Cycling News

Antony Galvan (Amgen-UBS Masters) four-peats and celebrates with a "Wolverine" victory salute.

Video: Snoop Dogg Sends Lance a Good Luck Message
6/28/10 – The much anticipated Tour de France and showdown between Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong begins this Saturday, which has prompted Snoop Dogg to send Armstrong a video message. Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France winner, has just announced that this will be his final Tour. Who knew Snoop was a fan, but this video should give you a little chuckle.

Rivera and Volotsky Earn Stars 'N Stripes at Nats
6/27/10 – SoCal riders continue to dominate at the US National Championships in Bend, OR. Coryn Rivera is going out of the junior ranks in style with a hat trick winning the Junior National Championships 17-18 Time Trial, Criterium and Road Race. This brings her to a total of 28 Junior National Championships. Ventura’s Kendall Ryan (VRC-NOW-MS Society) continued to ride strong finishing 2nd in the 17-18 Criterium and 3rd in the Road Race. Ben King (Trek-Livestrong) dominated the men’s U23 Road Race and Criterium by winning the Criterium in a two-up sprint and soloing to victory in the Road Race. In the U-23 Criterium, former U-23 National Criterium Champion Justin William won the field sprint behind teammate King and King's breakaway partner Oscar Clark to take 3rd and the bronze medal. The 15-16 Men’s Criterium saw Erik Volotsky (Cycleworld) take the sprint in front of 55 riders for the win and the Jersey. In the Elite Criterium Championships, Rivera’s Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY 12 teammate Shelly Evans sprinted to her first Championship Title and Steve Reaney (California Giant Cycling) earned the Elite Men’s title. Recent Long Beach Grand Prix and San Pedro Grand Prix winner Eric Marcotte (Team Pista Palace) powered to a bronze medal finish in the Elite Crit. The National Championships wrap up today with the Elite Men’s and Women’s Road Race.

SoCal Riders Bring Home National Championship Titles and Medals
6/24/10 – The US National Championships are underway in Bend, OR. A large contingent of riders from SoCal have made the trip to Bend, OR in the quest for a National Championship Title.  Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co.), who is racing her last year as a Junior, won the Women’s 17-18 Time Trial with a time of 39.24.40 and winning her 26th National Title. Tara McCormick (Helens Racing/Helens/Cannondale ) of Long Beach won the  Women’s 15-16 Criterium after winning the sprint from a breakaway of 8 riders. Alexis Ryan (The TEAM SoCalCross/Team CICLE) won a Silver Medal in the Women’s 15-16 Road Race after sprinting to 2nd place from a break of seven riders. The Elite and U23 Time Trial Championships were held today. Evelyn Stevens (HTC-Columbia) won her first National Title, with former World Time Trial Champion Amber Neben of Irvine finishing in 2nd place, 38 seconds back.  In the U23 Time Trial, Andrew Talansky (Cal Giant-Specialized) posted the fasted time to take the National Time Trial title. SoCalCycling.com Elite Team Rider Shane Buysse had a great ride and finished 15th in the Elite Men’s Time Trial.

The San Pedro Grand Prix Pro 1/2 riders prepare to race with the San Pedro Harbor as a backdrop.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Video: The Heat is On - A Look at Women's Professional Cycling
6/23/10 – Jim Fryer of BrakeThrough Media and Iri Greco of Panforte Productions have produced a cool video that showcases Professional Women's Cycling, as well as the Peanut Butter & Co Twenty12 Women's Team. Cycling personalities including Dave Towle, Phil Liggett and Bob Roll, as well as some of the top Professional men's team managers and riders were interviewed during the Tour of California confirming that the women train and race just as hard as the men.

Top Riders to Compete in National Championships this Week in Bend
6/22/10 – Over 750 racers are registered to face off in the cycling mecca of Bend, Ore. this week as the USA Cycling Juniors, U23, Elite and Paralympic Road National Championships come to town June 22-27. Twenty-four national titles and seven spots on USA Cycling’s 2010 UCI Road Cycling World Championships squad will be on the line as participants compete for Stars-and-Stripes jerseys in criterium, time trial, and road race events. New this year, and sure to be the highlight of downtown Bend on Friday evening, is the addition of the men’s and women’s elite criterium contests.  The USA Cycling Junior, U23, Elite, and Paralympic Road National Championships will kick off with the road and criterium contests for the younger junior categories, along with the paracycling divisions, on Tuesday and Wednesday. All categories will then compete in the race against the clock on Thursday, June 24, before the nation’s top young riders age 15+ duke it out in the criterium and road race contests over the weekend. The men’s and women’s elite criterium contests, moved from their traditional home in Downers Grove, Illinois as a part of the USA Cycling Professional Criterium National Championships, will also be held in conjunction with this event. Winners of the women’s elite, men’s U23 and men’s and women’s junior 17-18 divisions of the road race and time trial contests will be eligible for automatic nomination to the team that will represent the United States at the 2010 UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Melbourne, Australia in September.  With World Championship spots on the line, nearly all of the nation’s top up-and-coming young U23 riders will be on hand in Bend to fight for the right to call themselves the best of the next generation. Schedule and Results >

Two Teens Charged with Vehicular Manslaughter in Jorge Alvarado’s Death
6/19/10 - The District Attorney’s Office charged Patrick Roraff, 18 and Brett Morin, 20 with vehicular manslaughter in the April 8th death of cyclist Jorge Alvarado.   The drivers were doing over 70 mph on Greenspot Road in Highland when Roraff lost control while passing two other cars and struck Alvarado. According to the San Bernardino Sun, prosecutor Vic Stull said "You can call it street racing, you can call it negligent driving - what they were doing depends on your point of view. We don't have to prove they were racing to have a jury find them liable for the death. They were driving very fast, they were driving very dangerously. For us, that's sufficient." The arraingment date has yet to be set. Jorge, 27, had a bright future in cycling and had just signed on as a member of the Bahati Foundation Elite Cycling Team for 2010 and had just won the UCLA Road Race a few days prior to his death. Prior to riding for the Bahati Foundation Elite Cycling Team, Jorge was also a team member of Kahala LaGrange, as well as IE Bikes Racing/CA Pools.

Hilton Clarke (United Healthcare p/b MAXXIS) wore the Wheaties Fuel Sprint jersey
in Friday night's Minneapolis Uptown Criterium where he won his second stage.
Photo © Matt Moses

Art Night in Burbank
6/18/10 - Velo Studio, a boutique bike shop in Burbank, California is pleased to announce the Fine Bicycles, Fine Art exhibit series held the final Thursday of each month. Mtbchick {art} (mtbchick.com) curates and brokers the art of cycling and cyclists for Velo Studio. Past artists include Philippe Guillerm. The next art night will be held Thursday, 24 June 2010, from 6-9pm. June’s theme is Le Tour, a Fascinating Look at the World’s Toughest Sporting Event featuring South Pasadena artist Keira Dooley and photography of past Tours de France.  Enjoy an evening of meeting fellow cyclists, collectors, artists and the owners of Velo Studio and prepare yourself for the 2010 Tour. More Info >

Art Night in Burbank will feature art by Keira Dooley and photography of past Tours de France.

Taberlay and Emmett Hold Lead Heading Into H2O Overdrive Triple Crown Finals
6/17/10 - The inaugural H2O Overdrive All Mountain Triple Crown series rolls into Massanutten Resort on Father’s Day weekend, where it will crown the inaugural  Pro male and female all Mountain Pro Champion.  Heading into the final round, Sho-Air/Specialized’s Sid Taberlay holds a slim five point lead over current US National XC Champion, Jeremy Horgan Kobelski, with Colin Cares, Russell Finsterwald and Andy Schultz holding down the top five series placings. In the women’s race, Giant’s Kelli Emmett holds a seven point lead over current US National XC Champion Heather Irmiger in second, with Krista Park, Lene Byberg and Pua Sawicki round out the top five. Up for grabs is a combined ten thousand dollar overall series payout to the top three women and top three men, along with a custom series final trophy and jersey.  As with the first two rounds of the H2O Overdrive Triple Crown All Mountain Series, the Massanutten round of the Triple Crown will offer riders a chance to compete for up to twenty thousand dollars in combined prize money for the pro men and women’s field on the weekend.  Riders must race a minimum of two Triple Crown discpines to be eligbable for pro pursue.  What is new at Massanutten is that the H2O Overdrive Triple Crown will offer an “Open Pro” class.  This is for men and women CAT 1 standouts, who think they have a shot to go head to head with North America’s best and stake there claim at some big cash and personal glory.

Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air/Specialized) is currently leading the H20 Overdrive Triple Crown Series.

Video: Massanutten Hoo Ha! US Cup Triple Crown - Super D Preview

Ontario Airport Criterium To Provide Great Day of Racing this Saturday
6/15/10 - The Ontario Airport Criterium will be held this Saturday, June 19 at the Ontario airport course. Because of the SCNCA Junior Track Championship in San Diego there will be no Junior racing at this event. However, there will be a full day of racing for masters and elite racers. Women will race masters categories per USA Cycling rules. This event is not part of the Ontario Point Series. Everyone is welcome. More info >

The Bahati Foundation Professional Cycling Team moves forward.
Interview with Director Humberto Baca.
photo © Clint Davis

Fixies in Long Beach.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

SoCal Riders Take on Tulsa Tough
6/12/10 - A contingent of riders from Southern California raced at the big money Tulsa Tough last weekend, which includes a Cycling Festival, a series of three races where the spectators come out in force and a $ 100,000 cash purse. The Amgen Masters Team showed they can still compete with the youngsters in an NRC race, with Chris DeMarchi taking 2nd and Jamie Paolinetti taking 4th on the first night in the Blue Dome District (watch at 15 minutes to go in the video below to see them in action). In the women's race, Coryn Rivera (Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12) won Tulsa Tough's final criterium, the Riverview Criterium, and took 2nd overall in the Omnium. Sergio Hernandez (NOW-MS Society) won the Blue Dome Criterium the first night in the Cat 1,2 race, while Jeremiah Wiscovitch (Williams Cycling/SC Velo) took 3rd overall in the Omnium.

Hilton Clarke Departs Bahati Foundation, Debuts for UnitedHealthcare pb Maxxis
6/11/10 - Sprinter Hilton Clarke will make his debut for the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team pb Maxxis at the Air Force Cycling Classic this weekend. Clarke joins the Team from the Bahati Foundation squad. “Hilton is one of the top sprinters racing in North America,” said Team Director Mike Tamayo. “When the opportunity arose to add him to the squad, it was an easy decision. He is a Pro Tour-level talent, and he adds even greater depth to our sprint squad.” Clarke will join an already deep UnitedHealthcare pb Maxxis sprint crew for the two races in the Washington, D.C. area this weekend. That group includes Karl Menzies, Andrew Pinfold and Jake Keough, all of whom have raced against Clarke this year – and at various times have shared the podium with the Australian. Clarke will also be reunited with his younger brother Jonny, who was an instrumental part of the success enjoyed by UnitedHealthcare pb Maxxis in the spring criteriums. “I’m looking forward to joining the UnitedHealthcare pb Maxxis organization,” Hilton Clarke said. “I’ve been racing against this team for a number of years and they’ve always conducted themselves professionally. It will be good to race alongside guys like Karl, Jake and Pinner rather than against them. And I’m also quite excited to be racing with Jonny once again.”

Hilton Clarke departs Bahati Foundation for rival team UHC.
photo © Mitchell Clinton / www.clintonphoto.com

Team Kalyra Aims to Beat the RAAM 4-Woman Team Record and Inspire Girls
6/7/10 - The California based Kalyra Women’s Cycling Team is gearing up for the start of the Race Across America, which will cover 3,000 miles and 110,000 vertical feet of climbing in 6 days of non-stop riding.  This years RAAM will start in Oceanside, CA on Saturday June 12, 2010 and will end in Annapolis, MD when the riders cross the finish line. Team Kalyra’s four rider RAAM team includes Jill Gass, Mary Ann Levenson, Lisa Tonello, and Sonia Ross. Their goal is to break the record for a 4-woman team, which currently stands at 6 days, 18 hours and 34 minutes. In 2007, the Team Kalyra completed the 3,000 plus miles of RAAM in 7 days, 6 hours, and 24 minutes on their first attempt. Their strategy to beat the record includes having two members ride for approximately two hours at a time, where one rider is shuttled ahead in a support car and begins riding once the the other rider’s front wheel overlaps her rear wheel. Each rider will ride for 15 –45 minutes intervals depending upon conditions, while the other two riders will eat, rest and get massages until it is their turn to ride. This routine will be repeated over the course of six days. Team Kalyra could not accomplish this grueling feat without the help of their 16-member support crew who will be in charge of logistics, motivation and taking care of the riders. With the mission of inspiring girls of all ages to be smart, strong, and bold, Team Kalyra will be racing to earn funds for Girls, Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, which is a non-profit organization. To follow Team Kalyra's RAAM progress or make a donation please visit their web site at TeamKalyra.com.

Team Kalyra's 4-women RAAM Team: Sonia Ross, Avalon Jenkins-Balker, Lisa Tonello, Jill Gass
Photo © Jeannette Candau

HTC-Columbia's Goss Wins America's Biggest One-Day Race
6/6/10 - HTC-Columbia's Matt Goss has powered to victory in the bunch sprint that decided the Philadelphia International Championships, the USA's biggest one-day race, on Sunday. The young Australian's victory made it two out of two for HTC-Columbia in Philadelphia on Sunday, coming just hours after Ina-Yoko Teutenberg had won the corresponding women's event, the  Philadelphia Liberty Classic, for a fourth time. A recent winner of a bunch sprint stage in the Tour of Italy, Goss's second victory of the season was taken in another hard-fought dash for the line over Slovakian Peter Sagan and Norway's Alexander Kristoff. "This race is always a tough one, but the exceptional heat and humidity this year made it even harder than usual to get the win," said HTC-Columbia men's team director in Philadelphia, Tristan Hoffman. "I think only around a quarter of the 200 starters actually completed the course because of the conditions. "Then a big group went early on and we had to chase very hard to keep it under control, the whole team were working flat out and they did a great job pulling it all back together. "We had Matt as our leader, we knew he was in good shape after the Giro stage win, so we really drove it hard to make sure it all came together by the finish. We had to fight very hard, but it paid off. "These races are very important for us, and we came here determined to get some good results," said Hoffman. "It's great that it all worked out so well."

Kendall Ryan (NOW-MS Society) is ecstatic to win the State Criterium Championship.
photo © Steve Weixel

Teutenberg Takes Philly Liberty Classic for the Fourth Time
6/6/10 - HTC-Columbia women won the Philadelphia Liberty Classic on Sunday with Ina-Yoko Teutenberg sprinting to victory. Teutenberg's teammates controlled a full day of attacks by the other teams who wished to prevent the race ending in a sprint, to lead their sprinter to her fourth victory in this race. "It was really hot today but other than that it was very similar to last year really," said Teutenberg. "There were a lot of attacks but my teammates did a great job to control the race and keep it together for a sprint.
"Evie was always there on the Manyunk Wall to cover the attacks and Kim , Linda and Emilia did a great job covering everything else. People attacked constantly and on the last lap I was expecting them to really hammer up the climb but I think by that stage they were all a bit tired because of the heat. I started to feel sorry for the guys having to race for another four hours or so. Coming into the last lap Erinne Willock from Webcor was still ahead of the field and HTC-Columbia steadily reeled her in and were ready to cover attacks on the way back to town. Finally they set Teutenberg up for the sprint with a great lead out around the final roundabout. "In the end I only just won the sprint as Shelly [Evans] made a very well timed attack on the finishing straight and it took me until 15 meters to go to catch her. "I'm really happy to win here again. It's one of my favourite races and I look forward to coming her every year."

Kenda Cup West Heads to Santa Barbara
6/4/10 - Perched atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Barbara, Ellings Park offers mountain bike racers pristine views and cool ocean breezes as racers battle for the Kenda Cup West Series Title. The round also acts as the final for the “H2O Overdrive Regional Triple Crown All Mountain Series,” in which local and regional pro’s compete in three disciplines-Super D, Short Track and Cross Country for there overall score and for a shot a good prize money. The regional Triple Crown is in response to the highly successful National Triple Crown that took place at Bonelli Park, Nathrop, CO and the finals set to take place in Massanutten, VA. Probably one of the funniest and fastest cross country courses on the Kenda Cup West series calendar, Ellings Park is 80% flowing, hard packed, butter smooth single track, with a couple sinewy decents thrown in. On Saturday, Pro Triple Crown racers will compete in Short Track and Super D disciplines for the first two events of the regional Triple Crown format and on Sunday, the Pros and amateurs will go for the cross country race with CAT 2/3 taking off early in the morning, and the Pro and CAT 1’s scheduled for a 1pm start time.

Sergio Hernandez (NOW-MS Society) celebrates winning the State Criterium Championship.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

So Cal District Road Race Championships Comes to Bakersfield this Weekend
6/4/10 - The Southern California District Road Race Championships will be held in Bakersfield this weekend, on June 5th and 6th, on the Round Mountain course. The warm weather has finally arrived and racers will face a challenging 31 mile loop that features some of the same roads as Stage 5 of the Amgen Tour of California. The riders will head out North of Bakersfield through the oil fields and onto Round Mountain Road to the main 3 mile climb before rolling along the Kern River back to the finish line. The Masters and Category 5’s will race on Saturday, while the Elite men and women and other categories will race on Sunday. More info >

SoCalCycling.com Elite Team: l to r - Waylon Smith, Frank Sarate (Team Director), Martin
Adamczyk, Shayne Buysse, Julio Mollinedo, Chris McDonald, Rafael Lopez and Ruben Meza

UnitedHealthcare PB Maxxis Riders Join Ride2Recovery to Assist Injured Vets
6/3/10 - Brad White and Matt Crane of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis will join participants in the Ride2Recovery Memorial Challenge, which is sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, this Friday, June 4. The seven-day Ride2Recovery, which began on Memorial Day in Washington, D.C. and ends Sunday, June 6, in Virginia Beach, works to improve the health and wellness of injured veterans through cycling. The Executive Director of the ride is John Wordin, the former director of the powerhouse Mercury Cycling Team.  For White, participation in the Ride2Recovery will have personal meaning. “My brother is in the Air Force and he’s been stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan,” White said. “While thankfully he hasn’t been wounded, he has friends who have been. This is a cool way to help out injured veterans through something we love to do. I’m very close to my brother, and I know if he was wounded, it would be a very emotional thing for all of us. The ride will give me the opportunity to talk with some wounded veterans and maybe get an idea of what my brother is experiencing.”  White and Crane will join the 150-strong group on Friday for a 60-mile ride from colonial Williamsburg to Virginia Beach. That group will include Quad Amputee Delvin McMillian, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Patricia S. Collins, Navy Cross recipient Jeremiah Workman, and National R2R Spokesman Nathan Hunt.  Actor Mike Vogel (Miami Medical, Cloverfield) is riding once again with the wounded warriors in honor of his cousin and grandfathers. U.S. Cycling Hall of Fame member and long-time Shimano executive, Wayne Stetina, who is also part of the Ride2Recovery team, is mentoring riders and helping to lead the ride.  “In terms of just supporting veterans, we owe them a tremendous debt for the liberties they protect, especially those who gave their lives” Crane said. “I’m very happy to support Ride2Recovery and the vets it benefits. We’ll be able to meet some of them face to face and to tell them in person how much we appreciate their service and sacrifices. I’m looking forward to it.”

NOW-MS Society Wins Two Elite State Championship Titles
By Kendall Seyer
6/1/10 – Think lightning never strikes twice? Then perhaps you weren't at Barry Wolfe Grand Prix Elite State Championships on Sunday when NOW-MS Society riders Kendall Ryan and Sergio Hernandez shot out of the field like a force of nature, both sprinting to victory and Elite State Championship titles.

The women's team had seven riders in the Pro 1-3 race and all were in full form. Julia Lafranchise was off the front for several laps as was Jennifer Johansen. Later in the race, a two-man break got away with a rider from LaGrange and one from Colavita. Kendall Ryan never let the break out of her sight. As she rounded the fourth corner of the last lap, Kendall was in third but no one could catch the 18-year-old Junior as she sprinted the final few meters to victory.

Immediately after, the men's team began the Pro 1-2 race and once again NOW-MS Society's black, white and orange were all over the front of the field. Sergio Hernandez was in a break for most of the race, joined by teammates Danny Heeley and Cory Greenberg. Sergio's win was the second Elite State Championship title for NOW-MS Society in the team's own sponsored race.

Women's Podium:1st Kendall Ryan (State Crit Champ), 2nd Morgan Kapp, 3rd Julie Cutts
Men's Podium: Sergio Hernandez (State Crit Champ) , 2nd Jason Bausch, 3rd Thurlow Rogers