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… as a Cat5. Also the last race I completed. The last road race for a few weeks too. Anyway.

Hillsboro Roubaix delivered yet again, with drop-dead gorgeous weather, great racing and a banner day for my team.

As for my race; it seems as though I was one of the only ones in the field that had raced, possibly at all, this season already. There was almost a crash not 2 miles in and on a straight. The pack could keep no semblance of steady pace, so i attacked at just about mile 5 (of 22). I felt good. Too good. As I kept looking back I really started to believe my break could stick, so I stopped looking and put my chin on my stem.

After a while the wind got the best of me (they should call it Windsboro Roubaix). 2 other racers had chased me down and we began to work together. After we all took a few pulls, I was unable to hold their wheels up one of the climbs. It wasn’t such a bad ascent, but I was cooked and it was beginning to show. I decided to let them go.

Apparently I did a good job of breaking up the pack. Another chase group of about 6 picked me up and in in was my teammate, Stan. Again, we all tried to work together and I tried to keep Stan out of the wind. After getting stuck behind the women’s PRO field on a descent — rendering us unable to pass legally — the climb back up “broke” me (according to the wheel-truck driver’s assessment of my facial expression). The rest of the group got away and I was alone.

Recovery being a strength of mine, I was at least able to catch up with Stan again. He was having a hard time getting his heart-rate down so I kept him in the gutter (see photo) as best I could until the final climb into town. Having just ridden Georgia’s mountains, Hillsboro’s “toughest” climb seemed like a cakewalk compared to last year. So, i just spun up it as fast as I could. I did not realize that I was dropping Stan.

The 40+mph descent into town is always one of my favorite parts, so I laid it all down. I had slight concerns regarding the remaining pack and I wanted to ensure a spot for both Stan and I in the top 10. Unfortunately Stan got nipped at the line in a sprint with a xXx rider, but he still got 10th. I got 8th. Our teammate, Mia, in her first race ever got 9th in the women’s Cat4.

I wish all road races could be like this… but it’s back to “reality” now. Can’t wait ’til next year.

While the exact details are a bit unclear at this point, it appears that Colnago will be coming to Chicago to distribute their high-end Italian bikes.

We already have SRAM here in Chicago. Less than 200 miles northwest we have Trek, Planet Bike, etc. in Wisconsin.  And, in possibly one of the most unassuming zip-codes imaginable, we may have the most cycling industry product distributors per-capita.

Move over California?

Just a few months ago marked the beginning of my new existence as a bicycling-blogger. While this and the number of posts here may state otherwise, it was on an autumn trip to Whitewater, Wisconsin that the wheels began turning – so to speak. In order to delve into the world of bicycles, beyond my own riding/racing of them, I took a tour of the Trek factory to see their American-made bike operations first hand.

Upon entering the facility, I was not immediately impressed. I paged through product catalogs and noted bikes I liked. There was also a custom-painted Madone on the wall, but other than that I remained collected. I then met our tour guide, Juan Nava, put on some goggles and walked through the door.

I was not 15 feet onto the factory floor before the awe set in. I have never owned a Trek, but I do own a set of Bontrager Race Lite wheels. The production of these, and other models, was the first stop on the tour. Bontrager is the component brand of Trek and I was to learn that the wheels that carry that name were made, by hand, in-house. This explained why I’ve been able to race, train and commute on my Race Lites without the need for any major truing for thousands of miles.

The care taken and the precision of the manufacturing process was not only dedicated to wheels. The Whitewater plant is also where all the high-end Madone (road race bikes) and Fuel (mountain/cross country) bikes are assembled. It was abundantly clear to me at this point that Trek is dedicated to excellence in the United States. The bikes that Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador rode in and won the Tour of California and the Tour de France were assembled there. I got a few chills thinking about that.

I’ve always sought to ride American-made frames whenever possible, and the Bontrager parts I happened to own were just parts – until that day last fall. Upon taking this tour I gained a new perspective, as I thought about how Trek made their way from a small garage with a few people to the Whitewater facility and places beyond – including retail locations. I have had great experiences at their South Loop location when I needed to replace other Bontrager components. Even Juan, our guide, was an enthusiastic mountain bike racer, so it all began to fall into place – Trek cares about bikes as much as I do, so it was time for me to write about it.