Old Town Bicycle Road Race Team

Training Rides with OTB!

2011-12-02T22:55:00.000-08:00

Yes you can! Who's gonna represent?
Here is the info:

WEEKEND TRAINING RIDE INFORMATION (PLEASE READ IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON RIDING WITH OUR TEAM):

TYPICAL RIDE LENGTHS ARE 2-4 HOURS AND BETWEEN 40-70 MILES. THE RIDE ROUTES VARY WEEK TO WEEK. RIDE PACE IS TYPICALLY 17-18 MPH (AVERAGE) DURING THE WINTER WITH AN INCREASE TO 19-20+ MPH (AVERAGE) AS THE RACING SEASON PICKS UP IN EARLY SPRING. THERE CAN ALSO BE SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE RIDE WHERE THE PACE PICKS UP SIGNIFICANTLY (25 MPH PLUS) FOLLOWED BY RECOVERY PERIODS. THUS, ONE CAN EXPECT (AND GET) A VERY HIGH QUALITY WORKOUT. THE GROUP DOES RECOGNIZE THAT DIFFERENT PEOPLE ARE AT DIFFERING STAGES IN DEVELOPING CYCLING FITNESS AND/OR GROUP RIDING SKILLS. THE GROUP HAS EASY TEMPO PERIODS WHERE RIDERS ARE ABLE TO REFORM INTO THE GROUP OR TIMES WHEN GROUP RIDING SKILLS ARE PRACTICED. EXPERIENCED RIDERS ARE ALSO HAPPY TO PROVIDE GROUP RIDING, RACING, AND TRAINING GUIDANCE. THE RIDES ARE USUALLY FOLLOWED BY A REHYDRATION AND “BIKE BULL” SESSION AT THE NEARBY CUTTERS POINT IN TACOMA OR SUSANNES COFFEE SHOP/DELI IN GIG HARBOR.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A MEMBER OF THE OLD TOWN BICYCLE ROAD RACE TEAM TO PARTICIPATE AND ENJOY THE OTB SATURDAY/SUNDAY RIDES. IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON JOINING US PLEASE BE SURE TO DO THE FOLLOWING:

1) IF IT'S WET HAVE FENDERS WITH A REAR MUD FLAP ON THE BIKE, 2) BE SURE YOUR BIKE IS IN GOOD MECHANICAL CONDITION---WE RECOMMEND TIRE LINERS TO REDUCE FLATS, 3) BRING NECESSARY ENERGY BARS AND FLUIDS TO SEE YOU THROUGH THE RIDE, 4) BRING A SPARE TUBE(S), TIRE LEVERS, PUMP OR INFLATION DEVICE, 5) BRING ID AND MONEY (PLUS A CELL PHONE IS A GOOD IDEA), 6) DRESS FOR THE WEATHER---IF IT'S WET/COLD PLAN ON A TIGHT FITTING RAIN JACKET, BOOTIES, FULL GLOVES, AND TIGHTS. 6) NARROWS VELO NOW REQUIRES ALL OF OUR "GUESTS" TO SIGN A RIDE WAIVER/RELEASE FORM THAT CAN BE OBTAINED BY THE RIDE LEADER (IF WE DON'T HAVE A SIGNED WAIVER ON FILE, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE). 7) WE URGE YOU TO ADHERE TO THE RULES OF THE ROAD AND ENCOURAGE SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE RIDING. WE WANT TO HAVE FUN WHILE ON OUR TRAINING RIDES AND ADDITIONALLY “KEEP THE RUBBER ON THE ROAD”

THE "OPEN TRAINING" SEASON (MEANING OPEN TO ALL RIDERS) BEGINS SEPTEMBER 1ST AND ENDS ON DECEMBER 31ST. AFTER DECEMBER 31ST THE TEAM IS PREPARING FOR RACE SEASON AND WORKING ON DRILLS, TACTICS, AND TEAMWORK AND WILL NOT BE HAVING "OPEN RIDES" UNTIL SEPTEMBER 1ST ROLLS AROUND.

MEETING LOCATIONS:

9AM SATURDAYS @ CUTTERS POINT IN TACOMA. 5104 6TH AVENUE (6TH & ORCHARD) TACOMA, WA 98406. (253) 761-3113
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE

____________________________________________

9AM SUNDAYS @ SUSANNES DELI & COFFEE IN GIG HARBOR

3411 HARBORVIEW DR GIG HARBOR, WA 98332 (253) 853-6220

Meet The Team Ride September 24, 2011 9:00 AM

2011-09-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

The Old Town Bicycle Racing Team would like to invite fellow bicyclists for a "Meet the Team Ride” at Point Defiance Park (main entrance) September 24, 2011 8:45 AM and rolling at 9:00 - look for us the main Park entry.

The Old Town Bicycle racing team consists of 50 team members who race primarily in Washington featuring National Champions, Senior Olympic medalists, Washington State Bicycling Association points’ leaders and numerous road race podium finishers. The ride provides an opportunity for those who have considered racing on a bicycle team or seek information on a bicycle racing to discuss with team members.

The ride will be divided into three groups A, B and C rider. C riders will be +/- 35 miles and will be a "no drop" ride. Groups A and B will be +/- 50 miles at a fast pace with opportunities to regroup.
The route will take us over the Narrows Bridge, through Gig Harbor and out towards Olalla and back. A and B routes will continue onto the Southworth Ferry Terminal and back.

OTB on the PODIUM...AGAIN!

2011-05-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Lori Swanson! 2nd Place finisher at Ravensdale Road Race this past weekend!

Also kudos go to Joel Jones for his (4th) 4th Place finish this season! Wow! Top 10's include: Matt Becker (7th Cat. 4's), and Chris Nelson (9th Mens Masters). In Oregon Steve Matson and Jeff Patterson raced (2) back to back 40K tandem time trials and placed 1st and 2nd! Way to go guys! Also had a couple of our guys involved in a crash in Ravensdale on the last lap. Get well Choi and Kevin!

More to come this weekend as we will be representing @ Wenatchee Omnium.

OTB Enjoys A Very Successful Weekend In The Sun!!!

2011-05-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a fun day in the sun. Great weekend of racing. We had 12 teammates on the top 10 board this weekend:

Longbranch Masters/Juniors State Championships :

30-39 Cat. 1,2,3
Alex Walker: 9th Place

35+ 1,2,3 Women
Jodie Bolt: 8th Place

30-39 Cat. 4/5
Chris Nelson: 7th Place

40-49 Cat. 4/5
Joel Jones: 4th Place

50+
Steve Matson: 10th Place

60+
Mark Underwood: 4th Place

Junior B
Nolan Brady: 3rd Place

Vance Creek Senior State Road Championship :

Cat. 4
Ben Storrar: 4th Place
Barney Gill: 9th Place
Andrew Austin: 10th Place

Cat. 3 Women
Jodie Bolt- 5th Place

40+ 4/5's
Matt Molzan: 5th Place

50+
Tom Hackleman: 1st Place

Congrats to all of you! Great work!

2011 Longbranch Masters/Juniors Road Race

2011-04-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

2011 Longbranch Masters/Juniors Road Race State Championships

We are hosting the Masters/Juniors Road Race State Championship Saturday April 30th! This year the race will use our traditional loop with the start/finish located at the Longbranch Improvement Center. We hope you come out and compete for State Champion bragging rights! Check out the race flyer for more info.

We're Back!

2011-03-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

The racing season has begun! OTB is already chipping away with many top 10 finishes so far. Great work! Let's keep up this momentum.

Here is a groups entry from the weekend @ IVRR written by Joel Jones:

A fun day in the saddle. Surprisingly just before the start of the
race the rain stopped and things began to dry out and the race began.
The field of +/- 50 with Gary, MM, JR, Darol and Swanneee.

The pace started out very relaxed with nobody to excited to do much
work before the big hill. A Starbucks rider slowly road away from the
group and nobody really thinking much about it…. Famous last words… As
we approached the base of the hill he kept looking back to see when we
were going to come up to him but we never did. He hit the hill hard
and was gone for the rest of the day; an amazing ride by him out on
his own for 40 miles! At the bottom of the 1st climb two others went
off the front for a couple miles one came back and the other stayed
out. The rest of the race was a little bit of frustration as there
was no organization or desire to bring back the riders out front
despite several attempts by MM and myself to rally some troops to get
it going. Matt & I would take a couple of good pulls at the front and
then wait for the rider that would never come through. Early season
racing at its finest. Coming down the 1st climb on the 2nd lap
another rider went off the front and once again nobody responded or
cared to respond. During the 2nd lap and acceptance that we would not
be able to bring anybody back I focused on maintaining good
positioning for the finish. Coming off the final climb I was sitting
3rd and was able to stay in the top 10 despite a couple riders passing
on my left over the yellow line. Fully rested and cruising at 20 mph
pace finally at 1k the lone Cucina guy goes hard and stretches us out
a little. Still on the left and in the top 10 we hit the 200 m mark
and I gave it all I had through a great line getting my first 1st in
the field sprint.

Thanks guys for all the congrats and high 5’s after the race; great to
be part of the team!

Thanksgiving Morning "Dog Dodge Ride" POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO WEATHER

2010-11-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

In honor of teammate, Matt Becker, who took the big hit from "The
Silent Psycho Dog" last Thankgiving Day during our ride, we are
gearing up for another try at this. Matt has bravely volunteered to
join us again and will be there with gun in hand. To help ward off
dogs, we ask that you will bring "silver bullet" dog propellant (they
say it works with werewolves, use your imagination, I hear Coors Light
is a possibility).

Date: Thanksgiving Morning 11/25 *****POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE*****
Place: Meet @ Susannes Deli @ 8AM
Route: Same as last year (Olalla, Port Orchard)
Length: About 2-3 Hours of Dog Dodging Fun
Pace: Social 14-16

Please Chime in if you will be there. Bring your "competent" riding
friends, it's an open ride. Hope to get a big turnout.

New Ride Location and Start Time:

2010-11-19T08:20:00.001-08:00

During the winter season we will be starting our Saturday rides from the Manolin Cafe on So 12th Street at 9:00AM

Winter Rides

2010-11-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

We have been riding from the Mandolin Cafe on Saturdays at 8:30 AM. Show up early for a coffee or preload pastry.

Please bring Fenders with buddy flaps in the event of rain.

Saturday Ride 10/2

2010-09-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

8AM ride leaving from Cutter's departing 8:05. Route TBD. GH crew
meeting @ 7:15 @ Susannes and heading across bridge to meet up w/Tac
crew.
Don't know about a Sunday ride yet...
Over and out

Meet the Team Ride - Saturday 9/18

2010-09-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Old Town Bicycle Racing Team would like to invite fellow bicyclists for a "Meet the Team Ride” at Point Defiance Park September 18, 2010 8:45 AM and rolling at 9:15 - look for the blue Old Town Bicycle Tent at the main Park entry (please arrive early to allow time for filling out a waiver form and introductions).

The Old Town Bicycle racing team consists of 50 team members who race in primarily in Washington featuring several Senior Olympic medalists, Washington State Bicycling Association points’ leaders and numerous road race podium finishers. The ride provides an opportunity for those who have considered racing on a bicycle team or seek information on a bicycle racing to discuss with team members.
The ride will be divided into three groups A, B and C rider. C riders will be +/- 35 miles and will be a "no drop" ride. B riders will be a fast pace with several opportunities to regroup. A riders - give us what you got!
The route will take us…. I propose we do the GH Olalla route. C rides will stay on crescent valley drive. B&A rides go up the hill.

Please visit our website at http://www.narrowsvelo.org or blog at http://www.narrowsvelo.blogspot.com

Narrows Velo Road Race Team (Old Town Bicycle) 2010

2010-05-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

2010 Masters/Juniors Road Race State Championships

2010-03-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

We are hosting the Masters/Juniors Road Race State Championship Sunday May 2nd on a new course! The start/finish location remains at the Longbranch Improvement Center, but the course adds a mildly rolling loop. Check out the race flyer for more info.

Congrats to our racers last weekend, Victory for OTB!

2010-03-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

Props to Steve Matson for placing 1st in the Masters Race at Mason #1, and also for Jodie Bolt (6th) and Lori Swanson (7th) for placing top 10 in the Womens. Outstanding! Also job well done at the Icebreaker Timetrial (photo).

Race Report (snippet) by Steve Matson:

We had a great day today in the Masters C/D race with eight guys in

the field: Joel, Choi, Nelson, Michael, Chuck, Swanee, Darol, and me.
Awesome turnout! Right after the neutral roll out our guys went to
the front and pushed the pace; everyone worked hard (except me), and
in the end I got lucky and won the sprint. The results weren't posted
when I left, so I don't know how others placed, but everybody
finished and we had a blast. It was cloudy and cool, but with no rain
at all.

Race Report by Lori Swanson:

Thanks to everyone for all the Congrats to Jodie and I! We had a great time
and I was thankful to get the 1st race jitters out of the way.
In the Cat 4 women's races there's never a dull moment! Jodie and I were
thankful to survive several near misses and some sketchy pack riding.
Overall, it was Group Health that dominated the race by sending riders, one
after the other, off the front of the pack.
Jodie and I maintained our positions in the front of the pack for both laps.
In the last 200 meters I had great outside position for the sprint but
completely blew it by going way too early. As I was about to cross the
finish line, I see this streak of blue and white go flying by me at top
speed! There went Jodie, blowing through the front of the pack for another
top 10 finish! Jodie you are amazing! Not to mention that you have been
dealing with injuries the past 2 weeks. Scary to think what you'll do when
you are 100%!!!!!
Congratulations again to the OTB Men! Steve - what a way to start out the
season with a 1st place finish! Great job to all the guys who worked to set
up the win and fought to stay rubber side down. Matt said that was the
craziest Master's race he's ever raced in.
Thanks again for allowing me to race with OTB! We have an amazing group of
people on this team!
Have a great week! Lori J

What's Happening? Where is Everyone? What's going on?

2010-03-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

We just wanted to give everyone that checks in on our blog that there is actually quite a bit going on (training wise that is). Currently we are wrapping up our winter training and moving on to the 2010 race season! With thousands of rainy cold base miles behind us, we can hopefully look forward to sunny skies and lot's of big wins.

This weekend kicks off the official race season with the Mason Lake Series Road Race and Icebreaker Time Trial. The next few months are going to be a blast with so many races happening every weekend. We especially encourage you to come witness our own race put on by Narrows Velo (Old Town Road Race Team) on Sunday, May 2nd. This will be the state championship race for the Masters and Juniors. A must see event! There will be some great prizes given out by our sponsors. The race is located in the Longbranch area and the start/finish will be at the Longbranch Improvement Club located off of the Key Peninsula Highway.

We look forward to another great year of road racing and thank the WSBA, the sponsors, and the local folks who help make this possible.

Announcing....The 2010 Narrows Velo Road Race Team

2010-02-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

Check Out our New Diggs!

Click On Pic to expand.

Saturday 1/23/10 Ride

2010-01-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Wanted - Riders for this Saturday.

60 miles. Victor Falls - So Prairie - Orting and back.  One monster
climb out of Sumner (regrouping at the top of the hill) then
relatively flat.  Those who do not want to climb can stay on the
lowlands and meet up with us in So Prairie.   The pace will be a base pace and easy on the hill working on strength.

Pending weather conditions the ride will have two hot spots.  One going out at the Puyallup Town Line on Levee Road and then coming back at the Fife Town Line.  Town lines will be called out ahead of time
with a safe/not safe.

Remember your Fenders and protect your buddy with a buddy flap!

Meet at Cutters 9:00 and rolling at 9:10 sharp.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/wa/tacoma/350126409370486025

Sunday 1/24/10 Ride

2010-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

Save some energy for Sunday's Ride! Don't let Victor Falls Get you
down (Sorry Joel).

We will be meeting at Susanne's @ 9AM for some Sunday fun. I haven't
mapped it out yet but it will be a Port Orchard Loop (50-70 miles
depending if you ride from T-Town) with 2-3 "hot spots" for sprints
and climbs. No drop policy. Good times, Tempo Pace Zone 2-4.
Fenders and Mud Flaps a must if there is even the slightest chance of
rain.

Route Link: http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/wa/gig%20harbor/852126412171539291

W.D.O.B. Ride Sunday, January 17th 9AM

2010-01-16T17:15:00.001-08:00

The GH Matt's will be leading our ride tomorrow from Susanne's Deli on Harborview Drive in GH @ 9AM, should be around a 3 hour ride from Susanne's and back and about 50-60 miles (no interval work, paceline rotations, sprints, or KOM's, just nice easy group riding...that will be next week!). Show up and ride the Port Orchard Loop with us and then find out what a W.D.O.B. is. Please chime in if you are coming so we know whether to wait for you or not. Don't forget your fenders, lights, and buddy flaps! Later!

Starbucks Rider Injured And It Gets Worse

2010-01-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

(Story Written by OTB Team mate Darol Tuttle. Thanks for sharing this, Darol.)

I was horrified to learn that a racer from the Starbucks Race Team was almost killed on Saturday. A King 5 Website described the accident as follows:

The Washington State Patrol is seeking witnesses to a bicycle accident on SR 202 east of Redmond Saturday that left a 49-year-old Seattle man seriously injured. The State Patrol says at 11:45 a.m., a group of about 10 bicyclists with the Starbucks Racing Team were traveling westbound on SR 202 near Ames Lake Road when one of the riders was forced off the road and into a ditch to avoid being hit head-on by a minivan.

Witnesses said the red minivan, possibly a newer model Honda Odyssey, was traveling eastbound at an extremely high rate of speed as it crossed the yellow center line and passed several eastbound vehicles while in the westbound lane.

The minivan forced the westbound bicyclist to take evasive action to avoid being struck.

This reported version sounds less alarming than the version reported to me by my former team mates. Starbucks Race Team, soon to be SCCA Race Team (Seattle Cancer Care Alliance), rode on the shoulder of SR 202. They only intended to use 202 as connector for a few miles. They, as typical of this well drilled team, rode in a rotating paceline, i.e., single file. The driver of a red van passed traffic coming from the opposite direction and veered over the fogline into the shoulder where the team road. According to a Starbucks team member, the driver “quite literally just about killing all of us in the pace line as he had drifted over the fog line into the shoulder while accelerating close to 70 mph. It was friggin scary.”

On the King 5 website, readers were able to post comments. Several of the readers’ comments are truly shocking. The first reader to comment, wrote “Give the guy a medal for trying to clear the road of irritating vermon.”

Another wrote “I would have more sympathy if bicycle riders did not act like they own the road. . . When you ride on a two lane road with no shoulder then you risk getting hit or run off the road. There are plenty of bike trails . . .”

The one that bugs me the most is this one: “Sorry people, but if the road was not built to accommodate bicycles then your taking your chances. Ride at your own risk.”

In the early 1900s, one of the most popular spectator sports in

America

was cycling. There were hundreds of velodromes across the nation. Thousands trekked to the races and cheered as enthusiastically for the racers as any Superbowl. Now, cyclists are “vermon”, worthy of being run down like dogs. There are clearly some who clearly believe that if someone kills or injures a cyclist, they should be given a medal.

What happened to the American respect for human effort? One answer is simply that Henry Ford invented the automobile. From that moment, the thrill of watching machines race with far less effort but at much greater speeds captivated

America

. Bicycle racing became a footnote.

I recently viewed two photos of Pioneer Square in downtown Seattle. One was taken in the 1900s and the other by the Google Maps cameras recently. The architecture is the same. The lay out of the streets is the same. The difference is the girth of the people in the photos. People in the 1900s photos were rail thin. The people in the modern photos were, well, large. Let’s face it - Americans are becoming obese.

According to a Time magazine article, “[j]ust two decades ago, the incidence of overweight in adults was well under 50%, while the rate for kids was only a third what it is today. From 1996 to 2001, 2 million teenagers and young adults joined the ranks of the clinically obese (see "What Is BMI?"). People are clearly worried. Here is the link to the article.http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/covers/1101040607/article/how_we_grew_so_big_diet01a.html

There are many causes of obesity in

America

but one of them is the automobile. At the time thin Americans enjoyed bike races, it took much more effort to do everything. Work was hard. Obtaining and preparing food took effort and there was far less of it. Today, we can literally drive our cars, stop at places that give us food in our cars and actually arrive at our destination with a net GAIN in calories.

The Starbucks rider who was almost killed was 49 years old. He has a broken left clavicle and rib along with fractured radius and a fractured wrist. Before he was injured, he was training with his team and burned, on average, 750 calories per hour. Had he not been injured, he would have been on his bike for at least three hours. He would have burned in this one training event as many calories as the caloric budget of the red minivan driver for the entire day. Yet, this is the guy who should get a medal?

Several days ago, an Al Queada operative attempted to ignite a bomb on a jet. It has been said to re-focus

America

’s efforts on the fight against terrorism. Several millions, if not billions of dollars, will no doubt be directed to

Yemen

to fight the extremists who are training there and planning new attacks on Americans.

In 2008, 34,017 Americans were killed by automobiles. I understand that this is too simply stated but check out the more detailed statistics at this link. http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx

In contrast, 2,973 people were killed on September 11, 2009. I am not comparing automobiles to terrorism but it is strange that Americans are essentially of like mind when it comes to fighting terror, yet 32,000 more American are killed every year by cars.

Cars have changed us. Our nation is different because of them. We are fatter because of them. Many of us are killed or injured because of them. Worse, they have changed our national character. Think of the last incidents you have had in the last year in which you felt incredible stress or extreme rage and chances are the incident involved a vehicle. Cars have made us obsessed with ease, convenience and speed to the point where it is more important to us than human life. Anyone who gets in our way is “vermon.” Here is a quote from a reader on the King 5 website: “I have no empathy for the riders who force everyone else to slow down for them as if they think they have the right.”

What happened to us?

Considering Cross Training in the Off Season?

2009-12-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

Then you must check out our own VP...Joel Jones! He means business while racing "Santa Runs Tacoma" last Saturday. Joel doesn't mess around pushing 2 kids at once. Great job Joel!!!

Happy Holidays from Narrows Velo!

2009-12-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

Thought you might all enjoy this excerpt from RoadBikeRider.com:

Made your New Year's resolutions yet? Didn't think so.

I resolve . . . .

---not to begrudge riders who have gotten faster than me. I will smile and say "Great job!" as they drop me on hills. I will not spread rumors about going to a party at their home and seeing used syringes and testosterone patches in the trash.

---not to spend so much money on bike parts. I will not tell my partner that by buying cycling equipment I am helping end worldwide recession. On family shopping trips, I will not point out that our kids already have shoes that more or less fit whereas I do not have ceramic-bearing derailleur pulleys.

---not to get upset when the numbers from my power meter/heart monitor/cyclecomputer/feeble brain are not what I think they should be. I will not make up excuses, like, "If it wasn't so cold, my output would've been 10 watts higher." Or, "I coulda gone 30 seconds faster if I had some ceramic-bearing derailleur pulleys, which cost less than a pair of kids' sneakers."

---not to talk incessantly about cycling with non-cyclists. When Great Aunt Hortense says this year's holiday turkey was even moister than last year's, I will not reply, "Speaking of this year, can you believe Lance finished third in the Tour?"

---not to get stressed when I miss a ride. I will not pout. I will rejoice in the opportunity to complete home-improvement projects, attend ballet performances and/or Monster Truck rallies, and drive children to their sporting events or music classes in far-off locales.

---not to be so rigid about things. Like New Year's resolutions.

Weekend Rides December 5th & 6th

2009-12-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

Weekend Rides are on! Details to be posted soon. Same meeting places and times. Don't pass up this nice, crisp, sunny weather!

Here is the Saturday route:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Peninsula-Metric-Century

Your ride leader for Saturday is Tom Hackleman. Ride Safe & Watch out for silent Rotweilers!

Sunday route: Leaving Susannes in GH @ 9AM, then heading to UP and then off to Dupont and back to GH.

Saturday 11.22.09 Ride

2009-11-20T08:47:00.001-08:00

We will be meeting at Cutters on 6th & Orchard at 9:00 and rolling at 9:10. Those that want a cup of jo feel free to arrive earlier.

The route will be out to DuPont and back at an easy pace. For those that want to work on their TT skills we will have a TT on the flats towards DuPont.

See you Saturday

"Let's Ride"

Satuday Ride 11.7.09

2009-11-06T16:02:00.000-08:00

Cutters Point 9:00 AM. Proposed route is Lake Tapps Loop via Levee
Road.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/wa/tacoma/503125752455793609

If nasty out we will improvise a plan B to include a shorter closer to
home route (Point/Steilacoom)

Joel

Sunday November 7th Ride...8AM Start Time! Ye Old Cemetery Ride...

2009-11-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Team and/or guests,

I have a proposed route for Sunday as follows:
Cemetery Route<http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/wa/gig-harbor/71612571368...>
By the numbers: 8am start from Suzannes, 54.5 miles, and 1926' of elevation
gain (dead flat by Gig Harbor Standards), Zone 2, no drop policy. There are
plenty of options for shortening the loop if persons are interested.
I believe Gary has a proposed "alternate ending" that we may investigate
after we hit Manchester.
Please note the start time is 8am.
~Matt Smith

Really it's OK. Halloween is over!!!

Bring your fenders!!!

Saturday 10/31/09 Ride

2009-10-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

We will be riding from Cutters Point on Saturday morning at 9:00. Route TBD. Hope to see you there and bring fendors if wet!

Weekend Rides October 24th & 25th

2009-10-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday 10/24:

Meeting early (8:15) at Susannes Deli in GH to meet the rest of the crew in Tacoma by 9:00, ride to be determined from there.
Range: 30-60 miles (2-4 hrs). Target 16-17 mph avg. (fall start pace). Weather: Mostly clear/cloudy.

Sunday 10/25:

Meet @ Susannes @ 9AM. Head to Southworth Ferry Terminal (possible loop or out and back).
Range: 30-50 miles (2-3 hrs). Target 16-17 mph avg. (fall start pace). Weather: Rain Likely-fenders a must.

UPDATE: Route Posted Here: http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=181125635603032490

Saturday 17th Ride

2009-10-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to a ride Saturday and lets hope for dry weather!

The ride:
Meet at Cutters 9:00 roll at 9:10. Over the bridge to the trail. Around the Harbor and out Cresent Valley to the Ollala Bridge. We can then decide to head back on Peacock or add some miles by traveling north. If we head back the ride will be +/- 40 miles.

It is likely to be wet on Saturday, please be sure to put on your fenders w/buddy flaps!

Sunday Longbranch RR course

2009-10-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

It looks like I have this Sunday off. I would like to meet anyone who would like to preview the possiable course choices. I would like to meet at the Purdy park&ride at 9:00 am. We could then carpool to the longbranch community center. I want to ride the course both directions. The weather sunday looks OK. Please sound off if you are interested.

Gary

2009-10-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday October 3rd ride:
How does this sound to everyone?: We'll leave Cutter's Point Coffee Shop at 6th & Orchard at 9:00. Go down N 30th to Schuster Pkwy, Pacific Av. to 509 (short freeway ride), across tideflats to Marine View Dr., to Browns Pt., to Dash Pt. to 1st Av. (we're in Fed Way now), down to Redondo and back up to 272nd, under I-5, 272nd becomes 277th which drops down to West Valley Hwy. From there we could head back to town (should be about 50-55 miles) through Sumner or go further to Victor Falls or Orting or both (more like 70-80 miles. Hey, Rich, what does Map My Ride say about this course?) The biggest problem I see with this route is that, while doable, its not a great out-and-back course for the 'cross guys who want to go a little easier or those who need to get back earlier. Let's hear from you guys. But it is an awesome ride that we haven't done in quite some time. See y'all there.

It's Cyclocross Season! Recap of Starcrossed @ Marymoor...

2009-09-20T10:03:00.001-07:00

All I can say is "What a Night!". It all started during the afternoon watching Alex Walker kick it off to a great start in the Men's 4 division. He was looking so strong and inching towards the front 5 every lap. As it neared the end Alex put on his "race face". Notice the determination in this picture:

Great

Job Walker! He placed 9th overall out of a boat load of crazies, not to mention he was in a fixed gear!!! Good God man!

Next up was Ross Gilbert in the men's 1/2 division. What a major accomplishment to even race in this category. Ross was looking confident when he opted for a sip of my Deschutes IPA. I could see a twinge of nervousness, but still confident. He was gliding like a gazelle through the barricade jumps and really pouring on the heat during the straightaway sprint area. Great job Ross to finish around the 30th place out of 100 guys! (remember 1/2's!!!).

Also did

n't want to leave out Kyle who raced in the Elite Mens class. Way to go Kyle (sorry I didn't get any pics of you). Kyle looked like he had a jet pack attached to him the whole race and he really gave it an amazing effort.

Then of course you always have the true mad men. I managed to get a picture of the big hair fat guy:

And Robot Man:

And The Bunny Hopping Bandit (Alias Mr. Grey Shorts):

Great Job, Good Times.

Until next year...

Meet the Team Ride Sept. 12th

2009-09-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Please bring ID to this ride (Driver's License). We may ride in Fort Lewis and ID will be required to get in.

Old Town Bicycle Race team is a well known south sound road racing team. While historically centered on Masters races, in recent years there has been a shift to include all categories of racing. We train hard, race hard, and have fun while doing it all. So, if you live in the South Sound area and are looking to join a team that you don't have to drive to Seattle to train, come and check us out.

Saturday the 12th is the annual meet the team ride. We will be meeting at Cutter's Point coffee @ 9am for a friendly ~2 hour ride.

Map to Cutter's Point:

View Larger Map

This is will be an easy no-drop ride, perfect for those starting the fall/winter training season. The route will be determine on Saturday.

Welcome to The Racer's Blog

2009-08-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We want to welcome you to the Old Town Bicycle Road Racing Team in association with Narrows Velo official Blog site. We will be using this blog site for additional interactivity beyond what the Google Groups site can do. Also, anyone can check out the blog, it is open to everybody. We will be posting training ride information on this site and also other mentionables.

Thanks for stopping by.

-Matt Molzan and Matt Stevens

Old Town Bicycle Road Race Team

Training Rides with OTB!

Meet The Team Ride September 24, 2011 9:00 AM

OTB on the PODIUM...AGAIN!

OTB Enjoys A Very Successful Weekend In The Sun!!!

2011 Longbranch Masters/Juniors Road Race

We're Back!

Thanksgiving Morning "Dog Dodge Ride" ***POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO WEATHER***

New Ride Location and Start Time:

Winter Rides

Saturday Ride 10/2

Meet the Team Ride - Saturday 9/18

Narrows Velo Road Race Team (Old Town Bicycle) 2010

2010 Masters/Juniors Road Race State Championships

2010 Masters/Juniors Road Race State Championships

Congrats to our racers last weekend, Victory for OTB!

What's Happening? Where is Everyone? What's going on?

Announcing....The 2010 Narrows Velo Road Race Team

Saturday 1/23/10 Ride

Sunday 1/24/10 Ride

***W.D.O.B. Ride*** Sunday, January 17th 9AM

Starbucks Rider Injured And It Gets Worse

Considering Cross Training in the Off Season?

Happy Holidays from Narrows Velo!

Weekend Rides December 5th & 6th

Saturday 11.22.09 Ride

Satuday Ride 11.7.09

Sunday November 7th Ride...8AM Start Time! Ye Old Cemetery Ride...

Saturday 10/31/09 Ride

Weekend Rides October 24th & 25th

Saturday 17th Ride

Sunday Longbranch RR course

It's Cyclocross Season! Recap of Starcrossed @ Marymoor...

Meet the Team Ride Sept. 12th

Welcome to The Racer's Blog

Thanksgiving Morning "Dog Dodge Ride" POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO WEATHER

W.D.O.B. Ride Sunday, January 17th 9AM