Team news from XXX Racing-AthletiCo

Green Mountain Stage Race, here we come

2010-09-01T17:18:00Z

You feel like you’ve been ascending all day. You continue to head toward the tree line, switchback after switchback, feeling as if you’re riding to the sun. When you crest the four-mile climb, you realize this is the queen stage of the Green Mountain Stage Race, and you’re only 35 miles in, or halfway to the road race’s finish. A finish that ends on a mountain with eight miles of climbing and pitches of 15 percent in the final kilometer.

This is going to hurt.

So it will be for five members of the Elite Team as they make their way to Burlington, Vt., on Thursday. Follow along here with daily race reports as the group describes its travails (and hopefully triumphs) in a four-day Cat 2 stage race on the East Coast. Be sure to wish Tom Briney, Liam Donoghue, Dave Moyer, Luke Seemann and Peter Strittmatter good luck. And special thanks to our soigneurs extraordinaire Noelle Wilhite and Andrea Briney for making the trek to help these guys feel “pro.”

We had a relay, relay good time

2010-08-30T12:44:01Z

Thanks for coming out and making the inaugural Cyclocross Relay Race a smash hit, and another big round of thanks to all our great sponsors. Results are now online. We’re especially thrilled that the co-ed division sold out with 50 teams. That bodes well for the future of women’s participation, and we hope to see all of you back in Jackson Park on Sunday, Sept. 19, when we kick off the Chicago Cyclocross Cup season.

Prizes galore for Sunday’s relay cross

2010-08-23T22:12:00Z

We realize that “prizes three deep” is sometimes code for “socks and an energy drink.” That will not be the case at Sunday’s inaugural Cyclocross Relay Race, which may boast the most valuable prizes of any cross race in Illinois. Among the top prizes: Masters will race for coffee brewing kits and beans from Intellegentsia. Women will battle for custom paint jobs from Chester Cycles. The 1/2/3’s will throw elbows to score fits from Get a Grip Cycles. And the co-ed teams will do it in the dirt to win these amazing, one-of-a-kind bags from Seagull Bags. In addition, our goodie bag will be full of valuable treats from Enzo’s, I-Go, Labrabbit Optics, DZ Nuts, Twin Six, Faction Cycling, Kozie Prery and other fine supporters of cycling. But wait! There’s more! Anyone who pre-registers will be entered into a drawing for a custom Tati frame. (Important: Even though juniors race for free, they must pre-register to be entered in the drawing.)

Sarna, Tomlinson off to worlds

2010-08-05T00:42:00Z

Heidi Sarna has been selected for the 2010 U.S. national duathlon team that will compete the 2010 GE ITU Duathlon World Championships in Edinborough, Scotland, in September. The event consists of a 10km run, 40km draft-legal bike and 5km run. It is the highest-level competition in the sport’s annual calendar and the most prestigious duathlon competition ever staged in the UK. Meanwhile, John Tomlinson will next week represent his country at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Montichiari, Italy, where Tomlinson, a current national champion in the points race and a past national champion in the scratch race, will compete in the points race.

Double your fun with relay cyclocross

2010-08-02T12:02:00Z

Come join us in Jackson Park on Aug. 29 for the area’s first-ever relay cyclocross race. Races are available for all riders in teams of two, including the marquee event, the co-ed race. This will be like no other cyclocross event you’ve ever seen, so consult the race bible, and we strongly recommend pre-registering online.

Get a Grip named top shop

2010-07-30T19:45:00Z

We’re delighted but not surprised to see that Chicago Magazine has named Get a Grip Cycles the best bike shop in Chicago, citing its great service and selection. There are many superb shops in the city, so this is a big honor. For the past year Get a Grip has taken great care of us, from providing neutral support at our races to giving our members speedy, affordable service, and it can take great care of you, too. In the same issue, we’re also thrilled to see our old friend and team founder Marcus Moore named best wrench. Congrats to all.

Another super week

2010-07-26T22:25:00Z

XXX Racing-AthletiCo put in another great team performance at this year’s Superweek, a two-week landmark of Midwest racing. We had riders finish in the money in every single elite category, including wins from Greta Neimanas in the women’s open and Mike Seguin in the 3’s. In addition, Seguin fought to the end to secure a 2nd place in the Cat 3 overall. Next up: Prestigious races in Elk Grove and Glencoe, and we’ll be sending several riders to Louisville for the masters national championships.

Tomlinson earns second national championship

2010-07-09T20:34:00Z

XXX Racing-AthletiCo’s John Tomlinson on Friday earned his second national championship, racing aggressively and intelligently in the 17-18 points race in Trexlertown, Pa. Tomlinson was off the front twice in the race, lapping the field the second time. “I was pretty wiped and trying to stay active,” he says. Staying active paid off, and he finished three points ahead of the closest competitor. Tomlinson has been a member of XXX Racing-AthletiCo since joining as a 13-year-old in 2006, and this is his second title, having won the 17-18 scratch race in 2009.

Junior state championship results

2010-07-06T11:10:00Z

Results are online for the 2010 Illinois junior track championships, which we hosted in June. Thanks for joining us, and congratulations to Samuele Bianchi and John Tomlinson for earning omnium titles in their respective age groups.

Three state championships for XXX Racing-AthletiCo

2010-06-28T11:22:01Z

XXX Racing-AthletiCo enjoyed one of its best days ever at Sunday’s state criterium championships in Peoria, Illinois, where the competition was fierce and the heat even fiercer. Samuele Bianchi started things by winning the state championship in the boys 10-14 category. He was followed by Heidi Sarna, who sprinted to the women’s open championship, and then Dave Moyer, who put in a long solo effort to take the P/1/2 honors. It should be noted that all three raced on Hed Cycling wheels, and both Sarna and Moyer are proud products of our Elite Development Program.

Triple national championship for Neimanas

2010-06-23T15:53:01Z

Greta Neimanas earned her latest honors this week by sweeping the U.S. Paralympic National Championships in Bend, Ore. Neimanas, a member of our elite team, rode her Hed Cycling wheels to victory in her road race, criterium and time trial events, and she reports she’s already excited about her chances at the world championships. We are, too!

Junior track championships this Sunday

2010-06-14T21:33:01Z

Sunday, June 20, XXX Racing-AthletiCo will host the Illinois junior track championships at the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook. Here is a schedule of events. Note that lunch is included in the $25 entry, compliments of Goose Island Brewpub & Goose Island Soda, and omnium winners in each category will earn a state championship jersey.

Thanks for racing with us!

2010-06-13T21:39:00Z

We hope you had as much fun racing Saturday as we did. Sherman Park results are online here. We’d like to thank some of the those who made it all possible: Get a Grip Cycles provided valuable neutral support and donated many primes. Chicago Scenic Studios made our start/finish area possible. I Go Car Sharing provided our hybrid pace vehicle. Many supporters donated generous primes, including big ones from Pactimo, Saris and PetEgo. Our team of officials—including a moto ref!—did excellent work. And finally, thank you for coming out and racing with us. We hope to see you again this fall as we bring two days of cyclocross racing to Jackson Park.

Fay charms the snake

2010-06-01T12:08:00Z

Ryan Fay this weekend made a late move to win the 4’s race at Snake Alley, one of the most challenging and unique criteriums in the world. After years of tackling the Snake, this is the team’s best finish there. It’s also Fay’s first career win, and it comes in a race he has had his sights set on for a full year. As a team we put a lot of energy into setting goals and planning our seasons, so it’s especially rewarding to see such a big goal be met. We look forward to seeing Fay’s form continue through to the June 12 Sherman Park Criterium.

Big weekend for Pankonin, Murray and Amstutz

2010-05-17T20:15:00Z

We had big turnouts at all the big races this weekend, and we’re thrilled with the results. Ian Murray earned the first wins of his career, winning the 4/5’s race at Monsters of the Midway and the 4’s at Sunday’s tough Fox River Grove. William Pankonin headed north for the hills of La Rue-Denzer-La Rue and escaped late for a solo win in the 35+ 4/5’s. He managed to save enough leg to finish 2nd behind Murray at Fox River Grove. And Ed Amstutz, two-time winner at Fox River Grove, did it again Sunday with a late charge from the 40+ open. He raced well at Monsters, too, finishing 2nd in the 30+.