, Mackenzie Woodring, Paralympic Gold, Silver and Bronze medalist, Chris Gottwald, 100 mile TT World Record Holder and former State Champion , Amy Kimber. Finally, riders will have the chance to ride the Miller Energy Crit race course while receiving course specific techniques and analysis. There will be ample time throughout for riders to ask questions about racing, improving skills, and the course itself. The clinic is free if you pre-register, but $10 on day of the event. Pre-register at athleticmentors.com or click here for the Men’s Clinic or here for the Women’s Clinic.

On Saturday, July 11, is the Miller Energy Criterium. Not only is it an anniversary year (10th anniversary), but it’s also the State Championship race for women, masters, and junior riders which ensures some great competition this year.

This special anniversary race also features an exciting guest announcer, Frankie Andreu, nine time Tour de France competitor. In addition to racing the Tour with the U.S. Postal Service team, America’s most famous racing team, his racing experience is both vast and impressive including: La Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain), Giro d’Italia, and two Olympics, 1988 and 1996, where he placed 8th and 4th respectively.

Finally, on Sunday, July 12, is the Race for Wishes. In partnership with Michigan Make-a-Wish foundation, this charity race helps raise funds for ill children in our area. Riders will tour the rolling hills of Lawton, Michigan, with beautiful scenery including Bankson Lake, vineyards, and farmland.

Registration for all of these events now. Follow the links below to register for one, or even better, all 3!

To register for the Team OAM Now/Athletic Mentors Race Clinics: If you pre-register, it’s free!
Men register here.
Women register here.

To get more information for the Miller Energy Crit, please email the Race Director, Jon Ballema.

To register for the Race for Wishes, register here

You can also find the race weekend series here, with links to registration for all 3 events.

Soggy Socks Don’t Slow Down Team OAM Now at Grand Rapids Tri

June 26th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Elaine Sheikh, Team OAM Now, Triathlete

The morning of the Grand Rapids Triathlon started out at 4 am for many members of the Team OAM Now. Like last year, it was raining steadily as athletes set up the transition area. For those of you who have never had the distinct pleasure of setting up transition in the rain, it really is an experience. Forget about using electrical tape to attach gels to your top tube – nothing sticks. Your towel and shoes will be soaked if you don’t have a trash bag to cover them. If your helmet has an eyeshield, anticipate it being wet and impossible to see out of. I’ll admit, after my sub-par performance at Big Fish Triathlon in Ortonville two weeks prior, where I did the Olympic aquabike in 45 degrees and pouring rain, I was less than thrilled for another rainy day aquabike. At least my hands weren’t numb as I got into my wetsuit this time!

The Grand Rapids Triathlon is one of the biggest tris in the state. Team OAM Now/Athletic Mentors is one of the sponsors of this race. As such, we had a tent at the expo the day before the race. It was great to catch up with teammates before race day. As we handed out hot/cold packs, granola bars, and fliers, I learned that most of the multisport team racing would be doing the half-iron distance. The more the merrier, right? Plus, that meant that I would probably see some friendly faces as I entered the water in the first wave at 7 am. However, as I lined up in the corral to get in the water, I didn’t see any of my teammates. No worries though – I hung out with some friends from Grand Valley State University, where I did my undergrad, and hoped everyone from Team OAM Now was in place and ready to race!

The swim was uneventful and I hoped that, like last year, it would no longer be raining when I hit the road on the bike. To my minor disappointment, it was still sprinkling. The roads were, for the most part, decently drained and I only had to weave around several large puddles. I felt good on the bike though and, with the exception of needing to wipe off my eyeshield every mile or so, I wasn’t hampered by the rain.

I didn’t see any Team OAM Now members until just before the turnaround. I saw one man coming towards me and I racked my brain to remember who it could be. I settled on Brian Reynolds. As I rounded the turnaround, a volunteer told me I was the second female. I saw Raquel Torres less than half a mile back. She had started two waves after me, so had made up ten minutes on me at that point. She passed me within the next mile and we exchanged a few words of encouragement. Next thing I knew, Kaitlyn Patterson, who started in the same wave as Raquel, flew past me. I was going a bit over 21 mph at the time, so knew she had to be going at least 24. I made a mental note to attempt to mountain bike more and see if it turned me into a beast on the bike like her! Kaitlyn hasn’t been doing a lot of triathlon training as she has spent the year racing mountain bikes, and yet, there she was, dominating a half-iron tri on the road! Not long after Kaitlyn passed me, I was passed by another Team OAM Now male, who I decided was probably Todd Anthes. At that point, I was out of water, my hip was completely cramped, and I was in too much pain to pay attention to people coming up on the other side. I missed a few teammates, but all I could think about was finishing at that point! I was passed by another woman in the aquabike, Kim Albin. She’s a strong cyclist and I tried to stay with her, but it wasn’t happening for me. (My heart said go, go, go, but my body said no, no, no – although I think the actual song has those two things in reverse…) My focus was then to just hold off the women behind me to preserve a podium place in the half aquabike. The finish line couldn’t come fast enough!

After the race, I immediately found an icepack for my hip and tried to waddle around awkwardly to find my friends and teammates. Overall, I had a decent race, although I would have liked to have been able to finish the bike as hard as I started. Regardless, Team OAM Now had a lot of podium places, and I was proud to be one of them despite my injury. Most notably, Team OAM Now had the top 2 females in the half iron distance! Kaitlyn, who remember, has been focusing on mountain bike training, won the half iron with a stellar time of 4:30! Raquel was second, pulling the awesome time of 4:38 in her first ever half. Brian went 4:10 in his first half, which was good for fourth overall and first in his age group. I think I’ll keep hanging out with these fast folks in the hope that some of their speed rubs off on me!

Sprint
Chuck Grzanka– 1st AG
Paul Raynes– 2nd AG

Sprint Relay
Mike Steele– 1st OA
Michelle Olson (Elite Club) 1st OA

Half Aquabike
Elaine Sheikh-3rd OA

Half

Kaitlyn Patterson– 1st OA
Raquel Torres– 2nd OA
Brian Reynolds– 1st AG, 4th OA
Todd Anthes– 3rd AG
Michelle Dalton– 9th AG

Sponsor Spotlight: Giant Bicycles

June 24th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

Giant Bicycles started in 1972 and has become one of the best known names in cycling. Known for their quality, craftsmanship, reliability, and performance, Giant is the bike of choice for many riders, from elite to recreational. An industry innovator, Giant’s goals, similar to those of Team OAM Now, go beyond medals and to the heart of the sport: a pure love of riding. Giant has sponsored Athletic Mentors‘ Teams for 3 years.

For Team OAM Now, this means bikes that win races. This means performance and a stylish design so they look good passing competitors. More than that, it means confidence in the gear that gets them to the finish and the support of one of the best known names in cycling: Giant. For Giant it means athletes who embody sportsmanship, quality, ability, and a desire to further the sport.

Ed Note: The relationship between athlete and sponsor is often understated and oversimplified. Team OAM Now/AM does its best to make sure the relationship we build with our sponsors reflects its importance.

We promote our sponsor’s brand, with professionalism, on social media including blogs and Facebook. We are active in the community and participate in over 75 community events every year to help our sponsors give back to community. We (the athletes) understand our sponsors’ services and brand, use their products and services, and refer business to them. In return, the sponsors help us develop young athletes, and create exposure and opportunities where those circumstances might not otherwise exist.

For a sponsor, this kind of support is also an investment in someone’s dreams, a measure of faith in ability and determination, and a connection with the team’s values. For an athlete, the support given by a sponsor is invaluable. In fact, it’s more than support; it’s a vote of confidence; it’s an opportunity to achieve; it promises the joy of bringing along a “family” when there is triumph.

For this reason, we’d like to take time to introduce you to our sponsors. We cannot thank them enough for their support of Team OAM/Now, its athletes, its goals and visions, and its values.

Giving Back: JoAnn Cranson Rides Tandem at Michigan Blind Athletic Associate Sports Camp and Gets Back More Than She Ever Expected

June 22nd, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By JoAnn Cranson, Team OAM Now Cyclist

It was Friday, late afternoon, after a long week at work and my motivation level had bottomed. Why had I signed up to assist with tandem rides for youth at Michigan Blind Athletic Association Sports Camp on that night? I fretted over it. Riding a tandem bike really requires two people working together and I worried that my partner and I would struggle. How could I help balance my partner on the bike, particularly when some might be my size or bigger?

The Michigan Blind Athletic Association Sports Camp aims to encourage students who are blind, grades K-12, to explore and discover their athletic abilities. While most of the young athletes are from Michigan, they do get participants from all over the United States. For many, it is their first opportunity to participate, while others are learning that they have incredible potential to not only participate, but excel in athletic pursuits.

On that Friday, May 15, I was pleased to learn that some of the young athletes had previous exposure to cycling; it was great to see that their loved ones had already shared a little about cycling with them. However, my first rider had never been on a bike before; I watched as she got a sense of the bike by feeling the seat, the pedals, handlebars, connecting bars, and every part of the bike—forming an image of it in her mind. She asked many questions until it made as much sense as it could before a rider has a firsthand experience.

I started off as a poor teacher; I took many things for granted, but soon learned to explain the importance of each part of the bike, what I would be doing, and what I would need from each of them – “keep pedaling to stay balanced,” “pedal harder when we are going uphill to keep moving,” “yeah, it’s okay to coast downhill.” In some ways, the learning curve might have been greater for me as a teacher than for them as a rider.

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Double Downpour Tri- Team OAM Now Wins Several Podiums at Double Time Tri

June 22nd, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Brian Reynolds, Team OAM Now Triathlete

Typically in a triathlon athletes are only suppose to be soaked during the swim leg. However, May 30th, at the Double Time Triathlon, I was soaked during the bike and part of the run as well. It was my first rainy triathlon experience.

On the morning of the race, the weather forecast showed a 60% chance of rain which made me think more about the rain than the race. I did not prepare any special equipment for rain beside a rain coat, which obviously I did not wear during the race. When I got to the race I saw several familiar faces from Team OAM Now, my Kalamazoo Masters swim group, and past participants I’ve encountered at other races. There were over 40 competitors in the triathlon.

Ten minutes before the swim, the rain started to come down hard, though it did not phase me much since I was already wet and in race mode. When the horn went off, I sprinted to the front of the pack. About 50 yards into the swim, I could spot on my left the one and only Raquel Torres. I knew Raquel was a strong swimmer in the field, so I got behind her to draft. Isn’t that what teammates are for? Teammate Paul Raynes thought the swim was interesting with the sound of heavy rain. After the swim, it was a long transition to the bike. The rain was still coming down hard, so I had to be very cautious on the bike. The bike was a 11.3 mile, one-loop course which was mostly flat with several potholes within the first few miles. Unfortunately, Michelle Dalton’s husband James crashed in the early miles of the bike leg after hitting a deep pothole which was covered with water. Michelle stopped her race to help James. Several OAM teammates and I encountered potholes, but thankfully there were no crashes. While the rain gradually let up during the bike leg, I credit it with taking my mind off the race and helping me relax.

I felt pretty good on the run and receiving encouragement from both competitors and spectators along the out and back course felt great. Paul (Raynes) was happy to have dry feet during the run because he remembered to cover his running shoes with a plastic bag. Paul see-sawed back and forth with Matt Gunderson on the bike (no drafting) and they were able to pace together for about half of the run. Whenever you can stick with teammate for that much of the race, it’s great to have the support and encouragement.

Overall, it was a good day for Team OAM. Below are the team results:

Brian Reynolds – Overall Tri Winner

Cricket Howard – Overall AB Winner

Matt Gunderson– Overall DU Winner

Paul Raynes – 1st AG

Mark Olson – 3rd AG

I would just like to thank Jim Mishler and Spirit Racing for putting on a great grassroots race. For a small event, it was well-supported and organized. It’s not too often to have a police squad cars at every major turn during a bike course. Mishler’s next big event is the Gull Lake Triathlon on June 27th which, once upon a time, was the first triathlon I ever did.

A Stellar Beginner Program For New Racers Makes Michigan Racing Better

June 19th, 2015 by Team OAM NOW / Athletic Mentors

By Collin Snyder, Team OAM Now Cyclist

We recently wrapped up the newly instated Beginner Racing Program or BRP for Michigan racers. The BRP was modeled off a program started in Northern California nearly 30 years ago in order to teach new racers the basics of racing in a safer, non-racing environment. The program is a 5-week course focusing on the following topics:

Basic pack skills – Protecting your front wheel
Cornering – Choosing and holding your line
Pack Awareness Skills
Sprinting basics
Bringing it all together

The goal of this program is to help grow cycling by allowing young riders to ask questions and learn the basics without having to suffer the sometimes painful consequences of learning from mistakes made during races. Instilling the basics leads to not only a safer peloton for all, but it also leads to racers having fun and returning, race after race.

The clinic was lead by Ann Arbor Velo Club’s Lucas Wall and featured two of Team OAM Now/Athletic Mentors riders, Terry Ritter and Collin Snyder. Attendance was great and featured riders of all ages, from 12 to over 60, all with the same goal, learning to ride safer. After over an hour of skill drills and Q&A sessions, a short 10-lap practice race was held to put those new skills to the test.

I started racing eight years ago, with virtually no one to guide me. I learned what I could from reading online, watching the faster guys, and finally through trial and error. Naturally, my form was less than perfect. On the left is a picture of me from my first crit during the Tour of Kensington in 2007. I hung with the pack for about half the race, only to blow up. In that race, there was one crash, plenty of choppy corners, squirrelly moves, and brake lock-ups. One thing I remember was how terrifying it was to go through a corner, at speed, with 25 other guys within an arm’s reach. Notice my bad form while sprinting in the photo here. These are the very things the BRP is designed to help new racers understand.

Cornering was pretty much the concern of every racer who showed up. Those who felt they were okay in a straight line still felt nervous taking any corner at speed. They would have to slow way down in each corner, causing a huge gap to form. Every corner, they would have to exert a 100% effort sprint to catch up. It was only a matter of time until we could hear a loud audible “POP!” coming from their legs, well before the finish. One thing I focused on with them was the proper position on the bike while handling corners (demonstrated perfectly by Team OAM Now’s very own Dan Yankus in the picture below).

Dan Yankus

As weeks went by in the BRP, we could feel the confidence in the field increase. The new riders started taking smooth, single arc turns, looking more relaxed, and making predictable moves. The hope is these riders will have the confidence to continue to show up at races, increasing the field size year after year. As these racers progress, they will be safer riders and terms like “Crash Fives” will fade into distant memories.

If you missed the BRP and are still interested in learning the basics, or brushing up on those rusty skills, join us on Friday, July 10th as Team OAM Now will be doing what we do best, mentoring riders at the Miller Energy Criterium Racer Clinic. There is no fee if you pre-register, so do it today!

While you’re at it, sign up for the other great races that weekend including the Miller Energy Crit and Race for the Wishes.

For more info:
USAC Begininger Racer Program

July 10th Racer Clinic

2015 Miller Energy Crit

Maple Hill Race for the Wishes