By Will “Wheels” Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
This is our third edition of “Between The Spokes” where we will be featuring an interview with a select rider who will be coming to this year’s Glencoe Grand Prix on June 2.
This week’s rider is Bissell Developmental rider Jonathan Jacob from Indiana. This will be Jonathan’s first year riding Glencoe and we are very excited to see him on June 2.
You can see all of our “Between the Spokes” interviews on the GlencoeGP YouTube Channel.
By Will “Wheels” Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
Monster’s of the Midway
courtesy of ucvc.uchicago.edu
The 22nd year of Monsters of the Midway takes place Saturday in the historic neighborhood of University of Chicago’s Hyde Park. The race is the longest running criterium in the city and was started by the University of Chicago’s Velo club during the early ’90′s.
The race will be the final stage of the Tour of Illinois and Wisconsin. This year, the race is also part of the Illinois Cup, boasting a 1.1 mile loop in the heart of Hyde Park. There will be several local cycling teams and riders making their way to the cities South Side, with many of them riding in Glencoe on June 2.
xXx Racing’s Liam Donoghue is a familiar face we’ve seen in Glencoe. He will be riding on Saturday and competing in the Cat 1.
Our own Will “Wheels” Wilson had a chance to catch up with Liam a few weeks ago to talk with him about his year so far, Glencoe and the sport of cycling…
The field of riders is a large one, with all the action starting at 8am. We will be on hand during the afternoon for live coverage from the race. Hope to see you there!
TOUR de Grove
courtesy of cyclingnews.com
Week six is upon us and the National Criterium Calendar (NCC) rolls in to St. Louis for the Tour de Grove. The Missouri Professional Cycling Series (MO PRO) returns top tier national and international teams to the streets of Missouri May 11-13.
The men and women will compete in three designed neighborhoods in St. Louis; the Delmar LOOP, the Forest Park Southeast GROVE and South St. Louis’ Dutchtown neighborhood.
As of late, the Men’s Individual Standings have tightened for the NCC. Hilton Clarke’s (United Healthcare) commanding lead has dwindled during the past weeks, as Carlos Alzate Escobar (Team Exergy) trails him by a total of six points.
The women will be competing this week with Erica Allar (RIDE CLEAN) leading the Women’s Individual Standings. Allar has won a total of five times this year, with one coming last week at the USA Crits Speed Week.
Here is the full schedule & team’s coming to St. Louis.
By Jon Kerr, Glencoe Grand Prix media director
Photo courtesy of norcalcyclingnews.com
In the first three years of our race, this rider dominated the women’s field. In 2008 and 2009, Devon Haskell won the Glencoe Grand Prix.
After riding with Team TIBCO in 2010, Devon has made a few changes with her life. First, she got married, and is now Devon Gorry. She moved out to California and this spring, will graduate from the University of Chicago with a Ph.D in Economics. This fall she will be moving to Utah, where she took a teaching position at Utah State University.
Despite all the changes in her personal life, Gorry has never lost her passion for cycling. This year, she is back racing at Glencoe. She will saddle up for team NOW and Novartis for MS, supporting Multiple Sclerosis.
Before she headed to Minnesota to ride in a bike for MS event, The Finish Line caught up with Gorry at her home in Santa Cruz, CA.
We’re excited to have you back at the Glencoe Grand Prix this year. You have deep cycling roots in Chicago.
I was a grad student at the University of Chicago in 2006. I was a runner and soccer player but got involved in a cycling club in Hyde Park. When I was introduced to racing, I got hooked quickly. I had some early success. My first Chicago team was Git a Grip. I got such great support from the local shops and it gave me a good start.
What are your memories of Glencoe?
It such a fun course, a great atmosphere with the kid’s zone and families coming down. I was there in 2007 (first year) when the women’s field was super small. I’m glad it’s grown as Glencoe continues to support women’s cycling, it’s especially strong. I remember they stopped the race after a few laps in 2009 after a torrential downpour. They restarted it. I got caught in a breakaway. That was memorable.
Photo courtesy of cxmagazine.com
Your team is a part of the Exergy Tour going on in July in Idaho. It’s believed to be the largest purse for a women’s race in history.
We’re very excited to be a part of it, being such a big race. US cycling is super strong when you can bring strong riders here to our country. Usually you have to go to Europe. It’s nice to have such a big race and for it to be a UCI event. It’s another great venue to get our message to a broader audience.
Talk about that. I know your team, NOW and Novartis has a socially conscious message you are spreading.
This is my second year with them. Part of our goal is to raise awareness for MS. We have more of a purpose than just racing your bike. Our founder, Phil Keoghan, wanted to bring that message into the team. We are participating in MS rides across the country in tandem with someone with MS. The people riding with us are not just defined by MS and that’s the message we want to promote.
We know you are a fan of the group “Barenaked Ladies”. They are more a 90’s band but we are having an 80’s cover band, 16 Candles, perform after the race June 2. Do you have any requests?
I don’t know. You’ll have to ask our director, Kurt Stockton about that. That’s more his era. Haha.
For more information on Now and Novartis, you can go to http://www.nowcyclingteam.com.
To learn more about the team’s quest for MS awareness, go to http://www.togetherinms.com.
You can follow Devon on Twitter @devongo.
By Will “Wheels” Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
photo courtesy of cyclingnews.com
It was Brad Huff of Jelly Belly Cycling who ousted the field at the Dana Point Grand Prix for his second win in as many years at Dana Point. Huff was able to hold off a stacked United Healthcare team that has dominated every other National Criterium Calendar (NCC) race this year.
21- year-old Justin Williams (CashCall Mortgage) finished behind Huff in second while young 20-year-old Ben Swedberg (California Giant Berry Farms) took third ahead of United Healthcare’s Hilton Clarke.
Huff (photo credit: cyclingnews.com)
Clarke remains a top of the Men’s Individual Standings by six points with Carlos Alzate Escobar (Team Exergy) behind him.
Other notable top ten finishers were Luke Keough (Mountain Khakis) finishing fifth, Rahsaan Bahati (Bahati Racing) 8th and Karl Menzies (United Healthcare) 10th.
During the last stages of the race, United Healthcare seemed to be well in control, but it was Huff with the help of his Jelly Belly teammates, who stormed across the finish line in first place.
Williams and Swedberg were able to kick it in to high gear during the last 100 meters of the race to close out the podium positions.
With two top ten finishers this weekend, Team United Healthcare has a commanding lead in the NCC Men’s Team Standings. Team Exergy sits in second place just 200 points behind UHC.
The NCC travels to St. Louis, MO next week for the Tour de Grove. We will be on hand and have live coverage from the event.
Velonews.com has the full 2012 Dana Point Results.
Cyclingnews.com provides a photo gallery from this weekend.
By Will “Wheels” Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
This is our second edition of “Between The Spokes” where we will be featuring an interview with a select rider who will be coming to this year’s Glencoe Grand Prix on June 2. This week we caught up with XXX rider Liam Donoghue after his trip back from the Joe Martin Stage Race in Arkansas, part of the National Racing Calendar (NRC).
Donoghue will be competing in the Cat 1 at Glencoe.
If you missed it the first time, here’s a link to Will’s interview with Nick Frey of Boo Bicycles. If you’re wondering what’s in Nick’s bowl, its mac and cheese.
By Will “Wheels” Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
The USA National Criterium Calendar (NCC) continues this week in California at the Dana Point Grand Prix. This will be the fourth stop on the calendar solely serving the men. Dana Point joins USA Crit Speed Week as the other NCC race this weekend.
Brad Huff (photo courtesy of podiumcafe)
In 2011, Jonathan Cantwell (Fly V Australia) looked to defend his 2010 title, but it was Brad Huff (Jelly Belly) who took first on the podium. Huff was followed by Devon Dunn (Cash Call Mortgage Cycling) second and Rahssan Bahati (Bahati Racing) third.
Bahati was tangled up in a crash at Dana Point in 2010 that has become popular on YouTube. The video is presented by proroadaccess. He will be joining us this year on June 2nd in Glencoe.
The race has been broadcasted LIVE over the past several years and will continue to do so this year thanks to uRide.TV
Unlike most crits that are staged in city’s business parks, the Dana Point Course is in the heart of downtown. USA Cycling named the Dana Point Grand Prix the top-ranked bike race in 2011 after attracting the most licensed racers for a single-day criterium event with 803.
The race is a scenic backdrop to an all-day festival in the city with an estimated 12,000 spectators enjoying live music, a fan zone expo, a kids zone, a beer garden and even In-N-Out burgers…and if you haven’t had In-N-Out Burger you’re missing out.
photo credit: Esquire.com
The Orange County Register shows the race schedule as well as a detailed description of the course.
Jonathan Cantwell, who rode in Glencoe in 2010, took first on the podium in 2010. Velonews’s Brian Holcombe draws up Cantwell’s magical day in 2010.
By Will “Wheels” Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
In the third edition of Who’s Riding Glencoe, we take a glance at Ivan “The Cuban Missile” Dominguez and the 36-year-olds accomplished career. Each week, the FINISH LINE will have regular posts, designed to give you and inside look on what teams and riders are coming to Glencoe.
photo courtesy of bicycle.net
Catching the Cuban Missile.
It’s pretty common to hear Dominguez name echo throughout the cycling community. The fan favorite got his nickname after establishing himself as one of the best and most feared sprinters in the pro circuit after signing with the Saturn team in 2001 claiming ten victories in his first year at 24 years old.
Blasting Off in 5 4 3 2 1.
During Dominguez next nine years on the pro circuit, he was a frequent member on the podium. In 2002, he collected nine victories two of which were stages in the Dominican Republic. He saw the podium a whopping 25 times in 2003 with 14 overall victories. He signed with Coavita in 2004 and took five victories with three stages including NCC race Charlotte Presbyterian Hospital Invitational.
photo courtesy of toyota - united blog
TakeOFF.
In 2005, Dominguez collected three victories while riding with Health Net. After switching to the Toyota – United Team in 2006, the Missile picked up three wins along with standing on the podium 14 times as well as taking first at the Men’s Pro 1/2 International Challenge in Downers Grove, IL. Dominguez blasted off in 2007 with 14 wins including first in the USA Crits World Criterium Championship.
Circling the Globe.
In 2008, Dominguez opened the season in Mexico with two stage wins at the Vuelta al Norte. He came back to the US and saw the Toyota – United Team fold as it lost its funding. In 2009 Ivan took the call to the “show” in Europe riding for Fuji-Sevetto but returned home after six months to take a lone victory on Stage 5 at the Cascade Classic while riding with Rock Racing. Dominguez returned home to the US in 2010 to ride with Team Jamis – Sutter Home.
photo courtesy of roadbikereview.com
On his return back to the US, Dominguez decided to make a quiet retirement from the sport of cycling and spend more time with his wife and son. After speaking with friend Chris Horner, Dominguez knew he couldn’t stay retired. He realized he meant too much to the sport of cycling to stay retired. He felt he needed to help cycling continue to grow and be a difference in the community.
Landing with FRANCO.
Dominguez is trying to put a Team together with the Franco Company and two good friends from Florida. He will be traveling to Glencoe on June 2nd and we are certainly excited he is joining us again after his visit here in 2010. The Havana native has helped the sport of cycling grow significantly during his highlighted career, and he hopes to continue riding as long as his body allows him.
It was quite a weekend in the sport of cycling with exciting races all over the country from coast-to-coast.
We start locally, where the conditions at Sunday’s Lincoln Park Criterium were more fit for an outdoor hockey game than a bicycle race, with wind gusts up to 20 MPH.
But cyclists are brave souls. On the women’s side, Spider Monkey’s Kristen Meshberg jumped out to an early lead and never surrendered, winning the race, held for the first time at Melrose Harbor.
Your women’s podium was Meshberg, Sarah Rice and Katie Isermann. Our friends at XXX Racing took a nice podium photo of the trio.
On the men’s side, Dublin’s John Mason lapped XXX Racing’s Liam Donoghue and emerged from a hot sprint to win the race.
Switching to the domestic circuit, it was a dominating performance for Now and Novaris’s Allison Powers out in California. At the Sea Otter Classic, Powers swept all four stages and won the overall jersey.
Podium Insight’s Lynn Lamaroux has the story of Powers memorable four days. Here’s a smiling Powers after getting off the saddle. Can you blame her for that grin?
On the NCC circuit, Kenda’s Isaac Howe took the men’s first place jersey at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama. Ride Clean/Patentit.com’s Erica Allar won the women’s race.
Quite a few photo streams from the weekend in Alabama. This is a Flickr gallery from local photographer Carol Roark York. And Velo News has a gallery of the weekend of racing at Sunny King.
By Will Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
In the second edition of Who’s Riding Glencoe, we take an inside look at the Women of Glencoe. Each week, the FINISH LINE will have regular posts, designed to give you and inside look on what teams are coming to Glencoe and who they are.
Today, we check out the women of Team TIBCO – To The Top.
Getting To Know TIBCO.
photo courtesy of roadbikeaction.com
Team TIBCO began its existence in 2006 out of Palto Alto, California. They first started as a regional team named PABW powered by TIBCO and then by 2009, TIBCO had become the top team in North America. Because of their emerging success, TIBCO was named VeloNews Women’s Team of the Year. In 2010, the team expanded overseas to Europe.
2012 marks Team TIBCO’s seventh year of operations, and with their ability to provide riders with international success, Team TIBCO will continue to grow in Europe. Since its beginning, Team TIBCO has grown in to three teams totaling over 50 women: Team TIBCO pro squad, the Team TIBCO II amateur squad and the Team TIBCO Juniors
What is TIBCO?
TIBCO is a computer software company that provides individuals and companies with products to help them organize and design data. TIBCO was founded in 1997 out of Palto Alto, California and holds over 2,500 employees. Their major clients are Yahoo, Charles Schwab, Oracle, Major League Baseball and the Golden State Warriors.
The Women of TIBCO.
Megan Guarnier (photo courtesy of dailypeloton.com)
The Women’s Pro Squad consists of twelve strong riders who individually posses different strengths that make TIBCO the team they are. Veterans Meredith Miller, Joanne Kiessanoski, Samantha Schneider, Megan Guarnier lead a group that is poised to have a big year.
Guarnier, has charged to several top finished early this season. It’s her third year racing with TIBCO and she looks to keep up early momentum. SEE what she has to say about this years 2012 Olympics.
Kendall Ryan, Lindsay Myers and Jennifer Wheeler lead the rest of the young riders for TIBCO. Ryan and Myers finished last weeks Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte 5th and 21st respectively.
By Will Wilson, Glencoe Grand Prix staff reporter
Jonathan Cantwell Team Saxo Bank (photo courtesy of cyclingnews.com)
The USA National Criterium Calendar (NCC) continues this week at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama, one week after the the Presbyterial Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte. This will be the third race on the calendar for the men and second for the women.
Jonathan Cantwell of Team Saxo Bank will look to defend his 2011 title as Issac Howe (Kenda) and Carlos Alzate Escobar (Team Exergy) try to remain in the top five of the Men’s Individual Standings. Howe participated in Glencoe in 2010.
Along with Howe and Alzate Escobar, Kyle Wamsley (Jamis/Sutter Home), John Murphy (Kenda), Andrew Dahlheim (Bissell), Luke Keough (Team Mountain Khakis/Smartstop), and Jeff Louder (United Healthcare) will be just a few of the riders to watch on Saturday night.
John Murphy also rode Glencoe in 2010 and was the US Pro Crit Champion in 2009.
On the women’s side, Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom), who finished 3rd at Glencoe in 2010, returns to defend her title. Debbie Milne (Absolute Racing), Colleen Paine (Kenda), Christina Gokey-Smith (NOW and Novartis for MS), Morgan Patton (Team Type 1/SANOFI), Beth Hollingsworth (VeloCity Pro Cycle) plan to give Allar and Wilcoxson some serious competition.
Cyclingnews will provide a live feed of the entire race day. Five cameras will cover all four turns and the straightaways , streaming the action in HD beginning with the start of the amateur races at noon and continuing through 9:30pm.
The women’s pro race will begin at 6:20pm (Central Time) followed by the men at 7:30pm.
Total Cyclist will also be providing a live feed from the race as well as Velonews.
Follow on Twitter: @TotalCyclist @sunnykingcrit #SunnyKingCriterium
