2004 Team rostersThe Valley Athletic Club/Specialized teamThe Valley Athletic Club/Specialized Race Team, based out of Olympia, Washington, USA, has announced its team roster and sponsors for the 2004 season. The team will be focusing on road events throughout the Northwest United States with several NRC events planned for the elite squad. After racing for the Seattle-based Lake Washington Velo/Broadmark team, Rob Campbell has chosen to return to his first club and team, the Capital Bicycling Club race team sponsored by The Valley Athletic Club and Specialized (among others). "My years with LWV/Broadmark were great. I had some great rides with them, helped others succeed, and I got to travel and see a lot of the U.S. with them. It's just time to scale things back a bit as I begin my teaching career, and I really want to help the Olympia area's riders succeed at the 1/2 level now that there is a critical mass of us in town." After the strong and rapid ascension to category two by the Valley's Archibald brothers, Brandon and Derik, and first year racer Mark Thiel, the team had the potential to develop into a more influential presence at the top of the northwest regional scene. Last year's standouts will be joined by Campbell, long-time Olympia-based cyclo-cross specialist John Flack, the talented California transplant, Greg Ulrich, and Charlie Warner who just moved into the area from Philadelphia and rounds out a small but talented category 1/2 squad. With Brandon Archibald as the new team manager, multiple sponsors have been aggressively courted and signed for the 2004 season. Archibald has also created a multi-level team membership strategy to attract new racers and to develop the Olympia area's participation in competitive events. "We not only want to have a presence at the elite level in the region, but to have visibility in the other categories, and get some of our dedicated club racers to the races," stated Archibald. The elite wing of the squad are hoping to rack-up at least 10 victories in 2004, and they have the potential to do well in any type of race with their individual strengths. The category four and three teams are also looking very strong, and by mid-summer there should be several riders upgrading to category two racers. As training ride organizer Campbell says, "we've got some animals on this team. So far this winter I've seen category fours climbing with the twos, and some of them are doing the same amount of miles on the weekends. If they race smartly they'll be winning races and moving up." While all the focus isn't on winning, the team knows that to make an impact and be taken seriously you've got to be successful. "Our ultimate goal is to increase the number of racers in the South Sound: seniors, masters, juniors, men, and women. To do that you have to be visible, and results get you the visibility in cycling." said Archibald. While results published on websites and newspapers will hopefully get the team the exposure they seek, they also have developed a website at www.cbcracing.org, constructed by teammate Allen Acevedo. The Valley Athletic Club/Specialized's promotion of the pseudo-historically referenced Boston Harbor Tea Party Road Race on February 29th is also an ambitious effort to put the team on the regional map. "People remember good races and the clubs that put them on. New races emerging on the calendar keep the sport fresh, and we hope to do that with the BHTPRR. People will also like the prize list, and the fact that they can forgo training rides to begin racing," stated race promoter Campbell. Team Roster Cat 1-2 Sponsors Title sponsor: The Valley Athletic Club
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January 2009 |
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