Updates from Dedicated Athlete

Dedicated Athlete joins cycling's anti-doping figh...

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:39:08 GMT

By Jason Sumner

Dedicated Athlete is taking the “think globally, act locally” edict to heart.

Along with a revamped, more-user-friendly website, the well-known sports nutrition company will break new ground in the fight against illegal doping in March, unveiling a first-of-its-kind program that allows customers to make direct donations to the non-profit Cycling Ethics Foundation.

The progressive program will be run through Dedicated Athlete’s new online store, where customers will be able to contribute to the anti-doping fight simply by clicking on the appropriate button on the checkout page. The amount of the donation is strictly up to the individual. But no matter the size, every penny will be turned over to the Cycling Ethics Foundation.

“It’s the right thing to do, period,” answered Dedicated Athlete founder and CEO John Gamble when asked why he was spearheading the new program. “When I first started this company, I started out with a product, EP-NO, that made an anti-doping statement. Now I want to do more than just say I support clean sport, and that’s why I’m taking action.”

For those unfamiliar, the Cycling Ethics Foundation is a California-based non-profit agency whose mission is to increase public awareness about the importance of fair and ethical play in sport. The foundation’s goal is create a level playing field at all competitive levels, and counsel athletes on all issues relating to the pitfalls of using illegal performance enhancing drugs.

“Other companies have explored opportunities, but Dedicated Athlete is the first company we’ve actually done a promotion like this with,” explained Scott Fennel, vice president of marketing for the Agency of Cycling Ethics, which works closely with the Cycling Ethics Foundation. “We are thrilled and excited that a company in the business of sports and sports nutrition is willing to take a stand alongside us in the anti-doping movement, and fight for drug-free sport.”

The Cycling Ethics Foundations works independently but closely with the Agency for Sports Ethics, parent company of the Agency for Cycling Ethics. ACE, as it’s better know, protects sponsor investment in professional cycling through an innovative anti-doping program, and an accountability business model that holds all stakeholders responsible to each other.

Professional continental cycling team, and Tour de France wild card hopeful, Slipstream-Chipotle is among the teams that are employing this pioneering program.

Fennel says the Agency for Sports Ethics is looking to expand their sports relationships, and is in advanced discussion with both triathlon and track and field.

“Our long-term vision is to take this model and apply it to every major sport,” said Fennel, a former intellectual property attorney who is well versed in strategic planning, brand management and cross promotions. “We want to share our anti-doping knowledge with high schools, colleges, and professional and amateur athletes of all kinds. Our mission is to restore all sports to a point that holds participants accountable in and out of competition.

“We are taking the traditional message and flipping it on its head. We feel that if people act responsibly they will be rewarded.”

That’s a message we can all agree on, and certainly one Dedicated Athlete supports.

--end--

Dedicated Athlete joins cycling's anti-doping figh...

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:58:05 GMT

Dedicated Athlete joins cycling’s anti-doping fight

By Jason Sumner

Dedicated Athlete is taking the “think globally, act locally” edict to heart.

The progressive program will be run through Dedicated Athlete’s new online store at www.DedicatedAthlete.com, where customers will be able to contribute to the anti-doping fight simply by clicking on the appropriate button on the checkout page. The amount of the donation is strictly up to the individual. But no matter the size, every penny will be turned over to the Cycling Ethics Foundation.

Professional continental cycling team, and Tour de France wild card hopeful, Slipstream-Chipotle is among the teams that are employing this pioneering program.

Fennel says the Agency for Sports Ethics is looking to expand their sports relationships, and is in advanced discussion with both triathlon and track and field.

“We are taking the traditional message and flipping it on its head. We feel that if people act responsibly they will be rewarded.”

That’s a message we can all agree on, and certainly one Dedicated Athlete supports.

--end--

Team Giant Report, Singlespeed World Champioships,...

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:02:28 GMT

It’s always a good idea to get to Europe a week before the World Champs and do a bit of racing to sort yourself out on the time schedule and get the body movin’. Usually this opener race involves a Swisspower Cup or Bundasliga race or something proper with some UCI points and the guys you’ll be racing against at Worlds the next week. Over here at the Fun Giant Mountain Bike Team, we decided to mix things up a bit this year. Instead of proper racing somewhere on the continent, we took advantage of the fact that the SingleSpeed World Championships was taking place a mere 70 miles up the road from Fort William in Aviemore, Scotland. The fact that we’re always scheming a way to go to SSWC anyway made it an easy choice to pull off our shifters and deraiulers, install the magic gear, grow some inappropriate facial hair and wear goofy-ass clothes while partaking in possibly (probably) the funnest race of the year.
   Upon arrival in the Glasgow airport (with all of our stuff, yes!) we immediately ran into Jimbo, organizer of the SSWC ’05 that we attended in State College, PA. He and a his buddy Matt, who had just completed the Paris-Brest-Paris bike tour, were waiting for their bags, which arrived with ours, and were going to take the train to Aviemore. We volunteered the (windowless) back of our Transit van and they ended up sleeping on the couches at our place all weekend. Keeping the bikes of our fellow American bike touring vagrants running in the meantime… Those guys rode up from the airport, as they should have, neglecting to tell us that the knobby tires we brought for them to replace their touring slicks needed to measure 29” in diameter… No worries though, Jimbo had them fixed up with new rubber just as the last singlespeeder rolled out of the Bothy Bikes car park on race morning. Well played.
   But let’s back up a bit. Before the seven mile social hour/roll-out to the race site proper on Sunday morning, we spent a couple days enjoying the atypically nice Scottish weather and did some sweet exploring in the Cairngorm Mountains. Good stuff out in them hills for bike riding, complemented by excellent maps, knowledgeable and stoked singlespeed locals and foreigners rolling about. Various activities, mostly centered around drinking and riding, took place throughout the week as folks rolled into town. The highlight was the Saturday evening SSWC ’08 host decider. Our girl Elke represented her homeboys in Durango, CO in the ADD event. First a 500m sprint on a roller bike, then a double shot of local scotch whiskey, then an interpretive dance of a jig. All judged by a panel of experts and their peers… It came down to a tiebreaker between Napa, CA and D-Town. Cali won. Boo. I hate poison oak.
   Sunday morning came soon enough and we all kitted up (I use that phrase loosely…) and rolled on down to Bothy Bikes for the formal rollout. It was pretty sweet to have a seven mile cruise through the Rothiemurchus State Forest on nice gravel paths through the forest and moors before finding out exactly where the secret race location was, wondering how cool it was. Turns out it was one of the coolest race courses I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding around. After, of course, we ran down a forest track and around the “Auld Man of the Woods”, one very scantily clad Dr. Jon (event organizer) and back to our bikes, wherever they were. (mine ended up hung from a tree about 50 yards up in the woods from where I left it…) After catching a very obvious (and hauling ass on her pink chain) Kelli Emmett at the top of the first climb (I ran really slow) and moving on through the throngs, I eventually saw a classic red Scottish kilt flowing through the woods, Carl. We posse’d up with Travis Brown and rode around for a couple laps, marveling in the amazingly perfect pitched climbs and all-time great black dirt singletrack descents. It was amazingly perfect. Sunny skies to boot. After a mid-race snack of Hob-Nob’s (nobbly, oaty, honey biscuits), I decided to ride really fast for a bit. Carl and Travis faded back, so I figured I’d stop at the impromptu beer garden to avoid heckling and get a beverage. They caught up, I rode fast, we had fun. Another gap opened, another garden stop happened, etc. Starting the last lap I made a pit-stop at the finish line for a beverage, which I handily stuck in my denim vest pocket just before hitting a rock at about 25mph and pile-driving myself on a gravel road descent. Oops. That’s an impressive amount of blood on my arms. Denim kept the rest of me safe and sound though. Should have gone for the jacket… 20 minutes of wondering if I should wait for Carl so he got Tattooed later I crossed the finish line victorious. Carl arrived just in time to see me getting stern directions from Marty as to where and when to show up for my tattooing… He did, to his credit, say at the start (before pounding a beer), “if you don’t want the tattoo, don’t win!” A few minutes later an impressively fast riding (with a 2:1 gear, she really didn’t have a choice) Kelli appeared in her red “onesie” to take the women’s honors… Which meant I’d have someone to commiserate about sore skin with…
   An hour later we were sitting in a small flat down by the tracks with a tattoo artist from Glasgow who had some options for us. Unfortunately, by far the coolest one was also by far the biggest one… We figured it’s a life-long thing, so we bucked up. Two hours later each and we had matching his and hers SSWC logos on our asses. Kelli’s a bit lower than mine… A fine weekend of World’s prep indeed…

If you want to see photos, www.singletrackworld.com

Have fun out there.

Jittery Joe's Matt Shriver wins overall at Tour of...

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 20:59:39 GMT

Shriver wins overall at Tour of White Rock B.C.

British Columbia Super Week: Tour de White Rock

Warning to readers: This post is extremely long due to the fact that I have not won a major race in a long time. When you win races everyday like some people, then a report is no big deal. I have taken full advantage of this opportunity to write a race report about an awesome experience and a great win. Therefore, I have tried to translate my excitement into words, which has led to a lengthy report. Thanks to everyone for all of your continued support.

The Tour de White Rock takes place in White Rock, B.C. about 12 miles from the Washington state line. White Rock is a gorgeous town with beautiful ocean views and perfect temperatures for racing along the Pacific Ocean and of course the best fish ‘n chips in Canada. The setting of White Rock is much like that of San Francisco, California with the steep climbs and narrow twisting roads that wind through the neighborhoods overlooking the ocean. We would be racing each day along these roads with some of the roads being a 23% grade and even higher.

The first stage of the Tour de White Rock was a short but very difficult hill climb time trial with an interesting Drag-Race style format. Two riders would race at the same time up the climb for the best time. The riders that placed the five best times would have a five-up drag race to the top to decide the winner of the stage and the first overall leader of the race. My typical pre race jitters had me confused on how I would perform. I went through the usual routine of telling my teammates “I feel good”, a bit later in the warm up, “I don’t feel so good”. If you have gotten to know me at all “I don’t feel so good” usually translates into I am going to have a good legs and a good ride.

The climb was just under one kilometer long and there was a nice false summit just after the 18% pitch at about 600 meters in. Although it wasn’t to long there was still a bit of strategy involved and going to early would definitely have you struggling the last 200 meters to the finish line. I made it through my first climb to the top with the 3rd best time of the day. This would put me in the final 5 up sprint for the stage placing and the overall lead after stage one. The final was a bit more strategic than the first all out race to the top and it would be myself versus Canada. The strong Canadian Symmetrics team put three of their riders into the final heat with me and one other Canadian rider. My strategy was to wait for one of the Symmetrics guys to attack and I would follow hoping to win the sprint at the top. Halfway up the climb it was the newly crowned Canadian National Champion Cam Evans who attacked. Digging a bit deep I jumped on his wheel and we had a big gap on the other riders. Cam attacked over the top of the climb and there was about 100 meters to the line. At this point I was still on the hoods and running out of gears. Cam and I were both suffering like dogs and giving everything to get that extra bit of power out of the cranks to shake each other. Finally I dropped to the 11 cog in the back, clenched the drops in the handle bars and dug for everything I had left in my scrawny chicken legs. I looked back to see that I had a good four bike lengths on Cam before pumping my fist with excitement. It is my first big win of the year and my first ever overall leader’s jersey. I was so shocked and couldn’t believe how I felt on the climbs.

The following day was the criterium in downtown White Rock. Luckily the crit suited me very well with a climb on the back straight and a downhill finish. The race would come down to the climb on the back. Before the race began we decided that we would not race to defend my overall jersey, but rather try to get Evan and Hoppy up there for the finish and I would try to stay in the top 10 to score some points and hold onto the overall leader’s jersey. The Symetrics guys got right to the point and attacks started coming right away. David Veilleux rode like a possessed mad man and covered moves, bridged gaps, and made sure that no move was up the road without a Jittery Joe’s rider in it. Austin did the same, but a little more gracefully. I was a bit excited and racing on good legs and pure motivation to maintain the overall lead.

As the attacks continued I followed the guys that were a threat to the overall jersey. With about 10 laps left in the crit the race came apart on the back straight climb and I found myself in a group of eight guys. Four of them being Symmetrics, but none of them were the guys in the G.C. With two laps to go it had whittled down to a group of 7 and still four of the Symmetrics riders. There was a small gap opening on the downhill finish straight with one lap to go. I closed the gap and by then I was at the bottom of the climb and coming up fast with momentum. I went for it and attacked with everything I had. Unfortunately I had misjudged my opponents and they all jumped right on my wheel and I was in poor position. They countered my attack and I rode in for 4th place. Big Evan cleaned up the field sprint for 8th place and Hoppy ran 12th just behind Evan. I was a bit disappointed with myself for going to early, but my goal was to score some points to maintain the leader’s jersey and I ended up getting a solid lead before the final road stage the next day.

The circuit road race would prove to be difficult with only five of us to try to protect my overall jersey. I learned so much about how it feels to protect a jersey. You have to be on your toes constantly, drinking eating, spinning and watching everyone. Your team is taking care of you at all times and everyone will attack you without hesitation.

The circuit had two very steep and difficult climbs that suited me very well. Maintaining good position and watching the G.C. threats was most important in maintaining the leader’s jersey and that was my sole focus all day. I didn’t care who went up the road, as long as they were not a threat to the overall.

Again there was no time wasted in attacking us and Austin was away in a break the first time up the lesser feed zone climb. He stayed in this break for a while making sure that no one would ride away. Eventually this break came back and as the laps wore on the group got smaller and smaller each time up the longer difficult climb. We stayed sharp and rode tough watching every move that went up the road and bringing back the threats to the lead. Soon the race had whittled down to a group of about 20 riders and I still had Austin and David in there to help me. They kept the tempo high on the front to keep the riders from attacking. With only four small circuits left in the race it came apart on the climb. One of the G.C. threats attacked and I was alone and had to follow. I covered the move but still had a bit farther to go to the top of the climb. Immediately Cam Evans, another major threat, attacked. I tried to go but the legs were just a bit tired from the previous day and the many attacks I had already covered up the climbs. That final attack was the nail in the coffin. I cracked like an egg and clawed my way over the top.

Coming into the finish I was again out-numbered by the Canadian team and knew that I would be no match in the sprint. Just hanging on, I clawed my way to the finish and crossed the line in 9th place and enough points in the overall to hang on the leaders jersey and win my first big stage race.

The team rode awesome all weekend and I surely the jersey would have been lost had we not had the combined experience and strength to finish the job. We are all riding very well, but strength is not enough. It was great having the veterans of the team Jeff and Evan to keep me from doing unnecessary work and wasting energy. Austin was always there with good advice and making sure that I had plenty of food and drink and staying out of the wind. And of course there is the token Canadian guy on the team David, who is by far the strongest 19 year old I have ever seen ride a bike, who just gave it his all the entire time. I think he even attacked me once in the road race by accident and went up the road with a couple laps to go. Either way, we road awesome and I am very happy to have finally contributed to the teams success and have my first stage race win. It has been an exciting few days of racing with many unknown challenges that were overcome. Next up is the Tour de Gastown in Vancouver. Look for us to continue our foreword momentum and win some more races.

Photos by Greg Descantes (www.descantes.com)

Thanks!
Matt

David puts the hurt on.

Team Giant Satellite Report, Pan Am Games, Rio de ...

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:05:41 GMT

I must say, this has been a good trip. I was wondering if flying to Brazil for a week before Nationals was a good idea, turns out it was, for a couple reasons.

First of all, it was the right thing to do, it's an honor to attend an event where the best of the best athletes in all of North and South America converge for two weeks of competition amongst our fellow hemispherians... There's a ton of events, today saw Taekwondo, Open Water Swimming, Mountain Biking, Fencing, Weightlifting and Gymnastics, and it was only the first day of the games, tons more random cool stuff to come...

Second of all, I had the best Washington, DC layover, probably the best layover period, ever. Flew down from Maine on Monday afternoon, hopped on the USOC bus over to George Mason University where we would be doing Pan Am Team Processing and getting our shiny new clothes and assorted sundries. After dropping off my stuff, Jason Berry (producer of Offroad To Athens) picked me up with a bike to borrow and took me to some ripping local singletrack for a sunset spin, which turned into a sunset of pinning it having a great time, that guy rips too... After that, we went to a barbecue and caught up with some friends, new and old, ate meat and picked a kayak out of the quiver for me to borrow the next day... Morning brought meetings and shiny new swag, midday brought a nap, and the afternoon brought a very refreshing, very entertaining, very much-needed run down the legendary Great Falls of the Potomoc, nothing like warm water and twenty footers to get you fired up for an international flight... Smooth check-in, some sleeping pills and I was in Rio the next morning. Totally makes up for the dozens of times I've gotten taken advantage of in Dulles airport and not made it home till the next day...

I've never been to a proper "Athlete Village" (sorry, I'm on a computer lab unit or I'd send some pics....). Turns out they're crazy places, everyone is a badass of some type or another, there's a massive tent for a dining hall that's open 24 hours a day, there's a huge "international zone" where athletes mingle taking in live music, street performers and a variety of interesting general culture. All surrounded by 15 ten story apartment buildings of various pastel colors (ours was aqua-marine green, just like the rivers of Oregon...) which ring a lagoon complete with lit fountains. Awesome. Except for the perpetually broken elevators... Ah, when in Rome...

And the racing. Brazil has a formula. Big MTB event= huge rainstorm two days out that renders the courses and venue totally unusable. Everyone panics. Practice is held in the mud the day before the event, but under sunny skies. The event dawns sunny, hot and with perfect conditions on perfect terrain. Black dirt singletrack up and down through the jungle. It's awesome. Everyone races and is stoked. It's happend three times in a row in Brazil for me now...

The race itself was the first time ever a Gringo has gone into the woods first at a Pan Am event, to my knowledge. That gringo was me after doing some bubba scrubbing over a few sweet start loop jumps and foiling the Brazillian blocking tactics... Feeling strong is great. I opened a gap on the first techincal climb up the small looking but very worth hill that the course looped up and down three times. From there it was just a steady charge to get time on Rubhino, the Brazillian hope who made a solid effort to keep up, pretty impressive actually. For the next four laps he and I distanced ourselves from the field and I maintained a 40 second or so gap on him, the serpentine course giving plenty of opportunity for spotting your opponents progress. The last couple laps the heat got to the local boy and, thankfully, not to me as I sipped ice cold Coca Cola and extended my lead. Like I said, feeling good and being able to ride within yourself is nice. The fans were definately partisan though, which was entertaining, not really booing me, but definately not impressed with my lead over their boy. Most of the comments were funny and I was able to laugh along, but a few... well, that's for another story...

At any rate, Pan Am Games Gold seems to be a big deal down here, it's been great to have a few days in a huge city racing bikes, relaxing and meeting a bunch of people from different countries and sports. I'll be back in four years if they'll have me.

Thanks for all the support, from both the USOC, USA Cycling and the Giant Mountain Bike Team along the way.

Cheers,

Dedicated Athlete, Leading supplement maker to use...

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 14:33:39 GMT

Dedicated Athlete, Leading supplement maker to use stringent real-world testing in product development

WOODSTOCK, Georgia, July 16, 2007 — In its continuing effort to provide athletes worldwide with the best line-up of sports nutrition products money can buy, Georgia-based supplement maker Dedicated Athlete has unveiled Project Black Label.

Modeled loosely after SRAM’s Black Box program, where cycling components undergo extensive real world testing before being put in the hands of consumers, Project Black Label will allow independent Universities and top-level athletes to use and evaluate early versions of Dedicated Athlete products before their release on the open market.

Field testers for this revolutionary program will include members of the Giant Professional Mountain Bike Team as well as some of the world’s top athletes in various disciplines. Their critical analysis and feedback will in turn be used to refine and improve Dedicated Athlete’s top-tier product line.

“Over the years I’ve been approached by a number of professional athletes looking for a way to extend their muscular endurance, increase tactical decision making and achieve optimum performance legally,” explained John Gamble, founder and CEO of Dedicated Athlete. “By bringing these top athletes on board to essentially assist in product development will allow us to constantly improve our consumer offerings.”

Dedicated Athlete’s Project Black Label line-up will include an electrolyte replacement drink, a pre-hydration energy drink, and few others still held high in confidentiality.

“As an athlete myself, it always bothered me to find out that some companies didn’t truly do their research,” explained Gamble, who was once an elite level cyclist. “This program will give consumers the assurance of knowing that these products have been tested — and performed — under extreme conditions.”

Keeping in line with this leading edge philosophy, Dedicated Athlete is also launching a new research and development website on August 1, 2007, that will reveal every step of its product development process. This will represent a new level of supplement manufacturing transparency, giving consumers confidence in both the purity and effectiveness of Dedicated Athlete products.

“People are tired of being misled by untested and ineffective nutritional products,” said Gamble, who studied biochemistry/ physiology. “Our new field testing protocol and R&D website will set us apart in the industry, and show that we are not sweeping anything under the rug. It will all be there for the consumer to analyze and scrutinize.”

Dedicated Athlete will also post medical abstracts and full research documents regardless if the outcomes were positive or negative. The new website will feature a consumer education center, where users can submit questions and have them answered directly on the site.

“Our philosophy is that constructive feedback is never something to shy away from, but instead it is a way to continually improve our products,” said Gamble.

The new website will also boast an athletes’ page similar to My Space, where Dedicated Athlete product users can post profiles, cross promote other sponsors, and write their own blogs. The new athletes’ website will be powered by Sponsorhouse.com, which allows athletes to directly contact potential sponsors.

“I am very proud of the direction we’re headed in,” said Gamble. ”I want people associated with Dedicated Athlete to hold their head high, knowing that they are part of something more than just a sports nutrition company. We support clean sport and our athletes support clean sport.”

FAST FACTS

—— Dedicated Athlete’s top selling supplement, EP-NO, is designed to help increase hemoglobin by increasing serum ferritin with absorbable iron and their Blood Enzyme Complex that includes natural sources of liver and beets. Liver has a full amino acid profile and natural beetroot has clinically shown strong antioxidant properties for the blood. EP-NO also provides the building block for the blood with vitamins B6, B12, C and Folic Acid. The Dedicated Athlete product line also includes Rapid Recharge recovery drink and Athletes Multi-Vitamin.

—— Dedicated Athlete is based in Woodstock, Georgia and is operated by founder and CEO John Gamble. Gamble also assisted in coaching the Fort Lewis College (Durango, Colorado) men’s cycling team to a second place overall finish at the 2003 national collegiate road cycling championships, and he continues to coach a select number of elite level cyclists.

—— Dedicated Athlete currently sponsors some of America’s top road cycling teams and athletes, including Jittery Joe’s, Team Slipstream presented by Chipotle, Jelly Belly, the Giant Mountain Bike Team, reigning world cyclo-cross world championships silver medalist Jonathan Page, and the TIME/Dedicated Athlete/Cyclesafe.org developmental squad.

— For media inquires, please contact John Gamble at 678-269-8873. Send e-mail to john@dedicatedathlete.com.

Dedicated Athlete — Woodstock, Georgia — www.dedicatedathlete.com

“Support Clean Sport”

JELLY BELLY PRO CYCLING TEAM ANNOUNCES ROSTERS FOR...

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:11:35 GMT

Fairfield, CA: The Jelly Belly Pro-Cycling Team announced this week that it has accepted invitations to compete at the internationally sanctioned Tour of Qinghai Lake and the Tour of Hong Kong this summer. Jelly Belly Candy Company, the title sponsor, is the maker of the internationally famous Jelly Belly^® jelly bean, the American sweet preferred by President Ronald Reagan. The company recently introduced Sport Beans™ jelly beans, a sport performance jelly bean, in Hong Kong.

“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to send our riders to compete in such prestigious and competitive races,” said Jelly Belly Candy Company President Robert Simpson. “China is an emerging market for Jelly Belly beans and Sport Beans. The exposure the team will garner during its appearances will create excitement for our products.”

Riders scheduled to compete at the Tour of Qinghai Lake are Andrew Bajadali (US), Alex Candelario (US), Nick Reistad (US), Brian Dziewa (US), Matty Rice (AUS) and James Meadley (AUS).

“These races are considered among the world’s premier cycling events, so our riders are honored at the invitations and are looking forward to a strong showing,” said Danny Van Haute, Team Director. “The Tour of Qinghai Lake actually suits us well, it is a long, tough race at altitude. Several of our top riders live and train at altitude so we’re confident we’ll do well. Look for Andy Bajadali to really excel when the climbs get steep.”

Riders Reistad, Rice and Meadley are also scheduled to compete in the Tour of Hong Kong. Joining them will be Brice Jones (US) and Bryce Mead (US).

Van Haute added, “The stages for the Tour of Hong Kong are mostly flat circuits so we are sending our ace sprinter Brice Jones. With two NRC stage wins under his belt, he’s enjoying the best season of his career.”

While in Hong Kong, the team is scheduled to make promotional appearances at area bike shops and candy retailers. They also plan to conduct a mini training camp for the Future Stars, Hong Kong’s aspiring competitive cyclists ages 8-18.

About the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team:

Marathon National Championships, Shonny Vanlanding...

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 20:30:47 GMT

My race was yesterday (July 4th). The Firecracker 50 which was also the Marathon National Championships is always on the 4th of July.

There were over 700 racers and hundreds of people lining the street for the start. The racers lead out the 4th of July parade so we got to 'high five' the kids as we rolled down Main Street. It was a really fun atmosphere to start a race.

Being my first Marathon distance I decided it was best to start conservatively. It turned out to be a wise strategy since the race was just over 4.5 hrs, shew! And the race started at 9600 ft. and climbed to 11,300 ft with a total of 10,800 ft. of elevation gain over the 50 mile course. I felt like I was dreaming due to the lack of oxygen.

Alison's husband, Greg, was in my dream too. haha He and I rode

together for a couple hours until he had a mechanical of some sort.

At the end of 4.5 hrs, I managed to capture the National Championship after a long battle with some tough Chix who are well experienced in the Marathon type races. Wow, those ladies are hard core! I learned a lot and am proud to have earned the Stars and Stripes!

Shonny V.

Team Giant Absentee Report, Deer Valley NMBS

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:34:20 GMT

Here’s a quick synopsis of how to go from finally riding strong to being a groveling, sniffling weakling in three short days. Step 1: Race fast enough at a world cup to actually make yourself tired. Step 2: Sleep six hours, then travel 30 hours to get home. Step 3: Get two poor nights of jet-lagged sleep. Step 4: Get tipped off that the high country singletrack is open, then take the singlespeed out on a nice five-hour ride in the hills, have a really good time. Step 5: As if you’ve never trained before and know nothing, stay dehydrated for the rest of the day while trying to catch up on things around the house. Viola, you’ve got a cold. And feel terrible. Shocking. To preserve these terrible feelings, fly to Deer Valley at 7500 feet, your body will be so embattled with sickness and acclimatization that you’ll be sure to stay guttered for a goodly while. Amazing, that after eight years as a professional, I’m still making these kinds of rookie moves… Good thing we’re a group of professionals here on the Giant Mountain Bike Team. Everyone else can hold it down for Emmett (who has a fractured humerous, making her the toughest chick I know, and making her sit out for at least a weekend…) and myself while we grovel…
   And hold it down they did. Of our three active racers, DH’ers Amiel Cavalier and Jared Rando, plus a very skinny and fit Carl Decker, there were no less than eight podium finishes over the weekend. In fact, none of the boys finished off the box all weekend.
   Amiel got the party started in grand style with a (not really) surprising win in the mostly downhill Super D on Friday night. He made quite the entrance to the finish straight, hucking to flat big enough to flatten both his tires, and one of his rims (Tom is going to make him build a new wheel) before sprinting to the line with the telltale, and classy, pssssst, from both wheels. Awesome. Decker got schooled by some other DH boys but still held on for 5th and the series lead….
   Next up was the XC, where we would find out two very important things. First, Carl is skinny, fit, and rested. Therefore, he’s fast. Second, I’m sick and tired. Not fast, dropped out after one lap, something I haven’t done in years, and don’t condone, but was definitely the right thing to do in the name of getting rested up for the World Cup showdown in Quebexico the next two weekends. Carl is really in shape though, after politely asking me to get out of the way he rode solidly through the field to finish fourth, his best XC result in quite some time. Well played. Carl retired to the condo to cook steak and sweet potatoes and I flew home to lick my wounds, and rub mucous on them…
   Gravity boys had a strong showing in the Dual Slalom, taking the fourth and fifth spots for Rando and Sammish, respectively. I kind of wanted to go watch them roost some turns and try to learn a thing or two but couldn’t muster the strength to get up the hill…
   Sunday is DH and STXC day at NMBS, and the last day for the boys to keep the streak alive. Which they did by the skin of their teeth. First off, Carl was the aggressor in the chase group for the Short Track, a sure-fire way to get pipped on the last lap and end up last in the group, which was still 5th, strong. DH’ers had solid runs with no flats or breaking stuff, thanks to some shiny new ’08 Shmano XT parts keeping their bikes slim and nimble, specifically the Shadow rear deraiuler. Same result as the slalom, the elder Rando 4th and the youngster 5th.
   Although mountain biking is an individual sport, sometimes it’s good to remember the team aspect, between watching tv and making dinner or just sitting around working on our respective aussie or mainah accents, it’s good to have a good crew to cruise around with, even better when they pick up the slack for the slackers…

Team Giant Report, Champerey, SUI World Cup #3

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:33:35 GMT

Champerey WC Report

   Now, as globetrotting bike racers we face various challenges. Being in shape, food, travel, sleep, navigation, luck, etc. Over the years a respectable skill set develops to deal with said challenges. One skill set I’m still struggling with, however, is controlling the kid in a candy store syndrome that strikes when we get plopped smack dab in the middle of an absolutely stunning environment. This happened in Champerey, Switzerland this week, where we were allegedly staying to compete in a World Cup #3 on Saturday. Driving up the valley with the 3000 meter Dents du Midi towering over the perfect village nestled above a gushing glacial creek I immediately identified the kid in a candy store syndrome that would control the rest of the week.
   I was still confused and eating muesli on Tuesday morning as Emmett pulled out a map and asked for some route planning advice. We settled on her riding a couple passes and looping it out however possible. This immediately gave me rest day envy. Kelli’s out exploring and I’m just supposed to go for a spin? Boo, Hiss. The comprimise was to counteract her multiple pass ride with some local exploring. First up was the “Galeria” a trail blasted in the face of a 100 meter limestone cliff. Unsure of the legality of the ride, I put on my best dumb American face and set about railing one of the more entertaining trails I’ve ever been on that just happened to be notched into a wall and protected by a two foot tall rickety wooden fence. Awesome. From there, responsibility took over and I went to suss out the race course, which, it turns out, was simply transplanted from Essex Street Hill in Bangor, Maine. Perfect, I’ve ridden there a few (hundred) times on the classic slimy rocks and roots sprinkled over false flats and steep climbs. What a nice surprise. As I wondered how Kelli’s trek was going, feelings of guilt started to seep into the candy store for our esteemed Soignieur Ms. Brutsaert, whom I suspected was still at the hotel trying to e-mail pictures to Giant for posting on the Ride Life website. I walked in just as she was getting her bike shoes on and made the international gesture for “come quick, sweet trails await”. Ten minutes later we were mobbing down perfect rocky switchbacks to the creek and on down an uber-classic (and semi-overgrown) river trail. Even more perfect. Oh, dang it, I forgot it was a rest day, oh well, one more steep climb wouldn’t kill me. So long as I could make it back and be napping before Emmett got home from proper training… I just barely made it.
   The next day our incredibly accommodating British hotel staff pointed me up into the hills toward the Col de Cou for a classic ridgeline singletrack in the high alpine. After an hour forty and 1100 meters of climbing everything from pavement to goat paths I reached the Col, classic as it were. Unsure of where the trail peeled off amongst the cow tracks, I considered consulting with the gaggle of ten-year-olds who were milling about, evidently enjoying a class field trip, but then noticed a prominent ribbon buried with snow along it’s climb to the ridge. Must be what I’m looking for. Turns out it was. I haven’t seen storybook ridgeline singletrack like that in a long time, or ever. Popping over rolls with huge peaks in the background and cows wearing proper massive cowbells in the foreground before fading into old-growth forest was an afternoon to remember. You can see from the photo.
   Ah, right, we were there for a race… Good thing Thursday was deemed an emergency day off in order to rest up from the weeks playing. One of the most scenic ice baths I’ve ever taken finalized the (less than optimal) preparation for Saturday’s showdown. Unfortunately, Kelli felt the effects of her week spent riding up huge hills and never really got it going in the race. It was the kind of course that if you weren’t charging, you weren’t really going to have a good day. She finished it out midpack somewhere and went out to do some more exploring in the afternoon…
   I was pretty sure I was still tired from the week’s riding while standing on the start line. Turns out I wasn’t. Or even if I was, it’s June now and I’m in shape so it doesn’t matter. What a relief. After holding my 63rd position or so on the start loop (walking festival) I observed my ability to shift into a harder gear and pedal faster at will. Combine this with the fact that I was riding the glorious Anthem Advanced, giving me the option to take irresponsible (and entertaining) lines at speed and get away with it, and it appeared that I was going to have a banner day. Then it started to downpour. Even better. Definitely going to be a banner day. With this in mind, I started passing guys like it was my job, working into the top twenty after about three laps, then continuing to ride through guys as the sun came out for the last half of the race. Somehow I wasn’t derailed by two of the clumsiest dismounts (by dismount, I mean falling off the bike while it stops suspended by roots, trees and course tape, much to the amusement of the throngs of spectators) I’ve ever had and kept the momentum rolling all the way into tenth place with two to go. I was within striking distance of Thomas Frischneckt in 8th but just couldn’t get there. I’ll settle for 10th and the realization that the hard work does pay off eventually. Julien Absalon won over local hopes Christoph Sauser and Nino Schurter, a battle I got to watch unfold a couple minutes up the serpentine course. Those guys are fast, but not THAT fast…
   Now it’s back home for a few days of bill paying and such before the Park City, UT NMBS this coming weekend, then we go to the homeland. Not one but two World Cups await in Quebec to close out June, I can’t wait! Maybe we’ll see a few of you there…

Cheers,
The Team Giant Euro Crew,
Adam, Kelli, Elke and Tom.

Special thanks go out to Giant for setting us up with Elle and Tom for Euro support, this level of racing isn’t possible without a solid crew, those two are best in the business for sure, at least we got one good result to make them proud. (and earn some prize money to pay their hotel bar tab…)

Oh yeah, it looks like by riding fast I secured myself a spot on the Pan Am Games team (if the UCI updates the world rankings by Tuesday…) This is a great opportunity to travel to Rio de Janiero, Brazil to compete as part of the US delegation on July 14th in this once every four years event. Unfortunately, it ixnays the possibility of doing the cool racing in July swing of the Cascade Creampuff and Downieville Classic. Maybe in 2009…

Team Giant Report, Local Racing in the Czech Repub...

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:32:38 GMT

After having such a good time with the local racing at home (and in Minnesota), Kelli and I decided to sample some European local shenanigans. Some consultation with the UCI website, Michelin Europe Atlas and our Czech consultant, Katerina Hanusova, determined that racing one of the Czech Republic National Series races would be good eastern Europe local racing culture. Leaving Offenburg under a steady rain to drive further north and east seemed like folly at first, but after some driver switches and napping the clearing skies made it clear that we were doing the right thing. Unfortunately, in keeping with the local spirit, we didn’t have a plan other than knowing the race was in Ceska Kamenice, aboiut 25k from the German border. Since Elke is such a clever German speaker, she busted out the plan to simply roll towards the border and get a “frirenwonhung” (vacation rental apartment) somewhere cool looking. Well, Bad Schandau, a town 7k from the border and on the banks of the Elbe River, looked pretty cool with it’s massive rock towers rimming the canyon surrounded by a national park. We saw a rental sign and stopped to check it out. Ten minutes later we were settled into a nice little place for the week at a very reasonable rate. I love it when a plan comes together. The rest of the week was spent exploring the area, riding into Czech through the parks, hanging out down by the river, watching South Park on Tom’s laptop, etc. Good, relaxing times.
   The race snuck up on us pretty quickly, legs still a bit tired from getting tricked into going for awesome rides all week… Since Kelli raced a couple hours before me, I volunteered to sleep in and ride the 30k to the race as a warmup, not sure if this was a good idea, but you’re supposed to commute to local races by bike, I was just staying within the guidelines for good times. Upon arrival I was greeted with a scene that definitely was I the same spirit as the Cascade Chainbreaker but on a much bigger scale. Teams were parked up and down the tiny one lane streets surrounding a Senior Citizens Home with a full on race setup on the back lawn. Massive inflatable finish banner, DJ playing music and calling the women’s race, which was underway (20 minutes late, on par for local events…) and a bunch of people cheering and eating pork products. Looked like a good time. Little did I know that there was another DJ party area at one of the steep drops on the course as well, always good for the creation of crashes and ensuing heckling over the PA…
   Just as I rolled up, Kelli came ripping by, the announcer calling her Gibson (her middle name) and giving an encouraging fifth place report. I was happy to hear fifth, as she was covered pretty solidly in black dirt, a sure sign of crashing while sweating… Fortunately, she was still riding strong and held down fifth for the last two laps, getting a good workout and a good confidence boost from last weekend’s German struggling.
   The mens race started on schedule, twenty minutes too late. Also right on schedule was some random Czech guy slaying it for the first five minutes and putting a huge gap on the rest of us. Fortunately, some Spaniards and I had reeled him in by the top of fthe climb and set about railing some pretty awesome rocky, sandy singletrack. We all ran down the drop Kelli had packed it in on and admired her courage for even trying it… Starting the second lap I was feeling spry and had a go at the front. This lasted a few laps after the hugest, most musclebound racer I’ve ever seen broke his bike, not surprisingly… About midway through our seven laps I started to get realistic and the locals started reeling me in. One got by, then another, and I ended up sprinting with a fellow Czech Giant team rider for third place. He blew my doors off. Not even a contest. So I settled for 4th, which still got me some sweet podium time, after, in local spirit, each and every category was presented with their awards and trip up onto the blocks. Good money was given too, not sure what 9,000 Korun means but it seems like a lot when they give you a card saying that amount. Turns out it’s about four hundred bucks. Definitely enough to take Tom and Elke out for Greek Food and beers. Not before Kelli and I had a nice 30k cruise home into the sunset though, we need to get in shape, big World Cup race coming up this weekend in Switzerland…

Kelli and Elke were very helpful with the driving to Czech… They watched Supertroopers in the back of the well-stuffed van…

Giant MTB Team Update

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:31:29 GMT

The Wheels of Teal:

"The first race you have fun.

The second race you go fast.

The third race you crash."

Sage words from the Race Director at the Novice Driver's meeting at my first Rally race two months ago. So far, I'm happy to say he's right. So far, I've only done two races.

This winter's off-season was well spent. When I wasn't skiing or having a beer at Deschutes, I was usually in the garage working on my new Rally Car project. Or sitting in front of the computer trying to track down a used Rally Car widget for less than a Metric Assload of money. Though I usually enjoy both of these activities, I must admit, it was feeling a lot like work there for a while.

My muse was a sorry looking Teal (I like to call it blue) 1993 Subaru Impreza. With a 1.8 liter engine and front wheel drive, it was the antithesis of racey, but I could see the diamond (or maybe an agate) in the rough. Over the winter the car saw more TLC (and abuse) than it saw in it's first 14 years combined. New Engine. New brakes. New Transmission. Intercoms. Rally Computer. Flywheel. Clutch. Exhaust. Wheels. Tires. Lights... I even managed to get most of the faded Purple window tint off of the glass. Just as important as what went in was what went out. A weight weenie with a Cut-off wheel is a happy man indeed. There's a hundred pounds of well engineered but unnecessary Subaru crap in my yard now. And the Wheels of Teal were ready (?) for action!

The first race was in Washington and we had fun. It's funny how similar everything is to Mountain Bike racing. People check out each-other's tires and (in some cases stock) suspension and tell stories about where they blew a turn or "had a moment" behind the wheel on the last stage. Rally racers, like MTB guys, are friendly and supportive. You get dirty and you sleep well at night.

The driving was intense. The first stage was a trial by blowtorch. 100 MPH straightaways--even in a 125 Horsepower car-- over the roughest wettest shit I'd every driven fast on. This on a single lane road with high speed blind crests and lined everywhere--everywhere!-- with moist dark, healthy, terrifying TREES. After a few stages we found our groove and I stopped looking where I didn't want to go. At the end of the weekend, we were 3rd in Group 2. On the podium for our first race. None too shabby. And my service crew/Dad didn't have to fix anything. Great weekend.

Six weeks (and an Arizona National and Giant Team Camp and Sea Otter) later, my codriver, Jon and I were back for more at the Oregon Trail Prorally. Oregon Trail is one of seven National series races that determine the National Champion in all six rally classes. Every hot-shoe with a budget would be there and it would be interesting to compare my Wheels of Teal times against current National Champ, Travis Pastrana's. I was fortunate enough to fly down and watch him drive to 15th overall at the World Rally Championships in Mexico a few weeks earlier, so I knew what to expect: a proper routing.

On day one of the Three Day event, we lined up 56th of 76 cars. We were pretty excited to have moved up 20 spots after only one event. The cars were amazing, even including a Group B Audi (one of the most ferocious racecars of all time). The races--on and around PIR track-- were a good warm up with minimal danger and were great for the fans in attendance. We surprised ourselves with the fastest 2WD time of the day on the most technical stage, the SSS, or superspecial stage. The National Champion Group 2 and Group 5 guys were probably a bit surprised by the Wheels of Teal too.

Day Two was 70 miles of wet and wonderful gravel roads in the coastal mountains. With our first set (ever) of NEW rally tires, the car felt great and I became scarily comfortable with break-neck speeds on blind slippery roads. The timing people were really nice and kept saying "Great Job!" at the finish of the stages. We thought they were congratulating us on not crashing, as maybe 10% of the field had roof damage by the end of the day. At the end of the day we loaded up, got a burger and went to bed without seeing the results.

Day three dawned to dreary greyness (hey, it's Portland!) and we rolled to the car park. As we unloaded the W of T, another Bend racer came over and exclaimed "How did you do that?!" When I asked "What?" he showed me the results: I'd managed 3rd Overall in the Region (behind two sweet Subaru STI cars) and was the fastest 2WD car in the country! With the re-seed I was lined up for the day 19th with all the factory teams. Behind me was Burmeister: 3-time Group2 National Champion, in a Mazda backed 400 Horsepower Mazda3! Holy crap! The timing people weren't just being nice. Maybe they're surly and dour to most everyone else. Turns out we were flogging the shit out of the Wheels of Teal out there!

As the final day of racing progressed, I stopped looking for the Mazda in the rear view and drove some quick stages. Most of the time I'd lose on the climbs to the faster cars I could regain on the descents by driving loose and burning up my brakes (fun!). At the end of the day I had won the Regional Group 2 title and would have won the National Group 2 race and a stack of Benjamins if I'd payed the extra entry fee to be counted in the National scoring. Oops.

So that's what I've been doing between bike races this spring. Burning gas and kickin ass-- though I probably do have the most fuel efficient car at any of these rally races. Hopefully the cross-training aspect of all this continues to translate well to bike racing. I'm racing my Anthem in a Super-D at the Fontana National in about 4 hours. Naptime.

Thanks for reading,

Sorry for the long winded and belated update,

Carl M. Decker

Giant Professional Mountain Bike Team

Top Results for Timex Multisport Athletes

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:29:50 GMT

Stellar Field and Top Results for Timex Multisport Athletes at the 4^th Annual Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida

Orlando, Florida. May 20, 2007

On a typical Sunday in Orlando you can expect people to attend the many theme parks in the surrounding area, but this was not your typical Sunday in the Sunshine State. Over 2,000 athletes from around the world were there to test themselves at the 4^th annual Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida event. With a stellar field on hand, as well as gorgeous sunny weather, the Timex Multisport athletes did not disappoint and posted solid times and results against the world’s best.

Aerodynamics specialist Jordan Rapp flew the Timex flag (albeit with little wind resistance) in the Men’s Pro racing to 11^th place overall and coming away with the 7^th fastest bike split of the day (2:08:33). Andrew Hodges ran into the 14^th spot overall with the 5^th fastest run split of the day posting a speedy 1:16:35. Former pro cyclist, Curt Chesney came away 16^th in the pro field and had the 9^th fastest bike split of the day with a 2:10:48.

On the Pro Women’s side, Canadian Natasha Filliol ran into the top 10 with the fastest run split with a 1:26:22. Texan Kim Hager had the 4^th fastest run (1:29:24) of the day and came away 9^th in the pro women’s field after a stellar final leg.

On the amateur side, Kevin Grogan, finished 10^th in the most competitive age-group field, 30-34, and posted a solid 4:33:09. Recent college graduate, April Gellatly, finished 2^nd in the women’s 18-24 category as well as coming away with the fastest swim (31:48) and bike (2:37:53), out of 39 competitors in her category.

The team came away with great results and look forward to seeing them reach their goals throughout the season.

Team Results

Blake Becker- Pro Men 18^th 4:12:55

Curt Chesney- Pro Men 16^th 4:10:17

Natasha Filliol- Pro Women 8^th 4:44:12

April Gellatly- W18-24 cat. 2^nd 5:02:18

Jacqui Gordon- Pro Women 11^th 4:50:53

Kevin Grogan- M30-34 cat. 10^th 4:33:09

Kim Hager- Pro Women 9^th 4:48:20

Andrew Hodges- Pro Men 14^th 4:07:00

Jordan Rapp- Pro Men 11^th 4:03:41

Look out for Timex Multisport Team members at upcoming races-

IM Coeur d’Alene- June 24^th

Big Victories for the Timex Multisport Team

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:28:32 GMT

Big Victories for the Timex Multisport Team

May 12, 2007 - Panama City Beach, FL

Timex Multisport Team member Carole Sharpless scored a victory at the 25^th annual Gulf Coast Triathlon (Half) with a stellar time of 4:39:36. Carole stepped two places higher than her 3^rd place in the ’06 event and took her 1^st overall victory of the year. Gabriella Loskotova placed 4^th in the event with a time of 4:45:03.

May 20, 2007 – Millington, TN

Twenty-three year old Timex Multisport Pro, Laura Tingle, from Louisville, CO, stole the show at the prestigious Memphis in May triathlon coming away with top honors in the overall women’s field. Her time of 2:02:32 was enough to take her biggest win to date. With a consistent swim, bike, run, she was able to hold off 2^nd place by a few seconds.

June 3, 2007 – Bristol, NH

Vermont native, Alex Mroszczyk-McDonald showed that you can train and have good results even in the colder regions of the US as he pulled off a solid overall win at the Mooseman (Half) Triathlon up in Bristol, New Hampshire this past weekend. His time of 4:06:11 let him enjoy the victory and give him good morale headed into Ironman Lake Placid on July 22^nd.

Zyemtsev Wins 2007 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene.

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:27:18 GMT

Zyemtsev Wins 2007 Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene.

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. June 24, 2007

Timex Multisport Pro Viktor Zyemstev used the fastest run of the day (2:47:05) to secure his 2^nd Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene vitory. Viktor ran down Canadian Pro and 2-time Ironman Champ, Tom Evans, in the closing miles to secure his 6^th Ironman victory.

As the race unfolded it looked as though it was going to be a close finish. After the champagne cork flew, Viktor spoke about the last few miles as he and Evans ran shoulder-to-shoulder. “We ran together through the last four miles. I try to push all the time, but he stayed with me. I felt bad and a little dizzy, I pushed again at mile 25 and he backed off.”

“I don’t know if I had another one, but it’s better I push early to see what he does. I knew when he didn’t go with me, I had it.”

1. Viktor Zyemtsev UKR 8:33:32

2. Tom Evans CAN 8:34:34

3. Michael Lovato USA 8:40:39

4. Jasper Blake CAN 8:46:09

5. Bryan Rhodes NZL 8:46:38

6. Luke McKenzie AUS 8:53:23

7. Adam Jensen USA 8:56:53

8. Jim Vance USA 9:06:40

9. Swen Sundberg GER 9:14:41

10. Billy Edwards USA 9:16:09