Chris Belnap – Xterra Dream Crusher

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After a great result at the Tahoe City Xterra placing second in his age group and 6th overall, the NRL Team decided to talk to Chris Belnap.  As one of the few triathletes on the team he has a huge influence on all athletes.  Chris has been a competitive cyclist for eight years, but this year only marks his second as a triathlete. When asked about why he started competing in triathlons, he answered “Triathlons seemed like a new and exciting challenge after bike racing for several years. I had a decent running foundation, which I would do semi-regularly in my training routines. In 2011 I took up swimming as another way to mix up off-season workouts, and as I got better I realized I had all the base training for a triathlon.”

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He had told us he plans on racing the Santa Barbara Triathlon later this month.  The NRL Team is very proud of Chris and we are excited to see what the future will bring him!

Andrew Taylor – Crushing on All Fronts.

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Andrew before he crushed 100's of souls at Otter.

Andrew before he crushed 100’s of souls at Otter.

After a smashing string of success these past few months, the NRL Team took a moment to interview Mr. Andrew Taylor. Andrew embodies the core essence of the renaissance individual. Here are his thoughts…
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Q: Tell us about your race results over the past few months? You have been very successful. What has taken you to that next level?
Andrew: This has been my most successful season by far! So far I’ve stood on the podium at every race this season and I just won my fourth race in a row last weekend. It’s hard to say exactly what has made the difference; I actually haven’t done a single interval this season. I have been spending more time on the road bike this year, however, and I’ve been trying to focus on carrying speed through corners in the singletrack.
Q: As a renaissance athlete, we know you are developing your outdoor skills in a variety of ways. What are you focusing on at the moment? What gets you stoked?
Andrew: Recently, my weekends have been kept busy by either bike races or rock climbing trips. This winter I started doing some mountaineering and have climbed two 14,000 ft. peaks. Over spring break, I did a three-day trip up Mt. Whitney with some friends from my college, and a few weeks ago, I climbed Mt. Shasta in a day. I like the idea of trying some fast alpine climbs, but I also want to do some more technical routes, with steep ice or mixed climbing.
Q: Congrats on getting into great colleges for this coming fall! Tell us a bit about where you are going and what you want to do with your degree.
Andrew: Thank you! For the last two years I’ve been studying mechanical engineering at Pacific Union College (home of the Napa Valley Dirt Classic). Next fall I will be transferring to UC Berkeley to finish my engineering degree. I’ll miss it here at PUC, there are some really cool people here, and we have amazing singletrack right on campus, but I’m also looking forward to continuing my studies at the best public university in the Unites States! I plan on using my degree to work with something like bikes or climbing gear, something that I’m passionate about and is interesting to work on.
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Crushing Spring 2013!

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Fontana PROXCT
HSU Criterium
Andrew Taylor winning Cat 1 XC at Sea Otter
Jack Feeny on the Podium at NorCal State Championships
“teamwork”
Post ProXCT Race – Sea Otter (Photo: Jon Suzuki)
Eyes on something interesting at Training Camp
Osprey Bags Packed to Joshua Tree!
65mph Winds at J-Tree
Classic J-tree sunset
And we wake up the next day with snow….Brr.
Classic Summit Joy!
Rapping back off of this Mini Alpine Adventure (MAA)
Valentines Day on Caleveras Rd.
Bags Packed to DC! Whud Up Obama!
RIP Burry. We miss you!
Gettin some o dat backcountry ski action.
Boulder sesh to get that pump on!
This is how taquerias look in Heaven (or at the Dulles Airport)
Carson Pass BC Ski Day!
Off to Fontana!
Breakfast with the Mensonator.
Pre-Awesome Fuel! Cinnamon Oatmeal with Strawberry Smoothie.
Rustchblocking out by Elephants Back in Tahoe. Gotta stay safe!
V5 at Castle Rock. Sweet problem!
Our team policy.
Team vehicle with Thule Echelons ready to rock to Otterfest!
The athertons were asking us for advice. Just Kidding.
Andrew before he crushed 100’s of souls at Otter.
Stephen Wallace, a previous Junior National champion, bringing his power back on the bike after a hiatus from racing.
We have awesome fans. yeah.
Summiting Hogsback at Lovers Leap in Tahoe.
Austin Gooder slaying it!

Spring Bromance

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There are several great relationships on the team at the moment, and we decided to document them so our fans can follow up on the inside scoop. Yes, now you don’t have to pick up a copy of your favorite drama magazine in the grocery store line….its all here.

Bromance 1: Derek Hobden and Alex Chamberlin…This one has been brewing for a while and is documented well in our athlete interview with Alex. They get to spend time together quite frequently.

Bromance 2: Andrew Duensing and Zac Rossen…This one has been brewing for a while also and is documented well in our athlete interview with Zac. The hundred or so miles of distance between the two hasn’t affected their love at all.

Bromance 3: Guy Bresler and Nitish Nag… One of the spiciest and most intimate relationships on the team, this might be too hot/explicit for the intrawebs to handle. The picture below should suffice.

Bromance 4: Riley Gibson-Graf and Derek Hobden… These two love-birds travel all over the place with their cameras and are just addicted to filming. Not a bad life eh?

Bromance 5: Anish Nag and Nitish Nag…They are actually brothers.

Bromance 6: Nitish Nag and Chris Belnap …Going with the above, these two are BROS. Know what I mean?

Bromance 7: Jordan Kestler and Nitish Nag… One of the rockiest relationships in the history of bromances. Makes Ronnie and Sammi’s Jersey Shore relationship look like perfect harmony. Especially as of late, Nitish had a fling with some Stanford dudes named Kay-dubs and G-Cuts.

Bromance 8: Chris Fuentes and Brice Winkler… They keep things under wraps, so more to come.

Bromance 9: Austin Gooder and Dom…..Dom Mazzetti?… Who ever this Dom may be, may he bring happiness to Austin.