News

September 29, 2008

Salisbury CX

Carolina Masters Juniors CX Squad
Before	After
click to enlarge image
L to R: Emily Shields, Austin Wood, Chris Holmes, Seth Warner and Katherine Shields.
click to enlarge image click to enlarge image Lefty, Chris Holmes negotiates the barriers. Emily Shields focused and fast.
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September 15, 2008

Historic Downtown Wake Forest Criterium

Charlie Brown and Ryan Jenkins go 1-2 in the 35+ race after lapping the field with breakaway companion Jason Snow.

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August 12, 2008
VA Crit Championship

Keith Johnson repeats as 45+ VA Crit Champ

August 3, 2008
Crossroads

Team Sweeps Masters Podium in Crossroads race # 8

Team SpinCycle went on the offensive from Lap 1 of the .5-mile fast and sweeping Harrisburg Town Center Crit. Three laps into their single-file pace setting, team leader Kevin Gordon launched a well-timed acceleration that propelled him off the front. The field gave chase en masse.

When the dust settled, a selection was made. Keith Johnson, John Patterson and Charlie Brown made up the Carolina Masters contingent in the break, while SpinCycle, Sledgehammer Charlie's and Bio-Wheels each had representation. Three against three, right? JP powered away solo, later Charlie joined JP and in the finale, Keith out-sprinted his breakaway remnant. Carolina Masters goes 1-2-3.
 

Charlie Brown and John Patterson finish Harrisburg Crit.
Photo by Jon Safka
Visit www.cyclingphotos.ca to view Harrisburg, Salisbury and Winston-Salem race images. 

Hometown "Vee" in Crossroads race # 6

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July 21, 2008

French Broad Cycling Classic

Lapping the field twice John Patterson clinches victory in the 45+ Omnium.

"The Carolina Masters Cycling Team secured the top two podium spots in an Omnium in consecutive weekends . . ."

 Read Derek Powers Omnium Report Here 

July 14, 2008

Piedmont Triad Omnium

In the Masters 35+ Omnium, the weekend's winner, Ryan Jenkins aced the test. Ryan's formula for the three discipline format was stunningly simple: Victory + Victory + Victory = Domination

Lexington's newspaper devoted their front page to the Omnium. Dispatch reporter, Mike Duprez, saw Friday's Crit like this:

Banker Jenkins leads the pack
Cannell edges Harkey in pro division thriller

BY MIKE DUPREZ
The Dispatch

Ryan Jenkins dons a suit every day as the commercial banking manager for NewBridge Bank in uptown Lexington.

On Friday night, the Salisbury native put on his cycling suit, hopped on his racing bike and zipped around the streets of Lexington very quickly.

Jenkins zoomed around the 0.7-mile course downtown and won the Masters 35+ criterian segment of the Piedmont Triad Omnium.

And that made him very happy.

"It was a lot of fun, with this being the first year," Jenkins said. "We had good community support, and it was a well-run event. I had a very fast race and I had two teammates looking out for me in the first breakaway."

With hundreds of spectators watching and a vocal announcer urging them on, the cyclists raced down South Main and South State streets between West Center and West Fourth streets.

In an event that had riders going around anywhere from 40-60 minutes depending on category, establishing a breakaway group is very important.

"It started for us in the first lap," Jenkins said. "We had about six or seven riders and two of them were my teammates. I knew they weren't going to chase me down. After about four or five laps I was able to get away with my teammates' help. Then it was really established.

Later in the race, Jenkins bolted out ahead of everyone and turned it into a sprint, which he controlled. Teammate Charlie Brown, also of Salisbury, finished second.

"With about 14 laps left I put my head down and went hard," Jenkins said. "As a team we couldn't have played our cards any better. Charlie is a very good sprinter. I just had to keep my head down."

The result was hardly surprising to his Jenkins' Carolina Masters Team teammate.

"This is Ryan's M.O.," Brown said. "He's a solo king. Ryan's real strength is as a time trialist. He keeps his head down and makes it happen through sheer power."

There were actually two criterian going on at once with the Masters 45+ also going off at the same time.

"It was two races in one," Jenkins said. "There were three of us in the 35+ and two in the 45+. We looked out for each other's interests."

The third place finisher was Christopher Thomas of Stony Point, a member of the Giordana-Clif Bar Cycling Team.

Perhaps the best drama was saved for last when the Pro 1,2,3 group took off at 9:40 p.m. for an hour of racing that ended in victory for two-time national time trial champion Pete Cannell. Very quickly it became a two-man race with Cannell of Mebane and Chris Harkey of Mount Pleasant leaving the rest of the large pack well behind.

Cannell and Harkley passed the lead back and forth, often racing side by side and talking to each other.

"It was really aggressive the first couple of laps," Cannell said. "Chris and I were really drilling it. You have to go hard at it to establish a breakaway."

Lap after lap, Cannell and Harkey had their two-man race with the rest of the pack bunched together far behind.

When there were about 10 laps left, the announcer, with loud music from the likes of Van Halen and others blasting away, took note of how close the leaders were to lapping the field. Cannell got within sight of the pack but never did pass. That was by design.

"We didn't want to get mixed up in the field right at the end," Cannell said. "So we decided to race our race and not get mixed up in any nonsense. There was nothing to be gained by lapping the field."

During the final straightaway down South Main, the leaders' bikes wobbled as they raced to the finish line. Cannell came out ahead by the length of a bike.

"It was a fantastic race," Cannell said. "It was a wonderful course. The organization was great, the spectators were awesome."

Robert Sweeting of Gainesville, Fla., was third.

Richard Creed of Raleigh won the Masters 45+, followed by Keith Johnson of Virginia Beach, Va., and Mac Canon of Southern Pines.

Lexington's Todd Gray won the Masters 40+ 4/5 class. Danny Mathis of East Bend was second and John Taylor of Lewisville was third.

In category 4, another Lexington rider, William Stout, was victorious. Robert Netsch of Kitty Hawk was second and Jason Horn of Clayton took third.

Holli Steelman of Winston-Salem won the women's race while Christy Blakely of Charlotte was second and Annie Lux of Raleigh was third.

In the Juniors 4/5, Chris Holmes of Salisbury was the winner. Jeremiah Dyer of Valdese was second and John Siegrest of Lewisville was third. Wyatt Briggs of Lexington came in fourth.

There's still plenty of racing left. The riders will engage in a road race Saturday starting and ending at Davidson County Community College. On Sunday, there are time trials in Thomasville. Racing there starts and finishes at Finch Auditorium on Unity Street.

Mike Duprez can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 218, or mike.duprez@the-dispatch.com.

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June 17, 2008

NC Road Race Championship Results

Carolina Masters hosted the 2008 NC State Road Race this past weekend, with over 500 racers in attendance.  A very big “Thank You” goes out to the support received from the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department, Spencer Police Department, East Spencer Police Department, Larry Moray, DDS , Cheerwine and many others.

Fifteen year-old Chris Holmes won his first race in Sunday's C5 34- event:

"Is there anything better in bike racing than winning the State Championship at your home race against people older than you? The weekend started out ... "

 Read Chris Holmes Victory Report 

Chris Holmes streaking in for his first victory in the Cat 5 (34-) race

The event was a huge success.  In addition to hosting, we also participated in several events with the following results:

May 23, 2008

Crit  Championship, Fayetteville, NC

Charlie Brown celebrates his third consecutive State Crit Championship victory.

Team medal count: 7 

For complete results visit http://www.usacycling.org/results/?permit=2008-777

35+ Race Report:

"The sweep of the first 2 spots in last weekend’s State Criterium Championships by the Carolina Masters Cycling Team duo of Charlie Brown and Derek Powers was equal parts strength, tactical savvy, and latent video gaming skill.

Minutes before the start of the race, in an effort to get the day’s events back on schedule, the promoters decided to combine the Master’s 1-2-3 field with the Masters 4-5 field.  What resulted was a larger field that spanned the spectrum of experience, ability, and leg hair length ... "  Continue with Derek Powers Race Report

May 23, 2008

NC Road Race Championship Jersey

JUST IN . . . all North Carolina Road Race Champions will be awarded one of these podium jerseys courtesy of Giordana.

See event flyer below for championship eligibility.

May 16, 2008

Update

New! Photos of The Downtown Sanford Criterium.

View all the races, scroll down this page to the April 28th entry.

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June 14th & 15th, 2008

NC Road Race Championship

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May 06, 2008

Dilworth Criterium:

Ryan Jenkins and John Patterson go 1-2 in the 35+ Dilworth Criterium

The 35+ race featured a break of 10 with eight teams represented (Bio-Wheels, Carolina Masters, CTM, Hincapie, MOB, Outspokin', Sledge Hammer Charlie's, Standard Pacific Homes). With all 10 money spots up the road and so many teams represented, there was not a comprehensive determined chase by the field. Aggressive riding by Ryan Jenkins kept the breakaway racers chasing, attempting to bridge and counter-attacking each other. Ryan was caught back, but damage had been done. John Patterson countered and when it was clear the others were not collaborating on immediately bringing John back, Ryan jumped across and began trading pulls with John. The two-man team time trial was holding a 10-second gap for four laps. With two laps to go, the breakaway remnants conceded they would not be racing for first place. John and Ryan were quickly out of sight. Racing by the start/finish with one to go, Charlie Brown and one other had a gap on the chasers. Charlie shed his companion on the back stretch and came thru the finish on his own. Carolina Masters sweeps the podium!

Ryan Jenkins – 1st place 35+

John Patterson – 2nd  place 35+

Charlie Brown – 3rd place 35+

John Patterson – 1st  place 45+

Keith Johnson – 3rd place 45+

John Fender – 4^th place category 4

Chris Holmes – 8^th place juniors

Spartanburg Criterium: 

Keith Johnson – 1st place 45+

Charlie Brown – 2nd place 35+

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April 28, 2008 

The Downtown Sanford Criterium: 

Photos courtesy of www.dwaphotography.com

Kerry Humphrey - 1st place category 3/4

Charlie Brown - 1st place 40+ and 3rd place 30+

John Fender - 5th place category 4/5

Keith Johnson - 8th place 40+

Derek Powers - 10th place 40+

Katherine Shields – 10^th place Women open

Please visit www.dwaphotography.com to view photos of ALL the Sanford Crit races. To access the hundreds of photos click on "proofing" and enter the passcode: sanford bike race (three words, spaces between). The images will be online for 30 days. 5x7s $15 and 8x10s $30.

Tour De Moore: 

John Patterson – 2^nd place 40+

Charlie Brown – 4^th place 40+

Ryan Jenkins – 7^th place 30+

Keith Johnson – 10^th place 40+

April 23, 2008

Lowcountry Volkswagen Race Weekend

Ryan Jenkins shows the face of a non-sprinter as he comes into the finish line to win the 35+ (1/2/3) race

Busby is all smiles in route to a 2nd place finish in the 35+ (4/5) race.  He won the field sprint by sprinting in his hoods

I-ON Village Criterium:

Ryan Jenkins – 1st Place Masters 35+ (1/2/3)

Charlie Brown – 2nd Place Category 2/3

Bret Busby – 2nd Place Masters 35+ (4/5)

Kerry Humphrey – 2nd Place Category (3/4)

Keith Johnson – 4th Place Masters 35+ (1/2/3)

Charlie Brown – 5th Place Masters 35+ (1/2/3)

Emily Shields – 10th Place Women Category 4

SC State Criterium @ Hampton Park:

Charlie Brown – 2nd Place Masters 35+

Keith Johnson – 3rd Place Masters 45+

Kerry Humphrey – 4th Place Category 3

ACC USCF Criterium in Winston Salem, NC:

John Fender – 1st Place Category 4

Chris Skeen – 3rd Place Category 5

Zorda Tucker – 9th Place Category 4

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April 13, 2008:

Upstate Race Weekend,  Greenville, SC

Donaldson Center 

Chris Skeen – 5th place Cat 5

John Fender – 7th place Cat 4

Walnut Grove Road Race 

Race report Masters 35+:

In the early going a selection was made and eight racers shook loose from the field. After lap one, the move contained six. BioWheels racing was well represented with three in the break of six. Ryan and Charlie tore clear of their breakaway companions on the steepest of the advertised "nine rolling hills." With 8 miles to go, the road race transitioned into a two-man Carolina Masters team time trial. Carolina Masters finishing one-two clear of chasers, double the. . .

April 6, 2008

Rock Hill Bicycle Club Spring Omnium

White Rose Sprints:

Bret Busby – 1^st place Masters 35+ (4/5)

Kerry Humphrey – 3^rd place Masters 35+ (1/2/3)

Katherine Shields – 4^th place Category 4

John O’leary – 5^th place Masters 45+ (4/5)

Emily Shields – 6^th place Category 4

John O’leary rolling to his first place finish on the rain soaked criterium course

Old Town Criterium:

John Patterson – 1^st place Masters 45+ (1/2/3)

Bret Busby – 1^st place Masters 35+ (4/5)

John O’leary – 1^st place Masters 45+ (4/5)

Kerry Humphrey – 3^rd place Masters 35+ (1/2/3)

Michael Berry – 4^th place Masters 45+ (4/5)

Keith Johnson – 5^th place Masters 45+ (1/2/3)

Emily Shields – 7^th place Category 4

Randy Cress coming on strong to secure his second place finish

Patriot’s Trail Road Race:

Randy Cress – 2^nd place Category 4

Keith Johnson – 3^rd place Masters 45+ (1/2/3)

Austin Wood – 6^th place Category 5

Bret Busby – 7^th Masters 35+ (4/5)

Sean Myers – 8^th Masters 35+ (4/5)

John O’leary – 9^th Masters 45+ (4/5)

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March 31, 2008:

Uptown Greenville Criteriums:

Doctors Vision Center Criterium:

Charlie Brown – 1st Place Masters 40+

Emily Shields – 2nd Place Women Category 4

Keith Johnson – 3rd Place Masters 40+

Keith Johnson – 3rd Place Category 1, 2, 3

Katherine Shields – 3rd Place Women Category 4

Charlie Brown – 4th Place Category 1, 2, 3

Greenville Plastic Surgery Criterium:

Charlie Brown – 1st Place Masters 40+

Keith Johnson – 3rd Place Masters 40+

Kerry Shields - 6th Place Masters 40+

Katherine Shields – 4th Place Women

Emily Shields – 5th Place Women

Visit the slideshow of the event.

March 20, 2008:

Out Like a Lion Race Weekend:

Please check our events section for a detailed summary of the Salisbury City Park Criterium, which was hosted by the team. Early season success continues, as Carolina Masters had another great weekend of racing with the following results:

Ryan Jenkins wins the Remax Town and Country Masters 35+ road race

Photo by John Safka

Remax Town and Country Road Race:

 Ryan Jenkins – 1^st place Masters 35+

Chris Holmes – 2^nd place Juniors

Charlie Brown – 3^rd place Masters 35+ 

John Fender – 4^th place Category 4

John Patterson – 6^th place Masters 35+

Kerry Humphrey – 7^th place Masters 35+

Derek Powers – 8^th place Masters 35+

Keith Johnson is all smiles (and tongue) in route to winning the Salisbury City Park Masters 45+ Criterium

Photo by John Safka

Charlie Brown wins the Salisbury City Park Criterium Masters 35+ race

Photo by John Safka

Food Lion City Park Criterium: 

Charlie Brown – 1^st place Masters 35+

Keith Johnson – 1^st place Masters 45+

John Patterson – 2^nd place Masters 45+

Ryan Jenkins – 2^nd place Masters 35+

Emily Shields – 3^rd place Juniors

Chris Skeen – 3^rd place Category 5

Randy Cress – 4^th place Category 4

Bret Busby – 5^th place Masters 35+

John Baxter – 5^th place Masters 45+

Chris Holmes – 5^th place Juniors

John Patterson – 6^th place Masters 35+

Austin Wood – 6^th place Juniors

Randy Shields – 6^th place Masters 45+

Katherine Shields – 6^th place Juniors

Grant McCallister – 7^th place Masters 35+

Zorda Tucker – 9^th place Category 5

Professional event photos may be viewed and purchased at:
Photo Gallery

View the Salisbury Post slideshow:

Slideshow

Visit our Events Page and view the Photos of Out Like a Lion Race Weekend:
Photo Gallery

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March 17, 2008:

Chilly weather no deterrent for bicyclists

Cyclists in the Masters 35-plus class move up Lake Drive in the Food Lion/City Park Criterium. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, Salisbury Post

It was a tad chilly for the morning races, but by the time the afternoon events kicked off, Sunday's Food Lion/City Park Criterium couldn't have been a lot better.

The races, held on an almost-mile-long course that circled Salisbury's City Park, were part of the weekend's Out Like a Lion Race Weekend, which included Saturday races in Albemarle.

On Saturday, racers contended with downpours and hail. On Sunday, Mother Nature smiled on the bikers, blessing them with sunshine and soft breezes.

"This is such a well organized event, we felt obligated to come support local cycling," said Tommie Brock, coach of Team Pfeiffer Cycling, the biking team from Pfeiffer University.

Brock said it took more for his team to participate in Sunday's event than to simply jump in their cars and drive up from nearby Meisenheimer.

On Saturday, Team Pfeiffer participated in bike races in Maryland sponsored by the University of Maryland. They were to have raced there again Sunday, but those events were canceled.

So Brock asked team members if they were interested in driving back to race in Salisbury. They were.

"We came back late Saturday to race today," Brock said.

His team fared well on Sunday, Brock said, claiming a number of top 10 finishes.

"They have races for everyone," Brock said. "It's a very tough course, we wanted to come out and do battle."

Upwards of 300 bikers participated, included teams from Lees-McRae College and Virginia Tech.

Alan Brookshire drove Sunday from Asheville to participate in a race for men 35 and over.

"It's one of more popular criteriums in this part of the state," Brookshire said of the Salisbury event.

He said he was pleased with his performance, but admitted to having a more keen interest in the Juniors 10-14 race that was held in early afternoon.

Brookshire's sons, Grayson, 12, and Colton, a few months shy of his 10th birthday, rode in that race.

Brookshire said he was especially interested in seeing how Colton managed, since he's just cutting his teeth on organized racing.

"I'm more nervous about him than I was about myself," Brookshire said.

He hollered loud and long whenever Colton — outfitted in an orange racing uniform — circled past the start/finish line where most of the crowd for Sunday's races gathered.

Another novice participant in that Junior race was 11-year-old Andrew Canon. Sunday marked the first time that Andrew had raced in an organized competition. He just got his bike— a Fuji Newest 3.0 — for Christmas.

"I'm not that nervous," Andrew said as he waited to ride.

His father, Mack, president of the North Carolina/South Carolina Cycling Association, said he was sure his son would do well.

"He's got his dad pulling for him," Canon said. "He'll do OK."

He said the Salisbury race is among the best, and said Charlie Brown, the event's organizer, deserves the lion's share of the credit.

"Charlie and his whole crew, they do a super job," Canon said. "They support cycling extremely well."

Food Lion was the primary sponsor of Sunday's event, the Salisbury-based grocery store chain donating $4,000 to the races. Chris Blumenthal, a Food Lion spokesman, said some of that money went to hold the races and some went to the Hanford Dole Chapter of the American Red Cross, the primary beneficiary of the criterium.

A bucket was also placed at a refreshment tent alongside the race course and donations accepted to help the families of Victor Isler and Justin Monroe, two Salisbury firefighters killed in a March 7 blaze.

Salisbury's own: Carolina Masters Cyclists team member Charlie Brown was the winner in the Masters 35-plus class. photo by Wayne Hinshaw, Salisbury Post

 

"Bikers like the venue," Blumenthal said of Sunday's races. "I'm a cyclist and it's kind of cool to just sit back and watch 'em go past."

Brown, the organizer, was one of several Salisbury riders who fared well in Sunday's competitions. Brown won the Masters 35-plus race and three of his teammates — Ryan Jenkins, John Patterson and Bret Busby — finished among the top six racers in the event.

Brown, Jenkins, Patterson and Busby are all either Salisbury residents or natives of Salisbury. They all ride for the Carolina Masters team.

Among local junior riders, Emily Shields and Chris Holmes managed well, finishing third and fifth, respectively, in their individual races.

Brown noted that a year ago, the weather was as perfect for the criterium as it was Sunday.

"It doesn't get any better," Brown said of conditions. "We were lucky last year and we were lucky again this year."

Ten youngsters who turned out for a bike rodeo held as part of the criterium were lucky, as well. The Rowan County Health Department donated 10 helmets that were given to needy children at Sunday's event.

Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4222 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.

 

 

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March 12, 2008:

Congratulations to Keith Johnson on his 1st place finish at the Snowball Crit in Virginia Beach, VA on March 9, 2008 in the Category 1,2,3 event.

March 8 & 9, 2008 - Greenville Spring Series Weekend # 3: 

Zorda Tucker winning the Cat 5 race on Sunday

Chris Holmes sprinting for a 5th place finish in the Junior race on Sunday

Carolina Masters had another successful weekend at Greenville with the following results:

Saturday:

John Patterson – 1st Place in Masters 45+

Charlie Brown – 1st Place in Masters 35+

Ryan Jenkins – 5th Place in Masters 35+

Sunday:

Zorda Tucker – 1st Place in Cat 5

Staton Carter – 4th Place in Cat 5

Chris Holmes – 5th Place in Juniors

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March 1 & 2, 2008 - Greenville Spring Series Weekend # 2: 

Ryan Jenkins Sunday race 1st place finish

Picture provided by: WhirlWind Photography

Austin Wood and Chris Holmes work together during the Sunday race at Donaldson Center

Carolina Masters had another successful weekend at Greenville with the following results:

Saturday:

Masters 35+: Ryan Jenkins (1st), Charlie Brown (2nd), Keith Johnson (7th), Derek Powers (9th) and Bret Busby (19th)

Masters 45+: Michael Berry  (8th)

Cat 4: Randy Cress (2nd)

Sunday:

Jrs: Austin Wood (6th) & Chris Homes (8th)

Masters 35+: Ryan Jenkins (1st) & Bret Busby (17th)

Cat 5: Staton Carter (3rd)

Cat 3: Kerry Humphrey (7th)