Pro Bike Racing – Seven Cycles

Team Kenda Seven No Tubes at 2012 USA Cycling MTB CC National Championships!

Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick took the 2012 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Cross-Country National Championships in Sun Valley, Idaho by storm last weekend!

On Saturday, July 7, Mary raced to a podium finish taking the 5th position in the Women’s Pro Cross Country race. Later in the afternoon Mike put in a solid performance finishing 17^thoverall in the Men’s Pro Cross Country field. On Sunday morning, Mike raced to a 12th place finish in the Pro Men’s Super D and returned in the afternoon to take 19th place in the Pro Men’s Short Track Cross Country race. Mary raced in Sunday afternoon’s Women’s Pro Short Track Cross Country field and took a podium spot and bronze medal in her race!

Here is what Mary had to say about the races in sunny, parched Idaho:

“It is high and super dry out here with little chance of badly needed precipitation. The XC course consists of a single steep fire road climb that sorts everything out before dropping us into a no passing single track descent. It makes for some hard racing at this altitude but it was a good weekend and we are both stoked to be healthy and fit!”

At Nationals, Cycling Dirt interviewed Mike about his IMX SL 29er. Mike raced all of three races on this bike, and we are happy to hear he’s satisfied with its performance.

Team Kenda-Seven Makes U.S. National Team

Team Kenda-Seven’s Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick report from the Pan American Games

For the fifth and second consecutive years respectively, Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick have been named to the U.S. National Team to represent the United States at the UCI mountain bike World Championships in Rotorua, New Zealand on August 23-27. As was the case in her four previous nominations to the team, Mary was an automatic selection, this year due to her UCI overall standings. She is the top ranked American in the world. Mike is having his best season to date and was one of the “coaches selections” to the team.

Stay tuned for their results.

Taylor Takes Five at Hartford Crit

Kenda-Seven racer took lead early and never looked back

Riders raced 50 laps on the closed city loop

A very fast one! 50 laps, around a .7-mile loop, with no actual corners, a real “loop”, around Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut. The weather was about as perfect as it’s been since we arrived out East.
Downtowns always look so nice when it’s a holiday weekend, and Hartford was no exception. A beautiful capitol building and the grounds were green and clean.

Mike suited up while the Scrapper and I did our normal routine: check out the competition. The Nerac Team was hosting the race, and so they were out in numbers, as was the Fiordi Fruitti Team. And Colavita’s Italian Stallion: Davide Frattini (whom I did not recognize at first…the blonde bombshell is no longer blonde!). 110 guys lined the start of the Men’s P1/2 race. Luckily the streets were wide and the pavement was smooth!

Seven's Mike Taylor lines up with the 110-strong Pro/1-2 field — Seven’s Mike Taylor lines up with the 110-strong Pro/1-2 field

Race rules read and they’re off! Taylor got a good start near the front of the massive peloton, while the Scrapper and I found a nice resting spot in the shade. (She forgot her sun-screen!) About 7 laps later, my “Seven” rider comes hammering off the front at turn one, leading the way. Suddenly a Colavita guy flies past! Frattini leads the way into turn two with Taylor on his wheel; but soon, with 108 guys chasing, the field was quickly back together.

The bunch was very attentive, and while many riders attempted to escape, no one ever got more than 15 seconds off the front. Right around lap 48, the Fiordi Fruitti 8+ man train took their turn at the front. Taylor quickly took his position behind the train with Frattini hot on his wheel and some Target Training riders in close proximity. The storming peloton was strung out like a snake, and the only guys who weren’t on the train were the ones who got crashed out.

As they turned the last corner, I could see Taylor in the distance. Too excited to see him in the front of the race, I closed my eyes. So I missed one of the “Red men” zig-zagging his bike dangerously across the road in the sprint. Mike finished strong though: 5th place and in the dough!

We celebrated a fine Sunday with a plethora of sushi and beer—and toasted our sponsor/employer (Seven Cycles) for the lovely day!

Seven Welcomes Mike Taylor

Kenda-Seven racer took lead early and never looked back

Mike Taylor is not only the newest member of the Seven Cycles Fit Specialists team. The easy-going Minnesotan is also a six-year pro road racer who will be flying Seven’s colors on the racecourse. Seven Cycles is proud to have Mike onboard. Read Mike’s bio and race highlights below.

Mike Taylor at the races — Mike flies Seven’s colors out in front at Sturbridge Road Race. Photo courtesy of Bob Griffith

Mike began racing in 1991, moving from a Cat 5 rider to a Cat 1 rider in a single season. He spent 6 years racing with the Lombardi Sports Team, an elite amateur team in Northern California before becoming a professional rider. He spent the last 6 years as a professional, riding with the National Professional Teams (UCI Div 3/Continental) of Ofoto, Webcor and Mcguire. He also spent two seasons (2002 and 2003) living and racing the Belgian Kermesses and stage races in Belgium, France and Italy.

He recently relocated to Watertown, Massachusetts to work for Seven Cycles in the fit and design group after 15 years racing and working in the bicycle retail industry in California. Mike is very excited to be representing Seven Cycles in the Pro/Elite fields in New England this year. He’s competed and won races both domestically and abroad, is good all-around rider, and enjoys the team aspect of bike racing.

Growing up in the Midwest, Mike’s competitive eagerness began at an early age. His father, a junior high Physical Education teacher and coach, spent many a summer’s evening organizing and supervising neighborhood kids in countless games of the sport in season. Mike’s interest in athletics continued throughout high school where he competed in basketball, baseball, track and cross-country. Mike attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota where he graduated in 1991 with a B.S. in Business Management and was a member of the Varsity Basketball team.

During the off-season, Mike has worked as a mentor/coach of the PenVelo Junior Cycling Team with Clark Natwick of USA Cycling. His hobbies also include mountain biking and cross racing in the off-season and traveling and cycling in foreign countries with his wife, Joni, and his Jack Russell Terrier, Sydney.

Career Highlights

2005 Camden Classic – first place
2005 Lake Rebecca Cyclocross Classic – first place
2005 Red River Cyclocross Challenge – second place
2005 Erikson Brothers Tree Farm Cyclocross – third place
2005 Rum River Cyclocross Challenge – fourth place
2004 Infineon Criterium – third place
2004 Infineon Circuit Race – seventh place
2004 Tour of the Gila – Stage 3 – fifth place
2004 Coyote Creek Classic – second place
2004 Mount Hamilton Road Race – third place
2004 Leesville Gap Road Race – second place
2003 Tongerenn Kermesse – second place (Belgium)
2003 Kapellen-Tienen Kermesse – fifth place (Belgium)
2003 NorCal/NV District Road Race Championship – first place
2002 Winters Road Race – second place
2002 Incourt Circuit Race (Belgium) – fourth place
2002 Wente Road Race – first place
2002 Madera Stage Race Overall – second place (also in 1999, 1997)
2002 Daulton Road Race – second place
2002 Madera Criterium – second place
2001 Pescadero Road Race – first place
2001 San Bruno Mountain Hill Climb – first place
2001 Leesville Road Race – first place (also in 1995)
2001 Vuelta a Tachira (Venezuela) stage 1 – eleventh place
2001 Vuelta a Tachira (Venezuela) stage 4 – fifteenth place
2000 Lucca A Castallenia (Stage Race) (Italy) – first place
2000 Pine Flat Road Race – second place
2000 Mount Hamilton Road Race – second place
2000 Redlands Bicycle Classic prologue – eighth place
1999 McLane Pacific Road Race – first place
1999 California Cup Overall – second place
1999 University Road Race – second place
1999 Ben Hur Time Trial – second place
1999 Suisun Harbor Criterium – second place
1999 Redlands Bicycle Classic Overall – sixteenth place
1998 Madera Stage Race Overall – first place
1998 Daulton Road Race – first place (also in 1997, 1996)
1998 Ben Hur Time Trial – first place
1996 Tour of Sausalito – first place
1995 Mount Hamilton Road Race – first place

Seven Named to National Team… Again

We’re please to announce that team Kenda-Seven riders Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick have been selected to the U.S. National team to compete in the World Champions on August 31 in Livigno, Italy. This is Mary’s third trip to the Worlds and Mike’s second. Mary is currently the top-ranked American in the World.

From all of us at Seven Cycles, best of luck Mary and Mike!