Writing by: Sean Sindt and Sara KrausePhotos by: Sean Sindt
Race number six of the TMBRA circuit took place last weekend on Comfort, TX. Riders were excited to compete in the STORM Hill Country Challenge because of its unique omnium format. Instead of just the traditional cross country race, the weekend would consist of a 3-stage format and the overall results would be based on an accumulated points system.
Stage 1 and 2 took place Saturday with a short track race and a 4-mile time trial. The race would then conclude with the cross country as the third stage on Sunday morning. Coming into the weekend Scott Henry (Team Hammerhead) was fresh off a win at stop #5 at Reimer’s Ranch and was looking to make it 2 in a row. Defending series champion Bryan Fawley (Park Place Lexus) also showed up to give Henry some competition. Henry and Fawley went head to head at the 4th stop in the series at Warda, resulting in Fawley taking the victory by only 1 second. They were over 2 minutes clear of the field that day and based on how they are currently riding, it looked like everybody else would be racing for 3rd again.
Off the start of stage one’s short track race, the pair wasted no time with the field and quickly opened up a gap on the first lap. They rode the entire 20 minute race together until Fawley surged ahead at the end and bested Henry by only a few seconds. In a close race for 3rd was Greg Parham (NRC Pedal Masher) and Sean Sindt (Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop). Sindt had ridden solo in 3rd most of the race until Parham bridged the gap and passed Sindt on the last lap.
The second stage was a 4-mile time trial with riders leaving in 30-second intervals. Fawley had a great start but ran into some bad luck around the middle of the race and flatted, finishing 9th. Henry rode an amazing time trial until about a half mile from the finish when he too suffered a flat tire. Knowing that he was riding strong and that he was so close to the finish he decided to finish the race as best he could with the flat. “I passed him near the finish and he was riding all over the trail, desperate to still finish with a good time” said Sindt. Henry got to the line and thanks to his blistering pace early in the time trial it was still enough to take the victory. He won by 3 seconds over Payson McElveen (Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop) and 8 seconds over Sindt. “The fact that he can flat a half mile before the finish and still kick our asses just shows what kind of rider he is” said Sindt.
“I was really lucky that I flatted close to the finish” Henry commented. “If it would have happened earlier I would have had to drop.”
Coming into Sunday, Henry had a firm lock on the overall with a 1st and a 2nd. Sitting in second was Sindt(4th and 3rd), third was McElveen (5th and 2nd), and 4th was Fawley (1st and 9th). As long as Henry didn’t suffer from a mechanical, he was set to take the overall easily. Off the start he wasn’t content to sit in and cruise to victory. He took off and dropped everyone from the gun. “I punched it really hard off the start” said Henry. “It paid off and I got a good gap right away. From there I pretty much rode solo the rest of the way. I felt really good and just tried to keep Fawley behind me.”Fawley, known for being a fast starter himself, was no match for Henry on this day and had to be content with 2nd. A full 3 minutes behind Fawley it was Sindt and McElveen riding together the entire way. McElveen surged passed Sindt just before the finish line and secured 2nd overall. Sindt took fourth on the day and 3rd overall. Due to Fawley’s bad luck in the time trial, he finished 4th overall despite getting a 1st and a 2nd in the other 2 stages.
With six races down and only 2 to go, Henry has finally reached the top of the overall series standings. Unless he drops the last 2 races, Henry should become the 2009 TMBRA state champion. Sitting in 2nd currently after holding the top spot for over a month is Rick Wetherald (Solar Eclipse). Rick raced at Comfort but was suffering from an illness and wasn’t a factor in the overall. 3rd place is David Hanes (Ride Away Bicycles). Hanes also raced at Comfort but was victim to terrible luck, suffering from a broken chain and a flat tire in the cross country race, forcing him to drop out.
The women's 30-39 race saw a return of the Etherton/Krause match-up. Etherton (Cycle Progression), 33, of Austin edged out Krause (NRC/KONA) in all 3 events. The cross country was a hard fought race for both riders who were often in earshot throughout the 26 miles. Krause, who was a little lack-luster off the start line, held Etherton's lead down to 30-40 secondsfor close to 21 miles before falling off the pace and coming in a little over a minute behind the race winner. Rounding out the 30-39 race were Sheila Wadley and Kathy Karpinski in 3rd and 4th places respectively; both racers are returning after taking some time off for injuries and illness.
The Texas Mountain Bike Race Series was happy to welcome back Alex Robinette (Team Hotel San Jose) to the race scene. Robinette, who dominated the women's 30-39 race class a few years ago, stopped racing to begin a family. Now a mother of 2, Robinette said, "A weekend race is my time, and it's so much fun to just be out here." The time off didn't slow Alex down, as she laid down a commanding win in the women's 40-49 race category. Kim Ciolli (Solar Eclipse) finished 2nd with Tanya Woody (Team Hammerhead) and Kathy Johnson (Matrix RBM) in 3rd and 4th places.
In the 50+ women's field, Lisa Nye-Salladin (Hill Country Bicycle Works) won her 4th race of the season. Janis Moreman (Bicycles Inc./Trek) finished 2nd.
Two other women competed, but opted to challenge the men's fields for the entire omnium. Claire McKenna (Team Hammerhead) earned a 5th place finish in the men's 19-29 general classification, and Christina Smith (Veloforma) placed 12th in the men's 30-39 general classification.
The next race will be the GHORBA Big Ring Challenge in ColdSpring, TX on May 3rd.
Pro Men’s Results
Stage 1: Short Track
1 Bryan Fawley Park Place Lexus
2 Scott Henry Team Hammerhead Bicycles
3 Greg Parham NRC Pedal Masher
4 Sean Sindt Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
5 Payson McElveen Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
6 Craig Kunz Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
7 Noel Reuter Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
8 Mason Quintana Austin Bikes
9 William Ross Cycle Progression
10 Rick Wetherald Solar Eclipse
Stage 2: Time Trial
1 Scott Henry 15:07 Team Hammerhead Bicycles
2 Payson McElveen 15:10 Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
3 Sean Sindt 15:15 Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
4 William Ross 15:30 Cycle Progression
5 Craig Kunz 15:52 Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
6 Rick Wetherald 16:03 Solar Eclipse
7 Noel Reuter 16:04 Bicycle Sport Shop
8 Mason Quintana 16:12 Austin Bikes
9 Bryan Fawley 18:37 Park Place/Dallas Metal/Team Cap Carter
10 Greg Parham 19:33. Team NRC/Kona
Stage 3: Cross Country
1 Scott Henry 1:48:09 Team Hammerhead Bicycles
2 Bryan Fawley 1:49:04 Park Place/Dallas Metal/Team Cap Carter
3 Payson McElveen 1:52:22 Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
4 Sean Sindt 1:52:26 Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
5 Jorge Munoz 1:55:03 Gold's Gym Laredo
6 William Ross 1:55:43 Cycle Progression
7 Alex Morgan 1:56:15 Cycle Progression
8 Chris Carlson 1:56:33 Matrix/Richardson Bike Mart
9 Craig Kunz 1:57:05 Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
10 Sean Ahmadi 2:01:11 CoachAhmadi.com
Overall Omnium Results
1 Scott Henry Team Hammerhead
2 Payson McElveen Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
3 Sean Sindt Austin Flyers/Bicycle Sport Shop
4 Bryan Fawley Park Place Lexus
