Velo Angels - Ride, Girls. Ride.

A Quick Note to Self

I don't know what happened to that hot weather we had for a few days.  Now it's so cool (chilly) that I may never have to worry about this.  But, I have a couple of notes to share with you...

About 2 week ago when it was really hot, I decided to go ride Mandeville not so early in the morning.  It was about 11 am. 

Note to self. 

1)  Wake up early and ride early when it's hot.  11 am in the windless canyon with no shade in sight is hell. 

At one point as I was bitching, moaning and riding, I couldn't take the heat anymore.  So I poured whatever was left in my bottle on my head.  At the time, I couldn't care since it was so hot, and what was left in my bottle cooled my head just enough to go to the end of Mandevile.  But, as soon as I stopped at the top of Mandeville, I attracted every bee in the 5 mile radius.  What was left in the bottle wasn't water.  It was my all-natural, subtly lemon-lime flavored Heed. 

For the bees, I might as well have been a jar of honey. Good thing we don't have bears in LA.

Note to self.

2)  Don't pour your electrolyte drink on your head to cool down unless you really like bees on your face.

It wasn't my proudest day... 

There's no clever closing statement.  No moral of the story.  So.  Yeah. 

Please Don't Kill Me

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, I was going down the twisty road of Palos Verdes East.  It is an awesome, fast descent well worth the 2-mile switchbacks you have to climb before that.  

The patch of Palos Verdes East I was riding is a 2 way street (one lane going up and one lane going down) with no bike lane.  Not only was there no bike lane, there wasn't really any shoulder to ride on.  The shoulder was about 6" wide and covered in mud and sand making it very slippery.  So, to be safe, I was riding in the lane.  It is my right as a cyclist to take up as much of a lane as I need to ride safely at my discretion.  I'm not doing anything illegal here. 

Things got really hairy after I heard the car honking behind me.  While I know my rights as a cyclist, I also know some people really don't like cyclists and don't want to hear about our "rights," and those people usually don't have the patience to drive behind us. Therefore, I scooted over to stay close to the white line so the car could pass me.  They don't have to deal with me, and I don't have to deal with them.  It's a win-win for both of us.  Right?  I was trying to be nice by "sharing the road."  But the asshole driver did not stop honking.  He kept honking more and more and drove up next to me.  Next thing I know, he started to drive closer to me so I had to move over onto the white line and into the non-existing, slippery shoulder.  As I rode on the white line with the reflector bumps, I almost lost control.  Who knows what might have happened if I crashed.  I might have slid in front of the truck and become the biggest roadkill of the day.  I might have flipped over the fence and fallen off the cliff like Frank Schleck.  Fortunately nothing happened.  I held onto my bike and slowed down enough to let the asshole go (as I screamed obscenity at him, of course.) 

I was angry at first, of course.  But soon after, I was really scared.  I was shaking. 

While I'm an adrenaline junkie and seek out thrills and speed in crazy sports, I know I am very cautious and safe when it comes to all my so-called "dangerous" sports like cycling and snowboarding.  I've never been afraid for my life while participating in these sports.  Unfortunately though, no matter how safe and careful you are as a cyclist, there are bad, stupid, evil assholes out there who don't respect the law, or more importantly, your life.  And, that's just how it is. 

It is my biggest regret now that I didn't think to look at his license plate number.  I was so desperate trying not to crash I didn't even think about it till much later.  We can be only so careful, and these assholes won't stop harassing people.  All we can do is to take their pate numbers and tell the cycling community to watch out and let the law enforcement do their work and build up a case against them.  

I don't mean to scare you with this post, and I'm definitely not saying that you shouldn't ride on PV at all.  As a matter of fact, you SHOULD ride the PV loop!  It is a beautiful ride, and it's one of my very favorite rides.  But, know that the crazies are out there, and you need to protect yourself.  Be ready for anything...  and if you see an aggressive driver harassing the cyclist(s), let the local police know.  And, I hope one day, the drivers and cyclists can really coexist on the streets of Los Angeles.  Until then...  Ride safe! 

In Search of a Perfect Saddle 3 : I Might Have Just Found THE ONE

This might be it.  I might have just found THE perfect saddle.  I've only ridden a couple of hours, so let's not rush to any conclusion here, but I might have.  Just.  Found.  It. 

This is Specialized's Romin saddle in 155mm.  It is a men's saddle, but comes in 155mm, which is the width a lot of my girl friends ride.  The cutout in the middle is wide enough to help with the pressure.  The cutaway is big enough that it doesn't dig into the back of my thighs.  And the curve up at the end holds my butt in place for a little extra push.  It doesn't have a lot of cushion like the gel pad saddle, but since it's shaped correctly, I'm not numb or sore after the ride.  I usually don't like cushy saddle to start with.  I have yet to find anything bad to say about this saddle.  I mean, it's not even ugly!  Good job, Specialized.  Finally you got your saddle right.   I heard a rumor that Specialized might be making Romin for girls in the years to come.  I'm so excited.  This is an awesome saddle now for us girls...  I can't wait for them to improve on it even more. 

Tour de France is Crack

Honestly I'm a little (a lot) sad and depressed that there's no more stages left to watch on my DVR.  The TdF is like crack...  I'm having withdrawal symptoms. 

Here are 10 sings you are a TdF addict. 

1)  Your Facebook and Twitter are all about cycling.  

2)  Your good, understanding, cycling friend tells you that you are too crazy about the Tour and Andy. 

3)  Your friend asks if you are ok after Andy loses time to his competition.

4) You quote Jens Voigt in your daily conversation.  (i.e. I say, "Shut up, legs!") 

5)  You and all your dorky friends have the same video clip posted on FB page.  And, they are usually of Jens Voigt's.

6)  Your friend leaves a message on your FB saying, "Allez, Andy!"  Even though your name is not Andy. 

7)  Your local Specialized dealer gives you their promotional poster of Andy because they know you are crazy about him. 

8)  You try to stay in bed at 4 in the morning knowing that the Tour is on, and you have these crazy dreams where you are giving Jens a pep talk, "Jensy, you have to pull up Andy hard on Tourmalet.  Contador will attack after seeing how Andy does on the climb.  Don't let him get away." Then you wake up and realize that trying to stay asleep is useless, so you turn on your TV and start watching.  

9)  You keep having dreams about your favorite riders, namely Andy.  And the dreams are not quite PG13. 

10)  You know Versus' new commercial pep talk by heart.

Whether or not you win this thing, you’ve got to decide how you’re gonna walk out of here when it’s all said and done because the game is going to go on.  And there’s only one rule you’re going to need to know about: There are no second chances.

There is only this moment and the next moment.  Every one of those moments is a test that you get to take one time – and only one time.

So, if you see an opening – tear into it.  If you get a shot at victory, make damn sure you take it.  Seize that moment.  That moment is a crossroads where everything you want will collide with everything standing in your way.

You’ve got momentum at your back.  Fear and doubt are thundering like a freight train straight at you.  And all you’ve got, the only difference between making history and being history, the only thing – THE ONLY THING – you can count on at any given moment is you.

It’s You versus Them.
You versus No.
You versus Can’t.
It’s You versus Next Year. Last Year. Statistics. Excuses.
You versus History.
You versus The Odds.
You versus 2nd Place.

          The clock is ticking – let’s see what you’ve got.

I'm a sick, sick person.  Hello.  My name is Mai and I'm addicted to TdF.

Tour de France 2010 is OVER!

The Tour is over.  What did you all think?  It was a lot of drama this year.  When Phil and Paul say that this was the most exciting tour in decades, I believe them. 

Stage 15 was hard for me.  Like, screaming-and-crying-in-front-of-the-TV-at-8-in-the-morning hard.  For those who missed the stage, (how could they?!) it was the stage where my favorite Andy Schleck lost 39 seconds to Alberto Contador.  What was so controversial about the stage was that Contador attacked when Andy was having a mechanical problem.  Cycling is a sport of lots of unwritten rules...  a gentleman's agreement if you will.  And those unwritten rules say nobody should attack while the general contender in yellow jersey is having a mechanical.  So, what Contador did wasn't necessarily illegal according to the written rules, but according to the unwritten rules, it was something to be frowned upon.  It wasn't sportsman-like.  Contador gained 39 seconds on Andy that day.  And in the end, Andy lost the Tour to Contador by 39 seconds.  So, while Andy showed his sportsmanship and said he was over the whole controversy the day after it happened, it cost him the Tour.  In the end, those 39 seconds did matter.  But that's cycling.  I guess. 

It was a hard day for me nevertheless.

But on a brighter note...

With all the drama and controversy, I think Andy won over a lot of people's heart this year.  I think lots of girls (and boys) fell in love with his style, sportsmanship, fairness, his ability to climb like hell, his bad English and his cute smile with the crooked tooth.  And, I'm happy for that.  As a true fan, I'm only happy that a lot of people got to see what I have always seen in him.  I'm a very understanding, sharing fan.  Yup.  That's me. 

As for the TdF 2011...  Well, Andy didn't show any weakness this year to Contador.  He matched Contador on every mountain stage.  He rode an amazing final time trial, which surprised everyone who knows how bad Andy is at this discipline.  Andy's truly ready to take Contador down next year.  Watch out, Pistolero.  My baby's coming to get you.   

I'm Back.

Hi Angels.

I must confess that I haven't written about the last day of the Tour of California.  I also haven't been riding much.  All I have been doing is to be a bad blogger.  I apologize. 

Almost all of June, I was out of town on a job and vacation.  It's been a few weeks since I got back, and the dust has finally settled.  So here I am.  

First of all. 

The Tour has started!  Hope you guys are watching it on Versus or Tour Tracker.  It's been truly, truly exciting.  As Ben wrote in the previous post, we have a lot of contenders this year!  Who's your favorite?  One of my favorite, Frank Schleck-Andy's big brother, crashed out with a broken collarbone unfortunately.  Very sad for him and Andy.  Here's the video (from Team Saxobank's website) of Frank saying thanks and good-bye to the fans and his team.  Watch about 2:45 into the footage.  It made me cry. 

It's this kind of very, human drama that makes cycling so amazing.  You get to know the riders like they are your friends, and you start to care...  not just as riders but as people.  It's amazing.

Next.

So, on the last day of the Tour of CALIFORNIA, (I know, jumping from one tour to another...  confusing.)  Oli, Amal and I went to see the boys one last time.  (For the first time for Amal, who is a total trooper for geeking out with us.)  The race was amazing as usual, but more importantly, I had a mission. 

I was going to chit-chat with Andy. 

I'd say I accomplished that mission.  OK.  It wasn't so much a chit-chat.  It was more like a "chit."  Nevertheless. 

Wanna know what I said to him?  I know, all of you dirty mofos out there are thinking something naughty.  I wouldn't do that to Andy! He's a good, innocent 25-year old boy!

I asked him if he missed Frank.  (Frank was back in Luxembourg with his family and did not race ToC, so Andy was all by himself in the US.)  Andy's response.  "I miss Frank VERY much." 

So there you go.  That's it.  And, he continued to sign more shit I brought him to sign...  I told you he's a good boy. 

By the way, I think he's famous now...  Look at the number of reporters around him.  This is a VERY special footage...  behind the scenes with Andy Schleck.  (Special because I shot it.  Sorry, no fancy editing.) 

Lastly. 

I am finally getting back to riding.  After a month of not riding and eating Mom's home cooked meal for a couple of weeks, I feel out of shape.  (A tub of lard is more like it, but let's not tell it like it is, ok?)  So, I've put in a few easy rides since I got home.  The weather here in Venice has been on the cooler side, which I like, so there will definitely be more riding in the coming weeks.  Our riding group team a2b has been doing well, too.  We have been constantly getting new riders every week, and turn-out for each week has been pretty good, as well.  So, if you haven't ridden with us yet, come join us next Sunday!  Find us on Facebook for ride info (time, place, route and pace etc.)  

OK.  Gotta get back to the Stage 4 of the Tour. 

See you soon and until then, ride safe.

Le Tour

Holy crap, the year has just flown by, and now it's time for cycling nirvana.  Three weeks of lycra goodness, with lots of drama, crashes, climbing, and did I mention drama?  It all starts on Saturday, and needless to say a lot of us will be glued to the TV, when we aren't checking our fantasy cycling team, of course ......

So what to look for in the Tour?  There are pretty much three big things -- there's the general classification fight, the sprinter's fight, and the search for stage wins.  I'll start with the GC, since that's most folks favorite.  This is a three week race, so to win the GC you have to be smart and strong, conserve time on your bad days, and kick the crap out of your competitors on your bad days.  And right now, no one does that better than Alberto Contador. 

Now look, we all know he's a prima donna.  He's so bad he makes Lance look likeable and relaxed.  He doesn't listen to his director, is impulsive, and has a relatively weak team this year.  But the fact is that he's the best climber in the world, and the second best time trialist.  Unless he falters, he is going to win.

Now if he does falter (like on the cobbles on Tuesday, which should be awesome all around) there are plenty of folks to go after him.  The top of that list includes Mai's favorites, the Schlecks.   

Frank and Andy are not only awesomly dorky, but they are also really improving their time trialing, and they will lay down in traffic for each other.  If one has a chance to beat Contador, the other will not even think about giving up their own chances to help.  Nobody else has that, and nobody else has a team as strong and well rounded as Saxo.  Fabi, Jens, Stewie, Matti, and Jacob give you strength in the flats, serious climbers, and probably the best tactical minds in the peleton.  Plus they have the Jens face, which is all you really need to dominate any race.

Another big pick this year is Ivan Basso, the great Italian hope.  He did great at the Giro de Italia, but the Giro is different than the Tour, and holding good form for that long is tough.  I think he's overrated and will falter pretty quickly in this race.  

Then there's Wiggo, the wanker who left Garmin after they were the only team to believe in him for greener, British pastures.  Wiggo's strong, but he's never come into a race with this much pressure, and he is the most tactically retarded rider in the peleton.  Look for him to lose big time in the first week of the race, before we even get to the mountains, and not be a real factor.

Captain Cuddles, Cadel Evans, is more interesting.  Wearing the most beautiful jersey in sport, he's had a good year, but he always seems to come up short in the big tours.  This year though, he's got Big George helping him out, so look for him to be in the top 5 throughout.

VDV is always a favorite of mine, even more so after the dude literally broke his back a month before the Tour last year, killed himself for Wiggo, and still finished 8th.  He alway gets stronger over the long race, but he just doesn't have that killer instinct.  Look for him to stay close and finish in the top 5, but never really be a threat to the podium




One guy who we all know has that killer instinct is Lance.  He's also old.  And kind of a douchebag.  He also has a built in excuse that he's doing it all for cancer research, so if he doesn't win it's no big deal.  When he was winning, there was absolutely nothing, or no one, that could get in his way.  I may not like the guy, but the only other athlete I've ever seen who was that competitive, and just refused to lose, was Michael Jordan.  Lance will try to stay close, but he just doesn't have the firepower in his legs.  He'll be a definite top 10, but I just dont' see him as a real threat this year.

All is not last for the Shack though, becuase someon I could see coming of age this time is Janez Brajkovic.  He won the Dauphne this year (over Contador), and is a guy who just seems to do everything well.  I'm kind of hoping Lance has a bad first day in the mountains, so he accepts he doesn't have it and throws everything behind this kid.  He's going to be around for a long time -- and I could totally seem him finishing in the top 5 if he's not Lance's super domestique all race.

My pick for the breakout star is Tony Martin though.  This guy is just a machine.  At the Tour of California we saw him just destroy himself on the Big Bear stage for Mick Rogers, and then come back and win the time trial on the next day.  He is super strong, but always has one bad day.  Andy Schleck had the same thing before, but then suddenly it clicked and it hasn't happened since.  Look for Tony to do that this year, and if he's close to the podium on the last time trial -- look out.

So those are the major contenders for you.  What are my picks?  You've got to go with Contador first, and I think it will be Andy 2 and Frank 3.  That being said, if Contador falters at all on the first cobbled stage, then Andy and Frank will decide who's strongest and put all their eggs in that basket.  If only one Schleck makes the podium, I think Tony Martin finishes 3rd.  After these guys, I think Cadel and VDV will be battling to round out the top 5.

So I've put it out there -- what do you guys think?  It's great to hear some smack talking, and trust me, there'll be plenty of it over the next three weeks.  Over the next few days I'll talk about the sprinters, and some of the must see days on the Tour this year, which I really, really hope I can see live with beer in hand. 

Tour of California 2010 - Part 2

Day 2 of my cycling saga continues...

Saturday May 22 was the Time Trial stage in Downtown LA. For this race, they shut down most of Downtown for the first time since the Olympics in 1984...  it was mad. 
Thanks to Ben, we got to purchase VIP tickets to see the riders in action.  Really close. 

At first we were in the designated VIP tent...  with free booze and food, we thought it was the place to be, but the view from there looked like this.  Lots of people in front of us.  Not good. 

So, we decided to ditch the option to have bottomless Michelob Ultra to get closer to the action.  See how dedicated we are?  We situated ourselves where the riders make a U-turn, a 100 yards or so from the finish line. 

All of a sudden, there is nobody in front of us, so the view was like this.  Amazing!  The riders whizzed by us so close, sometime we had to pull ourselves back from the handrail.  So intense.  You could definitely see their sweat and hear the wheels turn.  And, oh yeah, this is a picture of Andy Schleck taken by Ben.  Isn't is a nice shot? 

What was I doing when he rode past me?  Where is MY picture of Andy?  I was trying to cheer (like a crazy woman) and take a picture at the same time, so here's my version of Andy.   #epicfail

One more photo?  How about Dave Zabriskie!   Again, awesome photo by Ben.  (And, most of the pictures from yesterday's post are by Ben (and Oli), too.  Thanks!)  

After the race, we tried to raid the Garmin bus this time, but our main man Dave Zabriskie (DZ) didn't win the stage and was feeling a bit pouty, so he didn't spend much time with us at all.  Very sad.  From what we've seen of DZ being the strange, funny, brilliant guy, I was expecting him to be more upbeat!  I know he's the US time trialing champion...  I know he wanted this stage.  But I was hoping he was ...  for lack of a better word, a bit more DZ!  Maybe next time.  Go DZ!!

While Oli and I waited for DZ in vain, Ben was getting what he wanted.  He went and got the George Hincapie jersey autographed as well as had one last rendezvous with his lover, Jens Voigt.  I'm happy for him.  

After 2 intense days of race-watching, I've learned a lot!  So here are some of the things to note...

1) Go see the race more than one day.  One day to watch the race live.  Another to see the riders at the bus, maybe.  A mountain stage and TT etc different kinds of race would be good.  Watching a race live is awesome, but a huge part of cycling that is so different from anything I know is how close pros are to their fans.  Might as well take advantage of that.  And to do that, you need more than one day! 

2) Go prepared.  Got Sharpie?  Got jerseys?  I almost brought a 18x24 framed photo of Andy but decided against it.  It would have been awesome and embarrassing at the same time.  Maybe more awesome than embarrassing...  No? 

3) Find out where your team bus is parked beforehand...  and be there early! 

4) Be respectful.  You didn't just ride 110 miles in the wind, so shut up and wait for the riders to come out.  There were some amazingly pushy people...  it's just not nice.  

What do you think?
Don't you just wanna fly to France in July and see the Tour de France now? 

Man.  That would be so amazing.  

Part 3, the final stage coming soon. 

Tour of California 2010 - Part 1

I never said I wasn't a big dork.  I never denied that I'm a little obsessive.  But now I know.  For sure.  That I'm a little crazy. 

Crazy about this business of cycling.  (And a boy named Andy Schleck.) 

Here's part 1 of my 3-day saga following the Amgen Tour of California. 

Amgen Tour of California is an 8-stage race.  (More on AToC here. ) This year, they started the race in Nevada City and over the last week, they made their way down to Southern California.  

Last Friday was a stage in Big Bear, which is about 2 hours from where I live.  I knew that this stage was an important part of the tour (Mountain top finish!) since they announced the route over 6 months ago.  So, I made sure that I was available on this Friday to go see the race. I wasn't going to miss this for anything! 

Friday morning, the usual suspects (Oli, Ben and me) drove up to Big Bear.   We got there early.  We walked around the expo, had early lunch and went on a recon mission to find out where the team buses parked.  (This becomes very important later, so pay attention.)  After we figured out the lay of the land, we perched in the Radio Shack tent to watch the live feed of the race.  So.  Much.  Fun.  I always loved watching the race with a bunch of people.  Everybody talking smack about everyone else's favorite riders. Cheering and yelling.  Getting excited and being sad...  everything is much more fun if you are with 60 people in a small tent.  But, no.  This is not the time to be sentimental about the camaraderie of cyclists. We have an important mission to accomplish. 

As soon as the first rider crossed the finish line, we got up and ran like a bat outta hell to where the team buses were parked. 

One team bus on our collective mind. 

Saxo Bank. 

All of our favorite riders are with Saxo Bank. 

Oli loves Fabian Cancellara.  (Loves him a bit too much for a married woman.  I guess it's ok since Ben loves him a bit too much for a married man as well.  I don't know.  Better not get involved in their business.) 
Ben loves Jens Voigt.  Jens is one of the oldest man in the peloton and also the most popular and respected guy in the peloton.

And, I love Andy Schleck.  

We got to the bus first.  Nobody else was there yet.  That means we secured the best spot in front of the entrance to the bus.  See?  I told you that the recon mission to find out where the buses are is important. 

And, we waited. 

Jens was in the bus already.  Then one by one, the riders started to come back to the bus from the finish line.  They get inside and take a shower, relax a bit.  And, they come out to say hi to the fans.  So we waited.  We waited for a long time. 

The first one out was Jens.  (Of course.  He's the man who does the right thing no matter how tired he is.)  He is a happy man.  Super nice to his fans.  All smiles.  All the time.  I respect this man.  He spent a lot of time with his fans. 

Then the next one out was Andy.  He doesn't look too happy.  Turns out, he had to slow down on the climb because he was told by the management to take it easy, and he was worried that fans and critics wouldn't approve of his less-than-perfect riding.  Don't you worry, baby.  We know this race is your practice for the Tour de France!  The picture is Andy signing my Luxembourg Champion jersey.  

Finally.  Fabian comes out.  He loooves the attention.  He knows he's GQ handsome.  He knows how to work the crowd.  He's goood.  He's a star. 

The picture is Olivia in heaven.  Fabi is SO popular.  It's very hard to get him to pose for the camera.  Oli got her Swiss Champion jersey signed.  She's a happy girl.  

With all our mission accomplished, we started to head home.  All of us still very much in heaven.  We giggled and (almost) skipped all the way back to the car like three little girls. 

Cycling is a very special sport in that the fans can get so close to the pros.  There's no security guy guarding the buses.  No credential to see the riders.  It must be a great motivation for the pros to see that their fans are so excited.  I really hope this tradition will never change.   

I had such an awesome day.  This was my very first professional bike race to watch live.  And it was so much more than what I had hoped for.  I mean, face-to-face with my baby Andy Schleck? 
I think I'm addicted now. 

Day 2 is a time trial stage in Downtown LA!

More on that tomorrow in Part 2 of my saga. 

team a2b Inaugural Ride

A cycling group that I started with my friends, team a2b, had our kick-off event yesterday, and it was a huge success. 

Over 30 people came to ride with us on a bit chilly, Mother's day morning. 

5 of us, the "officers", for lack of a better term, got up extra early to set up everything.  

The food is loaded in to Cynergy, tents are up, drinks are cold...  

With a few words from our officers and it's time to roll. 

Olivia and I lead a Beginner's ride, which was about 32 miles to Manhattan Beach and back. 

Katie, Jenn and Ben lead an Intermediate Ride to the bottom of Palos Verdes and back totaling about 45 miles.

Everyone came back safely, and I believe everyone had a pretty good time...  After party was a blast.  A couple of dozens of bagels consumed.  :) 

Now that the first one is done...  many many more to go. 

I hope that team a2b will be a place where girls can come to learn how to ride a bike and continue to grow to fulfill their dreams whether it is to maintain their health or to be a racer.  

Thank you, friends/riders, for riding with us and making this event a success.  And, big hats off to my associates.  I'm honored to be working with you all on this.  Let's keep this going!