2007 Casey Auto Group Crit...In The Books!

Well, my first race promotion is behind me, and thanks to the JRVS volunteers, it was quite a success. The pressure lifted around Wednesday before the race when the beautiful weekend weather was a lock. I was up at 5am and at the race course by 6:45. Dave Rushing(my course manager) and a few other eager beavers were already there to get er done! It was a gorgeous clear morning as more volunteers began to arrive to pitch in. Pam Zimmerman(my registration coordinator) got things rolling as the juniors began to arrive for their early 8:30 start. The first race actually started 3 minutes ahead of schedule and we carried that momentum through the rest of the day with some great racing and awesome JRVS team support. Dave Wilson brought the Bike Beat box truck by and it provided a nice back drop opposite the registration area. Nikki and the girls showed up about 9:30 and set up for a long day of sales and spectating. They sold hot dogs and other goodies to many of the racers and their families throughout the day. As you can see...there were plenty of volunteers and once the races were running, there was a lot of sitting around and socializing to be done. Overall, the racing was very safe, and except for one blown tire in turn one and a late-day Cat 5 crash, there was no blood shed. I want to thank all the volunteers from JRVS for making this year's race a success. A promoter couldn't have a more competent and eager team to make him look good!! Although I will be leaving soon, I look forward to being involved with more races next year.

A day of contrasts at the U.S. Open Cycling Championships

It was an inauspicious start from Williamsburg at about 9:15am. The riders' faces had looks ranging from disbelief to horror. My friend Pat Ellison (from Tampa, FL!) and I were two of only a few dozen brave, or crazy, souls who ventured out to see the racers off. The temp was about 34 degrees, not the 18 degrees that Al Trautwig was touting on the the NBC Sports coverage...but with the wind-chill it felt like 2 deg! We walked a few hundred meters from the roll-out to see the race come through downtown Williamsburg and were told that the race had already taken a wrong turn. A small group had rolled off the front already, and I suspect that it was simply to get warm, as it was gruppo compatto shortly there after. The race stayed together for the majority of the gently rolling route between Williamsburg and Richmond, but was just starting to get animated when Pat and I got to the "JUMBOTRON" at the finish line downtown. We watched the action for just a short while before making the trek to Libby Hill Park and the much anticipated cobblstone climb the racers would struggle up on each of their 8 circuits through Richmond. Libby Hill didn't disappoint, with bursting tires and racers scrambling all over the road, and grass, to find the smoothest line. We hung out on the slopes of the climb for about 4 laps and were later able to spot ourselves on the nationally televised NBC Sports coverage. If you happened to tape it, Pat was wearing a bright yellow raincoat and I had on my JRVS red, white and black vest. We made our way back to the jumbotron just in time to catch Svein Tuft make his decisive move on Pat McCarty the last time over Libby Hill and solo in for the victory. It was a beautiful day in Richmond for a bike race and I hope the organizers can make it happen again next year.