Jet Fuel Coffee Cycling Team, 2009 season, sponsored by Jet Fuel Coffee

We've MOVED!

We've redesigned the team website and moved to a new home. Go check it out and don't come back here anymore ;) team.jetfuelcoffee.com our new website

Ending on a High Note

Well, we finished off our Southern road trip the same way we started it, on the podium! This past weekend of racing was the last for Bryson and I before we headed home to get ready for the start of the Ontario season.

We had a nice week leading up to the races at the OCA camp in Rocky Bottom, SC. As we had a relatively lighter week it was impressive to watch the juniors as they tore up the mountains everyday. Some of these riders are still really young but already really strong. Check out the OCA website for some pictures from the camp.

As for the racing, Saturday’s race was in Albemarle, NC. It was a hilly, 100km race. Tactically, we rode well taking turns covering attacks. Finally, with about 25km to go, Bryson opened up a gap for me at the top of the main climb of the course and six of us were able to get away. We worked well to stay away and after some failed last ditch attacks, the group came to the line together for a sprint. I ended up taking 2nd.

Sunday’s race was the City Park Criterium. It was a hard course with a challenging climb. Judging by prior races we figured it’d come down to more of a selection than a breakaway. Bryson rode aggressively to form a group of about 10 halfway through the race. With about 10 laps to go myself and four others were able to bridge across to the break. We were outnumbered as the Mountain Khakis and DLP professional teams had 3 and 4 riders in the move. We tried to make the group a little smaller but like Saturday the race ended in a sprint. I ended up 4th and Bryson was 7th. Thanks to Jon Safka for taking a ton of pictures of us. Check out his website at www.cyclingphotos.ca

Another 2 Podiums for JetFuel!!

Photo courtesy... southernlightimages.smugmug.com

This weekend was the first weekend in the prestigious Georgia Cup series. Similar to last weekend, the race was set up as a stage race with a Saturday morning Time Trial, a Saturday evening Criterium and a Sunday road race. However, unlike last weekend the weather was cold and raining the entire time.

Saturday morning was a 10km Time Trial. Bryson started where he left off last weekend and rode in for a solid 2^nd place. I came in for 8^th a short while later. That evening was a short, technical criterium in downtown Rome, GA. The course featured a short but steep climb right before the finish line. About half way through the race a group of 7 or 8 including myself broke away from the field. I ended up taking 3^rd after barely avoiding a last kilometer crash. The road race on Sunday was cold and raining. We decided to let an early break go up the road to try and calm down the attacks from the field. This turned out to be a mistake as it calmed the field so much the group was able to stay away! Although it was frustrating at the time we were both pretty happy to have the race over with. I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold on a bike!

This week we’re back in South Carolina helping with an OCA camp for younger riders. I used to do these camps when I was a cadet/junior so it’s pretty neat to see how far everything’s come since then. There’s almost 40 riders here compared to the 15 or so that would come down a few years ago. The future of cycling is definitely looking good!

Two weekends, Two Podiums

The last two weekends marked the start of this seasons Georgia Cycling Grand Prix. Last weekend was the season opener: The Topview Cycling Classic. The weather was very Canadian with snow and freezing temperatures. To our amusement, most of the southern US racers were quick to label us as favorites for the race! Well, we didn’t disappoint. Bryson rode out of his mind to find his way into every break of the race. In the end he pulled off a solid 3^rd place. I ended up 10^th sprinting in with the main group. We decided not to do Sundays race because the weather was even worse and there were only 13 registered. This turned out to be the right decision as we later learned the race was shortened to 1hr.

This past weekend we raced the Regions Bank Race Weekend in Southern Georgia. Unlike last weekend, this week was over 30degrees and sunny. The race was set up like a stage race with a short time trial Saturday morning, a criterium Saturday evening and a 150km road race on Sunday. The field was stacked with many professionals who had raced the Tour of California a few weeks earlier. We raced hard and aggressive Saturday but came up empty handed. Sunday was a different story. We played it conservatively for the first part of the race to save energy for the finish. With about 20km to I found myself in a selection that looked promising. We ended up getting caught close to the finish. Bryson quickly countered but unfortunately there was already one rider up the road. He was able to hold off the field for 2^nd. I took fifth in the sprint to come 7^th. Overall it was a great weekend of racing. We’re getting closer and closer to winning and we’ve become quite popular with the Southern race organizers as the Canadian team. Next weekend is the first Georgia Cup of the season so we’ll be there looking for the win.

JetFuel Training Camp in South Carolina Complete!

Thanks to those who joined JetFuel at our training camp this year, It's always great to make new friends. We hope to do it again next year. I already booked the house! The mansion we stayed in was magnificent, and after a full month in Riding the mountains, I think we all gained the fitness we need to have one of the best seasons in recent years. We've already been on the podium twice in three weeks, with two close 4th places in the SC and Georgia Spring series.

Highlights of the trip included (I'll leave his name out) making Grilled Cheese in the toaster, boiling water in a metal pan in the microwave, spraying himself with dish water after being warned "Watch out, that thing will spray you". You know who you are, and we loved having you.

Another Highlight was the Epic Race up Ceaser Head. Although I shoved 3-4lbs of lead weight down Bryson's seat tube, he still beat me up the climb. TT legs, beat sprinting legs every time I guess when the race goes up hill. I needed a car to hold on to to beat him. Congrats to Kevin Hazzard for winning the overall race up the mountain in a time of around 29min. If your reading this and your not on the JetFuel Team, watch out for him this year. He's going to crush you.