On May 28, 2011, the Team Integrity juniors competed at BikeJam in Patterson Park, Baltimore. BikeJam is an event that is hosted by Kelly Benefits/Strategies and is a festival of sorts. There were trials riders putting on shows, a kid's bike-rodeo, a moon bounce, vendor tents (including free Slurpees!), and more. The course was mostly flat, featuring one long and steady hill prior to the start finish, and 2 chicanes. The road surface was a little rough in spots, with broken pavement, raised manhole covers, and gravel throughout, but the kids made the best of it. After a casual lap to "recon" the course, they were ready to race.
The juniors racing begain with the 15-18 age group, in which our own Michael Martin competed. Although Michael is only 14, his birthday is later this year, which puts him into the older category. Michael's field was large (over 40 racers), and the competition was steep. He raced well and stayed strong for an 18th place finish. Very respectable for his first race! Michael is looking forward to racing next weekend, and is glad to have gotten his first racing experience under his belt.
Next, the 10-14 age group raced with an equally large field. The competition was tough from the start, and not many groups worked together which made the wind and the hill especially challenging. Emma was bumped by a passing rider early (on the 3rd lap) and crashed (she's ok, but has a little bit of road rash on her knee), and Corbin flatted on the next lap. Adam look strong on every lap (especially coming up the hill), and raced to a 7th place finish! Jared was isolated early, but stayed strong and consistent, finishing in 28th place looking just as cool and collected as always. Christian Cugini also raced well after being isolated during the action. Christian raced to his full potential and never gave up...a quality that is shared by all of our junior racers!
Mid-afternoon, Casey Bunting participated in the just-for-fun kids race (Casey is still too young to be licensed by USAC, but does a great job practicing with us!) She joined the others with her usual enthusiasm, and was excited to receive her medal that she was presented after the finish!
Eastern Panhandle Bicycles has been an irreplacable sponsor for us this year. Thanks to them, we have a place to practice when the weather is disagreeable. All of our junior athletes have had their fit adjusted by Brian, who is a Body Geometry certified professional, and we've received advice as well as discounted equipment throughout the season.
Hammer Nutrition provided us with some of their products this year. Thanks to them, we have had many discussions during practices/events about the proper way to fuel/recover. We have used Hammer Gels and Recoverite throughout the season, helping us to train and compete thus far throughout the year. Their products have been great tasting, and easy on the stomach, which cannot be said for all nutritional supplement companies.
We would like to thank all sponsors, family and friends for supporting the team so far this year. With their help, we have had the opportunity to maintain a great team for the past 5 months. We're looking forward to continuing our training/practices and competitive events, and maintaining our already positive influence and attitude in the community.
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