An unexpectedly large crowd of racers turned out for the first race of the Southern Classic Series hosted by Paul’s Cycling and Fitness at Hobby Park in Winston-Salem, NC. The Inland Construction Cycling Team was well represented. Chilly morning air greeted the early racers, which including Inland’s Cat. 2 riders. Alison Manning finished her first mountain bike race in Inland colors with a second place. Craig Scalf and Michael Lockhart finished the Cat. 2 30-39 men’s race in 6th and 8th places, respectively.

The pro race started at high noon under crisp blue skies. Lucas Livermon, Charlie Pendry, Matt Rotroff, and Charlie Storm all toed the line for Inland Construction. The fast start up the soapbox derby track always makes getting the holeshot interesting, and this race was no different. A group of four including Pendry hit the singletrack first and quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field. A spectator on a bicycle clipped Pendry as he was clinging to the back of this group, and he found himself with a sizeable gap that he was unable to close after checking out his bike. Rotroff had a solid ride to finish sixth just behind Pendry. Livermon and Storm found themselves battling with a large group of riders, and they managed to sneak into the top-10 in an unusually close group sprint.

Meanwhile, in the Cat. 1 races, Tim Welch and Todd Hunter placed 3rd and 4th respectively. Tim was caught out by the tricky hill at the start, but rode a solid race picking off riders one by one. Todd started strong and stayed with the leaders before fading slightly near the end of the race.

The Inland Construction Elite Road Team sent two members, Matt Howe and John Crow, to the Winter’s End Criteriums in Columbia, SC over the March 14-15 weekend. The weather led to epic race conditions but this did not deter some of the top talent in the southeast from throwing down. The first race was held just north of Columbia in Blythewood, SC on a flat fast circuit with a slight uphill finish. The racing was fast from the gun with many blistering attacks over the first few laps stringing out the field. The stronger moves were covered by Matt and John but the field was not letting any moves escape. As the race wound down the pace wound up, causing a single file line for the final 3 laps. Though they weren’t able to get in an ideal position for the sprint, Matt and John were able to finish in the top 15 with 9th and 13th places respectively.

The second race was held in a neighborhood in eastern Columbia, and the rain and cold weather were back for the second day in a row. The course had a climb on the back side that led to downhill finish. The race played out much like Saturday’s with a flurry of attacks from the gun, but again with so much firepower in the field no moves were able to stay away. With five laps to go the field size had been halved. On the final lap Matt attacked on the climb, but it was not to be and he was chased down and caught inside of the final 400 meters. He was able to hang on for a solid 9th place finish. Despite the constant rain and fielding only two members the Inland Construction Elite road team had a successful early season race. The tone is set for an exciting and successful season of racing.

The 2009 mountain bike season is now officially under way. The Inland Construction Pro Mountain Bike Team traveled to Florida for the traditional southeast season opener in Gainesville. The weather was fine and the field was fast; nineteen pros toed the line. Fitness levels vary widely this time of year, so the race in Florida often produces interesting results. Inland pros Scott Frederick, Lucas Livermon, Charlie Pendry, and Matt Rotroff were ready to test their fitness. Todd Hunter represented the team in the XC-1 40-49 category.

Three Inland riders chose to start on the new high-volume 2.25 inch Cobra Tubeless Light tires from Hutchinson. The fast rolling tread pattern was ideally suited to the fast course and the volume allowed for tire pressures as low as 20psi giving the Inland riders a nice advantage in the rougher sections.

The riders stayed close for the first lap, but by the end of the second lap a group of four riders containing Inland Construction’s Charlie Pendry had separated themselves from the rest. Local favorite Ryan Woodall continually attacked but never managed to get more than a few seconds advantage on the other riders who kept him in check for the duration of the race. Nonetheless, his keen knowledge of the trail gave him the advantage and he managed to hold onto a small lead through the last section to take the win. Pendry rolled across the line just a few seconds back for fourth place.

Scott Frederick had an excellent race in his pro debut to cross the line in sixth place. Livermon finished in 10th and Rotroff faded from a solid top-10 ride to finish 14th.