Team Panther sent three riders to the Sylvania Classic Criterium just outside Toledo, Ohio over the weekend, this first year crit sported a $4000 purse and a tight, technical 6 turn 0.7 mile course.  I was on the return from a vacation out West with my family and scheduled the drive to coincide with this race, much to the chagrin of my lovely wife and kids.

The tight course made it imperative to stay at the front as the field lined out single file very quickly and gaps were hard to close.  Kirk and Andy started off the attacks right from the gun and put the field under pressure.  I followed an attack from Vince Roberge (MCG/Trails Edge), a strong rider and former Panther teammate, and we worked together smoothly and established a good gap as the skies darkened and a storm approached.

It’s always good to be off the front in a crit before the rain comes down. The rain started to fall about 45 minutes in, causing a number of crashes in the field. Within the last 5 laps, Vince and I lapped what was left of the field where Andy kept me out of trouble and in a good position to jump before the last turn and sprint for the win.  Kirk had escaped from the field and finished a strong 4th, with Andy coming in 12th.

Kudos to race promoter Jon Card who not only put together a great first year event but also finished 3rd in the Pro,1,2 field.

-Paul Martin

Saturday’s Lakewood criterium was a first year event in the burbs of Cleveland.  The event had a really good vibe to it, the finish took place in downtown Lakewood and looped around some neighborhoods where the community had fully come out to support.

A mostly off weekend for the Ohio crew, I was flying solo for the race which had a small but decent turnout for a first year race. Ohio Crit champ Jeremy Grimm was the main threat, so I spent most of the day watching their moves and attacking early.

With 5 to go I followed an attack by Jeremy and we worked together to bridge up to the 2 guys up the road to make a group of 5. We had a large gap on the field, and the two Carbon racing riders started attacking the group once we all got together. Jeremy and I both covered them knowing we wanted it to come down to a sprint. Jeremy took the reins going into the second to last corner, I started my sprint on the uphill before the last corner coming around the outside and got a good gap going through the last corner, enough to take the win.
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Two hard fought races and two wins for Team Panther.

Mac, Greg and Kirk lined up for the early start at the Maillot Jaune Road Race in Fenton, MI, a race which Greg had won the previous year.  The 100km test the featured a number of small hills and “challenging” pavement, eventually a breakaway of three went clear just before the half way point of the event.

With the field content to watch the action ride away, Greg and Mac went to work steadily reducing the gap until the field was all together on the last lap.  Kirk followed the next few dangerous moves, then with just a few miles to go Greg was able to make a solo move that provoked a reaction from three others on the last hill before the finish.  Kirk followed the chasers and with just one mile to go, a group of six came together.

Greg wound up the speed on the downhill finish, Kirk jumped hard at 300 meters to go and was able to hold off the others to win, Greg was fifth and Mac was second in the bunch for eighth in the race.  Read more and see photos in the Flint Journal. Continue Reading »

This past Saturday, Ryan K., Chris, Eric and I raced the Bloomington criterium, which was held on a tight, technical course in downtown Bloomington, IN.  I started off in the back row, and after about 20 minutes finally made my way to the front, dodging a few crashes in the meantime. Soon after that, I attacked for a prime and ended up forming a breakaway that also included Eric, as well as Jonathan Jacob (Nuvo), John Grant (Texas Roadhouse) and a rider from the Zipp team. The mix was strong and working well together, but the efforts of a few strong individual riders in the field eventually brought the break back.  From here, no moves gained any significant time, and the race ended up coming down to a field sprint.  The team lined up quite nicely with two laps to go, and when I pulled off with little under a lap left I was pretty confident that we had the win in the bag.  In the end, two TX Roadhouse riders (Grant and John Puffer) jumped around the train in a corner on the back side of the course and ended up going 1-2. Ryan and Chris finished just behind in 3rd and 4th place. As consolation, we did win $100 in gift card primes to a local tavern that featured $1 shots all night long. I will refrain from reporting on how those prizes were used…. Continue Reading »

I got the chance to race with the entire Panther crew this last weekend at the Tour of the Valley in Youngstown, Ohio. It was a great weekend with Andy Clarke being gracious enough to open up his house to 5 cyclists. The hospitality was great. Thank you Andy!

The race consisted of a 9 mile Time Trial, a 93 mile RR and a 90 minute Criterium. The race started off with the time trial on Friday evening. I wanted to win win this race, but could only manage 3rd behind Paul and Dave Wenger. I covered the 9 mile course in 18:36. I was satisfied with my ride and more importantly the team was in a great place with 1st and 3rd on GC going into Saturday’s tough, hilly Road Race.

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With the Panther squad spread a bit thin between Elite Nationals in Georgia and Canadian Nationals in Ontario, our team for the USA Crit series weekend in Cincinnati/ Columbus Ohio was a little bit reduced. With good money for 3 consecutive days, this weekend always brings out a solid field.

On Friday night we raced a twilight crit in Madeira with Paul, Kirk and Myself being the only Panther’s. The race was aggressive from the start as most of the strong men were looking to split up the field with the two 180* turns. The 3 of us together instigated many of the attacks and we represented in any move that looked promising. Paul spent the middle 30 minutes or so off the front solo, which gave Kirk and I a chance to put our feet up and relax. After a while, the Jamis boys got a bit nervous and burned a few matches to bring Paul back to the field. However, by this time the front group had dwindled significantly and it was time to position ourselves for the sprint. I was the designated “sprinter” for the day, so Paul and Kirk did their best to guide me through the closing laps, but with the U-turns and lack of daylight, it was a dangerous task. I got bumped from Kirk’s wheel with a few corners to go and could only manage 6th in the sketchy sprint. But at least we all left with the same amount of skin that we came in with. Continue Reading »

Team Panther’s Erik Hamilton won the GC at the Tour of the Valley Stage Race in Youngstown, OH on July 8 – 10.  The team won two of the three stages and 3rd place and 4th place on the GC as well.  Full race report and photos to follow shortly.

Link to local newspaper write ups from Saturday and Sunday:

http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/jul/11/acing-the-final/

http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/jul/10/grueling-challenge/

Team Panther raced the USA Crits Hyde Park Blast event in Cincinnati, Ohio last weekend.  With a $10,000 purse on the line and a big crowd turning out for this twilight criterium (8:30 pm start and 10:00 pm finish) we were hoping for a good result.  Since half of the team was in Augusta, GA for the US National Road Championships and sprinter Ryan Aitcheson at Canadian Road Nationals we knew a breakaway would be a good option for us.  Last year’s Hyde Park runner up, Clayton Barrows (AXA/Stan’s Notubes) took an early solo flier that saw him continue to gain time on the field, eventually building to 50 seconds before the field started to chase hard.

I countered an attack from a teammate and got clear with a group of four including Jamey Driscoll (Jamis Sutter Home), Clay Murfet (RideClean) and Pittsburgh rider Andrew Seitz (GPOA).  We made slow but steady progress chasing down Barrows, catching him almost an hour into the race.  I was hesitant to work too hard, thinking that the Jamis/Sutter Home team wouldn’t want this break to stay clear as their best two sprinters were back in the field and Murfet was a fast finisher, having won last night’s crit in Madeira.  However Continue Reading »

The Stage 6 Stillwater Criterium can make or break your week, just finishing this race can move you up drastically on the GC. After yesterdays long day of pounding up the hills, I wasn’t too excited about a crit on a hill. The hill was short and steep but for me it was false flat at the top that was the real killer. Everything fell apart with 3 laps to go as a group of 5 ripped away off the front with the leaders on the GC. I managed to stay connected with a good size chase group of about 10. Sprinting up the hill for the last time I crossed the line in 12^th place and 3^rd young rider, that moved me up in the young rider competition to 3^rd overall, a great way to end the week. Continue Reading »

I finished up Nature Valley with a decent ride on the final day at the infamous Stillwater Criterium. I had the goal of finishing the entire race and perhaps improve my overall standing. I got popped off of the lead group with a little over a lap to go. I rode in, thus completing all 20 laps but only finished 37th on the day. Not as good as I had hoped for but I did improve overall. I finished my first ever Nature Valley Grand Prix in 34th overall, which is nothing to brag about but I was satisfied with it.

The morning of the US Elite National Time Trial went well, I was fortunate enough that Mac competed in the U23 event earlier, so I had a gauge as far was what it would take to do well. I set off right as Jonathan Jacob crossed the line and immediately knew what it would take, which would have been the ride of my life. Continue Reading »