(2008-05-07) TOUR OF ARKANSAS

With the TOUR OF ARKANSAS just around the corner, we would like to remind all club members that since this is a Mercy Cycling Team organized event, you are all entitled to a 50% discount off your entry fees. Just another benefit to being a club member !!!

So, if any of you wishes to ride the Tour of Arkansas, please contact LEN O'TOOLE as soon as you can. He will get you manually registered for your event and let you know the process for paying your discounted fee of $35.

Contact Len before registration closes on Tuesday at this email address ...

(2008-05-01) ARKANSAS WINE COUNTRY 100

Don't forget about the Arkansas Wine Country Tour rides that will be happening this weekend in Altus, AR. Lots of different ride options are available... 100 miles, 100 KM or 17 Miles. All of the rides include a Champagne Brunch at one of the local vineyards.

For More information... check out the TRI-PEAKS.ORG website.

(2008-04-27) ARVEST MT.GAYLOR TIME TRIAL - RESULTS

Results From The Arvest Mount Gaylor Spring TT Can Be Found Here

(2008-04-17) ARVEST MT.GAYLOR TIME TRIAL

Just announced.... Due to popular demand and the generous sponsorship of ARVEST BANK, we will be organizing a Spring Edition of the ever popular Mount Gaylor Time Trial.  The date for the event will be Sunday April 27th 2008.

The official Event Flyer Can Be Found Here... CLICK
Full Event Information Can Be Found On The Event Page CLICK HERE. 

Mercy Cycling Team would like to graciously  thank ARVEST BANK for their generous sponsorship that will help make this event happen !!

(2008-04-16) TULSA CRIT SERIES

Great riding by the Chris One and Chris Two at the Tulsa Crits. Chris One (AKA Chris Jr) took a great 3rd place in the B Race, while Chris Two (AKA Chris Sr) was just behind in 4th. We had a good turn out of Mercy riders for this great CRIT PRACTICE series in Tulsa.

We hope to see a lot more Club Members make the trip over next week ... It's great training, especially for all of you who are a little intimidated by criterium racing. What better way to improve your skills than to take part in a training crit series?

(2008-04-03) CLUB RIDE CALENDAR UPDATES

We have added our April club ride details to the Club Calendar. CLICK HERE

(2008-04-01) CLUB RIDE ON TUESDAY

It's no April Fools Joke - there will be a club ride from Cisterna Plaza in South Fort Smith at 5:30pm sharp on Tuesday April 1st.

Everyone is welcome to come out and ride with us !!!

(2008-04-01) A GOOD WEEKEND FOR MERCY

Some results from this past weekend for our CLUB squad at the NW Arkansas Spring Classic Road Race..

• CAT 3
  Sean McQueary - 18th

• CAT 4
  Chris Foster - 10th
  James Brown - 14th
  Reynolds Shaffer - 17th
  Brent Frueh - Field
  David Coats - Field
  Eric Karlsson - Field

• MASTERS 40+
  David Hogan - 15th

• WOMEN CAT 1/2/3
  Roslyn Grimsley - 4th

(2008-03-31) NWA SPRING CLASSIC PHOTOS

Some Photos Of Mercy Cycling Club members at this years NWA Spring Classic Road Race. Click on the Mug Shot above to view the full set of photos.

(2008-03-25) NEW THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE

It's that time of year again when the great "Pepe & Felipe" organize their weekly ride over some great routes around the South side of Fort Smith.

Starting Thursday 3/27, Pepe & Felipe's Thursday night ride will depart from the Cisterna Plaza on HWY 71 at 5:30pm Sharp !! The weekly event will continue until the Fall when the evenings start getting shorter again.

Ride details have been added to the CLUB CALENDAR.

(2008-03-23) SPRINGHILL CLASSIC POSTPONED

Spring Hill Race  - To Be Rescheduled
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Due to this past weeks storms significant portions of the trial at Spring Hill Park are under water.  Please note, the Race Director is working on rescheduling the Race.  As soon as a date is determined it will be announced on the AMBCS website.  The Website will be updated with this information as soon as possible.  

(2008-03-20) ARVEST MT.GAYLOR TIME TRIAL

Just announced.... Due to popular demand and the generous sponsorship of ARVEST BANK, we will be organizing a Spring Edition of the ever popular Mount Gaylor Time Trial.  The date for the event will be Sunday April 27th 2008. This will be the day after the 1-day / 2 Stage  Bob Herbert event being held just up the road in Bella Vista. Combined, both events will provide a great weekend of racing in North West Arkansas.

The official Event Flyer Can Be Found Here... CLICK
Full Event Information Can Be Found On The Event Page CLICK HERE. 

Mercy Cycling Team would like to graciously  thank ARVEST BANK for their generous sponsorship that will help make this event happen !!

(2008-03-15) CARVE CORSSWINDS CLASSIC - PHOTOS

We have posted some photos of our club riders who braved the Carve Crosswinds Classic a few weeks ago. The photos can be found to the Right, under RECENT PHOTOS.

(2008-03-15) TIME TRIAL SERIES - OKC

Our friends to the West in OKC have just published the details of the upcoming Time Trial Series. Event dates for this year will be April 5th, May 3rd and June 14th.

For more information check out the Official Flyer - CLICK

CLUB RIDE CALENDAR UPDATED

The "Club Calendar" has been updated. We now have 2 rides each Saturday - both leaving from the Mercy Fitness Center - one @ 10am and one @ 12 noon. Starting in April, we will have a more structured ride schedule. Stay tuned...

MARCH SPECIALS FROM CHAMPION CYCLING

Just in case you needed another reason to renew your Mercy Club Membership... Champion Cycling in Fort Smith is offering a huge list of discounts available ONLY to current Mercy Cycling Team Members.

Click HERE to see their current MARCH Specials. . These will expire at the end of this month, so renew your membership Soon !!!

CARVE CROSSWINDS CLASSIC

The first Arkansas race of the 2008 season took place last weekend in Little Rock. Mercy Cycling Team was very well represented in all categories.

Men's Juniors
Andrew Markham

Women's 1,2,3
Roslyn Grimsley

Men's 4
Chris Foster
Roger Cravey
Eric Karlsson
Hector A. Mendoza
Jim Brown
Paul Geoly
Brent Freuh
Dave Coats III

Men's Pro, 1, 2
Carl Sundquist
Andrew Stanley
Jim Corcoran
Alex Palencia

As of Monday, here are the top results that we have to hand...

• MEN CAT 1/2/3 - Scott Barnes 7th

• MEN CAT 4 - Brent Frueh - 2nd / Dave Coats JR - 10th

• MEN JUNIOR - Andrew Marcum - 2nd

• WOMEN CAT 1/2/3 - Roslyn Grimsley - 3rd

Special thanks to the CARVE Cycling Team in Little Rock for putting on such a great event !!!

MERCY MOUNTAIN TEAM JERSEYS

Get your order in for the 2008 Mercy Mountain Bike Team Jerseys.
Please visit the MTB HOME Page for more details

RENEW YOUR CLUB MEMBERSHIP THIS MONTH

There are so many benefits to renewing your Mercy Cycling Team club membership... For just $30 you get ...

• Organized Rides and Races

• Use of the Mercy Team Van to/from Events

• Group Trips to events like the "Bicycle Tour of Colorado"

• Multiple Weekly club rides where you can meet and ride with lots of other cycling enthusiasts like you

• Mountain bike rides and races

• Team discounts at local bicycle stores

• Free Training seminars

• Discounted team clothing

• Discounted race entry fees

• And Many Many More.....

Need more reasons to renew ?

• How about a FREE Mercy Tee Shirt  ...

• And... a FREE Mercy Baseball Cap  

• ONLY if you RENEW BY MARCH 31ST 2008

How do I renew ?

• View the membership application form HERE

• When you are ready to join, download and complete this PDF Version of the CLUB APPLICATION FORM (CLICK) (Big File - 4MB).
  Complete an mail back with your payment to the address listed.

• RENEW ONLINE !!! Go to the Mercy TEAM STORE (CLICK) and add a 1 year membership to your cart. Pay for it using Check or via PayPal . Easy.

ST.PATRICKS DAY PARADE

2008 Official Club Rides

Some great rides that Mercy Cycling has planned for this year.
Get training !!!

FIRST CLUB MEETING FOR 2008 

The first club meeting of the year will take place on Tuesday Feb 26th 2008.

The meeting will commence at 7pm sharp in the meeting room at Mercy Fitness Center on Dallas Street.

Topics on the agenda include the following...

• MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS FOR 2008

• ST.PATRICKS DAY PARADE - FORT SMITH

• TOUR DE HILLS EVENT

• SPRINGHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE EVENT

• BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO 2008

• Plus Lots Lots More...

Hope to see you all there...

NEW MOUNTAIN BIKE SECTION 

With NW Arkansas being such a hot bed for the sport of MTB racing, we thought it was time for us to devote a section of our website to this great sport.

Please check out this new and exciting section to our ever expanding website.

Click on the "MTB HOME" link on the top Navigation Bar...

or CLICK HERE

The Arkansas Bicycle Coalition met recently to discuss the previous year and also to make plans for the upcoming 2008 season. Below are some notes and documentation that the Coalition would like to share with everyone.

• JANUARY 2008 - MEETING MINUTES

• JANUARY 2008 - BUDGET FOR 2008

• JANUARY 2008 - NEW ABC RACING STANDARDS

Also, please don't forget to visit the ABC website. Team Lewis & Clark have taken over responsibility for keeping the site up to date. Please visit the ABC site at http://arkansasbicyclecoalition.org.

2008 ARKANSAS RACES

The 2008 Arkansas Racing calendar is in the process of being finalized. Right now, all the events that have been confirmed for 2008 are listed on the CLUB CALENDAR. Check back often, as new events will be constantly added.

PRE-HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS NIGHT RIDE

Want to see all the Christmas Lights in Fort Smith from your bicycle ?

If so, why not join us on Thursday 12/20. Ride will depart from Sweet Bay Coffee (behind McDonald's) on HWY 71 on the South-side of Fort Smith AT 6:30PM Sharp.

Bring your warm clothing, helmet and lights.

Also, why not decorate your bike with some festive decorations !!! There will be prizes for the best festive bikes / riders on the night !!!

THANKSGIVING DAY RIDE

Our annual Thanks Giving Day ride will go ahead as planned this Thursday. Please check out the Club Calendar for ride details and directions to the ride start.

TALIMENA SCENIC RIDE - UPDATE & PHOTOS

What a great day for ride on the TaliMena Scenic Drive !!! We had a nice group size of 8 riders who showed up to ride the 54 "Not Flat" miles from Talihena OK to Mena, AR. At days end, our group of hardy club riders had climbed a total of 6,250 vertical feet and encountered only one or two automobiles.... We thoroughly recommend riding the TaliMena Scenic Drive !!! Fantastic training, fabulous views, no traffic.... most excellent.

Photos have been posted. Check out the "RECENT PHOTOS" section to the right of this page...

The Official TALIMENA SCENIC DRIVE Website can be found here.

CELEBRITY CLASSIC - VIEW THE EVENT VIDEO !!!

 Broken Bike Studios has done an awesome job on the 2007 Celebrity Classic Event video. Broken Bike Studios is a full service video production company located in downtown Van Buren, AR. Please consider them for your any future video and photography needs that you have.  

CLICK HERE to connect to their website, then Click on the CYCLING link on their page.

JOHN "BRENT" WILLIAMS

It is always difficult to report on sad news. Unfortunately, this is one such situation. Mercy Club member, fellow cyclist and friend to many, "Brent" Williams, passed away last week while doing something he dearly loved - cycling in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.

Brent lived in Greenwood AR and worked at Summit Hospital in Van Buren. Some people will remember Brent from his time in the lab at St. Edward Mercy hospital in Fort Smith where he worked for several years.

Donations to Brent's favorite charity, the American Diabetes Association, will be gratefully received.

Brent, we will miss you...

RIP

CELEBRITY CLASSIC - RESULTS

Results are starting to be posted... RESULTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE - CLICK HERE

More to come...

SCARY HALLOWEEN NIGHT RIDE
BOOOOoooooo

Halloween Night Is Coming Up This Wednesday. Do any of you mere mortals out there feel brave ??? Really brave ??? Well, if you do, then we have a ride just for you - Muu-Ha-Haaaa...

There will be an organized club ride this Wednesday night October 31st. We will be departing from Mountainburg High School at 6pm and ride up and down Mount Gaylor. This is a Night Ride - Bring Your Lights and Dress Warmly !!! To keep us all safe from all those ghouls and goblins in their cars, we will also have a follow vehicle driving behind us. Hope to see you all - It Should Be Fun !!!

TALIMENA SCENIC RIDE - THIS WEEKEND

Special Club Ride On Saturday October 27 -  Talimena Drive

UPDATE: The ride is happening this Saturday. We still have a few extra spots in the team van for anyone interested in getting a ride to the start location. Contact Hector ASAP if you wish to reserve your free spot.

Also, please note that there will be no club organized ride in Fort Smith this Saturday. Starting next week, our Winter schedule will start up... stay tuned for more details....

RIDE DETAILS: We will ride from the Oklahoma side (Talihena) to Arkansas side (Mena) - approx 55 very scenic miles. This is a one way ride along the scenic Talimena Scenic Drive. We will take the Mercy Team van, so space is limited to the first 12 club members that e-mail Hector Mendoza.

The plan is to leave the Mercy Fitness Center at 7:00 am, then pick up additional riders at HWY 10 / Spur commuter parking lot in Greenwood. We will then drive to the starting point in Talihena, OK.

Lunch in Mena after the ride.

Ride coordinators - Pepe, Sorus and Purdy

Contact Hector ASAP and reserve your spot !!!

TOUR OF MISSOURI - VIDEO & PHOTOS

Some Brad Huff Video from the start of the TT in Branson - CLICK
Some George Hincapie Video from the start of the TT in Branson - CLICK

Photos From The Branson Time Trial Stage of the Tour Of Missouri have been published. Scroll down to the RECENT PHOTOS Section to view.

Some Guys Just Have All The Luck

GAYLOR TT RESULTS POSTED

Results from today's Mount Gaylor TT have been posted on the GAYLOR TT Event Page.

CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE GAYLOR TT PAGE

2007 ARKANSAS STATE CRITERIUM CHAMPIONSHIPS AND
THE 2007 CELEBRITY CLASSIC
ONLINE PRE-REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Online preregistration is now open at SportsBaseOnline for the upcoming 2007 Arkansas State Criterium Championships. Preregistration is also open for the 2007 Celebrity Classic Criterium on the same weekend.

Preregister to avoid race day Late Fees.

Visit the Celebrity Classic / State Criterium Event Page HERE

MERCY CYCLING - TEAM STORE

Mercy Cycling is pleased to announce the Official Opening of our
Online Web-Store.

TO VISIT THE NEW STORE CLICK HERE

In the Web Store, you will be able to purchase everything 'Mercy' - Team Casual Wear and  Baseball Caps to start with - but, over time, we will be adding official Team Clothing such as Team Jerseys, Shorts, Socks, Gloves, Club Memberships, even last years Team Bicycles !!

A new 'STORE' link now appears on the Top Navigation bar on every page. Just click on it and pay the store a visit.

We have setup a number of convenient Payment Options. First you can place an order with us and mail a personal check or money order to the address supplied during checkout. As soon as your funds clear, your order will ship. For more convenience, we have also set up a secure connection to PayPal. This method allows you to use Credit Cards, Debit Cards, e-Checks among many many other options. All of these financial transactions are encrypted when using PayPal, so your financial data is 100% secure and private.

Orders can be shipped  to a US Mailing Address for a set fee. Or, for those of you living close to Fort Smith, we offer a "Pick Up At Mercy Fitness Center" option. This option has NO FEE - It's totally FREE. Once your payment clears, your order will be waiting for you at the Fitness Center. Just drop by when you receive your 'Order Is Ready' email... and it will be waiting for you to pick up... 

Please visit the store often as we will be adding additional items to our inventory over time.

If you have any concerns about anything on the site, please use the CONTACT US page on the Store Web Page - we will respond as soon as we possibly can.

2007 ARKANSAS STATE CRITERIUM CHAMPIONSHIPS AND
THE 2007 CELEBRITY CLASSIC
ONLINE PRE-REGISTRATION EXTENDED TO THURSDAY EVENING

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND !!! Don't Miss Out !!!

Online registration will close Thursday night.

Once online registration closes, you will have to wait until race day to register. Please note that all race day registrations will incur a mandatory late fee in addition to your race entry fees. 

See The Latest Event Updates HERE  

GAYLOR TT

The club would like to thank everyone who came out and took part in our Annual Mount Gaylor Time Trial. We hope our event met your expectations... and we get to see you all back next year!!

Also, a special thank you to all the volunteers that came out and made this event happen - Start officials; Finish officials; Registration and Results people; Traffic control people at the start and finish; Officials scouting the course; Mercy Fitness Center and the Mercy Cycling Team for all the race day equipment and beverages; the City of Mountainburg and local Law enforcement for the use of it's school facilities and City.

Of course, special thanks to Roger Cravey for organizing the event from start to finish.

TOUR OF MISSOURI

Don't forget that the Tour Of Missouri starts on Tuesday in Kansas City. The event will come very close to Arkansas on a few days with stages finishing in Springfield and Branson. This will be last chance you'll have to see the DISCOVERY CHANNEL team in action before it disbands at the end of this season. Tour de France winner, Alberto Contador, will be in attendance as will Levi Leipheimer... It should be quite a spectacle !!!

Click Here For More Information

MOUNT GAYLOR TIME TRIAL PRE-REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Pre Registration is now open at SportsBaseOnline for the upcoming Mount Gaylor TT on 9/9/2007. Remember - the sooner you register, the earlier your start time... Beat the heat of the day and the unpredictable winds on the mountain... Register Early.

Visit the Mount Gaylor Event Page HERE

PHOTOS - GATEWAY  CUP - ST.LOUIS, MO

Gateway Cup Photos Added. Scroll down to the RECENT PHOTOS Section

TEAM CLOTHING IS READY TO BE PICKED UP

Attention Mercy Club Members : If you placed an order for Mercy Team Clothing / technical wear (Jerseys, Shorts, Socks, Gloves etc..) - we have some good news - your clothing orders have been filled and are ready to be picked up.

Please call by the Mercy Fitness Center in Fort Smith and see Hector. If you requested that your order be shipped to your home address, expect your order to arrive soon!!!  Thanks for your patience.

2007 HOTTER 'N HELL 100

Jerry Wood and Bobby Pierce catching some zzzzzz's on the warm
Wichita Falls concrete...

It's 2 hours before the 7am start. They have had their breakfast. They have their spots in line. What better to do than catch up on some much needed sleep before the start of the Annual Hotter 'n Hell 100 miler in Wichita Falls, TX.

MERCY CLUB MEETING - PHOTOS

Some photos from our July Club Meeting held at the Blazen Burrito restaurant in Fort Smith. CLICK HERE To See The Photos. Thanks to everyone who showed up... we had a great turn out !!!

TOUR OF KANSAS CITY

Mercy is being represented by Sean McQueary in the CAT 4 event at the 2007 Tour of Kansas City. Sean has only recently moved into the CAT 4 ranks but is already proving to be a super strong rider in this category. Friday's KCK Criterium had a field of over 85 seasoned CAT 4 riders. At the end of a hard fought race, Sean managed to come home in a super 12th place. Fantastic job Sean !!! 

In the 40+ event on Saturday Mercy rider, David Hogan from Springfield MO, took a fine 10th place in this "always super competitive" race. Great job David !! 

SATURDAY CLUB RIDE

This Sat. 8-11-07 let's meet at Ben Geren @ 8:00am.

ROUTE: "GREENWOOD-DAYTON-HARTFORD-FORT SMITH"

Out the back gate of Ben Geren to HWY45 to down town Greenwood via the back route to Main St. Down HWY10 to Mt. Harmony to Dayton. Then, we can decide on how we want to get to Mansfield (options).

Weather forecast for Sat. HOT. (Route by: Eric Karlsson )

Everyone is Welcome!!

For those of you who made it out on the Ok. ride last Sat. This is a great new route that we will try and do again before the end of the season. It was about 77 miles and had some of the best back roads we ever been on. Who Knew?

GATEWAY CUP FIELD FILLING UP

Cat 4 field is full. The Cat 5 fields are not as bad, but will be full within the next week or so.  So, if you are thinking about racing.. get yourself pr-registered soon...

For those of you who have never been to St.Louis for this wonderful criterium series - It's definitely worth the drive. The series has 4 days of super criterium racing. Each day is at a different venue within St.Louis. The crowds that turn out to see us race are fantastic.

Fridays course has the best atmosphere of all -  with people flowing onto the streets from nearby restaurants and bars. Saturday is in a downtown venue, again with a fantastic array of trendy restaurants and entertainment choices. Sunday is the famous "Race Of The Hill" - the Italian sector of St.Louis - The Italians certainly put out a great welcome  for the event. Finally, all the students in the University City area of town throng the streets for Monday's finale.

More event information HERE
Event registration HERE

BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - DAY 7 - THE LAST DAY

Well it is the last day and most of the gang is ready to go home - but notgo home to the heat and humidity. It is just an awesome experience to ride your bike in the Rockies. Nothing back home even comes close. I guess that’s why theses bike tours are so big and have folks from all around the world. We had a chance to meet a lot of people from all over US while on the bike and at the campsite. We made friends with cyclist from, OR, IN, CO, OK and NC.

On the day we rode into Copper Mountain I wore my Texas A&M cycling jersey. On that day I made so many friends but also made many enemies. The worst part was when I literally got stuck next to a Texas Longhorn climbing Loveland Pass. I would pass him, he would pass me, all the way up. Each time we would pass we would make a friendly dig at each other. We did have a little fun when we passed an Ohio State Buckeye guy. I did find out later that it’s hailed three inches up Loveland Pass later that afternoon with several cyclist getting caught in the hail. We saw some pictures and it was amazing. The climb looked totally different. It always amazes me how the weather can change in minutes up here in the mountains at high altitude.

Back to the ride today... I can tell the long week of riding, almost 500 miles, the altitude, the camping and moving from town to town daily is taking it’s toll on everyone. Everyone is looking tired and edgy. Last night at dinner hardly any one said a word. Back at camp no one is hanging out and having a good time. Everyone just wants to get in their tent and go to sleep. Waking up at 4:00 a.m. is a killer too, at least for me.

Today ride had one major climb. As soon as we left town we started climbing and what a climb. One of the most beautiful roads and climbs I’ve ridden in Colorado. Rooster and Eddie left around 6:30 and the rest of us left at 7:00. We stayed together for about 10 miles. It was civilized for a bit but there was a competition at hand. The big guys climbing jersey! At about mile ten Felipe began to turn the screws a little and began dropping riders like flies - but glued to his right side was Pepe. Once we left the bunch we continued to exchange accelerations trying to crack each other. Finally we were caught by Sherpa Dale, who flew by us in the big chain ring on a slight grade. We never saw him until we got to the top!!! Both Pepe and I thought he would blow up but we didn’t. Paul “Pablo” Geoly clawed his way back to us and once rested jumped us and gained about 100 meters and just stayed there. With four miles to go I was getting hot. I was the only one who left with arm and knee warmers. I wasn't about to blow and lose my rhythm taking my arm warmers off!! Pepe took a small dig and I thought I was toast. I stayed with him and noticed he was slipping back a little. I dug hard and opened a gap and just put my head down and jammed it. I could see Paul and Dale up the road. They were my new targets keeping in mind Pepe could catch back up to me at anytime. I did mange to catch Paul only to have him jump me when I did and never was able to catch him again. We all finished within five minutes of each other. Everyone is riding much better and getting stronger.

On the downhill we passed a cyclist who had crashed and was being loaded into the ambulance. This year we saw lots of crashes and ambulances. At least three to four crashes a day. It always a bad scene when you see a rider in a stretcher and neck brace and all of these crashes were pretty bad. Mostly due to inexperience and fatigue.

The rest of the day was spent in long pace lines of 30+ cyclist as it was a gradual downhill into a headwind. Pepe, Feilpe, Pablo and Sherpa Dale did most of the work as Ken and Cookie swung the gate. It was a blast catching and passing big pace lines all day long. We did get passed by one pace line with a team of riders from New Mexico and we had a drag race for a while but their line was just a little too fast for us. We also had a little drag race with a triathlete dude who managed to roll away from us also, strong dude...

We all made it back to Steamboat safely with out the Hammers and Hamster. This was the first time in seven years we have had riders leave early and it sucked, but they are all back home resting. We could have used the Hammers on the last two days. It’s always cool to have everyone in their team jerseys riding those long pace lines. There were several groups/teams on the road and the strongest was the Simple Green team from north Carolina. Comprised mostly of cat 1’s and 2’s they rode strong everyday and were extremely friendly. Pablo and I got a chance to ride with them on separate days. I nicknamed the bunch the Soylent Green team and they thought that was pretty funny. It stuck.

Once back at Steamboat we loaded up the van and trailer took our showers said our good byes and hit the road. We are tired and some are cranky. The plan is drive to Colby, KS catch a few Z’s, get up early and finish the drive. Overall it was a great week and it was bad that we had several get sick with a variety of ailments but we all continue to breath and ride our bikes. Until next year!! (by: Hector Mendoza)

KOM Jersey : Felipe 4 Pepe 2
GREEN Jersey : Tied.

Dan Reikes Memorial Ride

CRITICAL MASS HITS FORT SMITH:

Over 100 cyclists participated in the memorial Ride for Reikes benefiting the River Valley Share the Road program. The 20 mile town loop saw all types of riders supporting the advocacy of cycling in the River Valley. Local celebrities included pro cyclist Brice Jones, Jelly Belly and Garrett Lewis, KFSM. The event was organized by Mercy Cycling and Scott Chapman to honor Dan Reikes who passed away a couple of years ago from his fight with cancer.

“Today was a great day for cycling in the River Valley and Dan would be proud” said event organizer, Scott Chapman. “ I’m sure Dan was looking down form heaven and would be smiling”. Dan was not only a great individual but he had a passion for his community and cycling. Reikes was instrumental in developing the bike and greenway system and was the key person in the bike route system in Ft. Smith. Dan was also responsible for supporting and promoting Arkansas’ first USA Cycling NRC criterium the Celebrity Classic which raises several hundred thousand dollars for local charities.

The Ride for Reikes’ goal is to increase cycling awareness and to continue Dan’s legacy by benefiting the “Share the Road Program". The SRP, is chaired by Dr. Terry Clark, President of the Arkansas Bicycle Coalition. It is Dr. Clark’s goal to add Ft. Smith to the list of great cities that have an SRP as a part of their cities transportation system. The River Valley SRP group is in the planning phase of identifying roads to place SRP signs. The goal is to have signs from the neighborhoods to schools and parks and identify and mark corridors that are heavily used by local cyclist for fitness and training. To date the SRP has raised about $3,000.00 and collected over $700.00 at today’s event. All donations are accepted and to adopt a sign the cost is $200.00
.
Mercy Cycling would like to thank event supporters, Platinum Distributing, Vitamin Water and Ft. Smith’s finest Ott Sengmanivong, Scott Jackson and David Dominic. The police support for the charity event was EXCELLENT!

 
CLICK HERE FOR THE
"RIDE FOR REIKES" PHOTO ALBUM

JULY COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Congratulations to the winners of the July Web-Competition which just wrapped up. We had a huge number of entries with submissions being received from all over the country. Thank You to everyone who entered.... Unfortunately, we can only select two of you as winners.

Drum Roll.... The winners are...
ERIC KARLSSON & SUZANNE CLAYTON
Congratulations Winners !! 
Stay tuned for another competition during August.

PEPE AND FELIPE'S THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE - REPORT

Felipe and Pepe would like to again thank the 22 riders that departed Cisterna Plaza at 5:30 p.m. for the TNG ride.  This ride just keeps getting bigger and BIGGER.  As a reminder, all riders are invited to join us on the TNG ride. The pace is moderate and the goal is to keep the group together, pass on cycling skills to newer riders and to share a little cycling fellowship. See you next Thursday !!

NEW MEMBER

Welcome New Club Member : Brittney Kolb From Harrison, AR

BURNS PARK CRIT SERIES - FINAL RESULTS

Club rider, Jim Corcoran from Beebe AR, has won the overall series at Burns Park in North Little Rock. After a very competitive 5 weeks, Jim came out as the most consistent and strongest rider. Great Job Jim !!

WEEK 1 RESULTS
WEEK 2 RESULTS
WEEK 3 RESULTS
WEEK 4 RESULTS
WEEK 5 RESULTS
SERIES OVERALL

TOUR DE OINK

The Morrilton Pig Trail Ride (AKA - Tour de Oink) will take place this weekend on August 4th in Conway AR . Ride distances will be 40 miles and 14 miles. Both rides will start at 8:30am. Click Here For More Info And The Event Registration Form (PDF)

BURNS PARK CRIT SERIES - FINAL RESULTS

Club rider, Jim Corcoran from Beebe AR, has won the overall series at Burns Park in North Little Rock. After a very competitive 5 weeks, Jim came out as the most consistent and strongest rider. Great Job Jim !!

WEEK 1 RESULTS
WEEK 2 RESULTS
WEEK 3 RESULTS
WEEK 4 RESULTS
WEEK 5 RESULTS
SERIES OVERALL

MERCY RIDER WINS US NATIONAL ROAD RACE TITLE

News is coming in about Mercy Cycling Team member David Leduc... Word is that David has won the US National Road Race Masters Championships in Seven Springs, PA. David was racing in the Masters 55-59 event and won in fine style... coming in almost 2 minutes ahead of his nearest rivals.

Earlier in the week, David took Silver in the US National Masters 55-59 Criterium event. Congratulations David !!!

More details can be found here at CYCLINGNEWS.COM.

MERCY CYCLING TEAM TEE SHIRTS

If you ordered a Mercy Cycling Team T-shirt at the the last meeting, you can now pick it up at the Mercy Fitness Center or at the next club meeting (July 24th). Also, we have extra Tee Shirts available for purchase. The cost is $10.25 per shirt and can be ordered via Hector at the fitness center or at our next club meeting on July 24th.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Mercy Cycling would like to welcome the following new members to the club - BRENT FRUEH and CHRISTEL MAHONEY.

WANT A FREE MERCY CYCLING TEAM TEE SHIRT ?

Want a FREE Mercy Cycling Team Tee Shirt ?
We are offering 2 totally free Tee Shirts
- One Male and One Female -
in our July Giveaway


Entries Must Be Received By Midnight Tuesday - Tonight !!

SATURDAY CLUB RIDE

Saturday's Club ride will depart at 8am from the Cloverleaf Plaza in Van Buren. The ride will then travel North via HWY 282, cross HWY 71, travel along the top of beautiful Georgia Ridge before heading South to HWY 64 and back to Van Buren. Everyone is Welcome!!

PEPE & FELIPE'S THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE - REPORT

A new group ride has been announced by Mercy Cycling. Starting this week, there will be a Thursday evening group ride departing from Cisterna Plaza in Fort Smith CLICK FOR MAP. The ride will depart at 5:30pm sharp. This ride will take in some beautiful riding roads South of Fort Smith. As always, everyone is invited to attend - especially new members !!

5NEW 500 - WHERE IS GARRETT TODAY ?

FRIDAY: ROGERS - FARMINGTON

Everyone is welcome to come out and ride with Garrett.

Check Out The Following Official 5NEWS WebSite Links

For More 5News500 Information : CLICK HERE
Garrett's Daily BLOG Updates : CLICK HERE

PEPE And FELIPE'S THURSDAY NIGHT RIDE - REPORT

The inaugural "Pepe And Filipe TNG" ride appears to have been a great success on Thursday evening. Here is an update from the event : "Pepe and Felipe would like to thank Suzanne, Rooster, Sorous, NWA, Eugene, Sofa, Kamakazie and Jack Ass for attending the inaugural TNG ride. The ride headed South and since all roads lead to Hackett, well guess what, we rode to Hackett. As we entered the bustling metropolis of Hackett somehow the group split as we maneuvered our way around one the towns "round abouts". Both groups ended up with about 40 miles and as several people commented - that beat four laps at Chaffee. Hope to see everyone out again next Thursday."

BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - DAY 6

Nice ride today. Not much happened on the road. Due to the gradual downhill into a headwind most of the day was spent riding in pacelines. Everyone survived today and there where no major casualties. We arrived at the campsite early; setup; cleaned up; ate and then most of us received a much needed 30 minute massage.

Kremling CO is a really small town with 5 restaurants so we are headed down the road to Steamboat Springs instead for dinner. 2000+ riders for 5 restaurants does not compute very well...

Tomorrow is our last day. 73 miles with one mountain pass.

On a side note – We rode a lot of miles on bike trails during the week long bike tour. I must say that Colorado has an awesome bike trail system. It was a little hairy at times with 2500 cyclist on the trails at the same time but it beat riding on the interstate.

KOM competition Felipe leads Pepe by 1 point and the competition for the green jersey is still tied. Tomorrow will decide the outcome for the jerseys. It’s anybody’s ball game at this point. (by: Hector Mendoza)

NEW PHOTOS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE "BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO" ALBUM TO THE RIGHT...

CLICK HERE : OFFICIAL BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO WEBSITE

Dan Reikes Memorial Ride

Mercy Cycling Team
presents the
"Dan Reikes Memorial Ride"

Saturday July 14, 2007 @ 7:00 a.m.
Harry Kelly Park on Clayton Expressway

The Goal Of The Ride is
"to increase cycling awareness in the River Valley area"

Every who owns a bike can come out and enjoy this nice 20 mile city tour.  It's free. It's fun. It's open to everyone. All you need is a bike and a helmet! Entry Fee Is Totally Free. The club will be accepting donations to purchase Share the Road bicycle signs to place in the River Valley area.  Signs cost $200.00 but all donations will gladly be accepted.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ROUTE MAP

BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - DAY 5

Today’s ride was awesome! We had to cover 60 miles with two passes along with “Battle Mountain”. Everyone was feeling good after the much needed rest day yesterday. Today, there were no casualties on the road, but Paul Geoly was not feeling 100%. He is also suffering from some type of bug.

Tonight we are going to eat at the famous Quincy’s steak house in Leadville. This came recommended by Dale Mondloch of the Tulsa Wheelmen who is also doing the BTC. Actually, we have adopted (well, maybe kidnapped) Dale as a Sherpa for Mercy Cycling J

The next two days are ‘rather easy’. Only one mountain pass per day and lots of downhill...

Pepe and Felipe are still tied in the KOM and Sprinters competition. Looks like it will be a close call and a race to the end. (by: Hector Mendoza)

PHOTOS ARE BEING ADDED TO THE "BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO" ALBUM TO THE RIGHT... KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR DAILY UPDATES (Where Possible)

CLICK HERE : OFFICIAL BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO WEBSITE

GARRET LEWIS - CHANNEL 5 NEWS & THE "5NEWS 500 EVENT"

All during the month of July, local news station KFSM Channel 5, will be doing extensive coverage of "Cycling In Arkansas". Local Weather Celebrity, Garret Lewis, will be riding his bike every day in July through various towns / cities in NW Arkansas and his ride will be featured daily on KFSM. Channel 5 has approached the club to be a major participant in this event.

Garrett has already started his month long trek across NW Arkansas... starting last Monday he in Garfield, AR and finished the day in Centerton, AR. Check out the complete itinerary at the bottom of this article for the rest of Garrett's first week on the bike. Garret has also asked everyone to come on out and ride with him on as many days as you can - he would love the company !!!  Who knows, you may get yourself on TV too !!!

Also, starting tonight (Tuesday) on Channel 5 News, the first of many "Cycling Segments" will be shown. The first segment will be titled "Cycling Tips" which was recorded at a local bike store.  Future segments will include information of Cycling in Arkansas, Share the Roads info, safe riding tips etc etc ... every day will have a different topic.

5NEW 500 - WHERE IS GARRETT TODAY ?

Week 2 of Garrett's Excellent Adventure starts on Monday in Fayetteville, AR. By weeks end, Garrett will find himself in Pocola. Now that the 5New500 is arriving in our next of the woods, let's get out there and ride with Garrett as much as we can. It's great publicity for our wonderful club... and also great encouragement for our local TV Weather Man, Garrett Lewis !!! Here is the 5News500 schedule for this coming week....

• Day 1:  Fayetteville-Artist Point
• Day 2:  Artist Point-Alma
• Day 3:  Alma-Ozark (NEW)
• Day 4:  Ozark - Lavaca (NEW)
• Day 5:  Lavaca-Greenwood-Fort Smith (NEW)

Garrett's Daily BLOG And VIDEO Updates : CLICK HERE

 2007 MERCY CYCLING TEAM JERSEY DESIGN REVEALED

2007 MERCY CYCLING TEAM JERSEY DESIGN

JUNE WEBSITE COMPETITION - RESULTS

Congratulations to Roger Cravey for picking the correct answer to the June Competition. Roger answered correctly when he selected "3 times" as the number of times that the Mercy Cycling Team has been honored as "USA Cycling Club Of The Year".

The JULY Competition will be appearing soon on the website, please look out for it. As always, it's free to enter, open to everyone, you don't have to be a club member.... and selecting the correct answer this month will earn you some Mercy Swag.... Stay tuned for more details... 

CLUB RIDE ON SATURDAY

Details about this weekends Club Ride on Saturday have been posted on the CLUB CALENDAR Page (CLICK HERE). The Route this Saturday will travel out East of Fort Smith via HWY 22 and HWY 96 and then travel around the Masters Nationals Loop. Great course, great climbs and great scenery!! Ride Starts @ 8am from Fort Chaffee parking lot on HWY 22 (CLICK FOR MAP)  

EVERYONE IS WELCOME !!

(There are  lot of bail-out options for this course for those who don't want to do the full Masters Loop)

TORNADO ALLEY 110 (CENTURY RIDE) on 7/7/7 @ 7:07AM

On July 7, 2007 at 7:07 am the first ever Tornado Alley 110 will take place in Joplin MO.

The 110 mile ride will travel through 4 States, with beautiful scenery and rolling hills all the way. For those of you not wanting to do the full 110 miles, the event has two other options - a 25 mile and a 62 mile ride.

Trip organizer, Carl Norris, has 3 double rooms reserved at the Hampton Inn. The group is also planning on taking the Mercy Team Van on Friday leaving at 4:00 pm from the Mercy Fitness Center. Anyone wanting a seat on the van or 1/2 a room should email Carl at carl@championcycling.com. Rooms are $75 so it's only $37.50 per person if you share a room.

The event Web Site is www.ta110bike.com

BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - JUNE  24th - 30th

Dan and Eddie are out for today. They are not feeling well and are hoping to be recovered for Thursday's ride into Leadville. The bunch as a whole is fairing well. 75 miles may not seem that long back home, and it isn't, but at altitude along with 6,000 feet of climbing per day it makes for a long haul each day.

Today we had two major climbs that took us over 11,000 feet. We climbed Berthoud and Loveland Passes. Berthoud was not too terribly difficult but, Loveland Pass on the other hand, was a #$%^&. It was cool looking down the climb and seeing what we had climbed. This climb had several switchbacks that offered some great views both up and down the climb. "Pepe" swears he saw some Big Horn Sheep but we think he was delirious due to the lack of oxygen to his brain. Yesterday however, we did see some Bison... so who know's, maybe he did see some Big Horns ??

"Felipe" hit 51.5 mph on the downhill and "NWA" hit a top speed of 51.4. Finally someone was able to break Mach I. Both "Pepe" and "Felipe" called a truce today for the climbers and sprinters competition... just so that they can make it to the end of the tour. With a rest day tomorrow, hopefully "Diarrhea Dude" and "Eddie" will be back in the saddle for Thursday. Not sure if we mentioned that Paul Geoly is also riding with the bunch. He drove up with his wife and joined us before we left Steamboat.   (by: Hector Mendoza)

PHOTOS ARE BEING ADDED TO THE "BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO" ALBUM TO THE RIGHT... KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR DAILY UPDATES (Where Possible)

CLICK HERE : OFFICIAL BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO WEBSITE

BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - JUNE  24th - 30th

Today's ride took us to the ski resort town of Winter Park. Today we rode 75 miles with no significant climbs - but there was a lot of gradual climbing nonetheless. "Pepe", "Felipe", "Cookie" and "NWA" spent most the day just riding easy after a moderate to hard ride the day before. "The Hammers" and "Hamster" - well, they hammered it. "Roster", "Eddie" and "Jeff (aka "Left Ear")" just chilled in the saddle also. (Side note: Jeff has been nicknamed left ear due to the fact that he has limited hearing in his left ear.)

Even though there were no big climbs today, the distance, gradual climbing and HEAT took it's toll on the Mercy bunch. Everyone was tired rolling into Winter Park. Luckily we were able to find a 7-11 so we stopped and had an ice cold Slurpee! Even though it is very DRY here, we are still having to suck down lots of liquids - the sun at altitude is scorching us.

Today, we set up camp at the base of the Winter Park ski resort which was nice. Dan aka "Diarrhea Dude" and Eddie suffered from dehydration had to make their way to the medical clinic for some much needed IV fluids. Everyone else just hung out at the village while some of the group went for burgers. Those who stayed at Camp Mercy, had pizza delivered right to the camp site... quite the feast

On a side note, "Pepe and Felipe" have a mountain climbers and sprinters competition going. The current tally is climbing two points each. Sprinters competition two points each.   (by: Hector Mendoza)

PHOTOS ARE BEING ADDED TO THE "BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO" ALBUM TO THE RIGHT... KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR DAILY UPDATES (Where Possible)

CLICK HERE : OFFICIAL BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO WEBSITE

CARVE SUMMER CRIT SERIES

The 2007 CARVE SUMMER CRIT SERIES has commenced. The event started on Wednesday June 13th and runs weekly until July 18th. Race venue is in the fantastic Burns Park in North Little Rock. Anyone looking to fine tune their criterium skills should check out this well organized and attended series. 

The full event flyer can be found HERE.

BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - DAY 4 - REST DAY

Everyone was looking forward to today's rest day. The forecast for today – overcast and 52 degrees. Dan and David went to the emergency room in Frisco. Apparently Dan is suffering from a virus. Hopefully he’ll be back in the saddle in the next day or two.

Today, we spent most of the day in Copper Mountain Village. Rooster, Hamster, Felipe, Pepe, NWA and Cookie took the lift up the mountain and hiked up to the top of the mountain. Later today we will go grocery shopping for the remaining days and, if we are not too tired, we’ll catch a flick in Dillon. 3 more days on the road to go…  
(by: Hector Mendoza)

PHOTOS ARE BEING ADDED TO THE "BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO" ALBUM TO THE RIGHT... KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR DAILY UPDATES (Where Possible)

CLICK HERE : OFFICIAL BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO WEBSITE

CHANNEL 5 NEWS @ FORT CHAFFEE ON TUESDAY

All during the month of July, local news station KFSM Channel 5, will be doing extensive coverage of "Cycling In Arkansas". Local Weather Celebrity, Garret Lewis, will be riding his bike every day in July through various towns / cities in NW Arkansas and his ride will be featured daily on KFSM. Channel 5 has approached the club to be a major participant in this event. So, on this coming Tuesday - June 26th, Channel 5 will have a film crew out at Fort Chaffee to do a promo-shoot to include the Mercy Cycling Team. They will be doing interviews, taking sound bites as well as getting shots of the team in action.

We would love to see as many team members out at Fort Chaffee on Tuesday. If possible, please wear your Mercy Team Colors. The shoot will be starting @ 5pm.

Show your support for cycling in Arkansas and come on out to Fort Chaffee !!

 J U N E    C O M P E T I T I O N - FINISHES ON SATURDAY

GET THOSE ENTRIES IN... THE COMPETITION CLOSES THIS SATURDAY. 

"Mercy Trivia Competition" ... Up for grabs this month will be an "Autographed Photo From Brad Huff". As you know, Brad is currently riding as a professional for Team Slipstream and is a former Mercy Cycling Elite Team member. The photo is from his US National Elite Criterium win in 2005.  As always, the competition is open to everyone, members and non-members alike. The only rule is that you can only enter once... Last date to enter will be June 30th.

CLICK HERE to be taken to the Mercy Trivia page
GOOD LUCK !!!
(Hint: The Answer Is Located Somewhere On This Site)

CLUB RIDE THIS WEEKEND

Details about this weekends Club Ride on Saturday have been posted on the CLUB CALENDAR Page (CLICK HERE). The Route this weekend will travel out East to Booneville via HWY 22. Estimated distance will be 60 to 70 MILES.  Ride Starts @ 8am from Ben Geren Park in Fort Smith. EVERYONE IS WELCOME !!

TOYOTA CHALLENGE CENTURY RIDE - THIS SATURDAY - JUNE 30TH - ROGERS, AR

"The Boston Mountain Cyclists" are organizing a century ride with 2 different ride options - 100 MILES or 100KM. One of their sponsors (Toyota of NWA) will host the event in Rogers, AR. The rides will be on Saturday June 30th and will roll out at 8am. As always the ride will be fully supported with food and drink stations."

FULL EVENT FLYER HERE (PDF Document).

BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - JUNE  24th - 30th

SATURDAY: THE DAY BEFORE (by: Hector Mendoza)

The day started very early as Clark “Rooster” Nally forgot to change the time on his watch and woke everyone up at 6:00a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. ride. It was not until 6:45am that the group figured out that we could have been sleeping for another hour.

The group is staying at the Ranch Condos on Friday and Saturday night before the start of the Tour. Today we went out on a scouting mission and decided to check out the Rabbit Ears Pass Climb - 7 miles at 7 percent the climb - not too hard and everyone made it to the summit with ease. The “Hammers” made it up to the top first but suffered a bout of vertigo as “Pepe”, “Felipe” and “NWA” engaged in slingshot mode for the fast downhill with a top speed into a headwind of 49.8 mph - Yikes!

Afterwards, we rode into downtown Steamboat Springs for brunch and then went back to the condos to get cleaned up. The afternoon was spent shopping for food, registering for the event and loading up the Mercy Team van. All of this was followed by an excellent dinner at the Butcher Shop. Everyone is a little tired from waking up so early this morning. Entertainment back at the Ranch tonight is “Snakes on a Plane”.

Tomorrow is an early day so lights out at 10:00pm.

PHOTOS ARE BEING ADDED TO THE "BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO" ALBUM TO THE RIGHT... KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR DAILY UPDATES (Where Possible)

CLICK HERE : OFFICIAL BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO WEBSITE

MORE PHOTOS - NW Arkansas Bicycle Challenge.

More Photos have been posted. Look For The Album In The Right Column Of This Page....

Also, check out this link for even more photos... CLICK HERE

ARKANSAS STATE TIME TRIAL RESULTS

Congratulations to Dan Greisse on recording a fantastic time of 58:26 in the Masters 50-54 event. Dan missed out on the state championship by a mere 14 seconds, which was won by Neil Truscello (CARVE) from Sherwood, AR.

The Full Results For The Arkansas State Time Trial Have Been Posted - HERE

CLUB RIDE THIS WEEKEND

Details about this weekends Club Ride on Saturday have been posted on the CLUB CALENDAR Page. We'll be riding the Masters Nationals Loop. Ride Starts @ 8am from the front parking lot of Fort Chaffee.

ARKANSAS STATE TIME TRIALS - THIS WEEKEND !!!

The 2007 Arkansas State Time Trials Will Be Held On Sunday June 17th.
Location Will Be In Galloway, AR (CLICK FOR MAP).
First Rider Off At 7am.

The full event flyer can be found HERE.

Some Event Small Print :

"The event is open to all riders, however, to be eligible for a State Championship, you must be an AR licensed rider. One-Day licensed riders can race the event as normal - but, are not eligible for a State Championship Title, should they win an event. Only Annual AR License holders (and those who apply for an annual license at the event) are eligible for State Championship Titles."

Congratulations to everyone who completed the recent
NW Arkansas Bicycle Challenge.

Early on Thursday morning, a group of 50+ riders gathered outside the Mercy Fitness Center in Fort Smith - all ready their 4-day epic ride in the middle of the scenic Ozark Mountains in Arkansas .

Day 1 saw the riders travel Eastward to Russellville on the 'easiest' route of the weekend. Today was just a warm-up for what was to come...

Day 2 was the reason why the event is called the "NWA Challenge".... the route travelled Northwards from Russellville to the city of Harrison. These were the same roads used by the Professional riders in the recent Tri-Peaks NRC Stage Race... so, these are not easy roads and certainly are not for the faint-of-heart. Survivors of Day 2 tackled another difficult route on ...

Day 3 ... Harrison to Fayetteville. The scenery on today's stage was phenomenal... We just hope the riders were able to take it all in... This part of Arkansas is so beautiful...

Day 4 brought the riders Southward from Fayetteville to the finish in Fort Smith.

!! Congratulations Everyone !!
It's Quite An Achievement To Have Completed The 2007 NWA Bicycle Challenge.

Some PHOTOS have been posted. Look In The Right Column Of This Page....
Please keep checking back -  as more photos will be added soon...

TULSA TOUGH - "THE RACE"

Not only did our Elite Teams race at Tulsa Tough, but we also had a great turn out from our Club Racing Teams.

Picture: Local Fort Smith Rider, Paul Geoly,  Crosses The Start/Finish At Tulsa Tough 2007

Here are some of our results from last weekend... There was so much action in the three events, that it is almost impossible to list all our achievements from last weekend here.... Sorry if I missed anyone...

• SATURDAY
  Paul Geoly (Fort Smith AR) - 10th in the CAT 5 event.
  Dennis Nowak (Springfield MO) - 3rd in the Junior 15-16 event.
  David LeDuc (Willow Springs NC) WON the Masters 40+ event.
  Jim Corcoran (Bebee AR) - 10th  in the Masters 40+ event.
  Carl Sundquist, David Hogan and Frank Wilborn all finished with the pack in the Masters 40+ event.
  Dan Greisse (Fort Smith AR) - 9th in the Masters 50+ event.
  David Greisse (Fort Smith AR) - Finished with the pack in the Masters 50+ event
  Hector Mendoza (Fort Smith AR) - Finished with the pack in the CAT 4 event
  Sean McQueary (Springfield MO) - Finished with the pack in the CAT 4 event

• SUNDAY
  Paul Geoly (Fort Smith AR) - 10th again in the CAT 5 event.
  David LeDuc (Willow Springs NC) WON the Masters 40+ event.
  Jim Corcoran (Bebee AR) - 6th  in the Masters 40+ event.
  Carl Sundquist (Fort Smith AR) finished with the pack in the Masters 40+ event.
  Sean McQueary (Springfield MO) finished with the pack in the CAT 4 event.

Great Work Team. It was great to see so many new faces at Tulsa Tough


Picture: Ready To Race The 50+ Event At Tulsa Tough

Tulsa Tough Results Can Be Found HERE

MAY CLUB MEETING - MINUTES POSTED

The Meeting Minutes from our most recent club meeting have been posted. Click on the "MAY Meeting Minutes" link under the "2007 Club Information" section at the top of this page..or CLICK HERE to go directly to the minutes...

WELCOME DENNIS NOWAK - OUR NEWEST JUNIOR (2007-05-22)

Mercy Cycling Team would like to welcome our newest Junior member to the club. Dennis Nowak is from Ozark MO and races as a Junior  for Mercy (15-16 age group).

Last weekend at the grueling Tri-Peaks Challenge race in Russellville, Dennis scored a fantastic 2nd place in the criterium stage.

Just a few weeks prior, Dennis took 1st place at the extremely tough "Cow Skin" Circuit Race just outside Tulsa OK.

Well Done Dennis !!
Welcome to the Mercy Cycling Team.

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MO STATE ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS (2007-05-20)

The Missouri State Road Championships were held in Rolla MO on Sunday.

In the Men's Cat 5  event, Mercy Cycling was represented by Sean McQueary (Springfield, MO). On a very challenging course, Mercy could not have asked for a better result with Sean being crowned the 2007 MO State RR Champion

As a result, Sean will now be upgrading his racing license to the very competitive CAT 4 category. We are sure he will score many more wins in his new category...

Congratulations Sean!!
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Please Visit Their WebSite @ www.actionimages.cc

NW ARKANSAS BICYCLE CHALLENGE (4 DAY BIKE TOUR)
YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO REGISTER

It's just around the corner!!! June 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th - just One Week to go. 4 Days of riding on some of the most scenic roads in North West Arkansas - In the heart of the Ozarks... Beautiful...

For safety reasons this year's event will be limited to the first 100 riders to register. The link to the registration form can be found at the bottom of this article. At last count, we currently have 60 riders registered...

Total cost for the full 4 days is just $125. This includes full mechanical and SAG support (food / rest stops). All you have to pay for is the cost of hotel / camping accommodations and your personal meals. If you are a current member of the Mercy Cycling Team, the cost is even less - just $90. That's a $35 discount - Your $30 Club Membership has just paid for itself!!! Also, $20 of your registration fee goes to the great cause of the "Share The Road" program.

Register Early to secure your spot !!!

2007 REGISTRATION FORM : CLICK HERE (PDF - 500kb)
OFFICIAL WEBSITE : CLICK HERE

2007 will take the riders on a similar same route as last year...

• Fort Smith to Russellville (79 Miles) on DAY 1 / Thursday;
• Russellville to Harrison (87 Miles) on DAY 2 / Friday;
• Harrison to Fayetteville (75 Miles) on DAY 3 / Saturday and
• Fayetteville to Fort Smith (72 Miles) on DAY 4 / Sunday.

St. Edward Mercy Medical Center Marketing Department

The St.Edward Mercy Medical Center Marketing Department will be doing an extensive photo and video shoot of the Mercy Cycling Team on Tuesday June 5 at 5:00 PM. The event will take place at Constitution Park out at Fort Chaffee.

We need as many Mercy Cycling Club Members as possible to come out and show your support for one of our longest running major sponsors. We request that everyone please wear all things "Blue and Mercy".

The shoot should take about an hour and will also include some interviews with club members.

PLEASE COME OUT IN GREAT NUMBERS AND SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR IN IT'S MARKETING EFFORTS.

CLUB RIDERS RACING IN TEXAS THIS WEEKEND

Carl Sundquist took an excellent 3rd place at the GS Tenzing Criterium in Dallas this weekend. Carl was racing in the extremely competitive 45+ event.

Congratulations Carl!!

TULSA TOUGH IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER(2007-05-24)

For anyone who did not attend last years Tulsa Tough event... You really missed the event of the year!!! Tulsa really knows how to put on and organize a national level cycling event. Night races... Professional Riders... Live Music on stages... Multiple locations throughout Tulsa... Distance Rides for those of you who prefer to not race... Food galore... And huge crowds of spectators... This is an event not to be missed... the atmosphere is electric...

Click on the Tulsa Tough banner above to be linked to the event website...

"CLUB RIDERS DO WELL AT TRI-PEAKS" (2007-05-23)

Some news headlines from the TRI-PEAKS Stage Race in Russellville, AR.

• Dan Greisse Wins Criterium Stage.
  Dan rode very strongly in the Masters 50+ event to win the Stage 1 opener around the ATU Complex on Saturday. Dan eventually finished 5th overall on GC. Great Job Dan!!

• Paul Geoly Takes 11th on GC IN THE MEN'S CAT 5 EVENT.
  Paul rode a great race - finishing in the top-12 on every stage. That was good enough for Paul to take 11th on GC after 3 hard fought stages against 30 other top quality riders from OK, AR, LA, and MO. Excellent result Paul!!

• Jim Corcoran: 2nd IN THE MASTERS 30+ EVENT
  Beebe AR rider, Jim Corcoran had some very stiff opposition in the Masters 30+ event. Jim finished 2nd in the Criterium stage after leaving the pack early on in the race. Jim was joined by the talented Peter Beland from Little Rock mid way through the event. Both stayed away with Peter taking the win. In the final overall GC, Jim scored a fantastic 2nd overall. Great Racing Jim !!
  

• Dennis Nowak : 2nd IN THE JUNIOR CRIT EVENT
  Ozark MO rider, Dennis Nowak had fine result in the Junior event. Dennis pulled off a great 2nd place in the hotly contested event.  FANTASTIC RIDE DENNIS!!
  
  Great Job All !!

"CLUB RIDERS DO WELL AT JOE MARTIN" (2007-05-13)

Some news headlines from the Joe Martin Stage Race in Fayetteville, AR.

• Sean McQueary Wins CAT 5 EVENT.
  Sean was 2nd on the Stage 1 road race; 1st in the Devils Den time trial and 3rd in the criterium. That was consistent enough to give Sean the Overall GC win.

• Roslyn Grimsley takes 5TH IN THE WOMENS MASTERS EVENT.
  Roslyn rode very consistently in all events to take 5th on GC. She finished 4th in the Road Race, 5th in the Time Trial and 4th again in the Criterium.

• Jim Corcoran: 5TH IN THE MASTERS 45+ EVENT.
  Beebe AR rider, Jim Corcoran had some very stiff opposition in the Masters 45+ event. Jim finished 10th in the Road Race, 6th in the Time Trial and 4th in the criterium. This consistent riding was enough for Jim to be called to the podium for an excellent 5th placing on GC
  
  Great Job All !!

(2007-02-26) BICYCLE TOUR OF COLORADO - UPDATE

Roslyn has kindly provided us with a quick update on the upcoming Bicycle Tour of Colorado which will take place June 24th through 30th this year.

This years route begins and ends in Steamboat Springs, CO, looping to the South through Copper Mountain and Leadville. An expected attendance of 2,000+ riders will travel 418 miles (crossing the Continental Divide 6 times) with elevation gains of 35, 436 feet over the week.

Right now, Mercy Cycling has 12 riders and 1 driver registered for the event. Training has been limited to the occasional weekend