Mercer MTB Team Finishes the Season Strong!

The SECCC MTB championships were held this past weekend in Conyers, Georgia in the 1996 Olympic Horse Park. This weekend consisted of a super technical time trial on Saturday morning, brutal Short track on Saturday afternoon and a Cross Country race on the actual 1996 Olympic trail Sunday morning. Evan Ayoub, Gabriel Denes, Dustin Prater, and Charles Weaving all competed representing the Mercer Cycling team, and produced great results! In the Collegiate B category, Denes Placed 7th in the time trial, 11th in the Short track, and 7th in XC. In the Collegiate C category, Weaving placed 1st in time trial, 2nd in the Short track, and 2nd in XC. Ayoub and Praeter joined the team on Sunday for the XC race, with Ayoub following closely in 3rd and Prater making a strong finish in 12th place.

The team finished the season strong with two members in contention for points. Up-and-coming Freshman Charles Weaving Finished the season at the top of Collegiate C's in 2nd, 2nd and 3rd place for XC, Short track, and TT. Denes finished in 3rd for the Collegiate B XC, his specialty. The Team only raced 3 out of the 6 races in the series and for the guys to finish this high was much better than expected! The team plans to attend all of the races next year and place even higher in the finals!


Evan Ayoub
A thoroughbred racer with and extensive history and credentials from SECCC spring road season, Evan Ayoub joined the Mercer MTB team this fall to compete in the collegiate series, and plans to dominate in the spring with the return of the SECCC road series and the GSC Mountain bike series.



Dustin Tyler Prater
New to the team, but definitely not cycling, Dustin joined the MTB, Cyclocross, and Road teams this fall. He plans to race the Collegiate and Georgia Cyclocross series this winter and plans to dominate. He will accompany the road team in the spring for the SECCC and Domestic road races.



Charles Weaving
Charles is the newest addition to the team and is making huge strides as a freshman! He has an extensive history in racing off road marathon events and is planning on joining the Mercer Cyclocross team in racing this winter along with the Collegiate "C" Road team this spring. He is a great asset to the team and is expected to place very highly this spring. He plans to move up to the Collegiate B category next fall in the 2011 MTB season and dominate again.



Gabriel Denes
The elder racer of the team, Denes has been racing since the age of 15. He is currently racing the Georgia Circuit on the Sport level and plans to move up to the Expert level in the Summer. He plans on Racing the Collegiate Road Season with the Cat4/Collegiate B team and plans to dominate. He also plans to upgrade after the Collegiate season and race Cat3 road this summer after much work with his coach.


Look forward to more updates of the rest of the Cyclocross and Road teams on plans for the 2011 racing season!

Lockwood Completes First Century at Sequatchie

- Dunlap, TN -

It was a long tough ride over rolling, scenic hills in middle Tennessee, but Mercer grad student Andrew Lockwood completed his first century in 4 hours 23 minutes 8 seconds for an average speed of 22.8 mph.

"It was a blast for my first century and I exceeded my goal of 5 hours by quite a bit," said Lockwood. "It's definitely an event that I want to put on the calendar every year and one that I'd highly recommend to anyone training for a long distance ride."

Lockwood joining his Dad in his first cycling event, was a bit spent after the 100 mile journey, commenting, "We only stopped once at the 77-mile marker and I was cramping a bit at the end. In all honesty though, the peloton and the weather pulled me right through this one and although I'm tired, I thought I'd be completely dead after my first century."

Mercer Racks up at Clemson!

-Macon, GA-
The Mountain bikers of the Mercer Cycling team traveled 4 hours north this weekend to race in Greenville, South Carolina. Elizabeth Lee represented the team in the Womens B/Cat2 division, Charles Weaving represented the team in Men's C/Cat5, and Gabriel Denes represented in the Men's B/Cat3 division.

Lee Swept up this weekend with a first place finish in both the short track cross country races. Freshman Charles Weaving has made his mark on the Men's C circuit, taking second place in both the short track and cross country races. Charles now holds second place in the southeast for Men's C cross country and third place for short track.



Denes crashed hard in his short track race, only able to fight up to 8th place before the finish. In the Men's B/Cat3 cross country race, Denes placed second, 26 seconds behind the win. Denes recalls," The race sunday was brutal. It started out raining in the morning, which made the course completely soupy. We all ran super low pressure in our tires to try to get at least some grip through the course, though we had to get off the bikes and sprint up several of the hills. There were several big crashes in my category due to all the muck and mud. I sprinted in the holeshot to make first in the woods, and made a gap along with two other riders on the rest of the pack. We led out for a while, until I caught a tree with my bars and was thrown off the bike. It put me far enough back to have a brutal fight to finish in second."


-Men's B Start-



The Team plans to finish the Collegiate MTB Season this weekend with the Conference Championships in Conyers, GA at the GA Tech race. Look forward to more podium finishes next week!

Victories, Thrills, and Spills at Columbus & Dauset

- Columbus, GA -
Results

It was a tough final weekend of racing for the Mercer Cycling team as the squad was represented at the 12 Hours of Dauset Mountain Bike Race as well as the Uptown Columbus Omnium. The outcome of the weekend: one huge crash, a few top-10 finishes, a team trophy, and a tired squad.

Gabe Denes, Charles Weaving, and Elizabeth Lee traveled to Jackson, Georgia for the grueling endurance event. Weaving, opting for the solo division race, placed 16th in a hard fought effort while Lee would finish 3rd in the female category. Gabe Denes teamed up with another racer to win the 2-person race trophy, a coveted feat.

Meanwhile, in southwest Georgia, Kevin Roberts and Andrew Lockwood entered Saturday's time trial (6 miles) along the banks of the city's river and scorched the trial, finishing with times of 15:08 and 15:10 respectively. Lockwood would take 4th, just 8 seconds from the third place finisher while Roberts would finish in 5th.

Detecting illness, Roberts sat out of the Saturday afternoon race in Hurtsboro, Alabama where a massive crash with 1 mile to go took out any chances for a Top-5 finish for Lockwood.

"They combined the Cat 5's and juniors with us and unfortunately I was behind a rider who somehow make a huge mistake during an acceleration," said Lockwood. "I went over my handlebars, flipped over on my helmet and my bike went flying by someone's face. I was really lucky to leave with just scrapes."

Despite the crash, Lockwood lost only 2 minutes and continued to the finish line to secure an 8th place finish.


Sunday's criterium saw Denes, Lockwood, Weaving, and Denes' father (also sporting the MU kit) team up in the fast crit around downtown Columbus. Averaging over 25 mph for the race, Lockwood won an early prime but lost ground gradually through the race. Denes, despite the fatigue from the Dauset race the day before, managed a 4th place finish while Lockwood would finish 11th. Weaving, racing in his first criterium, would fall 4 laps down in 12th.

Lockwood accumulated enough points throughout the weekend to place 3rd in the Omnium Standings for Category 4. The elder Denes would also take 3rd in his respective category, sporting the Mercer jersey for the weekend.

"It was a great last weekend or racing for our team," said the team racing director. "We really made huge strides throughout the year and I think we'll be much stronger next season," he added.

Mercer Mountain Bike Team Looks Strong at SECCC event at FSU

- Tallahassee, FL -
Results

Racing in the second SECCC Mountain Bike event this fall held in Tallahassee, Florida, three members of Mercer Cycling competed in the short track and cross country races. Gabe Denes and Elizabeth Lee, two of the usual suspects on Mercer's team traveled as did newcomer Charles Weaving, a freshman Vocal Performance/Biology major out of Lawrenceville, Georgia.

In the short track race, a race around a 500 meter course that resembles a criterium, Gabe Denes showed power early on, rocketing to the front, but dropped back to the pack later in the race to finish 6th in Category B. Elizabeth Lee also looked strong in her second place finish in the Women's B category while Charles Weaving had the most interesting short track race of them all.

After leading 12 laps of the race, Weaving heard a loud pop coming from his front fork in what resulted as a destroyed rim. Running across the finish line with his bike in hand, Weaving still managed to salvage a 4th place finish in the 'C' group.

The next day, two of the three riders saw 1st place finishes in the cross country event. After buying a new rim, Weaving took his first collegiate victory after passing slower traffic in front of him and Elizabeth Lee held off a trio of riders from Warren Wilson College to take the top spot in Women's 'B'.

Unfortunately, Sunday's race wasn't easy for Denes as he crashed 6 times in the sand, breaking a seatpost and doing plenty of damage to his bike. Despite the wrecks, Denes fought back from 7th to finish 4th in his second race of the mountain bike season.

Denes Grabes 15th in Grant Park State Crit Championships

- Atlanta, GA -

Moving up to Category 4 with fellow teammates Kevin Roberts and Andrew Lockwood, sophomore engineering major Gabe Denes continued to show signs of improvement on his bike after a hard summer's worth of work. Racing on the hilly Grant Park criterium course, Denes cruised to a 15th place finish out of the field of 75.

"Being my first Cat4 race, I was only hoping to finish," Denes said afterward. "It was definitely an experience watching the field move from 75 riders down to nearly 30 as I plugged along. The 5 laps sign came earlier than I had expected, and sure enough, the pace increased a heck of a lot more once the signs went up."

According to his Garmin, Denes' average heart-rate averaged out at 186 bpm for the race, an extremely high level of performance for the up-and-coming athlete.

"I had never done that before and was shocked to see the numbers afterwords," Denes added. "I made sure to spin up the hills and stay aero in the descent to stay as efficient as possible, trying to conserve energy for my goal of just finishing the race. Now that I know I can sustain these numbers, I'll push myself harder in the next race and try for a podium. I'm happy with the result of the race, and am excited for my next crit, knowing my parameters and that I can push myself just that much more."

To check out Gabe's numbers visit his Garmin Account here.

Consistent Top-10 Finishes for Lockwood & Roberts at Georgia Cup's Dalton Grand Prix

- Dalton, GA -
Results

Racing in their first and second Georgia Cup Racing Series events respectively, Andrew Lockwood and Kevin Roberts powered their way to top finishes in this past weekend's Dalton Grand Prix Omnium. Skipping the early morning time trial Saturday, Roberts and Lockwood teamed up for a pair of top-10 finishes in Saturday night's criterium in downtown Dalton. Covering 0.73 miles over two blocks per lap, the field of approximately 30 riders got off to a fast start, averaging over 25 mph during the course of the 40 minute, 23 lap affair.

"I loved the course," commented Lockwood after the race. "It was a great venue minus this slight lip on the backstretch. My water bottle popped off my bike during the first lap when I hit it. Other than that, it was an extremely fast course."

Roberts kindly shared his other water bottle with Lockwood along the front stretch of the race, helping his teammate in distress. "I felt like a pro in the peloton handing him a bottle," Roberts said jokingly. "It was a great race though and one I felt like I could've certainly won at the end."

Roberts had a strong showing in the criterium, leading at times throughout the race. His attack late in the race was derailed by a communication mishap from officials about the number of laps left in the race. Despite the mishap, Roberts coasted across the line in 5th place while Lockwood claimed 8th.

The road race on Saturday in Adairsville took a last minute twist when race officials decided to add the Cat 4 field to the Cat 5s, limiting the race to only 48 miles (from the original 60). Roberts once again felt his aggressive bone stir inside his body, making a 15 second gap on the field midway through the race for about 15 minutes. However, the field of 68 riders soon reeled him back in despite some sandbagging from Lockwood in the front.

Late in the race, both Roberts and Lockwood set themselves up for a final sprint to the line by making a sharp descent down the final hills in the top three positions. Roberts gave an unbelievable leadout to the line before bonking with only 100 meters to go. Lockwood would chase a few riders in, coming in 6th while Roberts dropped to 12th.

"It was a great weekend to race," said Lockwood. "There's such a big difference when you've got a teammate you can depend on in the peloton. It makes a world of difference."

Roberts Places 10th at Waterfront; Denes Finishes 2nd in GSC Race

- Macon, GA -

An avid triathlete, Kevin Roberts likes to change up his training plans in the summer. Known for his climbing ability, Roberts' first love was actually three loves - triathlons. Taking a short hiatus from bike racing, Roberts trained for Chattanooga's Waterfront Olympic Triathlon, one of the largest races in the south that attracted over 1,400 contestants this year alone.

Waking up early, Roberts waited his turn at the swim start as officials permitted 3 second gaps between each contestant jumping into the Tennessee River. Finishing the 1500m swim in a little over 25 minutes, Roberts was extremely pleased with the first leg of his race.

"It felt great coming out of the water. Take away the current [downstream] and that was probably my best triathlon swim split ever," Roberts said.

He followed the strong swim with an even stronger bike leg, averaging over 23 mph on the 26 mile course along Highway 27. The bike course looped around downtown, starting near the Chattanooga Lookout's AT&T Field before heading out to Soddy Daisy for the turn-around.

"The bike course was certainly something I didn't expect. On the way back I passed a lady who said, 'Go on boy! Ride like you stole something!'," commented Roberts. He did ride considerably faster than most of the field, giving him an advantage when the 6.2 mile run along the Tennessee River started.

Fighting off the heat, Roberts averaged 7:44/mile during the final leg to final with a personal best 2:25:50. Placing 10th in the 25 man field, Roberts was estactic about his finish.

"Overall the race was put on extremely well and it was one of the nicest venues I have raced at and a lot of fun," the junior commented.

Denes Finishes 2nd in GSC Race


Continuing to race in the Georgia State Championship mountain bike series, Gabe Denes recently posted another podium finish, placing 2nd. The 10 mile race featured over 2,600 ft of climbing and the course was quite technical in nature, posing a big challenge for the field.

"I had been training for the hills for the past month and knew I was ready. My coach set me up with hill repeats twice a week and uber hilly endurance rides on the weekend," said Denes.

Denes would finish a minute behind the race winner, partly due to a wrong turn, but was pleased with the result. Denes finishes his GSC campaign on August 15th in Helen, GA.

MU Cycling Welcomes GU Energy Sponsorship

- Macon, GA -

After a wildly successful first season in the collegiate road cycling ranks, Mercer Cycling announces the addition of GU Energy as the team's official energy/food supplement partner for the 2010 season.

"I'm very happy to see GU Energy on board with our team's mission and I see this being a win-win for both MU Cycling and GU Energy," commented team racing director Andrew Lockwood.

GU Energy, based in Berkeley, CA, provides an assortment of sports nutritional supplements and energy products for athletes including GU Chomps, Electrolyte Brew, Recovery Brew, and Roctane. For more details on GU products, visit their website at: www.guenergy.com.

Lee Races to GA State Championship; Denes Making Strides

- Macon, GA -

Sophomore Gabriel Denes continues to make leaps and bounds in his young cycling career, most recently posting a 3rd place finish in the Georgia State Championship (#6) Race in Eatonton, Georgia. Currently, he sits in 4th place although he aspires to move up to the podium by the season’s end. After the June 27th event, Denes will next race in Elijay, Georgia on July 18th in the 7th race of the GSC series.

As for the lone lady on the squad, Elizabeth Lee also continues to enjoy the summer race schedule with Georgia State Road Race Championship, held in Augusta, Georgia. During the 60 mile race, heat was certainly a factor and with a shortage of shade, Lee took the first part of the race in stride. However, during the 2nd lap of the 15 mile course, Lee attempted an attack on the large field, but to no avail. Battling hot temperatures, dehydration, and a split field that included Category 1, 2, 3, and 4 women, Lee battled the field splits to win the Category 3 Georgia State Champion Jersey! Lee’s win is the first state champion jersey for Mercer Cycling, coming in the team’s first season.

Lee followed her championship run on the road with a 6th place finish in the Criterium race the next day. The following weekend, a 2nd place finish in the Rock Hawk Effigy and Trails Mountain Bike Race saw Lee move up to 3rd in her respective category in the Georgia State Championship standings.

Upcoming races for individuals representing the Mercer Cycling squad include the French Broad Classic (Asheville, NC), Gwinnet Bike Festival (Gwinnet, GA), and the Georgia State Championship Mountain Bike Racing Series.

*Check out Gabe Denes's performances via the new 'Performance' tab on the site*

MU Cycling Adds Summer Race Schedule; Team Updates

- Macon, GA -

With temperatures moving into the 90s and heat indexes approaching 100 degrees, Mercer Cycling transitions into the summer session in which many of its riders will compete on an individual basis. Several team members, led by Elizabeth Lee, will represent the orange and black this coming weekend at the Georgia State Road Championship held in Ft. Gordon. Other highlights of the summer schedule include the bike events ranging from the French Broad Cycling Classic (Asheville, NC) to the Gwinnet Bike Fest (Duluth, GA) to the Georgia Cup's Dalton Grand Prix in late July. A pair of triathlons also make the calendar as Kevin Roberts looks to conquer the Tennessee River at the BMW of Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon and the Augusta 70.3 in September.

Of course, plenty of action has already occured this summer highlighted by sophomore Austin Sholly's trip across Florida for Journey of Hope. Participating in Gear Up Florida as a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, Sholly helped raise support for handicapped and disabled children along his ride.

Gabe Denes has also been busy on the racing circuit with appearances at Columbus's Aflac Grand Prix and mountain bike races in the Georgia State Championship Series. He also completed a rather long ride from his hometown (Columbus, GA) to Mexico Beach, Florida.

Kevin Roberts has kept the wheels spinning back at home, most recently competing in the Tour of Atlanta's road race around Burnt Mountain. His 19th place finish was a solid notch on his cycling record for the year in his first GA Cup Race of the season.

Elizabeth Lee has also been getting a "bear's" share of riding in this summer, completing most recently in the GSC Mountain Bike race in Jackson, GA. Despite a rough start and extremely hot temperatures, Lee hung on for a 5th place finish. She also notched her first endurance mountain bike race, finishing 5th in the solo category at the 6 hours of Tsali in North Carolina.

"I was tired, dirty, muddy, and ready to get the race over with after the fifth hour, but I was proud to accomplish what I did in the race," commented Lee.

A large part of the team has used the month away from school to settle into their summer jobs and school work while still spinning at local rides. Stay tuned for more results from this summer's race season as well as updates on the upcoming mountain bike and cyclocross seasons in the coming months.

Mercer Cycling would also like to wish Jason Glow the best as he continues his residency in Honolulu, Hawaii. Glow, a 2010 Boston Marathon contestant, ironman, and all-arounder on the bike, will be missed. While the weather might be better in the Pacific, we'll miss his presence at our races.

2010 Summer Racing Schedule

May 22-23, Aflac GP (Columbus, GA)
May 22, 6 Hours of Tsali (Bryson City, NC)
May 30, GSMB #4 (West Point, GA)
June 13, GSC #5 (Jackson, GA)
June 19, GA Road Championship (Ft. Gordon, GA)
July 11, Waterfront Tri (Chattanooga, TN)
July 16-18, French Broad (Asheville, NC)
July 25-26, Gwinnet Bike Fest (Duluth, GA)
July 31 - 1, Dalton GP (Dalton, GA)
Aug. 7, Covington Century (Covington, GA)
Aug. 28-29, River Gorge Omni (Chattanooga, TN)
Sept. 18-19, US Nationals (Greenville, SC)
Sept. 26, Augusta 70.3 [Tri] (Augusta, GA)

Lockwood and Roberts Move to Cat 4 / CollegiateB

- Macon, GA -

After a busy spring season of racing, two of the cornerstones of Mercer Cycling's young team, Andrew Lockwood and Kevin Roberts have moved up to Category 4 / Collegiate B for the continuation of the 2010 season.

Lockwood moves up a category despite winning a race early in the season with consistent finshes at the top of the pack. In criteriums and road races this season, he has four Top-5s, seven Top-10s, and three team time-trial victories alongside Roberts. He also finished runner-up to Roberts in the early Tundra Time Trials held in February.

Roberts, fresh off a victory at the Cat 5 race in the Macon Cycling Classic, boasts a strong resume during his first full season of racing. Known as a strong time-trialist and climber, Roberts won the collegiate division in this year's Tundra Time Trials and has helped propel the three team trials he's been a part of to victories [Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Furman]. Along with his criterium win, Roberts adds three Top-5s and six Top-10s to his resume so far in 2010.

[Click to Enlarge Results]

Lee Finishes 18th (RR) and 17th (Crit) at Nationals!

Results-

Madison, WI -

Mercer Cycling's first entry into the USA Cycling Collegiate Nationals certainly did well in the orange and black considering her competition. With colleges across the nation represented at the Nationals weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, Mercer junior Elizabeth Lee rode to a 18th place finish in frigid conditions during the road race Friday while hanging on to the main peloton to finish 17th in the criterium held Saturday afternoon around the state capitol.

Friday's road race turned out to be rather cold with temperatures hovering in the mid-40s for most of the morning. Despite barely warming up, Lee felt like she had her legs underneath her and proved so during the early parts of the race. Despite being dropped from the peloton on the first two major climbs of the race, Lee raced back onto the main group before being permanently seperated from the pack after the third climb. The race, approximately 60 miles in length, was a contest of endurance for Lee who would finish 18th out of the 23 that completed the race. Thirty women would start the event eventually won by Arielle Filiberti of Dartmouth.

"I was a little disappointed about being dropped early in the race, but I was happy to finish," Lee said afterwards.

Saturday's criterium event proved to be a better match for Lee's abilities as she powered on the peloton to finish 17th. The 45 minute race saw plenty of windy conditions around the course that circled the capitol. The race saw a three-man breakaway that almost lapped the entire field while Lee stayed within the pack to complete her first national criterium event. Filiberti also would win the criterium for a sweep at Nationals.

"It was a great experience," added Elizabeth. "I wish I had positioned myself for a better finish, but I was pretty happy to have stayed with the main field."

Elizabeth Lee to race in Nationals!

- Madison, WI -

The capital of Wisconsin is certainly a long way from Macon, Georgia, but that's where junior Elizabeth Lee will be representing Mercer Cycling for the 2010 U.S. Collegiate Nationals. Lee, a qualifier in the 'A' category out of the SECCC conference, will race May 8th and 9th in the orange and black. She was the only female individual in the D2 level of the SECCC to get appointed to the race by conference director Nathan Haslick.

"We're very excited for Elizabeth," commented team director Andrew Lockwood. "She's put a ton of work in over the past few years and this seems to only be the culmination of that experience."

This season, Lee has garnerned 11 Top-10 finishes, 5 Top-5 finishes, and a win at the Flat Rock Mountain Bike Race earlier in April. Racing for Mercer Cycling and in the offseason for Kudzu.com/Fulton Flyers Cycling Club, Lee is the first Mercer cyclist to represent the team on a national level.


For more information on the 2010 U.S. Collegiate National weekend, visit (here).

Roberts Takes First in Macon!

Photos
Results
- Macon, GA -

Saturday's first Macon Cycling Classic had the hometown feel that race organizers were aiming for as teams from across the southeast gathered around Tatnall Square Park for exciting cycling action all day long. Hosted by Walthall Oil Cycling and Mercer Cycling, the hometown teams had the advantage of knowing the course well. The 1 km course around the park is home or close to home for many of the collegiate racers.

Mercer Cycling had five entries in three races throughout the day as Elizabeth Lee (Cat 3/4 & Pro-1-2-3), Kevin Roberts, Andrew Lockwood, Paul Rush and Austin Sholly joined in on the action. After the morning juniors races, Elizabeth Lee started things off for Mercer as she finished 4th in the 12 person field.

Immediately after her race, the Category 5 race featured nearly 20 cyclists at the starting line with strong representation from Mercer Cycling. After three quick laps around the circuit, Kevin Roberts, Andrew Lockwood, and Atlanta-native Curtis Strange found themselves in a three-man breakaway, distancing themselves from the field. Austin Sholly and Paul Rush led the charge in the chase group, but the 35+ minute event turned into a cat-and-mouse game as Roberts, Lockwood, and Strange worked together to lap nearly half of the field.

On the last lap of the race, Lockwood pulled away initially from the field in turn 3 with a half a second gap but was caught on the final straightway as Strange and Roberts passed him. Roberts would eventually outsprint Strange to the line to win his first ever criterium event.


"What a great win for Kevin," said Lockwood after the race. "I couldn't think of a better way to win your first race than right in front of your school in front of your biggest fans and supporters. I'm extremely proud of all the members of our team today for representing our team in great fashion," Lockwood added.

Celebration ensued after the race as Sholly rode to a 10th place finish followed by Paul Rush.

After sporting her Kudzu.com/Fulton Flyer's club jersey earlier in the day, Lee donned the Mercer Orange and Black in the small field for the Women's Pro-1-2 race. Unofficially, Lee kept pace with the group to finish 5th.

Mercer Cycling wants to thank all of the students, faculty members, friends, and parents that showed up to the 1st Annual Macon Cycling Classic to support the team and the race!