Home at LAST

Thursday morning, we woke up bright and early (5:30 am) to start the home stretch back to Atlanta. This leg of the trip lasted around 13 hours including all the bathroom and gas stops we made. Weighed down as it was, the car was not getting near the gas mileage as it normally did....but Joey was kinda ok with that because it meant we got to stop more which he always enjoys. Having half of the back seat and sitting with all our pillows and sheets, Thomas made a nest and passed out for most of the ride, after putting in the first couple of hours at the wheel. We arrived home at a pretty decent time (around 7:30 pm) which gave Joey plenty of time to go out and catch up with his friends. We've driven a total of 27 hours in the last 3 days....it was good to be home! (we can't get too settled in, because we leave to go to California for nationals on August 2nd.)

Rest = Fun

We all took another rest day today which turned out to be a good choice cause it was a nasty, wet day anyway. Instead of racing we took the opportunity to go check out Lake Michigan which is pretty close by.

Down by the lake it was super foggy and made for a really cool, peaceful setting as we skipped rocks, played on the shore, and climbed out on some barrier boulders. Joey brought his towel cause his mind was set on swimming but as soon as he touched the water he decided otherwise. It was as cold as an ice bath, and almost the second he submerged his foot it went numb....he decided to pass on the swimming!

While we were out we also stopped at this awesome bakery and picked up two homemade loaves of bread which we've been devouring ever since.
We've also come to realize how lucky we've been with host housing. We've stayed at 3 host houses in a row and every time we've been treated to our own living area in the basement of the host's house. In Chicago, the Joslyns could not have been a single bit more helpful or enjoyable to be around then they were; and this time we even have our own mini fridge and big flat screen T.V. in the basement! Everyone is so nice to host and put up with cyclists like us.

Highway Robbery

Well maybe not but still, $5 for a bike box that they were going to throw away. What happened to the local bike shop atmosphere? I might just ship it back and return it when I'm done or exchange it for a better one.

The road ahead....(and behind)

Today the team heads to Milwaukee, WI for the Humboldt Park crit without Jafer, as he is taking the week off to visit family in the Chicago area and will return to racing at the Gwinnett Bike Fest on July 24th in Georgia. Stay tuned in for results and race reports from the rest of the Super Week Pro Tour.


Jafer and Joey would also like to thank the Joslyn family for their generous hospitality and support for the past week. Without host homes, many teams couldn't afford to race Super Week or any multiday stage race, so if you have a race in your area consider hosting a team. Thanks again.


Below are 2 galleries from Bensenville. If you like any of the pictures feel free to email me and I will send you the original file or you can take them from the web but please credit the source. Thanks, Team Kudzu.com

Day one




Day two

Upcoming schedule...

Currently our plan is to leave for Fitchburg,MA on Tuesday, which is about a 5 hour drive from Kutztown. The Fitchburg Longslo Classic Stage Race starts on the 3rd with a 10 K time trial, followed by a 92 mile road race, a 50 mile circuit race, and a 25 mile crit, for a total of four days of racing. We will be racing in the Category 2 field, so expect some news as we take on some of the best cat 2s in the country. After the race is over we are heading back to Kutztown for a few days.

After a brief rest, we will once again pack the car and head to Chicago (12 hour drive) to start Superweek, a 17 day long series with 15 crits and 2 road races. We will hit a few races around the Chicago area, then go to the Milwaukee area to race, then back track to Kutztown. Once we get back, we have to box our bikes and ship them out to California for nationals. If that wasn't enough, we have to clean the house and say good bye to Kutztown, as we have to drive back to Atlanta (12 hours). Once we get back we have a few rest days until we board the plane for California on August 2nd.

On August 6th we have a 35K time trial in Anaheim, CA followed by a 60 K crit on the 7th. Then we get a day to prepare for the 129 K road race on Saturday the 9th. Hopefully we will return to Atlanta in good spirits on August 12th! After nationals we will regroup, rest, and figure out the rest of the season.

Change in plans....

So we didn't end up racing this weekend in the New England area, instead we hit a local race yesterday, about 45 mins away in Brownstown, PA. For those of you not familiar with the area, it was basically farmland surrounded by farmland but that didn't deter the fans. The local Amish farmers came out and supported the race near the start/finish, as well as a few other families watching along the course. We even passed a few horse and buggies during the race. The race was 50 miles, which saw us complete 10 laps on a rolling circuit with a couple of hard rollers. As everyone prepared for the start of the race the sky opened up and rained for a few minutes as the wind picked up but then died down with the rain.

As we took the line for the pro/1/2/3 race sometime after 12pm, we realized that the field had not grown since pre-registration had closed Friday afternoon. With an astonishing 17 rider field, we made up nearly one fourth of the peleton. After the race started we initiated a series of attacks that split the pack on the second lap. Joey and Oscar were in the front group with about 6 other riders as Jafer and Thomas blocked the riders behind. After the gap grew to about 25 seconds, Jafer and Thomas began their plan to bridge across to the front group without taking the remaining riders with them. Thomas initiated a series of attacks while Jafer blocked. Finally Thomas gained a big enough gap on a roller that allowed Jafer to jump hard enough, to bridge across with only one other rider. For the next three laps, Thomas and Jafer worked overtime to close the gap down and finally rejoined the front group only to watch the race split again. Moments before they made contact two riders attacked and gained a substantial gap as nobody chased. Thomas and Jafer tried to help but after their chase were not able to offer much support. Now we had four riders in the front group with about four other riders and there was no cooperation to chase. Finally, Jafer told Joey and Oscar that they better do something about the break before it gained too much time. It still took a few minutes before the chase begin in earnest, a lesson to the younger riders on the team. Never let the pace ease if there is a break, especially if you can barely see it!

Shortly after Joey attacked riding up the road solo, trying to reel in the break with 4 laps to go. Now the field had grown even smaller with just Oscar, Mike (he is staying at our house) and one other rider as everyone else succumbed to the pace. Jafer dangled behind Oscar's group, finally catching them after 3 miles, only to see Oscar attack and ride away solo. So now there were two riders way up the road, Joey, Oscar, then Jafer and two other riders. With 3 laps to go it narrowed again as one rider was dropped from Jafer's group, after he and Mike attacked him. Unfortunately, this meant that Jafer was now trailing Mike in sixth place and was not able to bridge back up to him, since he was still trying to keep the other rider at bay.

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, bam, the rain came in so fast that it looked like a hurricane, as the wind blew from every direction. The road turned into a river as all the dirt from the fields now ran down the street creating a nice brown smelly grime. I think it even started to hail at one point, either that or the rain was blowing so hard that it pelted your skin. Rain, like most things is both good and bad at the same time even though it can suck, the drop in temperature was welcomed as the temperature was around the 90s. It even has a weird therapeutic quality that makes you feel like people must have felt centuries ago in a summer downpour.

Even though we didn't get the results we wanted (Joey 3rd, Oscar 4th, Jafer 6th) we still got a great workout that will hopefully prepare us for the upcoming Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Stage Race.

Team picnic

Tonight we enjoyed a great meal courtesy of Thomas, at the Kutztown Gun club's pavilion. Here is what was on the menu: Awesome turkey burgers, potato salad (sweet and golden brown), fruit salad (Joey actually made this, pineapples, bananas, and kiwi) and for dessert homemade chocolate-chip banana bread. For beverages, we had a great selection of Kutztown Soda from the bottling plant next door. After a great dinner, it was hard for everyone to move as we were all stuffed. Sorry there are no pictures, but after a mishap last night at the track my camera (Jafer) is not working right now and is in for repair at the Casio headquarters in Dover, NJ. Hopefully, I will have it back on Friday!

Cox Atlanta MS Ride September 13-14,2008

From the Cox website:
What is the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride?

Formerly known as the Cox MS 150 Atlanta Challenge, the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride is taking place on September 13-14, 2008. Endorsed by ardent cyclists and novices alike, the tour offers a two-day fundraising ride through the beautiful surrounding countryside of Callaway Gardens and Pine Mountain, Georgia, a short distance from Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport, with spectacular views and historic towns along the way. Georgia's Two-Day Cycling Tradition, Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride is a non-profit sporting event celebrating its 22nd year in the fight against multiple sclerosis benefiting the National MS Society–Georgia Chapter.

The ride is reaching new heights in an effort to better the lives of all Georgians living with MS. By joining hundreds of riders, participants will be making a profound difference in the lives of people living with MS who are served by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society-Georgia Chapter. The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride is one of two rides hosted by the National MS Society-Georgia Chapter and together will raise more than $1.4 million for client programs and research in 2008. The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride and its sister tour, the Bike MS: Georgia Power Savannah Ride held in the spring, are regarded by cycling enthusiasts as premier rides in Georgia with experienced management, well-coordinated routes, and special attention to riders' safety, comfort and enjoyment.

Proceeds from the tour will help support various programs that aid the 8,500 Georgians with MS and their families in all 159 counties of Georgia. The Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride also joins thousands of cyclists nationwide in raising $77 million in an effort to fund research and local client programs. By joining the movement and riding in the Bike MS: Cox Atlanta Ride, you have the power to create a world free of MS.

Kudzu.com prepares for the New England Race Week

Stay tuned as we head to the Cox Charities Cycling Classic in Providence, RI next Saturday, follwed by Heartbreak Hill in Newton, MA on Sunday and possibly the Twilight Crit in Thompson, CT. The races are part of the New England Raceweek, a 5 part racing series. Our main objective is the Fitchburg-Longsjo stage race on July 3rd to the 6th in Fitchburg, MA.

teamkudzu.blogspot.com added to wikipedia

Check it out, according to Wikipedia, the world's largest user edited online encyclopedia, we are now legit. I wonder who could have added the site....?

Click here to see

Harlem Rocks!

Yesterday, we went to Harlem, NY to watch Jason Snow (we are staying in his house) race the Harlem Rocks crit, part of the USA Crit series. This was our first time in the Big Apple and man was the traffic crazy, trying to drive through the Lincoln tunnel. Also, at $8 a car, its a pretty expensive drive into the city. The field as usual, was pretty stacked with a full Rock Racing team, including Fast Freddie Rodriguez, Tyler Hamilton, and Rahsaan Bahati. Also present was Ivan Dominguez of Toyota-United, Jeff Hopkins of Team Inferno, and a few local riders from Locos. The race was full of wrecks and even the winner of Time Pro Cycling crashed as he crossed the line. We decided not to race as we are preparing for the upcoming Fitchburg Classic.

Tour of our house

We share one bedroom with ac, one bathroom, and one giant bike room. Any questions?

Kudzu invades Kutztown

On Thursday June 5th, the kudzu boys packed up Thomas' Volvo and a Pontiac Grand Am, headed north to the small Pennsylvania city of Kutztown. Imagine 6 bikes on the roof, 3 bikes on the back rack, with an interior packed front to back-floor to ceiling, and you would have seen Thomas' car. The rental was also fully loaded with 3 bikes in the trunk, wheels, bags and whatever else would fit in the car. Considering the extreme load, both cars did very well on gas, with Thomas averaging 27 mpg and the rental got 30 mpg. Thomas did most of the pulling but Jafer made a few attacks/pulls but eventually got dropped in Pennsylvania. After about 12 hours of driving and a few stops along the way (gas stations, subs, Kmart to pickup inflatable mattresses, and Boston Market for dinner) we arrived late Thursday night around 10:30 pm. After 30mins of unpacking 12 bikes, an endless amount of wheels, bags, Powebar products, and 'stuff 'we didn't have long to settle in as we had to return the rental car. FYI, the Leigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, is like a giant maze, especially when heavily fatigued and finding a gas station that is open is another story! The Budget office closed at 12 am but since it took 10 minutes to find a gas station we missed them by a few minutes. If that wasn't enough, it took 5 minutes to figure out where the key drop was in relation to the parking area, again not that easy when you are about to fall asleep. Finally, we figured it out and headed back home to get some much needed rest.

Welcome to our site!

FFCC Announces the Kudzu.com Elite U23 Team

Atlanta, GA—Kudzu.com has offered the backing necessary for an elite U23 team under the umbrella of the Fulton Flyers Cycling Club (FFCC). The team continues where the junior development program left off by bringing together a core roster of some of the strongest U23 riders in the southeast. All of the riders have a demonstrated ability to be competitive at top national events.

The team’s younger riders are Joey Rosskopf and Oscar Clark, both of whom finished in the top 10 at junior road nationals in 2007 and were part of the powerful Southeast Regional Tour de l’Abitibi team. Joey also spent part of the season in 2007 riding for the national team while Oscar is fresh off a top 20 finish at the U23 Cyclocross nationals in Kansas City. The team has more experience in Jafer Beizer and Thomas Brown who are both former members of the FFCC junior team. Jafer is the Georgia State Cat 2 RR champion while Thomas earned a top 5 placing at Collegiate Criterium Nationals in 2007.

“I really look forward to working with these guys”, said Jeremy Hutchison-Krupat, Director of the Kudzu.com U23 Team. “I have long been impressed with their talents as individuals, but I have been even more impressed to see the extent to which each of these guys will lay it on the line for one another as team members. Look for great things from these guys!”

The team’s focus is on the southeast regional Pro-1-2 races as well as a number of National Calendar events.

The Kudzu.com Elite U23 Cycling Team

Jafer Beizer

Thomas Brown

Oscar Clark

Joey Rosskopf

Jeremy Hutchison-Krupat -Team Director

Kudzu.com is an Internet venture owned and operated by Cox Search Inc., a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, one of the nation's leading media companies and providers of automotive services.

Supporting the Kudzu.com Elite U23 Team is their parent organization, the Fulton Flyers Cycling Club. They are a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation dedicated to fostering the athletic development of cyclists, and provide financial support for riders to attend national and international competitions. Since 1997 the Fulton Flyers have been a driving force in Junior rider development in the southeast.