Another stellar weekend of racing for Team Essex Brass! The team traveled to the west coast of the state to participate in the Tour of Cedar Creek. This road course is situated in the Manistee National Forrest and features a 17 mile loop that offers three climbs per loop. This was the 5th event of the 2005 Michigan Challenge Point Series.  Here is how the action unfolded...........

Masters 35+ event:
Two racers shot off the front immediately from the starting whistle. Jeff Gray made the bridge and began rolling up the road in three man break. The break turned dysfunctional and was later absorbed by the field. Laps one and two saw organized attacks from larger teams occur every time the road began to go up. Eventually there was a selection made after several attacking efforts. Eight men went up the road and eight different teams were represented in the break. Paul Winocur had read the move and placed himself in the winning break. Paul Rivera and Jeff Gray kept watch near the front of the field and plotted for the field sprint. As the eight sprinted for the finish, Paul Winocur found himself boxed in and unable to react. It was a nice overall team effort for the Essex Brass squad. 

        Paul Winocur - 8th place
        Jeff Gray - 17th place
        Paul Rivera - 29th place       

Masters 45+ event:
Tom Kachelmeyer launched an attack on lap one as the field rolled into a climb. Kachelmeyer danced on the pedals and quickly gapped the field. Kachelmeyer rode solo for the next three miles before being joined by two other racers representing other team. The break continued to roll for another 5 miles before being gathered by the field. Lap two saw Bill Gilboe attack the field with 10 other racers in his wake. This turned out to be the winning move as Gilboe had totally fractured the field. Kachelmeyer had placed himself in the move. Gilboe attacked again, gapping the break and riding solo for the next eight miles. The group caught Bill and regrouped. It was clear that Gilboe was a marked man and the team would have to be cagey for the win. Tom Kachelmeyer tested the waters by rolling off the front. As his gap grew and the racers in the break hesitated, Tom lit the rockets and began to solo to the finish. With Gilboe controlling the others, Kachelmeyer put four minutes into his break away companions and captured his first WIN. This squad just keeps racking up the wins this season! Congratulations Tom!

        Tom Kachelmeyer - 1st place
        Bill Gilboe - 6th place

Masters 55+ event:
Ed Reid squirted off the front of the group and kicked his way to a HUGE WIN. Ed continues to hammer the competition season after season. Congratulations Ed. Great job notching another win for the team.

         Ed Reid - 1st place   

New on the 2005 Michigan Challenge Point Series calendar was the Saturn/Shell Cycling Classic. The event drew many racers from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Fields were large, despite the sketchy weather which dealt the racers some sun, some rain, gusty winds and cool temperatures in the 60s. The course was a four corner, flat, .75 mile, rectangle. Here is how the action unfolded...........

Pro / Cat 1 / 2 event:
        The field was nose to tail from the starting gun. Early in the event a six man break was established. Try as they might, the field chased and chased only to have the break stay a consistent 25 seconds up the road. It was a combination of team tactics and a unorganized field that aided this six man selection along. As it was apparent that the race would come down to a bunch sprint for the best of the rest. Team Essex Brass member David Mullins moved to the front and poured on the coals. Mullins kept it strung out for the last couple laps as sprinter Bruce Rivera hit the gas and rushed to the line in 11th position. Nice work by the 1 / 2 squad.

        Bruce Rivera - 11th place
        David Mullins - 32nd place
        Tom Kachelmeyer - Field

Masters 35+ event:
        The field was eager to showcase it's horsepower with several attacks and speeds that kept the racers strung out like a long, thin line across the back straight. About midpoint in the race a solo racer got away and continued to put in a huge effort for the next several laps. Scott McLarty came to the front and organized the chase. With the help of some of the other teams McLarty and Jeff Gray shut the solo attacker down. With two laps to go, two racers escaped the field and the chase was on again. McLarty took some long pulls, but the field seemed ready to accept the outcome. The field would sprint for third position. Paul Rivera moved himself up the field and shot to a 13th place finish.

        Paul Rivera - 13th place
        Jeff Gray - 17th place
        Scott McLarty - 24th place

Masters 45+ event:
        The competition was wondering which Essex Brass team member was going to put the hurt on them today. Tom Kachelmeyer started the pain by pushing the pace and  dragging the field around, putting several racers into debt. Shortly after the field began to fragment, Bill Gilboe played off Kachelmeyer's efforts and launched his attack, riding off the front of the field. Gilboe preceded to stay away and captured his 2nd WIN of the season! Great team work by 45+ squad.

        Bill Gilboe - 1st place
        Tom Kachelmeyer - 21st place   

May 21st - Milford, MI

The Kensington Road Race was the third event on the 2005 Michigan Challenge Point Series. The challenging course takes racers over several climbs and offers screaming decents, testing the nerves of the racers as they ride wheel to wheel. The fields were large as a record number of racers attended the event. The weather was nice with sun and a starting temperature of 50 degrees F. and temperatures in the 70s by the finish. On to the racing action...................................

Pro / Cat 1 / 2 event:
        Bruce Rivera - 7th place
        David Mullins - 27th place
        Jason Stephenson - 40th place

   It was a huge, star studded field for this event. The team would be facing off against pros and teams two and three times larger in size. The race quickly got interesting when Jason Stephenson rode off the front of the field to bridge to a two man break that was rolling up the road. Stephenson was hating life as the two pro racers (from the same team) took turns attacking him. Jason fought hard, but eventually came back to the field. As Jason came back to the field, it relieved strongman, David Mullins of the duty of riding on the front of the field. This break was not coming back and the Essex Brass team was thinking field sprint. Bruce Rivera was ready to drag race and lit the jets up the final climb. Outstanding effort by the 1 / 2 squad. Congratulations to Bruce Rivera.

Masters 35+ event:
        Paul Winocur - 5th place
        Paul Rivera - 10th place
        Scott McLarty - 20th place
        Jeff Gray - 21st place

   This event featured several attacks with teams clearly on a tactical mission to blow this race apart. Early in the event, it was the strong riding of Scott McLarty and Jeff Gray pulling back anyone trying to escape the field. Paul Winocur placed himself in a early break as he rocketed up a climb leaving the field in his wake. The break eventually came back and the field was content to ride together for a few miles before the next attack was attempted. Finally, a selection went up the road and it turned out to be the winning break. Winocur had made the move. Paul Rivera, McLarty and Gray were left to controlled the best of the rest. The three turned to two as Gray was taken down in a high speed decent. Winocur rode to an excellent finish despite being tag teamed. Rivera was tops in the field sprint. It was a field finish for McLarty and Gray chased back to also finish the race. Excellent job guys.

Masters 45+ event: 

        Tom Kachelmeyer - 2nd place
        Bill Gilboe - 4th place
        Joe Matthews - 24th place
        Chuck Powell - DNF

   This squad was confident and ready to roll at the start. Lots of talent here and the team was eager to put the hurt on the field. The field was together for the majority of the race, but near the end of the race, Tom Kachelmeyer decided to stretch his legs a bit and squirt off the front for a couple of miles. The field came back together, just in time for the big climb to the finish. That is when Kachelmeyer and Bill Gilboe launched themselves up the hill riding the field off their wheels. Joe Matthews was involved in a tangle which certainly cost him several positions. Great team work by the 45+ squad! Congratulations to Tom and Bill.      

Masters 55+ event:

Ed Reid - 2nd place 

   Ed Reid took 2nd place in a very close climbing, sprint finish. Ed just missed his first win of the season by inches. Great job Ed!

May 12th - Waterford, MI

   Thursday night race series began with an attack from the starting whistle and was followed by countless more counter attacks. It was David Mullins who read this race and placed himself with a select group of three to for the winning break. David rode a remarkable race, just missing the third step on the podium. Bruce Rivera rode solo to the finish in 5th position and Jeff Gray patrolled the peloton and kept all chasers in check. Excellent job by the team as they were out numbered by several other teams in the field.

"A" Race:
        David Mullins - 4th place
        Bruce Rivera - 5th place
        Jeff Gray - 19th place