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Gallery

The 2010 Winter Short Track Series is officially in the books. This years series was probably the best to date and there was some great racing going on, especially for such early season. The conditions of race day was always one extreme to another. Pouring rain, snow covered surroundings and finally a full day of sunshine. The SouthPark Cycles Team had a great showing at the series especially finshing strong the last couple of races with 2nd and 3rd in overall team points for those events. While we dominated the Bike Source Team in the 40+ Cat 2 Class The SouthPark Cycles Team finished 5th overall in team points only 5 points behind 4th place Bike Source and 21 points behind 3rd place Giordana ClifBar. Below is a slide show of 60 or so pics for you to enjoy ending with the winners collecting their success. Right Click on Pics and click Play to restart slideshow. Thanks to Frank Deal and East Blvd Bar and Grill, The Dirt Divas and HeartWood Tree Services for sponsoring and supporting the event. Also a special thanks to Neal Boyd of Charlotte Sports Cycling and the Giordana ClifBar Team as well as the many other volunteers for a great job.  For all of the race results check out http://charlottemtnbike.com/ShortTrack/short-trackresults.htm

Cheers to Jack Johnson who will happen to be in NY City on 3/1. Hopefully I am lucking enough to win tickets.

Finally Finished the last video. This race was no different. Some great racing mixed with controversy. Can't wait until next year.

Winter Short Track MTB Series Final Race #5

 

 

 
Also thanks to all of the SouthPark Cycles Team Riders that came out to race:

John Rosenblat, Jay Smith, Jeff McConaghy, Frank Pietras, John Slawter, Bruce Stewart, Richard Pedigo, Kevin Kyseth, Patrick Bleffer, Jason Jordon, Craig Swan, Robert Mobley and Bart Stetler.

 

 

 

2-12-2010 Race #4 is now in the books and did not disappoint. This year our winter weather has not let us down. It has been the harshest conditions we have seen in many ways. Mud can be found in various orifices for days after each race. The course conditions have been killing brake pads at will. If you are one of the few who has not burned through your pads yet you better check them out before its too late. For the 4th race of the series mother nature did not disappoint and threw down 3 to 4 inches of snow here in the dirty south of Charlotte NC. I am sure the earlier races actually raced in the snow. By the time we went off it was the muddiest conditions we have faced yet. The course has actually gotten better an better each race but it is so hard packed the water doesn't drain and holds water like South Blvd and Woodlawn used too. After completing 80% of the series so far i am left feeling a little disappointed. We have had a great turn out for the SouthPark Cycles Team and have been steadily moving up the ranks in the classes that we occupy tied for 4th in the team standings. I personally have had a lackluster series of results with an array of excuses. With one race to go I have set high expectations. Upon the finish of the 4th race, my bike was brought back to the repair shop and my team mechanic was immediately notified to fire our brake sponsor. Should be an epic this Saturday for the last race of the series. Don’t forget, following the end of the races Saturday there will be an awards ceremony held at East Blvd Bar & Grill. Thanks to everyone that has been sending me pics of myself and other SPC racers, please keep them coming.

Winter Short Track Race Video #4

 

2-7-2010 Winter Short Track #3

It was a beautiful winter day for the 3rd race of the series. It was an exciting day of racing and this was unfortunately how it started out.

Click Here For Crash Sequence

The SouthPark Team was out in full force for the day representing many classes. I personally had a plan for the day which included a strong effort at the start to get good position. Some times you should be careful what you plan for. As the starting gun went off it was like the Red Sea Parted.

 

 

 

Click Here For Winter Short Track Race Video #3

 

Here is one of the newer SouthPark Cycles Team Members. Kevin Kyseth, 40+ Beginner Class, shredding one of the berms.

 

The Winter Short Track Races have been brutal on equipment. Here is yet another victim. If you have not replaced your brake pads yet you may want to consider it.

 

 

I've said it before and i'll say it again. The Single Speed class is packed full of talented rider. To the upper left is Noel Kirila and the dominant James Shelton. To the upper right is Zach Avant who has also been coming on strong at the races. Below is the pic of the day of Joe Hathcock getting air off of the table top.

 

 

 

 

I think these 2 pictures pretty much sum up the way the winter short track series has gone so far. While the weather has been in no way unbearable the wet conditions have contributed to what makes this race series so epic and popular. We are 2 races into the 5 race series and i have committed  to running a helmet camera for the rest of the series. Below are the last 2 race write ups with the videos from the race and pics as well. As a totally green video editor I will have the race update new video posted and  gallery within 48 hours. Of the race. Below are the first 2 race reports, race videos and pics.

The Winter Short Track Mountain Bike Series has become a fixture in the Charlotte MTB Racing scene. A course created due to an unseasonable snow day one winter became a sustainable course for year round riding and winter racing. The first short track race of the year on 1/17 did not disappoint coming a day after 2 inches of rain. The course held up well but muddy is an understatement. Regardless, about the most fun you could have on a bike for the day. As any race i found my race within a race with fellow team mate Jeff McConaghy and Bike Source Rider Donald Butler. The last half of the race we ruthlessly kept attacking Butler until he finally cracked.

 

Winter Short Track Race Video #1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeK6N0OcWBY

For the second race of the Winter Short Track Series I ran the camera backwards. Even though this winter so far has been brutal by way of weather there is still some great cycling and racing going on. This years Winter Short Track Series is proving to be an Epic! Each week you never know who will show up and put on a number plate. For those that have little or no race experience this is a great way to try racing. With my fitness level about as stable as a stumbling drunk the past couple of years I have been using the series the past couple of seasons as a way to make sure i get off the couch 1 time a week for a month. But the main reason I have continued is the FUN. The weather conditions have not been favorable the past 2 races but in many ways that is what has made it sadistically fun. The best addition to our local race series has been team competitions. What' s more fun than making sure your best friends are suffering along side of you. As the infamous Regulars would tell you, "We all have our own cycling gangs and sometimes gangs within gangs. It's so much better to duke it out on the trails with your crew than it is to stand alone." We have a packed field and I have been riding and racing against most of the guys for more than a decade so we have some great competition. I will be working on the gallery section of the Southpark Cycles website today to add some photos from the races write ups and more. For those that have been following the videos i am going to commit to the rest of the races. I am super green to editing but ironically i think analyzing the videos will actually help my racing. Weather your interested in racing or not If you haven't come out to check the Winter Winter Short Track Races you should.


Winter Short Track Race Video #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UltmldY5qpA

Here is some of the SouthPark Crew and racing archnemesis's Bike Source. The weather so far has been poor but the racing going on has been top notch

 

SouthPark Cycles owner and team captain leading out the first lap of the 40+ Cat 2 race. Jeff McConaghy, pictured just behind would take the team win in our battle that day. Behind McConaghy is BS rider Jeff Smith.

 

Here are 2 more pictures below that describe the day pretty well. Like many, going thru the single track became quite scary with the loss of brake pads. You can see the useless brake clutch. Resolved that problem with sintered pads!. The look of amazement after the race on SPC rider John Rosenblat pretty much says it all.

 

Rider of the day award would have to go to James Shelton. Not because he was the winner in the single speed class, but the manner in how he won. James overwhelmingly road away from a stack field of single speeders. He was literally plowing thru the peanut butter mudfield behind him like it was asphalt. Awesome job James!

The infamous Rich Dillen of Team Dickey and Ross Doswell of the SouthPark Cycles sponsored Giordana ClifBar Team.

 

Junior SPC Racer Richard Pedigo (left). TJ and Robert enjoy their last few moments of cleanliness.

 


For more info on the Winter Short Track check out www.charlottemtnbike.com

 

 

 

2009 Fairwell

This year has been a challenge for most of us. As we have come closer to the year there have been some great opportunities to help those who have been misfortunate. On Thursday December 17th I was able to be part of the opening day for pickup of project Angel Tree recipients. Many of you may have seen the picture and read the article on the front page of the Charlotte Observer on 12/18. I worked as a volunteer for the Spokes Group to help give away an additional 150 bicycles and helmets  during a 4 hour shift. This year requests for Christmas donations were up more than 20%. Apparently and fortunately, so was the giving. To see the sea of organized donations was overwhelming. To see the look of appreciation on the recipients, overwhelming and priceless.

 

  There was this fellow name Carl that worked with us as well. He had been a volunteer for the Salvation Army for 30 years for Christmas. Dan Alion is also pictured here. Thanks to Dan I had the opportunity to volunteer for the opening shift.

Spirits of the recipients varied as the came thru the building to gather their Angel Tree donations. Spirits were always the same as the recipients headed toward the parking lot realizing that there was hope for Christmas and the holiday season. I had some great conversions with some of the other volunteers. Many were many years wiser than myself and folks who had been volunteers for decades. I  made a statement to one sweet lady not evening realizing what i was saying. "In life, experiences are more valuable than material things." Those 4 hours that morning were definitely some of those invaluable moments.

 

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mavl7akxVG8

 

Below is video story of the event

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/420/index.html?media_id=8079007

 

 

 

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