Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team

Colorado State Cyclocross Championships

Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:25:00 GMT

Natural Grocers Cycling Team presented by XP Companies was once again well represented at the state championship. The 2010 Colorado State Cyclocross Championships were held over two days at Monarch High School in Louisville, Colorado. The flat, grassy course was raced in dry conditions, which made for a fast, exciting, and tactical race. In the Open Men, Natural Grocers placed three riders in the top 15, more than any other team. Christian McCarthy and Russell Harding worked together in the second chase group, while Jon Tarkington rode in the next group of chasers. Strength in numbers and smart racing ensured a Natural Grocers rider would cross the line first from the second chase group, with Christian finishing in 6th place. Russell Came in 8th, and Jon in 12th. With most of the Colorado Cross Cup races now completed, the team is sitting comfortably in third place in the Men's Open team standings, behind two cyclocross only teams.

Three other events saw Natural Grocers racers on the podium, with strong rides by Beth Fisk (2nd, Women's 35+), Rod Yoder (3rd, Men 45+), and Bill Kellagher (2nd, Men 55+). In the Men's 35+ Cat 4 division, Samer and Joe were riding together halfway through the first lap, and continued on to finish together in 30th and 31st, respectively.

But don't worry, we're not done yet. The 2010/11 season is longer than year's past, with three races remaining until the finale on January 22nd. See you there!

Cyclocross!

Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:43:00 GMT

Cyclocross season is in full swing and Natural Grocers p/b XP Companies continues to field a strong team, finding multiple top ten finishes in the competitive Colorado cyclocross scene. Last weekend the NACT came to Boulder and our locally based racers lined up against dozens of traveling professionals. Natural Grocers presented a wide range of experience, from Russell Harding racing his first ever UCI Race, to Dirk Friel, racing his first in a decade. Jon Tarkington was the best placed (25th), finding himself just outside the UCI points, but still in the prize money for Sunday's C1 Boulder Cup.

Our elite team continues to enjoy riding their Blue Norcross bikes, with especially rave reviews on the 2011 versions. Russell just received his Norcross SL and below is an excerpt from his blog (full post here)

Norcross SL Frameset: What can I say… This is a very serious racing frame. Incredibly lightweight, and monstrously stiff and responsive when pedaling. Every detail is covered from cable routing (all top tube) to mud clearance to shouldering comfort. The paint job is immaculate and appropriately flashy. Some purists find the water bottle mounts off putting, but I have used them already and don’t find them offensive in the least. My only complaint is the head tube, while taller than prior Blue frames, is still on the short side. Even with Jonathan Page’s signature on the bike, he seems to be running about an inch of spacers.

Overall: So, how does it ride? The answer is: Very, very well. Again, I don’t have much experience on other top end bikes, but I can say without reservation that all of the mumbo-jumbo about modern bikes is not made up! This bike is really stiff, but rides smooth at the same time. My starts seem faster and more efficient, but the bumps no more harsh. I put my road wheels and tires on the bike at 110 psi, and could ride rough asphalt that I normally avoid on my road bike without any discomfort or annoyance. The bike’s cornering and overall performance on the cyclocross course is really a revelation for me. I find myself riding at a speed I had previously found elusive, but I now have the combination of power transfer, light weight, cornering ability, and stability to race consistently and confidently with the best in the region.

Bill Kellagher finishes on Master's National Road Race podium!

Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:57:00 GMT

On August 4th, Bill Kellagher finished 3rd in the USA Cycling Master's 55-59 Road National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. Pardon the belated announcement, but it is never too late to mention a podium finish at a National Championship event.

The race was held during record heat with temperatures well over 100 degrees and the heat index over 110 with 100% humidity. The five mile circuit race's top finishers were selected early in a five man break which formed on the second lap. The race was quickly reduced to pure attrition, as the riders in the break separated and were left suffering alone to hold each other off for the final podium places. When asked for a photo, Bill simply said, "It was an amazing day. Steve remembered to bring the camera, but we were both so excited and exhausted after the race that we forgot all about it." Full results are available here.

Rol Race SL Tubeless

Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:18:00 GMT

A few of our Elite Team racers have been successfully racing their Rol Race SL wheels with a tubeless setup. They have been finding the wheels, which have been slightly modified with a readily available "NoTubes" kit, to have a few advantages during races. Firstly, the sealant prevents almost all flat tires, so no need for worry or a spare set in the wheel pit. But most importantly, they handle technical criterium races with so much confidence, some of our racers prefer them to their carbon tubular setups.

Just remember, with the quick rolling single layer tire and no tube, you don't need as much pressure to keep the ride fast, and there is no risk of pinch flatting. We've found around 100 PSI is good, and no more than 110 PSI is needed. The Hutchinson Fusion tires were some of the first available, and we've found them adequate except they wear out quickly. We're looking forward to trying the new Specialized S-WORKS Turbo tubeless tires, which reportedly have a Hutchinson casing, but with Specialized's own tread compound.

Natural Grocers junior rider wins National TT Championships

Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 05:04:00 GMT

Kirsten Williams competed in the 2010 Junior National Road Championships in Bend, OR. Her first event was the road race on June 22^nd. The race took the riders out to a 5km loop with rolling hills and then back to the start/finish area. On the second lap Kirsten followed an attack by Laurel Rathbun on the first climb. They worked well together and quickly built a lead of over 1 minute on the rest of the group. What they didn’t realize was that Katrina Howard blasted out of the group and chased them down on lap four. All three riders finished in front with Kirsten in third.

For the TT on June 24^th Kirsten attacked the course with confidence and posted the best time. She finished in 19:40 which just happened to be her best time on a similar course she had practiced on in Parker. Her friend Laurel Rathbun finished second 25 seconds later.

Fisk wins Air Force Academy Road Race, Peltonen takes CSU Crit

Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 09:45:00 GMT

For the second year in a row Beth Fisk won the women's pro-1-2 Air Force Academy Road Race on Sunday April 18 in Colorado Springs. After a cold, foggy and late start the race was underway. A break formed on the second lap when Fisk attacked on the start/finish hill. In the break was Fisk with Colavita Baci team member Susannah Gordon. Behind the break NGXP teammates Sharon Allpress and Renee Eastman were coving attacks and policing the chase group. Fisk and teammate Eastman emerged from the cold and fog of the spring morning to finish first and fourth for the Natural Grocers presented by XP Companies squad.

In other early season race news, new recruit Garrett Peltonen took out the win at the CSU oval criterium. Peltonen joined an early breakaway that stayed away the entire race. With the field closing in late in the race, Peltonen was able to hold on for the win.

Garrett Peltonen