GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll: GamJams Tech: Richmond Pro Cycling Team ALAN Extreme Matrix

Richmond Pro Cycling takes pride in their role as the home team. All of their athletes live locally in Richmond, and community outreach is as central to the team's mission as winning races. It's no surprise, then, to find them on gorgeous ALANs this year. Last year the US distribution for ALAN was taken over by Stellina Sport of (yep) Richmond. Stellina has set Richmond Pro up sweet, with aluminum ALAN frames for training, and the gorgeous ALAN Extreme Matrix for business days. Here we'll look at the bike Gerardo Castro raced to victory at this past weekend's Tour de Beach.

Gerardo Castro's size small (52cm) ALAN Matrix Extreme, captured here in a rare moment of motionlessness.

First - the frame. Aluminum up front with a carbon rear triangle, which is another way of saying that riding full carbon fiber is decidedly not a prerequisite to being a really fast elite racer. AT $1550 MSRP for the frame and fork, it's not exactly bargain-priced. But once you see the construction detail I'm pretty sure you'll agree with me that it's still a solid value. Handmade in Padua, Italy from 7046 triple-butted alloy, you're getting a ton of craftsmanship and attention to detail in this frame.

Take a look at the top tube, for example. It's got the same tapering, knurled tubes found commonly on full carbon, though these are aluminum. I don't know if it's for strength, lightness, aerodynamics or some combination of all three, but I do know it's a deliberate detail that ALAN spent time and resources to incorporate, instead of taking the more common shortcuts.

Tubing has fast built right in.

Far and away though, my favorite frame feature is the lug joining the bottom bracket and chain stays. When have you ever loved a lug before? The Italians can find and inspire beauty in all things. To wit:

Bottom bracket lug is uniquely powerful looking.

The component mix is economical and smart without compromising key performance. Dura-Ace cranks and brifters anchor the gruppo, but the squad downshifts to Ultegra for the bottom bracket, front derailleur and chain. Then they go one click further for 105 brakes. Says team manager Craig Dodson about the Chinese menu gruppo, "Each rider gets 2 bikes, and it's way more cost effective vs. performance."

Admit it - from this angle you can't tell the difference between the Ultegra BB and chain and the pricier Dura-Ace.

The blue bar tape is by Deda. To me, it's more remarkable than the bars, which are also by Deda. I wonder if they got the tape the blue in the frame, or had the frame custom painted to match the tape?

The tires are by Challenge, another Italian company. If you're a roadie in North America, there's almost no reason for you to have heard of Challenge Criterium tires, much less actually seen a pair on a bike. But you probably have heard of them and you might even have seen them. They might even be in your choice set for your next pair of tires at this point. How did that happen? Two words: Sally. Snead. She's the quadriceps behind Stellina Sport's power curve, and along with the ALAN frames they also distribute Challenge tires. Both are huge in the CX world, but Stellina's smart sponsorship is giving both brands a footprint in the US road scene as well. And why not? Many of us make an effort to buy locally grown produce or seek out the neighborhood coffee shop instead of the stamped-out chain. And we'll tirelessly extol the benefits of our LBS over Massive Mailorder Bike Stuff, Inc. Why not bring that same community affinity to your next cycling purchase as well, and support the organizations that support racing in this region. By backing homegrown Richmond Pro, Stellina (like GamJams) may be banking on the ROI of grass roots support. Or (like GamJams) Sally might just really like being able to pitch in at the local level.

See the Richmond Pro Cycling team ALANs up close and personal at the US Air Force Cycling Classic, Sunday May 4th in Crystal City.