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Adam Myerson wears many helmets, but not all at the same time. That would make being the captain of the Team Mountain Khakis pb SmartStop cycling team kind of tricky, not to mention downright risky (remember kids, ALWAYS wear a helmet!).
Adam is a professional road racer who specializes in criteriums and cyclo-cross. A former collegiate national cyclo-cross champion, he began racing as a junior in 1987 and professionally in 2003.
He is also the Founder and President of Cycle-Smart, a member of the UCI Cyclo-Cross Commission, on the management committee of the International Association of Cyclo-Cross Organizers (AIOC-Cross), President of the New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, and organizer of the Cycle-Smart International Cyclo-Cross, the oldest UCI event in North America.
Myerson has been a vegetarian since 1989, was a full-on vegan from 1999 through 2006, and has published several articles on being a meat-free endurance athlete.
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Michele Cataldo is the vice president of marketing for SmartStop Self Storage, the creative energy in charge of SmartStop's branding and marketing. Anytime you see creative online and in store campaigns for SmartStop, think "Michele."
Michele is all about empowering people – she's started a mentoring program for young female college graduates, volunteers with SCORE and Women in Business-South Bay.
When she's not enhancing SmartStop's brand and curb appeal (duh!), Michele enjoys running, traveling and cooking – just not usually all at the same time. That would be...messy. She lives by the ocean and loves her Italian roots – and like a good Italian, she dotes on her six great nieces and nephews!
But don't let the good looks fool you: Among the judges, Adam sports the body art, Joe looks like the enforcer and Gustav is the junkyard dog- Michele keeps them all in line. (Besides, they're all a bunch of lovable pushovers – just don't tell anyone!)
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Joe "The Hybrid" Duarte knows a thing or two about competition and beating the odds. A native of Guam, Joe came to the US in 2002, landing in Kingsville, Texas with $500, a whole lot of athletic skill, and not much else – except an unwavering belief in himself.
Joe used his significant physical prowess to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter and has forged a solid 10-2 record since turning pro in 2006. In August 2011, Joe fought in the Strikeforce MMA Challenger Series in Las Vegas, where he beat Jorge Gurgel in a unanimous decision. Other career highlights include being the reigning Unleashed Fight Lightweight Champion and appearing on the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter Season 8.
But MMA is not Joe's first go-round as a fighter. He first fought for his country, serving two tours of duty in Iraq with the Army's 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, where he distinguished himself as a combat leader. Joe lost his closest friend, Dean Richardson, during a combat patrol in the heart of Iraq's Sunni Triangle, and Dean's heroic sacrifice inspires him every day.
Joe and his wife Brittany live with their daughter Gabriella in San Diego, California, where Joe trains at The Arena gym.
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There's an adage that says, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." Well, you'd be hard pressed to find a dog with more fight than Gustav the German Shepherd.
In December 2010, the eight-month-old puppy was found on a Southern California doorstep, 35 pounds underweight and with what the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control called one of the worst cases of mange it had ever seen. One report said Gustav had more open wounds than hair.
And that was the good news.
The bad news was that Gustav also had a punctured intestine and was rife with infection. German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County took over and gave Gustav the medical treatment he needed – and the love he'd never experienced.
Today Gustav is a bouncing bundle of life – a living, breathing testament to what a healthy dose of fight can do for a neglected animal. Seems he's also become something of a celebrity: He has his own Facebook page with over 1,000 friends after only a few weeks online! And he even has his very own web movie and show currently in production!