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 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.
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. The team’s legacy lived on in the careers of Christian Foster, who moved on to Subway-Express and Jittery Joe’s—Kalahari, Zack Bolian, who rode for VMG Racing and the U.S. National Team U23, and Michael Lange, who rode for the TIAA-CREF squad, and Jelly Belly. Mike won the Mike Horgan Memorial Hill Climb in 2006.
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. Membership dues were instituted and officers elected to transform the organization. By 2006, a new club had been chartered to be known as Memphis Velo.
When reforming, Memphis Velo entered into a title sponsor relationship with international orthopedic manufacturer Smith & Nephew to create the new Memphis Velo-Smith & Nephew cycling club. Boasting more than fifty members, the club is dedicated to promoting bicycling as a sport, improving the riding skills and capabilities of members, and supporting those who have the ultimate goal of racing competitively. Members are committed to improving cycling safety, and support cycling as recreation, transportation, and as an approach to improved health and well-being. Memphis Velo-Smith & Nephew continues to work to improve the skills, strength, speed, endurance, and camaraderie of its members.
The club provides encouragement and support for club racers and seeks to introduce riders to new and improved concepts in cycling and racing. To this end, an elite cycling squad racing under distinct colors was created in 2008. Comprised of club riders who have demonstrated superior ability and commitment, these riders have agreed to race a pre-determined schedule of regional amateur events.
