7 Fast, Fun & Affordable Road Bikes

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The 2012 U.S. registered Domestic Elite Team roster includes returning riders Ian Crane, Steve Fisher, Dan Bechtold, Cody Campbell, Kennett Peterson, Chris Wingfield, Colin Gibson and Logan Owen. New to the team in 2012 are Jonathan Hornbeck, Jesse Reams, Danny Heeley, David Fleischhauer and Gabe Varela.

Kennett Peterson (Hagens Berman) at 2011 San Dimas Stage Race

Returning for his fourth year is Sport Director Joe Holmes. “I am very happy to be a part of a program that has had such success in the development of so many riders”, stated Holmes. “We have a great crop of guys in the program now and I am really excited to see what they can do in 2012.”

The team will once again be racing on Blue Competition bicycles and rolling on Cole Wheels and Vittoria Tires. They will be outfitted by Castelli and fueled by Hammer Nutrition. Supporting sponsors include Shimano, Connex, DeFeet, Gravitec Systems, Smith Optics, Lazer Helmets, Rocky Mounts and Black Diamond Equipment.

The Hagens Berman Cycling Team is a Northwest based team headquartered in Seattle. The team has over a decade of experience developing riders, many of whom have graduated to the professional ranks. Alumni include riders such as Tyler Farrar, Svein Tuft, Tom Peterson, Morgan Schmitt, Jennifer Wheeler, Sam Johnson, Adrian Hedgyvary and its latest graduate Chris Parrish who has signed for a U.S. Continental Squad in 2012..

“Hagens Berman is one of a select few elite amateur teams in North America from which we look to recruit. Their program has been around for a very long time and consistently graduates riders into the pro ranks. The riders who make that jump are ready because they have been given the time and resources to develop fully in a positive environment with good guidance. The Hagen Berman program is an integral part of the development pipeline here in America.” – Jonas Carney, Director, Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optum Health Pro Cycling Team

“The Hagens Berman Cycling Team crucially fills a need in the competitive cycling community. They are consistently the best amateur team at the open races and the riders race with an accountability and responsibility lacking in even some professional teams. It’s no wonder this program graduates more riders to the professional ranks than any other. Simply, their riders have the talent and experience to contribute straight away due to their invaluable apprenticeship acquired at Hagens Berman.”-Gord Fraser, Director, RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling Team

The team can be found on the web at hagensbermancycling.com or on Twitter at @hbcycling.

Bicycling.com Triad EX Review

Thanks to Heather and Trevor for creating and sharing this!

Taking the early lead out of the water was Ironman 70.3 US Champion, Amanda Stevens of Colorado Springs in 18:46 followed closely by local rising star Christine Ridenour.  Next out were a tight group of 3 swimmers including Tenille Hoogland (Courtenay BC), who is coming off an Ironman 70.3 win in Calgary last weekend, local young triathlete Alison Hooper, and Vancouver's Martina Wan.  As the men exited the water, they were led by Andrew McCartney, one of the premier swimmers in triathlon, in 17:18, erasing 1 minute 28 seconds from the deficit to the women. Closely following were Olympian Brent McMahon (also Blue sponsored), and local young National Training Center athlete's Aaron Thomas and Cole Stewart.

As Steven's established herself as the class of the field on the new closed bike course up the scenic Pacific Marine Circle Route with its unique coastal communities and ocean views, she became the sole race leader never to be caught by the women again.  But would the men catch her? Brent McMahon also established a sizable lead on the bike with the other men and began catching and riding through the trailing women.  Other athletes that had come out of the water a ways behind began catching athletes with strong rides included Jeff Symonds (Penticton), Stephen Kilshaw (Victoria), Rachel McBride (Vancouver), and Victoria's Lucy Smith.  When the bike was finished just 3 women had avoided being caught by the men; Stevens, McBride, and Hoogland.  Stevens, who was first off the bike, had a 2 minute lead on McBride in the women's race, and now only a 3:31 lead to a hard charging McMahon in the "Chase".  Stevens put up a good fight but could not prevent the inevitable with the run speed of McMahon as he caught her on "Whiffin Spit", approximately half way through the run course on the famous 1km narrow peninsula that extends to protect the Sooke Basin from the ocean.  McMahon finished off the run at the same torrid pace, while Stevens held on for second with a fast approaching Symonds who finished 23 seconds back for 3rd overall. 

The race will be produced into a one hour feature and aired nationally on TSN and TSN 2 networks this September.

"I held him (Brent) off as long as I could " said Chase Runner Up, Amanda Stevens , " I tried to go with Brent when he passed me but he was flying"

~Liz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg5Dzq_lYRM&feature=youtu.be

Click here for the article with Dirk.

Click here for the scoop on Dirk's Triad SP.

Norcross, Georgia (Feb. 21, 2011) -

Coming off of back-to-back Top-10 finishes in the past two Ironman World Championships, Dirk Bockel is turning to Blue Competition Cycles to help him reach for the ultimate goal when he arrives in Kona, Hawaii, later this year.

Bockel, winner of the 2009 Ironman 70.3 Florida and runner up at the 2010 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, has agreed to a three-year contact to ride the all-new Blue Triad SL as he sets out to improve on his recent success during the 2011 season.

"This is another step towards an even faster bike split in Kona and will bring me closer to reaching the ultimate goal of winning on the big island," the German-born Bockel said. "I am very excited and proud to be part of Team Blue. I am going to have one seriously sweet ride."

One of the sport's most powerful riders, the 34-year-old Bockel will make his Blue debut when he returns to Abu Dhabi on March 12 aboard a Triad SP, which the company has built up for him using Shimano Di2 components. When Bockel returns to the U.S. he will be fitted aboard the improved Triad SL, the same ride Germany's Andreas Raelert pedaled to a second-place Kona finish in 2010.

As part of his fitting, Bockel will spend several hours inside the A2 Wind Tunnel near Charlotte, North Carolina, to dial in his aerodynamic position. The wind tunnel fitting isn't just for professionals like Bockel. All consumers who purchase a Blue Triad SL (frame or complete build) or Triad EX (full build only) receive a free one-hour session inside the tunnel, an exclusive offer from Blue.

In addition to his 8th-place finish in Kona, Bockel posted third-place finishes at Ironman Florida, and a pair of Ironman 70.3 races in Antwerp and Florida in 2010. He also recorded a pair of 5th-place finishes at Ironman 70.3 New Orleans and Ironman 70.3 Austria.

Bockel, who represented Luxembourg in the2008 Olympics in Beijing, is no stranger to fast bike times. The former University of Tampa track and swimming standout was the first competitor off the bike en route to a third-place finish at the 2009 Ironman New Zealand race, his first-ever Ironman event. That same year, he was also first off the bike at the ITU Long Distance European Championship and the Ironman 70.3 St. Croix event.
 
About the 2011 Triad SL:  Built using T800 and T1000 high modulus carbon fiber, the state-of-the-art Triad SL, like all Blue bikes, is "Built to Win."  By incorporating breakthrough innovations from previous Triad models as well as our AC1 road frames, we have created our fastest, lightest and best-performing Triathlon/TT bike yet. Along with increasing the surface area of the bike's head tube for improved aerodynamics, the new Triad SL also features Super Flow Tube Technology (SFT2) first used on AC1 and AC1SL road frames. To improve adjustability, the 2011 Triad SL features an Aero seat post instead of the previous fixed seat mast as well as wider chains to incorporate the use of many wider wheel models now being introduced.

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