9/8 (UCI 1.2) Univest Grand Prix Souderton, PA

7th Place: Phil Gaimon 6 UCI Pts.
1st Place: Phil Gaimon Landis Super Markets Best Young Rider Jersey
1st Place: Phil Gaimon Sparta Youth Award

A Sakonnet squad comprised of Gavi Epstein, Guy East, Rob Giannini, Phil Gaimon, guest riders Gabe Lloyd and Eric Schlidge, along with Road Manager Matt Koschara and General Manager Basil Moutsopoulos traveled down to Souderton, PA for the final team race of the season. The main event of the weekend was Saturday’s Univest Grand Prix which is a UCI America Tour 1.2 event that fielded 26 teams including professional teams from the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Germany and Hungary.

The team arrived in the Souderton area on Friday afternoon and quickly went out to pre-ride the important opening kilometers of the course. The roads in and around Souderton are known to be small and winding. Knowledge of them before the race began would be important. After the ride the team attended the presentation dinner and then met up with our wonderful host family’s the Gill’s, the Knight’s, the Cukierski’s and the Clement’s.

Early Saturday morning more support arrived in the form of Sakonnet CEO Thurstan Bannister and son Edmond Bannister. At the line the team was excited and nervous but ready to race. Phil Gaimon mentioned he was feeling a bit under the weather and decided with the help of Road Manager Matt Koschara that going in the early break would be a good way to blow out the cold and that is exactly what he did. Meters after crossing the start line Phil was off the front in a move of 8 riders. That move was brought back 5km into the race only to be reshuffled and sent out again but this time with 10 riders.

There were 8 Pro teams represented in the break away including Slipstream (Dugan & Frischkorn), Tecos (Parra), Navigators (Lill), Kelly Benefits (Sundt), Kodak Gallery (Lopinto), NERAC (Yezefski), Sparkasse (Lademann), Toyota United (Barberi) and one amateur team Sakonnet Technology (Phil Gaimon). By the time the break had reached the first Hot Spot Sprint it had over two minutes on the field. With so many Pro teams represented and happy with the composition of the break the move kept going away. At the first King of the Mountain line 44km in it was Phil battling it out with Frischkorn to take the top points with Frischkorn just edging Phil out; at the back Lopinto and Yezefski had lost contact.

In the field the team was sitting in the top ten protecting the break. It was still very early in the race yet the gap was growing to over 6 minutes and the only chase was being mounted by one of the other amateur teams. Over the second and most difficult KOM of the day former pursuit World Champion Christian Lademann lost contact while Phil continued pounding away at the front attacking and almost winning the KOM from Frischkorn. In the team car the Bannister family was cheering loudly.

With the two hard KOM’s behind them the now 7 man break settled into a rhythm and continued to make time. Phil was taking his equal share of pulls with the Pro’s and gaining fans over every kilometer online and on LIVE T.V. Phrases like “the Cinderella story of the race” and “the revelation who will have a Pro contract waiting for him at the finish line” were being used by the announcers. In the peleton the team was looking great with all five riders staying in contact over the tough KOM’s. Before returning to Souderton and the finishing circuits there was one more KOM to go at 96km. It was there that the Slipstream riders decided to use their numerical advantage against their breakaway companions.

Going into the KOM Tim Duggan got on the front with Wil Frischkorn on his wheel, Phil realized something was about to happen positioned himself right behind Frischkorn. Duggan turned on the gas going up the climb and the break exploded with Sundt, Lill and Barberi going out the back. Staying in the move was Parra and Phil. Upon cresting the climb the four worked well together gaining maximum time going into the finishing circuits. After the quartet reached the circuits there was still 13 laps and 40km to go and so there was a truce among the riders. Phil was riding strongly and determined, he never missed a pull. In the feed zone Matt K and Mark Cukierski kept Phil topped up on fluid while in the car Basil, Thrustan and Edmond cheered him on.

With 5 laps to go a one two punch from Slipstream saw Frischkorn move away from the break. It was up to Parra and Phil to keep the tempo high while Duggan sat on. With two to go Duggan attacked and took Para with him while the valiant amateur kept his cool and road his tempo all the way to the line.

In the end there was some confusion regarding lapped riders and instead of 4th place Phil was scored in 7th Place, he also won the Landis Supermarkets Best Young Jersey and the SPARTA Youth Award as well.

Absolutely fantastic!

9/9 Univest Grand Prix of Doylestown CriteriumDoylestown, PA

10th Place: Eric Schildge (Guest rider)
1st Place: Eric Schildge Landis Super Markets Best Young Rider Jersey
1st Place: Eric Schildge Bergey's First American Jersey
1st Place: Eric Schildge Sparta Youth Award

After yesterday’s heroic’s the team was sky high and ready to race. The plan for the day was to keep Phil and his Best Young Riders Jersey as close to the front of the field as possible. The Univest Doylestown Criterium is an 80km affair with 8 corners situated in the historic downtown area. The race started out fast and stayed fast. Break aways only dangled off the front of the field for short periods of time, the longest lasting roughly 4 laps. Phil was feeling the effects of his effort the day before and by mid way it became apparent that he didn’t have the legs so he pulled the plug. The rest of the team however took up the slack and road at the front looking for a move or holding position. With 5 laps to go a field sprint was in the making and the entire Kelly Benefits team was at the font making the tempo. Behind them the Italian Cos Kio Ene-Tonazzo DMT team was lining up their train and a trio of Sakonnet riders; Schlidge, Epstein and Giannini were moving up the left side.

On the last lap the mad dash for the line began coming out of the last corner which was roughly 500m from the line on a false flat. Coming out of the corner in 14th place was 19 year old, Eric Schlidge, who then powered his way thru the middle and crossed the line in a brilliant 10th Place.

Two top tens in two days at an international race were incredible and then we found out that Eric had won the Best Young Rider Jersey, the Bergey’s First American Jersey and the SPARTA Youth Award.

Absolutely brilliant!