Team OSP Racing Reports and News
June 28, 2010
Once again thanks for the patience......................the following are reports from Charleston, Athens, Walterboro, and Gainesville GA, Enjoy!!
Wanted to also congratulate Steve Lockwood on his upgrade to CAT3 and Casey Porter on his upgrade to CAT4! Well deserved fellas!!!
CHARLESTON, SC CRITS – April 17-18, 2010
Charleston offered some great weather for a Saturday and Sunday of racing. Casey, Travis, and Tyler gave it a shot for a Saturday of racing in the beautiful upscale neighborhood of ION.
Casey raced the Mens CAT4/5 and pulled off an impressive podium finish at 3rd Place! Way to go Casey!!!!! Travis Karp lined up in the MAS35+ race to finish in the top fifteen(14th) while his son Austin raced the Juniors and captured a solid top ten in 8th place!
Tyler lined up around noon for the pro/1/2 race and had a small field of about 40. A smaller field means it’s going to hurt a little more. With the technical course, aggressive riding, and harsh accelerations, Tyler didn’t feel too great. A break went up the road early in the race. Tyler set off an attack only to get reeled in which set Team Globalbike up to line their boys up in the front to chase down the break. Globalbike owned this race. They caught the break and no one else would get away. Around turn three of the final lap, Tyler got popped and Globalbike lead a teammate out to win this one. Beautiful course but a tough race!
Sunday’s crit brought a couple more Savannah riders and the course was a little more forgiving. No sharp turns, cobbles, or narrow roundabouts to worry about. In the CAT5 race Casey once again rode with authority to grab 4th place! Don’t ya think it’s time for Casey to CAT up?!?!? In the MAS 45+ race Leon Frana took a solid 12th place in a pretty swift crit! As for Austin Karp in the Juniors, he was able to grab 7th place for another top ten! Way to go Austin! The pro/1/2 race went off around noon and had a mild start. With 75 mins of pain and no licensed pros, I think everyone decided to ease into the high pace. A couple laps in a Gary Fisher rider goes off the front and he is out there for the first part of the race only to be realed in by Globalbike. Mid race there are attacks and Tyler attempts to go with a couple and they get caught. One attack was caught but no one pulled through so Tyler accelerated in an attempt to snag a prem. Unfortunately another rider barely passed him. Another attack went and Tyler missed it but attempted to bridge only to find himself between a rock and hard place… exhaustion at about 50 meters ahead of the pack and 50 meters behind the 2 man break. The peleton scooped Tyler up before sniffing down the 2 man break. No break could stay away and Tyler was happy to feel better than Saturday and be more active in this race. Bryan and Tyler finished with the field and Ryan grabbed a top ten spot…Great job!!
The CAT3 race was the last to go off and Justin and Bill had one thing in mind…………pimp all the primes!!!!! They grabbed them all up leaving squashed hope and despair for the rest of the peleton! Unfortunately in the last turn going to the finish Justin was pushed out and narrowly escaped crashing, and he and Bill finished with the pack……….
An overall fun race weekend with a beautiful venue and awesome weather. Perfect weekend of crits that provided a little less pressure and motivated us for the weekend that lies ahead in Athens, GA…Twilight!!!
ATHENS TWILIGHT –April 24, 2010
Athens Twilight started with a bang for the riders from Savannah. One of the sketchiest races of the season had to begin in the rain. Bill, Travis, Casey, Bryan, and Tyler arrived in Athens on Friday evening to get ready for the morning qualifier races. The top finishers have the opportunity to race in the evening amateur finals race.
Casey participated in his first Cat 4 race and it just happens to be the Twilight qualifier…that takes guts!! He showed up and had a great performance.
Despite the rain and aggressive Cat 4s thirsty for a top 10 qualifying finish, Casey was still able to snag a 18th place finish. Although he didn’t qualify it was an awesome job for his first Cat 4 race and out of about 75 other riders. Steve Lockwood also finished it at 29th…….Nice work fellas!!
Bill Cole raced the CAT5 race in the rain! Much guts my man! He was able to finish and place 20th………….no skin lost there(I wish that were so for the ones who raced the finals)
Then the pro/1/2 qualifier race rolled out to start the afternoon for Bryan, Ryan, and Tyler. Rain was on and off all afternoon and decided to take a break during this race although the course was still fairly wet. Needless to say this one was very scary with riders pushing and getting too close and cursing and...well it was an ugly race. One of the sketchiest of the season. On top of that it was raining...crits and rains do not mesh well together. Since Bryan’s life outside of cycling has prevented him from racing regularly he had the gitters and those thoughts of crashing and hurting his shoulder again. With that in mind and the conditions at hand and the nature of the race, Bryan was not feeling it and decided to pull out. As the race progressed Tyler and Ryan kept it steady and careful to ensure qualification. Both safely crossed the finish line in 22nd and 26th place. This secured a spot in the amateur finals that evening.
The rain continued throughout the day which ended up delaying the finals by about an hour, but Tyler and Ryan were calm and relaxed at the start line. About 100 of the best amateurs in the region sit at the start anxious and ready to unleash. As we wait patiently there are thousands of fans lining the barriers getting ready to roar as we begin the race. We take off and Tyler has a little trouble clipping into his pedals, but remained calm and accelerated like never before. With a terrible position off the start Tyler knew what he had to do.
Everyone funnels into the first turn with riders bumping shoulders and fans screaming in our ears. As the race progressed the pavement dried up a little and the Savannah guys felt pretty good. As the peleton would get strung out in the straight aways Tyler muscled his way toward the front. Since the race was a short 20 laps, position was very important.
2 laps to go we take turn four toward the start/finish and Ryan takes it wide. As we straighten out another rider pinches him into the barrier and all Tyler hears is crashing metal behind him. Ryan is down and its up to Tyler to represent Savannah. The race continues and comes up on the final lap and Tyler is in great position, somewhere in the top ten. Perfect for a crit!! He loses a couple places on the back stretch, but still a great setup for the finish. By turn 3 of this final lap a couple riders get a little too aggressive and squeak through holes where they shouldn't be and....BOOM!! About 3 riders slid out in front of Tyler and he had nowhere to go, thus he got taken out by the carnage. He goes flying over his handlebars and summer-saults a little bit. As instinct Tyler curls up into a ball to protect himself in the event that other run into him from behind. Next thing he knows the driver of the motorcyle trailing the race is in his face...Are you ok? Where are you hurt? And Tyler looks at him and says "I think I'm ok...just a little stunned." He and another rider rise and get a standing ovation from a thick crowd. Tyler hops back on his bike in pain and rolls the next 800 meters across the finish line. The bike was rideable but the shifter had broken off and kit was torn up too....bummer!! Gotta hate it when your gear gets ruined…too bad it can’t heal like a body. All things considered his body and ride weren't too banged up. Some solid road rash on right knee, elbow, hip, and back of shoulder. The worst part is controlling the ooze that the wounds keep spitting out on the sheets and clothing...ok thats gross, we’re done.
Ryan had it a little worse than Tyler. He had to be rushed to the hospital. The barrier got a hold of his arm and ripped a gaping hole. 20 stitches in his bicep area along with some sewing up on his forehead. I think most of you have already seen his hospital picture…little more gross than oozing road rash.
We had a great race and used our energy very efficiently and played everything smart, but you just never know what’s around the next corner...especially at Athens Twilight!! It was a fun weekend despite the crashing and won’t deter us from returning next season for redemption!
WALTERBORO Crits April 28th, 2010
The day started off with some heat with racing starting around 4:30PM. Walterboro is a relatively open course with a tight last turn to the finish straightway. There are some bumpy sections where cobble cross walks are, so, you do have to keep on your toes with positioning or just get beat to death. Charles Ridlehuber, Tyler Plain, Casey Porter, Vince Maggioni, Bill Sellers, Bryan Schoeffler, Justin Dozier, and Travis Karp all made the trek over. We had to show up to this since it is in our back yard!
The MAS35+/45+ race started off with a bang! Charles, Bryan, Vince, and Bill kept close tabs on all the moves. Finally a break stuck with Charles in the move. Bryan was coming across, but backed off thinking the peleton was on him when two riders came up. Bryan kept his head down to keep away in no man’s land. Charles was able to secure 2nd place and Bryan sewed up 6th. In the CAT 4/5 race our now CAT4 Casey was able to out smart and out roll the peleton for his first SWEET victory of the season!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAY TO GO CASEY!!!!!!!!!!! DO I hear CAT3 in the near future? Travis also was able to bust in the top 20 with 19th! Now keep in mind that every year that goes by more and more talent is coming to this race which makes it a little tougher! The last amateur race(CAT2/3) started the day with Charles, Tyler, Bryan, Vince, and Justin all present. Charles and Bryan were feeling the previous race in their legs and raced a little more conservative. So, unfortunately Tyler, Vince, and Justin had to put in a little more effort. The race was good and fast with attacks going just about every lap. Our goal was to set Tyler up for a podium finish, and he was able to get in the break. All we had to do was control the field and hope that Tyler could muster through the injuries from Twilight and get the podium finish. Coming into start the last lap, Vince had a blow out and crashed right in front of Bryan and Justin……….tough luck! Tyler was able to get only 5th and Charles (who was ahead of the crash) finished 13th…………..Bryan rolled it in taking 18th and Justin 20th.
Great job racing guys!!!! We definitely have a few things to work on here and there, but definitely good showing from TEAM OSP/Savannah Wheelmen!
May 15-16, 2010 – Gainesville, GA
For a mid May race weekend in Georgia the weather was nice and the venue was perfect. The TT started at a school and continued down a steady decline for 5 miles of country roads and pastures (but then had to be climbed on the way back...bummer, haha). The road races started at the same location and consisted of laps of more beautiful scenery. Yes, it was painful but at least the view was nice. The crit was in downtown Gainesville where the city center was also the crit center where fans gathered and cheered every lap.
Rex, Bill C., Bryan, and Tyler set out for the adventurous weekend ahead a little later than scheduled, but had no problem implementing humor into the situation. I think Tyler had more fun hanging out with the old guys than he would with other 25 year olds…haha! They ended up arriving late at the hotel and enjoying the evening with a little too much wine. Only to go to bed late and wake up at 6am. Good times!! Rex and Bill had great TT times and winning within their age groups. Rex also beat all the cat 5s and most of the 4s too. Great job guys!! Bryan and Tyler got eaten up by the pros.
The crit was later that evening and Bill and Rex were able to practice their cornering skills. Bill was able to finish with the peleton.
The pro12 field went off last and the weather didn’t look good with a little lightning and thunder threatening the race. The organizers decided to go on with the race and warned us that the race may be cut short if the lightning got too close. We roll off and its fast but not too bad, "its all relative though." A couple attacks go off and then the speed kicked up. Then Kenda Pro Cycling Team’s Phil Gaimon holds a break for over 30 mins. Very impressive but he got reeled in at about 10 laps to go. Once the peleton turned up the pace to catch Phil that wore a lot riders out and cut the pack almost in half. Tyler was able to hang in there for the finish. The last 5 laps were brutal with the remaining riders strung out and gaps needing to be closed. Too bad Tyler didn’t have his power meter on because it was a tough one. Then around the final turn lead out men kept blocking the way and riders started sitting up but Tyler was happy being able to finish with the group…all that was left of ‘em, about 20/25 guys. Then it started to pour rain after we finished. Perfect timing!
Another early 6am start to the day. We enjoyed a luxurious continental breakfast and Tyler enjoyed shoving his face with unlimited breakfast food. The pro12 race started just after 9am for 4 laps, 95 miles. It was hilly and of course these racers love to juice it up the hills. The first lap was enjoyable with a couple moves here and there, but the race didn’t really start til lap 2. A couple pros went off the front with a couple remaining in the group. Later they would pound the group but couldn’t stick. Once they were able to snap us…that was the race. The group was worn down and we just kept it steady (but a pretty fast steady) for the remaining 40 or so miles. Unfortunately Bryan had to leave the race because of a flat, but Tyler was thrilled…why, you may ask. As the group came up on the final lap and feed zone approached Tyler hears Bryan yelling with an ice cold Propel dangling. It was the most beautiful thing! The temperature got really hot and Tyler slugged most of the Propel immediately and saving the rest for later. He chucked the empty bottles and continued for an awesome final lap. He kept saying afterwards that he may not have been able to finish with the group without that feed. With a painful peleton sprint finish Tyler was able to stay in the top 20.
The cat4/5 race rolled out after the pros for 2 laps just under 50 miles. The peloton keep the pace steady and kept drilling it up the hills and taking it easy on the downhills. Rex was enjoing the pace and have no problems. It was so enjoyable that he was carrying on a conversation in the back. All of the sudden the group started speeding up on the uphills and drlling it down the downhills and caught Rex off guard. Then a gap formed and he a had to TT his way toward the group with others, but the peloton kept going faster and faster. He dropped the others and got within a stones throw of the group and hit the dreaded wall. Oh well, it happens to the best of us. Bill was able to stay in the middle of the peloton and finish with the group. Great effort guys!
Another fun yet painful weekend...next weekend is the AFLAC Outdoor Games and we expect some heavy competition. Each race weekend adventure never fails to be loaded with inside jokes and goofing off. As all of us would ramble on about each race and describe with excitement the phrase, "Its all relative!" seemed to always wrap up the conversation. Because yes a cat 5 race can be hard to some while on the otherhand a pro12 rider might say that the race wasn't too fast today. Or a rider can be dropped from a pro12 race only to be laughed at by a spectator and deemed a crappy rider. Its all relative and how people preceive the sport. Thanks for reading the Team OSP race report and you can look forward to next weeks edition!!
April 13, 2010
Hey All,
Following are the race reports from the last several weeks, sorry! Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed racing and bringing you a stories!!
Rock Hill Race Weekend (April 10-11)
Mitch, Tyler, and Travis headed to Rock Hill, SC Friday night to participate in the hilly road race on Saturday morning. After waking up before sunrise we walked outside to discover that it was pretty cold outside. As the morning progressed the weather became really nice and sunny. At 9am the pro/1/2 race set off for a 95 mile road race through the hills of South Carolina. A fellow Savannah rider, Ryan Leech, also joined us for this long race. The first portion of the race was fast as usual and attacks set off to establish a break. Mitch came to Tyler requesting direction as to whether we needed to chase the break. Assessing the peleton and moves from other teams, Tyler wanted to wait a bit. Later he told Mitch to head to the front and only start driving the pace and keeping it high if initiated by others. As the race progressed the referee mentioned over the megaphone that the three riders in the break had taken a wrong turn and we were now the leaders of the race. Mitch did a great job of influencing the race and chasing down the breaks. No following breaks would stick and the hills were too much for Tyler to handle and go with breaks. The race ended with a field sprint and Mitch and Tyler finished with the peleton while Ryan did what he does best in the sprint to pull a solid 7th place.
Travis along with another fellow Savannah rider, Greg M. participated in one 47 mile lap in the cat 4 race. They did a great job in those rolling hills. Greg said he rode a prefect race up until that final turn with about 1 mile to go. He found himself at the front which is always a bummer at the last part of a race. After giving it his best effort and drive the pace, both guys finished up with the peleton in the end. Great job guys!!
Tyler and Mitch stayed another night to endure the crit on Sunday morning. It was a beautiful morning at a beautiful venue. A wide open park with a light breeze (which felt like a hurricane in the race) and the birds were chirping and the sun was shining. The crit went around a small lake/pond and wound through trees and up a steady hill and down some whinding turns and a huge headwind to the start/finish. With 35 laps the race started at a moderate pace and then kicked into gear after about 5 laps. Teams would drill it up the hill and take the last turn nice and easy only to drill it through the headwind section. The only place to move up in position was the headind section while it was strung out. Going from 10 mph to 35 mph in seconds wore us out after doing it 35 times. Tyler would have to push as hard as he could to inch up on that headwind section only to get worn out going around the next turn up the hill where it would then mushroom (sometimes). It was a tough one to jockey for position, but with about 4 epic crashes, Mitch and Tyler were happy to finish with the peleton.
The beautiful weather and scenery throughout the weekend helped ease the pain throughout the races. Another safe weekend of racing where Team OSP was able to finish with the big boys. We can now look forward to the next weekend of pain, sportsmanship, competition, and camaraderie.
Tampa Twilight Criterium March 27
Bryan headed down to St. Pete/Tampa for vacation with family and get a day of racing in to boot! The vacation was definitely more enjoyable than the crit! The course was a P-shaped course with cobbled streets making up half of it which equates to bone-jarring excitement! Before the race began, we were treated to the National Anthem followed by a race to the start line, Yeehaw! The field was stacked with a lot of jittery eyes. As always when the gun went off so did the race! For the first part of the race the peloton was single file chasing down attack after attack. At the 30 min. mark, the race usually settles down and normal business ensues. Well, feeling comfortable, I knew it was about time to start heading towards the front(being that I’d slipped too far back) when in one lap four guys (one after the other) decided they’d had enough. I survived the first three, but that last guy just sat up at the wrong time for me and it was over just like that. I was pulled from the race knowing that when I get back in town, speed work and attacks would be the addition to my training! Oh well, at least the bar at the pool treated me right! I definitely recommend this race for next season………………….
Race Recap Summary, Perry, GA (March 13-14) and Union City, GA (March 20-21)
Perry, GA (March 13-14)
On Saturday morning Rex, Casey, Bill C., Neil, Mitch, and Tyler all headed to Perry, GA for another fun race weekend. The first event was a 10 mile TT with a solid climb on the way out to the turn around and a killer head wind on the way back. It was tougher down hill on the way back with the huge head wind. All of us found it to be very difficult but gave it our best shot. The funny thing was that Tyler and Mitch got the exact same time to the second. I guess they've been training together!! Tyler came running to Mitch smiling ear to ear, making Mitch believe we did better than we thought. Mitch asked, "did we put up a good time?" Tyler's response was, "oh no, we sucked, but we got the EXACT SAME TIME to the second!!" It was pretty hilarious.
The next event was a circuit which was a little over a mile. The Cat4/5 race went off first. Pretty tough one for Bill and Rex but gave them great racing experience. Out of about 60 riders Casey rode a smart race and came out on the podium. Tactically he sat in, conserved, and held perfect position to deserve a well earned third place finish.
The Masters/Cat3 race went off and Neil had a great day. He was feeling pretty tired from the TT, but put up some great results. Neil decided to get some redemption for not reaching his expectations in the TT. He attacked the field solo near the beginning of the race and gained a one minute gap. The rider that won the TT bridged up to Neil and they worked together maintaining the minute gap. The field closed the gap to roughly 10 sec and two more guys bridged up. Neil put the hammer down dropping the two that bridged and the rest of the field. Two of them stayed away up until 5 to go. After all that work, Neil was not quite finished racing. He maintained 5th wheel for the last five laps and walked away with a 5th place finish.
The the Pro/1/2 field got ready to line up and it began to get freezing cold and rainy. We were not very motivated to race. Some big teams were there including Team Type 1 and Mountain Khaki and Team Ion among others. Like always the start of the race fired off like shotgun with attacks on top of that. And of course those friendly counter attacks came like the flu on this rainy day. After the first 5 laps and averaging over 30mph it settled down to a fast steady pace. The rain would come and go and we would have trouble seeing through our glasses, but it definitely kept it exciting. Mitch and Tyler were holding on for dear life the first part of the race. The back stretch was down hill and windy and the field was always strung out. This is where riders started dropping. Then Tyler wanted to get into the action after sitting toward the back for most of it. On the back stretch where the field was strung out, Tyler had to work his way up in the wind and try to keep up with the pace. Yes, it hurt a little. Finally, after working pretty hard he got toward the front. He triggered some attacks and went with others. Finally one stuck. He along with some big engines stayed out there up until the final lap. Tyler would look back a see the huge horsepower out of the saddle chasing them like a pack of wolves. The power from all engines in the field was just too much for the break to stay. Both Mitch and Tyler finished with the peleton and gave it their best efforts.
Union City, GA - March 20-21
This weekend was a full omnium of pain. Neil, Andy, Rex, Bill C., Mitch, and Tyler made the trip up there for some fun racing. The TT started up the weekend at about 8 miles. The course was a steady up hill out and of course down on the way back (and a headwind on the downhill again). Bill and Rex put up some great results and were in good spirits about their results. Mitch and Tyler gave a solid effort and Mitch was able to pull out a top 10 finish among the big dogs.
The next event brought us to Shannon Mall for the crit alongside a music festival. It was a great social event. The course was a paperclip shape with a downhill turn on one end and uphill on the otherside. Bill and Rex went well above their limits and put out a solid effort for the evening. Their race was fast with the cat 5s because there was a rider drilling it at the front that was at an ability well above the 5s.
Next up was the cat 4s and Andy had a spectacular race and owned it!! At the beginning Andy attacked the field and went up the road and brought four other riders with him. They had an established break and they did not quit the whole time. Lap after lap we could hear Andy yelling at the others to motivate them to keep that pace high. Tyler was watching and heard him yelling on the front side and continuing the hollering on the backside...Tyler was laughing like crazy, it was awesome!! Like we said, he owned the race. Two more guys bridged up and Andy was the main worker and the guy yelling at them to keep up the good work. From the last turn with about 800 meters to go, Andy went and never looked back. One guy was on his wheel as Andy began sprinting then Andy cogged down and went even harder to drop him. He won this baby by about 50 meters. Sweet!! That earned him enough points to become a cat 3. Great work ethic buddy.
The second to last race of the night was the Masters 30+/Cat3. Mitch and Neil worked together and kept this one pretty fast. There was a handful of cat1s and 2s that made it tough. From the gun, Mitch and others drilled it to keep it single file for the first quarter of the race. Then Mitch went back to get Neil and brought him to the front. At the exact same moment others attacked for Mitch to put Neil in a sweet break. The break came back. Toward the end of the race Mitch went back and brought Neil to the front again. They got a gap from the field and Mitch bridged up close enough to the break for Neil to jump onto the break. There were three of them and Geoff Mina from Team Ion drilled it to keep the pace incredibly high. Neil gave it his best but since the others were cat 1s it was just too much. Neil unfortunately got popped and Mitch and Neil finished with the peleton. Neil got a great experience and taste of a cat 1 race. Neil's eyes were opened and he stated to Mitch, "Now I know why you stay in the back in some races," Neil then said, "Surely this crit couldn't be much harder than a pro/1/2." Mitch's response, "there was only a handful of cat 1s and 2s....imagine an 80 man field of pros, 1s, and 2s." It was priceless!!
Then the final race of the night was the Pro/1/2 race and it was the fastest crit Tyler had ever been in. Team Type 1, Sutter Home, Locos, and of course other big teams had some of their best out there. The back stretch was between 30 and 35 mph almost every lap and we always crossed the start/finish on the front side at about 30 mph. At the start their was about 80+ riders and less than half finished. The big teams were on the front beating up on each other keeping the field hanging on for dear life. Finally a break of about 6 were established...all pros. The surges were incredible, Tyler had to go above and beyond his limits and kept burning matches just to stay in the field. The most spectacular move of the night came from one of the national pros, Frank Travseo of Sutter Home-Jamis. The break was about a half lap away and were not going to be caught. Frank single handedly bridged up to the break within 3/4 of lap. When he went, within seconds he put about a 250 meters into the field. It was flat out unbelieveable and jaw dropping. We like to call it a super mega bridge!!
Then Sunday morning brought us cold weather and rain and we did not feel like racing. The pro/1/2 race was about 75 miles with some stout climbs. Once again the field took off at mach 2. We approached a 4 lane road and the 80+ field took over two whole lanes and flying at speeds reaching 35 mph and the cop car didn't realize it and had to gun it...something you might have seen on Versus, haha. The peleton turned onto a small road at single file and gaps and attacks happened for the remainer of the race. Mitch and Tyler were thrilled to finish with the third main group and just be in the presence of pros and hanging in there with an average speed of over 25 mph with solid hills.
It is spectacular and painful simultaneously riding with so many talented racers and pros. The power that they can put out is mindnumbing. We feel like we accomplished so much and are proud on so many occasions just to finish with the peleton and finish alongside those who do this for a living.
Race report from Columbia March 13-14
This weekend Justin Dozier and Travis and Austin Karp went up to Columbia,
South Carolina for the Blythewood and Forest Acres events. Saturday’s event
was a road race on a 6 mile course with two demanding hills and a nasty
long straightaway into the wind.
Justin raced in the Cat 3 race holding his own until a reoccurring knee
injury started to act up. Justin held in there to finish 11th of 19
starters in a blown-up field. It was a tough day for Justin who elected not
to race on Sunday to rest his knee. Get better Justin!
Travis raced in the Cat 4 race. Again those nasty hills proved to be
challenging. After hanging in for 3 of 5 laps the field pulled itself apart
going up one of the hills. After collecting a couple of other riders they
made the most of the race. Travis was able to come in 21st of the 41
starters.
Sunday’s 1 mile crit. course also featured a mean climb followed by a short
flat and a down hill run to the start finish. Austin raced in the Junior
10-14 event at a chilly 9:45 in the morning. On the first turn he was put
into a hedge by an over zealous racer losing a bunch of time. He did a
great job of pulling it together and turned in a great race. He looked
strong and smooth at the finish finishing 6th of 9 starters.
Travis again raced Cat 4 against a strong field of 28. It was clear early
on that the hill would play a big role in the race. All day, every race was
torn apart by the strong climbers. The hill would slowly wear you down.
Travis hung in with the field for half the event finally falling off the
pace to finish 19th.
The highlight of the weekend was a unique event for local kids. The race
was held on the campus of the Satchel Ford Elementary School and its
surrounding neighborhood. The event called the Satchel Ford Challenge had
the local kids ride their bikes on the racecourse for 30 minutes with the
challenge to complete 5 laps. What was cool was seeing all these kids lined
up cheering on the other racers and getting exposed to the sport of bicycle
racing in a very positive way. I encourage anyone involved in promoting a
bicycle race to use this model to involve the communities we ride and race
in.
Columbia was a great weekend of early season racing with some stiff
competition from several clubs from North and South Carolina.
March 10, 2010
Regions Bank Race Weekend - Albany, GA
March 6-7, 2010
Team OSP and others had a very successful race weekend in Albany, GA! The Regions Bank Race Weekend in Albany, GA provided an omnium with a TT, Crit, and Road Race. Neil, Andy, Bryan, Mitch, and Tyler made the trip Saturday morning to participate in the Saturday afternoon crit and stayed to also endure the Sunday morning road race. All five of us piled into Bryan’s mini van and headed off for some racing and fun camaraderie.
Since we decided not to do the TT Saturday morning, the first race for us was the Cat 4 crit where Andy had a great race. He teamed up with some other cat 4s and they executed perfectly. As the race progressed, Mitch, Tyler, and Bryan were on the sidelines trying to give time gaps and yell as much recommendations as possible. Andy would always give us signals that he had things under control. One man attacked while Andy and one other rider bridged up to create a three man break. Andy took home the bronze for a solid 3rd place finish. Great Job!!
While Andy was racing, Neil was warming up for the Cat 3 crit. He did a great job staying up front in an active field and was able to pull out a deserving 5th place finish!
The Pro/1/2 race was the final race of the day where Mitch, Bryan, and Tyler rode up against some fast riders. This was Bryans first race and intense ride after being injured, so we should all recognize his hard work and courage for racing after only 3 weeks of being back out on the road. Mitch did some great work on the front for the first portion of the race to try and help Tyler out and driving up the pace. After his work for the day was done he sat in to prepare for the road race on Sunday. The second half of the race Tyler tested himself and rode fairly aggressive. He threw in a bunch of attacks and went with other attacks. He got away by himself for a full lap but was soon reeled in. Mitch and Tyler finished mid pack and enjoyed a fun race on the figure-eight crit course that winds through downtown Albany.
After a good night’s rest and a lot of goofing off Saturday night, it was now back to business for the road races on Sunday morning.
The first race was off at 9:15 which was the Pro/1/2, 90 mile road race. Mitch and Tyler worked very well together in this race while Bryan tested his legs and endurance. The average pace was over 26 mph and the surging and attacks were very aggressive. A break of three guys went off the front about 15 miles out and stuck it for the whole race. In an effort to reel them in, Mitch, along with about 4 other riders, worked their tails off for the first part of the race. Mitch would periodically take a break and come back to Tyler where they discussed scenerios and their plan. They got the break to about 45 seconds but no one was willing to help finish the job. Mitch was shot for the day(and Bryan’s body just shut down after 60 miles), so now it was up to Tyler to finish the job and make sure Mitch’s work did not go unnoticed. About 15/20 mile from the finish the surging and attacking got more and more brutal. Tyler was in the mix of all of that. He would trigger a couple attacks and go with breaks and had a couple solo attempts. Nothing would stick! The breaking point was the final move about 10 miles out where six riders were able to snap the pack and pull away. They kept a grueling pace for the remainder of the race. Since Tyler isn’t much of a sprinter he attempted to break from the five other riders but had nothing left. I guess one would be a little tired after 90 miles, ha ha. He couldn’t keep up with the final sprint but was able to pull off a great 8th place finish! Outstanding work by Mitch keeping that high workhorse pace and then Tyler finishing the job with a brutal leg ripping finish. Great team effort, Team OSP!!
The Cat 4s went off at 9:20 and Andy, now a marked man, ended up winning this one! Great Job! He and one the guys in the break tried all day to shake the group, but they just wouldn’t have it! So, Andy tried his hand in the sprint only to walk the dog on those boys!!
The Cat 3s were off at 11:15 and Neil was able to pull a seventh place finish in another very active, full of crashes day!
Overall, this was a great weekend of racing with five top ten finishes. It always makes racing more fun when we can bring home some results. Great job to all these Savannah riders...keep up the good work!
March 4, 2010
RACE REPORT FEB 27-FEB 28
The race weekend in Greenville, SC gave all of us some great training for the season ahead. Six of us (Neil, Andy, Mitch, Casey, Rex, and Tyler) from Savannah headed up there on Friday evening to participate in a road race on Saturday and road race on Sunday.
Saturday morning the Cat 5 race started around 9am (30 miles) where Casey and Rex gave it their best shot. Casey hung in there to pull out a 6th place finish. Way to go!! The Pro/1/2 took off at 11am for a 75 mile road race in the hills of Greenville. Tyler got a taste of his first Pro/1/2 race and Mitch did a great job of hanging in there while fighting illness. Team Colavita took the win followed by two Team ION racers. Mitch and Tyler finished mid pack.
Neil came home with the best results on the day with a fifth place finish in his Cat 3, 60 mile race. He went with the attacks during the first half of the race, but stayed with the peloton throughout because those hills were just brutal. The race was very aggressive and Neil did a great job. At the final sprint he got swamped but squeaked on through for 4th in the sprint while there was a solo victory ahead of the pack. Good work my friend, very smart race!!
The last race of the day was the Cat 4 (45 mile) race where Andy did a great job. He had great position for the sprint but traffic surrounded him at 100 meters. It’s tough to hang in there for a sprint after a tough race in the terrain of Greenville. He still grabbed a solid 19th place finish. Nice!!
After a grueling Saturday of racing and a couple guys feeling really bad after racing while being sick, three of us decided to cut the trip short and head home Saturday evening. Casey, Rex, and Tyler stuck around for the short and fast Sunday race. This one was a little faster but also much more flat. Casey and Rex took off for 3 laps around a 7 mile loop for a Cat 5 35+ race. Both had a very strong ride within the peloton until the last 200 meters…..of course there had to be a crash.
A racer went off the road into a ditch only to hop back on the road immediately and taking out riders in the group. The rider went over the handle bars chucking his bike over in front of Casey and bypassing him by inches. Casey was a bit shaken but still able to pull a 10th place finish. Rex had a great race but wasn’t as lucky. He was caught behind the crash and had nowhere to go. He also went flying over the bar landing on his head and slamming his back. Riders behind ran over his rear wheel and severely bending the rim in two places. Aside from cracking his helmet and the taco of the rear rim, Rex also injured his groin muscle and could hardly walk. Rest up buddy and take care of those wounds (talk more with those guys for a better description of this epic bike crash). And Rex is in search of bike gear to replace the stuff that was ruined in the crash. If you have old gear please get in touch with him to help out a fellow cyclist. Thank you. The Pro/1/2 race (8 laps, 56 miles) went off at 1pm and Tyler was able to participate in his second race as a Cat 2. His confidence was much better than Saturday but still hung on for dear life as those big dogs attacked all day long. The pro team, Team Type 1, had a huge work horse who would continue to attack, get caught, attack, get caught, and team mates would counter attack. It was great for Tyler to see those team tactics right in front of him. He finished 27th and will continue to train hard so he can get up there in those breaks.
Overall a great training weekend for the crew from Savannah. It was great motivation for us to keep training hard and continue to prepare for the big races ahead.
February 2, 2010-
Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of January
Orlando Spring Fling Race Report
Casey and Mitchell of OSP, Josh, Neil and Andy of Task Force Rangers represented Savannah cycling in the crit and road race in Orlando this past weekend.
Saturday’s Crit Report
Casey, Josh, and Andy raced the category five crit which was 35 minutes plus two laps. They had dry and warm conditions and a decent size field. Andy and Josh tried to break away and put in some solid attacks, but the course did not suit break away groups for most categories. It was a solid sprint finish with Josh taking 3rd , Casey in 4th ,and Andy in 5th.
Neil raced the cat 4 crit for 45 minutes plus two laps. Neil sat in 4th position all day and was super patient. With two laps to go Kyle of UF cycling team breaks away and gets a solid gap. Last lap from the last corner onto the straight-away Neil ramps it up out of the saddle and starts his sprint but the finish line is 800+ meters away. The field is all over the road and Kyle takes the win with ease and one other rider is about 3 bike lengths ahead of Neil with about 100 meters to go for second. Neil turns on his afterburners and blazes past the rider for a solid second place finish and about 10 bike lengths ahead of the entire field!
Mitchell Askew raced the Pro 1,2 crit of 60 minutes plus 2 laps. With teams like Motion Z, two Radio Shack riders, Frank Trevesio, Phill Gaimen of Jelly Belly, and a couple of other pro teams it was going to be painfully fast. The rain came down hard about 30 minutes to the start, which allowed huge puddles to form in the corners of the 1.1 mile course. From the gun the 50+ man peleton was single file and fast with people dropping on the first five laps. Then it would ease up and attacks and surges continued for several laps. 5 riders got in a break that quickly dwindled down to two rider break with about 30 second gap. Mitchell Askew and a rider from Motion Z got off the front and attempted to bridge but quickly got scooped back up by the peleton. Most of the time, the peleton’s speed hovered around 26 to 30 mph with attacks. The two rider break, one of which was Phill Gaimen of Jelly Belly, built a lead of 1 minute and 3 seconds. With 5 to go, each lap speed of the peleton increased. By the last lap the peleton closed the gap of the break to only about 8 seconds. Mitchell finished with the peleton. Average speed was 27.5 mph for over an hour.
Sunday’s Road Race Report
The course was 7 mile loop with 15 mph wind gusts and several sections with rolling hills. One section of the course was shake and bake / chip and seal pavement with huge pot holes and ruts.
Casey raced the cat 5 35+ race and it stayed together but at a fast pace. Casey raced smart and conserved. With a little maneuvering Casey set himself up in the sprint to take 4th place. They raced the 7 mile course 4 times for a total of 28 miles and averaged 22.5 mph.
Andy and Josh raced the cat under 35 race and they also did 4 laps for a total of 28 miles. On the second lap, Andy got on the front and drilled it dropping about ½ of the peleton. On the last lap Andy and Josh managed to get in a break with two others to form a 4 man break away. They stayed away from the peleton and Josh managed to get second in the final sprint and Andy took third. It was a solid sprint with a very close finish!
Neil race the category 4 and had to do 6 laps of 42 miles. He made an alliance with Kyle from UP cycling team and they both took turns attacking the field on the second lap for the entire lap to wear them down. Kyle then took 4 guys with him up the road while Neil stayed in the peleton. Once Kyle’s group was up the road about 100 meters, Neil attacked and bridged up to the group of 5. They immediately dropped two of the riders and the break was now 4 strong. They took a 30 second gap up to 41 seconds within two laps and by the last lap had almost a 5 minute gap. One of the riders had a 6 man team in the peleton but the rider with them was so weak he kept dropping. Kyle and Neil quickly kept the guy in their break so that their team would not start working. By the end, the rider sat up and told them it was their race and he was happy to just make 4th overall. The other three duked it out seated because they were all so tired from working. Neil took 3rd in the sprint. Their average speed for the day was 24 mph.
In the Pro Peleton, Mitchell was among several pro teams and in the biggest peleton of the day that consisted of about 70 guys. The pro 1,2 had to do 9 laps of about 63 miles and the police blocked the entire road for the day giving the racers full reign of the road with no yellow line rule. From the gun the peleton was single file and speed was around 30 mph with attacks. On the Chip and seal section guys front wheels were hitting the ruts and getting into speed wobbles. After the second lap with guys getting tired from the fast pace, winds, and rolling hills the line started snaking all over the road and a massive crash split the field. Mitchell Askew was caught behind the crash and now in the second group. Attacks started coming as guys tried to break away and bridge to the first group. Most of the guys would get pulled back in. Phil. Gaimen, Mitchell Askew and 6 other guys started working to close the gap. As the first group got closer guys started attacking again and on the side wind section and rolling hills, Phill attacked taking about 8 to 10 riders with him. Mitchell looked at his heart-rate that read 194, from working to close the gap, knew it was over for him. He could not go with Phill’s attack, leaving him in the last group of about 20 guys. Within a lap the 20 man group shrunk to about 8 with 35 miles to go. By the last lap the group was down to 4 guys. Mitchell ended up 32 overall out of 47 that finished with an average speed of 24.5 mph and said “that was the hardest I have ever worked just to get a 32nd place finish.
January 24, 2010-
Gainsville Florida Race Report
On Saturday Jan.23 2010 A couple of the OSP and Local Army Ranger racers went down and raced the “Bring It On” Series Crit.
Mitchell Askew and Casey Porter represented Team OSP
Neil, Andy, Josh, and Josh represented the Army Rangers Squad
The Pro 1,2,3 field of about 50 to 60 went off first. Phillip Gaimen of Jelly Belly dropped the entire peleton on lap 5 of 25 and soloed the rest of the day for the win. Mitchell got in a break with about 5 guys and about 8 laps in and pulled Phill's 30 second gap to 17 seconds. One of the guys in the break went for the prime and it messed up the break and they reintegrated into the pack. With 5 laps to go they rang the bell for a prime. At the line just after the guys sat up from the prime sprint, Mitchell attacked bringing one other rider with him and got a 25 yard gap. 3 more riders joined him and they stayed away. Mitchell got 2nd out of the 5 man break and 3rd overall.
The b group made up of category 4 and 5 racers lined up at 4 p.m. Their field was a nice size of about 40 guys. About 6 laps into their 20 lap race Neil, Andy, and Josh bridged up to the two off the front. Casey stayed second wheel in the peleton. Neil, Andy, and Josh and the other two guys then proceeded to create a 50 second gap and then to 1 minute 10 seconds, then 1 minute 35 seconds all the way to lapping the entire field. Andy took 2 place for his second race ever in his life! Neil and Josh got 3rd and 4th place finishes! Casey finished with the peleton for a 7th place finish in his second race of his life!
This was a great way to start off our season and welcome more to caravan with us next time. Pics will follow soon!
January 22, 2010-
Welcome to TEAM OSP News! TEAM OSP presented by Savannah Wheelmen will make their first debue in Florida this weekend. So, when you see Tyler, Mitch, Bill Cole, Rex, and the others(Bill knows the other folks heading down with them), wish them well!
We expect an exciting and tough year, but most important are ready for the fun and bonding that comes with being a team and heading to races together! Plus, TEAM OSP will be heading up the B crit at GA Tech when Spring rolls around(more info will be released in due time). And Lastly, please make an effort to either volunteer or just come out and cheer folks on in the many events(listed below) we will host this year!
Lillie Glass Tundra Time Trial
GA Tech B Training Crits
BrassTown Bald Century
Nestor Cup
Tuesday Tough Crit Series
Savannah Superprestige Cyclocross Weekend
Thank you for stopping by and check back here for the latest news on TEAM OSP!
January 22, 2010-
Presenting the 2010 TEAM OSP cycling team kit!!
