Feature Rider- Kris Flynn: DH

Even though the spelling of his first name is debatable incorrect, two things are for certain:
1: His front fork is more badass than your entire bike
2: He shreds

Here is the feature interview with LeOpard Trek's only DH Rider:


And here is his latest edit.


So in short, if you are ever on Lehigh's campus and hear what sounds like a washing machine rolling down the mountain at 30 miles per hour, watch out, because awesome is coming.

LU Cycling Exposé: The A-Team

With racing season a little quiet this weekend, we thought it would be great to start getting to know some of our riders better. This week: The A-TEAM!
You might be thinking: "Does this guy know about the cheesy 80's TV series with the same name?" Yes, I do, and here's a link to the opener for that show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MVonyVSQoM

The thing is, however, our A-Team is more legitimate; it's more intense; and it's much faster than those jokers on that TV show. We could (and should) use the same theme song, make a movie about these two guys' racing, and it would get more "likes" on YouTube.

The two members racing A's this year are: Marten B and Brandon K.
I was able to catch the two of them this past weekend and learned some serious facts and some funny facts...

Do you see that guy in the front of the pack hilariously spraying all the competitors with mud? That's Marten.

Let's start from the beginning: Marten was born in Nepal, lived in the Netherlands, grew up in Michigan, went to school in Indiana, and started racing bikes in PA circa 2008. He jokingly admitted to "getting dropped in any Cat 5 race I could find." If there's any person that probably should write a book about their upbringing, I think we can all agree that it's him. Nepal? lived in the Netherlands? At first I thought this was some April Fool's joke but then realized that Marten is too nice to do anything like that.

Fast forward to today: Marten is one of the most experienced members of the cycling team. He's also a great bicycle mechanic (has a bike room of sorts in his house), and is a PhD candidate in the Physics department. Any time there's a question about race strategy or anything bike related, he is more than happy to assist.

Life isn't all about matter, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism for him, though; if not biking, he would rather be: flying model airplanes, building electrical circuits (oh, Physics), travelling, canoeing, or just building something. I'm sure sleeping, watching TV, and eating is on the list somewhere...






 
Speaking of eating, if every other food in the world was to disappear tomorrow, he would leave Dal Baht (rice and lentils) as his food of choice. But because that funny hypothetical situation isn't going to happen, he likes to rely on his oatmeal for the morning (pre-ride) and ANYTHING edible for post-ride. That's my kind of diet!

His favorite memories of cycling include: winning the Cat 3 state road race, LAPPING an entire field at a Cat 2/3 crit, and winning a crit after being solo for 18 laps, getting caught, and then winning the field sprint. If languishing in the eternal glory from these victories isn't enough to look forward to, he is getting ready for the beautiful weather to kick in and for the long, 26mph average rides to commence. Just in case he's stranded on the side of the Tour de France, he would choose: a baguette, Gruyere cheese, and a red port wine. rouler sur!

AND NOW FOR OUR SECOND MEMBER:

Check out that pain face. 

That's Brandon K, a graduate student pursuing a PhD in counseling psychology and very fast A rider as well. Also new to the Mens' A field this season, he has made quite a splash by placing 3rd in the Philly Phlyer Road Race, and 7th in Columbia Grant's Tomb Criterium. Let's put this in perspective: Mens' A is the top category for college riders (behind Pro, of course) and these guys are fast! It takes some serious skills to even make it to the field, let alone hold on and make it on the results sheet.

Apparently, Brandon's nickname is "BK" which, might have a slight correlation to his pre-race eating habits. Burger King? Check. Coffee? Check. Anything with carbs and caffeine? Bring plenty.
Brandon is a believer in the "eat anything and then roar away from the start line with all the pent-up energy" mentality. He may have learned this from growing up in the quaint town of St. Stephen, Minnesota, but most likely not. Minnesota is a very lovely place to visit, and with over 10,000 lakes, it provides a great backdrop to hone one's bike skills. This is exactly what Brandon has done. Okay, so that was a bit of a stretch...
Brandon has only been riding bikes for about five years, but has been racing for three. When not riding a bike, he likes to rest his tired bones by taking a nap during which time his bike computer can also rest from keeping up with the insane watts that it had to process.

Napping, bike riding, learning how to be a psychologist, and eating sammiches seems to be some of the top things on his list, and we'll be watching this season as he sets his sights on possibly racing in some of the National Championship races out in Ogden, UT in early May. After May and his ProTour team contract is signed and he's on a training trip through the south of France (and dropping his teammates ol' Fabian Cancellara) AND after all three of his CO2 cartridges fail, tubes blow up, and team radio runs out of batteries, he'll be all alone on a French road. In this case, all will be well as long as he's provided with a camper chair, copious amounts of food, and beer. Viva la Brandon!

So there you have it-a lengthy introduction of our A riders. These two guys are probably the most modest fast people you'll ever meet, so we highly recommend saying "Hi" if you see them around....granted you can catch them.