Protect Yourself - Personal Best Products

We use Personal Best Products because they are good for us and good for the environment. We don't have "junk" to protect and Personal Best has created products that respect the needs of women (as well as men), cyclists, and people that care about the environment.


betwixt Chamois Cream. Seriously, you should not be using anything else. No cancer-causing agents, lasting protection, and 100% biodegradable. Not to mention, betwixt looks good on the shelf next to the rest of our favorite beauty products.

zealios Sun Barrier. We refuse to let the sun ruin our skin. Excellent protection on and off the bike, without a residue, means we don't have to worry about our skin on long rides or during races. Because Zealios is also chemical free and hypo-allergenic it's also better for the environment when we do wash it off. That makes us smile.

Topsport Stage Race - Podium!

Emily spent the weekend racing in Copperopolis, Ca. at the first annual Topsport Cycling Copperopolis Stage Race. She started Saturday morning with the 10 mile Rock Creek Time Trial, where she finished 3rd behind Metromint's time trial expert Molly Van Houweling. Later Saturday afternoon EEK won the Little John Circuit race, gaining a 15 sec. time bonus.

Without any team having large numbers in the group, the dynamics of the Salt Springs Road Race made it difficult for Emily to gain any serious time on Molly. However, she rode smart and finished 2nd in the 69 mile event, gaining enough time to secure 2nd place in the final GC.

Landpark Criterium - 3rd + 5th

Emily Kachorek - 3rd
Cody Graf - 5th

On Sunday, Emily and Cody were joined by 40 additional P1/2/3 women for the Landpark Criterium in Sacramento, Ca. Attacks where thrown and countered with nothing managing to stick. CCG and EEK were on top of everything and felt strong throughout the race. The deciding moment came down to a field sprint. With no solid team providing a fast lead-out through the last corner, unattached rider Beth Newell took advantage of the semi-chaotic situation and jumped early, managing to hold on for the win. Local notable sprinter, Jane Robertson (Metromint) barely held on to 2nd in front of Emily and Cody followed with another excellent finish in 5th.

Bariani Road Race - 2nd

Emily and Cody were joined by Jennie, and cat3s Francesca, Eileen and Mason for Saturday's road race in Zamora, Ca. With only 40 miles of racing and many teams well represented, the race was fast and aggressive from the start. Emily was in the first well established break, but it was eventually caught. Cody was attentive and made her way into the next break that included only 2 other riders on the final lap. As the time-gaps to the peloton continued to drop, the Touchstone rider in the break attacked with 1K to the finish and was able to get the win. Cody was spent from her time in the break as the group caught her within 100 meters of the finish. Emily was able to recover on the last lap and won the field sprint for 2nd place. Congrats on another great finish for EEK and some terrific support riding from the other women.

EEK sprinting on her Trek Madone 5.5 with EDGE 45 carbon clinchers

Madera - More Pics

Annie, Cody, and Emily - post race, awaiting results. Rudy Project glasses for on and off the bike = Ability, Sunbay, and Sportmask

SBB spent the final day in the feedzone, waiting for the girls to roll through. Our lululemon athletica remix hoodies were perfect for the cool weather all weekend.

Catherine Hadsell completed her first stage race in the 35+ category with teammate Vanessa Baumann. Catherine finished 9th and Vanessa 11th. Congrats to both!

Madera Stage Race - 4th!

The complete 5-woman squad came together in Madera over the past weekend for the 2010 Madera Stage Race. With 34 P1/2 female riders starting the race Saturday morning with a crit, the women knew the competition would be ready to throw down. The ladies rode smart, watched other teams and avoided waisting too much energy going for the intermediate sprint time bonuses. Everything seemed to be going well until Cody had a mechanical issue and the officials wouldn't let her back into the group after her stop in the wheel-pit. Cody was forced to chase in the remaining laps, only to see SBB picking herself up off the pavement after avoiding a terribly unnecessary crash; she had carefully come to a stop but was then hit from the side by another rider who had failed to slow down. She was launched super-man style. Annie, Catherine, and Emily made it through the chaos, and Emily sprinted to 3rd, securing a 5 sec time bonus.

The 10 mile TT later Saturday afternoon was marked by serious wind -- seemingly from every direction. It didn't stop EEK from taking 5th in the event and securing a top-5 place going into the RR. With the team well aware of the top contenders - the girls prepared for the 68 mile RR on Sunday.

Annie, EEK, CRG, and Cody started the RR, while SBB went to the feedzone to keep the girls hydrated. CRG was forced to succumb to a mechanical issue in the first few laps. Cody and Annie showed their dedication to supporting Emily by patrolling the front of the group and keeping any possible breaks from getting away. This allowed Emily to focus on the finish where she again was able to sprint for 3rd and gain an additional 5 sec time bonus. All the excellent team work in their first stage race together paid off as Emily secured 4th in the final GC.

Thanks to Michael Hernandez for all his pictures from the weekend events.

Merco Foothills RR - down, but not out

Photo Courtesy of iLLumixStudios.com

Columbia HTC, Tibco, Peanut Butter & Co, Webcor, and a few Colavita riders were among the pro women's field at the Merco Credit Union Foothills Road Race. It turned out to be a beautiful day in the Central Valley, with sunny skies and warm temps. Cody, Susannah, and Eileen (cat3) lined up with over 60 P1/2/3 women - it was going to be a fast 72 miles with the caliber of riders in the race and the Wells Fargo women were ready to keep the pace.

The race started well, with Cody and Susannah covering moves and keeping an eye out as the larger professional teams attacked each other and the group. Even when larger groups of riders got a gap on the peloton, nothing was ever organized enough to stick. With many of the great current and up-and-coming sprinters in women's pro cycling among the group (Ina Teutenberg, Shelley Evans, and Brooke Miller) we assumed the race would finish in a sprint. Eileen looked strong in the first two laps - keeping good position. Cody and Susannah felt good, took a few turns at the front and tried to stay out of trouble. Cody eventually got a flat, but the super SRAM support car got her fixed up and she was back in the group without any real trouble.

Knowing the finish was going to be very fast, on the 3rd and final lap, CCG and SBB tried to stay as close to the front of the race as possible. With about 1 mile to go, Susannah got taken down in a very unnecessary crash. Luckily, the SRAM support car was there once again and got her bike back together and she was able to finish. Cody avoided the crash and finished with the lead group, where apparently another crash almost happened in the final several hundred meters.

Big thanks to our P1/2 manager and director sportif, Mark Deterline. He sacrificed his race to be in the feed zone all day supplying us and other Wells Fargo riders with fresh bottles and words of encouragement. Next up - Madera Stage Race!