Team CF returns for 4th season, invites club riders to join
Originally posted on January 31, 2013 at 11:35 am
Selene Yeager, Kristin Gavin, and Kathleen Harding are part of the dominate Women’s Elite team. Photo by PJFreeman Photography.
Team CF, the rolling brainchild of cystic fibrosis researcher Dr. Jim Wilson is racing into its fourth year with some fresh faces and a new Club Team that is open to the public.
Team CF, which has been a dominant force in the National Ultra Endurance Series will be beefing up its Elite Team roster with several new riders including Philadelphia-based Jesse Kelly and Janine Verstraeten; American Ultracross Series Champion Stephanie Swan out of Pittsburgh; Roger Masse, second overall in Master’s division of the 2012 NUE Series from Baltimore; and Gerry Pflug, four-time NUE singlespeed series winner also from Pittsburgh.
Cheryl Sornson and Christian Tanguy took top spots at the 2012 Cohutta 100.
Returning are Cheryl Sornson, who captured the Women’s overall NUE title in 2012; Christian Tanguy who was the 2011 Men’s overall winner; Selene Yeager who again captured the Pennsylvania Cyclocross series; Nikki Thiemann who led the cyclocross field across the country; plus Kristin Gavin, Kathleen Harding, and Cary Smith. The team will be focusing once again on the NUE, mountain bike stage races and cyclocross both traditional and ultra endurance and will be sponsored by Specialized, DNA Cycling, CarboRocket, ProBikes in Pittsburgh, and Smith Optics.
This year all those racers would like as many riders as possible to join them. In a move to grow the team at the grassroots level, Team CF has established a formal partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is inviting the public to join the Club Team. By joining the team riders will receive a Goodie Bag Welcome Package and have access to discounts on sponsor and team merchandise. They’ll also be encouraged to participate in a Cycle for Life CF charity ride and will receive training plans and enjoy the support of elite team members with help in training, bike maintenance, and nutrition. For more information check out TeamCF.org.
CF is the most common genetic disease in the Unites States affecting about 30,000 children and adults. The genetic defect renders certain organs of the body susceptible to obstruction due to thick mucus secretions. The most severe manifestation is in the lung where thick secretions lead to chronic lung infections which require a daily regimen of drug treatments and chest physical therapy to help clear airway secretions. Advances in the clinical management of CF have improved the prognosis, although current life expectancy is 37.4 years of age. There is no cure for CF, however, lung transplantation is the only life saving treatment in those with end stage lung disease.