Athens
Twilight is tough enough without the rain, but a number of factors made it one of the toughest in memory. First and foremost, the race was marked by torrential rain and lightening. That made for scary corners and tougher accelerations out of turns two and four.
The race was shattered two laps in and half the field was pulled. There were a number of crashes, but fortunately the HH boys were spared any unexpected visits to the pavement.
About halfway through the race, a move went up the road, and Mtn. Khakis missed it. They ended up putting all their guys on the front to reel it back in, and the field was further annihilated.
The original field of 180 was decimated, leaving only 35 finishers. Of those 35, only 5 weren’t on pro squads. Chris Schmidt and Jared Nieters were two of them, each getting their best finishes at Athens.
Results
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Roswell
Roswell is a very different race from Athens. The corners are much more mellow, and a narrowing rise on the back side allows for a bit more circulation in the field. The race was generally uneventful, though Haymarket riders made a few attempts to get up the road. However, nothing was sticking and the field remained together through the sprint.
Results
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Beaufort
We were fortunate to stay at the nicest host housing on the SpeedWeek circuit in Beaufort, SC. Only two miles from downtown, we were able to have a great amount of rest, and eat some great home cooking.
The notable portions of the course include a tight turn one that reduces from 4 lanes to 1, and a short back stretch that ends before any passing opportunities really present themselves.
Schmidt made it off the front, and nearly bridged to the winning breakaway, but was crashed out in the infamous turn one. After two crashes himself, Nieters ended up finishing in the omnium points, but just out of the money.
Results
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Walterboro
Walterboro found the HH guys particularly motivated. Schmidt was looking for redemption from Beaufort, and Nieters was fired up after battling a cold for the previous two days.
Early in the race, Nieters was able to get up the road in a small move, but was reeled back in short order, but only after earning points in the lap-leading competition.
Shortly after Nieters’ turn at the front, Schmidt attacked for the five-place mid-race preme. He was reeling in Rashan Bahati, but ran out of real estate, nabbing a great second place, garnering points and prize money.
The race ended fast, as the Bahati Foundation team found themselves out of the break. They moved to the front and reeled the move in with three laps to go. There was no slowing at that point, and with good positioning, Schmidt remained highly placed, landing deep in the cash. . Unfortunately, Escobar ran into a little bit of trouble, getting gapped in a large group in turn three—a turn so dark riders could have done just as well to ride through with their eyes closed. Nieters was once again only one spot out of the money (an annoying recurring theme). Simpson had his best result of the series gaining points in the omnium, with his 47th place
Results
