Cycling club looks to ride into action

Like most great ideas, this one was born of passion and necessity.

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Mark Shells loves cycling. So do his local riding buddies.

Together, they recognized the need for a local team to take their passion to the next level.

"It started out as a conversation among friends," Shells said. "There's a bunch of us out there riding every day and wondering why Augusta didn't have a club of its own. A club to compete in races like they have in other places like Aiken and Greenville."

Those friendly discussions prompted Shells to take action.

The 43-year-old cycling veteran from North Augusta formed Augusta Cycling, a local chapter of the world-renowned Colavita-Bolla Racing team based in the New York metropolitan area.

Augusta Cycling is gearing up for its first competitive season, which is set to begin in early 2004.

The team consists of three local riders - Rob Douglas of Aiken and Nate Zuka and Laddy Williams of Augusta - and two from Columbia - Jay Chandler and Brian Brumle. The team will compete in as many as 30 races across the United States.

But to pull it off, Shell is pounding the pavement on foot in search of help.

"Colavita-Bolla has been a tremendous help getting it started up, but they're not actually sponsoring us," said Shells, a Wyoming native who once competed at a national level. "I'm not racing anymore, so I've taken the role of getting this thing off the ground and finding sponsors and fund raising.

"These are amateurs and there's no money in this for the racers," Shells added. "We're just looking for local support to help cover the costs of travel, some lodging and entry fees at the different events."

Along with support from Colavita-Bolla, Andy Jordan's Bicycle Warehouse of Augusta is on board as a sponsor.

Shells hopes to land a few more corporate sponsors in the coming months to help the team get rolling for their first season.

Diagnosed with diabetes in 1990, Shells gave up competitive cycling and rides now simply for the love and the lifestyle.

He satisfies his competitive fire through his commitment to Augusta Cycling.

"Like all of us who ride together, it's in your blood," Shells said. "Why do runners run? Why do bowlers bowl? It's all about passion and love for the sport."

For more information on Augusta Cycling, go to home.comcast.net/~augustacycling/; www.colavitabolla.com; and www.andyjordans.com.

ON THE FENCE: Two brothers from Augusta recently qualified to compete in fencing at the Junior Olympics in Cleveland, Ohio, in February.

Jordan Herin, a 14-year-old freshman at Westside High School, earned a spot in cadet foil. Older brother, Paul, a 17-year-old senior at John S. Davidson Fine Arts School, will compete in the junior foil division.

The Herins are members of the Augusta Fencers Club and are coached by Dr. Rudy Volkmann, a veteran fencer who competed in his first world championship this fall.

LOCAL BUZZ: The Augusta Flash 14-and-under fast-pitch softball travel team is looking for players for the 2004 season. Players can be age 15 after Jan. 1. The Flash will face some of the top teams in Georgia and South Carolina. For more information, call coach Jeff Towe at (706) 868-8485 or Vicki Parker at (706) 854-7711. Tryouts are tentatively scheduled for Saturday. ... The Warren Baptist Church softball team recently won its fourth consecutive USSSA Men's Church A national championship in November, finishing tops in a field of more than 3,000 competitive church teams nationwide. Warren finished 48-17 and 10-4 in "Church A" play in 2003, including nine top-5 tournament finishes in major events including the Cajun Church NIT in Lafayette, La. The team will receive its national championship trophy and several on the team will be named to the church All-National team at the United States Slo-Pitch Softball Association banquet in Macon on Jan. 17.

Reach Rob Mueller at (706) 823-3425.

--From the Thursday, December 11, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle