Heroes Among Us

Written by Amy Bush

Friday, 06 August 2010

Beyond the Individual Accomplishments -by Amy Bush On October 2nd, 1996, a promising young professional cyclist announced that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Ultimately, the cancer would spread to his brain and his lungs and threaten his life and his future in the sport. This is a story familiar to almost everyone involved in or follows cycling and all are familiar with the outcome….this young cyclist went on to win 7 consecutive Tour de France and became a beacon of light for those suffering from cancer all over the world. Out of this experience, Lance Armstrong founded the LIVESTRONG Foundation. The generosity within the peloton goes even deeper and the riders take inspiration from many sources to fuel their racing and the way they live their lives. Steven Cozza, who rides for Garmin-Transitions, has founded the Race for Kids Fan Club which supports disadvantaged children from all walks of life be it those who live in poverty, those with physical or mental disabilities, or victims of discrimination, war and natural disasters. It is Stevens goal to “raise 1 million dollars” for these children and he encourages donation to any charity of your choice. His website also provides a list of charities that support children including the Carousel Fund, Families of SMA, Operation Smile and Positive Images. Similar to Steven Cozza, Rahsaan Bahati is a staunch supporter of the disadvantaged. He has used his involvement in professional cycling, a sport he credits with enabling him to rise above the circumstances of his youth growing up in Compton, California, a community not known for opportunity, to found the Bahati Foundation. The Bahati Foundation “works with local communities to provide inspiration, insight and opportunities for underprivileged youth through the sport of cycling. The Foundation’s GIVEBACK Programs include Cycling Outreach and those that promote Health and Fitness, Education and Music. Personal experience can be a strong motivation for the start of a charity. As with LIVESTRONG, the Raisin Hope Foundation was founded for that very reason. When Saul Raisin crashed and nearly lost his life due to TMI (Traumatic Brain Injury), he didn’t let the fact that he could no longer ride on a professional cycling team hold him back. He started the Raisin Hope Foundation to help raise awareness for TMI and to provide support for those living and surviving with it. He has charity rides to raise funds, he is a motivational speaker and, amazingly, he is a tri-athlete and has even participated in the New York City Marathon, all of this being accomplished in just the 4 short years since his accident. Diagnosed at the age of 6 months with Type 1 diabetes, Phil Southerland is another athlete who doesn’t let anything hold him back. When given the challenge and the opportunity to do so, Phil, along with friend Joe Eldridge, founded the Team Type 1 Professional Cycling Team, the only cycling team in the professional peloton to have riders with Type 1 diabetes among its ranks, a team that proves that anything is possible. The team exists in hopes of inspiring those living with diabetes to do so through “proper diet, exercise, treat and technology”. By doing so, they can do whatever their hearts desire and live their dreams. Phil is also a supporter of Camp Kudzu….”a non-profit organization providing education, recreation and peer-networking programs for Georgia’s children with diabetes.” And then we have Yield To Life, a charity of a different kind and, quite frankly, one that could so easily become an extinct entity if we could all just be a little kinder and a little more patient. It is sad that any of the above mentioned charities is needed but it’s pitiful that we have to have one such as Yield to Life. The mission: “Yield to Life will engage in a vigorous awareness campaign to promote positive attitudes towards cyclists and replace any hostility that exists between motorists and cyclists with understanding, respect and appreciation for all life on the road. Safety for every cyclist is the top priority of Yield to Life. It is Dave Zabriskie’s own experiences as a 3-time victim of the roads that prompted him to start Yield to Life. Jelly Belly p/b Kenda rider Kiel Reijnen knows tragedy first hand after having lost his Aunt Hetty Williams 5 years ago to domestic violence. Out of this tragedy, Kiel’s cousins founded “Hetty’s Haven”, a shelter for women suffering at the hands of others. At this year’s Tour of California, Kiel and his cycling family teamed up with Women of Worth to help raise funds for the organization. Women of Worth “assists families in crisis, especially those escaping domestic violence or sexual assault. [They] work to increase self-reliance and improve the quality of life for individuals and families by assisting them in rebuilding their lives.” Anybody can make a difference. You don’t have to be a celebrity or professional athlete to get involved. And you don’t have to support every charity that exists, that would be impossible. Find one that tugs at your heart the most, draw from your own life experience to see what change you want to see happen the most and go for it. Donate your time, donate money, even donate blood if you are able. You’d be surprised what one person can do. (Author’s Note: I had a hard time writing this one. As with all my articles, I want to make them the best that I can but the importance of this one in wanting to bring awareness to the philanthropy of the peloton and get some of their charities’ names out there…..well, I just wanted to do it justice and I hope I did so. I would also like to add links to a couple charities that I have supported over the years either through donation or through participation in fund-raising event…..in addition to LIVESTRONG and the Raisin Hope Foundation, I have supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association ( www.mda.org ), the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation ( www.pedaids.org) and the World Wildlife Fund ( www.worldwildlife.org ). Thanks for reading!!! Charity/Website Links: www.stevencozza.com www.carouselfund.org www.fsma.org www.operationsmile.org www.posimages.org www.bahatifoundation.org www.raisinhope.ning.com www.teamtype1.org www.campkudzu.org www.diabetes.org www.yieldtolife.org www.women-of-worth.org www.livestrong.com  http://uscyclingreport.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3685&Itemid=1

]]> http://stevencozza.com/index.php/talkwithsteven/heroes-among-us/feed/ 0 http://stevencozza.com/index.php/road/training-hard-resting-hard-and-focused/ http://stevencozza.com/index.php/road/training-hard-resting-hard-and-focused/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:20:34 +0000 admin http://stevencozza.com/?p=1882 July 17, 2010

Finally a new report! My apologies for not keeping my fans and friends up to date.

In July while the Tour de France is in full force, there aren’t very many other races going on. This means its been a July of hard training, hard resting and going swimming with Jen at the beach on my recovery days. I have never spent July in Spain and let me tell you it’s hot, hot, hot. In the winter, Jen and I were wishing for summer and now in the summer, we’re missing winter.

Paris Roubaix - Steven, "I love the fans. I love the cobbles. I love the Paris Roubaix."

My training rides have been long and intense with a mix of recovery rides when needed. I’ve been really working on my time trial bike a lot and am starting to feel so dialed in. My coach, Dario, wrote me the perfectly balance workout plan and I am feeling confident now going into my first race back the Brixia Tour in Italy. Also, on some of the longer hot days I have been fortunate to have Carlos, one of our sports phyios, come out with me for bottles, lactate testing and a bit of time out of the wind. I really thrive off of a routine schedule and this July it’s been like this: wake up around 7:30, ride at 8:30 to beat most the heat, get back, kick back and watch my teammates kick butt in the TDF (a race I still dream of competing in one day).

I could write an essay already about what I’ve seen at this year’s TDF. It’s been so extreme with crashes, fist fights and head butting – along with many positive things like sunflowers, Ryder fighting for top 10, Tyler sprinting it out with all he’s got even with a broken wrist, and on and on.

I can go on forever about the race and how much it inspires me, but I also have to mention how much I look down on the fist fight after the race and the head butts thrown by Mark Renshaw in the last kilometers of Stage 10. First and foremost, it’s a horrible example for kids watching the race. Next thing you know, my mom’s going to have her kindergarteners throwing head butts at other kids in the sponge races held at recess. As professional athletes we must be good examples for children. It’s a responsibility that is put on us by our position. Lets teach children about being good sports, not how to hit someone in a fit of anger. I also think the two guys fighting after the race were inappropriate and they too should have been kicked out of the race for such a display of poor sportsmanship. Cycling is a dangerous sport and there is going to be bumping and jostiing for position, but these acts were clearly violent and bullish acts. I’m all about fair play and these acts aren’t by any means fair. If any racer at the TDF breaks the ASO’s rules, they should be held accountable. We all make mistakes in our lives. Hopefully all involved will learn from their errors in judgement.

Ok, enough said on that subject. It is important that I try to keep focusing most of my energy on my training and racing. With still 3 months of the season left, I’m really looking forward to the up and coming races. I have made many goals for myself and I’m doing all I can to be ready to meet them. The next race I have is Brixia, then Tour of Denmark and the Eneco Tour.

I will be sure to keep everyone more updated as the fall comes closer. I hope I can give my fans and my Race For Kids program a win in the near future. I have worked my butt off and will do my best to continue achieving my goals.

Steven

Steven The Stache Ready Set Go 2010

June 12, 2010
Written by: Steven Cozza

We had awesome teamwork today at the Delta Tour. Very cool how well we all rode together and as a result, we helped get Tyler into the leader’s jersey. Timmy, Travis and I led Tyler out for the last time bonus sprint and blew the field to pieces. Additionally, three of our guys, including Tyler, got away in a break of 12 with just 20k to go.

As I said, it was a great day for team Garmin Transitions. The best part is, I had good legs for the first time in a long time. I’m Very excited to be feeling the form coming on. I’m really looking forward to all the racing in August, September and October – my 3 favorite racing months.

Man… there’s a lot of wind in Holland.

Steven

Anticipation Leads to Roaring Cheers – The Real Hero – Heroine from scott cozza on Vimeo.

Credits: Video by Gene Berman, avid cycling fan, a hero to all who know him and a good friend of Steven Cozza

Stage 2 Amgen Tour of California 2010 was like any road race stage in any part of the world. Cycling fans of Road Racing share one thing in common – Anticipation! They wait. And they wait. They wait sometimes for hours and hours. They wait for the site of a cyclist powering by or sometimes struggling by them for a brief moment in time. When that moment occurs for a fan it is like the race stops and the cyclists slow down to a slow motion in space and time. And then suddenly abruptly they turn to a blur of colors as they pass by. How dare they! We waited for hours and they don’t even stop to say hello. Some of them even have the audacity to throw their water bottles at us! Maybe they throw the bottle because they are envious of us. Because they see us eating and drinking and having fun as they race by suffering from the strain of their effort to be the first to the finish line.

I love the professional sport of Road Racing. I love the anticipation. I love the companionship that takes place among fans. I love to watch the beautiful colors of the peloton with the backdrop of nature or the buildings of a city as it races by. I admire the professional domestique cyclists because they are courageous, going to battle with little armor and giving themselves up for their teammates to win. They remain in the shadow of the peloton, but are in deed its strength.  They are the true heroes or heroines of the peloton, of the race.

Interview by Yuri
from Bike Monkey LLC

Cozza Sherpa from Bike Monkey LLC on Vimeo.

velonews.com

By Jennifer Caudill

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series of columns by Jennifer Caudill. Caudill is an accomplished writer, photographer and journalist who lives in Girona, Spain, with her boyfriend, Garmin-Transitions professional cyclist, Steven Cozza.

Steven and Jen on an easy rideHave you ever heard of Nackis? A Nacki is a popular snack food in Spain and I’m addicted to them. They’re thin rice cakes covered with what you first believe to be vanilla yogurt. Only after forming an addiction do you realize the so-called sabor (“yogurt” in Spain) is white chocolate. Yes, I have been eating rice cakes covered in white chocolate for breakfast for the last two months. Devious Spaniards. They got me hooked.

Well, it’s May now and I’m back in the U.S., snackin’ on a Nacki. I brought back several bags of these things to distribute to friends and family so they could experience the goodness, however, I hoarded nearly every bag due to my obvious addiction.

Now where was I? Oh, yes, an angry volcano, Santa Claus, and bike riding…

It was April and time for Steven and I to move into our new/permanent apartment in Girona. We had bounced around for a month after learning the place we had our hearts set on wasn’t available till April. It has a terrace big enough to hold a soccer match and a killer panoramic view of both the city and the mountains. We were actually able to move in on March 31st, which was lucky, because Steven got called up to head out for a group of Classics on April 1st. After less than 24 hours in our new place, he kissed me goodbye and began his journey north for the cobbles.

We were supposed to be apart for nine days, which quickly turned into 16 and then eventually, because of volcano ash and yet another collarbone break on the team, it rounded out at 21 days — three solid weeks. I had even planned a trip to watch the Amstel Gold race, but my plans were quashed by the gigantic ash cloud covering most of Europe. Traveling was chaos for the riders, staff and their families. It could have been a tough time for me to get through, but come on — I was in Spain. Spring had sprung, I had made some incredible friends and had little responsibility except for lots of unpacking to do in the new digs.

For me, unpacking was a little like Christmas morning where Santa Claus is a professional bike rider and the gifts under the tree are all really cool bicycle schwag. In the spare bedroom where Steven had dumped loads of bags that had basically been in storage for eight months, I spent days up to my knees uncovering hidden treasures. What does a pro cyclist accumulate over the years? I found a brand new Garmin watch, an entire bag filled with a variety of unopened Pearl Izumi socks, a couple of not-currently-sponsored pairs of sunglasses, yet another bag overflowing with 2009 team-issued clothing, heart-rate monitors, yoga DVDs, exercise equipment, etc. Oh, and I also found a couple of old mustache combs… disturbing items, even for a live-in girlfriend. But hey, there’s a lot of grooming involved when it comes to the ‘stache.

Every good ride includes a rest stopAfter sifting through the mounds of gear and getting the apartment in some semblance of order, a reward was in order for me being so utterly organized. I called my friend and fellow American pro-cyclist significant other, Soorya Louder, and we planned a leisurely two-hour ride through the Girona countryside. From the assortment of goodies now neatly put away in the spare room, I took the Garmin Forerunner, complete with GPS, some comfy new Pearl Izumi socks (size Medium… I figured that’s why Steven hadn’t opened them. He has really large feet), an older Garmin jersey, a cool pair of sunglasses and a new water bottle. Soorya showed up for our ride appropriately snazzy in BMC attire and we were off for some chit-chat, scenery and the customary café stop mid-ride!

For those three weeks while Steven was busting his butt in Flanders, Roubaix, Amstel, etc., I was finding my own form in the hills of Girona. I was in good company as well. Several of the women living in Girona (whether girlfriends, fiancées or wives) enjoy riding. Some began riding well before their relationships and others picked up the activity after becoming surrounded by the sport. Either way, it helps us all to experience the region on our own. It gives a sense of freedom, independence and accomplishment to spend a day exploring and pushing our own limits without the aid of our bicycling dudes.

I began riding about five years ago, but eventually city life in Atlanta swallowed me up and I forgot about my bicycle for nearly 2 years. Getting back into it these last few months has made me unbelievably giddy, like reuniting with a long-lost love. Plus, when Steven is home, now I’m fit enough to hang with him on his “easy” rides (okay — he probably goes way easier because I’m along!). Anyway, it’s great to be able to spend that time together and I get in a hard workout for the day, since Steven’s easy days aren’t all that easy, in my amateur opinion.

Being back on the bike myself, Steven and I would chat in the evenings while he was away about compelling (nerdy) topics such as cadence and hydration and whether or not it is wasteful to pedal on a downhill. Typically, after brutal racing conditions and suitcase-living in hotels for weeks on end, Steven prefers conversation on topics other than his work day. After getting to know a few of the ladies of the peloton, I gather this preference is typical among the guys when they’re on the road. Steven enjoys hearing what sorts of benevolent trouble I’m getting myself into, such as which routes are my favorites, which of my new friends have been brave enough to explore with me, what I’ve conjured for dinner, and what Spanish oddities I have photographed. It is comforting to him to know that after all I left behind in the states, I have made a new and exciting life in Spain — with him, and also with new Girona friends while he is racing all over the world.

Jen, on the left, helps congratulate stage 4 winner Francesco Chicchi 

While I was enjoying the weather and getting into shape, Steven was making some serious progress of his own. With a delayed season start caused by his February crash and recovery, he struggled a bit early in the Classics from not having many race days in his legs. I’ve learned that training gets them only part way to form — it’s racing that really puts the edge on. This early lack of an “edge” made for difficult post-race conversation because he was feeling down and I didn’t know how to cheer him up.

Thankfully — as I have written before — attitudes, health, and plans change daily in this sport. In no time, Steven began to return from racing in the evenings with more positive words. His form was returning and along with it came confidence. He was thrilled with his effort in helping Tyler win Scheldeprijs. Later, Ryder took second at Amstel and Steven was not only able to bring him to the front for climbs, but Steven also finished the race himself, having felt strong nearly the entire way. Oh, the joy of racing in good form — for everyone involved!

 The Nackis are gone now. I snack a lot when I’m writing and those sweet and crispy morsels were the last of the loot I brought with me to the States. There’s no time to mourn, because it’s hectic here as usual. Within 48 hours after arrival, I was promptly booked with Lands End swimwear to do a fashion segment on Better Mornings Atlanta, CBS. The moment that gig was over, I switched gears and began rounds to visit with friends and family.

Before heading to the Amgen Tour of California where I was invited to represent the race as a podium hostess. Steven is racing and the whole Cozza clan is there. It’s great being in California again – in the company of the racers, the fans, friends from races past and Steven’s wonderful family.

See you out West – if you can manage keep up!

Jen Caudill graduated from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism, has worked in creative advertising for Turner Broadcasting Company and published several travel memoirs. She is a recreational cyclist and an avid runner. Jen also serves as a podium hostess for North American cycling races as well as a fashion and editorial model for her modeling agency based in Atlanta.

Tour of California Steven leading the break 2009

I was strong today in the ATOC, but crashed on rainy descent. I’m ok, but it made me lose contact with the front group and some skin. I was given maybe 4 jackets to take back on the last climb too. Been working hard for the team. I will get stronger and stronger as the race goes on.

It was nice to be visited by my little Race for Kids Fan Club buddy Aaron Phelps before the start in Davis, California.

Steven with Dad, Scott at Mt. Everest Base Camp October 29, 2004

 “Om Mani Padme Hum” (Hail the jewel in the lotus) is a six syllable mantra of Avlokiteswara, one who is involked as the savior and the protector from danger. One who recites this mantra, will be saved from all dangers and will be protected.

Philip, Says, “Using My Mustache for a Good Cause.”

Steven Cozza, says, “Go Philip! Sign up for my Race for Kids Fan Club! Way to be creative in reaching out to help children across the world! I’m behind you all the way.”

http://philipdarden.com/2010/05/mustache-for-a-cause/