Two Words: Athens Twilight

Athens Twilight is an awesome event that we have been to for the past 4 years in a row to watch. I think Jordan has been even more with his Dad. They would race the Ft. Yargo Mtn Bike event and then head over to Athens to watch the Pro Race. There is nothing else like it in my opinion. A few years ago we started doing the daytime criterium. This year Jordan had a goal to qualify for the Amateur Finals Race. It’s a neat race they put on before the Pro Race. It was a crazy day for the day racing. Lot’s of flat tires and a few crashes here and there. Jordan flatted in the Cat 4’s and was bummed about his opportunity to qualify so we rushed to fix a flat and he raced Jrs for qualification.

                    SRAM neutral support had to change a lot of flats, thanks to some glass on the course.

It was so fun to see him and his teammates all lined up in a Big Boy Race. They looked so tiny….

J-man got a Prime! You would’ve thought the kid one a million dollars, even though it was just $40! Adrenaline was already pumping with the crowd and being out there with some of his teammates so this was the icing on the cake.

                                                                 That is one happy kid!

Since Athens we have chilled a little with the races but did have the chance to go support our Team at the Meals on Wheels ride in Asheville last week. Great cause and it was neat to see the AYC kids come together for this event.

Racing in Raleigh this weekend for Jordan’s first Cat 3 Race and he had great results in the Road Race. Crit this morning and I am patiently waiting around for the results. I stayed home this weekend and he’s with his AWESOME team sponsors. The next few months are going to be pretty exciting, lots of things coming up. Stay tuned…….

Update

It’s been a month since I have posted anything on races.This is our first weekend free in a few weeks so now I can sit down for a few race reports.
Blythewood Omnium was a AYC throw down! We had such a presence at this race it was awesome. It was a great beginning to the Road Season. Our kids went home with some major accessories. Here is a link to the Asheville Youth Cycling Windup Newsletter http://www.icontact-archive.com/aQ28mr_Hb-JDpbr2Xc9c2egYzqjAbCPt?w=2




They also showed some love to Coach Joey!

Next up St. Patty’s Day Crit which was a little more local and was to benefit Mars Hill Cycling. These kids were up at the crack of dawn it seemed to race the Jr. race early.

The jr. race was such a fast pace race with Nolan T leading the group. We did well and then our boys did the Category races with some great finishes. J-man got 4th in Cat 4, Ladson 7th and both our Andrew’s finishes strong. Devin did awesome in his first Pro1/2/3 race with a finish of 18th! Not too shabby for such a FAST race.

This past weekend Jordan and I traveled to Charlotte for the Dilworth Crit and NoDA Crit. We have never been to these events and heard from several it’s not a weekend to miss. The evening event was watching the Presby Crit! Fast Pro race in downtown Charlotte. We had such a fun weekend with our AYC Crew. Jordan to 2nd in the Jr’s Race and in Cat 4’s he got pushed off the course and just couldn’t get back up to the front group. Ladson had a great finish after being top 10 basically the entire race.

The following day was the NoDA Crit. In a cute little artsy district of Charlotte, this race was so much fun. This was one of the largest Jr. fields I have seen in a Crit. I think they said 58 junior riders! That makes my heart warm that cycling is growing so much for young people. I think our boys got the feel of racing a 1/2 field! Nolan T & Charlie H were leading the race and the pace was FAST! It was so much fun to watch. We had a great finish for our boys. Below is a pic of the Jr. Lineup!

We stayed home this weekend but several of our Jr’s traveled to Sunny King Crit and Charleston! I hate we missed the fun but, next week is Athens Twilight! It’s always a great race and tons of fun.