The BISSELL Elite Team has had an exceptional month of racing throughout the Midwest where they have dominated races on the road and in the dirt. The team leads the team classification in the MBRA Michigan Challenge.
On May 22nd, the team faced off at the West Branch Classic Road Race which is a great addition to Michigan racing. The 2nd annual West Branch RR is a tough 88 mile race including 4 laps of a 22 mile course surrounding the Ogemaw Hills area. The extremely rolling course features over 1100ft. of climbing per lap with numerous climbs of ½ mile to ¾ mile at 3-5% grade. The uphill finish is 1.25 miles at 5% grade with a kick up to 8-11% grade over the last 700 meters. Ben Whitehead finished 2nd in this very difficult race with Derek Graham beating out the field for 4th.
Over memorial weekend Derek Witte and Derek Graham ventured to Iowa and Illinois and lined up against the pros at the Snake Alley Criterium and the Quad Cities Criterium. The Snake Alley Criterium is held on a fifteen block course, with differences in elevation from 555 feet to 678 feet. The course is entirely on city streets, and a one block long climb is on the historic brick street named Snake Alley, dubbed "the crookedest street in the world." The 276 foot long Snake Alley has 5 switchbacks in a sixty foot climb. The average grade is 12.5 percent in that one block. Derek Graham was one of the few finishers in this race that started with a field of 120. Despite a bad start position and dropping a chain, Derek made the lead group and finished 14th. The winner of the race was the Ukrainian National Champion. Next on the schedule, DW and DG took on the Quad Cities Criterium in Rock Island, Illinois. The crit is set one block from the Mississippi River and includes a flat, fast 3/4 mile hour glass shaped course. DW won the field sprint and placed 2nd in the Masters race.
Back in Michigan, the rest of the team celebrated their memorial weekend by dominating the Tour de Frankenmuth. The men faced off for 5 laps on a 25 kilometer loop through the scenic farm lands surrounding Frankenmuth with an exciting downtown sprint finish on Main Street. Jason Swiatlowski won the race after an amazing team effort from everyone. The team took care of pro, Jake Rytlewski, and placed Jason in the winning break from which he sprinted for victory.
On June 13th, the full team took on the 106 mile Mt. Pleasant Road Race. The team defended their title and Nate Williams went on to claim the second largest purse in Michigan racing. Scott Stewart (Team Type 1), Vince Roberge (Team Panther), and up-and-coming rider, Ryan Cross (Wolverine), fought hard but Nate handled the small group perfectly to take the win.
On Saturday, Derek Graham put forth an amazing effort on the dirt to finish 3rd in the Lumberjack 100 which is the third round in the National Ultra-Endurance (NUE) series. Soon after the race hit the dirt, a group of 4 including DG formed. After the group had secured a strong lead, Derek suffered a mechanical. This dropped him well back into the field; however, Derek continued to fight his way back. He regained much of what was lost to finish 3rd.
This weekend, Derek Graham, Jason Swiatlowski, Ben Whitehead, Nate Williams, Jimmi Minnema and Derek Witte will venture north to line up against the best in Michigan at the Superior Bike Fest – State Road Championships. Friday night’s crit includes a hill which has been a decisive point in the past. The team’s plan is to go to the front and gradually whittle down the field to 5 or 6 riders. It is a good course for a lead out”, says Witte, “so the last few riders left at the front will set up the best sprinter.” For Saturday’s road race, the team hopes to have at least 2 BISSELL riders in the break. Witte talks about the importance of staying open for changing race dynamics. “Our plan will be for one of the 2 riders to have some kind of a finishing kick. But, sometimes you need to take what the race gives you”. The final day’s circuit race will depend on what’s going on in the overall.
The BISSELL Elite Team has had an outstanding season and will certainly continue to be a dominating force in Michigan racing.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Barry-Roubaix Report
from Derek Graham
On March 28 Nate Williams and I lined up with 700 others at the start of the Barry-Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race. This is just the second year for this event and it is already the third largest bicycle race in Michigan. The fact that this is the first race of the year and it appeals to roadies, mountain bikers and cyclocross racers alike has made it very popular. That and the promoter, Rick Plite, always puts on fun races with a laid back atmosphere.
The elite race was 65 miles of dirt roads, rough two-track and a few miles of paved roads with 4,400 feet of climbing (that's a lot for Michigan). The start was a neutral roll out from a state park on Gun Lake under the escort of the Barry County sheriff. The key point in the race is a section of unmaintained, sandy fire road about five miles into the course. I made sure to come into this section at the front of the pack so I could pick my own lines through the sand pits and ruts. The majority of the racers were riding cyclocross bikes and narrow 'cross tires. After training on dirt roads for the past few winters I have come to the conclusion that wider tires are much faster on anything rougher that pavement. So, this year I rode a 29" wheel mountain bike with 1.9" wide tires. This gave me a big advantage on this section of road, so I took the lead and kept a high pace and when we exited the woods there were only two other riders with me; Mike Anderson and Tristan Schouten.
We kept the pace up and quickly had over a minute lead. Near the end of the first of two 32 mile laps Tristan flatted and was out of the race. Mike and I pushed on and when we entered the two-track section at the start of the second lap I took advantage of my mountain bike, lifted the pace and was able to open up a big gap. I was feeling good so I committed and rode the last 30 miles solo for the win, finishing 2:18 ahead of second place.
The Barry-Roubaix is a unique event and a lot of fun. It is only going to get bigger and better in the coming years. I'm looking forward to coming back next year to try and bring home the gravel trophy again! Check out the photos and results here.
On March 28 Nate Williams and I lined up with 700 others at the start of the Barry-Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race. This is just the second year for this event and it is already the third largest bicycle race in Michigan. The fact that this is the first race of the year and it appeals to roadies, mountain bikers and cyclocross racers alike has made it very popular. That and the promoter, Rick Plite, always puts on fun races with a laid back atmosphere.The elite race was 65 miles of dirt roads, rough two-track and a few miles of paved roads with 4,400 feet of climbing (that's a lot for Michigan). The start was a neutral roll out from a state park on Gun Lake under the escort of the Barry County sheriff. The key point in the race is a section of unmaintained, sandy fire road about five miles into the course. I made sure to come into this section at the front of the pack so I could pick my own lines through the sand pits and ruts. The majority of the racers were riding cyclocross bikes and narrow 'cross tires. After training on dirt roads for the past few winters I have come to the conclusion that wider tires are much faster on anything rougher that pavement. So, this year I rode a 29" wheel mountain bike with 1.9" wide tires. This gave me a big advantage on this section of road, so I took the lead and kept a high pace and when we exited the woods there were only two other riders with me; Mike Anderson and Tristan Schouten.
We kept the pace up and quickly had over a minute lead. Near the end of the first of two 32 mile laps Tristan flatted and was out of the race. Mike and I pushed on and when we entered the two-track section at the start of the second lap I took advantage of my mountain bike, lifted the pace and was able to open up a big gap. I was feeling good so I committed and rode the last 30 miles solo for the win, finishing 2:18 ahead of second place.
The Barry-Roubaix is a unique event and a lot of fun. It is only going to get bigger and better in the coming years. I'm looking forward to coming back next year to try and bring home the gravel trophy again! Check out the photos and results here.
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