Criterium Race Series 2010

Race #9 results are posted along with individual and team omnium standings. Our next race is two weeks away on August 11th, and marks the beginning of the final three races of the 2010 series.

With just three races left in the 2010 series the individual omnium standings are beginning to boil. Nobody can afford to take a week off at this point or you will tumble down the standings. Miss the winning breakaway or have an off night and you're going to miss out on valuable omnium points. Whether or not you are going after the championship title belt or tiara you should be focused on gaining spots on the overall standings. Placing as high as possible in the standings should be your goal; no matter if it is a podium spot or top 20!

The hottest omnium battles are taking place in the Pro/1/2/3 and Category 4 fields. Harkins, Mahan and Guzak may have NashvilleCyclist.com next to their names, but in the crit series they regularly wear different jerseys and race against one another. Harkins takes over the top step for now after his victory in Race #9. Places 4th through 10th are also up in the air as only 21 points separate the riders. In the Category 4 field Kenneth Poole of Biker's Choice and Josh Webb of Gran Fondo are battling for the top two spots on the podium. Poole has taken the edge after winning Race #9, but Webb is till within striking distance with three races to go. Plus, Mark Horne of the Harpeth Bicycles Racing Team can still spoil the party and unseat Poole or Webb.

While the Women and Category 5 fields have more separation on points there are still unsettled spots on the podium. Team Belladium has total control of the Women podium with Lisa Starmer poised to take home the tiara. Jeffrey Davis of Trace Bikes has assured himself the championship belt in the Category 5 field since mathematically nobody can earn enough points to match him. Now that Davis has the belt sewn up you will likely see him in the Category 4 race for the final three races! The battle now is for 2nd and 3rd between Shawn Ewing of the Harpeth Bicycles Racing Team and Jonathan Hamby, but several others are within striking distance of the podium.

Let's not forget there is a team omnium competition as well. The NashvilleCyclist.com has a stranglehold on the top spot, but the question remains will the ladies of Team Belladium hold off the Harpeth Bicycles Racing Team? The team omnium competition rewards those teams not only with strength in ability, but also with teams possessing men and women both who can finish in the top 15 of their respective race. An opportunity for all teams to take note is the amount of points earned by riders listed as "unattached", which totals almost enough to place 3rd overall! In other words, the future rosters of every team should include riders currently racing without a team. If we all want this sport to grow and prosper then one sure way is to turn an unattached rider into an attached rider.

Standing on the top steps on August 25th is an achievement worth fighting for, so plan to stake your claim on a podium spot!

Below are the omnium podium standings after Race #9

Pro/1/2/3
1st - Patrick Harkins - NashvilleCyclist.com - 118 points
2nd - Brent Mahan - NashvilleCyclist.com - 101 points
3rd - Jason Guzak - NashvilleCyclist.com - 100 points

Women
1st - Lisa Starmer - Team Belladium - 182 points
2nd - Parri Gilbride - Team Belladium - 150 points
3rd - Lisa Check - Team Belladium - 133 points

Category 4
1st - Kenneth Poole - Team Biker's Choice - 161 points
2nd - Josh Webb - Gran Fondo - 152 points
3rd - Mark Horne - Harpeth Bicycles Racing Team - 120 points

Category 5
1st - Jeffrey Davis - Trace Bikes - 175 points
2nd - Shawn Ewing - Harpeth Bicycles Racing Team - 92 points
3rd - Jonathan Hamby - unattached - 82 points

Team Omnium Standings
1st - NashvilleCyclist.com - 967 points
2nd - Team Belladium - 667 points
3rd - Harpeth Bicycles Racing Team - 554 points

You know the drill; I provide the ice cold water, primes, payouts, championship belt and the opportunity to race your hearts out, and all you have to do is show up, pay up and pin on a number! As always, thank you to everyone for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, August 11th!

** Continue to follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nashvillcyclist for timely updates on the series and LP Field weather conditions on race day!

The 2010 Wednesday night race dates are:

May 26 - - June 16, 23 & 30
July 14, 21, 28 - - August 11, 18 & 25

Additional weekend dates:

July 24 & 25

Race #4 recap from June 30th
If you were fortunate enough to attend Race #4 on June 30th you probably walked up and thought, "Wow, this is pretty freakin' cool!" We had it all - sponsor tents set up, mechanical support from MOAB, smoothies from Smoothie King of Belle Meade, DJ Modo with music and announcing, cool primes from Magli Honey Co. and Gateway Tire & Service, and lastly Joe Dubin of WKRN Channel 2 Sports was there to do a LIVE interview and showcase the criterium series to their viewers. In all our six years of over 70+ racing events this night exceeded them all with a vibe we can hopefully build upon for the future.

Go HERE for the LIVE interview Joe Dubin of WKRN conducted on 6 pm news.

Go HERE for Joe's 10 pm sports segment on WKRN highlighting our growth & success.

The GOLD title sponsor is Toyo Tires serviced by Gateway Tire & Service. There are 10 Middle Tennessee locations for all your tire, repair and maintenance needs.

Supporting SILVER sponsor is MOAB – Murfreesboro Outdoor & Bicycle, the premier full service bicycle shop and outdoor retailer in Middle Tennessee.