Ben returns after a successful 2004 season during which he cemented a key role for himself as one of the team's strongest domestiques, contributing selflessly to almost every team victory throughout the season.  Ben's cycling career started through Ironman triathlons in 2001.  After competing in the Hawaii Ironman for two years, he decided to leave the sport to focus on cycling.  He first raced in Belgium with Webcor in 2003 and then joined the team full-time last year.  As a hobby, he recently finished his Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley.  Currently, Ben is continuing work towards a PhD by performing research for NASA on the design of a spectroscope instrument for the detection of previous life on Mars.