San Rafael Twilight Criterium

by Dana Williams This article can also be found on Dana's blog: http://www.achieveptc.com/san-rafael-twilight-p12-criterium-a-premiere-show-comes-to-town/

The San Rafael Twilight Criterium is what Team Mike’s Bikes p/b Incase considers our ‘home race.’ This is because Mike’s Bikes original store (the 1st of 11) and head office are both within a block or two of the four-corner rectangle course. The energy and excitement surrounding this race each year is what we really look forward to. This year there was a bit of added pressure, with teammate Eric Riggs, being the defending champion. It felt as though most other team’s crosshairs were directly on us.

Our plan going into the race was pretty simple: be attentive the first 30 of the 90 minutes, then get more aggressive and try to get two guys in a break, with at least one of our sprinters. If a break didn’t succeed by five laps to go, then our team would go to the front and line up our train for Riggs or James Laberge (who won the field sprint for 3rd in last year’s race).

Before the race got underway, event organizer Project Sport did what many in their position try to accomplish, and in my view few achieve with as much success. The energy and excitement they create is astounding. Music pumps and resonates through the streets as the sun sets; Dave Towle, the voice of US cycling, calls up riders in a fashion that makes them feel like superheroes; these same riders are escorted to the start line under umbrellas held by beautiful women; the crowd buzzes like electricity. I know I wasn’t the only one with goose bumps.

The whistle blew and we were off. In typical fashion, the first few laps were fast and strung out. Guys who started further back pushed hard to move up. Guys at the front worked hard to stay there without expending too much energy. There were a few close calls, with riders being aggressive and trying to stamp their authority by shooting through tight holes that closed up quick. Thankfully I didn’t hear the agonizing sound of carbon scraping along pavement.

The first real move of the night happened 15 minutes into the race. Our team’s newest recruit, Brandon Trafton, who never likes to sit in and watch the race unfold, got off the front and held a 10-second gap for about 10 laps. Guys attempted to bridge on countless occasions. My teammates and I made sure we were on all of these moves. Brandon got pulled back at about 30 minutes into the race. The next 50 minutes were pretty consistent; small breaks formed, getting no more than 10 seconds up the road and then being brought back. I marked a few moves and stayed towards the front, but soon felt as though the race was going to come down to a bunch sprint.

At around eight laps to go, my teammates and I started to amass at the front. Then, as I recall, with five laps to go, it was Shawn Rosenthal, Roman Kilun, Adam Switters, and Brandon Trafton rotating in front of me and keeping the pace high. Eric and James were on my wheel. With around three laps to go, guys were coming up and trying to get in our leadout train. Two guys ended up being successful, Eamon Franck and Justin Williams, both slotting just in front of me and behind Brandon. My role going into the race (if it came down to a bunch sprint) was to take over out of turn two on the last lap and get James and Eric into turn three first, just as I had done last year. I was feeling strong and believed I was going to be able to come over Eamon and Justin on the back stretch of the last lap, as they were likely not going to want to leadout the pack from that far out.

As we sped over the finish line with the bell ringing, Roman pulled off and Brandon took over. Everything was going fine through the entrance of turn one, but all the sudden I heard the dreaded sound behind me: carbon scraping along the pavement. Then in the blink of an eye I was hit from behind and unclipped my left pedal while fighting to stay upright. It all happened so fast. I thought my race was over and guys were going to come by me. I did my best to quickly clip back in. To my surprise, I didn’t get swarmed by riders. The chaos behind me slowed the surging field. I stood up and sprinted to try to get back to Brandon and the other two guys. It’s a bit of a blur as I think back, but I caught them around half way down the back stretch. Instinct kicks in and tells me to go by them on the outside, so I do. I’m first into turn three and four. I’m leading the San Rafael Twilight Criterium with about a 250 meter slight uphill drag to the finish line. I hear my teammate yelling ‘Go, go, go’ from behind. I try to carry as much speed out of the turn as possible, not knowing how close the guys are behind me. I put my head down and start sprinting. A gear shift stalls my momentum ever so slightly. The lactic acid begins to seep into my quads like water exploding through a river dam that has given way. A wheel enters my peripheral vision, soon followed by the mass of a muscular 21 year old rampaging like a bull running the streets of Pamplona; his name Eamon Franck. Then another wheel and rider; Justin Williams. I was dying a slow death, just hoping the finish line would come soon. And finally it did, to my relief without another rider coming by. Third place it was!

It’s easy to look back at a race like this, where I came so close to winning, and wonder if I could have done anything different. Unfortunately, my team had a bit of bad luck on turn one of the last lap after doing a fantastic job leading out. But ultimately I’m happy to find a spot on the podium. It’s a way to thank my amazing teammates of Team Mike’s Bikes p/b Incase, who rode such a great race, like so many other races this year, and our sponsors and supporters, who we couldn’t do this without them. Thank you.

2013 Tour de Nez

Teammate Brandon Trafton would be my only teammate for the day. At the San Rafael Twilight the night before he soloed for 25% of the race and still had enough energy to lead out and send teammate Dana Williams into the final straight for the sprint finish. He's flying, I was pretty stoked. The race started fast with a first lap prime and immediately after Trafton is off the front with Johnathan Teeter (Marc-Pro Strava). Teeter just recently finished second place at the NRC Cascade Cycling Classic Time Trial and is the race favorite for the day.

The peloton chased hard after them for forty-five minutes, notably the entire Predator Cycling team, fresh from their win over crit-powerhouse UHC at Pairie State Cycling series, and Max Jenkins (Kenda Pro Cycling - 5-Hour Energy).

Justin Rossi (Marc-Pro/Strava) and I went ultimate passive aggressive blocking mode, clogging up lines in the turns and pretending to pull while Trafton and Teeter rode super humanly and maintained their thirty-five second lead.

Eventually the chase cracked and Rossi and I made the bridge up to Trafton and Teeter. All four of us traded pulls working together (photo credit: Steve Ellsworth),  maybe only thirty seconds from lapping the field, until about four laps to go when Rossi and Teeter started to light things up and trade attacks, not wanting it to come down to a sprint.

We rode really well during this time, going all out to match Teeter's and Rossi's accelerations knowing that if we gave either of them any space they would just time trial away from us.

Coming into the last lap Rossi launched an attack that I chased. It gapped us pretty far from Teeter and Trafton. I sat behind Rossi, waiting for sprint distance to the finish line or for Trafton to catch up so I could lead him out, whichever came first. Trafton opted to play it safe and sit on Teeter rather than risk leading out Teeter in his chase up to me, which was a tremendous sacrifice on his part and ultimately gave me the win.

I had been cornering really well all day, so with the final corner in sight I jumped as hard as I could into it and came out with a decent gap that I carried to the finish line for the win. Trafton did the same thing behind me and came in for third.

Quick final note: Reno was incredibly hot and incredibly dry. Most of the race I had globs of dry spit accumulating on my lips and my throat being torn to bits from sucking down mouthfuls of dry air. I've had to take people's word that OSMO is the best drink mix for endurance athletes because I know absolutely nothing about life sciences, but today was the first time I was able to physically feel just how powerful this drink mix is. I am speechless as to how much better and how much easier the pedal strokes came after each drink of it.

Little City Stage Race Report

by Brandon Trafton This was my first year doing the Little City Stage Race and I was very impressed with the event. All three stages were on top level courses which were both hard and unique. Because I feel my victory on Sunday was a direct result of my racing on Saturday, instead of just recapping my win, I will review Saturdays racing as well.

The stage race was an omnium (point system), this was great for me considering I was going to “Merckx” the initial TT. After placing 10th on the 10 mile course, I was happy considering I did not loose too many points going into the criterium, which was later that day and RR on the following day. Unfortunately however, I did not race the criterium as well as I had hoped. Towards the end of the race, a break of 5 riders went off the front and I was caught out of the breakaway. It was a very brilliant ride by the Marc-Pro Strava racers Chris Harland-Dunaway, Nate Freed and Chuck Hutcheson; not only did they place 1st and 2nd in the criterium, but they moved Chris into 1st overall. I only managed to place 9th after many unsuccessful bridge attempts and an unsuccessful early field sprint.

Frustrated with my race, I did what I normally do when I need to clear my mind, I decided to go on a bike ride. Heading out of town, I saw a road called Kingsbury Grade, “what the hell,” I thought. Every pedal stroke up the mountain felt like another bit of frustration leaving my mind. By the time I got to the top, I was smiling ear to ear and ready for another day of racing. I told myself looking into the valley below that I was going to race the RR as hard as I could, win or loose I would leave it on the course.

The road race started as expected, many riders were marking each other thinking about the overall GC. Because of the blistering heat and expected winds, many were sitting in trying to save their energy for the final laps. The course was 6 laps of an 11mile loop with two consecutive 3 min climbs. Anyone that has raced with me knows I am not one to sit in and wait for the sprint, I am a rider who goes on the attack, usually early and often, so for me to wait until lap two was patient by my standards. On lap two, I tested the waters by setting a moderate pace up the climbs. Sure enough, this drew out some attacks following the 2nd climb. Nothing got too far up the road and by the start of lap 3 we were back together. Just as the lap prior, I set the pace again but this time with the intent to attack after the initial accelerations over the top of the second climb. Sure enough the attacks came and then off I went. Luckily, I had Pete Morris from Team Cliff Bar follow me to share the work. Chuck Hutcheson from Marc-Pro also followed my attack, this was good and bad. On one had, this would stop the chase by Marc-Pro, but on the other I knew he would not work very enthusiastically because his teammate was behind trying to defend the race lead. Sure enough, he sat on Pete and I for 90% of the race (as he should have). Pete and I decided to remain “civil” on the climb to make sure we had enough energy to pull away from the pack on the remainder of the course. By lap 5 we had over a 3 min gap on the pack. Coming into the last lap, I felt surprisingly fresh for a 2 hour threshold effort at altitude. Knowing Chuck and Pete had the upper-hand in the sprint, I attacked with 1K to go holding on for the win. My goal for the race was achieved, I left if all on the course and the win was great added bonus. On top of the win, this gave me enough points to move into 5th on the overall. I did get to pay for this post race however from what I later concluded may have been a mild state of heat stroke. I guess 3 hours in a 100º+, 4721ft high, dry environment will do that to you.

Thanks for the awesome race Bubba Melcher!

2013 Berkeley Bicycle Club Criterium: Fast from the Gun

By Travis Lyons I like this crit. It’s a four-corner course, about 1km in length, with a few spots of bad pavement and a pretty high crown on the road surface, making the majority of the turns off camber. The back straight has a slight hill in it, and the 3rd and finishing straights are downhill with fast turns.

Originally, we had planned on having only three riders in the field- Eric Riggs, Dana Williams, and myself. A couple of our other teammates, Shawn Rosenthal and Roman Kilun, both who live in a close area of the course, rode over to watch the event. Roman decided to race at the last minute- so you’ll have to excuse his “got dressed in the dark” appearance with miss-matched kit.

At the line we had four of the twenty-six starters in the P/1/2 field. On the whistle, Roman put in a little dig to initiate the early breakaway. Another rider followed and Dana was behind him. The three of them got a small gap before turn two as they started up the hill on the back straight. Their advantage didn’t gain them any more than 8 seconds in the first lap. Going into the second lap, the peloton started to bring back their lead on the downhill section and the gap was closed almost completely. On the back straight of the second lap, Riggs counter attacked to pass the group with Roman and Dana. A rider who tried to follow Riggs unclipped at the front of the field, and swerved off to the right of the road, and the field sat up for a second. A Davis rider went to follow Eric with me in tow, as Dana, Roman and the third rider, Rob Scheffler of Fremont Bank, followed. The Davis rider was gone after that, and I have no idea what happened him after he brought me up to my teammates. About a half a lap later, we all looked back to see about a 10 second gap to the field. Roman, Dana, Eric, myself and Rob were in the break… How’d that happen? Fewer than four laps into the race, we had all four of our riders in the five-man break.

The next thirty minutes were pretty boring for me. I sat at the back at the back, pulling through every so often to try to put Rob on the front during the headwind/crosswind sections of the course. Our gap stayed pretty steady around 20~25 seconds to the main field. From what we heard after the race, a few 2- or 3-man attempts to bridge were made without success.

We lapped the field with about ten minutes, or 8 laps to go. Roman and Eric quickly got to- and off the front again. Dana and I were back in the group of lapped riders with Rob racing for 3rd place. Roman and Eric’s group stayed off to the finish, with Roman crossing the line first.

Going into the last lap, Dana was on the front with two riders between him and Rob with me riding behind Rob. A Giga OM-ARO rider attacked going into the last lap with a rider on his wheel, Rob followed them. He attacked on the back straight and hammered into the third corner. I sat on his wheel out of the last corner and started my sprint with less than 200m to the line. I waited too long and ran out of road, so Rob took third by about a half a wheel.

2013 Colavita Grand Prix

By Dana Williams As a team we went into the P12 race with just three riders; myself, Brandon Trafton and Travis Lyons. Our main goal was to try to get Travis the win. He is a Cat 2 rider looking to upgrade to Cat 1. Brandon and I were happy to do what we could to help him collect valuable points. Both Travis and I had won a race on this course in prior years; I believe mine was the Cat 2 race two years ago and Travis in the 2/3 race last year. We talked prior to the race and realized our wins had come in similar fashion. We agreed that Travis stood the best chance of winning by having Brandon and I lead him out to an agreed upon critical point of the course, where he would start his sprint and go for the win.

There was a decent size field of around 40 guys, with one or two Cat 1 ladies jumping in for race experience, at the start. Red Peloton definitely had the biggest numbers with six or seven. From what I recall (results aren't up yet) Squadra and Olympic Club had three or four riders, MarcPro Strava and a number of other teams had two, followed by lots of solo riders. The three of us decided that we would play a more defensive role in the race based on the fact that it was Travis' second race of the day, plus we could rely on Red Peloton and other teams to chase if they weren't represented in the break.

The course isn't very technically; basically a 350 meter front and back straight away with a 100 meters on each end. Turn 1 to 2 is more like an semi circle while turn 3 to 4 has a little convex bend in it. The whole back stretch was a climb of around 2%, except for a little 50 meters 5% kicker at 200 meter. There was also a head wind. Out of turn 4 (start of the start/finish straight away) was a little 5% downhill ramp, where it then flattened out for 75 meters before the start/finish line, and then continued to turn one.

It didn't take long for guys to start attacking. I'm not sure what Red Peloton's plan was but if I was in their advantageous position, consistently throwing guys off the front would seem to be a good move. Brandon and I were doing a solid job of marking dangerous moves. At around 30-35 minutes into the race a break of 10-12 guys formed. Brandon and I were both in it but unfortunately Travis was not. In general the break was working pretty well together, with the occasional attack. Brandon and I wanted Travis to be in it so we decided we would rotate through when our turns came, without accelerating, in hopes that Travis would bridge up.

Travis ended up in a chase with four or five other riders. The gap between us bounced between 20-30 seconds for quite a while. Finally, with around 15 minutes to race, Travis and the others in his break bridged up. We were now 15-20 riders. It was now time to execute our plan. The only hitch is that Travis told me he was feeling some leg cramps and wasn't sure if he could sprint at full strength. I told him to sit in and see how things felt towards the end. On the third las lap, Brandon and I moved to the front. We rotated and set a good tempo. Travis soon found my wheel as we ended the second to last lap. Right around this time, Will Riffelmacher of the Olympic Club shot off the front in a last ditch effort to stay away. We didn't panic, kept the pace going and were able to bring him back on the back stretch.

As we crested the short 5% pitch, Brandon on the front followed by me, I looked behind and realized Travis wasn't there anymore. He would later tell us a hamstring cramp snuck up on him which ceased his effort to stay with us. It wasn't a time where we could sit up and wait as guys were nipping at my back tire like a hungry pack of wolves. It was time for 'Plan B'. Brandon dug a little deeper and got me to turn three. Guys started to swarm me so I couldn't wait any longer. I saw a little gap between two riders, stood up and sprinted. I looked back and had a little gap. I knew I had to give it all to keep away from the 'hungry dogs' chasing me down. I exited turn four in the lead and pushed hard, all the way to the line. Time was on my side and I was able to raise my hands,   in celebration of getting my first win of the year. It was even more special because my wife and two boys were there cheering me on.

Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters for your continued support.

U23 Nationals Criterium

This was my 2nd race of the day; racing the Elite National Criterium just hours earlier that unfortunately took a tight turn in the final lap of the race so I was hungry to do much better in the U23 race. I went back to our host house after the Elite race, showered, ate, and took a quick nap in order to be ready for the U23 race. I knew I was going to get a call up as I am ranked in the top 8 in the USA Cycling rankings so I had a little bit of more extra time to spin around and wake up my body for the race. The team was: Marcus, Nick, Travis, and I. Just as the Elite race, we had a strong feeling that a break might get away so we wanted to be represented in the breaks and if it came down to a sprint, we want to try to lead me out or get me into position. It was fast at the beginning as expected but it settled down after about 20 laps. Cal giant was the dominate team, having about 10 riders, so they sent riders off the front and whenever Hincapie or Bontrager miss it, they would chase hard to make sure it comes back. Eventually a break got away that last for a while but Hincapie went to the front and brought it back by 10 laps to go. At this time, Marcus, Travis, and I were all together, stayed right at the front and fighting for position with the big names the whole time. We were able to do this until about 7 laps to go, where it started to get harder and harder to stay together so I released Travis and told Marcus that it's just the two of us then. By 3 laps to go, we were right behind Cal Giant and I then released Marcus because I was right where I wanted to be. Marcus and Travis ended up staying right behind me and guided me through the next 1-2 laps. I was in about 12th place coming into 1 lap to go so I moved up on the inside, slotting right behind Hincapie, who was taking over Cal Giant. I was behind Ty Magner (Hincapie, previous National U23 crit champ) which was perfect for me. We were fighting very hard for position with the Cal giant riders and a few others behind all the way into the third corner. Going into it, I hit a crack in the road which sent me wide through the turn and allowed the Cal Giant riders by and the others behind me. As the official lead out took place up the hill to the finish, I didn't have much left as I raced the Elite race earlier in the day and got stuck behind the 2nd row of riders. A close call going around the last corner made me sit up for a second which forced me to roll in behind them for 13th. This was a bit disappointing, knowing that I was in great position and a small mistake going around the 2nd to last corner cost me the race.

I would like to thank my teammates for all of their hard work for me and I feel horrible not getting the job done for them. I am looking forward to coming back next year and looking to counter on how I did this year. I would like to thank all of the sponsors for all of their support throughout the entire year because this team wouldn't be possible without you!

Thank you for reading.

--James LaBerge

Elite Nationals Criterium

Coming into today, I had been fully rested after racing Wednesday from the U23 road race that put Nick and Marcus in the 22nd and 23rd spots and Roman finishing a strong 8th place in the Elite road race two days before. It had been unbelievably nice there in Madison, Wisconsin and I knew it had to change sometime or another. By Sunday the weather was in the 80's and the humidity was roughly the same which made it a bit uncomfortable.  Nevertheless, I moved on and pre-boosted before the race with the Pre-load OSMO to get me ready for the day at hand. Coming into the race, I knew there were 4 teams we had to watch out for if a break were to get away: Cashcall, Champion Systems, Elbowz, and Predator cycling. The team was: Roman, Eric, Shawn, Marcus, and I so we needed to be careful in what we did but we ultimately wanted a field sprint. The race started out very fast, as it was expected with a couple dangerous moves throughout the race but we made sure we had one us at least one of us represented in the breaks. The laps kept ticking down and by 10 laps to go, Roman, Shawn and Eric went to the front to take control and keep the pace high so that no one could sneak away. By 8 laps to go, Cashcall took over and I hooked onto Eric and we stayed near each other the entire time. I reconnected with Eric coming into the final laps and at 1 lap to go, we were about 8-10th place. Eric moved me up to about 5th going into turn 2 with a mix of Elbowz and Cashcall riders in front of us. Coming into the all-important turn 3, a rider a couple places in front of me swerved for some reason which caused Eric to do the same and that unfortunately left me with no where to go but hit Eric's back wheel as I was seeking to stay out of the wind. I was fortunately able to keep my body upright and save myself some skin but the price was that I clipped out of my right foot and by the time I got it back in, I was about 30 guys too far back and there was no chance of any kind of good placing after. I had the U23 Nationals Criterium coming up in only a couple hours so I decided to just roll in instead of fighting for a -45th placing. It was a bit disappointing that this happened on the last lap but it is part of bike racing and I knew my form was there so I'm pleased with that, at least.

I would like to thank all of my teammates for putting their trust in me; as a 20 year old, it is huge to get these kinds of opportunities and I can't tell them thank you enough for all of their hard work that put in for me and I feel dreadful of not bringing home anything for them. Also, I would like to thank all of the sponsors and Team Management to get us all out here to Nationals and race for a National Championship! We all greatly appreciate it and we look forward to next year back in Madison, WI!

Thank you for reading.

--James LaBerge

Red Kite Criterium #4

By Brandon Trafton The Red Kite Series has been truly great all season. This was the 4th criterium in the series, but the course was altered to change the dynamics of the race. I was a lone wolf in this race, no teammates to share the work. The previous two Red Kite races that I have done this year ended in a break, so I was expecting this one to finish the same.

Lombardi Sports and Leopard were the two teams with numbers in the race. Sure enough, they used them to their advantage and ensured they were well represented in the breaks. Chuck Hutcheson and William Myers  from Marc-Pro Strava were also active throughout the race. I did my fair share of attacking as usual, but nothing was sticking.

Finally with 10 laps to go, I was able to get of the front with Patrick Briggs from the Prime Time Masters team. We rotated, but behind the pack was chasing hard. We were caught with 2 laps remaining so tried to positioned myself for a sprint. Jared Kessler of Folsom Bike laid in a great lead out for his teammate Matt Chatlaong, Matt got the win by a tire in front of Randy Bramblett. Unfortunately, I lost some positioning on the back side of the course, but held on for a 9th finish. Another great race for the week, looking forward to the upcoming week in Novato with a handful of Team Mike’s Bike’s p/b Incase riders.

U23 National Road Race Championship

by Nick Newcomb Location: Madison, Wisconsin Teammates: Marcus Smith, James Laberge and Travis Lyons Place: 22 out of 150

I went into this race with no expectations as some of the top teams in the country showed up including Bontrager (fresh off the Tour of California), Hincapie, Hagens Berman, Cal Giant, and BMC. The course was a really awesome, mostly flat circuit, with a steep one mile climb and fast twisting decent. We had to do 6 laps totalling around 80 miles and approximately 7000 ft of climbing.

The race started with Cal Giant sending guys off in a break away which forced Bontrager and Hincapie to stay on the front and chase. This kept the pace nice and steady. Through the first half of the race James, Travis, Marcus and I all stayed in good position. Every time we hit the climb, the whole field went ballistic. Marcus and I helped each other to stay in the top 30 and were inspired by Eric yelling like crazy on the sideline.

Eventually the break was brought back and Bontrager promptly sent another break up the road. Now the race was really blowing up and we all battled for position going into the last climb. I positioned myself in the top 20 and soon found Marcus. Now there was only one thing we could do;  put on our pain faces (as seen in the photo), After going cross eyed up most of the climb, I crossed the line 22nd and was stoked to see Marcus right behind me in 23rd. Great success!

Davis 4th of July Criterium

By Brandon Trafton The Davis Fourth of July Criterium is truly one of Nor-Cal’s classic races. Despite the blistering heat, year after year, it is always sure to draw a competitive field. Because of the heat, we expected the race to be won from a break. We had planned to follow the attacks, and decided to reserve Dana for the sprint just in case it came down to a pack finish.

The attacks started early, never truly dying off. However, nothing got too far up the road. The moves that were going either did not contain enough riders, or the right mix of guys. We made sure we were represented through out the race, but with only 15 min remaining, a few of us predicted that a field sprint was likely. Sure enough, this is when the field began to split.

A dangerous move containing Ben Jacques-Maynes, Chuck Hutcheson and Nate English among others rolled off the front, leaving a splintering peloton behind. Within a few short laps however, it was all coming back together. As the break was caught, Nate English laid in a perfect attack taking a Folsom Bike rider with him. With only 3 laps to go, the gap was significant and we knew the race was now for 3rd place.

At 2 laps to go, Team Mike’s Bikes p/b Incase took control of the peloton and started the lead out for Dana Williams. Adam Switters took Dana around the final corner to a 3rd place finish (1st in the field sprint) and Adam managed to hang on for 5th (3rd in the sprint).

All in all it was a great race, hot, but very fun.

Memorial Day Criterium

Memorial Day is a special day in many ways for many Americans.  I've been spending my Memorial days in previous years by racing my bike in Morgan Hill at an industrial park area. Others spend their day barbecuing or remembering all of our soldiers that fight for us today and for the past hundreds of years for our freedom and protection from the rest of the world. I want to give a quick shout out to any and all families and cyclists that has been in the military and on behalf of the entire nation of our great nation, we thank you for your service!!! Now back to the race. It's a fast course with lots of wind and it can be very hard if you aren't in position during the right time. The team's plan was to be aggressive and go for the primes and set up for a field sprint at the end to lead out Daniel and/or I. The race started out pretty fast as guys were flying off the front like no other but I knew it was a 70 minute race so I conserved and planned my attacks  accordingly. Daniel ended up getting a prime early in the race and then there were multiple breakaways that never really got any significant gap until about the halfway point where a Bear Development rider and Marc Pro rider were away and I knew we had to at least be represented so I attacked out of the field and jumped across. We worked together nicely for a few laps but I made sure I was conserving my energy, knowing that we would eventually get reeled in. We did a couple laps later and then Tyler Brandt from Get Crackin' attacked and got a significant gap. Then a Bear Development rider (Tobin Ortenblad) and David  Benkoski (Team Clif Bar) were able to bridge up to Brandt and got a large enough gap where I couldn't see them on the front straightaway. Travis, Marcus, Steve, and one of our masters riders went to the front and worked together to bring the gap down, unfortunately, they couldn't bring it entirely back so Daniel had to take a long hard pull with 4 to go. By now we could see them and guys were trying to chase them back and by 1 lap to go, they were right there and we caught them with 1/2 laps to go! Daniel had to make the final effort to close them down in the headwind section so we had to sit up because we wouldn't have been able to lead it out from there. Team Clif Bar came by us and Daniel got right on them and we waited until a swarm started to come up with about 400 meters to go and I told Daniel "UP!! NOW!" and he went and we were 1-2 around the last corner with Logan Loader right behind us (Cash Call Mortgage).  I took the wrong line around the last turn, going around on the outside thinking that I could carry my speed around it but it actually slowed me down as I just took the turn wider than what I need to do and Logan took the inside. He had the advantage on me at first  but I slowly caught up to him as the sprint ensued and with a bike throw I was able to win by about the thickness of the carbon on my Zipp 404's (3-4 inches!).

I want to thank all of our sponsors for their continual support for the team! We appreciate everything that you do for us and help us with to fulfill the teams' goals for the year and yours! Also, I want to thank the team for all of their hard efforts for me today to put me in the best possible position for the win and I'm happy to stand on the top step of the podium for them!  Thank you!!

--James LaBerge

Rosenthal Wins District Road Race Title

By Shawn Rosenthal You only have a few races throughout the year that truly justify putting down that fourth slice of pie or deny yourself that third helping of chocolate covered ice cream.  This would be one of those races.  Something to do with a climb that is the tallest in the bay area.  Oh, right.  They've got a flock of observatories at the peak.

This year it's cold and wet.  I think I heard some whining and complaining.  At that point I decided it was time for headphones to keep those thoughts muffled.  I still heard them.  Turns out those were my thoughts.  I may have started the race with a thermal jacket only to ditch it 2km into the race.  Worth it.

In years past, the pace up the climb has varied from "ok, this is manageable" to "my eyes are bleeding".  This year was far toward the later and then some.  We start heading up the hill and immediately the line of riders spreads out single file, detaching some within the first 10 minutes of the climb.  My team set up the race to allow me to conserve as much energy as possible.  While they were holding together the race, I was floating through the group, staying sheltered from wind and any accelerations.  On the final part of the climb, the pace picked up and I was 20 wheels back with the 2012 winner, Tyler Brandt.  He starts losing contact with the wheel in front of him.  I've ridden with this guy.  He's fast.  He gets KOMs on Santa Rosa ground.  This is where I knew I needed to get up to the front of the race immediately.  As I was moving up I saw gaps opening up as I passed by like one of those wooden bridges in cartoons where they would fall apart while running across.  I was in a small group that was making time up the road quick.  Not too much longer, Kirk Carlson (Predator Cycling) puts in a vicious attack that only a brave Sam Bassetti (Cal Giant) could follow.  I "decided" to stick behind with the horsepower of my teammate, Steve O'Mara, Adrien Costa (Slipstream-Craddock), Jack Maddux (Specialized Jr Racing),  Art Rand (Marc Pro Strava), and Justin Rossi (Marc Pro Strava).  With a blistering pace, we were only 20 seconds behind the duo up the road by the summit.

We start going down the hill and not wanting to lose my teammate, I hold back and let the others set the pace. Almost immediately, Costa takes off. I follow him and within two turns we are out of site and closing in on the two up the road. Seeing he's spinning out his 14t cassette, I give some help on the straights and we make our way up. Costa and Carlson do the pacing on the hills. Bassetti and I give what we can on the flats. We get note that 3 are 30 seconds behind. I was assuming this was 2 Marc Pro and my teammate. This was not too bad a situation.  The rider covering Rossi and Rand in the chase group was the fastest sprinter in the race, my teammate, Daniel Holloway, depressing the motivation of the chase that much more.  I knew my teammates put their trust in me and would be there for me in the field.  On the feedzone hill the chase group is closing down. Carlson and Costa push the pace. I sit on, doing what I can to survive. Bassetti loses pace after a heroic effort up the Hamilton slope. We work together and are surprisingly caught with about 12 miles to go by the Marc Pro duo, Rossi and Rand.

I continue pulling through; however, I am immediately gapped off when I roll behind the second Marc Pro rider. I had a feeling it would start getting really nasty if we got caught and it did. It's racing and they were making some good moves to go for the win. For the remaining miles it was a mix of Rossi pulling like a motor, someone attacking, cover, someone attacking, cover, Carlson pulling, someone attacking, etc.

Knives were digging into my legs with every acceleration. I kept reminding myself of those who have gotten me here today and let the knives dig a little deeper.

We finally make it down to the final 1.5km and I am caught on the front after leading the descent. I am first off relieved that we're so close and also straight up terrified to be in such a vulnerable position. Costa attacks with 1km to go. I halfway cover and pull off. Carlson takes over. I follow him. Rossi takes over. I follow him. Carlson starts sprinting with 500 to go and I am slow to get on his wheel. I attach with 300 to go, recover until 250m when I felt a lull and gave it a go. I have played this moment in my head for years. At the time, I kept wondering if this was a lucid dream.

I heard later that roman was putting in dig after dig to cover moves, eventually having to stop for a double flat.  I heard he stopped, content with the situation, and said calmly "Shawn is up in the breakaway, they'll stay away and, he'll win the race in a sprint."  Leadership like that makes the racing so much smoother and revive the confidence needed to win races.

Holloway Wins Berkeley Hills

By Daniel Holloway It had been some time since I last raced Berkeley Hills. I don’t recall much about my last experience, but I’m sure I didn't finish. Our team tactic was simple and one we have been using as of late. For now I will keep it a secret as it seems to be working. The race started at and nice early 7:30 AM and the weather was surprisingly warm. It was clear hydration was going to be key – the more Osmo we could get, the better.

Once we made the turn on to San Pablo Dam (SPD) road we started to launch our attacks, and then covering anything that went across. Nothing really got established on the first lap.

The second time down SPD Switters launched and got a solid gap with another rider. Third time around the race got aggressive again and Shawn and I found ourselves in a group of ten or so. As we get to the bottom of the climbs Shawn says he isn't feeling great, I asked for some food and he filled my pockets. Rather than destroying himself to stay in the break he went back to the field to tell the rest of the guys we needed to reset the break away.

A half lap later Roman and Steve made it up to the group, savior arrives. I had a quick chat with Roman about how we should ride, I was feeling really good and felt I could get the job done in the right circumstances. Roman and Steve rolled through with the rest of the breakaway while I sat at the back playing poker, only pulling through when I had to, not to disrupt the rhythm.

On the last lap and a half roughly 6 riders had come across from the field. In some ways not ideal, in some ways it was good for us. It meant more guys to use to hide and more guys to chase any attacks. But it was bad because a team gained more firepower and also there was more riders to attack and us possibly chase our moves.

The last time across SPD the attacks started to go. Roman and Steve followed everything or brought it all back together. Mooney attacked a small roller and got a gap, as we turned to the climbs the gap was going out and a rider from Strava bridged across. I had to play in patient as I only had one really big effort. Kirk and Costa set the pace up the first climb. As we reached the part where it flattens off, it was only four of us. Kirk, Rossi, Costa and myself.

Now was the time for me to go if I was going to make it across, an all out effort up the last bit of the first climb into the short down hill to recover and the up the small roller before the decent into the final climb. I made it to Mooney and the Strava rider right before the decent, as we hit the flat part before the last climb the Strava rider attacked. Mooney didn't want to work so I had to ride within myself hoping the gap didn't go out too much. As we made it up the climb I put in a couple surges to see if Mooney was bluffing or not. I could see the Strava rider start to struggle as the climb got a little bit steeper to the finish line. With 150meters to go I launched with what I had left in the tank and got the Win for TMB-INCASE clique.

Today, saving energy was crucial. And I was able to do so thanks to my teammates, Specialized Venge and Zipp Firecrest 404s. The sun was out right from the beginning, having the Zealous sunscreen was key too along with having OSMO nutrition to stay hydrated before during and after was crucial to the team’s performance.

Dana Point Grand Prix

This race has been a race that I've been wanting to do for a few years now and I was excited to race it this year and experience an NCC (National Criterium Calendar) race. On top of all of this excitement, the team was all looking to work for me to pull off a good result or possibly the win! With the excitement exceeding high, it was hard to stay calm and think about other things in life that could keep me away from thinking about it. I got to the race with Dana a couple hours before after flying in that morning, got registered, pinned up numbers, warmed up and before we knew it it was time to race!

The weather was a possible factor with it being about 65 degrees and mostly cloudy and rain drops looking to fall down anytime, but there was no rain drops the entirety of the race. The race started out fast which was expected so I let riders use all of their energy to attack and follow moves and by the time about 30 minutes into the race, I knew it was to come down to a field sprint with all of the team that were represented in the race (CashCall, MRI, Optum, and Smartstop). Eric was able to get a few primes throughout the race and about 60 minutes into the race (out of 90 minutes) through I told him to relax and save it for the end (lead out).

Fast forward to 5 laps to go and Daniel and I are locked onto Justin Williams's (MRI) wheel with Eric, Dana and Rainier nearby. I was working with Rainier throughout the race to help him move up in a pack of this caliber and I think he learned some valuable tips for the next race he enters :). Now it's the last lap and Dana was able to get to the front right before the last turn with Daniel and I on his wheel. Eric was a couple riders back but I didn't want to take the chance to wait for him and possibly be taken over by another team so we started our  final lead out. Dana took a beast pull for a half of a lap and then Daniel took over just before the 2nd to last turn. Between the 2nd to last and last corner I heard a crash really close to me. I look back and all I see is blue (Ken Hansen). Forget it, it's time to sprint for the finish. I come around the last turn behind Daniel as he starts his sprint to lead me out and I'm in perfect position but I made the mistake of starting my sprint slightly too early and then I had a slight mechanical in my sprint, that once I got it going again, it was too late and the top 3 guys were racing for the win. It was disappointing to have this happen on this level of racing and after I was in perfect position and that I didn't bring it home for the team but it's experiences like these that will help me learn more and get stronger. I ended up hanging on to finished 4th and Daniel finished 5th, Dana 6th, and Eric 8th!

Overall, we really gelled together as a team and successfully did what we wanted to do as a team and that's all that matters. We all learned certain things and we are all happy with how we rode. Personally, I wish a couple things didn't happen but it's part of bike racing and I'm determined for next time! A huge thank you to all of our  Sponsors to help us get to where we are and do as well as we did!! I'm looking forward to next year!

Here's a video too from the race: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5U-o499o7h4

1-2 at Wente Criterium: Race Report

by Daniel Holloway

I have always like Wente, Its a longer circuit with wide roads. Its always fast and the racing just flows. A smaller field than normal was in attendance, but still had some strong riders. Travis, James and Myself were the representatives for Team Mikes Bikes p/b Incase. Having never seen a break stick it on this course our tactic was to follow moves that only included the few danger men and teams that had numbers. About 20 minutes in to the race we did a big team effort for a prime to get a feel for the final lead out, the group gave the guys going for the prime a large buffer (3 of us). Knowing there was going to be a counter attack, I kept my awareness up. Sure enough a few guys come by, unfortunately we spent a little to much effort for the prime and couldn't latch on. After a couple laps of everyone attacking the race was in 4 groups. 2-3 guys off the front, a group of 5-6 chasing, another group of 10 or so and then the rest of us. James made a great move to be the second group and then jumping them once they were tired to make it all the way to the front. I had to do it the harder way, I leap frogged from group to group over 3 laps to finally making it up to James and the 4 guys he was with. Once in the group we rolled along smoothly with everyone doing there fair share to make the break stick. 

With 7 laps to go on the back side a couple guys started looking at each other and the gap opened with my self and Jesse Miller Smith from MarcPro. We worked well together and a few laps later lapped the field. Straight to the front, we kept working hard. Two laps later James group laps the field also, Travis and James now start to ride tempo at the front of the field to get ready for the final sprint. Travis did an amazing job on the final lap leading from the start finish all the way to 300 meters to go!! He died a thousand deaths, but a lot of encouragement he kept going and going. Super impressive. After a hard race and the fast lead out, no one was able to come around James and I for us to place first and second.

Thank you to Clif Bar for the easy to digest race food for the last minute pre race fuel. On hot days it is no fun to taste race food a second time. Thank you Osmo for keeping us hydrated on a truly hot day! I had 3 bottles in one hour!! Thank you Zipp for making incredible wheels to make spending time in the wind that much easier!

A Hard Fought Battle - Wente Road Race Report

By Adam Switters

The Wente Vineyards road race is one of my all-time favorites. It’s a great course and one of the few that has a pure hilltop finish. I was a little unsure of my form at this race. I had been involved in a bad crash at Redlands and had taken two weeks off the bike with a bum hand, but I was excited to come help the team.

Team Mike’s Bikes p/b Incase started off the race with a flurry of attacks. We were hoping to be well represented in the early break. Midway through the first lap, Dana and I found ourselves in a fairly large break (~12 riders) that quickly gained time. Dana and I rolled through just enough to keep our breakmates happy, but I was honestly hoping another group would be able to roll up to us later in the race.

Fast forward 50 miles and the break has around a 5 minute lead and we’re not coming back. I had actually been feeling fairly strong on the bike, but around 40 miles in I started having serious stomach problems. At one point I though I was going to have to pull over to use the bathroom, but I soldiered on. The only problem was that it was preventing m from eating anything. (I had one set Clif bar for the entire 80mi race).

Coming into one to go, Keith Wong from Lombardi attacked and got a good gap. I started sitting on the break, but the rest of the riders rode cohesively and slowly started to bring down his gap. Despite my stomach problems, I was still feeling strong, so coming to the last 3mi before the climb, Dana put in a good amount of work to finally close the gap to Keith.

Into the final climb we went and I went with the first accelerations. Suddenly, I just ran out of energy. I think this was less to do with fitness and more to do with not having ate in the last 60miles. Regardless, Tyler Brandt seemed to be on a great day. He took it all the way from the bottom of the climb and rolled in for a commanding victory.

Although Dana and I rolled in for 10^th and 11^th place respectively, we rode the race how we wanted. Sometimes, you’re just up against better riders.

A Win at the Sea Otter Classic Circuit Race

by Daniel Holloway The Circuit race at Sea Otter is always difficult, you are either coasting or pedaling nearly full on. Team Mikes Bikes pb Incase plan for the race was to lay low and let the GC guys chase each other down only going into a move if it had GC riders in it and would make it to the line.

Roman and Shawn kept a look out in the early part of the race for any moves that we noted as dangerous. Eric and myself were to relax, sag climb the hill and save as much as we could for the end. Marcus may of had the hardest job of the day, he was there to shuffle around the group and get any of us four into the position we wanted to be in. It was going to be a tricky day with only a 5 man squad racing against strong 8 man teams.

The race starts off aggressive and doesn't really let up. Teams are attacking, but we stay calm and collected to not waste energy on moves that will be caught shortly after they go. Roman and Shawn did a great job representing the team in the first half of the race, actually the whole race.

They never missed a beat. After 5 laps or so a 6 man group was up the road with a 15-20 second gap. It contained two of the faster finishers in the race and a couple other strong men. One of the other larger teams missed the move which helped us as we choose not to follow that move. We kept our cool and let the others do most of the grunt work to keep the gap in check. Any time the field slowed Eric would reignite the fire and keep the peleton within distance.

Around 3 laps to go the break was absorbed back into the group. Now everyone on the team had to be switched on to not let any late race attacks go. Eric and Marcus did a great job of keeping the pace up so anyone who did attack didn't get too far and other teams could weld it back together. Somewhere in the last 3 laps Roman finds me and says "You are going to win this *expletive* race". I had to, the team worked so hard all day to make it happen. Needless to say, that got me amped up.

Going up the hill the last time as a group I was nervous, some strong guys were sitting in all day and were not looking for a field sprint. A last minute attack from a strong rider can take it to the line. Sure enough Zack Noonan let it rip up the right side and got a gap. I stayed close to Roman as he road a super smooth pace up the steep part of the climb. With my girth Its not to my advantage to go full gas up the steeper stuff. We get down off the cork screw of Laguna Seca and Zack has a sizable gap, it was going to be close. Going over the criterium hill I was out of position. I found a wheel moving up the inside around the long U-turn into the head wind. Shawn was still up front laying down the speed. Roman appeared at the perfect time to move me up to 4th wheel with 600meters to go. Going into the final right hand corner Shawn moved left and the next started his sprint way early perfect for me. As soon as I saw the window open on the right side I hit out as hard as I could. With 50meters to go I checked under my arms to see where the others were, with nothing but daylight I was able to raise my hands early and show off the Team Mikes Bikes p/b Incase jersey for a few extra meters before the line.

Thank you so much to all of my teammates for their incredibly hard work and sacrifice. Thank you to all of our team sponsors for the best products any racer wishes they had.

Read the Norcal Cylcing News report on Sea Otter here.

Red Kite Criterium Series #2 - Race Report

Arriving at the race about an hour and a half before start, I was glad to have been able to take all the time I needed to get myself ready. I was going to do both the Cat 2/3 and P/1/2 races today. I mixed a few bottles of ice water with some Organic Blackberry Osmo Active Hydration and loaded them onto my Tarmac SL4. I then proceeded by getting dressed in my Capo long sleeve skinsuit (despite the warm weather, I opted for aero) and applied some Personal Best Betwixt chamois cream. I sat around for a short while in the shade while watching another race finish, before spinning on the trainer.

The Cat 2/3 race was was really choppy. Team Specialized Racing Juniors had a handful of riders that had just raced down at Sea Otter,  and they used their numbers to dictate the proceedings of the race. Being the only one from TMB p/b Incase in the field, I decided to play this race a little more conservatively- trying to mark only moves that I saw as a serious threat. About half way through the race, Specialized had one rider in a 4-man breakaway which had about a ten second advantage on the field. The juniors were setting an easy to moderate tempo on the front of the group and were riding defensively to make sure that break stuck. I decided to bridge to that move, and did so successfully, but it was reeled back in about a lap later. For the rest of the race, I sat in.

With two laps to go, Specialized had all their riders on the front, with what looked like some sort of a lead out for Matt Valencia. I was on Matt's wheel going into the last lap, Specialized still setting the pace on the front. Everyone behind them was shouting to get them to go faster, since their junior gear restrictions had them limited to a modest 29 mph. They eventually got swarmed in the last half of the final lap. Team Bicycles Plus/Sierra Nevada had two guys attack up the gutter and on the outside of the final corner. I followed wheels from in the inside, which put me in about 5th position into the last corner.

I finished 3rd, behind the two Bicycles Plus riders. Pretty happy with this result, and with where I stand with my fitness. A big thank you to all of our sponsors who each played an important part in my achieving of this result!

The P/1/2 race was death. My allergies had been affecting my throat, nose and eyes throughout the 2/3 race, and it hadn't gotten any better before the P/1/2 race. I didn't do much, and watched a group of 9 get off the

front early. A handfull of riders lapped the field, those riders making all the action at the front of the lapped peloton with about 20 minutes remaining. Chuck set a gruesome tempo for 5 of the final 8 laps. The final lap was pretty dicey, my legs feeling pretty wrecked from the prior race. I rolled across the line in 24th.  

Sea Otter Classic Road Race Report

By Roman Kilun The Sea Otter Road race starts on the Laguna Seca Race Way before dropping into Ford Ord for 8 laps of the brutal circuit. On the last lap the course takes a different turn and climbs 4km to the finish back at the entrance to Laguna Seca. There are too main climbs on the course, one through the feed-zone and another which features the KOM.

The day started with very aggressive attacking by Cash Call and Jelly Belly who after two laps found them-selves in an anaerobic stalemate. While the two teams watched each other a move of two very strong riders went up the road only to be seen again in the closing kilometers. Shortly thereafter, Shawn and Eric joined a chase group that would spend the better half of the race in pursuit of the two leaders. Meanwhile in the field, Daniel and Marcus kept me protected and kept me in perfect position  going into the climbs.

Throughout the race the other teams took turns chasing and sucker punching each other with attacks. With about 3 laps to go I suffered a puncture and Marcus generously offered his wheel which allowed me to rejoin the bunch with little effort. As we approached the final climb, the early breakaway was in sight and all the climbers jockeyed for position at the front of the race. At this point Daniel took me straight to the front and rode a hard tempo for several minutes. The race started to blow up as the climb wore on and Kirk Carlsen made a strong attack on one of the steeper pitches. Only Alex Hagman could respond and the duo dangled in front of us by a few seconds. This forced the remaining CashCall riders to chase further shelling riders from the group.

As we hit the final 200 meters, the steepest of the climb, I was in the world of hurt and rode my own pace as the rest of my fellows sprinted for the minor placings. Ahead Alex prevailed over Kirk who would later go on to win the GC. I finished the stage in tenth at about 20 seconds back.

Sea Otter Classic TT Report

by Shawn Rosenthal There was no sitting on the couch racing Gran Turismo to prep me for this rollercourse of a time trial.  The course is a hair under 8 miles with hills reaching the 10% range and descents raising speeds to 50mph.

 Saturday's race left the legs a little heavy and being almost 5 minutes back in GC and knowing the circuit race is the following day, I was wondering why I'd try in the time trial.  Some part of me decided that I should give it a go.  I dragged around an extra bike all week, might as well give it a spin.

Studying for the GREs through the day, I was posting great scores on the quantitative section, getting every problem right.  The one equation I failed at was the time I'd need to leave at.  It takes time to get out the door?  It takes more than 5 minutes to drive 30 miles?  Nevertheless, the warmup was short.  Again, I wouldn't have gotten to my race on time had it not been for our Energizer bunny of a mechanic, Caesar.  

The first half, I rode up the hills hard & backed off the power any time the speed was over 32mph.  I coasted down a hill for 90 seconds, getting fully rested for the 2.5 minute climb.  I hit that as hard as I could.  I paid the price and in agony, fought my bike to finish the day.

Some went fast.  Others went really fast.

Kirk Carlson (Predator) and Justin Rossi (Marc Pro Strava) lit it up to finish 1st and 2nd respectively.

Roman finished 11th in 18:02, 37 seconds off the pace

I finished 14th, 42 seconds off the pace

Holloway finished 24th, 57 seconds off the pace