Scratch The Pad, Miss The Boat

Hello, 2010 road season, it’s nice to meet you! Pie? Why sure, we’d love some.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Pacific Power/Blue Sky for putting on another edition of the dessert race, it was a good’un. Ironclad sent down some boys and girls to take a swing, and we came up good, scratching the pad with our first win of the season in the first race of the season. Our new transplant from Minnesota, Anna Grace Christiansen, having never pinned on a number in any kind of bike race, took to the 4’s race with Lana Pressey and Stephanie Croy, and got the W with a fine solo effort towards the end of the race. Of course, no victory comes without teamwork of some sort, and Pressey and Croy slayed themselves to set up the winning move. Pat Malach of Oregon Cycling Action caught the moment wonderfully in this picture.

Steph, Lana, and The Ace celebrate the teamwork

Another new Ironclad rider, Anona Whitley, took to the women’s 3’s all by her lonesome and hung tough in a tough field to have a solid chase pack finish – after sorting out the 1,2,3 and masters, we find her in 10th. A great first race for OBRA for the transplant.

nice shot, kid

For the 3’s lads, a bit of snake biting occurred. If we had a race report to tell, we’d tell it, but due to an early race start by the promoters, our boys missed the boat. And the race. Um, oops. The good news is refunds all around and a good training ride, the bad news is our boys had come ready and drove down from Portland, and didn’t get a chance to mix it up with a fine field of 3’s, as did another few riders from other teams. Oh well, shit happens, everybody makes mistakes and as long as our entries are refunded, you just have to chalk it up as an honest promoter error.

all dressed up and nowhere to go……

Pie, Anyone?

Season kicks off really soon, doesn’t it?

Not so far away, in a town pretty close actually, in just a few days, an epic battle for control of the galaxy will begin. Empires and Rebellions will clash once again in mighty bicycle combat to determine two wheeled supremacy. If I could make this shit scroll into a backdrop of twinkling stars, I would. But since I can’t, I’ll just link this while you think about the dawn of a brand new season.

We’ll send a few folks down to kick the tires and have a little peek at the engine. Let’s all hope for dry weather. And please, no Warrant jokes.

Right. Into. The. Fan.

Sometimes life just has you walking into buzzsaws. Or, in a more cycling oriented vernacular – a headwind.

Yesterday’s training ride saw about 20 brave souls point their bikes for Multnomah Falls, but between PDX and said falls, laid a few miles covered in a blanket of stiff headwind.

4 hours later, everyone was worked over and the skies began to darken.

And that about tops off the tune ups, as Cherry Pie looms next week to kick off the season. We’ll see you at the races.

Chicks Know How To Party

The Ironcladies threw down last night. Still waiting for my Saturday paper to read the Police Blotter to find how who got arrested for what. The gang was all there save for The Ace and the fair Eva.

We’d throw a dude’s party, but it would just end up at the A-Crop with an astronomical bar tab, and we don’t really need an actual “party’ designated for that to happen.

They look pretty, but don’t be fooled. These girls are lethal.

New Riders, New Sponsors!

We’re proud to announce we’ve rounded out our rider roster and our sponsor roster for 2010 with some new faces and new products!

Our men’s team has been closed after the 09 acquisitions of Shaun Conley, Ryan Van Dusen, and Mark Koller, but in keeping with our commitment to women’s cycling in Oregon, we’re proud to announce the arrival of Anona Whitley and Anna Grace Christiansen to our ranks. Remember those names. You’ll see a lot of them this year. Anona joins us as our sole Cat 3 rider (for now) and Anna Grace is  brand new to the sport but has the legs to move her up the ranks quickly. We welcome these two, as we just got better, again.

Also we’ve finished our sponsor roll out by bringing on board the estimable Dr. Will Bar as a boost to our nutrition lineup, and Corsa Concepts as a boost to our wheels! Ironclad will be using both of these fine sponsor’s products in the coming year.

Check out Dr Will HERE.

Corsa Concepts HERE.

Guerillas in Arizona

Joe and Drew done hopped a plane and said “adios” to the Portland cold and have infiltrated the Arizona heat. Desert, Cacti, good Tex Mex, and some superior riding – it’s all theirs.

They send along the standard greeting to us stuck in the cold….but hey, at least next week looks pretty good weather-wise, for us stuck in the People’s Republic of Portland.

these clowns got it made

The Phoenix

We’re proud to announce the slow but sure return to the bike by our Kristin McCarthy, aka KMac, aka The Phoenix, after nearly a year’s struggle returning from a brain injury sustained at PIR in June, 2009. Her road has been long, it has been hard, and it has been filled with highs and lows.

Join us in a standing ovation for this remarkable person and rider.

Kristin lets the brain injury know just what she thinks of it.

Welcome back, kiddo!

Lo, Though We Walk Through The Valley of Newberry, We Shall Fear No Gradient

Thy Hamm’s protect me.

The Battle of Newberry commenced today. We smoteth thy mighty hill, though at great cost. Many a knight and maiden were left asunder in the wake of battle.

The honchos ascend

Another weekend, another 4 hours in the saddle with about 20 teammates. Nothing but good times all around. And once again our standing deal with the Devil got us the better of the two days, as we were greeted on this day of battle with 50’s and sun.

to the victor, the spoils

So the first races are looming, it’s hard to believe. Our engine is looking pretty good so far but, by the amounts of other teams we’re seeing every day we’re out, we bet everyone’s engines are starting to look good.

Remember, bacon triumphs over tofu everytime. Everytime.

Ironclad Junior Development Team and Breeding Program

We’ve taken our innate mastery of simple biology and have begun breeding a super army of bike racers. We might be flabby sloppy riders that drink too much and train too little now, but in 15 years we’ll be sitting back watching our near robotic like offspring crushing the skulls of our foes.

We would imagine that if you have gazed upon this warrior and are still reading these words, that you are now trembling head to toe with primal fear. A mechanized division of sprinter/climber/ninja/cannibals will soon be unleashed on the world.

Be afraid.

They look like cute, nice little kids.

But they’re going to be stone cold killers on the bike.

Team Ironclad Becomes Team King Torta!

Well, at least for a day. In honor of the Colonel.

Today’s route was about 4 hours worth of 4000 feet with some extra roly poly just for good measure. A fine showing made their way high and low through the fog and rain around distant NW Portland.

And no sojourn is complete without a burrito, if only in effigy.

At least it was warm.

Here we see the team celebrating outrunning the Hell Hound, who this year seems to have earned himself an electric collar as a result of his assholitude. Can’t blame the lad. He’s a big ol’ yellow lab and of course they think we’re tasty treats.

Koller jettisoned some bacon just to appease the hound, for good measure.

When all was said and done it was a soggy affair, the sort that can only be cured by cookies, fire, and Rainier beer. Mmm,,….coooookies………fiiiiiiiire………..good to also warm the goodies by!