8/3/03 by Ted Ingraham
July was a super busy month, and with the season heading into the last two months of the year, there are plenty of things to review and update. In no particular order, here is what's been happening and the club's plans for August:
Race Rewards: Submit your points for the month of July! Race Rewards gift certificates will be awarded by August 10 (last day to submit points). Fourteen members earned $320 in gift certificates in June. Be sure to get your share of the gift certificates for July and August!
Uniforms: We have two 2003 uniform pieces available, a MEDIUM JERSEY and a MEDIUM SKINSUIT. Both pieces are new and have never been worn. Original price was $50 for the jersey and $77 for the skinsuit. We are selling the jersey for $45 and $65 for the skinsuit. Contact Ted
TOP: The Top program is having a tremendously successful year–even considering that we change the schedule every week! Tom Collier and his volunteers have done a great job running the races and we have already had many memorable races (i.e. Oak Hill!) We've had huge turnouts for nearly every event especially the time trials. The races have been well attended by club members, but non-members have actually been in the majority at most races. We also had an enjoyable, well-attended, TOP picnic at Tricia's house and we all thank Tricia for her hospitality!
TOP Schedule: True to our form all year, we continue to change the TOP schedule. Currently, we plan four races for August: Saturday, August 9 at 9:00 am. Oak Hill CR. meet at Old Trail School Thursday, August 14 at 6:30 pm. climbers TT. Course TBA Wednesday, August 20, at 6:30 pm. Hale Farm CR, meet at Old Trail School Wednesday, August 27, at 6:30. Two-man 10 mi TT, Hampton Hills. Please check the website for any last minute changes to this schedule.
Racing: From Twin Sizzler on July 4th (with a huge turnout of Freewheelers), to the TOP 10 mile time trial on the last day of July, the club had a great month of racing! A number of our members did ten or more races in the month! Five TOP events provided lots of opportunity for grass-roots racing close to home, including the Hale Farm race Saturday July 12th that had the largest field ever for a TOP race. The ADCT team has been a little banged up lately–and missing Denis! Shawn raced the grueling, ten day, Tour of Ohio in early July while Jim (Brutus!) Gilmore set records for showing up (and racing strong!) at nearly every race throughout the state! One of the best sights I've seen this year was the six-man SFW train leading out the sprint finish at the Westlake B race on July 29. Based on the performance of our up-and-coming racers, the future looks bright for club racing!
Fall Race: We still haven't given up on the idea of the club sponsoring another Fall race. Very tentatively, we are trying to do the Quick Road course on September 21. Watch for more information soon!
Club Meeting: Believe it or not, it's time to start planning for 2004! We will have the initial planning meeting on Monday August 11, at 6:00 pm at Bruggers Bagels in the valley. Everyone is encouraged to attend. This is your opportunity to express any opinions you have on the direction the club should take next year.