GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll

Sonja Evers joins C3-Sollay.com, Swaps one Black and Blue Kit for another

2008 may well be remembered as the Year of the Mid-Atlantic Women's Elite Teams. The latest squad to squad to add some serious horsepower to its ranks is the C3-Sollay.com Women's Elite Team, or The Chicks in Black. Today the team announces its newest roster addition Sonja Evers, who swaps her blue and black Vanderkitten kit for the C3-Sollay.com black and blue. It would be too easy to make the obvious joke about Sonja's old cycling shoes matching her new kit, so of course I won't.

A former professional MTB racer, Sonja has been road racing fewer than 3 years and has already accumulated an impressive palmares which is a testament to her versatility: top 5s in the Women's Elite races at Strasburg and Jefferson Cup this season, a win in 2007 in the Highway to Heaven Hill Climb, 2nd place at the Boonsboro TT, and total dominance of the Women's Cat 3 field at 'Toona last year as well, with wins in the crit, RR and the overall.

Sonja's signing comes hot on the heels of another C3-Sollay addition. Earlier this week Christina Briseno made the move from Route 1 Velo. Should she ever decide to race as a Cat 4 man, it is speculated that Briseno might well return to the red swarm. Both Christina and Sonja make their Chicks in Black debut at the Fort Ritchie Criterium this weekend.

The C3-Sollay.com 2008 Chicks in Black:
Janet Olney  (cat 2)
Beth  Mason (cat 1)
Heidi von Teitenberg (cat 2)
Diane Grim (cat 2)
Lorraine Lipfert (cat 2)
Sonja Evers (cat 2)
Lisa Vible (cat 2)
Elizabeth Harlow (cat 3)
Christina Briseno (cat 3)

Pro Racers Deepen the Mid-Atlantic Talent Pool

If you thought there was enough Fast around here on race day already, think again. A pair of accomplished pros have joined local amateur squads.

Competing elite teams will be as deflated as local Cross fans are thrilled to learn that Jonathan Page is joining Battley Harley Davidson Elite Cycling for the 2008 summer campaign. Page indicates in his journal that he'll be starting with the team for CSC and racing with them through August. Page is a 3-time US National Cyclocross Champion (plus twice more as a U-23, and once again as a Junior), netted a 2nd at CX Natz last season, and was the 2006 World CX Championships silver medalist. Breathe your collective sighs of relief that he's not starting with Harley until after Poolesville. But lest you think Page's successes were confined to the mud, know also that he won Fitchburg-Longsjo in 2005. He raced on the road for Nature Valley in 2007 and for Colavita / Sutter Home in 2006.

Haymarket Bicycles has also been steadily growing their talent roster. Now racing with them is former pro Matt DeCanio, whose current fame stems less from his palmares than from his role as a doping whistle-blower. DeCanio's story is long and, well, storied. Perhaps the best narrative I've found on him is  this article from The Miami New Times, published in 2006. Whether you think you know his story or you've never heard it, the article is a worthwhile read. Matt declined to be interviewed for GamJams, though his website makes his point of view pretty clear, as does this article published originally in RaceListings.com, where he outlines how he believes the cycling establishment perpetuates doping in the sport.

Matt last raced in 2006 at the Tour of Shenandoah, and has joined Haymarket en route to what he hopes is a return to the pro ranks. His most successful season to date was when he raced for Prime Alliance in 2003, alongside teammate (wait for it) Jonathan Page. Also on the team was Jonathan Vaughters, an anti-doping crusader on a different road.

What will the presence of these cycling celebrities mean to local racing? Well for one, it's likely to get faster and even more competitive. And some of our local squads, racers and even races are also likely to gain some national visibility (which feeds the cycle - vicious or virtuous - of racers and races getting faster, and then better known as fast races, and then making racers faster, and on and on). It's going to be a wild ride for racers in the region, where every weekend (and even Tuesday Night Worlds, or Sunday morning group rides) becomes a training camp taught by pros with international accomplishments, and the teams that benefit directly from that experience.   If there were a way to say "a rising tide lifts all boats" without resorting to a cliche, I'd use it here. Speed, strategy, skill and an increasing level of expectation are all infectious. We're in for a Fast epidemic in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Richmond Pro Cycling: The Battley Harley of VA?

The top 2 podium spots in the elite race at the Tour de Beach over the weekend went to Richmond Pro Cycling teammates Gerarra Castro and Ryan Mele. For any team, that's not just a strong result - it's a dominant outing. But Richmond Pro wasn't done. Jeff Buckles snagged 4th for the squad, and Esteban Jukich was hot on his wheels for 5th. For good measure, teammate Craig Dodson rounded out the top 10.

The kicker? They're still honing their form. Says Craig Dodson, "Yeah, we're are pleased with the weekend, but our focus was just as prep work for Athens.  We haven't raced since Jefferson Cup a month ago, and our goal is on Athens, 2 speedweek races, and of course the Air Force Cycling Classic on May 4th."

Good luck in Athens, gents. Do us local folks proud.

Thanks to Tidewater Bicycle Racing Club and Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation for promoting the Tour de Beach. Here are complete results, very poorly formatted:

Haymarket Bicycles p/b Function Drinks announces 2008 Sponsors. GamJams is one of 'em.

It's easy to forget that Haymarket Bicycles just opened last season. In almost no time at all, they've immersed themselves pretty deeply into the regional racing scene, fielding a small but aggressive team and even producing a Cross race in year 1.

2008 brings some changes to Haymarket Bicycles, all of them good. In addition to a roster even deeper with talent, the team has landed a slate of new sponsors, including title benefactor Function Drinks. If you haven't yet seen Function Drinks, you will - they're a fortified water drink formulated for various, um, Functions. One is Shock Sports, created by smart people in lab coats to accelerate recovery after muscle-ripping efforts. Drop a few bottles in your reusable bag next time you're at Whole Foods or Target, where it's available. Or watch for the Function Folks at a race near you soon.

There are a bunch of other sponsors as well, but I'll let the press release below do the talking. Before that though, here's a couple thousand more words:

This is how the Marketing Department says it:

HAYMARKET, VA-  Haymarket Bicycles Racing is pleased to announce its slate of sponsors for the 2008 cycling season, including some of the top names in the industry, new names that are sure to generate a buzz, and local companies who share the community-minded focus of Haymarket Bicycles.

Function Drinks will serve as the team’s presenting sponsor, and both racers and Function representatives are excited about this new partnership.  Function Drinks brings cutting-edge science to a line of all-natural physician-developed beverages, formulated to address needs ranging from energy to recovery, immune system support to stress relief.  Company representatives plans to be in attendance at several major races this season, distributing samples and information about the products. 

Haymarket Physical Therapy & Chiropractic is another of the team’s major sponsors this year, and serves as a one-stop shop for wellness in Northern Virginia.  HPTC’s skilled staff offers leading-edge treatments in physical therapy, athletic training, and sports chiropractic medicine, ensuring lasting pain relief, and helping to prevent injury recurrence. 

Raleigh Bicycles is a name that’s been known in the industry for decades, and probably one many remember from childhood.  Raleigh is becoming an important player among competitive cyclists once again, and Haymarket Bicycles will be helping the company prove its new carbon frame this season, the same frame on which the Interbike Industry Cup was claimed for Raleigh this year.

GamJams.net has quickly established itself as the premiere source for cycling news and information in the Mid-Atlantic.  With a focus on fostering awareness of, and support for, the cycling community, GamJams.net continues to create valuable opportunities for racers at all levels, as well as for the organizations that support amateur racing.

Other Haymarket Bicycles sponsors include Tifosi Optics, makers of technologically-advanced eyewear for athletes, performance audio equipment manufacturer JBL, global commercial contractors DPR Construction, and the renowned health and fitness experts at World Gym. 

Other local sponsors include Northern Virginia’s paving experts, Superior Paving, and Tullio Engineering.

The team is run by Haymarket Bicycles owners Jared Nieters and Curtis Prosser.  Haymarket Bicycles is a community-owned, community-oriented bike shop in downtown Haymarket, dedicated to serving the needs of all cyclists—from recreational riders to expert racers.  For more information about the team or the shop, go to www.haymarketbicycles.com, or call (703) 754-1911.

HPC forms Elite Women's Team

Holy helmet head - we've got another elite women's team based locally. This one is fielded by HPC, with the support of a new title sponsor in Altarum, a nonprofit focused on research that improves health systems.

The team's roster is as follows:
Jenette Williams
Kristy Scheffenacker
Susan Hefler
Michele Bote
Lorena Candrian
Kate Flore
Jennifer Rasmusson

Here's the complete release:

HPC RACING ANNOUNCES 2008 WOMEN’S NATIONAL RACING TEAM AND TITLE SPONSOR ALTARUM

Look for Team HPC Powered by Altarum on the NRC circuit in 2008

Reston, VA (February 1, 2008) - Following three successful years racing at the regional level, Hefler Performance Coaching (HPC) has expanded its team to compete in a full National racing calendar (NRC) for 2008. HPC is proud to introduce Altarum Institute as a new title sponsor for the NRC team. Formerly known as the HPC/LIST Women’s Cycling Team, HPC has been successful at the regional level producing the Mid Atlantic Best All Around Rider for two of the past three seasons. “We are extremely grateful to Altarum for their belief in our team,” said Susan Hefler, Team Director. “Their support is making it possible for these very talented women to realize their full potential and race at the highest level of U.S. competition,” she added.

“We are really excited about the Altarum partnership with HPC and this group of extraordinary athletes,” said Linc Smith, Altarum’s President and Chief Executive Officer.  “We look forward to rooting them on thru the season, of course.  And we hope they will inspire others to become healthier and more physically active.  On top of that, we have found in this team a group of like-minded systems thinkers.  Bike racing is a great example of a system, with each player on the team interacting with others to achieve a defined result.  As a group of health systems researchers, all of us at Altarum thought the affiliation was just a natural fit.”

Altarum Institute (www.altarum.org) is a nonprofit health systems research institute. Altarum helps its clients research and apply health systems solutions to improve our nation’s health.

The 2008 National Racing Team includes: Jenette Williams, a fast finisher with numerous NRC podium placings; Kristy Scheffenacker, 3-time MABRA champion and former Colavita Bolla Professional Women’s Cycling Team member; Susan Hefler, Team Director and former Navigator’s and RONA Professional Women’s team member; Michele Bote, a savvy stage racer with over 15 years of racing experience; Lorena Candrian, a climbing dynamo and top finisher in NRC events; Kate Flore, a sprinter and promising all-around rider; and Jennifer Rasmusson, a power house and developing track talent. HPC encompasses both a national (NRC) team and a regional developmental team.  For a full roster of all the HPC Cycling Team riders and multisport athletes, visit www.hpcracing.com.

In addition to this new partnership for 2008, LIST Innovative Solutions continues to be the title sponsor for the HPC Women’s Regional Team, Men’s Mountain Bike Team, and multisport athletes.  LIST Innovative Solutions, a prime government contractor with 10+ years of Information Technology experience is based in Herndon, VA and owned by Katie Sleep. To learn more about LIST, visit their website at www.listinc.com.

HPC is grateful to the following product sponsors for their generous support:
Specialized Bicycles
Spokes Etc… Bicycle Shops
Tifosi Eyewear
Carb-BOOM!  Energy Gel
Accelerade Endurox R4 Partners
CeraSport Hydration
Sportlegs

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Clean Currents raids NCVC, Reducing BAR Champs to mere 400 Members (375 of whom are Juniors)

My favorite thing to do when early season race registrations open is have a cup of coffee and measure the circumference of my thighs. My second favorite thing is to look through the pre-reg lists to see who has switched teams in the off-season. There will be lots of news like this to report, but one thing I noticed right away in the Jeff Cup registrations is that Clean Currents pb Don Beyer Volvo has orchestrated a trade with NCVC, securing Alex Butterfield and Jason Meidhoff in exchange for 8-12 juniors yet to be born. We're all glad to see DC Velo ramping up in the elite categories and hope they can finally get competitive there.

I'm also seeing some sponsor changes, including Capitol Hill Bikes signing on with the Battley Harley crew, and Haymarket Bicycles landing Function Drinks as a title sponsor. All of which is to say that if you want some publicity on your 2008 Rider and Sponsor rosters, you should send the info to VeloNews, The Washington Post, and to me. Which of the three do you think is going to run it?