CyclocrossWorld.com

Jeremy Powers Joins Cyclocrossworld.com Racing Team

August 29, 2007
Professional racer Jeremy Powers is joining the Cyclocrossworld.com team for the 2007-2008 cyclocross race season. The Massachusetts-based rider, at age 24 already one of the most experienced and successful racers on the circuit, will join Canadian Olympian Lyne Bessette on the squad.

“I’m very excited to be racing on a cyclocross-specific team, and I’m looking forward to having the support of a team throughout the season,” Powers said. “I’ve known Stu (Thorne, team manager and owner of cyclocrossworld.com) for a long time. He’s very meticulous with the planning and the equipment and I’ve seen how that has helped the riders on his team. I want to be part of that.”

Thorne noted Powers’s results, which includes two podium appearances at US Gran Prix of Cyclocross events last year. “Jeremy has really significant European racing experience, along with big-time US results. And he’s just an all-around nice guy to have on the team,” Thorne said.

Powers will race at most of the major US cyclocross races this fall, including the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross series, the National Championships in Kansas City and UCI races on the East Coast. Following the National Championships, the team will compete in Europe for most of the remainder of the ‘cross season, including the World Championships January 27, 2008, in Treviso, Italy.

Europe is almost a second home for Powers, who has spent most of three ‘cross seasons living and racing in Belgium.

“The Nationals are always a priority; I’m hoping this is the year that luck goes my way. And then we are going 100% for the Worlds,” said Powers, who has competed five times at the World Championships.

Powers and Bessette will race on Ridley frames and forks with SRAM Red components and Mavic wheels. Other team sponsors include Leer, Toyota, Thule, Verge Sports, Adidas, Patagonia, Lazer Helmets, FSA, Fi'zi:k, SwissStop, CXW and Sports Balm.

Kincaid...Update

Stephan Kincaid of Rite Aid Pro Cycling in the "most aggressive" jersey earned in the recent Mt. Holly Invitational. The photo is from Velophotos.net. Please visit the site for great race photos!

Stephan wrote...

"My blog has a the recent results from the NC swing of racing but here is another breakdown:

Statesville
Ryan Dewald - 3rd

Presbyterian Hospital Invitational
Alejandro Borrajo - 14th

Hanes Park Classic
Anibal Borrajo (Alejandro's Brother who's now on the team) - 8th
Stephan Kincaid - 15th

We are in Indianapolis right now with our teammate, who won Fitchburg, Jake Rytlewski. Elk Grove is this weekend (near Chicago) and then we come back here and drive back to Chicago the following weekend for USPRO criterium champs.

I hope all is well."

Thanks for the update, Stephan! Keep us posted.

Must See

If you live in Pittsburgh, PA, get to the Carnegie Science Center on July 13 to see the new Imax film, "Wired To Win". Actually, no matter where you live, find out if this film is playing near you and go see it! Beautiful scenes and shots make this film a real treat for anyone, no matter if you ride a bike everyday of your life or perhaps not even much at all. It is also extremely informative. Below is a brief description of the film.

"Wired to Win, an extraordinary new film in IMAX®, showcases the amazing ability of the human brain to overcome adversity, accomplish the near-impossible, and power each of us to victory and success in life.

The brain’s abilities are illustrated through cyclists racing in the Tour De France. Over the course of the event, they are caught up in hair-raising crashes, dramatic battles over the Alps and Pyrenees and action-packed descents down steep mountain roads. Their ultimate goal? The finish line on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

The film raises the questions "how do they do this?" and "why do they do this?" Ultimately the answers lie within the mind and the human brain itself."

Triple Crown success

Rite Aid Pro cycling press release...these guys are rocking!

Rite Aid #1 Domestic Pro Team at Triple Crown of Cycling Wayne, Pennsylvania, June 11, 2007– Rite Aid Pro Cycling continues its banner year with success at one of the jewels of the UCI America Tour, the Commerce Bank Triple Crown of Cycling. This year’s Triple Crown featured a rain drenched and demanding 137km Tom Bamford Lancaster Classic, an expanded 121km mile Reading Classic with three climbs over Mt. Penn and the epic 251km Philadelphia International Championship. Rite Aid completed the week of racing with a 7th place finish at Lancaster, a 2nd place at Reading and a 4th at Philadelphia...with Alejandro Borrajo finishing 4th in the Triple Crown standings and Rite Aid as the number one placed pro domestic team, in both cases just behind CSC and T-Mobile. Lancaster saw the remnants of tropical storm Barry soaking the always fast technical downtown course. The race was marked by many early break attempts which the Rite Aid team led by Jake Rytlewski, Bill Elliston, Stephan Kincade and Ian Ayers covered keeping their sprinter Alejandro Borrajo in good position. Mid-race, Stephan was in a promising break that stayed away for nearly three laps, but the field reeled them back in. Out of the final break, which formed with just four laps to go, Bernard Eisel of T-Mobile made a solo move. The race split apart with one lap to go and Alejandro moved up with Danny Pate of Slipstream to contest for the final sprint. Alejandro dropped Pate and attempted to make catch Eisel and Sergey Lagutin of Navigators but ran out of road and was just caught by a hard chasing follow group, finishing 7th on the day. Reading featured a course lengthened with the addition of three circuits up Mt. Penn. The race was animated from the start with numerous attacks, as if it were a giant criterium. The main break of the day formed with four riders off the front building up to a minute on the fast field. The fast pace, over 26 miles an hour for the first half of the race, as well as the strength of Rite Aid riders Stephan Kincade and Jake Rytlewski, kept the break time from expanding beyond that and, eventually, the time gap came down as the field approached for the first of the three climbs up Mt. Penn. The field came back together with two laps remaining. Despite several efforts, a small group of 15 riders, including Alejandro Borrajo, used the climb to open a gap and fought for position coming into the final turn. Inside of 500 meters to go Eisel of T-Mobile got a jump and opened up a 25 meter lead which he was able to hold to the finish. Alejandro sprinted in ahead of a hard charging group finishing a strong second!

The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Philadelphia International Championship, saw the team ride perhaps its strongest race of the season. On a picture perfect day for a race, the attitude of the peloton was established on the opening parade laps,...fast and faster. The first large lap saw an average speed of over 27 mph, a pace continued all day...the race finished in record time. The high speeds made it difficult for any serious breaks to form. On the second lap, while Rite Aid dealt with three mechanicals, a breakaway looked to be forming with Navigators, BMC, Priority Health, AEG-Toshiba, Rock Racing, Toyota United, CSC, Slipstream-Chipotle, Jittery Joe’s, T-Mobile, Health Net-Maxxis and Kodak Gallery all represented. Once the team fixed two flats and a brake problem, the boys went to the front and started to drill it. The break had been gaining time fast, the gap having moved from 10 seconds to 35 and finally to one minute withinone lap . With Rite Aid working at the front, the gap started to come down. Joined by Kelly Benefits and Jelly Belly, the boys whittled the gap down to 30 seconds. Navigators finally joined the chase and, by the fourth time up the wall, the break was finally reeled in. The group stayed together for the next couple of laps with riders testing the field in two’s and three’s. Finally these small groups coalesced, led by Rite Aid rider Jake Rytlewski, who drove the pace. This group, comprised of riders from Tecos, Caico, Kelly, Health Net and CSC established a gap which lasted for nearly two laps before being absorbed by the hard charging field. The last climb up the infamous Wall in Manayunk failed to break up the field so the stage for a field sprint finish had been set. Rite Aid star Alejandro Borrajo was tucked in behind CSC and T-Mobile who had moved to the front of a pack of 50 riders entering the closing loop around the Parkway. Coming into the finishing straight, a crash took down half the field but Alejandro was safe in the lead group as the long drag race to the finish began. Sitting seventh wheel in the final group of 15, Alejandro timed his sprint passing all but two CSC and one T-mobile rider, garnering a 4th place finish, missing the podium by only a bike length. He also finished 4th in Triple Crown points, with the team finishing number one among all domestic pro teams. All in all, a great week of racing for the Rite Aid team and its sponsors.

Weekend

Below is a shot from the Pro, 1,2 field from the Cherry Blossom Challenge this past Saturday in New Jersey. It was a beautiful day with some great racing.



Sunday couldn't have been any better. John Lenart organized the Daniel Harwi 20th Annual Lower Providence Spring Criterium. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with a fun course and great overall organization. Sportsbalm primes were distributed through out the day for the racers. Thanks, John.

A few of the guys from the Rite Aid Pro Cycling Team were there too. It was great to meet the guys and receive feed back on the Sportsbalm product line. It is a pleasure working with this squad, they are professionals on and off the bike. As a sponsor, you couldn't ask for more.

Doing Great!

Rite Aid Pro Cycling is doing a great job this season! Here is some press just released...


One Step Higher for Rite Aid Pro Cycling

Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville Cycling Classic.
April 14th, 2007

Last week Rite Aid Pro Cycling demonstrated that the 2007 season would be a break through year. At the US Open Cycling Championship the team battle the snow and took home a 3rd place in the team’s first US Pro Tour race of the season.

The momentum continued as the team once again fought the elements to claim yet another podium at our first National Racing Calendar event for 2007, the Jacksonville Cycling Classic. The challenging criterium course with the added rain yielded a very aggressive race along with a number of crashes. Almost half the Rite Aid team were victims of the crashes.

Early in the race, three riders lapped the field and Rite Aid was not represented. After the midway point Alejandro Borrajo (Rite Aid) and two other riders escaped from the field and also gained a lap bring the total to 6 riders in contention for the victory. In the final laps Bill Elliston (Rite Aid) showed his experience and strength as he controlled the peleton. Guido Palma, one of Rite Aid Pro Cycling’s amateur riders, took over and kept Alejandro at the front until the final 2 turns. Alejandro took control and came only a few inches short of taking the victory away from Dominic Rollins, Kodak – Sierra Nevada.

Jacksonville Cycling Classic – Criterium
Jacksonville, FL

1st Dominic Rolling (CAN) Kodak – Sierra Nevada
2nd Alejandro Alberto Borrajo (Arg) Rite Aid Pro Cycling

Rite Aid is busy!

Fresh off of a couple victories and training camp , Rite Aid Pro Cycling is heading to VA to participate in the U.S. Open Cycling Championships! Tune into NBC Sports on Saturday to watch this great event!

All the details can be found on the official U.S. Open Cycling Championships site.

Below is a shot from their training camp, you can view more photos on FLICKR

Good luck guys!

Also, here is a great write up about the guys.