Cycling News Roundup 27 September
Fabian Cancellara Golden Comments, Patour and McCarty to Slipstream, Cyclocross News, Jackson Stewart at first worlds, Team OrganicAthlete, Jakob Fetty Cycling Clinics.

Team CSC Fabian Cancellara
He was the main favorite, and he knew it. He not only knew it, he said it out loud; that he believed he would take the gold medal. And when it was time for the time trial World Championships, he was in a league of his own

Team CSC's Fabian Cancellara used last week's World Championships to prove he is the best time trialist in the World right now, as he swept all competition aside and captured the gold medal, he had been dreaming about for years.

"It was a major relief. I've been working towards this for so long. It's my specialty, so of course I've pushed myself to the limit in order to be the best in this particular discipline," says the Swiss tempo rider on Monday, while heading back from the WC camp in Salzburg.

In the race on Thursday Cancellara didn't need to sprint across the line, as he did a couple of weeks ago in the Vuelta, where David Millar beat him with less than a second.
"I'd received reports from Kim Andersen in the sports director's car during the race. A couple of kilometers before the finish, he said I could raise my hands whenever I felt like it, because my lead was so big. But I just told him, that I didn't wanna know, after my narrow defeat in Spain,” laughs Cancellara, who was a double time trial World Champion as a junior rider and also won a silver medal in the U/23 championships.

Already from the start of Thursday's race, it was obvious how focused Cancellara was, and a key factor was the fast cadence.
"I always try to keep a high cadence instead of riding in a big gear, but lots of people have told me, the cadence was really high on Thursday. I haven't seen the race on TV yet, but I will when I get back home to Switzerland. After my second place in the Vuelta time trial, I worked on getting the perfect position on the bike and the right cadence and some other things, and it all came together nicely and it was just a perfect day," says a happy Cancellara.

The gold medal did not come as a surprise to Cancellara, who was actually more surprised by how well he did in the road race on Sunday, where he made several attacks in the lead group towards the end.

"The race started out quite bad for me, I felt like I hadn't recovered well from the time trial, but tactically I did the right thing, and then my legs were great in the end," says Cancellara, who with about 10 kilometers to go, tried to split the lead group ahead of the final climb.
"I felt so good, I just had to do something, cause I knew I wasn't able to win a bunch sprint, so I went full gas and hoped the other riders wouldn't be able to follow me. In the Tour of Denmark I won a stage the same way, but unfortunately it didn't work out this time," Cancellara explains.

Fabian Cancellara, who expects to end his season in his home country in Sunday's Züri Metzgete, also wants to thank all the fans, who supported him in his quest for the gold medal:"There were lots of fans from all the Nordic countries and from Switzerland, who all supported me in Salzburg. It was incredible to see so many Team CSC fans and fans from Switzerland - it was a very beautiful day.”

STEWART REPORTS FROM WORLD'S
Jackson flies the flag
As his breakthrough 2006 season drew to a close, Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada's Jackson Stewart had an eye-opening experience when he made his first career start in the world championships road race this past Sunday in Salzburg, Austria.

Part of USA Cycling's nine-rider selection for the 165-mile race, Stewart completed nine of 12 laps and said, "I was comfortable the whole time I was in there. I was in a little bit of a bad position on the sixth lap and had to dig really deep to get back on after the climb. The lap after that I was ok, then [on the eight lap] I went back to get bottles, and some attacks went and I couldn't get back on."

Describing his first taste of racing against a full field of the world's top professionals, Stewart added, "The pace picked up and never let off, they never even slowed down on the climb. I can handle the distance itself and can handle that speed in a shorter race, but the ProTour riders have that endurance from racing 140 miles at those speeds all year long. We just don't do that [in domestic racing]."

FINAL NRC RANKINGS
In the final National Racing Calendar standings released on September 19, Stewart finished 12th overall while Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada was the 6th-ranked team.

Kilian Patour and Patrick McCarty to Slipsteam Sports for 2007
Boulder, Colorado (September 25, 2006) - Both Kilian Patour of Credit Agricole and Patrick McCarty of Phonak have moved to Slipstream Sports for the 2007 season.

Patour is a well known and well liked rider in the French peloton and was French Espoir National road champion in 2004. He comes to Slipstream as a leadout man for sprinter Brad Huff and an experienced tour guide for the team's many races on French soil.

McCarty comes to Slipstream after finishing his first Grand Tour in 2005, the Giro d'Italia, this past May. Patrick will be looked on to be co-leader of the team, along with 2001 World Champion Danny Pate. McCarty won France's most prestigious Espoir race, Ronde de L'Isard, in 2003; he was also the 2nd ranked Espoir in the World at the end of the 2003 season.

Both riders, aged 24, are young yet experienced. They will both be a part of Slipstream's steady movement toward a ProTour berth and Tour de France participation.

Cyclocross News
Zero Weeks Until Cyclocross!
River City Bicycles 2006 Cross Crusade Starts Sunday
PORTLAND, Ore. – The 2006 River City Bicycles Cross Crusade – the largest participatory cyclocross racing series in the world – kicks off its seven-race schedule this Sunday, October 1, at Alpenrose Diary in Southwest Portland, announced Cross Crusade Race Director Brad Ross. The Alpenrose Cross Crusade will feature more than 500 riders from Oregon and Washington in 16 classes of competition, from elite men and women to masters and junior categories. The series, sanctioned by the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA), will pay out more than $20,000 in prize money plus merchandise.

This is the 15th annual River City Bicycles Cross Crusade, firmly establishing the Northwest as the country’s most popular region for cyclocross bike racing – a specialized, cycling competition that requires riders to race on a closed-loop circuit, over grass, pavement, gravel, and mud, with barriers and steep run-ups mixed in for additional challenges.

While the Cross Crusade begins at Alpenrose Dairy this Sunday, the series’ marquee event will be the U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclocross race at Hillsboro Stadium on November 19 -- which will be the sixth and final race in the UCI internationally sanctioned Crank Bros. U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series.

“Cyclocross is the most accessible form of bicycle racing,” explained Ross, who has directed the Cross Crusade for the past decade. “While road and mountain bike racing can be intimidating, cross is just plain fun, accessible competition for all ages and abilities. And we make it as much fun as possible, with all types of prizes and classes, even one for unicycles. Moreover, we treat everyone the same, from elite Class A riders to the Beginners. We think of cyclocross as an excuse for adults to play in the mud with their bikes.”

That’s not to say cyclocross is all play; it’s serious competition, Ross said. Cyclocross requires special techniques and fitness – dismounting the bike at speed, running, carrying the bike over barriers, shouldering it up hills, and maintaining speed through turns and over uneven, muddy terrain. Plus, the pace is frenetic, with little time to rest and less opportunity for “slipstreaming,” as in road races. Races vary from 30 to 60 minutes depending on the class.

Oregon is home to several of America’s top cyclocross racers, including defending 2005 USGP series and 2004 Category A Men Cross Crusade champion Barry Wicks and 2004 U.S. National runner-up Ryan Trebon, both of Corvallis, plus Portland’s Shannon Skerritt, 2005 U.S. Nationals masters titlist. The women’s Cross Crusade field will be headed by Portland’s Rhonda Mazza, third in the 2004 U.S. Nationals; and Gina Hall, of Ashland. Treborn, Wicks and Mazza all represented the U.S. in last year’s World Cyclocross Championships.

The complete River City Cross Crusade schedule is as follows:
Race 1 - October 1, Alpenrose Dairy;
Race 2 – October 15, Hillsboro Stadium;
Race 3 - October 22, Horning’s Hideout;
Race 4 - October 29, Halloween Cross Festival, Flying M Ranch;
Race 5 - November 5, Barton Park;
Race 6 - November 12, OBRA Cyclocross Championships, Estacada Timber Park;
USGP Finale – November 19, Hillsboro Stadium.

Last year’s overall River City Cross Crusade class winners – most of whom will be back to defend their titles – include Class A Men, Kevin Hulick; Class B Men, Steven Hunter; Class C Men, Eric Heinrich; Beginner Men, Matthew Fox; Single Speed, Matthew Slaven; Juniors, Jacob Rathe; Masters 30+ Category A, John Bravard; Masters 30+ Category B, Michael Romasco; Masters 30+ Category C, Aaron Leritz; Masters 50+, David Zimbelman; Category A Women, Wendy Williams; Category B Women, Jade Wilcoxson; Masters Women 35+, Karen Goritzski; Beginner Women, Jennifer Erxleben; and Junior Women, Rachelle Hobson.

In addition to the series title sponsor River City Bicycles of Portland, the Cross Crusade is also supported by Cannondale, Sellwood Cycle Repair, Russ Auto Group, Health Net, and a host of others. The Cross Crusade is organized and promoted by Club Vivo, 4409 SW Dosch Road, Portland, OR 97201, 503-806-6943.
For complete information on the River City Cross Crusade, visit www.crosscrusade.com. Learn more about the Cross Crusade and all types of bicycle racing in Oregon at www.obra.org, site of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association.

A “MOVING” TRIBUTE TO ED SANDER THIS SUNDAY
Conshohocken, PA, USA: Fresh off the tremendous success of the season-opening race in Baltimore, the BikeReg.com MABRAcross series moves slightly to the west for round two this weekend and the Ed Sander (Memorial) Cyclocross at Lilypons. Promoted by the National Capital Velo Club, this race is a tribute to former NCVC member Ed Sander, who died following a tragic training accident in 2001. Proceeds from the race benefit a college scholarship fund for Sander’s only son, Chris. Another large crowd is expected, as local news radio has already picked-up on the story and will be publicizing the race.

The location for this week’s race is the beautiful and world-famous Lilypons Water Gardens in Buckeystown, Maryland. Lilypons has over 300 acres of natural ponds, woods and rolling hills next to the Monocacy River. Ed Sander was an employee of Lilypons at the time of his death, and according to race co-promoter Erik Leaver, the Gardens are fully behind this event. “Margaret Koogle, the garden’s owner, is awesome and has been so supportive. She is really a true friend to Ed's spirit and to the cycling community. A permanent reminder of Ed stands on these grounds next the double barriers just past the start/finish area in the form of a memorial tree & plaque.”

The BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series is the fastest-growing cyclocross series in America. For more information, and to quickly and easily pre-register for the race, see www.BikeReg.com and click on the “MABRA” icon.
San Francisco, CA. On Sunday, October 1, 2006, at the World Vegetarian Day Celebration in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, OrganicAthlete will officially launch its latest project, an all vegan elite cycling team. The OrganicAthlete Elite Cycling Team is a new concept in competitive sports. As part of OrganicAthlete’s mission to spread the word about the health and fitness benefits of a plant-based diet, the OrganicAthlete Elite Cycling Team will serve as athletic examples of achieving success without inflicting harm upon the environment, animals or their bodies. The team will race a full road season with a strong emphasis on California based events and culminating with their participation in the Elite National Championships in July.

2006 Chicago Cyclocross Cup Racing Series
Revised Schedule
The Chicago Cyclocross Racing series starts Sunday, October 15 and runs through Sunday, December 3. The first race of the series of will be presented by North Branch Cycling Club of Chicago, Illinois and sponsored by Main Street Bicycles of Carpentersville, Illinois. The race will be held at Carpenter Park in Carpentersville, Illinois. This race is the first of four races in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup series.

The other races that will be held are:
Saturday, November 4 - Campton Cross, St. Charles
Sunday, November 12 - Jackson Park, Chicago
Sunday, December 3 - Montrose Park, Chicago

Points will be awarded for each race with the winner of each category receiving an Overall Series Winner jersey presented by Pactimo. All races in this series will use the new USA Cycling cyclocross racing category  classification. A rider will be classified from 1 to 4 respectably.
About Chicago Cyclocross Cup: the Chicago Cyclocross Cup was started in 2004 by a group of ‘crossers from local teams that had a strong desire to race in their neighborhood. They spoke to other people who had similar goals and before you knew it a series was born. While the series will vary from year to year, you can expect great new venues with spectacular support and all the fun that you expect at a ‘cross race. The goal of the group is to create a series that a rider can enjoy great competition and lively courses.  More info: http://www.chicrosscup.com

OrganicAthlete Cycling Team 2007
For 2007, the OrganicAthlete Cycling Team will consist of one professional woman, Sami Fournier, and three elite men, Bradley Saul, Justin Lucke and Benjamin Lyon. Sami is a professional mountain bike and cyclo-cross racer who will also be representing the team as an elite rider on the road. She will be the first member to actively represent the elite squad when cyclo-cross season gets underway in October. Bradley is a former professional rider making his return to the elite ranks after spending the last three years founding and building OrganicAthlete. Justin is a long time cyclist, a category 1 racer, vegan chef, and lawyer. Ben burst onto the scene in 2006, raising through the ranks to the elite level in only one season with his powerful turn of speed.

To support this mission, the OrganicAthlete Elite Cycling Team is partnering with some of the leading lights of the green and organic movements. The Team is a fundamental part of OrganicAthlete, a non-profit striving to make the world a better place for everyone by educating people about how to live healthy and protect the environment. In addition to the team, OrganicAthlete promotes the Tour d'Organics, a series of bicycle tours with stops at local organic farms.

Another critical sponsor, New Harvest Organics is a pioneering organic fruit and vegetable company based in Patagonia, Arizona. New Harvest's organic fruits and vegetables can be found across the country.

The OrganicAthlete Cycling Team's media partner, VegNews magazine, is also critical to the team's success. VegNews, the San Francisco based bellweather of the vegetarian movement, will be working together with OrganicAthlete and the OrganicAthlete Cycling Team to further leverage the team and the magazine's shared message. Mill Valley Cycleworks, in Mill Valley, California, is the team's bike shop partner. A vegan bike shop, Cycleworks is providing the necessary mechanical and equipment support to ensure that the team runs smoothly and efficiently.

Cycling Clinics - FS Concepts
The Summit Freewheelers are proud to present Jacob Fetty, Jared Gruber, and Shawn Adams of FS Concepts to lead a weekend of riding, discussion, and personal coaching. The weekend is scheduled to include group riding, bike handling drills, road race tactics discussions, training and fitness discussions, a one on one opportunity for training plan evaluation, and a bike fitting opportunity provided by Jim Baldasare of Wobble-Naught. This event will be a fantastic opportunity for riders to gather ideas and put together a training plan for the winter/spring in addition to gaining riding skills.

Tentative Weekend Schedule
(subject to adjustment based on number of participants)
Friday, October 21- 6:30PM – 8:30PM
Meet the coaches you will work with for the weekend and get the details and the “why’s” for doing what we’ll be doing. This will be an interactive discussion with your coaching staff with nearly any topic open for discussion – nearly. Meet at Mariachi Coco’s in Merriman Valley for Mexican and brews as the backdrop to this discussion. Each participant may bring a guest.

Saturday, October 22 9:30AM – 12:30PM
Clinic participants will self select an “A” (cat 2’s, 3’s & 4’s) or “B” (cat 4’s & 5’s) group based on ability for the morning training ride. Group A will go out on a 2-1/2 hour endurance ride and the B group will head for a grassy field for 2 hours of close quarters riding drills. Meet at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium at 9:30AM to get ready and for a pre-ride briefing

CYKLISTIKA / CYCLING –
ČESKÝ POHÁR B.E.I. EUROLINES ŽEN 2006 / CZECH WOMEN CUP 2006
16.9. 2006 Brno – Memoriál Vlastimila Moravce – kritérium
1. Ružičková Martina ASC Dukla Praha
2. Havlíková Pavla KC Kooperativa SG J.n.N.
3. Machačová Jarmila ASC Dukla Praha
4. Veselá Favorit Brno
5. Ščučková Jiřina PSK Whirlpool Hradec Králové

17.9. 2006 Brno – Ořechov – silniční závod /road race
1. Machačová Jarmila ASC Dukla Praha
2. Babuňková Andrea Slezan FM
3. Uhláriková Rostex – Quantum 1.jun.
4. Ščučková Jiřina PSK Whirlpool Hradec Králové

23.9. 2006 Kyjov – kriterium
1. Machačová Jarmila ASC Dukla Praha
2. Ščučková Jiřina PSK Whirlpool Hradec Králové
3. Veselá Favorit Brno

24.9. 2006 Kyjov – silniční závod / road race
1. Machačová Jarmila ASC Dukla Praha
2. Uhláriková Rostex – Quantum 1. jun.
3. Babuňková Andrea Slezan FM
4. Ščučková Jiřina PSK Whirlpool Hradec Králové