Series 3 / Week 3 - July 31, 2013

Whoa what a month! Mother nature has thrown some serious curve balls weather-wise, but you Wednesday Night Racers have proven time and time again that you can't, and won't, be psyched out by a few ominous looking clouds - respect. Not only that, but the racing has been so impressive (almost too impressive) these last few weeks that we kindly ask all racers to check in at the doping control tent following your race...kidding.

Okay, bad jokes aside, tomorrow's event is no joke. To cap off the month we’re heading back down south for an old favourite, a classic ride established by our friends at Speed Theory....

The Challenge:
You will be testing yourself in a 4.4km uphill individual TT, on a hill that you can hammer up not once, but twice! Rankings will be based on your average times between the two efforts and a "King of the Mountains" will be declared. So basically if you win...you will be awarded enough bragging rights and "street cred" to last approx 364 days...or until your friends, family, friends of family, neighbours dog, etc...get sick of hearing how awesome you are.

Course Map:

View Larger Map 

***Note: Three bonus points up for grabs if you can best Cody Godlonton's (Team Niklas) effort of 10:24...according to Garmin/Strava he is the best hill climber in the land! But you probably don't stand a chance against that kind of time anyway and might be better off at home on the couch??***


Race Start:
First riders off at 6:45 at 30 second intervals. 

Parking:
The best parking is at 37^th Street SW and 22X. This also makes for a great spot to start a short warm up ride before reaching the start line.  

As usual, we'll cover the finer details just before the start of the race; in the mean time you can post your questions in the comments section below. 

See you at the start line!

Series 3 / Week 2 - July 24, 2013

Alright road rippers, I know the suspense over this Wednesday’s race may have been killing some of you, but you can relax now because the wait is over! As promised, this week’s race will be totally different from any other WNS race you’ve raced before...  

In this week’s event we are going to see just how well you fair in a cycling relay race, channelling your inner beast to hold maximum power over a 2km rolling course.

Race format:

Teams will be formed from all categories A/B/C.  Riders will be placed at both ends of the straight 2km course as shown on this map:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/248755335

Once a rider from your team crosses over the line the next rider will take off in the opposite direction. Depending on turnout teams will consist of 3-4 riders with each rider completing 3-4 laps. Points will be awarded based on the order in which teams finish the required number of laps.

Each lap will be at maximum effort with little rest.  Since the teams are a mix of riders from each category, strategy over rider placement, pacing, and other tactics will certainly come in to play.

Race Start:
6:00 - 6:30PM - Rider check-in (West end of the course, near the start/finish of last week's race)
6:35 - 6:40PM - Teams assigned. Riders get into position.
6:45PM - RACE START!!!

Other rules:

1. No TT bikes, helmets, skin suits, swimming trunks, etc etc
2. Keep your head up as you finish your lap (ie: don’t sprint into the path of riders coming the opposite direction) 

We expect the race will take roughly 45min to complete (trust me this will feel plenty long), however time permitting there will be a shorter second round of heads up racing between the teams determined by placement in the first race. (i.e. 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4)...basically a chance to redeem yourself if your ego took a bruising in the earlier round.

We’ll go over the finer details just before the race start, but as always, if you have  questions feel free to post them in the comments section below.

See ya Wednesday!

***UPDATE*** Series 3 / Week 1 - July 17, 2013

Thanks to Marc Enter who noted that an intersection on the course, where Old Banff Coach crosses a Range Road, is controlled in only one direction....so simply bombing through it would mean a slight probability of death - not cool.

As a result we've decided to nix the uphill finish, and stick with our super fast long-crit/circuit course for tonight's race. For those of you who get a little antsy about the thought of crit racing (ie: tight corners, crash barriers, etc),  this is your crit race! The 2km course is very safe given its width,  total lack of potholes and other obstacles, as well as grassy run-offs through out.  Factor in some wide sweeping turns and smooth asphalt, and this circuit looks to be wicked fast! 

Below is the course map:

View WNS Niklas Group Circuit Race - July 17, 2013 in a larger map

So here’s how tonight’s modified race will go down... 

6:30PM - “C Group” Starts.  20min + 1 lap

7:00PM - “B Group” Starts. 30min + 1 lap

7:40PM - “A Group” Starts. 40min + 1 lap

Will there be Primes?

Yep. There might be a few of these ;)

So that's the new format. Tonight's race will be an awesome opportunity to test out some new tactics, get some crit experience without worrying about nasty crashes, or simply get in a serious quality workout. We'll have a quick pre-race briefing before the start of each race to go over the finer details, however feel free to post your questions or concerns in the comments section below.

See you tonight!

Series 3 / Week 1 - July 17, 2013

Hey fellas,

How are the legs and lungs feel’n? Good? Well don’t worry...the friendly folks at Team Niklas have 5 weeks of Wednesday night suffer-fests ready for ya...go get your ice packs ready ‘cause your legs are about to be cooked!

We’ll be deviating slightly from the familiar road race menu, and will be dishing up new selections of pain with extra helpings of searing lung ;)

Starting with this coming Wednesday (July 17th), we’ve got a long-course crit/circuit race lined up. But what’s so tough about that you ask? Well, in this race, once you’ve completed the designated number of laps and are preparing to sprint for glory, be sure to keep a little extra in the tank because the “finishing straight” is actually an 8km uphill sprint (muhahhahaha!). But seriously...don’t blow up too early - that would suck. 

Below is a map of the course:

View WNS Niklas Group Circuit Race - July 17, 2013 in a larger map

Here’s how the races will go down...

Each group completes X number of laps of the 2km circuit (riding clockwise), then on the bell lap turn left (heading East) up Old Banff Coach Road and pedal like hell for the next 8 km to the uphill finish line just before Artist’s View Drive.

6:30PM - “C Group” Starts.  6 laps of the circuit + uphill sprint

6:50PM - “B Group” Starts. 10 laps of the circuit + uphill sprint

7:30PM - “A Group” Starts. 16 laps of the circuit + uphill sprint

Race Start & Finish:

Race starts on Commercial Drive and finishes at Artist's View Drive.

Parking:

 There will be ample parking at the Springbank Middle School and Elbow Valley Elementary School parking lots. Watch out for fast moving traffic as you enter/exit the lot.

Stay tuned for details of the next race. Its gonna be seriously fast, seriously fun, and we promise it will be completely different from any WNS race you’ve done before...

Series 2 Week 5 - Springbank 40K ITT. July 10, 2013

Ze Bridge is open, We are good to go - Calling Monsieur Chrono!

Lets make like Jacques Anquetil in full aero gear this Wednesday.  Weather forecast is excellent.  We'll plan for a 6:45 start time.  That should let everyone get there and get warmed up.

Start and finish points are Lower Springbank road and RR31. Marked on map as "A".
Bonus points on tap for the over 40 KPH crew.

Please try to park at the church on 69th and ride over.  The fewer cars on the road, the fewer complaints.

Looking for volunteers.  Please consider or bring someone along.


View Larger Map

Results July 3, 2013

Here are the points from last night. Let me know of any issues. Peter will fix any names spelled incorrectly in the official rankings. Lots of points last night! Thanks to the volunteers: Ernie Cosman: Connie (Cory Davis), Luisa (Andres Perdomo).

#	Name	Time	Points	RR Points	Total
A
1	Michael Persson	3:38	10	9	19
2	Ferenc Jasco	4:07	4	6	10
3	Martin Dodd	4:10	4	9	13
4	Michael Scheck	4:04	5	9	14
5	Cody Godlonton	3:53	6	6	12
6	Marc Enter	4:11	3	9	12
7	Cory Davis	3:40	7	9	16
B
11	Pat Weinmayr	4:08	6	6	12
12	John King	4:44	2	9	11
13	Justin Siemens	5:02	2	9	11
14	RobMott	4:35	3	9	12
15	Gabriel Ollivier	4:52	2	6	8
16	Neil Evans	4:07	9	9	18
17	Walter Loeppky	4:47	2	6	8
18	Brent Thumlert	4:07	9	9	18
19	Daryl Beatty	5:15	2	9	11
20	Dan Albiou	4:49	2	6	8
21	Norm Smith	5:00	2	9	11
22	Steve Manning	4:40	2	9	11
23	Pat Donnelly	4:40	2	6	8
24	Dan Barker	4:40	2	9	11
25	Carlos Bonilla	4:47	2	9	11
26	Eric Wong	4:33	4	6	10
27	Tom Kenny	4:35	3	9	12
28	Alan Oickle	4:22	5	9	14
29	Glenn Miles	4:58	2	6	8
30	Eric Loewen	4:25	4	9	13
C
31	Ron Fiell	5:44	4	5	9
32	Willie Vansevenant	5:29	5	6	11
33	Jenn Turcotte	6:29	4	4	8
34	Andres Perdomo	4:37	8	9	17
35	Clarence Poon	5:09	6	5	11
36	Thomas Hansen	4:17	10	9	19

Team Road Race Results

I got clear video of the finish, Blue team and Yellow team is honestly too close to call for the win so they will tie with Red in third place. The video is excellent with some of you guys screaming and taking up several lanes of Highway 22 for the sprint. If anyone wants the raw video to edit it down to something useful let me know. I can almost post the full order of everyone's finish but I don't think I will. If you want to know your place, add a comment below. 9 points for everyone on Blue and Yellow teams, 6 points to everyone on Red team plus your individual points for the prologue.

I will also post up the prologue results tomorrow, a great night of racing!