GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll

Haymarket Bicycles p/b Function Drinks announces 2008 Sponsors. GamJams is one of 'em.

It's easy to forget that Haymarket Bicycles just opened last season. In almost no time at all, they've immersed themselves pretty deeply into the regional racing scene, fielding a small but aggressive team and even producing a Cross race in year 1.

2008 brings some changes to Haymarket Bicycles, all of them good. In addition to a roster even deeper with talent, the team has landed a slate of new sponsors, including title benefactor Function Drinks. If you haven't yet seen Function Drinks, you will - they're a fortified water drink formulated for various, um, Functions. One is Shock Sports, created by smart people in lab coats to accelerate recovery after muscle-ripping efforts. Drop a few bottles in your reusable bag next time you're at Whole Foods or Target, where it's available. Or watch for the Function Folks at a race near you soon.

There are a bunch of other sponsors as well, but I'll let the press release below do the talking. Before that though, here's a couple thousand more words:

This is how the Marketing Department says it:

HAYMARKET, VA-  Haymarket Bicycles Racing is pleased to announce its slate of sponsors for the 2008 cycling season, including some of the top names in the industry, new names that are sure to generate a buzz, and local companies who share the community-minded focus of Haymarket Bicycles.

Function Drinks will serve as the team’s presenting sponsor, and both racers and Function representatives are excited about this new partnership.  Function Drinks brings cutting-edge science to a line of all-natural physician-developed beverages, formulated to address needs ranging from energy to recovery, immune system support to stress relief.  Company representatives plans to be in attendance at several major races this season, distributing samples and information about the products. 

Haymarket Physical Therapy & Chiropractic is another of the team’s major sponsors this year, and serves as a one-stop shop for wellness in Northern Virginia.  HPTC’s skilled staff offers leading-edge treatments in physical therapy, athletic training, and sports chiropractic medicine, ensuring lasting pain relief, and helping to prevent injury recurrence. 

Raleigh Bicycles is a name that’s been known in the industry for decades, and probably one many remember from childhood.  Raleigh is becoming an important player among competitive cyclists once again, and Haymarket Bicycles will be helping the company prove its new carbon frame this season, the same frame on which the Interbike Industry Cup was claimed for Raleigh this year.

GamJams.net has quickly established itself as the premiere source for cycling news and information in the Mid-Atlantic.  With a focus on fostering awareness of, and support for, the cycling community, GamJams.net continues to create valuable opportunities for racers at all levels, as well as for the organizations that support amateur racing.

Other Haymarket Bicycles sponsors include Tifosi Optics, makers of technologically-advanced eyewear for athletes, performance audio equipment manufacturer JBL, global commercial contractors DPR Construction, and the renowned health and fitness experts at World Gym. 

Other local sponsors include Northern Virginia’s paving experts, Superior Paving, and Tullio Engineering.

The team is run by Haymarket Bicycles owners Jared Nieters and Curtis Prosser.  Haymarket Bicycles is a community-owned, community-oriented bike shop in downtown Haymarket, dedicated to serving the needs of all cyclists—from recreational riders to expert racers.  For more information about the team or the shop, go to www.haymarketbicycles.com, or call (703) 754-1911.

Just wondering...

Weekend Racing Wrap-up and New Team Kits Spotted

Weekend #1 for 2007 is in the books, with Quicksilver and Tradezone races going off without a hitch (unless you're of the opinion that a 30 degree temperature swing between the two days constitutes a "hitch").

As promised, I was on the lookout for new team kits. But I only saw a few. The Artemis kit features a new sponsor, whose yellow logo allowed the team to accent other sponsors marks similarly, as they already paid the extra color upcharge through Voler:

I know it looks like a Performance catalog pose, but the rider is actually looking down at a teammate's feet and thinking, Man, those things look warm. Why didn't I bring booties? (which I know, because the rider is me).

And the team's Elite Squad also made their local debut, in the royal blue Artemis / Immediate Mortgage colors. Here's Ramon Benitez pulling the field in the A race at QS:

(You'll see the 'Artemis' name on his chest, right side. But it's bigger on the back where his competitors will see it all season long.)

The Capitol Hill Bikes kit is not different. They just happen to be on about three times as many riders as they were last year.

And finally, the NCVC kit also remains unchanged. But after winning the B race with conviction on both Saturday and Sunday, Andreas Gutzeit's jersey might as well look like this next weekend:

More Perspectives from the Pelotons:

• Jared Nieters has a QS Race Report and a handful of photos on his blog
• KMAX is new to racing and came to watch at QS - he has an interesting POV from the sidelines
• Sue Estes has a mess'o'photos from Tradezone here
• Ed Hazlewood also has a massive Quicksilver photo series
• Blacknell has a few pics up on Flickr from QS (and an excellent cycling/adventure racing calendar on his blog, BTW)
• And finally, the photo of Andreas that I bastardized comes courtesy of FJ Hughes, who does much better work with a camera than I do with Photoshop

On the Lookout for New Team Kits

I'll be at Quicksilver and Tradezone this weekend, keeping one eye on the PowerTap and the other on the lookout for new team kits. I know of a few out there:

- ABRT (formerly Team Snow Valley) has a new title sponsor in Lattitude Staffing
- M Street Racing / Rocville Harley seems to have split into two teams: ETS Silver Cycles and Battley Harley Davidson. Wonder if either keeps that angry yellow stylin
- Artemis' new sponsor is MedStar Sports Health, so the signature purple is now accented with some yellow
- And there's an all new Artemis men's elite team on the road: Artemis/Immediate Mortgage. Does this mean Super Dave has finally shed his purple skin, or will there be two violet squads out there?

I'm no shutterbug but if I see any of these new kits I'll snap a pic and post it here. Or if anyone is on one of these teams - or another with new colors - send uniform pictures my way. Maybe we'll do an "Am I Hot or Not" thing for each new design.