Snelling Road Race – P/1/2 Race Report

Snelling was the 2nd big team race of the year, and after a solid performance at Cherry Pie I was excited to get the crew back together. It was even more exciting and pressure filled because the  guys would be riding for me under the guidance of an extravagant race plan I had developed.

Everything started out as it usually does, the first big road race and everybody antsy to be in the front, thus the motor driver had to stop the group 30 seconds into the rollout as half the field was across the yellow line. Personally I think the neutral rollout is the most dangerous part of the race, I wish that they would just have us line up for the start out where the actual start is so that we don't have that madness.

Anyhow, everyone survived and we got down to racing. The conditions were interesting, the windiest I had ever seen at Snelling, maybe even any race. I was able to sit in the first half as my amazing teammates followed attacks and kept everything under control, Steve Pelaez was even taken into the dirt a few times fighting for position in the front (footage from his GoPro coming soon I believe).

Every time that I found myself drifting back in the pack my guardian angel, Dana Williams would appear and take me back to the front and give me water. He even rode the windiest section in the wind with me on his wheel, creating his own echelon, the guy was absolutely amazing (not to give anything away, but even with all this work, he still managed to win the field sprint!)

As we hit the bumpy section of the course I watched as my teammate John Piasta followed Nate Wilson (Cal-Giant) off the front and soon after I followed Chris Stastny (Cal-Giant) and we started to rotate. Then Eric Riggs bridged and immediately went to the front, started hammering and yelling at other people to work harder. Perfect, break initiated with 2 laps to go, just as I had planned. Finally Andy Goessling bridged with a few others, making it 4 Mikes Bikes.

The group worked seamlessly until we hit the backstretch with 1/2 a lap to go. Riggs decided that we should gutter the group since we still had 4 riders left. This proved to be a bit of a mistake as Piasta was quickly shelled and then attacks started going off. Riggs and Andy took turns doing some solo flyers making Nate Wilson work while I sat on and conserved. We hit the last bumpy stretch and I was 2nd wheel with Nate pulling and Chris Stastny on my wheel. Right before the final corner Andy appeared just in time to give me a leadout. He took me to 200 meters and I hit out, but it was just a bit too early. A simple green rider took the win, and I made the fatal mistake of letting Stastny come by on my left (in the draft).

It was a good result, but after all the work the boys did for me, I expect to bring home the win. Mikes Bikes continues to show that we are the real deal though as we continued our streak of podium placings. Next up we head back to Merced with 7 guys to contest the Merco Classic.

-Tyler B.

A Few of Our Favorite Pics from the Team Camp

Snelling Road Race and Original Merced Criterium - Elite 3 Race Report

Snelling Road RaceIn the 3s, 98 people at the start line for this race, my plan was to stay in the top 20. Reason being that with the forecast saying wind, there was bound to be a "selection" where the strong guys at the front get separated from the strong guys at the back by the weaker guys in the middle.

My bottles were a combination of one with plain water, and one with Clif Shot Electrolyte drink mix. In my pockets I had a Clif Bar (Black Cherry Almond), a Clif Shot TURBO (espresso flavor) and a Clif Shot Gel (vanilla).

The first few laps were pretty normal. I was doing my best to get a feel for where the best places in the peloton to be were to avoid wind and to maintain decent positioning at the same time. About 2/3rds through lap four of five, on the tailwind section of the course, a 9-man group rolled off the front of the peloton (*the "selection"). On the roller leading into the right bend before the left turn to the rough stuff, I attacked and bridged. In the 10-man break, Team Fusion Sport was represented by three guys who nearly refused to do work. This ultimately lead to the catching of the breakaway on the long windy straight following the finishing straight. All together now, with about 40% of the final lap to go, I stayed in the top 20 (of now about 45 in the remaining group).

Into the second to last turn, just before Figmond (the rough straight section), I was about 25th on the outside of the turn. We were spread about three or four wide, and I was stuck on the right edge of the road. Every time the guy in front of me moved far enough left, I'd move up into the gap and maintain that position. I repeated doing this until I was in the top ten. At 1k to go, a Metromint guy attacked up the right side of the road, and got about 20 meters off the front of the pack. Into the final turn, the group doubled up and I made my way up just after the exit. I was 5th wheel with about 250 to go, the Garmin kid in front of me went and I stayed on his wheel- jumping around 200m. I caught the Metromint rider, looked left - no one - looked right - no one - and threw up my hands at the line. This was my first Elite Road Race win.

Original Merced Criterium

The idea was to get in a break with someone I had seen before and had an idea of how strong they were. Bridged up to three breaks at different times in the race that all got pulled back, but got a prime in there somewhere. With 7 to go, there was one guy off the front leading and a Tieni Duro junior in the process of bridging up to him. I attacked around the back side of the big white building before the narrow road and got a good gap. Within about twenty seconds, I had made up the time gap on the guy leading the race. We worked together for about two laps, until he told me he was fried and wouldn't be able to sustain the pace we were keeping. Going into three to go, I pulled through in our rotation, looked back, and he had fallen off.

The next three laps were going to go one of two ways- I could do everything I could to maintain my lead (about 1.5 city blocks), or I could sit up and do the pack sprint thing at the end. I said to myself, "Self... let's do this. WE CAN DO THIS." I put my head down, and gave it everything. Finishing up my 3rd to last lap, I was hearing plenty of clapping, hooting and hollering. It helped. With 2 to go, I didn't even look back. I didn't want to know how far back the peloton was. I kept going, drilling it on the only sheltered, wind-free section of the course. I took the smoothest lines possible and was on to my final lap. I thought "This is it. Let's finish it" I kept going. and going. and going. I turned the final corner, looked back, and saw the peloton closing in on me, from 1 corner back. I finished with about four bike lengths on the winner of the bunch sprint.

Original Merced Criterium – P/1/2 Race Report

Team Mike's Bikes went into the Merced Crit with fancy shoes and an entourage of females from an ice cream shop that Rainier Schaefer picked up for us the night before. The previous day (Snelling Road Race) we had Matt Adams and Taylor Cody both win their races and Tyler Brandt rock out with third in the PRO 1, 2. He would have won if I had swept the sprint for him, but I messed up big time and wasn't there for him at that crucial moment. I try not to get too upset, because, to be frank: our team is awesome. I have never been on a team with more talent and synergy than Team Mike's Bike. Our rider's are always working hard and sacrificing themselves for teammates - which in this sport is rarer than a Velo Promo race starting on time.

Trivia: What Velo Promo race/year got delayed because someone constructed a two foot tall wall of cow manure on the course?

Special first place prize:this photo album.

A big part of why this team is so successful as a cohesive unit has to be our team camp Steve Pelaez and Hank Scholz put together. Easily the most worthwhile team camp I have gone too. Everything about it sped up rapport with one another. It feels like I've been racing with my teammates for years rather than weeks.

I finished second in the Merced Crit today. John Piasta, Tyler Brandt, Rainier Schaefer, and Shawn Rosenthal all rode like Pro Tour riders, getting in every break, keeping me safe, and put together a complete replica of the human centipede train for me at the end. I took video with my GoPro. It's from my perspective and does zero justice whatsoever to my teammates who went with forty plus attacks today. Enjoy.

P1000870

Cantua Creek Road Race, Pine Flat Road Race, and Dinuba Criterium - P/1/2 Race Report

Cantua Creek Road Race

The course is flat except a hilly section for the last 3k. Headwind out, tailwind back.

We rolled out pretty easy for the first lap. On the way back on the second lap attacks started coming in. Blake Anton and another strong rider got up the road. I rotated with the group to keep it close. On an overpass I bridged the gap (on a bridge). We were off together for for 15mi or so. We got caught and I gave it another go by myself. A rider bridged, we got caught.

On the way back toward the finish it was a tailwind. On the finishing climb I sat at the front covering moves. Toward the top of a hill, a rider attacked. I covered it and used it as a springboard to launch from the crest to the finish line. 700m later, "smiling", I finished a road race (it's been 2 years, been busy getting the coaching business up and running).

Standing on the sidelines, I ran around passing out business cards for my coaching business, Provantage Sports (yes, I had them in my pocket along with

a few extra clif bars). As the cat 3s came in, I got to live a bit vicariously as a couple of my athletes finished their race:

Reese Levine of Tieni Duro finished off a 60mi breakaway to get 2nd and Travis Lyons of Mike's Bikes finished strong in the uphill field sprint.

Pine Flat Road Race

This race has a lot of rollers and flats followed by a steep hill in it followed by a valley and a short finishing hill

On a fast, non technical descent, someone decided itd be a great idea to pass a truck. The field followed, including passing while rolling around view obstructed curve. While sitting safely behind the truck, a rider passed by me over the yellow line around a curve then decided he didn't want to go. He hit his brakes and swerved right.

Until the "right turn" onto wildcat (the climb) I sat around and surfed the pack, only briefly seeing the front for 20 seconds to help close a dangerous 6 rider group.

Two riders got away, courageously trying to get a head start before the hill. From what I heard, one was able to narrowly stick it to the finish line.

After the right turn, a few lit some matches on the first steep kickers. It flattened out and it slowed down. I pulled through knowing there were still 2 up the road to close down. After a minute or four I wanted a breather before making a go on the really steep section. "a rider" as mentioned earlier pulled through, riding on the left side of the road. I was riding to the right, not too pleased about where he was. A car came, he hit his brakes and moved right. My front wheel taken out, I was on the ground. Curled in a ball, I could only hope I:

1) didn't get hit by the guys behind me 2) didn't get run over by any cars

As soon as I started to feel really comfortable on this bike, the bike is in pieces and the part swap starts again. Thank you Jack Maddux for lending me some bars for the next day.

My shoulder and back are knotted

and twisted. My elbow and knee stiff and bruised. Really could have been much worse but in a sport as risky as this, I'd really like to see the avoidable avoided.

Dinuba Criterium

After getting a set of kiddie size handlebars from Jack Maddux of specialized jr racing team (thank you Jack for saving me there!) I spent the morning putting the front end of the bike back together.

Narrow bars, tape barely wrapped, 303 front, box section rear... I looked sooo pro. I had the shoes though!

Small field, half on one team ... In for a day.

From the gun attacks went out and I got caught singled out a few times.

I threw in a few counter attacks and one stuck with Jax, Vince Owens, and myself. We quickly lapped the field I tried my best to go easy when we got close but it came together when Vince tried to bridge up when the field was sitting up. It was like that Super Bowl moment with 1min to go.

Now they breakaway companions had teammates. Stuck to Vince like glue since he had like 6 teammates. Those guys rode hard to try to keep Vince fresh.

Brian Bosch gave a great lead out for Vince. I tried to get the jump on Vince but went too late to come around a guy with legs as solid as his. Finished off the day with a 2nd place and a king size burrito.

County Center Criterium

"Hey, I don't have a pass to do the grasshopper tomorrow. Let's do the County crit in Santa Rosa. I got Laberge to do it and Matt's doing it too" explained Steve on Friday night. It just so happened that I was in the same boat as he (both of us managing our bike racing habit, a young family and our own businesses) so I said, "Sure, why not. It's close and will be fun"! Game on. It was my first time doing this race. Actually it may have been the first time for everybody since I think it was a new course. It was for Cat's 1/2/3 and was 90 minutes. The course basically had a 250-300 meter front and back stretch with a semi-circle curve on each end. There was also a pretty good head wind on the start/finish stretch and tail wind on the back stretch. Our team game plan was to try to get me the win so I could get a few more points needed towards my Cat 1 upgrade. Matt, Steve and James were going to chase breaks and I was to be attentive in case a dangerous move went that none of us were in. The first 20 minutes consisted of quite a few guys taking flyers off the front and then being reeled back in. My typically style of racing is to ride towards the front because historically I haven't had many teammates to race with. This gives me the opportunity to go with dangerous moves and no get yo-yo'ed at the back. Once the start whistle blew I soon found myself comfortably towards the front. After making some accelerations to track a few guys down, Steve came up to me and shouted some good advice "Just hang back for a bit". As our team captain and a rider with more experience than I, I followed instructions and dropped back a bit.

Moves continued to go off the front and were brought back. A decisive move happened around 30-35 minutes in. Two guys (I think it was John Wilk of Webcor and Joe I. from McGuire) got a bit of a gap and then another Webcor rider (Charles Hutcheson) and another rider bridged up to them to make four. You could tell they were working well together because they were maintaining their gap, if not increasing it. James and Steve made some pretty good efforts to bridge up but unfortunately didn't make it. Then the second decisive move happened; two riders from Red Peloton, Sterling Magnell from Wonderful Pistacio, a rider from Full Circle, Pat Biggs, another Webcor rider and myself got a gap. Credit to Steve for encouraging me to go with them and then slowing the pace down at the front of the pack.

So for the next 30 minutes the six of us chased the lead four. The gap hoovered around 20-25 seconds. It was definitely helpful that we kept them in sight. Obviously the Webcor rider in our group didn't want to do any work and initially tried to disrupt the chase but all of us seemed to know this so just went by him when he hit the front. Then one of the Red Peloton guys had enough and dropped back to the chasing field. The five of us kept working and finally got the gap down to 15 seconds when the lead four lapped and were absorted into the field. It wasn't long before our group of five did the same. There was about six laps to go at this time. Steve found me and I followed his wheel to the front. We found James and Matt and the four of us were pretty well together, Steve behind Matt, I behind Steve and James behind me. The bell rang for the last lap and Steve went to the front with about 3/4 of a lap to go. Half way down the back stretch James yelled to go and Steve accelerated to stretch out the group. It was a good move and we were controlling the front. Steve rounded the final corner and I sensed he was pretty well spent (he later confirmed this). At this time I hesitated a bit because I wasn't sure I could sprint into the head wind all the way to the line. Just then I heard James yell my name over my left shoulder as he went by on the outside. I could see some other guys on his wheel. I tried to get on James' wheel but realized he had the jump and that I'd try to jump on a competitors wheel...which I did. But I wasn't able to get by him and ended up fourth in the field sprint (Nice job to James for winning it) and ended up third overall. Charles 'Chuck' won and the Full Circle rider just nipped me at the line for second.

All in all it was a great day. This was shared by our other James (Wingert) on our team: 'when you can lap a field in a crit then it's a pretty good day'. Thinking back I probably should have let James in behind Steve and had him lead me out after the final turn since the field was sprinting for 10th. But I'm happy with another podium and think I probably have enough points for my upgrade. :-).....thanks for the team for the support in the first two crits of the season. Looking forward to returning the favour.

P.S. Oh ya....I seem to recall Steve telling me I should have got down into my drops for the sprint instead of on my hoods....this must have been a dream or something.....nope, I think it was true. Jared from Mike's Bikes fit studio did such a good job fitting me on Wednesday ( I feel the best I ever have riding on my hoods) that I must have wanted to stay there. :-) I won't do that again....I think the last time I did that was in a Cat 5 race ....let the 'chuckles' begin.

Congratulations to Shawn for getting Team Mike's Bikes first win of the year yesterday in the Cantua Creek Road Race.

Looking forward to next weekend's Snelling Road Race. Here's the Strava data from the race (the first 30 minutes is warm up):

Is It About The Bike?

I’ve often wondered how much of a difference there really is between today’s high-end road bikes. They’re all light, few are lacking in stiffness, and differences in strength sound like they would take a sumo wrestler riding Belgian cobles to discern. So do the differences matter for a 5’ 8” guy with a sprint that might take a city limit sign on a geriatric group ride?

Signs point to no. And that’s the answer I would have given, until I took a little spill.

Yeah, that’s my femur. And the tiny crack you may see kept me on crutches and off my bike for the better part of this past fall. Fortunately, I received some good medical care, the bone has healed and I’m now back on the bike, fully equipped with some new steel hardware in the bone.

Shockingly, I’m not quite putting out the wattage I was before the accident. So when I picked up my new Specialized Tarmac SL4 last month, I wasn’t expecting to notice any difference compared to the top-of-the-line euro carbon bike that I had been riding.

But I did. Somehow, even pedaling at the speed of rehab, the Tarmac flies. Features like the tapered head tube and one-piece bb/chainstay help the frame achieve its industry leading stiffness to weight ratio. Bottom line, with this kind of pickup cruising at a modest pace, I can’t wait to see what the bike feels like attacking on a climb.

And the acceleration isn’t even the best part. I’ve certainly never been god’s gift to ballsyness in the bike handling department. Not surprisingly, the trauma of breaking my femur in a crash didn’t help my confidence. This was immediately clear when I was allowed to get back on my euro carbon bike at the end of December. I saw gradual improvements in confidence over the next few weeks, but the process promised to be painstakingly slow.

Then I got the Tarmac SL4. Within two rides, I already felt better descending than I had on my Gucci euro carbon ride of nearly three years. The razor sharp handling has provided just the confidence boost I needed.

Maybe most importantly, these features make the bike fun to ride. More fun leads to more time on the bike, which is a good thing whether you’re training to race, rehab or just get some exercise.

So apparently, there is a difference between high-end carbon bikes, even for a little guy without a sprint and some new steel in his leg. And as I rehab my way back into racing, I’ll take any advantage I can get.

-Steve O.

SF Spring Classics - Featuring Tyler B and John P!

"100 spectacularly scenic miles. 10,000 vertical feet, give or take few. Road, broken road and dirt road. Point to point format. Four fully stocked feed zones on the route will feature delicious snacks on the go and refreshing beverages as well. Your bag with your warm dry clothes will be waiting for you at the finish. Post ride buffet with all you care to eat. Local craft beer too, as much as you like. After you’re full of food and happy, we’ll take everyone and their bikes home via chartered coaches. Mike's Bike's is providing their box trucks to bring your bikes back safe and sound."

More info at http://springclassic.wordpress.com/

The Notso Early Bird Criterium

On Sunday, Shawn Rosenthal, Tyler Brandt and myself met up at Cole Coffee in Oakland in the late morning to ride down to the highly prestigious Notso Early Bird Criterium. Roman Kilun (Kenda/5 hour Energy) and Doran Mori (Team Clif) also joined us for the ride down. We took a long route through the hills to get to the race in Fremont. You can check out the route for the ride on Strava here:

The sections on Redwood Rd. and Palomares Rd. make for some of the best road riding in the area.

With John Becker driving down from the city, Mike’s Bikes had four riders in a field of almost sixty category 1/2/3 riders. We agreed on a strategy of simply racing hard and having some fun. There were copious attacks during the first quarter of the race and all of us took turns going with the moves. Nothing stuck until I found myself off the front in a five-man group with two Webcor riders. After working to get a decent gap on the field, we rotated pulls effectively enough to stay out front until the halfway point of the race. At that point, several others (including Roman Kilun) rode across the gap from the field, and the breakaway swelled to a dozen riders. With four Webcor riders now in the group, many riders felt entitled to sit on. This led to an atmosphere of negativity in the break, and some attacking and voicing of opinions transpired. I did my best to just hit the front as much as the guys who were working. Webcor set tempo on the last lap of the race and we all prepared for a long drag race to the line into a stiff headwind. Roman graciously got me onto his wheel coming into the final corner and led me out for the sprint. He dropped me off pretty early, and I had to start my kick a long ways out into a stiff headwind. John Wilk of Webcor managed to come around me on the finish line. I had to settle for 2nd place, but was happy that I’d done a good sprint and had “good sensations” during the harder parts of the race. All in all, it was a fun race and made for some good training for all of us.

On the way home, we took a more direct, urban route back to Oakland/Berkeley. There was some excitement on the way when a groups of kids (we’re talking 13 years old!) jammed into a beat-up car burned through a stop sign like they were fleeing a crime scene, nearly taking us out. Roman also survived a comical low-speed crash on a steep grade that ensued when he pulled his rear wheel out of the dropouts. Once back to Berkeley, my Garmin told me I had ridden 105 miles. I thought long and hard in the shower about how best to gorge myself, and eventually settled on a big mess of pork ribs from Everett and Jones BBQ, along with a couple of beers.

Veronika Lenzi - Through My Eyes Photography

For the Team Mike's Bikes 2012 Training Camp we had the honor of being hosted by the mother of Bay Area cycling (and beyond), Veronika "Ronnie" Lenzi. For those of you that haven't met, been photographed by, gotten a massage from, or stayed at her chateau in Petaluma, Ronnie is the ultimate soigneur. She has hosted the likes of several professional cycling teams, massaged some of the bigger cyclists we see winning races, and captured some of the most breathtaking photos we see in cycling magazines. Ronnie can be found at most every NCNCA race with a camera in each hand.

Prior to our arrival at her beautiful home, Ronnie had our housing arrangement for the camp all taken care of with borrowed tables, chairs, and air mattress from around the neighborhood and even went as far as having our beds made. She proceeded to help cook and do dishes, give massages, and photograph the team of 18 riders each and everyday of camp. This was all while editing her other photos and getting ready for a business trip to the Tour of Qatar.

On behalf of the team, I would like to personally thank Ronnie for best cycling camp I have ever had the likes of attending and probably will. I feel fortunate to have spent a brief period of time in her care.

Thank you Ronnie!

Visit Ronnies site www.veronikalenzi.com or click on the any of photos below to check out more of the beautiful photos she captured of the team. Enjoy.

-Hank

Zipp 303 Impact Testing

A major concern with running any carbon wheel is their durability. A rear Zipp 808 Firecrest retails for $1,624.99 alone so you definitely want these hoops to hold up. Zipp covers manufacture defects and has a great crash replacement program but the intensity of racing sometimes forces you into the wrong line or the rider in front of you may suddenly changes his sending you into a pothole. Luckily built into Zipp's Firecrest rims is an amount of flex which allows the wheel to bend under impact and hopefully avoid cracking. Check out this video of a Zipp 303 Impact Test:

Rainier's Team Camp Pictures

Check out the slideshow below with for few photos from during the rides, paintball, and photoshoot:

2012 Cherry Pie Criterium - GoPro HD HERO2 Video

Check out Team Mike's Bikes leading out the the last 3 laps of the 2012 Cherry Pie Crit P/1/2 from Steve P.'s helmet mounted GoPro HD HERO2. Still getting the angle dialed in but you get the picture. After watching, check out Andy G.'s race report on the action.

Cherry Pie Crit 2012 - Mike's Bikes from Steve Pelaez on Vimeo.

Cherry Pie 2012 - Elite 3 Men's Race

The two-man plan for the Category 3 race at the Cherry Pie Criterium was to get me across the line first with strategically thought out assistance from- the one and only- John Becker! We aimed to keep ourselves in the top fifteen for the majority of the race, then employing some pretty standard timed maneuvers near the end. My coach and teammate, Shawn Rosenthal of Provantage Sports, gave me a supreme warm-up routine that left me feeling hot’n’ready at the gun. I took a quick squeeze of some Vanilla CLIF Shot Gel at the line, with a full bottle of CLIF Shot Electrolyte drink mix in the cage and a CLIF Shot Turbo Gel tucked into my skinsuit. The race started out pretty steady, the average speed in the first few laps hovering right around 24 mph, without any noteworthy moves off the front. About thirty minutes in, the two Slipstream-Craddock (Garmin) juniors got to the front and started picking up the pace. With about five laps to go, one of them attacked and got a little ways up the road with a Bicycles-Plus Sierra Nevada rider. They maintained a steady lead until the lap cards read three to go, and the field slowly started working the gap down. At this point I was sitting around twentieth, and John was about six guys ahead of me. At the end of that lap, the race officials skipped lap card #2 and went straight to the final lap- giving the breakaway an absurd advantage on the field. At the start of the final lap, the pack started to really pick it up to reel in the break. John was sitting around tenth going down the hill and I made up ground on the outside of the pack to catch up out of the wind. Into turn1, John and I were nearly side-by-side when the group mushroomed before the orange pylons. When the road narrowed, I did my best to maintain a decent position that I could work with later in the lap, and I lost contact with John. While on the backside of the course, Tieni Duro Junior Development (my ex-teammates) had a two-man leadout for Dylan Drummond moving up the outside of the curve, so I hopped on Dylan’s wheel. They made up a significant amount of positions for me in a short distance, and I was sitting around twentieth going in to the second to last turn before the chicane. Where the road narrowed down to two lanes just before the chicane, I was sitting next to Dylan when he got swarmed and lost his wheel. I barely squeezed in and kept position- his leadout having no idea he had lost him. Through the chicane I was about fifteenth, the peloton got strung out and the leadout started going. I jumped with about 220m to the line with hopes and dreams of catching the rider in 2nd position waiting to jump. The two-man break stayed away to the line. I passed a number of guys on the right and finished fourth, second in the sprint.

Of course, 3s races rarely go as planned and split-second decisions need to be made all the time. I could speculate that with a legit 3 laps to go at “3 to go”, the break would have been pulled back and we would have had time to get ourselves organized. But that’s not what happened, and I think we did okay. A mad shout out to teammate Taylor Cody for getting the first Team Mike’s Bikes Win of the season in the 4s!! Also to our P,1,2 squad for going 2, 3, 4 in the afternoon- you guys rocked it!! Surely an awesome start to a promising season.

 -Travis

2012 Cherry Pie Criterium P/1/2 Race Report

After a nice morning spin around Pt. Richmond and some episodes of How I Met Your Mother to get psyched, I gingerly loaded my Tarmac SL4 and Zipp 404s into my car and hit the gas to the Cherry Pie Criterium, the first  race of 2012 for Team Mikes Bikes. Cherry Pie is the perennial season opener for the NCNCA peloton, and it's been a staple on my race calendar for may years. I've had my ups and downs at this race, but coming off an incredible team camp last weekend, I was confident that this would be one of my best season openers yet.

Our basic plan was to have Piasta, Tyler B, Shawn, Wingert, and Laberge all doing work covering moves throughout the race, while myself and Dana saved energy in the field waiting for the sprint. Unlike years past, the field was lacking some of Norcal's heavy hitters. Even so, Cal Giant, Webcor, and Wonderful Pistachios all had a good amount of guys; plenty of strong dudes to keep the race interesting. The race started without too much fanfare, and my first-race-of-the-year jitters quickly disappeared as I found my way up to the front of the race. For the most part, the race itself was fairly steady. I stayed in the top 20 most of the day, while Tyler, Jim, Piasta, and James all did great work covering breakaway moves. Nothing was getting anywhere off the front though, and with 5 laps to go, after a brief crash-induced neutralization, TMB rallied to the front of the race to set up a leadout for me and Dana. The team entire team did absolutely brilliant work to get me to the line, but unfortunately I jumped a bit too early and Sam Bassetti (Cal Giant) pipped me by a wheel at the finish. Even so, the team took 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in our first race of the season. If that's not a sign of things to come, I don't know what is.

Overall, this was a hugely successful day for Team Mike's Bikes. Every rider on the team did exactly what the team set out to do. Truthfully I've never been in a race situation with so many strong guys as teammates. It was a really awesome feeling.

P.S. Possibly the best part of the race was watching guys duking it out on the run in to the line on a prime lap, then seeing Wingert completely smoke everyone up the hill to take the $50. The Viper strikes! First of many, Jim. Also, special thanks to Piasta who really worked his ass off to keep me and Dana at the front in the closing laps.

And almost forgot: F Yeah Taylor Cody, taking the W in the Cat 4 Race! And Travis Lyons taking an awesome 4th in the 3s! So, first team race and five podiums?

Yeah, It's Like That.

Again, awesome riding everyone, TMB is stepping up big time in 2012! See you next time.

-Andy

Team Camp - The Rides

Team camp was a one of a kind of camp! We had three great rides and shared many thoughts about the upcoming season. We started out with a ride from Ronnie Lenzi’s house (amazing hospitality!!) out to the coast, to Dillon Beach and back inland to Petaluma. The next day we had major climbing and sprint workout/lead outs going on all day! This was a must for the team and it paid off very good! Look out for the big black/white train of Mike’s Bikes! We then climbed over Sonoma Mountain, into Sonoma Valley and then up the 2,000+ ft climb up Cavedale Road! I’ve done this climb many times before and it has never been so beautiful while you climb up to the top! It was an amazing scene during the intense climbing. We then descended back down Trinity Road back down to on valley floors of Sonoma Valley, back over Sonoma Mountain and back to Petaluma.

We then had a photo shoot and did a late afternoon ride with the photographers. They were amazing– having to deal with us for over 10 hours!

Overall, it was an amazing weekend of hospitality from the Lenzi’s and so much positive attitude and teamwork! Thank you all to all of our sponsors that make this all happen– Mike’s Bikes, Specialized, Zipp, Sram, Bike Smart, Go Pro, Capo, Garmin, Clif Bar, and Look!!

First race of the year is this Sunday in Napa with the Cherry Pie Criterium! See you there!

-James

Ride Fuel

When we're out riding day in and day out, proper fueling is essential to keeping us going. We are happy to be fueled this year by Clif Bar. From training to racing, they have a product that matches perfect. During your ride or race, you are looking for carbohydrates + fluids. The easier the food is to digest, the quicker it absorbs into your system to provide energy.

When I'm out racing, I choose:

1 bottle of Clif Shot drink mix 1 bottle of water Clif Blocks and Clif Kids Fruit Twists (the first couple hours of the race) Clif Shots (when the racing heats up)

When I'm out training, I choose:

1 bottle of Clif Shot drink mix 1 bottle of water Clif Blocks, Clif Kids Fruit Twists (when I'm going a bit harder) Clif Shots (in case I start to bonk) Clif Bars (helps me stay satiated on a long ride, eat when the riding is at a low intensity)

During both racing and training, I aim for 300-400 calories per hour depending on how much my stomach can handle. I also aim for ~1 bottle per hour depending on the weather. If I keep myself fueled, I will burn through my glycogen stores at a slower rate and will be able to ride stronger for a longer duration.

When I'm looking for some extra protein to help with my recovery, the Clif Builder Bars are a convenient (and delicious) way to fuel up properly. See article about post-ride recovery.

If you're out training and see a Mike's Bikes kit, come say hi. We'd be happy to share some insight (and likely a few samples) of the Clif Bar goods we bring along.

-Shawn

TMB Training Camp - Paintball

What better way to bond as a team than shooting each other with CO2 propelled bullets of paint? We all had to really work on our communication under pressure during this team exercise. Check out the matches on Eric's barrel mounted GoPro HD HERO2:

Final Score: Joe's 3 - Cobra 2

BG Fit - Re-Fit

Just as the beauty of a painting isn't based on the quality of brushes or paints used, a fit on a bike is not perfect just because of the fit method used. Without taking the analogy too far, the creativity and skill comes from the painter, or in this case the BG Fit Specialist. The artist fitting me on my bike was Mike's Bikes Jared Franzoia. Jared has been trained and certified in the Specialized BG Fit method and has years of experience in the fitting process but more importantly was recently re-certified. In order to be a current certified fit specialist, Specialized requires you to not only go through the training and certification process, but to submit proof that you are actively fitting and pass an exam performing the fit process.

Even with all the training and certification in the world, Jared has something which I find important to a fitter, race experience. Jared competes on the road, in cyclocross races, and now in single speed mountain bike races. He knows first hand the racer type, our habits, vigors of training, and necessities for a six hour road race or 30mph crit.

Having raced my bike for several years and facing multiple injuries, I have had multiple fits performed by a wide range of people with a variety of fit methods and experience. The BG Fit method is the one method I have found which doesn't take a cookie cut method and apply it to you on your bike. Instead your fit is a calculated formula using your aspirations as a rider, previous current/injury, physiology, flexibility, intentions, and a million other factors to provide you with your ride, make you one with the bike, an extension of your body.

With Jared's training and a series of  tests he performed on me, he was able to detect a rotation in my hip which was previously diagnosed as a leg length discrepancy. Jared accounted for this rotation in the fore-aft of my saddle and cleat placement. Using a series of cameras, Jared is able to capture real time footage of my fit and pedal stroke. He is able to add lines to the footage and change it's speed to trace my knee through the stoke. Jared can then make adjustments and compare footage side by side to see the result.

A proper fitting isn't cheap, but a proper fit is invaluable. Had I had a proper fitting done years ago, I may not be off the bike right now with tendon issues. If you are interested in booking a fit from Mike's, you can pop into any of the shops for more info or schedule a visit with Jared through Mike's website.

What is BG Pro Fit? from Mike's Bikes on Vimeo.

 -Hank

TMB Gear Handout

This past Saturday night after Mike's Bikes in San Rafael closed up, riders for TMB gathered with product reps from Capo, SRAM/Zipp, and Bike Smart to learn a bit about the equipment they will be riding and get their gear for the 2012 season. Check out a few pictures below from the evening:

Ernesto from SRAM/Zipp explaining the development and innovation of the Firecrest design in the 303,404, and 808 wheelsets the team will be riding.

Ernesto from SRAM/Zipp answering questions from the riders on the aerodynamic benefits and drawback of each wheel depth.

Terry from Capo detailing the materials used in the teams custom Wind Vest.

TMB Race Machines all ready to be picked up. Each bike has a piece of paper attached to the top tube with the riders chosen specifications.

Blue Mike's bottles to match the blue decals on the Venge.