2008 Zimmerman MS Bike Ride

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

State Criterium Weekend: zGirls Blog

Ashley DiVeronica reports on racing from the woman's perspective...

The women’s Cat 1-3, 4 race proved to be an exciting and intense one as it’s by far the most girls we have raced at one time this season. From the start of Saturday’s race it was clearly going to be Shannon’s weekend. With new flashy green tires, she rode her heart out and was the only zGirl to finish with the main field which consisted of mostly Cat 1-3 girls. She finished in an amazing third place. Lisa, Emily, Joleen and myself all raced as well and put up a tough fight.

Sunday the pressure was on… cue dramatic music… State Championships. The day was another Green Machine (aka Shannon) day. The zGirls all rode awesome but it was Shannon who took another top 3 finish, woot woot! So we officially have the third best woman rider in Florida. We are SO proud!! Before the race, I told Shannon I wanted a repeat performance from Saturday and that is exactly what she did. Again, she held on to finish in the main field. Only a small break of 3 got off the front during the race. Lisa finished 6th , Emily 14th (in W1-3)and I ended up at 10th. With the points from the weekend, Shannon has moved to 7th in the FPS, Lisa moved to 11th and I moved to 13th for Cat 4. Emily stands at 22 in W1-3. Watch out Florida… zGirls on the rise.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Race Report - Lakeland Twilight Criterium



The Lakeland course is a traditional crit course with four turns around 1k in a rectangle shape in downtown Lakeland.

The Masters 35+ again delivered nail biting excitement and can be summed up by two words, Julio and Teamwork. The rain had just finished and the sun was peaking out which seemed to encourage lots of breakaway attempts. Julio snuck into an early three man break that had potential and in between Vinny covered a lone attacker. The break was finally caught and Julio attacked the field for a solo attempt which eventually coaxed three others to join him. ZMotion did every thing possible to block and you could see Z-men constantly in 2nd, 4th and 6th positions. The field was relentless in their chasing and reeled that break back with few laps to go. Then our jaws dropped as Julio launched a massive solo attack with just three laps to go and caught the field completely unaware. Like a true champion he held off the entire field for three laps and even had enough time for a victory salute. After the race Julio, man of few words simply said "I felt good today". Back in the main field, Zmotion continued to dominate as Pedro gave Jeff a lead out for 3rd with Vinny in 4th and Chris in 8th.

The Master's 45+ got the worst of the rain with brick pavers in the turns as slippery as a greased cookie sheet. Chuck was constantly up front the entire race. Mark (yes writing in 3rd person is creepy) moved up with a few laps to go and came in 5th.

The top racers in each category got to participate in a finale race that was blistering fast and ZMotion kicked butt as usual. With a few laps to go there was a single rider off the front that managed to win, but in what is fast becoming his signature move, Julio attacked with two laps to go to secure 2nd with Vinny in 4th, Chris in 10th and Jeff in 14th.

The Pro 1,2 race was held at 9pm and the pace was faaast from the gun and the field was strung out the entire time. Juan figured into the early breaks but everything was getting pulled back. With just a a couple of laps to go Zmotion was lining up perfectly but a flat tire took Juan and Calixto out but Hector still managed to work his magic at the end to secure 2nd.

In the Womens race they started the Cat 4's with the 1,2,3's and the field started splintering after just three laps and our Z-girl Shannon hung tight with the front group to finish on the Cat 4 podium with 3rd.

In the Juniors, Jay Major bridged up to a group of three and lanched a big sprint on the last lap but was nipped at the line for 2nd.


Mobile Blogging from here.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Race Report - Rosewood 5/10/09

Where there is a race, there is ZMotion...

We had a great turn out of ZMotion Master's racers at Sunday's race in Rosewood. The day started early with the Master's 35+ at 8am and it was rocking. The field ended up splitting into 3 groups around 2/3 of the way into the race with a lead 2 out front, a following group of around a dozen and the rest of the field. ZMotion was represented in the middle group by Jeff (of course) and Mark. The group seemed uninterested in chasing the two guys and let them ride away into the sunset. Jeff being the rider that he is managed to turn a bad situation on it's head by a late race two man break-away that put Jeff on the podium in 3rd. Wow!

The Master's 45+ race was up next and ended up in a field sprint. We had Ron Ray in a two man break but the field was having none of it. Shaun has really come into his own as the Master's 45+ sprinter and was barely nipped at the line by super speedster Peter Aldridge for 2nd place in a dramatic finish. Great job Shaun.

In the Pro 1,2,3 race, a series of tired by determined Master's guys did their second race of the day but still managed to finish up there with Shaun in 9th, Joe Vietro in 10th and Jody in 11th. Way to go.

Monday, May 4, 2009

A letter from Mike on MS 150 Ride




This was sent as an internal email, but it does a great job of expressing our appreciation of all Pat Patregnani has done for us as a team, so with his permission, it is posted here...




What an amazing weekend and I wanted to thank all of you for participating in the 2009 Zimmerman MS Bike Ride and riding with the zMotion Team. It was incredible to see all of the zMotion jerseys riding strong (I know this first hand as I watch hundreds fly by as I changed my flat!) united in our fight to find a cure for MS. I was so proud of our collective accomplishments, performance and the zMotion spirit. It is also important for me to specifically share my pride in our fearless leader… Captain Pat!

Captain Pat,

You have been an inspiration to us all. First and foremost, for your commitment to the sport of cycling and your determination to be the best. You inspire us to drive ourselves further and commit to making ourselves better at everything we do each and every day. You were awesome this weekend, in that your physical training and mental commitment drove you to cross the finish line in first place at an incredible record pace and show us that it is determination (OK, AND training) that really separates the men from the boys!

You inspire us to be better role models each and every day. It is not just about being great racers, but more about being great people. Thank you for your friendship, generosity, and most importantly, your ability to laugh and extent a hand to others.

You inspire us to reach for great things each and every day. You teach us over and over that nothing is impossible and that if you put your mind and commitment against your goals, then all your dreams can come true.

You inspire us to be better friends to another and to support each other in life and in riding. You teach us to be better cyclists, to be better mentally focused, and to work together as a team…and ultimately to WIN together as a TEAM.

On behalf of the entire team, thank you for making us shine. It is through your leadership and in your reflection that we are able to see the best in ourselves. We could not have asked for a better leader, friend, mentor, and cyclist.

Mike Schweiger
Zimmerman Chief Financial Officer

2009 Zimmerman MS 150 Bike Ride



What an amaZing weekend. This weekend, almost 2,800 cyclists converged on Miami to participate in the Multiple Sclerosis 150 ride. Not only was Zimmerman Advertising the title sponsor, the ZMotion team brought almost 600 riders to the starting line.

The ride started at 7am on Saturday and followed a zig-zag path through Miami to John Pennecamp Park in Key Largo via Card Sound road. ZMotion lead the first wave of over 200 cyclists. The quick pace was slowed a little by some rain and poor breaking surfaces for part of the Miami trek, but ZMotion had lots of power up front to keep driving the pace. There were several late ride breakaway attempts to ensure that ZMotion was first to the line (yes, it is supposed to be a ride, but who are we kidding). With less than 8 miles to go Flaco charged off the front with Calixto hot on his heels and they both stayed away to make ZMotion proud and be the first to the line. The rest of the group came in soon after in around 3hours and 2minutes with an average close to 25mph even with the rain.

Saturday afternoon was spent by the pool at Holiday Inn with the weather just perfect. Zimmerman (as always) took great care of their riders and hooked us up with much needed pool side massages. The pool was full, the mood was euphoric and the friendships among the team were evident.

Saturday evening saw a party to behold with a live band and yummy food. Many people spoke on behalf of both the Florida MS Society and Zimmerman, but the crowning moment was the words shared by Alie Rothman who was diagnosed with MS at the age of 14 in 2006. She brought the effort home and attached a face to this terrible disease. In her sharing of her struggles and the help that rides like this has provided, she made every effort and contribution truly worth it. ZMotion raised 1.3 million dollars this year towards MS and next year we plan on being 1,000 strong!!

Sunday greeted us with good weather and by 6:45am we were off and flying. On Card Sound road, the riding was more like a Pro 1,2 criterium race than anything else and the speeds were hitting 30+ for miles until finally a small group of 5 went off the front with Pat (aka: The Boss) right there. The group was powered by the driving forces of Calixto and Winston and they delivered Pat to the number one spot back in Miami. Way to go ZMotion and especially Pat.