Trofeo Pina & Mario Bazzigaluppi: A bunch of 168 Elite-2 and Under 23 riders belonging in 21 different teams, and five different nations, is set to line-up at Vigevano (Italy) this Saturday, May 15, for the 22nd edition of one of the main one-day competitions in the Italian amateur calendar; the UCI-1.6 sanctioned "22nd Trofeo Pina e Mario Bazzigaluppi" (52nd Giro della Lomellina, 1st Trofeo Presidente Giovanni Parea) organized by the G.S.C. Viris Fiat Isauto Lomellina, and with a winners list including riders like Simone Cadamuro, now a professional rider at De Nardi and one of the main protagonists of the recent sprints at Giro d’Italia.

The Australian Institute of (Sport AIS) team will be attending the event, with a strong team coached by DS Brian Stephens and featuring Ashely Hutchinson, Aaron Kemps, Nicholas Sanderson, Richard Moffat, Ashley Humbert, Bernard Sulzberger, Peter Dawson and Mark Jamieson. Aaron Kemps, recent winner of "Coppa Cittá di Asti" in nearby Piedmont, as well as Peter Dawson, stage winner and GC leader for one day at Giro delle Regioni,. will be given a chance to make furher additions to their early season tally, but also other Aussies are talented enough to do well in the predominantly flat roads of Southwestern Lombardy (though "flat roads" is not necessarily a synonym of "easy race"; facts proved this equation wrong more than once in past editions of the event).

The AIS team will be up against an armada of strong Italians (and not just Italians), to start with reigning champion Paride Grillo of the Pagnoncelli team. The skilled sprinter from Lombardy and his accomplishments on the bike made the headlines several times in the Italian amateur cycling scene last year, and things were not much different in early races of the current season. Roberto Ferrari of L’Edile Rosa team will be looking for revenge being pipped by Grillo on the line in last year’s sprint finish, while also Giacomo Vinoni (former fastman of Viris Vigevano, that switched to Alplast-Centro Convenienza) and Enrico Rossi (new signing of GC Garlaschese) could repeat last year’s excellent results or even go for something more. And don’t write off the Viris Vigevano boys, looking for a “home win”. No less than three teams will come from nearby Switzerland, while also Russians will have their squad at the startline. Worthy of mention is also the presence of the Sicilian squad “Team Sicilia-Libertas Bocca di Falco”, whose leader Giuseppe Ribaldi, that can boast several partcipations to this race, is … 49-year-old!

22nd Trofeo Pina & Mario Bazzigaluppi - Startlist:

(Ceramiche Pagnoncelli F.M.G. Perrel ITA 1. Grillo Paride ITA; 2. Shkarpeta Denis UZB; 3. Tizza Francesco ITA; 4. Marcazzan Alessandro ITA; 5. Cappa Luca ITA; 6. Migliorati Daniele ITA; 7. Biondo Maurizio ITA; 8. Ruscitti Mauro ITA - D.S.: Alberto Cappelletti)

(Australian National team - AIS AUS 9. Hutchinson Ashlev AUS; 10.Kemps Aaron AUS; 11. Sanderson Nicholas AUS; 12. Moffat Richard AUS; 13. Humbert Ashley AUS; 14. Sulzberger Bernard AUS; 15. Dawson Peter AUS; 16. Jamieson Maric AUS - D.S. Stephens Brian)

(Viris Fiat Isauto-Viris Lomelline Isauto ITA 17. Broggi Alex ITA; 18. Roveyaz Laurent ITA; 19. Montanari Giordano ITA; 20. Sosnovshcenko Denis RUS; 21. Vailati Facchini Diego ITA; 22. Marotti Antonio ITA; 23. Santimaria Luca ITA; 24. Lambrughi Simone ITA - D.S. Leonardo Pirro)

(Alplast-Centro Convenienza Esse ITA 25. Camussa Piergiorgio ITA; 26.Ceralli Christina ITA; 27. Del Fatti Alessandro ITA; 28. Leone DAvide ITA; 29. Milani Alberto ITA; 30. Pastore Denis ITA; 31. Sendal Pavel POL; 32. Vinoni Giacomo ITA - D.S. Domenico Gatti)

(Russian Nat. Team RUS 33. Belkov Maxim RUS; 34. Esin Alexev RUS; 35. Mironov Alexander RUS; 36. Pangey Victor RUS; 37. Kalinin Pavel RUS; 38. Gaieulinz Pamil RUS; 39. Sintsov Anton RUS; 40. Krulov Gennadi RUS - D.S. Rynat Latypov)

(GS III Saeco-Romer's-Wetzikon SUI 41. Blum Jonas SUI; 42. Felder Stefan SUI; 43. Gysling Daniel SUI; 44. Naegelin Stefan SUI; 45. Oeschger Peter SUI; 46. Reiser Roland SUI; 47. Urweider Sascha SUI; 48. Widmer Manuel SUI - D.S. Martin Obrist)

(GS Hadimec SUI 49. Arn Laurent SUI; 50. Bovay Steve SUI; 51. Collins Stephen SUI; 52. Gassmann Patrick SUI; 53. Grossenbacher Steve SUI; 54. Kunz Erich SUI; 55. Peter Andres SUI; 56. Reichlin Damian - D.S. Dany Hirs)

(Team Fidi BC.COM SUI 57. Brandenberger Frederic SUI; 58. Brahna Juanes ESP; 59. Morand Gregory SUI; 60. Canziani Daniele ITA; 61. Rossi Davide ITA; 62. Spirgi Remo SUI; 63. Schmidig Markus SUI; 64. Burci Alessandro ITA - D.S. Lino Remonti)

(L'Edile Rosa Prefabbricati Carni Safer ITA 65. Bonetti Stefano ITA; 66. Bosio Christofer ITA; 67. Ferrari Roberto ITA; 68. Formentelli Alessandro ITA; 69. Giorgi Andrea ITA; 70. Marinaccio Cristian ITA; 71. Pedretti Athos ITA; 72. Contratti Marco ITA - D.S. Tiziano Gozio)

(Team Aurora Named Ocim ITA 73. Aceti Walter ITA; 74. Amato Omar ITA; 75. Casartelli Davide ITA; 76. Galbiati Luca ITA; 77. Mariani Carlo ITA; 78. Negri Fabio ITA; 79. Redaelli Mario ITA; 80. Corbetta Riccardo ITA )

(Pragma ADV-Villongo Pragma ITA 81. Bellini Luca ITA; 82. Cadei Roberto ITA; 83. Efimkine Alexander RUS; 84. Mondinelli Cristian ITA; 85. Vaninetti Claudio ITA; 86. Berta Federico ITA; 87. Girelli Stefano ITA; 88. Salvoni Marco ITA - D.S. Lorenzo Carrara)

(Velo Sport Rho 1949 ITA 89. Brusadori Carlo ITA; 90. Ferri Marco ITA; 91. Fredini Enrico ITA; 92. Giaccari Claudio ITA; 93. Giudici Giuliano ITA; 94. Malosti Ralf ITA; 95. Pastori Gabriele ITA; 96. Rizzi Ettore ITA - D.S. Alberto Saronni)

(Polisportiva Borgonovo Collegno ITA 97. Garrone Mattia ITA; 98. Gorlier Pietro ITA; 99. Ruoberchera Damiano ITA; 100. Tosco Marco ITA; 101. Sartori Giuliano ITA; 102. Scarpa Luigi ITA; 103. Turcotti Simon ITA; 104. Vargiu Marco ITA - D.S. Gian Pietro Frigo)

(Team Cioli Resine Ragnoli-Feralpi ITA 105. Gavazzi Mattia ITA; 106. Gaia Alessandro ITA; 107. Venturini Giacomo ITA; 108. Kiselv Alexander RUS; 109. Ciatti Stefano ITA; 110. Manzoni Giorgio ITA; 111. Meini Andrea ITA; 112. Carducci Giacomo ITA - D.S. Roberto Vigni)

(Team Schivardi Colombina ITA 113. Giallorenzo Mariano ITA; 114. Prygunov Vladislav UKR; 115. Polonini Federico ITA; 116. Caldera Angelo ITA; 117. Levini Fabrizio ITA; 118. Rizzi Bruno ITA; 119. Passi Danierle ITA; 120.Bresciani Alberto ITA - D.S. Gian Carlo Mazza)

(Garlaschese Record ITA 121. Bianchi Andrea ITA; 122. Clerici Davide ITA; 123. Ghione Mario ITA; 124. Pedrazzini Gian Mario ITA; 125. Ripari David ITA; 126. Rossi Enrico ITA; 127. Caneva Alberto ITA; 128. Pozzi Edoardo ITA - D.S. Mauro Izzacane)

(Prgetto Ciclismo Valle Orco e Soana ITA 129. Colombo Simone ITA; 130. Marengo Marco ITA; 131. Salet Simone ITA; 132. Vezza Diego ITA; 133. Benedetto Giacomo ITA; 134. Pinton Federico ITA; 135. Senafè Giovanni ITA; 136. Calvi Luca ITA - D.S. Massimo Subrero)

(Team Sicilia-Libertas Bocca di Falco ITA 137. Bianchi Roberto ITA; 138. Corsetto Riccardo ITA; 139. Martinello Gaetano ITA; 140. Villanti Giuseppe ITa; 141. Riboldi Ernesto ITA; 142. Merloni Marco ITA; 143. Rivazio Simone ITA; 144. Giacomazzi Mauro ITA)

(Bottoli Artoni Zoccorinese ITA 145. Bonini Stefano ITA; 146. Caccia Diego ITA; 147. Mol Gianluca ITA; 148. Cattaneo Marco ITA; 149. Carini Giordano ITA; 150. Maserati Alessandro ITA - D.S. Ghidetti Aldo)

(UC Pregnana ITA 151. Atzori Quirino ITA; 152. Calandro Vincenzo ITA; 153. Toia Federico ITA; 154. Zini Aldo ITA; 155. Lambin Alexei RUS - D.S. Pietro Pisoni)

(Team Friuli Sanvitese-Fiamme Azzurre ITA 156. Bevilacqua David ITA; 157. Miorini Erik ITA; 158. Segat Marco ITA; 159. Tabotta Jonathan ITA; 160. Zago Massimo ITA; 161. Masotti Fabio ITA - D.S. Roberto Bressan)

Trofeo Pina & Mario Bazzigaluppi - Recent Winners:
2003: Paride Grillo (Ita)
2002: Peter Klasa (Cze)
2001: Claudio Pizzoferrato (Ita)
2000: Simone Cadamuro (Ita)
1999: Marco Zanotti (Ita)
1998: Alessio Girelli (Ita)
1997: Marco Cannone (Ita)
1996: Oscar Pozzi (Ita)
1995: Alessandro Pozzi (Ita)
1994: Massimo Maestri (Ita)

Team RPM Dominates Arizona State Crit Champs

Scottsdale, Arizona - Team RPM once again proves it is a cycling powerhouse by winning the Arizona State Criterium Championships in the Masters 45+ and 50+ categories respectively. Team RPM also places second in the respective Masters 35+ and 40+ categories.

"In 2003, we had a spectacular year with over 40 wins to the teams credit," said Larry McCormick, Team RPM President." During this year's event, David Bixby (50+) repeated his win in 2003 with a devastating sprint to the finish that left more than 10 bike lengths between he and second place. "In 2004, we're really seeing the fruits of the tremendous sponsorship support we're currently receiving as well as the team working so well together," McCormick added.

But perhaps the most inspiring of all was the win by Joe Cunningham in the 45+ category. Joe was nearly killed in 2002 when he was literally run over by a cement truck on a solo training ride which left doubts about his long-term abilities to ever walk again. "Joe's story should motivate anyone thinking that there's nothing left for them after an accident," said Eric Nelson, teammate to Cunningham. "Have no doubt what a person can accomplish when determined. This speaks volumes about Joe's character and those on Team RPM," Nelson concluded.

Next up for Team RPM is the Arizona State Time Trial Championships, which puts each rider on the course one at a time with the fastest cyclist winning. The team looks to again dominate the Masters category in this unique discipline of cycling.

About Team RPM--Team RPM (Reata Pass Masters), based in Scottsdale, AZ, is one of the premier masters cycling teams in the Southwest. In 2003, Team RPM won the Arizona Masters Road Race and Criterium championships, and placed on the podium more than 40 times illustrating their commitment to success. Team RPM competes throughout the Southwest as well as selected National and International events including the Masters World Games held annually in Austria. A long-time member of the USCF community, one major objective is supporting and developing junior racing programs.

Team RPM

Cannondale Unveils New Look - "Feel It"

With the start of the '04 cycling season, Cannondale has unveiled a new corporate look and tag line that will be featured on all of its advertising, packaging, web sites and other promotional materials.

Matt Mannelly, President of the Cannondale Brand, explained the origin of the new tag line: 'Feel It.'

"We did a lot of research among our customers, our dealers and our employees," says Mannelly, "and everyone kept describing these very tactile images.Our smooth welds, the acceleration of our bikes, the light weight of our frames or the fit and comfort of our apparel - all things you can literally feel.

"'Feel It' also touches on the crucial intangibles that resonate with our customers," added Mannelly, "like our meticulous 'Made In America' craftsmanship, the subtleties of our innovative designs, or our own love of cycling."

Finally, the slogan also speaks to the strong emotional bond between Cannondale and its customers, explained Mannelly. "There's an incredible sense of passion and community that exists among Cannondale owners. We know customers who have tattooed our logo on their bodies. There's a Cannondale owner in Massachusetts who named his son Cannondale. We had people fly in from 17 countries for our 30th anniversary Homecoming. The passion people feel for Cannondale is amazing. 'Feel It' celebrates that passion and invites and encourages everyone to be a part of it."

Cannondale's new tag line and look were officially unveiled this past weekend in Europe at the Giro d'Italia in Italy, and in the U.S. at the recent Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. The new look uses aluminum silver, jet black and pure white as primary colors. Sunset orange will be used as an accent color, fonts have been standardized, and where appropriate, Cannondale graphics and materials will feature rounded corners.

U.S. Junior National Team Off to Europe

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 12, 2004)--USA Cycling announced today its entry of a junior national road team in three European events throughout May beginning with this weekend's Le Trophée Centre Morbihan in France. The following week, the team of six will compete at the Internationale Junioren Driedaagse van Axel in the Netherlands May 21-23 and then return to France to close out their European campaign with the Tour de Larriance May 28-31.

Riding for the U.S. Junior National Team will be Chad Beyer (Peoria, Ariz.), Mike Chauner (West Chester, Pa.), Taylor Lane (Cloudcroft, N.M.), Chris Ruhl (Quakertown. Pa.), Peter Stetina (Boulder, Colo.), and Chris Stockburger (Fort Collins, Colo.). Riders were selected for the team based on results from major domestic competitions and strong history of performance.

Beyer was the bronze medalist at the 2003 USCF Junior National Road Championships while Stockburger swept all three titles in the Junior 15-16 age category in the road race, ctirerium and time trial at the same event. Stetina most recently won the men's category three overall classification at the 2004 Tour of the Gila and Lane was a silver medalist at the 2003 USCF Cyclo-cross National Championships last December. Chauner and Ruhl combined for a silver medal is the 2003 USCF Junior Track National Championships in the team pursuit where Ruhl also claimed silver in the 500m time trial and gold in the points race.

The team will be led by Danny van Haute (Jelly Belly Cycling Team) and will be based in Izegem, Belgium, the permanent base of USA Cycling's USPS U23 National Team.

Danny tells the Daily Peloton that “the Jelly Belly guys are on their own at Joe Martin. They are big boys. Most people don't known that I have two jobs – 1) Manager of the Jelly Belly presented by Aramark cycling team and 2) Junior endurance road and track National team coach.” He also mentions that working with the juniors is a great way to scout talent!

Carney to Coach New Lehigh Valley Velodrome Intro Track Program

The Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Pennsylvania announced today a new introductory and intermediate track cycling program to begin June 14, 2004 with two-time Olympian Jame Carney as the head coach. Classes are to be held over a one-week time span with three one and a half hour sessions.

"Interest in our many cycling programs has been steadily on the rise so we decided to expand our programs to encourage even higher participation," said Jacob Burns, Director of Marketing at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome.

This new program will highlight the coaching expertise of Jame Carney and will give participants a broad base of cycling knowledge. The two age groups are 9-18 and 19+ years of age. Classes will also be broken down into ability with both beginner and intermediate classes. Beginner classes are intended for those who have no prior experience in track cycling, and intermediate classes will be geared towards riders who have some experience or have attended other programs at the Velodrome.

The fee for the introductory program is $25.00, and track bicycles are free of cost for participant use.

For more information about the 2004 Introductory Track Cycling Program at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, visit the Velodrome website at www.lvvelo.org or call 610-395-7000.

About the Lehigh Valley Velodrome--The Lehigh Valley Velodrome, the East Coast's only professional track cycling venue, located in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, by the intersection of Routes 222 and 100, is less than one hour from most Philadelphia suburbs. Experience international racing Friday nights from June 4 through September 18, 2004. Gates open at 6:00pm and race action begins at 7:00pm. 

Coming in 2004: The USA Cycling Fastest Man on Wheels September 3-4 and the Penn State Lehigh Valley Collegiate National Track Cycling Championships September 16-18. For more information on racing, volunteering, community programs, VIP entertaining or corporate sponsorship, visit our website at www.lvvelo.org or call 610.395.7000.

NORBA Series Resumes This Weekend

The 2004 NORBA National Mountain Bike Series resumes this weekend in Sonoma, Calif. as part of the California Outdoor Championships at Infineon Raceway May 14-16. Designed after the hugely successful Sea Otter Classic, The California Outdoor Championships will feature both elite-level and amateur mountain biking and road cycling as America's top cycling talent in both disciplines prepare for the Olympic Games later this summer in Athens.

Several U.S. Olympic mountain bike hopefuls will use the cross-country events in Sonoma as a tune-up to the UCI World Cup season opener a week later in Spain. Also, with an UCI E1 classified cross country race on Saturday and an E2 short track event on Sunday, UCI points valuable to Olympic selection are up for grabs to the nation's top elite mountain bike athletes.

On hand in Sonoma will be 2001 World Champion and winner of the cross country race at the opening round of the 2004 NORBA National Mountain Bike Series in Waco, Texas, Alison Dunlap (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Dunlap, who also won two stages and the overall classification at the Sea Otter Classic last month, is currently at the top of her game and keen to secure additional UCI points towards her bid for an Olympic nomination. Noticeably absent in Sonoma will be U.S. Olympic hopefuls Sue Haywood (Davis, W. Va.) and Mary McConneloug (Fairfax, Calif.), who both chose to compete in Europe this weekend as preparation for the upcoming World Cup opener. Also missing in Sonoma will be NORBA round one time trial, short track, and overall winner Alison Sydor (CAN).

Still, without a couple of key players on the start line, several talented and notable riders and teams are set to compete and eager for a win. RLX Ralph Lauren teammates Jimena Florit (ARG) and Willow Koerber (Horseshoe, N.C.) as well as Dunlap's Luna teammates, Katerina Hanusova (CZE, and Shonny Vanlandingham (Durango, Colo.) are likely to challenge each other for the win in both Saturday's cross country race and Sunday's short track event. Also, Ford Cycling's Dara Marks (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Rocky Mountain's Gretchen Reeves (Boulder, Colo.), both members of the U.S. World Championship team last September, will also be a threat.

The men's events should be as equally competitive and important when it comes to Olympic selection. With similar UCI points available to the guys, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo.) will look for a strong performance in Sonoma to solidify his position as the number one ranked American rider in the world. Currently ranked 16th in the world, Horgan-Kobelski is in a tight race for one of the two available spots on the U.S. men's Olympic mountain bike team. Also a candidate for one of those spots, Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Va.), will not be in Sonoma as he prepares for the World Cup opener in Europe. His absence means that none of the winners from the first round of the NORBA series will contest the second round as the Canadian trio of Ryder Hesjedal, Seamus McGrath, and Geoff Kabush, all winners in Waco, will also forego the second round.

Like the women, the men's race in Sonoma provides a good opportunity for other riders to notch their first 2004 NORBA series win. Key players include Canadian Chris Sheppard and Colombian, Cesar Grajales. Grajales already took a huge win on the road this season, winning stage six of the Tour de Georgia ahead of Lance Armstrong.

The gravity events at the California Outdoor Championships will also feature some of the world's most impressive athletes in both mountain cross and dual slalom racing. Acting as the first round of the 2004 NORBA series for gravity riders, Sea Otter Classic mountain cross winners Tara Llanes (Corona, Calif.) and local Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) and dual slalom victors Mick Hannah (AUS) and Sabrina Jonnier (FRA) are hoping to expand upon their early season success.

Also new to the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series is a qualifying opportunity for Sunday's Jeep King of the Mountain Series opener. Based on Saturday's results in the mountain cross finals, two NORBA branded teams will compete against several nations in an event that blends mountain cross racing with dual slalom. For a complete event schedule, visit www.oschamps.com.

Correction from CapTech Classic article. Taylor Bishop - the junior gal racing with the guys is 15 years old, not 17 as stated in the article.

Taylor Bishop, photo by Marianne Werz OBrien

Talking with Taylor’s dad, Wayne, I mentioned that racing requires more hard work and dedication than most young women are willing to put in, so I find it fascinating that she does. Especially balancing it with school obligations.

Wayne told me “Taylor is inspired to do the work. She also plays for her high school soccer and lacrosse teams, but thinks nothing of training for 2 hours on the bike when she gets home from school. She is also an excellent student, and is in the upcoming school play,so she is happy,healthy and well rounded!”

Oh, and then he mentioned that in her copious “free time” she is also a guide for white water rafting trips in the summer months in W.V. I think I need to go take a nap now, just hearing about Taylor has worn me out!