SoCal Endurance series director Jason Ranoa said, "Specialized will be our headlining sponsor and be on board to support the races and riders at all our events. I am very excited knowing the passion and dedication that Specialized brings to the table.
Having a world leader in the cycling industry in our corner is a phenomenal resource. Both of our companies will be striving to give our riders the best experience possible."
The SoCal series kicks off this weekend with their first 12 Hour of Temecula race of 2010. Utilizing the extensive trail system at Vail Lake, California the opening race of the three-race series should be a real "barn-burner".
Tinker Juarez will be looking to take home the cash again this weekend
Cannondale Factory Racing team member Tinker Juarez is slated to take the start line along with other strong local talents.
MTBracenews.com will be bringing you results, photos, and a full report from Vail Lake this weekend.
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Cannondale Out as MonaVie Team Sponsor
With the creation of the Cannondale Factory Racing Team for 2010 Cannondale's status as a supporter of the MonaVie Epic racing team was left in question. Cannondale has now officially announced that they will not be partnering with MonaVie for the 2010 racing season.
Alex Grant remains one of MonaVie's most promising riders for 2010 (photo by: Lyna Saffell)
In a prepared statement, Cannondale PR Manager Michael De Leon said, "For the past three years, Cannondale has celebrated many victories with the MonaVie team and we have been thrilled to contribute to the growth and development of its athletes. We see an opportunity with Cannondale Factory Racing to continue to support Mountain Biking with an International team that mirrors the global nature of the Cannondale brand.
Sponsoring CFR allows us to focus our efforts and support the team in a bigger way and with the addition of athletes like Tinker and Jeremiah we see an opportunity to gain more traction with CFR in the U.S."
What this means for the powerhouse MonaVie team in the coming year is currently unknown. Our requests for a comment from MonaVie team director Matt Ohran have gone unanswered.
Despite the loss of high-profile riders Jeremiah Bishop and Tinker Juarez to CFR the MonaVie squad retains top-ranked riders Alex Grant, Sue Butler, and Bart Gillespie for the 2010 season.
Stay tuned to MTBracenews.com for the latest news on the CFR and MonaVie teams and other mountain bike team news