Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Cyclocross Point Series
Team Colavita does it again, taking several podiums in the 2009-2010 Florida Cyclocross Point Series. Brandon Forman came in 1st in the junior 15-18. James Mertens placed 2nd in that same category, with Jos Chalmers coming in 3rd. James won junior 10-14 as well, earning himself two trophies for the series. Zoe Mullins tied for 2nd in junior 10-14, just behind James, after the long season. Michelle Blake swept the competion to take 1st in Womens B and Diane Blake came in 2nd in Womens A. Brent Harrell earned a well deserved 3rd place in Masters +45 and John-Paul Russo came in 2nd in Pro 1,2.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Miami Cyclocross Photos
Serious consideration went into deciding the proper attire for the day's race
Brandon, Michelle and James waiting for the race start Saturday morning.
Brandon and Michelle flying over the barriers during Sunday's race. Michelle has learned the art of levitation, as shown in the photo.
Diane blazing around the course and wondering when she'll be done so she can get her free Belgian waffle
Photos By Michelle Blake, Nancy Matteson and Alex Harris
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Miami Cyclocross
Michelle Blake
As I was watching the Miami cyclocross, it came to my attention that there was a massive, white iceberg floating in the bay behind us. When I pointed it out to my mother however, her response was "You mean that yacht?" "Oh, could've fooled me. It's so cold that I wouldn't be surprised if I started seeing penguins and polar bears too."
Considering that this weekend's race was in Miami, it seems just morally wrong for it to have been as cold as it was. Saturday morning before the race, we were sitting in IHOP eating breakfast and wondering when the rain was going to stop, or at least, when it was going to turn into snow. In preparation for the race we piled on layer after layer of warm clothing; shorts, leg warmers, tights, jersey, arm warmers, jacket, rain jacket, hat, gloves, etc. The only problem came when considering which layer to pin the number to. My warm up consisted of a cycle, huddling around the fire, huddling in the car with the heater on, and huddling around my mother and teammates near the start line. I was actually extremely thankful when the race finally started because it meant we were going to get a little warmer. I sprinted off the line, away from my few opponents and fell in behind my teammate Brandon into the first turn. The cold must have given us both tunnel vision because we almost missed it and we went careening into the marking tape. Aside from that, and a few other mishaps, and excluding the freezing rain and wind, it was a great race. I did not go for a cool down lap.
Have you ever heard the song that goes: "the sun will come out, tomorrow"? Biggest Lie Ever. Sunday was colder, winder, and just as overcast as the day before. The only saving grace was that it wasn't raining, but who needs rain when you've got 20 mph winds and its the coldest day ever in the history of Miami! So we woke up and put on even more clothes than Saturday; Earmuffs, balaclavas, shoe covers, the whole shebang. Again, I couldn't wait for the race to start but the proceedings were held up by a frozen pelican who decided to cross the course right in front of the start line. After a bunch of oohing and ahhing over the bird, we finally got going. It was a mountain biker's type course, with a lot of technical turns, and once I got to the loose rock sections, it was easy to loose my opponents (snicker, snicker). I loved going through the start finish area every lap too. The race promoter had made it mandatory that anyone standing there had to have a free cowbell in their hand and cheer like crazy for every racer who came through. After my race I also made sure to stop in for my free Belgian waffle as well.
It took me an hour of sitting in the car with the heater on full blast to finally thaw out from the weekend and I'm still a little worried that my toes are going to fall off and they already turned blue. (oh wait, that's the nail polish)
CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN NEXT WEEKEND!
Brandon Forman 1st
James Mertens 2nd
Women B
Michelle Blake 1st
Women A
Diane Blake 2nd
As I was watching the Miami cyclocross, it came to my attention that there was a massive, white iceberg floating in the bay behind us. When I pointed it out to my mother however, her response was "You mean that yacht?" "Oh, could've fooled me. It's so cold that I wouldn't be surprised if I started seeing penguins and polar bears too."
Considering that this weekend's race was in Miami, it seems just morally wrong for it to have been as cold as it was. Saturday morning before the race, we were sitting in IHOP eating breakfast and wondering when the rain was going to stop, or at least, when it was going to turn into snow. In preparation for the race we piled on layer after layer of warm clothing; shorts, leg warmers, tights, jersey, arm warmers, jacket, rain jacket, hat, gloves, etc. The only problem came when considering which layer to pin the number to. My warm up consisted of a cycle, huddling around the fire, huddling in the car with the heater on, and huddling around my mother and teammates near the start line. I was actually extremely thankful when the race finally started because it meant we were going to get a little warmer. I sprinted off the line, away from my few opponents and fell in behind my teammate Brandon into the first turn. The cold must have given us both tunnel vision because we almost missed it and we went careening into the marking tape. Aside from that, and a few other mishaps, and excluding the freezing rain and wind, it was a great race. I did not go for a cool down lap.
Have you ever heard the song that goes: "the sun will come out, tomorrow"? Biggest Lie Ever. Sunday was colder, winder, and just as overcast as the day before. The only saving grace was that it wasn't raining, but who needs rain when you've got 20 mph winds and its the coldest day ever in the history of Miami! So we woke up and put on even more clothes than Saturday; Earmuffs, balaclavas, shoe covers, the whole shebang. Again, I couldn't wait for the race to start but the proceedings were held up by a frozen pelican who decided to cross the course right in front of the start line. After a bunch of oohing and ahhing over the bird, we finally got going. It was a mountain biker's type course, with a lot of technical turns, and once I got to the loose rock sections, it was easy to loose my opponents (snicker, snicker). I loved going through the start finish area every lap too. The race promoter had made it mandatory that anyone standing there had to have a free cowbell in their hand and cheer like crazy for every racer who came through. After my race I also made sure to stop in for my free Belgian waffle as well.
It took me an hour of sitting in the car with the heater on full blast to finally thaw out from the weekend and I'm still a little worried that my toes are going to fall off and they already turned blue. (oh wait, that's the nail polish)
CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN NEXT WEEKEND!
Results
Saturday and Sunday (they're the same)
JuniorsBrandon Forman 1st
James Mertens 2nd
Women B
Michelle Blake 1st
Women A
Diane Blake 2nd
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Colavita/ Baci
We are now sponsored by a chocolate company. We have begged them to send us product. Wink, Wink.
In other news, we will post results from Miami cyclocross once our fingers have thawed out enough to type it up
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Drews Landing Criterium #4
Great job to Dean and Taylor Warren who represented Colavita in the first Florida road race of 2010. Taylor did spectacular in with the "A" group but wasn't able to stay in for the finish. His father, Dean, competed in his first ever criterium, coming in 7th place in the "B" group. While many of us stayed home in our beds because of the freezing weather, Dean and Taylor were out there giving it their best, so congratulations and good luck on the rest of the races in 2010.
Photos By Brad Gordon and Craig Creeden
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010 Team Colavita Junior Bios
Click on photos for larger view. Bios are subject to change throughout the year in response to the development of our junior racers and Team Colavita.
Monday, December 7, 2009
State Championships in Tallahassee
Four hours of driving in the pouring rain: taxing. Freezing temperatures and chilling breezes: teeth-chattering. Two days of cyclocrossing in Tallahassee and two state championships: PRICELESS!
Riders on Saturday were challenged with a course that had steep climbs up slick mud, sharp turns on grass and drops down bumpy, slippery hills with hard turns at the bottom. The technical fiends were in hog heaven while the timid slid into fences and crashed. Chase Forman set the tone for the weekend, zooming to the win in the kid's race while James Mertens showed his Belgian heritage by winning the 10-14 junior championship just ahead of Zoe Mullins. Michelle Blake attacked the course and cruised to first in the Women B race. The 15-18 junior race saw furious racing with many mishaps including Taylor Warren who flatted and ran part of the course to the pits. Brandon Forman kept putting out the power and cranked out a fifth place. We were relieved to see Brent Harrell NOT repeat the head-first crash of last year and finish fourth in the Masters. JP Russo posted a solid 5th in the Pro 1,2's. Tracy Mullins, our closet Colavita rider, finished the Master's race with a big smile and proclamation that "this is fun!".
Dinner was carbo loading on a major scale at "Decent Pizza" with huge pies and LOTS of good cheer. I think you can eat more pizza if you laugh between bites...
Sunday morning began with a bone-chilling 33 degrees that forced everyone into their warm woolies, reminding us that cyclocross is a winter sport. The course was reversed and a bit more flowing but still had some ankle-biting challenges with more than one rider glad for the extra clothing as they slid down the hill or tripped over the barriers. The competition began with Chase getting second in the kid race while James won the 10-14 again, with Zoe in second. Brandon kept ahead in the points by winning the 15-18 class. State Championships were up for grabs in two categories on Sunday, Women B and Men C. Again, Michelle charged the course, fearlessly dropping down the slopes that claimed the other women, giving her a win by a large margin. The Men C race was just the opposite, with Taylor and Lucas Wardein (ORC) battling head-to-head for the entire race. Taylor got a small gap when Lucas has to change bikes because the mud had clogged his cleats and he could not clip in. However, the spare bike had flat pedals and he had to ditch his shoes in order to pedal it. In just socks, Lucas literally flew down the course, taking out the marking tape in an attempt to catch Taylor. With a hundred meters to go, Taylor was in the lead but a crafty Lucas came around him to win by inches. Dean Warren, our ace photographer, missed shooting the close finish because he was still on the course, having a good time racing in his first 'cross race.
With such a great course, exciting races and inspired riders, as well as two state championship titles, it was a fine way to end the 2009 racing season!
Photos: Dean Warren (Saturday and Sunday) and Michelle Blake (Sunday)
Riders on Saturday were challenged with a course that had steep climbs up slick mud, sharp turns on grass and drops down bumpy, slippery hills with hard turns at the bottom. The technical fiends were in hog heaven while the timid slid into fences and crashed. Chase Forman set the tone for the weekend, zooming to the win in the kid's race while James Mertens showed his Belgian heritage by winning the 10-14 junior championship just ahead of Zoe Mullins. Michelle Blake attacked the course and cruised to first in the Women B race. The 15-18 junior race saw furious racing with many mishaps including Taylor Warren who flatted and ran part of the course to the pits. Brandon Forman kept putting out the power and cranked out a fifth place. We were relieved to see Brent Harrell NOT repeat the head-first crash of last year and finish fourth in the Masters. JP Russo posted a solid 5th in the Pro 1,2's. Tracy Mullins, our closet Colavita rider, finished the Master's race with a big smile and proclamation that "this is fun!".
Dinner was carbo loading on a major scale at "Decent Pizza" with huge pies and LOTS of good cheer. I think you can eat more pizza if you laugh between bites...
Sunday morning began with a bone-chilling 33 degrees that forced everyone into their warm woolies, reminding us that cyclocross is a winter sport. The course was reversed and a bit more flowing but still had some ankle-biting challenges with more than one rider glad for the extra clothing as they slid down the hill or tripped over the barriers. The competition began with Chase getting second in the kid race while James won the 10-14 again, with Zoe in second. Brandon kept ahead in the points by winning the 15-18 class. State Championships were up for grabs in two categories on Sunday, Women B and Men C. Again, Michelle charged the course, fearlessly dropping down the slopes that claimed the other women, giving her a win by a large margin. The Men C race was just the opposite, with Taylor and Lucas Wardein (ORC) battling head-to-head for the entire race. Taylor got a small gap when Lucas has to change bikes because the mud had clogged his cleats and he could not clip in. However, the spare bike had flat pedals and he had to ditch his shoes in order to pedal it. In just socks, Lucas literally flew down the course, taking out the marking tape in an attempt to catch Taylor. With a hundred meters to go, Taylor was in the lead but a crafty Lucas came around him to win by inches. Dean Warren, our ace photographer, missed shooting the close finish because he was still on the course, having a good time racing in his first 'cross race.
With such a great course, exciting races and inspired riders, as well as two state championship titles, it was a fine way to end the 2009 racing season!
Photos: Dean Warren (Saturday and Sunday) and Michelle Blake (Sunday)
State Championships Cyclocross
Tallahassee Cyclocross
Saturday
Kiddie Race
Chase Forman 1st
Junior 10-14*
James Mertens 1st
Zoe Mullins 2nd
Junior 15-18*
Brandon Forman 5th
Taylor Warren 6th
Women 4
Michelle Blake 1st
Masters
Brent Harrell
Pro 1,2
John-Paul Russo
Sunday
Kiddie Race
Chase Forman 2nd
Junior 10-14
James Mertens 1st
Zoe Mullins 2nd
Junior 15-16
Brandon Forman 1st
Women 4*
Michelle Blake
Mens C*
Taylor Warren 2nd
Dean Warren
Masters
Brent Harrell
Pro 1,2
John-Paul Russo
*State Championship Race
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