In five years, both Team TIBCO and SRAM have evolved and grown together into international forces.

Five years ago about this time, Linda Jackson and Brooke Miller traveled to Interbike in Las Vegas with the goal of bolstering the nascent Team TIBCO program, hoping to set it on the path to growth toward becoming one of the top squads in the world.

It was ambitious, but then, this was Linda and Brooke we’re talking about – as formidable and driven a pair if there ever was one.

“We met Linda and Brooke at Interbike in 2006,” said Alex Wassman, SRAM’s Road Sports Director. “Linda was really just building her first elite team, with Brooke the rider she was building around. The word was out that we were coming onto the road scene and we’d had a dozen or so programs pitching us for sponsorship. Their pitch was passionate, riddled with optimism and far flung. It reminded us of us and it stuck. Still does.”

Five years later, Team TIBCO has won a host of national championships, and competed at the top level of the sport in Europe – always relying on SRAM components.

“They’ve been an unbelievable partner,” Jackson says. “SRAM has been critical to our growth, and I think we’ve helped them develop their product line to be even friendlier toward female cyclists.”

Meredith Miller is one of the Team’s longest tenured riders, and one with perhaps the most experience with SRAM. She started using SRAM products in 2008, the year before she joined Team TIBCO.

“I use SRAM for road, cross and mountain bike,” said the 2009 U.S. National Road Champion. “What I’ve always liked about the company is that they’re incredibly easy to work with and they appreciate feedback. They listen to athletes and consumers to make changes. They made changes to the shifters like adding trim to make them easier for smaller hands to use. Everyone at the company is really hands-on, they’re at the races and they’re fantastic to work with.”

The relationship has definitely been two-way, with Team TIBCO also playing a growing role in SRAM’s marketing efforts, just as the relationship has flourished.

“As one of the highest profile women’s teams in the world, Team TIBCO has truly helped SRAM deliver our message of ergonomics and custom fit for the rider,” said Michael Zellman, SRAM’s U.S. Road PR & Media Manager.

“When a team like TIBCO is excited to ride your product, and has success with it, that gives us so many opportunities to share that message. We’ve featured TIBCO riders in global print and web advertising, as well as broadcast commercials featured on Versus and Universal Sports.”

Along with Miller, another of those riders featured in SRAM TV spots is neo pro Jennifer Wheeler, who got her introduction to SRAM just this season.

“To be honest, I was nervous about the switch, because in my short time on the bike, I had only ridden ‘the other brand.’ But I was also excited to try something different, as SRAM has that air of being the ‘cool’ brand with the frog and the innovative ‘Make the Leap’ marketing campaign.

“But I realized pretty fast that there are functional reasons why so many people choose SRAM. Before trying it, I wasn’t aware of the adjustable reach on the levers, which explains why SRAM is found on a lot of women-specific bikes. This feature lets me roll the handlebars where I want them and then make the levers fit my placement, rather than being limited to how much I can roll the bars and still being able to reach the levers.

“The other thing I like is the shifting,” Wheeler added. “Everything is on the lever. The brakes are the brakes, the shift levers are the shift levers. I like not combining the two functions. It’s simple and in one place. When I’m climbing, my hands stay on the hoods and my finger rests on the right lever to shift up and down as needed. And it only took a short time to get used to the different system. It’s very intuitive.

“And lastly, while I can’t prove that SRAM is directly responsible for my increase in Facebook friends and Twitter followers, anything helps, right?”

One thing Team TIBCO can prove is that SRAM has been directly responsible for the Team’s growth and rise in the international cycling scene the past five years.

“I’m not sure where we’d be without SRAM,” Jackson said. “They’ve been that important to our program. Both of our organizations have come a long way since 2006. For us, it’s an easy choice to keep our relationship going and growing.”

Turning Yellow into Gold: Tara Whitten hits the road to prepare for the track in London.

This season, Canadian Tara Whitten won her third Track World Championship in two years, taking the Omnium gold for the second consecutive year. She’s also found success on the road this season, winning the opening prologue at a pair of stage races – the Tour de Toona and the Cascade Classic – and earning the coveted race leader’s yellow jersey to start both.

Her track training and success prepared her well to excel in the shorter, harder efforts required in a prologue.

“I love the prologues!” she says. “Those short distances are ideal for me as a track cyclist. I originally got into cycling because of the individual pursuit, so that type of effort – short and intense against the clock – is really my first love.”

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Photo by Larry Rosa