Friday, November 16, 2007
Friday, November 02, 2007
The third and final race of the 07 Memphis downs was a rousing success. Fifteen riders and another ten or so spectators inaugurated the Orange Mound Round criterium course with aplomb.
The race got interesting in the first lap when the second turn (that sharp one up the hill) broke the pack. Denis took a 30m or so lead with a chase group of four behind him, and the rest strung out a bit. By the time everyone came around the starting line, a lead group of five (Denis, Chase, Chris, Anthony and Josh) had gapped a chase group by 100m or so. By the middle of the second lap, the front realised no one was catching and we decided to start lapping people. We started catching folks on the third lap, and caught all but the chase group of four (Mike Crum, Mike Brown, Isaiah and Amber) and Jackson.
A word about Jackson. He started the night with a flat on the neutral lap. He was racing with a tiny gear on his bike and rode solo almost the whole way. And he wasn't lapped. There really should be a prize for that.
The next bit of action for the night was when, in the fifth lap, I flatted on that turn near the roller coaster and had drop out of the front group. I shouldered the bike back to the front where John lent me his rear wheel joining the group again on the last lap, but had to give it up with my chain slipping on the smaller, non-aligned cog. On the last lap, Anthony took a small gap around turn two, and had the group strung out a bit going into the back half of the course, but everyone brought it back and Chase charged up the back stretch (into the wind, uphill in the dark) but couldn't follow it through. Denis attacked and Chris followed, but Denis gapped by 20 or so meters to win sitting up. Chris, Chase and Anthony followed in the first group. The second group came through a couple of minutes later with an exciting sprint for fifth. Mike Crum took all by a bike-length with Mike Brown edging out Isaiah by inches.
The afterparty, complete with firejumping, at Jacob and Isaiah's was a blast with prizes from our sponsors passed out to all. I want to remind everyone that the online coupon-code is still good at Midtown bikes for 25% off a catalogue order. If you need the code, email me.
Denis won the overall title for the Memphis Downs. His wins at the Parking Garage Race and the Orange Mound Round secured the title. Amber took the women's classification with an impressive showing at all three races. Thanks to Chrome, Walz and Midtown Bikes for their donations of prizes to the winners. The final standings are in the comments. Thanks to everyone for coming out and supporting Revolutions and late-night urban riding in Memphis.
The race got interesting in the first lap when the second turn (that sharp one up the hill) broke the pack. Denis took a 30m or so lead with a chase group of four behind him, and the rest strung out a bit. By the time everyone came around the starting line, a lead group of five (Denis, Chase, Chris, Anthony and Josh) had gapped a chase group by 100m or so. By the middle of the second lap, the front realised no one was catching and we decided to start lapping people. We started catching folks on the third lap, and caught all but the chase group of four (Mike Crum, Mike Brown, Isaiah and Amber) and Jackson.
A word about Jackson. He started the night with a flat on the neutral lap. He was racing with a tiny gear on his bike and rode solo almost the whole way. And he wasn't lapped. There really should be a prize for that.
The next bit of action for the night was when, in the fifth lap, I flatted on that turn near the roller coaster and had drop out of the front group. I shouldered the bike back to the front where John lent me his rear wheel joining the group again on the last lap, but had to give it up with my chain slipping on the smaller, non-aligned cog. On the last lap, Anthony took a small gap around turn two, and had the group strung out a bit going into the back half of the course, but everyone brought it back and Chase charged up the back stretch (into the wind, uphill in the dark) but couldn't follow it through. Denis attacked and Chris followed, but Denis gapped by 20 or so meters to win sitting up. Chris, Chase and Anthony followed in the first group. The second group came through a couple of minutes later with an exciting sprint for fifth. Mike Crum took all by a bike-length with Mike Brown edging out Isaiah by inches.
The afterparty, complete with firejumping, at Jacob and Isaiah's was a blast with prizes from our sponsors passed out to all. I want to remind everyone that the online coupon-code is still good at Midtown bikes for 25% off a catalogue order. If you need the code, email me.
Denis won the overall title for the Memphis Downs. His wins at the Parking Garage Race and the Orange Mound Round secured the title. Amber took the women's classification with an impressive showing at all three races. Thanks to Chrome, Walz and Midtown Bikes for their donations of prizes to the winners. The final standings are in the comments. Thanks to everyone for coming out and supporting Revolutions and late-night urban riding in Memphis.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
View Larger Map
The Orange Mound Round. 1.7 miles (2.75 km). The course runs counterclockwise and the path will not cross (though it uses a short stretch of the road for both north and southbound. If we have a good, mixed turnout we'll have two rides -- one fixed one geared. That way it should be safer for everyone. We'll have at least one person on the course watching for traffic and if there are two races, there should be others to help out as well.
The afterpart will be at Jacob and Isaiah's on Philadelphia.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Sprints Results
Thursday's Memphis Sprint Championships were a tremendous amount of fun. Because of threatening rain and strong winds, we didn't have as huge a turnout as the last time, but 16 intrepid riders still made it out for a leg burning showdown.
Bert Hull brought the fastest legs absolutely dominating the competition. Robbie gave him a run in the final round, but he blew everyone else's helmets off. The final round consisted of a round-robin of the final four riders with Robbie taking second, Josh third and Mike rounding out the top four.
The women's category became really interesting this race with Vivian's unexpected arrival. Fresh off a cross-country bike tour, she threatened with legs of steel and lungs to match (but lighter and with more capacity). She and Amber matched up for a best two out of three which Amber took in two very close races. Congrats to Amber for remaining the fastest woman of the night.
I'll have more later, including photos , but here is a quick break down of the points standings. I'll explain the distribution of points in the comments, if it's stupid call me on it and we'll figure out a better way.
The standings for the Memphis Downs GC, with one ride to go, are:
Denis 32 pts
Josh 32
Chase 28
Kermit 25
Cort 23
Zach 24
Anthony 20
Mike 19
Isaiah 16
Russ 14
Eric 12
Patrick 12
Bert 12
Robby 11
Alex 11
Jackson 10
Amber 10
Nate 10
Dan 10
Jacob 9
Josef 6
PJ 6
Chris 6
Vivian 6
Kellen 4
Kyle 4
John 4
Brad 3
Jason 2
Thursday's Memphis Sprint Championships were a tremendous amount of fun. Because of threatening rain and strong winds, we didn't have as huge a turnout as the last time, but 16 intrepid riders still made it out for a leg burning showdown.
Bert Hull brought the fastest legs absolutely dominating the competition. Robbie gave him a run in the final round, but he blew everyone else's helmets off. The final round consisted of a round-robin of the final four riders with Robbie taking second, Josh third and Mike rounding out the top four.
The women's category became really interesting this race with Vivian's unexpected arrival. Fresh off a cross-country bike tour, she threatened with legs of steel and lungs to match (but lighter and with more capacity). She and Amber matched up for a best two out of three which Amber took in two very close races. Congrats to Amber for remaining the fastest woman of the night.
I'll have more later, including photos , but here is a quick break down of the points standings. I'll explain the distribution of points in the comments, if it's stupid call me on it and we'll figure out a better way.
The standings for the Memphis Downs GC, with one ride to go, are:
Denis 32 pts
Josh 32
Chase 28
Kermit 25
Cort 23
Zach 24
Anthony 20
Mike 19
Isaiah 16
Russ 14
Eric 12
Patrick 12
Bert 12
Robby 11
Alex 11
Jackson 10
Amber 10
Nate 10
Dan 10
Jacob 9
Josef 6
PJ 6
Chris 6
Vivian 6
Kellen 4
Kyle 4
John 4
Brad 3
Jason 2
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Friday, October 05, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
The first ride of the Memphis Downs was completed last night and it ended as a great success.
Denis and Chase led the race home completing the course of ten garages (57 stories combined) over 23 miles. Anthony, Kermit and I were right behind them to round out the top five. Amber took the women's classification with an impressive sprint to the finish. In all twenty-one people completed the course and contributed over $200 to Revolutions. Pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/idontsayyall
Special thanks to Walz caps for two awesome caps for the winners and to DBI distributing and Pabst for keeping the after-party stocked well into the morning. Thanks also to Denis and Midtown bikes for the discount offered to all riders on online orders.
The standings for the Memphis Downs GC after one ride are:
Denis 22 pts
Chase 22
Anthony 20
Josh 20
Kermit 19
Cort 17
Isaiah 16
Zach 14
Russ 14
Eric 12
Patrick 12
Alex 11
Jackson 10
Jacob 9
Mike 8
Amber 7
Kellen 4
Kyle 4
John 4
Brad 3
Jason 2
The next ride will be the Memphis Sprint Championships on Friday October 19th. See this site for more information closer to the date.
Denis and Chase led the race home completing the course of ten garages (57 stories combined) over 23 miles. Anthony, Kermit and I were right behind them to round out the top five. Amber took the women's classification with an impressive sprint to the finish. In all twenty-one people completed the course and contributed over $200 to Revolutions. Pictures at www.flickr.com/photos/idontsayyall
Special thanks to Walz caps for two awesome caps for the winners and to DBI distributing and Pabst for keeping the after-party stocked well into the morning. Thanks also to Denis and Midtown bikes for the discount offered to all riders on online orders.
The standings for the Memphis Downs GC after one ride are:
Denis 22 pts
Chase 22
Anthony 20
Josh 20
Kermit 19
Cort 17
Isaiah 16
Zach 14
Russ 14
Eric 12
Patrick 12
Alex 11
Jackson 10
Jacob 9
Mike 8
Amber 7
Kellen 4
Kyle 4
John 4
Brad 3
Jason 2
The next ride will be the Memphis Sprint Championships on Friday October 19th. See this site for more information closer to the date.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Checkpoints, thoughts and rules for the first ride
245 Washington
49 S. Front Street
505 Zach Curlin
Comfort Inn
Cannon Center/Hilton (lowest level)
Third and Monroe, West of Autozone Park
869 Madison
Commerce (Market) Square Parking
340 Innovation Drive
Parking Can Be Fun
afterparty/finish: 2241 monroe
Instructions for manifests will be announced at the beginning of the ride. Riders are advised to wear a helmet and have proper lights and reflectors on their bikes. We also require that all traffic laws be respected - especially speed and weight limits.
This ride requires that all participants act in an honorable manner. If you think it is cheating, it is cheating, so don't do it. Go to every garage, please. All podium positions and three random riders will be selected for post-ride blood tests. All riders currently under investigation by the UCI, WADA, CONI or their respective national anti-doping committees will be barred from participation.
The points for the overall champion of the Memphis Downs will work like this: Riders receive points in each ride for the order in which they finish. The first place finisher receives as many points as there are riders in the specific ride. For example, if 37 riders ride tomorrow night, the first place finisher receives 37 points, the second place rider receives 36, etc. Bonuses may be given and will be announced with every ride. Fixed gear riders will receive a one point bonus for the first and third stages, but not the sprint stage (specific rules for that stage will apply).
In sum, don't cheat, show up tomorrow, it will be a blast. Walz sent their caps, PBR came through for the afterparty and there will be tons of fun for all.
245 Washington
49 S. Front Street
505 Zach Curlin
Comfort Inn
Cannon Center/Hilton (lowest level)
Third and Monroe, West of Autozone Park
869 Madison
Commerce (Market) Square Parking
340 Innovation Drive
Parking Can Be Fun
afterparty/finish: 2241 monroe
Instructions for manifests will be announced at the beginning of the ride. Riders are advised to wear a helmet and have proper lights and reflectors on their bikes. We also require that all traffic laws be respected - especially speed and weight limits.
This ride requires that all participants act in an honorable manner. If you think it is cheating, it is cheating, so don't do it. Go to every garage, please. All podium positions and three random riders will be selected for post-ride blood tests. All riders currently under investigation by the UCI, WADA, CONI or their respective national anti-doping committees will be barred from participation.
The points for the overall champion of the Memphis Downs will work like this: Riders receive points in each ride for the order in which they finish. The first place finisher receives as many points as there are riders in the specific ride. For example, if 37 riders ride tomorrow night, the first place finisher receives 37 points, the second place rider receives 36, etc. Bonuses may be given and will be announced with every ride. Fixed gear riders will receive a one point bonus for the first and third stages, but not the sprint stage (specific rules for that stage will apply).
In sum, don't cheat, show up tomorrow, it will be a blast. Walz sent their caps, PBR came through for the afterparty and there will be tons of fun for all.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Ok everyone, this is how it is going to work.
The Memphis Downs is a three ride series. The cost to participate in each ride is $10. This will include spoke cards, prizes for the winners (men and women!) and beverages at the afterparty. One may also renew their Revolutions membership (annual cost, $40) and participate in the entire series. For more information don't hesitate to contact me (jmgorman at gmail dot com) or Anthony (sirac at riseup dot net).
The Memphis Downs is a three ride series. The cost to participate in each ride is $10. This will include spoke cards, prizes for the winners (men and women!) and beverages at the afterparty. One may also renew their Revolutions membership (annual cost, $40) and participate in the entire series. For more information don't hesitate to contact me (jmgorman at gmail dot com) or Anthony (sirac at riseup dot net).
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
This year's Memphis Downs will be a three-ride series featuring the parking garage alley-cat, the Memphis sprint championships and a downtown criterium. The first event, the parking garage alley-cat, will take place on Thursday 27 September starting at Revolutions at 9pm. See this site in the coming weeks for rules and for more information. Send me an email if you are going to ride so I can start getting everything together.
Monday, August 27, 2007
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