Napa Grand Prix...Victory!

It wasn't just the weather that was hot in Napa yesterday!
Mary Ellen 1st
Karla 2nd
Kim F 7th
...and just about every prime!

Karla, Kim F, and Mary Ellen were on fire for the Napa Grand Prix. All of them launched attacks to keep the field chasing resulting in Karla off the front in a solo effort for half the race.

Karla's race was the most adventurous as it included...attacking the field, getting off the front and clipping a pedal in the next turn, crashing, taking a free lap, attacking again, getting off the front again with ME, sending ME back to block, riding breakmates off her wheel, riding solo taking primes, getting reabsorbed by the field, jumping the curb in the final turn to avoid a crash, then launching her sprint to lead ME out and finish 2nd....that's hot. And inspirational.

Here's a video of the final sprint courtesy of Mr. Fong (Kim's dad)...Thank You! Karla comes through the corner first, and the red and white blur behind her is ME (she's too fast to catch on film)...beautiful sprint ME!


Our best wishes go out to those who went down in the final turn, we hope everyone heals quickly. Also, thanks to ZTeam and Cycle Circus for promoting this great new race.

One Weekend, Three Races, Two Podiums and More!

Sierra Nevada Criterium
Karla Kingsley 1st
Mary Ellen Ash 3rd
Holly Roberts 4th
Erin Dunn Most Aggressive Rider Award Top three, L-R, ME 3rd, Karla 1st, Elis Bradshaw 2nd
Here's Karla's report...

We had 6 people for the Sierra Nevada crit in Folsom on Saturday. My personal goal was to win the race - I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, and I knew that the field would be less intimidating than many of the crits we've ridden this year. I was so lucky to have Angela, Holly, Erin, Mary Ellen, and Lori there to help! As a team, we wanted to get as many people in the money as possible. For the first part of the race, Erin and I tried to initiate breaks, but nothing was sticking. Holly went for the first prime, and was just nipped at the line. When we realized that a break was unlikely, Mary Ellen told me to just sit in and relax. Meanwhile, Angela, Lori, and Erin kept the pressure on with frequent attacks. Erin spent a whole lot of the race off the front solo, forcing other teams to chase and again earning her the Most Aggressive Rider award. Nice, Erin! Mary Ellen did a great job patrolling the front of the race and covered any other attacks. It was amazing to watch everyone being so active and playing a role! In the final lap, Holly went to the front and pulled for the second half of the lap, keeping the speed high, as I sat behind ME just a couple wheels back. Around the final corner, ME pulled me forward with a perfect lead out and I sprinted for the line for my first win as a cat 2! ME came in for 3rd and Holly for 4th. It was truly a team effort, and I am so happy to be part of that team dynamic. Thanks SugarESpecials!

Thanks for reading,
Karla

Pescadero Road Race-top 10

While the rest of the team played in Folsom, a few of us took on the climbs...w 1/2- Kim Fong 7th + sprint, Brianne 15th w 3- Lucia Mokres 5th

Kim finishing strong....
Nevada City Classic Criterium-top 10

Erin, Mary Ellen, and Karla represented well at one of the toughest and most prestigious crits in our district...Erin 10th, Karla 11th, Mary Ellen 13th.

AVC Countdown

Just over 24 hours away from one of the best Norcal track events, American Velodrome Challenge. Find more info here http://americanvelodromechallenge.blogspot.com/ and here http://www.ridethetrack.com/ So head down to Hellyer and enjoy the action, speed, and suffering of national and world class athletes....some of the most fun you can have while not on a bike!

Special thanks to all the Los Gatos club members and other volunteers promoting this event.

TOUR DE CURE...A HUGE SUCCESS!

Some of the team rode the Tour de Cure in the fight against diabetes. It was a great event, well supported and wonderful volunteers. Thank you to everyone who supported us in this cause and helped us to raise $2120!


Thanks to all our donors....
Rachel Lansdown, Susan Ash, Malwina Pietrzak, Dr. Carol Thomas, Dan Horn, Dr. Elizabeth Fraze, Bruce Burgess, Carol and Kevin Goodrow, Garrett Lau, Thomas Weber, Vangelis, Richard Ash, Dr. Victor Rucker, Isabel Galdo Miguez, Lisa Hern, Barry Gordon, Denin Sahovic, Wendy Lei, Darrell Lewis, Henry Madden, Tim Smith, Russ Sutcliffe, Doug McEtchin, Robert Brommer, Sunil Mehra, Kerry Stivaletti, Kim Perez, Les Austere (Summit Bikes), Isaac (Putnam Volvo), Charlene Snow, Jennifer Sudbrink, Leslie Hayes, Ronda Montalvo, Mike and Sandy Sudbrink, Janee Sciorelli, and Diana Aldrich


Special thanks to Devcon Builders for their generous support in this great cause, you can check them out here http://www.devcon-const.com/

TOUR DE CURE...FIGHTING DIABETES ONE PEDAL STROKE AT A TIME

The Easton/SugarCRM/Specialized women's race team will proudly participate in the Tour De Cure this Sunday June 8th. This tour serves as a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association and we need your help. Below is a link to our team page, please click away and consider supporting a rider to help us reach our fundraising goal.
http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=5062&team_id=303289

No amount is too small and all contributions are greatly appreciated!

ICCC Dash for Cash...Victory!

With the help of teammates Karla, Holly, Angela, and Kim W, MaryEllen was able to win the final sprint (w 1/2) for the second year in a row at Dash for Cash. The team also did a great job working together throughout the race helping Karla and ME win half the primes in the process and Angela placing 6th in the 3's. Great racing ladies!

ME ready to roll... (photo courtesy of Paul Doran http://www.flickr.com/photos/vicarioussojourn/sets/72157605387279913/ )