Saturday, August 15, 2009

Nicoletti, Wilcoxon take OBRA crit championships on exciting Albany course


PHOTO: Senior Women's winner Jade Wilcoxon (left, in red) kicks for the line Sunday in Albany.

ALBANY -- Gentle Lovers' workhorse Sam Nicoletti scored his first Senior Men's win in fashion Saturday by taking the OBRA Criterium Championship on a fast six-corner course in Albany.

Jade Wilcoxon (Flywheel Bicycle Solutions) took the Senior Women's title earlier in the day in front of fast-charging field, with Pamela Archer (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) second and Tina Brubaker (Veloforma) in third.

Wilcoxon rode safely in the group, chasing down attacks and joining others briefly off the front before things came back together as the finale approached. The powerful sprinter bolted into final corner and onto the long finishing straight, where she was immediately challenged by Archer and Brubaker. But the challengers couldn't close down the gap opened up by the Flywheel rider's initial burst.

Attacks early and often typified the Senior Men's race. Favorites Steven Beardsley, who was leading a contingent of five Gentle Lovers riders, and Chris Hamilton (Rapha Racing) tried reapeatedly to make something happen, while riders from well-represented teams such as HPChiro, Team Oregon, and Therapeutic Associates joined the action upfront.

With the big guns watching each other and covering most of the moves, a group of four darkhorses -- soon whittled to just three -- rolled off the front and dangled just out of reach of the bunch.

"I don't think a lot of people see me as much of a threat," said Nicoletti, who atatcked with 10 to go and was soon joined by HPChiro's Jason Riffle, unattached rider Sean Passage and Therapeutic Associates' Tim Jones.

While the leaders shed Riffle after a lap prime, the peloton didn't seem to be pressing the chase.

"Before today my best place was 14th," Nicoletti said. "So I don't think anybody was too hot to chase me."

In fact, the chasers behind were left in a typical conundrum. If they chased too hard, they'd be towing Nicolettti's teammate and pre-race favorite Beardsley to the finish line.

"I didn't think we were rolling too fast," Nicoletti said. "So the guys behind must have been really sticking to everybody else. With two to go I knew they weren't going to make the rest of it up. We were just dangling off the front, and I saw (Gentle Lovers') pink on the front behind us, so..."

With Passage taking a monster pull on the last lap to keep the breakaway in front of the quickly closing field, Nicoletti sat in and prepared his sprint, where he jumped out of the last corner into the closing straight.

"I can usually get out of my saddle and sprint a little bit," he said. "Enough today."


PHOTO: Masters men 50-59 winner Dickie Mallison on the podium with second-place finisher Michael Manning.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
OBRA Criterium Championships
Aug. 15, Albany, Oregon

JUNIORS
Jr. Women
1. Fiona Graham (Specialized/River City Bicycles)
2. Hannah McDade (Beaverton Bicycle Club)
3. Audrey Green
Men 15-16
1. Joe Prettyman (Beaverton Bicycle Club)
2. Austin Boswell (Lowes Cycling Team)
3. Colby Wait-Molyneux (North River Racing)
Men 17-18
1. Phelan Kostur (Fred Meyer/Lakseside Cycling Team)
2. Zach Bowden (Fred Meyer/Lakseside Cycling Team)
3. Stephen Jones (Land Shark)


PHOTO: Tina Brubaker (Veloforma) navigates a corner in the Senior Woman's race.

WOMEN
Cat 4
1. Kalli Phillips (Poplollies)
2. Amanda Atwill (Bend Bike 'n' Sport)
3. Alice Chang (Hammer Velo)
Masters 30-39
1. Jill Howe (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
2. Lisa Turnbull (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
3. Tessa Sugahara Team group Health)
Masters 40-49
1. Jan Moss (Team Group Health)
2. Betty Tucker (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
3. Meg Mautner (Bike Central)
Masters 50+
1. Cary Fisher (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
2. Melissa Boyd (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
3. Flo Liebowitz (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
Senior Women
1. Jade Wilcoxon (Flywheel Bicycle Solutions)
2. Pamela Archer (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
3. Tina Brubaker (Veloforma)


PHOTO: CAPA Cycling Team's Joe Dengel (left) beats Word-RCB's Alex Lightman to the line in the Men's Cat 3 race Sunday.

MEN
Cat 4
1. Geoffrey Green (Capitol Velo)
2. Erik Mills
3. Rob Angelo (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
Cat 3
1. Joe Dengel (CAPA Cycling Team)
2. Alex Lightman (Word-RCB)
3. TJ Paskewich (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
Masters 30-39
1. Donald Reeb
2. Chris Hamilton (Rapha Racing)
3. Mark Hibbard
Masters 40-49
1. Eric Martin (WebCyclery.com)
2. Mark Steger (NIKE)
3. Todd Fawcett
Masters 50-59
1. Dickie Mallison (Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop)
2. Michael Manning (Three Rivers Racing)
3. Ivan Meadors (Finnegan's Toys/Discover Chiropractic)
Masters 60+
1. Ron Magnus
2. John Forbes (Fred Meyer/Lakseside Cycling Team)
3. Don Hanson (ZteaM)
Senior Men
1. Samuel Nicoletti (Gentle Lovers)
2. Sean Passage
3. Tim Jones (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)

Friday, August 14, 2009

Cascade winner Stevens keeps it going in France


PHOTO: Evelyn Stevens on the way to winning Stage Two of the Cascade Cycling Classic last month in Bend.

2009 Cascade Cycling Classic women's winner Evelyn Stevens, a racer whose meteoric climb to the top of the domestic podium started at her first bike race less than a year ago, took her hot streak to France and added another win to her palmares.

Stevens won stage four of La Route de France on Thursday. Riding for the USA Cycling Women’s National Team, Stevens used her finishing kick to sprint ahead of fellow American Kim Anderson and moved to second place in the general classification.

VeloNews.com has the complete story HERE.

USGP of Cyclocross expands series categories, registration opens today



The 2009 U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross opened registration today for all four weekends of racing.

The eight race series is comprised of the Planet Bike Cup in Madison, WI, on Sept. 26 and 27; The Derby City Cup in Louisville, KY, Oct. 24 and 25; The Mercer Cup presented by Knapp's Cyclery in Mercer County, NJ, Nov. 14 and 15; and The Stanley Portland Cup in Portland Dec. 5 and 6.

New for 2009, each Saturday of the USGP weekend has received a UCI C1 designation, and each Sunday will be C2. Of the six UCI races currently on the U.S. calendar, four are USGP races.

Also new for 2009, the USGP has expanded the categories that will be included in the overall series scoring. Overall series competitions will now include Masters Men 35+, Masters Men 45+, Elite Men, U23 Men, Elite Women and Junior Men 17/18.

Register online for the USGP Portland Cup HERE.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Collura , Reeve close out Hillsboro Mid Summer Criterium Series with victories

RESULTS
Mid Summer Criterium Series
Hillsboro, August 12


Women Cat 4
1. Levo, Jenn (Bridgetown Velo) 20
2. Arendt, Casey (Bridgetown Velo) 15
3. Cveras, Lynne (Sorella Forte) 12
Master Women
1. Moss, Jan (Team Group Health) 20
2. Parker, Rachael (Olson's Hammer) 15
Senior Women
1. Reeve, Lisa 20
2. Miles, Karey (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) 15
3. Chase, Stephanie (Veloforma) 12
Men Cat 4/5
1. Case, Steven 20
2. Cronrath, Raleigh (Finnegans Toys/Discover Chiropractic) 15
3. Emerson, Mike (Capitol Velo) 12
Master Men 1/2/3
1. Benno, Michael (Veloce/Felt) 20
2. Bannink, Jeff (Team Type 1) 15
3. Quirk, Dan (Veloce/Felt) 12
Men Cat 1/2/3
1. Collura, Sal (VELO Television) 20
2. Beardsley, Steven (Gentle Lovers) 15
3. Swan Chris, (Team Oregon) 12

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Arguello wins wet PIR Tuesday race

RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Race Series
August 11

Cat 4/5
1. Gervasi, Cody 15
2. Roberts, Justin 12
3. Ward, Christopher 10
4. Pugh, Lance (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 9
5. Borum, Jason 8
Cat 3/4
1. Harwood, Jeff (Ironclad Performance Wear) 18
2. Spahr, Trevor (Ironclad Performance Wear) 18
3. McCasker, David 15
4. Fitzgerald, Stephen (Liberty Cycle) 12
5. Haro, Jose 10
Men 1/2/3
1. Arguello, Austin (Hammer/CMG Racing Team) 21
2. Liberles, Joshua (Ten Speed Drive Racing) 18
3. Martin, Joe 16
4. Hemming, David Rapha Racing 15
5. Hamilton, Chris 13

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Tresser, Reeve win at PIR Monday night

RESULTS
River City Bicycles Monday Night Race Series
PIR, August 10

Novice Women
1. Lewis, Leigh 15
2. Chinburg, Megan (Portland Velo) 12
3. Medellin, Allison 10
4. McCasker, Cindy (Portland Velo) 8
5. Grimm, Lauren 7
Novice Men
1. Pickel, Sean 15
2. Bauch, Todd 13
3. Nelson, Jonathan 13
4. Murphy, Douglas 8
5. Bohaboy, Spencer (Showers Pass) 8
Masters 4/5
1. Berndardt Eric 20
2. Hudson Greg Ironclad Performance Wear 17
3. Otto Jeffery Portland Velo 10
4. Anderson Eric Pacific Power Blue Sky 8
5. Lemoine Emile Tireless Velo 7
Masters 1/2/3
1. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 16
2. Zale, William 12
3. Denham, Mitch (NoMad Sports Club) 10
4. Creem, Joshua (Portland Bicycle Studio) 9
5. Quirk, Dan (Veloce/Felt) 9
Senior Women
1. Reeve, Lisa 17
2. Simmons, Mindy (Hammer Velo) 12
3. Moss, Jan (Team Group Health) 10
4. Larson, Elena (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) 11
5. Hahn, Renata (Team Rose City) 7

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Performance! Local You Tube video gaining traction on Internet

OBRA racers Robin Moore and Jake Salcone poke fun at themselves, fix-gear hipsters and cycling fashion in this rap video that's quickly making the rounds on the Internet. If you haven't already, check it out.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Swan wins men's Gresham Criterium Sunday; Reeve takes women's race


PHOTO: Chris Swan, Omer Kem and Chris Hamilton formed the day's winning break.

GRESHAM -- Two days after being forced to the curb on the last corner of the last lap and crashing out of the lead group at the Portland Twilight Criterium, Team Oregon's Chris Swan got some revenge Sunday in Gresham.

In a race characterized by constant attacking from the first corner, Swan joined Rapha Racing's Chris Hamilton and Bissell's Omer Kem in the day's winning move and easily crossed the line ahead of his two breakaway companions.

Steven Beardsley (Gentle Lovers), third at the Twilight Criterium, was active in breakaways and chasing down other escapees, but his early efforts may have zapped his finishing kick as the sprint specialist had to settle for eighth.

Hammer/CMG's Marcel de Lisser and Austin Arguello, winnner of the Cat 2 Awbrey Butte stage of the Cascade Stage Race in Bend, were also active early in the race but missed the winning move and were stuck in a group that lacked the horsepower to pull back the leaders, who were working so well together they agreed to split primes rather than contest them and interrupt their cooperation.

That cooperation led to a one-in-three chance for each, with Swan kicking past Hamilton, and Kem coasting across the line a handful of seconds later. Team Type 1's Jeff Bannink soloed away from the group int he closing laps for fourth. Aaron Johnson (Hagens-Berman) won the field sprint for fifth.

Relative newcomer Lisa Reeve won the Senior Women's race ahead of Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8 riders Pam Archer and Karey Miles. Jacqueline Cohen (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) was fourth, with Jan Moss (Team Group Health) in fifth.



UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Gresham Criterium
Sunday, Aug. 9

Fat Tire
1. Strasser, Ron (Team S&M)
2. Skerritt, Shannon (Vanilla Bicycles)
Jr 10-13
1. Mcdade, Hannah (Beaverton Bicycle Club)
2. Webb, Emerson (Beaverton Bicycle Club)
Jr 14-17
1. Wait-Molyneux, Colby (North River Racing)
2. Bowden, Zach (Fred Meyer/Lakeside)
3. Roberts, Justin
Men Cat 5
1. Scholl, Brian (Life Cycle Bike Shop)
2. Johnson, Shane (Trinity Bikes)
3. Clemens, Alexander (Cyclepath)
Men Cat 4
1. Garbellano, Jeremy (Life Cycle Bike Shop)
2. Ballantine, Jeff (Portland Velo)
3. Carder, George (Team Beer)
Men Cat 3
1. Spahr, Trevor (Ironclad Performance Wear)
2. Word, Randy (Word-RCB)
3. Reinhart, Eric (bicycleattorney.com)
Masters 35+ 4/5
1. Green, Geoffrey (Capitol Velo)
2. Scholl, Brian (Life Cycle Bike Shop)
3. Duke, James (Wheelworks)
Masters 35+ 1/2/3
1. Steger, Mark (Nike)
2. Stallings, Derek (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
3. Schwaeber, Steve (Veloce/Felt)
Women Cat 4
1. Osborn, Maire (Life Cycle Bike Shop)
2. Chang, Alice (Hammer Velo)
3. Krill, Deann (Ironclad Performance Wear)
Senior Women
1. Reeve, Lisa
2. Archer, Pamela (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
3. Miles, Karey (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
4. Cohen, Jacqueline (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
5. Moss, Jan (Team Group Health)
Senior Men
1. Swan, Chris (Team Oregon)
2. Hamilton, Chris (Rapha Racing)
3. Kem, Omer (Bissell Pro Cycling Team)
4. Bannink, Jeff (Team Type 1)
5. Johnson, Aaron (Hagens-Berman LLP Cycling)



Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Cycling Tweets of the week

"Was looking at the start list at Tour de L'Ain. There is a kid here born in 1990. I did my first race in 1985 ... ... All you master racers, burn a candle for me, maybe two just in case." @hornerakg (Chris Horner, Aug. 10).

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Rathe finishes 17th; top American at junior worlds


PHOTO: Rathe and his CMG teammates take the final Banana Belt in front of the Senior Men's field.

Veteran Oregon Category 1 & 2 riders who've had to get used to finishing behind 17- and 18-year-old competitors can take notice that one of the juniors they've been competing against is also among the 20 best young road racers on the planet.

Oregon junior Jacob Rathe (Hammer/CMG Racing) finished 17th Sunday at the UCI Junior Men's World Championship Road Race Sunday in Moscow on a tough former Olympics course that saw 60 of the 154 starters abandon.

The race was animated early with groups forming that contained most of the strong teams. USA rider Nathan Brown (Hot Tubes) made a 10-rider breakaway that stayed away for quite awhile and built a lead of nearly a minute before the bunch reeled them in with 16 km to go.

Another group of 11, this time absent any USA riders, got away with about 5km to go and finished 24 seconds ahead of the field. Rathe used his powerful finishing kick to grab 6th in the field sprint for 17th overall. Bend's Ian Boswell (Hot Tubes) crossed the line in 68th, 4:45 down.

RESULTS

UCI Junior Men's World Championship Road Race
Aug. 9, Moscow, Russia

1. STUYVEN, Jasper BEL 3:25:28 39.422
2. DEMARE, Arnaud FRA " "
3. HALLER, Marco AUT " "
4. GUILLEMOIS, Romain FRA " "
5. FREITAS, Daniel Alexnadre POR " "
6. DE BIE, Sean BEL " "
7. MCCARTHY, Jay AUS " "
8. LUDVIGSSON, Tobias SWE " "
9. SVESHNIKOV, Kirill RUS " "
10. WACKERMANN, Luca ITA 3:25:33 + 5
USA
17. RATHE, Jacob USA 3:25:52 + 24
39. EASTMAN, Ryan USA " "
68. BOSWELL, Ian USA 3:30:13 + 4:45
74. CRADDOCK, Lawson USA 3:33:07 + 7:39
DNF BROWN, Nathan USA
DNF MANNION, Gavin USA

154 starters
94 finishers
60 DNF


Complete UCI results are HERE.