Three years into Team Spoke O'Motion and we have seen success far beyond our expectations.

In year one, we crushed the provincial mountain bike competition and racked up more points per capita than any other team in Ontario. With a squad of approximately twenty riders, we were nipping at the heels of massive teams with over 100 riders. Now that speaks volumes about quality over quantity.

Not only did we take home provincial championship bragging rights in cross country with strong showings across every category and an outright championship win for Men's Senior Sport, but we also showed we had the grit to take on the road establishment by decimating the Master 3 field at the Provincial Championships at Elliot Lake. At the hill climb portion of this race, in both men's and women's classes, our riders beat not only their entire field, but posted record times for their categories and beat everyone in the next higher cat. The Provincial Road Race championships also saw Spoke O'Motion walk away with another 1st place finish.

Year two saw less dramatic results as riders matured and moved into more competitive categories, but remained impressive nonetheless. Our young talent has now laid the ground work for a breakthrough 2010 season. Further to this continued presence in the cross country scene, Team Spoke O'Motion continued making inroads into the competitive road scene with an overall third place finish in Master 3 for second year road racer Rick Clavir.

In fact, our team program has produced so many quality riders that other "local interests" have been poaching riders like crazy. Spoke O'Motion takes this as a great compliment to our grassroots development program.

Heading into year three, we have aligned ourselves with one of the best coaches in Ontario - one who is actually capable of practicing what he preaches - and we are refocussing our efforts to drive high performance athletes to new heights.

We are also opening our doors to riders of all ability levels who wish to compete in Provincial level events under the banner of a Team that offers professional on-site technical support at races courtesy of the Norco Factory Team, group training rides, pre-race course inspections, and a host of rider-driven benefits.

If you are interested in joining a successful program of enthusiastic riders that believe top performance comes from positive people, then please drop me an email.

For the first time in Spoke O`Motion history, we are now rewarding our most dedicated and hardest working athletes a complete sponsorship packages. These two young men are true ambassadors of our sport.

Their sportsmanship is exemplary, their work ethic irreproachable, and their potential for world class results unrealized. We are stepping up to help them on their path. Look for Jordan and Dan to make some waves in the Ontario Cup race circuit this year and look for Spoke O'Motion to be the wind at their backs.

Dan Hope

"The Masher".

Everyone knows a rider who can seemingly push a bigger gear than anyone else. That guy or gal whose legs do not seem to fatigue. That rider whose pedals like a locomotive and delivers such force to the pedals that the bike seems to quiver in fear. That rider is Dan.

From his humble beginnings chasing his older brother around the race tracks at Coulson Hill, Dan has long since emerged from that shadow and proven to be an unstoppable force.

Last year at Coulson Hill, against professional Norco factory-sponsored riders Andrew Watson and Matt Paziuk, Dan put on a stunning show and had lap times within seconds of Watson and several seconds faster than Paziuk. Can you say potential?

With the help of professional coaching and the support of Spoke O'Motion, Dan is sure to have another breakthrough season in 2010. (He's even shifting gears now!)

Jordan Doner

An absolute gentleman on and off the bike, Jordan is an ambassador of our sport like few that have come before him.

When Jordan started racing with us at our Wednesday Night Race Series many moons ago, no one could have predicted that he would soon emerge as one of Ontario's High Performance Athletes on track for long term success in the sport he loves.

Every season Jordan is bringing more to the table and in 2010, under the coaching direction of Paul Cooney, Jordan is sure to deliver more speed and results than ever before. To those who competed against Jordan in the past: Good luck! You are gonna need it.

But, despite his successes, Jordan is as modest as they come. Through his absolute dedication and hard work, Jordan will surely continue to progress and here at Spoke O'Motion we are proud to support our local, homegrown talent.

This is the spot where enthusiasts test their mettle against the best riders Ontario has to offer and the aspiring racer comes to learn his craft.

At this level, Team Spoke O`Motion is open to everyone and we encourage newbies and seasoned vets alike to come and ride under our banner. We`ll give you first class service, race support and in-store discounts. You give us a friendly face at province wide events. That`s what we call a win-win scenario.

Dave Knights

Dave is a local hero who battles fires by day and singletrack by night. Consider him a modern day cycling superhero of sorts.

This mild-mannered competitor is taking his first crack at Ontario Cup mountain bike racing this year and is looking to climb through the sport class ranks as the season progresses.

Dave is also a long-standing competitor at our weeky race series at Coulson Hill where he is always a threat in the Master Sport category.

Always a gentleman and with an easy-going spirit to match, Dave is a valuable club member who reminds us that you don't have to be cranked up on testosterone to be a strong athlete.

You couldn't ask for a nicer guy to have your back.

Drew Davison

Drew has joined Team Spoke O'Motion from the successful race program at Hardwood Hills and is looking to further his growth as an athlete - and a particularly polished young man.

Under the attentive eye of Three Ring Performance Coaching, Drew is looking to establish a more disciplined training regimen and he is confident that his hard work will see him move up the leaderboard in the Ontario Cup standings.

Drew's stated goals for 2010 include a few top ten finishes in his very competitive category. Best case scenario: Look to see Drew standing on that podium before 2010 draws to a close.

While I don't know Drew that well yet on a personal level, I can tell you that a more polite, articulate, and thoughtful young man would be hard to find. Welcome to the Team!

Jaxon Brennan

Jaxon has grown up before our eyes racing at our exciting weekly race series. Through his early successes at Coulson Hill, Jaxon has developed the skills, fitness and experience to take his riding to the next level.

Now that he has joined an experienced team, Jaxon is looking to push the envelope of his performance potential and leave a mark on the O'Cup race scene.

Confident without cockiness, Jaxon is a competitor who understands that success is not only measured by your results but by your dedication and the friendships you forge along the way.

Check out this newspaper feature on Jaxon to learn a little more about what makes this fine young man tick.

Karen Thompson

If you want to meet someone who embodies the spirit of a competitor, come out to an Ontario Cup mountain or road race and have a chat with Karen.

While affable and laid back off the bike, once the starting bell has sounded you had better not get in her way. With a fire that burns deep, Karen attacks every challenge that life throws her way. And these attacks are rarely in vain.

Karen's off road record is impeccable. Ontario Cup Expert Champion in any season she rides, Karen has power and bike handling skills most of our team envies and she managed to do it all with a smile – Spoke O' style.

For 2010, Karen is planning on dividing her racing schedule between XC and road. Competitors beware: Behind that seemingly sweet smile lies an athlete looking to not just beat you, but leave you panting in her dust.

Kelly Cullen

With her experience as a fully self-supported cycling tourer, Kelly has conquered more elevation than every other rider on our team combined.

Boasting two tours through British Columbia and Alberta (one clockwise, one counter clockwise...to those "in-the-know", it matters), several tours through Ontario, and an east coast adventure through Nova Scotia, Kelly has ridden a loaded 60-pound bike over almost every major mountain pass in Canada.

No surprise, then, that Kelly totalled the women's field in the 2008 Ontario Cup Hill Climb Championships. Not only did she beat the riders in her category handily, Kelly`s time remained unchallenged in 2009 despite her absence from the scene.

In spring 2009 Kelly gave birth to her first child, Seamus Brodie Cullen, and did not race. But for 2010 she's back...and with something to prove.

Matt Saunders

Over the past two years, Matt has refocussed his training efforts and this renewed passion and determination has his driven results to new heights.

A mountain biker`s mountain biker, Matt avoids the road at all costs and pours all of his love into our local forested terrain.

His liquid smoothness through the tight and twisties are a result of many years experience and, judging by the speed improvements Matt has recently made, 2010 is going to be another banner year.

Matt has also helped extensively with the organization of our club and is ready at the drop of a hat to lend a hand whenever necessary. This is truly the mark of a Spoke O`Motion rider. We think not only of our own goals, but of the greater good for our cycling community.

Mike Murphy

While this may be a new face to some of those on the Team, Mike has been involved with the cycling and racing scene for some time.

With respect to Mike's riding history, he has bounced back and forth from mountain to road over the years and for the past few has been focussed more on the road side of that equation.

Thanks to some changes in circumstance, 2010 has found Mike with a renewed focus and vigour for racing of all flavours.

Having just taken advantage of our Professional Fitting Service, Mike is ready to lay the hammer down and have the comeback season of his life.

Look to see Mike finishing strong in both mountain and road bike races as well as some of Ontario's most historic venues like, for example, Paris to Ancaster.

Plus, as with all of our riders, Mike is the consummate gentleman with kind words for all, a generous streak as wide as Lake Superior, and a passion for living life to the fullest.

Myles Cullen

While writing about myself seems a little narcissistic, my love of cycling has brought me my greatest pleasures in life - and even found me my lovely wife!

Myles is the quintessential all-rounder. Whether competing in road, cross country, or even downhill racing, his combination of fearlessness, bike skills, and (occassionally) fitness, ensure that he is always a podium threat.

Racing highlights are listed here, but beyond the Canada Cup podium and Road Race and Hill Climb provincial championships is a rider who looks to give back to the sport.

Due to the demands of running a bike shop, Myles' fitness may wax and wane, but his commitment to developing others love of cycling never wavers.

From hosting free spin classes for young athletes, to getting riders involved in local trail maintenance, Myles is focussed on bringing new blood into our sport and establishing cycling as an integral part of the fabric of our community.

Rick Clavir

Rick is the elder statesman of Team Spoke O'Motion. A more respectful and disciplined rider and teammate would be hard to find.

While his early interests lay exclusively in mountain bike racing, Rick has expanded his cycling arsenal to include some heavy road artillery over the past few years.

This culminated in a 3rd place overall finish in the 2009 Ontario Cup Road Championship (Master 3) last year and Rick is excited to extend himself into an even bigger challenge this year in Master 2.

With 20+ hour training weeks in the books, look for another breakout season from this established powerhouse.

Steve Prosser

A perrenial entertainer and crowd-pleaser, Steve is the only rider I have ever know who will gleefully cross an Ontario Cup finish line in a crazy catwalk with one hand off of the bars waving his arm in victory (or defeat!).

This good-willed, easy going nature is at the very heart of Steve's personality. This guy would give you his last spare tube in an instant if it would get you across the finish line.

A sportsman, a competitor, and a friend to Spoke O'Motion since the dawn of the wheel, Steve has bike skills that are the envy of mountain bikers everywhere and, when his fitness has peaked, look out! He's got twin jet motors in those legs to back up his bike handling prowess.

When you want to learn the best race line around a track, just hang on to Steve's wheel for a lap or two.