Race Report: Rapha Gentleman’s Race, 6/23/2012

HANOVER, NH – Signature Cycles sent a team up to the 2012 North East Rapha Gentlemen’s Race near Hanover, NH.  For those not familiar with the RGR, it’s an unsanctioned and for the most part, unsupported ride, that is historically off the charts in terms of difficulty. The team that finishes with the fastest time wins the race, but it only counts if you finish with your full team.  The ride, by nature, is a cooperative one – no one gets left behind.  The winners go home with some nice Rapha gear and glory.  There are teams of all men, all women, co-ed, tandems, and single speed.  While we did not see any single speed teams at the start, we did see one guy involuntarily become his team’s token single speed rider due to his derailleur lying in pieces on the road.

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CRCA Women’s Racing Clinic

Imagine going to your first bike race with your own personal coach guiding you every step of the way.  That is the CRCA Women’s Racing Clinic experience.

Every year, the Century Road Club Association or CRCA – New York City’s largest bike racing club – offers a clinic specifically geared toward expanding the community of female racers.  It is an event organized by women for women.  This year, the Rockstar Games/Signature Cycles women’s racing team joined forces with the Radical Media racing team in running the event.  There is an informational session component, where seasoned racers try to demystify the sport by speaking on topics ranging from nutrition to how to launch a successful attack.  But, the biggest draw of the Clinic is the simulated race in Central Park.  This is where participants, many of whom having never raced before, get a trial-by-fire introduction to the sport.  It is an opportunity for novices to try racing in a semi-controlled and less intimidating environment.  Many of our local female racers, myself included, caught the racing bug at the Clinic.  Have you heard of Evelyn Stevens?  If not, look her up.  She’ll be competing in the London Olympics, and got her start at our Clinic!

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Rockstar Games presents the 39th annual Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic

Harlem Skyscraper Classic

Professional Race Awarded National Status for 2012

New York City – Rockstar Games is pleased to present the 39th annual Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic on Father’s Day, June 17 at Marcus Garvey Park in New York City (121st Street and Fifth Avenue).  The historic community event provides a unique opportunity for cyclists from all levels and age groups to converge on the streets of Harlem in a day-long celebration of cycling filled with competitive, high-speed racing; music, food; and family entertainment.

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2012 Racing Calendar

Announcing the 2012 racing calendar for Team Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles! You’ll see black, white, and pink jerseys at races all over the area. We have some members who focus primarily on CRCA races in New York City, while other members travel more to regional events.

We will be fielding full squads in all events at our headline race, the Harlem Skyscraper Classic presented by Rockstar Games, on June 17th, 2012.

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Gotham Girls Racing joins Team Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles

We are thrilled to welcome the Gotham Girls Racing Team to Team Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles for 2012. This will be the first time that Team Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles has fielded a full women’s squad. We are happy to see our team grow in 2012, but we are particularly pleased to be able to support such a strong women’s racing team. As a CRCA sub-team, the team will be a constant presence at races in and around New York City, as well as traveling to larger regional events. We will be sharing their racing exploits right here so stay tuned throughout the season!

Read on for the press release by the Gotham Girls, and check out their website.


January 9, 2012Gotham Girls Racing, an amateur all-women cycling team, has joined forces with Signature Cycles and Rockstar Games to form a new women’s racing team in 2012. The team, racing as Rockstar Games/Signature Cycles, as a sub-team of the Century Road Club Association (CRCA), will compete in local club races as well as some of the premier races in the Northeast, including the Harlem Skyscraper Criterium, Tour of the Battenkill, Killington Stage Race, Tour de Millersburg and the Green Mountain Stage Race.

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Official Team Rockstar Games x Signature Cycles Race Bikes

With the 2011 season wrapping up, we want to give fans an inside look to see the incredible racing machines the team has been using this year.

The Parlee Z5 represents the the most advanced carbon fiber road bicycle available in 2011. Based on 10 years of refinement and evolution from Beverly, MA based carbon fiber experts, Parlee Cycles, the Z5 is one of the lightest bicycles available yet possesses amazing performance and all-day comfort. Available from the factory with custom, personalized paint designs and one of a kind builds, the Z5 defines what a great road racing bike should be. Light, strong, efficient, comfortable; the Z5 is a performance bicycle without compromise.

The special paint jobs were done in house at Parlee in Beverly Massachusetts. Just like our team kits, the bikes were painted a stealthy black, with slight white and pink accents.

We had Rockstar Games Logos painted on both the seat tube and fork, and Signature Cycles logos on top tube. Each team member was able to hand pick the various components (drivetrain, handlebars, etc.) that would be used for the final product. Some of these components included Shimano Di2 Electronic Shifting Systems, Aerodynamic Carbon Wheels, Michelin Racing Tires, and Ceramic Bearing Upgrades.

If you want to get a chance to see these bikes and their riders in person, check back to see where Team Rockstar Games x Signature Cycles will be during the 2012 racing season!

Welcome to the Team Rockstar News

Welcome to the Team Rockstar News, the official blog of the Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles Racing Team.

Team Rockstar Games / Signature Cycles was formed in 2009 as a competitive road racing team with the objective of supporting local athletes of all abilities in their racing and training endeavors. The team has a commitment to developing the local Tri-State cycling community through promoting cycling as a safe and enjoyable way to lead a healthy lifestyle. Stop by this blog weekly to see team photos, results, race recaps and athlete bios.

 

About Our Sponsors

Harlem Skyscraper Classic

Rockstar Games is a video game developer and publisher owned by Take-Two Interactive.  The company’s signature video game, Grand Theft Auto, resulted in tremendous success.  Most recently they released 2 new games: Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire.

Rockstar Games are the publishers of such popular videogame franchises as Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A. Noire, Red Dead Redemption, Midnight Club, Bully and more.

For the past several years, Rockstar Games has sponsored the Skyscraper Harlem Criterium (2011 marked its 38th year!). Held in the heart of Harlem, this race has become a serious event for the cycling community both locally and internationally. The Pro Event draws crowds in the thousands and attracts cyclists from all over the US and Europe. Locally this event as become a jewel for amateur racers, attracting the best New York has to offer. Aside from the competitions, the event focuses of local youth, bringing out local schools and community groups to participate in competitions, attractions and performances.

 

Signature Cycles is the world’s premier custom bicycle studio with locations in Manhattan, Greenwich and Central Valley.  Signature Cycles specializes professional bicycle fittings and custom bike design and sales.  At Signature Cycles athletes experience individualized services in a state of the art environment.  The staff at Signature Cycles are professionals who have developed and employ the science of making people faster!

Signature Cycles was founded by Paul Levine in 1999 and quickly became a premiere destination for both cycling enthusiasts and industry professionals.

In the US, bike fit has been taken to an extremely high level by bike shop superstars such as Paul Levine of Signature Cycles, New York. Levine uses the SICI system, as well as blend of his own techniques. Signature Cycles is a destination retailer, with customers flying in from all over the US to pay to be fitted. Last year Levine was the winner of the inaugural Bicycling magazine’s “Excellence in Applied Science” award.

This award “recognizes bicycle industry retailers and innovators who provide exceptional service and education in the area of integrating the human machine with the quintessential human-invented machine: the bicycle.” – QuickRelease.TV