GamJams Racing

Rades Rolls Into Top-10 (9th? Who Knew? He Sure Didn't.)

 

Paul Rades, one of GamJams Racing most successful racers, spent last Sunday enjoying the course and the results in the DCCX Masters 1/2/3 race.  Though he was a bit hazy on his final results as the result of what can only be termed a "brain cloud," he was very clear on one thing: the DCCX is a great event and DCMTB really knows how to produce "a full-on rave,  where anyone from across the compression socks-compression jeans spectrum could grab a beer and a pancake, stretch out on the grass, and soak up some October fastness."

Rades' race began with a solid starting position on the second row.  This allowed him to hold a good spot through the prologue until another racer overcooked one of the turns leading into the barriers drag-strip, crashed into his front wheel, and sent him airborne.  He quickly hopped back on his bike as most of the field sprinted past.  Once he got his dome readjusted and started remembering where he was, he made a quick readjustment to his goals.  He says he "asked how much hurt is worth top-20? Top-10?"  It turns out that top-10 was worth plenty of hurt because that's what did for the next few laps as he "regained lots of ground on the course's many fast straightaways."  

Teammates, of course, played an integral role as Mike "Mr. November Bicycles" May stood by to help out by calling out Rades' placing on several laps and giving him the badly needed feedback on his relative position.  Rades notes that "once the numbers started dropping, I got amped up and decided to attack at every opportunity."  About two laps from the finish, Rades caught the main chase group "but started botching corners as fatigue set in."  As he said, "at this point, I had little to gain and everything to lose, so  I rode the last half-lap conservatively and cruised safely to 10th place."  Final results prove that fatigue really had set in as Rades ended up 10% faster than he thought, 9th place overall.

Congratulations to Paul Rades who added another top-10 finish to an already impressive season (even if his brain is still a bit foggy on the details of math and counting and stuff...)

 

GamJams Racing Rocks Stony Creek TT

Three racers from the GamJams / Pre-Reg.com p/b Cutaway Clothng rolled up to the line at the Stony Creek TT; three racers ended the day in the top-10.  It was a good day to say the least.

The trio of racers, Greg "It's S.O.P." Wittwer, Nate "Great White Skinsuit" Hakken and Gus Grissom made an overnight trip and enjoyed the hospitality of the Omni In Richmond.  After an evening of pizza, Foster's Lager, and a movie that Hakken said "might have been a chick flick, but I didn't really notice because that Matthew McConaughey is dreamy," they finished the roadtrip with the short jaunt down to the very flat, very fast Stony Creek course.  Hakken, who had raced the day prior at the Church Creek TT, was the first to admit that skinsuits should not "double up" on a weekend.

After a few moments registering and pinning on numbers, Grissom took up his normal role of offering advice and coaching to everyone else.  He said, "it's been a long time since I've done a 40K time trial and I may never have done one that wasn't part of a triathlon.  So, I was pretty nervous.  I thought the best way to relax would be to tell others what to do and that's what I did."  He finished the day in sixth place by setting a solid benchmark time to help plan his training for next year.

Wittwer, however, needed no coaching advice.  "My basic strategy was to treat this like a cyclocross race," Wittwer said.  "I just had to go as hard as I could for something under an hour and I knew I would get enough points to clinch the Cat 3 Cup."  With this strategy in mind, Wittwer executed flawlessly and finished the day with fourth place earning more than enough points for the win in the season-long competition.  He is now looking forward to a new conquest: a criterium weekend in St. Louis where he hopes to mount the top spot as follow up to his recent success in Luray and Stony Creek.

Hakken drew on his own considerable experience to formulate a different strategy.  He admits that he "went out a bit too hard on Saturday because I was trying to keep up with Pete Warner from WWVC."  That didn't work out so well for Hakken, but Sunday was a new day and he said "I just tried to race conservatively and keep enough in the reserve to finish faster than I started.  His results are proof positive that this strategy worked as he put in a fast enough time for eighth place.

While Wittwer scored enough points to win the Individual GC for the Cat 3 Cup, the team also clinched the Team GC for the series.  GamJams Racing wishes to thank Whole Wheel Velo Club for putting up some stiff competition.  In the end, they put three of their own riders in contention to score points for the team.  It was a great end to a long season of competition and camaraderie between and among the Cat 3 Squads. 

French Babies Raised and Soft Cheeses Thrown As Wittwer Dominates Luray Criterium

Greg "Pretty Boy" Wittwer solo'ed his way to the top step of the podium on Sunday at the Luray Criterium, part of the Page Valley Omnium and one of the last events in the GamJams Cat 3 Cup p/b Mountain Khakis.   The daunting course, the heat, and the previous day's exertions were expected to take their toll on most racers, but Wittwer said "when I saw the course, I knew I had a good chance."  It was this confidence and aggressiveness that allowed Wittwer to dominate the rest of the field for most of the race, including the most important part, the last fourteen laps.

Wittwer and the GamJams team had raced the previous day's Page Valley Road Race pretty conservatively in an effort to preserve Wittwer's lead in the Individual GC and the team's overall lead in the Cat 3 Cup.  Unfortunately, that strategy backfired as Wittwer's closest rival, Nicholas Taylor (WWVC) seems to be an uphill sprint specialist and was able to take plenty of points away from GamJams and Wittwer.  Down but not out, the team rolled up to the line on Sunday with a very different perspective.  Wittwer said "there was to be no sitting in on that course for me ... From the start I took off."

Wittwer found himself in a two-man break which was doomed to fail as his companion overcooked a corner and, in Wittwer's words, "dude just went way too fast into the turn and got scared and locked up his wheel."  Wittwer was able to stay upright but hit the curb with enough force to ruin a Zipp 404.  As he hobbled his way to the pit, teammate "Life Alert" Larry Byvick rolled in to hand over some fresh wheels and get Wittwer back in the action.  Course Officials put Wittwer back in front of the pack and he was off to the races with his head down, trying to build up his lead.  In the end, he held off the charging peloton and was able to solo across the line.  Unfortunately, he did not make good on his promise to dismount and carry his bike across the line cyclocross style.  He is, apparently, a big talker  when it comes to victory salutes.

As for the rest of the team, the sentiment was echoed by all that Greg really does not need to be told what to do in the future.  As one of their Armchair Direttore Sportivi reported, "Greg is obviously a crit specialist, the more technical the better.  From now on our strategy is going to be 'Greg, do whatever you want.  Go as fast as you want whenever it feels like time to go fast."  To do otherwise, it would seem, is to try to to train a greyhound to hunt three-legged turtles at the old-folks home.

Editor's Note: The reader should be aware that the writer's phrase "held off a charging peloton," is actually euphemistic code for "lapped the field and let up a bit at the end so they could sprint for table scraps while he coasted across the line."  Wittwer promises photographic evidence next time he laps anyone.  This is, of course, at the insistence of David "Get Off'a My Lawn" Kirkpatrick who reminded the team that "if you act like whatever you want to do is 'just S.O.P.,' then nothing is off the table and everything is possible."  That's just how he rolls.

Rades Masters Giro di Coppi

Paul "Upgrade Time" Rades saw a big field against him, a small team with him, and enough heat to wilt the all but the strongest of riders as an opportunity to prove that he is, in fact, the strongest of riders by solo'ing his way to a first place finish in the Masters 35+ 3/4 category at the Giro di Coppi.  He said it felt especially good knowing that we were outnumbered by a few other teams but we still outgunned and outsmarted them."

Rades, an up-and-coming star of the GamJams GS squad, and fellow GamJams racer David "Not Contagious" Kirkpatrick had been a little slow on the draw for the pre-registration game and ended up joining forces to represent GamJams in the Masters' event instead of their normal GamJams Cat 3 Cup p/b Mountain Khakis event.  This became an opportunity for Kirkpatrick to help the team in other ways.  As he said, "my goal today was to help Paul get those last points he needs for an upgrade."  And help he did.  The duo covered moves and did what they could to keep the pace high and the pressure on.  Kirkpatrick said that "we rode quite agressively for a long time to put the torpedo into the tube."  But, when Rades finally launched, he "knew it was a done deal and it was so [clucking] much joy to watch it happen.  The field had absolutely no answer for Paul's Kung Fu today."

Rades himself gave much of the credit right back to Kirkpatrick saying he "deserves much of the credit for driving the tempo during the first two laps, and countering a few attacks."  Rades admits he "got bogged down early on, but eventually migrated to the front and started doing some work."  From there it was only a matter of time until "Dave sent me off just before the start of the final circuit, and kept everyone else in check while I gradually opened up a gap. From there, I just hammered the climbs and backed off on the descents to give my legs and lungs a break. I also tried to stay out of sight by getting through the twisty sections quickly and maintain consistent gaps in the time checks to frustrate any chasers. I maybe went a bit too hard in some parts, but figured everyone else was probably tired and thirsty as well."  It was the correct assumption as the rest of the tired and thirsty peloton came in for table scraps over a minute after Rades finished the main course. 

It was a great outing for both parts of the GamJams Squad, the Cat 3's and the Gruppo Sportivo, and a great race to showcase the variety of talents on both teams.  All who participated agreed that this is one of the better races on the MABRA circuit and wanted to make sure that Squadra Coppi knows it did a great job this year under some hot and trying conditions.  While others in the peloton may be griping about stolen water bottles and those crazy yellow lines, Team GamJams just wants to say "thank you" to Squadra Coppi and everyone who came out.  You supplied the venue, the race, and the competition.  Rades supplied the guts to try and the strength to last.

Wittwer Wears Pants (And There Is Much Rejoicing).

Greg "Pretty Boy" Wittwer finally put on some pants.  Of course, they aren't just any pants, they are THE pants in the GamJams Cat 3 Cup p/b Mountain Khakis.  As the current points leader in the series, Wittwer proudly announced that "my pants came today in the mail!  Oh they feel nice!"  Unnamed sources close to Wittwer report that Wittwer, who will soon be enrolling in Sponsored Athlete Promotions Training, actually said "I really appreciate the triple stitching, slanted back cargo pockets with velcro closures, side utility pocket, and full length action gusset. These pants set the new outdoor standard for the stout canvas go-to companion.  They really are built for the Mountain LIfe."

With Wittwer finally "wearing the pants," team director Mike May proudly explained that "our master plan is going exactly according to our master plan."  He was most impressed with the team's recent performance at the Reston Town Center Grand Prix where Wittwer took second in an exciting sprint, followed closely by Kyle Murphy in 8th and Paul Rades of the GS Squad in 11th.  

The race played out as anticipated by the team with a series of attacks and counterattacks on the technical course resulting in a consistently high speed and high rate of attrition.  Aric "Shiny Shoes" Line took charge of the tactics in the opening phase and did his best to protect Wittwer by setting a high tempo where he could.  He said, "Greg was staged right behind me so I really just drilled it off the line in hopes of getting Greg and I quickly into a energy-conserving position near the front.  I was surprised to find we had separated from the field.  I didn't rotate at all, I was just hanging out trying to keep Greg in position."  

As the race progressed, the team continued to work together to keep Wittwer ready for the endgame.  Riders like David "the Dalmation" Kirkpatrick and Gus "Free Wheel" Grissom took turns ensuring the tempo was high.  Kirkpatrick explained that he "was in a spot to notice the pace dropping and I told myself I'd hang on to the front at least until they started moving the [freaking] lap cards which seemed to happen about 5 laps after I wanted them to do it."  His efforts were not wasted, but even built upon by Mike May who found himself in a two-man breakaway being called out by Joe Jefferson, "GamJams has put its sprinter on the front to make it happen!"  Little did the Jefferson or the field know that May's effort was just one of many made by the team that day to ensure Wittwer would find a spot on the podium and in the lead of the Cat 3 Cup.  

Of the last lap, Wittwer commented, "Larry [Byvik] and I had talked before the race and he told me the race is won between the last two corners.  I was 4th wheel going into the bell lap.  After the tight left turn at the bottom of the course I made my move and attacked right before the 3rd corner to the finish.  My legs felt solid and knew if I could make it to the final corner in the lead I'd be guaranteed a top 5 finish.  To my surprise I only saw one rider on my rear wheel.  I put my head down and gave it everything I had."  Everything he had turned out to be more than enough as he cruised across the line in second place on the day and first place overall in the season long competition.

It was a great day for Wittwer and the whole GamJams squad, which (unofficially) leads the team competition in the Cat 3 Cup.  But, the real success finally arrived today when Wittwer put on his pants.  As Grissom said, "those baggy, droopy pants he wears on race day only show off one thing: his faded, wannabe-a-gangsta Fruit of the Looms and they aren't as cool as he thinks they are." 

GamJams Enjoys Solid Team Effort at Tour of Washington County

GamJams / Pre-reg.com p/b Cutaway Clothing enjoyed a solid weekend of races and results at the Tour of Washington County thanks to contributions from every member of the 9-man squad that rolled up to the line on Saturday.  Greg "Google Juice" Wittwer scored top-3 finishes in both the TT and the Criterium event, while Gus Grissom found himself in the fifth spot overall at the end of the weekend.  The accomplishments were, in Wittwer's words, "the result of us all working hard all weekend."

As the team prepared for the event, the goal was to put Wittwer, one of the team's younger riders, in a position to win while remaining focused on keeping as many members of the squad in a position to finish with a top-10 in the GC.  Mike "Six Minute Abs" May, in his role as team director, believed these goals not to be mutually exclusive but rather "the result of our unique position in the Cat 3 peloton where we have so many riders on form right now and ready to strike."  The early phase of the road race, however, was fairly conservative and it was not until the heat and some miles had taken its toll on a few riders that Grissom found himself in a position to make a move.  He said, "some of our guys had made a few essentially suicide moves to get the ball rolling and all I had to do was stay up front and consistent to take advantage of their sacrifice and make the various selections that were happening."  In the end, Grissom found himself in a large breakaway group that stayed ahead of the field.  He finished conservatively with a top-10 and the rest of the squad rolled in with various groups a short while behind the leaders.  Terry "Yard Sale" Anderson called the race "a series of cat and mouse efforts that really helped me keep my mind off the heat and cramps."

The time trial provided an opportunity for riders like Nate "Slowski" Hakken, a proven time trial specialist, David "Top Shelf" Kirkpatrick, and Wittwer to make up a little time from the previous day.  Though the official results are still pending, unofficially Wittwer finished in second with Grissom only a few seconds behind.  Wittwer says that overall he "was pleased" but is "jealous of Hakken's bike and already searching EBay for options."  

Going into the Criterium event, Grissom thought he was sitting in third on GC.  It turns out that time bonuses had not yet been factored in and he was actually in fourth at this point.  But math has never been Grissom's strength and the team had to base its strategy on the computational ability of an ancient historian.  Mike May spent a lot of time warming up in front of as man folks as possible with his shirt off and eventually gave Wittwer "free rein to attack at will to take the pressure off the GC contender on the squad."  And attack is what Wittwer did. 

As the laps counted down and Grissom felt more and more secure in his position, the peloton gave some distance to a two-man break that appeared to be out of contention for the GC.  Unfortunately, one of the riders from Kelly Benefits was in the break and, unbeknownst to the peloton, was quickly clawing his way onto the podium.  In the end, Gus "Tegaderm" Grissom lost his focus in fourth turn and tested the friction coefficient of the pavement.  He was awarded the same time as the peloton and finished in fifth on GC.  The real story, however, was Wittwer's late attack.  Relying on his cyclocross mentality, he hit the attack hard and committed completely.  He found himself with enough separation from the field to adjust his jersey, salute his teammates and take third place in style rolling across the line with plenty of time to spare.

Special thanks to the Antietam Velo Club and Joe Jefferson (who took every opportunity to beg for one of Team GamJams' Kazane bikes) for hosting a great race.  They provided a perfect venue for GamJams to showcase its strong team of riders committed to working for a common goal.

Beck Strikes At Team Nature's Path / 3-Sports Criterium

Jason Beck of the GamJams GS Squad led a small contingent down for the Cat 3 race held by Team Nature's Path/3-Sports and rode aggressively enough for a third place finish, his best of the year.  Beck says "the idea of a technical course on brand new pavement was enticing" for a racer who enjoys the role of breakaway specialist.  Though the field was a bit smaller than expected, the gaps were forming as early as the first lap.  After watching some of the more well represented teams take turns launching attacks, Beck says the field "was now just a dozen or so individuals on a course which was exactly what this GamJams rider was hoping for all along."  

About halfway through the race Beck saw his chance to get off the front and took it.  The pack countered, caught, and was immediately subjected to another series of attacks from Beck who says he was "feeling pretty good."  It turns out this was an understatement as his next series of attacks found him in a three-man breakaway that finally got clear of the field and "worked hard for the next ten miles or so."  As the last lap approached, Beck attacked his breakaway companions and went for the win.  In the end he says he "got a small gap, but got caught on the downhill section.  They went flying past."  Beck, unable to stick on their wheels, cruised in for third place.  Beck found himself a bit ambivalent at the top-three finish and marvels that he is "diappointed and satisfied at the same time."  It is, however, his best result for the 2010 season and one that helps Team GamJams maintain its momentum as the final phases of the season approach.

Congratulations to Jason Beck for his podium spot; he had the guts to try and the legs to succeed.  Special thanks as well go out to Team Nature's Path / 3-Sports for hosting this successful event on what turns out to be a very exciting course. 

Greg Sticks it for 3rd at ToWC Crit (Multimedia)

photos by Dave Kirkpatrick

Photo Finish for 3rd at Crystal City

Courtesy of Bruce Buckley:

Jose Nunez nips GamJams/Pre-Reg p/b Cutaway Clothing's Mike May at the line for a podium spot at the Crystal Cup. May vows to begin a regimen of rigorous bike throw intervals next week.

Hakken Upgrades to Cat 3, Joins Cat 3 Squad

Press Release

THE INTERNET (17 June, 2010) - Nate Hakken, competitive cyclist on the GS GamJams team, has recently received his upgrade to Cat 3 and has been selected to join the GamJams / Pre-Reg p/b Cutaway Clothing racing team. Hakken's first race with the squad will be at this weekend's Tour of Washington County, where his strong time-trialing skills will, aw hell, we don't really do press releases. Nice work, Nate. And welcome aboard.

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