February 26/05 8:36 am - Barry in K-B-K, Bessette to Garneau, Coaching Conference, Rendall Results, RAAM, Road-side Suites

Posted by Editor on 02/26/05
 

Races This Weekend

The Classics schedule really gets underway this weekend, beginning today with the Omloop Het Volk, and followed tomorrow by Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne. There are no Canadians in Het Volk, but Michael Barry is listed to start for Discovery tomorrow in Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne


Garneau Sponsors Lyne Bessette

St. Augustin, February 24, 2005 - Louis Garneau Sports, in collaboration with Sports Experts, proudly announce they will sponsor Lyne Bessette, the 2004 Canadian Road National Champion, for the 2005 cycling season.

After the Olympics and a year with Quark, Lyne Bessette has decided to leave the Pro Cycling Team and independently manage her race calendar. Her new partnership with Louis Garneau in collaboration with Sports Experts will enable her to create a completely original race schedule including cyclo-cross, a discipline that earned her the 2002 Canadian National Champion title.

In order to get the financial resources she needed to reach her objectives, Lyne turned to Louis Garneau. "When Lyne called me, I accepted her proposal right away since we have been supporting her and her endeavours for many years now", says Louis Garneau. Tom Quinn, President of Franchise for the Forzani Group did not hesitate either to give financial assistance to Lyne for the next cycling season.

In addition to wearing Louis Garneau cycling clothing and accessories, Lyne will also ride LG road, time-trial and mountain bikes.

Throughout the 2005 biking season, Lyne will wear the colors of the Elicycle Sports Experts Louis Garneau Team. This new team is managed by Jean-Yves Labonté, one of the finest bike race organizers in Quebec.

So where can you see her? Lyne will kick off her season at the NORBA Nationals in Texas, she'll be racing at Sea Otter, and perhaps we'll see her at the World Cup in Montreal and the women's Tour de France. In hopes that this year of flexibility will provide increased focus in her road career next year and for Beijing 2008.


Coaching Solutions 2005 - Ontario
Courtesy OCA

OUR INVITATION...
The CAO (Coaching Association of Ontario), with the support of the Ontario Government, invite all coaching coordinators and PSO Technical Directors to join us for a productive 2-day workshop sharing ideas, best practices and building solutions for coach development. By increasing the number of motivated and qualified "coaches" within each sport, Ontario's communities can increase overall sport participation.

SESSIONS
In addition to Guest Speakers, and a Resource Marketplace, various solution-oriented Workshops will be held including....

* What coaches really need from their PSOs?
* Feeder Systems - Building coach capacity in your sport
* Beyond the Banquet - Motivating coaches
* Women as Coaches - Increasing the number
* Educating Coaches - Ideas for coaching clinics, beyond the drill exchange
* Protecting Coaches - Risk management & liability issues

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE?
Every participant will take away their own strategy to meet the challenges of coach development in their sport. The plans will be informed through sharing ideas, resources and experts from across Canada and international best practices.

If you are a PSO Technical Director (Board member or Staff) or the designated coaching program co-ordinator for your Provincial Sport Organization, National Federation or league, you will benefit from attending this session.

PLACE: DATE & TIME:
CBC Conference Centre Tuesday, Wednesday
3rd Floor, 250 Front Street West April 5 - 6, 2005
Toronto, ONTARIO (downtown across from SkyDome) 9:00 to 5:00 p.m.

To REGISTER: (register by March 31, 2005)
Visit www.coachesontario.ca or call 416-426-7086

Workshop Fees: $55 first participant of PSO, $35 - second, third, etc. participant of PSO (includes 2 days full sessions, lunches, coffee, and a Coach/Technical Director Resource Kit)


Ride with Rendall Stage 11 Results

Stage 11 of the Ride with Rendall Winter racing series once again used the series time trial course this past weekend. While several riders achieved PB's, the course records of 37:07.9 remains intact despite the best efforts of Fraser Atkins (37:17.6) of Fresh Air Experience. In the woman's field, Natasha Elliot looked to be on track to achieving a new woman's record until a flat tire late in her ride slowed her progress. Her time of 38:26.6 still placed her highly in the overall and remains the series second fastest woman's time behind the 38.02.6 record she holds.

With races running until the end of March there is still time experience Multi-rider racing. There are 4 stages left in the series so don't delay if you are thinking about trying it. Call the Peak Centre at 737-PEAK to book your heat in the next race on February 27th.

For more results from Stage 11, go to www.ridewithrendall.com


RAAM Entries Up

Tempe, Arizona - Organizers for the Insight Race Across America (RAAM) are preparing for the biggest event to date as the 2005 start approaches on June 19. Following the buzz behind last month's NBC Sports telecast of the 2004 race, participant interest in RAAM is at an all-time high and expected to continue soaring. On February 23, 2005, 114 riders had signed up for the solo and team categories in the ultra-distance cycling event, already surpassing last year's record 99 entries.

While history tells us that the Insight Race Across America (RAAM) is the same to ultra-distance cyclists as the Tour de France is to road racers, RAAM is about 78 years younger than "Le Tour" and relatively speaking is still in its formative years. One of the most significant recent changes to the organization of the world's greatest ultra-cycling challenge was the addition of the Corporate Challenge, which emerged in 2002, making it a realistic prospect for weekend warrior teams to relay across the country in a team of eight. And now in 2005, RAAM is introducing the 24-hour version, a new category for amateur riders called the 24-Hour RAAM Corporate & Team Challenge. This is a team race from the start in San Diego to Flagstaff, Arizona, giving new riders a sampling of the excitement that is RAAM.

The 2004 RAAM received two hours national broadcast on NBC Sports, and live coverage on NBC local television. 105 newspapers and 48 local television stations covered the 2004 event


Book Road-Side Suites for Wachovia and San Fran GP

Spectators and local businesses can now choose from a limited number of "Road-Side Suites" at this year's Pro Cycling Tour that includes the Wachovia Cycling Series, May 31 - June 5, and the San Francisco Grand Prix, September 4. Each year, hospitality areas are enjoyed by corporate sponsors. Now, local companies and race fans that wish to entertain clients, employees or friends can have their own customized hospitality area.

The private hospitality areas are customized for the company or individual's entertainment needs. Groups of 50 to 500 can be accommodated and have the advantage of premium course side viewing. Each private area is fully furnished with tables, chairs, linens, a TV monitor with live coverage and is staffed with a hostess. Special menus, floral arrangements and race premium items for guests can be arranged.

For further information, contact: Chris Spaeth, 610 676 0390 ext. 113 or log on to www.procyclingtour.com.

Editor's Note: No word yet on whether the Midweek series plans to offer the same service...