Sanford and Lake Mary Criteriums

Team Colavita made another spectacular showing this weekend on and off the bike, at the Sanford and Lake Mary criteriums. Everyone was up early Saturday morning to set up our tents and start boiling pasta to sell to racers and spectators. Jonathan Greene set himself up as head cook, heating up pasta and marinara sauce with his assistant Nanci Matteson putting it in the boxes and selling them. The Luthmans, Chalmers, Bragas, Blakes and Teathers also contributed by baking brownies or the famous peanut butter balls that were also sold. In that one day, we estimate our team made over $350, all of which will go to support our junior team.
Congratulations to Zoe Mullins for riding her first race on Sunday and getting a respectable 5th place in junior 10-12.

Sanford

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
James Mertens 2nd

Junior 13-14
Casey Braga 2nd
Michelle Blake 3rd
Briana Luthman 5th

Junior 15-16
Jos Chalmers 5th
Brad Gordon 8th

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 7th

Masters 55+
Neville Brabrook 15th

Cat 5
Ian McGauvran 6th
Casey Braga 15th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 1st

Lake Mary

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
James Mertens 3rd
Zoe Mullins 5th

Junior 13-14
Casey Braga 1st
Michelle Blake 3rd
Briana Luthman 10th

Junior 15-16
Jos Chalmers 4th
Brad Gordon 9th

Junior 17-18
Ian McGauvran 6th
Brandon Forman 11th

Masters 55+
Neville Brabrook

Masters 45+
Paul Hardison 47th

Cat 3
Jos Chalmers 30th
JP Russo 39th
Paul Hardison 42th

Cat 5
Ian McGauvran 3rd
Casey Braga 12th
Brandon Forman 14th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 1st

Photo Credits go to: Brad Gordon, Michelle Blake, and Cheryl Doherty (Team Armada photo album)

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Thank you to the fantastic parents and friends who got up early saturday morning to set up and serve pasta and fixin's to the racers. Jonathan Greene, Nancy Matteson, Wanda Luthman, Joe Luthman, Jacques Mertens, Doreen McGauvran, Brad Gordon, Henry Willis, Anne Teather, Jan Chalmers and Eddie Braga were busy serving linguine, brownies, peanut butter balls and hot chocolate to make money to support our junior race team. What a great crew!
Thank you to Brad and Debbie Gordon for opening up their beautiful home and hosting the second annual Colavita Team dinner. Wow! Debbie, you sure know how to feed many hungry bike racers and their families.
Thank you to the junior and adult racers on the Colavita Team for doing a great job of riding safely, having fun and winning!

Dade City Criterium

Team Results

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
James Mertens 2nd

Junior 13-14
Casey Braga 1st
Michelle Blake 2nd

Junior 15-16
Jos Chalmers 5th
Brad Gordon 9th

Junior 17-18
Ian McGauvarn 7th

Womens 4
Michelle Blake 1st

Mens Category 4
Jos Chalmers 2nd

Brad Gordon 9th

Mens Category 5
Casey Braga 9th


Race Review - Michelle Blake
The Dade City Criterium, undoubtedly my favorite race of the entire season. Every year the 6 turn course has brought out the best results in me and now again, the tradition has held strong.
I began the day with the junior race. After winning a girl scout cookies prime, I placed 2nd in the finish, just behind my teammate Casey Braga. But it wasn't until later, in the women 4 race, that I really let the energy flow.
Lining up for the start after an entertaining kiddie race, the officials gave us the usual procedure, Then Jenny Collins, a friend of mine, came strutting across the line displaying a beautiful wrist watch that would go to the winner of the race. Don't call me greedy, but I wanted that watch, and for the first few laps I debated about how to win it. After seeing the womens 1,2,3 race earlier in the day and Tina Elliot do an amazing break off the front, that strategy had stuck in my head and became the one I chose. My first chance to get away came when they rang a prime for a pair of pink socks (say that fast 5 times). At first I had no intention of sprinting for them but when someone else showed some interest, I just had to. Not wanting to waste the attack though, I kept the power up after the line. I tried working together with the lone woman who had caught my wheel, but the pack caught up a lap later. Sitting in the group recovering, I waited for another chance.
This time when it came, we were on the back of the course and Jeniffer Doucett was taking a very hard pull. When she slid off the front, and in behind me, I quickly chose to make a break. Jeniffer was tired enough that she had little hope of chasing me down quickly and also served a purpose in blocking others behind from trying. After a lap of head down hammering, I found that one person had made the gap and we began working together for the rest of the race. I was very confident that I could beat her in the sprint so I made no strategy to tire her, just make the break work. On the last lap though, I timed my pull so she would be on the front the whole lap, basically giving me my own lead out. Through the last corner I sprinted, my momentum alone pushing me past her, and then on to the line.
Afterward I couldn't believe how well the race and the whole day went. A huge thanks to Kiefer Village Jewels of Dade City who supplied the watch I won and everyone who helped put on the race.

San Antonio Road Race

Congratulations to the finishers of the San Antonio road race. It was a very tough course and you did an amazing job.

Masters +55
Neville Brabrook 27th
Cat 4
Brad Gordon 5th
John Gibson 18th

Gainesville From Jos Chalmers

When one of our junior riders has an outstanding race, we invite them to tell us in their own words how the race unfolded. Here is Jos Chalmers' race report of his win in the category 4 criterium in Gainesville last weekend.

After my junior race at around 1 o'clock, I was resting and getting ready for the cat four race coming up soon. The time came for me to start warming up I just spun my legs out since I had already raced that morning and then moved to the staging area with all the other category four riders.

The officials called us up to the start line and then sent us off shortly after. My goal of the day was to finish top five and get some upgrade points. The race was quite fast as people were trying to get off the front of the field. After a while, the officials called three to go. I was not in good position, but knew I could change that quickly. One lap to go. I came round the last corner about 10th wheel. The sprint was nearing so I pushed hard to get up to about 5th wheel. No one had seemed to acknowledge that the sprint was only 100 meters away. At 75 m, I let loose all of what I had left in my legs I came across the line 1st. My first category 4 crit win.
By: Jos Chamlers

Team Kits and Lost Objects

The new team clothing will arrive tuesday. Jonathan will be at the thursday evening ride at 5:30 to hand out the kits to everyone who ordered them. Be sure to bring a check if you have not already paid for them. If you want a team gear bag, please tell Diane soon so they can be ordered.
Lost and Found. We are missing the team banner. If anyone knows where it is, please bring it to the Dade City race or give it to Diane or Henry. A pair of sunglasses were left in the team tent in Gainesville. If you are missing a pair, contact Diane.
Lost: one red Giro helmet. Contact Brad Gordon if found.

Gainsville Race Weekend

After a week of cold weather, it was nice to wear a t-shirt and shorts while watching the intense racing this weekend in Gainesville. The time trial on Saturday was placed in the small town of Archer, the course being out-and-back on a country road with rolling hills and a light wind. At 10:00, John Paul Russo was the first Colavita off for the day, placing 11th in category 3. Jos Chalmers came in 2nd place in 15-16 out of a total of 8 riders. Anselm Teather raced junior 10-12, winning the category, and his teammate, James Mertens, came in 3rd. Michelle Blake got a pleasant 5th place in womens 4 and Christian Teather settled for 2nd in junior 13-14. Later on in the day was the Team Time Trial and Colavita arranged a team of four: John Paul Russo, Jos Chalmers, Brad Gordon, and Stephen Rusnak (Team Cycle Science). With a strong finish, the team brought out a fantastic time of 29:23, putting them in 4th place in their category.



Sunday's course was in downtown Gainesville, somewhere much easier to find on a map than the day before and even equipped with flush toilets. The junior race was combined, 10-18 all at once, making for some interesting racing. Anselm Teather and James Mertens came in 3rd and 4th in the youngest category. Christian Teather, Michelle Blake, and Briana Luthman placed 2nd, 3rd and 9th with the 13-14s. Jos Chalmers made podium with 3rd and Brad Gordon finished in 7th in the older junior pack. The race was a real scorcher with TWO national champions driving the pace. Jos Chalmers had to settle for second in the 15-16s while Brad Gordon was 7th and Brandon Foreman came in 12th. Some of these racers also went on to contest the category races later in the afternoon. JP came in 26th in cat 3, and Brad got 3rd place in cat 5 with his team mate Brandon (26th). But, saving the best for last- Jos pulled out a spectacular win in cat 4, launching himself to the front on the final straight to win convincingly. We predict upgrades of category in the future for both Jos and Brad!
Photo credits go to Brad Gordon and Michelle Blake.

Deland Race Weekend

The racing was hot Saturday at the Deland Airport despite the 30 degree temperatures and frost on the ground. However, there was no truth to the rumor of ice in the corners and frost heaves in the back straight of the circuit course.
Team Colavita had a full house of riders in the junior races and many doubled up in the category events. Brandon Forman had a great first race by hanging with the pack of Cat fives for a good distance and then went back for more experience in the junior 15-16 peloton along with Bradley Gordon and eventual winner, Jos Chalmers. Ian McGauvran, a veteran of one other criterium and a quick study of bike racing, showed a lot of speed and finished 5th in the 17-18 field. Michelle Blake started the year right with a win in the women's 4 race and followed it up with a third in the junior 13-14. Casey Braga escaped the 13-14 field to a solo win ahead of teammate Christian Teather. Mini-monster Anslem Teather out-jumped the 10-12's on the last straight for the win and James Mertens filled out the podium for third. Paul Hardison and John Gibson showed the kids that adults like to race too, with good finishes in their categories.
Ace photographers, Jan Chalmers, Michelle Blake and Brad Gordon were snapping away all day. Check out their picasa albums here and here.