Back in the Day when Sterling Magnail, William Frishkorn, Devon Hoff-Weekes and myself was on the Jr Mercury team...they named us "The Jets".

As you may have read in my previous post, Sterling Magneil showed how a big man wins a crit. It was absolutely amazing how hard and strong he looked going into the last 3 corners after yelling “INSIDE”. I was giving him a lead-out and he saw an opportune time to catch the sprinters sleeping and he came underneath me while I only giving enough room just for the big man.  And for the icing on the cake, Kayle was 2nd.

In the main event on Sunday it was a day of concentration, focus, determination and heart.
Adam Switter, Brock Curry and Sergio Hernandez where there to race the first 30 laps of the 62 lap race. Their job was to cover every move that looked dangerous.
They did a tremendous job.

After losing my three workers it was down to Kayle, Sterling and I to close the deal and make everyone proud.

After the half way race prime the race finally started to get going and as the race got faster, my legs felt much better.

With 20 laps to go I started to cramp and with under 10 laps to go I found myself a little to far back but its two places on the course where its very easy to move up so I didn’t worry. With 3 laps to go I found myself right on the front while Kelly Benefit Strategies - Medifast started there lead-out and was quickly challenged by Colivita.

After the swarm happened I found myself to far back. With 1 to go, heading past the feed zone, I found Hilton Clark’s wheel and I soon was back to the front at the top of the hill and it was a race to the last three turns where I found myself 7 guys back going into the last two turns.

As we all started to sprint, I saw Brad Huff unclip and that really made the dash to the last turn awkward, however I squeezed in a small hole that allowed me to not break and take the turn at almost full speed.

Once I came out the last turn and noticed whom I was sprinting against and the celebration had already started in my heart and head I just needed to physically cross the line.

I'm working on a letter to USACycling regarding the officials they hire and there officiating at the Jr and sr levels. More than once I have fail victim to ill rational calls that has again more than once cost me a race win. Often times when challenged, they can not justify why this idiotic call was made.

stay tuned.

On another note, I leave for Chicago tomorrow to check out t his race in Downers Grove. Back in 2000 I won the elite national championships there and I'm looking to bring home another one 8 years later, this time in the pro ranks.

Here is a recent pic of my girls....one is missing...lol 

Wish me luck 

Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit) starts celebrating a bit too soon, the photo finish camera showed that the race was actually won by Justin Williams (Rock Racing).

Photo ©: Mitch Clinton/www.clintonphoto.com 

Race report coming soon...
 

After super-week. I took the team car and headed to Indiana while the rest of the team stayed behind in Chicago for 4 days. While they fought traffic lights and cars, I had the luxury of riding the rolling hills of Bloomington, IN.

After a few good rides down in B-town I got a flight out to Charlotte, NC for three days of racing.

The first day a Friday night race held in Statesville, NC was a spare of the moment crit that Erik Saunders told me about so Sterling, Justin and I went down to race.  The race split really fast and I found myself in a break of 6 guys that soon turned to 4 and we quickly lapped the field. I came out the last corner 3rd and taking another win for the season.

Saturdays race was hard as it has been in the past and for a while I thought we had a good chance to win. A group of 9 guys slipped away and we had no one represented. Being undermanned, only having two guys left at the end, I tried to being back the break in the final lap as I knew the break would be playing cat and mouse. I got close but soon blew up while trying to help Kayle win the race. Kayle was 3rd in the bunch sprint and I just rolling to the finish. I left the race disappointed at our results but excited that my legs felt really good and from the 130 man start list only 40+ guys finished.

 

Sunday was the Hanes Park race in the heat of Winston Salem, NC. Last year I had really bad legs and this year was a different story. I got better and better as the race went on and at the end the team Jeremiah, Justin, Sterling and I tried to set up Kayle for the win however 2 guys got away at the end and for the field sprint, I set Kayle up for 3rd but he was beat to the line by a fast guy Ricardo from Successful Living.

Kayle was 4th I was 7th and Sterling 13th.

 

Next up USPRO CRIT.....