South Carolina Low County Velo / Pivotal Fitness Weekend 4/18-19

This weekend Dan, Jafer, Thomas, and Rebecca headed to Charlestown, South Carolina for another weekend of crit racing. Anthony came along to help support the team and to sell coffee, as his wrist is still recovering from last weeks crash. Saturday’s course was in a small planned community in Mount Pleasant. It was a “scenic yet technical course” as there were multiple turns, a roundabout, and a small brick section towards the end of the lap. The race was aggressive, but with little results as none of the teams worked together or used their numbers. The group seemed content to chase anyone brave enough to attack only to sit-up after the catch. However, with five laps to go, a few riders went up the road but was reduced to just one rider after Jafer pulled the riders back. The lone rider was still ahead with a five second lead on the final lap. Jafer took another hard pull on the last lap in an effort to bring the lone rider back but the other teams were of no help. Dan then helped to keep Thomas at the front of the peloton for the remainder of the lap. Thomas slightly miscalculated his line with two turns to go, sending him over the rough brick section of the turn. This resulted in him popping out of both pedals at high speed but was able to stay upright. Despite this setback, he still placed second in the sprint behind Jelly Belly’s Jonny Clarke for 3rd place. In the women’s event, Rebecca dominated the field by riding away solo. Early on she split the field by herself and then rode away with another rider. After a few laps she dropped her breakaway companion and held off the chasing field for a well deserved win.

Sunday’s race was a straight forward course, as it was essentially a large oval with only one real corner. Because of the simple and fast course, no breaks were able to gain more than a few seconds. With 5 laps to go, Jafer, Dan, and Thomas began moving up to the front of the field. They quickly took control of the race with a little more than two laps to go, keeping the pace high enough to prevent attacks. The trio was still setting the pace on the final lap and Jafer took a massive pull down the backside of the course. As Jafer pulled off, Thad Dulin tried to control the front but Dan jumped on his wheel while Thomas stayed protected behind him. Coming around the last corner with about 500m to go, Dan took over and began the sprint. With 300m to go, Thomas powered around to easily take the win by several bike lengths in the long straightaway sprint. Rebecca also raced with the men and represented the team in several moves while getting some good speed work in to prepare for next week’s Twilight event.

Hoover Crit (4/4/09)

The taste of victory continues to be sweet. Racing in Hoover, AL, the Jittery Joe’s U25 p/b Kudzu.com boys proved that they really have themselves dialed in as a unit for the local pro-am races. Even without the largest team in the race, the guys showed that it was really quality that mattered, as they worked together to come away with the win and more. A straightforward 60 minute criterium with a small hill on the start/finish straight allowed the guys to take turns, methodically attacking, until the elastic finally snapped. After a 14 rider selection broke away (including Anthony, Oscar, Thomas, and Dan) from the main pack, “Beno” (Anthony Bennett) escaped out of the break with Atlanta’s Tony Scott. As Oscar and Thomas patrolled the front group, the main field was eventually lapped by the break, with Anthony and Tony still ahead of the field. While still helping to race for primes, Jafer lead Thomas out for one the prime. With his burst, Thomas was not only able to take the prime, but was also able to continue forward alone, eventually making contact with the two leaders. After arriving on the final lap, he was able to jump through and lead out the sprint. Only Beno was able to come by him and the team sealed a dominant 1-2 finish. To cap off the day, Jafer kicked it again, to lead Oscar out for the field sprint (5th). A still proud director (Dan) had a front row seat and finished 7th.

Not to jinx things, but the season could not have started much better. To date the team has: 4 wins (by 3 different riders), five 2nd place finishes, a few additional podium appearances, and no race worse than 5th!

On tap for the next two weeks: the team will essentially be resting and doing some final preparation for their first big challenge of the season, the Tour of the Battenkill in upstate NY. In the meantime they will be racing on the Dick Lane Velodrome in Atlanta for the next two Wednesday nights. If you are in the area stop by to say hello and watch the action! Buy some coffee while you are there too!

Tour de Tuscaloosa (3/28-29)

This weekends race in Tuscaloosa could be put down as a big success for the almost full team minus Mikey. Saturday consisted of what was supposed to be 45min +3laps which eventually became 30mins+5laps. The race started fast with lots of attacks in the first 3 laps on a criterium course which was a bit dark in parts, which made it a very nervous first few laps. This eventually resulted in the race winning move, which consisted of 3 riders, one of which was Joey. This made it an easy race tactically for us, where the rest of the team followed moves and let the break gain a 45 sec gap, a gap which never came back. Joey eventually out powered the break to take the win. Meanwhile in the bunch Jafer (double flatted) and Dan unfortunately fell victim to a pothole, which made Oscar take a 2 lap leadout effort for Thomas and Anthony, whom managed 4th and 5th respectively.

The road race was an undulating course made up of 7, 10mile laps with one major hill in it. As the race started, all the riders were feeling the cold but not for long as the first of many attacks began going up the road. Our tactic was simple, have someone in the breaks the entire day, the first major break to stay away was Oscar, who went solo for a lap before being caught by a chase group of 4 riders. Shortly after Jafer and another rider bridged, which looked dangerous as they had a good break of nearly 1 minute and were out of sight. The break was brought back to the field with about 30miles to go, due to a lack of cooperation.

This opened the door for another wave of attacks which resulted in Joey going solo with 25 miles to go and he quickly opened up a gap of a minute. Three riders chased after Joey but only managed to close slightly on his lead as he soldiered on to hold nearly a minute over them. With less than two laps to go, Anthony went off the front with 3 others and caught the 3 riders ahead to make a 7 man chase group, with Joey still holding just under a minute gap, with the bunch 45secs back.

Last time up the hill Joey still held the same margin and was all but guaranteed his 2nd victory in as many days. Anthony’s chase group began to break apart from the myriad attacks and he managed to follow taking them down to a bunch of 4. On the final lap Jafer followed a move that went up the road and Thomas bridged shortly after with a small chase group. On the last hill Jafer rode away from his chase bunch and managed to hold his gap to the line.

Joey went on to take the victory with a minute to spare, Anthony took the 4up sprint to take 2nd place and Jafer rode strong to catch the remains of the chase group to finish 9th and Thomas barely missed out on the money coming in 12th.

Overall it was a great effort, everybody contributed to dominate the final results for the weekend.

Only three riders, Anthony, Jafer, and Oscar, represented the team at Union City as Dan & Rebecca traveled to Florida to race, both Joey and Thomas raced collegiate, and Mike was sick. They knew it would be a hard race to control as there were a few strong teams with 6 plus riders. Saturday morning took everyone by surprise as the temperature stayed low in the forties. To add fuel to the fire we didn’t get a proper warmup, as getting to the race took a little longer than expected.

With Anthony off first at 8:49 am, we pulled up to the parking shortly after 8, which was a little too close for comfort! The time trial course was a rolling 10 mile out and back course, on South Fulton Parkway, a wide and smooth four lane divided road. Oscar got things rolling for the team by placing 2nd, only one second behind former Jittery Joe’s rider Thad Dulin. Jafer finished 11th with Anthony five seconds back in 13th.

Luckily, the crit wasn’t until 7:30 which gave us plenty of time to drive home, eat, and relax. After brunch we sacked out on the couch and watched tv for a little while before settling for Batman: The Dark Night, on dvd. After the movie ended we had a nice lunch at a burrito shop and headed back to Union City for the 30 lap crit. The crit was aggressive but the team did a great job of controlling breaks and grabbing point bonuses. Jafer led Anthony out for two point bonuses getting a first and second place bonus and Oscar even grabbed a third place bonus for the overall. On the final lap the field strung out and things got a little hectic but Anthony managed to salvage the crit with a 5th place finish.



It was another early morning with a start time of 8:30 and a short road race distance of 68 miles. The race was a rolling two lap lollipop course. The race was pretty aggressive with Anthony, Jafer, and Oscar all putting in attacks/counter-attacks . The largest team in the race was Mygogenesis as they had nearly 10 riders. On the last lap a dangerous move went up the road with two Myogenesis riders, a Hincapie rider, a Priority Health rider, and a couple more. Shortly after, a small chase group formed when Jafer tried to bridge to the break but it was disorganized at best. Only a few riders would work with Jafer even though they were closing in on the break and riding away from the peloton. As the chase disintegrated, the break moved further up the road as the chase group was absorbed back into the peloton. WIth only a few riders willing to chase Jafer spent the next 30 minutes riding on the front to pull the break back within reach. With about 5 miles to go the break was caught which gave the team a chance to rest. Shortly, after the break was absorbed the next wave of attacks came lasting until the finish. In the final few kilometers Jafer moved up behind the Myogeneis train with Antony on his wheel, giving them both great positioning.

Unfortunately, with less than a kilometer to go, the motorbike official cut Jafer off in a turn causing them to bump at nearly 30 miles an hour. Luckily, Jafer kept it upright but it caused a little confusion in the peloton and Jafer was not able to get his momentum back. Once again, Anthony saved the day with a 2nd place sprint finish just behind Thad Dulin, who jumped with about 700 meters out. Anthony ended up 4th overall with Oscar right behind in 7th.

Albany Race Weekend=Big Success (3/7-8/09)

The team (Anthony, Dan, Oscar, Thomas) were greeted with warm weather in the south Georgia town of Albany. The weekend started off the a short twisty time trail through downtown Albany. It went well for Oscar as he took 3rd with both Anthony and Thomas in the top ten. Unfortunately, Dan suffered a flat tire but was still able to finish.

After a few hours of down time the team tackled the criterium. The crit course overlapped some of the time trial course so everyone knew what to expect. Everyone was very active getting time bonuses along with being in nearly every attack. In the final few laps the field was all together but was stringing out as the pace ramped up. Anthony and Thomas moved to the front of the field with one lap to go, as others were also fighting for position. Thomas ended up riding in the wind the entire last lap in order to stay right at the front. Coming into the last corner, Thomas attacked and held on for the win while Anthony easily took third on the line.

The road race started early, with Dan and Oscar making the main break of the day. They spent the next 60 miles off the front in a group of six and were busy absorbing the time bonsues. With about twenty miles to go, the break was brought back back a hard chasing field. Thomas made sure to follow any counter attacks that followed, while Anthony had a bit of confusion about the brakes on the his new Garneau bike. He was used to the ‘Austrailian’ version of brakes—i.e.. reversed brakes—because of this he miscalculated a corner and went down. A solo rider slipped away in the closing miles while the pack stalled out. Thomas ended up second in the field sprint for 4th place. With the time bonus he moved to 3rd overall for the weekend, while Oscar ended up 6th.

Flat out @ the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial # 3

This weekend was by far the best weather this year and possibly the history of the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial series. The course was dry and hardpack, beyond immaculate, as nearly all riders set a new personal record at the 3rd Snake Creek Gap of 2009. Luckily, Jafer's new training plan is working, as he has learned to pace himself better. He started on the first wave of the 34 miler, with Thomas Turner, Sam Koerber, Marshall Hance, and Timothy Carson, who were all in the open money category. Sam attacked literally off the line and separated himself from the chase group. About 20 minutes in Jafer lost contact with Thomas, Marshall, and Timothy, but was able to keep them within eye sight for a few more miles. He knew that he was riding above his limit and needed to back off or else he was going to blow up. Even though he lost contact, his hope remained that he would be able to reel them back in even though he hadn't seen them in about 20 minutes. At the halfway point, Jafer passed Marshall, but was quickly passed back on the long climb and lost sight of him once more. A little mad but not discouraged, Jafer kept his steady pace, eventually closing the gap and passing Marshall at the next pit stop area with about 6 miles to go.
It was a tough battle as Marshall would get close then fall out of sight which spurred Jafer further. Then, literally out of nowhere, Jafer rode up on Tim with a few miles to go. Both riders were pretty tired and nearly all finesse was gone as they plowed through the rockiest sections of the course. Gone were the smooth lines and light riding from earlier, as both riders made mistakes through the rocks. Meanwhile, Marshall was still charging and caught them with about 1 mile to go. Shortly after Jafer and Marshall, passed Tim about a couple minutes before the radio tower and the end of single track. Jafer was only able to enjoy his lead for about 30seconds then his rear tire blew out on the rocks, as well as his hopes for a top finishing time. Unsure of what to do, he ran the bike, rode the bike with the flat, then finally decided to pull over and fix the flat so he didn't destroy the rim. He only had about one minute left in the single track then literally everything else was down hill. It was very disheartening to have a blowout that close to the finish! It was a fairly fast change as he lost only 6 minutes on the other two riders, for an official finishing time of 2:57:12 but his unofficial real time should have been 2:51:18 for the 34 miles. Jafer would have loved the opportunity to show the mountain bikers how a roadie throws down in a sprint...until next year!

Here are a few pictures from a creek crossing, pictures 338-341 are Jafer.

First race weekend starts with a blast...

It's that time of year again, now that racing season is upon us the posts should start flowing steady until fall. The first team race of the year started under epic conditions and reduced field sizes. The first race was on February 28th, in Dacula, Ga, a small but growing town in Gwinnett county. Only about 25 pro/1/2 riders started the race under cloudy skies with a fear of rain. When the field is so small the race always tends to be super aggressive with nonstop attacks. Oscar was the first rider on the team to test his legs as he established a strong breakaway with about 5 other riders. The break looked like it would stick but with about 4 laps to go on the 9 lap race it was brought back. Shortly, after Jafer covered a move by a Jet-Fuel rider, Bryson Bowers, and the two quickly established a healthy lead, at one point they were a minute and five seconds up the road. With only a few laps to go the duo managed to keep the pace high to ward off the peloton, however, former Jittery Joe's rider Tim Henry, was able to bridge to Jafer and Bryson solo. Shortly after Tim caught the break he muscled on through gapping Jafer and his breakaway partner on the final climb and was able to hold his gap to the line. With Tim up the road and the peolton nipping at their heels, Jafer outsprinted Bryson taking 2nd place while Thomas nearly took the field sprint behind Emile Abraham, for fifth place.

Sunday's race in Winder (outside of Athens) was epic to say the least. With the first threat of snow this year, the race started under a light drizzle in the low 30s. Only 11 riders started the race and because of the weather conditions the race was cut to 5 laps or about 35 miles. Like the previous race, attacks started after the gun, mostly out of the need to keep warm! Jafer once again found himself in good position when he followed a move by Frank Travieso, which outflanked Tim Henry. As the weather conditions worsened, so did the race as the number of laps was reduced to 3. There was so much water on the road that it turned to slush as the temperature fell with the snow. Coming out of the final turn Jafer hoped to outfox Frank but was caught on the line, finishing in 2nd once again. After the two races, Jafer is also leading the points competition in the Georgia Cycling Gran Prix series.