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Eric Greenberg came out shining in a messy field sprint to score the first win for Flathead Cycling in 2004 with a first place finish in the Frozen Flatlands Road Race in the Masters A category.
Eric Greenberg came out shining in a messy field sprint to score the first win for Flathead Cycling in 2004 with a first place finish in the Frozen Flatlands Road Race in the Masters A category.
Also in the Masters A category, Flathead Cycling's most prolific road racer, Jeff Penrod, placed 3rd for the second year in a row!
Jody Wirth, in his first road race ever, stayed with the lead group in the Cat 4 Men and finished in good position. Great Job!...and now he's got the bug for more...Cat 4 Men watch out!
Russ Schneider also finished with the lead group of Cat 3 Men in Sunday's Road Race and managed a 5th place in the Frozen Flatland Criterium on Saturday.
Click here to see the official results!
Next for the team is the 23rd Annual Rocky Mountain Roubaix in Missoula where Flathead Cycling intends to make a strong showing. See you there!
Many thanks to our sponsors and families for their continued support.
Clint Muhlfeld and Walt Chauner capped off a series of great season-long performances by winning their respective divisions in the Montana State Road Racing Championships held Sunday, July 25 near Wolf Creek. A course renowned for its tough climbs and usual windy conditions, this years race featured the added challenge of near triple digit heat.
Muhlfeld used good team work and outstanding climbing skills to drop his breakaway companion five miles from the finish to solo in for the victory. Muhlfeld worked hard on the penultimate climb in the race to wear down a major rival who bridged up to a breakaway that had been away for a good part of the 87 mile race. Tim Noonan rode conservatively in the heat to pull off a second place in the Men's Category 3 division, even after stopping to come to the aid of a teammate who succumbed to the scorching conditions. Russ Schneider rode a strong team role early in the race, chasing down breakaways and maintaining a presence at the front of the pack.
In the Men's Master's B field, Walt Chauner once again outdistanced his competitors with powerful riding on the climbs to take his fifth victory of the season. Chauner's brother Ed, visiting from Utah, followed suit in the Master's A race, out riding his breakaway companions for the win as a guest rider for Flathead Cycling. Jeff Penrod showed the consistency he has ridden with all season to grab the third place spot in a strong team showing, with Steve Muller and Tim Gaertner in the top ten as well.
Steve Willis made the final selection in the Cat. 4/5 race to finish third after many miles in a breakaway. John Mulhfeld and Pete Thomas battled the heat and hills to finish strongly with the chase group.
Eric Greenberg came out shining in a messy field sprint to score the first win for Flathead Cycling in 2004 with a first place finish in the Frozen Flatlands Road Race in the Masters A category.
While some team members were in Belt, another contingent of Flathead racers stayed in the valley to support the first annual Lone Pine Grind mountain bike hill climb in Kalispell. This fundraiser featured a 2 mile, 900 foot climb up gravel two track and rutted single track to the radio towers above Lone Pine State Park.
Walt Chauner added another win to his growing total this season, taking the first spot in the Men's 50 plus division, and an impressive second overall with his 13:39 time. Chuck Harris also rode well on this short but painful course to take second in the division.
In the 19-39 Men's Division, Dave Landstrom got his first win of the season and also had the fastest overall time of 13:32, while Rich Graves was in the hunt in second place with a 14:00 flat.
Jay Shaver rounded out a good showing for the Flathead Cycling Team with a second place in the Men's 40-49 division. Thanks to all the volunteers and Montana State Parks for putting on such a fun event.
Six Flathead Cycling members made the long trip to Belt (east of Great Falls) for the Belt Creek Omnium, a unique race format featuring a morning time trial and an afternoon road race. The final results were based on a point system, not a total time as with most stage races.
The morning time trial was a rolling three mile section followed by a two mile climb to the finish. Cool and cloudy conditions made for good time trial weather. Eric Greenberg (6th), Russ Schneider (10th) and Jeff Penrod (11th) got their races off to a good start in the Cat. 2 &3 field, while Stephen Willis (5th in Cat. 4 & 5) and Steve Muller (6th in Masters A division) were also in the hunt after the first stage.
In the afternoon road race Muller went on a long solo breakaway that nearly paid off, just getting caught within miles of the finish after losing contact with a rider that bridged up to him. Muller ended up in 6th place overall for the omnium.
Jody Wirth had pulled off a great finish in the road race, placing 5th, and Mark Wise and Stephen Willis rode smart team races in the Cat. 4 & 5 division. Willis went on to place 10th overall in the omnium.
In the Men's Cat. 2 & 3 results, Greenberg, Penrod, and Schneider rode strongly in the hills to maintain their places in the overall after the very competitive road race. Only seconds separated the Flathead racers from a breakaway group at the finish.
The Flathead Cycling Team and its sponsors were proud to host the second annual addition of the Star Meadows Road Race, a scenic course consisting of several laps of a flat, fast circuit with several 90 degree turns in combination with a long, climb filled out & back leg with several sections of broken pavement. While morning rain showers and cool temperatures greeted the riders, the nasty weather subsided just before the start to the relief everyone making the trip from all over western Montana.
Walt Chauner continued his winning streak, breaking away with teammate Bob Foley to crush the Masters B men's field. Jay Shaver used his strong climbing skills to ride to fourth place, while Chuck Harris rode strongly on the demanding course for a 6th place finish.
In the Men's Masters A race, good teamwork and a long early breakaway by Steve Muller combined with smart riding by Eric Greenberg to give Greenberg the win for Flathead Cycling. Muller recovered from his long break and the responsibilities of race director to take fourth, while Jeff Penrod grabbed the seventh spot to put three Flathead riders in the top ten.
Steve Willis took the third podium position in the Category 4 & 5 race, while John Muhlfeld and Mark Wise placed 7th and 14th, respectively.
In the 70 mile Cat. 2 & 3 race, Dave Landstrom and Rich Graves worked early in the race to bring back a solo breakaway, while Clint Muhlfeld and Tim Noonan did likewise later in the hillier portion of there race to battle with a strong group of racers from Missoula and Helena. Mulhfeld and Noonan placed well in the finishing sprint, grabbing 4th and 5th respectively, while Landstrom (8th) and Graves (10th) rounded out the top ten.
In the photo below, Flathead Cycling teammates Walt Chauner (right) and Bob Foley (left) sprint for the finish in the Men's Masters B race. The Flathead Cycling Team would like to thank all the volunteers and team members who helped make our race a success, and especially our sponsors Neon Next, OASIS Environmental, Glacier Cyclery, Wheaton's, Tim J. Murphy Insurance Agency, Pin & Cue, Voler Apparel, Vittoria Tires, and Bell Helmets.
Wind and an unrelenting, rolling course were the main challenges in this 52 mile road race held just south of Butte by the Highland Cycling Club. Walt Chauner was victorious for the second time in as many races, riding aggressively in the Masters B race as he did in Helena two weeks earlier. Teammate Jay Shaver rode consistently to finish in ninth place in the largest masters field yet this season.
In the Men's Cat. 2 & 3 race, Rich Graves and Eric Greenberg rode hard to help reel in an early breakaway but were unable to repeat the effort later in the race and finished with the main chase group. Russ Schneider gained strength as the race wore on, nearly catching the chase group in the closing miles. Graves settled for 8th in the Cat. 2 division while Greenberg and Schneider were 7th and 14th, respectively in the Cat. 3 results.
Rich Graves, Flathead Cycling
Flathead Cycling had a great showing at the Ecology Center Classic Stage Race during Memorial weekend in Missoula. Here is a quick run down of the team's results:
Master B. Chuck Harris braved a large masters B field to finish strongly in all four stages. He put in an excellent race against several riders who where clearly capable of racing the ' A ' category.
Cat. 4. Steve Willis road strongly in the large cat. 4 field. Finishing well with the field on all four stages, and forcing the pace on the difficult climbs of the Perma Road Race.
Master A. Chance Cooke, Steve Muller, Jeff Penrod, Dave Landstrom, and Rich Graves put in a solid and well coordinated team effort, highlighted by Rich's 2nd place GC finish. Rich lead the race after finishing 2nd in the Perma RR and winning the 22km time trial. Flathead protected the race lead only to loose by a mere six seconds in the final sprint of the stage 4 criterium in Missoula.
Cat. 3. Russ Schneider was the lone warrior in the large and fast cat. 3 field. Russ road strongly throughout the stage race, and scored an impressive 6th place in the stage three, 60 mile circuit race.
Pro/1/2. Clint Muhlfeld had his hands full racing in the elite Pro 1/2. Clint had little trouble keeping pace with the domestic pros who showed up to race, and highlighted the weekend with a top 10 finish in the super fast Missoula criterium. Not bad for a tall skinny mountain biker with a visor on his helmet!
Ten Flathead Cycling team members headed south to Florence, Montana on Saturday, April 10th to race in the 23rd annual Rocky Mountain Roubaix. This rite of spring road race is contested on gravel farm roads and pothole-ridden secondary roads on the eastern side of the Bitteroot Valley. Sunny but cool weather made for excellent racing conditions. The new course for 2004 was well suited to Flathead Cycling racers as the team placed four riders in the top ten finishers in the men's Category 1,2, and 3 field.
Tim Noonan took first, Dave Landstrom third, and Russ Schneider fifth in the Cat. 3 field, while Rich Graves and Clint Muhlfeld were 5th and 6th, respectively, in the Cat. 2 results. Muhlfeld made an impressive effort to regain the pack after suffering a flat tire less than halfway through the race. The rugged course took its toll on the field as twelve racers did not make it to the finish line. Flat tires and mechanicals were the usual suspects and team members Eric Greenburg and Jeff Penrod were among the racers with hard luck for the day.
In the Men's Category 4 and 5 race Pete Thomas and Mark Wise had solid showings in their first races for Flathead Cycling, placing 17th an 18th. Mark's 18th place finish and Bob Foley's races were sabotaged by flat tires. Allison Noyes battled with some very experienced racers in the women's division to take a hard earned 4th place.
The Flathead Cycling Team heads to Helena on April 18th for the Montana Velo Road Race.