NorCal Cycling News – Cycling and Racing in Northern California

The NorCal army is doing a pretty good job of getting results in on twitter via #nccn or #madera if you are looking to get an update. While improving the delay in getting results got me thinking about the “radio issue” that every cycling publication has been reporting or weighing in on.

At first it was some interesting fodder for the off season but now it’s more played out than a Everybody and their brother is scrambling to get the latest news or view point on it.

• Velonews – USA Cycling lifts race radio ban for NRC
• Podium Cafe- Commenting on Joe Lindsey’s article on radios
• Bicycling – Joe Lindsey
• Podium Insight – Race radios to be permitted in NRC competition
• Fat Cyclist – Making fun of the whole topic

• I learned several things from all these articles.

  1. The riders union is a bunch of pansies, the NFL Players Association would walk over less.
  2. What started out as a cool idea is now something I, nor anyone else for that matter, cares any more
  3. Cycling needs some better story lines cause if race radios is the best we can do then we are f$#

  The Solution!
  I have the ultimate solution for the teams if they want to keep radios. The most important thing they are lacking right now is public support. I dont’ think anybody really buys the “safety” argument regardless if it is true. So here is my suggestion. Stream your radio feed – sure it might not be a great secure channel of communication but they would get their live channel and fans would get another close personal look at the conversations going on during the race. The Teams association could aggregate the streams under one website, delay it 2-3 minutes so nothing critical is exposed, and charge fans to a subscription fee to listen to all the channels. I can’t see the UCI having a say in it if all the fans supporting the races are on board.

  Hell, We’ll build your website for you… but probably not on wordpress. It’s getting kind of slow.

Today’s announcement can really only be dealt with in Xtranormal.

Chileno Valley Grasshopper ~ my, oh my … what a fun time

It’s not often that everyday weekend warriors get a chance to line up next to professional cyclists for an 80 mile, 8K of climbing hammerfest … but, that’s what the Grasshopper folks offer us once in awhile.

The Grasshopper series of training rides are the stomping grounds of many a diehard who may not pin race numbers on jerseys all that often, but most certainly know how to enter the pain cave and start decorating like they mean to stay.  The Grasshoppers are where quite a few good-natured smackdowns of NorCal bragging rights are fought out … with the road events being but one part of the real party.

This particular Grasshopper was an excellent fundraiser for Ross Dillon and his family – survivors of inattentive drivers on our roads and a cruel medical insurance system.

Good cause, and feel free keep the donations flowing.

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Veronika Lenzi was out on the course taking a sweet line of fotos ~ and you should always take time to view things through that woman’s eyes ~ her lense captures more of a moment than you’d think possible.  And remember, there’s access to those memories delivered to your doorstep with a few clicks and a smattering of bucks.

This image is of the one and only Curtis Inglis popping some hooptie on a climb.  I can’t believe I was lucky enough to be out riding next to a legendary framebuilder like Inglis, a kickass artist like Jeff Hantman, and a world renowned crotch-blogger like BethNewell.

Fun stuff.
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Bissell hardman, Paul Mach, pinched out a quick quarter-report narrating how the front end of things shook down through those painful climbs and mind-numbing headwinds of Santa Rosa … making note of how pretty boy BJM, Wohlberg the Wolverine, canada RobBritton, and the two Giant StarBerries Talansky&Berrilleaux throttled each other for 3.5 hours.

It was a great ride by Talansky … only 22 years old and screaming with potential ~ out of the hooks of that Amore-Vita nonsense and riding with the Giant Berries.  He’ll get good looks at some of the best racing in the US, and be able to take home a few bucks in prize money this year.  Joining him off the front was 25-year old teammate, Jared Barrilleux (Barry-Oh!) … one cowboy of a rider that always pleases crowds with his ability to suffer and willingness to throw himself out in front of a bike race.

These two young men have the luxury of being on a top-notch squad that offers a size-able stepping stone to moving on to bigger and better things in cycling.  Well done and we’ll see.
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Speaking of bigger and better …

The Bissell squad is absolutely the best run and most stable US-domestic professional squad on the scene today.  Their media pushes are organized well, timed for effectiveness, and successfully assist the riders to brand Bissell in the minds of cyclists and fans across the country.

This year’s squad will be formidable with the addition of some key riders.  It’s hard to say that Daniel Holloway will have a breakout year – just because he’s already had national and international success as a US criterium champion and 6-day track specialist in Europe.  But, with a powerful squad behind him hungry for sprint wins … this will be a year when Hollywood will not only be a legitimate contender for field sprints, but also a year cementing him as a rider who knows how to bring the show.

Cycling is a sport of characters … of riders we want to watch, want to follow, want to support.  Holloway has the potential to be one of those riders with his brash but likeable demeanor – and this year’s Bissell squad has the elements to exploit that kind of young bravado, while also keeping both feet on the ground through experience and maturity.

Bissell has the seasoned intelligence and leadership of Ben Jacques-Maynes.  But they also have the raw animalistic power of his brother Andy JM.  They’ve got the quick and surgical accelerations of a rider like Cody O’Reilly, as well as the smooth, granite coolness of a Paul Mach.  From management to support staff to riders, Bissell is going to be showing fans around the country what it means to be professional in cycling.

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Tour of New Zealand – USA #1

Shelley Evans sprinted to victory in stage one of this prestigious UCI event, nabbing the leader’s jersey and asserting the US National team as ready to defend to the end.  The ace in the whole for the squad is, of course, world champion Amber Neben.  Neben is a rider with a palmares longer than a Kentucky derby studfarm and will be key to backing up Shelley’s bid for a first GC international win.

Key to supporting Neben will be TIBCO’s Alison Starnes … already a rider proving that she loves to paint herself purple with pain on the front-end of a race for a teammate.  Janel Holcomb is also a rider with a strong history of being in the wind for a team, and I see her as being integral to keeping Shelley positioned well while Neben directs the team on the road.

Should be a great Tour.
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Tour of Qatar 2010

“It was a like a war zone and it was every man for himself.” – Steven Cozza, Stage 3 [CN]

Both the men & women’s versions of this year’s Tour of Qatar have claimed collarbones, pelvic girdles, and even a middle finger, or two. It’s a race that offers enough money, publicity, and UCI points that teams storm the thing like Lawrence of Arabia on crack.

But this deadpan flat race with demon hot crosswinds spews out a casualty list faster than camels spit at tourists … and there’s nothing to do about it but say ~ ‘such is the way of the bike.’

“Boonen’s computer registered a maximum speed of 72.8km/h and he described the sprint as one of the fastest finishes of his career” [CN]

Sweet mother of pearl … that is well over 45mph for us ameri-pedalers.  45 frickin’ miles per hour on the flats, without too much tailwind other than the blow of fear-driven testosterone.  And there were boys falling in the final 500meters … that’s just sickening to think about.

Now ~ I’m not one to disparage other sports, or try and call-out one as being supremo to the others … and, there is absolutely no way i’d want to have some 300lb behemoth ram his helmet into my guts at full gallop.  Buuuut … neither do i believe that many out there will want to get in their car, pop it into 4th gear, set the cruise control at 40+, open up the car door and … fall out in their underwear.

But that’s what these riders risk … every day they race, every day they ride.

egads ~ what are we thinking?
.

Amber Rais was an early casualty of Qatar this year, hitting a bot-dot pre-race much like Kurt Arvelson did on the men’s side.  Damn shame, as Rais has a huge following of fans and we all want to see her healthy and performing in her own brave, elegant way.

Kat Carroll also went down in one of the mad crosswind sections, much like Steven Cozza … both sustained injuries, but hopefully both will be back and racing their bikes like the banshee riders they both are.  These are two of the most courageous riders I’ve seen race their bikes in a long time.

… damn hard sport.  damn hard.

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Cody ‘der’ Kaiser … man for the future

Internet cycling awesomeness – PodiumInSight -put out a nifty article about Kaiser a couple weeks back, and it was pure pleasure to read about how a family can fall in love with cycling.

“Riding a bike was a lot more fun than playing a 6-hour round of golf, so with that said I am now in the bike business and not in the golf business, I don’t play golf anymore. We just ride a bunch, it was all because of Cody.” [PI]

That’s from Cody’s dad, Bruce Kaiser ~ talking about how he started up a shop just south of Sacto in the Elk Grove area, Kinetic Cycles.  I have been impressed with this family for a long time, as they have always promoted bike riding and racing in a healthy, community conscious way.  Their connections with Ride for a Reason are long and strong, and the way this group conducts themselves on and off the bike inspires good vibes in all who come in contact with them.

From Cross to Road?

Cody has an obvious talent and enjoyment of racing in the dirt.  But, whether he knows it or not ~ he also has all the makings of a phenomenal road stage racer.  Racing the dirt is a barbarian’s endeavor at heart … filled with insane aggression and risk that brings out the yowling beasts in all of us.

hellyeah.

But road racing is a thinking rider’s sport … and the best stage racers are those who can coldly calculate ~ only unleashing fury when it is called for, with discipline and absolute commitment.  And cyclocross is the perfect breeding ground for such riders, in my opinion.  As CalGiantBerries team director, Anthony Gallino remarked in the PI article,

“He’s so mellow, sometimes if he’s too mellow that hurts him, he needs a little chip on his shoulder, when he’s pissed off is when he rides the best.”

It’s that ‘mellow-ness’, his innate intelligence, and the freakish amount of sustainable power that this young man puts out that signals his high potential to be a road stage racer.  The stage racer needs patience, intelligence, ability … and an iron will to suffer.

This young man has it.

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Ban the Radios … Enforce Intelligence

VeloSnews grabbed USAC’s Sean Petty to yak about the recent ban on radio use in cycling.

“The UCI did a lengthy study, and got input from teams and riders around the world. Basically the question was, ‘have there been fewer accidents with the advent of the radio?’ The answer was, no.”

I’m a fan of the opinions of Michael Barry and believe he lays out a number of strong arguments why riders should be unplugged.  I highly recommend his words for reading … in all things cycling.

Safety is, or should be,  the first barometer checked for decisions in bike racing & promoting.  The argument that traffic hazards or dangerous conditions on the roads demands the use of radios is eloquently rebutted by Barry,

“Prior to radio use there was solidarity amongst the riders where they looked out for their common interests when their jobs or health were at risk. With a voice telling us what to do, we have lost our voice as we seem to constantly buckle when under pressure.”[VN]

I believe strongly that banning radios will not only increase the safety of riders, but also increase the enjoyment and … panache of racing.

When riders are free to ride – they are free to decide, learn, and succeed or fail as their talents and training dictate.

There is beauty in seeing the choices made by individuals in circumstances so unique and demanding, especially in a sport so essentially team-oriented.

I am glad to see the return of cycling to those who race it … not those who own it.

But as USAC’s Petty says … “we’ll see.”

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First off we had a great trip to Vegas for Interbike.  I love that place, pure and simple.  The show itself is remarkable for how similar it is each year.  Here is my oversimplification of what was going on at the show this year.

1. Fixed Gear/Single Speed – Its gone big time…felt like everybody had something to show here and several smaller booths were specializing in this product line.  The San Jose Mob are hardcore Hellyer-ites, maybe the rest of the bay area fixies will get inspired as the movement grows.
2. MetriGear Vector Power Meter – Dude – it’s freaking Star Trek in its coolness.  It’s james bondian in its size.  It’s VHS ian in its importance to using power in your daily training.  Most importantly … its NorCal born and bred.  Can’t wait to see this puppy in action.  It is going to be geek city once all the local pro’s start showing up with their beta versions, getting the local cycler-ati all jazzed up to go spend their money on these little guys.

Other than that the highlight for me was Cross Vegas – I wasn’t thrilled with the set up.  It was harder to get beer and to traverse the course, but the crowd looked the same size even though Lance totally flaked out this year (pansy.)   It was the best race I have seen there as two up and comers took the bull by the horns and shook up the US Cross Pros.  Local Sac boy Chris Jones took it to the pack early and worked with Jamey Driscoll to stay away for the entire race and land himself a second place spot on the podium.   With Wicks going all Mtn bking and the Jacque Mayniac’s focusing on the road it was sweet to have a NorCal boy on the podium at a big event.

In other news….

The news of Frank Vandenbrouckes death caught me by surprise.  I figured he would be kicking around forever, making me giggle with his silly euro hair, and crazy new teams, and running naked through the yards of his Belgian neighbors.  Underneath the drama and drugs was a sick man.  It is hard to think of the Euro Stars as real people.  The recent plight of Chad Gerlach was even more surprising and sad.  For one Gerlach is local, and we have all heard about his heroic performances the last  year.  There is not small amount of satisfaction we take in watching our local pro’s excell and succed.  Secondly the story was inspiring.  For anybody that has battled the demons Gerlach had seemingly overcome it was a survivors tale that looked like it could give Lance a run for his money.  The reality is, the set backs, and losses when dealing with addiction, mental health issues, and just regular life for that matter – outweigh the victories.  For talented athletes who have such a propensity to win such challenges must appear easy, yet prove impossible.  A quote from the Sacremento Bee’s article which broke the story stood out  ‘Local drug counselor David Husid sees little hope for the fallen champ. “Until he… realizes he’s just an average guy, he’s never going to figure it out.”

As the news broke there was a lot of shock, and what can be interpreted as hope for recovery, in the NorCal cycling community.  While the comeback started out as a great story the real win for Gerlach will be if he can find a more solid anchor for his life in his young new family.

Drugs, drugs, drugs…. I found it interesting that these stories were breaking around the same time as the AFLD announced “incongruous substances” found in medical equipment, which has lead to a broader investigation by French authorities.   The phrase “French authorities” always makes me giggle since they seem to be more willing to make a fuss, but less willing to indict anybody than the Spanish authorities.  I will give it to the Italians, CONI, at least they seem to be going after anybody when they get on the trail of somebody they think was a doper.  With all that in mind, I am still pondering how to weigh harmony in cycling vs. exposing cheaters.   The focus on Astana strikes me as a red herring since Bruyneel’s trade craft is so strong i find it unlikely that his team would get busted by equipment they turned over in a public waste disposal mechanism.  Since AFLD’s revelation did not seem to have an immediate point, other than to embarras the UCI, i can only assume it is part of some long complicated plot being developed to catch Lance Armstrong in a lie.