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A second Club follow up report about the SMP Composit. 

Every time I go to the race line with my Composit I am approached by a fellow racer that has been looking for the perfect fit...I can in good conscience direct them to the one saddle that I have found that I don't have to get used to.

Thanks again.

Carrie

We hope you are enjoying a fine Monday.

Here is a link to a recent write up an action shot on the Composit.  More to come on the Glider.

Excerpt:
"......I then tried the Selle SMP Composite.  After my initial 3 1/2 hour pain~free ride on the Composite, I knew I had found my saddle.  This saddle has no padding but is shaped perfectly.  At the risk of shameless sponsor endorsement, I have to say I’ve found my saddle soulmate after searching all spring....."

http://www.teamrevcycling.org/velodrama/?p=842

I will send pictures soon.

Thank you. Off to Athens Twilight and Speedweek for us.

Carrie

Subject: Team Revolution steps up, speaks out

Several of our sponsors have asked us if we will be at Sunday's Tour of California women's crit on Sunday. We understand the importance of the exposure associated with an event of this magnitude. While we would love to kick-off our season in Santa Rosa with the prestigious field that has been assembled, we will instead be traveling to Phoenix where we will race the Valley of the Sun Stage Race with 60+ other women. I've had the opportunity to speak to several of you regarding the rationale that has guided this decision but wanted each of you to have the chance read the open letter Carrie Cash and Chris Roettger -- our team's founders -- have written to Andrew Messick, the President of AEG Sports (the company responsible for TOC).

Here is a link to the letter on our website: http://stlrevolution.com/teamrev/2009/02/09/who-we-are-what-we-do/

Text is below my signature.

While the disparity between the elite female racer and the elite male racer is certainly not a new story, it is a story that Carrie and Chris are adamant about giving voice to until strides are made to close the gap. Their commitment to increasing opportunities available for female cyclists of all levels locally, regionally and nationally is one of the reasons I am most proud to be part of Team Revolution.

While no response is required from you here, I encourage you to consider what they've written and would certainly appreciate any private feedback or public comments (on our blog) on the issue at hand.

Thank you for your continued support of Team Revolution.
Sincerely,

Jessi Braverman
Team Revolution Sponsorship Coordinator
415.419.6733
www.teamrevcycling.org

LETTER TEXT

Dear Mr. Messick,

We congratulate you on the apparent excitement and buzz surrounding this year's Amgen Tour of California. Team Revolution was excited to include the event in 2009's race schedule.

Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are members of Team Revolution's elite women's cycling team and founders of the St. Louis-based non-profit cycling education and advocacy group of the same name. Our organization exists to teach and inspire women of all ages to ride for competition, recreation, health and fitness. When we saw the need for a comprehensive resource for women looking to explore and discover cycling in the Midwest, we created one.

Given our organization's mission and goals, we would be remiss in not ensuring our collective voice is heard here. We find it unfortunate that the Tour of California has elected to back out of expanding women's opportunities previously announced. I'm not sure if you could see the quiet ripples of excitement from the initial announcement of the expansion last October. Only to be stifled by its eventual withdrawal.

It is because of that retraction, we'll not be joining the women's field on the line in Santa Rosa. We've since let our supporters and sponsors know we have elected, instead, to head to Phoenix to race the Valley of the Sun stage race.  While the absence of a single team might have gone unnoticed, we represent a greater collection of elite women athletes and teams that have quietly and perhaps more gracefully cancelled their trips to California and attendance at your event.

The disparity between the available support, financial and otherwise, for the professional male cyclist and the professional female cyclist is disheartening. The Tour of California is no exception to that disparity. As a race director, you have diminished the women's role by issuing a somewhat meaningless statement regarding the rationale for your course of action. In doing so, you disregard the importance of equality and take for granted the "unprecedented field of riders" that will likely assemble for your season-opening NRC event.

We're an emerging team and organization focused on growing the entire spectrum of the sport. We are adamant advocates for women in cycling. It's in that vein that we will attend and support events, promoters, and sponsors investing in expanding women's participation in—not just observation of—competition. We head to Phoenix on Thursday to demonstrate that patronage to the White Mountain Road Club and all the sponsors of the Valley of the Sun Stage Race who have dedicated consistent resources, payouts and racing days to both professional men and women's fields.

While a response is encouraged, but not expected, we hope you'll deliberate the weight of your actions. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,

Carrie Cash and Chris Roettger
Team Revolution co-founders
www.teamrevcycling.org

Click here for the team's web page