Danny Summerhill (REIGN Storm Racing) has had an erratic profession of racing success and private challenges – generally turbulent, generally mercurial, all the time entertaining. In 2023, he had what he known as a “fairy-tale season” and gained the lads’s particular person and dash titles on the American Criterium Cup, a collection of 10 one-day races throughout the US.
His success final 12 months additionally helped his American Cycling Group squad win the most effective general staff classification within the ACC. Pro bike owner turned movie maker, Angus Morton, joined the staff on 5 race weekends to seize the ethos of a bunch of riders experiencing the US criterium life and, because it turned out a metamorphosis of Summerhill, in ‘Crit Dreams’.
This 12 months, the staff races underneath the REIGN Storm Racing model, nonetheless led by chief sports activities director and former professional Thomas Craven, whom Summerhill calls “the glue.” REIGN Storm has already swept staff prizes at two spring collection—the six-race USA Crits and eight-race USA Speed Week. The staff had seven podiums throughout USA Crits, with Summerhill ending third general behind general winner and teammate Alfredo Rodriguez.
“I say it doesn’t truly matter who wins for us. The a lot bigger goal is that we win. This 12 months, I do not care. In different years, I’d completely have a distinct reply for you. I’ve a give attention to simply being a part of the most effective staff and displaying that we’re the most effective,” Summerhill advised Cyclingnews through the staff’s cease on the Athens Twilight Criterium, a part of USA Crits and USA Speed Week, the place he completed second.
Having turned 35 in February, Summerhill confirmed no indicators of slowing down, utilizing his legs in a dash or together with his vocal cords in a dialog about sprinting. His biking profession goes again to 2004 when he raced a number of disciplines, together with US cyclocross titles as a junior and U23 athlete, plus a silver medal as a junior on the 2007 Cyclocross World Championships. It wasn’t till Craven signed the Coloradoan to the Best Buddies Team in 2021 that Summerhill refocused on criterium racing and thought of himself not a ‘bridesmaid’.
“I’ve a whole lot of pleasure for the ACC, clearly. It has a particular place in my coronary heart, simply because of the those who I met by way of the group who give their blood, sweat and tears for that occasion. And not that USA Crits doesn’t do the identical, however I simply have a particular vested curiosity within the ACC because of the truth that I gained each competitions final 12 months. And after all, like anybody would wish to win it once more,” Summerhill advised Cyclingnews.
“I’d like to win it [American Criterium Cup] once more, after all, or it’s gained by somebody on REIGN Storm – me or Alfredo [Rodriguez] or [Bryan] Gomez. Whether it finally ends up being my goal to win ACC once more, or that of the staff’s, so long as I’m serving to contribute in both of these two, it’s the identical.”
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The 2024 ACC started June 7 at Tulsa Tough, REIGN Storm taking the lead within the staff rankings with Bryan Gomez and Alfredo Rodriguez ending within the high 5 and Summerhill setting the mark because the dash chief.
The second cease of the collection will happen this Saturday at Tour of America’s Dairyland on the Downer’s Classic. And it was at ToAD final 12 months that the ‘Crit Dreams’ story took form.
“I’ve all the time been a bridesmaid. I’m pleased with that, [but 2023] moved me away from being a lead-out rider, and I’ve been completely satisfied I’ve been capable of have this success…a fairy-tale season,” Summerhill stated within the movie.
The unexplainable fairy story
Morton’s movie, with assist from BMC, follows the second half of the 2023 ACC, which included racing close to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for ToAD. Craven stated again in his day of US racing this was the “holy grail’ of criterium racing and outlined a lifestyle.
Using behind-the-scenes footage, private interviews and race highlights, ‘Crit Dreams’ tells the story of the hunt for this holy grail, which Craven stated was “for the group. You wish to do loopy issues to placed on a present”.
From numerous suburban host homes with massive plates of pasta on riders’ laps to staff conferences utilizing a pc to translate audio to Spanish for a number of riders, the American Cycling Group squad labored to win the staff and particular person titles final summer season in what they known as “David versus Goliath” as a small staff in opposition to the groups with large budgets.
Summerhill recounted his main profession setbacks alongside the best way, admitting “the world thought I used to be a ‘Loony Toon’” after he was let go in 2017 by the extremely profitable UnitedHealthcare highway staff. He resigned after prices of ‘disorderly conduct, discharging a weapon in a public place and reckless endangerment’ associated to firing a gun right into a hillside whereas on a coaching journey in a rural space outdoors Denver. It turned out to be a snowball impact of profession begins and stops.
“He provides a shit,” was how Craven summed up his staff chief. “He cares in regards to the race. He cares about folks. He’s tremendous compassionate, sensible. He might most likely earn more money with a much bigger staff, doing different sorts of races, however he’s content material with the staff setup, a really cohesive setup.”
Before driving for Craven, Summerhill was invited by USA Cycling to participate on the lads’s Team Pursuit squad in 2019, which he known as ‘a present’ and made an try to earn a spot on the Tokyo Olympic Games. While he helped the squad win a number of lead-up races, the US didn’t qualify sufficient spots for staff occasion and he stated he obtained burned out from the observe expertise. He began taking anti-depressants, which led to a one-year suspension for failing to acquire the right Therapeutic Use Exemption for Adderall, a medicine used to deal with ADD.
That was additionally in regards to the time Summerhill’s father was identified with Alzheimer’s illness, and he turned the principle caregiver for the household.
“I’m nervous for the day that he forgets my identify,” Summerhill managed to say as he obtained choked up speaking about his father, Ed, within the movie. His father succumbed to the illness this spring, and the movie pays tribute to Ed Summerhill within the credit.
“I’m chaotic sufficient, and with ADD, there’s no manner that I’d be capable of hold biking. I do know every thing occurs for a motive, and it’s tough understanding what these causes are generally. I’m completely satisfied for all of the cases in my life which have introduced me right here,” he would summarise on the finish.