Snelling Race Report

By Melanie Wong

Snelling has always been one of those races on my “hit list” - a classic NorCal course with power climbs, windy false flats and a kicker uphill finish. I’ve been lucky enough to be within the top spots for the past couple years, so I knew the course favored my punchy riding style. However, unlike past years, I didn’t really want to go into the race with an overly formal plan. Chatting casually in the parking with Amy, we had pretty general goals: be active, race hard, conserve when appropriate and be ready to set-up the sprint if it came down to it.

This year the small women’s field had two dominant teams (5 from JL Velo and 4 from Cyclesport Specialized) along with two strong unattached riders. On lap one Sarabeth Liebert (Cyclesport Specialized), rolled away from the field while JL was tempoing at the front. Since it was so early in the race, I wasn’t overly concerned with this escapee, but as the gap widened with no response from JL Velo I became more and more nervous. The Snelling course has many turns in it. Once a rider gets “out of sight, out of mind” it can be hard to bring them back. Halfway through lap 2, with Sarabeth 1 minute up the road, I started to put in small attacks to elevate the pace. Amy countered my attacks and Megan Ruble (Cyclesport Specialized) did the same to try and break away from the field. Bit by bit we pulled back Sarabeth and by the start of lap 3, the group was together, minus 3 JL Velo riders who were dropped.

With the first signs of strain starting to show in the field, Amy threw down laps 3 and 4. When she wasn’t sharing the pacemaking with the Cyclesport Specialized riders, she was attacking the roller hills. All her hard work meant that I could sit in, recover and conserve as much energy as possible. I only countered or attacked when the composition of riders or the terrain made it particularly beneficial. By the end of lap 4 we had dropped two more riders from Cyclesport Specialized, and the remaining members of the field were preparing for the sprint.

Heading into the final, long “L” stretch stretch before the finish, riders were jockeying for position.  We knew I needed to be top 4 going into the final right hand turn, so Amy worked with Megan to keep the pace up, while I sat snugly 3rd wheel. In the final 200m before the turn, Eleanor Velez (Unattached) emerged from the left side of the group to pass Amy and be the first into the turn, taking the outside line. I jumped with her and used the inside line to my advantage to bridge up to her quickly. As I approached her rear wheel, I kicked hard and attacked through her then sprinted the rest of the way to the line.

I can’t say thanks enough to Amy for her incredible amounts of work - it was truly a team effort that out-manned and out-gunned we were still able to pull off the win and finish with sweaty faces, sore muscles, and big smiles.

2nd for Markelz from the Break - Snelling Road Race 2018

by Todd Markelz

Team: Dave Allen, Rob Amatelli, Sam Bennett, Scott Cox, Todd Markelz, Craig Roemer, Oli Ryan, Matthew Sloan

Everyone always looks forward to Snelling. In many ways it feels like the official kick-off to the road racing season in northern California. With a strong squad of eight starting, TMB had lots of cards to play in either a breakaway situation or a full field sprint.

The morning of the race was cold. My Garmin read 35 degrees on the starting line and most of the field was bundled up to race in full leg warmers. There was one notable exception though. Rob is not “most of the field” and he wouldn’t be caught dead covering up his glistening guns no matter what mother nature threw at him. After a shivering neutral roll out we arrived at the 12 mile loop that our field would complete a total of five times.

As soon as the moto-ref pulled off attacks started to fly. A thinly veiled attempt just to get warm? Perhaps. Riffelmacher from Olympic Club was active as were a number of Pete’s and Thirsty Bear riders. The first lap was defined by persistent attempts by various sets of riders to form the early break. Per the pre-race plan TMB was all over the front of the race ensuring representation in each and every move. It was an excellent piece of team racing and on numerous occasions I found myself chasing down a move only to get reeled back by the field, only to see another attack fly, and smiling as a teammate shot past me to cover it.

Late into the first lap a 10-or-so man break formed containing our own Rob along with other contenders such as Riffelmacher. Their gap grew as the rest of the field relaxed but it didn’t stretch very far. Always insight, the breakaway sat out front for the better part of a full lap but eventually fell apart and was reabsorbed. There was a relative calm as the race crossed the finish line and headed out onto lap 4.

After the right hand turn onto Keyes Rd, the long straight shot heading west on the course, the wind had started to pick up blowing in from the south. The field began to stretch and I was sitting about mid-pack when I saw a streak of blue pass me on the right. It was Claudio of Thirsty Bear and he was accelerating in an attack. I jumped onto his wheel and we shot off the front of the field. Knowing Claudio is strong on the flats and would be willing to collaborate to establish a break I quickly pulled through and kept the pressure on. After three or four rotations we started to get company as the field felt the danger of this late race move. Cottell made the bridge, along with Evans, Coble, and a few others. The group settled around 8 strong and everyone started working with the exception of Evans who was content to just sit on.

Lap 4 flew by and our lead over the field grew to about a minute and a half. We crossed the finish line to begin the fifth and final lap and I was pretty confident that the break would stick to the end. After turning on to Keyes Road for the last time Evans put in a surprise attack from the back of the break which definitely didn’t go over well given the amount of work he was not doing for the previous full lap. Coble chased him down and order was restored. Heading into the final 5km several members of the break were starting to fade and it was clear a further selection was imminent. On the hill after the bridge I got to the front and started to lift the pace. This strung out the break and tailed a couple of people off the back. I kept the pace high around the right hand bend and into the two rollers that are effectively the final bumps before the finish. Still on the front I started to accelerate again when I hear yelling followed by the crashing of carbon on asphalt. Apparently Coble jumped from the back of the break to come up alongside me. In the process, a rider attempted to grab his wheel but collided with another and a crash ensued taking out several others. Coble and I pressed on without looking back and Evans was able to avoid the tangle and chase back up to us. The three of us rode into the finale still about a minute clear of the field.

We turned onto Figmond Ave (aka the crappy part of the course) and the games begin. Coble is doing most of the work on the front, I start taking half pulls, and Evans continues to sit on. Coble starts getting nervous and continues to look back. Eventually he’s telling me that the field is coming and we need to keep riding or we won’t make it. Given the field contained our sprinter for the day, Sam, I wasn’t overly concerned with getting caught so I continued light pulls in an effort to save up enough to try and best Coble and Evans in the sprint. But Coble was determined to stay away and he worked just hard enough to ensure that outcome. Coble led through the final corner, I was in second wheel, and Evans was behind me. There was a crash from another field on the right side of the road in the final stretch and a race ref was waving us to be cautious which ruled out a surprise early jump. While clearing the crash I eased up and Coble rolled alongside my right. As soon as we started the small climb to the line I opened up my sprint with Coble accelerating along side me. He quickly pulled ahead and I got onto his wheel. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough to pull around him and crossed the line in 2nd. The fast chasing field was a mere 30 seconds back and Sam completely smashed everyone to take 4th. 

Of course winning is always better but I left the day satisfied. I felt great throughout the race and that is a good indication for the rest of the season ahead! The team also rode super strong all day, especially in the early stages of the race. Everyone was aggressive yet smart at the same time. Although I was the one who was lucky enough to end up in the race winning move, had that move failed I’m confident that a teammate would have been there to force the next one!

Team Camp 2018!

I was particularly excited about this team camp, for a couple reasons.  It was going to be in Santa Cruz, my hometown and best city for cycling (in the world?!), our team roster boasted 11 of my favorite cycling friends, and the weather was going to be perfect.

Friday night we all showed up at the host house with bikes spilling out of cars and hugs and chatter all around.   Amy opened up the Equator box and handed around our Equator beanies and bags of fresh coffee.  I handed out the team t-shirts and broke open the box of Gu product for the weekend.  It was the ultimate cyclist partay.  Even the two host house kittens made friends and cautiously investigated the noisy living room.  

Saturday dawned clear and COLD.  After a huge breakfast by our own Melanie (oatmeal, and bacon and scrambled eggs, and baked cinnamon apples!!!) complete with the requisite Equator French presses, we went through the typical layers on and layers off and finally rolled down the hill into the redwood trees and backroads.

Team camp doubled as kitty camp

Today’s ride was an iconic 55 mile Santa Cruz classic; Eureka Canyon.   The loop did not disappoint.  After warming up through the trees, and meandering out through town, we hit Corralitos and the base of Eureka with smiles and miles of snacks to go. Some people smashed up the hill, and some rode casually to take in the views, but by the time we rounded up at the top of Soquel-San Jose Rd, everyone had logged a decent leg beating at some point or another.  Lunch was equally epic and dinner soon followed.  We tried to go mini-golfing but the Boardwalk had rented the golf course out to a “private event”.

Always time for mid-ride selfies

Day 2 was intended to be a team day, with a flat route to facilitate rotating and team work.  After our team picture in our beanies and tees, we took the scenic route past East Cliff, to take in the ocean breeze and views of Monterey, before heading to the flatlands of South County.  Along San Andreas, we hammered out a team time trial, staggering two teams to add an element of racing.  At the turn around point, it was time to head home, as the miles of smiles was taking a toll.  Rolling back smoothly, we climbed the brutal 4 minute, 15% hill to the host house, and collapsed around the table for a late lunch. 

Beach day!

2018 Grasshopper Adventure Series: Old Caz

The first Grasshopper of the series, Old Caz is always a mighty wake-up call that the season of bikes has officially begun. This wake-up call isn't of the gentle iPhone alarm variety though. No, for me it's usually more like a punch in the gut or a bucket of cold water straight to the face. "AMY, it's time to get serious," it yells. "Pfft," I scoff, "notice my lack of fitness, these knobby tires I'm riding and this goofy grin on my face. Clearly serious isn't my plan. Plus, JANUARY."

This year Jennifer, Sara and I joined 680 of our closest friends for the 20th anniversary of this "race," which always attracts some serious hitters on the men's and women's side. Sara was rocking her FS MTB, and asked about a Camelbak (her chill factor was sky high). Jen has a Stigmata that matches mine, but she probably rides it as much as I do. At least we all looked really good!

Climb, descend (keep your mouth closed), group up with some others, climb, descend, shove in some food, climb, refill bottles, descend, slosh across the creek, climb, roll for a bit, climb, DONE. See, wasn't that easy? Well yes and no. I couldn't help but be awed by the gorgeous day we got to enjoy. The area around Occidental is just insanely beautiful and every time I'm up there I'm thankful we get to ride around like kids in such a great area. The race itself forces you to go into the red from the gun, right up the Coleman climb, so nothing about it is particularly easy. This was my first year riding my Santa Cruz Stigmata CC, though, and it definitely made a difference. Plus I've been riding dirt a little bit more than usual, so I was a *wee bit* faster downhill this year (don't laugh). 

For me, Old Caz is all about the experience: seeing a bunch of friends at reg and on the start line, riding a stunning course, laughing at my own misadventures and those of others, getting really dirty, embracing the punch to the gut. The season of bikes is officially here my friends, and I couldn't be happier! See you at Chileno...

2018 Women's Team Recruiting!

Interested to hear what the Women’s team has in store for 2018?  Looking for a new group to race with and friends that will challenge you on the road, on the dirt and gravel, and in races?

If you're looking for a new team to ride for next season, consider contacting Samantha Vroomen of the Team Mike's Bikes p/b Equator's women’s squad. We're on the hunt for riders in the Cat 2's to riders who are 3's and ready to start working up the ranks.

Why ride for us? Because we continue to improve while having fun.  Most importantly, we strive to be a good influence for other women looking to join the sport and for racers looking for leadership in races. The entire Mike's Bikes team has found success through teamwork and a big reason for this is that teammates become like family and we're willing to rise to the challenges of racing in a strong NCNCA field.  

Feel free to chat us up if you see a women riding by in the 2017 Mikes Bikes kit.  Or, contact us if you are interested to see what we are planning for 2018!

Stars & Stripes Jersey for Todd Markelz; Your 2017 USA Cycling 30-39 Hill Climb Champion

Event: 2017 National Hill Climb Championship 30-39

Date: 8/12/2017

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1130097611

Conditions: Clear, chilly morning. Low-40s at the start, climbing into the mid 30s further up the mountain.

Course: The infamous Pike’s Peak. 20km, 156 turns, average 7% gradient, start line at 9,390ft above sea level, finish line at 14,115ft.

Equipment: S-Works Tarmac, Enve 3.4 rims with Specialized Turbo Cotton 24mm tires, SRAM eTap group with 52/36, 11-32 gearing.

The Plan

Having never competed at altitude the plan was simple. Be conservative. My goal was to never go into the red and save just enough for one final move in the last mile in case it was needed. I’d done enough research to know what my average power should be for the climb to be in contention. I just had to make sure to not get carried away early.

The Race

The first two miles of the course are forgiving but the pace started surgy and quick. A couple of riders played early cards by going to the front and keeping the pace high. The pack was strung out over the first few rollers and I did my best to stay tucked in line. Just after the two mile mark the real climbing begins and the field settled in for the long haul to the top.

As the group started grinding into the first steep pitches I was feeling comfortable but putting out more power than I knew I could sustain for the duration of the climb. A small group of 6 was forming at the front and I was dangling behind them. After a couple of minutes into a sustained 9% gradient my legs were starting to burn from the effort. I began debating if I should ease up to something more sustainable or commit myself to sticking with the group. Remembering my pre-race plan I eased up and the group of 6 slowly rode away as I settled into a rhythm I was comfortable with.

Mile 4 ticked by and I had lost about 100m to the leading group of 6. Also around this time different race fields had begun to mix. We were catching riders from earlier starts so I had to pay close attention to how many of the riders from my field were still up the road in the leading group. Every several minutes a new rider would fall off the group and come back towards me after finding the pace at the front too much to hold. By mile 6, around the halfway point, only two riders remained in the leading group and my gap to them was now reduced to 50m.

Pike’s Peak is interminable. Each bend reveals another long straight of consistent climbing and all you can see above you is more road carved precariously into the side of the barren mountain. Forty minutes into the race we crossed through the 12,000ft elevation mark. My gap to the leading two riders was holding steady and I was happy with how controlled my breathing felt despite the altitude. Unfortunately, we still had just under 6 miles to climb and another 2,000ft of elevation gain to go.

Over the next several miles I yo-yo’d off the back of the lead riders. Occasionally pulling them to within 10m but never actually making contact. Each time I would see those gains disappear as the leaders would surge on flatter portions of the climb and extend their lead back out. I wasn’t motivated to catch them and fight to stay in contact because so far I’d assessed that my plan of riding my own pace was both bearable and effective at keeping me in contention if the two up the road were to falter at any point. As we swept through switchbacks the leaders would glance back to see if I was still in pursuit. And each time I was.

This back and forth continued until just before mile 9 where the climb flattens and then makes two quick descents (separated by a short wall) before arriving at the final push to the summit. As the gradient eased the rider from Pedal Racing got a gap and I quickly caught the remaining rider from 303 Project. He saw me coming and flicked his elbow to get me contributing to the chase. I obliged but still used the flat and downhill section to attempt a brief recovery. The Pedal Racing rider extended his lead slightly while we tackled the wall between the two dips and it appeared as if he may have made his final escape. After flying through the second descent I hit the last 2 miles on the wheel of the 303 Project rider and we started quickly gaining on the sole leader. What moments before looked like an insurmountable gap vanished in an instant on the 10% section we were now facing. In a matter of seconds we were all back together again. With nothing but a 2 mile grind to the top we were now firmly entering the finale of the race.

As we crossed the 13,500ft elevation mark the 303 Project rider used the steep incline of a switchback to launch an attack and quickly pulled away. At this altitude I was extremely concerned with going into the red so I was measured in my response. I subtly increased the pressure on the pedals and aimed to limit the damage of the riders attack hoping he’d attempted a move that he could not sustain. I grinded away slowly with the Pedal Racing rider by my side.

With 1 mile to go the 303 Project rider started coming back to us fast. I had gambled correctly and was now hoping a counter attack from the Pedal Racing rider was not imminent. After making the catch no attack came. Everyone was too tired for explosive jumps and I found myself on the front of the race for the very first time with 1k to go. I kept my head down and the pace steady for a couple hundred meters then glanced over my shoulder. I had a gap! Not a massive one but enough to give me hope. I increased the pace slightly to see if I could extend my advantage. Sure enough I slowly began pulling away. At 600m to go I arrived at the final switchback and I played my final card. I accelerated through the corner hard then looked back to confirm that I had successfully gotten away. With the final wall to the finish in sight I kept the pressure on but rode with the comfort of knowing I had already done enough. I crossed the line with a 17 second lead on second place. I had won my first national championship!

Pike’s Peak is an amazing climb. The length, the steepest, the altitude, the views… it really is a climbers dream. I obviously enjoyed my first experience on the mountain and I’m sure it won’t be my last!

A Home Race Victory: 2017 San Rafael Sunset Criterium

A post race interview with Team Mikes Bikes p/b Equator Coffee Masters teammates Dana Williams & Scott Cox about how they finished 1-2 at the 2017 San Rafael Sunset Criterium M123 +35 race.

Golden State Criterium & Road Race

by Makenzie DeLaughder

    The Golden State criterium and circuit race are always one of my favorite courses of the year! It was fun having my teammates Trish and Mei for the race, and I felt that we did a good job working together. About halfway through the race, a woman went off the front and developed a good 30-second gap from the field. Oftentimes I would attack and bridge the gap, but I thought two things. One, the group would probably not let me go and would chase me down because they have seen me break away before. Another thought was that maybe I should try not attacking at all during the race and see what happens. It was strange not attacking, because I’m often attacking and trying to bridge gaps. I sat in for the entire race, and at the end found my teammates and I on the last lap at the very front of the pack. Seeing that we were not in the best position, I jumped out from 3rd or 4th wheel and attacked before the 2nd to last turn. I lead out the pack into the last turn and ended up getting 6th place.

For the circuit race there was Mei and I, and I decided again to watch the pack and see what I could do at the end, in support of the team result. On the second to last lap, I started moving up towards the front, and felt pretty good about my positioning. Just before the chicane, I was 3rd or 4th wheel and was pleased to have finally learned the timing for good positioning! When my team mate Mei came by me and told me to get on her wheel, I followed this move, but unfortunately, as we went through the chicane I ended up on the inside line and consequently got pinched by the curb and the pelotons’ line. I had to brake very hard to avoid hitting Mei’s wheel and the curb on the side, and due to this I lost all my momentum and got 6th place. Lucklily, the riders around me were alert and the corner braking did not cause a crash.  I did learn more about navigating through the pack and how to place for a sprint finish. However, since I know that I’m not a sprinter, this race was a good reminder to focus on getting in a break away or coordinating a lead out for a teammate who has that finish line kick that can net us the win. Overall, I learned a lot that weekend and I will try to have more patience with my moves in the pack, and continue to learn more race tactics.

Pop the Olive Oil! Victory for Williams at Colavita Grand Prix

By: Dana Williams

Event: 2017 Colavita Grand Prix M123 +35

Date: July 16, 2017

Teammates: Chris Hobbs, Matthew Sloan, Oliver Ryan, David Allen

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1087171176

Conditions: Sunny and hot, low 90's F, Wind from the West so cross wind before final turn and slight tailwind on the finishing straight.

The Plan

Be attentive, mark any dangerous moves, stack the break and get me to the final turn for the sprint. 

Summary

As it happens with most races, I try to leave the house early enough so I get to the race venue about an hour before the start. This was no different today, except for one main difference. All three of my boys, Hudson (7), Brodie (5) and Ryder (1) were joining me because mom was away for the weekend at a conference. I did have one of our friends join me to watch the kids while I raced. Thankfully I left early enough to make a quick stop at Equator Coffee & Tea for a iced coffee; the caffeine and cold nature of the drink would be well needed today with the 90F+ temperatures and 60 minute criterium. We got to the race with enough time but I still needed to keep moving to get pinned up and a good warm up in. A quick flash the person parked next to me allowed me to slip on my Capo skin suit. I grabbed one frozen water bottle from my cooler, but not the one filled with Gu hydration mix, and rolled away. Pinned up, warm up done, and one frozen water bottle with Gu hydration, I was ready to race. And it was neat to hear my boys saying 'go daddy'.

The gun went off and the pace wasn't too bad for the first lap. I think the majority of riders realized how hot it was and knew that an early attack might burn a well needed 'match' later in the race. But not everybody was thinking this. As I rounded the final turn and about to head up the false flat 250m run to the finish line, Sam Worthington accelerated pretty hard. I was right there and decided to follow him, not wanting to be swarmed by all the other riders and end up at the back. Sam kept going, and going, and going. I soon realized nobody from the field was chasing us and we had a good gap. Then after about 45secs of close to 500W following Sam's rear wheel, he sat up and waved me through. I thought to myself 'ok, why not. Let's keep this going and see who bridges up'. Sure enough a few riders at a time joined us. This break ultimately ended up being nine riders, two being from Team Mike's Bikes p/b Equator Coffee, myself and David Allen. Also of note to me was NorCal strong man Chris 'Sagan' Coble, all-year round strong rider, Mark Howard and coming into strong form as of late, Jason Boyton. 

For the next 50 minutes the break rolled really well. Everybody was doing their fair share of work. This resulted in us getting a good gap from the main field. At one point I looked back and could see a solo rider trying to bridge up. I tried to see if it was a teammate but couldn't tell so kept focused at the task at hand. With about three laps to go, Dave and I had a talk at the back of the field. We agreed he'd take over at the front on the last lap and keep the pace high to hold riders off from attacking. My plan was to attack just before the final turn and try to hold off the field to the finish line.

I believe Jason Boyton put in an attack just after the start/finish line with two laps to go. He was brought back and we were all together waiting for the next move. As the bell rang signifying the last lap, Dave went to the front and kept the pace high. This worked all the way through the 2nd last turn. At this point I believe it was Travis Lee of Folsom Bikes who attacked hard up the left. There was a slight hesitation and a few of us riders looked at each other, but ultimately one rider and Coble started the chase. I hopped on the back and Travis was brought back. I believe he then kept the pace up towards the final turn. The pace was pretty high so I decided to delay my planned attack. As we rounded the final turn and started up the false flat, I could see Coble getting ready to start his sprint. There was a slight hesitation which was my signal to go. I believe Coble also sensed this and we simultaneously moved left, jumped out of our saddles and started sprinting. It ended up being a 25 second sprint, of which I was able to hold off Coble and the rest of the break and cross the finish line first. 

Following some high fives at the finish line and continually being amazed by how much I love my Specialized Venge Vias, we gathered around our Toyota team van for our debrief and to enjoy a few adult sodas.