200 entries set for TOTV


By JOHN BASSETTI

bassetti@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

At least 200 entries, including riders on four teams from a high-level body for the sport of cycling, are entered in the Tour of the Valley this weekend.

The Tour, this year sponsored by Youngstown Live, begins late Friday afternoon in Berlin Center in Ellsworth Township with a time trial.

The TOTV’s second day will take place through Columbiana County and the final day will be staged in downtown Youngstown on Sunday.

Half of the $20,000 total purse will be awarded to Pro 1-2 riders during the three-day, 17-race event.

Three of eight UCI Continental pro teams competing this weekend are: Mountain Khakis Fueled by Jittery Joe’s, Kenda Pro Cycling and Team Type 1.

Elite squads such as Panther Racing, RGF Solutions and Carbon Racing are also represented.

Khakis, Kenda and Team Type 1 belong to the Union Cycliste Internationale or UCI, a top international organization. Because of their affiliation, UCI teams would be in a position to qualify for events, such as the Tour de France.

“To reach UCI status takes lots of money and sponsorship,” said Tour of the Valley co-director Erin Quinlan.

Kenda competed in the Tour of Taiwan at the beginning of the cycling season.

Of those 200 who registered in advance, at least 50 are in the Pro 1-2 class.

“Actually, it’s our biggest field, said Quinlan of the six classifications slated to race.

Other classes for TOTV riders include: Women 1-4, Men Cat 3, Masters 40+, Men Cat 4-5 and Juniors.

One of the returning Mountain Khakis riders, Joey Rosskopf, won the inaugural TOTV last summer.

Panther Racing is based in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and parts of Michigan, while Carbon Racing of Greenford is the premier team from the Valley.

Quinlan said the Type I is a developmental team whose composition is racers ages 19-25 with Type I diabetes.

They ride to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes.

Five of Type I’s six riders — Olaf Kerkhof, Justin Morris, Stradford Helms, Alex Bowden and Simon Bennett — are from around the world. Teammate Matt Brookes is from Akron.

Kenda has a reputation for having excellent sprinters at the finish.

Gear Grinders, the developmental team for Kenda, is also entered.

UPMC of Pittsburgh is a representative from across the border.

Returning this year will be 2009 TOTV runner-up Paul Martin of Panther Trucking. Martin is a seven-time national champion.

Carbon Racing’s pro/elite men and women include Dan and Erin Quinlan, along with Samantha Brode, Greg Flecher, Josh Halivax, Brian Batke, Tris Hopkins, Tom Freuh, Ray Huang and Shawn Adams.

In a change from 2009, just the pro men and women are being timed this year.

Friday’s time trial will set the stage for the leaders, who expect to spend the rest of the weekend maintaining and increasing their time gap with the assistance of their teammates.

Those trailing behind try to decrease the gap by getting ahead of the field and leaving the general classification riders behind.

Five professional teams will bring 30 cyclists.

Pro team overview

Kenda Pro Cycling: Presented by Gear Grinder, led by founder Chad Thompson and directed by nine-time finisher of the Tour de France, Frankie Andreu. Beginning its season at the Tour of Taiwan, Kenda Pro will make its way across the U.S. Cycling scene and has chosen to take part in the second Tour of the Valley.

Team Mountain Khakis: Southern-based is UCI-registered and winner of the 2009 USA Crits and Speedweek and Top 10 NRC ranked. TMK seeks to establish and maintain a program that creates an environment in which riders can develop, mature and build careers in professional cycling.

The Team Type 1: An elite team comprised of some of the finest amateur cyclists in the U.S. Focus is the epic Race Across America, which it has won twice in record-breaking time. Each member of the Elite Team has Type 1 diabetes. This team rides to instill hope and inspiration for people around the world affected by diabetes.

Team Panther: Now in its third year, Team Panther is presented by Competitive Cyclists. This elite squad is armed and ready to be a commanding presence in the elite amateur peloton. The primary focus of the team is its U25 riders.

RGF Solutions: Team mission is to create a nationally recognized cycling program that will recruit and evaluate young athletes by providing them with the tools and resources to compete at the highest level in the sport of competitive cycling in U.S.

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