The Velodrome

For all of you out there that don't know, ProCycling also has a couple of guys that race the track. Dan Le and I (Michael Giem) have been there most Tuesdays and Thursdays throwing down against some of the countries finest track stars. This year has been rough trying to recover from all of my meetings with the concrete and asphalt but has been promising.

Tuesday night races are considered "Family Nights." This is because they run Junior races and it's cheaper to race. Thursday nights the competition level gets cranked up due to the cash prizes for every race. These nights things can get pretty interesting as many national champions and ex-national champions show up.

Every night, each category races three races: One short length, one medium length and one long. The type of race varies widely every night and keeps things interesting. Check out http://www.coloradousac.org/track/index.php for more information on the velodrome and which races are being run every night.

I highly encourage every one to come out and watch a spectacular night of racing. It's fun and best of all, it's free.

The results have been sporadic but I'll give you the highlights. I race in the Men's A category which is comprised of Cat. 1 and 2 racers.

June 3:

• Mini Points Race - 2nd

• Sprints - 5th

• Points Race - 4th

June 12:

• Sprints - 5th

• Snowball - 4th

• Madison w/Jeremy Kroto - 5th

June 19:

• 1 mile - 7th in a time of 1:49.62

• Points Race - 2nd

June 24:

• 5 mile - 4th in a time of 5:11 (that's over 29mph average)

The action starts every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30pm at the 7-eleven Velodrome in Memorial Park. See you there.

Sand Creek Finale!!

Hey all -

GREAT turnout Wednesday night at the Sand Creek Finale - I don't think I've ever seen such a swarm of ProCycling jerseys. Not only did we have a great turnout, but we had great results. In the Pro Men category, Doug R took second, Matt S took 3rd. Russ won, Ron took 2nd, Kara took 2nd, Dan won, Charlie, Mike H, Tom K, and everyone were in the mix. The team definitely represented on our home turf and brought home the hardware.

The friggin photographers peppered throughout the course made me feel like I was much more important than I really am, which was really fun.

I've got a few pics - here you go!

Good luck to everyone at Crested Butte this weekend!!!

Matt

Sand Creek Series #1

Here are a few photos I got from the first Sand Creek Series race. I know they're not great but what do you expect when the photographer is also trying to keep a three year old occupied. Enjoy! The first one is Kalan Beisel ripping up the front of the Pro field. Next is Dan Le before planting his hand firmly in a cactus. Then we move to Doug Ryden showing everyone what a real mans camel-toe looks like. Last is Matt Simmons showcasing what an Oiz can do.

Thought for the day...

It is not what you ride, but that you DO ride!

The "Original Growler" Race Report

Just got back from the the Growler in Gunnison and all I can say is it is a true epic.

http://gunnisontrails.com/joomla/index.php

Unfortunately I didn't get to ride the whole course because my rear derailluer snapped in half about 13 miles into it. The course is two 32 mile loops that throw at you pretty much all mountain biking has to offer. About 75% of single track, much of it technical & 4,000ft + of vertical. A true back country mountain bike race. Very reminiscent of mountain biking in the old days. There was quite a representation from Colorado Springs with many throwing in the towel after one loop. The course was hard. Those that finished were totally wasted, but everyone raved at what an epic course it is. This course and the excellent organization and hard work that Dave Wiens and crew put into it will make this race an absolute classic if they continue to do it. This is a race to put on your calendar. But be forewarned, it ain't easy. There is also a one lap race and those that sign up for two laps but only finish one are scored in the one lap race. This race is what mountain biking is all about! Highly recommended!

larry

Throwing Down in C.Springs

Racing is back!

You can read about it in the Gazette. There was even a picture on the front page, and they made a video for their website. There are Pro Cycling riders in the video and most of the pictures. If you would like to see results, they're up on the Sand Creek page. Kalan, Matt and I were all in the top 5 of the pro/expert field, with Kalan taking 2nd, me in 3rd and Matt in 5th. Russ, Dan and Ron all won their respective categories, so it was a strong showing by Pro Cycling.

After the race my family had a picnic. I thought I would be able to ride home after the race and the ride from work, but I had apparently been spelunking in the pain cave, so I opted to throw the bike on the car. At the end of the day, a good time was had by all, and racing made its comeback to my legs and this city.

ANOTHER RACE…ANOTHER WRECK

For all of you who do not know, I’ll summarize my first day on the track this season first and get into the new developments in the story following that. The Creamed Corn Cup Series is a preseason race series at the local 7-11 Velodrome. I missed the first one due to the Chalk Creek Stampede but came back the next weekend to participate in the days activities. I managed decent finishes in the first three races, nothing spectacular but towards the front of the field in every race. It was the final race of the day, the points race, where my day took a slight turn for the worse. While coming to the back of the field with only 2 laps to go, I managed to clip the last guy in the echelons rear wheel with my front. This sent me barreling towards the mighty gray concrete with 35degree banking. A couple seconds later I found myself walking around the apron with some good road rash all along my left side. The casualties of the carnage included the following: 1 ProCycling team skinsuit, 1 Giro Atmos helmet, 1 pair of Nike track gloves and some bar tape. Come with me on this little tale to three weeks later and the casualty count will rise.

After finally removing my final bandages for the last time on Thursday, Dan Le and I decided that it would be a great idea to head to Denver for the City Park Criterium. The course is extremely flat but has some very hairy turns, two of them being through some tight roundabouts. 92 men took to the line in the race. After settling in for some fast paced laps where the sweet sound of metal hitting asphalt seemed to echo out of every corner, I decided to talk a flier to try win a prime lap. Coming into the last roundabout, I had a good gap but a lapped rider stood in my way. I yelled “leader up” which apparently means “dive to the inside of the turn.” It pinched me within 6 inches of the curb but I got through. The problem was that I was carrying to much speed to make the backside of the turn due to the line and I was forced to take and the tires couldn’t hold on. As I slid across the asphalt on my hip holding my Orca with a tight grip as to not let it get hurt, the pack came barreling around the turn. I managed to get back up and in with the field. A couple of failed breakaway attempts later and I was content to stay in the field until the last lap. I took off solo with about a mile to go and just didn’t have the juice. I died out with 200 yards to go and watched as the field barreled around me through the same turn that had taken some of my skin earlier. Dan finished with the field and I came in sulking just behind. The casualties of this day were close to what the track took from me. They were as follows: 1 ProCycling team bib short, 1 pair of Fox full finger gloves, possibly the buckle off my Nike road shoes (haven’t gotten it to work yet but I’m still trying) and another round of bar tape.

After all of this, I would like to start Michael Giem Kit Fund. Please send cash, check or money order to:

Michael Giem Kit Fund

3630 Catalpa Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80907