After some voting, some thinking, and some insight from you all, we’ve decided to introduce a Forum to this site.

All we ask is this: lets do our best to keep this forum positive and not some sort of grounds for bashing folks.

I fully support debate, discussion, and banter, but let’s keep it ‘above the belt’.

To access the Forum, click “The Forum” tab at the top of this page. There is one post that is a requested read before you ‘register’ for an account. Read it over as it sheds some insight in to the Forum and the registration process.

Best of all, the Forum will now allow us to pull in more community participation and enable this website to better circulate Arizona cycling information. That’s our goal!!

Thanks.

Admin

Jarrod Barnes with azCROSS created some very cool digital art for the 2009 AZ State Champs.

Here is a sample or two:

Get the full scoop and all the photos here.

The 2010 Arizona cycling calendar has been posted!! Well, somewhat…

Here’s what we’ve done. The 2010 calendar, in its entirety, has been posted to our ‘Results’ page - click the ‘Results’ page, scroll down, check it all out -.  Just as we did last year, as each race’s results become available we make them accessible by clicking on the race name. More than likely you’ll be able to view the results in PDF format… sometimes Excel. It’s very important to us that we make results available AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE RACE PROMOTER. An annoyance of ours are results that are not available until a week or two after the event. So, rest assured that we will post the results as soon as we get them.

Now back to the calendar…

The entire calendar has been posted to the ‘Results’ page. The first few months of the calendar has been posted to the ‘Calendar’ page with more races being posted shortly. As more and more race flyers are available we will post them to the ‘Calendar’ page as well.

Again, we want to be a reliable source for Arizona cycling news… i.e. race flyers and race results. Feel confident that as soon as information is available you will be able to find it on this site.

Back to work,

Admin

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.

Updated Friday, December 18th @ 5:00pm.

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Alright…

You and I… we both know this is going to get a little sticky.

Give me a few days to sort this one out.

On initial glance, a few interesting things happened since sunrise: The UofA Criterium picked up well over 100 votes, this website’s traffic picked up well over 100 Tucson-based page views, 90% of those were 1st time visitors, and they only stayed on this site for an average of 15 seconds (less the 10% as long as the average of any other municipalities viewers).

Either one hell of a rally for the UofA Criterium, or an IP scrambler. To be fair to all, let me get my Magnum P.I. on and get back to you.

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This one is simple…

What was the best Arizona one-day race of 2009? Think about it… rack your brain… ask your friends… Twitter it… think about it some more…

and vote below.

We’ll give $250 to the winner of the “2009 Arizona’s Best One-Day Race” to be used at the event’s 2010 edition as prize money and/or primes. It’s that simple.

Voting begins Monday, December 14th and closes Friday, December 18th at 5:00pm Arizona time. You can vote once a day. Your teammates and club members can vote too. Get on it!

*Only one-day mass start events apply.*

As you probably noticed, there’s a new advertiser present on velocitygroupcycling.com. We’re very proud to announce the new support of VeloVie, makers of high performance road, triathlon, and cyclocross bikes. A proud supporter of the Arizona cycling community, VeloVie has graciously agreed to advertise with us for the next year!

As is our promise, we only look to promote and feature “local goods” on our site. Whether it be the new category 3 hotshot, an up-and-coming junior racer, or an international bike manufacturer based in Arizona, we’re all about the local goods. We’d like to thank VeloVie for their support of velocitygroupcycling.com and the Arizona cycling community as a whole.

Thanks,

Editor.

In 2007, Craig Streit burst onto the Arizona scene and made waves in the category 3 field. He had a quick sprint and an ability to read races. In a short period of time he was able to gather the necessary points to make the jump up to the Pro 1-2 field. It didn’t take long before Craig found his way in the 1-2’s and as he mention’s below, achieved his goal of a category 1 upgrade. What’s next for Craig? Read below and learn a little more about him, his motivations, and his idea of the ideal tandem partner.

Enjoy.

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VGC:  When did you begin riding? Why?

I started riding just after high school, just to stay in shape. I pulled out my old, childhood huffy mountain bike at first. Then, my boss lent me his Raleigh to compete in a fund raise raiser race. I won my age group, and I was hooked. I didn’t really start racing until I returned from my trans-America ride back in 2002.

VGC: Wait, back up the car… “trans-America ride”… What’s that all about?

In the summer of 2002, I did a trans-america ride to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s disease (through the Michael J. Fox Foundation). At the time, my grandfather was suffering from the disease and I wanted to do something to help. I rode solo and self contained. I pulled a BOB trailer with all my camping gear, clothing, food, water, and spare parts. I started just north of LA and rode to Virgina Beach. It took 45 day (40 riding days and 5 rest days). The trip was right at 3700 miles.

VGC: Wow, 3,700 miles in 45 days. That sounds tough. With that many miles in your legs, what type of training are you doing at the moment?

No structured training right now. I’m done racing for the season so I’m not training. I’m taking a break and just riding a 3-4 days a week, just when I feel like it. No real schedule “training” until November to get ready for next season.

VGC: What is your favorite training ride in Arizona?

BOS (including riding down to the lake). It’s a great ride to test your fitness against some of the top cyclist in AZ. And, if you ride down to the lake, it’s a great, long training ride.

VGC: What is your best Arizona racing memory?

Winning the Cat 3 state crit in ’07. It was truly a team effort. We had 9 guys 100% committed to getting this win, and we made it happen. This win was especially sweet considering the state crit had been a goal of mine for the two years previously, but ended in crashes both years.

...with a little help from my friends.

VGC: Do you have a favorite Arizona race, past or present?

I really liked the Globe Crit. I love tough crit courses and that was the hardest course I’ve raced in AZ.

VGC: What are your hobbies off the bike?

Hanging out with my friends and enjoying a few adult beverages. I also like hiking, camping, etc. Basically anything active and outdoors.

VGC: If you had to pick another sport to excel in which would it be and why?

I don’t know if you’d call it a sport, but I’d like to get into motorcycle racing. It’d be an adrenaline overload. I’ve always had a need for speed.

VGC: That explains your gravitation to crit sprints! Are there any cyclists you admire? Why?

Jens Voigt – He’s always giving his all, attack after attack, and never gives up…..and gets results to reward his efforts.

VGC: What are your goals for the 2009 season? Have you been able to achieve them?

Win a race – I’ve won 3 races this year. Get my Cat 1 upgrade – Check I was hoping to get a top 10 at a Superweek race – Didn’t quite pull that one off….maybe next year

Craig winning by um, er, 10 bike lengths?

VGC: What’s on your iPod right now?

Nothing, I don’t listen to an iPod when I’m riding. I enjoy just being out on the road.

VGC: If you had to be stuck on a tandem with one person for 100 miles, who would it be? Why?

Liz Hatch. She’s hot and a great cyclist.

VGC: Thanks for your time Craig. Best of luck next season.

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This popular photo from April, 1976 appeared on the cover of Arizona Cycling in June of that year. It was the final sprint in the final stage of the Mount Lemmon Stage Race; a criterium in downtown Tucson. It was popular because it showed the intense rivalry between three of Arizona’s top cyclists, a rivalry that lasted throughout the 1970’s and which resulted in many exciting and sometimes controversial races. The G.C. had already been determined and the riders needed only to finish with the gruppo. But the three came out of the pack and sprinted for the stage just to try
and out do the other. The riders, best known for their specialties, are from Left: Russell Mallams, Flagstaff (Time Trialing/Breakaways/Pursuiting), Center: Tom Nesdill, Phoenix (Road Racing/Hill Climbing), and Right: Alan Johnson, Phoenix (Criteriums/Sprinting). Notice the hairnet helmets, toe clips and straps, and brake
cables.

The Cat 1&2 final results were as follows. Perhaps some of your readers will remember some of these names and teams.
1. Bob Cook, Hammer-Cool Gear
2. Tom Nesdill, CCC (Phoenix Consumers Cycling Club)
3. David Lash, PRP
4. Andy Zollar, T.W. (Tucson Wheelmen)
5. Barry Smith, T.W.
6. Eric Madson, Aspen, Monte of Italy
7. Russell Mallams, CAS
8. Alan Johnson, Montrose-Suntour Nishiki
9. Ralph Phillips, PRP
10. Tom Kelly, PRP

Bob Cook and Andy Zollar each went on to win the La Vuelta de Bisbee, considered the most difficult stage race in North America at the time. Bob Cook was a Colorado native who studied engineering at the UofA and who raced in Arizona during the school year. He was considered by many to be the best pure climber in the U.S. He, unfortunately, died at the young age of 21, I’m told, and the Mount Hood Classic in Colorado is named in his memory. The only rider on the list to remain active in cycling throughout his life, that I know of, is Ralph Phillips. Ralph was a top road racer who is well known in the Tucson area for his support of the sport as a promoter and business owner. Perhaps your readers may know if any of the others are still riding their bikes??

-Alan Johnson

The photo as seen on the cover of Arizona Cycling, June 1976.