30 Jan Red Peloton Fall 2023 Newsletter
Sponsor Highlight:
veloToze was created by a group of cyclists in Sonoma County, California. We wanted to enjoy our ride in the rain or cold and still end up with warm, dry feet.
In this newsletter we’ll be discussing veloToze! As fall and winter approach, now is a great time to log in and purchase some amazing products!
VeloToze was created by a group of cyclists in Sonoma County, California. They wanted to enjoy their ride in the rain or cold and still end up with warm, dry feet. All other shoe covers in the market at the time were bulky and not truly waterproof.
One common “stay dry” tip was to wrap plastic bags around the feet or the shoes. They thought there had to be a better way to stay dry, so they reinvented the shoe covers with totally new material and design!
We want to send a big shout out to Joe Feng, who is our teammate as well as a founding member of veloToze.
Check out all the great cycling products on the veloToze website!
Youth Cycling Support
Junior racer Vida Lopez Di San Ramon
The Red Peloton Board has approved a donation of $500 to support local Junior racer Vida Lopez Di San Ramon, as she heads to Europe to compete in cyclocross this fall.
Vida is a rising star in the local and national junior cycling scene. We are proud of her accomplishments and happy to support her cycling journey!
» https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-vida-for-cyclocross-worlds
Race Reports:
This summer has had limited opportunities for racing; however, our team has had some great results!
Mike Charleton earned 5th at the Northern California State Criterium Championships
• Blake Machares has earned 3rd place in the U23 Northern California State Road race championship!
• Blake also had a great trip to Panama, as a guest rider for Team Rio Grande. His race report is below.
• Chris Guzik, earned a 3rd place at another Velodrome event (P/1/2) Madison event alongside Donald Hersam (ex-Red Peloton racer), at the indoor Velodrome in Carson, Ca.
• Our resident U23 Mentor Mike Charleton earned 5th at the Northern California State Criterium Championships for his age group!
Tour De Panama, Race report : Blake Macheras
56th GC | 22nd U23
The Tour De Panama was my first international race and first-time guest riding for Rio Grande from Colorado. Coming into the race I was super excited to see what I would learn and come away with from this race. I knew the level of racing would be hard and it would be a completely different experience.
Blake Machares at the Tour De Panama
With a good block of training and some heat acclamation under my belt I was feeling ready to give it my all. The first two days of racing were really tough. With lots of travel and not enough water I was not prepared to go full gas. I reflected on the Team Time Trial and the circuit race and focused on being ready for the next portion of the race. I drank loads of water and Pedialyte and started to feel my legs come back.
After the second day our teammate Taj Krieger was in good position to gain the lead of the u23 jersey. We focused on keeping him hydrated and fueled in the peloton as we neared the climb of the day. Once we got there safely Taj made the move to take the lead of the u23 jersey. The rest of the race our goal would be to protect him.
Blake Machares, 3rd place in the U23 Northern California State Road race championship
The 4th stage was a rolling punchy point to point road race. Within the first 20km the race had been pulled apart in two 3 main groups. We made the group and watched the riders who were a threat to Taj. After pulling on the front to minimize the loss to some of the higher elite GC riders, I made my way to the finish, with a smaller group to finish the stage.
The next day we had a similar road race with a hard final 10km. After making the group we came into the final climbs where the group split hard. I chased back on with other teammates to regain contact with the front group. I finished in the front group in the 5th stage.
The final day was a flat open circuit race with lots of wind. We rode hard all day making sure Taj stayed safe. After getting stuck behind a crash, I chased back to the group with Taj on my wheel. With two to go we moved up and began to form a lead out. Within the final 1000 meters we fought hard for position and set up two of our teammates for top 10 finishes.
The team finished 4th overall with Taj 1st in the u23 and Kade Kreikemeier 3rd in the u23. I ended up 56th overall and 22nd in the U23 classification.
This race was an experience I will never forget. I came back from this trip with more motivation for the future and with a vast amount of knowledge. I know there is still more to learn but I am looking forward to the process. I would like to thank Rio Grande for the opportunity to race with them and Red Peloton for supporting me in my racing and giving the resources necessary to go on this trip.