It was 90 degrees and we were in a parking lot..wait..I mean town center of El Dorado Hills. The course formed a bell shape with many turns and a two block section that rose slightly. With my teammates away winning at Sea Otter, I was left to my own devices. Half-way through the race Peter Graf (Fremont Bank Cycling Team) was alone off the front and a teammate of his was swerving back and forth across the road at the head of the peloton. That was weird so I attacked and bridged to Peter with Chuck Hutcheson (Marc Pro-Strava), Joshua Carling (Michael David Winery Cycling Team), and Peter Knudsen (Team Clover). We cooperated well and held a twenty to thirty second gap to the field, saving the shenanigans for the last couple laps. The five of us finished the race ahead of the chasing peloton with Peter Graf first and myself second.
See the rest of Jim Elder’s photographs here.
Sea Otter Circuit Race Win - The Viper Strikes
Team Mike’s Bikes was out in force at this year’s Sea Otter Stage Race, an effort that culminated with Jim Wingert’s win of stage four on the legendary Laguna Seca Speedway. Wingert attacked with 800 meters to go in the 120 minute circuit race and held off the chasing pro field by more than five bike lengths. Check out the finish photo on Cycling News.
Beyond the Wingert win, the team delivered impressive results with Tyler Brandt placing 4th in the circuit race and 9th in the stage race GC. 2012 Chico Stage Race champion Shawn Rosenthall had a strong 8th place finish in the crit on day one, but the then suffered the misfortune of a crash in the road race on day three. Andy Goesling and Eric Riggs played key roles to set up the solid team results, drilling it at the front and keeping the team in good position. Beyond his stage win, Wingert came in 9th in the time trial and placed 8th in the final GC. Find full results here.
The four day event, held in Monterey, California, included some of Northern California’s top amateur racing talent alongside notable pro squads, including Kenda Five Hour Energy and Team Exergy. Check out some great GoPro Footage of the race here.
Chico Stage Race
Friday, the night before the race, I had the great idea of drinking coffee with every meal and as every meal. Surprise. Surprise! When I tried to pass out at 10pm I was still wired.
I had never won a crit and never won a stage race. To finish it this way, I was in nothing short of shock.
I made the rice muffins w/ chocolate chips in them from the allen lim cookbook with the intention of having some pre-race food and RR fuel. At 12am I was still fully awake tossing in my bed. I decided it'd be a good idea to check on the muffins which were cooled off by now in the fridge. They were ooey gooey. I pulled them out of the tin, placed it on some aluminum foil and put them back in the oven. Pulled them out to put back in the fridge. On the way over, the foil broke and hot muffin/molten chocolate chips all over my feet. That'll definitely help me go back to sleep.
I gave up, knowing I'd have to be up at 4:30am. I took a benedryl which is the WORST medicine you can take to fall asleep. It is an anticholinergic, which inhibitively blocks the neurotransmitters from working. Essentially it's the opposite of having some coffee. Problem is that when you are racing in just a matter of hours, it's still very much in the sytem.
Road Race (Sat 8am)
Roman Kilun gave me a 5hr energy at the race start. I was sooo sleepy and stale for the first 35 miles of the race. When we hit the gravel, the 5hr Energy kicked in. THANK YOU!
Finished the race watching Eric pull out of his pedals in the sprint and finished with the same time as the field, just happy to get done and ready for a serious night of sleep.
TT (Sun 8am)
8am TT start? Really? Anyways, another early wakeup. I don't recall riding mostly because I was still sleeping. All I know is that I got rocked by 40 seconds by Roman (Kenda/5hr Energy) and Teeter (Marc Pro/Strava).
CRIT (Sun 12:30pm)
Started the day nearly 50 seconds back, sitting in 3rd. Roman was sitting in 2nd, 8 seconds back. We both agreed it'd be nice if one of us got the win. From very early on in the race, Roman and I ended up in a move and it looked promising. We got pulled back. Roman attacked with another rider. I sat two wheels back from Teeter who was chasing. The rider in front of me was Dan Heeley (Hagens Berman). Dan attacks and we bridge up to Roman. We were off for several laps. I was really committed to this one thinking that if we broke the leash on the field, we could lap the field and Roman would get the win, I'd move up to 2nd.
It came back. This was with about 45-55 minutes left of racing.
Thinking to myself: "I'm tired, my legs hurt, I over committed to that break and now I'm caught", I thought it'd be a good idea to attack again as soon as we were caught. I sprinted hard and turned around and saw nothing but a big mushroom behind me. Roman and Eric were sitting up at the front of the field. I later looked behind and saw a light blue Fremont Bank kit coming across. "They've got 4 or 5 in the field, SWEET!". It was my friend Julian Martinez. I waited and gave him a few laps of sitting on before calling him for a stretch of help each lap. Eric was back there playing gatekeeper and blocking like a boss.
Within just a few laps, we had almost 40 seconds on the field. I looked to the pits and saw Teeter sitting there with a flat wheel in the pits so I figured he'd have to know what was going on with me gaining a bit of time on him up the road so I gave a hard, hard dig for the next few laps. Roman (2nd in GC at the start of the day) helped me out big time, making sure it was Teeter's job to pull (the GC leader at the start of the day)
With a dead garmin battery, I had no idea how long I had left in the race. All I knew was that the lap cards still weren't up and I was suffering. I was tempted to ask Julian what his computer said but I was legitimately afraid of hearing him say 40 more minutes.
I'm hurting and I finally see 15 laps on the lap cards. (insert explicative here)... that's at least another 20 minutes of hitting it hard. 5 laps later, Craig Fellers (Red Peleton, right behind me in GC) came across and behind I saw two more coming. I chilled for a stretch to let them latch on and hit it hard again knowing we need the speed to get back up and they'd get a bit of rest. They pulled through and I finally got some much, much needed recovery.
At this point, we were getting within closing distance of lapping the field; however, they kept giving us a time gap of 40 seconds to a chase group. I didn't know if Teeter was in this group so had to make sure to keep the time gap up.
Not wanting there to be any slowing down on the last lap, I put my head down coming into the last lap and put in a 1k effort to try to finish the day. Mid lap and I asked for a short pull from Craig. He pulled through and I got back to the front to finish off the day. Coming around the last corner I was burning fumes. I pulled wide looking to see the other 4 pass by in hopes of grabbing a wheel to get the same time, maybe 3rd for some time bonus. I looked over and didn't see it happening so just turned over the pedals through the line to a bit of a surprise to myself to also get the stage.
Santa Cruz Classic Pro12 - Last 2 Laps GoPro Video
A dominant display of team work by Team Mike's Bikes. James Wingert and Andy Goessling were on a break most of the race. The rest of the guys brilliantly covered and blocked. Then finished off the race with an awesome lead out and sprint.
Santa Cruz Classic 2012 from Steve Pelaez on Vimeo.
-Steve P.
Santa Cruz Classic Criterium
I had been at the race since 8am, sleeping as much as I can since I didn't get get home the night before until midnight because I was at the San Francisco Giants opening night baseball game. I finally woke up at about 11am and decided to go stretch out my legs out with an hour bike ride. I found out shortly that it's a love/hate relationship between cyclists and drivers: I got stuff thrown at me and I was being asked questions about cycling. I kept my cool with the driver that didn't like me as much, but it was an eventful morning spin ride in Santa, Cruz, California.
I got back and felt a lot better than last night; I was ready to RACE! The team plan was to get guys up the rode in a breakaway, but after 10 laps of being near or at the front nothing was getting away. Steve came up to me shortly after and told me to sit in and save it for a sprint because it was looking like it and everyone else on the team was going hard, still trying to make a break stick. I listened to Steve's advice and slotted back a few spots, but as I did, I eventually looked back ans saw that I was one of the last guys in the pack!
Eventually, a break of 4 did get up the road that includes Andy and Jim (Team Mike's Bikes), a Webcor rider, and a McGuire rider. It was time to move back up and stop resting completely. I found a sweet spot and sat there, just letting all the other teams attack into the wind trying to chase down the breakaway.
It really started to heat up with 5 laps to go, but that's where Tyler Dibble came in and protected me from the wind and helped me move up into position. The break was now in front of us, but Andy put in a last minute attack on the breakaway with 4 laps to go ad the remaining of the breakaway were done and we picked thm up right away. Unfortunately, Andy got caught with 1 laps to go, but that's where Tyler Brandt went on the attack and he got a small gap! This was an interesting situation because we had Rainier, Tyler Dibble and myself lined up behind one McGuire rider that was on the front chasing Tyler. It slowed up a little bit on the back stretch and I told Rainier to go. Right then a McGuire guy came up and attacked! Tyler was starting to fad a little bit and I told Rainier to just use him as a lead out guy. As we came around the last turn, Dibble clipped his pedal and I had to come around him on the outside on the hill in the wind, but I slotted back in behind Rainier for a couple seconds as we crested the top of the hill. It was all up to me now: I jumped out into the wind and sprinted as hard as I could and came up with the WIN!! I was nervous in the closing meters because Logan Loader (Team Exergy) was on my wheel, but I guess he had some sort of mechanical going around the last turn.
We might not have expected a field sprint, but we definitely put plan B into the fold and executed it perfectly! The entire team rode extremely awesome today and it couldn't have been done with them! This all couldn't have been done either if it wasn't without the support of Mike's Bikes and all of our sponsors!
Thank you for reading!
Read more at Norcal Cycling News and check out some great pics here.
Copperopolis Road Race
On Saturday, most of the Team Mike's Bikes riders raced the Copperopolis Road Race. For those not familiar with the race, it is perhaps the most challenging and classic of the northern california road races. The course is a 22-mile loop on some of the bumpiest roads imaginable, and includes a 1,000 ft climb and numerous other hills and rollers. In the men's pro field, we had to tackle this a total of 5 times, making for a true war of attrition. On the first lap, John Piasta managed to get off the front with another rider on the main climb. When Jim Stemper (Kenda/5 Hour Energy) attacked over the top of the climb, I jumped on his wheel and the two of us made it up to John. The four of us rolled along nicley for half a lap. Unfortunately, John -- who was taking some excellent pulls -- got a flat tire. This took the impetus out of our move, and we were caught soon afterwards. The pace was pretty hot the next two times over the climb and many riders were getting dropped. After the third time up the climb, Shawn Rosenthal attacked out of a reduced group and was joined by Jim Stemper and eventual winner Mauricio Prado. The fourth time up the climb, Max Jenkins drilled it on the steeper ramps, forcing a selection of 9 riders behind Shawn's group of 3. Both Tyler Brandt and myself were able to hang on. We traded some attacks in this group and I started to wear out rapidly. The last time we hit the climb, we passed Shawn, who had fallen off of the lead group. I was dropped halfway up the climb but mangaged to easily ride in solo for 9th place. Tyler hung on with tired legs until the finish for 7th place. There was some drama in the finish that I won't comment on. The breakaway was caught, and Kirk Carlsen was first across the line, but later disqualified, giving Mauricio Prado the victory. Our entire team rode well; it was nice to see so many of us still up at the front later in the race. Dana Williams in particular rode very strongly, and Andy Goessling finished in a respectable 11th place. -Jim W.
Eat Well to Ride Fast
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
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.
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 2nd 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).
