Boulder, Colorado October 15, 2006—When the members of the TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR Cyclo-Cross Team rolled to the start line in Gloucester, MA for the opening round of the 2006 Crank Brothers US Gran Prix of Cyclo-Cross Series, they not only began the third season for the national-level development program, but also set off on a pioneering environmental sustainability mission.
The American Cycling Association’s Junior and Under-23 cyclo-cross development program took inspiration from CLIF BAR’s exemplary sustainability commitment. The team is focusing on three major sustainability components:
1. Promoting CLIF BAR’s “Start Global Cooling” campaign: Through the wind energy company Native Energy, the team’s carbon footprint from the season’s travel miles will be offset by the purchase of wind energy credits. To learn more, visit www.nativeenergy.com.
2. Working with Boulder-based Eco-Cycle to become a Zero Waste operation: During team events in Boulder and when traveling to races, the team will be recycling and composting as much of its waste as possible. To learn more, visit www.ecocycle.org.
3. Supporting local and organic food sources: Team sponsor Door to Door Organics is providing each kid and their family with a box of fresh produce every week of the season, and when traveling to races the team is seeking out local and organic food sources to cook all of their meals. To learn more, check out www.doortodoororganics.com.
Each of these is a relatively small step towards sustainability, but each component will add up within the team, across the season, and will begin to make a difference. It is the team’s hope that through it’s sustainability education program and sustainable operations, it will help educate and inspire cyclists, teams, events, and the industry to start taking their own small steps towards sustainability.
On to the start of the race season: October 7-8 at the famous New England race venue Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, MA. Headlining the team’s development effort were three juniors who turned in outstanding performances. In the 15-16 age group, new team member Andrew Barker rode aggressively and notched two 3rd place finishes.
Cyclo-cross rookie Jim Lennon finished up his second cyclo-cross race ever in 4th place on Saturday, and then Sunday, Lennon and teammate Daniel Summerhill (defending Junior National Champ) put the USGP on notice that the junior field will continue to feature some of the most exciting racing of the series. The two used impressive teamwork to form 2/3 of the lead group, and Summerhill helped Lennon sprint to his first USGP win and the Series leader’s jersey – while taking 3rd place himself.
Next up for the team will be their hometown race weekend, round two of the USGP Series in Boulder and Longmont, CO.
You can keep up with the kids and find details about their in-progress website on their blog: www.eurocrossers.blogspot.com
Team Roster:
Andrew Barker (15) Golden, CO
Stu Gillespie (24) Boulder, CO
Alex Howes (18) Boulder, CO
Brady Kappius (19) Golden, CO
Jim Lennon (17) Centennial, CO
Taylor Phinney (17) Boulder, CO
Peter Stetina (19) Boulder, CO
Daniel Summerhill (17) Centennial, CO (2005 USGP and Jr National Champion)
Tejay van Garderen (18) Fort Collins, CO
Troy Wells (23) Durango, CO (2005 U23 National Champion)
2006 TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR Cyclo-Cross Team Sponsors:
CLIF BAR
American Cycling Association
5280 Magazine
Cyclocrossworld.com
Boulder Cycle Sport
Javelin bikes
Alpha Q forks
fi’zi:k saddles and bar tape
Crank Brothers pedals
Mavic wheels
Challenge tubular tires
Hutchinson clincher tires
Hincapie team clothing
SWIX baselayers and gloves
Sheila Moon accessories
Curve socks
JBV Coaching
Cycle-Smart, Solutions for Cycling
----
Exclusive Sustainability Partners:
CLIF BAR – The Natural Performance Enhancer
Pedro’s environmentally-friendly bike care products
Door to Door Organics produce delivery service
Patagonia outerwear
Equal Exchange Fair Trade coffee, tea and chocolate
----
Staff:
Ben Turner, team manager
John Verheul, team coach and assistant manager
Daimeon Shanks, mechanic
Nick Legan, mechanic
Reed McCalvin, soigneur
Rob Wuebker, sustainability consultant
Jason Kawakami, team chef
No comments:
Post a Comment