Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli's Olivia Dillon Finishes in Top Ten Overall at North Star Grand Prix!

Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli's Olivia Dillon Finishes in Top Ten Overall at North Star Grand Prix! Tour of America's Dairyland Roster Announced Photo Credits Jonathan Devich Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli brought a versatile squad of sprinters, time trialists, and strong all-arounders to the North Star Grand Prix in Minnesota.  Day 1 - stage two (stage 1 was a morning time trial), at the St. Paul Criterium Dillon took a solo flyer to win the first sprint points competition ten laps into the race, and was able to hold her solo move for the next five laps.  With time bonuses on the line, teams were not willing to let Dillon remain off the front and she was eventually reeled back.  However, Dillon had a different plan and several laps later, she broke away again from the pack for the next sprint points competition with 8 laps to go, securing her place as the "Penn Cycle Most Aggressive Rider".  The fast paced and technical course was filled with many crashes, one of which caused Lindsay Bayers and Whitney Schultz to go down late in the race. Both riders were OK and able to start the next day's stage. Lenore Pipes held great position in the final laps ending the day with an impressive 6th place finish.   Photo Credits Jonathan Devich    Dillon continued to ride strong through the remaining stages and heading into the final stage sat 11th overall in the general classification (GC) and 2nd in the sprints point classification.  The final stage, The Stillwater Criterium, includes the famed Chilkoot Hill, with an average gradient of 18%. The famed hill climb along with the very technical downhill turns always weeds out the field very quickly, giving the stage the reputation as one of the hardest in North America. Olivia Dillon, went in with high motivation to finish in the GC top ten and as a result of smart, tactical racing she did it!  Dillon finished in 10th place overall and took 3rd place in the overall sprint competition. A small squad consisting of Erica Allar, Jessi Prinner and Jen Purcell will head to the Tour of America Dairyland's starting on June 19th in Wisconsin. Two of the 11 events fall on the NCC Calendar - on Saturday, June 21st the Giro d' Grafton and Sunday, June 22nd The Waukesha Carl Zach Cycling Classic.  Both events will be key races the squad will certainly look to secure podium spots to help Allar maintain her overall lead in the NCC individual competition. Team Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli is also looking to re-gain the top spot back in the Team Overall Classification.     Ready to ride like the pros? Check out these tips from Team Colavita riders and staff:  Click here to read Olivia Dillon's "Mixing it Up!"

Colavita Remains on Top in the NCC!

Team Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli Women's Pro Team Announces Split Roster for the NCC Weekend at Saint Francis Tulsa Tough and Air Force Classic! Colavita Remains on Top in the NCC!        Photo credits Jonathan Devich Edison, NJ - Team Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli continues to dominate the NCC, overtaking the top spot in the overall Team Standings this past weekend, while continuing to hold onto the top Individual Standings (Erica Allar). With both top spots secured by Colavita/Fine Cooking/Stradalli the team will look to send split squads to both NCC events this weekend.   In Tulsa, OK the Saint Francis Tulsa Tough is a 3-day omnium event that includes three technical courses starting on Friday evening at 7:55pm with the McNellie's Group Blue Dome Criterium. The weekend wraps up Sunday afternoon with the River Parks Criterium which includes the famed, "Cry Baby Hill". The roster will include: Erica Allar, Jen Purcell, Jessi Prinner, and Mary Zider. Purcell took second place in last year's Cry Baby Hill Crit and third place in the overall omnium. The Air Force Association Cycling Classic's Clarendon Cup will start on Saturday morning in the heart of Arlington's Clarendon business district on a technical 1Km course and wrap on Sunday with the Crystal Cup's 2Km course. The roster will include: Lindsay Bayer, Laura Brown, Olivia Dillon, Lenore Pipes, and Whitney Schultz. Bayer took 2nd place in last year's Crystal Cup and 3rd place in the overall omnium

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.

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