Vanderkitten-Focus has had its winningest ever start to the season, with Kathleen Billington winning both stages and the Overall Classification in the Bahamas while Ruth Winder picked up the Cherry Pie Criterium trophy in Napa, California yesterday.

Cherry Pie is an important California season opening event, with the recent win list including names such as Tina Pic, Brooke Miller, Megan Guarnier and reigning Swiss National Champion Pascale Schneider.

Vanderkitten-Focus fielded a small squad led by captain Jenn X and including Maura Kinsella, Courtney Dimpel, Vanessa Drigo and Ruth Winder. They would be up against the likes of California teams Stevens Pactimo, Metromint, TIBCO II and Red Racing, whilst International Pro’s from Chirio Forno D’Asolo, Primal Map My Ride, Exergy, Optum Health and NOW-Novartis put some spice in the field.

Lucky for the VK gals, each rider was on their 2012 Izalco Pro 1.0 Team Issue steed- a bike Courtney Van Dizzle says is “SoFast”.

VK-Focus quickly asserted their authority on the 6 lap, twisty and undulating Crit Circuit in Napa Valley, being active in the front early on as rider after rider tried to break clear from the peloton.

The most dangerous California riders early in the year look to be Emily Kachorek and Liza Rachetto from Primal, along with Pascale Schnider (Exergy) and Olivia Dillon (NOW-Novartis). Luckily the VK’s were able to use their skills to patrol the front and negate any dangerous moves, while Captain Jenn X kept throwing bombs down the road for priem points.

With 8 laps to go Ruth launched a huge attack that saw her gain up to 11 seconds on the charging field, as rider after rider attempted to bridge the gap in the challenging crosswinds. With 4 laps to go Heather Nielsen from Touchstone managed to bridge, but soon after that Ruth was re-absorped into the field.

Sensing a need to change tactics, JennX again attempted to go off the front, but her efforts were negated by the field who could sense the win and smell the Cherry Pie.

With a lap to go Courtney van Dizzle, an ever faithful domestique, led the field over the finish line and strung out the bunch. Courtney rounded the U-turn in first and charged down the back straight putting pressure on all the teams. under the 1km to go and Maura Kinsella took over with Ruth steady on her wheel. Maura stomped through the final straight into the last chicane, and then dropped off Ruth with 150 metres from the line. With Swiss National Champ Pascal Schnider on her wheel, Ruth had to kick with everything she had and more, and in the drag to the line managed to even distance 2nd and 3rd place on the podium to throw her hands in the air in front of a jubilant crowd, family and friends. What a win!!!

The weekend previous our East Coast USA based Kathleen Billington made a trip out of the Connecticut winter to the sunny Bahamas for the Holowesko Partners Tour of the Bahamas. Kathleen showed her prowess in the small but strong field, winning two stages and the Overall general Classification to show that she is ready to build upon her 4th place at the USA Cycling National Championships in 2011. This kitty aint done yet!

Look forward to news soon relating to the March1-7 Vanderkitten-Focus team camp in Los Altos and Scotts Valley, California, including a VIP Team Launch Party!

 

Chipper Kiwi Emily Collins had a breakthrough year in the USA in 2011, after placing highly and winning races in New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands. The New Zealand under 23 champion forged a solid reputation in her first season with Vanderkitten-Focus, and will return to the US in 2012 with renewed focus and determination. Behind the scenes Emily studies Business at Massey University and entertains her teammates with her witty, tongue in cheek banter. Here are the answers to her Q&A:

Name: Emily Collins

Hobbies: Biking, tennis, beaching, running, fun with friends and fam

Non Cycling action/ adventure/ fitness story or memory: When I was 14 I won the Auckland Junior singles tennis champs. I was pretty stoked. Soon after, I gave up the racket for the bike

First Bike Race: My first Tour was the Junior  Novice Tour of Manuwatu. I had no idea how to race and when it came to the first KOM I was slightly confused why all these crazy little girls were sprinting up a hill! The next stage I was told by my coach to race up all the hills as fast as I could. I did !! The field wasn’t too happy

When did you first hear about Vanderkitten? When racing the NSW Crit series in Aussie. They were the ‘cool american gals’ that everyone loved.

 What does it mean to you to be a part of Vanderkitten?: Being on Vanderkitten is pretty awesome. I love the people, the team, the management and everyone involved. I love that even though when it comes to racing, it’s serious, there’s always an element of fun with VK. We are definitely a focused but relaxed team which is very cool.

It’s also great that Vanderkitten is highly focussed on women’s sport and leadership. I love repping the VK gear and having people comment on our badass kits! Women’s cycling is a huge growth sport and being part of VK is a great way to promote the sport and it’s many benefits!

Name: Maura Kinsella

Hobbies: You mean besides the strenuous life as a Vanderkitten Covergirl? Well, I actually enjoy many hobbies outside of cycling as I strive to be the most balanced extremist that I can be. My hobbies include but are not limited to: studying for Biology exams, crazy dance parties, playing the guitar, pretending I’m Nicki Minaj, entering rap competitions in East St. Louis and then chickening out at the very last second, raising chickens, hiking, making lists, playing Words with Friends (find me!), grocery shopping, making googly eyes at hot professors, fixing flats (just kidding – that’s not very fun), and making bean juice (AKA coffee).

Non cycling-related action/ adventure/ memory: At the end of the season this past summer, my roommate sent me off on this gorgeous hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains. However, unbeknownst to my friend and I, this hike wound up being a tough 5 hours. I’m usually not one to bonk but we’d anticipated a much shorter hike and, hence, had only brought a total of two water bottles and four AussieBites (found at a CostCo near you) to split between the two of us– i.e. definitely not enough. Nevertheless, we surveyed all that Big Basin has to offer and literally climbed a waterfall, strode through innumerous redwoods, and found ourselves in the middle of the ‘desert’ – all in one hike. By the end, we were so glycogen-deprived that we were pretty slaphappy and seriously thought we were the funniest people alive… Dave Chapelle’s got nothin’ on us. The next day I was so sore that I could barely get out of bed (as I hadn’t walked over a mile in about 9 months). Needless to say, my roommate will never hear the end of it.

First Bike Race: My very first bicycle race was in late February of 2009 for the local junior team, Mesa Cycles. I rode with the Cat 4 women at a race in Columbia, Missouri aptly named “Froze Toes.” I crashed three times… literally. I could not stop from taking myself out. However, much to the peloton’s horror, after each brief love affair with the pavement, I hammered and hoofed my way back to eventually win the race! Not more than 24 hours later, a blog-post was written about me in which the author nicknames me “Kaboom… demonstrat[ing] the resilience of a Sherman tank”. I’d have probably laughed more if I hadn’t been so horrendously mortified at the time (but c’mon… LMFAO now). Moral of the story? There’s hope, gals, that even if you can’t ride a straight line to save your life, that you, too, will one day be able to race in the biggest Pro/1/2 races in the nation.
End Note: Much to my chagrin, I have been persuaded to provide the entire said blog-post for your entertainment purposes only: http://www.teamrev.org/archives/570

When did you first hear about Vanderkitten? I think that I first heard about Vanderkitten at my first race in California, an Early Bird in January 2010 where I saw my current teammy, Starla Teddergreen, decked out in a fresh kit (obvi, VK). I always joke with her now about how intimidated I was of her (since, if you know her, you know she’s the sweetest pixie ever), and how tough and “kick-ass” she looked. I was envious to say the least. Then, I did a little research on the Vanderkitten Focus Cycling team and the brand, and I became secretly (I was on a rival team, after all) obsessed. Now I’m stoked to be Pretty in Kitty.

What does it mean to you to be a part of Vanderkitten? While Vanderkitten-Focus is about winning races and striving to be the strongest team that we can be like every other NRC team, another essential component that Vanderkitten is trying to permeate across the nation that the brand is more than just a cycling team, VK is a way of life. I think that in a world where the sports market is still so dominated by men, women are often an after-thought. At VK, women are the one and only priority, period. Therefore, being apart of this brand reflects not only my athletic abilities and potential but also the way I want to live my life day in and day out. We represent a revolution in opportunity, community, and protecting the fun in sport. Vanderkitten brings out the “e.d.g.y.” of women’s cycling and appeals to women everywhere itching to unfurl their competitive nature. Vanderkitten… it’s who I am. Meow!

Vanderkitten-Focus took advantage this weekend of the sunny Californian winter with a special pre-season Focus Bikes and equipment pre-fitting session at Integrate Performance Fitness in Mountain View, CA.

After a gruelling morning training ride taking in climbing roads featured in recent editions of the Amgen Tour of California, our US based VK athletes met with Vanderkitten-Focus staff and management to dial in their equipment for the impending season.

Optimizing the efficiency of their German counterparts, Focus Bikes USA ensured delivery of the 2012 fleet of Focus Izalco Pro 1.0 road bikes well ahead of the 2012 season start.

Straight out of the gate, Team Mechanic Karl “with a K” Hanoud dialled in the bikes of Ruth Winder, Maura Kinsella, Starla Teddergreen, Jennifer Reither and 2005 US Champion Katheryn Curi Matthis in a day long event that saw the riders trial several new items from 2012 sponsors.

Helmets from Italian manufacturer KASK were prefit in preparation for the 2012 KASK Vanderkitten range, which will be available in team issue colors to be revealed at the beginning of the NRC season in March.

Items from Chamois Butt’r, JL Velo, Smith Optics, K-Edge and Feedback Sports were available for staff and athletes to trial and give feedback on prior to the season proper.

Importantly, the US based contingent were able to map out an early season structure that will see them prepare at San Dimas Stage Race prior to the 2012 NRC debut at Redlands Bicycle Classic March 22-25.

It was the first time the VK-Focus crew were able to listen directly to Katheryn Curi Matthis lay the framework for the 2012 season, and a special time as one of the most succesful US cyclists in the modern era donned the Vanderkitten-Focus jersey for the first time.

Official Team Camp and Media Launch is slated for March 1-7 in Scotts Valley, California and the latest Vanderkitten designs and news will be released to the public that weekend.

 

Jazzy Hurikino is set and primed for todays Mars Cycling Australia National Championships Road Race, while Emily Collins and Kate Chilcott will be racing across the pond at the RaboDirect Bike NZ National Road Race.

All three riders will be contenders for the Under23 Best Young Rider Championship of their nation, and based on current form, each rider will be fighting for a top spot amongst the best riders in their country in the Open/Pro division.

Jazzy has come off a heavy block of training in Queensland, and will contest the 102km Road Race in Bunninyong, Victoria against the likes of the powerful GreenEdge squad, Jayco-AIS and State federation teams. Recent winners of the race include Alexis Rhodes, Carla Ryan and Ruth Corset.

Emily and Kate won a stage each of Tour of the Vineyards in the final week of December, so are favorites for the title in the RaboDirect Bike NZ Road Race of a gruelling 125kms in Christchurch. In fact, little Emily has a nice writeup as a “rider to watch” in the official race guide: http://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/2/37378/79448/pub/

Last year Emily was 5th in this race and won the U23 Jersey. In 2012, without 2011 winner Cath Cheatley in the field, and favorite Linda Villumsen being ill, Emily will be gunning for her first Open Championship Win.

 

 

2008 Geelong UCI World Cup Winner, 2010 tour De l’Aude Stage Winner and 2005 USA Cycling National Champion Katheryn Curi Mattis is set to join Berkeley, California based Vanderkitten-Focus. One of the most experienced and accomplished US athletes in Women’s Cycling, Katheryn- who ended her professional racing career with Webcor will take on multiple roles at the upstart Vanderkitten-Focus squad.

According to Vanderkitten-Focus director Jono Coulter, Katheryn will act as Co-Director, as well as a training and racing mentor to the squad, which will include 5 athletes under 23 years of age in 2012. As she did at the 2011 Cascade Classic, Katheryn may race the occasional NRC event providing hands on tactical advice to the team whilst bolstering the squads firepower on some of the tougher race days.

“The single most important thing that our young athletes ask for time and time again, is to be guided more closely in races so that they can learn to instinctively react to things in the correct manner. With Katheryn, we have someone who knows the in’s and out’s of the Women’s professional peloton, who has gained the respect of all the top athletes and who still has the fitness to be able to show our riders what to do in a race situation. With her knowledge and strength, and the raw ability of some of our younger riders, we couldn’t be happier with how the squad is looking for 2012″.

Katheryn will continue her role on the Executive Committee with the Webcor/ Alto-Velo Cycling Team where she is a lifetime member after close to a decade riding for the Webcor Women’s Team. Webcor/ Alto Velo is committed to helping spread Bike Safety and Advocacy awareness, also a primary aim of the Vanderkitten Athletics program.

New Zealand speedster Kate Chilcott is set to make her debut in the colors of her 2012 Californian based squad, Vanderkitten-Focus at this weekend’s SKODA NSW International GP in Australia. Chilcott first caught the attention of International teams when she represented New Zealand in this February’s UCI NZ Ladies Tour and finished 10th on GC and 2nd to Emily Collins in the U23 classement.
The determined youngster raced the Northern hemisphere summer in the USA with FCS Women’s Cycling Team, where she won a stage of the Fayettevelle Stage race, was 2nd at Tour de Grove Stage 3 and 2nd Under23 at Joe Martin NRC Stage Race. Kate backed up these results with a 12th place finish at the UCI 1.1 Liberty Classic in Philadelphia, 3rd on a stage of Tour of America’s Dairyland and 8th at the NRC Sunny King Criterium.

“Kate really impressed me in her first stint in the USA this year. Something about these young Kiwi’s that come over here with a never say die attitude”. says Vanderkitten-Focus Director Jono Coulter “Combine that with some of the natural speed that Kate has, and the fact that she is a fun personality, i think Vanderkitten-Focus has a new treasure of Women’s Cycling. We signed Emily Collins last year after the NSW GP, we figured we had to acquire her teammate BEFORE the GP this year before someone else found her!”.

Kate Chilcott hails from Auckland, NZ and will join fellow Aucklander Emily Collins who had a breakout 2011 with Vanderkitten-Focus this year.

Vanderkitten-FOCUS women’s cycling has a new recruit in 2012. Except it’s not her first time around! At 18 years of age, Ruth Winder is one of the most promising youngsters in the USA. She has won National Junior titles on the road and track, and been a member of the USA Cycling National Champion Team Pursuit squad.

Even better, Ruth spent an early part of her young cycling career wearing the original Vanderkitten colours in 2008, whilst she was a 15 year old. Yes, this adorable, yet feisty young rider was topping podium’s wearing the Ophelia Vanderkitten jersey before being recruited by the PROMAN and Peanut Butter & Co TWENTY12 squads for a couple of seasons on the strongest team in the USA. Ruth spent 2011 on the HDR-Lombardi squad and guest rode with Danbury Audi at select NRC events.

In 2012, her addition to the Vanderkitten-Focus roster is a symbol of the Vanderkitten Athletics program maturing into a top shelf squad, according to Vanderkitten Founder, Dave Verrecchia. “It means a lot to have someone who we saw come up through the ranks as a youngster, who embodied many of the Vanderkitten qualities of being feminine, yet athletically awesome, a young lady on a mission. For her to go on and then win National Championships, represent the USA and race on arguably the biggest squad in America, and then come back to be one of the leaders on our team- that is a great story for us to be a part of. It’s definitely fulfilling for us just to have Ruth front up in the Vanderkitten jersey. The thing about her though is that we know she will perform at the top level”.

Director Jono Coulter adds “Ruth is the kind of athlete we want to have on Vanderkitten-Focus. She has considerable talent and speed, and an undeniable work ethic. She is the perfect level of contradictaries- she is adorable yet has unstoppable will power. She is a friendly yet focused youngster and will be a great addition to our squad as we target some of the top races in the USA”

Ruth will add some finishing speed to the young Vanderkitten-Focus squad, with her first NRC appointment being Redlands Classic next March. We cannot wait to see how the season will unfold with her in our ranks.

We love fun!

We Love it!!

Sun, Surf and Boogity Fasst HOTDOGG Crit Action!!! Vanderkitten-Focus’ Queenslander Jazzy Hurikino, fresh off her 2nd season racing NRC events in the USA will be the lone Vanderkitten at todays NOOSA International GP.
The feisty 20 year old roleur will line up against a strong contingent of Aussie Pro riders, including Rochelle Gilmore’s Honda Dream Team, Specialized SA and Jazzy’s Qld friends from SWEET AS Bundaberg Sugar.
Stay tuned for Jazzy’s report from the Hottest Crit in Oz, later today!

Pixie Sprinter Starla Teddergreen scored a fine 3rd place behind speedsters Mary Ellen Ash and Nicky Waansgard at yesterday’s Project Sport Downtown Sacramento GP.

Starla was ably supported by teammates Jenn X Reither and Vanessa Drigo in the 60 minute Criterium that used the same roads as the 2010 Tour of California Stage Finish, with Jenn X involved in successive attacks that strung out the field. Vanessa Drigo was also present in a multi lap breakaway with Rikke Preistler that drew out Peanut Butter &Co Twenty 12′s Ali Starnes, before finishing  a fine 6th in the sprint.

Vanderkitten-Focus has its last major assignment of the US season tonight in the California Capital, for the Sacramento GP. The first year race, put on by Project Sport is set to bring Downtown Sacramento to life, with thousands of fans expected to watch a fierce battle between Vanderkitten-Focus and Twenty12 Peanut Butter&Co, as well as Red Racing, Team TIBCO and Fremont Bank for line honors. Follow our Twitter for the action!

 

Our San Diego speedster Jen Dub capped off a fantastic week at THF Realty Gateway Cup with a 4th overall after 4 tight and technical stages in and around St Louis, Missouri. In an event dominated by Colavita Forno D’Asolo, the Vanderkitten Focus squad of Weinbrecht, Starla Teddergreen, Vanessa Drigo, Courtney Dimple ad Fairytale Princess Jenn X put on a fantastic display of active and aggressive racing. All members of the team managed a top 15 placing on individual stages, but it was the late season form of Weinbrecht that finished off amongst the nations top sprinters each day, and put the Kitties in the money Meow!

Vanderkitten-Focus rockstars Jen Reither, Starla Tedergreen, Vanessa Drigo. Courtney Dimple and Jennifer Winbrecht are painting St Louis red with some fine 2 wheeled smackdown at the THF Realty Gateway Cup in St Louis, MO After 3 stages Jennifer Weinbrecht is sitting pretty in 4th place overall, with tomorrow’s decisive Benton Park stage set to be a cracker!

Remember to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for results and foto coverage of the shenanigans!

Vanderkitten-Focus young kiwi speedster picked up all the cash priems and the Tissot Sprint award on her way to a fine 2nd place finish at tonights BTIG Glencoe GP in Illinois.

Cyclingnews report here:

Difficult course ultimately neutralises escape attempts as field settles for bunch dash

Emma Mackie (Tibco-To the Top) won the bunch sprint at the BTIG Women’s Glencoe Grand Prix on Saturday outside of Chicago, Illinois. She out-paced Emily Collins (Vanderkitten-Focus) who took second and her own teammate Jo Kiesanowski in third.

“It was nice to have the sprint today because I’m usually the lead-out but I think I have a good sprint,” Mackie explained to Cyclingnews. “I went down the right side and came around Jo, down the finishing straight. I knew that Emily was coming down the left side. It was a good race, aggressive and it was great to get the win.”

The Pro-Cat 1-2-3 women’s field contested a 70-minute criterium for a prize purse of $3000USD. The course was some-what of a dumb-bell shaped that included 10-corners and one challenging ascent.

“The course was quite technical and it was a fairly long lap,” Mackie said. “It was technical on the back side with sharp corners that went right into a climb on the course. The climb wasn’t huge but it hurt going over it so many times.”

“There was some good competition with our team, we had three riders, and Vanderkitten who had Emily Collins and we knew to watch her in the sprint,” Mackie said. “We wanted to be aggressive in the second half and let Jo go for the sprint.”

The race was aggressive; however, most teams and individual riders seemed content to keep the field together for a bunch sprint. Jasmin Hurikino (Vanderkitten-Focus) led the field through the final corner with Kiesanowski and Mackie in tow, followed by her teammate Emily Collins. Kiesanowski got the jump on the field and Mackie sprinted passed her on the way to the finish line.

“I was fighting the whole last lap on Jo’s wheel to not let anyone else get on it because that was our plan,” Mackie said. “Emily must have been on my wheel. I started my sprint down the right side and Emily on the left – it worked out well.”

Results

Brief Results

#	Rider Name (Country) Team	Result
1	Emma Mackie (Tibco-To the Top)
2	Emily Collins (Vanderkitten-Focus)
3	Jo Kiesanowski (Tibco-To the Top)

 

19 year Old Vanderkitten-Focus rider Maura Kinsella proved herself as one of the best of the new generation of female athletes in the USA with todays 5th place at the USA Cycling National Championships in Augusta, Georgia.
Naturally, the feisty young Missourian Biology Student was unhappy with her performance in the sweltering temperatures. Maura has medalled in this event in previous editions, despite being one of the youngest riders in the event overall against athletes who are already on professional squads. However her aim for 2011 was to aim for a podium place and although this did not happen today, the crit and road race await our shining gem from St Louis, MO!!

Race report by TourofAmericasDairyland.com

Travelling up Highway 57 to Greenbush for Stage 5 of the Tour of America’s Dairyland presented by Wisconsin Marketing Board, you encountered dairy farm after dairy farm, many worn from generations of toil and productivity. ToAD promotes the genuine validity of chocolate milk as a recovery drink but witnessing the true root of the product in the Wisconsin Dairy Farm Families living and work spaces was a humbling bonus this morning, among hazy skies. Amateur and Pro Cycling tours alike have seen their most unfortunate demise among sponsor abandonment over the years, and we at Tour of America’s Dairyland are grateful to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for their intense support of the sport of cycling.
Stage 5 – Greenbush

Laura Van Gilder and her Team Mushroom teammates are on track to pay extra baggage on their way out of town with all the primes and cow print jerseys they’ve acquired…and fans are loving every splotch of it. For much of the day’s Road Race in Greenbush, the field was sitting together until one rider, Van Gilder, launched off the front, leaving the field in a frantic chase in the final stretch. Van Gilder deservedly took home another win with ease along with another photo opp on the top podium spot in the Becker Law Pink and White Overall Jersey. Cari Higgins (Peanut Butter & Company) and Starla Teddergreen (Vanderkitten-Focus) rounded out the podium, with Teddergreen climbing back in the coveted Oarsman Capital Amateur Cat 2 Leaders Jersey, previously worn by Anne Grabowski (Team Kenda p/b Geargrinder).

After a lengthy season working for her Vanderkitten Focus teammates, Vanessa Drigo scored a fantastic result at the Tour of Americas Dairyland stage 2 Criterium.

In a fast and furious race that saw teammate Starla Teddergreen crash spectacularly and flip through the air- before rejoining the race a lap later, Vanessa took full advantage of the Courtney van Dizzle and Teddergreen leadout to secure 2nd behind the winningest active rider in Professional Cycling.

Vanessa says “It was a very fast race and i am so happy i had my Vanderkitten-Focus teammates to do the hard work of bringing back dangerous breaks. I knew it would be a good day when i was  away with Van Gilder and Cari (Peanut Butter &Co) and one of the New Zealand Metro VW girls, and although i was gassed when it came back i found Van Gilders wheel and it was a strong sprint. I am looking forward to the next 9 days of racing!!”

Vanderkitten-Focus currently sits in second in the teams classement also!

Tour of America’s Dairyland is an 11 day stage race sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Board that showcases some of the finest regions in Wisconsin in the USA’s Mid West. Further details can be seen at www.tourofamericasdairyland.com

Vanderkitten-Focus had a fantastic result against the worlds top women cyclists at yesterday’s Stage 3 Nature Valley GP Cannon Falls Road race. In a race heavily controlled by Olympic Gold Medallist Kristin Armstrongs Peanut butter &Co TWENTY 12 squad, Vanderkitten-Focus in an aggressive manner to try and separate from the peloton. Midway through the race, 20 year old Maura Kinsella featured in a move with Amber Rais (Diadora Pasta Zara) and Carmen Small (TIBCO), but this was brought back.

The race reached a high paced crescendo in the last 15kms with a 1km dirt section as an entrance to the 5 lap finishing circuits. Beth newell suffered an unitmely puncture and crashed, and then a mile later crashed againat high speed because of equipment damage. She managed to finish the stage but lost her 2nd place in best Amateur rider Competition.

 

On the finish circuits Collins took advantage of her criterium skills to manouvre into great position for the sprint, and in the finale it was World Champion Bronzini, HTC’s Chloe Hoskins, Theresa Cliff Ryan (Colavita), Shelley Olds (Diadora Pasta Zara) and the speedy 20 year old Kiwi Collins in 5th.

Todays stage is the Minneapolis uptown Criterium, VK fans can watch live on www.velonews.com !!