For the 2008 edition of the Georgia Games, on a mighty hot and weather-centric weekend, we had a pretty good contingent of guys on the road.

This is always a tough weekend, as the summer weather has by now typically made it's arrival more than announced and it's sandwiched in between a host of really difficult races, thus 9 out of 10 guys are dying for a nice mid summer pause to mend the damage done to our bodies (and home lives)...but sometimes you can take the dog out of the race, but you can't take the race out of the dog!

Saturday, the 12th, was the Road Race for which we had Tyler, Chotas and Matt (McCarthy) in attendance. While the 68 mile distance isn't typically daunting, it's difficulty was propped back up in that the Fulton Parkway, resplendent in beauty, happens to not be very flat and happens to not have one single inch of shade on it. The race kicked off and we put Chotas up the road in the break, but toward the end of the race, he started coming back toward the pack, which launched Big T off the front and toward the head of the race. Unfortunately, we just ran out of road and finished the race out pretty much in that status, but still managed to put not one, but TWO guys in the top 10 with Tyler taking 8th and Chotas taking 10th. Matt was just outside the top 10 bubble in the lucky number 13 spot. Three guys and three great results.

While we were all dreading the heat from Saturday repeating itself on Sunday, that certainly DID NOT mean we were looking for a deluge of biblical proportion. The rain on Sunday was literally so impressive that some of us saw cars pulling over on the interstate going up I-75. It was such that we could hardly even register without soaking the waivers and release forms into bludgey smudges of wet ink.

Nonetheless, we had a great contingent line up for the Pro 1/2 criterium. Between Wes, Darren, Matt, Tyler and Chotas, we hoped to have a really good day. Since the field was small and it was still raining, there seemed to be a great opportunity for a small break to get up the road, but we never seemed able to get the right mix together. Once we could see that AeroCat boys were doing whatever they could to keep things lined up for their sprinter, we knew it would come down to the last lap...or thwarting that last lap. With one to go, Wes climbed on the front and strung the field out into a big long line in hopes of preventing anyone from making a surprise move. As soon as AeroCat began to organize, Tyler jumped hard on the outside to see if he could pull down a solo win. Unfortunately, his move was literally 15 meters too soon as the lead out train came up on him. Darren maintained a really strong position on the front and kept all doors open in front of him as a back up plan and managed to bury his head, after spending most of the day on the front controlling the group, and yanked down 5th place from the 'ole tree of results.

A perfect display of teamwork on all our guys' part and congrats to Darren on a super result.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't congratulate one of the strongest development riders we've ever had, Calvin O'Keefe, on his excellent 5th place finish in the Category 4's. Any day now and we should see him climbing that ladder one more rung!

Great work to all!

Next up on the calendar for some will be the Huntsville SCCC races and then the

Christian Leask
3:29 PM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
12:09 AM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
12:08 AM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
12:03 AM  |  0 comments

Come on back with me for a minute here. Now, I know some of the folks reading this here message know some certain things.

You know what NORBA News is and you checked the mailbox daily for the next issue. You know what the Cactus Cup is and you probably drove allll the way out there for it once...or twice. You did downhill races at MOE in Elijay. You knew a guy named Conan that didn't bonk camels on the head, but raced bikes. And above all, you knew that the Southeast here had some serious talent on the MTB starting lines.

You might even remember that somehow, someway, all of our roots are literally...well...a heck of a lot more in the roots than they are on the pavement. We all started out pining over XTR many a moon ago. Sometimes the most beautiful thing about history is when it returns.

Boss Chris Chotas and Chris "Downtown" Brown, one of THE most feared mountain bikers of the 90's decided to uncover his kit, and go looking for a beat down at Saturday's Avery Trace road race. For some that may not know, the Avery Trace is all but a classic in the region. This grueling climber race has been going on for year and years now, and despite being in our own back yard, it always seems to attract fellas from far flung furrows that look a coming to light things up…

To quote Mr. Brown, he "felt like my kidney had been removed and I had just woken up in a tub full of ice with some staples on my side". After reading that, it comes apparent to me that he's still a softy. They don't use staples or thread where I'm from. Tape, only if you're among the luckiest. For what was supposed to be a cherry picker, turned into a miniature NRC battle and one thing that sure wasn't on the menu was soda. It's just one day and we'll live to see another.

Tomorrow is another day, and boy isn't that a coinable term now. Brown, who usually needs close to a week to get back into fire breathing form, reckoned himself pretty strong - pause - and...

...I'd like to take a break from this post right now and propose some of you with a question. When have you EVER woken up and thought "Yeah dude, I'm bad. You know I'm bad, I'm bad. You know it."? Me? Not ever. I've been riding a lucky day of bad luck since the day I was born, but Chris Brown was born of a better fabric, and damn your eyes if he doesn't feel good for the criterium...

Anyway, C. Brown put in his favorite disc, Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill, and ironically rocked out and pumped himself up all the way to the race. A little bit ironic, don't you think? When I was racing him on the mountain bike, it was 4 Non Blondes that usually worked him up, but I've digressed again.

Electing to let the young guns fire upon one another, Chris pulled into the new 1/2 race... Masters. It was obvious that it wouldn't be easy, given attendance from fellas such as Eric Murphy, Jason Chatam, and the Gran Fondo/Tristar teams because they can all shut down the field with the flick of a finger. Shortly after Brown takes a prime, Todd (a 40+ Gran Fondo rider) goes up the road and he was holding his own…he knew Fondo could shut down the pack so he grabbed the bull by the horns and jumped clear to bridge up. Being Brown, and not me, his bridge attempt worked and he arrived. They worked for a couple of laps together then a Tristar rider (Jason Chatam) bridges. PERFECT! The two big teams in the race have a rider up and they are working with Brown.

Long story short, not that this hasn't gotten long already, but Brown and his mates lap the field and Brown took 1st amongst his age group in the sprint on the now lap down field. Yep, just like that, we pulled down a State Championship jersey. And Chip, we haven't forgotten about you and your help.

It's hard to notice that he had more than enough time to celebrate; i.e. zipper pull and an arrow shot across a bow... but we'll take a victory nose rocket anyday.

Christian Leask
11:27 PM  |  0 comments

Awwww lordy, killin 'em sho didn't make the love go away. I've just been stuck in my 8' by 8' for a good long while now and they just now gave me something to scribble down on.

We've just been doing all kinds of racing lately. So much, that we're all about to get simply lambasted with what our boys have been doing.

Going not too far back in time, we had a quiet little race down south that was to be known as the State Championship Criterium, in LaGrange GA. Now, typically I could skip the category description, as we all know it's pretty simple by now. Pro - Category 1 - Category 2. Well this being the state championship and all, we had to ask the big boys to step on aside and go race a national for the weekend, or come on out and watch and cheer like we done been doin fo years. Anyway, let's just say that I STILL can't figure out what was going on with the Categories, as I was simply too busy paying rent to figure it out, but we know this much. The 1's were 1's and 2's and the 2's were 1's and 2's ... and 3's and the 3's were just doing what they were told. We don't set the rules, we just race here.

Category 1 is where it's at. Category 1 is the top of the top in our space and it's the last step a guy can take before he either strikes it big and gets that contract or marries relatively conspicously and gets a gig racing for one of the big local Georgia national regional NRC teams. Big Tyler, our favorite new dad, as we all know by now is so much more 1 than 1 that he basically goes to 11. He's too busy writing the rules to abide by them.

Since the race categories were split out, big T didn't have too much support to go with him, but that didn't stop him from changing a diaper and heading down south for a hot, humid, southern and sultry evening.

End result, we get another familiar photo. Tyler on the box.


I'm not sure what happened since I wasn't there, and Comer is on sabbatical drinking Guiness, so I'm left to assume that 'ol Lunchbox attacked relentlessly until there was just a small group left and this is how we sorted out.

Again, and like I've said before. Congratulations on another great ride!

On another worthy mention; Joel "Hair Force" Price came down to make another appearance, and with the help of another appearing appearer, Ben J Carter, pulled down 8th place in the Category 2/3 road race after a long hot day in the sun on a windy and relentless course. Joel. Welcome back and where the heck have you been? Somebody has been racing alone all year long, now?

Christian Leask
11:07 PM  |  0 comments

While it seems, though it has not, that the road racing season is taking a nap, we can always fall back on our lone soldier Bill for some news and results. While most people have been excercising their air conditioners in the last few weeks, remarking at the heat, ole Bill has been out there as usual, pulling together what is looking to be a fantastic year!

During the weekend of the Brownwood Bike Rally over at the East Atlanta Kids Club where most of the Pro 1/2 guys were working, Bill had a SERC series standing to maintain, so...

First, Bill went to race at Carters Lake. 3 laps of a grueling course, and if you remember, that was the hottest weekend of the year! Bill DNF'd (Did Not Finish) after the 2nd lap. He was having a hard time finding his gear, making mistakes that shouldn't be made and after trying to get himself back on the rail, he just figured he'd instead live to race another day and that would be the best thing. And good thinking it was, as several guys came out of that day injured.

The day after, he cruised on over to Clemson and got a nice 7th place finish to keep him up there in the SERC standings and it was also a makeup race for the Georgia series so he'll get a 7th place finish for the Carters Lake DNF, which is a real relief!

Coming down the stretch, all he has left is Raccoon Mountain, Fontana, and Anniston. And get this, Big Bill is sitting pretty in the standings at a cool 4th place, and that's out of about 60 guys!

Keep it up Bill, you're right on the bubble!

Christian Leask
9:21 AM  |  0 comments

It's been a few weeks since we had a great result, such as Matt S' 8th place in the Gainseville Criterium stage of the Tour of Atlanta, but truth is, the notes on that manic weekend are probably lost. What I can speak to, however, is the Union City Georgia Cup/State Road Race Championships that took place this past weekend.

In an interesting last minute move, the powers that be changed the format of the Elite and Pro/Am from the usual categories to Elite being 2/3 and Pro/Am being 1/2, however the Elite race would be awarding Championship status for the 2's and 3's and the Pro/Am only for the amateur 1's. We can only assume that the Georgia Pro Racer's Coalition begged and pleaded with the race organizers, as they've grown weary of our stealing their rent checks.

So what does this really mean?

The Elite category would be stacked full and the Pro/Am category would have barely a dozen guys. Hey, we just race here, someone else runs the show.

In the Elite criterium on Sunday, we had a pretty stacked field with Chris Chotas, Wes Parrish, Darren Comer, Matt McCarthy and the wonderful return of Ben Carter. I'll also let it slip out that Christian Leask was in attendance basking in our Category 2's gloriful presence, but I won't let my inconsequence allow another slip of the tongue to slide past in the event that I bore you to a blunt butter knife with my mediocrity.

The course itself didn't present much challenge, but a steeper part of what one would have to call a hill did bring in a nasty gusting headwind that would make for the most featureful portions of the course. About halfway through the race, Wes initiated a strong break which had all of the components needed to shut the race down. Unfortunately, the break was so aggressive in getting established that two members of the break accidentally gapped the field. With little collusion amongst the now 3 strong chase group, our man Wes elected to return to the pack. There was little we could do after this, so we decided to set Matt McCarthy up for a strong finish, however those hopes were dashed just the same when an errant racer far too aggressively chopped into Matt, causing a large and horrific crash which did require some hospital visits. Cody Hall from Fulton Flyers really took that brunt of that one and we sure hope he's doing better now, as he probably can't be feeling much worse than he was on Saturday.

Part 2, and the part that matters, the State Championship Road Race on Sunday.

Today, we had a full compliment of racers in the running for the Category 2 Jersey. Chris Chotas, Wes Parrish, Darren Comer, Matt McCarthy, Ben Carter (More Ben!) and a Chazwick Rossignol. We went over the obvious tactics that any team would prior to the start and elected to try and keep things together until we could put our plan into effect on the second lap of the road course. Much to our delight, the course seemed to be much hillier than anyone would have imagine and the heat and humidity only played more to our advantage. With a representation from Fulton Flyers and Hincapie Barkley Development Team, we knew that this would be a tough race. Our plan was simple. Get Chotas in the correct break or get Charles to the pack sprint, whichever it would be.

Throughout the first lap, we could see the that the usual suspects were strong, strong indeed, so according to plan, plan A that is, we decided that with approximately 20 miles to go, there was the correct succession of hills that would make a perfect launching pad for Chris. Being that we were one of the stronger teams, we knew the pack would be looking to us and the smarter ones would be playing off of us. With that in mind, we sent Charles and Darren up the road around the KOM to form their own break. This was the perfect tactic to play, as by hanging our two guys off the front, we baited the winning attack right out from the group.

At this point, Ben got on the front and pulled the group as close to the break as he could while allowing Chotas to jump across without bringing anyone with him, and exactly as planned, that's exactly what happened.

Now that we had the race winning move formed, which was unfortunately joined by two more guys, we laid our hopes on Chris. As the lead group of 5-6 came in to the last corner, Chris the climber held his 3rd spot firmly and managed to take that all the way to the line in what was an exceptional podium for the boss.

And if that weren't enough, a minute or two later, the pack came around an Charles FINALLY got to unleash his sprint against something other than half the NRC field and thus took the pack sprint.

Congrats to Charles and Chris for a great day in the 2/3 race!

Christian Leask
9:44 AM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
4:33 PM  |  0 comments

This coming Sunday marks the 2008 edition of the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure.

The Pacesetter Steel Service Cycling Team boys will be out there alongside our dear friends and sponsors, Phil Southerland and Joe Eldridge, who are not only founders, but members of UCI Continental Team Type 1, and additionally, they are sponsored by the Tour de Cure.

Team Type 1, whose goal is to prove that by using the tools provided to manage diabetes, exercise and healthy living, a person with diabetes can do the same as a normal person—only better, along with the Pacesetter boys will all be out in full force supporting this ride, cause and all the real champions that we're really riding for.

Please come out and join the fun, or at the very least, make a donation to the ride so that we can all take part in the benefits that Team Type 1 has been shepherding.

Come on!

Christian Leask
3:47 PM  |  0 comments

Cumming GA, part of the Georgia Cup series, but it's a Series 7, which is different than a Georgia cup in that Chris "Pro Tour" Chotas doesn't pay for it. Some of us working folk just don't seem to respect the value of the dollar like we once did. Well, except for Tyler, as he doesn't work anymore - he just trains with a dedication that shrinks the rest of us into our own shadows at times - lest I digress...it's just...that...DEDICATION...

Had we known that this weekend would carry such strife, such social impact, that so very much bacon would not be making it the table by virtue of our own efforts, believe us, we certainly would have thought this out differently.

The day started in our favor, let us be fair about that. Matt McCarthy designed the course specifically for us. We hired him on to the team just to do that, to fulfill one heady requirement; that requirement being..."Design a course that is like a group ride course, but at the same time, isn't". Matt delivered, thankfully, but Matt, things are still the same - Design the right course, or your fired, Matt. Fired.

The suits lined up today, and mighty me, would the suits be picking up the bill. One looked to the other and said "I know you da king of Japan, but I'm here to tell you that I'm a worried worried man" as the course lit up in a fury.

As if the ambush of NRC 137lb'ers on our meager little state series weren't enough, but they were here for our Series 7 as well? Didn't they realize, Chotas wasn't even paying!?!? We weren't supposed to be there that day!

The gun went off, the stick got put full, the wood was laid, you know the euphemisms... and we were under way. Not long into the race, a super troupe of racing troubadours formed and proceeded to proliferate in both number and speed until they were gone. Just gone. Another nail rammed into the coffin, alas, this nail didn't shut the coffin ... it cracked it. The break, as we've heard, were going SO fast that they broke the sound barrier. Like, really. Yes, they broke the sound barrier. At least this is the theory that is supposed to explain why when the official repeatedly told them "NO!!!! WRONG WAY!!! STOPPPP!!!!!", they simply couldn't here him. Damn your eyes Mr. Series 7 Georgia Cup USAC official, this is our race now, and we're doing it our way. Damn your eyes! Give us any chance, we'll take it. Give us any rule, we'll break it. We're gonna make our dreams come true. Doin' it our way.

Or could it have been that us full-time desk jockeys are just simply so bloody accustomed to taking orders, and being held with the accountability of even following them at the odd time or two, that when loud men on motorcycles tell us to jump off a bridge, we call the wife and kids to tell 'em that we love 'em and they'll be just fine?

Regardless, they said tomato, and we said to-mah-to. They said right, and we said left. They said group ride, we said race... If only one of their protégés could have been there to take his moment to shine in that light...

And just like that, the Fantastic 7 was gone.

Tyler was doing the thing that he does, you know, sit on the front and drill it until he sees a flicker on his Power Tap screen (usually signaling the last opportunity to clear the turn without eating gravel), straightening back out, then drilling it again. "Go until you see God, then turn" sorta thing.... And he whittled the group down into a full fledged bloody full time employee pulp. A bunch of damned FTE's...we didnt' know what to do. Tyler led us out twice, but we never could come around him, neither time. That dedication of his is unruly. We had the powder, but not the gun. We had the dog, but not the bun. The clouds, but not the sky. We had the stripes, but not the tie. But we're big in...

Having so unscrupulously hogged those ever so valued money spots, the Pacesetter boys put 3 full riders, not 2.5, but 3 in the top 7. Mind you, I didn't say top 8, I said top 7, and if you don't believe me, ask Wes, he was there. He'll even tell you it was top 6, and he might just be right. Tyler took honors again and climbed aboard the podium for us, not so differently than Chaz did the other day in Roswell.

So there you have it. The Pacesetter boys, despite having full time jobs, had the gumption, the audacity, the utter lack of tact, to muddle up those money spots and bring home the bacon on a "pay" play day.

There was an uproar toward the end of the day. Tempers were flaring, words were flying. It was heard that "we stole their rent". Their rent. Who are "they" and what is "rent" I thought to myself. Luckily, Wes spends all day long, while Tyler is out training, in his office hawking mortgages. He was able to explain. Rent, Wes tells me, is the equivalent of a mortgage. We used to pay "rent" back in college, you know, that 4 (5.5) year spell where not a whole hell of a lot is remembered and we're not sure if anyone is still mad at you... then... we paid 175 a month to live in quarters with 8 other dudes... that was rent.

I'd forgotten?

And that, our friends, was the day that Pacesetter stole bread...

Christian Leask
10:51 PM  |  0 comments

For those of you that couldn't make it down to the Dick Lane Velodrome in East Point, GA, Charles Rossignol, our resident trackie, was representing us in style.

Charles came really close to finishing ahead of some really big names in both the Scratch and Kierin sprints. If you've been following Charles' progress on the track over the last couple of years, you'll know that one of these days, he's going to do it. Chaz fared well in most races, but had a momentary loss of situational awareness during the miss-n-out, and came apart in the 60lap points race. Still, he managed 6th place in the omnium based on his sprint points. Not too bad considering the competition that showed up.

- 6th in the omnium
- 4th fastest 200TT
- 3rd in the Kierin (behind a national and world champion)
- 2nd in the Scratch (behind a world champion)

Congrats Chaz!

Christian Leask
9:24 AM  |  0 comments

The new team kits arrived just in time for the biggest annual week of Criterium racing for the Pacesetter Steel Service Cycling Team Boys, and, well for that matter, ALL Georgia and Southeastern racers. Man, do they look good, and man, were we ready to show them off!

Athens Twilight

Kicking off with the Athens Twilight, the lads lined up in the amateur qualifier races on the morning of April 26. In the Pro 1/2 qualifier, Chad took second place after some interesting cat and mouse racing when he and former teammate Travis Hagner escaped in a break with TOSHIBA SANTOS pro Daniel Vallaincourt. Newly eligible Masters racer Wes Parrish took a 6'th place with the amongst the ever competitive 30+ field.

In a race marred with multiple crashed and diverse skill levels, Chad went on to take 15'th in the Amateur Finals race in front of approximately 15,000 people in downtown Athens later that day.

Darren and Charles decided to line up with 150 other fellows for the main event at 9pm. Both had done qualifying races in order to obtain the best possible starting position at the Twilight, which is so crucial in a race that is widely known as the fastest criterium in the world. The pace starts at full tilt right from the gun and never relents during the course of the entire event. Exiting each of the four corners requires almost a full speed finishing sprint just to keep the peloton in a single unit, let alone painstakingly advance a position.

Both gave their best efforts but the repeated attacks on the course's only climb sent the boys into deficit, really highlighting the gap between weekend warriors and the guys who do it for a living.

USA Crit Series

Charles and Darren headed down to Beaufort and Walterboro South Carolina to race two more of the USA Southeast Crit Series. Two very technical courses presented themselves and once riders opened gaps in front of you it was next to impossible to close them and stay in touch with the race. Couple this issue with numerous crashes and large teams NRC teams like Kelly Benefit Strategies / Medifast Pro Cycling Team, Colavita/Sutter Home, Health Net Pro Cycling, TOSHIBA SANTOS and Symmetrics Cycling driving the pace – Charles and Darren were happy enough to stay in the races for about an hour building new levels of speed and endurance.

"In the Money"

May 3 was the annual Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama.

Tyler made the trek to race in the Pro race alongside stacked teams from Jittery Joe's, BISSELL Pro Cycling, Toytal-United to name a few. Incredibly Tyler used his power and tenacity to stay in the race and take 28'th place and some money from the coffers of the big boys.

Earlier in the day, Charles, Darren and Matt McCarthy lined up in the Category 2/3 race. It was an enjoyable day for the guys to race with their peers and be able to control the tempo. It became clear after multiple attempts by Darren and Charles that no break was going to stick so the guys stuck to the plan of getting all three into the top 10. Matt took 4'th, Darren 6'th and Chaz 10'th all finishing "in the money". Maybe a first to have everyone on the team walk with race payouts.

Roswell Historic Crit

Once again there was a category 2/3 race and Charles, Darren, Matt McCarthy, Wes and Chris toed the line. Despite coming back from a week long battle with the flu, Wes rode hard early and got into every move that might have stayed away – the vocal and manic support from his wife and family on the sidelines pushed him to a whole new level and he delivered. Darren tried his hand a few times with Nick Housely from Hincapie Development Cycling, but as is typical in Roswell no breaks were to stick. Chris made a great move with one lap to go bridging to a dangerous move but it all came back with half a lap remaining. It is a long sprint from the last turn but Chaz timed his jump to take 3'rd place with Matt Mc in 6'th and Darren rounding out the top 10 and the last money slot.

At 6pm the Roswell NRC Crit got underway with Tyler joining the lads at the start line, after having done the Pro 1/2 race in Sandy Springs earlier that afternoon! Our new hardman Wes and Matt McCarthy actually refueled on their favorite energy drink and then toed the line, determined not to crash out any pros. Once again the heavy hitting professional teams lined up and we knew survival was the primary order of the day for the amateurs.

Darren, Tyler and Charles survived the early surges until 4 pro riders escaped and the bunch relaxed. The pace sky rocketed with 5 to go but Darren and Tyler managed to stay in the race and finish the on that same lap as the leaders for which they can be proud.

Christian Leask
11:01 AM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
10:18 AM  |  0 comments

One thing's for certain here, the race season only moments ago was just beginning; rest assured, it is now in full swing!

Tyler, Darren, Charles, Chad, Chris, Wes, Matt Mc and Matty Shectman, all headed north to the Georgia Cup Stage Race set in beautiful Chattanooga TN on April 12 and 12. Oxymoronic, we know, but we love Chattanooga, and at one time, we all pretty much shared this area anyway.

Time Trial
Saturday morning was a 5 mile time trial. Tyler had a major mechanical on his pre-ride and had to borrow Tres' bike – not an ideal situation for one of our Time Trial specialists but Tyler headed out and did his best, considering there are about 5 frame sizes between what Tyler and Tres would pick off the shelf. This pinned our GC placings on the aspiring low flying missile Matty Shectman, but alas he did not have his Sunday-best leg back from the cleaners yet, so the Pacesetter boys quickly went from a GC focus to becoming stage opportunists. Don't you worry though, we will soon deliver those better Time Trial results that our sponsors and friends have become accustomed to.

Criterium
Later that day was the Criterium in downtown Chattanooga on very fast and relatively technical course. The 30 mph wind also played a major role in the race, as it clashed hard into riders while swirling around the high rise buildings making breakaways difficult. It seemed that for 270 degrees of the course, we had a head wind, and for the other 90, a crosswind. This is the fun in racing between the cavernous voids of a downtown...you've got to be quick on your feet. We had the pleasure of meeting Peter Hurley, the CEO of Litespeed Bicycles, which is based in Chattanooga, and thank them for their continued support and providing us arguably the best racing frames available today. Represented in the field (a field that is looking more and more like your regular NRC calendar event) was Toshiba, Jittery Joes, DLP, Team Type 1, BMC and Inferno; indicating that an extremely fast criterium was in store. After a call up to the starting line, the gun went and Darren found himself off the front on the first lap with another rider. In the next lap Brent Brookwalter from BMC decided to take a group of 3 over to Darren and give the break a go. Toshiba which had 8 riders was not interested in letting that move stick and chased it back. The pace stayed high and numerous attacks went off the front often containing Chad to represent Pacesetters, and if not, Tyler worked to chase the breaks back. Early on in the criterium, a very strong break formed with Chad representing the team, but Toshiba wasn't happy with letting it dangle.

Shortly after that break came back, our own Tyler launched himself from the front of the group and held the field at bay for an entire lap, thus sweeping up a prime, utterly uncontested by some of the strongest riders around.

Finally a break with all the pro teams represented, except for Team Type 1, escaped. However, Toshiba realized their man in the break was not likely to win and decided to chase. In a ridiculously fast 10 laps they brought the entire field back together with about 4 laps to go and set things up for the sprint. That pace however was a bit high for some of the amateur riders out there. Tyler and Chad finished towards the front of the race and Darren and Wes finished in the bunch. Unfortunately Matty Schectman had a nasty crash after hitting a manhole cover with some dodgy paving around it. Someone must have moved that little fella during the race, as most riders were able to avoid it in the prior 40 laps.

Road Race
Sunday morning we headed out for a 90 mile race on multiple laps of a beautiful 25 mile loop with the exception of Matty S who had a sore arse from his 35mph manhole cover altercation the day before (luckily, no reports of any long term damage, so we'll have him back on the starting line). Early in the race a group of 5 riders escaped the peleton. Toshiba having 2 riders in the top 3 of the overall race were content to ride tempo all day and keep the break at a 1 minute gap until the final lap. Tyler suffered a flat tire and Wes sacrificed his day by giving Tyler his wheel, whilst Tyler was then tasked with burning precious calories bridging himself back up to the group. As expected on the last lap the attacks opened up and the field got split in the strong cross wind section. The Pacesetter guys ended up in the second group but fought hard to bridge back onto the front group before the only major climb of the day. When we hit the climb the pace rocketed and a group of 12 pulled away and stayed away until the finish. That left a disorganized group of about 25 riders chasing which included Chad, Darren, Chris and Tyler. Unfortunately the workload of chasing left Chris and Tyler gassed, but in a solid effort, Charles bridged over to join Chad and Darren in the chase group and thus offered Charles an opportunity to practice his sprint and take a top 20 spot in a long windy road race. Great effort, Chaz!

The race form is coming for the team and weekends like this are making the Pacesetter boys stronger and stronger. The podiums are now a matter of time and limitations of bad luck.

Thanks for reading, and until next time!

Christian Leask
11:31 AM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
3:16 PM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
1:45 PM  |  0 comments

The South Eastern Regional Championship series started last Sunday in Gainesville, Florida at a wicked place called Hailes Trails right next door to a motocross park called Gatorback. The mountain bike course was routed through an old limestone quarry with steep climbs. In some cases you could say we climbed walls as you had to sprint up to them and hang on while your momentum carried you almost straight up. You had to stay on the pedals or lose speed and slide back down the wall. They were real energy burners. The majority of the course was full of climbing and tight twisty trail. My first lap was faster than expected, then I lost a few minutes on the second lap as the 84 degree heat started making itself known. The 3rd and final lap was better and I got my speed back. The race brought back that familiar pain of a 100% effort and when the race was done, I had 11th place and felt like I need to work on my aerobics, but the legs did well. Next stop is Macon's Arrowhead Park for the first race of the Georgia Championship Series.

Christian Leask
2:08 PM  |  0 comments

Each Time Trial was held the first Saturday of January, February and March on the Pinhoti Trail system that runs from Fort Mountain, Georgia to Annistin Alabama. The part we ran was in the Dug Gap/Snake Creek Gap area. The promoters shuttled us to the start lines and we raced TT style to the finish line by the Dalton Trade Center. The trail is extremely rough, full of rocks and roots, and most of the trail is full of long climbs and fast steep downhill sections. There is not much room for catching your breath. The terrain is so remote that everyone was encouraged to bring their cell phones and were given emergency numbers to call in case people got hurt. I saw some bloody noses during the series. Nevertheless, this series is a great tune up for the regular race season as you will not race in conditions any rougher than The Snake.

My January TT was cold and wet and I got 20th place in Men 35+.

February was cold and dry and I got 20th place again.

March was not so cold, and dry and I got a 9th place finish.

No complaints here!

Christian Leask
1:59 PM  |  0 comments

Christian Leask
2:34 PM  |  0 comments