Tucson Here We Come!

Brian Cornelius & Taylor Phinney, 2010 Tour of the Gila

The excitement is building as the 2011 season kicks off.  With sponsored teams and riders hitting the scene from Seattle to Florida we're very excited to see some great results and also post some great race reports and product reviews.  DNA Distributing/Velocite Bikes U.S.A. is pleased to announce our latest sponsored athlete, Brian Cornelius.

Brian Cornelius is a 26 year old Category 1 rider from Tucson, Arizona.  It is his dream to race professionally and has been in pursuit of that goal since he started racing as a category 5 rider 5 years ago.  Brian’s specialty is sprinting and prefers long road races and fast and technical criteriums.  For the past two years he raced over 100 days each season in races that included San Dimas, Tour of the Gila, Joe Martin, Tulsa Tough, Tour of Somerville, Tour of America’s Dairyland, SuperWeek, Glencoe Grand Prix, and Gateway Cup.  In 2011 Brian will race for the Tucson, Arizona based team O2 Modern Fitness/Maynard’s and ride the Velocite Magnus frameset.  His race schedule will be similar to the past two years with a specific focus on Joe Martin Stage Race, Tour of America’s Dairyland, and a shot at besting his 2009 3rd place at the Glencoe Grand Prix.

You can follow Brian's race schedule and results here.

2011 Ultra Provocatorio Invitationale'

You saw the promotional video.  You've seen the flyer, the pics and read the recap.  Now check out the Ultra Romantic race recap produced by the Ultra Provocative Team Wooly Mammoth. 

The UPI was a 100 mile, five man, team time trial.  Every two minutes, teams of five would depart from the staging area.  Each team had with it a cue sheet that revealed the route of 100 miles.  Cue sheets were distributed that morning to prevent anyone from pre-riding the course, which also added to the romance.

Looks like a great course and an excellent time had by all.

TWM 2011 Ultra Provocatorio Invitationale' Race Recap from Team Wooly Mammoth on Vimeo.

Saul Raisin Teams Up With Velocite For 2011!

DNA Distributing is very excited to welcome Saul Raisin to the DNA/Velocite family.  Saul is an amazing athlete and an even more amazing person.  In just the short time we've gotten to know Saul we've found his optimism and determination contagious.  Saul represents what is great about our sport and reminds us why we all love it so much. For a little more about Saul keep reading.

Just over four years ago Saul Raisin laid comatose in a French hospital.  He almost lost his life.  His massive brain injuries were the result of a high-speed bicycle crash.  Saul's parents were told by doctors that he could be brain dead. If he were to live, they needed to find a nursing home for him because he would need special health care assistance the rest of his life.  Prior to his crash Saul was in the process of building an impressive racing resume. He’d won the Best Young Rider jersey at the Tour de Georgia, captured ninth place overall at the Tour of Germany, turned in the strongest American performance at the 2005 World Championships, and won a mountainous stage in the first race of 2006.  At the age of 23 his future in cycling could not have been brighter.  In the blink of an eye, his world changed.  Saul Raisin crashed in a professional bicycle race in France hitting his head. Thirty hours later he slipped into a coma following brain surgery which was necessary to save his life.  Saul told his friends and family when he was in the hospital if he ever lived a normal life again that he wanted to give back and help people like him.  Now he has started the Raisin Hope Foundation to help others with brain injuries.  In the last three years, his foundation has raised over $250,000 dollars.  He is now a noted motivational speaker, author, and triathlete. 

If Saul is not competing in triathlons or giving motivational speeches he is studying to be a physical therapist in school.  Saul's experience in cycling and overcoming diversity brings a lot to DNA Distributing & Velocite Bikes.  Saul is a positive role model that shows others the power of determination and hope.

Saul, welcome to the team!  We look forward to a great and long lasting relationship.

We'll keep you posted on Saul's ride as well as pics of his build.

Happy New Year - Now Time To Suffer

We have teamed up with the good folks at The Sufferfest to kick off the new year with a nice little competition. 

It's time to start working off a little of that holiday cheer.  Enjoy what bowl games this weekend has to offer and then come Monday it's time to get serious.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Sufferfest they are some of the best indoor training videos out there.  They will change the way you think about indoor training.  They will give you a chance to race against some of the best cyclists in the world and most importantly, like the name says, they will make you suffer.

Back to the contest.  14 days of suffering.  Beginning Monday, January 3rd you will have 14 days to accumulate as many miles as possible.  Contest ends on Monday, January 17th.  That doesn't sound so bad, now does it?  But wait there's more.  All miles must be accumulated either on a turbo trainer or set of rollers.  Minimum amount of miles to contest the win is 250 miles.  To keep the top two contestants suffering through the winter, first place will get their choice of two Sufferfest training videos and the first...ummmm...runner up will receive one Sufferfest training video also of their choice.

The Rules Are:
1) All miles MUST be accumulated on a turbo trainer or set or rollers.
2) Miles must be posted daily on the DNA Distributing Facebook page under the contest post.
3) Contest is based on the honesty policy, so please, no snaking the corner, sucking wheel, or logging road miles.
4) Have fun!

If you don't happen to be one of the top two finishers or you need a little extra incentive to make it through the next 14 days, click The Sufferfest link on the DNA blog site and download yourself a copy.  There's several to choose from, each focusing on something different and each making you suffer in a new way.

Good Luck and Let THE SUFFERING BEGIN!