Cycling Illustrated

Dana Point Grand Prix by Ivan Dominguez

May 8, 2013 by Sprint Finish Leave a Comment

Dana Point Grand Prix by Ivan Dominguez

Dana Point Grand Prix

by Ivan Dominguez

Racing in Dana Point this weekend for me was really possible due to MRI Endurance. I had barely joined the team a few days before the race, but this was a really great way to start back in the field. Everyone was very excited and I wanted to support and contribute in every way I could from the start.

The race, at 50 minutes long, was very different than what I was used to racing. The peloton and dynamics of the peloton are different from pro-level. This was my first race with the masters. There was a lot of anticipation in the air that made the race very exciting to compete in and for the public to watch.

[Read more...]

The Conversation “Iván Domínguez Signs with MMRI”

May 2, 2013 by Sprint Finish Leave a Comment

Iván Domínguez (born May 28, 1976 in Havana) was a Cuban professional road bicycle racer for the Franco MRI Racing Team. In 2009 Dominguez also known as “The Cuban Missile” acquired U.S. citizenship.^[1]

Dominguez originally rode for the Cuban National Team on the track and was a Pan-American Gold Medalist in 1997. He defected in 1998 to live with his uncle in Miami. He spoke no English and worked in a shoe factory before starting to become successful in local bike races in Miami.

Now he is wil MMRI and will race Elite and Masters.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/8E38Gd6LgdI[/youtube]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI Masters, News, Road, Youtube, YouTube Videos Tagged With: Iván Domínguez

Peaking at the Right Time (Chris DeMarchi -MMRI)

May 1, 2013 by Sprint Finish Leave a Comment

Chris DeMarchi -MMRI

San Luis Rey Road Race (Men 35+): Peaking at the Right Time

by Chris DeMarchi -MMRI

This past weekend was an amazing experience. I have been racing very hard from the Redlands classic and Sea Otter Classic to Bakersfield’s hard road race. I took a little rest leading up to this weekend, and, man, did it pay off.

San Luis Rey RR was slated for 74 miles and a pretty stacked field of climbers. I was stoked to see a huge Spy Team, Helen’s Team, Surf City Team, and then strong guys that needed a lot of respect. The first lap was fast and a lot of attacks, but nothing stuck. The second lap was more of the same. Heading back to the climb on the second lap Karl Bordine put in a massive attack and made all the other teams chase and chase hard. He eventually got caught, but then another immediate counter attack went with John Abate and Tomo Hamasaki from my team. This was a great move because it put a lot of climbers on the offensive. They eventually caught those 2 on the climb about 1/2 way up. That was where I saw my first sign of the field in the box. I started to ramp up the pace to a high level with my teammates on my wheel instructing me to hold pace.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI Masters, News Tagged With: San Luis Rey Road Race

When the cream rises to the top by:Chris DeMarchi

March 26, 2013 by Sprint Finish Leave a Comment

San Dimas Stage Race Stage Three Criterium

San Dimas 2013
by Chris Demarchi

San Dimas 2013

by Chris Demarchi (MMRI)

Always a race of separation, when the cream rises to the top! This year would be no different.

The start list was shorter than normal, but as deep as a field could get. This is truly a target race for just about every athlete in the field. The unsaid rule here is race hard or go home!

Friday’s time trial up GMR proved to be exactly what everyone thought it would be. Rudy Napolitano took the top spot with Chris McDonald less than half a second behind. I rounded out the top 8 in the TT and we were only separated by 43 seconds.

The road race was going to be a challenge because we had Rudy in yellow and one of the strongest riders in the field. Taking seconds away from him would be a hard feat. We also had Matt Carinio and Craig Nunes sitting a few seconds back. MRI Endurance went into the race with plans to attack, a back up plan, and a whole lot of unknowns. This race and this course can put the best guys in the box. The race developed rather quickly with some attacks. Rudy, Easter, and the rest of their team remained solid and showed no panic. Time bonuses for us were only an option if they showed up as an opportunity. It was not a plan to waste valuable energy for a few seconds. With 2 laps to go we put Gary Douville into a move with Fritz from Rockform racing. It looked good for us because Gary was only a few seconds off the yellow. Easter jumped after the move and bridged to it. It was our hope that Gary could crack Mike Easter on the final climb and gain a few valuable seconds over him. Mike proved to be as strong as we all thought. He dug deep and won the road race. Gary finished second. That put MRI 8 seconds down going into the crit. [Read more...]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI Masters, MRI Cycling, News Tagged With: 2013 San Dimas Stage Race, MMRI

Merco Cycling Classic: David Beats Goliath

March 4, 2013 by Sprint Finish 1 Comment

Merco Cycling Classic: David Beats Goliath

by Matthew Carinio

February has already been a dream month for me, winning 8 out of 11 races, but these events have been stepping-stones to the first real target of the season at Merco. Twelve months ago, I was at Merco dealing with severe knee pain that ended up being tendinitis and would keep me off my bike for the spring. I was thankful to be racing this time around with my legs in proper working order. I was also very happy to be heading to the race with my amazing teammates Craig Nunes, Nate Erickson, Blake Reed, and Patrick Hampton.

The Merco Cycling classic is the biggest stage race for Masters in California. The four stage format of RR, TT, Crit, and RR means that opportunities for all types of riders exist. It also guarantees all the big road teams (like Monster Media, Folsom, and PrimeTime) will be there to impose their dominance. [Read more...]

Filed Under: ArtsCyclery.com, MMRI, MMRI Masters, MMRI U23, News Tagged With: 2013 Merco Cycling Results, Merco Cycling Classics

TIntsman (Back to Back) Masters & Pro Wins!

March 3, 2013 by Sprint Finish Leave a Comment

[Show as slideshow]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI Masters, Monster Media, News

MMRI U23 wins first in style!

February 25, 2013 by Sprint Finish Leave a Comment

Orlando Garibay (MMRI has more reports from the team)

When the MRI u23 team took the line at the second Ontario of the year I realized that we would be the team to beat. We had strength in our numbers, therefore I knew we would be look at to help control the race. The attacks began on the first lap and never let up. My team mates did a nice job of making sure all of the moves were covered. The field was very motivated and moves never lasted more than a lap or so on course. The first 30 minutes of the race were relentless and the pace was beginning to take it’s toll on the field. The Green Machine was working on the front of the field like a runaway train demolishing everything in it’s path on the closing laps. Demarchi, Hunter, Diego, and Teco (Jose) , were taking hard pull on the front ensuring that no one would attack and that Cory and I would stay ahead of the swarm. The boys controlled the race until 2 laps to go and at this point I had a tired team and a fresh Cory Williams left as my lead out man. Get Crackin’ briefly took control of the race going into 1 to go but with 3 turns to go Cory began to wind up his sprint essentially launching me into the last 300 meters at full speed. In the closing meters I saw a wheel creeping up my left side but I knew I would hold enough speed to take the win. My team mates CJ and Teco also took 6^th and 9^th! [Read more...]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI U23, News Tagged With: Ontario Grand Prix

Chris Demarchi(MMRI)Maneuvers for a Victory at Rosena Ranch

February 25, 2013 by Sprint Finish 1 Comment

Rosena Ranch

by Chris Demarchi (MMRI)

Great race, great weather, a great showing from all the teams; Rosena Ranch is quickly becoming a top-notch course with small rollers, strong crosswinds, and a nice, 2-percent grade to the finish that can be difficult if the winds are howling.

On this day, the winds were not so strong, which meant it was pretty easy to sit in the group. A lot of attacks went, but all seemed to get caught with little effort.

The race was short and quick, about 45 minutes. 6 laps goes flying by. With about 2 miles to go, a very promising move went up the road with about 7 guys. MRI ENDURANCE had 2 guys in the move, Kayle LeoGrande and Gary Dueville, both of whom are great closers for us. I was worried about one guy out of that group. Kirk Bausch. He is riding super strong and has the ability to close. [Read more...]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI Masters, News Tagged With: Monster media, Rosena Ranch

2013 Valley of the Sun Stage Race (MMRI Ryan Arnold)

February 19, 2013 by Sprint Finish Leave a Comment

2013 Valley of the Sun Stage Race

by Ryan Arnold (MRI Endurance p/b Monster Media Racing)

I must say, I was a little disappointed when I learned that the men’s 35+ field at this year’s Valley of the Sun Stage Race was going to be 19 guys. Much of that disappointment went away when I noticed Matthew Carinio from Arts Cyclery, the 2012 national road champion, was here.

As we all know, VOS starts every year with a brutal, out-and-back 14.2 mile TT. And, as with every year, this thing felt uphill both ways. I really wasn’t sure how I was going to roll this year. I went into Boulevard two weeks ago exhausted from some heavy training. Thanks to my coach Ben Day, I felt surprisingly good as I approached the start of the TT. Seems like every year something goes wrong. I dropped my chain last year, and my Garmin that wouldn’t start this year. About halfway through, my Garmin came to life telling me I was where I needed to be, which motivated me to push harder. In the end, I found myself in 3^rd, 20 seconds behind Matthew and very happy with that. [Read more...]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI Masters, News Tagged With: 2013 Valley of the Sun Stage Race

Video-Race Day Episode 1

February 8, 2013 by Sprint Finish 1 Comment

Jamie Paolinetti and teammates from The Hard Road, former Master’s National Champions and a group of committed sponsors attempt to mentor cycling’s next generation of young aspiring pros through the potential pitfalls, challenges and rewards of what is one of the most difficult and tumultuous sports in the world.
Follow these committed young athletes and help support them in their perilous journey for respect and redemption of the sport they love.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/hvhV8TqK6D0[/youtube]

Filed Under: MMRI, MMRI Masters, MMRI U23, News, Road Tagged With: Race Day