|
Gallery
| It has been a busy couple of
weeks. I had the fortune of being able to spend some time in the
Isle of Palms as well as Bellingham Washington. 2 very different
places but they had one thing in common. Bicycle paths and
Bicycles! Adults, kids bicycles travelling everywhere.

I think I
figured out what my retirement job will be

|
2011 Kona Product Launch
For those of you that are
not familiar with the Kona Bicycle Company, this is
truly a rider based company. You pretty much know that
anytime you take a trip with the folks from Kona that
some bike riding is going to take place. This trip was
no different. Taking place in Bellingham Washington was
a 2 day program of technical product seminars and
previews as well bike demos. Kona has placed a lot
of emphasis on the Magic Link Design and has introduced
some new models with cross country travel. Also
redesigned are all of there four bar platform dual
suspensions as well.
For More Info On The
Magic Link
|
 |
Many of you have herd or
seen pics of the infamous Tall Boy Ride. Just another thing to
cross off the bucket list
 
For More Pics of the 2011 Kona Product Launch
|
| It was a
beautiful day for the inaugural New Belgium Urban Assault Ride.
The UAR is a race/ride with 7 check points but no specific
route. Also at each of the check points there is some sort of
challenge. It was a great way to see the city and if you planned
your route right you basically road around the outskirts of the
entire center city. |
 |
What a great way to start Fathers day, Bicycles
and Beer.

One of the challenges included sliding down the
water slide and swimming across the pool

My polo horse was slow and crotchety but
eventually caught back up to the ball

There was also a brain teaser at one of the stops.
When the person running the stop says, you shouldn't try that puzzle,
you should do this one. You should follow their lead. Bruce was so
fogged from hammering he took some convincing to stay away from the pink
puzzle. We finished this one in a matter of a minute or so.

Here is the final lap prior to the finish. The UAR
was a great way to spend the moring and was a great way to see our city.

| The first week of Bike
Charlotte was a busy one. Below you will find pictures and video
from our Kids MTB ride at Renaissance, The Summers Series race
at Renaissance, The Ride with the Mayor and The 6 Hour Grind on
the Greenway. |
|
Never under
estimate one by his size. There was a great group of young
riders out at the Kids ride at Renaissance on May 4th. Thanks to
the kids and volunteers that came out for the ride. |
 |
The second race of the
Summer MTB Series was a scorcher. SouthPark Cycles version of a Blur
(Robert Mobley). Nothing like ice cold watermelon after a race.
Even Zoolander came out
of retirement for this one. Eric Lee, recuperating from his efforts to
get on the podium for the day
| This year was
the first "Ride with the Mayor" for Mayor Anthony Fox. None
other than Sweet Rob was there to let him know about the
current issues with bike lanes |
 |
 |
Cars are
always surprised to see so many bicycles on the road during the
ride with the Mayor. Bikes as far as the eye can see! |
It's was a great day out
at the 3rd Annual Grind on the Greenway on May 8th. The weather could
not have been better and the trail was in great shape. As an event
sponsor we would like to say thanks to Charlotte Sports Cycling and the
Giordana ClifBar Team for putting on the event. The results are posted
and can be reached thru the banner above. Over all it was a good day for
the SouthPark Team placing 5 solo riders in the top 10 of their
respective categories. Chase Prezioso 6th - 19 to 29, Robert Mobley 5th
Open Class and best showing of the day was in the Solo 40+ class placing
Bruce Stewart in 5th, Bart Stetler 7th and Jeff McConaghy 10th.
The first lap of the race
was a blistering pace. Here is a video of some of the action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUZhOUzhFck
Here are some of the Podium pictures
from the race
 |
The 2010 6 Hours of Warrior Creek is
in the books and was an awesome event. SouthPark had a big crew
at the race and had some good results. Robert Mobley 6th in the
open solo class and Patrick Bleffer 54th in the open out of 104
competitors, Donald Buttler 30th in the 40+ solos category. In
the duo class the SouthPark Teams of Kyle Franks and Jeff Smith
took a 12th, Bart Stetler and Chase Prezioso 14th and John
Slawter and Jeff McConagy 21st.
|
For the 1st lap
helmet camera video
| Its amazing how much stuff
your crew can have for a day at the races. We had over 200 sq ft
of space packed with bikes, food and motivation. |
 |
| Looks like Wes Dickson of Sycamore
Cycles took the immediate hole shot. Not quite sure what
happened but looks like Sycamore called it a day at the end of
lap 3. Ironically with all the winter weather the boyz
from the mountain had this year they had to spend their training
time in South Carolina at Clemson and places south of the NC
border where there was no snow. |
 |
 |
Unfortunately the SouthPark
Train did not last very long. It was a 2 miles or so blistering
road start which separated the huge group of solo and duo
starters.
|
Luckily for some of the Regulators
SouthPark had a little extra pull when it came to registration.
m
| This pic of the infamous John
Slawter pretty much tells how his day went. It was a great day
out on the trails at Warrior creek but there is no doubt this is
one tough race course. |
 |
|
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 finishing 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
|
|