The Davis 600k Brevet - a Classic Butt-Kicker Course!

My goal this year has been to complete a brevet series (200k, 300k, 400k and 600k) to qualify for riding the Big Wild Ride 1200K in Alaska in August. Having completed a full series last year, I knew this goal would be challenging given the time constraints of running the shop. DNF-ing my scheduled 600k in Lompoc in May only made this goal more challenging! So, I decided to sign up for the Davis 600k...a beautiful course up the Feather River Gorge with mild climbs and 170 miles of completely flat riding on the Sacramento River delta! I was looking forward to an easy course that would allow me to meet my goal without too much stress (not that riding 375 miles is ever easy...).

Much to my chagrin, the Davis Bike Club changed the course two weeks before the event to the difficult ride that I completed this last weekend (did I just give away the ending?). The new course, as I found out later, is offered every four years to prepare riders for Paris-Brest-Paris. With two incredibly difficult climbs right in the middle of the course, the goal was to wear the rider down and show them that they could still succeed. Very admirable goals for the Davis Bike Club, very frustrating goals for someone who just wanted to finish the qualifiers and move on! :)

Given the evening start, I decided to try a new strategy this time, and I drove up with another rider on Thursday night. We slept in on Friday, spent the day getting our things together, and then I got another nap in the afternoon. This left me feeling refreshed and rested at the start at 8pm.

The ride starts across the Sacramento delta and I ended up in my usual position, riding solo between the lead group and the back group. As I started up Putah Creek Rd. (apparently a well-known road to cyclists in the area, confirmed on the return leg on Sunday as I noted dozens of cyclists riding the other direction), I could see the tail lights just up ahead of me, and I eventually caught up with Elaine, a local cyclist from Silicone Valley. We spent the next 20 miles yakking and enjoying a beautiful night - the weather was moderate and there was a beautiful almost-full moon lighting up the hills around us as we headed up into the foothills. Elaine was a fantastic tour guide, educating me about the orchards we were riding through, and the upcoming climbs that we would tackle. She beat me up the "dam" climb and Cardiac, but I generally caught up on the descents off of these steep but short 500-footers. Travelling along highway 128, we finally reached our first control at mile 45. I got caught up in fixing someone's front derailleur, and Elaine left a bit before I did.

The next section took me around Lake Berryesa and down into Napa Valley to Calistoga. There were some memorable moments on this section. Notably, I found out what a flock of peacocks sound like when you wake them at 2am! Not a happy sound! More like a group of angry women, screaming at the top of their lungs. Cruising through Napa was great, though. The signs from the wineries were lit up, the roads were empty and the terrain gently rolled away under me. Arriving in Calistoga, I was greeted by a friendly group of volunteers who definitely won the award for "best coffee." It was so good, I added a cup of it to my bottle of Cafe Latte Perpetuem...perfect! I left Calistoga alone, knowing that I had one short climb before rocketing across Sonoma on my way to Cloverdale. The Garmin 800 was guiding me perfectly, and I found my own company quite enjoyable! :)

I am often asked "what do you think about when you are spending so much time riding?" I think it really depends on the ride. Riding at night without companionship can be a little mind-numbing. It's almost Zen-like...I don't really think about anything. It's easy to get caught up into negative thinking, so I make a huge effort to stay away from that. Let's face it, if you spend too much time thinking about riding 375 miles in under 40 hours, you will soon realize how absolutely stupid it is! It's kind of like asking why you would climb Mt. Everest? Yep...because it's there. Instead, I try to focus on short-term goals...the top of the next climb, the next control (and what kind of food are they serving?), etc.

Anyway, I arrived in Cloverdale around 4:30am, and enjoyed a cup of Chevron coffee and donuts with a couple other riders who arrived before me. We all left together under the first glimmers of dawn to attack the six-mile climb outside of Cloverdale. This was a great climb, but my companions quickly got away from me. I chugged up the road, enjoying the emerging dawn and reminding myself how much fun this would be to descend later. Occasionally, I thought I heard my companions up above me, cheering as they crested the next part of the climb. I finally reached the top, did my own victory dance, and began the descent down Mountain House Rd., one of the worst roads on the course!

Up and down, up and down, I finally emerged outside of the Fetzer Winery. On Friday afternoon, I had lunch at the Davis Food Co-op, and I bought a 1/2 pound piece of Vegan chocolate cake to bring with me on the ride. Oh, was it good! I sat down in front of Fetzer winery and had a couple bites of cake and started stripping off layers - it was warming up as the sun came up over the mountains! I then set off for the 17 mile trek to the Ukiah control at mile 160. This was beautiful countryside with many vineyards, cows, horses and greenery. The headwind sucked, but that's life.

I finally arrived in Ukiah around 8:30, and was greeted with the best food of the ride! Scrambled eggs and Vegan, Kosher bacon (okay, not really) was topped off with a bagel and cream cheese and sun-dried tomato and basil wheat thins (oooh, those were good!). Topped it off with some good coffee and whatever else I could stuff in my face, and I was set. I knew I was coming up on the hardest part of the ride, but didn't spend too much time thinking about it. Instead, John, Mel and I took off to climb over Highway 253.

The climb on the inland side of the 253 is only four miles long. However, it is a sustained 10-11% grade. I felt like I was doing leg presses, despite my 27t chainring and 32t cog in the back. Mel took the early lead when I stopped to strip off several layers of clothing. John had turned back to go get his forgotten brevet card, but eventually caught me about 2/3 of the way up the climb. This was hard! I watched my altimeter and tracked my progress by counting off 100-foot marks...700, 800, 900, 1200, 1800, 2200...I finally reached the top (and quickly started down the other side before I had too much time to think about it).

With thoughts of my kids, I stopped to take some video of these horses on the way out to Dimmick.

The road to Dimmick Campground included some great scenery, but a strong headwind and aggressive drivers once we got into the Redwoods. The road was pretty bad, as well. I passed John on this section, and tried to catch Mel. He beat me into the control by about 5 minutes. We were now 188 miles out! After a quick lunch, I headed back out and decided that I would take a 15-minute nap on the lawn of the first winery I saw. 10 miles later, I finally found one, and enjoyed luxuriating in the sun to the soothing sounds of traffic and the knowledge that my phone would ring loudly in my ear in 15 minutes. Once back on the road, I enjoyed the tailwind all the way back to Boonville, where I filled up with water before the long climb back to Ukiah. I just kept telling myself that all I had to do was finish this climb, and everything else would be easy in comparison.

This return climb was brutal. Technically it was easier than the other side, but it was longer and hotter. I stopped multiple times to enjoy more chocolate cake, a banana, water, all the while trying not to throw up. Ah, the joys of cycling! I the top, I truly felt like Superman, ready to just cruise through the next 155 miles. While there was still some climbing to come, the terrain trended downward and I was hoping for some tailwinds. Did I mention the weather was absolutely perfect?

I arrived in Ukiah with one thought...lasagna. They didn't have any, so I had to use my imagination. I must admit, though, grilled cheese sandwiches were great, and I joked it was the best tasting lasagna I had ever eaten! I had two! :)

Ukiah involved one nice snafu. On the outbound leg, I had used a power strip with my Garmin charger to add a bit of juice to the Garmin before heading over the climb. I expected to charge the Garmin up some more on the way back, and bring the charger with me for use in Cloverdale while I was sleeping. Alas, the charger (and power strip) were missing! Oh well, I guess I would actually have to use a route sheet, although I remembered the route almost in its entirety. So, flying blind, I headed for Cloverdale.

You may recall that I was really looking forward to the descent into Cloverdale. I left Ukiah at 6:30, resigning myself to the fact that I probably would not cover the 30 miles with climbing in under three hours. Rather than perseverate, I just started pedaling. The nice tailwind shot me across the first 17 miles in well under an hour! I started the climbing up Mountain House Rd., trying to enjoy the beautiful evening. My only company was a CHP officer who drove by a couple times and waved. As I approached the top of the fourth and longest climb, I realized that I would actually make it in time to descent in the dusk. Awesome! Debra Protho, the woman I drove up with, also pulled up in a SAG wagon to let me know she had DNF'd the ride (to be honest, I was rather surprised at the high DNF rate on this ride...over 25%). I fired up my Surefire light, and started bombing down this awesome, technical, windy descent into Cloverdale. It was really exhilarating, and by the time I reached Cloverdale, I really wasn't all that tired.

Cloverdale kind of sucked. I tried to get about 1.5 hours of sleep, but (a) the Control staff were a bit loud outside, and (b) three riders came into the room at some point like a herd of elephants. Sleep alluded me and I woke ready to just get going. The next section was supposed to be pretty easy...it was midnight and I was ready to ride through Sonoma and Napa in the dark again!

About eight miles out of the control, I caught up with John (previous companion) and Clyde. They asked me to slow down a bit as they were unsure of where to go, and I was happy to have some company. Together, we rolled along at a relaxed pace, enjoying another beautiful night.

Calistoga had great coffee again, but I can honestly recommend ever eating Cup-O-Soup Macaroni and Cheese! A group of riders were heading out, including John, Clay, Elaine and a couple on a tandem, and I left with them to enjoy the rolling hills of Napa. This part was enjoyable and fast, but as we started up the climb to Lake Berryessa, I got more fatigued and tired. During the final long climb up Sage Canyon, I stopped for a couple minutes to close my eyes and re-group my thoughts. The sun was just starting to come out, it was cold, misty and beautiful, but I was tired! I finally rolled into the last control as a couple of the other riders were starting to leave. I sacked out in the back room for a half hour, and awoke with renewed vigor to finish this ride in style!

I couldn't check into my hotel until noon, and it was now 7am. I only had 45 miles to go, of which 35 were flat! This one was in the bag, and I went into tourist mode as I cruised through the hills, riding Cardiac and the "dam" climb in reverse. The morning was warming up and it was going to be a glorious day!

I was really excited to see this section during daylight...on the way out I could tell it was beautiful, but in the morning light it really came alive. The hills were green and brown, the canyon walls descended to the river, and the descents were decadent! After the last descent, I enjoyed a nice cruise down the river valley, through the Putah Creek Wildlife Area. There were many people enjoying the river, camping, and checking out the tree farm.

I stopped at the Pleasant Valley Road turn to strip off some layers and lather up the sunscreen, and enjoyed all of the birds in the nearby trees. It was now a mere 30 mile ride to Davis along Putah Creek Rd., with a receipt control about 12 miles from the finish. I was definitely in tourist mode now and was looking for a stand to pick up some fresh-picked strawberries. I couldn't find one that was open, but found a neat bridge to explore.

There were many cyclists up and down Putah Creek Road...all friendly and responsive to waves from a grundgy recumbent cyclist. One even stopped to make sure I was okay when I had pulled over to check my email. How nice! I finally arrived at the finish line at 10:58am, with an hour to spare! I promptly fell asleep. :)

A few post-ride thoughts. First, thanks to the Davis Bike Club, Dan Shadoan (their RBA) and all of the volunteers for putting on an outstanding ride! Support was fantastic and everyone was cheerful, enthusiastic and helpful. If you ever have the opportunity to ride with this group, I recommend it highly!

Second, I feel that getting a good nap in before the ride meant the difference between success and failure for me. While I was tired, there were few times that I was so fatigued that I didn't feel I could continue, and at no point did thoughts of DNFing even enter my head. Coming in to an event like this well-rested is imperative.

Navigating with the Garmin saved me so much time and effort. The Garmin 800 was great to use and provided really useful information along the course. I can't imagine going back to route sheets.

When doing an event this long, it is important to be really well-organized and comfortable on your bike. Knowing where everything was saved time and energy needless digging around looking for something...I'm normally not the most organized guy in the world, but I try to be on a brevet!

What a great ride. I look forward to seeing you out there!

JV on Bacchetta Dual Pivot versus X-Eyed Brake Calipers, and other braking issues......

I've got issues. If you've read any of my writing, this is no surprise.  ;-) Three of my biggest issues with a lot of recumbents are:

• Poor braking.
• Lack of rigidity.
• Loose seats.

I have a feeling that there are a lot of bent riders out there who will never truly feel in control of their bikes due to one or more of these issues.This makes it hard to hold a nice straight line, descend smoothly, or feel comfortable at speed in tight traffic.

This article is about the braking thing. I am talking here about Bacchetta Dual Pivot and X-Eyed Brake Calipers, but a lot of this is applicable to all braking systems.

A lot of customers ask me about the differences between Bacchetta Dual Pivot and X-Eyed Brake Calipers, so lets start there

Big pluses of the X-Eyed binders:

• Light! Over 100g lighter for the pair.
• Stiff!
  
• Much higher quality bearings, that come well adjusted out of the box.
  
• Much more functional and durable spring followers.
• Easy to adjust toe.
• Low aero profile.

Many of these mean a lot less maintenance. You set them up right and they stay that way. I've got crust and goop from 2 full brevet series, RAAM, and several Sepulveda Roubaixs on mine, and they feel smooth as ever. So if your braking power was good initially, and gets worse as they get dirty, these will be more powerful. Yeah, I need to clean mine one of these days.....

However, stopping power is a bigger function of the installation and the other components in the system. I have worked on dozens of Dual Pivot Bacchetta brakes. With some work, all of them became part of extremely powerful braking systems. If you take some measurements of the Bacchetta Dual Pivot, and compare the measurements with Ultegra or Dura-Ace (pronounced Durachi) you might get a big surprise. They are very very similar! So, clearly, the geometry has potential.

Both brakes can be set up to be very powerful with:

• High quality cables.
• Intelligent routing of the cables (there are over a dozen pitfalls possible here).
• Stiff levers and lever bodies.
• Correct lever location relative to hand location and squeeze direction.
• Correct attention to hand size and strength.
  
• Correct leverage adjustment (on some levers).

I will say this about the X-Eyed calipers: On wider rims, like the new 23.6mm wide HED C2 extrusions, you will have to run modified, or worn, pads to achieve a very powerful brake set up. I know Bacchetta is working on this, and I hope Feather is too. The latest trend in road rims is wiiiide. The Dual Pivots fare better with wide rims.

I have tried some other exotic brakes, but so far the X-eyed is my hands down favorite. I put something else on to test for a bit, and am always happy when I can put the X-Eyed back on.

Now for some general tricks that can make or break any braking system, even with a good caliper:

• Run the rear cable outside of the hole in the seat clamp, especially if you have the seat farther back. Housing constriction near the caliper is a no no.
  
• Most of the pivots on the Dual Pivot are overly tight. To get good braking you will have to tolerate a bit of slop in the brake bearings (bushings in this case) to reduce friction. This is one of the first things I adjust when I am attacking a set of these.
  
• Put a drop of oil on everything that moves against anything else: brake bushings, spring stops, spring followers, spring coils if the touch each other, lever pivots, cable end cradle pivot, cable end in cradle.
• On the X-Eyed, make sure that the front brake cable housing is held vertically under the brake, as the housing stop on the brake will not hold it vertical, and if its not vertical the first part of every pull on the lever will allow the inner wire to slowly put a groove in the red roller rocker  that the housing stop sits in.
• I have seen overly tight bend radii in the cable housing on new bikes. This adds friction. Friction is very bad. No friction.
• I've seen some really kinked inner cables on new bikes. Kinks are bad. No kinks. Kinks mean friction. See previous.
• I have seen overly short housing runs on new bikes, so short that when you release the lever, the housing end comes out on or more housing stops in the path. This is a no no. If part of your hand squeeze goes to seating the housing, you are behind the eight ball already. 
• Realize that moving your pads away from the pivot (usually called lowering them) results in reduced leverage! So, only buy a frame with as much tire clearance as you need. The farther the brake fixing bolt is from the rim, the less leverage. This applies to every caliper brake I can think of, but not to cantis, U, V, or X(scissor) brakes.
  
• Your hands are stronger the more clenched they are.
  
• On tweener or U bars, keep in mind that you are pulling aft on a lever that wants to pivot upward. Mount levers as close to actual hand position as possible.
  
• Make sure you pads and pad holders do not come in contact with the frame during their travel, statically, or dynamically (when the arms are flexed one way under hard braking). 
• The Dual Pivot used to come with these little plastic sleeves between the spring and the follower cast into the caliper arm. These either wear and fall off, crack and fall off, or just fall off. The new brass sleeve is a big improvement, and can be retrofitted. 
• With the proper ferules, shift housing can be used for brakes, its a lot less compressible, but not as flexible, so beware small bend radii.

With a well designed and installed brake system, there is no reason that recumbent brakes can't feel just as snappy and powerful as the ones on top end road bikes, it just takes some attention to the details!

A recumbent team to follow on 2011 RAAM!

4-man Team Strategic Global Advisors!! 

They have a few more challenges to overcome to get to the start, and then to the finish. However, one of the riders has addressed his personal challenge with a CA2.0 ZR (SRAM X-9 10s)! We've got to get it ready for him by Wednesday, but its going with him. His intention is to ride the DF for out of the saddle climbs, but he is not the team climber, so..........    

• Yes, so far he has less than 10 miles on bent. That ain't gonna change much before RAAM. Of course I told him the story of a randonneur we know who's first ever bent ride was a 200Km!  ...as was his second!!
  
• He is the only customer with zero bent experience I have ever just left out back to figure out how to ride it. "It" was a 700c Corsa. He was on his tip toes while reclined. He's a very quick learner.
  
• Yes, this puts his team in the Open Category.
• Just realized I have no clue what their rack plan is.
  
• Better think about what else he might need (seat pad straps, light mounts, reflecto tape.....) I'll put a bunch of the stealth reflecto tape we have on the black surfaces.
• He's gonna run his Zipp 606 Tubular Wheelset on it.

Anyway, we've got a team in RAAM!!!!! 

New frame on the wall!

The Corsa is a large, the CA2.0 a medium. You can also see from this the challenge in trying to make the S bend frame of a lowracer as light and stiff as a stick bike frame.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The new 700c Corsa, shining in the sun.

Thanks to an honored customer for his support!!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Memorial Day Weekend Schedule

Please note, we will be closed on Saturday, May 28th, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. However, we will be doing some different shop rides that morning, and we would love to have your company!

Kate will be leading a 27 mile ride along the Orange Line bike path to Weiler's Deli in Canoga Park for brunch. This ride will be at a very mellow pace...if you are breathing hard you are probably riding too hard! Here is a link to the route on ridewithgps.com.

I will be leading a ride up Fernwood to the summit of Stunt Road. We will start with a warm up climb over Sepulveda to the beach, and then head up PCH to Topanga. Climbing the first, steepest part of Topanga will take us to Fernwood Rd., with a challenging 7-mile-climb up to Stunt. While hard, this climb has some of the best views of Los Angeles that I know of! We then head down into the west San Fernando Valley for an easy spin back to the shop. So, if you are up for an advanced, 60 mile ride with about 4000 feet of climbing, come join us! Here is the ride.

If you plan to join us, please RSVP. As we will cancel the ride if nobody is interested. If you don't RSVP, you may arrive to an empty parking lot! Both rides leave the shop at 8:30am. See you soon!

Webcast at the shop!!

See Dana and JV hanging with Kitty Kat and CoolassMike on:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bike-talk-with-coolassmike

The tour of the shop is happening now, and its only seconds delayed.

Frames!!

You want Bacchetta CA2.0 700c Frame Kits, or Barcroft Virginia Ti frames, or Baron Frames? We got 'em!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

700c CA2.0 Sport!

The new 700c Bacchetta CA2.0 Sports are here and built! ...and get this: although the spec calls for a alloy steerer on the fork and an FSA Gossamer crank, these have full carbon forks and FSA Energy cranks! Talk about a deal!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Crit Report 4/21/11: This Ain't Camarillo.

Well, I have to say, I had trepidations.

• The rose bowl ride, or just "the bowl" as we call it, is not a very safe environment.
• I have not been in a crit in close to a year, Last one was a few weeks after RAAM last year. I got within about 10 seconds of lapping the field solo. 
• I have had crashes this spring, one of them hard. Its taken a few weeks to feel comfortable on the bike in corners. 
• My fitness is down from not riding too much in the last half year or so. No more residual RAAM fitness to use. 
• I have a sleep disorder which makes my recovery much worse, and affects my writing.

See, I told you racing is all bout having your excuses ready, and always repeating them the same way! ;-)

So Will and I rode over, but it took longer than I thought. Got there 2 laps in, we think. So we jump into the pack just after the start/finish. No, there is no line there, or any lap cards. This ain't Camarillo. It took less than a lap to get heckled by some idiot telling me to get out of the pack and trying to scare me. I thought about replying, but hey, what would I have thought 10 years ago if I was in his shoes? I did make a note of what he looked like for future reference though.

The field was about 120 riders. Its bigger than Camarillo. From the video you can see that there are pylons on the right to separate the bikes and cars from the runners, walkers, baby strollers. There are roller bladers too, but some are too fast for that area. The paint and pylons are new this year. The ride has come very very close to being shut down in the last few years, and this segregation is the seen as a way to keep the ride alive. However, it changes how the ride play out. The course is narrower. On the left we have the yellow line. Need I say more? Well apparently I do, as some still cross it to move up.

Another new "rule": no passing cars in front of the pack. See them all here: http://www.socalcycling.com/graphics/10/RoseBowl2010.doc

Most good riders know that you need to be in the front 20% of the pack. Why?  The pace does not fluctuate as much, and crashes are less likely, and you will have a chance at winning or getting in a breakaway.  They also know that when the pace slows at the front, and they are too far back, they can move laterally and pass a bunch of folks to get to the front. Well, when its this narrow, you get scant few opportunities to move up. there is just no place to go. A lot of European races are like this. The other 80% are not really racing, they are just hanging on, or in a few cases, trying to take it easy.

Now the things that add danger are motorists, and slow rider on the right. The latter we are watchful for, and call out. I did find it somewhat ironic that as the guys with the least forward visibility, I was the one calling out most of them. The motorists are the issue. There are those that will pull out at 10-15mph in front of a pack doing 22-36mph. This means that you do a lot of this ride with both hands on the brake levers. If you can't see 10 riders in front of you, you do not know what is going to happen next. when it happens, there is a bunch of yelling, braking, and then we have to get up to speed again. The yelling is mostly internal in the pack, not at anyone else. I can't imagine its a very safe feeling to be passed inches away our pack doing 30+, and this has been happening for 60 years. Still, they come out on T and Th nights between 6 and 7 and hope nothing bad happens. It there right, its a public road, and we, the overtaking pack, are the burdened party. We have to avoid them. The motorists are easier to understand.

So when I jumped in I was about 50 riders back, and just happy to be doing the speed and riding smoothly. Having done this ride many times in the 90s, I know where to move up. One the back side, where we are doing 30-35mph on a slow night. Gaps open up there, so you have a place to go, plus on a CarbonAero, my aero advantage is biggest on the fastest part of the course. I saw a hole to go through near the yellow line and went for it. Hmmmmm, had to stop pedaling cuz my front end was bouncing around too much! Cracks, like little frost heaves, likely from roots, under the pavement. So much for that, had to coast with everyone else. Here is the killer though. I was on my favorite rims, HED Belgiums, 23.6mm wide. Conti 4000S tires. Very smooth set up. To top it off, I had not checked my pressures in a few days, so the front was down around 80 psi. If that ain't enough to smooth it all out I may need to mount the 25c Pro3 Race tires I have around. 70psi next? I feel like Fabian Cancellara at the spring classics. I need 27mm tires too!! Containment: next time move up on the right, and dodge the slow moving cyclists.

Within a lap or 2 started having little conversations with other riders. All positive. One guys asks if I had been there a few years ago on the same kind of bike. He says he only remembered one thing: very fast! Another guy, ex pro from Europe, asked if I'd be contesting the sprint. I then described how I'd have to win this, probably from about 2 miles out.

We had a soccer ball roll out into the field at the third turn, when we were doing 32. No one crashed!

I am sad there are no primes.

There were at least half a dozen hard braking espisodes when motorists pulled out in front of the pack. I actually got to the front a few. Once I was in a small break that was caught immediately. The surprise was that it was on the uphill side. Another time I got to the front on the back side just in time to see that there was a 12 rider break 5 seconds up the road! There is this guy in a blue jersey (I swear its a waffle fabric, like old thermals) who yells at everyone. it seems one will ride the way he wants them too, and this really upsets him. He happens to be right behind me as I get to the front. He yells, at someone,"HOLD YER LINE!!!!!". I give it some gas and start after the break, opening a gap on he and the rest of the main field. I yell back,"Close the gap!" Hehehe. Just after that somebody flys by me at warp speed. He must have been slingshotting the field on the yellow line. We both make it to the break, but so does the field half a lap later.

On the last lap I found myself in about 25th or so coming to the little 4% grade just before the line. I was right in the no mans zone between the guys who would be sprinting and the guys who knew there was no point. I decided to stay out of it as it was my first night out.

I tell you, this has made me realize how I dominated Camarillo (most of the time). Its wide!! When I want to go, or need a line, its there!! It does not matter where in the bunch I am. This means I can keep the pace consistently high when in the pack, until a break happens. I'll need to stay closer to the front to make that happen here. I wonder if I will be able to hang with a break on the uphill side. I wonder if they will keep me with them knowing how much help I will be on the back side. I still think I need to launch somewhere on the backside to win this.

We will see what happens tonight!

Crit Video 4/21/11

Here is the raw footage from the last half. Report to follow.

Rose Bowl Ride 4/21/2011 from Bent Up Cycles on Vimeo.

Crit Report 4/21/11

Well its been close to a year since I've done a crit, but its time to see if I still have enough to survive one.

http://www.socalcycling.com/Group%20Rides/seasonal/rose_bowl.htm

Its faster than Camarillo. At 10 times 3.1 miles its longer too. Camarillo is just 40 times 0.5 miles. There are more riders, usually over 100. Its narrower, and its got a little hill right before the finish line. Not exactly bent friendly, but hey, neither are crits!! Oh, did I mention the walkers, rollerbladers, baby strollers, beach bikes, and the occasional soccer or golf ball landing in the middle of the peloton? Motorists also frequently pull out in front of the pack, even when we are doing 35!

Here is the course:



I just realized the there is 120' of elevation change every lap. No wonder we are in the mid 30s on the back side!

Time to get changed and ride.
Wish me luck!
JV

San Luis Obispo 400k Ride Report

The original plan was to do this 400k solo. My riding partner, Bruce, decided to do a different 400k, so I was on my own for this one. However, two weeks before the ride, Bruce decided to do the same ride, and we began making arrangements to get up to San Luis Obispo (SLO) together.

For any of you that know me, you know that I LOVE riding around the SLO area. It is scenic with diverse topography, including vineyards, ranches, beaches, grand climbs, soaring overlooks and thrilling descents. This ride was to be no different. The general course headed out of SLO for an early climb up the Cuesta Grade, backroads out to Paso Robles and San Miguel, followed by beautiful climbs up in the wine country above Paso Robles. We would then bomb down Highway 46 and shoot up the coast to Ragged Point and back all the way to SLO. The second loop would head south to Guadalupe and Santa Maria, and then back via Bull Canyon, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande and a short trip down Orcutt Rd back to SLO. Here is a map of the ride:



As usual, the goal was to ride by my power meter and try to keep my wattage around 120-130w. My nutrition plan was to use Perpetuem and Hammer Gel through the first 3-4 hours, and then switch to solid foods.

We started at 6am on Saturday, and the climbing began immediately after a 5 mile warm up through deserted SLO. Cuesta Grade rides along the 101 Highway, but the shoulder is very wide and there were not many cars on the road. Bruce and I settled in towards the back of the pack, and paced ourselves up to the top. Heading down the other side, though, I passed Bruce and didn't see him again for 100 miles. I cruised effortlessly through the rolling hills on the east side of the 101, with my Garmin 800 leading the way. I passed a few riders through this area, but basically rode alone. It was nice to see my riding companion from the last 600k, Shaun, chugging along. I also chatted with Roland who was riding his CA2.0 that we built up for him a couple months ago.

The first control was mobbed, so I proceeded down to the market a block down the street to get a receipt. The route then headed up into the wine country above Paso Robles.





This scenic climb takes you slowly up into the hills. On either side are horse ranches with horses, goats, llamas, and green rolling hills as far as you can see! The ride then started up the aptly named Chimney Rock Rd., a steep road that takes you 800 feet up to the plateau and rolling hills that house many of the Paso Robles wineries. As I reached the top, awed by the scenery, my left knee started hurting...not what you want to feel when you are only 60 miles into a 250 mile ride! I stopped at the secret control as we cruised through the vineyards and stretched it out. This seemed to work...the pain went away.

As I approached Highway 46, our last major climb for the ride, the pain returned. I pulled off the road to do some stretching and deep tissue massage - my ART therapist is so much better at this than I am! It's hard to massage yourself so hard that it hurts, but that's what I was trying to do. It alleviated the pain enough that I could finish the climb. Bombing down the 9 mile descent into Cambria was exhilarating - the winds are rather gusty and unpredictable up there, so I kept the speed down to 35-40mph and tried to enjoy the beautiful view of the coast. By the time I arrived in Cambria, my knee was flaring up again. My last-ditch effort was to take two Alleve and hope that the pain would go away. I hung out in Cambria for a little while to give the Alleve a chance to kick in, and then headed off to Ragged Point.





In my mental preparations for the ride, I assumed this section would be the most difficult. I had just finished a ton of climbing, and now I had a 22-mile slugfest into the wind, ending with a steep, windy climb up to Ragged Point. So, rather than worry about it, I just started pedaling. As you might expect, the scenery was fantastic looking out across the rocky shore to the beautiful Pacific Ocean. On my right, the hills rose majestically, covered in green, with an abundance of wildlife nibbling at the fresh grass from the recent rains.



The climb up to Ragged Point wasn't actually all that difficult, it was just hard! The road is quite windy and narrow...I had to frequently check behind me as I was approaching a turn in the road to assure that there were no cars coming up behind me. I made it to the top and rewarded my first 116 miles with some overly seasoned french fries and a Coke. Funny side note...I misread the route sheet and thought I had to be in Ragged Point by 16:04. I raced in and arrived at 16:00, and then realized that 16:04 was the closing time for the previous time station!

The ride back from Ragged Point was great, but rather disappointing. The wind died down, so there was no wicked tail wind. I thoroughly expected to ride from Ragged Point to Cambria in an hour, but it took an hour and twenty minutes. In Cambria, I stopped to get some night clothing on as it was starting to cool off as the sun set. Bruce caught up with me at this point and we chatted for a couple minutes, but he shooed me off so I wouldn't have to wait for him in the cold. I continued down the coast through Harmony (don't blink or you will miss it), Cayucos and Morro Bay. I then turned inland and headed up Los Osos Valley Rd. back to the start line/174 mile control.

I felt great after 174 miles! So far, I had ridden almost exclusively by myself, and decided that I wasn't such bad company. The pain in my knee was completely gone and I felt like I had plenty of energy. I changed clothes and grabbed a fresh set of batteries, ate too much Stouffer's Mac and Cheese, and headed off into the night! The next 73 mile loop was the easy part with no extended climbing and riding on roads that I was pretty familiar with.

Zoom down through Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Oceano. An easy climb up the plateau and then a cruise into Guadalupe. We were warned about bicycle-eating dogs on the plateau, but they never materialized. It was a cool but clear night and I enjoyed recounting tales to myself of other rides I had done through this area.

The 10 miles from Guadalupe to Santa Maria became more difficult. I could see the city lights in the distance, but they didn't seem to be getting any closer. It was a bit like the Twilight Zone! The lights eventually allowed me to catch them, and I cruised through Santa Maria looking for the next control. The 7-11 was easy to spot...it was the one with bicycles parked out front!

This control was not a good one for me. Within minutes of going inside and getting some coffee and a donut, my core temperature plummeted and I got shaky. I hung out as Shaun and Matthew rolled in, and we decided to hang out for awhile, warm up, and ride the last 38 miles together. I was looking forward to riding with Shaun again...he was a great riding partner on the Big Sur 600K. He and Matthew were great companions...our paces were a bit off, but we somehow always managed to meet up again (usually because I had to stop and pee and look at the stars!).

Once we got back on the bike, I warmed up quickly (the balaclava worked wonders!). We did a quick climb up Bull Canyon and then rode the rollers through Nipomo into Arroyo Grande. As we approached the last control at Orcutt, we met up with more cyclists. We all rode together the last 12 miles, chatting a bit and enjoying the wonderful view of the lights of SLO in the distance. I pulled into the finish at 04:10 with Matt, with the others right in tow.

What a great ride! The course and scenery were spectacular. Vickie really outdid herself with this course and the support crew were always cheerful and supportive. While not the easiest 400K around (this one took 4 hours longer than my last 400K), the beauty and diversity of terrain more than made up for it. All of the PCH Randos courses this year have been outstanding, and this one was no different. Who is up for a 600K in April?

Sebring 24 Hour Race Report from Sandy Earl

Another race in the books! I'll spoil the ending right up front: I rode 442.6 miles, putting more than 1 mph on the womens' record of 415.9. My goal number had been 450, but I'm quite pleased with “danged close”.

I was part of a loose herd of riders racing under the Team Raven Lunatics banner. David, Bill and I were coming from Arcata. We met Jim in San Francisco, and flew in to Tampa, where we met Dennis (TX) and Phillip (uber-crew from DC, also David's son and an aspiring ultracyclist). Dana picked up his brother Rahn and met us in Sebring.

We arrived in Sebring Thursday night, checked in, and picked up our bikes from the hotel. David, Bill and I had shipped bikes ahead, and they were waiting for us when we arrived. Bill and I (mainly Bill, with me in a supporting role) built heavy-duty shipping crates for our bikes and gear. We were so giddy with our success at the endeavor that we even painted them: pink for me, and Bacchetta Blue for Bill. We were delighted to see that the boxes did their job, and the bikes arrived in perfect condition. But bike building would have to wait until Friday AM – time to turn in as we'd had a very long day in transit.

We booked the “large suite” - a great deal for four racers. We had a double-sized balcony overlooking the race course which served as our bike build area. Having a mini-kitchen (half fridge, sink, and microwave) was a real help as well. And I'm pretty sure we could've slept two more in the bathroom.

We got a decent night's sleep, hit the continental breakfast the next morning, and set to the task of unboxing and reassembling our bikes. As we started building, the race cars hit the track. The hotel is situated with an excellent view of the hairpin turn, so we were able to scrutinize the racers' lines in and out of corners – good information.

Everything went smoothly, except that...a screw stripped out in my stem riser! Augh! David – Mr. Connected – whipped out his cell phone and called John Schlitter, hoping to catch him before he left the Bacchetta shop in St Petersburg. He didn't – John was already on the road – but amazingly enough, John had a spare riser with him, and was more than happy to let me use it. We had a backup plan that involved drilling and other histrionics – but I was ecstatic to have a “real” solution. Thanks John for saving my day!!

Once the bikes were built, we went for a quick tour of the 11-mile “day” loop. The race consists of a 100-mile first loop, then a series of 11-mile loops until 5PM or so, and the rest on the raceway. The middle loop was a good shakedown, and we got done sometime after 2:30.

With a photo shoot on the schedule at 4PM, and registration/packet pickup shortly thereafter, Bill and I were getting antsy. We had one more job to do, hopefully without David finding us out. We'd brought the Recumbent Flag that Mary sewed, and were planning to have Phillip and Rahn fly it in the pits at night. This had been one of our late-night inspirations during our crate-building-what-to-expect-at-Sebring sessions. In 2010, I'd had a lot of trouble finding my pit crew, so we were thinking of ways to make “our” crew stand out: Lights? Balloons? RECUMBENT FLAG!!!! YEAH!

Bringing a flag – and flagpole – out to Sebring, right under David's nose, without arousing his suspicion was proving difficult, but so far we were winning. The last piece of the puzzle was to get one more piece of dowel (the piece that we'd forgotten to send ahead in the bike boxes), and a bucket and some heavy, granular fill to anchor the flagpole in.

David could sense that something was up, but we mainly passed it off as pre-race jitters. I think. We made a quick exit from the photo shoot and headed to the nearest hardware store, where we were able to buy the dowel, and a bucket. We still needed something to fill the bucket, but...

Onward to Roserios' – an amazing hole-in-the-wall pizzeria in Springlake. The proprietors greet everyone like they're family, or at least close friends. Even when they're not locals, which we clearly weren't: we ordered three large pies to go, and asked if they knew anywhere where one might buy some...sand.

Three sets of identically-arched eyebrows later, we surmised that one rarely BUYS sand in central Florida. They directed us to the nearest accessible pile - just a mile or so further east on Hwy 98. I'm pretty sure they would've given us a bucket, too, if we'd not had one already. While our pizzas cooked, we headed out, found Thunder Road, and loaded up our bucket with sand.

Pizzas were a hit with the Lunatic crowd – at least those who hadn't already tucked into Rich Pinto's fine barbeque – but my main reason for getting pizzas was to have some for race fuel. Yep – I race quite well on pizza.

Registration – check. Poker chip, timing chip – check. Number, t-shirt, swag – check. Sleep – we were in bed, lights-out, at 8:38. Not bad. Took a bit to get to sleep but I didn't stress over it too much. 5:00 wakeup call. Coffee (precious little), oatmeal, Boost. Pee seventeen times. Water bottles filled. Food and clothes boxed for Phillip and Rahn. Poker chip will go in armwarmer (since it has a nifty little poker-chip-sized pocket, might as well take advantage).

Weather is fine! It's going to be 50-something at the start, going up to a high of 80 or so. I'm going a little light on clothes at the start: jersey, armwarmers, shorts. I'm wearing a reflective vest that is doubling as my musette bag since it has a convenient pocket in the front. It's also got a velcro strap to hold my iPod.
Just like that, we're downstairs and in the start gates, listening to instructions. Racers, start your....legs?

Woo-hoo!! Three laps of the track, having fun, staying loose, but not giving up any speed, either. My take on a 24-hour race is that it's A 24 HOUR RACE. Every mile counts, and you just never know what's going to happen down the road, so you'd best get your miles in while the getting's good.

I got off the track right in the thick of the faster 12-hour pacelines – a couple ahead of me, a couple behind – and got to work. The course is well-marked, winds are light, temps are great. As I got close to the turnaround, I was starting to cramp a bit – my usual “gotta go through the cramps” thing, though usually it hits more like 4-6 hours in. I eased up, doubled up on the electrolytes and water, and got to the turnaround just behind Bill. David and Dana weren't far behind. Jim and Dennis – 12-hour riders – were considerably ahead, alternately drafting and pulling the Bacchetta juggernaut.

Quick foot down at the team van – a mile or so past the turnaround – to dump armwarmers and pick up some food and drink. I'd already made a pee break, so I got past Bill who was attending to some pressing business behind the van. And back we went. Bill re-passed me a few miles later. I was working my way back toward him when my body screamed, “PEE BREAK”....so I lost a minute again, but I never let him out of my sight.

As soon as we hit Hwy 98, my legs smelled the barn, and I picked it up a bit. 5:08 for the century – I'd wanted to crack 5:00, but I was pretty happy with it. Saw Phillip and Rahn – I put in my order (PIZZA!!!), did a near-perfect bathroom break at the turnaround, and collected my slice and bottle.

The short day loop seemed to have 360 degree crosswinds, which I guess is theoretically possible. Fortunately winds were light overall. The least windy stretch was the first one after leaving the start-finish; I used that short leg as my feed zone. The next leg is highway, a little headwindy, and featured a dead squirrel. Why Jim didn't eat it is anyone's guess. After that we turned north, and things got slightly more scenic. Past the manatee mailbox which served as my personal lap counter. I would “talk to the 'tee” ten times – one better than last year. After that, a right-hand turn to a slightly downhill/downwind section, and back home to start the whole process over again.

I didn't run the iPod during the long loop, figuring that adrenaline and “rabbit hunting” was going to be enough to keep me engaged. Now that there were rabbits everywhere, a little hunting music was in order. I led off with bagpipes.
The exchange between laps 9 and 10 was a little sloppy as the pit crews were moving to the raceway. I decided to take advantage of the ladies' room – it had been over 100 miles since the last pee stop. I had put a foot down, once, to make DANGED SURE that I got my waffle sandwich, but other than that – always moving forward. The bike is performing well; I'm comfortable and in my element.

One more lap of the day loop and we transition to the track. Woo-hoo! Just being on the track feels faster, even though the stats bear out that I was mainly doing the same speed. And with only 3.7 miles per lap, there are always rabbits to catch. Every so often I was the rabbit, being caught by a faster racer. That speeds you up, too.

Night loops – what can I say? You keep on...going. Through the pit. Up to the first left-hand turn, which I got in the habit of taking conservatively; a couple riders went down there and I just felt better safe than sorry. A couple of turns, a straight, under the banner, and up to the hotel, where the hairpin and the chicane were poised to trap unsuspecting racers. More than one failed to negotiate the hairpin and visited the grassy berm. I got the hang of it pretty quickly – a medium/slightly outside line going into the hairpin, just kiss the inside of both of the blinkie lights that served as road markers, and power straight through the chicane. A series of fairly easy turns, with some longer stretches, then the turn onto the long back straight that runs behind Pit Row. I could feel the light and energy of the pits speeding me up, heading for home. A couple of turns, through the timing gate, and back to the pits.

My night loop mantra was something that my friend Rebecca had said about my riding, years and years ago: she had been drafting me around Lake Tahoe, and reported being mesmerized.....”Fast and smooth. Fast and smooth. Fast and smooth.” I meditated on that to the Black Eyed Peas. Fast And Smooth/Tonight's gonna be a good night!
Stopping every lap isn't wise – too slow. I settled into a rhythm of stopping every fifth lap. I'd have preferred to stop less, but my hotfoot was flaring, and it seemed to happen every sixth lap – but if I put a foot down, even momentarily, every fifth, we could keep it under control without much ibuprofen.

At 9:30, as I was closing in on the 300 mile mark, I started the countdown – I felt that I could and should get forty more laps done. That meant that I needed to hold 12-minute laps for as long as I could – hopefully building a little cushion for the last four hours.

Then the smoke came up – some sort of controlled burn on the adjacent swampland. Bleah. I've never been so glad to have the “Rocket J Squirrel” goggles. Fortunately, my eyes and my lungs weren't too put off. Unfortunately, my stomach was. Either that, or the pace was finally threatening to shut it down. Either way, I had my last slice of pizza shortly after midnight, and made the last 5 hours on flat Coke, nibbles of waffle, and one or two Boosts. Not enough, but – enough.

We stayed on the program like clockwork. At 4:00 to go I had 18 laps left – meaning I could average 4.5 laps per hour. When we got to ten laps, I canceled my remaining scheduled pit stops and started shouting out the “countdown” number as I went through the pits, much to the amusement of the crews who were still out. At 23 hours down I had 4 laps left of the planned 40, and it seemed like it was going to be a quick but manageable cruise in. Two laps down with 35 minutes to go – great, up a little on time, but I don't REALLY have to contemplate three! Off we go again. Out there on what felt like the darkest, loneliest spot of on the track, I hit a blinkie light, and – pinch flat. AUGH. Front tire. Thought about it. Nope, gotta change it. Let's get at it. That was a 21:09 lap, which means that, all things considered, I did a pretty efficient repair.

With 14:12 to go as I came through the timing gate, John Foote was there to take what he presumed was my finish-line photo. Sorry to waste umpteen megapixels, John, but I'm going out again. There were rabbits ahead of me – one being Bill. I passed him in the chicane and kept going. I didn't have much frame of reference for time except “done with this lap” and “not done with this lap”, and getting to the latter as soon as possible was all my racer brain could handle. I turned the last lap in just under 11 minutes. I'm guessing that the few minutes of downtime were necessary to muster that much speed, so I don't think I left a lap behind with the flat tire– it just made the finish a little more exciting.

I have a whole team of folks to thank for helping me achieve this result: First and foremost, Phillip Bradley and Rahn Lieberman, for excellent crewing. Dana Lieberman, for my Carbent, which performed flawlessly, as usual. David Bradley - logistics wizard extraordinaire. Bill Spaeth – box builder, training partner, and the guy who puts up with me every day. John Schlitter, for coming up with the part I needed, and for being game to let me use it even though I wasn't riding one of his bikes. Jim Kern and Dennis Johnson, for being out there and providing day motivation and night support. Honey Stinger, for nutritional support. The fine folks at Roserios, for sand procurement and the best pizza in Central Florida . I could go on and on....

Santa Barbara 300K

Our 300k brevet started in Moorpark and rode many of the same roads that we traveled on the 200K four weeks earlier (this was okay by me...it is beautiful cycling in there yonder hills!). I was surprised at the number of riders...46! Quite a turnout for a 300K. Bruce and I decided to ride together again, and we spent many hours talking about our preparations for the Big Wild Ride 1200K in August.

A quick spin up Grimes Canyon, over the top and up Balcom Canyon took us to our first not-so-secret control. Our RBA had ridden there and set up camp, waiting for all of us unsuspecting riders to come on by!



We then continued on through the orange groves on our way to Ventura. While we were at the back of the pack, we continued to make good time, keeping the pace mellow and enjoying a beautiful 45 degree morning! The stretch along Foothill Blvd. is one of my favorite. I just wish I had a camera that could capture the wonderful views of the Channel Islands off in the distance as we zoomed along at 30-40mph on beautiful pavement with minimal traffic. It was a bit overcast this morning, but the views were still sublime!

We then began the wonderful climb up to Lake Casitas. Santa Ana Rd. parallels the Highway 33 and provides you with breathtaking views of the Ojai Valley as you gradually make your way up to Lake Casitas.





The weather was so nice, I thought I would take a couple videos as I started the climb up to the top.





By the time we reached the lake, it was a balmy 65-70 degrees. I rode up to the summit with Terry and Amber, chatting all the way. We zoomed down the other side and laughed at the "free pigeon manure" sign, and then climbed up the second pass. The descent down into Carpenteria was fast and breezy - a fantastic opportunity to get comfortable with my new wheels. I waited for Bruce before crossing the foothills to Toro Canyon, and we continued along together for most of the rest of the ride.



Rather than just an information control at the top of Toro, a volunteer was waiting for us with munchies and water...wonderful! However, the best munchies of the ride were just a few miles down the road at the bakery in Montecito!



The ascent up Mountain Ave. is challenging by any standards. It just climbs and climbs. Fortunately, the views from the top are worth it, but was hard to believe that we were climbing so much and still had over 100 miles to ride! Oiy!



The descent down into Santa Barbara was fantastic, and the Garmin 800 didn't lead me down any off-course roads! Soon enough, we were enjoying sandwiches at Cantwell's Deli and hanging out with the back-end riders of our group.



The next 85 miles were generally flat as we cruised down the coast on our way to Malibu. We all played leap-frog with each other along the Ventura beaches, the stop lights south of Ventura and into the Wendy's at Port Hueneme. It's pretty much become a tradition that we stop for coffee and french fries at this Wendy's - it's a control and there really isn't anywhere else to stop! (you normally wouldn't catch me in a Wendy's for anything!) The sun had just set, so as we got back on our bikes, we donned our night wear, turned on our lights, and headed out into the darkness.



The ride down to the Malbu coast was uneventful. I was getting a bit annoyed at some of our riders blowing through the stop signs around the Navy base and staring at Bruce's Dinotte tail light flashing in my face, so I eventually pulled off the front and met everyone 15 miles down the road at Trancas. Riding through the night was wonderful, but this was the only time in the ride where I started getting a little tired. Nothing some coffee, good conversation and a protein bar at the gas station couldn't cure!



For the return trip up the road, Bruce turned down his light and we continued riding together. The rolling hills and miles just passed by...we were almost done. BAM! I hit a rock and pinch flatted. Oh well...easy enough to fix and we are back on the road again progressing toward the last climb, Santa Rosa Rd.

Bruce was feeling a little frisky and took off as we started up the climb. I continued along behind him, watching him slowly fade into the distance. Shortly thereafter, the front end of my bike started feeling funny, so I stopped to check it out. Slow leak...bummer. I decided that instead of digging for my spare tube and sitting on the cold concrete, I would just pump it up and see how long it lasted. As I unscrewed the valve, it actually came off in my hand! I guess I know where the leak was! The irony here being that just 19 hours earlier I was looking at my valve tool and telling myself that I wouldn't need it. Hah! No problem...screw it back on and pump up the tire. This continued four more times before I reach the finish at about 17:24.

Overall, it was a wonderful, albeit slow ride! I'm looking forward to the 400K in SLO in March!

Garmin Edge 800 Mini Review

I posted recently on Facebook that I purchased a Garmin Edge 800 to replace my Edge 705. I used the 705 for two years, and wanted to see what was new in the Garmin line-up. I had briefly considered the Edge 500 about a year ago, but it didn't have the GPS navigation functions that I was used to on the 705. So, I waited and the result is the Edge 800!

First, let me highlight the things I really like about this unit (these are in no particular order)! First, I love the new mounting system. The old system was prone to breakage so much so that I actually carried an extra mount on my bike in case of emergency. Now, Garmin would always replace the broken one, but still...I'm glad to see they updated the mount.

The Edge 800 has more screens for viewing data. The 705 had two screens with up to eight pieces of data per screen. The 800 has three screens with up to 10 pieces of data per screen. Personally, I like to leave the two top pieces extra large for Power and Speed, leaving the lower screens for other data (cadence, distance, elevation, grade, etc.). With the 800, I have more than enough screens available to see everything I need at a glance! Also, they have changed the font to one that is bolder, so it is easier to read the screens! Finally, the night time screen has white letters on a black background. I assume this will use less power and is much easier to read.

The screen is larger than the 705, and in this case, bigger is definitely better!

The 800's USB cover seems more robust than the 705. Many people had problems with the 705 cover falling off...I don't perceive this as an issue on the 800. Also, since the cover faces down, it seems there is less likelihood of water contamination if the unit is used in the rain.

The touch screen is pressure sensitive, so it works even with long-fingered gloves. Very nice! No more messing with buttons...just a sweep of the finger across the screen and I can access different screens, including elevation and maps.

It was hard to find anything I didn't like about the unit, but here a few small things. The 800 features an auto-scroll feature that automatically scrolls the unit through the data screens, elevation screen and map (note, you can choose which screens are included in auto-scroll). However, even in 'slow' mode, it still moves a bit fast for my taste. I can't imagine using it in medium or fast mode.

I haven't had a chance to play with the navigation features yet, but if it is the same as the 705, it will definitely be a love/hate relationship. More to follow on this... I also haven't tried using it with a AA external battery pack...this will definitely be a deal-breaker for those of us who ride longer rides in the dark where we need back-lighting.

2011 Anacapa 200K Brevet

I think the best way to start a new year is with a long bike ride! So, my friend Bruce and I decided to ride the Anacapa 200K brevet to welcome in 2011! Given the shop move, holidays, illness, etc., I've been off the bike for about seven weeks. So, Bruce and I decided to take this ride at a really easy pace and just enjoy the day. I also thought I would try something new and take some video throughout the day. It was fun at the beginning, but definitely became more challenging as I got tired. Anyway, here we go...

Here's a link to the route. Note that my Garmin 705 didn't start up until about 3 miles into the ride, so the mileage is a little short:

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/252194

The ride started out cold (down to 32 degrees according to one source)! Forecast suggested there might be rain later in the day, but it never materialized. It never got warm though (highs in the low 60's). Bruce and I got to the start line with plenty of time to spare, but a quick bathroom break and I missed the mass start. No worries...I figured I would catch Bruce up the course and with no group present, it made it really easy to ride at a mellow pace and enjoy the crisp morning.

One of my favorite sections is the ridge ride from Grimes Canyon, through the back roads, over to Los Angeles Ave. This area is covered in citrus groves, horses, alpaca and is just gorgeous cycling. The lack of cars is an additional plus!



A quick trip along Los Angeles Ave. took us to another one of my favorite stretches of road - Foothill Blvd. is a fun roller coaster that takes you into the city of Ventura. The crystal clear sky provided us spectacular views of Anacapa and San Juan Island as we flew down the road at up to 47 mph! Poli St. took us by the Ventura mission, and the streets through Ventura were all but deserted at 9am on New Year's day!

We continued up the Ojai bike trail and then along the beautiful Casitas Vista Rd. to our first control before the ascent to Lake Casitas.



The day was finally starting to warm up as we began the climb up to Casitas. We took our time and enjoyed the climb to the top, where we were treated to spectacular views of the Ojai Valley below! A fun descent down the back side, and short second climb, and then we are bombing our way down to Carpenteria.



We decided to eat lunch in Carpenteria, stopping at Giovanni's Pizza. Now, pizza sounded like a great idea at the time (and it sure was good! They made a fresh pie just for us!), but as far as cycling food goes, pizza is not necessarily the best choice. Stopping for almost an hour left me cold and stiff, and it took quite some time to burn off the pizza sitting in my gut. But, since our goal was to have a relaxing day, we didn't worry to much about it....



Actually, I was REALLY sluggish for about an hour after lunch, and had a hard time riding along the coast as we traveled south along PCH to Ventura. But, as usual, a quick stop in Ventura and I was feeling better. And by the time we reached the next control in Port Hueneme, I was feeling great! We had a quick snack with a couple other riders (Jerry and Vicki), and then headed south to the Naval Base and out last information control.

Ah, the things you notice as you are getting close to the finish. I tend to be a "glass is half-full" type of guy. I noted to Bruce that we should have a tail wind all the way in from the base. His response..."yeah, but we will have a headwind all the way TO the base!" It actually wasn't that bad, was it Bruce? :)

By the time we were heading inland, I could definitely hear the barn door creaking. We took a quick stop at the base of the last climb up Santa Rosa Rd. to turn on lights and grab a quick snack.



The ride up Santa Rosa Rd. was uneventful. We caught and passed a couple other riders, crested the climb, and bombed down Tierra Rejada to the finish line at the Jones' residence. Total time was 11 hours, 10 minutes...1 hour 50 minutes slower than last year but just as enjoyable!

Special thanks go out to our wonderful RBA (Regional Brevet Administrator) Greg and Lisa Jones. Greg and Lisa always open their house to us and their son, Daniel, always bakes fresh pizza in the pizza oven out back. Aside from the ride itself, hanging out at the Jones' house and catching up with everyone is always a highlight of the ride! Thank you Greg and Lisa...our PCH Randonneurs group would not be the same without you and your hospitality!

To the rest of you...have a wonderful, healthy, prosperous and safe 2011...and get out for a ride! It's a great way to start the year!

Chatsworth Holiday Parade

Join us for our Second Annual entry in the Chatsworth Holiday Parade, as the “TRAILER TRIKES”, as we cycle for 2.5 miles on Devonshire Boulevard in Chatsworth entertaining the locals and inspiring new riders. The ride is Sunday, December 12, 2010, beginning at 1:00 p.m. Bring your other Trailer Trike friends. All trikes are welcome, and if you have a trailer for your trike, all the better!

Meet at Matt Weintraub’s House in Chatsworth at 10:15 a.m. for decorating in Holiday Theme. This year has the additional parade theme of “Candyland” so you can use that as your decorating motif as well as the usual Holiday theme. You can also wear a holiday cap if you have one, but DO NOT DRESS AS SANTA. THERE IS ONLY ONE SANTA, PROVIDED BY THE KIWANIS CLUB. But be in the holiday spirit. Got some lights?

We recommend bringing a trailer for your Trike with your favorite animal in it (stuffed or real), as our entry name is: TRAILER TRIKES. Last year we were a real hit with a couple dogs and kids in various trailers. So this is a reprise of 2009.

Schedule:

We will meet at Matt’s house, decorate our TRIKES, and then cycle to the parade starting point. Departure from Matt’s house to the parade will be at 11:15a.m. Check-in must be before noon or we lose our spot in the parade.

Parade “step-off” starts promptly at 1pm, but it depends on where in the line-up we are located as to when we start the parade. Step off can be up to an hour later, so bring lunch food and water, although there will be some vendors open in the area. Porta-potty’s are available as well.

Cycling in the parade can take as long as an hour, and then we cycle an additional 20 minutes back to Matt’s House afterwards. So plan your schedule accordingly.

Parade route: Devonshire, from Topanga Canyon to Mason. In Chatsworth

Return route: Chatsworth Street (one block north of Devonshire) to Valley Circle, to Andora.

Estimated schedule:

10:15am – arrive at Matt’s House and decorate

11:15am – depart for parade

11:30am – parade arrival and check-in. Topanga Canyon and Devonshire

11:45am – find place in line

12-1pm – eat lunch and socialize. Continue decorating. Find Andy Gump

1:00pm – parade starts, military flyover

3:00pm – parade ends for last entry/float

3:00pm – cycle back to Matt’s House

3:20pm – load trikes into cars and depart.

*note – we may be done SUBSTANTIALLY earlier if we step off early (before 2pm). The above assumes we are last, but we have never stepped off later than 1:40pm. It takes about an hour for the parade and an additional 20 minutes to ride back to Matt’s house. So end time depends on our position in the line-up. We could theoretically be done and back to Matt’s house by 2:30pm

Matt’s Info:

9747 Andora Avenue

Chatsworth, CA 91311

Closest cross streets: Lassen and Valley Circle

Matt’s Cell: (626) 807-0545

Matt’s Home: (818) 773-9314

Call on his cell for best response

Bent Up Cycles is Moving!

After 6 1/2 years on Balboa Blvd., Bent Up Cycles is moving. Our new address is 11522 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, California, 91601. (on Google Maps, it is the Lawn Mower shop). The new building offers us many advantages over our Balboa location.

First, it is larger. With 3500 square feet of space, we will move Carbent HPV production in-house and still have more space than our old shop. It is also an empty shell, so we can set up the premises to meet our specific needs (yes, there will still be a sitting area and we will be expanding the kitchen). Our goal is to set up a wall-mounted big screen TV for presentations, movie nights and such. We will also have more space to run a variety of clinics.

The new location is easier to access. We will be 1/4 mile off of the 170 Freeway, and four blocks from the Orange Line/Red Line center in North Hollywood. Burbank is a "mellow" street compared to Balboa, making the shop easier to find.

The new shop has great access to cycling. The quiet neighborhood behind the shop is ideal for short test rides any time of the week. The Orange Line bike lane is three blocks away for extended test rides. Finally, we are close to Griffith Park for more scenic shop rides (there is also great cycling up on Mulholland to the south, and in the Foothills to the north).

Finally, the shop is close to the North Hollywood Arts District ("NoHo"). NoHo features many restaurants, theater and such. Let's face it, it's a bit more of a destination location than the Van Nuys airport! :)

Construction is going on right now, and we will be moving in over the Thanksgiving weekend. We are open at the current shop through next Wednesday. We intend to re-open for business on Wednesday, December 1st, in the new shop. We will be closed for business all of Thanksgiving weekend, as well as Tuesday, Nov. 30th.

We look forward to seeing you in our new shop! We will set up an open house in the near future, and let everyone know the time and date. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support over the years. We are confident that this new location will allow us to serve you better. Happy holidays!

Challenged Athletes Foundation Half Ironman, Part 2

Beth demonstrates transition in Picture 6 as she transforms from seal to cycle. In the background (yellow jersey) is Ralph, a polio athlete who does the swim with his arms, and transitions to a racing wheelchair for the run part of the course. Behind him is Bryon, a young physician whose disability prevents him from doing his specialization, and he does mainly distance hand cycling in the run and/or bike events.

In Picture 7 I am tooling into the finish area with Dr Terry, my escort, in faithful attendance. My early derailleur problems (and probably the new pitavistatin they started me on 3 weeks earlier) resulted in severe and constant hamstring cramps for the last 10 miles of the ride, including Torrey Pines road. Super hydration and electrolyte supplements were just enough to allow me to ride in my lowest 3 gears. I had fortunately discovered a work-around to the shifting problem - after mile 35 - so was able to finish the race, but at a ridiculously slow pace of about 1 hour slower than my normal times!

Picture 8 is the reason for the fundraising and racing. This 2 year old boy, the second youngest current CAF athlete, toddled gleefully through his first kids run, precisely 2 weeks after CAF supplied him with his prosthetic legs. Watching him chase other kids and play ball was a truly amazing experience, and I really appreciate the efforts of everyone in getting me to this event. I wouldn't have missed it for anything, and plan on making this an annual event!