TBB on VeloNews.com!

That's right, Team Brown Bear members Dave Simmons and Rick Mangan were featured in the results of the VeloNews article on the 24Hours of 9 Mile National Champs. Both Vino and Rick competed in the Solo National Championship category.

VeloNews Article

1. Chris Eatough, Trek-VK, 20 15-mile laps in 23:28:51
...some other riders...
28. Team Brown Bear (Vino), 7 laps
...some other riders...
32. Rick Mangan, 4 laps
...some other riders...

Congrats to both Vino and Rick!

Greg and Brian raced at 9 Mile as well, but weren't cool enough to race in the Solo National Champs field, so were not mentioned in the article. :)

If TBB was in the ProTour...

With this year's exciting installment of the Tour de France having just finished up, we'll take a look at what TBB would look like if it was a ProTour team by comparing each of our team riders to current professional racers. And what are the odds, we have 9 riders and one director sportiff, just like a real Tour team. :)

Without further ado, I present to you, the 2008 Team Brown Bear squad:

Andy (Fabian Cancellara)

Andy, much like Fabian, is a powerhouse rider with massive thighs that can put out huge amounts of watts when needed. He is also not against working for his teammates and winning world time trial championships.







Brian (Alejandro Valverde)

Sometimes he can sprint. Sometimes he can climb. Sometimes he can get dropped by the leaders and lose huge amounts of time in the overall standings. It's a crapshoot, really.








Brooks (Andy Schleck)

A promising rider that could one day be the GC leader for TBB, he dances on the pedals with ease on the climbs while others around him suffer. Although he still has to get out of the shadow of his brother...


Dave (Alexandre Vinokourov)

The only one on the team that is currently serving a suspension for doping...but we all believe that he is innocent! Dave's attacking style is a perfect match to that of his Kazakh brother. And you wonder why we call him Vino...







Greg (George Hincapie)

He can do it all. Sprint. Climb. Time trial. Crash on the cobbles at Paris-Roubaix. Plus, he is the only team member that the women seem to flock to...and can you blame them?



Heather (Tom Danielson)

She said she couldn't climb, and then she dominated at the Alps in France much like Tom does at Brasstown Bald in Georgia. Unfortunately, Tom is usually injured, and Heather's current pregnancy "injury" is keeping her from having the season that she was expecting.

Mary (Dave Zabriskie)

Possessing great time trial skill and a zany sense of humor, both Mary and Dave are riders that are underappreciated by opposing teams. They are also perfect candidates for future GC contenders if their climbing improves...something that usually happens with age and experience anyway.





Rick, Director Sportiff (Bjarne Riis)

Rick is the mastermind behind the scenes of TBB. Many don't know the full background on him, but supposedly he was a big time pro back in the day (even unexpectedly winning a Grand Tour), that only recently admitted to doping. Oops!


Scotty (Sylvain Chavanel)

Scotty is the wildcard on the team. He has an attacking style, but sometimes choses to attack at the wrong times or too frequently. But it could be said that he is the most entertaining TBB rider to watch due to those attacks. And they even sometimes work out. Unfortunately he chooses to go on long blogging sabbaticals, so we don't know what he is up to sometimes.




Trent (Magnus Backstedt)

Trent and Big Maggy have the distinction of being the only two ProTour riders that weigh above 190lbs. Being that most professional riders weigh less than 150lb, the smaller riders are scared and intimidated by the sheer power that Trent and Magnus possess. They also give the other riders on the team an excellent draft to work with...almost like motor-pacing!

One

1

That's all we need folks. Just one more jersey and we will be at the minimum of 10 and then we can place the order.

So far we have:

Greg - Summer race cut SS (1)

Vino - Winter jacket (2) and club cut SS (3)

Trent - Club cut SS (4) and wind jacket (5)

Tonia - Club cut SS (6)

Brian - Race cut SS (7)

Brooks - Race cut LS (8) and race cut SS (9)

Anyone else need anything? I heard a rumor that Rick may need a winter jacket. :)

Once we hit that magical number, we'll just need everyone to send in their money and we should be set (except for Trent, he's a go-getter and already paid).

New Jersey Order

Hello all TBB members. The time has come to try to piece together another order from Champion System. We only need 10 pieces total (doesn't matter what style of jersey) to meet the reorder minimum, so we were hoping to do that sometime in the next month to ensure that we get them with plenty of time to spare before next season.

So...what does everyone need? :)

Dorks on a Podium

The title says it all.

The season is winding down here for TBB members. Heather and Mary have wrapped up their successful tri seasons, Trent's 24-hr race season concluded at Afton with great improvement, Scotty got married and disappeared, team doctor Andy got homo-erotic on us, etc. There is still some season left though.

Dave, Brian, and TBB Director Sportiff Rick will all be competing at Chequamegon this upcoming weekend.
There are still 2 more WORS races left on the calendar.
Then, of course, cross season starts in earnest with 11 WCA races on the schedule this year (not finishing up until Dec! *yikes*), where freshly-upgraded Brooks will look to do the Brown proud.

Afton TBB Pics

Here are some glorious pics from the 24 Hours of Afton.

All pics are courtesy of Alane, the official TBB photographer.

Campsite: Good to go.

The 3 Solo Brown Bears, ready for the start.
Game on. Right after the LeMans start.
Brian and Vino on the first lap.
Brian cruising around.
Trent carving a corner on his Top Fuel 8.
Vino ready to attack an unsuspecting racer.

NGP*

Alright Brownbears, keep the pics coming. Remember, they don't have to be as homoerotic as the good doctor's.

*not gay porn

Attention:

Calling all Team Brown Bear members. The directors want pictures of you guys in your team kits. So fire up the digital camera and do your best Zoolander and send us your pics. We'll post them right here on the team blog. You can find our email addresses in our Blogger profiles.

ROAR!

Debut

The kits arrived and were promptly put through the rigours of triathlon racing.




They look pretty bad ass, and the quality of the pieces is better than expected. We'll be sending out everyone's orders this week. Also, if anyone wants/needs a size medium new in box Catlike Whisper helmet identical to the one shown above, let me know in the comments section. It's very cool and very euro.

ROAR!

Race Results / Jersey Update

Hello TBB members and supporters.

Race results from this past weekend for TBB racers:

Mary:
5th out of 40 women in the Aquathon.
12th out of 272 women in the Lake Mills Triathlon.

Heather:
70th out of 272 women in the Lake Mills Triathlon.

Brian:
DNF at the Wausau WORS mtb race.

Brooks received an email from the Champion System people about the jerseys. It looks like they are scheduled to be shipped on Monday 11th, so we should hopefully be receiving them by next Thursday or Friday. So, unfortunately we won't be getting them in time for WI State Road Champs or the Red Ass 300, but the races after that we should be set.

ROAR!

TBB Race Results

The season is already underway. Lots of races coming up shortly for TBB. Here are the results thus far for the year:

Vino:
Arrowhead 135 - DNF

Brooks:
Baraboo RR - DNF
Denzer RR - 23rd

Brian:
Baraboo RR - 8th
Denzer RR - 15th

This weekend Mary and Heather have their first triathlon of the year in Lake Mills and Brian has a WORS mtb race in Wausau. Mary is doing an Aquathon (swim/run) as well before the tri.

The following weekend Brooks and Brian are doing the WI State RR and Vino is doing the Red Ass 300 endurance race in Manitoba. We hope to have the jerseys by that time. We'll see.

ROAR!

Team Brown Bear is for real

Check out this line from the WORS Comp results:

M 25-29 1017 Brian Abraham Sun Prairie WI 28 Team Brown Bear

That's right, TBB is official. :)

Jerseys should be in shortly, then we'll really be official. Hopefully we'll have them by the WI State RR on June 9th. Vino, you should drive down for that...we need a 3rd rider in the "peloton".

The Waiting Game

Sit back and relax fellas. The order is being produced as you read this. In 8 weeks you can ride in the brown.

Pay Up Bitches!

Brown Bears and friends of Brown Bears, the time has finally come. You've seen the jerseys, and hopefully know what kit pieces you want. Since the team directors aren't made of money, and to get the ball rolling with Champion Systems, we need your money. Here is a price list for items we anticipate ordering.

• Short Sleeve Jersey: $45
• Long Sleeve Lightweight Jersey: $50
• Long Sleeve Fleece Jersey: $55
• Sleeveless Jersey: $42

Note: All jerseys will be race or women's cut with raglan sleeves. The short sleeve jerseys will feature 3/4 length zippers while the sleeveless and long sleeve jerseys will have full length zippers.

• Wind Jacket: $48
• Wind Vest: $43
• Winter Jacket: $85
• Winter Vest: $79
• Tri Top: $39
• Long Sleeve Skinsuit: $85

Stock color (black, royal, navy, white, green, red, gray, orange) accessories:

• Lycra Arm Warmers: $16
• Lycra Knee Warmers: $19
• Lycra Leg Warmers: $22
• Fleece Arm Warmers: $19
• Fleece Knee Warmers: $22
• Fleece Leg Warmers: $26
• Lycra Shoe Covers: $17
• Fleece Shoe Covers: $20

Note: Stock color accessories will not be custom. Just solid colored. We're offering them because they're offered at a great price.

We will not be ordering socks or caps at this time. If you would like an item that is not listed above let us know, and we'll see if it's feasible.

Check out the Champion System website for sizing questions, and sample pictures of products.

Remember, team clothes are not just for team riders. Friends of the Brown Bear can also order kit pieces to wear and show support for the team!

The sooner you guys can get us money, the faster you'll get your kit. We're shooting for a June 1st delivery date, so we need your cash at the latest by next Friday, March 9th. Email me at b_leedahl [at] hotmail.com with your order. Please include your name, phone number, shipping address, products you want, quantities, sizes, and a total price. I'll shoot you an email back confirming your order, shipping rates, and an address where you can send payment.

ROAR!

Jersey Fun!

After many hours of work, our graphic designer has finished with the templates for the Team Brown Bear jersey design. I think we all owe Tonia a big, hearty THANK YOU for all the hard work that she put in to get these done for us. So, without further ado, here they are:



I guess the only thing left to do is for everyone to figure out their orders. All the prices are listed on the Champion System website...I suggest going to the Price List page from there. :)

TBB Season is Officially Underway!

At 7:30 this morning in northern Minnesota, the TBB season was officially started in frigid -28F temps. Dave (Vino) is taking part in the Arrowhead 135 endurance race. You can follow the race on their blog here.

So far no mention of Vino. Also no mention of friend of the Brown Bear, Pat White. Good luck to both of them!

EDIT: The blog has been updated again. Sounds like there are 3 leaders out front, with Vino in a group of 5 behind them. Of the original 46 starters, 23 have dropped out. Go Dave!

EDIT2: Updated again. Only 18 people still racing. Vino and Pat are among those 18. Good job guys...keep pushing!

EDIT3: Another update now says that Dave has DNF'd. :( Still no update on the whereabouts of Pat. Nice job, guys. Just the fact that you were out racing in those conditions is an amazing feat by itself.

Team Kit Musings

The directors were lucky enough to see a preview of the (near) completed Team Brown Bear kit, and let me tell you they are sweet! All will be revealed shortly.

What we need from all team members now is to think about what products you want. There are separate templates for each item, so to get the artwork submitted as quickly as possible the graphic designer needs to know what templates to design.

Go to the Champion System website and have a look-see at the products offered. So far we have:

• short sleeve jersey
• long sleeve jersey
• sleeveless jersey
• long sleeve skinsuit
• winter vest
• tri top

If anyone wants anything other than what's listed, leave a comment. We will not have any accessories, as the minimums are too large (unless someone wants 25 cycling caps.)

A Demanded New Rider Post

Well, we did it! We found yet another female triathlete that loves the Brown Bear. It's great to see these women coming to the team based upon their love of what the Brown Bear represents. Everyone wants a taste of Team Brown Bear! The latest addition to our squad is none other than Mary Leedahl, wife of TBB co-founder Brooks Leedahl. She is quite the successful triathlete, and we hope that she has continued success now that she is in the TBB colors. We persuaded her to sign on the dotted line by offering to purchase a new bike for her. :)

Welcome aboard, Mary!

In other TBB news:

• Update on the new TBB jersey: We recently heard from the lovely graphic designer in charge of the jersey design, and she informed us that work on the jersey is nearing completion. We should be posting shortly about the different jerseys available, and then also taking the initial team order. Exciting times.
• Two TBB team members are now serving 3-day suspensions due to them placing unnecessary and unneeded demands on the founders of TBB. Their team member status will be returned to fully active on Feb 4th, 2007. Thankfully for Dave, that is just in time for the Arrowhead 135, which starts the following day. Go get 'em, Vino...kick some ass and don't freeze off any extremities.

More new TBB riders!

Team Brown Bear is delighted to announce the signing of three more riders to the team for next season. They all bring different elements (and hot bodies) to the team, and we are excited to see what they can do in the upcoming months.

Trent Litchy is another endurance racer that has been brought into the Brown Bear. TBB should have a very formidable endurance racing team for this year. Trent is planning on racing the 24Hr of Afton Team and the 24/9 National Championship Solo. He can also get the team free lamps.
Andy Bakke had been racing and riding bikes for many years, and with his purchase of a Surly Cross Check is now looking to get back into the scene. He plans on ripping up the Rochester area on his metallic green steed and doing a few cyclocross races in the process. Andy's signing with the team is a 2-part deal, as we also acquire his services as Team Doctor for 2007.

Scotty Johnson, who hails from the infamous Johnson family from Valparaiso, is another stellar athlete now on the TBB roster. He was signed on to head our TBB downhill racing division, and we hope for great things in that new undertaking. He also plans on racing in quite a few triathlons. He is currently on the injured reserve roster here at TBB, but we expect him to be 100% healthy again by the beginning of the season.

And there it is...three more great acquisitions for TBB. We are now down to just a few more roster spots remaining for this upcoming season, and are on the prowl for female triathletes who love the Brown Bear.

TBB Announces New Team Rider

<-- Which is the real Vino?? -->

After careful deliberation, TBB founders are happy to announce the signing of Dave Simmons (Vino) to next year's roster. We hope for him to be a valuable team rider for years to come. He will bring alot to the table, as he is a very versatile rider in many disciplines of racing.

Vino also holds the distinction of having the first official race on the TBB race calendar for next season. He is racing in the Arrowhead 135 in early February in northern MN. Unfortunately, we won't have jerseys in time for that event, but it won't matter being that he will be so heavily layered that you wouldn't have seen it anyway. :)

Welcome aboard Vino.

And for all you other interested racers, we still have some roster spots available here on TBB.