Erica Allar takes 1st place at the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville!!

A Memorable Memorial Day Weekend of Racing for Team Colavita/Fine Cooking!Erica Allar takes 1st place at the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville!!

Edison, NJ - Colavita was proud to sponsor the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville and this year’s Mildred Kugler Women’s Open this past Memorial Day weekend, in Somerville, New Jersey.  It was a memorable Memorial Day weekend of racing for the Colavita/Fine Cooking Pro Cycling Team at the Tour of Somerville, Team Colavita’s “home race” due to its proximity to Colavita’s US headquarters. Erica Allar picked the perfect race to finish on top as most cyclists only hope to join the list of champions in what has become one of the most prestigious cycling events in America.  Allar was quick to give credit to her teammates. Allar says,

“With a full UHC team and other great talents, we knew it would be a tough battle. We entered the race with the plan to cover moves, make breaks and keep things mostly together in preparation for any trains that teams would set up. Lenore Pipes, Amy Good and guest rider Lauren Dagostino manned the race from the get go, riding at the front making sure no moves went up the road. Jen Purcell and I were able to sit towards the front, waiting for the right time to go. With about 225 meters left, I hit jumped and initiated my sprint passing the UCH train to take the win”.  
For the first time in years the Women’s Pro race was put back onto the NCC calendar making it the 6th stop and an important one for the team and its goals to stand on top in both the individual and team classifications for the NCC competition. Erica Allar tightened her grip on the 1st place standing in the overall individual standings and Team Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli holds the 2nd place standing in the overall team classification.  Jen Purcell and Lenore Pipes took 6th and 10th place respectively.

At the USA Pro Cycling Time Trial and Road Race Championships, in Chattanooga, TN, Colavita/Fine Cooking’s Jessi Prinner started off the weekend with an impressive 8th place finish in the Individual Time Trial. The time trial course was held adjacent to the Volkswagen Manufacturing Facility and featured rolling terrain.  Prinner held the top position for the majority of the day once she crossed the line with a time of 44:43.  Jessi is the current collegiate national champion in the time trial discipline, with a bright future ahead.  Whitney Shultz, also put in an impressive ride finishing the day in 16th place.   

The US Pro Championships finished up with the Women’s 64.7 mile road race on Monday that showcased downtown Chattanooga, along with the famed climb up Lookout Mountain and newly installed leg burner, Kent Street Wall.  Colavita/Fine Cooking’s Mary Zider, Jessi Prinner, and Whitney Schultz rode the team colors with distinction in this very challenging course.  Mary Zider and Jessi Prinner demonstrated their climbing prowess early on but were unable to overcome moves from teams with larger squads. Jessi and Mary were able to work together in a small group finishing the race together in 16th and 21st place respectively.

Riding in Boulder Colorado at Valmont Park with Cesar Grajales and Sean Baker

Guys are putting Stradalli TWO07 26B and 29er full carbon MTBs through their paces in Colorado.

Cesar Grajales demonstrating his skills catching some air.

Stradalli Hit Trails in Colorado

Nice to hit Picture Rock Trails in Lyons, Colorado with Cesar Grajales and Jim Glose from DT-Swiss.
Great way to check out performance of Stradalli full carbon TWO07 26b bike and full carbon 29er now equipped with new DT-Swiss wheels with 240 hub.

Cesar Grajales doing wheelie. Focus on camera did not cooperate.

 Stradalli TWO07 26b full carbon just loves to pose in Colorado

Cesar Grajales KILLED Tom AGAIN :)

Thomas Steinbacher, Cesar Grajales, Jim Glose from DT-Swiss

Mountain Biking in Boulder, CO

Memorial day weekend mountain biking in Boulder Colorado with MTB legend Cesar Grajales, what a special treat!

Pictures from his home and garage:

Poster from the time when Cesar Grajales beat Lance Armstrong

Colavita to Sponsor 2014 Middle Earth Tour of Somerville!

 

USA Cycling Professional Road & Time Trial National Championships and the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville Rosters Announced!    Colavita to Sponsor 2014 Middle Earth Tour of Somerville! Photo credit Jonathan Devich Edison, NJ - Jessi Prinner, Whitney Schultz, and Mary Zider will represent the Colavita/Fine Cooking / Stradalli Women's Pro Cycling Team at the Volkswagen/USA Cycling Professional Road & Time Trial National Championships on May 24th and 26th, in Chattanooga, TN.  Jessi Prinner has delivered impressive results in time trials, just recently taking 1st place in the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships Individual Time Trial. Whitney Schultz will also participate in the Time Trial. Both Prinner and Schultz will be joined by Mary Zider for the road race on Memorial Day.   For more information on this event visit: http://www.usacycling.org/2014/pro-road-time-trial-nationals Colavita is proud to sponsor the Middle Earth Tour of Somerville and this year's Mildred Kugler Women's Openon Memorial Day weekend in Somerville, New Jersey. Team Colavita/Fine Cooking will be participating with a 6 rider hit squad for the 6th stop on the NCC calendar. The roster will include Erica Allar, Laura Brown, Amy Good, Lenore Pipes, Jen Purcell, and guest rider Lauren Dagostino. Along with Colavita, The Downtown Somerville Alliance is excited to see this 'legendary event' on the USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar where it belongs. Colavita's financial sponsorship enabled the women's pro race to qualify for the NCC status. John Profaci, Vice President of Marketing at Colavita shared, "I'm absolutely thrilled to see the continued success of the Tour of Somerville in my home state of New Jersey. We are very proud to provide sponsorship for a race of this caliber. It's a race that has been important for amateur and professional teams sponsored by Colavita for more than ten years." The Tour of Somerville is a 3-day competition for professional and amateur cyclists, and has become a Memorial Day weekend tradition. For over 70 years, this event has attracted many tens of thousands of people to Somerville from all over the nation to cheer-on the competing cyclists and enjoy vendors, live music and family-fun activities. On Monday, the professional ladies will toe the line, keeping their eyes on the prize in the 20 mile criterium race. In addition to cash winnings, each cyclist hopes to be among the list of champions in what has become one of the most prestigious cycling events in America, widely known as "The Kentucky Derby of Cycling."   Erica Allar now holds the number one spot in the NCC individual overall standings and Team Colavita/Fine Cooking - Stradalli currently sits 3rd in the NCC Team Classifications standings. For more information on this event visit:  http://www.tourofsomerville.org/index.html

NCC: Allar Moves Into Hot Seat in Women's Standings After Wilmington Grand Prix

WOMEN

In the bunch sprint that ensued at the end of the women's race, Tina Pic (Hailey, Idaho/Fearless Femme) crossed the line victorious ahead of second- and third-place finishers Erica Allar (Tucson, Ariz./Colavita-Fine Cooking –Stradalli Cycle) and Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./Mellow Mushroom p/b Pink Siren). Pic's win earned her 120 points and moved her into fifth-place in the women's NCC standings . Allar's second-place effort earned her 90 points for a total of 285 which was enough to overtake the hot seat from Coryn Rivera (Tustin, Calif./UnitedHealthcare) who was not present in Wilmington. Rivera moved into third in the standings and Van Gilder moved from fourth into second. Alison Powers (Pinecliffe, Colo./UnitedHealthcare) who was also not present in Wilmington, dropped from second to fourth. 

The UnitedHealthcare women's team has tallied 515 points compared to the 493 accumulated by second-place Colavita-Fine Cooking – Stradalli Cycle

Preparing for RAAM Race. Micky Dymond visits Shimano to get his Stradalli Pantom II set up. Video.

 Getting ready for 2015 RAAM race. Motocross legend Micky Dymond visits Joe Lawwell at Shimano factory to get his full carbon Stradalli Phantom II time trial bike set up with top of the line Shimano DURA-ACE 11components.

Team Colavita/ Fine Cooking on the Podium Again...this time at the Wilmington Grand Prix!

Team Colavita/ Fine Cooking on the Podium Again...this time at the Wilmington Grand Prix! Erica Allar takes Second Place ! Wilmington, DE - This past Saturday was a picture perfect day for Crit racing and Team Colavita/Fine Cooking took advantage of the conditions. From the outset the team was active and helped set the tempo early at the Wilmington GP, the fifth stop on the NCC calendar.  On a fast technical eight corner course many attempts for break-aways were tried but nothing was able to stick, as the peloton was unwilling to let anything get away.  In the final laps of the race Team Colavita/Fine Cooking was present at the front ensuring the tempo stayed high and working to position Allar for the final sprint.  Allar took her position for the final sprint and unleashed for the line, only to be nipped in the closing meters. Allar finished with a thrilling second place.  The combined stellar efforts of Allar, Mary Zider and Jessi Prinner throughout the race have the team carrying a fair amount of confidence into the Tour of Somerville, in Somerville, NJ on Memorial Day. Erica Allar sits in second place in the NCC overall individual standings and Team Colavita continues to climb the ladder in the Team Classification, currently sitting in 2nd place.