Gentlewomen, start your engines 🏎️🚗🚴‍♀️ an epic SIX day rendition of the @tourdebloom is here 🌸 and we’re bringing a squad that’s ready to rumble for it. Get ready! 1️⃣ Mountain 🏔️ top twilight mass hill climb ➡️ 2️⃣ Open farming plains and crosswinds 👀💨➡️ 3️⃣ Our favorite, the downtown twilight crit ⚡️💸➡️ 4️⃣ Hot laps on rolling lanes around the lake 🚤🐻➡️ 5️⃣ A flat & powerful 25km Race of Truth TT ⏰➡️ 6️⃣ A blistering queen 👸 stage, sprint circuits into a ~35km two-part climb, back to the top of the mountain where it all begin 🥵😎🆒 Roster is rallied 🫡 Kim Lucie, AZ Zoe Saccio, OR Brenna Wrye-Simpson, OR Emma Betuel, NY (guest ⭐️) Kaya Musgrave, CO (guest ⭐️) The action starts this Thursday, May 14 in Wenatchee, WA All this thanks to incredible PNW companies that believe in women’s cycling 🧡 @sellwoodcycle @thepuffcoffee @castellicycling @starkwoodchiro @steeplejackbeer @skratchlabs @sockguyluv @lazersportna @rideshimano #TeamSandMCX #sellwoodcyclerepair #doitthehardway #longlivetheindependentbikeshopteam

Everything happens on Sunset. The Redlands Bicycle Classic has been won and lost time and time again on its epic final stage. Sunset’s design is perhaps one of the coolest for community spectation, with an immediate long uphill drag lined with palm trees pulling the field to the city’s neighborhood on the hill, where the course pitches and twists on narrow technical roads 9 times over, steadily wearing down the field on their fifth day of racing, and providing a perfect launchpad for daring last day stage or GC bids. It’s a feat to complete all of the circuits up high—it’s another level to make it back down to the downtown and race the stage’s finale: 3 laps of the crit course in a dramatically reduced group, where final time bonuses can still change GC. To win the Sunset stage is the stuff of legends and something that every North American rider dreams about. This year’s edition brought a downward temperature swing and the rain—a little more elemental chaos for an already attritional stage. Our small team went into the week with our focus really on the last three days—and ultimately the last day, knowing how much is at stake in riding Sunset well. Cycling is so often a heartbreaker though, and adversity is a regular element. Some extra nerves in the peloton resulted in three small crashes on the way up to the circuits, and sadly our Cara was caught up in the very first one. Coming back to the field on the course’s opening uphill drag after slamming hard is an extremely hard task and wasn’t manageable after this. Positively, we celebrated a very strong ride from our guest Arielle—we positioned her forward carrying into the beginning of the circuits, and she made it with the first group for 7 out of 9 of the upper laps as the rain came down. That’s a ride to be proud of—especially as a medical resident in an ICU rotation in her second Redlands ever—and we’re ultimately proud to have been able to rep the S&M jersey here at the 40th annual RBC, even when all things didn’t manifest as we dreamed. Big shoutout to our PNW pal @kent__ross of @cascadiacyclingteam on realizing a dream and winning Sunset in the men’s race!! 📸 @blakedahlin

Crit day, stage 4 of this year’s @redlandsclassic, brought us some fun, some flow, and some reward! On a notoriously hard, technical course of +/- 300 corners over an elapsed 75 minutes, where the biggest teams were pulling out all the stops to secure jerseys, we snuck in behind the final leadouts and secured a 5th for Cara & 7th for Arielle. Not shabby at all. We love crit day ⚡️ 📸 @blakedahlin ✨ #TeamSandMCX #RedlandsBicycleClassic #wherelegendsareborn #womenscycling #doitthehardway

@redlandsclassic, stages 2 & 3: blisteringly fast in two very different ways. Stage 2 was wide open, fast, and nervous, with a 140 rider bunch ready to prove something in the first mass stage. 43.2 miles in 1h 39m left minimal margin for error. The intention was to be safe and conserve energy. Both Kim & Brenna were involved in a fast crash but came away intact and uninjured, while Arielle’s bike took a blow hard enough to break it in the final, but without bodily harm. Onward. Stage 3 featured a huge descent followed by a progressively steepening, narrowing, twisting climb in its 4.5mi circuit. With 9 laps on tap, and intense battles for the QOM and overall GC unfolding, we knew today would be a hard day. With the biggest teams challenging and testing each other, we hoped to keep Cara and Arielle as close to the front as possible. We head into today’s very technical 9 corner crit with plenty to play for, as racing this stage will yields high return in the 5 day effort that is the Redlands Classic, and every year’s edition always yields a dramatic battle on the closing stage, the Sunset Loop. 📸✨ @blakedahlin #TeamSandMCX #womenscycling #RedlandsBicycleClassic #wherelegendsareborn #sellwoodcyclerepair

The 40th edition of the @redlandsclassic is officially underway, with the Stage 1 Lake Perris TT now behind us. A very cool, engaging, & technical circuit around the contours of the lake yielded some blazingly fast times. We stayed up in the mix and are looking forward to the bunch stages ahead. This year’s field hosts a record 142 starters, with a huge breadth of experience in and around the field, and it’s an honor to be here amongst that. Road racing ain’t dead! Ready for some more speedwork tomorrow in the Stage 2 Hangar 24 Circuit Race where potential is everywhere. #TeamSandMCX #redlandsclassic #wherelegendsareborn #womenscycling #longlivetheindependentbikeshopteam 📸✨ @blakedahlin

First stop on this season’s tour is just one week away! The 40th edition of the storied @redlandsclassic - #wherelegendsareborn - and the traditional proper opening to the US road calendar. Short n sharp circuits in this year’s edition will all still culminate on the iconic, career defining Sunset Loop! Our tidy and mighty roster is Cara O’Neill, AZ Kim Lucie, AZ Brenna Wrye-Simpson, OR And please welcome our insanely cool guest: Arielle Coy, IN We’re ready to make some noise 💥🍊🌸🚴‍♀️💨 #TeamSandMCX #sellwoodcyclerepair #womenscycling #longlivetheindependentbikeshopteam

Time to get this fun show on the road ✨ Team S&M CX 2026, brought to you by @sellwoodcycle @starkwoodchiro @steeplejackbeer @thepuffcoffee @castellicycling @rideshimano @lazersportna @skratchlabs @sockguyluv #womenscycling #TeamSandMCX #longlivetheindependentbikeshopteam #sellwoodcyclerepair

A tribute, a devotion, a quiet moment of love for our sweet friend, Fred Iversen (@cxviking). We are deeply saddened by his sudden loss, and our hearts are with his wife and sons and community. He is so very missed. Fred brought joy and commitment to his work with Team S&M, from the pits and parking lot of a frozen ‘21 Chicago Nationals, where he of course said yes to joining our crew when we really needed him. To being the glue of our traditional Midwest CX block at the 2022 Major Taylor and @cincycx, in his home @ohio_valley_cyclocross scene. To supporting our 2023 season and Clara’s return to the team, with important weekends at @trekcxcup, Cincy, and Louisville Nationals. And for being a true friend and fan of the team, the shop, and the independent spirit we stand for. Fred was a true blue team player, an engineer with a passion for helping, humble and good at his trades because he was always willing and hungry to keep learning, a cheerful light eager to bring laughter and carry a load or responsibility for the sake of the greater good. Dedicated to his friends, family, teammates, community, and community events. A caretaker, quick with a joke, ever invested in finding a new meaningful improvement for a system, observant and curious, passionate about good tools and cared-for equipment, happy when caring for others. When he garaged our van at his house in Indiana between race blocks, we returned to it stocked full of roadtrip treats and seasonal Christmas lights lining the ceiling. He worked hard to bring joy and ease to others. Thank you for your curious mind, generous spirit, and for shining bright, Fred, for giving us so much friendship. We miss you, and we are so much better for knowing you, having you in our lives, in our team. He leaves behind his wife Kim and two young sons, Oscar & Felix. Please consider donating to their future via Zelle (gingervikingfund@gmail.com). 🧡🧡🧡