Tag Archives: raphael gagne

CANNONDALE, SUGOI AND 360FLY CREATE NEW CROSS-COUNTRY MTB TEAM

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Cannondale announced today a partnership with SUGOI Apparel and 360fly to create North America’s most powerful cross-country mountain bike team for the 2016 season – Cannondale 360fly, powered by SUGOI.

“Cannondale 360fly, Powered by SUGOI brings together three innovative brands with trailblazing technology to fuel North America’s fastest domestic mountain bikers,” said Matt Ohran, Team Director, Cannondale 360fly, powered by SUGOI. “This team has the talent to stand atop any North American XC race podium.”

Evelyn Dong seen here winning the 2015 Park City Point 2 Point. Photo by: Angie Harker

Evelyn Dong seen here winning the 2015 Park City Point 2 Point. Photo by: Angie Harker

The team will be comprised of five standout athletes:

  • Raphaël Gagné, Canada: 2015 Pan Am Games Gold Medalist, 2015 Canadian National XC and CX Champion, 2015 Pro XCT Overall winner
  • Alex Grant, USA: 2015 US Nationals 3rd place in both XC and Short Track and winner of the Grand Junction Off-Road
  • Evelyn Dong, USA: 2015 Go Pro Games Champion, Overall Winner at the 2015 Breck Epic MTB Stage Race, 2014 3rd place at US XC Nationals
  • Keegan Swenson, USA: 2015 2nd place at US XC Nationals, 2014 U23 US National Champion, 4x Junior US XC National Champion
  • Tinker Juarez, USA: Multiple USA National XC and 24-Solo MTB Championships, 2x Olympian, 22-year Cannondale athlete and general bad-ass bike rider

The team trucks will be loaded with the Scalpel and the F-Si, two of the most race-proven bikes in the world, and the athletes will choose the ideal machine depending upon course demands. The Cannondale Scalpel delivers the ultimate XC speed in a full suspension bike and the F-Si boasts maximum performance in a cross-country hardtail.

“In supporting this team, Cannondale is turning up the level of excitement in elite racing in North America,” said Hannah Parish, Marketing Director for Cycling Sports Group, North America. “This roster is incredibly talented on the bike and remarkably engaging off the bike and that personality and performance will get our fans on their feet and cheering.”

SUGOI will be supporting the Cannondale 360fly team as the Official Performance Apparel sponsor. Team riders will enjoy the brand’s latest advancements in pro apparel, including the all-new 2016 Racing System Elite (RSE) Jersey and Bib Short. The RSE kit is SUGOI’s lightest kit ever, engineered to provide maximum performance and comfort, anchored by the Formula FXE chamois with pioneering cradle design. Team replica kits will be available for sale at select SUGOI dealers around the continent.

“Having elite level athletes working in collaboration with our product teams to design and develop the next generation of XC race apparel is invaluable to Sugoi,” said Ian Domaas, Vice President & GM, SUGOI.

Alex leads a group down the Beatrice descent at the world cup in Mount St. Anne

Alex leads a group down the Beatrice descent at the world cup in Mount St. Anne

As the official camera, 360fly will capture fully immersive 360° video content. The interactive 360° video is easily shared to social channels such as Facebook and YouTube via the 360fly smartphone app. Additionally, by pairing the video with Google Cardboard, fans can experience the team’s videos in virtual reality.

“We’re excited to be partnering with such great brands and supporting such a talented team of riders,” said Peter Adderton, 360fly CEO. “For the first time fans will be able to view videos and experience them as if they were there.”

Cannondale 360fly, powered by SUGOI will also be supported by these important partners:

  • Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB): For tires, saddles, and grips
  • ENVE: For wheels, handlebars, and seatposts
  • Shimano: For components and shoes
  • Stages Cycling: For Hollowgram crank arm based power meters

Axial Racing: The official RC Car of The Cannondale 360Fly, providing “off the bike fun” for the team and support staff

US Cup Finals – Colorado Springs, CO

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Gagne and Pendrel win final round and overall of 2015 US Cup in Colorado Springs

Canadians Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) and Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) won the final round of the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Cannondale in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The wins gave both the overall 2015 US Cup titles as well.

Elite women

A 40-strong field of the top women in North America toed the line for the 2015 US Cup finale, including six National Champions from six different countries:  Canada, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Columbia, Ecuador. Chloe Woodruff (Team Stans NoTubes) took hole-shot and set the early pace on the first lap. Later on that same lap, Catherine Pendrel (Luna Pro Team) moved past Woodruff and only teammate Katerina Nash could follow. These two would stay off the front for the majority of the race.

Chloe Woodruff (Team Stans NoTubes) and Erin Huck (Scott 3 Rox) led the chase group, which ballooned and shrunk over and over again with Larissa Connors (Ridebiker Alliance), Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team), and Rose Grant (Team Stans NoTubes) all coming back to them before being dropped.

In the end, things were all decided on the final quarter lap when the lead group split in half and the chasing group was shattered. Pendrel attacked Nash within the final mile to win solo by just 15 seconds. The rest of the field staggered in one at a time, evidence of just how hard the racing had been.

Further evidence of the difficulty was that as the temps rose from the high 70’s to the low 90’s, the womens’ lap times slowed from 15 to over 17 minutes throughout the day. The wind also picked up and made for a tough headwind on the long climb.

Series leader Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) started and rode in the main chase group for the first ten minutes, but pulled out and was a DNF on the first lap, apparently with difficulty breathing.

 

Elite men

The Elite men started in the high heat and Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) took the lead shortly after the first corner and didn’t let off the gas all day. After one lap, only Russell Finsterwald (SRAM / Troy Lee Designs) and Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) were left on his wheel.

Gagne sat 3rd wheel and rarely took a pull, while Finsterwald moved to the front on a few descents but never was able to create any separation. By lap two a four-man chase group had formed consisting of Geoff Kabush and Derek Zandstra (both Scott 3 Rox Racing) and Keegan Swenson and Stephen Ettinger (both Team Sho-Air / Cannondale). It was Kabush who did the lion’s share of the work in this group for most of the six-lap race, while the Sho-Air / Cannondale duo looked under pressure in the group and were eventually dropped.

With one lap to go, the lead three slowed as Wells sat up and the gap came down to just fifteen seconds. Kabush took off in pursuit of the leaders but Gagne attacked hard with just one kilometer to go and took Wells and Finsterwald with him, eventually taking the win by just a few seconds.

Wells and Finsterwald had a tight sprint for second place that the officials gave to Finsterwald. Wells was clearly upset after the race and filed an official complaint with the UCI. They did not change their ruling and the result stood.

Click Here for full pro women’s results

Click Here for full pro men’s results

Colorado Springs cross country brief results

Elite women

1 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) Luna Pro Team 1:34:48
2 Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) Luna Pro Team 1:35:02
3 Erin Huck (United States) Scott 3 Rox 1:36:35
4 Chloe Woodruff (United States) Team Stans NoTubes 1:37:18
5 Georgia Gould (United States) Luna Pro Team 1:37:41

Elite men

1 Raphael Gagne (Canada) Rocky Mountain Bicycles; 1:36:28
2 Russell Finsterwald (United States) SRAM / TLD Race Team; 1:36:29
3 Todd Wells (United States) Specialized Factory Racing; 1:36:29
4 Geoff Kabush (Canada) Scott 3 Rox Racing; 1:36:30
5 Derek Zandstra (Canada) Scott 3 Rox Racing 1:36:44

USA Cycling US Cup Series Final Standings

Elite women

1 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) Luna Pro Team; 175 points
2 Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) Luna Pro Team; 144 points
3 Emily Batty (Canada) Trek Factory Racing; 140 points
4 Georgia Gould (United States) Luna Pro Team; 138 points
5 Erin Huck (United States) Scott 3 Rox Racing; 130 points

Elite men

1 Raphael Gagne (Canada) Rocky Mountain Bicycles; 175 points
2 Derek Zandstra (Canada) Scott 3 Rox Racing; 94 points
3 Todd Wells (United States) Specialized Factory Racing; 91 points
4 Stephen Ettinger (United States) Sho-Air/Cannondale; 91 points
5 Sergio Mantecon (Spain) Trek Factory Racing; 91 points

US CUP #1 Bonelli Park, California – XC

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Batty and Gagne make a Canadian sweep of USA Cycling US CUP Round 1 at Bonelli Park

Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing) and Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) won round 1 of the USA Cycling US Cup Pro Series presented by Cannondale at Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas, California, on Saturday afternoon. The opening round was greeted with clear sunny skies and temperatures in the 90’s, making for a hot, dry and dusty day of racing at the highest level.

Elite women

The women got things underway after a series of amateur events and the action heated up quickly. A fifty-plus size field took off from under the Kenda arch and it was Catharine Pendrel of the Luna Pro Team who took the whole shot and the early lead after the short start loop.

The Luna-led front group of five slowly peeled away and separated from the pack, only to be joined by the day’s revelation, Larissa Connors on lap one.

The Southern-California based high school math teacher soon found herself racing with World Champions, World Cup winners and Olympic medalists. Connors (Ridebiker Alliance) would at times prove to be the strongest climber of the front bunch, but would occasionally drop back from the leaders only to fight back over and over to bring them back after falling off the pace.

Luna’s Georgia Gould put in a hard effort towards the top of the first major climb of the day, which settled the formation of the front group of six as: Pendrel, Gould and Nash (Luna Pro Team); Emily Batty (Trek Factory Racing); Chloe Woodruff (Team Stan’s NoTubes-Niner) and Connors (Ridebiker Alliance). Behind them, the chase was led by Evelyn Dong (Sho-Air/Cannondale), Lesley Patterson (Scott Bikes) and Lea Davison (Specialized Factory Racing).

On lap three of the seven-lap race, Nash and Woodruff would drop off the front group after pressure from Gould and Pendrel, with Batty calmly sitting in and Connors continuing to battle back to the leaders.

The race settled into this rhythm with little change until the final lap, when Batty finally made her move on the first ascent after the line. Putting in a strong attack, Batty got the gap needed and continued to put pressure on Pendrel for the remainder of the race to finish with a 39 second win over the current World Champion Pendrel, with Gould in third, Connors in fourth and Woodruff in fifth.

“What an awesome start to the season,” said Batty. “I worked really hard over the winter and spring. My confidence is there, my Trek equipment is dialed in, so it’s really motivating knowing that the hard work paid off. The Luna girls are always ‘on’ so it’s always a challenge and it defines that level of competition!”

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Raphael Gagne leads Max Plaxton in Bonelli – photo courtesy of RideBiker Alliance

 

 

Elite men

The men’s race was shortened by a lap due to the heat and would also be seven laps of the tough Bonelli Park course. With temperatures already topped out, the men set off, with Italy’s Andrea Tiberi getting the wholeshot and fellow Italian Marco Aurelio Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing) taking over the lead on the first full lap.

Fontana’s teammate Manuel Fumic then took the lead and for a brief moment it was Cannondale Factory Racing in first, second and third, as Anton Cooper (New Zealand) benefitted from a strong start to claim his spot near the front. 2014 overall US CUP champion Geoff Kabush (Canada) slotted into fourth with Kerry Werner (Raleigh Clement Cycling Team) ensuring an American spot in the top five.

Just into the second lap, Fumic put in a hard effort to get the gap he wanted, with Gagne trailing at fifteen seconds. Behind, Sergio Mantecon (Trek Factory Racing), Cooper and Fontana, Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing), Kabush and Werner formed the chase group.

On the second lap, the chase group slowly reeled in Fumic, who was caught first by Gagne and then by the remainder of the chasers.

With just two laps remaining, Max Plaxton (Team Sho-Air/Cannondale) put in an attack that only Gagne could bridge up to. The two would remain at the front for the remainder of the race to duel it out for the victory. Behind, U23 Cooper and James Reid (Trek RECM) joined up to defend their impressive positions against this top-flight field.

Gagne’s repeated attacks finally snapped the elastic when Plaxton was unable to bridge back on the short steep climbs of the final lap. Gagne pushed his lead out further on the final descent back into the park and had time to celebrate his twenty-second victory over fellow Canadian Plaxton. Cooper, Reid and Mantecon rounded out the international podium.

“This is my first ever cross country US CUP win, so I’m super happy with that,“ said Gagne at the finish. “I am here with Rocky Mountain and the Quebec Province so thanks to them for the support. I found that little extra energy to catch back up to Max. He always has a lot of watts so it was good to be up there with him.”

“I felt comfortable in the big group and it was really dusty out there so I decided to take my own lines,” said Plaxton. “My hat’s off to Raphael, it’s great to have a Canadian one-two. Thanks to America for putting on the race, but… sorry! Thanks everyone for coming out and cheering today. It was hot… but it was great!”

USA Cycling US Cup presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group series standings

After round one of five in the USA Cycling US Cup presented by Cannondale series, Gagne leads the series ahead of Plaxton and Cooper while Batty leads the womens’ series ahead of Pendrel and Gould.

The USA Cycling US Cup presented by Sho-Air Cycling Group series will continue with round 2, a UCI Category HC race in Fontana, California on Saturday, March 21.

Bonelli Park cross country brief results

Elite women

1 Emily Batty (Canada) Trek Factory Racing 1:49:55
2 Catharine Pendrel (Canada) Luna Pro Team 1:50:34
3 Georgia Gould (United States) Luna Pro Team 1:51:00
4 Larissa Connors (United States) Ridebiker Alliance 1:51:42
5 Chloe Woodruff (United States) Team Stan’s NoTubes-Niner 1:52:17

Elite men

1 Raphael Gagne (Canada) Rocky Mountain Bicycles; 1:29:35
2 Max Plaxton (Canada) Team Sho-Air/Cannondale; 1:29:55
3 Anton Cooper (New Zealand) Cannondale Factory Racing; 1:30:08
4 James Reid (South Africa) Trek RECM; 1:30:21
5 Sergio Mantecon (Spain) Trek Factory Racing 1:30:49