Little City Stage Race Report

by Brandon Trafton This was my first year doing the Little City Stage Race and I was very impressed with the event. All three stages were on top level courses which were both hard and unique. Because I feel my victory on Sunday was a direct result of my racing on Saturday, instead of just recapping my win, I will review Saturdays racing as well.

The stage race was an omnium (point system), this was great for me considering I was going to “Merckx” the initial TT. After placing 10th on the 10 mile course, I was happy considering I did not loose too many points going into the criterium, which was later that day and RR on the following day. Unfortunately however, I did not race the criterium as well as I had hoped. Towards the end of the race, a break of 5 riders went off the front and I was caught out of the breakaway. It was a very brilliant ride by the Marc-Pro Strava racers Chris Harland-Dunaway, Nate Freed and Chuck Hutcheson; not only did they place 1st and 2nd in the criterium, but they moved Chris into 1st overall. I only managed to place 9th after many unsuccessful bridge attempts and an unsuccessful early field sprint.

Frustrated with my race, I did what I normally do when I need to clear my mind, I decided to go on a bike ride. Heading out of town, I saw a road called Kingsbury Grade, “what the hell,” I thought. Every pedal stroke up the mountain felt like another bit of frustration leaving my mind. By the time I got to the top, I was smiling ear to ear and ready for another day of racing. I told myself looking into the valley below that I was going to race the RR as hard as I could, win or loose I would leave it on the course.

The road race started as expected, many riders were marking each other thinking about the overall GC. Because of the blistering heat and expected winds, many were sitting in trying to save their energy for the final laps. The course was 6 laps of an 11mile loop with two consecutive 3 min climbs. Anyone that has raced with me knows I am not one to sit in and wait for the sprint, I am a rider who goes on the attack, usually early and often, so for me to wait until lap two was patient by my standards. On lap two, I tested the waters by setting a moderate pace up the climbs. Sure enough, this drew out some attacks following the 2nd climb. Nothing got too far up the road and by the start of lap 3 we were back together. Just as the lap prior, I set the pace again but this time with the intent to attack after the initial accelerations over the top of the second climb. Sure enough the attacks came and then off I went. Luckily, I had Pete Morris from Team Cliff Bar follow me to share the work. Chuck Hutcheson from Marc-Pro also followed my attack, this was good and bad. On one had, this would stop the chase by Marc-Pro, but on the other I knew he would not work very enthusiastically because his teammate was behind trying to defend the race lead. Sure enough, he sat on Pete and I for 90% of the race (as he should have). Pete and I decided to remain “civil” on the climb to make sure we had enough energy to pull away from the pack on the remainder of the course. By lap 5 we had over a 3 min gap on the pack. Coming into the last lap, I felt surprisingly fresh for a 2 hour threshold effort at altitude. Knowing Chuck and Pete had the upper-hand in the sprint, I attacked with 1K to go holding on for the win. My goal for the race was achieved, I left if all on the course and the win was great added bonus. On top of the win, this gave me enough points to move into 5th on the overall. I did get to pay for this post race however from what I later concluded may have been a mild state of heat stroke. I guess 3 hours in a 100º+, 4721ft high, dry environment will do that to you.

Thanks for the awesome race Bubba Melcher!

Smith Pivlock V2 Sunglasses

By Brandon Trafton

Simply a great product. Sunglasses are not only an aesthetically pleasing addition to a cyclists uniform, but they provide the very important roll of protecting a set of very vulnerable organs, the eyes! Proper eyewear should not only protect your eyes from UV damage, but from the random projectiles launched by your riding companions tires. I am sure many can recall that large thud given off when a rock hits that precious S-Works paint job, one of those to the eye will turn an awesome ride into a bad day pretty quickly.

There are 3 features to the Pivlock V2 sunglasses that I particularly find noteworthy:

First and foremost, the lack of peripheral vision obstruction. Smith Pivlock sunglasses have no solid edges, leaving your peripheral vision range unobstructed. I find this absolutely crucial when I am racing handlebar to handlebar on a narrow technical circuit. The last think I want when I am racing, is a large piece of plastic obstructing my sight when I am in O

2 

debt trying to out maneuver though 100 guys on the final lap of a criterium.

Secondly, the weight of the glasses You can hardly notice them on your face, but they are surprisingly secure. There is often a compromise, the lighter the glasses the less secure they are on your head. Fortunately, Smith found a great balance.

Lastly, they just look good. The Pivlocks accent the clean, fast and light concepts of road cycling. We roadies want everything to be lighter and more aero, which these lenses compliment well.

Eye protection on the road is a must, because as the saying goes, “it is always fun until someone gets their eye pocked out.” How do you make sure you remember to wear eye protection? Easy, get a pair of really cool sunglasses, like the PIVLOCKS.

2013 Berkeley Bicycle Club Criterium: Fast from the Gun

By Travis Lyons I like this crit. It’s a four-corner course, about 1km in length, with a few spots of bad pavement and a pretty high crown on the road surface, making the majority of the turns off camber. The back straight has a slight hill in it, and the 3rd and finishing straights are downhill with fast turns.

Originally, we had planned on having only three riders in the field- Eric Riggs, Dana Williams, and myself. A couple of our other teammates, Shawn Rosenthal and Roman Kilun, both who live in a close area of the course, rode over to watch the event. Roman decided to race at the last minute- so you’ll have to excuse his “got dressed in the dark” appearance with miss-matched kit.

At the line we had four of the twenty-six starters in the P/1/2 field. On the whistle, Roman put in a little dig to initiate the early breakaway. Another rider followed and Dana was behind him. The three of them got a small gap before turn two as they started up the hill on the back straight. Their advantage didn’t gain them any more than 8 seconds in the first lap. Going into the second lap, the peloton started to bring back their lead on the downhill section and the gap was closed almost completely. On the back straight of the second lap, Riggs counter attacked to pass the group with Roman and Dana. A rider who tried to follow Riggs unclipped at the front of the field, and swerved off to the right of the road, and the field sat up for a second. A Davis rider went to follow Eric with me in tow, as Dana, Roman and the third rider, Rob Scheffler of Fremont Bank, followed. The Davis rider was gone after that, and I have no idea what happened him after he brought me up to my teammates. About a half a lap later, we all looked back to see about a 10 second gap to the field. Roman, Dana, Eric, myself and Rob were in the break… How’d that happen? Fewer than four laps into the race, we had all four of our riders in the five-man break.

The next thirty minutes were pretty boring for me. I sat at the back at the back, pulling through every so often to try to put Rob on the front during the headwind/crosswind sections of the course. Our gap stayed pretty steady around 20~25 seconds to the main field. From what we heard after the race, a few 2- or 3-man attempts to bridge were made without success.

We lapped the field with about ten minutes, or 8 laps to go. Roman and Eric quickly got to- and off the front again. Dana and I were back in the group of lapped riders with Rob racing for 3rd place. Roman and Eric’s group stayed off to the finish, with Roman crossing the line first.

Going into the last lap, Dana was on the front with two riders between him and Rob with me riding behind Rob. A Giga OM-ARO rider attacked going into the last lap with a rider on his wheel, Rob followed them. He attacked on the back straight and hammered into the third corner. I sat on his wheel out of the last corner and started my sprint with less than 200m to the line. I waited too long and ran out of road, so Rob took third by about a half a wheel.

Capo Bib Shorts: Only the Best Survive

By Dana Williams I hate to admit this during a product review of one of our sponsors, but Capo for the second year in a row made the same mistake. Hold your breath......sorry Capo, I hate to say this, but you made your bib short too good once again. It's mid season now and the shorts and chamois still feels like new. How can a company expect to sell their products when they make them so superior? I could still be wearing my shorts from last year and be happy.

All jokes aside, what I pointed out above is true. In all my years of riding and racing, I haven't worn a bib short that feels so great and last for so long. And no, Capo isn't paying me to write this. I was going to write a similar review at the end of last season, but life got too busy (my wife had our second child, I started my new training and cycle coaching business; www.achieveptc.com, among other things) and I wanted to see if this years shorts were just as good. And yup, they are.

There's not much else to say. The chamois doesn't cause any sore spots (wash them after each ride, like you should with all shorts), the spandex doesn't stretch out so it still compresses my legs and the stitching and seams stay together well. Thank you Capo. Keep up the great work.

Zipp 404 Wheels: Going Fast Just Got Easier

By Eric Riggs It has long been my opinion that wheels are the most important thing a cyclist can get right in his equipment lineup order to go fast. Even as the sport is rapidly approaching this new era dominated by aerodynamic road bikes and helmets, wheels are still the most important piece of equipment to making a cyclist go fast.

With this in mind, I couldn't be more pleased that Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase are riding ZIPP 404 Firecrest for the 2013 season.

These wheels are the fastest on the market and a testament to ZIPP's innovative thinking and approach to wheel building.

Aero wheel designers typically focused only on the front half of the wheel. While this will produce a fast front half, when it is flipped in reverse on the back half it would often slow a wheel down and never reach that wheel's full potential.

ZIPP started looking at how wind attaches to a wheel and then trails off, which caused them to spend a considerable amount of time working on the back half of the wheel. They found this was a vastly superior approach to aero wheel building. The end result of this labor is the Firecrest wheel.

Racing these wheels for two years now, my experiences have reflected the data. These wheels are obscenely fast. I was dorking around and threw my 404s on an old, steel Lemond frame and was absolutely amazed at how much faster the bike rode. Racing these wheels in technical crits they are adequately stiff to get me around the corners and take a tremendous beating when I'm throwing tons of force into the front end during sprints and attacks. Strangely enough, these wheels seem a ton more stable in crosswinds that other deep dish carbon wheels I've ridden. I can't really explain it, but it feels like they are just slightly being pressed by crosswinds rather than wrecked and thrown around all over.

Feel free to demo these wheels and see what I'm talking about: http://mikesbikes.com/about/bike-and-wheel-demos-at-mikes-pg900.htm

2013 Colavita Grand Prix

By Dana Williams As a team we went into the P12 race with just three riders; myself, Brandon Trafton and Travis Lyons. Our main goal was to try to get Travis the win. He is a Cat 2 rider looking to upgrade to Cat 1. Brandon and I were happy to do what we could to help him collect valuable points. Both Travis and I had won a race on this course in prior years; I believe mine was the Cat 2 race two years ago and Travis in the 2/3 race last year. We talked prior to the race and realized our wins had come in similar fashion. We agreed that Travis stood the best chance of winning by having Brandon and I lead him out to an agreed upon critical point of the course, where he would start his sprint and go for the win.

There was a decent size field of around 40 guys, with one or two Cat 1 ladies jumping in for race experience, at the start. Red Peloton definitely had the biggest numbers with six or seven. From what I recall (results aren't up yet) Squadra and Olympic Club had three or four riders, MarcPro Strava and a number of other teams had two, followed by lots of solo riders. The three of us decided that we would play a more defensive role in the race based on the fact that it was Travis' second race of the day, plus we could rely on Red Peloton and other teams to chase if they weren't represented in the break.

The course isn't very technically; basically a 350 meter front and back straight away with a 100 meters on each end. Turn 1 to 2 is more like an semi circle while turn 3 to 4 has a little convex bend in it. The whole back stretch was a climb of around 2%, except for a little 50 meters 5% kicker at 200 meter. There was also a head wind. Out of turn 4 (start of the start/finish straight away) was a little 5% downhill ramp, where it then flattened out for 75 meters before the start/finish line, and then continued to turn one.

It didn't take long for guys to start attacking. I'm not sure what Red Peloton's plan was but if I was in their advantageous position, consistently throwing guys off the front would seem to be a good move. Brandon and I were doing a solid job of marking dangerous moves. At around 30-35 minutes into the race a break of 10-12 guys formed. Brandon and I were both in it but unfortunately Travis was not. In general the break was working pretty well together, with the occasional attack. Brandon and I wanted Travis to be in it so we decided we would rotate through when our turns came, without accelerating, in hopes that Travis would bridge up.

Travis ended up in a chase with four or five other riders. The gap between us bounced between 20-30 seconds for quite a while. Finally, with around 15 minutes to race, Travis and the others in his break bridged up. We were now 15-20 riders. It was now time to execute our plan. The only hitch is that Travis told me he was feeling some leg cramps and wasn't sure if he could sprint at full strength. I told him to sit in and see how things felt towards the end. On the third las lap, Brandon and I moved to the front. We rotated and set a good tempo. Travis soon found my wheel as we ended the second to last lap. Right around this time, Will Riffelmacher of the Olympic Club shot off the front in a last ditch effort to stay away. We didn't panic, kept the pace going and were able to bring him back on the back stretch.

As we crested the short 5% pitch, Brandon on the front followed by me, I looked behind and realized Travis wasn't there anymore. He would later tell us a hamstring cramp snuck up on him which ceased his effort to stay with us. It wasn't a time where we could sit up and wait as guys were nipping at my back tire like a hungry pack of wolves. It was time for 'Plan B'. Brandon dug a little deeper and got me to turn three. Guys started to swarm me so I couldn't wait any longer. I saw a little gap between two riders, stood up and sprinted. I looked back and had a little gap. I knew I had to give it all to keep away from the 'hungry dogs' chasing me down. I exited turn four in the lead and pushed hard, all the way to the line. Time was on my side and I was able to raise my hands,   in celebration of getting my first win of the year. It was even more special because my wife and two boys were there cheering me on.

Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters for your continued support.

Specialized S-Works Prevail Helmet: Cool, Comfortable and Safe

By Shawn Rosenthal Coolness:

Thermoregulation is one of the most important aspects to consider during an endurance event in the summer sun.  Your head is one of your body's radiators.  Keeping it cool is essential.  This helmet is made with massive vents to channel cooling air.  Lots of air.

When I get to the start line of a warm, sunny race and I see others wearing a closed vent aero road helmet and a thick, dark skinsuit, it cracks me up.  I'll stay cool in my mesh white jersey and vented helmet.

Comfort:

Years ago, I remember switching from one of my old helmets to one of the new Bell helmets.  What a world of difference it made having a helmet that simply disappeared out of thought once I put it on.  The Specialized Prevail sits yet another step up. I got the same impression when I went out riding for the first time with it.  It feels like I am not even wearing the helmet.  This is accomplished by two characteristics.  First, the helmet fits to your head perfect with a minimalistic, padded frame, holding the actual structure of the helmet away from your head.  Second, the helmet is a featherweight.

Safety:

Yes, the helmet protects the head.  We got a chance to crush one in the testing labs.

This one far exceeds the required safety requirements and is one of the safest helmets on the market.  It utilizes a large amount of lower density polystyrene on the sides, allowing the helmet to crumple a greater distance for a lower pulse upon impact.  They've achieved the ability to use lower density polystyrene through their kevlar internal skeleton.

This is one component under appreciated that will make you feel better and enjoy your ride more.

Shawn is the 2013 NorCal District Road Race Champion. He lives in Berkeley, CA and run his own cycle coaching business: http://www.provantagesports.com.

Zealios Sun Barrier: We Use it to Protect Our Skin and Maintain Performance

By Adam Switters Although many cyclists manage to get more tan than cast members of the Jersey Shore, it comes with the unwanted side effect of multiple hours in the sun everyday. It’s about time we started to protect our skin and that’s why Team Mike’s Bike p/b Incase is proud to be sponsored by Zealios Sun Barrier.

Along with preventing skin cancer, wearing Zealios Sun Barrier is also performance enhancing; it reduces radiant heat absorption and keeps your body cooler. Zealios Sun Barrier is made for athletes. It’s oil free and isn’t greasy like a lot of sunscreens out there. It’s sweat resistant meaning you’ll still be burn free 4 hours into your long ride. It even has anti-oxidants to help absorb free radicals!

We use Zealios Sun Barrier because we know it’s the best and you should too.

U23 Nationals Criterium

This was my 2nd race of the day; racing the Elite National Criterium just hours earlier that unfortunately took a tight turn in the final lap of the race so I was hungry to do much better in the U23 race. I went back to our host house after the Elite race, showered, ate, and took a quick nap in order to be ready for the U23 race. I knew I was going to get a call up as I am ranked in the top 8 in the USA Cycling rankings so I had a little bit of more extra time to spin around and wake up my body for the race. The team was: Marcus, Nick, Travis, and I. Just as the Elite race, we had a strong feeling that a break might get away so we wanted to be represented in the breaks and if it came down to a sprint, we want to try to lead me out or get me into position. It was fast at the beginning as expected but it settled down after about 20 laps. Cal giant was the dominate team, having about 10 riders, so they sent riders off the front and whenever Hincapie or Bontrager miss it, they would chase hard to make sure it comes back. Eventually a break got away that last for a while but Hincapie went to the front and brought it back by 10 laps to go. At this time, Marcus, Travis, and I were all together, stayed right at the front and fighting for position with the big names the whole time. We were able to do this until about 7 laps to go, where it started to get harder and harder to stay together so I released Travis and told Marcus that it's just the two of us then. By 3 laps to go, we were right behind Cal Giant and I then released Marcus because I was right where I wanted to be. Marcus and Travis ended up staying right behind me and guided me through the next 1-2 laps. I was in about 12th place coming into 1 lap to go so I moved up on the inside, slotting right behind Hincapie, who was taking over Cal Giant. I was behind Ty Magner (Hincapie, previous National U23 crit champ) which was perfect for me. We were fighting very hard for position with the Cal giant riders and a few others behind all the way into the third corner. Going into it, I hit a crack in the road which sent me wide through the turn and allowed the Cal Giant riders by and the others behind me. As the official lead out took place up the hill to the finish, I didn't have much left as I raced the Elite race earlier in the day and got stuck behind the 2nd row of riders. A close call going around the last corner made me sit up for a second which forced me to roll in behind them for 13th. This was a bit disappointing, knowing that I was in great position and a small mistake going around the 2nd to last corner cost me the race.

I would like to thank my teammates for all of their hard work for me and I feel horrible not getting the job done for them. I am looking forward to coming back next year and looking to counter on how I did this year. I would like to thank all of the sponsors for all of their support throughout the entire year because this team wouldn't be possible without you!

Thank you for reading.

--James LaBerge

Elite Nationals Criterium

Coming into today, I had been fully rested after racing Wednesday from the U23 road race that put Nick and Marcus in the 22nd and 23rd spots and Roman finishing a strong 8th place in the Elite road race two days before. It had been unbelievably nice there in Madison, Wisconsin and I knew it had to change sometime or another. By Sunday the weather was in the 80's and the humidity was roughly the same which made it a bit uncomfortable.  Nevertheless, I moved on and pre-boosted before the race with the Pre-load OSMO to get me ready for the day at hand. Coming into the race, I knew there were 4 teams we had to watch out for if a break were to get away: Cashcall, Champion Systems, Elbowz, and Predator cycling. The team was: Roman, Eric, Shawn, Marcus, and I so we needed to be careful in what we did but we ultimately wanted a field sprint. The race started out very fast, as it was expected with a couple dangerous moves throughout the race but we made sure we had one us at least one of us represented in the breaks. The laps kept ticking down and by 10 laps to go, Roman, Shawn and Eric went to the front to take control and keep the pace high so that no one could sneak away. By 8 laps to go, Cashcall took over and I hooked onto Eric and we stayed near each other the entire time. I reconnected with Eric coming into the final laps and at 1 lap to go, we were about 8-10th place. Eric moved me up to about 5th going into turn 2 with a mix of Elbowz and Cashcall riders in front of us. Coming into the all-important turn 3, a rider a couple places in front of me swerved for some reason which caused Eric to do the same and that unfortunately left me with no where to go but hit Eric's back wheel as I was seeking to stay out of the wind. I was fortunately able to keep my body upright and save myself some skin but the price was that I clipped out of my right foot and by the time I got it back in, I was about 30 guys too far back and there was no chance of any kind of good placing after. I had the U23 Nationals Criterium coming up in only a couple hours so I decided to just roll in instead of fighting for a -45th placing. It was a bit disappointing that this happened on the last lap but it is part of bike racing and I knew my form was there so I'm pleased with that, at least.

I would like to thank all of my teammates for putting their trust in me; as a 20 year old, it is huge to get these kinds of opportunities and I can't tell them thank you enough for all of their hard work that put in for me and I feel dreadful of not bringing home anything for them. Also, I would like to thank all of the sponsors and Team Management to get us all out here to Nationals and race for a National Championship! We all greatly appreciate it and we look forward to next year back in Madison, WI!

Thank you for reading.

--James LaBerge

Red Kite Criterium #4

By Brandon Trafton The Red Kite Series has been truly great all season. This was the 4th criterium in the series, but the course was altered to change the dynamics of the race. I was a lone wolf in this race, no teammates to share the work. The previous two Red Kite races that I have done this year ended in a break, so I was expecting this one to finish the same.

Lombardi Sports and Leopard were the two teams with numbers in the race. Sure enough, they used them to their advantage and ensured they were well represented in the breaks. Chuck Hutcheson and William Myers  from Marc-Pro Strava were also active throughout the race. I did my fair share of attacking as usual, but nothing was sticking.

Finally with 10 laps to go, I was able to get of the front with Patrick Briggs from the Prime Time Masters team. We rotated, but behind the pack was chasing hard. We were caught with 2 laps remaining so tried to positioned myself for a sprint. Jared Kessler of Folsom Bike laid in a great lead out for his teammate Matt Chatlaong, Matt got the win by a tire in front of Randy Bramblett. Unfortunately, I lost some positioning on the back side of the course, but held on for a 9th finish. Another great race for the week, looking forward to the upcoming week in Novato with a handful of Team Mike’s Bike’s p/b Incase riders.

U23 National Road Race Championship

by Nick Newcomb Location: Madison, Wisconsin Teammates: Marcus Smith, James Laberge and Travis Lyons Place: 22 out of 150

I went into this race with no expectations as some of the top teams in the country showed up including Bontrager (fresh off the Tour of California), Hincapie, Hagens Berman, Cal Giant, and BMC. The course was a really awesome, mostly flat circuit, with a steep one mile climb and fast twisting decent. We had to do 6 laps totalling around 80 miles and approximately 7000 ft of climbing.

The race started with Cal Giant sending guys off in a break away which forced Bontrager and Hincapie to stay on the front and chase. This kept the pace nice and steady. Through the first half of the race James, Travis, Marcus and I all stayed in good position. Every time we hit the climb, the whole field went ballistic. Marcus and I helped each other to stay in the top 30 and were inspired by Eric yelling like crazy on the sideline.

Eventually the break was brought back and Bontrager promptly sent another break up the road. Now the race was really blowing up and we all battled for position going into the last climb. I positioned myself in the top 20 and soon found Marcus. Now there was only one thing we could do;  put on our pain faces (as seen in the photo), After going cross eyed up most of the climb, I crossed the line 22nd and was stoked to see Marcus right behind me in 23rd. Great success!

2013 Elite National Road Race Championship

By Roman Kilun The Elite National Road Race was held in a beautiful wooded and hilly park in the farm lands of Wisconsin with the finish atop the tallest point in the state. The race was a relatively short 140k of 6 laps, but the hills and the heat would make for a tough selective day. The first few laps where rather odd and not particularly memorable. The only breakaway of note was teammate Eric Riggs who was solo for the first portion of the first lap. Throughout the first half of the race Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase stayed attentive and focused on hydrating with Osmo.

In the middle of the third lap there was a big split in the field over a steep kicker. Shawn and I were slightly caught out and he did a great job closing the gap. At that point I knew that the next ascent of the main climb would be decisive. Therefore I put myself in the best possible position and prepared to suffer. As expected the strong guys made there move and group of five split clear of the shattering field. I was close to making it but got caught in traffic and was not on the wheels of the escape. Luckily, I was in good company as Leece, Santos and one other rider were making a desperate effort to bridge over the top.

On the descent we joined forces and made a mad drive to get across. Once across the group was eight and we had to work. The gap slowly stretched out to a 1:30 over the 4th lap. On the 5th lap Cole House somehow bridged with another rider. It's never good to add riders to a breakaway yet it was nice to have the additional horsepower as the wind continued to kick up.

The breakaway started the final lap with a 1:50 lead and continued to work smoothly until the midway point where Cole House threw down a blistering attack. Only the Elbowz rider followed the wheel but I was able to work with Leece to get across without much drama. This gave me some confidence for the finish as the other riders appeared to be struggling. The remainder of the lap was uneventful as we sized each other up and prepared for the climb to the finish which included an extra 1 kilometer pitch from the normal circuit. Up to this point I was perfectly confident and was dreaming of a podium spot. However, as we started to climb I felt the twitches of a cramp in my quads and knew I had to be very careful. Often, I can prevent a full on cramp by avoiding any sharp accelerations.

Things were going according to plan until Leece attacked mid way up the climb. Surprisingly there was not much reaction but the pace went up significantly. The group started to shatter under the pressure and it was every man for himself to the finish line, which I crossed in 8th place. I would have loved to do better but it is a result that I am very proud of and have no regrets of how I rode the race. My equipment was perfect and the support of Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase is more than I could ask for.

Tomorrow we will try again in the crit. #MBFY

Davis 4th of July Criterium

By Brandon Trafton The Davis Fourth of July Criterium is truly one of Nor-Cal’s classic races. Despite the blistering heat, year after year, it is always sure to draw a competitive field. Because of the heat, we expected the race to be won from a break. We had planned to follow the attacks, and decided to reserve Dana for the sprint just in case it came down to a pack finish.

The attacks started early, never truly dying off. However, nothing got too far up the road. The moves that were going either did not contain enough riders, or the right mix of guys. We made sure we were represented through out the race, but with only 15 min remaining, a few of us predicted that a field sprint was likely. Sure enough, this is when the field began to split.

A dangerous move containing Ben Jacques-Maynes, Chuck Hutcheson and Nate English among others rolled off the front, leaving a splintering peloton behind. Within a few short laps however, it was all coming back together. As the break was caught, Nate English laid in a perfect attack taking a Folsom Bike rider with him. With only 3 laps to go, the gap was significant and we knew the race was now for 3rd place.

At 2 laps to go, Team Mike’s Bikes p/b Incase took control of the peloton and started the lead out for Dana Williams. Adam Switters took Dana around the final corner to a 3rd place finish (1st in the field sprint) and Adam managed to hang on for 5th (3rd in the sprint).

All in all it was a great race, hot, but very fun.

The Official Coffee of Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase...

It's official...Team Mike's Bikes p/b Incase (TMB) is excited to announce that locally based Equator Coffee & Teas (http://www.equatorcoffees.com) is the team's newest sponsor. We've been looking for a coffee company that believed in what we are trying to accomplish and wanted to come on board and help make it happen. We are thrilled to have found Equator Coffee & Teas. Equator is a San Rafael based company co-founded in 1995 by Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell. They have earned an outstanding reputation as purveyors and roasters who provide distinctive specialty coffees and rare teas at competitive prices, with unparallelled customer service. Their mission is to continue to be a growing customer-centric company, dedicated to quality, environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Their commitment is to procure distinctive coffees from growers who practice responsible land stewardship and bio friendly farming techniques. This commitment has won over renowned chefs like Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Bouchon Restaurants & Bakeries), Traci Des Jardins (Jardiniere), Elizabeth Faulker (Citizen Cake) and Pascal Rigo (Bay Bread).

"Cycling and coffee just go together. We've been looking for a coffee company to partner with since the beginning of the year," explained Dana Williams, one of the team's senior elite riders who also helps with team marketing. "The introduction to Equator was made by a current employee of Mike's Bikes who used to work for them. Matt Adams (President of Mike's Bikes) and I sat down with Helen, Brooke and their marketing team and shared the team's vision, core values and benefits team partners receive. They got it right away and jumped on board."

If you're wondering 'So how can I try some of Equator's exceptional coffee and tea and/or meet and ride with TMB riders?', then there's a perfect opportunity this weekend. Equator will be opening their very first coffee bar at Proof Lab Surf Shop in Mill Valley this Saturday (June 22nd). Everybody is invited to the Grand Opening weekend celebration.  Riders from TMB will be leading a ride around Paradise Drive departing the new coffee shop at 10AM.

Did we mention FREE coffee? Yep, Equator baristas will be serving up everything from freshly brewed coffee to cappuccinos all weekend long, plus herbal ice tea and hot chocolates for the kids. More details on the Grand Opening can be found here: Equator Coffees at Proof Lab.

We look forward to meeting new faces and supporters on Saturday.

Hydration Essentials

Team Mike’s Bikes is fortunate to use a great hydration product – Osmo.  Osmo Active Hydration brings together proven science and common sense – a sports drink’s primary function should be to hydrate. Osmo Pre-Load supplements even the best in-competition hydration plans to improve performance on the hottest days and in the toughest efforts. Just ask Peter Sagan. But this post isn’t about Osmo or the latest sports science on hydration. At the end of the day, one thing about hydration is universally accepted – if you lose your bottles during a race, what’s in them doesn’t really matter.

Enter the water bottle cage – the unsung hero of hydration.

What matters most about a water bottle cage? First and foremost, your bottle needs to stay in it. In three years of racing, when the roads have gotten rough – and we certainly have our share of those in Nor Cal – TMB bottles have stayed put. From Madera, to Copperopolis, to Challenge, when rough roads jettison bottles left and right, ours have stayed securely in our BikeSmart HydroCarbon 4 Carbon Fiber Bottle Cages.

And better still, these cages get the job done while weighing in under 20 grams. And with a sleek profile that sits flush to the bottle, you’ll add about as little drag as possible while carrying a standard bottle. The aerodynamic engineers that spend hundreds of hours on your frame will appreciate it. It’s hard to argue how you buy a better upgrade for your bike for just $44.

Holloway Returns to the Pro Peleton

dholloway

TMB p/b Incase wishes Daniel Holloway all the best in his well deserved return to the pro peloton. We couldn’t have asked for a better teammate this year, both on and off the bike. From the valuable advice on the road, great wins, to the bear meat for the Bolognese sauce at team camp – thank you. Read more about what’s next for Daniel in CyclingNews and on his blog.

Memorial Day Criterium

Memorial Day is a special day in many ways for many Americans.  I've been spending my Memorial days in previous years by racing my bike in Morgan Hill at an industrial park area. Others spend their day barbecuing or remembering all of our soldiers that fight for us today and for the past hundreds of years for our freedom and protection from the rest of the world. I want to give a quick shout out to any and all families and cyclists that has been in the military and on behalf of the entire nation of our great nation, we thank you for your service!!! Now back to the race. It's a fast course with lots of wind and it can be very hard if you aren't in position during the right time. The team's plan was to be aggressive and go for the primes and set up for a field sprint at the end to lead out Daniel and/or I. The race started out pretty fast as guys were flying off the front like no other but I knew it was a 70 minute race so I conserved and planned my attacks  accordingly. Daniel ended up getting a prime early in the race and then there were multiple breakaways that never really got any significant gap until about the halfway point where a Bear Development rider and Marc Pro rider were away and I knew we had to at least be represented so I attacked out of the field and jumped across. We worked together nicely for a few laps but I made sure I was conserving my energy, knowing that we would eventually get reeled in. We did a couple laps later and then Tyler Brandt from Get Crackin' attacked and got a significant gap. Then a Bear Development rider (Tobin Ortenblad) and David  Benkoski (Team Clif Bar) were able to bridge up to Brandt and got a large enough gap where I couldn't see them on the front straightaway. Travis, Marcus, Steve, and one of our masters riders went to the front and worked together to bring the gap down, unfortunately, they couldn't bring it entirely back so Daniel had to take a long hard pull with 4 to go. By now we could see them and guys were trying to chase them back and by 1 lap to go, they were right there and we caught them with 1/2 laps to go! Daniel had to make the final effort to close them down in the headwind section so we had to sit up because we wouldn't have been able to lead it out from there. Team Clif Bar came by us and Daniel got right on them and we waited until a swarm started to come up with about 400 meters to go and I told Daniel "UP!! NOW!" and he went and we were 1-2 around the last corner with Logan Loader right behind us (Cash Call Mortgage).  I took the wrong line around the last turn, going around on the outside thinking that I could carry my speed around it but it actually slowed me down as I just took the turn wider than what I need to do and Logan took the inside. He had the advantage on me at first  but I slowly caught up to him as the sprint ensued and with a bike throw I was able to win by about the thickness of the carbon on my Zipp 404's (3-4 inches!).

I want to thank all of our sponsors for their continual support for the team! We appreciate everything that you do for us and help us with to fulfill the teams' goals for the year and yours! Also, I want to thank the team for all of their hard efforts for me today to put me in the best possible position for the win and I'm happy to stand on the top step of the podium for them!  Thank you!!

--James LaBerge

Rosenthal Wins District Road Race Title

By Shawn Rosenthal You only have a few races throughout the year that truly justify putting down that fourth slice of pie or deny yourself that third helping of chocolate covered ice cream.  This would be one of those races.  Something to do with a climb that is the tallest in the bay area.  Oh, right.  They've got a flock of observatories at the peak.

This year it's cold and wet.  I think I heard some whining and complaining.  At that point I decided it was time for headphones to keep those thoughts muffled.  I still heard them.  Turns out those were my thoughts.  I may have started the race with a thermal jacket only to ditch it 2km into the race.  Worth it.

In years past, the pace up the climb has varied from "ok, this is manageable" to "my eyes are bleeding".  This year was far toward the later and then some.  We start heading up the hill and immediately the line of riders spreads out single file, detaching some within the first 10 minutes of the climb.  My team set up the race to allow me to conserve as much energy as possible.  While they were holding together the race, I was floating through the group, staying sheltered from wind and any accelerations.  On the final part of the climb, the pace picked up and I was 20 wheels back with the 2012 winner, Tyler Brandt.  He starts losing contact with the wheel in front of him.  I've ridden with this guy.  He's fast.  He gets KOMs on Santa Rosa ground.  This is where I knew I needed to get up to the front of the race immediately.  As I was moving up I saw gaps opening up as I passed by like one of those wooden bridges in cartoons where they would fall apart while running across.  I was in a small group that was making time up the road quick.  Not too much longer, Kirk Carlson (Predator Cycling) puts in a vicious attack that only a brave Sam Bassetti (Cal Giant) could follow.  I "decided" to stick behind with the horsepower of my teammate, Steve O'Mara, Adrien Costa (Slipstream-Craddock), Jack Maddux (Specialized Jr Racing),  Art Rand (Marc Pro Strava), and Justin Rossi (Marc Pro Strava).  With a blistering pace, we were only 20 seconds behind the duo up the road by the summit.

We start going down the hill and not wanting to lose my teammate, I hold back and let the others set the pace. Almost immediately, Costa takes off. I follow him and within two turns we are out of site and closing in on the two up the road. Seeing he's spinning out his 14t cassette, I give some help on the straights and we make our way up. Costa and Carlson do the pacing on the hills. Bassetti and I give what we can on the flats. We get note that 3 are 30 seconds behind. I was assuming this was 2 Marc Pro and my teammate. This was not too bad a situation.  The rider covering Rossi and Rand in the chase group was the fastest sprinter in the race, my teammate, Daniel Holloway, depressing the motivation of the chase that much more.  I knew my teammates put their trust in me and would be there for me in the field.  On the feedzone hill the chase group is closing down. Carlson and Costa push the pace. I sit on, doing what I can to survive. Bassetti loses pace after a heroic effort up the Hamilton slope. We work together and are surprisingly caught with about 12 miles to go by the Marc Pro duo, Rossi and Rand.

I continue pulling through; however, I am immediately gapped off when I roll behind the second Marc Pro rider. I had a feeling it would start getting really nasty if we got caught and it did. It's racing and they were making some good moves to go for the win. For the remaining miles it was a mix of Rossi pulling like a motor, someone attacking, cover, someone attacking, cover, Carlson pulling, someone attacking, etc.

Knives were digging into my legs with every acceleration. I kept reminding myself of those who have gotten me here today and let the knives dig a little deeper.

We finally make it down to the final 1.5km and I am caught on the front after leading the descent. I am first off relieved that we're so close and also straight up terrified to be in such a vulnerable position. Costa attacks with 1km to go. I halfway cover and pull off. Carlson takes over. I follow him. Rossi takes over. I follow him. Carlson starts sprinting with 500 to go and I am slow to get on his wheel. I attach with 300 to go, recover until 250m when I felt a lull and gave it a go. I have played this moment in my head for years. At the time, I kept wondering if this was a lucid dream.

I heard later that roman was putting in dig after dig to cover moves, eventually having to stop for a double flat.  I heard he stopped, content with the situation, and said calmly "Shawn is up in the breakaway, they'll stay away and, he'll win the race in a sprint."  Leadership like that makes the racing so much smoother and revive the confidence needed to win races.

Holloway Wins Berkeley Hills

By Daniel Holloway It had been some time since I last raced Berkeley Hills. I don’t recall much about my last experience, but I’m sure I didn't finish. Our team tactic was simple and one we have been using as of late. For now I will keep it a secret as it seems to be working. The race started at and nice early 7:30 AM and the weather was surprisingly warm. It was clear hydration was going to be key – the more Osmo we could get, the better.

Once we made the turn on to San Pablo Dam (SPD) road we started to launch our attacks, and then covering anything that went across. Nothing really got established on the first lap.

The second time down SPD Switters launched and got a solid gap with another rider. Third time around the race got aggressive again and Shawn and I found ourselves in a group of ten or so. As we get to the bottom of the climbs Shawn says he isn't feeling great, I asked for some food and he filled my pockets. Rather than destroying himself to stay in the break he went back to the field to tell the rest of the guys we needed to reset the break away.

A half lap later Roman and Steve made it up to the group, savior arrives. I had a quick chat with Roman about how we should ride, I was feeling really good and felt I could get the job done in the right circumstances. Roman and Steve rolled through with the rest of the breakaway while I sat at the back playing poker, only pulling through when I had to, not to disrupt the rhythm.

On the last lap and a half roughly 6 riders had come across from the field. In some ways not ideal, in some ways it was good for us. It meant more guys to use to hide and more guys to chase any attacks. But it was bad because a team gained more firepower and also there was more riders to attack and us possibly chase our moves.

The last time across SPD the attacks started to go. Roman and Steve followed everything or brought it all back together. Mooney attacked a small roller and got a gap, as we turned to the climbs the gap was going out and a rider from Strava bridged across. I had to play in patient as I only had one really big effort. Kirk and Costa set the pace up the first climb. As we reached the part where it flattens off, it was only four of us. Kirk, Rossi, Costa and myself.

Now was the time for me to go if I was going to make it across, an all out effort up the last bit of the first climb into the short down hill to recover and the up the small roller before the decent into the final climb. I made it to Mooney and the Strava rider right before the decent, as we hit the flat part before the last climb the Strava rider attacked. Mooney didn't want to work so I had to ride within myself hoping the gap didn't go out too much. As we made it up the climb I put in a couple surges to see if Mooney was bluffing or not. I could see the Strava rider start to struggle as the climb got a little bit steeper to the finish line. With 150meters to go I launched with what I had left in the tank and got the Win for TMB-INCASE clique.

Today, saving energy was crucial. And I was able to do so thanks to my teammates, Specialized Venge and Zipp Firecrest 404s. The sun was out right from the beginning, having the Zealous sunscreen was key too along with having OSMO nutrition to stay hydrated before during and after was crucial to the team’s performance.