2011 Collegiate All-Stars Set to Return to Nature Valley

Calling all women of Collegiate Cycling!

The 2010 Collegiate All-Stars at their team presentation last year at Nature Valley.

Are you ready to take your cycling career to the next level? For the fifth consecutive year, the Collegiate All-Stars will be competing in North America’s largest women’s stage race, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, June 15-19, in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Collegiate All-Stars is a team of the top six women in collegiate cycling, selected from the final Individual Omnium standings at the 2011 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships in Madison, Wisconsin. This tremendous opportunity is a chance to be discovered: nearly half of the Collegiate All-Stars alumnae have gone on to ride for professional teams over the past five years.

Benefits include: free entry, a generous travel stipend, host housing, ground transportation, coaching and a full team support crew including a manager, mechanic, massage therapist, soigneur and photographer. Additionally, the team will hold a training camp on the Saturday through Tuesday before the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Menomonie is the location of the race’s 5th stage, offering riders a chance to preview the hilly and challenging course, get to know their teammates and support staff, work on tactics, and review additional situations that are common in the pro peloton, such as receiving assistance from neutral support and the team car and other skills needed to excel in the country’s top stage race for women.

How to qualify: the top three women in the Division I and Division II Individual Omniums, who aren’t already on a team going to the Nature Valley Grand Prix, will be invited to join the team. Only one qualifying woman per college team will be invited and invitees must have a USAC Road category 1 or 2 license before Friday, May 13 to be eligible. Team Manager John Barron will be in attendance in Madison to answer questions and formally invite six women to join the Collegiate All-Stars team.

Please visit the team web page for more information and view past team rosters to see alumnae who are now riding with pro teams. Finally, be sure to mark June 11-19 on your calendar, especially if you will need to rearrange your final exam schedule to take advantage of this great opportunity. Please send questions about the program to Collegiate All-Stars team Manager, John Barron.

Interviews with previous Collegiate All-Stars:

TV — KARE 11 (NBC) — Rita Klofta (DePauw U)
TV — KMSP (Fox) — Elle Anderson (Dartmouth) & Flora Duffy (Colorado State)
Radio Interview with Elle Anderson (Dartmouth)
Radio Interview with Kimberly Turner (Seattle Pacific U)