Athlete/Coach Update

Ice Shower: Bootleg Bangout 6hr Race Report

I'm not a fan of the cold. Ask anyone. Scott George knows this the best. He's seen me get blue lipped on the way down Mt. Mitchell in July wearing a vest and arm warmers. So the thought of doing a 6 hour duo in the rain when the temperature is in the 50s is not something I go for naturally and how I ended up doing just that is really more a function of terrible spring weather and stubbornness to get the season going with some fun. Everyone around here is itching to get on with spring and some racing.

Elsa and I had decided to team up weeks earlier when the weather was nice. I'm sure she would have been content with skipping it had we given it some serious thought, but how bad could it get, right? The forecast early in the week showed 61 and 40% chance of rain. No problem. Then it went to high 50s by mid week. Still, I can hang, that's not bad. By Friday, I knew we were gonna be in for a mess. A forecast of low 50s and 70% chance of rain meant that I brought every winter and wet weather item I had. I even brought WAY too many pairs of socks (learned the hard way at Burn 24 one year). I had a small thought that maybe it would be even worse but put it right out of my head as we sped down I-77 Friday night. It was worse and the hotel didn't help. I'll just say this: NEVER stay at the Radisson there unless you like someone else's pubic hair on your toilet, sludge back up stains in your sink and your room to smell like an ashtray even though it's a non smoking hotel. WTF over.

We woke Saturday morning to decent temperatures (55ish) and fairly clear skies (and by fairly clear I mean think I saw some blue). Getting there was... READ MORE

Pendelton Weekend Warriors!

Congratulations to TotalCyclist's own Trey Miller for his 7th place finish in the Men's Pro Am Road Race and Circuit Race.

Jim Payne also had a great showing in the Masters 35+ Cat 3/4/5 race!

Blythewood, 10 Miler and More!

Congratulations to Megan Fillnow for her win at the Charlote 10 miler!

Also, in Blythewood, SC, the following TC athletes ripped it up:

Cat 4/5 34, John Christiano:

TT- 6th

RR- 7th

Omnium- 10th

Cat 4/5 35, Jim Payne:

TT: 6th

Crit: 10th

Omnium: 9th

Cat 4/5 35, Andy Udinsky:

TT: 7th

Omnium: 12th

TC Athletes Killin' It Again

TC athletes were at it again last weekend with a great showing at the Killer 3 Mountain Bike Race in Sumter, SC. This fun and flowy course was perfect for the Southern Classic Season opener - an excellent place to put all of that winter training to the test. Bonnie Kleffman saw the top of the podium in the women's Pro/Cat 1 category, despite tough competition in the first race of the season.

Photo: Fun today at the Southern Classic Mountain Bike Series in Sumter! Special shout out to TotalCyclist and coach Laura Gleason for all of your support! It's going to be a great season!

Monica Kruckow: Looking Great at the Great Floridian!

Congratulations to Monica Kruckow for rocking the podium at the Great Floridian Ultra Distance Triathlon! Despite the heat, humidity, wind and hills, she still finished in 14:17:12, for a 2nd place finish in her age group and 11th place female overall. Like a true TotalCyclist athlete, she was still smiling at the end. Way to go!

TotalCyclist MTB - Short Track #4

The TotalCylcist MTB team was at it again this weekend with a great showing at the Winter Short Track Series on Sunday. The day kicked off with Jamie Turski kicking it in the Sport Men's category for a hard fought 2nd place finish! As if that wasn't enough, Jamie decided to get another 10 laps in by jumping into the single speed race later in the day. Despite fatigue, he pulled out a 6th place finish in a stacked field! Way to go Jamie!

TC Athletes Training Early in 2013

Congratulations to TotalCyclist athlete Andy Udinsky for his 6th place finish in the Cat 3-4 Race of the FSCJ Winter Training Crit in Georgia. Great job Andy!

Andrea Hilderbrand has been tearing up the trail running races in the first weeks of 2013. Check out her results so far:

1/1/13 Ring in the New Year Trail Race - 1st Place Female Master

1/12/13 Lakeside 25K Trail race - 3rd place

1/19/13 Charlotte Running Company 4 mile Trail Race - 1st place Female Master

The amazing thing about Andrea is that she will keep going no matter what. She ran the last two of the above three races on a sprained ankle! Amazing job Andrea! Way to hang in there!

Winter Short Track Series, Race #3

From The TotalCyclist MTB Team BLOG:

The cold weather finally showed. After two weeks of fantastic, spring like weather arm and knee warmers could be seen on most riders even in the afternoon. The team had just two riders racing this week: Jamie once again smashed the Sport Men 19-39 class riding away on the first lap and never looking back. The guy looked great, particularly because I was with him on Saturday for a long base miles day of just under 4 hours. It was the first time he's experienced such a long ride the day before a race and didn't know how it would go. I get it, though. Most riders really shy away from doing too much before a short track race but really, that's not always the right thing to do especially if you wanna be fast later in the season. Sacrificing a good long, slow day on the bike just for a little freshness on Sunday morning is not worth it. If you're doing your base miles correctly (and not over exerting yourself) you actually can have a good race.

Elsa is also a great example of this as I know she had a solid day on Saturday too. TotalCyclist coach Luke Sagur would not allow... READ MORE

Winter Short Track Series, Race #2

Scott George is all about having fun!

From The TotalCyclist MTB Team BLOG: Awesome turnout for the TC MTB team this weekend for the second Charlotte Mountain Bike Short Track Series race.

The Men's Sport class kicked off the day for the team, with Jamie Turski finishing 2nd in the 19-39 group and Kelly Hudson in 4th for the 40 +.

Next up was Scott George and Jamie, in his second race of the day, competing in a full single speed field. Jamie finished 8th , while Scott, battling a stomach virus, fought hard for a 14th place finish.

Bonnie Kleffman and Elsa Lee made their first appearance of the short track season, competing in the expert class. Bonnie lapped the entire expert field for a well deserved first place finish. Elsa fought her way through the expert class to finish 7th.

As soon as Bonnie crossed the finish line, she quickly swapped out numbers and jumped in the Men's Super Sport class; just to get in a few more laps.

Michael Schafer, competing in the Expert class, faced mechanical issues early... READ MORE

TotalCyclist Rips Up the Short Track!

TotalCyclist Mountain Bike team racked up some great results on Sunday at the Winter Short Track series at Rennaisance Park in Charlotte. Jamie Turski pedaled to the top of the podium with a first place finish in the Sport Men's Class 19-39.

Scott George ripped it up in the Single Speed class with a 5th place finish, with Kelly Hudson not far behind in 9th place. Both were able to sprint it out and overtake their fellow riders on the last lap.

In the expert class, Mike Shafer battled it out for 11th place against some of the fastest elite racers in the region.

TotalCyclist MTB team is looking strong for the 2013 season! Can't wait to see what next Sunday brings!