Rider Bio - John Arias

John has great technical skills from his background in motocross and BMX.  After racing semi-pro for several years, he took some time off the bike, but came back strong three years ago and has picked up right where he left off, moving up into the pro ranks.

●        Racing Age in 2012

○        37

●        Height/Weight

○        5’10” – 165lbs

●        Hometown

○        Morganville NJ

●        Job

○        Police Officer

●        Favorite Trail

○        Wow, that’s a tough one. I like riding any new place or local Monmouth County NJ.

●        Favorite Race

○        Well there are a lot of them, but Campmor H2H Series Lewis Morris NJ

●        Best Race Result

○        Multi NJ State Champion & Campmor H2H Series Champion

●        Mountain Bike Advocacy (trail work, rider leader, etc)

○        Working on local trails with ATUG & JORBA groups

●        Helmet

○        Limar Carbon Ultralight – the lightest helmet in the world!  It fits great and just disappears on your head.

●        Glasses

○        Optic Nerve

●        Shoes

○        Scott MTB Team Carbon Shoe.

●        Other items you ride with

○        I always ride with my Prestaratchet mini-ratchet tool, & tire lever, Garmin hooked up to Strava, and Jaybird Bluetooth headphones.

Bike:

●        Frame/Size

○        Scott Spark 29er RC – Size Medium

●        Fork

○        X-Fusion Slide 29er 120

●        Headset

○        Ritchey Pro

●        Front Derailleur

○        Shimano XTR

●        Rear Derailleur

○        Shimano XTR

●        Shifters

○        Shimano XTR

●        Brakes

○        Shimano XTR

●        Crankset and gearing

○        Shimano XTR 38/26

●        Handlebar

○        Crank Brothers 11 Carbon Flat

●        Grips

○        ESI Chunky – The best grip out there and they help me keep away hand numbness

●        Stem

○        Ritchey WCS C260 100mm

●        Pedals

○        Crankbrothers Candy 11

●        Saddle

○        Ritchey WCS Marathon

●        Hubs

○        Stan’s 330

●        Chain

○        KMC X10SL – Gold

●        Cassette and gearing

○        Shimano XTR– 12-36 cassette

●        Rims

○        Stan’s Crest 29

●        Tires

○        Continental X-King Protection 29x2.2

●        Water Bottle Cages

○        King Ti

●        Extras

○        I use a Simple Strap from ByeKyle to attach my CO2 canisters and spare tube to my seatpost.  Tires are always filled with Stans’s Sealant - zero flats for 2012!

●        Total Bike Weight

○        22.5 lbs

Rider Bio - Dylan Johnson

Dylan is our team's youngest rider, but you wouldn't know it by his race results.  He's been at the top of the ultra-endurance singlespeed world for several years, and we convinced him in 2012 to get on a geared bike.  His phenomenal endurance, climbing ability and technical skills transferred well into more great results in 2012.

·        Age

o       17

·        Height/Weight

o        5’8”-125lbs

·        Place of Birth

o       Fairfax, Virginia

·        Residence

o             Mclean, Virginia

·        Job

o             High School student / Off and on at a local bike shop

·        Favorite Trail

o             Iceberg in Frederick Maryland

·        Favorite Race

o             Shenandoah Mountain 100

·        Best Race Result

o             1st Michaux Trail Cup 2012

o             1st Wisp Mountain XC 2012

o             1st Wednesdays @ Wakefield Series 2012 with teammate Jeff Dickey

^o               2nd Iron Mountain 100k 2012

o             2nd Knobscorcher SERC 2012

o             2nd Shenandoah Mountain 100 single speed 2011

o             2nd Tuscarora MTB Enduro 2012

o             3rd Stoopid 50 2012

·        Helmet

o             Limar Carbon Ultralight –most people don’t think of saving weight with a helmet but using this helmet, you could be potentially be saving a third of a pound

·        Glasses

o             Optic Nerve Thujone 2.0

·        Shoes

o             Mavic Fury

·        Other items you ride with

o             Scott gloves, GU gel, Genuine Innovations Big Air and tire plugs, Squirt chain lube  

Bike:

·        Frame/Size

o       Scott Scale 29er RC – Size Medium – this is a race frame. There is noticeable difference in stiffness and acceleration between other frames I have ridden and it is super light.

·        Fork

o       Fox F29

·        Headset

o       Ritchey Pro

·        Front Derailleur

o       Shimano XT

·        Rear Derailleur

o       Shimano XT

·        Shifters

o       Shimano XT

·        Brakes

o       Formula R1- very powerful at just 275 grams

·        Crankset and gearing

o       Shimano XT 40x28 gearing – the 40x28 gear combo is better for flat races but still provides enough range for the hills

·        Handlebar

o       Salsa Promoto Carbon- good width at 670mm and 125 grams

·        Grips

o       ESI Racers Edge- very comfortable, simple, and light

·        Stem

o       Odio

·        Pedals

o       Shimano XT

·        Saddle

o       Selle Italia flight – it’s not very comfortable but it is light

·        Hubs

o       Stan’s 330 Ti - smooth and when combined with the Race Gold rims it makes for a sub 1400 gram 29er wheel set

·        Chain

o       KMC X10SL- great shifting quality

·        Cassette and gearing

o       Shimano XT 12-36

·        Rims

o       Stan’s Race Gold 29er - the least expensive ultra light race wheels you can get

·        Tires

o       Continental Race King Protection - the Protection sidewalls are great for confidence on rocky courses

·        Extras

o       KCMC seatpost, Alligator front rotor, Crankskins frame protection - very helpful for carbon frames  

·        Total Bike Weight

o       20 lbs

Rider Bio - Nick Sears

·        Age

o       33       

             

·        Height/Weight

o       5’7”, 140lbs

·        Place of Birth

o       Rising Sun, MD

·        Residence

o       Quarryville, PA

·        Job

o        Salesmen at Quality Stone Veneer

·        Favorite Trail

o       Any trail at Fair Hill Maryland; the trails there flow really well and I really like the short punchy climbs.

·        Favorite Race

o        Trail Spinners Fair Hill Classic

·        Best Race Result

o       2x PA state champion including 2012

o       2012 Marc Series Champion

o       2011 Mid Atlantic Super Series Champion

o       3^rd place 2012 fair hill classic

o       2^nd place Windham race against the world 2012

o       1^st place Granogue night time trial 2012

o       6x race winner in the Mid Atlantic Super Series 2011

·        Mountain Bike Advocacy (trail work, rider leader, etc)

o        I take great pride in performing trail maintenance and helping new riders

·        Helmet

o       Limar Carbon Ultralight

·        Glasses

o       Optic Nerve-Thujone

·        Shoes

o        Bontrager

·        Other items you ride with

o       I never ride without peanut butter flavor GU gels.  I also never leave home without my Garmin.  I’m a big fan of Strava as it helps me to gauge my training performance and motivates me to find new trails and climbs.

Bike: Scott Scale 29er RC

·        Frame/Size

o       Medium

·        Fork

o        Fox

·        Headset

o       Ritchey Pro

·        Front Derailleur

o       SRAM XX

·        Rear Derailleur

o       SRAM XX

·        Shifters

o       SRAM XX

·        Brakes

o       SRAM XX World Cup

·        Crankset and gearing

o       SRAM XX – 39x26 gearing

·        Handlebar

o       Ritchey WCS Carbon

·        Stem

o       Ritchey WCS Carbon

·        Pedals

o       Shimano XTR

·        Hubs

o       DT SWISS

·        Cassette and gearing

o       SRAM XX - 12-36 cassette

·        Rims

o       DT Swiss

·        Tires

o        Continental Race Kings – tubeless with Stan’s sealant

·        Total Bike Weight

o       20.5 lbs

Nathaniel Interview Following TVR 5th Place

Nathaniel gets interviewed after a 5th place finish in the Elite race at EFTA's Treasure Valley Rally. Downed trees, angry bees and lots of confusion!

Watch more video of 2012 Treasure Valley Rally EFTA NECS #7 on thom.cyclingdirt.org

Rider Bio - Aaron Snyder

We'll post some of the vital stats on our riders in the next few weeks, starting with our team captain, Aaron Snyder:

 

• Racing Age in 2012

○       25

• Height/Weight

○       5’11” – 155lbs

• Hometown

○       State College, PA

• Job

○       Mechanic / Wrench at Freeze Thaw Cycles, State College, PA

• Favorite Trail

○       The ones that require flow, focus, and skills and invoke adrenaline rushes, inspire smiles, and promote a general feeling of happiness. The trails in Eastern / Central PA usually do the trick.

• Favorite Race

○       I’m a bit partial to the Transylvania Epic Stage Race. The stage racing format is starting to take off, and for good reason! TSE showcases the best  mountain biking that Pennsylvania has to offer over 7 days. The riding is hard, the climbs are long, and the rocks are big. It’s the kind of riding that I learned to ride a mountain bike on.

• Best Race Result

○       5x Pennsylvania State Champion

○       4th 2012 Transylvania Epic Stage Race

○       5th 2012 Shenandoah 100

○       7th 2011 BC Bike Race

• Mountain Bike Advocacy

○       Skills clinics / coaching

○       Trail work

• Glasses

○       Right now I’m stuck on the Neuro Toxin. When I’m not smashing the pedals the Otto is my choice.

• Shoes

○       Shimano M315 MTB Shoe- Fully heat-moldable plus massive airflow. I forget I have them on.

• Other items you ride with

○       Before I walk out the door, I always grab my Genuine Innovations Air Chuck, a spare CO2 cartridge, and a handful of Raw Rev Bars.

Bike:

• Frame/Size

○       SCOTT Scale 29 RC – Large

• Fork

○       X-Fusion Slide 29 RL2 120mm- The best suspension you’ve never heard of!

• Headset

○       Ritchey Pro

• Front Derailleur

○       SRAM XX

• Rear Derailleur

○       SRAM XX

• Shifters

○       SRAM XX

• Brakes

○       SRAM XX World Cup, 180mm F, 160mm R

• Crankset and gearing

○       SRAM XX – 39x26 gearing (perfect for a 29er) – Covered with clear tape from www.Crankskins.com

• Handlebar

○       Ritchey Pro Carbon Flat Bar – Wide and stiff. What else do you need?

• Grips

○       ESI Racer’s Edge – By far the best grips available.  Look at any of the photos of racers in World Cup events and most are using these grips.  There are many reasons why.  They reduce hand fatigue from vibration, are grippy even when wet, and don’t spin on the bars.

• Stem

○       Ritchey WCS C260 90mm – It’s a new design this year that prevents overclamping lightweight carbon handlebars (and it’s only 103 grams)

• Pedals

○       Crankbrothers Candy 3 – Super light weight with plenty of float. I like the extra stability of the larger platform. Paired up with the Crankbrother Shoe Shields they are top notch.

• Saddle

○       Fizik Tundra 2 K:ium

• Hubs

○       Stan’s 3.30 Ti

○       Carbon/Ti skewers

• Chain

○       KMC X10SL – Gold

• Cassette and gearing

○       SRAM XX – 12-36 cassette – Lightweight and durable

• Rims

○       Stan’s NoTubes Gold 29

• Tires

○       Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.25 Snakeskin w/ plenty of Stan’s NoTubes sealant! Flat-free in 2012!

• Total Bike Weight

○       19.5 lbs

John 2nd in Charlotte Mtb Series Event in North Carolina

While in North Carolina, John was able to ride some killer trails. He also did a race that was part of the Charlotte Mountain Bike Series at Fisher Farm Park. The course was super fast straight from the gun with roots covering the whole course.

He got caught up in a crash when a guy went down within the first  few minutes from the start. After that he re-grouped, and hammered into 2nd place and rode the rest of the race in that position.

Really cool to race some really fast new guys and ride some of the best terrain this country has.