News: SCNCA Road Race Championships Crowns New Champs 5/13/08 - Congrats to all of the new Champions and finishers! It sounds like the races went off perfecto and the course was a challenging, yet fun one with a little bit of everything. If you have a story to tell, talk about it in our forum. Elite Results >, Masters Results >
Rock Racing’s Sevilla Second While Botero Bows Out 5/13/08 -While Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla narrowly missed out on a victory on Stage 2 Monday at the Vuelta a Colombia, his teammate, Santiago Botero, retired from the race, citing fatigue and a desire to do well at the Olympics. Botero had claimed victory in Saturday’s prologue time trial, leading Rock Racing to a 1-2-3-4 sweep. But the race’s defending champion is looking ahead to an even bigger goal – success in the Olympic Games in Beijing later this year. “Santiago has been training super hard since November of last year to win the Tour of California – a race he unfortunately was not even allowed to start,” Rock Racing Team Director Mariano Friedrick said. “Fortunately, he had enough fuel in his tank to win Redlands and do a very good job at the Tour de Georgia. Ultimately, he knew he didn't have the form to win this Vuelta and mentally he needs a rest.” While Botero withdrew at the 37-mile mark (60 km), Monday’s stage was well-suited to an on-form Sevilla, who finished third in the prologue. With temperatures soaring over the century mark and high humidity, the peloton was reduced to fewer than 40 riders by the time the final 25-mile (40 km) climb began. Rock Racing was well-represented with both Sevilla and Victor Hugo Peña – who finished second in the prologue. “Oscar looked relaxed and composed at all times, and under no circumstances was he in trouble,” Friedrick said. Sevilla bided his time on the final ascent, covering several attacks in the closing kilometers before making a go of it on his won with 300 meters left, only to be passed by Jhon Freddy García (UNE) just before the finish line. The result did not significantly change the overall standings, though, and Sevilla remains in sixth place, 42 seconds behind overall leader Carlos Ospina (GW-Shimano-EPM). Tuesday’s Stage 3 departs from Piedecuesta and finishes 103 miles later (136.4 km) after passing over three categorized climbs, including a Category 1 ascent.
Rock Racing Goes 1-2-3-4 In Vuelta a Colombia Opener 5/12/08 - Rock Racing sent shockwaves through the field at the 58th Vuelta a Colombia by sweeping the top four places in Saturday’s prologue. Rock Racing’s Santiago Botero won the 5.2-mile (8.4 km) individual time trial in nine minutes and 53 seconds, leading teammates Victor Hugo Peña (seven seconds behind), Oscar Sevilla and Tyler Hamilton (both 14 seconds back). On a day with 105-degree heat and 75 percent humidity, Botero averaged 31.3 miles an hour over a crowd-packed course that ran through the city Barrancabermeja, a port and oil-refining center on the Magdalena River in northeastern Columbia. Botero, the race’s defending champion, also won the prologue last year. Fifteen teams – including 12 from Colombia – are participating in the 14-stage race that covers 1,237 miles (1991 km) over 15 days. Widely considered to be one of the most challenging stage races in the world because of its high-altitude race finishes, past Vuelta a Colombia champions include Tour de France stage winners Fabio Parra (1981, 1992), Luis Herrera (1984-86, 1988) and Oliverio Rincón (1989). In addition to Botero, Peña, Sevilla and Hamilton, Rock Racing’s seven-rider squad includes Americans Jeremiah Wiscovitch, Adam Switters and Sergio Hernandez.
Bike Week Pasadena Kicks off this Week May 12 - 17 5/12/08 - TEAM C.I.C.L.E. invites you to join them for the following rides to celebrate Bike Week Pasadena. More info >
Events include:
May 12th - 4:30pm-6:30pm - Bicycle Pit Stops
May 13th - 5:30pm-9:00pm - Ladies Night @ One Colorado
May 14th - 6:00pm-9:30pm - Tour de Pasadena
May 15th - 7:00pm-9:00pm - Traffic Basics Workshop (Part 1)
May 16th - 7:00pm-9:30pm - The ‘Heaven on Wheels’ Ride
May 17th - 10:00am-5:00pm - Urban Bicycle Commuter Expo, Screening of ‘The Triplets of Belleville’
14th Annual California Bike Commute Week, May 12-16 5/12/08 - California is celebrating Bike to Work Week this week. With the high cost of gas, this is a great time to participate and celebrate. You can find more info on the festivities in your area here.
Rock Racing Driver Qualifies for Indy 500, Podium Sweep in Colombia 5/11/08 - IndyCar driver Tomas Scheckter, supported by Rock Racing, locked in the 11th position on Pole Day, capturing the final qualifying spot for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Scheckter, sporting a helmet and driving gear bearing the Rock Racing insignia, was only one of the Rock Racing winners to cross the finish line in a top position today. At the 58th Vuelta a Colombia, the Rock Racing Pro Cycling team had a clean sweep of the podium, with Santiago Botero, Victor Hugo Peña and Oscar Sevilla capturing first, second and third, respectively, in Saturday's prologue. Teammate Tyler Hamilton finished fourth.
Slipstream/Chipotle H3O Wins Giro TTT, Vande Velde in Pink 5/10/08 - I can't believe that it has been twenty years since Andy Hampsten won the 1988 Giro d’Italia. I remember Andy riding into the Pink jersey after his great ride up the snowy Gavia Pass and his picture on the cover of Winning Magazine just like it was yesterday. Now we have a new group of Americans to cheer for with Slipstream, Astana and CSC taking part in this years Giro. Slipstream recently showed their Team Time Trial skills by winning the TTT at the Tour de Georgia and just proved they could kick it up a notch against the best ProTour teams in the world. Their ride was fast enough to win by 6 seconds and put a very happy Christian Vande Velde in Pink. For more coverage, check out Slipstream's blog and photos and you can catch the Giro on the telly at Versus.
Toyota-United Donates $5,000 to Fausto Esparza Who Was Paralyzed 5/9/08 - The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team announced today that its riders and staff donated $5,000 cash to Fausto Munoz Esparza, the rider who was paralyzed in a horrific high-speed crash in last Sunday’s final stage of the Tour of Gila in Silver City, NM. The cash consists of the riders’ prize money they earned over last weeks 5 day Tour of Gila and staff donations. In addition, Toyota-United will auction off a team jersey signed by all 14 riders on eBay beginning Monday in order to provide the general public with an opportunity to show their support for Fausto and his family. Esparza 33, a former Mexican Nation Champion and father of three children, is in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit of El Paso’s Thomason Hospital in Texas with a broken back which has left him paralyzed from the waist down. “He is very depressed and not sure what to make of this terrible situation. His wife, three children and parents have all come to El Paso to be by his side for the next three weeks until he gets out of the hospital” said Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia a Toyota-United rider and personal friend of Esparza. Supporters may visit the Toyota-United website beginning Monday May 12th to link to an auction of a team jersey signed by all 14 members of the team to raise additional funds.
In addition, people may make a private donation to:
Wells Fargo Bank
1201 N. Pope Street
Silver City, NM 88061
Attn: Fausto Munoz Esparza Donation Fund
Letters can be sent to:
Patient: Fausto Esparza, ICU/12
C/O Thomason Hospital
4815 Alameda Avenue
El Paso, TX 79905
USA Cycling Announces Plans for New National Headquarters 5/7/08 - USA Cycling announced today that the national headquarters for competitive cycling in the United States will remain in Colorado Springs. Thanks to the generous support of Nor’wood Development group and the El Pomar Foundation combined with the collective efforts of the City of Colorado Springs and several local organizations including the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation and the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, USA Cycling has secured new office space on the city’s north side. The new headquarters for USA Cycling will occupy a 26,000-square-foot building on nearly two acres of land near I-25 on the northwest side of Colorado Springs. Plans include a conference center, education and training facilities, and office facilities for more than 60 employees. The building and the land on which it sits were donated to USA Cycling by Nor’wood, while additional support from the El Pomar Foundation and the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation played a major role in keeping USA Cycling’s headquarters in Colorado Springs.
Amber Neben's Fleche Wallone World Cup Journal 5/6/08 - The Fleche World Cup is one of my favorite races. It is up and down all day on small roads, and it finishes on the famous Muur de Huy. Since the men are racing at the same time, there are numerous fans along the wall which adds to the fun (or pain.) To be honest, I cannot say for sure how many are there, but I know they are, because I hear them.
The first half of the race was relatively uneventful. The speed was pretty high, and there were never any breaks established. The second part of the race included the 7 marked climbs, but only the last 3 or 4 were long enough or late enough to generate any dangerous racing. Once that did start to happen, Cervelo, High Road, and Nurnberger did a good job of controlling things, or keeping their lead riders in a position to win. My day was solid. I stayed safe and somewhat protected in the first part of the peloton. I was mentally zoned in so that even though there was chaos all around me, I was relaxed and not bothered by it. more >
Bakersfield Road Race Champs Ready to Roll 5/5/08 - The Golden Empire Classic/SCNCA Road Race Championships will be held in Bakersfield, CA May 10th. and 11th. Two full day of championship racing for masters, elites and women are scheduled and the racing should be great. With the unfortunate loss of last years 10 mile closed course venue (with possible return in 2009) tech director Sam Ames has outlined and set up a 31 mile course popular with the locals. The Round Mountain loop offers a good mix of flats, rollers, 1 steady climb, a fun descent and a nice wide open slighty uphill sprint to the finish. Racers are encouraged to come prepared with plenty of fluids and fuel. The start / finish is located with the feed zone making for a very good staging area and support area. So Cal racers are encouraged to pre-reg at socalreg.com OR mail in registration to the Kern Wheelmen Bicycle Club. See you there! Online Reg closes Thursday at 7 pm, but you can register on Friday night at Action Sports per the race flyer. race info >
Check out the YouTube Video (created by Ben Weaver) of the course. It is just like pre riding or driving the course. Very cool!
Miscellaneous Ramblings 5/4/08 - The last two years I made the trek to San Diego to watch our SoCalCycling.com Elite Team race the Barrio Logan Crit. This year I decided to send them positive vibes and did the Montrose Ride instead. One of my favorite sections of the ride in Azusa has been closed the last year and a half due to the development of Rosedale Master Planned Community. Thankfully, this section reopened a few weeks ago, so the ride can go through there again. They added a Euro style roundabout on each end of Rosedale for us to navigate, but everyone already has it dialed and it went really smooth ... I remember the Barrio Logan Crit being fast and furious (maybe because it was the Criterium Championships?), but an inside source in the Pro 1/2 race told me that it was the slowest Barrio Logan Crit he has done, with a few parade laps. I am thinking it was a warm up for the Mark Reynolds San Luis Rey RR and some riders were saving their legs to bust their move there. If that's the case, get ready for some fireworks up the climb!
Toyota Ends Sponsorship, United Pro Seeks Title Sponsor for ‘09 5/3/08 - Team Owner, Sean Tucker, held a conference call earlier today with his riders, staff and management to announce to the team that Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. has decided not to renew its title sponsorship of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team following the conclusion of the 2008 season. The decision coincides with the expiration of the three-year sponsorship agreement signed December 1, 2005. “The Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team has performed at a level that truly symbolizes the Toyota way. We have the utmost respect for Sean Tucker, his management, the marketing and PR team, and the athlete riders all of whom have represented us valiantly,” said Keith Dahl, National Manager of Engagement Marketing. “We accomplished our goals in this three-year term and have since shifted strategies.” “Certainly we have enjoyed our partnership with Toyota these past two and a half years which has been incredibly successful for both organizations with 118 wins in just over two seasons. We will always be grateful for the support Toyota, its dealer network and employees have shown our team and me personally” said Tucker. Tucker continued, “We are looking forward to securing a new partner for the 2009 season in the next 100 days who can benefit from and build their brand by being associated with our world class organization. We are confident another sponsor will capitalize on the value United Pro Cycling Team generates with our 25,000 registered fans, eight-figure annual measurable media exposure, 3.3 million annual onsite spectators and the charitable work our team does in the communities we race in.”
Bike Week Pasadena - See the City in a Whole New Way 5/2/08 - Bike Week Pasadena 2008 encompasses a week of festivities and rides that celebrate and encourage bicycling as a healthy alternative to the automobile, May 12 through 17, 2008. All Bike Week Pasadena activities are free and open to the public. Highlights include: Enjoy guided bike tours like the 'Tour de Pasadena', 'Ladies Night', and 'Heaven on Wheels'. See the Bike Week Pasadena schedule of events for more details. The Urban Bicycle Commuter Expo happens on Saturday, May 17th. Exhibitors from local Pasadena area bike shops, bike manufacturers, accessory manufacturers and local advocacy groups will come together to present the latest bicycles, fashion, and gear emerging from the ultra-hot urban bike commuter scene. Experience how-to workshops on bike maintenance, bike commuting, and apparel clinics. Entertainment will include live-music, DJs, and the BIKE chic fashion show. more info >
18 Year Old Sea Otter Classic Shares Secrets of its Success 5/1/08 - Recognized as the unofficial North American cycling season opener, the Sea Otter Classic offers lots to people out shopping for experiences. For those participants from the northern climates, like Jessica Yeaton, 17, of Anchorage, Alaska, who rode outside for only the fifth time this year and won the junior women's road race, just being able to ride in only shorts and a jersey is a luxury. Shawn Lester, who requested a race number to signify the day his young daughter passed away five years ago, caused a few tears to be shed with a short email to express his gratitude, not only for being granted number 814, but also for a race leadout honoring his daughter, Alaina. SRAM, CLIF, Fox and Pedro's all had big news to share at Sea Otter. The weather cooperated too, for the most part, and despite Saturday's gusting winds, one-day festival passes sold out. The rain stayed away for the first time in a long time, which removed risks for some and eliminated the thrill of survival for others. more >
Bike Rides for All Ages! 8th Annual L.A. River Ride on June 8th 4/29/08 - Don’t miss one of L.A.’s best-loved events! Everyone from expert riders to families with children can enjoy a day of rare views of hometown L.A. while two-wheeling along the scenic L.A. River from Griffith Park to Long Beach. 5 Great Rides in One! Choose 100, 70, 50, 10 or Kids' Ride featuring characters from the award winning “Storybook Theatre”. New this year: Activist/Actor Ed Begley Jr. sponsors and KTLA’s Sam Rubin hosts, live music throughout the day, plus a post-ride International Food Faire! Includes exclusive T-Shirts, goody bags, exciting raffle (win a bike!), games and prizes for the kids, medical and tech support, and rest stops with music, food and fun along the way. Meet local government and media VIPs and other cycling celebrities. Staggered start times begin at 6:30 am. And your ride makes a difference! Join us in supporting the completion of the L.A. River Bikeway, bikes for kids, and all the work of Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the only non-profit organization working county-wide to make all of Los Angeles County a safe and enjoyable place to bicycle through advocacy, education and outreach. Best Deal: Join LACBC too -- Save $20! More info at la-bike.org.
Rock Racing Gives Georgia Something To Remember 4/28/08 - Fred Rodriguez capped Rock Racing’s first participation in the Tour de Georgia presented by AT&T with a fourth place finish on the final stage in Atlanta Sunday. The result by the three-time U.S. national road race champion was Rock Racing’s fourth top five finish of the seven-day, 600-mile stage race. Additionally, Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla placed in the top 10 overall, finishing sixth in his first international stage race in the United States. Rock Racing displayed its strength late in the race when it put its entire squad on the front to reel in the remnants of a breakaway that had been away since the first of 10 laps of a 6.2-mile (10.1 km) circuit through the streets of Downtown Atlanta. The chase was successful, setting the stage for a field sprint up the long uphill drag to the finish line. “The team had asked me coming into the last lap what we had to do and I told them we had to go now, now, now,” Rodriguez said. “We brought it back quickly and fast and it worked perfectly to my strategy.” In the end, it was Greg Henderson (Team High Road) who scored his second stage win of the week by beating Juan Jose Haedo (CSC), Andrew Pinfold (Symmetrics Cycling Team) and Rodriguez. Henderson’s teammate, Kanstantsin Siutsou, won the race overall by four seconds over Trent Lowe (Team Slipstream-Chipotle powered by H30). Rock Racing fans who were among the thousands on hand for the race at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park were treated to a surprise when the team rolled out for the start in special uniforms. The kits, designed by Ball himself, featured a depiction of Georgia peaches on the jersey and shorts in a blending orange and yellow motif. They commemorated the team’s participation in the longest-running international-level stage race in the United States. The special “kits” were showcased after the race during Rock Racing’s presentation of a $250,000 donation to the official beneficiaries of the event – Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Georgia Cancer Coalition.
Neil Shirley Tour De Georgia Diary - Stage 7 ATL Circuit Race
4/27/08 - Tour over! The final stage of this year’s Tour De Georgia was in downtown ATL. We did 10, 6 mile circuits of urban racing. All the beautiful weather finally caught up to us today. We started out with wet roads and a light rain. Due to the wet conditions a break away went immediately. Ten riders made the break including one Jittery Joe’s rider, Jared Barilleaux. With this being Jared’s first year pro it was great to see him riding heads up and making the break. Team Highroad kept the gap pinned at 1 minute for 8 of the 10 laps. Luckily the roads began to dry out so the technical circuit became faster and faster. Highroad was happy to leave the break to fight out the win but Rock Racing had a different idea. They lined up their boys to try to set up Fast Freddie Rodriguez. The gap came crumbling down on the last lap and the breakaway was caught only a couple of K’s from the line. Rock put together a great chase but it didn’t work out in the end for them. Highroads Greg Henderson picked up his second win of the tour with Haedo of CSC taking second and Canadian strong man Pinfold of Symmetrics in third. We didn’t have anyone up in the finish due to Cantwell almost being knocked off his bike as a lead out rider sat up in the bunch and went backwards. I sat up a K out to make sure I didn’t get mixed up in the chaos of the sprint. I wasn’t feeling so hot today, probably due to yesterday’s efforts. But, it has been the same story all week, when the speeds go way up I have a tough time. I will have to look closer at my training to try to determine what is going on with that. I do think that I am on the right path for the rest of the season, especially my next race, Mt. Hood Classic. It is a 6 day stage race that should suit my riding style well. I head home first thing tomorrow morning. I can hardly wait to see my 5 month old daughter Charlotte, she can almost crawl now! I’ll catch up with some coaching work on the 5 hour flight home and possibly catch a nap as well. But now I’m off to dinner and then the long awaited after party. I hope you enjoyed my journals for the week.
Neil Shirley ~ neilshirley.com
Neil Shirley Tour De Georgia Diary - Stage 6 Brasstown Bald
4/26/08 - Finally! This is the day that I needed dearly. Today was a relatively short 86 miles but don’t let that fool you. In that 86 miles we had a Cat 2, a Cat 1 and a H.C. category climb packed in. The finish was at the top of the monster climb known as Brasstown Bald. This is the climb that has helped make Tour De Georgia so famous. The pressure was on for me to make the break today. With tomorrow being a flat circuit race this was my last shot to do something in the mountains. The start was ballistic like normal. I traded off covering the moves with my teammates early on. Around 20 miles in we hit a section of hard rollers. On one of the rollers a group of six had gotten away so I knew I had to try and get across. I hit out and managed to make it across the gap just over the top of the roller. The break consisted of Sven Tuft (Symmetrics), Jason McCartney (CSC), Ivan Stevic (Toyota), Craig Lewis (Highroad), Stephen Schreck (Gerolsteiner), Mizurov (Astana) and myself. Slipstream wasn’t very happy with the break so they kept a tight leash on us, not letting the gap go over 2 minutes 30 seconds. We worked well together in the break other than Astana’s Mizurov, he sat on the entire day. Hog Pen was the first climb on tap, it is 10% for 3 miles. It hurts! With enough KOM points available on the first two climbs to take the jersey I kept that as my number one goal. On the climb I was feeling great, riding comfortably at the front and even setting the pace for some of it as well. Unfortunately Jason McCartney had the same game plan as me and was going for the KOM as well. He out sprinted me at the line and I had to settle for second. It was down to just McCartney, Tuft, Mizurov, and myself after the climb. All of us except for Mizurov continued to work well together keeping the pace high heading towards the next climb, Unicoi. At the KOM on Unicoi it was the same result, McCartney winning and I took second. With that win it gave McCartney the KOM jersey for the tour with me finishing second only 2 points back. We had 7 chasers less than a minute back at that point and a peloton of about 40 two minutes back. We were about to be caught by the 7 chasers and I still had relatively good legs so I attacked and went away solo. The idea was to try and get some critical time on the group before Brasstown and some extra TV time never hurts either. My gap went up to a minute at one point but as soon as we hit the first pitches I knew my time was up. Rubiera (Astana) came by me first, after that I think I tuned everything out and went into survival mode. With 3 miles to go up the steepest climb I do all year it was just about getting to the top. My job was done for the day so I tried to enjoy the last bit of the stage as much as I could. The Bean Team fans were out in force on the climb, which is always good for motivation. I was awarded the Most Aggressive Rider Jersey for my efforts in the break. I was looking for the KOM jersey but I’m not going to complain about a trip onto the podium and a fancy new jersey to wear in tomorrow’s final stage. It was the perfect day to have a good ride as well since the Jittery Joe’s team bus had brought 25 Team VIP’s up to the top of Brasstown to watch the race. They were able to watch the whole stage unfold on the jumbo tron TV as well. Tomorrow is the final stage and is going to be one for the sprinters I think. I will do my job and help out Stevenson and Cantwell in the finale, then off to the post race party.
Neil Shirley ~ neilshirley.com
Awesome Ride, Neil! 4/26/08 - I tuned into the WCSN coverage with an hour and a half to go and was thrilled to see our homeboy, Neil Shirley (Jittery Joes), in a 4 man break that had 2 minutes on the field going into Brasstown Bald. Neil layed it down and rode an awesome race. I won't tell you the outcome, because you really should watch it for yourself. It was that exciting! Neil, I hope the race organizers award you with the Most Aggressive Jersey today, cause that was a great ride.
SoCalCycling.com Classifieds Do you have something to sell or a job position to fill? Our classifieds will let you connect with buyers and qualified job candidates. Check out our current listings >
SoCalCycling.com Sponsors Cycling Team 3/6/07 -SoCalCycling.com is proud to announce our continued support of our Elite Team for the fourth year in a row. In addition, we are happy to have a great group of people represent SoCalCycling.com through the SoCalCycling.com Club, now in it’s fifth year. We are excited to partner with new co-sponsors LaRocque Better Roofs Incorporated and Matco Tools (Sean Liske) for 2007. Guy LaRocque and Sean Liske are both avid cyclists.
Team Director, Frank Sarate, has rebuilt the Elite Team to include eight Category 1/2 riders. The team is comprised of seasoned riders including, Frank Sarate, Rob Kampilla, Juan Bravo, and former Mexican National Team Member, Raul Estrada Frias. The team also includes four young riders under the age of 24, which will add youth and enthusiasm to the team, including Steven Ballenger, Pro mountain biker Mike Tettleton, Alan Wagenbach and returning member Jared Shimizu. “I am very excited about the composition of the team and excited to be working with this group of young riders to assist them in their development and cycling goals,” explained Frank Sarate. more >
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Product Reviews:
Cannondale SuperSix Product Review By Frank Sarate 3/20/08 - Cannondale is been best known for making top shelf aluminum frames. However, they have gradually made their entry into the carbon market with the introductions of the Six 13, System Six aluminum/carbon frames and the Synapse, which is their full carbon frameset tailored towards recreational riders with more relaxed angles. With Cannondale launching it’s new SuperSix full carbon race frameset last year, you could catch the Liquigas and Barloworld riders hitting the podium in last years Tour de France stages on board their new Cannondale SuperSix rides. Cannondale has always used large and manipulated tubes shaped for their bike lines to reduce weight and increase stiffness. The SuperSix uses exceptionally larger tubes, which allows them to create a frame that is as stiff and responsive as some aluminum frames on the market with a more comfortable ride. More >
The Cannondale SuperSix is a full carbon luxury ride.
