News
Technical Difficulties, Pass the Theraflu
12/31/07 - I apologize to those of you that may have visited the site looking for new and exciting news to be reported the last few days. Unfortunately, I received my annual holiday present, a killer flu, that has put me down for a few days. It’s amazing how these things sneak up on you. The day before I was feeling great and busting out a hundred miles to the beach and back with Rock Racing’s cutest couple and my honey. We rode down the San Gabriel River Trail and saw the usual shady characters (no, not the Coates and Schroeder Iron crew we passed : )) and thankfully, there were no bike jackings that I know of. The good thing about not racing anymore, is I’m not delusional in thinking I need to get out there and still hammer or I am going to lose all my fitness and get sicker, but instead can take lots of days off, sleep 13 hours at a time and OD on Theraflu. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy your New Year's Day Rides and everyone has a healthy and Happy New Year!!!
It's Almost Time to Ring in the New Year Again!
Tara Llanes on Access Hollywood Tonight
12/26/07 - Pro mountain bike racer Tara Llanes will be featured on the television program “Access Hollywood” tonight on Wednesday, December 26. A former X-Games, US National Champion and World Cup medalist, Llanes was seriously injured in a crash during the Jeep King of the Mountain finale at Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado on September 1, 2007. After several months of rehab in Colorado, she just returned home to California in time for the holidays. She will be undergoing her outpatient treatment at Casa Colina in Pomona.
Southern Nevada Stage Race Kicks Off First Stage Race of the Year
12/23/07 - This year the Southern Nevada Stage Race, formerly known as Nelson’s Landing Stage Race, will be held January 25 – 27. This event is the first stage race of the year and is a perfect start to the season.
Stages:
- Underground Time Trial: This is a 20k nearly flat course with a very good road surface.
- Silver Bowl Crit: This is a smooth, wide, and very safe course “perfect for first timers”.
- Nelson’s Landing Road Race: This is a short course with beautiful scenery and challenging terrain.
Many changes have been made to make the event better than ever, such as; an increased prize list of $ 4,500, a new timing system, adding SoCal Points (2.5 ranking), a new host hotel and more categories have been added. Come start your race season right in Southern Nevada with the Southern Nevada Stage Race.
California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized Announce '08 Road Roster
12/21/07 - California Giant Berry Farms, one of the nation’s largest grower-shippers of fresh strawberries, has sponsored a cycling team for over seven years and is proud to contribute to the health of American consumers by providing an abundant, healthy & delicious product. The company is committed to supporting cycling and other organizations that send positive messages about the importance of combining diet and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the elite road team featured in this article, California Giant sponsors a grass roots master’s team, a club team and a junior development team. For 2008 several of the 2007 team members will be returning. They include longtime veterans Patrick Briggs, John Hunt, James Mattis, Andy Jacques-Maynes, two-time Olympian Dirk Copeland, top U.S triathlete Chris Lieto, New team members for 2008 include Under 23 rider Tyler Dibble, Ken Hanson formerly of BMC Racing and Mark Santurbane bringing youth and experience to round out this powerful team. More >
Velo Club La Grange named USAC Club of the Year
12/20/07 - USA Cycling, the governing body of American cycling, announced Friday the recipients of its annual Club of the Year awards. Santa Monica’s Velo Club La Grange (“VCLG”) was named the Division 1 Club of the Year, one of ten USA Cycling-sanctioned clubs to receive recognition for outstanding programs throughout the 2007 season. More >
Katie Compton and Tim Johnson conquered CX Nats for the title.
photo © Mitch Clinton
Specialized Recalls Specialized Helmets Model 2D
12/20/07 - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Specialized, announced a voluntary recall of the Specialized Helmets Model 2D. The helmets fail testing required under CPSC's safety standard for bicycle helmets. This can pose a head injury hazard to riders in a fall. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. details >
Sportsminded Singles Find Their Match with Athletic Singles Association
12/19/07 - If you’re single and active and enjoy meeting other like-minded people then check out the Athletic Singles Association. With chapters in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego and over 1,500 members ASA organizes just about every sport and social activity an active single could ask for. From tennis, hiking, biking and volleyball to kayaking, river rafting, water-skiing, scuba diving and weeklong exotic vacations, their 52-page magazine style newsletter covers it all. Plus there are a wide variety of social events to choose from such as dances, happy hours and private parties. Log on to www.athleticsingles.com or call LA: 310.302.9332 - OC: 949.753.3515 - SD: 800.488.9246
For New Years: Celebrate New Years Eve with ASA!
The Athletic Singles Association is having their annual New Year's Eve party in the grand ballroom at the Laguna Hills Holiday Inn. Rooms are still available. Cover charge of $65 (in advance, $75 at door) will include a live band, plenty of fancy hors d'ourves, party hats & horns, door prizes, champagne toast and lots of dancing. Contact the office for more details and to sign up.
Final Call to Purchase SoCalCycling.com Clothing or Six 13, By Dec 21st
Did you know that SoCalCycling.com has a cycling club? If you are looking for a low key cycling club, we'd love to have you as a member! We are excited to be able to offer some generous discounts to our club members at InCycle, as well as on the custom SoCalCycling.com Team Cannondale Six 13 frame for only $ 700 plus tax. We welcome riders of all levels. Our deadline to join is December 21st, so we can accommodate ordering deadlines. This will be our only order for clothing and frames for the year! More Info >
SoCalCycling.com Team Clothing for Sale Through December 21st
We are taking pre orders for anyone that would like to order a SoCalCycling.com jersey and bib shorts. These are high quality, custom jerseys and bib shorts by Champion System that look and feel great. The deadline to order is December 21st and should be available in March. Order Now >
Lee Willmore (Celo Pacific) looks good in the jersey he won in the 65-69 CX Nats.
photo © Mitch Clinton
A Petition Worth Signing, Support Equal Payouts for Women Cyclists
12/16/07 - Pro Mountain Biker and Cross rider, Georgia Gould (Luna), is taking on the Union Cycliste International, asking for equal minimum prize money payouts for the top finishers in both women's and men's races. Learn More >
Petition ~ To: Union Cycliste Internationale (U.C.I.) We, the undersigned, find it regrettable that there is still a considerable disparity between the UCI minimum prize money for men and women. We understand that because competition in the men's field is deeper, more places receive prize money. We do not understand why the women who are receiving prize money receive less than their male counterparts. Therefore we propose that the UCI show leadership and mandate equal prize money for the top five men and women. Article 3 of the UCI Constitution states: "The UCI will carry out its activities in compliance with the principles of: a) equality between all the members and all the athletes, license-holders and officials, without racial, political, religious, or other discrimination." We ask the UCI to honor its commitment to equality. Sign the Petition >
Coryn Rivera (Redline) rides the frozen tundra onthe way to
victory and Chance Noble (Cal Giant) braves the elements.
photo © Mitch Clinton
Freezin' Conditions for CX Nationals, Urban CycloCross in Irvine
12/15/07 - Check out the KCCX Blog for the latest updates on Cross Nationals and a view from the peloton from a helmet cam video showing the icy frozen conditions, courtesy of Giro helmet founder Jim Gentes. Major props to our SoCal riders that are braving the cold, ice and mud. This will be one of those epic races that you never forget. Also, congrats to Coryn Rivera (Redline) for picking up another National Championship jersey in the 15-16 women's race. If you are still in SoCal, be sure to get your cross on at the Urban CycloCross Camp James race in Irvine this Sunday, December 16th. Fritz says there is no snow in the forecast! CX Nats Results >
2008 Elite, U23 and Junior Road Nationals head to Orange County
12/14/07 - After hearing about the recent success of Como Worlds in the OC, USA Cycling has decided to have Nationals in the OC! This is great news for SoCal! It would be even better news if they had Master's Nats here too, with our large Master's contingent in SoCal! Keep your fingers crossed!
From USACycling - Following last month’s announcement of USA Cycling’s 2008 National Championship dates and locations, the national governing body announced today that the 2008 USA Cycling Elite, U23 and Junior Road National Championships and Junior Track National Championships will be held in Southern California in mid-August. The USA Cycling Elite, U23 and Junior Road National Championships are scheduled for Aug. 7-11 in Orange County while the USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships will be held at the ADT Event Center in Carson, Aug. 14-17. USA Cycling awarded the road events to Jet Cycling in conjunction with Rock-n-Road Cyclery who will serve as the local organizing committee for the road race, time trial and criterium events. Specific details related to event schedules and courses are still being determined and will be announced in the coming weeks. Talk about it in our Forum >
Dorothy "Wong Way" Wong (CICLE) and Tony Cruz (Discovery) go for it.
photo © Mitch Clinton
Rock Racing's Michael Ball Speaks His Mind
12/13/07 - VeloNews has an interesting interview with Michael Ball, the flamboyant owner of Rock & Republic and Rock Racing, who VeloNews just named "Most Controversial Team Manager" for 2007. He talks about doping, heading up a Riders Union, his recent signings, and the riders that got away - Horner and Cipollini. In true Horner fashion, Horner has already responded to Ball's comments.
SoCal Team News ... From UC Cyclery/JW Floors
12/11/07 - "UC Cyclery/JW Floors has added 7 new riders to it's Seniors Team (Formerly known as 35+) as we could not find enough talented, commited riders in the 35+ category we had to open it up to some younger guys. With some good deletions and some good additions we are going to have an extremely competitive Cat 3/30+ Masters teams in SoCal and put some good numbers of racers in everytime we show up. Our squad size is 15 racers, add jobs, kids, wives, soccer/t-ball/baseball/tennis.......games to the mix and we should be able to field 5-7 racers most weekends. Our goal is to match the success of our 45+ and 55+ squads that are year in and year out dragging it to the line with the best of em'. We will have a 3 day training camp in Borrego Springs in January where we can try and tighten the train up a little. We will field good size squads in the Southern Nevada Stage Race, VOS, Baker to Death Valley.....And the MANY local races around LA, OC and San Diego. We look forward to seeing all of our racing friends in the Spring. Thanks for the great work you guys do....You ARE the SoCal racing bible for our squad." Thanks guys and best of luck in '08!
Cross riders storm the beach near Camp Pendleton against a beautiful backdrop.
photo © Mitch Clinton
Trebon and Compton Ready to Defend Titles at CX Nationals
12/10/07 - Defending Elite Men's champion Ryan Trebon and Women's Elite champion Katie Compton are among the nation's best athletes ready to line up at this week's USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships in Kansas City, Kan. Compton, of Colorado Springs, CO, has won the past three Women's Elite titles and was the silver medalist at the 2007 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. The 29-year-old is currently the No. 2-ranked female cyclocross racer in the world, according to the latest UCI ratings. Her strongest competition in the 98-rider Elite Women's field is expected to come from Georgia Gould (Ketchum, ID) and Kerry Barnholt (Boulder, CO).Trebon, a resident of Corvallis, Ore., won the 2007 overall series title of the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross presented by Crank Brothers. The 26-year-old is expected to be strongly challenged by a host of contenders that includes three-time national cyclocross champion Jonathan Page (Tilton, NH), USGP series runner-up Tim Johnson (Middleton, MA), 2003 collegiate cyclocross champion Barry Wicks (Santa Cruz, CA), seven-time Junior and Under 23 cyclocross champion Jesse Anthony (Beverly, MA.), and 2006 U.S. Cyclocross World Championship team member Jeremy Powers (Niantic, Conn.). Good luck to the SoCal riders competing!
Richard Barron (Cycles Veloce) won the 40 + in the Como Street Memorial Ride,
which is a special ride that pays tribute to riders that have lost their lives.
photo © SoCalCycling.com
Cannondale Caad 9 Review - By Jared Shimizu
12/9/07 - Manufacturing bikes in the USA is no easy feat these days with almost all the big companies going overseas. But the Connecticut based company Cannondale has found a way to continue building top quality bicycles by the skilled hands of Americans. With the help of Cannondale, our SoCalCycling.com team was set up with their newest aluminum race frame, the CAAD 9. more >
Quinn Takes Fifth in Men's Scratch Race at Beijing World Cup
12/8/07 - Representing Team USA, Michael Friedman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Slipstream-Chipotle) earned the gold medal in the men’s scratch race at the UCI Track World Cup in Beijing on Saturday. Friedman out rode 24 of the world’s best in the final to secure the overall victory. Becky Quinn (Quakertown, Pa./South Bay Wheelman) also continued her success in the women’s points race with a strong fifth-place finish. more >
Beijing UCI Track World Cup Begins with Hammer Medaling
12/8/07 - The second round of the 2007-08 UCI Track World Cup Classics kicked off on the Olympic track in west Beijing’s Laoshan Velodrome Friday as 15 Americans were in action on the first day of the three-day competition.
After qualifying third, two-time defending world champion Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./Ouch Pro Cycling) went on to take the bronze medal in the women’s 3-kilometer individual pursuit. After recording a qualifying time of three minutes, 37.682 seconds, Hammer went on to defeat Switzerland’s Karin Thurig in the evening’s bronze-medal ride. more >
Registration for Cyclocross Nationals Closes December 8th
12/7/07 - Registration for this year's USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City, Kan., closes this Saturday, Dec. 8 at midnight CST. Registration is only available through the official event website, kccrossnationals.com. No on-site registrations are allowed, all entry fees are non-refundable and non-transferable and no exceptions will be made. As of Thursday, 1,916 racers had registered for the Dec. 13-16 event at Kansas City's Wyandotte County Park. When the championships were last held in Kansas City seven years ago, only 600 riders participated. Since then, cyclocross series have sprouted all over the country, and this high-adrenalin winter season sport is now the fastest growing segment of bicycle racing in the United States.
Lana Atchley (SHO-AIR/Black Mtn) takes on the rain & mud at the USGP in Portland.
photo © Mitch Clinton
Bakersfield Cross: SCNCA Championships and SCPS #8
By: Dave Sheek www.outsideallday.com
12/5/07 - Though the latest races proved most challenging for native Southern Californians with the cold temperatures and sharp sandy turns, they were decidedly challenging for everybody with all the running that was done. The past weekend recognized the Southern California Nevada Cycling Associations (SCNCA) district champions and the Southern California Prestige Series (SCPS) race #8 presented by Action Sports and the Kern Wheelsman Cycling Club in Bakersfield, California. It was a blast from the races to the awards banquet with battles on the course, victors receiving their leaders jerseys, and men in daisy dukes and tight shirts, kilts, boots, funny hats or no shirts. Other spectators handed out beer, money and old dirty shoes to racers as they charged the course. The weekend was something more like Cross Vegas…with a better course, of course. More >
Bobby Langin, Jr. (Platinum Performance) earns some cash from a kilt wearing fan.
photo © lasportsphoto.com
Junior Development Road Camp on January 12-13 in San Dimas
12/4/07 - All juniors from ages 10-18 from the SCNCA area are eligible to attend a Junior Development Road Camp on January 12-13, 2008 in San Dimas. The mission of the Junior Development Road Camp is to introduce the junior athlete to the fundamentals of effective cycling and basic training guidelines. This camp will offer professional coaching and instruction, including Professional Tony Cruz, to assist the junior athlete in improving their cycling skills and provide information about parts of a training program they should concentrate their efforts. Full Details >
Chance Noble (Giant Strawberries) looks focused at the USGP in Portland.
photo © Mitch Clinton
Reed Wins Keirin Silver as Sydney World Cup Concludes
12/3/07 - Jennie Reed collected the first and only medal of the weekend for the United States on Sunday with a silver-medal performance in the women’s keirin at the opening round of the UCI Track World Cup series. For Reed, it was ther third-consecutive keirin silver medal at the Sydney round of the World Cup. Eight other Americans were also in action on Sunday, including a pair of madison teams and a trio of men's sprinters. For Olympic hopefuls and USA Cycling Talent Pool athletes, the World Cup series continues. More >
Quinn's Fourth-Place Points Race Finish Best U.S. Result in Sydney
12/2/07 - Becky Quinn’s fourth-place finish in the women’s 20-kilometer points race led all Americans on day two of the UCI Track World Cup in Sydney on Saturday. Quinn (Quakertown, Pa./South Bay Wheelmen) tallied seven points in the final to finish just off the podium behind winner Giorgia Bronzini (ITA), runner-up Li Yan (CHN) and bronze medalist Jarmilla Machacova (CZE). After placing fifth in her qualifying heat, Quinn was one of three Americans to advance to the finals, joining Christen King (Huntington Beach, Calif./South Bay Wheelmen) and Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./Ouch Pro Cycling) who placed third and sixth in their qualifying heats respectively. In the finals, Quinn scored points in three of the race’s eight intermediate sprints but finished just shy of the podium as Bronzini tallied 11 points, Li captured 10 and Machacova claimed nine. Hammer finished 14th overall with two points, while King placed 22nd after failing to score any points.
