Alex Telitsine Lights a Match on 2011 Season In Valley of the Sun

Event Name:	Valley of the Sun Stage Race
Date:	February 11-13, 2011
Description:	14 Mile Time Trial, 73 Mile Road Race, 40 Minute Criterium
Cat 3 Men:	Alex Telitsine
GC:	6th Place
Time Trial:	8th Place
Road Race:	Finished with lead bunch to move up to 6th overall
Criterium:	Pack finish
Race recap:	Congratulations to Alex Telitsine who fired up FareStart powered by Cobalt Mortgage's 2011 road race season with a top-ten finish in the Arizona desert, claiming 6th in the overall GC. Alex says, "Valley of the Sun (VoS) Stage Race in Phoenix, AZ is an awesome season opener! I did it two years ago, and it was fun to come back again to test my early season fitness." Telitsine carved up the time trial course like a hot knife through Phoenician butter. Alex said, "TT went pretty well for me. I got 8th place, about a minute down in GC. This fall I was working on my TT position, but started TT workouts pretty late, after cyclocross season was over. So I was pretty happy with top-10 finish." "Road race started pretty good, but on the second lap I had a mechanical and had to chase back 4 minutes. Luckily I had enough left in the tank to finish the final climb with the lead group, which moved me into 6th position in GC," continued Alex. "The crit is always a struggle for me, especially after taking few spills on black iced Cougar this winter, my cornering confidence was low. But I stayed on with the pack, trying to channel best FareStart crit riders! It was fun to be racing in 90F in the Arizona capital!" Editor's Note: It's safe to say, Alex Telitsine is as committed to training and racing as anyone on the team. If it's a day ending in -y, there is a good chance Alex is hammering away on his bike somewhere in the world. Congratulations to Alex for kicking off the 2011 season with a top-ten finish in Arizona.

Team FareStart Leaves Its Mark at FareStart Cafe Guest Chef Night

SEATTLE, WA - Members of Team FareStart powered by Cobalt Mortgage volunteered to dish up a porcine-inspired menu at FareStart Cafe's Guest Chef night on Thursday, February 3rd, featuring Chef Joseph Brewer, co-owner of the Swinery, a West Seattle butchery and restaurant.

Following a one-hour prep and training session, the dedicated 'Prints worked their collective tales off, along with an amazing group of regular cafe volunteers, to serve over 200 three-course dinners between 6:00 and 9:00PM. Once the last guest had departed, volunteers, and FareStart students and staff enjoyed a meal together after hours.

Fifteen team members traded cycling kits for black and white waiter attire - most of whom looked remarkably well dressed and were virtually unrecognizable to fellow teammates, particularly Guy Tucker who sported an aero-helmet to cut kitchen to table delivery time by 8%.

During a brief break in the action two students went through a graduation ceremony, earning awards, rewards and accolades from program staff and directors. At this time, team member Ryan Gist, who coordinated the evening's volunteers, presented a $5,400 check on behalf of the team to FareStart to help those in need gain valuable life skills in the food service industry. A significant portion of the donation was raised through tithing team orders of bike parts, clothing, and gear.

Members Suzie Kauper and Greg Kauper enjoyed the evening as guests, who along with server-for-the-night Martin Criminale noted, "Nelson Jay, if you worked half as hard on the bike as you're working tonight, you might actually upgrade."

All in all, it was an amazing experience that galvanized the group and reminded us of one of the founding principles of Thumbprint Racing, leave your mark in a positive way by giving back to the community where we race and train.

Martin reflected, "I gotta say, this is the best thing I have ever done with all of you off the bike. I'm extremely proud of what we did, the immediate and positive impact our efforts have and I would love to do it again."

Guest Chef Night is a weekly fund raiser for FareStart programs, it is offered 48 weeks a year and staffed entirely by students, volunteers and a handful of staff members. FareStart Cafe offers job and life skills training for people who are homeless and disadvantaged. To learn more or make reservations for guest chef night, or to get involved, visit FareStart.

As title beneficiary sponsor, the FareStart logo powered by Cobalt Mortgage will appear on the front of team jerseys during the 2011 campaign. We're looking forward to toeing the line for FareStart in the year ahead!