Marin County, Calif. – PROMAN riders Shelley Olds and Nicola Cranmer traveled to Manchester, Great Britain, to compete in the first World Cup track event in front of a sold out stadium and electrifying crowds. Olds was able to build on PROMAN’s growing prominence in track cycling’s most important international series by taking 6th and 8th in the Scratch and Points races, respectively.“We are very excited,” reported Olds from Manchester. “Everything seems to be falling into place for our racing squads at just the right time. It is also humbling and inspiring to be here in Manchester, one of the world’s track racing Meccas. The British Track Program is absolutely without equal; after dominating the Beijing Olympic track events, they’ve swept the highest podium steps in almost every event.”
For PROMAN, timing certainly seems key, as Olds and 30+ National Team Pursuit Champion/General Manager, Cranmer, return to the San Francisco Bay Area just in time to prepare for the third Ride the World Cup fundraiser on Saturday, November 15th.
Like the first edition, the event promises to showcase some exciting track racing, as well as spotlight local Hellyer track heroes at the Junior, Elite, Masters National and even World Championship levels. Several 2008 champions have been invited to show up with their complete collections of jerseys and medals for group pictures, including Daniel Holloway, Shelley Olds and multiple masters world champion Larry Nolan and many others which will make for unique photo opportunities. The photo session (all photographers are invited) will take place before the racing begins sometime between 12 noon and 2pm.
In addition, PROMAN will be introducing four new team riders at the event, all Juniors: Ruth Winder, Nikka Van Den Dries, Claire Jenson and Christina Noelle Yglesias.
“This represents an important milestone in the team’s history,” explains Cranmer. “Not only will we be continuing our support of women who are working their way up through the ranks in the form of our development squads, but we will have the opportunity to mentor and support promising young athletes who can follow in the footsteps of Shelley, Cari Higgins (below), Rachel Lloyd and other ‘PROMAN Girls’ who have excelled at the National and International levels.”
Frankie Andreu and sponsor CyclistVillage.com are supporting the team’s fundraising efforts in the hope that PROMAN riders can participate in multiple World Cups over the next four years in order to properly prepare for track World Championships and the Olympics in 2012. Frankie got his start in racing on the track and also was the PROMAN team director at several races this year.
Organizers are planning to modify the race formats somewhat, running the points races first, followed by motor-paced scratch events for the finale. Visit www.ridetheworldcups.com for additional information.
There will also be a "Frankie Fun Ride" on Sunday, November 16th, at 9am starting from The Java Hut in Fairfax, Calif. (760 Center Blvd, Fairfax). It will be a 42-mile recreational ride where cyclists can meet and mingle with Andreu and other celebrities while on their bikes, as well as win prizes afterward. More details are available here.
After what promises to be a memorable event and hopefully a successful fundraising effort, Olds, Cranmer and teammate Cari Higgins – four-time Elite National Track Champion – will already be preparing for the next track World Cup in Melbourne, Australia November 20-22, 2008.
“I can't wait to tell everyone about England,” added Olds, now back in the US. “I hope a lot of people can make it to the fundraiser on November fifteenth. It will be a truly memorable occasion; I’m really looking forward to it!”
More information about Frankie Andreu is available here. For more information about PROMAN Women’s Professional Cycling Team visit www.proman-paradigm.blogspot.com and www.promanracing.com.Photos: Rob Evans
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