Rapha Vs. Mash: The ToC Challenge

You may or may not know that two different groups of cycling trend teams tackled the ToC route this year to give a more human perspective - and a little marketing push - to riding in California. Both teams rode the whole course of the 09 ToC. Rapha, the Brit-by-way-of-Portland lux-clothing brand put it's Continental squadra to the test a few weeks before the ToC, with a full SRAM support sagwagon and the usual medium-format photo crew. MASH, the upstart 'brand' of former skateboarder-turned-fixed-gear afficianado's from San Francisco, rolled the whole course day-of the race on track bikes with support from CLiF Bar. A little recap to compare the two efforts: Rapha Continental - custom-built steel road bikes, 11 speed modern drivetrains, full sag support, Rapha kit, photo & film/video documentation, 1 month head start. MASH SF - Cinelli aluminum track bikes, fixed cog (wheel swap or flop to change gears), full sag support, sponsorship clothing and gear from pretty much everyone in the bike industry including Rapha, photo & video documentation, several hours head start. While Levi might have won his third ToC, the real race on the road was won by a bunch of marketing and publicity savvy niche-market branded cyclists, with MASH taking top honors for the sheer balls of doing (allegedly) the whole 750 miles on fixed rigs and rocking the other crew's gear as well.