stuff passing the noggin'

i'm digging that Tina Pic won the Natz Crit this year. VanBodyGuilder has been an unstoppable force these past few weeks, and it was nice to see that the Pic'inator still has the gutz to stomp out there after her unspeakable crash from last year.

definitely one of the most dramatic pictures i've ever seen.
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It was cool to see that Shelley cooked out a 9-spot in the crit ... yet another top-10 in a National Championship for the powerhouse (track, cross, road ...). She's been getting results since February and is prolly gonna kick it strong all the way through to Track Natz. Well, i hope so anyway.

The NorCal women's scene made a pretty good kick this year, i have to say. VAC had Taitt and Martina both getting top-15s at Crit Natz - and they've had good representation all year long in the stage races and one-day events.

Their Aussie connection with Banks and Mactier paid big dividends and this squad was always in the mix at races. I think that Lisa Hunt put together an amazing first year unit and I look forward to seeing how they develop in '08.


MetroMint had a couple of huge results at SuperWeek this year ... those are big, big results for the regional squad. Eaken and Robertson are fast strong girls who love to race till they drop. And, still - one of my favorite episodes of the year was watching the Minties go nutz in the Kern Classic this year with Van Howeling. Great race, great racing.

CRC's Virginia Perkins is a rider I'll be watching next year. She has shown that she's not afraid to jump straight into the fire at races. The first time I noticed her showing that kind of fearlessness was in the Madera Crit this year. There was a TT later in the day for her, i believe, but she still went full-gas in that crit, even though it was well into the 90's on the F'u-mometer.

Another rider on the horizon for a possible break through next year would be Easton's Mary Ellen Ash. This is a rider that does most her work in the dirt ... but, after seeing her win a few crits this year and getting a chance to look at her ability in the velodrome - i think the girl's got some potential. She's only 26 or 27 and is still learning how to be efficient on the bike. Tough girl, too. Good future.

Touchstone started the year with a flurry of results from their strong-woman Jill McLaughlin. Her win at the Gila crit is definitely one for the memory books. But, we haven't seen much of her in the past few weeks and no word on her whereabouts has reached my ears, so i'm hoping everything is ok on her end.

What a huge talent Jill is - just a classic power rider. She is one of those women that a GC team will use as an "on-the-front" motor all day long. Hopefully Touchstone will keep a good stage racing team together, or maybe one of the more crit-specific teams in NorCal will look to add her to their roster as they attempt a transition into the world of GC.

Another rider who might make a splash next year is Velo Bella's Natasha Perry. I first saw her on a lunch ride that jettisons down Hwy 1 every Tuesday in the sCruz. It was a group of 20-25 riders, and she was one of only a handful that was motoring through a rotation at the front ... just killing it.

She's aggressive, loves to suffer, and has a remarkable ability to recover. She's one of those riders that you have to put the collar on to try and make her conserve energies for when it counts. She raced quite a bit these last couple months and instantly was garnering results for her teammates. i think with the experience of this year under her belt and a nice winter of training camps with us, she's going to have a blast next year and will take the team to the next level.

TIBCO and Webcor are the two consistent NRC squads from our area. The other teams all head to the big events when personal schedules and thin team resources allow ... but, these two teams have committed substantial scrilla to the big dance schedules and the results have shown.

Brooke Miller is a rider that could dominate the landscape for many a year. She's intelligent, fierce, saavy ... and learning to be a better rider. But, she's also a PhD-type yayhoo ... so, the lure of career might snake her away from giving us entertainment with her thighs. The team has done very, very well in supporting her for results this year - and Bastide and Marple have not been averse to getting out there to kick their own results whenever given chance. I was also very happy to see that Katie Lamden snagged a satisfying 2nd in GC at Fitchburg this year ... that's an impressive ride.

We'll see what direction the squad takes next year. Should be interesting.

I believe I read that Webcor is pushing on through next year with their sponsorship. That makes me happy, because I am a huge fan of this squad. I have always been impressed with the abilities of Curi, Rais, and Thorburn. I think they are the best women at stage racing in the US. And you add in that rising uber-talent of Abbott ... and we're talking a tsunami of strength and willpower.

One of my personal favorites has always been the Webcor rider Bev Harper. i think she fits really well into the needed mold of being an excellent ambassador of the sport. She's charming, professional in her demeanor to other women cyclists ... basically, does all the things right that improve our sport. Top notch. But really, you can say that about all the Webcor women ... complete professionals.

Who knows what the squad will focus on next year? ... i mean, there is little else remaining on the domestic front for this team to hunger for. But, it is the Beijing Olympics next year ... and you know that Thorburn will be ready for the TT. And ... i think that Abbott has a very, very good shot at medaling in the road race. But, the rules state only 3 women will be able to race per the Olympic selection criteria ... and with Neben, Armstrong, Pic, LVG, Carroll, etc ... it's going to be one helluva selection process to see who makes the show.


I'll be watching.