Amgen Tour of California - Prologue

Hello All,

Yesterday's Day 1 of the Amgen Tour of California was so so so fun. Thank the heavens (literally), we were spared from nasty rain. It was bitterly cold, but we stayed dry.

The morning started out with the VSP cycling team gathering around their mobile eye unit (a customized RV). I must thank my wonderful Paula (the buddy I met on the XC08 cross-country tour last May) for inviting me to join the VSP team. The jerseys were cool as were the sweet gift bag containing new Nike sunglasses - super fine for cycling.

Here's me and Paula, gathering with our fellow VSP bike team folks. To ensure a uniform team look, we were told the wear our jerseys on the outside with black arm warmers for those of us who needed them. And we all needed them. Paula and I had several base layers under those jerseys. It was bitter cold as we waited for an hour to get going...

Our favorite bike shop manager and most excellent bike mechanic, Steve, joined team VSP.

Team VSP waiting some more. Do we look cold??

From the vantage point of the starting area, we get to see the Versus TV announcers: Craig Hummer , Phil Liggett, and Paul Sherwen. Prior to lining up at the start, we saw the Astana team ride by with a warm-up loop. Yes - the 1st Lance sighting. I didn't have my camera ready, so no photo. :(

The VSP bike team had the honor of riding the first loop around the course. It was very fun, but oh so cold riding in the wind. It was fun to take note of the turns and the elements of the pavement. These are downtown city streets with potholes and such. On one corner, Steve's tire hit one of those "Bott's Dots" type of reflectors. We knew these pros would need to avoid those, especially on the turns.

After the VSP loop, there was a "community ride" with all sorts of folks, including children, riding. My next-door neighbors, Chris and Leah, found me. They are the cutest couple - both firefighters. We baby-sit their dog, Buddy, sometimes. And their garage is the hiding place for the bikes I gave Mary Ann on Christmas and Valentine's Day. But Mary Ann wants to know why they are not wearing helmets!

After the community ride, but before the race, Steve and I cruised around some of the festival area. Here's my favorite cycling logo - bad ass Rock Racing, the Harley Davidson of cycling.

Here's a Rock Racing t-shirt. It pretty much says it all...

And Lance love is everywhere. LANCE IS BACK!

Here's one of Lance's super-souped up Trek bikes. Lance's bikes are painted in his LIVESTRONG colors: black and yellow.

Some interesting cyclists/fans. These are the "Chi-wee-wees."

Steve and I find Jeffrie and the rest of our cycling buddies! Here's Steve, Jeffrie, Kim, Mark, Carol, Debbie, Dave, and ? (don't think I ever met the guy on the right - oops).

Here is me, Steve, and Jeffrie at the Orbea vendor booth. Orbea is the preferred bike among my Sacramento cycling buddies. Some day I shall have an Orbea...

After Jeffrie went off to find the group, Steve scored a VIP pass from his Orbea rep. I got to tag along. Here's Steve enjoying his free brew. Besides the free food and drinks, the viewing area from the VIP section was relatively uncrowded. Lots of space along the fencing to have "front row" seats (even though we were standing). The very best thing, however, was they had real (if portable) bathrooms. A huge plus compared to the icky kybos with very long lines they had for everyone else. I'm ashamed to say when it was time to go (those passes were lent to us on a temporary basis), I handed Steve my pass and said I would stay put. Yes, I abandoned my friends for a good view and a handy bathroom! Am I a bad person?

I was about 250' from the finish. My camera skills were very poor when it came to capturing these guys flying by. Here's a Rock Racing guy. Was it Tyler Hamilton?

This is Floyd Landis' butt. (I shall never have a career as a photo-journalist.)

We also had the vantage point were we could see the live TV coverage. Here's Lance getting ready to roll out. The crowd went crazy the second they saw Lance was about to enter the course.

Here's Lance, heading for the finish. He came in 10th. Pretty good for an older guy coming out of a 3-year retirement.

This guy was going super fast - I thought it was Levi, but the kit looks wrong? It was all a blur...

At then end of the day, the capital looked lovely with a bit of sun lighting it up. I rode my bike home, completely and totally exhausted. I sorely missed having MAD there to enjoy it all with me.

Today the race runs from Davis to Santa Rosa. 108 miles in the cold, windy rain. I could ride my bike out there to check it out. Or stay home, do homework, clean house, take a nap. If MAD weren't working, it would be fun to go with her. But the cold and wind would do me in on my own today. Oh well! I shall watch the ToC from home the rest of the week.

Next cycling adventure: Cycling in Hawaii! I'll be there with MAD, Paula, and our other XC08 buddy, Janie!

Team Jelly Belly

My very good cycling buddy, Paula, invited me to join her at VSP for a "meet and greet" for 2 members of the Jelly Belly professional cycling team. Brad Huff and Matt Routley were fantastic guys, answering questions and being overall charming for an hour earlier today. Did I bring my camera? NO NO NO NO NO!!! I still cannot find it..
Here's Will Routley (hill climber), me and Brad Huff (sprinter)...courtesy of Paula's handy iPhone. If you want to read more about this team, here's their website:

http://jellybellycycling.com/team/

Now I am a Jelly Belly team fan. That means I need to have a Jelly Belly cycling jersey. And I have to root for Astana (Lance's team as well as Levi Leipheimer), Rock Racing (coolest jerseys in the universe, also team of Tyler Hamilton, the guy who raced in the Tour de France with a broken collar bone - and the same guy who Brent talked into leaving me a voicemessage on my home phone last year), team Ouch (because Floyd Landis is on that team and we think Floyd was robbed!), Columbia (because this is George Hincapie's team and Paula looooves her George), and now maybe even Rabobank (because it was cool to see them on the bike path this week).

Okay, having this many personal favorites is going to make me a very busy girl. And if I get all the jerseys (a requirement for satisfying fandom), I shall be bankrupted. Well, the good news is that I do not have to support Slipstream, which is happy because I cannot handle their argyle jerseys...

Sorry to be blathering on. I'm losing focus here. Okay, last story of the day. In response to a question about crashes and getting back on the bike, both cyclists told us that crashes happen and you get used to it. Brad Huff said there is a video of one of his epic crashes on YouTube - just search for "Brad Huff Crash." I'm going to check it out!

Safe riding to all!

Preparing for Tour of California

Hello All,

Well, it's been a nasty cold week of Sacramento weather. On Monday night I cruised out to Sacramento's Midtown for drinks and girl-talk with my college buddy, Antoinette. Mary Ann later joined us. Here's me securing my cool Protec lid for the ride home.

Leaving Ink, one of our favorite drinks-n-eats places. I highly recommend the "metropolitan" - much better than a cosmopolitan! Here's one of Mary Ann's 10 bikes - a vintage Schwinn cruiser we call the "Bruiser."


On Tuesday, Mary Ann and I braved the foul weather to get some mileage in. Here's me in front of the state capitol building.

Mary Ann in downtown Sacramento. We are freezing, but happy!

And then we hit scenic Old Town Sacramento. Fun and historic, but those cobblestones are painful...

Here we cross over the Sacramento River to access the American River bike path. Some kindly tourists snapped our photo. And no, Mary Ann did not grow an extra foot - she's standing up on the curb.

Cruising along the bike path. I read in the paper that the pro teams may be out practicing on this route in preparation for the Tour of California, but we had the place all to ourselves on this nasty cold day.

But next thing we know, we see a very fast team speeding towards us. I hopped off my bike and prepared my camera!

Five very serious looking members of the Rabobank team sped by me. Too fast for me to even say good luck. Well, really I would have asked them to say hi to Lance for me...

Tomorrow I am meeting Paula to pick up my VSP jersey. Saturday morning we will be back in downtown Sacramento, riding the 2.4-mile route of the prologue. The forecast is 70% chance rain with a high in the low 50's. Ugh. Let's pray for sunshine...

Love to all.

Cycling in Santa Cruz - Feb 2009

Alright - this is obviously not a cycling shot. This is Max the dog looking so soulful that I could not resist posting this...


MAD and I spent the weekend in the Bay area. MAD did the Portola Valley loop on Saturday while I visited my nephew and sister. Then on Sunday, we cycled with MAD's Santa Cruz friend and all-around great guy, Greg. The skies were threatening. It was actually raining a bit before we left the house. Someone in our group (I will not name names) tried to veto the outing, but I had already squeezed myself into my spandex sausage casing otherwise known as cycling clothes and I was determined to get out on the bike, even if it meant I pedaled around the block.

Here's Greg ready to roll on his De Rosa. Note the oversized rain coat. Greg says every time he has worn this jacket, it has NOT rained. We shall see!

As we headed out, we encountered Greg's wife and daughter (Maggie and Libby) who had taken Max out for a long walk. We got a quick weather report before proceeding.

And not long after we actually took off, Greg friend Danny joined us. Danny is from New Jersey (as is MAD) and is also an old friend of MAD's from her Santa Cruz days. Here's Greg in blue and Danny in yellow.

And we stop for some reinforcements in the form of burritos at the local market. Danny is trying out my rear view mirror for the first time.

We leave the coast to climb the "Aptos Alps." Some truly lovely scenery up there.

Greg looking happy...

Danny and MAD pedaling past some old orchards.

I am wearing my new Pearl Izumi "Vagabond" jacket which I love so much that MAD calls it the "Vagabomb." I can upzip the sleeves and remove them altogether, turning the jacket into a vest. Today, it was too cold to remove the sleeves. I did unzip them (at the shoulders) for some added airflow to cool off during the climbs. And for the first time I tried out the amber lenses on the cycling sunglasses I bought last summer. These amber lenses are fantastic on gloomy days. It is light turning the lights on. I have never been very good at using the right cycling equipment, but MAD has made it her personal mission to ensure I have all the right things.

Me and MAD somewhere in the Aptos Alps.

MAD, Greg, and Danny.

And we are back down to the coast, parting ways with Danny before we head back to Greg's house. (Danny approves of the rear-view mirrow. I personally think they are the best $14 investment you can ever make, even if they do increase your cycling dork look by a thousand percent.)

Not far from home, but the rains did come. We got a thorough soaking. What's the deal with Greg's magical rain jacket anyway???

Post-recovery meal at Starbucks. The 3+ hour ride home after 40+ miles in the rain was a bit rough. MAD and I both had aching shoulders, knees, necks, feet... Oh the rigors of aging...

Next ride = Amgen Tour of California this Saturday! Can you say (or smell for that matter) LANCE FREAKIN' ARMSTRONG!!!!!!!!?

http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/Route/stages/prologue.html

Preparing for RAGBRAI 2009

I was surfing the RAGBRAI website this morning and had to share this. While some of these may seem weird - they are not far from the truth! I placed an asterisk by the ones that I actually or very nearly experienced...

SYMPTOMS OF RRR SYNDROME (RECENT RAGBRAI RIDER)Submitted by Drew Clark of Erie, Colorado

-On the drive home from RAGBRAI, you stop to eat pie in every town you pass through.
-You install cleats on the gas pedal and brake pedal in your car.
*While driving your car, you shout out "on your left" when you move into the passing lane.
-Instead of carpooling, you and your buddies form an automobile paceline to get to work.
*A chainwheel tattoo on your calf seems normal.
-You still wear your RAGBRAI wristband and ask for the RAGBRAI discount at your local grocery store.
*You call the family to dinner with Mr. Pork Chop's famous holler.
-You get thrown out of your favorite restaurant for eating a pork chop like you did on RAGBRAI. *You can't stop eating 5,000 calories a day.
-Every time you travel to the east side of Iowa, you drive your car into the Mississippi River.
-You wake up wondering if you have enough time to make it to the luggage truck.
-When you drive by local churches, you wonder what's on the dinner menu.
-You like the team buses so much you paint your family minivan with the color scheme for Team Butt Ice.
-Your favorite T-shirt says: "IOWA. Hey! What's that smell?"
*Pie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seems like a good idea.
-You have a seamstress install rear pockets on your business suits.
*You apply Bag Balm and Chamois Butt'r before going to work.
*One dollar for a half slice of watermelon seems OK to you.
-You still ride your bike in the center of the lane and can't understand why motorists are honking.

*Every time you see a kybo (that's a porta-potty, for you outsiders) without a waiting line, you stop.
-Your neighbors don't quite accept you using the one row of corn in their garden for a bathroom.
*You pay $200 more for a handlebar that saves 10 grams of weight, then attach a two pound rubber ducky to it.
*You can't get used to wearing underwear again.
-As soon as you leave work, you go looking for your campsite/host lodging.
*You drive around rumble strips, even in your car.
***When people mention the state of Iowa, you smile inside.

A Fixie for MAD!

Hello Friends,

Last night my dear MAD accidentally found her Valentine's Day gift. Personally, I was thrilled with this early surprise, because I was dying for her to see it, have it, love it... It is a Redline 925 flip-flop. It can be set up as a single speed or flipped around to be a fixed gear. The fixed gear is the ultimate hard core cyclist ride right now, so we shall call her the "Fixie." (All 10 of MAD's bikes must have names, of course.)

We saw this coolest of bikes in a local Sacramento bike shop a month or so ago. She wanted it then, but would not allow herself to buy another bike. While she never mentioned it to me, she had been fantasizing about it all this time. Her mental vibes must have reached me, for when I put my mind to cooking up a great Valentine's gift, the Redline floated up into my mind. (Hmmm, I wonder if she's been secretly playing recorded subliminal messages to me in my sleep...)

The detailing in the paint is wicked cool. Like tats on a bike!

MAD was in stunned awe for quite a while, just gazing on her Fixie... (Note Max on the right and our neighbor's dog, Buddy, on the left.)

This was the look on her face for nearly half an hour...

And she's off to work this morning, riding in a light rain. The Fixie has cool fenders with little mud flaps.

This bike gift is not precedent setting. I gave her a cute cruiser (a Schwinn "Nancy") for Christmas. Again, it was a bike we saw at a local shop. She fell in love. We decided we did not need yet another bike. Then I bought it as a gift. She was so gobsmacked with the Nancy - I think I wanted to recreate the fun with the Fixie.

A happy girl on Christmas Day.

Sweet fenders and chain guard on the Nancy. She also has coaster brakes (very trippy - I haven't experienced those since I was a kid) and an automatic 3-speed. You'll be cruising along and when you pick up sufficient speed - whoa - you suddenly pop into a higher gear. It is very fun to ride. BTW, Schwinn calls the boy version "Sid." I had no idea that Schwinn was so punk rock...

Our next cycling adventure will be this weekend in the Santa Cruz area.

Laura is Back to Blogging...

Paula, Mary Ann, and Laura - cycling in Sacramento!

Hello All!

So sorry for the long delay. Suffice it to say, my life has changed so very drastically in the last 8 months...


As many of you know, I met a very special person on the XC08 ride. Her name is Mary Ann (I like to refer to her as "MAD" when I write - these are her cool initials). Words fail me should I try to describe how wonderful she is and how satisfying our relationship is, so I will leave it at that.


Bill and I very amiably parted ways after 20 years together. We remain the best of friends now. In fact, he and his girlfriend and MAD and I are going to dinner together tomorrow night. This is something we do regularly. Some of my friends think this is weird, but really it is absolutely wonderful. Bill and I still feel we are each other's family, and so we are...


MAD and I moved to Sacramento back in early October. We are renting a home in East Sacramento, very close to midtown. We have fully embraced the cycling lifestyle. MAD does not own a car (instead she has about 10 bikes). She commutes to work (only 2 miles away) every day on one of her bikes. Rain or shine.


We have been embraced by our dear XC08 cycling friend, Paula. We ride with her as frequently as possible. She has introduced us to a fantastic group of cycling friends. We have regular Sunday rides. Unfortunately, our cycling has been lately interrupted by colds (one weekend for MAD, the other for me), some out-of-town travel, and other business. I have posted our photo at the top of this blog.

Now that I am back in the blogging business, I will endeavor to post frequently with lots of photos. I have now opened this blog up for your comments. Please - I only would like to see comments from people I know personnally. Thank you!