Mock Orange Racing

Greenville 1st Weekend wrap up.....

2011-02-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

This was the 1st weekend of the famed Greenville Training Series with racing at the Donaldson Center on Sat. and at the BMW Test track on Sunday. In the masters 45+ we had Rick Creed, Matt Mason and myself for both days. On Sat. with the temps in the mid 70s brought out a large field of old guys of 60+ riders. On lap 3 of 6 around the 7 mile course John Patterson hit it hard taking with him Hank McCullum, Scott Miner, Steve Sperrier and two others. I was barely able to get there but was not able to offer any assistnace. We were caught just pasted the start finish to begin lap 5. Just past the rail road track into a strong head wind Patterson went again and the field sat up and let him go. Coming to the line to start lap 6 Scott Miner and one other rider put in in a dig that gave them a 20sec gap going into the hill on the golf course. Matt put in two big efforts to bring those two back. He got it close but was unable to enlist any assistance from any of the other teams. So it came down to a big old field sprint. coming to the line we were protected from the wind on the inside as I was on Tom Sundys R hip as Tom was Rick's R hip. Rick blasted it with 200 meters to the line and gaped Tom as well as the rest of the field. Tom sat up with 75 meters to go. As Tom was moving R I had to let him know where I was and was barely able to squeeze thru. Rick won the feild sprint for 4th and I finsihed 10th. Good news is we get to do it all again tomorrow.

Spring turned back to winter with temps. in the high 40s and a cold wind all on the front stretch of the BMW test facility. We had 40 riders today with Charlie Brown joining us after he had just beat Tom Smith from POA to win the 35+ race. Rick had a stomach bug this AM and was certainly not on top of his game after throwing up but pined on a number any any way to give it his best. Matt and I just tried to keep as much pressure off of Rick as we could to allow that guy do what he does best and that is get to the line. I was covering early punches and Matt was there to follow. Two guys rolled off on the back stretch with 8 laps to go. I was able to get to them but soon realized this move did not have the right mix and was not going any where. We were joined by the field with 6 to go and Matt took a flyer to take some heat off of Rick and myself for the better part of 2 laps. With 2 laps to go Tom Sunday tried a different tactic since he was not able to get Rick in the sprint yesterday, he took a flyer. I was able to bring Tom back but had little for the finish. With the field in tack it was another big old field sprint. Rick light it up coming out of the last turn holding off Charlie Brown and rest of the hard charging field for the WIN! So for two weekends in a row Creed wins for MOB!

I would also like to say Congrats to Bobby Labonte and his 4th place finish at the Super Bowl of NASCAR the Daytona 500! Way to go Bobby and the #47 team.

July Sizzler

2010-07-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 19, 2010

July Sizzler
Mock Orange Bikes had a few converts this past weekend at the July Sizzler Mtn bike race in Greensboro, NC. Brad, Zack, Joe, and Charles traded in their 700cc tires for 26 inch aggressive tread. Along with myself, Zack, Charles, and Brad took on others in the Cat 1 30-39 race. When the flag went up, Brad and Charles led the charge up the first grassy (and wet) climb to sit 1st and 3rd going into the woods. I sat right behind Brad in fourth position. The first mile saw the usuasual scramble for posisition and inevitable setbacks of guys off the bike and minor crashes (that were sure to occur in the soggy conditions). Upon a mishap at the begginning I went into the woods around 8th posistion and had to bide my time for passing opertunities. Finally I was able to get around some of the traffic and catch back up to Brad and Zack. Charles had gone up ahead with Tommy Rogers. I managed to bridge to Charles just before the greenway on the 1st lap. However Tommy had already left and was about 45 sec to a minute up the trail. I dug deep for the first 3 laps but was unable to bridge to Tommy and I finished in 2nd for the day. Charles took 4th and Brad took 5th! A very good day for MOB at the Sizzler. In other races both Micheal T. and Jeff V. looked strong in their respective races and Joe C took 3rd in the Cat 3 men 30-39!. Great day on the trails for all members of the MOB!

News on the Mountain Bike Scene

2010-06-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give a quick shout out to Frank Mullins for putting on a great race at Youth Unlimited and doing a great job promoting mountain biking and MOB in general at the race. The venue was set up nicely with the MOB tents and provided a great technical course in the Caraway Hills. It was by far the most strenuous of the series so far.

I have been trying to focus this year on the Southern Classic Mountain Bike Series for the first time and have had an absolute blast so far this season. It has been nice racing against several of the same Cat 2 guys from various other teams and being able to watch as we have progressed throughout the season. I started the series out with a 'beside the podium finish" in 5th and have inched my way a little further up each race from 5th to 4th to 3rd and have been able to secure a solid 2nd place finish the past two weekends in a row.

With 4 more races left in the series, I would still like to get to that top spot on the podium! We will see what happens....

See you guys this weekend at the Tour de Kale.

Jeff

3 Mountain Madness - my 75 Mile ride report

2010-06-06T15:09:00.001-07:00

This was my fifth straight 3 Mountain Madness charity ride, but my first time doing the 75 mile route. I had done the 95 mile route in my previous four rides. This year I had to be back home early in the afternoon, so I opted for the 75 mile route. I don't particularly like climbing mountains, I do it because it's like taking bad-tasting medicine...I know it's good for me, that it makes me a better all around rider (that's what I tell myself to justify the pain).

The past two years I've had bad experiences with the 3 Mountain ride. Those experiences involve things like getting dropped on Sauratown and/or Hanging Rock, losing gobs of time on the descents, chasing like crazy alone or with one or two other desperados, burning myself up way too early and struggling just to finish.

But here it was again and I was back for more punishment. I saw teammates Rick Lee and Jay Cox at the start. If there were others I didn't see them, and with 500+ riders that is certainly possible. Early on, I knew it could be a decent ride for me when I was able to get to the top of Sauratown pretty close behind the leaders without killing myself. Close enough that I was able to catch back on with a few others pretty soon after getting to the bottom, instead of having to chase all the way to Hanging Rock.

I also managed pretty well up Hanging Rock, keeping the lead group in sight until about the last quarter of the climb, when the front pack seemed to accelerate. Instead of trying to match the acceleration and going into the red zone as I've done in the past, I just continued to ride at my own pace. I did lose ground, and then lost some more ground on the descent because of vehicles between our group and the lead group. Fortunately a big chunk of the former front pack were in the same boat as me, including some pretty strong riders. There was a well organized chase and the group was all back together soon after passing though Danbury. At this point, I really felt good compared to the last couple of years...I was safely in the front pack after the second mountain without feeling like I had already spent two hours in the red zone.

When the routes split around mile 55, of the 18 or so riders in the front pack, only three of us turned right to do the 75 mile route. Jay Cox was still in the 95 mile lead group when we split. I'm not sure of his final result since I had to eat and run as soon as my ride was over, but he was definitely riding strong. My two 75 mile companions were Kyle Richardson, a Randolph County buddy that I ride with all the time, and Adrian from the Triangle area (I didn't catch his last name). We three rode together until the start of the Pilot Mountain Climb.

In the past, when doing the 95 mile route, Pilot Mountain is usually filled with riders from the 75 and 95 mile rides by the time I get there. This year, it was really nice to start the climb basically having the mountain to ourselves. I just focused on turning the pedals over and trying to walk the thin line between riding hard enough, but not too hard. I didn't allow myself to look back until about halfway up and was surprised to see a pretty good gap back to Kyle, who is a strong climber, and I didn't see Adrian at all, so I figured I'd just keep doing what I was doing. By three quarters of the way up, I couldn't see Kyle anymore, either. I just kept turning the pedals over, made the turn at the top, and coming back down I saw I had what was maybe a two minute gap. I really suck at descending, and Kyle is pretty good at it, so I figured he would make up a lot of time on the descent. I got slowed up again by car traffic near the bottom and figured Kyle and maybe Adrian were right behind me and we would be riding in together.

Once I turned out of the park, I glanced back and didn't see anyone, so I just put my head down and tried to maintain a good hard tempo for the last 7 miles or so back to the civic center, finishing in 3:55 by my computer. Kyle came in 4-5 minutes later and Adrian another couple minutes after that.

When all is said and done, while it feels good to 'win the ride', I'm more satisfied that I was able to put my previous two 3 Mountain Madness "rides from hell" behind me and can say I had a good, strong ride.

-Steve Brumley

Another kind of racing .. my first 1/2 ironman

2010-05-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

Another kind of racing .. my first 1/2 ironman
I know it’s not pure bike racing for you hard core roadies but I thought I’d share my 1st half ironman experience with anyone that’s interested. White Lake was the location I chose for my 1st ironman because my very knowledgeable trainer assured me that the lake was cool enough to race in a wetsuit (optimal), slick as glass (shouldn’t drink too much water), the ride would be flat with no wind and the also flat run would surely not be too hot. Well none of that actually turned out to be true but instead I experienced a race that tested my grit and determination like no other event I’ve ever participated in.
So the morning of the race they announced that the lake temperature had increased by 10 degrees over the past week and therefore would not be wetsuit legal (ouch). No panic at this point I knew I could finish the 1.2 mile swim but would just be slower than I had planned. Oh and by the way from this point in the race there was nothing about my plan that actually held together. I took off with my wave and stayed about mid pack, made the 1st buoy turn and realized that the wind had picked up enough to create some mild white caps which I in turn commenced to take a drink of about every other stroke. Little did I know at the time but the boat fuel I was ingesting would come back to haunt me. I finished the swim in about 5 minutes longer than the plan but no panic at this point because I fully planned to make it up on the bike. Transition one went OK except for a few clumsy stumbles and then I’m on the bike. Yeah! Well the 1st few miles on the bike were so rough that my hammer nutrition dumped out onto my SRM where the sun quickly turn it into a crusty substance that I had to scratch off to see my numbers. No problem the legs are feeling good and I’m flying by riders like they’re going backwards. Well that lasted for about the first hour until the before mentioned consumption of boat fuel set off cramps in my stomach that continued for the remainder of the ride and run. The wind gusts picked up and the road surface was not nearly optimal for a record bike split but I finished the 56 mile TT with the 16th best time. I did however have to put out way to much effort to push the bike through wind so by now I’m really ready to get off the bike and do something different because my butt is not getting along very well with the saddle at this point.
I crawled off the bike expecting to feel better by changing things up but once again a much different experience was waiting for me on the ½ marathon run. By this time the temperature had reached 95 degrees with no breeze. My pace was about 2 minutes per mile slower than I had planned but I was not going to stop. I watched as the elite wave of athletes came back in from their run looking like zombies (well except for the top two women that came blazing by looking they had just started … the first was a Pro Triathlete and then blazing by in second was Sara). I finished 72nd out of the 372 men that finished with a 25% attrition rate but am proud that I pushed myself to finish an event that was by far the most difficult challenge I have ever participated in.
OK, so after a week of recovery I plan to be back on the bike full time so I can come out and play bike racing with you guys!! Thanks for reading.
Daryl

Lewisville-Yadkin River Metric

2010-05-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Mock Orange Racing was well represented at the Lewisville-Yadkin River Metric Century ride this morning. On hand were were Rick Lee, Matt Chambers, Steve Brumley, Ken Gulledge and Frank Mullins.

True to form, a Carolina Masters rider (Grant McAllister?) got away very early, and when another rider tried to bridge, he was immediately marked by another Carolina Masters rider, Charlie Brown. In short order, the other rider came back to us mortals and the two Carolina Masters guys were never seen again.

The chase pack pretty much stayed intact after that point until the KOM climb after crossing the Yadkin River around mile 39. After the climb I made an attempt to escape the pack. I was no match for the field which included a strong tandem team from Piedmont Velo. I was reeled in around mile 50 and was cooked.

Shortly after that, Rick hooked up with a small group including the tandem. Matt, Frank and I had an easy time after that, only doing enough work to discourage others from chasing after Rick's group. Rick's group finished about a minute ahead of what was left of the main field.

A few minutes later Ken rolled in and everyone had some good chicken mars ala.

A good day of riding and some good teamwork.

Hope to see a good turnout for Tour de Lions next weekend.

-Steve B

Racing at Wilkesboro Speedway

2010-05-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

Racing on one of the most famed Speedways in America was quite impressive. Sure the track has lost a little of its luster, but the history still remains. I was the only MOB racer in the Cat 4/5 field, but it was still good to be back. By back I mean, back racing. This was my first race back since I had surgery on my spine back in November of 2009. 30 minutes of racing, a solid 13th place out of 28 racers. Not a lot to say other than I'm back, and it's "On like Donkey Kong!", well maybe Donkey Kong Junior! Seriously, great racing every other Wednesday night in Wilkesboro. Great track, great staff, great fun!

Jay Cox, Zach Lail, and Joe Carpisassi were in the A race when I left. Not sure how it turned out, but Jay was off the front as we drove out.

Looking forward to seeing more racing action soon.

Mock Orange Racing Shines At Tour De Moore

2010-04-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

Under over cast skies the Mock Orange Racing Team were able to shine and pull off some impressive results with Alan Tripp finishing second in the Pro Am and Mark Jellous finishing 5th in the 40+ race. Mock Orange Racing was well represented with Mark Jellous, Rich Melenico, Michael Vandy, Rick Creed, Tim Gavin, Steven Brumley and myself against a staked field of Carolina Masters riders and company. Vandy was able to get into an early move off the front of the field that has two Carolina Masters riders, Carey Humphries and Derrick Powers plus 3 others. The 40 sec lead by the beak with Vandy and the work of the team was enough to keep the pressure off Rick Creed and Mark Jellous to conserve their energies for the last lap and climb to the finish that would decide the race.
As the field hit the hill all together at the end of the first lap gaps were opening up Mark and Rick able to get over the top with a small group. Steven flatted just after the climb. As we turned on to Youngs road it was groupo compacto, all together as there was a flurry of attacks and counters as we turned onto McPherson Road. A small break formed with Carey Humphries, Matt Botting, Charlie Brown and John Patterson. Mark saw the train pulling out of the station and put in a huge effort to get across.
Rick saw the situation and tried to bridge with Erin Pharm and Chris. Half way across the bridge attempt stalled except for Phram who was able latch on. Now the break is 6 with 3 being Carolina Masters riders. Mark tried to make the most of the situation covering multiple attacks by Carey and John who ended off the front of the break by 30 sec. With Charlie sitting in and Pharm hanging on it was up to Mark and Matt to try and bring back Carey and John. Not for the lack of trying it was another Carolina Masters 1,2,3 with Matt just getting by Mark for 4th and Mark finishing 5th.
Mean while back in the field the team was evenly distributing the labor as multiple attacks and efforts were put in by "The Old Man" and others. Time and time again it would be Rick or Rich or Tim or Vandy that were covering potential moves. Really was great to see an MOB jersey in ever move or effort all day long. At the bottom of the finishing climb Grant McCallister was setting tempo with me in tow. With 1 k to go still feeling good about a potential result. 200meters to go the road pitched up and the slimmed down field is putting the squeeze on and I go backwards as I see Rick moving up. Rick would hold on for 5th out of the field and 11th overall.
All in all a good day for MOB. Til next time be safe and have fun. Rodney

High Point Marathon

2010-03-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

A huge thank you to everyone that volunteered for the HP Marathon. I didn't take many photos this time. Sorry! Julie P

Greenville NC Masters Crit Sat. 3/27/2010

2010-03-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tim Gavin and company for hosting the finest Crit races in the Eastern part of the State. The Masters race started with a solid field of 25 riders. MOB was well represented with Rick Creed, Matt Mason, Daryl Rains, Michael Vandy, Tim "The Promoter" Gavin and myself. Also on the line was David Le Duc, Charlie Brown, Keith Johnson and Grant McCal aster. The plan was to get Rick in a early move with some assistance of the other 5 remaining riders. With just a hand full of laps into the 50min event and Rick is in a good move with Daryl, The Old man David Le Duc, Charlie Brown, Keith Johnson and Grant McCallaster. Matt, Vandy and myself were trying to keep the field together while the 6 man break was getting established. The break would split with the three Carolina Masters riders staying away to eventually lapping the field. Half way through the race Charlie and The Old man would go for a prime and stay away to lap the field. Rick then is in a move out of the field that included Keith, Grant, Ben Swaim, and 1 other rider. This group would eventually get around late with 2 laps to go. On the last lap out of the last corner Rick would come off of Keith Johnson to place 5th with the Carolina Masters sweeping the 1st three spots David Le Duc finishing 4th. I really enjoy racing with the group we have now but also know I have some training to do inorder to provide the needed support so as to break up the dominance by the Carolina Masters. That is what keeps it fun.

Mark Jellous Podiums at Uwharrie Wheelman Road Race

2010-03-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

The 1st day of spring kicked off with the best weather of the 2010 season. Mark Jellous was able to shine as much as the sun as he finished 3rd out of a break of three with team mates Charlie Brown getting the win and John Patterson placing second.

The number of riders were less than expected due to many choosing to pay their respects to Adam Little who had been tragically struck by a driver and fatally wounded while commuting to work earlier in the week. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family as many made a monetary donation at registration as a show of support as well.

From the team meeting it was decided that Mark would take a flyer from the start to see who would come up to him from the other teams. Carolina Masters had the largest and strongest contingent by far of the other competitors. Rick Creed, Michael Vandy, Rich Melencio and myself would work to support Mark and try to get Rick in a move with Mark as Rick being the best finisher.

True to form Mark went from the gun with two other, a Carolina Masters rider and an OutSpoken rider. They would build a 1:30 lead over the field after 1 lap. At the start of the of lap 2 the attack where coming from Carolina Masters with Rick at the front trying to cover. I was able to make my way to the front to provide Rick some relief. Once there John Patterson put in an effort that drew out Charlie Brown along with Lapp Lumpkin and a Harrle's and myself. This was not exactly what we wanted not realizing that we had such a gap I had no choice but to try to stick the chase to the break. Once I was latched on to the tail end the attacks continued til the Harrle's rider started opening gaps and I was so deep into the red I could not come around. I knew what was coming but as hard as I tried there was nothing I could do. The gap grew and the two of us went back to the field. I was so deep in the red I dropped like a rock through the field and was off the back in a cross head wind coming to start lap 3. I was barely able to get back on and then to the middle of the field when Vandy told me that Rick had broken his pedal and that we should try to get together for the field sprint. I was in agreement with that on the road plan as I thought Rick would be unable to finish but with his experience and being a true bike racer Rick went on to finish strong. I tried to string it out shortly after the last right hand turn. It was further out than I had thought but Rick was third wheel with Vandy being on Rick. Broken pedal and all Rick still making the most of what he can as Vandy was able to get 3rd out of the field. Talking to Mark after the race and on the way home Mark had an awesome day on the bike. Going from the gun. Once Charlie and John got there they droped the two riders that started with Mark and then Mark tried to split the two team mates on the last climb only to have Charlie bring John back up to Mark. What a great result for Mark and for MOB. Really alot of fun racing our bikes with a group of guys that get along so well on such a beautiful day. What a way to spend a Saturday in March.

River Falls Race Recap from Tim G.

2010-03-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

Under blue skies and warming temperatures, 4 MOBsters line up for the 45+ River Falls race: Rick Creed, Matt Mason, Daryl Rains and Tim Gavin. Over the first few laps, nothing spectacular happened with the 4 MOBsters paying close attention to the front on the climb. On lap 3 or 4, Daryl got away in a 2 man break on the backside that lasted a mile or two. On lap 5, Rick found himself off the front on the backside and was eventually joined by one other rider. At the end of lap 5, Matt was in a group of 5 that bridged up to the 2 leaders on the climb and the winner would come out of this group of 7. In the end, MOB finished with Matt in 3rd, Rick in 4th, and Daryl in 12th. Overall, a really good race for the 45+ MOBsters with good teamwork. We covered a lot of breaks and did a good job policing the front when Rick and then Matt were away.Tim

Mock Orange Racing @ Orange Co. Speedway and Greenville Series

2010-02-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Matt Mason continues show good early season form over the weekend in the 45+ Greenville Series. Matt was able to put his previous knowledge and years of experience to good use as he was able to hold off Steve Sperry for 4th place in the up hill finish of the Fork Shoals Road Race. John Patterson took an early flyer and was able to solo to victory while another rider from Atlanta was able to come out of the field to secure second. With 1K to go on this up hill finish Matt put in a huge effort to seperate himself from the field only to be caught by a hard charging Hank McCullum, with 25meters to go. Matt was able to edge out Sperry and hold on to 4th.
Today back at Donaldson Center Matt was able to make the early break as the group was finishing the 1st lap of 6. With 1 lap to go Matt found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he had just come off of a pull and came unlatched from the break now of 7. Matt would go onto contest the field and finished 3rd out of the field and 10th over all putting Matt well into the top 10 of the 45+ Masters group with 1 more weekend left. Lets go and give Matt the support he needs to be successful at River Falls and Donaldson Center and move him up in the overall.
MOB racing also had a strong contengent at the Orange Co. Speedway on Saturday as Rick Creed, Micheal Vandy, Rich Melencio and myself entered the combined 40+ , 30+ track event. This was first time to really stretch the legs in somewhat of a crit style race of the 2010 season. The 15-20mph head winds on the back stretch only added to the excitment as we rolled to the line of a small group of about 35 riders. The field was made up of a strong group from Parker McConville's Triangle Velo team that were ready to roll as they had 3 riders that attacked from the gun. My legs filled quickly as I put in an effort to try to draw this very early break close. Rick Creed was able to get across to the break in less than a lap. Which I'm so greatful to have that guy flying the MOB colors! Rich really was working hard to cover moves and fill in gaps that would help to keep pressure off Rick and Vandy. Vandy took a flyer to get to a second move by Parker and company but the season is still early and the windy was getting stronger. Rick let me know that there was 1 rider off the front of the group that I thought was off the back of the field. We asked the official as we went pasted the start finish and the offical said that this rider was a lap down to the group. With 13laps to go Vandy took another flyer to try and take second out of the field. Vandy was caught by the field being driven by Triangle Velo. With a lap to go and Rick a lap up on the field I picked up Vandy for a lead out for what we thought would be second and Rich Melencio in third. It was not until the scoring was complete that we found out the Rick was 1st, his first win of the season and for Mock Orange Bikes, the rider we thought was off the back was scored as second, while Vandy was 3rd, Rich was 4th and I finished 5th. Congrats the Rick for the win and for Matt with his result at Greenville. We are off to a great start. Only 6 days til River Falls. I can't hardly wait.

MOB Kicks off the season in Fine Fashion

2010-02-21T15:14:00.000-08:00

We could not have had any better weather, Sunny, light wind and 64 degrees on Saturday at the famed Donaldson Center as MOB got the 2010 season started with the Greenville Series.
In a stacked 35+ race we had birthday boy Rich Melencio and new to the MOB Michael Vandy flying the colors in a race that started fast and furious being driven by multi attacks from Ryan Jenkins and several counters from the local Global Bike Team, Great Escape and POA. After 2 hard laps the string snapped with Vandy making the break of 9 riders. Vandy would go on to finish 7th while the race was won in a solid sprint by Darren Marhinka.
In the 45+ plus race Matt Mason and myself rolled to the line with a group of about 60 other old men that included Hank McCluium, Tom Sunday and Steve Sperry. After 2 solid Todd began to slow and I let him know that I was on his right as he moved just left enough to let me through. I was standing on it for all I was worth with happened to be 3 out of the field. After cooling down and checking the results they had me posted as 14th, 9 man break, and some how 2 riders between the break and field, which I was unaware. Oh well, good result for Matt to start the season.
Rick Lee lined up in a large Cat. 3 field. A break went at the start of lap 2. Rick worked with Wyatt Briggs and 2 others to try and bring it back to no avail. With little support and inadvertently getting popped in the nose that lead to a serious nose bleed Rick pulled out with 2 to go. Saving it for another day.
Now for the main event, the Pro AM 1, 2 race. There was a huge field with Team Type I, POA, Subaru- Gray Fisher, and many other teams from all over the Southeast. MOB had Ben Faulk, Allen Trip and Mark Jellous on the line with a group of over 100 riders. Allen initiated the first move of the day just after the right to left chicane. He would be joined by 4 other riders and would stay away until the start of lap 3. The initial break was caught on the hill by the golf course and a counter soon followed. Mark was able to make the 9 man break that would set a blistering pace and covered the 3rd lap in under 16mins. While Ben was policing the front of the field he hit a pot hole while the group was slowing causing him to grip the breaks and sending him over the front of the bike. Ben had medical treat and would find out that he had fx. his R wrist. We want to wish Ben a speedy recovery as he is scheduled to be married on Saturday.
After 5 more exhausting laps Andy Baker had a small gap that incited the Team Type I riders to take up the chase and allowed Mark to follow wheels. Once Andy was caught then the multiple attacks started by Chris Johnson with the BMC development U-23 team, fresh from training camp. Mark held on to finish 7th on the day as the "Old Amature" of the group.
All in all a really great weekend for TEAM MOB.

Today we ride for Dave

2009-11-16T05:31:00.000-08:00

From Rodney:

I just wanted to THANK everyone who came and supported the "Today we ride for Dave" ride from the Fitness Center. It was incredible! We had over 600 riders and raised over $10,000. We had 10 team members who either rode or worked the event that I'm so grateful for. Thanks to Chip for his support and the other team members who participated, Mark Jellous, Matt Mason, Grant Lawyer, Frank Mullins, Paul Paisant, Rick Lee, Steve Golinski and to Julie Paisant for taking so many photos from start to finish. It was a great day, one of the best days I have had on the bike and it had nothing to do with a result. To see Dave's wife there riding with his two daughters was very moving. Take care, be safe, have a great week and look forward to the shop ride next Sat. @ 11:00am.

MOB Finishes the Last Ace Race in Fine Fashion

2009-09-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

What an awesome night for Cyclo Cross @ SECCA or to finish out the last Ace Race at Ace Speedway. The B race had a nice field of ~30 riders with Rick Lee and Steve Golinski flying the MOB colors. Rick was position at the front covering a flerrie of attacks to allow Steve the opportunity to contest the finish and contest the finish he did. A lone DeOro rider took a flyer with 3 laps to go. Rick went to the front to all but bring him back. The DeOro rider went on to win the Gamblers prine with 1 to go but was caught by a charging Steve and one other rider coming out of turn two. Steve made the move to the bottom of the of the track while the other rider went around on the high side. Steve got a gap with a solid sprint that he started 1/2 way down the back stretch. Steve had such a lead he was able to sit up coming into the home stretch for the win! On the cool down from the B race Mark Jellous and myself congratuted Steve on his victory and Rick on his effort. I then told Mark since Steve won the B race he had to win the A race for the sweep.
The situation for the season standing had Mark on the podium in 3rd and behind 2nd place, Erin Pharm, by 3 points. Mark stated the race setting the tempo at the front with multi efforts with me trying the mark the riders that could compromize Marks 3rd place standing. With 15 laps to go Mark was able to get in to a move with Ben Fualk, Michael Vandy, and a bridging Zandy Collins. Now for my role is was easy 1) either wait for Mark to come around and help him with a lead out and 2) try to get between him and 2nd place Erin.
With 3 to go, the break was well established and not coming to the field, by choice so I just sat on waited. Coming to the line with 1 to go I hit it with all I had from about 4th in the field and just kept digging. I look under my shoulder coming to the line and see Erin coming but he was not going to catch me for 5th place. On the cool down lap confirmed that Mark won and with Erin finishing 6th. This would be enough for Mark to finish 2nd for the series. The events of the evening made for a light hearted trip home. A great night all the way around. Now it is time to get ready for the Carolina Cup. Rodney

Aug. 24th What a week!

2009-08-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

From the Individual TT to the Team TT to Tour De Gaps to more Cyclo Cross it was a great week for MOB. Wed. Aug 26th at Lowes Motor Speedway we had Rick Lee who won the Cat. III individual TT with another personal best of 22:00:79 just so close to under 22mins. Then we had two Teams in the Team TT. MOB Team I was Daryl Rains, Kelly Holmes, Brad Messenger and Rich Melenico who worked together to set a time of 22:06. Good enough for 5th out of 31 teams. Then MOB Team II of Zach Lail, Jay Cox, Joe Carpissasi and Mark Jellous set the third fastest time of of the night of 19:13! The fastest team was Carolina Masters who posted a 18:32.
Then on Sat. Jay "the Mt. Man" Cox, Frank "the climber" Mullins and myself took part in
the 9th annual Tour De Gaps in Mt Airey. This event boasts of over 11,000ft of climbing in 82miles. We had the sheer pleasure of climbing Squirrel Spur , Willis Gap, Orchard Gap and then the icing on the cake was Pipers Gaps. All 4 gaps combine for 30miles of climbing leaving just 50miles to roll around. Jay was able to finish a very impressive 2nd place in a time 4hrs 17mins. Myself and Frank ended the day by doing 3 / 4 of the climbs.
Then there was a host of folks @ SECCA who worked to perpare the course for the upcoming training and pre season races. There is a 20 degree drop in the temps today from yesterday almost feels like Cross is around the corner. Till next time have fun and be safe. Rodney

MOB is everywhere

2009-08-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

From Ace Speedway to Terry's Challenge biathlon to the Blue Ridge Brutal 100 MOB was everywhere this weekend. We had Pete Cannell, Grant Lawyer and Mark Jellous in the Master's race at Ace Speedway which Mark was able to lap the field with one other rider from the super team support and would go on to win the event.
Mark, and Grant then joined Zach Lail, Kelly Holmes and Avery Telligman in the A race. Zach, Mark, and Grant would lap the field as part of a 7 man break. I'm not sure how this one played out. So maybe we can get the result from one of these 5.
All the while Frank "the climber" Mullins was in West Jefferson participating int he Blue Ridge Brutal 100. This is a 104 mile event with over 10,000ft of climbing. 30miles into it Frank is in the select group of the day with John Patterson, Ryan Jenkins, Charlie Brown, Terry Huss, Jeremy Kahn, and two others. Frank would go onto finish 6th over all in a time of 4hrs and 47min. That is a great effort!
Then we had Paul and Julie Paisant, Steve Golinski and his wife Jennifer, Rick Lee and his wife Stacie, and myself did the Terry's Challenge Biathlon. Paul was able to bring home some hardware for his team. Team Golinski, Steve and Jennifer were able to bring home a trophy, Rick and Stacie Lee were able bring home a trophy, Julie teamed with her sister in law won the women's team division and I was able to win the men's team division with the help of Jacob Crickenburger as my runner.
Wow, what a Team that we can be in so many different events and still have such great success!
Who knows where we will be next weekend, maybe Krispy Kreme!

Cat 4 / Crossroads & Hanes Park

2009-08-10T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Crossroads Classics are a fun week of racing. This year I raced the last three of the five races in Salisbury, Statesville & Harrisburg, finishing 25th, 15th and 11th. Charles joined in on the fun @ Salisbury and Statesville and rode strong. Congratulations to Jerry Rebo who raced all of the Crossroads races and finished 3rd in the overall. Also, Congratulations to all team members who participated in the races, as we finished third overall in the team competition.

The Hanes Park Classic Cat 4 race was an absolute blast. I overheard several people questioning the decision to reverse the course, my opinion, it was great. We had a strong presence in the field with myself, Rebo, Charles, Matt Chambers and Steve Golinski. Charles, Rebo and I stayed at the front the entire race not letting anything get away. I won a Mock Orange Prime and tried to stay off the front but wasn't capable of doing it alone so I sat up and integrated back into the field. Charles had a plan for he and I to get Rebo off the front on the last lap for a shot at the win but it didn't pan out, Rebo had worked his rear off at the front and chasing down attacks and his legs had left him. Charles executed like he said he was going to and I went with him, I had a shot at the win but finished second with Charles 5th, Rebo 14th and Steve and Matt finishing strong. Great team effort.

I would also like to thank everyone for the offers to teach me to get in the drops, stand up and sprint. I'm pretty sure I get it... LOL

Hurt, Pain and agony lives up to its name

2009-07-31T08:50:00.000-07:00

It is only 100K how bad can it be.? With almost 7,000ft of climbing in that distance makes it one of the hardest events i do all year. Last Sat. was a beautiful morning as Frank Mullins, Stephen Brumley, Paul and Julie Paisant and myself went to raise proceeds for the Cancer Foundation on one of the meanest and most seneic rides we will do all year.
This ride starts for the 1st 6miles out of the box all up hill with 2 sections of 18% grade. Eric Austin was off the front by the time we turned L onto Frank P Parkway which is the entrance to Stone Mt. State parkway. I set a tempo on the front that pulled Stephen, Frank and Jeremiah Kahn out of the field. Once on to Oklahoma it is still Eric with a gap Stephen's pulls then Frank then Kahn who turns up the heat and takes Frank up to Eric.
The three of them are hooked up and gone once we top out Oklahoma and it leaves Stephen and I as the 1st chase group. As we make our way over to the Parkway I can tell today was going to be a along one with the way I was feeling. Stephen is now taking longer pulls as my turns get shorter.
I start to eat and drink but still was not feeling it. Now it is my team mate who is doing all the work to get me back in. I felt really bad about holding him up as he was almost having to push me up some of the rollers. The worse I felt the stronger Stephen seemed to be.
It was at about mile 40 that while on Stephen's wheel I heard a pop and first thought that he had broken a cable. We pull over and it is a broken spoke in the front wheel. As we are removing the spoke here comes a group of7 lined up like a trian with John Hamblin on the front. They were rolling. Now Stephen has to nurse home a bike that gets high speed wheel wobble and me. At mile 50 we get up the steep 18% pitch up to the the Parkway as I notice the legs are really starting to sting. With less than 8miles to go I cramp so hard I have to get off the bike. After stretching a bit was able to get back on and get back down to the Trap Hill Elementary school where we started. I Thanked Stephen for bring me in and meet up with Frank who was able to finish second to Kahn which is a tremendous effort for the day.
I talked to Paul and Julie who were using the event as training and they said they had a good day as well.
Once I got home and kicked up my heels I called Grant Lawyer who did the cat. 3 race in Reidsville. He told me about his event and Daryl's result then began to tell me about the Pro 1/2 race and how Jay Cox attacked out of the field and that John Hamblin , yes that is right the same one who came by us at Hurt, Pain and Agony towing a group like the engine of a train, joined Jay and Charlie Brown to lap the field. That really hurt my feelings. But it was a great result for Jay who would go onto finish 2nd in the Pro 1/2 race. The good thing about racing your bike there is always another day. See you on the road. Rodney

DIXIE SEASON END......AND CHARITABLE GIVING CONTINUES

2009-07-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

MOB Racing has seen recent great results and participation in all categories. I recently participated in the FRENCH BROAD CYCLING CLASSIC CRIT on Sunday. 50+elite....and got schooled by wiley old vets but great fun. An absolutely blistering fast course. The team will have to look toward this next year. Daryl Rains won the 45+ TT and finished top 10 in RR and Rodney Simpson finished top 10 in 35+ TT and RR and was 10th in Omnium points going into Sunday.

DIXIE: Raced in the last Dixie race of the season last pm. Frank,Matt and I worked hard to attack the B race, and Franked attacked and created a 3 man break and finished 2nd overall. Great teamwork.....the potential of our Cat3 group is huge. Cat 1-2 had 2 guys in the break in the A race to lap the field and finished top 3. Hate to see the series end. Great fun.

But all of the racing aside, the team has done HUGE WORK to SUPPORT CHARITIES over the past 6 weeks and throughout the season. Our team helped sponsor, promote and deliver THE PIEDMONT TRIAD OMNIUM which recently raised $25000.00 for MS and Lexington Parks bike Greenway. We provided $, sweat, work, racing, and brain power to help make it work. The team supported the MS Training ride last month and the MS VIBE Ride last month. Riders have participated in the Tour de Kale, Red Sleigh Ride,Tour de Furniture, Stroke Ride just to name a few. Seeing the team give of themselves in this way brings great pride to all of us. THANKS!
We will be helping to sponsor the HANES PARK CLASSIC NRC RACE on August 8th. The finish line will be at the front door of Mock Orange Bikes.....awesome.

CX....CX....IT'S COMING IN A BIG WAY..........

Chip Duckett
MOB

MOB at Operation Red Sleigh

2009-07-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

MOB was well represented in Seagrove for the Sleigh Ride charity ride on July 18th. Operation Red Sleigh is a charity that raises money to buy Christmas gifts for Randolph County kids that might otherwise do without. It is headed up by (National State Trooper of the Year) Greg Seabolt, and the bike ride is their primary fundraiser for the year. Lining up at the start was Mark Jellous, Grant Lawyer, Paul and Julie Paisant, Frank Mullins and myself. Carolina Masters was also well represented for the 110k with Ryan Jenkins and John and Jamie Fender among others. Pfeiffer, Flight Club and a few other teams were also represented. This ride is a sister ride to Tour de Kale and is similar in that they do "chip" timing and give some awards, so it has a competitive angle to it.

Over the first climb that came only 12 miles in, there were a couple of attacks that went nowhere, until Mark attacked and only Ryan Jenkins responded. The field hesitated for a moment and that was enough, as those two were gone and wouldn't be seen again until the finish.

Meanwhile back in the chase pack, the two strongest teams were represented in the break, so it was fairly easy to keep things under control. For the next hour or so, it was just rolling around Randolph County on a Saturday morning. It was pretty pleasant except for having to listen to complaints about the lack of an organized chase.

Once it was obvious the front two were gone for good, the hard riding started back. Through Tot Hill Farm and down Lassiter Mill Rd, Grant and Frank did a great job of keeping the pace high and putting pressure on the chase pack, whittling it down to about 12 riders. All the while they kept encouraging me to save energy for the last big climb up High Pine Church Rd.

A couple miles out from the climb, Frank put it an attack that caused the strongest remaining riders to chase, while I latched on to Grant's wheel for a free ride as he followed the chasers. They were only able to get to Frank as we made the turn to start the big climb. Frank's move worked to perfection because as soon as they made contact, I countered at the bottom of the climb and was able to ride away. From that point, I just tried to get as much time as I could on the remainder of the climb, and then put my head down and dug deep maintain it for the remaining 12 hilly miles. I knew Grant and Frank would be controlling things in the already worn down chase pack, so I knew I needed to ride hard but didn't need to risk blowing myself up on the hills.

At the finish I found Mark had ridden in with Ryan for 2nd place about 3 minutes ahead of me, and Grant sprinted in for 5th about a minute later with the rest of the chase pack, including Frank.

All in all it was a solid day for a great cause and a great low pressure opportunity to practice team tactics. I can't say enough about the effort Frank and Grant put in to help me have a good showing in my hometown ride. It is a great source of pride to be associated with the MOB team. The MOB team is well known and respected in Randolph County thanks to our representation in events like ORS and Tour de Lions.

Looking forward to reading reports from French Broad this weekend.

Thanks,
Steven B

MOB Results

2009-07-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all the MOBsters that raced this weekend. For overall results the team placed:

Rodney Simpson - 3rd Masters 35+
Kelly Holmes - 3rd Masters 45+
Daryl Raines - 6th Masters 45+
Rip Nicholson - 4th Womens Open (with only 2 races)
Steve Brumley - 13th Cat 3/4

Nice job everyone!

Cat 3 PTO

2009-07-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

The cat 3/4's had a great weekend of racing at the PTO. This event has been a huge success since it's inception one year ago. I am amazed at how many good riders show up for this race and the numbers keep growing. This year the 3/4 was huge fielding some 70+ riders in both the crit and road race. Friday nights crit in downtown lexington is definitely one of my favorites. Extremely fast course with wide corners added to the almost 27 mph avg. Besides being one of the biggest fields I have ever raced, I was surrounded by more teammates than ever before. With me was Grant Lawyer, Jerry Rebo, Rick Lee, Michael T., Steve Brumley, Justin Joyce, Preston Anderson, and Matt Chambers (I hope I didn't leave anyone out!). Hats off to all the guys for a great race, especially to Grant who really flew the colors well at the front. Several others made good showings as well. I believe Grant landed a top 20 finish which is really impressive given the amount of work he put in!
Next day M.O.B. was again very well represented at the TT with myself, Rick Lee, Jerry Rebo, and Steve Brumley. I do not have the final results but I know that both Steve and Rick had very good days on the bike and placed in the top 10.
The 3/4 road race was also very well attended with again 70+ in the field. M.O.B. had myself, Grant, Preston, Steve, Chip, Jerry, Rick, and Matt. The race started off fast and did not really let up as we had a really short rr of a little under 40 miles. This course is perfectly suited for racing and the hills at the end of clodfelter made things more interesting. Once again hard efforts were made by Preston, Steve, and Grant to cover attacks and keep things together. It was great to see some many teammates in one race and I believe a good time was had by all. Hats off to both Jerry and Rick who took 12th and 15th in the final sprint.

Piedmont Triad Omnium Criterium: Keeping it Safe

2009-07-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Last year I was asked by Jim Martin, organizer of the Piedmont Triad Omnium, to manage the course marshals for the 2009 PTO Friday night criterium. My first thought was I felt honored to help such a worthy cause, but my second thought was how will I ever convince enough people to help as course marshals!

Well, six weeks before the event I knew it was time to start asking for volunteers! What a surprise…as soon as I sent the e-mail I had immediate responses…and in a week I had a list of volunteers!

As racers you all know how important these group of individuals are to a successful criterium race…well this year’s course marshals were incredible! They kept the course safe for the racers and more importantly, the many spectators who showed up for the evening’s events.

I can’t thank these volunteers enough…please share you appreciation for these individuals by thanking them the next time you see them on a ride or just out and about!

Here’s the list of course marshals, all our women team members from the Mock Orange Racing team – Julie Paisant, Katie Gill, Rip Nicholson, Sirena Lundsford and Theresa Dawson.

In addition, Monti Beasley from Piedmont Velo, Jordan Martin and Justin Martin helped out on the course.

And finally a big thanks to members of the Mock Orange Syndicate team – Bill Messenger and his daughter, Laura, Cathy Rhodes, Gary Willis and his daughter, Ginny, and Patti Patridge.

MOB at the PTO

2009-07-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

MOB really come thur in fine fashion with support and racing the PTO this past weekend. The PTO is the biggest Cycling event in the in the State and apears to be growing int0 the biggest event in the Southeast. With the added street sprints there was the opportunity to race 4 times in 3 days with the crit Friday night, Time trial Sat. morning, Street Sprints Sat. night and then the Road Race on Sunday.
I wanted to say a big THANKS to Ken and Angela Craven as well as others like, Steve Golinski, Jerry Rebo, Preston Anderson, Blair Palmer, Rick Lee, Julie and Paul Paisant, Jeff Varner, Ken Gulledge, (I'm sure I"m leaving someone out) with the task of set up and tear down for Friday night. Ken was very organized working with shifts of folks from the Team to get everything set up in a very efficint and timely manner. Ken better watch it or Neil Boyd will want his set up skills for Cross Roads in Aug.
All weekend long, every event ,from the Categories, age graded and women there were very strong fast fields. With the crit Friday night in the 35 / 45 + 123 race we had Pete Cannell, newly crowned national time trial champion, Daryl Rains, Kelly Holms and myself. This race started hard and fast from the gun. With in the frist hand full of laps Pete was in a move off the front and would go on to finish 4th, 3rd in the 35+ while I held on to 14th and 7th in the 35+.
For the Time Trial Sat. morning we had a nice rain shower prior to the start so there were wet roads to contend with. I got a good warm up and a good start thinking that I would be able to make good time on the backside of the course on Ridge road but with the head wind it seemed the harder I tried the slower I went. I finished 5th just 2 sesconds in front of Chris Thomas who was in 6th. Then it was time to recover and get ready for the Street Sprints. This was a new experience for me, something that I had never done so I was not sure about the approach except sprint as hard as you can and hold it to the line. Two initial heats of 6 were whittled down to one finale of 10. I really had a bad jump but managed a 7th with all these slow twitch muscle fibers I have.
So it was on to the Road Race were Rich Melencio and myslef were in the 35+ ranks while Daryl and Kelly repsented the 45+. With the afternoon start the heat and humidity would be a factor. Hydration was the key. Thanks to my wife Nancy, Kathy and Blair Palmer, Michelle Melencio and Diana Whitt, Rick Creeds wife for being there in the feed.
There were several moves that took place during the first 2 laps but to no avail until finishing lap 3 when a break went up the road with Charlie Brown, Ryan Jenkins, John Patterson and Rick Creed. I missed the Carolina master's train so it was came down to the field sprint for me with about 40 of my cloest friends. I managed to finish 9th in the 35+ , not real sure about the overall. So for the weekend I had a 7th in the crit, 5th in the time trial, 7th in the Street Sprints and 9th in the Road Race. This was my best omnium weekend. Certainly was lots of fun and I'm looking forward to the French Broad omnium in Asheville next weekend.
Thanks again to Team MOB and all their support of this wonderful event.

MOB in Roanoke, VA

2009-07-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

So, Kelly and I drove up to Roanoke to do the 3 day omnium. Matt Chambers joined us for a few days and Jay cruised up for some fun on Sunday. Kelly raced the masters 40+, while I did the 3/4 races along with Matt. Jay did the 1-2-3 race on Sunday.

Day 1: Uphill TT: 1.9miles at 11% ave. Kelly was killing it, coming in under 11min, while I held my own at 11:38 (26th overall 3/4, 9th in the cat4) for the Cat 3/4 . Not sure where Matt ended up time-wise, but he put in a great ride.

Day 2: 0.7 mile crit (6 corner) technical with a small backside hill and a LONG finishing straight. Kelly stayed in the front the whole time, laying it down, getting 2 primes, and sprinting for 4th. I ended up 21st in the 3/4 (6th in the cat 4 group). Matt retired early, but put in a great effort.

Day 3: 3/4 mile technical crit with a 1st turn 180 degrees leading to several brick sections on the back side. It was pouring rain...and lead to some hard fought racing. Again, Kelly was pushing the front, and finished 4th. I ended up flatting with 2 to go...in a field that only finished 12...DAMN. Oh well. Jay came up for the maddness and finished strong in the field...having to maneuver around multiple wrecks and gaps from others dropping out. All in all, Kelly finished 2nd in the overall omnium for the 40+ guys. GREAT JOB!!!!!! Great job to Jay and Matt as well.

It was fun to hang out with the MOB guys and get in some good hard racing. I'm not sure where I finished up for the omnium, but the DNF on Sun didn't help my cause. More so, I knew Kelly wasn't going to post what he did this weekend, because, well, if you know him as well as I do, you know he just would say..."well...you know...I did alright." He was a force in those races, and the announcers were calling out MOB racing several times. It was a great showing for MOB racing.

Also, for me, it was an education. I was able to pick his brain and discuss all sorts of tactics and technics, including how the hell to race in the slop on Sunday, with the hairpin turns, esses, and brick sections without crashing...where to be and when, and what to look for, and who to watch out for. I learned a ton and had a blast.

One last plug, thanks to Pete for getting my sorry cycling self into shape to be able to compete with these guys. I'm getting there....SLOWLY!!!!!!!

So, if any of the less seasoned guys have a chance, get out there, and talk to these guys who have been doing it for a while, DO IT! They'll teach you how to go faster...just by using some common sense....and I promise it won't hurt nearly as much as hopping on the trainer for what is know in some circles as.... "the Cannell 2x20 death intervals!!!" :)

It was great racing with you guys this past weekend! Thanks again KHo.... See everyone this weekend at the PTO!!

Jerry

MOB Racing Team Makes Front Page News!

2009-07-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

The month of June has definitely been a great month to see the MOB kits around locally. There have been many opportunities for our team members to volunteer with local charities. The beginning of June, team members were spotted at the MS VIBE ride held in Kernersville. The ride is held annually as a Tour to Tanglewood training ride for participants who raise over $1000 for the local MS chapter. During the middle of the month, MOB kits were seen at the Pedal the Piedmont charity ride. A well put together ride that raises money for the Kernersville Rotary club. (Also, we made front page news for the Kernersville newspaper.) The Tour to Tanglewood training ride held at the shop brought out many of our team members helping out with marking the course, assisting participants with parking and general ride support. The list doesn’t end here…this upcoming weekend will be the Piedmont Triad Omnium. I know many of our team members will be racing…but we have team members that will be helping out with race course set up and as course marshals. The Piedmont Triad Omnium is not only a fun weekend but it’s an excellent opportunity to help out with such a worthy event. The money raised from the weekend racing goes to the Central NC MS chapter. (Also Ken and I want to express our thanks to everyone who will be helping out with Friday night’s events…the responses we have received for volunteers have been impressive.)

Finally, I have really enjoyed participating in the above events. Not only are we helping out with local charities… but it gives us the opportunity to meet other cyclists in the area and to get to know your team members.

Strong showing of MOB at Tour De Kale

2009-06-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

Mock Orange Bikes had great repersentation for the 10th annual Tour De Kale. This event has grown over the past 10years to the best organized ride / race in the south east. This due to the efforts of Chris Skeen and the entire Denton Community. There is no better support from parking to reg. to traffic control and food afterwards.
We had over 15 riders this year to include Daryl Rains, Kelly Holems, Rich Melencio, Rick Lee, Steven Brumbley, Ken Gulledge, Paul and Julie Paisant, Teresa Dawson, Frank Mullins, Jerry Rebo, the return of Matt Mason, my wife Nancy and myself took on the hottest day of the year with close to 400 other riders.
At the start I looked around to see who is here challenging for the Summitt prize money and it is the whos who of cycling. Scotty Weiss came all the way from Minn. just for this event as well as Mark Heckman, National Crit champion, Chris Harkey and company as well Ryan Jenkins, John Patterson, Charlie Brown and a host of the Carolina Masters team. There were aslo about a dozen rider from the under 23 junior national team that had just gotten back from racing over in Belgium. To say the least it would be a fast day and inturn a hard, hot day on the bike.
With the added KOM $50.00 cash prize 13miles in we were assured that things were going to very interesting very quickly. Once out of the Farm Park a small break that contained John Patterson, Scotty Weiss, Mark Heckman and three others were up the road. Mark Heckman won the KOM and would go on to win the Summit Challenge as well. As the rest of the field is approaching the KOM I see Daryl moving up on the Left with Sara Tussy in tow. Sara followed Heckman's lead and did the double as well, taking the KOM and the Summitt Challenge prize.
With a break of 8-10 up the road there were several attempts to bring them back with a fine effort of Steven Brumbley and Rich Melencio. The break was with in15sec but with Teams represented in the break controling the situation it was not to be.
Coming into Denton Chris Harkey put in a real hard effort with his Teammate Darren Fuller following whose wheel I was able to latch onto. Harkey then put in a strong pull to seperate us from the remaining field as well as did almost all the work to the gate at the neighborhood. That was enough of a gap to keep the three of us away to the Summitt. This would be as Harkey called the "Old man train" as Chris would get 1st in the 40-49 age group, I finished 2nd and Darren Fuller finished 3rd. In the way of awards Teresa Dawson was 3rd while Julie Paisant was 1st in their respective age groups. All in all a very hot day but a very good day for MOB. Looking forward to a report of the State Games and to next weekend as we host the Tanglewood trianing ride from the Shop. Should be fun. Rodney

MOB WOMEN PUT THE PRESSURE ON in Salisbury

2009-06-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

The M.O.B. Women were on fire this weekend in Salisbury. Rip took on the 30+ Women's race with no teammates on Saturday. She won the race in the sprint finish. Way to go Rip! That is not the end of it. On Sunday we had Rip, Sirena, Julie, Theresa and Angela in the Cat 4 race. We had the numbers but not much experience working as a team. With the help of Rodney, we planned a strategy for the race. Rip was going to attack early on in the first lap to see who would bite. Repeated attacks by MOB and counter attacks ensued. The pace rarely let up. We never let anyone get comfortable. The pack splintered down to the last 14 women that barreled towards the final sprint. Once again Rip won in the sprint with Sirena in 3rd. Honestly, that was the most fun I have had racing this year....well, except for ALL of Cyclocross! I thought we worked really well as a team. Congratulations Rip! Our new NC State Road Race Champ (x2).

NC RR / 50+ Old Men

2009-06-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it was nice to be out racing again after 3 weeks off the bike due to crashing out in Fayetteville NC in the NC Crits. Definately hot at 1pm but a beautiful day. The 50+ team of Doc,Chip,Ralph and I(multiple personalities) settled in the back and conversed with Randy and Kerry Sheilds. An early solo break went off for a full lap and was up 55seconds. 6-7 of us worked to bring it back successfully. At the start of the final lap, there was an aggressive pass to nowhere on the left side of the bridge/85overpass that resulted in a fullspeed run into the median and resulting bodies everywhere.......I was inches from quitting racing on the road forever. Cleaned out my bibs and moved on though. Settled in and felt generally good. Positioned myself exactly where I wanted on the line about 3 back making the left turn to the finish and waited for the road to open at 200 meters as per pre-race instructions. One problem.........the field opened at 600 meters and the lemings were passing by before I decided to jump out and follow. No panic, sat in on a few wheels and sprinted at planned point to pass 7-8 people and finished 5th. Given lack of riding, I was very pleased and especially the way the field opened pre-maturely. Finally learning some and using knowledge. Those that won......never worked and broke early......still on the learning curve.
Got back and saw Rip win the womens race....... a great day of riding.

NC Road Race / Cat 4

2009-06-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

MOB had good representation for the Cat 4 NC Road Race in Salisbury. Our race was three laps of the expanded RR loop, for a total of 50 miles. Lining up at the start we had Ken Craven, Jerry Rebo, Rick Lee, Michael Tennyson, Matt Chambers and myself. The whole team rode strong and was a constant presence at the front end of the big field. Even though we eventually lost Jerry and Matt to mechanicals, there was no shortage of MOB jerseys near the front.

We found ourselves caught out in a confusing neutralized section with only 5 or 6 miles to go and missed out on a key move when a group of 3 got away. Knowing one of the guys in the break, I knew it could stick and I hoped we wouldn't end up racing for 4th place. Some hard chasing followed. We succeeded in bringing the break back, but not until there was less than a mile to go, which didn't leave any time to recover before the sprint got cranked up.

Nevertheless we had solid team results. I haven't see official results, but I'm pretty sure I got 5th with Rick a couple spots behind in the top 10, with Ken and Michael in the top 20.

It was a great day on the bike and a solid team showing to boot. Everyone rode strong.

And congrats to Rip on her amazing weekend!

S. Brumley

State Crit

2009-05-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the state Crit on 5/25. MOB had a good day with the top result being Daryl Rains in the 45+ race in 2nd. And Chip Duckett beat the shit out of that tree he got into it with.

Dragon Challenge TT

2009-05-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Dragon Challenge TT
Good day for MOB at the Dragon Challenge TT. Traditionally this event has been an ominum with a road race, TT and then hosting the NC State Crit Championship on Memorial Monday. This year there was no road race but the promoters did an excellently job at putting the best 2 out of three with the TT being today Sunday in Wade and the NC Crit Championships tomorrow in Fayettville.
Today we had Pete Cannell in the Cat 1, 2 field, Daryl Rains in the Cat. 3 field Rick Lee in the Cat. 4 field and myself in the 35+ 1,2,3 field.
Pete set the bench mark for the day posting a time of 43:54 for the 22 mile course with Ryan Jenkins in second with a time 0f 44:54 for 1st and 2nd in the Cat 1,2 field.
Daryl came in from a weekend at the beach to take first place in the Cat. 3 field posting an impressive time of 48:44. While new dad Rick Lee finished 6th in the Cat. 4 field of 54:01 while setting a PR for himself in the first 10miles. I on the other hand ran into some difficulty locating the course by taking a wrong turn at a detour for raod constrution. I arrived at 10:53 am for a scheduled 11:02am start time. I can still hear the announcer calling my name to the line while frantically trying to get my wheels on. So with zero warm up I was able to post a time of 49:00 for 3rd in the 35+ 1,2,3 behind 1st place Ryan Jenkins , who did two laps and on the second was with a flat front tire, and big Kurt Massey was second. A really strong performace by Team MOB toady and look forward to some solid result from the team tomorrow.

MOB at Tour De Lions

2009-05-17T04:15:00.000-07:00

The rain held off for the most part of the Tour De Lions ride down in Gray's Chaple. This was the 10th year that Fred Lineberry has hosted this event that is so well supported by the community. There were over 380 riders that took part in the various distances from 10mile to 75miles. This year we started at the new Providence High School which served to be a better venue than in previous years at the church. The one thing that did not change was the great support by the whole community, good traffic control and then the best brownies any where.
MOB was well represented with more than I can call out but we had Paul and Julie Paisant, Rich Melenico, Steve Brumbley, Ken Gulledge, Frank Mullins and others.
All of us took on the challenging 75 mile loop. Once we were established out on Hwy 22 we were rolling. Frank really put in two solid efforts of about 15mins each which keep the pace up but also the ride safe. For the first 2 hrs we had an avg. of 25mph which in turn whittled our group down to 6 which included Steven, Rich, Monty Stout of Velo Project two others and my self. 10 miles from the finish we turned onto Providence Church Rd which has a series of these rolling hills that are great to put in a hard effort. After taking a pull I rotated to the back, recovered a bit and gave it a go. I wanted to see if Monty would go with me but I was solo. Now the group is 5 with two team mates. So it is simple just put the head down, try to stay out of sight and not go so hard as to lock up. With the help of Steven and Rich I was able to stay away for a soild effort.
Shortly after Steven, Rich and I finished Paul was in with a solid ride as well as Julie on her new Look 595. Ken was in with a good avg. as well. All in all alot of fun, good food and a wonderful day on the bike. Rodney

Spinz for Hope

2009-05-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

MOB had two opportunities to fly the colors today with the Lewisville Metric and Spinz for Hope taking place on the same Sat. We had representation at Spinz for Hope with Mark Jellous, Rick Lee (recent dad of twins) , Steve Golinski (who just ran the NC Marathon last weekend), Kenny "G" Gulledge, Grant Lawyer and myself rolled out for some hill work in rolling Randolph Co.
Sandy Endinburger, ride promoter, really did a great job organizing the event that provides funding for Caner Research. The support and traffic control were great.
Things pretty much rolled along til we hit the foot of Caraway. Thanks to the lead out by Steve and then Rick I towed the line til just past the conference center enterance. Mark then hit it pulling out John Fender of Carolina Masters, Wyatt Brings of Piedmont Velo, Grant and myself. The 5 of us were able to cont. til we hit Jerechio Rd. This piece of pavement is nothing but some good old Randolph Co. terrain that is just as much up as it is down. Mark put in repeated attacks til Grant and I said "I 'm done" while I heard the kid Wyatt just grimance. Grant and I took turns rotating at a steady pace to the end of Jericho and then onto Earnhardt Rd. Again more of the same Up then down then up again til we saw the three coming back. We were within 10sec of the lead 3 when of course Mark light it up on the wall on Earnhardt while Wyatt and John turned themselves inside to no avail. Mark was gone for the remainder of the ride. Grant and I are now with John and Wyatt with Mark up the road but still insight on Hoover Hill Rd. It is call Hoover Hill for a reason.
John put in two attacks on our group but he was not able to get away. I knew as we turned on to Kenndey Rd. was going to be a blast til Finch Farm especially since we were now joined by Monty Stout another Piedmont Velo rider. Pretty much we agreed to roll in together which we did. All in all a good day on the bike with some good efforts for a good cause. Now, lets hear the rest of the story from Lewisville. Thanks for the support. Rodney

Dilworth to Ducktown

2009-05-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

I had been looking forward to racing in the Dilworth Criterium for a couple of weeks now as it was my first race ever last year. The 3/4 field was very large, it was just myself and Chip representing MOB in the field. Chip had just raced the Masters 45+ with Kelly and Daryl who made the break and finished a strong 3rd and 5th. Chip told me on the way to the line that he would help me all he could, I needed help but there was nothing he could do for me. We rolled up to the line at the back of the field which is, as you all know, not a good thing in a large field. When the race started I had trouble getting clipped as I was avoiding a guy in front of me struggling getting clipped in. I started off in the hole and made it back to the field in the bottleneck going into the fourth turn but it was all bad from there, I ended up dropping off the back with a few others, got lapped and retired, I'm not sure how Chip finished. Enough of that... on a positive note I did hear Sirena, Rip and Theresa tore up the field in the womens race! Good job ladies! Curious to find out how the rest of the team did in their respective races.

My good friend and coach had called me on Thursday and told me he was racing in Ducktown, TN at the Kenda US Cup and invited me to come along and bring my mountain bike. I'd never been to a mountain bike race let alone raced in one, I was hesitant but thought I would give it a shot. My son and I left directly from Dilworth and made the 4 1/2 hour trek to Ducktown hoping to arrive in time to pre-ride the course but didn't make it in time. It rained the entire time we were there and the 11 mile course was shortened to 8 miles for fear of tearing up the trials. My race went off at 11:30, Geoff gave me some pointers about the course before rolling off, he had raced and dominated the Single Speed class earlier in the morning. They had a motorcycle pace the field of 14 to the start of the climb, I got the wheel of the motorcycle on the start and after he pulled off I put the hammer down and didn't look back until about halfway up the climb and there was no one in sight. I continued to push hard through the rain, mud and down a super fast and slick descent, I won the race and put the MOB kit on the top step of the podium. Sweet!

Great MOB Team Effort at TDM

2009-04-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

It was a great effort yesterday as MOB 40+ team placed 3 guys in the top 10 with Mark Jellous on the podium in 3rd behind Charlie Brown and Gordon Steel. We had a good showing at the start with Mark Jellous, Rich Melencio, Daryl Rains, Grant Lawyer, Steven Brumley, Tim Gavin, and myself at the start of a very warm day looking at the 51mile loop around Moore Co.
Almost as quick as the moto took off at the start so did Kurt Massy and Todd Stout with myself in tow. We were rotating well and all three of us very commited as we headed out to do the first of 2 laps. Once on to the loop section of the course on a sustained roller we lost Kurt Massey but we picked up a Carolina Masters rider which I think was Grant McAllister. So now it is Todd Stout, Grant and myself with a report coming from the moto that we have a 1:40 on the field. My line of thinking was the longer we are out here the less pressure on the team. After we had completed the first lap and into the second we were caught by a charging field. As soon as we were caught there several attacks which brought out a group of 10. The break of the day had David Leduc, Charlie Brown, John Patterson, Gordon Steel, and Grant Mcallister. It was satisfing to see Daryl Rains and Mark Jellous in the mix. John Patterson put in a attack just before the feed that caused me to come off of the break. The break was now 9 with about 2mins on what was left of the field. I sat up rehydrated and waited on the field. Once in the field I joined Steven Brumley and Rich Melenico to contest 10-15th.
After making the turn off of Lobea Rd we were into the wind for about a 10mile stretch before getting back to downtown Southern Pines. On a little roller Steven was off the front of the field with about a 15 sec gap with Rick sitting 3rd wheel frustrating the two guys stuck on the front trying to bring back Steven. I was sitting two wheels behind Rich watching it all play out. Steven's gap just kept growing ever so slightly as he stayed focused in to the steady wind while Rich just sat on these two guys. Steven turned into the neigbrohood he was gone and had 10th place, so I thought. Now my job was to try to get Rich to the line in the best possible shape. I picked up the lead coming the thur the neighborhood on a inclined and kept the pace as high as I could with Rich on my wheel. I was able to get him onto Midland Ave. but I could tell I was losing it. I pulled right to let him go and rolled on in. Once I crossed the finished line I saw Daryl then Mark but no Steven. Steven came in later and said that he followed the moto off course. After it was all sorted out Mark was 3rd, Daryl was 6th and Steven was placed in 9th. From what I would soon learn was that Grant put in some efforts for the team as the field was bring back the break that I was in to take some of the heat from Mark. It really was tremendous to have Tim with us as well for the support he gave. I can not say enough about the team effort that was demonstrated by all. I can not wait to do it again Tuesday night at Dixie. Rodney

NC State Marathon

2009-04-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,
We have an opportunity to help out with the NC State Marathon here in High Point on Sat. May 2nd. If you are not planning to race at Dilworth and can help out let me know. I think it is a great opportunity to fly the colors in what is expected to be about 1,000 runners and others watching. Last year in Greensboro it was warmer than expected and one of the runners who was having difficulty was spotted by one of the riders providing cycle support and was able to notify the EMS to get the runner the medical attention they desperately needed.
Let me know if you are willing to help. Thanks Rodney

Coming up - 34th Annual Tour de Moore

2009-04-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

In less than 2 weeks the Sandhills Cycling Club will host the 34th annual Old Timers race, ahem, I mean Tour de Moore. For some reason, they choose to run only 3 races: 30+, 40+, and 50+. There are no women's, categorized, or juniors fields, and no cat 5's are allowed to race in these fields either. Its a mystery to me, but I guess they have a reason. Of course, it does result in some interesting fields. So, with that said, who is in and for what race?

Patriot Trail Road Race

2009-04-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful weekend for racing! Once again MOB was represented well in several categories. In the Cat 1, 2, 3 event we had Jay and Brad. Representing the Masters 35+ was Mark and Rich. “Doc” Duckett was the lone Mobster in the 35+ 4-5 races, and Paul, Jeff and Ken were in the cat 5 race. The women were once again out in force with Serina, Theresa, and yours truly in the women’s cat 4 event.

Special thanks to Rodney and Blair for driving all the way to SC to work the feed zone for those doing two laps of a rough 45 mile course.

Although I am not sure of all the results I know Serina continues her good form by taking home 5^th today. Even though Theresa did a lot of work in yesterday’s crit, she rode very well today.

If I missed any of today’s participants I apologize, and add your comments to this post.

See ya on the road….

Rock Hill Crit

2009-04-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

So why they decieded to have the womens's 4 race at 5pm is still beyond my understanding..... Chancey raced at 8:30 and we opted to just hang out 'til my race, so needless to say, it was a long day. After people asking my why i wasnt racing , or how my race went all day (and me explaining it wasnt 'til 5) it was finally time. I was happy to have Theresa (T-Dawg) at the race with me and it was exciting as it was her first crit. I always like downtown crits and this course was a really good .8 mile L shaped course. Our field was only 8 which was disturbing to me because if you tried to sit a few back you were basically the last person. T-Dawg in her normal fashion led the first half or so of the race (we love you) and picked up the first preem, I got the second, and she was less than an inch from getting the last one which was awesome that we almost took them all! Nothing else too exciting....I felt really good, but timed the last corner/sprint wrong but still took 4th with Theresa not far behind. It was a small but talented field so I really enjoyed it and Chancey and Kem were sweet enough to hang around to cheer (Chancey sacrificed his skin to a burn so he could cheer for me.) Oh, and did I mention the weather was awesome!

See you at the next race!

Sirena

A rodie does a Tri...

2009-04-04T12:28:00.001-07:00

Today was the local World Championship Sprint triathlon in my hometown...Valdese, NC. I have watched this race for many years since it is 1/2 mile from my house and have always said "that looks like fun, I'm gonna try that one day". Well today was that day.

I now have a a ton of respect for multi sport athletes, especially the fast ones. Wow, the top 3 guys were moving! Anyway the race went like this.

1. Swim in a pool for 250 yards, short but fast...I am actually a decent swimmer as I use it to cross train in the winters..its awesome active recovery for the bike. Swim took me about 3:45 I think... not the fastest but no more than 20 seconds slower than the top guys.

2. Bike. YEAH! The course was only 9 miles..again super short and either up or down so there is some technique to riding that kind of TT while keeping in mind you have to run afterward. Bike time was good, fastest of the day.

3. Oh yeah you have to run at the end of these things...THAT SUCKED. I can count on two hands the number of times I have ran in the last 5 years, and I am no good at it to begin with. It took about a mile for the legs to get into a rhythm and that first mile hurt...I actually considered stopping at that beer store we passed and calling it quits!...after that first mile, felt a little better and was able to hobble through the rest of the 5k without puking.

End result: 1st place in my age group (30-34) and 8th overall. I am really looking forward to my next tri..... in 2025!

MOB in Europe!

2009-04-03T05:45:00.001-07:00

A European ride report...I was in Germany this week for work, and thought "if I'm there, why not ride?". I stayed in Aachen, which is very close to the border with Belgium and Netherlands. One of my co-workers from the plant hooked me up with a friend of hers and he took me on a 2 hour spin. She really set me up right. I took my helmet, gloves, shoes, pedals and of course the MOB kit and he let me borrow a bike.

Even though we really couldn't understand a word each other said, it was a blast and an experience I won't forget. Beautiful countryside and very different venue from riding in the US. He ended the ride at a local pub in Stolberg, where we met up with his riding buddies who had been on an earlier ride. Their bikes were stacked up outside and they were all still in their bike kits. A true Biker's Bar. We had few Bitburgers and after a couple it got easier to communicate somehow? It was a very cool experience.

Thanks to Jennifer (co-worker) and Franz (my cycling host), I really enjoyed it!

Unfortunately no photos (that's another story), but I did take the Garmin and uploaded the track here.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/germany/-stolberg/202123862286255902

Back in the US now, see you out on the road.

-Steven

Dixie!

2009-04-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Nice to see everyone who came out to Dixie. I'm not sure what I am doing out there. I can't seem to understand the tactics in the moment, but it sure is fun and good training. Hope everyone has fun in Rock Hill! I am headed to Connecticut to see the family this weekend, but I am looking forward to the race reports from what I am sure will be a fun weekend of racing. Long races. Hopefully everyone will get together on feeding for Sunday!

Joe

Rich!

2009-03-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry I forgot to mention Rich...just looked at a bunch of pictures from the 35+ and he was all over the front of that thing both days, not to mention he has been in the mix with us in the A race a Dixie and doing really well riding strong!

Fun in Greenville!

2009-03-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

Just wanted to give a quick re-cap of the Fun in Greenville! The Master's guys were flying! With Peter Cannell winning the 35+ both days! Congrats to Chip and Daryrl who also finished in the money both days. Looks like Chip is ready for the teams first upgrade of the season! Micheal was riding strong in the cat 3/4 combined field, which made for 2 hard days of racing for him which will surely pay off soon. Riding in the rain on Saturday was a blast. It poured, but the course was safe and Jay and I had fun riding very aggressively. Yesterday was really fast and hard, somehow the same course backwards had a hill in it? The wind was cranked up to about 25mph on the backside, I was riding my new Easton wheels it was so windy I could not ride by myself on the first corner because the wind would rip the bars right out of my hands with nobody to block (I have to get the the weight room). We were really aggressive again, but I think it is pretty obvious by now Jay and I want nothing to do with a sprint, so when we attacked we always get lots of company...like everyone! Congrats to Jay for finishing in the cash Saturday! I was able to drink the most beers on Saturday night with the other racers and was able to bring home the "Rider that had the most fun Jersey" which I am quite proud of! Till next race weekend....

Joe

Good times to come!

2009-03-27T08:23:00.001-07:00

Hello All!

Just a last reminder that if anyone needs a place in Greenville to crash please let me know. Email is jacarpisjr@hotmail.com. Keep your fingers crossed on the weather. This is a race that survives on participation not sponsorship, so if you can be there they would love to have you and they will show you a good race and some good Mexican food! It is worth getting your legs ripped off in a crit. for. It is going to be hard for me to stay with the "fast kids" on this course, but I am looking forward to the challenge! Hopefully I will see most of you soon. If not, happy riding this weekend!

Joe

Salisbury racing weekend

2009-03-24T06:43:00.000-07:00

Congrats to everyone who made it out to Salisbury this weekend....it was so cool seeing the MOB flags flying in so many categories, and especially neat to see so many strong finishes! Katie, Sirena, Rip, and Angela rocked it as usual, Daryl and Kelly were making it look easy, Chip and Steve man'd up and raced twice on Sunday....all awesome stuff! I didn't get to witness the 4's or P12 races, but word on the street is that we were looking tough out there.

I did get to see a lot of Pete....he lapped me several times before I decided to stop smearing mud on my MOB kit and pulled out of the 35's.....jeez, they're fast. Congrats Pete!

Good luck to everyone going down to Greenville this weekend. I'm sure it will be another great weekend of racing for this fine crew.

Charles

MOB Race Team Supports Ride for Heart Fund

2009-03-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

On Sat. March 21st the MOB race Team provided support for the Heart Healthy Poker Run Bike ride that raised proceeds for the Heart Fund. The Heart Fund was established to purchase equipment and educational materials for heart patients of the High Point Community. We had 90 riders who braved the cold temps to cover either the 30mile or 58mile distance.
This event could not have taken place without the support from Mock Orange racing. We had Paul and Julie Paisant working registeration, Doc Duckett providning SAG support for the 30milers while Blair Palmer worked the 1st rest stop, Rich Melencio and Matt Mason worked the second rest stop and Frank Mullins worked the 3rd rest stop. We also had syndicate Team members working reg. as well as the SAG for the 58mile loop in the way of Peter and Amy Freeman. My Hat is off to all of you for there is no dought this is the greatest Team in the Traid and in the State.
I greatly appreciate all the efforts and could not have done it without you! Rodney

GREAT WEEKEND FOR MO RACING

2009-03-23T07:02:00.001-07:00

Wow,
Lots of racing in Salisbury and a great charity ride in High Point to support the Cardiac Rehab Program of HPRH. Thanks to Carolina Masters Race Team and Neal Boyd of Charlotte for putting on great races this weekend. Thanks to our own Rodney Simpson for putting on the charity ride in HPon Saturday. Rodney put in alot of hard work and gave up racing on Saturday to make the event happen.
As to the racing.......in every category that we competed, we impacted the races positively and pushed the pace. The women rocked with wins and great podium finishes both days. Way to go Sirena,Rip,Katie,Angela. Peter Cannell sent a strong message that our 35+ masters team will be a factor in all masters races this season. 45+ was strong with Daryl,Kelly in top 10. Cat 4 presence was strong........we just have to stop doing all of the work for every one else! Pro1-2 had a great presence and included a guest, Charles Thibault from Canada. Great guy and fun to have him ride with us. I am sure I have forgotten something/someone.......sorry. Bottom line is the TEAM rocked and the comaraderie was awesome.
THANKS.......and looking forward to Greenville, NC this weekend.

First Criterium

2009-03-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

First of all I want thank everyone on the team for welcoming me on the MOB Racing team. I felt a real honor today to line up for my first criterium in the MOB team kit and to be part of such a great group of cyclists!

Being new to the racing scene I learned a lot about racing as well as my own strengths and weaknesses. I finished the race learning a lot and I hope to take this to my next races to help my teammates out. But overall I had a lot fun...and I'm looking forward to the next race!

Womens 4 race at City Park

2009-03-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

It always makes me happy to see familiar faces at the start line; its probably one of my favorite things about our girls team because Julie always makes us laugh, while Theresa can always teach us tech stuff and I know Rip has always got my back. Today was special because it was Angela's first crit and I was happy to see her at the line when I lined up....and even though she is a Piedmont Velo girl; it was good to see Sarah because I know what an awesome rider she is, and knew she would crank up the 4 race! As most girls races (especially 4's) seem to go, we stayed pretty much together until about 3 to go when Sarah finally went. I knew she was strong enough to stay away and already feeling fatigue from yesterday, I didnt want to burn myself out chasing her. Luckily Rip couldn't resist and went to chase her, and I am proud of how aggressive Rip rode today. As much as my instinct was to join Rip on the chase, from what I have learned about strategy it was smarter for me to sit in the pack and not work... so either she could stay away w/Sarah, or I would be in contention at the field sprint (yeah thats it, it had nothing to do with my heavy legs!). Rip is so strong she stayed away until the last climb as we were all approaching the finish. I was patient on the last climb and knew I had more strength for a sprint than the Shields girl in front of me; before anyone else could make a move I went and Rip and I crossed the line at essentially the same time for 2nd and 3rd. Honestly I am happy to take 2nd to Sarah, and it felt great to have 2 MOB girls in the top 3.

See you at Dixie,

Sirena

Girls take home the $ at Out Like a Lion

2009-03-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today's womens open race was one of the largest I have been a part of. The field was a total of 33 women: Pro 1,2,3, and Cat 4 with 3 juniors as well. The course was as Pete described it, fast and challenging...but thats what made it fun. Today was my first chance to race with Katie and I was happy to see her before our race. Both of us in the 4's we were more in a "hang on" type mode than anything (at least I was, haha.) The womens open completed 5 laps for a total of 33 miles, and as girls were dropping off alond the way...Katie and I were there, right in the middle of the main pack of CAt 1,2 and 3 riders. Although our legs were pretty burned by the largest hill of the course, we were still there for the field sprint! Katie ended up with a fantastic 7th overall and I was 15th but very pleased to finish with the field. They had a Cat 4 bonus as well today and Katie and I were 1st and 2nd of the Cat 4 racers so we got $, it just makes me laugh to say I got paid for racing my bike this weekend.

-Sirena

Race Report: Out Like a Lion Cat 4

2009-03-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Ken Craven and I lined up for the Cat 4 Out Like a Lion road race as part of a huge field, probably 80+ riders. The yellow line definitely had its work cut out for it. We had 5 laps of the 6.5 mile loop. Uwharrie Wheelmen put this on, and do a great job.
My plan for the day was to be patient, which is something I need to work on. I need to resist the urge to go in every break and learn to save energy. Ken's plan was to hang on as best he could, as he works himself back into shape, and if everything went perfect, be in a position at the end to either help me or score a good finish for himself.
I followed my plan for 1.5 laps, but then couldn't resist joining another rider and bridging up to a break on the second lap. There were 5 other riders there and I hoped 7 of us working together could make it stick, but it didn't happen. After that I honored the plan, and stayed out of breaks for the rest of the day. A few more breaks went and came back. Now I just need to break myself from the habit of chasing breaks. Eventually we got to enjoy the typical field sprint.
I made my move a little too early and then tried to hang on for dear life. I have not seen the results (couldn't hang around...soccer...) but i think i managed to hang to to 6th or 7th. Mike Chappell with Central Carolina Racing / Uwharrie Wheelmen took the win. congrats to Mike it was well deserved, he rode a smart race and finished strong.
Looking forward to the season, I think we can make some good things happen. Special kudos to Ken for getting out there and giving it a go. It obviously won't be long and he'll be firing on all cylinders again. definitely had a lot of fun and lessons were learned, filed away somewhere in the back of the brain.

steve b