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CyclingNews.com: Mary McConneloug’s Seven Tsunami

The McTsunami

After a successful year of mountain biking that saw her earn the lone spot to represent the U.S. at the Athens Olympic Games, Mary McConneloug is currently tearing her way through the U.S Cyclocross season. And as nationals approach, and McConneloug’s fitness peaks, Steve Medcroft and Anthony Tan took a closer look at the bike she claims is her secret weapon: the Seven Tsunami.

McConneloug’s bikes are custom-made by Seven Cycles, who started building titanium frames in 1997. Currently based in Watertown, Mass, the company that was ostensibly a boutique Ti bike business has grown eight-fold since its inception and is now 32 employees strong, producing a range of frames for road, mountain, cyclocross, touring, triathlon, tandem and single speed disciplines.

Seven’s association with McConneloug began during the 2001 mountain bike season, where she took her first podium in a national-level cross-country race immediately after she received her first custom-built frame, and she says the manufacturer has earned her loyalty as an athlete since. “That was the beginning of my true career in the sport,” remembers McConneloug. On the fat-tyre circuit, she uses either Seven’s Sola hardtail or Duo-Lux models, depending on the course.

As for her cyclocross bike, “Mary’s running the Seven Tsunami,” says Mike Broderick, McConneloug’s partner and teammate. “She’s run this exact frame for the last three years. It’s super, super light, absolutely the most race-worthy bike out there. We really feel like we have a big advantage with these bikes because they’re just so responsive when you’re in and out of the saddle. They’re super comfortable. 100 percent race machines.”

The Tsunami frame is made entirely with Seven’s Argen tubing, a double butted, 3/2.5 seamless titanium. Each tube is available in rider-specific geometry, and frames smaller than 52cm—including McConneloug’s—use a semi-compact design with a sloping top tube.

“Ti is notoriously more forgiving,” says McConneloug, making it a perfect ‘cross bike material. “The bike is amazing in cyclocross—I go through the bumpy sections and it just absorbs a lot of the shock. And in the tight turns, it’s compliant and incredible to ride.”

Beyond the frame, Team Seven chose specialist Italian component manufacturer FRM for the brakes, bottom bracket, cranks and seatpost. “We hooked up with them through Stan at Notubes.com,” Broderick says. “He’s the exclusive U.S. importer of FRM. They’re some of the lightest, stiffest, most race-worthy components in the industry. The cyclocross brakes are especially cool—they utilize a spoke instead of cable from the hanger down to the brake post. It’s a unique design and makes the brake super rigid.”

For McConneloug, the choice to replace her Shimano setup with FRM came down to shaving a little extra precious weight off her bike. “We took almost a pound off my bike,” she says proudly.

Bicycle Retailer and Industry News: Fab 5, Five Companies to Watch

Seven Cycles
Watertown, Massachusetts
Years in Business: 8
Employees: 35

Seven Cycles doesn’t make a lot of noise about women’s issues and it hasn’t joined the fray of companies offering “women’s-specific” bikes, but women play an important role at the high-end frame builder.

Jennifer Miller co-founded, co-owns and co-runs the company. Of the four people who helped start Seven, half were women. A third of its employees and more than 20 percent of its customers are women.

Prior to joining Seven as director of marketing, Miller worked at Merlin in operations and supply chain management. Before that, the avid cyclist and former mountain bike racer worked in financial services.

Miller said her gender matters little when it comes to business. By the same token, Seven has steered clear of the trend to develop and market bikes and products designed specifically for women.

“Women want to be taken seriously. They want choices and access to the same state-of-the-art products and services available to men. Often, ‘women’s specific’ offerings don’t represent the best and most innovative products,” she said, adding that Seven’s approach to building only custom bikes is a better solution to fitting female cyclists.

“Our rider-specific approach to frame building is the most comprehensive way to address the needs of women. A woman can choose from any of our 20 models, and we will design and build a bike specifically for her. We address everything—fit, biomechanics, ergonomics, handling, ride characteristics, features, options and color,” she said, adding that it’s very difficult to generalize about women’s needs.

“We have found that female bodies tend to vary more from woman to woman than male bodies do from man to man. It isn’t enough to say women have shorter torsos and smaller hands, and design products around these generalizations and expect to serve the women’s market adequately.”

“I fear some of the efforts to market to women risk further marginalizing them, especially if retailers think women need special treatment and careful handling.”

“The way I see it, providing great customer service—attentive, respectful, knowledgeable and helpful staff—shouldn’t be a gender issue,” Miller added.

Down-To-Earth Olympian Encourages Others

Mary McConneloug racing 'Cross

What follows is a letter sent to a publication that recounts the author’s special encounter with Team Seven’s Mary McConneloug. It is reprinted here by permission of its author.

Editor,

At first I thought it was oxygen deprivation. In the middle of the “C” race at the Downeast Cyclocross in New Gloucester, Maine, I was struggling up a long hill towards what would eventually end in a mid-pack finish. To my right, a young woman in street clothes suddenly appeared along beside me, offering me a fresh bottle of water. “Strange,” I thought, “doesn’t she look like Mary McConneloug…”

Well, it turns out this was no apparition at all, but McConneloug herself. Despite the fact that her race was still hours and hours away, this Olympian took time in the early morning to cheer on a bunch of anonymous “C” racers and to offer us a drink and a few words of encouragement.

I hope McConneloug’s cyclocross sponsor, Seven Cycles, knows what a gem it has in her. In an age where elite athletes seem to occupy another world, McConneloug’s down-to-Earth nature is refreshing and admirable. I’ll be cheering her on all the way to the World Championships in St. Wendell, Germany.

Jack B., ME

cyclocrossworld.com: Interview with Mary McConneloug

Between nine months of mountain bike racing in Europe, an Olympic selection that ended up in court, and, finally, racing at the Athens Olympics in August, it’s been a busy year for Mary McConneloug. So it came as some surprise that the 33-year-old Californian decided to tackle this year’s Verge New England Cyclocross Series with all the gusto that has won her the past two series titles. But McConneloug has never been your typical bike racer.

After less than a month out of competition, but racing in the U.S. for the first time since last year’s Verge finale in New Hampshire, McConneloug won the series opener in Maine in dominant fashion. Cyclocrossworld caught up with the Seven Cycles rider following her win and asked why she’s spending her “off-season racing” ‘cross and how it works into her mountain bike career.

Cyclocrossworld: How hard is it getting used to racing a ‘cross event? Today’s race was only 35 minutes.

Mary McConneloug: It’s so different from mountain biking, it’s over like that. I think my fitness from the season is still up at the next notch. But I still need to train for ‘cross: shorter, harder stuff. I feel like I have the base from the mountain bike season.

CW: When did you start training for the ‘cross season?

MM: When I got back from Europe I spent two weeks just chilling out. Then I went for my first ‘cross ride right before Interbike, which was last week. I needed to feel what it was like to move with the bike and do transitions.

CW: Last year after the Northampton race you said you were done for the series, but then you came back and won the jersey.

MM: Well, the Rhode Island race got cancelled and that gave me the break I needed. It’s hard for me to sit still.

CW: How do you think racing ‘cross has helped you mountain biking?

MM: Bike handling skills for sure. It takes that to the next level. It’s really hard to control a ‘cross bike in the mud, it’s so different. Also, just to stay fit in the winter is good. Once you get out of shape it’s really hard to get it back.

CW: Are you considering ‘cross worlds this year?

MM: It’s too late in the season, I’ll be training for mountain bikes. But I am considering nationals. Last year I was so focused on getting ready for the big mountain bike season.

CW: Is nationals a race you’d like to win?

MM: I would, it would be a little dream come true again. We’ll see how it goes. We really need to focus on putting our team together again for next year. It’s a full-time job and this is the time of year to get it done. That takes a lot of energy and it takes a lot of energy to come and race ‘cross every weekend. So we’re just going to take it as it comes. I’d like to do the whole Verge series, but the priority is to be set for next year.