GSC series # 2- Athens - Nicki climbs the Podium again!

Sunday marked the 2nd race in the Georgia State Championship Series. This was a dual event which also included the South Eastern Racing Series. That always means a bigger, more competitive group of racers coming out to compete for points.

Once again, the racing gods were not smiling upon us with good weather. All of us had already prepared ourselves for a potential mud-fest due to the threat of rain and thunderstorms the night before. The good news was that it didn't rain as much as predicted, but the bad news was that it had rained just enough to still make conditions a little tricky on the fast, eroded, rooty descents.

Temperatures were almost worse than with the first race where we started out in the 30s due to overcast conditions, and winds that ranged between 10 - 20mph! At the end of the races, we were standing around, teeth chattering, waiting on results which thankfully didn't blow away in the wind!

Results were as follows:
Samuel Mendez (kids 4 to 6) - 1st
Gabriel Mendez (kids 6 to 8) - 4th
Jose Mendez (men's sport 30+) - 7th
Joseph Grimes (men's sport 20+) - ?
Nicki Sutherland (women's sport open) - 2nd

Here follows some comments from the days racing...

Kids Race (commented by Jose)
Samuel came in First place clearing the pack after the first turn. The race course was shorter than last year which probably benefited him since he likes shorter efforts. He was happy with his finish, of course, and even wanted to go and tell the announcer (Bruce) that he won.

Gabriel had a tough race. Had a larger field and the 6-8 category actually rides into the woods - which were wet and a little tricky for young ones. He got a decent start and managed to go 3rd into the woods looking good. I met him on the other side when exiting the woods for the first time and he was doing OK but you could see the pain in his face. He looped around and heading back into the woods still in third place. I veered off to meet him on the other side. I sat there for a bit and here comes 1st place, then 2nd, then the boy who had been 4th into the woods. Uh Oh, where's Gabriel?! I race into the woods to find him on the side of the trail "working" on his bike. Gabriel crashed and lost his chain in the process. He was OK so I finished putting his chain back on and pushed him off. He finished the race in 4th place and was exhausted. Still happy with his finish though.

Jose's Race (commented by Jose)
Overall, I had a good race. We lined up to make up a 30 racer field - less than expected but not bad considering it was pouring the night before and the word on the web was that it would be nasty. As it turns out the conditions were great, maybe it was too dry before the rain so the trail just sucked up the water leaving only a few truly muddy spots plus slightly larger water crossings.

So we are off and immediately I hear my gears jumping around in the back. Hmm, I guess all that adjusting I did Thursday before the race wasn't quite on - oh well, push on. Went into the woods in top 10 position. Then it gets scary for about 5 minutes. The first section is just knarly switchback down hills (and wet) with some seriously tight fits between trees and over BIG roots. Got beyond that uneventfully,looked down and guess what! ...no flats and a chain still on the bike - already better than the Macon race. We push thru the first lap breaking up the group about 30 minutes in leaving about 5 of us breaking away (yes,roadie term). Kept the pace with that group until we made it to the Start/Finish (1st lap though) where I was starting to fall behind the lead group slightly and caught by another rider in my category. I chased him as long as I could but probably a mistake. It made me fade half into the second lap for a few minutes being passed I believe by another rider. Then something happened, I don't know, maybe the GU kicked in - whatever, and I woke up. Picked it up again and started my way pushing up the final sections. I could see 8th place every time we were going opposite ways on the final switchbacks... that's always an incentive to push harder. With 8th place maybe 20-30 seconds behind me I managed to make it to the finish in 7th place. Don't ask me about 6th place, I was in defense mode at that point. I couldn't tell you how far ahead 6th place was from me.

So a good race all in all. I really did not go into this expecting a top 10 position as this was a combined series race. Both the GSC and the SERC series were part of this race. Looking forward to more pain, I mean fun, in two weeks at Winder, GA.

Nicki's Race (commented by Nicki)
The weather combined with a short warm-up and sinus congestion, did not make me feel like I was fully-joy for this race. But the legs didn't feel too bad when I hopped on the mountain bike finally to line up for the race start.

I got a good start, and made sure I was first in the woods. But on the first incline, I wasn't running on all 4 cylinders, and just didn't feel like I wanted to get out of the saddled to chase the girls down. So I sat it out and dropped into 3rd place. The girl in 1st was quickly pulling away from us and I had already decided that she would be the one to chase down today. As we hit the tricky down hill sections, the girl now in 2nd, was tightening up. I found a save spot and put her behind me, moving back into 2nd and never seeing her again. Trying to chase down the girl in 1st, I slipped on a root in a turn, went down and took a handle bar in the stomach. I quickly picked myself up and moved on, trying not to focus on the pain from the fall. At that point, I decided that I would just ride my own race and be a little more conservative today and rather be safe.

Even though I never saw the girl in 1st place again, I felt like I had a good ride (I say ride because I felt like this was more of a ride than a race!)and that in fact, I felt better in the 2nd lap than I did in the first. I think this was probably due to the fact that I decided to ride my own pace, and was able to get a really good warm up. The dismount and run up I had to do up a newly cut section of climbing didn't hurt as much as it usually does either. Ursula was right! Running pays off for situations like these. I wanted to try to climb it, but both times I was forced to dismount due to riders in front of me, and as we know, when you are off the bike on a climb, you are better off just running up the rest of it.

The trail truly felt really good, except for the descents which forced me to ride the brakes a lot more than I usually like to. The bikes also didn't take excess beating, but it is waiting for me at home with a sad face to properly clean it as soon as the sun shines again.


Joseph's Race (commented by Joseph)
to be short...  I did survive the course.  The conditions were much better than Tsali -  like, worlds apart.  The trail was wet enough to feel tacky and just enough to make the roots sketchy, and make me feel faster through them!!!  I had fun and I scored a top 15. 

Next one is Fort Yargo... this will be a really fast race. Course conditions are very much like Flatrock, except with a nasty climb 1/2 way into the lap.

"Rip their legs off!"....and we did!

by Steve Murray


John & Matt after the Road Race


"Rip their legs off" has been our road riders mantra for a few years now. Of course our legs seem to be the only ones in pain after the races. With limited exceptions, we rarely did well collectively to feel we made an impact. However, this weekend was a pleasant change for the boys.

We traveled to Rock Hill, SC (just below Charlotte, NC). It was a long drive. We left Columbus on Friday morning around 10 and reached Rock Hill around 5 PM. We did stop to pick up Darren in N. Atlanta and had lunch, none the less - it was a long drive. We then had races to do Friday night. Friday night were "match sprints", we weren't sure what to expect - we had never done a race with match sprints. They were fun!!

Friday night's "White Rose Sprints"
The course was a closed off street in downtown York, SC and it was 500 meters long. Each heat had 8 riders line up and the first one across the line wins. The first two finishers advance to the finals and the next two advance to the next level. We had two riders in the category 5 sprints. That was Matt Ragan and John Stowe. They did their first heat and each advanced. The next round found John qualify and Matt missing by inches. John raced the semi-final heat and did not make it to the final. John was 10th overall in the category 5's - Good job John & Matt! I raced the Master's 35+ field. I raced my first heat and won, so I moved to the finals. Scott Matty's raced the Master's 45+ group and they only had 8 racers - so they all got an automatic birth to the finals. My final was first and I started out fine, got a little jumpy about 150 meters in and started ramping it up for my charge. I should have been patient like the guy who sat on my wheel and used my draft to launch around me for the win. I placed second. Scott's final was next and after waiting 3 hours to race - he put it on the old fellas - Scott won the final's for the Master's 45+ field!! Darren Sorrells didn't race the sprints, but was kind enough to take pictures and video of everyone else. Thanks Darren!!

Saturday Rock Hill Criterium
The category 5 boys started the day off with their crit. Their field was around 65 riders on a fairly technical course with 6 turns, a fast decent into a tight corner and an uphill climb to the finish line. Matt and John were in good form and raced well. John took the lead in the race and pulled the field a little too long and could not hold the pack after coming off the front. He raced from behind and started catching the pack towards the end of the race, but just missed a pack finish. Matt stayed in and worked with the group and finished 11th. Scott and I were in the combined Master's 35/45+ field. We had around 65 riders too. I had good position on the start and the announcer started the race with a prime (pronounced pr-eem), a prime is a race within the race. Prizes, cash or goods, are given to the first racer to cross the finish line on the next lap after the announcer calls the prime. I started near the front and took the sprint for a $25 prize right off the bat. I dropped back into the field for the rest of the race and moved up slightly near the end. I finished 10th. Darren was in the field racing well when the riders in front of him lost control in the fast turn on turn 5. Darren left the race course to avoid the crash and when he was back on - he had lost the field and his race was basically over. Scott kept good position in the front and stayed there through the race. He did it so well that he won the race in the Master's 45+ field!! At this point Scott has won both events in a three event weekend. He was the dominant racer in the 45+ field.

Sunday's Patriot Trail Road Race
The weather rolled in Saturday afternoon and rain poured across the Carolina's. We traveled to the road race in a light drizzle and prepared ourselves for a day of miserable riding. Shortly before our race began the rain subsided. We even got some sunshine near the end of the race. The course was flat to rolling terrain with no real features to separate the pack. Scott, Darren and I were in the combined Master's field and rode the first 30 miles of a 45 mile race with nothing of note to report. At 30 miles, Scott and Darren moved to the front of the pack to assure themselves of good position if any other riders attempted to charge off the front (known as an attack). I stayed mid pack until about 5 miles to go and began edging my way up. I saw Scott go to the front and pull the field several times and each time Darren would go in front to keep Scott from working too much. Darren would cover Scott's pull at the front to allow Scott to save energy for the end. Scott had two 1st places and he was the prime contender for the overall Omnium title for the Master's 45+ group for the weekend. Well, the field's speed really picked up around 3 miles out. We stayed around 26 -28 mph straight to the finish. Scott got on the front and really picked it up in an attempt to shatter the front group, but was not able to make it stick. By the final 1000 meters I edged to the top 10 and the pace had really picked up. We hit the 350 meter mark and I was afraid I would get boxed in and made my move. It was far too early, but I hoped I could hold my sprint longer than the rest. I almost did, but was passed in the last 40 meters. I held on for second place. Darren was spent from all the work protecting Scott and settled for a pack finish. Scott got his handlebars hooked with a rider who quit pedaling in front of him, but managed to avoid a wreck, by the time he cleared it and started sprinting again, he crossed the line in 10th place. Scott was a marked man from his first two days wins and no serious rider was letting him take off without a challenge. This made his road race a real testament to his overall speed and power.


Overall the weekend was a smashing success for the Green team. We all made our presence known. Due to the miss queue with the other rider, Scott's 10th place made him miss the overall weekend title by a point.

Summary of results:

White Rose Sprints

Category 5
John Stowe - 10th or 11th
Matt Ragan - 16th

Master's 45+
Scott Matty - 1st Place

Master's 35+
Steve Murray - 2nd place

Rock Hill Criterium

Category 5
Matt Ragan - 11th
John Stowe - pack finish

Masters 35/45 +
Scott Matty - 1st place
Steve Murray -10th place
Darren Sorrells - pack finish

Patriot Trail Road Race

Category 5
Matt Ragan - top 20 finish
John Stowe - top 20 finish

Master's 35/45+
Scott Matty - 10th place Master's 45+
Steve Murray - 2nd place -Master's 35+
Darren Sorrells - pack finish Master's 35+

Omnium - overall

Steve Murray - 1st place Master's 35+
Scott Matty - 2nd place Master's 45+

April Fools..….they were racing all weekend!

CBR Master's team pictured


The Green team was out this past weekend. We had riders racing in Perry, Georgia and Bryson, North Carolina.

Tsali Trail – Bryson, NC The mountain team was Paul Hein and Joseph Grimes. They raced the SERC series race in Tsali, in the rain. The conditions started bad and got worse. Paul said he lost most of his braking about 5 miles into a 20 mile race. He had an impact around 10 miles in that resulted in what looks like one or two broken fingers and one eye that is blood red. If you’ve ridden with Paul, you know he rode on because he is stubborn and cheap. He was getting the value for his race dollar and he hates to quit. I almost got him over the quitting thing the year he raced road with me. Joseph prepared the following blow-by-blow account of his race. So far he has already gotten 8th and 10th place in the Charlotte short track series.




Joseph’s report:
Tsali was great. It was raining off and on all morning during the beginner rides and as Paul and I were warming up. My race was good. To put it shortly, I was in the top 5 or 10, moving along, and flatted. I repaired it and got back in it, I ran a lot, as I've learned to do from watching CycleCross and general NC riding, and passed some people on muddy climbs. I climbed my way all the way up the 2nd muddiest steepest hill and passed a few more people. Coming through the feed-zone I did the smartest thing of the race... got off my bike, stopped totally, and lubed my chain. I'd put grease and wet lube on it to start the day, but it was all gone and metal on metal squeaky. Then the 2nd smartest thing was dumping water from my bottles onto my forehead to wash away some dirt/mud from my eyes. My gloves were too dirty to do that task!! The last four miles or so, I could see, and I had a nicely lubed chain. I passed every rider except one that I could get my eyes on, regardless of their age group. I felt good near the end. I finished 16th out of 25, which wasn't so bad. My goal was to get a top 15 and I was really hoping for a top 10, but with the flat I am happy with 16th.

I survived the course for the most part. It was really tough. Anyone who was at Dauset trails last May should know full well how muddy this event was. It may even have been worse!! I basically made away with dirt in my eyes and a few little scrapes on my arms from thorns and the like. One older fellow went down on a muddy switchback and though I don't actually know what he suffered, it looked and sounded like a broken collarbone. Anyways, I felt good. My KENDA tires suited me well, karma 2.0's... oh wait, you're not a reporter, just Steve. The tires really did work well though, a lot of people were going soooooo slow through corners and I was hitting most with no brakes. It was a good time. I'm happy with my placing, I've corresponded with my "coach," a CTS guy that is friends with Boone Bike, and I'm looking forward to Athens, GA.

Sport Men – 35-40
Paul Hein 8th place

Sport Men – 19-29
Joseph Grimes 16th place

Perry-Roubaix – Perry, GA

Time Trial

Although a smaller race venue than the Georgia Cup Series, the Perry courses are great for racing. The turnout was slightly lower as well. Our team turnout was one for the record books! Perry is around 90 miles from Columbus, so it is a good day trip race. The course was a rolling route along a 4 lane divided highway. There was some wind, but all in all it was quite manageable. Scott Matty had a great day with his 4th place finish. The master’s field had some very accomplished riders and Scott put down the hammer on most of us. I thought my time was pretty good until I saw Scott’s.
9.5 mile Time Trial:
Name..........Category........Time.....Placing

Kevin Adam........5..............23:58.....11th

Barry Carswell....Master.........22:01.....15th

Scott Matty.......Master.........20:59.....4th

Steve Murray......Master.........21:32.....12th

Darren Sorrells...Master.........22:47.....18th


Scott Matty & Barry Carswell

The circuit race was a 2.6 mile loop with four turns. There was some wind and open expanse which raised the difficulty level for the team. The Master’s had 10 laps and they hammered from the start. The race kicked off and the pace started up from there. The TEAM One/Memorial Health team had a large group and they were probing and sending off guys to test the waters early. One of their strong men, Steve Carrell, went solo at around 3 or 4 laps in. His team worked to block and cover any attacks, but the peleton worked and pulled him in with two laps to go. We only had our Master’s group racing the circuit and we almost had the full team. We didn’t have a clear strategy as many of our riders are just finding their fitness. We did not do much other than ride the pack. Steve Dozier went up in the first lap and did a pull. Scott Matty did go up and work with some of the Outspokin team to pull in Steve Carrell. The rest of us just worked to keep from getting dropped. All our guys finished what was basically a 1-2 race. The average speed for 26 miles was 24.9 mph. The high points were the finale where several riders from the CBR were in good position. Scott did some good work to plow the road and lead out Barry and Butch toward the finish. Butch got blocked out on the final turn and still managed a top 10. Barry was in the final sprint and pulled off 3rd place. Phenomenal effort considering he didn’t feel like he had the legs at the beginning of the race. I thought I was in a good spot half way to turn four on the final lap when I got enveloped in the surge and then put in everything I had after the final turn. I had about 1000 meters to cover and I made up some positions but the legs could not do it. I passed Scott within sight of the finish, but he passed me back. My legs were shot. It was a very good race for the team. We fielded our first good sized group and everyone rode and finished the race with two top 10’s and a podium.

Circuit Race
Name..............Category..Placing

Butch Brookins.....Master...10
Barry Carswell.....Master...3
Steve Dozier.......Master...23
Glenn Kalnins......Master...24
Scott Matty........Master...15
Steve Murray.......Master...16
Darren Sorrells....Master...17


The road race is where the weekend gets its’ name. The town is Perry and South Georgia’s version of cobbles are Georgia red clay dirt roads. Each lap had a section. The route was hilly, had dirt roads and rain was pending all day long. The cat 5 men took four riders and it was the first race for two of the men. The C5 guys finished prior to the rain. They had their work cut out for them as the field broke apart in the first lap. Jeff Davis made the 10 man break and did too much work on the front and also took a spill on the “Georgia Pave” (dirt road). Jeff lost the lead group and fell back into the chase group. The rest also had their own trials and tribulations, but ended the day upright and with their first race of the season under their respective belts. Unfortunately Barry was the sole Master there and he got to finish his race in the rain. For Barry, the previous day’s efforts were torturing his legs, but he rode very, very well. The “Pave” also took its toll with wrecks in the master’s field. Barry spent several minutes pulling some guys handlebars out of his Krysiums. He finished the day in 8th place. A three man group went off the front and he was the 5th finisher in the field. His overall weekend results were 6th overall. All in all, a fine weekend of racing.

Perry-Roubaix Road Race
Name.........Category.....Placing

Kevin Adams.....5.........30
Barry Carswell..Master....8
Jeff Davis......5.........29
Shane Irvin.....5.........25
Bill Swain......5.........26

Congratulations to all the mountain and road racers on a fine weekend!!