NorCal Cycling News

Sans February Tour d’ Cali … NorCal Spring a lil’ less lustrous

I have to admit ~ I miss seeing all the US pro teams storming the early season here in NorCal.  With the Tour of Cali moving to May in search of tanning beds and tubetops, and the NRC now vastly reduced in number of events and none of them in our region ~ the spring NorCal classics, which used to field dozens of men and women from Ameri-pro teams, have been reduced to locals-only slugfests.

I guess it’s not all bad … as it gives new teams a chance to gel and squash, and offers young riders opportunity to pick up some memorable results that might lead to things bigger and better in their hoped-for careers.  But one thing the NorCal has a bad reputation for is … not giving the rest of the nation much idea or evidence of the glory and characters that speckle and sprout from our home region events.

Our promoters don’t get publicized in Cyclingnews or Velonews very often … though we sometimes do have local newspapers covering the races as best their ballsport-oriented sports reporters are able.

But to get into CN or VN … you need to do the work of submitting - and it’s pretty damn draining just putting on an event, let alone slogging through all the publicity work afterwards.

It’s a shame - but, it is what it is.

And so, with Cherry Pie this weekend ~ we got to see the new Yahooligans running rampant over the NorCal 12-cent dreamers, something fierce. But we also got to see the continuing rise of one of the young barnstormers of our region … Chris Stastny.  The Staz is riding for the GiantStrawberries this year, and I say kudos for Gallino picking up another young talent to showcase to the nation.

CalGiant has been supporting men&women racers, events, and organizations of cycling in the US for over a decade.  And they have become THE premier men’s amateur cycling team contesting NRC and pro-am events.  Kudos to this program ~ and here’s hoping for another year of putting in the work.

It is appreciated by the fans and afficianados.
.

Cherry Pie also gave us a good look at how the TIBCO train will be rocking this year. Alison Starnes and Meg Guarnier crushed a leadout like they were doing the Spectrum ride … and Brooke Miller gave it the coup de grace with an eye-popping sprint to smashingly nab another win in NorCal.

But forcing notice were the riding of U-23 talents Lauren Hecht and Lindsey Myers.  These two young beasts continue to make their way up in the ranks of development and will undoubtedly be pushing pedals in high profile events soon.

Right on.

But the season has just begun ~ and now we move on to the Fresno madness … Pine-notso-Flat, Dinuba, and maybe even the Cantua Creek cowpoocrossings.

Wish Horner were here again …

- - -

Sunny skies for the Cherry Pie races today. I’ll leave the full blow-by-blow to other, more eloquent bloggers (Hernandito? Hellyer? Michael himself?), but here’s a little taste of the day:

Masters 35+ 1/2/3 is rumored to have had some real officiating snafus. Something about a break not getting lap cards, then being neutralized after a crash when the field wasn’t, and ultimately being scored by the order in which they joined the break instead of their order across the line? (Maybe they confused Cherry Pie with that other Napa race that did the reverse win-and-out last year.)

All I know for sure is that LaBerge won the field sprint. Does anybody have the real scoop?

The Women’s 1/2/3 field was an exercise in loving one’s abuser. You can’t help but love those TIBCO gals, even when they’re out for blood. They came out swinging, with Alison Starnes dragging the field around all day, ultimately setting Big Brooke up to win the sprint with plenty of room (incidentally, the Women’s 4 race was won by a Team Tibco II development rider - hell of a day for the team). The David to TIBCO’s Goliath was Irish TT champ Olivia Dillon, riding for Specialized Designs for Women this year, who got away solo for several laps until two to go & then had enough pop to take third in the field sprint.

The Pro/1/2 came down to a small break, won by Dirk Copeland from the new Yahoo team after he avoided a crash in the finishing straight. I don’t know who it was who crashed, but how do you crash out of a group of seven? ten? in a wide-open uphill straightaway like that? Sounds like somebody should take an Early Bird refresher. Yahoo also came up on top in the field sprint - maybe that Klein guy knows what he’s doing after all.

Now, who really knows what happened?

What do I, Hernandito, fear more than anything in the world?

Is it a slow, painful death? No. Is it a cloned Tyrannosaurus Rex? No, because they can’t see you if you don’t move. Is it spiders? Nope. Women? Close…but not quite.

In fact, what I fear the most is being scolded by Michael Hernandez for not blogging frequently enough. I was the recipient of such treatment recently (the pot calling the kettle black, perhaps), and my only hope is that I might regain his affection by spewing words in your general direction as often as possible.

I’ll start by saying that this weekend reminded me why I love the NCNCA.

I love the depth of talent, the intensity of the competition, and most importantly, the broad spectrum of personalities. We have loudmouths, cool heads, clowns, professionals, and up-and-comers. In spite of the diversity, the riders all seem to know one another, so this time of year feels like the “back to school” days of high school. Everyone’s wearing new clothes, reconnecting with friends they missed over the break, and trying to reinvent themselves in a new year. People are excited and fresh, not yet beaten down by the long, hard racing calendar. If you ask me, January-February is the happiest time of the season: the cliques are not yet fully formed, the feuds have not begun, anger has not been incited, and smiling faces are more prevalent than game faces. Like I’ve said before, bike racing is supposed to be fun…and it’s nice to see people enjoying it. Look at all these happy bike racers:

This weekend was a particularly appealing example thanks to the Spring-like sunshine, a welcome intermission in the otherwise dismal weather we’ve had. Here’s to a great season of bike racing!

While the one and only Mike Hernandez has eloquently–if not bitingly–covered the racing at Sunday’s Cal Aggie Criterium, it seems only fair that I write about some of Saturday’s races. I might throw down a few extra words about my perspective on Sunday’s races later this week.

———————————————–

Traditionally promoted during the mid-summer months, the Folsom Criterium elicits memories of soaring temperatures and searing quadriceps. The course is wide open, with two gentle corners and one long sweeper, meaning that the powerhouses can really open up the throttle, but breaks are hard-pressed to get out of sight. On Saturday, this great course hosted the season-opening criterium, and I was amazed to see how many crit-monkeys came crawling out of the woodwork.

W/1/2/3

Knowing you’ve got a race won before you hit the line is a beautiful and all-too-rare occurrence. The pain and dedication required to reach that point is beyond what most human beings are willing to endure; however, once you’ve reached the threshold where the pack can no longer catch you, all that pain and suffering seems to melt away. Given the difficulty of such a feat–especially against a high-powered NCNCA peloton–when a rider wins solo, it’s should be adequately lauded by the cycling media.

The Touchstone Women’s team came out swinging, and after a brutal bit of aggressive racing by the entire team, it was new recruit and ex-Metrominty Elis Bradshaw digging deep for the solo victory.

By the way, is she pointing at her jersey logos? If so, that’s some sponsor-savvy victory salutation, though I’d rather see a good old-fashioned two-handed salute.

Take a good look at the empty road behind her, and imagine the hard work required to get that kind of gap. (Not to detract from the win, but I’m sure her 75 teammates helped her out.)

Anyway, you gotta love watching Elis race, and if this kind of fitness and aggressiveness is any indication of what’s to come, she’s bound to have a good season. Is the 2010 Touchstone squad going to take over the “crit team” mantle from the depleted SugarCRM team? Only time will tell.

P/1/2

In spite of the best efforts of the usual breakaway riders like Max “Sticklegs” Jenkins (resplendent in his new United Healthcare kit), Chad Gerlach, and seemingly the entire Clif Bar team, the pack seemed hellbent on keeping the race together. Lap after lap, a group of overzealous psychopaths would launch off the front of the race, only to be brought back within a minute’s time.

As the laps dwindled and the speed increased, it was evident that a bunch sprint was coming, but there was no clear favorite for the win. With one lap to go, Chad Gerlach looked hungry for an early-season victory, Williams’ Norcal sprinter Randy Bramblett was making aggressive moves to hold position, and Safeway had loaded a bunch of riders onto the front of the pack. As the field hit the meandering backside of the course, several riders tangled and a Chico Corsa rider went rocketing off the course and up a grassy knoll a la Lance Armstrong/Joseba Beloki.

Thankfully, everyone’s bike handling skills prevailed and not a single rider went down; unfazed by the scuffle, the field continued its wild stampede toward the finish line. Out of the final corner, it was still anyone’s race…until Jan Weissenberger (Safeway) mercilessly emasculated the entire, high-caliber men’s field. That’s a sweet, sweet victory for a guy that has narrowly missed the top step of the podium many times; I think this is his first win in the P/1/2’s.

And so, after reflecting on these Folsom races, I’d like to revise my opening statement.

My greatest fear is going head-to-head with Elis Bradshaw or Jan Weissenberger in January. That’s just askin’ for an ass-kickin’.

—————————————————————-

With the first, inspiring races in the books, and a race calendar bursting at the seams, 2010 is sure to bring some of the best races this district has ever seen; here at NorCalCyclingNews, we’ll do our best to document the new season of racing. Stay tuned, and race hard!

Talk to you again soon…

Return of the Randoms …

There are so many stories to tell about cycling in our region - the NorCal.  And good on’ya for any and all interested in reading, spreading, or even writing about the folks and exploits that make it all happen.  Here’s a little lunchtime burp-up of thoughts from the fatter side of the saddle ~

- - -

Shelley Evans (was Olds) … RidetheWorldCups.com

Shelley Evans is going to the World Championships for velodrome racing.

Let me just tap that into your noggins again - a homegrown talent from NorCal is going to the World Championships … and, she’s got one helluva good chance at winning her some medals while there.

Hellyeah.

These events are part fundraiser, mostly tune-ups for Shelley to get in the hellacious speeds and sufferings necessary for her to perform at her best against … the best.

These are always a good time, so if you’ve ever been interested in checking out velodrome racing - come on down to NorCal’s breeding grounds for champions.  Hellyer Velodrome produces big riders, and it’s your local track.

When: Sat Feb 20th, track opens @ 12:30, racing starts @ 2pm.
What: Points Races, Scratch Races, Keirin Races & since the UCI deemed the Madison un-worthy ~ it’s going to be the only worthy addition to the Olympics, the Miss-n-Out.

Prizes? $100 cash (3 deep) each event for the A’s.

Plus, a very special new event called “Drop Shelley”:

$100 to the rider who can drop Shelley over either a flying 1K, or flying 3K.  Full aero gear is allowed (Shelley will not use any). Only 1 attempt will be allowed per RTWC, so if you think you have what it takes, please RSVP rob at otbphoto dot com

Rules for “Drop Shelley”
- Flying Start
- Aero gear is allowed
- Distance is stated before the race (either 1K or 3K)
- “Dropped” is > 2 bike lengths @ the finish
- Shelley defends the $100 by not being dropped
- Shelley wins the $100 by coming around on the line (winning the race)

http://www.ridetheworldcups.com

- - -

NorCal Men in Tights - the new teams, the old teams … the rumbling manherds

Yayhoo!s on bikes

There’s a new squad formed up in Norcal, but filled with a lot of familiar faces.  It’s a team organized around the interwebs business, Yahoo!, and the fellas will apparently be interfacing a bit with the organization’s own cycling enthusiasts. Not a bad idea - as any way we can get desk jockies on bikes is always a good thing, in my opinion.

The goals and roster of the team look to pit them square against the 800 lb gorilla of men’s cycling in NorCal - ‘dem CalGiantStrawberries.

“Based in Northern California, the team [Yahoo!] plans to race the majority of its season on the West Coast as well as a portion of the National Racing Calendar (NRC). Dependent upon its success in the US circuit in 2010, the team plans to move on to Continental Status in 2011.”

Well, good for them.

The team scalped a few quality riders from the NorCal ranks … and it will be interesting to see how they match up and race against the other boys.  Riders like Evan Huffman, Ryan Parnes, Phil Mooney, Vince Owens, Adam Switters and Tyler Dibble are all strong, proven riders of NorCal that deserve to get some time cracking at the NRC ranks - and I hope that the experienced riders like Copeland, Briggs & Bosch will do the work of putting them in the position to do so.

Should be good fireworks.

Of course, it does grate my nuggets a bit that Kevin Klein is managing the squad … sure, he’s always been skilled at scrounging up pretty things to pedal around on … but I’ve never been impressed with how he races his bike and consider him one of the legendary wheelsucks in NorCal.  Meh ~ hope he proves me wrong this year. I guess.

Still - there’s a handful of quality young talent getting a chance to be seen on the NRC stage … so, cheers to that.  Wheelsuck.

- - -.

Webcor/Alto Velo - still going, still in them ugly kits

The AV team has been a juggernaut of NorCal cycling forever … seeming to field half the entries in some events.  But in the past couple years, the P1/2 squad has really taken off and they may have some new recruits in 2010 that will make the squad even more exciting to watch.

The green boys are always willing to launch attacks and put themselves to the front of a bike race ~ but, they also have a maddening tendancy to miss winning breaks, and more times than acceptable ride with more balls than brains.

Let’s hope 2010 sees them going cogitative in their barbarism.

- - -

Wells Fargo Racing - giving it gas

The Wells Fargo squad has put in a lot of effort to support and develop young up-and-comers in the NorCal peloton ~ and I see this group as having some intriguing shots at podiums when the inevitable infighting occurs within and amongst the bigger squads of the region.

The Fargo boys have one of the more inspiring stories in young Colin Samaan.  He is the rider who had a near-fatal car collision a few years back … and has worked hard to bring himself back to the cycling world.  He’s still only 20 years old, but as team captain Mark Deterline says,

“He is learning and maturing, but one of the things that makes him so compelling is that he is a good guy – likeable, confident yet humble, dedicated to team & teammates.”

The Fargos also have a good story in one of their new recruits, Phillip Snodgrass, who moved to Santa Rosa from Oklahoma solely to race in NorCal and in the hope of eventually turning pro.

That’s good stuff.

- - -

Team Clif Bars - chew, don’t swallow

Another mainstay of NorCal cycling is the Clif road team … always a hodgepodge of Bay Area wacknuts who race their bikes around town mostly to be seen in their coolio kits.

I got no problem with that.

JD Bergmann is always good for a solid sprint finish and even broke the mold last year by throwing himself out solo in a number of crits around the region.  I know, cause I was screaming his name over the announcer’s mic at a slew of them.

But, they’ve also got young Joe Ianarelli winning an early season sprint finish for the squad at the Cal Aggie Crit … and that could be a good sign of things to come for the CLIF boys.

Still ~ they’ve got a long way to go to match the talent and depth of the honcho squads in NorCal … and it will be pretty damn interesting to see how this year’s racing shakes out.

- - -

Williams Cycling - fielding a squad, too???

Yup … it had to happen sooner or later ~ but, Williams Cycling has branched out to putting up some advertising dollars into a platoon of young pedalers.  This is a damn good development, and I can’t wait to see how the boys will perform this year.

They’ve got hardman Andres Gil with them as mentor/example of how to suffer like a monkey … but, overall I just want to see these kids having fun and racing their butts off.

Good on ‘ya, Williams Cycling.  Thanks for supporting grassroots cycling … events & racers.

- - -

More to see, more to read, more to talk shit about.

… see you ’round the races.

Hello NorCal!

True ’nuff … it’s been a long, long spell since I’ve posted to this website ~ but I do appreciate all the writings put forth by those who’ve volunteered time and wit to the enterprise of spreading the fun of cycling in NorCal.  Hopefully, as the road season picks up momentum we’ll have more content rolling through these e-pages of interwebdom.

But for now ~ I’ll throw out some early season sass to help lube the machine.  I’ll save my comments for the Masters and Women’s racing … as I know there are at least a couple secret scribblers of this website who were in attendance in SacTown to flesh out all the ins&outs of yesterdays crit-shenanigans.  And who knows, maybe we’ll have a word or two about how the Folsom crits shook down, as well.

All hail those who spread the gospel.

- - -

Cal Aggie Criteriums ~ v.2010

Land Park is one of my favorite venues for NorCal racing - it’s quiet enough you can rowdy it up without too much reserve, it’s wide and safe but keeps riders on toes and accurate with a couple of curb-feeler swishy turns on the backside, and it’s always good for a workout that will leave snot dripping from noses and lungs burning for breath.

My kind of day.
.

Elite Women’s Event

The field at this year’s Cal Aggie Crit was smaller than perhaps hoped for ~ but packed a good strong punch and, i’ll submit, offered a rather insightful microcosm into the state of women’s cycling.

The race began with the invigorated Wells Fargo Racing Squad shooting sparks right off the line. The first 2 laps of the race were very, very quick - with both the Fargo ladies and UCDavis sending a rider each off the front.  The pack would chase hard for a couple laps, with SugarCRM doing a good amount of work, as well as Beth Newell.

A lap later, Newell would take a dig at bridging across solo - soon to be joined by another duo from WellsFargo and UCDavis … solidifying the front of the race with 5 riders - 2 WellsFargos, 2 UCDavis, and Newell.  These riders would say nothing and ride hard … the best way to run things.  Each lap, each rider would take turns at the front - getting in the early season training and doing the hard work of riding a break for the win.

What inspires me tremendously about what was seen on this Sunday in Sactown … was the courage and budding professionalism displayed by the women in the field.  The front 5 women were all business - no squabbling for pulls (… note to masters racers …), no games played … just all effort and no bullshit.  These women went after it.

Bad Ass

Winning the race was Emily Kachorek of Wells Fargo.  In the break and finishing behind were Amy Chandos (UCD), Cody Graf (WF), Larissa Fitchett (UCD),  and Beth Newell (Bell Lap Racing)..  These women show us that the future of NorCal women’s riding is strong and growing … 5 quality riders with a long road of development in front of them.  Can’t wait to see how it goes.

And what inspired just as much were the 3 women chasing behind the lead group … giving a thousand percent to stay in the race, be the race, MAKE the race.  These 3 women were no less dedicated to racing their bikes than any mens’ field ~ not one iota less brave and not one ounce less exciting to watch.  I applaud these women and their willingness to show what it is that makes bike racing a beautiful sport … never giving up, racing with honor, and a little bit of puking once across that finish line.

well done, rockstars
.

But what frustrated me on Sunday - and where I’ll call out a rider to give more … because i know she has more to give … is the riding of SugarCRM’s Kim Fong.  Fong spent the majority of the race on her tops - giving the impression that she didn’t care about the race, didn’t care to expend the effort, just plain … didn’t care.  And, getting lapped in the process by BOTH groups of racers.

All this type of riding does is reinforce the negative impression that still resides in some racers, promoters, even officials … that women don’t race their bikes hard and fast, that women aren’t committed to the beauty of the sport.

This type of riding doesn’t reflect well on the team, the advertisers of the team, or her teammates.  And perhaps it frustrates me most because the women of SugarCRM are one of my favorite squads to watch in NorCal, favorites to cheer for, favorites to write about.  And they still will be - and I’ll look for another opportunity to cheer for Kim Fong, as well.  I hope she burns a hole in her chamois in the next race, shoving each and every word I’ve written about her down my craw.  Because I know she can.

So do it, damn it.

.

Masters Racing … same old, same old … with a new kid on the block

Chad Gerlach won the 35+ race at Cal Aggie the way it should be done - the hard way.  He was his typical self … relentlessly throwing himself off the front and powering away like a man possessed.  And of course, he is.

Joining Gerlach were Matt Ream of Kinetics Cycles/GBI, Andres Gil of Williams Cycling, Nick Theobald of Safeway, Jason Boynton of Rocknasium, and one rider I wasn’t able to identify (apologies).

The men threw down a few kilotons of aggression at the field and each other … showing why racing in NorCal masters fields is so very, very demanding.  Each of these riders is a quality p1/2 rider and can mix it up in any region of the US as an elite.  But, in NorCal … there is a strong tradition of ‘forever young’ … and these boys exemplified it on Sunday.

The chase behind was always strong with Clover and Zenn being the largest teams to miss the move.  They chased sporadically, attempted bridging moves incessantly, and were marked dead in their tracks by the cohesive riding of the break’s teammates.

Classic masters racing - hard, fast, tactical … and a little bit acidic.

.

In the end, it would be Theobald tossing in some late, strong attacks that would splinter the break - each rider doing their best to bluff, and counter.  But it was the hardman’s legs of Gerlach taking the win over Gil, Theobald, then Ream.

Great racing. Almost makes me want to be out there.

Almost.

. . .

Welcome back, roadie nerds!

It’s been a long winter here in Hernandito-land, but I’ve emerged from my seemingly interminable hibernation with a renewed vigor for the blogging lifestyle…and a notable lack of fitness.

I was reminded of the cyclical nature of the cycling seasons by fellow blogger seabiscuit’s most recent post. Each year, summertime blog posts about roadies give way to wintry writ about trackies and ‘crossers, followed by a January resurgence of the roadies. It’s reminiscent of the classic Volterra predator-prey model, shown below.

Being a road racer myself, I’m biased to lump trackies, ‘crossers, hipsters and MTB’ers into the category of “prey.” Deal with it.

As you can see, it’s the time of year when the hungry pack of roadies rapidly expands, concomitant with an increased frequency of blog posts by…well…me.

Without further ado, are you ready for the 2010 Road Blogging Season [cue MNF music]?

————————————————————————-

The Mount San Bruno Hillclimb - Jan 1, 2010

Photo from Illuminix Studios

I have a question for anyone that participated in this race. What is wrong with you? It’s 10am on January 1st! You should be hungover and asleep on some random acquaintance’s couch. My guess is that you want to die tired, sad and alone, because that’s the only outcome I envision for you hillclimbing lunatics.

OK. Not really.

In all seriousness, I have a lot of respect for those who participate in the San Bruno Hillclimb. It takes an awful lot of willpower to drag yourself out of bed and up a huge mountain that early in the season–I mean, look at the face on this Wells Fargo rider–and so, for your willpower alone, I salute you.

Photo from Illuminix Studios

Chris Phipps (Morgan Stanley Old Guys), perennial climbing freakshow extraordinaire, was my pick to win the P/1/2 race for the billionth time, with Tracy Colwell (Webcor) a close second. However, as Phipps noted in twitter-mangled English, he was upstaged by young climbing phenom Menso de Jong (Metromint).

As far as the women’s race goes, it appears (according to the oft inaccurate USACycling Database) that category 3 rider Rebecca Rising took the top placing.

Now, I’ve heard rumors of a Mount San Bruno curse, whereby the rider that wins this race each year fails to perform for the remainder of the season; I bet it’s a lie. Mythbusters, where are you when the really important debunking is required? I say, be on the lookout for these two San Bruno victors for the rest of the season!

—————————————————————————–

Speaking of Chris Phipps (how’s that for a segue), am I the only one that finds it a bit ironic that an old Masters racer is the only guy who has figured out how to use modern technology? I recommend everyone follow him on Twitter (ChristoPhipps), because he’s been quite diligent about tweeting results within minutes of their finality.

If Velopromo has figured out how to use online registration, we can collectively figure out how to post results online the day of the race!

Come on everyone, use those stupid iGadgets you’ve been lugging around in your pockets! I’ve even hopped on the bandwagon with my very own twitter account. Follow me, my twitter name is TheHernandito. I apologize, I just set the damn page up and I haven’t quite figured out how to type anything useful in 140 characters. When I get the hang of the confounded thing, I’ll try to update with some frequency because, let’s face it, tweeting is easier than blogging; both, incidentally, are easier than bike racing.

———————————————————————-

Admittedly, I may have returned to the world of blogging a bit too early. The real bike racing season won’t begin for another month, so I’m a bit short on content at the moment. I suppose the Early Birds have started, but since those races have neither results nor spectators, I have no idea what’s been going on over there in Fremont. No crashing, I presume.

Anyway, I hope you’re all excited for the upcoming road season. Get your comment-fingers warmed up and prepare for another onslaught of mindless, bicycle-themed bloggery!

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: “Ron Castia” <zronn@sbcglobal.net>
To: ncnca@ncnca.org, “NCNCA” <NCNCA@yahoogroups.com>, “NCNCApromoters” <NCNCA-promoters@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, January 4, 2010 7:28:21 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [NCNCA] District Championships?

Since we have people thinking about races at the moment, I want to bring this topic back up.

InfoVista Cycling Team, promoters of the criterium in Pleasanton on May 2nd, have requested to host the 2010 Masters Criterium Championships.
I have a couple of sponsors that I was supposed to be in touch with in December after the NCNCA meeting, but have not been able to get back to them with an answer. Their support is hinged on our race hosting the Championships.
We have been making contacts in the local community and really want to do something good to hype up bike racing in the Bay Area and get some other organizations involved and fired up.

People I have talked to seem to feel that having the race locally would be really great. Our interest came in response to the thread on the NCNCA Forum requesting that the race location/venue be “changed up a bit”, as seen here http://www.ncncaracing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1871

Casey’s response to the question was “Currently there is no other event that holds all the different age groups for master men and women in a crit. This means that for a new event to be selected a promoter is going to have to step forward and commit to running all of the different age groups for men and women. To date no promoter has stepped up to do that.”

InfoVista Cycling Team is a stepping. We are ready to put together our race flier and get things rolling right here in the Bay Area on a course that most of you could ride to.
It’s a great, fast, and closed course.

Let’s do this thing.
Ron Castia
InfoVista Cycling Team
www.ebcyclist.org

The Roadies, that is. Early Birds start this weekend, notes from the mentor team below. Good mentorship means safer races and more participation - if you can spare a few hours on your Saturday afternoon, come on out!

—————————————————————————————-

Happy New Year - the start of the 2010 racing season is almost here.  The Early Bird Criterium 5-week training series starts on Sunday.  To ensure that all of our mentors are on the same page we are holding this event on Saturday for Category 1/2/3/4 and pro riders.  Please note that a Category 4 mentor must attend this session to mentor during this series.

- What: Early Bird Mentoring Training
- Why: train mentors to give the new racer an excellent “first impression”
- When: Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010 from 3 to 5pm.  A two hour session for mentors to share their skill strengths and question/answer period in hopes to improve our program.
- Where: Corner 1 of the Early Birds course (Campus and Dumbarton Circle in Fremont, just off Hwy 84, east of the Dumbarton bridge) park up at the end of the cul de sac on Campus Ct.
- How: on your bike, with warm clothes, ideas and questions.

Two concentrated areas, and one outcome goal for the day:
1) sticking to the curriculum and not letting new rider questions take you away from the core of the learning
2) effectively demonstrating the skills that the new riders are about to learn

Outcome Goal:
Volunteers on January 2nd will be “classified” and/ or self-selected into one of three groups, 1) Guest Speakers, 2) Leaders and 3) Mentors
- Experienced and new mentors (Pro/ Cat 1 through 3) should attend the Jan. 2 meeting if they want to be a leader.
- New mentors (Cat 4): MUST attend the Jan. 2 meeting if you wish to be a mentor.

Thank you for attending our mentoring clinic on January 2nd.  We appreciate your willingness to improve and support the 2010 Early Birds.

Sincerely, your Early Bird Team: Laurie Fenech, Laurel Green, Alan Atha and Larry Nolan