The winner of our 2009 Best Arizona Race contest is the UofA Criterium. Congratulations to the UofA Cycling Club and those involved with the race. As promised, there is a $250 check in the mail!

Now… we know there was a bit of huff and puff over the voting from last week. Let it be known to all that this is something we took very seriously. Within hours of the contest ending I received a proactive email from UofA Criterium co-promoter Melanie Meyers. She too was concerned and had already contacted the entire UofA Cycling Club for either an explanation or an apology. I spent most of my weekend contacting various club members and trading emails with Melanie. While I found no further reason to suspect any cheating or use of an IP scrambler, I did hear of the various methods the club members were using to gather their votes: mass emails to friends, family and coworkers; the UofA Listserv; texts to friends and family; and multiple Facebook posts. Not too mention a convenient resource readily available to a collegiate team: a library with 100′s of computers. From what I gathered, it was apparent the club mobilized and put together a solid and well rounded effort to secure the most votes and in doing so earn the race 250 more bucks for its 2010 edition – tentatively scheduled for January 30, 2010.

That’s all. It’s been put to rest and we’re comfortable and confident with this decision. I’ve contacted the folks with the Scottsdale GP and they’re cool with the outcome as well. Thanks to everyone who got excited about the poll, voted daily for their favorite race, and kept tabs on the front runners. We appreciate your enthusiasm for the local Arizona cycling scene and we plan to continue using this website as a platform to further support and develop our cycling community.

Thanks,

VelocityGroupCycling.com

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Next up… in the works is a 2010 Most Aggressive Rider series. Stay tuned for more details.