Olaf....

....you forgot this pic.

5, 4, 3........

.....yep, let the upgrades begin.

Sweet!!!

Found out today that one of my favorite writers of cycling stuff now has a blog. Awesome.

Nope......

....he didn't quite make it.

There's the Poulsen......

.....sweet! And hey, coming from an official's point of view, that's an excellent example of how to place your number! Must be that 20+ years of racing experience PAB has........

Does he make it???

Or not???

Well, if his name was Olaf or C-Wire......I would say....."Yeah". But, his name is Robbie Ventura.

Had a chance to go out.........

......mountain biking yesterday with some friends in Upper Bidwell Park. Man, what a blast!! Love the mountain biking. Unfortunately, my own mountain bike was feeling under the weather.....so I had to use my back-up mountain bike(aka - The-Rusted-Steel-Tubed-Hard-Tailed-Non-Shock-Slick-Tired-Commuter-Bike). Even so, I had a good time.....how could you not???

While out there, I got to try a friend's bike for a bit - like the one pictured above. It's a Kona Kingkikapu or some crazy thing. Man, that was like riding on a cloud - just heaven! Worth every cent of the $2,000 asking price, in my opinion. And now, for 2007, it comes in blue! But, the Kingpupu will have to wait.....still have my eye on this thing.

Olaf's Dinobike......

Dr. X - I love it Dude......Dinobike! That's funny. But even on his Dinobike, Hernando seems to do okay. I think those bikes are pretty cool - I don't know, they just look like fun. And I like the Safeway tape on 'em too!

Dude, have you lost your flippin' mind....again....

Yep, lost it. Took this bad boy out for a ride the other day just to see what it felt like. BMX at its finest.....and me at my silliest. Hey, what can I say - it was fun!

Cat. 3s....get ready.....

....he's gonna be there before you know it.

What'd I win???

Sooooo......Super Bowl Sunday is coming up on February 4th. And, as it happens every year, so is Chico Velo's Paskenta Century......aka the Unofficial 100-mile Road Race. Now, most people ride in this yearly event to knock out some early season flattish miles(only about 1,000 feet of total climbing on this course).....get in an early season century to start the year off right.....and to gather with our fellow cyclists to battle the wind(yes, it can get VERY windy out there). And then there are a few of us who enjoy the 4-mile dirt section half-way through the ride......brings back good memories of cross season.

But then, there are those who show up because they want it.......that ever elusive Paskenta Trophy(shown above). Seems like John Elgart is always in the hunt for it. Last year, it was Scott Fonseca who took it. Year before that, I believe it was Tim Creswell beating out Rich Thurman for the trophy. This year, who knows? You have 200-300 riders show up at the One Mile, cruise down the Esplanade.......but when they hit Meridian Road, it breaks loose. And by the time they get to Lassen Road.....well, better position yourself just right or you could lose the leaders in a blink of an eye.

For some of us, we have no desire for that trophy - we just wanna ride. Then, there are bike dorks like me who want the trophy........but the only way I'll ever get that beautiful piece of "Mike Peavy artwork" is to steal it! And that just wouldn't feel right.

So, you can view the trophy in the pics above.......or head down to Cyclesport here in Chico to gaze at it for a bit.

Train hard - and get ready......the start list for this event is lookin' pretty, well.......fast!

Tack attack......again.....

Word of warning to the local cyclists out there - apparently the "tack" bandit has sprayed tacks on the road going up to Cohasset again. I'm going to try to pin-point the area and head out there with a broom today or tomorrow.

Random pics from yesterday's Early Bird Criterium....

.....in Fremont. Top pic is Larry Nolan chowin' down in preparation for the last race of the day(I think he ended up doing about 100 miles of criterium riding yesterday between mentoring and racing). Next pic down is the after-race pic of the Health Net Dude and the RH Villa Dude - not sure how they did........Lori and I were taking the exam during that final race of the day. Bottom pic is Early Bird "entry form" area.....and behind them is the Cat. 5 mentoring meeting going on.

Pack rat?? Hell yeah!

Obviously, this is NOT Lori's side of the bed. See, I get into reading one thing cycling....then another.....then another......then.....well, you get the point. Bad, I know. Hey, at least some of those cycling books are stacked neatly in a bookcase! The clean-up has to start somewhere.....

Yep, it's official......

.....the world is coming to an end!

No, no....not really.....yet. However, Lori and I are USA Cycling Officials now - took the two-day clinic and passed the test. So, who knows - you might see more of us now out on those race courses!

Motorpacing......

.....I can't stop laughing.

I read Bob Mionske's article on VeloNews today on the legality of motorpacing. In the article was the following story given by Bob.....

"One of the only times I organized a motor pace session was almost equally disastrous. A friend of a friend kept offering to take me out motor-pacing and I finally agreed. We made our way to a quiet country road and began our session. I got up to speed, but he simply followed behind me in his car. I kept waving for him to pass me and he took my waiving as a command to get even closer to my rear wheel and rev his engine louder ala Johan Bruyneel style. Eventually, I pulled over and asked him what he was doing. He thought motor-pacing was an effective method of speed training because the cyclist would force themselves to go faster and faster to avoid being run over by a motor-vehicle.
I opted for an easy ride by myself and laughed out loud every time I reflected on this innovative "ride-for-your-life" training method."

Dude, that is hilarious.

If that were the case, heck, just commute by bicycle - I find myself motorpacing every friggin' day!

Old tech.......New tech.......

......does it really matter? Well, apparently not.

I had the opportunity yesterday to go back through some old newsletters from Chico Velo the other day. 27 years worth of newsletters. Fun stuff.

One point of interest to me were the time trial times from two courses here in town. One was the Forest Ranch Time Trial - an 11.5 mile climb, pretty gradual, not too steep('bout 1800-2000 feet or so)....but it wears on ya after awhile. The second was the River Road Time Trial - a 10-mile flat time trial. And the interesting note is this: The times back then were, overall, faster than they are now. What do I mean by "back then"? We're talking 25 years ago. I'm not saying that everyone who rode back then was beating an Aren Timmel up a hill(but there were some - like Grant Boswell). No no - What I do mean is that, for the most part, the riders were faster - on average - than the riders nowadays.......locally, that is.

Consider this - a bike "back then" was about 22 pounds. If you had a sub-20 pound bike(real.....not just imaginary!), that was a rarity indeed. Today, I can walk in to a local cycling shop, and if I have the necessary funds, I can walk out with a 15.5 pound state-of-the-art carbon wonder bike............and still not beat my best time up to Forest Ranch from 1983! 22 pound steel Benotto was my bike from those days. And the Forest Ranch Time Trial start - for you locals - was not Bruce Road like it is now.......nope......it was El Monte! When you consider that, the times become even more amazing because it was a slightly longer course.

What does all this mean??? Does it mean, "It's the rider, not the bike"? Or "They trained harder and more consistently back then"? Or "There was more competition in this area during that time frame"? Or the one I REALLY don't like - "Oh, well, the explanation for that is this - the average age of the rider back then was 22-24........now it's 40+"! No, I hate that explanation.

Looking through all those years of newsletters, seeing all the results, seeing all the names and calendar of rides and so forth, I can tell you this: The riders "back then" rode. It wasn't training, there were no heart rate monitors, no power meters, nobody knew carbon or titanium in cycling, and a training schedule was writing down what you did AFTER you did it - it was a training log. They rode. That is what they did. It was fun - it wasn't work - they were having a good time. The Ishi 160?? Sure, let's do it this weekend - sounds like fun!!(The Ishi 160 is a 160 mile local ride that goes from Chico, then north on Hwy. 99 to Red Bluff.......up Hwy. 36 towards Mt. Lassen......then.....egads!!!!......down Hwy. 32 back to Chico!). How do you train for the Wildflower Century?? By riding the Century route. Simple. But it was fun too - which included sight-seeing, swimming hole visits, lunch breaks - and most of all, long days in the saddle. Looking at those old calendars, there were rides every single day. Riders just rode.

It's friggin' freezing......

So, the temperature has dropped quite a bit in the last few hours - and now, "they" are predicting snow flurries on the valley floor. Crazy! And although some just love it(I have to admit, I love it when it snows in Chico - once every 10-15 years or so), I miss the warm weather. I mean, I actually got to go out riding yesterday with just two layers on up top! It was great!! But now, I can tell my morning commute is gonna be one of those ten-layer mornings........base, shirt, long-sleever, vest, another long-sleever, jacket.....etc. Always love those freezing cold mornings on the bike - all bundled up - makes me feel like Kenny.

The pics - 2005 Fremont Criterium, Masters 35+ 1/2/3 race. Might see some familiar faces in there. It was pretty warm, but windy as heck. Larry Nolan took off on a break with Hutch and another dude.......and that was that. The "another dude" won......Nolan was putting in monster pulls through the wind......looked nasty hard.

Dude, that is one......

.....hella ORANGE bike!! I love it!

What I don't love is this news. Sux.

Careful out there......

JANUARY 10, 2007 -- BETHEL, CT (BRAIN)--Cannondale and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are recalling 2007 road bikes made from aluminum and carbon, or all carbon fiber. According to Cannondale the bicycle's front brake can fail causing the rider to lose control and fall, though the company reports no injuries. The recall affects about 700 bikes and Cannondale is requesting that consumers stop using the bicycles immediately until inspected or repaired. The recalled road bicycles are the Six 13 Team 1, Six 13 Team1/CompactDrive, Synapse Carbon SL1 compact Si crank and standard bottom bracket DuraAce crank. And were sold by Cannondale dealers from July 2006 to November 2006 for between $3,200 to $4,500.

Think we all knew.....

.....it was just a matter of time.

Hans.....

.....you're killin' me. I can not stop laughing at this video - that foul-mouthed lunatic just floored me.......too funny!

Hmmmm........

......I've been lookin' at these pedals lately. All I've heard is that they're great. Never tried 'em.....but there's a first time for everything. Olaf, Geno, Steve......why do they like these little lollipops???

Get well soon Peggy!!!

I know you have to ride the indoor trainer for the next two months after that nasty crash. But lets get it going - Spinning classes this week???

More silly pics from the.....

......1st Annual Year-End Humboldt Hill Climb Time Trial. Geezo, that's a long name. The top pic is Dave Withrow getting ready to tame the hill......and Joe Shelburne right behind him. The next two pics are Steve Vickery's CAMPY equipped Klein. Way to go Steve. And his new very blue saddle. And finally, that's him pinnin' on his race number at the start - on our poker table.

And that was it......all the pics I had from this event. Aren't you happy?? No 300-crappy-pics-with-2-good-pics montage this time around.

Had a chance, during my flu break today.....

.....to take a look at some pictures of northern California races from this past year. I had a particular interest in the Masters 35+ 1/2/3 category.......probably because of the fact that my chances of racing in that elite group is almost zero. More likely, it's one of the most interesting racing categories out there.....with some interesting racers.

One thing I noticed in all those pictures is that my beloved Campagnolo is alive and well. With the Lance-man hoppin' on a Shimano-equipped Trek.....and much of the mass produced bikes out there covered in Shimano stuff(including my own Trek!), I was happy to see someone other than just the Pros racing on Campy. If you look at some of the pics, I noticed quite a few of those Masters racer studs on the 'Nolo.

I love Campagnolo. When I first started out back in the day, everyone was on Campy. Sure, there was some Shimano and Sun Tour stuff out there. But most everyone was on Campy stuff. And you know.....it rocked! I have a few bikes here that still have the old Campy components on them, and they're still ticking. I even have a Campy Super Record rear derailleur on one of the old mountain bikes - and it puts up with massive abuse......and keeps on shiftin'. And although the new stuff looks pretty hot, I still love that old school Campy. Don't get me wrong - the new stuff is a work of art.

I don't know - part of me feels guilty knowing that my road bike has, what Eric Norris would call, ShimaNO all over it. But another part of me.....well......just doesn't care. But still, every once in awhile, I feel that Campy twinge gettin' to me. It's almost like a reminder - of good old days long gone; a boy and his trusty Campy-equipped Benotto bicycle out on the open road; long rides in horrible weather; epic races; growing up in a racing world few knew about. It was unique. But also very fun....and very memorable.

And so, when I look at those Masters pics today, I smiled - there were Campy bikes all over the place. And, of course, you've got Joe with his Campy tat on his arm. Dude, that's guts.......still not sure I could do that.....but, hmmm......you never know. If I ever get to the Masters 1/2/3 category - yeah, I'd do it. 'Course, I'd be in sort of a contract to ride Campy the rest of my life. But I guess things could be worse - I could have tattoo'd Zeus component group on my arm back in the day!

Dang it.......sorry Dr. X......I guess they do.....

.....come in 4s sometimes. Our good friend, Paul Stephens(above), broke his collarbone in a crash at training camp as well. Dude, I hope for a super speedy recovery for you too! And let me know if you wanna borrow any DVDs here! Don't want you to go stir crazy on that indoor trainer.

Hi Steve! No no, the blogger's not broke.....

.....it's just operator error.

Post #799. I started this thing back on December 31, 2005. And man, what fun!! But I need to keep more up-to-date on this thing. Yes, a New Year's Resolution.

Lots has happened in the last ten days since I've blogged on here. First, I work for these guys now. And let me tell you, it's a dream come true. And Ed - what a great guy to work for - best boss ever. And I found out yesterday that, years ago, he use to babysit this guy! Crazy stuff. Guess Ed and his dad were buds back in the day. And the Dude came over to Ed's house and ended up partying there until 3am! Ed - man, didn't know you were a rocker!!

On a downside, Peggy, Janeen and Aren all have crashed in the past couple of weeks. And that is the part about cycling I don't like. It's still a shock for me to hear about stuff like this.......just puts a little dent in the armor sometimes. Peggy broke her cheekbone on a Hwy. 32 descent crash; Janeen broke her collarbone on a River Road crash; and I heard today that Aren crashed and broke out his front teeth(Aren's picture is above - this is him winning the 2006 Nevada City Classic in the Cat. 3s). I don't like it. Hopefully this bad luck came - and went - in 3s. No more. I wish all of you a super speedy recovery - and let me know if you need anything.

And, to top it off, Lori and I both got the flu......recovered from it.....then I got it again. Guess I shoulda gotten that flu shot when I had the chance. So, right now, I'm involved in Vomit Launch 2007.....without the intervals. Feels sorta empty that way. Dang it, I need to accomplish something with my vomit launches! Just kidding.

On December 31, 2006, Geno, Lori and myself ran the 1st Annual Year-End Humboldt Hill Climb Time Trial(registration pic above - the winner is the guy in blue signing up). It was a modest turn-out - but tons of fun! Here are the final results:

1. Ed Condit(from Redding): 15:06
2. Joe Shelburne: 15:25
3. Lau Ackerman: 16:02
4. Steve Vickery: 16:07
5. Kareem Speake: 18:32
6. Janine Rood(1st Woman): 18:38
7. Jay Rawlins: 18:44
8. Kathie Thornton(2nd Woman): 19:03
9. Jeff Ochs: 20:54
10. Daniel Henning: 21:33
11. Dave Withrow: 21:55
12. Eric Ayars & Jessalyn Ayars(she's 7!!): 23:14 (1st place tandem)

We'll be doing another one of these Humboldt Hill TTs in the spring......so start training now!

And man, the racing season is already under way! As soon as I read the race reports and results for this little event, I knew it was on.

And the pic above is Kareem's new Vellum.......and from what I understand, it was worth the wait! He's tinkered with it a bit and got the weight down to 15.5 lbs. or some ungodly amount. Thing is crazy light.

And finally today.....a picture of my new Chico Velo office. And although it may look sparse to some, to me, well.....it's a mansion. My last job had 3 - and sometimes 4 - of us in an office the same size as this one. Knowing that this little baby is all mine makes me smile. I love it.

Anyway, hope you guys all had a great Holiday season, a Happy New Year, and I hope you got lots of cool cycling stuff under the tree. 2007 will be a great year of riding, I just know it. Let's enjoy the ride.