The Wheel Deal! |
West Palm Beach Challenge 2012 marked the start of the new speed season in sunny Florida (January 13th weekend) & Atom Wheels was on location to catch some of the action firsthand. One of the most talked about athletes in this sport on his way back from a year & a half ago injury was the unibomber, Chad Horne, (above-middle), putting down some serious speeds on a 100m flat track indoors! With the continuance need today for stability around an oval track & speeds ranging between 29 & 31mph on an edge no wider than a nickel, Horne needed a product he could put his full confidence in while consistently pushing the boundaries of how fast an indoor inline racer can actually reach. He chose the IQ blue hub Whip, winning Pro-Men in a stacked field of some of today’s top racers. Known for his extreme edges that Horne remains on for 97meters of each lap he undeniably possessed a gear no other had all weekend. Gold medals in the 500m & 1500m secured his overall win & silver to teammate Drew Valinsky in the 5000m. Horne expressed himself after the 1500m, “I finally got to open up in that race unlike the 500m where I ran out of laps.” This didn’t seem to be an issue in the 1500m as the race announcer called out Horne’s lap times at 200m remaining- “8.42 & 8.5” – Safe to say he “opened up!”
Other top-notch IQ moments of the indoor portion was when 17 year old Drew Valinsky a.k.a ‘the punisher’ wound up his usual 23.5466 mph ‘pace’ set in the 5000m Pro-Men’s final with 4500m remaining dropping his competitors 3 & 4 at a time each lap until the entire field was at his disposal. Valinsky felt this wasn’t enough punishment as he apparently had more time on his hands to repeat this feat twice in the same race! As the only athlete to medal in 2011 at the inline world championships in Korea last August, Drew certainly is by far the most humble athlete our sport has to offer however his race tactics are anything but relaxed and easy. Pro-Men were all well aware both indoors and outdoors that any race with Valinsky you might easily be racing for second place! When asked about his wheels Valinsky stated, “I always know what these wheels will do," which is the consistency & roll a skater depends on during each event!
In the ladies department, a regular household name you should probably start getting used to hearing quite often for the next 5 years is Darian O’Neil, (above left). At just 16, this little speed rocket might just blow you away with not only her speeds but her smarts! Another teen that’s upsetting the entire U.S pro-ladies field another season while showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Her workout regimen?... you wouldn’t believe it if we told you. Her desire to win?... even more unbelievable. O’Neil mostly known for her distance & supernatural abilities to go for days without stopping brought to West Palm a whole new dimension to her skill set, a sprint! After winning Pro-Ladies indoors, O’Neil took to the 200m, banked track outside & placed 4th in the 300m time trial breaking the 30 sec barrier as only 3 other ladies were able to do so. Her 10K points event she crushed the field with constant intervals & strong 17 sec lap pulls toward the end ensuring her the gold medal and overall outdoor champion. O’Neil chose the IQ Matrix wheel designed with the same solid technology as the indoor blue hub IQ.
Atom Wheels would like to say congratulations to all the winners of the West Palm Beach challenge and a big thank you for stopping by the booth to say hello. Look for us at your next event; Atom Wheels... A brand you can trust - Tools not Toys.
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