Heather Lipana takes the Win at 2012 Cal Aggie Crit

Stevens p/b Pactimo is one of a handful of women’s development teams that has stepped in to fill the void left by the Webcor Alto Velo Women’s team which folded for good at the end of last year. The early season win at Cal Aggie Crit came as a happy surprise to the team founder, Bill Nicely. I always told Bill I’d do an interview with him as the NCNCA president but never got around to it. Now that’s he’s leading up and outfit to support NorCal women I figured it was time to catch up with him.

After some time on the NCNCA board you’ve decided to get into funding and managing a team – what inspired the shift?

I had the tremendous opportunity to help a woman with a great deal of talent, Mary Maroon, realize her dream to bridge the gap from top Elite racing in NorCal to racing as a Professional woman. I wondered why it took so long and learned that you have to get results in races where the other Professional Women race. Accomplishing this on a team with one or two women at that level is very difficult. In a way this inspired me to create a team that allowed for those racing (and results) opportunities. California Giant Racing Team is a model on the men’s side. Stevens Bikes p/b Pactimo seeks to provide the women in NorCal with a similar path.

Has the experience been harder or easier than you expected?

Much easier. I was very fortunate to convince Susannah Breen, 2011 NCNCA Premier Series Winner, to be Team Captain and help form the team. Susannah is well-respected and was able to recruit every woman we identified in NorCal for our first season except for two women who both landed professional rides. Several of the women have wanted to race together on the same team for some time. On the planning side, I was very fortunate to recruit Judd Van Sickle to DS for the team. Judd has forgotten more about racing than I know.

What races will your team target this year?

We have a mixture of NCNCA and NRC races on which we are focusing. The NCNCA Premier Series, which has added a team category for Elites, is a serious goal this season. These should also be the well-attended and competitive races in NorCal this year. In addition we are racing Merco, San Dimas, Sea Otter and Cascade Classic. We anticipate invitations to guest ride at NRC races.

Even though you love your entire squad a few of the names are new – who should we watch?

That is a tough one. Every woman on our team can win a top NorCal race. I could write a paragraph about the awesomeness of every team member but I’ll limit my comments to those who will improve the most this season. Mary Ellen Ash is an amazing talent and although a proven winner in NorCal I think she is about to have a big year. We have two women who are fairly new to racing that have huge talent and an unknown upside, Fiona Strouts and Heather Lipana (Heather won Cal Aggie Criterium today against some big names in NorCal – a victory from teamwork). Those are just three. Any of the remaining five could be a stand out this year. That is the benefit of a strong and talented team.

You’ve had a long history on the volunteer side – how does it feel to be “In control” so to speak?

In a way, the two are internally consistent as they are both driven by love for the sport. Funding the team seems right as it allows me to insure that the mission of the team related to cooperative tactical racing and placing women in the professional peloton do not get lost among divided interests. In a way, this is probably the best investment I have ever made as I already have a pay-off. Every woman on this team is an individual that I respect as a person first, a woman and a bike racer. I have truly bought a front row seat to one of the best events in NorCal history, the development of an awesome women’s team.

Lot’s of people think about putting a team together – do you have any skills from you day job that apply?

I have been fortunate enough to be an executive-level employee at many companies and have developed and/or acquired two management skills that are most relevant. Ability to define a clear goal/vision and communicate the same is key to getting buy-in and commitment. Confidence in leadership comes from management experience. These skills transfer.

What have you enjoyed most about this experience so far?

Watching the girls bond and get excited about racing together. Although some have raced for years, their enthusiasm, common admiration and mutual trust far exceeds anything I have seen from a men’s team (I have seen pretty cool men’s teams). These women are fun and I am having fun watching them play.

Do you have a new or existing elite team that is going to make waves this year?  Email us at norcal@love.com so we can tell your story.  

The Women’s race sported several big names including Emily Kachorek, Flavia Olivera, Beth Newell and several Vanderkitten-Focus riders.  Despite the presence of some of NorCal’s top talent it was Heather Lipana riding for Bill Nicely’s upstart Steven’s p/b Pactimo Women’s team that took the win.

The Steven’s team founder, and former controversial NCNCA President, Bill Nicely sent us a report on how the race unfolded.

The Cal Aggie Criterium saw unseasonable clear and warmish weather (mid 60’s).  The Pro/1/2/3 women’s field saw about twenty-five starters including Beth Newell (Now MS), Emily Kachorek (Primal/MapMyRide), Flavia Oliveira, Vanessa Drigo (VanderKitten-Focus) and Maura Kinsella (VanderKitten-Focus).  Debuting in this race was Stevens Bikes p/b Pactimo with four entrants (Heather Pryor, Marley Smith, Amy Chandos, Heather Lipana).  Early action saw riders from Touchstone Climbing and Stevens Bikes (Marley Smith) on solo breaks that were merely probing attacks and readily brought back.   For an early season race the pace was honest, leading to several riders being shelled and reducing the field to about twenty riders.  With 7 or 8 laps to go, Maura Kinsella launched a solo attack just past the S/F line that saw no reaction from the pack.

Over the next two laps Maura’s lead would grow to about 30 seconds with no apparent response from the pack.  Maura, who placed fifth in the 2011 U23 National Championship Time Trial looked on form and comfortable in TT mode.  The next two laps saw the lead reduced to 25 then 20 seconds with only three laps to go.  The crowd of about 150 were cheering her on believing the break to be secure.  Just past the S/F line with three to go Heather Pryor and then Marley Smith went to the front and over the next two laps erased the gap to the solo break with just less than one to go.

The pack hesitated just after the catch and there was a general reshuffling for the remaining riders in the pack.  Stevens Bikes lined up all four girls at the front heading into the turns and chicanes at the bottom of the course.  Heather Pryor then Marley Smith took turns at the front until Amy Chandos stood and initiated the sprint coming out of the last turn with Heather Lipana coming off of Amy’s wheel at about 400 meters out, catching the seasoned riders a bit off guard, getting an initial gap that Emily Kachorek, Sunshine Townsend, Flavia Oliveira and Beth Newell could not close before the line.  Repeating the exact winning drive as Beth Newell in this race last year, Heather Lipana, a second year racer earned her best career result, Stevens Bikes p/b Pactimo’s first victory and her final upgrade points for Category 2.  With the perfectly executed lead-out and well-timed sprint, Stevens Bikes has certainly placed themselves on the map in the NorCal Women’s racing scene.

The Steven’s team is one of a handful of women’s development teams that has stepped in to fill the void left by the Webcor Alto Velo Women’s team which folded for good at the end of last year.  The early season win comes as a happy surprise to the team and it’s founder, so they should be an outfit to watch. Look for an interview with Nicely on the team and it’s goals later this week.

Vanderkitten-Focus Director, and NorCal stalwart was obviously happy with the move when contacted, “Stoked to have one of the most popular female cyclists in the world on Vanderkitten-Focus. Bridie is an outspoken advocate for the sport. She is super articulate and a great voice for women’s cycling. The combination of Bridie O’Donnell, Katheryn Curi-Mattis and Jennifer Reither leading new young talent like Emily Collins and Ruth Winder bodes for an exciting season for our upstart squad. Cant wait!”

O’Donnell is a popular Australian athlete often appearing on talk shows to promote women’s athletics and cycling, as well as commentating on select events in Australian. O’Donnell is scheduled to arrive in time for Redlands and plans to take on the Gatineau Chrono UCI 1.1, Liberty Classic, Nature Valley GP, select NCNCA events, and maybe even drop in for some Beat the Clock TT’s.

With O’Donnell lining up alongs side the likes of Emily Collins and Ruth Winder Vanderkitten-Focus is going from up a notch from dark horse to contender in both stages races and crits. Get your Beat the Clock entries locked in early!

Sam Ames’ vision, for a battle-of-the-state by and for cyclocross racers, continued this past Sunday at Hart Park in Bakersfield. The second running of the NorCal versus SoCal California State Cyclocross Championships saw a repeat of last year’s inaugural event; SoCal secured bragging rights for another year. Southern California racers were present in numbers helping them to a 4,328 to 2,824 overall points win. Congratulations to SoCal racers and teams. NorCal did secure some of their own bragging rights by taking ten podium-top steps out of the 16 non-junior categories.

Sam Ames and crew put together another terrific event complete with food and drink vendors plus a bag-piper. The challenging course was dry despite the recent rains. There were plenty of turns, a flyover, one set of barriers, and a couple of run-ups. One of the latter was described as “brutal” for its steepness and difficult footing. The course took advantage of nearly every opportunity to use the available changes in elevation. The only respite for racers was the sunny, blue skies in mid-afternoon.

Gina Hall (Cal Giant/Specialized) and Ellen Sherrill (Bike Station Aptos) led from the start in the race for Category A Women. They rode together for three laps but then Hall picked her place to attack, rode her fastest lap, and gapped Sherrill. “She’s [Sherrill] a very strong rider,” said Hall, “so I definitely had to choose carefully where to go. I got a little gap and I was able to maintain that and extend it on the next couple of laps.”
Hall said she was concerned that mistakes would allow Sherrill to recover and, out on the course, Hall continued looking strong in racing on for the win. Hall said the course was both tough and interesting. “It was a very difficult course [with a] brutal run up that I clawed my way up,” continued Hall, “I liked all the turns and twists; it was definitely challenging [and] you had to watch where you were going.” Hall also said the NorCal racers not at today’s event “really missed out.” With a couple of turns out front early, Sherrill rode a steady race to secure the second step of the podium. Christina Probert-Turner (The TEAM SoCalCross/Turner Bikes) finished in third.

Gina Hall (Cal Giant/Specialized) stretched out her lead to cross the finish line out of sight of second place

In the race for Category A Men, Andy Jaques-Maynes (Cal Giant/Specialized) stormed off right from the whistle. In spite of the $220 prize money for first across the finish line on lap one, Jaques Maynes said “I just wanted to start super hard and see who could hold my wheel. I wanted to set my own pace and not have to worry about anybody else [taking] me out on a crash or any other bad luck.” Jaques-Maynes simply dominated the race from the front in an impressive solo effort for the win. The Cal Giant racer was persuaded late to race in Bakersfield by fellow NorCal racers Jim Gentes (Giro) and John Brown (Family Cycling Center). He went on to say “It was a fun race, for sure. A very cool course. An awesome venue…I really liked it.” Jaques-Maynes echoed Gina Hall’s sentiment that absent NorCal racers really missed out.
Jaques-Maynes’ sub-6 minute lap on the first, the fastest on the day, left little doubt that only a mishap could take the win away from him. Jason Siegle (SDG/Felt p.b. iRT Wheels) raced well back of the lead but impressively enough to take second place nearly 53 seconds ahead of Gareth Feldstein (Ritte) in third.

Andy Jaques-Maynes (Cal Giant/Specialized) storms off early to a dominating victory

List of NorCal Winners
Gina Hall (Cal Giant/Specialized) – Women A
Janel Lodge (HRS/Bay 101/Rocklobster) – Master Women 35+
Julie Bates (Team Roaring Mouse) – Master Women 45+
Sofia Gomez-Villafane (Ibis/Buy-cell.com) – Junior Women 15-18
Andy Jaques-Maynes (Cal Giant/Specialized) – Men A
Jason Ferrier (Missing Link) – Men B
Gannon Myall (Cal Giant/Specialized) – Master Men 35+ A
John Kammeyer (Peninsula Velo) – Master Men 45+ A
Norman Kreiss (Morgan Stanley) – Master Men 55+ A
Craig Chaney (Fun Sport Bikes Cycling Team) – Master Men 35+ B
Aaron Bradford (HRS/Bay 101/Rocklobster) – Single Speed Men A

Full results are posted at SoCalCross.org.

With the shift in the US Cyclocross calendar comes a longer season and riders in California are no strangers to longer cycling seasons. This weekend in Bakersfield, the 2^nd. Annual NorCal vs. SoCal State Cyclocross Championships will be held, in conjunction with the season finale for the SoCal Prestige Series. This end of season extravaganza, with beer tents, $6500 in prize money, Belgian Frites, and hot cross racing action, will provide an excellent opportunity for the two regions of the Golden State to mix it up and battle for bears and bragging rights. With NorCal taking numerous National and Masters World Championship titles, they are hungry to take the regional title. Last year NorCal won many races, but SoCal won with [more than] a few more riders. This year’s event will include individual titles as well as the for-fun regional title. The 1.6 mile course features a very European flair with a good balance of twists, turns, straight-aways, the ever popular “Lobster Launch Pad” flyover, and the “Lightspeed Leg Buster” run-up. With over 60 days of no rain, rain is in the forecast for both days…as with all ‘cross, it is welcome.

Racing action takes place Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm. There is no admission charge and race day entry is available for any and all. The official race flyer can be found at socalcross.org. An enormous thank you to the Prestige Series Sponsors and the local Bakersfield sponsors. Races run rain or shine!

History and Story Behind the Event

Cyclocross is a unique form of cycling that takes place mostly off road on bicycles that are hybrids of road and mountain bikes. The courses are about 1.5 miles in length and feature varied terrain and places where riders must dismount their bicycle to run over obstacles. It is very spectator friendly and fun form of racing for all. Most races last 45 minutes to an hour.

Hart Memorial Park in Bakersfield has hosted cyclocross for over 20 years and is the venue for the NorCal versus SoCal face-off. This event is hosted by the Kern Wheelmen Bicycle Club and race director Sam Ames. His passion for ‘cross runs deep and  he came up with this idea over 20 years ago. “I was racing in Santa Cruz as much as I could back then, it was the only cyclocross racing there was really, until a few events sprung up in the LA area” said Ames. As SoCal cross grew, Ames knew with the depth of the road riders, MtB riders, and sheer volume of racers in SoCal, it was a matter of time before SoCal ‘cross took off. “I thought that a race for the whole state would be a blast…SoCal ‘cross was coming along, and why not have a big for-fun throw-down someday. Along with the races I did in Bakersfield, Brad House and Dorothy Wong started doing events in LA…it has exploded from there. The NorCal versus SoCal event is the fruition of ALL the promoters from California who host ‘cross events north and south. They have helped create the powerhouse that California is in cross.” As SoCal continues to grow and get stronger, NorCal has been one of the strongest regions in the country, winning national and world titles annually. On a local level, their races see attendance in the 400 range consistently.  “Last year, our first year, the response and feedback [to NorCal versus SoCal] was overwhelming….and that’s why I do it. Racers and fans came out and had a blast…we had over 200 riders and 1000 spectators. I know folks that raced a bunch were tired, some had traveled, and raced so much. I value their support but really this race is for them. This year looks to be even bigger. Many of the riders and fans went back home and told their friends “You DO NOT want to miss this race!” I just love the sport and I hope we get some of the newly crowned National and World Champs to come mix it up. We’ve put countless hours and 15K into this race….come eat, drink, race and enjoy.”

Rick, you’ve been on bikes forever, eons i fact, how long have you actually been racing?

I started racing in 1973 and have had a license ever since. I never liked going up hill on a bike, so I focused on rolling road races, criteriums and track racing.  Racing consumed my life until my mid-20’s when I began to take making money a bit more seriously.

And you have an interesting background in hospitality and management consulting – what did you do when you weren’t riding the last 100 years?

I spent 20 years in the restaurant business: chef, manager and owner. Then I started a consulting business that teaches mangers how be a coach instead of simply “The Boss.”

You are known for making things happen, especially at Hellyer Velodrome, what has been your involvement in the NorCal Cycling community the last several years? 

For the last seven years, I have promoted probably a hundred track races including the Testarossa Velodrome Challenge with my friend Kevin Worley.  I also try to train enough to have fun and be competitive racing my bike here in NorCal.

Immersion Cycling is a different kind of tour company. It’s an “extreme” experience targeted to adventurous masters – how did it get started?

I have been to Europe many times, and I often thought racing there would be fun. But, as a master, figuring out how to find races and where to stay seemed a bit daunting. I set out to unravel the puzzle and create an opportunity for other masters to race in Belgium. Immersion Cycling is a combination of the things I love: bike racing, hospitality business, and European culture.

What is Belgian racing like?

Intoxicating! And that is before I had any beer.. It is fast and aggressive from the start. Many riders did not seem to care about placing in the race. They prided themselves on out-crushing each other on eight-foot-wide roads, over cobbles and small hills, all bordered by cornfields, sheep, and cows. Defiantly better than the best roller coaster I have ever been on.

Europe can be quirky, like a country run by Velopromo, what is your favorite part of racing there?

Race registration was always in a pub.

There are a few European cycling academy’s for younger riders and tour companies for sight seeing – what kind of cyclist is this for?

There are plenty of great companies providing trips to watch pro races and ride the famous roads. These trips are for masters aged cyclists who want to view European racing culture from the inside, by actually riding Belgian races. Racers can expect to be physically spent yet stimulated every day to get back on your bike and suffer again.

What advice do you have for the softer, gentler type of masters racer who is thinking of doing one of your racing tours? 

Stay here in the US!  In Belgium, making the race happen is a part of the culture. Come to Belgium to experience hard and technical racing.