Colavita Racing Florida

Coming a long way (yet still far to go)

2011-05-15T17:11:00.003-04:00

I suppose you could mark the beginning of my press career 27 years ago when I took photos for the public relations department my freshman year at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. By the second semester of my junior year, I was the part time photographer at the Holland Sentinel. I then worked for the Associated Press in Vienna, Austria a couple years later, also as a photographer. My career path changed once I came back to the States, but I tried to keep up with photography and occasionally found myself on the sidelines shooting sporting events.

Fast forward to today, as I type this blog in the media room at the finish line of stage one of the Amgen Tour of California, the premier bicycle stage race this side of the Atlantic. Unfortunately the typing at I hear around me is not about the great race that just finished, but how the stage was cancelled due to snowy weather and the riders' decisions. In light of the dangers of the sport fresh in the minds of the participants, the competitors deemed the possible wet descents too much of a risk. Just last Monday on a fast downhill at the Tour of Italy, Leopard-Trek's Wouter Weylandt caught a pedal and launched himself to his unfortunate death. This no doubt contributed to the riders decision today to cancel the stage.

I have been building up to this moment for over a year as I have been covering Florida bicycle races for Florida Cycling Magazine. I've morphed from a photographer to a photographer and journalist as I've been writing articles as well. Although I am new at interviewing cyclists, I hope to keep improving and bring insightful articles to the readers. I am fortunate to have the support of my Colavita teammates and thank them from the bottom of my heart. Even though this day didn't work out the way I had hoped (Capturing a jubilant pro across the finish line), I will shoot the start tomorrow and then plan to be in the Los Angeles area for the Mount Baldy stage on Saturday.

I just got handed a release from the BMC team with these quotes:

George Hincapie - "There was definitely a concern with the safety of the course and the really fast descent. If it's icy, you don't have control of your bike. At the end of the day, they just prioritized safety. It's really unfortunate for the fans. The way the sport is going, I think it's important that everyone agrees on the final decision and supports the organization."

Taylor Phinney added "It was too bad. I felt really bad for the fans who came out and braved the cold weather. I think it was the best choice for us so we can have seven more days of racing."

So I hope this is just a new beginning for me, covering the sport I've enjoyed being a part of for so many years. I hope too that I bring you some insight that you might not find anywhere else.

Thank you Colavita for leading me down this road and thank you to Florida Cycling Magazine for giving me a chance to write about and take photos of cycling events.

Tampa Twilight and Pinellas Park Results

2011-03-27T09:37:00.001-04:00

Saturday - Criterium

Junior 13-14
Tate Harper 5th
Anselm Teather 6th
James Mertens 7th

Women 1-3
Michelle Blake 7th

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 5th
Autumn Holt 9th

Sunday - Circuit Race

Junior 13-14
Tate Harper 3rd
Anselm Teather 4th
James Mertens 6th

Women 1-3
Michelle Blake 14th

Women 3/4
Autumn Holt 8th
Zoe Mullins 13th

Category 5
Zechariah Musselman 15th

Woodlands Classic/Gearlink Cup Results

2011-03-13T09:23:00.000-04:00

Saturday - Circuit Race

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 2nd
James Mertens 3rd

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 5th

Category 3
Dean Warren 17th
Tracy Mullins 24th

Sunday - Criterium

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 2nd
James Mertens 3rd

Women 1-3
Michelle Blake 11th

Women 3/4
Zoe Mullins 1st

Webster Roubaix Report and Results

2011-03-05T09:20:00.002-05:00

I’d love to say that the Webster Roubaix dust does wonders for your complexion, but I’d be lying. Every year I come home with a grimy face, dirty hair (that I washed the day) before and a gray kit that started off the day white. But I also come home with the same thought in my head; I can’t wait until next year.

Even though the womens numbers were down from last year, the racing was still just as heated, especially with us being combined in the Masters +35 and +55 categories. I can’t speak for the womens 1-3 this weekend but I know the +55 gave me a run for my money during the 34 mile “road” race. Our group stayed together for most of the first lap but you could almost hear the bubble pop when we finally hit the dirt. Dave Viney got on the front just like he did last year and just like last year, I found myself hammering my brains out just to stay on the wheel in front of me. Unfortunately old age and wisdom beat youth and strength this time, and I got shelled off the back just before I crossed the line with three to go. It was encouraging to be the last woman to come out of the masters group because I knew I still had a chance at taking the win, but I had no idea how close behind me the competition was. Pretty soon a group of five masters caught me and some of us struggled to get a pace line together. There weren’t any women in that group but I could see some riders over my shoulder who were too close for comfort. I could almost hear the “Jaws” theme song in my head as I took another hard pull and then looked over my shoulder to check for progress; not close enough to make contact yet I wasn’t in the clear. But Webster Roubaix’s secret weapon struck again on the second lap, and this time it helped me leave that omniscient presence in the dust. By the time we were off the dirt road, the group was out of sight and I didn’t see any women for the rest of the race, allowing me to “solo” for the win in 3/4. Lisa Gallagher (Infinity Bike Shop) came through a few minutes later to take second after breaking away from Alexandra Danforth (unattached), who came in to for third.

I never know what kind of twist the Webster Roubaix dust will give to each race but in my opinion, it’s one of the best courses all year because of the immense challenge it poses to every racer. It is a race of power on the dirt, as well as technique in positions so the ones who have a bit of both shine on this course.

Just as long as I remember for next year: don’t wash my hair Friday night, there’s no point. Webster Roubaix will leave its mark on you no matter what.

Saturday

Women 3/4

Michelle Blake 1st

Zoe Mullins 4th

Autumn Holt 6th

Orlando Time Trial #1

2011-02-22T15:16:00.001-05:00

Michelle Blake 17:40.332
Tate Harper 18:04.037
Anselm Teather 18:18.048

ORC Race Weekend

2011-02-20T15:16:00.001-05:00

Saturday - Circuit Race

Junior 10-12
Chase Forman 12th

Junior 13-14
Tate Harper 4th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st
Zoe Mullins 15th (Crashed)

Masters +45
Dean Warren 27th

Sunday - Criterium

Junior 10-12
Chase Forman 14th

Junior 13-14
Tate Harper 3rd
Anselm Teather 6th
Brandon McCoy 8th

Junior 15-16
Michelle Blake 4th

Women 1-3
Michelle Blake 4th

Category 5
Tate Harper 11th
Zech Musselman 13th

Masters +45
Dean Warren 8th

Dade City-Race for Humanity

2011-02-12T15:09:00.003-05:00

Saturday - Road Race

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 4th

Sunday - Criterium

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

Category 5
Zech Musselman

Gainesville Swamp Classic

2011-02-06T15:04:00.010-05:00

Saturday - Criterium

Junior 10-12
Chase Forman 4th

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 2nd
Tate Harper 3rd

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

Time Trial

Junior 10-12
Chase Forman 3rd 8:36

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 1st 5:52
Tate Harper 2nd 5:58

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st 5:47
Zoe Mullins 2nd 5:50

Sunday - Criterium

Junior 13-14
Tate Harper 1st
Anselm Teather 2nd
James Mertens 3rd

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

Category 5
Zech Musselman 12th

Masters +45
Dean Warren 3rd

Deland Spring Fling Results

2011-01-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

Saturday-Criterium

Junior 10-12
Chase Forman 11th

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 2nd
Tate Harper 4th
Zoe Mullins 5th
Brandon McCoy 7th

Junior 15-16
Michelle Blake 1st

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

Sunday-Road Race

Junior 13-14
Tate Harper 3rd
Anselm Teather 4th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 4th
Zoe Mullins 5th

Crazy Sock Night 2011

2011-01-07T18:18:00.000-05:00

On the second Thursday of 2011, Colavita held it's second ever crazy sock contest. Riders dressed up with their weirdest and wackiest socks, be it knee highs or woolly house socks. Anselm Teather got creative by stuffing left over tinsel into his colavita socks and Michelle Blake stole some fishnet stockings from her mother's closet to wear. By a panel of randomly chosen judges, Zoe Mullins was declared winner, with her four layers of mismatched socks. John-Paul Russo and Zechariah Musselman tied for second, both featuring a different sock on each foot, with their combination of argyle/striped and halloween/christmas, it was too difficult to decide between the two. Brandon McCoy and Tate Harper arrived only a couple minutes too late, and though Tate was sporting no socks, Brandon had a pair of bright orange ones that really stood out. But after the contest was over, the socks did a great job doubling to keep everyone warming during the ride.
So keep your eyes out for crazy socks, there's no telling when we're going to have another contest!

2011 Roster

2011-01-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

Colavita in the Paper

2010-12-13T17:03:00.001-05:00

2010 Florida Awards Ceremony

2010-11-04T16:27:00.003-04:00

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

2010-11-02T15:32:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-18T03:44:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-04T20:30:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-03T04:08:00.001-04:00

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

2010-09-21T21:06:00.001-04:00

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

2010-09-07T16:08:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-09-06T18:47:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-06T16:45:00.005-04:00

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

2010-08-30T18:08:00.002-04:00

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

2010-08-17T16:18:00.000-04:00

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

2010-07-19T13:02:00.003-04:00

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

2010-07-01T12:45:00.001-04:00

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

2010-06-15T16:39:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-09T14:45:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-08T15:30:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-22T22:12:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-20T16:09:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-16T20:50:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-16T20:33:00.001-04:00

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

2010-05-08T20:59:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-05-06T21:24:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-05T18:35:00.000-04:00

Colavita Juniors, photos by Jan Chalmers and Dean Warren

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

State Time Trial Championships

2010-05-05T17:53:00.002-04:00

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

2010-05-05T17:44:00.000-04:00

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

2010-05-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

Photos by Michelle Blake and Dean Warren

Athens Twilight Results

2010-04-28T18:41:00.001-04:00

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

2010-04-21T14:16:00.001-04:00

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

2010-04-13T19:17:00.000-04:00

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

2010-04-05T15:38:00.001-04:00

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

2010-04-04T21:36:00.006-04:00

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

2010-04-04T11:25:00.003-04:00

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

2010-03-31T19:18:00.000-04:00

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

2010-03-30T16:12:00.001-04:00

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

2010-03-29T22:05:00.002-04:00

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

Florida Point Series

2010-03-29T21:32:00.000-04:00

Every year, Florida Cycling organizes the Florida Point Series, an accumulation of points throughout the racing season that are given to riders based on their placing in races. Now that we are 8 race weekends into the season, it seemed time to check up on our standings in the 2010 Point Series. In the individual standings, we currently lead with Jos Chalmers in Category 3 Men, Casey Braga in Junior 15-16, Neville Brabrook in Masters 65+, and Michelle Blake in Category 3/4 Women. In the team series, Colavita Racing Inc is winning Junior 15-16 and 17-18, Women 3/4, and Men 4 and stands in 2nd in Junior 13-14, Men 3 and Masters 65+. Keep up the great racing Team Colavita, see you on the dusty road to Webster Roubaix.

Tampa Twilight and Pinellas Park

2010-03-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

Saturday

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 4th
Zoe Mullins 6th
Kyle Deschenes 9th

Junior 15-16

Christian Teather 4th

Briana Luthman 7th

Junior 17-18
Jos Chalmers 3rd
Ian McGauvran 6th
Taylor Warren 10th
Brandon Forman 15th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 4th
Ian McGauvran 11th
Taylor Warren 24th
Bradley Gordon 28th

Category 4
Casey Braga 10th
Jason Yeager 14th
Jay Major 15th

Category 5
Laurence Jupp 4th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 2nd

Amateur Finals
Jos Chalmers 1st
Casey Braga 4th
Jay Major 8th
Carlos Soler 9th*
Ian McGavuran 46th

*Special mention goes to Carlos even though he is not on the team but is an amazing and inspiring team coach. :)

Sunday

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 5th
Kyle Deschenes 10th
Zoe Mullins 11th

Junior 15-16
Jay Major 2nd
Christian Teather 4th
Casey Braga 5th
Briana Luthman 7th

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 1st
Jason Yeager 5th
Ian McGavuran 6th
Jos Chalmers 9th
Bradley Gordon 12th
Brandon Forman 13th

Category 3
Taylor Warren 1st
Jos Chalmers 4th
Ian McGavuran 24th

Category 4
Jay Major 8th
Dean Warren 19th
Casey Braga 20th
Christian Teather 37th
Brandon Forman 45th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 6th
Zoe Mullins 10th
Briana Luthman 13th

Lost and Found

2010-03-29T11:33:00.000-04:00

Another race weekend over and another pile of unclaimed items in the back of our car. Found:

USA Flag pattern towel
Pink/Orange Sea shell pattern towel
Black seat bag
Blue camelbak waterbottle
Black O'neill brand t-shirt
Bag of chocolate cookies

Please contact us if any of these items are yours, or else they will be sold on Ebay (With the exception of the cookies, which will be eaten)

Colavita Florida and Colavita National

2010-03-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

Team Colavita Florida has recently be featured on the new Colavita National website. Read the article and browse the new website Here.

Colavita Pasta

2010-03-24T21:37:00.000-04:00

Whoo, Hoo! We now have Colavita Products for sale. The nice guys at Colavita National in New Jersey sent us Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Marinara sauce, Penne Pasta and Balsamic Vinegar. We will be selling all the products at the races with the proceeds to fund our team. Prices are still being worked out.

Colavita Olive oil was chosen the finest olive oil by Cooking Light magazine and other health oriented publications. And if you haven’t had the pasta, you are really missing a treat. It makes Mueller’s taste like sawdust….

Sugarloaf Race Weekend

2010-03-24T19:23:00.001-04:00

Saturday

Team Colavita has added a new meaning to the term "Feed Zone." With a tent set up and cars packed with water bottles, we were well prepared to give out feeds to Colavita racers going by. But Kevin McGauvran went above and beyond, showing up with a full grill in the back of his truck and all the fixings to cook hamburgers on the side of the road. Michelle went as far as to place food requests while racing, "I'd like 2 cheeseburgers when I finish, thanks!" and everyone enjoyed relaxing and eating a burger after their long race. The juicy, oversized burgers were complimented by Ginger Warren's fabulous homemade cookies. Kevin even gave instructions on the proper folding/eating of her treats! It was such fun that we all stayed late into the afternoon, talking about the race and enjoying good company.
Results
Category 3
Jos Chalmers 6th
Alex Spook 26th

Category 4

Taylor Warren 17th

Dean Warren 21st

Casey Braga 27th

Ian McGauvran 32nd

Brandon Forman 39th

Bradley Gordon 40th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 7th

Sunday

Tired from the previous day's racing, riders had to face the challenge of a windy, rolling and rainy course on Sunday. Jos Chalmers raced category 3, which was combined with the Pro 1-2 race. He got in a breakaway with three Pro 1-2s and they made a gap of 30 seconds on the field. In the last few miles of the race, Jos and Victor Herrea got away from the other two riders and it came down to a sprint between the two of them. Chalmers led the sprint into the last few yards but was just clipped at the line when he relaxed for the win. They each won their category but Jos is now in danger of those looming upgrade papers to make him into a category 2.

In the category 4 race, Colavita had a great showing, with Casey Braga and Dean Warren both making the top ten in the final sprint of their race, which had been held almost entirely in the rain. Ian McGauvran also stayed with the pack and finished 21nd. Their teammate, Taylor Warren, dropped his chain during the race, had to chase back on but then was crashed out in a sandy corner.

Team Colavita made the Lake County edition of the Orlando Sentinel with Jos' win for all to see. Grand job, everyone! See you guys in Tampa!

Photos from this weekend by: Jan Chalmers, Dean Warren and Michelle Blake

Imbedded Cat 4 Racer

2010-03-13T12:04:00.000-05:00

By Dean Warren
It is certainly one thing to watch the hard work the Colavita juniors put in to train and race, but by racing alongside the Cat 4 racers I have an even greater appreciation for the efforts of these competitors. The Winter Haven Cycling Classic race weekend showcased the teamwork and skill level the Colavita cyclists have developed. I raced along side Casey, Taylor, Ian, Bradley, Brandon, Christian and Anselm on Saturday in orange grove country on a supposedly 14 mile loop for three laps (turns out the loop was a bit less than 13 miles).
The weather was nearly perfect save for the breeze coming out somewhere from the north. Maybe it was the wind or the fact that the participants were thinking about the 7 mile time trial (which turned out to be more like 8 miles) which kept the overall pace of the race at times a leisurely tempo. Maybe no one wanted to pull into the wind, but that was mostly on the last lap. Space Coast rode at the front for the most of two laps, but slid back on lap three before leading out Daniel Curio in the end to victory.
Did I mention this was a Cat 4/5 race? No explanation needed. Just that fact made for an interesting race. There was a strong Cat 5 wearing the yellow jersey who kept attacking, and then was just pulling us for a while. Space Coast enjoyed the break while he did the work. Taylor gave it a go looking for someone to get in a break early on in the race, but didn’t stay out too long. I chased a small group of three and pretty much pulled them back.
Like savvy racers, the Colavita boys in this race sat back and waited patiently to make their move when it counted. I had Bradley on my wheel a few klicks from the finish and made a deal to lead him out. Of course in the end you have to be in FRONT of someone to actually lead them out, something I haven’t quite been able to do yet. I hugged the yellow line and waited for the 1 K sign when the whole road opened up for the sprint to the finish. Foolish me, for not everyone waited, and moved all over the road before the pre determined open road spot. I saw Taylor fly past me on the left, and picked my way as best as I could to the line. Slow riders littered the road as they blew up left and right. I admire those Colavita racers as they manage many times to either be in the right position ahead of the sprint and not get boxed in, or are able to shoot through narrow openings to make it to the finish ahead of everyone else. The Space Coast lead out got their man to the line first, but Bradley nabbed second just a tire width ahead of Taylor who got third. This was a fine result for Colavita, occupying the second and third steps on the podium.
There isn’t any teamwork in the individual time trial, but I know how hard these guys ride to achieve the fast times they post. They are all machines! Sunday was a whole other story at the Winter Haven downtown crit. Another beautiful blue sky perfect temperature day and a great 8 corner crit course awaited us. The Cat 4/5 race was the last race of the day, so I had the chance to take photos and watch all the other races before ours.
The second race of the morning, the older juniors race was incredible. The Colavita team had a hand in every attack and counter attack and blocking and chasing and finished second, third and fourth in the 17-18s and third and fifth in the 15-16s. I learned later how tough it was out there when the whistle blew to start the Cat 4/5 race. I knew it would be hard and fast from the beginning, but knowing and doing are two different things.
Thanks to the cheering and yells to move up (I’m barley hanging on, how can I move up?!!?), and especially to Diane encouraging me to close the gap when I was almost popped off the back. I somehow managed to stay in the main field. I thought I was in decent shape, but wow, this course which was fun, took everything in me to stay in there. I so much wanted to help with a pull or lead out or something, but only managed to block for a couple moments when Taylor was off the front. I missed helping when Casey was out there, and I know Ian did an incredible amount of work at the front. I knew I had to get up front before the last lap, but couldn’t do it. There was enough of a straight away before turn 6, so I tried to pass riders up the right side, making sure to avoid the protruding median, then watch out for the cyclists swinging wide before the turn. It wasn’t enough and I missed Bradley’s awesome sprint to take third place. These boys and girls who represent Colavita in Florida are amazing. It is hard and intense and they are right up there. Well done all Colavita Juniors. You are all awesome!!!

Winter Haven General Classification

2010-03-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 6th

Junior 13-14

Zoe Mullins 4th

James Mertens 8th

Kyle Deschenes 10th

Anselm Teather 14th

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 6th

Junior 17-18

Brandon Forman 2nd

Bradley Gordon 4th

Jos Chalmers 7th

Ian McGauvran 8th

Taylor Warren 9th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 1st

Category 4

Taylor Warren 1st (tie)

Bradley Gordon 5th

Dean Warren 9th

Casey Braga 12th

Ian McGauvran 16th

John Gibson 34th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st

Winter Haven Race Weekend

2010-03-08T19:36:00.001-05:00

Saturday

Road Race

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14

Zoe Mullins 5th

James Mertens 10th

Kyle Deschenes 12th

Junior 15-16
Briana Luthman 8th

Junior 17-18

Bradley Gordon 2nd

Brandon Forman 3rd

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 7th

Category 4

Bradley Gordon 2nd

Taylor Warren 3rd

Dean Warren 7th

Casey Braga 13th

Ian McGauvran 27th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 3rd

Time Trial

Junior 13-14

Zoe Mullins 24:26 6th

James Mertens 26:35 10th

Kyle Deschenes 27:21 12th

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 20:12 2nd
Briana Luthman 25:27 7th

Junior 17-18

Brandon Forman 21:46 4th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 17:46 1st

Category 4

Taylor Warren 19:23 2nd

John Gibson 20:09 8th

Ian McGauvran 20:331 10th

Dean Warren (flat)

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 23:12 3rd

Sunday

Criterium

Junior 10-12

Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14
Zoe Mullins 6th
Anselm Teather 7th
James Mertens 10th
Kyle Deschenes 12th

Junior 15-16

Casey Braga 3rd

Christian Teather 5th

Briana Luthman 11th

Junior 17-18
Jos Chalmers 2nd
Ian McGauvran 3rd
Taylor Warren 4th
Bradley Gordon 9th
Brandon Forman 12th

Category 3

Jos Chalmers 4th

Category 4
Bradley Gordon 3rd
Taylor Warren 5th
Casey Braga 12th
Dean Warren 17th
Ian McGauvran 22nd
Brandon Forman 29th

Women 3/4

Michelle Blake 4th

March Florida Racing Magazine

2010-03-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

The latest Florida Racing Magazine is out and guess what team is dominating this issue's pages? Colavita! From the wonderful articles on the Winter Garden and Tallahassee junior races written by Dean Warren (pgs 18-19 for Winter Garden and 40-41 for Tallahassee) to more press for Jos Chalmers, this time as the next member of "the Players Club" (pg 30-31). Michelle Blake also shows her support for Colavita in the letters to the editor section (pgs 8-10) and received a mention for her win in the Lake Mary Criterium (pgs 22-23). Click here to read these and all of the other great articles in the March edition of Florida Racing Magazine.

Just for the fun of it, we went through and counted the number of pages in the current issue that have photos of our Team Colavita junior racers. The grand total was 13 pages, some with multiple shots per page. (pgs: 21-23, 30-31, 34,40-41, 76-77, 81-82, 84)

Can't wait for the next issue!

Tallahassee Photos

2010-03-03T19:11:00.001-05:00

Alex Spook (1st) and Jos Chalmers (2nd) on the junior 17-18 circuit race podium

Jos (1st) and Alex (3rd) on the podium for the category 3 circuit race

Michelle Blake on the top step for the womens 3/4 circuit race podium

Team Colavita swept the top three with Ian McGauvran (1st), Brandon Forman (2nd) and Jos Chalmers (3rd) in the junior 17-18 road race.

Casey Braga took 1st in the junior 15-16 road race

Jos Chalmers took 1st in the men category 3 overall for the Tallahassee stage race.

Photos By Michelle Blake

Tallahassee Race Weekend Results

2010-03-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

Saturday

Circuit Race

Junior 13-14
James Mertens 9th

Junior 17-18

Alex Spook 1st

Jos Chalmers 2nd

Brandon Forman 7th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 1st
Alex Spook 3rd

Category 4

Casey Braga 7th

Ian McGauvran 20th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 1st

Time Trial

Junior 13-14

James Mertens 8:12 9th

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 6:07 1st

Junior 17-18

Brandon Forman

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 5:40 1st
Alex Spook 5:56 5th

Category 4

Casey Braga 6:07 5th

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 7:06 2nd

Sunday

Road Race

Junior 13-14

James Mertens 10th

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 1st

Junior 17-18

Ian McGauvran 1st

Brandon Forman 2nd

Jos Chalmers 3rd

Alex Spook (2 Flat tires)

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 5th
Alex Spook (Flat tire)

Category 4

Casey Braga 17th (Flat tire)

Ian McGauvran 19th

Brandon Forman 21st

Women 3/4
Michelle Blake 2nd (2 Flat tires)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Team Colavita acquired a total of 6 flat tires this weekend but we also left Tallahassee with 7 race wins and one over all general classification win. Nice job everyone!

Team Colavita All Smiles After a Great Weekend

2010-02-24T18:52:00.001-05:00

Junior girls Briana Luthman, Michelle Blake and Zoe Mullins proudly show off their medals from the weekend's LAJRS races, where junior girls and boys are scored seprately

Casey Braga explains his category 4 race in great detail with Colavita coach Carlos Soler

Alex Spook, category 3 Colavita racer, and his dad, Steve Spook

Taylor Warren, category 4 Colavita racer, and his dad, Dean Warren, playing around at Saturday's race. Carlos stands in the background with a look of "what have I gotten myself into coaching these kids."

Christian Teather describes to his dad the events of his first ever category 4 race.

Taylor Warren and Ian McGauvran enjoy the free massages provied after the race

Michelle Blake still grinning even after crashing in the final lap of the Womens 1-4 race on Saturday. She showed her recovery skills by coming back the next day to win the womens 4 race in a field sprint.

A big THANK YOU goes out to Walter Rentz and everyone on Team ORC who worked to make this weekend a success. We really appreciated the effort you put out to have prizes and primes for every category as well as scheduling the junior races as LAJORS, you guys put on a great race.

Photo Credits go to Brad Gordon, Jan Chalmers, Michelle Blake and Dean Warren

Orlando Time Trial February 23rd

2010-02-23T21:07:00.000-05:00

Jos Chalmers 1st 14:55
Dean Warren 4th 15:51
Taylor Warren 6th 16:07
Bradley Gordon 12th 16:40
Brandon Forman 15th 17:10
Anselm Teather 25th 18:14
Michelle Blake 30th 18:29
Anne Teather 36th 21:55

ORC Race Weekend Results

2010-02-23T20:36:00.000-05:00

Saturday

Winter Garden Circuit Race

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14

Anselm Teather 4th

James Mertens 9th

Zoe Mullins 10th

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 5th
Michelle Blake 7th
Christian Teather 8th
Briana Luthman 9th

Junior 17-18

Bradley Gordon 6th

Jos Chalmers 8th

Taylor Warren 11th

Alex Spook 13th

Brandon Forman 14th

Ian McGauvran 17th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 4th
Alex Spook 45th

Category 4

Taylor Warren 3rd

Casey Braga 23rd

Ian McGauvran 29th

Dean Warren 31st

Brandon Forman 41st

Women 4
Michelle Blake 8th

Sunday

Lake Mary Criterium

Junior 10-12

Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14
Anselm Teather 7th
Zoe Mullins 8th
James Mertens 12th

Junior 15-16

Casey Braga 3rd

Christian Teather 7th

Michelle Blake 8th

Briana Luthman 14th

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 5th
Ian McGauvran 6th
Jos Chalmers 9th
Bradley Gordon 12th
Brandon Forman 13th
Alex Spook 15th

Category 3

Jos Chalmers 7th

Alex Spook 41st

Category 4
Casey Braga 7th
Ian McGauvran 11th
Bradley Gordon 13th
Taylor Warren 15th
Christian Teather 33rd
Dean Warren 34th

Women 4

Michelle Blake 1st

Zoe Mullins 7th

Anne Teather 10th

Florida Racing Magazine

2010-02-17T18:53:00.001-05:00

The Florida Racing Magazine has become a very popular source of cycling information lately, with over 2, 500 fans on facebook and countless readers of its bi-monthly issues. In the latest edition, released just today, Team Colavita's Josiah Chalmers is featured on the front cover, celebrating his Cat 3 win in the first race of the year. Dean Warren contributed some beautifully written articles about the Junior races so far this year, highlighting the achievements of everyone who raced and the success of some of our prominent junior teams in Florida. (Mr.Warren's junior articles can be found on pages 26-29 for Deland, and 38-39 for Gainesville). Michelle Blake received some recognition for her placing at the Gainesville Crit in the article by Heather Davis (pg 40-43) and Jos is mentioned in the breakaway for the San Antonio Road Race (pg 58).

To read these and other articles from the current issue of Florida Racing Magazine, click here

Dade City Road Race

2010-02-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Jos Chalmers who won the Category 3 Road Race this weekend in San Antonio. A race report by Tony Chalmers:
Saturday's Dade City road race was a combined Pro 1 2 & 3 field of 120 men racing over a 68 mile undulating course. There was an early break by 3 pro riders followed by an 8 man break of 7 pro 1 2 riders and Jos. The 8 man group bridged to the leading 3 and that contingent stayed together and built a 4 minute lead over the chasing peloton. Jos won the Cat 3 race by over 2 minutes and came 6th in the Pro 1,2 race, finishing 4 minutes ahead of Brevard Pro 1,2 riders Earl Bradley and Gary Stern.

Ian McGauvran also competed on Saturday, finishing midpack with the Category 4 racers and coming in 28th place.

No one from Colavita raced Sunday at the criterium because there were no junior races being held.

Gainesville Photos

2010-02-09T17:14:00.000-05:00

Alex Spook, Jos Chalmers, Casey Braga, and Ian McGauvran (not in picture) get ready go right before the start of their team time trial Saturday

Team Colavita riders warm up on trainers Sunday in preperation for the junior race. Look at all that red and green! We had a total of 11 juniors competing this weekend, wow!

Colavita juniors sprint off the line in Sunday's 10-18 race

Alex Spook and Jos Chalmers in the Category 3 pack made for an interesting race through the streets of downtown Gainesville

More photos can be viewed here by Michelle Blake

Gainesville Race Weekend

2010-02-09T16:53:00.000-05:00

Results

Saturday Time Trial

Junior 13-14
James Mertens 31:08 6th

Junior 15-16

Casey Braga 24:14 1st

Briana Luthman 30:03 3rd

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 24:58 7th

Category 3

Josiah Chalmers 20:28 1st

Alex Spook

Category 4
Casey Braga 22:30 3rd
Ian McGauvran 23:13 4th

Women 4

Michelle Blake 26:06 3rd

Team Time Trial

Category 3,4,5

Team Colavita: Jos Chalmers, Alex Spook, Ian McGauvran, Casey Braga 30:29 2nd

Sunday Criterium

Junior 10-12
Tate Harper 1st

Junior 13-14

Zoe Mullins 6th

James Mertens 9th

Junior 15-16
Casey Braga 1st
Briana Luthman 7th

Junior 17-18

Alex Spook 1st

Ian McGauvran 2nd

Bradley Gordon 6th

Jos Chalmers 7th

Brandon Forman 15th

Category 3

Jos Chalmers 3rd

Alex Spook 36th

Category 4

Bradley Gordon 7th

Casey Braga 10th

Brandon Forman 23rd

Ian McGauvran 24th

Women 1,2,3,4

Michelle Blake 3rd (1st in Women 4)

Please comment on any results that are missing or incorrect.

Team Colavita Gets Press

2010-02-08T15:04:00.001-05:00

Spook, Gutterplan fly to firsts at wet and windy Spring Fling

Hometown bicycle racers Alex Spook and David Guttenplan dominated the top categories of the Spring Fling road season-opener last weekend near Deland. The first race date on the Florida Points Series calendar drew the Sunshine State's elite riders, some snow-bird pros fleeing wintry northern weather and even a few warmth-seeking Europeans
Riding for his new team — the nationally prominent Colavita/ Sutter Home Racing Team — Spook repeatedly attacked the 30-man Category 3 field. Halfway through the cold and windy 42-mile road race in horse farm country, the Chiles High junior escaped in a breakaway with five other riders.
"We cooperated until about 500 meters to go," said Spook, who won the juniors Georgia State Criterium Championships last summer.
After bridging a one-minute gap, Spook's teammate Jos Chalmers caught the breakaway and kept on going. Spook jumped on Chalmers' wheel and the pair left their dumbfounded rivals behind.
Chalmers gave the perfect lead-out to Spook who came around him for the victory at the finish line.
"I owe the win to Jos. He gave an amazing performance," said Spook who plans to race most of the FPS and Florida Cup events, the Athens Twilight Criterium, the UCI Tour of the Red River Gorge, and the Canadian Tour L'Abitibi.
Leon High alum and recent University of Florida graduate David Guttenplan is one of only three Tallahassee natives to have made it into the national ranks of professional bicycle racers.
The other two are Team Type 1's Phil Southerland and Morgan Patton.
For the past four years, "the Gut," as his teammates call him, has managed to juggle earning a cum laude degree in civil engineering with winning a few big races, breaking a few collarbones in crashes and working for his Mountain Khaki's/ Jittery Joe's team.
Now that he is free of school, Guttenplan decided to give himself a year to see how far his legs can take him as a professional cyclist. If his 2010 racing debut at the Spring Fling is an indication, Guttenplan's dream has begun to come true.
Online Article: Here

Team Colavita Junior, Bradley Gordon, also made the front picture of this article in the Gainesville Sun

Click Here to read the full article

Deland Race Weekend

2010-02-05T18:04:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Team Colavita sprinted off the start line to begin the 2010 Florida Racing Season. With 15 racers coloring the fields in red and green, we accumulated 4 spectacular wins over the first two days of racing. Saturday's races were weighted down with rain and overcast skies but the wet did nothing to dampen Colavita spirits. Jos Chalmers and Alex Spook lit a flame when they were able to do some successful team tactics and launch Jos off the front of the category 3 field. Teammates warming up for the next race kept track of time splits, while Jos powered away from the pack with two other riders and Alex countered every single attempted chase, stretching the break out to a full minute. Coming down to the final sprint, Jos defeated the others to take an amazing win. Later in the day, all of the Colavita youngsters assembled on the start line for the Junior 10-18 race. With a field of 30 riders, we were the best represented team with 12 Italian colored jerseys, earning us a couple mentions on the microphone. Right from the beginning, there was a breakaway of 4 riders in the 15-18 race lead by Bradley Gordon and Alex Spook. With the help of teammates back in the field blocking, they were able to stay away for the entire time and when it came down to the sprint, Bradley and Alex placed 2nd and 3rd in 17-18. Casey Braga started the year off right , winning the 15-16 race.

Sunday's road race was kicked off by Michelle Blake who took the win in the Women 4, aggressively out-sprinting her competition. Jos and Alex pulled out another astounding show in the category 3's. Alex made it into a breakaway of 4 riders, gaining 30 seconds on the pack, ably held up by Jos. With one lap to go in the race it seemed that no one could catch them but Jos took off and soloed up to the break just in time to lead Alex out for the win, claiming 1st and 2nd places. In the category 4 race, Casey Braga, Taylor Warren, Ian McGauvran and Bradley Gordon worked together to strategically place attacks during the race but finished in the field. Brandon Forman had a spectacular finish in junior 17-18, sprinting to a 2rd place, just .3 seconds behind John (Mateo) Zuluaga

Results

Saturday Circuit Race

Junior 13-14
Zoe Mullins 6th
James Mertens 8th

Junior 15-16

Casey Braga 1st

Michelle Blake 4th

Briana Luthman 5th

Junior 17-18
Bradley Gordon 2nd
Alex Spook 3rd
Taylor Warren 5th
Jos Chalmers 8th
Ian McGauvran 9th
Brandon Forman 10th

Category 3

Jos Chalmers 1st

Alex Spook

Category 4
Taylor Warren 9th
Casey Braga 14th
Bradley Gordon 15th
Ian McGauvran 25th
Brandon Forman 34th

Category 5

Dean Warren 21st

Women 4

Michelle Blake 8th

Masters +65

Neville Brabrook 2nd

Sunday Road Race

Junior 13-14

Zoe Mullins 3rd

Anselm Teather 6th

James Mertens 8th

Junior 17-18

Brandon Forman 2nd

Category 3

Alex Spook 1st

Jos Chalmers 2nd

Category 4
Bradley Gordon 11th
Taylor Warren 14th
Casey Braga 15th
Ian McGauvran 28th

Women 4

Michelle Blake 1st

Masters +45

John Gibson 20th

Cyclocross Point Series

2010-01-20T13:28:00.001-05:00

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.

Miami Cyclocross Photos

2010-01-14T15:36:00.001-05:00

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

Miami Cyclocross

2010-01-13T15:54:00.007-05:00

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!

Results

Saturday and Sunday (they're the same)

Juniors
Brandon Forman 1st
James Mertens 2nd

Women B
Michelle Blake 1st

Women A
Diane Blake 2nd

Colavita/ Baci

2010-01-12T19:19:00.002-05:00

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

Drews Landing Criterium #4

2010-01-03T11:13:00.006-05:00

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

2010 Team Colavita Junior Bios

2010-01-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

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.

State Championships in Tallahassee

2009-12-07T19:11:00.003-05:00

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)

State Championships Cyclocross

2009-12-07T18:57:00.007-05:00

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

Orlando Cyclocross

2009-11-24T10:26:00.003-05:00

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who made Saturday's cross race happen. It's grown into a great team event that would never happen without everyone lending a hand, shovel, axe, water hose, sledge hammer and time. Special thanks goes out to the following.... JP for doing a great job in making sure none of the small details were forgotten. Diane for her hard work she puts in a few months before the event, making sure the course is ready to race and all of the heavy lifting. Tracy and his Dad for making sure all the riders left the race with the taste of mud and doing whatever needed to be done. The Forman's for helping build and set up the course as well as work at registration, Ginger and Dean for the same. Jan for the pictures. Eddie for his sense of humor and strong arms, and all of the juniors who helped with setup and teardown and making it so that doing these races is worth it, and to so many others who had a hand in the race. I'd be remiss in not also mentioning Brad Gordon Sr for showing us it's never a bad time to try something new. The course, the event, and the experience was better than it's ever been for this race and it never would have happened without all of you.

You guys are the best,

Jonathan

We would also like to thank the shops and businesses who donated prizes and equipment to make this a successful event.

RetroCity Cycles, Cycling Hub, B-3 Cafe, Victory Bicycles, Quality Bicycle Products, Seattle Bike Supply, Little Everglades Ranch, Topview Sports and the City of Altamonte Springs.

Orlando Cyclocross Results

2009-11-22T18:30:00.020-05:00

Kiddie Race
Chase Forman 2nd
Owen Greene 3rd

Junior 10-14
Zoe Mullins 1st
James Mertens 2nd

Junior 15-18
Brandon Forman 1st
Jos Chalmers 2nd
Casey Braga 3rd

Women 4
Michelle Blake 1st

Women 1-3
Diane Blake 4th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 1st

Category 4
Casey Braga 2nd
Eddie Braga 10th
Brad Gordon 12th

Masters
Brent Harrell 4th

Photos From Orlando Cyclocross From: Dean Warren, and Jan Chalmers

Note: Sorry for the disorganization of the images but blogspot is currently having some kind of major, extreme, annoying, frustrating, terrible, problem with uploading that they cannot seem to fix even after exasperating messages have been sent to their "help" section. Thank you.

Horrible Hundred

2009-11-15T19:48:00.010-05:00

If it's really so horrible then why did over 2,000 cyclists show up in Clermont, Fl today in order to participate in this amazing event. From team Colavita alone we brought 20 people. Representing the junior racers, we had Zoe Mullins and Briana Luthman who both rode 35 miles along with moms Wanda Luthman and Jill Blanchard. Michelle Blake, Casey Braga, Nick Blanchard, Jos Chalmers, Bradley Gordon, Taylor Warren, Brandon Forman and Ian McGauvran all completed the 100 mile ride though the hardest hills of Central Florida. Masters racer, Neville Brabrook also finished the century as well. Colavita parents Dean Warren, Brad Gordon, Eddie Braga and Tracy Mullins (Team Armada) rode the whole 100 miles unable to catch up with their speedy kids. Daryl Forman, who had never done more than 30 miles, rode with Diane Blake through the hills, successfully completing the 70 mile ride.
The weather was a beautiful compliment to the extremely well-run event put on by the Florida Freewheelers. Details such as police at all the intersections and well-stocked rest stops made it a fantastic day to be riding a bike.
Note: Brad, it is a good idea to hang onto your jacket when you take it off, lest it escape and smite thee.

Lakeland and Dade City Cyclocross

2009-11-09T15:27:00.009-05:00

This weekend kicked off the 2009-2010 Florida Cyclocross season with races in Lakeland and Dade City. Saturday's course was located at Loyce Harpe Park and included some tight single track as well as difficult sugarsand sections. Sunday's race was hosted at Little Everglades Ranch with course that included a little sugarsand, fast flats though the woods and even a trip through a barn every lap. There were also some great vendors there, selling marvelous Belgian waffles and other tasty after-race foods. Big thanks to Little Everglades Ranch who let us borrow their stakes and tape for our cyclocross race coming up (more info coming soon). Team Colavita had a great showing out there this weekend, we got a total of 11 podium places over the course of two days!

Race Report
By Brandon Forman
After an intense day of racing, jumping on and off the bike a number of times, I am very happy with my results at my very first ever cyclocross race. It was an interesting course and after 30 minutes of racing, I held it all together to finish the junior 15-18 race with a first place. After completing that, I did another race right after, even though I was tired. I surprised myself by getting a forth place position in the mens C, finishing with the pack.

Results

Saturday

Junior 10-14
James Mertens 1st

Junior 15-18

Brandon Forman 1st

Women C
Michelle Blake 2nd

Women A/B

Diane Blake 3rd

Masters +35
Brent Harrell

Mens A

John-Paul Russo 5th

Will Willis

Mens C
Brandon Forman 4th

Sunday

Kiddie Race

Chase Forman

Jack Greene

Owen Greene

Junior 10-14
James Mertens 1st
Zoe Mullins 2nd

Junior 15-18

Jos Chalmers

Casey Braga

Brandon Forman

Christian Teather

Women C
Michelle Blake 2nd

Women A/B

Diane Blake 4th

Men A
John-Paul Russo
Will Willis

Men B

Jos Chalmers

Men C
Taylor Warren 1st

Masters +35

Brent Harrell

Photos this weekend take by: Dean Warren, Jan Chalmers, and Michelle Blake

State Track Championships

2009-11-01T08:06:00.006-05:00

This Halloween, while many kids were partying with friends or out in the neighborhoods trick or treating, the Florida State Track Championships were being held at Brian Piccolo Velodrome in Miami, FL. Team Colavita was represented by Michelle Blake, who had come down that afternoon, all the way from Orlando to participate that evening. Some other familiar Florida road racing faces were there as well, including Kevin McGuire and Amir Merali.

The first of the three races was the 500m TT, followed by the 4 km Scratch race and 36 lap Points race. Michelle made a time of 44.86 seconds in the time trial, came in 7th overall in the scratch race and was the first across the finish line in the points race, putting her in first in her category. Michelle won the womens 13-14 omnium with 15 points and is now the 2009 Florida State Track Champion, Congratulations.

Team Colavita Helmet Decorating Contest

2009-10-30T22:55:00.000-04:00

In honor of Halloween, Team Colavita held our second ever Helmet Decorating Contest. The overall winner was Daryl Forman who had attached a giant, fluffy pumpkin to the top of his helmet, followed closely by John-Paul Russo, the news paper boy. Michelle Blake's helmet came in 3rd, decorated as a Chipotle burrito and chips, which she seriously considered eating after the ride. Briana Luthman, Zoe Mullins, Chase Forman and Brandon Forman also participated in the contest and won some Halloween candy for their awesome adornments.

One of our riders, Taylor Warren, was not able to make it to the ride last night because he was participating at the district swim meet. Taylor came in 1st in two of the events he participated. Great job, hard training pays off, on the bike or not.

We also had a new rider with us last night, Riley. She is very enthusiastic on the bike and we hope to see her again out at the airport with us.

Gainesville Senior Games

2009-10-30T15:09:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Colavita racer, John Gibson, who participated in the Gainesville Senior Games this past weekend. Mr. Gibson placed 1st in the 5k and 10k time trials for his age group, 50-54. He is now qualified for the state games which will be held this December in Cape Coral. Good luck, we're cheering for you.

Final Orlando Time Trial

2009-10-28T19:26:00.002-04:00

Results:
Jos Chalmers 15:12
Taylor Warren 16:22
John-Paul Russo 16:36
Brandon Forman 18:00
Michelle Blake (Fixie) 20:00
Zoe Mullins 21:27

State Road Race Championships

2009-10-11T15:36:00.007-04:00

Exclamation Point (eks'kle ma'shen point) mark (!) used to show surprise or strong emotion.

What better way to end the 2009 road season than with a finish that required numerous !!!!!
After Saturday night's awards party in which Team Colavita walked out with BOXES of trophies and jerseys, the only way to top it would be another State Championship in Sunday's category day races. Bradley Gordon gave us the perfect ending by out-sprinting his team mate, Taylor Warren by .o1 second (or about an inch), to win the Cat 4 road race. Wow! Not just one but TWO Colavita riders on the podium.
This year has been full of great races, lots of fun and (I hope) some learning. I would like to thank all the juniors for training hard, racing hard and behaving like true sportsmen. You are all a credit to cycling. I would also like to thank all the parents who tirelessly drive, feed, cheer and unwaveringly support the juniors. It will reap benefits many years down the road with young adults they can truly be proud of.
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did this season and I can't wait until next year!
Diane

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
Zoe Mullins 4th
James Mertens 5th

Junior 13-14
Casey Braga 2nd
Christian Teather 4th
Michelle Blake 5th

Junior 15-16
Jos Chalmers 6th
Nick Blanchard 9th

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 8th
Brandon Forman 9th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 40th

Category 4
Bradley Gordon 1st
Taylor Warren 2nd
Casey Braga 39th
Ian McGauvran 42nd
Brandon Forman 55th

Ironkids

2009-10-04T16:33:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Kyle Deschenes who placed 5th at the national Ironkids Triathlon today in Tucson AZ. Great Job!

Orlando Time Trial #8

2009-09-30T13:53:00.002-04:00

Results
Jos Chalmers 3rd 15:09
Bradley Gordon 5th 16:04
John-Paul Russo 8th 16:27
Taylor Warren 9th 16:31
Photos Full Results

Lost and Found

2009-09-22T21:18:00.000-04:00

Mountain Hardwear, silver hooded jacket made of some kind of ultra light, waterproof material was lost at St Augustine on Sunday in the vicinity of Dean Warren's photography tent. Please return to Dean or Ginger Warren

Sugarloaf Race Weekend

2009-09-21T17:55:00.009-04:00

Saturday Road Race

Category 3

Jos Chalmers

Category 4

Casey Braga 9th
Taylor Warren 24th

Ian McGauvran 25th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 5th

Sunday Criterium

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 8th

Category 4
Ian McGauvran 11th
Taylor Warren 17th

Nick Blanchard 19th

Category 5

Brandon Forman

Women 4

Michelle Blake 5th

Photo Credits: Dean Warren and Christi-An Hansley

Sugarloaf Ascent

2009-09-20T20:57:00.009-04:00

Future Colavita champion Chase Forman, age 8, conquered Sugarloaf Mountain today after leaving both his mom and dad behind on the way up. He was inspired by his older brother, Brandon, who had just completed the Sugarloaf Mountain Criterium. What's next Chase? The Horrible Hundred?

.

St. Augustine Boy Scouts Omnium

2009-09-16T15:35:00.006-04:00

Results:

Saturday-Criterium

Junior 10-12

Anselm Teather 1st
Zoe Mullins 2nd

James Mertens 3rd

Junior 13-14
Christian Teather 1st
Michelle Blake 2nd
Briana Luthman 4th

Junior 15-16

Jos Chalmers 3rd

Nick Blanchard 7th

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 6th
Brandon Forman 7th

Ian McGauvran 8th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 10th

Category 4
Ian McGauvran 13th
Nick Blanchard 23rd

Category 5

Taylor Warren 3rd

Women 4
Michelle Blake 5th

Sunday

Time Trial

Junior 10-12
Zoe Mullins 1st

Junior 13-14
Briana Luthman

Junior 17-18
Brandon Forman 4th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 3rd

Category 4
Ian McGauvran 9th

Category 5
Taylor Warren 8th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 5th

Road Race

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
James Mertens 2nd
Zoe Mulllins 3rd

Junior 13-14
Briana Luthman 4th

Junior 15-16
Nick Blanchard 5th

Junior 17-18
Ian McGauvran 5th
Brandon Forman 6th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 14th

Category 4
Ian McGauvran 11th
Nick Blanchard 27th

Category 5
Taylor Warren 9th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 6th

Photos from the weekend:
Dean Warren
Jan Chalmers

Lost Items

2009-09-14T21:30:00.002-04:00

Lost Seat Bag
If anyone found one under the tent at the Bartow Race Weekend, please contact Brandon Forman.

Bartow Race Weekend

2009-09-08T16:01:00.020-04:00

Wow! Usually after a race weekend I sit back and think about which rider had the best event- whether it is learning something valuable or actually winning a race. The Bartow races had outstanding moments for so many riders that there was not a single one to choose. Zoe, James and Kyle looked like TdF pros with their crisp paceline and quick sprints. Christian, Jay and Casey made it look easy and provided wonderful drag-race finishes. Michelle had fun to the max in the Women's race and was right with the 1,2,3's for the finish. Jos absolutely drove the pace in his races, winning 15-16 and hauling the winning break away in the 3's. The best AH HA! moment was Taylor bridging the gap in the 17-18 and getting third followed by third in his LAST cat 5 race. Ian was a force at the front of all of his races and moved through the pack like a pro
Brandon and Nick rode strong races and will soon be forces to contend with. JP has decided that twilight races are more fun 'cause you can't see the course and had a really good finish in the 3's.Grand job everyone and see you in St. Augustine next week!

Results
Saturday
Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
James Mertens 4th
Zoe Mullins 5th

Junior 13-14
Casey Braga 1st
Jay Major 2nd
Christian Teather 3rd
Michelle Blake 4th
Kyle Deschenes 5th

Junior 15-16

Jos Chalmers 4th
Nick Blanchard 7th

Junior 17-18

Taylor Warren 5th
Ian McGauvran 8th
Brandon Forman 9th

Category 3

Jos Chalmers 15th
John Paul Russo 23rd

Category 4
Casey Braga 17th
Ian McGauvran 23rd
Nick Blanchard 29th

Category 5
Dennis Blanchard 14th
Taylor Warren 17th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 4th

Sunday

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
Zoe Mullins 3rd
James Mertens 4th

Junior 13-14

Casey Braga 1st
Jay Major 2nd

Christian Teather 3rd
Kyle Deschenes 4th

Junior 15-16
Jos Chalmers 1st

Jay Major 4th
Nick Blanchard 7th

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 3rd
Ian McGauvran 5th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 3rd
John Paul Russo 25th

Category 4

Casey Braga 10th
Ian McGauvran 21st
Nick Blanchard 23rd

Category 5
Taylor Warren 3rd
Dennis Blanchard 12th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 2nd

Lake Louisa Finally

2009-09-02T17:10:00.009-04:00

The last race of the 2009 Lake Louisa Training Series was held Tuesday night out in the pouring rain while the rest of us were home on the trainers. But despite the inclement weather, Colavita juniors Jos Chalmers. Taylor Warren and Casey Braga were out there racing with the big boys and came out with some impressive results. As Taylor's mother states: "He stayed in the middle of the pack close to Casey and looked pretty good so I decided to walk in the rain to the finish and am so glad I did...he sprinted for the finish and got third!" Taylor's teammate, Casey, was close behind, finishing in 5th place. In the category "A" race last night, Jos placed 6th overall when it came down to a field sprint. Casey also placed 2nd in the overall series for category "B" His dad's facebook post says it all. Congratulations to both our Colavita juniors, you did a great job. Keep up the good work!

Nocatee Stage Race

2009-08-23T21:28:00.003-04:00

Results

Road Race

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
Zoe Mullins 2nd
James Mertens 3rd

Junior 13-14
Casey Braga 1st
Briana Luthman 3rd

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 20th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 2nd

Time Trial

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st 13:16
Zoe Mullins 2nd 14:49
James Mertens 3rd 15:38

Junior 13-14
Casey Braga 1st 11:50

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 4th 12:21

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 5th 10:59

Women 4
Michelle Blake 3rd 13:24

Criterium

Junior 10-12
Anselm Teather 1st
James Mertens 2nd
Zoe Mullins 3rd

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

Junior 17-18
Taylor Warren 4th

Category 3
Jos Chalmers 6th

Category 4
Casey Braga 15th

Women 4
Michelle Blake 6th

Lake Louisa 8/18/09

2009-08-23T21:16:00.002-04:00

Great Job to Casey Braga and Bradley Gordon who placed 3rd and 5th in the "B" category at the latest Lake Louisa Training Crit. Junior riders Taylor Warren, Brandon Forman and Zoe Mullins also competed in the race. Congratulations.

Armada Time Trial #8

2009-08-16T20:59:00.009-04:00

Great job to all our Colavita riders who participated in today's Armada Time Trial Finale. Diane and Michelle Blake both decided to have some fun and entered the fixie category riding a highwheel and large unicycle. Here are our team results for the four mile time trial.

Juniors 10-13
Zoe Mullins 3rd 13:13

Juniors 14-17
Bradley Gordon 1st 9:54
Casey Braga 2nd 10:00
Brandon Forman 3rd 10:52

Fixie
Diane Blake 4th 16:36
Michelle Blake 5th 19:15

Beginner Men
Neville Brabrook 2nd 10:44

Men
John-Paul Russo 7th 9:49
Mark Russo 14th 10:59

Armada Time Trial #8

2009-08-10T11:54:00.005-04:00

This coming Sunday Team Colavita is planning to compete in the final Team Armada Time Trial of 2009 in Lake Mary. For more information click here. The junior category is going to be split into two age groups, 13 and under and 14-17 year-olds. We are looking forward to a good turnout of Colavita Junior riders as well as the Lake County PAL kids. After the TT, we will do a 30 mile ride in the Lake Monroe/ Lake Mary area.

Colavita Juniors at Nationals

2009-08-02T18:10:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the Colavita juniors who raced at this year's Nationals Championships in Bend, OR. There was some really tough racing going on with huge fields of riders from all over the country. The racers from Florida were said to have traveled the farthest to get to Nationals, from the most southeastern state all the way across the country to Oregon. Anselm Teather, Christian Teather, Casey Braga, Jos Chalmers and Michelle Blake each lined up for their races confident in their training and hoping to do their very best. Crashes, heat, and lack of humidity held back some riders during Tuesday's Road Races but after a couple days rest (and a little bit of team fun including a trip to Crater Lake) they were back and ready to race the Time Trial. Anselm and Christian both suffered from mishaps during their races but still pulled through and finished. Casey came across the line in 2nd place but as more riders came he settled for 13th out of the 57 racers in his field, a great feat. Michelle broke the top ten in her category and Jos came across with a strong finish for his 24k time trial. The following morning Michelle made podium during the criterium, only a few bike lengths behind first in the sprint finish. Casey and Jos had difficulty staying with their extremely fast fields but stayed in the race long enough to place. Great Job to everyone, you made Colavita and Florida proud just by being there.

Results

Road Race July 28th

Men 10-12

Anslem Teather 19th

Women 13-14
Michelle Blake 17th

Men 13-14

Casey Braga 31st (crashed and chased)

Christian Teather 35th

Men 15-16
Jos Chalmers DNF (caught behind crash and chased)

Time Trial July 31st

Men 10-12

Anselm Teather 17th 21:38

Women 13-14
Michelle Blake 9th 21:37

Men 13-14

Casey Braga 13th 18:19

Christian Teather 57th 24:58

Men 15-16

Jos Chalmers 41st 40:04

Criterium August 1st

Women 13-14
Michelle Blake 4th

Men 13-14
Casey Braga 27th

Men 15-16
Jos Chalmers 46th

Good job to the Florida racers among those on the top step at this year's nationals. Jackie Crowell (U23 Women, Team Type 1), Jackie Kurth (Women 17-18, Team Kenda), and Ciera Hopkins (Women 10-12, Team ORC) are our new National Champions in the Sunshine State.