Wow can you believe we are only half way through April and Team Speed Queen's Athletes already have 3 wins (including a gold medal at the California Senior Games Time Trial), 9 podium places and over 17 top ten finishes. Can you say we kick ass! Congratulations to all of our athletes. The season is young and our expectations are high.

Click here to read about all of our race results so far this year.

Have you been training but have yet to win a race? Do you wonder how the other guys are getting results when you think you are stronger? Do you get to the final lap and wonder what to do?

If you have heard about tactics in bike racing and have wondered how to implement them into your race plan, then this series is for you. Join former Saturn Cycling Team Director and Team Speed Queen Coach Giana Roberge in a four week series to dissect bicycle racing to its finer points, including how to properly ride a wheel, how to evaluate the challenges facing you, how to create a winning plan, and finally how to execute that plan into a podium finish. Ready for results? Here it is.

The Tactics and Strategy Clinic will be open to riders who have race experience or substantial group riding experience. They will run Thursdays in June (June 3, 10, 17, 24) with a "bonus" clinic on Tuesday, June 29th at the Tuesday Night Twilights with tactical advice and post ride analysis. The cost for all five classes is only $100.

Click here if you have any questions regarding the Strategies and Tactics Clinic or if you want to register.

This month we are focusing on Mike Suminski, an accomplished bicycle racer and Ironman competitor. The following is his story about how Team Speed Queen helped him not only achieve his athletic goals but to fully activate his life. We hope you enjoy Mike's story.

"Giana has been a great coach for me and has taken the time to get to really know me; to know what motivates me, and to help me adjust when job/family etc take priority (as they should) over training. She knows when to push me and make me accountable for maintaining a proper weight, when to have me focused on PowerTap numbers and when to have me ignore the numbers and focus on effort. She has gone out of her way to respond to texts, emails, and phone calls during times of frustration and to be that re-assuring constant force in my training schedule. She's encouraged me when I was feeling weak and has known when to recommend rest and backing off. She has listened patiently while I've recounted each day of a week's training in detail and has kept me focused on my main goals each year. She's gone out of her way to give me last minute advice on recovering from a cold, razor burned legs, sizing for a new stem, angst over tire pressure in a rainstorm race, recovering from long airline flights, packing a bike, difficulty in adjusting my rollers, gluing a tubular, nursing a saddle sore, recovering from road rash, broken bottle assault, or nursing a hangover."

"She's gone out of her way to contact me after a wreck-induced concussion, has shared in both the sadness of ending a girlfriend relationship and the death of loved pets. She's been my friend and has shared good wishes for me in meeting and growing close to my fiancee'. She has shown belief in me, helped me see potential in my abilities that I might not have seen and helped me form an orderly plan to meet those goals."

"More than anything else she's been a great friend. It's this friendship that has made all the difference in our coach/client relationship. I know that she's not just putting me on a cookie cutter program based upon some bullshit age adjusted heart rate training charts. She's taken the time to know me; my fears, angers, drives, insecurities, athletic gifts, and mental strengths."

"When I win a race or have a good training day I want to get on the phone with her and update her; not only as a coach who can digest my numbers for the day; but more so as a friend who can share in my accomplishments knowing what I've sacrificed to accomplish it".

We believe you will enjoy reading his whole story especially if you are interested in pushing your boundries and competing.

Click here to read Mike's story about it how it all started.

Click here to read about Team Speed Queen's coaching programs.

Tired of the sticky mess caused by mass-marketed on the bike electrolyte drink mixes? Looking for an on the bike electrolyte mix that has nothing artificial, no sugar, extra calories and no flavorings to go bad during long hot rides? Tired of ingesting dextrose, fructose, glucose and sucrose when what you really want are electrolytes?

Well, believe me I have tried them all and the only one that I recommend (as I use it myself), is ReHydrate, a tasteless water based blend of naturally occurring minerals and trace minerals.

While carbohydrates are necessary for the body to manufacture energy, drinking sugar-laden sports drinks can overwhelm the palette, cause nausea and bloating, and at times provide more calories than is necessary. ReHydrate maximizes every squeeze from your water bottle as it provides only what your body needs; instant and effective hydration that enables you to recover fast,. There is nothing extra to weigh you down.

ReHydrate is the only electrolyte fully compatible with all hydration systems. Unlike sports drinks or electrolyte-replacement powders or gels, it can be added to your hydration system without the sticky stuff to clean up when you’re done. The ingredient list is short and to the point; water, potassium chloride and a blend of 72 naturally occurring minerals and trace minerals. Nothing more. To clean your bottles or pack you need only plain water.

Click here if you have any questions regarding ReHydrate or if you you are ready to make the switch and want to place an order.

We as athletes expend incredible amounts of energy during our rides, races and workouts. No matter how hard we try to replenish our bodies with healthy foods, there are times when time is scarce and we need help to rebuild the muscles and tissues that we have pushed to the limits!

I want to share with you the ultimate protein supplement that I choose to use, Warrior Food. Made with sprouted raw, organic brown rice protein, organic hemp protein, nopal cactus and enhanced nutritionally with numerous enzymes it is pure, healthy protein and contains no whey. Just add 2 tablespoons of Warrior Food to a glass of Chocolate Bliss or mix it in a smoothie and you have 17 grams of clean protein ready to be absorbed and used to rebuild your body's tissues. Since it contains no dairy by-products, it is easily assimilated and broken down in the digestive system to quickly start the rebuilding process.

Click here if you have any questions regarding Warrior Food or if you you are ready to help your body rebuild with pure raw, vegan Warrior Food and want to place an order.

The following article was written by Dr. William Prange, a former psychotherapist and teacher of yoga, meditation, and bodywork. Dr. Prange has extensive experience in the treatment of chronic pain and illness and brings a holistic approach to health and healing. He has been in private practice for over thirty years, has pioneered the use of acupuncture in mainstream medicine and is currently in private practice in Sebastopol, CA.

I had the good fortune of talking with Tim Brown, the Raider's Hall of Fame receiver, a few years ago, who told me how his use of enzymes added three years to his career. In pain and unable to get out of a chair for several days after a game, Brown had exhausted his use of prescriptive drugs and was considering illegal steroids when he was introduced to Dr. Dic Cie Fuller, ND. Dr. Fuller taught him how to use proteolytic enzymes (which are used to treat soft tissue injuries) both during competition to improve his performance and between competition to accelerate healing. I subsequently studied clinical enzymology and found an emerging body of scientific knowledge substantiating the benefits of enzymes for a multitude of medical conditions caused by chronic inflammation, such as heart disease and arthritis.

Enzymes have been called "the secret of life", and without them life would be impossible as they are central to every biochemical reaction. For the athlete, enzymes play an essential role in regulating inflammation and other functions of the immune system. Inflammation is one of the body's most important mechanisms for protecting itself against injury. If you've ever had an insect bite, a sprained ankle, a sore throat, or a hamstring injury, you know what inflammation is. Inflammation is the body's way of imposing a measured, temporary discomfort as it promotes healing.

The five primary symptoms of inflammation are redness, heat, swelling pain and restriction of movement. These signs indicate that the body is bringing in more blood and immune resources, like white blood cells and macrophages, to remove microorganisms and other foreign matter. Redness is a sign that vasodilation is allowing more blood and other fluids to reach the affected area; local heat reflects the increased flow of warm blood from deep within the body; swelling (edema) is caused by the local accumulation of fluids; pain and restricted mobility arise from the added pressure due to the swelling.

Enzymes work with the body’s innate mechanisms to promote healing and allow inflammation to progress naturally. They support the production of various cytokines, activate large proteins, such as alpha-2-macroglobulins, and slow the clotting mechanism, promote effective scar tissue formation, and sustain a healthier healing response. Recent research at Baylor University (Buford et al., 2008 ) as well as countless European and University studies, confirm that proteolytic enzymes improve athletic performance, enhance recovery from acute athletic stress and repair of injury, and outperform NSAIDS long term anti-inflammatory effects.

There are no uniform measurements of enzyme potency; thus, it is challenging to compare the strengths of different types of enzymes. I recommend using an enzyme product that does not contain preservatives, fillers, herbs, or vitamins. Vegetarian enzymes (usually produced by aspergillus) do not need to be enteric coated and are typically more active than enzymes from animal sources (e.g. pancreatin, chymotrypsin). "Transformation Enzymes" and "Enzymetica" are two excellent enzyme companies.

It is best to start ingesting enzymes as soon as possible after the injury. They should be taken on an empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before or one hour after eating any protein. Orally ingested enzymes remain active in the blood for about 24 hours and maintain blood levels for 4 hours. Therefore, enzymes should be taken every four hours until managed and then reduced to 3 times a day until the condition is resolved. For acute sprains, strains and contusions I recommend taking enzymes hourly along with topical ice on the injured site until acute pain and swelling is significantly reduced. Unlike many nutritional supplements, proteolytic enzymes have a relatively short shelf life of one year so make sure that you purchase them from a source that can guarantee their freshness.

Dr. Prange is licensed to practice acupuncture by the California Medical Board and is a past board member of the California Acupuncture Association. His formal training has included earning a Doctorate in Oriental Medicine from SAMRA University and completing advanced acupuncture training in China. Since 1974, Dr Prange has helped thousands of people improve their health through natural medicines. He is an avid student of health and healing, and researches emerging therapies with a critical eye for proven results. To find out more about Dr. Prange check out his website wwwdrprange.com.

Team up with Team Speed Queen for a three day training camp from June 11 to 13th with your partner, your bicycles and a willingness to have a great time. We recognize that being able to ride with your partner can be a challenge if your skills or fitness are not matched. This is a camp to Teach You Both How To Ride Together, regardless of your fitness, your skills, or difference in your overall athletic goals.

Taking over 20 years of cycling experience, we will teach you as a couple how to work together to make your riding experience enjoyable for you both. Acting as facilitators, we will provide you with the skills to ride together, give you fun workouts that you can do together, and take you on rides which will give you plenty of opportunity to ride with the best teammate in the world – your partner.

Click here to read more including information about your training, itinerary and all that is included.

Race season is upon us, and unfortunately crashing and the resulting road rash is par for the course. These abrasions (road rash) are classified as friction burns and the tissue damage is similar to the injuries from burns. A crash does not need to take you away from training for long if you know how to care for your wounds. But before you can care for your wounds, you need to learn how to classify them and how to treat them.

Click here to read the rest of the article about racing and road rash.

We were blown away by the demand for our "on the bike rocket fuel", a.k.a. Chocolate Bliss. We just got restocked with this "superfood" so don't delay. Email us now to order your supply and keep you energized. Not familiar with Chocolate Bliss?

Click here to read more about the most complete and pure on the bike food.

Click here if you have any questions regarding Chocolate Bliss or if you would like to place an order for some.