Team BIO

A few of us cyclists got together at Broadcom and decided to start riding together at lunch time over a couple years back.  Now we've become a pretty formidable team of riders who ride Tuesdays and Thursdays blazing around Irvine, Newport and Corona Del Mar near our work.  Notable paths we uses include the Irvine bike trails, Back Bay, PCH, and we can also be seen traversing up hills like Ridge Park, Starcrest, Vista Ridge, and NPC just to name a few.  Through these routes, we have designated sprint points as well as KOM sections to keep the rides interesting to say the least...suitable for the Type A personality most of us share.

Training isn't only limited to lunch rides, but some of us also get together pretty regularly on the weekends.  We're always preparing for the next ride, so more often than not, we'll be doing around 50-60 miles minimum on one of the weekend days.  To others who aren't able to get out with the group, they'll go out solo just to keep up with the rest on the lunch rides.

Last year, various members participated in several events including centuries, double metric rides, mountain bike races, and some hill challenges.  For the OC Gran Fondo, several Broadcom riders managed to get top 10 in the timed section, which also includes the top 3.  More recently, Broadcom riders Noah, Vince, Shannon and Todd took top honors in the Team Time Trail for the Stagecoach century held in Ocotillo.  We did not expect any less from these animals...and this was their first time.  I don't think the San Diego Descenders (who held the title previously) appreciated that very much; especially considering they were a club team.

More rides are definitely planned and some of the notable ones for 2011 include the Alpine Challenge (again), the L'Etape du California, and the Death Ride.  Other rides include the Tour de Palm Springs, The Solvang Century, and the San Diego Gran Fondo.  Plus, some members are planning multiple mountain bike races as well.

Although not officially "sponsored" by Broadcom, we have received Broadcom jerseys that we all wear proudly on Thursday rides, weekend trainers, and the events we participate in.  Here's an older picture with most of the team wearing the white jersey:

Of course, there's also the obligatory picture with the bikes (some have since been upgraded...a lot):

Some info about the riders:
Shannon McGee - Can lay down the sustained power like no other.  Strong all around rider and just the team workhorse.  Also known as the McGyver on the rides, and has produced a magical Coke once for Gary.  Rides a BMC Team Machine with Edge wheels.

Gary Buebel - Often referred to as S-Gary.  Used to ride a Colnago, but now is known for the most improved rider after getting a new bike...Specialized S-Works SL3.

Todd Jacobs - Obsessed with going vertical.  Prefers standing on pedals for the hill charges.  Loves everyone on the team.  Rides a Trek Madone 6.5.

Vince Colf - Rock star on a jetski and runs freakishly fast...hence the unbelievable cardio (think Energizer bunny).  Probably the most versatile as good on both sprints and hills.  Rides a Scattante Carbon Road bike with ROL wheelset.

Noah Hudson - A multi-Ironman competitor who is a self-proclaimed time trial specialist.  Also a strong climber but definitely not a fan of downhills.  Post ride antics are classic.  Rides a Look 595 with Reynolds wheels.

Richard Laureano (author) - Ex-bodybuilder (can produce pictures at will for proof) turned cyclist.  Loves to sprint but often from the back after being pulled endlessly.  Rides Cervelo R3-SL

Mitchell Lin - The only person who's allowed to store 4 different bikes in his living room while married.  Good pack rider but hardly says a word.  Rides Colnago C-50, Time, and whatever other bike he buys for his wife and keeps for himself.

Eddie Narvaez - Also a multi-Ironman finisher.  Likes to get head starts where "pulling an Eddie" comes from this.  Fast down hills and can be faster up hills if trained consistently.  Has a Quintana Roo for TT and a Felt F1 for group riding.

Adrian Alvarado - A converted mountain bike rider that has joined the group to fly with the the birds of the same Type A feathers.  Strong rider and sprinter but still needs to learn team work.  HA HA.  Rides Cannondale SuperSix Hi-Mod

Steve Vermillion - aka the Verminator.  Has started coming out more recently than in the past, and the improvements just keep coming.  If he keeps it up, he'll be a force to deal with in 2011 for sure...if wife lets him.  Rides a Scattante CFR Pro.  

Marc Rabin - usually just a lunch time rider, but climbs very well.  He used to drop on the flats, but he's getting stronger here also.  Known mostly for not looking at the directions for a lunch ride.  Rides a Fuji SL with HED wheels.

Steve Jaffe - Has participated in the Amtrak century before, but has not yet ridden with the others on other events.  Loves the big gears but not a fan of cleaning them.  Rides Trek Madone 5.1.




Paul Vujovich - Cat 2 mountain bike racer that is also now coming out more on the road rides.  He's still racing mountain bikes, but definitely a strong addition when he comes out.  Rides Felt Z1 Garmin Team edition with custom wheelset.

Michael Zierhut - Sometimes referred to as "Tigger" due to kit he wears on occasion.  Unexpectedly strong on the flats but can't change flats worth a lick.  Rides Giant TCR Advanced

Hiroshi Suzuki - Crossed over from the Wed/Fri group and has been getting stronger ever since...as expected.  Climbs strong but still needs to close the gaps in the paceline.  :)  Rides Trek Madone 5.x


Andy Naylor - It's been a while since he's been out with us, but definitely a strong time trial rider.  Rides a Cervelo P2C and Ridley. 


Tim Clifford - Started coming out in the beginning, but hasn't gotten out much.  Rides mountain bikes with some of the guys on here, but we'll get him back out with us some day.  Rides a Motobecane.

1-30-11 Training Day

Today's GPS stats:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65976552

Attendees:  Gary, Eddie and me.

The temperature was in the 50s but with dark clouds pretty much throughout the ride.  There was a little sprinkle in Laguna Beach, but thankfully, it didn't last.  Armwarmers and base layer was adequate for today.

We left from the parking lot at the corner of Pacific Park and Alicia and to kick things off, decided we'd hit the hills first rather than on the way back.   We did Highland first followed by Pacific Island.  Eddie and Gary got up Highland first, and I was just a little bit behind by the time we got to the top.  We all descended together but Eddie got the jump on Pacific Island.  While he climbed well there too, Gary and I overtook and got atop Pacific Island first.  Bombing down the other side was a blast.

We headed to PCH and kept the pace up all the way through Laguna Beach.  On every incline during the roller, we kept pushing hard to keep the pace going.  Gary and I traded on the hills, and Eddie stayed within reach at all times.

After we got out of the rollers and past CDM, this was where Eddie started to come up and keep the pace up.  My slow clip in made me pay every single time with Gary and Eddie breaking away at the lights.  We were keeping the pace pretty high where at one point when I was up front, I thought 25 mph would be a good speed to hold.  However, when these guys would pass, they'd be going about 27 or higher, so it was an ongoing push all the way out.

The sad thing was there was no one to mix it up with on the way out while pushing as hard as we were.  When we turned around just before 2nd street, we finally ran into a group of other cyclist.  Gary, Eddie and I were taking turns up front, but the group was a mix of guys who just didn't really work with one another.  Had we not been pushing hard, we should have staged a breakaway, but we welcomed being in a group since it was pretty windy heading back.   There were some annoying guys in there who would not jump to the front, but also not let you back in when you came off the front.  One guy in particular would never jump up front, but kept blocking you out leaving no choice but to get back up again.

While nearing Huntington Beach, I got off from being the front and felt like my rear wheels were not spinning up and I felt more road than I was used to.  At first, Eddie thought I was okay but after checking again, realized I had a flat.  The tire never blew out, but lost a lot of air needing the tube to be replaced.  I could not find any damage or a hole, but replacing the inner tube got me back on the road.  Gary didn't realize what happened and stayed with the group all the way to the pier.  Eddie helped me out, and we worked together to get back on the road to battle the wind by ourselves.

When we met up with Gary, we just stayed together until Eddie broke off on Bayside to head back home.  Gary and I worked together on PCH back to Laguna Beach, and stopped for some fluids at the Stop and Go.

Starting off after even that little break was tough.  Both our hamstrings felt like they were worked, but after we warmed up, were back up to a decent pace.  Going through the rest of Laguna Beach, we decided not to chance fate and obeyed all stop lights and signs.

On the 133 and El Toro, we kept the pace fairly moderate to make sure we had some left for Aliso Creek.  Going up the hill, I felt pretty good so I got to the top first with Gary not too far behind.  Since I saw the lights in my favor, I rolled ahead but Gary wasn't as lucky.  We ended up meeting at the bottom on Pacific Park and charged the rest of the route to blow out any more remaining energy.

Great training day today for sure.  I was spent by the time I got home.

1-27-11 Training Ride

Here’s my GPS stats of “actual” route + Jamboree for extra credit:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65405169

Good pace today going out on BB.  Jaffe didn’t wear his jersey today because he said he didn’t want to have it on when he got dropped.  Given he fell off on Back Bay, was he able to foresee the future or did his negativity set his destiny?  Hmmm.

Everyone was putting themselves out there on BB, which was cool.  With all that came out, I kept letting people back into the line so that they’re not outside the draft too long.  Yeah, that’s it.  No real charges to the first sprint point to San Joaquin.  I thought Verm and Vince were giving it a go toward the Back Bay exit (2^nd sprint point), so being rested, took a stab at it and got out first.

Went through RV park, Bayside, and Ocean together, and Vince led the charge on PCH to NPC.  To thank him, we let him wait at the light while we followed PV to get a jump up NPC.  You’re welcome.  PV led the whole way up followed by Adrian.  Verm and I were chuckling as we rode past Ridge Park watching them climb up when it wasn’t part of the planned route. 

Verm, Mitch and I were together going down, and going up Summit, got strung out just a little bit.  At the top, Vince caught up and passed us on the u-turn.  What took so long? 

Although Jaffe skipped the gate and turned around early, he caught up to us to let me know again how slow I was. 

Vince wanted to hit 20, so we did Jamboree climb after Ford.  He and Verm were crankin’ and although I missed clipping in at McArthur, somehow managed to pass Jaffe despite being so slow. 

On Bison, I passed Vince after the 73, but he came back around on a bigger gear and returned the favor.  Nice. 

20 mph average (20.4 moving) pretty respectable.  Good job, guys.