Announcing Team Mike's Bikes Cyclocross - TMBCX

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

Elite A Men

phil_mooney

Philip Mooney

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

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Roman Kilun

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

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Andrew Goessling

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

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Adam Switters

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

steve_dey

Stephen Dey

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

Single Speed A

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Ryan Johnson

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

hank_scholz

Henry Scholz

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

San Joaquin Valley Omnium P/1/2

With some solid end of the season fitness in my legs, I decided to venture down south to Fresno for the San Joaquin Valley Omnium with Kalani Hines of Metromint Cycling and Randy Bramblett of McGuire Cycling. The Omnium comprised of the Yokohl Valley Individual Time Trial Saturday morning, the Downtown Exeter Twilight Criterium Saturday night, and another crit on Sunday afternoon in Selma.

Yokohl Valley Individual Time Trial We skipped the Time Trial as Kalani had to work late the night before and we wouldn't have been able to make it out in time. Only 5 people registered but we were now 20-16 points down in the omnium.

Downtown Exeter Twilight Criterium The course was a simple four corner rectangle with good pavement and decent lighting in the dark turns. We were scheduled for 72 laps so about an hour and a half of racing. The whistle blew and after a few laps, some riders attacked but nothing really got anywhere. I tried but had a similar result. An attack went with three riders, one of which was Vincent Owens who was sitting 2nd in the Omnium. Noticing that the move was dangerous and was quickly getting up the road, I launched a solo attack. I spent the next 30 minutes of the race in no man's land attempting to bridge. I would get between 20-50 meters from the group, they would look back and see me, and up their pace eventually shedding one of the three riders. After scoring a pizza prime, the field pulled me back in.

Exhausted and frustrated I went to the front of the peloton and upped the pace to shut down any other bridge attempts and try to prevent the break from lapping the field. Luckily no breaks more breaks made it away but the breakaway of two lapped the field. We rolled around for a bit while I let my legs recover and planned my next move. After a few riders made a move and were dangling off the front, I attacked, made the bridge up to the riders, and jumped again. I now had some good daylight so settled in for another TT.

One of the two riders who had lapped the field saw this as a great opportunity to secure 1st place so attacked the field and bridged up to me and we began rotating and gaining time. Halfway through a lap I felt my rear tire start to loose air and quickly went flat. As I wobbled along the pavement, my break companion rode off and soon the field came around me. I jogged to the wheel pit for a change and after a quick exchange of words with an official, got a push back into the breakaway on the next lap. The break had now become two riders after Vincent Owens saw first place slipping and made the bridge. The two riders were content with just safely sitting up the road as they were already one lap up on the field. I however was not so soloed up the road to catch the peloton.

Great so I was now one lap up and there was only a hand full of laps to go. The announcers announced that I had secured 3rd place on the podium with the two riders just behind us sprinting for 1st and 2nd, while the peloton would be sprinting for 4th. I was going to just sit in for the remaining laps but made the decision to navigate through the field and try to lead out Kalani or Randy for the field sprint. On the final lap, thing slowed down with two turns to go so I mashed to the front with Randy on my wheel. I stayed seated and started my sprint after the last turn launching Randy to take the field sprint by a bike length.  I sat up and went across the line at the back of the pack.

Stoked I had finished 3rd and delivered Randy for 4th, right? Well turns out there was no communication between the motorcycle referee, Officials, and announcers. TWO other riders had attacked the field and one had lapped just before the sprint. When I sat up after leading out Randy, he simply rolled by me for 3rd and I got 4th. So much for having 3rd all wrapped up and everything coming back together for a sprint.

After over an hour of shuffling papers, riders protesting, and reviewing footage, the results were posted and we were able to collect our primes and winnings. One Official gave me the advice of not listening to the announcers. Thanks buddy. Selma Criterium We stayed the night at Kalani's brothers house which was only about 30 minutes away from the Selma Crit the next day. The course was slightly more technical the the previous day but had great pavement. The true test would be the 100 degree temperatures forecast for the 3pm race.

The whistle blew and almost immediately a junior Team Swift rider attacked. My legs were still warming up from the previous days effort and the junior hadn't placed above me yesterday so I watched him go. He dangled off the front for several laps when one of the riders who lapped the field yesterday attacked to bridge. Vinnie noticed and responded with myself and a few other riders on his wheel. He couldn't quite close the gap and looked back at us for help. I knew it was up to him for the omnium standings so just sat in the draft. For the next half of the race, everyone attacked the piss out of each other attempting to bridge or get away from the field. I put in a few hard digs but was marked from my attacks at the previous day. Vinnie went about a dozen times until finally getting away and everyone else was too burnt to chase.

The junior and the other rider lapped the field and made their way to the front to up the pace so Vinnie would be stuck behind chasing. He eventually caught the field and we were all back together again now sprinting for 4th.  With four laps to go, I set the rest of my matchbook ablaze and attacked the field through the start finish and into a technical turn. Only one rider made it onto my wheel, the guy who had lapped the field the day before and finished in front of me for 3rd. I bargained with him that if we worked together, we wouldn't have to go up against the sprinters, but he responded the he was a sprinter and was cooked. The field reeled us back in. A Japanese rider then attacked and sat a bit up the road solo while his teammate slowed down the field.

On the final lap I was pretty spent but made sure I was sitting top 5. Randy made the solid move of jumping into the final turn which was technical to lead out Vinnie for 1st. Attempting to jump onto the train, I split two riders and sprinted across the line just behind Randy and Vinnie for 3rd in the sprint and 6th in the race. The Japanese rider who attacked at the end held it for 4th but threw his hands in air thinking he had won. Where was he the whole race? Overall Skpping the TT, finishing 4th in the Exeter crit, and finishing 6th at Selma, I placed 7th overall in the Omnium. Good stuff, fun weekend.

National Road Race Championship: Masters 35-39 yr old

If you've read any of my previous race reports you'll know that I'm not usually short on words. :-) If you want to see a shorter version of the report below then check out it on CyclingIllustrated.com. The beautiful city of Bend, Oregon is once again (for the second year in a row) hosting the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships.  For us in the 35-39 year old category, the time trial was on Wednesday, the road race was yesterday (Thursday) and the criterium is tomorrow (Saturday).  Having competed in only two time trials before, I decided I’d skip it, drive up from San Francisco on Wednesday and test myself in the road race and criterium.

I knew a few key aspects were going to play into the outcome of yesterday’s road race: altitude, the course, Team Monster Media Racing (MMR) and the race favorites.  The start and finish of the 110 km road race was at the Mt. Bachelor West Village base, situated at a mere 6,300 feet.  As one competitor expressed to me between two breathes as we rolled out under neutral “the altitude sure does pinch the lungs a bit.” The profile of the course was pretty basic; ride downhill for just over 15 km, dropping almost 2,000 feet of elevation, continue along 75 km on mostly flat terrain with a few bumps and false flat, then climb for 15 km to the finish, gaining about 1,500 feet.  The team with the most number of riders was MMR.  Not only did they have numbers but they also had some strong riders.  I hadn’t ridden against most of them before so I wrote down their numbers on my forearm.  This way I would know who to watch for during the race.  As for favorites, I based this off USA Cycling’s race predictor who had the top three as Rudolph Napolitano, Chris Brown and Jonathan Eropkin.  

Just under 50 riders rolled over the start line at 11:40.  It wasn’t long before I looked down at my Garmin and saw we were going almost 50 miles an hour. Thankfully we could use the whole road and the pavement was in great shape.  As the terrain flattened out, the attacks started as expected.  There was definitely some teams trying to establish a break.  Monster Media didn’t look to be an instigator but they definitely sent a guy up the road to make sure they were represented. I had heard from another rider that this year’s Cascade Cycling Classic, held on much of the same course, had many guys trying to establish a break but they always got pulled back and it came down to the last decisive climb.  I decided that I was going to rely on the merits of this and hang in the peleton and do my best on the final climb.

I’m guessing that it was around 20 miles into the race that a break of six riders got off the front.  Two of them were from MMR and another was race favorite Rudolph Napolitano.  I’m surprised this didn’t cause a bit more urgency.  But possibly like myself, other riders were watching a few of the other MMR team members that were still in the main group.  For the next 20 miles the pace was up and down, depending on if guys were trying to get off the front to bridge up to the break.  Two riders did end up getting away around half way through the race, one being race favorite Chris Brown. This ended up being a good move on his part.  The only action I really experienced was slamming into what seemed to be one of the only potholes in the course.  Hearing ‘click, click, click…’ as I put on my front break didn’t leave me with a comfortable feeling.  Turns out I severely cracked my carbon rim but thankfully it held to the finish.

As the final climb approached, it seemed as though it was really only one rider, Ben Blaugrund of Juwi Solar Cycling, that wanted to get a bit of a gap on the field before the road pitched up.  This wasn’t the case and soon we were climbing.  I knew I needed to be at the front in order to have the best chance of holding on.  Riders started falling off.  My heart was racing, legs were pumping and focus was on each pedal stroke.  I thought to myself ‘when was this hill going to end?‘  Soon there were just six of us, with me sitting on the back doing my best to hold on and  hide from a slight head wind.  We passed a rider and I saw a 700 number.  We had caught at least one rider in the front break and hopefully were going to reel more in.  My vision started to get blurry.  I was having a battle with my internal instinct that was telling me to stop.  The road flattened a bit and the pace increased.  I looked up and saw another climb ahead of me.  Imagine the sound of letting air out of a ballon. That’s how I felt.  The back tire of the rider ahead of me disappeared.  My pedal stroke slowed.  I was cracked!  But I had to keep going.  Just then three others riders went by me.  My brain was still winning….I couldn’t follow them.  I focused my attention to a guy on the side of the road who was cheering for us and managed to get out three words “How much further?”  He shouted “Just 300 meters to the top.”  I stood up and accelerated.  I had to get on the back of the three riders before the road flattened out at the top and began the 2.5 km somewhat flat run into the finish line.  Thankfully I made it and thankfully the guy at the front was happy to pull us along.  I accelerated to the front with about 500 m to the finish.  Fellow NorCal racer, Jan Weissenberger, hopped on my wheel and went by me just before the line, taking 13^th and I 14^th.  I had hoped to do a bit better but considering I gave it my all I can’t complain.

As it turned out, four of the riders in the front break ended up staying away from the five riders I almost stayed with.  I later found out that race favorite Rudolph Napolitano attacked the break with about 15 miles to go and ended up staying away.  He won by a very comfortable margin of 1:34.  Very impressive.  The sprint for second was won by Karl Bodine of MMR while Matthew Gates of Mix1 took third.  See race results here: http://www.usacycling.org/results/?year=2012&id=26&info_id=54387

Challenge Challenge

Challenge Challenge is probably the best race on the local calendar. Legit, mountainous roads and lots of miles with some reasonably long climbs have always made it a good one. This year it was even better, riding with a strong team. The race starts with a neutral descent on a road that will shake anything that is loose off your bike. This year was no exception, and guys without BikeSmart cages lost their bottles in the first few minutes. We waited for them – challenge is a community.

The race then gets going for real with a long steady climb. We hit it at a modest tempo and a little bit of selection took place. From there, the course rolls, hits a screaming descent, then it rolls gently before again hitting significant climbs. Marc Pro Strava threw down some attacks through the rolling sections that in some years past might have been winning moves. Not the case this year with a strong Team Mike’s Bikes keeping things under control. Big thanks to Hank, Tyler and Andy for all of the work on that. But about half way through the next set of big climbs, a decent size break got away. I made it along with three or four Marc Pro guys, one from Competitive Cyclist and one from Wonderful Pistachios. Then Andy closed the gap, giving TMB a solid presence in the group.

Knowing we had two strong riders behind us in Tyler and Hank, Andy and I sat in. Sitting in is a relative term on a course that doesn’t allow a ton of hiding, but still definitely an advantage.

Then more selection took place. Going into the last lap, it was down to three riders from Marc Pro Strava, one from Wonderful Pistachios one from Competitive Cyclist and me. And then it got hard. We lost one Marc Pro on the rough descent and the next two on the long climb, with the Competitive Cyclist rider opening a gap on me and the Wonderful Pistachios rider. The two of us chased, lost ground and ultimately I pulled away on the next set of hard climbs. I wasn’t able to catch the leader but did hold off the chasers for second.

Gary's Panforte

Favorite new Clif Bar flavor!

Petaluma Criterium Race Report

On Saturday, the 1st of September, I arrived with my parents and four-legged friend to the Petaluma Criterium and surveyed the course. A crap pavement, 4-corner hardman's race. Definitely one for Rainier and the like. Got reg'd with few on the pre-registered list.

The race started off with several attempts by 1-5 man groups to break away from the group. At most, one group of an SJBC rider, a Red Peloton Rider (two of the better represented teams in the field), and three others, got outside of 20 seconds from the front of the group. With 6 to go, this five man break was still off the front. They only had a quickly disappearing 10 sec on the small field with a decent amount of sprinters waiting for it to come together. I knew it would come down to a field sprint, and told Ryan that I was feeling good after having sat in the last 30 min of the race. I told him to go from the corner (about 280m from the line), and that we needed to be in the top 6 or so into the last lap. Ryan and I found each other within the last two laps, and we moved up. I was happy.

I was on Ryan's wheel into the last lap and he was riding strong. Into corner 1, Ryan clipped his pedal on the apex of the turn as the group was about 3 wide. He made a great save, and jumped out of the corner and flew up the gutter to the left of the group to get us into better position. At this point, Red Peloton and SJBC both had decent organization coming together at the front and some random sprinters were shuffled in between. Ryan and I were about 7th and 8th into the second to last corner, and the peloton had just caught Bubba Melcher of Specialized Racing Masters who took a final lap flyer. Everyone sat up, and Ryan opened the throttle halfway across the 2nd to last straight and railed around the outside of the final turn. The SJBC sprinter jumped on the inside, a more ideal place to be with the wind blowing a slight left to right cross/tailwind, and I jumped around Ryan shortly after on the other side of the road. I was gaining on him, but he had about a wheel on me at the line. Second place it was for me.

Awesome teamwork from Ryan today. I'm so looking forward to racing with everyone at the Giro di SF on Monday!

-Travis

Smoke, Gravel, Lupine, and a Big Mountain

From Warner Valley, outside of Chester, CA, I turn onto an unmarked gravel road. I ride this road for nine miles and pass springs, streams, and Wilson Lake. The last time I took this route I was heading in the opposite direction three years ago, on a whim, in order to bypass a busy and longer stretch of road. I looked at a map the night before and felt confident enough that the gravel road cut through mountain valleys and pastures back to where I began riding that day.

Forest fire smoke had been stinging my lungs for hours, causing me to cough on the higher passes. I had already climbed hors categorie Mount Lassen and was dead tired when I passed two big dudes, one dressed head-to-toe in camouflage, and the other in high-visibility orange. They sat on ATVs in the middle of nowhere, without hunting equipment. One of them says something to me, but I don't understand and don't stop. I smile, wave, and ride on. It was getting dark and I was alone on a backcountry gravel road, let's just say I wasn't here to make friends. Five minutes later I come upon an intersection of five gravel roads. None of them had any signs, and of course I had no map. I was stumped, if I picked the wrong way I could be stuck out here in the Collins Almanor Forest all night! As I am deciding which road to take, I hear the distant drone of vehicles. Shortly, camo and high-vis pull up, look at my steel road bike and chuckle, "That's the wrong bike for out here." Three years later I know that my Tarmac SL4 is the perfect bike for this ride. They point me in the direction home.

Five miles later, near the North Fork of the Feather River, a pickup truck with a few dudes slowly approaches, heading in the opposite direction. I don't remember if it was the driver drinking a Budweiser or the man standing in the truckbed with a loaded crossbow who said, "You didn't scare all the bucks did you?!". Of course not sir. I hurry on.

Three years later, I expect to meet the same such characters, but I don't see a soul. I turn off the gravel, from there it is just a few miles of rolling hills to the base of Mount Lassen. Once inside the National Park, I pass Sulfur Works, where boiling mudpits spew sulfur into the air. I can still hear and smell gurgling mud after passing several bends in the road. Fifteen miles from the base I see alpine lakes and fields of lupine, signs that I'm near the summit. The last mile goes by reeaally slow. Once I make it to the top, I quickly turn around and head back to my unmarked gravel road.

Winters Road Race

I'd say there was a bit of tension in the air today for the P12 Winters Road Race.  But not just your usual pre-race jitters.  For those of you following the NCNCA BikeReg.com Premier Series you'll know that Winters RR was the second to last race of  the series.  Marco Pro-Strava (MPS) came  into the race holding first place and Team Mike's Bikes was second, down by 43 points.  Therefore, we knew that if we wanted a chance of catching MPS then we had our work cut out for us.  Essentially we needed to try to get as many points as we could before the last race in the series, the Giro di San Francisco on September 3rd.  The more riders we had in the race the better our chances.  That said, I was thrilled to see 10 teammates at the start.  Here I have to reiterate the sentiments of many team members in previous blogs that it's great to be part of a group of riders who are committed to supporting each other and helping the team achieve it's goals. MPS was represented with about 6 or 7 of their strong men, CalGiant 4 or 5, Metromint 2 or 3 and few other NorCal strong men including pro's Nate English of Kenda 5-Hour Energy and Max Jenkins of Competitive Cyclist.

The P12 race was 96 miles, or 4 laps of the 24 mile loop (see Strava ride date at the bottom of this blog). The course was essentially flat except for a 10 1/2 minute climb (separated in 3 shelfs) about half way through followed by a descent back down the the valley floor.  It was my first time doing Winters but from team discussion before the race, this climb was the likely spot where a break would get established.  True to that, on each of the four laps, around 10-12 riders got off the front.

The first lap we had two in the move but it was pulled back within a few miles of the bottom of the descent.  Then on the second lap, we organized at the front and pulled a few strong riders back before the climb.  Up over the climb and down the decent, we had three solid road racers in the break (Eric Riggs, Tyler Bryant and John Piasta) along with Jenkins, English and a few others. The good news for those TMB riders in the field was that MPS had missed out on getting a rider in this move so we could sit in and mark dangerous moves trying to bridge to the break.  MPS ended up doing some good work, with the help of a few riders from other teams, and brought back the break at the beginning of the third lap.

About a 1/4 of the way into the third lap, teammate Hank Scholz (riding his first P12 race and fresh off a few weeks of racing in Belgium) followed an attack by Keith Hillier of MPS.  No chase ensued so their gap grew.  The field then got neutralized so their gap continued to grow (I later found out that they got neutralized for a bit as well).  The pace up the climb this time seemed to be a little less aggressive.   Therefore, there was a larger group at the bottom of the descent.

Then on the forth lap, about a quarter of the way through, we rode by Hank who unfortunately was on the side of the road and seemed to have had a mechanical.  You could imagine the reaction this caused....a few sirens were going off.  MPS now had a strong rider up the road.  It was now TMB's job to pull him back if we wanted any chance of making up points on MPS in the Premier Series.  So up to the front went team members and upped the pace.  I was still feeling pretty good so after a brief discussion with teammate John Piasta, it was decided I would sit in and try to conserve.  Our game plan going into the race was that if it looked as though the finish was going to come down to a pack or bunch sprint and I was there then I probably had the best chance at the win considering some sprint finishes earlier this season.

We brought back Hillier of MPS just about at the base of the final climb.  When we got to the top, I thought I was with the lead group.  My teammate Tyler Brandt was next to me and I was following Nate English.  But at the bottom of descent, when the road straightened out, I saw that around six riders had gotten off the front.  From what I recall, there was Jenkins, a CalGiant and MPS rider and a few others.   If we wanted to finish well we needed to bring this back. I knew our chances were pretty good though with Nate back with Tyler and I.  And sure enough, after some strong work by Tyler, Nate and one of two others, we bridged up to the lead group.  There was about 7 miles to go and the group was about 16 riders.  MPS had three riders and it was Tyler and I from TMB.  I was a bit concerned we were outnumbered and wondered if this disadvantage would be taken advantage of. The attacks started.  Fortunately other riders were also sensing a strong finish so we had some help covering moves.  At about four miles to go, Jenkins put in a strong attack.  He was joined by another rider and a gap opened.  Shortly after I made an acceleration and all of the sudden felt my hamstrings and quads twitch.  'Oh no, were my legs going to seize up on me. Relax, nice smooth pedal strokes' I thought to myself.  Then Chuck of MPS took a flyer.  My focus now was to keep pedalling steady so not to aggravate my muscles and cause a cramp.  We brought back Chuck at about a mile to go.

I had studied the last kilometre the three previous laps and knew that the speed would be high and an ideal position would be 4th or 5th wheel rounding the last corner, about 250 meters from the line.  As we came into that last corner, I was positioned where I wanted but was concerned I'd seize up if I got out of my saddle to sprint.  So I decided to stay seated and accelerate.  I put my head down and passed a few guys ahead of me.  Then, to a bit of a surprise to me, I passed Jenkins.  He had still been off the front.  Right then it occurred to me that I was in the lead.  The finish line was right in front of me; I raised my hands and celebrated my first P12 road race win.

A huge thank you to my teammates for laying it on the line to bring back moves, mark dangerous attacks, establish breaks and then Tyler for sacrificing himself to reel in Jenkins and other moves in the final few miles.  Also to our sponsors for providing us with the best equipment: Specialized, Zipp, BikeSmart, ClifBar, Capo, SRAM, Look, Garmin, GoPro, Smith and SF Parking.

As for the Premier Series points update.  If my calculations are correct, my 20 points for the win and MPS best place rider's 4 points (9th place) means we are now just 27 points out of first place.  Come on out and watch the Giro di SF on September 3rd.  It's going to be a battle...and lots of fun.

BikeSmart HydroCarbon 4 Carbon Fiber Bottle Cages

Carbon bottles cages are usually seen as gimmicky, overpriced, fragile, and for the weight weenies. Before using the HydroCarbon cages, I couldn't have agreed more. Why would I want to spend a ton of money for a few grams on something that I count on supplying me with water? Worse yet, why would I want to risk the potential of dropping a heavy bottle onto my chain drive and suffer an expensive mechanical?

Well I have used the BikeSmart HydroCarbon 4 Carbon cages for two seasons now and have yet to break a cage or launch a bottle. This includes hauling full 24oz bidons for two and half weeks over the cobbles streets of Belgium. During the Kermis races, full bottles slid across the course as the bumpy pave ejected riders bottles into the peloton but my Cliff bottles stayed snug and secure in my cages.

Now one might think, sure I bet your bottles stayed in your cages but I bet they take the jaws of life to pull one out for a drink. Actually the the carbon fiber material provides the perfect amount of flex allowing you to remove and replace your bottle with ease.

One of my favorite subtleties of the cages is the mounting slots for the bottle cage bolts on your bike. If you take extra precaution when packing your bike for travel and like to remove your cages, or trying to shed that extra gram in a Hill Climb or bit of drag in a Time Trial, these cages are a breeze to remove and install. Instead of having to completely unthread and remove the bottle cage bolt from the frame, you merely have to loosen it to slide the cage up and pop em off with ease.

Best part about these cages? BikeSmart has so much faith in their product and such dedication to improving them that they offer a no questions asked lifetime warranty on all their products! So lets say you for some reason got a bad cage and it cracks a year later, you simply walk into a BikeSmart vendor (Mike's Bikes for example) and swap it for a new one. No receipt, no problem.

Weighing in at less than 20 grams, the BikeSmart HydroCarbon 4 Carbon Fiber Bottle Cages cost $44.99 in Black and $54.99 in painted White. Not a bad price for the last bottle cage you will have to buy.

Visit mikesbikes.com or drop into your local Mike's to pick some up.

-Hank

2 Wheel / Early Bird Women's Criterium

It was a nice sunny day as I drove over the hill from Napa to Rohnert Park but as the day went on, the wind became more and more harder to deal with. As the race came closer to the start, I found out that Andy Goessling, Tyler Brandt, Tyler Dibble, and John Piasta came to race and we came up with a game plan. We had the vision to have atleast 3 guys in the breakaway because we almost knew a break would stay away. I was to stay in the pack with Andy and if a break goes, Andy would help me get across to that winning break. The race started and right from the gun attacks went and the wind only made it harder. Unfortunantely, Andy got a flat and didn't know that I had wheels in the non-neutral support wheel pit. I followed and made some attacks but nothing really got away. A couple of times Max Jenkins (Competitive Cyclist) and Jared Barrilleaux (Cal giant/Specialized) would get away but others including all of us from Mike's Bikes were following attacks to make sure we would represented in the wining breakaway. With 7 laps to go, a big attack went and I followed it with Chuck Hutcheson (Marc-Pro Strava) on my wheel and once he came by, I looked back and there was a group of about 10 of us that were away that included John and Tyler Brandt. I told John to drill it so that the field would have less home with the wind out there to have the desire to chase us back.

We eventually got caught after Sterling Magnell (Wonderful Pistacios) bridged up to the break with us. With three laps to go, Jared went for a prime and then kept going for the win. Right away, I sent all of the guys to the front to bring him back. We brought him back with a half a lap to go. At this time Tyler Dibble had brought Jared back and I told him to sit on him because he did his job and it confused everyone in the pack and forced someone else to attack. I waited and kept looking back for this attack and then Max attacked and Chuck was first on him and then I was on chuck. I was then about to start my sprint a little early because it was a chicane finish and right then a Wonderful Pistachios rider attacked and I jumped right on him. I sat on him and waited until we got through the chicaine to come around him in the last 100 meters to come away with the win! Tyler Brandt was also able to come away with 2nd even though he helped bring Jared back!

Overall, it was a great day for the team not only today with Dana also winning the 35-39 Masters State Criterium earlier that day, but also Eric Riggs won the Sierra de Montserrat Curcuit Race on Saturday morning!

Thank you for reading.

--James LaBerge

Sierra de Montserrat Circuit Race

Rainier and I made a last minute audible to head north to the Sierra de Montserrat Circuit Race instead of the earlier morning road race down south. We arrived a little late but still had time for a quick warmup and to discover quite a bit of climbing on the course. About 500 ft per 1.3 mile lap with an average grade of 7% on the climbs, fun. Riggs laid down the plan for us to attack hard as numbers would mean less as it would become a race of attrition.

Several attacks went off but Local Pro Max Jenkins Competitive Cyclist Racing Team did a ton of work to bring everything back.

Towards the end of the race, Riggs and another rider made a move during a lull before a descent and got some daylight. I was unfortunately riding at my limit and could do little to assist. Luckily fresh off his win at Dunnigan Hills the previous weekend, Riggs is a monster and the break held to the finish. Riggs crested the climb first with both hands in the air.

Unfortunately the lap cards were a bit screwed up (as was my brain), and I let the remaining peloton get away from me with only half a lap to go. I rolled across the line 14th and another half a lap later realized that the race was over. Rainier finished a few places ahead and Travis a few behind.

Thanks to Alex Chiu for more rad photos. To see more photos of the race, check out his SmugMug.

-Hank

NCNCA Hill Climb Championships

By Steve O’Mara For years, the NCNCA Hill Climb Championships has taken place at the Everest Challenge Stage Race. And no one has had a shot at beating Nate English. He’s just that good. This year the district officials moved the championships to The King and Queen of Kingsbury Climb at Lake Tahoe. And Nate didn’t come. Boom. Wide open.

hcchamps2

To get properly prepped to tear it up in a bike race, where do you stay? South Shore, obviously. After a not too intense night, I got up, activated, and hit the motel coffee hard. Then I headed to the race. The best thing about TT’s, especially with smaller fields split into waves? No bathroom lines. That combined with another perk, minimal time reg’ing meant I actually had time to get in a full warm up on my trainer. Uncharted territory. Things were going so smoothly, I almost started to worry.

The race course took us up 2550 feet in 7.9 miles, finishing at Daggett Summit. Basically all up. Riders went off in 30 second intervals. I hit it hard and took the win.

Riggs Wins Dunnign Hills

By Eric Riggs Dunnign Hills RR is a flat, eighty-seven miles, hot road race. The heat would be the deciding factor of the day.

Only teammate with me was Tyler Brandt, fresh off his US National Team ride in Europe full of canal water and frites stench. We were outnumbered 2:6 Cal-Giant/Specialized and 2:9 Marc Pro-Strava riders and planned to get in the break together to minimize their numbers and maximize ours.

Pretty quick in the race Brandt and I found ourselves in a fifteen man breakaway, changing the ratios to 2:2 and 2:3, respectively. We started attacking in tandem, trying to force another selection, and for the next lap the race was all over the place. I rode the lead break of four, and other breaks were all over the road from miles thirty-five to sixty, when they all seemed to come back together and form a new fifteen person break.

Almost immediately another group formed off the front that I jumped into, this would be the winning move and contained Frank Spiteri (Marc Pro-Strava), JD Bergmann (Team Clif Bar), Christopher Harland-Dunaway (UC Davis Aggies/Davis Bike Club), and Jesse Moore (California Giant/Specialized).

I had been riding breaks all day and had no idea how strong or how much work the riders with me had done (aside from Moore who had been working all day for his teammates), all I knew was I didn't want to wait for a sprint against Bergmann and would have to attack before the line.

I toned down my pulls quite a bit, started playing a few games opening gaps to test everyone's strength, did a half-ass attack to test and see who would respond fastest, and with five miles to go I made my move.

I watched the group, they didn't seem to respond and the elastic broke. Eventually they started working together, but I had already put twenty seconds into them. I figured keeping my speed at twenty-nine/thirty would be the magic number and paced myself around that. Five miles later I had put more time into the chase group and had the win solo, with Brandt winning his group sprint for seventh.

Fast & Furious Festival Criterium (NCNCA State Criterium Championship)

We came into this race as one of the pre-race favorites to win the race and we definitely showed that we had the most heart throughout the race. It was a beautiful day in Pleasanton, California; home of the newly-opened Mike's Bike's of Pleasanton! Last year, I was able to finish 4th with junior gearing so I was very excited to get revenge and come back and win. The team's plan was to completely race for a field sprint. Even if a break went up the road, we either needed to keep it relatively close or be in the break and sit on it to bring it back into the fold for a field sprint for Dana and I. A break went up the road early in the race that included two CashCall riders, Chuck Hutcheson (Marc-Pro Strava), Chris Stasny( Cal Giant/Specialized), one other rider and Tyler Dibble (Team Mike's Bikes!). We were glade to have one of our riders in the break but we found iut the hard way that it was too strong of a breakaway, so strong that we set up the entire team to get on the front and team time trial to bring back the break. Eric Riggs, Shawn Rosenthal, Andy Goessling, Rainier Schaefer, and even Dana Williams (my leadout man) were total studs trying to bring this back! We really rode their hearts out that night and I am completely grateful to have such an amazing team to dedicate all of their efforts for me. I am very proud of being on this team and racing for Team Mike's Bikes!

Unfortunately, Tyler crashed going around one of the turns and it he was able to get back in but his scars were too much for him to race for the win. The rest of the breakaway started to play games in the closing laps and with about 7 laps to go, most of the guys had blown up and had tried their best to bring the break back. We brought them to about 15-20 seconds away and everyone sat up. I decided to take a dig for it for 1/2 a lap and emmidtaely after I looked back and pulled off, a Cashcall rider attacks and Marc-pro follows. I follow again behind Marc-pro and this started to get other teams to help chase too fortunately! I got back into the field with Dana and we let other teams chase as the breakaway was only 10 seconds infront of us with only 4 laps to go!

Not sure exactly what happened in the breakaway but by the time it came down to the last lap, it was very hectic and I had trouble communicating with Dana and figuring out how to bring back the last two riders of the breakaway (Chuck and a CashCall rider). Benny Swedberg attacked with 2 corners to go and I jump onto his wheel. Right now, I'm thinking I just sit on his wheel and sprint by him in the sprint and hope I catch the last two riders to win the race and/or the State Championship! Unfortunately, I started my sprint, I did start coming around Benny but all of a sudden Justin Williams (CashCall) comes from behind me and sprints by me but by the time he's halfway past me, he goes off his line and almost crashes into my front wheel. I had to stop pedaling (very bad for lactic acid for a sprint) and then continued to sprint. That delay was enough to let Justin take the field sprint and Benny to come in the 2nd in the field. I ended up with 3rd in the field and Dana somehow finished right behind me. The two riders stayed away and Chuck Hutchenson stayed away in the breakaway to win the state Championship.

Even though I didn't win, I am very proud of the guys and all of their efforts! They are truly the best teammates a sprinter could ask for!

Thank you for reading!

--James LaBerge

Shooting with Capo

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

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

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

-Hank

Berkeley Bicycle Club/Albany Criterium - 7/29/2012

With dark clouds looming to the East as I exited the highway 80, I wondered if mother nature would wreck havoc the 28th annual BBC/Albany Crit.  Wet pavement would definitely increase the chances of riders going down on the rectangle course around Memorial Park in Albany.  Fortunately clear skys and sunshine pushed away the dark clouds and we had clean dry pavement. Myself and teammate Tyler Dibble were the only two Team Mike's Bikes riders in the P12 race.  A number of other teammates decided to make the trek up to Reno to compete in the Tour de Nez crit.  This was the case for a number of  other NorCal teams; but I was glad to see they had sent some riders to compete in the historic BBC crit as well.

The race got underway and right from the gun Aerial Herman of Metromint attacked.  You could sense he (and likely his other team members) wanted to make this race hard, considering this was their 'home stomping grounds'.  This move was quickly shut down but soon after another rider attacked.  This game of 'cat and mouse' continued for the first 1/3 of the race.  

In my brief history of racing at BBC, along with a few tips from some of my more experienced teammates, a break does typically get away at this race.  This usually occurs out of turn 3, just after the 5-6% ascent from turn 2.  And sure enough, at around half way through the race, a break of around six riders were off the front.  Fortunately Tyler had got into it so I could sit in the field and mark anybody trying to bridge up to it.  Ben Swedberg of Cal-Giant happened to miss the move and was riding towards the front of the chase group.  I knew he was likely the strongest rider not in the break so I had to mark him.  He made his move going into turn 2 and I was able to get on his wheel.  As we went around turn 3, I looked back and realized nobody else had come with us.  The break was just ahead going into turn 4.  Here I had a decision to make; do I just hang on Ben's wheel and likely drift back to the pack, or help him a bit to get up to the break so that we'd have two teammates in it.  I decided that it was worth doing a little work and we ended up bridging up.  The break ended up staying away for a while but did get reeled back in.  I guess there were still some strong riders in the pack.

With two laps to go, the field was  together and it seemed like a field sprint was eminent.  I was in a good position at the front as I rolled over the finish line with one lap to go.  But then riders came by on my right and left.  Oh no, I was getting swarmed...and I couldn't do much about it.  This is a terrible feeling....something riders must always be aware of towards the end of a race.  At around the same time, an attack by a Metromint rider went down the outside.  It was Aerial Hermann.....he had been attacking all day and was once again bidding for the win.  He was first into turn 1.  I was probably around 10th.  I knew I needed to be close to the front going into turn 2 because the hard accelerations would likely start half way between turn 2 and 3.  There were fewer rider to the outside of me than the inside between turn 1 and 2 so I moved in that direction.  I was able to pass a few riders before entering turn 2.  As I came out of turn2 I decided it was time to go.  I looked up the road and could see that Aerial was still off the front but being chased by a McGuire rider.  I jumped out of my saddle and sprinted up the hill.  Just before turn 3 I was able to go by Aerial.  The McGuire rider had passed him as well and was just ahead between turn 3 and 4.  At this point I wondered if I should stay behind him and try to come around out of the final turn before the line or keep my speed up and go by him before turn 4.

With the momentum I had, I decided to go by him, with the hopes he wouldn't jump on my wheel and get a draft.  As I exited turn 4, I looked back and fortunately had opened a gap, enough to cross the line first.  It was another win for  Team Mike's Bikes.

BC Superweek Adventures

"Hey, I'm headed up to Whistler for a family vacation in July.  And it just happens to be the week after BC Superweek so I'm thinking of going up early to do some of the races. Does anybody want to come up and race with me?" That was what I mentioned back in the spring with the hopes of having some teammates to mix it up with some of North America's top pros during BC Superweek.  As it turned out, myself and five other Team Mike's Bikes team members were able to make the three mid-week criteriums (July 10th, 11th & 12th) while five of us were able to do the final weekend stage race (13th, 14th & 15th).  We decided to forgo the opening weekend stage race because we had committed to race the San Rafael Twilight Criterium on July 7th.

So on July 8th, Eric Riggs, John Piasta, Shawn Rosenthal and Andy Goessling piled into the Team Mike's Bike Honda Element, pointed it North on the I5...and drove....and drove...and drove!  16 hours later they pulled into Vancouver.  For me, I packed up our vehicle (two suit cases, two car seats, two kids, my wife, and my trusted steed; our team issue Specialized Venge Pro. See photo below of me at the airport) and also drove...but it was a much shorter drive for us....only to the San Francisco International Airport.  I couldn't imagine a 16 hour drive with a two year old boy, a 10 week old boy and my (supportive) beautiful wife.   Our final teammate, James Laberge, also flew up because he had to return to California for a prior commitment on the weekend of the 14th and 15th.

July 10th: UBC Criterium The start list, highlighted by two Orica-GreenEdge riders (Sven Tuft and Christian Maier, both fresh off of the Giro d'Italia) and others top pro teams including UnitedHealthcare, Optum p/b Kelly Benefit, Competitive Cyclist, Spider Tech and Exergy, combined with the technical course, dictated it was going to be a hard race.  Our most experience rider, Eric Riggs quickly voiced his prediction after seeing the course; 'Sven is going to solo off the front and win'.  We had just come off a successful San Rafael Twilight Crit so I'd say we were pretty confident.  We discussed a few possible tactics before the start but decided to see how the race would unfold and make a call in the late part of the race.

The course was basically the shape of a 'P'.  We started off with a 180 degree turn to the left about 150 meters from the start/finish line. After another 150 meters back up a slight grade on the other side of the center median, we turned 90 degrees to the right, 50 meters, another 90 degrees to the left, 100 meters, 90 degrees to the left, 50 meters, 90 degrees to the left, which took us onto the start/finish straight away, at which it was about a 100 meters to the line.  The race was 50 laps, so we essentially had 250 accelerations ahead of us.  In typical criterium fashion, some of the top pros were called up the line first.  Then the rest were allowed join in behind them.  As a team, we were a bit spread out at the start; I was around 3rd row with one or two while the others were a bit further back.  In retrospect, this was not the best tactical decision.  'Bang', the gun went off and we were off.

In short, it was one of the hardest crits I have done in a few years.  It reminded me of when I moved up from Cat 3 to Cat 2 and had to compete against Pros and Cat 1's and 2's. My legs and lungs were burning, and at one point, about half way through, I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it.  The reason was that Sven Tuft, along with former German Pro and Team Milram rider, Dominik Roels, were off the front and teams were trying to bring them back.  The tight course and large number of riders caused your typical 'yo-yo' effect.  This meaning that unless you were in the top 10, the constant decelerations and accelerations caused the field to bunch up going into a turn and then stretch out coming out of it.  The further back you were, the harder you had it.  As it turned out, a few of the TMB riders were a bit too far back and ended up getting caught behind some gaps in the field and decided to pull out and save their legs for the races to come.

It ended up being just Eric and myself finishing.  Although we both almost simultaneously said "I'll lead you out' on the second to last lap, Eric made a strong move up the inside as we went over the start/finish line on the bell lap (1 lap to go).  I hopped on his wheel and got a tow into the top 15 going into the 180 degree turn.  From here I tried to maintain my position and then sprint at the finish.  In the end I went across the line in the 13th and Eric held on for top 30, good enough for some prize cash. Sven Tuft held off Dominique in the sprint for the win. July 11th: Global Relay Gastown GrandPrix The history of this race dates back to the late 70's when it debuted as a premier race in North America.  Many well known pros, including Canadian Tour de France multiple classification jersey winner Alex Steida, well known cycling coach Chris Carmichael and his most successful athlete (and cycling legend), Lance Armstrong, have all won here.  The mix of cobble and paved streets in the historic part of the city known as Gastown, combined with high speeds and one 180 turn, create an exciting race.  An estimated 20-25,000 people typically come out to cheer on the racers.  And this year's version was no different.  The energy and buzz was quite something.  Learning from the UBC crit, and having raced Gastown twice in previous years (when I lived in Vancouver...of which I didn't finish either one), I knew I needed to be at the front for the start.  This was also a goal of all our team members. Based on last night's results, I'd say our attitude was more of survival than a clear team plan. The quality of the field is what dictated this.  If we happen to be in a good position at the end to work together then we would.  Fortunately I was able to get right behind the pros (who were called up) for the start.

The winner's purse was $14,000, the highest of any race in North America, so the pace was guaranteed to be fast right from the gun.  If you weren't at the front then you were going to be yo-yo'ed the whole race.  The course was a bit more friendly than UBC the night before.  It was basically a long and narrow triangle.  The front and back stretches were about 400 meters long while the 'bottom' end of the triangle was a 90 degree turn  (turn 2) followed by a sweeping 90 degree bend (turn 3).

The gun went off and I was happy to get into turn one (180 degrees) around 5th wheel.  From here on my goal was to stay towards the front, be attentive of any dangerous breaks and position myself in final lap to either lead James out or, if that didn't materialize, then give myself a chance at a good result.  If we had a rider represented in the break then I could let it go.  And for the most part, this is how the race unfolded.  Fortunately there weren't any crashes and the racing was fast.  There were quite a few break away attempts but nothing materialized. TMB had some riders in the top 20 for much of the race, with Eric bringing back a few breaks.  As I crossed the start/finish line on the bell lap, I was probably 20-25th place. Unfortunately James wasn't able to be up on my wheel so I knew I needed to move up. I accelerated up the inside and gained about 10 positions.  Out of the 180 degree turn it was full on.  We were single file.  Optum were lined up at the front for their sprinter Ken Hanson.  A small gap opened out of turn 3 and Canadian Criterium champion (and fellow alpine ski racer and Vancouverite) Ben Chaddock had to close it down.  Unfortunately for him it was a bit too much and he crossed the line 4th behind Ken Hanson, Ryan Anderson (Spider Tech) and Tommy Nankervis (Competitive Cyclist).  I was able to improve my finish by one spot from last night, and finish 12th, while Andy Goessling had a strong race and ended up 17th.  Eric came across the line with another top 30 while John Piasta was a bit further back.  As a team, it was an improvement over last night so spirits were a little higher.

July 12th: Giro di Burnaby

The course was quite similar to UBC (P shaped) except the start/finish straight away was much longer, probably 400 meters, which made for a less technical course.  We still had the hard acceleration out of the 180 degree turn (turn 1) each lap but the a long and gradual grade up to turn two was much friendlier on the legs.

You could tell we were all hoping to improve on our results and play a more integral role in this race right from the start because of the fact that all six of us were within the first two rows. The race got underway and the pace was a tad bit tamer than the previous two evenings.  I'd say everybody's legs were feeling some fatigue.  At about half way through the race a strong break of about 8 riders were off the front.  Fortunately for us, Shawn was in the move so we could sit in and let other teams work to bring it back.  Then unfortunately, Shawn got out of the break and was brought back to the field. In true team oriented and unselfish fashion, Eric was soon on the front and pulling the peleton closer to the break.  The race was back together and it seemed as though a field sprint was eminent.

As we went over the line with two laps to go, the bell rang to announce the crowd preme.  Going into turn four, I saw James make a move to the front and then accelerate.  I could tell he was going for the $1,000 preme.  He got a small gap but unfortunately a few other riders were thinking about the preme as well and were able to make it up to his wheel out of the final turn (turn 5) and overtake him.  The bell rang for the last lap.  I went to the inside and accelerated.  Eric was once again right there.  He lead me out of the 180 turn and up the back stretch.  We were within the top 10 as we passed the finish line.  Optum was once again lined up and leading out their sprinter, Ken Hanson.  Eric moved to the left, which if held was the optimal inside line on the final corner.  Unfortunately I wasn't attentive enough and lost his wheel and went up the right (a mistake on my part).  So now we had to fend for ourselves. Like the previous two nights, my mouth was open and I was gasping for air.  My legs were burning.  I was pretty well maxed out.  But during these times you have to push your body more than you think it can go.  Out of the final turn I got out of my saddle, jumped on my pedals and sprinted to the line.  For the second night in a row, it was Ken Hanson who crossed the finish line first. I was psyched to cross the line 6th in a field of this strength.  Andy crossed the line 15th, good enough to be in the money as well.

Tour of White Rock: July 13, 14 & 15

July 14th: Tour of White Rock Criterium

Saturday evening was what I expected to be the hardest crit of the week.  I had done this race when I lived in Vancouver about six years ago so I knew the course.  It was basically a rectangle, with the longer sides being a descent between turn four and one and a climb between turn two and three.  This 'hard-mans' course definitely favored Sven Tuft.  And predictions within our team, and I'm sure others, is he was the guy to follow.

For the second race in a row, all TMB riders were within the first two rows at the start (see photo below).  The race got underway and the climb definitely was taking it's toll as each lap passed.  We all tried to stay towards the front and go with moves. As anticipated, at the top the climb after a hard effort, Sven saw his opportunity and pushed the pace.  He was gone.  A few guys from the pro teams tried to go with him but they soon came back to the peleton, as Sven powered on.

 

As we were getting close to the end of the race, I overheard the announcer mention Sven was holding off lapping the field in order to collect a few more premes and not get mixed up in the final sprint (smart guy....and extremely impressive).

The field sprint was for 2nd place.  I was feeling strong and keeping towards the front.  I went through turn 2 on the final lap in about 4th wheel.  I knew the sprint was going to the start as we started the climb.  I saw riders coming up on my left so I jumped up and began to sprint.  The jump is always important, and although I wasn't the first to start my sprint I was feeling good.  Just then a rider in front of me started floating back and got in my way.  I had to brake ever so slightly and go around him.  It was just enough to slow my momentum and drop back a few positions and any hopes of a podium finish. I went across the line in 11th.

July 15th: Tour of White Rock Road Race

Held on the undulating main and residential streets of White Rock, the race was going to be challenging.  The start/finish line was in the middle of a 2.5 mile straight stretch.  At each end was a basically a loop that went up a climb then came back down to sea level.  We were to do 11 laps of the full course and then finish off with six laps of the north side loop, for a total of 85 miles. During my warm up I rode most of the course and saw there was a KOM at the top of the climb on the north loop. The course marshall at the KOM line mentioned there was a $100 prize for the first person over the line on the first lap.  Not that I felt I could get it but it was good to know.

Once again, all of the TMB riders were at the front for the start.  The start referee outlined the few basic things including the number of laps, the fact that riders not making the final short six laps in time would be pulled and the KOM specifics.  The gun went and we were off.  My plan was to be towards the front at the bottom of the climbs and float back as the true climbers pushed the pace.  I wasn't confident I'd make it to the final six small loops in time.   I just don't have enough time to spend on the bike (with family and work commitments) to contend with the pros on a hilly course of this nature. As we accelerated up the first climb on lap one, I was within the top 10.  Nobody was really making any aggressive moves so I decided to go for the $100 preme.  At least if I got it I would go away with something.  I quickly opened up a gap and I pushed on.  The legs started to tighten up.  I looked back and the front of the peleton was closing. I looked ahead and knew where the line was from my morning course recon.  Yes, I made it across the line first.  A $100 in the bank!  Now I wondered how the next climb would go.

Before long we were flying down the descent of the north loop and around a chicane at the bottom.  The climb on the south loop was soon upon us.  It was steeper than the north loop and zig zagged up into a residential area.  We hit the top and accelerated.  All the riders were stretched out single file as we continued to zig zag along the upper flats through a residential neighbourhood.

Bam...next thing I know I'm sliding on my side, my hip heats up from the friction and I see my glasses bouncing of the pavement in front of me.  Riderszip by.  What happened...how did I go down? I picked up my bike, adjusted the brakes, put my glasses back on and was off again.  The pace had already split up the pack and I was at the back of the second chase group, which happened to be the back of the race.  At this point I knew my race was over and conceded that it was going to be a good training ride.  But I still didn't know what caused me to go down.  The next time around that corner on lap two I realized it was a man hole cover that was wet from morning dew.

As expected, after 11 laps of the full course, the race was over for the group I was in.  65 miles and over 6,000 feet of climbing.  In talking to my teammates after the race, I found out that we had a few guys in the front group for most of the race.  Eric was off the front for three laps with the hopes of having a few other strong riders join him to work together and stay away.  As it turned out that didn't happen and he was absorbed back in the field.  As for Sven Tuft, he had a mechanical on lap one.  Once fixed he was almost four minutes back. Amazingly he slowly crawled his way back and finished fourth.  His teammate, Christian Maier, ended up getting the win.

So that was BC Superweek.  All in all a great experience for Team Mike's Bikes; one that we may head back to in 2013. Lots of suffering, good memories, some skin left behind and some Canadian cash.

Serious Training at BC Superweek

We thought our adoring fans would like to know the secret to Team Mike's Bikes riders' glorious physiques...Here's a few videos from the team's top secret cross training regimen during the season. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZTsP9qyxzs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE6r1MtEStQ&feature=channel&list=UL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6Tny6evfwU&feature=channel&list=UL

Racing in Belgium

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A shot of church in the town center of Zingem.

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

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

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

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

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

Diablo Hill Climb Time Trial

What does a climber focus on when he starts the season a few lbs heavier that he should be? Or 12 lbs heavier, with an at best semi-functional left leg, like me at this year’s team camp? Time trials.

And now that I’m closer to where I want to be to climb well– hill climb time trials.

So I raced one up by tahoe, it went fairly well. Then on the recommendation of teammate Jim Wingert, I signed up for Diablo.

The deal – Six miles and change up. Riders off in 30 second intervals. The first couple miles roll a bit, then it’s just up.

My condition – I climbed Mt.  Shasta with a few friends the weekend before. Six days later, I was finally starting to walk normally.

Getting there – In case I didn’t already hate the 80/580 merge to the maze stretch of highway enough, this Sunday confirmed that’s just a terrible stretch of road. 6 am and heading to a race – I went a half mile in about 20 minutes. Despite the delay, I was still able to get in a decent warm and make my start time. Really the first part of the race when it comes to TTs.

The race – I hit the course hard and 24 minutes and change later, I took the win. Jim came in second for a solid Team Mike’s  Bikes 1-2.

I was happy with the result and impressed with the event. Great job by the promoter. My zipp 303-404 combo also performed nicely – perfect balance of aero and lightness for this type of course.