With 10+ years of athlete management under his belt and a triple major from the University of California at Berkeley in Biochemistry, Integrative Biology and Nutritional Science, Nitish is a highly capable leader for the NRL Racing Team. Helping found the team in 2005, he has helped grow and evolve the team to what it is today. He also performs research in 2 labs at UC Berkeley, studying how lactate is metabolized in the body during exercise in the Brooks lab and researching the mechanisms of aging in the Hellerstein lab. Prior to his scientific research at UC Berkeley, Nitish worked in three other cutting edge biotech companies. Nitish does not limit his activities to bike racing. Exploring into the outdoors is one of his fundamental pleasures via climbing, backpacking, snowboarding, kayaking and more…He gained the distinction of “Outdoor Idol,” an industry-wide award for the top 10 inspirational outdoor athletes in 2007. He is also an Outdoor Nation Ambassador (outdoornation.org), helping to get youth involved in a healthy and active lifestyle. Nitish also has a National Outdoor Leadership School (nols.edu) certification in Trip Leading and is a Leave No Trace (lnt.org) instructor. Prior to bike racing Nitish fought nationally and was an instructor in the martial arts, earning his 2nd dan Black Belt in 2004. Nitish is a Northern California native, currently living in Berkeley.
Vice President - Chris Belnap 
An extremely dedicated and genuine racer, Chris Belnap holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from University of California at Berkeley. Chris is a true all-rounder with a Cat 1 license in both downhill and cross-country mountain bike racing while also competeing on the road. Recently, Chris has also turned heads in the Xterra triathlon world, winning his first event at the Lake Tahoe Xterra in his age group and 6th in the professional field. Chris continues to pursue his passion in the biological sciences as a postdoctoral fellow at University of California at San Francisco while being a competitive endurance athlete, leading others how to live the active lifestyle by pristine example. A little known fact is that Chris still holds the record for the local hill climb in Berkeley from his collegiate racing days, illustrating his raw talent. His “Smackdown” record has stood many upheavals at 23:38.
Chief Operating Officer – Andrew Duensing 
Andrew is a smart and humble character that knows what passion is all about. Never one to complain, Andrew knows what needs to be done and delivers. While a high school varsity racer, he captained the San Ramon Valley Team to a large and powerful presence at the high school race series. Studying computer science at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Andrew enjoys tinkering with technology while exploring and pushing the limits on his bike.
