March 1, 2011 (Merced, California) – Team TIBCO/To the Top opened the 2011 season with a pair of races in Northern California to put into practice some of the tactics and teamwork they developed during training camp the past week. The results gave the team a strong start to the new campaign.

On Saturday, the Team worked hard to animate the Snelling Road Race with a steady string of attacks. However, the strong NorCal pro-1-2 field wouldn’t allow any breaks to establish.

“We tried to get a move going early but nothing stuck,” said Team Directeur Sportif Lisa Hunt. Until the fourth of five laps on the roughly 12-mile circuit, when Team TIBCO’s Erinne Willock put in a dig and opened a gap with nearly 20 miles to go.

“Erinne went and never looked back,” Hunt said. The former Canadian Olympia put her head down and showed her strong time-trialing skills en route to a solo victory.

Behind her, the rest of the Team lined it up on the front of the pack and executed a perfect leadout to deliver sprinter Samantha Schneider to the front of the bunch sprint and a fine 2d place finish.

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Another 2nd for Schneider
On Sunday, the Team lined up for the Original Merced Criterium in downtown Merced. The Team was once again active early, and this time, was successful in establishing a break, with six of the Team’s riders in a 10-rider move. One of the other four riders was Swiss champion Pascale Schnider.

“Schnider has been racing a bit in Northern California a bit this year and posting great results,” Hunt said. “We knew she was strong.”

Schnider was strong enough, in fact, to overcome another well-executed lead-out for Schneider. “The Team was lined up and ready to drop off Sam coming out of the last corner but Pascale got the jump on the second to last corner and was able to hold it to the line. Give her credit for a very strong finish.

“The Team rode well again, but I think today’s race was a good learning experience,” Hunt added. “But ultimately this was a very successful opening weekend for the Team. We picked up a great win Saturday, got some good, hard racing into our legs and got a chance to practice some of the things we were working on at camp. They give us some nice momentum heading into the big California swing in March.”

That swing kicks off next weekend with the MERCO Credit Union stage race in and around Merced.

Further successes for the Juniors and Team TIBCO II at Snelling

Members of the Team TIBCO Juniors and Team TIBCO II squads also found success at Snelling. In the Juniors race, 12-year-old Aliya Traficante took the win, while Juniors Page Robertson and Skylar Schneider – Samantha’s 13-year-old sister – took the start of the Women’s 3/4 race alongside a number of the Team TIBCO IIs. On the finishing climb, the team escorted both Juniors to the front for the finish, with Robertson taking 3rd and Schneider a bike length behind in 4th.