In its drive to support elite level women’s racing, the Alto Velo Racing Club is proud to present the Webcor Alto Velo Bridge Team presented by SportVelo for the second straight year. The “Bridge Team”, as it is called by those close to the program, was set up to help young women riders interested in progressing from regional-level races to races on the US National Racing Calendar (NRC.)
The inaugural year was extremely successful by any program’s standards, with outstanding performances from all riders. The team capped a successful season with several end-of-season wins, including the Berkeley Criterium, Colavita Criterium, Spring Hill Road Race, and a third place podium spot at the U23 National Criterium Championships. In addition to strong individual performances, the “Bridge Team” was 5th overall in the NCNCA Women’s Elite 1/2 Best Area Team competition.
For 2010 the team has a mix of new and returning riders on the roster. Lauren Hecht (23 Menlo Park, Ca) is returning in her 4th year on Webcor Alto Velo. Lauren will be riding in Europe this spring and return to the US to improve upon her 3rd place Criterium finish at the 2009 U23 Nationals.
Santa Clara Freshman Maura Kinsella (19 Webster, MO) is joining the team to race her first year in the senior ranks. Maura is an accomplished junior with outstanding results from 2009 US Junior National Championship which include a 3rd in the criterium, 5th in the time trial, and 6th in the road race. In addition to her strong performance at nationals, Maura had several wins and podiums in the Elite 3/4 and junior ranks while racing in Missouri.
Ange McClure (19, Adelaide, AUS) will be joining the team in the spring from Australia where she is an aspiring pro cyclist and full time student. The Bridge Team is excited for Ange to join the team as the first “international” member to participate in the program. Ange is finishing up the summer racing season in Australia and turned in an impressive performance at Australian U23 nationals 5th place finish in the RR
The “Bridge” program is funded by Webcor Alto Velo and SportVelo, which are committed to helping women riders of all abilities develop their racing skills. A major focus of the Bridge Team is to enable riders advancing through USA Cycling categories to participate, race and train with the Bridge Team once they upgrade to Elite 3 racing category. This program is open to all women club members, who are encouraged to contact the Team Director (Dan Smith - dan@sportvelo.com ) to learn more about coaching and racing opportunities. The Bridge Team continues to recruit Elite level riders interested in joining a focused program that offers race and travel subsidies to qualified team members.
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