NorCal Cycling News – Cycling and Racing in Northern California

Ed. Note: I have often told Beth Newell, who won the Omnium at National Championships last night, that she’s one of the few people I regard as funny as I am.  For those of you who now mock my declaration of humor, I will have you know, I possess both professional stage and comedy training… but it was in Canada. Which I think makes it worth more.  Either way… Beth has recounted her final, winning ride, in the 500m an subsequent testing by the USADA.   The post is pretty awesome.  I’ve excerpted my favorite bit, which i like for it’s true yet funny nature, and put it here to encourage you to read the rest.   On top of it all i found out only yesterday she’s dating Hernando! … nobody tells me anything.

Excerpt from “On winning a national title & getting dope tested”

Then came part three: declaration of supplements.

USADA GUY: what supplements do you take?

bethbikes!: uhh, i take iron pills

USADA GUY: how often? when was the last time you took one?

bethbikes!: uhhh….when i remember.

USADA GUY: how often is that? when was the last time you remembered?

now, how does one honestly answer this question.? i think the most honest answer would be: i remember to take my iron about as often as i “remember” to do my core work. which would translate into: “three times a week on a good week, but once every 6 weeks is not uncommon.”

JUMP TO THE FULL ARTICLE

I think Cyclocross Magazine is more obsessed about KCM than we are.  It makes me feel jilted, but Bikes To Rawanda is a great cause so check it out.

Katheryn Curi Mattis & Ritte’s Cyclocross Bikes by Josh Liberles

Katheryn Curi Mattis apparently has a hard time staying “retired” from competitive bike racing. Curi Mattis—who won the 2005 US road race national title and the 2008 Geelong World Cup road race, and is one of the top American roadies of the past decade—has lightened her racing load this year and transitioned to more of a mentoring role for developing athletes in the Webcor program. But her competitive itch coupled with Bikes to Rwanda’s humanitarian mission of providing cargo bikes to Rwandan coffee farmers conspired to get Curi Mattis on a ’cross bike for one of the country’s biggest events.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Send me race reports from the weekend cross freaks and lonely road riders.  I have more Interbike videos for next week so hope to get more news up other than who came in second this weekend.

Annie Fulton may not be leading the Cal Cup series but she’s sucking up points by winning all the hard case races.  So far she’s managed to rack up wins at both Patterson Pass and University by breaking the legs of the competition.  Her recent win’s show a depth of talent and relationship with pain that has taken time and resolve to develop.   Much like her main Cal Cup rival, Jane Despas, Fulton is focused on trying to build her career out side of cycling and managing to race at a high level.  We caught up with her after University to get some insight into her approach.

Give us  a quick recap of your high school and college athletic background.

You know how most little kids take a gymnastics class and learn how to walk on the beam and jump on the trampoline?  Well, I took those classes and just didn’t stopped for 14 years.

Makes sense – you kind of have that tiny pixie climber thing going.

Gymnasts are short. and all around, very muscular.  No velociraptor arms here!

Did you have an event your event ?

There is a common misconception that gymnasts have an “event” – I competed all-around.  Though, I usually scored well on floor and vault.

Where did you peak in your gymnastics career?

I would say the best result I got was placing 3rd on beam at zones (this would be somewhat equivalent to districts in cycling)

You grew up in the area but didn’t start cycling until you got back from college – how did that start?

My dad got me a road bike when I was in college so he could take me along on his summer cycling adventures with his buddies in Europe.  I road a bit while at school, but 6 months of snow a year meant that I got in almost all of my riding time in the summer and while touring.

Riding with a bunch of old guys in a beautiful setting sounds like the Stahl Ride [A famous weekly ride run by Peninsula legend Dave Stahl through the Santa Cruz Mountains] Did you end up riding with your dad in europe?

Haha – you have a point.  My dad passed away three years ago, just a few days after we completed a tour in the Dolomites.  Perhaps the Stahl ride is my favorite because it makes me nostalgic for all those miles spent with my dad when we just rode for the fun of it.

You have managed to become one of the top NorCal women racers and start building a career as a much sought after web developer at the same time – how do you balance the two?

You have to love both cycling and your career to make it work.  Also set realistic expectations for yourself.  I honestly feel like I could have been a better racer or progressed further in my career if I had just focused on one.

Now that you have some semblance of a formula down what do you see as your biggest achievement to date?

While winning Patterson Pass was gratifying, I have to say my favorite moment in cycling was not a race but being invited to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  It was so amazing to share the facilities with some of the best athletes in the world.

What kind of activities did they have you do at the OTC?

Besides a couple fitness tests, they were really testing our bike handling and grace under fire.  One ride involved riding in pitch-black tunnels on dirt roads.  Another time we were placed in a small area and told to knock off riders until there was one rider remaining!

Did you meet any athletes that inspired you while you were there?

This may sound funny, but Rulon Gardner. [ed note. 2000 Greco Roman Wrestling Gold Medalist and Biggest Loser Contestant] I saw him at the OTC and have been totally inspired by him since.  I relate to Rulon because he is an emotional athlete who goes through many ups and downs, but is always a fierce competitor.

After being exiled to Maine for several years can you attest to how much better the NorCal lifestyle is to east coast living?

I mean, it is nice to not have Wal-Mart be “the thing to do” in town…..

Heh…. and what is your favorite NorCal race?

I’m going to have to go with Pescadero RR.  It’s beautiful, climby, and involves eating garlic artichoke bread afterwards!

Speaking of NorCal races, you always do well in CalCup – what about those races fit your racing style?

I love long epic bike rides.  What is more epic that 4+ hour races in 100 degree heat, gnarly winds, and lots of climbing?  Only the dinner I eat afterwards.

What is the one thing that dinner has to have in it?

There is nothing I crave more after a tough race than a burrito.

You are extremely to the point.  I chalk that up to your time going to college (Bates) in a state (Maine) that would be better annexed by Canada.  On that note…Who talks funnier Canadians, Australians, or the fish-heads from Maine?

Maineiacs.  Who else eats lawbstah with buttah for suppah?

I had a long question about goals, philosophy, and your approach, but in the end… where do you want cycling will take you?

That is a tough one.  I have found myself unwilling to give up my career, so I’d like to take racing as far as I can while working full-time.   Cycling has given me many things, but in general I would say racing has given my life a focus which has been very helpful while dealing with my dad’s death and the confusion of post-school life.

Check back soon for an interview with Cal Cup men’s bad ass Evan Huffman.

 

 

Sundays Le Tour coverage was capped off by an hour of highlights from the 2011 edition of the women’s Nature Valley Grand Prix. I have to applaud Versus for using Le Tour as a lead in to coverage of one of the most important women’s races in the world. I thing this now brings up the total coverage of women’s cycling on “major” networks to 1.5 hours. I am not including the UCI feed that Universal Sports plays from the track and CX world cups… Which is awesome btw! I hope you all tuned in and will let versus know it was a popular choice and kept us all glued to the. TV after their main coverage of Le Tour. It reminded me that I started a piece on NorCal riders at the NVGP abut never published it so I went back, dug it up, and tried to get it in shape for a quick post….

2011 NVGP Women’s Recap – Inspired by Recent TV Coverage

Since the demise of Tour d’Altoona the Nature Valley Grand Prix, fathered by the legendary Dave LaPorte, has become the major race for established and aspiring women professional cyclists in the United States. All the teams show up with their ‘A’ game and the race is rarely without the exciting drama usually reserved for the Tour De France.

The NVGP has been a launching pad for several careers including luminaries like Kristin Armstrong who owned the race for several years before her retirement, Brooke Miller who started a hot streak in 2007 for TIBCO with a win at the Cannon Falls RR, and Shelley Olds who placed second to Armstrong in 2009 and ultimately won in 2010.

NorCal was represented with several teams including TIBCO, Peanut Butter 2012, and the up and coming Vanderkitten squad. Peanut Butters Ali Starnes podiumed the first day with a big TT finish (camera time!) and Vanderkitten guest rider Beth Newell topped most of the amateur field coming in 22nd.

The crits and road races belonged to current world champion Georgia Bronzini, but before her crash in Stage 4 Shelley Olds was looking like she would be able to give Bronzini a run for her money. With Olds out Norcal was represented in the final sprints by Vanderkitten’s Emily Collins who managed several top ten finishes through out the week.

TIBCO was throwing everything they could at the race leaders in order to dislodge the race leaders (HTC and Peanut Butter) and they came close to putting Willock in the leaders jersey. The cool part about all the TIBCO attacks and lead outs was NorCal favorite Megan Gaurnier got lots of camera time. Other notable GC rides included former Stanford rider Amber (Rais) Pierce who finished in the top twenty as did Lindsay Myers.

Editor’s Note: I took a picture of the TV… Thats not much of a technology solution.

Ed. Note: In 2004 Webcor was still a regional NorCal team with a few promising riders.  Karen Brems (1994 World TT Champion) saw a familiar spark in Christine Thorburn and helped prepare her for the 2004 Time Trial.  T-Mobile was the dominant player in women’s cycling at the time and they fully expected to stack the podium with riders like Dede Demet and Kristin Armstrong.  Thorburn, Brems, and Thorburns eventual husband, Ted Huang, had other plans….

Where and when did you win?

2004 US Elite National TT Championships (also 2004 US Olympic Trials)

How did it go down?

Christine Thorburn: I felt I had given it everything in the TT, and it helped having Karen Brems (my director and mentor) talking in my radio with encouragement and Kim Boester getting me to sprint the final 100m from the road cheering me on.  As Ted notes, I was

Ted Huang: One of the early riders to race the time trial (no history of doing the national TT and thus not seeded later) and thus Christine was on the edge of her seat as all of the favorite riders (all on T-Mobile) finished, each falling short of Christine’s time.

Christine Thorburn: Actually, I went for a cool-down ride with Kim because I knew it would drive me crazy to sit there waiting, and if I didn’t win, I had to be ready for the road race in 2 days for my second chance of making the Olympic team.

Where does it stack in your list of victories?

Absolutely, the best.

Do you have any memories that stand from the race?

I remember the surprised look the national team coach (and then T-Mobile Team Director) gave me when he saw that I had a proper TT bike and gear before starting the race (they had no idea I had prepped specifically for this event), and I remember riding back from my cool-down ride with Kim B and seeing Karen B jumping up and down as we approached and slowly realizing that I had accomplished my goal of qualifying for the Olympics by winning that time trial!  I remember waking up the next morning still with a grin plastered across my face.  I still have a small framed photo of me standing on top of the podium that day with all T-Mobile women surrounding me with the most genuine of smiles across my face.

Were you treated differently when raced with the jersey the following year?

After coming back from the Olympics and finishing 4th there in the TT, I was no longer an underdog.  I was treated with more respect but also with more expectation for results.  Since I won the TT and not the road race, I had limited opportunities to wear the TT champ skin suit, but everyone knew what that championship had brought me in qualifying for the Olympics.  It was noticeable when racing in Europe for the first time.