Wente Vineyards Classic Road Race

Annie, Cody, and Susannah made the trip to Livermore, Ca for the Wente Vineyards Classic Road Race on Saturday. The WP1/2 group included 35 riders from various Nor-Cal teams, including PB&Co, Tibco, Touchstone, and Metromint. The group separated on the 2nd time up the main climb main, with three PB&Co riders along with Tibco's Alison Starnes getting away together. Annie, Cody, and Susannah were together in the 1st chase group with about 9 other riders. Cody did tons of work at the front, keeping the pace high in an attempt to catch the 4 rider break up the road. Annie also contributed to the chase, and watched diligently in case any riders from the group attempted to bridge across.

The break became visible on the 3rd time up the main climb and Susannah was able to join the 4 rider break with a few other women. Cody and Annie barely missed the re-shuffled break, but all the work from the previous lap paid off for the team. The break would continue to re-shuffle over the final laps and SBB ended up going into the final climb with Molly from Metromint, knowing 4 riders were up the road finishing. Molly jumped on the steepest section and SBB thought she may catch her towards the top, but Molly surged again and SBB came across 6th.

Annie and Cody made sure their chase group didn't catch SBB, but that it also didn't get caught by the other riders behind them on the course. Cody finished a strong 9th and Annie finished 11th. It was a good, hard day of racing and the girls looked forward to sharing their Wente Vineyards wine in the future.

Fun in the Sun - Sea Otter + Santa Cruz

Many of the large domestic professional women's teams and current elite riders from all over the US made the trip to Monterey, Ca for the 2010 Sea Otter Classic this past weekend - the races were fast and lots of fun. Sea Otter seemed especially well organized this year and the 4-day event enjoyed beautiful, warm weather. Annie and Susannah toughed it out in the RR with @ 45 other riders on Friday - with SBB finishing 17th followed by Annie at 23rd.

The premier event, the Sea Otter Circuit Race, was held Saturday and more than 50 riders attended the WP1/2 race. Held on the Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway - the women raced for 2 hrs over the hilly, 2.2 mile circuit. Susannah was a bit tired from the previous day's event, but Cody rode strong and finished in the main group for 20th.

Cody represented the team on Sunday at the Santa Cruz Classic.   Many of the same riders from  Sea Otter attended Sunday's crit and continued the trend of fast-pace racing in the WP1/2/3 category. The course was merciless with riders dropping out every lap. Cody finished strong in 18th, among an elite group of NorCal and US based riders.

Weekend Recap - BAR Jersey + Beyond

Our teammate Emily has been posting some awesome results since the season started, putting her on top of the NCNCA BAR (Best All-round Rider) competition at the end of March. We are very proud of the team riding that has supported these accomplishments, and the NCNCA has awarded Emily a BAR jersey to wear for the month of April. Look for Emily in upcoming events, as she prepares to lead the team at the Sacramento Grand Prix in May.

After returning from the San Dimas Stage Race, Annie has continued her preparation for Tour of Gila where she will be racing with a composite team along with Touchstone's Heather Pryor. Annie and Heather recently took Cody and Susannah along for a training ride in the foothills......with lots of climbing. It was a bit cold and overcast, but all the girls were very happy to have their Defeet products to keep warm - thanks Defeet!

Annie will also be celebrating a birthday this week, in true cycling fashion - by racing at the Sea Otter Classic. Susannah will join Annie for the WP1/2 road race on Friday and then Cody will join SBB for the WP1/2 circuit race on Saturday. With the Santa Cruz Classic on Sunday, the girls are looking forward to a tough weekend of racing against many professional teams and riders. Sea Otter or bust!

Catherine Robertson-Goodkin will be missed over the weekend, but we are all looking forward to her Nor-Cal return in May!

Sacramento Grand Prix - May 16th

The 2010 edition of Amgen Tour of California will begin in Nevada City, CA on May 16th. While the professional peloton travels from the California foothills into the capitol city, there will be additional bike races to watch prior to their arrival and finish. Starting @ 11:25 AM some of our very own Wells Fargo riders will be racing against the fastest women in the US on a 1.4 mile course circling the Capitol Building. We are proud to be participating in the event and we thank the organizers for their hard work and dedication to women's cycling.

We are very excited to announce that for this event, Beth Newell will be guest riding with the team. Beth is an up-and-coming rider in NorCal and will be a great addition to the squad. She is wicked smart, a bit sassy, and of course, very fast........Stay tuned for more details about the event.