The Bicycle Advocate

Scientific tests have shown that...



four out of five cycling club members prefer...



the Bicycle Advocate Burger from OTB.

Group Ride to North Park

This Saturday we did a group ride to North Park from campus. Below is a map of the route we took:




The fall weather was terrific! Nice and cool and lots of colorful trees to see. We did a single loop around the lake once we got to North Park, which is an excellent place for running and cycling with very little traffic. So little traffic in fact that we took a bunch of pictures:

Saturday Group Ride

Just got back from a really nice group ride with 6 guys. We headed out from campus a little after 10am, across the Highland Park Bridge, out Freeport and up and over Guys Run. The climb was very nice and the descent through Fox Chapel was beautiful. Here are a few photos I snapped:



Here is a GPS map of the ride.

Weekend Group Riding

School is back! And so is the Tartan Cycling Club. We're holding regular weekend group rides. Anyone is welcome to come. Sign up on our email list to stay informed. Below are a couple photos from the ride today. Look at all those Tartan kits!

Fall Flyer

Friday Night Time Trials

Aaron S. and John H. before the start of the Friday Night 10-mile time trial at the Washington Blvd oval on 8/7/09. Check out those sweet tartan skin suits.

Results:
1) Steve Marlette 22:04
3) John Jeffner 22:22
7) Ben Stephens 23:47
10) Aaron Shelmire 24:05

Featured in Carnegie Mellon Today

NEWS FLASH: The club and club president Benjamin Stephens were recently featured in the Carnegie Mellon Today Alumni magazine. Read the article and share it with your friends and family.

Aliquippa Ride/Race Report

Dan and Ben attended the first race of the Aliquippa crit series this morning. They made a day of it by riding to and from the race from school. 25 miles each way! The weather was amazing, but extremely warm compared to what the guys have dealt since last summer. John Heffner, a former associate tartan cyclist joined the guys for the ride and the race.

The field was small, with 20ish guys. They did 14 laps of the 1.5-mile rectangle. It was fairly slow until about 7 to go when Ben broke away after a prime lap. He proceeded off the front for a while but suffered a dumb mechanical and by the time he got it fixed had missed the group and dropped out. Dan, however, attacked with Heffner with about 3 to go and ended up winning the race!

Some excellent photos of the race have been posted by Fred Jordan. Here are some of the good ones featuring Ben and Dan:







The guys will be heading to Penn State for the ECCC Conference Championships.

Mingo Creek Race Report

Ben, Travis and Chris contested the Mingo Creek road race this morning. The course is a rolling 6-mile loop with two short kickers and a long downhill section. All three of the guys raced in the Men's Cat 4/5 race. Ben joined a breakaway group of 5 during the 5th lap (out of 6) and sprinted to a 2nd place finish. Chris suffered a minor crash after a close encounter with a loose dog on the course. Travis finished in a sizeable chase group.

UPDATE: There are a bunch of photos by Fred Jordan from the Mingo Creek Road Race this past weekend. Here are some of the good ones featuring CMU riders:

Travis

Chris

Ben

Ben gets 2nd!

Philly Phlyer Weekend

Carnegie Mellon University was represented by four racers at the Philly Phlyer collegiate race weekend. Ben, Dan, Travis and Chris loaded up their bikes and drove out to Travis's house in NJ Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning came early, and after munching on some bagels and fruit salad, the guys headed for Fairmount Park near downtown Philadelphia. The race has been held here for at least the past 2 years (the longest any of the guys has been in the club), so they knew the routine.

The only race for Saturday was a road race, consisting of a 6-mile loop featuring a long flat riverside drag, a gradual climb about half way through, and a short punchy climb right before the finishing circuit. Travis and Chris were first to go, both racing in the Men's D Division 2 field, which would do 2 laps. The pair looked good during the first lap, staying with the front group. By the time the 2nd lap came around the field had splintered and they came home in mid-pack. This was Travis's first race as a D racer.

Next was Ben in the Men's C race. The two divisions were combined, making for a 71-man field, all of whom would do 3 laps of the circuit.  After a very animated race, Ben emerged in good position after the final hill, shot off the front and sprinted for the line. Not known for his sprinting ability, he was caught at the line and finished 2nd by a wheel-length. Still, this was one of his best results ever.

Dan was next to contest the Men's B race (his first). The Men's B field did 4 laps, but did not seem as animated as the C field.  Dan held on for a solid pack finish.

The four guys spent the rest of the day eating, resting and catching up on some homework (and watching movies).  Sunday morning meant the first Team Time Trial of the year for the club.  All four of the guys lined up in the Men's B TTT and headed out for a rainy 8 miles of pain!  After a very akward start and a little yelling, it came together.  Slowly, Chris and Travis peeled off leaving Ben and Dan to finish the race (time goes by 2nd wheel).  Dan ended up pulling Ben around the course and the two finished a respectable 7th out of 12 teams in Men's B.

Finally... "The" Philly Phlyer.  A oval-like crit around Fairmont Park.  It was still raining during the Men's D race.  Chris and Travis again held their ground and finished mid-pack.  By Ben's race, it looked like the rain would stop and the sun would come out... and it did... right after he finished at the back of the pack.  Dan had the best crit of the group.  He sat on like a good crit racer and at the final lap gave it a go and pulled off the front.  We watched him cruise the back stretch, but then when the pack rounded the final corner he had fallen backwards.  Still, he finished strong and survived to fight another day!

Next race will be a local race, Mingo Creek, on Sunday.  The next collegiate race will be the Penn State Conference Championships first week of May.

Tartan Cycling Blog Launched

Everybody is doing it... so shall we! Stay tuned for updates and media from our recent rides and races.