CRCA Junior Development Debuts at CX Nationals

CRCA's junior squad made its first appearance at a national championship on Saturday December 16th in Providence, Rhode Island. Ian Harris, Connor Sallee and Graham Lang were part of the 43 strong "Elite Junior" race that scrubbed and buffed the course for the U-23 and Elite Men that followed later in the day.

While Graham Lang and Ian Harris left bits of themselves and their bicycles around the challenging circuit, Connor Sallee kept man and machine together for a solid 23rd place. Connor and Graham are the squad's newest recruits, they come from the outermost limit of the tristate area, right about where New York becomes Conneticut. They are both category three juniors with one more year in the gear-restricted ranks, an achievement that bodes well of their potential.

Connor summarized his trouble-free ride with one word: sweet! (and perhaps, awesome...)

"I think it was a pretty decent job for this being my first year of cross," he said, "The course was freakin' amazing, and I was really glad it was dry and not snowing. There were two run-ups which were pretty sweet, and there was this section that was constant flowing ups and downs that were pretty sweet. Overall, the course flowed really nicely. There was one downhill section that had some chopped up stuff in it, and then there was a hairpin turn to an uphill embankment hairpin turn around a tree. The first two laps, I dropped my chain both times, but recovered pretty quickly, and then made up for my mistakes. There was a flat section afterwards where I would just sprint my ass off in front of probably 1,000 people and pass whoever was in the stretch. It was awesome. There were so many people crowding the course in that barrier and run-up and turny section, the bells were so loud, it was really really awesome. I've never ridden in front of that many people. It definitely kicked the crap out of road nationals, because there's a lot of motivation. There were also several people who were yelling 'CRCA!' and 'New York City!' and all that stuff."

Ian Harris was more introspective:

"Next year, I'll have to work on my start, because I did my first ever wheelie (didn't lean forward enough) and lost a bunch of spots at the start. Then there was Problem 1 - a big crash in the first turn, which Graham and I were behind, but we got into a good-sized group after that. I was hurting a lot since I hadn't raced in 4 weeks. I've been so busy with [college] applications, but I've been running and lifting. I was getting dropped and then chasing back onto Graham's group until Problem 2 - I flatted on the 2nd lap, like right past the pit, and I had to run basically the whole course. It was pretty cool though with the big crowds cheering me on. When I finally got to Gary [Keblish] I got on his bike, but Problem 3 - he had put on Shimano pedals for Connor and Graham. So I rode half-a-lap without clipping in. Then I got my bike back with a different wheel, which was rubbing my back brake hard. Graham got DQ'ed for running backwards on the course after his bike blew up. His bottom bracket came off."
Major thanks to Gary Keblish for his superlative help in the pits, and for all the riotous New Yorkers who made the trip and cheered on the lads.

CRCA J-DEV at CX Nationals

Over 40 riders toed the line in the Elite Junior Race

Connor on the run-up

No different than crosstown traffic...

Incoming Riders for 2007, Past Results: Graham Lang

Results 2006 (riding for Pawling Cycle Sport)
11/05/2006 - Augusta Cyclocross Series - Junior - 4th
08/26/2006 - Mengoni Grand Prix - Road Race - Junior - 5th
08/13/2006 - Collar City Criterium - Criterium - Junior - 2nd
08/13/2006 - Collar City Criterium - Cat 3/4 - 14th
08/12/2006 - NY Capital Region Road Race - Road Race - Junior - 3rd
08/05/2006 - Concord Criterium - Junior - 7th
07/23/2006 - Donovan-Ruhlman Memorial Criterium - Junior - 3rd
07/22/2006 - Nicole Reinhart Memorial - Stage Race - Junior - 8th
07/15/2006 - Poughkeepsie Criterium - Junior -3rd
07/13/2006 - USA Cycling National Festival - ITT - Junior - 15-16 -60th
07/09/2006 - USA Cycling National Festival - Road Race - Junior - 43rd
06/18/2006 - Housatonic Hills Road Race - Road Race - Junior - 8th
06/17/2006 - Cyclonauts Racers Criterium - Junior - 5th
06/11/2006 - Keith Berger Memorial Criterium - Criterium - Junior - 5th
06/10/2006 - Balloon Festival Classic/NYS RR Championship - Junior - 9th
05/07/2006 - Tour of Colts Neck - Road Race - Junior - 9th
04/09/2006 - Circuit de Francis J Clarke - - Junior - 5th
04/08/2006 - 4th Annual Chris Hinds Memorial Criterium - Junior - 4th

Incoming Riders for 2007: Past Results: Connor Sallee

(Results 2006) - Riding for Pawling Cycle Sport

12/16/2006 - USACyclocross National Championship - Junior - 17-18 23rd
11/05/2006 - Augusta Cyclocross Series - Junior -2nd
07/22/2006 - Nicole Reinhart Memorial - Stage Race - Junior - 15-16 1st
07/13/2006 - USA Cycling National Festival - Individual Time Trial - Junior - 15-16 32nd
07/09/2006 - USA Cycling National Festival - Road Race - Junior - 15-16 29th
06/18/2006 - Housatonic Hills Road Race - Junior - 4th
06/10/2006 - Balloon Festival Classic/NYS RR Championships -Junior - 6th
05/28/2006 - Hartford Criterium - Junior - 4th
05/20/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - ITT - Junior - 15-16 5th
05/07/2006 - Campmor H2H Regional MTB Series Race #1 - CxC/Sport/ Junior 3rd
04/09/2006 - Circuit de Francis J Clarke - Road Race - Junior - 4th
04/08/2006 - 4th Annual Chris Hinds Memorial Crit - Junior - 7th
03/27/2006 - Bethel CDP Gold Race Cat 3/4 6th
03/19/2006 - Tour de Kirche - Road Race - Cat 4 12th

2006 TEAM RESULTS:

Lewis Almonte (returning 2007)

09/10/2006 - Nancy Morganstern Memorial Bear Mountain RR - Cat. 4 - 12th
09/02/2006 - Green Mountain Stage Race - Junior field - Stage 2 -14th
08/27/2006 - Chris Thater Memorial - Cat 4/5 -12th
08/26/2006 - Mengoni Grand Prix - Junior field- 2nd
08/12/2006 - NY Capital Region Road Race - Junior field 2nd
07/22/2006 - Nicole Reinhart Memorial - Stage Race - Junior 15-16 field 2nd overall
07/09/2006 - The New Britain Criterium - Junior field - 2nd
07/08/2006 - Lou Maltese Memorial - Cat 4 field - 9th
06/18/2006 - Housatonic Hills Road Race - Junior 15-16 field 5th
05/21/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - Stage 3 - Junior - 15-16 - 1st
05/21/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - Overall - Junior - 15-16 - 6th
05/20/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - ITT- Junior - 15-16 8th
05/20/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - Criterium - Junior - 15-16 12th
05/14/2006 - Bear Mountain Spring Classic - Road Race - Cat 4
05/06/2006 - Jiminy Peak Road Race - Junior - 6th
04/15/2006 - Battenkill-Roubaix - Road Race - Junior - 2nd

Amaury Arias (graduated to Espoir, riding for Sakonnet/CRCA)

09/10/2006 - Nancy Morganstern Memorial Bear Mountain RR - Cat. 4 - 15th
08/26/2006 - Mengoni Grand Prix - Road Race - Junior - 6th
08/12/2006 - NY Capital Region Road Race - Junior - 4th
07/22/2006 - Nicole Reinhart Memorial - Stage Race - Junior 17-18 9th overall
06/08/2006 - Skyscraper Harlem Classic/ NY State Crit Champ Junior - 2nd


Tommy Bibliowicz (graduated to Espoir)

08/26/2006 - Mengoni Grand Prix - Road Race - Junior - 7th
04/02/2006 - Criterium de Bethel - Road Race - Cat 1/2/3/4/5 - Junior - 5th

Pascual Caputi (returning 2007)

09/10/2006 - Nancy Morganstern Memorial Bear Mountain RR - Cat. 4 - 2nd
07/22/2006 - Nicole Reinhart Memorial - Stage Race - Junior - 17-18 6th overall
07/09/2006 - The New Britain Criterium - Junior - 3rd
06/18/2006 - Housatonic Hills Road Race - Road Race - Junior - 17-18 1st
06/10/2006 - Balloon Festival Classic/NYS RR Championships - Junior - 8th
05/14/2006 - Bear Mountatin Spring Classic - Road Race - Cat 4 - 16th
04/15/2006 - Battenkill-Roubaix - Road Race - Junior - 1st

Ian Harris (returning 2007)

12/16/2006 - USA Cyclocross National Championship - Junior 17-18 35th
11/18/2006 - Guy's Racing Club 'Cross - Cyclo-Cross - Junior - 3rd
11/12/2006 - HPCX - Cyclo-Cross - Junior - 3rd
11/05/2006 - Augusta Cyclocross Series - Cyclo-Cross - Junior - 5th
06/10/2006 - Balloon Festival Classic/NYS RR Championships - Junior 10th
04/30/2006 - Binghamton Circuit Race - Juniors 3rd
04/15/2006 - Battenkill-Roubaix - Road Race - Junior - 5th

Ryan Storm (not returning, whereabouts unknown!?)

07/22/2006 - Nicole Reinhart Memorial - Stage Race - Junior 5th
07/09/2006 - The New Britain Criterium - Junior 5th
06/08/2006 - Skyscraper Harlem Classic/ NYS Criterium Champ - Junior - 1st
05/21/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - Road Race - Junior - 15-16 8th
05/21/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - Stage Race - Junior - 15-16 10th
05/20/2006 - CAN-AM U19 Challenge - Criterium - Junior - 15-16 8th

Ian Harris

Age: 18
Hometown: New York City
Category: 4 road , 3 CX, 4 Track
For a born and bred Lower East Sider, Ian Harris' outdoor pursuits are wide and varied. From ice climbing in Alaska to skiing in Japan, Ian has done more than most people twice his age. Ian's quiet, calculating demeanor off the bike, translates into stealthy strength on the bike. When Ian is on form he makes life miserable for those on his wheel. Ian's 2006 season was truncated by an encounter with an elderly gentleman and a Mercedes the week before Fitchburg late last June. To that point Ian's form was coming along nicely. Last spring he finished fifth at Battenkill-Roubaix and third at Binghamton. Ian was invited to the eastern regional USCF camp in early June and seemed on target to have a good showing at Fitchburg. But it all ended on the hood of that Mercedes. Ian got back on the bike in September in time for the cyclocross season. 'Cross, along with playing varsity soccer for his high school, has given Ian a great base going into 2007.

Liam Quigley

Age: 17
Hometown: New York, NY
Category: 5 Road, 5 Track
Liam Quigley is a poster boy for several New York City grassroots cycling programs. He got his first racing bike through the Recycle-a-Bicycle youth training initiative, and he honed his speed and skills through the New York Cycling Club youth SIG program. Coming out of those structures, Liam turned around and created his own: the The Laguardia Cycling Association, a fledgling high school cycling club that now comprises over 30 members. The LAGCA serves as an entrée to the sport for Liam's colleagues at the famous NYC performing and visual art school. Liam is steadfast in using the bike in all its manifestations; he commutes daily from his Lower East Side home to school in the Lincoln Center area, organizes fun rides for his club, and turns up for a weekly thrashing on the road to Nyack. Liam is an unknown quantity on the bike, although early indications are that the man has the potential to climb hills with the best of them. Look for Liam on the starting line this season at CRCA club races and senior events in Organic Athlete team kit and the blue and white of the CRCA Junior Development squad in all area USCF open Junior Events.

Khary Ward

Age: 17
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Category: Road 5 Track 5
Khary Ward ventured into bicycle racing late last season with several starts in the Prospect Park series. Despite some close calls in dicey category 5 events Khary caught the racing bug and has spent this winter honing his fitness and skills. As a student at the Professional Performing Arts High School where his speciality is classical violin, Khary comes to the sport with more than his share of discipline and commitment. Khary has already proven himself a rider to watch in the coming season; despite living in Brooklyn he makes the trek to the George Washington Bridge for weekend training rides in the hills "over the river". At six feet tall and 175 pounds Khary is built for contests of speed, but he is determined to "train his weaknesses" on the inclines of River Road and beyond. A recently acquired set of rollers has given Khary a new perspective on training though he claims he hasn't tried practicing the violin while on the rollers, we expect nothing less of him by the end of the season! Look for Khary in Organic Athlete team kit in CRCA and area senior races.

Jerry Kizenberger

Age: 18
Hometown: Stonybrook, NY
Category: Road 5, Track 5
Jerry Kizenberger is CRCA JrDev's lone representative out in the remote reaches of the north shore of Long Island. Jerry's debut 2006 season was very promising, with two victories in high summer at the Riverhead Criterium Series in the category 5 event. Jerry is looking to expand his range and experience in the sport, and hopes to travel broadly and compete in stage races this season. With a background in track and field as well as boxing, Jerry comes to the sport well equiped to do battle. His father, a former competitive cyclist himself, helps keep Jerry on the pedals. Now, if only there were some hills out there in Suffolk County.

Lewis Almonte

Age: 17
Hometown: New York City
Category: road 3 track 4

Tipping the scales at 125pds and standing (currently) 5'7", Lewis Almonte is one of those riders whom others don't realize is tucked in quietly at the back of a break until it is too late. His size belays his speed; Lewis climbs as one would expect of a bantam weight, but this Dominican-American is equally adroit in a field sprint. Almonte follows in the footsteps of his father and brother, both successful bike racers. The elder Almonte raced for many years in the Dominican Republic and his brother, 19 years-old Euri Madera, is the 2006 CRCA club champion. Lewis is poised to surpass both, having acheived category 3 at age 16 after a stellar 2006 season. Lewis first served notice that he was a force to be reckoned with at the 2005 Housatonic Hills road race, winning the 15-16 year-old age group while brother Euri took the 17-18 race. 2006 was highlighted by victory in the 3rd stage of the Can-Am U-19 Challenge, and a near miss for the overall at the Nicole Reinhart Memorial Tour de FCCC. For 2007 Lew is tackling his first US national championship and the junior World Cup Tour de l'Abitibi.

Pascual Caputi

Age: 18
Hometown: White Plains, NY
Category: Road 3 Track 4
Pascual is the kind of rider who everyone speaks about in superlatives. A brilliant climber who can also time trial, Pascual seems to have all the physical tools required for a stellar career in bicycle racing. Yet he is also known for disasterous crashes and mid-season physical breakdowns. Hailing from Venezuela via White Plains, Caputi practically grew up on the fabled Gimbel's Ride, where he was first spotted years ago riding in the wake of the pack wearing sweat pants and riding a hand-me-down racing bike. Several veteran racers, including CRCA JrDev's sponsorship director Joao Correia took Pascual under their wing, and he's been racing with tremendous success for the better part of two seasons. Pascual's performance in 2006 fluctuated wildly. He rode away from the field for most of the 56 mile Battenkill-Roubaix road race, eventually winning that event, and had a calamitous bout of back trouble at the Capital Region Road Race. Pascual's chronic back problems then seemed to disappear for the Nancy Morganstern Memorial at Bear Mountain this September when he finished second in the category 4 event ahead of an 80 strong field of senior men; and that on a restricted junior gear of 50-14! Pascual's primary goal for 2007 is to hone his consistency, with a little diligence Pascual could win a race every weekend.

Graham Lang

Age: 17
Hometown: Sherman, Ct.
Category: Road 3, CX 3. Track 4
Graham Lang and neighbor and training partner Connor Sallee, come from the northern corner of the NYC tri-state area where New York becomes Connecticut and the hills go on forever. This duo became hooked on the cycling when the professional Ofoto/Lombardi Sports team gave a presentation at their high school. Graham had a strong 2006 riding for Pawling Bike and Sport, with numerous top ten results including third place finishes at the Collar City Criterium and the NY Capital Region Road Race. He considers his weakness to be climbing, but his results indicate he is well on his way to overcoming that, no doubt aided by the hilly terrain where he resides. We expect Graham to be a force at area time trials and stage races in 2007.

Connor Sallee

Age: 17
Hometown: Sherman, CT
Category: 3 Road, 3 CX, 3 Track
A fixture on the northeast junior cycling scene for the last 2 years, Connor Sallee brought his game to a new level in 2006, graduating to the category 3 ranks and winning his first stage race - the Nicole Reinhart Memorial Tour de FCCC - in the process. Connor's natural talent is evident simply by watching the man pedal, he rode to 23rd place in the National Cyclocross Championships this December in Rhode Island despite having taken a month off from racing and training. Fighting bad luck and fatigue, he also finished an impressive 21st at the climbing-intense Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont this September. Connor can time trial and climb; he is on the radar screen for the USCF National Program and was invited to the development camp in Colorado this year. 2007 should be the year Connor climbs to the upper echelon of junior racing.

Evan Cooper

Age: 17
Hometown: Closter, NJ
Category: Road 4 Track 4
Evan is the lone team member from "across the bridge", meaning Closter, New Jersey, meaning Evan lives in the hills we City dwellers ride hours to get to. And it shows. Since becoming a dedicated cyclist Evan has gotten lean and mean. On a recent team training ride we were trucking along at a good 19-20mph when Evan realized he was late for a family function and scurried up the road. I figured we'd reel him in on the next hill but we never saw him again that day. Evan debuted for CRCA JrDev mid-season and has been scoring points in local cat. 5 events. Evan's off-season is occupied by hockey, in which he plays goalie for his high school's varsity team.

Staff Profile: Craig Cook, Team Director

Craig Cook started racing bicycles with the CRCA in 1985, at the age of 16. He raced at the elite level in the United States, and Europe including eight seasons based in France. Craig returned to New York in 2004 to pursue a degree in architecture. He freelances as a journalist and photographer, having worked in the disparate worlds of fashion -where he snaps pics- and cycling journalism - where he turns up every year at Bicycling.com to cover the Tour de France. Discouraged by the lack of support for junior cycling at his racing "alma mater" CRCA, Craig took over the position of Vice President of Rider Development and started the current Junior Development program at the end of 2005. He can be contacted at crcariderdevelopment@yahoo.com

Staff Profile: Joao Correia, Sponsorship Director

In the early 1990's Joao Correia was just another punk teenage bike racer trying to break into the sport. As a first generation Portuguese immigrant growing up in the Hudson Valley Joao learned to express himself through the bicycle. Joao raced the Junior World Championships for Portugal in Colorado Springs in 1991. In 1992 at the age of 17, despite lacking a Green Card and any hope of getting back to his New York home, Joao flew to Athens Greece to race World's again, following that adventure with a showing in Perth, Australia in '93, Joao is one of the only riders ever to compete in three consecutive World Junior Road Race Championships. Joao went on to race professionally for a number of small professional continental outfits, including Dutch kermesse team Europolis, and the Portuguese formation Mariascos. Today he is Associate Publisher of Bicycling Magazine. Joao contributes invaluable energy and resources toward developing the next generation of young racers via the CRCA Junior program.

Staff Profile: David Jordan, Coach, Assistant Director Sportif

David Jordan's bike racing career has only recently been surpassed by his career as a coach. In 2005 and 6 Jill Kintner, one of DJ's proteges, won back-to-back titles at the World Championships in the 4-Cross event, an off-road discipline. DJ has been a professional endurance sports coach for 10 years. Prior to that he raced on the road at the elite level in North America, as well as occasional forays into Europe and Central America. In additon to a loud voice and generally rowdy disposition, DJ brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the CRCA Junior Development program.

History Lessons, Part 1: JT waxes nostalgic

John Forrest Tomlinson in a vintage Bell "Biker" lid and CRCA jersey. I'm guessing 83-84?

(originally posted on the long defunct CenturyCentral)

My first race was a CRCA club race in March of my last year of high school. It was a cold and rainy morning and few people showed up. Lou Maltese was running the race and combined everyone -- and even then the field was small. Less than 20 riders.
We set off and the pace was pretty fast for me, but not too bad. I'd been commuting and messengering a lot, so I was in OK shape for a beginner. We went up the hill at the north end of the park quite fast and I started hurting, but I made it to the top in the group. I remember thinking "Good, now we can coast down the hill and have a rest" Not! (as people used to say in the 1980s.) I got dropped immediately and rode the rest of the race alone.
I ended up being the first C (or was it D) rider anyway so I "won." And I was hooked.
A guy who I was later to learn was one of the club's biggest hitter -- Jonathan Massey -- won the race overall. My race ended on an earlier lap, so I watched the finish and was impressed by Massey's long, painful looking sprint, and by the big bunch of mucus hanging way, way down from his face. What a sport.

2007 Team Results

Stay tuned...

About CRCA

A CRCA medal complete with the C100 logo, from '09. 1909, that is.


A bicycle racing club in New York City, CRCA provides coaching and friendly competition for all ages. We hold club races for men, women and juniors in graded races based on ability on most weekends from March through November in Central Park and promote a number of open races each year. We are the largest racing club in the country.

The emphasis of the club is development -- preparing riders to succeed in open races. Expert coaching is free to members. Club meetings are a forum for tips on training and nutrition. Sub-teams within CRCA give members an opportunity to race using team tactics.

Club race formats include mass start loops of Central Park, points races and time trials (individual, 2-person, 4-person). Generally, three races for diferent ability levels are held at one time; separate women's fields are scheduled several times each year. The final event of the season is the popular Turkey Race.

To race with CRCA, you must become a member of the Club and of the US CyclingFederation (USCF), the national administrative organization of bicycle racing.CRCA also has a non-racing category of membership that enjoys all the otherbenefits of the club.

The Club was established in 1898, the same year in which the City of New York was formed, and has been a major force in bicycle racing throughout its more than one hundred years of operation. Racers who have entered the sport through the club have gone on to win National and World Championships and Olympic medals.