The AC Elite Team raced the Tour of The Gila in New Mexico last week. They were honored to share the road with Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner.

Each team member fought his own epic battle during the week. Ian got a flat and spent what seemed like an eternity dragging himself solo back to the pack - and made it - with a quick kudos by Johan Bruyneel along the way!

Kris found himself cresting a hill during stage 2 with a small group that included Lance, whom Kris says is absolutely intimidating to look at on a bike. Kris suddenly found himself leading the entire peloton at break-neck speed down the descent.

Click here for Gila photo album

For more Gila anecdotes check out the AC Team Blogs - Click for Ian's blog, Kris' blog

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Fausto Pinarello's visit to Above Category

We had the pleasure of having our friend Fausto Pinarello visit us this past weekend. We had over 70 cyclists join us for an incredible ride up the coast and over Tam and the same number at the post ride event afterward. We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who joined us on Sunday. Besides Fausto a large contingent of Team Bissell was here as well as our own Above Category Racing team, both fresh from the Sea Otter race series.


Fausto arrives after a big breakfast at the Dipsea Cafe.




Customer parking only... check out the slick carbon rack the Pinarello's are hanging on. Yes, they are carbon. Handmade by Parlee Cycles to be precise...




Fausto and the rest heading out.




Riders stretched all the way down to the bottom of this hill and around the corner. Hats off to everyone for riding well, we didn't have one car honk the entire ride...




Three minutes from the shop and we start climbing...




Waiting for the first of only two flats on the day, not that bad for a group this large. Pacific Ocean is about 3 minutes down the road. Tough place to ride eh?




Just finished climbing BoFax, 7km. Now the sisters... down to the riders right is the Pacific Ocean, about 2000 ft. below.




Talking to myself, as usual...
Fausto was amazed by the views, as I am on every ride. 5 sisters to go...




3 to go...




Same corner, Spence, Alex and Skyler of our Jr. Team pretty much led the entire ride...
To see more coverage of this event see BKW, BKW again and cycleto.com. Thanks for reading and again, a big thanks to everyone for joining us and helping us enjoy a great day...

Dario Pegoretti and gelato

Here are a few photo's from last months featured artist showing at Cici Gelateria, www.gelateriacici.com , in Mill Valley. I can not think of a better pairing; the best gelato in the states and 9 of the finest Pegoretti frames in steel and aluminum. It was great seeing them hung on the wall of something other than the bike shop for a while and I loved seeing cyclists and non cyclists alike learning a little about one of the best frame builders and designers in the world. Thanks Cici!


A 55cm Marcelo, 52cm 8:30am and a 51cm Duende. Even though the frames are not there anymore, next time you are in Mill Valley, you need to stop by Cici. Seriousely, the best gelato i've ever had, and i've had a lot. Ask for the salted chocolate and caramel...



'09 Duende 56cm, a customers Marcelo, 57cm Big Leg Emma and another customers Marcelo...



Check out the Marcelo with the '09 Baci paint scheme but in a kind of steel blue base layer. Way in the back is a 52cm Fina Estampa. One of the coolest bikes in the collection...



No, this is not a Responsorium. It's a Marcelo, and sorry, but it's sold!



Classic Love #3 on the right in 58cm. If you want to see any of these in person they are back in the shop now!

Thanks for looking!

Pegoretti Big Leg Emma, Custom

All Photography by Dean Bentley.

Above Category Update

Please accept our apologies for the lack of recent posts! A couple of updates for you.

1) Many people have called and emailed about their virus software picking something up on this site. We have checked and rechecked with our web-host and our tech folks and we absolutely do not have any bugs. It's caused by some wayward code and is completely harmless. So do not panic.

2) One reason for our delay in posts is our brand new website which is currently in the works. Please stay tuned for this! We will be opening it up in the next couple of weeks.

3) Another reason for the delay is a number of exciting changes at the store. Come on by and say hello and see what's new.

Pegoretti Responsorium

This one went out last week:

Aero Testing on the Track: The Next Level

March 20th, 2009

Interested in dialing in your time trial position with the latest technology available? Whenever someone comes to us for a bike fit, coaching, or lactate testing, we direct them right next door to Craig Upton at Performance Labs HC. We've worked together now for 3 years and Craig's experience and results are absolutely best in class. This March 20th Craig is offering an incredible opportunity utilizing the most advanced developments in aero positioning.

Wind tunnel testing has become de rigueur for serious competitors against the clock, but it still has its disadvantages. One, at $900 an hour (and you'll need a minimum of two hours), it's expensive. Two, and more importantly, a slippery position is no good if you can't ride with maximum power. A position inefficiency of a few millimeters can rob a rider of 20 or 30 watts. That's why Lance Armstrong and others are now verifying their wind tunnel results with live testing on the track.

Craig Upton of Performance Labs HC is offering a unique opportunity to take to LA's world class indoor velodrome this March 20th for some live aero testing. Included is a biomechanical bike fit and a full day of runs on the track, using testing equipment and protocol developed by Uli Schoberer, inventor of the SRM. Recently, while working with a member of the USA National Team, Craig and his team were able to reduce her 45 kph power 40 watts, from 300 to 260! This is a savings of 4 minutes per hour! Imagine being able to ride the same speed at 15% less power.

Riders will do multiple runs trying out positions, and each run will be assessed for aerodynamics and efficiency, ultimately yielding the best combination of power, comfort, and speed. Riders will leave with a spreadsheet of their data and photographs of each position. A catered lunch will be served.

If you'd like to attend, or have any questions, contact Craig Upton at (415) 435-2528.

The video below is an example of aero track testing, showing Lance Armstrong testing in November.