This past weekend saw the USGP series return to racing in Mercer, NJ. It also marked the first races of the year for me, which involved serious pit crew work and completely trashed bikes.

The weekend started off with flight delays for everyone heading east due to a strong storm that was pounding the Northeast on Thursday and Friday. The weather didn’t dampen the number presentation at Knapp’s Bike Shop on Friday night. Saturday the skies cleared for the race but the damage was done; the course was a muddy mess. It looked like someone had a tractor pull around the entire park and that was our racecourse.

The race went well for me on Saturday. I was with the leaders midway through the first lap but lost some time in the pit and never saw Johnson again until after the race. I did spend most of the day riding with Trebone. Well I chose to grind through most of the slop and he chose to run. He would gap me off on the uphill running sections and I would catch him on the faster riding sections. I finally got rid of him towards the end and soloed in for second.

The second day Timmy J couldn’t start because of a knee problem he acquired the day before when he ran into a stake. It’s too bad because so far the USGP has seen a different series leader at every event and he has been flying lately.

I had a great start and got away with Jeremy Powers on the first lap. Most of the boggy sections were only ride-able on the extreme edges along the tape. I crashed a few times getting caught in the tape and that allowed my brother Troy to come across to us. As soon as he caught us he attacked and when Powers couldn’t respond I bridged across. We rode together for most of the race and I was able to get a small gap on him on the last lap to take the win and the overall series lead in the USGP.

I have quite a few race notes so here goes: 

My brother had his best UCI/USGP race ever this weekend and if he had a better start probably would have won.
The mechanics were so busy in the pits we were changing twice a lap or about every four or five minutes. They had to wash bikes in the near-bye lake because the four pressure washer lines were so crazy. My dad and the guys from Bernie’s Bikes did a great job.

I did take the USGP series lead this weekend but with the best five out of six races counting everyone will have a throw out by the second day in Portland. If you look at it that way there are about four of us that are pretty much tied on points so it should be an exciting finish to the series. 

This week I’m staying with my family in N.Y. before heading to Long Island next weekend for the last two UCI races of the NACT series. I’ll be spending most of the week getting the Mercer course out of my bike. 

Thanks for your support,

Todd Wells

Kevin will now be training and testing on the GT Fury to get ready for his virgin run at the UCI World Cup series in 2009. Keep an eye out for more updates on these two new exciting additions to the GT Bicycles line up.     

GT Bicycles is proud to be sponsored by:
SRAM, Kenda, Champion Systems, Sun/Ringle, Fly Racing, SDG, Ogio, Kore and ethirteen

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This past weekend I was in Louisville, KY for the first two rounds of the USGP of cyclocross. The last time I was in Louisville was my junior year in high school for the NBL BMX Grand Nationals, another bike race.

The weekend started off soggy with temperatures in the low 50s and plenty of rain on Friday afternoon. The sky cleared by the evening and Saturday’s course, which was on an old golf course, was fast and tacky by the time we raced at 3pm.
 
I had a rough start but managed to make my way up to the chase group by the end of the race that contained Powers, Johnson and my brother, Troy. Jesse Anthony and Trebon were already long gone but we were racing for third on the last lap until my brother attacked and Powers took out Johnson and me in a corner resulting in Johnson’s leg getting stuck in my frame. I managed 5th on the day but at least I didn’t get injured in the crash.

Day two I got a little better start and was in the lead group until Johnson attacked. I pulled the chase group all day long containing Jesse Anthony, Matt Shriver, and Jeremy Powers. Tim kept his lead, and I could only manage 4th in the sprint for 2nd through 5th. Not the best weekend but it was definitely fun getting back out on the circuit. The number presentation on Friday night was the biggest I have ever been to at the USGP. The race had the usual costumes out on the course with people dressed up as everything from gorillas to Roman warriors. I can’t wait to see what people are dressed up as next weekend in Boulder.

Thanks for your support,

Todd

 AA Pro Saturday:    DNQ

AA Pro Sunday:                 DNQ

After just getting back from the UCI SX race in France, Joey was ready to try his hand at some ABA AA Pro racing.  He was really looking good in practice, with strong gates and fast first straight pull.  If it hadn’t have been for the fact that he unclipped down the first straight 8 out of 12 times in the motos and semis over the weekend, he just might have been able to give the winners a solid run for their money in the mains.  He’s so fast and so strong for a young kid.  He really has a bright future ahead of him.

Eric Rupe:
Vet Pro Friday:    DNQ
Pro Cruiser:    7th

Vet Pro Saturday:   DNQ
Pro Cruiser:     6th    

Vet Pro Sunday:   DNQ
Pro Cruiser:    5th

Big Daddy Rupe was looking pretty good this past weekend at the ABA Fall Nationals.  With a stacked Vet Pro class all looking for the win, Rupe would really have to be on the gas just to be in the finals.  As it turned out, he was placed in the harder of the Vet Pro heat races and did his best to get in the top four each time for a shot at the mains.  It didn’t happen any of the days, as he just missed the cut each time.  He did manage to ride well enough in the Pro Cruiser class and make those mains each day.  He was right in the mix down the first straight on day two and three in the finals, but sixth and a fifth was the best he would do.  Not too bad, considering that the oldest guy in Pro Cruiser that weekend, was twenty two years younger that Rupe. 

The GT team sponsors include: Kenda, Shimano, Sun Rims, Fly Racing, OGIO, SDG, RSP Products and Champion System.

GT PARTICIPANTS:
 
Joey Bradford:
Eric Rupe:

GT BMX race team riders Joey Bradford and Eric Rupe made a shop visit this week to Retro City Cycles in Orlando, FL.  Shop manager Dano was happy to have the guys stop in to say hi, sign autographs, hand out stickers and just hang out.  The shop isn’t much of a BMX race shop, but that just gave the team the opportunity to bring Dano up to speed on what the BMX world up to these days.  Rupe had his personal race bike on hand to show off and let people see just how cool the 2009 line of GT race bikes are.  The visit was a real success, as the team looks forward to visiting more GT dealers as the season goes on.  Thanks Dano and Jessica G.

The GT team sponsors include: Kenda, Shimano, Fly Racing, Sun Rims, SDG, Champion System, O’GIO, SNAP Products.

The GT BMX race team—Randy Stumpfhauser, Mike Day, and Eric Rupe--was in the Lancaster, CA this week for the ABA So Cal Nationals and paid a visit today to The Block Shop.  The shop visit was the best visit so far in 2008, as Rich Bartlett, the shop owner and manager for over 5 years, showed the GT guys what a truly pro looking BMX shop is all about. 

The GT guys had a chance to meet a lot of customers who showed up for the widely publicized GT Promo.  Rich had the event promo’d all week on the local alternative rock station “100.1 The Edge”.  The multiple promo spots during the week, announced the visit of Eric, Randy and Mike, brought quite a few listeners out to meet the pros. The station had a live feed right from the shop from 3pm til 6pm.  Eric, Randy and Mike all did live interviews with “Fat Head” the DJ that went really well.  Both the shop and GT got really good plugs from the radio spots. 

Both Mike and Randy also did news paper interviews as well.  The GT guys gave the fans autographed team posters, some GT stickers and GT bike catalogs.  Stumpfhauser, Day, and Rupe even had their personal race bikes on hand to show off to the fans.  The visit was a total success.  Thanks Rich!