Race Reports
Race Report: Dash for Cash W1/2/3
Race Report: Dash for Cash
Date: June 1, 2025
AVRT racers: Steph Hart, Robin Betz, Louise Thomas, Rachel Hwang
Top Result: 1/12 (Steph), 3/12 (Rachel)
Course: Relatively boring, flat 4 corner crit, 95 degree afternoon
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14656512113
Race Recap:
(from Steph’s perspective):
The race had a combined field of 20 Cat 1/2/3/4 riders (12 in the 1/2/3 field)- Alto Velo had the most riders of any team, and also likely the strongest riders, so the expectation was that we’d need to control the race. The plan was for Louise and I to launch attacks to tire out the field, and if things worked out, stick in a break. Robin planned to lead out Rachel in the field sprint if she wasn’t in a break.
I attacked from the start of the race with Rachel on my wheel, hoping we could both sneak into a break. I was able to string out the field, but wasn’t able to achieve separation from the bunch (unfortunately Robin missed her clip and got dropped from the field during all of this chaos). After the pace eased up, Louise counter attacked but was brought back by the field within half a lap or so. Lap 3 was a prime lap, and pretty much all the strong sprinters in the field went for it, including Sofya on Terun and the other Sophia on Super Sprinkles. Following Louise’s pre-race advice, I counter attacked the prime finish, and was able to get away solo. About 5 minutes later Sophia bridged up to me and we spent the bulk of the race rolling turns as a break of two (although given the 95F weather, we were getting slower and slower as the race went on). I was doing more of the work in the break (and even had to cheer Sophia on a bit), but figured that I had a better chance of staying away working with her than trying to ride solo. Sophia is a better sprinter than me (actually, everyone is a better sprinter than me….), so in the closing laps of the race, I had to figure out where to attack to try to drop her before the finish. I settled on attacking with two laps to go, hoping the 4 minutes remaining in the race were enough to discourage her from chasing. After I attacked, I was able to hold a little above threshold for the final two laps, and finished for the win ~10 seconds or so ahead.
(Louise’s perspective from the field):
Steph’s opening attack did create some early separation – for the first couple of laps, a group of 6-7 riders, including Steph and Rachel, opened a gap. I could see the field would likely close it down, so I sat in and let others do the work. We caught them by the end of lap two, and I immediately launched a solo counter-attack. It wasn’t particularly effective, but at least it kept the pace high.
Once Steph made the break with Sophia, Rachel and I got to relax. That’s the beauty of having fast teammates. Occasionally, someone would put in a hard pull at the front for a lap, but no organized chase materialized, so we just sat in and enjoyed the lovely 95-degree heat.
With a few laps to go, I pulled up to Rachel to plan how I could help for the field sprint. She’d identified Sofya as a strong sprinter and decided to follow her wheel instead of our original lead-out plan. Figuring the best help I could give was to string out the field, I hit the front on the final lap – positioning myself ahead of Sofya with Rachel on her wheel. I hammered it until just after the final corner when Rachel came flying past to take the field sprint win.
Race Report: Motherlode Epic, Pro Men
Race: Motherlode Epic, Pro Men
Date: June 7, 2025
AVRT racers: Jon Wells
Top Result: Jon Wells, 3rd
Course: 41 mile XC MTB race up at Folsom Lake. The race is broken into 5 stages which are timed and added up, like a stage race of sorts (or enduro for those that mtb). Shortest stage was about 15 minutes and the longest was an hour, all on pretty non technical trails. One big course highlight was the boat transfer you took between stages 3 and 4.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14727405094
Nutrition: I carried one bottle throughout since there were aid stations between every stage. Drank 2x 100g malto mix bottles during stages plus lots of small cups of coke, water, gummy worms, oranges, etc at each aid station. Also tried to stay cool with lots of ice and water dunks throughout the day
Race Recap:
This race is broken into 5 stages that are raced (About 2.5 hours worth or racing total) plus untimed transfers in between them. Stage 1 is a mass start but the rest are all time trials that you get to decide your start time/order for. Gameplan was to ease into the racing in stage 1 and 2 (both about 30 min each) before really opening up the throttle for stage 3, which was the longest at almost a full hour. Then stages 4 and 5 would be whatever I had left in the tank, but they were both pretty short, around 15 minutes each, so not as much time could be lost there.
I got off to a solid start in stage 1, taking the hole shot for the singletrack. Once into the woods, I set my own pace that was hard but not red lining. I’d forgotten my garmin in the car so I was racing just on feels, which is tricky for races that are effectively TTs. I never really looked back but I could still hear free wheels behind me so I knew others were around. After ~20 minutes of me leading, two guys jumped around me at the start of the final climb for stage 1. I realized they were the only guys left on my wheel so I jumped in with them. I let them go towards the halfway point of the climb and finished stage 1 in third place, about a minute down.
Stage 2 was net downhill with several punchy climbs thrown in that I planned to hammer as hard as possible. I caught a few guys who started ahead of me but really had no idea how I was doing. There were no results out on course so you didn’t really know how you stood compared to everyone. I felt strong about my time though since I had caught guys. Turns out I had the fastest stage 2 time of the day!
Stage 3 was the longest of the day. It began with a long climb and immediate descent, then was meandering along the lake shoreline for most of the stage, and finished with another VO2 max type climb at the very end. I started right behind another contender in the pro field, who dropped me on the first climb, which was a little heartbreaking. But I eventually caught him back at the end of the stage, and my time would end up being good enough for 2nd on the stage, only 5 seconds back in an hour long stage. Stage 3 ended with a margarita aid station and a quick lake crossing via boat!
Now across the lake in Granite bay, the remaining stages were much shorter. Stage 4 was very punch and twisty, but unfortunately the course was rather poorly marked on this side of the lake. I struggle to follow the markings, and ultimately lost almost 90 seconds on the stage after I took at least 3 different wrong turns that required full stops and turn around to remedy. I didn’t know while on course, but this would ultimately cost me the win.
Stage 5 was another short one, started with a steep minute long climb and then had a fast single track descent before a pretty flat mix of fire road and single track to the finish. I had the 2nd fastest time on this stage as well, within 5 seconds of the leader
All together, my times came in for 3rd overall on the day after a bunch of super close racing. I was only 15 seconds out of 2nd place and a minute off the winner. Without my navigational hiccups in stage 4, I think the win very likely would’ve been mine, which is a bit of a bummer. Luckily we weren’t racing for any serious prizes (race is a fundraiser) so no real harm. I’ll definitely be back in the future, the course and race format were a ton of fun with a super unique boat transfer stage! The after party in Folsom was also A+, featuring the dad bod band!
-Jon
Race Report: CBR Carson, 6 of 6
Race: CBR #6
Date: 6/1/25
AVRT racers: Thialor Mize, Roz Patterson
Top Result: Thialor Mize- 2/23
Course: 4 corner crit. Course reversed from usual. Downhill after T2 into a rolling straight, uphill T3 to 4, then a long sprint section. Crosswinds.
Nutrition: Rice/jam/yogurt for breakfast. Two SIS gels.
Report: I knew coming into this day the chance of a breakaway was likely. It was quite windy, and the course lended itself to breaks. Morgan was securely in 1st for the BAR omnium, so it was logical that A Faster Me would want to load the podium for social media as much as possible. As expected, a break with two of them went with about 10 laps to go. Roz inspired the peloton to work, with the closest the group getting about 5-10 seconds to the move, before it began to falter. AFM understandably had started to interfere with pulls. We didn’t give them any time to respond when I followed a blistering attack by Jasmine Naea of Mamis to bridge across to the break, and that was the last we’d see of the peloton. I knew AFM had a sprinter and a time trialist up there, and was guarded for the eventual moves the TT rider (Elisa) would make. Sure enough, almost every lap had her testing the waters to see if she could break away solo. I made sure that didn’t happen. When it came down to 1 lap to go, she tried again, but I also knew the solo rider for LABC was not willing to lose, so I let her chase it to set me up for the sprint. It worked, but I had a bit of a monkey wrench thrown in my plan when AFM boxed me in. C’est la vie, I’m quite happy to bring home second for our team in what was one of the most animated CBRs I’ve participated in in a long time.
Race Report: 2025 Dash for Cash - Men’s Cat 2/3
Race: 2025 Dash for Cash - Men’s Cat 2/3
Date: May 31, 2025
AVRT Racers: Kevin Kauffman
Best Finish: Kevin Kauffman - 22/44
Course Description: A straightforward flat 4 corner office park crit. The roads were pretty wide which leaves a lot of space for bunches through the turns, with curb cuts at most (all?) of them minimizing pedal clip concerns. A very slight chicane going into corner 3 makes the back half of the course the most dynamic and the clearest spot to get set up going into turn 4. There were cash primes for just about every lap of the race, incentivising some fun dynamics and early separations. Somewhere around 26 laps of this makes up the 50min crit.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14654602603
Nutrition: Simple oatmeal and yoghurt breakfast at home, half a bottle of cold hydration mix at the start.. ~40g carb mix during the race.
Recap:
This was my first time racing this course so I was all ears for advice going in. A lot of horror stories from this race set my strategy to avoid the middle of the pack at all times as it can get pretty clumped up and dicey through the turns. The race before ours ended with a pile up on the last corner (rumored a clipped pedal?) and resulted in a couple broken collarbones. It was also pretty warm and I haven’t been training much in the heat so without any teammates, I didn’t plan to work to close any gaps if any represented teams weren’t in the break.
The race started pretty tame, and sure enough the group stayed packed. Even once the prime laps started, the group never really strung out and the washing machine started churning. I kept around the back third of the group until I could tell people started getting antsy so I started to move up. People tended to surge the most after attacks past the first turn and chased back between the second and third turns. About ~8 laps to go, a successful breakaway formed with riders represented from Terun, TMB Devo, and a few unattached, but not including anyone from Team California, and a few other better represented teams. I decided it would be good to work rotations in the pack and get those remaining teams working to close it back up.
At this point, I kept in the first 10 wheels in the chase as we took disorganized pulls toward the attack. Up until about 4 laps to go, our half hearted efforts clearly weren’t going to close the gap especially with Terun and TMB folks sitting in. In the end I guess I didn’t want it enough and let it happen, watching the gap go and sat in for a mild bunch sprint. Covered a few wheels at the line for 22/44, solidly mid pack finish.
Race Report: Regalado Road Race - Men’s Cat 3
Race: Regalado Road Race - Men’s Cat 3
Date: June 7th, 2025
AVRT racers: George Wehner
Top Result: George 4/13
Course: 4 laps of a rolling 17-mile course. Pavement was generally decent, although there were a few short sections of rutted-out gravel on Tim Bell Rd (about a third of the way through the lap).
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14727121710
Nutrition: I drank 4 full bottles during the race with 85g carbs each (40g fructose, 45g maltodextrin), as well as 2 bottles from neutral feed of just water. Due to the heat, I used a more diluted mixture than my typical 110g bottle.
Recap: Going into the race, there weren’t any major teams to worry about - Terun had 2 riders (and one of them had a mechanical in the first 20 minutes of the race), but every other person in the race was solo. Given the hot weather and wind forecasted for the race, I thought the race would be attritional, so my game plan was to hang on and contest a hopefully reduced sprint. As I didn’t have any feeders, I carried two of my four bottles in my pockets; everyone on the start line looked at me like I was crazy, but I knew I’d need them.
For the first lap of the race, nothing too eventful happened. There were a couple attempts at solo breakaways from the field, but they got caught by the field without too much hassle. I contributed as little as possible to setting the pace at the front, but with such a small field there was nowhere to hide, so I was still working even while “sitting in.” Near the end of lap 1, Kevin from Lamorinda Cycling started his own solo move and gained about 1.5 minutes on the field over the course of the next lap, because no one was motivated to chase.
Towards the end of lap 2, people started to feel that Kevin’s move might be dangerous, so people started rolling attacks in an attempt to create a chase group. Eventually, a group of 3 got off the front, with Alex from Terun, Oliver from Team California, and Aidan from LGBRC. I then got to the front of what was left of the field to chase the chase group, but in doing so I inadvertently rolled off the front. I realized then that the rest of the field was either too tired or otherwise unmotivated to chase, so I tried to solo bridge up to the chase group. Jeffrey from Dolce Vita had a similar idea and caught up to me a couple minutes after I started my effort, and we worked together for the next 15 minutes, finally catching the chasers a few minutes after they caught Kevin.
This group of 6 worked together well for the remainder of lap 3 to gain even more time on the “field,” but towards the end of that lap we realized that there were no large groups behind us to chase us back. Early into lap 4, someone (I can’t remember who) finally attacked the group, officially beginning the cat-and-mouse games. After the gravel sectors, things calmed down a bit, because everyone was too fatigued to attack and no one wanted to pull the others to the line. That final lap of the race ended up being the slowest by far.
Once we made the final turn onto Warnerville Rd with 3km left in the race, things got exciting again. Aidan attacked coming out of the corner, and while following his attack I felt my quads start to twitch, warning me that I was about to cramp. Aidan’s move was shut down quickly, though, as everyone except Jeffrey was able to follow. With about 1.5km to go, Oliver attacked. This time, no one followed, as everyone was cooked and nobody wanted to sacrifice their own result to chase back this move. Aidan launched an early sprint, starting at about 250m to go; I tried to follow but ended up getting gapped, and Kevin came around me as well. With about 25m left in the race, Kevin sat up thinking his 3rd place was secure, but I was close behind. I tried to pip him at the line with a bike throw, but I was just a couple inches short and ended up with my third 4th place of the season.
I’m a bit sad that the bike throw wasn’t quite enough, but 4th is still a good result. I definitely feel like I gave myself the best chance possible to win. My aggressive hydration plan definitely paid off: heat has been my kryptonite in the past, but drinking six bottles allowed me to perform well despite the hot weather. This was also a great leg tester for the Baker City Cycling Classic later this month, and the result definitely boosted my confidence going into that race.
Race Report: California Dirt MTB Series, TDS Ranch - Pro Men XC
Race: California Dirt MTB Series, TDS Ranch - Pro Men XC
Date: June 1, 2025
AVRT racers: Jon Wells
Top Result: Jon Wells, 1st Pro Men
Course: 3.7 mile loop in Grass Valley, CA with almost 3k feet of climbing for the 4 loop course. Course is entirely single track with lots of loose turns and some fun technical sections thrown in. TDS Ranch is closed to the public for the rest of the year outside of race weekend so the trails are very fresh and loose dirt
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14667355587 (got cut short)
Nutrition: One bottle of 100g carb mix. Also put down another 100g carb bottle during my warmup to preload.
Race Recap:
Race is basically all single track so getting a good start is key. I got out in a front group of 4 which quickly separated and I found myself tacked onto the back of it. It was tricky to follow in the very loose corners since so much dust was getting kicked up but I also hadn’t pre-ridden the course so I wanted to follow some others around. This group was myself and 3 junior racers.
Ultimately, the juniors dropped me at the beginning of lap 2 on a technical uphill section. Once dropped I was just focused on covering the course as quickly as I could on my own. I didn’t see anyone else from this point on and was able to do just that, ticking off fairly consistent times for laps 2, 3, and 4. Ultimately I rolled in by myself having been bested by a few of the junior riders, but they were all scored out in their own category so I was the pro men class winner. I would’ve loved to stick on the speedy junior riders for longer but I think I did a really good job managing my effort once I was riding alone, which can be tricky to do in these races. Also it was great to ride on trails which are otherwise off limits for the rest of the year! My win this weekend combined with 3rd from the weekend before also left me in the overall series lead for the CA dirt MTB series with one doubleheader race weekend left in October.
-Jon
Race Report: Dash for Cash, Mens P/1/2
Race: Dash for Cash, Mens P/1/2
Date: May 31, 2025
AVRT racers: Jon Wells
Top Result: Jon Wells, 20th of 61
Course: 0.82 mile loop in Pleasanton, CA with barely 4 corners and no elevation. This is a stereotypical office park crit
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14657464510/
Nutrition: One bottle of 100g carb mix. Also put down a pre race redbull and stuffed as much ice down my jersey as possible
Race Recap:
Dash for Cash is a pretty straight forward office park with a very non technical course that is pretty easy to follow. The one interesting wrinkle is that there is a $10 prime on offer every lap of the race. Coming in, my plan was to cover any moves that had all the big teams present (Mikes, Cyclesport, Voler, and Terun) and just watch anything go up the road if it was missing one team since they would be forced to chase. Otherwise I would be solo field sprinting if it was all still together as the only AV rider in this race.
Early on, there was a lot of aggression with trying to make moves go. I floated near the front and very patiently watched moves without all 4 teams represented try to go. Once all 4 were represented, I would try to tag on to a bridge and get myself up there, which happened a couple times in the first half of the race. One of these bridges was coming into the end of the lap and I was carrying a lot of momentum toward the back of the break group so I jumped out to take a $10 prime.
Ultimately after several failed attempts at breaks, the move of the day that established around the halfway mark was a 2 man break featuring a Terun and Mikes rider. This left the responsibility to chase squarely on the shoulders of Cyclesport and VFR, who took up the chase and managed the gap. At this point in the race, I sat back and chilled out in the group keeping my average power under 200W while this chase was happening.
Eventually with around 5 to go, the break popped back into sight and I began to move into position for the field sprint. VFR was holding the front with Mikes and Terun assembled behind. I found myself at the rear of the Terun train as we quickly gained speed. We caught the break at 3 to go and the sprint was on. I was doing a really good job of staying ahead of surges from other riders trying to take the back of trains.
Unfortunately, in corner 2 with a lap and a half to go, a junior rider took a massive dive bomb up the inside and was carrying too much speed to make the corner safely and they fell, sliding across the entire group, literally right in front of me, taking out a lot of the field. I thought I may sneak around the outside at first, but the fallen rider slid all the way to the gutter and my only escape was to bunny hop his bike and the curb up onto the sidewalk. Thankfully I made it in one piece and never hit the ground but was effectively off the back. My adrenaline was so fired up at that point and I was so frustrated at the situation that I set a 4 minute power PR to catch back onto the back of the decimated peloton.
My tire went flat almost immediately after the finish and upon stopping I realized that I had destroyed my carbon rim while hopping the curb. Thankfully Easton has a great lifetime carbon warranty and I am already back rolling on a brand new replacement wheel at the time of writing.
-Jon
Race Report: 2025 Crusher Cup (XC MTB) Race #2 - Men’s Cat 2/Sport
Race: Crusher Cup (XC MTB) Race #2 Men’s Cat 2/Sport Age 35-44
Date: June 8, 2025
AVRT racers: Michael Matthews
Top Result: Men’s Cat 2/Sport Age 35-49 1st/11 (Men’s Cat 2/Sport Overall 8th/47)
Course: 6.4 mile lap completed 2 times for Cat 2. ~1200 ft of climbing per lap. Much more technical course than race #1 in the series! Loose dry corners, downhill switchbacks, steep slabs, rock gardens (up and down). One big separation climb at the beginning, flowy single track into another short sharp and technical climb, into a long steep technical descent before the flat creekside run into the finish. Run into the finish was ~1 mile of single track before it opens up into the campground double-wide paths and a dirt road into the finish. Time and space for a sprint finish. Plenty of room on the first climb to make passes. Dusty day out there!
Strava: N/A
Nutrition: ~90g of carbs in a bottle for pre/during race nutrition. Consumed two thirds of it beforehand, and left rest to sip on the climbs.
Event Recap: Recon’d the course by climbing up the backside in the morning and testing the descent. Also watched one video of last year’s race. Race start was delayed 45 minute for setup and technical difficulties. Big field due to NCNA district champs. Our field started at the back of 50+ teenagers. The 19-34 and 35-50 mens racers passed much of the younger folks on the first climb together. Main competition was still with me near a crest in the climb but I was starting to get separation so I drove hard on a false flat to jump some more wheels and get the separation I wanted before technical sections. Never saw them again! My gap grew out and I hung on in the technical sections, feeling confident, I don’t think I was losing much if any time. Kept a strong pace, attacking climbs and navigating descents throughout the remaining 1.5 laps. Was in a group of 4 (Cat 2 overall, ie the teenagers) heading into the final descent. Jumped to lead them into it and held all but one off before the run into the finish. Once it flattened out in the singletrack I drove hard and caught the one that had passed me feet before the line in a two up sprint for 8th/47 and an age group win by 4 minutes!
Race: Wards Ferry Road Race 4/5
Date: May 24th, 2025
AVRT racers: Shai Traister, Gregoire Denis
Top Result: Gregoire (7/20), Shai (8th/20)
Course: 5 laps of a 12 miles/~1100ft loop of hills and descents with no flat sections. Pretty bad pavement made this race really bumpy with sketchy turns partially covered by gravel.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14584394589/
Nutrition: Two bottles (one frozen) with 60g of carbs. 2 bottles from the feed - one with 60g of carbs one just water, 2 gu gels, 1 cookie.
Race recap (written by Shai):
There was no Masters cat4 field, so I signed up for the cat4/5 open field. This race got cancelled in the last few years due to low participation, but this year it seemed like it was taking place. I wanted to support the race, plus I remembered it as a fun course from the last time I raced it in 2019.
The race started with a neutral roll out, but as soon as the race actually started the pace picked up considerably and became all strung out. I was in a good position towards the front and I saw one guy in the front pulling the group with nobody else taking turns. I figured this was due to inexperience of a cat5 racer or some excitement at the beginning of the race when everyone still had fresh legs.
We hit the first climb (0.9miles @ 7%) and at an all-out pace and although I felt that I could hang with the group upfront, I knew we still had a long way to go and that there is no way this can sustain. I slowed down a little bit, and when Gregoire passed me I slotted behind him to get some draft. Even after slowing down this climb was 3:40m @ 371w. After the climb we could still see the front group (which didn’t slow down as I expected), but soon after came a long descent and they were gone, never to be seen again.
I continued riding with Gregoire - a couple of others joined us but we were able to drop them in one of the climbs. With the road being so bumpy it was hard to get a good draft due to the continuous swerving to avoid potholes and due to the bikes constantly bumping that required a bigger gap for safety. Gregoire did the bulk of the work with me taking pulls as much as I could.
It was starting to get pretty warm so I tried to stay hydrated as much as possible. I gave Drew 2 frozen bottles at the start to hand me at the feed zone. These were awesome!!! Thank Drew!! In addition I grabbed neutral water from Drew’s invention of the bottle handing tool which worked like magic - I grabbed 2 bottles and poured them over myself to cool down a little.
On the 3rd lap my legs started to complain and I could feel them starting to cramp. This was bad news because this was like the middle of the race and I still had 2 more laps to go. I told Gregoire that I must continue at Tempo pace on the climbs and we slowed down a little bit which allowed the 2 dropped riders that we dropped earlier to catch up.
At some point Gregoire’s bike computer fell to the ground and he stopped/turned back to pick it up. I continued on with one of the other riders, assuming he would probably be able to catch up at the pace I was riding. After some time I was dropped by the other rider and continued solo. Gregoire caught up to me and I told him I was cramping. That reminded me that I still had a Gel and that cookie in my pocket. I ate both. Gregoire continued on, and I kept going at the best pace I could manage without cramping.
On the last lap i was starting to feel a bit better - I guess nutrition does help 🙂- and I started picking up the pace - to my surprise I was able to even do some VO2 efforts without cramping. As I was getting close to the final climb I noticed one rider from my field ahead (the same guy that dropped me on lap 3). I managed my efforts and steadily closed on him - legs felt good. After a short recovery I launched an attack and cleared ahead to finish 8th, one place after Gregoire.
Brutal race, but fun nonetheless. Definitely tubeless tires and as wide as possible for the bumpy road.
In hindsight I learned that Gavin Sherry (aka - the newly crowned OLH KOM holder) was racing in my field (he registered day-of so I didn’t know), which explains the hectic start of the race. It also explains why the front group didn’t slow down after that fast climb. Gavin ended up 20 minutes ahead of a group of chasers. Good for him, but what is he doing in a cat 4 race?
Race Report: California Dirt MTB Series, Riding High at the Ranch - Pro Men XC
Race: California Dirt MTB Series, Riding High at the Ranch - Pro Men XC
Date: May 24, 2025
AVRT racers: Jon Wells
Top Result: Jon Wells, 3rd Pro Men
Course: 21 mile loop in Susanville, CA with almost 3k feet of climbing. There was some dirt road in the first mile but otherwise it was entirely single track and one large loop for the race.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14583406869
Nutrition: One bottle of 100g carb mix plus water cups at aid stations. Also put down another 100g carb bottle during my warmup to preload.
Race Recap:
Race is almost entirely on single track so getting a good position into it was key since passing was much easier on the dirt road section. I got out pretty well and was riding in the front 5 spots for most of the dirt road until former pro roadie Stefano Barberi launch a big attack in the final minute prior to the single track that shattered the group, leaving me around 6th into the single track.
This section was ~15min climb and 5 min descent before we took on the longest climb of the race up to the high point. This section felt super hard as we all tried (unsuccessfully) to keep Stefano’s pace. I was riding alone and getting into my own zone by the time we started the long climb. There were several people who I picked off on the course of this long climb who had gotten out too hard until I was up to 3rd.
There are a few rollers over the top which looked easy on the elevation profile but they were really challenging on tired legs. I was riding this section alone and trying to hold position. Eventually I made it to the final descent, ~15 minutes continuous downhill back to the start area. The downhill was very loose with lots of flat corners and was a little bit terrifying to be hitting all out but we made it down in one piece and held onto my same 3rd place spot. Stefano ran away with it, beating 2nd by over 8 minutes in a 100 minute race. I came in only a couple minutes behind second but had definitely given it everything on the day, as I began cramping quite badly as I was coming into the finish area.
-Jon
Race Report: 2025 CBR #5 - Women’s P12
Race: CBR #5
Date: 5/4/24
AVRT racers: Thialor Mize, Ros Patterson, Whitney Post
Top Result: Thialor Mize- 4th, Ros Patterson 11th, Whitney Post- 12th
Course: Flatter course. 4 corners again. They changed the finish to end halfway up the long gradual climb out of T3. Mostly smooth pavement except for the backside. Deceptively hard.
Nutrition: Rice bowl for breakfast, SIS gel on start, and another in the middle. One bottle of First endurance mix.
Report (written by Thialor):
That was a strange one. Lots of cat and mouse. There were some moves, but Whitney and Roz fought hard to keep it together. Im proud of how they rode. I picked a bad race line in the sprint again, like last time, and just got edged out for 3rd in the sprint! With how well we’re learning to ride as a team, I’m hoping it all comes together and we can bring it home for orange again someday soon!
Race Report: 2025 Redlands Downtown (Amateur) Criterium - Women’s P123
Race: Redlands Downtown (Amateur) Criterium - Women’s P123
Date: 4/13/25
AVRT racers: Thialor Mize
Top Result: Thialor Mize - 9th
Course: Shorter course than the stage race one. 5 corner crit. Decreasing radius curve at the top that people tended to clip a pedal on if they were running cranks longer than 155mm. Two turns in the middle that set up nicely like a S turn. Final turn was off camber and set up into a short sprint.
Nutrition: Rice/jam/yogurt for breakfast. Root beer in the bottles for maximum chaos. Two SIS gels. A tylenol afterwards chased with a nice iced caramel mocha.
Report: Today I learned you can physically push yourself ~too~ hard! Without teammates, I found myself covering a lot more than usual. Unfortunately, that included a massive attack by the legendary Lauren Stephens herself about 6 or 7 laps to go. I dangled there for a lap or two before getting caught and reabsorbed, and then dug deep to stay floating near the front, but my legs were pretty spent from going off the front and trying to respond. Eventually Lauren was caught as well and the field settled into a brisk pace. My friend Ruth (guesting for United) launched a savvy move 2 laps to go that put me on the back foot. I found myself around 10th wheel and the pace was just too high to make up places in that technical of a crit. I'd bring home 9th on the day, and a wicked migraine that lasted for a couple days. Fortunately for me, there was a cat cafe with good coffee and lots of cute kitties in a dark place to rest for a while afterward, and I got to watch my partner protect his GC rider and bring home yellow for his team in the pro race afterward.
Race Report: 2025 CBR Carson #4 - Women’s P12
Race: CBR Carson #4 - Women’s P12
Date: 3/30/25
AVRT racers: Sue Lin Holt, Thialor Mize, Rosalind Patterson, Whitney Post
Top Result: Thialor Mize - 6th
Course: Longer course. 4 corner crit. They reversed it this time, which was very uncommon. Short but fast downhill after the finishing straight and a nice smooth little bump on the backside of the course. Climb out of T2 and into T3. Lended itself to a breakaway. Jennifer Wheeler capitalized on that and used the bump on the back to sling by with momentum and get a gap.
Nutrition: My beloved basmati rice bowl for breakfast. Two SIS gels and some EF mix. Very good combo for autoimmune athletes or people who can’t tolerate a lot of fiber before a race. Isotonic stuff is a game changer.
Report (written by Thialor): Same thing happened here that happened at Chuck Pontius earlier. Some domestic pros showed up and gave us a good fitness finder test. I really enjoyed the harder race, it reminded me of the national level ACC events, but shorter. I tried to follow a move from Fount earlier on and found myself a little tanked to follow the real move, just like CP. Whitney, Roz, and Sue Lin did a master class of getting together and riding for me, but there was some chaos at the end that resulted in a messy bunch sprint. I can’t stress how hard both Whitney and Roz especially had gone in our leadout train in the last 3 laps. Unfortunately there was a bit of chaos
Race Report: 2025 Rosena Ranch - Women’s P123
Date: March 16th 2025
AVRT racers: Thialor Mize, Whitney Post
Top Result: Thialor Mize 1st, Whitney Post 6th
Course: 1.95mi long hilly circuit, two hairpin turns at each end. Windy. Chip seal pavement. Not a lot of places to hide.
Strava: Rosena Ranch RR/Circuit - Team Win! 🚀🔥🎉🏆🥇 | Ride | Strava- Whitney’s ride
Nutrition: I run on white rice and jam in the morning. Lots of maurten and SIS gels for the weak tummy. First Endurance mix in both bottles as we had no feed.
Report (written by Thialor):
The race started off hot, with team A Faster Me launching attacks up the hill every lap. About halfway through, they tried a big move that shelled most of the field. Whitney stayed with me and launched her own counter move that stayed off the front for a while. It was enough to give me some rest and set up for the sprint. by the time we came into 3 laps to go, it was just me and three others. I figured AFM would launch early, but it was the team Mamis rider who went. I started my sprint early, came around, and just held them off for first. I certainly owe it to Whitney for protecting me all day and keeping my legs fresh enough to
Race Report: 2025 Chuck Pontius Memorial Criterium - Women’s P123
Race: Chuck Pontius Memorial Criterium - Women’s P123
Date: 3/23/25
AVRT racers: Thialor Mize, Whitney Post
Top Result: Thialor- 10th, Whitney- 13th
Course: 3 corner crit. Shorter in length. Small bump at the back gets neutralized by a headwind typically. Course still tends to lend itself to breakaways.
Nutrition: Lots of white rice, sponsored by Walmart. Big bowl of it and yogurt and jam this time. Unfortunately it did not save me. Two SIS gels during the race as it was shorter but pretty high intensity and I burn lots of carbohydrates on the bike. FE mix in bottles.
Report (written by Thialor): I knew we were in for it when a continental pro team showed up with 3 or 4 riders. The race was hot, fast, and ended in a field split. Unfortunately, I found myself in the back half after following a failed move earlier and setting myself up to be countered by a Fount rider. Nevertheless, Whitney and I decided to practice our leadout anyway, and she set me up for what would've been an excellent 4th- if i didn't have 5 people in front of me who had lapped us. :)
Race Report: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s P123
Race: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s P123
Date: 5/10/25
AVRT racers: Cameron O’Reilly, Greg McCullough, Wil Gibb
Top Result: Cameron 4/29
Course: 6 laps of a 4.5 mile rolling circuit. One long, super fast descent. One longer climb that leads to the finish that is split into two pitches with sections over 15%. Super fun course with excellent pavement throughout and no need to touch the brakes for any corners.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14440585208
Nutrition: One bottle of mix (80g carbs) and one bottle of water (mostly sprayed on myself)
Race Recap (written by Cameron):
Winchester is a great race. While most NorCal races are run on open roads with horrible pavement, this is a rare opportunity to race on a closed course with well paved roads. Outside of the main descent and climb, the course is continuously rolling, which makes it very hard to roll turns in a break or in a chase. Heat also plays a role in deciding how races play out, as 90+ degree weather and sun wear people down.
This was the second race of the day for Wil and Greg and the only race of the day for me. The plan was to put me in position to attack and get into a break during the rolling part of the course in lap 2 or 3. Attacks went almost as soon as we finished the neutral rollout, and both Wil and Greg did an excellent job of covering things and making sure AV was represented in all moves. As we made our way around the course to the main descent, the attacks subsided and everyone started saving their legs for the climb.
When we got to the climb, we hit it hard. Coureur Monterey Bay had three riders in the field and paced it hard from the start. I positioned myself well going into it and was able to stay in the top 3-5 wheels. As we crested the climb, I looked back and saw we had already dropped most of the field! Our group of five riders included two Coureur Monterey Bay riders, one of whom immediately went to the front and rode hard to extend the gap. With the field behind both tired from the climb and all major teams (Coureur, AV, Mike’s Bikes, Dolce Vita) represented in the break, we quickly established a ~20 second lead.
The next few laps I and the riders from Mike’s and Dolce mostly sat on. People attacked the climb each time hoping to drop someone, but we stuck together. The second to last time up the Mike’s rider attacked and dropped one of the Coureur riders, making us a group of four. While this removed their numbers advantage, dropping one Coureur rider meant the rest of us would need to work if we wanted to keep him behind. So we rolled turns through the rolling section.
When we got to the final climb, the Mike’s rider attacked from the bottom. By this point the cumulative fatigue and heat had set in and I didn’t have the snap needed to respond, so I paced it the rest of the way and finished fourth. Happy with a podium finish but still working for more. Huge props to Wil for sticking it out and finishing with the main pack in his first P123 race and second race of the day!
Race Report: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s 3/4
Race: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s 3/4
Date: 5/10/25
AVRT racers: Jeremy Besmer, Wil Gibb, Jack Lund
Top Result: Jeremy 6/50, Wil 8/50
Course: 5 laps of a 4.5 mile rolling circuit. One long, super fast descent. One longer climb that leads to the finish that is split into two pitches with sections over 15%. Super fun course with excellent pavement throughout and no need to touch the brakes for any corners.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14439816333
Nutrition: One bottle of super Skratch (80g carbs) and one bottle of water
Race Recap (written by Jeremy):
I didn’t go into this race with any major goals - I just wanted to have fun, stay safe, and maybe get a few upgrade points.
The combined field (3/4 and 35+ 3/4) was quite large (50 people!) and I knew it would have people with a broad range of skills, so I resolved to stay near the front throughout. Our general plan was to ensure the hill was hard each time to whittle down the field, and then work together on the final hill from a reduced group to create multiple chances to win. It wasn’t too hot at the beginning of the race (10am) but by the end it was very crispy.
After the “neutral” 300 watt rollout up a steep hill, the race started pretty unceremoniously and remained tame for most of the first lap. It stayed this way the first time up the main climb, so I went to the front to set a steady hard pace. Wil came around me halfway up to continue our hard pace up to the top. This dropped half the field, but unfortunately most people caught back on during the rolling/flat section before the big descent. On Lap 3, someone attacked hard halfway up the big climb. I followed his move up to the top, and when we crested, I looked around and saw that about 15 racers remained (including Wil). The pace remained steady but not too hard through Lap 4, so a few people caught back on. I took this opportunity to check in with Wil, warning him that the pace on the hill on the final lap would probably be ballistic so we should try to be near the front going into it. This turned out to be quite prescient, as multiple attacks rolled from the bottom of the hill and continued through the top. This was a pretty hard effort but dropped fewer people than hoped and much of the group again came together during the first half of lap 5
Going into the last time up the hill to the finish, there was a lot of swarming, and unfortunately I was out of position to follow the first attack at the bottom of the hill. I did my best to steadily close the gap before the flatter part of the climb, but I didn’t quite close it. The gap then widened during the flat part, so I was too far back to participate in the final sprint at the front of the field. I did manage to pass a couple people on the final pitch to roll in for 6th.
Thanks to Greg Beliera for capturing this moment - teammates helping teammates cool down after a crispy finish!
Race: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s Masters 50+ 3/4
Race: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s Masters 50+ 3/4
Date: May 10, 2025
AVRT racers: Shai Traister
Top Result: 5th (out of 6)
Course: 5 laps of a 4.5 mile rolling circuit. One long, fast descent. One longer climb that leads to the finish that is split into two pitches with sections over 15%. Super fun course with excellent pavement throughout and no need to touch the brakes for any corners.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14441307588
Nutrition: One bottle of fructose blend, one with water and one SIS gel
Race Recap: This was my 2nd race of the day, so I wasn’t as fresh. I drank a full bottle between the races to make sure I didn’t get dehydrated. The field was combined with the 60+ 1/2/3/4 field, and featured Jerome Nadel. My strategy was to follow wheels and preserve energy as much as possible, and hope I still have something left at the end.
We started the race, and on the first lap one guy started going up the road. Following my strategy I stayed put, as I assumed the others still had fresh legs and would close it down. To my surprise they didn’t and they let him stay away. On the first big climb another rider (Pasco, who I know from the noon ride) bridged up to the guy in front.
The gap kept pretty much the same throughout the 2nd lap, but when we got to the top of the main climb we saw Pasco on the side of the road. He joined us as we crested the top. I asked him what happened and he told me he wasn’t feeling well.
We continued rolling, going pretty hard on the climbs and recovering through the descents/rollers. On the main climb of the 4th lap (one to go) we caught the guy in front so now it was all back together. I thought it was pretty interesting how no one really made an attempt to chase the one/two riders in front (which in hindsight was brilliant, but seemed a bit risky at first, especially on a course like today. Maybe they all knew each other and knew better not to overreact).
Last lap - pace picked up a little bit, but I felt pretty good, especially considering that this was my 9th lap already (10th if counting the warm up lap). The group was still sizable so I assumed it will come to a fast sprint on the final climb. I decided to take my SIS gel to top off and hopefully avoid cramping. As I was taking down the gel we hit the right turn onto the small kicker, where someone decided to attack and the entire group picked up the pace chasing. I was holding the bars in my right hand and the gel in my left, so I was a bit slow to react. After making the turn onto the kicker I shifted into the small ring and dropped my chain. I tried saving it but it got stuck, and because of the kicker, I was losing speed fast. I stopped, got off the bike and put it back on. Uphill mount took a couple of attempts but shortly after I started chasing the group. One rider caught up with me on the flats, but I dropped him on the next bump. I got to the last climb and saw one rider ahead. I was determined to pass that rider which I did, thereby squeezing my 5th place and onto the podium.
Dropping the chain was a bummer, but I felt encouraged by how good I felt and of course from my win earlier that day.
Race: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s Masters 50+ 4/5
Race: 2025 Winchester Circuit Race - Men’s Masters 50+ 4/5
Date: May 10, 2025
AVRT racers: Shai Traister
Top Result: Win! (out of 8)
Course: 4 laps of a 4.5 mile rolling circuit. One long, fast descent. One longer climb that leads to the finish that is split into two pitches with sections over 15%. Super fun course with excellent pavement throughout and no need to touch the brakes for any corners.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14441306916
Nutrition: One bottle of fructose blend and one SIS gel
Race Recap: The field was combined with the 60+ 3/4/5 field, so this added an extra thing to pay attention to. At least both fields had the same number of laps (unlike last year). The local team (Body Concepts) had 6 riders in the combined field of 17, which was pretty remarkable. I made a mental note to keep an eye for any team tactic.
First lap was pretty chill with no major events. On the second lap the pace started to pick up, and at the top of the 2nd climb I noticed that there were only 5 riders. Some bridged back on the rollers but I felt pretty comfortable at that point. We continued rolling through another lap (one before last) and when we got to the main climb I helped driving the pace to make sure we drop riders. At the top we were only 3 riders - 1 rider was from the 60+ field and 2 from the 50+ field. We got into a rotation and set a good pace to prevent others from catching up.
We got to the last climb. Since I had only one rider to worry about I slotted behind him and prepared for the sprint. I waited till the short descent in the middle of the climb, shifted into the big ring and started sprinting to the line in the big ring. I looked behind and saw I had a big gap over the 2 riders, so I sat down and crossed the line. So excited with the win!!
Race Report: Winchester Circuit Race – Women’s 3/4/5 & Masters 40+/50+/60+ (and a little of P/1/2/3)
Race Report: Winchester Circuit Race – Women’s 3/4/5 & Masters 40+/50+/60+ (and a little of P/1/2/3)
Date: May 10, 2025
AVRT Racers: Alex Cameron, Kristin Hepworth, Robin Kutner
Top Result: Kristin Hepworth – 4/17 overall, 2/6 in Cat 3
Course: The course is a ~4.5 mile road loop with excellent pavement and a series of rolling hills. There are only two 90° turns on the course. Though steep in some sections, no hill is longer than a couple minutes, and are all followed by fun, fast, and safe descents, so momentum can be carried into the next climb. The biggest descent (segment title “Tuck and Lol”) is a bit over 1 minute and is fast! A series of undulating climbs (~350ft gain total) takes you up to the finish, which is located roughly half way up the steepest and longest climb.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/14438010422
Nutrition: Oatmeal 3 hours before the race. One gel 10 minutes before the race. The race is only an hour, so I didn’t eat anything during. One bottle of water with electrolytes during the race.
Recap by Kristin: After a neutral rollout from the parking lot, the 17-rider field stayed together for most of the first lap. Things started to break up on lap 2, before the longest climb. I was able to stay with the front group, but just as the effort began to string us out, a neutralization was called by the moto guy due to an incoming men’s field. The timing worked against us, allowing a few dropped riders to recover and rejoin. That left about 7 or 8 of us heading into the final two laps.
Robin: feeling physically poor, I got dropped on the long climb at the end of Lap 2. But in hindsight - as always - if I had managed to hang, I probably could have stayed with the main group because of the untimely neutralization. I redirected my race purpose to teamwork with Alex, so I softpedaled early in Lap 3 until she appeared.
Kristin: As the only AVRT rider in the front group, I focused on positioning and marking the two other Cat 3 riders I knew would be competitive — Sofya (Terun) and Shannon (unattached). Sofya tested the group with a few hard efforts on the climbs during lap 3. I followed each move, unsure whether she was trying to split the field or simply animate the race. Each time, the group came with me. She mentioned not feeling well, but it was hard to tell how much of that was real and how much was tactical.
Alex: After battling through the first 2 laps and getting dropped by the main group sometime during the second lap, I was trying to come up with a plan for how to make the most of the final 2 laps while riding mostly solo. A couple minutes into the 3rd lap though, I come across Robin all but stopped and waiting for me! This was a massive boost for me, because I had expected to grind through the second half of the race alone with my own thoughts. Robin was immediately helpful and told me to sit in her draft while she worked. She would end up pulling me all the way to the finish line - I never took a turn. My hero! We had a fun back and forth with a Davis rider who we would pass on the hills, but then would pass us (me) back on the descents. After going back and forth a couple times and sitting in her draft for a little, we made our move going into the final climb of the 3rd lap and dropped her for good. This was such a massive learning moment in the race for me - it showed me there are little races that can still be won within the bigger race, and that there is always a way to push yourself, even if you’re not with the top riders. My teammate saved me out there, and I felt like I learned so much!
Kristin: Going into the final lap, I knew Shannon had consistently beaten me in previous races, and I let that get into my head more than it should have. I stayed alert and in position, but didn’t take any risks or initiate any moves. Ultimately, the race came down to the final climb. I held my own, but it’s a short, explosive finish — not my strength — and I came through 4th overall, 2nd in Cat 3. Shannon beat me again, but I did finish ahead of Sofya.
Looking back, I finished with more in the tank than I expected, which tells me I raced too conservatively. I doubted my fitness and hesitated to commit when I should have. It was a missed opportunity, but a useful one — next time, I’ll be more confident in making decisions and taking initiative.
This is one of my favorite courses, and while the result wasn’t quite what I hoped for, I always enjoy racing alongside my positive and supportive AV teammates.
The pack on Lap 1. Photo credit: Greg Beliera
“Race” Report: Winchester Circuit Race – Women’s P/1/2/3
AVRT: Robin Kutner
Recap written by Robin: I had pre-registered for the P123 mainly because I was excited to finally - on my first outing as a cat3 - have the opportunity to do a second race. I obviously didn’t know that I would end up sick / in sleep debt / undertrained in the weeks before Winchester. So after feeling crappy in the first race of the day, I was not about to do a longer race in a tougher field in scorching heat, but I was still hanging around the race area. I was chatting with Gwen (Revolution) and Shannon P before the race and they pointed out that if I just started it, it was looking like I would be racer #5 and therefore upgrade points would be available for the field. I have been frustrated showing up to a race to find that 1 person’s DNS eliminates the opportunity to get any upgrade points, so I didn’t want to be that person. It was over 100°F on the tarmac, so I rode second wheel in our small field’s single-file line. As soon as Shannon P (eventual double winner) put in a smidge of effort on the finishing climb at the end of Lap 1, I saw myself out and hung out under the finishing area tent with some pals. Friendly USAC ref Carlos even gave me a veggie burrito. No regrets.