Team News

Team Mike's Bikes Masters - The Manifesto

Dear Prospective Team MB Masters Racer, I want to thank you for your interest in our program and share the spirit and philosophy of our team.  But before that, I want to do my best to convince you that this is not the team for you.

Let me first express that masters racing is not that important in the grand scheme of things.  I’m not interested in supporting older guys with established careers by providing financial support or excessive discounts so you can go for the win at a local office park crit or road race in the middle of nowhere.  I don’t want to mislead you that my motivation for assembling this team is to create a strong masters team for the sake of having a strong masters team.  My motivation is to put together a great group of strong riders who want to commit to each other and who want to help us give back to the next generation of racers.

That being said, I’m a 36 yr old Cat 3 who lays awake at night kicking myself for totally blowing the last 5K at Winters RR last year or reliving my well timed attack to get the Mt Tam HC win.  Personally, racing is very important and worth the sacrifices I have to make.  But at the same time, my heart and company are committed to building our Elite program.  We’ve developed an incredible team that’s been extremely rewarding to help build and be a part of.  The mission of our Elite program is to develop, inspire, and nurture the potential and happiness of the next generation of racers on and off the bike.  And that is what matters to me, and that is what I think is important.

So if you’re still reading by this point, thank you and there’s hope.  Our idea for the Master’s Team is to get a group of strong 35+ 1/2/3’s together who share our values of service, mentorship, and teamwork.

In joining the team, you’ll get the personal gratification of helping to make a difference for the next generation of Elite racers and hopefully Pro’s.  In addition, you’ll be a part of the best team in Northern California and the vibrant Mike’s Bikes community, dedicated to getting more people on bikes.  Also, you’ll enjoy the race day support that the elite team receives and a strong group of teammates who are as interested in team’s success as you are.  Further, you’ll be able to tap into the collective knowledge of the entire team, whether that’s training or nutrition advice, race tactics, or equipment choices.   And I also believe that if we get the right group of guys together who all buy in to the team first philosophy of Team MB, that success will happen.  We are all competitive and success validates the work we put in.  So in the words of Appel, “Let’s do this!”.

Sincerely,

Matt Adams

President, Mike’s Bikes

Spiritual Leader, Team Mike’s Bikes

Announcing Team Mike's Bikes Cyclocross - TMBCX

We are proud to announce Team Mike's Bike Cyclocross (TMBCX) for the 2012 season! The team is comprised of seven of your favorite Bay Area powerhouses including Philip Mooney, Roman Kilun, Adam Switters, Andrew Goessling, Stephen Dey, Ryan Johnson, and Henry Scholz. The Elite A Squad will be racing on the latest carbon Crux bikes and equipment from Specialized, in those sexy custom Italian Capo Kits, shading the dust with sunglasses from Smith, protecting their palms with Bike Smart gloves, and supported by the Bay Areas best local bike shop Mike's Bikes.

Elite A Men

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phil_mooney

Philip Mooney

"I'm super stoked to be racing cross with the TMBCX guys. It's great to be able to represent a sweet bike shop like Mike's Bikes with so many good athletes/friends as my teammates. Hopefully we can show the local NorCal CX establishment that us roadies know how to schralp the rad, shred the gnar, and do all that other stuff dirt bikers do!"

roman_kilun
roman_kilun

Roman Kilun

"I am excited to race cross for the coolest shop in California and race with my friends. We may not always win but we will be having the most fun."

andy_goessling
andy_goessling

Andrew Goessling

"Ever since I started racing bikes in high school, I've always loved mobbing around the trails and roads of the East Bay on my cross bike. Now, years later, I'm incredibly excited to b able to race for Team Mike's Bikes CX. Thanks to the awesome support of Mike's Bikes, what started as an of the cuff idea during a bike ride has quickly turned into one of the strongest, badassest group of CX riders around. Look out NorCal, the boys in black are hitting the dirt!"

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adam_switters

Adam Switters

"I am super stoked to be riding for Mike's Bikes Cross Team. Any team that will let a whole bunch of roadies play in the dirt and make fools of themselves going around off-camber turns is great in my book. I'm sure the team will be doing some butt-kicking too. If you're looking to find me out on the course, just look for people calling out my nicknames (I.e GnarDog or Shreddy McGnarGnar)"

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steve_dey

Stephen Dey

"I'm stoked to be racing with a great group of athletes/friends as TMBCX and spreading the Mike's Bikes love. Like the rest of the team I got my start on the road, but have since seen the light and realized the dirt is way more fun. Let's see what excitement TMBCX can add to the NorCal CX scene!"

Single Speed A

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ryan_johnson

Ryan Johnson

"If the Team Mike's Bikes road crew was any indication, the Team Mike's Bikes CX team should keep things rolling right along. While the team aspect of racing is less important than it is one the road, beer drinking and silliness is a big part of the game, and for that I am thankful for a solid group of dudes to ride with. We're definitely bringing the roadie heat this season. Look for us, we'll be smashing past you on the straights and crawling around the turns."

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hank_scholz

Henry Scholz

"I always look forward to the end of the road season as it means it's time to hop on the SSCX bike and see what these roadie legs can do against the talented mountain bikers. Managing the TMB road squad the past two years has been phenomenal so working with this talent in the cyclocross season should be a blast. I can't wait to see what these guys can do in the dirt."

Shooting with Capo

Rainier, Taylor, and I did some photo and shooting for a new video Capo Cycling Apparel is putting together. Can't wait to see the finished product. Look for us at Interbike!

Taylor answering a few questions on his experiences riding in Capo apparel at Mike's Bikes of Sausalito.

Rainier just couldn't keep his shirt on while shooting on the roads of Marin.

-Hank

Racing in Belgium

Several months ago, Steve asked Travis and I if we would be interested in traveling to Belgium this summer. Rick Adams, owner of Immersion Cycling, provided us with a proposal that would involve racing and training in West Flanders for two and half weeks. Travis and I jumped at the opportunity and for the past eleven days we have been competing in the local Kermises, tasting the local cuisine, riding the cobbled roads of the spring classics, and watching our favorite pros compete in post Tour de France criteriums. Below is a photo journal from my Instagram (henryscholz) of the trip so far. For more information on trips and racing in Belgium, check out Ricks site http://immersioncycling.com/

The Sigginga haim located in Zingem has 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 14 beds, living room, dining room, huge backyard, and a bike shed. It has hosted several cycling teams and we spoiled enough to only have 4 of us staying here!

On our first day in Belgium, Rick took us on a ride over some of the areas cobbled roads through the streets of Oudenaarde.

I got the chance to chase Travis up the cobbled climb the Koppenberg, part of the route of the Ronde van Vlaanderen. That hurt.

Travis, Richard and I all got dropped about halfway through our first kermis. We weren't too upset as the race was 115km in Laarne and had 147 entrants which consisted of a few rides from the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step and Vacansoleil development team, and even a couple riders from the US pro Jamis Cycling team.  I'd hoped in Europe they would at least spell my last correctly.

Afterwards we were luckily enough to be interviewed by a local journalist and made the news: http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=BLWPO_20120722_002

I just pulled out of the Landskouter kermis when I ran out of food and water after a little over 80k at around 280w. I pondered what the hell they are feeding these guys?

so... many... cobbles... Unfortunately there is no way to route your map to avoid cobbled sections so I got to commute over these out to and back from the race. They are fun at first but quickly become annoying as they rattle your bones.

We got the opportunity eat some friets with mayo and watch a post TDF crit in Aalst featuring this years Sprinters Green Jersey winner Peter Sagan and some other big favorites. Sagan won but the races tend to just be more of just a show as in a previous year Sastre out sprinted Cav and Farrar and Armstrong out sprinted Cipo.

The beautiful morning view from my bedroom in the Sigginga haim in Zingem.

A shot of church in the town center of Zingem.

After a bit of a bursitis flare up from screwing up my fit unpacking my bike, I went on a training ride while the boys raced. I found a park along the way and hit up some dirt to uncover some awesome cyclocross trails. Luckily I was able to get back to racing the next day after my knee calmed down.

Richard and I sat and recovered for a minute while we waited for Travis to finish a Kermis in Bambrugge.

Travis immediately after completing all 112km and finishing in the main bunch of the Bambrugge kermis.

After several days of kermis racing, we decided to take a rest day with napping in the morning, a spin in the afternoon, and a post tour crit at night.

There were some big names out at the Ninove post tour crit. Cav took the win over Mcewen and Sagan.

Weekend Results Round-up

We rolled strong this past weekend. Oh yes, we did: Road Nationals James LaBerge - 9th U23 Men's Crit Tyler Brandt - 13th in the Elite Men's Road Race John Piasta - 19th U23 Men's Road Race

Apple Pie Crit Dana Williams - 1st - Men's P/1/2 Taylor Cody (MB of Berkeley) - 1st E4 (enough points for upgrade to Cat 3) also MB Berkeley sales guy

Pescadero James Wingert - 9th Men's P/1/2 Matt Adams (MB prez) - 1st 35+ Cat 4 Justin Balderston (MB of Palo Alto - 18th E4

Burlingame Crit Dana Williams - 4th Men's P/1/2 Ryan Johnson - 1st E3 (enough points for Cat 2 upgrade)

Raid on Sherwood Peak MTB Race Davin Pukulis (MB marketing dir) - 13th overall

Mt. Rose Backside Hill Climb on Sunday (Sierra Nevada Hill Climb TT #2) Steve O'Mara - 1st

Brandt Looking to Take the Next Step

Tyler is kicking ass and people are taking note. Here's the latest press on him: Fairfax cyclist Brandt looking to take the next step at Grand Prix in Minnesota and Wisconsin

By Dave Curtis Marin Independent Journal

tyler_brandt.jpg

TYLER BRANDT has yet to burst upon the cycling scene. But as those who know him say, that doesn't mean his star is not on the rise.

Brandt, a 21-year-old Drake High grad who grew up in Fairfax, will try to take a step toward more recognition in the cycling community on Wednesday in Stage 1 of the Nature Valley Grand Prix in St. Paul, Minn. If all goes well, Brandt will come across the finish line after Stage 6 in Stillwater, Minn., on Sunday having opened some eyes among some professional racing teams after racing against professional riders.

"I'm trying to take this as far as I can," Brandt said of cycling. "Through high school, I was playing other sports as well as cycling. I definitely enjoyed cycling a lot, but it wasn't until maybe my junior year of high school it became more real that it was a possible step that I could make it there."

Read more of the story on the Marin IJ website.

City Park Becomes a Sponsor of Team Mike's Bikes 2012

Team Mike's Bikes, one of Northern California's premier cycling teams, is proud to announce that

City Park

will be an integral part of this year's program.  City Park has been San Francisco's premier parking management company for the past 50 years.  The sponsorship provides Team Mike's Bikes (TMB) 2012 with financial assistance for riders to attend key races throughout the season.  In return, City Park will receive brand exposure on the teams kit as well as exclusive VIP treatment at some of the team's key Northern California races.

"I've been extremely impressed with not only team's results so far this year but also their professional approach, dedication and strong commitment to the team," explained Tim Leonoudakis, CEO of City Park. "Just like our business, you need a strong team environment to create success in bike racing.  TMB certainly shares this value, as evident of their results this year."  As an avid cyclist himself, Mr. Leonoudakis also expressed his interest in Mike's Bikes projects in Africa. He hopes to become involved to some degree in one of these programs.

Matt Adams, Mike's Bikes CEO, is also thrilled with the teams new sponsorship.  "It's really nice to have a local San Francisco company like City Park see the value in sponsoring a grassroots cycling program such as TMB 2012.  This is the team's second year of existence and sure, the results have been impressive. But even more important than this is the leadership and skills we are trying to instill in the Bay Area's top bike racers."

Mega Sale

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rainermegasale

Team Mike's Bikes' own Rainer Schaefer beat out all  contenders to take the cover spot of this year's Mega Sale catalog.

Beyond Rainer's rugged good looks, the catalog delivered the scoop on one of the best bike sales around to the mailboxes of households across Northern California.

The sale is on now through Sunday at all 10 Mike's Bikes stores, including the new shop in San Jose.

Find the nearest store to you here.

Everything is on sale. Check out great deals on stylish Capo kits, high performing Specialized bikes and all the accessories you need from Bike Smart.

Eat Well to Ride Fast

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dinner1

As the road racing season heads to longer, tougher courses, like this weekend’s Nor Cal  classic Copperopolis, good nutrition becomes all the more important to riders. Put another way: poor nutrition comes with more clear-cut consequences. While a diet of junk may result in suboptimal performance in a 60 minute crit or 10 mile time trial, not properly fueling the body before a 105 mile hilly road race wreaks a different kind of havoc -- like DNFing* a race at a gas station and bumming money for a Coke from the cleaning staff kind of havoc.

That’s why the racers of Team Mike’s Bikes got together this past Sunday to hone their nutritional knowledge and culinary skills. Hosted by Ken Martin, the co-owner of Mike's Bikes, and led by master chef Ryan Johnson, the squad discussed key topics including the value of refueling the body in the post-ride recovery window and the importance of a balanced diet in bodily function.

Here’s some of what we made:

Recipes and instruction by Ryan Johnson

Plump brown rice

1c rice : 4+ c water

Konbu (or other seaweed)

Liquid aminos to taste

Honey (optional)

- Rinse rice in a strainer under the sink a few times, until water runs clear

- Put rice and water in a large pot with seaweed, bring to a boil

- Once boiling, remove seaweed and cook for ~30 minutes, until rice is done

- Drain and rinse rice to stop cooking

- Mix with liquid aminos, honey (for a sweeter breakfast rice), sesame seeds for some crunch, or whatever else you can think up

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dinner2

Proper mushrooms

Cremini or button mushrooms, as many as you want to cook (they will shrink in size once cooked)

Fresh herbs (thyme is great, or tarragon, rosemary, dill)

Oil (with thyme, rosemary, or dill, use olive oil. with tarragon, sesame oil)

- Quarter mushrooms, add to a big, dry pan (no butter or oil, for now)

- Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, and watch the mushrooms start to relinquish their water

- Once most of the water has cooked off (you'll notice the mushrooms start to stick to the pan a bit), add oil and fresh herbs

- Cook until mushrooms are tender and no longer rubbery

Chinese Salad

Red Cabbage, chiffonade (chiffonade link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJEQFgfv7iw)

Kale, chiffonade

Daikon radish, julienned (julienne link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YU1IBLypo0)

Carrot, julienned

Almonds, roughly chopped

Sesame seeds

Small oranges, in wedges

Dulse (or other seaweed), torn or chopped

Dressing:

1 part orange juice

1 part sesame oil

1/2 part rice vinegar

Squirt of honey

Glob of hot mustard

Dash of liquid aminos

- Combine and mix.

Thoughts on the choices? What’s your favorite post-race meal? Best pre-race snacks?

Stay tuned for more nutrition posts looking at topics mentioned here in detail.

-Steve O.

*DNF = Did Not Finish in race result lingo. Not to be confused with DFL which stands for something else.

Veronika Lenzi - Through My Eyes Photography

For the Team Mike's Bikes 2012 Training Camp we had the honor of being hosted by the mother of Bay Area cycling (and beyond), Veronika "Ronnie" Lenzi. For those of you that haven't met, been photographed by, gotten a massage from, or stayed at her chateau in Petaluma, Ronnie is the ultimate soigneur. She has hosted the likes of several professional cycling teams, massaged some of the bigger cyclists we see winning races, and captured some of the most breathtaking photos we see in cycling magazines. Ronnie can be found at most every NCNCA race with a camera in each hand.

Prior to our arrival at her beautiful home, Ronnie had our housing arrangement for the camp all taken care of with borrowed tables, chairs, and air mattress from around the neighborhood and even went as far as having our beds made. She proceeded to help cook and do dishes, give massages, and photograph the team of 18 riders each and everyday of camp. This was all while editing her other photos and getting ready for a business trip to the Tour of Qatar.

On behalf of the team, I would like to personally thank Ronnie for best cycling camp I have ever had the likes of attending and probably will. I feel fortunate to have spent a brief period of time in her care.

Thank you Ronnie!

Visit Ronnies site www.veronikalenzi.com or click on the any of photos below to check out more of the beautiful photos she captured of the team. Enjoy.

-Hank

TMB Gear Handout

This past Saturday night after Mike's Bikes in San Rafael closed up, riders for TMB gathered with product reps from Capo, SRAM/Zipp, and Bike Smart to learn a bit about the equipment they will be riding and get their gear for the 2012 season. Check out a few pictures below from the evening:

Ernesto from SRAM/Zipp explaining the development and innovation of the Firecrest design in the 303,404, and 808 wheelsets the team will be riding.

Ernesto from SRAM/Zipp answering questions from the riders on the aerodynamic benefits and drawback of each wheel depth.

Terry from Capo detailing the materials used in the teams custom Wind Vest.

TMB Race Machines all ready to be picked up. Each bike has a piece of paper attached to the top tube with the riders chosen specifications.

Blue Mike's bottles to match the blue decals on the Venge.

Team Mike's Bikes Race Machines

Dylan took some time to snap a few photos of the race machines all built up. Enjoy.

Team Mike's Bikes Venge Race Machine Frameset: Venge Pro Wheels: Zipp Firecrest Beyond Black Tires: Specialized Turbo Team Components: Zipp Service Course SL Beyond Black Group: SRAM Red Black Saddle: Specialized Expert Pedals: LOOK Keo Blade Bar Tape, Cages, Cartridges: Bike Smart

Team Mike's Bikes Tarmac Race Machine Frameset: Tarmac Pro Wheels: Zipp Firecrest Beyond Black Tires: Specialized Turbo Team Components: Zipp Service Course SL Beyond Black Group: SRAM Red Black Saddle: Specialized Expert Pedals: LOOK Keo Blade Bar Tape, Cages, Cartridges: Bike Smart

The Race Machines

Team Mike's Bikes Team Bikes!

Our riders have been anxiously awaiting their team bikes and gear after putting in their sizes and specs last November. Each rider will be riding a frame type and size, saddle type and width, stem length and angle, handlebar width and bend, crank size and length, and wheel depth specifically chosen suited to their riding and physiology. Luckily with the final remaining parts arrival and the hard work of Mike's Bikes employees, the team bikes are currently being built up in the Mike's Bikes Warehouse just in time for the Team Camp and more importantly, the 2012 race season. See the pictures below for an inside peak on the build process:Check out some of these spy shots snapped of the teams custom builds.

Also pictured is how the complicated process of building some twenty custom, rider specific bikes from the frame up is managed. This is not a new feat for Mike's due to their offerings of several custom high end road builds from Specialized and Wilier. Pictured below is the staging area where all of the parts are gathered from TMBs various sponsors including Specialized, Zipp, SRAM, Bike Smart, and Look.

Each bike gets it's own custom Mike's Assembly Cart in which the parts are gathered and prepped for the build process. Note the ingenuity in the fork mount and wheel holders, very pro.

Team Mike's Bikes has the honor of having the same expert mechanics who build the custom bikes for Mike's wrenching on their race machines.

Christmas will come late for TMB riders this year as they gather in San Rafael this weekend to collect their 2012 gear. Stay tuned for photos and reports from the Team Camp in Sonoma County. Time to get stoked!

 

Meet and Eat with Team Mike's Bikes and Red Racing!

 

 

 

Come meet and eat with the men of Team Mike's Bikes and women of Red Racing this Sunday 11/13 at Mike's Bikes in Sausalito. We will fire up the BBQ around 1:30pm and be serving up burgers, hot dogs, chips n salsa, drinks, and dessert.

Team Camp via Studio Six Photography

 

 

Time: Sunday 11/13 from 1:30pm-3:30pm or so
Food: Burgers, Hot Dogs, Chips n Salsa, Dessert
Beverage: Non Alcoholic - Soda and Juice
Agenda: Meet the racers of Team Mike's Bikes and Red Racing.  Ask us any questions about training, fitness, racing, bikes, etc.

 

TMB 2012

Team Mike's Bikes is happy to announce that we've completed our team selection process for the Elite TMB 2012 after a lengthy few months of recruiting, reading race resumes, and talking with many references.  Every recruit has been selected out of a long list of many talented and qualified riders. The result of all this thorough effort is the privilege to have such a talented squad of teammates for 2012. We are confident that everyone will be a successful ambassador of the Mike's Bikes brand throughout NorCal races, select NRC races, and our local communities. Here's a quick introduction of the new recruits:

Torey Philips:  Cat 1; Junior Road State Champion.  Easy going and likable kid who can time trial and climb with the best.

Tyler Brandt: Cat 1; Former U23 from CalGiant.  UC Berkeley Student. Steve Reaney recommended him in glowing terms.  Great crit racer and experience at NRC level.

Eric Riggs:  Cat 1; Former U23 US National team rider. Competed throughout Europe.  Badass to the bone.

James Wingert:  Cat 1.  I'll nickname him The Hurt because that's what he likes to do - make everyone hurt.  Awesome time trialist.

John Piasta:  Cat 1; Attends UC Davis.  Hails from a family of professional athletes.  2nd at Junior Nationals 17/18 Criterium.  He can climb, sprint, time trial, solid in every category.

James Laberge: Cat 1; The new and improved 2nd edition of LaBerge.  Just like his dad, James packs a wicked finish.  Numerous top 5 finishes at the P12 level with junior gears.  A bullet on 2 wheels.

Dana Williams: Cat 2; Former Canadian National Team skier.  All around strongman who packs a strong finish. 2nd in 2011 Elite Criterium State Championships.

Matt McKinzie: Cat 3; Mike's Bikes Sacramento employee and guest rider on TMB last season, Matt won two races in a row in 2011, the San Rafael Twilight Crit and Golden State Crit.

Travis Lyons: Cat 3; Second year roadie with a background in XC mountain biking, Travis is fresh off the Tieni Duro junior development squad. He won the BBC Crit, 2 Wheel Crit, and Mt. Diablo HC all in the month of July last season.

Vincent Juarez: Cat 3;  Vince is aiming to represent the USA Paralympic team in London.  He is the current Paralympic national champion and silver medalist at worlds.

Taylor Cody: Cat 4; Taylor is a Mike's Bikes Berkley employee with only part of a season under his belt, but in this time managed a 4th place in one of our most challenging road races, Copperopolis and 3rd place at the Taleo Crit.

 

We can't wait to suit up and race in 2012, it's gonna be wicked fun. See you out on the road!

-TMB