Minsky’s sponsors one of KC’s top cycling teams, Jacomo Racing, AKA The Pizza Boys!
Meet “The Pizza Boys”
The Minsky’s logo on the Jacomo team’s racing uniforms earned them the nickname “The Pizza Boys!”.
Officially, Kansas City’s top cycling race team goes by the moniker “Jacomo Racing p/b Minsky’s Pizza – “p/b” being an abbreviation for Powered By! Those who know the team can attest to being powered by Minsky’s as being 100% true, as the riders truly love their pizza! (And when it comes to a sport like cycling, the more carbs the better!)
Beyond the official Jacomo team name, the racers have picked up another shorthand moniker from the other competitors on the circuit. When the Jacomo team arrives in force at any one of dozens of races throughout the season, the other competitors simply refer to the team as: “The Pizza Boys”!
Jacomo is a semi-pro team of 25 Category 1 through 3 and Masters racers. The riders race in multiple categories, and each member has their own category rankings and race-type preference. Cycling ranks are divided into five categories. New riders begin in Category 5. Once a rider has participated in a set number of races, they can move up to Category 4. Advancing to a higher category depends on race results, with points earned based on how a rider places in each event. The final category before going pro is Category 1. The category system groups riders of similar skill levels in the same races, and each discipline of cycling uses this system with slight variations.
On the Jacomo team, riders may participate in one or more different racing disciplines – such as road racing, mountain biking, gravel cycling, and cyclocross. Road cycling takes place exclusively on paved roads and can range from criterions, which are short laps completed at high speed, to long loop courses ranging from 40 to 100 miles.
Mountain biking is raced on off-road terrain and typically done marathon-style, meaning cyclists race for a set amount of hours and place depending on how many laps of the course are completed. These races range from novice to expert based on the difficulty and length of the course, and are heavily endurance-based.
Another racing discipline, Gravel racing, has grown in popularity over the past decade, with races that take place on unpaved trails with courses averaging around 60 miles. Lastly, cyclocross is a hybrid of road and mountain with riders competing on courses of mixed surfaces like pavement, grass, mud, and sand with obstacles riders must power over – or if too severe – get off and lift their bike over the obstacle. Think CrossFit, but on a bike!
The Jacomo team has riders of various category rankings in different race styles. Over the past two years, the team has racked up several “podium” wins, pushing members into higher and higher categories. Making the podium means placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in a specific race.
While cycling may seem like an individual sport, the team dynamic is very important. For specific races, team strategy and positioning play a pivotal role in crossing the finish line first. As those who have watched races such as the Tour de France might know, race teams in tour-style events typically designate a team leader – generally the top racer on the team – that the other riders support, for example grouping around the team leader and forming a pace line to create a draft that conserves the leader’s energy for later in the race.
Support riders who take turns riding at the front of a pace line are also taking the brunt of the wind, cutting through friction and turbulence with their own energy. This conserves energy for the team leader, energy that will be needed later if he is to stage a breakaway from the pack (also known as the “peloton”) and take a shot to become the overall race leader.
Teams position themselves within the peloton earlier in the race to make the most of their team’s combined endurance throughout the race, to later give their team leader the best chance at a winning breakaway. Every one of the teams on the course is running a strategy, so strong communication and teamwork are crucial for making quick decisions and adapting tactics mid-race to stay competitive.
Coren Hendricks and Jordan Miller of the Jacomo Bike Team at the Tour of Gila.
The Pizza Boys offer up that their overall team strategy is always about lifting each other up and pushing one another to greater and greater victories. That spirit of support is evident right now as the team rallies around Coren Hendricks, an extremely talented 20-year-old rider with the potential to go professional. Coren specializes in road racing and is currently working to take his racing career to the next level in international competitions in Europe, where the sport is at its most competitive. Coren is making a name for himself stateside, earning podium finishes alongside some of the top cyclists in the country.
Despite their range of skill levels and different types of race preferences, the Pizza Boys come together on a weekly basis for training or workout sessions to keep their abilities sharp and strengthen their team bond. Members of the team have individual training plans and coaches, but group rides together build trust and allow the team to learn each other’s tendencies so they can better work together on race day.
Races
Each year, the Jacomo team competes in several races ranging from local Kansas City races to marquis national events. Within the Jacomo club team, there is a domestic elite squad. These riders have earned Category 1 ranking and compete in high-level national races against other Category 1 riders – as well as against pros who compete in the big-name races over in Europe and also visit the US throughout the season for some of the more challenging domestic races. Recently, several Jacomo team riders competed in the Tour of Gila in Silver City, New Mexico. This USA Cycling-sanctioned road race stretched over several days and tested riders in a range of formats, such as multi-day staged races and high-speed criteriums.
Within each cycling discipline, races can take on a variety of forms depending on the course, duration, and competition. In multi-day races, there is often a day dedicated to time trials, where riders compete individually or in teams against the clock. Stage races, or tours, can span multiple days, with the winner determined by the lowest total time. Criteriums, also known as “crits”, are fast, high-intensity races held on short courses. Races can also be point-to-point, where riders begin in one location and finish in another, or large circuit races with multiple laps on a long, looped course.
Each year, the Pizza Boys put their official stamp on the local cycling scene by hosting their own event – the KC Cup, a mountain bike race that draws riders from across the Midwest. This year, the race took place in early April at Landahl Park just east of Kansas City. The event featured a variety of race categories, including a marathon division as well as expert, intermediate, and novice races. With 110 participants competing, the KC Cup continues to be a staple of the spring schedule for the local mountain biking community!
Minsky’s is proud to be the premier sponsor of the Jacomo Racing Team, a team that fully embraces their delicious nickname, the Pizza Boys, with exceptional pride (and great taste)!
