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. 

Berkeley Hills Road Race with Cameron

This was a new BHRR course, have you raced it or ridden the loop before?

I was particularly excited for this edition of Berkeley Hills. While it was not the classic course, it was a return to Crockett and the site of my first race win as a cyclist, when I won the Cal Cycling Collegiate Men’s C race in 2014. That race was only 3 laps, so 8 laps in the P/1/2 would be a very different challenge! These roads also have significance for me in that one of my first long rides as a cyclist (and my first experience bonking) came from riding out to the Crockett loop from Berkeley in the pouring rain.

What were the defining features?

 The McEwen climb is a true beast, with a brutal 12% grade for the first half. 8 times up the climb was a true test of strength. The wind was also brutal on most of the course, so it was important to stay focused and not get caught out.

What was the plan going into the race?

With Roman, Craig, and Andrew on the start line with me, we knew we had the best depth of any team in the race. We planned to follow moves, have representation if an early breakaway formed, and to have our other guys make it across as the field whittled down midway through the race. Numbers in the final was our intention.

What was the key moment of the race?

Most of the drama came in lap 1. Roman unfortunately was caught up behind a crash onthe one techincal turn of the course and crashed out before the first time up McEwen. Zeke Mostov of Aevolo Cycling hit the front hard on the climb, and the field immediately broke apart, with only 8 of us left after one full lap. Andrew and I were patient and put the hurt on the rest of the guys by trading attacks in the last few laps. With about half a lap to go, and Andrew and I in the front group of 4, I attacked hard a few miles before McEwen and motored home to victory!

Where does this win rank in your career?

After two second place finishes at Pescadero and Tour de Nez, it certainly feels good to be on the top step. Closing it out after the unfortunate circumstances of Roman’s crash makes it all the more special. And the sweetest icing on this victory cake was watching Andrew overpower Cole and Zeke in the sprint to take second! Racing on this team and the work all the guys put in makes these successes feel so much bigger.

Which sponsor's product stood out during this race?

Our new Smith Optics Arena Max sunglasses were perfect for the sunny day. The new colors are fresh!

Did you wear a romper on the podium?

Our Capo skinsuits aren’t so dissimilar from the conventional romper. They are one piece, have plenty of pockets, and allow for some serious mobility. However, if Capo was to make some custom overalls for the team, I would likely wear those on the podium!

Cox 6th in a Stacked Field - 2017 USA Cycling National Criterium Championship

by: Scott Cox

We started out the day with a leisurely morning and a 45 minute spin on the bike path near our perfect cottage that teammate Dana Williams lined up for us.  I started to get pretty fired up thinking about the race that would start later in the evening in downtown Augusta and reminded myself to pace that energy as I knew I would need every ounce of it later.  Great teammates make relaxing easy as we shared a lot of laughs, but we were also pretty bummed for reigning National Criterium Champion, Matt Adams.  Being the stand up guy he is, he made a bee line for home when he was needed there and would miss the opportunity to defend his jersey.   Matt leaving led to teammate’s Rob "Robo' Amatelli, Josh Pizzica and Dana designating me as the protected rider for the crit and the pressure I started to put on myself was motivating for me.  I did not have race result expectations as there are many things that need to go right.  I knew I had put in the necessary work leading to nationals and was only expecting to be in a position to contest at the end if it came to a sprint or not miss an obvious move.  

It was a long day waiting for the race and we passed the time watching a Back to the Future marathon and relaxing while pinning up our sweet Capo Custom skin suits for the big show.  We all took care of pre-race nutrition and hydration thanks to the tasty Gu Energy products.  Robo got the party started by kitting up and being the hype man and the four of us rolled to the crit course in style on our Specialized bikes.  Rain drops started falling as we arrived at the course.  We found some shelter in a parking garage and went over our race plan and were thankful for the Specialized Turbo traction with the potential for wet conditions.  

The course was flat and fast and we thought an early break was unlikely to make it, but a late move could work and we would race defensively for the first 45 minutes and be attentive for the last 30 minutes of the 75 minute race.  We had our hands full with the talent in the field: Emile Abraham (North Georgia Cycling Association - won the RR 2 days earlier), Michael Olheiser (won the TT 3 days earlier and 2nd in RR), Jeromy Cottell (Team Specialized/Touchstone Racing - always a threat), Chad Moston (Santa Monica BMW Helen’s Cycles - reigning SoCal crit champ), Phil Tinstman (Monster Media Racing), Charon Smith (Team Surf City), and Ken Vida (FloridaVelo) were the notables and there are always many other strong racers that are under the radar in championship races.  So we were faced with high caliber sprinters, TT diesels and hard men, but I liked our odds with the strength of our team.

The rain passed and the roads were dry as we staged for the race.  Aaron Patterson (Peet’s Coffee) shared the nationals NorCal love and handed my pump and saddlebag off to his family and the atmosphere was friendly with Charon and Dana making a real estate deal.  We rolled to the line and the “neutral” lap was exciting with pushing and jostling as everyone wanted that front spot.  I love these big races!   The whistle blew and the jitters disappeared.  There were many attacks and counter attacks early in the race and I could relax seeing Josh, Rob and Dana  covering moves.  I made sure to stay up front and marked other known strong riders as needed.  I did not want to work too much, but also knew I needed to take charge of my own destiny and read the race.  A large break formed with Rob and about 8 other riders around the 30 minute mark.  I made a move and got a gap so bridged to the break.  I heard the announcer, Frankie Andreu, say something about Olheiser not having it and we were all back together.  At that point, I sensed there would be 15-30 minutes before a break might go and I had not seen Charon or Emile yet.  I went back to find them and get some recovery from being active early and also thought it would be smart to follow Emile since he has so much experience racing in the pro ranks.  They were having a relaxed conversation, so I figured they were gambling on a bunch sprint and riding easy getting sucked along by the large field.  

A two man break made it off the front and I did not think they had a chance and stayed in the back.  Sure enough, a crash happened near the back of the pack coming out of the final turn with maybe 10 laps to go.  All of the main sprinters and myself managed to avoid the crash with some evasive maneuvering and I chased back on for 20 seconds or so.  The race was neutralized and we restarted after a few minutes with the break having 10 seconds and they hit the gas and the field was looking at each other.

 I knew it was time to race up front and figured I would see Emile and the gang later, so best not to get too focused on any one rider.  This part of the race is fuzzy for me, but I believe we caught all but one rider and then Jeromy Cottell attacked through the start finish with 6 laps to go.  Check out this video from Dana’s on-bike camera (it is pretty sweet to have one of the best amateur racers in the country at any age/level WORKING for you - thanks, Dana!):

Many players were there and I was expecting them to chase Jeromy down, but we all looked at each other and then he was gone.  Nice move, Jeromy!  He quickly bridged to the other rider and I thought there was no way the break would make it with the horsepower in the field, so focused on holding position.  

Justin Little (Simple Racing) made a move to get to the break and he was also let go and I still thought the break would not make it and was 100% in for a sprint - gotta commit to something at this point in the race I believe.  Dana was keeping the pace high and a few other guys were helping and I was waiting for Olheiser, Tinstman and other teams to get involved since they are not known as sprinters and other teams had some numbers.  Simple Racing interfered with the chase by accelerating to get on the front and then slowing abruptly.  A successful tactic, but not one that made many friends in the peloton and probably not the classiest racing, but it is what it is.   The end result was the break was gone and the race for 4th was on and Mike’s Bikes was all in for a leadout.  Championship races often play out like this when no one wants to do the work (understandable) and there are not large teams.  That’s racing and part of what makes it so fun.  

Rob made his way to the front and took a big pull and then Dana took over with one to go.   Dana went into beast mode staying on the front at a blistering pace all the way to about 50 meters from the second to last turn - whoa.  I was second wheel and knew I had some great sprinters on my wheel.  When Dana finally started to slow after making about 500 meters longer than I thought possible, I felt it was a touch too early to start my sprint, but Chad Moston had other plans and jumped us on the inside hard and had a nice gap.  I hesitated for a moment, knowing who was on my wheel and no one came around, so it was go time.  Goal one was to get to the final turn first with something left for a second sprint to the line.  I heard guys coming on the inside fast, but was first to the corner and they had to brake.  We made it through the turn and sprinted again.  Moston held on for 4th, Emile was able to come by me and I held on for 6th.  Jeromy attacked his 3 man break and rode to an impressive victory with clean wheels.  We bugged out before a storm rolled in and capped off the trip with the obligatory trip to Waffle House - another nationals smothered and covered.  
A special thank you to my teammates that gave all they had to help me in the crit and for all of the laughs and good times.  

Adams 3rd in the US: 2017 USA Cycling Masters Road Race Championship

Matt shares how his race unfolded just after the finish.

Zuniga Qualifies for the 2017 UCI World Gran Fondo Championships

By Luiggi Zuniga

2017 UCI Worlds Championships Qualifier

Jacksonville, Alabama

The Cheaha Century Challenge won the bid to host the 2017 Union Cycliste International (UCI) Gran Fondo World Championship Qualifier for the United States. This is the only qualifier in the United States for the UCI Championship that will be held in August 2017 in Albi, France.

Day before the race:

Weather reports indicated a 90% chance of rain for race day, which made me nervous. The day before the race, it rained for 12 straight hours, with thunder and wind so strong like I’ve never seen before. I kept looking out of the window of my hotel room just pondering how this race is going to unfold.

Race Day:

To my pleasant surprise, I woke up to cloudy skies and a few sprinkles, but no sign of thunder, rain or wind like the previous day.

The race consisted of 99.8 miles and 9,443 feet of climbing. I expected the race to start at a moderate pace, and pick up as the race progressed.

I was wrong.

The race started hard from the gun. There were many well represented teams in the race, which allowed them to orchestrate a flurry of attacks for the first 90 minutes or so. I did not recognize anybody in the race, except for fellow norcal cyclist Jonathan Eropkin, racing for Peet’s Coffee cycling team, and racing in the same age category as me.

The peloton included a mix of different age groups racing together. For scoring purposes, I only had to mark the guys with the green bib numbers, which represented the 40-44 age group. During one of the attacks, I saw Jonathan grab the wheel of a younger rider who was trying to break away. Once they established a gap, I was forced to bridge. Once I joined them, the eventual age group winner Marco Arocha countered. We never saw him again.

As the race progressed, the high temperature and humidity started to take a toll on me. The rolling hills seem harder than before, but we were still gaining time on the group behind us. Once we hit the first long climb, the pace started to pick up even more. As we reached the top, it was just a handful of us left. I noticed Jonathan starting to fall behind, but somehow he managed to catch us on the descent. Jonathan and I stayed together for the second climb, and that’s when I figured it would just be us fighting for 2nd and 3rd place.

By mile 65, Jonathan got a cramp and fell behind. I thought he was gone this time for sure, but again was able to recover and get back in the group. But then, with 20 miles to go, my legs started to feel the effects of all the hard racing. To add to my worries, fellow NorCal rider Bryan Hoadley, racing for the Make a Wish cycling team, managed to catch us from behind. In the process, Bryan brought a rider from my same age category. Now it was 3 of us fighting for 2 podium spots. At first, we were all working well together, but a cramp on my left leg forced me to skip a few pulls. With 10 miles to go, the guy in my age group who had joined us had been dropped. Bryan also fell back. The rest of us were working very hard just trying to keep our distance with the group behind. With 5 miles to go, the group was down to a guy from another age group, Jonathan and me. My legs were gone by then, and I eventually found myself getting dropped and riding alone. With a couple of miles left to the finish, I continued to push in whichever way I could. I looked back and saw the guy in my age group closing in. I started pushing harder and harder and somehow I was able to hold him off and finish in 3rd place.

I have been dreaming to be able to one day race a World Championships representing USA. I just qualified, and I did it! I’m a US citizen now and I’m going to a Cycling World Championships again, in Albi, France!

Thank to Rob “Danger” Fulford the tech Manager at Mike’s Bikes Walnut Creek for keeping my bike top notch for the races.

Thanks to our sponsors for their continued support: Equator Coffee & Teas, Toyota, Specialized, Capo Cycling Apparel, Violich Farms, Smith Optics, Gu Energy Labs, Mikes Bikes, Achieve Performance Training & Coaching, Financial Force and Bike Smart.