The team kicked off our 2009 season in a great way this weekend. Matt, Mike, and Shawn lined up with dry roads and light clouds for the first Spring Series road race. 105 km of flat roads, with a very decent elite field (O'bee riding for Bissell, R Anderson for Kelly Benefits, and ~5 Trek Red Truck riders). Not long after the start the weather turned terrible. It was definitely some of the nastiest racing conditions we have ever seen. First it rained, getting the guys soaked, then the temp dropped to ~1 degree and the snow started. All the guys started with their dry weather gear on and ended up suffering through some of the grossest and wet conditions you can imagine.
Despite being outnumbered, all three of our riders figured prominently through the race. Matt had a good long stretch off the front with Jamie Sparling before they both succumbed to the pack and then the cold. As the race closed in on the final 1/2 hour, Mike put himself off the front with one other rider. At that point in the race only the absolute hard-men were left in the race, and the field was shattering. Mike and his breakaway partner opened their gap for the rest of the race and Mike finished an awesome 2nd place.
All in all a great start to the year! Awesome job we are proud of our riders!
Next weekend we should have 5 guys on the line as we continue to ramp up to prepare for the 2009 racing season.
Race report provided by Alistair Howard – Team Sport Director
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