The Wonderful® Pistachios Pro Cycling Team had their
training camp over the weekend in Santa Rosa.
Photo © Colleen M. Brown

The 64th Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne finish with Christopher Sutton (Sky) taking the win,
followed by Yauheni Hutarovich (FDJ), Andre Greipel (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
and Tyler Farrar (Team Garmin-Cervelo) in fourth.
Photo © Tim De Waele

USA Cycling's Total Local Association Payout has Surpassed $2.5 Million
2/25/11 – USA Cycling announced today that based on last year’s license sales, it will distribute over $422,860 back to its 34 Local Associations (LA) as part of an ongoing effort to grow competitive cycling at the grassroots level.  With the 2010 payout, USA Cycling has now delivered more than $2.5 million in direct funding to its Local Associations since the program’s 2003 inception. The purpose of the LA payout program is to better serve USA Cycling’s members by re-investing membership dollars back at the local level. (Dollar amounts are based on the number of USA Cycling licenses sold in each LA’s region, with $10 dollars per member's license fee going to their Local Association.)  Having the largest group of USA Cycling members, the Northern California/Nevada Cycling Association claimed the biggest payout for 2010, receiving a total of $42,080.00 from USA Cycling. The NCNCA was followed by the Southern California/Nevada Cycling Association which received $35,775. The New England Bicycle Racing Association earned $33,875 while the New York Bicycle Racing Association earned $28,060 and the Texas Bicycle Racing Association was fifth, earning $27,370.

Craig Turner (Team Redlands) won the Pro 1-2 race at the 6th Annual Imperial Classic
followed by Michael Larsen (SoCalCycling.com) and Iggy Silva (FFCA).
Photo © Jerry Swartfager

NOW-MS Society 2011 Team Presentation Introduces Riders
2/24/11 - Cyclists gathered Sunday evening at Cynergy Cycles in Santa Monica for the presentation of the 2011 NOW-MS Society men's and women's teams. Team Director Kurt Stockton introduced the 10-rider men's U23 and junior development teams and the 7-rider women's Elite team to a packed crowd of club members, fans and family.

It was a proud event for the team recently awarded a Center of Excellence by USA Cycling Federation. Highlights included Specialized presenting Collin Berry, one of the team's youngest riders, with Fabian Cancellara's SL2 Tarmac Saxobank team bike. Several alumni attended the event, showing their continued support for the club that gave them their start-- Eric Barlevav of Team Exergy and Sergio Hernandez of Jelly Belly. more >

The 2011 NOW-MS Society presented their men's and women's teams at Cynergy Cycles.
Past team members Sergio Hernandez and Eric Barlevav showed their support.
photo © Gus Sarmiento

More Wild West Racing - California Style: Imperial Classic and Brawley Bike Rodeo
Lucas Binder, SKLZ pb Pista Palace
2/23/11 - The past weekend presented Southern California bike racers with two racing options: go to LA for the UCLA Road Race and CBR-NOW Energy Bar Criterium, or head out east into Imperial County for the Imperial Classic and 1st Annual Cattle Call Bike Rodeo in Brawley. I chose the latter. Normally I would take any chance I get to wear my state champ jersey and choose the road race over the criterium, but with temperatures in the 40s and a chance of snow for the road race it wasn’t a hard decision to wuss out of the UCLA Road Race at the last second and head out east instead (not to mention that the Imperial Crits had a nice prize purse while the winner of the UCLA Road Race probably won less than the reg fee). After a hard 3 days of racing in Arizona the previous weekend, all of my teammates chose to take the weekend off or stay more local and do CBR instead, so this would be my first race without any teammates since my Cat 3 days. more >

More Than 4,500 Volunteers Needed for Amgen Tour of California
2/22/11 – Volunteer opportunities for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California are now available. Anyone wishing to volunteer for an opportunity to participate in the sixth-annual cycling race can apply online for positions, including volunteer course marshals, security, and media operations, among others. Considered cycling’s most important and successful stage race in the United States, and one of the world’s most respected cycling races in the world, the 2011 Amgen Tour of California will be staged over a challenging route showcasing some of the state’s most scenic and historical areas from May 15 – 22.  The race will travel through more than 800 miles of beautiful California terrain, beginning with the first-ever visit to Lake Tahoe, a well known cycling destination and home of “America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride,” with the overall finish taking place in title-sponsor Amgen’s hometown community of Thousand Oaks. more >

Lucas Binder (Pista Palace)  won the Brawley Cattle Call Bike Rodeo Criterium with
Brent Garrigus (Cal Pools/DeWalt) in 2nd and Raul Frias (SoCalCycling.com) in 3rd.
Photo © Jerry Swartfager

Breakaway from Cancer Partners with 5th Annual Dana Point Grand Prix Of Cycling
2/21/11 – New sponsor. New theme. New course. The same commitment to excellence. The Dana Point Community Cycling Foundation (DPCCF) is pleased to announce Amgen’s Breakaway from Cancer® initiative as the new presenting sponsor for the 5th Annual Dana Point Grand Prix. Through Breakaway from Cancer, Amgen works with four non-profit partners - the Prevent Cancer Foundation, Cancer Support Community, Patient Advocate Foundation and National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship – to raise awareness of the important resources available to cancer patients, every step of the way. This year’s Breakaway from Cancer Dana Point Grand Prix has chosen the Pacific Meso Center at the Pacific Heart Lung Blood Institute in Los Angeles as a recipient of this year’s proceeds.
more >

Ride the Breakaway Challenge with the Breakaway-UBS Elite Masters Racing Team 2/19/11 – Elite masters cycling team challenges California cyclists to ‘ride and raise’
for charity during the Amgen Tour of California. For the 3rd consecutive year, members of the Breakaway-UBS Elite Masters Racing Team (formerly Amgen-UBS) will be riding stages of the Amgen Tour of California to help promote awareness and raise funds for the Breakaway from Cancer® initiative. Breakaway from Cancer® is a complimentary component to Amgen's sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of California to increase awareness of the important resources available to cancer patients, from prevention to education, and patient care to advocacy and support. To support this cause, the Breakaway-UBS squad is reaching out to other California cyclists to ‘share a stage’ while getting in some great miles during the tour.  As in the past, riders will begin the stage route prior to the official stage to ensure arrival at the finishing city in advance of the race. more >

Cyclists ride the same stages as the Amgen Tour of California riders during the
Breakaway Challenge and help raise money for the Breakaway from Cancer® initiative.
Photo by Arlene Corona

The Redlands Bicycle Classic Will Jumpstart the 2011 NRC Racing Season
2/18/11 -  The Redlands Bicycle Classic Organizing Committee is announcing race dates of March 31st through April 3rd of 2011 for USA Cycling’s first date on the National Racing Calendar. Riding the mountain of enthusiasm and success that characterized an incredible 26th running of the RBC, this year’s race promises to be another sprint victory.

“I am very pleased at how our event is taking shape this year. I am always amazed at how our volunteers (hundreds at race time) step up and make this a great community event. We have a great formula for success in Redlands, and are always looking for ways to improve this nationally known event.” said Race Director Eric Reiser.

“The level of community support, sponsorship, and competition is especially impressive during these tough economic times,” says Dan Rendler, RBC President. “We are very excited to build on last year’s momentum and make our 2011 event more challenging to the athletes and rewarding to sponsors and the community!” more >

Primal/MapMyRIDE Pro Women's Team Dominates at Valley of the Sun Stage
2/17/11 - Primal/MapMyRIDE Professional Women's Racing powered by BH Bikes kicked off its inaugural season with a dominant performance at the 19th Annual John Earley Memorial Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Phoenix, Ariz. last weekend. The three-day event was the first race of the fledgling team's season.
 
Primal/MapMyRIDE's Emily Kachorek won the road race stage on the race's second day in a thrilling sprint finish and teammates Nicky Wangsgard and Tiffany Pezzulo finished one-two in the criterium on the third and final day of the event. Nicole Evans was the top general classification finisher for the team, taking seventh place overall, with Kachorek rounding out the top 10 in 10th place. more >

The Primal/MapMyRIDE Pro Women's Team members took top honors in road race
and criterium stages during their inaugural outing at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race.
photo © primalwear.com

Lance Armstrong Announces Retirement, Again
2/16/11 - Lance Armstrong has announced his second retirement from the sport of professional cycling and will not be competing in US races, such as the Amgen Tour of California or Quiznos Pro Challenge. Armstrong stated, "Today, I am announcing my retirement from professional cycling in order to devote myself full-time to my family, to the fight against cancer and to leading the foundation I established before I won my first Tour de France.  My focus now is raising my five children, promoting the mission of LIVESTRONG, and growing entrepreneurial ventures with our great corporate partners in the fight against cancer."  

During his comeback, Armstrong believed he could win an eighth Tour de France, but finished 3rd while his Astana teammate and rival Alberto Contador went on to win the Overall. While competing in the Amgen Tour of California last May, former teammate Floyd Landis accused Armstrong of systematic doping while on the US Postal Team. Armstrong leaves the sport as FDA Special Agent Jeff Novitsky continues to investigate these allegations.

“I can’t control what goes on in regards to the investigation,” Armstrong said. “That’s why I hire people to help me with that. I try not to let it bother me and just keep rolling right along. I know what I know. I know what I do and I know what I did. That’s not going to change.”

Lance Armstrong, pictured with Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa at the Hope Rides Again
event in Los Angeles during 2009, has announced his final retirement from the sport.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Race Report: Wild West Racing - Valley of the Sun Stage Race
By: Lucas Binder, SKLZ pb Pista Palace
2/16/11 - Valley of the Sun is a three day stage race in Arizona made up of a flat 14 mile time trial, a 90 mile road race with a long big-ring 500ft climb, and ending with a flat 70 minute criterium around the Phoenix Capitol building. The race attracts a lot of amateur riders from all over the southwest, with 70 riders on the start list for the Pro1 field. The teams that seemed to be best represented included my team, SKLZ/Pista Palace, the Landis Cyclery team, Ride Clean, Rio Grande, Monster Media, and Mike Olheiser's Juwi Solar team, all of which had between 4 and 7 riders. Some other big names included NRC Champion Luis Amaran of Colavita/Jamis, and a few Kenda Geargrinder riders. Our squad had some big ambitions for the flat Time Trial and ended up having 3 in the top 15, but with none in the top 5 it was a little less than what we wanted. more >

San Dimas Stage Race is Looking For Host Families
2/15/11 - The San Dimas Stage Race Organizing Committee is searching for families in the San Dimas Area who would like to host riders for the 2011 race! Host housing is needed for the professional men’s and women’s bicycle racing teams competing at the 2011 San Dimas Stage Race – an opportunity for families in the area to connect with National Champions, Olympians, future Olympians, and hard-working racers striving to fulfill dreams in professional bike racing. The race runs from March 25-27 but teams typically arrive 1-2 days before the race and usually leave the day after the race.  SDSR is looking for families who live within a 30-minute maximum drive of San Dimas, CA. Host homes need to provide: a bed space (couch or air mattress is fine) for each rider, kitchen privileges and refrigerator space; garage or other safekeeping space for bicycles. Host homes are not expected to provide: transportation or food the Teams will provide there own transportation and meals.  If you would like to host a cycling team, please send an email to [email protected] with the following information: name, address, city, phone, email and the number of riders you can host.

Masters Riders Must Now Qualify to Compete at the UCI World Cycling Tour
2/14/11 - The UCI has launched a series of events in 2011, the UCI World Cycling Tour (UWCT), which will qualify riders for the UWCT Final (formerly known as the Masters Road World Championships). Two of the seven confirmed events are set to take place in the United States; New York City on May 8 and Fort Collins, Colo. on Aug. 20.
 
The UWCT will be comprised of a maximum of 15 qualifier events at which riders must place in the top 10% of their respective age division in order to be eligible to compete in the final, slated for early fall in Liege, Belgium. For 2011, seven races have already been confirmed including two legs in the United States and one each in Australia, Portugal, Slovenia, Belgium and Switzerland. Negotiations are still under way for qualifier events in Spain, the United Kingdom, Greece, Denmark and France. more >

The colors of the peloton at the Challenge Mallorca.
photo © TDWSport.com

The SC Velo - Empower Coaching Women's Team Builds on Success
2/12/11 - The SC Velo-Empower Coaching Women's Team is coming into 2011 with the same excitement and dedication as 2010! The 2010 season ended with great success seeing 23 wins, 28 podium finishes, 1 State Champion, 1 National Champion and 1 World Record Title (which team member Dotsie Bausch holds in the 3K Team Pursuit).  

The vision of the team remains intact and the 2011 additions to the team support that vision. “We plan to cultivate elite female athletes so that they may have the opportunity and knowledge to pursue their cycling dreams." The team will focus more on mentoring female cyclists that are starting into racing and intends to participate in more NRC races this year. The next two years are focused on building sponsorship support and mentoring our girls to get them to some bigger races for experience and turn this into a big NRC team in 2013 and a UCI team in 2014! more >

The Tour of Quatar provides the riders with a desert backdrop.
photo © TDWSport.com

Amgen Tour of California Route Revealed for Stages 1 & 8
2/11/11 - Specific route details for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race have been revealed with individual stage-specific videos.  The videos, created in collaboration between the start and finish cities of each stage (designated as “Host Cities”), highlight features of the eight-day route from perspective of the communities hosting each stage.  

Consistently considered cycling’s most important and successful road race held in the United States, the 2011 Amgen Tour of California will cover more than 800 miles in eight epic days from May 15 – 22.  The 15 official stage start and finish communities that have been selected for the 2011 race include: South Lake Tahoe (new for 2011), North Lake Tahoe-Northstar at Tahoe Resort (new for 2011), North Lake Tahoe-Squaw Valley USA (new for 2011), Sacramento, Auburn (new for 2011), Modesto, Livermore (new for 2011), San Jose, Seaside, Paso Robles, Solvang, Claremont (new for 2011), Mt. Baldy (new for 2011), Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks. Route Details >

Garmin-Cervélo riders Tom Peterson, Tyler Farrar, Dan Martin and Christian
Vande Velde at the team's training camp last week in Girona, Spain.  
Mark Johnson is writing and photographing a book on the team in 2011.
photo © Mark Johnson/Ironstring

The Cannondale Slice Six HI-MOD.
photo © SoCalCycling.com