Sweet!

Andy's new Langster! I love it!

And for you Chico guys who haven't met Andy yet, all I can say is.........you will. He's a bonafide bicycle nut. The guy is too cool. Here's how I would describe him:

You're 30 miles from home, out on a ride on a beautiful day.......and you get a flat. You go to change the flat and find that your new tube is not new after all - it has a hole in it. And your patch kit? You left it at home by accident. Now what?

Well, after a few moments of angst, you see another cyclist coming down the road towards you. Ahh....relief. Not only does he ask if you're okay or if you need anything, he actually stops to see if he can help you. Yes, he's one of those cyclists. And not only does he have spare tubes, but he also has patch kits and extra cartridges, just in case. He watches as you fix the flat lickety-split......then rides back into town with you......trading off pulls in a nasty headwind. Lifesaver.

That would describe Andy and what he's doing for Chico cycling. Helping along on a beautiful day's ride.

Details soon.

On a side note, found out this morning that the Bidwell Bump Mountain Bike Race will be held on September 16th......and the Downhill will be on the 17th in Upper Bidwell Park. Kareem, you in????

Saw this little beauty......

....at the time trial on Sunday. A Vitus!! I have one in the laundry room here, but definitely not road worthy at this point. But when you consider that this little tin can probably flew down that hill on Sunday at 45+ mph.........makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck! Still, I LOVE these bikes......and they'll always be some of my all-time favorites.......brings back great memories of champion Sean Kelly.

Check out that rear derailleur! There's almost nothing to it!

Steve V.......

.....back in the saddle again! And kickin' butt in downhill time trials! Way to go Steve! Heard Tim Creswell was using an 11-tooth cog.....so that might explain the 12-second gap. O'course, Tim is a Cat. 2.......and can push that 11 pretty mightily. In any case, it was great to see you back in action!

Okay, so yeah.....

....these guys are pretty good. But Chico's own Geno G. can out-stand 'em any day! Can'tcha Geno??

For Chico Jeff.....

The Cohasset Downhill Time Trial Results 8-26-06:

1. Trowbridge & Rood(Tandem) 5:25
2. Peavy & Selkirk(Tandem) 5:38
3. Tim Creswell 5:55
4. Rich Briggs 6:04
5. Preben Nielsen 6:05
6. Chris Blee 6:05
7. Steve Vickery 6:07
8. Joe Shelburn 6:16
9. Paul Begbie 6:18
10. Mike Trowbridge 6:20
11. Steve O'Bryan 6:30
12. Ryan McDonald 6:32
13. Geno Gruber 6:34
14. Janine Rood 6:43
15. Reene Fiack 6:44
16. Joel Garrett 6:44
17. Mike Crum 6:47
18. Jonathan Neste 6:50
19. Rob Bishop 6:50
20. Alan Rellaford 6:50
21. Weston Crum 6:51
22. Jay Seamans 6:55
23.Daniel Law 7:04
24.Barb Wolfe 7:04
25. Brian Oppy 7:10
26. Bill Bergman 7:12
27. Lisa Martens 7:13
28. Eric Hoiland 7:14
29. Sue Kramer 7:30
30. Tim Carpenter 7:31
31. Laura Vandervoort7:37
32. Amy King 7:38
33. Gabriel Watters 7:52
34. Andrew Parkerson 8:03
35. Christine Bergman 9:15

We had a great turnout for the 1st Annual Cohasset Downhill Time Trial this morning. Thank you all for coming out! And a HUGE thank you goes out to Ed for putting this event on......and to the Sub Station for hosting the Awards Ceremony!

OH - almost forgot - sorry about some of the spelling errors of the names above - I was trying to read 'em off the start sheet and typing them as fast as I could, but couldn't quite make them all out. Sorry for the many mistakes!

Jeff: Not sure about speeds. I did hear about a 53mph section from someone, and another 50mph......but not sure about the top speeds of the day. I do know at least two riders were using a 56x12. Not bad, but doesn't quite match up with my downhill bike gearing(see picture posted a few posts down). ;)

More pics from this morning......

.....and a HUGE apology to Laura for her last name spelling on the results sheet. It's one of those side effects from blogging too much.

A few photos of this morning's downhill......

.....time trial can be found HERE. And, obviously, above too!

What a great little event - thank you all for participating - looking forward to doing it again next year!

Yes, I'll be posting more cruddy photos in the coming hours and days!

Okay, got my bike ready.......

.....for today's downhill time trial. Just need to slap some tape on the bars and I'm good to go. Hope you guys came prepared!

LOL

If the size of our legs determined......

.....how good we would be on a bike, most of us would either suck or be in the middle of the pack. Thankfully, that's not the case. Sorry Tom Platz(the dude above).

However, I think Tom might do okay if he were entered in the Cohasset Downhill Time Trial tomorrow morning. And that bike he's riding would probably help too! I've heard some crazy stuff about this time trial tomorrow - people wanting to put rolls of coins in their seat tubes, wearing weight vests, using lead pellets in the water bottles.......just crazy stuff! Heck, if you need a heavy bike, you could always use my LeMond - that thing weighs a ton!

As for me, I've got the bike and the body ready to tackle this time trial. But, duty calls - I get to work the race instead. And that, for me at least, gives me a bit more satisfaction. LOVE working the races - seeing everyone again, checkin' out the equipment, laughing hysterically at the hijinks done to water bottles and seat tubes. Ah, it's all in good fun. Can't wait.

Anyway, I'll be at the start around 9:15ish or so - hope to see you guys there!

Anybody notice anything weird about........

......these hubs?????

Yes, more silly photos.....

.....and don't worry - there are hundreds more!! Yeah baby!! I'll try not to bore you with 'em too much though. ;) (The top is the 2006 Land Park Criterium........and the bottom pic is the 2006 EMC Criterium).

Woke up this morning with the smell of Autumn in the air. It's funky - the change in sun position, the tad bit cooler air, the scent......just the feel of it all. And it has to be one of my favorite times of the year for riding - just incredible. It always brings back good memories of great rides of years past - the weather, the friends, the roads, the leaves - great times.

I need tires though. Mine are seriously trashed - shouldn't even be riding on them, but still am. Bad, bad, bad....I know. And I'm just asking for trouble. I've got a pile of old beat up tires here in the office that I use on the indoor trainer - I ride them until they almost shred. And at this point, that pile is starting to look attractive to put on the road bike for road miles! Yes, I've reached the desperation point in my want of a tire.

Okay, enough rambling - I need more coffee. And I should probably test my bloodsugar.

Looking back.......

......I am glad I took part in the Dunnigan Hills Road Race. But I get in one of those modes and moods where I start thinking about things I coulda and shoulda done to be better prepared. The CouldaShoulda disease. Need to get back into focus......but it's hard to shake.

OH - that 45s race at Dunnigan - well, all I could see at the finish were riders all over the road and a swarm of profanities all over the air. Guess there were some Centerline violations and DQs.....and lots of complaints. Didn't look like too much fun, but it was actually quite amusing to watch!

"My name is Tyler.......

.....and I am a performance-enhancing-drug addict."

Sad news off of Cyclingnews.com this morning about Tyler's use of the stuff. In short.......gross.....if it's true.

My two pics from Dunnigan!

Yeah, that's about it. Nome puttin' on the Fast spray, and Bob's 3rd place Vellum.

That was an interesting race. Of course, I got my butt kicked. However, I got to see Chico Corsa's Mike Ricks take off on a flyer to win his race.........and I got to see the mayhem that happened during the 45s finish(since I was right in the middle of it all!). Can't really tell you everything that happened, except to say that Morgan Stanley was quite upset and I think someone pee'd in Caldwell's Cheerios that morning.

This Saturday - Cohasset Downhill Time Trial!!! And from what I hear, sounds like there's gonna be some good numbers out there. Again, weigh-in is at 9:30am.

Dunnigan Hills Road Race report........

So, yes, there is a difference between fitness and race fitness......and I have neither! LOL. So, ended up finishing the race......but not where I wanted.

And the pics I took were pretty sparse. I'll post later when Blogger has a chance to settle down the issues this morning.

Where to go from here????

Well, I'm thinking it's time for an overhaul. Bike, diet, training, mindset......the works. Think my next race will be either a cyclocross event or the Early Birds........and definitely Paskenta! In short, it's time for some nice Autumn riding with friends.

And thanks once again to KC and Jim for the help out there on Saturday. I felt pretty trashed, so your wheels were a very welcome site. Thank you!!!!

Thank you to Kareem and Jim!

For saving my sorry out-of-shape ass at the Dunnigan Hills RR - I owe you guys a ton. Hope I can help you guys out in the next season.

Uh oh......

.....talked to former Chico Velo stud racer, Rich Briggs, today at work. Man, what an animal on the bike back in the day! Well......looks like he might be back in racing action again soon. Go Rich!!!!

Cute little video/story about......

.......what else........bicycles!........can be found here.

More crazy photos for Dr. X........

......and a story too.

So, yesterday I had to go to our local Diabetes Education Center through our local hospital. My doc said it would be good for me - even after having diabetes for the past 34 years, he thought it might be valuable to get up-to-date on all the latest and greatest in diabetical stuff.

Yeah, whatever. What are they gonna tell me that I don't already know????

Well, 4.5 hours later, I left that facility in a state of shock. And the reason? I told them that one of my main goals in life is to be a racer - a bike racer - and I don't wanna suck. How can I do that as a diabetic? The answers they gave me were eye-opening.

My Dietician at the Center - Mary - actually coaches elite athletes on better ways of eating for performance and recovery. She's got a list of credentials a mile long, and she herself is an athlete. My conversation with her went something like this:

"Uh, Rodney, you know how you eat this and that, and you eat it at this time and that time in relation to your insulin injections everyday?"

"Yeah."

"Well, um, that's exactly 180 degrees opposite of what you're trying to accomplish if you wanna be a bike rider/racer. In fact, I would say that, at the moment, you're doing your body more harm than good."

"What the hell???!!!"

And my Diabetical Guru at the Center said pretty much the same thing - and she did it in a way that I can understand. She took my blood glucose meter and downloaded all the info on to the computer.......and put my stats in graphical format(for my accounting brain to understand). Whoa.

"See Rodney - all your tests are either in the Blue range or Red range. There is no in-between. You want the graph to be all Green - that's the normal bloodsugar range. But there's not much Green on those pie charts."

"Dang it!!!"

4.5 hours of diabetes and nutritional education. It was priceless. I left there with a completely different mindset. Not so closed out from new information and new ideas to achieve a goal.

Now for the hard part - actually applying it.

Up next - Coaching from Nicole Freedman.

Merkeley Bike and Alicat.......

......got it right in this post. I don't get it either.

It just takes one accident. Back in the day - 1983 to be exact - I wanted to be like all the cool pro riders of the day.......no helmet, cycling cap only.....out training on every road imaginable. Well, as could happen to anyone, I took a header on a descent - head first, no helmet, knocked out, bloody mess. I was lucky. 12 stitches and permanent road rash on the shoulder....but no brain damage or coma.

Hmmmm. Wait a second.

I think Lori would probably disagree with that assessment about the brain damage.

Okay, so maybe there was a little brain damage. But don't we all have to have a little bit to take part in this crazy sport of bicycle racing????

I guess what I'm saying is.......it's nice to still be alive and active......and have the ability to ride the bicycle at all. I feel blessed.

Riding = Helmet time. I mean, geesh, can you even feel those things on your head anymore??? Some of 'em are light as the old hairnets.

Okay Nicole Freedman......

......I'm the world's worst cornerer......well, maybe not the world - just Chico's worst cornerer........can you help me????

Looking forward to training camp with Coach Nicole this fall/winter. Like I wrote Bob R. this morning - learning from a Master is priceless.

Master Snerf. I like it!

Yes, yet more cruddy photos......

......sorry 'bout that.

You ever have one of those days where you wake up and you're craving LSD???

No, I'm not talkin' Brainfry drugs. I'm talkin' Long Steady Distance riding. Weirdest thing for me - woke up today, drank a cup of coffee.......and the next thing you know, all I could think about was LSD riding. Strange......well, for me it was strange. What the hell was in that coffee??

Anyway, may have to quench that LSD thirst this weekend - but not at the RR on Saturday. I was thinkin' Sunday. Well, maybe Saturday too if I get dropped in the first mile.

My old cycling coach told me many times.......

.......that the best training for bicycle racing is riding your bicycle. Hmmm. Imagine that. And I think it's safe to say that the best way to train for a tennis tournament is to play tennis........which I don't do. So, yes, I got my butt kicked at the tennis tournament this past weekend. Not to worry though - I'm a cyclist at heart. Which isn't to say that I'm gonna race well this weekend at Dunnigan - I'm just looking forward to riding/racing again. Enough tennis - it's bike time now.

Anyway, how was your weekend???

The pic: English Time Trial Champion Beryl Burton......she was FAST.....I think she won some ungodly number of time trials during her day, not to mention numerous national titles. Dig that fat chainring up front.

Bill's secret weapon........

....Polka dot sox! And man, he's climbing like a fiend lately!

As for me, all I've been listening to this past week is Pink Floyd. Must have something to do with the Flandis fiasco. Still, gotta get me some of those Floyd sox. Love those guys - 'specially in concert. Not the greatest of cycling music, but fun to listen to just the same.

"You're gonna do what this weekend??!!"

That was Cricket's(our cat) startled response when I told her I was going to play in a tennis tournament this weekend. Yeah, it was one of those husbandy things to do. See, Lori is one heckuva tennis nut nowadays.......so, we're off to play in a tennis tournament.

But, no worries - I'll be racing at the Dunnigan Hills Road Race next weekend. Hope to see you guys out there then!

Oh yeah, the place we're playing has a Moots dealer in town too - so, uh, don't tell Lori, but I think I might go bike-lusting a bit too!

Lookout Cat. 3s!

John Barry has signed up for the Patterson Pass RR! Nice bike Dude!!

On a side note, I have to say, the sunrise here this morning is incredible. I'd like to be out riding now.....but work calls. So, gotta wait 'til tonight. Yeah, I'm jonesin' for a ride.

Getting advice from Olaf??

Priceless......(comments section).

Hey Geno......

.......I know you love your bicycle.......but man, these are lookin' pretty sweet!

Yeah, new bike lust again.

Yeah, it's been one of those seasons......

.......not the best of racing seasons for me in 2006. Had some health issues going on this past spring with my diabetes......which lead to a dramatic fall-off in cycling time......and a dramatic increase in weight gain(Yikes!!!!). Last month though, things started coming back into place. And, needless to say, the one thing that has probably helped the most in my recovery is........obviously.......cycling. To put it bluntly, it's pretty much saved my life.

And you know, it's not the first time this has happened. It seems that whenever I ride consistently - somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 to 6 days per week - my health improves. It takes some time, and some effort......but the payoff is certain. It's like my friend Tom tells me every so often - it's about consistency. Keep it consistent......don't drop off too much......just keep it going. Yeah, I know - it's not rocket science or brain surgery - but it's nice to have that reminder going off in my head every so often.

And so, back on the bike - riding more now than I have in weeks and weeks. The bloodsugars are getting back in control, the weight is slowly coming off, the health is improving. I have my bikes to thank for playing such a crucial role. God, I love my bikes!!! Go bikes!!! LOL. And my friends too - thank you all for your help and support - I really appreciate it! Yeah, I love you guys too!

"Hey Lori, can I get this water bottle???"

This is pretty much what our kitchen tends to look like every so often. And Lori is threatening to sell my H2O bottles on Ebay. Yikes!

Catch Eddy........

.....Had a chance last night to hit the trails with my Schweetie. Started out real mellow-like......enjoying the sunset, the dirt, the peace & quiet, each other.

Then, suddenly, it broke out into a game of Catch Eddy. Catch Eddy is a game my bro and I use to play when we were younger racer-types. It's bike tag - off-road on your mountain or cyclocross bikes. Tag, you're it.......chase......tag, you're it......etc. Take it off-road on single-track, which we did last night, and we're talking fun and fartlek. Ouch. The rules are pretty basic - you have to touch the other rider, or the other rider's bike, with your body or your bike. I even threw in a rule for Lori that if she could spray me with her water bottle, I would be it. And man, we're talking pain. Sure, it's hella fun.......but spills and max heart rates are the call of the day.

And to be honest, I can't wait to play it again - especially with more people! Imagine the possibilities. Hey, we're allowed to make up bike games, aren't we?? I mean, geesh, something has to get our minds off of the Flandis'.

Cohasset Downhill.......

.......Geno and I are headed up to Cohasset this morning to test out that downhill course. Cohasset Downhill Time Trial - August 26th - don't miss it! Now's your chance to test out how all those summer BBQs worked on your descending ability! Weigh-in starts at 9:30am.......first rider off at 10:00am.

Oh man, I just can't stop laughing - a weigh-in for a bike race........I love it.

Love to see those.......

.......Moots in action! Just too cool!!

Did you say the Fon line was dead???

Yeah, thought so..........

Not good.

Yeah, we've probably all heard by now - the B Sample on Flandis' test came back positive. I guess that was expected.

Geezo......what now?

Well, for me, I'm just gonna concentrate on my own riding. I mean, racing is great and dandy and all that. But it's such a small part of the whole cycling world. I just enjoy being on the bike, riding with friends, enjoying the sunrise, sunset, descent, ascent.......whatever. I love cycling.

And although this situation with the Flandis really sux, it ain't the end of the cycling world.

Just one pedal stroke at a time. Keep ridin' y'all - this is an amazing sport we're all involved in.......

Yeah, sure, rant away......

.......Okay, last night I went on a ride with some good friends of mine. Had a great ride - perfect temps, great scenery, awesome company.......just one of those rides you remember.......it was fun!

At one point though, coming back into town, we were nearing the "gated" community of million dollar homes here in Chico(yes, believe it or not, there are million dollar homes here in Chico). And, like many richies up there behind the gates, we ran into a self-serving, self-centered, obnoxiously selfish individual driving her mini SUV to her gated palace(I know this person well, so yeah, that's an accurate description).

Well, she didn't like the way we were riding - so she proceeded to honk at us. I'm not sure what the deal was exactly, but I guess she didn't like the fact that the road really didn't belong to her alone at the time.......and these silly lycra clad bicyclists were in her way. Sure, she had room to drive past us, drive around us, get by us, etc. But, we inconvenienced her - she was in a hurry to get home to her 60-inch plasma brain drain.

So, on behalf of our little riding group, I apologize to you for slowing you down in that lovely residential neighborhood on your way home. I think the speed limit is 25 there - not 45. But who cares - no cops - so what the heck, right? Honk away and get mad at those silly cyclers.

Oh, and those gates you live behind??? Yeah, those are pretty nice. And I notice the roads up there behind the gates at Canyon Oaks are quite rideable - almost to the point of mouth-watering rideable! Lovely roads. Very smooth, hilly, fun - great little workout roads - especially for vomit-launch intervals. If we only lived up there, we could ride 'em, right? But we don't. Can't afford the asking price of $1,000,000+ for a house up there. Hmmmm. Oh well.

Well, if we only knew the gate code to get through those gates whenever we wanted. Hmmmm. A cyclists playland. And would you be honking at us thinking we're your palace-owning neighbors riding on these great gated-community roads??? Probably not. If we only knew the gate code to get in.

To all my local cycling buddies who'd like to ride up there whenever they wish, I give you "The Code":

#4105

Be sure to press the # sign before entering the other numbers. And voila - open gates.

Okay, that's my Friday rant.

Have a great day you guys!!!!!

Hope you're feelin' better Olaf!!

Hear he's got the Creeping Crud.

You know, I am not certain why......

.....but I feel worse about this classic shop closing than Flandis' positive drug test. The shop was destroyed by a massive wildfire in Montana. And for those of us into the classic stuff - especially Campy - this is sad news.