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Early in the
winter of 2001, Memphian Robby Fromin combined members of his original
team, Memphis Motor Werks and Murfreesboro-based Team Moab to form the
Back Yard Burgers Cycling Club. Cycling enthusiasts and amateur racers
Nick Griffith, executive vice president with Back Yard Burgers, and
David C. Jones, owner of David C. Jones Investments, joined with Gran
Fondo Cycles of Nashville to provide necessary sponsorship for a unique
club that would allow cyclists of all abilities a place to come
together and enjoy their riding experiences. The club sought to
identify promising regional racers and provide them with opportunities
to hone their skills while seeking to promote a positive image for
cycling in the community at large.
In 2002, a road
racing team was created to support twelve young elite amateur riders
from across the region. Named the Southern Developmental Cycling Team
(SDCT), the goal was to give these riders elite racing experience and
visibility to facilitate their move to the next level of competition.
Robby Fromin served as the director while Todd Nordmeyer from
Nashville, having raced as an amateur in Italy, raced with the team
while providing personal coaching services to several of the riders.
Highlights from the 2002 season included Zach Bolian's Jr. 15/16
National Road Race title, Dale Suttle's stint with the USPS-USA Cycling
Espoir National Team including participation in the U23 World
Championships in Zolder, Belgium, Christian Foster's Tennessee State
Road Race and Criterium wins, and more than 60 top five finishes in
regional and national events.
An innovative
fund raising scheme was created to provide additional support for the
team. Vintage, out-of-print cycling books, all unread and in mint
condition, were sold on the club Website. Titles included "The Tour de
France and its Heros" by Graham Watson and "The Bernard Hinault Story"
by Pierre Martin.
In less than
two years of existence, BYBCC used a developmental philosophy to grow
into a forty-member club with an elite racing team representing them at
races across the country.
Despite
positive results, the developmental team was discontinued at the close
of the 2003 season due to the conclusion of Back Yard Burgers’
sponsorship deal. Team director Robby Fromin stepped back in order to
devote time to his personal business. Nevertheless, the team’s legacy
lives on in the careers of Christian Foster, who moved on to
Subway-Express and Jittery Joe’s—Kalahari, Zack Bolian, who is
currently riding for VMG Racing and the U.S. National Team U23, and
Michael Lange, who is on the TIAA-CREF squad.
Following the
demise of the SDCT, David Jones, Nick Griffith, and a number of other
members of BYBCC met in the winter of 2004 seeking a way to continue
the club. The remaining members agreed to shift the focus away from
developmental racing for young riders and concentrate on strengthening
a club for competitive amateur racers and recreational riders. Some
sponsorship money remained and it was agreed to continue the Back Yard
Burgers name for another year. In addition, membership dues were
instituted to shore up the finances. Elected officers worked tirelessly
to transform the organization. By 2006, a new club had been chartered
with the State of Tennessee to be known as Memphis Velo.
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