You’ve probably seen the Velo Bellas ripping it up on their Ellsworth bikes at national races, a departure from the team’s Kona rigs from previous years. Official press release below:
Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes, a market leader in technology innovation and sustainable business practices, has partnered with the Velo Bella women’s cyclocross team for the 2009-2010 season. Ellsworth has provided the team’s elite racers with its redesigned “Roots” cyclocross bikes.
Known for its support of women’s cancer research and cycling development, Ellsworth believes there is more to women’s cycling than gender-specific frame geometry. “Cycling at its core is about fun and healthy living. The biggest impact we can make as a company is to encourage women’s participation in the sport and support grassroots programs like Velo Bella,” said founder and CEO Tony Ellsworth.
Many of the women who ride for Velo Bella juggle racing with fulltime jobs, school, and family. An extra commitment common to every member of the team, however, is to help develop women’s cycling. Velo Bella elite racers regularly lead Saturday or Sunday morning skills clinics for beginners, and then pin on numbers to race against professionals in the afternoon.
Velo Bella rides Ellsworth Roots for the 2009-2010 season. photo: courtesy
The roster is made up of veterans and promising new riders: Kathy Sherwin (a frequent top 10 finisher in national races), Kari Studley (UCI podium place already in ’09), Devon Haskell (Division II collegiate national cyclocross champion), Shannon Gibson (Master’s 40-44 National cyclocross champion in 2007), Jen Tilley, Brenna Lopez-Otero, Kelly Chang, Natasha Perry, Marian Jamison, and Beth Welliver.
Fittingly named for its place in Ellsworth lore, the “Roots” is a racing bike that has been routinely improved since its 1996 debut. The bike was built withthe two specific needs of a ‘cross racer: drop bar efficiency with off-road stability. The Roots features a geometrically tuned Rare Earth Carbon rear triangle, comfortable shouldering top tube ergonomics, and a cyclocross-specific Shaped, Swaged, and Tapered (SST) aluminum front end.
“They’re the most beautiful frames I’ve seen. I love the detail and have spent a lot of time staring in wonder at the craftsmanship that went into the carbon rear triangles. The flat top tube for shouldering is also a very exciting feature for cyclocross,” said racer Kari Studley who drove her Roots to victory at the October 5th Starbucks GP in Sammamish, WA.
Ellsworth and Velo Bella hope to continue the successful partnership they initiated with this summer’s sponsorship of Velo Bella’s professional gravity racing team.
For more information including bios, race schedules, clinic opportunities and more, please visit Velo Bella on the web.
About Ellsworth Bikes
Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes is a designer and manufacturer of the highest quality mountain, road, cyclocross and recreational bicycles. The company is known for its craftsman-style approach to bike design and manufacturing, and is the holder of multiple design patents. To learn more about Ellsworth Bikes visit www.ellsworthbikes.com, on Twitter “@ellsworthbikes”, and Facebook.
