Cycling News

Video - The Bud's Ride - An on the bike perspective from part of the Bud's Ride Training Ride that was taken at the end of September. This ride usually attracts 100 plus riders during the race season and uses part of the San Dimas Stage Race road race course. Bud's is known to be one of the harder group rides in SoCal with a good mix of crosswinds, hills and some fast riders! More Training Rides >

Trebon and Mani Go Two for Two at Spooky Cross
10/17/11 - Day two of the California Gold Events presented by Shimano was a bit of déjà vu. The California sun and dry conditions made for a magnificent day of racing and the Southern California course almost a minute faster in all groups. The fast course held a mixture of everything. A fast start into a hair pin barrier section, then back on the gas and out of the main in-field to the back of the park for the long deep sand pit that troubled riders all night. More >

The long and winding road ... GMR is one of SoCal's favorite climbs for cyclists.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Neben and Martin Capture Final Wins for HTC-Highroad
10/16/11 - Amber Neben and World TT Champion Tony Martin won their respective events of Chrono des Nations this Sunday giving HTC-Highroad victories in it's final two events of operation. "It's wonderful to see the team successful again right to the very end of the season," said Team Owner Bob Stapleton. "Both the men and the women won their first race of the season in January and now they have both won the last race. It's testament to the attitude of all of our staff and riders over the years and I'm very proud of their success." More >

Mani and Trebon Win CX After Dark Series Finale
10/16/11 - The CX After Dark Series finished in Irvine, CA with Spooky Cross. This UCI weekend and more premier events to come are California Gold Crown Events presented by Shimano.  The Hidden Valley Ranch location has hosted many races over the years but this was its last show as land developers have future plans for the area. The course held a mixture of everything. From the start riders began through long fast turns, into a hair pin barrier section, then back on the gas and out of the main in-field to the back of the park for the long deep sand pit that troubled riders all night. More >

A Team HTC-Highroad rider reflects on the moment.
photo © TDWSport.com

Cross After Dark Series Wraps in Irvine
10/15/11 - With the final race of the Cross After Dark Series heading to Irvine’s Hidden Valley on Saturday October 15 the series lead could be determined by who shows up. Early series races were dominated by riders who are either based in Europe or will be traveling to the first World Cup in the Czech Republic so look for a possible change of leadership on race day. On the Men’s side look for Ben Berden of Belgium (Stoemper Bikes) to likely take the CxAD winner’s jersey.  Known as Mr. Consistent, Berden has steadily improved and settled into the American style of cross during his first full season racing in the U.S. The Women’s side has Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) solidly on top of the standings with her domination at CrossVegas and Star Crossed with Gateway Cross Cup winner Teal Stetson-Lee (Cal Giant/Specialized) lying second. Nash’s trip to her native Czech Republic opens the door for Stetson-Lee or teammate Meredith Miller (Cal Giant/Specialized) to take the series overall title if one of the pair wins in Irvine.

Fall sunsets make evening rides spectacular.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

SoCal's Blatchford and Watkins Represent U.S. at Pan American Games
10/12/11 - Sixteen cyclists from the United States have made their way down to Mexico for the 2011 Pan American Games. The 16th edition of the quadrennial, multi-sport event kicks off this week in Guadalajara with the opening ceremonies set for Thursday. The U.S. cycling contingent is comprised of accomplished veterans, as well as some very young talent, and will compete in road, track, mountain bike, and BMX competitions. The mountain bike and BMX competitions in Guadalajara will offer category 5 level UCI points. These points count toward a country’s Nations Ranking, which will determine the number of start spots a nation earns for the 2012 Olympic Games. More >

What to Do if you Sustain Head Trauma While Cycling, Concussion Guidelines
By Christy Nicholson, SoCalCycling.com
10/10/11 -  Have you ever crashed and hit your head while riding? If you ride, the chances of crashing at some time are relatively high and unfortunately can happen when you least expect it.  

I received my first and only concussion when I was nine years old after racing down a steep hill on my Schwinn Fair Lady. I don’t remember much about the crash since I was knocked unconcious. However, I do remember waking up in someone’s yard with a wet washcloth on my head and that I had to spend the night in the hospital for observation. After I came home from the hospital, my parents told my younger brother and I never to go down that hill again. Of course, my parents warning did not stop my daredevil brother and he crashed going down the very same hill a few months later. Luckily, he did not end up with a concussion like I did, but he did receive some nice road rash on his face just in time for school photos! More and Concussion Guidelines >

Watch the Ford Ironman Triathlon World Championship Live
10/8/11 - The Ford Ironman Triathlon World Championship will stream live from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii today as the top pros and age groupers compete. Athletes will endure a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run along the black lava fields of the Kona Coast. In 2010, Australia’s Chris McCormack won the pro men’s event with a time of 8:10:37.  Fellow Aussie Mirinda Carfrae set a new run course record and won with a time of 8:58:36. The Ironman Kona gets underway at 6:30 am Hawaiian time.   The pro’s are inspiring to watch as they battle it out for the overall title, but the age-groupers are just as inspiring as many of them struggle just to finish before the cutoff time of 17 hours! Watch live coverage at ironmanlive.com.

Team Specialized Racing Expands Junior Team with SoCal Additions
10/7/11 - Team Specialized Racing has announced the addition of new riders to the 2012 junior team. For 2012, the junior team has one member in Colorado, four in Southern California and seven in Northern California. The junior calendar of 2012 races will primarily be west coast based, all aiming towards the USA Cycling National Road Championships in Augusta, GA. Team Specialized Racing's mission is to prepare juniors to compete and win national and international races. More and Roster >

Team Specialized Racing has expanded their Junior Team for 2012.
Photo Courtesy Team Specialized Racing

CicLAvia Closes LA Streets for Cyclists and Walkers to Celebrate LA this Sunday
10/6/11 - On Sunday, October 9th, from  10 am to 3 pm, CicLAvia will create ten miles of car-free city streets for Angelenos. Promoting public health, alternative transportation, open space, economic development and community building through connected neighborhood, CicLAvia encourages participants to make the city “their own”. Bike, jog, take your dog for a walk, stroller small children or skate, it’s up to you!  Participation in CicLAvia is free and open to all, so enjoy this rare chance in discovering and rediscovering Los Angeles. The initial route will be held again and will also add new spurs to El Pueblo/Olvera Street and South LA, for a total of ten miles. Businesses along the corridor will open their doors early so participants can make a full day of it. The program provides a platform for participants to create their own vision for LA; a way to discover and re-discover parts of the city; and not worry about traffic. Modeled after the decades old “ciclovía” in Bogotá, Colombia, and other similar carfree events like New York’s Summer Streets to San Francisco’s Sunday Streets. Participation requires no RSVP, simply show up and enjoy with friends and family and see what Los Angeles can become with innovative thinking! More info >

Angelenos can celebrate ten miles of car-free streets at CicLAvia this Sunday.
photo © Gary Leonard

Video: Guts and Glamour – Girls of Bike Polo
10/5/11 - The ladies of the London Hardcourt Bicycle Polo Association strapped on their armour and took to their rides to create a video drawing attention to the exciting style and vibrant social scene surrounding the sport. Two-wheeled excitement hits the UK on October 15th and 16th, as the gutsy and glamourous ladies of bike polo take on London. The Hell’s Belles tournament will bring together the finest female bike polo teams from across the world together for the first time, as they head to London for the ladies majority tournament. Swapping a horse for two wheels, Hardcourt Bike Polo emerged in 2003 and came to Europe in 2005.  Today, the sport continues to grow in popularity, with thousands of teams around the globe joining leagues from Australia to the USA. Hell’s Belles is presented by classic saddle manufacturer Brooks England.

Mata Wins Title at 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships
10/4/11 - Monique “Pua” Mata added another Stars and Stripes jersey to her 2011 collection, as the Sho-Air/Specialized rider grabbed a convincing win at this weekend’s 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships in Colorado Springs, CO. For Mata, who recently wrapped up USA Cycling’s Pro UET series title and more recently added the US Marathon national title to her resume, the Anaheim Hills resident took back her 24 hour solo crown with a solid display of riding and fitness this weekend. More >

Mata on her way to winning a Stars and Stripes jersey in the 24 Hour Mountain Bike Nationals.
photo courtesy Sho-Air/Specialized

HTC-Highroad Women’s Team to Continue in 2012 as Team Specialized-lululemon
10/4/11 - The HTC-Highroad women's team will continue into 2012 with a new title sponsors and management group. The team, which will be made up of a large percentage of the 2011 riders and staff, will be known as Team Specialized-lululemon.  Returning members include, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (GER), US National Time Trial Champion Evelyn Stevens and former World Time Trial Champion Amber Neben (USA). Clara Hughes (Canada), who has earned Olympic medals in both cycling and speed skating, will join the Team. Specialized has a longstanding commitment to women's cycling and has sponsored some of the best female athletes in the world over the years, dedicating vast resources into women's specific products. More >

US Victory Double as Fields and Martin win UCI BMX Supercross in Chula Vista
10/3/11 - The best Elite BMX riders of the world battled it out under the blazing Southern Californian sun to determine the winners of the fourth UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series sponsored by Swatch. Connor Fields (USA) was on fire all weekend and claimed victory. Arielle Martin (USA) won the women’s final. Conner Fields was the favorite going into the final. He must have felt very confident as he took the lead in the first turn of the final to never look back. That was perfect timing. More >

Conner Fields on his way to winning the UCi BMX Supercross in Chula Vista.
photo © UCI BMX / craigdutton.com

Elite Track National Championships Wrap Up with 18 More Championship Titles
10/3/11 - The 2011 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships culminated Sunday with 18 more national champions crowned. The nation’s best track cyclists contested the Madison, men’s time trial, women’s team sprint while paracyclists competed in the time trial. The men’s one-kilometer time trial came down to the last four riders. Kevin Mansker (Long Beach, Calif./Rubicon Cycling) posted a 1:04.670 in the penultimate heat of the competition. The final heat featured Giddeon Massie (Cypress, Calif./Bike Religion) and Matthew Baranoski (Perkasie, Pa./Pure Energy Cycling-ProAirHFA), who placed first and second, respectively in the men’s kierin Saturday. Massie bolted around the track, finishing in 1:04.384 while Baranoski posted the third-best time of 1:05.194. More & Results >

Interbike Slideshow - Photo gallery from the Interbike International Bicycle Expo.
View Interbike Collection of Photos directly on Flickr >
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Titles Awarded in Points Races, Women’s Sprint and Men’s Kierin
10/2/11 - The fourth day of the 2011 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships featured many of the best American track cyclists.  The morning session seeded and qualified the riders in the women’s sprint and the men’s and women’s points races, setting the stage for Saturday evening showdowns. The riders in the men’s points race drilled it for all 40 kilometers of the velodrome with the majority of the 16 sprint laps being hotly contested by several riders. In the end, Daniel Holt (Atlanta, Ga./Team Type 1-Development) repeated as the national champion in this race. With fewer than 10 laps remaining in the race, Holt and Jake Hansen (Portland, Ore.) broke off the front determined to reach the back the pack and collect a valuable 20 points. More & Results >

Two Records and Seven Titles Awarded at Elite Track National Championships
10/1/11 - The third day of the 2011 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships witnessed unofficial track and national records and crowned national champions in seven categories. The morning session featured qualifying heats for the men’s team pursuit, men’s sprint, women’s team pursuit along with the men’s and women’s three-kilometer individual pursuit for paracyclists. In the evening, national champions in the team pursuit, women’s kierin, men’s sprint and the paracycling individual pursuit were crowned. World championship silver medalists Sarah Hammer (Temecula, CA/OUCH Pro Cycling), Jennie Reed (Seattle, WA/OUCH Pro Cycling) and Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, CA/OUCH Pro Cycling) set an unofficial Home Depot Center Velodrome track record en route to winning the women’s team pursuit national title. More & Results >

We were thrilled to see a custom SoCalCycling.com saddle at the Champion System booth!
They have teamed up with Selle Italia to make custom saddles.
View Interbike Photos >
photo © SoCalCycling.com