Colavita in the Paper

2010 Florida Awards Ceremony

Team Colavita has had an outstanding year in terms of results, and this past weekend, our achievements were reflected in the 2010 Florida Cycling End of Year Awards Ceremony. Overall, we came home Sunday with 25 trophies, 18 medals and 10 jerseys, including awards won that weekend. With our year long dedication to racing, it was no surprise Colavita was named the team champion of the Juniors, Category 3, Women 3/4 and Masters +65 point series.We also had a number of riders win individual trophies in the Florida Point Series and Florida Cup.

Florida Point Series - Top 5 Results (Spring/Fall Standings)

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 3rd (3rd Fall)
Casey Braga 4th (1st Spring)
Christian Teather 5th

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 1st (2nd Spring, 1st Fall)
Jos Chalmers 3rd (3rd Spring/ Fall)
Alex Spook 5th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 1st (1st Spring)

Category 4
Casey Braga 2rd (2nd Spring, 3rd Fall)

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st (1st Spring/Fall)
(Zoe Mullins, 2nd Fall)

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st (1st Spring/Fall)

Florida Cup (Top 3)
Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 2nd

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 1st
Briana Luthman 3rd

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 2nd

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 2nd

Category 4
Casey Braga 3rd

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 3rd

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st

Tate Harper also won Champion of Champions for Junior 10-12 and Jos Chalmers was awarded the Most Improved Rider Award

Photos By Dean Warren, Jan Chalmers, Craig Creeden and Michelle Blake

State Road Race Championships Results

Saturday-Age Day

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14
Zoe Mullins 12th
James Mertens 15th

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 1st
Briana Luthman 17th

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 1st
Bradley Gordon 3rd
Jos Chalmers 6th
Alex Spook 13th
Chris Bennett 14th

Masters Women 40-49
Anne Teather 5th
Masters Men 65-69
Neville Brabrook 7th

Sunday-Category Day

Pro 1,2
Jos Chalmers 35th

Category 3
Bradley Gordon 7th
Chris Bennett 20th
Dean Warren 31st
Taylor Warren 55th

Category 4
Casey Braga 36th

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 4th
Michelle Blake
Autumn Holt

3rd Annual Helmet Decorating Contest

Some of you may remember last year's contest, featuring giant pumpkins and Chipotle burritos. Well Team Colavita has done it again with better, if not bigger, decorated helmets this year. Our winners, as chosen by a few nonpartisan individuals, were Tate Harper (The leaning tower of helmets), John Paul Russo (Pink Spider and friends) and Dean Warren (German Pumpkin, filled with candy to bribe the judges). Other contestants, in no particular order: Autumn Holt (Skeleton bike rider), Katie Graeber (A basket of candy, also used the bribe the judges), Briana Luthman (Pink bike rider with hearts), Wanda Luthman (Representation of every holiday), Andrew and Nathan Greaber (Left over candy wrappers, three guesses how they got so many empty candy wrappers...), Michelle Blake (Lady Gaga inspired "body sculpture") and Diane Blake (Giant Hersey's kiss). Everyone received a generous amount of candy, which was quickly devoured after the ride.The decorations just keep getting more creative, we can't wait to see what everyone comes up with next year.

Brooksville Classic Criterium and Road Race

Criterium

Juniors 10-12

Andrew Graeber 7th

Katie Graeber 10th

Juniors 13-14

James Mertens 10th

Juniors 15-16

Casey Braga 2nd

Briana Luthman 12th

Cat 4

Casey Braga 2nd

Cat 3

Taylor Warren 8th

Dean Warren 14th

Pro 1-2

Jos Chalmers 3rd

Women 3-4

Zoe Mullins 2nd

Michelle Blake 3rd

Autumn Holt 7th

Masters 65+

Neville Brabrook 1st

Road Race

Juniors 10-12

Katie Graeber 5th

Andrew Graeber 9th

Juniors 13-14

James Mertens 8th

Juniors 15-16

Briana Luthman 7th

Juniors 17-18

Zechariah Musselman 2nd

Cat 4

Casey Braga 6th

Anselm Teather 33rd

Cat 3

Dean Warren 2nd

Taylor Warren 28th

Jason Yaeger 33rd

Pro 1-2

Jos Chalmers 23rd

Women 3-4

Michelle Blake 2nd

Zoe Mullins 3rd

Autumn Holt 9th

Anne Teather 10th

Masters 45+

Tracy Mullins 29th

Masters 65+

Neville Brabrook 1st

Nocatee Stage Race

Road Race

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 5th

17-18
Brandon Forman 2nd

Category 3
Taylor Warren 2nd
Bradley Gordon 11th
Dean Warren 13th
Paul Hardison 19th
Tracy Mullins 20th

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 3rd
Autumn Holt 5th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 2nd

Masters +45
Paul Hardison 11th

Time Trial

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 15:14 4th
Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 12:07 2nd

Category 3
Taylor Warren 10:51 1st
Bradley Gordon 11:05 4th
Dean Warren 11:12 5th

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 13:30 1st
Autumn Holt 14:12 4th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 12:08 1st

Criterium

Junior 10-12
Andrew Graeber 4th

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 4th

Category 3
Taylor Warren 2nd
Bradley Gordon 3rd
Dean Warren 17th
Michelle Blake 22nd

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 1st
Michelle Blake 2nd

Masters +45
Paul Hardison 11th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st

Junior State Track Championships

1 Kilo Scratch Race

13-14

Anselm Teather 1st

15-16

Christian Teather 1st

Women

Michelle Blake 1st

2 Kilo Scratch Race

13-14

Anselm Teather 1st

15-16

Christian Teather 1st

Women

Michelle Blake 1st

500 Meter TT

13-14

Anselm Teather 1st

15-16

Christian Teather 1st

Women

Michelle Blake 1st

Congratulations to our 3 State Track Champions!

Tour de Tow

Saturday- Criterium

Junior 10-12
Andrew Graeber 6th
Katie Greaber 10th*
Ethan Gross 11th

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 10th
James Mertens 11th

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 2nd
Briana Luthman 6th
Anselm Teather 7th

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 1st
Jos Chalmers 2nd
Brandon Forman 6th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 3rd
Zoe Mullins 5th
Autumn Holt 6th

Category 4
Casey Braga 3rd

Category 3
Taylor Warren 23rd
Dean Warren 29th

Pro 1,2
Jos Chalmers 18th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st

Sunday- Criterium

Junior 10-12
Andrew Graeber 4th
Katie Graeber 10th

Junior 13-14
James Mertens 10th

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 6th

Junior 17-18
Jos Chalmers 2nd

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 3rd

Category 4
Casey Braga 4th

Category 3
Taylor Warren 9th

Pro 1,2
Jos Chalmers 12th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook

*Congratulations to Katie for competing in her first bike race this weekend! Pretty soon you're going to be giving your brother a run for his money. Keep up the good work everyone!

Labor Day Cup Results

Saturday

Junior 10-12
Andrew Graeber 3rd

Junior 13-14
James Mertens 8th
Kyle Deschenes 10th

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 4th

Pro 1,2
Jos Chalmers 24th

Category 3
Taylor Warren 7th
Ian McGauvran 18th
Jason Yaeger 21st

Category 4
Casey Braga 19th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 7th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st

Sunday

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14
James Mertens 9th
Kyle Deschenes 10th
Anselm Teather 12th

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 2nd
Briana Luthman 4th

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 4th

Pro 1,2
Jos Chalmers 19th

Category 3
Dean Warren 6th
Taylor Warren 10th
Jason Yaeger 26th

Category 4
Casey Braga 5th

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 5th
Michelle Blake 9th (Flatted)

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st

Colavita Makes the Cover AGAIN!

Colavita Florida's Taylor Warren takes the cover shot of the September edition of Florida Cycling Magazine (formerly known as Florida Racing Magazine). The photo, which was taken by Dean Warren, is of Taylor's category 3 win at Port Orange. Click here to read his race report. This month's edition also features a two page image of Casey Braga on the index page and a junior profile of Briana Luthman. Check it out!

Return to Port Orange Race Report

by Taylor Warren

Return to Port Orange was an exceptionally good weekend of racing for me. The first day barely satisfied, with a second place but what stood out was the day that followed. After the race on Saturday, I distinctly remember telling Ian how cool it would be to win in a solo break. As I kept that vision vivid in my mind, I went into Sunday’s crit determined and eager to step on the top step of the podium. The crit started out fast but wasn’t too difficult, I attacked some early on but nothing solid. I remember thinking that the race was almost over and I still hadn’t put in a good move yet. Then it happened, a fellow racer attacked and I followed, only when we got caught, he stopped and I charged on. This was the moment of truth; could I hang on to my dwindling lead? I dug deep for the longest 10 laps of my life, once I hit bell lap, I knew it was all over! A smile exploded across my face and I outstretched my arms in victory. My dream race finish had become a reality.

 Photos By Dean Warren and Michelle Blake

Return to Port Orange Results

Saturday

Junior 10-12
Andrew Graeber 4th

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 4th

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 1st

Pro 1,2
Jos Chalmers 14th
Alex Spook 18th

Category 3
Taylor Warren 2nd
Ian McGauvran 3rd
Bradley Gordon 14th
Dean Warren 19th
Paul Hardison 22nd

Category 4
Casey Braga 5th
Nick Blanchard 14th
Christian Teather 16th
Anselm Teather 17th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st

Women 3,4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 7th

Sunday

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st
Andrew Graeber 8th
Ethan Gross 9th

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 1st
Nick Blanchard 2nd
Briana Luthman 7th

Junior 17-18
Chris Bennett 1st
Alex Spook 2nd
Jos Chalmers 3rd
Taylor Warren 4th
Brandon Forman 5th

Pro 1,2
Jos Chalmers 8th
Alex Spook 32nd

Category 3
Taylor Warren 1st
Chris Bennett 10th
Bradley Gordon 11th

Category 4
Casey Braga 1st
Nick Blanchard 10th

Masters +65
Neville Brabrook 1st

Women 3,4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 5th

7 FIRST PLACES IN ONE DAY! Great job Team Colavita!

 Photos by Jan Chalmers, Dean Warren and Michelle Blake

New Look

We've given the blog a new look, mirroring the growth and development of our Team Colavita junior team. We have expanded to a total of 23 juniors right now, just as the 2010 fall racing season is about to begin. Good luck everyone!

Colavita Juniors:
Chase Forman
Andrew Graeber
Ethan Gross
Tate Harper
James Mertens
Anselm Teather
Zoe Mullins
Kyle Deschenes
Alex Delgado
Briana Luthman
Christian Teather
Nick Blanchard
Michelle Blake
Jay Major
Casey Braga
Bradley Gordon
Jos Chalmers
Ian McGauvran
Alex Spook
Brandon Forman
Taylor Warren
Chris Bennett
Laurence Jupp
Jason Yaeger

Dahlonega Training Weekend

Whew! What a summer this is.

After our Colavita junior racers returned from Road Nationals in Bend, OR; it was decided that a weekend of training in the mountains of north Georgia would be a very valuable experience for many of our riders. With some cooperation among the parents, we secured the Hiker Hostel for a group of 18 people total, organized car-pools and created a grocery list of necessary items (like Nutella). Some riders decided to go up early, such as Kyle and Dave Deschenes, who spent the week hiking the beautiful area around Dahlonega. Everyone in the group arrived Friday afternoon at the hostel and a small group rode out to do a nice roll through the valley before watching a recap of the Tour and disappearing off to bed.
Saturday morning, we were treated to a wonderful breakfast by the Hostel owner, Leigh, before we headed off for our ride. The advantage to staying at the hostel was that we were able to just ride out of the parking lot on Saturday morning and begin climbing the first three gaps of the weekend. Neel's gap posed as the real eye-opener for the racers who had never been to Dahlonega before, and was a difficult challenge even for those who knew where the top was. JP and Brandon battled it out for the "king of the Mountain" honors all weekend. Eventually everyone made it to the top of the gap and after conversing with a few local riders about Colavita, we descended the mountain to climb Wolfpen gap. Already some riders were beginning to become more confident on the climbs, and  Wolfpen offered a great photo-op at the top of the ascent before our riders dropped once more into the valley. Rolling through beautiful countryside was a nice alternative from slogging up mountains and whats more, was that Colavita mom, Diane Blake, was waiting at the end of the road with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before the final climb. What can we say, shes wonderful. Of course, this quick break lead to another photo-op and then we soon began the short ascent to Woody Gap. Only a few miles away from the hostel, the group left the summit in intervals to safely descend the climb, and after passing an intersection known fondly as "the dead princess" or "the pile of rocks," cooled down in the last mile to the parking lot.

Once everyone had arrived back from the ride, it was quickly discovered that the showers were a hot commodity (the water pressure dropped down so low that it was almost impossible to get any soap off), so we all thought it was a great idea when someone suggested tubing. For $6, you could rent a tube and a shuttle would take you 1/2 mile up stream, where you would jump in and float back down. This hour-long jaunt left everyone feeling fully relaxed after the day of climbing.

Unfortunately for some of our young juniors, it wasn't over yet. The challenge of Brasstown Bald still resided and though many people "chickened out" at the last minute, Colavita girls Zoe Mullins, Autumn Holt and Michelle Blake were still up for the climb to the highest point in GA. Through some struggling and persuasion, each one made it to the top, quite exhausted and celebrating their accomplishment. Great job, Girls!
Sunday morning was somewhat of a slower start than the previous day, with everyone fully feeling the extent of the climbs. Taking the cars, we drove to "Booger Hollow" and began riding Jack's gap, which, incidentally, leads to the base of Brasstown Bald. It became a challenge of willpower from the very beginning. Brandon Forman refused to allow Michelle Blake beat him to the top, while she herself was determined to catch him while staying ahead of Anselm Teather, who was hot on her trail. All three arrived at the summit separately and out of breath. A nice, long downhill lead the group to the bottom of Unicoi Gap, where a large discussion ensued over the origin of the name and whether it meant "One Fish" or not. Either way, everyone manged to make it to the top and savored the last few miles before facing the final act of our climbing trip, Hogpen. Michelle and Brandon were the first to arrive, having talked each other up the whole way, and they were followed soon after by Anselm, Zoe, Tracy and Autumn. The demanding seven mile climb bested Kyle, Dave and Anne Teather who succumbed to it's relentless grade.   The mountains were finally over, though some of the juniors tried to push the limits while riding back to the cars, hitting over 50 mph on the way down and then excitedly telling the parents in the parking lot. Hopefully they'll let us do it again next year.

Photos by Michelle Blake and Dave Deschenes

2010 National Championships

Road Race

Men 10-12
Tate Harper 19th

Women 15-16
Michelle Blake 19th

Men 17-18
Jos Chalmers 49th
Taylor Warren

Criterium

Men 10-12
Tate Harper 16th

Women 15-16
Michelle Blake 8th

Men 17-18
Jos Chalmers 44th
Taylor Warren 57th

Time Trial

Men 10-12
Tate Harper 23:22 24th

Women 15-16
Michelle Blake 48:17 17th

Men 17-18
Taylor Warren 37:18 41st
Jos Chalmers 37:21 45th

Ocala Stage Race

Saturday
Road Race

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 6th
James Mertens 8th

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 1st
Briana Luthman 5th

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 1st

Pro 1/2
Jos Chalmers 6th

Category 3
Ian McGauvran 12th
Bradley Gordon 13th
Taylor Warren 17th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 7th
Zoe Mullins 10th

Time Trial

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 12:26 1st
Briana Luthman 14:57 4th

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 12:04 1st

Pro 1/2
Jos Chalmers 10:31 6th

Category 3
Ian McGauvran 11:01 8th
Bradley Gordon 11:10 12th
Taylor Warren 11:36 18th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 12:59 3rd

Sunday
Road Race

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 5th
Zoe Mullins 6th
James Mertens 8th

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 1st
Briana Luthman 3rd

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 1st

Pro 1/2
Jos Chalmers 12th

Category 3
Taylor Warren 2nd
Ian McGauvran 9th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 7th

Treasure Coast Cycling Classic

Saturday

Junior 13-14
Zoe Mullins 7th

Junior 15-16
Nick Blanchard 1st
Briana Luthman 4th

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 2nd

Category 4
Nick Blanchard 19th
Brandon Forman 23rd

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 10th

Sunday

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 2nd

Junior 13-14
Zoe Mullins 6th (LAJRS 1st)

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 1st
Nick Blanchard 2nd
Michelle Blake 5th (LAJRS 1st)
Anselm Teather 6th (LAJRS 5th)
Briana Luthman 7th (LAJRS 2nd)

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 2nd

Category 4
Nick Blanchard 16th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 9th

Memorial Day Weekend

While part of the country was relaxing, barbecuing, and shooting off fireworks, three of our Colavita racers flew up to Iowa during the weekend to participate in four days of intense racing.

Friday - Wapallo to Burlington Road Race

Category 3/4

Taylor Warren

Dean Warren

Saturday - Snake Alley Criterium

Junior 15+

Taylor Warren 16th

Michelle Blake LAJRS 1st

Category 3

Taylor Warren

Category 4

Dean Warren 18th

Sunday - Melon City Criterium

Junior 15+

Taylor Warren 8th

Michelle Blake 43rd (LAJRS 1st)

Category 3

Taylor Warren 20th

Category 4

Dean Warren 8th

Women 3

Michelle Blake

Monday - Quad Cities Criterium

Junior 15+

Taylor Warren

Category 4/5

Dean Warren 10th

Women 2/3

Michelle Blake 6th

*Blank results have not be posted online yet

Read more about this weekend on Michelle Blake's blog, colavitagirl.blogpost.com

Aflac Grand Prix

Anyone who happened to visit Dean Warren's facebook page tonight could read a blow-by-blow race report of the Category 3 and +30 Masters race this evening in Columbus, GA. Dean's son, Taylor Warren, did a great job representing Colavita with a 1st place finish in Category 3. Congratulations on the win!

Florida Officials

Just a shout out to some great officials in the state of Florida. This photo was posted on Facebook by Jim Hubbard, pictured in 2nd place, with Colavita parent Brad Gordon in 3rd and Joan on the top step. You guys do a great job, along with the many other officials in the state, Thank you so much.

On a side note, make sure to read the latest issue of Florida Racing Magazine, which will be released this evening around 6 o'clock. http://www.floridaracingmagazine.com/

Colavita Party

A big thank you goes out to Jan and Tony Chalmers for inviting Team Colavita (and friends) over to their house after the races on Saturday for a pasta and pool party. Between swimming in the pool, tubing, kayaking, and chatting with friends, everyone had a great time

Space Coast Race Weekend Results

Saturday

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 2nd
Zoe Mullins 4th

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 1st
Briana Luthman 3rd

Junior 17-18
Bradley Gordon 2nd
Brandon Forman 6th
Ian McGauvran 7th

Category 3
Bradley Gordon 5th
Ian McGauvran 21st

Category 4
Nick Blanchard 16th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 3rd

Sunday

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 4th

Zoe Mullins 6th

Junior 15-16
Christian Teather 1st
Briana Luthman 4th

Junior 17-18
Jos Chalmers 1st
Alex Spook 2nd
Bradley Gordon 5th
Brandon Forman 6th
Ian McGauvran 8th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 3rd
Ian McGauvran 23rd
Alex Spook 28th

Category 4
Nick Blanchard 12th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 2nd

State Criterium Championships

Saturday

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 2nd

Junior 13-14
Zoe Mullins 9th

Junior 15-16
Jay Major 3rd
Casey Braga 5th
briana Luthman 13th

Junior 17-18
Bradley Gordon 2nd
Alex spook 7th
Jos Chalmers 10th
Chris Bennett 13th
Ian McGauvran 14th
Jason Yaeger 15th
Brandon Forman 18th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 13th
Bradley Gordon 16th
Ian McGauvran 44th
Chris Bennett 49th
Alex Spook 57th

Category 4
Casey Braga 7th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 3rd

Sunday

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 4th

Junior 17-18
Jos Chalmers 1st
Bradley Gordon 5th
Brandon Forman 6th
Ian McGauvran 7th
Alex Spook 8th
Chris Bennett 12th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 4th
Bradley Gordon 7th
Chris Bennett 11th
Ian McGauvran 22nd
Alex Spook 23rd

Category 4
Jay Major 2nd
Casey Braga 6th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 5th
Zoe Mullins 6th
Briana Luthman 7th

Colavita, On the Front AGAIN!

For all of you cycling fanatics out there, you may have already seen it. The latest issue of Florida Racing Magazine, featuring Colavita Florida's Taylor Warren on the front cover! In a shot taken by his father, Dean Warren, Taylor is now the third Colavita to make a headline appearance in this online magazine. The May issue, volume 1, also includes junior articles written by Dean and an Athens Twilight Armature Finals summary by Michelle Blake. Click here to check it out now!

State Time Trial Photos

Colavita Juniors, photos by Jan Chalmers and Dean Warren

Tate Harper, Junior 10-12 Florida State Time Trial Champion

State Time Trial Championships

10K

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 17:11 1st

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 16:21 4th
Zoe Mullins 17:13 8th

20K

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 28:44 2nd

Junior 17-18
Jos Chalmers 27:06 2nd
Taylor Warren 28:38 4th
Alex Spook 28:51 6th
Brandon Forman 33:13 9th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 32:38 6th

Masters +65

James Wadsworth 30:48 1st

Neville Brabrook 37:55 5th

40K

Category 4
Dean Warren 59:34 5th
John Gibson 1:00:36 9th

Masters 60-64

Neville Brabrook 1:17:52 7th

Thanks

Team Colavita would like to thank Jim Bartholomew, Eric Kortman, and Larry Gies for their continued support of our junior racers.

Athens Twilight and Roswell Photos

Photos by Michelle Blake and Dean Warren

Athens Twilight Results

Saturday Morning

Junior 15-18
Taylor Warren 2nd
Casey Braga 3rd
Alex Spook 4th
Ian McGauvran 16th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 1st
Alex Spook 17th
Chris Bennett 28th
Taylor Warren 49th
Ian McGauvran 62nd

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 3rd

Saturday Night

Amateur Finals
Jos Chalmers 19th
Alex Spook
Casey Braga
Michelle Blake
Taylor Warren

Armada Time Trial #2

Results:

 Juniors (13 and under)

Chase Forman 16:20 1st

Juniors (14 and over)

Bradley Gordon 9:28 1st

Brandon Forman 10: 24 2nd

Women Beginners

Zoe Mullins 11:57 2nd

Photo by Brad Gordon

Sunrise Classic Results

Saturday
Circuit Race

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 16th

Category 4
Jay Major 24th
Nick Blanchard 46th

Category 5
Laurence Jupp 31st

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 3rd

Time Trial

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 7:14 1st

Category 4
Jay Major 7:49 4th
Nick Blanchard 8:37 20th

Category 5
Laurence Jupp 9:11 13th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 9:04 6th

Sunday
Criterium

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 11th
Taylor Warren 20th

Category 4
Nick Blanchard 19th
Jay Major 21st

Category 5
Laurence Jupp 7th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 3rd

Webster Roubaix Photos

A compilation of photos taken from this past weekend at Webster Roubaix by Jan Chalmers, and Michelle Blake. Craig Creeden and Christi-An Hansley also took some great photos this weekend, check them out on Facebook.

Webster Roubaix Race Report

By Michelle Blake

Webster Roubaix is an outstanding event that is legendary for it’s dust, so thick that I have yet to finish cleaning the remnants of 2009 from behind my ears. Hanging out with racers who take pride in having a sparkling clean bike, I absolutely love watching their disgusting faces as they fly by and as I am still a 10 year old at heart, this race is a great opportunity to spend some time playing in the dirt.

In past years, I haven’t had that greatest of finishes at Webster Roubaix. In 2008, at the age of 13, I stayed with the field the entire race only to be crashed out a few hundred meters from the line. 2009 wasn’t my year either, when Dave Viney rode me off his wheel just a couple of miles into the race. But this year, I became determined to win the title of Webster Roubaix champion and to own of one of yhe distinctive, coveted trophies .

From previous experience, I knew a few key tips to succeed in such a difficult race. The number one rule that I kept repeating to my teammates during the day was that you had to be one of the first people on the dirt, because it’s nearly impossible to move up after you’re already in the dust. I also noted that Dave Viney and Julius Aulisio were a couple of masters who I was going to be racing with, that I really needed to keep an eye on in order to stay with the group. I was also racing with Ashlyn Gerber, a great friend but very strong competitor, who I knew was going to be hard to beat that day.

There were 11 women at the start along with the 21 Masters 55+ and 65+ we were also racing with. This included my teammate, Zoe Mullins, who was competing in her first ever womens road race! We started off on the dirt neutral, meaning the actual racing couldn’t commence until everyone was on the pavement. Some people took this as a moment to swap recipes before the attacks started, but I used the time to position myself perfectly in the pack, as in right at the front. From the beginning, the speed was held between 21 to 25 mph and for the first lap of the race, I kept within the top 7 of the peloton. There weren’t any extremely notable attacks and no breakaways but when we got within about a mile of the dirt road you could sense that everyone was gearing up for a hard effort. I knew what I had to do and immediately jumped on Viney’s (Dave Viney) and Jubie’s (Julius Aulisio) wheels after being one of the first through the sandy corner. Viney had a plan for that race, and that was to attack every lap on the dirt section, dragging us through the start/finish at 25 mph, with myself doing everything possible to hold 3rd wheel in the paceline. When we would finally get of the dirt, Viney would pull off and we would all reorganize into a group, though it was significantly smaller every lap than what we had before hitting the dirt. I didn’t quite realize how significant the breaks were until Jubie pulled up beside me while I was sitting about 10th wheel and said that there were 3 women left in the pack including myself and Ashlyn. Surprised, I looked over my shoulder to only find 2 other people behind me in the group. I was guaranteed a podium spot, and just one step closer to that trophy.

We dropped the other lady a lap later, and Viney finally whittled the group down to four riders off of the dirt section with 2 laps to go. I was one of the victims of that lap’s attack, along with Ashlyn and three other masters. We rode all together for a lap and half until some guy came flying by us with one lap to go. I’m thinking to myself “Who on earth is this guy and where did he come from?!?” The first answer I came up with was that we had been lapped by the +45 group and so I shouted not to chase him because he was in a different category. But then a voice behind me said “No we’re not.” Scared me half to death. Apparently out-of-sight/out-of-mind works both ways; for break aways and dropped riders. The woman that we had dropped earlier in the race had teamed up with another master who paced her back up to us. Judging by how much work she must have done to catch up with us, I wasn’t too worried about her at the finish, but still, it scared me there for a second.

As we turned the last corner onto the dirt, Ashlyn attacked. She got a pretty good distance on me, and I tried to chase her down but couldn’t quite catch her. I had almost accepted the second place finish when the group of masters I was with rode past me. Jumping on their wheels, I started gaining ground on her and when the finish line came into sight, we had pulled even. A quick glance over at her, proved that Ashlyn had burned her last match going too early and I continued on past her to the finish. That finish line never looked so welcoming.

It may take another year to completely wash away the dust from 2010 but there is no way to wash away my smile from winning Webster Roubaix.

Photos By: Jan Chalmers and Tracy Mullins

Webster Roubaix Results

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 1st
Taylor Warren 5th

Category 4

Jason Yaeger 2nd

Jay Major 4th

Dean Warren 5th

Brandon Forman 30th

Casey Braga 32nd

Category 5
Laurence Jupp 2nd

Masters +65

Neville Brabrook 3rd

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 7th

Orlando Time Trial - March 30th

At this month's time trial, Tim Molyneaux gave an option to the racers to do 1 OR 2 laps of the 7 mile, out and back, course. Here are the times for Team Colavita:

Two Laps:
Taylor Warren 32:44
Dean Warren 33:17

One Lap:
Brandon Forman 17:43
Christian Teather 17:50
Anselm Teather 19:42

Pinellas Park Race Report

By Taylor Warren

Sunday was a good day to say the least. I was a little unsure about my decision to move up to Cat 3's after the race on Saturday but I did my best to put that behind me. First up was the Juniors race. It started out pretty fast like most Junior races do, but nothing too crazy. My teammate, Casey Braga, launched a pretty hard attack with Jake Hill and a couple of other riders bridged up. The pack went into chase mode and eventually caught the break. Once the break was caught, the pace slowed considerably, I took this opportunity to get off the front and was later bridged up to by a couple of others, including our very own Jay Major. The break stuck and I found myself outsprinting Ruben Delcristo for the win in Juniors 17-18. It was my very first road win. Enough of Juniors, more excitement followed in the Cat 3 race!!.

The Cat 3 race was crazy, about three times longer than the Junior race…in the middle of a storm. Water was everywhere and I did my best to stay in the top ten. Eventually the attacks started coming and I found myself in a four man breakaway. Props to Ian McGauvran and Jos Chalmers who blocked to make the break work but soon the break went from four riders to about twelve; even Jos was up there with me. Once the break had grown to that size the pace slowed a lot but not that many riders were working. With three laps to go a strong rider was off the front so Kyle Rohan and I attacked hard and bridged up to him. Now the pain really began, as the three of us were rotating at very high speeds as we pushed the pace to make our break succeed. I can’t thank Jos enough for blocking; the break probably wouldn’t have worked without him. With one lap to go I realized this was it, I was going to get top three no matter what. Through the pain, our group picked up the pace even more. Timing was definitely on my side, as Kyle Rohan was taking a hard pull at just the right moment. I waited then gave it my all to sprint around him at the line just barely besting him. My first wins back-to-back, what a feeling!! I can’t stress enough how much my team helped me, from blocking to cheering me on, I don’t think I could’ve done it alone.

Photo Credits to: Dean Warren

Tampa Photos

Carlos Soler, Jos Chalmers and Casey Braga with huge smiles after finishing the amateur race Saturday. Jos broke away from the field solo while Carlos, Colavita's team coach, blocked for him. Casey also worked extremely hard and came in 2nd in the field sprint, earning him 4th place overall.

"I spy with my little eye, a Colavita racer" The junior race on Sunday was dominated by Team Colavita, and in this photo, being led by Taylor Warren who went on later to win Men Category 3.

Zoe Mullins and Briana Luthman both competed in the Women 3/4 category on Sunday, taking their first leaps in womens racing.

Christian Teather, Casey Braga, Brandon Forman and Dean Warren all warmed up together for the Men Category 4 race Sunday afternoon.

Stacy Forman and Ginger Warren, two Colavita moms, chat during the races while selling Colavita pasta to support our junior racing team.

Photo Credits to: Dean Warren, Jan Chalmers and Michelle Blake