Think Racing, Inc.

For the first time ever, a elite cycling team, TEAm Lipton(R), will help celebrate the sport, health and vitality with fellow enthusiasts at Mayor Daley’s annual Bike to Work Day Rally at Daley Plaza this Friday, June 17 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. TEAm Lipton(R) will pair up with local celebrities in the annual bike v. car race Commuter Challenge from U.S. Cellular Field to Daley Plaza. The team will also be presenting a TEAm Lipton(R) jersey to Mayor Daley during the Rally, in recognition of their effort to promote cycling as a great way to enjoy the Chicago outdoors while increasing physical activity. TEAm Lipton(R) will return to Chicago on Aug. 21 for the Downers Grove Criterium.

TEAm Lipton(R) is the only elite-level team of women road cyclists and triathletes in the US, one of the youngest squads in the women’s cycling peloton and the World Cup triathlon circuit. The team consists of 15 athletes, many of whom will be contenders for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and features star athletes on the cycling and triathlon circuit such as the 2004 Pro Rookie Triathlete of the Year, the 2004 World Duathlete Champion and Duathlete of the Year and top Hawaii Ironman finishers. Lipton(R) Tea will make a contribution to the National Park Foundation for each race that each TEAm Lipton(R) member places in one of the top four positions.

The Bike to Work Day Rally squad will include:
Kristen LaSasso - climbing specialist, finished 13th in the 2004 Olympic trials
Anna Milkowski - top cyclocross and all-around rider
Katherine Lambden - top performer in stage races and climbing
Zoe Owers - one of the youngest, best all-around riders in the US
Liza Rachetto - USA Triathlon Team member

(photo: TEAm Lipton pro road cyclist Anna Milkowski at the Tour of Somerville)

Jay is our very own off road Triathlete based here in New York City and is also a Xterra Ambassador.
Jay tries on life as a pro when he moves from New York to California to spend two months training. The proving ground will be the exotic island of Saipan where he will race in the XTERRA Saipan Championship on April 9, 2005.
He agreed to document his progress in his “Hachie Goes To Hollywood” feature. Click to check out his training programs, journal entries and race results.
E-mail Jay at - hachahoochie@nyc.rr.com
Visit Jay at Xterra Planet online.

A new addition to the women’s pro peloton this year is TEAm Lipton, an elite-level all-women’s team based out of Manhattan, but includes triathletes and road cyclists from all over the globe. “I think it’s a first,” said team manager Julie Upton. “There has never been a professional cycling team that is Manhattan-based.” Read about TEAm Lipton in PezCycling News.

With athletes ranging in age from the mid-20s to late 30s, TEAm Lipton has one of the youngest elite squads in the women’s professional cycling peloton and World Cup triathlon circuit. During their race season, TEAm Lipton athletes will encourage people to engage in recreational sports like cycling, swimming and hiking in their national and local parks. In addition, LIPTON will make a contribution to the National Park Foundation for each race that each TEAm LIPTON athletes places in one of the top four positions. For more information, go to www.TEAmLipton.com.

The athletes of the US cross-country team have developed a fundraising project that will help them raise the level of their preparation in anticipation of the 2006 Torino Olympic Games and beyond. These increased measures of support will enable America’s best skiers to win Olympic medals, and at the same time raise the level of cross-country ski racing in America to new heights.

Think Racing, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes and develops amateur endurance athletes for national and international competition, and the athletes of the US cross-country ski team have joined forces to create an independent fundraising program that will raise the standards of excellence and athleticism for the US cross-country ski team in preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Games.

Our goal is simple: To immediately address a crisis facing the U.S. cross country skiing community at all levels – from the National Team to the smallest Junior program – a critical lack of support for developing world-class skiers. Despite being one of the richest and most geographically diverse countries in the world, the U.S. funds an Olympic Team that is a small fraction the size of the teams funded by countries 1/50th our size. As the U.S. Ski Team faces budget cuts for even its core elite athletes, it is in no position to nurture the younger skiers who are the future of U.S. Cross Country Skiing. After college, promising athletes have no support system in a sport that requires years of intensely demanding preparation where they typically reach their peak in their late 20’s and early 30’s. Our program gives these athletes a place to develop talents that might otherwise go untapped. Sponsorship of this initiative is not just a good marketing play – it is a chance to inspire future Olympians to greatness.