GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll: 10 Questions With... Jared Nieters

by David Kirkpatrick, Features Editor

Jared Nieters is a Cat 1 who gets to ride for his own shop's team: Haymarket Bicycles. Jared has been a fixture on the MABRA road scene for several years, has become a contender in MABRA elite road and cross races, and regularly travels to race in NRC, USA Crits and other significant events. The Haymarket team has hit above its weight since its inception, and continues to grow for 2010.

10 Questions With... Jared Nieters
(Offered with 4 bonus questions for a limited time only.)

(GamJams) 1. How did you get started in road cycling and what teams did you ride for before starting your own?

(Jared Nieters) 5 years ago I found myself with some free time and started racing bikes. My main goal that first year was to get my cat 4 upgrade so I could race Fitchburg (where most of my family is from). I rode for Warrenton Cycling, which was the club based out of a now defunct shop in Warrenton.

(GJ) 2. What inspired the move to go from a sane and stable career as a teacher to starting a bike shop?

(JN) Teaching is stable, but most assuredly not sane. I taught for 7 years and was ready for a change. I decided to take a year off--what I called early retirement--and didn't really have any other plans at point. A few months after resigning from school, the shop my good friend Curtis Prosser was managing ended up closing. We decided to go into business together and haven't really looked back.

(GJ) 3. In what ways does the team benefit the shop?

(JN) I'm not sure there are any tangible benefits to having a team for the shop. Generally, I feel like it's a responsibility, just part of making a positive contribution to a cycling community. I could expound, but I'm not sure my perspective would be very popular.

(GJ) 4. The shop expanded to a second location pretty soon after opening the first. Holding at just the two or planning to expand further?

(JN) Staffing more than one shop was difficult, and have since closed the Front Royal location. There are talks about another shop, but nothing on paper.

(GJ) 5. I've heard horror stories about newer shops trying to get access to the leading product lines but you've gotten a full product roster in a short time. What's the key to that?

(JN) I think there were a few reasons Curtis and I were able to hit the ground running. Our business plan was rock solid. We were tapping a great market and had a healthy profit model. Additionally, Curtis' 15 years of experience yielded a number of good relationships within the industry.

(GJ) 6. What 2010 stuff are you most excited about, and what will the team be using next season?

(JN) There are a few things I'm excited about for next season. First and foremost, our team's new roster and management structure. We've picked up some great group of dedicated guys. In terms of equipment, I'm excited for the new and improved Madone and Shimano's Di2. (Ed note: the team may or may not all be on Di2 next year, but Jared almost certainly will – “being a shop owner has its privileges”)

(GJ) 7. From the initial team lineup, you've got one member launched into the pro ranks, an ultra competitive master's racer and a rising star junior. Was all this talent just hanging around town or what?

(JN) I think that the talent was around, but really coalesced around the team as we created some lofty goals and participated in some big races.

(GJ) 8. I hear that there are some pretty powerful additions to the lineup for 2010. What is the team looking to accomplish next season and in the seasons beyond?

(JN) Next season we'll be hitting most of the east coast NRC races again. We'll probably hit a few more stage races, since we've picked up a few strong time trialists and climbers, but maintain a focus on the big criteriums.

(GJ) 9. You've put together some pretty macking composite teams for bigger races. Still planning to bring in some guns for some marquis events next year or is the lineup you've got all the horsepower you need?

(JN) We've been lucky to race with some pretty talented riders over the last few years. (Is there where I get to take some credit for Jamie Driscoll's win in Vegas)? (ed: sure, why not?) I think that our composite teams have been a function of the consistent room on our roster. I'm not sure that's going to be the case in 2010, but there are certainly a few guys we'd always make room for.

(GJ) 10. The team kit always has a fresh and stylish look. Who's behind the designs?

(JN) We've gotten compliments every season, and all the credit goes to my sister. She definitely has the skills and eye for that sort of thing. I've taken advantage of her, and if we weren't related (which she often denies), I'm sure it would have cost us thousands of dollars.

(GJ) 11. You've become a pretty serious hardman at top level crit racing. What training and skill development has helped you break through to being competitive at that level?

(JN) I think the biggest thing is that I really enjoy the big crits. (Every racer should go to Athens for Twilight, whether to race or to watch.) I definitely don't think anyone should take training advice from me, because my volume is low and structure is lacking. In general, I develop speed by racing and riding as hard as I can on the Wednesday night group ride. (I have to say, our group ride is incredible. We consistently pull two or three current and former pros, as well as a handful of cat ones and two. It makes for some fast training). In order to do well in these races I think it's crucial to pay attention to the general dynamic peloton and avoid people who open gaps, learn the easiest lines on the course, conserve every drop of speed and energy, and corner hard.

(GJ) 12. In addition to the crits, you seem to be pretty good at throwing a leg over whatever's being raced that day. What are the keys to this versatility?

(JN) I just love racing. I love racing on dirt, pavement, grass, and trails. To an extent, the surface is irrelevant to me. Strategies vary accordingly, but the principle is the same--push the pedals hard, do some critical thinking on the fly, and get a result.

(GJ) 13. Working in a bike shop 8 days a week and racing the other 4 days - how do you not burn out?

(JN) Burnout is kind of a foreign concept to me. I love riding the bike as fast as possible, so I do it as much as I can. Nothing motivates me more than when I really get my ass handed to me, but I also get a lot of motivation when I see a great performance first hand, when someone like Jeremiah crushes it on the cross bike or Hekman breaks off a viscous sprint in a big race. That makes me want to be better.

Working at the shop can be tough on the legs because we stand all day, but it's easy on the head. And since I make my schedule it meets my needs. (Curtis also helps a lot. I wouldn't be able to race as much as I do if he wasn't holding down the fort). The fact is, I enjoy being in the shop. It's like hanging out in my garage with my friends. If I had to grind it out in a cube every day, I'd probably be singing a different tune about burnout.

(GJ) 14. Finish the following statement: "In 12 months I'd like to..."

(JN) ...have a top ten in an NRC crit.

David Kirkpatrick is a Features Editor with GamJams who races for NCVC. He is enjoying growing fame through his blog Flamenco Chuckwagon, and as promoter of the lauded Lost River Classic.