Serfas Sunglasses 2011 BBVP Sponsor

2011 Sponsor Serfas

SERFAS

I want to take this opportunity to announce another great sponsor for 2011. Of course no one can top our team sponsors Beverly Bike and Ski www.beverlyallseasons.com and Vee Pak, Inc. www.veepak.com . Serfas optics has decided to sponsor us. The team has had the pleasure of using these great glasses in 2009. They are top quality at a very affordable price. How many times have you thrown down $100 for a set of Oakley’s or Rudy Project’s and just lose them at race or crashed and totally destroyed them. Well for less than half the price you can have the same quality and a company that backs their product.
Last year, Tony was at race and crashed go figure, right? Anyway, of course he doesn’t break any bones but the glasses didn’t make it. He asked me about it and I told him you’re SOL. I also told him check with the bike shop. The shop called Serfas www.serfas.com direct and they said they would cover it. That’s pretty good of Serfas to back their product. We made the right choice and BB/VP is sticking with Serfas for the 2011 race season. Give them a try you won’t be disappointed!!!


These are the glasses I have.

ISLA
(picture upper right)
Features:
(H.O.T.) Helmet Optimized Temples reduce Helmet interference

Each Model comes with 4 sets of Interchangeable Lenses

Infinite bend temples to customize fit

Extra nose pads included

Furnished with EVA hard case and micro fiber bag

RX compatible clip in frame included



FORCE 5
(pictured top left)
Features:
Each Model Comes With 4 Sets of Interchangeable Lenses

(H.O.T.)Helmet Optimized Temples Reduce Helmet Interference

TR-90- Frame Construction For Extreme Durability

Decentered Polycarbonate Lens Technology

Soft Elastomer Nose Pads and Temple Inserts

Metal Side Panels

Designed for Smaller Faces

Separate Polorized and Photochromic Lenses Available

 

Serfas sunglasses

Monsters of the Midway 1-2-3 Race

I rolled out of bed at like 11:30 in South Bend, packed up my stuff for the summer and drove straight to U of Chicago for the Monster's race.  It was 75 and sunny when I left Indiana, and it was 40 and raining when I got to U of C.  The field was way smaller than last year.  I think last year we had like 70 guys in this race...today there were only 25.  I suspect a lot of people got scared off by the weather.  Too bad, since the organizers did a great job putting this thing together.

A few moves tried to go early.  I chased a little bit here and there.  The main move got away like 20 minutes into the race.  Guys were sitting up and letting bridge attempts go at will.  I hit the front and cleaned up all the chase moves so it was just a 4 man break.  One guy crashed or flatted, so it was down to three.  Even though they ended up getting 30 seconds on us, I knew there was a chance we'd get them if they slowed down too much at the end.  My teammate Tony took a few pulls, and did a great job hanging in there even though he already raced.  With 15 to go, Chris Padfield hit the front and did a great job...he pulled for over ten laps and shelled a bunch of guys from the chase group.  With one to go he was still pulling.  I was sort of getting complacent on his wheel though, since two guys attacked with 400 meters to go and got a small gap.  I decided to try and jump onto the group.  That took a lot out of me and so I had to settle for seventh.  We caught the break on the line.

Tomorrow is Fox River Grove, a race VERY ill suited to me.  But it's important to get out of your comfort zone and do a race where you know you'll get your butt kicked.  It builds character, it's good for fitness, and its kind of fun to do something other than a normal flat crit.  So I'm looking forward to it, even though I guarantee I'll embarrass myself.

New Team Wheels

I Love Goshen Twilight Crit

Friday I raced in Goshen, Indiana.  The atmosphere was awesome.  The town has a festival the first Friday of every month.  Local businesses set up shop outside and thousands of people show up.  The 1/2/3 race started at 8 pm, so it was a twilight crit.  The course was four corners, very safe, wide open, and fast.  I stayed up front through the start since many of the riders had raced earlier in the 3s and were opening up gaps.

As you'd expect, attacks flew off the front.  About 15 minutes in I started to go with them since I sensed that one would stick.  After one group got a solid gap, I counterattacked immediately.  Unfortunately I was pulled back right away, and the guys that countered THAT one stuck.  They built a solid gap of 10 to 15 seconds.

I thought it was over but around the halfway mark a guy tried to bridge so I grabbed his wheel.  He did a great job pulling for two straightaways, but when it was my turn to pull through I gapped him and accidentally lost him.  I kept going, and gave it my all.  I closed the gap to within ten yards.  I was about to catch them around the second corner, so I blasted through the turn as fast as I could.  Unfortunately, at this point I was completely cross-eyed, and I forgot there was a sewer cap in the apex of the turn.  For some reason I swerved inside to avoid it, which turned out to be a sidewalk.  I was going way too fast to bring it back under control, and I shot off the course onto somebody's lawn.  I took my free lap and hopped back in.  I sincerely hope that was the stupidest thing I did all day since I took a final exam earlier...and if I did anything dumber on that test I probably failed out of school.

I did plenty of pulling since I'd given up trying to bridge at that point.  A few late attacks went and I followed, but I ended up in the field sprint.  The race wasn't really fast enough to fight for position with three to go, so I waited until the last lap to move up.  I ended up somewhere in the top ten in the sprint.  Frustrating race for me, compounded by my own errors.  At least my legs are starting to come around.