More Podiums over two weekends of racing

The last two weekends have been busy for the BMW-Bianchi squad!

April 4th, 5th & 6th the team competed in the Rock Hill Spring Omnium in Rock Hill, SC. The April 4th, Friday night street sprints saw Cara McCauley leading Christy Blakely out in the preliminary rounds, advancing Blakely immediately to the finals. McCauley, Melissa Wills & Jen Petosa advanced to the repechage round, which McCauley won, joining Blakely in the finals. The finals took place amidst a downpour and under threat of tornado - in the confusion several riders weren't "held" by starters and were effectively out of the race. Unfortunately McCauley was one of those riders. Blakely sprinted through the sheets of rain and clinched the final podium spot in 3rd.

Saturday, April 5th dawned and the rains from the previous day remained, leaving the criterium course in downtown Rock Hill soggy and slick.  The team remained dry as they warmed up underneath the tents in the Hendrick BMW expo area, where a 2008 X3, a 2008 X5 and the almost-no-longer-a-concept X6 were on display for the public's viewing pleasure. After battling the slick roads and treacherous corners of the criterium, Amy Slater placed fifth, with Blakely not far behind in seventh. Deb Whitmore and Petosa were 10th and 12th, respectively.

Sunday, April 6th the team lined up under clear skies for the Patriot's Trail Road Race. Despite numerous breakaway attempts by BMW and the super-active Coca-Cola Barkley squad, the field remained gruppo compacto until the finish, when the confusion of a possible neutralization left the sprint in shambles. McCauley took top honors for the squad in 8th, with Blakely not far behind in 10th.

Fast forward to the weekend of April 12th & 13th. The team split up a tiny bit, with most of the squad concentrating itself in the Greenville/Spartanburg, SC area. On Saturday, the 12th, Cara McCauley represented the team in an off road fundraiser in Dupont State Forest near Brevard, NC. The rest of the squad toed the line at the Donaldson Center Circuit Race in Greenville, where we came away from the field sprint with half of the top 10 slots available: Deb Whitmore in 2nd, Christy Blakely in 3rd, Amy Slater in 6th, Melissa Wills in 7th, and Melinda Presson in 9th. All of this transpired during a terrific rainstorm that seems to be a pattern the last few weekends.

Sunday, April 13th, the day was brisk but sunny as the squad lined up for the Walnut Grove Road Race just out of Spartanburg, SC. McCauley positioned herself in the the early break of the day, taking 3rd place in the end. Blakely, Slater, and Wills were 5th, 7th, and 8th, respectively. Click here to read McCauley's report.

While the ladies in Spartanburg were getting mild sunburns, Laura Weislo was up north in Virginia participating in the Langly Speedway Track Race & Criterium, placing 6th in the men's B track race, and 5th place in the masters women's race.

Look for the team to represent at various events across the southeast this coming weekend as well! The Low Country Velo Criteriums in Charleston, SC, the Cohutta 35 in Ducktown, TN, and the Knoxville Omnium in, of all places, Knoxville, TN.