Bicycling has become a major adult sport over the past 20 years. However, the men are having most of the fun. PV Bicycle Center is opening a new store with the goal of attracting more women to the sport. The networking begins November 21 at 7:30 pm

Specialized Bicycle Company is sending its Designs for Women demo team to offer a clinic on cycling from the woman’s point of view. Diva Night will take place at the brand new PV Bicycle Center store in Rolling Hills Estates. There will be plenty of opportunity for those who attend to establish new friendships and set up future meetings, rides, or events. Refreshments will be served. Pro cyclist Anna Lang from Aaron’s Pro Women’s Cycling Team will lead road rides Saturday and Sunday morning, and the women’s demo trailer will also be available from Friday through Sunday for test rides on the full line of Specialized women’s bikes.

Read the rest of this entry �

Kristin Amrstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce) crushed the competition in the Sequoia Cycling Classic Yokohl Ranch Exeter Time Trial, winning the race of truth with a lead of four minutes seventeen seconds ahead of Alex Rhodes (High Road) and four minutes fifty seconds in front of Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s).

The US national champion Armstrong blitzed the finishing line in perfect form giving her a final time of one hour, one minute and thirty-one seconds. For anyone counting, Armstrong would have finished 26th in the Men’s Time Trial held earlier.

“It’s early so everyone is going to be at a different fitness level this time of year, March is early to be fit, people that are out here doing well today may not be the same people here in two or three months. It was a great course, a great organization I’m happy I came out here.” said Armstrong.

The Sequoia Cycling Classic Time Trial is the second race in the NRC Calendar for the women, and the heavy hitters came out to play. The first race, the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium held in Santa Rosa, was won by Tibco’s Brooke Miller.

The 40 kilometer (24.6 mile) course started off with a 400 feet climb over Rocky Hill and into rolling and twisting Yokhol Valley gradually climbing 400 feet again before the turnaround and return to the start/finish line. The valley was absolutely beautiful with blooming mustard wildflowers but I doubt that anyone has a chance to enjoy it during the ride.

Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team), winner
“It was great, it was very terrained, tail wind going out, headwind coming back, lots of twisting and turning. They call it the race of truth for a reason and I really think that you couldn’t… there was not a minute out there that you could relax or take the pressure off, so I think that the people that are going to be up on the podium today are going to be the ones that raced hard the whole way.”

“I’m going up, I’m just now kind of coming into a little bit fitness. I leave for Europe on Monday, I’m going to do the Spring campaign with my new team Cervelo-Lifeforce and I’ll come back and race Montreal, Philly, Nature Valley with my team and then I prepare specifically for Beijing. My team is based out of Lucerne, Switzerland it consists of riders from all over the world and I’ll be the only American, but there’s a New Zealander, an Australian, some German girls, Swiss girl, Austria so it’s just a variety of gals, really nice, our team is really into time trial specialists, I think that so far, so good. It’s been a really fun time working with international gals.”

Alex Rhodes (Team High Road – Women), second place
“It was pretty, long obviously. I was happy with my ride, to come second to Armstrong, she’s awesome so to be on the podium, I’m stoked.

“Winds were not too bad. I sort of like the wind, it’s the only time where being a little bit heavier kind of helps (laughs) , see it helps when you eat ice cream. Obviously, with the team this year it’s nice to repay all the faith they have in me. “

Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team), third place
“It was hard, it’s a hard course which definitely suits me better. Like short, flat prologue-like that’s not really my thing, give me something that’s strong, hilly and hard , I can stay out there for a long time. It was good, what can I say, I’m really pleased, it’s a big year, Olympic year, you’ve got to be coming out the starting block guns blazing. I feel like my fitness is where it needs to be, you know to lose against Kristin Armstrong, I mean geez, and then Alex Rhodes who’s one of the best in Europe, I’m pretty happy, really I couldn’t ask for more.”

“We got these new bikes, I’ve been on it for a week, I love the bike, they are great, they’re hand me downs from Quickstep, I’ll take Bettini’s bike any day (laughs). It’s great, the bikes are fast. I’ve been working a lot of my TT and so to finally put in a really good one, to see that the hard work has paid off, I’m thrilled.”

“I’ve been doing at least once a week of intervals on my TT bike and then riding it a lot. Last year I had drastically changed my position and obviously it didn’t work for me because I sucked so this year I went back to what I was a couple of years ago and just really worked on being comfortable on the bike and I always knew that I could put out the power but it was being in a position that would allow me to generate the power and go fast so I think I was able to do that.”

Time Trial podium (l-r): Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s), Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce), Alex Rhodes (High Road)

On a personal note, I’d like to thank the good Samaritan that came to my assistance in Visalia on Saturday evening. The gentleman not only to my help to fix my car but he went the extra mile (or 10 actually) to make sure that everything was okay, and then to top it off, he flabbergasted me by offering up his discount at the car shop. Wow. Thank you so much.

Women’s TT Top 10

1. Kristin Armstrong (Cervelo-Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team) 01:01:31.89
2. Alex Rhodes (Team High Road - Women) +04:17.07
3. Felicia Gomez (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +04:52.19
4. Anne Samplonius (Cheerwine Cycling) +05:09.91
5. Katharine Carroll (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +05:41.18
6. Leigh Hobson (Cheerwine Cycling) +05:41.88
7. Mara Abbott (Team High Road - Women) +06:11.37
8. Molly Van Houweling (Metromint Cycling) +06:35.50
9. Kristin Sanders (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +06:52.69
10. Carmen Mcnellis (Aaron’s Pro Cycling Team) +06:54.29

Full results here.

by Stephanie Gutowski & Lyne Lamoureux

Team Director Carmen D’Aluisio has brought back five key riders from the 2007 squad and added some strong young riders to bolster the 2008 team. The 2007 team was ranked third overall in the NRC for the year with two riders in the individual top five standings.

Returning to the team is Katharine Carroll—winner of the Athens Twilight Criterium, the Joe Martin Stage Race and the Sprint Jersey and final stage of the Tour Cycliste Feminin International de l’Ardeche. Also returning is Felicia Gomez, winner of the Queen of the Mountains Jersey and a Stage at the Mount Hood Stage Race and ranked fourth overall on the NRC standings. Division I Collegiate National Champion Rebecca Larson and winner of the Sprint Jersey at the Nature Valley Grand Prix, U.S. Masters National Time Trial Champion Kristin Sanders and Carmen McNellis round out the returning riders. Catherine Powers will also return to the team on a part-time basis while balancing her new teaching career.

New riders for 2008 include U23 U.S. Criterium National Champ Erica Allar, U23 Canadian Time Trial National Champion Julie Beveridge, Canadian standout Allison Testroete, cycling track star Anna Lang and former TEAm Lipton powerhouse Meredith Miller.

RoadBikeReview spent a windy and cold morning in Santa Cruz, California meeting this exciting 2008 Aaron’s Women Pro Cycling team.

Team Director, Carmen D’Aluisio -We have a very strong team this year. We are racing for the NRC. The goal of the team is to be on top this season. I think that the competition is going to be very tough . I am really looking forward to how this group will ride.

Erica Allar - A senior at Penn State University, Erica looks forward to graduation so she can put all of her energy into being a professional bike racer.

Julie Beveridge - I’m second year in university. We have such a strong team, we can win a lot of races, we can win crits, we can win hilly races. I just want to help out whoever is riding well that day. If Felicia and Allison are climbing well, Kristin or anyone, I want to get them where they need to be.

Katharine Carroll - When I came in last year, it was a new group, a lot of riders that had shown some potential that had never really proven themselves either in a leadership role, and I think we answered a lot of question about ability and strength last year. I think the goal for the team this year is to take it to the next level where… when you’re called on to do something, to do your job as a team member whether to be the sprinter at the end or the GC leader, that you just get it done and everybody else is in full support of that team goal.

Felicia Gomez - I’m super excited to be on the team again, I think we have a super strong team, we have young talent which I’m really excited about and the addition of Meredith Miller who has a lot of international experience. I think she can really lend a lot to our team as well. For me, in terms of team goals, I think we can contest the NRC , I think we can be…we finished third last year in our first real pro year and I think with the team we have that we can do better than that this year.

Anna Lang - I will continue to do both track and road…but road is very much in the forefront. I want to get into my road schedule. Track is still an integral part of my road racing and training. I wanted to be in a place where the team would work with my schedule. What convinced me was that I could be who I wanted to be here. Carmen said that she was looking for a true sprinter….someone who is not going to be afraid to go for the win. I am racing to win.

Rebecca Larson - For the team, it is to win the NRC which I think we have a good shot at. There are six of us that came back from last year so we had a year of racing together so that’s going to make a big difference. And the new girls are great I think we have a strong team and the fact that we’ve been having so much fun at camp I think it’s just going to keep building.

Carmen McNellis - I am on the National Team and plan on doing a full National schedule. I am not going to do that many races with Aaron’s…I’ll do Montreal Word Cup, which is an important race, Nationals, and Nature Valley. I’ll be spending most of time in Europe. My personal goal on the national team is to learn at every race. I am very new. My goal is to learn and get better at every race.

Meredith Miller -I have always been involved in team sports all my life. So for me, team will always come before my individual goal. Yes individually, I would like to go to the World Championships at the end of the year. If I win a couple of races along the way that’s great. But I am more concerned about the success of the team and whatever success we have making sure it has been a team effort. I guess my goal with this team is to make sure that we do come together as a team, I think there are so many opportunity, we have so much potential on this team that everybody is going to have an opportunity to do well. Whether it’s myself or someone else I just want to encourage every body to take that opportunity and go for it, and just make sure it’s been a team effort along the way.

Catherine Powers - I just want to support the team, I’m a domestique, I pretty much retired. I’m teaching in a bilinguial program in middle school in Boulder, so I’m just racing part time. I love my team and I couldn’t give it all the way up. I just want to support people, be a good domestique. If I end up in a break and get a good result that would be awesome but it’s all good.

Kristin Sanders - My main focus this year is the team. I really only have one personal goal and that’s to go to Nationals. I just want to race my bike for the best results for the best of my team. Whatever that is defined by the team…that will be my goal.

Alison Testroete - What I was really looking for is someone like Carmen who is really well organized, with direction and then a good team, somewhere I just fit in. I feel that if you’re really comfortable in your environment you’ll maximize your performance. And also to have role model in the team, someone I could really look up to that would really help me out.

Aaron’s Women’s Pro Cycling’s first race will be the Santa Rosa Women’s Grand Prix on February 18, 2008

Aaron’s Women’s Pro Cycling