Wolverine Racing

Team Gear

2010-08-06T11:09:00.001-04:00

The Wolverine Racing Team is selling team hats. $20 gets you a sweet hat and a custom name along the side.

The hats are a unique way to get family and friends involved in supporting the WSC Racing Team.

Please contact Adrian Fear if interested

asarkoz@yahoo.com

Summer Success

2010-07-29T11:14:00.001-04:00

The Wolverines have been hard at work across Michigan and the national scene, securing tons of podium finishes and victories for the team. Everyone seems to have great legs heading into the finals weeks of the season and we plan to bring home many more victories for the team and our sponsors. We are making great use of our Stuffit Shoe Savers and EZ Bike Stands at all of our races and turning heads with our team bikes from Trek and American Cycle and Fitness.

The Wolverine juniors recently tore it up at Junior Nationals. Danny Gerow also represented Wolverine Racing on the top stop of the podium at MTB Nationals as well.

Here are some great pictures from the recent criterium in Flint, Le Champion Pave.

Summer Update

2010-07-11T20:21:00.000-04:00

The team has been had at work recording some solid results in the Michigan scene. Sarah Demerly is the new time trial champion of the state of Michigan, Michael Ventola recording a W at Superior Bike Fest, Tom Kachelmeyer riding solid at the Tour of America's Dairyland, and Tim Finkel earning the title of the Michigan single speed endurance champion. This month the team is racing locally and also nationally with several riders planning trips to Superweek to test the waters against the country's best professional racers.

Only the Beginning

2010-06-17T09:57:00.001-04:00

The team has been very active over the past few weeks and has placed MANY riders on the podium. With the help of his teammates, Ryan Cross scored the first major win of the MBRA points series at Tour of Mont Pleasant Crit. He followed up with a 2nd place the following day, and the team placed multiple riders in the money. On the woman's side, Sarah Demerly rode to a solid 2nd place in the road race to end a solid weekend of racing for the elite team.

Mont Pleasant media coverage of the event can be seen here!

The team is beginning to spread its winning ways to all parts of the country with riders venturing down to KY for a stage race, Canada for some local racing, and plans to head to Wisconsin and Chicago in the coming months for the Tour of America's Dairyland and Superweek for some racing on the national stage. This looks like only the beginning to what is becoming a very successful season for the Wolverine Elite Team.

To The Trails

2010-05-24T15:26:00.000-04:00

With a lull in road racing two weekends ago, many riders took to the trails at Stoney Creek for a 6/12 hours race. Below are pictures from the past week and a half of racing.

Wolverines have also put in some stellar rides in Grattan (Ryan Cross) and Ciociaro (Dybo and Kroske) recently.

The West Branch Classic proved to be a great test of strength for the team, however, we are still chasing the elusive W in a category and MBRA race. In the words of Ray, "Some of the best lessons are those learned through defeat." A handful of top tens over the weekend was nice, but certainly not satisfying. The team will regroup and give it another go at Frankenmuth.

TOKV and Cone Recap

2010-05-12T16:07:00.000-04:00

This past weekend marked the second and third races in the 2010 Michigan Challenge Series: the Tour of Kensington Valley, and Cone Azalia.

The team rode strong at Kensington but missed the winning break early and was left to race for the remaining spots. Strong winds and cold temperatures equated to small fields but there was still plenty of suffering taking place all over the road. We took 5th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th in the Pro 1/2 and 4th and 16th in Cat. 3 The Rayster took 7th in the masters 45-54 field, and Bill Sherwood took 3rd in the Cat. 5 race. On the womens P/1/2 side, Sarah Demerly took 9th. The Wolverine juniors lit it up with Luke Mullis taking 1st and Spencer Virtue taking 4th in their respective categories.

Cone Azalia brought better weather, but manage to shatter the dreams of many in the form of flats tires, broken chains, and other mechanical problems. We took 8th, 13th, 15th, and 18th in the Pro 1/2, 3rd in the Cat. 3, 16th in the Cat. 4, and 11th in the Cat 5. The juniors again took all the glory on day with 1st place finishes in both the Women's 13-14 and Men's 10-12 categories.

Overall, it was a great weekend of racing. We have a had a great spring with a handful of victories in training races and various training series. However, the elite team is still looking for a big result on the big Michigan stage. Expect a strong bounce back from this weekend and strong rides in races to come.

World Championships (sort of)

2010-05-07T10:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the Wolverines showed up in full force at the Waterford Hills Race Series. Chilly weather and upcoming races meant a relatively small field, but there was plenty of activity from the gun. The team rode great and moves were a plenty. The team instigated solo fliers, small breaks, and multiple field splits but after 90 minutes, the race ended in a field sprint controlled by a solid Wolverine leadout courtesy of Brett Beddow. In a monumental effort, Tim Finkel edged Luke Cavender by a bike throw at the line. Not a bad day for the team as we picked up 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, a handful of places in the top 15 AND, most importantly, some highly coveted primes in the form of beer growlers. The Michigan Challenge Series heats up this upcoming weekend with races at Kensington Valley and Cone Azalia. Cold weather, and long, hilly, and tough courses promise for interesting races for the strongmen.

The victor

The team enjoying the fruits of it's labor

Beddow wasn't afraid to get down and dirty in the leadout. Apparently his kit wasn't either

Big Results

2010-04-27T10:22:00.002-04:00

The team posted some big results this weekend from all over the country. Congratulations to everyone and thanks to all of our sponsors and supporters for making it happen!

Herriman on the top step

NUE Cohutta 100 MTB, Tennessee
Robert Herriman, 1st Mens Master
Tim Finkel, 16th Pro Men

Pontiac Lake TT MTB, Michigan
Erik Koehler, 1st SS Elite
Bill Clikeman, 10th Elite Men
Dana Buarhenn, 5th Elite Women

La Vuelta de Bisbee, Arizona
Thomas Kachelmeyer, 8th GC 45+ (while racing solo!)

Greenbrier Challenge MTB, Maryland
Amanda Ryan, 2nd Pro Women (this result secures Amanda an invite to the USAC National Championship)

Amanda Ryan on her way to nationals

Athens Twilight Criterium, Georgia
Kacey Manderfield, 9th Pro Women

Willow Time Trial, Michigan
Adrian Fear, 2nd Cat. 1/2/3 Women
Brian Kozeliski, 7th Cat 1/2 Men
Ryan Cross, 9th Cat 1/2 Men
Luke Mullis, 2nd Junior Men 10-12
Spencer Virtue, 4th Junior Men 13-14
Marshall Kroske, 6th Junoir Men 13-14
Danielle Mullis, 2nd Junior Women 13-14

Ann Arbor STS, Michigan
Sarah Demerly, 1st Women A (Adrian & Sarah won all 4 AA STS races)
Ryan Cross, 3rd Mens A (Ryan secured the Overall STS Championship. 3rd year in a row for the Wolverines)
Luke Cavendar, 8th Mens A

Waterford Worlds, Michigan
Luke Cavendar, 2nd Mens A
Alan Smith, 8th Mens A
Patrick Robb, 10th Mens A

It's On!

2010-04-26T22:24:00.005-04:00

The Michigan Challenge series is officially underway after the Willow TT this past weekend. Spring training races are also coming to a close and giving way to summer crits and classics. The Wolverines have been posting strong results this spring and everyone is feeling great. Look forward to great things this summer. TT results coming soon...

W!

2010-04-21T10:12:00.004-04:00

While the season is still young, the team is already starting to rack up some great results. Here is a recap from the weekend.

Ann Arbor STS A race#3: 50+ racers, 45 laps. Groups started going off the front from the gun only to come back and the next group would go. The team stayed attentive and always had riders in the attacking groups. With 15 laps to go a breakaway of seven riders formed that would stay away the rest of the race. Luke Cavender won the sprint for the "W".

Top Finishers: Luke Cavender 1st, Tim Finkel 5th, Ray Dybowski 6th.

Ann Arbor STS Woman's race#3: 15 racers. Adrian Fear and Sarah Demerly kept attacking the field and with two laps to go Adrian went solo. Sarah controlled the field to give Adrian the gap needed to ride in for her second "W" of the year!

Top Finishers: Adrian Sarkozy-Fear 1st, Sarah Demerly 5th.

MTB MMBA YANKEE SPRINGS TIME TRIAL

CLASS: ELITE MEN (OPEN)

9 Matt Verona

11 Erik Koehler

CLASS: EXPERT WOMEN (OPEN)

9 Dana Baurhenn

CLASS: EXPERT MEN 29 & UNDER

10 Daniel Gerow

CLASS: EXPERT MEN 30-39

21 Adam Mc Clounie

Weekend Results

2010-04-13T08:48:00.001-04:00

Gateway Tilles Park Criterium St. Louis, Mo

Women Pro/1/2: Sarah Demerly, 10th

A solid early season result for Sarah. Racing solo against a field stacked with region teams, Sarah proved her worth.

Hillsboro Roubaix Hillsboro, Ill

Women Pro/1/2: Sarah Demerly, DNF

Flatted in the first 5 miles and got a wheel. Chased for the remaining 24 miles of the first lap and never did re-connect. That was the end of that.

Waterford STS A Race #3:

50+ racers, 90 minutes. Wind again! Ray Dybowski and Cory Dubrish took off from the pack 20 minutes in to the race and lead for the next hour. With 15 minutes to go the duo was caught by 2 groups making the lead group 13. The race ended with an all out sprint and 6 riders side by side at the line.
Top Finishers: Ryan Cross 4th, Cory Dubrish 6th, Ray Dybowski 9th

"B" Race: Mike Tingley 10th

"C" Race: John Talbot, 2nd

Ann Arbor STS A Race #2:
50+ racers, 40 laps. Attacks galore until the last lap! A solo attack by Ray Dybowski looked promising until blowing like a rocket 350 meters from the line. The Sprinters took over from there. The Wolverine train led by Brett Beddow took the pack into the last corner, things got a little tight about 10 riders back and "BOOM", six riders went down including our fearless leader John Sammut (John's has sore ribs, but OK). The sprint went on with Luke Cavender coming up just short of the W.
Top Finishers: Luke Cavender 2nd, Ryan Cross 4th, Tim Finkel 5th, Brett Beddow 8th.

Ann Arbor STS Woman's Race #2:
15 racers. Attacks saw the finishing group get cut to 9 or so on the last lap. Adrian Sarkozy-Fear held off the field with a burst from the last corner and sprinting to the line to get her first win of her cycling career! Top Finishers: Adrian Sarkozy-Fear 1st

Congratulations Mr. Finkel!

2010-04-09T08:20:00.001-04:00

Tim Finkel - 29er Crew/Wolverine Racing/ACFSTORES.COM

3rd Pro/Elite

6hrs Of Warrior Creek Wilkesboro, NC

Tim says, "Bittersweet podium today! Sat in 2nd all day and was coming up on 1st in the final miles. But then flatted, watched the 3rd place ride by me while fixing it. Ended up 3rd place overall in the 104 rider Pro/Elite field. Satisfied overall, unfortunate mechanicals are part of racing."

(Wet and Windy) Race Recap

2010-04-05T09:04:00.001-04:00

The Waterford Spring Training Series #2 race this weekend was canceled halfway through due to wind gusts up to 35mph+ and rain. Officials called off the race with no result. Alas, many of the Wolverines still got a few race miles in the legs.

Need for Speed

2010-04-01T07:55:00.000-04:00

If you're gonna "Play", you might as well do it with some "Speed.

Thanks Andy! @ Speedplay

The most over-looked aspect of cycling...."contact point friction". Not for us!

Thanks Steph & Lisa! @ Beljum Budder

Weekend Recap

2010-03-30T11:02:00.000-04:00

The first official road race of the 2010 season brought us with sunny skies and brisk temperatures. The 90 minute competition promised to be aggressive from the start, testing the early season fitness of the state's top riders. Attacks were relentless and the racing never eased up throughout the entirety of the day. After much shuffling, the 50 rider field managed to stay mostly intact for the finishing stretch, offering up a vicious field sprint to declare the first victor of the 2010 season. The Wolverine/ACF Stores Elite Team was strong in the finishing stretch, maintaining high speeds and productive racing but it was the young gun Tony Wiezcoric who managed to claim the top spot on the day. I rolled in 6th for the team with Ray Dybowski right behind me, who also claimed a prime in a strong solo move half way through the race. The team had a good showing today and looks to improve going forward.

The skies opened up Sunday morning and we were greeted with plenty of precipitation to accompany the cool spring temperatures in Ann Arbor. The weather brought a smaller field to the race but that did not deter riders from riding aggressively. Wolverine rider Brett Beddow started the race with a series of strong solo attacks but it wasn't until about half way through the race that the biggest breakaway moved forward. I bridged up to Andrew Florian (Priority Health Cycling Team) and the two of us worked as hard as we could to stay away and steal the victory from the chasing field. After 30 minutes of work, the field was just a little bit too hungry and managed to bring us back with 2 laps to go. Alan Antonuk of the RGF cycling team was the driving force behind the catch and demonstrated his early season form with an excellent ride. I managed to recover from the long breakaway effort and grabbed second place for the day behind Antonuk. After driving the break for much of the race I was pleased with the result but I'm still hoping to take the top spot on the podium before the Spring Training Series wraps up in 3 weeks. Stay tuned! - Ryan Cross

Bill Sherwood said of the weekend, "Chilly start, but once the race got going, I felt good thanks in part to all those Tuesday / Thursday / Sunday indoor workouts (special nod to Ray and Cullen). This was my first race in a while so it was good to get the cobwebs out and a lot of fun. Glad to have finished without any incidents and looking forward to starting in the B race this next weekend."

Danny Gerow, who raced Barry Roubaix, said, "It was a really fun race. My legs felt strong. I was separated from the main group in the first mile or two of the two track. Then, I was in a group of about 10 that bridged back up to the main group. I stayed with the main group for the rest of the race. It was a fun mix of dirt roads, pavement, and two track. It was a great day!"

Training Camp

2010-03-29T00:06:00.001-04:00

While many teams head south in search of warm weather for spring training camps, the wolverines recently headed up north for lots of miles, food, and team bonding.

Lots of miles meant good use of our Stuffitt's Shoesavers

Our EZ Bike Stands came in handy with so many bikes lying around.

In other news, most of the team got their feet wet in the first road races of the season this past weekend. Updates coming soon

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

Warmer temperatures and sunny skies only mean one thing in southeast Michigan: the racing season is almost here!

The team enjoyed a training ride this past weekend on the streets of Royal Oak and surrounding areas. Everyone seems to be coming into form nicely. Our collegiate racers are gaining plenty of early season fitness, racing against some of the top U25 talent in the country. Meanwhile, others have been brushing up on mountain bike and cyclocross skills over the winter which will surely translate into results this coming road season.

The team outside of American Cycle & Fitness

The team inside of American Cycle & Fitness

Also, check out some amazing videos of our friends at Stuffitts Shoe Savers. They make a high quality and highly functional product, especially for anyone who exercises regularly.

Made in Detroit

2010-03-08T09:17:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Made in Detroit for keeping us looking good!

Winter Training

2010-03-01T10:04:00.001-05:00

The Wolverines before a winter training ride on 2/27/10

Wolverines Keep on Winning

2010-02-16T10:06:00.000-05:00

Wolverine Danielle Mullis (left), 12, of Rochester Hills was recently recognized for winning four gold medals and the U.S. National Championship Stars and Stripes jersey during the USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships in July 2009. Former Wolverine Tom O’Rourke (right), 75, of Bloomfield Hills was also honored for setting two new world records at the UCI World Masters Track Championships in October 2009. Wolverines Luke Mullis and Nick Console also added a handful of top 10 finishes in their respective age categories. The full story can be found here

All about the toes...

2010-02-09T10:15:00.003-05:00

With old man winter unleashing his wrath on the Midwest, it's about time we focus on keeping our feet warm, odorless, and most importantly, stylish.

Sweet custom socks courtesy on Defeet. Thanks Brad!!!

Wet stinky shoes NO MORE! Thanks to Mike at Stuffitts.

Wolverines in Action

2010-02-02T08:21:00.003-05:00

It may be cold and snowy in the midwest, but that doesn't slow the Wolverines down one bit.

"Wolverine Alumae Kacey Manderfield and Theresa Cliff-Ryan on their way to 6th place in the Rotterdam, Netherlands 6-Day"

"Wolverine Frankie Andreu/Kenda pres. Gear Grinder Director and Kacey Manderfield/USA National Cycling Team speaking at the MMBA Expo"

"Wolverine, Olympian, & Tour de France participant Frankie Andreu interviews former teammate Lance Armstrong at last year's Tour de France. Frankie talks about his career and his start as a Wolverine here."

2010 Goodies

2010-01-27T08:41:00.003-05:00

2010 team bike courtesy of American Cycle & Fitness and Trek Bicycles. Bike Stand courtesy of EZ Bike Products

Welcome!

2010-01-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the official blog of the Wolverine Racing Elite Cycling Team. We hope that you will join us as we document the 2010 season. We will be posting training updates, race results, pictures, videos, and other goodies along the way, so be sure to check back frequently