Luke brought strength to his early training with Ry from being a High School wrestler and working on sports fishing boats operating out on the Atlantic from Montauk, NY.

When he moved South to study economics at the College of Charleston, Luke was invited to join the Lowcountry VW racing team. He’s now 20 and lives in downtown Charleston.

This Saturday Luke, who may be in his first intermediate class bike race, will be one of about 200 cyclists racing through the streets of I’On.

Jane West is one of Charleston’s fastest women.  She finished first in the Category 4 I’On Races in 2005 and 2006, powering her carbon composite bike at 30 miles per hour around the turns on the technical I’On Course. Jane races fast and hard. That got her a gold medal for women racers aged 40 to 44 in Yamasee South Carolina back in 2006, one of many trophies and medals Jane’s collected.

Jane is no little girl. She is mother of two daughters.  Jane’s daughters love to come to the races and cheer Mom on.  The I’On race, with its narrow streets and porches full of noisy, cheering spectators is a favorite for all three of them.

When she's not cycling, Jane is a Professor at Trident Technical College.  She holds a PhD. in Mathematics.

Jane isn’t afraid of long, demanding rides. She helped pioneer a new “metric century” training route which covers 66 hilly miles beginning and ending on the sleepy main street of little Cameron, S.C. in February 2008.

There will be a lot of women cyclists racing at I’On Saturday.

Pete decided to end a lifetime of being a couch potato at age 60. He weighed 250 pounds.  He started running in sprints, blasting out of the starting blocks and pounding his way down the asphalt to the finish.  In a few years, Pete’s knees gave out. He and his doctor agreed he needed to keep going, but senior’s jazzercise in the pool wasn’t Pete’s plan.

He took to cycle racing and joined the Lowcountry VW team as the area’s oldest master racer. Pete’s now 68. He’s one of only about 50 men his age racing in the United States.

Pete races a Merlin titanium road bike in races like the one at I’On and his track bike is a Felt Aluminum. He doesn’t believe graphite is worth the extra money. He says the equipment that’s critical are good wheels and the willingness to work and train. “Going out and working at is is much more important than the type of bike you have.”

Behind Pete’s modest and self depreciating demeanor is a very serious and capable competitor on the short track race circuit. In the 2006 Masters World Tracks in Manchester Great Britain, he was the top American in the 65-69 time trial, finishing 7th overall in a time of 41.241...in the world.

He spends lot of time in the gym and does Linear Leg Presses at 1600 pounds for an hour. Pete’s recovering from a crash and injury, but is already back in training with the goal of competing and winning the Senior World Games in Australia in 2009.

The bike races at I’On Saturday begin with a race for teens at 8 am and run through the entire day. There is also a party that’s open to the public, a fun race for kids on tricycles and a free picnic concert on Maybank Green. You can get maps, parking information and a full schedule on www.ionbiznet.com. It’s all free. Everyone’s welcome.

David Epstein is the President of the Low country VW Cycle Racing team, but his journey to that position began on the soccer field.

 David is 51 and with his wife of 28 years, has parented two grown children. He’s president of Southern Components, a custom millwork, cabinet and window sash company.

 David has always been athletic. As a student he played golf and swam. Later he moved to the fierce, high impact competition of the soccer pitch. He played front striker and left side midfielder. Both positions called for a lot of running and pivoting. The injuries piled up until an ACL knee injury resulted in a Doctor’s recommendation to find another sport.

With the Doctor’s ultimatum, he hung up his cleats and picked up a bike. Cycling was interesting and looked safer and more fluid, easier on the body.

 It hasn’t all been easy. The competitive spirit which pushed David on the soccer pitch didn’t go away. He rides fast in the Master’s races and, like everyone who likes to be up front, sometimes finds himself running out of room. In a circuit race like the one held in I’On, up in York in 2006 he got squeezed into a corner by the pack, went over a fence and azalea and into someone’s yard, landing on his shoulder.  His “bike was fine.” He dusted off and finished the race.  David says, “If you race you will spill.”

Luke, Jane, Pete and David are some of the members of our local Lowcountry VW Cycling Team. You may have seen them training on the roads. They’ve asked me to ask you to come to I’On Saturday to cheer them and the other cyclists on as part of a nationwide effort to build American cycling into a national sport and Olympic power. Lance Armstrong can’t do it all alone. It’s traditional to bring cow bells, whistles and other noise making equipment to greet bike racers when they come around. Since the bikes are nearly silent, it makes the race safer and more exciting.

They also ask you to be careful when they share the road.  Grant them a generous clearance from your car or truck.  The miles the team needs to ride to train are long. They all want to get home safely.

William Hamilton (www.wjhamilton.com) is an attorney who lives In I’On Village.  He is helping coordinate the I’On Bike Races. Read more of his columns at www.moultrienews.com.

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