Cycling News Roundup 16 November 2006
O'Laughlin joins Pursuit at Revolution, Lorraine Lafrenière new CCA CEO, Canadian Roster for Sydney UCI Track, Scotland Braveheart News, Cycling Advocacy News, Women and Sea Otter.

Revolution 14 at Manchester Velodrome
Navigators Insurance: Dave O’Loughlin joins pursuit showcase races at Revolution
Navigators professional Dave O’Loughlin is the fourth rider to feature in the showcase four point pursuit at Revolution on November 18th. The Irish road man recently smashed the Irish individual pursuit record clocking a time of 4m29 but will now face Bradley Wiggins, Bradley McGee and British National Pursuit Champion David Millar over an intense 2km contest.

World Class racing in Manchester at Revolution. Photo c. Revolution

The Four Point Pursuit will be part of an action packed programme which will be opened with a new event for Revolution, the Italian Pursuit. The race will see the seven visiting ProTour riders combining with the cream of young British talent in a two-team dual, “originally we were going to run it as Great Britain verses the rest of the world” commented Technical Director Gordon Harling, “but we thought this may be a bit unbalanced so we have mixed the teams up to make it more interesting.”

The two teams of seven will start on opposite sides of Manchester Velodrome and cover seven laps of the 250m track. “The leading rider will swing off after each lap” continued Harling. “The teams will have to decide amongst themselves which order they will race in so there will be some tactical thinking required.”

Pro Rider Road Teams Pursuit
Simoni, Wiggins, Millar, Popyvytch, Casper Headline Show
The first team will be made up of Wiggins, McGee, Simoni, Hammond, Adam Blythe, Matt Rowe and Peter Kennaugh with team two will including Millar, Casper, Popovych, O’Loughlin, Ian Stannard, John Bellis and Steven Burke. Team one may long stronger with the world’s two best pursuit riders but the key will be strength in depth, “McGee and Wiggins are together but their team has the younger Olympic Development riders where as team two includes the more experienced Academy riders” said Harling. “This makes it evenly matched so tactics will be crucial. It will be a very interesting race to watch”.

DHL Future Stars gear up for Round 2
Following a night of intense racing and competition at Revolution 13 the Future Stars Series is delicately balanced in advance of the next round which takes place this Saturday on November 18th. With two riders jointly leading the boy’s competition and only three points dividing the girls, round two is set for some pure adrenalin racing with every point crucial as the riders fight to consolidate their position.

The competition kicked off in style at Revolution 13 with the racing often exceeding the elite events in both action and entertainment. The new generation of Future Stars were clearly hungry for victory with exciting displays of strategy and showmanship across the field. At the end of the night Andy Fenn and Mark Christian were joint leaders in the boy’s competition with Alex Greenfield holding a slim three point lead over Helen Clayton in the girl’s.

With the competition this tight all the riders are fully aware that there is no room for error and are prepared for some tough racing ahead. Welsh rider Alex Greenfield won two out of the three races at Revolution 13 but realises that only a clean sweep can guarantee security at the top of the table, “I was very pleased about winning two races out of the three because I made an early impression against my main rivals” said Greenfield. “The competition is very close so I will have to try and get a clean sweep at the next Revolution to keep hold of the lead.”

“Helen Clayton and the other contenders are top class riders” she continued. “They are going to be stiff competition at the next event but I intend beating them, as I am sure they intend beating me. So it will be interesting to see what happens.”

With Greenfield focused on defending her position in the girl’s racing Fenn and Christian will need to be more aggressive to take control of the boys competition, “There is nothing in it between me and Mark despite the fact that I won a race” commented Fenn. “It shows just how good the field is and it is clear that I need more than one victory to take the lead. There are two other riders only a few points behind as well so things will be pretty tense on Saturday night.”

Securing a top position in the Future Stars is now established as an influential factor in helping British junior talent move up through the British Cycling development structure and with everything to race for in both competitions the DHL Exel Supply Chain Future Stars is set for an exhilarating return at Revolution 14.

Tickets can be purchased from www.cyclingrevolution.com or by calling 07005 942 579. Advance tickets are on sale until Friday and there will be tickets available on the door.

Canadian Roster for the UCI Track Cup Sydney
Four Canadian riders will be attending the first UCI Track Cycling World Cup of the season in Sydney, Australia this weekend.
Zach Bell (Kingston, ON)- Individual Pursuit, Scratch Race and Points Race
Travis Smith (Calgary, AB - residing in Long Beach, CA)- Sprint and Keirin
Cam Mackinnon (Calgary, AB)- Sprint and Kilo
Gina Grain (Victoria, BC)- Points Race and Scratch Race
Tanya Dubnicoff is the CCA coach leading the team at this event and Sophie St-Jacques is attending as soigneur.

The competitions start Friday November 17th. New Canadian Cycling website: www.canadian-cycling.com
November 17-19, UCI World Cup Sydney, Australia

Canadian Cycling Association names Lorraine Lafrenière
New Chief Executive Officer/ Secretary General
Ottawa, Ontario: The Canadian Cycling Association (CCA) is proud to announce that Ms. Lorraine Lafrenière has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer / Secretary General. She will join CCA on January 2, 2007.

Ms. Lafrenière is presently Chief Operating Officer of Coaching Association of Canada (CAC). She has been instrumental in establishing successful sponsorship programs and has broadened the influence of CAC by strengthening its relationship with the provinces/territories and federal government. She also helped in restructuring the organization to improve program delivery and governance decision making.

Ms. Lorraine Lafrenière CEO and Secretary General of the Canadian Cycling Association. Photo c. CCA

"I am looking forward to contributing to the development of all aspects of Canadian cycling with our partners," stated Ms. Lafrenière. "I feel very motivated to be working in an organization which places its priority on the athletes."

Ms. Lafrenière joins CCA with 15 years of experience in amateur sport. She has successfully worked with many national sport organizations, including the Canadian Olympic Committee. She has held leadership positions with the mission staff at numerous Olympic Summer and Winter Games, Pan American Games, and World Championships. She was Press Chief of the Canadian team at the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta.

"Our warmest welcome to Lorraine from the CCA and the whole cycling community," said CCA President Pierre Blanchard. "Her great experience in management and in sport in particular will be a major asset to the progress of cycling in Canada for the upcoming years."
Best of luck to Ms. Lafrenière for continued success in growth and prosperity of Canadian Cycling from the Daily Peloton readers and staff.

About CCA
The CCA is the national governing body for cycling in Canada. Representing its members (individuals, clubs and trade teams) through provincial and territorial cycling associations, its mission is to lead and support the development and growth of Canadian cycling, through development and high performance programs, national cycling centres, national and international events, and the national introduction to cycling program for youth, known as Sprockids. Founded in 1882, it is Canada's oldest sport governing body.

Scotland
Braveheart Cycling Fund
Rapha Braveheart T-Shirts in a deep purple and embossed Braveheart logo are available to support cycling in Scotland in selected shops and online.

Ross Creber: National Cyclocross Champion off to Academy
Newly crowned Scottish champion Ross Creber will travel to Manchester tomorrow to start life as a full-time rider.

The mountain bike specialist from Kirkliston, who won the national cyclo-cross title at Glenrothes on Sunday, has earned a place at the British Cycling Olympic Academy, which is aimed at riders in the 18-23 age group with the potential to win at future world championships and Olympics.
Creber is the only mountain biker being added to the scheme this year and faces a busy schedule in his first season in the U-23 age group. Creber will have regular visits from younger brother Hamish, who has earned a spot on the Olympic Development Program.

Where the Girls Are
The Sea Otter Classic attracts a demographic that is becoming stronger, faster and richer
Women and Cycling Present a $2.7 billion market potential
For a while, hanging a price tag on a women's cycling demographic and then bombarding it with women-specific products sounded like just a bunch of marketing hooey. The glint in a marketing director's eye when he considers the untapped billions (that's right, billions) in revenue could blind his design engineers who were put to task to create women-specific products.

Currently women control 3/4's of household spending. Michael J. Silverstein of the Boston Consulting Group stated in a recent NYTimes article that " women will earn more money than men if current trends continue by 2028." It's true that women grow wealthier by the day and regarding women and cycling, the reality is this: Mom isn't out running errands or at aerobics class any more, instead she's doing hill intervals, clearing rock piles or threading her way through the trees - and she needs better gear.

According to the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), women and cycling present a $2.7 billion market potential, 6.7 percent of which is spent on sporting goods/footwear/apparel. While that number should cause marketing directors to weep tears of joy, reaching that market has proven to be a "sticky wicket" in terms of access. Big retailers like Best Buy, Sears, and Home Depot have figured out where the purchasing power resides and have redesigned entire shopping mall wings to accommodate women. Smaller retailers, especially ones in niche industries, struggle to create a marketing plan let alone tailor it to market potential. Events like the Sea Otter Classic, North America's cycling season kick-off event, offer a rare chance to convene cyclists and vendors in a hands-on marketplace where buyers and sellers get to demonstrate cycling products in a real-life environment.

"When the Sea Otter Classic throws open its gates from April 12-15, 2007, nearly half of the expected 60,000 attendees flooding Sea Otter Village will be women," said Frank Yohannan, president and CEO of the Sea Otter Classic. "They will arrive in droves as racers, recreational riders, team managers, mechanics, soigneurs, fans, and spectators. They come to Sea Otter to explore, test, sample and try out every opportunity that presents itself. And for vendors in search of direct contact with this often hard-to-reach group, there is no better place than the Sea Otter Classic."

Specialized's Designs for Women StumpJumper Expert FSR can turn a cyclist from a great technical rider into an expert technical rider. Bike shops are allegedly unable to keep Specialized's wildly successful DFW Ruby in stock Vendors like Specialized Bicycles, Truvativ, and Clif Bar that either manufacture women-specific products or create items small enough to fit women bring their product lines to Sea Otter for the opportunity to launch new products to one of the most targeted and influential audiences in North America.
"We use Sea Otter as a venue to kick off the model year," said Eron Chorney, women's brand manager for Specialized. "With all the different events at Sea Otter and the many different cycling disciplines in one place, it allows us a great opportunity to have people demo and see all of our products in one place."

To ignore women's market potential would be like posting a "Don't Touch" sign when King Midas strolls through the door. Women become cyclists to achieve better fitness and weight loss, and have quality social time. Women ride to beat their boundaries into submission and then stretch them beyond recognition. The savvy companies, like Specialized, that craft gear for women to keep their cogs rolling might also tell you that women control nearly 3/4's of household spending, including purchases of recreational equipment like helmets, bicycles, tricycles, car racks, baby seats and trailers. Consider Sea Otter's healthy slice of the cycling pie and then do the math, 49 percent of Sea Otter fans control 70 percent of household spending. 35 percent of cyclists' nationwide earn an average household income in excess of $75,000, which could lead to annual spending budgets of between $10,000-15,000 for recreational items per household. To ignore the women who come to Sea Otter would be a little like the designers of Office software saying "No thanks" to the purchasing manager at Microsoft.

"Getting the right fit is my number one priority."
"In 2002 I finally decided that I would buy a brand new road bike - all of my bikes before then had been used," said Kerry Litka, who now races for Terry Precision Bicycles. "I started shopping in July and I didn't buy until January. I spent $2,000; I wanted to spend $2,000 and I wanted to get the best bike that would fit me. For me as a cyclist, getting the right fit is my number one priority; if the bike doesn't fit then nothing else will work. I researched and researched - I think women in general tend to do that. I don't think women are impulse buyers when you're talking about that much money; I think women want the best quality for their needs and they don't mind paying for it."

Research shows that women learn about cycling differently than men and the chance to convene in Sea Otter's charged environment offers women a unique setting to explore, test and sample the myriad products geared specifically toward them. An expected 29,000 women will unleash their cycling prowess at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area for four days, April 12-15, 2007. Vendors will have a rare opportunity to reach out to this market rich in potential and the needs to reach it. We already know that the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, and Milan-San Remo are where the boys are; now we know that at the Sea Otter Classic next April will be where the girls are.

Expo area for the 2007 Sea Otter Classic has been expanded to accommodate the increasing quantity of exhibitors who apply for space each year. The Sea Otter Village sells out by event time without fail, however space is still available by contacting Skip Latham at skip@seaotterclassic.com

About Sea Otter Classic LLC
The 17th Annual Sea Otter Classic will be held April 12 - 15, 2007 at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area, Monterey, California, USA. The four-day 'Celebration of Sport' is considered the world's largest cycling festival, hosting nearly 10,000 professional and amateur athletes and 50,000 fans. The Cypress Youth Fund is the Sea Otter Classic's philanthropic arm. The Fund provides funding to organizations that benefit their communities in the areas of youth, sport, education, and environment. More information can be found at www.seaotterclassic.com or by calling 800-218-8411.

Cycling Advocacy News:
Bike League News
BikeEd News: New Group Riding Curriculum
The League of American Bicyclists is partnering with the National MS Society to train ride leaders and participants in group riding skills. This course is a new addition to the League's renowned BikeEd program, and is specifically tailored to group rides.
The group ride training is based on a curriculum that was developed for the BP MS 150 Houston to Austin Bike Tour in 2003. This program has led to an increase in safety awareness among that ride's participants and an annual decrease in their rider-related medical transports. To learn more, contact Bill Nesper at bill@bikeleague.org.

League on CFC List
The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is a program allowing charitable organizations to solicit contributions from employees of the U.S. government. The League has been approved as one of the charities, and our code is 1190. Tell your friends and family in the federal government to help support the League!

Complete Streets Photos Needed
Do you have photos of a Complete Street in your town, or in the U.S.? The League needs photos from Complete Streets across the country for use in our publications. We’d love to add yours to our collection -- we'll give photo credit, of course. Send photos to elizabeth@bikeleague.org.

Bikes Belong Awards $40,000 in Grants
Bikes Belong has awarded $40,000 in grants this month to five outstanding bicycling projects. Their funding support for these paths, trails, and other facilities will help create great places to ride in communities across the country. To read more about the grants, and find out if they affect your community,.

Interbike Discusses Eurobike
Interbike has responded to Eurobike’s announcement of its plans to launch a competing show in Portland, Oregon in fall 2007. “I was interested to hear the news of Eurobike’s proposed show,” said Lance Camisasca, Interbike's group show director. “We welcome competition, as it will help us do a better job. However, we are also greatly concerned about the dividing affect Eurobike’s announcement may have on the industry. Many will remember the time when the industry suffered through multiple shows resulting in additional expense and heartache. We hope the industry will continue to support the Interbike show and we promise to continue to do everything we can to make Interbike the best show for the North American market.” The next 25 years of Interbike start with the OutDoor Demo in Bootleg Canyon, Boulder City, Nevada, September 24-25, 2007 and the Interbike Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, September 26- 28, 2007. For more information about Interbike, visit www.interbike.com.

Oberstar a Hero in Airport Story
(Excerpted from a story by Doug Grow, Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Paul Caspersen, whose old Raleigh bicycle was cut to pieces after he couldn't find a legal place to park it at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in July, got two big gifts last week. First, he got his old Raleigh back. A group of Twin Cities three-speed bike enthusiasts cut, spliced and salvaged the parts needed to put the 40-pound bike back together. But there was much more. At a news conference, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar said that two words would be added to the next Federal Aviation Administration trust fund: "Bicycle storage," Oberstar said of the addition he vows to make to the $3.5 billion fund. That means airports will be able to apply for grants from the fund to build places to ride and park bikes safely. "I'm betting the first applicant will be the Twin Cities airport," said Oberstar, the 16-term congressman, who was re-elected last week. To read more about the story.

Bicycling Jobs Available
Senior Transportation Planner, GO Boulder
Join the GO Boulder team in lovely Boulder, Colo.! The city of Boulder's innovative transportation options program seeks a dynamic, creative professional to join an eight-person team dedicated to expanding multi-modal opportunities. They are looking for a senior planner who will lead their transportation demand management (TDM) efforts (non-facilities). Read the full job description here. Apply on-line, and attach a cover letter and resume. Deadline is November 17, 2006. Starting salary: $63,300 to $77,160, excellent benefits.

Advocacy Director, Bay Area Bicycle Coalition
The Bay Area Bicycle Coalition is looking to hire an Advocacy Director on a part-time basis. The Advocacy Director will work 20 hours per week and will report to the BABC Executive Director. Interested applicants are invited to send their cover letter, resume, references, and two writing samples via email only to Cole Portocarrero, Executive Director, Bay Area Bicycle Coalition, cole@bayareabikes.org. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on November 15, 2006. Position starts January 8, 2007.

Senior Transportation Planner, Toole Design
Toole Design Group, LLC is currently recruiting a Senior Transportation Planner for their Washington, D.C. office. A broad knowledge base in transportation planning, as well as specific knowledge of bicycle and pedestrian planning and design techniques is essential. Salary range: $60,000 - $80,000 depending on qualifications and experience. If you would like to be considered as a potential candidate for this position, send a letter stating your interest in the position and your resume. E-mail responses to jtoole@tooledesign.com or send to: Jennifer Toole, President; Toole Design Group, LLC; 4603 Calvert Road; College Park, MD 20740

Thunderhead Hires Complete Streets Coach
The Thunderhead Alliance has hired Dominic Liberatore as their full-time Complete Streets Campaign Coach. Liberatore will focus his time on securing complete streets policies in all 50 states by 2008 to leverage a federal complete streets policy through the reauthorization of the federal transportation law. If you need assistance with a state or local complete streets policy campaign, contact him at: dominic@thunderheadalliance.org. For more information on Thunderhead’s National Complete the Streets Campaign.

Save on League Merchandise
The new League jersey has been marked down online from $80 to $55. The very cool League baseball hat went from $16 to $10, and the branded mini-messenger bag is now only $29, from the original $39. These prices won’t last long, so buy these for the rider in your life (or yourself!) today!
More info on League of American Cyclists here