North Tek Gear

Some ice cream and some bunnies

rbodge — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:41:30 +0000

Dori stayed busy this passed weekend. In her own words!

Went to Turkey Hill saturday, such a great race! I didn’t end up finishing well, (went too hard on last hills before sprint and died so i just rolled in behind the lead group of about 15) but the race course if really tough and a lot of fun. The free ice cream always helps too.

Sunday I did Bunny Hop and won the women’s 3 race (3rd overall!) I came in right behind Katy Giles and Ainhoa nipped me at the line for the sprint. I was just happy to come in to the line with Katy/Ainhoa and a significant gap back to the remaining finishers.

Sounds like a great weekend, well done Dori!

One Podium is never enough

rbodge — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:04:53 +0000

Dori had a rather good weekend, and gave us the run down in her own words.

The course was great – 0.8 miles and you went over 2 bridges in Pittsburgh. Each bridge had a small hill to the middle of the bridge then downhill on the backside into the corners. The hill wasn’t that big but after several laps at speed, the work added up. Made for fun and picturesque racing! I saw last year’s podium pics in front of the yellow bridge on their website and wanted to get my own pic like that.. Also – the race promoters offered equal payouts for the women’s races and really cool steel medals which made the hardware worth working hard for.

The Womens 3/4 race had a strong and agressive field of about 30 women. The race was short at 30 min and I didn’t have time to warm-up so the race was my warm-up. There were 10 ladies that were particularly strong and kept the pace high for the entire race with attacks on the backside. The final sprint started on the bridge towards the finish and Nadia from Young Medalists went earlier than I expected making it a chase sprint. Almost got her at the line, but almost means I ended up 2nd. The race had 3 primes as well so I collected one of the nice cash primes for the day.

Dori grabs an awesome 2nd place

The womens 123 race was smaller with 17 ladies at the start for a 45 min race. There was one large team from Ohio that sent attack after attack up the road forcing the rest of us to either chase or try to form a break. In the end none of the attacks stuck and on the start of the final lap a few women went hard around the backside. I held my position through the last lap and went for the sprint, ending up 3rd. I was happy with the result, but as it is after every race,it is hard not to sit and rethink what I could have done to get the super cool steel trophy they were giving away. Maybe next year.

more podiums you say? very well

A busy weekend for the North Tek ladies

rbodge — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:05:31 +0000

Kat Klausing and Dori Buckethal raced the Womens 123 All American Road Race this past Saturday and came away with a top 5 finish! A gorgeous day for racing and large women’s field made for a fun event.

After a three-person breakaway formed, Kat and Dori worked well together in attempts to get into the break. Attempts failed at attaching to the breakaway and the race ended with pack sprint finish. Kat provided a strong leadout for Dori to take 4th in the sprint finish and 5th in the Wm 123 field.

(Looking for some nice photos!!!)

On Sunday, Dori braved the cold rain at the Fort Rithcie Classic Criterium and walked away with a 2nd place finish. Props to the small number of other riders to came out to race, despite the poor conditions.

North Tek starts up MABRA with Carl Dolan

rbodge — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 02:56:57 +0000

Kat Klausing and Dori Buckethal kicked off their MABRA season with a local classic, the Carl Dolan Memorial Race in Columbia, MD. Lots of local ladies showed up for a beautiful day of racing, and it was a fast, challenging race over a sweeping two-mile circuit.

Dori puts on her best smile for Carl Dolan

Kat and Dori worked well together in the race, with a strategy to either place one rider in the breakaway or line up for a field sprint. But the team breakaways weren’t sticking and a hectic finish with two fields sprinting against each other dealt pack finishes to both racers.

Kat patrols the front, also with her biggest smile

Morgantown Road Race

rbodge — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 03:05:08 +0000

Kat Klausing traveled out to wild and wonderful West Virginia this past weekend to take part in the famed climbing race outside of Morgantown. True to its reputation, the race proved a hearty challenge to all participants.

A lot of up (Photo credit to Fred Jordan)

After a promising start to the race, an untimely crash disrupted the field and forced Kat off the road. Following a quick check, all was fine and the pursuit back to the group commenced. Unable to reach back to a charging group, Kat hunkered down and focused on making back as many spots as she could, eventually fighting back to a 6th place finish.

The flats feel nice (Photo credit to Fred Jordan)

Time for a podium!

rbodge — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 01:05:20 +0000

Dori started the North Tek racing season this past weekend at the Chain of Lakes Cycling Classic in Florida. Great weather and a nice size women’s field made for fun, fast racing. Saturday offered a road race thru citrus orchards and sunshine. Sunday provided a fast eight turn short crit course that proved to be a ton of fun. Dori highly recommends the course and hope to return next year, as winning the women’s 3/4 crit race is a great kick-off to the 2012 season!

Dori takes the team's first win of the season

Training in the Rich Coast

rbodge — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:39:05 +0000

Although the Washington D.C. metro area offers some fantastic training opportunities, the lush rolling hills of Costa Rica are hard to beat. Team ex-pat Ryan recently had the opportunity to ride in the famed Sarapaqui valley and finally someone with a camera and a go-pro decided to come along. Take a look at some of the winter miles below!

And also feel free to take a look at the video!

2012 ahoy!

rbodge — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:19:15 +0000

As 2012 rolls into our lives, changes are happening here at the Your Ad Here club. With a roster full of some of the fastest ladies in the Mid-Atlantic, the YAH squad is looking forward to another year of exciting and competitive racing. Stay tuned for more updates about the squad, including a look at the 2012 jersey. In the mean time, enjoy your 2012, and look out for us on the roads!

North Tek storms the Capital at DCCX

nrtaylor — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:52:07 +0000

This Sunday welcomed DCCX, which is MABRACross series race #4 and the only cyclocross race within the confines of nation’s capital city. Sunny weather and clear skies saw over 800 registered racers with even larger energetic crowds lining all areas of the course.

North Tek teamed up with the Family Bike Shop and DCMTB to award some nice tents to the top placing competitors in many of the day’s races. The sponsor also had an Expo tent on hand demonstrating a variety of outdoor equipment.

Tents for winners!

The crew was very familiar with the course and anticipation was high after previewing the day before. The race organizers were awesome enough to set up and open the course a day early which made for a fun cyclocross day with cyclocross friends. Kat, Nicholas, Taylor and Andrew took on the fast yet technical course. Two sets of barriers and a set of stairs forced dismounts and three off-camber turn sections tested the racer’s skills. Kat, in her first cyclocross race ever, took 2nd in the Category 4 race! Deciding she hadn’t had enough racing, she pinned on a number again for the Category 3/4 race. Kat came in 5th to score yet another podium finish!

Taylor and Nicholas lined up in what was one of the largest and most competitive elite fields that the MABRA region has seen. Both held on with a respectable 30th and 18th, respectively, while the podium was saw some top level international talent.

“NicDrew Shelbor” had enough left in the legs to try to improve on their 2nd place finishes at previous MABRA tandem races at Tacchino Ciclocross and Winchester Apple Cross. NicDrew was able to take the hole shot and lead the race from the gun. The Adventures for the Cure team, perennial tandem ‘cross winners, stayed close on the wheel of the duo through the early proceedings and made an attempt to pass. During their attempt, the team had a mechanical that unfortunately ended their race early.

Nicdrew was able to maintain their lead though their race did not come without some adversity. Captain Nicholas happened to grab the same beer hand-up that Stoker Andrew anticipated grabbing. In a spirit of unprecedented teamwork and cooperation, Nicholas took a sip of said beer and passed it back to Andrew. Andrew, in a state of excited agitation, attempted to imbibe the small cup of beer, a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, but some how managed to throw the liquid into his eyes with such unintended precision that one would think he was applying Visine. Andrew noticed a distinct drop in focus after this dousing resulting in less than smooth barrier crossings and technical maneuvering. Despite a handicapped stoker, NicDrew was able to hold on for their first MABRA tandem cyclocross win! Bridesmaids no more!

North Tek-Aria brings home the win at Granogue CX!

nrtaylor — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:21:53 +0000

The North-Tek crew drove out to Delaware this weekend to race in the Granogue Cyclocross two day weekend, comprising the Mid Atlantic Cyclocross series races number 6 and 7. Granogue is a well-known cyclocross classic of the East coast, taking place on an expansive 400 acre private estate owned by the DuPont family. The weather was dry and warm, an unusual setting for an often muddy and chaotic course. The boys set out to race the category 2/3/4, which both days of the weekend saw packed 125 person fields.

Day 1 featured a twisty and technical course with plenty of rocks, roots, and two steep run-ups. One of the run-ups took place on the large hill at the center of the course, which features an iconic stone water tower that is one of the most recognizable features of the estate. The larger of the two run-ups featured a fast and sweeping downhill turn that sent many unwary racers off their bikes and into the tape.

Nicholas had a slow start on the day, yet quickly moved into the top 20 of the field within the first lap. From there he worked into a select group of three leaders and traded attempts to create some distance with Alejandro Guzman of CRCA/Foundation and Matthew Bartlett of TOMS Shoes. The group came apart in the final half lap, which an unfortunate slide-out causing Bartlett to drop back. Nicholas was able to sprint hard to catch Guzman in the final few meters, but was unable to close the final bike length at the line and was left with a well-earned 2nd place.

Nicholas passing the Castle on Day 1

Taylor bombing the downhill on Day 1

2nd place on Day 1

Day 2 drastically altered the course, replacing many of the twisty and technical features with broad, sweeping turns, long power sections, and a steep dirt climb. The large run-up by the water tower was still in place, yet replaced a nearly-flat remount area with a tricky 180 into a sheer drop that left many racers flying down the hills with one or both legs unclipped.

Nicholas again quickly found the top 20 after a chaotic start that included getting caught behind a pileup in the first grassy corner after the starting stretch. He quickly made ground to catch the leader with 3 to go, and went on the attack, building a gap of roughly 15 seconds. The gap was successfully held against two fast chasing contenders in second and third to bring home the win. All in all, a great weekend for the boys of North Tek at a fantastic East coast venue.

Andrew in the tricky runup on Day 2

Large fields led to chaotic bottlenecks - Photo courtesy of Dennis Smith at Dennisbike.com

Soloing in - Photo courtesy of Dennis Smith at Dennisbike.com

Taking home the victory on Day 2