MADISON, WI (BRAIN)—On the Thursday night of this year's Interbike, Team SchwycleOps, representing Pacific Cycle and Saris Cycling Group, dominated the warm up laps of the 2007 Industry Cup crit race.
"Man, I haven"t been that hot since I left the craps table last night at 4:30 AM," said team captain and Schwinn product manager Chuck McFarland.
Saris, using its CycleOps brand and Pacific Cycle, using its Schwinn brand,created a co-branded team of riders that circled the parking lot in MandalayBay with blinding precision and furor that invoked terror amongst their
fellow racers.
As one competitor who wished to remain anonymous, who works for a major international bicycle humanitarian effort, and was the eventual 15th place finisher, said, "SchwycleOps were rocking around the warm up laps. I did kind of wonder what happened when I didn¹t see them around after the fifth
lap."
After the racing started, and thus shortly after team members Robb Zbierski and Stephen Balsley were dropped, the SchwycleOps team found it more prudent to clean up and change out of their kits. "What can I say [we've] gots to look good for the ladies," said Robb.
Jeff Frehner, president and chief executive officer of Pacific Cycle, and Chris Fortune, chief executive officer of Saris Cycling Group, donated a purse of $2,500 to Bikes Belong in the company names of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd-place finishers. $1,500 will be donated under the name of FSA in honor of first place finisher, Kenny Williams; $750 under the name of Bicycling Magazine in honor of second place finisher, Joao Correia; and $250 under the name of Hayes Bicycle Group in honor of third place finisher, Clayton
Goldsmith.
Frehner and Fortune also provided a prime prize, an award-winning 2.4 Wireless PowerTap from CycleOps Power.
It was revealed at this race that SchwycleOps are truly mortals, made up of ordinary, not-so-fast, hard working members of the bicycle industry.
"You can't begin to imagine how disappointed I am in the results put up by Chuck and Stephen," Frehner said. "They might need those sweet Schwinn bikes with those awesome PowerTap hubs to ride back to Wisconsin given this showing."
"Jesse Bartholomew rode very well. But unfortunately I didn't get there early enough to see Robb get dropped," Fortune added.
