Club of the Year

LGBRC won the 2008 USA Cycling Club of the Year
Division 1 award for 2008.

Club of the Year commemorative plaque was presented to LGBRC on March 16 at the Town Council meeting in LG City Chambers at 7:00 p.m. Those in attendance were Liza Rachetto, Holly Roberts, Erin Dunn, Dana Ambrisko, Doug Ambrisko, Ashley Ambrisko, Mary-Ellen Ash, Lucia Mokres, Philo Wells, Peter Wells, Linda Wells who favored the Town Council with the opening Star Spangled Banner, Aldene and Barry Gordon.

Click for PHOTOS of the award presentation as well as the award itself.

Read Articles on USACycling.org and in San Jose Mercury News/Los Gatos

Background Information:
Colorado Springs, Colo. (December 22, 2008)—USA Cycling has announced the recipients of its annual Club of the Year awards. Ten USA Cycling-sanctioned clubs received recognition for outstanding programs throughout the 2008 season and will receive complimentary registration fees for the 2009 racing season.

Clubs were judged on several key areas including race promotion, membership composition, instructional clinics and seminars, club activities, charitable contributions and racing performance.

Of USA Cycling’s 2,216 member clubs, approximately 76 applied for consideration in 10 separate categories.

Three primary clubs were recognized based on membership size (Division I = 76+ members, Division II = 30-75 members and Division III = 1-29 members), while seven additional clubs were awarded with the Club of the Year designation based on specific categories – mountain bike, collegiate, track, new club, women’s, master’s, and junior/high school.

Receiving Division I Club of the Year honors was the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club (LGBRC) (Saratoga, Calif.) The LGBRC exemplified a model cycling club across several categories including community involvement, clinics and seminars, junior programs and much more. The club promotes the Cat’s Hill Classic which is a 36-year-old criterium that takes places in downtown Los Gatos and features a variety of community activities, including a free children’s race. The club also hosts the Timpani Criterium in Santa Clara where the race serves as a fundraiser for the group’s junior development program.

From an educational perspective, the LGBRC conducted multiple clinics and seminars that focused on several key areas including junior and women’s development, specific skills and racing tactics. The club also facilitates a mentoring program and hosts regular training sessions at the Hellyer Velodrome.

The Division I Club of the Year also held regular training rides targeted at specific groups including juniors. As the top fundraising team at the 2008 Tour de Cure, a variety of fundraisers are also an ongoing part of the club’s culture. On the first Monday of each month the LGBRC holds team meetings to review sponsor support, race results, club events and membership statistics and cover any emerging issues. The club also publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Catalyst, which contains race reports, photos, race results and more.

The LGBRC boasts 185 members, with nearly half of those either junior or female riders. The LGBRC also earned 60 race victories, 174 top-three results and over 400 top-10 results in 2008.

See also: 2005 award ceremony photos when we last won the award.