Dan Lehman down, but not out!   Please Read...

Chris "Short Timer " Hall blazed through an amazing final lap to seize second place at the Reston Town Center Grand Prix on Sunday. Still recovering from a nagging back injury resulting from a pavement related incident at the Kelly Cup in Baltimore, Hall rode a tactical race to compensate for what he calls a "loss of fitness over the past few weeks." No loss of power was apparent, however, as he surfed wheels through the straights and surged as necessary through the corners to maintain a solid position in the front of the peloton. As the bell lap sounded, Hall realized that the best move was to jump before the final turn. Hall said, "The eventual winner attacked out of turn 6 and I quickly followed his wheel through turn 7 and 8 and on to the finishing stretch." The finish line came quicker than expected and Hall cruised in ahead of the field to snatch another podium spot and a few more upgrade points. He is, without doubt, a short timer in the Cat 4 peloton.

In other events, Ryan "Dunk" Bracken rode a solid race in Reston's Cat 3 field to take 6th place overall. He said he was nervous about this race: "I think turn five still scared after me after my acrobatics last year and my wipe out last week didn't help." So, his "objective was to race hard, drop as many riders as possible, stay up front, and get comfortable in a technical course." Without doubt, it was mission accomplished for Dunk as he managed to work the field and cover the attacks to put himself in contention at the end. His top-10 finish was a huge personal achievement and already has him thinking beyond survival to a podium spot next year. 

Whole Wheel Velo Club fielded strong and successful Cat 3 and Cat 4 squads at the inaugural Tour of Washington County. “Angry” Paul Beyer led the strong Cat 3 squad by claiming the 8th position in General Classification, while Gus Grissom relied on the consistency of the Cat 4 squad to claim 11th.

AngryPaul, supported by Ryan “Dunk” Bracken, Rusty “TT” Williford, and Dave “Sneezy” Harrell, had consistent showings in all three disciplines. He took 6th in the road race, 15th in the time trial, and 10th in the criterium. Giving credit to the team, AngryPaul said “this is definitely the strongest cat 3 team I have been on for many years.” But, in the end, it was his killer instinct and sense of tactics that kept him in contention over the course of the weekend. In the time trial, Dunk rode away from the rest of the contenders posting the fastest time over the 20K course and "fishing for another gear beyond 53x11 while [he] listened to the scream of the aero wheels only inches from [his] face."

The Cat 4 squad, consisting of Gus Grissom, Josh “WrongWay” Sharpe, Mark “Hall” Lewandowski, Roger “Coach” Batchelor, Geoff “Beach Baby” Beaty, and Joe “Aero” Mazza, rode well together and, in the end, was able to help Gus place consistently in all three events. While he scored GC points in all three events, Gus said he was most proud of his performance in the criterium, an event in which he is notoriously unqualified. He said of the race “it was as my ‘mates had told me: technical, fast, and nerve-wracking. But I followed the team’s advice and found a way to stay near the front to get a respectable result.”

The weekend was another indication that the Whole Wheel riders are all starting to peak, as individuals and as a team, at the right time in the season. Most of the racers now plan to take a little time off; Williford said “on one hand, I want to hang up the bike for a while and just enjoy family and free time. On the other hand, I am really motivated to do some more races as a team with the 3's.” After a little downtime, however, expect to see some success from the Whole Wheel team in the closing races of the season.

 

“Cool Hand” Dave Wiesenhahn led the Whole Wheel Velo Club to overwhelming success in this weekend’s inaugural Ride Sally Ride criterium in Sterling, VA. After countless hours of planning over the past year, Wiesenhahn’s plans were flawlessly executed by the Whole Wheelers under his steady leadership. In a day that saw high intensity racing to match the high intensity heat index, Wiesenhahn’s calm demeanor and quiet confidence were the driving forces that kept all the events running on time and without incident. Though Wiesenhahn graciously thanked team by saying “your enthusiasm and indefatigable spirit ... helped keep me moving.” it is the entire MABRA region that thanks him for doing what few racers can: organizing and executing a race of the highest qualit.

Along with the success of the race came successful racing from the Cat 3 squad led by Ryan “Dunk” Bracken. Supported by Dave “Chubby” Harrell, Dunk escaped the field with a two-man breakaway early in the race. Though he said he ”I really wanted to quit about two or three laps into our breakaway because I was just suffering,” home field was clearly an advantage as received encouragement "from about 10 places per loop.” While Harrell kept the field in check with a stellar blocking effort, Dunk continued to bring the pain up front, driving the break to an insurmountable gap. In the end, Dunk made it look easy, dropping his breakaway partner on the last lap and casually crossing the line with his arms raised.

In a day of firsts – first “Ride Sally Ride” and first Cat 3 victory of the season – the Whole Wheel squad made it look routine, rocking the race and rolling off the front for victory on so many levels. Congratulations to the Whole Wheel Velo Club for an overwhelming success in what is sure to become an annual highlight of the MABRA racing calendar.

 

Whole Wheel Velo Club and its sponsors are pleased to provide the results to our 1st annual Ride Sally Ride criterium. We would like to thank the 350 racers that joined us this past Saturday in absolutely sweltering conditions. We just can't say enough about the guts and determination you all showed. We asked Mother Nature for cooler weather and are looking forward to seeing everyone next year!!

Racers - The actual finish order can no longer be protested; however it is possible that we made an error when transposing the results from the officials finish sheets. If you notice an error in your finish, name, license number, or club please e-mail events@wwvc.org as soon as possible. We will submit the results to USAC on Friday at which time we will consider all information final. 

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Ryan "Frenchie" Callahan stormed away from a rain-soaked field to take a hard earned top-10 finish at the Millport Road Race on Saturday. After spending the first half of the race at the front, controlling the pack dynamics, Ryan said the field was neutralized because of "some of the nastiest rain I've ever ridden in.... and the lovely runoff of rural Lancaster (mmm, poo and pesticides)."

The field was forced to cool down for about an hour while Mother Nature did her worst. Callahan, however, was not dismayed. Once the signal for a restart was given, he stormed to the front of the field for "two laps of fury." When a small breakaway launched off the front, Ryan gave chase. In so doing, he dropped the rest of the field and laid claim to his first top-10 finish of the season. After a somewhat disappointing start to the year, Callahan graciously called his accomplishment "a decent performance."

In the final analysis, however, the rest of the peloton, rolling around in the cold, wet, and apparently smelly conditions, strongly disagreed as they left the race wishing they had the guts of that Whole Wheel rider from VA who came all the way to PA to steal their thunder. 

The Whole Wheel Velo Train, here led by Ryan "Dunk" Bracken, made a thunderous appearance at the RFK Criterium held on 25 June. After doing the dirty work of pulling Chris "Just Go" Hall and Joe "Me Toooooooo" Mazza to the front of the field and into perfect position for the closing meters, the Dunk had to do the "glory work" as well. Though he had pretty much expended his energy on the leadout, Dunk dug deep into his reserves and found a way to remain in the top ten. Though the team agreed that communication could've, should've, and would've been better, everyone was satisfied with the results as Dunk put the finishing touch on a tough racing weekend.  

The rain-soaked technical course at the inaugural Southern Maryland Criterium was simply not a factor for Mike "Smiley" Ahlers and the incredible support provided by his fellow Cat 5's, Jonathan Mullins and Dan Dineen. Though qualified to upgrade, Ahlers has vowed to get one podium placing before moving up into the Cat 4's and thought this race would be perfectly suited to his style. Ahlers said that he enjoys technical courses because "there is much more to be aware of besides turning the cranks and you become very mindful of subtle influences on handling." For most of the field, his words were bitter pills and his delight was their frustration.

From the opening laps, Ahlers led a small group of six riders in a breakaway effort that lasted until the end. Fellow Whole Wheelers, Mullins and Dineen, each lent support by disrupting chase efforts. Though Dineen went down in a curve, he immediately remounted his bike, took his free lap, and entered the fray once more. The squad was so successful in their efforts that, by the end of the race, there were three distinct groups on the course, the break, a chase, and the field, each led by a Whole Wheeler. It was an impressive showing of tactical supremacy and sheer guts from all three.

In the end, Ahlers said "when the bell lap hit, we went nuts" and the breakaway group practically tore each other apart setting up the sprint. Ahler's was nipped at the line and had to settle for fourth, one spot shy of his podium goal. Nevertheless, he vows to make that goal a reality and no one who witnessed his aggression and his hangman's smile during this beast of a race doubts the eventuality of an Ahlers' victory. 

 

The weekend was a busy one for Whole Wheel Velo Club as the team sent squads to three separate racing venues: the Poolesville Road Race, the Turkey Hill Road Race, and the Wintergreen Ascent Time Trial.

At Poolesville, Chris “M.O.T.O.” Hall, Jonathan Mullins and Gus Grissom, left the carnage of the challenging dirt road section of this course in their wake as they worked together to secure a top-10 finish for protected rider Hall. Though Grissom lost both water bottles on the first pass at what could only be described as more pothole than road, the teamwork of Whole Wheel came through as J-Mull and Moto did what they could to prevent dehydration in a teammate. In the end, their efforts were successful and Grissom was able to provide a solid leadout to Hall which put him in great position with 200 meters to sprint. Grissom’s tactical mistake – providing the leadout a bit early – probably cost Hall the win as he was swarmed at the line. The top-10 finish, however, was still a great result in the first hot, dry road race of the season.

At the Turkey Day Road Race, Dave “NuSkin” Harrell worked alone to secure a solid result in what he termed a “sketchy” Cat 3/4 Field. To avoid the carnage of dropped chains, sudden braking, and random swerves in the peloton, Harrell spent most of the race conserving his energy in the rear of the pack. He later said that “the Moto-Ref and I are now best friends!” In the end, Dave’s energy conservation paid off as he mowed his way through the field “with almost no effort” and took 13th place, certainly a great result considering his recent loss of skin due to a sudden deceleration in the proximity of pavement.

Showing Whole Wheel’s respect for the disciplines of bothTime Trialing and Hill Climbing, Richard “Face” Gendron took on the Wintergreen Ascent Time Trial. As he warmed up, Gendron realized the enormity of the effort facing him. He said that he looked up at the mountain and thought “I’m going up that! …it was a statement of awe.” Though he claimed that, in the end, “gravity wins,” Gendron put in a solid effort and dragged his 170 pound frame up the mountain kicking and screaming. As he crested the top and realized his kids were there to support him, he said that “the pain is worth it to gain their support for my racing habit.”

 

Joe "Da Prez" Mazza sprinted clear of the field to take second place in the Cat 4/5 field at the Carl Dolan Memorial Classic. On a day marked by wind and rain, Mazza, assisted by fellow Whole Wheelers Chris "Your Turn" Hall and Mike "Ready for Prime Time" Ahlers, says he understood the "importance of a plan as well as racing with purpose" and the three of them focused their pre-race efforts on setting up a winning combination in what was likely to be a field sprint finish. Their vision for the race came true as the field entered the final laps all together.

At this point, Mazza said "Chris turned into a man possessed" and set such a quick tempo for the next 700 meters that Mazza was able to follow him all the way to the front of the pack. Then, just as Chris' heroic leadout was fading, Mazza hopped out of the saddle and broke free of the pack. In his own words, it was a sprinter's dream: "there it was. Open road." The open road lead straight to the podium and another big result for Whole Wheel. As for Chris' efforts, Mazza said that this result was "all about him."

Once again, the point is proven that individual results in cycling are most often due to selfless acts of a tight team like Whole Wheel. 

Chris "Flappin' Straps" Hall made his first podium appearance of the year by sprinting to second place at Tyson's Corner.  After entering the Cat 4 event with low expectations from a week of laryngitis, Hall put his pain aside and flawlessly managed his effort around the rain-slicked course.  Fellow Whole Wheeler Joe "Numbahs" Mazza took off his normal sprinter's cap in favor of a new role as support rider patrolling the front of the pack and covering the breaks.   While Numbahs kept the peleton tight and softened the group up a bit, Hall to made a gutsy dash to the line.  Hall said that, as the pack entered the final lap, he "just took the front and went for it and it paid off big time."  Noting that "this wasn't a normal hide and sprint" finish, Hall showed that he is more than capable of dominating races from well beyond the kilometer mark.

In the Cat 5 race, Simon "Holy Shorts" Kim took second in the field sprint and fifth overall.  Kim noted that it was the "three amigos of a WWVC train," namely Jonathan "Numbahs Jr." Mullins, Rich "Big Arms" Gendron, and "Wiki-Mike" Ahlers, who kept the field strung out and provided him the perfect launching pad for his sprint.  As the Whole Wheel train neutralized the field, Kim "committed 100% and started to sprint hard."  The effort resulted in second place for the field and his first top-5 finish.

At the end of the day, it can be said that Tyson's Corner is just another venue at which Whole Wheel demonstrated its commitment to teamwork which nearly always nets individual results.