Greenville 1st Weekend wrap up.....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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