Veloforma/Zym Women's Professional Cycling Team

Well we got beat to punch by Kenji, (http://www.veloreview.com/obra3/2009/01/veloforma-announces-2009-elite-squad.html)
Cycling news (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/jan09/jan05news) and Daily pelaton, (http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=13918).

On our own press release - Pretty funny.

For immediate release, December 31, 2008

PORTLAND, OREGON — The Veloforma/ZYM Women’s Professional Cycling Team has its sights set on the 2009 NRC schedule and is looking ahead to its goal of becoming a UCI registered team, possibly as early as 2010.

“We’ll be at bigger races this year in preparation for our future,” said team owner Mark Duff. In 2010, the team hopes to add a European sponsor in order to move toward becoming a UCI team and having Europe on the racing schedule. This progression has been Duff’s plan from the beginning. “When I started my company in 2005 (Veloforma, which manufactures bicycles), the goal was to be involved at the highest level in women’s cycling. We tried to be involved with a few women pro teams, but none came together quite right. So I took it on myself to build a high-caliber team featuring Northwest talent.”

Veloforma/ZYM made its mark in 2008 as the premier women’s team in the Pacific Northwest racing scene. The team was new and young but its riders brought together a lot of talent. They racked up 63 wins, including the Willamette Stage Race overall (with wins on stages 2, 3, and 4), Eugene Celebration Stage Race, and the FIAC National 6-day Championships. Other team highlights included a podium at Elite nationals and stage wins at the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race in the criterium and the epic 105-mile Dooley Mountain Road Race. The Veloforma women took the top three spots in the 2008 Oregon Cup, a premier road race series for Oregon’s best elite riders. By July and the Cascade Cycling Classic, the team had really begun to mesh and race together as a team. They just missed a top-three spot on Team GC, finishing fourth overall, mainly due to some bad luck in the individual time trial. For 2009, “my goal for the team is to get the girls to the place they need to be in order to achieve their ultimate performances,” said Duff.

The Veloforma squad is lucky to have Steve Owens (CPT) working as a team technical assistant. Russell Cree of Upper Echelon Fitness does all of the team’s coaching, bike fits, and testing. Cree and Martha Walsh will act as Directors Sportif at specific events. PACE is the team’s training facility in Portland and will help riders deal with whatever situations arise during the season. Since Oregon is becoming a cycling mecca in the United States, it only makes sense for a high-caliber women’s pro team to come from this region.

The Veloforma/ZYM team roster includes five returning riders: Rebecka Hartkop, Susan Peithman, Tina Brubaker, Alice Pennington, and Miranda Moon, all hailing from Oregon. Four new riders have been added: Robin Secrist, Kirkland, WA; Sabrina Savage, Mesa, AZ; Melissa McWhirter, Scottsdale, AZ; and Christina Smith, Denton, TX. Talks are under way with two other top-notch talents to round out the extremely solid roster.

“I am excited about our roster this year. We are going to surprise a lot of teams. If they didn’t take notice last year at the Cascade Classic, they will this year for sure,” said Duff. “We have a team that is full of talent. In 2008, Savage and Secrist guest rode for us at Cascade which was the deal sealer for both of them.”

Duff is also excited about the Veloforma/ZYM development program. Nine riders have committed to putting in the time and effort it takes to improve on the bike. Add into the mix the mentoring from Oregon women on the elite squad, such as Brubaker who gives her own training time to help build the development squad, and this becomes a win-win situation. It allows the team to add more high-caliber riders who will be able to take their racing to another level. Whether those women stay with Veloforma or move to other elite programs, the team goal is to help them rise to the elite ranks of the sport.

The eleven women on the elite squad will gather for their first training camp a week before the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Phoenix, AZ. Duff feels this is a better option than a one-day criterium at the Tour of California. “It will allow us to spend more time together in a race situation before Redlands. The squad will focus on NRC events beginning in May after the Tour of The Sun. The team race calendar includes the Redlands Bicycle Classic, the Oregon Pro Cycling Classic, Philadelphia’s Liberty Classic, Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, Cascade Cycling Classic, Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic in Grand Rapids, MI, and Priority Health Ann Arbor Cycling Classic.

“We are a really strong all-around team. If you want to classify us, I feel we are a stage racing team. Riders like Hartkop, Secrist, McWhirter, Pennington, and Smith can all contest on general classification. We have a lot of gutsy riders who are not afraid to attack. All of our riders have proved they can compete at the NRC level. That’s why they are here,” said Duff.

Veloforma will maintain its title sponsorship placement on the jersey and will be joined by ZYM as presenting sponsor. “I am happy to be the presenting sponsor and to be working with Mark Duff and Veloforma,” said Brian Koff of ZYM. “This is our second year together as sponsors. We have really put together a great team, so it will be exciting to see what happens in 2009.”

The team’s sponsors include Veloforma bikes, ZYM hydration products, Upper Echelon Fitness, Corsa Concepts, Dedacciai, Rol wheels, DeFeet, Champion System, Rudy Project helmets and eye wear, Showers Pass rain jackets, Ironclad performance gloves, and Hudz.

For more information, contact:

Mark Duff, President

Veloforma, Inc.

41991 NW Woollen Road

PO Box 185

Banks OR 97106

mark@veloforma.com

Development Team Roster!!

Well it’s that time of year, announcing new team members and what is happening in the Veloforma house in regards to racing. Cross or at least cross crusade is over. Cross Natz is a week away (we will not make the trip this year). Last year was an epic journey, once was enough. So it’s time to think about the road again, or at least planning, after a little rest. Veloforma has been fortunate enough to add to its development team this year. Last year we had 3 development women (Carrie Goodbrake, Laura McGraw, Jennifer Withers) all returning for ’09. We have added 5 new riders (Stephanie Chase, Heather Gunderson, Elise Huggins, Erica Loder, and Heidi Swift). Bring our development team roster to a very strong and amazing 8 ladies, it could go as high as 10 but not higher. Side note - elite team to be covered on a later date. These ladies will be riding with the elite team as much as possible, taking the next step in their progression as racers. The development and the elite teams are going to be working hand in hand. We will be doing a mentor program with each team member matching elite/development riders together. The goal with the mentor ship is to help each rider work their weaknesses, bond and grow as a team. We are excited to have these ladies involved with our program. We can‘t think of a better way to have Veloforma represented in the peloton. The development team will be racing stage races and single day events in the Pacific Northwest. I am looking forward to seeing these ladies in Black, Red and White!!!!
Mark out :)

NRC Schedule

Here is the '09 NRC Schedule for our Pro Women.

Team members and press release coming soon.

We've upped it a little this year. We have also added some amazingly talented women. We are going to be winning some races on the NRC schedule for sure.

Date, Category, Race, City, State.

14-16 Feb 2.4 Amgen tour of California Women's Stage Race w Various, California

26-29 Mar 2.2 Redlands Bicycle Classic b Redlands, CA

11-17 May 2.1 Oregon Pro Cycling Classic B Portland, OR

7-Jun 1.1 Liberty Classic (women) w Philadelphia, PA

28-Jun 1.3 Manhattan Beach Grand Prix b Manhattan Beach, CA

22-26 Jul 2.3 Cascade Cycling Classic b Bend, OR

12-Sep 1.5 Priority Health Grand Cycling Classic presented by Spectrum Health w Grand Rapids, MI

13-Sep 1.5 Priority Health Ann Arbor Cycling Classic presented by Saint Joseph Mercy Medical System w Ann Arbor, MI

TBD US Crit Finals – Vegas In conjunction with Interbike.

Random Awesomeness!!

As EQ would put it. Random Awesomeness!!

At least until the last rain. Which stripped all the leaves. But before we started to get pummeled with rain, the sun came out at the house the other day & I took this picture.

Hope everyone had a great week. Think about what made it Awesome. If you can't think of anything, just think back a little further. We've always got a little random Awesomeness some where.

PEZ, PDX Bicycle Studio & S.R.

The girls did good! They knew Richard Pestes (publisher of PEZ) was a softy when it came to attractive women. So he had to come by the booth and see whats up. Click on the link and scroll down.
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6431&status=True

We are working with Molly Cameron (http://www.mollycameron.com/) and Portland Bicycle Studio (http://www.portlandbicyclestudio.com/), we currently have her on a Stealth '09 R7. So far feed back has been good.

From Molly's blog - "I am currently on this sweet 2009 Veloforma R7 carbon fibre racing machine.
It is damn nice. I’ve only put a few rides on it so far but, I am impressed.
I’ll be putting a mini-review up on Portland Bicycle Studio when I get a sec to snap some pics."

The Girls have been rocking it in cross.

Weekend and week day rides are starting to pick up and it's that time of year - Base miles!!! Our Travel team is going to need to be ready for the Tour of California which starts on Valentines day (Feb 14-16). So I guess I'll have roses for all the girls at the start Line. :) then on to Redlands (March 26-29) Followed by Oregon Pro Cycling Classic in May and finishing there major Stage races with Cascade July 22-26.

Any how that's all for now. :)

$63 Million.

$63 million, not bad. (Especially since the regional economy is $17 billion).
THAT it is what the cycling industry as a whole is worth to Oregon. It also provides 800 Jobs.
For more information check out bike Portland dot org. For the full story.
http://bikeportland.org/2006/06/15/survey-says-bicycle-industry-nears-63m/

Racing NEWS - The McGraw separates her shoulder yesterday. Get well soon Laura!!! Yes - you now must refer to Laura as The McGraw. She will now refer to her self in the third person just like the Rock (WWF). SHE separates her shoulder on lap 2 and puts it back in on her own, then still goes on to finish the race. This course was super bumpy. The final laps had to hurt. So for all you ladies out there that think she's to pretty to race a bike. ;) She put the grrrr in girl. I don't think most guys would have finished including this one...

Women A Results from CC#2

Pennington currently doing cross for Desalvo - Rocked it and got 2nd!!!
EQ - Vanilla 7th
Heartbreaker - 13th

B's
Goodbrake 30th Veloforma
Chase 31st Ironclad -Veloforma '09
The McGraw 33rd Veloforma

Very cool to see the large numbers for the women events. Hope to see these numbers continue to the road/mtn season.

MD out.

Peithman Power!!

Brandon Arends (rides for Ironclad - http://www.ironcladcycling.com/) took an awesome shot of Susan Peithman this past weekend playing in the muck at Alpenrose on her Veloforma Carbon CX1.

I Love Oregon cyclocross!! I think you would be hard pressed to find any place in the USA that has 119 single speeders at the line up. Way cool. I so want to get my rig dirty. Maybe next weekend. :)
Isn't she pretty!!! And comes in at just about 12 lbs. NOT bad...