It's a Game Time
Redlands, Sea Otter, and Athen's Twilight...here we come.
Here we go.
Redlands Classic starts today. Michael’s there as planned, but also we have a plot twist… Cole Davis just got added to the Unknown composite squad! With two SpeedStudio riders, it means we have one hell of a week ahead.
And this is just the start. Redlands runs through Sunday, then LTGP Sea Otter (gravel) next Thursday, then Athens Twilight the Saturday after that. Two weeks, three different types of suffering, no breaks, full gas.
This was the first big circle on the calendar we made last Fall.
What’s Coming
This Week: Redlands Classic (April 8-12)
Next Week: Sea Otter Classic (April 16) and Athens Twilight Criterion (April 18)
Look for a new kit drop next Friday, right before Athens. Dialed.
Member Results
The Blankets Creek mountain bike race this past weekend: Marcos won his age group, Allen got 2nd (he’s been mtb’ing for three weeks), and Ryan finished ninth. Not bad for an unplanned Saturday.
Cole Corner Starts
Cole Davis is writing his first column this week. You’ll see it below in the new “It’s Cole Time” section. Enjoy!
It’s Cole Time
Hey all!
It’s been a quiet start to the season for me, dealing with a knee injury since Santa Vall. I’ve received help from many people, including SpeedStudio’s own, Doc Allen (thank you!). What’s changed? My pre/post ride routines are more structured and my bike fit has been adjusted to distribute the load more evenly throughout my leg. I’m recovered now and back to training as usual.
This has been far from ideal buildup to our upcoming race block, but I’m still pumped to be back on the start line alongside MG! This block is what kept me motivated throughout the offseason. Three of the best races in America within a 10-day block. A win at any one of these events can make an entire season feel like a success. Beyond the publicity and prestige of these races are a personal connection that I have with each event individually.
Sea Otter is undeniably the biggest bike event/expo in the U.S. It’s one of the rare places where a downhill bro and a smooth-legged roadie attend the same event and can vibe together. No matter the discipline, everyone shows up with the same excitement for bikes. For me, this was the first high-level race I did. I attended it with my stepdad, sleeping in the back of our car that was parked on top of my school textbooks to offset the hill we were parked on. I got smoked, but fell in love with the sport that weekend and made it a goal to one day win Sea Otter. Happy to say I’ve won the circuit race there twice now.
Athens Twilight. A race that needs no introduction. The fastest, loudest, and most electric bike race you will find in the country (and maybe the world). A 4-corner crit that appears simple on paper, but then you throw in thousands of screaming fans, paired with all the best crit teams arriving on top form, and you have yourself a hell of a bike race. I’ve only competed in one Twilight back in 2024. I made the winning break with MG, but we both came short of the podium. Needless to say, we’re coming back for vengeance.
Levi’s “Gran Fondo”/The Growler. For most, it’s a beautiful gran fondo on the best roads that Nor Cal has to offer. This was my introduction to road cycling. Back in 2013, NICA sent 10 of us mountain bikers to Levi’s and gave us an experience that I will never forget. In recent years, they added a professional race that begins before the fondo with a pro-only field. The peloton will consist of the top domestic pros, the best gravel/mtb riders in the world who are already in town from Sea Otter, international talent who are driving up from Redlands, and rumors are going around about some Euro pros flying in as well. With $156,000 up for grabs between the men and women, it makes sense that it attracts this level of competition.
When building our calendar, I was ecstatic to see so many events that hold a special place in my heart. It’s full circle to be returning to these events with the same level of passion while having a different perspective on the sport. The US scene is still alive and well, you just have to be open to racing different disciplines throughout the year which is one of the things I love about being a part of +SpeedStudio.
From now until the Sea Otter, I’ll be testing out equipment and fueling strategies. My current plan is to take in 130g/hr of carbs, which comes out to 1 Carbs Fuel gel and just over 3 scoops of their drink mix per bottle. I’m also testing tires to figure out what my set up will be for Sea Otter. I have 2 sets of Tune gravel wheels, each with different tires. I’m on the fence between the IRC Boken Pro 47(their fastest rolling tire), or the IRC Boken Light 40 to shed some grams for the 7,800+ ft of climbing.
All of these events have a livestream, MG and I are ready to put on a show. Tune in or show up if you can! See you out there.
New kit inbound!!