Low Key Hill Climb Awards Ceremont - Dec. 11, 2009

RFA and I attended the Low Key Hill Climb Awards Ceremony at The Sports Basement. Our team Sisters and Misters of No Mercy was the #1 team so it was super special. Unfortunately do to work schedule and distance, we were unable to have dinner with the team before the ceremony. There was a great turnout. I was thrlled to be awarded the #2 overall woman - and, of course, our fearless leader Janet Martinez was #1 woman. Carl Neilsen was #2 overall in the men's category.

SportVelo Turkey Training Camp - Nov. 28-29, 2009

RFA and I participated in the SportVelo Turkey Training Camp on Sat. and Sun., Nov. 28-29, 2009. The camp started on Friday, but after the hard long race up Mt. Hamilton for the low key hill climb on Thanksgiving Day, we opted to do an easy one hour high cadence session on the trainer on Friday, and start the camp on Sat. Turns out that was all for the better because it was rainy on Friday. We were lucky that the weather was beautiful over the weekend. We all met at Coach Dan's home and started from there - warm-up and then a long climb up Page Mill - that was awful - my legs weren't recovered to handle the surges up the grades of 15% plus. We had a great paceline with Dan out to San Gregorio. I felt much better on the climb up Tunitas. Total: 53 miles; 5485 ft climbing; 3:49. Back to Coach Dan's house for a shower, grilled salmon for lunch, 1/2 hour massage and lecture by Rene from Agile PT on cycling and physiology. Great day with my cycling friends. And Andi is a great hostess. Sunday's schedule was 3 repeats up Old La Honda; however, I had to get ready for my business trip to Switzerland the next day, so we did an abbreviated ride - 1 OLH climb; 33 miles; 2755 ft climbing; 2:11.

Mt. Hamilton Low Key Hill Climb - Nov. 26, 2009

Great finale of LKHC - Mt. Hamilton climb - our Thanksgiving Day tradition the past 3 years. The climb has three sections with a short descent between climb 1 and climb2. Climb 1 is 5.90 mi, 1514 ft (4.86%); climb 2: 3.20 mi, 770 ft (4.56%) and climb 3 is the toughest with 6.60 mi, 2060 ft (5.91%). Total climb to the observatory is 18.4 miles, 4343 ft. I finished 6th out of 18 women at 98:21. A woman sprinted by me at the end and beat me by 5 seconds - took me by surprise and I couldn't catch her. RFA had a good finish at 106:48. RFA and I are proud to be part of the winning team - Sisters and Misters of No Mercy - congrats to all. And I am thrilled to be #2 woman overall - and team mate Janet Martinez is #1 woman.

JEP Coaching Scholarship

On October 31, 2009, RFA and I found out that we were both awarded 2010 AV/JEP coaching scholarships with Coach Dan/SportVelo - thank you Alto Velo! We are thrilled and honored. We had our initial consultations and Coach Dan and established our goals for 2010. Coach Dan using trainingpeaks.com and we upload our power data from our training programs. I really like the customized training programs, the communication and look forward to a great racing season.

Mt.Diablo Low Key Hill Climb - Nov. 14, 2009

RFA and I left the house and the pavement was wet, mist in the air and then a downpour as we crossed the Bay Bridge - then, like a miracle, the sky cleared and the sun came out. Another beautiful warm LKHC day! The Mt. Diablo LKHC started late as a time trial from North Gate. The North Gate section is 6.25 mi, 1910 ft (5.8% grade; the Summit Rd. section is 4.5 mi, 1690 ft (6.9% grade) for a total of 10.75 miles, 3600 ft (6.3% grade). And then, of course, the finish is "The Wall" at 20%. I forgot how tough the Wall is! I kept a steady pace and finished 4th out of the 18 women with a time of 71:41. My Sisters and Misters of No Mercy team mate Janet Martinez was the #1 woman at 68:07. RFA finished well at 76:25. And our team finished #1.

Soda Springs Low Key Hill Climb - Oct. 24, 2009

Photos: RFA and MEA at registration, MEA finish line, RFA finish, the start (RFA in the peleton)

Week #4 is the low key hill climb series -Soda Springs! Soda Springs is a new climb for RFA and me - out past Los Gatos near the Lexington Reservoir. 5.35 miles, 2368 ft., average 8.4% grade. It was another perfect morning for climbing - sunny and mid-sixties. It was a tough but challenging climb - I could see my power falling 10 watts off my threshold power the last 0.5 mile. Good thing I was able to push near the finish because I was surprised to learn their were several women just seconds behind me! I finished second out of a field of 20 women at 42:53. There was a total of 118 racers. RFA finished 89 out of 98 men at 47:48. Our team, Sisters (and Misters) of No Mercy finished 5th (out of 33 teams) and is now in third place.

Tunitas Creek-Star Hill-Swett Low Key Hill Climb - October 17, 2009

Photos: RFA finish line, MEA ready to attack 19% grade at Swett, the course, RFA at Swett

Week 3 of the low key hill series is Tunitas Creek, famous for its dense redwoods and a climb near the coast - part of the Tour of California last February. Total miles: 7.62 miles, 2176 feet climbing, 5.4% grade overall. It includes some steep 9% grades along with gentler climbs - then turns off to Star Hill to face a 19% grade, finally ending on Skyline. We had a lot of rain and wind a few days before so there was still a lot of debris on the road. Rich and I parked at the top and cycled down (brrr!!!!) to the registration area at The Bike Hut. We were able to do some easy warm up and the weather turned out to be glorious and sunny. We had a one mile promenade to the start by a pace car and a blow of the horn started the "race." I climbed at a moderate hard pace and was able to attack the 19% grade. There was a lot of debris on Swett and I caught a twig in my wheel - slowed down to a track stand for it to fall out - and resumed the race to the finish. I finished third in the women out of sixteen with a time of 44:39. There were a total of 108 participants. Rich finished 80/92 of the men with a time of 48:18. Again, our team Sisters (and Misters) on No Mercy were of top for the day! Our "Mother Superior" Janet was #1 woman! Afterwards, Rich and I went for coffee at Starbucks and a moderate pace ride.

2009 Racing Season Summary & Looking Ahead

The 2009 racing season is over. This is a good time to evaluate my performance over the past nine months and set my goals for 2010.

A look back at 2009 racing season: In sum, a year I will always remember – not for the best reasons. Some setbacks, starting with elective surgery with general anesthesia in mid-February. I was off the bike for a week and had to keep my heart rate below 130 for another couple weeks in order to prevent any bleeding. I was back to racing on March 7 with the Berkeley Hills team time trial. The season going well with my first stage race (Madera), first 4-person TTT (Altamont), Wente and Berkeley Hills road races, a 3-day Kenny Williams track clinic, and lots of track racing.

Then comes May 17 at the Hellyer Summer Race Series. I was racing in the women’s scratch race at the front near the stayer’s line. That is all I remember. My first memory is the trauma ICU two days later. Skull fracture, subarachnoid hemorrhage, broken clavicle, plus misc. skin and muscle damage. Lost a lot of blood (yea, EPO!) and contracted a deep chest cold in the hospital that lasted for a month. I was back on the rollers 5 days after getting out of the hospital and back on my bike on the road in 27 days. Very slow recovery, but each time out showed progress – so ready to participate in the Masters State Track Championship at Hellyer July 11-12 in the 500 meter and 2K pursuit. Last year, the highlight was winning the Masters Track National Championship in the 2k individual pursuit with a time of 2:59. I knew that my time was off this year, but I just wanted to do it. Thrilled to win the Masters State Track gold medal (only by 0.2 seconds) even with a slower time of 3:06. It was also nice to be named “Rider of the Month” in July by my Alto Velo WebCor Racing Team for my fast recovery victory.

The highlight of my season actually occurred post-season on Oct. 10 at the Old La Honda (OLH) Low Key Hill Climb with a personal best of 22:12. OLH is the benchmark on the Peninsula for climbers. I have been working so hard to recover and now I know I am better than ever.

My biggest disappointment was missing the Northern California Nevada State Time Trial Championships (Sattley) and the Masters Track National Championship (Colorado Springs) due to my head injury. A review of the statistics with some short commentary:# crashes & cycling injuries: 1 (super nasty head injury at track)# falls: 1 (can’t believe I make a sharp turn at the turnaround at Altamont TTT; scraped knee, lost a few seconds)# friends made through cycling: Many!# new cool bike stuff: upgraded my Orbea Orca with SRAm red gruppo, Quarq CinQo pwer meter with SRAM 900 compact double and Quarq CinQo power meter on Orbea Ordu TT bike
# Race Events this year: 19
2 hill climbs (I unsanctioned)6 time trials (1 tandem TTT; 1 4-person TTT; 4 ITT (3 unsanctioned)1 stage race (crit, TT, road race – not included in other totals)
2 road races 8 track events
Details: Hill Climbs:
San Bruno Hill Climb – 6/22 (improved time from last year by 2:31)
Old La Honda Low-Key Hill Climb – 3/16 (PR of 22:14)
Madera Stage Race: GC: 7/43 (should have been 6th but got penalty in TT)
Time Trials:
Berkley Hills TTT (tandem) – 3/8
Altamont TTT – 2/4
Esparto TT – 2/12
Canada Beat Beat the Clock TTs:
· Time 27:00 – placed 3/22
· Time 27:27 – 3/10
· Time 26:23 – 2/10 - a Personal Best

Road Races:
Wente Road Race (19/47)
Berkeley Hills Road Race (15/49) - in the lead peloton until the last climb
Track:
Match Sprint Tournament (April 5): won 1/3 sprints
Ed Stefani Memorial Grand Prix (April 11): 3/11 Australian Pursuit and Omnium Top Woman
Friday Night Track Racing (May 8): Points Race – 0
Match Sprint Tournament (May 16) – won 3/4 sprints
Summer Race Series (May 17) – the “Crash”
Beat the Clock Day at the Track: 5/10 in 2K pursuit
· Track Masters State Championship: 1/2 in the 2K pursuit; 2/2 in the 500 meterGoals for 2010:
I age up to 60+ in 2010 so this is a significant year for me with exciting and ambitious achievable goals.

Climbing: 20’ OLH time

TT:
First place at State Masters TT championship (& break USA W60+ record of 30:41)
First place at Nats Masters TT
Dunlop TT: get my time down to 48:00
First place at Esparto TT

Track:
Goal: 2:45 2K pursuit time at the track
First place at State Masters Track Championship – 2k pursuit
First place at Nats Masters Track Championship – 2k pursuit
First place at Worlds Masters Track Championship – 2k pursuit

Old La Honda Low Key Hill Climb, October 10, 2009

It is time for the low key hill climb (LKHC) series! On Saturday, Rich and I raced in the Old La Honda (OLH) LKHC. Those of you who live on the SF Peninsula know that OLH is the benchmark for climbers. Beautiful, winding climb up to Skyline through the redwoods - 3.35 miles, 1290 ft climbing and average 7.3% grade (although some of the switchbacks are 20%). It was a beautiful morning that turned sunny for the 10:10 AM start. Rich and I warmed up on our trainers (low key??). We went off in waves of 15 racers from the Windy Hill parking lot to the bottom of OLH. Each wave went off in 2 minutes intervals. We had 164 participants! Great turn out and great organization & volunteers. Since this is off-season, Rich and I raced with the special LKHC team of Sisters (and Misters) of No Mercy, rather than Webcor. I had a goal of 23:00, given that my previous best time was around 23:30, and Rich and I have been focusing on VO2max intervals the last few months, as well as some climbing. Our wave went off fast (too fast) and I passed many of them along the course. I was working hard but steady, keeping my power at solid threshold. I hit the finish line at 22:14 and was thrilled! A real personal best! It was especially meaningful to me in light of my major setback due to my serious crash on my track bike in May, and my focus on recovery. Rich also had a personal best at 24:44. I finished 3rd out of 16 of the women's division - and our team Sisters (and Misters) of No Mercy is now in first place in the teams. Next weekend it is Tunitas Creek!

Newport Beach/San Diego Trip 9/26-10/5/2009

MEA at the top of Mt. Soledad in San Diego

RFA and I spent the week of Sept. 26 through Oct. 3 in Newport Beach staying at our Marriott Newport Coast Villa, celebrating our wedding anniversary. On Sunday, Sept. 27, we cycled around Newport Beach with some SoCal racing team members. It was a good way to meet new cyclists and learn more routes with hill climbs, including one with a steady 10% grade. We also cycled from San Clemente through Camp Pendleton to Oceanside a couple times, as well as from Carlsbad to La Jolla. The latter is one of my favorite coastal rides. We also got together with some friends in Beverly Hills for dinner - had not seen them for over 3 yrs. We had a great ocean view in a 2 bedroom villa with a lovely balcony so it was heavenly to have breakfast out there. The weather was absolutely gorgeous - sunny, 80ish and ocean breeze (OK - more than a breeze). On Sat. we did 3 VO2 max intervals up Newport Coast Villa Drive - who does that on vacation?? It was hard but great efforts. Then on to San Diego for a couple days - did some good hill climbing one day (but "baby hills" compared to NorCal), including Mt. Soleda, Torrey Pines and Scripps Hill.

Esparto Time Trial - September 6, 2009

Course description: L-shaped 18 mile course: north on a 2 mile leg, right turn east onto the long leg with rollers, turnaround and finish westbound just before the intersection.

Results Summary: placed second in a field of 12 in W Cat 4 with a time of 48:50.

I was looking forward to the Esparto TT and hoping for good results to mark the end of my "abridged" racing season. I was really bummed about missing Dunlap and Sattley TTs (among other races) as a result of my serious head injury crash on the Hellyer track in May and was diligently working on recovery which took a solid 3 months just to get back to pre-crash status. The Cat 4 women started at 9:36 while the temperature was still moderate (mid-seventies) – sunny and dry with winds from the north. I was the first Cat 4 woman out (again, in alphabetical order – I am definitely going to change my last name!) There was a 4 minute gap between the W 1/2/3 group (Andi was the last W 1/2/3 racer), so I had no rabbit. Had a good start. The first leg headed north into the head wind; cross winds on the long legs were not extreme but more than last year, and I got thrown a bit by about three gusts with the tri-spoke and disk; slowed me down a bit. Pushed harder on the rollers on the way back and strong finish, but overall I felt that I didn't pull it all together (power meter doesn't lie) for an optimum TT. I finished second – 6 seconds behind the triathlete winner. Interestingly, my time was exactly the same (to the second)as last year when I won. So all in all, I am pleased and look forward to training during the off season – and next year! RFA finished 20/31 in the Masters 35+ Cat 4/5 males with a time of 49:19. He is pleased with is almost 4 minute time improvement from last year.

Beat the Clock Time Trial, August 29, 2009

Photo: 1) RFA 2) MEA 3) chatting after the TT (Yvonne, Marcia and me)

Last Beat the Clock Time Trial for the year - a beautiful warm morning and many personal records set. It was a great practice for next weekend's Esparto TT. And BTC is always a lot of fun - great cause for Lance Armstrong Foundation and time to chat with fellow team mates and friends. Patt Baenen does such a fine job organizing and thanks to the volunteers. I am always honored to have now retired WebCor Pro Christine Thorburn do the countdown. Up early at 5:20 AM and plenty of time to warm up for our start times: 7:32:30 for RFA and 7:37:30 for me. This time I had the pleasure of being the last women's ITT start. Passed two women and one junior - no one passed me. Rich and I have been doing VO2 max intervals on Canada - that and my power meter helped me do a PR of 26:23 - good enough for #2 of the women. RFA also had a PR of 27:19.

Russian Ride, Sunday, August 2, 2009

This was my second group ride since "the crash." We had a large group of about 18 cyclists - Emily and I were the only women. Dmitrij is still in Belarus so it was Vlad driving the Five Rings Cycling Centre support vehicle. We climbed up 84 and out to San Gregorio. Good pace line out 84. Rich and I split off the group and returned via 84, up West Old La Honda and down Old La Honda. Rich and I rode strong on the way back but I can tell that I am still building my endurance. I felt fatigued. But a gorgeous day - 55 miles and 3800 feet climbing.

Beat the Clock Time Trial - August 1, 2009

MEA and RFA warming up

The August 1, 2009 Beat the Clock Canada Time Trial results are posted at http://www.scaledup.com/beattheclock/results.html. Another great event with a good turn out for a good cause. Thanks to Patt along with the volunteers who make this event a success. I was so happy to be back doing a TT since my May 17 crash. Good to see our friends and team mates! My start time was 7:42 & RFA's start time was at 7:36 so we had enough time for an adequate warm up. The air was in the high 50's and light breeze. Not conditions for record setting TT times but a pretty nice morning. I was the first woman out so no real rabbits to chase. Behind me was a fast Metromint pro 1/2 woman, so one of my goals was not to get passed. My start was not great but I settled in well. I just kept focused on pressing hard. I saw the Metromint woman at the turn around and I could tell she was making some gain, but I was hoping that I could improve my ground on the uphills on the way back. I finished in 27:27, good enough for 3rd out of 11 women. The winning woman’s time was 26:02. I was 27 seconds off my last time in March, but considering my serious crash and rehab, I am quite satisfied. On the road to recovery! Yea!

NCNCA State Masters Track Championship, July 11-12, 2009

I was so thrilled to participate in the State Masters Track Championship at Hellyer Velodrome given my recovery over the past 7 weeks. Here is a summary of my experience and results and the same for Rich.

MEA's Report:

2K Pursuit
W55-59
1st of 2

500 M TT
W55-59
2nd of 2

It was great to be back racing at the track! I was thrilled just to be able to participate only 55 days since my nasty crash at Hellyer. I resumed cycling on the road 3 weeks ago and went back to the track on June 30 for a practice session. It was frustrating that after a practice 2K pursuit I pretty much died after 5 laps. Another practice session and Beat the Clock last Sunday – each time feeling better. Like Rich, this was my first NCNCA Masters State Track Championship. I got introduced to the track last year at Beat the Clock on my road TT bike. That led to competing in Natz a couple weeks later and continuing with track workouts and racing.2K pursuit (3:06.0)Only one other competitor (Donna Woods) in my age group. At Natz last year, Donna was recovering from an injury and I beat her by 24 seconds (2:59 v. 3:23). This year I was told that she was ready to trounce. She had a decent 2K at BTC so I knew that, given my set back, it could go either way. I felt good and was able to accelerate on the last laps – I actually felt I could have pushed harder. Everyone kept saying that it was very close (and one report that she just beat me) so I was ready to accept defeat. To say the least, I was thrilled when I learned I beat her by 0.2 seconds. Still 7 seconds off of last year's time, but I am convinced that in a couple more weeks I will be back in form. This really gave me a lot of encouragement.500 MWe don't even need to discuss this. My dismal time was the same as last year – I swear I have one fast twitch fiber in each leg. Can't get the acceleration at the start and the very beginning, but then I take off when others fade – doesn't work in the 500 M. That said, it was still fun.It was a great weekend and impressive to see so many great Webcor track champions.

Rich's Report
Individual Pursuit 2K
60-65
1st of 2
Time: 2:56:27I

Individual 500 M Time Trial
60-65
3rd of 4
Time: 42.4

Team Pursuit 3K
60+
1st of 2
4:15.6
Team: Rich Allen, John Elgart, Mark Rodamaker, John Diamont

This was my first time participating in the NCNCA Masters State Track Champions ( Districts) since I started track racing last September. I had a great time racing and socializing. Warren and the volunteers did a superb job of organizing and running the event. The best part of the weekend was watching Mary Ellen race after her terrible crash at Hellyer a few weeks ago.I had been practicing 2K pursuits at the track and simulated pursuits on the rollers. At Beat the Clock last week, I did a 2:51.6 with which I was very happy leading into the Districts. My time was slower on Saturday but fast enough to win. One thing that was very different on Saturday from BtC was the wind. I started on the home stretch. When I came out of turn one, I hit the wind. When I prepared to sit down, my cadence / speed were too low (from previous practice races). Being mindful of not overcooking the first couple of laps, I held the speed and backed off a little on the second lap. I accelerated on laps 4, 5 and 6 with lap 6 being my fastest lap. I felt too good at the end.On Sunday, I did the 500 meter TT. I have been working on my sprinting but I am not a sprinter per se. However, I do like doing the 500. This year, I did the 500 in the sprint bars versus the pursuit TT bars. I like the start much better using the sprint bars and I have much better control in the turns being able to ride the black line.While my teammates in the team pursuit were racing in the points races and team sprints, I was hanging out under the tents having a nice afternoon socializing, watching the races and psyching up for the team pursuit. Our plan was for Mark and John E. to take full lap pulls with John D and me taking half lap pulls. The start went perfectly as well as the race. The nine laps seemed to go fast and it was a blast.

Beat the Clock Day at the Track, July 5, 2009

Last year this was the event that introduced me to the track. It is a special event that allows road bike to compete on the track and I competed in my time trial bike. The road bikes compete against road bikes and the track bikes compete against track bikes. Of course this year I raced with my Cervelo P3C track bike and it was my first real event on the track since my serious crash on May 17. Fortunately earlier in the week I was able to participate in two advanced track sessions for some practice. I only did the 2K pursuit and was paired with a team mate who I passed on the last lap. Unfortunately I went up to the stayer's line a bit early to pass and then went back down to the pole lane and then passed. Lost a few seconds and ended with a 3:12 -compared to last year's Natz championship of 2:59 pretty dismal, but I was just thrilled to be able to race again. Also, I felt much stronger than my training session earlier in the week. A good work out for next week's NCNCA masters state championship. RFA had a great performance of 42.20 seconds on the 500 meter and 2:51.60 on the 2K - stellar performance.

Post-crash Update

It has been a while since I posted on my blog! On May 17, 2009, I had a serious crash on my track bike while racing at the Hellyer velodrome in a women's scratch race. I was very, very lucky and have no permanent brain injury. I have been in recovery mode and was back on the road cycling 3 weeks later. Yesterday I went back to the track for the first time since the crash with RFA and my coach Dmitriy for an advanced session. The state track championships are at Hellyer in less than 2 weeks and I would like to participate. I did some practice 2K pursuits and my time is about 10% slower. Part of that is lack of endurance at fast pace, still trying to get my hemoglobin back up, and final recovery from a 4 week chest cold. And, of course, yesterday was not a championship event. Dmitriy was encouraging and I will stay focused and positive!

Get Ready for Summer Race - May 17,2009

Another hot afternoon (96 degrees) at Hellyer Velodrome with special women's 3/4 races. I did the Win & Out and finished 6th. A few minutes later we did the 10 lap scratch race (my first!). Unfortunately someone pulled into me and I crashed on the bank. I don't recall anything until the next day in ICU. I fractured my skull, head hematoma and cracked clavicle, along with lots of bruising on my right arm, back and leg. Black right eye from sunglasses and lost alot of blood. I was in the hospital until Thursday. It will take me a while for recovery - unfortunately, that means that the 4 road time trials over the next 4 weeks are out of the picture. I'll focus on weight lifting and maybe consider the state championship at Hellyer for the 2k pursuit. There is always next year.

Match Sprint Tournament - May 16, 2009

Today is RFA's BIG birthday - what better way to celebrate than race at the second match sprint tournament of the season at Hellyer. The promoters annnounced RFA's birthday and we all sang H.B. to him. It was a HOT afternoon - literally. Temps were close to 100 degrees - good thing the efforts were short and we could then retreat to the shade under the tents and drinkk fluids. It was a small group of about 16 men and women (including one junior). We started off with the flying 200 meter time trial for seeding purposes. My flying 200 time stunk and I was in the third group. RFA had a stellar time (13:24) and he was the fastest in group 2. I won my first match sprint against the Roaring Mouse woman (I started the sprint early and turned it into more of a pursuit - playing to my strengths). I won my second match sprint against the junior who tried to block me up against the rail. The third sprint was against a young man who was able to follow on my wheel and passed me by half of my front wheel. Round 4 I won by passing the 2 women. RFA was able to win one of his sprints.

Berkeley Hills Road Race, May 10, 2009

Category: W4
Place: 15
Field: 49
Course: 33 miles (1.7 laps)
19 mile lap includes the infamous Mama Bear, Papa Bear and Baby Bear climbs.

This is a tough race and I was looking forward to it. The W4 category was full with a waiting list. I know this course well since it is the same course as the Berkeley Hills Team Time Trial. It was perfect weather for racing - mid-60's and sunny. I had a slightly rocky start pre-race: I realized on the drive to the race that I had forgotten my Webcor jersey (I threw my Webcor jacket over my base layer & simply forgot!) Maybe it is because we got up at 5:15 AM - but it seems no matter how much planning, you are bound to forget something. Fortunately, we made a U-turn only 4 miles out and went home to retrieve my jersey. I still had plenty of time for warm up. It also helped that I had a full-time bike slave. We started with a promenade up the climb from the boat docks to San Pablo Road. I led out the first leg at a comfortable pace - served as a warm up and avoided any potential crashes. We probably lost a few people on the rollers after the first right turn but for the most part the group stuck together until we hit Mama Bear and Papa Bear. I was about 2 bike lengths behind at the top of Papa Bear on the first lap was easily caught the lead group for the big descent. I was now part of the lead group of 14. We were neutralized while a men's group went by -unfortunately, that gave the chase group time to join us. Tempo pace until the last climb up Mama Bear and Papa Bear - I fell off near the top of Mama Bear (about 1 mile to go) and just pushed as hard as I could up Papa Bear - just not much left. Finished 15/49 - just OK but I was happy with my performance.

Friday Night Track Racing - May 8, 2009

This was the Friday night racing at Hellyer for 2009 -complete with music, food and drinks. Great turn out and a beautiful evening - even a full moon. The weather did get a little chilly tho when the sunset. RFA and I got to try out our Oakley glasses with the yellow high visibility lenses. RFA did the men's 3/4 scratch race (25 laps) and I did the women's points race (15 laps). We didn't place but got a great work out and gained experience. I led ou on the women's points race for 4 laps (see top photo).

SoCal Cycling Vacation 4/26/09-5/02/09

RFA spent a week at our timeshare at Marriott Newport Coast Villas in Newport Beach, CA. Sunday April 26 was a travel day - we drove and hauled the tandem and our road bikes. We hit some traffic at the Grapevine due to a truck fire that started a small brushfire and some traffic in LA on the 405 near Santa Monica due to a traffic accident - could have been worse. It was interesting to pass by MountainGate in Brentwood where we used to live and the Getty Center. On Monday, 4/27, we met our friends Shari and Jeff at San Clemente for a 40 mile tandem ride down to Oceanside and back. We met Shari and Jeff a couple years ago during the Santana Tuscany tandem tour. They live in MN and were happy to get in some "spring training" and spent the week with us. The next day we did another tandem ride from Carlsbad to Torrey Pines, turning around at the Salk Institute after climbing Torrey Pines hill. That evening we went out to dinner at Carbonara's in San Clemente to celebrate Shari's birthday. Shari's daughter Jessica who lives in North San Diego County also joined us. We can't get enough of riding along the coast so the next day we did a 50 mile ride from Carlsbad to downtown La Jolla. RFA and I rode our singles. We valet parked the bikes at George's at the Cove and enjoyed a nice lunch on the rooftop cafe. A heavenly day. We had quite a headwind on the ride back. Thursday was a chill out day - a 18 mile spin around Laguna Beach. We stopped and enjoyed our Starbuck's watching the beach volley ball and a Golden Spoon frozen yogurt. Spent some time poolside (surprised I got sunburn - wasn't out that long!) We had dinner at Sabatino's on Balboa Island. The homemade sausage with goat cheese and chicken soup are super special. Friday was another tandem ride through Camp Pendleton. We stopped at LongBoards in Oceanside for lunch (see pic). We went back to Sabatino's for dinner with our friends Diane and Curt from Marina del Rey. We left on Saturday - a day early - planning to go to Hellyer track Sunday morning to practice team pursuit for State and Nationals. That was not to be - rained out! Flukey NorCal weather. We did get in a good time trial workout though later in the day. Because we left a day early we never made it to ADT velodrome in LA - next time.

Wente Road Race - Sat. April 25, 2009

Photo: MEA coming up on the inside in Webcor green

W Cat4

Place: 19

Field: 47

I was really looking forward to this race and had high expectations - expectations that unfortunately that were not realized. It was a learning experience in race strategy. I raced in the W4 category which had a field of 47. The temperature was perfect - mid 60's - but the wind was wicked - but after all, this is windmill country! I stayed with the lead group through the tough first climb. After we turned into the wind before the big descent, it was like a brick wall, and I was on the wrong wheel. I fell back and was unable to regain that ground - the peloton was just out reach - so close. I gained some ground but it was not enough. Then I saw them ride off into the distance. I hit 54 mph on the downhill with the strong tailwind. I then rode for awhile with a group of 3 other women but they were too slow for my liking. I sprinted out, now trying to catch the second lead group which splintered off. I slowed a bit on the second climb in the feed zone, looking for RFA who had my Smart Water. I regrouped with the same women I left behind earlier. A peloton of male racers passed on the down hill and I pulled over to the far right. Low and behold my training mate from 5RCC passes me on the tail of the male peloton. Fair?? I ended up placing 19th - losing two positions on the final 200 meter sprint. Coach Dnitrij - "what happened??" I lost sleep asking myself the same question, reanlayzing the race. Get on the wrong wheel of someone falling back and it is all over before you know it. Live and learn.

Ed Steffani Memorial Gran Prix, April 11, 2009

Our results:

Grandma's Wheelbarrow Race (flying 1 lap):

RFA: 24.4 (1st in 50+ category)

MEA: 26.5 (2nd in Women's)

One Mile Scratch Race:

RFA - 5th

Cat 5 Point-A-Lap

RFA: 4th

Lotto Race:

RFA: 4th

Australian Pursuit:

MEA 3rd out of 11

Overall Omnium:

MEA: 1st Woman/2nd 50+

RFA: 1st 50+

RFA and I raced in the Ed Steffani Memorial Gran Prix at the Hellyer Velodrome, San Jose, CA on Saturday, April 11, 2009. It was a full afternoon of racing and a beautiful day. There were about 17 racers including 3 women (me, my team mate Pam and a junior). We needed six women in order to have our own category, so we competed in the men's category. Oh well, makes you tough! We started out with the Grandma's Wheelbarrow Race which turned out to be a flying 1 lap time trial. I did a 26.5; my team mate Pam had a 25.89, and RFA did a 24.4. Practice, practice, practice. The fastest time was a 22.01. We then did a 3 lap (1 km) scratch race heat and RFA advanced to the finals. Followed by a 5 lap scratch race. At least I finished with the front pack! RFA did a special Point-a-Lap (10 lap) race for the Cat 5s - he said it was brutal. We both did the 25 lap Lotto Race - this is a points race where you don't know when the points lap will be until the bell rings. They can come at any interval - we had 4 points laps in a row! Many racers pulled out at that point. I hung in there and finished with the top 6 - but didn't accumulate any points! RFA got some points. It was a great workout! The fnale was the Australian pursuit! RFA sat this one out. We had seeded positions and I finished third. It was a blast! The officials were still calculating the omnium points when we left - results to follow. This was another first for RFA and me - our first official mass start races. I may never be a sprinter but the workouts are great and will complement my road cycling.