Journal

California Dreaming

I’ve not ridden outside in a week. Down with a nasty bug, I could complain about my 90-minute riding week and how out of shape I might be, etc. But rather it gave me a little time to reflect on the hectic exciting week of team training and bonding at the Sho-Air/Cannondale Team Camp in Santa Anna Hills, California.

Due to important and exciting developments at Sho-Air’s corporate HQ we had a change of plans to move our camp from the original ride destination of Santa Cruz. I was bummed at first since I’d done a bit of route prep and my mental mojo was going towards the initial plan.

Once we were settled, our camp took shape but so did some of the personalities of the team. Pua the super-food eater likes early rides, solo missions and yoga. Max likes to kick it pretty relaxed and have a beer with dinner now and then. Alex, well Alex loves long rides and eating treats that would have me racing Clydesdale by March! Not like total junk – just Trader Joe’s cookies and those chocolate peanut butter cups made with dark chocolate. Hmmm… Me; I drink too much coffee and need to put my dishes out of their misery or I forget they exist as my mind jumps right to the next day’s route.

Our rides were a sampling of some good SoCal trails; near the Vision Quest course http://www.warriorssociety.org/events/vision_quest_general_info.html, Holy Jim, Upper Trabuco Canyon, San Juan Trail the oaks or Santiago Oaks Park. www.mountainbikebill.com is a cool site I found to help sleuth out single track. Later in the week, we hit GMR or Glendora Mountain Road and Mt Baldy. I even did the Canyon Velo Group Ride on my mountain bike (not a good idea unless you want to do 400+ on every hill).

We had great team dinners, and enjoyed some of Pua’s amazing whole-food, raw, organic, super-food cooking. Talked trail, surf and fishing talk with Max, and exciting conversations with Ty and Scott about the big year ahead and all the race choices we have. Meeting up with mechanics Jordi and Paul allowed us to hang out and get used to working together and make plans for the season – and of course just have a good time riding and prepping for the adventure ahead.

Some of the riders had fits done by the ever knowledgeable and highly entertaining sage of spin Thom Coleman. Others trolled the Internet, as cyclists with idle time are known to do. We all watched the train wreck of Doprah.

We also had a great time meeting and learning more about the nutrition and science inside Osmo from Ben Capron. In a nutshell: it’s faster at what it does so if you like going fast… Check it.

I even learned a taste for coconut while in SoCal. I guess you never know what the future holds I used not like the stuff but now it taste great sometimes ya just have to try something new! I had a good time at camp and locked down some great training.

Should be super cool to start the season off on a good foot.

Thanks to Ty Kady and Scott Tedro for putting the camp together and giving us the tools to hammer!

– Jeremiah

[To read the latest SHO-AIR/CANNONDALE Team updates, check out the team blog.]

Uncategorized

A New Team for 2013!

“3..2..1..Surprise”

“Mountain biking is back; The Sho-Air/Cannondale Team has been launched!”

“This past weekend we kicked off the new team with a bang. There have been fun media interviews packed with lots of questions and the excitement is building.”

“Against the perfect backdrop of and sun soaked southern California, dozens of journalists, corporate brass from Cannondale, and even Sho-Air president Scott Tedro were on site! Our team RV, Sprinters and other support vehicles were wrapped like massive Christmas presents with a giant red bows on top. The mechanics were tuning the bikes; shifting gears and turning the wheels of a machine getting ready for something BIG. We had media training photo-shoots, video-shoots, technical product training a media ride followed by some tacos and beer! Serious fun! A team meeting took place to plan a diverse plan of attack aimed at the goal of being the number one mountain bike team in North America. Not often do you get this excited about something big in American mountain biking. Our team roster is outstanding and complete. We have riders that can win long, short, east coast, west coast, Canada, USA, stage-race, XC or enduro.”

To keep reading the full update SHO-AIR/Cannondale Update from Jeremiah, click here.

Outside Blog Links

Introducing VeloNews Diary “Go Big, or Go Bigger”

This is the first entry of Jeremiah Bishop’s regular column. As a professional mountain biker and coach he knows the tricks to get faster and more efficient — and he had to learn most of them the hard way. He will be sharing his knowledge, experience, mishaps, lessons and tips, so check back regularly for his thoughts.

“When I was asked to write a column for Singletrack.com, I knew it would be a great opportunity to share my unique experiences and some amazing stories as an adventure mountain biker and full-time paid professional racer with the Cannondale Factory Racing team. I’m living my dream-come-true: competing in legendary races and exploring some spectacular trails.”

“The following is a glimpse of where I am and where I’m going with it:”

“I came up from scratchy background as an East Coast mountain biker with little more than a borrowed bike, and I received a lot of help from a big community that loves to ride. My odds of becoming one of the top racers were pretty slim; but here I am.”

“So, this column is an exceptional chance to share some insight and sweet tricks-of-the-trade I’ve learned from some of the best in the ‘biz.’”

“My racing background is firmly rooted in UCI World Cup and national-level cross country events. I have dabbled in disciplines ranging from road to enduro, and Super-D to cyclocross; though I spent half of the past 20 years toiling in the semi-pro zone, tackling mountain bike races of every type. The long and short of it is that I’ve survived more failures than wins, but I never gave up because I’m simply crazy about racing bikes!”

To continue reading Jeremiah’s VeloNews.com Rider Diary, click here.

Coaching, Outside Blog Links

The Mountain Biker Teaching Joe Dombrowski Everything He Knows

“I guess it’s not too outlandish a thought that an accomplished mountain bike racer is coaching a rising star of road racing. Ok, maybe it’s a little different.”

“Here is a little background. Joe Dombrowski and I first met at a mountain bike clinic I put on at the Greenbrier Challenge in Maryland. He and his Dad were looking for something to do, and for them riding with me was a good way to see some good lines and get a few tips. A year later I got a message from a local racer, saying, “hey you have to ride with this kid, he’s flying!” So, as I have done many times with other budding talents, I took him on an easy spin, thinking I might give him some pointers.”

“Needless to say that was the last time I rode my mountain bike on a road ride with Joe Dombrowski!”

To continue reading from Jeremiah Bishop’s VeloNews.com Rider Diary, click here.