KC TNW Crit & Redlands

Last night was the first of this seasons Tuesday Night Worlds Crit. Like many other cities we have a weekly training crit the brings out most of the competitive cyclists nearly every week.

 But before I get into that I wanted Joe and the Elbowz Team on a great performance at Redlands and for becoming the #1 Amature team in the country. Joe had another good race and without a crash on one stage probably would of been in the top 20 overall. It's going to be a great year for the whole team.

Looks like Joe is showing how much room he had to move up.

Back to our race. First of all a big thanks goes out to Mark from Bike Source, the 360 crew, and all others that were involved in keeping the TNW race alive. This is a important tool for training and would of really been missed. We had a pretty good turnout for the first week even with the gale force winds. Right from the start of the race people were drilling it into the wind. Most of my teammates on the Mercy team took some hard pulls and when I got to the front I took a hard lap as well. I knew Shadd, Adam, and Nick were close behind and as the pace slowed at the top of the hill they were off. I think they had David from 360 with them to make 4.  It was really windy last night and made the hill seem even longer than usual so it was going to be a long 40 minutes for those guys. Jason and I set about keeping them away by riding on the front and slowing the chase. It was never easy and Richard(Specialized), and Andrew(St.Johns) continued to keep it close until late in the race. In the end Mercy went 1,2,3, with Shadd, Nick, and Adam.

Richard and Rita from Specialized joined us for the crit. They work the Demo truck for Specialized for most of the Midwest. This week they in our area so look for them at the local trails. I think Smithville, Leavenworth, Lawrence, and then Swope Park on Sunday. I know Richard from Cyclocross where is one of the mechanics for the Specialized cross team. Cool dude to hang out with during the traveling circus that is the cross season.

Yesterday we welcomed Nick Coil to the Mercy Elite Cycling Team! Nick's a great addition to the team as a super strong rider and a overall good guy. As a cat 1 rider he fills a hole that we had for the bigger NRC races where they are Pro-1 only. I can't wait for the Joe Martin Stage Race when we will have the whole team together again!

So right now I'm sitting here watching the workers build a shed in the back yard. It's kind of nice having a little more relaxed morning for a change. This puppy business makes things a little crazy in the mornings. Maybe I should do some laundry instead of playing on the computer...........then again, I could just play with the puppy!