|
Greetings!
Welcome to May - the month we hope the snowfall ends!
With Mother's Day, the CycloFemme ride next weekend, and so much momentum for women's cycling here in Colorado, we are proud to turn our focus our this month on our female athletes and the initiatives in our Women's Program.
Bicycles have played an important role in the lives of millions of women over the last century, aiding in the efforts to achieve equality between the genders. In more recent years, cycling has provided an outlet for women to gain confidence, fitness, friends and a racing fix for those with a competitive mindset.
In this Month of the Cycling Woman, we are incredibly proud of the energy surrounding women's cycling in Colorado:
- Celebrate the record-breaking turnout of Senior Women 4 athletes at early season races (most notably at Louisville and Haystack)
- Celebrate the 15% growth in the collegiate Women's fields this spring
- We host our first-ever BRAC Women's Racing Camp on May 4
- Support the Naked Women's Racing's efforts with Ride for Reading on May 10
- Support GirlBikeLove and the worldwide Cyclo Femme ride on May 12
- Plan for our upcoming SW 4 Mentoring Events at Wheels of Thunder (May 11), Coal Miners Classic (June 1), and the City Park Criterium (June 2)
- Announce our first annual half day Women's Cross Camp with Olympian and Awesome Woman Ann Trombley, which is scheduled for September 7, 2013
Women racing the 2013 Maverick Classic Twilight Criterium in downtown Grand Junction. Photo by Lofton Photography.
The groundwork for this success was created last fall at our Women's Summit, in which 80 women contributed their time, ideas, and energy to help us improve women's cycling in Colorado. Thanks to the direction from that Summit, and the hard work of many people, our Women's Programs are really booming. We are very grateful for the support that has been provided by our Board members Susan Adamkovics, Rachel Scott, Sue Lloyd and Lynn Taylor, and our Women's Camp Director Katie Macarelli.
We still have plenty of work to do, as traditionally women represent only 13% of our membership and bicycle racing license holders nationwide. But with these initiatives, support from our cycling community, and the ability to work together, we can grow this percentage and provide great racing experiences for more women than ever. The future of women's cycling in Colorado has never been brighter!
Chris
execdir@coloradocycling.org
***
First Annual BRAC Women's Racing Camp
Presented by TheCyclist-Lawyer.com
May 4, 2013
The Cyclist-Lawyer.com is proud to be the title sponsor for BRAC's first ever Women's Racing Camp. The one-day camp will be hosted by the School of Mines Cycling Team, and feature camaraderie, lunch, fun, friends, safety skills, mentoring and hot laps on a criterium course, followed by a race debrief with wine and snacks. The Camp is brought to us by Bicycle Colorado.
The 2013 Women's Racing Camp is sold out, but please watch for details for the 2013 Women's Cross Camp with Ann Trombley on September 7th!
***
2013 Senior Women 4 Mentoring Events
SW 4 Mentoring at Louisville 2013 with 46 Senior Women 4 athletes! Wow!
Photo by BRAC.
Each year, BRAC works with select races to offer SW4 Mentoring events. These events serve as a fantastic opportunity for our beginning women to learn from experienced women racers in a race environment.
Upcoming races include Wheels of Thunder, the Coal Miners Classic, and the City Park Criterium. Please see the event flyer for the race schedule on race days.
Thank you Naked Women's Racing for leading this program!
***
Colorado-based women's competitive cycling team Naked Women's Racing will deliver thousands of donated children's books by bicycle to Smith Elementary School on Friday, May 10 for National Ride for Reading Week.
Naked Women's Racing partnered with the charity Ride for Reading, a non-profit with a mission to promote literacy and healthy living through the distribution of books via bicycle to children from low-income neighborhoods.
Please go here to volunteer for this amazing project, and thank you Colorado Women's Cycling Project/Naked Women Racing for playing such an amazing role in our community.
***
Colorado Track Racing Update -
Training Opens May 9 in Colorado Springs
What a whirlwind it has been getting the track season ready to go! The continued snowfall has delayed Boulder Valley Velodrome's completion, while the 7-11 Velodrome in Colorado Springs has hired new personnel who are involved in the scheduling process. Our Track Coordinator Pat McDonough has been working like crazy to get everything dialed in - thank you Pat!
Training starts May 9 in Colorado Springs. Racing will start in late May in the Springs, and July (fingers crossed) in Erie.
Please see this link for the 2013 7-11 Velodrome training schedules, track information and fees.
Watch www.coloradocycling.org for midweek and weekend racing schedules - which will be posted soon!
***
Racing Community Profile - Colby Pearce
Olympian, National Hour Record Holder, Colorado Single Speed Cross Champ, Breck Epic'er, etc, etc.
Colby warming up on tilted rollers to get ready for the cross winds
at the 2013 Frostbite TT. Photo by BRAC.
One of the leading figures in the Colorado racing community is Boulder's Colby Pearce. Colby has been riding at the highest level for what seems like forever. His achievements are simply amazing - who else can hold the US Hour Record on the track and represent the USA at the Olympics and win the Colorado State Cyclo-Cross Championships for SingleSpeed by crushing a 42x17? Nobody, that's who.
Check out this recent interview with Colby that was featured on 303cycling.
Enjoy!
***
KHMTT Update
4 Results Count for Overall
and
Racer Appreciation Party on May 15
With the crazy weather in the last couple of weeks, we have had to reduce the number of events that will be counted for the overall for the 2013 KHMTT Series. The overall will be calculated as the best 4 results.
Please mark your calendars and attend the Racer Appreciation Party on May 15 (snowdate is May 22) for food, drinks and a great prize drawing. All racers are automatically entered into the drawing (except volunteers, officials, race staff and BRAC representatives). You do not need to be present to win. Prizes will be distributed at the Party and/or delivered to winners.
HUGE thanks to Lima Beans Cycling, Corky at Green Mountain Sports, and Kathy Judson for your efforts with this party!
Please see the Lima Beans site for more information,
and thank you Lima Beans for all your work with the 2013 KHMTT.
***
Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference -
Wow What a Spring!
 2013 RMCCC Team Podium, Palisade, Colorado. Photo by BRAC.
The RMCCC wrapped up a successful spring season with a road race through the Palisade orchards on April 20th. We are very proud of our cooperation with the RMCCC, as our growing relationship means more opportunities for everyone to race, and more resources that can be applied to these growing events. Three separate collegiate events had more than 300 USAC athletes this year: CSU's road race, CU's criterium, and the Air Force road race. This has never happened before in Colorado, and probably not in the United States. We are literally writing the book on how to support collegiate racing for the benefit of the whole racing community!
We are very proud of these efforts, and very excited to strengthen our partnership with RMCCC for the continued growth of Colorado cycling. Thanks all who worked to make this success in 2013 a reality - especially Clint Bickmore, Topher Hurley, Yvonne van Gent, Lynn Taylor, Tim Madden, Andy McChord, our other great officials, USAC's Valecia Fraser and Jeff Hansen, and the collegiate event directors for your commitment to this amazing initiative.
Best of luck to our RMCCC friends as they tackle Collegiate Nationals in Ogden, Utah this weekend!
***
2013 Midweek Criterium Series in Longmont -
Building a Stronger Community Through Bicycle Racing
 The 2013 Twin Peaks Mall Criterium Series was led out by Dennis Coombs, the Mayor of Longmont. Photo by sportifimages.com.
We are very proud to work with the City of Longmont, the Twin Peaks Mall, Bicycle Longmont, and Sanitas Sports to support the 2013 Ideal Market Twin Peaks Mall Criterium Series p/b New Mark Merrill. This Series brings together junior racers, beginners, Bicycle Longmont's efforts to provide donated bikes to underprivileged kids, music, food, drinks, and fast racing to create a season of events that benefits the Longmont community. Thank you all who have worked to make this a reality, especially Barry Lee, Clint Bickmore and Bicycle Longmont.
***
Are You or a Friend New to Racing?
There is so much mystery (and seemingly endless jargon) to this sport. Let us help!! Check out our New Racer page on the BRAC website. Updated, fun and easy to read, this resource has all you need to know for a successful first race. We welcome new racers and want to see you succeed!
Watch for camps, clinics, mentoring events and other ways to learn more about racing. The best way to enjoy the sport is to join a club. Here you'll find friends, training tips, racing guidance, and support for your efforts. See our Clubs Page for contact info on our member clubs.
***
Updates for the Junior Development Program
The 2013 Junior Road Camp brought kids from Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to Loveland, Colorado and the professional guidance of Head Coach Jon Heidemann. The juniors were treated to great weather, world-class coaching, and the chance to learn about health, nutrition, cycling, bikes and equipment, training, and safe racing in a supportive and fun environment. Thank you all who contributed to the success of the 2013 Junior Road Camp!
 2013 Junior Road Camp. Photo by Deirdre Moynihan.
Camp Recap by Shelley Hartmann
What phenomenal kids we have coming up the ranks!
Talk about perseverance! Road rash, broken wrist, flat tires, broken derailleurs, etc, and these kids didn't pout and go home (not even the broken wrist kid!) They just found ways to get cleaned up, parts and tires fixed, support and cheer on their fellow campers! We even had a 6 year old on his mountain bike holding his own with the 8-10 year olds.
Amazing endurance shown by these kids. We can only hope to have so much energy that we want to be in our kits from sun up to sun down, or even be like the one kid who slept in his kit because he was so excited.
CHEERS to new achievements and accomplishing goals we thought were out of our reach, physically or mentally! Keep up the positive mind work and grab those future goals by the handfuls!
Hugs, Shelley
* 
* Questions about junior gearing and equipment restrictions? Please see this link for answers. ***
Thanks for sharing this e-newsletter with your
friends and family. Enjoy a great day on your bike!
A HUGE Thank You to Katie Macarelli, who has been instrumental in the creation of this issue of the Colorado Racing News. | 
