Race reports written by winners are familiar to many of you. They typically fall into two categories: the impossibly trite and the impossibly epic. The first goes something like this: “I knew it was going to be a big day on the bike so I ate both leaves of lettuce for breakfast. Then we rolled out and hit the first climb. Pretty soon I realized everyone else was already at threshold, so I ripped their legs off, and clobbered them […]
Upon my first cycling season using the Champion System gear I was very surprised. I always saw a lot of competitor teams using the gear but had never tried it on myself. When I met up with my SoCalCycling.com Team Manager Frank Sarate for the first time to get my proper fitting kits for the beginning of the season, it was then that I was already very excited to use the Champion System gear. Not only was it comfortable, lightweight, and breathable,but […]
Beeeep! Beeeeep! Beeeeep! The sound of the alarm at 5:30 AM is never too exciting. Although, when it comes to racing I can’t complain. It was the last stage here at the Merco Cycling Classic. The course was 120 miles of mostly flat and some rolling hills. In my past experiences this course usually came down to a field sprint. A few riders would normally get away a lap or so in but be slowly reeled in by the long […]
What a day! After dinner with my wonderful host family (that they prepared, cooked, and served for me) I contacted my coach Ashley Knights and talked with him about today’s criterium. It was a .9 mile course with a semi technical and somewhat bumpy terrain. I told him how I was feeling and expressed what I thought was best for me for the race. After speaking with him and my SoCalCycling.com Team Manager Frank Sarate, I knew it was best […]
When stage racing, especially in the U.S. , time trialing capabilities are crucial to a GC (general classification) rider/contender. Usually the time trial is where most riders really earn there spot in the GC. I for one, have never been a specialist at the time trial. I definitely could improve on it, but tend to focus on other natural capabilities when training. Time trialing takes a great amount of patience, practice, and tons of experience on how your body works. […]
I was pretty excited to get underway at the 2013 Merco Credit Union Classic. Things were looking great prior to the start and the legs felt fresh. The host family we are staying with is incredible and the weather was perfect. My SoCalCycling.com Team Manager Frank Sarate was making sure everything went easy for me before the start of the race, bottles ready, wheels ready, he even helped pin on my number. Well, we lined up and the race got […]
