23 Aug 2007
Season number three is officially in the record books.
Week number nine took place as the final race of the
series determined the prestigious podium spots and title
belt winners for 2007. Attendance was at its
second highest level of the series as 82 people
participated in four different categories. An
amazing 40 racers participated in the "C" field alone!
The future of criterium racing in Nashville looks
promising with such a high level of participation from
beginning racers, but our goals are to aim even higher
and continue growing beyond 2008.
The drama unfolded before the eyes of all to finalize who would secure podium spots and ride away with the championship title belts. The overall "A" and "B" categories were still up in the air as well as the sprints competition in the "A" category. In other words, the best of the best had to decide who would come out on top. In both races the winners weren't decided until the final sprints were completed, which gave spectators a lot to cheer for until the end.
Jason Shields of Cumberland Transit had mathematically secured the category "C" championship well in advance of the final race. Shields' 83 points overall proved too much to overcome after his victory in Race #7. However, the future generation of riders were still fighting for 2nd and 3rd overall. Nick Nicholson of Harpeth Bicycles has come out of the woodwork in the last few weeks and racked up big points, and in the final night he went out on top by smoking the sprint for victory! Closely behind Nicholson in the sprint was Nathan Guessetto of MOAB taking home 2nd place on the night. Nicholson's win earned him points for 3rd place overall in the series as Guessetto's finish helped him hold on to 2nd place overall.
With Shannon Williams of Yazoo sitting on the sidelines with a broken collar bone it meant the "B" category lacked its previous dominant rider. However, Sam Miller of NashvilleCyclist.com had risen to the challenge and put himself in contention for the championship belt. The only problem; he had to win the final race to win the overall belt. Winning any race of any category is no small task, but the final night belonged to Bryant Crabtree of Clarksville Cycling and Robert Richter of Tri-Star. These two riders formed an early two-man breakaway, made it stick, and essentially spoiled the championship party for Miller. Crabtree took home the victory and $20 loot for crossing the line first with Richter behind in 2nd place. Shannon Williams stood on the top podium spot with arm in sling while Sam Miller was still smiling in 2nd spot. Neil Fronheiser of Allanti raced strong over the last four race events to get the final 3rd podium spot while Riccardo Cannone of Gran Fondo sped away with the sprints competition.
The highlight of the evening was the detonations going off in the "A" field. All three top podium spots were in limbo as well as the highly coveted sprints competition. Luke Servedio of Krystal and Hoyt Halvorson of Tri-Star were seeking the top spot while others were fighting for 3rd. Servedio also had a second battle going against Torsten Lyon of NashvilleCyclist.com over sprint points. With the competition coming from all sides of Servedio one wondered where his focus would be, and it didn't take long to find out he was aiming for all of the above! Every sprint lap proved to be all out battles for points, and it all came down to the fifth and final sprint. Servedio and Lyon went head-to-head each time, but on the fifth try it was Servedio nipping Lyon for the overall sprints competition.
During the final laps attention turned to the overall series battle as the speed ramped up stringing out the pack. Positioning became critical as Servedio kept an eye on Halvorson denying him an opportunity to gobble up too many points. Coming into the final few turns it was Tim Hall of NashvilleCyclist.com in the lead and going for the final stage victory, but Halvorson had pegged Hall's attack in the final turns of the last lap. With 100 meters to go it was Hall and Halvorson neck and neck, but Halvorson was able to storm across the line to take his first victory of the series. Despite winning Halvorson came up just one point short as Servedio held onto to win overall 93 to 92 points, respectively. Torsten Lyon's fifth place finish on the night was good enough for him to secure the 3rd and final spot on the "A" podium.
After woofing down some Whitt's BBQ and cold water the awards ceremony wrapped up the series. After a few important individuals were singled out and thanked for their support we awarded the championship belts. Sprint victors took the stand to show off those thick fast-twitch fibers before the top three riders of each category had their moments on the podium. The series strong men enjoyed the opportunity to taste the champagne after the winner popped the cork, and as expected Luke Servedio proved to be the most skilled champagne sprayer. The championship title belt winners of 2007 will get to keep the belts until next season, so expect these to make the rounds much like the Stanley Cup!
View overall points and race results HERE - Series Race Results & Overall Points Standings - FINAL
View race video highlights HERE - Race action highlights from Dan Kellerby on YouTube, music from Black Crowes
View race action photos HERE - Action photos provided by Al Wagner of the Harpeth Bike Club
Congratulations to the overall top finishers in the NashvilleCyclist.com Criterium Race Series:
Category A
1st Luke Servedio - Krystal
2nd Hoyt Halvorson - Tri-Star
3rd Torsten Lyon -
NashvilleCyclist.com
Sprints - Luke Servedio - Krystal
Category B
1st Shannon Williams - Yazoo
2nd Sam Miller - NashvilleCyclist.com
3rd Neil Fronheiser - Allanti
Sprints - Riccardo Cannone - Gran Fondo
Category C
1st Jason Shields - Cumberland Transit
2nd Nathan Guessetto - MOAB
3rd Nick Nicholson - Harpeth Bicycles
Women's Racing - Big Success!
Don't let anyone tell you women's racing is struggling
in Nashville. For the second week in a row we
offered a women only event and came away convinced
this could become our next big success story.
Twelve ladies came out to compete and showed they can
put on a show just as good as the guys; including an
exciting sprint finish! Kailin Acheson proved once
again she's got a set of sprinter's legs as she won her
second race of the series while Sarah Moore of Gran
Fondo was close behind in second. Teams
represented were from Gran Fondo, Harpeth Bicycles,
MOAB, Velo Vixens and Velo Bella. Acheson is
officially unattached, but one of the local squads
should be getting her number to sign her up for 2008!
Our goal for the women in 2008 is to have a weekly race just as we do for all other categories. To pull this off successfully our area women must remain committed and work to bring out more ladies to grow the field. We had a good core group of women coming weekly throughout 2007, but we want to see this category grow to 15 to 20 every week. It can happen, and when it does the motivation to race by all women will rise to levels never before seen. We recommend everyone, men and women, to encourage their female friends who ride a bike to give our criterium series a try. As we all know they will not be disappointed! Plus, the women will be riding for a yet to be determined championship item of their own. Stay tuned for more details!
Sponsors - 2007 NashvilleCyclist.com Criterium
Race Series
Below is a list of everyone you should thank and
patronize for their continued support of bicycle racing
in Middle Tennessee. Without their participation the
series would not be the same, and to each I
sincerely thank them for their contributions. As I've
stated many times before, please take the time to shake
the hands of race sponsors and promoters. This contact
goes a long way in encouraging them to continue their
much needed support.
Murfreesboro Outdoor and Bicycle
Bike
Pedlar
Team MOAB
OS
Performance Nutrition
Cumberland University
Endeavor Cycling
Special thanks goes out to a few other
contributors:
Metro Government, Metro Sports Authority, Cumberland
Stadium, Inc., Tennessee Football, Inc. and the
Nashville Downtown Partnership. Also, we greatly
appreciate the help from Joey Holland and David Marshall
and their officiating expertise at every race. We
are fortunate to have them fully behind our series.
Lastly.....
Thank you to all the racers who participate.
Your support for this series is extra motivation for us, and as long as people will
toe the line we will have a battle royale for the belt!
See you in 2008.....