Tobin Ortenblad

  
  


Tobin Ortenblad headshot 2014
 
Name: Tobin Ortenblad
Current Residence: Santa Cruz, Calif.
Hometown: Santa Cruz, Calif.
Birthdate: 9/29/94
Birthplace: San Diego, Calif.
Height: 6-1
Weight: 172
 
Current Coach: Chris McGovern
Team: California Giant Berry Farms - Specialized
 
Twitter Handle: @Mctubbin
 
High School: Pacific Collegiate School (Santa Cruz, Calif.) '13
Sports Played in High School: Baseball (5 years) and Soccer (5 years)
 
College: Cabrillo College
Degree(s)/Major(s): Mechanical Engineering
 
Career Highlights:  
Hobbies: I've always been into cars but haven't actually owned one until this year. I enjoy working on my Subaru whether it's doing minor tune up stuff or little performance tweaks. I really like knowing how my car works and trying to make things as efficient and fast as possible. I also like wrenching on bikes.

Favorite Race: Louisville Derby City Cup. It's a great flowy course and there's always a good turnout.

Favorite Place to Train: Santa Cruz, Calif.

Best Cycling Memory: Bro Camp with his previous development team, Bear Development Team, which was a road trip to MTB Nationals in Sun Valley, Idaho

Best Advice Received From a Coach When Starting Out: Always be going forward physically and mentally. The race is in front of you on your bike and in your mind. Be present.

Motivation: Great performances. More than anything I hate having bad races, just like most people that are good in this sport. I get out and ride and train because I love riding my bike, but when the ride or intervals get tough I know that it's strengthening me to have a good race that weekend or in the months to come. I'm always working toward a goal. That goal or performing well on that race day motivates me.

Hero/Role Model: Fabian Cancellara. When he rides he puts it all on the line. He wins because he was the strongest man in the race, not the guy who sucked the most wheel and was the freshest to sprint at the end of the day. When he loses it's because he was putting it all out there and going for it. I admire that kind of riding.

Cycling & Personal/Career Goals: To perform at the top level of cyclo-cross in the world and ride on the pro tour level as well on the road. After that, I'd love to work on and design bicycles with my mechanical engineering degree.
 
Did You Know?: Tobin got his start in cycling doing dirt jumps and racing downhill.
 
First Involvement in Cycling: I always rode bikes since I was little. I got more into riding mostly dirt jumping and downhill when my neighbor started racing and soon signed with the Yeti factory gravity team. He kept me motivated and was always pushing me to progress. I started racing when I figured out I could get out of middle school P.E. if I trained with the high school cycling team. I started riding with them, then racing with them, and I guess that would be the beginning of my racing career.
 
Charity Work/Community Involvement: I occasionally volunteer at the Bike Church in Santa Cruz. It's a place where anybody can come work on their bike and we provide the tools and knowledge to get their bike up and running again. We also have a ton of used and new parts that are extremely affordable.
 
Family: Parents are Rick Ortenblad and Deana Slater. Has a sister, Maddie, who races for Bear Development Team in the Nor Cal High School league as well as Northern California cyclo-cross races. She won a state title in cyclo-cross and on the track.


This Article Updated June 16, 2014 @ 02:33 PM For more information contact: