Follow
Sponsored by
Rasmussen Pulls Through to Victory in Philadelphia
Alex Rasmussen took his first win of the season today at the TD Bank International Cycling Championship in Philadelphia. With a long sprint through the circuit finish of a 251 kilometer race, Rasmussen showed outstanding resilience after the Giro d’Italia by pulling ahead of the pre-race favorites for the win of this iconic one-day race.
“With only five riders to work with, we had to take control right from the start,” said sport director Allan Peiper, “There were six riders out front in the beginning, and Caleb [Fairly] and Patrick [Gretsch] did a great job interchanging and controlling the pack.”
“There was a maximum lead of nine and a half minutes, and Fairly and Gretsch slowly reeled them in.”
In the last thirty kilometers, there was a break of about a minute that held until the last lap of the race circuit when HTC-Highroad pulled them back.
“Leigh Howard’s derailleur failed at Lemon hill with three kilometers to go,” says Peiper, “But we had maintained a dominant presence in the peloton and the guys were able to keep the group together.”
“Rasmussen was on point, and was able to make a big sprint from a ways back to take the win.”
This is Alex Rasmussen’s first win for the HTC-Highroad Sprint team, and the team’s second win of the day after Michael Albasini’s victory in GP Kanton Aargau.
http://www.highroadsports.com/news/790-Rasmussen-Pulls-Through-to-Victory-in-Philadelphia
How They Led to Unexpected Opportunity for Professional Cyclist Caleb Fairly
By Caitlin Fairly
“Dad, there’s no way they would be interested in me. They’re the best team in the world,” Caleb Fairly said, referring to Highroad Sports, the world’s winningest professional cycling team.
Fairly, age 23, and his agent were frantically searching for a new contract in August, 2010 because Slipstream Sports, his current team, had just informed him that they were going to cancel his 2011 contract to ride in Europe’s Pro Tour, the major-leagues of cycling. Desperately late in the signing season, the news was devastating and Fairly’s future was on the line.
Undoubtedly, God had Fairly’s future under control. Regardless of how unfair or outrageous things seemed at times, Fairly recognizes that God was orchestrating and directing circumstances in his life.
“I really feel like God’s hand has been present my entire career,” Fairly said. “I know this is where I’m supposed to be. This is the plan God has for me.”
Follow the link to read the complete story.
This year I had the opportunity and blessing to join the world’s No. 1 cycling team, HTC Highroad. My journey required my wife, Allyson, and I to move overseas to Europe where professional cycling is most prominent. All the best teams and races are in Europe. We chose to make Girona, Spain, our new home for multiple reasons. The 1,600-year-old city is home to almost 100,000 people and is only 65 miles north of Barcelona. It’s a beautiful city, close to the mountains, and 20 miles from the beach. In addition, Girona has become the home-away-from-home for most of the American professional cyclists.
We planned for me to move to Europe in January and for Ally to join me in mid-February after my first race. We both underestimated how stressful a move across the ocean would be. We had to adjust to a completely different lifestyle. For example, searching for an apartment in Europe is drastically different than in the U.S. In Europe, every apartment is individually owned and there is no central directory for available apartments. Much like buying an actual home in the U.S., I had to go to different real estate agencies and tell them exactly what I wanted in an apartment (number of rooms, budget, area of town, etc…). Then, because cars are not the norm in Europe, the real estate agent would walk me all over town, showing me the apartments he represents, that fit my requirements. But each realtor only represents one or two apartments that fit our preferences. I would spend four to five hours each morning training in the mountains surrounding Girona, then spend hours in the afternoon walking around with different real estate agents, searching for an apartment. This chore ended up taking me three weeks (I expected it would take three days!), and I was thankful for past teammates who put me up during that time. Finally, I found the perfect little two-bedroom place. It’s in the old, historic part of Girona. There are no cars allowed on the narrow, cobblestone street in front of our apartment. However, there is a little Spanish man who stands outside our front door and plays his clarinet for hours, which drives Ally crazy.
Furnishing our apartment was also a challenge. We rented a car for two days so we could buy everything we needed. I’m sure Ally and I were quite a sight trying to haul a bed, couch, and everything else up to the second floor on the four-by-four-foot elevator. Needless to say, we made it work and only got one ticket from the police, ha ha.
One more strange thing…when it came time to pay my deposit, the real estate agent asked for cash! For me, it was a large sum of money and my initial reaction was, “No”. I asked to pay by check or credit card, but they said, “No” on all of those options. I asked some riding buddies in Girona what to do and they said paying with cash is normal. I was shocked, but apparently that’s what everyone does so I went ahead with it. I must admit it felt strange walking around with an envelope full of thousands of Euros. But when they asked for the money I just handed them the envelope. In that moment, I didn’t know if I should feel nervous or cool!
We’re also learning to adapt to the Spanish lifestyle, which is very relaxed. Everything in Spain opens around 9 a.m., which is normal, but what I’m not used to is the daily siesta. If you ever travel in Spain, you can count on the city shutting down every afternoon from 2 to 5 o’clock. I’m not exactly sure where everyone goes, but the city will go dead for a few hours.
There’s much more to tell, and in my next blog I’ll update everyone on my racing and training. Ally and I have had a lot of adjusting to do, but we’re both excited about learning to call this new place home.
Amarilloan rides for European team
By Terrence Hunley
Amarillo native Caleb Fairly has taken his Texas roots to Europe.
And it’s not for a vacation.
Fairly pulled off a rare feat for someone from the Texas Panhandle, signing a six-figure contract in November with pro tour cycling team HTC-Highroad. He packed up and moved to Girona, Spain, to join the intense world of elite pro cycling.
The 24-year-old San Jacinto Christian Academy graduate knows he made the right call in HTC-Highroad.
“It’s the No. 1 team in the world,” Fairly said. “They win more races than anyone else. My rookie year is only about halfway through but I’ve learned a lot. Me and my wife figured out how to live in Europe. We moved our lives overseas.
Follow the link to read the complete story.
http://amarillo.com/sports/racing/2011-06-02/fairlys-cycling-career-upswing
Talented American talks about riding the Classics
Caleb Fairly is enjoying his first taste of the Ardennes classics with the HTC-Highroad team this spring.
The 24 year-old Texan admitted he is climbing a step learning curve in his full season in Europe but is able to take in the drama and passion of racing in the sports biggest hilly classics.
He did not finish the Amstel Gold Race or Flèche Wallonne but will be back for more at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he will be supporting team leaders Tony Martin and Marco Pinotti.
Fairly showed his ability while riding for a trainee with Garmin last year and rightly hopes to be competitive in the Ardennes classics later in his career.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/video-caleb-fairly-enjoys-his-ardennes-debut
Caleb learned to ride his bike in Amarillo. He was introduced to the sport as a boy by his father, and they spent countless hours riding ‘uphill’ into the strong, year-round West Texas wind. “Perhaps it was not the best place to learn to race bikes,” Caleb says, “But looking back, the relentless wind and winter snow were instrumental in shaping my character as a bike racer.”
There are several goals which drive him, but he is challenged mostly by the journey – the days between the goals when it is up to him to train, suffer and overcome the obstacles. ” I am best when people doubt me. In my spare time, I love stream fishing and being with my family, especially my wife, Allyson.”