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Women’s special: Aventón Factory Team

In Milan, the last october, The women’s division of the Aventón Factory Team was crowned the RHC Series 2015 champion. We took advantage of the collaboration and availability of Sammi Runnels, who has helped us a lot in logistics to conduct this article, talking about the whole team and meet all its components. Each is with their ways of being.

“The Aventon women’s team took 1st in the team overall and it was 5th in the individual overall for the series.  We had a pretty amazing year learning to race fix gear crits together. “

 

SAMMI RUNNELS

I’m a 24 year old bicycle courier out of Austin TX. I’m an artist and a reptile lover.   My current life focus is moving up the ladder of racing. I just signed my first Pro contract with a mountain bike team for 2016.

How did you get into fixed gear racing and the Aventon Factory Team?

Redhook Brooklyn 2015 was my first fixed race. I had been racing road for 3 years at that point. It was rad to finally try a fix gear race since fix gears are what got me into cycling.  My close friend Ash Duban asked me to guest ride on her team Affinity. I finished 7th. Sean Burke the director of Aventon contacted me with an offer to go to London.

How do you train for these crits?

I race local weekly road crits 8 months out of the year. It’s really great training. I usually do the men’s race so it allows me to really push myself. Off Road racing had recently become my focus. I really have enjoyed being able to take parts in a huge variety of races this past year. I honestly didn’t do much Fix Gear specific training last year. This upcoming year I will be training on my fixed a lot more.

What’s your passion for cycling?

I just really love to race my bike. I started riding at 19. I was hooked.  Being in a race is just so much more though. I felt like I had found a missing piece of myself when i started competing. I didn’t grow up with sports so it was different. I really wish i had cycling as a kid. Every kid needs a bicycle.

Women cycling

The women’s RHC field has been amazing this year. It’s always great to show up to an event with a big field of strong ladies. I feel like it’s a wonderful atmosphere.  Obviously they are aggressive in the race but it seems like that’s where the aggression stays. It’s great when competitors can show respect and support for each other out of the peloton. I always strive to be supportive of other women in the sport. The women fields are smaller so we have to stick together as riders to help grow our sport. I know my first couple races were nerve racking so I try to show encouragement to new riders. One day we will have to field sizes of the men.

Motto

Take the road less traveled

 

KYM PERFETTO

I’m a Youtuber, spin instructor and bike racer (by way of messengering and alleycats).

How did you get into fixed gear and Aventon Factory Team?

I started riding fixed gear when my Schwinn 10 speed was stolen and my friend Austin Horse gave me an old conversion that was 3 sizes too big for me. I started racing alleycats and messengering. After finally getting a real track bike, I began sanctioned racing in the velodrome, and started traveling everywhere with my bike.

How do you train for these crits?

I trained for the crits by doing sprint/interval training in my spin classes, doing long rides twice a week and riding short, fast group rides twice a wk.

Women cycling

The women’s RHC is so awesome. It’s rare that women from all different cycling backgrounds merge to compete. We are bike messengers, pro roadies, cyclocross racers and velodrome athletes. For 45 min, we compete together and it’s just short and fast enough that it could be anyone’s race. The women respect each other, all of us grateful to have strong competition and a crowd to cheers us.

Motto

My motto is practice courage by pushing limits.

 

ESTHER WALKER

I currently live in San Diego, CA and am working on my PhD in Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).  When I’m not in the lab or teaching, you’ll likely find me on my bike.

How did you get into fixed gear and Aventon Factory Team?

I first started racing my bike on the track last year (2014) and immediately fell in love with it. I raced whenever I could at our local velodrome and started seeing some improvements by the end of the season. At the end of 2014, Sean Burke (the director of the Aventon team) contacted me about the possibility of joining the team (which would be mostly composed of some strong SoCal riders). I was a little intimidated at first, but even though I wasn’t the most experienced racer at that point (and had never ridden my fixed gear on the road), the opportunity was too exciting to turn down.

How do you train for these crits?

I primarily race on the road and on the track and so much of the fitness I gain training for those races transfers over for the fixed gear races. On the technical side though, the biggest difference for me was getting accustomed to cornering at high speeds without being able to coast.  To help with this, Sean (director of the Aventon team) organized some fixed-gear specific training from time to time to build up those skills. I also just try to spend as much time on my fixed gear bike as possible and I’ve really grown to love the way it feels to ride a fixed gear around town.

What’s your passion for cycling?

One of my biggest passions in cycling is trying to grow the community of women racers. The more women we have racing, the more competitive and the more fun it is to race. I help organize a weekly women’s ride for the local UCSD collegiate team and it’s been amazing to see our numbers grow with each ride. Because of this passion, I’m incredibly proud to be part of a team like Aventon that is so supportive of women’s racing, especially in the fixed gear scene. I think Aventon really helped pave the way for the development of women’s fixed gear teams, particularly in the RHC series. The first few races, we were definitely the largest women’s team, but as the series unfolded, more and more women’s teams started to pop up. It was so awesome to see and I hope this sets a precedent for next season!

 

NISSY

I am a track cyclist and sprinting is my specialty. I began racing bikes when I was 12 years old. I competed in many different road time trial events as well as criterium events. During my second season, I was introduced to the Alpenrose Velodrome where I excelled earning many state titles and eventually moving on to national and international track events.

How did you get into fixed gear and Aventon Factory Team?

After moving to Southern California, I was introduced to the Wolfpack Hustle street sprints. Not knowing what to expect, I made the assumption that the scene would be similar to events I had attended in Portland where jeans and a t-shirt were the usual attire and crowds were relatively small. I was probably the only person at the streets sprints on a crappy steel commuter bike while everyone else was on nicer race equipment and wearing spandex. I ended up winning an Aventon frame. Two years later, Aventon developed a team, and I was asked to join based on a recommendation.

How did you train for criterium?

I am coached by Jennie Reed who put me through a tough program of road and trainer efforts.

What’s passion for cyclism for you?

Track cycling is what makes me happy and makes me feel whole. I am passionate about cycling, because it is a huge part of what makes me.

Motto

Go fast, push on!

 

GRETCHEN

Gretchen is a medical student in San Diego. When not riding her bike or thinking about riding her bike she can usually be found surfing or studying. Her background is primarily in road cycling and after dominating the collegiate racing scene in 2015, winning both the road race and criterium at nationals, she took on her first Red Hook Crit with the Aventon Facotry Team in London. There she finished 8th and later landed a podium finish in Barcelona. In 2016 Gretchen, undoubtedly a top contender in any RHC field, will be looking to take home victories for the Aventon Women’s team.

 

JEN WHALEN

I come from a background of cross-country running and soccer. After living in NYC and racing fixed gear street races/alleycats around the world, I found a love for road racing when I moved to California in Feb 2012. I’m a cat 1, all-around rider. I split my time between riding bikes and working as a Writer/Producer for Warner Bros. TV. I founded and produce a video series called “California Girls,” think Dumb and Dumber, with 2 female cyclists as Harry and Lloyd. I secretly not secretly want to succeed in comedy, so that means I’ve officially chosen to pursue 2 areas- bike racing, where there’s an imbalance when it comes to women. And now I don’t really hate myself.

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