Acrista Imports, LLC

CyclocrossWorld.com

2007-08-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-21T04:46:00.001-07:00

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

2007-06-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-04-17T04:58:00.001-07:00

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 teams 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 Cyclings 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!

2007-04-05T04:50:00.000-07:00

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.

Rite Aid Victory

2007-04-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Rite Aid Pro Cycling Takes Another Victory and Goes One Better
Tyson’s Corner Circuit Race - Tyson’s Corner, VA

Many of the Rite Aid pros took advantage of the local racing scene to help sharpen their legs for the upcoming US Open Cycling Championships in Richmond, Virginia on April 7th. The Tyson’s Corner Circuit Race was a short aggressive race that allowed the 6 Rite Aid riders the opportunity to ride aggressive and work on some leg speed. The event started with a break of 7 riders slipping away early. Sebastian Alexander had the break covered and could have won the race out of the break, but the team didn’t like the 1 out of 7 representation. Ian Ayers, Jake Rytlewski, Mike Norton, Guido Palma and Alejandro Barrajo kept the pressure on the riders by covering any attacks and putting in a few of their own. The last 10 laps were probably the fastest of the race. During those last laps Rite Aid saw Alejandro away solo, Ian away with one rider and a nicely timed moved from the 20 year old Guido. He made his final move coming into 1 lap remaining and Guido was caught with 400 meters left in the race. The team had Guido’s back covered as Sebastian started the final leadout. The well-timed train saw only Alejandro come by Sebastian giving Rite Aid the first two places, one step up from last weeks 1st and 3rd.

Tyson’s Corner Circuit Race
75 Minutes, Tyson’s Corner, VA
1st Place: Alejandro Borrajo (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)
2rd Place: Sebastian Alexander (Rite Aid Pro Cycling)

After two weeks of claiming victories in the local racing scene, the boys are confident and ready for big events coming up in April. US Open Cycling Championships – April 7th. Tour of Virginia – April 24th – 29th. US South East Criterium Series – April 28th – May 6th

Rite Aid Update

2007-04-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

Professional Cycling Team Wins Big after Eating Big at Cassis
[March 27, 2007] Diners at Cassis last Friday (March 23) stared in amazement
as plate after plate rushed to a table of incredibly skinny guys: steak,
calamari, salads, lamb, duck, pork, mussels, oysters, whole chickens,
platters of bread, and mounds of cinnamon ice cream. Even more amazing is
that those guys needed all those calories.
The table, it turns out, was full of riders from the Rite Aid Professional
Cycling Team, a US-based pro bike team registered with the Union Cycliste
International (UCI) in Geneva, Switzerland. The team had been holding a
training camp in the Shenandoah Valley and had come to Charlottesville for a
celebratory dinner (very likely to celebrate the end of the camp, in which
the cyclists did multiple 100-mile days in the Blue Ridge).
Cassis chef/owner Sean Lawford, himself a cyclist, was giddy at the sight of
the team van pulling up to the restaurant. "I've been a fan of the team for
a long time," Lawford reflects. "I'm just glad I got to cook for them
instead of having to ride up Wintergreen with them."
Two days later, the Rite Aid team concluded their training camp by racing in
the Jefferson Cup Road Race, an annual event that draws over 500 cyclists to
Albemarle County. Rite Aid's Alejandro Borrajo, a sprint specialist from
Argentina, pulled off the win in the 70-mile Pro-Am race.
The Rite Aid team will be back in Charlottesville on April 29 for the final
stage of the week-long Tour of Virginia. Though they claim not to be
superstitious, they've already made reservations at the restaurant.
Cassis (www.cassisrestaurant.com) is located in Charlottesville, Virginia at
210 West Water Street; media inquiries can be directed to
chef@cassisbistro.com or (434)979-0188. Media inquiries for the Rite Aid
Professional Cycling Team (www.riteaidprocycling.com ) can be directed to
610.971.9940.

Lehigh Valley Velodrome

2007-03-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

The Lehigh Valley Velodrome is one of the premier tracks in the country and has produced many of the junior and elite riders that have represented PA and the USA in national and world competitions. Since 2001 the Spring Track Carnival has been a fixture on the race calendar in PA and for many of the faithful at T-Town has ushered in the start of the track racing season and the first opportunity for racers of all levels to test their metal against the competition. For us older guys and gals Masters Track Nationals is on our home turf in August and that is reason enough to fill up those tires and lube that chain to get ready to race!

Meredith Group – GPOA is proud to promote the 2007 edition which is only 25 days (Saturday April 14^th) away! So dust off that track bike and get ready for some fun in the sun (hopefully) at the concrete crater. There will be 3 events for Cat 2/3, 4, 5, Masters 30+, Women, and Juniors (10-14) plus an A & B Feature.

I am in the process of getting the paperwork into USAC and as soon as that is accomplished on line registration will be available on BikeReg.com. Entry fees are $15 for elite and masters, and $10 for juniors with $5 for an additional category of racing for those looking to get in a very full day of racing.

If you can distribute this email to your racing contemporaries I’d appreciate it. If you have any merchandise you’d like to donate for our junior awards let me know as well. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. See you on April 14^th at T-Town!

David H. Mitchell

Meredith Group-GPOA

President - Pennsylvania Cycling Association

215-682-3383

Rite Aid Pro Cycling

2007-03-19T04:30:00.000-07:00

Acrista Imports, LLC/Sportsbalm is proud to be the official body & muscle care supplier of
Rite Aid Pro Cycling Team! The new team roster this year will be exciting to follow.

The Rite Aid Pro Cycling team has strengthened it's team for 2007, signing Alejandro Barrajo, a rider from the Miche team, who garnered seven top ten finishes in the 2004 Giro d' Italia, including a third place to Alessandro Petacchi in stage 6, and also took second place to Eric Zabel in the 2005 Rund um den Henniger Turm. The Argentinian's most recent result was a
win in the 2006 South American Road Championship this past November.

New signings
- Sebastian Alexander (Colavita)
- Ian Ayers (Colavita)
- Jake Rytlewski (Priority Health)
- Mike Norton (NERAC/Outdoorlights.com)
- Bill Elliston (Target Training)
- Stephan Kincaid (Meredith Group)
- Clayton Barrows

Returning
- Brad Viera
- Ryan DeWald
- Josh Taylor

Daily Peloton has a great write up on the riders and where the team is heading!

Schick/Targetraining in El Salvador

2007-03-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

During the past 4 days, Schick and TargeTraining have made an impact on women's international cycling by placing a rider in the top 10 of every days race. With the likes of top Italian and South American national teams, the women are showing that they are in there for the fight. Talking to Assistant director Jorge Romero, the women are riding well and he hopes for a podium coming into the second half of the race. Romero stated that Anna Milkowski is riding very well tying for 7th with Jeanie Longo in the time trial. Kathleen Billington, known as Ms. Consistency has moved up into the top 8 of the GC with the hardest stages to come. Seen by Romero as a champion of the future, he was surprised with how Billington rode the first day finishing 10th and recovering from the 24 hour Flu the night before. Also noted as a possible star coming out of the race could be the Japanese National team's Hiroko Shimada, who is climbing with the Colombians and Russians every day competing for the QOM Jersey. We see this race as a great test of their early season fitness and it will get them ready for the important races of the season starting in April with the Richmond's new US. Open. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,
Greg Wolf Director Targetraining Women's Team

Vuelta El Salvador

2007-03-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sponsored by Schick Razors, TARGETRAINING's Professional Women's Cycling Team will send Kathleen Billington, Megan Elliott, Hiroko Shimada, Anna Milkowski, Andrea Myers and Mandy Lozano to El Salvador to race in the UCI C-1.2 Grand Prix de Santa Ana and UCI-C2.2 Vuelta Ciclista Femenina a el Salvador. Schick will act as the co-title sponsor of the team during this eight day international-level stage race and World Cup, with TARGETRAINING Team members wearing a special Schick racing kit. Rick Spear, Chief Executive of TARGETRAINING, stated: "TARGETRAINING is honored to work with Schick, one of the premier consumer product companies of the world. Schick will give our program an edge for the rest of the year through its generous sponsorship of our trip to El Salvador. The women on the team are devoted Schick users -- Schick's razors are excellent. Schick is a world class organization with which we hope to team up again in the near future." A spokesperson for Schick-Wilkinson Sword, stated "We are excited to work with a premier women's racing program such as TARGETRAINING. Both shaving and professional cycling require an attention to performance and TARGETRAINING has shown it knows how to build excellent teams and give to the sport. We look forward to this race as our inaugural effort in women's professional cycling and could not have found a better partner than TARGETRAINING, who like Schick, is a company dedicated to helping its clientele achieve their optimal performance." These two Connecticut based companies look forward to this as the first in what may be a series of joint efforts in co-promoting their products in the sponsorship of health oriented activities. Schick is also the official razor sponsor for the TARGETRAINING Professional Women's team for the 2007 season.

TargetTraining Again!

2007-03-05T04:56:00.000-08:00

As reported by TargetTraining Director Greg Wolf...

Today marked the third day of training camp for the TARGETRAINING Women's Cycling Team and the first Win racing together at the Ronde de Bethel in Connecticut. The team took an impressive sweep of the top three places and showed it's on the right track towards a successful season. With the Targetraining women racing very aggressively from the start, it made for some very interesting racing. They will be racing together next Sunday before leaving for the UCI's Vuelta El Salvador, and Semi World Cup stage race in El Salvador.

Thanks for the update, Greg.

TargetTraining's First Victory 07'

2007-02-26T05:51:00.000-08:00

TargetTraining's Professional Women's Team is a new addition for Acrista Imports sponsored teams and has things rolling already!

Team director Greg Wolf reported the good news...

Yesterday kicked off the 2007 season in South Carolina and California(NRC) with our riders placing 5th and 10th respectively. Sunday, 2/25 in South Carolina, Robin Farina of Boone, NC. took the first win of the season in the very competitive Greenville Series. The team will reunite for their third training camp of the year starting this coming Thursday in Westport, CT. The Vuelta El Salvador, a 7 day UCI Semi World Cup Stage race is the team's next target March 14th-20th.

Red Rose Races

2007-02-20T06:42:00.000-08:00

Red Rose Races has a new sponsor, it's Acrista Imports. Please visit Red Rose Races website to see a complete listing of running, cycling, duathalon and triathalon events. We are excited to work with director Rich Ruoff, who always organizes top notch events!

Holcomb Valley Trail Runs

2007-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

If you are in Big Bear Lake, CA on June 10, check out the 11th edition of the Holcomb Valley 33 and 15 mile trail runs. Each of the registered runners will receive a sample of Sportsbalm in their "goody" bags! This is a scenic event.

Tour of California

2007-02-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

Today is the start of the Tour of California. The Discovery Team and Team Rabobank who are officially supplied with Sportsbalm product are present with a squad of 8 riders each, best of luck. We also wish luck to our friends Mark Olson and Chris Horner. Mark Olson's team, Priority Health has a new line up and is looking forward to having a great year. Predictor Lotto sent a few riders over to help out Chris Horner on his home soil. This should be an exciting race that seems to be growing fast!