We know how to party

Party with the team......we got the beer, we got the glue.

CCCX II.....Wot a team, I tell ya

Even Frank Kalcic's kids got on the podium today.

Steve Gile and Brett Lambert went 1th and 3rd in the 45 A group, Bill Hall won the single-speed B race,Courtney Grossman placed second in the 35 B race, even your swiggboss managed 7th in the 45 B race. The Elite races were successful as well with Stella easily outdistancing the womens A field. The Mens race was an all-star contest between the Cal Giant strawberrys and the HRS crew. Cal might have won the race but our squad showed that we had nearly as much firepower on the day with Josh Snead coming in a lose 2nd, Scott Chapin narrowly getting outsprinted by Justin Robinson, Aaron Odell coming in a solo 6th and Alex Work finishing 10th. Those are your top-ten finishers, at least the ones I know about until the CCCX lists the final tally. Max Clifford, Tim Watson and Frank Kalcic represented in the Masters A race and Jeff Patton , Dean Poshard and David Wyandt rode in the Elite A race. The best is yet to come and these results are fantastic already.

Fairax photos -

Thanks to a few friends we got some nice shots of the team racing. Looks like per the mini race report it is the return of the giant strawberry duel.
Thanks Jason for the pics!

Team Rock Lobster- shot10, originally uploaded by jason braun.

Team Rock Lobster- shot4, originally uploaded by jason braun.

Fairfax mini-report

The Lion of Fairfax race was a hot and dusty affair with a lot of families bringing thier kids to race. Lucky for the kids, they got to race first before the heat went up . Our A squad was a little lean, missing a few players, most notably Aaron Kereluk and Dave Wyandt. Lucky for us, our depth allowed for good results and some bolstering from Max Clifford who elected to race the hour rather than his age group. Andy Jaques-Mayne and Justin Robinson showed up to make it a real race, and that's just what they did. Josh Snead held his own the longest but was shadowed by Justin Robinson nearly the whole race. The predictable move came midway through the race as Andy attacked and no one could follow. Scott Chapin was up in front for the early part of the race but when Andy made his move, Josh gave chase with Justin in tow and Scott was alone for the rest of the hour. Aaron Odell suffered a flat and had two wheel changes but still finished just ahead of an impressive Alex work. The heat proved too much for Evan Adams but Jeff Patton and Max Clifford toughed it out to finish. At the finish it was Josh 3rd,Scott 4th, Aaron 6th and Alex 7th.......four in the top ten. I do not have other results but the probably will be up soon.

Josh Snead Lion Of Fairfax in the news

Josh Snead snags more press time regarding htis weekends assault on the Lion Of Fairfax event.
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_10549082?IADID=Search

Good luck to Snead and the rest of the team headed out for racing this weekend.

Interbike and CrossVegas

I had never been to Vegas before, let alone Interbike, so it took a little while to get adjusted to the high levels of oxygen mixed with cigarette smoke in the casinos. It was really cool to get to go to the show and see all the new cycling goodies, but that was not the reason I made the trip to Las Vegas. Wednesday night after the show closed its' doors the masses migrated to the Desert Breeze soccer complex on the outskirts of town to witness the madness that is this sport we all love so much.

The start was blistering fast and the pace did not let up. I rode the first few laps in pretty good position. Besting Lance at the start, I hung in his group in the high twenties for a couple laps before fading back to the low thirties. I could hear the announcers excitedly accounting how aggressive the lead riders were being and started wondering how long it would be before they started pulling riders, so that there were not any conflicts with the leaders.

So with four or five laps to go, you get what the picture shows you. I was in a group of seven or eight riders and the front few were able to separate themselves from the rest of us. I figured it was not long before they were going to pull our plug and the fun was going to be over so I decided to make the most of this time with so many spectators. There were tons of people along the fence at the finish line and near the barriers. I started riding by them with my hand out stretched, giving high fives to anyone who would take them. This was about the same time I realized I could make some good money ($8) if I took the singles people were holding out.

What I did not expect was to stay strong and keep the pace high enough that I would not get pulled. It was so much fun. The crowd was so intense and energetic that it became hard to slow down. Definitely one of the most fun races I have been in yet! And I might add that the bikes look pretty hot under those lights too.
Photo by: Kurt Jambretz

Full Press Release

HRS/Rock Lobster 2008-2009 cyclocross team.
Team HRS/Rock Lobster enters its fifth season with the goals of continuing to dominate San Francisco and Nor-Cal cyclocross races and will also be sending some elite members to select U.C.I. events and Cross Nationals thanks to a continued title sponsorship with HResource Solutions of Santa Cruz California and factory support by Rocklobster Cycles.

Last season the team tallied over 20 victories and nearly 100 podium places, swept the podium for the NCNCA cup, and a podium spot at Lebbeke Kleicross Belgium.
For 2008 with 35 riders including Elite and new up'n coming racers in 2 states, the team is one of the most formidable west of the rockies and is locked and loaded for a full-frontal assault on 'cross.

More info available at http://teamrockblogster.blogspot.com

Sponsors:
HResource Solutions, Rock Lobster cycles, Jeff Traugott guitars, Value Outsourcing, Mavic sports, Easton-Bell sports, Chris King, Paul Component Engineering, Challenge tires, Ristorante Avanti, and Blackburn .

Racers:
Elite Team: Stella Carey, Sarah Kerlin, Ben Popper, Aaron Odell, Aaron (Bacon boy) Kereluk, David Wyandt, Joshua (DJ) Snead.
Elite Masters: Max Clifford, Tim Watson, Matt Jordan, Evan Adams, Sean Coffey, Brett Lambert, Steve Gile, Frank Kalcic.
A-Men: Dean Poshard, Scott Chapin, Nick Purtscher, Alex Work, Jeff Patton.
Staff:
Directeur swiggif / Sommelier: Paul H. Sadoff
Mechanic : Ryan C. Bontrager
Stylist : Simon Vickers
Publicity and logistics : Brent Chapman
Inventory and treasury control : Tim Watson
Mascot and inspiration : Scott "buckethead " Chapin.

Stella crunch 2008 CCCX #1

PHOTO CREDITS: 2008 CCCX #1 Sept 21 592, originally uploaded by SWoo.

Stella drops the hammer on Mini Melody on the last shot to the finish for a win.
The battle was epic in this race.

Popper getting some Lobster points

PHOTO CREDITS: Passing me again., originally uploaded by chimblysweep.

Ben Popper kicking some tail on the mid west frontier!

Kerlin Spotted at StarCrossed too.

FLICKR PHOTO CREDITS: DSC_0141, originally uploaded by Dirkage.

Looks like Sarah and Matt made the trip up North.
Sarah got 8th at Star Crossed.

Looks like Kerlin was racing up north

Nice Results Sarah!

http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2008/sep08/radracinggp08/2008_RadRacingWomen_01

can't touch this

We have the best team.......if there was any doubt, those doubts were from crazy people. Not only did our team show up in numbers but there were three wins on the day. #1 was Steve Gile in the 45 plus A catagory, one of the most heated contests of the day. #2, the photo shows Melodie Metzger and Stella in lock step, as it was for most of the race. In the last lap however it was all Stella who showed tactical acumen and supreme confidence to best her worthy opponent.

Josh Snead gave a master class on how to dominate the locals but he had help from Dean Poshard and Alex Work in the first lap with some really fast leadouts. Scott Chapin got second with a strong ride that pretty much gave notice to the field that the buckethead was the new fast guy in town. Dave Wyandt rode conservatively on the first lap but went into pursuit mode and mowed down all the riders between himself and third place, completing the HRS/Rock Lobster podium sweep. Alex Work finished a credible 6th after his strong start. The absence of some of our strongest riders did not keep the team from really scoring big in the first CCCX. Courtney Grossman got 2nd in the 35 plus B catagory and Frank Kalcic finished near the front of the 45 plus A group. As usual, Ryan Bontrager provided excellent support where it was required . Nice start to the 2008 season !

LAPRD photos

DSC_0368, originally uploaded by liveplayride.

CHeck out the LAPRD photos on LAPRD site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/liveplayride/

Tie for first

DSCN5535, originally uploaded by liveplayride.

Sarah K and Josie JM in a tie.

LAPRD#2 Results coming in

Snead takes 2nd to Andy JM.
Clifford – 6th
Patton – 7th

Brett, Matt, and Sarah were there racing. Waiting for results.

LAPRD #1 - Strike a win for HRS-Rocklobster

Photo Credits Benjamin Dodge- visit his site for more

LAPRD#1 in scorching heat:
Men’s A
Josh Snead took 1^st
Jeff Patton 10^th in the .

Master’s A race
Max Clifford 8th (pending)

Your team

This isn't the whole team by any stretch but it's the core group, give or take a few. This picture was taken before the pre-team presentation party. The ride was pretty spirited, showing how these folks are primed locked and loaded for the season.