California Road Club helps Howe

San Francisco's California Road Club has donated $1300 to Barb Howe, 28 of Larkspur, CA, to help fund her trip to Belgium and Germany to compete in the Cyclocross World Championships. Howe, in only her second year of racing cyclocross has risen to the top-level, and was chosen by USA Cycling to represent the United States at the annual World Championship.

"Barb works at A Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito, which has sponsored the California Road Club since our inception," said Bud Napolio, CRC spokesman. "We are pleased to help Barb with her expenses, as she represents the essence of what our club is about." CRC's contribution of $1300 will add to the pool of money Barb has raised by herself, and through other generous contributions.

USA Cycling does not assist riders with expenses for attending world championships in non-Olympic sports, so Howe, like other members of the US cyclocross team, is having to raise her own funds.

The contribution to Howe's trip coincided with the formal creation of CRC's new women's team. "We've just completed an outreach program to start a women's team," said Napolio. "This contribution fits in nicely with that effort."