May 9, 2006 - 2 Wins!

Buck Miller and Larry Perera write the following race reports from their travels:

Miller Wins Springbank Ontario Cup # 2, May 7th

Yesterday was a big day for the team. Not only did Fiordifrutta get its first win "North of the border" but I got a hair cut. That's right folks, the golden blonde locks of the only Canadian on the team are gone.

It all happened under a beautiful blue sky in London Ontario, about 2 hours West of Toronto. With about 70 starters, including ItalPasta with a full team of 8 riders and Aussie ringer Cam Hughes, Team R.A.C.E, a full pot of Jetfuel Coffee, and Team Ciclismo I had my work cut out for me.

The racing started fast and aggressive, and being the only FdF rider in the race, I had to be smart, I couldn't afford to ride like a cowboy and come out of the gates firing all my bullets too early, as there were a few past Canadian National Crit/Track champions in the field that would wax me the first chance they could. I tried to follow the bigger moves and not worry about the smaller breaks that would sneak away with 4 or less people in them. I tested my legs a few times before the half-way point breaking out of the field on a solo mission only to be brought back by my old squad, Jetfuel Coffee.

But I wasn't too worried. I noticed, all these breaks would get a good gap on the field, but as soon as they grew a little too big, everyone would look at each other with the "I'm not going to work, you can" look, and it was then that I figured it would come down to a bunch gallop and because I won this same race in a field sprint last year, I was pretty confident.

As the race concluded, the bell ringing on the last lap was music to my ears. With a small hill on the backside, that narrows down and has a small crack on the right side of the road, I knew I had to be in the top 5 riders. Well, I was, and I still hit that crack on the right side of the road which caused me to un-clip both feet, while sending my top tube between my legs for a painful visit. I managed to keep it up and get clipped in with about 450m to spare.

Not having a lead-out man, I had to jump from wheel to wheel as they passed me, at 200m to go, I came off an ItalPasta rider and held it to the line. Last year's 2nd place, well known Canadian Crit goon and good friend of mine Tim Lefebvre got 2nd again, and his brother, Dan took 3rd for team R.A.C.E.

About the hair cut, last year by this time I had 4 or 5 wins already, and this year, until yesterday, I haven't had one. So I told the boys I'm not cutting it until I win a race. I heard all the jokes, "Looks like your going to have a pony tail" to that I say - BOOYA!

Next up, Joe Martin, in Arkansas with the rest of the FdF boys, we'll tell you how we end up.

Timmerman Climbs to Victory and Shatters Record on Town Mountain Hill Climb, May 6th

While the weather gods did everything in their power to ensure that a 10 year old record would remain unbeaten, gale force winds, torrential downpours, and a National Weather Service Tornado (or as they say down south 'Nader) Watch couldn’t keep Fiordifrutta's Dan Timmerman from winning Asheville North Carolina's Mountain Sports Festivals Town Mountain Hill Climb. 100 of the regions top climbers contested the leg breaking 4.7 mile climb which started out in Downtown Asheville North Carolina, in front of thousands of spectators who were willing to brave the elements in hopes of witnessing a part of history.

When Timmerman, and his trusty domestique Larry Perera showed up there was no less than an inch of standing water in the parking lot. The duo had scouted the climb the day before in dry weather and had agreed that the record of 18:20 would take a "ride of a lifetime" to beat. Perera commented before his start "Yeah, I’m kind of sick of working for Timmerman at all these races, there’s not much I can do to help him here aside from watch him blow by me...finally I get a chance to race for myself."

Previous recorder holder Andy Applegate, a seasoned climber and time trial specialist, admitted that Timmerman was a favorite, but wasn’t sure if the conditions were right for his 1997 record to be bested. Perera and Timmerman started the Time Trial one minute apart as the last 2 riders. Timmerman commented on his strategy to the local ABC Television affiliate covering the event "Well this way I got Larry as my rabbit....once I get him in my sights.....I’ll try and catch him. Maybe, just maybe, if things go perfect and I have good legs I might be able to take home the $500 prize for setting a new course record!"

As the evening clouds grew dark, the Fiordifrutta duo climbed their way up the mountain over steep grades up to 20%, passing riders who had started minutes a head of them. By the time they hit 1000 meters to go Timmerman had bridged the 60 second gap to Perera and unleashed a furious sprint to cross the line in 17:40 destroying the record by nearly 40 seconds.

At the awards ceremony Timmerman praised his custom bike setup to the crowd, "My Cannondale bike paired with the new Mavic Ksyrium ES wheels was totally the ultimate set-up for today’s race. I had a buddy at the local machine shop make me a pair of ultralight clip-on aero bars....which allowed me to get in an aerodymanic position and really crack out some power through my Cannondale SI Cranks."

It was obvious that Timmerman's attention to even the smallest detail had paid huge dividends when he climbed off the podium stage with a larger than life version of the $500 check he pocketed for his efforts. Perera was satisfied with his ride that put him on the podium in 3rd place. Andy Applegate finished in between the Fiordifrutta riders over half a minute behind Timmerman’s historic ride. Timmerman's ride should be an indication that he will be a heavy favorite when the nation’s top climbers face off at the Joe Martin Stage Race in Arkansas next week.