Troupe Racing Company Announces 2009 Sponsors + Team Roster
Mission Viejo, CA 2008 Southern California mountain bike team Troupe Racing Company is please to announce that they’ll be back in force for the 2009 season. This marks the second year for the amateur team which participates in all forms of cross country racing. Team Captain Tim VanGilder said that the response from Troupe’s first year from both the riding community and sponsors was beyond expectations. “Our goal will be to continue to build a small and unique mountain bike team similar to a pro team. We’re amateurs, but we try to present ourselves as if we’re all pros. That takes work, but in the end, its actually a lot fun and adds something special to our team’s brand. We’re very active in sharing our rides and races online, too – we hope that helps inspire others to get into racing.”
Troupe had a solid performance in their first season that saw members consistently in the the top 10 and on the podium. “We win some… we loose some. We take all races seriously, but in the end, we’re racing bikes and enjoying the spirit of competition,” Tim added.
The 2009 race schedule will reflect the team’s interest in endurance racing. Members have their sights set on events like the Warriors’ Society Vision Quest / Counting Coupe, solo and team entries in the 12 Hours of Temecula series, 24 Hours of Adrenaline events, and 24 Hour National Championships, as well as a host of traditional cross country races like Sea Otter Classic and the Rim Nordic series in SoCal.
Sponsors
Part of Troupe’s unique presence is their sponsor line-up. “Each sponsor is carefully chosen based on the quality of their products and our experiences with them. We don’t approach any company that we’ve never used before. We believe that all our sponsors help to build our image, so it’s important that our sponsors have a unique presence. They’re either an unexpected brand, or they represent a premium product,” Tim said. “We’re happy that our first year sponsors wanted to continue with us – we must be doing something right!,” he added.
New for ‘09, the team is please to have Santa Cruz and their Blur XC bikes on board. X-Fusion suspension will compliment the frames and is supporting the team with forks and shocks. “For us, this is the dream set-up,” Tim said. Crankbrothers also continues with the team and will supply pedals, directsets, and their new Cobalt xc wheels. Australian based Knog will provide a variety of lights, softgoods, and their new N.E.R.D. cycling computers. “Knog is one of those companies that we’re really excited to have back for ‘09. They’re totally unexpected for xc racing, but they design awesome lights and products,” Tim said. To keep the bikes comfortable during those midnight laps, Troupe chose f’izi:k saddles and Ergon grips. WTB will again be their tire of choice. “We wanted to work with WTB because to us, the represent a classic mountain bike brand with excellent quality” Tim said on relationship with WTB. SixSixOne supports the team with gloves and brings a bit of top-quality style to the team’s kit, which will again be produced by Hincapie Sportswear. “The Hincapie gear is just awesome. The detail and quality of their clothing is like none other. They are our first choice for our kits” Tim said. Finally, fueling it all is the endurance nutrition power-house, Hammer Nutrition. “We’ve all been using Hammer for years, so we’re really happy to have them officially part of our team” added team rider Randy Profeta who has been a long-time proponent of Hammer’s line of products.
Riders
The 2009 team will consist of all the original members. In addition, they welcome a number of new riders. Megan Corradino and Laura Knight join and will allow Troupe to enter a womens team to events like 12 Hours of Temecula and other 24 hour races. John Cordoba joins and will be representing on both a single speed an a geared bike. Two additional team riders, Errett Cord and Joses Kofford will join the team at select events.
2009 Roster
Megan Corradino, San Clemente, CA
Laura Knight, Costa Mesa, CA
Michelle VanGilder, Mission Viejo, CA
Monica Zorilla, Aliso Viejo, CA
Randy Profeta, Irvine, CA
John Cordoba, Laguna Niguel, CA
Ben Blank, Wildomar, CA
Tim VanGilder, Mission Viejo, CA
Kevin Akerman, Ladera Ranch, CA
Damon Mann, Ladera Ranch, CA
Roy Alvarado, Lake Forest, CA
Errett Cord, Newport Beach, CA
Joses Kofford, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
