Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12 highlights USA Cycling 2009 Center of Excellence winners

Colorado Springs, Colo. (January 26, 2009)— USA Cycling recently recognized five programs with $20,000 worth of cash grants through the USA Cycling Development Foundation Centers of Excellence program. With winners chosen based on organizational criteria and performance results in developing junior and U23 cycling athletes, the new women’s professional squad, Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12, received top honors.

“The Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12 team (formerly known as the Proman Hit Squad) has proven their long-term vision and dedication to the athletes by scheduling above their own domestic agendas,” explained USA Cycling’s Director of Athletics Jim Miller. “It’s achieved significant accomplishments in terms of national and international results while balancing its focus on development and the mentoring of young riders.”

The women’s-only professional squad, Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12 plans to continue a balanced approach to development aiming for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. While the professional team is a primary focus, the program will continue to develop young American riders by providing emerging talent with opportunities to race with the elite squad, a formula which has proven successful. Riders will compete in North American and international races with a focus on World Cup events, World Championships and the 2012 Olympics under the direction of 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Kristin Armstrong.

Rad Racing (Olympia, Wash.), Team Swift (Fulton, Calif.), Boulder Devo (Boulder, Colo.) and the Young Medalists of the Lehigh Valley Cycling Club (Pa.) will also receive cash grants as honorable mention award winners.

Funded by the USA Cycling Development Foundation, these grants are awarded to programs that meet specific structural requirements with the potential and ability to develop athletes into international-level competitors. Each recipient’s recognition is directly linked to their efforts toward the development of young cyclists.

Since the program’s inception seven years ago, USA Cycling has distributed over $140,000 to grass roots development programs thanks to donations to the USA Cycling Development Foundation.

Honorable mention designee Rad Racing boasts a roster of over 35 junior and U23 athletes who compete in road, track, mountain bike and cyclo-cross events across the country. Team Swift is another long-running junior development program with members in multiple states and great success at placing riders into National Team programs. Boulder Devo has proven to be one of the top mountain bike development squads in the country over the last few years, also with a focus on developing riders for international competition. The Young Medalists Cycling Team, operating under the Lehigh Valley Cycling Club (LVCC) will also receive a cash grant for the third year in a row. The program’s development team structure was formed in 2006 under the LVCC and features dozens of junior riders who specialize in road and track events.

USA Cycling recognizes the outstanding work of all of these Centers of Excellence as they continue to grow the model of athlete development in cycling and contribute to the elevated levels of competition and growth of the sport in the United States.

Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12 (Marin, Calif.)
Rad Racing (Olympia, Wash.)
Team Swift (Fulton, Calif.)
Boulder Devo (Boulder, Colo.)
Young Medalists (Lehigh Valley, Pa.)

An additional nine groups have also been awarded the designation as USA Cycling Centers of Excellence. All of these groups have displayed comprehensive development plans for their junior and U23 riders.

Lehigh Wheelmen Future Champions (Lehigh Valley, Pa.)
Red Zone Cycling (Louisville, Ky.)
Orlando Road Club (Orlando, Fla.)
Tristar Cycling Team (Brentwood, Tenn.)
Des Moines Cycle Club (Des Moines, Iowa)
Boise Young Rider Development Squad (Boise, Id.)
Team Kenda (Chicago, Ill.)
Team Specialized Racing (San Francisco, Calif.)
Major Motion Cycling Club (Los Angeles, Calif.)