Merced Month

Team Mike's Bikes spent three consecutive weekends racing, riding, and living east of Merced, CA earlier this month. Here are some pictures.

San Dimas Stage Race Report

by Adam Switters I started making the trip down to the San Dimas stage race when I was 16, but I haven’t been back since 2010. I’ve been very busy lately with work and planning a trans-continental wedding, so I was using this race as preparation for Redlands. Joining me in the Pro/1 race would be Daniel Holloway, Eric Riggs, and Shawn Rosenthal.

Stage 1

Stage 1 was a 4.25mi uphill TT. I’ve done well here in the past, but today was not my day. Phil Gaimon crushed all-comers with a blazing 14:03 and I just barely managed to finish in the top half of the field. We were hoping for a better day in tomorrow's road race.

Stage 2

With 165 riders in the field, the RR was always going to be hectic. The race is 12 laps of a 7mi course with lots of road furniture, tight turns and roads, and a steep 800m climb. The race started off fast from the gun and it took 5 laps for the first break to establish. Eric was doing an excellent job of placing Daniel in the front before the climb every lap. With 4 laps to go, there was a fast crash down the start finish stretch that required race leader Phil Gaimon to be air-lifted off after crashing on his face (He’s ok now). With 3 laps to go I took over the job of positioning Daniel into the climb after Eric rode his legs off. With 1 lap to go, maybe 70 of the original 165 riders were left in the pack, and after fighting for position, the wheels came off the final time up the climb for Daniel and myself and we rolled in a few minutes down on the decimated field. Eric would finish a few minutes later, sneaking inside the time cut, while Shawn had a hard day with the majority of the field and unfortunately got time cut. In the end, only 80 of the original 165 riders would be classified finishers.

Stage 3

The criterium the final day has a 300m gradual climb on it every lap that wears down everybody. I was feeling pretty terrible and surfed the back of the pack with Eric for the first 70 minutes of the 90 minute race while Daniel surfed the front. With 20 minutes to go, Eric and I moved up to the front with Daniel, but with 4 laps to go I came detached from the front part of the group and just rolled in toward the back of the field. Daniel and Eric did a great job to finish 6th and 11th respectively.

Land Park Criterium

This winter has been one of the warmest and is one of the dryer winters in Northern California and it has really shown so far this year in the racing! Everyone is looking really strong and it looks to be a very exciting season here in Norcal! Saturday was the Landpark Criterium in downtown Sacramento where it was unseasonably warm and perfect conditions for a bike race. There were a couple emails throughout the team just days before the race saying that Eric and Rainier were interested in racing but weren't sure so I prepared for the worst by racing without teammates but luckily Eric, Rainier, and Daniel showed up ready to race. The game  plan was that we would stay attentive near the front and try to get in any dangerous breakaways and if nothing sticks, then we go for a lead out train in the last last lap. Eric wasn't feeling good this day so he made the decision to sit on the back of the pack the entire race and wait to move up until the last few laps to help us with the lead out. The race had started and guys were flying off  right right and left, making it a very fast race but if you could find the sweet spot of being near the front, yet not in the wind following the attacks, then you are golden. That's exactly what I did throughout the race with Rainier while we went for a few primes and Daniel and Eric were hanging out near the rear of the field waiting for the end. No one really got away throughout the race and it was without a doubt going to come down to a bunch sprint. I was feeling pretty good and starting looking around the my teammates in the closing laps and sure enough, with 2 laps to go Eric comes out of no where on the side of me and told me" get on my wheel!".  It's now 1 lap to go and all four of us are lined up just waiting to hit it with Eric, Rainier, myself, and Daniel on my wheel. With about 800 meters to go, I told Eric to start his lead out before any surge come over the top of us. Coming into the last turn, we were top 3 with a couple of Fremont Bank riders next to me but I couldn't find Daniel at all. I encouraged Eric with his lead out to keep going and that he's doing great, then Rainier took over and picked up the pace so that no one could come over the top of me and then I started my sprint and was able to hold everyone off for the win! Unfortunately Daniel was in the thick of fighting for my wheel behind and guys were taking too dangerous risks for him so he let them go by and sprinted around them to end up finishing 5th overall in the race.The rest of the podium consisted of Charles  Hutcheson (Marc-Pro Strava) and Josh Carling (Team Bicycles Plus/Sierra Nevada), finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.

It was a great result for the team, giving us confidence going into Redlands Bicycle Classic, which is the first NRC (National Racing Calendar) race of the year in Redlands, CA April 4-7th! Thank you to all of our sponsors for everything that you do to make Team Mike's Bikes P/B Incase go faster than ever before! Thanks for reading and be sure to follow Team Mike's Bikes P/B Incase on:

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Zipp Wheel Review

by Adam Switters Team Mike’s Bike p/b Incase is very lucky this year to be sponsored Zipp, the fastest wheels out there on the market. Riders are using Zipp 101 clinchers for training and Zipp 404 Firecrest Carbon clinchers for racing.

Zipp 101’s

The Zipp 101’s are the perfect training wheel. My 25mm tires fit perfect on them and they are bombproof for my not-always-considered-pavement training rides. They handle superbly and aerodynamics are not compromised for the sake of durability. The extruded aluminum rims are very sturdy and I’ve had no problem with braking, even in the rain.

Zipp 404 Firecrest Clinchers

These wheels just scream fast. Coming in at a scant 1525g for the pair, these wheels are light enough for the steepest of climbs and responsive enough for the most technical criteriums. The dimpled aerodynamic profile of the wheels makes it top of the class in aero performance among other carbon clinchers. New heat resistant resin on the braking surface also dissipates spikes in heat from hard braking as seen in other carbon clinchers. I’ve raced these wheels in some of the worst racing roads in California (Snelling and Madera) and they are still as true as the day I got them.

Merco Stage Race

By Daniel Holloway It had been four years since I last raced Merco, then it was a RR and a Crit. Like many of us from Nor Cal it is another week in the pocket of California that most people try to avoid, but the race organization has done an incredible job to make it a must attend race for anyone wanting to start their season off with a bang.

Having never done Merco as a stage race, the "new" road race was a first for me. I asked teammates who had done the race before what the major climb most resembled of other Nor Cal classics. I got an idea of what it was like – I needed to be at the front when it got narrow at the bottom of the climb, and then close my eyes until it was over.

The race started off rather mellow, not sure why, but I was happy none the less. My job of the day was to make around the front group, not put in too many efforts and just follow the group. In previous years, the race has blown apart or stayed mostly intact for a field sprint. A break went away before the second time up the climb that more or less stayed away the whole day, things got shuffled around a few laps later and four guys ended up off the front at the end. Going over the climb the last time I had incredible help from my teammate Switters to reattach me to the group on the decent. As I was collecting my thoughts Roman came back to see how I was feeling, a gaze of silence and then a grunt he just said "it may all come back, let’s win a bike race today".

After the left turn back on the road to the finish I started to come back around, the finish was coming and that always helps start the engine. In the group we had Eric, Adam, Roman and myself, at roughly 5k to go we were all lined up on the left together. As Eric started to move us up to the front, a large crash took place on the right side of the group. It spread to the left quickly and Adam, Roman and I ended up in the dirt. Each one further than the other, as I was getting myself back on the pavement, Adam and Roman were off to the races to tag on to the front group,  just out of shouting distance to let them know I had made it out alive. Adam got caught out behind another crash with 1k to go and I rolled in with a group 40 seconds or so behind. Ying and Yang to the day was that I was climbing alright and ready to sprint after a tough day, but I was disappointed I couldn't repay the guys with a result for how much they helped getting me through the day.

The TT was, well, a TT. With no TT bike it was going to be more a mental battle than a physical one. Things took a turn and I was able to borrow a teammate's bike who started earlier in the day. With only a saddle adjustment, I was riding around feeling fast. Well long story short, my ass hated me for the next 28 minutes and then continued to let me know well into that evening. I guess it was better than drop bars that day, I don't envy the guys who had to use them.

The criterium came next with a new course, shaped like a C – two long straightaways with four corners on each end. As always, it was ideal to ride in the front to avoid the yo-yo effect and be able to see the race develop. A small group went off the front rather quick with our teammate Roman and Bissell settled on the front. But trying to stay at the front was wasting more energy than it was worth. I moved to back third of the field and went with the eb and flow and waited for the guys wasting energy battling one another for the back of the Bissell train. Roughly the half way point I started to move back up, sure enough it was much easier to get there and then slot in, a lot of guys were starting to get tired. Sure enough a crash happens as a rider got caught up on an orange fence on the inside of corner two. Those fences should be banned from bike races, they cause way more trouble than they prevent. I have never seen a spectator get buzzed from being to close on a corner and stand in the exact same spot the next lap.

The downed rider needed a stretcher and the field was neutralized. I was a bit miffed that all of the tired riders would get a rest and be ready to dive bomb corners at the front for no reason on the restart. But rider safety first, I had to chill out. (I hope the rider is alright and has a quick recovery) Shortly after the restart the tired riders started to fall back as the pace was lifted to bring the breakaway back before the finish. Going into the last lap I was too far back to make up much ground before the last couple corners, I came out of the last corner maybe 10 back and ended up 4th sprinting seated as my bike was having some shifting issues. First and second were out of reach but 3rd was possible. Another day of good and bad. I came away with all my skin after one dicey crit, but I wasn't on the podium when the team did the job to get me there.

The final RR. It had been well over 10 months since I did a race of that length I was a touch nervous. I know the course pretty well and it can be really difficult if the wind comes out to play. As soon as the riders were released to race it was game on. I was more or less dropped the first couple K and had to do a little chasing, not an ideal way to start the day. Once in the group it was easier to roll along in the field that was doing 50+ K kph. TMB Incase was on the watch and wanted to be in the breakaway of the day. Everyone in the group had the same objective, we cruised the first lap at 48 kph. The pace didn't slow and the trend continued for the next few laps. A small break formed and Bissell was content to give it some room and they pulled over for a pee break with some teammates. I joined knowing that I would get a free ride back, as long as I was finished in time. The field wasn't all that okay with it and started to go on the attack. The chase back took a little longer than expected, but it eventually happened.

On the next lap Optum threw down a couple team attacks to launch Zirbel with a couple teammates to get up the road and put pressure on Bissell. It took a couple tries, but soon enough Zirbel was off the front with Olheiser from CashCall, two of the best TT guys in the race. It was a fun race to watch and the duo pulled out a gap on the Bissell train. It took a lap and half for Tom to be reeled in, Mike popped a little bit earlier. The race was now looking at a field sprint, I was feeling good thanks to our team chefs Ryan and Heather and our sponsor OSMO. I normally don't ever drink mix in races, it just makes my guts turn inside out and cramp. During the race I ended up having 3 bottles of OSMO without thinking about it, the flavors aren't over powering and fantastic on my guts. I was happy to be hydrated all day. In the last 10k of the race the team stayed alert to make sure we were together and were ready to close any gaps caused by the wind that started to pick up.

Going into the last 5k I was on Roman’s wheel, avoiding the chaos we moved up on the Snelling feed zone climb. Not intending to go all the way to the front, we ended up there on the decent. Roman stayed cool as a cucumber and kept me out of the wind. The next couple K were small ups and downs, a few attacks went but were closed down in one way or another. I found myself on Hansen's wheel, the right place to be. Things were getting shuffled around as there wasn't a full on lead out. Cresting the last roller into the finish I was in great position, as we raced by the 200m to go sign no one had opened the sprint. I launched my sprint first, pulling ahead slightly from the rest of the field but the finish line seemed to not get any closer. With my head down I could see the guys moving up along my ride side, legs in agony I continued to push. With a bike throw at the line between three of us I ended up 3rd. Ten meters to early was the first thing that came to mind, ten meters.

All in all TMB/Incase had a great Merco stage race. I am disappointed that I couldn't get the W the team worked so hard for, but I left Merco motivated and very thankful for the efforts of all my teammates. 2 top 5's isn't too bad after all.

 

Madera Stage Race

By Eric Riggs With our GC contender being sick and the rest of us getting rolled pretty hard in the two opening time trials, we set our sights on redeeming ourselves by winning the remaining two stages. Since we were not in contention for GC and had the best sprinter in the race we were in a pretty powerful position to achieve this.

During Stage 3's crit we took a back line position and let the GC contenders battle it out between themselves. A break would go and a GC rider who missed it would weld the entire field back together. Over and over. With five laps remaining we put our entire team on the front in anticipation of a field sprint. Teammates Shawn Rosenthal, Travis Lyons, Steve O'Mara, Rainier Schaefer, and Adam Switters rode brilliantly giving myself and Daniel Holloway a stress-free ride to the final corner in winning position. Holloway jumped hard past me just before 200 meters and handily won the sprint and the stage.

We had the same plan for the road race. With us out of GC and with the strongest sprinter we had no incentive at all to power or even work in moves that did not guarantee us the stage win. Even with this in mind I still wanted one of us to get up the road in a small move to put added pressure on the other teams to carry us to a stage win.

A little after the start of the second lap I bridged up to David Benkoski (Team Clif Bar Cycling) and rode with him off the front for the remainder of the race. Back in the field my teammates did a reportedly stellar job of covering all the moves and getting their free rides in the chase after us.

On the last lap it became apparent to me that the break would stay clear to the finish line and Benkoski would most likely take the sprint. With six miles to go I told him I was done working and not comfortable going to the line with him when my sprinter is fresh from sitting in all day behind me. Benkoski put his head down and kept working while I tried to appear as strong as I could to dissuade him.

Keith Hillier (Marc Pro - Strava) bridged up with about three miles remaining and worked with Benkoski to keep us in front of a looming peloton. Coming into 200 meters I jumped and held it to the finish for the stage win while Hillier gave chase and inadvertently led out Benkoski for second place. Holloway won the field sprint immediately behind us for fourth, but was later moved into third as an Official who seemed to be having a pretty horrible day relegated Hillier to eighth.

Special thanks go out to Heather Pugh, our hardworking, hybrid soigner-cook who made us all kings for the weekend.

Check out a Norcal Cycling News article on Holloway's crit win here.

Merco Cycling Classic Stage 1 - Merced Irrigation District Road Race

CATEGORY 35+ 1/2/3
DATE 2/28/2013

AUTHOR Jacob Berkman

TEAMMATES Appel, Hobbs, Oli

COURSE DESCRIPTION "12.5 Mile loop with 3 mile rolling with one main climb.  Finish will be on loop, same as 2012."

http://www.strava.com/rides-by-country/united-states/california/mariposa/mid-road-race-course-252130

PREVIOUS RESULTS 2012: 105th (P/1/2)

WEATHER Sunny, warm but not hot (sunscreen and no warmers needed). A little breezy but not bad.

GOALS 1. Try to stay with the lead group. 2. Upgrade points for top 10-15 on GC.

Ideally making it to the finish with a small group (10-20 guys) to be settled on the TT tomorrow.

RACE SUMMARY Ok so after my shellacking at Snelling and reviewing some power numbers, I was a bit apprehensive going in. This was a pretty stacked field and I wasn't sure how my fitness would hold up, and since the guys were here racing for me I didn't want to let them down.

They were great at trying to move me up except I wasn't fulfilling my end of the deal, and when guys would start moving up on both sides of me I'd just slip back. The pace early on wasn't high enough and as the road wound to the left and right the inside line would get pinched. Not fun for hedgehogs.

Anyway the first time up the climb was a good pace ("quick but comfortable"). You really gotta jam it over the KOM line and at the left turn, and it was definitely much easier sitting on the field for the decent rather than having to chase through the caravan like last year.

The second lap was pretty similar (according to Strava, 2s faster on the climb). Hobbs and Appel didn't make it over the top and I let Oli know. Hobbs caught back on before the finish but I haven't seen Appel on a bike since.

The climb kind of starts before the left turn, and the third time up I noticed the watts were way higher. My spidey senses were tingling and apparently I made it into good position because the next thing I know there weren't many guys in front of me, and my HR was maxed out.

Things started to split but I didn't think I could close the gap so didn't totally turn myself inside-out; there was a lot of racing ahead. The group came together on the decent and there was nobody in sight behind us - maybe 15-20 guys in this group. There were maybe 3-4 former or current national champs in this group so I was content to just sit in, as these guys were probably stronger and definitely more experienced. Plus they probably didn't know who I was (except Jan (ZIPZ) and Nick Theobald (Safeway).

We weren't working together and some guys were shouting at each other to start racing. At the left at the bottom of the descent we had a 30-40" gap and finally got a nice solid rotation with everyone going. By the time we got to the climb that shot up to 2:00!! so it was pretty clear this was the decisive move, and I'd made it! I was totally stoked to have come through for the guys.

The 4th time up the climb was a little mellower since we knew we were staying away. The 5th time up was rough and the group split again, with me not making the lead group. I just don't have that last bit of top end (I knew that going in, and plan to work on that over the next month) but I hoped our group could chase back on. It was pretty strong - Nick, Jan, Kevin Klein (Prime Time), Brian Choi (Stuzio), and Mike Sayers (Specialized). The lead group had Matt Carinio (Arts Cyclery) and Chris DeMarchi (MRI) and they managed to stay away from us.

We were chasing well but everyone's legs were giving out with about 5k to go and I could barely hang on. Those guys can sprint so I came in last from our group, with a 5" gap to 7th (Jan) and 90" to the leaders. Pretty stoked with this and hopefully I can put in a rippin' TT tomorrow and move up into the top 10. I've got a solid minute+ on the guy behind me and hopefully he'll provide a good carrot for me tomorrow.

RESULTS 12. Me @ 1' 36" 31. Oli @ 5' 52" 54. Hobbs @ 12' 23" DNF Appel DNS Kopp

TAKEAWAYS - Need to be more assertive and confident in the pack! - Was much more comfortable in the break with 10-20 guys tho. - Really glad I did this race last year and knew where to be careful about letting gaps open up. - The guys were great at trying to move me up but I just lost their wheel a few times. - The P/1/2 race looked hard. - Lots of Zone 4/5a/5b time today.

NUMBERS Distance: 106.71km Time: 2:49:51 Elevation Gain: 1277m Avg Speed: 37.7km/h Max Speed: 73.3km/h Avg HR: 151bpm Max HR: 181bpm Avg Power: 207W (3.34W/kg) xPower: 241W (3.88W/kg) TSS: 237 Suffer Score: 202

http://app.strava.com/activities/42616264

MFBY, // jacob

Masters-35+-1-2-3 Results

Merco Cycling Classic Stage 2 - Merced Boosters Time Trial

CATEGORY 35+ 1/2/3DATE 3/1/2013AUTHOR Jacob Berkman

COURSE DESCRIPTION "12 mile (6 out 6 back) flat and rolling course on G Street (Snelling Road), starting just north of La Paloma Road."

http://www.strava.com/rides-by-country/united-states/california/merced/merco-merced-time-269744

PREVIOUS RESULTS 2012: 60th (P/1/2) http://www.usacycling.org/results/?year=2012&id=282&info_id=45149

WEATHER Beautiful, really warm, not very windy.

TEAMMATES Appel's 808, Hobbs, Oli

GOALS * Execute a better pacing strategy than last year. * Move into top-ten on GC.

RACE SUMMARY I have learned a lot about TT pacing since last year's race, so the plan today was quite a bit different: go hardest on the first climb into the headwind, ride a bit easier on the descent, and then harder again on the climb back. (Still need to write up a post on that...)

Bonehead move of the day was forgetting to pair my Edge 705 to my Quarq at the hotel. The 500 is great because it can remember pairings for different bikes but the 705 doesn't have that feature.,There were too many power meters around when I was on the trainer, so I had to go for a little spin to find a more isolated spot.

From the moment I started spinning on the trainer it was like you read about when guys are having a good day: I just couldn't feel my legs. Did the warm up from allen and coggan and had no problem getting a sweat going in the mid-day sun.

velopromo rick was the holder, and they had a happy little start ramp:

https://twitter.com/MercoClassic/status/307542907047510016

i took off and my watts were great... so i tried hard to hold back and keep things in check until the hill started. tried to push it from there to the top and nearly caught my 30" man, and then eased off on the descent and stayed a ways behind him (and over to the other side of the road lest i be penalized for drafting).

i finally caught him right before the turnaround (at 14:00 flat) and then passed him on the way up the hill. there were a couple of guys ahead and i tried to gain on them over the slow climb, giving one last push over the top.

it flattens out over the last 3k or so and i engaged tony martin mode going as hard as i could into the finish, very glad it was over.

RESULTS 11. Me @ 1' 00" 24. Oli @ 1' 32" 36. Hobbs @ 2' 13"

http://www.topsportcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Masters-35%2b-1-2-3-Time-Trial-2.pdf

GC AFTER STAGE 2 8. Me @ 2' 26" 26. Oli @ 7' 14" 46. Hobbs @ 14' 26"

http://www.topsportcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Masters-35%2b-1-2-3-General-2.pdf

TAKEAWAYS * I've had some doubt about "coach" lately but I seem to be going pretty well. * Looking at raceshape i did pretty well to the first summit but got smoked on the way back. not too surprising really.

my power peaks aligned pretty closely with my pacing plan, although i might've been able to go harder on the first climb:

< 30": start (408 W; 6.58 W/kg) 2': finish (318 W; 5.12 W/kg) 5': first five minutes after turnaround (299 W; 4.82 W/kg) 10': first ten minutes (over the first summit; 289 W; 4.66 W/kg) 20': first 20 minutes (to the 2nd summit; 284 W; 4.58W/kg)

NUMBERS Distance: 19.5 km Time: 26' 56.quot; 360 (official) Elevation Gain: 119 m Avg Speed: 43.2 km/h Max Speed: 59.8 km/h Avg HR: 170 bpm Max HR: 175 bpm Avg Power: 284 W (4.58 W/kg) xPower: 282 W (4.55 W/kg) Max Power: 677 W (10.92 W/kg) TSS: 49 Suffer Score: 48

http://app.strava.com/activities/42716590

Merco Cycling Classic Stage 3 - McDonald’s Downtown Grand Prix

 CATEGORY 35+ 1/2/3DATE March 2, 2013AUTHOR Jacob Berkman

COURSE DESCRIPTION Just your average eight-corner crit. 32 1.6km laps.

http://app.strava.com/segments/637690

PREVIOUS RESULTS 2012 P/1/2: 101st

WEATHER Sunny and warm, pretty calm winds.

TEAMMATES Hobbs and Oli.

GOALS Finish with our skin, bikes, and GC placing intact.

PLAN 1. "Get to the line early and start near the front" 2. "Stay near the front"

RACE SUMMARY after the women finished I was hoping to do a lap but guys were staging already. so much for plan item #1. hobbs and oli were even behind me.

we start and i was hoping to not be at the back but the first few laps felt really fast and i was not having fun.

oli and hobbs did a great job looking out for me but i was having a tough time. halfway through i was about ready to throw in the towel, but eventually with about 12 laps to go it slowed down a bit and became manageable.

there are a lot of botts dots on the course and most are OK but there are some bigger square ones that are gnarly. i hit one straight on and bottomed out my tire. probably would've pinch flatted on clinchers, and i just hope i didn't crack my rim again.

five laps to go and it picks up a little but oli and hobbs are looking out for me and on the last lap make sure no gaps open up on the finishing straight. that's how the officials saw it so mission accomplished, although the two guys close behind me were in the top-ten so maybe we lucked out there. pack positioning still something to work on for me, but today it was more being at my limit.

RESULTS 39. Hobbs @ s.t. 41. Me @ s.t. 42. Oli @ s.t.

http://www.topsportcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Masters-35+-1-2-3-Stage-3.pdf

GC AFTER STAGE 3 8. Me @ 2' 36" 25. Oli @ 7' 14" 43. Hobbs @ 14' 26"

http://www.topsportcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Masters-35+-1-2-3-General-3.pdf

TAKEAWAYS * i still suck at crits but it's a lot nicer having some teammates looking out for you. * 40% spent in power zone 1, 11% in 5b, and 28% (18 minutes) in 5c. not good for hedgehogs.

NUMBERS Distance: 46.92 km Time: 1h 4' 31" Elevation Gain: 4 m Avg Speed: 43.6 km/h Max Speed: 54.3 km/h Avg HR: 168 bpm Max HR: 176 bpm Avg Power: 246 W (3.96 W/kg) xPower: 255 W (4.11 W/kg) Max Power: 798 W (12.87 W/kg) Relative Intensity: 0.936 (pain) TSS: 99 Suffer Score: 115 (Tough)

http://app.strava.com/activities/42879034

Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic Stage 4 - Hilltop Ranch Road Race

CATEGORY 35+ 1/2/3DATE Sunday, March 3, 2013AUTHOR Jacob BerkmanCOURSE DESCRIPTION "24 miles rolling hills loop."

these roads should be familiar to you if you've done snelling, turlock lake, and i think another race or two.

http://app.strava.com/segments/553921

PREVIOUS RESULTS 2012: DNF (P/1/2)

WEATHER Overcast, chilly, sporadic raindrops. 16C at start rising to 21C at the finish. Winds from the north, i think, increasing as the morning went on.

TEAMMATES Hobbs and Oli.

GOALS * Preserve GC.

PLAN shadow choi (9th on GC) and jan (10th). don't try to get in breaks or do work chasing - it's a long day and we don't have a big team.

RACE SUMMARY we roll out at a glacial pace much to my relief. given the full road closure and pace it was pretty easy to move up. i wasn't sure what the various teams wanted to do but i guess everyone was pretty happy with GC. my average power for each of the first three laps was under 200 W.

there were a few attacks throughout the race but nothing was sticking until the third lap a few guys got away. i don't know who they were but they weren't choi or jan so i was ok.

the pace picked up the last lap. someone was doing some work but in the pack it felt manageable. as the race went on and got harder the better my legs felt; i guess those four-day training blocks i did last month were paying off. hobbs and oli made sure i was ok and occasionally went to the back to keep tabs on choi who was hanging around the back a lot.

we were getting time splits to the break (i think it was two guys left) but at speed "fifty-five" and "twenty-five" sound the same. they should yell "two-five" or "five-five" instead. anyway neither gap mattered to us.

the last 3km were a little sketchy as i'm guessing a lot of guys were pretty fresh but it ended up a nice bunch finish with no gaps. the two guys managed to stay away and jan won the pack sprint for the 2nd straight year.

RESULTS 34. Oli @ 19" (s.t. as main field) 35. Me @ 19" 39. Hobbs @ 19"

http://www.topsportcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Masters-35%2b-1-2-3-Stage-4.pdf

FINAL GC 8. Me @ 2' 26" 24. Oli @ 7' 14" 43. Hobbs @ 14' 26"

http://www.topsportcycling.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Masters-35%22-1-2-3-General-4.pdf

TAKEAWAYS * big big thanks to you guys for believing in my (imaginary) coach and racing for me this weekend. * it felt really great to come through and have a couple of good races and get a good result to start off the stage racing season. * a lot easier to move around when you have teammates who will let you have the wheel in front of them. * would've been a very different weekend had i not made that selection on thursday. * given the close GC at the top i expected more fireworks. not sure why that didn't happen. * tired.

NUMBERS Distance: 150.39 km Time: 3h 44" 58' (including some coll down) Elevation Gain: 426 m (SRM) or 1005 m (Garmin/Strava) Avg Speed: 40.1 km/h Max Speed: 65.9 km/h Avg HR: 142 bpm Max HR: 172 bpm Avg Power: 184 W (2.97 W/kg) xPower: 210 W (3.39 W/kg) Max Power: 832 W (13.42 W/kg) TSS: 256 Suffer Score: 176 (Extreme!)

http://app.strava.com/activities/43053380

Grasshopper #2 - Chileno Valley: Matt's Take

EVENT:Grasshopper #2 Chileno Valley

CATEGORY: Open

DATE: 2/16/12

AUTHOR: Matt Adams

TEAMMATES: Steve O'Mara (Elite Team) Andy Goessling (Elite Team) Daniel Holloway (Elite Team) Rainier Schaefer Elite Team) Chris Hobbs (on loan to TQE)

FIELD SIZE: Hundreds - here's the first wave taken from 50 deep from the start line

COURSE: 80 miles.  Starting in downtown Occidental, we immediately hit the first of two tough climbs that would bring us to the coast.  After a fast, bumpy descent, we headed south on Hwy 1, thru Tomales and down to Marshall.  From there, we went up the wall, blazed thru Hicks Valley to Wilson Hill, got an OSMO handup at the top, then down to Chileno Valley Rd.  After the CV run, we continued to wind our way west and north to the bottom of Joy rd where it turns out, there isn't any.  With a steep nasty start, the climb eased up an eventually finished.

Click here to view the pain via Strava

THE PLAN: Hang with the lead group as long as possible.  With two good climbs coming in the 1st 5 miles, withstanding the initial punch would be crucial.  If I could hang until the coast, I would try to sit in as much as possible and last as long as I could.  If I got dropped, then I'd ease up and wait for the next group to roll with and try to finish strong from that group.

RACE SUMMARY: After a good warm up with O'Mara and Hobbs up Bittner, I was as prepared as I've ever been before a race.  I found O'Mara at the start and squeezed in, there was no way in hell I was starting at the back of a 200+ field at the bottom of a climb.  At the gun we rolled to the bottom of Coleman Valley and it started.  The pace was fast but manageable and I was able to stay about 30 wheels back.  It was pretty brutal to go this hard so immediately.  I averaged 413 watts for over 5 min up the 1.1 mile 7.7% climb.  Strava showed my VAM at 1549, a new record for me.  Kris Lunning got the KOM and was only 9 sec faster than me.  At this point I would have liked to recover a bit but it got fast and started to string out.  At some point, I heard Hobbs yell "here we go again" and we hit a right turn and starting going up again.  The second climb was similar to the first but I started to fade.  There were probably 50 people in front of me at the top and I was about 100 meters off the back.  And then my knight in shining armor came to my rescue.  Daniel Holloway (yes, the dude with stars and stripes on his sleeve) slowed up for me and yelled to get on his wheel.  I gave it my all over the rollers but we only managed to cut the gap in half.  I was at the limit and cross-eyed and we'd only been racing for 20 min.  My second lucky moment came when a herd of sheep crossed the road in front of the lead group and gave me a chance to get back on.  My sissy descending skills then reared their ugly head and I promptly went to the back on the descent down to Hwy 1, where the bad luck hit.  I was only 20 meters back from the guys in front of me but they made the left onto Hwy 1 and I was held up by the moto due to a car coming.  So the chase was on and my knight in stars and striped dragged my ass back.  From there it was quite a gentlemenly cruise down Hwy 1.  I was stoked to still be with the lead group with 3 guys off the front (Lunning, Teeter, and a BikeMonkey guy).   The 4 elite team guys all made the group as well and at some point Hobbs dragged the second group up to us.  There probably about 75 guys at that point.

As we rolled towards Marshall, I took comfort that I knew the next two climbs well but I was still reeling from the initial effort.  We made the left at the bottom of the Marshall Wall and up we went.  The first half of climb is a series of steep "steps" and I hung ok on those, the second half of the climb is where Holloway became my coach.  As the group shrank behind me, it strung out in front of me and I found myself on Fast Freddie's wheel.  I though "Hot Damn, look at me!"  Holloway kept yelling "Come on, grab that wheel" and "Don't lose that f@*king wheel".  The climb lasted 11 minutes and I averaged 363 watts.  I crested the top about 20 meters off the guy in front and had about 4 on my wheel.  Again Holloway hung back and bridged us up as we rolled across the flat section at the top.  After the descent, we rolled comfortably thru Hicks Valley.  The group was down to about 25 and still had all the TMB elite guys.  The pace occasionally ramped up but there was no concerted effort to chase the 3 guys off the front.  Everyone seemed to desire some recovery before Wilson Hill, a short, steep, MF'er of a climb.  Wilson was the easiest of the day but still tough.  OSMO was at the top handing out bottles but with not enough volunteers it was a shit show.  I was polite and let everyone else get a bottle first (AKA I was last to the top and waited my turn) but apparently Freddie decided to attack over the top and strung out the group.  Again my descending skills killed me, even though I hit 47 mph, and I hit the bottom with no one in sight and a Chica Sexy guy on my wheel.  We chased hard, made the left onto Chileno Valley Rd and chased some more.  At the turn the group was in sight and apparently had decided to let FF and one other guy go, which allowed me and Chica Sexy dude to get back on.  We rolled quickly through the valley.

From here the miles ticked by and we rolled comfortably with only a small climb on Middle Rd.  I had no idea what to expect on Joy Rd but at this point I had survived most of the ride and was with the lead group (minus the 5 guys off the front) and totally stoked.  I was racing with 4 guys from the Elite team, a couple of Chicken Ride dudes, and a bunch of other kids.  I was yelling FY in my head!  And then the highlight of the day came.  I knew there wasn't much left of the race except to get to the bottom of Joy Rd and let O'Mara do his thing.  So I asked Andy G what the plan was.  He conferred with rest of the guys and rolled up to me and said "let's go to the front and set some tempo".  I was pumped, I had nothing left in my legs but was mixing it up with the P/1/2 guys and actually contributing.  Andy and I traded off a couple pulls and then Daniel came to front.  Holy Shit!  We were doing 27 mph with 75+ miles and 7000 ft of climbing in our legs.  It was all I could do to hang on his wheel but there was no way I was breaking up the TMB train.  We hit Joy Rd, I saw the wall ahead and did my best Cav/Cippo impression and pulled over to let the group go.  I limped up the climb with Daniel and we finished last in the group and 30th overall.  I think O'Mara took 4th out of our group and ended around 10th.  All in all it was spectacular.  What an amazing day full of pain and suffering!

RESULTS and STATS: 30th Place 80 Miles 7700 Ft of Climbing 20.8 Avg Speed 277 Norm Power Confidence that I can hang in the 35+ 1/2/3 field

Original Merced Criterium Race Report

We came into the Merced Criterium hoping to improve upon the previous day's performance. We were hoping to put some of the main guns on the back-burners and let them work hard to catch an early break, before hopefully having the race come down to a field sprint for Daniel and James. Travis, Rainier, and Marcus did a great job covering the first portion of the race. Just after the 5th lap, I came around the field on the outside and hit it as the field swung inside. I immediately bridged to Willie Myers (Fremont Bank) and were soon joined by a rider in red, white, and blue. I actually thought it was a Leopard rider at first since I looked back and saw the blue and orange on the shoulder, but soon realized it was Ken Hanson (reigning US Pro Crit Champ). It seemed like immediately we had a big gap which would force the other heavy hitters to chase. The only problem was that Ken and Willie seemed to be super human that day.

On the mile long course, I pulled only about 200m each lap and was trying to conserve, and was managing to actually slow the break down, but with Ken and Willie driving the break, we rode out to an almost 40 sec advantage. With 12 laps to go I sat on the back and the other 2 riders didn't bat an eye (I think they expected me to do that). With me out of the rotation, the pace actually started to pick up the two of them really put their heads down. With about 5 laps to go, I realized we weren't going to get caught despite a hard chase from Mike's Bikes pb/Incase and I had to start thinking about how to win the race.

Hoping Willie would rely on Ken to chase me down, I hit the two of them hard just after 1 to go right after Ken finished taking a hard pull, but Willie dragged it all back together. Ken got on the front with a half a lap to go and began the long drawn out march to the line. i grabbed his wheel and he jumped out of the last corner. I waited and tried to come out of his slipstream and got about halfway around, but it was unlikely I was ever going to beat Ken in the sprint.

Thanks to a good leadout, Daniel was able to take a well deserved 4th place.

1. Ken Hanson (Optum/Kelly Benefits) 2. Adam Switters (Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase) 3. Willie Myers (Fremont Bank) 4. Daniel Holloway (Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase)

Written by Adam Switters

Snelling Road Race Report

For me (Roman Kilun), the Snelling Road Race is the official start to the racing season and the 2013 edition did not disappoint. It's a fairly short race of 6 laps comprising 85 miles of bumpy winding roads through orchards and diary farms. Team Mike's Bikes pb Incase brought a strong team with the goal of wining the race from a field sprint. However, the wind and the aggression tore the race to pieces and kept the team on our toes from start to finish. The first lap was fast but fairly mundane, the wind was not yet strong and the fresh field mostly neutralized it self as everyone attacked themselves silly. Mid way though the second lap, things got a bit more interesting as the cross wind picked up and the heavy hitters stretched their legs. Splits started to occur and Team Mike's Bikes jumped into action sensing the danger. In short order a group of twelve formed with Riggs, LeBerge and Kilun in it. It was a decent situation for the team but not ideal as the group was stacked with the likes of Hutchinson and FF Rodriguez. Chuck was especially dangerous as he had two strong teammates with him in the lead group. As such we did our best to conserve and keep the gap small enough to allow more of our teammates to bridge across or for the field to catch us.

At the end of the third lap, Riggs suffered a flat and was unable to rejoin as the follow car was with the field. The loss of Riggs was a huge blow, but Daniel made up for it by bridging the two minute gap with Eric Wohlberg and Logan Loader.  We had renewed confidence in the break away with DHolla there and plotted a path through the ever building wind. For the most part the breakaway worked as a unit with occasional fits of violent attacks. As we approached the feed-zone on the fifth lap, Chuck launched a sudden and fierce attack. The wind was howling and a moment of indecision spelled disaster for Team Mike's Bikes. Freddie, Eric and Stasny were straight on Chuck. We failed to react and the gap opened up before we knew it. James made a brilliant effort to get across and got very close. Seeing James falter, I gave chase and held the gap for several kilometers but unable to claw it back. Finally, realizing that the only option was to wait for reinforcements, I sat up and waited for teammates. Once together Team Mike's Bikes chased for the rest of the race but the breakaway was too far and too strong.

The best placing for the team on the day was 6th. That was not the result we were capable of but we will use the many lessons learned to get stronger, smarter and more determined. Out of the lead group, Chuck took the sprint win ahead of Freddie, who was very impressive all day. Stasny rounded out the podium for third in a very hard and exciting 2013 Snelling Road Race.

 

TMB 2013 Race Calendar

Welcome to the 2013 race season.  It's been a very busy off season with a lot of team development activities to build the emotional and positive intelligence of the team which is integral to a successful 2013 season.   We have also been busy with working with our sponsors in order to equip the team with the best equipment and nutrition in the peloton.    Special thanks to our sponsors Mike's Bikes, Incase, Specialized, Sram, Zipp, Osmo, Garmin, Clif Bar, Smith, Bar Fly, Bike Smart, City Park, and GoPro.  The team is ready and poised for a fun filled season. Team Mike's Bikes is tackling a more challenging 2013 race program.  We will focus our Norcal efforts into winning the Bike Reg Premier Series team and individual classification.   Also, we will be placing a strong emphasis with NRC/NCC level racing to give our young riders the opportunity to compete against the best US professional teams.

Please join us at the races.   We will be setting up Camp Mikes for most of the Premier series races.   Looks for the Mike's Bikes tent and stop by and say hello.    Thank You!

February:

  1. 2/23 - Snelling Road Race (Premier Series)  http://www.velopromo.com
  2. 2/24 - Old Merced Criterium http://www.velopromo.com
  3. 2/28 - Merco Cycling Classic Stage Race  http://www.topsportcycling.com/events/merco-cycling-classic/

March:

  1. 3/1-3 - Merco Cycling Classic Stage Race  http://www.topsportcycling.com/events/merco-cycling-classic/
  2. 3/8-10 Madera Stage Race (Premier Series)  http://www.velopromo.com
  3. 3/22-24  San Dimas Stage Race http://www.sdsr.info/joomla/race-details
  4. 3/30 Copperopolis Road Race http://www.velopromo.com

April: 

  1. 4/3-7  Redlands Bicycle Classic (NRC Event) http://www.redlandsclassic.com
  2. 4/13 Santa Cruz Classic (Premier Series) http://www.velopromo.com
  3. 4/13-14 Chico Stage Race http://www.chicostagerace.com
  4. 4/18-21  Sea Otter Classic Stage Race (Premier Series)
  5. 4/27  Wente Road Race (Premier Series) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  6. 4/28  Wente Criterium

May

  1. 5/4  Mike's Bikes Cat's Hill Classic  (Premier Series) http://www.catshill.org
  2. 5/5  Dana Point Grandprix (NCC) http://www.danapointgrandprix.com/dpgp-may6-2012/
  3. 5/12 Berkeley Hills Road Race (Premiere) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  4. 5/26 Mt. Hamilton Road Race (Premiere) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  5. 5/27 Memorial Day Criterium http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
June 
  1. 6/1  Dunlap Time Trial (Premier) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  2. 6/2  Pescadero Coastal Classic  (Premier) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  3. 6/16 Nevada City Classic (Premier) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  4. 6/20 - 30  Tour of Dairylands  (NCC) http://www.tourofamericasdairyland.com
  5. 6/23 Burlingame Criterium
  6. 6/30 Lodi Cyclefest Criterium (Premier) http://www.deltavelo.com/lodi_cyclefest/
July 
  1. 7/4 Fourth of July Criterium (Premier) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  2. 7/4-7  US Elite & U23 Nationals (Madison, Wisconsin)
  3. 7/16-21  Cascade Cycling Classic (NRC) Bend, Oregon http://www.cascade-classic.org
  4. 7/27 San Rafael Twilight
  5. 7/28 Menlo Park Grand Prix (Premier) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
August
  1. 8/4 Patterson Pass Road Race (Cal Cup)
  2. 8/10 Dunnigan Hills Road Race (Cal Cup)
  3. 8/11 Suisun Criterium (Cal Cup)
  4. 8/17 San Ardo Road Race (Cal Cup)
  5. 8/18 University Road Race (Cal Cup & Premier)
  6. 8/24 Winters Road Race (Cal Cup & Premier)
  7. 8/25 Vacaville Grand Prix (Cal Cup)
  8. 8/31 Challenge Road Race (Cal Cup)
September
  1. 9/2  Giro di San Francisco (Cal Cup & Premier) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  2. 9/14 51st Mt. Tam Hill Climb (Premier)  http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
  3. 9/22 Oakland Grand Prix (Premier) http://www.ncnca.org/ncncaseries/bikeregcom-premier-series-2013
October
  1. 10/2-6  US Elite & U23 Track Nationals

 

Who Eats Cherry Pie? The Racing Season Has Begun....

...so the Cherry Pie Criterium isn't the 'official' start of the NCNCA racing season. But based on the field sizes and strength of each category, it was eminent that riders are ready to 'flex their muscles' for 2013. Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase lined up 10 riders for the start of the Pro/1/2 race. Our plan was to do all we could to get Napa local, James Laberge, the win. My role was sit in the front of the field, hang back on going with any breaks, unless needed, and lead out James on the final lap from 200 meters out. Two of our other strong men were to get me to that point (the final chicane) first.

Within the first 20 minutes of racing there was your typical  hard digs to try to get away, but to no avail. It wasn't until about 30 minutes into the race that a break of 11 got off the front. And it included some strong riders: Freddie Rodriguez, Chad Sayers, Logan Loader, Nate English, Charles Hutcheson and three TMB p/b Incase riders (Adam Switters, Eric Riggs and Daniel Holloway). Back in the field, my intuition told me that the break was going to stay away. Some riders tried to bridge but were brought back. Only one rider was able to bridge up, that was Kirk Carlsen. In retrospect, I could have been a bit more attentive and hopped on his wheel for a tow to get in the break.

As it turned out, the break did stay away. Logan Loader ended up winning by surprising everybody with a well timed jump from behind most of the break with about 200 meters to go. TMB p/b Incase's Daniel Holloway ended up 2nd and Charles Hutcheson came in third. Full results can be viewed by click here.

In the field sprint, three of us hit the front on the last lap and executed a good lead out for James to take the win.

It's too bad we didn't get the overall win but we raced well as a team for our first race. It fuels the fire and we're already looking forward to our next one in two weeks; Snelling Road Race.

Thank you to all of our awesome fans and sponsors for all your support. We really appreciate it and look forward to racing well this year.

@TMBEquator

Happy #worldbicycleday! We can't wait to rub elbows with our friends on the bike again soon! &mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash; #tmbequator @mikes_bikes #mikesbikes @equatorcoffees #equatorcoffees @toyotafanzone
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Missing the squad. #squadgoals #tmbequator #mbfy #equatorcoffee
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