The reason I’m Blogging here today is because Ben recently asked me to join him at this year’s Tour of California, and of course I said yes. Who passes up the opportunity to ride in beautiful sunny So Cal, especially when you live in Brooklyn, where we are having a bitterly cold winter? So, I brushed away the normal “fitness” anxiety (brought on by the bad weather, of course) and hoped that my pasty white legs would find their rhythm quickly.
Day 1, Thursday, February 19 Brooklyn-JFK-LAX-SolvangAt 5AM the alarm rattles the apartment awake, and our journey to California begins.
Once at JFK, the standard procedure ensues, check-in and security. In my 6AM daze, I barley notice the security attendant behind the x-ray machine examining my carry-on intently. At first, I think there’s nothing in my bag, but then I suddenly remember packing my pedal wrench late last night. Lesson #1 of the trip; don’t try to bring a 12-inch pedal wrench on a plane. Oops.
We arrive at LAX and pick-up a rental car for the weekend. Ben being a master of design and lover of fine engineering chooses the white Mercury Grand Marquis (a.k.a. the cop car). We are quite hysterical cruising down the freeway in our rental sofa. In Ben’s defense, it was the only car available that could actually fit two bikes in the trunk, but I like to think he full-filled some childhood dream renting the Grand Marquis that day.
Our first stop is at Sundance Cycles in Agoura Hills. Ashton, the owner and a great guy, kindly serves us a fine espresso. The caffeine is well received after the early flight. If you live in Ashton’s area, his shop is definitely worth a visit – for one of his tasty espressos at the very least! Ben was impressed to see Ashton’s completely mobilized fit studio (everything on wheels), which includes a size cycle, two motion-capture cameras, two flat screens, all the necessary fitting tools and a laptop. This is a fine engineering feat. Bravo, Ashton!
After Sundance, we head north to our final destination of the day, a Marriot in Buellton, where a Chris Carmichael training camp has set-up shop for the week. Chris’s camps are the real deal. The entire staff is extremely professional and amazing to watch in action. Chris also hires the SRAM neutral support team (led by a great charismatic mechanic named Butch) to keep everything working properly throughout the week. We find our bike boxes in an expo room that has been converted into a make-shit bicycle shop. Here the SRAM guys are cleaning and fine-tuning the bikes for tomorrow’s ride. The room is filled with over fifty top end bikes outfitted with the latest and greatest gear. This includes a whole host of gorgeous Serottas. As some may know, Serotta is a sponsor of Carmichael Training Systems, and provides a fleet of bikes for the coaches and for those who want to test ride a Serotta while at a camp. Not a bad deal!
The SRAM crew kindly offers to help us build up the bikes. As Ben pulls the Meivici AE (Serotta’s new flagship carbon aero bike) out of the box the room suddenly goes silent. Each of the SRAM mechanics (including myself) begins to drool uncontrollably. In all seriousness, the new bike is a showstopper. Ben and the crew at Serotta really outdid themselves this time. The frame has beautiful aerodynamically swooping curves that make the bike seem to be moving while just standing still. In its all stealth black look, the images just don’t do it justice.
And from what I understand, the bike rides even better than it looks (I still don’t understand how this is possible). After the drool-fest concludes, the camp cleans up and heads to dinner. A local restaurant prepares a fine meal and we enjoy a few glasses of red for good measure.
Day 2, Friday, February 19 Solvang-Stage 6 ITTWe awake early and head out on an early morning ride of the TT course, before the pros begin. Luckily for Ben and I, the camp goers had a hard day of hill climb repeats the day before, so today’s journey to Solvang is going to be nice and easy. In a group of around 30 people, we cruise through downtown Solvang and head out onto the course, which is filled with fellow cyclists. The turnout was really something.
The course begins with an immediate climb out of town, so being properly warmed up in the gate is essential. Down the first hill there’s a few sweeping turns that bring you out to a straight away towards the back of the course. Once around the back side, you begin the main climb that has several switchbacks and is very fun. As we’re gearing down for the climb, Ben gets a flat. We continue as the SRAM guys help him out. Once at the top, I’m told Ben is with another group and we should continue on. So, I do. Lesson #2; don’t leave your future father-in-law behind on a ride.
At the top of the climb, there’s a gorgeous valley filled with rolling hills and grape vines…it’s an amazing view. Feeling good, we power down the homestretch into Solvang, feeling every bit “pro,” and leaving Ben to chase solo. I notice after we finish our second loop that I have four missed calls on the cell phone. When Ben and I finally meet back at the CTS camp, I receive a gentle pat on the back from Ben and we laugh it out.
The afternoon is filled with sun-shine, food and crazy cycling fans as we enjoy watching our favorite pros race towards the finish. Levi looked so calm and in control that it was almost was scary!
Our day finished with a drive back down highway 101 along the coast for the next stage. Unfortunately, we found one negative of living in California, THE TRAFFIC!!!
Day 3, Saturday, February 20 Acton, San Gabriel Mountains, Millcreek SummitThe group joins together at Bicycles John’s in Acton, CA. The mood is clearly a bit different from the day before as it’s overcast and a bit cooler. I have a feeling the quietness of the group has more to do with the 5000ft summit over the horizon, than the weather. Don Pitts, an employee of Bicycles John’s, shows up with an awesome Serotta CSI with harlequin paint and purple bar tape – clearly the only one who came truly prepared for the ride!
In the first 30 miles the terrain is quite hilly, and by time we’re at the base of Millcreek Summit we’ve already done 1500ft. Needless to say, I’m feeling pretty good and ready to take on the monster. Now, I need to introduce a man who I’ll call Mr. Lance Schwarzenegger. I nick-name him Mr. Lance Schwarzenegger because the man has the largest legs I’ve ever seen on a bike. Not only that, but he was an incredibly smooth cadence and seems to be dancing right up all the climbs. So, as Mr. LS begins to set the pace up Millcreek, I decide it’s time for some pain. I sprint up to Mr. LS and pull the, “I’m just gonna sit on your wheel till I can’t anymore” move. Very uncool – I know. But, hey, it’s my second ride of the year, cut me some slack.
He continues to mash along as I breath heavily and stare straight into his bottom bracket (if you’ve ever been in a race before, and you’re trying to hang on, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about here). I’m making it through feed zone (2K from the top) when suddenly I pop. I begin to slowly turn the crank and stare off into the distance aimlessly (I’ve hit the wall). I’m proud of my effort, but feeling very unhappy I still have 2K to go (which is also the steepest part of the climb). A kind friend from our group, Steve, helps me along by keeping up a good conversation and providing me with a gel shot. With his effort I peak the summit with a great big grin on my face and a great sense of accomplishment. Thanks Steve, I owe you one!
Ben deserves a great deal of credit for making it up the climb that day, as he began fighting a bad case of bronchitis the night before. He too overcame adversity and joined in the festivities at the top.
Bicycle John’s provided free lunch to anyone in attendance with pulled pork sandwiches, coke and chocolate chip cookies. It was delicious. The cookies were the first thing displayed, and three pans were demolished in about 2 mins. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one in need of some calories. Thanks, Bicycle John!
After a few hours of hanging out, the lead group came blazing through the summit. Their speed is thoroughly impressive and in my opinion superhuman. The peloton did the same thing, and we descend back to the bike shop.
At the end of the day we managed just less than 50 miles and 6500ft of climbing. Not to shabby!
Day 4, Sunday, February 21 Escondido, Stage 8 of the Tour of CaliforniaAfter a tough day in the saddle, Ben and I are happy to take a break for the final stage. We spend the day in downtown Escondido at the Lifestyle Festival with our friends at HI-TECH Bicycles. Hank, the owner of the store, was nice enough to let us display the road geometry Meivici AE in his stand while spectators meander around.
With Ben hanging around the booth, Mike Lopez and I decided to walk the time trail Meivici (see picture below) through the festival, getting many “ooos” and “awws” from the crowd. It was great to see many of the locals who weren’t familiar with cycling to be intrigued by the bike – lifting it, commenting on the shape and position. This was definitely a highlight of the trip!
It was great to see the finishing stage and Levi on top of the podium again.
Day 5, Monday, February 22 Solano Beach – Poway (Serotta Composites Factory)For the last day of the trip, we have a great event planned. For the first time, the Serotta Composite Factory in Poway, CA is to be opened to the public. The morning starts out in Solano Beach at B&L Bicycles. A group gathers (including my old roommate from college, Michael Chauner), and we head out on a beautiful 75 degree day. The people, weather and riding couldn’t have been better. We cruise along the water and up a few hills over to the Poway facility.
At the factory, Lupe and crew are cooking Carne Asada, which is to die for! These guys really know how to cook Mexican. After some amazing food we began the official tour of the place.
The tour starts with some history from Ben and how Serotta became business partners with Mike Lopez and his highly skilled crew. If you know Ben, you know he has to do things right. And to him, that means having the best people – period. This is really the origin of how Serotta ended up with a factory in California, rather then building another closer to home in the Northeast.
After Ben’s history of their pairing, Mike tells his long history in the bicycle business, from hand-built shows to Specialized to creating the Ouzo Pro Fork for Reynolds. His breadth of knowledge is profound and his attitude nothing but humble. He tells us why he chose Serotta – which is to build the best carbon fiber bikes
in the world. No small feat – but I believe he’s done it.
After a brief history lesson, we move to the Serotta lab testing zone. The bottom bracket testing video below (more to come!) will give you the same impression I received, which is WOW – I didn’t know my carbon bike was that strong! All the things I thought about carbon were completely myths, and as Mike explains, carbon isn’t safe when companies start making pieces too light, too cheap, and ultimately unsafe. However, the material itself – when used appropriately – and designed correctly - can be pretty darn tough. Tougher than any other metal material used to build a bike (steel, ti, you name it).
After the lab testing zone, we begin to see what goes behind the manufacturing of each part in a carbon bike. We feel the material, we watch the process and we enjoy every second. Mike, Lupe and the rest of the team at Serotta Composites are truly exceptional craftsman.
I believe Ben sums the carbon process up very nicely with an analogy to a box of crayons. He describes your normal metal materials (steel, ti, etc) as a box of 8 or so crayons. You only have the ability to mix and match tubes so much (alloying, shaping, heat treatments) resulting in say 24 possible ‘colors’ of the metal to work with. However, with carbon, you get the mega box of 150 crayons. Carbon differs depending on the modulus, the size of the strands, the weave pattern, the lay-up pattern, how many layers you apply, etc., providing for an almost infinite number of ‘colors’ yielding an extraordinary range of performance properties. What’s even more complex is the process at which you duplicate the production of a carbon bicycle. Unlike other brands, Ben professes that their process in Poway is perfectly replicable, thus providing for the same type of ride feel with each identically sized bike.
After the crayon analogy, we learn that the Meivici AE was developed and is now produced, assembled and distributed out of the Poway, California facility. Note, the frame is fully customizable, as there are over 80 lay-ups to produce the bicycle that best fits you. The new frame is truly a culmination of Serotta’s investment in composites and the California factory. So, if you’re a California resident looking not only for a custom Made in USA, but rather a custom Made in California frame, the Meivici AE has to be at the top of your list.
After the impressive show of carbon strength and Serotta’s manufacturing ingenuity, we close up shop and hit the road one last time…I want to thank B&L for all their hospitality during the day, it’s truly appreciated.
So, that’s my story of Serotta and the 2009 Tour of California. I want to quickly thank Ben for the invitation (I had a truly great time), and all the wonderful friends of the Serotta family I met along the way. Here’s to meeting again soon…
Cheers,
Sam
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