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Mtbr.com KOM at Strava

52K views 839 replies 78 participants last post by  urban turban 
#1 ·
Our team is one day old but we have rocketed to 8th place:
mtbr.com's Rides in February Climbing Competition for February »
Rank Athlete # Rides Elevation Gain (ft)
1 Steve Biggs 10 23,796
2 Josh Davidson 8 23,783
3 Arya Touserkani 6 20,275
4 Francis Cebedo 9 19,715
5 A. S. K. 6 17,559
6 sparkyJay . 7 16,957
7 Julie Kanagy 5 11,041
8 Dan King 5 10,782
9 Cherubin Cebedo 6 9,220
10 Paul MARSHALL 2 4,449
Total 64 rides 157,577 ft

http://app.strava.com/komchallenge

We have 11 participants right now but 7 of them are not signed up for the KOM. Go to the KOM page and sign up.

For those on Strava, add mtbr.com as your club and then sign up for KOM.

I am on injured reserve right now but my wife is taking up the slack!!

fc
 
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#527 ·
They are National for sure, international too for that matter but not as big internationally I dont think. I think strava is worth EVERY penny and its so much more than the old MotionBased or Garmin Connect for that matter. I love the features and it keeps me working harder and harder - even if only to beat myself!
 
#529 ·
Brazilian Climber said:
Sup guys!

I got a question, would any of you know if I could just do the CCCX race in March 27th or I would have to do the whole series!?

Since this year is my first racing Season, I would race as a beginner just to get a feeling and would upgrade to CAT 2 for the Sea Otter in April .

Many thx,

DArcio
Definitely do the CCCX races. They are great events to get introduced to our local MTB scene. You can race individual races, but they do award series points and give out prizes at the end of the season. As for upgrading, Cat 3 (Beg) and Cat 2 (Sport) are both on the honor system and do not require an annual license. So you can buy a one day license for the CCCX race and race beginner. If you crush the field, race Cat 2 at future races. If you feel like you aren't ready to upgrade, stick with Cat 3 for awhile.

SparkyJay said:
Might want to post this question in the cyclocross forum. Don't know if any of the KOM crowd races cross. Good luck.
BC was referring to the CCCX XC races, not CX. But both are extremely fun.
 
#535 ·
JL de Jong said:
Wow, impressive ride: 5600 feet and at the end still a few PRs in St Joe's.
Well, there were other people riding on their lunchbreaks by the time I got to St. Joe's, so of course I had to pretend to be a badass and hammer it a little bit. :rolleyes:

I still need a more practical bike for these rides, surely I could do 3,000 more feet per ride without all this weight.

JL de Jong said:
Better be careful about posting this on mtbr, unless you don't mind if jms lets the humping dogs loose on you too. :D
jms? Humping dogs? What's that all about?
 
#536 ·
2 flats

Originally Posted by Leopold Porkstacker
"I still need a more practical bike for these rides, surely I could do 3,000 more feet per ride without all this weight."

Dude...if you got a more practical bike, you might have a tough time finding anyone that can keep up with you.

"jms? Humping dogs? What's that all about?"
Some folks (guilty) are trying to talk him out of posting certain KOM challenges at Soquel Demo due to the DH aspect of this thing...no sweat.

Anyhow, tried to knock out a "quick ride" this fine AM in the rain (yes, it rained). Two flats coming down Overgrown and St. Joes however turned "quick" into "you better get your ass in gear...you are late for work, pal" :) werd
 
#537 ·
#538 ·
squashyo said:
"jms? Humping dogs? What's that all about?"
Some folks (guilty) are trying to talk him out of posting certain KOM challenges at Soquel Demo due to the DH aspect of this thing...no sweat.
Actually my strength is going UP the hills at a consistent pace, I am not into that whole "risking my life" business of bombing down hills.
 
#541 ·
I’ll ride until my legs break…*or some sort of unavoidable family related event gets in the way (Friday and Saturday I will probably not be able to ride at all :madmax: ). Unless ancient rascal wants to ride up Kennedy - Woods - Barlow - Hicks/etc./whateverthefack tomorrow, I will do another 5,500 foot repeat of my past three days. Really now, what else am I going to do with my unemployed ass?
 
#543 ·
Leopold Porkstacker said:
I'll ride until my legs break…*or some sort of unavoidable family related event gets in the way (Friday and Saturday I will probably not be able to ride at all :madmax: ). Unless ancient rascal wants to ride up Kennedy - Woods - Barlow - Hicks/etc./whateverthefack tomorrow, I will do another 5,500 foot repeat of my past three days. Really now, what else am I going to do with my unemployed ass?
Not to derail the thread completely but how do you do this? My legs are WASTED after a ride and the idea of going back out the next day seems impossible. So many of you guys here are able to do these huge rides day after day and I truly dont understand how you recover that fast?
 
#545 ·
MTBShane said:
Not to derail the thread completely but how do you do this? My legs are WASTED after a ride and the idea of going back out the next day seems impossible. So many of you guys here are able to do these huge rides day after day and I truly dont understand how you recover that fast?
I spend about 15 minutes or so stretching in the morning before I ride. I ride to/from the trails, so I get warmed up before getting vertical. I also go at a relatively easy pace for most of the ride, saving some strength for the steep stuff. Surely my food intake helps though.
 
#547 ·
Interview response:


MTBR.com is the Studio Velo KOM Challenge Club winners for February. We’re talking with Francis Cebedo, founder of mtbr.com, about the club and how the KOM Challenge has helped make the riders a tighter group.

1. KOM Challenge: Francis, hearty congratulations to the mtbr.com team. You guys really put the legs down to put a late surge over the runner ups, San Francisco’s Mission Cycling, last month’s Club winners. Was the determination level pretty intense during those last few days?

- We started 10 days late in the February challenge and had very low expectations. But our enthusiasm built up like a tidal wave culminating in the last few days. There were about 10 lead changes with our rival Mission Cycling and our members went absolutely insane: some abandoned their families, stopped looking for work or, if they had a job, rode deep into the night, and climbed 5k, 6k, 7k feet everyday for the team

A rumor spread that a keg of beer was involved and that was the turning point in this battle.



2. KOM Challenge: The majority of feet your team racked up were done on mountain bikes, right?

- A majority was done on mountain bikes. Many people resorted to riding on the road when the trail conditions got bad, but most of the club members primarily ride dirt.



3. KOM Challenge: Tell us about some of the team members? With 65 members I’m sure you have a few characters that really stand out in the crowd? (ages, background, gender, employment, etc)

- We have elite racers and hardcore partiers in the group but the people who really stepped it this challenge are very normal riders. One is 60+ years old, one is a downhiller, a commuter, a newbie. They are not our fastest climbers but they became our best climbers as they were bonded by a common goal.



4. KOM Challenge: Francis, perhaps you could go out back and drag a few club members in here so we can get their take on the KOM Challenge – what it meant to them? How it might have pushed them to achieve?

Urban Turban: he KOM Challenge motivated me to ride much more than usual. I'm not very fast, so gaining KOM titles on segments is not very motivating at this point in time. With the KOM challenge, endurance plays a much more important role than speed. That alone pushed me to climb four times more than I averaged per month in the past year. The challenge also brought together some of us who have conversed over the forum but never ridden together.

Leopold: It helped me realise that I am capable of cranking out many 4,000+ foot rides pretty much back to back.

Ratpick: For me, the focus has always been on miles. The climbing comes naturally in the Bay Area but is also the way to get stronger since I don't have the discipline to do intervals on flat roads/trainer. Focusing on climbing since joining the KOM contest has already improved my strength. Unfortunately, the lack of long miles is not helping me lose weight to climb faster!

Francis: Mtbr members predominantly like to descend singletrack and drink beer. I think the tipping point here was they were empowered to rally under the mtbr.com brand. The support and determination surprised everyone.



5. KOM Challenge: Gents, what’s the off-road experience like in the San Jose and South Bay area? Is there a lot of access? Restrictions? User conflicts?

The Bay Area has some of the best singletrack trails in the world. Unfortunately, up to 80% of it is illegal to mountain bikers. We are handcuffed with $400 tickets and a battery of ridiculous laws like 'No night riding allowed'. Nonetheless, we are a group that loves life and our riding fire always rages on.



6. KOM Challenge: Francis, what’s the mtbr.com website’s main focus? How does it contribute to the sport? What does mtbr.com mean to your members?

Ratpick: A way to connect with other riders and be part of the MTB community. Some deep friendships occur at mtbr

JL: mtbr.com connects mountain bikers who have a shared interest in the sport locally. It is a great resource to organize group rides to explore new terrain, such as the vast Henry Coe State Park, or to ask questions about anything from where to buy Pliny to advise on best trails to ride when visiting the area. Occasionally, some will boast about their performance in races or, worse, about their KOM status on a particular Strava segment or, the worst, about their son's biking achievements.

Francis: Mtbr is brand that is recognized in many corners of the globe as we have 1.3 million monthly users. But at its core, it is a place where mountain bikers form solid bonds recommending products and sharing experiences with each other.

It's like the old saying: "Live to Mtbr. Mtbr to live." :)

7. KOM Challenge: Do you see mtbr.com encouraging your users to form other regional teams?

This can really catch on with the rest of our site and our other site Roadbikereview. But we would have to figure out some revenue relationship as Mtbr is purely advertising supported.


8. KOM Challenge: Any particular beer you want in the keg you guys have earned?

Why yes:
Russian River Pliny the Elder
Russian River Blind Pig
Russian River Stout
Drake's IPA



9. KOM Challenge: What surprised you the most in this experience?

Francis: Having tested dozens of bike computers and power meters, I thought gps devices and other electronics detracted from the mountain biking experience. I was surprised to see that this Garmin 500/Strava combination added to the experience.

JL: How caught up the riders were in this competition. Some of us even send their wives out to ride more climbing feet, others went for night rides in the cold and rain or went for 8000 feet epic rides up and down fire roads. I think we climbed close to half a million feet in the last three days of February.

CodePoet: For me it was how much it made me want to ride again. Having ridden a lot in my 20s I lost that passion to my career and family. Today I am facing 40 yrs old and this has re-awaken my desire to turn the cranks and makes me realize that I can fit riding in with my daily life and that keeping myself in good health; while it may take time away from both family and work it extends the likelihood that I will have both longer in my life. (having an amazingly supportive wife helps)

Leopold: he last-minute teamwork of many members going out on the last day and cranking up some insane altitude numbers.

MrCrash: I'm surprised it took tech geek JL this long to get a GPS and join Strava
 
#548 · (Edited)
Okie Dokie said:
Also to be noted is that Ron Shevock (#9 overall) is also a mtbr.com member but it seems that his climbing feet go to his Shop team and not mtbr (same for Clint Classen as well).
Thanks man! Actually, I am now #5 overall :cool: (this will not last long however, as I have a week and half of work travel coming up where I will not be able to ride at all.)

Also, I tried to join the MTBR team as well, but the KOM challenge doesn't seem to want to let one sign up for both a Shop Team (Mad Cat Bikes for me) and a Club Team (MTBR)....So since I can only do one, my allegiance is my brick and mortar shop. Sorry!
 
#549 ·
francois said:
I
8. KOM Challenge: Any particular beer you want in the keg you guys have earned?

Why yes:
Russian River Pliny the Elder
Russian River Blind Pig
Russian River Stout
Drake's IPA
Guys...just an FYI. Russian river doesn't do kegs anymore for consumers.
Also, you can't order kegs through liquor strores etc, so unless someone has an "in" with a pub or restaurant acct it will be a no go.
Last keg we were able to get was a keg of Pliny for my bachelor party but that was back in 2007

I wish I could join for whatever brew they end up getting, but I will have to do a virtual toast from the Rockies.
 
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