Apple Pie Criterium: 6/23/2012

The annual Apple Pie criterium had a new course for 2012.  It was rectangular in shape and pancake flat in an rural set industrial park just south west of Petaluma.  Although the pavement was quite rough, it was wide open and traffic was non existent so safety was optimal.  There weren't too many pre-registered for the P12 race so I arrived intrigued to see how many would actually show up and  race.  The main reason for the low pre-reg was because the annual, hotly contested, Pescadero Road Race, was taking place this morning south of San Francisco.  As it turned out, the field was pretty small but I was happy that there were some strong riders out including two from Wonderful Pistacio and one from Marco Pro-Strava, Webcor, Red Peloton and Metromint.  I was the lone racer from Mike's Bikes as we had a few guys at Pescadero and four guys at Nationals in Augusta, Georgia.

And we were off for 75 minutes of crit racing. For the first 10 or so minutes it was a consistent pace with guys taking their pull on the front and then rotating to the back.  The first move that really got any distance included Sterling Magnel of Wonderful Pistacio (WP) and the Webcor rider.  They were always in sight, with about a 15 second gap, that they held for approximately 8-10 laps.  But at some point it looked to me as though they decided to take the foot off the gas and let the field catch up to them.  No complaints from me.  With the second WP rider sitting in the chase group, a counter attack was bound to happen.  Sure enough, it wasn't long before a five-man break got established.  I could tell from who was in it that this was the winning move. It was Sterling from WP, the rider from Marco Pro, Red Peleton, Webcor and myself.  We worked well together and the gap grew from 15 seconds, to 27 and then to 45.  At this time I started thinking that the race may take a whole new direction if we lap the field because WP would have two riders  and be at an advantage over all of us solo team riders.  Well, that thought was soon diminished when I saw Sterling's teammate sitting on the grass as we passed the start/finish line with about 15 minutes of racing left.  We soon caught the small 'field' that was left and a few of them hopped on.  So now the finish was either going to come down to a sprint or one of two riders would get a gap and hold off the rest.  The Marco Pro rider made the first attempt to get a gap with 2.5 laps to go.  He was quickly followed by the Webcor rider, of who's wheel I jumped on to.  The hard acceleration and chase effort created some fatigue and neither myself nor the Webcor rider wanted to pull through hard.  For me, I had a game plan in the back of my head which preferred all of us together on the last lap. Fast forward 15 laps, I lead the five of us over the finish line as the last lap bell rang.  This is where I wanted to be.  I moved over and let the rider behind me pull through around corner 1.  From here the pace quickly slowed down and a game of cat and mouse ensued for a short period.  We were all looking at each other as we went around turn 2.  I was at the back so had a good view of everything going on.  At about half way through the back stretch, when I was about to make my move, the Red Peloton rider accelerated.  The three other guys quickly jumped on his wheel and I followed.  Fifth wheel wasn't where I wanted to be so I shifted up a gear and sprinted up the outside.  I just happen to time it right that I was able to go past the Red Peleton rider in front just before the second last corner.  My acceleration, combined with (what I later heard) the Red Peleton guy looking back for other guy to come around him, allowed me to quickly gain a considerable gap.  I kept my momentum through the last turn and continued sprinting.  The gap, combined with the head wind, allowed me to stay in front and ride across the line in first.  Happy times, some cash and an apple pie was the reward.  And Coco makes a good pie.....

Folsom Omnium

Since the Wente Road Race I have been struggling with some back issues resulting from past crashes and alignment. For me, the Folsom Omnium started a week before after seeing our Team Doctor Kristin Wingfield. The days before the race were my first rides without back pain and I knew if that held up it would be a good weekend. This was my third season doing the Folsom Omnium. Three years ago I did it as a Cat 3. Despite finishing near last I loved it. The next year it was  my first P12 race. Despite my lack of results in the past, it has always been a fun weekend. So after this introduction I will get to the point. This year not only was it a fun weekend, we won.

Time Trial We arrived at the time trial expecting a win even though James, Jim and myself haven’t done much riding on the TT bike at all (I had had one ride on it since Merco…).  It was a pretty straight forward course, mostly flat with 6 rollers. We all went hard, Jim got 2^nd  (~10 seconds back) and I finished 7^th (~35 seconds back). Either way, we were in great position for the omnium and I was stoked to have shaved 4 minutes off my time from a year and a half ago.

Crit

Tyler Dibble joined us for the crit. It would be my first race with both Team Captains and I was very excited for the opportunity. Entering the crit I knew a break could get away. It was windy and extremely easy to get out of sight. With Ryan Parnes in first we did not want to give up any of the preme points to him or anyone that could overtake Jim.  The goal of the race was to either get me up the road with someone behind me in GC or set up to lead Jim out for the field sprint.

From the start it was really sketchy. I tried to get Jim into a safe position early on and as I got to the front Adam Switters attacked.  Without hesitation Dibble chased. Strava bridged with me on their wheel and a few others. We were flying but Tyler and I didn’t work because Jim wasn’t up there with us. As soon as it was caught I countered with Chuck Hutchenson. We lasted for 2 laps before Switters bridged. When Switters bridged I sat on because he was 3^rd on GC.  Once we were caught Laberge countered for a preme lap and I sat up to see Jim and Dibble sitting in great position. After the preme, three riders got away including Strava, McGuire and Fremont. None of them were on GC. It was prefect, all the teams were represented and I knew there would be a hesitation to chase. Without hesitation I jumped in the first corner to get away on the crosswind section. I bridged and started pulling. I knew Strava would delay their chase because they had a teammate there, Fremont didn’t have the depth to bring it back and McGuire was all by himself. After 2 laps our gap was 20 seconds.

Before the race Dibble told me, “ You want the break to stick, but you don’t care if it comes back”. With that in mind I knew Strava would eventually start chasing, so I took advantage on establishing the break early.  Even if we were caught at the end, I would at least have taken all the preme points from anyone who could pull away from Jim. After about 4 laps I heard 30 seconds. The gap seemed to staying right there. I was doing the majority of the work because I was in it for GC.  I started noticing fatigue in the break and became nervous we weren’t going fast enough. Furthermore riders started skipping pulls and  Fremont started sitting on. A lap later I heard Chuck was trying to bridge. Without hesitation I ramped it up and as a result dropped everyone but Joe from Strava. I didn’t expect him to work because Chuck was bridging, so I put him in the gutter. After 2 laps of that, I looked at him and said, “Chuck isn’t bridging and I have three sprinters in the field, lets work”. He listened and we kept working until the finish. I got every points preme, but as the finished approached we were losing time quickly. Joe was getting tired and I was all in for the overall.  I pulled the last 2 laps, attacked into the final corner and won it. Forgetting about the crosswind I celebrated. It was not the most lovely victory salute but I haven’t had as much practice at this stuff as Laberge has.

I was happy, but became even happier when I saw Jim finish 5^th.  It was my first P12 win and my first Cycles Gladiator most aggressive/ best looking rider award. The crit was a great race for the team that set us up for the overall, but the circuit would be a new day.

Circuit In the morning, I decided to stop studying for my finals and look up results.  I had moved into 1^st overall and Jim was in 3^rd behind Parnes. Our priorities for the circuit were to keep 1^st overall, then move Jim into 2^nd and after ensuring that, win the stage. At sign in I looked at the finish and was freaked out by the 320 meter landing strip  I saw. No joke, you could land a 747 on that road. Furthermore, Ryan Parnes was in 2^nd and that guy puts out a 2000 watt sprint and has facial hair. How was I supposed to defend against that? Dibble talked to me before and said, “You be a shadow, that’s it. You finish one place behind him and you win.” I took “Yoda’s” advice since it worked yesterday and I got that wheel right away and stayed on it.

Throughout the race I paid attention to his jump and every time he attacked I was there. On the third lap Parnes had attacked and literally every GC rider was up the road with us. I wasn’t working because I was isolated and they had to take the overall from me. Eventually Chuck attacked with Switters, but I didn’t care because they were too far back to take the overall. Eventually Paul Mach bridged with the field in tow and I drifted back as Parnes’s “shadow”.

I started hearing trash talk and just took what Dibble said before the race as literally as possible. I just followed. In the mean time when I got bored of at staring at Ryan’s ass/ huge claves I glanced up the road  to see the team doing an awesome job at holding the race together. Jim was trying to find his way into moves and James was taking free rides to the finish. Dibble was either chasing stuff back or at my side calming me down as my voice cracked every other word (It tends to do that even when I am not nervous).

Two laps to go Parnes had flatted. At this point James got me on his wheel and kept me near the front for the finish. Things were getting hectic as Chuck and Switters break came into sight. I kept looking back paranoid that Parnes was going to get back on my wheel and jump me.  James was doing an awesome job at keeping me near the front and we were talking all the way to the finish. A kilometer from the finish I saw Parnes made it back and I got right on his wheel. I took the final corner on the inside and first focused on not losing that draft.  A hundred meters from the line I started coming around him and bike threw for the line realizing at the point if I crashed I would have enough momentum to carry me to the finish. It was close. Fourth through 14^th finished within a few feet of each other. I was relieved to later hear I held onto first and Jim’s finish had moved him into second overall. Our main priorities were accomplished.

I can’t thank the team enough for this win. It really was a team effort, from our team doctor to James and Dibbles selfless work. I am so proud to be a part of this squad and cannot wait for more great results to come in the future.

Folsom Cyclebration Willow Creek Circuit Race - E3

Plagued with quadriceps tendonitis for the first half of the 2012 race season, most of my time has been spent on the bench in rehab and behind the scenes working on team stuff. Due to the injury, I have only had a couple of months of consistent on the bike training but my patient coach Shawn has made it some extremely quality time. I pinned my first race number back at a County Center crit and have gotten a couple other races in after that.

I drove out to the Willow Creek Circuit Race with intentions of supporting Ryan who had done well in the Time Trial and Criterium and was sitting high up on GC with potential to take the overall. Shawn also had me do Threshold Power testing the Friday before so my legs were slightly cooked and I figured this would just be another training race. The field was a decent size and Ryan gave me a quick rundown on whose number and team to watch for that were sitting above him in the standings. We rolled out for an hour of racing around the Folsom circuit thinking the race would likely come down to a sprint due to the close overall standings and representation from the teams. Early in the race a large break went off the front with decent representation from all the teams. With its size it looked potentially dangerous so before the gap opened up I went to the front and helped reel them back in. After the group was brought back, the field was content rotating and rolling around for a lap until two riders rolled off the front, Rocky Fletcher of Rio Strada and a Davis Bike Racing rider. As their gap started to increase, Ryan Oakes of Chico Corsa attacked out of the field to bridge up to the riders. Ryan had mentioned he was sitting high up in the standings and his teammate was sitting first overall so I attacked out of the field to join them.

With the four teams represented in the break, we quickly opened a gap from the field and were working pretty well together each comfortably sharing the load. The moto ref rolled up to us and gave a time update of what I think was 35 seconds. We continued to rotate but myself and Ryan Oakes began to do additional work. The moto ref then gave us a time update of 25 seconds so I knew the field was bringing us back and we had to work harder. I tried to motivate the riders to take stronger shorter pulls and keep a tight formation but felt that the workload was no longer being shared equally. With around 4 laps to go, I noticed Ryan Oakes had dropped out of the break and it was just myself and the two other riders. With the gap falling and only two companions left, my legs still felt fresh so I made the decision to rail the chicane and attack my two remaining breakaway companions.

For around four laps I proceeded to ride solo off the front with no time updates from the moto ref or race updates of chasing riders. In fear that riders would bridge or the field would catch me, I buried myself until the finishing stretch where I was able to celebrate solo with a minute lead on the peloton.

Luckily Ryan was able to rest in the field while the other teams chased and finished top 5 in the field sprint, but unfortunately was just nipped by a rider he was tied for 3rd with in the standings so finished 2nd overall in the GC for the weekend. Regardless, a great result and great weekend for us both. Later in the day, John Piasta and Jim Wingert would go 1-2 in the P/1/2 general classification. Phenomenal weekend for the team.

IC3 Dash for Cash

Arriving at the race I was stoked with all of the Mike’s Bikes kits I saw. I had thought it was only going to be James and myself; however Steve, Travis and Ryan (who I didn’t recognize at first because of his beyond manly beard) were there to join us. Steve conducted a pre race meeting and said I was going to be the guy. I laughed thinking that we have James and I haven’t been racing that much lately. Either way, I had a team behind me, and this was a first for me. I only know how to be a teammate or ride by myself, I had no idea what to do with them.

At the start I got to the front right away and it was aggressive. I could tell from the start something would get away because of the long crosswind sections. We covered everything and made a few attacks but nothing was sticking because either Nate English didn’t make the move and reeled it back, or everyone else was too fresh to chase it down. So after a few more break attempts I wasn’t able to respond as the winning move went with Nate, Chuck and Sam Bassetti. I didn’t panic because there were still strong guys in the field and knew as long as the pack didn’t sit up I would be able to get across. However, what didn’t even cross my mind was the question, “How can I use my teammates to help me get across?”. This was shortly answered when I went to Steve, told him I could solo bridge it when he firmly responded, “No! You get on my f***ing wheel and we do it together!”  That shut me up and I did what the man said, pushing anyone out of the way that tried to get that wheel from me. He attacked like a mad man and I barely stayed on to realize the separation he caused. Was everyone stupid to let two Mike’s get off the front or were they just not strong enough to hang on as Peleaz put them in the gutter. It was definitely the later.  Steve swung off and I knew I had to close the gap before the headwind section. The last 10 meters were the hardest to close but I finally got there and sat on to make sure no one came with me.  I realized how much energy Steve saved me, I probably could have bridged it solo, but I would have killed myself in the process and not taken full advantage of my teammates. We were gone and eventually I started working a bit but never drove the break.

We pedaled bikes for the remainder of the race and then it got exciting again with two to go.  I had been examining my competitors and saw that Nate was hurting and would have to go a long way out. Chuck looked strongest and I pretty much assumed Sam would cramp.  With one to go Chuck attacked, English chased but peeled off. Then it was just me and Sam. This reminded me of Nationals last year, 1 up the road and two chasing. I thought I knew what to do after my failed attempt last June. Sam was not going to close that gap, but at the same time there was no way I was taking him to the finish with me.  I sat on and attacked him in the crosswind section. I looked back and had a gap on him and had to be all in. I bridged to Chuck and my mistake was not coming around him hard enough. I just thought he was dead, but he got back on me and 100 meters from the line he came around me and 10 meters from the line so did Sam. I screwed that one up…big time. By me not jumping Chuck hard enough, he just made the gap for Sam smaller, and was able to use me a lead out.

I look back on the race and am so grateful for Team Mike’s Bikes.  Everyone was in the race making a difference and I got to experience being a Team Leader getting to play my card for the win. I doubted myself before the race, but Steve’s confidence in me was contagious and I am one race closer to my first P 1/2 win.

Memorial Day Criterium

It was a beautiful day in Morgan Hill, home of the Specialized Bicycles Headquarters! After the team's yesterdays performance (Tyler Brandt winning Mount Hamilton Road Race), he had a strong shot at winning the omnium and to earn a spot at the Nature Valley Professional Stage race next month! The team's plan was to first secure his qualifier and second, to get the win whether it was by breakaway or field sprint. It was a windy day; head wind on the front straight and a cross-head wind the next straight away. We thought that a breakaway would get away, so wanted to make sure to stay near the front and make sure we don't miss it. There were multiple attacks throughout the race and it strung out the field a lot but it never really broke the field apart completely. Eric Riggs gave me a perfect lead out for a $150 prime at about the halfway point in the race and I felt good in that effort, so I decided to sit in and wait for a field sprint and make sure Tyler would be on my wheel so that he can get to Nature Valley. It indeed eventually came down to a field sprint and we were lined up about 10 guys back with 1/2 laps to go and I yelled up to Steve "GO!" and he attacked so hard that I had to then tell him slow down, but we quickly adapted and was able to get organized and ramp up the speed again. Tyler came by me and led me out through the last turn and I was able to come around him to take the win! Tyler was able to hang on for 2nd and earned himself a spot to go to Nature Valley and compete against the pros! Big congrats to him and he will definitely represent Team Mike's Bikes strong! Martin Acosta (McGuire) finished 3rd, and Chuck Hutchenson (Marc-Pro Strava) finished in a well-deserved 4th place! Thank you to all of my teammates throughout the race yesterday as it was a pro/1/2/3 race, so I was able to race with a few of my category 3 teammates which made it pretty cool! They were all so selfless and were all willing to stick their head out in the wind and turn the pain meter up a notch. Couldn't have done it without them! Also, couldn't have done it if it wasn't for any of our sponsors that have come together and helped support this amazing team that has come together as one! Once again, thank you and hope you have enjoyed the reading! Photo Credit: Dale Tapley

County Center Criterium #2

This was the third opportunity, and the second weekend in a row, for NorCal riders to race this course this season.  I had competed in the first two races and placed 3rd and 2nd.  My number was called (the team worked for me to try to get the win) last weekend  during the Team Swift Crit. This weekend we decided Steve Paleaz, our team director, was our team member who we were going to work for to try to get the win.  It was just myself and Hank who were there to help Steve because the majority of Team Mike's Bikes riders were south racing the Modesto and Fresno crits.  Our plan was for Hank and I to mark any dangerous breaks while Steve was to rest as much as possible in the field while at the same time be attentive and not miss any crucial breaks.  On a side note, I wanted to get a good workout and get the team as much swag as possible so I made it a goal of mine to go for every prime if I was in the right spot. The 90 minute crit got started and the pace was pretty manageable.  The first prime lap came and I moved towards the front on the back stretch and was lined up behind two Metromint riders.  I could tell they were also keen on getting the prime.  As we rolled around the final turn and onto the finish straight away, I was able to stay on the wheel as one Metromint rider sprinted and then just come around him at the line for the first prime.  I thought to myself 'that was harder than I wanted to push'.  The race continued.

It wasn't that long though, about 20 minutes if I recall, that a break of about 9 riders got some space on the field.  With a little bit of communication, everyone soon realized we were in a good move and began working together. The gap began to grow.  Steve and Hank were back in the field letting others try to chase to bring them back to the break.  The bell for prime #2  rang.  I found myself at the front going into the final two turns of the lap so I decided to pull a little longer than needed and then jump out of the final corner to get space to win the prime.  Mission accomplished so far and it didn't mess up the break.  Pretty soon after this, to my delight, Steve bridged up and was now in our break.  Then a few laps later two guys got off the front and stretched their gap out to about 7-8 seconds.  Steve soon came to me and said to pay attention because he was going to go the front of our chase group and put in a few good pulls.  When the gap looked manageable then I was to try to bridge up to the two guys up the road.  On Steve's second acceleration, the gap closed down enough that I thought I could bridge up.  So I jumped and went for it. I was able to make it up to the two guys, one rider from Muscle Milk and the other from Metromint, the same guy that I 'duked it out' for the first prime.

We were now three.  I wish I could say we worked well together but one of the Muscle Milk guy seemed to be in a bit of discomfort and wasn't doing many pulls.  At this time I had to remind him that his teammates were counting on him to stay away so he should help us.  Fair enough, he took some pulls but soon dropped back so it was the Metromint guy  and I. We continued to work well together.  I glanced back, without putting too much effort to really gauge our gap, and couldn't see any other riders.  But then all of the sudden, out of the corner of my eye during a rotation, I saw another rider.  Another Muscle Milk rider had bridged up (very impressive) so we were now three again.  This was definitely favourable for us.  We continued working well together.

Now let me reverse this story a bit. I put air in my back tire prior to my warm up.  Then just before the start, or about 30 minutes after pumping it up, I felt my back tire and it kind of felt soft.  I found a pump and sure enough the pressure of my tubular tire had gone from 130 down to 90.  I wondered if I should use my spare wheel or just pump up my race tire again and go with it.  The latter thought won.  When Steve bridged up to our break early on in the race I asked him if my back tire looked soft because it felt like it.  He said no so I forgot about it. But with about 10-12 laps to go in the race I started to feel as though my wheel was soft.  Then with six laps to go, after I bounced on my back wheel and kept looking down at it, the Muscle Milk rider asked if I had a flat.  I said that I thought it was soft.  He looked down and confirmed this.  So now what do I do?  As we rolled over the line with five laps to go, I tried to get the attention of the referees to see if I still had a free lap.  Note to self: pay attention at the start when the referee announces how many laps before the finish you can get a free one.  Next lap around, I happen to see my teammate, Hank, holding his bike telling me I can jump on it.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Do I stop and make the switch and then try to make it back up to the two other guys in the break?  Do I take a chance and hope I can ride the almost flat tire a few more laps?  Well here's where fair play came into play.  My two break companions told me they would let me ride ahead so I could jump on Hank's bike and get back on with them.  So that what I did with three laps to go.  Luckily Hank's bike fit me very well.  As the bell lap rang, I rolled through leading my other two compatriots.  We kept rotating and I was third wheel entering the back stretch.  I could sense some jockeying about to begin so instead of playing any games I decided to make my move.  I got out of my saddle and accelerated hard.  I looked back and had a gap.  But the Metromint guy was digging hard and keeping me in check.  I pushed on and tried to stay as low as possible.  As I turned the final corner my legs were hurting.  The gap had stayed the same and as I got closer to the line I realized the win was going to be mine.

Once again, team work paid off.  If you've been reading our team race reports this year, you've probably heard this before.  Steve was our 'guy' for this race but he ended up helping me get in a break, which ultimately helped get the win.  At the finish we were all psyched to get another victory for Team Mike's Bikes.

Golden State Circuit Race

Golden State Circuit race is a sinuous course as part of a two day omnium. Matt McKinzie and I were teaming up for the second day, with a game plan to save our strength for a field sprint. Lo and behold, Chuck Hutcheson (MarcPro-Strava) made a move that stuck, working with Ariel Herrmann (Metromint Cycling). The peloton mostly shut down except for attempted bridges. There was no organization. Matt who is brand spanking new to category two, handled the final two laps. He pulled the entire peloton, myself included, for over four miles with no other teams assisting. Half the breakaway got caught on the line. I got second in the field sprint, for fourth overall. Photo from Steve Harriman

Mike's Bikes Cat's Hill Classic!

And what a classic it was! It was a beautiful day for a bike race in Los Gatos, California; it was an even better day for a showdown between the dark and light sides of the force. Impressed by the Jedi photo shop tricks of team MarcPro Strava, Team Mike's Bikes suited up in our new white jerseys, hoping for some even cooler storm trooper pics. Come on guys, let’s see them! And fearing that the Empire might be a bit misunderstood amongst the nor cal cycling scene, Team Director Steve Peleaz sacrificed his own shot at racing glory to focus on a little public relations outreach.

The race started out fast. Guys were attacking left and right, but nothing was getting away. I was able to sit back and watch everyone attack during the 65-minute race as my teammates were awesome, following any dangerous moves and even going for glory themselves by attacking. As the race winded down, it became clear the winner would be determined in a field sprint. At 1 lap to go Rainier and Shawn were at the front, a couple guys in front of me, and I told them to drill it. Rainier drilled it to the hill and Shawn drilled it up and over the top. I was sitting pretty with two cal Giant riders next to me and Roman Kilun (Kenda 5 Hour Energy) at the front. I told Roman to go and he did just that. He drilled it all the way to the top and down the hill to the last turn and I was able to get into position behind one of the Cal Giants riders, grab the inside line and sprint to victory! We ended up having 5 guys in the top 12! Benny Swedberg (Cal Giant) was second, Jared Barrilleaux (Cal Giant) came in third, photo shopper extraordinaire Chuck Hutcheson (Marc-Pro Strava) was 4th, and our very own Tyler Brandt rounded up the top 5!

A special thanks to Roman as while he's not my teammate, he acted as if he was and gave an me excellent leadout. Thank you Roman! The rest of the team rode amazing and we executed! Thank you to Mike's Bikes and all of the sponsors! Couldn't have done it without you!

--James LaBerge

Panoche Pass RR

This is a year of first timers: The Viper gets to second base with the podium girl for winning his first bike race, we eat healthy food, we go paint-balling for the first time... and many more to come. At Panoche though... I got to call "sit up and wait for the rider who flatted"... One of these days I'll get to call a pee break.

Panoche's course is a fun one. It is an out and back 67mi course. Go up a hill. Go down a hill. Take a left into a flat crosswind section. Go up a hill. Go down a hill. Turn around. Suffer all the way back in a headwind.

Two things that I am terrified will happen during a bike race:

1) Someone will throw a snot rocket and it'd hit me.

To those offenders (you know who you are), spitting and projecting out of your nose lost its coolness back in the 3rd grade, that year that you realized girls are cooler than earthworms.

2) Someone will pee in the pack and I'd get an unfriendly shower.

I bring this up because 20 miles into the race, I've got to relieve myself. I roll to the back of the pack along the side of the road and try to go. Hmm, not much of a stream going. Ok, there it goes, better.

Wait... why is my shoe all wet. f**k.  I know our shoes are fiery hot... but come on!

Here I was enjoying my ride, just chilling and singing songs in the back with the Mike's Bike's poster child, Rainier Schaefer, and now my shoe is ruined.

I was enjoying my day and now I'm just want to rip Barbie doll heads off and tantalize the youngins for their tears. Speaking of trying to torture the youngins (emphasis on trying), Travis, Riggs, & LaBerge were out fending themselves pretty well from this guy and his green stick.

We are within sight of the left turn into the flat crosswind and I just want to see friendly faces turn to ugly. This guy below epitomizes the latter.

We make the left. GAME ON! Rainier and I tried to make a dent. The field was too strong. I attacked a few times while Rainier had my back. I got off the front and caught the rider who was bravely solo for 32 miles up to that point. I got some stellar pulls from him, we got to the turn around only to see the group a mere 3 seconds behind.

I hit it hard up the up hill in front of me and half way up, I turn around and my breakaway companion was out and in place, James Enright of Squadra caught up with Ranier locked on his wheel. We get over the hill and back on the flat crosswind section. This is where some more fireworks happen.

Have you ever seen a bike racer go solo up the road when everyone (self included) is in absolute agony? It's nothing short of f****g amazing.

If you have raced in NorCal, you'd be lying if you said no. This guy, Rand Miller (Cal Giant), our district's criterium champion, built and continues to build his reputation on the ability to always make a solo move when all eyes are crossed. For that guy, everyone remembers that crossover point in 2011 when it went from "Ah that's cute" to "Ah s**t" and then later in 2012 when it went to "LMFAO, that's funny".

Back to the campfire story... At this point it was Rainier and three others in a group with others chasing hard behind. I attacked and didn't get anywhere. Rainier had my back to make sure I could recover. When the next rider pulled through (his motivation to keep the break rolling), I attacked again. I got caught again. Third time is a charm, right? Either that or three strikes or you're out. This is the one I committed to knowing it was one or the other. I hit it hard and got a quick gap. I got to the point where I knew it was no longer bridgeable but at the same time sitting where I was on a leash. I held that gap for a few minutes holding back a little in case someone put a dig in to bridge. After 5 minutes, I looked behind and a rider was only 3 seconds off my wheel. I put in a deep 1k effort and opened the gap up and kept pushing harder and harder to open keep the gap growing.

At some point I told myself "sweet, this is kickass" and thirty seconds later realizing that there is a long ways home and saying "wtf am I doing, this hurts, and I just want to be done". Wishes were answered. I stood at the finish line eating a chocolate chip cookie the refs were nice enough to give me while getting to watch the rest of the race light up the field sprint. Ranier finishing up with 3rd in the sprint after covering for me all day. Brian Buchholz (Webcore) making a return for 2nd and Joe Dickerson (McGuire) rolling in strong for 3rd.

In my years as a cyclist, all my results were from sprints. My strategy was pretty simple. I sit around, pick my nose, maybe drink a milkshake, then sprint. If I wanted a chance at finishing well, it would ALWAYS be a sprint, no other way. I had always wondered what it would be like to approach the finish line, see the 200m sign and have the luxury to turn around to look off in the distance, seeing nothing but empty roads.

What happened this year? There's some synergistic magic within the team this year. The sponsors are super supportive. The team all wants to see each other win as much as they want it themselves. The team's management is pulling for the riders and making for a great year.

Wente Vineyards Criterium

It couldn't have been a better day of bike racing in Northern California: 80's and light winds all day! I got off work (Jamba Juice) at 1pm and quickly got home, packed everything up, picked up my girlfriend and we were off to the races! We got there and it was hotter than expected but I was anticipating this race and kept thinking about it all morning at work. Before I knew it, it was game time and the whistle blew. Eric Riggs and Travis Lyons were also here representing Team Mike's bikes and our game plan was to save it for the sprint because it almost always comes down to a field sprint here. We did just that, but it wasn't easy at all: there were non-stop attacks and the average speed was about 29 mph! A small breakaway did get away, but we reeled it back in in the closing laps. All three of us got organized and Travis got Eric and I into position for the last two laps as we sat between 5-10 guys back, just waiting to pounce in the last kilometer of the race. At 700 meters I yelled at Eric to go and he went off like a rocket. I kept encouraging him in these desperate moment and told him up once again and he even got out of the saddle! This guy has some raw power! I took off at 200 meters and held it off by a bike length! Chuck Hutchenson (Marc-Pro Strava) and Austin Carroll (Full Circle Cycling powered by Pure Gear) were creeping up beside me but the finish line came soon enough so that I can put my hands up and give Team Mike's bikes another "W" for 2012!

Thank you to all of the sponsors for everything that you do to make this team rise this year!

--James LaBerge

Town Center Criterium

It was 90 degrees and we were in a parking lot..wait..I mean town center of El Dorado Hills. The course formed a bell shape with many turns and a two block section that rose slightly. With my teammates away winning at Sea Otter, I was left to my own devices. Half-way through the race Peter Graf (Fremont Bank Cycling Team) was alone off the front and a teammate of his was swerving back and forth across the road at the head of the peloton. That was weird so I attacked and bridged to Peter with Chuck Hutcheson (Marc Pro-Strava), Joshua Carling (Michael David Winery Cycling Team), and Peter Knudsen (Team Clover). We cooperated well and held a twenty to thirty second gap to the field, saving the shenanigans for the last couple laps. The five of us finished the race ahead of the chasing peloton with Peter Graf first and myself second. See the rest of Jim Elder’s photographs here.

Sea Otter Circuit Race Win - The Viper Strikes

Team Mike’s Bikes was out in force at this year’s Sea Otter Stage Race, an effort that culminated with Jim Wingert’s win of stage four on the legendary Laguna Seca Speedway. Wingert attacked with 800 meters to go in the 120 minute circuit race and held off the chasing pro field by more than five bike lengths. Check out the finish photo on Cycling News.

Beyond the Wingert win, the team delivered impressive results with Tyler Brandt placing 4th in the circuit race and 9th in the stage race GC. 2012 Chico Stage Race champion Shawn Rosenthall had a strong 8th place finish in the crit on day one, but the then suffered the misfortune of a crash in the road race on day three. Andy Goesling and Eric Riggs played key roles to set up the solid team results, drilling it at the front and keeping the team in good position. Beyond his stage win, Wingert came in 9th in the time trial and placed 8th in the final GC. Find full results here.

The four day event, held in Monterey, California, included some of Northern California’s top amateur racing talent alongside notable pro squads, including Kenda Five Hour Energy and Team Exergy. Check out some great GoPro Footage of the race here.

Chico Stage Race

Friday, the night before the race, I had the great idea of drinking coffee with every meal and as every meal. Surprise. Surprise! When I tried to pass out at 10pm I was still wired.

I had never won a crit and never won a stage race.  To finish it this way, I was in nothing short of shock.

I made the rice muffins w/ chocolate chips in them from the allen lim cookbook with the intention of having some pre-race food and RR fuel. At 12am I was still fully awake tossing in my bed. I decided it'd be a good idea to check on the muffins which were cooled off by now in the fridge. They were ooey gooey. I pulled them out of the tin, placed it on some aluminum foil and put them back in the oven. Pulled them out to put back in the fridge. On the way over, the foil broke and hot muffin/molten chocolate chips all over my feet. That'll definitely help me go back to sleep.

I gave up, knowing I'd have to be up at 4:30am. I took a benedryl which is the WORST medicine you can take to fall asleep. It is an anticholinergic, which inhibitively blocks the neurotransmitters from working. Essentially it's the opposite of having some coffee. Problem is that when you are racing in just a matter of hours, it's still very much in the sytem.

Road Race (Sat 8am)

Roman Kilun gave me a 5hr energy at the race start. I was sooo sleepy and stale for the first 35 miles of the race. When we hit the gravel, the 5hr Energy kicked in. THANK YOU!

Finished the race watching Eric pull out of his pedals in the sprint and finished with the same time as the field, just happy to get done and ready for a serious night of sleep.

TT (Sun 8am)

8am TT start? Really? Anyways, another early wakeup. I don't recall riding mostly because I was still sleeping. All I know is that I got rocked by 40 seconds by Roman (Kenda/5hr Energy) and Teeter (Marc Pro/Strava).

CRIT (Sun 12:30pm)

Started the day nearly 50 seconds back, sitting in 3rd. Roman was sitting in 2nd, 8 seconds back. We both agreed it'd be nice if one of us got the win. From very early on in the race, Roman and I ended up in a move and it looked promising. We got pulled back. Roman attacked with another rider. I sat two wheels back from Teeter who was chasing. The rider in front of me was Dan Heeley (Hagens Berman). Dan attacks and we bridge up to Roman. We were off for several laps. I was really committed to this one thinking that if we broke the leash on the field, we could lap the field and Roman would get the win, I'd move up to 2nd.

It came back. This was with about 45-55 minutes left of racing.

Thinking to myself: "I'm tired, my legs hurt, I over committed to that break and now I'm caught", I thought it'd be a good idea to attack again as soon as we were caught. I sprinted hard and turned around and saw nothing but a big mushroom behind me. Roman and Eric were sitting up at the front of the field. I later looked behind and saw a light blue Fremont Bank kit coming across. "They've got 4 or 5 in the field, SWEET!". It was my friend Julian Martinez. I waited and gave him a few laps of sitting on before calling him for a stretch of help each lap. Eric was back there playing gatekeeper and blocking like a boss.

Within just a few laps, we had almost 40 seconds on the field. I looked to the pits and saw Teeter sitting there with a flat wheel in the pits so I figured he'd have to know what was going on with me gaining a bit of time on him up the road so I gave a hard, hard dig for the next few laps. Roman (2nd in GC at the start of the day) helped me out big time, making sure it was Teeter's job to pull (the GC leader at the start of the day)

With a dead garmin battery, I had no idea how long I had left in the race. All I knew was that the lap cards still weren't up and I was suffering. I was tempted to ask Julian what his computer said but I was legitimately afraid of hearing him say 40 more minutes.

I'm hurting and I finally see 15 laps on the lap cards. (insert explicative here)... that's at least another 20 minutes of hitting it hard. 5 laps later, Craig Fellers (Red Peleton, right behind me in GC) came across and behind I saw two more coming. I chilled for a stretch to let them latch on and hit it hard again knowing we need the speed to get back up and they'd get a bit of rest. They pulled through and I finally got some much, much needed recovery.

At this point, we were getting within closing distance of lapping the field; however, they kept giving us a time gap of 40 seconds to a chase group. I didn't know if Teeter was in this group so had to make sure to keep the time gap up.

Not wanting there to be any slowing down on the last lap, I put my head down coming into the last lap and put in a 1k effort to try to finish the day. Mid lap and I asked for a short pull from Craig. He pulled through and I got back to the front to finish off the day. Coming around the last corner I was burning fumes. I pulled wide looking to see the other 4 pass by in hopes of grabbing a wheel to get the same time, maybe 3rd for some time bonus. I looked over and didn't see it happening so just turned over the pedals through the line to a bit of a surprise to myself to also get the stage.

Santa Cruz Classic Pro12 - Last 2 Laps GoPro Video

A dominant display of team work by Team Mike's Bikes. James Wingert and Andy Goessling were on a break most of the race. The rest of the guys brilliantly covered and blocked. Then finished off the race with an awesome lead out and sprint.

Santa Cruz Classic 2012 from Steve Pelaez on Vimeo.

-Steve P.

Santa Cruz Classic Criterium

I had been at the race since 8am, sleeping as much as I can since I didn't get get home the night before until midnight because I was at the San Francisco Giants opening night baseball game. I finally woke up at about 11am and decided to go stretch out my legs out with an hour bike ride. I found out shortly that it's a love/hate relationship between cyclists and drivers: I got stuff thrown at me and I was being asked questions about cycling. I kept my cool with the driver that didn't like me as much, but it was an eventful morning spin ride in Santa, Cruz, California.

I got back and felt a lot better than last night; I was ready to RACE! The team plan was to get guys up the rode in a breakaway, but after 10 laps of being near or at the front nothing was getting away. Steve came up to me shortly after and told me to sit in and save it for a sprint because it was looking like it and everyone else on the team was going hard, still trying to make a break stick. I listened to Steve's advice and slotted back a few spots, but as I did, I eventually looked back ans saw that I was one of the last guys in the pack!

Eventually, a break of 4 did get up the road that includes Andy and Jim (Team Mike's Bikes), a Webcor rider, and a McGuire rider. It was time to move back up and stop resting completely. I found a sweet spot and sat there, just letting all the other teams attack into the wind trying to chase down the breakaway.

It really started to heat up with 5 laps to go, but that's where Tyler Dibble came in and protected me from the wind and helped me move up into position. The break was now in front of us, but Andy put in a last minute attack on the breakaway with 4 laps to go ad the remaining of the breakaway were done and we picked thm up right away. Unfortunately, Andy got caught with 1 laps to go, but that's where Tyler Brandt went on the attack and he got a small gap! This was an interesting situation because we had Rainier, Tyler Dibble and myself lined up behind one McGuire rider that was on the front chasing Tyler. It slowed up a little bit on the back stretch and I told Rainier to go. Right then a McGuire guy came up and attacked! Tyler was starting to fad a little bit and I told Rainier to just use him as a lead out guy. As we came around the last turn, Dibble clipped his pedal and I had to come around him on the outside on the hill in the wind, but I slotted back in behind Rainier for a couple seconds as we crested the top of the hill. It was all up to me now: I jumped out into the wind and sprinted as hard as I could and came up with the WIN!! I was nervous in the closing meters because Logan Loader (Team Exergy) was on my wheel, but I guess he had some sort of mechanical going around the last turn.

We might not have expected a field sprint, but we definitely put plan B into the fold and executed it perfectly! The entire team rode extremely awesome today and it couldn't have been done with them! This all couldn't have been done either if it wasn't without the support of Mike's Bikes and all of our sponsors!

Thank you for reading!

Read more at Norcal Cycling News and check out some great pics here.

Copperopolis Road Race

On Saturday, most of the Team Mike's Bikes riders raced the Copperopolis Road Race. For those not familiar with the race, it is perhaps the most challenging and classic of the northern california road races. The course is a 22-mile loop on some of the bumpiest roads imaginable, and includes a 1,000 ft climb and numerous other hills and rollers. In the men's pro field, we had to tackle this a total of 5 times, making for a true war of attrition. On the first lap, John Piasta managed to get off the front with another rider on the main climb. When Jim Stemper (Kenda/5 Hour Energy) attacked over the top of the climb, I jumped on his wheel and the two of us made it up to John. The four of us rolled along nicley for half a lap. Unfortunately, John -- who was taking some excellent pulls -- got a flat tire. This took the impetus out of our move, and we were caught soon afterwards. The pace was pretty hot the next two times over the climb and many riders were getting dropped. After the third time up the climb, Shawn Rosenthal attacked out of a reduced group and was joined by Jim Stemper and eventual winner Mauricio Prado. The fourth time up the climb, Max Jenkins drilled it on the steeper ramps, forcing a selection of 9 riders behind Shawn's group of 3. Both Tyler Brandt and myself were able to hang on. We traded some attacks in this group and I started to wear out rapidly. The last time we hit the climb, we passed Shawn, who had fallen off of the lead group. I was dropped halfway up the climb but mangaged to easily ride in solo for 9th place. Tyler hung on with tired legs until the finish for 7th place. There was some drama in the finish that I won't comment on. The breakaway was caught, and Kirk Carlsen was first across the line, but later disqualified, giving Mauricio Prado the victory. Our entire team rode well; it was nice to see so many of us still up at the front later in the race. Dana Williams in particular rode very strongly, and Andy Goessling finished in a respectable 11th place. -Jim W.

Hanford Criterium

After a hard race in Buellton and driving to Hanford that night, I was tired and just wanted to sleep. I slept in until 8:30 or so and went down for some breakfast in the lobby at the hotel that my dad, Chris (brother) and I stayed in. After a good hour using the blow dryer drying out all of my soaking wet clothes from the day before, I got all packed up and headed out to the course that happened to be just 2 blocks away. Before I knew it, it was time to get suited up and ready to race! When online registration closed days before the race, no one was signed up! It was quite literally just my dad and I! My dad spotted some guys and by the time we came up to the start line there was about 25 riders or so including Rand Miller (California Giant/ Specialized) and Dave McCook (McGuire). Luckily Rainier came down for the day and we both knew it was bound for a break due to the such windy conditions. And that's exactly what happened. 2 laps into the race a group of 6 got off the front including Rand, my dad (Dean), Dave, Vincent Owens, and a Safeway rider and myself. After a few laps, Dave popped and about 10 laps later, the Safeway rider got popped. As we were almost about to lap the field, Rand put in a hard attack and Owens followed it. By this time, we also had some lapped riders and I attacked out of the group to bridge it. My dad and I made it across and I kept watching Rand and Vincent the entire time. About halfway through the race, Rand attacked on the left side of the road when I was stuck on the right side behind some of Vincent's teammates. Rainier was up the road trying to lap the field but couldn't make it across. Rand was gone for good after that. He caught Rainier's group and Rainier sat in behind Rand's wheel, making him earn his win and keep me and Vincent Owens away. Owens and I rolled off the front, trying to bridge across but the distance was too much. I eventually got popped from Owens at 12 laps to go and he stayed away, but in the last 10 laps, he used a couple of his lapped teammates try to catch Rand's group and he got moved down to 3rd by the officials at the end of the race. I finished solo, about 1/2 a lap behind Rand's group, but still placing 2nd!

Wish I hadn't made that mistake halfway through the race, but the sport is the matter of split second decisions. Rand made the right one today. Lesson learned!

-James

Firestone Walker Avenue of Flags Criterium

Having spring break for college before a long traveling weekend is always helpful in getting homework done and not having to do it on the road like at Merco and San Dimas. So I was able to get that all done and get all packed up Friday morning/afternoon and headed down to a town called Buellton, CA in the mid afternoon. With some traffic, we got down to Buellton at 10pm and got some shut eyes before the big race the next day. I woke up and went on down to breakfast. My dad and brother, Chris had already came back from breakfast warning me about a long line and that I should go down there now to wait in line. I did just that and came back to my room to rest up for the race.

Back to the race, I went early to get my number and watch my brother's race and then came back to put my race number on. At this point, it was perfect race conditions: low to mid 60's and sunny with a few clouds passing by. I got my bags packed and traveled back to the race, and with still sunny skies, it looked like a nice day in So Cal for my racing! That is until around the 3 O'clock time when the clouds came over the mountains and started to rain. It only got harder, and it only got colder. Many people just got in their cars and put leg warming cream on and knew that they were for a rough one. I jumped to the start line 5 minutes before the start and luckily they shortened the race from 90 to 60 minutes due to weather; it was nasty. I started off good; following some big attacks and being active; knowing that it was likely that a break would eventually get away due to the narrow course and harsh conditions. I eventually started to crack halfway through the race and it was still all together, so I decided to try to rest and sit back a little bit farther in the pack (50-riders). There were two turns where Justin Williams would sprint out of and I would have a hard time chasing down, which happened to both be in the cross-wind sections. I'm not saying it was Justin's fault, but the guys at the front were doing that too so he had to do the same thing to stay on in the slipstream. I eventually got popped with 15 minutes to go, where there were roughly only 30 riders left.

Rough day for me with the conditions. Wish I had done better but it's bike racing and I kept my skin for another day!

-James

Land Park Criterium

Land Park Criterium is one of my favorites, it is an oval with a cloverleaf shaped-double chicane and almost hairpin stuck into it. There was an initial longstanding break of four that included Evan Huffman (CalGiant) and Peter Graf (Fremont Bank). Two of those in the break dropped back to the peloton and Evan and Peter charged on. There were constant bridge attempts, teammate Dana Williams and I included, but no solid chase. Dudes were getting really excited, bouncing off each other and scraping pedals. It wasn't until eight laps or so left that Nathanael Christensen (Michael David Winery) and I got away from the peloton. We worked our butts off for eight laps but never made it to the Huffman train; instead, we dangled half-way between the leaders and the peloton. I managed a third place and Dana was eighth. Nathanael and I coming into the finish:

Rand seducing the camera and Dana leading the rest:

Tim Westmore provided the above photos.

Super Sweetwater Grasshopper

Super Sweetwater Grasshopper had the most eclectic collection of bikes on the "start line" of a race that I have ever seen, every flavor: mountain, road, cross, maybe a tandem, so sweet! After the first push up a steep hill, however, there were just roadies: Peter Stetina of Garmin, Jeremy Vennell of Bissel, Chris Winn of Horizon/Panache, and Jonathan Teeter of Marco Pro Strava. Nick Frey of Boo Bicycles and I caught them on the descent, but lost them again on the incredibly steep (portions greater than 15% according to Strava) next section of Sweetwater Springs Road. We were eventually joined by four others, including my friend Jason Benford of Freewheel, for the Old Cazadero Highway climb. Coming off this ridge on a dirt path toward Austin Creek is where I put my Tarmac SL4 and DIY Garmin mount to a serious test. Such a rad descent with portions steeper than -16%, rocks, jumps, divots, mud hairpins, branches, and people cheering! I had two slick tires sliding in a couple sections, but that was not nearly as rad as the dude who attempted to ride the creek crossing on his ROAD BIKE. Think ankle deep running water, river rocks, algae, spawning salmon, crawfish, maybe a fishing vessel. One of the highlights of the day!

After climbing out of the creek basin past disgruntled locals, our group worked well together out to Highway One, then headed back East on Willow Creek Road. Here I rode the front, because the road is torn up with pot holes hidden in puddles and didn't want to be caught off guard with a pinch flat like I had a previous year. I rode harder and got a gap. Knowing the three leaders had probably finished, I kept it rolling just so I could beat Jason, known for his climbing prowess. At the bottom of the Willow Creek climb I felt my front tire going soft, and the air lasted until about three switchbacks from the finish (unbeknownst to me, I would have just walked to the finish for fourth place had I known it was so close).

-Rainier