CRCA/Blue Ribbon Restaurants presented by Translations.com is an elite amateur bike racing team based in New York City. Under the direction of David Taylor and Thomas Pennell, the squad competes in national, regional and local races up and down the Eastern seaboard. Please use the links above for information about our sponsors, results, photos, rider biographies, and more.
News
June 27th:
Mark Alden showed that he can do well in Central Park even if it isn't going uphill by taking 4th in the CRCA A Race. In what was one of the faster races of the season (maybe in the history of racing in park, covering 50 miles in 1:45) everyone made an attempt, but nothing was able to stay away with that speed. Alden still had plenty of gas left though, and after some good teamwork to get him into place, he pulled out a nice result for deemed more of a climber.
June 20th: Win Number Two!
David Taylor and Andy Collins made the trek to the Rocky Hill Road Race (part of the Giro di Jersey omnium) on Saturday for a challenging course in the pouring rain. In the 35+ race, Taylor made the bridge to, and then attacked the winning move of the day, managing to hold of his former two breakaway companions for the last 4-5 km of the race, and was able to take the time to enjoy his first win of the season in triumphant fashion. Collins meanwhile kept his string or results going taking 8th in what came down to a field sprint in the Cat 3 race.
On Sunday, Taylor again put it to the majority of the field in a new, and much harder Housatonic Hills Road Race, in the 35+ field. After the first lap a select group of 6 remained, and Taylor ended up on the podium again, this time for a well earned 3rd place.
June 13th: First Win of 2009!
Mark Alden celebrated in victory at the CRCA Power Points Race in Central Park today for the team's first win of 2009. David Taylor also grabbed some points out on the course and finished up 6th, securing some much desired team-points for the overall Team Cup as well. In what turned out to be probably the best performance of the squad together so far this year the race stayed in control and nothing was ever away without a rider represented in it, or on the off-chance something was, the other riders dilligently brought it back to help set Mark up for another go at it on each lap.
Aside from great racing all-around, of special note was the offical return of the much-missed teammate Sal Abbruzzese, who just short of a year ago sustained a horrific crash that left all of us more concerned with his well-being than ever riding again. It was probably fitting that these two happened simultaneously, and congratulations to Sal on a great return and everyone who raced and participated in making today such a good one for the squad.
June 7th: By far, this Sat./Sun. turned out to be the best weekend of the 2009 season for the team, with 5 different riders getting a total of 7 results. Saturday the fun started off with three of those at the Balloon Festival Classic with Mark Alden taking 3rd over all, and 2nd in the 40+ category of the Masters 30+/40+ and David Taylor taking 5th overall (4th, 40+). For the second consecutive year made it into the winning move and Taylor broke away from what was left of the field later on. In the Cat. 3 Race Andy Collins continued his strong riding by taking 6th place in what came down to a field sprint.
Day 2 of the weekend saw the short, but grueling course at the Tour of High Bridge. In the Cat 3 Race, Andy Collins continued to improve by riding a strong race on the front and taking 2nd on the day out of the lead group, with Jason Parkin making a strong effort to leave the group that he was with and snatch up 10th place. MeanwhileDavid Taylor continued his positive relationship with this race by getting rid of all but one other rider in the field in the 35+ race, coming down to a two man duel for the line and taking a well earned 2nd place.
Finally, another new addition to the team, Paul Levis, got it done in the Bear Mountain Seven Lakes Time-Trial by taking 4th place in the P/1/2/3 race, and just s few seconds off of the podium.
May 23rd: The team took part in a few of the Tour of Somerville over the weekend, a weekend full of crits and the Hills of Sommerset Road race. The Bicycling Hall of Fame race was one of the races on Saturday, and Andy Collins gave a strong showing taking 8th place in the Cat 3 race.
May 2nd: The Jiminy Peak Road Racetook place today, a race that in years past has been a favorite, and boded well for the team, and today was no different. From the gun Thomas Pennell was in an early move for the first of the three 30k laps. Just as the first pass up the climb approached the break was caught and Mark Alden put in a furious attack and only one other rider was able to join. The duo stayed away for one lap by themselves, before being joined by a third and the trio were gone for good. Alden ended taking the final podium place on the day with a great 3rd place after being off the front for 60k for the day and David Taylor took 6th in the field sprint for 9th place.
April 18th: The first big out-of-town race took place this weekend as the team ventured up to Cambridge, New York, for the Tour of the Battenkill. With the course running in a different direction this year, the field stayed together more than years past, and i`n what turned out to be a crash filled day, the team kept out of harms way and saw Andy Collins and Joe Azze take 9th and 10th respectively in the Cat.3 (Green Field) race. Meanwhile in the Cat 2 race David Taylor made a late bridge to the breakaway to come in 12th.
April 12th: David Taylor took 4th in the 35+ race, in the New York City Spring Series today. It looked like it was going to be another field sprint for the race, but with half a lap to go, Taylor managed to get away with four other breakaway companions as they held off a charging field.
March 22nd: First Podium of the season! Mark Alden took 3rd in the 35+ race, in the New York City Spring Series today in a feisty race that came down to a field sprint. This was Mark's second top placing this year as he took 5th in the race the week before.