Sponsor Profile: Caffe Umbria

Why we like Umbria. It’s a simple as coffee. Other than riding bikes, no other image captures the persona of cycling, especially in the Northwest better than enjoying a cup of coffee pre, post or in the middle of a ride. For Thumbprint racing the ONLY place to do that is at Caffé Umbria in Occidental Square. For us it’s our own little escape to the tree lined cobbled streets of Italy.

Here is a little more abour Umbria: Caffe Umbria is a Seattle based coffee roasting company that specializes in the blending and roasting of authentic Italian coffees. Our beans are shipped all over North America to a wide variety of cafes, restaurants, hotels and gourmet grocers. We also operate cafes in Seattle and Portland where we serve Italian style espresso drinks and light fare.

The Bizzarri family has been roasting coffee for three generations, starting in the 1940’s by Ornello Bizzarri in Perugia , Italy and now carried on by grandson Emanuele Bizzarri here in Seattle . Emanuele’s father Umberto pioneered Italian style espresso here in Seattle with his company Torrefazzione Italia. Caffe Umbria was founded in 2002 by Emanuele along with partners Pasquale Madeddu and Jesse Sweeney.

Our café in Pioneer Square occupies the same space that Torrefazzione Italia was founded in 1986 where the tradition lives on! We are both cyclists and fans of cycling. Our café customers come to watch the Tour de France and Giro D’Italia (when airing) each year. In Portland , we have co-sponsored the Twilight Criterium in the Pearl and many biking groups use our cafes as a meeting hub each weekend to fuel up or relax after a ride. Each year we sponsor the Portland Taste of the Nation which supports Share our Strength as well as the Vancouver Beach Soccer Blast.

We also support charitable organizations such as Mercy Corps and Coffee Kids which benefit people in need in the coffee growing regions. What are Umbria 's plans? To continue to champion the cause of great coffee and espresso through the traditions of italian coffee culture and to provide a great environment for people of all walks to enjoy that culture.

Grazie molte, Cin Cin.

Eisen Overcomes Carnage to Ohop onto the Podium, Cat 3 Men Hang Tough on the Cobbles

Thor Hushovd Andrew Eisen lays down a sprint for the line. 4th place finisher doesn't seem interested.
Photo courtesy of Stan Eisen

Event Name:	Ronde Ohop Kermesse
Date:	August 19, 2012
Description:	2 or 4 laps on a 6 mile rolling road loop, 10 laps on a 2.5 mile paved/dirt loop
Pro/1/2/3 Men:	12th - Jed Barden 14th - Aaron Griffith Dead Flatting Last - Jesse Nofziger
Cat 4/5 Men:	2nd - Andrew Eisen 15th - Tim Farrell

As the promotor will tell you (whether you like it or not), this race always has a surprise in store for every single rider, and it's not always a pleasant one. Carnage abounds in all fields, and the results are messy. The only places guaranteed to be right are on the podium. FareStart's men overcame it all to finish strong without a broken pelvis in sight.

Ryan Dean Opens MFG Series, Can of Whoop-Ass with Win at MFG Pre-Season #1

Ryan brings the pain in this file photo from last year's Woodland Park GP

Event Name:	MFG Pre-Season CX #1
Date:	Sunday August 12, 2012
Description:	20 min race, Eliminator semi-final, 1 lap final
Cat B Men:	1st - Ryan Dean

All the competitors' were left reeling and covered in Thumbprints after Ryan Dean's dominating performance at the first pre-season event of the MFG Cyclocross Series. After a summer of shaving, it is time to let our tutus grow out again. Look out for pastel ruffles flying by on your left at a race near you! Ryan offered up this race report:

Sporting a replacement seatpost on my CX rig (who knew my road post would fit!)...I met Michael Pruitt tonight for the first time - and I win?  Coincidence?  I don't think so.
Greg and I raced the "B" category and the first heat was 6 laps on the grassy cricket pitch at Mag park encompassing two baseball diamonds.  There were two barrier sections, a couple tight camber sections, and a very slippery sand section in one of the batting areas of one of the diamonds.
Top 20 finishers of the first heat advanced to semi finals.  Top 5 finishers of the two groups of ten racing the semi advance for a final round elimation of 10 guys.  We both made the first round, then Greg narrowly missed the second round placing.
I got a bad start for me on the final round but made up ground by accelerating a little more aggressivley into the slippery diamond.  kept power on inside leg through the turn and held traction well as we got back to grass and then started picking guys off till i was at about 4th wheel into the longish straight away section.  Started thinking about passing more guys as we were getting into first barriers and following Gregs advice sprinted after the remount which allowed me to take over the lead and just tried to pick my own lines through till the final barriers where i focused on cleaning that section and sprinting hard the end line coming just 20 meters after the last barrier and following a left hand 90 degree turn.  Couldnt quite get one pedal clipped but tried to close down the best line into the corner and managed to get clipped in time to throw down a sprint which probably easily topped 400 watts.
MFG was kind enough to award me my entry fee for winning ($12) so Greg and i pedaled to 7/11 for some post race PBR 24 oz cans.
Not having won bike race of any kind since early 2010 I'll take pleasure in this for a few days!
Good night for racing!

Official Results

Eisen Sweats His Way Onto the Podium at Crystal Mountain TT

Event Name:	Crystal Mountain Hill Climb Time Trial
Date:	August 12, 2012
Description:	6.1 mi steady climb with 1,530' Elevation Gain
Cat 3 Men:	5th - Jesse Nofziger (30:06, 23rd Overall)
Cat 4/5 Men:	3rd - Andrew Eisen (29:28, 19th Overall)

Temperatures soared to over 95 degrees at the summit and made for yet another hot weekend of racing. With a gradual climb like this every competitor took a different tack on balancing aerodynamics, weight, and heat management. FareStart's Andrew Eisen selected a skinsuit, TT helmet, road bike, and no water (who needs it anyway) and found himself in third place when the dust settled. Well done, Andrew!

Despite the small field in the Cat 3 race times were widely spread. Jesse Nofziger left most of the aero kit at home in favor of staying cool and turned in a respectable time for 5th place.

Look for the gold and gray at the Ronde next weekend.

Official Results

FareStart/Thumbprint Racing Now Recruiting for 2013

Does the gray and gold call you? Thumbprint Racing is now recruiting for the 2013 season. Contact us with questions or to meet up for a ride and learn more.

Established in 2009, Thumbprint Racing is a USA Cycling registered, Seattle, WA based amateur bicycle racing club. In the Pacific Northwest, hundreds of people race bikes and there are dozens of area race teams. What makes Thumbprint Racing unique in the community was our foundational principal that this team would always donate the title sponsorship position to an important nonprofit organization. By shining a light on the important work of a worthy organization we feel that our narrowly-focused athletic endeavors can help bring awareness to something bigger than simply bike racing. We refer to this as “leaving our mark” and it informs our thinking through all aspects of the team.  But before you think we're too serious just check out the CX pics.

While we were founded as a co-ed squad, circumstances led to a departure of the women racers in 2012. We want to remedy this in 2013 and warmly welcome women racers back into the fold! Our membership actively participate in nearly all forms of sanctioned bike racing from road, track and cross to single speed mountain, duathalon and triathalons.



Podiums, Heat Stress for FareStart at Boston Harbor Circuit Race

Event Name:	Boston Harbor Circuit Race
Date:	August 3, 2012
Description:	6 mile circuit - Rolling Hills
Masters 1/2/3 Men:	2nd - Greg Kauper
Cat 3 Men:	16th - Jesse Nofziger
Cat 4/5 Men:	33rd - Tim Farrell
Masters 50+:	2nd - Dave Hecht

Saturday's racing was accompanied by the hottest temperatures the area has seen for the last couple of years. FareStart's Greg "I'm always shaving the wrong half of my body" Kauper rolled across the line, in second place, looking like he had just climbed out of a swimming pool.

By the time the 3pm start for the Cat 3 and 50+ races rolled around, temperatures were close to cracking 100 degrees.

Bravetti Brings Home the Bacon at Marymoor Friday Night

Event Name:	Marymoor Friday Night Omnium
Date:	August 3, 2012
Description:	10 lap scratch, Miss and Out, 30 lap Points Race
Cat 3 Men:	Tony Bravetti - 4th (Scratch), 7th (Miss and Out), 1st (Points Race), 2nd Overall

The sun and crowds were out for Friday night's racing at the Marymoor Velodrome in Redmond. After playing it safe for the first two events, FareStart's Tony Bravetti racked up the primes and brought home a dominating victory in 30 lap points race.