Thursday, February 16

Rock N' Road supports the So Cal High School Cycling League




An unplanned mechanical at Keyesville. Credit Phil Beckman

Support your LBS!

It's no secret that your local bike shop (LBS) quickly becomes a central part of your cycling life. It's great to be able to walk into your neighborhood shop, see friendly faces, and get expert advice in choosing new equipment or repairing equipment you have. NICA and the SoCal League are supportive of high school riders and clubs supporting local shops.
SoCal is honored that three shops have stepped up to support the League as a whole. Rock n' Road Cyclery in Orange County and Cynergy Cycles in Santa Monica have stepped up as sponsors while Casino Bicycles in Hemet is returning as our SRAM Neutral Support partner bringing great service to every race.
So why are these three shops stepping up? Eric Woods, owner of Cynergy, a major Specialized retailer, says "This country is in desperate need of a grassroots cycling development program – one of the major reasons the Euros are so strong in most if not all disciplines of cycling is due to the fact that should a kid decide to try bicycle racing the support is there. If one of my kids wants to get into soccer, football or even tennis it’s relatively simple if not expected for them to do so. Granted it would be easier for me being already in the sport but where would I even think to start if I were a non-cycling parent? We need to make it easier and more accessible that way; open the gateway and show parents and kids how many opportunities are here." Eric is looking toward Cynergy being a catalyst to develop high school clubs on the west side of Los Angeles County. Particularly in Santa Monica.
Matt Ford, owner of Rock n' Road, has four Specialized Concept Stores throughout Orange County. He is no stranger to involving his shops in supporting local programs in the forms of Velosport (Sho-Air/Rock N' Road), B4B (Mountain Bike Team), Team Blackstar, Team Baghouse/Rock N' Road (with Johnny "Oshow" Omara), Athletics Unlimited, Trail Angles, Rock N' Road Diva's. As for where he thinks the SoCal League will be impacting over the next 5-10 years he said "We truly believe that the SoCal cycling league will be the catalyst for growing the cycling community with the younger generation. We are supporting the league because we are passionate about the sport of cycling and want to make sure that all kids/young adults have the chance to share our love for the sport!"
Matt Medore, owner of Trek retailer Casino Bicycles, has had a tight relationship with Hemet HS since pairing up to support them when they were a new club and he was opening a new shop. He was a high level bike racer during high school and he remembers having no support or recognition on campus. He sees the SoCal League as giving opportunities to kids to get involved in cycling and notes that "Approximately 70% of the Hemet HS kids were not into cycling before joining the team." He also sees SoCal as growing the sport outside of League noting that he has seen big increases in junior fields in non-league races across southern California.
Be sure to stop in and say hello and let these shops know you appreciate their involvement in supporting SoCal!

Racer Pre-Registration Closing

By now most riders should have received an invitation to register from the online Pit Zone. If not, please contact your coach or League Director Matt Gunnell (matt@socaldirt.org) ASAP.
Pre-registration closes Sunday February 19th at midnight. If you enter any information or payments into the Pit Zone after that point they will not be captured for the opener at Vail Lake. We will have onsite registration available at the race, however, there is a late charge of $10 for season registration and an additional late charge of $10 for race registration. Save time and save money by pre-registering.
Riders who plan to petition their category placement must submit a petition no later than Monday February 20th. Petitions will not be accepted for review for race number one after that date. Petitions will not be accepted for review on site at the race.
Thanks to the generosity of League supporters at CycleFest, the League does have scholarship money available for those in significant need. Scholarship applications covering the first race must be received by Sunday February 19th.
Petitions and scholarship applications can be found HERE.

San Gabriel Valley Composite Coach Sean Hickey course setting at Pinnacles 2011.

Volunteers Needed

It takes a small army of volunteers to put on a SoCal League race for our student-athletes. Wouldn't you like to join the army? Come out to one race or come out to them all. Help is always appreciated and the smiles on riders' faces are a great payoff.
To make things easy this year we have put together an easy, online volunteer registration system HERE. The most crucial needs for the first race are course marshals and parking management Sunday.

Race Season Notes

There are always updates and things to be looking for while participating in a high school racing season. Following are three to look at ahead of our first race:
  • Independent riders will all race in Division 2 field for the 5 race SoCal Series. This pertains to split fields meaning Freshman Boys, Sophomore Boys, and JV Boys.
  • New to high school racing? We encourage all student-athletes, coaches and parents to read our Quick Start Guide to Attending High School Mountain Bike Races which was written to help newcomers successfully navigate their first hight school mountain bike race.
  • The most updated information for races is always on the "Races" page of the SoCal website. Here you will find flyers, maps, and information on our race venues. Be sure to check back periodically for updated information!

SoCal Facebook Pages

The SoCal League has two official presences on facebook. We have left our facebook "group" and gone to a facebook "page" for general league information. Please "like" and share the official SoCal League page by clicking HERE.
We also have a group for our coaches and staff to interact. This is a closed "group" called the SoCal High School Cycling League Coach Zone. If you are currently a coach, a volunteer that is part of the ongoing management at races, or seriously considering launching a new club you can ask to join by clicking HERE.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Feb 26 Vail Lake Challenge
Mar 11 Hog Canyon Classic
Mar 25 Cruise the Keys
Apr 15 Victory at Vail
May 6 Power the Pinnacles
May 20 State Championships
facebook

Powered by Mad Mimi®

No comments:

Brands we carry:

Specialized, Intense, Nirve, Haro, Niner, Cervelo, Oakley, Pearl Izumi, Fox, Shimano, Zipp, Bell, Giro, Vittoria, Continental, WTB, Mavic, Easton, Crank Brothers, Look, Serfas, Fizik, Campagnolo

Products we sell:

Road bikes, Mountain bikes, Triathlon bikes, Youth bikes, Comfort bikes, Commuting bikes, Components, Pedals, Saddles, Tires, Wheels, Helmets, Clothing, Food/Supplements, Eye wear, Footwear