Writing and Photos by: Sean Sindt
Bryan Fawley (Park Place Lexus) won his second race of the spring series in Warda, Texas, last weekend by defeating Scott Henry (Team Hammerhead) by a close 1 second. Fawley has only attended 2 of the 4 races so far this spring, claiming he is concentrating on the road more than mountain bike racing in 2009. Since this race was only an hour from his home town of Austin, TX, he decided to show up.
There were 25 racers lined up on a beautiful day with temperatures in the 60’s. Course conditions were perfect. The Warda area got a little rain a few days before the race, but nothing significant. The minimal rain simply made the course dry with low dust, every racers favorite conditions.From the beginning of the race, Fawley took to the lead with Henry following right behind him. On just the first lap of four, it was clear these two riders were the strongest in the field. They pulled away from the pack early and rode together from start to finish. Coming into the last corner before turning into the finishing straight, Fawley made a move on Henry and out sprinted him to the finish line.
“I really wanted to win today. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t beat him. I felt really good.” comments Henry after the race.
Placing third was current series points leader Rick Wetherald (Solar Eclipse) and fourth was David Hanes (Ride Away Bicycles), finishing a full 2 ½ minutes behind Fawley and Henry. “I tried to ride with Fawley and Henry on the first lap but the pace was too strong. After I let them go I rode by myself for most of the race until the last lap when I saw Hanes coming.” said Wetherald. Wetherald and Hanes finished only 4 seconds apart. “If the race were a bit longer, he may have caught me.” continued Wetherald.
Hanes is beginning to be known for his slower starts and faster finishes, so riders are now expecting him to make a charge at the end of the race. This race was no different, he closed a gap of over a minute to Wetherald down to just 4 seconds in the last lap. Rounding out the top 5 was Matthew Davis (Mad Duck). Davis had a bad day in Waco last week, finishing 14th, but bounced back nicely to take 5th this time.
The TMBRA series is now half way finished with 4 out of 8 races in the books. Wetherald is leading the series with consistent top 3 finishes. He hasn’t gotten a victory yet, but he has only finished outside the top 3 once. His consistency has paid off so far. Sitting in the second spot is Hanes. Hanes has had consistent top 5 finishes and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Henry is now up to 3 overall but he has only done 3 out of 4 races. As I mentioned in the last race report, had Henry been at the second stop he would be in the series lead. At the end of the series, racers are allowed to drop their 2 lowest finishes, scoring 6 out of 8 races. Assuming these three guys continue to ride as they are now, they should be the top three finishers in the men’s pro field in 2009, the only thing left to determine is the order.
The next race of the series will be next weekend, April 5th, in Austin, TX.
Pro Men
1 Fawley Bryan Park Place Lexus 1:45:07
2 Henry Scott Team Hammerhead Bicycles 1:45:08
3 Wetherald Rick Solar Eclipse 1:47:32
4 Hanes David Ride Away Bicycles 1:47:36
5 Davis Matthew Mad Duck 1:49:00
6 Koen Kevin Team Bike Lane/Momenta Training Systems1:49:22
7 Hargis Keith 1:49:41
8 Sindt Sean Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop 1:50:31
9 Kunz Craig Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop 1:51:14
10 Parham Greg Team NRC/Kona 1:51:46
Women 19-29 Cat 1
1 McKenna Claire Team Hammerhead Racing Company Inc. 1:34:12
2 Jennings Kim SoBe Cannondale 1:41:19
3 Jenkins Julia Bike Sport / ION 1:43:18
Women 30-39 Cat 1
1 Etherton Melanie Cycle Progression 1:35:28
2 Krause Sara Team NRC 1:43:50
3 Stormer Susan Austin Flyers 1:58:29
Hanes is beginning to be known for his slower starts and faster finishes, so riders are now expecting him to make a charge at the end of the race. This race was no different, he closed a gap of over a minute to Wetherald down to just 4 seconds in the last lap. Rounding out the top 5 was Matthew Davis (Mad Duck). Davis had a bad day in Waco last week, finishing 14th, but bounced back nicely to take 5th this time.
The TMBRA series is now half way finished with 4 out of 8 races in the books. Wetherald is leading the series with consistent top 3 finishes. He hasn’t gotten a victory yet, but he has only finished outside the top 3 once. His consistency has paid off so far. Sitting in the second spot is Hanes. Hanes has had consistent top 5 finishes and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Henry is now up to 3 overall but he has only done 3 out of 4 races. As I mentioned in the last race report, had Henry been at the second stop he would be in the series lead. At the end of the series, racers are allowed to drop their 2 lowest finishes, scoring 6 out of 8 races. Assuming these three guys continue to ride as they are now, they should be the top three finishers in the men’s pro field in 2009, the only thing left to determine is the order.
The next race of the series will be next weekend, April 5th, in Austin, TX.
Pro Men
1 Fawley Bryan Park Place Lexus 1:45:07
2 Henry Scott Team Hammerhead Bicycles 1:45:08
3 Wetherald Rick Solar Eclipse 1:47:32
4 Hanes David Ride Away Bicycles 1:47:36
5 Davis Matthew Mad Duck 1:49:00
6 Koen Kevin Team Bike Lane/Momenta Training Systems1:49:22
7 Hargis Keith 1:49:41
8 Sindt Sean Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop 1:50:31
9 Kunz Craig Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop 1:51:14
10 Parham Greg Team NRC/Kona 1:51:46
Women 19-29 Cat 1
1 McKenna Claire Team Hammerhead Racing Company Inc. 1:34:12
2 Jennings Kim SoBe Cannondale 1:41:19
3 Jenkins Julia Bike Sport / ION 1:43:18
Women 30-39 Cat 1
1 Etherton Melanie Cycle Progression 1:35:28
2 Krause Sara Team NRC 1:43:50
3 Stormer Susan Austin Flyers 1:58:29
