Another Youngster Takes the Next Step...

Despite a labor market flooded with talent, Hot Tubes' Ben King found himself a ride. Two stars-n-stripes jerseys will go a long way in scoring a ride, but it looks like Ben's results in p/1/2 races caught the attention of Jonas Carney, director at Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast.

“I’ve been looking at King since 2006,” Carney said in a statement. "As a first year junior he was getting results against pros at the Tour of Virginia that just blew me away. Our team has a very positive, supportive atmosphere which I know is really going to help Ben maximize his great potential.”

Makes me smile to know that, even though their are numerous unsigned 'big' names, somebody is willing to take a chance on a kidlet... and, it couldn't have happened to a nicer kid.

For the last few years, I've been touting kidlets who ride competitively in adult races. Despite, the growth of the junior scene recently, races for the youngsters just aren't fast enough, long enough, the fields are not big enough. If a kidlet has his sights set upon the stars then he/she has got to be racing with the big dogs. Only then can the youngens prove themselves.

Oh, the boys will still be racing the big junior races, they are just too much fun too miss... They'll double up on crit days whenever possible... but mostly they'll be mixing with the senior element. If you want to race fast, you've gotta race with fast racers!