MORRISTOWN, N.J. - Holli Steelman, Laura McCaughey, and Rachel Warner of the JuicePlus+ team executed a perfect plan to score the team’s first National Racing Calendar victory this past weekend at the Wilmington Grand Prix. Racing atop Van Dessel’s Rivet, JuicePlus+ earned Van Dessel its second NRC win in the company’s relatively short existence.

“An NRC win is obviously great - It’s personally very satisfying,” said Edwin Bull, Van Dessel’s owner and president. “Sponsorship is one thing, but we do tend to take it personally. There’s more to it than just shipping some bikes and waiting for results to come in. JuicePlus+ is a great group of athletes that we knew would pull of some tremendous results. Having athletes like Kerry Barnholt for ‘cross and Juice Plus+ on the road to work with is fantastic. Having them like - and gush - over the bikes is even better! I guess I am living vicariously through the sponsored riders. Following the progress and seeing them succeed makes up for a lot of missed racing on my part.”

Witnessing last weekend’s win was to see the machinations of pro road racing at its finest. Warner attacked from the gun, went straight to the front where she drove a hard pace and left the field dangling single file in her wake. Knowing that she had two solid sprinters in Steelman and McCaughey, Warner commanded the race from first position by covering attacks and sustaining a white-hot pace that would eventually splinter the field. With precision, Warner faded back while McCaughey brought Steelman to the front where they joined a break of two. Steelman, sensing the narrowing gap behind her, told McCaughey, “Go!” and eased off her pedals to succeed in slowing the charging field. The break of three held its lead until the finishing sprint when one jumped left, the other jumped right, and McCaughey tucked in behind the wheel of one of those riders. With 200 meters to go, McCaughey made her biggest move and clinched the win by two bike lengths. McCaughey’s extraordinary effort punctuated Van Dessel’s main goal to maximize performance, function, and dependability in every bike through talented, results-oriented athletes.

“It’s still legs that win races, not bikes, but I do put quite a bit into getting the bikes just right,” Bull said. “When designing all of the bikes, we really are all about racing at the top level where every little bit does make a difference. To have a race come together as nicely as it did in Wilmington and to have a rider like Laura finish it off like that is just a great feeling and an honor.”

JuicePlus+ will travel to Somerville, N.J. this weekend for the prestigious Tour of Somerville, which takes place on Monday, May 26. The team looks to sustain its victory trend in front of a crowd loaded with Van Dessel fans. Located 30 minutes away in Morristown, N.J., Van Dessel will be at the Tour of Somerville to support both its factory team and the Colavita U19 team, which will have racers in the Pro/I, II, Masters and Junior events. Look for the mighty JuicePlus+ team resplendent in pink, white and black kits .

Ride inspired since 2000, Van Dessel Cycles is dedicated to maximizing performance, function, and dependability in every Van Dessel bike. Van Dessel’s 2008 line of bikes debuts at www.vandesselsports.com and features the carbon Rivet road bike, the ultra-light aerodynamic TT/Tri All Systems Go, the full-suspension Jersey Devil FS and the single-speed Country Road Bob. Determined to build up the sport from its grassroots, Van Dessel believes in promoting cycling through talented, results-oriented athletes. Look for Van Dessel Cycles beneath teams like the New England Van Dessel Factory Team (formerly Colavita New England), the New Jersey Van Dessel Factory Team, the Virginia Van Dessel Factory Team, Deno’s Wonder Wheel out of Brooklyn, NY, Kissena, Project Velo Racing, and the Iraq Junior National Team. In addition to these teams, Van Dessel now sponsors the Juice Plus+ pro women’s team, the Colavita U-19 team and the Georgetown University cycling team. To see Van Dessel bikes up close, find a dealer at www.vandesselsports.com