Altoona, PA
The Legal Sea Foods Cycling Team has sent a 6-person team (Brad, Chris, Ryan, Peter, Charlie and Alain) to central PA for the International Tour de 'Toona, a National Road Calendar event (NRC) and one of the largest and richest ($110,000 prize list) stage races in North America. We're very excited to be racing 421 miles during the next 7 days against the top amateur and professional teams from across the United States.

Stage 1 - Team Time Trial, 11 miles, Port Matilda, PA
We are thrilled to have been a part of us cycling history today as it was the first time an NRC event included a team time trial. Since we've never ridden a TTT together and the course had several turns, we chose safety over speed and opted to ride without aero bars. We were happy with our time and excited to be one of just a few teams that finished without dropping any teammates out on the course.

Stage 2 - Road Race, 49 miles, Cairnbrook, PA
Today wasn't pretty. The race began with 9 miles downhill and then we hit a monster of a climb.It was steep and ugly; many strong riders were caught off-guard in the back of the field. The peloton was split into several smaller groups and unfortunately Brad was in a group that just missed the time-cut. Chris crashed on a fast descent and also finished outside the time-cut so we're down to 4 guys + our guest-rider Zach Zimmerman.
Charles - 122nd
Zach - 141st
Peter - 147th
Alain - 152nd
Ryan - 168th

Stage 3 - Road Race, 96 miles, Altoona, PA
Forget not pretty, today was just plain ugly. 8 miles into the stage, Alain had a derailleur problem at the base of a climb which resulted in 3 riders plowing into him as the peloton continued on at a furious pace. 1 mile later, Zach flatted his front wheel. 1.1 miles later, Zach flatted his rear wheel. Alain caught up to Zach and the two of them chased, eventually catching Charlie and Ryan in a group of 8 riders that had been dropped 10 miles further. With only Peter left in the peloton, a chaotic chase ensued, ultimately getting Alain and Ryan back into the peloton at mile 52. The race exploded at the 70 mile mark as the peloton climbed 1,400' over PA's highest ski resort, Blue Knob. the final few hundred meters were not marked correctly and some riders, including stage-winner karl menzies, were forced to ride over a median during the sprint. The officials took the easy way out by not awarding any prize money and giving everyone in the front group 47th place. Peter, Alain and Ryan rolled in with splinter groups a few minutes behind the leaders. Zach finished outside of the time-cut and Charles abandoned the race, so we're now down to 3 guys. Other stage notes: an official saw Alain briefly holding onto a car in the race caravan and - not aware of the mechanical problem that forced this - disqualified him. This decision was appealed and swiftly overturned before the start of the next stage.
Peter - 122nd
Alain - 140th
Ryan - 158th

Stage 4 - Circuit Race, 60 miles, Holidaysburg, PA
We expected today to be a chance to recover from yesterday's slug-fest but the Healthnet Professional Team (whose rider Karl Menzies is wearing the leader's jersey) went to the front early and kept the pace high. The field split late in the race as the attacks were mounting and a large crash left several riders piled up across the road.
Alain - 79th
Peter - 130th
Ryan - 142nd

Stage 5 - Circuit Race, 77 miles, Martinsburg, PA
Charlie was still in town with the team so he entered the Men's cat. 2 points race which began today. Alain was not looking forward to riding tomorrow's 99 miles (including several big climbs) with the pros so he opted to join Charlie in the points race. Peter and Ryan stayed brave and stuck out another day with the pros, finishing in the field. Peter got some TV time by going up the road in a break at the start of the stage. Alain and Charlie rode aggressively and went off the front several times but none of their breaks stayed away. The finish came down to field sprints for both races.
Alain - 17th
Charlie - 64th
Peter - 77th
Ryan - 145th

Stage 6 - Road Race, 99 miles, Altoona, PA
With a 2,000' climb smack in the middle of this stage and another 1,600' climb before the finish, today's race is definitely suited for the climbers. Knowing he had little chance of making the lead group over the climb, Alain went on the attack early in the points race, eventually being joined by three others and staying away until the base of the 1st climb. Charlie took over from there and lead a select group over the top but they too were eventually caught by the field. In the pro race, Peter crashed along with several other riders on a terrifying high-speed descent from the day's final climb but still managed to finish, while Ryan's finish was outside the time-cut.
Charlie - 25th
Alain - 42nd
Peter - 126th
Ryan - 130th

Stage 7 - Criterium, 25 miles, Altoona, PA
The pro race only allowed the top 100 riders to start today so Peter had the day off. This left just Alain and Charlie to carry the team colors in the high-speed final stage through the streets of downtown Altoona. Alain's early flat front tire while descending into an S turn was the start of what would be a nerve-racking stage plagued with several crashes and near-misses. Both riders managed to stay upright and avoid losing any skin, though only alain was able to finish the stage.
Alain - 11th