Sparky Speaks

Bausch & Sparks unite to Empower cyclists

2009-03-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

Veteran coaches join forces to provide Olympic-level coaching for athletes of all
abilities uniquely utilizing a methodology that stresses mind & body balance

They’ve raced at the highest level and coached athletes who have competed at the highest level. Now Dotsie Bausch and Andy Sparks have united to form Empower Coaching Systems (www.empowercoachingsystems.com) that will create customized training programs for cyclists of all abilities – from professionals, Olympians, World Champions and National Champions to amateur racers, weekend warriors and newbies. Together the dynamic duo will coach each athlete providing a unique, dualistic fusion of guidance specifically tailored to the individual that will be rooted in fostering the development of mind and body symmetry that can be applied both on the bike and beyond.

Empower Coaching Systems, whose client list includes two-time World Champion and Olympian Sarah Hammer, World Champion and two-time Olympian Jennie Reed and National Champions Jimmy Watkins, Chris DeMarchi and Sonia Ross, will strive to provide the highest quality of service no matter what level the athlete rides in the belief that everyone should have access to Olympic-level coaching to aid in reaching their full potential. Driven to watch their clients achieve their goals, ECS aims to establish the premiere standard of coaching services in the cycling industry. In addition to the innovative physical training regimen they will design as part of each client’s Victory Plan, their methodology includes focusing on sports psychology and meditation. Three levels of Victory Plans – Victory Fitness, Victory Performer and Victory Racer - are available based upon the commitment, goals and budget of the cyclist. Every coaching package provides unlimited access to the coaches via phone and/or email. Although Bausch and Sparks are based in Southern California, they will coach cyclists from all over the globe as they have done successfully in their individual coaching businesses prior to forming their partnership.

Twice named USA Cycling’s Coach of the Year and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track Cycling coach, Sparks said, “The Empower Coaching Systems training methodologies, which emphasize both mental and physical performance, have achieved three World Championships titles in the past three years. As a coach who has developed riders at all levels, I believe that for athletes to fully maximize their ability, they should have Olympic-level coaching and an Olympic-level performance team. That is what we provide at Empower Coaching Systems. We deliver the same level of technology and research, and the same knowledge, intensity and focus that the top privileged athletes in the world receive. In addition, our methodologies have proven to have an enormous impact on the lives of our clients beyond their bicycles. We feel that achieving our clients’ goals begins with building winning attitudes that carry over to all aspects of our athletes’ lives.” Cyclists under Sparks’ guidance have won 15 World Cup medals and a trophy case full of National Championships.

A former National Champion and a Pan Am Championships gold medal winner, Bausch is in her eighth year of racing professionally and has been coaching for five years. She was a member of the U.S. National Team and has competed in the biggest races around the world for professional teams including T-Mobile, Colavita-Sutter Home and Jazz Apple, her present squad. “While our hope is to grow Empower Coaching Systems into a large on-line training facility with multiple coaches offering an array of ideas, innovative thinking and brazenly developed training programs, our coaches will always be committed to providing first-class service of unrivaled quality that will cater to dynamic and diverse individuals who demand the best from their coaches,” declared Bausch. “Andy and I possess a deep love of personal coaching and have experienced great successes with our athletes. We are excited to bring together our shared beliefs and values and approach the athlete/coach dynamic differently than anyone has before. Our approach is cutting-edge and we firmly believe in its genesis and its mission.”

Bausch also hopes that the Empower Coaching Systems’ website will blossom into an “Empower Culture” destination. “I want the site to be a place that people visit regularly and utilize as a helpful and informative resource. We’ll be posting new tips frequently in the Recovery section. Each month, the coaches will select an ‘Athlete of the Month.’ In our blog, we’ll post photos, news and the latest findings from our cutting-edge research. We’d love for the site to be like a coaching café with an abundance of information to help guide and inspire our athletes.”

A New Era in Coaching - Empower Coaching Systems

2009-03-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce a new coaching firm: Empower Coaching Systems.

Check out the website @ www.EmpowerCoachingSystems.com
Twitter @ www.twitter.com/empowercoaching

Providing athletes with the new standard in World-Class coaching!

The Empower Mission:

Our mission is to see you become a champion. We are a coaching firm that believes that there is a vast amount of untapped potential for excellence inside of you. Our commitment is to help you reach your full potential by providing the premier standard in athletic coaching. No matter what your aspirations may be, together we will address your personal goals on an individual basis with a customized plan tailored for your success. With the proclamation that a balanced athlete is a thriving athlete, we emphasize the importance of the mind & body balance in our coaching methodology.

Sarah signs with Hawk Relay Cycling

2008-12-02T20:55:00.000-08:00

Sarah is joining forces with the newly established U.C.I. professional cycling team, Hawk Relay Cycling. Since returning from the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Sarah has taken time to reflect, rehab her back injury and plan her attack for the 2012 Olympic Games. At the top of the list is a fortification in team support and infrastructure, both of which Hawk Relay offers.

“This is a great day for the Hawk Relay Cycling Team,” stated team director and owner, Robin Horwitz. “Sarah brings tremendous value to the team. Sponsors and fans like her a lot and she’s shown remarkable results in the past with a history of winning at the World level. I know with the private sector sponsorship and a superior support system for the next 4 years, she’ll be standing on the top of the podium at the London Olympics. I’m excited to be a part of the process!”

Sarah will be joined at Hawk Relay with 2008 Olympic Track Cycling coach, and Sarah’s personal coach, Andy Sparks. Andy will lead a coaching staff that will include Hunter Allen, CEO of Peaks Coaching Group and owner of CyclingPeaks Software and Dr. Marcus Elliott of p3, who will be partnering with the Hawk Relay Cycling Team to focus on cycling-specific scientific methods of strength development.

“I am excited to help build this revolutionary high-performance team as I look to settle some unfinished business in the 2012 Olympic Games,” said Sarah. “I am thrilled to not only have industry experts such as Hunter Allen and Marcus Elliott on board with this project but equally excited to have motivated and talented teammates that share a similar mindset and goal. Together with Hawk Relay in the coming years, I think the three of us will be able to do some great things on and off the bike.”

The first stop on Sarah’s schedule will be the Pan-American Games in May followed by the U.S. National Track Championships in October. Check out the new team at http://www.hawkrelaycycling.com/

Hawk Relay is a telecommunications company whose mission is to provide deaf and hard of hearing people with the necessary tools to achieve full and equal telecommunications access.

2008 Beijing Olympic Recap

2008-09-09T22:53:00.001-07:00

To all of our extraordinary supporters and sponsors,

We have good news, but unfortunately Sarah is walking away from the 2008 Olympics with some disappointment and a broken collarbone. With Gold-Medal preparation, this can be a very hard pill to swallow, even for the most optimistic champion.

After a stressful entry to Beijing with regards to the “mask” incident, four track cycling athletes laid the base for what would be called “Maskgate.” Without a strategic plan in place to foresee, or deal with, this incident, a downward tailspin ensued as all four of my athletes were shown little to no support by those who are assigned to protect them. I did my best to absorb and wipe away this stress, but regrettably that became like jumping on a nuclear bomb. Many lessons learned… The newest article on this incident can be seen here: http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-spw-hersh10-2008sep10,0,2833120.story

What I can say is that it was not all bad for Sarah and her teammates. True, the Olympic experience that Sarah and the other athletes had dreamed about from a young age did not resemble this “dream.” But like the great competitors they are though, each one absorbed the local culture and acted as great American and cycling ambassadors. On the track, they gave it their “all” but regrettably came up short.

And in other good news, I am happy to announce that Sarah is doing great, all things considered. She is now resetting and recovering and looking forward to getting a nice and well deserved break after a challenging season. It’s been a long year with her injury and one that has well illustrated the power of extraordinarily strong supporters and sponsors. You have provided the foundation that both Sarah and I have worked upon every day. You have made Sarah’s dream of becoming an Olympian a reality!

Thank you for the support Team!

AWTCF Awards Felt Bicycles!

2008-06-21T00:21:00.001-07:00

The American Women’s Track Cycling Fund awards FELT track bicycles to Junior Star Tara Both and DePauw University!!

World Champions Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed, through the AWTCF, have awarded Felt TK2 track bicycles to Tara Both, an outstanding up and coming California junior cyclist, and to the DePauw University women’s cycling team based in Greencastle, Indiana.

Recently crowned World Champion Jennie Reed was on hand with two-time World Champion Sarah Hammer to present the Felt bike to Tara. After watching Tara beat the US National record for the 500 meter time trial, Hammer noted: “When we saw her record ride, we just knew that her talent deserved and could be enhanced with better equipment. Her new TK2 should be able to help Tara confidently set and pursue new and higher goals.”

Both Hammer and Reed train twice a week with Tara at the ADT Event Center Velodrome in Carson, California. “We were really happy to be able to present Tara with a Felt bike, especially as she was out-growing her old one,” said Reed. “After the Olympic games we will be sitting down and revisiting the mission of the AWTCF to see how we can best help other riders like Tara.”

The American Women’s Track Cycling Fund also donated three Felt TK2 track bikes to the DePauw University women’s cycling team. DePauw, known mostly for academic excellence, has shown a long history of developing cycling talent for young women, placing more women on the start line per capita than any other university in the Midwest. Under the leadership of Coach Kent Menzel, DePauw hit the track for the first time last fall. Said Coach Menzel, “The Felt track bikes are the shot in the arm we need to raise our women’s performance to an even higher level on the track. Because collegiate track competition covers multiple events, the Felt TK2 is particularly good for us as it races well in both mass start and timed events.”

http://www.awtcf.org/
http://www.depauw.edu/student/orgs/bikeclub/index.asp
http://www.feltracing.com/

Sarah makes the 2008 Beijing Olympic Team!

2008-06-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Fresh off her silver medal performance at the recent World Championships in Manchester, England, Sarah has solidified her place on the 2008 Olympic Team. Having taken this crucial first step toward accomplishing her Olympic Gold Medal dream, Sarah can now officially say that she will be representing the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China!

As many know, this fantastic news comes in a year that has been filled with both hardship and triumph for Sarah, who in the last twelve months has shown the highest degree of spirit and courage. May 4th marked the one-year anniversary of her debilitating back injury, where she suffered an annular tear in her L4/L5 disc. With the support of family, friends, sponsors, and supporters, Sarah has not only made the most difficult year in her competitive life a success, but has also shown the championship character that delivered her two World Championship titles and now an Olympic berth.

As Sarah explains: “This year has been both incredibly hard and incredibly educational. There were times in the last twelve months where I seriously questioned if I would be able to come back to top form with the back injury. Thanks to the support and encouragement of my family and supporters, and particularly the OUCH Sports Medical Center, I made it back and I have now accomplished one of my life-long dreams – representing America at the Olympic Games. I couldn’t be happier!”

Sarah now has approximately 2 months to get ready for the ride of her life and the key focus for her 2008 competitive season. Sarah’s main event, the 3 kilometer pursuit, will span over three days with the qualifying round beginning on August 15th. Sarah has also qualified for a further Olympic event, the 20 kilometer Points race, which is another event where she will be a medal favorite. The Points race will be held on August 18th.

More Sarah Olympic news can be found here:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=33/bio/index.html

World Cup #1, #2 and #3 Recap

2008-02-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

The Olympic year has brought with it plenty of traveling as Olympic hopefuls must first battle for those valuable Olympic qualification points which will determine who will line up in Beijing and who will stay home. This has made for some incredible racing, and some extraordinary race-watching, as all the current World and Olympic Champions have lined up for each World Cup, battling for those sometimes elusive points.

World Cup #1 - Sydney, Australia. This World Cup would be Sarah’s first race since her World Championship win in Spain last year. Furthermore, coming off a debilitating back injury this summer, the World Cups this year provide Sarah great short-term goals and a great way to race back into shape and get ready for the Olympics in August. Sarah finished a very respectable 5th place in her first competition back. She had “officially” started her Olympic year!

World Cup #2 - Beijing, China. This event also doubled as the Olympic test event. And what an event it was! China is incredible and anyone thinking about making a visit should – there is no place like it. In addition to remarkable people, the track also proved to be astounding. This velodrome, although not proving to be extraordinarily fast at this competition, nevertheless was by all other standards Olympic quality. Sarah finished up by taking the bronze medal. And although she is never quite happy with anything less than Gold, this result puts her squarely on track for her Olympic year!

World Cup #3 - Los Angeles. It is always desirable to not have to travel to go to a World Cup, and the US riders (and staff) always look forward to put on a great show for their families, sponsors and supporters. Sarah was also unveiling her new Olympic bike – the Felt TK1. The L.A. World Cup proved to be one of the best showings by US riders in history. The stands were packed as Sarah’s key sponsor, the OUCH Sports Medical Center, provided free tickets to all Jr. cyclists. Sarah ended up with another bronze medal which now puts her one point out of leading the World Cup overall.

Looking Ahead - Sarah now has 7 weeks to prepare for the World Championships in Manchester, England. And although the Olympics will be the big goal this year, Sarah would of course like to win another World title. All preparations are on schedule and we look forward to using the next 6 months to our full advantage as Sarah will be lining up in Beijing on August 15th, 2008!

As always, we appreciate everyone’s support!

The FELT TK1 has Landed!

2008-02-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

As everyone knows, Sarah signed with California based Felt Bicycles last year, prior to winning her second World Championship title in Spain.
Signing with Felt was a no-brainer. The Felt R & D team has developed into a cutting edge, second to none, firm, with quality in manufacturing normally seen only in the highest echelons of aerospace. So who, Sarah thought, would be better equipped to explore the frontier of an Olympic medal winning track bicycle than the Felt crew.

Fast forward to the The L.A. World Cup... As expected, the new Felt peeled back the envelope, ushering in a new era in track bicycles. It came with the title of the TK1.
Utilizing countless hours in the wind tunnel, Jim Felt and his army of innovators have produced something that has never before been seen in the track cycling world. With the aesthetics of an Italian sports car and the engineering of an air-strike missile, the Felt TK1 is designed for one thing – winning!

To get a complete review of the bike check out the recent cyclingnews.com analysis:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/tech/2008/probikes/?id=sarah_hammer_felttk108

Sarah’s concise review… “It’s incredible!”

Sarah Announces her Olympic Year Schedule

2007-11-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

As the cool weather of December approaches, cycling aficionados can now direct their attention indoors to the wooden boards of the velodrome. And although Sarah did “officially” begin her season in October at the US National Track Championships, Sarah’s International track season will commence November 30th in Sydney, Australia.

Of course let’s not forget that with the 2008 Olympic Games, this is just not going to be any track season! Sarah has already started this year strong by setting a new World record in the women’s team pursuit. Teaming with national sprint and keirin champion Jennie Reed and newly crowned individual pursuit champion Dotsie Bausch, the potent trio clocked a time of 3:34 in their first outing together.

With the exhilarating International track cycling season soon getting underway, Sarah will first compete at the Track World Cup in Sydney, Australia November 30th through December 2nd. She will then travel to the Olympic test event in Beijing, China the subsequent week. In January Sarah will be heading to the Home Depot Event Center and lining up at her home track in Carson, California for World Cup #3. In March, she’ll be racing for a third consecutive World Championship title in the individual pursuit. Finally, the culmination of the year, and of the past three years, will arrive in August at the 2008 Olympic Games. Sarah looks to make history as the 1st American woman to ever win a gold medal on the track. Wish her luck!

Sarah’s 2007-2008 Racing Schedule

World Cup #1 Sydney, Australia (November 30th – December 2nd)
World Cup #2/Olympic Test Event Beijing, China (December 7th – 9th)
World Cup #3 L.A., United States (January 18th – 20th)
World Championships, Manchester, UK (March 28th – 30th)
2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China (August 15th -20th)

Sarah Returns to Action in Pursuit of Olympic Gold!

2007-11-19T23:37:00.000-08:00

Having spent the summer recovering from a debilitating back injury that forced her to miss the Pan Am Games, Sarah is back on track in her golden pursuit. She put some racing kilometers into her legs last month (October 3-6) at the U.S. National Track Championships held at the ADT Center in Carson, California where she trains twice a week.

Sarah decided it would be wise to ease back into action, thus she sat out the individual pursuit. Instead she competed in both the men’s and women’s team pursuit. Using the men’s event early in the week as training, Sarah proved to be firing on all cylinders in the women’s team pursuit, a new event that will be held for the first time at the 2008 World Track Championships. Teaming with national sprint and keirin champion Jennie Reed and newly crowned individual pursuit champion Dotsie Bausch, Sarah helped power the women over the three kilometers to a national championship in a world record time of 3:34.783.

“It was so much fun to race with Jennie and Dotsie. It was our first time (racing) together so we’re only going to get smoother and faster,” said an enthused Sarah after the race. “It felt good to be racing again. There was no pressure so I was able to just get out there and enjoy myself. More importantly, the back gave me no problems and I’m very happy about that.”

With the track cycling season just getting underway, Sarah will next compete at the World Cup event in Sydney, Australia November 30th through December 2nd and then move on to the Olympic test event the following week in Beijing, China. In March, she’ll be racing for a third consecutive World Championship title in the individual pursuit, but her primary goal remains Olympic gold in Beijing next August, where she is favored to become the first American woman to win a medal on the track since Rebecca Twigg medaled in 1984. Felt Bicycles is currently putting the finishing touches on a custom-designed track bike for Hammer. - Report Courtesy of Rick Scott @ Great Scott P.R.oductions.

An Olympic Destiny

2007-10-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Tim Reynolds - Associated Press

Carson, Calif. — Sarah Hammer never forgot her first race. She pedaled her Big Wheel tricycle to a huge lead, got bored by the lack of challengers and waited for the other 2-year-olds to catch up.

They never did.

That’s how many races still go for Hammer, though these days she doesn’t give rivals a chance. Three years ago, she was struggling as a cell phone saleswoman after retiring from bike racing because of burnout. She’s since returned to win consecutive world championships in one of track cycling’s most grueling events, and should head into Beijing next summer as one of the United States’ top hopes for Olympic gold.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” Hammer said. “But that’s not a bad thing. It’s what drives me.”
It’s also what brought her back into the sport that she quit as a 20-year-old.

Outside of the cycling world, Hammer is almost unknown. She’s never been on the Olympic stage and won’t head into Beijing with the hubbub that follows the likes of swimmer Michael Phelps, sprinter Justin Gatlin or gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm.

Yet when it’s time to identify gold-medal favorites, she may belong in that group.
“When I say she’s in a class by herself, I don’t just mean in the United States,” said Pat McDonough, the director of athletics for USA Cycling. “She’s been the class of the field in the world for the last couple of years. She always had the talent. She got away from the sport, decided that selling bagels wasn’t what she wanted to do. But the thing about cycling is, you need the ability to hurt. And she’s got that.”

The story goes like this: About a year after thinking she was done with bike racing, Hammer was sitting on her couch watching the 2004 Olympics from Athens, specifically the 3,000-meter individual pursuit, where New Zealand’s Sarah Ulmer won the gold medal in world-record time.
Hammer immediately felt the twitch to get back on the bike. A couple of weeks later, she told boyfriend Andy Sparks that she wanted to resume training with an eye on the ’08 games.
“I knew you would,” Sparks replied. “I knew you would all along.”

They went to work, Sparks serving as Hammer’s coach, and surprised more than a few onlookers by showing up and winning at the 2005 USA Cycling national championships. The first world title in the 3,000 individual pursuit — her specialty, a 31⁄2-minute session of furious pedaling that leaves riders in such pain that they often have trouble standing afterward — soon followed, and victories have kept piling up since.

“It’s a game for some of our guys to see if they can hang with her, even in her warm-ups,” said Michael Blatchford, one of the top U.S. men’s sprinters on the velodrome. “Most people can’t. And that’s the endurance guys who have trouble. No sprinter is going to hang with her, that’s for sure.”

Few people around the world can hang with Hammer on the track these days.

She starting riding competitively as an 8-year-old, won a junior national title four years later, and eventually moved to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., honing her skills as a road cyclist. Hammer got a job with a pro team, but the results simply weren’t what she wanted.

So she retired. Didn’t get on a bike, even recreationally, for 10 months. Got a job in a bagel shop, hated it, then got a job in a cell phone store and hated that, too. Hammer says she was a bad saleswoman, and she’s probably right — to this day, she can’t sync her e-mail with her BlackBerry.

Then she watched someone else win Olympic gold, saw another nation’s flag hoisted and anthem played in the medal ceremony, and decided that bike racing never meant so much.

“This is who Sarah Hammer is,” said Sparks, who became Hammer’s fiance in February and has remained her coach. “She quit, and she burned out because she no longer remembered why she wanted to do this. Then she got to remember why she loves this sport, and as soon as you come to that realization, an enlightening moment about what this is about, that fire was lit again.”

Hammer and the AWTCF award Felt bicycles at Junior Nationals

2007-08-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

August 15th, 2007 – Two-time World Champion Sarah Hammer and the American Women's Track Cycling Fund (AWTCF) awarded four complete Felt track bikes at the recent United States Junior National Track Championships. A Felt TK2 track bike was given to each female omnium winner. The National Championship winners include Sarah Chen (10-12 age group), Hannah Hayduk (13-14 age group), Coryn Rivera (15-16 age group), and Collen Hayduk (17-18 age group). Hammer was on-hand to personally present each bike to the newly crowned champions.

"The AWTCF is excited to reward these outstanding young women cyclists for their hard work and dedication,” said Hammer. “Our belief is that track cycling can build character through competition. Each winner demonstrated what it means to be a true champion. Thank you to Felt for their generous support of our mission.”

Sarah and Felt award bicycles at Junior Nationals

2007-07-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

World Champion Sarah Hammer announced a new partnership for the American Women's Track Cycling Fund (AWTCF) today. Following Hammer's partnership with Felt Bicycles prior to the World Track Cycling Championships in March, Felt is now strengthening their commitment to women's cycling and junior racing as the official bicycle sponsor for the AWTCF.
"It's one thing for a company to say they support women's cycling," stated Hammer, "it's another thing to show it. With this partnership Felt has shown that they believe in the future of women's cycling."

The AWTCF and Felt will be awarding complete Felt TK2 track bikes to each female omnium winner at the upcoming USA Cycling Junior Track National Championships. Hammer will personally present each Felt in person at the event. Hammer stated, "We're excited to redirect the focus on what's most important in this sport. That is, that cycling, and the character that it instills, can create extraordinary young individuals."

"Most of the cycling community is very aware of Sarah on the bike, but fewer know of her committed and active promotion of the sport off the bike. The AWTCF is a cause we are 100% behind and are proud to be able to contribute to," said Felt President Bill Duehring. "It supports what is important in this great sport."

Sarah Scores Cover-Shot #3!!

2007-06-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hammer Time

by Don Norcross

Everyone, it seems, tells their favorite watch-Sarah-Hammer-suffer story. For Neil Browne, executive editor of Road Magazine, it was the day five months ago when he chronicled Hammer training at the Carson velodrome. After knocking two seconds off her 2K personal best, Hammer stepped off the bike, wobbled and promptly puked. Every training session for her is deadly serious,” Browne says. “No wasted time. No wasted energy.”

For Hammer’s father, Cliff — who used to take his then 7-year-old daughter on these leisurely rides from Redondo Beach to Manhattan Beach and back, stopping at the pier for a churro — it’s almost anytime Hammer, now 23, steps inside his garage for a two-hour weightlifting session.

“I’ve seen her legs shaking so hard,” says Cliff, “I thought she was going to fall down.”
Then there’s Andy Sparks, 32, Hammer’s fiancée/coach. After taking an eight-month burnout break in 2004, Hammer returned to riding that October, joining Sparks for a two-and-a-half-hour workout in Colorado Springs, where the couple met as resident athletes at the Olympic Training Center.

Woefully out of shape by her standards, Hammer nonetheless kept throwing these climbing attacks at Sparks. “She was riding way over her fitness level, would detonate, recover and kept doing that, trying to hurt me — although she was hurting herself more,” Sparks remembers.

Here, Sparks paints a picture so vivid you shake your head in awe. “She goes on one last attack and completely detonates,” says Sparks. “She’s not able to ride in a straight line and crashes. Then she gets back up and tries to do it again. That ride totally encapsulates her mentality toward training.”

It has been 15 years since an American woman won an Olympic medal in cycling — Rebecca Twigg earning bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games in the 3,000-meter individual pursuit, coincidentally, Hammer’s specialty. But come August 2008 in Beijing, Hammer, who lives in Temecula, Calif., is expected to end that drought. She is the two-time-defending individual pursuit world champion. Her 3-minute, 30.213-second winning time on March 30 at the world championships in Spain is the fastest time ever in the event, outside of times on the Athens track used at the 2004 Olympics. Shy and private by nature, Hammer nonetheless does not feign modesty and lets the world know what she expects of herself.

Logon to her Web site, http://www.sarahhammer.us/, and right there below her name, next to a picture of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Hammer biting one of her world championship gold medals, it reads “World Champion Cyclist and Future Olympic Gold Medalist.”No American woman has won a track cycling Olympic gold medal.

Of her gold-medal pursuit, Hammer says, “That’s what I think of anytime I’m putting my leg over the top tube. And I’ll do everything in my power to actualize that goal.”

The rest of the story can be seen here: http://www.competitor.com/article/?Guid=5785fe51-e55b-4b31-b0c8-6daac4ff5a33

Sarah Finalizes her Olympic Bike

2007-04-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2007 (Irvine, CA) – Felt Bicycles, LLC is very pleased to announce that 2-time cycling World Champion Sarah Hammer has reached an exclusive agreement to ride and race Felt bicycles for the next two seasons and through the end of 2008. The current UCI Women’s Pursuit World Champion is widely considered one of the most dominant track riders of this era and many consider her the favorite for an Olympic pursuit gold medal in next year’s Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

In the course of having just repeated as women’s pursuit World Champion on March 30, Hammer also lowered her own national pursuit record to 3:30.213, the third time she has eclipsed her own mark in less than four months. The 23 yr-old considers Southern California’s ADT Event Center Velodrome at the Home Depot Center her home track, which coincidentally is a facility that Felt is the official bike sponsor of.

Hammer, a 20-time US National Champion, lives and trains in Temecula, CA, not far from Felt’s company headquarters in Irvine, CA, and had this to say when asked to comment on her new relationship with Felt:

"Going into the next 18 months we will be looking into all of the details designed to improve my performance. Most importantly, I have finalized what bicycle I will be riding in the 2008 Olympic Games and I could not be more excited about working with Felt. They are well-known for being performance-oriented and athlete-driven. This combined with the strong rider loyalty they have displayed over the years, lead me to my decision. I'm beyond excited!"Hammer continued, "Naturally, my recent second World Championship win was extremely satisfying, but it has also fueled even greater desire, especially going into the Olympic year. Now, after a short break, we will begin working with the Felt engineers on their new bike. When I line up in Beijing, I know I will be on the best bike in the world.”

“Bringing Sarah into the Felt family is something we are thrilled about,” says company founder Jim Felt. “She is obviously an amazing athlete and we are looking forward to what we can do together over the next two years. We have very similar mindsets and we both love racing to win - the opportunities are plentiful, to say the least.”

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About Felt Bicycles
Felt Bicycles LLC is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of its own propriety branded premium quality bicycles, framesets, components and accessories. The company headquarters is located in Irvine, CA with additional offices in Buffalo, NY and Edewecht, Germany. Felt Bicycles is an internationally recognized brand whose bicycles and products are currently sold in over 30 countries, worldwide. Athletes on Felt products have won numerous National and International events including World Championships, ESPN X-Games and other major national and international competitions. For more information on Felt Bicycles call (949) 452-9050 or log on to http://www.feltbicycles.com/ or http://www.feltbmx.com/

SCORE!!

2007-04-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Sarah Hammer Defends her World Championship Title; Betters her American Record

MAJORCA, Spain (April 2, 2007) - Sarah earned her second world title this past weekend at the World Track Cycling Championships in Majorca, Spain. Sarah became the first American rider in more than 20 years to successfully defend a title since Rebecca Twigg accomplished the feat during the 1984-1985 season. Sarah beat Rebecca Romero of Great Britain in the gold medal final of the three-kilometer pursuit, and bettered the American record she set earlier in the day.

Sarah's time of three minutes, 30.213 seconds shaved more than a second from the record time she recorded only a few hours earlier during the qualifying round. This is the third time she has improved the American record in five months. In October 2006, at the US National Championships, she shattered the 11-year-old record of three minutes, 36.08 seconds held by Rebecca Twigg, by almost four seconds. Since then, Sarah has reset the time standard three times: at the Los Angeles World Cup in January and twice again over this past weekend.

BIG congrats to Sarah and the team!!

2007-03-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

Pre-Worlds Report

OUCH Pro Cycling fans,

I’m proud to announce that Sarah’s World Championship preparations have been going... Fantastic! Sarah has been putting in some unbelievable hard work and we have seen some recent personal best performances, which can be unheard of considering Sarah’s current training load.

The big day of the year will be coming soon and we will be departing for the Spanish island of Mallorca on March 15th. Upon arrival Sarah will have approximately 13 days to adjust to the 9 hour time change and get ready for THE battle of the year. Sarah is both excited and nervous for the big day, but as her coach I can tell you one thing for certain – she is ready!

(pictures from the new track in Mallorca)
Please stay tuned as I will attempt to provide updates to how the final preparations are going once we touch down in Spain. The island has a very similar climate to Southern California with temps in the range of 65-75 degrees which should make for an easy transition. Super-fans that can’t wait for next-day results can follow the action real-time at http://www.fixedgearfever.com/ – racing starts the 29th.

Sarah Scores the Cover of ROAD Magazine!

2007-02-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

That's right, OUCH Pro Cycling fans can rejoice as Sarah scores cover-shot #2. Neil Browne of ROAD Magazine sent out a digital copy for me to share and I think everyone will agree: It's a GREAT cover!

For those of you who are not familiar with ROAD Magazine (I was in this group prior to seeing it at Barnes and Nobles about six months ago), check it out!! This magazine represents the highest level of journalism with real cycling stories that you will not find in any other cycling publications. The writing is superb and the photos are amazing.

Check out ROAD Magazine here: http://www.roadmagazine.net/

Check out Neil Browne's blog here - great interviews, cutting edge stories, etc. :

http://www.neilroad.blogspot.com/

Sarah Takes Women's Track Racing to the Next Level!!

2007-01-25T19:58:00.000-08:00

OUCH Pro Cycling’s 1st World Cup a Triumph!

Here is a quote from the U.C.I. that concisely sums up the stellar three day event:

“After Sydney and Moscow , the third of the four rounds of the 2006-2007 UCI Track Cycling World Cup took place in Los Angeles ( USA ) from 19 to 21 January. A new participation record in this fifth edition of the series was set at this event. In fact, 254 athletes representing 36 countries and 13 professional teams gathered together in the Home Depot Center velodrome, where the UCI World Championships took place in 2005.
The undeniable star of the weekend in front of a huge Californian crowd, who gave superb performances, was Sarah Hammer winning three gold medals. The World Champion pursuit titleholder triumphed in her preferred specialty achieving a new American record in the qualifying rounds. She also rode to victory in the point’s race and the scratch. The excellent form which the American displayed in Los Angeles has made her one of the biggest stars in the upcoming World Championships in Palma de Mallorca (ESP), scheduled at the end of March.”

How does one define athletic domination? Sarah and the OUCH Pro Cycling squad made their statement at the 2007 Los Angeles World Cup. Starting on Friday, January 19th, the World’s finest cyclist held court at the ADT Event Center Velodrome at the Home Depot Center in Carson , California .

With three days of racing on tap, OUCH Pro Cycling placed primary importance on Friday’s Women’s Points Race. The morning session saw Sarah breezing through qualifying and establishing herself as the race favorite. In the all-star final, which included the reigning Points Race World Champion, attack upon attack sprang from the field. Sarah found herself with few friends, and was forced to chase most of the dangerous moves alone. Going on the offensive 30 laps into the 80-lap race, Sarah clawed her way into a tie for the lead with a Cuban rider with only the final sprint to be contested. Sarah only had to beat the Cuban to the finish. With fellow American Becky Quinn bringing Sarah to the front, Sarah came across the line with a nail-biting win before a crazed, hometown crowd!

The morning of day two saw Sarah lining up for the event in which she is the reigning World Champion—the Women’s 3000 Meter Pursuit. Despite the taxing effort of the prior night’s Points Race victory, the morning qualifying round ended with Sarah breaking her own American record and dominating the competition. In an event usually decided by fractions of a second, Sarah’s next closest qualifier found themselves seven seconds slower! In the evening final, Sarah rode easily to claim her second World Cup gold medal.

By day three, the OUCH Pro Cycling Team had demonstrated its dominance, and it was clear that every rider in the field would be marking Sarah’s every move. The question on everyone’s lips was simple: Could Sarah and OUCH complete the hat trick by winning the Scratch Race? After once again moving easily through the qualifying rounds, Sarah lined up against the World’s best female cyclists (including the reigning World Champion in the Scratch Race) for the 10-kilometer final. At a short 40 laps, there is no room for error in this race. The first half of the race saw Sarah keeping a watchful eye on her competitors, and being closely watched herself, as some small attacks sprang from the field. With five laps to go, and in near a replay of her victory in last year’s L.A. World Cup, Sarah seized control of the race. The hometown crowd was on its feet, witness to Sarah’s strength and speed. At three laps, Sarah took the lead and never looked back, leaving the competition powerless to contest the finish.

With the hat-trick completed, Sarah closed the Los Angeles World Cup in true dominating style!

More coverage and photos can be found here:

http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2730

http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2733

http://www.cyclingnews.com/track.php?id=track/2006/worldcup0607/losangeles07/losangeles075

http://www.cyclingnews.com/track.php?id=track/2006/worldcup0607/losangeles07/losangeles074

Fixedgearfever.com Announces Real-Time L.A. World Cup Results

2007-01-14T23:33:00.000-08:00

This just in from our friends over at Fixedgearfever.com!

LIVE from the ADT Event Center in Los Angeles, revolutionary FixedGearFever.com trackside coverage of all the World Cup racing AS IT HAPPENS for track cycling fans around the world. Zipp Speed Weaponry has increased their relentless commitment to track racing by sponsoring this innovative type of track racing coverage! FixedGearFever will be online from the Velodrome bringing you real-time stats, standings, results, rider interviews, photos and more!

In addition, we will be holding a random drawing to win a pair of Zipp Wheels! That's right, one person will be selected as the winner of their choice of theZipp 808 Track Wheelset or Zipp 404 Clincher Road Wheelset, delivered directly to their home!

Check out Fixedgearfever.com for the quickest L.A. World Cup results and a chance to win big!

Happy Holidays from OUCH Pro Cycling!

2006-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays OUCH Pro Cycling fans,

I'd like to use Christmas day to announce a first for Sarah, OUCH Pro Cycling and female track cyclists -- a cover shot on a major cycling publication!

That's right, Sarah will be on the cover of January's Velonews. OUCH Pro Cycling's very own will be sharing the cover with two other female American cycling superstars -- World Champions Kristin Armstrong and Jill Kintner. These elite three will be sharing the honors of the prestigious Velonews North American female cyclist of the year award. For those of you who cannot wait for the issue, you can check out a smaller on-line version here:

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/11369.0.html

Seasons greetings and we look forward to a great 2007!

World Cup Tickets Now On Sale - Come and get em'

2006-12-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

Stop #3 on the 2007 World Cup Circuit will take place in Los Angeles, California. The L.A. World Cup will begin on January 19th and tickets are now on sale here (www.homedepotcenter.com).

The L.A. World Cup is the most prestigious track race held in North America with over 200 athletes from 35 countries. An abundance of World and Olympic Champions will compete in the three-day event.

The OUCH Pro Cycling team will be making its international debut at the L.A. World Cup. Sarah will be competing in all three days of competition. I've placed a schedule below. We hope to see everyone there!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, January 19
First Session - 10:00am (Sarah's Points race qualifier)
Second Session - 7:00pm (sarah's Points race final)
Saturday, January 20
First Session - 10:00am (Sarah's Pursuit qualifier)
Second Session - 6:00pm (Sarah's Pursuit final)
Sunday, January 21
First Session - 9:50am (Sarah's Scratch race qualifying and final)

A Tribute to Rick Beswick (1941-2006)

2006-11-30T22:59:00.000-08:00

Sarah and OUCH Pro Cycling lost a true friend on Monday. Prominent Redlands attorney, Rick Beswick, husband and father to three, suffered a fatal heart-attack at his Redlands home early Monday morning. Rick was 65.

Rick will be remembered for his generosity and quick wit. Rick gave endless legal advice and direction to Sarah and the team. He always made time in his busy schedule to answer the most random question and never asked for anything in return. Cycling has lost a great man and we wish his family the best possible wishes. Rick Beswick will be missed.

LADIES ONLY Session #2 – Double the Fun!

2006-11-14T00:24:00.000-08:00

The AWTCF and Women’s Cycling Challenge Ladies Only Session at the ADT Event Center had a tremendous turnout for their second session. On November 11th, over 60 (yes, I said 60!) women made their way to the ADT velodrome. Alumni from the first event in October returned for their second class, and we introduced an excited bunch of new riders to track riding.

Sarah provided inspiration for the ladies both young and old, while several volunteers (under the direction of event organizer Julia Cross - www.crossins.com) helped fit riders to bikes, provide instruction, and make the event a huge success. Thanks go to Julia for all the time she spent promoting and organizing the event, as well as Roger Young of the ADT Velodrome for providing track time and instruction for the event. Big thanks as always to AWTCF Development Director, Sean Scott, for providing some great images of the event!

Sarah and future star Tara McCormick motoring.

A new era for track cycling? Women as far as the eye can see!

Superstar Madison Scott showing off the ol' red, white and blue!

GirlFest 2006 - Sarah joins the Girl Scouts!

2006-11-04T00:27:00.000-08:00

On October 28th, Sarah made her way to the 2nd annual GirlFest. This event, which is held by the 13,000 member San Gorgonio Girl Scouts Council, was held in Riverside, California and had a special focus on helping girls and their families lead healthier, safer and more successful lives.

Our reigning World Champion fit right in at this Girl Scouts’ event, which on an incredible side note is moving in to its 95th year! Sarah spent the day signing autographs, posing for pictures and promoting the healthy benefits of cycling. She was very well received.

AWTCF Development Director, Sean Scott, is working with the Home Depot Center to put together a package that will offer free/discounted tickets to all of the Southern California Girl Scouts so they can come out to the January World Cup at the ADT Event Center Velodrome. After all, Sarah used to be a Girl Scout herself!

Round 2 of Ladies Only Days!

2006-10-31T22:56:00.000-08:00

Round 2 of Ladies Only Days at the ADT Event Center Velodrome set for November 11th

With the first session bringing in over 35 newbies to the track, the second of four Ladies Only sessions at the L.A. Velodrome is scheduled for November 11th. Sarah is once again scheduled to be the guest of honor for the two hour free track session which aims to bring track riding and racing to women who have wanted to try it, or who are new to the track cycling world.

Sarah’s American Women’s Track Cycling Fund (www.awtcf.org) has paired with The Women’s Cycling Challenge to come up with a system that will introduce as many women as possible to track cycling. Sarah, along with Ladies Only director and creator Julia Cross and ADT Event Center director Roger Young, will seek to bring to bring their knowledge, passion and experience to the 2 hr. Saturday sessions.

For more info check out:
http://womenscyclingchallenge.org/

If you want to see the magic of track cycling make your way to the ADT Event Center Velodrome on November 11th!

Future Track Cycling Star - Madison Scott

Canine Companions for Independence Fundraiser

2006-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

On the weekend of Oct. 21st Sarah and I made our way down to La Jolla for a great cause – the Canine Companions for Independence Wheels of Wonder Fundraiser. In short, make it to this event yourself next year! Furthermore, if you are looking for a great charity, visit http://www.cci.org/ as this event is probably the most rewarding experience that either of us has been a part of.

On Saturday Sarah joined cycling celebrities Floyd Landis, Robbie Ventura, Axel Merckx and others to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Southwest CCI Region and raise needed funds for this vital organization. Floyd, who was the guest of honor, was well received with a standing ovation that lasted several minutes prior to the auction. It’s great to see Floyd holding his head up so proudly in public by signing an endless request for autographs and pictures. Floyd is a guy who always makes time for his fans, a quality of a true champion!

The charity ride on Sunday was spectacular as well. Perfect 75 degree weather, a pristine coastline to ride on and great companionship equaled a superb time by all. At the turn-around we were greeted by about 15 cci dogs in training – very cool.

A little about CCI (taken from their site):
Canine Companions for Independence is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. CCI is funded by private contributions and receives no government funding. There is no charge to the graduate for a CCI assistance dog.

Inaugural Report

2006-10-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

OUCH Pro Cycling Inaugural Report

Welcome to the "official" blog of the newly created OUCH Sports Medical Center's International Professional Cycling Team. As many of you already know, OUCH Pro Cycling, as the team will be called, is the first U.C.I. women's only professional track cycling team. As a team we will strive to give periodic reports of how we are doing (results) and also communicate other important supporter/sponsor information (upcoming races, fundraisers, etc.). So let's begin!

This opening report will cover the 2006 US National Track Championships, our founding race as OUCH Pro Cycling. Day one of Nationals got off to a GREAT start as Sarah broke Rebecca Twigg's long standing 11 yr. 3000M National Record (and not by 1 or 2 tenths of a second I might add; let's try 3 and a 1/2 seconds). We were beyond ecstatic as her record breaking time was also 18 seconds faster than her nearest rival! As a coach I couldn't have been more proud and excited. And I'm happy to report this was only the beginning.

After a rest day we moved into day three and the women's points race. With OUCH Sports Medical Center director Dr. Brent Kay and OUCH patient, 2006 TDF winner Floyd Landis, in attendance, Sarah went on to not only lap the field by herself but also continued to win the last four sprints and nearly double the points tally of her nearest competitor. I think it is safe to say that Dr. Kay and Floyd were very impressed.

The forth and final day of the 2006 US National Track Championships saw Sarah lining up for the women's 10K scratch race, her last event. We were looking for the perfect 3 race sweep but this was a race where Sarah got beat at the line last year. This year proved to be different though. Even with a four rider breakaway off the front with six laps to go, Sarah not only managed to tow them in by herself, but she also managed to save enough power to hold off a hard changing field. Sarah showed once again why she has a #1 World Ranking as she won decisively and swept the National Championships in true style!

I cannot deliver how great of a way the National Championships were to start off the year. What even made the whole experience more meaningful was to have our top sponsors and supporters such as Dr. Kay and Sean Scott of Argentive in attendance. With the group of supporters and sponsors that we have put together, Sarah and I find ourselves better equipped to bring home World and Olympic Gold Medals than ever. The both of us are sending a big thank for your continued support and we looking forward to speaking with everyone on an individual basis very soon.