So our unofficial nickname is now officially ”The little U25 Shoe String Team That Could” or is it the “Pinkies” or maybe “Hey, those guys are wearing gay baby pink lycra”….

I will say that our fan base seems to be teen something girls who adore the color pink, old ladies, and rednecks that want to kick our A$$ and tell us just how gay baby pink is…..

I digress….

Speedweek has come and gone and we are still standing….. Not only are we still standing but we sent some of the biggest teams in North America running home to mama….. Speedweek, an offshoot of the USA Crit Series, has a history of attracting the top teams in the country and this year was no exception. Toyota United, Kelly Benefits, Rock Racing, Time Pro cycling, Colavita, Health Net, Toshiba-Santo and a slew of others all diverged on the SE for a week long series of crit races. Despite the high level of competition, Black Sheep Cartel took home two (2) wins and eight (8) top 20’s. The coup de gras, VICTORTY at the Dilworth Criterium right here in our home town ….. When the dust finally settled, little ‘ol Black Sheep Cartel garnered a 6th place in the overall team standings.

Athens Twilight Crit
Our man Will Hoffarth destroyed the computrainer in the grid qualifier placing him in 9th place and getting himself a call up to the line. Justin beard got caught up behind a late race crash but still finished 39th.

Beaufort Memorial Cycling Classic
In a race that only 26 riders finished (120 started), Vladimir Kerkez our ninja rider on exchange from Slovenia took 14th.

Downtown Walterboro Crit
In a race on a very technical course that saw 40+ guys make decisive moves off the back, Vladimir Kerkez finished 18th with our other exchange ninja Aldo Ilesic finishing 27th. We’re just getting warmed up he folks……

Uptown Greenwood Pro Cycling Challenge
Greenwood was the fastest race so far….on a open and mostly flat course the speeds were high all night long and the field strung out constantly. Boykin Lucas must have pissed off a gypsy going into tonights race because he had a string of bad luck throughout the entire night. What started with a flat and a new rear wheel from neutral support quickly turned into a crash five laps later and then as luck would have it, ANOTHER FLAT… finally our man Boykin decided to call it a night…. Meanwhile our two ninja riders on exchange both finished in the top twenty.

Steadman Hawkins Cycling Classic
The most exciting race so far was held in downtown Spartanburg….A non-technical and fast course with a straight away that saw the leaders reaching speed over 35 miles per hour. The race was filled with crashes a gaps opening in the field in the closing laps. Aldo Ilesic positioned himself perfectly going into the last lap at third wheel. Opening up his sprint for 250 meters out he finished two bike lengths ahead of the next riders to finish Keith Norris (current u23 crit champ) and Adam Myerson. Meanwhile somewhere back in the pack of hungry wolves (i mean riders) Spencer was able to finish with the lead group and brought home a top 40 finish.

Dilworth Cycling Classic
Our most important race so far was held in our hometown. With all of our friends and family showing up, it was up to us to put on a good show. Throughout the race guys were constantly being blown out the back on the front strech hill eventually whittling down the field from 125+ riders to just a paltry 57 . Toshiba-Santo controlled the race all day to get their man Mark Hekman into the overall lead. In the end Aldo Ilesic was able to out sprint Hekman (the 2007 Athen twilight winner) and take the win. Me thinks he mentioned putting out somewhere in the neighberhood of 1800 - 1900 watts…..

Sandy Springs Cycling Challenge
By Sunday everyones legs were tired, combine that with a difficult course and what do we get???? A break went away in during the middle of the race, and without a large number of teamates in the field the Black Sheep was unable to bring it back. We were hoping for the Toshiba JUGGERNAUT to reel it in but it wasnt in the cards…. In the end, Aldo Ilesic was able to take 5th in the field sprint (12th for the night) moving Black Sheep Cartel into 6th overall in the team category.

We are super proud of the guys for mixing it up with the fastest crit racers in the country and hope for more big things to come in the future.

We would like to welcome our newest sponsor……

The McCauley group is a dynamic, creative Charlotte company specializing in custom home construction and remodeling. 
We work in some of Charlotte’s most established neighborhoods, which currently include Myers Park, Eastover, Chantilly, and Dilworth. Our understanding of how people live in their homes, and what our clients desire in a living space, enables us to offer a special product.  Comfort, quality, and integrity are the basics. From there, it’s up to you.

704.335.4050

www.mccauleygroup.com

We have recently been working Redisa Cubric who you guys may know as the former director of the AEG toshiba team. He is now Directr Sportif of the Serbian national team and we have been working on a rider exchange program with him. Currently we have two young riders from a Slovenian team (Sava) staying with us to participate in speed week.

Aldo Ino ilesic is a 24 year old Slovenian who has been racing for 11 years now. Earlier this year he won a couple of UCI 1.2 race with a stacked field.

and his partner in crime, Vlado Kerkez….

We’re super stoked to have both of them here and think we can learn a lot from each other. We also look forward to sending some of our guys to Europe sometime soon.

Guess what boys and girls….. We got buttons

You have 2 choices

1. you tell us you want some and take your chances

2. you specifically tell us which buttons you want … not as much fun for either party

5 for $5 …. includes postage, a superfluity of stickers, some temporary tattoos, and a whole lotta luv…. best deal Check out the goodies$$$ page for details and order info

E