Ball Watch Cycling Team

Opps? Whew!

2010-02-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

We almost had one of those doah moments! With a huge group we thought the race would stay together, but we wanted to keep the tempo high. We didn't get the memo about a 11 men breakaway going from the gun. To make matters worse we waited to long to chase as we thought Vance had made the break. Once it was clear that we had missed the train Kurt threw out some attacks trying to get it close enough for Curtis to jump across. After a couple of tugs Superman Curtis jumped from the front of the group and set out on a 3 lap torture test. Eating up some of his energy reserves to get across may have cost Curtis the win. Just nipped at the line for 2nd. Back in the field Vance and Kurt would grab 3rd and 6th in the field sprint.

Ball Watch Cycling Team next race will be Tallahassee, Fl. 2/27-28.

Give that man a inch and he'll take you to the line!

2010-02-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

Finally! The weather broke and the boys got to race with out 5 layers on; and they showed how much they enjoyed it. On a very nice circuit in Winter Garden, Fl the entire team set out to keep things rolling. Right from the gun the action started with Chris and Jason jumping away. With each attack came a new team to the front to chase the constant Ball Watch attacks. Kevin had a dig that would string the group and then counter by Adam. Adam took advantage of the hill just before the line to position himself for a prime. Just nipped at the line for the prime did not slow him up. Adam put his head down and drilled it . This move sounded alarm bells through the group as both G.S. and Zmo had to chase hard. No sooner then contact was made and Vance shot down the side of the road and the cycle was repeated. As the laps wound down the crazy factor increased. Kurt latched onto Curtis' wheel and they set off for the front. They arrived just in time for Curtis to unleash a vicious sprint. Jumping left and squeezing through a small gap he would deliver the first win of the season for Ball Watch Cycling Team. After the race Kurt said " Curtis jumped through a closing gap that was already 2 inches to small" Ball Watch Cycling Team will next race the Lake Mary crit 2/21.

Feet hit the wood!

2010-02-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

With the weather still dominating the headlines; 42 and windy at the start. This course is located in the downtown area in Gainesville and offers a nice challenge. With a plan in place we set out to control the field till late and start to attack. With Jason, Kurt, Chris, and Vance chasing and making small digs to soften up the group. At 15 minutes to go plus laps Curtis threw out the first hard attack and was quickly joined by GS Palm Beach rider and things looked good. Adam and Vance tried to disrupt all that chased but it would all come back together. Jason, Chris and Kurt would set a tempo the last few laps with Vance taking the last lap to launch Curtis into the dash for the line. Curtis would just get nipped at the line but get his feet on the podium! Ball Watch Cycling Team will next race at Dade City, Florida Feb. 13th & 14th.

Our Planet X wheels tame the wind

2010-02-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

With the Florida winds howling Ball Watch Cycling Team placed three in the top ten atop their Planet X deep dish wheels. The surprise of the day came from Jason Bergwall who came home 6th. Jason continues to prove very worthy of the team colors with his strong rides. Adam Baskins continues to ride himself into form with another 4th place finish.

Where is the Snow?

2010-02-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

Deleon Springs, one of the nicer road courses we race. Nothing in particular stands out to make it tough, but the race almost always finishes with a breakaway. Its seems there is always just enough wind, rough road sections, and an incline to cause a split.

Sunday was supposed to be a beautiful day with highs in the mid-60's. Somebody missed the memo because it was 42 and overcast when we started and 42 and overcast 100km later. Pre-race my teammates and I were having not-so-nice things to say about the cold. Preparing our bikes and selves for the race, the smell of liniment/warming oil was thick in the air as riders were liberally applying to their legs. In hopes of not having their legs feel like they were full of cement when the first turn of pedals and anger were initiated. The peloton rode calmly for exactly 4 seconds and the first attack went off. Two riders in the new and very talented GS Palm Beach Team jumped off the front. In a moment of obscure lucidity, Chris Bishop jumped across to mark their move. Soon Chris was joined by teammate Vance James and about 5 other riders making it a group of 8. The peloton quickly organized and was in full flight single file chasing hard. About 2 miles into the race the break was being caught. Seeing this, for some unknown reason, Chris attacked again. This time Chris was joined by another GS Palm Beach rider and Zmo's Jodie Gilligan. "My first thought was, oh good all three of the larger teams are represented, this break has a chance" thought Chris. Then Chris realized that he was stuck in a 3 man break with 2 extremely talented riders for the next 100k. OUCH!!! "All sorts of things go through your mind when faced with that situation. Self doubt, did I bring enough food? Why didn't I take up fishing? Why aren't my teammates chasing me down, don't they know I was only kidding when I attacked?" thought Bishop. Then 65 km into the race the break was joined by 4 more riders. Ball Watch Cycling Team leader and Florida Points Champion, Vance James, was one of the riders making it across. "At first thought, this is good, we have more power, all the teams are represented, things will get easier. Well they didn't. It seems Mr. Phil Elliott and Mr. Steve Selby don't like 7 people in breakaways. They commenced to make attempts to dismantle our breakaway by attacking us repeatedly. As Vance was there, I took the roll of closing the gaps as best I could. With 16k to go, Selby attacked again creating a gap that neither I or the ORC rider could close. I dug for everything I had to reattach but as I would get close, they would drop the hammer again." The break would stay away with Vance taking a solid 4th, Kurt Phillips 9th. Chris Bishop would manage to recover enough to finish 20th. Chris would later be heard to say, "It was fun! It was hard! And it was heart-breaking not stay in the break I initiated to the end. Hmmmm what race will I give it another go?"

After the first weekend of racing Ball Watch Cycling Team has assumed their normal position 1st place team and both Kurt Phillips and Vance James are tied for 5th place in the Florida Points Series. Ball Watch Cycling Teams next race will be the Swamp Classic in Gainesville, FL Feb. 6th & 7th.

The Train Rolls on!

2010-02-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

The Spring Fling officially opens the cycling season in the Southeast and the Ball Watch Cycling Team was there in full force. With newest team member Curtis Long setting a blistering pace. The course is designed for early season fitness thus making it hard to get any splits in the group. Curtis would have none of that just roll along and field sprint. Around the half way mark Curtis set out alone to test the waters. Shortly after 3 more riders would join him to set up a strong breakaway. GS Palm Beach felt nervous with Curtis up the road and sent one of their sprinters after him allowing Kurt Phillips to tag on and bolster our numbers in the break. Now with every strong team up the road it was just a matter of rolling off the last few miles and start attacking each other. One small detail was over looked. Even though all the teams had strong numbers; some teams did not like the idea of both Curtis and Kurt up the road and started to chase. With about 5k to go the field would come back together. In the end and massive group sprint would see the boys all roll in the top 15 and take the team lead in points on the first day. With the weather heading down hill Sunday's RR would loom as a critical race.

Planet-X-USA Joins the fastest Team in the South!

2010-01-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

Ball Watch Cycling Team members this year will be on the fastest wheels in the USA.
Press Release: January 21, 2010: Akron, Ohio

Planet-X-USA, the Official Distributor of Planet X bikes and products in the United States, is thrilled to be the newest sponsor for the Ball Watch Cycling Team.

Planet X, known for its competitive professional racing teams throughout Europe, is pleased to add the Ball Watch Cycling Team as one of its first teams in the United States.
Chris Bishop owner of Ball Watch Cycling Team said "you know these wheels are an absolutely fantastic deal. You can look for years and never find quality wheels like these."
Over the next couple of weeks the team will begin to ride their new wheels. Keep a close eye on the front of the group to see the latest weapon Ball Watch Cycling Team has at their disposal. www.planet-x-usa.com

Ball Watch USA, US Distributors of Ball Official Standard Luxury Watches

2010-01-11T08:36:00.000-08:00

Ball Watch USA, US Distributors of Ball Official Standard Luxury Watches: "BALL WATCH USA
North American Distributor
BALL Official Railroad Standard Watches"

Citrus Sports llc will host Florida's Championship and All-Star races

2010-01-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

Citrus Sports llc will host Florida's crit championships on May 8th. Chris has secured the original course with the hill up to the finish line. This course has seen some fantastic finishes over the year and this one should be no different. The race will be held on the same weekend as Mayfair. This art festival draws thousands to the area and ties in nicely with a cycling event. The following day the racers will compete in the Polk County Cycling Classic.
Tour de Tow will feature the All-Star race this year. This cycling packed weekend will be held on Sept. 18/19. Again this year in addition to the races we will have a Metric century through the rolling hills and orange groves of central Polk County. Saturday Night will showcase some of the fastest racing of the year. Spectators will enjoy all the action from the street party that will be hosted by the city of Bartow.

Ball Watch Cycling Team goes Long!

2010-01-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

Ball Watch Cycling Team has completed another rider addition to bolster the team. Curtis Long will join the team on a limited basis. Curtis raced professionally last season Team Champion Porsche. Curtis continues the team's theme of ex professionals that still race at an elite level. With plans this year that include racing throughout the U.S. the team still looks to add a few more riders to stay competitive.

Ball Watch returns as title sponsor for Citrus Sports llc

2009-12-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

With the new season just around the corner Citrus Sports llc is very proud to announce Ball Watch will return as the team 's tittle sponsor. Jeff Hess owner of Ball Watch U.S.A. is very excited to see what the boys from Citrus Sports llc will bring home this year. With a great deal more support from Ball Watch the team will expand it's racing schedule this year. The fit between the two companies comes naturally. When you are the official time keeper for the national railroad system you must deliver accuracy under adverse conditions. Much like cycling. In races that see racers inches apart charging to the line at over 40 mph; accuracy can't be a accident but a requirement.

Bents Cycling will return as well to keep the team rolling with the best equipment around. Steve Bent has been supporting racing teams for over 30 years. Bents has been a staple to the Florida racing scene.

2009-11-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

So how did the year Go? A question we have heard a lot over the past few weeks. At the risk of sounding boastful; it went amazing! Yes we knew we had the best talent in the state, but it has been awhile since we raced as a team and looked for results. We won close to 30 races and racked up to many top tens to count. VJ's win at superweek was a huge moment for him and the team. Still the biggest win was the comeback to win the Florida Cup. We put two on the podium for the Florida Cup. VJ won it on the last stage at Sugarloaf with a hard fought battle. In both the Spring and Fall series we again put two on the podium. In the overall Florida Points series we won and place five total riders in the top ten. All of this from a second year team. With next year just around the turn of the calendar page we have started to build for next year. Our schedule looks like we will do a lot of traveling this year starting in the Bahamas and ending in Trinidad/ Tobago. We promise to make another run at the Florida Points Series as well as the National Championships.

Florida's Premier Stage Race Team!

2009-08-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hard to argue with three consecutive wins now: the Ocala Stage Race, the Lake County Stage Race, and this weekends Pal Omnium. More impressively, we have won 7 of the 9 total stages! Vance himself has won 4 of those stages with Adam winning all 3 of the Time Trials!
The real satisfaction in all this success is that these types of events are won not just by individual efforts but by team efforts--people willing to sacrifice their own individual concerns for those of the team. This is not always as easy as it sounds since at our level of the sport we pay our own travel expenses, entry fees, etc. It really takes a special bunch of guys!
Cittrus Sports athletes for these events have included Vance James, Adam Baskin, Kurt Philips, Chris Bishop, Bradley Jefferson, and Scott Shelton.
Next up is the Nocatee Stage Race in Jacksonville.

Ball Watch/ Bents Cycling Team's Vance James Wins Pal Omnium!

2009-08-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

TOM BENITEZ, ORLANDO SENTINEL / August 1, 2009
Vance James of Team Ball Watch takes the final sprint to win the Masters 35+ criterium race during the Lake County Police Activities League's inaugural Summer Games Sports Festival.

Not only did we win the omnium which consists of three races over two days, we won all three stages as well. Vance won the crit and the road race and Adam won the time trial. Team members for the omnium included Chris Bishop, Kurt Phillips, Bradley Jefferson, Adam Baskin, and Vance James.

In the Saturday crit, speeds were high throughout the race and when Chris bridged up to Steve Selby with five laps to go it looked like he had joined the winning move. Unfortunately, with one lap to go the two were pulled back by a charging peleton. Vance, at this point, had positioned himself perfectly for the sprint which he won with relative ease.

Adam continued his dominance in the time trial by winning the second stage later that afternoon.

Sundays road race took place on a very hilly course on what may have been the hottest day in the history of Florida road racing! The teams job that day was to protect Vance's lead in the overall. This difficult task was made easy when, with three laps to go, Vance bridged up to a break that had established itself earlier in the race then attcked that break! Not an easy feat! He eventually was joined by another rider and the two were able to stay out for the remainder of the race. At the finish, Vance used his sprinting skills to take his second victory of the omnium, the overall, and to establish himself as perhaps the best masters racer in the country ( when one thinks back to his victory at Superweek).

Kurt Finishes TopTen at Gwinnett!

2009-08-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

No mean feat. Gwinnett Bike Fest is a stage race in the Atlanta, Georgia area. It consists of seven stages that include time trials, crits, and road races. One of the stages takes place on the historic Road Atlanta race track. A top ten overall finish for a racer from the flatlands of Florida is not only a great individual accomplishment but also makes for great out-of-state exposure for the team. Nice job Kurt!

VANCE SEALS THE DEAL--WINS SUPERWEEK!

2009-07-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Vance set himself among the best masters racers in America when he won the Superweek Stage Race last week.

Vance Wins First Stage of Superweek!

2009-07-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Riders come from all over the world to compete in the Superweek Stage Race. The race is set up similiar to the Tour De France where the lowest accumulated time over 9 days of racing wins the competition. Vance won the first stage while Adam came in seventh. Nice way to start!

Ball Watch/ Bent's Cycling Team's VANCE JAMES WINS THE LAKE COUNTY STAGE RACE!

2009-06-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

Vance wins stage 3 with a masterful throw

Vance James takes the overall win.

Report from Chris Bishop:

In what has to be some of the most offensive weather Ive ever raced in the team trudged on through air as thick as soup. Saturdays race was a circuit/crit race in an undeveloped neighborhood in clermont. Think hill windy and not a speck of shade. Brad was the instigator attacking several times before a group of three got away including Vance. Kurt was the next break to go and he brought along a friend to ride with. Then on the last lap with the two breakaways securely up the road Scott Shelton went so and held on for ninth place I won the field sprint for tenth just nipping brad who finished 11 th. When all was said and done we were 2/4/9/10/11. Next was the Tt over sugar loaf where Vance finished second. A good

finish but this was a stage race and we were now down fifteen seconds going into the last stage on Sunday. Sundays tempatures were equally atrocious. We went in knowing we had to do something so Kurt attacked from the gun we were going to make the other teams chase and work or give us the stage. Kurt stayed away till the time Bonus sprint where Vance attacked right after the sprint. He caught Julio the first placed rider off guard and Vance snuck away with four other riders eventually getting a minute advantage over the field.

Ball Watch/ Bent's Cycling Team " I am Adam Baskin" wins the Ocala Stage Race!

2009-06-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a report on the race from Chris:

Saturday we lined up with a combined masters field which really just sucked. We are consistently the two biggest fields anyway. Anyway they announce there are 86 of us. The plan was for Scott or I to try and pick up sprint points and set Adam up for KOM. The first lap Scott and Vj were able to make it to the front and with the yellow line rule in effect and such a large group I was stuck mid pack and getting frustrated. I kept trying the gutter but without running off the road I was stuck. We came through for midway sprint and Scott took third. Going into second lap I could see Adam beside me and knew he was struggling to move up as well. We got single file for a minute and Adam shot to the front just as a break was forming. The break started going away and as we went up the hill the field got narrow and I punched it to get to the front. I found a zmotion guy asked him if he had people in the break he said yes and we went to the very front and shut the race down. Within a minute Scott was there and after we chased down about a half dozen attacks the group was content to race for seventh. The break got out of sight and Scott and I waited for the field spring as Vj won out of the break and Adam got third. In the field sprint I waited just a bit to long to start my sprint and finished second putting me in seventh place. And Scott in top 20.The Tt was brutal as they always are. Adam was 1 minute behind my start time and I was in my regular bike without aero bars. I just went hard hoping to not get passed. Adam got within 20 seconds of me and they quicky announced he was the winner if the stage. Two wins one day! Vance finished fourth with a good enough time to put him in second place in the gc. I finished well enough to stay in top ten in gc. The fun started to erode when I realized Sunday would be full of attacks as the three z motion riders that were in the break Saturday morning would be attacking all day trying to make up Gc time. Well Kurts fresh legs were a welcome blessing he and Scott did just a fantastic job of keeping the group together and as we were coming into the sprint I knew we had one first and second overall! And vj got second in the stage. Great effort and team work!

Adam Baskin and Vance James. First and second overall at the Ocala Stage race. Vance won stage one. Adam won stage two.

Chris Bishop
Adam and Vance in the breakaway during stage one.

STUART WEEKEND!--FIRST WIN FOR THE TEAM!

2009-06-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here's the first hand report from Chris Bishop:

Vance pulled off a win in great fashion on Sunday. He got into a break after great work by Adam and Kurt. Adam attacked several times and then Kurt just drilled it at the front keeping it single file for much longer than I was pleased with. He finally pulled off and the field had a lull in it which the launched Vance and three others. With two laps to go they were dangling off the Front and we were flying single file. I came through to give kurt a wheel and we stayed in good position a couple riders off the front . With one lap to go the field slowed and we started to get swarmed. I shot forward onto what I thought was a good wheel but we were getting bumped around and Kurt got knocked off my wheel. We went into turn four just as we were catching the break and Vance jumped and held it to take the win. I got 13th and kurt 17th. Great results for the team as this was a Florida cup race and it moves three of us into the top five in that competition. It also moves Vance closer to taking back over the overall pts comp. For me it was a confidence builder going into a block of racing as I have not had the best of luck this year.

NICE WORK CHRIS--GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK!

the TWILIGHT is nigh!

2009-05-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

Click the link to the right for details...

2009-04-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

From Athens to Ft Lauderdale!

2009-04-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ball Watch was in the house. Jamie Knight was stellar up in North Georgia. Here's a race report from Julie Walker:

Please congratulate Jamie when you see him. He went with me to Georgia to race this weekend for his first out of state road biking experience. He qualified in the morning Cat 3 race with a 6th place finish out of 100 guys. He pulled off a 14th place finish in the Athens Twilight Amatuer race which is more of an accomplishment than you may realize. Sunday he continued with two more very impressive finishes. He finished 2nd in the Cat 3/4 race with over 100 guys, and we think 10 or 11th in the Cat 2/3 race which had over a 100 guys starting as well. He is still using junior gearing, so Sunday's finishes on a 250 meter downhill sprint were amazing. All of us should be very proud of him. It definitely seems that if he stays focused, he has what it takes.

Thanks Julie!

Down south in Ft Lauderdale it was the Kurt Phllips show-- 11th at Vista View and 7th in Ft Lauderdale. The Bullet is slowly dialing it in! This was the Z-Motion Weekend and it was spot on! Sunday featured a VIP pit for racers, replete with food and beverages! What a tremendous job from the Z-motion outfit! As if top 15 placings all around weren't enough, the boys--Kevin Parker, Kurt Phillips, Bradley Jefferson--turned around and did the pro race and beat half the field...Overall, 2.30 hours of South Florida Crit racing--70 miles in one day! Not bad! Mike Hall was the athlete of the weekend though showing his form is coming back around with an enormous effort to pull back a crucial breakaway attempt from several of Floridas strongest teams!

Racing resumes in three weeks at Ball Watch's own Lakeland Twilight Criterium and the Florida Criterium Championships.

Fantastic article on team in the Ledger!

2009-04-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

http://m.theledger.com/lake/db_8146/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=0iD6Poi1&storycount=19&detailindex=9&full=true#display

Check out this article

2009-04-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Nice article on the Chain O' Lakes Classic and cycling in general including pics of Ball Watch team members.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15633/