June 2010 New Articles

Stage 5 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix was a new stage for 2010. The new rolling course meant that no team knew how the race could potentially play out. With just seconds separating the general classification, there would be two races happening. The first race would be for the overall win with potential GC winners trying to take time away from the current leader. The second race would be for the stage win. Both of these objectives were a priority for the riders of BISSELL Pro Cycling. With several potential stage winners on the team and Jeremy Vennell in 4th place overall, it would be an exciting day.

The day was marked by a early break of six riders that gained a max advantage of 2:30 minutes. With a rider in the break less than 30secs out of the GC lead, the team of the current GC leader was forced to make a hard chase. The BISSELL Pro Cycling was able to conserve their energy and wait for the four finishing circuits to make their move. The gap to the break was finally closed at the beginning of the final finishing circuit and was quickly countered by Jeremy Vennell who was just seconds out of the GC lead. It was a frantic chase to the line and a chaotic bunch sprint ensued.

Tomorrow is the final stage and last chance for victory for the riders of BISSELL Pro Cycling. The infamous Stillwater Circuit awaits and the team is ready.

By: Cycling NewsPublished: June 2, 09:40, Updated: June 2, 11:17

Paul Mach will start stage one of the 2010 Indie Hops Mt. Hood Cycling Classic wearing the same garment he wore at the end last year's race - the yellow leader's jersey.

The Bissell Pro Cycling team rider, who recently wore the KOM jersey at the Tour of California, covered the four-mile, pancake flat prologue course in 07:11.85, just two seconds faster than runner-up Morgan Schmitt of United Healthcare. Yahoo! Cycling Team's Ryan Parnes was third, five seconds in arrears.

UHC's Chris Baldwin, second on GC in 2009, finished fifth on the day behind teammate Roman Kilun. Both Kilun and Baldwin are seven second behind Mach. Team Type 1's Michael Creed sits sixth, just one second behind the UHC pair.

Steady rain washed over the fast, wide course at Portland International Raceway as the evening wore on, but that didn't stop Schmitt from blistering over the course with a time that held throughout most of the evening before Mach, the last rider on the course, managed to eclipse his old teammate's mark.

"I was a little surprised," Mach said of his performance. "I didn't know how the legs would feel after [the Tour of] California. Either you're still tired or you're bouncing back up and getting the good training bonus. But it turned out good. I'm happy to be in yellow."

UHC's Schmitt, who rode with Mach last year in the Bissell squad, said the wet conditions made caution the order of the day with five more stages remaining.

"It was wet and slick," he said. "I didn't want to take too many chances out there because there's a lot of racing left. But I certainly wanted to keep the pressure on the pedals and stay upright. It was kind of a gamble out there in some of those turns."

Schmitt will get another run at Mach's jersey Wednesday at the UnitedHealthcare Mt. Tabor criterium on a course that features 150 feet of climbing per 1.5-mile lap. The race is scheduled for 90 minutes, but organisers and officials may shorten the event if a forecast deluge of record Oregon rainfall materialises.

"I'm sure Gord (Fraser) will come up with a pretty good plan," said Schmitt. "We'd definitely like to be in the jersey or at least win the stage tomorrow because it's important to our sponsor."

Schmitt experienced the Mt. Tabor course in 2008, when he and his teammates rode at the front nearly the entire race defending Ben Jaques-Maynes' leader's jersey, which he ultimately lost because of time bonuses handed out to the stage winner.

This year Schmitt will be able to leave the defending to Bissell and Mach, who says they're ready to take on the challenge despite UHC's superior numbers.

"If it's raining, we'll be near the front," Mach said. "That should be to our advantage. But we'll have to see what the other teams decide to do. We're just gonna race our bikes."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/mt-hood-cycling-classic-ne/prologue-itt/results

Four BISSELL riders including David Williams, Ian Boswell, Shane Kline, and Cody O’Reilly lined up in Bend, Oregon for the USA U23 Nationals this past weekend. The events kicked off on Thursday with the Skyliner Time Trial which was a 30K challenge. David Williams who was recently crowned the Michigan Time Trial Champion again seared the roads with a time of 45:19 to take 3rd place. Ian Boswell also had a great ride placing 10th.

Friday’s crit saw attack after attack for 46 laps of this flat 4 corner course. BISSELL’s O'Reilly spent several laps off the front solo and with small groups, but a highly motivated field chasing a national championship jersey would have none of it. With less than 5 laps to go, 2 riders were able to break the stranglehold of the group. The 2 riders were able to stay away and BISSELL's Shane Kline sprinted for 8th place.

The final day of racing culminated in a 160km road race. With the top development teams in the country fielding 8 man squads, the 4 man team from BISSELL knew that they had their work cut out for them. A slow start led to constant attacking over the opening 2 laps. Breaks formed only to be reabsorbed in a matter of minutes. On the 4th lap, a small group of 3 including BISSELL’s David Williams got away. They gained 3 minutes on the field with 2 laps to go. A frantic chase by teams that had missed the move brought the break back to within seconds, and the counterattacks ensued. Ben King (Trek Livestrong) then played a well disguised attack. Before the group responded, he had built up a 1 minute gap. Over the course of the last lap, his lead ballooned to 3 minutes. A strong chase from BISSELL’s Ian Boswell along with other race favorites shrank the gap to less than 2 minutes; however in the end, King stayed away. Ian Boswell claimed an 11th place finish to end the weekend of racing.

The BISSELL Elite Team conquered Marquette this weekend and took home the Michigan Road Champion’s title. The three days of racing kicked off on Friday night with a crit. It was on a slightly modified course from previous years and the wet conditions on the downtown streets made conditions even more uncertain. A break of 4 including BISSELL’s Derek Graham took shape early in the race. Derek had to contend with 2 Priority Health riders in the move, but the BISSELL Team used perfect race tactics to deliver Derek to the line. Jason Swiatlowski, Derek Witte, and Jimi Minnema rounded out BISSELL's places in the top 10.

The skies did not cooperate for Saturday’s championship road race. Dense fog and a light drizzle welcomed the riders to the start. BISSELL was ready to go, though, and had representation in all of the early moves. After a few opening attacks, the day’s group of 5 got cleanly away. BISSELL was in the perfect place with 2 riders in the break. Consistently riding strong throughout the 100 mile course, Nate Williams and Derek Witte controlled the group of 5. The only early threat to the lead group was a chase by Priority Health rider, Mac Brennan; however, Jason Swiatlowski had that move covered. The duo got within 2 minutes of the lead group but would get no closer. Jason had the threat clearly handled and the pair spent the day in a battle of their own. With a look of ease, the two BISSELL men crossed the line for 1st and 2nd with Nate reigning as the 2010 Michigan Road Race State Champion. The 2 chasers finished over 11 minutes back with Jason coming across for 6th. The main group crossed 17 minutes back with Derek Graham dominating that group for 8th place.

Sunday’s circuit race was another tough day and BISSELL rode an excellent race with Derek Graham finishing 2nd and Jason Swiatlowski coming in 4th. Overall, it was a dominant performance by the BISSELL Team. Derek Graham won the omnium and the team won the overall. Derek Witte reflects on a stellar weekend. “Although the fields were disappointingly small, the racing was very, very hard. Part of the reason so few riders come out is because the racing is so difficult. These are great results. It is also very cool that we are now both TT and RR state champions, both brothers.”

The BISSELL Pro Cycling team kicked off the 2010 U23 Nationals Championships today with the time trial. This year the racing is being held in Bend, OR. Top development teams and riders from all over the country flooded the area for the chance to win a national championship.

David Williams stormed to the podium in 3rd place after holding the 1st position till the last 5 riders. Only 2 riders were able to bump David and the BISSELL Pro Cycling team is extremely proud of his national championship medal!

Ian Boswell continued to impress after his win at Nevada City with a 10th place in the time trial. Look for Ian to go for victory in the U23 road race that will be held on Saturday.

BISSELL pro rider, David Williams, scorched the 40k time trial course in his home state of Michigan to become the state champion. Williams rode the course at a record setting speed of 51:55 to capture the state title.

Next up for David are the elite national championships in Bend, Oregon. “The legs felt good this weekend and I'm looking forward to getting out to Bend and having a go at nationals”, says Williams.

It’s one of the hardest circuit races in the world. The Nevada City Classic includes over 4,000 ft of climbing unrelenting roads for 90 minutes.

The BISSELL Pro Cycling team showed up ready to race with Paul Mach and Ian Boswell. Positioning is the key and both of these riders drew upon their past experiences to make the race as hard as possible. The two BISSELL riders split the field early and rode away with three others to make a break of five. With the odds in their favor, the other riders demanded that the BISSELL riders do the majority of work. Paul Mach sacrificed himself for Ian Boswell. The tremendous show of force and team work paid off with Boswell taking the win and Mach placing 2nd.

Nevada City was the end of a long weekend and fruitful weekend for the BISSELL Pro Cycling riders, Paul Mach and Ian Boswell. Look for them in upcoming events to continue to show their strength.

Stage 5 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix was a new stage for 2010. The new rolling course meant that no team knew how the race could potentially play out. With just seconds separating the general classification, there would be two races happening. The first race would be for the overall win with potential GC winners trying to take time away from the current leader. The second race would be for the stage win. Both of these objectives were a priority for the riders of BISSELL Pro Cycling. With several potential stage winners on the team and Jeremy Vennell in 4th place overall, it would be an exciting day.

The day was marked by a early break of six riders that gained a max advantage of 2:30 minutes. With a rider in the break less than 30secs out of the GC lead, the team of the current GC leader was forced to make a hard chase. The BISSELL Pro Cycling was able to conserve their energy and wait for the four finishing circuits to make their move. The gap to the break was finally closed at the beginning of the final finishing circuit and was quickly countered by Jeremy Vennell who was just seconds out of the GC lead. It was a frantic chase to the line and a chaotic bunch sprint ensued.

Tomorrow is the final stage and last chance for victory for the riders of BISSELL Pro Cycling. The infamous Stillwater Circuit awaits and the team is ready.

The final stage of the Tour de Nez Northstar Circuit Race was a 90min affair on a very hard, unrelenting course. Held at over 6000ft elevation, it would be a day of attrition and the last chance for BISSELL Pro Cycling to make their mark.

Paul Mach and Ian Boswell of the BISSELL Pro Cycling team attacked and attacked to get the race started. Being strong riders, they were well marked by the current leader of the race. Either one of the BISSELL boys getting away would have been a disaster for the leader and his team.

In the end, the race attrition saw few finishers. While a victory proved to be elusive, the BISSELL Pro Cycling team made their mark at the 2010 mighty Tour de Nez omnium.

Stage 4 of the 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix was the downtown Minneapolis Criterium. The BISSELL Pro Cycling team was firing on all cylinders with Dan Holloway making the main breakaway of the race. This forced the team of the GC leader to chase frantically in an attempt to maintain control of the race. Holloway was able to take a mid race time bonus which moved him closer to overall victory.

The break was caught with less than 20 laps to go. Holloway again showed tremendous strength in attacking the field with a few laps remaining. He was caught and a field sprint ensued. Jeremy Vennell finished safely in the field and maintained his 4th in the overall classification.

Day 1 at the mighty Tour de Nez omnium was a tough one for the BISSELL Pro Cycling Team. Our riders were Paul Mach and Ian Boswell, who were ready for action. Paul Mach's description of the race course says it all, "Basically a short and technical course, there was really nowhere to get up to speed. Most of the turns were on slick cement and you'd drift out in all the corners. It was sketchy and there were lots of crashes. Ian crashed and there was blood all over his top tube."

Ian Boswell is fine and will be racing tonight with Mach in the downtown Reno circuit race. Stay tuned for all the action.

Stage 3

It was a wild and crazy day for the BISSELL Pro Cycling at the 2010 NVGP. Today was the stage 3 Cannon Falls road race and it promised to be a day of hard and fast racing. Things started off well with BISSELL being represented in the early attacks but reports of a large tornado that touched down just miles from the racing roads ended the day. Officials decided to play it safe and cancel the stage.

Tomorrow is the stage 4 downtown Minneapolis criterium. Look for the men of the BISSELL Pro Cycling to be on the attack and trying for stage and overall victory at the 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix.

The 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix continued Wednesday night with the stage 2 St. Paul Criterium. It was a new course for 2010 with a flat 1.4km circuit complete with 2 brick sections. Gone was the always decisive hard climb that had helped break the race apart in previous years. It promised to be an extremely fast and exciting race.

The BISSELL Pro Cycling team went into the race with the mindset of holding their GC positions and then looking at the stage win. With Jeremy Vennell sitting in 5th place overall, only seconds off the podium, it was very important that he not lose any time. Only a team working together would be able to make sure of this.

An insanely fast pace was set by the team of the GC leader and a fast criterium turned into a race of attrition. Only one rider was able to escape the fast pace and it was short lived with the gap only ever extending to 5 seconds. The BISSELL boys rode smartly and protected Jeremy Vennell’s GC position as the race split apart in the closing laps. This smart riding paid off in Vennell moving into 4th overall after it was all over.

Tomorrow is the stage 3 Cannon Falls road race. With wind, gravel and narrow roads on tap, it will be an exciting day for the BISSELL Pro Cycling team. Look for the team to make their mark in the search for overall and stage victory.

Day 1 of the 2010 Nature Valley Grand Prix was a short prologue TT. 6 kilometers of pain finished with a 20% hill at the end. A TT is always a test at the start of a stage race, every racer being fresh.

New for this year was a TT bike ban, so teams were forced to use their standard road bikes. The Bissell Pro Cycling Team was very well equipped with their Pinarello Dogma race bikes.

The team rode strongly with 2 riders in the top 15, Jeremy Vennell in 5th and Ben JM in 12th. This is a good result for the team leading into 5 more very hard stages. With no pressure to defend, look for the Bissell Pro Cycling team to be on the attack!

It was a fast and furious race at the 2010 Philadelphia International Championship for the BISSELL Pro Cycling Team. The race kicked off at 9am with 3 small laps through the streets of Philadelphia before heading out for 10 big laps that included the Manayuk Wall and Lemon Hill. The concluding 3 small laps with additional treks up Lemon Hill wrapped up the 256km journey through Philly.

The BISSELL Pro Cycling Team was involved in the action from the beginning with Ben Jacques-Maynes making the large 50 rider selection the first time up the wall. This group was far too large to work together and riders quickly began attacking. BJM again made the smaller selection the 2nd time up the Manayuk Wall only to crash on the dreaded "fall from the wall", the treacherous descent through the city streets back to the main road. Ben was quickly helped up and made contact with the main field for what would be a long day in the saddle. The 20 rider breakaway rode well together and built up a 4+min advantage over the main field.

Having missed the breakaway, the BISSELL Pro Cycling team worked with HTC-Columbia and Footon-Serveto, 2 Protour teams that had also missed the break, to ensure a field sprint. With 256km on tap and very warm conditions, BISSELL DS, Eric Wohlberg, assured his riders that the break would come back. The plan for BISSELL was to ensure that the team’s sprinters were well positioned for each time up the Manayuk wall. With the length and heat of the race, eating and drinking were the keys to success.

With less than 50km to go, the break started to attack itself and sealed its fate. A hard charging field caught the last remnants with 2km to go and the sprint quickly ensued. 2 BISSELL riders made the final selection and were left to contest the sprint. The team road a great race and Daniel Holloway was BISSELL’s top finisher at 12th place.

BISSELL’s objective for Saturday’s 147km queen stage was to put Paul Mach back in yellow. The plan was to have David Williams and Rob Britton in all the moves of the day in order to weaken the United Healthcare squad. David and Rob did a great job all day and put United Healthcare in a position where they had to use all of their riders to cover the breaks. DeMaar (United Healthcare) was left to battle the final 5km to defend his lead. In the final 2km, Mike Creed (Team Type 1) and DeMaar went in pursuit of a small break that was still off the front and Paul wasn’t able to match the move.

BISSELL was in a very difficult position of trying to win Mt. Hood with only 3 riders. Paul, David, and Rob rode a very tough and smart race and were in the hunt for the overall all the way to the final kilometers. Paul dropped to 4th in the GC as he used everything he had to race for the win. Sunday’s criterium should see no change, but if an opportunity presents itself the team will certainly strike.

The winds were the chief antagonist in Friday’s Mt Hood individual time trial. BISSELL’s Paul Mach finished with the 2nd fastest time of 44:20 on the 18.5 mile course. Race leader, Marc DeMaar, took the win which places him 14 seconds ahead of Paul in the GC. BISSELL had a good day on the uncharacteristically hilly time trial course with the other riders, Rob Britton and David Williams, also placing in the top 20.

Saturday’s 92 mile Wy’East Road Race will be another opportunity for BISSELL to make its mark. United Healthcare will undoubtedly be marking BISSELL so it will be another tough day with good team work for the small BPCT roster.

The rain held off for Wednesday’s 90 minute Mt. Tabor Crit but the slippery roads combined with 180-degree turn leading into a descent added to the complexity. All of the main contenders including all 3 of BISSELL’s riders stayed out of trouble. BISSELL covered all the main attacks and only small insignificant breaks occurred with the group coming back together for a field sprint. Morgan Schmitt (United Healthcare) who was sitting 2 seconds behind Paul in 2nd place came through for the win. The 10 second time bonus put Morgan in the leader’s jersey. BISSELL is pleased with the current leader board as United Healthcare with its greater numbers will have to defend the jersey. BISSELL’s plan is to maintain its position and save energy leading into the time trial and the mountain stage road race later in the tour.

A tough day of racing on Mt. Adams was capped off with a controversial decision by officials, which led to a change in the GC.

A breakaway of 4 riders was established about 25 miles into the race and built up a maximum gap of 3 minutes. The main peloton was content to keep this group at a distance. BISSELL’s David Williams rode great support for Paul Mach and Rob Britton, who both made it into a select group that formed on the last climb. The break eventually dwindled down to one remaining rider, Nic Hamilton (Trek Red Truck). Hamilton was able to hang on across the finish by a bike length as a charging pack of 25 riders crossed just behind.

The GC seemed to remain the same until a ruling came across following the award ceremony. Roads covered with patches of snow and gravel caused significant problems throughout the day to both riders and cars, alike. While race leader, Morgan Schmitt, was managing a flat, his director, Gord Fraser, was dealing with one on the team car. Morgan got a wheel from neutral support; however, he then was paced off the car to rejoin the chase group.

Officials penalized Schmitt with 20 seconds and this ruling knocked him down to 9th place overall. Schmitt’s teammate, Marc DeMaar (United Healthcare), assumed the lead in the GC. BISSELL’s Mach holds his 2nd place in the overall with equal time as DeMaar.

Today brings the time trial which can make or break the tour for a rider. BISSELL is going into it with great form as they have been staying quiet in the road stages to maximize energy for this individual test.

Defending champion, Paul Mach, had the fastest time at Mt. Hood’s Prologue ITT to step back into yellow. Mach was pleasantly surprised with how his legs felt following his recent success at the Tour of California. The flat 4 mile course at the Portland International Speedway was made slick with heavy rains. Other BISSELL riders, Rob Britton and David Williams, had varying success on the road. Rob finished 10th and was eleven seconds back. David was on track for a time in the top ten before going down on the slippery roads.

It will be a tough six days of racing with only 3 BISSELL riders defending the lead. The team’s plan is to limit time losses midweek as they hope to go into the most difficult stages on Friday and Saturday in good position.