Here are 12 major stories about Arizona cycling in 2014. What do you think was the biggest headline? Vote in our poll.
Arizona’s Marcotte and McCabe win pro nationals
Arizona’s Eric Marcotte and Travis McCabe (Team SmartStop) did the unthinkable by going 1-2 in the USA Pro Road Race National Championships, bringing home a team victory and a win for cycling in Arizona.
Gea Johnson sets records at Worlds
Scottsdale’s Gea Johnson (FASTER) finished Masters Worlds in Manchester, England with a second-consecutive gold and U.S. elite women record in the 500-meter time trial and a new record in the women’s sprint.
Danny Eaton takes 6th in USA Pro Challenge stage
Mesa’s Daniel Eaton (Bissell Development Team) took sixth place Friday, ahead of Tejay Van Garderen (BMC Racing) in the USA Pro Challenge Stage 5.
Kayla Hankins: National track champion, age 11
Before Kayla Hankins (Strada Racing Club) crashed out at the USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships in Madison, Wisc., she brought home gold and a national championship in track cycling.
Clipped In goes behind the scenes at the Tour de France
Clipped In AZ’s Regina Jefferies went behind the scenes with an official press pass at Stage 3 of the Tour de France in Cambridge, meeting Peter Sagan and Ted King (Cannondale) and spotting Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), the current race leader in the yellow jersey.
Giffords rides in Tour de Tucson
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords rode in El Tour de Tucson, her first major cycling event since the 2011 Tucson shooting.
ASU Cycling teammates, BMX riders confront thief, save bike
“The thief unleashed his inner-Cavendish and sprinted away on my bike while Constantin, who was wearing flip-flops, tried to catch up to him, and I tried to catch up to Constantin while still wearing road shoes with cleats.”
New underground time trial series comes to Phoenix
A new, unpermitted weekly time-trial series by FASTER went off in Phoenix in December on a road known as a prime TT location.
Falkner’s legacy, philanthropy crosses U.S.-Mexico border
Dwayne “Highly” Falkner’s life touched both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Falkner, a mountain biker fatally hit by a car in November on Pecos Road, was a patriarch of Rancho Feliz, a community in Agua Prieta that helps residents of the beleaguered border town overcome extreme poverty.
Clipped In fans choose Mt. Lemmon as best Arizona ride in epic social media battle
Arizona cyclists voted in an epic social media battle to determine the best road bike rides in Arizona, and Mt. Lemmon reigned supreme, followed by Mt. Graham and Mingus Mountain.
Arizona junior cyclist: ‘I burned out’
Since 2010 approximately 70 Arizona riders have turned 19 and transitioned from the junior ranks. Nearly 50 of them have not raced in 2014.
Road races disappear from Ariz. calendar, riders spark awareness
Road races disappeared this year from the Arizona bicycle racing calendar, leaving some cyclists so concerned they’ve created the hashtag #saveazroadracing.
Honorable mention: Cancer-stricken Arizona cyclist buys bike for family in need
Team Vitesse time trialist and mountain biker Rob Nickerson, who is undergoing chemotherapy for throat cancer, saw a Clipped In Facebook post asking for help in providing bikes to a family with cancer-afflicted children. Nickerson took action immediately and purchased a bike for the family.