(Photo: Brian Hodes / Velo Images)

Name: Ben Day

Team: Kenda/5-Hour Energy Pro Cycling presented by Geargrinder

Age: 32

Hometown: Brisbane, Australia

Current Residence: Boulder, Colorado

EQUIPMENT: We’re on Masi Evoluzione road bikes and Mercury Trident time-trial bikes this year. It’s the first time I’ve raced on a Masi, and so far I’m really impressed with how smooth it is for a race bike. It has SRAM Red components and Mercury M-Series carbon wheels with Kenda tires, which help create a light, great-handling bike. One thing I’m really happy about is the Quarq power meters that we’re using on our road and time-trial bikes. I used a Quarq power meter last season and it became a huge advantage in my training and racing. I like to be focused with my training, and a power meter allows me to make sure I’m getting the most out of my time on the bike. Just as important as the bikes are our cycling kits. We’re using one of the premier brands available: Hincapie Sportswear. Their Velocity line fits great and is comfortable enough to keep me focused on my job: trying to win bike races.

TEAM: I had originally signed with Pegasus for 2011, but when that program all fell through, I was in a tough spot. But once I started talking with Kenda, I knew that the program would be a good fit for me. There is tremendous excitement within the team at the moment. Between our Tour of California selection and 5-Hour Energy coming on board as co-title sponsor, I can really feel the riders’ and staff excitement and motivation is at a season high. The team has come from humble beginnings, but we’re taking a huge step up this season. With someone who’s as accomplished as Frankie Andreu as team director, I have a lot of confidence when it comes to him making race decisions. He’s a guy that’s been in every situation imaginable and raced at the highest level in the sport.

THE RACING: Getting into Tour of California is huge for the team, so we’ve been using the early season races to make sure we’re fully prepared to have a good showing. We’re already off to a great start, though. I won the time trial at San Dimas Stage Race, and the team defended my race lead for the final two stages. It was the best way for the team to come together and learn how to ride as one. All the guys stepped up and rode to another level because the situation demanded it. By the end, we had complete control over the race. And we won the overall title, netting the biggest result in team history. Starting the year off on such a high note was huge. Now we can go into the next set of races with the confidence of how strong we are as a team. I’m sure we’ll be able to keep rising to the occasion when we’re put in situations when we need to step up another notch, like what we’ll see at Tour of California.

TIP: One thing that has helped me in time trialing and climbing has been breaking the course down into segments and formulating a plan how to tackle each part of it. By visualizing the course, I can mentally prepare to be able to push through the pain. It’s like having small goals to accomplish within the ride or race; it keeps me focused and motivated.