International Women's Cycling Event to Speed Through Bakersfield on 18.4-Mile Course

Los Angeles, CA – The second annual Amgen Tour of California Women's Time Trial Race, presented by SRAM, is set to take place in Bakersfield during Stage 5 of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California on Thursday, May 17. The Amgen Tour of California Women's Time Trial Race will use the same course as Stage 5 of the men’s individual time trial in Bakersfield. The women’s event will be an invitation-only competition featuring the leading female athletes in the world of cycling, all vying for a piece of the $10,000 prize pool.

The Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Race will begin at 11:10 a.m. PDT on Thursday, May 17, with the women leaving at one-minute intervals. The men’s competition will follow beginning at 1 p.m. PDT. The women and men will navigate the same 18.4-mile course.

“AEG has the reputation of being staunch advocates and supporters of women’s cycling and once again including the women’s time trial as part of the Amgen Tour of California is further evidence of our commitment,” said Kristin Bachochin, Executive Director and Senior Vice President of AEG Sports. “The dedication and spirit of the incredible athletes from around the world who will compete in Bakersfield in the 2012 Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Race should not only be commended but looked upon as examples for young women today embarking on athletic careers.”

This year’s competition race will have an exciting start as cyclists launch onto an immediate descent to Alfred Harrel Highway. From there, it will be a straight—but not exactly flat —route to the turnaround point at Lake Ming. The route around Bakersfield is full of 100-foot rollers, and as the riders approach the finish, they will be able to spot it from atop a 300-foot bluff. The cyclists will, however, need to save some energy for the China Grade, which presents an eight percent climb to the top and then a hard left, and it still won’t be over yet. They will face a slightly uphill, .44-mile run to the finish.

“It’s an honor to be one of ten athletes selected to compete in the Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Race,” said Kristin Armstrong, Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Race defending champion. “I’d like to thank AEG for their efforts and hard work on this event. Getting this race included in the Amgen Tour of California is such a wonderful opportunity to showcase women’s cycling, and to be able to do it on a stage where the whole world will be watching is fantastic!”

The Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Race will be featured on the May 17 NBC Sports Network broadcast of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California. The world’s greatest women’s time trialists have been invited to compete, including: Robin Farina, current 2011 Elite Road Race National Champion; Alison Powers, the 2008 National Time Trial champion; Kristin Armstrong, defending champion and 2008 Olympic Women’s Time Trial Gold Medalist; Emilia Fahlin, current National Time Trial Champion of Sweden; Tayler Wiles, the reigning champion of the 2011 U.S.A. U23 National Time Trial Championship; and first-year pro, Jade Wilcoxson, 2011 Nature Valley Grand Prix best amateur jersey.

“I applaud AEG for continuing to support a women's race at the Amgen Tour of California,” commented Nicola Cranmer, General Manager, Exergy TWENTY12. “For time trial specialists, this event has now become an important part of the racing schedule. For me, as team manager, it is a critical event because of the media coverage, not to mention it’s a tremendous opportunity to showcase our athletes and partners.”

The current race roster is as follows:

1. Alison Tetrick (Exergy TWENTY12), USA
2. Tayler Wiles (Exergy TWENTY12), USA
3. Kristin Armstrong (Exergy TWENTY12), USA
4. Emilia Fahlin (Team Specialized-Lululemon), SWE
5. Loren Rowney (Team Specialized-Lululemon), AUS
6. Bridie O'Donnell (Vanderkitten-Focus), AUS
7. Janel Holcomb (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies), USA
8. Jade Wilcoxson (Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies), USA
9. Alison Powers (NOW and NOVARTIS for MS), USA
10. Robin Farina (NOW and NOVARTIS for MS), USA

"It's great that the Amgen Tour of California is committed to supporting women's racing again in 2012,” remarked Kristy Scrymgeour, Team Owner and General Manager of Specialized-Lululemon. “We're looking forward to bringing our riders to compete on a world stage and in front of the great crowds that California always provides."

“The Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Ride has quickly evolved into being a central component of the Amgen Tour of California,” added Alison Powers, member of the 2012 NOW and Novartis for MS team. “The world of female cycling might finally receive the attention it deserves!”

The 2012 Amgen Tour of California Women’s Time Trial Ride is officially sponsored by SRAM, a long-standing, established supporter of women’s cycling.

“In 2011, SRAM jumped at the chance to support the Amgen Tour of California’s Women's invitational Time Trial,” said Alex Wassman, SRAM US Road Sponsorship Manager. “With the London Olympics just around the corner, we are thrilled to again help construct this unique stage where the fastest and most accomplished women in the sport will showcase their world-class speed and professionalism.”

Photo: © Ed Rubinstein

German claims second career Ronde van Vlaanderen victory

On Sunday, Judith Arndt (GreenEdge Cycling), won the Ronde van Vlaanderen for the second time in her career illustrious career; the first coming in 2008.

Coincidentally, both victories would come at the expense of Kristin Armstrong (Team USA), who once again watched as her breakaway companion surged ahead of her in the closing meters of the finale. And, if not for a late charge by Canadian Joelle Numainville, the 2008 podium would have been intact as Kirsten Wild (AA Drink - Leontien.nl) was narrowly pipped in the bunch sprint.

Results - 9th Ronde van Vlaanderen voor Vrouwen
1. Judith Arndt (Ger) Greenedge-Ais - 3:19:05
2. Kristin Armstrong (USA) USA National Team - 0:00:02
3. Joelle Numainville (Can) Canada National Team - 0:00:30

Although many stories were born out of today's Arndt, Armstrong tete-a-tete, perhaps the biggest was the overall display by the Americans.

There was a time, in the not so distant past, where the opportunities for an American woman to race in Europe were few and far between, and the American "contingent" in the European peloton often consisted of one or two riders (in 2006, only Amber Neben and Kim Anderson were in the Ronde van Vlaanderen field). But in recent years, USA Cycling's efforts to develop the women's program have paid handsome dividends.

In addition to Armstrong, 13 other Americans, across 4 teams, started today's race. And while that fact alone is impressive, none were merely content to simply participate. Under the direction of Jackson Stewart, Team USA was either on or off the front the entire day.

Throw in the monstrous efforts by 2012 Women's Tour of New Zealand victor, Evelyn Stevens (Specialized - Lululemon) and Andrea Dvorak (Team USA), whose work in the chase group with Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home), belies their actual placings, and it is easy to see that the upward trajectory of the American women is still on the rise.

Other Notables
4. Kirsten Wild (Ned) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team
12. Emma Johansson (Swe) Hitec Products-Mistral Home Cycling Team
13. Carmen Small (USA) USA National Team
21. Megan Guarnier (USA) Tibco-To The Top
28. Andrea Dvorak (USA) USA National Team
30. Tayler Wiles (USA) USA National Team
32. Evelyn Stevens (USA) Team Specialized-Lululemon
34. Elizabeth Armitstead (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team
35. Emma Pooley (GBr) AA Drink-Leontien.nl Cycling Team 0:00:54
38. Samantha Schneider (USA) Tibco-To The Top
41. Leah Kirchmann (Can) Canada National Team
43. Kristin Mcgrath (USA) USA National Team
48. Lauren Hall (USA) Tibco-To The Top
57. Amanda Miller (USA) Tibco-To The Top

Photo: GreenEdge Cycling

As the curtain begins to fall on the final act of March Madness stateside, the madness is just beginning to boil over in the Kingdom of Belgium as  riders and spectators alike prepare for another running of one of the monuments of cycling, the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

While the course has unfortunately been  re-routed to exclude one of the race's signature and more devastating climbs, the Koppenberg, the Ronde still promises to be a sufferfest and an all out assault on the senses.

The outcome of the 96th edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen will undoubtedly come down to two riders, Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) and Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack-Nissan).  Boonen, who has dominated the early part of the 2012 season and has already made his way to the top spot on the Ronde's podium on two prior occasions,  is the prohibitive favorite.  Not to surprisingly, the wily front runner has attempted to deflect all of the attention and expectations to Cancellara this week, as the 2010 champion is sure to be there at the end.

Start List - Men

Vrouwen for a Bruisin'

With the current UCI World Cup leader, Marianne Vos (Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team), a late scratch, this year's Ronde van Vlaanderen voor Vrouwen is wide open.  Stichting Rabo teammate, Annemiek van Vleuten, above, returns to defend her title, but without the benefit of Vos' presence in the field, it will be a maddening chore to cover the likes of Ina Teutenberg (Specialized - Lululemon), AA Drink - Leontien.nl teammates Emma Pooley, Kirsten Wild, and Gent-Welvegem winner Lizzie Armitstead, Emma Johansson (Hitec Products - Mistral Home Cycling Vaiano Tepso), Judith Arndt (GreenEdge -AIS) and Kristin Armstrong (Team USA).

Once one of the lone Americans in a largely dominated European field, especially early in her career, Armstrong will see a host of friendly faces in tomorrow's field,  including Exergy TWENTY12 teammates, Tayler Wiles, Kristin McGrath, and Andrea Dvorak, amongst the rising American contingent, which numbers 14.

Amber Pierce (Diadora - Pasta Zara)

Evelyn Stevens (Team Specialized - Lululemon)

Kristin Armstrong (Team USA)
Andrea Dvorak (Team USA)
Kristin McGrath (Team USA)
Carmen Small (Team USA)
Tayler Wiles (Team USA)
Kasey Clark (Team USA)

Megan Guarnier (Team TIBCO - To The Top)
Amanda Miller (Team TIBCO - To The Top)
Samantha Schneider (Team TIBCO - To The Top)
Jennifer Purcell (Team TIBCO - To The Top)
Jennifer Wheeler (Team TIBCO - To The Top)
Lauren Hall (Team TIBCO - To The Top)

Start List - Women

Photo: Flanders Classics

Lizzie Armitstead (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) soloed to victory in the inaugural women's Gent-Wevelgem.

Armitstead, the current British National Champion on the road, finished nearly a minute ahead of of her former Garmin-Cervelo teammates, Iris Slappendel, who currently rides for Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team, and Jessie Daams (AA Drink-Leontien.nl), who took second and third, respectively in a three up sprint with Lise Nøstvold (Team Hitec Products UCK).

With the majority of the peloton marking AA Drink-Leontien.nl teammate, Kirsten Wild, Armitstead was sent off the front early, and ultimately proved too strong on the cobbles over the 114 kilometer course.

The rising 23-year-old, who is equally adept on the track as well as on the road, earned her second victory of the 2012 season; earlier taking the Omloop van het Hageland.

Results - Gent-Wevelgem Vrouwen (Middelkerke - Wevelgem 113.7km)
1. Elizabeth Armitstead (AA Drink-Leontien.nl)
2. Iris Slappendel (Stichting Rabo Women Cycling Team)
3. Jessie Daams (AA Drink-Leontien.nl)

Top 10 Finishes for American Riders Bode Well for Windham

Windham, N.Y. – Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate, RSA) kicked off the 2012 RockyRoads.net UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa with a huge downhill win to the approving roar of hometown crowds.

For the women, the field opened up after injuries waylaid several top racers. Tracey Hannah (Hutchinson United Ride, AUS), a former Junior World Champion, won by nearly a full second, besting 2011 Junior World Cup champion, Manon Carpenter (GBR.)

American riders posted impressive results in both the Men’s Elite with a second place win by Aaron Gwin (Trek World Racing Team) and the Women’s Elite with a fourth place win by Jill Kintner (Transition Bicycles). Also, in the Top 20 Men’s Elite, Neko Mulally (Trek World Racing Team) finished 14th. These strong finishes will give American audiences even more to cheer about when the World Cup returns for the third year in a row to Windham, N.Y. June 28 – July 1. In 2011, Gwin won the Men’s Elite at Windham and went on to win the series overall.

Windham is the eighth stop on a tour that also visits Houffalize, Belgium; Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic; La Bresse, France; Val di Sole, Italy; Fort William, Great Britain; Mt. Sainte-Anne, Canada; Val d’Isere, France; and Hafjell, Norway.

For more information or to volunteer, visit www.racewindham.com.

The world champion mountain biker plans her 2012 SRAM Gold Rusch Tour to encourage ladies of all ages to dust off their bicycles and go for it

Ketchum, ID – Rebecca Rusch, the three-time Leadville Trail 100 Women's Champion and three-time 24 Hour Solo Mountain Biking World Champion, is pleased to announce that after a successful first tour in 2011, the SRAM Gold Rusch Tour is back with more dates and locations for 2012. The tour is designed to get women of all ages outdoors and on their bicycles.

“Our inaugural Gold Rusch Tour last year was such a success that we wanted to expand for the 2012 tour. Of course our goal is to empower woman and girls to get on their bikes, but we also want to create a strong sense of community,” says Rebecca Rusch. “I’m seeing more and more women on the trail. It’s awesome to get young girls and women of any age excited about the sport. I’m living proof that it’s never too late to learn to ride a bike.”

2012 SRAM Gold Rusch Tour

The Sea Otter Ladies Lounge at the Sea Otter Classic: April 19-22 – Drop by the SRAM booth and meet your favorite female pros. Ask questions, check out new gear and listen in on our mini tech clinics. Rebecca and the other pros will also host short ride clinics and pump track sessions. For more information on tour specifics and updates, please visit www.goldruschtour.com.

Dirt Rage Dirtfest Dirty Girls Clinics (Raystown, PA): May 17-20 – Join Rebecca and SRAM/Specialized female athletes, Katie Holden and Lindsey Voreis for Specialized demos and free ride clinics during the three-day mountain bike festival.

Sun Valley Media Camp (Sun Valley, ID): July 4-9 – By invite-only, eight lucky female representatives will meet Rebecca, Katie Holden, Meredith Miller and Lea Davison for a personal tour of the world class riding in Sun Valley. The camp coincides with USAC XC National Championships in Sun Valley (July 5th-8th) to allow the attending media to cover the event and experience Idaho riding at its best.

“Wheel Girls” Mountain Bike Club (Sun Valley, ID): June through July – Rebecca and her local female mountain bike posse will coach a 6-week teen riding camp for the second year. The classes will meet in June and July for weekly riding sessions on different trails in the Sun Valley area. The camp will focus on riding skills, trail etiquette and volunteer trail work.

Kokanee Crankworx Dirty Girls Clinics (Whistler, BC): August 13-19 – The biggest freeride festival in the world, Crankworx is a magnet for the world’s best riders. With a collection of some of the best trails and parks on the planet, Rebecca and SRAM/Specialized female pros will guest instruct and lead rides for all ability levels throughout the week.

Levi’s Granfondo Ladies Lounge and Media Camp (Santa Rosa, CA): September 29 – Activities will include a pre-event social hour with complimentary bike fit and equipment check at NorCal Bike and ride tips from the pros. Rebecca and other female pros will offer a pre-ride preview of some of the toughest parts of the course. Post-event activities will include a SRAM/Specialized VIP reception for women and their guests with refreshments and recovery drinks.

Roc D’Azur Ladies Lounge and Dirty Girls Ride Clinics (France): October – This French mountain bike festival is open to riders of all levels and hosts races, fun rides, a huge bike expo and parties. Each day at the SRAM booth, female pros will be available to answer questions and lead mini-tech clinics. The pros will also be hosting short ride clinics and pump track sessions.

Redlands, CA — This week professional bicycle racing gets underway at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, the opening round of the 2012 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar, and the anticipation could not be any more amplified. All racers and teams are locked-in and geared-up to launch hostilities on the roads of Redlands beginning Thursday March 22nd with the Prologue Time Trial.

With returning champions Francisco Mancebo, riding for the newly named Competitive Cyclist Team in the men’s field as well as returning women’s champion Amber Neben, representing the newly formed Specialized-Lululemon Team the race features both the men’s and women’s 2011 champions. No doubt, both Mancebo and Neben will have to bring every bit of strength that carried them to their 2011 victories and then some to beat all comers and defend their yellow jersey honors of last year.

Twenty-seven men’s teams will be queuing up to comprise a robust peloton of 200 riders including four of the top five top teams in the NRC Team Rankings from 2011, not the least of which is 2011 Team Ranking champions Bissell Pro Cycling. In addition to the men’s racing no fewer than 90 women spread across 12 teams, including four of last years’ top five team in the NRC Team Rankings will be lining up to take their shot at glory on the roads of Redlands in an event that has been known to support and promote women’s sport.

“We are very proud to have so much excitement surrounding our event,” says Race President, Dan Rendler. “So many applications come from all across the globe for teams that want to participate in our race, we are proud to have such large pelotons of talented riders hitting the streets of Redlands for another great year of racing.”

Every cycling enthusiast knows strong teams are made up of powerful individual riders, and this years’ RBC sees the return of former stage winners and jersey wearers at the Redlands Classic like Team California Giant/Specialized rider John Bennett who took the stage 1 Beaumont Road Race in 2011 with style. Former race winner and Andy Bajadali of the Optum Pro Cycling team will also be lining up to try to repeat his 2007 overall success as well as former Sunset Road Race stage winner Kyle Wamsley of the Jamis Sutter Home team.

The women of the Redlands Classic will not be lacking any horsepower either with super team Specialized-Lululemon bringing former overall winner Amber Neben, multi-time stage winner (and overall winner) Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, and Olympic medalist Clara Hughes. Other notable heavy hitters include Alison Powers, former RBC Stage winner, racing for NOW & Novartis for MS as well as Theresa Cliff-Ryan of Team Exergy TWENTY12 who won multiple stages of the 2011 edition of the RBC.

With four exciting days of racing, from March 22nd-25th, and two full fields of racers the 2012 Redlands Bicycle Classic will no doubt be another vintage edition of world class bike racing that will set the tone for the year ahead.

Complete List of Teams Competing:

Men - Bissell Pro Cycling,BMC-Hincapie Development Team, Bontrager Livestrong, California Giant/Specialized, CashCall Mortgage, Champion Systems presented by Stans No Tubes/CRCA, Competitive Cyclist Racing Team, Eclipse-ATS, Elbowz Racing, Full Circle Cycling presented by Pure Gear, Garneau Quebecor Norton-Rose, Hagens Berman Cycling Team, Jamis Sutter Home, Jelly Belly presented by Kenda, Juwi Solar Cycling, Kenda/5 Hour Energy presented by Geargrinder, Landis/Trek, Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefit Strategies, Simple Green-Bike Religion presented by Cannondale, Spy-Swamis Development Elite Team, Stage 17 Racing, Team Exergy, Team Mountain Khakis/Smart Stop, Team Type 1 (Development), Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling, XO Communications presented by Cisco

Women - Cynergy Cycles presented by Missing Link Coaching, Exergy TWENTY12, FCS/Rouse presented by Mr.Restore, MetromintCycling, NOW and Novartis for MS, Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefits Strategies, Primal/Mapmyride Womens Racing, SC Velo-EmpowerCoaching, Specialized Lululemon, Team Kenda presented by Geargrinders, Team Tibco-To The Top, and Vanderkitten – Focus

For more information, including race times, distances, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.redlandsclassic.com.

Exergy TWENTY12 riders Lauren Tamayo, Cari Higgins and 2011 Jr World Champion Jennifer Valente have been selected to compete in the UCI Track World Championships in Melbourne, Australia April 4th - 8th. Valente is returning from a successful Pan American Championships where she earned three bronze medals.

Tamayo will race the team pursuit, Higgins points and Valente Scratch.

Women
*Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif./OUCH Pro Cycling) — Team Pursuit
*Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./OUCH Pro Cycling) — Omnium, Team Pursuit
Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./Exergy Twenty12) — Points Race
*Jennie Reed (Seattle, Wash./OUCH Pro Cycling) — Team Pursuit
Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./Exergy Twenty12) — Team Pursuit
*Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif./Exergy Twenty12) — Scratch Race

Men
Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif./Project London 2012) — Sprint, Team Sprint
*Bobby Lea (Topton, Pa./Pure Energy Cycling-ProAirHFA) — Omnium
Matthew Lipscomb (Decatur, Ga./Hincapie Development Team) — Points Race
Kevin Mansker (Long Beach, Calif./Project London 2012) — Sprint, Team Sprint
Jimmy Watkins (Bakersfield, Calif./Project London 2012) — Sprint, Team Sprint

* Denotes Automatic Qualifiers

Full USA Cycling press below. http://www.usacycling.org/usa-cycling-announces-team-to-contest-2012-track-worlds.htm

Photo: Tom Valente

Ride on Washington event is set to raise funds and awareness for the Bikes Belong Foundation

Ketchum, ID – Rebecca Rusch, the three-time Leadville Trail 100 Women's Champion and three-time 24 Hour Solo Mountain Biking World Champion, is pleased to announce her involvement as one of only a few female riders taking part in Tim Johnson’s Ride on Washington ride from Boston to Washington, D.C.to raise funds and awareness for the Bikes Belong Foundation. Rebecca and her fellow riders will host receptions at each city along the way, spreading the word about the much-needed support for non-motorized transportation and legislation currently being considered by congress that threatens bicycling and pedestrian-specific funding.

More than 25 riders will take part in the challenging, 500-mile ride from Boston to Washington, D.C., in participation with the Bikes Belong Foundation. The ride will include stops in Hartford, CT, New York City, NY, Philadelphia, PA and Baltimore, MD.

“I’m really pleased to be a part of the Ride on Washington event this year. It’s so important to raise funds-- and most importantly awareness for legislation that threatens non-motorized transportation,” says Rebecca Rusch. “It’s important for all bike enthusiasts to get educated and involved to support events like this. I’m looking forward to speaking with the public and representatives about issue that are close to my heart.”

The Ride on Washington will culminate at the capital for the National Bike Summit on March 20-22 at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Washington, D.C. Rebecca and her fellow riders will meet with members of congress to discuss several issues including a multi-year Transportation Bill to be voted on in late March, which threatens to cut bicycling and pedestrian-specific funding including support for Safe Routes to School, Recreational Trails Program and designated bikes lanes.

On a local level, Rebecca will represent IMBA and Idaho’s own Wood River Bicycle Coalition. She will speak regarding the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act, which threatens the closure of some of Idaho’s most valued mountain bike trail systems.

I love this part of my day. Our team clips in and rolls out, turning left onto the one road that passes by the old convent where we are staying for our preseason camp. Within a few turns of the pedal, we fall into formation—an easy line of pairs—relaxed, talking happily in the sunshine. The road winds over small green hills checkered with olive trees, and twists through curves made just for a bike. In two lines, close and easy, we flow through each curve. By now we know the buche (potholes), and flow easily around them.

Already I’m too warm. Sitting up, I’ve only half unzipped my wind vest before the team car appears at my side, ready to take my vest and gloves. I hand them off and settle back on the handlebars, without having broken cadence or formation. The casual flow and chatter in our group veils our precision of movement; a small gesture from the front of the group sends a smooth wave of lateral movement through our lines, as we swing wide to avoid a branch, then back again.

At the designated right turn, we hear a honk from the team car, and without words, one line drops back as the other moves forward, in doppia fila (paceline). The easy talk goes quiet, as now we move past one another too quickly for conversation, but still a few joking shouts can be heard over the wind. We ease the pace at a roundabout, our long line briefly swelling wide as we wait for a car to pass, then snapping instantly back in tight formation as we exit the roundabout. Our precise organization and instinct form the angle of our doppia fila: as good an indicator of wind direction as a flag in the air. Our support crew follows closely behind, and the whole day and many kilometers of road lie ahead. Our work is now underway.

Team Diadora’s 2012 preseason camp has been underway for over a week now. We’re based in a beautiful old convent overlooking state forest and the Mediterranean Sea. It’s isolated here, quiet and beautiful, like the roads. But this has been no holiday; my very sore, very tired body can attest to that. Not even the Tuscan landscape can make your pedalstroke look pretty after a session of hill repeats and sprints, done proper hard.

Preseason kilometers are the ugliest and most beautiful of the year.

The preseason is when training can and should be ugly, as you build a fatigue load so massive that it’s all you can do to pedal back home after a session of sweaty hill repeats. It’s when you really, really, really don’t want to go out in the rain, but end up with several hours in the legs and even more layers of wet and grime on your face (and teeth), anyway. It’s pure training, full of exhaustion and gladness.

And as was the case in January and early February when I trained in Perth, it’s also when the lines among teams dissolve, and we are just cyclists sharing the anticipation of the season and playfulness of being on our bikes. Our competitors become co-conspirators in training efforts, and there’s no need to look good: just get the work done.

In Perth, I took advantage of the summer weather by stacking volume with double sessions, and paid dearly in smashed legs and general zombie-like fatigue. Off the bike, I was useless. I could hardly stay awake, let alone keep up with normal life responsibilities. It was all I could do to get myself fed before I fell into a coma on the couch after my rides. And I would do it all over again the next day: up at 4am, sweating it out in the first training session before sunrise (it was that hot). But my misery had good company.

A handful of professional women were in Perth for training at the same time. You could pick us out of the group in an instant. The tanned, perma-fit group-ride warriors sported pristine, coordinated kit, clean handlebar tape and sharp legs. Then there were us gals: wearing a pre-team-camp combination of old kit, white socks grayed from racing in rain and being washed in the team truck for a whole season, and a chamois thinned to uselessness (ironically by overuse) in bibs that may or may not have had a transparent panel or two. Our training bikes sported scars from cobbled Dutch roads and unpaved sections of Italian climbs, the tires already worn from kilometers November and December kilometers. And we were tired.

We would start an afternoon group ride having already hammered out three hours of intervals, and fight doggedly for wheels, pedaling squares on our last ounce of energy. We often looked bad: tongues dragging on the pavement, heads and shoulders ticked to one side with the depth of effort, throwing the bike all over to close gaps; but rest assured, that scraping-the-bottom-of-the-energy-barrel kind of tired is just precisely what we are after, even if it is downright ugly.

At camp, we are refreshed with new clothes and equipment, but our mentality doesn’t change. The preseason goal remains: smash the legs and keep smashing them. We have to push ourselves into those foggy depths of fatigue before we rest, fine-tune and sharpen up for the first races.

On the second day of team camp here in Italy, we got caught in a rainstorm during a brutal interval session. As we battled a cross-headwind, spraying rooster tails of red mud from our wheels, our legs and kit became heavy with wet and cold. Still, we pushed on through the blur of splattered glasses and cold spray, fighting the sour ache of loaded legs over rough road, chasing each other through mud, effort after effort. Boy it was ugly! And by the final set of efforts my legs felt even uglier. After, we filed into the entryway, dripping with grime, quiet and empty, gratefully accepting the hot tea prepared by our souigneur.

It ain’t pretty, but it is. This is the time when an exhausted, ugly pedal stroke isn’t just ugly: it’s perfect. It’s when success means failing over and over again, because pushing to failure is the whole point.

And that is why these are also the most beautiful kilometers of the year.

Thanks for reading,

Amber

Amber Pierce - An American expat living in Austria, Amber has made the leap across the Atlantic in pursuit of her dreams on the road. After making a name for herself as one of the top road cyclists in the US, she now faces new challenges in her life on the road in Europe.

Amber's path to full-time racing in Europe has been anything but linear. From high school valedictorian holding national swimming records, to scholarship athlete at Stanford University and researcher on the open ocean, she has found herself in countless adventures all over the globe. With 53 career victories under her belt, however, Amber appears to have found her calling on the bicycle.

Photos: Amber Pierce