Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Raccoon Race Report
 The race course at Raccoon Mtn. was super sweet with endless fast flowing singletrack. The conditions were super tough though, with harsh temperatures, dry dusty trails, and back breaking steep climbs. Chris crashed out of the pro race, Sam forgot how much bike racing hurt and retired permanently, Reid crashed hard and retired early from the expert 19-29 race, Benjy took second place in the expert 30-39 and Bill put in a tough ride in the sport 40-49 class. It was good to see everyone out on the fat tires!
Sam Silvey
12:17 PM |
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Chris Brown Tennessee State Champion
Sunday June 14th 2009
The Pacesetter Steel Service p/b Litespeed team had a strong but small representation of riders in TN this past weekend consisting of Chris Chotas, Chris Brown and Troy Adams. Unfortunately all weekend long Chris Chotas suffered from what can best be described as he put it “a bowling ball in my lungs” and really could never get rolling like Chris can. It was a frustrating weekend for Chris Chotas as he came ready to race and in fact took a solo flyer early in the Masters race on Saturday, but unfortunately his lungs just never came around...get that sorted out Chris and get back out there with us soon!
Chris Brown came ready to defend his 2008 Masters State Criterium Championship and with a course that was fast, technical and had one good hill it in he knew that it was in his favor to repeat. A very strong field of riders showed up including Kent Bostick, Steve Carol, Clive Blackwell, Jason Tatum, Steve Carpenter to name a few. Brown was ready and aggressive from the gun…after a few efforts finally Brown got away with a small group that included Carpenter, Bostick, Blackwell and one other rider. The group worked well together and were able to keep a 20+ second gap on the field. Heading into the last lap Brown sat patiently in fourth heading into the fast last couple of technical turns knowing (hoping) he could light up the last couple of corners and punch it on the last little hill before the flat finish. Bam, he worked around the 3rd place rider heading into the 3rd to last corner and gapped him as he bridged a small gap to Bostick and Blackwell. Out of the last corner Blackwell and Bostick were sort of looking at each other so Brown ripped it up the right hand side of the road to come in with the victory and the 2009 State Masters TN title! Thanks to Litespeed for building a great bike! That Archon rips!
Sam Silvey
2:29 PM |
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Chris Brown Wins Avery Trace Road Race!
Chris Brown won the Avery Trace Pro,1, 2 race this past weekend! Brown had some good competiton with teams such as Myogenesis, Warp9/ Tristar, Krystal, and Texas Roadhouse, but in the end, he wound up claiming the number one spot. Brown got in a breakaway with three other riders from Krystal, Myogenesis, and Warp9/ Tristar. On the last climb of the day, Brown attacked for a final time and dropped the rest of the break to take the heroic solo victory! Nice job to Chris!
Sam Silvey
7:22 PM |
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Low Country, By Chad Madan
While I have been a little delinquent on my write up for the state road race championships, I believe that can be excused since I did what all great champions do, and that is take a trip to Disney World. Not really, but I have taken a small hiatus from the bike. With the state crit championships coming up next weekend, I figured I needed some racing in the legs and therefore decided a nice little weekend trip to the Low Country would be a good way to refresh myself.
The start of the day would be a good bit earlier than I needed it to be, but traveling with guys that are in different categories sometimes makes for long days of spectating waiting for your race to come around. The biggest concern of the day was the dark clouds that kept forming overhead, which we luckily avoided throughout the day. The course was a cool little 1k 4 corner neighborhood crit that was completely flat. There were two teams that had any numbers and the rest of the field was made up of a bunch of individuals, which usually means a field sprint. That doesn’t mean I didn’t try my luck at launching a solo attack following a mid race prime. It is amazing how hard people will sprint for a $20 prime when there is no payout. Well, a few laps later I was reeled back in, much to my happiness, and guess what, I was countered and no one chased. So, we were no sprinting for second and I was able to manage a meek 8th place.
While the racing left you wanting a little more, the locals had pointed us to a nice little seafood restaurant on the waterway. It was one of the many times you liked hearing that there was going to be long wait for your table so you could sit on the docks, drink a good beer, and watch the sun set. Aw, those are the good days of bike racing. That was coupled with the fact that our race on Sunday would not start until 11.
Well, the ominous clouds that were lingering on Saturday made up for no rain by dousing us from the start of the race. The course itself was a 2 lane road that rambled through the local air base and we had complete usage of the whole road, sweet. Since this was an air field, it was completely flat, but the stiff wind on a 10.5 mile rain soaked lap, would provide enough factor to help make the race difficult. 2 laps in, a group of 2 got 1 ½ minutes up the road. I followed a couple of wheels at the end of the third lap to attempt to get across. In doing so we picked up a hitch hiker that had a teammate up the road. So we worked pretty freakin hard for the next lap, closed the gap, and now the six of us quickly started working together to finish out the last two laps. As it came down to the sprint, I knew I had nothing and just let the others play around, but the strongest guys beat me and I rolled in for 5th. And yes, I was happy with that at the end of the day. I hadn’t raced in a month, made the break, worked the break, and rode aggressively.
Sam Silvey
4:17 PM |
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Race Report From Clemson SERC Race
I had a good weekend in Clemson. The trail was pretty eroded out and was
rougher than years past. I did my pre-ride of the 9.2 mile loop then got 2nd
place in the 5 mile time trial on Saturday. That was a good taste of what
was in store for Sunday. Hot and humid. The trail was rough enough to cause
some racers to leave the bike and break some bones. Others popped tires or
in my case went without water for a lap due to losing the bottle early in
the second lap. Everyone was leaving equipment on the trail. I ended up in
11th spot and am now standing only 3 points out of 3rd place in the Serc
series.
The big race was in XC1 as Reid Peacock hammered 3 loops of the trail
sometimes leading the race in a 3 man slugfest that never ended. Every time
they came by there was only seconds between them. At the end, Reid kept 3rd
place, 22 seconds behind the 1st place rider
Sam Silvey
4:15 PM |
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Monday, June 01, 2009
Tsali 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race
Team Pacesetter Steel Service p/b Litespeed
Team riders: Sam Silvey, Troy Adams, Chris Brown and Daryl McKenzie
Result – 2nd
Pacesetter Steel Service p/b Litespeed headed up a very strong mtb team for the 12 hours of Tsali race this past weekend which takes place near Bryson City North Carolina on some incredibly fast trails. The team consisted of Sam Silvey, Troy Adams, Chris Brown and Daryl McKenzie all of which have years of semi-professional mountain bike experience. Throughout the day the Pacesetter Steel Service p/b Litespeed team battle with a young group of Kenda team riders who had won this race the past three years. At most, either team never got more than a two to three minute advantage over the other, each team rapidly turned out 41 minute 10 mile laps. Early in the race the Pacesetter Steel Service p/b Litespeed guys had a small mechanical with a slow leak on a tire which cost the team some time plus one rider had some bad chain suck due to the dry conditions which lost the team some time. In the end, after trying numerous switch ups of riders to try and gain an advantage, the Pacesetter Steel Service p/b Litespeed boys came up a tad short…missing the last lap cut off by 45 seconds and the Kenda team was only up by a minute and thirty seconds at that point. So a hard earned 2nd place at 12 hours of Tsali. A big thanks goes out to LITESPEED for supporting the team and letting us use their vehicle, EZ-UPS and bike stands. We will be back to win this race next year!
Sam Silvey
1:39 PM |
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Jordy's Race Report From Tour of Atlanta
Friday's crit course was an interesting one with it being a dog bone shape on a two way highway. Lots of sprints out of each corner. After taking a few turns off the front with some other aggressive riders, I realized nothing was getting away. So for the second half of the race, I stayed in the top ten to lower my chances of crashing. I wound up sixth in the final sprint.
On the Saturday am crit, the weather wasn't looking good but the rain held out for this race. It was a very fast race and I would guess half the field was dropped in the first half of the race. Once the fat was shed, it turned into a very strategic race with small groups going off the front and the field pulling them back. I think I did my un-fair share of that work! And yet again it was a sprint a the end but I was not in as good of a spot on the front and only ended up 10th this time.
For the Saturday pm race I was focused for some payback. The weather decided to not cooperate for this race. The skies opened up for the entire race. There were some fresh legs in the group to watch but they didn't seem to do anything with it. On the very 1st lap there was a huge wreck in the pack. Luckily I was on the front and avoided the carnage. I tried to organize the ten or so folks that were on the front with me because I thought for sure that was the break, but no one seemed to want to work. This seemed to be the attitude for the rest of the race, so I once again focused on staying in the top ten. It paid off and I finished eighth in the sprint.
For the Sunday am race I could definitely tell my legs were starting to feel all the crits, but I still had a focus for top 10 finishes all weekend. I could tell the rest of the field was hesitant to take any fliers and the speed was not nearly fast enough to shred any of the pack fillers. The race was another sprint finish but with the crowd at the end I was boxed in for 18th.
In the Sunday pm race, I wanted some retribution for the am results. Again there were a lot of fresh legs and it showed. Many attacks happened early on, and I went with many of them. Unfortunately, my luck did not hold out and the one that went, I was not in. A number of us in the pack organized on the front to try and chase it back but I think we did it a little to late. For the pack sprint, I ended up in the top 10. But, with the 5 or so folks that were in the break, I ended up 14th overall.
Sam Silvey
9:19 AM |
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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Brown wins the Highland Rim 30+ Omnium
Highland Rim Cycling Classic – McMinnville, TN May 16th- 17th. RR, TT & Crit for an omnium. Masters 30+
RR 55 miles – Usual road race, small group went from the gun that I was not worried about as there is a mile climb about 15 miles into the 55 mile road race. Sure enough, caught them break on the climb and as a couple of us set a strong tempo up the climb we ended up in a group of 11 guys. We worked well together over the top and in the coming sections and then it started to POUR rain, I mean flood! Finally it stopped and the roads actually dried out! I knew I wanted to start attacking once we turned onto the final stretch of 12 miles to the finish. Sure enough myself and guys from Hinncapie, Bike Zoo and Industry Nine starting attacking…got away several times but was never able to stay away…finally the one of the industry nine guys attacked at the perfect time and got a good gap. We continued to attack and try to break up the group but to no avail as guys would bring us back and then sit up and sit in, but the industry nine rider (Chris) was only 10 seconds up so he was in striking distance. We finally started somewhat working together and in the final mile to the finish I knew we could get him. With 300 meters to go I attacked hard out of what was left of our group (5 guys) and was catching the industry nine guy quick. He somehow dug deep and surged right at the line as I tried to come around him on his left only to be boxed in by his teammate who had been able to sit in while his teammate was up the road…so he got me right at the line and I came in third. Dang it, if only I had jumped harder or done something harder I probably would have won but oh well, it was a good race and now I knew who I would be racing against for the overall. Two guys from Industry-nine (Chris & Chris) as Steve Carpenter got dropped on the decent as he sat up.
TT – 2.5 mile climb/TT – what can I say, drilled it from the gun and every time I felt like I was fading when seated I would stand up and force myself to go hard. 12 minutes was my time which I knew was good…won the TT by 12 seconds over Steve Carpenter and the Industry-Nine guys got 3rd and 5th so I was close to them heading into the crit.
Crit - 35 minutes – really technical and tight course, almost like a moto GP type course. I knew I had to win and beat both Industry-Nine riders to have a shot as they were still first and second in the omniun and I was five points down on the leader (so if I won and he got second then I would take it because we would tie on points and since I won the TT & Crit I would take the overall). I had spoken with Carpenter and we were going to drill it from the gun and try to get away since it was a technical course. Well I went full on mtb start and drilled it so hard that it ended up me being by myself for the first lap with the group chasing…sat up and waited for things to play out…industry-nine guy would attack and I would be with him then we would get brought back…then someone else would attack and we would bring them back…finally the group sat up on the front stretch and I was in good position to attack and did…got a good gap and only the industry nine rider that was leading the omnium was able to come with me. That was it, we stayed away and worked well together (I was glad to get away from his teammate)…knew I wanted to lead heading into the last couple of technical turns as I figured if I could just drill it and then sprint out of the finally technical turn and I didn’t think he could come around me…well it worked! He was right next to me at the line but I won that sucker and I did end up winning the omnium!
It was fun racing these guys as they were clean and like to race hard, if Carpenter had not have sat up before the downhill in the RR I think he would have been duking it out with us as well.
For full results or if it would help to know the names of the teams that were there you can click here and then there is a results link:
http://www.tbra.org/raceschedule.php
Sam Silvey
12:29 PM |
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Wetzel takes 5th in Johns Creek Criterium
This weekend was the John’s Creek Criterium in John’s Creek, GA. It was not a very pretty day. Raining constantly with wind gusts. I think the rain scared some folks away for the crit so only about 30 folks showed up for the CAT 3 race. Right off that bat people were trying to jump off the front, but we were very diligent about chasing everything down as soon as we saw someone jumping. I even tried a few times with no success, so I decided to stay in the pack to save my energy for the sprint at the end.
The last lap was the deciding factor. On the 3rd to last turn as everyone was pushing harder and faster the inevitable happened- a wreck which slowed the entire peloton down except for the top 7-8 men. Luckily I was one of those 8. When I got back up to speed I was able to pass a few at the end and maintain my position almost moving to top 3. I ended up 5th.
Sam Silvey
11:57 AM |
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Kazane / No Brakes Keirin Pro Race
Saturday May 10 was the Kazane / No Brakes Keirin Pro Race Series at the Dick Lane Velodrome.
Five week old Saoirse and The Grange had Darren Comer occupied during the first two races of the night (The Scratch race and the Unknown Distance), but he was able to catch (and win) the 40 lap points race and the Miss and Out. He came out fresh in the points race where points are up for grabs on every 5’th lap. He won the first two points laps and set up a break with Ryan Pumpian, Jason Jones and Jeffrey Bradley for the remainder of the race. With 3 laps to go, he attacked and was able to bridge to the pack and gain 20 bonus points. He was pushed hard by Ryan, but was able to win the final lap and overall race. In the Miss and Out, Darren stayed top three on every lap because the last place rider in each lap gets pulled from the race. With only three riders remaining, Darren attacked on the bell lap and soloed in for the win and 2’nd overall in the omnium.
Darren and the other onlookers were then able to sit back and enjoy (our pretty in pink) Charles’ run in the Keirin events - an exciting spectacle where a motorbike paces riders for 6 laps at 30mph and drops off to leave the racers duke it out for a lap and a half of the track at full gas. Charles did very well up against some of the fastest sprinters in the United States.
Pic’s courtesy of
Phillip Morrissey Photos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022869&id=1061736215#/album.php?aid=2022869&id=1061736215
Sam Silvey
5:04 PM |
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Friday, May 08, 2009
Bill, Chris, and Reid at US Cup #1
Last weekend Bill Feler raced in the rain at the first US Cup at Tanasi. Here is a race report Bill.
On Saturday, I raced the time trial which turned into a 2 mile uphill mudfest. Then, on Sunday, I lined up for the cross country race, which continued the mud festivities. By the last lap, my brakes went were gone and my computer was broken! I managed to hold on to 10th place after a long race of fighting the horrible conditions. After the race, many of us wound up in the Ocoee River with our bikes, desperately trying to get clean!
Chris Brown and Reid did really well. Reid placed 3rd in XC1 and Chris placed 8th in XCpro. Chris averaged over 14 mph in dangerous conditions!
Sam Silvey
1:05 AM |
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Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Benjy 3rd at Ft.Yargo
Here is the race report from Benjy himself.
I raced the expert 30-39 class with 25 other guys. The course was 3 laps for a total of 33 miles. I had never ridden the Yargo course prior to the race and it turned out to be a fast, relatively flat and fun power course with lots of fun single and some good wide open places to attack or be attacked. I was really stoked to be racing because my last cross country race was back in 2003.
Having been out of the scene for so long I didn’t know most of the other riders and their abilities. The only known elements were four homies from the Atlanta Pro Bikes team and Atlanta freak of nature, Nate Sibley. Nate had just won the Tsali race in North Carolina (a prestigious victory) so I figured I would mark him and see what happens.
The start was good, I tucked into 2nd position behind Nate and tried to prepare for some suffering. During the first lap he held a brisk but comfortable tempo and nobody challenged. The field split quickly and at the end of the first lap I was sitting second wheel in a group of five. The field was not in sight and was gone for the day.
During the second lap the lead rider, Nate, lost air in his rear tire. The only real liability with tubeless tires seems to be the chance of rolling the tire off the side of the rim just enough to break the seal and instantly lose most of the air, which is what happened. This flat/operator error occured on a slow technical section and we all sort of piled into each other. Our racing quickly resumed and I found myself second wheel amidst riders I don’t know. No problem, 15 miles to go and I feel good, I’ll just sit on, drink some water and observe. The rider in the lead was really pushing it hard in the single but seemed to weaken on each climb as the lap continued. The two riders on my wheel didn’t try to attack and we soon ended the second lap in this mode.
As we were crossing the start/finish area to begin the final lap the pace slowed slightly and I attacked. There was about 200 yards before woodsy singletrack and the chance to ride out of their sight so I decided to either win the race or blow up. 11 miles to go and they don’t know me either, maybe it will psych them out. I didn’t know if I would hold out but knowing the point of implosion would be good info for the next race. Well... I blew about 5 miles from the finish, it was beautiful, goose bumps, chills, jacked heart rate, no strength, hurting stomach, a twitching quad on the verge of cramping, tunnel vision, dropped my last gel into the dirt, complete agony. A couple miles later one guy passes me looking smooth. I say good job man keep it up. I thought, hold on a little longer just keep pedaling soon you can have the cold gatorade in the truck. Another rider I attacked is coming, I try to push it but he is on my wheel fast so I let him pass and say nice work man. I dangled 10 or 15 yards behind for a while and then he was gone. I ended up 3rd at about 2 hours 27 minutes and about 1:30 and :30 behind 1st and 2nd.
I saw the second place guy laying in the grass just past the finish area looking pained and holding his cramping thigh so I congratulated him and secretly was pleased at seeing him writhing in a spot of bother. I laid in the back of my truck, stared up at the bright green tree leaves and the deep blue sky for about a half hour while relaxing in the comfortably numb sensations of total physical destruction. It is good to be back racing bikes in the woods.
Benjy
Sam Silvey
11:30 PM |
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Chris Brown 1st at Roswell Criterium!
Sunday April 26th was a beautiful day for the 2009 Nalley Historic Roswell Criterium and the Pacesetter Steel Cycling Team p/b Litespeed was looking for a solid result. Pacesetter had a game plan that they'd would play out perfectly to defend their home turf.
From the gun Pacesetter partolled the front of the race; keeping the speed high and covering the moves. Chris Brown was the designated leader and it was imperative Pacesetter control the race to keep Brown at ease. Testing the waters a bit, Pacesetter sent Matt McCarthy, Clay Parks and Chris Brown up the road to gauge the peleton's willingness to chase. These efforts yielded three of the four primes. Workhorses Wes Parrish, Colby Millen and Hank Beaver stayed attentive to ensure Pacesetter maintained control as their solosists took their turns off the front.
Pacesetter's sprinter, Charles Rossingnol was sitting pretty conserving energy for the final sprint but had a bout with a stomach bug and lost. As it would turn out, this would be the only bad luck the team would have for the day as he was a shoe in for a great result top 5'ing Roswell three of the last 4 years.
The team determined the waters were a bit tepid and needed heating up.
With 25 minutes to go, Brown went with one other on a strong attack on the backside hill and almost instantly Beaver moved to the front to monitor the other teams chasing. Beaver would soon be joined by Millen, McCarthy and Parrish to discourage the chase. Their efforts effective, as the group slowed enough for Brown and co. to create a substanial gap.
Brown's experience gave him the advantage in the break as he allowed the younger temporary ally to do the majority of the work. On the last lap, the young rider pulled the front straight until the backside hill where Brown made his decisive attack that would allow him to ride in solo for the win.
Brown was later quoted "I was forcing him to do about 65+% of the work…hey, he was younger and gung ho about drilling it so I just let him and tried to keep him motivated by giving him encouraging words. Towards the end of the race he was asking me not to drop him and he would let me win." About that time Brown jokingly appoligized then made the fatal attack.
Brown's effort not only secured the win but nearly shattered the other riders pace to a crawl as the peleton was quickly ramping up speed for the pack sprint. Beaver still near the front the race found the right wheels to follow through the last two turns for the final sprint to pick up 7th giving Pacesetter two in the top ten for the day.
The rest of the team would finish very solid within in the pack after a hard days work.
Come out to support Pacesetter Saturday May 2nd in Anniston, Alabama and Sunday May 3rd in Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Sam Silvey
9:16 AM |
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Bill 3rd Overall in SERC Series
SERC #4 was also combined with GSC#3 and the turnout was good. All classes seemed to be 2 or 3 times normal size. The Ft. Yargo trail is a good mix of rooty trail and climbs and this year they introduced the "monster mile" which was a tight twisty undulating trail with no flow. It was an energy burner with a ditch crossing in the middle that gives you (and your seat post) a g-force test.
Conditions were good and I felt like I managed my efforts well. The trail was dry and as a result, very fast. At the end of the race, I ended up with a 24th place finish. I need to buckle down and get my aerobics where they need to be. Nevertheless, going into SERC #5 this weekend at Tanasi in Tennessee, I'm hanging on to the #3 spot in the series.
Place # Last Name First Name Sponsor TOTAL #1 #2 #3 #4
1 TAMPLIN STEVE WHEELS 87 30 29 28
2 GRISSOM SCOTT COOKEVILLE BICYCLES 61 26 17 18
3 FEIER WILLIAM PACESETTER STEEL CYCLING 57 23 20 8 6
4 PERRI MARK PERRI'S POOL SERVICE 57 29 24 4
5 HASTINGS BRIAN TEAM BIKE WORKS ORLANDO 45 28 17
6 PRINCE MARK 42 24 9 9
7 LEACH DUANE COLUMBIA CYCLING CLUB 41 28 13
8 HESS SEAN STRACKACOBRA.COM 40 25 15
9 VICKERS MARK CHAIN REACTION 35 23 12
10 GILLIAM MARK OPPORTUNITIES THRU ATHLETICS 30 30
11 SCHLEY RICHIE ROTWILD 30 30
12 SHANK TIM BIKECHAIN.COM 30 30
13 BROOKSHIRE JAMES PEACHTREE BIKES 29 29
14 HEFFERIN JIMMY BIKE WORKS 29 29
15 SAUER ERUC GVC/CYCLES DE ORO 28 28
16 DAVIS JOHN HIGHER GROUND 27 27
17 HAYES MARK CENTRAL CAROLINA RACING 27 27
18 MCNEER RICHARD DISCOVER OXFORD 27 27
19 OZIER PAUL TEAM HAMMER NUTRITION 27 27
20 ROWE FRANK 26 26
21 THOMPSON MIKE 26 26
22 ZIPPERER JEFF 26 26
23 BARNES REESE UNIS LIBRIS 25 25
24 PETERSON ROBB 25 25
25 SAMBER SEAN TEAM BIKERS CHOICE 25 25
26 CAPEN JIM 24 24
27 RACKLEY STUART YABA 24 24
28 SANDIDGE RUSSELL GATR RACERS 23 23
29 SCHUMAKER STEVE 23 23
30 DUNN LARRY STARK CREEK CYCLING 22 22
31 FIRNSCHILD PAUL 22 10 12
32 JOYNER CLINTON 22 22
33 SPEECE MARK CyclingPowerData.com 22 22
34 PHLEGAR DAVID GVC/CYCLES DE ORO 21 21
35 TRAPANI TONY 21 21
36 WILLIS TOM 21 21
37 HAMILTON EDWARD ICS/Chain Reaction 20 20
38 HERREN BILL 20 20
39 COX RODNEY 19 19
40 MARKLAND RICHARD BICYCLES EAST 19 19
41 MOUTON BRYAN 19 19
42 POE MIKE MELLOW MUSHROOM 18 18
43 DOYLE KEVIN 16 16
44 SMITH DWIGHT 16 16
45 TOMPKINS JASON OUTSPOKEN 15 15
46 ALBA FRANCISCO PAKMAIL 14 14
47 HAWKINS JERRY 14 14
48 EARLEY GUY 13 13
49 BOGAN ROBERT 11 11
50 MCKINLEY JR DENNIS 11 11
51 PEARMAN BRETT 10 10
52 CULPEPPER MIKE LA DOLCE VIFA 8 8
53 COLON JAVIER 7 7
54 CUPP CURTIS MELLOW MUSHROOM 7 7
55 HIMMELRICH BOB 6 6
Sam Silvey
9:15 AM |
0 comments
Monday, April 13, 2009
Race Report From Webster Roubaix
This last weekend, Chad Madan decided to tackle the Webster Roubaix. Here is his report on the race.
With most people focused on a good weekend to catch up on house chores and refraining from a weekend of traveling to a bike race, the allure of a Roubaix style race near Lakeland, Fl was too much temptation for me. The race is touted as the toughest race of the season consisting of a 9.5 mile circuit with 2.5 miles of dirt road per lap. With the loss of the infamous Perry-Roubaix in central Ga, this was to be the replacement in my mind. The start finish is situated half through the dirt road section which is a single lane dirt road between cow farms and lined by barb wire fencing, fun; really!
The promoters do have some sense of racing since they have a neutral start until the last rider hits the asphalt. As we got rolling in the 35+ field, I could see some people had never ridden a bike on dirt before, oh those empty souls. So, after the neutral roll out, I know that the winds are going to be a factor so I figured I would work my way to the front over the next 7 miles before the dirt road section. As I cautiously maneuvered along the center of the road, no yellow lines, I kept getting swarmed on my left. I would look at the official and he never responded to any of the forward movement over the center, so I was like a little kid trying to steal free candy. I would inch over a little and move up, good no horn, move over a little bit more, good, no horn. I finally caught on and realized that there was only a yellow line rule when a car was coming. While this was an issue on the first lap, that wouldn’t last for long.
As we hit the dirt road at speed for the first time I had positioned myself in the top 10 upon entering the section. For about the first mile, I was thinking that if these guys keep up this pace each lap, I might have a long day of chasing, but as each guy would do his best to drop others, they seemed to drop themselves. As we exited the dirt section I looked back to see the field was already stretched into many groups, so I decided to keep effort going since it was a tailwind and see who would join me. By the way, this goes against my pre-race idea of just hanging around for the first 4 of the 7 laps. I wanted to get a small gap as to entice others to join, but not too much that the whole group would chase. At first, two guys from a couple of the good size teams came up, but I knew that we needed at least 2 more to make it work. Then one of the stronger teams sent a guy across, so I figured we would give it a shot. Over the course of the next 7 miles we were able to put a minute gap into what was left of the chasing group.
As we entered the dirt road section again I heard a not so welcomed sound of air. I wanted to blame the tire in front of me, which was kind of true since it was my front tire going flat. I told the official next to us that I had a front flat and he tried to go back to the wheel truck to get a wheel for me, but had no luck on the single lane dirt road. So, I rode it as long as I could before I was riding just the rim, pulled over and watched the race come to me, go by me, and leave me. After waiting a couple of minutes, seriously over 2 minutes because of all the little chase groups, the wheel truck rolls up, I get a wheel, and then the truck speeds off. Wait, I don’t get paced back to at least the group, which consisted of about 15 people at this point already. So, for the next two laps I chased with some conviction, but then realized it was best to call it a day and tackle the 6 hour drive back home. The race in the end was extremely exciting and I will do it again.
-Chad Madan
Sam Silvey
2:51 PM |
0 comments
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Chad Madan Fourth in Georgia Cup Chattanooga Criterium
This last weekend, Chad Madan finished fourth in the Georgia Cup Chattanooga Criterium. On a fast, six corner criterium course, Chad and four other riders escaped to form the winning break away. Teams that missed the break immediately came to the front to attempt to chase the break down, but there efforts were unsuccessful. While Chad was away the rest of the Pacesetter team covered attacks and made sure no one made it across to the break without a Pacesetter rider present. At the end of the race, Chad took fourth in his break away, while Sam Silvey and Hank Beaver took fourth and seventh in the field sprint.
The next big race on the team schedule will be Athens Twilight and the Roswell Criterium on April 25th and 26th. These two races will kick off the Speed Week Series which includes seven criterium in eight days. Some of the riders from the Pacesetter Cycling Team will be competing in the Speed Week Series, so be sure to check Pacesettercycling.com for daily updates.
Sam Silvey
3:18 PM |
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Monday, April 06, 2009
Tres Courdin 2nd at Georgia Cup Chattanooga Road Race!
This last weekend Tres Courdin, of the Pacesetter Steel Cycling Team, finished second in the Georgia Cup Chattanooga Road Race. Here is a race report from one of Tres's teammates, Cy Hedrick.
For the first lap and a half, there were a few attempts at a break that were weak at best. Tres tested the waters once, but with no one going with him, he decides to not commit. Then a couple of attacks later, a rider from the Security Bank Team attacks solo and gets a substantial gap. The next thing I know, I look over to the right to see Tres attacking out of the peloton. Tres immediately gets a gap, but has to settle in quickly for the long chase ahead. After chasing for many miles solo, Tres bridges up to the Security Bank rider. Even with rolling hills and massive head winds, the two of them manage to hold off the charging peloton. Meanwhile, back in the peloton, Calvin and I (Cy) cover any attacks that try to go across. We were able to discourage all break attempts by sitting on their attacks and not working. At the end of the race, the Security Bank rider and Tres dueled it out for the top spot. By a very narrow margin, the Security Bank rider was able to claim the top spot with Tres closely behind in second.
Congratulations to Tres, Calvin, and Cy on a great race!
Sam Silvey
1:00 PM |
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Friday, April 03, 2009
Tour of Flanders at The Grange
Come out Sunday April 5th at 5pm and watch Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) at The Grange Public House in Decatur, GA. The Grange will offer specials on Belgian beer to get the true feeling of the Spring Classics. The specials include $3 Ommegang Drafts and $5 Duvel Bottles.
"Flanders is the hardest classic out there," said Michele Bartoli, who won the race in 1996. "It is not only because of the climbs; it is also the stress of dealing with the wind, the curves, the pave. You have to stay alert and not fade too far back in the group - you have to be 100 percent."
Upcoming Belgium Cycling Classics at The Grange Public House -April 12th 2:30pm "Road to Roubaix" by Masterlink Films, 4pm - Paris Roubaix -April 26th 3pm Liege - Bastogn - Liege & La Fleche Wallone
Sam Silvey
11:46 AM |
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Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Feier Ranked 10th in Nation
Bill Feier is currently ranked 10th in the country for Mens Cat 2 Cross Country. This is a great start to the season for Bill! You can keep track of Bill's progress throughout the season here at Pacesettercycling.com.
Sam Silvey
10:49 AM |
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Monday, March 30, 2009
Gainesville Georgia Cup
What do you know, another race weekend in the rain! After somehow talking Tyler into doing the time trail, Colby, Tyler, and I (Sam) headed to the cold, wet time trial. When we arrived to the time trial, the skies had opened, and the rain was pouring. We managed to sort of stay dry under a makeshift tent made from a small green tarp. Many thanks to the Reality Bikes crew for letting us anchor one side of our makeshift tent to their RV! After 8 miles of full bore intensity, we finished with Tyler at 14th, Colby at 11th, and myself at 6th overall.
The next day the team headed back to Gainesville for the road and circuit race. First up was a 68 mile road race filled with hills and serious crosswind sections. Chris Chotas, Hank Beaver, Matt McCarthy, Benjy Coil, and Clay Parks came out to help put Pacesetter on the podium. The team rode a great race making sure a Pacesetter rider was present in every break away. By the end of the race, the peloton was back together for a uphill sprint. The team did a great job setting me up for the sprint by keeping the pace as high as possible. With a big bike throw at the line, I wound up third, only inches off of the top podium spot. Colby also had a great sprint finishing up 12th
Later that day, the team lined up again for the last race of the weekend, the circuit race. The course was once again filled with hills and lots of wind. After the third place finish in the road race, I was tied for third overall in the General Classification. Darren Comer and Charles Rossignol also came out for the circuit race to give us a helping hand. The race was going well until a spoke in my front wheel broke going into the last lap. Darren stopped and sacrificed his race by giving me his front wheel while Hank dropped back to help get me back in the pack. Colby did a great job keeping the pack at bay while Hank and I were trying to chase back on. After chasing for about 10-15 minutes, I was able to make in back in the pack right as the finishing attacks started. Colby and I did our best to answer all the attacks and were able to make it to the finishing sprint with the front group. Colby wound up 16th in the sprint and I finished 9th.
All in all, it was a great weekend for the team. Even with a mechanical failure, the team was able to work together and make the best of the situation. Next weekend's race in Chattanooga should be quite exciting!
Sam Silvey
11:04 AM |
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