The West Branch Classic Road Race 2010

                    Submitted by Tom Behan II

 

May 22, 2010

Where:        West Branch, Michigan

Who:          Justin Bassett and Tom Behan II

Tom Behan II and Justin Bassett, members of the Bay Tennis & Fitness Cycling Team, competed recently in the West Branch Classic Road Race. The race consisted of multiple laps on the 22 mile loop course (2 or 3 laps depending on race category.)  The rolling terrain and grueling 1 1/2 mile uphill finish topping out at a 10% grade makes the West Branch Classic one of the premier events of the racing calendar.

Behan II finished his 3 lap race in 2:45:42, and took 2nd place in his division with a brutal attack on the final uphill finish.  He was edged by Alexey Vermulen at the finish line by .4 tenths of a second.  Bassett finished his 2 lap race in 1:48:43 in 13th position, just 12 seconds off the leader. 

Behan II also competed in the Tour of Kensington Valley Road Race on May 8, 2010 finishing 2nd in a 2-man breakaway that finished 5:02:07 ahead of the main group.

      The Twilight Criterium Race 2009

The State Championship Road Race 2009

           The Presque Isle Circuit Race 2009

            Submitted by Tom Behan II

June 26-28, 2009

Where:        Marquette, Michigan

Who:          Will Baker, Justin Bassett, Dave Ide, Tom Behan Sr., Tom Behan II, Liam Anderson

The Harbor Springs & Petoskey based BT&F Cycling Team competed in a 3-day stage race in Marquette, MI on June 26th-28th.

The Twilight Criterium Race on Friday consisted of laps on a closed .7 mile loop in the heart of downtown Marquette.  This was the premier "spectator event" due to speeds in excess of 36mph, eight 90 degree turns between curbs, a fast downhill, a steep uphill, and a wide-open finishing stretch for the sprinters.  The streets were lined with thousands of spectators cheering and ringing cowbells, and the entire downtown area was buzzing with a festival atmosphere.

The State Championship Road Race followed on Saturday morning.  This 55 mile point-to-point race carried racers through rolling to moderately hilly terrain which allowed for many attacks and tactical team riding--great racing!  A short rainstorm and wet roads just before the 45 + mph descent to the final few miles kept everyone alert.

The final stage of the 3-day event was the Circuit Race, consisting of multiple laps on a 2.2 mile closed loop.  The course had a steep .6 mile hill halfway through, followed by a narrow high-speed descent and a sharp right turn to the finishing stretch.  Violent attacks were eminent on this technical terrain which suited riders with powerful uphill surges and high power-to-weight ratios.  The roads were narrow, so team tactics were also a considerable factor.

THE RACE RESULTS out of 287 racers:

6-26-09    Twilight Criterium Race-downtown Marquette

                    Justin Bassett                       14th                               Cat 4

                    Tom Behan II                        1st                                  Cat 4

6-27-09    State Championship Road Race

                   Justin Bassett                         12th                               Cat 4

                   Tom Behan II                          13th                               Cat 4

                   Will Baker                                 23rd                               Cat 3

                   Tom Behan Sr.                         27th                               Masters 45+

                   Dave Ide                                   13th                               Masters 45+

6-28-09    Presque Isle Circuit Race

                   Tom Behan II                            1st                                Cat 4

                   Will Baker                                  16th                              Cat 3

                   Tom Behan Sr.                          20th                              Masters 45+

                   Liam Anderson                         1st                                 Junior men 14 & under

Omnium results (accumulation of all 3 stages)

                  Justin Bassett                            19th                              Cat 4

                  Tom Behan II                             1st                                 Cat 4

                  Will Baker                                    24th                              Cat 3

                  Tom Behan Sr.                            26th                              Masters 45+

                  Dave Ide                                      19th                              Masters 45+

*******Key to above Categories********

Category 5 is the entry level category--typically where the basics of fitness, racing tactics, and competitive pack riding are learned.

Category 4 is a "racing license upgrade," and is only available to racers who have earned enough points.  You earn points by doing well in races.  This upgrade system is monitored by the national governing body of cycling -USA cycling.

Category 3 is a license upgrade from cat 4, and again must be earned through race results.  At this level, the speed, fitness, and tactical aspects of bike racing are much more refined.

Category 1/2 pro is a license upgrade from cat 3, and is also earned through race results.  At this level, the only differences between you and a domestic or international pro really comes down to the number of training hours and your genetic physical abilities or limitations.

  Tour de Mont Pleasant 2009

      Submitted by Tom Behan II

June 13-14, 2009

Event:         Tour de Mont Pleasant 2009

Who:          Will Baker, Justin Bassett, Dave Ide, Tom Behan Sr., Tom Behan II

This was a 2 day race with a downtown criterium race on 6/13, followed by the road race on 6/14.  Nine-time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreau was in the announcing stand all weekend, and the festival atmosphere and spectator friendly set-up made for a really exciting race venue.

The Criterium:

The criterium race was smack-dab downtown, and consisted of a flat, extremely fast, technical course with six corners, flanked by spectators on all sides.  High speed, close quarters and extremely strong surges were the norm, making for a very exciting and adrenaline-pumping race.  There were several crashes but we managed to avoid them all.  Will Baker sprinted to 2nd place in his group, followed by Tom Behan II at 9th.  Tom Behan Sr. finished 16th in his group--an excellent result for his first real "crit-race."

The Road Race:

The road race started the next morning and was another flat, extremely fast course.  Will, Tom II, and Tom Sr. were joined in the road race by Justin Bassett and Dave Ide.  Justin used his powerful sprint to take 8th in his group, passing 10 or 12 racers in the final group sprint with his strong "kick."  Justin was followed by Tom Behan II at 18th and Will Baker at 19th.  Will crossed the finish line gently nursing a flat front tire.  It was a pack-finish perfect for the sprinters, of which we only have one--Justin, otherwise known as "Le Juggah."

Tom Behan Sr. got his Cat 4 masters license upgrade on Saturday night after the criterium race--score!  Unfortunately his front tire flatted about 10 miles into the road race on Sunday - DNF. Dave Ide finished 12th in his group--a great result for his first race of 2009.

   West Branch Classic Road Race '09

          Submitted by Tom Behan II

May 30, 2009

Event:         West Branch Classic Road Race '09

Who:          Will Baker, Justin Bassett, Tom Behan Sr., Tom Behan II

Field Size:   200

Will, Justin, Tom Sr., and I left Petoskey and headed for West Branch on Saturday, May 30th at 5:30 a.m.  Our destination was the West Branch Classic.

The morning air was chill, but as the sun rose so too did the temperatures.  The cold morning air sure does make the coffee taste better. . .

The field size was over 200.  The course consisted of 2 laps of 22 miles each.  Each lap was concluded with a leg-smashing one mile climb, which also served as the hill-top finish.  The roads were smooth and very fast, and the hilly terrain made for great tactical racing. 

Will Baker demonstrated his brute force power with a sprint to the finish that left everyone else behind.  Justin and Tom Sr. finished respectfully in the group.  I flatted at mile 6, changed wheels at mile 22, and finished the last lap about 10 minutes behind the lead group.  Great racing--a truly enjoyable day--and another win for BT&F Cycling Team!!!

  Tour of Kensington Valley 2009

        Submitted by Tom Behan II

May 16, 2009

Event:         Tour of Kensington Valley '09

Who:          Tom Behan II, Tom Behan Sr., Justin Bassett

Field Size:   60

Finishes:     Tom Behan II    1st cat 4

                  Justin Bassett    27th cat 4

                  Tom Behan Sr.   41st cat 5

A great day of racing!  Kensington is such a great venue-the park is just perfect for racing, spectating, and having fun!

Launched a break-away on lap 3 (of 7 total laps) with 36 miles to go.  Two unknown guys came with me, and we worked together for as long as possible.  On lap 4, our three man break became two.  On lap 5, our two man break became one.  Finished alone for my first solo breakaway win-it just doesn't get much better than that!

After much debate, Justin and I decided not to put spare wheels in our groups' "following car."  Of course, he flatted, but fortunately did so near where we were parked.  He ran to the car, keys in the gas cap luckily, grabbed a spare wheel, re-mounted his bike and started his chase.  He caught one of the cat 4 chase-groups and still finished 27th out of 60 in our field with his usual "killer-sprint" at the finish.  What an effort to come back from that wheel change-holy cow. . .

My dad was the oldest in his category by quite a margin, and did vey well, proving once again that it's the thrill of the race, not the result, that makes these little "28 hour adventures" so much fun.

Michigan Bicycle Racing Association Weekend Report

Cat 4 MEN--BIGGEST FIELD OF THE DAY!!!

Thank you Cat 4's! One of the special privileges of working a race is you get to meet and know many of the racers in other categories and from other teams.  I first met Tom Behan II (of Bay Tennis & Fitness Team from Petoskey) when he came to do ToKV in 2007 when it was a 2 day/3 stage race.  He crashed hard in the stage 2 criterium but showed up Sunday morning, all bandaged up and looking like a mummy, to race the stage 3 road race.  He came back this year to race and won in grand style.  Great job Tom! As great a ride Tom had, in my opinion Alexi Vermeulen put in the most spectacular performance.  Despite crashing twice, losing his chip, and being CRUSHED by the winds (Alexi's waist is only slightly bigger than his top tube!), this 15 year old Ann Arbor Velo Club junior joined Tom and one other racer for a 4 lap breakaway and raced like a 10 year professional.  Alexi bonked hard with two laps to go, but watch out for him in future races!!!

 Willow Metro Park Time Trial

USA Cycling Sponsored Event

Submitted by Tom Behan II

April 25, 2009

My Dad and I drove down Friday night--good little road trip.  The race was 6 laps of 2.2 miles each. The course was rolling flats with 1 right hand 90 degree turn 400 yards from the start/finish area.  You could take the turn at 30 mph--nice and wide.  Road conditions were 8 on a scale of 10.  It was sunny, 75 degrees, with a 15 mph wind with some gusts.  Half the course was tailwind, half the course was headwind or quartering headwind.

Check in was between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m.  My start time was 10:11:30.  Lots of time for breakfast, coffee, hanging out, warm up.  Check in was super easy and fast. I raced in the Cat 4 category--got upgrade last week.

The race was organized and efficient.  The timing was dialed in, and the start/finish setup was good.  Friendly people--met a lot of racers. 

The Race Results:

Category 4          First

Category 3          First

Category 1-2       Seventh

Overall, I finished 11th of 199 total racers.