By Evie Boswell-Vilt
Starting a women's team is full of rewarding moments: new clothes, fast toys, unified teammates, worthwhile challenges. Oh, and "Look at me mom, I'm in Performance Bicycle's Catalog!" But the best thing is being part of a team that really wants to see more women on bikes and more women racing. We have fun riding our bikes and want other women to as well- after all, our signature line is Spin. Giggle. Sleep. Repeat.
The Race Scene: Performance Bicycle Racing has gotten off to a great start. We've had women from our Elite and Development teams take on the southeast racing schedule with zeal: Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee... and even a race out in California. We had a team at Sunny King's NRC race, with an 11th place finish, and had riders take to the line with some of the best female cyclists around in the USA Crit Series: SpeedWeek. Our Development team is not to be overlooked- they have worked hard as individuals and as a team in the early season, learning and getting stronger with every race! We are really proud of each race they have taken on! Both team's road racing schedules will continue all the way through September.
Our Equipment: Partnering with Performance Bicycle in our first year both as an organization and as a team could not have been sweeter. The elite team is racing the Fuji Supreme SL- a sleek, race ready machine with dimensions and specs that seem to fit each of our (very differently sized) riders as though they were custom. Ultegra components and a Mavic Ksyrium SL wheelset round out the package deal- it's stiff, and under 16 lbs (with carbon Forte' pedals and composite water bottle cages), it doesn't get much better. Louis Garneau makes our custom clothing (skin suits, vests, bib shorts, jerseys, gloves and arm warmers), has provided us with their top of the line Diamond Helmet and the superior fitting women's Revo XR2 shoes.
My Most Challenging Race So Far: Athen's Twilight- the first race of the 9 day, 7 race long week. It was raining... hard- more than once did I wish for scuba gear. I didn't finish, but I did love every minute of it. There was something about the thrill of racing around corners in the dark, barely being able to see through the torrential rain, that made me think of cyclocross- my first cycling passion. And I think I even counted on my fingers during the race to the number of months that await before rain and mud are a welcomed sight to race day, rather than an anxiety-ridden one. But I have to say, taking the line in front of the festive crowd with many women whose names i'd only previously read about in Cyclingnews, was 'worth the price of admission.' And though many of those top women are fierce on the bike, off the bike they are approachable and friendly- giving advice freely and with a smile. I learned a little more about racing and my abilities with each race of SpeedWeek. I plan to build on that knowledge gained over this season... and into my cyclocross one! ;-)
Our Clinics: As The SpokesWomen Syndicate, we are dedicated to providing encouragement and inspiration to women of all cycling abilities. Clinics are a way to connect with our community and to share our knowledge and passion for cycling with anyone who is willing. We charge money because we believe that commitment isn't free- and we use those funds to help support another passion of ours: World Bicycle Relief. When you attend a clinic of ours you get 4 hours of instruction by certified USAC and USAT coaches, hands-on bicycle maintenance and repair, training, bike-handling drills and pack instruction from elite-level racers. We love what we do- and we each practice these skills regularly. So, no matter what level of cycling you have achieved, there is something we can all learn or perfect from the clinic. We hope you and/or someone you know will join us soon!
Our Sponsors: Performance Bicycle. Fab'rik. Louis Garneau. Nuun. DeFeet. Ion Sports Nutrition.
Our Presence: Look for updates from the team on Performance's site- blog posts on our team and our team site. We are really excited to work with them to bring more focus to women's cycling. We aim to: Encourage. Inspire. Compete.
