Here’s the scoop from another one of our guys from last weekend. Colby Millen couldn’t get enough at the Greenville Spring Training races a couple weeks ago, so he went back for a little bit more. Matt McCarthy decided it was time to break out the race wheels as well.

Saturday’s race, River Falls, right in Greenville, SC was a 10 lap 7 mile coarse with a 1k climb. This particular weekend was going to be considerably tougher, being that it came at the end of one of Colby’s high volume training weeks. Add to that some of the first really nasty intervals workouts of the year, but hey, it’s the same for everyone, right? Colby’s legs, according to him, but I don’t believe it, lacked the usual snap to go with any breaks, so the goal was just stay with the group and finish the weekend without being trying to be a hero. Eight laps in…oops… popped n the climb. Game over, but great training!

Sunday’s race, at the Donaldson center, was somewhat different. He lined up with the likes of Team Type 1, BMC, Battley-Harley Davidison, Colavita and some 60 other participates, none of which ever prove to be insignificant. Feeling a little more rested, Colby made sure to place himself in the front of the group the entire race, ready to go with any potential move that get me ahead to the finish before the peloton.

Often, it’s much easier to commit to staying in the front of the race. Of course, it’s harder, faster and with less protection up there, but you’re more in control of what you are doing, versus the incessant and seemingly senseless yo-yo at the back of the field that can cause a rider who’s in perfect shape to simply snap off the back, especially so early in the year where we’re just not accustomed to the varying paces of a race.

After going with several moves through the crosswind and headwinds, nothing stuck. Only until the last lap, just after we got reeled in by the peloton, 4 guys rode away and was never seen again. Colby pulled himself together to place 14th in the group sprint and 18th overall.

Thanks for reading!

Bienvenue au le début officiel!

Just this very past weekend, the LITESPEED-BMW Cycling team took place in one of the Southeastern region’s most revered, hated, loved and respected races. The one and only Rouge Roubaix. What was once just an annual foray in to the woods by some demented denizens of Baton Rouge, LA, for a case of libations and bragging rights, has since turned in to a race that now no longer sees any geographical boundary amongst the entrants. I very well remember my first edition; back in what must have been the year 2000 or 2001. It was March, in South Louisiana, and my water bottles were frozen. If I remember correctly, the winner’s purse was either 25.00 or 50.00 dollars, paling in comparison to the legendary status that is bestowed upon the day’s winner. 3rd place got 1.00 dollar. Many winners of this race have previously had, or gone on to, quite prolific careers.

Fast forward to 2010. With 1,500.00 dollars going to the winner, a typically close proximity to Mardi Gras, the promise of 70 degree and above weather, the professional landscape of cycling quite altered, but most importantly the quest for legend, and it appeared as if the entire nation of cyclists jumped at the chance to get their first tan…and even a few from across the pond! Every field was at capacity, all of the corner marshals were frazzled, we didn’t have enough follow vehicles, hardly enough wheel trucks, neutral support had to call in friends; in short, it was an amazing success of a race. People resorted to parking in the grass at the race hotel. It was a booming success! It seemed as if we started from the lobby of the UN as I counted all of the Rainbow’s, Stars and Stripes and State Flag jerseys that had made the trip.

At the behest of my slight exaggerations; Tres Courdin, Calvin O’Keeffe and Travis Hagner agreed to come along for what I promised to be a meandering, though violent, tour of the Tunica Trace, West Feliciana Parish and one of the oldest settled portions of this country, passing some of the most impressive plantation homes that still stand, and near and around Angola Prison, which I’ve been to, but I promise it was a high school field trip…seriously! Direct from the promoter’s mouth;

You will encounter a constantly rolling terrain, and a few climbs that will test all racers. The road surfaces will vary greatly. You will encounter chip and seal, sandy gravel, smooth as glass asphalt, and some roads that are just plain bad. This race is a classic test of man and his machine vs. the terrain and elements. It would be unfair to attempt to predict what type of weather to expect for the Rouge Roubaix. You should come prepared to battle 80 degree heat and Louisiana humidity (it’s worse than Houston). You should also come prepared to expect temperatures so low that your water bottles will freeze.

That is the most diplomatic description that I’ve ever seen. The course was a devised by a mad scientist on a bad day.

This race always tugs at my heartstrings. Being a New Orleans boy who spent 12 years in Mississippi, it’s like coming home for me. It is, actually. I truly believe that this is one of the most unique and beautiful sections of the lower 48 and it’s always a great honor to show it to my friends. Even more so, I truly believe that the people from this region accurately define the term “salt of the earth”. For all the bad press, there’s as much good press burgeoning to spill over the top, but at some point, we just want you all to come down and make up your own mind. We’re just fine with that. I watched this show every week as a little boy, it was filmed not far from the race start. That’s right, we were in Mr. Wilson’s back yard…and you best heard dat, I guarantee.

Excuse me for reminiscing there folks…The terrain did not disapoint. Nor did the course. For that matter… nor did the weather. It was a hands down exceptional weekend across the board, albeit some bad luck of mine that didn’t see me get clear of the neutral 3 mile rollout. That’s another post that I’ll share later on down the road….but!

Calvin, Tres and Travis all kept it together, avoided the crashes, avoided numerous opportunities to flat, dealt with searing 36mph trains in the gravel roads and most importantly, conquered to the will to continue in a race where attrition can devour some 60% of the starters. Being withdrawn, I rushed to Tres’ car and laid rubber out to the course to feed. I found our boys and did my best to keep an eye on them. I feel like I’ve gushed enough here in this update, but I do have to mention that I witnessed those guys indignantly forcing their pedals around, faces covered in salt and dirt, the race exploded across a 30 minute swath; embodying a love for the sport that we’re all a student of. I saw precisely why we keep coming back, personified to a T. If my words lack, then here are some photos of a journey across the same roads; Photo essay 1, and photo essay 2 from the Rapha crew.

It was a superb way to start the year, the LITESPEED Archon C1 fought valliantly and reliably over the worst surface it will ever see, leaving Travis at a loss for words on how great that frame is, the development team’s Siennas just continue to belie description (guys, seriously, we are TRYING to break these bikes, but we can’t?) and the BMW Anti Theft technology has proven so worthy that my car is still stuck at the race hotel! Help!!!!

Congrats to our finishers and thank you all for your support! And enormous thanks to Mitch Evans for directing the race and all his great sponsors. I would like to see at least 10 of us make the trip next year…

Hey Mel!

Coming just on the heels of our last post about Wes and Colby opening up the pipes in Greenville, we just got word from our long lost team member, Clay Parks.

During the middle of last year, Clay and his wife, Olympian Iona Wynter-Parks, packed up their bags and moved down to Jamaica for some much greener grass.

This past weekend, Clay took 1st place in the Ocho Rios to Montego Bay Road Race, presented by the Jamaican Cycling Organization. This race took place on the exact same, extremely difficult, course that is used in the Tour of Jamaica. The same Tour of Jamaica in which we have quite the history (Chris Chotas took 3rd in the overall in 2006 and Tim Henry took a stage and 2nd in the overall in 2009).

Great job and congrats on that win, Clay!

Finally a sunny Saturday this winter!!!

Colby Millen and Wes Parrish, both out of Atlanta, headed up to Greenville, SC for race number 3 of the Greenville Spring Training Series. For those of you that have never had the chance, these races are a staple in the Southeast and a great stomping ground for those who want to see how their winter preparation will pay off.

Since there were only two going, it was to be assumed that we’d be severely outnumbered. Thus, the plan was to just stay out of trouble, get some solid training in and see what happens at the finish. Sitting on the start line with about 80 other riders, we saw that our assumption was right – 6 full professionals from Team Type 1, the entire 8 man Ion Sports Nutrition team, and 6 or 7 riders from South Carolina powerhouse, GlobalBike. A recipe for a real good day in the saddle.

The race started out fast with several attacks. Colby and Wes both had great starts near the front and tried to cover some of the breakaway attempts, but nothing was sticking. After about 10 miles of this, a group finally stuck, but LITESPEED-BMW was not represented. Being only 2-strong, we just sat back and let the other teams chase. The organizers changed the finish this year, so there was about a 1.5 kilometer climb to the finish that would surely split the group towards the end. Sure enough with 1 lap to go about a dozen riders detached themselves from the group. On the last lap, Colby made several attempts to get across to the breakaway. Going as fast as he could on his Litespeed Archon C1, he was no match for the 50 riders chasing behind him, and would be brought back each time. The dozen riders were never seen again and Colby was still able to able to unleash a sprint that got him in the top 15 of the main group and the top 30 overall.

A pretty solid finish for being so outnumbered and it being the first race of the year. Next weekend should see the LITESPEED-BMW team racing in 3 different states in the Southeast, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

Or greasing the skids, per se. It’s a little early in the year, so the results, epic stories and subsequent disasters that keep us all so humbly attuned to and in rapture of this sport are still a bit yet to come.

Overseas, and amongst the professional teams here, that majority are scrambling to distribute kits, wrap their cars, advance purchase airfare and prepare their families for the ensuing 9 months of battle.

Curiously, we’re all doing much the same. Some might say on a smaller scale, while others, who don’t have full time jobs to worry about, say that we just might be doing it on a larger scale! It’s all ball bearings though, because come March, we’re all on that starting line for just one reason. And March my friends, is just a couple of days away!

All of that said, I did just come across a great result worth sharing. Congratulations to our own Reid Peacock in convincingly clinching down 1st place in the 2009 Georgia State Cross Country Rankings for Category 1.

Men's Cat 1 Cross Country Rankings in GEORGIA (2009)
Rank	Points	Results  Name                       
1	454	13	 Malachi Peacock  
2	394	11	 Chris Coren
3	315	4	 Jafer Beizer
4	104	4	 Ross Martin
5	100	4	 Aaron Chamberlain
6	95	2	 Drake Lindsey
7	84	4	 Christopher Rampton
8	45	1	 Daniel Elzey
9	40	2	 Kirk Lindquist

It is with great pleasure that we announce the 2010 LITESPEED-BMW Cycling team.

As we all have been for many years, we are based out of Atlanta, Georgia, and we’re currently in our tenth year as an Elite Amateur racing team, entering are first year under the LITESPEED-BMW Cycling name. We could not be any more excited, and it is truly all but impossible for us to show sufficient gratitude toward LITESPEED Bicycles and BMW of North America for supporting us as title sponsors this year, as well as many of our returning sponsors that have been with us for almost 10 full years. We’ll just have to show thanks with our legs!

In 2010, our competitive calendar will be comprised of road races throughout the Southeastern United States, select events nationally; as well as invitation only international events.

The core of the team is represented by 12 podium finishing riders competing at the Pro1/2 level on the road. To continue the success of tomorrow’s team, we have a select group of developmental riders who train with the elite but compete in Road Category 3, Mountain Category 1, ATRA Track Events as well as at other nationally and internationally recognized mountain bike stage races and events.

See you on the road…on one of these, the 2010 Archon C1!