2016 Chico Stage Race - Thunderhill Circuit

words: Craig Fellers images: Alex Chiu

Adrenaline is always high coming up to the Chico Stage Race.  For 2016, the stakes have been raised once again, as the prize purse creeps up towards $10,000 and more professional teams conglomerate to seek the glory of the “New Merco” season opener.  Stage 1 is held at Thunderhill Raceway, a premier racecar and motorcycle track just outside of Willows, Ca.  Sweeping turns and immaculate pavement will be a warm welcome, as lesser teams fear the potholes and gravel to come the next day in the Paskenta Road Race.

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Taking the line, TMB P/B Equator had 9 racers led by our captains, Roman Kilun and Adam Switters both expecting a sprint finish for our champion, Garret Hankins.  With such perfect road conditions, attacks are challenging, and wind historically has not been a factor.  Our goal was to keep Garrett protected, let other teams waste their legs, and sheppard him to the line, not taking the front until 1 to go.  At the start we were joined by Rally (former Optum) Canyon Cycling, LUX, KHS, Axeon, Jamis, and Herbalife to round out the 100 rider P1 field.

Just 2 laps in, good attacks started flying.  This is not quite how we expected the race to unfold.  With Rally being the major contender for GC, we were keen to avoid moves with them getting away.  Adam and Chris followed a strong move with 2 other Rally riders in a group of 9 that stayed away for about 12 miles, but was eventually brought back.  Aria keenly followed the next moves which didn't last as long.  With 1.5 laps to go, Jason Saltzman made a solo breakaway up the climb, and we decided to take the front early and start our leadout. 

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Adam did the majority of the work for the first half lap, leaving Reese and Craig to take the front crossing 1 to go.  They rotated for another half lap getting Chris to the base of the hill followed by Roman, Cam, Colin and Garrett.  The Rally train was starting to work their way up through the field vying for position.  Going over the hill, Garrett lost his wheel and was gobbled up by the field; Roman, Cam and Colin quickly made plans to have Colin sprint.  Down the back side of the hill Rally took over the front, Roman, Cam and Colin surfed and into the final corner, Roman unleashed Colin for the sprint… right into the back of a crash.  A KHS rider crossed wheels with a Jamis rider and hit the deck right in front of Colin, who had nowhere to go but down at nearly 40mph. Cam made it around the crash, but could only make it back to 17th. 

While Colin escaped with just aches, pains and some road rash, it was a tough start for the 2016 stage race.

2016 Merced Criterium

The day after Snelling road race was the Merced Criterium. The Merced Criterium course has all sorts of chicanes, rough pavement, reflectors, sharp corners, and even shoots through a tight alleyway. Add to that the presence of Rally Cycling (formerly Optum), and this race promised to be fast and aggressive. The TMBEquator squad included Roman, Chris, Reese, Cam Piper, and Garrett.

As expected, the race started fast, with plenty of attacks flying one after another. Roughly a third of the way into the 60 minutes race, Roman, Reese and Chris were able to make it into the front leading group of about a dozen riders. Garrett and Cameron made a hard chase to get to the front group with a huge amount of help from team Herbalife. Willie Myers, the sprinter for Herbalife, had also missed the split, which allowed Cam and I to sit back a bit and allow Herbalife to give us a ride to the front group.

Attacks immediately resumed after the regroup, but nothing was getting away as easily at this point. Finally, with about 10 minutes left in the race, Chris got into a break with a Rally rider and an Herbalife rider. They quickly built up a sizable gap. Things were looking good for us. That was until we came around turn 1 to find Chris on the ground, looking quite unhappy. As it turns out, an angsty teen on a bmx bike decided to ride into the course right in front of the break. Chris had nowhere to go and piled into him.

We now had to chase down the Rally and Herbalife rider who had about a 20 second gap. Unfortunately for Herbalife, their rider had gotten dropped from Rally. After we brought back the Herbalife rider, it was their turn to help chase. The final Rally rider was caught with about 3 to go, and from that point TMBEquator hovered near the front, allowing Rally to set the pace. In the final lap, Garrett followed Roman closely through the tight corners and chicanes. Roman set him up beautifully, getting him out of the final corner in 4th wheel. From there it was 250 meters to the line. Garrett opened it up just before Brad Huff (Rally) hit the gas, and was able to come by the two Rally riders in front of him to take the win!

2016 Folsom Criterium

words: Travis Lyons

This morning, I woke up early to get in a short spin on my Venge ViAS. I had a little trouble yesterday with the front derailleur after installing my powermeter, and the guys at MB Walnut Creek, Nico and Rob, got it dialed in a jiffy. This morning’s ride was mostly just to make sure the power read right, and to get the legs loose before driving up to Folsom in the afternoon.

Adam Switters, my only teammate for the day, arrived at the race shortly before Sean and me. Adam and I planned to trade off covering moves in the early part of the race, and to execute the same winning plan Adam made with Garrett a year earlier.

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As the peloton, 42 riders strong, made its way around the semi-rectangular course, attacks from Herbalife24, CoreTechs, SquadraSF, and Max Jenkins (Astellas) kept everyone on their toes. Numerous small breaks of six or seven riders got up the road, but with no more than fifteen seconds at most on the bunch. Adam and I both made great use of our Evade aero helmets and the Venge ViAS’ aerodynamic prowess, which easily floated us up from the field to the breakaways.

Going into the final lap, Herbalife24 picked up the pace, still with 4 riders on the front. Adam and I held the inside line around the backside of the course. Bryan Larsen (Echelon-Storck) made his signature move with 400m to go, flying around the outside of the long right curve, causing Herbalife24 to jump to close down his advantage. There was a brief hesitation, and Adam accelerated up the inside with me on his wheel as we approached the last corner. I sprinted past Adam and kept Willy Myers (Herbalife24) on the long route around me to the line. Randy Bramblett (CoreTechs) rounded out the podium for third, and my carpool Sean (Dolce Vita) finished fifth!

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I’m really happy to have gotten the first win for the team this year!

2016 Men's Team Camp: Day Three

words: Aria Kiani images: Mike's Bikes

For the last day of camp, we set out on the Chileno Valley Grasshopper course put together by the Grasshopper Adventure series. Starting from Occidental, 80 miles with 7k of climbing.

The day started with an array of breakfast options prepared by Team Acca. To start, homemade waffles, eggs, oatmeal with an assortment of grains, and the crowd favorite, a mango carbo-loaded smoothie. Chef Matthew Accarino sources his ingredients himself for the finest quality to fuel our riders. We are entirely grateful to have such a talented chef who races himself and knows exactly what cyclists need. He was able to join us for our last epic adventure of this camp.

The run along Highway 1 consisted of sweeping high-speed turns. We were rotating in a double pace line at over 30mph with Chef Acca by our side. Wilson Hill was the next big feature; 5 minutes long at 10% gave a little test to our early season legs. We put in another big effort on Chileno Valley, where coastal winds became unpredictably gusty and where our new Venge ViAS felt most at home.

Valiant Effort and Bad Luck at the 2016 Snelling Road Race

Date: February 20, 2016

Category: M123 35+

I set my alarm for 4:00 am and then reconsidered and changed it to 3:45 - oof.  Pre-made my favorite steel cut oats, loaded up my bottles with Osmo and made sure my go to Probar Bolts and Fuel were on board.  My Specialized Venge ViAS and gear bag had been packed and ready for two days.  It must be the start of the NorCal road racing season with Snelling RR as the official kickoff.  Snelling is a classic race with major bragging rights and Team Mike’s Bikes Masters was returning with the reigning champion from last year who also happens to be the 2015 National Criterium Champion - Dana Williams.  We had a strong team to support him with individuals who could also win this race pending how it played out.  New signees for 2016, Rob Amatelli and Mathew Oliver David Magpie Manymiddlenames Sloan, were in the line up with Christian Hobbs, Oliver Ryan, David Allen and myself.  

We met up before the start of the race already pinned up and looking smart in our Capo custom kits.  We went over our plan to make sure we did not miss out on any dangerous moves that may include some of the usual strong man suspects like Patrick Stanko (the STAND), Jonathon Baker (Chico Masters), Michael Sayers, Craig Roemer (Specialized), Kevin Metcalfe (Peet’s), Josh Dapice (Specialized), Chris Phipps (Thirsty Bear), Scott Giles (Art’s) and the list goes on and on in this star studded field.  We would have to be a bit selective in what moves to cover as we had fewer numbers than some teams.  We have the best leadout train in NorCal and wanted this to come down to a sprint finish for Dana.

The whistle blew after the neutral roll out and it was on.  Stanko started the fireworks and Phipps was on it.  I believe Patterson (Peet’s) made the move, too.  Specialized went to work and I recall Chico Masters getting involved with some others including our Chris Hobbs to keep the break in check and dangling off the front.  Everything was looking good and this strong field was not going to let this break make it.  We were heading into the rough bridge and Dana warned competitors and teammates alike to be careful crossing it as we approached.  Dana double flatted - come on karma - WTH.  Without a moment hesitation, Matthew Sloan was asking which wheel Dana needed and sacrificed his race.  Truly selfless and I mean this happened before Dana’s wheels were all the way flat = #teamplayer.  Oli Ryan stopped to help bring Dana back as well.  I’d like to take a quick moment here as these things are not trivial.  It was windy and already showing to be a hard race and these guys knew how incredibly hard a chase was going to be and accepted the challenge.  I am on a great team.  Oli ended up catching back on only to flat (sigh) and Dana chased like a madman and got close, but did not make it as several strong men were chasing the break in earnest.  Had the break not been up the road, Dana makes it back I think.  

Well, that’s bike racing and one needs to adapt.  So I go from leadout man to sprinter in my mind until I see Dana again and prepare myself mentally for my new role.  The break is finally brought back and things settle a little.  Then the accelerations started up again in earnest.  The elastic started to stretch more and more and Stanko and Jonathon Baker sensed this and attacked on the tailwind section and got a gap.  We knew this was dangerous as Specialized was looking tired from chasing the first break and the other teams, including us, were not in a place to start a chase.  You could see the change in pedaling style as fatigue was creeping in.  Metcalfe made a move and this brought out Dapice and others, but only Metcalfe and Dapice got clear.  So, 2 up the road, 2 chasing and the field is tired.  Amatelli and Hobbs were marking moves and very active allowing David Allen and myself to rest for a sprint.  Thirsty Bear was making some attempts to chase here and there and it looked like a race for 5th for us.  

One lap to go and I moved into the top 5-10 spots with the plan to stay there to assure good position for the sprint as it is difficult to move up on the rough and windy Figmond Rd.  Amatelli, Hobbs and Allen made their way to me and I was protected and feeling good with teammates near by.  It is a really special feeling to be protected like this and any fatigue in your legs just disappears giving you a major advantage in a sprint.  Amatelli took the front like a boss and we took the left hand turn onto Figmond with Bryant (Peet’s) 2nd wheel, Hobbs 3rd and me 4th.  We started to catch other fields and I was telling Rob to stay right to gutter the field and he did a great job doing this and staying safe passing the other riders also on the right side of the road.  Bryant ended up on the front and smartly moved left allowing room for his team to move up on the right and shielded from the wind.  I did not like this, but I had David Allen right in front of me and we were nearing the final right hand turn in great position.  We were almost to the final turn and Specialized sprint duo of leadout Espy and sprinter Chris Baker did their previous years podium winning 1-2 punch leadout and came by fast on the inside line.  I jumped to get on this move.  I recall being 4th through the turn and there was a little gap ahead of me.  I sprinted hard from the corner and came by Espy just after Baker launched his sprint.  It was a long way to go still so I sat down to regroup as much as I could and put one last effort into the final little rise to the finish line coming up about a bike length short.  Baker took the field sprint and Novikoff pipped me at the line so it was 7th for MIke’s Bikes today.  Jonathon Baker took the W, Stanko 2nd, Metcalfe 3rd and Dapice 4th.

We had some laughs and food together after the race and these are some of my favorite times with our team.  We had some bad luck and the result was not what we were looking for, but had a great time and the team is clearly ready for Chico next weekend.

2016 Men's Team Camp: Day Two

words: Roman Kilun images: Andrew Goessling & Mike's Bikes

Day two of camp was scheduled to be the big ride of the weekend. Kings Ridge, Tin Barn, HWY 1 and Coleman Valley. In addition to some serious training the other goal for the ride was to work with our photographers to get some action shots of the team on the new bikes. All fueled on Equator Speed Blend we kitted up and got out the door. As team captain, it warmed my heart that everyone was ready on time and looking super fly for photos.

The first portion of the ride was fast and flat. Big smiles were had all around as we realized how silly fast these Vias bikes really are. As we rode and chatted the Caesar chaffered the photographers to get “the shot.” It was all fun and games until the base of King Ridge when our Colin Daw, our national champion, set a hard pace and the conversation was a minimum. The views were incredible, the weather was great, and the pain in the legs was just right. Once at the top we stopped for a big group photo and refilled on Osmo. The climbing was by no means over but everyone was quite relieved to have main climb over. 

An hour later we reached the coast just north of Fort Ross. At this point we spit up into 2 groups to practice on pace lines and to do some intensity. The plan was ride hard for 20k but no one wanted to stop and we smashed each other all the way to Bodega, some 30 miles later. Hungry and tired, we still had the climb up Coleman Valley to get home. 

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Once within spitting distance of the house the guys started turning to me and asking about dinner… and I honestly did not know. We did not have much food in the house but I did know that a chef was coming to cook for us. It was five o’clock and I did not expect that he had arrived… but I am glad I was wrong. As we came into the house we realized that our chef, Matt Accarino (of SPQR) and had arrived, and he had made us the most amazing spread I have ever seen at any team event.  It was a cornucopia of treats, all perfect for recovery. And we were told that this was just to tide us over until dinner.. we were over the moon. 

After snacks and showers, Chef Accarino did a really informative presentation on race food preparation and how to cook a variety of grains. The team was super curious and got to try a dozen new ingredients. And then, it was dinner. Moroccan chicken, truffle risotto, roasted squash, and herb salad with grapefruit. Everything was beyond delicious and made with love. It was obvious that Accarino is a world-class chef and the next day we would learn that he is also a very good bike rider.

2016 Men's Team Camp: Day One

words: Cameron Bronstein images: Andrew Goessling

After an early morning at work, I pedaled home to meet part of the East Bay crew (Roman and Reese). We hit the road in Roman’s sweet old car for Novato to meet up with Caesar --our selfless mechanic-- and team papas Matt Adams and Steve Pelaez. It was quite the job to pack up our Toyota Sienna with the team’s gear from all of our sponsors: ProBar, Capo Cycling Apparel, Specialized Evade helmets and Sub6 shoes, Look Pedals, and BikeSmart gear. Amazingly everything fit in the Sienna and we were off. What a way to start the weekend in seeing the Mike’s Bikes warehouse, where a team of mechanics spends countless hours building all the bikes for Mike’s Bikes, including our new Specialized Venge ViAS team bikes. 

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We made our way through the green Sonoma pastures and up the familiar grade of Joy Rd. in Occidental where we’d be staying for the weekend (huge thanks to Travis Lyons for setting us up with an amazing cabin). A few quick introductions later and we finally took off for the first ride of the weekend. Rain, wet roads, and a couple punctures kept the intensity mellow, but we had a fun time familiarizing ourselves with the steep curves of Coleman Valley Rd. which would serve as a motif for the weekend’s rides. 

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We got all cleaned up from our muddy ride and relaxed for a bit, chatting about our awesome new bikes and our excitement for dinner. As forever hungry cyclists, we all opted for the “Dinner” option for entrees at Negri’s Original, which included countless sides and a seemingly endless amount of delicious Italian food. I was not one to complain! A long dinner later and we were getting more food for breakfast across the road. It was here that our team camp anthem was found and some major dance moves were thrown down (Fairfax by Gladiator).

As the evening came to a close, some of us played with our bikes while the rest divvied out our team gear. What a feeling to make a separate “stars and stripes” pile for all of our past and current National Champions -- a true testament to the depth and hard work of our riders! Cheers to a great first day of camp.

Victory for Williams at the 2016 Cherry Pie Criterium

Date: February 7, 2016

Category: M123 35+

For many racers, the Cherry Pie Criterium signifies the start of racing in Northern California. I and six of my Team Mike's Bikes p/b Equator Coffee teammates pulled up to the line on a mix of Specialized bikes, ranging from last year's Venge, the new Venge Vias and Tarmac. Fuelled with caffeine from Equator coffee and energized with Probar fuel, bolt and meal bars, we were ready to roll. With two of the bigger NorCal teams having training camp this weekend, Thirsty Bear and Squadra, plus the Redkite Bump Circuit race also taking place, and don't forget the Super Bowl, let's just say the field wasn't huge! There was just over 20 riders and TMB certainly had the largest representation. That said, there were a couple former pros who are notorious NorCal strong men who we definitely had to keep an eye on; in particular Michael Sayers and Scott McKinley.

Our team plan was to have three guys marking early moves. Then with about 20 minutes to go, if nothing had been established, two or three guys, including myself, were to look to get a break going. If it came down to a bunch sprint then we had a designated lead out and would be working to get Scott Cox the win.

The race started and right from the gun there were a few hard accelerations which strung out the field and got everybody's heart pumping. Over the next 15-20 minutes there were a few breaks that got up the road. We did a good job of making sure TMB was represented in each. Finally, a group of eight riders were let go, includingthree Mike's Bikes guys (Chris Hobbs, Dave Allen and Oliver Ryan) and Michael Sayers.

Once the break had extended it's distance from the chase group, in which I was in, some words were shared on the dissatisfaction of how my team was riding. Essentially, it was interpreted that we were sitting on the front and blocking. In one hand, I understood the point being made. But on the other hand, the number of riders we had in the chase group versus competitors created this situation to a degree. At one point, after being tired of hearing the complaining, I shouted to my teammates to drop to the back. We did so, and then an attack came, which actually made it easier for us to cover since we could see it. On the opposite side of these 'voiced concerns', some riders may view our positioning on the front advantageous because it made it more difficult to mark bridge attempts that we couldn't see coming. In any case, I can guarantee we as a team were not blatantly blocking, or doing it on purpose. In fact, I can recount two times where a TMB teammate chased down a break with a team member in it, in addition to towing the field too.  

Fast forward about a half lap, feeling slightly annoyed by the way the dissatisfaction was handled, I decided it was worth trying to bridge to the front group if the opportunity presented itself. There was a little slowing, a slight uphill and a head-cross wind....opportunity knocked, so I decided to go for it. I made the bridge after about a minute of all out riding. I then let my three teammates know I was there and they kept the pace rolling. At one point, Michael Sayers put in a strong move and we decided it was best to let him sit out there for a while. Of note, I later found out he had raced the 45+ race just before this one and essentially soloed off the front from the beginning and stayed away. Strong riding sir! I have to give credit where credit is due. Back to the race, with the break seeing the tail end of the main field, there was a little concern Sayers could possibly bridge up to them so we soon decided to bring him back.

Move to almost half way through the last lap, I was sixth wheel, right behind teammate Dave Allen. He was behind Sayers, who was fourth wheel, behind my two teammates, Ryan and Hobbs and one other riders. I asked Dave if he wanted to switch up and he agreed. Oli took us through two more turns and pulled off and Hobbs took over. He lead us to and around a 180 turn roundabout, exited and accelerated towards the short 6-7% climb. As we were just onto it, Sayers moved to the left and began to wind it up. From the top of the hill to the line, it was about a 20sec sprint into a head-cross wind coming from the right. Sayers was smart and stayed all the way to the left, forcing me hit the wind if and when I tried to go by him. I felt strong so I got a little run at his back wheel before hitting the wind and was able to make it by him and hit the line first for the win.

Following the podium presentation, the team gathered around our vehicles in the parking lot and enjoyed some post race food; quinoa and vegetable salad with buttermilk biscuits provided by our new team chef, Matthew Accarrino of SPQR in San Francisco (We feel so fortunate to have a one star Michelin chef looking after our nutrition needs this year.) This was washed down with what we all really came for, the notorious cherry pie, given to the winner of each race. Special thanks to teammate Matthew Sloan for bringing forks and whip cream....glad somebody was thinking ahead.