Team Excelerator Wins Again!

For the third time in as many weeks, Team Excelerator took 1st place at the Ogden Cash Crits. Here's how it went down

TE had 4 riders in the B Flight. Casey Marker, Targhee Child, Ben Towery and Russ Parry. The pack started slow but answered each breakaway by bridging to the leaders. TE didn't contest the prime laps but kept in touch with the leaders. The pace stayed hot for the duration. With multiple teammates, the Biker's Edge guys tried to send off a rider and block the pack. To counter, TE, with some help from Bingham's, wedged their way in between their foes to keep the break from getting away. As the last lap approached, TE's rivals kept up the break and block moves until Casey broke away 1/4 of the way into the lap. Russ, Ben and Targhee were content with letting their teammate go and the rest of the field had no answer. Casey solo'ed the rest of the way for an emphatic win. Ben and Russ held their own in the field sprint while Targhee finished his second crit strong.

Congrats to all involved! And thanks to our sponsors, Price Orthodontics, The Bike Shoppe, Vitality Nutrition, Mountain Valley Health Services, Business Law Associates, Slacker Sack and Bunnell Concepts for making Team Excelerator possible.

Utah Road Racing Championships

TE riders Ben Towery, Kevan Steed, Jerald Olson, Russ Parry and Joel Rackem raced in the Utah State Road racing Championships this past weekend. The weather was beautiful, if not just a tad warm.
The Cat 5 men, Ben, Kavan, Jerlad and Russ, raced around the 16 mile loop 3 times. The last half of the course took the riders up a steep, 1 mile climb that had the potential to really break up the group. The pack completed the first lap and a half together with Ben pulling up front once or twice. The second climb was decisive however. Ben, Kevan and Jerald fell back a bit, but Russ soldiered on. After a windy last lap, Russ took 11th, Ben 22nd, Jerald 25th and Kevan came in at 26th in the 40 + rider field. Joel also took 11th in the competitive Cat 4 field.

TE also keeps showing its strength on the crit course in Ogden. After 2 victories, Ben will now mix it up with Joel, Russ and Casey in the B flight on Thursday nights. Look for Targhee Child to keep improving as well in the C flight. The Thursday night crits a make a great family outing and are very spectator friendly.

Emily Price had a great time at the Little Red Riding Hood Century and TE riders will be representing at the High Unitas Classic this weekend. Good Luck to all!

Sugarhouse Crit

Another great day for TE riders! Russ Perry took first place at the Sugarhouse Crit. He set himself up for the perfect sprint and pulled off a big win. Congrats to all TE racers these past few weeks. We've been able to show depth, versatility and good sportsmanship.

Ogden Cash Crits

Its been a busy couple of weeks for Team Excelerator. We've been at the Salt Lake Century, Garden Creek Gap Circuit Race and Ogden Cash Crits.

Casey Marker is proving to be a force to be reckoned with. At the Garden Creek Gap race in Idaho, he pulled off a top 10 finish even after flatting on the last lap of the circuit.

The Cash Crits in Ogden have also been fruitful for Team Excelerator racers. Casey again put forth an awesome effort in the B flight on Thursday June 5th and sprinted for a 3rd place. He has joked that he should tattoo a big number 3 on his calf as this was Casey's third 3rd place finish this season!

Ben and Targhee put together a great team effort in the C flight. Targhee led the group out until the first prime lap. He set up Ben nicely for a big sprint helping Ben win the first prime. The second prime went uncontested by TE, but the pace picked up after that. Ben joined 2 others in a breakaway on the last 2 laps and out sprinted his rivals to take a decisive first place. Targhee finished strong in the group sprint. You'll find these and other Team Excelerator riders at the Ogden Cash Crits every Thursday night at Business Depot Ogden this summer.

Up next for the team is the Little Red Riding Hood Century for our lone female rider, Emily Price. Jerald Olson will contest the Draper Hill Climb. Then the Utah State Road Race Championships are on June 14th and The High Unitas Classic on June 21st. Watch for Ben to try and transfer his crit winning form to a road race and Kevan and Jerald to prove their climbing abiltiy at the State Champs. Look for Casey as well to break his lock on 3rd place at the High Uintas. He's a powerful climber which should suit him well from Kamas to Evanston.