TWENTY16 Pro Cycling

2014 Spring Training Camp

Riders train on the stunning roads of Santa Paula, CA
Image: Brian Hodes

Training Camp - February 19th - March 9th By Mari Holden

Phew! Our first block of training and racing was a success. When I first accepted the sports director position, the housing for our training camp had already been secured. I was excited to find out that the team camp would be held in Santa Paula. It just happens that my parents live 3 miles from the team house. I had the best free labor available, and I knew every road in the area so it made logistics easy.

Initially, I was concerned that we would be on the road so long, but it worked out perfectly.

Our training camp really started in Arizona. When we arrived at Valley of the Sun we were a group of individuals. It was like being thrown in the fire. The first ride together was an actual race. Not only was it the inaugural ride together, it was also the first time most of the girls had been on their new equipment. Our mechanic Vince and his assistant Bobby did a great job of making sure all the girls were set up correctly.

In our first race, we did the best we could and we focused on communication. My goal was to lay a foundation. We talked about expectations, hard work and teamwork. I made a promise that if we worked hard together we would build something special. I told them that we would start right away. We would be a different team than our first attempt at Valley of the Sun by the time we got to Tour of Murrieta at the end of camp. It was a big promise, but I truly believed that if we stayed focused and took the baby steps we would succeed.

Over the next couple weeks we had some amazing training and met our sponsors. We learned each other's strengths and weaknesses and how to help each other. There is no big secret on how to be a good teammate, but we worked hard to recognize the little things that will help us communicate better and work better as a group. I include all of us in the collective "we". "We" are a team and that includes our pros, juniors, mechanics, director, GM and sponsors. "We" are building something special. There will always be a few tears, some incredible efforts and a lot of laughs along the way, and camp was a great start down our path.

I am so proud of the way the team grew together. When we raced Tour of Murrieta we rode like the team we strive to be. It was a good ending to an incredible few weeks. We are a work in progress and even though we all come from different backgrounds and experiences, we are committed to being the best we can as a team.

I love this quote because I think that it sums up the key to success: "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you" ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We all come into this team with a clean slate. We committed to being the best we can be, and we will carve our own paths. And from what I saw at training camp, it's going to be a great year!

~ Mari

Sofia Arreola 2013 double silver medalist UCI track World Championships

Image: Brian Hodes

Know Your Powers

by Alison Tetrick

In order to trust your teammates, sometimes means you have to know each other inside and out. As we all know, there is nothing as bonding as long, hard bike rides, where you challenge yourself and those with you. We had an incredible team camp in Santa Paula, where we conquered rain, mountains, and some amazing steaks from Snake River Farms.

The training was hard, but this time with each other and our sponsors was invaluable. This year, our team is outfitted with Quarq power meters, which not only give us plenty of data, but also the ability to track our progress throughout the year. It is important to #knowyourpowers in order to prescribe training, recovery, and a structured plan. We are the first women's team to be sponsored by Quarq, and we are happy to represent such a great company.

Since Quarq was recently added into SRAM Corp, we know we can trust the product, quality and service. Although cyclists love to talk "watts", we don't always need to talk about our numbers, we can just let our legs produce those watts. Power based training is one of the best ways to train for any event you choose, and it doesn't have to be a race! We are looking forward to knowing our powers throughout the year, and hope you are too!

~ Alison

Click here for more on QUARQ

QUARQ #KnowYourPowers
Image: Brian Hodes

Bond Girls get Shoshin By Mary Maroon

Half way into a 3 week team training camp, Barry Bonds shows up at the front door to our host house with his bike. It is 7:30 AM. We have been riding really hard every day for days and the reality of the circumstance is not entirely clear. I mean, we all know Barry Bonds is about to go for a ride with us but the deconstructing and absorbing that information is happening very peripherally.

The thing on most people's minds is descending a � mile 25+% grade driveway safely after it had rained the night before. Climbing it is one thing, you just keep pedaling to get up it, but descending is something else entirely.

We had an amazing ride through rolling Ojai and breezy Ventura beach front. It was pure beautiful California and an incredible way to wake up. A long steady climb into Los Padres National Forest was the meat of the ride. Playful attacks and throttle turning slow grinds on the way up were exactly the shenanigans you'd expect from your typical weekday race ride. It was fun and hard and beautiful, but the descent...

The reward for climbing is descending (and vice versa). Miles and miles lay ahead of corners just waiting to be apexed, bots dots daring to be crossed, and grippy gradients begging to be banked. The road was offering a bike handling buffet.

A few windy winding switchbacks separated the ebbs and flows of the group and what ended up on the front was a 37 mph and up rotating pace line with Mari Holden, Barry Bonds and myself. The physical demands of this scenario absolutely require a person to be 100% awake but the reality of what is happening is still not a conscious thought. I am pace lining on a very technical descent with a world champion cyclist and Olympian & a man who has played professional baseball for 22 years and has the most home runs ever. It is only when the road flattens out, the speed comes down to a conversational 20 MPH pace, and the turns begin to straighten that the moment became concrete. I was descending, no, I was crushing a downhill with two world class athletes. I have 20 pure, thrilling, and unique minutes that are now a part of my life experience. There were other moments he shared with other teammates, but this one was mine.

When the team met for dinner later, Barry would tell us all "Work on your weaknesses. When you work on your strengths, all you are doing is satisfying ego." This sounds like a modernization of Shoshin. Shoshin means coming to a situation with a beginner's mind. It means leaving judgment and pride behind. It means allowing yourself to see something with fresh eyes. When you focus on training your strengths you are closing a door on what you are capable of. You do not have a beginner's mind. When you work on your weaknesses, you are not afraid to challenge yourself, you are not afraid to fail, you are not stroking your ego, and you are pedaling with a beginner's mind.

~ Mary

Bubbled Wall By Sofia Arreola

During team camp we got to meet several of our sponsors, one of them was Dawn Landon from Bubbled Wall. She is an amazing person and really committed to help women's cycling.

Bubbled Wall is a LA based company that specializes on Custom Screen Printing & Sublimation onto items like T-Shirts, Hoodies, Hats, Mouse Pads, Mugs, Signs, etc. TWENTY16 got really cool tracksuits t-shirts and an amazing earth friendly bag making the team look nice and sharp with their high quality products.

Big thanks to Bubbled Wall for supporting TWENTY16!

~ Sofia

Click here for more on Bubbled Wall

Team LBD and F1 + 22

Image: Brian Hodes

Weaves and #FRD By Allie Dragoo

What do you know; my first carbon bike is the fastest bike in the world! Having the privilege to meet Doug and Neil from FELT Bike Company at the TWENTY16 team camp, I learned a lot about the FELT bicycle industry and the FELT FC bike I will be racing and training on this year.

Given a lot of detail on the bikes and how they are made, what I found most interesting was that it requires a whole new level of fine tuning to have the fastest bikes in the world. The intricate weaves and patterns of the carbon fiber sheets which build the structure of each frame are specifically placed to make the securest, fastest and most reliable bike on the market for racing and training.

I look forward to riding my FELT F every day! #whatdrivesyou #FRD

~ Allie

SRAM, Zipp and Ergo by Kaitie Antonneau

It is great to be back with SRAM & ZIPP for the 2014 season with Team TWENTY16. We are on two new ZIPP products this season: the 60 Clincher wheel and the Service Course 70-Ergo bars. The 60 Clincher wheel is the perfect training wheel because it reliable, durable, and fast. It also provides an easier transition back to race wheels because of the deeper rim.

The Service Course 70-Ergo bars are my personal favorite. The smooth transition from the bars to the hoods is the first thing I noticed. The 70-Ergo bars combined with the SRAM reach adjustment provides the perfect combination. It was great to be able to meet with SRAM & ZIPP at camp this year to learn more about our equipment. It was also special to have Dan Lee from ZIPP come out with us on one of our training rides. I'm honored to be able to have the opportunity to ride for a team that SRAM and ZIPP believe in for another year.
~Kaitie

Click here for more on ZIPP

Zipp 60 wheels

Image: Brian Hodes

How 'bout them apples! By Greta Neimanas

KIKU apples is the official apple of TWENTY16 Pro Cycling! How cool is that!!

This past weekend, a friend and I took a box of #sweetkiku apples PERFECT for baking with - and decided to experiment. We decided to make cinnamon applesauce, and apple chips. First, we started the apple sauce. Our recipe was:

4 kiku apples, diced*

3 sticks of cinnamon

A splash of lemon juice

A bit of apple pie seasoning

A bit of pumpkin pie seasoning

More cinnamon

About a cup and a half of water.

Put everything in the slow cooker.

The temperature setting will depend on your level of activity for the day. We set the slow cooker on low and went about our day. Several hours later, the water hadn't quite been absorbed, so we turned the slow cooker up to high for about an hour. There was only a little bit of water left then which we drained into a pot to be used with the apple chips- more on that in a minute. Take out the cinnamon sticks and start mashing! The apples should be soft and almost in an applesauce state by this time, but mash until you have a desired consistency. That's it!

*One thing we didn't do and I would recommend is peeling the apples first. Our applesauce tastes delicious but I'm not a huge fan of the peels.

Allie D, Kaitie and Ali sample the #sweetkiku
Image: CMI

We also tried to make baked apple chips. We sliced two whole kikus into about 1/8" (or 4mm) thick slices- you can core the apples if you'd like but the core softens and the seeds fall out when cooked. We put the apple slices into the pot of applesauce juice and boiled them for 5-8 minutes before taking them out and drying them on paper towels. (The original recipe said to boil the slices in store bought apple juice but by using the runoff from the apple sauce, it infused the slices with the different spices- delicious!) Once dried, they went on a cookie sheet and into the oven at 250�F for 25 minutes. These make for a tasty snack that's quick and easy to make. Because the apples were sliced by hand, there were variations in thickness of slices so the thiner slices were crispy and the thicker slices were more chewy, so you can decide how you prefer your chips.

So, there you have it! Two simple, delicious kiku apple recipes for you to try at home. Happy baking and happy tasting!
~ Greta

Click here for more on KIKU

Custom KIKU team packaging!

Image: CMI

Mirrors, hosts, twists, 35% and Olive by Amber Gaffney

Team Camp started off (unofficially) with a road trip to Phoenix (for some of us- my party included Mary and Vincent). We stayed in a large and modern house with lots of twists and lots of mirrors and televisions. This was conveniently located in terms of race starts for VOS and the lake behind the house provided a beautiful outdoor area for yoga. In Santa Paula, the team had the privilege of staying with a host family and their lovely dog Olive. Olive was a sweetheart and looked similar to a smaller version of Sirius Black from the HP movies.

The house, with its fully mirrored bathroom and beautiful deck, overlooked an orchard and all of Ventura from its vantage on the hill. It was a great starting point for rides- there is minimal traffic in the area and we could get to the beach or back into the hills over rolling terrain before we started climbing. The best part was every ride ended with a climb back to the house.

This was a climb that had pitches of 35% and averaged over 18%. Luckily, it was only a 2.5 minute climb! Even in the rain, the riding out here was beautiful. Two of us specifically, thoroughly enjoyed our day riding in the rain (CA needed the rain and who can resist a good storm!) All of the other days had glorious CA sunshine.

For Murrieta, we were very lucky to all be housed in the same house, just outside of the Murrieta. Kim and Dave, our host parents took in all of our riders and they gave us full access to their kitchen. They were so easy-going that it was easy to feel at home in their place. They even cooked us dinner our first night and included in that dinner foods from each of our favorite-foods-list (found on our website).

This type of kindness is truly amazing and I can't stress enough to hosts what their contribution to our team does for the whole sport of women's cycling. We are very grateful.
~ Amber

Amber Gaffney and team on the final climb to the host house!

Image: Brian Hodes

Kangaroo, Snakes and Prada! By Lex Albrecht

TWENTY16's riders are really fortunate to train and race with some of the best equipment that exists. During team camp, Adam, a representative from FIZIK taught us about the shoes and the saddles we get to use this year. This is what I learned:

I already knew they looked GREAT, but after the presentation I realized my bike shoes are by far the fanciest kicks I own. I think they're first pair of Italian shoes my feet have ever been in. They're made with real kangaroo leather (how exotic) and a fancy mesh supplied to Fizik by the same company that makes Prada's shoe materials! Talk about #stylewatts. Twitter

I learned just how extensive FIZIK's line of saddles is as well. I got the chance to try out as many as I wanted, but it didn't take long until I found the perfect match for me. I chose the Airione Versus X carbon braided saddle: Instagram I like the firmness, its middle channel ...and I am not ashamed to admit that the snake graphic adds to the cool-factor.
~ Lex

Click here for more on fi'zi:k

Lex Albrecht prefers the fi'zi:k Airione Versus X carbon braided saddle
Image: Borrowed from internet

Speed, corners and aerodynamics By Abby Mickey

While we were racing the Tour of Murrieta the founders of Speedplay pedals came all the way up from San Diego to talk to us about their product. Richard, the inventor and Sharon who runs the show, along with their new puppy, sat down with the girls and told us all the history of the most revolutionary pedals in cycling.

Richard told us about the reasons for designing the pedals the way they are, from the lightweight design and cornering ability to the aerodynamics. He even told us about some really cool new products coming out in the future (stay tuned for those, they are really rad)! I was extra lucky because after the meeting he helped my out with my bike fit and moved around the float on my pedals.

One of the coolest things about Speedplay pedals is that the locking mechanism that holds your foot into the pedal is in the cleat instead of in the pedal itself. This means that the pedal is smaller, and thinner, which comes in handy when pedaling through a corner.

Meeting the owners of Speedplay was really awesome and hearing the back story was even cooler! We have some amazing support from all of our sponsors, so thanks Richard and Sharon, it was awesome to meet you!
~ Abby

Click here for more on SPEEDPLAY

Social Media

Get up to the minute conversations with the team, athletes and staff

Development team at Tour de Murrieta post race meeting after taking the win!

Image: Brian Hodes

United by Sport LLC.

United by Sport LLC a sports management company founded in 2005 by Nicola Cranmer has owned and operated PROMAN Cycling Team, PROMAN Hit Squad, PROMAN UCI Professional Track Team, Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY16, Exergy TWENTY16, Exergy TWENTY16 UCI professional Women's Cycling Team, Exergy TWENTY16 Junior Development Team, K-Edge Felt Cyclocross Team and TWENTY16 Women's Professional Cycling Team.

Tam Cycling Inc. 501(c)(3)

TWENTY16 Professional Cycling is operated under Tam Cycling Inc. Section 501(c)(3) is the portion of the US Internal Revenue Code that allows for federal tax exemption of nonprofit organizations, specifically those that are considered public charities, private foundations or private operating foundations. It is regulated and administered by the US Department of Treasury through the Internal Revenue Service. One of the most distinct provisions unique to Section 501(c)(3) organizations as compared with other tax exempt entities is the tax deductibility of donations. 26 U.S.C. � 170, provides a deduction, for federal income tax purposes, for some donors who make charitable contributions to most types of 501(c)(3) organizations.

Gratitude to our 2014 Sponsors

FELT Bicycles; SRAM; Zipp; Barry Bonds, Violich Farms; Oakley; THULE; Speedplay, Pactimo; Catlike; K-Edge; fi'zi:k; Modify Watches; Arundel; DZ Nuts; Clif Bar; Brian Hodes, Krietler; Rowan Interactive Media; Arctic Heat; Dumonde Tech; Park Tool; City Cycles and Georges Cycles, Pain Pathways Magazine; Bubbled Wall, Quarq, MRI Endurance, KIKU Apples, ec3d and The Sock Guy.

A medium rare treat from Snake River Farms

Thank you to Snake River Farms for providing exquisite steaks for team camp! Fuel for 2 weeks of grueling training! Snake River Farms Idaho, produces American style Wagyu (Kobe) beef

"As a cowgirl, I am a dedicated steak connoisseur, and I can say this was the best steak I have ever had!

Yee haw! Lean, tasty, cut thick, and cooked medium rare!" ~ Alison Tetrick

"Incredible, flavorful cooked to perfection by Mari's dad. It was the tastiest steak I have had the pleasure of eating! Carnivorous heaven" ~ Nicola Cranmer

"It's very rare to find a steak this well done!" ~ Allie Dragoo

Click here for more on Snake River Farms

Kombucha Mama

Image: Brian Hodes

Thank you Kombucha Mama

Thanks to the Eric and Michelle Plantenberg and the Kombucha Mama gang in Bend, OR for supplying delicious Kombucha for team camp! Eric and Michelle have been a big part of the team for many years, hosting the team for Bend races. Renee Mansour introduced us to them and we just love to be a part of the Bend community.

The Chinese have called Kombucha Tea the Elixir of Life, Russians have used it to treat cancer, and our families at Kombucha Mama have been brewing it since 1995Founded in February 2009, Michelle Plantenberg and Jamie Danek wanted to afford everyone the opportunity to enjoy Kombucha. They noticed that kombucha on the market was expensive and that most people didn't enjoy the taste. They also believe in local commerce and see that as the best way to reduce our carbon footprint. So the girls went to work.

Click here for more info on Kombucha Mama

Bonding, better and hard work by Katie Donovan

Nothing expedites the team bonding process like two weeks of hard training sandwiched between two stage races. We rode with each other as teammates for the first time at Valley of the Sun in Arizona. While we had some good results, this race was an opportunity to learn each others' riding styles, make mistakes and to talk about those mistakes.

By the time we got to the Tour of Murrieta, two weeks later, we were more dialed in as a team. We took home our first wins of the season with Lex winning the overall and Twenty16 earning the team GC. When you're on the road and living on top of your teammates, you have neither the space nor the energy to hide behind the "better" version of yourself. It doesn't take long for people to let their guard down and reveal the quirks and moods that make them who they are. I love this part of getting to know my teammates and the more I get to know them as individuals, the harder I want to work for them.

As the season progresses we will have to continuously rely on each other for that sense of support and grounding that we find so easily at home, but which is hard to find on the road. You can look at any picture of us from team camp and see that we are working hard and having fun.

~ Katie

Click here for more on TWENTY16 Pro Cycling