Another Day at the Beach

By Melanie "Wrong Way" Swartz




Photo by: FJ Hughes/www.FhughesPhoto.com

Velo Bella-Kona once again in the spotlight and center stage, this time in Bridgeton NJ for the latest round of the Mid-Atlantic Cyclocross (MAC) Series circuit. The two Mid-Atlantic gals (Dee Dee and Melanie) had a pleasant surprise as the New Englander, Anna, made the trip down to the beach to play in the sand with her teammates. After all the dust had settled, Velo Bella-Kona claimed top 3 of 4 spots and with Dee Dee's win, she is now leading the MAC series.

At the start, the three Bellas were the center of attention; lined up in the middle on the front row with the beautiful blue Konas and matching kits.

The course, which traversed a variety of sandy conditions and twisty turns, required precision shifting, which SRAM Force delivered, to set up for and accelerate out of the turns and perfectly balanced maneuvering, which was achieved with the ideal combination of the Kona Queen Anne and Easton-Griffo tubie blend, to navigate the loose-sand corners.

Dee Dee had an outstanding start and took the whole shot with Mel in tow. We toured the first lap together and then I couldn't match her acceleration when she decided it was time to go. With a Cheerwine rider now on my wheel, I let the rider come around so that I wouldn't be doing any work to get her any closer to Dee. Anna was close behind and catching up to us and it looked like it could be a Bella three-up for the podium...Once the coast was clear, I came around Cheerwine in a corner and went on my own from there.
Thanks to the announcer, who kept calling out "Velo Bella-Kona" this and that...it was easy to keep tabs of where the other riders were on the course and who-was-who and to know that Dee was safe and clear.

Have a great week everybody!

Mel