Cycle with Champions this Sunday

Team Swift & BMC Cycle with Champions
October 28, 2007

Start/Finish Location: Sonoma Country Day School in Santa Rosa
Event & Auction Detail: www.teamswift.org/events
Registration: Sign up is open at 8:30AM and pre-registration is not required.
Bring your 2007 USAC License if you have one.

Directions:
Sonoma Country Day School
4400 Day School Place
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Sonoma Country Day School is just north of Santa Rosa. You can find us from U.S. route 101 by following these directions:
Take the Airport Boulevard exit and head west.
Turn right at the first traffic light onto Aviation Boulevard.
Follow Aviation Boulevard for approximately ½ a mile.
SCDS is located on your right. Look for our colorful and distinctive entrance sign at the corner of Aviation and Day School Place.


Weather Forecast: Perfect!!!

High: 79 °F RealFeel®: 75 °F
Partly sunny and pleasant

It can be cool to start the ride so bring cool riding weather gear to begin. The afternoon temperatures should be pleasant although we always recommend bringing a jacket and perhaps your own fold out chair.

Cycle with Champions Celebrity List

Scott Nydam
Team: BMC Pro Racing Team
6th Place, 2007 Overall GC, Tour of Georgia
1st Place, 2007 Giro of Friuli Team Time Trial--*First TTT win by an all-American team in Europe
1st Place, 2006 & 2007 King of the Mountain Leader, Cascade Cycling Classic

Steven Cozza
Team: Slipstream/Chipotle
1st Place, 2005 USA National Time Trial Championships, U23/Espoir
1st Place, 2007 Best Young Rider at the Tour of Missouri
1st Place, 2007 Vuelta a Chihuahua, Stage 6

Mike Sayers
Team: BMC Pro Racing Team
2 Time World's Team Member
9 Time Team NRC Champion
1st Place, 2007 Tour de Nez Reno Criterium

Nathan Miller
Team: BMC Pro Racing Team
1st Place, Overall GC Tobago International Cycling Classic—U23
4th Place, 2006 Tour of Utah—Stage 4
5th Place, Vuelta Sonora—Stage 1
1st Place, Giro of San Francisco

Ian Sherburne
Team: BMC Head Mechanic
4 years US National Team
1996 Olympic Team
9 Time World Championships
6 Years Saturn Cycling Team
Team: BMC Pro Racing Team

Ashlyn Gerber
Team: Team Swift Junior Development
1st Place, 2007 US Junior National Championship Criterium
1st Place, 2007 US Junior National Championship Road Race
2nd Place, 2007 US Junior National Championship Time Trial

Team Swift members need to be in full team uniform and have your team T-shirts/polo shirts for after the ride. Clothing will also be available at the event. If you have a photograph or something you would like the celebrities to sign they will be doing autographs in the afternoon.

Cycle with Champions Auction Items

Silent Auction Details

To View Auction photo's go to: http://teamswift.org/gallery/gallery/26/
Each item has a minimum bid listed and bids must be at least one dollar over this amount. To place a bid on any item, please send an email to info@teamswift.org with "Auction Bid" in the subject line and your bid amount in the body of the email. The auction will end on May 28. Winners will be determined on May 28, based upon the highest bid received on each item. Winners will be notified via reply email from their original bid email. Items can be shipped, however, the winner will pay shipping and will be notified of the shipping price in the notification email. You may bid on as many items as you like.

Amgen Tour of California “hot lap” in the BMC #1 Team Car:
Minimum bid: $750
A "hot lap" in the front seat of the BMC #1 team car during a circuit race or time trial stage of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California. Join the team director and team mechanic in the caravan of a circuit race, or behind a specific rider in a time trial. Successful raffle winner can arrange individually with the BMC team director to select a stage that best suits the raffle winner's location and schedule. (2 available). Estimated value: Priceless. To bid on this item send email to teamswift@aol.com with "Auction Bid" in the subject line.

Specialized Complete Bicycle: 2008 Roubaix Compact
Minimum bid: $1,200
The winner of this bicycle will receive a gift certificate to order the size from their local dealer. The MSRP is $1600. The long road didn't get shorter, just less painful. The Roubaix changed the paradigm of road bikes; no longer does high performance mean high sacrifice. From the most grueling of races in northern France (the infamous Paris-Roubaix) to spirited pleasure rides in Santa Monica, our Roubaix makes choosing between going fast and going long a thing of the past. To bid on this item send email to teamswift@aol.com with "Auction Bid" in the subject line.

Sidi shoes signed by Two-Time World Champion Paolo Bettini
Minimum bid: $500
Paolo Bettini recently won the first back-to-back World road race titles in 15 years These Sidi shoes were made for Paolo Bettini after he won a gold medal at the Olympics in Athens. The shoes are size 40. To bid on this item send email to teamswift@aol.com with "Auction Bid" in the subject line.

Marmot Women's Gravity Jacket
Minimum Bid: $100
Sturdy never looked so stylish: a popular, wear-everywhere softshell jacket that holds up to all forms of abuse. Color: Black, Size: Medium. To bid on this item send email to teamswift@aol.com with "Auction Bid" in the subject line.

Marmot Men's Sharp Point Jacket
Minimum Bid: $150
The Sharp Point is the Gore Windstopper® Softshell that defined the category. Professionals and dedicated enthusiasts choose it year after year for its impeccable fit, durability and functionality. Color: Grey, Size: Medium. To bid on this item send email to teamswift@aol.com with "Auction Bid" in the subject line.

Squadra Clothing Kit
Minimum bid: $150
Includes jersey, jacket and shorts. Estimated value $400 To bid on this item send email to info@teamswift.org with "Auction Bid" in the subject line.

Greg Lemond Signed Jersey
Minimum bid: $200
Greg LeMond, was the first American to win the Tour de France... three times! Throughout his racing career and beyond, Greg was at the forefront of cycling innovations, from superlight frames, clipless pedals, aero-bars through to carbon fiber forks. Under his leadership, LeMond Fitness is continuing Greg's passion for developing exciting new products that help individuals achieve their fitness goals and train more effectively. We also believe in giving back ... supporting young cyclists, helping athletes train, and working with kids to instill a lifelong appreciation of the power of being fit. To bid on this item send email to teamswift@aol.com with "Auction Bid" in the subject line.

David Zabriskie signed CSC jersey
Minimum bid: $200
Dave Zabriskie's Palmares:
1st, Stage 3, Dauphine Libere 2006
1st, Prologue, Dauphine Libere 2006
6th GC, Tour of Georgia
2nd GC, Tour of California
Stage win in Tour de France 2005
Stage win in Giro d’Italia 2005
Stage win in Vuelta a España 2004
5th in the World Championships, ITT 2004
5th and Best Young Rider in 4 Jours de Dunkerque 2003
Professional since 2001

Kris Holm Freeride video

Who needs two wheels anyway?

Tour of Marin this Sunday

Tour of Marin Half-Century
October 21st, 2007

NOTE: If you want to attend the Tour of Marin half century you need to register and pay at the Tour of Marin website. Or you can join the Team Swift All Team Ride at no cost which starts at 9AM and will finish at approximately the same time as the Tour. All Team Swift members are invited to attend a free catered lunch and to meet the celebrities.

Team Swift All Team Ride
Sunday, October 21st, 2007—Marin County
Start/Parking: At Paradise Foods Grocery Store
5627 Paradise Drive, Corte Madera

Ride Time: 9:00AM-11:30AM
Ride Plan: The Paradise Loop
Ride Leader: Julia Violich from Paradigm Cycles

Ride Details
8:15AM-9:00AM: Arrival. Sign in and Prepare bikes for a 2+ hour ride.
9:00AM-11:30AM: All riders will start together then split into different groups determined by riding ability.
1:00PM-2:00PM: Ride groups return*

*After the ride Team Swift members and their parents are welcome to have lunch at the Marin Country Day School and to meet some of the Pro’s finishing the Tour of Marin.

Skill Level: All levels invited. Riders under 12 years old should have a riding parent in attendance.Rides will range between 1-3 hours depending on your level.

DIRECTIONS:
From the South: Travel north on 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge approx. 9 miles. Take the Paradise Drive exit. Then proceed along Paradise Drive 1 mile to Paradise Foods on the right.
From the North: Travel south on 101, exit at Paradise Drive and cross over the freeway going east on Paradise. Proceed along Paradise Drive 1 mile to Paradise Foods on the right.

Coach & Parent Contacts: Julia Violich & Scott Nygaard
Julia Violich: (415) 308-1589
Scott Nygaard (Josef’s dad): (415) 722-5805, scottnyg@sbcglobal.net

Coach Laura will be at the Marin Country Day School to meet all the riders after the All Team Ride at the Tour of Marin. (After 11am). Come on down to the school after the ride for lunch and to meet some of the celebrities at the Tour of Marin.

BikeCal.com Article

Here's a nice article on Laura and Team Swift on BikeCal.com.

Cycle with Champions

Don't forget to send in your pre-registration entry form for this year's Cycle with Champions, Oct. 28. Pre-registration entries are due Monday, Oct. 15.

Swiftie Cyclocrossers on CyclingNews

It's not off-season for some Swifties, as these photos of Ryan Grant and Christian Villasana on CyclingNews prove.

Check Out This Mt. Bike Video

I'm holding the camera--not!
--Laura

Challenge Road Race

Lindsay Myers
Challenge Road Race
1st Place Senior Women Category IV

Ok, so they started the 3s and 4s together. They told us we could work with each other but not any other groups. I didn't want to take off on the first hill because I had no idea how strong any of the other girls were...they were good climbers. I stayed in the front, not letting anyone pass me, but I wasn't killing myself off. I made sure to keep my breathing under control on both the climbs. I stayed in the front and eventually on the climbs we broke into about 5 of us up front. We stayed together for most of it, got stuck behind the master 45 who wouldn't let us pass. Several people told me about the course--2 climbs, flats, rollers and an uphill finish. I didn't think the rollers would be so hard. They were uphill rollers if that makes sense. The girls go so slowly on the flats...I couldn't believe it. I stayed in front, but didn't want to make any huge effort pulling. On the rollers we dropped two more girls, so there were three of us together at the end. They were both cat 3. I came in the finish before the cat 3 and 4 women, but they cat 3 had another lap, so that really doesn't count. I was probably 20 min. ahead of the second cat 4 and I got 20 bucks!! Woo hoo!! It paid for gas at least.
So I hurt on the hills..the flats felt good, really good, but the hills hurt-I guess they're supposed to. I felt good though for my first ever race.
--Lindsay Myers


Tyler Brandt
Junior 17-18 year old
11th Place Elite 3
Ethan, Ryan and I set out for Live Oak on Friday afternoon. We planned to stay at my grandparent’s home that night and drive up to Challenge the next morning. This worked out well so that we did not have to wake up extremely early for the race. We made it out there and got registered, and pinned some numbers. It was actually quite cold in the early part of the morning, but that would not last for long. We made it over to the starting line and sat there for about 30 minutes. Velo Promo is always late, but I can not blame them because they provide so many races throughout the year for us, and I really appreciate that. Velo Promo races are what racing is all about; its races for riders who just love the sport as the only prize is a T-shirt. I must say though, a Velo-promo T-shirt is considered to be quite the trophy in the bike race world.

Well the course started out on a crazy neutral descent. I got in front for the neutral descent and stuck behind the motorcycle, it’s quite amazing how much draft you can get from those. The pavement was horrible for this descent, but my trusty Specialized and I glided over most of it. We started up the first climb and I began to do some tempo near the front, I was not going very hard but it felt good to open up the legs a little since I had very little warm up. After a bit I dropped back and put in a small attack. I got pulled back in and Ethan attacked and Ryan blocked on the front. I think that we may have started our tactics too early, but it was a lot of fun to ride with a team. Along the course we went onto a very nice paved descent, and it was pretty steep. We got going about 5 2 mph so that was quite a lot of fun. I personally enjoy windy technical descent more than pure speed, but there is just something about going over 50 mph on a bike that provides a thrill. I sat in for much of the lap and then we hit the feed zone climb. This climb is tough and it is absolutely wide open so the sun was just bearing down on us. I went with an attack on the climb just so that I could sit on and be in front of the pack so that I would have a buffer zone and not get dropped because I was suffering. I made it up to the feed zone and poured water all over myself and then I felt decent through the final climb.

The second lap I just hung in and tried to conserve. We started the feed zone climb and I once again went with the attack to provide some room. The pack started to break apart chasing us down and about 20 guys made it up to the break that I was in. I started to really suffer on it though and was barely hanging on to the back of the new pack. I made it to the feed zone once again and got some much needed water. I then went up near the front for the start of the other climb. I suffered my way through the first part and barely hung on. I made it back up to the front for the steep section of the climb, but I was dropped there. I made it to the top not to far back and the pack was just humming along now along the flat section. I snapped up into my big ring and gave it all I had to get back into the group. I went straight up near the front and started the final climb there. One guy attacked right at the start, but he was chased down relatively quickly. At the 1 KM sign the pace began to heat up, and I was stuck in the second row. I wanted to move up so I could be ready to move quickly on any attacks, but with the yellow line rule and the ref on the motorbike right behind us I had no where to go. I was suffering and I made it to the 200 meter sign where there was a large attack and I was not able to respond. I suffered my way to the end and got caught by Zach Williams and Ryan at the line. I think that I should have conserved more, but I also think that on this day some 8 other guys were better than me.

Thanks for reading,
Tyler

Mt. Tam Race Reports

Ryan Eastman
Mt. Tamalpais Hill Climb
Juniors 15-16
3rd place

We were all very excited for this race. It would be the last race of the season. So Tyler, Ethan and I went out the weekend before and rode the course to see where to attack and other tactics to use. The day finally came and I woke up early, so Ethan and I drove to Tyler’s and then got on our bikes and road from Fairfax up and over Mt. Tam to the start in Stinson Beach. The race started and before we would hit the climb we had to ride up Highway 1 for about 4 miles. We made that right-hand turn and we were now facing the base of the climb. It was basically a sprint from there, we were climbing at a very fast pace so there were not very many attacks, but there was a couple accelerations. I worked my way up to the front and I got there and started to ride a steady hard tempo so that nobody would want to attack. I was riding there for a long time and I noticed that the pace was getting a little hard on some others. So the road kicked up a bit and I attacked and flew u p the road. I knew this would be hard to follow, a few guys got across the gap. I created a break away of 6 guys including me and we dropped the rest of the field. I was super happy my chances of winning just increases by a lot and I was feeling good. We reached the top of the major climb that was around five, six miles of steady climbing. Now all that was left was the ridge that climbed up and then went down a bit and this repeated quite a few times. We hit the first one and it was tough and steep and the whole break made it up, we crested the top and rolled down. We gained some speed and real quick we hit the next little climbing and an attack was made, one guy chased it down and the others followed. It was difficult, we were all back together again and I don't know what happened I was finding my self drifting away from them. They got about 50 meters on me but I would not give up. They were now not getting any more distance on me. They rolled over the top and then went down and t hen a little later so did I. The next little climb was the longest and I new I could gain some ground I hit the climb and just put my head down and did not think about any thing else but each peddle stroke, didn't focus on the pain and I was riding back up to the pack. There was one small climb left before the finish and I was just hammering it. I caught the breakaway right before the little climb and Peter looked back and saw me, and I knew he was going to attack right then and sure enough he did. I just held the same pace and hammered it to the finish line and I got 3rd place. I was super happy with my result and my time 45:22.

Well this race concluded my first year racing, and it was the perfect race to do so. I am looking forward to getting a bit of rest in and I am especially looking forward to next season and where it will take me.

Ryan Eastman


Tyler Brandt
Mount Tam Hill Climb
4th Place Junior 17-18

The day started out good and ended well, but the middle involved some dead legs. I got up early and Ryan and Ethan drove over to my house and we went for a warm up over Tam. I could already tell that my legs were not feeling good, but you definitely do not want to admit that to yourself before a race. I just kept rolling along hoping that they would come around before the race. We got down to Stinson a bit slower than we would have hoped and that meant for a little bit of a rush of getting pre-race duties done. I made it to the line with plenty of time, but I couldn’t find Ryan or Ethan, but they both made it there on time and we were off. Ryan, Ethan and I had ridden the course the week before and we were all excited and prepared. There had not been many tough competitors pre-registered so we had thought about doing a tough pace along the flats in order to get a really good time. However, quite a few other strong riders had showed up so we decided to just sit in on the flats and take it easy. It was a good steady pace around 22 mph, I would have liked for them to go faster, but I wasn’t going to go on the front and waste myself, especially considering how my legs felt. We got near the hill and I made my way towards the front and started the hill up there. I soon realized that it was indeed true that my legs felt terrible and I was dying to hold onto the last wheel of the shattered front group. After a few miles of the climb I lost all contact and was left to fight it on my own. My legs felt horrible, but I just kept telling myself "Keep Fightin...keep fightin..." I was caught by Danimal (Daniel Tisdell) and I hung onto his wheel for a while. I was hoping that I could find my legs and catch some riders that would blow up from the front group. That did not happen and I gave it my all to the finish, but was definitely not happy about my result. I was more than 2 minutes slower than my time of last year! I was thoroughly disappointed, but I had a lot of fun descending down Panoramic back to Stinson. Ryan, Ethan, and I plus my father and his friend Jeff rode out in the general area of the Lighthouse. On the way out towards Pt. Reyes I was suffering horribly, but I eventually found some decent legs. Ryan and I raced up a couple hill with one leg and we made our way back to my house. We were even able to drill it for the last 8 miles and we made it back with 100 miles under our belts for the day.
-Tyler

Tyler Brandt's Blog

Check out Swiftie Tyler Brandt's new Blog--lots of great photos and race reports.

Coach Laura on the Web

Here's a great website about Laura Charameda's racing career, complete with cool photos and her palmares, which include many, many wins.