I <3 Dynos!!!

Thanks to everyone for a fantastic 2012 season! It’s hard to believe we are almost at the end of the year, and yet another year of racing is just around the corner. We’d like to get our membership drive rolling a bit sooner this year, so that we can be fully ready when the season begins in February.

Please download the 2013 Membership Packet by clicking HERE.

Like last year, we are collecting dues to help pay for USA Cycling membership and other expenses. We’ve increased the dues by a modest amount, as we’ve had a hard time breaking even the past few years, but we also have way more sponsorship benefits, making Quadzilla membership a killer deal. See the sponsorship page in the packet for more details on benefits.

Please complete payment by February 1st! For payment details, check out the dues page in the packet.

The first 15 members to sign up receive a free Quadzilla water bottle!! ($9 value)

Quadzilla Racing Pro rider Jamie Busch crowned her rookie Mountain Bike Pro season by winning the Single Speed Marathon Nationals this past weekend in Bend, Oregon.  Jamie rode from the back of the pack through the entire women’s field – then through much of the men’s field to catch the tail end of the Pro Women’s field which had started some 34 minutes ahead of her.  Jamie rode away from her competitors with a commanding ride which put nearly 23 minutes on her nearest single speed rival and would even have landed her on the Pro Women’s Podium.  Jamie joined the likes of Todd Wells, Pua Mata, and Carey Smith who earned National Title honors this past weekend.  This performance marks the unofficial end of the mountain bike season as the team prepares for some recreational cyclocross and offseason training.

Jamie Busch Cruises through Aid Station 1 on her way to Single Speed Marathon National Title

Jamie dons her US National Jersey atop Single Speed Marathon Nationals Podium

August 18 – 2012 – Two of Quadzilla Racing’s top riders – Jon Smith and Alex Kramer – scored podiums at Annadel this weekend posting excellent races. Alex Kramer posted a blistering time of 2:10 for the course and finished 2nd overall in the Open Expert category in an extremely competitive field. Jon Smith hammered out the challenging and rocky course to take victory in the Single Speed Open category and his second big cash prize of the year in this category.

Alex Kramer Open Expert 2nd Place

Jon Smth Annadel SS MTB Victory

The past few months have featured the biggest races of the season, including the legendary Sea Otter Classic, the popular Boggs 8-hour race, and Cross Country Nationals. Quadzilla riders were duking it out every weekend, with more than a few ending up on the podium. Here are the highlights:

Napa Valley Dirt Classic

Now in its 19th year, the Napa Valley Dirt Classic is held on a sweet 20 mile course in the hills outside of Angwin, CA. Loaded with swoopy singletrack and tough fireroad climbs, this is a fun but challenging race. Making things more interesting this year were a series of storms that dumped several inches of rain on the course the week before the race. Luckily, the rain departed just in time and race day weather was nice and sunny, but there was plenty of water and mud on the course for racers to contend with.

The Napa Valley Dirt Classic also featured the unveiling of the new Pro/Elite kits. Fortunately we remembered to take a photo before the start of the race, as afterward they were definitely not as clean and white.

As we’ve come to expect, Quadzilla racers featured prominently in the results, with multiple first places:

Jamie Busch: First place Pro Women

Jon Smith: First place Open Expert Single Speed

Alex Kramer: 6th place Cat 1 Men 35-44

William Kemper: 7th place Cat 1 Men 35-44

Doug Baker: First place Cat 2 Men 19-34

Dennis Pham: 6th place Cat 2 Men 19-34

Paul Marshall: 4th place Cat 2 Men 35-44

Sea Otter Classic

Cycling festival, world class mountain and road races, industry trade show – the Sea Otter Classic is all of these and more. For Quadzilla racers, Sea Otter is the perfect chance to test fitness and skill against some of the fastest racers in the country. As luck would have it, the weather was unseasonably warm, with temperatures climbing into the 90′s. Despite the difficult conditions, Quadzilla had numerous top results:

Jamie Busch: 18th place Pro Women

Jon Smith: 5th place Cat 1 Cross Country 30-34

William Kemper: 6th place Cat 1 Cross Country 35-40

Alex Kramer: 7th place Cat 1 Cross Country 35-40

Carol Boland: 7th place Cat 1 30-39

Doug Baker: 1st place Cat 2 Cross Country 30-32

Dennis Pham: 5th place Cat 2 Cross Country 30-32

Paul Marchall: 7th place Cat 2 Cross Country 40-42

Shasta Lemurian Classic

Racers looking for a real mountain bike race, with more challenging, technical trails, should definitely head to the Shasta Lemurian Classic. Five Quadzilla racers made the trek north to the Whiskeytown Recreation area for 2+ hours of racing on a truly epic course. When the dust settled, Quadzilla had set a new course record for Pro Women!

Jamie Busch – 1st place Pro Women (new course record)

Carol Boland – 4th place Pro Women

Jon Smith – 10th place Pro Men

Alex Kramer – 10th place Veteran Men 35-44

Steve Wade – 8th place Master Men 45-54

Boggs 8-hour

Now in its 7th year, the Boggs 8-hour has become one of the most popular events of the season, offering a weekend of racing, camping, and comraderie in the secluded Boggs Mountain State Forest, located outside of Cobb, CA. A large group of Quadzilla racers attended the event, with a number of solo riders dominating the competition:

Mark DePonzi – 1st place Masters 50+ Men

Nicole Goebel – 1st Place Expert Women

Steve Wade – 4th place Singlespeed Men

SoNoMas

Arguably one of the toughest races of the year, SoNoMas challenges racers with over 30 miles of singletrack and 6000+ feet of climbing. After over 3 hours of racing, Quadzilla again featured prominently on the podium, with multiple Cat 1 placings:

Jon Smith: 1st place Singlespeed

William Kemper: 2nd place Expert Men

Alex Kramer: 7th place Expert Men

XC Nationals

For the second year, the Cross Country National Championships were held in Sun Valley, Idaho, home to some of the nicest singletrack in the country. Unfortunately, this remote location meant few Quadzillians could attend, but Jamie Busch and Alex Kramer decided to make the trip, with Canuck Jon Smith in tow as team mechanic/chef/humorist. The high altitude and steep climbs proved difficult, but altogether it was a very enjoyable weekend of riding and racing, and soaking up the good mountain vibe.

Jamie Busch – 20th place Pro Women Cross Country

Jamie Busch – 7th place Pro Women Super-D

Alex Kramer – 8th Place Cat 1 Cross Country 35-39

Howell Mountain Classic

Held on some of the same trails as the Napa Valley Dirt Classic, the Howell Mountain Classic serves up a healthy portion of fast, swoopy singletrack. Unlike NVDC, the weather would be hot and the trail conditions dry and dusty this time around. As before, Quadzilla climbed to the top of the podium again, with multiple first place finishes:

William Kemper: 1st place Cat 1 Men 35-44

Steve Wade: 7th place Cat 1 Men 45-44

Aaron Faupell: 1st place Cat 2 Men 19-34

Brett Kelley: 2nd place Cat 2 Men 35-44

Marco Boldt: 4th place Cat 2 Men 35-44

Richard Jacinto: 10th place Cat 2 Men 45-54

The racing season is now fully underway and Quadzilla racers have been earning some impressive results. Here are the highlights from the past month of racing.

US Cup Races at Bonelli Park and Fontana

On March 10th, a small group of Quadzillians traveled down south for the Rock and Road Cup West #2 at Bonelli Park, which is part of the US Cup series. Jamie Busch rode to an impressive 4th place in the Elite Women’s Pro XCT event. In Men’s Cat 1, Jon Smith also grabbed 4th place and Joseph Brody nabbed 10th place, strong results given the high level the competition.

Several weeks later would see Jon and Jamie heading south again for the Rock and Road Cup West #3 at Fontana, CA. On a technical, challenging course, Jamie proved too strong for the competition, winning the Pro Women’s Cross Country in commanding fashion, 5 minutes ahead of 2nd place. Way to kill it, Jamie! Our resident Mr. Smith also showed some excellent early season form, earning 3rd place in Cat 1 Men’s Cross Country.

Keyesville Classic

Now in its 24th year, the Keyesville Classic, held March 30 – April 1,  featured a full weekend of racing in the scenic Kern River Valley outside of Bakersfield, CA. With Cross Country, Short Track, and Downhill events, and an All-Mountain Stage Race that involves doing all three on the same bike, the Keyesville Classic has something for everyone.

Joseph Brody and Alex Kramer competed in the Cross Country race, which was held on a fantastic 8 mile course that featured lots of fast, flowy singletrack and tough, punchy climbs. Alex finished in 4th place in Cat 1 Men 30-39, with Brody not too far behind in 6th place. New member Carol Boland tackled the All-Mountain Stage Race and earned an impressive 3rd place in Pro Women. Way to go Carol!

Next year Quadzilla is definitely coming back with the whole team to enjoy this great event.

CCCX #3

March 10th also featured cross country racing at Fort Ord for CCCX #3. A large contingent of Quadzilla racers enjoyed the dry, sunny conditions. As we’ve come to expect, quite a few Quadzillians made the podium. Here are the top finishers:

Alex Kramer – 2nd place Cat 1 Men 35-44

Nicole Goebel – 1st place Cat 1 Women 35-44

Doug Baker – 1st place Cat 2 Men 19-34

Aaron Faupell – 3rd place Cat 2 Men 19-34

Marco Boldt – 5th place Cat 2 Men 35-44

Richard Jacinto – 5th place Cat 2 Men 45-54

Marco Soldano – 3rd place Cat 2 Single Speed

Carlos Esparzo – 2nd place Cat 3 Men 14-18

Cool Mountain Bike Race

Apparently some people just can’t get enough of racing. After having raced  CCCX#3 the day before, Rafael Ruiz, Richard Jacinto, and Marco Soldano decided to the double and race the Cool Moutain Bike Race on Sunday, March 11. Richard and Rafael even managed to get 3rd place in their respective classes. Nicely done, guys!

CCCX #4

Winter finally decided to arrive in California at the end of March, and unfortunately she brought some rain with her, which delayed the CCCX#4 race by a few weeks. Fortunately, mother nature let up just enough to allow the April 7th race at Toro Park to go ahead as planned. Unlike the Fort Ord courses, Toro Park features some sustained climbing and a 2 mile ripping singletrack descent. After doing multiple laps around this fun but challenging course, Quadzilla once again showed its podium dominance.

William Kemper – 2nd place Cat 1 Men 35-44

Alex Kramer – 3rd place Cat 1 Men 35-44

Steve Wade – 4th place Cat 1 Men 45-54

Doug Baker – 2nd place Cat 2 Men 19-34

Aaron Faupell – 4th place Cat 2 Men 19-34

Paul Marshall – 3rd place Cat 2 Men 35-44

Carlos Esparza – 1st place Cat 3 Men 14-18

It’s February and that means the beginning of the annual CCCX cross country series, held in Monterey, CA. With Winter taking the year off, the racing has taken place on unusually dry ground and under beautiful sunny skies. Here are the highlights from the first two races:

CCCX #1 – February 4

The series opener featured a large contingent of Quadzilla racers, including quite a few new members. With 5 category wins and Quadzilla’s first every Pro win, the day turned out to be a very successful one. Here is a rundown of the medal winners:

Menso de Jong – 1st place Pro Men

William Kemper – 1st place Expert Men 35-44

Nicole Goebel – 1st place Expert Women 35-44

Alex Kramer – 1st place Sport Men 35-44

Marco Boldt – 1st place Beginner Men 35-44

Doug Baker – 3rd place Sport Men 19-34

CCCX #2- February 19

Although it meant trading first places for second places, Quadzilla still had a large podium presence at race #2. Here are your medal winners:

Chris Sota – 2nd place Expert Men 19-34 (2nd fastest time of the day)

William Kemper – 2nd place Expert Men 35-44

Paul Marshall – 2nd place Sport Men 35-44

Ryan Stroup – 3rd place Sport Men 19-34

Shiloh Ballard – 3rd place Sport Women 35-44

Marco Boldt – 4th place Sport Men 35-44

Alex Kramer – 5th place Expert Men 35-44

A lot of you have been asking about membership details and sponsorship benefits, and the 2012 Membership Packet has all the answers. Please download the packet by clicking HERE.

Note that we are collecting dues this year to help pay for USA Cycling membership and other memberships. The dues are modest and the membership benefits more than make up for the cost. Please complete payment by February 15th! For payment details, check out the dues page in the packet.

We also plan on doing some group orders in the next month from some of our sponsors. All racing team members in good standing can participate in these orders and take advantage of the deep discount. Details will be posted here and/or on our Facebook page in the next few weeks.

After volunteering at this year’s Turning Wheels for Kids bike build, Quadzilla team members were featured in an article on the event published in the Campbell Reporter. Here is a brief excerpt:

With Christmas just days away, Santa’s little elves must be feeling the pressure. Luckily, the toymakers up at the North Pole know they can count on the South Bay.

For the past seven years, hundreds of local volunteers have taken on the role of Santa’s helpers by building gifts for underprivileged children—not just any gifts, but bicycles. The seventh annual Turning Wheel for Kids Bike Build was held on Dec. 10 in the South Hall of the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

This year’s event was the largest so far, bringing together 850 people to produce 2,400 brand-new bicycles.

Los Gatos resident Alex Kramer has been volunteering at Bike Build for three years. An avid mountain biker, he said the event brings out a certain amount of nostalgia.

“I think it fills a great need in the community,” he said, “and I remember my first 10-speed.”

Kramer came this year with members of his newly formed racing team, Quadzilla. He said it was the perfect opportunity for them to give back.

“We like to work on bikes and do this kind of stuff anyway,” Kramer said while adjusting the wheels on one of his team’s creations.

The accompanying photo features Quadzilla members Chris Costanzo, Marco Soldano, and Arya Touserkani wrenching on one of the bikes.

To read the entire article, click here.

For more information on Turning Wheels for Kids, click here.

October 7, 2011 – Kona, Hawaii – Around this time of year, most people are on the big Island for one of two things.  Some come for the coffee, some come for the Ironman World Championships. One came for Mauna Kea… and conquered the mythic volcano top.

At 7:25AM, Jon Smith dipped his tires in the Pacific Ocean at Waikaloa Beach.  Less than 8 hours later, he crested what some call the world’s highest land mass – Mauna Kea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii.  It’s peak stands some 13,796ft above the sea.

Although it isn’t exactly mountain bike racing, cyclocross racing features dirt, knobby tires, and beer, so that means Quadzilla is definitely in. We’re lucky to have multiple cross series in the Bay Area, with races held pretty much every weekend from September to January. So if you see some fast moving lizards whipping around a cross course near you, make sure to raise your glass and give us cheer! “Hup! Hup!”

Here are the schedules for the CCCX, BASP, and Surf City races:

CCCX – Central Coast Cyclocross Series

CCCX#1     Fort Ord        Sept 10
CCCX#2     Fort Ord        Sept 24
CCCX#3     Manzanita Park     Oct 9
CCCX#4     Manzanita Park    Oct 16
CCCX #5     Toro Park        Oct 22
CCCX #6     Manzanita Park     Nov 6
CCCX #7     Toro Park         Dec 6
CCCX Finale     Fort Ord        Jan 15

BASP – Bay Area Super Prestige Series

Candlestick Park         0ct 23
Sierra Point Night Race    Nov 12
Golden Gate Park        Nov 27
Coyote Point            Dec 12

Surf City Cyclocross Series

October 30
November 13
December 18
January 22

Locations TBA