Devil of Nevils recap

Devil of Nevils Stage Recap:

The last stage of Savannah Cycling League’s 2011 Savannah Winter Tour felt the wrath of the Devil take his toll on their quads as they completed the 193 Kilometer stage.  The riders showed up in good spirits and worked well together most of the day as they battled the winds, rain, and terrain.  Georgia Southern send out several of it’s heavy hitters specifically to dominate Josh “Beretta” Barrett .. . .but Mr. Barrett was tied up with domestic issues of his home country and could not secure the proper authorization from his government to travel and race outside of his home residence.  The Ga Southern Eagles ready for blood were disappointed but ready to take up arms and fight anyone else that got in their way. 
Another upset to the beginning of the stage was the fact that the tour leader was sidelined as his doctors said he was unfit to race and was forced to sit out the last stage due to medical issues.  However, this did not stop the other racers from taking it to one another to win a sprint or the overall of this Epic Queen’s stage of the tour.  The riders left down town Savannah and rode all the way out to Nevils and back. 
The first sprint came early in the stage with less than 20 miles in their legs.  The Pine “where’s the line” Barren sprint brought out the true sprinters as it was straight and fast.  Phill the Thrill with a pill took it to Wes as they were neck and neck.  The crowd thought it was going to be Wes as they were elbow to elbow, but after the long sprint Wes sat up in anger as Phill lunged his bike across the line like a born track racer for the win.  Jody of the Ga. Southern completed a solid 3rd place finish.  Bill old yellar Sellers was the main engine that lead out the train at a blistering 32 mph +  The coaches tried to remind the man they still had 100 miles left to race for the day.
The peleton stayed smooth, tight, organized, and worked seamlessly.  The fear of the distance of this tour probably contributed to all working together so that the group as a whole could conserve energy to make the entire distance.  Families and kids along the route waved and some even ran or rode their cruisers along side the peleton for spurts.  All was joyus and good with the peleton as the Cycling Gods smiled down on them and blessed them with Sunshine and moderate temps.
The second sprint was just down right ugly.  The whistle blew at 5 K out.  Ryan tan from the Beach Leech had a substantial lead from taking a town sign earlier that did not count for anything except bragging rights.  That lead disappeared as the peleton motored up the over pass.  Two riders then decided to fly the coop.  Wes Lock-NESS Parrish monster leg his legs roar like a monster.  Only Jody the middleman Middleton was able to answer.  Like a Ga Souther Eagle he tucked is talons, spread his wings and soared beyond the peleton.  The two quickly looked just like two in a break on the Giro on Versus.  Each one took a strong hard long pull into the wind.  Their mouths gasping for air, sweat dripping from helmets, but total focus on their turn to pull through without hesitation and to keep it smooth.  They managed to attain a solid 700 meter gap.  The group of 6 behind got organized and quickly started working together like a Rolex watch.  The group shrunk the gap to 500 meters and then promptly came apart like a pipe line for BP Oil.  Riders started blowing in spectacular fashion into the blistering headwind like oil spewing from BP’s 2010 Oil spill.  One lone ranger in the Chevy Chevette chase group, decided it was about as broke as the company that made that car and took off on his trusted steal steed.  The lone gunman, Ryan dyin on a 42 tooth big ring Leech, closed the gap to about 350 meters.  The front runners of the out of control stampede  started to duke it out and then the Lock-NESS monster sat and pedaled as fast as a manatee trying to get out of the way of a drunk motorboat operator in the Flordia keys.   The Eagles soared to the top of the board for this sprint as Jody the middleman Middleton took his cut of a big W- for Win for representing Ga. Southern.  Ryan came in third for the sprint, as the rest of the peleton was pure carnage spread on a saltine cracker like pate’. 

The peleton came back together and rolled down the last main avenue prior to the final stage sprint.  The whistle blew at 4 K out and guns were blazing like D-day on the beaches in France.  The group dwindled quickly down to 5 and four of them were true sprinters.  We haven’t seem this much cat and mouse the last 3 KM since I watched Tom and Jerry.  With 1500 meters to go for the final King Louie Stage overall Final Stage Sprint to win the Stage, Rex illusions of grandeur, Demers takes off for the win.  With a solid 80 meter gap he gave it his all, but it was not to be for this man today.  It was feast for the sprinters as they reared past him on the way to the 500 meter line.  The pace jacked, the hear rates maxed, and the sprinters taxed their legs with everything they had.  Like a Bosch chain saw, Ryan the peach Leach had his 42 tooth big ring humming as he took the final sprint in a dominating fashion with no one near him.  Phill the Thrill took second and Wes sewed it up with the third place finish. 

Final Standings and Post Tour Party for all riders that every showed up to any SCL ride TBA soon!

Thank you to all for the overwhelming support and thank you to all for completing this stage.  By officially having this stage on the books, we have raised the bar and standard of Savannah Cycling.  We have now shown what Savannah Cyclists are capable of with this 193 KM stage finish. 


A big thanks to everyone that came out and participated in the winter SCL training rides. The final standings will be posted shortly. Next year will be bigger and better, but until then come out to tech tuesday on, you guessed it, tuesday nights and show everyone what you got.

SCL BULLS ON PARADE PIKS

Store break and refit under sunny skies and Leech on his cross bike.

Mitch "La Principal" in the leader's jersey, courtesy of Roadfish.

Sprint 01: 1) La Principal 2) 9mm Baretta 3) Po-po McGlinn

Sprint 02: 1) 9mm Baretta 2) La Principal 3) T-rex

FULL RECAP + RESULTS TO COME...

HEAR RATE TRAINING SEMINAR @ ROADFISH WED. 2/9 @ 6:30PM

Hosted by Greg McGlinn (USAC Level II Coach) and Richard Distlerath (former National Champion) will speak about heart rate and strength training for all skill levels. Part of a weekly series brought to you by Roadfish Bike Shop.  807 William Hilton Parkway, HHI, SC 843-686-2981

Powerhouse Gym in Bluffton will also be there to provide refreshments, as they are avid supporters of cycling with their Spin Classes. A must for all of us stuck indoors during the week!

BULLS ON PARADE

Rider Sign in and Pre-brief meeting: 9:30 a.m. 
Roll out: 10 a.m.

Location: Gallery Espresso on Bull St.

Distance: 130 Kilometer

Time: Approx 4 hrs

Store Stops: 2

Pace: Stay together Pace approx. 19-22

Attack/Sprint Zones: 4

Sag: TBA  (Looking for volunteers)

The tension mounts between the two heavy favorites making this upcoming stage the most exciting to date!!  The team director, team manager, and National UCI Sports psychologist have all stated that Josh Barrett is fit to ride in the upcoming stage and will be there to compete.  The Askew camp has yet to comment as of late about this rivalry and continues to train and prep for the upcoming battle.  Both seem to be focused and both seem ready for this show down.  Ladies and Gentlemen let us not forget the dark horses that lie in wait to take advantage of this rivalry and take the victory for themselves.  Stay tuned for the Jared At&t I-Phone live updates as they pour in on Saturday for those that follow us on-line on race day!

Lines have been drawn, tensions have mounted, and the only thing left is the battle - This Saturday: Bulls On Parade - the Bulls of this year's Peleton are coming to home turf from the journeys abroad in Hilton Head and Stateboro.  All will be strutting and walking tall as the ones that have survived the Hell of the West twice this year.  Come join us as we watch the Bulls on Bull St. roll down the Avenue with pride and once again attack each other for the coveted jersey.

Remember to check out the blog with the killer make over and the first glimpse as the new leaders jersey design coming soon!

SLC SERIES JERSEYS.

Presented by Roadfish Bike Shop on Hilton Head, Mitch "La Principal" will be ready to "rock it in hella coolness," this Saturday's "Bulls On Parade" SCL Winter Series. 

"I am super-pumped I get to don the Tunic of Manliness on Saturday, " mutters The Principal, "my only hope is that 9mm Baretta doesn't have his posse throw rocks at us from the woods , like the previous Bluffton Stage."

Hell of the West Part II - Statesboro recap

The latest stage, Hell Of The West Part II, in the Savannah Cycling League Winter Tour 2011 did not disappoint.  The cycling and hella-fantastic finishes brought nail biting excitement as well as hella-results.  The hella-drama the followed the conclusion of the stage in the press almost superseded by the hella-cool cycling excitement.  Most of you that follow the tour on-line with the live updates from the Jare I-phone AT&T coverage are already aware of the results and the new owner of the leader's Jersey.  The lastest stage began with chilly temps of about 50 degrees in sunny conditions out of Statesboro right on time at 10 a.m. for the 120 KM journey.  The Ga Southern Woman's team made a showing by coming out in force and support of the tour and rode with the peleton for half of the day.  The rest of the peleton rode comfortable at a steady pace of about 19 to 20 as the weather warmed quickly and riders visited the SAG wagon often to shed clothes. The first whistle blew early in the stage about 32 KM in and the hounds were released as the Hell of the West officially began!   Jody the middle man Middleton went to the front to deliver the goods for team mate Drew and set the hella-high pace stringing out the peleton.  By the time the single file pack hit the dirt the speed was about 28 to 30 mph!  Jody gave the final salute to team mate Drew and peeled off as his work for this attack zone was over and it was up to Drew to finish the job for the Ga Southern boys.  The dirt being hard packed from rain proved to be fast and solid which only made the boys push the envelope with side to side tactics.  Very quickly it was down to three, Drew of Ga Southern, Phill the thrill of Savannah Fixies and 80 tooth big rings, and Mitchell The Principal Askew of OSP.  Drew was riding hella-fast, solid, and in control.  Askew decided to test the waters and put in an attack on the first hill but the boys were on him like a blue tick hound on an inmate in the swamp in south GA....

 The principal decided to put the ball back in Drew's court and at the last minute Drew flew to the far left side taking the left tire rut in the clay.  Phill yelled for Askew to take the line . . .but the Principal decided to ring the school bell and see who was really paying attention.  He took the right tire rut, jumped out of the saddle and attacked with no answer as he flew the Coop. The principal drilled it up the next hill pushing the pace and increasing the distance and was quickly out of sight and took the first sprint with authority.  The peleton came back together and all rode in perfect sunny 60+ degree weather through a hella-nice golf community.  The Tour organizers decided to make a quick route adjustment in order for the peleton to do a ride by of Billy the kid Sellers parent's house.  Once the family and hella-fun was over it was back to business as the whistle blew for the second attack zone of about 4.5 KM.  For the first 2 kilometers the pace actually went down to 16 mph as everyone stayed perfectly still.  It was like a special military op group lying in wait without flinching.  Finally, Jody the middle man Middleton attempted to UPS the goods to his bro Drew who was out for blood this time.  Then out of now where, with a stomach flu from some bad gas station snack cakes, Billy the kid Sellers pushes the pace with Phill the thrill hot on his tail.  The principal joins the train and Drew tucks in as well.  Then about 3/4 way up the 750 meter rise, the principal decided it was time to hand out detentions and suspensions as he flew the coop once again with a brutal attack attaining an instant gap.  As the crest of the hill, the principal tucked in and pressed on without looking back and not looking for any help.  As he crossed the 1K mark he drilled it into the head wind as his speed dropped down to 22 and he knew it was now or never and dug to push the speed back up to 28 mph and took the second sprint with a nice two to three meter gap from the chase group.  As the peleton attempted to cross the busy intersection for the second store stop a police car turned on his lights and stopped traffic for the peleton to cross in safety.  With the law on their side no one feared the Hell in the West as much.  The last stage was hella-nice and flat and a sprinter's delight, however the peleton was tired from the rolling terrain and headwinds.  The whistle blew for the final stage sprint with 7 KM to the line.  The group quickly went to single file as 7 to 10 guys began to hella-drill the pace.  Then the attacks started like fireworks at a park on the 4th of July.  The principal opened up the throttle a bit to see what everyone had left and only one was able to match the pace, Phill the Thrill.  Phill yelled at Askew, "will you work with me or against me?"  Askew told him to tuck in and he would work with him. The two rolled it down the road but Jody wasn't having any of it as he and two others bridged up.  The five started rotating but the pace was too much for Drew and then there were 4.  As the group settled in, the principal started to open the throttle a bit to wear some of that "sprint" out of the others' legs.  This proved to be too difficult for Phill and then there were 3.  The Principal then took the pace up to 28 and after several of these pulls Jody got gapped and dropped off.  Then there were two.  As the Principal started to lick his chops and finish off Michael, out of no where Jody bridges back sits on and then sprints with about 1.5 KM to the line!  The principal jumps up to Jody's wheel thinking that he left Michael and as the sign nears with about 600 meters left, Mike attacks Jody and the principal from the left side!  The principal floors the accelerator and latches onto Mikes wheel and focused on the line that is about 200 meters away.  The speed strips in the road come up and Mike veers to the right and 

the principal veers left and takes the final stage sprint by about 10 bike lengths... The first place prize the rear race wheel was not taken by Askew as he donated it to the next stage winner.  "The only thing I wanted to take today was the leader's jersey.  I wanted to do this for my team, sponsors, and team director".    The drama that has since followed these results has been just as exciting.  After a late Friday night closed door meeting with Robinson Forensics Team director, chief sponsor, UCI officials, Tour director, and U.S. national board psychologist of AP, Inc they concluded that Josh the 9 mm Barrett was unfit to ride and had to sit this stage out.  There have been hundred's of unfounded speculations to doping allegations, injury, legal problems, the list goes on.  However, Jonathan from the associated press reported that after the meeting his Team director said, "Josh will not be competing in the Hell Of The West stage due to personal reasons, however he will be fit and ready to compete in the next stage in February".  Many suspect that he either had an injury or is overtrained and they feared he would lose the stage and this is a way to keep him from losing to Askew and the OSP team. Mitchell was quick to state, post his victory, to Savanah cycling news press corps, "I am happy to take on the leader's role in this tour and wear the jersey for my team and sponsors, however I will be happier when I truly earn it".  This statement leads everyone to believe that he has a vendetta with Josh.  The tension showed between these two as they passed by one another at a rider and sponsor banquet today and almost shouldered each other with out ever looking each other in the face or giving acknowledgment.   Askew was overheard at a table talking with a few sponsors to say, "I know family is important but so is standing up and facing your problems to show your family you are strong.  If you are too scared to race because you think you will lose then you are a disgrace to your family".  Word got back to Josh, but his team manager and several others restrained him and escorted him out of the building telling him to,

"save it for the next stage where you can finish that nobody".   Lines have been drawn by both camps and so have the lines been drawn in the sand by the fans for both riders.  The press is having a field day with all of this hella-drama as it will surely set us all up for a hella-intense upcoming stage.  There is almost as much drama going on here as there is in Contador's life right now.

Stay tuned as we will do our best to keep you updated as the rest of this drama unfolds between these two riders.  Until then have a hella-cool time!

The Hella cool update.

Greetings and salutations my hella-cool friends, The following is Hella-goodnews for cycling in Savannah!!  Yes folks we are bringing the word Hella (circa 2003) back!!

The February 26th stage has been canceled due to it conflicting with the Ga Cup Omnium being put on right here in our neck of the woods.  Please come out and show your support for this event by competing in it, volunteering for it or both.   That means there are only two stages left of the Savannah Cycling League 2011 Winter Tour!!  Make sure you don't miss the final two stages as they will be nail biting finishes for the overall winner of this tour.

The Savannah Sunday Airport ride is only going to happen for a few more weeks and will conclude the with its last one the weekend prior to the Ga Cup in Savannah in February.  We are looking into hosting something similar on that day.  (TBA)

The Ga Crit series on Tuesdays at Tech will start up soon and we are looking at a March date to start these.  

Currently we are hosting workout/coaching sessions for anyone interested at the Bicycle Link on Weds and Thursdays starting at 6 p.m.  The only cost is your time, sweat, and tears. The sessions start 6 p.m. both nights. With talk of a spin night at Roadfish Bike Shop on HHI soon... details TBA.

For all you triathletes and TT gurus - We will be hosting a TT series dates, course and details (TBA)

This season is shaping up to be hella-cool for cycling in Savannah!

Hilton Head Recap

This past Saturday over 30 riders showed up for our latest stage starting at the Piggly Wiggle in Hilton Head.  The temp was around 34 as we started the ride.  The bottle of sacred tears really warmed the belly prior to the ride. One newer rider showed up and completed the ride in jeans with white tube socks pulled up over the jeans!  He gets the tough man award of the day.  This aligns with our anything goes on an SCL ride.  The whistle blew about 3 K from the first sprint and the cycling gods tested our dedication by picking up the head wind.  Grep the po po McGlinn lead us out at 28 mph.  For the first K sleet bounced off the riders glasses and by the second K huge 1/4 inch snow flakes were hammering the peleton. The riders were single file and fighting for wheels in the final K.  Josh Barrett refused to wear the leaders jersey since he is in it due to a technicality.  He announced to the peleton at the start that he will wear it after he truly earns it.  As the riders sprinted it out the last 500 meters, Josh dominated the sprint with authority.  True to his statement to the press last Thursday he tore the legs off of all that stood in his way and took the sprint with no one around!  The peleton fought the cold as they neared the second sprint.  The whistle blew 6 K out and the peleton exploded like popcorn in a microwave.  Two riders broke away and were out of sight as another 3 attempted to bridge.  The rest stayed together waiting for the next move.  It looked like the break was going to stick until 2K when the peleton really got serious.  The speed picked up and picked up all riders and were back together with 1500 meters.  At the 600 meter mark all hell broke loose and once again Baretta Barrett started emptying his clip.  The principal surged up beside Barrett and they were elbow to elbow with both riders throwing their bikes across the line like track riders. It was only millimeters but Barrett once again had just enough rounds to take out the second sign.  It all came down to the final stage finish sprint to stop the madman with the 9 mm. The weather turned for the better as the clouds parted, the sun came out and it warmed a little.  The entire peleton was motoring down the causeway together nearing the final sprint.  The whistle blew for the final time of the day at 4 K and no one made a move as everyone eyed one another.  Then up and new comer Greg (like we need another rider in the peleton named Greg) leads out the train. Blain jumps along with several others, and then Baretta Barrett started squeezing the trigger.  The principal jumps and digs deep pulling up behind him but the Baretta then shifts gears and it was all over.  One smokin barrel and a huge delivery for Josh Barrett getting a hat trick of winning all 3 sprints of the day! With tears in his wife's eyes at the finish line and in his team director's eyes as well he did what he said he would do.  This man is unstoppable and the man of the hour.  His sponsors could not be happier, as his team director stated, "we could not be happier with this showing and proving our current program is working for us this year".  Robert, Roadfish Bike Shop's sag driver, was so excited after all the day's action he said, "I am going home to jump on my bike and ride!" 


The weather could not have been better for a true winter stage of the Savannah Cycling League and all had a great time.


-The principal

Standings

Name WBL #1 WBL #2 WBL #3 WBL #4Totals


Maggioni, Vincent 1 8 6 1   16
Wallace, Spencer 9 0 1 0   10
McDevitt, Greg 1 7 2 0    10
Barrett, Josh 1 0 6 6      13
Grubbs, Jared 1 1 5 1    8
Echols, Blain 0 7 0 0      7
Lee, Joey 1 3 3 0       7
Middleton, Jody 0 0 0 6    6
Mead, Patrick 5 0 1 0      6
McJunkin, Mac 5 0 1 1  7
Montoya, Jason 0 0 4 0      4
Karp, Travis 1 1 1 1       4
Askew, Mitchell 1 1 1 7         10
Sellers, Bill 2 1 0 1        4
powell, drew 0 0 0 4       4
Gentry, Matt 0 0 0 3        3
Jordan, Michael 0 1 1 0          2
McGlinn, Greg 0 0 2 1         2
Distlerath, Richard 1 0 1 0        2
Clark, Kat 1 1 0 1    2
Kelley, Mark 0 0 1 0     1
Castice, Doug 0 0 1 0    1  
Coats, Michael 0 0 1 1     2
Rayford, Eddy 0 0 1 0    1
Gum, Christine 0 0 1 0     1
Keull, Bill 0 0 1 0      1
Brewer, Bill 0 0 1 0     1
Rothschild, Jerry 0 0 1 0     1
Nelson, Mike 0 1 0 0     1
Karp, Austin 0 1 0 0        1
Sridharan, Sri 0 1 0 0      1
Lee, Jen 1 0 0 0     1
Mobley, Chuck 1 0 0 0      1
Kulbeish, Paul 1 0 0 0      1
Lancaster, Jimmy 1 0 0 0      1
Tomlinson, Billy 1 0 0 0     1
Frana, Leon 1 0 0 0     1