A Bikey Weekend with the Tour of California

"A convertible!" by Mike. Commentary by Dedrick. With myself, Jocelyn, C. Horner and my phone.

Currently, I am recovering from a sun filled day of cheering and bike riding while Mike is at the Team Radioshack wrap party celebrating with the likes of Team Radioshack's Tour of California winner, Chris Horner, Levi, Andy Schleck and a bunch of cycling enthusiast celebrities, I'm sure. So I'm taking the time to share.

All week long, I've been following the Amgen Tour of California. Yes, at my desk, but very briefly and discreetly. With much excitement, Mike and I planned to go up to watch the mountain stage (because the riders go much slower and it's "easier" to watch) in Glendora and Mt Baldy.

I haven't touched my bike in a long time and I haven't done a long climb in even longer. So Mike just gave me a 30 minute start at the bottom as well as a backpack full of sandwiches. Somehow I thought the climb would take maybe an hour. No. Longer than that. He eventually passes me with his teammates.  Luckily, friendly older gentlemen that looked well in their 70's were kind enough to push me until they passed me as well.

Finally at the top, we found perfect places to watch. I had one goal- to use my cowbell. So we ate sandwiches, drank beers, and waited for the pros to come by. Lots of fun!

"You guys are going real fast" by Mike. With Hime, the peloton and myself

Once we descend the mountain, which was much longer for me, we recover at Lucky Baldwins to watch the HD coverage of the race.

Today, Mike and I then not only watch the last stage of the Tour of Cali, but also the Giro d'Italia and the saddening interview with Tyler Hamilton on 60 Minutes that revealed eyewitness accounts of Lance Armstrong taking performance enhancing drugs. This is only saddening because well I like Lance as a hero type. Everyone loves Lance! And frankly, it's becoming more and more evident that most of the guys in the peloton are using something, but not all of them are Lance Armstrong. And unfortunately the only way to stop all the drug use is to make the contests more "realistic" and to not be bored with "realistic".  Because realistic is ugly like my sunburns and my crawl up and down Glendora Mountain Road. Nobody enjoys watching that.

My LaGrange Race Report for the 4/19/10 De Vlees Huis Ronde Road Race in Bakersfield, CA

Race: De Vlees Huis Ronde Road Race

Where: Bakersfield, CA

Racers: Jocelyn Pogue, Anne Cuizon

Category: Womens 3/4

Results: 6th, 18th

After a pre-ride the day before, Jocelyn and I knew we were in for a doozy: lots of climbs, technical descents, a long flat stretch with crosswinds and the occasional dead rattlesnake. Determined to at least get some exercise, we started out with the pack.  Once on the hills, I decided to drive up the pace a little with the intention of stringing out the group a little. (In retrospect, this was a mistake, but at least it brought Jocelyn up in the pack)

Most of the girls ended up in clusters of 2 or 3 girls working together. Jocelyn was working with a  MetalMTN girl just seconds behind the leaders. She was able to put about 1-2 minutes in front of the rest of the group. At one point, sweat had blinded her for a few seconds and found herself biking off the road and through some tall grasses. Once she got back on the road, Jocelyn bridged back up the climb to Metal MTN girl, even with some new grass to decorate her handlebars. 

It came down to a sprint up a 7-9% climb to the finish for J. The rest of us ladies trickled in behind. Overall, Jocelyn and I felt really good afterwards but were pretty glad we didn't have to do 2 laps. 

My LaGrange Race Report for the 2/28/10 Dare to Race Grand Prix in Ontario, CA

Race: Dare to Race Grand Prix

Where: Ontario, CA

Racers: Jocelyn Pogue, Anne Cuizon

Category: Womens 4

Results: 2nd, 11th

The full moon was still out, the ground slick, and it was a pleasant 41 degrees out while Jocelyn and I approached the course. None of this phased us because we were very nervous about racing since this was my 2nd crit and Jocelyn's very first. Our goals: to finish with the pack and to survive. 

We had a whopping field of 13 girls at the start. There were a few attacks that never stuck for long. Both of us went for primes but didn't quite make it. With four laps to go, I grabbed the wheel of an Ironfly rider who used her magic powers to get a flat right in front of me. Somehow avoiding a crash I was able to bridge a small gap along with a couple Team Possabilities ladies.

After the last corner, we were all in a field sprint, and instead of throwing the tacks (a last resort) Jocelyn found an opportunity to weave around everyone and take 2nd while I finished all smiles with the pack. 

Feel my legs, I'm a ... racer?

This is me and my teammate, Danielle, after the Simple Green Criterium. Go LaGrange Womens 3/4!

Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield, CA is everything you have heard it was and more. Middle America is in the air here with farming and petroleum being the largest industries. Meth addicts, XXL shorts, hardworking farmers all find home here. For the most part, people drive through while traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco. This past weekend, it was the location of Mike and Jason's most recent road races. Muscle-y racers from across California met to prove who was the fastest in spandex.



However, these races are early in the morning leaving much of Saturday to our own devices. I decided that I wanted to go to thrift stores.



With a couple internet searches on my trusty EyePhone, I was able to locate the 3 best thrift stores in the area. My favorite being R.A.D. Such an appropriate name for a wonderful store that not only sells everything less than $2, but also marks them 30-50% off on Saturdays. With just $3, I was able to score a couple vintage-y tanks and some shorts.

Afterwards we were advised to explore the "downtown" area. We passed maybe 4 more thrift stores, but we wanted sandwiches instead. We went to the Sequoia Sandwich shop which had sponsored Mike's race. There we were joined by other bike aficionados and their hairless legs. There weren't that many locals besides most of the bike racers that were in for the event.

From there, we walked to a pawn shop where they sold some quality electronics and then to a vintage consignment store. We were greeted with many talkative shopowners which was pleasant. However, we couldn't help but notice that the residents of Bakersfield were very eager to sell their possessions. It seemed that the only thriving businesses were secondhand shops. Sad, actually.



Once again, we wake up at 5:30a to head out to the race course. While Mike raced 31 miles around the scenic oil rigs and cattle of Bakersfield, I hung out with bike buddies, Gary and Megan as Gary prepped for his race. Bike small talk all around as we can't help but see the 40 or so other riders also getting ready: pinning numbers to their jerseys, snacking, putting on their spandex, warming up, rubbing their BUTT BUTTER onto their lower region (to prevent chafing supposedly)... ugh. I could do without having to see that. Soon enough, Mike crossed the finish line in a sprinting pack to conclude his days in Cat 5. Woo!



Now that we were both hungry, we went to Zingo's Cafe, the breakfast choice for the locals. Plenty of big rigs, Harleys and minivan filled with overweight families. This was the place. We enjoyed our breakfast with pie and the wait staff was extremely friendly.

Tummies filled, we drove back to LA, in traffic.

Solvang Weekend - Day 2 - Solvang Century and Half Century

Jason and Mike started their 100 mile ride around 6am. Meanwhile, Meespace and I grabbed a couple more hours of sleep for our ride at 9:30a.

At about 53 degrees, the bike ride was pretty cold. We biked 50 miles through the very scenic hillsides of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Meespace and I eventually break off due to our different paces. While riding, I manage to probably feel every emotion I can feel as you're left with only your thoughts for hours. At our rest stop 25 miles in, I probably enjoyed the best pb&j of my life. (Later, I found out that Meespace actually trucked on through without stopping. wow!)

2 flat tires and a fallen chain later, I'm back on track and go on to finish.

My stats: 50 miles, 1800 ft of climbing, avg speed: 16.1 mph, completed in 3 hrs 20 mins.
Mike's stats: 100 miles, 5000 ft of climbing, avg speed: 19.1 mph, completed in 5 hrs 15 mins

After the ride, I happily and guilt-free purchased a butter cookie tub from the Solvang Bakery

Solvang Century Bike Ride 2009

Due to my undying love of aebleskiver, cuckoo clocks, and near torturous recreational activities, I've signed up to ride the Solvang half century (50 miles) on my trusty road bike. Along with fellow bike geeks, Mike, Jason and Meespace, we shall all re-visit the quiet wine country and steep hill to cookie mountain all for what is considered "fun."