Conference noted::bicycle

    Chip,
    
    When will the race be and what is it's route.  I gave up on racing 
    (more of a distance rider) but since I live in Hollis I might like to
    go watch ;')
    
    ...Ed

    Isn't Hollis that place with all those nasty little but steep hills ?
    On the way to Brookline ?  If so 'should be a *great* place for a RR.

     I don't have the info in front of me,but the race is Sunday, 9/27.
    They are limiting the field to 50 for each citizen category (minimum
    of 20).
    
     I think it starts around 9:00-10:00. If you fell like doing it you'd
    need to the application in to be safe. 
    
     It approximately 30 miles long. The terrain (which I'm sure you're
    very familiar with) is rolling/hilly.
    
     It's $13.00 up front (includes insurance since there isn't a "release"
    form).
    
     I'll try and remember to bring in the pamphlet and post more detail.
    I believe the fellow who's organizing it is named Warren Coulier and
    he lives on Aslum Street. Do you know him? (BTW this is all from
    my failing memory).
    
     Chip

	If you live in Hollis you'd probably recognize this route:

	Start in front of the Marketplace general store across from the 
		high school.
	122 towards Pepperell (rolling + good down hill)
	Sharp right at bottom of hill onto Prescott Road (easy rolling)
	Right onto Brookline Road (still rolling)
	Right onto 130 (succession of 3 hills: the last one gets ya!)
	Right onto 122
	You're back at the Start Line.

	Different categories do different numbers of loops.  I think all
	the citizen categories do 2.5 loops, finishing partway up the
	first hill on 130.  The licensed riders do more loops, but the
	finish is in the same place.

	I'd definitely call this a pretty challenging RR!  I know I always
	approach those hills on 130 with dread.

	Sue 

     We started in the high school parking lot last year, right?
    
     Just checking the memory bank...
    
       Chip

	Yep, last year the start was in the h.s. parking lot.  I was talking
	with some Nashua Velo Club guys at Goodale's and we were checking 
	out the Hollis RR entry form.  As far as they know, this year the 
	start will be on 122 in front of the Marketplace store.  I'm not
	sure why they changed it, but I'd imagine the start will go somewhat
	more smoothly this way: you don't have a big pack of riders trying
	to take the 90 degree left and 90 degree right to get onto 122.

	Sue

    
    Speaking of NH Velo.  Since they train on that loop once a week, it
    would be good strategy to get on one of their wheels.  Or, P.V.'s,
    either way it might be big chainring for the duration.

>riders that rarely say Hi!

Hey!  I resemble that remark!  I'm a member of the NVC and suffer thru that
loop usually once a week (Tuesday nights).  The reason no one says hi is 'cos
no one has any extra breath with which to give greetings. %^)

BTW: it pretty much is big chainring except for the hills on 130 (at least for
me).  But I go out w/the last group which I think is the slowest.  Who knows, 
the animals who go out in the first group might do it in a 53x12!

    The citizen's race is 53km (which probably means 2.5 loops around the
    course). Citizen age categories are: 15-18, 19-34, 35-49, 50+.

    The Cat III race is 88km and the Cat IV's and V's are 70km.
	
    Registration is at 8-9:30 am (races start at 10 - 10:16), Sunday, 
    27-September at the Hollis Marketplace. $15 plus $1 for insurance on race 
    day. $12 plus $1 if you register before 20-September. 
    
    To pre-register send mail to:
    
    Fall Freedom Race
    c/o Warren Coulter
    28 Alsun Drive
    Hollis, NH, 03049
    
    Contact Warren at 603-465-2744 for more info.
    
    There was a note in the flyer stating that USCF riders had to include a
    standard release form so it would seem that one isn't required for the
    citizen's race.
    

         Having participated in triathlons in the past (but never a
    citizens bike race) and having ridden the Hollis course many times
    (not knowing it was a race course), I am intrigued by the 90
    degree, high speed corner at the intersection of Rt. 122 and Prescott
    Street in Pepperell.  Seems that it might be a tad on the dangerous
    side, especially since it seems to collect a bit of sand now and
    again.  I hope the course marshalls pay particular attention to it.
    
    Russ

  I haven't done this race before, but I have had the pleasure of chasing 
John Shortt up the hills on Rt 130 SEVERAL times.  The last time was
2 weeks ago when we hit the hills after about 70 miles of riding and John
insisted we crank it in the big chainring....  I suspect that you won't
have to worry about shifting down to the small chainring for this race....

  I'm sure Chip could provide more info as he's done this race several 
times.  Given the time he just posted in the Mt Washington race, I'm planning
on trying to stay on his wheel up the hills ;*)

Pete

    I'll confess... I use my 42 for the Hollis. The way my legs are
    feeling right now, I may leave my Mt. Washington gears on for about a
    month! 
    
     Don't let Pete's remarks fool you... They guy is a monster on hills.
    And don't tell him, but I'm planning on sucking his wheel! :-)
                                                    ---
     Seriously, it's the kind of course that can be very demanding (or
    not) depending on the personality of the field. If they press it,
    it can be tough. If it's a moderate (defines as typical) pace, it
    shouldn't be  too much of a problem for anyone with experience or
    in shape to hang with the pack... Even on the big hill.
    
     It really is a rolling course and the only real demand is that last
    hill coming up to the intersection. I lost the lead pack last year
    due to being behind a crash (about 15 guys rode away while the main
    body was trying to make it around bodies and equipment). A guy from the
    NEBC club and I still were able to work back to the pack (even up the
    big hill). It wasn't easy and took too much out of me and got dropped
    on the big hill on the second loop.
    
     So Pete... You will be a contender "fer shere" !!!
    
       Chip

    
    re: .8
    
    >-< when your HR is pushing 190, u don't say hi >- 
    
    I know what you mean! Next time we ride over there I'll look for you
    Sue.  I have wanted to try and jump on the back of the group and try
    and hang for a while.  By the way, I was kidding....a few of the
    animals up front smile and casually greet us as we go in the opposite
    direction.  We must introduce them to Pete.
    
    Sue, out of curiousity, how long will you be doing that Tues. night
    workout and when does it begin in the spring?
    
    john
    
    

    Hi John,

    Ahhh... I hate to admit that I've missed the last few Tuesday night
    rides.  I'm not even certain that they're still doing them, but I'd
    imagine they'd go until at least the Hollis RR.  This spring the
    first official ride was April 14.  There was an unofficial ride that
    I showed up for on April 7.  I think the general rule is they start
    as soon as we do that "Spring Forward" time change.

    You can check at Goodales's come Spring: a lot of their employees are
    in the club.  Also, if the NVC newsletter lists it, I'll enter it in
    the conference.

    Sue

	Looks like we might not have the best of weather on Sunday.
	The current forcast is for rain.  I don't know if I'm *that*
	much of a die hard....

    I'll enter the first post-race report...
    
     CONGRATUALTIONS to Peter Vincent!!! He took the 35-48 (nice age range)
    win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
     The course was as demanding as ever. We finally were able to break
    away from a very large lead pack (maybe 35-40) on the second loop of
    the race on that final climb into the intersection (Hollis ctr.).
    
     The breakawy consisted of about 12 riders. I got caught between the
    breakaway pack and the rest of the group, but did manage to catch
    the breakaway pack after about 1/2 mile or so. Yup, I was trashed
    when I did catch 'em, but I did recover quickly and took my turns
    at the front.
    
     The pack (I hope I don't leave any Deccies out consisted of Peter,
    myself, a fellow rider of mine from Gamache's - A.J. Ouellette and
    a few others). We worked very well taking 30 second pulls and widened
    the distance between us and the rest of the pack. I think we may have
    had as much as a 1/4 to a 1/2 mile on them on the the last 3/4 circuit
    or so. I know that some did come within 15 seconds or so toward the
    end.
    
      Anyway, I flatted with about a 1 1/2 miles to go so I fell off the
    lead pack. Not that I would've won, but I did have a shot at the top
    10 places. I must have come in 13th or 14th becuase only the pack
    went by. Yes I did finish with the flat (front tire). I was so close to
    the finish I said screw it. I did hit 40mph going down that long hill
    before the last climb. Pretty hairy, but it turned out to be my only
    rush for the day!
    
     I'd like to thank the pack for letting me pull about 3 miles during
    the last circuit (with about 5 miles to go)... I nreally needed to
    burn my quads up, AGAIN! I tried to pull to the right at least 3
    times, but people must've thought I was doing such a wonderful job
    they just pulled over with me! Even Peter said that he was enjoying
    the view directly behind me saying that I was looking so smooth he
    didn't want to interrupt my ride :-)... Thanks Pete!!!!
    
     That's all. Oh, the yogurt apples were very good!
    
        Chip  

 The Hollis race had quite a bit of cat & mouse tactics.  Chip's description 
is only partly accurate.  He pulled FOR 4 miles NOT 3, and he forgot to 
mention that he was averaging 27-28 mph with the rest of the pack just
hanging on ;^)  Unfortunately for Chip, he choose to pull just as everyone
else was thinking about sitting in to rest for the last time up the hills
on Rt 130.  I would have taken a pull, but I was hypnotized by the speed
and flash of the Ti & Campy laden machine eating up the road in front 
of me!  I just would have made everyone mad if I had moved to the front 
and pulled at my top speed which is about 17-18 mph...... 

  Chip, too bad about the flat. That last downhill with a flat front tire
at 40MPH must have really got your adrenalin pumping!!!  I'm sure I would
have been looking at your wheel disappear up that final hill......

Pete  

    Yes, just as I pictured.

    Chip, I used to be able to empathize with you in regards to Peter being
    on my wheel, but that was then.  Now, he doesn't even bother to get
    behind, so I sit on his, until he drops me.  But, to Pete's credit, he
    does wait at the top most of the time :-)!

    john

Here's another peloton's results, from the 18-35 Citizen's group. In a nut-
shell, I enjoyed the race a lot even though I had a lousy finishing position.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this race, since I took a good drubbing in the
Manchester RR in August and was not relishing the prospect of a repeat on
another course advertised as hilly (as it turned out, the course was much
easier than Manchester's). But I figured that perhaps the forecast of poor
weather would keep away some of the contenders (which I think it did), thus
increasing the possibility of my doing OK. So the day before the race I decided
to go ahead (I hadn't pre-registerred).

I think the 18-35 group had probably 15 to 20 people in it, smaller than I was
expecting. We started off at a very comfortable pace. I'd never ridden the
course, so for the first of three laps I planned to just sit in and feel things
out. (I was glad that it was a circuit race, because I could learn at the
beginning and ue it at the end.) The pack stayed together the first lap (which
in fact it essentially did for the whole race). The three hills at the end of
the circuit on Rt. 130 were good enough to leave you breathing hard, but not
enough to really split our pack up. I was heartened by this, because it was
the hills that killed me at Manchester.

For the second lap, everything was still nice and smooth, and I was feeling
good. The pack stayed nicely in line everywhere but on the hills. On the back
stretch, the pace felt a little slow so I pulled out of the line and went to
the front. I was interested to see how people responded. As I figured, everyone
pulled in behind me. After a couple of miles, someone else took over (which was
fine by me). On the Rt. 130 leg, the rider in front started pulling away -- not
in a sprint, just a gradual increase of pace. Everyone was letting him go,
which I didn't think was such a good idea. So I pulled out of line and went up
to him. The pack must have thought this was worth doing, since they came up
right behind.

The third and final lap started with me around the back, tired from the last
hill but not in danger of being dropped, thankfully! Again, the riding was
pretty smooth and controlled. About a third of the way through the lap, two
people started pulling away. I was somewhat tired and so didn't head after
them. I hoped to stay in the pack for a while, resting, while we reeled them
in. As it turned out, the pair got a maximum gap of 100-200 meters before
the lead shrunk and then we were all together again. Thank you peloton.

Turning onto Rt. 130 for the final three miles of the race, I was feeling OK.
I worked my way to the front by the start of the final hill. This felt good.
Not that I expected to win, but I expected to contend (for the first time). So
we start up the hill. I'm in a 52x17 I think to start with. Soon it was time
(for me) to drop to the small chain ring. Critical error made. I haven't
drilled it into my head that, with my low-end Shimano drive train, I can't
downshift the front deraileur while on one of the outter three cogs, unless
I remove ALL force from the pedals. So I push the front shift lever forward,
and all that happens is a scraping noise. Crap. So I let off a little on the
pedals. Nothing. Dog doo-doo! Well, another second and I've got it down onto
the small chainring, but on a hill, essentially stopping pedalling for a couple
of seconds 500 meters from the end of a race put me at the back of the pack.
Blast my ineptitude and my bike! I struggled after the group, passing a few
people who had run out of gas. I used my last energy to sprint past another
person on the line, but I must have finished behind two-thirds or three-
quarters of the field. We finished with a 23.something MPH average for the 32.8
or so miles.

All-in-all, I had a really enjoyable race. I was participating some, rather
than just being there.
						-- Tom

     Nice job Tom... It stinks when those little mechanical gremlins
    show up at the most inopportune times.
    
     I got to meet a couple of NOTERS as well, which is always nice.
    
     Tom for one and Sue Nale and her husband.
    
        Chip

	While waiting for the race to start, I saw a guy on a Merlin which
	was outfitted with Ti stem, seatpost, and water bottle cages.  And
	these are only the components I could see from a distance!  I figured
	that's gotta be Chip.  I was right.  

	Post-race I got to meet Chip, Peter Vincent (congrats! Did you eat 
	your apple pie yet?), Tom Dahl, and A J (a non-DECcie perhaps).  Hope 
	I'm not leaving anyone out.  It's a little overwhelming meeting so
	many at once.  

	It turned out to be a really nice day.  It wasn't raining, but the
	ground was a little wet especially in the wooded areas.  It was
	cool, but not cold (unlike last year).  After the race, the sun came
	out which made it nice for milling around and meeting people.

	BTW, did anyone notice that horse on the right side of Brookline
	Road?  I didn't see a halter on it, and I don't remember seeing a
	fence either.  If it was loose, we sure were lucky that it didn't 
	decide to join us.  I thought avoiding squirrels (the furry kind)
	was tricky!

	Sue

     I agree Sue about the horse... I guess we're also lucky it didn't
    decide on a little "roadside relief" either. Otherwise we'd be
    dodging road muffins (or scraping them off after the race). :-)
    
      Chip

    RE .21
    
      Sue forgot to mention why she was milling around at the end of the
    race.

    A quick update on my "air-less" Continental Grand Prix racing tire...
    I just threw a tube in and pumped it up. the tire seems fine although
    I can't vouch for the integrity of the side-wall anymore...
    
     Chip

The course is a 10 mile loop this year that cuts across Worcester Rd in Hollis
instead going down to Prescott in Peperrel. Worcester Rd is kind of narrow with
a couple of rollers with a big "S" near the Brookline Rd end. 

Citizens do 3 laps, IV-V's do 4, III's do 5.

First group off at 10:00 AM. Registration opens at 8:00 AM in the Hollis 
Marketplace (corner of 122 and 130).

$17 looks like the price.

-tom