Steve Sperling, head mechanic for Team Tibco, shows us Brooke Miller’s Stars and Stripes Look 595. Brooke rode the Stars and Stripes in competition for the first time at the 2nd annual Women’s Tour of California Crit. The Stars and Stripes is outfitted with the same equipment the rest of the team will be riding with the exception of the special paint job to commemorate Brooke Miller’s current status as the U.S Women’s Road Race Champion and U.S. Criterium Champion. Rumor is, that if there’s enough interest, LOOK Cycles USA might do a small run of replicas.

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Photo by Ken Conley

Photo by Ken Conley

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Photo by Ken Conley

By Stephanie Gutowski

The second edition of the Tour of California’s Women’s Criterium was wild, wet, and windy. Throughout the entire race the riders were constantly showered by a steady rain and gusts of strong winds. Most teams had marked their strong sprinters to be in contention, but the weather prevented Brooke Miller (Tibco), Ina Teutenberg (Columbia-High Road), and Martina Patella(ValueAct Capital) from challenging the field. Lisa Hunt, ValueAct Capital DS, stated, “In this kind of conditions it’s not a surprise for a break to succeed. So many teams with a lot of horse power were trying to drive it. In these conditions when it’s cold and raining it becomes hard for the girls. We had a plan to get Martina set up for the sprint.”

The lead group did manage to stay away from early on. “We knew the rain would be a factor today,” commented second place winner Lauren Tamayo (Tibco). “It was one of those….if the break was to go….we wanted to make sure we were in it. We wanted to make sure we had the numbers and we did that. The weather did play a huge part. My team mate Meredith Miller was coming in with one to go. I was able to get into position about fourth wheel coming into the first corner. Meredith kept it strong and fast on the back stretch and then Kim Anderson took over on the last two corners. Kim rode out for Emilia and I was sitting there coming out of the last corner.”

Race winner Emilia Fahlin (Columbia-High Road) said, “I just tried to be up front from the beginning. I really like to be up front in a crit to see how it goes. Then all of a sudden I heard on the radio that there was a break on and it was splitting up the field…but I had Kim. It was great because the group just kept going and kept it steady. I had great help from Kim today in the break. She did all of the work.”
“I don’t really mind riding in this kind of weather when it’s just a crit for an hour,” continued Fahlin. “I think other people get more harmed than I do. Of course it’s cold but you don’t think about it when you are racing you just focus on the race. For me the rain is not a big problem. You just have to trust your bike.”

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Photo by Ken Conley

Professional Women’s Cycling Event Took Place In Santa Rosa During Stage 1 of Amgen Tour of California

SANTA ROSA, CALIF., – Welcomed by thousands of fans lining the streets of Santa Rosa, Stage 1 of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California featured the second-annual Women’s Criterium presented by the Redwood Regional Breast Center. Emilia Fahlin (SWE), the youngest member of Team Columbia-Highroad, won the criterium race with an impressive performance besting an outstanding field of international competitors.

The first event of the 2009 season on the National Racing Calendar (NRC), the Women’s Criterium took part over portions of the Stage 1 men’s finishing circuit in Santa Rosa. The second-annual event consisted of a field of 88 riders competing for more than $15,000 in prizes. Set as a category Pro 1,2 race and with a limit of eight riders per team, the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Criterium showcased some of the world’s top professional women’s cycling teams, including defending champion Brooke Miller of Team TIBCO, who finished 15th overall.

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Competition dates: February 15, 2009
Team Limit: Maximum eight cyclists per team
Format: USAC rules apply
Prize Money: $15,000 overall total + primes
Field Limit: Maximum 150 riders
Online Registration Ends: February 13, 2009
Race Day Registration: Based on availability
Doping Control: Conducted in accordance with USADA rules

Register Online Here >>