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The Latest Team News
Wonderful® Pistachios
Unveils Jersey Design
January 6th, 2011
The Wonderful® Pistachios Pro Cycling Team has unveiled its new jersey design and announced it will donate a percentage of the profits from the sale of all team clothing to charity.
The U.S.-based, UCI Continental team headquartered in Los Angeles will sport the distinctive green, black and white colors of its title sponsor, Wonderful Pistachios. “Wonderful Pistachios has set the bar pretty high in terms of cool, edgy advertising and the jersey design they came up with for us reflects their style,” Wonderful Pistachios Team Owner and Director Josh Horowitz said. A full range of clothing (jersey, shorts, vests, jackets, etc.) made by Biemme is available for purchase on the team’s new website. www.WonderfulPistachiosProCycling.com.
Horowitz says the team will donate 25 percent of the profits from the sale of Wonderful Pistachios team clothing to the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research at the UCLA Medical Center. Now in its 14th year, the foundation’s efforts have significantly raised awareness and understanding about pancreatic cancer, a disease that continues to be one of the most fatal and least funded of all cancer types.
“My grandfather died of pancreatic cancer last month. It’s a terrible, nearly incurable disease,” Horowitz said. “I was introduced to foundation founder Agi Hirshberg through a colleague in the bicycle industry, who knew her from her work in the athletic community. Their mission fits in nicely with Wonderful Pistachios’ message of health and wellness.” Pistachios are a good source of both protein and fiber, along with many other important vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
The Wonderful Pistachios team will also wear purple wristbands throughout the 2011 season to show its support for the Hirshberg Foundation, Horowitz said.
The team’s current clothing sale – at discounted “club prices” – is only available to members of Wonderful Pistachios’ affiliate club, Liquid Cycling. The club is offering free annual membership for the duration of the sale, which ends at midnight on Monday, Jan. 10. Go to www.WonderfulPistachiosProCycling.com to sign up and order.
Fans can also follow the Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling Team by “liking” the squad’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wonderful-Pistachios-Pro-Cycling/121583121234686
Tags: bike, cancer, cancer research, cycling, cycling team, New Jersey, pro cycling team, title sponsor, vitamins, Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling Team
Faiers pursues American dream with Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling
January 11, 2011
Englishman’s 2010 season was ruined by heart condition
A year ago, it was said that Tom Faiers had been plucked from obscurity. Or to be more precise, that the young Englishman had once gone on a cycling holiday to Spain, dazzled local pros Luis Leon Sanchez and Alejandro Valverde on a training ride, signed up for a local team on their recommendation, then turned pro in the sport’s top division three years later. As one does in sporting fairytales...
There was plenty of poetic licence but also, lurking in there somewhere, the story of a dream come true. A dream that, five months after his first race in Footon-Servetto colours at the Trofeo Cala Millor, took a detour towards Faiers’ worst nightmare in a stage of the Tour of Austria, when the 23-year-old’s heart began to beat out of control.
Within seconds, Faiers had recognized the symptoms of a condition from which he’d suffered since his youth, but which rarely troubled him on his bike; within minutes he’d abandoned the race and, little did he know then, raced for the last time in 2010 and for the last time in Footon’s yucky gold livery.
“It used to happen now and again when I played squash, because it seems to be brought on by certain body movements, but it hadn’t happened in a bike race since the 2008 Tour of Madrid,” Faiers recalled on Monday.
Somehow left behind in the handover which saw Footon become Geox-TMC, the talented all-rounder was speaking to Cyclingnews from California, where he will race for the Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling Continental division team in 2011. While excited about that prospect, Faiers doesn’t deny that this wasn’t quite the outcome he’d imagined.
“Last year, the team obviously didn’t want me to race until I got the problem sorted, but it was slow going because there would always be a wait of a couple of weeks between the appointments with specialists,” he explained. “The consensus in the end was that it was an SVT
[Supraventricular tachycardia], which wasn’t dangerous, but an operation to fix it would have been risky, because it’s close to the AV node. In any case, I got the green light to race again at the end of September, but of course by then the season was pretty much over and I’d missed out on a really good programme in August in September. I was even down for the Vuelta…”
Just as Faiers was making plans for his comeback, so Footon-Servetto chief Mauro Gianetti was plotting his 2011 season with new sponsor Geox.
Apparently without Faiers…
“The team were really supportive at first, and Mauro said that I shouldn’t worry, that there’d be a place for me at Geox, but then it all went quiet,” Faiers said. “It’s a shame but I’m not really angry with them. I haven’t heard from Gianetti from two months, so I don’t know why they didn’t take me to Geox, but I’ve heard from one of the other directeurs that it was because of my heart condition…
“Like I said, it was a shame, because it was going OK there,” he continued.
“Obviously it was a big step up from the amateur racing I’d done in Spain but I was getting there and really looking forward to the second half of the year. I’d also done some decent rides, working for the team, and in Asturias, where I’d finished 26th in the time trial. And, I mean, I’m not blaming the team, but we didn’t even have time trial bikes to practice on at home…”
Rather than wallowing in regret and resentment, though, Faiers says that he is looking forward. He now hopes and believes that the American domestic scene could be an unorthodox yet effective shop window.
“My ultimate goal is definitely to get back onto a top European team,” he admitted.
“The team is going to do the National Racing Calendar races, and the set-up is good, so I’m really motivated. I’ve also had a really good
winter: I’m already fitter now than I was in April last year….”
Meet Sterling Magnell
Team Captain
Sterling, tell us about your
background outside of cycling.
I grew up country style and home schooled all the way through high school. My only college experience is two years of fashion design studies, so my perspective is a little different. I continue to be a student of life, deeply interested in the art/music/fashion world and I read a lot of non-fiction. The latest books I've read focused on NLP (neuro linguistic programing.) I think like an artist, thus I'm pretty good at distortion, meaning I like to find the beauty in any situation. Especially like the one we are all getting into. I see being a low budget underdog pro cycling team as the perfect opportunity to showcase ourselves as individuals and prove our capabilities against some of the most established professionals in the world. I hope to have a lot to offer, and plan on learning a lot from you.
What is your connection to cycling?
I've been racing my bike for 16 years and love it to death. Apart from being a professional on and off the bike and putting to use the stuff I've witnessed over the years about the ins and outs of the cycling world, I see this sport as the ultimate art form with the road as my canvas and my bike as my brush. I can go downhill REALLY WELL. Going uphill is another story but I can power my way over anything short and steep with the best of them. I TT well, especially short prolouge style and I can sprint for days.
What do you do in your spare time?
I also moonlight as a cab driver to pay the bills. It's a fun job that keeps me entertained, paid and off my feet after long rides!
Tell us about your past experiences racing on pro teams.
I've been on a teams that send a limo to the airport to bring you to the hotel, and I've been on teams that spend 3 months on the road staying in host housing to make all the NRC dates. I enjoyed the later far more. I've been on pro teams for 6 years, this year will be my 7th pro season. I raced for the national team as an espior and spent two seasons living in belgium at the team house.
What are your goals for the future?
My goals in cycling are broad. This year I want to perfect my TT abilities win tons of small races and maximize opportunities when we get into bigger races. My long term goal is to make it to the protour level and ride the classics. Specifically Paris Roubaix. I crashed out of the lead group halfway through U23 version in 2002 and have vowed to make it back ever since.
Any final words?
I find that the more in touch and committed to what you are doing, the more successful you are, and the more satisfaction that success brings.
I look forward to delving into 2011 with no holds barred.
Interview with Team Director
Josh Horowitz
Wonderful Pistachios 2011 Interview (November 2010)
Originally published on Bicycle.net
Josh, first off thanks for talking with Bicycle.net today.
Q: So, you now have “Wonderful Pistachios” as your primary sponsor. I am sure that it is not only exciting, but will help you grow this 2nd year Pro team. What kind of changes can we expect?
A: You will see a higher level of professionalism from us. This year we were still in transition from being an elite amateur team. In 2011 everything will be more polished, more fine tuned. Having a strong corporation like Wonderful Pistachios behind us will help us take the program to that next level.
Q: Last year you were not only the Director but a rider on the team. How will this year be different for you?
A: 2010 was always going to be my last race season. I hung up my bike after that brutal Park City “criterium” at the Tour of Utah. I have been racing for over 20 years so it was time to rest my legs. My focus now is purely on the management of the team. It’s a nice transition for me because while I am not racing, I am still very much involved in the sport. It would have been difficult to just quit cold turkey.
Q: Last year was your first year as a NRC Pro Team and there was a huge learning curve. How will having last years experience help the team reach the 2011 goals?
A: Applying for the UCI license was a real struggle in our first year but this time around that process was a lot easier. I also learned some basic business lessons. My educational background is in the arts so there are some fundamentals that I am learning along the way. Ultimately a team needs to be managed like any other business endeavor. If you make your investors happy they continue to support you but that means much more than hiring good riders and winning races. The budget has to be carefully controlled and exploited for maximum impact. Equipment has to be inventoried and carefully tracked.
The best value to the sponsor comes when a great branding strategy is in place. I went to NYU film school so my artistic side is really stimulated when it comes to finding new and unique ways to market the team but it’s the day to day business of running the company that is the key to ongoing success.
Q: And what are the goals for the 2011 season?
A: Our objective is to have a great presence at the big spectator events. There seems to be a old school train of thinking that successful teams are defined by their presence in the hardest races. We’re going beyond that model and will be focusing on the events where we can have the greatest impact and the most opportunities to spread the word about pistachio health. These are the downtown criteriums and circuit races like Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, Nevada City and Philadelphia. I have built a team that will be very effective in races like these. We want to have a lot of up face time with the spectators and we want to give away lots of pistachios!
Q: When you look at riders for the team, how do you make decisions on who, and what kind of rider is the best choice?
A: There are several components to picking a rider. Perhaps the most important is a strong referral from a trusted team director or coach, especially if I don’t know the rider personally. After that I look for riders who have strong NRC and UCI experience and who have raced on other pro squads. Finally, I try to pick riders who complement each others talents and will help us achieve success at the important races on our schedule.
Q: What does your roster look like for 2011? Who is staying from last year, and who is a new addition?
A: I’m really excited about our line-up for 2011. Returning racers include Tim Farnham, Eric Bennett and Alexi Martinez. Our team captain, Sterling Magnell, is new and will bring a wealth of experience and strong leadership to the program. Neil Coleman is another experienced rider who will make an important addition to the team. In terms of younger riders, we’ve picked up Victor Riquelme, Menso de Jong and Taylor Bertrand-Barrett and we will be adding 4 more in the coming weeks.
Q: Josh, you have worked really hard to get the team to this point. Starting out as a amateur team just a few years ago to a NRC Pro Team. Can you tell us how it feels when you look back to today? How proud are you of this team and what it can accomplish in 2011?
A: I am not ashamed to say that I feel a great level of personal satisfaction from the progress we have made so far. This team really is my (other) baby. I have a hand in everything including designing the clothing, building the team website, hiring the riders and signing all our cash and product sponsors. But it is also important to me that my riders are proud to wear the jersey and represent the team. Every year we take a step forward. With the addition of Wonderful Pistachios as a title sponsor I truly believe that there is no limit to how far we can go.
Having said that, if I had known from the outset the amount of work it would take to get to this point I may never have taken that first step. Several years ago when I first set out to build the elite amateur team, my car broke down on the way to a meeting with Howard Krepack of GEKLaw.com, one of the leading bicycle advocacy lawyers in California. I ended up running two miles in a suit and dress shoes through Beverly Hills and down Rodeo drive to make it to that meeting. I signed him up that day and he has been with us ever since. That was an important moment in this program’s creation and I might not be here now had I not made it to that meeting.
Q: It takes a lot of hard work and dollars to support a team at your level. Can you talk about the challenges, as well as the support you will have next season? (Sponsors, personal, etc…)
A: The impact that the bad economy has had on the US racing scene has been significant. Getting money this year has been extremely difficult and many teams have had to shut their doors. Frankly I’m just happy that we are still in the game. Unfortunately, there are many talented riders out there without teams and many of the riders who have found teams are not getting paid what they deserve if at all. Fortunately for us, our sponsors have been happy with the return we have given them so in addition to Wonderful Pistachios stepping up their contribution, many of our supporting cash sponsors are back such as Twinlab and PowerBar.
Q: When you look at all the doping scandals that has hit professional cycling what can you do to try to avoid scandal?
A: The only thing I can do is look closely at character. I would never hire a rider that I didn’t know without a very strong referral from someone who I trust. The way this team is constructed tends to bring us riders who have a true passion for the sport and are not motivated by the things that might cause a rider to resort to doping. I am 100% confident that this is a completely clean program.
Q: Will you still use Hypnosis in the 2011 season? How does it help a rider perform better?
A: Mental training is an essential part of race preparation. All of us are limited in some way by our perception of what we think we are capable of. Through my coaching company, Liquid Fitness, I have worked with world class cyclists as well as athletes in other disciplines including tennis, football and mixed martial arts fighting. The techniques I teach which include hypnosis, visualization, affirmations and breathing exercises ensure that our riders are always in a peak mental performance state.
Q: Josh, you had the chance to race at your childhood dream in Philly. What was that like? And will you miss being on the bike?
A: You would think that after 22 years of build up there would be a huge possibility for a major let down, but no. It was everything I ever dreamed it would be. Those first few laps around Benjamin Franklin Parkway were the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike. I kept telling myself, you’re here, you’re really here! The race was great and although it was 95 degrees with 60% humidity I don’t remember ever feeling hot or tired, even after 125 miles and five and a half hours of racing. Every time we went up the Manayunk Wall or over Lemon Hill, I was completely re-invigorated by the energy from the massive crowd. I will remember it for the rest of my life and I am eternally gratefully to my family for supporting my dream for so many years. I was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to pursue my dreams for so many years and but now it is time for me to focus on taking care of my family. I have no regrets.
Q: Looking forward – where would you like to see the team go?
A: I’m almost afraid to let my imagination run wild in terms of how far I think we could go but with a company like Wonderful Pistachios behind us I believe we can take the team to the highest level. Wonderful Pistachios has a presence in just about every part of the world so it makes sense that we would take the team to an international level. However, we want to proceed slowly and carefully to make sure we stay on the right path.
Q: Talk to us about how “Wonderful Pistachios” and cycling make a great partnership?
A: As a coach I’ve been touting the benefits of a high fiber, low glycemic diet for a long time, not just for racers but for anybody who wants to lose weight while improving energy and decreasing recovery time. Wonderful Pistachios understands that cyclists are among the hardest working athletes in the world, and that good nutrition is an important part of an active lifestyle. Pistachios are a great healthy snack choice for athletes: all-natural, rich in vitamins and nutrients, pistachios are the perfect post-workout complement to a rigorous workout regimen. Specifically pistachios are a good source of protein, fiber and key antioxidants and the shelling process helps with portion control which is an important factor in weight loss. Plus they taste really great!
Q: What is your tentative schedule for 2011?
A: Highlights include Redlands, Dana Point, Sea Otter, Philadelphia, Nevada City, US Crit Nationals and Manhattan Beach Grand Prix.
Q: What is it that drives you to want to run a professional cycling team with all the problems and struggles Pro Cycling has been under the last few years?
A: Probably the same thing that drove me to sit on my bike six hours at a time, 25 hours a week for the last 20 years. It’s something that I’m reasonably good at and I enjoy doing it. What more could you ask for from a career?
Q: How do you navigate the politics of Professional Cycling as a team owner?
A: It’s actually very interesting. There is a lot of secrecy even amongst the domestic programs. At Interbike I saw another team manager pitching a sponsor and I found myself peaking around the corner to get a glimpse at their sponsorship proposal. I still feel like a bit of an outsider although this year I have made an effort to network with other people who have been where I am now. I think in a perfect world there would be more communication and support between the teams.
Q: If there was one thing that you could change about cycling what would it be?
A: At the moment, I’m very frustrated with the way cycling has been handling the doping issue. It’s killing the sport. By the time we oust all the dopers, every single corporate dollar is going to be gone. Other sports have figured out how to handle this problem in a way that is not as damaging.
Q: Your hero?
A: My cycling hero? I’m going to go ahead and say Lance. Nobody can say that his comeback was not inspirational or that he didn’t do amazing things for this sport. As a teenager I sat on the art museum steps in Philadelphia and watched him win the Triple Crown. One of my first memories of professional cycling was watching Greg Lemond win the Tour by 8 seconds in that dramatic final time trial. When Lance was diagnosed with cancer I remember thinking that America just lost their shot at winning another Tour.
While Lance was on his way to his second tour victory, I was working in the mailroom of a talent agency that was in the same building as the Beverly Hills Nike Town. I came into work one morning and there was a massive yellow GO LANCE banner hung across the entire front of the building. It really blew me away. We take it for granted now but I had been in the sport for more than 10 years at the time and had never imagined it would ever get that kind of main stream recognition. Without Lance, you and I would probably not be here talking today.
I also appreciate what he has done for the cancer community. My grandfather just lost a very short battle with pancreatic cancer. This was my first real experience with the disease. Pancreatic cancer is 99% fatal and extremely aggressive. We will be working with the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research this year to raise awareness for the cause.
Rider Interviews
Wonderful Pistachios
Wrap Training Camp
February 27, 2011
Santa Rosa, Calif. – Englishman Tom Faiers and American Iggy Silva headline the roster of the Wonderful® Pistachios Pro Cycling Team, which conducted its training camp over the weekend in Santa Rosa.
Faiers comes to Wonderful Pistachios from the ProTeam ranks, having competed with Footon-Servetto last year. Silva was part of the national champion Madison squad last year and raced for the Trek-LIVESTRONG Under 23 Team.
"We want to be an exciting team to watch this year and I chose the riders based on that criteria," Wonderful Pistachios Team Owner and Director Josh Horowitz said. "These are strong, powerful and aggressive riders who will bring some personality to any race they do. We want spectators to have fun watching us race and then walk away with a story to tell their friends – and a pocket full of pistachios."
Horowitz said the team's race calendar was constructed to compete in spectator-friendly races where Wonderful Pistachios can give away plenty of free pistachios. But downtown criteriums and circuit races aren't the only events where fans can cheer on the black-and-green team.
"We're suited to do well in multiple types of races," Horowitz said. "The Redlands Bicycle Classic should showcase the talent of our riders right out of the gate. We are also focused on the Dana Point and Manhattan Beach Grand Prix races, as well as the TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship."
Wonderful Pistachios' roster of 11 includes seven riders who live in California, where the team is headquartered. During training camp this weekend in Santa Rosa, Calif., the team rode the route of Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo. Riders and staff also enjoyed an afternoon of wine tasting at the D'Argenzio Winery in Sonoma County.
"Santa Rosa was bracing for one of the worst winter storms in more than 35 years, but we got nothing but sunshine," Horowitz said. "The sun broke through despite the dreary outlook. It kind of reflects the journey of this team. Pro cycling is going through tough times right now. But despite that, and the bad economy, we've managed to forge ahead with a great roster, a dedicated staff and a dream sponsor in Wonderful Pistachios."
The team will race on Orbea bicycles and Edge Design Wheels while competing on the National Racing Calendar circuit this season. Horowitz said he is excited to partner with such well-established brands.
“We are proud to have the support of world leaders in cycling technology such as Orbea and Edge,” he said. “Forging these partnerships is another important step as I continue to grow this team.”
Tony Karklins, Managing Director of Orbea USA, said the Orbea Orca will be the team's bicycle of choice.
"We're very excited to be working with the guys on the Wonderful Pistachio team and look forward to their successes on the new Orca this season," Karklins said.
The team's wheel sponsor, Edge Design, is based in Sebastopol, Calif., and produces high-end performance carbon and aluminum wheel sets, handle bars, stems, seat posts and saddles. Founded in 2007, the company currently has distribution in California and throughout North America via its online store, www.EdgeDesignUSA.com.
The Wonderful Pistachios Team Garage
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