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!!

Road boys take to the Hills!..... by Steve Murray

Matt Ragan (pictured on left)

March 24th & 25th held in store a visit to "Chicken City", Gainesville, Georgia. This was Georgia Cup #2. Two riders did the entire stage race and 5 others did one or more. Matt Ragan was the sole rider from CBR to take on the massive competitive class (cat 4/5 combined). In only his second road race weekend, Matt scored a top 10 overall. Matt was 10th for the weekend in a field of over 85. Matt's performance raised him to 12th in the on-going race series. He had top 20's in both the Time trail and the RR. The road course was built around it's climbs. The course had three climbs, two of which were KOM (King of the Mountain) climbs. They were scored each lap. Matt earned KOM points on both climbs in 3 out of his 6 laps. Too much time at the front took its toll and Matt fell back near the last lap. He was still able to stay with the lead pack, but lacked his normal explosive power on the finish. Matt ended the race in 17th. All in all, a great weekend for our eager cat 5 racer. I also did the entire weekend and had a good Time trial with a 9th place finish. My time was decent, but not quite what I had hoped for. The Road race for the Master's was raced by "Big" Dan Duval, Darren Sorrells and Steve Murray. We all finished, but slightly behind the main group. We were all pleased to complete the 8 trips up the 1.5K climb. At 9% grade, it really hurt more each successive lap.

The crit was on a standard four corner course. It had two long sections and was really fast. The master's crit was raced by Scott Matty, Steve Dozier, Glenn Kalnins, Darren Sorrells, and Steve Murray. The race announcer was a sadist. He called prime after prime which caused the field's speed to stay very high -with almost no time to recover. The constant barrage of accelerations took their toll on our old crew. With about 10 minutes to go, there was just Scott Matty and myself left from the CBR team. The field had also reduced by at least half of its' original number by the end. Scott was a monster on the bike as always. With about three laps to go, Scott pulled the field up to an 8 man break that surely would have stayed away without his effort. I faded a little in the last couple of laps(maybe from trying to stay in when Scott chased the break-away group). I managed to stay on the pack, but lost a good finishing position. The crit ended with Scott scoring 13th and me in 20th. The average speed for the crit was around 26.3 mph.

Matt's crit was also fast, but throw in 90 "hot dogs" all trying to win the race every lap. The field was large and sketchy at times. If you've never raced a crit - fast and sketchy is a tough combination to race in. When all was said and done, Matt finished mid pack and gained more experience racing in close quarters.

All in all - it was a fine weekend of racing. No one got hurt, everyone picked up some good training time and the sun was shining!

CBR Mtb Season opens atop the Podium

March - 2007


Arrowhead Trail – Macon, Georgia
Reported by Nicki Sutherland

The GSC (Georgia State Championship) got started this weekend at Arrowhead Park, GA (near Macon). I guess the temperature this morning was payback for last years record heat. We arrived at the park to a whopping 35 degrees! I don't know if it was the nerves or the pre-warm up on the trainer, but somehow it seemed to be quite bearable by the time we actually started the race.

This is definitely one of the harder courses we race all season, and the cold air did not help the initial race burn and pain. I kept reminding myself to relax and breathe slower, but my anxiety for needing more oxygen always overcomes. I got a good start and tried to put good distance between me and the girl in 2nd. It's always better to have that buffer because by the 2nd and 3rd laps the legs aren't always as co-operative to "keep turning the cranks", and I tend to slow down (or have to deal with cramps which seems to be the thing for me lately!).

My heart sank for Jose as I came around a turn to see him off to the side, bike upside down. He had broken his chain! I always hate seeing a rider on the side but especially so if it's your buddy. I was pleased to see him fixing it though and hopefully, he would be catching up to me soon and passing me. I could attempt to at least stay with him, even if only for 2 seconds ;) As we started the 2nd lap, he had caught up and we both struggled to get passed another rider for a while (the longest I would ever ride behind Jose in a race). Finally the guy moved over and we were able to pass. I didn't see Jose again! =) Obviously, 3 weeks off the bike in China didn't hurt him that much! ;)

Going into the 3rd lap, the cramping started setting in. I managed to back off the pace just enough to ward off the cramps, finish up the last of the climbs and roll into the finish, thankful that it was an uneventful race, re: mechanicals, cramping, crashing, etc.

RESULTS
Ursula Sandefer - Women's Pro/Expert Class - 1st (I want to be like Ursula when I grow up!!!)
Jose Mendez - Men's Sport 30+ - 18th (excellent I think after 3 weeks off the bike and having to fix a chain)
Nicki Sutherland (that would be me) - Women's Sport 30+ - 1st (does the pain ever go away?)
Gabe Denes Jr. - Boys Beginner Junior (15-18) - 4th (and he wasn't even looking that miserable at the end, so I told him he obviously wasn't riding hard enough! =)...)
Gabriel Mendez - Kids (6-10) - 1st (boy was he moving that bike, even though it was twice the size of him!)
Samuel Mendez - Kids (3-5) - 2nd (obviously he is going to be challenging his brother soon!)

2007 - Ready or not - here we come!

Well the new season is upon us whether we are prepared or not. Many have been slogging through the fourth quarter of 2006 laying down the base miles. Slowly, but surely the anticipation of a new race season approaches and the self doubt that always accompanies the unknown is here as well. To further add doubt is the fact that our team had such a good 2006 and who knows if we can repeat in 2007.

Our team was pretty good in terms of our size and riding experience. We have around 13 riders who did 10 or more races for a total of over 230 events. We had another 12 who did around 30 more events. Most of our team is in the lower end of the experience spectrum, so we are all learning the ropes rather than schooling the competition. Even so, look what the 13 riders turned out in 2006:

Mountain Bike

–Expert Woman Mountain Bike 11th - Nationally ‘06– Ursula Sandefur
–Sport Woman Mountain Bike 9th - Nationally ‘06- Nicki Sutherland
–Sport Men Mtn. Bike 3rd (19–24 year old) Nationally ‘06-Joseph Grimes

2006 Mountain Bike National Championships –Bronze Medal- Ursula Sandefurr (Expert women 45-49)

2006 Norba National series winner- Ursula Sandefur (Expert women 45-49)

2006 Georgia State Championship Mtb. Series – 2 top 10 series finishers
Women’s Sport – Nicki Sutherland
Men’s Sport – Jose Mendez


Road Racing

2006 Georgia State Champion
- Time Trial - Sheila Santa
- Road Race - Sheila Santa

–Individual Time Trial – US National ranking as of January 3, 2007:
• # 3 Men’s category 4 - Steve Murray
• # 3 Women’s category 4 - Sheila Santa
• # 5 Men’s category 4 - Scott Matty
• •
– Men’s Cat 4 Stage race– US National ranking as of January 3, 2007:
• # 4 Men’s cat 4 - Steve Murray

2006 Georgia Cup Series (road) – Yellow Jersey winner -Men’s cat 4 – Darren Sorrells
2006 Georgia Cup Series (road) – Masters 45+ top 5 for the series – Scott Matty

Triathlon

2006 Clermont Ironman Triathlon – 12th overall – Matt Ragan

*Matt's placing was better than most of the pro triathletes in the race!

***********************************************************************************

This is good and then if we include the number of podiums -39 or the number of top 10's - 81 our team had a great year. 2007 will be hard pressed to match our numbers for '06. But then again, many of our riders raced only a portion of the season as our team worked to prepare for a Norba sanctioned mtb. race held in Columbus. 2007 may be the next step in our evolution as a team. We have some new talented mountain bikers that are moving up from Beginner to Sport and several beginner road racers looking to test the road scene. Then we have cat 4's who are taking the plunge into master's - so we will be in for a tough riding season.

Good Luck and we hope to see you at the races!

Dahlonega Training Camp

The 2006 year ended with a bang rather than a shiver. We held our first multi-day camp in Dahlonega, Georgia. The weather was brisk - 30's and 40's and the rain stayed away until the third day. There was snow and ice on the side of the roads, but the roads were clear. We had 6 members of the Columbus Bike Racing team attend and enjoyed three days of riding. Cathy and Virginia Dozier attended, but did not ride.

We started our training on December 28 and rode the three gap route + a little more. Some of the team, Steve Dozier, Matt Ragan and Steve Murray made it for day one and a few did Woody gap twice.

The 29th was a longer day as we rode to Helen and started our climbing on Hog Pen gap's long side. 7 miles of tough uphill. Scott Matty and Gabe Denes joined the group for Friday's ride. We ground out the climb. Matt tore up all the climbs and Hog Pen was no different. Scott and Matt had forgotten to change cassettes for the trip and rode all the climbs with a 23. Even with the added leg strain, most of us could not keep up with them. As I approached the top of the Hog Pen climb, I met Scott and Matt coming back down, they said Gabe was just ahead of me and I had three quarters of a mile to go and they were going down to check on Steve Dozier. When I reached the top, I sat with Gabe discussing the ice sheets running down the rocks on the far side of the road. As we sat there, we saw a rider round a lower corner and approach the top. He was moving like he was on the flats. Once he reached us, we recognized his kit as a D3 pro team, Aerospace Engineering out of Athens, GA. Well, 200 yards back was another young pro kitted out and climbing fast, then a third appeared. Then a fourth, except this time it was Matt Ragan who had latched on to the Aerospace guys about two miles down. This is something since 2007 will be Matt's first year racing bikes. Not to take anything from the young pro's - Matt is 29 and has a triathlon background. In October, he raced the Claremont Iron man and finished 12th overall. He beat quite a few pro tri guys in the process. Matt has an engine and some strong climbing legs. He will breeze through the cat 5 ranks. Once the team regrouped we then headed down the short side of Hog Pen. The roads were wet so we took the decent with caution. A brief stop at the Apple store and it was on to Wolf Pen gap. We proceeded across the valley through Suches and on to the short side of Woody gap. After the descent, some choose turn around and take it up the long side of Woody. The day ended with around 70 miles and several gaps covered.

The 30th started out a little raw and got worse. We left base camp (Hiker Hostel) and rode to Nells Gap and climbed Blood Mountain. Then we descended and climbed the winding side of Wolf Pen Gap and descended -as a light rain began to fall. We stopped at the bottom and then climbed back up Wolf Pen and unfortunately the rain turned into a real down pour at the top of Wolf Pen. We took care to descend the wet roads and made a stop at Vogle state park for some coffee and in hopes the rain would stop. We got the coffee, but the rain did not relent. We forged ahead and made the 18 mile trip home in the rain. We climbed up Blood Mountain and regrouped at the top. Fog had set in with the rain. We were a little worried to descend on wet, foggy and rain soaked roads, but we were too cold at this point to wait any longer. The descent went fine and we made it back by late afternoon for some lunch and hot showers. An evening trip to Dawsonville for dinner at Johnny's New York style pizza ended our cold wet day. We also stopped off at the Pearl Izumi outlet next door to Johnny's for some light shopping.

Camp ended on Sunday morning with a big breakfast. The drive back to Columbus was in a driving rain. Good thing the weather held off as long as it did. Our camp went well. We got countless miles, quite a few gaps and 11 -12 hours of saddle time for our trouble. We were fortunate to find the Hiker Hostel as the location for our training camp. The Hiker Hostel is run by a fantastic young couple - Joshua and Leigh Saint. They have a great place and its' proximity to the 3 gap route was ideal. We will definitely use them for all future camps in Dahlonega. http://www.hikerhostel.com/.