MTB in GGP

Part of my rehab from tendonitis has been a few doses of mountain biking. I find the easier gears require a bit less power and higher cadence with a lot more out of the saddle maneuvering takes some of the stress of my quad tendon. A few people commented that they thought the impact and shock absorption the tendon would encounter would make things worse. It actually seems that while on my road bike pushing a bigger gear at a higher power and lower cadence, the repetitive motion of engaging the muscle to drive the pedal down and propel the bike forward tends to stress and irritate it more. Anyways jealous that all my teammates were getting sweet footage of crushing in the races, I decided to clamp on my GoPro HD Hero2 and shred the dirt with my coworkers from Mike's in Sausalito, Ben and Daood. I threw a quick video together with windows movie maker showing some of the awesome trails Golden Gate Park in San Francisco has to offer. Enjoy.

-Hank

Original Merced Criterium – P/1/2 Race Report

Team Mike's Bikes went into the Merced Crit with fancy shoes and an entourage of females from an ice cream shop that Rainier Schaefer picked up for us the night before. The previous day (Snelling Road Race) we had Matt Adams and Taylor Cody both win their races and Tyler Brandt rock out with third in the PRO 1, 2. He would have won if I had swept the sprint for him, but I messed up big time and wasn't there for him at that crucial moment. I try not to get too upset, because, to be frank: our team is awesome. I have never been on a team with more talent and synergy than Team Mike's Bike. Our rider's are always working hard and sacrificing themselves for teammates - which in this sport is rarer than a Velo Promo race starting on time.

Trivia: What Velo Promo race/year got delayed because someone constructed a two foot tall wall of cow manure on the course?

Special first place prize:this photo album.

A big part of why this team is so successful as a cohesive unit has to be our team camp Steve Pelaez and Hank Scholz put together. Easily the most worthwhile team camp I have gone too. Everything about it sped up rapport with one another. It feels like I've been racing with my teammates for years rather than weeks.

I finished second in the Merced Crit today. John Piasta, Tyler Brandt, Rainier Schaefer, and Shawn Rosenthal all rode like Pro Tour riders, getting in every break, keeping me safe, and put together a complete replica of the human centipede train for me at the end. I took video with my GoPro. It's from my perspective and does zero justice whatsoever to my teammates who went with forty plus attacks today. Enjoy.

P1000870

2012 Cherry Pie Criterium - GoPro HD HERO2 Video

Check out Team Mike's Bikes leading out the the last 3 laps of the 2012 Cherry Pie Crit P/1/2 from Steve P.'s helmet mounted GoPro HD HERO2. Still getting the angle dialed in but you get the picture. After watching, check out Andy G.'s race report on the action.

Cherry Pie Crit 2012 - Mike's Bikes from Steve Pelaez on Vimeo.

TMB Training Camp - Paintball

What better way to bond as a team than shooting each other with CO2 propelled bullets of paint? We all had to really work on our communication under pressure during this team exercise. Check out the matches on Eric's barrel mounted GoPro HD HERO2:

Final Score: Joe's 3 - Cobra 2

TMB 2012 - SuperBad

Alberto Contador at Mike's Bikes Sausalito

It was a wickedly fast pace around paradise as you'll see 1:15 Roundtrip with lights. I really had to go full gas to stay in front of Contador. He's always revving to go fast. Amazing!

MB definitely lives up to the slogan "For the ride of your life." Many of the best rides I've done this year have mostly been MB sponsored rides - Ted King, Col du Pantol CHP Escorted, Levi GP, and now ripping paradise with Contador.

Levi's GranFondo 2011

BBC Crit P12 - July 17, 2011