GEARING UP : Hoffenberg and His Cycling Team Defend Their Masters Titles Today

Mark Hoffenberg can’t help but feel just a little insecure when he dons his red, white and blue competition jersey this week at the U.S. Cycling Federation masters’ national championships.

Not with 100 of the best age-group cyclists in the nation chasing him.

“I will be a heavily marked man,” said Hoffenberg, the defending national champion in the 30-to-34-year-old age-group criterium. “I won’t be able to hide in the back of the pack.”

Hoffenberg, 32, of Laguna Niguel, used that strategy in winning last year’s race in Pensacola, Fla. He rallied in the final 400 meters to win the 65-kilometer criterium, one of three races at the annual event. He also finished second in the 115-kilometer road race and was sixth in the 40-kilometer time trials.

The victory earned Hoffenberg the Stars and Stripes jersey for this year’s competition. He said the colors will make him stand out in today’s criterium in Long Island.

After the criterium, the competition will move to Bear Mountain State Park, 60 miles north of New York City, for Tuesday’s time trials and Thursday’s road race.

“Last year’s course in Florida was really flat,” Hoffenberg said. “These (in New York) have a lot of hills.”

Hoffenberg will defend his individual title as well as the 30-to-34 age-group title won by the Nissan/Schwinn team for which he competes.

“Defending an age-group title is tough,” he said. “Every year you get older and a new group of guys move into your age group.”

Six riders on the seven-man team are from Orange County: Hoffenberg, Evan Teske and Mark Thomas of Rancho Santa Margarita, Scott McPherson of Laguna Hills, Mike Martin of Costa Mesa and Steve Khachadoorian of Laguna Beach. Bob Pellkofer of Long Beach rounds out the team.

Competing in the 35-to-39 age group for the Nissan/Schwinn team will be David Cobb of Orange, Steve Hedrick of Costa Mesa and Todd Schooler of Corona del Mar. Anaheim’s Ken Fuller will defend his title in the 40-to-44 age-group time trials.

The team has produced at least one national champion since Hoffenberg founded the club in 1984. There are 150 members, ranging from casual riders to nationally known racers.

“I saw the need for a quality Orange County cycling team,” Hoffenberg said. “I joined a few teams in Southern California, but none of them met with my expectations. I felt I could get a good club together with good sponsorship and promote the sport.”

Teamwork is discouraged in most forms of racing, but it’s a key element in criterium strategy, Hoffenberg said.

Just look at how he won last year.

As Hoffenberg stayed near the back of the pack, two teammates rode near the front, waiting to chase down any breakaway riders. The pack stuck together and, with 400 meters left, Hoffenberg followed a teammate to the front.

His teammate served as pacesetter, much like a rabbit in running events, so Hoffenberg would have a clear path to the finish.

“The timing was just right,” he said. “I jumped out, went by him and sprinted to the finish.”

The lead cyclists serve as windbreaks for those in the rear. Hoffenberg said he conserves 30% of his energy when following another cyclist.

“Evan and I are the best sprinters,” he said. “You want your sprinters in the best position in the criterium so they can control the pack. We stay right near the front and try to conserve energy. We let the people in the front do all the work.”

Because of the wind resistance, cyclists are constantly modifying bike design to increase average speeds, which are now at about 28 m.p.h.

Hoffenberg, who designs exercise bikes, said his racing bike is state-of-the-art, from the aerodynamic tubing to the three-spoke wheels.

Geometrically, Hoffenberg’s racer resembles a conventional bike. But while most bikes are made of steel or aluminum, Hoffenberg’s consists of “space age” materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar, which is used to make bullet-proof vests. His bike weighs 19 pounds and is formed in one piece instead of being welded together in pieces as conventional bikes are.

“The best thing about it is that it’s aerodynamic,” he said. “It’s a stiff bike, yet it’s light.”

Racing bikes cost between $1,700 and $2,700, depending on design and spare parts, Hoffenberg said. Sponsors pay for bikes, equipment and travel costs.

Hoffenberg said his equipment gives him only a slight edge.

“Probably 98% of cycling is the training, psychological approach and the teamwork,” he said. “The equipment is only 2% of it. Everyone has good equipment at this level, but mine is the best. But you could put my grandma on my bike and she couldn’t do anything. Training is a big part of it.”

Hoffenberg trains year-round. He rides 250 miles a week during cycling’s “off-season” from October to February and pedals 425 miles before a major event such as the national championships.

“You have to peak with your training,” he said. “You can’t ride hard like that all year long.”

Hoffenberg never thought he would be racing bikes at this stage of his life. He played on bikes as a child, but opted for distance running to stay in shape as he grew older.

It wasn’t until he started working on his electrical engineering degree at UC Santa Barbara that his interest in cycling blossomed. His college roommate raced and encouraged him to try.

Hoffenberg trained with the Santa Barbara Bike Club for nine months before entering his first race in 1980. He finished third in a local event.

Later that year, he began competing in collegiate events and won the West Regional criterium championship in 1980. He has won 24 events since then.

“I was never a national-class runner,” he said. “I ran to stay fit and I wasn’t very competitive. When I started cycling, I won right away. That’s when running hit the dust for me. It was a lot more fun to win at cycling.”