Bissell captures top 4 podium spots in men’s crit. PHOTO CREDIT: Brightroom.com

Pro road racing got underway today at the Sea Otter Classic with the return of criterium racing. 62 pro men and 27 pro women rolled to the start in races lasting 60 minutes and 50 minutes respectively over a 1.2-mile course with punishing climbs, hairpin turns and bullying crosswinds. Six racers battled to the end for the win in the women’s race while Bissell’s Morgan Schmitt – in a lead group with teammates Kirk O’Bee and Ben Jacques-Maynes – was informed that he would win late in the last lap by team leader, Jacques-Maynes. Bissell fielded the largest team in today’s crit and succeeded taking an early command of the race.

“We had a big number and our plan was for sure to win,” Schmitt said, “and the plan was to get us up the road early.”

A hard, fast start to the men’s race broke up the pack almost instantly and racers were swiftly jettisoned from competition. Within 15 minutes, the race split into three parts, beginning with a calculated move from Bissell. Five riders maneuvered a flawless attack and sprinted up the road with a racer from Land Rover – Orbea in tow. Bissell wasted no time shucking Land Rover-Orbea but sacrificed two of their own to send Schmitt, O’Bee, and Jacques-Maynes to the front where they stayed for the duration of the race.

“We eased up a bit more to ride tempo but the start was brutal,” Schmitt continued. “We just had to get the gap and make sure no one could cross.”

Crit racing never looked so effortless as it did with each pass of the Bissell trio, which sustained a 42-second gap between them and the chase group from race midpoint all the way through to the end.

Lone Benjamin Scores Victory

Colavita/Sutter Home’s Kelly Benjamin relaxes after clinching the crit win. PHOTO CREDIT: Brightroom.com

Palo Alto-based team TIBCO took up their place at the front to control the field at the start until a restless 17-year-old Coryn Rivera (Metro VW) punched up the pace with an attack 20 minutes into the race. TIBCO responded with a charge of its own from Joanne Kiesanowski who brought four other racers with her. The break of six containing Kelly Benjamin (Colavita/Sutter Home), Liza Rachetto (DFT/Treads), Jenn Halladay (Bob’s), and Kathryn Donovan (Kahala Lagran) surged at each other in efforts to decide the race until a charge by Rivera in the final 500 meters was fiercely countered by Benjamin and Kiesanowski, who failed to block Benjamin’s win.

“I was coming in support of the new crit and to open up my legs to race for the weekend,” Benjamin said. “I was outnumbered and knew I wouldn’t be very aggressive so I just saved it for the end. I waited ’til the last minute and it was kind of like a slingshot where I was able to cross from the outside and finish strong.”

While Benjamin’s Colavita/Sutter Home teammates cheered from the sidelines, Benjamin set a winning trend for her teammates to follow up with in tomorrow’s road race.

Pro road racing continues tomorrow at noon with the men’s and women’s road race. Super D finals take place starting at noon.

Officials of the Sea Otter Classic received confirmation late today that three-time Tour of California winner, Levi Leipheimer, will race the remaining road events on Friday and Saturday at Laguna Seca. The men’s pro road race starts at 12:05 pm on Friday; the men’s pro circuit race starts at 1:10 pm on Saturday.

LUNA®, the makers of the Whole Nutrition Bar for Women® and title sponsor of the Team LUNA Chix Pro Team, will celebrate its new line of LUNA Sport Cycling Apparel at the LUNA pro team tent on Friday afternoon at 4:30.

LUNA Sport Cycling Apparel PHOTO CREDIT: Rich Adams

LUNA Sport Clothing offers refreshingly simple designs that are color-blocked in bright, beautiful colors. LUNA shorts and knickers are made from sophisticated fabrics and feature a low-profile, flat waistband to distribute pressure over a wider area for the most comfortable fit. Authentic, Japanese wood-block prints (hand-carved in the early 1800’s) adorn many of LUNA’s aesthetically striking jerseys and accessories in this distinctive collection.

In addition to owning some savvy style, you can give back through your purchase. Sales of LUNA Sport clothing will contribute to LUNA’s ongoing support of the Breast Cancer Fund. As part of that commitment, LUNA has donated more than $2 million to the Breast Cancer Fund during the past 10 years through direct donations and fundraising programs.

LUNA invites you to see its new clothing line and take advantage of a special Sea Otter discount at a celebratory gathering in the Sea Otter Village tomorrow at 4:30 – just look for the blue awnings of the LUNA pro team tent in team parking.

April 15, 2009 – After a visit to Specialized’s headquarters in Morgan Hill on Tuesday, members of the media were introduced to the new Epic and Stumpjumper 29ers onsite Wednesday at Laguna Seca Recreational Area. To debut the new bikes, a panel of Specialized racers were on hand to punctuate the benefits unique to Specialized 29ers.

Todd Wells and Conrad Stoltz

Todd Wells and Conrad Stoltz highlighted the 29ers’ increased rollover and greater ground contact, which they claimed gives better traction during both climbing and riding over loose stuff. Wells proved those points during Round 1 of the USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour in Fontana, Calif. on March 28 when he climbed to a tenth-place finish after a snapped chain in the first lap cost him five minutes.

Current world cross country champion, Christoph Sauser, underscored the presentation by emphasizing Specialized’s signature technologies, including FSR, Brain, Fact Carbon, M5 alloy, and cold forgings – all of which feature on the new 29ers.

The presentation finished up with a test ride on the Fort Ord trails with Wells, Stoltz, and Specialized’s roster of famous cyclerati, including Rebecca Rusch, Lene Byberg, and Ned Overend. Visit Specialized’s booth #750 in the Sea Otter Village to see the new bikes for yourself.

I planned to have a summary of Sea Otter and Bicycle Leadership Conference action today, but to be honest I’m absolutely exhausted.

I invite you, then to click on the Bicycle Leadership Conference photoset, click here to view my almost live Tweets, and click here for a two minute video of the Sea Otter 2009 consumer area shot with the GoPro Wide Angel HERO Cam strapped to my chest. It’s a pretty fun toy.

I’ll also cut and paste a press release from today’s Sea Otter in just a minute. Then I’m spending time with the kids and then I’m going to bed. Good night!

Fun link: * California daily updates of tax receipts comparing YTD 2009 with 2008.

Hey, see you all at Sea Otter!

There seems to be some misperceptions about the “Idaho Stop” law for cyclist — namely, many people think that this law allows cyclists to blow through controlled intersections without looking.

Idaho Statutes Title 49 is the motor vehicle code. Chapter 7 deals with pedestrians and bicycles; section 720 regulates stopping and is where Idaho permits cyclists’ ‘rolling stop’ at stop signs. This section also allows cyclists to treat red lights like stop signs.

49-720.  STOPPING -- TURN AND STOP SIGNALS. (1) A person operating a
bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a stop sign shall slow down and,
if required for safety, stop before entering the intersection. After slowing
to a reasonable speed or stopping, the person shall yield the right-of-way to
any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another highway so closely
as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time the person is moving
across or within the intersection or junction of highways, except that a
person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if
required, may cautiously make a turn or proceed through the intersection
without stopping.
    (2)  A person operating a bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a
steady red traffic control light shall stop before entering the intersection
and shall yield to all other traffic. Once the person has yielded, he may
proceed through the steady red light with caution. Provided however, that a
person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if
required, may cautiously make a right-hand turn. A left-hand turn onto a
one-way highway may be made on a red light after stopping and yielding to
other traffic.
    (3)  A person riding a bicycle shall comply with the provisions of section
49-643, Idaho Code.
    (4)  A signal of intention to turn right or left shall be given during not
less than the last one hundred (100) feet traveled by the bicycle before
turning, provided that a signal by hand and arm need not be given if the hand
is needed in the control or operation of the bicycle.

The Solar Man folding electric bike with a solar charged battery weighs only about 26 lbs.

The battery, which can be charged through built in photovoltaic cells or line power, is the blue strip down near the crank. I can’t figure out where the motor is — maybe it’s in the bulk around the crank and apparently drives the crank instead of the wheel, unlike most eBike designs.

More about this design from International Council of Societies of Industrial Design. Hat tip to “William” who directed me to this design blog.

Spencer Boomhower of Portland, OR created this very nice video to illustrate how the “Idaho Stop” law would work in Oregon. Legislators in that state are considering a bill to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs.

Courtesy of Bike Portland.