Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Rock Racing to Fuji for 2009
Rock Racing to Fuji for 2009?
By James Huang
Fuji designed this special edition SL-1 Photo ©: Fuji Bicycles
While much of the professional peloton seems to be playing musical chairs in terms of bike sponsorship for the coming season, Michael Ball’s Rock Racing team has toyed with more bike brands this season on its own then many retail shops carry on their shelves.
Rock Racing spent the ’07 season on Scott bicycles and then made a very brief switch to Look before ultimately settling with DeRosa for ’08. However, according to Rock Racing team manager Haldene Morris, the agreement isn’t with DeRosa directly but rather with US importer Trialtir and only covers a specific number of bikes. As such, the team doesn’t have as many DeRosas as it’d like and team riders have been spotted on a variety of non-DeRosa machines this year including Scott, Look and even Cannondale (former rider Mario Cipollini supplied his own custom frames made by a favored builder in Italy). Most notably, Rock Racing’s Tyler Hamilton even won this year’s USA Pro national road title not with the team-issue DeRosa, but on a Fuji SL-1 instead.
Meanwhile, Rock Racing’s Tour of Missouri squad was spotted aboard a brand-new Fuji time trial machine. We’re sure to get more information on this decidedly swoopy model at Interbike but suffice to say there are a number of intriguing features including a reverse-mounted front brake and fully-shrouded rear plus an integrated seatmast mechanism similar to that of Trek’s new Madone.
According to Fuji Bikes marketing and communications manager Karen Bliss, the unofficial pairing of Fuji and Rock Racing dates as far back as the Commerce Bank Triple Crown (better known as ‘Philly Week’). Freddy Rodriguez had apparently crashed and broken his DeRosa the day before the men’s pro road race and the team didn’t have a proper spare.
Coincidentally though, Fuji happened to be located in Philadelphia and Bliss already had a connection with the team. "I knew his mechanic from the old days and he knew that I was working with Fuji", she said. After a couple of quick phone calls, Rodriguez had a Fuji SL-1 at the ready. As it turns out, Rodriguez ended up using team-mate Oscar Sevilla’s spare for the race but the wheels were already in motion, so to speak.
By James Huang
Fuji designed this special edition SL-1 Photo ©: Fuji Bicycles
While much of the professional peloton seems to be playing musical chairs in terms of bike sponsorship for the coming season, Michael Ball’s Rock Racing team has toyed with more bike brands this season on its own then many retail shops carry on their shelves.
Rock Racing spent the ’07 season on Scott bicycles and then made a very brief switch to Look before ultimately settling with DeRosa for ’08. However, according to Rock Racing team manager Haldene Morris, the agreement isn’t with DeRosa directly but rather with US importer Trialtir and only covers a specific number of bikes. As such, the team doesn’t have as many DeRosas as it’d like and team riders have been spotted on a variety of non-DeRosa machines this year including Scott, Look and even Cannondale (former rider Mario Cipollini supplied his own custom frames made by a favored builder in Italy). Most notably, Rock Racing’s Tyler Hamilton even won this year’s USA Pro national road title not with the team-issue DeRosa, but on a Fuji SL-1 instead.
Meanwhile, Rock Racing’s Tour of Missouri squad was spotted aboard a brand-new Fuji time trial machine. We’re sure to get more information on this decidedly swoopy model at Interbike but suffice to say there are a number of intriguing features including a reverse-mounted front brake and fully-shrouded rear plus an integrated seatmast mechanism similar to that of Trek’s new Madone.
According to Fuji Bikes marketing and communications manager Karen Bliss, the unofficial pairing of Fuji and Rock Racing dates as far back as the Commerce Bank Triple Crown (better known as ‘Philly Week’). Freddy Rodriguez had apparently crashed and broken his DeRosa the day before the men’s pro road race and the team didn’t have a proper spare.
Coincidentally though, Fuji happened to be located in Philadelphia and Bliss already had a connection with the team. "I knew his mechanic from the old days and he knew that I was working with Fuji", she said. After a couple of quick phone calls, Rodriguez had a Fuji SL-1 at the ready. As it turns out, Rodriguez ended up using team-mate Oscar Sevilla’s spare for the race but the wheels were already in motion, so to speak.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Racing: Arena Mountain-X in Las Vegas
Racing: Arena Mountain-X in Las Vegas
WEDNESDAYSEPTEMBER 24, 2008(DURING INTERBIKE)
Featuring Top Riders:Current World 4X Champ Rafael Alvarez, Dale Holmes, Eric Carter, Chris Kovarik,Rich Houseman , Brian Lopes, Carter Holland, Kirt Voreis, and many more...
For more information:Call Southridge 951-361-0149
+ Head to Head Racing / Speedway Format+ $5000 Prize Purse+ Doors Open at 7pm / Races at 8pm+ FREE shuttle service from Interbike show starting at 6:00 pm to the South Point Casino. + Tickets On Sale Now! Call 866-796-7111 or visit www.southpointeventscenter.com+ After-Party with Autograph Signing+ Free Multi-Tool from Ice Toolz™ (First 1000 people in attendance)
WEDNESDAYSEPTEMBER 24, 2008(DURING INTERBIKE)
Featuring Top Riders:Current World 4X Champ Rafael Alvarez, Dale Holmes, Eric Carter, Chris Kovarik,Rich Houseman , Brian Lopes, Carter Holland, Kirt Voreis, and many more...
For more information:Call Southridge 951-361-0149
+ Head to Head Racing / Speedway Format+ $5000 Prize Purse+ Doors Open at 7pm / Races at 8pm+ FREE shuttle service from Interbike show starting at 6:00 pm to the South Point Casino. + Tickets On Sale Now! Call 866-796-7111 or visit www.southpointeventscenter.com+ After-Party with Autograph Signing+ Free Multi-Tool from Ice Toolz™ (First 1000 people in attendance)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Lance Armstrong come back
Sources: Lance Armstrong coming back
By Neal Rogers
Armstrong at Leadville last month
Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, according to sources familiar with the developing situation.
Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France — and will race for no salary or bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews.
Armstrong's manager, Mark Higgins, did not respond to questions.
However sources close to the story have told VeloNews that an exclusive article on the matter will be published in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, expected later this month.
Rumors of Armstrong's return swirled at last week’s Eurobike trade show in Germany and this week’s Tour of Missouri.
The rumor speculates that Armstrong will reunite with former team manager Johan Bruyneel at Team Astana — a viable option given Armstrong’s long-lasting relationships not only with the Belgian director but also Trek, Astana’s bike sponsor.
According to sources, the Texan will post all of his internally tested blood work online, in an attempt to establish complete transparency and prove that he is a clean athlete.
The rumor, which has been rampant for nearly a month, gained legs when former Discovery Channel team director Dirk Demol signed with Astana for 2009.
“I am excited to be reunited with Johan Bruyneel. What Johan has been able to do this year with Team Astana is quite special and admirable and I look forward to being a part of his program once again. It will be a new team with some familiar faces, but I know the winning philosophy and structure have remained the same.”
Advertisement
Other rumors are that Armstrong will continue to pursue mountain bike racing, and may try his hand at cyclocross as well.
Should Armstrong return with Astana, it would bolster a squad that arguably boasts the sport’s best stage-racing team.
In Missouri, Columbia rider George Hincapie, a close friend of Armstrong’s and the only man to ride on all seven of the Texan’s Tour winning teams, simply smiled when asked what he’d knew about the rumor, saying, “I don’t know anything.”
Armstrong re-enrolled himself into the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s out-of-competition testing pool prior to August’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, where he finished second to Dave Wiens, said USA Cycling chief operating officer Sean Petty.
USADA rules state that any athlete who wishes to come out of retirement must enroll in the USADA out-of-competition testing program for at least six months in advance of regaining eligible status.
A return to racing would no doubt bring large crowds to American races, and could perhaps save the Tour de Georgia, which is struggling to land a title sponsor.
Petty said that should Armstrong wish to return to racing, “it would be one of most exciting things to happen to American racing since he won his seventh Tour. Depending on his plan, if that is what he wanted to do, it would be tremendously exciting and would generate a tremendous amount of attention on the sport, and on what he’s doing. People would be very interested to see how he would do in a comeback.”
The last big-name rider to return from retirement was Italian Mario Cipollini, who signed with Rock Racing and competed at this year’s Amgen Tour of California after three years away from the sport. Cipollini failed to win a stage, but took third in a field sprint and said, “This finish means as much to me as any victory.” Following the race Cipollini had a contractual dispute with Rock team owner Michael Ball, and left the team.
By Neal Rogers
Armstrong at Leadville last month
Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, according to sources familiar with the developing situation.
Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France — and will race for no salary or bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews.
Armstrong's manager, Mark Higgins, did not respond to questions.
However sources close to the story have told VeloNews that an exclusive article on the matter will be published in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, expected later this month.
Rumors of Armstrong's return swirled at last week’s Eurobike trade show in Germany and this week’s Tour of Missouri.
The rumor speculates that Armstrong will reunite with former team manager Johan Bruyneel at Team Astana — a viable option given Armstrong’s long-lasting relationships not only with the Belgian director but also Trek, Astana’s bike sponsor.
According to sources, the Texan will post all of his internally tested blood work online, in an attempt to establish complete transparency and prove that he is a clean athlete.
The rumor, which has been rampant for nearly a month, gained legs when former Discovery Channel team director Dirk Demol signed with Astana for 2009.
“I am excited to be reunited with Johan Bruyneel. What Johan has been able to do this year with Team Astana is quite special and admirable and I look forward to being a part of his program once again. It will be a new team with some familiar faces, but I know the winning philosophy and structure have remained the same.”
Advertisement
Other rumors are that Armstrong will continue to pursue mountain bike racing, and may try his hand at cyclocross as well.
Should Armstrong return with Astana, it would bolster a squad that arguably boasts the sport’s best stage-racing team.
In Missouri, Columbia rider George Hincapie, a close friend of Armstrong’s and the only man to ride on all seven of the Texan’s Tour winning teams, simply smiled when asked what he’d knew about the rumor, saying, “I don’t know anything.”
Armstrong re-enrolled himself into the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s out-of-competition testing pool prior to August’s Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, where he finished second to Dave Wiens, said USA Cycling chief operating officer Sean Petty.
USADA rules state that any athlete who wishes to come out of retirement must enroll in the USADA out-of-competition testing program for at least six months in advance of regaining eligible status.
A return to racing would no doubt bring large crowds to American races, and could perhaps save the Tour de Georgia, which is struggling to land a title sponsor.
Petty said that should Armstrong wish to return to racing, “it would be one of most exciting things to happen to American racing since he won his seventh Tour. Depending on his plan, if that is what he wanted to do, it would be tremendously exciting and would generate a tremendous amount of attention on the sport, and on what he’s doing. People would be very interested to see how he would do in a comeback.”
The last big-name rider to return from retirement was Italian Mario Cipollini, who signed with Rock Racing and competed at this year’s Amgen Tour of California after three years away from the sport. Cipollini failed to win a stage, but took third in a field sprint and said, “This finish means as much to me as any victory.” Following the race Cipollini had a contractual dispute with Rock team owner Michael Ball, and left the team.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
6-day-style track race for this fall in Las Vegas, to coincide with the Interbike trade show
One of the legends of American bike racing is planning a 6-day-style track race for this fall in Las Vegas, to coincide with the Interbike trade show there.
Jack Simes III, a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1960, '64 and '68, and coach of the 1976 Olympic team, has booked the arena at Mandalay Bay resort on the Vegas strip, and plans to hold the events on a new 166-meter plywood track. The races would be held September 23-25, with events from about 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. each night.
Planned events include Madison races, sprints, one-lap record attempts and motor-paced Derny races.
Simes told VeloNews that the 6-day atmosphere — the lights, the color, the speed — and the opportunities the events afford for posh receptions — mates well with the Las Vegas atmosphere and the needs of bike suppliers who attend Interbike.
"The hospitality at these events (in Europe) is huge. There will be opportunities for sponsors to book receptions and meet with clients on the infield," he said.
While the event is not an official part of Interbike, Simes says he has spoken with Interbike officials about cross promotions. Promoters put on a criterium and a cyclocross race during last fall's Interbike show. Neither of those events was a part of the show, but scheduled to take advantage of the thousands of fans who come to Las Vegas for Interbike. This year's Interbike is September 24-26 at the Sands Convention Center, preceded by two days of outdoor bike demos.
Jack Simes III, a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1960, '64 and '68, and coach of the 1976 Olympic team, has booked the arena at Mandalay Bay resort on the Vegas strip, and plans to hold the events on a new 166-meter plywood track. The races would be held September 23-25, with events from about 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. each night.
Planned events include Madison races, sprints, one-lap record attempts and motor-paced Derny races.
Simes told VeloNews that the 6-day atmosphere — the lights, the color, the speed — and the opportunities the events afford for posh receptions — mates well with the Las Vegas atmosphere and the needs of bike suppliers who attend Interbike.
"The hospitality at these events (in Europe) is huge. There will be opportunities for sponsors to book receptions and meet with clients on the infield," he said.
While the event is not an official part of Interbike, Simes says he has spoken with Interbike officials about cross promotions. Promoters put on a criterium and a cyclocross race during last fall's Interbike show. Neither of those events was a part of the show, but scheduled to take advantage of the thousands of fans who come to Las Vegas for Interbike. This year's Interbike is September 24-26 at the Sands Convention Center, preceded by two days of outdoor bike demos.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Mount Snow Root 66 Race
In preparation for the upcoming nationals at mount snow, Root 66 offered a preview of the courses and a race for the New England racers. My friend from school Gonzo and I headed up there first thing Saturday to make the Super D event at 10 am. We showed up a little later than we hoped and didn't get a preride. Luckily the event was going to be the total time of 2 heats. The first run we ran up the hill side, got on our bikes, and headed down the slope almost immediately into a drop followed by 90 degree turn over a huge rock and into singletrack. I got 2nd wheel into it and was feeling fine until i crashed on a root and had some guy run me over. So I got back on and chased back to the lead group of 3 where I sat in until I almost crashed on a 40mph dh with loose gravel. So instead of going down I opted for ripping thru the tape and going off course. I got back in and couldn't close the gap and came in 4th. Now that I new the course and realized I needed way less air pressure in my shocks and tires, I changed that out in the car, headed up the lift, and was determined to win the next heat. I got 2nd wheel again and about 15 seconds in the leader went down there I did. I held the lead the hole race attacking on all the climbs. We entered the last dh into the finish with someone right on my wheel. I went for the sprint thinking I had it in the bag and as we crossed the line a guy got me by half a wheel. Oh well, now I know I need to do a lot of pre riding for Windham and Nationals if I want to do well. I ended up 3rd overall in the expert class.
The rest of the day involved gonzo racing the sport short track and the hill climb on my SS. Luckily for him we only brought one freewheel, which happened to be the wrong one for both events. He managed to settle in to second in the ST and then wore out the leader half way thru and rode in for the win. He managed to pick up third in the hill climb with a little bit of walking. For some reason I decided to race the Expert/Pro short track. After about 4 laps I got tired and sat up letting everyone pass me including my LMC teammate Brad "Lobster" Perley who lapped me a couple times on his way to winning the pro race.
After all the days events we headed to some town about 45 minutes further into VT to stay with Thom P and his teammates Colin and Linnea at Thom's friend's house. We all had a nice feast, chilled out and headed to bed. The next morning Thom and I had all kinds of canned coffee drinks to get ready for the race and a large amount of cereal. Thanks to Terri for having us over.
Over the course of the night it rained like crazy which made the dry fast course into a wet muddy course just like nationals last year (YES!!!!) So I was feeling much better about not getting a pre ride in and was ready to race. They changed the beginning of the course by cutting out a piece of singletrack and adding a soggy steep grassy uphill into a super fast fire road decent, right out of the gate, ugh. After telling myself and everyone how much I hated the start and that I wasn't even going to go for it until we got to the next uphill, I ended up 2nd wheel into it and held it to the next climb, oh well it worked out. For the next couple hours we went up and down and up and down walking the unridable section and ripping the dh. I rode solo for a lap and then was joined by Sean from Bikeman who I rode with for a couple laps before he put a gap on me. Luckily we were able to catch a few guys and work together along the way. We weren't able to close the gap on the 2 guys up the trail and we held on to 3rd and 4th place.
Overall that had to have been the hardest race I have ever done. 4 laps on that course is just silly. After 3 laps holding on during the DH was almost impossible, I found myself being forced to back off. Instead of recovering a whole new set of muscles hurt, it almost felt like the climbing was recovery. Luckily everything on the bike worked perfect and Gonzo was hooking us all up with awesome feeds so I could focus on riding steady for the 3 hour race.
Colin ended up with a couple flats and decided to bag it while Thom rode to 6th place in the pro race with his ss (nuts). Lobster took 3rd!
Next week I'm off to Windham, NY for the East Coast NMBS race and then MT Snow the following weekend for XC and Super D.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Cox Charities Cycle Classic Bicycle race
It looks like we will be all going to this big great advent. See you there!
Cox Charities Cycling Classic Providence, RISaturday, June 28, 2008
A National Racing Calendar (NRC) Event!
The first event in New England Race Week
Part of the 2008 New England Bicycle Racing Association Ranking System
The Category 2 / 3 & Men Pro/Cat 1 events are LAJORS events for juniors & espoirs, respectively
Produced by Pavé Productions and hosted by the Cox Communications Cycling Team and the NBX Cycling Team. Televised by Cox Sports TV. USA Cycling Event Permit Pending
Press Releases Race Route Map (PDF) Past Events
Start Times
Category
Distance
Places
Prize List
Entry Fee
2:00 pm
* Masters 35+/45+
23 Miles
10 / 3
$500/Trophies
$30
3:15 pm
Category 2/3
28 Miles
10
$500
$30
5:00 pm
NRCMen Pro/Cat1
50 Miles
20
$15,000
$40
Registration: Registration opens at 12:30 p.m. and closes ½ hour before each race.
Registration Location: Gardner Jackson Park (next to Hemenway’s Restaurant), adjacent to Start line.
Entry Fee includes $2 USA Cycling insurance surcharge. Add $5 to entry fee for race day registration. Unattached USA Cycling riders will be charged a $5 surcharge.
Register On-line at www.BikeReg.com. On-line registration closes Wednesday, June 25 at 9:00 p.m. Pre-registration highly recommended for all categories as fields will fill prior to race day.
Mail entries: Complete 2008 standard entry form, make check payable to: Cox Charities c/o The United Way, and mail to: Gary Dalton, 238 Windmill Drive, Wakefield, RI 02879.
* Masters 35+ and 45+ will race together for 1 prize list. Top 3 Masters 45+ will be recognized with podium ceremony and trophies.
Field Limits: 125 rider limit for all events except Men Pro/Category 1, which is 150. The Masters 35+/45+ event is open to Category 1-3 only.
ALL USA Cycling RULES APPLY: Approved helmets are mandatory. No mountain bikes, straight bars or aero bars. No tank tops. Jerseys must have sleeves.
Race Route: 1 Mile, 8 Corner criterium course adjacent to the Providence River and the East Side of Providence with a short, steep climb and decent. Race Route Map (PDF)
Neutral Support provided by SRAM and Butch Balzano
Contact Info: Visit www.CoxCharitiesCyclingClassic.com for more information. Email Race Director at: garydalton@cox.net.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Brewer Rowe at Eident Sports Marketing, Brewer@eidentsports.com, 401 437-8881
Bring the family and stay for the evening! Our Race Expo area will include music, food, and refreshments. In addition, join us for WaterFire Providence following the awards ceremony.
Directions: From the North or South, take Route 95 to the Memorial Boulevard Exit in Providence and follow Memorial Boulevard to the riverfront, to Dyer Street. Parking is located in lots adjacent to Capricio’s Restaurant.
HOTEL RESERVATIONSThe Westin ProvidenceOne West Exchange StreetProvidence, Rhode Island 02903Group Rate: $159 plus tax. This special rate is available until June 13 - but don't delay! This room block will sell out quickly!To make reservations:Call 1-800-Westin-1 (1-800-937-8461) and ask for the Cox Charities Cycling Classic room block - OR -Visit our hotel web page and make your reservations online
Cox Charities Cycling Classic Providence, RISaturday, June 28, 2008
A National Racing Calendar (NRC) Event!
The first event in New England Race Week
Part of the 2008 New England Bicycle Racing Association Ranking System
The Category 2 / 3 & Men Pro/Cat 1 events are LAJORS events for juniors & espoirs, respectively
Produced by Pavé Productions and hosted by the Cox Communications Cycling Team and the NBX Cycling Team. Televised by Cox Sports TV. USA Cycling Event Permit Pending
Press Releases Race Route Map (PDF) Past Events
Start Times
Category
Distance
Places
Prize List
Entry Fee
2:00 pm
* Masters 35+/45+
23 Miles
10 / 3
$500/Trophies
$30
3:15 pm
Category 2/3
28 Miles
10
$500
$30
5:00 pm
NRCMen Pro/Cat1
50 Miles
20
$15,000
$40
Registration: Registration opens at 12:30 p.m. and closes ½ hour before each race.
Registration Location: Gardner Jackson Park (next to Hemenway’s Restaurant), adjacent to Start line.
Entry Fee includes $2 USA Cycling insurance surcharge. Add $5 to entry fee for race day registration. Unattached USA Cycling riders will be charged a $5 surcharge.
Register On-line at www.BikeReg.com. On-line registration closes Wednesday, June 25 at 9:00 p.m. Pre-registration highly recommended for all categories as fields will fill prior to race day.
Mail entries: Complete 2008 standard entry form, make check payable to: Cox Charities c/o The United Way, and mail to: Gary Dalton, 238 Windmill Drive, Wakefield, RI 02879.
* Masters 35+ and 45+ will race together for 1 prize list. Top 3 Masters 45+ will be recognized with podium ceremony and trophies.
Field Limits: 125 rider limit for all events except Men Pro/Category 1, which is 150. The Masters 35+/45+ event is open to Category 1-3 only.
ALL USA Cycling RULES APPLY: Approved helmets are mandatory. No mountain bikes, straight bars or aero bars. No tank tops. Jerseys must have sleeves.
Race Route: 1 Mile, 8 Corner criterium course adjacent to the Providence River and the East Side of Providence with a short, steep climb and decent. Race Route Map (PDF)
Neutral Support provided by SRAM and Butch Balzano
Contact Info: Visit www.CoxCharitiesCyclingClassic.com for more information. Email Race Director at: garydalton@cox.net.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Brewer Rowe at Eident Sports Marketing, Brewer@eidentsports.com, 401 437-8881
Bring the family and stay for the evening! Our Race Expo area will include music, food, and refreshments. In addition, join us for WaterFire Providence following the awards ceremony.
Directions: From the North or South, take Route 95 to the Memorial Boulevard Exit in Providence and follow Memorial Boulevard to the riverfront, to Dyer Street. Parking is located in lots adjacent to Capricio’s Restaurant.
HOTEL RESERVATIONSThe Westin ProvidenceOne West Exchange StreetProvidence, Rhode Island 02903Group Rate: $159 plus tax. This special rate is available until June 13 - but don't delay! This room block will sell out quickly!To make reservations:Call 1-800-Westin-1 (1-800-937-8461) and ask for the Cox Charities Cycling Classic room block - OR -Visit our hotel web page and make your reservations online
Floyd Landis Appeal
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will publish its decision on Floyd Landis' appeal on Monday, June 30 at 11 am EST.
CAS held a closed-door hearing in New York in April.
Landis hopes the CAS appeal board — David Williams of New Zealand, Paris attorney Jan Paulsson and New York lawyer David Rivkin — will overturn the ruling against him by a US arbitration panel last September.
Landis was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title after standing atop the podium following the final stage, undone when he tested positive for synthetic testosterone after the 17th stage of the race.
The American had fallen back in stage 16 but rallied in stage 17 to reclaim almost eight minutes on his way to a the victory.
Landis denied any wrongdoing and appealed to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in an open hearing last May. But the USADA panel ruled 2-1 against him, resulting in a two-year ban through January 29, 2009.
The International Cycling Union stripped Landis of his 2006 crown after that verdict, awarding the title to Spain's Oscar Pereiro.
Landis presented the case anew to the global panel, again attacking the credibility of the French laboratory which handled his doping samples.
The USADA arbitration panel acknowledged several areas in which the French lab's handling of the test sample was improper but said the carbon ratio isotope test that showed Landis testing positive outweighed those issues. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will publish its decision on Floyd Landis' appeal on Monday, June 30 at 11 am EST.
CAS held a closed-door hearing in New York in April.
Landis hopes the CAS appeal board — David Williams of New Zealand, Paris attorney Jan Paulsson and New York lawyer David Rivkin — will overturn the ruling against him by a US arbitration panel last September.
Landis was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title after standing atop the podium following the final stage, undone when he tested positive for synthetic testosterone after the 17th stage of the race.
The American had fallen back in stage 16 but rallied in stage 17 to reclaim almost eight minutes on his way to a the victory.
Landis denied any wrongdoing and appealed to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in an open hearing last May. But the USADA panel ruled 2-1 against him, resulting in a two-year ban through January 29, 2009.
The International Cycling Union stripped Landis of his 2006 crown after that verdict, awarding the title to Spain's Oscar Pereiro.
Landis presented the case anew to the global panel, again attacking the credibility of the French laboratory which handled his doping samples.
The USADA arbitration panel acknowledged several areas in which the French lab's handling of the test sample was improper but said the carbon ratio isotope test that showed Landis testing positive outweighed those issues.
CAS held a closed-door hearing in New York in April.
Landis hopes the CAS appeal board — David Williams of New Zealand, Paris attorney Jan Paulsson and New York lawyer David Rivkin — will overturn the ruling against him by a US arbitration panel last September.
Landis was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title after standing atop the podium following the final stage, undone when he tested positive for synthetic testosterone after the 17th stage of the race.
The American had fallen back in stage 16 but rallied in stage 17 to reclaim almost eight minutes on his way to a the victory.
Landis denied any wrongdoing and appealed to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in an open hearing last May. But the USADA panel ruled 2-1 against him, resulting in a two-year ban through January 29, 2009.
The International Cycling Union stripped Landis of his 2006 crown after that verdict, awarding the title to Spain's Oscar Pereiro.
Landis presented the case anew to the global panel, again attacking the credibility of the French laboratory which handled his doping samples.
The USADA arbitration panel acknowledged several areas in which the French lab's handling of the test sample was improper but said the carbon ratio isotope test that showed Landis testing positive outweighed those issues. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will publish its decision on Floyd Landis' appeal on Monday, June 30 at 11 am EST.
CAS held a closed-door hearing in New York in April.
Landis hopes the CAS appeal board — David Williams of New Zealand, Paris attorney Jan Paulsson and New York lawyer David Rivkin — will overturn the ruling against him by a US arbitration panel last September.
Landis was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title after standing atop the podium following the final stage, undone when he tested positive for synthetic testosterone after the 17th stage of the race.
The American had fallen back in stage 16 but rallied in stage 17 to reclaim almost eight minutes on his way to a the victory.
Landis denied any wrongdoing and appealed to the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in an open hearing last May. But the USADA panel ruled 2-1 against him, resulting in a two-year ban through January 29, 2009.
The International Cycling Union stripped Landis of his 2006 crown after that verdict, awarding the title to Spain's Oscar Pereiro.
Landis presented the case anew to the global panel, again attacking the credibility of the French laboratory which handled his doping samples.
The USADA arbitration panel acknowledged several areas in which the French lab's handling of the test sample was improper but said the carbon ratio isotope test that showed Landis testing positive outweighed those issues.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
sea otter
Way to overdue, but finally a sea otter recap for everyone. I headed out to Sea Otter with 4 of my LMC teammates, Aaron, Mike, Eric, and Perri.
The trip started by stuffing way too much stuff into 2 cars, we had 5 bikes, millions of bags, and 5 bodies to get to the airport. After attempting to get our bikes on to the plane for free we headed to the gate defeated, on the way there we managed to pass many VERY IMPORTANT and LOUD people talking about very important business on their cell phones. A connection to Atlanta went by quick then we all got on the plane for a 5 and a half hour ride to San Jose. I managed to sneak my way forward to a front row seat for some extra foot room. Finally we arrived and were met by Aaron's father with a pick up truck and his cousin with another car. After a good 12 hours of travel we finally arrived to Aaron's grandparent's sweet farm in Hollister CA where we would be staying for the week.
The next morning we got our bikes together out of our cases and packed up the truck to go preride the cross country and hit up the gigantic expo. The course was great, about 20 miles long, the terrain was amazing, wide open, with some fun singletrack and sandy sections. It was going to be a pretty crazy race without a doubt. Friday we headed over to the venue for some more preriding, expo ing, and the Super D race. I was the only one doing the race and thanks to the incorrect schedule I almost managed to miss my start, great! So I rolled up with a huge herd of riders for the open 19-29 men's group. The start was a lemans start, something I had yet to experience. Some of these guys were pretty serious about the run, so I decided to trot over to my bike since the longest run i had done since cross season was, hm, maybe I haven't ran since then, well maybe floor hockey with the cycling team at school, and that didn't work out to well. So I figured I would use my cyclocross mounting skills and such to get ahead. We were off, and I was the last to my bike, people were already going down into each other and trying to clip in, so I grabbed my bike and sprinted on foot ahead of the herd and jumped on into a full sprint. As we got going I was in the lead group and almost instantly a guy went down right with me, so I ran over his bike and kept going. After that the race was over, there was a 5 man group about 50 feet ahead, then me, then the pack a little farther back. I attacked and caught them all on the short hill, which apparently was the only uphill. I was told there was a climb at the end, so I figured I would attack again and be right up there. I let 3 guys with bike full suspension bikes go on the downhill, figuring i would blow by them on a climb, then i heard bells ringing, and saw a finish, Sh**%$*! Oh well, I got a top ten and had the most fun I could with my hardtail. I cant wait for the next one those are great.
Saturday quickly became the official Lees-McRae massacre as our top freshman destroyed the semi pro short track event, including beating up on a local bike barn rider who was out there. Eric (junior short track national champion) took the hole shot and led the start of the race. Right away a 3 man group formed with Eric, Mike (collegiate short track national champion), and John Peterson (Bike Barn). Mike took over the front and after a few attacks managed to drop John and Eric. Eric held onto second and Mike took the win. I was busy spectating/shooting photos all day so I didn't get a chance to ride, so I did my openers back in Hollister on the farm roads. I rode into the wind for 40 minutes, and was back home in 15 or 20.
Sunday we got up at some stupid early hour and headed over to the venue. It was pretty chilly, the whole weekend was actually, apparently CA can be cold, no one told me. Trebon called me soft after I was complaining about it on Saturday, so I tried to shut up about it after that. As we pulled into the parking lot we got some great words of encouragement, apparently some dude died on the DH course yesterday, great! So we all got in a good warm up and headed to the line, Eric, Mike, and Aaron went off first for the semi pro, I had an extra 15 minutes before my group went off so i just rode around the speedway. As the race went off we went pretty easy in a pack drafting around the speedway. A few guys decided attacking in the first minute of a 40 mile race was a good idea, so we let them go and caught them anyways before we hit the dirt. I started the race towards the front, somewhere around top 5 and settled in to a good pace. When we finished up the 1st lap I started to feel pretty cooked, I don't know why I had been eating and drinking like crazy. So we started in the second lap and a couple of guys blew right by me, this was going to be a long 20 miles. As the lap went on I totally blew up and just went into survival mode, letting whoever pass me whenever they wanted. Finally I got across the line and met my teammates. Mike had finished 2nd after getting picked off in a spring, Eric was top 10 and Aaron top 20. We then headed over to the Cytomax trailer and grabbed as many free muscle milk's as we could take. After that I sat around and ate as much as I could, I don't think I have ever bonked so hard in my life. Somehow I managed to get a top ten finishing 9th in the 19-24 expert group.
After the race we headed over to Santa Cruz to check everything out and enjoy the area with our last night in CA. We got some good pizza, checked out the beach, watched some crazy people ranting about all kinds of wild stuff downtown, checked out some shops, and visited some friends. After that we headed back to the farm, packed up our bikes and bag, and passed out. The next day we said goodbye to our hosts and headed to the airport, to get on another series of long flights with crying babies, yelling business men, and terribly cramped seats. Oh and I almost forgot, we were lucky enough to get an hour and a half delay with our connection, our friend picking us up was really excited about that. Finally made it to Charlotte and headed back to Banner Elk. We stopped at a gas station and I was lucky enough to be harassed by a local who asked me "You ain't from around here is you?" and then proceeded to hassle me about not lending him 10 bucks so he could buy beer for him and his "girl" GREAT TO BE BACK TO NORTH CAROLINA!
The trip was great, first time to CA, 2 top 10's at a big race, and was able to meet a bunch of new people and see some old friends. Definitely hope to make it back out there again in the future. Thanks to Aaron and his family for giving us an awesome place to stay.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Union Velo's Susan Lynch is first over all in the Norba Trail 66 womens Expert 35+ standings
Union Velo's Susan Lynch has 170 points over all in the Expert 35 + womens point standings Great Job Susan!
http://www.root66raceseries.com/results/index.php?method=point.totals&class_id=2&gender=F&group_id=8&race_date=2008
http://www.root66raceseries.com/results/index.php?method=point.totals&class_id=2&gender=F&group_id=8&race_date=2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
New Challenges: Trans Rockies
Well, I've done it. I'm officially registered for Trans Rockies. If you're not familiar with it, it is an epic seven day mountain bike stage race in the Canadian Rockies (www.transrockies.com). A typical day is 100k plus and five or more hours in the saddle. Why the hell would I want to do this considering I haven't raced a mountain bike in years? Well, why not. It gives me an excuse to get back to the dirt and put on mega miles all the while continuing to race in preparation for what surely will be my hardest physical challenge ever. Should be fun or at the very least an adventure.
Happy riding, rich
Happy riding, rich
Root 66 MTB Race
Yesterday was the fast Winding Trails, round 3, of the ROOT 66 MTB series.
With 9 team members racing, some valuable points were scored and some fast times posted. If you have not been to this venue, it is not very technical, all big ring riding. Therefore it brings out some fast road guys who you will not see the rest of the season.
A couple of the newest members were the ones that scored some good points. In the Expert 12-34 Jen Strasser placed a solid 4th while Tate Colbert came in 3rd in the Sport 18-29.
Craig Mello continues to have top 10 results with a 7th in the Sport 40-49. Shawn Mottram came back to racing after a long winter off the bike and a separated shoulder during cross season with a 14 spot in the Exp. 30-39.
Schachte and Martin had a lager then normal Exp. 50+ field but pulled out an 8th and 11th.
J.C. gave the Open Single Speed s shot again and came in 10th, while our regular podium finisher, Susan Lynch, came away with 2nd place.
But the real story of the day was losing J.C. bike off the back of Ray’s vehicle while going 70mph on interstate 84! The angels were watching over us when this went down while traveling in the middle lane. After slowing down and being almost a ¼ down the road, we pull over and it is lying in the center lane with non-stop traffic. J C running back to retrieve his rig how in the world do you go out into freeway traffic to get it. Still no one hits it but they are not stopping either. Finally traffic stops, he gets it and we are back on the road. No damage to speak of.
With 9 team members racing, some valuable points were scored and some fast times posted. If you have not been to this venue, it is not very technical, all big ring riding. Therefore it brings out some fast road guys who you will not see the rest of the season.
A couple of the newest members were the ones that scored some good points. In the Expert 12-34 Jen Strasser placed a solid 4th while Tate Colbert came in 3rd in the Sport 18-29.
Craig Mello continues to have top 10 results with a 7th in the Sport 40-49. Shawn Mottram came back to racing after a long winter off the bike and a separated shoulder during cross season with a 14 spot in the Exp. 30-39.
Schachte and Martin had a lager then normal Exp. 50+ field but pulled out an 8th and 11th.
J.C. gave the Open Single Speed s shot again and came in 10th, while our regular podium finisher, Susan Lynch, came away with 2nd place.
But the real story of the day was losing J.C. bike off the back of Ray’s vehicle while going 70mph on interstate 84! The angels were watching over us when this went down while traveling in the middle lane. After slowing down and being almost a ¼ down the road, we pull over and it is lying in the center lane with non-stop traffic. J C running back to retrieve his rig how in the world do you go out into freeway traffic to get it. Still no one hits it but they are not stopping either. Finally traffic stops, he gets it and we are back on the road. No damage to speak of.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Myles Standish
Union Velo's GERRY O'CONNELL wins the field sprint for second place in his very first Cat. 5 race. But then gets relegated for elbowing a rider that was crashed into him. I saw the whole thing and it was a bogus's call by the officials. I have to give Gerry credit for staying upright on his bike and for the great show he puts on during the race. Great race Gerry better luck next week.Check out this cool picture of Gerry with the other guy crashing across the finish line.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Union Velo presented by RINET Company mountain bike team kicks off the 2008 season.
Saturday saw the first round of the Root 66 Mountain Bike Series. Judging by the turnout it looked like most folks thought that the weather was going to make racing to much for some. Hey, this is mountain biking, bring on the rain.
The weather turned out to be fantastic, 75 sunny degrees. Some new faces showed up in new categories and the Union Velo presented by RINET Co. Team had a good day.
In the Expert class J.C. gave it a shot in the ultra competitive (stupid fast) Expert Single Speed class and came away with a decent 5th place finish. This was a 20+ mile race!!!
Ray Martin moved up to the 50+ plus Experts and placed a solid 5th behind Schachte’s 4th place spot. Schachte was again aboard the Single Speed going against the multi-geared machines.
Susan Lynch came away with a great 2nd place finish. She has not lost anything over the winter, thanks to visiting the gym before 3 hour mountain bike rides.
Sports went out later and Cheryl, (give me pain) Payne picked up right off were she left off last year with the top spot. And she was sick most of the year!!!!!!!!
New teammates Craig Mello, long time Union Cycle customer/ fine bike collector, placed an excellent 3rd in the 40-49 aboard his Superfly new machine and newbie, Tate Colbert came in 5th in his Sport debut with the juniors. Nice job men!
The first race was a success, everyone finished in the top 5 and had a great day. Looks like we will have a very promising season. Watch out for some more new racers in the coming races. Our next race for everyone will be Winsted Woods on Sunday April 20th.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Union Velo presented by RINET Company Hits the Mountain Bike National Calendar Races
As for the rest of the mountain bike team (me). I opened the season at the Tsali AMBC race in Bryson City, NC last weekend. This is one of the southeast's biggest races and part of the AMBC national series races. I traveled down there with a group of four of my team mates from the Lees-McRae College team. The conditions looked horrific, our preride on saturday involved several inches of rain, no visability, skipping chains, and a split up group. We finally got back together eventually in time to freeze while we washed our bikes, changed, and got back in one of my LMC teammate's van. We like to call it the Vantasy.
After we got back to the cabin, thanks to LMC, we ate about 600,000 calories and hit the sack for the next day. We had to get there early to plead with the officials because I forgot my license and Sean (cat 2 on the road) had to get an upgrade from sport to expert. The conditions were perfect, sun was out, it was hot, the track was dry and super fast. I still didn't have my newSID yet so I had to use my rigid fork. That turned out to be a little much for 35 miles of fast singletrack with lots of roots. The race was hard, and long, about 3 hours. Randy and Aaron both has a tough race in the Pro/Semi Pro group, Randy had to abandon after running out of water and Aaron broke a chain. Sean also ran out of water but suffered thru to get 6th in expert while I straggled in for 10th out of the 25 in our group.
This weekend I am headed to The Sea Otter Classic in Monterey California with 4 teammates from LMC. I am going to race the Super D and XC race. Should be a fun trip and a good chance to see some of the national competition that well be seeing at Mt. Snow in July. Luckily I got my SID from Rick on and the new bike is ready for this season thanks to all the help from Rick, SRAM, and Mavic.
Check back soon for some updates from Sea OtterWednesday, April 2, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Union Velo adds a new sponsor RINET COMPANY
In 1974, Richard N. Thielen founded RINET Company, LLC in order to address the varied and complex needs of individuals and families of wealth. At RINET Company, we provide integrated financial, investment, estate and tax planning services to clients who value objective advice and personalized service, and require a committed team of experts who can align their complex financial situations to implement the right program to meet their unique goals. We are a Boston-based business attuned to the standards of New Englanders, and measure our success only by your complete satisfaction. http://www.rinetco.com/
Friday, March 21, 2008
Union Velo's Ben Corbalis & Lees-Mcrae makes Cycling News
Lees-McRae: On the road to collegiate success
Lees-McRae can boast one of the most successful collegiate cycling programs in the US. The squad has earned two consecutive cyclo-cross national championship titles in 2006 and 2007 and it finished second to Fort Lewis College at the 2007 collegiate mountain bike national championships. An amazing almost 10% of its small student body of about 600 are members of the college's cycling team. Cyclingnews' Sue George talked to Coach Doug Owen about the Lees-McRae cycling program.
Kacey Mandefield is just one of the Lees-McRae riders with experience visiting national championship podiumsPhoto ©: Matthew Owen
The Lees-McRae team is in its seventh year, making it one of the newer collegiate programs in the country. Despite its small school population, the team has been competing as a Division I school since the 2006-2007 school year.
"We started out strong and we made the leap to Division I," said Coach Doug Owen. "We are probably the smallest school competing in Division I. However, some of the stronger schools in the country do not draw from gigantic campuses - like Fort William and Lindsey Wilson. Some of the best schools are smaller ones without football teams."
In fact, at Lees-McRae, cycling is the largest sports team and probably the only the one with four competitive seasons: track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross and road. "This year, we have 52 active riders, including 14 women," said Owen. "To be able to participate in all of the programs, we need a large number of riders. It's not like volleyball or soccer where you have just one season."
"A majority of our riders do multiple disciplines. Most have one on which they focus, but they love competing and being part of the program," said Owen who mentioned one of the team's riders - a national championship level mountain biker who will also race on the road this spring.
Not everyone on the team is concerned about racing. "We have some riders who want to come ride with us and don't want to race," said Owen. "For example, we have one woman who's not racing because she's a senior who is focusing on graduating."
The team hopes some of its riders will become interested in racing and endeavours to create a supportive environment for those willing to make the transition. "We want to create an environment where anyone can come out and try racing."
"The mindset of our program is we want you to get the most you can out of cycling, but we also want you to walk the aisle and be a college graduate."
- Lees-McRae Collegiate Cycling Team Coach Doug Owen
"This year we are really promoting an intro to racing program. This will appeal to those who like to ride with the team but aren't so sure about the racing part," said Owen. "During the first half of races in the intro program, experienced riders will pair with others, and then they'll bow out and let the newbie racers compete on their own for the rest of the race."
But in the end, it doesn't matter if the school's riders don't stick to racing. Underlying all of Owen's work is his goal of "creating cyclists for life". "I'm 50 and I still race, so I can tell them they can race the rest of their life."
When it comes to cycling, Owen doesn't ask his riders to sacrifice their studies. "The mindset of our program is we want you to get the most you can out of cycling, but we also want you to walk the aisle and be a college graduate."
Still growing
Jo Markham raced the short track Photo ©: Nick Young
The Lees-McRae program has grown thanks to not only the involvement of Owen, but also others in the administration.
"The school's president who started at the same time as me was also a cyclist and he supported me doubling the program," said Owen. "Now we are bringing in 25 riders per year."
Administrators see value in the school's largest athletic program, which is seeing regular success nationally. "Our cycling program is a recruiting asset for our school. Our program has gotten to be so well known that we draw people from all over the country."
Technically, the team is considered a club sport as it is at most colleges and universities in the US. "In reality, every school looks at cycling as a club sport, and from an insurance standpoint, we are officially considered a club," said Owen, "but in the eyes of a cycling world, we consider ourselves a varsity sport because we give scholarships and get money from the school [to support the team]."
PJ Noto races the dual slalom Photo ©: Nick Young
The team has built enough momentum and a successful record that recruiting comes more easily now. "We have riders who just hear about us," said Owen, who still does plenty of active recruiting. "I go to all the junior national events around the country. My assistant coach races pro and travels to many events. I still race actively and talk to juniors all over."
Not being part of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) makes recruiting cyclists a less complicated task. "Since we're not [in the] NCAA, we don't have restrictions on how to recruit riders. So I can talk to kids who are 12, 13, and 14 years-old. I always tell them I want them to come to school here, but if they go to college anywhere that's more important."
Lees-McRae cycling team has been around just long enough that some of its alumni are making themselves knowing in the professional cycling world. Taylor Tolleson first rode for Team Slipstream, but has transferred to Team BMC for 2008.
Perhaps the school's best known cyclist is former Tour of Virginia winner Brent Brookwalter, also racing for BMC. "He had a bad crash last March, and all his plans were put on hold for a year," said Owen. "Over the five years he was in college, he was maybe the most decorated cyclist. He won mountain bike, road, and cross national individual and team titles." Brookwalter graduated with a pre-medicine honors degree in biology.
2008 will be the first time that Tolleson and Brookwalter will be team-mates again since their collegiate days.
All about strategy
The Lees-McRae women's team wins a silver Photo ©: Doug Owen
Collegiate cycling is truly a team event, with both the men's and the women's racers scoring points in various categories that are ultimately combined for a team omnium score. Because the points of riders of both genders and all levels count, more experienced riders are encouraged to teach and nurture those with less experience in the greater interest of the team's results.
Owen is starting his fourth year as a coach and last year was the school's first graduating class. "We had seven riders graduate. This year we'll have 11 graduates, then 18 next year," said Owen. "We're just at the cusp when we're starting to put people out there."
New for the 2008 season is a rule change to encourage more strategy within collegiate races. "In the past, we scored four of four riders. This year, we will race six and score three," said Owen who helps nationally with the leadership of collegiate cycling. "We think this will help collegiate road cycling at a national level. We're carrying forward what we do in the conference level, in which the top four of however many you put in score."
Competing in the Southeast Collegiate Conference, Lees-McRae started racing on March 1. Its season builds in importance and culminates in the conference finals, which the school will host on April 19-20, and the national championship in Fort Collins, Colorado, on May 9-11.
Lees-McRae is going into this road season as its conference's powerhouse. "We're the top team in our conference. The University of Georgia and Auburn will be our challengers.
Aaron Bradford races the dual slalom Photo ©: Nick Young
"It's tough on the other teams out there because we're so deep. We'll go into the season with 14 or 15 A-level riders. We have enough variety in our riders that we can put four or five high level riders out there regardless of the course type."
Thanks to large numbers, the team benefits from a diverse collection of riders - many of whom play specific roles. "We have power riders, climbers, sprinters and we focus on the team approach. We protect our sprinters like a pro team would. In climbing races, we help those riders."
Being at the top of the conference doesn't mean Lees-McRae can slack off. Owen knows his top racers will need to be ready for nationals. "When you go to nationals, you see other teams like you. We know we'll go up against teams with same strength and depth." He considers schools like Fort Lewis and Stanford as top competition.
When the mountain biking season rolls around in the fall, the school will enjoy the advantage of competing on home turf for the second consecutive year when it again hosts the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships.
Lees-McRae Team Roster: Mike Anderson, Preston Anderson, Aaron Bradford, Ed Burress, Thomas Cockerton, Sean Condron, Rebbecca Conklin, Chris Consorto, Ben Corbalis, Nick Dale, John Doyle, Gonzalo Escobar, Dane Garvik, Katie Getchell, Robert Hancock, Jesse Hayes, Kristi Henne, Kaylie Henne, Will Hoffarth, Kevin Holldber, Ben Hulse, Chloe Jackson, Scott Jackson, Sam Keesler, Wentworth Knipe, Kristine Koch, Randy Laprairie, Kacey Mandefield, Kristin Markham, Vincent Massey, Olivia Maurey, Sean Ross McCoy, PJ Noto, Matthew Owen, Brad Perley, Chris Pickerell, Diego Rameriz, Michael Rozelle, James Schaffernoth, Austin Simmons, Stephen Solt, Ally Stacher, Carla Swart, Andrew Talansky, Michael Talley, Eric Thompson, Hannah Trimble, Jacob Vigneault, Carson Worts, Christian White.
Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for upcoming diary entries from members of the Lees-McRae Collegiate Cycling Team. In the meantime, for more information, visit www.bobcatsports.lmc.edu.
Lees-McRae can boast one of the most successful collegiate cycling programs in the US. The squad has earned two consecutive cyclo-cross national championship titles in 2006 and 2007 and it finished second to Fort Lewis College at the 2007 collegiate mountain bike national championships. An amazing almost 10% of its small student body of about 600 are members of the college's cycling team. Cyclingnews' Sue George talked to Coach Doug Owen about the Lees-McRae cycling program.
Kacey Mandefield is just one of the Lees-McRae riders with experience visiting national championship podiumsPhoto ©: Matthew Owen
The Lees-McRae team is in its seventh year, making it one of the newer collegiate programs in the country. Despite its small school population, the team has been competing as a Division I school since the 2006-2007 school year.
"We started out strong and we made the leap to Division I," said Coach Doug Owen. "We are probably the smallest school competing in Division I. However, some of the stronger schools in the country do not draw from gigantic campuses - like Fort William and Lindsey Wilson. Some of the best schools are smaller ones without football teams."
In fact, at Lees-McRae, cycling is the largest sports team and probably the only the one with four competitive seasons: track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross and road. "This year, we have 52 active riders, including 14 women," said Owen. "To be able to participate in all of the programs, we need a large number of riders. It's not like volleyball or soccer where you have just one season."
"A majority of our riders do multiple disciplines. Most have one on which they focus, but they love competing and being part of the program," said Owen who mentioned one of the team's riders - a national championship level mountain biker who will also race on the road this spring.
Not everyone on the team is concerned about racing. "We have some riders who want to come ride with us and don't want to race," said Owen. "For example, we have one woman who's not racing because she's a senior who is focusing on graduating."
The team hopes some of its riders will become interested in racing and endeavours to create a supportive environment for those willing to make the transition. "We want to create an environment where anyone can come out and try racing."
"The mindset of our program is we want you to get the most you can out of cycling, but we also want you to walk the aisle and be a college graduate."
- Lees-McRae Collegiate Cycling Team Coach Doug Owen
"This year we are really promoting an intro to racing program. This will appeal to those who like to ride with the team but aren't so sure about the racing part," said Owen. "During the first half of races in the intro program, experienced riders will pair with others, and then they'll bow out and let the newbie racers compete on their own for the rest of the race."
But in the end, it doesn't matter if the school's riders don't stick to racing. Underlying all of Owen's work is his goal of "creating cyclists for life". "I'm 50 and I still race, so I can tell them they can race the rest of their life."
When it comes to cycling, Owen doesn't ask his riders to sacrifice their studies. "The mindset of our program is we want you to get the most you can out of cycling, but we also want you to walk the aisle and be a college graduate."
Still growing
Jo Markham raced the short track Photo ©: Nick Young
The Lees-McRae program has grown thanks to not only the involvement of Owen, but also others in the administration.
"The school's president who started at the same time as me was also a cyclist and he supported me doubling the program," said Owen. "Now we are bringing in 25 riders per year."
Administrators see value in the school's largest athletic program, which is seeing regular success nationally. "Our cycling program is a recruiting asset for our school. Our program has gotten to be so well known that we draw people from all over the country."
Technically, the team is considered a club sport as it is at most colleges and universities in the US. "In reality, every school looks at cycling as a club sport, and from an insurance standpoint, we are officially considered a club," said Owen, "but in the eyes of a cycling world, we consider ourselves a varsity sport because we give scholarships and get money from the school [to support the team]."
PJ Noto races the dual slalom Photo ©: Nick Young
The team has built enough momentum and a successful record that recruiting comes more easily now. "We have riders who just hear about us," said Owen, who still does plenty of active recruiting. "I go to all the junior national events around the country. My assistant coach races pro and travels to many events. I still race actively and talk to juniors all over."
Not being part of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) makes recruiting cyclists a less complicated task. "Since we're not [in the] NCAA, we don't have restrictions on how to recruit riders. So I can talk to kids who are 12, 13, and 14 years-old. I always tell them I want them to come to school here, but if they go to college anywhere that's more important."
Lees-McRae cycling team has been around just long enough that some of its alumni are making themselves knowing in the professional cycling world. Taylor Tolleson first rode for Team Slipstream, but has transferred to Team BMC for 2008.
Perhaps the school's best known cyclist is former Tour of Virginia winner Brent Brookwalter, also racing for BMC. "He had a bad crash last March, and all his plans were put on hold for a year," said Owen. "Over the five years he was in college, he was maybe the most decorated cyclist. He won mountain bike, road, and cross national individual and team titles." Brookwalter graduated with a pre-medicine honors degree in biology.
2008 will be the first time that Tolleson and Brookwalter will be team-mates again since their collegiate days.
All about strategy
The Lees-McRae women's team wins a silver Photo ©: Doug Owen
Collegiate cycling is truly a team event, with both the men's and the women's racers scoring points in various categories that are ultimately combined for a team omnium score. Because the points of riders of both genders and all levels count, more experienced riders are encouraged to teach and nurture those with less experience in the greater interest of the team's results.
Owen is starting his fourth year as a coach and last year was the school's first graduating class. "We had seven riders graduate. This year we'll have 11 graduates, then 18 next year," said Owen. "We're just at the cusp when we're starting to put people out there."
New for the 2008 season is a rule change to encourage more strategy within collegiate races. "In the past, we scored four of four riders. This year, we will race six and score three," said Owen who helps nationally with the leadership of collegiate cycling. "We think this will help collegiate road cycling at a national level. We're carrying forward what we do in the conference level, in which the top four of however many you put in score."
Competing in the Southeast Collegiate Conference, Lees-McRae started racing on March 1. Its season builds in importance and culminates in the conference finals, which the school will host on April 19-20, and the national championship in Fort Collins, Colorado, on May 9-11.
Lees-McRae is going into this road season as its conference's powerhouse. "We're the top team in our conference. The University of Georgia and Auburn will be our challengers.
Aaron Bradford races the dual slalom Photo ©: Nick Young
"It's tough on the other teams out there because we're so deep. We'll go into the season with 14 or 15 A-level riders. We have enough variety in our riders that we can put four or five high level riders out there regardless of the course type."
Thanks to large numbers, the team benefits from a diverse collection of riders - many of whom play specific roles. "We have power riders, climbers, sprinters and we focus on the team approach. We protect our sprinters like a pro team would. In climbing races, we help those riders."
Being at the top of the conference doesn't mean Lees-McRae can slack off. Owen knows his top racers will need to be ready for nationals. "When you go to nationals, you see other teams like you. We know we'll go up against teams with same strength and depth." He considers schools like Fort Lewis and Stanford as top competition.
When the mountain biking season rolls around in the fall, the school will enjoy the advantage of competing on home turf for the second consecutive year when it again hosts the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships.
Lees-McRae Team Roster: Mike Anderson, Preston Anderson, Aaron Bradford, Ed Burress, Thomas Cockerton, Sean Condron, Rebbecca Conklin, Chris Consorto, Ben Corbalis, Nick Dale, John Doyle, Gonzalo Escobar, Dane Garvik, Katie Getchell, Robert Hancock, Jesse Hayes, Kristi Henne, Kaylie Henne, Will Hoffarth, Kevin Holldber, Ben Hulse, Chloe Jackson, Scott Jackson, Sam Keesler, Wentworth Knipe, Kristine Koch, Randy Laprairie, Kacey Mandefield, Kristin Markham, Vincent Massey, Olivia Maurey, Sean Ross McCoy, PJ Noto, Matthew Owen, Brad Perley, Chris Pickerell, Diego Rameriz, Michael Rozelle, James Schaffernoth, Austin Simmons, Stephen Solt, Ally Stacher, Carla Swart, Andrew Talansky, Michael Talley, Eric Thompson, Hannah Trimble, Jacob Vigneault, Carson Worts, Christian White.
Stay tuned to Cyclingnews for upcoming diary entries from members of the Lees-McRae Collegiate Cycling Team. In the meantime, for more information, visit www.bobcatsports.lmc.edu.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Races in Southern New England
Upcoming Events
March
Ronde de Bethel
Bethel, CT
3/2/2008
Criterium
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/8/2008
Criterium
Ris van Bethel
Bethel, CT
3/9/2008
Criterium
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
3/15/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/15/2008
Criterium
Tour de Kirche
Bethel, CT
3/16/2008
Criterium
Wells Ave Training Crit Series Sundays 3/16 - 9/21
Newton, MA
3/16/2008
Training Race
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
3/22/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/22/2008
Criterium
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
3/29/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/29/2008
Criterium
Bethel CDP Gold Race
Bethel, CT
3/30/2008
Criterium
Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race
Marblehead, MA
3/30/2008
Road
April
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
4/5/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
4/5/2008
Criterium
Criterium de Bethel
Bethel, CT
4/6/2008
Criterium
NHIS Thursday Night Training Series 4/10 - 9/25
Loudon, NH
4/10/2008
Training Race
6th Annual Chris Hinds Memorial Criterium
Charlestown, RI
4/12/2008
Criterium
Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic RR & TTT-ECCC
Grafton , MA
4/12/2008
Road
Frontier Criterium
Loudon, NH
4/12/2008
Criterium
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
4/12/2008
Criterium
Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic - Criterium
Somerville, MA
4/13/2008
Criterium
Circuit de Francis J Clarke
Bethel, CT
4/13/2008
Criterium
Turtle Pond Circuit Race
Loudon, NH
4/13/2008
Road
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
4/19/2008
Criterium
Rick Newhouse Memorial Criterium
Charlestown, RI
4/19/2008
Criterium
UVM/Dartmouth L´Enfer du Nord - ECCC
Burlington, VT
4/19/2008
Road
Myles Standish State Park Road Race
Plymouth, MA
4/20/2008
Road
UVM/Dartmouth L´Enfer du Nord - ECCC
Burlington, VT
4/20/2008
Criterium
ECCC Championships- RR;TTT;Crit
tbd, NH
4/26/2008
Road
Sturbridge Road Race
Fiskdale, MA
4/26/2008
Road
ECCC Championships- Road;TTT;Crit
tbd, NH
4/27/2008
Road
Palmer Library Road Race
Warren, MA
4/27/2008
Road
May
Jiminy Peak Road Race
Hancock, MA
5/3/2008
Road
Mass-Bike MS Ride to the Vineyard 2008
Martha´s Vineyard, MA
5/3/2008
Charity Ride
Blue Hills Circuit Race
Milton, MA
5/4/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
5/6/2008
Training Race
Mystic Velo Criterium
Charlestowm, RI
5/10/2008
Criterium
Sterling Road Race
Sterling, MA
5/10/2008
Road
Lake Sunapee Road Race
Newbury, NH
5/17/2008
Road
North Stonington Road Race
North Stonington , CT
5/18/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
5/20/2008
Training Race
Cyclonauts Racers Criterium
Stafford Springs, CT
5/24/2008
Criterium
Hartford Downtown Criterium
Hartford, CT
5/25/2008
Criterium
Lake Auburn Road Race
Auburn, ME
5/31/2008
Road
June
Lake Auburn Circuit Race
Auburn, ME
6/1/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
6/3/2008
Training Race
Waterville Valley Time Trial
Campton, NH
6/7/2008
Time Trial
CT Coast Criterium
Bethel, CT
6/8/2008
Criterium
Cyclonaut Racers Road Race
Monson, MA
6/14/2008
Road
Housatonic Hills Road Race
Southbury, CT
6/15/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
6/17/2008
Training Race
Nutmeg Games Criterium
New Britain, CT
6/21/2008
Criterium
Whaling City Criterium
New London, CT
6/22/2008
Criterium
Cox Charities Classic Criterium
Providence, RI
6/28/2008
Criterium
Mass- Bike MS Cape Cod Getaway Ride 2008
Boston Harbor Quincy to P´town, MA
6/28/2008
Charity Ride
Keith Berger Criterium
E. Hartford, CT
6/29/2008
Criterium
Thompson Speedway Criterium
Thompson, CT
6/30/2008
Criterium
July
Exeter Criterium
Exeter, NH
7/1/2008
Criterium
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction , VT
7/1/2008
Training Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/3/2008
Stage Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/4/2008
Stage Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/5/2008
Stage Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/6/2008
Stage Race
Attleboro Criterium & Kids Grass Crit
Attleboro, MA
7/12/2008
Criterium
New Britain Criterium
New Britain, CT
7/13/2008
Criterium
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
7/15/2008
Training Race
Workingman´s Stage Race 7/15 - 7/17
Amesbury, MA
7/15/2008
Stage Race
Workingman´s Stage Race
Amesbury, MA
7/16/2008
Stage Race
Workingman´s Stage Race
Amesbury, MA
7/17/2008
Stage Race
Claremont Downtown Criterium
Claremont, NH
7/19/2008
Criterium
Donovan Ruhlman Naugatuck Criterium
Naugatuck, CT
7/20/2008
Criterium
Yarmouth Clam Festival
Yarmouth, ME
7/20/2008
Road
George St. Bike Challenge for Major Taylor
Worcester, MA
7/27/2008
Non USCF
Norwell Circuit Race
Norwell, MA
7/27/2008
Road
August
Concord Criterium
Concord, NH
8/2/2008
Criterium
Central NH Road Race
Bow, NH
8/3/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
8/5/2008
Training Race
Mass Bike-MS Manchester Bike Ride 2008
Manchester, NH
8/9/2008
Charity Ride
Tour of the Hilltowns
Windsor, MA
8/9/2008
Road
Tokeneke Classic Road Race
E.Hartland, CT
8/10/2008
Road
Witches Cup Criterium
Salem, MA
8/13/2008
Criterium
Blount Seafood Fall River Criterium
Fall River, MA
8/17/2008
Criterium
Mass Bike-MS Destination Bordeaux
Bordeaux, FR
8/23/2008
Charity Ride
Saco Bay Criterium
Saco, ME
8/23/2008
Criterium
Robinson State Park Cyclocross
Agawam, MA
8/24/2008
Cross
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley , VT
8/29/2008
Stage Race
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley , VT
8/30/2008
Stage Race
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley, VT
8/31/2008
Stage Race
September
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley, VT
9/1/2008
Stage Race
Wrentham Development Center Cross Training Series
Wrentham, MA
9/3/2008
Training Race
Topsfield Circuit Race
Topsfield, MA
9/6/2008
Road
Wayne Elliot Memorial Criterium
Haverhill, MA
9/7/2008
Criterium
Bob Beal Masters Weekend
Charlestown, RI
9/13/2008
Stage Race
Adult Learning Center 2nd Annual Ride to Read
Nashua, NH
9/14/2008
Charity Ride
Amesbury Cyclocross
Amesbury, MA
9/14/2008
Cross
Bob Beal Masters Weekend
Charlestown, RI
9/14/2008
Stage Race
York Beach Criterium
York Beach, ME
9/19/2008
Criterium
Mohegan Sun Cycling Weekend - 3 Village Tour RR
Sprague, CT
9/20/2008
Road
Molly Stark Cross Challenge
New Boston, NH
9/20/2008
Cross
Mohegan Sun Cycling Weekend- Rose Pedal Criterium
Norwich , CT
9/21/2008
Criterium
Portsmouth Criterium
Portsmouth, NH
9/21/2008
Criterium
Sucker Brook Cross
Auburn, NH
9/21/2008
Cross
Catamount Cyclocross - UCI
Williston, VT
9/27/2008
Cross
Mass Bike-MS Bike & Hike the Berkshires 2008
The Berkshires, MA
9/27/2008
Charity Ride
Schoolhouse Cyclocross - UCI
Montpelier, VT
9/27/2008
Cross
October
Downeast Cyclocross
New Gloucester, ME
10/4/2008
Cross
Gloucester GP of Cyclocross - UCI
Gloucester, MA
10/11/2008
Cross
Gloucester GP of Cyclocross - UCI
Gloucester, MA
10/12/2008
Cross
Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross
Mansfield, CT
10/18/2008
Cross
Canton Cup Cyclocross
Canton, MA
10/19/2008
Cross
Wicked Cross
Bennington, VT
10/26/2008
Cross
November
Cyclesmart 1 Cyclocross - UCI
Northampton, MA
11/1/2008
Cross
Cyclesmart 2 Cyclocross - UCi
Northampton, MA
11/2/2008
Cross
Plymouth Cyclocross
Plymouth, MA
11/8/2008
Stage Race
VT Psycho Cross
Brownsville, VT
11/8/2008
Cross
Southington Cyclocross
Southington, CT
11/9/2008
Cross
Shedd Park Cyclocross
Lowell, MA
11/16/2008
Cross
Easthampton Cyclocross
Easthampton, MA
11/23/2008
Cross
Baystate Cyclocross - UCI
Sterling, MA
11/29/2008
Cross
Palmer Cross & Bike Swap
Palmer, MA
11/30/2008
Cross
December
NBX 1 Cyclocross - UCI
Warwick, RI
12/6/2008
Cross
NBX 2 Cyclocross - UCI
Warwick, RI
12/7/2008
Cross
MRC Cyclocross
Wrentham, MA
12/13/2008
Cross
March
Ronde de Bethel
Bethel, CT
3/2/2008
Criterium
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/8/2008
Criterium
Ris van Bethel
Bethel, CT
3/9/2008
Criterium
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
3/15/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/15/2008
Criterium
Tour de Kirche
Bethel, CT
3/16/2008
Criterium
Wells Ave Training Crit Series Sundays 3/16 - 9/21
Newton, MA
3/16/2008
Training Race
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
3/22/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/22/2008
Criterium
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
3/29/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
3/29/2008
Criterium
Bethel CDP Gold Race
Bethel, CT
3/30/2008
Criterium
Michael Schott Memorial Circuit Race
Marblehead, MA
3/30/2008
Road
April
Charge Pond Training Series
Plymouth, MA
4/5/2008
Training Race
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
4/5/2008
Criterium
Criterium de Bethel
Bethel, CT
4/6/2008
Criterium
NHIS Thursday Night Training Series 4/10 - 9/25
Loudon, NH
4/10/2008
Training Race
6th Annual Chris Hinds Memorial Criterium
Charlestown, RI
4/12/2008
Criterium
Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic RR & TTT-ECCC
Grafton , MA
4/12/2008
Road
Frontier Criterium
Loudon, NH
4/12/2008
Criterium
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
4/12/2008
Criterium
Boston Beanpot Cycling Classic - Criterium
Somerville, MA
4/13/2008
Criterium
Circuit de Francis J Clarke
Bethel, CT
4/13/2008
Criterium
Turtle Pond Circuit Race
Loudon, NH
4/13/2008
Road
Plainville Spring Series
Plainville, CT
4/19/2008
Criterium
Rick Newhouse Memorial Criterium
Charlestown, RI
4/19/2008
Criterium
UVM/Dartmouth L´Enfer du Nord - ECCC
Burlington, VT
4/19/2008
Road
Myles Standish State Park Road Race
Plymouth, MA
4/20/2008
Road
UVM/Dartmouth L´Enfer du Nord - ECCC
Burlington, VT
4/20/2008
Criterium
ECCC Championships- RR;TTT;Crit
tbd, NH
4/26/2008
Road
Sturbridge Road Race
Fiskdale, MA
4/26/2008
Road
ECCC Championships- Road;TTT;Crit
tbd, NH
4/27/2008
Road
Palmer Library Road Race
Warren, MA
4/27/2008
Road
May
Jiminy Peak Road Race
Hancock, MA
5/3/2008
Road
Mass-Bike MS Ride to the Vineyard 2008
Martha´s Vineyard, MA
5/3/2008
Charity Ride
Blue Hills Circuit Race
Milton, MA
5/4/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
5/6/2008
Training Race
Mystic Velo Criterium
Charlestowm, RI
5/10/2008
Criterium
Sterling Road Race
Sterling, MA
5/10/2008
Road
Lake Sunapee Road Race
Newbury, NH
5/17/2008
Road
North Stonington Road Race
North Stonington , CT
5/18/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
5/20/2008
Training Race
Cyclonauts Racers Criterium
Stafford Springs, CT
5/24/2008
Criterium
Hartford Downtown Criterium
Hartford, CT
5/25/2008
Criterium
Lake Auburn Road Race
Auburn, ME
5/31/2008
Road
June
Lake Auburn Circuit Race
Auburn, ME
6/1/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
6/3/2008
Training Race
Waterville Valley Time Trial
Campton, NH
6/7/2008
Time Trial
CT Coast Criterium
Bethel, CT
6/8/2008
Criterium
Cyclonaut Racers Road Race
Monson, MA
6/14/2008
Road
Housatonic Hills Road Race
Southbury, CT
6/15/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
6/17/2008
Training Race
Nutmeg Games Criterium
New Britain, CT
6/21/2008
Criterium
Whaling City Criterium
New London, CT
6/22/2008
Criterium
Cox Charities Classic Criterium
Providence, RI
6/28/2008
Criterium
Mass- Bike MS Cape Cod Getaway Ride 2008
Boston Harbor Quincy to P´town, MA
6/28/2008
Charity Ride
Keith Berger Criterium
E. Hartford, CT
6/29/2008
Criterium
Thompson Speedway Criterium
Thompson, CT
6/30/2008
Criterium
July
Exeter Criterium
Exeter, NH
7/1/2008
Criterium
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction , VT
7/1/2008
Training Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/3/2008
Stage Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/4/2008
Stage Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/5/2008
Stage Race
Fitchburg Longsjo Classic
Fitchburg, MA
7/6/2008
Stage Race
Attleboro Criterium & Kids Grass Crit
Attleboro, MA
7/12/2008
Criterium
New Britain Criterium
New Britain, CT
7/13/2008
Criterium
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
7/15/2008
Training Race
Workingman´s Stage Race 7/15 - 7/17
Amesbury, MA
7/15/2008
Stage Race
Workingman´s Stage Race
Amesbury, MA
7/16/2008
Stage Race
Workingman´s Stage Race
Amesbury, MA
7/17/2008
Stage Race
Claremont Downtown Criterium
Claremont, NH
7/19/2008
Criterium
Donovan Ruhlman Naugatuck Criterium
Naugatuck, CT
7/20/2008
Criterium
Yarmouth Clam Festival
Yarmouth, ME
7/20/2008
Road
George St. Bike Challenge for Major Taylor
Worcester, MA
7/27/2008
Non USCF
Norwell Circuit Race
Norwell, MA
7/27/2008
Road
August
Concord Criterium
Concord, NH
8/2/2008
Criterium
Central NH Road Race
Bow, NH
8/3/2008
Road
Sports & Fitness Edge/GMBC Practice Criterium
Essex Junction, VT
8/5/2008
Training Race
Mass Bike-MS Manchester Bike Ride 2008
Manchester, NH
8/9/2008
Charity Ride
Tour of the Hilltowns
Windsor, MA
8/9/2008
Road
Tokeneke Classic Road Race
E.Hartland, CT
8/10/2008
Road
Witches Cup Criterium
Salem, MA
8/13/2008
Criterium
Blount Seafood Fall River Criterium
Fall River, MA
8/17/2008
Criterium
Mass Bike-MS Destination Bordeaux
Bordeaux, FR
8/23/2008
Charity Ride
Saco Bay Criterium
Saco, ME
8/23/2008
Criterium
Robinson State Park Cyclocross
Agawam, MA
8/24/2008
Cross
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley , VT
8/29/2008
Stage Race
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley , VT
8/30/2008
Stage Race
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley, VT
8/31/2008
Stage Race
September
Green Mountain Stage Race
Mad River Valley, VT
9/1/2008
Stage Race
Wrentham Development Center Cross Training Series
Wrentham, MA
9/3/2008
Training Race
Topsfield Circuit Race
Topsfield, MA
9/6/2008
Road
Wayne Elliot Memorial Criterium
Haverhill, MA
9/7/2008
Criterium
Bob Beal Masters Weekend
Charlestown, RI
9/13/2008
Stage Race
Adult Learning Center 2nd Annual Ride to Read
Nashua, NH
9/14/2008
Charity Ride
Amesbury Cyclocross
Amesbury, MA
9/14/2008
Cross
Bob Beal Masters Weekend
Charlestown, RI
9/14/2008
Stage Race
York Beach Criterium
York Beach, ME
9/19/2008
Criterium
Mohegan Sun Cycling Weekend - 3 Village Tour RR
Sprague, CT
9/20/2008
Road
Molly Stark Cross Challenge
New Boston, NH
9/20/2008
Cross
Mohegan Sun Cycling Weekend- Rose Pedal Criterium
Norwich , CT
9/21/2008
Criterium
Portsmouth Criterium
Portsmouth, NH
9/21/2008
Criterium
Sucker Brook Cross
Auburn, NH
9/21/2008
Cross
Catamount Cyclocross - UCI
Williston, VT
9/27/2008
Cross
Mass Bike-MS Bike & Hike the Berkshires 2008
The Berkshires, MA
9/27/2008
Charity Ride
Schoolhouse Cyclocross - UCI
Montpelier, VT
9/27/2008
Cross
October
Downeast Cyclocross
New Gloucester, ME
10/4/2008
Cross
Gloucester GP of Cyclocross - UCI
Gloucester, MA
10/11/2008
Cross
Gloucester GP of Cyclocross - UCI
Gloucester, MA
10/12/2008
Cross
Mansfield Hollow Cyclocross
Mansfield, CT
10/18/2008
Cross
Canton Cup Cyclocross
Canton, MA
10/19/2008
Cross
Wicked Cross
Bennington, VT
10/26/2008
Cross
November
Cyclesmart 1 Cyclocross - UCI
Northampton, MA
11/1/2008
Cross
Cyclesmart 2 Cyclocross - UCi
Northampton, MA
11/2/2008
Cross
Plymouth Cyclocross
Plymouth, MA
11/8/2008
Stage Race
VT Psycho Cross
Brownsville, VT
11/8/2008
Cross
Southington Cyclocross
Southington, CT
11/9/2008
Cross
Shedd Park Cyclocross
Lowell, MA
11/16/2008
Cross
Easthampton Cyclocross
Easthampton, MA
11/23/2008
Cross
Baystate Cyclocross - UCI
Sterling, MA
11/29/2008
Cross
Palmer Cross & Bike Swap
Palmer, MA
11/30/2008
Cross
December
NBX 1 Cyclocross - UCI
Warwick, RI
12/6/2008
Cross
NBX 2 Cyclocross - UCI
Warwick, RI
12/7/2008
Cross
MRC Cyclocross
Wrentham, MA
12/13/2008
Cross
The U.S. Open is on — for May in Providence
The U.S. Open is on — for May in Providence
By Steve Frothingham
Posted Mar. 4, 2008
Last year's race was held in epic conditions
Photo: Casey B. Gibson
Last April's inaugural U.S. Open road race was held in epic snowy conditions — and with nearly unprecedented network television coverage — in Virginia.
This year's event is likely to be quite different. The 112-mile professional event has been moved to Providence, Rhode Island, on May 31. And while promoters are still negotiating a title sponsor and TV deal, they say the date and location change will soon make it a fixture on the domestic calendar.
The race will start in downtown Providence, loop out around the Scituate Reservoir to the west, then return to the city for about ten laps of a 4- or 5-mile circuit, promoter Dick Durishin told VeloNews on Tuesday.
"The race has a new permanent home in Providence," said Durishin, who lives in the city. John Eustice will once again be the race director.
Until Tuesday, the event was still on the UCI calendar, and the USA Cycling Pro Tour calendar, for April 13th in Richmond. Because of the late change in date and location, the race is no longer on either calendar.
But Durishin notes that the Providence event could serve as a kick-off for the so-called "Philly Week" of pro races, which comprises the CSC Invitational criterium in Arlington, Virginia, on June 1, and Pennsylvania's Allenstown Classic, June 3rd; Reading Classic, June 5th; and the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia, June 8th.
"Our race will be over in plenty of time for the riders to get down to Arlington," he said.
Advertisement
The race's name has been changed from the U.S. Open Cycling Championships to the U.S. Open of Cycling. It will include a men's and women's professional race and timed amateur charity rides on the same course.
By Steve Frothingham
Posted Mar. 4, 2008
Last year's race was held in epic conditions
Photo: Casey B. Gibson
Last April's inaugural U.S. Open road race was held in epic snowy conditions — and with nearly unprecedented network television coverage — in Virginia.
This year's event is likely to be quite different. The 112-mile professional event has been moved to Providence, Rhode Island, on May 31. And while promoters are still negotiating a title sponsor and TV deal, they say the date and location change will soon make it a fixture on the domestic calendar.
The race will start in downtown Providence, loop out around the Scituate Reservoir to the west, then return to the city for about ten laps of a 4- or 5-mile circuit, promoter Dick Durishin told VeloNews on Tuesday.
"The race has a new permanent home in Providence," said Durishin, who lives in the city. John Eustice will once again be the race director.
Until Tuesday, the event was still on the UCI calendar, and the USA Cycling Pro Tour calendar, for April 13th in Richmond. Because of the late change in date and location, the race is no longer on either calendar.
But Durishin notes that the Providence event could serve as a kick-off for the so-called "Philly Week" of pro races, which comprises the CSC Invitational criterium in Arlington, Virginia, on June 1, and Pennsylvania's Allenstown Classic, June 3rd; Reading Classic, June 5th; and the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia, June 8th.
"Our race will be over in plenty of time for the riders to get down to Arlington," he said.
Advertisement
The race's name has been changed from the U.S. Open Cycling Championships to the U.S. Open of Cycling. It will include a men's and women's professional race and timed amateur charity rides on the same course.
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