Chili

The fireworks started early as Brent attacked on the first corner and was quickly joined by five more riders. It was all over but the suffering as Doug (Park Ave Multisport), Mike D (Dick Ide), and Mike M, Jim Q, and Frank (CNB) pace-lined out of sight of the pack. The breakaway was able to maintain a solid pace with no chasers in sight and ground out the miles. Frank retired on lap six with back spasms but the group carried on. Brent was gapped at the finish of lap 8 but was able to catch back on to contest the finish at the end of 9 laps. Doug launched a vicious attack at the base of the final hill that left everyone in his dust while Mike M., Jim, Brent and Mike D. crossed the line for the minor placings.

Parish Hill

Nick and Jochen enjoyed the weather so much at Bloomfield that they decided to race tonight with even more rain. Nick laid down the law on the prime lap and soloed the rest of the way home for the win. He wasn't completely alone, though. Todd coached, cajoled and coaxed the final two laps as Nick fought for the line. Jochen was 3rd across, with an asterisk. He didn't quite make the start, so he joined the group on the first lap. Tough racing, well done.

Bloomfield Spring Classic

The weatherman lied. Instead of cloudy and 50 degrees, it was drizzle and 39 with a cold north wind greeting the racers in Bloomfield today. That did not deter the Dorschel hard men as Nick and Jochen took third and seventh, respectively in the cat 5 race. The cat 4 race was a war of attrition as climbs, punctures and wind thinned the field of 50 to a 12 rider pack chasing a solo breakaway for victory. The peloton never bridged the gap and Patrick Walle (Minerva Design) took the win. The chasers made it sporty up the final climb with Geoff taking a solid 7th. The remaining field kept coming, but only 29 riders finished in the tough conditions.

Dorschel Mini Cooper S convertible

This is going to be one of the chase cars used at the Bloomfield Spring Classic on Sunday, April 22nd. Thanks to Rick Dorschel for providing this very cool Mini convertible, and to Josh Gonsenhauser for setting everything up. I hope we can cruise with the top down!

G-Tour 4-10-2012

A cold, stiff wind greeted some hardy racers riding three laps on the Wheatland course tonight. Geoff was able to bridge to the winning break on lap one, and then Brent tried to bridge across but couldn't close the final 20 yards. Brent soloed in no-man's-land for a lap and a half before the peloton caught on. Meanwhile, up at the front, Geoff and Phil (Monroe Extinguisher) were able to shed Frank (CNB) and make it a two man race to the line. Phil surged for the win from the world's longest sprint leaving Geoff in second place, while Brent was able to secure 7th overall from the chase group. That gives Geoff a coin-toss 3rd last week, followed by a 1/2 bike length 2nd this week. What does that mean for next week?

Hornby Hills race photos

4/7/12 - Hornby Hills Kermis

An excellent, and insanely difficult race was put on this morning by the Corning race team. In true spring classic style, the course included many dirt/rock sections and not a single stretch of flat road (capped off by "the wall"). Jochen and Nick started the Team Dorschel throw-down with an early start in the Cat 5 race. They both finished strongly, with Nick grabbing an excellent second place showing! Great job Nick.
Next up was the Cat 4 race for Steve, Scott, and myself. We were riding mid-pack through the first uphill section when a small group of 5-6 unexpectedly took off the front of the group. None of us reacted quickly enough thinking the race was still young - our mistake as this proved to be the winning break staying away for the final 35 miles. I was able to make it into the first chase group for the next 4 laps, often keeping the leaders within view. Unfortunately my luck ran out when I suffered a flat on the last lap ruining my chance of a top 10 finish. Scott and Steve rode strongly, giving the team plenty to be proud of - although none of us will miss "the wall" if we never see it again!
All in all, an excellent showing for Team Dorschel.

4/3/12 - Victor

The first GVCC G-Tour race of the year saw Mike, Steve, Scott and I at the start line. Though there were numerous break attempts, none were allowed to stick. Either one of the larger teams was left out, or the break lacked the collaboration to stay away. In the end it came to a sprint. Scott sacrificed himself with a great leadout, followed by Doug and Ricky (both Park Ave). Doug then took over the lead out. Ricky and I simultaneously started our sprints and the 3 of us ended within inches of each other. Ricky took the win and Doug and I flipped for the remaining podium spots. Steve followed with an excellent 4th place, and Mike snuck in the top 10 at 9th place. Three teammates within the top 10 - a nice start to the season.

New Kit! The Dorschel Cycling Team presented by Reed Eye Associates met for a group ride to introduce our new uniforms for 2012. It was a perfect spring afternoon for photos and a hammerfest in the Mendon area. Thanks to J Smith photography for the pictures and Geoff and Kelly for the great dinner following the ride.

First race of the season!

Five brave souls came together at 6:30am this morning for our first race of the season: a virtual battle thanks to the setup at Crossfit Gordon in Fairport. They had just loaded the spring Giro course and Brent, Jochen, Nick, Steve, and myself went to battle. It was our first experience on the computrainer setup. We started peacefully, trying to get the hang of following the race. There was a constant feed of data, the most important of which was our place and the distance behind the next closest rider (to indicate whether or not we were close enough to benefit from a draft). Nick fired the first shot and the pleasantries ended. It was a constant back and forth, the drafting keeping the group tightly knit. The hills were tougher than expected, the resistance changing to match the course profile. The first time through the hills broke up the group a little until, after about 12 miles it was a 3 man battle. At 15.5 miles my tire went flat (on a trainer!) and it was down to a battle between Nick and Jochen. We decided to end the race at 20 miles to stay within our allotted time. They battled back and forth with the east side hill providing a launch pad for a final attack. Nick got a small gap but Jochen charged back, catching him right at the finish line. It was a photo finish, too close to call. Can't wait for them to upgrade and provide some firepower to Team Dorschel in the 4's. A big thanks to Crossfit Gordon: they have an excellent setup, check the out at www.crossfitgordon.com.