Haymarket Bicycles / HomeVisit Cycling Team

Good Weekend For Haymarket / HomeVisit

2010-05-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ft. Ritche Criterium

The team went into the race with a plan to put 2 riders into any break and be present and active at the front of the race throughout. We did exactly that. We put Joe Dumbrowski and Ryan Simpson into the early break of 6, which stayed away. As the race went on, HH Cycling was dominant at the front of the race, protecting our riders in the break, covering all moves and riding tempo at the front to keep attacks under control.

In the end, Joe Dumbrowski held his own against Russ langley and Chuck Hutcheson for a 3rd place finish. In the field, HH Cycling kept the field strung out for the final laps to set up a smooth sprint. The team put 4 riders in the top 10: with Joe Dumbroski 3rd, Chip Hover 7th, Jared Nieters 9th, and new Cat 2 Andrew Bridges 10th.

Here is helmet cam video of the 1/2/3 race:

Ft. Ritche Criterium - Cat 1/2/3 from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.

Joe Dombrowksi in the winning break at Ft. Ritche:

(Photography by James Wilson)

The team locking down the front of the race:

On Sunday, Ryan Simpson contested the Deep Blue Time Trial, taking second to the Cyborg that is Mike Githens (just kidding Mike.. sort of)

>> These 5 top ten results this weekend brings the team to 52 top ten placings of our goal of 100 for this season.

We are taking pledges for each top ten race result for the benefit of LIVESTRONG. Your pledge of $1 for each of our top ten race results will send a $100 donation to LIVESTRONG.

>> CLICK HERE to make a pledge now! Follow out team as we race hard to donate money to LIVESTRONG.

Haymarket Bicycles / HomeVisit Has Won $3,500 For LIVESTRONG!

2010-05-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

When we founded this team, we chose LIVESTRONG as our charity and decided to raise money in two ways. The first way is simple, we are donating monies equal to all our race winnings directly to LIVESTRONG. We are pleased to announce that we just exceeded $3,500 won through April. The season is really just beginning, so we are excited about the possibility that our team could win much more than that to donate by the end of the season.

>> Take a look at the winnings tally here on our web site.

You will see that many different team members names and many different events are part of the winnings so far. Our corporate team sponsor, HomeVisit, is matching all winnings. Look for our video blog check presentation coming soon!

There is a second way that we are raising money for LIVESTRONG and a way for you or those you know to donate as well. On our web site, we are accepting pledges to LIVESTRONG for each top ten race placing we score for the season. Our goal is 100 top ten race results. So if you pledged $1 for each top ten we achieve, you would be sending $100 to LIVESTRONG. You can make your pledge through our secure credit card gateway. The pledges will be collected and sent to LIVESTRONG at the end of the season in October.

>> MAKE A PLEDGE HERE!

>> Here is our Donor Gallery, recognizing those who have made $11,375 in pledges to date.

>> We have scored 47 top tens already this season out of our goal of 100!

>> Check out our 22 podium results as well!

Joe Dombrowski Wins P/1/2 Wintergreen Ascent!

2010-05-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

Haymarket / HomeVisit's 18 year old phenom, Joe Dombroski won the P/1/2 Wintergreen Ascent with a time of 32:16.655, only 16 seconds off the course record. Joe bested 2nd place finisher Jeremiah Bishop by over 2 minutes.

Results are here.

Here is Joe's recap of the event:

There are certain events, that while they might not hold much significance to most MABRA racers, are important to me. This is usually because they are selective and cater to my abilities, or the races are held on my own home training grounds and I want to win on my home turf. Events like these are the Shenandoah Mountain 100, Page Valley Road Race, Wintergreen ascent or even just trying to throw down a new personal record up the climb to Skyline Drive from my house.

Wintergreen has rich racing history including being a mountaintop finish for Tour Dupont - Lemond and Fignon duked it out up that beast. The record as of 2007 was held by Ian Ayers of Colavita at 33:42. Last year, Jeremiah Bishop smashed that at 32:00 flat. I happen to have a bit of insider information and I know JB did 391 watts to ascend Wintergreen in that time and that he weighed 154 pounds - the same as I do now.

I went into this race aiming to try and beat the record, but knowing that it would be a tall order especially with the sniffle in my nose and the burn in my throat I seemed to develop this week. I started off conservatively, checking the numbers every so often trying to keep my average just over 390 watts. With the last steep kick remaining I looked down at my yellow head unit and saw that I had been riding for just over 31 minutes and had only about 400 meters to go. I kicked it into high gear, out of the saddle stomping up the nasty grade pushing close to 600 watts. By the time I got to the flat 150 meters to the finish I couldn't even stand up out of the saddle to sprint.

Alas, I crossed the line in 32:16. 16 seconds off the course record. Maybe I shouldn't have opened my jersey to let it flap in the breeze, or maybe I should have worn the skinsuit. I could speculate forever, but I do know I'm going to try my best to make that record fall some day.

Oh and for all you watt weenies out there, I ended up doing 390 watts for just over 32 minutes - a not too shabby 5.6 watts per kilo.

Speedweek - Midweek Update

2010-04-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

Athens

Twilight is tough enough without the rain, but a number of factors made it one of the toughest in memory. First and foremost, the race was marked by torrential rain and lightening. That made for scary corners and tougher accelerations out of turns two and four.

The race was shattered two laps in and half the field was pulled. There were a number of crashes, but fortunately the HH boys were spared any unexpected visits to the pavement.

About halfway through the race, a move went up the road, and Mtn. Khakis missed it. They ended up putting all their guys on the front to reel it back in, and the field was further annihilated.

The original field of 180 was decimated, leaving only 35 finishers. Of those 35, only 5 weren’t on pro squads. Chris Schmidt and Jared Nieters were two of them, each getting their best finishes at Athens.

Results

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Roswell

Roswell is a very different race from Athens. The corners are much more mellow, and a narrowing rise on the back side allows for a bit more circulation in the field. The race was generally uneventful, though Haymarket riders made a few attempts to get up the road. However, nothing was sticking and the field remained together through the sprint.

Results

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Beaufort

We were fortunate to stay at the nicest host housing on the SpeedWeek circuit in Beaufort, SC. Only two miles from downtown, we were able to have a great amount of rest, and eat some great home cooking.

The notable portions of the course include a tight turn one that reduces from 4 lanes to 1, and a short back stretch that ends before any passing opportunities really present themselves.

Schmidt made it off the front, and nearly bridged to the winning breakaway, but was crashed out in the infamous turn one. After two crashes himself, Nieters ended up finishing in the omnium points, but just out of the money.

Results

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Walterboro

Walterboro found the HH guys particularly motivated. Schmidt was looking for redemption from Beaufort, and Nieters was fired up after battling a cold for the previous two days.

Early in the race, Nieters was able to get up the road in a small move, but was reeled back in short order, but only after earning points in the lap-leading competition.

Shortly after Nieters’ turn at the front, Schmidt attacked for the five-place mid-race preme. He was reeling in Rashan Bahati, but ran out of real estate, nabbing a great second place, garnering points and prize money.

The race ended fast, as the Bahati Foundation team found themselves out of the break. They moved to the front and reeled the move in with three laps to go. There was no slowing at that point, and with good positioning, Schmidt remained highly placed, landing deep in the cash. . Unfortunately, Escobar ran into a little bit of trouble, getting gapped in a large group in turn three—a turn so dark riders could have done just as well to ride through with their eyes closed. Nieters was once again only one spot out of the money (an annoying recurring theme). Simpson had his best result of the series gaining points in the omnium, with his 47^th place

Results

Speedweek - Beaufort, SC - Pro Race Helmet Cam & Pics

2010-04-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the first 15 minutes of the pro race from helmet cam:

Speedweek - Beaufort SC - Pro Race First 15 Minutes from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.

Warming up:

Really nice waterfront town:

Speedweek - Roswell Ga - Cat 2/3 Helmet Cam

2010-04-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Roswell was a cool course and a great day out for racing.

Here is 15 min of the course from the Cat 2/3 race.

Roswell, GA Criterium - Some Laps From Cat 2/3 Race from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.

Athens Twilight Pro Race

2010-04-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable conditions. Thunderstorms, dark, thousands of loud, beer drinking fans.

Jared Nieters and Chris Schmidt finished. Jared 35th, Chris 24th. Over 100 guys didn't finish.

Check out the last lap. There was a break of 6 off the front.

Athens Twilight Pro Finish Lap 2010 from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.

Athens Grid Qualifier - Friday

2010-04-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Day one of the Speedweek trip for the Haymarket / HomeVisit team making the trip: Jared Nieters, Chris Schmidt, Chip Hoover, Bryan Vaughan, Steven Grant and Ryan Simpson.

Athens Twilight is two days of racing and partying in a really cool college town. Friday features the computrainer grid qualifier races to determine starting grid spots for the Pro race Saturday night. The Twilight race has over 150 racers, so starting up front can mean the differnece between surviving or not, or for how long.

Some video and pics of the day below...

So the way it works is they have a big stage, an announcer and 50 inch screens that show every racer's power in watts, distance, speed next to each other and the distance between racers in feet, so you know exactly where you stand when you race. They calibrate the trainers and they weigh you before you go on stage so the watts are normalized.

The race is an 8 lap simulation of the actual race course. That works out to about 8 minutes of absolute suffering. In the videos, you can see some real hurting going on. It's basically a VO2 max test on stage, no hiding.

Here is a link to an album:

Grid Qualifier Videos:

Athens Twilight Pro Grid Qualifier - Bryan Vaughan - 13th from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.

Watch This One! Great battle for Chris Schmidt

Athens Twilight Pro Grid Qualifier - Chris Schmidt from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.

Athens Twilight Pro Grid Qualifier - Steven Grant from Bryan Vaughan on Vimeo.