Fittingly, Clif Bar and Company started on a bike ride. Owner and Founder, Gary Erickson, had taken a bite of another energy bar and thought, “I could make a better bar than this!” Clif Bar became a reality in 1992, and 16 years later the company is stronger than ever, with a myriad of yummy products… from Clif Bars, to Shot Bloks, Nectar Bars, Mojo Bars… I could go on and on.
Clif Bar is based in Berkeley, California, and is a passionate supporter of the cycling community, both locally here in Northern California as well as nationally. Not surprisingly, Clif Bar has its own cycling teams in-house. There is the LUNA Chix Pro Team mountain bikers and triathletes, the Clif Bar Development Cyclocross Team and the Team Clif Bar (TCB) road cycling team.
As a sponsored team, our direct contacts at Clif Bar are Dylan Seguin, Team Clif Bar Athlete Experience Manager, and Eric Walle, Athlete Sponsorship Coordinator. Both are members of the TCB road cycling team, and both have been racing in Northern California for approximately eight years on the road. Dylan and Eric come from MTB backgrounds, and were involved in field sports in their early years — Eric played rugby in college in New Mexico, while Dylan helped form the UC Santa Cruz Lacrosse team while in school there.
Personally speaking, I’ve known Dylan and Eric for many years… eight, I think? I knew them before their careers at Clif Bar began, and have always been so impressed with their respect for athletes and for the sport of cycling. In fact, there are a few members currently racing for TCB Cycling — Dylan and Eric included — who were instrumental in my getting into, and sticking with, this crazy thing we call bike racing nearly six years ago. For that I am, and continue to be, ever grateful.
Clif Bar strives to always be conscious of the environment when making any business decisions. According to Eric, “All our products are 100% percent natural, using no HFCS [high-fructose corn syrup], preservatives or any other junk. We currently source over 70% of our ingredients from certified organic sources.” Now tell me, what’s not to love about Clif Bar?
The NorCal Women’s Cycling Team had been looking to form a partnership with Clif Bar for some time, and we are thrilled to have Clif Bar as a sponsor for the 2008 racing season. We hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. NorCal Velo loves Clif Bar!
-By Rita Szeto
