Easily the biggest part of making this year great has been the team. When I started the CBC u23 team last year I had high hopes for everyone but things still managed to exceed my expectations. Not only on the bike but off the guys have really come a long way. At all the races I put on this year I never had to ask anyone twice to help out. From running registration to moving wayward port-a-johns off the course there were always extra hands to help make any task easier. When I had to be taken to the hospital before the Circuit Race ended I knew things would be ok because I am part of a great team of selfless individuals.
This lack of ego on the team has been one of it's greatest strengths. Not a single member is EVER afraid to get on the front and work hard. I see so many people that just sit in and wait and while that's fine I would much rather race with people who want to put their head out in the wind and make something happen.
What has grown into our cat 3 team is one of the biggest successes this season. With the exception of Robert all of the guys were Cat5's back in January. Within a few months Andrew Alli and Ben Rickey moved up to cat3. Robert followed recently and in the 2nd half of the season Andrew Troy joined the team add a 4th cat3 to the squad. Brian Beckmann is not far from getting his upgrade as well. Next year should be interesting in the cat 123 and 3 races.
As the most experienced member of the team Robert was tapped to be the captain. His ability to stay cool in any situation and no bullshit attitude has rubbed off on the less experienced guys and been a major plus.
When not busy "getting real" Brian was usually found either working his ass off in races or getting the guys fired up before hand.
With almost no sound at all Ben Rickey had a great first year of racing. From some great collegiate results to a top 5 at Jefferson Cup and on though the rest of the year he has followed the Rickey family tradition of racing bikes like he means business.
I think it took him almost all season to realize it but Ben Hatton is actually pretty fast. I knew it all along that he was going to put things together but when he made Rich Harper of Inferno Racing work all the way to the line during a match sprint it made everyone sit up and take notice. While he did not win that time it's not every day you see someone who was cat5 a few weeks earlier push a sponsored Cat1 all the way to the line. All this while wearing Ray Bans.
Andrew's kick in the final 200 meters of a race caused people to take notice from day one. It's no secret now that he has the kind of finishing speed to win races. Last year all he wanted to do was race track bikes. One year later he is just as amped on road racing and has really started to learn the moves that it takes to put himself in the right spot in those last few laps of a crit to put that sprint to use.
Andrew Troy was a late addition to the team but he had no trouble fitting right in. Andrew had been racing with most of the other guys during the collegiate season. Shortly after joining up he won the Cat3 Mill Mountain Time Trial bringing the team some more accolades.
Last summer at Bryan Park I tapped Mark on the shoulder during the B race and said "let's go". At the time Mark was riding for Nature's Path / 3sport. By the end of the day I had launched Mark to a solo victory and we both knew we wanted to be on the same team next year. Mark joined the U23 team as a mentor and has been a great influence on the guys. Unfortunately we are losing Mark to St. Louis next year. I hear the racing scene is great out there and some team is going to be extremely lucky to have him as a member.
Mike Oughton was one of the very first (if not the first) to sign up for the CBC club team. He has managed to line up at the starting line about 30 times this year and still manages to get his two sons out there to race as juniors as well. A great guy all around Mike will be taking over as the director of the club team this year so I can focus 100% on the u23 team. I know the club is going to be in good hands.Richmond has WAY more than it's fair share of really great people in the cycling community.
John Messersmith is one of those guys. Despite being on a rival team he decided to sponsor the CBC u23 team. His donation helped get the guys to some races they probably would not have made it to otherwise.
Jim Temple is one of those guys that you only have to talk to for 15 seconds and know he is a good person through and through. Jim remains completely ageless at heart and his ability to always maintain a positive attitude and a sense of humor is something rare. As one of the other mentors of the u23 team Jim's good will and good humor have always kept everyone around him smiling.
JH Revere is another one of the people who makes this town great for cycling. When word got out that the final Go Fast Turn Left race was in financial difficulty this year he was one of the first people who contacted me about donating some money to make sure it happened. Because of a family vacation he could not even be there but wanted to do what he could to make sure the race happened. His wife and two sons race as well and the Revere cycling family has been at almost every race I have ever put on and often out there helping make it happen. At the Bryan Park Circuit race JH and his two sons were up at 7am sweeping the course while his wife Susan spent most of the day helping with registration. The whole Revere clan races for Team Altius and stood to gain nothing by helping out. Their selfless commitment to cycling in Richmond should be an inspiration to everyone.
Speaking of inspiration you cant make a list of people in Richmond who contribute to bike racing with out Matt Marchal. Matt has volunteered as medical personnel for not only most of the races I have put on but just about every race in Richmond . Thanks to his good work and good humor there are two kinds of bike racers in this town: those who have received medical attention from Dr. Matt and those who have been lucky enough not to crash yet. Personal physician to the majority of the community, nice guy, and a great petanque player. All this and he works for wine and t-shirts!
Sarah Caravella and Julie Kuliecza. Two of the local women not afraid to mix it up in the men's races. Sarah because she is a bad-ass pro cyclist and Julie because she is trying hard to be a bad-ass pro cyclist and knows the best way to get there is to do the hardest races she can find. At the final Southside Speedway race she finished the Men's 123 race in the top 20 beating out PLENTY of guys. More women should be looking to these two for inspiration and hopefully they will be helping to mentor the CBC women's team next year that Starr and my Sarah are putting together.
Speaking of my Sarah it's no secret she is the glue that keeps my chaotic life in one piece. I get the credit but if it was not for her work on race day none of my events would actually work out at all. Next time you see her at a race make sure you thank her and not me for all the hard work that goes into putting one bike races because I assure you she deserves it more than I do. Sarah took this year off racing but will be coming back swinging next year with the CBC women's team.
Speaking of ladies I have to mention the Rostello women's team. Karen Hanson has always made sure that her team has been out there supporting all the local races. Their club put on the state time trial this year. While personally I hate time trials somebody had to do this... ha ha.
The Rat. Probably the only racer funded 100% by ebay and iphone scams. He will be joining the cbc u23 team next year adding some more firepower to the 123 races.
Jeff Buckles. Another mentor of the U23 team that played a big role in getting the team where it is now. Next season he goes from metor to coach and will be schooling the cat 3 team on the proper way to train and I'm willing to bet money it will pay off.
I was happy to see Chad Rathbone racing again this year. His racing style can only be described with one word: fearless. Chad is the guy who is willing to attack over and over again throwing caution to the wind to make the break happen. Guys like him make racing fun and he always proves to be a worthy adversary in any race.
Jeff Brandon sets the bar in the sprint that Andrew is shooting for. For no other reason that that he is worth mentioning. Beyond that he has always been a great guy and was on one of the first roadies to realize how fun track looked and bought a track bike. Now he is hooked. Next year we have to get him up to Trexlertown. Too bad he's not on our team...
Danielle and Gilbert Craven. Probably the most organized USCF officials in the district. Despite having to pay more in gas money to get them here I will ALWAYS request they work my races. They make my life easier and are super nice to boot.
Last but not least... G Baker Ellet. If you know him you like him. Always good for a laugh. Always at the Tuesday night races with free drinks for the racers. Always with a smile on his face. On top of this he is helping Sarah and I buy our first house.Not covered because I am getting lazy or because I don't have a good picture of them...
Stratton, Sean Yeager, Pete and Sally Swan, Craig Dodson and the rest of the RPC guys, Keck Baker, Mason Haymes, Rob Suydam, Joe Notarnacola, the whole CBC club team and anyone else I am forgetting...
Thanks for the great year!
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