Cycling News

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

The Hincapie Sportwear booth offered Y + B Wines during happy hour. The Competitive Edge
Cyclerly's Mark Ceccereli and Ben Cardenas joined George Hincapie for a nice Merlot.
View Interbike Photos >
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Interbike Photo Highlights
9/27/11 - Members of the bike industry recently made their annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the Interbike trade show. At Interbike, you will find exhibitors, retailers, media and riders that are competing at CrossVegas or signing autographs at a sponsors booth. This is always a fun event to catch up with old friends, sponsors and colleagues. We have posted a few photos including some cool things that caught our eye, pro riders, art, happy hours, the Urban Yard and Women's Lounge to start. Check back soon as many more photos will be posted in the next few days. View Interbike Photos >

USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships begin Wednesday
9/26/11 - The 2011 USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships start Wednesday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.  Riders slated to compete, include Sarah Hammer (Temecula, CA/OUCH), who won the individual pursuit, placed second in the omnium, and helped the team place second in the team pursuit at the 2011 Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Each of Hammer’s teammates in the team pursuit, Jennie Reed (Seattle, WA/OUCH) and Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, CA/OUCH), are also slated to compete. More >

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

Cavendish Sprints into the Rainbow Jersey and World Championship Title
9/25/11 - Mark Cavendish secured a world championship title for Great Britiain on Sunday and the third gold medal this week for HTC-Highroad. HTC-Highroad finished the week with five medals including gold for Tony Martin and Judith Arndt in the time trial events; Silver for Matt Goss and Bronze for Ina-Yoko Teutenberg in the road race. After a fast race, with Great Britain spending the majority of the day controlling the peloton to reel in the break, Cavendish was delivered in good position to the final straight. He was challenged by HTC-Highroad teammate Goss in the final meters, but was able to hold them off to take his first ever world road title. Former Highroad rider Andre Greipel took the bronze medal.  More >

Video: Men's World Championship Road Race in Copenhagen, Denmark

Junior Men's and Elite Women's World Championships Road Race
9/24/11 - Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, MI/Colavita-Baci p/b Cooking Light) gave the U.S. its best finish of the day at the UCI Road World Championships with an 18th place result in the elite women’s road race on Saturday. The junior men also contested their world championship road race on the penultimate day of competition in Copenhagen. The elite men’s road race will mark the final race of the week-long event on Sunday. A hefty pace in the elite women’s road race helped a number of attacks get quickly covered over the 140-kilometer event; including a late-race attempt by former time trial world champion Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif./HTC-Highroad). It was however Clara Hughes (CAN) who got away on the seventh of 10 laps around the 14-kilometer circuit in Rudersdal. More >

SoCal’s Alexis Ryan Represents US at Junior Women at Road World Championships
9/23/11 - The road racing portion of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships opened in Copenhagen on Friday without a medal for the United States. Five of the country’s top under 23 men raced strong, but came up short in the sprint as did a trio of junior women. Crashes marred the 70-kilometer junior women’s road race, with only two of the three American women finishing the race in the bunch sprint. All first-year juniors, Addyson Albershardt (Matthews, N.C./FLYING PIGS) and Alexis Ryan (Ventura, Calif./Team TIBCO II) finished 41st and 43rd in the uphill sprint to the finish. More >

Phil Keoghan's NOW and Novartis Team Rides in So Cal for MS
9/22/11 - Just off winning an 8th statue at the 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Phil Keoghan, host and producer of CBS's The Amazing Race, will ride in the upcoming Bike MS Coastal Challenge in Ventura October 1 - 2. Phil will join elite cyclists Erika Graves and Julie Guthrie of NOW and Novartis for MS, the women's pro cycling team Phil launched back in May. In addition to racing the national circuit, NOW and Novartis for MS athletes take part in Bike MS rides across the country riding tandem bicycles with honorary teammates, people living with MS. Erika and Julie both will pilot tandem bikes. More >

Phil Keoghan and members of the Now and Novartis Team will ride
in the upcoming Bike MS Coastal Challenge in Ventura October 1 - 2.

Martin Dominates World Time Trial Championships, Americans Top 20
9/21/11 - The UCI Road World Championships continued with the elite men’s time trial where first year pros Taylor Phinney (Boulder, CO/BMC Racing) and Andrew Talansky (Napa, CA/Garmin-Cervelo) posted the 15th and 16th fastest times for the U.S. squad.
 
The time trial was dominated by British rider Tony Martin, who clocked a time of 0:53:43.85 over the 46.4 kilometers to win his very first rainbow jersey. Grabbing the silver and bronze medals were Bradley Wiggins (GBR) and Fabian Cancellara (SWI). "The course was pretty flat," said Martin, "I normally would prefer a few climbs, but I was able to find a good rhythm and really push myself at every opportunity to accelerate. It was cloudy, looking like it could rain at any moment, but we were lucky the road stayed dry and I could hit the corners faster. I was able to catch up to David Millar (GB) which was motivating, but my morale going into the race today was quite high. I felt great from the start."

Phinney, who won the U23 men’s time trial at last year’s world championships, completed the time test three minutes and 52 seconds off of Martin’s winning pace while Talansky finished three minutes and 57 seconds behind the gold medal.  
 
Action will resume in Denmark on Friday as the road race portion of the competition gets underway with the men’s and women’s junior road races. The U.S. team has added John Murphy (Athens, GA/BMC Racing) to its roster for Sunday’s elite men’s road race and Amanda Miller (Fort Collins, CO/HTC-Highroad) for Saturday’s elite women’s event.

Tony Martin (GER) pulled on the rainbow jersey after winning the World Time Trial Champioships.
Bradley Wiggins (GBR) took the silver, followed by Fabian Cancellara (SWI) with the bronze.
Photo © CJFoto.com

Arndt Wins World Time Trial Championships, Neben Finishes Top 10
9/20/11 - Amber Neben (Irvine, CA/HTC-Highroad) finished 8th at UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen. Mid-way through the elite women’s time trial the rains began to fall on the 13.9-kilometer circuit in downtown Copenhagen. Out of the gate in the last third of the 51-rider field, the two Americans experienced the brunt of Mother Nature’s force; leaving them to contend with slick corners and cobblestones. The third from final rider out of the start gate, 2008 time trial world champion Neben was amongst the heavy hitters at the climax of the elite women’s event. Neben put together a consistent ride amidst tough conditions and finished in 38:48.47, just 41 seconds off the winner for eighth.
 
“The weather was unpredictable, but honestly if you look at the podium, the people who were on the podium were in the same conditions,” said Neben who just last week finished second to Arndt in Chrono Champenoi, a major French time trial. “Mentally I stayed focused and did a good job of putting it all out there today, but I’m disappointed because I know I’m capable of a medal.”
 
Two-time time trial national champion Evelyn Stevens (New York, N.Y./HTC-Highroad) finished 15th. Several strong performances amongst the final riders knocked a pair of Canadians just off the podium. Germany’s Judith Arndt, the race’s penultimate starter, turned in a 37:07.38 to earn the world title ahead of Linda Melanie Villumsen (NZL) and Emma Pooley (GBR), the day’s final racer.

Coryn Rivera and Iggy Silva Earn Titles at Collegiate Track National Championships
9/20/11 - Coryn Rivera and Iggy Silva earned titles at the the 2011 USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships at the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, Indiana.
 
Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./Marian University) – who won her first collegiate Stars-and-Stripes jersey to go along with her 33 other national cycling titles – said her early start time certainly helped her win the individual pursuit with a time of 4:02.623.  “I definitely struck gold, going when I did,” Rivera said. “It was still early in the morning and the wind hadn’t picked up yet. Times kept getting slower and slower as the day went on.”Coryn Rivera (Tustn, Calif., Marian University) also won the stars and stripes jersey at this year’s meet, winning the women’s sprint race, women’s individual omnium, team sprint, team pursuit and women’s points race.
 
Iggy Silva (San Diego, CA/Lees-McRae College) won the Men’s 60-kilometer Points Race. Bridging up to a four-man breakaway with eventual fifth-place rider David Novak (Tunkhannock, Penn./ Lindsey Wilson College), Silva was able to stay away long enough to lap the field and capture the bulk of his 43 points. But heading into the final sprint, he was down three points to eventual second-place finisher Goodrich, who had 41 points. “With four laps to go, I let (teammate Zachary Felpel) know I was behind him,” Silva said. “With about a lap and a half left, I yelled at him to go, and before we knew it, we had a quarter of a lap on the field. It was smooth sailing from there.”

The Clif Bar booth at Interbike had a cool image of Mark Shimahara from
the Dana Point Grand Prix of Cycling that incorporated Clif Shot Bloks.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Mann and Taberlay Take Cross Wins at DTLA Historic Cyclo-Fest
9/19/11 - SoCalCross eased into the season with the “Tour de Arroyo II,” a showcase of the California Cycle-ways route from Pasadena to Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA). The Prestige Series Presented by SPY Optics broke ground, as well, with the “DTLA Historic CX,” a cyclo-fest at Los Angeles Historic State Park, a course uniquely positioned against a backdrop of Downtown Los Angeles and its transportation corridor. More >

Mata and Kady Earn Titles at Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships
9/18/11– It was a day for the locals as Bend residents took Stars-and-Stripes jerseys in five of the 14 categories at the 2011 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships. This included the men’s pro race, where Adam Craig (Bend, OR/ Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team) edged another Bend resident, Carl Decker (Bend, OR/Giant Factory Off-Road Team), by just 12 seconds. It was a different story in the women’s pro race as Pua Mata (Anaheim, CA/Team Sho-Air) rode away from the field to win by more than four minutes. Craig and Decker rode together for the majority of the race, widening a gap from the rest of the field that ended up being more than 10 minutes at the finish line. More >

Neben Wins Appeal to replace Armstrong in World Championship Time Trial
9/17/11 - After USA Cycling announced its team selection on September 2, 2011 for the Road World Championships in Copenhagen, an appeal was filed  by Irvine's Amber Neben concerning the selection for the women’s individual time trial. Following consideration of the protest USA Cycling's Selection Committee reconvened and, after further review, named Amber Neben as the discretionary nominee to compete in the women's time trial alongside Evelyn Stevens, an earlier announced automatic qualifier based on her time trial win at the national championships. Neben will fill the spot originally awarded to Kristin Armstrong.  

Armstrong learned of the change in selection from a text from her husband after landing in Denmark. She was also slated to ride in the road race, but that is unlikely as she flew home within three hours of her arrival to Denmark.

Armstrong, who retired after the 2009 World Championships to have a baby, returned to racing in 2011 with the goal of making the Olympic Team in 2012. Armstrong won the World Time Trial Championships in 2006 and 2009, in addition to winning an Olympic Gold Medal in 2008. This year, Armstrong competed in a domestic schedule placing 1:17 and third behind Neben’s second place at the US National Time Trial Championships. Neben, the 2008 World Time Trial Champion, placed second last week at the Chrono Champenois against a strong international field.

A lucky fan got Amgen Tour of California winner Chris Horner's autograph at Interbike.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Car Drives Through Rock N' Road Cyclery, Narrowly Misses Customers
9/16/11 - In a bizarre set of circumstances, an 85 year old woman plowed through the newly remodeled Rock N' Road Cyclery in Mission Viejo after stepping on the gas pedal instead of the brake on Tuesday. The driver was attempting to park in a handicapped space in front of the store. The video below shows two customers that were grazed as the car sped by at 30 to 40 mph, while a second video shows an employee narrowly escaping the oncoming car. We are thankful everyone at Rock N' Road Cyclery is safe after what could have been a very tragic accident and are glad they were able to reopen for business already!

Holcomb Signs With Team Colavita for 2012
9/15/11 - San Diego's Janel Holcomb, the top-ranked women’s cyclist in the US, has signed with Team Colavita for a second season.  Directeur Sportif Rachel Heal said, “We are thrilled that NRC winner Janel Holcomb will be racing in Colavita colors in 2012. This year, Janel proved she has the speed, strength, and smarts to win stage races throughout the US. We look forward to continued success next year.”

This season, Holcomb won three of the major US stage races, including New Mexico’s Joe Martin Stage Race, the Tour de Toona, and the BMC Cascade Cycling Classic.  Holcomb, who started racing competitively after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in Chemical Engineering, also captured four individual stage wins and numerous podium finishes.

Team Colavita had more than 40 victories in one-day and stage races in 2011 and for the second consecutive year finished #1 in USA Cycling’s ranking of women’s cycling teams. Additional signings for the 2012 season will be announced in the next few weeks.

Tour de France winner Cadel Evan's yellow BMC teammachine SLR01 is on display at Interbike.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

Wonderful Pistachios Team Expands Program in 2012
9/13/11 - The Wonderful® Pistachios Pro Cycling Team is adding three new sponsors for 2012, providing for a larger roster, an increased race schedule. Besides adding Paramount Farms' divisions Wonderful Almonds, Almond Accents and Everybody’s Nuts as sponsors, the second-year U.S. continental team will work directly with Paramount Farms' European division, which is based in Belgium. It is headed up by former marketing vice president Dominic Engels, who initiated the team’s sponsorship. Engels is now the managing director of Roll Global LLC, parent company of Wonderful Pistachios and the newly-added sponsors. More >

Cyclists and Volunteers Needed for Bike MS: Coastal Challenge
9/12/11 - The Southern California & Nevada Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society will hold its annual Bike MS: Coastal Challenge in Ventura on October 1 & 2, 2011. More than 1,000 cyclists are expected to come out and help raise the goal of $1.1 million. Funds raised will support direct services for the more than 19,000 Southern and Central Californians and Nevadans living with MS and their families and MS research worldwide to find a cure for this chronic disease of the central nervous system. The Bike MS: Coastal Challenge is Southern California’s premier cycling event and will have route options for every level of cyclist — from 30 miles on one day up to 160 miles over two days. The new routes provide sweeping ocean vistas as well as some physical challenges. All cyclists will enjoy delicious meals and solid support, with rest stops every 15 miles and SAG vehicles along the route. A fantastic circus-themed festival awaits riders on Saturday afternoon with great food, music, a beer garden, massage tent and fun activities. Most importantly, participants will not only get an unforgettable weekend, but a chance to make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Monies raised support education, advocacy, research and local programs that enhance the quality of life for people with MS and their families. More info >

Phil Keoghan leads the Bike MS: Coastal Challenge ride through Ventura.
photo © Brian Hodes / VeloImages

Cavendish Earns Landmark 500th Win for Team HTC-Highroad
9/11/11 -  Team HTC-Highroad took it's five hundredth win since 2008 when Mark Cavendish dominated the sprint finish of the opening stage of the Tour of Britain on Sunday, after a flawless leadout from team mate Mark Renshaw. The one hundred and seventy kilometers from Peebles to Dumfries was slower than than anticipated due to weather conditions, but the team endured to put Cavendish ahead for the win in his home country.  "The whole team is very motivated for this race," said sport director, Allan Peiper, "Mark in particular riding in Britain. It was a really wet stage. Rain going through the hills past Peebles punished us all the way to the finish, just inside the Scottish border. Two riders took of at the beginning and kept a gap with a maximum of four and a half minutes for almost the whole stage  Our boys controlled the front and worked with Team Sky to reel in the break, which they did at about fifteen kilometers to go.  On the last corner, Renshaw let two RaboBank riders go ahead- they were going into it really fast and the wind was really strong, so he played it safe thinking they'd crash." Peiper continued, "When they made it out ok, Renshaw pulled them in and sent Cavendish across the line ahead of him. Bak, Eisel and all the guys did a great job keeping Renshaw and Cav up front for the whole stage, it was a very impressive ride." The weather coming in for stage two on Monday is predicted to be far worse. The profile itself is "...not too hard," said Peiper, "But assuming it's safe enough to ride at all, there will most likely be a strong side wind on the coast toward the end.  On a good day we can control the peloton, but never the weather.  It's fantastic to have taken the five hundredth win today with such a performance, we are all very proud.

Interbike Tour de Lake Mead Has New Start Due to Roadwork
9/10/11- On September 13th, riders on Interbike's annual Tour de Lake Mead event will ride a slightly different route this year, which uses part of the new River Mountain Loop Trail.  The usual ride route along Highway 93 is unavailable due to unexpected road construction, but the newly built 12-foot-wide trail will provide a scenic - and traffic-free - alternative to Lake Mead. The ride will leave at 8 a.m. sharp from the downhill shuttle pickup area, which is just up the paved trail from the center of the OutDoor Demo expo area in Bootleg Canyon. Free shuttles from the Sands Expo to the Demo area start at 6:30 a.m. Prior to the ride in the start area a light breakfast will be provided by Bike MS. The Tour de Lake Mead is one of the rides in the Strava OutDoor Demo Challenge, which OutDoor Demo attendees who download and use Strava on their iPhone, Android phone, or track their activity using a Garmin device, will be able to upload their rides to Strava.com throughout the event, see where they stack up and compete against their industry counterparts to earn prizes, furnished by Strava. To find out how to participate in the Strava Outdoor Demo Challenge. The 24-mile out-and-back ride takes participants through the Lake Mead National Recreation Area outside of Boulder City, Nevada and back to the OutDoor Demo.

Interbike kicks off with the Outdoor Demo on Monday.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

SoCalCycling.com Team rider, Raul Frias-Estrada, wears the stylish Rudy Project Sterling helmet.
Read Product Review on the Sterling >

San Diego’s Janel Holcomb Wins Women’s NRC Title
9/7/11 - Despite being overseas racing the Holland Ladies Tour with USA Cycling's National Development Program, Janel Holcomb (San Diego, CA/Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) has clinched the women's individual title on the 2011 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC). With only one women's race remaining on the women's NRC, Janel Holcomb (San Diego, CA/Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) has locked in the 2011 title. One of three Colavita-Forno d'Asolo riders atop women's individual NRC standings, Holcomb officially moved into the NRC lead following the Cascade Classic on July 26 and never looked back. Holcomb's teammate, Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Cedar Springs, Mich.) made a late-season surge up the standings and now sits in third. Canadian Leah Kirchmann (CAN/Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) holds second, a solid 235 points behind Holcomb, but only 28 points ahead of Cliff-Ryan. Erinne Willock (CAN/Team TIBCO to the Top) is just 16 points behind Cliff-Ryan in fourth place while Amber Neben (Lake Forest, CA/HTC-Highroad), who was recently selected to compete in the Denmark at the World Championships, is currently in fifth place.  The top spot of the women's team NRC standings has already been decided for Colavita-Forno d'Asolo. TIBCO to the Top has a firm grip on second place, holding a 1,463-point lead on HTC-Highroad Women. Diadora Pasta Zara sits in fourth place with 531 points, which is 70 points better than Primal-MapMyRide.

SoCal Masters Wrap Up National Championships with More Titles
9/6/11 - The 2011 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships completed on Sunday with nearly 500 riders contesting the second day of road races at Summit High School. Eight national championship jerseys were awarded to men 30-59 and women 30-39 in the road race. Nicholas Brandt-Sorenson (Los Angeles, Calif./Team Velosport Club-Sho-air-Rock ‘n Road), who placed fourth in Friday’s criterium, added a gold medal to his bounty from the week as the winner of the men’s 30-34 road race. More >

Leopard-Trek Merges with Team RadioShack
9/5/11 - The rumors have been swirling around the last few weeks about a possible merger between Team RadioShack and Leopard-Trek, and today Leopard announced that RadioShack and Nissan are joining the Leopard-Trek World Tour Team as sponsors for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Leopard will continue to hold its existing UCI World Tour License. The team will be rebranded as RadioShack-Nissan- Trek Professional Cycling Team as of next year. More >

Team RadioShack and Leopard-Trek amass the front of the peloton as they climbed GMR
in the Amgen Tour of California. The two teams will merge in 2012.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

(l-rt) Travis Wilkerson (Surf City/Skull Candy), John Rondash (Team Helens),
Tommy Robles (ShoAir/Rock-n-Road), Sergio Hernandez (Jelly Belly Pro Cycling)
finished strong at the challenging Leadville Trail 100 and earned the coveted buckle.
Read Race Report >

Meeker and Marcotte Earn Masters Criterium Titles, Time Trial and Crit Results
9/3/11 - 2011 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships   shifted to downtown Bend for the second day of criterium racing where eight national titles were awarded in front of a festive crowd on a warm Friday.  Over 450 riders contested the 1.2-kilometer, four-corner course through downtown Bend. The men’s 55-59 criterium featured a rarity as a two-rider breakaway got away early in the race and stuck throughout. William Watkins (Lawrenceville, Ga./U.S. Military Academy-Team Army) and Malcolm Hill (Corona Del Mar, Calif./Breakaway-UBS Elite Masters) built a lead of 24 seconds seconds with 17 laps remaining in the 40-kilometer race. More >

Claremont Mayor Sam Pedroza Injured in Bicycling Accident
9/2/11 - Claremont Mayor Sam Pedroza was involved in a serious bicycling accident Tuesday night and was airlifted to county USC Medical Center where he remains in stable condition. Pedroza was thrown from his bike after crashing into a parked utility truck on Arrow Highway while riding to the Claremont Club at 8:30 pm. The Mayor's head hit the back of the truck's bed. Pedroza sustained injuries including a fractured nose, a laceration across his nose and cheek, small fracture of the C4 vertebrae in his neck as well as sutures to his tongue after biting it. Mayor Pedroza was a big supporter of Claremont being a host city of the Amgen Tour of California's Claremont to Mt. Baldy Stage and participated in the challenging L'tape du California in May. Claremont has recently become a bike friendly city by adding sharrows, a Bikestation at the Claremont Depot, as well as a Bike Priority Zone. SoCalCycling.com, which is located in Claremont, wishes Mayor Pedroza a fast recovery and hopes to see him back on the bike very soon.

Claremont Mayor Sam Pedroza (right) who recently rode the challenging
L'tape du California sustained serious injuries in a cycling accident on August 30th.
photo © SoCalCycling.com

SoCal Riders Earn Masters Road National Championships Time Trial Titles
9/1/11 - The 2011 USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships  started with the time trial on a brisk, windy but sunny Wednesday morning at Summit High School in Bend, Ore. In all, 32 national titles were awarded in the race against the clock, including the following riders from SoCal: Men 60-64 Kenny Fuller (Corona Del Mar, CA/Cycles Veloce/Team Simple Green/Bike Religion), Women 50-54 Ruth Clemence (Newport Beach, CA/SC VELO/Empower Coaching), Women 60-64 Laura Lindgren (Long Beach, CA/La Habra Cyclery/Chronic Tacos Cycling), Men - Tandem - Elite Scott Raymond (Cypress, CA/BGM Sports/Schroeder Iron Masters) and Frank Schroeder (Fontana, CA/BGM Sports/Schroeder Iron Masters). More >