Coryn Rivera takes Manhattan Beach

A field of over 50 gets beat by junior geared Coryn Rivera age 16!

RUTH WINDER PODIUMS AT BENICIA CRIT

2nd Ruth Winder

Photo: Paul Doran

MANHATTAN BEACH GP - WIN!

Women 1/2/3
1st Coryn Rivera
Christen King
Nicole Brandt

Image: Ken Conley (poached from twitter)

VeloNews - A win on junior gearing

Because the women’s race did not have NRC status, it did not attract as many national women’s squads as in previous years. Proman Hit Squad's 16-year-old Coryn Rivera went into the final turn in fourth spot and came around to take the win over more than 50 other riders ease — even riding as she was on junior gearing.

“I was hanging really patiently,” Rivera noted after the race. “I jumped with maybe 300 meters to go. Especially with junior gears it has to be a really hard jump and I just held it to the line.”

Jazz Apple's Malindi Maclean took second while Catherine Fiedler-Cook (Tommassini) rounded out the podium.

VeloNews

BURLINGAME CRITERIUM

3rd Shelley Olds
8th Cari Higgins
Rachel Neylan
Hanan Alves-Hyde

HANAN ALVES-HYDE WINS

Image by Ken Conley

KEN'S BLOG

Catching up with Shelley Olds

Lyne interviews Shelley Olds

AMERICAN VELODROME CHALLENGE -WIN

Scratch Race
1st Hanan Alves-Hyde
5th Shelley Olds
7th Cari Higgins

Miss and Out
2nd Shelley Olds
4th Cari Higgins

Image: Hanan attacks! By Ken for real Conley
KEN'S BLOG

AMERICAN VELODROME CHALLENGE -WIN

American Velodrome Challenge, Hellyer, CA

Keirin
1st Cari Higgins
2nd Shelley Olds

Points Race
2nd Shelley Olds
3rd Cari Higgins
Hanan Alves-Hyde

NEVADA CITY REPORT - Shelley Olds

Damn, what a spectacle. This race was definitely a moment in time that I will remember forever. I have never experienced anything like this race. The spectators were amazing. They lined the course from top to bottom and gave their full attention to all of the racers. It didn’t matter where you were in the field, they cheered.

We went into the race with expectations of winning. Afterall, it is the coolest race on the west coast, maybe even in the U.S. We wanted our name on the top spot. From the gun we lit it up, with Helene driving hard on the first descent and leaving us with only 6 riders to control after the smoke settled. It was three PROMAN, one Tibco, one Luna, and one SugarCRM rider after the second time up the hill. Now it was time to play the game with the lone riders. So, we started our attacks with Rachel Neylan, who initiated the perfect move that would ultimately set us up for the victory.

As Rachel powered away from the only remaining chasers, Brooke Miller and Katerina Nash, Helene and I sat patiently on their wheels waiting to counter. As Rach started to come back to us, I knew it was up to Helene or myself to counter and it just happened to be me who was ready when the catch happened. I launched myself before we crested the top of the climb and buried myself on the downhill so I could try and get out of sight as soon as possible on the climb. After I had separated myself from Brooke and Katerina, I just tried to get into a comfortable rhythm and ride away from them. I ended up winning solo after several laps off the front by myself.

The crowds were infectious. Loud, supportive, enthusiastic...It was an amazing experience. I took it all in the last lap and then rode an entire victory lap one more time up the climb, just to soak it all and savor the moment. There are not too many times in a person’s life when something of that magnitude happens and you feel that good. I didn’t want the moment to end.

When I crossed the line and got off my bike, my teammates were right there to congratulate me with huge hugs and hand shakes. Thanks to Tim, Niki, Rob, Rich, Rachel, Helene, and Ruth, for all that you are and all of your support at Nevada City. It was a team win and I am so proud to be a part of it.

Oh yeah, and Lance Armstrong won the men’s race....Check out Rob in the photo here, just hanging tough with the big boys. See below, Rob 6 wheels back in red

LONGO WINS TT NATIONALS AT AGE 50

At 50, Jeannie Longo is showing no sign of slowing down as she won her 56th national champion’s jersey, successfully defending her French national time trial title in Saint-Brieuc on Thursday.

The Grenoble native easily defeated a strong field of challengers, covering a 23.5-kilometer course in 33:42, some 33 seconds faster than second-placed Edwige Pitel. Marina Jaunatre took third, with a time more 59 seconds off of Longo’s.

FULL VELONEWS STORY

AMERICAN VELODROME CHALLENGE

Shelley Olds, Cari Higgins, Hanan Alves-Hyde to race AVC this weekend

International Stars And Top US Cyclists To Compete At American Velodrome Challenge In San Jose, CA

The American Velodrome Challenge (AVC) will be held at the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA on June 26 and 27. The event will feature sprint and endurance racing including Montano Velo Keirin, Concept Cyclery Women's Points Race and Peckham Memorial Points Race as well as SportVelo Miss-n-Out, Scratch, Madison and Sprint events. Racers will compete for nearly $15,000 in cash prizes.

In the endurance women's events, Shelley Olds (Proman) will be back to defend her Concept Cyclery Points Race and Testarossa Scratch Race titles. "Pocket Rocket" Shelley Olds says, "The AVC is one of the highlights of my season every year. It combines highly contested racing with a great atmosphere for spectating. It's fantastic to have a race of this caliber at my local track." With $1,000 going to the winner of the Concept Cyclery Women's Points Race, the race is guaranteed to be rocket fast. The women's sprint events will see Jen Featheringill (Bike Central) defend her Keirin and Sprint titles against USA elite national champion Cari Higgins (Proman) and Cristin Walker, the USA U23 National Sprint Champion.

The Peckham Memorial Points Race will see the 2008 winner Kenny Williams (First Rate Mortgage) defend against the 2007 winner Benjamin Jacques-Maynes (Bissell). Also chasing after the $1,000 that goes to the winner of the Peckham Memorial Points Race will be Jason Allen (Subway - Avanti), a track World Cup Gold medalist, Daniel Holloway (Holowesko-Garmin), US Elite Champion and World Cup bronze medalist, and New Zealand's Hayden Godfrey (Subway - Avanti), the 2008 Omnium World Champion. Godfrey says, "I have heard great things about the American Velodrome Challenge and I'm looking forward to compete in this year's event". Other nations represented at AVC include: Canada, Slovakia and Germany.

Gio Rey (Montano Velo) will be back to win after being pipped at the line in the 2008 Montano Velo Elite Men's Keirin. Expect Jimmy Watkins (Empower Coaching), current USA Sprint and Keirin champion, and his Team Sprint teammate Kelyn Akuna to make the race fast.

Rick Adams, co-promoter of the AVC said, "I am proud of the local business support to bring high level racing to Hellyer." Bruce Hollibaugh, Concept Cyclery’s owner said, “Sponsoring the AVC helps our community prosper and sponsoring the Women's Points Race aligns with our many successful women customers.”

Racing will be on Friday (June 26) from 7pm - 10:30pm and Saturday (June 27) from 6pm - 10pm. There is no entrance fee to the velodrome and food and drinks will be provided. Park entrance/parking at the County park is $6. Complete information can be found at www.ridethetrack.com/avc

Hellyer Velodrome is located at the Hellyer County Park, 995 Hellyer Ave San Jose, CA 95111 and can be easily accessed from Highway 101, exit "Hellyer Av."

STAY TUNED FOR CLINIC DATES!

Shelley Olds and I will be holding a series of 3-4 hr, one day and multi day clinics over the summer and fall. These will be open to all ages and abilities and will cover track, road and cross. Please e-mail me if you are interested ncranmer@aol.com
~ Nicola

NEVADA CITY CLASSIC - WIN!

VELONEWS - "Lance Armstrong and Shelly Olds won their respective Nevada City Classics on Sunday, both using strong solo efforts to ride to victory in the 49th annual race through the Northern California mining town.

The Proman team softened the women's field up with a blend of tempo and aggression before Olds delivered the final blow, racing off alone to take the win."

1st Shelley Olds
4th Rachel Neylan
5th Helene Drumm
Ruth Winder (15 yrs)






































CYCLING NEWS

VELONEWS

WOMEN'S CYCLING MAGAZINE

Olds’ team romps

Olds’ PROMAN teammates quickly strung out the field in the women’s race, with Helene Drumm setting the pace before Rachel Neylan attacked alone to draw out their opponents.

Neylan served as the decoy to set up the very much anticipated, but equally indefensible, counter attack and winning solo move by Olds.

National Criterium and Road Race champ Brooke Miller tried to keep the PROMAN onslaught in check, but in the end settled for a fine second place with Katarina Nash taking third.~ VeloNews

SAN PEDRO CRITERIUM - WIN!

Cat 1/2/3
1st Coryn Rivera (16yrs)

PROMAN's Lloyd sings at Nature Valley GP

TEAMWORK (REVISITED)

I keep coming back to something Giana Roberge wrote last year

Does Proman have what it takes to win?

As the 2008 preseason begins and thoughts turn toward racing, it is time to evaluate the Proman recipe for success. What makes a cycling team or any partnership successful? Everyone knows that cycling is about teamwork, but what is the essence of teamwork? Why does one partnership win when another blessed with the same quality equipment, talent, and financial support not see the same successes?

Teamwork is the combined effort of the group to achieve a common goal. Key components to the formula are that the common goal is agreed upon by every person in the collective, and that each person in the team works, to the fullest of their ability, to achieve the goal. If there is one person within the group who has any hesitation about the goal, and does not fully commit to the achievement of that goal, the team will not succeed. There will be distrust within the group should one member hold anything back for herself. All people must believe that the common goal of the team is going to benefit each individual as well, and be willing to sacrifice her own personal goals for the betterment of the group as a whole.















In this day of individualism and the destruction of the nuclear family, it is a rare thing to find a group of people all in agreement on working toward a common goal that does not have the individual front and center. Even the amazing Discovery Team had Lance front and center; every athlete knows that Lance would not have had the palmares he did were it not for the hard work, dedication and sacrifice from his Discovery Teammates.

When the group coalesces it is magic and the magic is contagious. Once the group believes in the formula, they can overcome almost any challenge. I have been blessed to work with two teams that have woven this magic. The first was the 2001 – 2003 Saturn Team. We used to say, “It does not matter who wins the race, as long as it is a Saturn Jersey on the Podium.” With this as our mantra we won the World Cup Series twice and were the Number One ranked UCI Team for two consecutive years. The second team is the Proman Squad. The mutual respect and teamwork begins at the top with Niki and me working side by side to ensure that our teammates have what they need to achieve the goals of the team. We work to balance personal goals with those of the group and in return ask each teammate to set aside her own goals when asked in order to form a cohesive, winning team unit.





















A good team and a great team are separated by fractions of an inch at the finish line. Riders on a great team will fight until they are empty to ensure a team victory, whereas an athlete on a good team will keep something in reserve for herself just in case she finds herself in a place to capitalize on an opportunity leading to personal success. It is difficult to teach personal sacrifice for the betterment of the team; those who ride it, live it in their daily lives and treat all of humanity as part of their community with respect, love and trust. When asked to sacrifice for the team, they are willing to do so, trusting that their work will benefit the unit and in doing so, ensure the continuation of the team and therefore benefit them and their sport.

The teamwork formula is delicate. Tread upon by disrespect, dishonesty, or selfishness, it us uprooted, shattered in dismay and can rarely be rebuilt. I have been witness to this many times. Big years, like Olympic years, pose real threats to teamwork. Although an individual qualifies to represent her country at the Olympics it requires a team to get her there. Lean sponsorship years also wreak havoc with a cohesive team unit. When there is less to go around, the typical response is one of individual greed, and in doing so the individual shorts her teammates, thereby denying the necessary ingredients for the team’s success.

Teamwork requires each individual to come to the group with trust in the mission, love for their sport and an understanding of what is required of them as members of the team. The 2008 Proman squad will be tested in the year to come, but I am confident that the team that Niki and I have assembled from our sponsors, to our athletes, to our partners has what is required to face the challenges head on and finish at the top of life’s podium.

NATURE VALLEY BY CORYN RIVERA

Nature Valley is one of the toughest, but best organized race of the year. The first time I did Nature Valley was last year and that is when I first met Kristin Armstrong. Now it is her last year of racing and Nature Valley will be her last american race. It's surprising how fast time flies. Each stage at Nature Valley is filled over the top with intensity. This year, Proman Hit Squad had Shelley Olds, Rachel Lloyd, Rachel Neylan, Christen King, Nicole Brant, and myself on the front line ready for battle............

FULL REPORT HERE!

DO YOU HAVE THE K-EDGE? WE DO!

The PROMAN ladies are running the K-Edge, designed by Kristin's husband Joe Savola.
K-Edge takes 1st Kristin Armstrong and 2nd Shelley Olds at Stillwater, Nature Valley GP
and 1st and 2nd General Classification! Want the Edge? Get it here BUY NOW!

"Kristin Armstrong is famous for both her success in bicycle racing, and the “type-A” attention to detail that keeps her climbing the podium at critical races every season. After a dropped chain in 2006 nearly cost her a gold medal at the world time trial championships, she resolved to never let the same mechanical malady derail another performance. She used a custom machined aluminum chain catcher in Beijing to help win gold. Now, after demand from both ProTour team mechanics and the public, a new K-Edge Chain Catcher has been refined for retail sale." ~ Velo News

Thank you Kristin and Joe.


CHECK IT OUT!!

NATURE VALLEY GENERAL CLASSIFICATION - Podium

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1st Kristin Armstrong
2nd Shelley Olds
3rd Alison Powers


WHEATIES SPRINT COMPETITION
1st Shelley Olds

STILLWATER - Podium

2nd Shelley Olds
11th Rachel Lloyd
Coryn Rivera
Rachel Neylan

Amateur Competition (Stillwater)
1st Coryn Rivera


Armstrong commented.....“Those girls were there, and they really worked to stay on. I didn’t want to leave them so the peloton would catch them,” said Armstrong, ever the mentor, who waited patiently until the last few laps. “I thought that if I waited until the last lap they would be able to hold off the peloton that was about 45 seconds back. I really respect Andrea Dvorak from Colavita and Shelley Olds from Proman, they are both up and coming talent in America. I was happy to have them up on the podium with me.”

Often times it’s necessary for riders to generate their own internal inspiration, which has been the case for a teammate-free Armstrong throughout the race. “Originally I was going to go out from the gun, but I ended up going the 85% to calm my nerves. When I saw it was strung out I felt that I had some control back and took it as hard as I could on the second lap,” said Armstrong

Shelley Olds (Proman) reflected on Armstrong’s win, determination and climbing abilities that are widely known by everyone. “Kristin was keeping a good tempo up the hills – she was just practicing for Worlds or something!” Olds said with a laugh. “I would have loved to have helped, but it took us the whole downhill to recover.”

Olds went home with the Wheaties Sprint Jersey and a second overall on the general classification. I knew that if I could stay on Kristin’s wheel when she attacked – which was inevitable – that I could settle in to a good pace. This is the kind of race that you have to settle in to, and everyone else is going through the same thing, so if you can settle into it with a gap, then you just have to keep reminding yourself to keep going...I had my director in my ear reminding me to chill, keep my own tempo, stick with them on the climb.”

JUNIOR STATE TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

Girls 15-16 500m
1st Ruth Winder

Girls 15-16 Scratch
1st Ruth Winder

Girls 15-16 Points
1st Ruth Winder

Girls 15-16 Match sprints
1st Ruth Winder

Girls 15-16 Omnium
1st Ruth Winder


Girls 13-14 Scratch
1st Nikka Van Den Dries
2nd Claire Jensen

Girls 13-14 500m
1st Nikka Van Den Dries
2nd Claire Jensen

Girls 13-14 Points
1st Claire Jensen
2nd Nikka Van Den Dries

Girls 13-14 Team Sprint
1st Nikka Van Den Dries & Claire Jensen

14-15 OMNIUM
1st Nikka Van Den Dries 19 points
2nd Claire Jensen 17 points

MANKATO ROAD RACE

6th Shelley Olds
Coryn Rivera
Rachel Lloyd
Rachel Neylan
Chrisen King

UPTOWN CRITERIUM - Podium

2nd Shelley Olds
11th Coryn Rivera
Rachel Lloyd
Rachel Neylan
Christen King

CANON FALLS ROAD RACE - Podium

3rd Shelley Olds
Coryn Rivera
Rachel Neylan
Rachel Lloyd
Christen King

Team rode a great race, riding at the front of the field. A massive crash before the circuits really threw a wrench in the works for some GC riders and took out Rachel Lloyd, who finished the race and recieved stitches on site for her gashed elbow. She is fine. Coryn went down too but hopped back up, chased back on and got in main group. Our plan was to get intermediate sprint time bonus and move Shelley into 3rd GC and finish top 3, she did this comfortably.

NATURE VALLEY GP - Downtown St Paul Criterium

Criterium
4th Shelley Olds
11th Rachel Lloyd
25th Coryn Rivera
Nicole Brandt
Rachel Neylan
Christen King

Team Classification
2nd PROMAN

UCI LIBERTY CLASSIC 1.1 - PODIUM

3rd Shelley Olds
23rd Rachel Lloyd
25th Rachel Neylan


Team Classification
4th PROMAN

CA STATE JUNIOR TIME TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - WIN

15-16
1st Ruth Winder

14-15
2nd Nikka Van Den Dries
3rd Claire Jensen

Indiana State Road Championships

A women
2nd Coryn Rivera

Dash for Cash - win

1st Ruth Winder

Two Wheel Criterium - WIN

1st Hanan Alves-Hyde

JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT - PODIUM INSIGHT

CHECK OUT INTERVIEW HERE

SHELLEY's FIRST NRC WIN!

Shelley has been on an NRC podium many times but this was her first win, I have a feeling there are many more to come. Shelley is a dedicated friend, athlete, team mate and now fiance!
What a week for her. Rob Evans proposed to her Saturday (she said yes!), she was 3rd Mount Hamilton Road Race Sunday, Won Memorial Day Criterium Monday, 5th Tulsa stage 1 Friday, won stage 2 Saturday and Won stage 3 and omnium Sunday!
I am very proud of her and her team.

Congratulations Shelley!

REPORT HERE!

NEW CLIF TRUCKERS FOR PHILLY

A bit silly posting my own pic.....but you get the idea! Thank you CLIF for new edition trucker hat just in time for Philly and Nature Valley GP!

CHECK CLIF

TULSA TOUGH OMNIUM - WIN!

1st Shelley Olds

Video of win final day

VELO NEWS

CYCLING NEWS

PARAMOUNT GP - PODIUM

2nd Christen King
Nicole Brandt (leadout)