Race Recap

The BISSELL Elite Team has had an exceptional month of racing throughout the Midwest where they have dominated races on the road and in the dirt. The team leads the team classification in the MBRA Michigan Challenge.

On May 22nd, the team faced off at the West Branch Classic Road Race which is a great addition to Michigan racing. The 2nd annual West Branch RR is a tough 88 mile race including 4 laps of a 22 mile course surrounding the Ogemaw Hills area. The extremely rolling course features over 1100ft. of climbing per lap with numerous climbs of ½ mile to ¾ mile at 3-5% grade. The uphill finish is 1.25 miles at 5% grade with a kick up to 8-11% grade over the last 700 meters. Ben Whitehead finished 2nd in this very difficult race with Derek Graham beating out the field for 4th.

Over memorial weekend Derek Witte and Derek Graham ventured to Iowa and Illinois and lined up against the pros at the Snake Alley Criterium and the Quad Cities Criterium. The Snake Alley Criterium is held on a fifteen block course, with differences in elevation from 555 feet to 678 feet. The course is entirely on city streets, and a one block long climb is on the historic brick street named Snake Alley, dubbed "the crookedest street in the world." The 276 foot long Snake Alley has 5 switchbacks in a sixty foot climb. The average grade is 12.5 percent in that one block. Derek Graham was one of the few finishers in this race that started with a field of 120. Despite a bad start position and dropping a chain, Derek made the lead group and finished 14th. The winner of the race was the Ukrainian National Champion. Next on the schedule, DW and DG took on the Quad Cities Criterium in Rock Island, Illinois. The crit is set one block from the Mississippi River and includes a flat, fast 3/4 mile hour glass shaped course. DW won the field sprint and placed 2nd in the Masters race.

Back in Michigan, the rest of the team celebrated their memorial weekend by dominating the Tour de Frankenmuth. The men faced off for 5 laps on a 25 kilometer loop through the scenic farm lands surrounding Frankenmuth with an exciting downtown sprint finish on Main Street. Jason Swiatlowski won the race after an amazing team effort from everyone. The team took care of pro, Jake Rytlewski, and placed Jason in the winning break from which he sprinted for victory.

On June 13th, the full team took on the 106 mile Mt. Pleasant Road Race. The team defended their title and Nate Williams went on to claim the second largest purse in Michigan racing. Scott Stewart (Team Type 1), Vince Roberge (Team Panther), and up-and-coming rider, Ryan Cross (Wolverine), fought hard but Nate handled the small group perfectly to take the win.

On Saturday, Derek Graham put forth an amazing effort on the dirt to finish 3rd in the Lumberjack 100 which is the third round in the National Ultra-Endurance (NUE) series. Soon after the race hit the dirt, a group of 4 including DG formed. After the group had secured a strong lead, Derek suffered a mechanical. This dropped him well back into the field; however, Derek continued to fight his way back. He regained much of what was lost to finish 3rd.

This weekend, Derek Graham, Jason Swiatlowski, Ben Whitehead, Nate Williams, Jimmi Minnema and Derek Witte will venture north to line up against the best in Michigan at the Superior Bike Fest – State Road Championships. Friday night’s crit includes a hill which has been a decisive point in the past. The team’s plan is to go to the front and gradually whittle down the field to 5 or 6 riders. It is a good course for a lead out”, says Witte, “so the last few riders left at the front will set up the best sprinter.” For Saturday’s road race, the team hopes to have at least 2 BISSELL riders in the break. Witte talks about the importance of staying open for changing race dynamics. “Our plan will be for one of the 2 riders to have some kind of a finishing kick. But, sometimes you need to take what the race gives you”. The final day’s circuit race will depend on what’s going on in the overall.

The BISSELL Elite Team has had an outstanding season and will certainly continue to be a dominating force in Michigan racing.