Coliseum Crit - big success!
Yesterday turned out to be an all-around great day for bike racers in downtown Nashville. I want to say thank you again to everyone who participated or came out to watch the events. The weather was absolutely beautiful and everything went off without a hitch. Our turnout ended up being near 160 people with almost 40 of them doing multiple races. Those kinds of numbers allow each field to be very competitive and fun for all.
Not only do I want to say thanks to all the riders, but also to my fantastic registration director who has to put up with me before, during and after the event. Thanks goes out to our officials David Marshall, Vickie Mackzum and Frank Mackzum as well. They got results completed quickly without any protests, and it was great to have Frank on the motorcycle for all races. TBRA President Todd Nordmeyer's presence is always appreciated at area events, especially those promoted by NashvilleCyclist.com.
The biggest field was easily the Category 4 group which had a field size of 40, but several others were in the 30 or more range. When there's that many in a group it allows for a lot of attacks with plenty of time to recover in the group. Two groups that were smaller but still had good competitive racing was the Juniors and Masters Cat 4/35+. I feel as though the "old men" category was a big success, and hopefully they'll get more opportunities to race together in the future.
The downside for me was since the turnout was so good it meant I couldn't roam around and take pictures. Being at the registration table throughout the day was necessary for us to handle things in a timely manner. Usually I try and get a good batch to post on the website, but this time I simply didn't have the opportunity.
I think the best sprint finishes I saw were in the Juniors and Masters 30+/40+ races. The Juniors had a small breakaway of about five guys, and in the end it was Samuel Lamb of Upper Cumberland Wheelmen taking the sprint victory ahead of Brendan Kiefer of Tri-Star. The Masters 30+/40+ was its usual fast pace without any breakaways sticking. In the end it was the Team One/Memorial Health guys from Atlanta taking over the sprint. Tony Scott led out teammate Steve Carrell for an impressive sprint victory ahead of Dirk Pohlman of Krystal/SCV.
I'm sure there was some action I missed that compared to these two, but they're the ones that stick out in my mind. Other notable action was the unfortunate crash on the last lap in the Category 4 race. It happened in between turns two and three, which are the most technical on the course. This crash created a little chaos at the end and disrupted the field, and with no more free laps it meant a disappointing end for some.
For those paying close attention to the Women's and Pro 1/2/3 field you saw some high caliber professionals showcasing their talents. In the Women's field we had Leigh Valletti of Target Training in town visiting a certain red headed Aussie who happens to write diaries for this site. Leigh is also a teammate of NashvilleCyclist.com diarist Robin Farina. I didn't see how this race shook out because I was warming up for my race, but Leigh took home the winner's check ahead of Kim Flynn of Vantaggio.
In the Pro 1/2/3 field there was Trent Wilson and Cody Stevenson of Jittery Joe's hitting it hard off the front and lapping the field. They were part of a five man breakaway with Nathan Brown of Juris Morepartnerincome.com, and Dirk Pohlman and Brad Spears of Krystal/SCV. In the end it was Wilson of Jittery Joe's taking the victory ahead of the young up-and-coming Brown. After the race Wilson was asking who the young kid was, so an impression was definitely made on him about Nathan's talents. In the crowd cheering (soaking the shade under a tent rather) the Jittery Joe's boys on were Team Director Jesse Lawler and sprinter Jeff Hopkins, who is currently slowed down by a healing broken wrist. However, Jeff is doing Edgar Soto this coming weekend.
Another nice surprise was seeing Zach Bolian show up and mix it up in the Pro 1/2/3 race. Zach is still semi-retired from the US National Team & VMG, but he still enjoys getting out on the road for fitness. Sporting an old pair of VMG shorts and lenghty hair on his legs Zach easily managed to race at the front of the pack. Let's hope he visits us more often during the criterium series this summer.
Stay tuned for results to be posted as I hope to have that done within a few days. I'll post them on my site, but I will also be sending them to USA Cycling and TBRA. Getting them posted on USA Cycling may take a little longer, so be patient. Sending results to USA Cycling affects upgrade points and rankings, and I know some of you are wanting to take full advantage of those opportunities. It's pretty cool to see where you rank against all the other criterium riders in the nation. I'll do my best to get them submitted within the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.
Lastly, I already know what's on your mind next. Details are complete for the NashvilleCyclist.com Criterium Series 2007. A flyer will be posted.....very SOON!
Not only do I want to say thanks to all the riders, but also to my fantastic registration director who has to put up with me before, during and after the event. Thanks goes out to our officials David Marshall, Vickie Mackzum and Frank Mackzum as well. They got results completed quickly without any protests, and it was great to have Frank on the motorcycle for all races. TBRA President Todd Nordmeyer's presence is always appreciated at area events, especially those promoted by NashvilleCyclist.com.
The biggest field was easily the Category 4 group which had a field size of 40, but several others were in the 30 or more range. When there's that many in a group it allows for a lot of attacks with plenty of time to recover in the group. Two groups that were smaller but still had good competitive racing was the Juniors and Masters Cat 4/35+. I feel as though the "old men" category was a big success, and hopefully they'll get more opportunities to race together in the future.
The downside for me was since the turnout was so good it meant I couldn't roam around and take pictures. Being at the registration table throughout the day was necessary for us to handle things in a timely manner. Usually I try and get a good batch to post on the website, but this time I simply didn't have the opportunity.
I think the best sprint finishes I saw were in the Juniors and Masters 30+/40+ races. The Juniors had a small breakaway of about five guys, and in the end it was Samuel Lamb of Upper Cumberland Wheelmen taking the sprint victory ahead of Brendan Kiefer of Tri-Star. The Masters 30+/40+ was its usual fast pace without any breakaways sticking. In the end it was the Team One/Memorial Health guys from Atlanta taking over the sprint. Tony Scott led out teammate Steve Carrell for an impressive sprint victory ahead of Dirk Pohlman of Krystal/SCV.
I'm sure there was some action I missed that compared to these two, but they're the ones that stick out in my mind. Other notable action was the unfortunate crash on the last lap in the Category 4 race. It happened in between turns two and three, which are the most technical on the course. This crash created a little chaos at the end and disrupted the field, and with no more free laps it meant a disappointing end for some.
For those paying close attention to the Women's and Pro 1/2/3 field you saw some high caliber professionals showcasing their talents. In the Women's field we had Leigh Valletti of Target Training in town visiting a certain red headed Aussie who happens to write diaries for this site. Leigh is also a teammate of NashvilleCyclist.com diarist Robin Farina. I didn't see how this race shook out because I was warming up for my race, but Leigh took home the winner's check ahead of Kim Flynn of Vantaggio.
In the Pro 1/2/3 field there was Trent Wilson and Cody Stevenson of Jittery Joe's hitting it hard off the front and lapping the field. They were part of a five man breakaway with Nathan Brown of Juris Morepartnerincome.com, and Dirk Pohlman and Brad Spears of Krystal/SCV. In the end it was Wilson of Jittery Joe's taking the victory ahead of the young up-and-coming Brown. After the race Wilson was asking who the young kid was, so an impression was definitely made on him about Nathan's talents. In the crowd cheering (soaking the shade under a tent rather) the Jittery Joe's boys on were Team Director Jesse Lawler and sprinter Jeff Hopkins, who is currently slowed down by a healing broken wrist. However, Jeff is doing Edgar Soto this coming weekend.
Another nice surprise was seeing Zach Bolian show up and mix it up in the Pro 1/2/3 race. Zach is still semi-retired from the US National Team & VMG, but he still enjoys getting out on the road for fitness. Sporting an old pair of VMG shorts and lenghty hair on his legs Zach easily managed to race at the front of the pack. Let's hope he visits us more often during the criterium series this summer.
Stay tuned for results to be posted as I hope to have that done within a few days. I'll post them on my site, but I will also be sending them to USA Cycling and TBRA. Getting them posted on USA Cycling may take a little longer, so be patient. Sending results to USA Cycling affects upgrade points and rankings, and I know some of you are wanting to take full advantage of those opportunities. It's pretty cool to see where you rank against all the other criterium riders in the nation. I'll do my best to get them submitted within the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.
Lastly, I already know what's on your mind next. Details are complete for the NashvilleCyclist.com Criterium Series 2007. A flyer will be posted.....very SOON!
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 5/21/2007 09:12:00 AM
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