Change is Coming!

It's true, changes are in store for the 2011 season.....

We are grateful for the support C4/Wells Fargo Racing Team provided us over the 2010 season. We were very proud to represent the club and sponsors all year and we hope they are proud of our accomplishments, as individual riders and especially as a team.

2011 is full of changes for the women's team. The women will be riding together with a new program next year and we hope that all of you will continue to follow our cycling adventures with Team Leadout. Additionally, we will be adding some new riders to the roster that should compliment our existing squad. Please visit our new sites for updates, fabulous pictures, great sponsor highlights, and of course race results.

Team Leadout Women  http://teamleadout.blogspot.com/

Team Leadout Homepage http://teamleadout.wordpress.com/

BAR, BAT, and a Big Thanks!

Wow - What a Season!
We want to thank all of our family members, friends, and sponsors for their incredible support over the past 9 months. Without all these wonderful people, we wouldn't have been able to accomplish so much this season and we are truly grateful. The 2010 season was a team effort in every way - all of the support riding, family contributions, and sponsorships made the individual successes possible for many of our riders on many different occasions. So a big thank you from all of us as we head into the off-season.

NCNCA Best All-Round Team Competition - 2nd!
With only 5 riders on our roster, we still finished 2nd in the P1/2 Women BAT competition this season - another wonderful accomplishment for the team. Compared to many other teams in NorCal with 10-15 riders, we made our presence known by racing aggressively and selflessly for each other. This result truly reflects how hard many of the ladies raced on occasion for each other to ensure the single highest placing for one of our riders. We could not have accomplished as many top placings without such incredibly selfless riding. So, congrats ladies on not only being strong riders but making your efforts count for one another all season.

NCNCA Best All-Round Rider Competition - 3rd!
Emily finished up her strong season with 3rd place in the BAR. Congrats to EEK on her numerous wins and podium finishes all season. We are excited to see where Emily will take her cycling in 2011!

Everest Challenge - Podium!

Annie Malouin - 3rd

The Everest Challenge (aka the California-Nevada Climbing Championship) is a two day event held in Bishop, CA and Annie traveled on her own to compete in the women's P1/2 race. The first day starts at 4,425' with the first climb to Mosquito Flat (22 miles long with an average grade of 5%). At 10,250', it is the highest paved road in the Sierras. The race then travels back down to Round Valley for an 8 mile climb up Pine Creek to 7,420'. Finally, the route goes up Bishop Creek to 9,835' in 20.4 miles, average grade 6% with a last mile the contains two short sections around 15%. L'ouch! Annie finished 3rd on stage 1 and although she was pleased with her result, she was surprised to see that the women finishing in front of them had mtb gears......
Stage 2 starts at 3,940' and climb ups towards the Palisade Glacier which is the most southern glacier in North America, finishing at 7,800'. The climb is 9 miles with an average grade of almost 8%-max is 11%. The next climb is 8.5 miles and heads up Death Valley Road through Waucoba Canyon to an elevation of 6,545' with an average grade of 5%. To race finishes with a climb up White Mountain to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest at 10,100' in 21 miles-average grade 6%.

Wow - that's 29, 035 ft of climbing and over 200 miles in two days. Congrats on another podium Annie!

Mt. Tamalpais Hill Climb - WIN!

Susannah Breen - 1st

The Mt. Tamalpais Hill Climb returned this year, after being cancelled in 2009, with wet and foggy conditions along the entire course. No joke - the above picture is what the entire coarse looked like! The event starts in Stinson Beach, Ca. and travels along the coast before turning upwards on Bolinas-Fairfax Road, along Ridgecrest and the "Seven Sisters" and then finishes on the West Peak of Mt. Tam. The 12 mile event climbs 2000 feet and SBB took advantage of the heavy fog by pulling away from the rest of the P1/2/3 field on the bottom slopes of the climb. Susannah continued to keep her pace high, knowing her best chance of staying away from the strong chasers was keeping out of site. SBB finished strong in under 50 minutes and an entire minute ahead of 2nd place finisher Tanja Meyer.

Folsom Cyclebration - WIN!

Held over three days this past weekend, the Folsom Cyclebration is an omnium event - consisting of a time trail, criterium, and circuit race. Friday evening Emily and Susannah competed in the Folsom South Canal Time Trial. Emily finished 3rd and Susannah 6th on the 11 mile course.

Saturday morning, EEK and SBB were joined by Annie for the Folsom Challenge Criterium. Despite having just three riders the ladies rode a perfect race. SBB attacked from the start and continued to do so until Annie was able to bridge up to a counter-attack made by Touchstone's Marley Smith. With Annie up the road, EEK and SBB patrolled the front of the race assuring the break would be successful.

Annie finished 2nd and Emily 4th which put Emily into 1st place in the overall competition...

Sunday's event was the Two Bridges Circuit Race, a 1.3-mile lap through the historic downtown which featured two of Folsom’s most notable bridges over the American River/Lake Natoma: the impressively engineered Lake Natoma Crossing, and the iconic and historical Rainbow Bridge. With just SBB and Emily racing against bigger squads they had a plan to protect Emily's overall lead. Emily covered her closest competitors and Susannah made it into the day's break of 5 riders. Although SBB thought she had the finish figured out - she launched too early and ended up 3rd. Emily won the field sprint and the omnium event. Thanks Folsom for a great weekend!

Emily gets her name on this giant trophy - great teamwork paid off again!

Challenge Road Race - Win!

Susannah Breen - 1st

Annie Malouin - 2nd

Held in Challenge, Ca. the 2010 District Road Race Championship course included 6000 ft. of climbing and covered 65 miles. Knowing that having a teammate could make all the difference in the outcome, Susannah was very thankful that Annie was willing to make the trip for the race with all the other teammates out of town. Annie has been a dedicated teammate all season and her willingness to sacrifice in Sunday's race was no exception. Annie kept near the front while Susannah tested her legs on the climbs. Everything was going as planned and the two watched the other riders on the first lap. On the 2nd lap Annie started the attacks on the rolling section and Susannah countered to test the group. About 4 miles from the finish, another rider finally attacked and Susannah went with her and the gap was open to the rest of the field. Seeing hesitation in the group, SBB attacked up the next climb, lost her break-mate, and kept the pace high until the finish. Annie followed the other riders while they chased and then pounced, coming in 2nd place! It was a perfect race for the team.

Many thanks to Mark Deterline for driving the follow-car and also ensuring the women had fresh bottles in the feed-zone. All the Wells Fargo P/1/2 women use Base Performance Sports Nutrition products in their bottles for training and racing. Annie and Susannah both recommend the Base Amino, especially for long rides and races. Seriously - get some, you will notice the difference.

Winters RR - WIN!

Emily Kachorek - 1st

Emily, Catherine, and Annie raced yesterday in Winters, California. The 72 mile course includes a few rolling hills, and a very fast finish. Emily took the win out of the break, while CRG and Annie patrolled the pack. Excellent work ladies!