Cat 2 Road, Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Cross

Co-founder

Having raced road since 2005, Vera has since added track to her resume. In 2011, Vera competed at the US Track Master’s Nationals in Trexlertown, PA bringing to TriBella 3 national titles and 3 stars and stripes jerseys. When she is not working hard at the track or helping her team mates out in a criterium, she is working hard as a state tax manager specializing in credits and incentives. She loves to travel to Europe and indulge in the epicurean delites of France. When she finishes racing at the 2011 US Elite Track Nationals this year, she will pack up and travel to Portugal for the first time. She giggles when asked how she plans to get around as she knows no Portuguese. “It’s like bike racing! You show up and you don’t show all your cards right away,” she says. And when thoroughly flustered, she can pantomime quite well.

Personal Goal: “To help my team mates get to the next level and to get more women interested in track racing.”

Nickname: I have none here, but my friends from my CA bike team call me Vern.  It very much stuck.
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Current Home: Denver, CO
Racing Disciplines: Track, Road and undisciplined Cross
Strengths: Track endurance races and crits, or a road race that I survive with a great lead out!
Racing Since: 2001, if you count my brief mountain bike career.
Favorite Race: Bannock Crit in Colorado and the SF Giro in California.
Hobbies: walks on the beach… actually, gardening, canning, home up keep (surfing Angies list) and shoe collecting.
Status: Single
Favorite Post Race Drink: Protein Zone Mango
Favorite During Race Drink: Powerbar or water, if the race is sucking, Beer
Bikes: 8-too many to describe.
Racing Highlights:It’s the little things, but my first win as a Cat 4 at the Timpani Crit will always stick with me.  Making it past my heats at US Elite Nationals at track last year and getting 7th in the scratch was pretty awesome, too!  I also had about the most fun ever at SuperWeek in 2007.  It didn’t hurt to be 5th overall with Amanda Miller (now of HTC) taking 4th overall by 1 point.
Rollers or trainer: both actually.  Roller at track races and when I need to spin, trainer when I need a workout.
Bibs or shorts: Bibs!
Skinsuit or kit: Love to race in the skinsuit, but you won’t catch me riding up Lookout in it!
Speedplay, Look or Shimano: Time… call me old school.
Carbon or steel: Well, I have both, but let’s go with carbon.
If you could ride your bike anywhere, where would it be? My post work ride through the vineyards in the Canton of Geneva were awesome, but I think that my favorite rides are in Provence near Vaison La Romain.  These can be steep and rolling but you stay alert with the strong smell of lavender and the chirping of the cecadas.  The pay out is the cheese for post-ride recovery!