Rich Airey is at it again. Couldn’t help but post this, even though its a little lame that the last post was him as well.. Sorry, BTB Personnel has been busy out putting in miles. 100degree+ ‘feels like’ — don’t mean nothin’! — there’s work to be done, grab some endurolytes so Dr. Riccardi doesn’t shake his head at you and get out there! Hydrate, hammer, hydrate, hammer, repeat.
Hand stand push ups are where it’s at!
Rich Airey comes from Point Pleasant, NJ was a stand out in steeple chase and distance events in track as well as crosscountry at D1 Monmouth University and is now a crossfit endurance coach out in Cali’.
He posts example videos on his youtube quite regularly, sometimes all you need is to see a new exercise to add to your workout.. I’ll be posting some of them here and there. He was also my steeplechase coach when I was at Monmouth, he’s a beast.
photo courtesy of Ken McGuinness
Randy Hadzor 5th over all – 3rd/cat3’s (first race as cat3)
Wes Hadzor results tba – cat 4/5 results to be posted soon
Bob Hadzor results tba – misdirected for final turn, did an extra loop of downtown owego.
Lessons continue for the 60 year old rookie.
The giro of Otisco Lake was a great experience, although a painful one. The hill climbs were accurately advertised – 3 x 10% with a crushing finisher on Stanton Rd. You know you are in a world of hurt when Coon Hill Rd is the easiest of the 3!
The final climb was a true test of one’s heart and soul. I was absolutely blessed by having a Mello Velo contingent of Wes and Randy Hadzor and stalwart Sarah Krisch to cheer me through a very difficult finish.
It was a great race and a painful delight to compete in. All the best to the organizers who came up large!
Sunday all the Hadzor boys traveled to lovely Owego, NY for the Strawberry Festival race. It was a very different scene here, bare bones, and disinterested could describe the crew in Owego. I realize the races are staffed by volunteers, but really bike racers are coming from all over the state and spending a lot of time, effort and $. The folks on the road should have some idea about the finish (which way it is) and be ready with their directional flag before the racer is 20yds away.
Anyway, no festival! Moldy post race strawberries were available for snacking. The race director seemed disinterested, the flag person asleep at the switch, no getting around it – a bad time!
Sorry for sounding so negative – at least I got in a decent workout.
– Bob Hadzor
Happy Fathers Day!
My pops is on his second day of back to back races, yesterday the grinding Giro of Otisco! He and the whole Hadzor crew will be down in Owego for the strawberry fest!
Happy Fathers Day Dads!
This weekend was the Tour de Syracuse bicycle stage race (aka omnium / gc) The criterium was on Saturday at Upper Onondaga Park in scenic Strathmore, and the time trial and road race down by Song Mountain in the land of Tully/Otisco on Sunday.
All in all it was a fun weekend, Wes Hadzor bustin’ out some speed to get some sprint points and finishing well, Bob learning more and more about this wacky road racing stuff, Randy earning a 2nd place over all for the weekend, Neil Hueber getting pretty comfortable with the TT bikes, Jamie Young stretching the legs out for some road racing while longing for the familiar mud of ‘cross. Good stuff all around!
Randy Hadzor – Mello Velo / Middle Ages / BTB
cat4 – 13th criterium (&pump preem), 3rd time trial (6:42), 2nd road race (& 3rdKOM#1 1stKOM#2), 2nd over all omnium
Wes Hadzor – Mello Velo / Middle Ages / BTB
cat5 <35 - 13th criterium (&points preem), 18rd time trial (7:43), 22nd road race, 18th over all omnium
Bob Hadzor – Mello Velo / Middle Ages / BTB
masters 60+ – 6th road race
Neil Hueber – Mello Velo / Middle Agescat5 <35 - 25th criterium, 15th time trial (7:30), 16th road race, 22nd over all omnium
Brian Nilsson – Mello Velo / Middle Ages
masters 35+ – 12th criterium, 13th time trial (timing issue), 14th road race, 13th over all omnium
Jamie Young – Mello Velo / Middle Ages
cat5 35+ – 33rd road race
Nick Pacchioli – Mello Velo / Syracuse University
cat 4 – 56th criterium *ill
Stephen Poirier – Mello Velo / Syracuse University
cat 4 – 57th criterium, 49th time trial (8:28), dnf road race, 66th over all omnium
Matthew Worstell – Mello Velo / Syracuse University
cat5 <35 - 6th criterium, 11th time trial (7:21), 8th road race, 7th over all omnium
*photos stolen from brian nilsson and jamie young courtesy of the facebook
Sunday was the American Zofingen in the Mohonk region of the Catskills. The Zofingen name is taken from Zofingen, Switzerland. Supposedly there is a series in which the distances are a common competition length and yearly they hold world duathlon competitions over there.
Saturday before Bob/Dad and I/Randy headed down to pick up the packet info, and scope out the course. We drove the loop which would make up the 84 mile bike leg of the long course when ridden 3 laps. It was amazing. Picturesque views, tour de france style hairpin turns, adventuresome down hills, and some serious long climbs. Upon getting a good look at the surfaces, turns and terrain, we took to the hotel to prep the bicycles and hunt down some dinner.
The ol’ Anvil TT bike was selected as the weapon of choice, cleaned up tweaked and readied. After a brief spin we asked the front desk the whereabouts of recommendable Italian food may be and were directed to either Rocco’s which reported had excellent spaghetti and meatballs or Rino’s which was reasonably priced and had nice full meals with homemade sauce etc. We opted for Rino’s, it was very good, quite healthy tasting.
To bed early and up and out at about 6am. The beautiful vistas and views were gone and replaced by heavy fog and drizzle “at least it won’t be too hot”. Which turned out to be a good thing because in the 7 hours and 19 minutes I had to consume a lot of heed, water, gels, powerbars, some of an apple, I can’t imagine how much more liquid would have been necessary if it were hotter.
It was only super rainy for one lap of the bike. The first 5 mile trail run went by pretty quickly, it had some tough hills, 2 main ones and then you loop down deceptively near the transition area and then the trail whisks you away for one more hill. I came out of the run 2nd into transition, and apparently Josh Beck is infamous for hanging out in the transition zone as I was the first out on the bike, though he rode past shortly after I got out on the road. The bike course was wet and hilly with some wild descents, I took the first loop easy not wanting to go sliding out of control on any of those descents and got a decent feel for it. I came through the first loop in third, Josh Beck was up 9minutes, the man in the pink kit was up 4min. The next loop I decided to have some fun with it, hammering the downhills and flats a bit more and getting better approaches for the hills and overall better maintenance of momentum.
The ride concluded with a gravel/mud trail from the road back into the park which was gloriously muddy. It felt like cyclocross but had the added awesomeness of the disc wheel woosh! I got back into the transition in second overall, grabbed my pile of powerbar snacks, half a bagel and quickly headed out for the run. The race director announced that I was second over all and in it for the money ($300 for second). So for the next 15miles I had to hold off the man in the pink kit whom I felt was closing in on me. The run was pretty brutal, although I tried to convince myself otherwise. I soon found didn’t quite have the saliva to swallow anything larger than basically crumbs of the bagel but I tried anyhow just to get something a little more solid to soak up all the gels and liquids in the stomach and got a decent bite with some help from a cup at the water stop. I walked a couple steps here and there on some of the monster inclines but mostly kept trying to keep momentum going in my favor.
I widened the gap on third and was having a lot of fun on the down hills, it had become my strategy to just make it up the hills and run as straight as possible and then use the downhills. The final bit was a welcome end and I finished strong, could faintly pick out the sound of music in the fog and as I neared the outline of the finish pavilion became visible and that was that! Phew!
There was a solid spread of burgers, turkey burgers (best turkey burgers I’ve ever had) toppings, cookies, brownies, beet beer and other from the Rhinebeck Brewing Company, water, heed, and an excellent massage therapist.
So all and all it was a very fun challenging day. Finishing up 2nd in the long course.
Next up: Tour de Syracuse!
– also – Sunday after the Road Race Mello Velo / Middle Ages / BTB post race party!
