MY DAD
   
              My Dad loves racing. In fact my Dad has been around racing all his life, He's raced motocross, go-carts(@ age 4), road race bikes. He tells me all the time of all the racing he's
done he loves watching me race the most. My Dad started me racing BMX at age 7, and
we've raced BMX all over the country. Now he drives me all around the country to road
races.
             My Dad's been saying all year long he needs to get back on his bicycle. So at the
end of this 2012 racing season I finally got my dad back to riding again. Now that most of the
racing is over my Dad and I are starting to do alot of riding together. I can tell he's starting to
have fun with it, he's telling me how he's going to beat some of the guy's we ride with all
he needs is a little more time. I'am glad he's consistently riding everyday. It's good to see him
enjoying himself.
           You know I think we forget how much our Mom's and Dad"s give up so that we can
race. Because if my Dad is not taking me to the races he's working so I can race. So I think
we all need to stop and say a big THANK YOU to all the Mom's and Dad's out there for all
they give up for us. With that I can see my Dad sitting there planning what we need to do so
I can try to win another national title. He really wants me and the Specialized Team to do
great things in 2013. Like I said my Dad really Loves racing.

                                                                  Sean
                                                            PS.      THANK YOU, all you Mom's and Dad's you're the best

6 Years Later

Larry has formed a habit over the past few weeks of finding old pictures from the junior team and posting them to Facebook. Saying that I changed would be an understatement. The first year on the team (AMD - Discovery Channel) the team website had my weight as 87 pounds and I've grown close to a foot. As my final junior season ends I wanted to reflect on the past 6 years.

First photo: Actually racing my bike. It's been why I have been on the team, but probably one of the less import impacts the team has had on me.

Second Photo: I showed up to cherry pie with Larry's bibs for some reason. Luckily another junior had a pair I could use.

I may have joined the team to race my bike, but the friendships and experiences I have had around cycling are what have been the most important. Many of my best friends are teammates would I have traveled with, lived with, and suffered with. We have had to work together under pressure. As the 18s go our separate ways in terms of teams for next year we are always having conference calls to share stories.

The first year on the team I was 13 and we were each assigned a mentor (master teammate would we could ask questions). That was a huge challenge for me. It forced me to practice communicating with adults on my own. I struggled with taking full advantage of the resources the team has to offer for a few year. It was helpful that Team Specialized has the most generous masters. Each one of them has gone out of their way to help me and teach me. They have such a wide array of knowledge both on and off the bike that any question has an answer somewhere in the master team and it's just up to me to find it. This generosity is best exhibited this Summer when Craig Roemer coached us at Nationals and then took me and a few other juniors around Europe to race for 3 weeks.

Finally I want to thank the leadership on the team. Wyatt, Larry, Steve and all the other silent heroes of the team who work endlessly to ensure that each junior teammate can grow as much as I have. They are the motivation for us to preform in races and support who we enjoy sharing our successes with.

quick shout out

Happy Birthday Wyatt!

Thank you to every teammate (junior, master, and leader) who has influenced me over the past 6 years. I may be wearing a different jersey next year, but I'm going to continue to soak up as much knowledge as I can from these teammates.

Try Something Different

Greetings,

In late August I started my sophomore year at Upland High as well as my "off-season". I immediately started playing water polo for my high school team as I did last year. I was the starting JV goalie for UHS. My plan has always been to use water polo as a my off-season / cross training sport to stay conditioned. I found that water polo has been really good training for my legs,  lung, and stamina; elements that would help me get a good start to when I get back on the bike. Water polo has also helped me build a strong core due to weight training and lots of swimming each day.



Had fun with my polo team!



During the course of polo and the busy start to school, I began missing my bike and decided to reset my focus once again to my cycling goals. I decided between me, my parents, and coaches (water polo and cycling) that I would continue pre-season water polo and stop playing before league games began. I was fortunate enough to have great support from everyone on this decision and was able to play until the end of September. The timing was good because I felt that was enough to get a solid start on road training for the 2013 season while enjoying some good polo games with the team.



Now here I am...back at it! YES!!

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that it's OK to try something different in your off season and just have fun with it! Like me, I played polo for a couple of months and decided that it was time to start my training again. So, if you're really focused on your cycling or any other activity year round, I suggest trying something different not only to stay physically, mentally, and socially fit but also to not get so bored with the same old thing!

Thanks for reading,

Nick Castellano

2012 Season Fades, the Epic Off-Season Begins

Hey All,

I'm well into my off-season, and I am enjoying the break. This season has been a wonderful one, from winning races myself, to watching my teammates win. The highlight of my year though, would be having the opportunity to ride with the USA National Team in Europe, it was a true privilege. Although I encountered a series of unfortunate events, it did not phase me. This year I will train harder than ever before to make it back again to such a wonderful experience.

I will not be taking time off this year because it was too difficult to get back on the bike and so easy to lose focus. I have been running these last couple weeks to keep my bones strong, and to switch it up a bit. I have also been doing work in the gym trying to strengthen my muscles for more power. Core is something I have also been working on, it's hard but I enjoy it. And of course I am riding my bike, getting all that base endurance time in my legs. I will also be racing cyclocross, hopefully I see some of my fellow racing companions out on the dirt, and thank you to NCCF and Specialized for making the cyclocross possible. Hope all is well with everyone. :-)


Jack

Take Time Off the Bike

After 50 races and 8 months on the bike, it seems like the best thing to do is to take a break from cycling and enjoy some alternative activities that a cyclist can’t normally do during the race season. There are a few reasons, I have been told, to accomplish this goal of not riding my bike for two or three weeks. At the age of 16 it feels like there is no end to the energy, mental stamina, and desire to stay on the bike. But following the advice of family, coaches, and various elite racers, it seems like checking out of the sport for two or three weeks seemed like a good idea. 

So the next question is, what am I going to do for the next couple of weeks? There are a lot of things a 16 year old can do. I was lucky enough, after my last road race at San Ardo, to spend a week at Pismo Beach, 4-wheeling and fishing. It may not sound like a whole lot of activity, but the simple basic idea of putting a worm on a hook and casting out into the surf and catching a fish is not easy as you think. Driving a 4-wheel drive jeep in the Pismo Dunes on the other hand seems natural and easy for me. On the other hand, the simple task of catching a fish became such a challenge for me that for weeks on end it consumed my every thought. Whether surf fishing, casting off of a pier or bridge, using a net to catch bait fish, or buying blood worms, catching a fish is still one of the most challenging, interesting, and time consuming hobbies I have ever done.  I spent many days with my line in the water losing my bait, my tackle, my patience, for many more hours than I ever spent on the bicycle seat on any given day. I really grew to love the simple challenge of catching a fish. I spent many days until the sun went down and longer before going home empty handed. In my prayers I asked God to help me with my fishing. Somehow I sensed he was telling me to stick with cycling, but keep fishing too.

Now that I am back on the bike, my fishing days are over for now, but I know that at the end of next season, I know where I will be and what I’ll be doing. So after weeks off of the bike, I found myself really missing my bike and my training, so I think the break was a good thing for me. I am now preparing to attend the USA Cycling National Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, "ManTour5" (a 6-day bike ride from Santa Rosa to Redondo Beach), and Team Specialized's end-of-the-year BBQ.

Thanks for reading,

Diego Binatena, Team Specialized Junior Racing

THANK YOU!!

What a better way to start a blog than by telling the truth? This is my last Blog posted for Team Specialized as I will not continue to race on the team for 2013. However, I will race for a local team (Eden Bicycles) in hopes of having a great season or two with them, and developing into a great rider and also a great under dog. This year I have experienced many changes. I started my year poorly - lots of things had deep influence in my life but that helped me build character, which is extremely important.  "Its all in you" was the advice I received from teammate Kyle Torres. It was true, confidence is needed in the sport, which is extremely hard, but like a guitar, when all the strings are at the right tension it just sounds great. Or like my dad tells me "when you can get that brain of yours to work you can do great things". And I truly believe that. To conclude this blog I want to thank my old team "TEAM SPECIALIZED RACING" for teaching me a lot about racing, and also a lot about life, it is a super squad. It is a great team, but it was not my fit. As specialized is a good team I also consider myself a good athlete and hope to find luck in my current team "Eden bicycles" which I also want to thank for all their help and support. Finally I want to thank team director Larry Nolan for never doubting my capacity as a rider and always giving me space when needed. And telling me to "keep my feet close to the ground" which I always work on! And is also a team value. Also, a big thanks to my teammates esspecially the graduates. And all the sponsors!

Thanks for having me, I enjoyed the ride!
- Oliver R. R Barajas