Hanford Criterium

After a hard race in Buellton and driving to Hanford that night, I was tired and just wanted to sleep. I slept in until 8:30 or so and went down for some breakfast in the lobby at the hotel that my dad, Chris (brother) and I stayed in. After a good hour using the blow dryer drying out all of my soaking wet clothes from the day before, I got all packed up and headed out to the course that happened to be just 2 blocks away. Before I knew it, it was time to get suited up and ready to race! When online registration closed days before the race, no one was signed up! It was quite literally just my dad and I! My dad spotted some guys and by the time we came up to the start line there was about 25 riders or so including Rand Miller (California Giant/ Specialized) and Dave McCook (McGuire). Luckily Rainier came down for the day and we both knew it was bound for a break due to the such windy conditions. And that's exactly what happened. 2 laps into the race a group of 6 got off the front including Rand, my dad (Dean), Dave, Vincent Owens, and a Safeway rider and myself. After a few laps, Dave popped and about 10 laps later, the Safeway rider got popped. As we were almost about to lap the field, Rand put in a hard attack and Owens followed it. By this time, we also had some lapped riders and I attacked out of the group to bridge it. My dad and I made it across and I kept watching Rand and Vincent the entire time. About halfway through the race, Rand attacked on the left side of the road when I was stuck on the right side behind some of Vincent's teammates. Rainier was up the road trying to lap the field but couldn't make it across. Rand was gone for good after that. He caught Rainier's group and Rainier sat in behind Rand's wheel, making him earn his win and keep me and Vincent Owens away. Owens and I rolled off the front, trying to bridge across but the distance was too much. I eventually got popped from Owens at 12 laps to go and he stayed away, but in the last 10 laps, he used a couple of his lapped teammates try to catch Rand's group and he got moved down to 3rd by the officials at the end of the race. I finished solo, about 1/2 a lap behind Rand's group, but still placing 2nd!

Wish I hadn't made that mistake halfway through the race, but the sport is the matter of split second decisions. Rand made the right one today. Lesson learned!

-James

Firestone Walker Avenue of Flags Criterium

Having spring break for college before a long traveling weekend is always helpful in getting homework done and not having to do it on the road like at Merco and San Dimas. So I was able to get that all done and get all packed up Friday morning/afternoon and headed down to a town called Buellton, CA in the mid afternoon. With some traffic, we got down to Buellton at 10pm and got some shut eyes before the big race the next day. I woke up and went on down to breakfast. My dad and brother, Chris had already came back from breakfast warning me about a long line and that I should go down there now to wait in line. I did just that and came back to my room to rest up for the race.

Back to the race, I went early to get my number and watch my brother's race and then came back to put my race number on. At this point, it was perfect race conditions: low to mid 60's and sunny with a few clouds passing by. I got my bags packed and traveled back to the race, and with still sunny skies, it looked like a nice day in So Cal for my racing! That is until around the 3 O'clock time when the clouds came over the mountains and started to rain. It only got harder, and it only got colder. Many people just got in their cars and put leg warming cream on and knew that they were for a rough one. I jumped to the start line 5 minutes before the start and luckily they shortened the race from 90 to 60 minutes due to weather; it was nasty. I started off good; following some big attacks and being active; knowing that it was likely that a break would eventually get away due to the narrow course and harsh conditions. I eventually started to crack halfway through the race and it was still all together, so I decided to try to rest and sit back a little bit farther in the pack (50-riders). There were two turns where Justin Williams would sprint out of and I would have a hard time chasing down, which happened to both be in the cross-wind sections. I'm not saying it was Justin's fault, but the guys at the front were doing that too so he had to do the same thing to stay on in the slipstream. I eventually got popped with 15 minutes to go, where there were roughly only 30 riders left.

Rough day for me with the conditions. Wish I had done better but it's bike racing and I kept my skin for another day!

-James

Land Park Criterium

Land Park Criterium is one of my favorites, it is an oval with a cloverleaf shaped-double chicane and almost hairpin stuck into it. There was an initial longstanding break of four that included Evan Huffman (CalGiant) and Peter Graf (Fremont Bank). Two of those in the break dropped back to the peloton and Evan and Peter charged on. There were constant bridge attempts, teammate Dana Williams and I included, but no solid chase. Dudes were getting really excited, bouncing off each other and scraping pedals. It wasn't until eight laps or so left that Nathanael Christensen (Michael David Winery) and I got away from the peloton. We worked our butts off for eight laps but never made it to the Huffman train; instead, we dangled half-way between the leaders and the peloton. I managed a third place and Dana was eighth. Nathanael and I coming into the finish:

Rand seducing the camera and Dana leading the rest:

Tim Westmore provided the above photos.

Super Sweetwater Grasshopper

Super Sweetwater Grasshopper had the most eclectic collection of bikes on the "start line" of a race that I have ever seen, every flavor: mountain, road, cross, maybe a tandem, so sweet! After the first push up a steep hill, however, there were just roadies: Peter Stetina of Garmin, Jeremy Vennell of Bissel, Chris Winn of Horizon/Panache, and Jonathan Teeter of Marco Pro Strava. Nick Frey of Boo Bicycles and I caught them on the descent, but lost them again on the incredibly steep (portions greater than 15% according to Strava) next section of Sweetwater Springs Road. We were eventually joined by four others, including my friend Jason Benford of Freewheel, for the Old Cazadero Highway climb. Coming off this ridge on a dirt path toward Austin Creek is where I put my Tarmac SL4 and DIY Garmin mount to a serious test. Such a rad descent with portions steeper than -16%, rocks, jumps, divots, mud hairpins, branches, and people cheering! I had two slick tires sliding in a couple sections, but that was not nearly as rad as the dude who attempted to ride the creek crossing on his ROAD BIKE. Think ankle deep running water, river rocks, algae, spawning salmon, crawfish, maybe a fishing vessel. One of the highlights of the day!

After climbing out of the creek basin past disgruntled locals, our group worked well together out to Highway One, then headed back East on Willow Creek Road. Here I rode the front, because the road is torn up with pot holes hidden in puddles and didn't want to be caught off guard with a pinch flat like I had a previous year. I rode harder and got a gap. Knowing the three leaders had probably finished, I kept it rolling just so I could beat Jason, known for his climbing prowess. At the bottom of the Willow Creek climb I felt my front tire going soft, and the air lasted until about three switchbacks from the finish (unbeknownst to me, I would have just walked to the finish for fourth place had I known it was so close).

-Rainier

Merco McDonald's Downtown Grand Prix - Elite 3 Video

Check out Travis Lyons' GoPro video from the Merco McDonald's Downtown Grand Prix.

Madera County Stage Race - Pro/1/2

This past weekend I drove down to Pleasanton to meet up with an old teammate of mine when I was a junior and then head down in the Specialized Juniors Team Van to the 1st Stage of the Madera County Stage Race. This van off the hook when we first got it, and still is but it's nothing like the new Mike's Bikes Team Van that just popped into frame for the team this past week! The first day of racing was a 10-mile hill climb to the top of Ben Hur Road. It climbs up 1500 feet and has a 3 or so miles rough pavement section. I started off at 12:18 and started out fine, but as the climbing and the bumpy roads hit, I started to fall backwards. I ended up finishing with a time of about 36 minutes, 7 minutes behind on GC. I knew already that my GC chances were already over because there were some strong pro teams there (Kelly Benefits, Bissel, and Kenda 5 hour Energy).

The next day was another 10 miles TT but this time is was perfectly flat. This was the TT I was looking forward to. I went out there and road a good TT, but fell 24 seconds short of my goal time (23 minutes). I still improved from last year, and this year I had just 404's, where last year I had a disc. Later in the day was the criterium. Evan Huffman (California Giant/ Strawberry) took the overall lead over Nate English (Kenda) in the flat TT and Cal Giant was looking to maintain that overall lead. Multiple guys flew off the front trying to make breaks stick (including myself) but nothing would work. By the time 7 laps to go came, a break of 4 (2 Kelly, Bissell, and Cal Giant) were off the front and looked dangerous to stay away. Luckily, for some reason, Cal Giant brought the break back and it came down to a field sprint. As we came in to what was supposed to be 2 laps to go, the officials quickly flipped the lap card and rang the bell saying "1 lap to go!". This completely raised chaos for everyone, including myself. I was sitting in okay position leading into this, sitting behind Sam Bassetti (Cal Giant) whom was sitting behind the Kelly train. There was a swarm coming into turn 1 and I lost about 10 spots. I moved up on the outside in the wind in the back stretch and got back to where I was. As we went over the railroad track (800 meters before the line), Bassetti hit a Kelly rider and as he went over the track, it took him straight into the air, turn sideways, and took his feel out of his pedals but somehow managed to stay upright and not crash. I was right behind all of this. Bassetti's race is over by this time. I hop behind Kelly, but right as I think I'm in perfect position, Dave McCook and Andy Jacques- Maynes comes on the inside and I'm stuck to sprint for 6th. It wasn't too bad given all of the craziness that happened.

The last stage was an 85 miles Road Race and Cal Giant still had the GC lead, but by only 9 seconds. The attacks went right away from the gun and there was cross and headwinds the entire time except a short 4 mile stretch going through the finish line. I eventually got popped 2 laps in, but by then there were only about 25 riders left in the race. Only 20 people finished out of 60. Kelly went on to win the stage, going 1-2-3 and leaving an over 2 minute gap to Nate English (Kenda). Evan also lost the GC, but still finish 4th I believe.

Overall, I didn't feel my best this weekend but it looks like I'm ready for the crits. Looking forward to San Dimas next weekend with the guys and hopefully get revenge as a team and get some good results! Thank you again to all of the sponsors this year! This couldn't have been possible without any of your help and amazing dedication to the sport that we love!

-James

Merco McDonald's Downtown Grand Prix and Hilltop Road Race – Elite 3 Race Report

Merco McDonald's Downtown Grand Prix

Got to the line just in the nick of time as the start whistle blew no more than a thirty seconds after rolling up. The second lap was a prime of mysterious value, for which I toyed the idea of getting. Third wheel on West 18th street as the group slowed, I attacked and got about 3 bike lengths before hitting the next turn onto M street. I maintained a sizable gap to the line and pocketed a sweet $75. I sat in for a while, until I heard another bell indicating a prime and the announcer stating that $50 was on the line. I moved up, to be third wheel onto West 18th street once again. I followed an attack by a Taleo rider, who led into the final corner. He started accelerated a little, veered left, then right. I jumped around his left and took the money. I bridged to my friend Reese Levine who was up the road in a solo-breakaway sometime in the middle of the race. About half of a lap after making contact with Reese, two guys bridged up and started working with us. The four of us stayed off for about another third of a lap, then we were pulled back. I sat back in the peloton until about three laps to go, when I began to make my way back up to the front. I stayed about 6-8th wheel for second to last lap, with a good friend of mine, whom I was confident would benefit from a wheel to follow into the final straight, on my wheel. Going into the final lap, we got swarmed hard. My friend went around my left side to make up for lost ground, and I burned a couple of matches to get in front of him before it was too late. Into the second to last corner, I was sixth wheel with two guys clearly dropping on the outside. Into the final corner, I was just a little too far off the wheel in front of me, and the leading three guys all jumped around the same time. Those three stayed about two bike lengths off to the line. Until about 100m to go, I maintained a good distance off the guys behind me, when I saw them charging fast. I edged a Team Swift kid out for 4th place and took home a good amount of winnings.

Merco Hilltop Road Race

This morning, after seeing a junior friend of mine, Matt Schaupp, earn a yellow jersey for winning the 3s crit the day before, I considered how cool it might be to win one today. My intentions for this road race were to develop a higher comfort level when surfing the middle of the peloton- from front to back, and from side to side. This was my primary focus for the majority of the race, paying little attention to breakaways. In the final lap, a breakaway of about six guys got off the front and maintained a good lead off the front. When we turned left on to Cox Ferry road, the breakaway was still insight, and some organization was forming at the front to reel them back. With 2k remaining, the break had about a ten second gap. I hopped onto the wheels of two guys that attacked up the right side of the road at the start of the rollers. We got up to the breakaway rather quickly, but Reese Levine of Tieni Duro put in a solid dig and brought the field up behind us. There was a left turn, then a gradual right to the uphill that lead to the slight downhill sprint. An Above Category rider attacked hard up the left side just before the right turn onto the final bump. He got a quick 30m on the front of the group. Approaching the crest of the hill, I was second wheel, and the guy in front of me pulled off. I assumed there was at least one junior on or near my wheel, so I ramped it up from about 300m or so. After catching the AC rider, I looked over my left shoulder and no one was going. I jumped and rhomped on the pedals, to try and catch the guy on my wheel by surprise. I took the win by a full wheel, with Specialized junior Christopher LaBerge closing in on my left for a well-earned second.

Specialized Tires

I'm definitely one to toot my teams sponsors horn but in this case the proof is in the picture. One product that I definitely feels doesn't get enough credit for how phenomenal they are is Specialized tires. Pictured below is a staple punctured into my rear Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite (25c) with the tire still inflated. I was able to remove it and the tire held air the rest of my ride. Without sounding too cheesy, I have been riding the All Conditional Armadillo Elites exclusively for the past two years and will continue to do so. Their flat protection and life is simply unbeatable. Some people prefer the Espoir or Roubaix tire for a little less weight and more supple of a ride but I find these makes me enjoy my Turbo Tubular Team tires that much more come race day.

Right now I have Specialized Purgatory and tires on my Stumpjumper, All Condition Armadillos on my road bikes, and Turbo Tubular Team tires on my Zipp 404s. Next time you wear our a tire or blow a sidewall, check out what Specialized has to offer.

-Hank

Merco Stage Race – P/1/2 Race Report

Day 1 - MID Road Race This was first big race for the team and we didn't know what to expect. The field looked strong on paper, but I was confident that we would be able to mix it up with the big boys.

We all settled in nicely, got comfortable.  It became clear that a break wasn't going to stick, so we all saved up for the field sprint.  However, there was a break before the last time up the climb, it was pretty large and Riggs was in it.

Then for some reason I attacked and went solo for a few miles heading into the climb (poor form).  I maintained good position on the climb though. Then along the last stretch, Bissell had control with Kelly Benefits parked behind them.

Then my teammates took control and threw down right next to the pro teams. First in line Shawn Rosenthal, battling hard to gain some respect for Mikes Bikes.  Behind him, The Viper (Jim Wingert), who managed to get to the front through the mess, something he doesn't enjoy, but I was very thankful to have his help.  Next in line was the young gun, Johnny P, sacrificing his sprint for the team!  Following this powerful train was Andy G and myself, with James Laberge sweeping behind (with a derailleur that had been broken so that he was stuck in his 14).

The sprint came faster than we had expected and we actually had too many guys left at the end.  I felt that it was time to jump and only got halfway into my sprint before it was over. I bike threw a Cash-Call Mortgage kid, Lee Muse, for 4th.  Andy G finished in 6th, Piasta 11th and Shawn 12th.  A great start for TMB!

Day 2 - Merced Boosters Time Trial

Simple day, get aero and ride fast.  Time Trialing is my biggest weakness.  I tried to stay smooth and suffer.  Today was an improvement, I did not have an amazing ride, but I didn't do terrible.  No one on the team was completely happy with their ride, but overall it wasn't a terrible day.

Day 3 - McDonald's Downtown Grand Prix

Crit days are my favorite, the pro race is always in the afternoon and so that means plenty of time for a relaxing breakfast, coffee on the porch of our sweet Ranch.  We had an amazing host house this year, thanks to Jim Cunningham, and I was very thankful to be staying in a house opposed to a motel 6. We rode to the crit and my legs felt pretty awful, but I was confident that once the adrenaline hit I would be able to turn them on.  My parents had also decided to drive to lovely Merced to watch me race and I wanted to put on a show for them.

The race started and Cal-Giant took control, they had the race lead with Evan Huffman, but the pace they were setting wasn't too daunting.  I made my way up to the front and then from there on out I took every opportunity I got to attack them.  I was hoping maybe if I got off the front with another “nobody” they might let me roll, but I was also just having a blast on a technical course that I really enjoyed.  In the process I took 3 primes and many laps off the front.

Then with about 12 laps to go Bissell took control and the fun and games of attacking were over, the pace was notched up.  I did my best to recover for the sprint during this time, and also try to find our sprinter for the day James Laberge, who had done an amazing job all day surfing the front and conserving energy.  With 5 or so to go we had 4-5 MB riders near the front, but it was difficult bordering on impossible to set up our own train and get organized.

Then with 3 to go a crash through the last corner took out Andy G, and caused a bit of a split in the field.  I was still near the front with Eric Riggs and Laberge.  At 1 to go Laberge blew up, I blame myself for not getting up closer to him to protect him from the wind more.  That left Riggs and I for the sprint, with the Bissell lead-out men blowing up left and right it was chaotic at best.  Riggs managed 7th and me 8th.  Another day with 2 in the top 10 for MB = a good day.

Day 4 - Almond Blossom Road Race

This is one of the toughest days of the race, mostly because it is the last day, starts at 8 AM and its 120 miles.  Team MB had a pretty good grasp on what would happen though and we were confident that it would be a good day.  With Bissell firmly in the lead, they were going to let a break go after about a lap and then ride tempo for the next 3 laps, reel them in and then it would be a mass field sprint.  This is what we imagined would happen and it did.  So my job was to sit in all day, conserve, which was easy to do on my amazingly fast Zipp 808's.  Eat lots of food, so many Clif Bars, and drink lots of water.

We had a few guys designated to go for the early break even though we were pretty sure that it wouldn't stick, Jim and Piasta were hungry to go give it a shot, and Rosenthal was also designated to follow breaks even though he was less than interested to actually end up in a break.  But alas, we missed the break, which wasn't an entirely bad thing, more men to help at the end!

The break was brought back a bit sooner than I had expected on the last lap and attacks started going left and right.  Luckily early on during the last lap Shawn and Johnny P had gotten to the front and started fighting for a spot for our train, so I was able to easily jump on their wheels and stay safe.  Then the attacks started going and our guys were doing well covering and starting some attacks, particularly Andy and John.  Then along the back stretch with about 4 miles to go the yellow jersey started following some breaks as his Bissell team had disintegrated from the front and at this point I began to follow some moves as well.  Nothing got much ground, but I found it easier to sit on the back of breaks then fight to be in the front of the field.

Then we made the left turn onto the final stretch with about 2-3 miles to go and the final battle got seriously sketchy.  I threw elbows and chopped some wheels, saw my teammate Shawn go off road fighting to get up to the front to help me.  Then at the final roller Strava was leading the group and pace began to slow, and James Laberge hit the front and kept the pace up to prevent me from getting swarmed.  The ability of Laberge to be up there at the end and fight through the chaos was super impressive given the length of the race and this being just his first year out of juniors.  With about 400 meters to go I sat third wheel, a Kelly Benefit Rider leading, with Ken Hanson in 2^nd wheel.  Then Logan Loader hit it hard around our right side, Ken jumped and I followed.  I’m kicking myself for not jumping first because I had the chance, but I hesitated and waited for Logan to go.  However, this was still the biggest result of my career so far.

I can’t thank my teammates enough, the confidence and willingness to ride for me in the past few races has given me the opportunity to do well in these races.   Without them and our amazing sponsor I would be nowhere near this podium!

Check out a great picture of the Podium.

-Tyler

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

Merco Stage Race Update!

The latest from Steve Pelaez, reporting from the Merco Stage Race!

Awesome start for the boys on black/blue and red shoes.

Tyler got 4th and Andy 6th. Team Mike's Bikes setup our train against the pros - bisell, exergy, Kelly benefits. We placed the highest amateurs - team crushed it and all are still in the hunt for the overall.

Amazing riding fellaz! Stay tuned for more!

Snelling Road Race – P/1/2 Race Report

Snelling was the 2nd big team race of the year, and after a solid performance at Cherry Pie I was excited to get the crew back together. It was even more exciting and pressure filled because the  guys would be riding for me under the guidance of an extravagant race plan I had developed.

Everything started out as it usually does, the first big road race and everybody antsy to be in the front, thus the motor driver had to stop the group 30 seconds into the rollout as half the field was across the yellow line. Personally I think the neutral rollout is the most dangerous part of the race, I wish that they would just have us line up for the start out where the actual start is so that we don't have that madness.

Anyhow, everyone survived and we got down to racing. The conditions were interesting, the windiest I had ever seen at Snelling, maybe even any race. I was able to sit in the first half as my amazing teammates followed attacks and kept everything under control, Steve Pelaez was even taken into the dirt a few times fighting for position in the front (footage from his GoPro coming soon I believe).

Every time that I found myself drifting back in the pack my guardian angel, Dana Williams would appear and take me back to the front and give me water. He even rode the windiest section in the wind with me on his wheel, creating his own echelon, the guy was absolutely amazing (not to give anything away, but even with all this work, he still managed to win the field sprint!)

As we hit the bumpy section of the course I watched as my teammate John Piasta followed Nate Wilson (Cal-Giant) off the front and soon after I followed Chris Stastny (Cal-Giant) and we started to rotate. Then Eric Riggs bridged and immediately went to the front, started hammering and yelling at other people to work harder. Perfect, break initiated with 2 laps to go, just as I had planned. Finally Andy Goessling bridged with a few others, making it 4 Mikes Bikes.

The group worked seamlessly until we hit the backstretch with 1/2 a lap to go. Riggs decided that we should gutter the group since we still had 4 riders left. This proved to be a bit of a mistake as Piasta was quickly shelled and then attacks started going off. Riggs and Andy took turns doing some solo flyers making Nate Wilson work while I sat on and conserved. We hit the last bumpy stretch and I was 2nd wheel with Nate pulling and Chris Stastny on my wheel. Right before the final corner Andy appeared just in time to give me a leadout. He took me to 200 meters and I hit out, but it was just a bit too early. A simple green rider took the win, and I made the fatal mistake of letting Stastny come by on my left (in the draft).

It was a good result, but after all the work the boys did for me, I expect to bring home the win. Mikes Bikes continues to show that we are the real deal though as we continued our streak of podium placings. Next up we head back to Merced with 7 guys to contest the Merco Classic.

-Tyler B.

Chappy Wood

I love riding bicycles. I can count the things I like better on one hand's fingers. Sometimes I don't want to ride, sure, but when I do and can't, shit hits the fan. This has been the case since the middle of January, as knee troubles have resulted in nonexistent or short and inconsistent riding. Being the dork of human anatomy and physiology that I am, my inability to diagnose and remedy this situation frustrated me to a further extent. Bike fits, countless foam roller sessions, massage, self-massage, ice, heat, ice, heat, biofreeze, voltaren, ice, heat. Feel better. Try to ride. Feel worse. It seemed I was no good at the things I enjoy. (Euro english:) "Oyyyyuggghhh Amateur."

Then I saw Chappy Wood. This is not a euphemism.  Chappy is a real person. And he's actually good at what he does. Really good. Within a few minutes of observation and tests, he diagnosed gluteus medius and minimus weakness and hip flexor (tensor fascia latae) weakness and tightness. Then he whipped out the laser gun. This is not a euphemism.

With the help of electrode stimulus, a pneumatic super-pulverizing massage gun, a laser gun, targeted muscle release, and chiropractic expertise, I walked out of his office with a spring in my step. My pedal stroke felt more fluid than ever. My neuromuscular connection was reinvigorated, and I felt efficient and smoooooooth on the bike. I loved riding bicycles again! He sent me home with some specific stretching and strengthening exercises, and things have continued to get better on the bike.  My hips are now pulling on my knees in the correct directions and proportions, and I'm on the road to recovery.

My advice is two-fold:

- Don't ignore any inklings of pain. Injuries begin with microtraumas, which most often do not cause pain. When pain begins in the slightest, you are already part way to a real, debilitating injury.

- If you want to get faster on the bike, go see Chappy, if only just for one visit. Even if you have no pain or injury. Training hard is but one aspect of becoming a successful bike racer; others include (but are not limited to): neuromuscular connection, biomechanical efficiency, mental game, equipment and support, and proper nourishment. Fortunately, just about all of these are easier than killing yourself with 2x20s every week. Go see Chappy at Marin Spine & Wellness Center and have him optimize your human machine. It's easy. (Except for the pulverizing super gun, that part hurts).

A Few of Our Favorite Pics from the Team Camp

Snelling Road Race and Original Merced Criterium - Elite 3 Race Report

Snelling Road RaceIn the 3s, 98 people at the start line for this race, my plan was to stay in the top 20. Reason being that with the forecast saying wind, there was bound to be a "selection" where the strong guys at the front get separated from the strong guys at the back by the weaker guys in the middle.

My bottles were a combination of one with plain water, and one with Clif Shot Electrolyte drink mix. In my pockets I had a Clif Bar (Black Cherry Almond), a Clif Shot TURBO (espresso flavor) and a Clif Shot Gel (vanilla).

The first few laps were pretty normal. I was doing my best to get a feel for where the best places in the peloton to be were to avoid wind and to maintain decent positioning at the same time. About 2/3rds through lap four of five, on the tailwind section of the course, a 9-man group rolled off the front of the peloton (*the "selection"). On the roller leading into the right bend before the left turn to the rough stuff, I attacked and bridged. In the 10-man break, Team Fusion Sport was represented by three guys who nearly refused to do work. This ultimately lead to the catching of the breakaway on the long windy straight following the finishing straight. All together now, with about 40% of the final lap to go, I stayed in the top 20 (of now about 45 in the remaining group).

Into the second to last turn, just before Figmond (the rough straight section), I was about 25th on the outside of the turn. We were spread about three or four wide, and I was stuck on the right edge of the road. Every time the guy in front of me moved far enough left, I'd move up into the gap and maintain that position. I repeated doing this until I was in the top ten. At 1k to go, a Metromint guy attacked up the right side of the road, and got about 20 meters off the front of the pack. Into the final turn, the group doubled up and I made my way up just after the exit. I was 5th wheel with about 250 to go, the Garmin kid in front of me went and I stayed on his wheel- jumping around 200m. I caught the Metromint rider, looked left - no one - looked right - no one - and threw up my hands at the line. This was my first Elite Road Race win.

Original Merced Criterium

The idea was to get in a break with someone I had seen before and had an idea of how strong they were. Bridged up to three breaks at different times in the race that all got pulled back, but got a prime in there somewhere. With 7 to go, there was one guy off the front leading and a Tieni Duro junior in the process of bridging up to him. I attacked around the back side of the big white building before the narrow road and got a good gap. Within about twenty seconds, I had made up the time gap on the guy leading the race. We worked together for about two laps, until he told me he was fried and wouldn't be able to sustain the pace we were keeping. Going into three to go, I pulled through in our rotation, looked back, and he had fallen off.

The next three laps were going to go one of two ways- I could do everything I could to maintain my lead (about 1.5 city blocks), or I could sit up and do the pack sprint thing at the end. I said to myself, "Self... let's do this. WE CAN DO THIS." I put my head down, and gave it everything. Finishing up my 3rd to last lap, I was hearing plenty of clapping, hooting and hollering. It helped. With 2 to go, I didn't even look back. I didn't want to know how far back the peloton was. I kept going, drilling it on the only sheltered, wind-free section of the course. I took the smoothest lines possible and was on to my final lap. I thought "This is it. Let's finish it" I kept going. and going. and going. I turned the final corner, looked back, and saw the peloton closing in on me, from 1 corner back. I finished with about four bike lengths on the winner of the bunch sprint.

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

Cantua Creek Road Race, Pine Flat Road Race, and Dinuba Criterium - P/1/2 Race Report

Cantua Creek Road Race

The course is flat except a hilly section for the last 3k. Headwind out, tailwind back.

We rolled out pretty easy for the first lap. On the way back on the second lap attacks started coming in. Blake Anton and another strong rider got up the road. I rotated with the group to keep it close. On an overpass I bridged the gap (on a bridge). We were off together for for 15mi or so. We got caught and I gave it another go by myself. A rider bridged, we got caught.

On the way back toward the finish it was a tailwind. On the finishing climb I sat at the front covering moves. Toward the top of a hill, a rider attacked. I covered it and used it as a springboard to launch from the crest to the finish line. 700m later, "smiling", I finished a road race (it's been 2 years, been busy getting the coaching business up and running).

Standing on the sidelines, I ran around passing out business cards for my coaching business, Provantage Sports (yes, I had them in my pocket along with

a few extra clif bars). As the cat 3s came in, I got to live a bit vicariously as a couple of my athletes finished their race:

Reese Levine of Tieni Duro finished off a 60mi breakaway to get 2nd and Travis Lyons of Mike's Bikes finished strong in the uphill field sprint.

Pine Flat Road Race

This race has a lot of rollers and flats followed by a steep hill in it followed by a valley and a short finishing hill

On a fast, non technical descent, someone decided itd be a great idea to pass a truck. The field followed, including passing while rolling around view obstructed curve. While sitting safely behind the truck, a rider passed by me over the yellow line around a curve then decided he didn't want to go. He hit his brakes and swerved right.

Until the "right turn" onto wildcat (the climb) I sat around and surfed the pack, only briefly seeing the front for 20 seconds to help close a dangerous 6 rider group.

Two riders got away, courageously trying to get a head start before the hill. From what I heard, one was able to narrowly stick it to the finish line.

After the right turn, a few lit some matches on the first steep kickers. It flattened out and it slowed down. I pulled through knowing there were still 2 up the road to close down. After a minute or four I wanted a breather before making a go on the really steep section. "a rider" as mentioned earlier pulled through, riding on the left side of the road. I was riding to the right, not too pleased about where he was. A car came, he hit his brakes and moved right. My front wheel taken out, I was on the ground. Curled in a ball, I could only hope I:

1) didn't get hit by the guys behind me 2) didn't get run over by any cars

As soon as I started to feel really comfortable on this bike, the bike is in pieces and the part swap starts again. Thank you Jack Maddux for lending me some bars for the next day.

My shoulder and back are knotted

and twisted. My elbow and knee stiff and bruised. Really could have been much worse but in a sport as risky as this, I'd really like to see the avoidable avoided.

Dinuba Criterium

After getting a set of kiddie size handlebars from Jack Maddux of specialized jr racing team (thank you Jack for saving me there!) I spent the morning putting the front end of the bike back together.

Narrow bars, tape barely wrapped, 303 front, box section rear... I looked sooo pro. I had the shoes though!

Small field, half on one team ... In for a day.

From the gun attacks went out and I got caught singled out a few times.

I threw in a few counter attacks and one stuck with Jax, Vince Owens, and myself. We quickly lapped the field I tried my best to go easy when we got close but it came together when Vince tried to bridge up when the field was sitting up. It was like that Super Bowl moment with 1min to go.

Now they breakaway companions had teammates. Stuck to Vince like glue since he had like 6 teammates. Those guys rode hard to try to keep Vince fresh.

Brian Bosch gave a great lead out for Vince. I tried to get the jump on Vince but went too late to come around a guy with legs as solid as his. Finished off the day with a 2nd place and a king size burrito.

County Center Criterium

"Hey, I don't have a pass to do the grasshopper tomorrow. Let's do the County crit in Santa Rosa. I got Laberge to do it and Matt's doing it too" explained Steve on Friday night. It just so happened that I was in the same boat as he (both of us managing our bike racing habit, a young family and our own businesses) so I said, "Sure, why not. It's close and will be fun"! Game on. It was my first time doing this race. Actually it may have been the first time for everybody since I think it was a new course. It was for Cat's 1/2/3 and was 90 minutes. The course basically had a 250-300 meter front and back stretch with a semi-circle curve on each end. There was also a pretty good head wind on the start/finish stretch and tail wind on the back stretch. Our team game plan was to try to get me the win so I could get a few more points needed towards my Cat 1 upgrade. Matt, Steve and James were going to chase breaks and I was to be attentive in case a dangerous move went that none of us were in. The first 20 minutes consisted of quite a few guys taking flyers off the front and then being reeled back in. My typically style of racing is to ride towards the front because historically I haven't had many teammates to race with. This gives me the opportunity to go with dangerous moves and no get yo-yo'ed at the back. Once the start whistle blew I soon found myself comfortably towards the front. After making some accelerations to track a few guys down, Steve came up to me and shouted some good advice "Just hang back for a bit". As our team captain and a rider with more experience than I, I followed instructions and dropped back a bit.

Moves continued to go off the front and were brought back. A decisive move happened around 30-35 minutes in. Two guys (I think it was John Wilk of Webcor and Joe I. from McGuire) got a bit of a gap and then another Webcor rider (Charles Hutcheson) and another rider bridged up to them to make four. You could tell they were working well together because they were maintaining their gap, if not increasing it. James and Steve made some pretty good efforts to bridge up but unfortunately didn't make it. Then the second decisive move happened; two riders from Red Peloton, Sterling Magnell from Wonderful Pistacio, a rider from Full Circle, Pat Biggs, another Webcor rider and myself got a gap. Credit to Steve for encouraging me to go with them and then slowing the pace down at the front of the pack.

So for the next 30 minutes the six of us chased the lead four. The gap hoovered around 20-25 seconds. It was definitely helpful that we kept them in sight. Obviously the Webcor rider in our group didn't want to do any work and initially tried to disrupt the chase but all of us seemed to know this so just went by him when he hit the front. Then one of the Red Peloton guys had enough and dropped back to the chasing field. The five of us kept working and finally got the gap down to 15 seconds when the lead four lapped and were absorted into the field. It wasn't long before our group of five did the same. There was about six laps to go at this time. Steve found me and I followed his wheel to the front. We found James and Matt and the four of us were pretty well together, Steve behind Matt, I behind Steve and James behind me. The bell rang for the last lap and Steve went to the front with about 3/4 of a lap to go. Half way down the back stretch James yelled to go and Steve accelerated to stretch out the group. It was a good move and we were controlling the front. Steve rounded the final corner and I sensed he was pretty well spent (he later confirmed this). At this time I hesitated a bit because I wasn't sure I could sprint into the head wind all the way to the line. Just then I heard James yell my name over my left shoulder as he went by on the outside. I could see some other guys on his wheel. I tried to get on James' wheel but realized he had the jump and that I'd try to jump on a competitors wheel...which I did. But I wasn't able to get by him and ended up fourth in the field sprint (Nice job to James for winning it) and ended up third overall. Charles 'Chuck' won and the Full Circle rider just nipped me at the line for second.

All in all it was a great day. This was shared by our other James (Wingert) on our team: 'when you can lap a field in a crit then it's a pretty good day'. Thinking back I probably should have let James in behind Steve and had him lead me out after the final turn since the field was sprinting for 10th. But I'm happy with another podium and think I probably have enough points for my upgrade. :-).....thanks for the team for the support in the first two crits of the season. Looking forward to returning the favour.

P.S. Oh ya....I seem to recall Steve telling me I should have got down into my drops for the sprint instead of on my hoods....this must have been a dream or something.....nope, I think it was true. Jared from Mike's Bikes fit studio did such a good job fitting me on Wednesday ( I feel the best I ever have riding on my hoods) that I must have wanted to stay there. :-) I won't do that again....I think the last time I did that was in a Cat 5 race ....let the 'chuckles' begin.

Congratulations to Shawn for getting Team Mike's Bikes first win of the year yesterday in the Cantua Creek Road Race.

Looking forward to next weekend's Snelling Road Race. Here's the Strava data from the race (the first 30 minutes is warm up):

Is It About The Bike?

I’ve often wondered how much of a difference there really is between today’s high-end road bikes. They’re all light, few are lacking in stiffness, and differences in strength sound like they would take a sumo wrestler riding Belgian cobles to discern. So do the differences matter for a 5’ 8” guy with a sprint that might take a city limit sign on a geriatric group ride?

Signs point to no. And that’s the answer I would have given, until I took a little spill.

Yeah, that’s my femur. And the tiny crack you may see kept me on crutches and off my bike for the better part of this past fall. Fortunately, I received some good medical care, the bone has healed and I’m now back on the bike, fully equipped with some new steel hardware in the bone.

Shockingly, I’m not quite putting out the wattage I was before the accident. So when I picked up my new Specialized Tarmac SL4 last month, I wasn’t expecting to notice any difference compared to the top-of-the-line euro carbon bike that I had been riding.

But I did. Somehow, even pedaling at the speed of rehab, the Tarmac flies. Features like the tapered head tube and one-piece bb/chainstay help the frame achieve its industry leading stiffness to weight ratio. Bottom line, with this kind of pickup cruising at a modest pace, I can’t wait to see what the bike feels like attacking on a climb.

And the acceleration isn’t even the best part. I’ve certainly never been god’s gift to ballsyness in the bike handling department. Not surprisingly, the trauma of breaking my femur in a crash didn’t help my confidence. This was immediately clear when I was allowed to get back on my euro carbon bike at the end of December. I saw gradual improvements in confidence over the next few weeks, but the process promised to be painstakingly slow.

Then I got the Tarmac SL4. Within two rides, I already felt better descending than I had on my Gucci euro carbon ride of nearly three years. The razor sharp handling has provided just the confidence boost I needed.

Maybe most importantly, these features make the bike fun to ride. More fun leads to more time on the bike, which is a good thing whether you’re training to race, rehab or just get some exercise.

So apparently, there is a difference between high-end carbon bikes, even for a little guy without a sprint and some new steel in his leg. And as I rehab my way back into racing, I’ll take any advantage I can get.

-Steve O.

SF Spring Classics - Featuring Tyler B and John P!

"100 spectacularly scenic miles. 10,000 vertical feet, give or take few. Road, broken road and dirt road. Point to point format. Four fully stocked feed zones on the route will feature delicious snacks on the go and refreshing beverages as well. Your bag with your warm dry clothes will be waiting for you at the finish. Post ride buffet with all you care to eat. Local craft beer too, as much as you like. After you’re full of food and happy, we’ll take everyone and their bikes home via chartered coaches. Mike's Bike's is providing their box trucks to bring your bikes back safe and sound."

More info at http://springclassic.wordpress.com/