The Fiordifrutta spring trip to some western races is still in full swing, with the guys taking on some big stage races, as well as one day races. Look for final results from the Tour of the Gila next week!

Dietrich and Timmerman Take 2nd and 3rd at Collosal Cave Road Race, April 17th

This is the big daddy of AZ races, with probably the biggest turnout out of all Arizona one day races Fiordifrutta lined up with 4 riders ready to throw down. The team Consisted of Phil Wong, Dan Timmerman, Chris Rosdilsky and Mike Dietrich. The goal was to try and get TImmerman in the early move, but sitting a top his 21 cm Cannondale his view was again skewed by a pack of riders. Phil wong bridged across a gap to join one other rider for almost a full lap of the 9 Mile circuit. After one lap MIke Dietrich went on the attack drawing 4 others. They worked together for about 55 miles or so untill they were caught. Wong, TImmerman, and Roz were back working the field over. After Dietrichs capture, the boys went on the attack immediately and after about 1 mile after being caught Dietrich AGain attacked and managed to get a gap and bring two riders along. One rider was dropped and Dietrich and the other rider formed a large gap. Back in the shrunken field Timmerman 's view was no longer skewed by a full pack of riders and was able to attack and get a gap with one other rider, he almost made it across to Dietrich but timed it a little wrong which ended up leaving Dietrich to fend for himself against the fresher rider. Dietrich was unable to win the sprint and took second while TImmerman rolled in for third. Rosdilsky took second in the field sprint for 6th, while Wong took 9th.

La Vuelta de Bisbee, April 22-24 – Wong, Dietrich, and Timmerman Take 3rd, 4th, and 9th

Wong and Dietrich Make the Top 5 in the Prologue

On this outing in southern Arizona, Dietrich, Timmerman and Wong were joined by Rozdilsky. Roz flew in a week and a half before to adjust to the desert climate and mix it up on some training rides. First up was the prologue. It started in historic downtown Bisbee, rich with mining history and eclectic art culture. The town is home to quite an interesting mix of people from bikers (harley bikers) to old hippies. All of which seem to have deep respect for cyclists bringing their tourist dollars to the town. As the fine Bisbee citizens lined the streets the racing was getting underway hot and heavy. They watched as the cyclists set off individually speeding through their town and up the mountains that cradle it. The time trial finished 2.8 miles later at the pass which is known as Mule for no known reason.

First up for Fiordifrutta was Dietrich. He was followed by Roz, who was being chased by Timmerman, who was being pursued by Wong. All the boys put in excellent uphill efforts. When results were posted they learned they were in good position on G.C. for the weekend of action. Wong was in 2nd place, 9 seconds off Aerospace Engineering's Ivan Stevic who just had and excellent ride at the Sea Otter Classic, winning a stage. Dietrich was lying in 4th just 22 seconds back, and Timmerman was in 7th, 27 seconds off the pace. The teams lightweight Cannondale Six 13's were a great asset in this stage as well as in the upcoming road stages.

Stage 1 - The Sulfur Springs Road Race – Dietrich and Wong Top 10

After a long discussion of tactics, the previous night was made longer after finding out the bar across the street had live bands that weekend. After whining about the minimal sleep, the race started on a long gradual downhill which it would finish up. But first there were two big loops of flat windy terrain to be covered. It was decided that Roz and Timmerman would follow any attacks that looked good. The two did an excellent job and Timmerman even won a bonus sprint. Roz covered too many attacks to be counted. With the long drag to the finish approaching Dietrich was going to repay Timmerman for the hard work by doing a leadout. But on this slight 5 mile drag there was constant fighting for position.

Timmerman got boxed in and didn't have the chance to unleash the furry of a sprint that he possesses. As Timmerman got swarmed Kyle Colavito (Eclipse) tried a crazy solo move that almost stuck which put a little split in the field. Dietrich and Wong were able to come in the top ten in the sprint even though Dietrich’s sprint got messed up by a motorist that wandered onto the finishing straight. Stevic(Aerospace) managed to sprint in for the win and David Clinger (Webcor) was second.

Stage 2 – Warren Time Trial – Dietrich 2nd and Wong 4th

With some lunch and rest the boys headed out to the second stage of the day. The course is an out and back style and 8.3 miles total. The way out is barely downhill and the way back is barely uphill. While warming up it seemed pretty windy. Roz was the first one out on the course for the team, and when he was done he shared some tips about the conditions. There was definitely a cross headwind the whole way out.

But all four put their new On&Off long sleeve skinsuits to good use. Dietrich on his new TT bike put in a excellent ride to get third even though his foot unclipped coming down the start ramp. He ended up lopping more than 20 seconds off his time from last year with a 16:57 and an average over 29mph. Wong ended up fourth with a 16:58 surprising himself since he previously hasn't had the best time trials. But he had committed to training 1-2 days a week on his Cannondale TT bike as well as having Roz make sure he was in an optimal position and that seemed to make all the difference. Timmerman also posted a very good time for someone riding a standard road bike and not a TT bike.
He came in just 53 seconds behind Stevic’s winning time of 16:40. Roz also bettered the top half of the field even though he was saving energy to help the boys in the following days tough road stage.

Stage 3 – Tombstone Road Race - Wong and Dietrich 4th and 5th

After another night of poor sleep despite earplugs the four rolled down the street to the start and learned that Dietrich was now in 3rd on G.C. and Wong maintained his 2nd spot. It was also noted that Clinger (Webcor) moved up to 5th on G.C. The 87 mile Tombstone Road Race started on a 2 mile neutral climb followed by a long downhill into the high desert. This final day would end on three climbs in succession. Again Roz and Timmerman were to cover any moves that looked like they would stay away. As the race headed off into the desert it was extremely windy. It was challenging for the team just fighting for position trying to stay out of the wind. But the boys’ favorite Clif Bar flavors kept them fueled throughout the day.

After a lot of accelerations a break finally got away including Timmerman who was told to sit on the back and not do anything. This break contained two Aerospace and two Webcor riders. So nobody wanted to chase at all. Eventually the break split and Timmerman missed it as his vision was obscured from sitting on. So Timmerman, a Webcor and a Aerospace rider came back to the safety of the peloton. Unfortunately the break contained a rider from both Aerospace and Webcor. So neither team would chase, and the break reached a maximum of 5 minutes advantage.

Finally Roz decided he needed to bring it back. No other teams were willing to help the chase. But Roz went to work and strung out the field in the windy conditions for more than 20 minutes. The break’s time gap slowly started to drop as it was one man against four. Next Timmerman started to help out and also with about 5 miles to go before the first of three climbs Eclipse started to aid in the chase. By the time we hit the first climb the break was shattered but one guy was still holding almost a four minute lead.

After the first climb and a few attacks the peloton was breaking apart. Dietrich, Wong and Timmerman were in the lead group heading onto the second climb. Halfway up Clinger attacked further shattering the group. Dietrich and Wong responded. The race leader Stevic was there along with a handful of others. Next Colavito( Eclipse ) attacked over the top. The now small group headed off the highway climb onto Mule Pass. Wong in his big ring put in an attack that was quickly covered. After a flurry of attacks by different riders the group was whittled down to Stevic, Clinger, Dietrich, Colavito, Wong, and Peterson( 3d Racing).

With less than 1k to go Clinger launched and got a gap with Stevic a few seconds behind. Wong and Dietrich responded but couldn't quite close it. Clinger was 2nd on the stage, Stevic 3rd, Wong 4th -4 seconds off Stevic, and Dietrich was 5th with the same time.
Timmerman came in not too long after. The remnants of the field rolled in one by one.

After the dust settled Clemente Calvaire( Aerospace) had enough of an advantage to take the stage by 2minutes. He ended up winning the G.C. His teammate Stevic was now in 2nd. Fiordifrutta kept Wong on the podium in 3rd place overall. Dietrich ended the weekend in 4th overall and Timmerman despite working hard throughout the road stages hung on to 9th overall.

Huseby 2nd at Adelphia Grand Prix, Plymouth, MA – April 17th

It was a beautiful day - the nicest of the year and in the 70's. There was nothing to complain about. We had a healthy sized field and three of us representing Fiordifrutta. Donny Mills, Matt White and I were the riders for the day. In the past, this race has always started fast. Team alumna Matt Svatek has initiated a break from the start that stayed to the finish. We knew this was something to watch for. The plan today was to be conservative as there were four or five teams with more than six riders.

On the first lap there was indeed an effort by several to get away. I followed knowing that something this early was unlikely to remain away and we were all caught immediately. On the second or third lap on the descent, my bars slipped and I thought immediately that a bolt had broken as I had hit a severe bump in the road. This altered my hand position seriously and made it necessary for me to ride in the drops for much more of the race than I would normally. Luckily everything was intact and it didn't move again for the rest of the race.

As the race progressed, small groups tried escaping, but it was not to be. Finally, with about 7 laps to go, it started heating up. People were starting to get tired and the Louis Garneau team - a.k.a. the Green Goblins kept sending guys off the front. Finally it stuck and one of their riders was clear. No one made a conscious effort to chase and he remained up the road. With about 4 laps to go, there was a feeling of anxiety in the field and it was apparent that the end of the race was upon us.

Several teams got to the front and drove the pace. We caught the Goblin off the front, and just as we caught him, another Goblin launched. Donny and Whitey got to the front with two laps to go and strung it out. It was great. We were closing in on the pursued. With less than a lap to go we didn't have much left. I was sitting behind these guys and was waiting for the ensuing field sprint. Next, Whitey got back on the front and road off by himself. No one could catch him for nearly half a lap! This was a perfect situation for me as I could just sit in and follow towards the front. I sat in fifth or sixth spot ready to go.

The finish at this race is a long winding decent with a gradual riser and than another swoop down to the finish. I maintained my position down the treacherous descent (it's all broken up pavement) and as soon as we got to the bottom, we had caught Whitey. His effort was tremendous. I waited and then went. I sprinted as hard as I could and crossed the line in 2nd in the group and third overall as the Goblin had somehow managed to stay clear.

Josh Gewirtz writes the following race reports from collegiate racing in Colorado. Gewirtz now leads the Rocky Mountain Conference in points and his hoping to maintain that lead throughout the rest of the season.

New Mexico Race weekend - 3rd for Gewirtz

Clouds and intermittent showers were presented to riders during the opening race of the collegiate season. The days individual time trial saw Josh Gewirtz take 4th place while using no TT equipment. The hilly course was well suited for Gewirtz and he was pleased with his first hard race effort of the year. The next day’s hour-long crit saw a fast race with many riders wanting to prove themselves in this season opener. With 45 minutes remaining Gewirtz broke away with TIAA Creff members Dan Bowman and Zach Graboski and one other C.U boulder rider. The Quartet quickly gained a commanding minute and half on the field and were away for good. In the sprint it was the C.U boulder riding getting the victory, followed by Bowman while an out-teamed Gewirtz had to settle for third. All in all, a good race weekend for Gewirtz.

Gewirtz 3rd at Golden Criterium:

Another criterium in beautiful Golden Colorado was in store for Gewirtz. After taking a tour of the Coors brewing factory and enjoying all the complimentary beverages that this now legal Fiordifrutta rider thought appropriate, he was ready to tackle this flat, open, industrial park crit.
Due to the nature of the course, and the fact that most Colorado amateur teams have little idea as to how to race together, a field sprint was the inevitable answer to this frustrating race. Gewirtz positioned himself in fifth wheel for the last lap and waited to long for the sprint. Due to this tactical error he was unable to take the win but garnered 3rd place for the day.

Another 3rd at Colorado State University Criterium:

The oval criterium course is infamous for being a fast, technical race. However, Fiordifrutta’s Josh Gewirtz was willing to take whatever this course would dish out. 15 minutes through the hour long race Gewirtz found himself in a 12-rider split. Unfortunately the split had 9 riders from C.U boulder, Zach Grabowski, and two others from C.S.U. Not liking the odds of the group, Gewirtz and Grabowski made a pact to attack the break. After 30 minutes of relentless attacking, the group was whittled down to 5 riders, with both Gewirtz and Graboski happy with the work thus far. In the final lap, Grabowski attacked and Gewirtz quickly covered it and countered. Unfortunately Gewirtz could not hold on and had to settle for third place yet again.

Fort Lewis Race Weekend – 2nd for Gewirtz

This evening criterium was broken up into heats of 35 riders each due to the short technical nature of the course in which 20 from each heat would race in a finale. The opening heat saw Fiordifrutta’s josh Gewirtz break away with two other riders and easily qualify for the final. The final heat was aggressive from the start, but Gewirtz, with his relentless attacking broke away with 5 Fort Lewis riders and one Air Force rider for company. Out manned and outgunned, Gewirtz non-the less rode to a 2nd place finish in the group sprint of 5. Pretty bummed about missing the win by half a wheel, but happy with the effort.

The Fort Lewis road race saw collegiate riders tackle a 60-mile race with 5500 feet of climbing. Gewirtz weary of his climbing form, hung in till the half way mark content with his college teammate, Todd Nordbloom covering the first 10 man move of the day. Mid way through the race, Gewirtz now feeling comfortable on the climbs made it up to the lead group of 10 only to find 3 riders off the front with a commanding 4 minute lead. Gewirtz decided it best to race for 4th than risk blowing trying to catch the break which had just 7 miles left of racing. In the final 1.5 mile 13% climb to the finish, Gewirtz attacked his group of 10 to take 4th place for the day. He treated himself to a tasty Burrito and a coke for his effort.

Wong Photo Featured in Bicycling Magazine, June 05

The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine has a fantastic full page photo of Phil Wong that was taken during the 2004 Mt Washington Hillclimb by Chris Milliman. Wong, who finished second in the event, plans to return in 2005 to make another attempt and holds the record for an amateur rider. Bicycling is the biggest cycling magazine in the US with a circulation of more than 400,000.

Gewirtz Featured in USA Cycling Newsletter

Josh Gewirtz spends the school year in Colorado and has been involved in mentoring a local junior rider. The April edition of the USA Cycling newsletter includes a great article about Josh!

Huseby 2nd at Tufts Criterium - Somerville, MA – April 10th

I had returned from Colorado late on Saturday night and wasn't planning to race on Sunday as I wanted to sleep in and recover a little from the long training rides I had just completed over the last few days. Diane and I went to breakfast and had a leisurely morning and then realized the Tufts Criterium was happening - a stone's throw away from where we were eating. We went up to watch and found out the 1-2-3 race wasn't until 4:30, so I decided I'd do it.

There were probably only 20 racers in our field, if that - and Matt White had made the drive from East Longmeadow to do it too. Mike Cody had raced the collegiate race earlier that afternoon, so he was already on his way back to VT. It was great to see Whitey. We knew the race would be between us and Nerac (they had four riders). It would be difficult anyway we sliced it as Adam Myerson was once again in the race and if it came to a break - he wouldn't do a bit of work.

The start was fast and people were trying to split the race apart from the gun. I didn't want to initiate anything because I wanted to make sure I'd be there at the end. Shortly thereafter, Whitey made a sharp attack and immediately strung it out. Several of the Nerac riders followed and it caused the race to split. I followed Adam and soon we had a small move - unfortunately Whitey wasn't there - it was me, one other guy and two Nerac riders. Soon we dropped the lone soldier and it was down to me and the two Nerac riders - we still had thirty laps to go.

We took turns pulling through and Adam tried several times to shed me. It wasn't going to happen. As soon as I would catch back on to him, he'd sit up. We would gap his other rider and then he would catch us as we were playing cat and mouse. I was not feeling like I could ride away from Adam as he was marking me with every move I made. I would come to a stop just about in some of the corners and so would he. I had no problem if a few guys behind caught us as I knew I felt good. Soon - Adam's teammate caught us again and was instructed to go off the front. I would allow this and slowly reeled him in so he'd get tired out in the wind. This happened a few times and then Adam tried attacking again to no avail. Then we had our gap and 8 laps to go and I just went steady knowing it would come down to the two of us.

Adam never came through. It came down to the last lap and I led up the final climb punching it briefly, then backing off. I then went slow approaching the finish and then once again went for it, but came up short and Adam came by for the win. Ugh. Whitey was in the group behind and took 4th.

Hamblen Wins The Knobscorcher, Tsali Trails MTB Race, April 10th

Nantahala National Forest is located next to the Cherokee Reservation in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, it was the location of the second stop on the Cane Creek MTB Series and the third stop of the South Eastern Regional Series (SERC), also an AMBC event. With the plethora of acronyms at the race, you'd think there would be no need for Fiordifrutta's Jon Hamblen to bring his own. He did not bring a NORBA PRO license with him to the race and was forced to register with the Expert category. Jon had just asked USA Cycling to upgrade him to Semi-Pro, hoping to avoid a situation like this, where the Pro and Expert categories race separately.

Hamblen started his race 5 minutes behind the Jr Expert riders who started 5 minutes behind the Pro-Semi Pro riders. This left Jon with a lot of people in front of him for two laps on a 15mi singletrack loop and one 5mi loop, that's 35mi total (a lot of singletrack). When the Expert race began, there was little time to move up before the entrance to the tight singletrack, Jon went into the woods about 8th and was reasonably happy with that. It took about 5 miles to make his way to the front four of the lead group, as riders fell or slowed on hills. Jon put in his first effort up a steep rocky climb when he jumped off of his borrowed bike (big thanks to Grace Fleury) and ran past the stunned MTBers cyclocross style, to take the lead.

Hamblen then confused the MTBers by slowing down a lot for the tight turns, then accelerating out of them. He was more trying to stay upright on two wheels than drop them. When they reached the halfway point Jon put in an attack on a long hill and began his solo effort. Well, solo, except for the 20 juniors and 25 Pro's in front of him. Slowly, one by one, Jon moved up through the Jr's, who were super nice and more than willing to move over when there was a little space to pass and sometimes when there wasn't (several of the little guys just rode into the woods to let him by). Then, through the Pro's, who also let Jon by as space on the trail permitted.

Hamblen rode the 35 miles at a 14.7 mph pace, fast enough to win the Experts and slow enough to have been 8th in the Pro race, also slow enough to run out of water with 8mi to go. Two days after the race, Jon received word from USA Cycling, he was now a Semi-Pro. With this new status Hamblen is looking to up his attitude, appearance, and personality, he will take on MTB racing with his new Semi-Pro style. Gone are the races where Jon borrows just any bike, now he will only borrow MTB's with XTR and the Semi-latest suspension fork. No more warming up for 10 minutes, now it would be a Semi-30 minute warm up. Jon will also purchase and wear Semi-Expensive clothes and shoes, just a level below the likes of which Mike Jones, Pro, would wear. And, no more joking before races, he will now be Semi-Serious.

Wong, Dietrich, and Timmerman Take the Podium at the Superior Road Race, April 2nd

In the midst of a sprint training trip out west, three Fiordifrutta riders made the trip to Superior Arizona for this hilly 62 mile out and back road race. It was decided that Timmerman was to go for the first KOM. Two miles in, a group of six were going off the front which Timmerman missed because he later said his vision was obscured by a pack of riders. Anyhow, Wong jumped away with the move. As the climb approached at mile 10, Wong and Ryan Blickem found themselves in a two man break after the other riders wanted to go back to the pack.

After 20 miles out front the two were caught by a chase group containing Timmerman. This front group was soon caught by the field after Landis/Trek put in a good chase. Dietrich started throwing down some furious counter attacks but he was clearly a very marked man. Then Blickem got a gap and Wong covered it. Expecting other riders would follow, the two found themselves out front again facing another 25 miles back. After some thought Wong decided it was good training and went for it.

Surprisingly no real chase efforts were formed and the two got a big gap. After the final climb there were 4 miles of flat to the finish. Wong and Blickem were unable to get rid of each other earlier on, so it looked like a sprint would take place. Wong handily lost due to cramping leg muscles. The other boys managed to decimate the entire field on the final climb and hammer the final flats to finish well ahead. All in all it was a good day out with a 2nd, 3rd and 4th. The boys recovered from the tough day with food from a Mexican street vendor.

Dietrich Wins Superior Collegiate Criterium, April 3rd

This was the SWCCC crit championships so I was set on winning. I won this race last year so I felt that it was a good crit course for me because of the difficulty of the course with the climbs. After the 3rd lap there was a points prime and with the field intact I sprinted for it, managed to keep a little gap and decided to roll with it. I ended up staying away solo for the victory.

Dietrich Wins Superior Pro/1/2 Criterium, April 3rd

Timmerman and I got ready to take on the Pro/1/2 race which was the last event of the day. We were both a little tired from the road race the day before and I had just finished the collegiate race. I told Timmerman we should just follow moves and not start them since there were only two of us.

After about 2 laps we changed our game plan and decided to go on the attack. I realized everyone was attacking on the climb so I attacked on the corner before the downhill stretch hoping no one would expect it. It worked and I got a gap, I managed to get the gap to over a minute while Timmerman was working over the rest of the field. In the end, I stayed away for the victory after 52 minutes off the front, while Timmerman got a group of 4 off near the end and smoked them in the sprint for second, all in all a great weekend for the Fiordifruttans.

Matt White Featured on Racelistings.com

You can read a great interview with Matt White who recently returned from representing the US at the Cyclocross World Championships. Click here and then look for the Riders to Watch section.

Huseby 2nd in Marblehead, MA, April 3rd

Once again, the New England season has started and the opening race - the Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race has come and gone. The weather was overcast as usual and was threatening to rain. The field was hovering around 100 as the promoter tends to let a few late comers in even after registration has officially closed. We had three of us signed up, but father Mills had been stricken with an illness and was forced to abandon before the race started.

The race started pretty slowly and the sky was starting to show some glimpses of sunlight. It was 17 laps and a few in, I bridged across to a small group of 6 and we soon had a minute on the field. I thought to myself perfect - we were 7 guys and a good group - some strong legs that could stay away if we were organized. Organized we were not, as several kept making moves to break away without success - what a surprise. We stayed clear until the final lap when we were caught by the field - not a big problem as I was not gassed from being in the move. I had been very conservative and still felt good.

Mike Cody was right there and my plan was to stay at the front and give him a lead out as I knew at this point it would be a showdown between us and Nerac sprinter - Adam Hodges Myerson. Going up the final climb - Cody, Myerson and I were all near the front and I led it out quickly separating the three of us from the swarm behind. Cody was there, but having a difficult time coming through as Myerson was taking him across the road. I continued to lead it out and Myerson regained some gas and pulled by me with Cody hot on his heals. I ended up second and Cody ended up getting passed by a guy from Trek/VW and taking 4th. It was a good first race of the year and not bad for two of us. We look forward to racing with a full team in the coming weeks!

Hamblen Wins Cane Creek Cup No/So Carolina MTB Series # 1, March 26-27

Sandhills Short Track, 40 minute timed event
Fiordifrutta's Jon Hamblen showed up for the Sandhills Short Track mountain bike race with a Cannondale cyclocross bike for the small and tight course which he figured would suit his light and nimble bike... that and he doesn't own a mountain bike. Hamblen took on the race in cyclocross style, opening the throttle from the gun and trying to create a gap on his rivals. Jon was followed closely by two riders for most of the first lap in the forty minute timed event but put even more gas into the carburetor near the end of the lap and got himself free. For the rest of the race Hamblen rode smoothly and consistently, hitting his marks and putting the Cannondale cyclocross bike well ahead of his rivals’ machines. Jon won the race in an incredible 40 minutes!

Uwharrie Cross Country
Borrowing a mountain bike from a friend of a friend the morning of the race, Fiordifrutta's Hamblen headed to the start line on a dismal 55 degree cloudy day in the beautiful Uwharrie National Forest. From the gun Jon and two other riders attacked hard on the opening fire road section and created a gap on the rest of the pack before hitting the single track. For the first half lap Jon followed the two riders and acquainted himself with the new fangled suspension fork and extra fat tires the bike was equipped with, while also coming to terms with the many roots and sharp pointy rocks. Once he was comfortable enough, our boy Hamblen jumped away on a smooth fire road climb and rode through the start/finish line to complete the first of three 8 mile laps on his own. Jon hammered away for the remaining two laps and finished first in the 1 hour and 50 minute race with an astounding 24 mile distance!