Phil Mooney (Jamis-Sutter Home) came out of a six-racer break on the final lap, outlasted his competitors, and took the win in Category 1-2-3 Men at the Modesto Road Race.

The course is a figure-eight having one loop in the shape of an ell and all corners at right-angles. It is flat and it is fast. Category 1-2-3 raced eight laps of the 9-mile loop. The field of 73 racers was a good cross-section of NorCal; top squads such as California Giant/Specialized, Team Mike’s Bikes, Fremont Bank Cycling Team, and Marc Pro-Starva put racers into the fray alongside Junior teams such as Ritte Elite U23 Development Team and Tieni Duro Junior Cycling Team. For some competitors, this event was even the third race in an informal Central Valley Tour, following crits in Modesto and Fresno the previous day.

During the early laps, the field stayed compact then started to stretch out on the third lap. Just before half distance into the race, Rainier Schaefer (Team Mike’s Bikes) and Louis Meintjes (Simple Green) were off the front on a two-racer breakaway; they managed to pull ahead by 84 seconds, at one point, and for a couple of laps the rest of the field outwardly appeared unconcerned. Until two solo chasers, one each from Team Mike’s Bikes and Fusion Sport USA, struck out after Schaeffer and Meintjes. Mooney and Chuck Hutcheson (Marc Pro-Starva) also decided enough was enough and together they set off after the racers out in front.

“With two laps to go, they gave us a time split of a minute and fifteen and I thought this could work,” said Schaefer, “but then, maybe two turns later, I saw a group of four chasing and thought this could work out better for me because I was fatigued at that point. Hanging on for two more laps would have been hard.” Schaefer admitted this was his personal longest breakaway and he was proud of his accomplishment this day.

Schaeffer and Meintjes away on a Two-Racer Break

(Team Mike's Bikes) Chasing the Break

All the chasers bridged up to Schaeffer and Meintjes. Taking the bell, the break now had six, about a 1-minute lead, and were working together. Coming back around for the finish, Mooney crossed the line with 24 seconds on the rest of the break. After his win, Mooney said “It was fun today. I don’t get to race locally all that often so its fun to get out here with my friends. It was good riding all the way around.” Regarding the break by Meintjes and Schaefer, Mooney said there was some concern from the field. “Cal Giant put up a pretty good chase. They put three guys on the front and blew themselves up. I wasn’t too worried about it but then we came through with two laps to go and they had more than a minute. I went back to Chuck [Hutcheson] and said ‘hey man, we gotta make this happen.’”

The four chasers bridged up to Schaefer and Mientjes. “So then we rolled through with six guys.” continued Mooney, “I think everyone was pretty gassed and I still had quite a bit of legs left. All those guys were working, taking equal pulls. Today everyone rode honorably.”

Philip Mooney (Jamis-Sutter Home) takes the win at the Modesto Road Race

Updates to this report are waiting for confirmation of the final results.

This weekend will be a good one … the Modesto Races are awesome and I highly recommend them. Hope to see you there!

Details at: http://ncnca.org/ncncapromoter/ciccarelli-enterprises

The 2012 Exergy Tour ... the return of Women's Stage Racing to America

BOISE, Idaho (May 18, 2012) – The inaugural Exergy Tour cycling stage race, taking place May 24-28, 2012 throughout Southwestern Idaho, is making history by becoming the first women’s race to provide its fans access to the state-of-the-art racing coverage platform, Tour Tracker®.

On iPhones, iPads, Android devices and via the Web, cycling fans world-wide will be able to watch live as the best women cyclists in the world compete on Idaho’s most scenic and challenging roadways. The Exergy Tour Tracker application is now available for free download from the race website at exergytour.com.

“The unique ability to bring the inaugural Exergy Tour to a world-wide audience through Tour Tracker and its innovative mobile video platform speaks to Exergy’s vision to further engage corporate sponsors, media, spectators, athletes and fans,” said Heather Hill, Marketing, Communications and Events Director for the Exergy Tour. “On site during the event, spectators will also be able to watch the live Tour Tracker video simulcast on big screens – allowing fans to watch start-to-finish coverage every day of the Tour whether they are at work, out and about, on the course or at the finish line.”

Exergy Tour fans will enjoy coverage previously reserved for only the largest and most prestigious international races such as the Tour de France, Tour of California and others. The live-action will feature exclusive video coverage, racer tracking along the route, professional commentary, photography and daily race standings. Fans will be able to share their experience via social media integration on Twitter and Facebook.

Tour Tracker founder and CEO, Allan Padgett is excited by the impact Exergy’s decision will have on the future of women’s cycling, ”We are thrilled to work with Exergy to balance the coverage between men’s and women’s cycling. Exposing women and girls round the globe to the best racing action is good for the sport, and we’re glad to be a part of the team making Exergy’s vision a reality. The racing will be world class and so will the coverage.”

The FREE Exergy Tour Tracker app can be downloaded from the Exergy Tour website. Share the app with your friends, sit back and enjoy the racing action!

Medalist Sports is overseeing the competition and technical production of the Exergy Tour. Medalist is also the event management arm for the Amgen Tour of California, USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado and the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah.

For more information, or to register to volunteer, please visit www.ExergyTour.com.

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About the Exergy Tour

The Exergy Tour will take place over the Memorial Day weekend in five Idaho cities – Boise, Nampa, Kuna, Garden Valley/Crouch and Idaho City. Over 15 of the top ladies pro cycling teams from around the world are expected to participate in the inaugural race, which was founded by Boise-based Exergy Development Group. The race will be one of the last races to provide international ranking points crucial to qualifying for the upcoming Olympic Games in London. It is sanctioned by USA Cycling and is the only ladies race in North America in 2012 with a 2.1 designation by the International Cycling Union (UCI). St. Luke’s Sports Medicine is the Official Medical Provider for the 2012 Exergy Tour. The National Association of Girls and Women in Sport is the Official Charitable Partner of the 2012 Exergy Tour.
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The Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Race will begin at 11:10 a.m. PDT on Thursday, May 17, with the women leaving at one-minute intervals. The men’s competition will follow beginning at 1 p.m. PDT. The women and men will navigate the same 18.4-mile course. ~ Amgen TOC Website

Here’s my take on the race…ripped the start list right off of Podium Insight (which will likely be tweeting the race as it goes on.) Follow Podium Insight on Twitter for actual live race coverage and insights.

Start list for the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial:

1. Alison Tetrick (Exergy TWENTY12), USA: Home town favorite!  Go NorCal!  She’s good for top 5, maybe podium if she’s cranking. My emotional pick for third place on the podium.

2. Tayler Wiles (Exergy TWENTY12), USA: One of the “Young Ones.” She’s up and coming so probably not going to bust this one out but a name to watch in the next few years.  The next olympics she’ll be the the boss i bet.

3. Kristin Armstrong (Exergy TWENTY12), USA: I don’t think Armstrong loses when she doesn’t want too.  Given there is TV present and Olympics is right around the corner I be she wins by at least 30 seconds.

4. Emilia Fahlin (Team Specialized-Lululemon), SWE: Seems like an odd addition to me.  I assume they are trying to get Fahlin back on track, and frankly she adds some serious glam appeal.  Is she still dating Phinney or did i make that up in my head.

5. Loren Rowney (Team Specialized-Lululemon), AUS: NorCal Aussie in the House!  Stevo has had some big rides this year.  Another one of the “Young Ones” Stevo is a bit of an all-a-rounder with a big kick.  It’s good she gets to test her legs under the bright lights with the big guns. She’s got a big month coming up and i think she could take a stage at Exergy  Tour or NVGP if she heads that way.

6. Bridie O’Donnell (Vanderkitten-Focus), AUS: Bridie rules twitter with an iron fist.  She’s had a slow start this season but she’s  TT expert and came over JUST for some of the high profile TT events like this and Gattineau.  Expect her to be prepared.  My darkhorse pick for third place on the podium.

7. Janel Holcomb (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies), USA: She’s one of the quiet pro’s thats at the top of the NRC standings through out any given year. She can’t topple Armstrong but definitely can sneak onto the podium.

8. Jade Wilcoxson (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies), USA: Holy crap talk about meteoric rise.  Two years ago she was on the NVGP Composite team now she’s a top 5 pro at stage races.  Huge engine, could be a surprise finish if she’s ratcheted up the fitness another level.

9. Alison Powers (NOW and NOVARTIS for MS), USA: When she’s hot she’s only second to Armstrong, and right now Powers is hot. This former skiier will have the course dialied in and will be ready to go. Second place to Armstrong.

10. Robin Farina (NOW and NOVARTIS for MS), USA: US National Champion!  She there to wave the flag… a total pro, and decent TT’er.  I don’t think she can climb onto the podium but she’s got Hermione like bottom less bag of tricks she might be able to user in this high profile event.

Time to talk this one up people show #atoc  we want more more women’s racing!

All last week Hernando and his paramour were trying to goad me into writing a retraction on my Bontrager-Livestrong opinions.  Mostly because they are master shit talkers, but also because the Bontrager Boys hit it hard at Gila went to the presses saying how their stage win and third GC proved they can compete in the big leagues. I started to craft a clever reply that went like this…

1. I like the boys.  Dombrowski’s got big ones.
2. It proves nothing

Then the thing that bothered me the most is how the Bontrager Tifosi were handling them with kid gloves.  The whole time that i was crafting this clever, witty, spectacular reply in my head I kept thinking about Peter Sagan.  The dude is only 22, very close in age to the Bontrager boys.  He was probably brought up by parents who lived through crazy soviet style, WARSAW Pact country, depravity.  Their desperation likely drove them to genetically enhance their offspring through arranged marriages at the “sporting college” of their particular region.  When i see Peter Sagan come to the Tour of California as a ProTour veteran at the age of 22, with several major wins under his belt, winning with apparent ease, on an italian team no less – a team which probably makes him eat rice and water for dinner – he doesn’t strike me as a boy in any sense. When he wins one of these US races, which seem to suit him for some reason, he has that look I’ve seen on lots of Eastern Europeans in the US.  Kind of like…”This place is nice! Everything is so easy… i can take what i want and nobody can stop me.”  He’s a Merckx/Scarface hybrid, riding a Cannondale of all things.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Bontrager-Livestrong did well at Gila.  Frankly – Joe Dombraski is quickly becoming my personal favorite.  He chimed in on the NCCN comments section to tell me i was full of shit, and then went on to get third overall at Gila with several big rides.  Ian Boswell’s ride at the U23 Liege also impressed me, but he was already a NCCN favorite since he’s the current king of Nevada City, one of the coolest races in the world.  Lawson Craddocks win at Gila was a major surprise, i figured he would be a junior that faded into obscurity – I got that one wrong… i hope.

Still, is it fair to match up a bunch of awesome US U23 guys against the worlds best like Boonen, Horner, and Sagan?  I don’t think so.  Sticking the boys onto other Pro Tour teams would be a better experience for them, especially since they will most likely be in the worker roles they will have to fight out of once they make the leap.  These guys have not had a reality check yet like many of the 30 year old pro’s who make up the domestic peloton.  Most guys get into cycling thinking the goal is the Tour De France, to quickly find out the goal is; can you make a base salary of $16,000 and get married on the winnings your team is ‘supposed’ to split with you at the end of the year.

The riders on Bontrager Livestrong are argueably the best the US has to offer, so don’t coddle them.  Expect a lot from them.  I expect them to be taking on Sagan.  That’s success.  Not finishing a fucking protour race. Wait till they go to Belgium or Italy for a full year, and god forbid they become a race contender.  Over there they will be fodder for the gossip columns if they have any success or meltdowns.  I even think that while sticking a U23 team into a pro-tour race is a mistake, it’s great the Bontrager-Livestrong was willing to pony up the cash and, i’m speculating here, likely waive the Armstrong “personal appearance” fee as part of the entry package.  That’s serious sponsor commitment.

But let me throw my disappointment in US teams a little more broadly. Sadly – at least Bontrager-Livestrong is noticeable on camera. From the video feed it looks Bissell the only American team riding this race! I suppose Exergy can drop out since they actually got a podium, but the rest seem to be hurting.  The most news that Optum Health has made is when they asked to review the film of the sprint for Stage 3 into Livermore.  BMC seems to be loosing riders every day.  They must have a case of the whiney-prima donnas.  United Healthcare is in there, and I assume they are just saving bullets to try and get Sutherland into the 10 ten.  I think we could create a drinking game about the number of times that Matt Busche (Radi0Shack) falls off his bike.  You’ll be drunk by 2 PM.  If they don’t have the ability to contend for a victory the American teams should be in the long break every day.  Take a cure from the French at LeTour… if you can’t win, get on camera.

Anyway… back to my point about not coddling the youth and domestic riders.  For every Phinney there is a Matthew Kelly.  Raise your expectations, be hard on the riders when they come in second, harder when they crash out, and encouraging when they are surviving with the protour in the laughing group.  There aren’t any ribbons for participation anymore so grow the fuck up people.  To me this means Bontrager-Livestrong, and the rest of the domestic teams, will prove they deserve to be in the Amgen Tour of California when they win a stage.  Nothing less will suffice.*

Time to pony up American teams.  Peter Sagan holds you in contempt and is taking candy from you like your a baby.  No more of this wait for the TT BS.  Go win something.

 *I’m calling this the “Hinault Gambit.” In 1985 Lemond threw away his chances at a tour victory to help teammate Bernard Hinault who promised to help Lemond win the next year. Then come 1986, when it was Lemond’s turn, Hinault took a full tilt run at the race later insisting his efforts were to demoralize the competition and inspire Lemond.  When Lemond won, Hinault insisted his efforts were part of the success.  I’m not sure Lemond saw it that way, but there is a certain historical perspective that, if you squint really, really hard, makes it look like he could be right.