Race Reports
CBR #2 - Men’s 3/4
Race: CBR #2 - Men’s 3/4
Date: February 1st, 2026
AVRT racers: Levi Ritter
Top Result: Levi 2nd/72
Course: 0.8 mile, 4 corner crit with wide roads
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17255867722
Nutrition: 400ml water and Gatorade before the race
Recap (written by Levi): Since I was the only Alto Velo rider, the plan was to save as much energy as possible, but actually for real this time, only getting in dangerous moves and working as little as possible, and contesting the sprint if it came down to it.
The plan went out the window again when I saw someone attack going into the third lap after the group had slowed, so I knew it was going to get a pretty big gap. I ended up catching him and doing a lap and a half off the front with him going super hard until he sat up. Since I had a pretty big gap, I kept working even though it was only me off the front. Pretty soon after, a bridge group made it up to me with all the big teams represented, and we started working together really well. The group was pretty optimal with 7 riders, all from different teams, so we were all motivated to work and not attack or try to sit on the back. We kept the pace really high until 2-3 laps to go, when we all started looking at each other, waiting for someone to attack. There only ended up being 2 attacks, but none of them got anywhere, so we ended up coming to the finish in the original group of seven. It was a long way from the last corner to the finish, so I was expecting everyone to look at each other and sprint late, but one guy (who ended up winning) started his sprint right from the corner. I tried to get in his wheel and come around him, but I couldn’t gain any speed on him and ended up holding on to second.
Overall, pretty successful race, the only thing I would have done differently is start my sprint even earlier.
Cal Poly Crit - Men’s 3/4
Race: Cal Poly Crit - Men’s Cat 3/4
Date: January 25th, 2026
AVRT racers: Levi Ritter
Top Result: Levi >10th
Course: 1 mile lap with very easy corners
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17175562472
Nutrition: 400ml water and Gatorade before the race
Recap (written by Levi): Since I was the only Alto Velo rider, the plan was to save as much energy as possible, only getting in dangerous moves and working as little as possible, and contesting the sprint if it came down to it. I was also thinking about sending a late attack if it felt right
Someone attacked right at the start, and I followed his wheel, thinking he was just trying to set a hard pace at the front, but we ended up getting a gap. I worked with him for around half the race off the front, and at one point, I even thought we might win, but we ended up getting brought back. I was bracing myself for a really hard counter when the peloton caught us, but no one ended up attacking. I sat pretty far forward in the group, which wasn’t the best idea, since every time someone pulled off the front, the next person would just completely sit up, and then someone from way back would attack when they saw the pace slowed, which was pretty hard to follow. Coming into the last lap, someone pulled off the front, and the next person entirely stopped pedalling, which prompted Gavin (who won Santa Barbara RR the day before) to attack. I tried to catch him, but my legs were pretty cooked after being off the front, so I couldn’t, and I ended up getting swarmed in the finish.
Overall, pretty disappointing to get no result after being off the front for so long.
CBR #1 - Men’s Cat 3/4
Race: CBR #1 - Men’s Cat 3/4
Date: January 18th, 2026
AVRT racers: Levi Ritter
Top Result: Levi 8th/63
Course: 0.9 mile square 4 corner crit, very wide roads
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17099106785
Nutrition: 400ml water and Gatorade before the race
Recap (written by Levi): Since I was the only Alto Velo rider, the plan was to save as much energy as possible, only getting in dangerous moves and working as little as possible, and contesting the sprint if it came down to it.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to conserve much energy since all the strongest people in the race started sending attacks one after another from the start, so I ended up following almost every move. Despite the constant attacks, everything stayed together for the finish. After getting brought back from a small group with around two laps to go, I got shuffled to the back and didn’t have enough urgency to get back to the front, which meant I was sprinting from a really bad position. Thankfully, I came around a few people in the sprint and managed to get 8th.
Overall, not a bad race. I was able to get in every dangerous move, just need to make sure I have better positioning in the end to contest the sprint.
Race Report: Low Gap Long Course – Ukiah, California
Race: Grasshopper Series race #1 – Low Gap long course – Women 60+
Date: January 25, 2026
AVRT long course racers: Juan Carlos Delgafo & Matthias Hoffmann (M50-59), Kathleen Bortolussi W60+
Top Result: Kathleen Bortolussi 2/4, Matthias Hoffman 26/87, Juan Carlos Delgafo 83/87
Course: The long course is advertised as a 95% unpaved gravel course, with ~63 miles and 6700ft gain (per Strava your distance and elevation can vary but is close). The ride starts with a 15 mile (2644ft) climb up a semi-paved road (some broken pavement, some dirt) before turning into fire road, some double track, and a few paved roads. Feed zones at mile 21 and the same one again at mile 42. You traverse through some private forest land and if you like the forest this is a course for you. The finish descends the same road as the start for a mostly screaming downhill.
This year it was 32 degrees at the start and there was some ice on the road, so as all age group women pulled up to the line they told us we would be neutralized for the first 7.42 miles. There was no one in front of us to neutralize the group and as we crossed the timing mat, we stayed neutralized for less than ¼ mile. Last year there was a good field in my age group but having placed second in the series to Jennie Phillips, my eye was only on her. She beat me last year at this race by 20 minutes so anything close would be an improvement. She and another woman took off at the start and with my asthma and the cold temp I had to ride my own pace. Last year it was 29 degrees, so this race was better already. You spread out quite a bit, and the goal is to stay focused, watch your lines, and keep up your speed.
At the first rest stop I grabbed my pack, decided to try the random gel (not something I usually do), but after waiting for over 2 minutes to use the porta-john, I felt it was worth the risk. At mile 23 I passed the woman in my age group who took off at the start, and at mile 41 on a technical downhill I passed Jennie Phillips. What? I was passing Jennie, I was stoked. Then we came into the aid station at mile 42 and I wanted another one of the Maurten Gels and I wanted to use the bathroom. As soon as Jennie saw me stop getting a gel, she took off, so no bathroom-stop for me – game on!
I caught up with her within a few hundred yards, and we had an 8-mile climb before the rolling 15-mile descent back to the start. We started and I was keeping up, we chatted a bit, and then the race tactics ensued…you know, could she talk and ride, how was her breathing, etc. I was on a 2x, and she was on a 1x, and as the miles ticked by, I thought if I could stay with her to the descent maybe I could beat her. Then I started to feel like I was approaching my limit. 5 miles to go, 4 miles to go….2 miles to go to the summit of the climb, and at 1.7 to go I popped. She slowly rode away and out of sight. I thought maybe if I bomb the descent I’ll catch her. I tried. In the end, down to the 100th of a second, she beat me by exactly 1 minute. I was happy with my improvement and happier to have actually been part of the race. Congrats to Jennie she was a fun competitor.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17178699433
Nutrition: ½ almond and jelly butter sandwich, 2 Maurten Gel 160s (given out at the race), 1 caffeinated & 1 decaf Gu, 1.5L water (.5L with watermelon flavored Dripdrop electrolyte mix). It was a 4:40:33 race so I like to stay fueled. Picked up my hydration pack at the first rest stop, and I think this mix of food worked well. No bonking.
Thank you for reading, Kathleen
Race Report: 2026 Cal Poly Crit - Men’s P/1/2/3
Race: Cal Poly Criterium - Men’s P/12/3
Date: January 25, 2026
AVRT racers: George Wehner, Tom Perkins, Levi Ritter, Michael Bektas
Top Result: Michael 6th, George 7th
Course: 1-mile lap with no significant features; you can comfortably pedal through all the gentle corners.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17178198203
Nutrition: 500ml water + Maurten 320 (80g carbs)
Race Recap: Written by Michael.
After a fairly boring 2/3 race earlier in the day where we let the race win just ride away from us, we were all fired up to be a lot more active in this one
We went back to a more reactive strategy that worked well for us in the CBR 1 1/2/3 the weekend prior. If an attack went with more than 3 people, we wanted to try and get two of us in it and just sit on. This would make sure we were represented with an actual chance to win from then move if it stayed away. In reality, it meant we weren’t worried about the win leaving us behind while keeping us ready for the inevitable field sprint where we would all need our legs to hang on.
The race was very dynamic with constant counter attacks coming from Terun, CycleSport, VFR and Cal Poly. We found a good rhythm of cycling through who would follow each move to keep ourselves as recovered as possible. Given Alex Akins’ current winning streak, I was keeping a closer eye on him as I knew Terun would likely setup the race for him. He put in multiple, big surges but we were able to keep the race together and AV represented.
In the final few laps, we pinched ourselves once again as we found ourselves in great position with two to go. The corners were easy and that made moving up even easier. With two corners to go I went from 10th wheel to 4th wheel right behind Alex, exactly where I wanted to be! Unfortunately, with 250m to go, he stood up to launch his sprint. When I stood up to respond all of the aggressive racing from the past hour caught up with me and both of my legs cramped. I sat back down and willed myself into 6th place with George right behind me in 7th, Levi following closely behind.
Despite this not being a podium, this race was another good step in the right direction and confirmed that the AV crit group can compete with the best!
UC Davis Flatlands (Women’s 4/5)
Race: UC Davis Flatlands (Women’s 4/5)
Date: February 1, 2026
AVRT racers: Emily Selman
Top Result: 1/7 (Women’s 4/5); 1/10 (combined 4/5 and collegiate)
Course: 8 laps of a 3.8 mi flat circuit, some newly paved sections
Strava: https://www.strava.com/segments/6834894
Nutrition: Oatmeal for breakfast; 80g malto/electrolytes and 1 gel
Race Summary:
With a small field, I was hoping to take a shot at the win. I don’t know many racers by name, so I checked the names of the pre-reg women on Strava. Katie Goad had taken 4th the day before at Cal Aggie, so I checked her max watts and figured my best shot was to attack on the final corner rather than earlier. The other racers had some solid training logged on Strava, so I was unsure how well I could hang if there were any early attacks.
The race started at a quicker pace than I’d experienced 2 years ago, but a UC Davis rider was willing to pull for the first 3 laps. At that point, Katie attacked to see what kind of attrition she could get, and a few of us responded immediately and the group formed again pretty quickly. Katie tried to get a paceline going, and it worked relatively well, but I pulled out quickly whenever I was pulling at the front.
With 2 laps to go, I attacked at the start/finish line and saw that almost no one was cornering well on the 3 initial turns on Brooks Road. I decided then that I would start my final attack earlier so I could gain some ground on the 3 consecutive turns leading to the finish. I did minimal pulling on the final lap and was third wheel heading into those 3 turns. I hit the gas and dove into the gutters of the first two turns. When I looked back after the 3rd turn, there was no one even close. I honestly couldn’t believe it.
I have to mention again, I am dumbfounded that I’m able to race and be competitive after a long recovery from back surgery a year ago. I was also embarrassingly older than the field, so here’s to old, persistent cyclists who don’t want to give up!
Race Report: Cal Aggie Crit - Men's Cat 4
Race: Cal Aggie Crit - Men's Cat 4
Date: January 31, 2026
AVRT racers: Adam Beliveau
Top Result: 12/48 Adam
Course: Round-ish course with a chicane ~1.09 miles/lap. Nice pavement except two small potholes inside the chicane, close to the right curb.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17242254862
Nutrition: 1 bottle with 120g consumed ¼ before (during warmup) and ½ during
Recap (written by Adam):
First race of the season for me. My plan was to gauge my fitness against the Cat 4 field and stay near the front to avoid any potential crashes.
Driving in, there was a thick fog. I couldn’t see more than 25 meters ahead. I joked to myself that it was a perfect day for a breakaway. However, as soon as I took the highway exit, the fog vanished, making way for warm sunshine and perfect racing weather.
From the get-go, I positioned myself at the front as planned, but I definitely overdid it. During the race, I found it difficult to move through the pack, and I felt the field wasn't taking the chicane optimally, which only motivated me to stay at the front even more. This didn't pan out well; I spent the race oscillating between first and second wheel, burning far too many matches. The only upside to this strategy is that I managed to avoid a pretty gnarly crash that took out ~10-15 riders. Attacks kept coming, and I ended up chasing most of them (don’t ask me why).
Eventually, with about three laps to go, a successful breakaway of three formed, and I missed the move. Confusion hit the peloton, and most riders sat up, waiting for someone else to chase, which allowed the gap to balloon. By the bell lap, it was clear the podium wouldn't be decided by a field sprint. I still tried to contest the bunch finish, but I had nothing left. I’d been in the red for almost 40 minutes.
Overall, I'm happy with where my fitness is, but I definitely need more tactical experience for the next one.
Race Report: 2026 Cal Aggie Crit - Men’s Cat 5
Race: Cal Aggie Crit – Men’s Cat 5
Date: January 31, 2026
AVRT Racers: Nicolas Delecroix
Top Result: 12th / 35
Course: 40 minutes of a flat 1.09 mile loop with a chicane
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17241529772
Nutrition: A Clif Bar 45 mins before the race
Recap: Race morning was foggy and cold, and the sun showed up 10 minutes before the start. The race started slower than I expected, but the pace picked up quickly. I focused on staying in the top 10 wheels to keep safe from the accordion effect at the back and to avoid crashes.
On lap 4, right after we exited the north chicane, three riders crashed. They were right next to me, and I saw bikes flying in the air. I think a rider went into the gutter and pushed the others when trying to get out. By the next lap, doctors were already there taking care of people, and everyone looked relatively okay. I avoided contact when the crash happened, but it reminded me never to overlap wheels, just like we were taught in the Early Bird series.
I was able to stay in the top 10 and conserve energy whenever possible. As the race progressed, I started to get a good sense of when surges were typically happening. The biggest one always occurred when we hit the main straightaway going south, after the second turn past the north chicane. I felt that I had the legs to stay with them without burning matches.
Towards the middle of the race, a Super Sprinklers rider launched a solo attack. That team had two other riders stay back while it happened. I thought it was a smart way of forcing the rest of us to burn energy. Fortunately, we caught him fairly easily.
With four laps to go, I was still in the front pack. Suddenly, two Cal Poly riders attacked pretty hard. I was right behind them and didn’t see a reason to let them go, so I took the initiative to chase, with the rest of the front pack right on my wheel. After a little while, I signaled for others to take a turn, which they did. It was a nice, improvised chase alliance, and we managed to close the gap.
With two laps to go, the pace increased significantly. When we hit the final straight, I was in 5th position as the sprint started. I went as hard as possible but still got passed by seven riders to finish 12th.
Looking back, the Cal Poly chase was probably a tactical mistake on my part. I had the pack on my wheel when I initiated the chase, so I acted as the worker bee for the heavy sprinters sitting behind me. I pulled them up to the attackers, which kept them fresh. It’s not like I was protecting a teammate, being the only Alto Velo rider there. At the same time, it drained my battery quite a bit. That is probably what allowed them to swarm me in the final 200-meter sprint.
In conclusion, I had fun, didn’t crash, and learned a lot. I’ll put some focus on anaerobic capacity work to improve my sprint capabilities, and I’m looking forward to many more races with AVRT this year.
Race Report: 2026 CBR #2 - Men’s Cat Pro/1/2/3
Race: CBR #2 - Men’s Cat Pro/1/2/3
Date: February 1st, 2026
AVRT racers: George Wehner, Michael Bektas, Levi Ritter
Top Result: George 17th/101
Course: 0.8 mile 4 corner crit, very wide roads.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17255807001 (Livestream) (Michael’s footage)
Nutrition: 1L water w/sodium citrate during the race, a couple fig bars on the start line
Recap: (written by George) This field had EVERYONE. Cadence brought a 3-man hit squad of Lucas Bourgoyne, Luke Fetzer, and Danny Summerhill, Legion brought a massive team as usual, Speedblock-Terun also brought a big squad in support of Alex Akins, and a few other serious hitters showed up (Ama Nsek, Dante Young, Alejandro Che, and Scott Redding just to name a few). So we knew this was going to be pretty hard. Also, this was the second race of the day for both me and Michael, and it was Levi’s third race, so we were all pretty tired already. Our gameplan was pretty simple: race passively, follow the sprinters and see what we could do.
I decided to throw out my plan when I saw Legion and Terun try for a break 15 minutes into the race and was in great position to follow. I wasn’t the only person to think this as shortly after I joined the break, seemingly every hitter in the race wanted to be there: Lucas, Ama, and Justin and Cory Williams all bridged to this break. So yeah, this break was STACKED. But I decided to commit to it anyway because I still thought it was my best chance at a result. Sure, I’d almost certainly get dogwalked by Lucas, Ama, and Justin, but maybe I could squeeze out a top 5 from this group if it stuck. With how insanely strong this field was, that would be a massive result, and I’d also get a ton more upgrade points (I’m only about a third of the way to my cat 1 upgrade, so those would really help).
Unfortunately, every team not named Legion or Cadence wasn’t really ok with this break sticking, and it was just a bit too big to really work together, so we got caught after about 15 minutes off the front. I tried to follow a couple other moves, but with 25-30 minutes left in the race I started to notice my legs were really tired, and decided to just chill, try to connect with Michael, and wait for the sprint.
The ending of this race was pretty chaotic. For each of the last 10 laps, there was a $100 prime PER LAP, so it stayed fast for the most part. I did connect with Michael a couple times, but it was hard for us to stay together. Our main priority was trying to move up and then maintain position near the front. If we could get together, great, but I didn’t think it was worth sacrificing position. I was trying to find any space I could squeeze through - I ended up moving up in some really tight spaces next to the cones multiple times - and I also was trying to follow the wheels of guys I knew were technically skilled (primarily Dante and Scott). In the last two laps, I wasn’t quite assertive enough and lost a few key positions, but I still found some good lines and stayed close enough to the front to sprint for a top 20.
Normally, this result wouldn’t be much to write home about, but when you look at who finished ahead of me, it’s a who’s who of the best crit racers in the country. And I finished right behind them on tired legs on my second race of the day. So I’m pretty stoked about how that went, although I clearly have some areas for improvement, mainly in connecting with my teammates and being assertive in the final laps. It’s really cool to see that I can rip it up with racers I’ve looked up to for a while and am actually a lot closer to their level than I thought. I’m really looking forward to racing more crits with the Alto Velo boys and establishing ourselves at a high level.
Race Report: 2026 CCCX MTB Series #3 XCO - Men’s Cat 1/Expert
Race: 2026 CCCX MTB Series #3 XCO - Men’s Cat 1/Expert Age 19-39
Date: February 1, 2026
AVRT racers: Michael Matthews
Top Result: Men’s Cat 1/Expert Age 19-39 1st/9 (Men’s Cat 1/Expert Overall ~13th/60).
Course: Fort Ord is the venue again this year for the 3CX (CCCX) race series. The race was a traditional format MTB XCO race with a 4.6-mile loop. Per lap elevation gain was 450 ft. The course was mostly singletrack. The expert field did five full laps. Dry, sunny and crisp cool temps made for perfect racing weather. The features of a full lap included a few pitchy little climbs, flowy single track (going up some of the downs from Race #1), two longer dragging climbs, some loose sandy and some packed corners, and a few nice straight sections that you could hammer. Beach day!
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17255024073
Nutrition: Normal breakfast, banana, Clif bar and ~100g of carbs in a bottle for race nutrition.
Event Recap: Not in the callups list because I am not going for a series result. Pro and <19 boys/girls started a few seconds ahead. Good jump and got into a small group of three from my age category by the end of the first climb. We steadily passed slower <19 boys/girls. Once we hit the second climb, teenage fitness took off and I lost the lead rider of my group. Over the course of lap 1.5 to 2.5 I caught onto the group of the escaped lead rider. We formed a group of five riders from two fields. At the start of lap 3 I attacked the group and stayed away for about another half lap before getting caught. Five were back together and two others joined for a group of seven. In the first two climbs of lap 4 I put a steady pressure on the group in the climbs and dropped all but two others. In a group of three (none from my age category), I started cramping and needed to ease off and manage to finish. I had made the winning move and just needed to hold on. I managed the cramping through to the finish for the win! This felt like a real mountain bike race with group dynamics. It was super fun (and hard)!
Race Report: Cal Aggie Crit WP123
Race: Cal Aggie Crit WP123
Date: January 31, 2026
AVRT racers: Katie Monaghan, Louise Thomas, Rachel Hwang, Sophia Hu, Steph Hart, Stephanie Hayos, Sue Li Holt
Top Result: 1/17 Rachel Hwang, 2/17 Steph Hart
Course: Round-ish course with a chicane. 4 notable “corners”, 2 < 90 degrees, ~2:30-3:00 minutes per lap
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17244469771
Race Recap:
Going into the race my strategy was to follow Steph’s every move because I know she’s going for the breakaway and I wanted to test myself to see if I had gotten strong enough to hang. I know I have a decent sprint so I wanted to try something new, get in Steph’s break and see what works and what doesn’t.
Race started out kinda slow, but quickly Louise, Sophia, and Katie threw in attacks to spice it up. At points, maybe twice, I attacked to see if I could create the breakaway but every time there were a few people trailing me so I would sit back up. Seeing that I wasn’t able to create a break, I gave up and just waited for Steph to attack. Around 7 minutes in Steph attacked, and she attacked hard. I don’t know how long we were going for but it was a much longer effort than I could comfortably produce and was very impressed with the power Steph was putting down for the amount of time we were going, but that’s why she’s able to create a break and I can’t.
It was now me, her, Haley. She says, “This break needs to stick” and us two trade pulls, and Haley is sitting on our wheels. The pack is close behind so Steph and I are putting in everything we got on the pulls. During one of my pulls, I look back and Steph and Haley were no longer behind me. In my head I know I can’t keep this up for another 52 minutes but want to give it my best so keep hammering. Maybe half a lap later I see Steph bridging the gap to me and in my head I think “thank god cause I can’t solo break the rest of this race.” Steph later tells me as her and Haley dropped back, Haley told Steph they could work together to get back to me, and Steph just sits up and lets Haley pull. As Haley slows down to merge with the peloton, Steph starts bridging to me. Perfect execution in my book.
For what feels like forever even though it was probably only 20 minutes, Steph and I are hammering to keep the gap. It fluctuates between 20-25 seconds and every time we go through the chicane, we can see the group on the other side close by. Now from the peloton’s POV, a few people kept attacking to try to bridge to me and Steph, and AV chased down the attacks, and Louise saved our asses and got to the front of the peloton or second wheel to slow the field down and discourage them trading pulls. Obviously it worked wonders and the gap quickly went from 25 seconds to 35 to 40 to 1:10.
As the gap increased, Steph and I were able to relax a bit, trading pulls, having fun through the chicane, just pedaling not really thinking. I was honestly having such a fun time up there.
I wasn’t sure how the race was going to end. I wasn’t sure if Steph was going to attack with 2 to go and try to drop me, but we kept it civil and with half a lap to go Steph asked if I still wanted a lead out to which I said nah. As per our usual friendly competition between the two of us, I wanted to see if I could drop Steph. The answer was no. I tried attacking during the chicane and she was right behind me, so I slowed down and then put down some power right before the finish line, but I don’t think Steph was trying to race sprint me. I still don’t know how to post up, embarrassingly, so I just rolled through the finish line.
For the pack finish, it sounded like the train was Louise in front leading out the two Mike’s Bikes girls, and Shannon Pidd on fourth wheel. I think AV was trying to lead out Sophia or Stephanie? But ultimately the other strong sprinters specifically Haley and Sarah on Mike’s Bikes and Shannon riding solo were able to get in better position, and with Shannon’s perfect fourth wheel and strong watts, was able to win the pack sprint getting third.
It was a good season opener. I barely raced with other team members last year since there was hardly a W123 field, so this was one of the first and definitely best executed team strategy I had been a part of, specifically Louise slowing down the field and Steph dropping Haley and coming back up to work with me. Next time we just need to execute on the lead out to get the win for the pack sprint finish to sweep the podium.
Louise:
After Steph and Rachel broke away and then subsequently dropped Hayley, it seemed like the perfect set up. Now we just had to prevent the field from catching them. Everyone was pretty motivated to chase, which was kind of to be expected with two AV in the break.
I tried to stay in the top 4 wheels to shut down any attacks, and repeatedly inserted myself in the rotation at the front to slow it down. The other racers clued into my tactics pretty quickly and tried to shut me out, which became a fun game of stealing wheels and getting in just the right place to disrupt the rotation. Honestly the whole race was pretty fun.
Sue Lin did a great job of calling attacks so we could anticipate them before they got to the front, and it was a team effort covering every single move.
With about 8 laps to go, the race slowed down a bit and it seemed like everyone had given up on trying to catch Steph and Rachel. Originally Rachel was going to be our sprinter and we hadn't discussed who would be our backup sprinter if she was in a break, so we came up with a makeshift plan of Sophia ramping up the speed with 1 or 2 laps to go, Katie next, then I would do the final lead out for Stephanie with Sue Lin sweeping. It seemed like a reasonable plan at the time, but in reality both Mike's Bikes riders and Shannon Pidd got on my wheel and I ended up leading them out instead. Definitely some improvements to me made, but hey it's only the first race of the season.
Sophia:
For the pack finish: We were trying to lead out Stephanie. I started the lead out with 1.5 to go, then Katie, then Louise. By the time the pack was near the finish, me and Katie were not able to tell what happened since we were further back. When I pulled off I noticed that the 2 mike's bikes riders, then Shannon were behind Katie?
To disrupt the chase, Sue Lin did a really good job calling out attacks. We were almost always 2nd wheel when someone would try to chase so it was impossible to get a rotating chase going.
I feel like this was a great race for a breakaway to stay away. Since the other riders were either really small teams (2 or 3 riders), or individual riders, nobody was incentivized to do a solo chase to the breakaway and burn all their matches.
Nutrition: Torq gel on the start line, one bottle of Tailwind during the race.
Race Report: Early Birds #2: Women’s Cat 4/5
Race: Early Birds #2: Women’s Cat 4/5
Date: January 18th, 2026
AVRT racers: Meghan Kransz, Apoorva Setlur, Sandrine Veillette, & Milinda Lakkam (AV)
Top Result: There is no keeping score at Early Birds :)
Course: We raced a flat route around a building with plenty of space for practicing pacelines and turns. Conditions were windy with temps in the high 40s to low 50s.
Nutrition: This was a practice race but we made sure to stay fueled with plenty of snacks/drink mix/water. Thank you Meghan for always having a gummy worm handy!!
Recap (written by Sandrine Veillette):
For this Early Birds clinic we had the privilege of learning from our mentors; Helena, Gabby and Robin.
We started with two drills. First, we practiced cornering in a single line focused on following outside-inside-outside best practices. For the second drill, we practiced cornering in a double line formation, rotating one by one to each get a chance to experience different positioning, while leaving way for the rider on the inside.
Next, we did 5-6 race laps. The goal was to gain confidence and try new things including approaching the corners at different speeds, cornering lines, moving up and down the peloton. Although Early Bird races are not technically scored, each practice race finished in a sprint. Jayce (Monarch) took the win each time, with Sara (Super Sprinkles) and myself battling for second.The last race was plenty of fun, Sara and Milinda (AV) forming a successful break-away with 3 laps to go. Ultimately, each of us were riding and cornering notably better than at the start of the session!
Race Report: 2026 Santa Barbara County Road Race - Men’s E3
Race Report: 2026 Santa Barbara County Road Race - Men’s E3
Date: January 23, 2026
AVRT racers: Wil Gibb, Levi Ritter
Top Result: Wil Gibb (19/40)
Course: A downhill neutral rollout leads to four laps of a 14-mile rectangular course (57 mi, 2,800 ft.). Rolling country roads throughout, including a short climb of about 500 feet halfway through the lap (averages about 5%, kicks up to 8%). The course ends by turning right onto a final punch - a short segment almost identical in profile to the Sand Hill Stinger (https://www.strava.com/segments/19606498).
The pavement is in good condition for all but the western road, about a five-mile stretch that is beat up and has sporadic shallow pot holes which were easily traversed on 32mm tires. The final side of the course, the eastern side, is a bit more exposed and crosswinds could be felt over the road. None of the descents are technical.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17165150010
Nutrition: Two bottles with 120g carbs, one gel with 50g
Recap: Written by Wil
The start list for this race was really strong – full of large junior and collegiate teams, as well as the recently crowned king of Old La Honda, Gavin Sherry. With just me and Levi in the race, we planned on seeing how the race would unfold. The immediate pace was very relaxed, similar to the year before. Bored and foolish, I launched an attack during a particularly slow moment. My hope was that these college kids would be kind to an older rider such as myself, and initially my gap did grow to ~2 minutes. I was able to stay away for exactly one lap, whereafter I tucked myself neatly into the back to recover and think about my questionable decision.
The rest of the race was dictated primarily by Gavin, who clearly was trying to break apart the group on the main, short climb. Surprisingly, almost no one got dropped during these efforts, despite Gavin setting the KOM on the third out of four laps. Clearly these college students didn’t take an extended off season.
Going into the final climb, I took the front and set a not-so-impossible pace since I almost got popped on the KOM pace of the prior lap. This worked for the first half, and then I was able to sag climb and stay in the group comfortably to finish the climb. After this, I worked my way back towards the front, because the group always got strung out during the turn to the final 4 mile stretch. I decided that, given the strength of the group, I didn’t stand a great chance going into the 90 second final finishing climb. Instead, I attacked coming out of the corner, bringing two riders with me this time. We worked well together, and quickly had enough of a gap that I was already writing the race report in my head. However, a half mile from the finish, Gavin had started to drag the peloton back, and they swarmed us right after we made the turn to the finishing climb – less than 90 seconds from glory.
Overall, I learned a lot this race – saving my energy early could have made the final attack stick. Looking forward to see where this season takes us!
(Levi, pictured below)
Race Report: 2026 Santa Barbara County Road Race - Men’s P/1/2
Race: Santa Barbara County Road Race - Men’s P/1/2
Date: January 24, 2026
AVRT racers: George Wehner, Tom Perkins, Henry Mallon
Top Result: Henry 5th
Course: A neutral rollout leads to six laps of a 14-mile course (86 miles total, ~4,000 feet). Fast rolling county roads with mixed surface quality throughout, including a short climb early in the lap (the hardest section is about 2 minutes at 5%). The course ends by turning right onto a short kicker to the finish.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17166932674
Nutrition: 2 x 1L bottles, 2 x 650ml bottles, 1 x 150mg caffeine gel = 425 grams of carbs (~130g/hour).
Race Recap: Written by Henry.
Bike racing is back! With just three of us for Alto Velo, our plan was to play off of the teams with more numbers. I’d look more actively for a breakaway. George and Tom would stay patient. In the final lap, we’d formulate a plan to position the freshest of us for the finishing kicker.
I watched break formation from the front and decided to follow a few others bridging across to an established group ahead with hitters from all the strongest teams. Once on the short climb, I took the front to close the final 20 seconds and form a break of about a dozen. According to Strava, this effort was a few watts off my best ever 5 minute power and the highest HR (205!) that I’ve seen in quite some time. One big learning for me from riding my first P/1/2 break is that you have to be comfortable with making an enormous effort early with the likely outcome of that effort being for nothing. You have to risk losing the race for a chance at winning.
The break cooperated seamlessly, aside from some serious tomfoolery on the climb initiated by Logan Unger and Ryder Ritchie of SpeedBlock-Terun. Most laps there were huge surges in the upper crosswind section. I was inches from getting popped a few times there. I don't have the ability to snap close big attacks and get in the draft quickly, so I have to grind them back over 30+ seconds, which sucks.
The climb on the penultimate lap was especially painful. You know it’s about to hurt when you’re already pushing 500W and guys are riding away like you’re standing still. Logan and Ryder took turns attacking and I found myself closing them with other guys in the wheel. I made it across by the smallest of margins what felt like 10 separate times.
The course ends with a few miles of fast tailwind and a short kicker to the finish. In this section, Logan and Ryder started throwing haymakers. These punchy efforts on the flat are probably the hardest type of effort for me. My bread and butter is long sustained climbing where I can sit upright and breathe, not alternating between 600W and 0W while bent over in a pretzel. After a handful of times sprinting full-gas across gaps, we briefly came together and Logan just sauntered away. And we all just watched, fully on the limit and unable to respond. Andrew Carr quickly pulled away with Ryder in his wheel. The rest of us were too shattered to hold a draft and rolled in with gaps between us.
Sometimes I hate bike racing. The sitting around and waiting. The argy-bargy in the bunch. Getting steered into a gravel shoulder by an ex-pro sprinter for 40th wheel with 50 miles to go.
Today I remembered why I love it. Proper full-gas racing where the strongest wins and we all finish empty.
Anyway, that’s a lot of talk for fifth in a local January race…
Signing off,
Henry
Race Report: 2026 Cal Poly Criterium - Men’s 2/3
Race: Cal Poly Criterium - Men’s 2/3
Date: January 25, 2026
AVRT racers: George Wehner, Tom Perkins, Henry Mallon, Levi Ritter, Michael Bektas
Top Result: Henry 4th, George 7th
Course: 1-mile lap with no significant features; you can comfortably pedal through all the gentle corners.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17177456830
Nutrition: Pop-Tarts, sugar water, and caffeine.
Race Recap: Written by Henry.
My mistake cost us the win, and I think there’s a lot to learn in the details.
The plan:
Henry: mark early breakaways, first pull in the sprint leadout
Tom & Michael: do nothing, then dust everyone in the final 10 seconds
George & Levi: possible late break + help in the final lap
The race started with a few laps of random attacks. I waited for a hard moment, then put in an effort. One guy came with me, then four more bridged a few laps later. Everyone was willing to work, but the gap hovered around 20 seconds.
In my head, this was perfect. I’m busy in a doomed break while my teammates get a free ride. The longer the break dangles, the more other teams have to chase, and the fresher Tom and Michael are for the sprint. Right? Right??
Well… not exactly. With about five laps to go, it became clear we were staying away. By that point, we’d already fallen into a classic representation fallacy. Yes, we were represented in the break, but I had about a 0% chance of winning from that position given my abysmal sprint. Meanwhile, teammates behind would’ve had excellent odds if the group was together.
In hindsight, we should’ve been more selective early and only allowed a move to go with two of us represented, ideally with one being a sprinter. I also think we had the strength to simply shut down all breaks and force a favorable field sprint. In addition, I could’ve kept a closer eye on the gap, with the option to stop working or even drop back and help pull from the field.
But in our case, the probability of winning from a field sprint with Michael or Tom was so high that we should not have accepted even a small risk of a break victory where our worst sprinter had to roll the dice.
If the break gets caught with five laps to go, we execute the leadout, Michael has the freshest legs, and we probably win. Tactical geniuses. Champagne. Etc.
You see this exact mistake in pro racing all the time. A team refuses to help chase because they’re “represented,” even when their weakest rider is in the move. Sometimes other teams do the work and it pays off. Often it doesn’t.
But hey, it’s Cat 2 crit racing in January. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing it right. On to the next one.
Thanks for reading,
Henry
CBR #1 - Men’s P/1/2/3
Race: CBR #1 - Men’s P/1/2/3
Date: January 18th, 2026
AVRT racers: George Wehner, Michael Bektas, Levi Ritter
Top Result: Michael 14th/61
Course: 0.9 mile square 4 corner crit, very wide roads
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17099015006. (Livestream)
Nutrition: 500ml water w/Maurten 320 (80g carbs). I chugged a ton of water beforehand because it was 90 degrees.
Recap: (written by Michael) This was our second race of the day. It was really hot, and we were tired from being active in the 2/3 race, so we came in with a much more passive plan. We knew we didn’t have the fresh legs of the bigger teams like Legion and Terun and we would need to race smart to be successful.
That being said, this race felt way better than the 2/3. We were able to conserve energy and keep it smooth for the first hour or so of the 75 minute race. I basically knew that it was going to be Legion vs. Alex Akins (Terun), so I didn’t waste too much thought on any other possibility.
Legion put all 8 guys on the front with about 15 minutes left, so it started to get more aggressive as people knew that the end of that train was the place to be. From then until 2 to go, there was a serious washing machine effect and I moved back and forth several times. Coming into the final laps, George and I both realized we had suddenly found ourselves in great position and could contest for a good result. Despite doing the race before, I ended up having good legs, but wasn’t willing to be right in the pack, as I could see Legion and Luke Fetzer throwing serious elbows and didn’t want to risk crashing in January. Regardless, I came through the final corner in the top 15 and was able to maintain that for 14th place, with George basically right behind me. Levi finished just a little bit behind us.
This result was very encouraging as we try to establish ourselves in high level crit racing. As someone who has seen teams like Legion and races like CBR on social media, it was really cool to actually be a part of this and see that I have the potential to do well in these races.
CBR #1 - Men’s Cat 2/3
Race: CBR #1 - Men’s Cat 2/3
Date: January 18th, 2026
AVRT racers: George Wehner, Henry Mallon, Michael Bektas, Levi Ritter
Top Result: Michael 5th/61
Course: 0.9 mile square 4 corner crit, very wide roads
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17097529330. (Livestream)
Nutrition: 500ml water w/Maurten 320 (80g carbs)
Recap: (written by Michael) This was the season opener and my first Alto Velo race! George and I drove down Friday night to stay with Henry and ride some of his local roads. Levi also joined us for the race. We came into the race with a fairly clear plan: Henry and Levi would get in moves, then George and I would wait for the finish.
We stuck to the plan throughout for the most part, with Henry, Levi, and George getting into various moves. I stayed towards the front of the pack to limit any risk of crashing. With about 20 minutes to go, we realized the pack wasn’t going to let any moves get away, so we got ready for the sprint. Henry attacked with 6 to go and found himself off the front, so we got a free ride while the rest of the pack chased. George countered after Henry got caught with 4 to go to keep the rest of the field needing to chase.
After George got caught, we lined up near the front to keep me in position and keep it fast. It being the first race of the season, our timing was a little off, so we hit the front about 30 seconds too early. We got countered by riders with momentum, and I had to hit the gas hard to follow that. I wasn’t able to sprint fully out of the last corner after following that move, so I ended up rolling in for 5th.
Thanks to all my teammates who helped set me up. We’ll get them next time!
Race Report: Early Birds (Women’s 4/5)
Race: Early Birds (Women’s 4/5)
Date: January 11, 2026
AVRT racers: Emily Selman; AV Club Milinda Lakkam and Kira Harman; Robin Betz (mentor)
Top Result: There are no winners/losers in EBs
Course: 1 km square loop (right turns), closed to traffic
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17018625683
Nutrition: An orange before the clinic; 1 bottle of water in between races.
Race Summary:
(By Emily) The Jan 4 EB was canceled due to rain, so we focused on anticipation, formation, and sprinting to make up for last week. We discussed covering your front wheel and for drills, we practiced a pace line rotation. The 15 riders were divided into 2 groups, one “going for it” (Group A) and one working more on their technical skills (Group B) Pro gravel racer Jayce Cooper (Monarch) and several Sprinkles (Sherry Bai) and Monarch riders (Zoe Khuu) were in Group A.
On a personal note, this is my first race after a back surgery (and not racing last year), and I was apprehensive about how well my body would hold up and honestly wondering if I should be racing at all, since my back has been temperamental since the surgery.
We did a few warm-up laps, then lined up to do 3 x 6 lap practice races, working on technical skills and practicing different tactical scenarios. Mentor (ex pro) Ivy Audrain worked with Group A and Robin worked with the Group B.
For Group A’s first race, Jayce went to the front immediately and most of the group let her pull. Sprinkles attacked on the 5th lap but were caught going into the final lap. I noticed that none of the front riders were cornering very well, so on the last turn, I dove into the gutter and was able to hold on for the win.
In Group A’s second race, the riders stayed in a bunch, as Jayce realized she’d worked too much in race 1. Sprinkles rider Katia attacked on lap 3 but was caught on lap 4. The race came down to a bunch sprint and Jayce took the win, I was 3rd.
I wasn’t able to get the names of the winners in Group B, but Milinda and Kira took turns pulling at the front and were competitive in the bunch sprint.
For the third race, Group A and B all raced together. The mentors suggested moving around in the peloton, trying different positioning and practicing technical aspects like passing, cornering and attacking. This race was more animated, and there were about 6 riders in a breakaway after 4 laps. Ivy was next to me, asking me when I would make my move. I was going to attack on the 3rd turn, but felt the group lull on the straightaway between the 2nd and 3rd turn. I took that opportunity to attack and was able to create a gap that gave me the win.
Even though the EBs “don’t count,” I was honestly thrilled that I could race and be competitive. I had a blast racing, connecting with other riders, gaining insight from pros, and getting to be competitive, in spite of my back injury. I hope others who have experienced injuries can take heart in knowing that, even when the recovery process is long, our bodies remain capable of strength and speed if we choose to keep racing.
Race Report: 2026 CCCX MTB Series #1 XCO - Men’s Cat 1/Expert
Race: 2026 CCCX MTB Series #1 XCO - Men’s Cat 1/Expert Age 19-39
Date: January 4, 2026
AVRT racers: Michael Matthews
Top Result: Men’s Cat 1/Expert Age 19-39 2nd/8 (Men’s Cat 1/Expert Overall 5th/33).
Course: Fort Ord is the venue again this year for the 3CX (CCCX) race series. The race was a traditional format MTB XCO race with a 2.9-mile loop. Per lap elevation gain was 267 ft. The course was mostly singletrack. The expert field did six full laps. IT WAS POURING RAIN, during warmups and at the start. We would finish in sunshine though! The features of a full lap included a few pitchy little climbs, flowy single track, massive blind-bottom puddles, watt-eating mud (up to 6-inches deep in places), slippery and fast descents and a few nice straight sections that you could hammer. Trail conditions were wet and wild.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16941156360
Nutrition: Normal breakfast and ~100g of carbs in a bottle for pre/during race nutrition.
Event Recap: Lined up with what looked to be a competitive field in the pouring rain. It was a day that keeping the rubber side down could win you the race. Started well and kept with a pack of four fast younger riders. They had more to give that early in the race that I did and I made a choice to let them go toward the end of lap one. Last season I was able to use my endurance to catch back onto these moves and I wanted to avoid blowing up. The right choice, but I would not catch them. One rider was in my age category (barely, at 19 y/o). I rode the race mostly alone except for a few stints with really strong riders from age categories 40+. I took one small slide but otherwise went well. I’ve definitely taken some good learning from this poor weather racing and look forward to applying it in some aggressive dryer racing later this year. I am happy with 2nd place and some points in the first month of 2026!
Ps. took the dogs on the podium (one out of frame)!
Race Report: 2025 Stafford Lake Rattler XC (MTB) - Men’s Cat 1/Expert
Race: Stafford Lake Rattler XC (MTB) Men’s Cat 1/Expert Age 35-49
Date: November 9, 2025
AVRT racers: Michael Matthews
Top Result: Men’s Cat 1/Expert Age 35-49 1st/9 (Men’s Cat 1/Expert Overall 6th/32).
Course: The Stafford Lake Rattler XC was a traditional format MTB XC race with a ~4-mile loop. Per lap elevation gain was 475 ft. The course is a mix of singletrack, fire road and double track. It utilizes the Bike Park and the hills to the south of the park that contain trails closed to public riding. The expert field did four full laps, but the first lap was slightly abbreviated, for a total of “five” laps. The features of a full lap included a hot, steep climb, flowy descent, steady switch-back climb, techy/loose treed descent, and a couple more short ups and downs through the disc golf course. Trail conditions were mixed. Dry in most areas, but largely super grippy (from day+ old rain). The finishing straight was long, flat and grassy in the field by the lake. The drag in the grass was rough!! Wind and weather were largely a non-factor.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/16410670919
Nutrition: Normal breakfast and ~100g of carbs in a bottle for pre/during race nutrition.
Event Recap: As a part of Wave 2”b” the C1/Expert field was released one minute behind the PRO, and Junior Elites. I went into the first climb in second. On the climb we caught the lagging end of the PRO group and one Expert rider got out ahead of me around one of the juniors. Unfortunately he got a good gap of about a minute. There was never a real threat from behind. Once I got around the junior rider, I set into a strong pace and was comfortable trusting my endurance to close the gap eventually. By the middle of lap three on the larger climb I caught the lead Expert rider. I kept the pressure on up the entire climb and opened a small gap. He closed it quickly on the next descent. On the false-flat technical section before the fire road and grassy finish loop, I decided to jump, committing to an early move. I created another gap and pushed it on the flats to extend it. That gap would hold all the way to the end for the win! I held a sustainable pace and was conservative in the tech for the remaining 2 laps. I am proud of this one, being my first C1/Expert race and being fairly de-trained during a fall break. Also, according to Strava (at time of writing), I claimed the 6th fastest lap on the day!
