Stolen Bicycle...

ARGH!

I had my Bianchi Milano cruiser bike stolen today from the new 24 Hour Fitness
in Mtn View, CA. It was locked up between the 24 Hour Fitness and Kohl's building
between about 11am and 12pm.

Please keep an eye out for it on the street or for sale on craigslist.

The color is celeste green and it has a rack on back with a blue bungie cord. it
also has a "bell" (twist to get it to ring) on the left side of the handlebars.
Also has a Tacx waterbottle cage on the downtube.

Similar to the one seen here: http://www.bianchiusa.com/bikes/milano/milano-parco/.

Thanks.

A real post, really!!!

Okay, no pictures to go with this post but here is my race report from today's Merco Road Race...

When I first joined Webcor back in 2005, all except one of the riders lived in the Bay Area, the exception was Felicia Greer (Gomez now) who lives in the Fresno area. As the team has grown and taken on an international presence, we have had riders from all over the country and world and this year we have 2 Canadians, 2 Australians and the other 3 Americans are from Boulder, CO, San Diego, CA and Chicago, IL. Unfortunately, I am the solo remaining Bay Area rider and this means things are a bit challenging for me at NorCal racing. There were two Bridge Team riders in the race - Lauren Hetch and Annie Malouin - and I did want to take this opportunity to help them out.

I lined up to the start of the Merco Road Race along with about 50 or so other racers and I knew that the teams to watch were Tibco (had about 7 riders), Columbia-High Road with 3, Colavita (~4 riders), and SugarCRM with maybe 5 (sorry for not knowing exact numbers!). We started out at a very pedestrian pace and about 1/3 of the way into the first lap, things started to get active with SugarCRM and Tibco riders attacking. I knew that no break would get away without a Columbia rider so I tried to keep an eye on Emilia, Ina and Kim (not necessarily an easy task). A bit later in the lap I found myself in a small break with Ina, Stacy Marple (Colavita), and Kat Carroll (Tibco). Unfortunately my legs were not feeling great and I was definitely suffering on the small rollers. Yet, the peloton did not like this mix of riders and we were quickly chased down.

Attacks continued through the start/finish line and on the back side of the course (at about km 57 - don't ask why I know this) I countered a series of attacks, hoping to draw out a few riders; no luck, I was on my own! Figuring that a few riders would probably try and bridge to me, I kept steady pressure on the pedals to not blow myself up too quickly. I was eventually joined by Lauren Tamayo (aka Franges) from Tibco, Ina, and Kelly Benjamin (Colavita). In a situation where I had teammates, this would not be a good break for me as all three of these women are very strong sprinters, yet considering my chances of a good result were much better out of a group of 4 than 50, and I rolled through with them.

We stayed off for several k before being chased down and reabsorbed by the hungry peloton. There was another series of attacks and a group of 6 riders got off. They gained a maximum of about 35", yet as with the other breaks, a few teams missed out and chased the escapees down. It was evident that the race would come down to a bunch kick and I did my best to help Lauren get up there for the finish yet my legs were a bit cooked and things got a bit dicey in the last 1k.

As I joked with Lauren Hecht, I had nose bleed seats for the finish and learned later that Ina won, followed by Brooke Miller (Tibco) and Laura Charameda (my coach!).

I am very much looking forward to Redlands when the Green Machine will be in full force.

-thanks for reading-

Event in San Jose...

I know that many of my recent posts have been about events and not much content on how things are going with me. Sorry, been a bit busy and now am sick.

Webcor Builders Women's Team Benefit Screening
The Flying Sotman, A Special evening with Webcor Olympians In San Jose
The San Jose Cycling Classic in conjunction with Camera Cinemas will present a special free screening of The Flying Scotsman, 6 p.m., Wednesday, February 18, Camera 12 Downtown, 201 S. Second Street, in Downtown San Jose. A feature film based on the true story of Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree, The Flying Scotsman traces Obree's rise to breaking the world one-hour record on a bike of his own revolutionary design, which he constructed out of scrap metal and parts of a washing machine. The film stars Jonny Lee Miller, the title character of ABC's hit series, Eli Stone. Members of the Webcor Builders Women's Professional Cycling Team, including Canadian Olympians Gina Grain and Erinne Willock, will introduce the film, share their recent Olympics experiences and be on hand for any post screening questions

Produced in anticipation of the upcoming Amgen Tour of California, the San Jose Cycling Classic - held February 14-21, 2009 throughout San Jose - is a multi-pronged event encompassing professional, amateur and community cycling activities, including the King of the Mountain Time Trail Race and Ride sponsored by Mattson Technology, the CEO Challenge powered by SunPower and The Criterium built by WEBCOR. Other activities include a Cycling Film Night, a GET BACKON YOUR BIKE! presentation and BIKE SHOW: A Celebration Of Cycle Art & Culture art exhibition. It is expected to attract more than 1,000 cycling athletes, 20,000 spectators and cycling-related exhibitors.

Funds raised from the San Jose Cycling Classic events will support health, fitness and cycling. Beneficiaries include the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and Fit for Learning, an initiative—provided by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in cooperation with Healthy Silicon Valley—that will increase physical activity and encourage healthy nutrition among elementary school students in Santa ClaraCounty. In addition, the San Jose Cycling Classic provides a platform to raise awareness about green mobility and the San Jose Green Vision.
For more information about the San Jose Cycling Classic, please visit, www.sanjosecyclingclassic.com

For Amy...

I now have a new blog post.

'nuff said.

Ride the Route

EVENT DATE: Saturday, January 17, 2009
Benefit for Women’s ATOC Criterium & All Sport-Team Swift

EVENT: Stage 1 Ride the Route - Calistoga to Santa Rosa
(Petrified Forest Road KOM)
On Saturday, January 17, 2009, join a group of Amgen Tour of California
(ATOC) Women’s Criterium competitors and the All Sport-Team Swift junior
riders for a ride up the final King of the Mountain climb of ATOC Stage 1.
After the ride, meet the BMC Professional Cycling Team at their Santa Rosa
training camp for photo and autograph opportunities.
This will be a fully supported ride including:
Pre-ride Bike Check – Provided by West County Revolution
Sports Drinks and Energy Bars – Provided by All Sport-Team Swift
Full Mechanical and SAG Support – Provided by West County Revolution
and FitnessJournal.com

ROUTE: Group A (Main Event) ~2 hour casual ride from Calistoga to Santa Rosa
with Pro Women and All Sport-Team Swift. Includes:
• Pre-ride bike check
• Shuttle to Calistoga with your bike
• Full ride support (mechanical/SAG)
• Route map & energy bars/drink
RSVP REQUIRED: Contact Laura at teamswift@aol.com by Thursday,
January 15th to confirm a seat on the bus and bike transportation.

Group B (Advanced/Unsupported): ~4 hour moderate ride to Calistoga
and back. Note: Group B from Santa Rosa to Calistoga will be unsupported.
You will be provided a pre-ride bike check and a route map. Cut off time to
join Group A in Calistoga for the supported ride is 1:00PM.

SCHEDULE: 9:00-10:15AM Group B -- Registration
10:30AM Group B -- Departure
10:00-11:15AM Group A -- Registration & Load Bus (RSVP Required)
11:30AM Group A -- Bus Departure
Noon Group A -- Arrive in Calistoga and unload
12:30PM Group B -- Arrive in Calistoga
1:00PM Groups A & B Depart Calistoga
3:00PM Groups A & B Arrive in Santa Rosa
3:00-4:00PM BMC Pro Racing Team Reception
4:30PM Riviera Dinner Special ($20 fixed-price menu)

LOGISTICS: Registration: Longs Drug - 2771 4th St Santa Rosa, CA 95405
Look for the All Sport-Team Swift Tent and Van.
Please bring a copy of the release form at
http://www.usacycling.org/forms/NonCompetitiveRelease.pdf

Parking: Free parking is available along the perimeter of the Longs Drug
and Safeway Parking lot or on the street. Registration will help provide
direction on available parking. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN SPACES
DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF LONGS AND SAFEWAY. THESE ARE
RESERVED FOR CUSTOMERS.

Cost: Suggested donation - $20**
Proceeds benefit All Sport-Team Swift and primes for the ATOC only
official Pro Women’s Criterium to be held on, February 15, 2009 in
Downtown Santa Rosa.
Your donation will include one-day licensing and insurance fees,
transportation to Calistoga, ride support, and the BMC Pro Racing
Team Reception at the Flamingo Resort. Bring your USAC License if
applicable*
Dinner reservations must be made separately by calling Riviera
Restaurant at 707-579-2682. Mention that you are with the “Ride the
Route” group.
*$7 minimum required for license/insurance (included in $20 donation)
**Cash or Check only. No Credit Cards.

BMC TEAM RECEPTION:
After the ride, join the BMC Team at the Flamingo Conference Resort and
Spa for a meet and greet from 3-4PM. Refreshments will be served.
(Please feel free to join the reception even if you do not ride)
Flamingo Conference Resort and Spa
www.flamingoresort.com
2777 4th St, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 545-8530

Women Only Group Ride in Marin County

Host:	Katheryn and Lisa Hunt

Time and Place

Date:	Sunday, January 18, 2009
Time:	9:30am - 2:00pm
Location:	Java Hut
Street:	760 Center Blvd
City/Town:	Fairfax, CA
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Contact Info

Email:	katheryn.curi.mattis@gmail.com

Description

Please join us for another women only ride. Severe weather will cancel/postpone.

We will be visiting the lovely North Bay and Lisa Hunt - bike rider/racer extraordinaire and fabulous director of ValueAct - will be our tour guide.

Depending on weather we can opt for a 3hr 15m loop to Marshall, or a 4 hour loop to Tomales. Both rides include beautiful Marin county farmland, plus enjoying coastal views along Highway 1. Be sure to bring your camera!

Please pass this on to other women who may be interested in joining us.

This event is on Facebook and if you are not on FB and plan on attending, please email me so I know how to get in touch with you should we need to cancel due to weather.

Kodak Moment...

I have come up with a new phrase, okay, it is not exactly "new", more like I have found a new use for the phrase.

Allow me to explain...

Here in Northern California we are blessed with beautiful weather, amazing terrain and a copious number of groups rides for cyclists of all abilities. The area in which I live, Mountain View, has the Specturm ride which has been going on for a long time. The route is always the same (although a slight modification has been made recently for safety reasons), and a great way for me to stay sharp on my pack skills and when needed, get some intensity. Right now though, I am still in my base building period and more focused on steady tempo riding than going too hard.

A few weeks ago, my husband, James, and I joined the Spectrum ride and after establishing ourselves in the group and saying hello to friends, we settled into a steady pace. The group has a tendency to go hard on the climbs, coast on descents and medium effort on flats. This variable riding often lead me to be "dropped" on any rise/climb and fly by people when the road goes down again. I do my best to pull as far right as possible on climbs as to not get in the way of other riders who want to go harder. Yet, on this particular group ride, I had my Kodak moment.

We had just made a left hand turn and were coming up on another group of cyclists. I was towards the front of the group and moved left to safely pass the group being overtaken on a slight rise in the road. Because the group was going harder than I wanted, I also started going "backwards". Riders went flying by me on the left and all of a sudden I hear from behind me, "Webcor, stop blocking!!!". Hmm... okay, sure, blocking is a tactic used in racing but this wasn't a race, it was a group ride. I kindly respond saying, "Sorry, I am just trying to ride my own steady pace." This response was not good enough for this guy, as he had some more words for me, something about me blocking for my teammates or something like that. My reply to this, "this is a group ride not a race".

I do recognize there are people who particpate in the local group rides (where ever they are) and it is a serious thing for them. Yet, none of us paid money to join the ride, we didn't pin on any numbers, or sign a release form that absolved the organizer of any responsibility if we break anything.

I did not take the other rider's response personal by any mean. I found it more amuzing and good writing for my blog. Also, a new use for the phrase Kodak moment. :-)

Happy riding and thanks for reading.