Tour of California Wrap-Up
Posted on 17. Jun, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, Pro Wrenching, The Gear Movers
Arriving in San Francisco for Stage 3 of ToC, beautiful and typical weather of this area
An 8 day bike race wrapped up and done, but geeze, it feels like a grand tour. This 2010 edition of California’s premier sporting event was by far the most exciting and intriguing race I have done in years. I have worked this race every year but one and couldn’t have asked for anything more. I have never worked for a ProTour Team before, and this was an experience. From the late nights, to the extra little bit of work we did all day to set ourselves apart from the other teams at the bike race, it was definitely a good experience. From the outside the Garmin-Transitions ProTour Team looks like a looming fortress of pretentious staff and riders. It is not, this team is a huge family that after spending a week and a half with them I noticed how close they really are!
Jordan with the Specialized Angel at the start of Stage 3
Garmin-Transitions Team Super Fan, this kid was soo adorable!
The 20 some staff and 8 riders gelled really well together during the race. We had 2 personal chefs, 3 mechanics, 3 sougniers, 2 directors, 1 team photographer, and multiple media and sponsorship liaisons. Can you imagine the logistics of getting each one of these people to and from each race every day? I don’t know how it all gets done.
Our Chefs Chris and Barbara Grealish with thier new parking lot toy!
Probably some of the best times at the bike race where had by the 3 mechanics, hanging out in the parking lot after a bunch of bike working, eating the leftovers of a gourmet dinner served by our two chefs! I gotta say, Chris and Barbara Grealish, thanks so much for the food! On stage 7, the Time Trial in Downtown Los Angeles, I got to follow Tom Danielson during his ride. What an experience, he was flying through the course and although he didn’t post a great time on the day, he had an impressive ride through some of the gnarly windy sections and the one steep little climb.
HTC Columbia mechanic Chris Franges and his awesome bikes get ready for the TT at the hotel in Big Bear
Following Tommy D in the TT on Stage 7 in Los Angeles
Hanging out with TT1 mechanic Alex Banyay and Fly V's mechanic Tennyson Hulcy after Stage 7 of the ToC
The SRAM crew poses for a photo op in-front of the Staples Center at the Stage 7 TT in Los Angeles
I gotta say the number 1 experience for me came on the last day of the bike race when I got to drive the 2nd caravan car in the peloton on the unassumingly tough Stage 8. A lot of teams came into the last day unprepared for what was about to hit them. What looked like a simple course turned out to be a leg/lung burner. A super technical, twisty climb of more than 5k, followed by one of the gnarliest descents I have ever witnessed. I had the 4 tires on the super reliable Subaru Outback squealing on the 8k descent, ohhh my gosh it was the most fun I’ve ever had! I definitely envy a Team Director who gets to sit in the front seat and drive on a regular basis, my spot in the backseat is like a desk-job…boring!
Redwood forests from Stage 3, beautiful!
Mechanics Tom Hopper and Jordan chilly and wet to the bone after Stage 2 to Santa Rosa. It was a downpour all day...
We took two stage wins, and the overall team classification win for the entire race, what an impressive performance boys! It looks like I will be working part time with the Garmin-Transitions Pro team for the rest of the year. On tap next will be the USPRO Championships in Greenville, SC in early September. After that I will most likely do my first ProTour races in Canada – Montreal, and Quebec City, if I don’t do those, look for me on TV at the Vuelta a España, holy cow! Adios amigos!!
Post race dinner, me and Dave Zabriskie getting comfy...
Tour of California Stage 0
Posted on 16. May, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, Pro Wrenching, The Gear Movers
Garmin Transitions ProTour Mechanic Tom Hopper Getting the Bikes Dialed!
Ever wanted a behind the scenes look at what goes on at a top level pro cycling race in the United States? Look no further! A lot of websites ask for athlete and race related content, what about the fun times that is had by all the support staff in the pro peloton? There are mechanics, sougniers, directors, logistical staff, chefs, bus drivers and many more important people that help each pro team to get through each day and keep the race running behind the scenes!
SRAM's new Aprila Motos and their sweet custom chromed racks!!
I will be spending this week with the Garmin – Transitions Pro Cycling at the Amgen Tour of California. Talk about the real deal! This ProTour level team has it all. We are totally set up with almost 25 staff members for only 8 riders in the race. This large discrepancy means we have our basis covered and every t is crossed and i is dotted, we are dialed!
Rockstar Fly V Australia Director Ed Beamon, apparently too busy to chat with me...
It is now day two of prep before the race and my legs and feet are already done. Standing in parking lot for more than 12 hours a day while running around doing odd jobs from working on bikes, washing bikes, cleaning cars, setting up radios, applying vinyl stickers to rental vehicles and eating burritos! Thats right, we are sponsored by Chipotle, its pretty sweet!
The Fly V Australia mechanics truck and a bike getting unpacked...
Too many words to put into this quick blog right now, so lets let the behind the scenes pictures tell it all…
Fly V Australia mechanic Chris Davidson
Garmin Transitions Chef RV. This bus is for cooking food for the riders only!
Food all over the chef RV. The guys will be eating very well this week!
The mechanics side of the Garmin Transitions Team, nice setup boys!
I worked on these spare bikes today, ready to go for stage 1!
Tom Hopper checking out the new trainers for the TT bikes, kinda cool idea - LeMond Trainers...
USA National TT Champ Dave Zabriskie's new custom TT rig, this thing is dope!
Ben and Nicole go to Moab!
Posted on 05. May, 2010 by Ben in Ben, Nicole, The Gear Movers
So, it was Nicole’s Birthday this past Sunday. She and I got to escape for the weekend thanks to my parents. We drove up I-70 late Thursday afternoon; dropped the kid’s off in Wolcott where my mom and dad were ready to endure a full weekend of chaos. They even took the puppy! We were alone, finally!
The set for the Movie: "127 Hours" About Aron Ralston who had to cut his own arm off after getting stuck in the rocks in Moab
We rolled into Moab and on up to Sandy Flats campground around 7:30. We noticed signs for “127 Hours” – What’s that? Then we saw camera crews, a full Hollywood set-up… later found out it was the filming of the movie about the Aaron Ralston story – the guy who had to cut his own arm off after getting trapped in a canyon on a solo mission. Bonus.
We woke up the next morning – weather was iffy – but it held out long enough for us to ride Slickrock….
Nicole Duke riding the Moab Slickrock
Nicole Duke, posing in Moab, I would say the only time she wasnt hammering me into the ground!
…what a wonderland!
Then the rain came – we hid in our pimped out van for a few hours the reaped the benefits a gnarly storm cloud can have on a sunset!
The Beautiful Moab Sunset
Ya, that’s not a fire.
The next day was a beautiful one – and we cranked out the Porcupine loop – I love this trail and all its wonderful views !!!
On your birthday, can it get any better than this?
Happy Birthday Nicole!!!
SRAM Tour of the Gila Recap with SRAM NRS
Posted on 05. May, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, Pro Wrenching, The Gear Movers
A quick picture opportunity in some of the beautiful New Mexico Landscape with the SRAM NRS Team Car
Long, long, long week! I think that is the best way to describe this last week of bike racing down in Silver City, NM. The SRAM Tour of the Gila outdid itself once again and provided all who attended at the races, on the internet and in the newsprint with a spectacular show! The characters, the racers, the locals, the in-race antics, the insanely tough conditions and the all around fun atmosphere provided by SRAM gave us a Tour to remember. For those of you not familiar with the SRAM Tour of the Gila, if you are interested at all in bike racing I recommend you check it out – www.tourofthegila.com.
Fast Tube by Casper
Fast Tube by Casper
Fast Tube by Casper
More great YouTube videos from Jordan at the SRAM Tour of the Gila – The Gear Movement’s YouTube Page
Jordan checked in after day two of working with the SRAM NRS road crew, but doing much more than that was pretty hard for him based on the enormous amount of work that needed to be done at the race. Here is an opportunity to check out some cool videos from a mechanics perspective as well as some great behind the scenes photos from the Gila.
SRAM NRS team bikes lined up and ready to go in the Stage 4 crit at the SRAM Tour of the Gila
Jordan atop the custom SRAM NRS Aprila GT 850 support moto, this thing has a nice kick to it!
That is some beautiful SRAM NRS red and black at the Stage 3 TT...
We hope you enjoy and please stay tuned as Jordan ventures out to the Tour of California with the Garmin Transitions Pro Cycling Team for more bike racing!
Roswell, what? Gotta love the New Mexico state bus, government cover up, what??
SRAM Tour of the Gila Stage 2
Posted on 30. Apr, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, Pro Wrenching, The Gear Movers
Mara Abbott atop the podium at the SRAM Tour of the Gila Stage 1
A few weeks ago Jordan got a chance to shoot on down to the SRAM Tour of the Gila with SRAM Neutral Service Crew to help work the race, hang in the amazing New Mexico sunshine and get away from the office for a few minutes. Jose Alcala – the head of the crew down here, placed Jordan in the women’s pro race caravan. Directely from the source below:
Stage 1, had the women’s race climbing up and finishing ontop of Mount Mogollon, a nasty switched back climb with super narrow roads and racers from other categories riding down! A video of the men’s finish can be be found on The Gear Movement’s Facebook Page.
Working with SRAM crew was tons of fun over the last two days so here a few pics below to prove it!
The beautiful SRAM NRS Volvo's ready for a days work!
Great scenery outside Silver City, NM for the SRAM Tour of the Gila
Number 1 mechanic Todd Downs with the SRAM NRS crew!
Stage 2 brought a late start to the women’s pro race and saw 70mph wind gusts throughout the day. Unfortunately I was not able to grab any pics of this full on insanity, but girls in the race were walking up through the feedzone with their bikes in the hands flying over their heads! Here are some great videos below…
Fast Tube by Casper
Fast Tube by Casper
Fast Tube by Casper
Fast Tube by Casper
Fast Tube by Casper
Stage 2 saw some carnarge with some crashes and bad bad winds. Kelly took a spill just before the finish, which looked pretty bad, but the soldier that she is, she rode her bike back to the finish and finished the race! One of the more impressive things I have ever seen on a bike, go Kelly!
Reigning US Champ Meredith Miller before Stage 1 of the SRAM Tour of the Gila
Tonight we are building some of the new SRAM NRS Specialized Tarmac bikes for the TT tomorrow and going to an amazing restaurant here in Silver City, NM for dinner.
Online Communities and Marketing Power!
Posted on 27. Apr, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, The Gear Movers
As The Gear Movement grows and flows we have tried to continue our quest to remain a part of the cycling and skiing community in every aspect possible. If it is attending a bike race, event, stopping by local shops, doing community or charity work or partnering with other like minded cycling or skiing businesses, TGM is all about it
Fast Tube by Casper
Starting a small company and figuring out creative and intuitive ways to grow your business through social media avenues is always an interesting challenge. The fun thing about it is that it grows on a daily basis and constantly changes. One day you focus on some fun Twitter games and posts, the next day you are plugging away with something on your blog or sending some cool emails to friends and family. The advertising avenues on Facebook have opened a few doors for us. To those that don’t already know, much like Google Adwords, Facbook Ads are the perfect way to focus in our your targeted demographic. With millions of users worldwide and the ability to choose which demographic to focus on, locally, nationally or worldwide, you can promote the heck out of your company in a heartbeat!
Another great way we use the internet to our benefit is by collaborating with online communities who provide different types of services to their members. One such online community like this is www.raceplan.com.
The RacePlan community was started in 2005 as a community for cyclists to stay connected, organize rides, race, share photos, stories and videos. This site has grown and grown over the last few years with more than a 100 members. The site not only provides users with the ability to stay in touch with each other but they also get great discounts on Gear and other benefits through the community’s partnerships. RacePlan has partnered with The Gear Movement to offer its members great deals on listing fees and the ability to unload their old Gear and Inventory’s.
Communities like this one show us the importance of having an online presence in this day and age. The days of local small clubs run out of bike shops are not gone but the internet and the online marketplace has definitely developed the need for something else; an online based community all over the world!
In closing, thanks a ton to our friend Kam over at RacePlan for helping us get this partnership off the ground and for the cool video plug above. If you are interested in joining the RacePlan community please check out their website and contact Kam: www.raceplan.com
Check out these ridiculously large icons Jordan found below and follow us!
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