COLORADO SPRINGS on 1 NOV – The 1st of November will mark the official start of COS Racing’s 2020/2021 racing season. Last year was the most challenging for the team in its five-year history – with COVID-19 significantly impacting racing locally, regionally, and nationally.
That said, team members still managed to amass over 230 race starts across all disciplines – specifically in road, gravel, cyclocross, mountain bike, and track. Most notably, the team had powerful showings at the Pikes Peak Apex MTB Stage Race, Steamboat Stage Race, the Colorado Gravel Grinder Series, the US OTC Track Series, Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the Black Swift Cycleton CSP Criterium Series, Grit-Nine-O Gravel, and the Karen Hornbostel Time Trial Series.
New riders interested in joining/applying for COS Racing’s race- or club teams are invited to attend our team meeting virtually at 4 PM on the first of November for more information. New and returning members are also welcome to register under the “MEMBERSHIP” tab above.
PIKES PEAK, CO (14,115ft) – COS Racing racers pulled off an excellent performance at Pikes Peak this weekend during the 11th Annual Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb race with four podium-finishes and multiple other top-fives in the USA Cycling race.
COS Racing’s Matt Bell won the Men’s Category 3 Race with a blistering time of one hour and 14 minutes, outpacing his next best competitor by over 6 minutes on this brutal 4,500ft ascent. Miles Juneau and Ron Buhdi both took 2nd places in the Men’s Cat 4 and Masters Men 50+, respectively. Dave Neis took 3rd in Masters 1/2/3 40+, while Sam Geiman, Aaron Sudduth,Erik Hartel, and Tracy Sharples seized 4th place in Men’s Cat 4, Masters Men 40+, Masters Men 50+, and Masters Men 60+.
The day featured strong winds above 12,000ft that nearly brought riders to a standstill during the headwind stretches. Over a dozen other COS Riders from across all three tiers competed, including Derek Bondy, Curt Butler, Jeff, Duncan, Marisa Farro-Miro, Kristen Lemond, Chris Milthaler, Alex Werden, and others.
Wednesday Night Track Cycling (Nov 20, 2019)…Practice Standing Starts, work on pursuit pacing, flying 200 meter times, and short sprint races 1 lap long!! Warm up begins at 5:45.
APELDOORN, THE NETHERLANDS – On 14-17 March 2019, COS Racing team member Chris Murphy competed at the 2019 Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn taking home two bronze medals for Team USA. Chris and his team mates also set a new US national record in the Team Sprint competition. Overall, Team USA took home seven medals.
Competition took place on Apeldoorn’s 250-meter indoor wood track. Chris competed in the 1-kilometer time trial (Bronze), the individual pursuit (9th), the UCI’s new omnium race, and the team sprint competition (Bronze).
Although he took home the bronze medal in the event, Murphy experienced near catastrophe in the 1-kilometer when the start gate did not release him. Chris was able to salvage bronze through a herculean effort but expressed dissatisfaction with the race organizers for not resolving persistent technical issues during the competition.
According to Murphy, his most satisfying event was the team sprint on the last day of the competition in which he and teammates Joe Berenyi and Jason Kimball took bronze. The team also set a new national record in the event. It was also a breakthrough performance for a team sprint trio who has placed just off the podium in 4th place in five of their last six international races.
“…it’s always great to represent team USA and even better to step on the podium with the national team kit on your back.” – Chris Murphy
Chris also participated in the new omnium format which added a flying 200m racing to the already challenging combination of 1K TT, 4K pursuit, and 15k scratch race. This was a fortuitous addition for Chris, who won the 200m by a convincing margin of around half a second. Chris eventually withdrew from the omnium – which was only an exhibition event in this year’s championships – to focus on the team sprint event.
This year’s medals add to Chris’ already impressive tally of two golds and a bronze World Championship medals in the TT (twice gold) and pursuit. Chris also previously competed at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, taking 4th in the world in the team sprint.
Various. (n.d.). U.S. Paralympics Cycling (@usparacycling) • Instagram photos and videos. Retrieved March 25, 2019, from https://www.instagram.com/usparacycling/
US AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLORADO – During the first day of racing at the annual Front Range Classic, COS Racing riders notched up solid criterium performances against large fields and tough competition. Despite the cancellation of the earlier time-trials due to icy conditions, the morning sun quickly melted any winter residue left over from Wednesday’s blizzard and made for a great day of criterium racing.
Top-ten results included a second place, one fifth, and a seventh place on a fast .7mi criterium course at the US Air Force Academy.
In the Men’s Masters (40+) Open Category, Dave Neis raced to
fifth place against an strong field of Pro/1/2/3/4/5 racers, finishing just
behind former US Hour Record Holder and US National Road Race Champion, Norm
Alvis.
In the Men’s Cat 4/5 race, five COS Racing riders lined up
against a strong field of over 60 racers.
Racers Ian Matteson, Matthew Payne, and Vladimir Dragomirov succeeded in
making it into the decisive move early in the race, when a group of 20 riders,
driven by Ian Matteson, was able to open a gap on the remainder of the
field. Matteson held position near the
front throughout the race and was one of the key animators on the climb. With about seven laps remaining, Matteson’s
efforts on the front had reduced the field to fifteen racers. Matthew Payne
demonstrated smart tactics throughout remaining well sheltered in the lead
pack. With three laps to go, Dragomirov
launched an attack that further strung out the lead group. Matteson crossed the line in second, while
Payne and Dragomirov sprinted to 7th and 13th positions, respectively. Riders
Mark Leenheer and Ron Buhdi placed finished behind the lead group.
Additional COS Racing competitors included Matt Brady in the Men’s 2/3 Crit. Matt rode a strong race, initially sticking with the lead group before getting separated and finding himself in one of the many chase groups. He finished 11th overall.
COS Racing is one of the co-sponsors of this race. Over fifteen team members volunteered on day one to manage on-site registration, number pick-up, and course preparation.
COLORADO SPRINGS – COS Racing Team Member JohnMcFarlane took 2nd place in the individual 2018 BRAC CX Cup Point awards in the Men’s 40+ Category 4 Cyclocross (CX). John is a stellar CX and gravel rider who notched up multiple podium finishes this year. John’s outstanding season podium finish can be attributed to fast, solid, and consistent riding across the entire series.
John MacFarlane – 1st Place – 2018 Cross of the North – MM 40+ – 11 November 2018
Most notably, MacFarlane took the top step of the podium at this season’s Cross of the North and Salty Cross, placed 4th in Eldora, 6th in the State Championships, 7th at the Rocky Mountain Regional CX Championships, and 11th at Sienna Lake.
The adage, “it takes a village,” runs true for hosting big cycling events, as well as so many other things in life. With that in mind, we are still looking for a few good volunteers to enable this great cycling event at the US Air Force Academy. As a veteran of many such volunteer opportunities, I can testify that this is a great way to get an up-close vantage point on professional and amateur races, give back to our local cycling community, and have a race experience akin to that experienced by Tour-de-France officials, soigneurs, and directors sportive—especially for those who volunteer to drive the lead and chase vehicles and provide support in the feed zones.
For high school-aged students looking for summer volunteer hours, there are still positions suitable for teenagers looking to support a non-profit event. This will demonstrate a student’s commitment to the community on a college application. Our volunteer coordinators can validate any volunteer time.
Available volunteer positions include:
Set-Up – Assist the race organizing team in setting up the barricades, vendors’ area, registration site, and safety measures.
Lead & Trail Vehicle Drivers – Drive the lead or chase vehicle for each race wave (my favorite) to improve safety and keep the race officials and director informed about each race’s progress.
Course Marshals – Conduct traffic control and ensure that riders remain on course.
Feed Zone/Water Bottle Assistants – Hand up water bottles to racers.
Towel Assistants – Hand up cool race towels to finishers at the finish line
Registration – Assist in registration and handing out race numbers and packets to racers.
Shifts of varying durations and times are still available. All volunteers will receive lunch (pizza), snacks, and water.
COS Racing team rider Chris Murphy continued his strong season with multiple victories at the 2018 U.S. Paralympics Track Cycling Open. Murphy won the C5 1K time trial and the C5 4K Pursuit. Additionally, he took gold as part of the C1-C5 Mixed Team Sprints team while achieving a second place finish in the Scratch Race. The U.S. Paralympics Track Cycling Open was held in Carson, California on 10-11 February 2018.
Full results are available at: https://www.teamusa.org/US-Paralympics/Sports/Cycling/Events/2018-U-S-Paralympics-Track-Cycling-Open
: Caroline Bloom, Ron Budhi and Chauncey Bush 
