Leadout Racing » Results

Barry-Roubaix 6th place

Leadout Racing — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:04:24 +0000

Coming into this race, I have to admit to being a little scared. I wasn’t scared of the competition, but I was worried of finding out how my training was going. I had upped the training this year and did not want to get into the race only to find out I was not training hard enough. As it turned out I was rewarded for all the hard hours with a pretty decent placing. The race started out as expected with a fast rollout and an attack by Adam York. I knew Sager was going to be an important section, but I did not realize how important. I went into Sager somewhere in the top 20 and quickly saw a group pulling away at the front. I began to push and got by a few people but was never able to make it to the front group. As we came out of Sager I was in a group of about 8, but was behind the lead group of 7. We chased for quite a while and as we were getting ready to catch the front I began to run out of energy. My group finally caught on, the only problem was that I was not with them. I did not have that extra push to get there. Me and Ron Caitlin were the only ones not to make it and we cruised along waiting for the next group. It wasn’t long until they catch us and we begin to roll along. This grouped contained some power with Mike Simonson being the most notable and my teammate Geoff Kuyper. With Mike, Geoff, and myself doing some of the work we were putting in good efforts in hopes of catching the front group. At about 35-40 miles we see a large group, but are disappointed once we connect with them to find out 5 guys are still off the front. The next miles are pretty uneventful as we just roll along and it seems everyone is content. As we get nearer to Shaw I start having dreams of killing the sand section and leaving everyone in the dust. Well, chalk one up for positive thinking because as we hit Shaw I was about 10th wheel and make my way into 4th by the time we hit sand. York gets squirelly in the sand and begins his run then Simonson, then another. I put my head down and plow my way through the sand and pass everyone. I make the turn and can hear people behind me, but i can’t turn around because that would take too much energy. I continue to push the pedals and finally make it all the way through the sand and begin the fun sandy decent. Simonson comes around and we are working together to put time between us and the rest of the group. As we reach the end of Shaw it is just me, Mike Simonson, Jordan Wakely, Adam York and one carbon Racing guy. Simonson, York and Carbon Racing put in way more effort then I can manage on the big paved climb. Jordan and I are soon gapped and I am redlining horribly. As we near the top I decide it is now or never and try one more surge. I attach back on right as we crest the top and Jordan was unable to make it. It is now down to 4 of us for 6th place. We all put in decent pulls and rotate well for the next few miles on pavement. As we near the finish line the games begin. I usually feel pretty confident about sprinting, but I am on my 29er with regular mountain 2.2 tires. I find myself in the back and know it is time to go. I hit it hard and get a pretty decent gap as they struggle to catch up I continue pushing. They almost get my wheel and I stand up again and take it home with Carbon Racing right at my back wheel but unable to come around. It feels awesome to win a sprint even if it isn’t for the win. It isn’t long and Geoff comes across the line. He has done well also and finished 21st. The rest of the Leadout guys fair quite well also as Chad wins his sprint for 30th and Tom is right behind in 33rd.

2011 Iceman Cometh 20th Pro/Cat. 1

Leadout Racing — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:49:25 +0000

After several months of anticipation and preparation the day for the Iceman Cometh was finally here. I had an afternoon start time and sleeping in should have been on the agenda, but with the whole family racing the alarm was set for 7:00AM. Ellie and Kiersen were racing the Slush-Cup at 9:00, Laura was set to go at 11:00, Keegan was taking off at 12:00 in the MYC 12-18 group, and lastly Geoff and I were in the Pro/Cat. 1 race at 2:30. The first stop of the day was Timber Ridge for the girls at the Slush Cup. Ellie and Kiersen did awesome, with Geoff and I following along, and ended up placing 3rd and 5th in the girls 10 and under race. More importantly, both of them made every hill without walking. Ellie did it with her new 1×9 and no granny gear! Geoff and I now had time for some breakfast and a little relaxation while Laura and Keegan were giving their all during their races. We went back to the hotel and made some final preparations. I made sure I had my Infinit Nutrition mixed up and ready to go along with one final check of the Superfly. At 12:30 we picked up my dad and it was off to Kalkaska for the start of our race. We made a few attempts to get updates on Laura and Keeg, but had no luck.

Once we arrived at the start, it was all business as Geoff and I attempted to look calm and relaxed. We decided to ride the first part of the race as our warm-up and it was really cool to see all the big names out and about. I felt like a little kid as Geoff and I would pass someone then laugh and talk about how good they are. Everyone started lining up about 15 minutes early and we were able to secure a fairly decent spot towards the front. The really fast guys covered the front row and we were right behind. The next thing you know we are off headed down the street at 30mph. The pace was crazy, but I was able to hold my position. As we neared the end of the pavement it got a little hot as guys tried to move up at the last second. I placed myself right in the middle, held my ground and was happy to be sitting about 20th. The first 2 track was pretty uneventful with no big issues. Once onto the first single track gaps started to open up and I was getting nervous. Once back on double track I put in a big effort and was able to latch on to the end of the lead train. It was about 20 guys and we already were getting a decent gap. Everything was going well then we came to a little hill with a turn at the bottom. I could see guys slowing way down and tried to cut the corner and shoot by, but the guy in front of me unclipped and I ran right into his leg. I had to unclip and run the hill and the lead pack was now gone. I had a little while by myself, but a few guys came back from the lead group and a couple caught me and we continued to clip along. The rest of the race we stayed pretty much together as a group of 7 and were really hammering. Mike Simonson and Derek Graham were killing it and setting a blistering pace. I stayed with the group up Anita’s Hill, up Icebreaker, but lost a little ground on the final single track and then lost a lot of ground up Woodchip, although Dan McGraw did his best to try and make me faster by yelling at me all the way up. I was able to finish 5th out of the group and 20th overall. Geoff came across a few minutes later and just missed being in the top 50. I was stoked to see that I finished so high and had to keep looking at my computer to confirm my time of 1:37. I know the course was fast, but I never thought I could go under 1:40. It was an absolutely awesome race and I am very thankful to have the ability to ride with guys that are some of the fastest around.

Keegan and Laura also did well and had very respectable times of 2:19 and 2:35. Keegan ended up 22nd in his group, but was the first 12 year old and even the first person under 15. I hope that he continue’s to love racing and if he keeps improving he will win this race someday!

Dan K

2011 Yankee Springs TT (Elite)

Leadout Racing — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:24:34 +0000

The Yankee Springs TT is a race that I absolutely love. The course is awesome and no matter how many times you ride it, you will find parts that are challenging. It is also the first MTB race that I ever did. It was 4 or 5 years ago that I raced in the beginner clydesdale catagory and took 3rd place. The 40 degree temps were a little colder than expected, but a little Soigneur Embrocation warmed my knees and back up nicely. As I rolled up to the start area I could see the usual contenders were present and a few other guys that are really fast. Before I knew it I was at the start line and on my way. The first couple of miles I continually kept telling myself to slow down and breath as I did the usual blast out of the gate and needed to settle for the long race ahead. I was the 7th person to leave and we had 10 seconds between us. I caught a couple of guys right away and was feeling pretty good. The plan was to keep a comfortably hard pace on the first lap and then kill it on the second. After the first lap (46:51) I had passed 4 of the 6 people in front of me and felt like I could stick with the plan and start to really push it. The plan didin’t last real long as killing the hills was taking a ton out of me. I began to settle into a good pace when the fatigue got the best of me. I was rounding a corner and took it a little tight and got completely knocked off my bike as I was introduced to a rather large tree. I shook off the cobbwebs and got back on the bike and started rolling while trying to figure out if I was ok. Finger hurt, hand hurt, shoulder smashed, bike ok. Some good pain but everything was working so I continued on. The rest of the lap was pretty uneventful as their was no one in sight either in front or behind me. I crossed the finish line in 1:34:54, which was good enough for 3rd place. Full results here. I was pretty proud to place so well against some really good competition. I got a little time to relax then it was off again as I rode with my daughters in their race. Ellie (11-14) took 3rd, Kiersen (10 and under) took second. Keegan raced sport 15-18, even though he is only 12 and finished 4th, just 2 minutes behind first place. All in all, a great day of racing for the whole family.

Dan K.

Snowcross #1

Leadout Racing — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 02:07:52 +0000

My preparation for this race was pretty relaxed. I rolled up to the line without a warmup and I never put a tire on the course until the gun went off. At the start of the race Niel Sharphorn and Farmer went to the front and I was able to get 3rd wheel pretty easily. About a half mile in Niel was starting to put a slight gap on Farmer and I decided to go around and close the gap. I settled in behind Niel and he soon put a gap on me as I struggled with some deep snow. I could see him looking back and start to push his pace. I put in a decent effort and was able to catch him. I stayed behind for the first lap, but thought the pace was a little slow. I passed him at the start of the second lap and I was quickly all alone. I put a considerable gap on him and the rest of the field was pretty much gone. As I rode around the course I was passing tons of people and began to think about the possibility of lapping Farmer. About 6 or 7 laps in I started to ask where Farmer was and I pushed a little harder in hopes of catching him. Chasing him made the last laps go by pretty quickly and before I knew it the race was over. One more lap and I would of had him, but I was happy to get first place especially when it meant beating a couple of very good bikers. Looking forward to Snowcross #2.

Yankee Springs TT (Beginner 11-14)

Leadout Racing — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:41:59 +0000

Going into the race I didn’t think I was going to do so well with 14 year olds in my group. I started the race and I was doing better than I expected. Maybe because Geoff was following me and he said he would run me over if I used my brakes. During the race I passed many adults and some kids in my age group. At one point I was chasing someone down and in a sandpit they wiped out in front me and I had to walk around them. I had to run up 3 hills and walked zero. Near the end of the race I was feeling like giving in, but I didn’t because I really wanted to beat Billy for the first time. As the finish was getting closer I picked up the pace even more, pushing myself harder than I have before. I ended up crossing the finish line with a time of 1:19:53 and in 4th place. I was amazed at how well I did and had improved on last years time by over 25 minutes. Geoff kept me going through the whole race and I have to thank him for my improvement. I hope he can go with me at Fort Custer.

Keegan