Announcing 2019 Road Racing Program
Amy D. Foundation (ADF) is excited to announce the details of its 2019 Road Racing program. This important development program is back and bigger than ever for 2019.
Amy D. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created in memory of Amy Dombroski. As Dombroski’s legacy, the foundation encourages and supports young women through cycling, inspiring the celebration of healthy challenge and empowering the confident pursuit of lofty dreams.
Dombroski was a versatile cyclist with U23 National Championship titles in road, mountain, and cyclocross. The foundation supports programs in all of Dombroski’s disciplines, including road.
The history of Amy D. Road Racing is short but impactful.
In 2015, when the foundation was less than two years old, it created a composite team for the Tour of the Gila. Friends of Amy, Mara Abbott and Meredith Miller, served as team leader and directeur sportif, respectively. The team made its presence known at Gila with Abbott winning the final stage. Of even greater impact, the composite team allowed six women to race Tour of the Gila who otherwise would not have raced.
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In 2015, the Tour of the Gila became a UCI race for the first time. As a result, only UCI-registered teams were allowed entry and individual entries were prohibited. The six talented riders making up Amy D. Road Racing at Gila rode for teams that chose not to enter. As such, these riders would not have raced Gila were it not for Amy D. Foundation.
Photo Credit Mitchel Clinton www.clintonphoto.com
At Tour of Gila, the Foundation saw a situation where women lacked opportunity and stepped in to fill that void. This set the tone for the Road Racing program going forward. It’s mission was defined: provide support for driven, talented women striving to reach the highest level of competition within cycling.
Amy D. Foundation Road Racing continues to operate a composite team model. Selection is based on an annual, open application process. The roster typically varies event-to-event in order to provide opportunity to as many women as possible.
Each year since 2015, the number of foundation-supported races and roster spots has grown. This year, the Road Racing program will participate in six events, supporting 34 aspiring female riders.
The events and dates are as follows:
Redlands Classic—March 13-17
Joe Martin Stage Race—April 4-7
Cascade Cycling Classic—May 29-June 2
North Star Grand Prix—June 12-16
Chrono Kristin Armstrong and ASWD Twilight Criterium—July 12-14
Colorado Classic—August 22-25
Scroll to the bottom of this release to see the rosters.
Mentorship of the selected riders is a critical aspect of Amy D. Road Racing. To this end, riders benefit from the leadership of Directeur Sportif Katheryn Curi. Curi is a former U.S. National Road Cycling Champion (2005) and a World Cup winner (2008). She was a teammate of Amy’s while both rode for Webcor Builders Professional Women’s Cycling team.
Dan Dombroski explains Curi is a natural fit for the DS role: “Katheryn was not only one of the top road racers in the world, but she also had an immensely positive impact on Amy’s life and trajectory as a young and aspiring professional cyclist. That type of development and mentoring runs deep through the veins of the Amy D. Foundation programming, so it is both productive and meaningful to have Katheryn leading the road cycling team.”
2019 marks Curi’s 5th season as Directeur Sportif.
Curi supports the team alongside the course and from the team car, but points out the importance of leadership on the road. Last winter, she proposed adding a team captain role and nominated Maddy Ward of San Diego, California for the job. Dombroski agreed having a team captain was next logical step for the program and seconded Ward’s nomination.
Ward will serve as Captain on the Road for all six team events this season.
2018 was a breakthrough season for Ward, including an 8th place in the GC at Colorado Classic while riding for ADF Road Racing.
Ward understands the nuances of composite team leadership. She explains: “Racing on a composite team can be especially challenging by nature because the riders haven’t had time to get to know their teammates and how they race. I am good at making fast friends and making people feel comfortable in unfamiliar situations.
“On the bike, I check in with my teammates and can be counted on to move someone into better position, give them water or food, and lay it all on the line for another rider.”
To follow the Road Racing team’s season, like/follow Amy D. Foundation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Rider diaries will also be posted to the foundation’s webpage at https://amydfoundation.org/blog/road-composite-teams/
| Redlands Classic | Joe Martin | Cascade Cycling Classic |
| Maddy Ward | Maddy Ward | Maddy Ward |
| Holly Breck | Ayesha McGowan | Annick Chalier |
| Rachel Langdon | Leigh M Dukeman | Samantha Quijano |
| Ava Hachmann | Vanessa Romano | Eleanor Wiseman |
| Sawyer Taylor | Fiona Winder | Emma Edwards |
| Sonia Taylor | Emma Langley | Kira Payer |
| Sara Youmans | Leah Thorvilson | Tori Wuthrich |
| Anna Dorovskikh | ||
| North Star Grand Prix | Chrono Kristin Armstrong & ASWD Twilight Criterium | Colorado Classic |
| Maddy Ward | Maddy Ward | Maddy Ward |
| Paige Kostanecki | Holly Breck | Kara Lilly |
| Elise Donovan | Stephanie Smith | Jessica Daniels |
| Chloe Welch | Cedella Janczak | Anna Dorovskikh |
| Callie Swan | Allison Crow | Caroline Poole |
| Dixie Newsome | Samantha Quijano | Finn Taylor |
| Clara Honsinger |
Contact:
Dan Dombroski
dan@amydfoundation.org
(303) 819-6017