Tiffany Pezzulo and Isaac Howe Assume the Overall Leader's Positions

Grafton, WI - The 2nd stop of the USA CRITS Series completely shook up the overall in both the women's and the men's fields. Jackie Crowell (Team Type 1) and Rahsaan Bahati (Bahati Foundation) claimed the top step of the podium at the Giro d' Grafton, while Tiffany Pezzulo (Treads.com/DFT) and Isaac Howe (Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe's) now lead the USA CRITS Series.

The women's race was animated from the get-go with USA CRITS stalwart Pezzulo attacking for several laps, and, for part of the race, taking over the Sports Base Online Lap Leader jersey. After being caught Team Type 1's Kori Seehafer took a flyer for several laps until being absorbed just before the mid-race.

An intense sprint came at the mid-point of the women's race as valuable USA CRITS points were up for grabs. This allowed Team Type 1's Jackie Crowell to launch of the front for the last half of the Giro d' Grafton. Lauren Robertson (Metro Volkswagen) was able to bridge across to Crowell, where the two were able to stay away. Crowell picked up the win, which moved her from 24th place to 5th place in the overall. Pezzulo's 6th place finish shuffled her to the top spot in the overall after two events.

Results - Women
1. Jackie Crowell (Team Type 1)
2. Lauren Robertson (Metro VW)
3. Carrie Cash-Wooten (Team Vera Bradley Foundation)

USA CRITS Overall presented by Champion System
1. Tiffany Pezzulo (Treads.com/DFT), 451 points
2. Erica Allar (Team Vera Bradley Foundation), 432 points
3. Kacey Manderfield (Cycle Loft), 415 points

Sports Base Online Lap Leader presented by VeloNews
Jackie Crowell (Team Type 1), 13 laps

Maxxis Best Young Rider presented by Cyclingnews.com
Kacey Manderfield (Cycle Loft)

On the men's side, attack after attack tried to get away but none stuck until after the mid-race points sprint (picked up by Mountain Khakis' Adam Myerson). Juan Pablo Dotti (Aerocat), David Guttenplan (Mountain Khakis), and Jeff Schroetlin (Texas Roadhouse) were able to stay away for 11 laps but were ultimately gobbled up with 7 laps to go.

Bahati won a $750 "Super Prime" by several bike lengths with about 6 to go. This was going to come down to a bunch sprint to the line. Kenda Pro Cycling presented by Geargrinder lined up for their man, Chad Hartley, who was also sporting the Tour of America's Dairyland Overall Leader's Jersey, while Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe's was trying to deliver Howe to the line. In the end Bahati outsprinted the other 146 riders to claim the top spot at the Giro d' Grafton and a sip of the coveted chocolate milk. Howe's second place finish assured him the lead in the Overall USA CRITS Series.

Results - Men
1. Rahsaan Bahati (Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling)
2. Isaac Howe (Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe's)
3. Clayton Barrows (AXA Equitable Cycling Team)

USA CRITS Overall presented by Champion System
1. Isaac Howe (Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe's), 407 points
2. Emile Abraham (Aerocat Racing), 406 points
3. Adam Myerson (Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe's), 393 points

Sports Base Online Lap Leader presented by VeloNews
Hilton Clarke (United Healthcare), 17 laps

Maxxis Best Young Rider presented by Cyclingnews.com
Isaac Howe (Mountain Khakis fueled by Jittery Joe's)

Los Angeles, CA – Jonathan Cantwell displayed grit and tactical prowess to position himself out of harm and in the best possible position to win the Dana Point Grand Prix and to also win the first National Racing Calendar (NRC) criterium of 2010.

The race started after a minute’s silence and a lap of honor for Jorge Alvarado (Bahati Foundation Racing Team) who was tragically killed in a vehicle accident in the days leading up to the event.

Joining Jonathan, as Fly V Australia teammates were Bernie Sulzberger (Australian criterium champion 2009), Ben Kersten (winner of the US PRO Crit champs 2009), David Kemp (2nd place Australian Championships – Road Race) and Hayden Brooks (5th place Australian Championships – Road Race).

Jonathan said, “The pace was on today, we saw that Rahsaan Bahati attacked from the start and it really didn’t let up from there. We lost Kersten and Brooks in that crash with three laps to go so I just had to focus on my position from there.”

Cantwell went on to say, “You really needed to be at or very close to the front coming out of the last right hand turn. From the front you have to go full gas to the finish. I was actually third out of the last corner with the two Jamis riders in front of me. The road opened up on the right and I had the speed and momentum to come over the top and take the win.”

The NRC is a collection of 26 races across America that encapsulates the multiple disciplines of criteriums, time trials, one-day races and tours. Fly V Australia has started the 2010 NRC campaign well by winning the first two events on the 2010 race schedule to lead the individual classification (Ben Day) and be second behind Team Jelly Belly in the teams classification.

Results
1. Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V Austrailia)
2. Alejandro Borrajo (Jamis/Sutter Home presented by Colavita)
3. Anibal Borrajo (Jamis/Sutter Home presented by Colavita)
4. Kenneth Hanson (Team Type 1)
5. Justin Williams (Trek Livestrong U23)
6. Jeremiah Wiscovitch (Williams Cycling presented by SC VELO)
7. Jacob Keough (UnitedHealthcare presented by Maxxis)
8. Andrew Pinfold (UnitedHealthcare presented by Maxxis)
9. James Williamson (Two Wheeler/Specialized)
10. Eric Marcotte (Team Pista Palace)

Photo: ©Brian Hodes/VeloImages

Redlands, Calif. – The precarious sixth-tenths-of-a-second lead that Australian Ben Day took into the final day of the Redlands Bicycle Classic stood up for overall victory Sunday on a frenetic final stage.

The Fly V Australia rider’s victory will go into the books as the first National Racing Calendar stage race win for Day and the first for the second-year continental team that has ambitions to reach even higher levels in years to come. The win was also the squad’s 18th of the season and follows Day’s wire-to-wire overall title at last week’s San Dimas Stage Race.

Fly V Australia Director Sportif Henk Vogels said the victory could not have been achieved without the incredible “mateship” that exists among the Fly V Australia riders, management and staff. It was that unique Australian bond that kept confidence high throughout the four-day race.

“What I saw out there was a bunch of mates bleeding for each other,” Vogels said. “It’s been like this from Day 1 on this team and it just seems to be getting stronger.”

Day said he never felt like his slim lead over Ben Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Pro Cycling) was in jeopardy – not when Ben’s brother, Andy, infiltrated a breakaway that gained three minutes at one point; not after he crashed in the feed zone on one of the 12 circuits of the 7.5-mile Sunset Loop; and not when Rory Sutherland (United Healthcare presented by Maxxis) was set up by his team for the sprint finish to earn a potential race-winning 10-second time bonus.

“We out-witted them today,” Day said. “The boys laid it on the line for me. This is as much a win for them as it is for me.”

Ben Jacques-Maynes finished second and Will Routely led a 3-4-5 finish by Jelly Belly Cycling presented by Kenda. In the end, only four seconds separated the top sixth riders overall. Day became the first wire-to-wire winner of Redlands since Nathan O’Neill won a three-stage (time trial, criterium, road race) edition in 2006.

Another hero of the day for Fly V Australia was Canadian Charles Dionne, who finished runner-up to Alejandro Borrajo on the final stage.

“It’s amazing that he did that after doing so much work on the front,” Day said.

Fly V Australia placed a third rider, Jay Thomson, on the final podium as the winner of the best sprinter competition. The South African said he never intended to defend the jersey he earned after riding on the front of the peloton in Saturday’s Stage 2 criterium in defense of Day’s lead.

“The yellow jersey was always No. 1,” Thomson said. “And we never had any doubt we were going to win.”

In addition to the team’s performances in the Redlands Bicycle Classic, Fly V Australia’s Alessandro Bazzana won the LA Circuit Race and David Kemp finished runner-up to Rahsaan Bahati (Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team) in the non-stage criterium for Pro-I-II men Sunday afternoon in Downtown Redlands.

In this day and age of social media, news travels fast. And when it comes from a source as well followed — 2,431,313 Twitter followers as of this wrtiing — as Lance Armstrong, news not only travels fast, but also broadly. Armstrong's tweet this morning was a simple one, "This is incredibly cool. Please watch," but for the Bahati Foundation it was one of huge potential.

Rahsaan Bahati's message about his foundation may seem new to some, but it is a message that, frankly, has been long overdue to be heard [and acted upon], especially in and for our inner cities.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech remains the seminal moment of the 1960s American civil rights movement. Mainly rhetoric, orated in the Baptist sermon tradition, and filled with anaphora, his words resonate and reverberate worldwide even to this day.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

And while it can be argued whether this great country of ours has made significant strides in equality since that stirring day in 1963 — as the dream, for many, continues to be incongruous with their present reality — the power of Dr. King's message lies in hope and in the challenge to manifest our own dreams. As he once stated, "change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent."

Cycling's racial inequality, likewise, remains a conundrum. Since I broached the topic two years ago, little has changed in the representation, access, or in the manner by which the underprivileged are developed in the sport of cycling.  But, in Rahsaan Bahati, the wheels of change have recently been put in motion.

Formerly of Rock Racing, Bahati who was "exposed to the gangs, drugs and crime that proliferated his South Central Los Angeles neighborhood' while growing up, has chosen to dream of a different path for children in underprivileged areas. Through the sport of cycling, the Bahati Foundation hopes "to help shape kids lives the way his was shaped. It is an opportunity to show kids in underprivileged areas that you don’t have to be relegated to a life of crime, gangs and drugs; they have the ability to accomplish their dreams."

It may be some time until Bahati's labors produce any fruit, and a team full of color lines up at the Tour de France, but in the words of Dr. King, "let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. I have a dream today!"

Louis Garneau Press Release

Louis Garneau is proud to announce the sponsorship of the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team. The Bahati Foundation, founded by Rahsaan Bahati, is a non-profit organization that inspires and empowers underprivileged youth to rise above their circumstances. Their stated goal is to work with our partners in helping today’s underprivileged youth overcome poverty. They provide the resources, support and inspiration to help young people succeed in life. Louis Garneau will provide the team with the most technological custom apparel and helmets on the market. "We are excited to work with a top-notch group of athletes that are driven by a social mission," says Marketing Director, Pierre Perron .

The team roster includes such superstars as: Hilton Clarke, 2006 USPRO Criterium Champion; Jason Donald, 2nd prologue Amgen Tour of California, Nathan O'Neill, 8-time Australian National Time Trial Champion; Cesar Grajales, 1st Stage #6 Tour of Georgia , and several amazing upcoming young riders. "The Louis Garneau brand surpasses the competition and is committed to providing the best cycling gear for all levels of athletes. The Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team and Louis Garneau are a natural fit due to the same level of commitment to excellence, integrity and serving the community," remarks Rahsaan Bahati, Pro Cyclist and Founder. Bahati placed 1st in 2008 at the United States National Criterium Championships.

The partnership with Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team also includes a strong affiliation with Colorado Premier Training. Steve Owens, the Team Manager, is also Aerodynamics Specialist and Chief Executive Officer of Colorado Premier Training, a coaching and windtunnel testing facility located in Fort Collins, Colorado. "We’re excited to work with Louis Garneau because they are committed to making the most competitive products in the industry and have an already proven product line. The coming year we will be working together with respect to aerodynamics and other technological aspects to create improved technologies and advantages," mentions Owens.

The team will be riding some of best custom apparel and helmets available including:

Equipe Jersey: The fibers in this jersey positively impact muscular performance by reducing body temperature, promoting perspiration, evaporating moisture, lowering the respiratory rate, and reducing lactic acid concentration. Low profile stitching reduces chafing common with traditional seams. Non-abrasive seams lie flat and offer a smooth transition between panels. Internal mp3 pocket hidden inside rear pockets is both handy and secure for media player. Small internal flyout hole allows you to run your headphone wires inside the jersey.

Power Bibs: The compressive fit of Power Lycra optimizes muscle performance and increases blood circulation which results in less muscle fatigue. Conventional gripper is replaced by a compressive Powerband that reduces lower leg pressure and provides muscle support that does not restrict circulation. The Airgel Chamois has perforated gel inserts that allow for ventilation. Outer crabyon fabric accelerates wound healing and helps reduce saddle sores. This chamois is antibacterial for life.

Diamond Helmet: The Diamond represents our greatest achievement in helmets. At 285 grams and over 40 vents, we have designed a helmet to outperform the competition. Through patented technology, we have unleashed an absurd amount of ventilation while still meeting safety standards.

2010 TEAM ROSTER
Rahsaan Bahati
Ryan Baumann
Ian Burnett
Peter Carey
Hilton Clarke
Corey Collier
Jason Donald
Cesar Grajales
Alex Hagman
Evan Hyde
Bobby Lea
Phil Mann
Nathan O'Neill
Matt Rice
Lanell Rockmore

STAFF
Steve Owens (Team Manager)
Rick Crawford (Director Sportif)
Humberto Baca (Assistant Director Sportif)
Brad Eastham (Team Liaison)
Ryan Miller (Marketing Director)

Culver City, Calif. – United States criterium champion Rahsaan Bahati of Rock Racing will headline a star-studded field at Saturday’s Sunny King Criterium, a National Racing Calendar (NRC) event.

Bahati will be joined by Rock Racing teammates Cesar Grajales and Nic Sanderson for the 60-lap race around a four-corner, 0.7-mile course that serves as the centerpiece of the Noble Street festival in downtown Anniston, Ala. A prize purse of $15,000 is up for grabs.

“I’m excited to be a part of a race that traditionally showcased some great sprinters,” Bahati said. “I have had some good success at big one-day criteriums like Sunny King, so I’m looking forward to giving this one my best shot.”

Bahati is coming off a victory Sunday at the Dana Point Grand Prix, an NRC event in Dana Point, Calif. It was his third win of the year, adding to victories at the Dare to Race in Ontario, Calif., and the Merco Classic Downtown Criterium on Feb. 28 in Merced, Calif. He also earned a runner-up placing and two third-place finishes at races in March.

“Unfortunately, I have not been able to race as many times as I would have liked,” Bahati said. “So I’m making the most of every opportunity. When I race, I’m not just there to show up. I’m definitely trying to win.”

Last year, the 27-year-old won nine times, including the Athens Twilight criterium, the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix and two stages of the International Cycling Classic. His victory at the Saab USA Cycling Professional Criterium Championship last August at Downers Grove, Ill., was one of three national titles Rock Racing won in 2008.

The Sunny King Criterium has seen wins from some of the most notable names in the professional peloton, including J.J. Haedo (2005, 2006) who now rides for Saxo Bank, and Hilton Clarke (2008), who has also joined Haedo in the European peloton.

Race director Mike Poe said he is excited that Bahati’s stars-and-stripes jersey will be part of the race that will also include riders from the OUCH presented by Maxxis Cycling Team, Kenda Pro Cycling Presented by Spinergy, Colavita-Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light, Kelly Benefit Strategies, Jelly Belly Pro Cycling, Bissell Pro Cycling and Team Mountain Khakis. More details are available at www.sunnykingcriterium.com.

“We are excited to welcome Rahsaan and his Rock Racing teammates, and all of the other teams to Sunny King,” Poe said. “It looks like we'll have an exciting night of racing in Anniston again this year, hosting the top criterium specialists in the country.”

The Rock Racing team is experiencing unprecedented success of late, celebrating back-to-back victories this week at the Vuelta a Asturias in Spain. Glen Chadwick won Tuesday’s stage and Oscar Sevilla prevailed in Wednesday’s race to raise the team’s win total to 15 for the season.

London — Rahsaan Bahati led Rock Racing with a fifth place finish Sunday on Stage 1 of the Tour of Britain.

Competing for the first time as a professional in Europe, the reigning U.S. criterium champion said he was on the wheel of stage winner Alessandro Petacchi (LPR Brakes-Ballan) in the closing moments of the 53.5-mile (86 km) race that was run through the streets of London.

“Like a lot of guys – probably about 20 – I was trying to stay on Petacchi’s wheel,” Bahati said. “They don’t know me over here so it was a real battle to maintain my position. The biggest difference between racing here and in the U.S. is that there are so many more guys who can come around you at 60 kilometers an hour (37 mph) in a short span.”

Rob Hayles (Great Britain) was second and Magnus Backstedt (Team Garmin-Chipotle presented by H30) rounded out the podium in a race that averaged 28 mph. Petacchi earned the race leader’s yellow jersey in his first race back after serving a one-year ban for a positive test for an excessive amount of a prescribed asthma medication.

Bahati made up four places in the final 20 meters to post the best placing of Rock Racing’s six riders in the opening stage of the eight-day race. Teammate Tyler Hamilton [inset] raced for the first time as the U.S. national road champion and successfully chased back after a flat tire in the final eight minutes. He and the rest of Rock Racing’s riders all finished in the same time as the winner.

Sunday’s stage was run on a five-mile (8 km) course that passed by picturesque landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, traveled up and over Tower Hill and back parallel to the River Thames.

At one point, eight riders escaped the 96-strong field and gained a nearly minute’s lead. But after an hour out front, a pursuit led by Rock Racing, CSC and Garmin-Chipotle reeled them in – but not before 2007 Giro d’Italia winner Danilo Di Luca soloed away from the breakaway just as it was being caught. He was swept up on the last lap.

Monday’s race is 90 miles (145.5 km) and includes three categorized climbs and three bonus sprints between Milton Keynes and Newbury.

Photos: Vero Image

Manhattan Beach, Calif. — Rahsaan Bahati won his sixth race of the season in convincing fashion Sunday, scoring an impressive second straight victory at the 47th edition of the Chevron Manhattan Beach Grand Prix.

Bahati swept across the finish line on a sun-splashed afternoon at Live Oak Park ahead of runner-up Ricardo Escuela (Successful Living presented by Parkpre) and Brad Huff (Jelly Belly Pro Cycling).

“I had a lot of trust in my teammates and they delivered,” Bahati said before being congratulated by Rock Racing Team Owner Michael Ball and a host of teammates and cheering fans. “With a lap to go, I was concerned about us getting swarmed. But our lead out was tremendous. The guys started sprinting with a kilometer to go.”

Ball said he was thrilled that Rock Racing could be a part of the long-standing event. Several thousand fans lined the 1.4-mile (2.2 km) hot dog-shaped course that borders the Pacific Ocean.

“Being able to celebrate a victory again makes our involvement this year even sweeter,” Ball said.

Rock Racing was an official sponsor of the race and the team’s official vehicle, a Cadillac CTS, served as the pace car. The iBN Sports network also provided live, online coverage of the entire event, which is available on-demand at www.ibnsports.com.

The victory was Rock Racing’s 20th of the season and its second at a National Race Calendar event. Santiago Botero won the overall title at the Redlands Bicycle Classic to open the NRC calendar in April.

In last year’s race, Bahati edged out Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United Pro Cycling) while Hilton Clarke (Navigators Insurance) was third.

This time, Bahati said having so many teammates around him at the end of the 90-minute race was reassuring. Rock Racing controlled the front the final laps of the race on the strength of Fred Rodriguez, Kayle Leogrande, Peter Dawson, Jeremiah Wiscovitch and Sterling Magnell. Rock Racing even chased down a move of six late in the 90-minute race that included its own Rudolph “Rudy” Napolitano.

“We just couldn’t put all that pressure on Rudy to come through at the end so we told him to just sit on and the rest of our guys helped bring them back,” Bahati said.

Halfway around the world Sunday, Rock Racing’s Oscar Sevilla scored a runner-up finish at the Spanish national championship road race. Racing without any teammates, Sevilla finished second to Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) in the challenging 130-mile (210 km) race. Oscar Pereiro, another one of eight riders from Caisse d’Epargne in the race, was third.

Photos: Vero Image