Team Stradalli - Safetti Winning First 2017 Crit Race with German Sprinter Florenz Knauer

TEAMWORK

Teamwork (Boss is always watching)

Stradalli Cycle Family At The Athens Twilight

Stradalli Cycles were taking wins in several states this weekend, but the Raw Revolution Miami Criterium Classic Sunday saw a podium sweep from Stradalli - Safetti Team in the Pro/1/2 category.

Stradalli - Safetti started a team of 4 of their top riders, two of which found the podium the previous weekend at the Florida State Criterium Championships.

Akil Campbell, young rider for Stradalli - Safetti, worked for the team throughout the race. Campbell was constantly covering attacks and flying off the front of the race. Campbell worked well with Enrique Lopez to drive the pace of the race and ensure other teams had to work hard in order to stay in contention.

Jose Frank Rodriguez raced a masters race early in the day and immediately followed his first race with the Pro/1/2 race. Rodriguez also worked for the team throughout the duration of the Pro/1/2 race chasing and riding in breakaways.

Despite other teams doing their best to get away from the field, Stradalli - Safetti controlled the race and set up the finish for a field sprint. A small group of 4 would get away from the field in the closing meters which included Stradalli - Safetti rider Alex Mclaughlin

Mclaughlin would sprint from that group to take 1st place. Campbell and Lopez would lead the charge from the field sprint to pass Mclaughlin's late breakaway companions to take 2nd and 3rd places making for Stradalli - Safetti's first podium sweep in 2016. Despite having raced two races, Rodriguez would still finish top 10 in the race.

The Bill Bone Pro-Am Florida Series races continued this past weekend at the Brooksville Cycling Classic. The Stradalli - Safetti Team split this weekend to cover multiple races, but Stradalli Cycles were still out in force at the Brooksville Cycling Classic thanks to the Stradalli - Wizard Development Team.

Justin Pfaff, star rider for Stradalli - Wizard, added another win to his track record for 2016 in the Pro/1/2 Brooksville Criterium. Pfaff has won several races this year and placed top 10 in his first USA Criterium Series race.

Sebastian Morfin, another young rider for Stradalli - Safetti Team, followed closely behind in second place making it a Stradalli Cycle 1-2 finish in Brooksville, Florida.

Pfaff and Morfin were on the podium together two weekends ago at the Florida State Criterium Championships U23 race.

Florida State Championship U23 Stradalli Cycle Podium Sweep

The Florida State Criterium Championships were held in Stuart, Florida this past weekend and Stradalli Cycles came away with multiple championship jerseys.

The talk of the weekend has been the U23 podium where Justin Pfaff of Stradalli – Wizard racing, Sebastian Morfin and Akil Campbell of Stradalli – Safetti took the top 3 spots all riding Stradalli bicycles. Pfaff, Morfin and Campbell have been competing with and against each other since early this year and have all been a factor at the front of the race in every race they have entered together.

Though they are all young, they still compete at the top level of criterium racing in the United States. More interestingly, they are eligible for the stagaire role with the Stradalli – Bike Aid team in Europe this August.

Stradalli – Bike Aid is a continental professional team based in Germany who competes in over 100 UCI level races per year. Stradalli – Bike Aid has raced in Spain at the Challenge Mallorca and as far south as Gabon, Africa already in 2016. Stradalli – Bike has two stagaire positions available this coming August, but they will be earned, not given.

Pfaff recently began his USA Criterium campaign with a top 10 finish and has now added a U23 Florida State Championship to his name. After several Bill Bone Pro-Am Florida Series wins, Pfaff is looking well positioned to take one of the stagaire roles for 2016.

Campbell recently returned from a long stint of racing in Trinidad and Tobago. In his first race back in Florida he found his way to a U23 podium and factored in the pro race later in the evening proving he is one of the best young riders in the state.

Morfin, who is a full-time student at the University of Florida, manages to race and be one of the best U23 riders in the state despite balancing a full work-load while he finishes his bachelor’s degree. Morfin has been on the U23 podium at the Florida State Championships for two years running.

Stradalli Cycle invests much of its resources on developing young riders. The success of young riders at the Florida State Championships shows the dedication and hard work from all parties is paying off. The riders are being well prepared for the real European racing in August. 

Solid Day For Stradalli – Safetti Pro Race Team At St. Petersburg Bay Front Criterium

The Stradalli – Safetti pro race team entered the Sunshine Grand Prix St. Petersburg Bay Front Criterium as part of the USA Crits Series, facing off against tough competition this Easter weekend. Former Slovenian cycling champion Aldo Ino Ilesic won the race, 2 time defending USA Crits Champion Dan Holloway finished 2^nd. Travis McCabe of team Holowesko – Citadel came in 3^rd and former Stradalli Cycle racer Ruben Companioni came in 4^th.

Despite the stacked field Stradalli – Safetti turned in a solid outing with Jose Frank Rodriguez finishing the race in 8^th and Alex Mclaughlin and Kiko Karen finishing the super fast race in the top 20. Kiko was able to recover after a crash earlier in the race to round out a solid day for the race team.