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Portsmouth Crit 08

MetLife Pro-Am Cycling returns in 2009 with a strengthened team and refined purpose and goals: to place more focus on specific events all season long and to prove to be the best amateur elite team in the nation.  Thanks in large part to the tremendous support from team sponsors, there are 13 category 1 and 2 racers on the squad, providing capable winners in every bike race.  A full schedule of spring, summer, and fall racing lies in front of the team with a heavy concentration of northeast National Racing Calendar events that will be spliced with trips south and west throughout the season.  The team embarks on its journey beginning in early April, the odyssey concluding in mid-October.  Follow the stories here at metlifecyclingteam.com.

latest news

Fleming sacks Saco with another win for MetLife

September 19th, 2009

Saco, ME – Ryan Fleming won the Saco Bay criterium on Saturday, capping off what has turned out to be a very successful season of crit racing for MetLife.  Even though September’s lethargy has crept into a majority of racers’ legs (and minds), a strong field took to the line Saturday evening, not only to compete among themselves, but to hold off the waning daylight.  Fleming boldy launched an attack and eventually crossed the line 27 seconds faster than second place.  Not to leave Ryan the spoils of victory all to himself, Tim Mitchell also raced well and grabbed sixth place.  Ryan’s win adds to the impressive resume of criterium racing results for the team in 2009, including Peter Bell’s outstanding wins at the Concord Criterium and stage four of the Green Mountain Stage Race, the Burlington Crit (cat 2).

Univest Grand Prix – Wet, Wild, and Windy

September 12th, 2009
MetLife in formation on the windy front stretch.  Photo credit ©Todd Leister/leister.smugmug.com

MetLife in formation on the windy front stretch. Photo credit ©Todd Leister/leister.smugmug.com

As summer turns to fall in the Mid-Atlantic, the respite from torrid days (and shore traffic!) is always accompanied by the running of the Univest Grand Prix, one of the few (13) UCI-ranked bike races in the United States, and by far one of the most difficult amongst them.

This year, in addition to the perennial 100 mile hilly Saturday road course, the organizers added a Stage 1 Team Time Trial and subsequently officially held the event as a UCI Stage Race.  Confusingly enough, the weekend as *always* included a technical, challenging criterium Sunday, though the UCI is apparently hesitant to officially recognize this uniquely American épreuve as a “real” bike race.

Along with a healthy collection of International and Domestic Pro teams, as well as several other top Regional outfits, the MetLife squad taking the line for Friday’s TTT included Ryan Fleming, Brad Sheehan, Tim Mitchell, Peter Bell, and Nick Bennette.  Notoriously absent was strongman Austin Roach, who despite the weekend’s tailor-made nature, made a last minute call to sit out due to impending hip Surgery.  Best of luck on a speedy recovery and return to the bike!

As their 11:22am start time approached, the heavy rain and winds that had rocked Allentown that morning failed to abate.  Acutely aware of the treacherous conditions, not to mention the onerous task on hand the following day, the MetLife team took no chances on the 2 laps of the 3.7 mile course.  Frustrated, particularly given how fun and fast the parcous could have been under fairer skies, the blue crew bided their time (and matches!) for Saturday.

Team MetLife rolls through the start/finish with 1 to go.  Photo credit ©MarcoQuezada.com/NYVelocity

Team MetLife rolls through the start/finish with 1 to go. Photo credit ©MarcoQuezada.com/NYVelocity

Though the team awoke to reasonably fresh legs, a quick look out the window revealed no improvement in the weather.  An intermittent drizzle and overcast skies left the rural roads on which much of the 100 mile road course meanders a soggy mess.  The field departed Souderton a little past 11am, and despite being neutralized until outside city limits, a slew of crashes within the first few kilometers put a definite dampener on spirits.  Following a prolonged delay at the intended “start” to allow the already battered peleton to regroup, the race was on.

The course – consisting of one “large” 60+ mile loop followed by 11 laps around a downtown Souderton finishing circuit – is anything but flat.  The profile reads like an EKG, though a King of the Mountain title was on-hand for the three most notable climbs, which typically shatter the field.  Having avoided the periodic wrecks, the MetLife squad survived the first KOM and regrouped.  The second climb, however, proved to be the real obstacle, with the last 200m pitched at 20%.   Peter and Nick appeared to be the final survivors and endured the winding, undulating terrain leading into the final KOM just 10miles before the entrance onto the circuits.

Unfortunately, a rapidly ramping pace, some vicious inclines immediately following the climb, and an untimely mechanical left Nick alone to face the painful finishing circuits, which included a 400m wall on which KOM points were periodically awarded. Some bad positioning and some hunger knock after not eating (or even relinquishing a death-grip from the handlebars) throughout the terrifying day saw Nick loose contact with the dwindling field on the closing laps, which shredded under the force of a full-on chase by the Amore & Vita team to bring back a late race breakaway,

The stage and race was ultimately won by Amore & Vita’s Ukrainian national champion Volodomyr Starchyk.  The MetLife boys will be back in action tomorrow at the Grand Prix of Doylestown Criterium.  Full coverage at:

http://www.univestgrandprix.com/

From Green Mountain, and on to Univest

September 10th, 2009

After three difficult days of racing the MetLife team put it together for the final day at the Downtown Burlington Criterium. The MetLife boys fielded two teams for the four day Green Mountain Stage Race this Labor Day, with Corey Masson, Andrew Gardner, Chris Coutu and Peter Bell representing the elite category 2s, while Charles McCarthy, Vinnie Scalia, Austin Roach, Nick Bennette, Ryan Fleming, Tim Mitchell and Brad Sheehan toed up to the line with the Pro/1 race.

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Capitalizing at the Concord Capital Crit

August 18th, 2009

The 28th annual Concord Criterium was one for the record books for the MetLife cycling team. It was a performance which demonstrated the power of teamwork and the diversity of our riders. A large MetLife contingent attended including Brad Sheehan, Vinnie Scalia, Corey Mason, Tim Mitchell, Ryan Fleming, Aaron Malloy, and Peter Bell. With several cards to play the MetLife boys were comfortable following the attacks and putting multiple riders into the break aways.

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Team Bike Shop Recognized

August 18th, 2009

Landry’s Bicycles was recently recognized as the best bike shop in the Greater Boston Area by BOSTON Magazine..congrats to the our friends @ Landry’s and if you need anything bicycling related – you know where to go! see www.landrys.com for your nearest location.

on newstands now:

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/best_of_boston_2009/ 

 
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