Fresno Cross!

Tis the season for getting down to dirt, kicking up sand and turning up the pain factor. The first Fresno Cross fun begins soon.

Check this link out for details and clean out the cow-webs from yer bike.

http://homegrowncross.com/09/

Back in Business!

Some great local crit racing coming up this weekend - September 5th and 6th! Let's all come out and support our local clubs and assure success!

Follow the weekend's racing on tweeter here: http://twitter.com/peterlanik

I think I see a bike back there!!

somebody - please help me

Laguna Seca Twilight Crits

Just something to salivate over in the 100 degree heat. I know, I sometimes hate me too. See you tonight!

MAZDA RACEWAY MONTHLY TWILIGHT RIDES
Want to Get On Track With Your Bicycle?

MONTEREY, Calif., (March 26, 2009) – To bring more on-track experiences to the fans of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the track is opening the circuit for a bicycle ride every month starting on April 8.

Nothing beats the first time a driver goes through the corkscrew and it is an even bigger rush on a bicycle. Everyone is encouraged to come to the track with their bike and helmet to pedal with the staff on the world renowned race track. For those training for the Sea Otter Classic, it’s a great opportunity to preview the course.

The ride will be from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on April 8 and the cost will be $10 per rider. A portion of the fee will be donated to charity.

Going forward in 2009, the track will hold the monthly Twilight Bike Ride on May 20, June 17, July 22, August 19, September 16 and October 14.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was established in 1957. The world-renowned raceway has been operated since its inception by the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), a not-for-profit 501C(4) corporation. Each race season, SCRAMP donates its net proceeds to the volunteer groups that help put on the races.

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s world-class 2009 racing schedule includes the Festival of Speed featuring Rolex Grand-Am Series May 15-17, Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix featuring MotoGP World Championship July 3-5, the 36th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races August 14-16 and the Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring the American Le Mans Series October 9-11.

###



Media Contact:
Jennifer Capasso
jennifer@MazdaRaceway.com
831-242-8225


http://www.ncncaracing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7913&sid=6e9754ab5a4d440e02e0a440ac3fc39b

Pecking order

So all this hype about who's the man on Astana? Johan knows exactly what cards to play, and Lance and Alberto have to listen and follow orders. Do you think these guys are riding in this order for any other reason than to set up the boss? Guess the 40 k TT on Thursday will say the rest!

Coast to the Coast

So if there is anyone else as tired of waking up into 80 degree weather as I am, let me see a show of hands! So let's go riding on the coast next weekend; I have an apartment which will sleep a few fairly comfortably. Just don't forget to bring your arm warmers and vests. Ping me if you are interested. We can ride Monterey and even head up to Redwood City or Santa Cruz to ride some of the ToC roads (sorry - I don't have my mtb w/ me :-( )

Cafe

whoa

This guy (Chris Hipp) was good, he passed away yesterday on his way to a morning group ride. Many may have seen him around the crits, he was always up near the front and still finishing it off with a result, especially in the last weeks p,1,2's. One more reason to keep your priorities straight.

To read more check this out.
http://norcalcyclingnews.com/

This was him at San Rafael over the past weekend.

P.S. its good to see some guys using this thing, keep it up i still check it!

nice mtn pics, must have been a sweet 4th
what's up with the 7am ride at Steven's on thur
is it road from Steven's or driving to the mtns from Steven's...
let me know, i'd like to go for a spin with the crew


take care,
montoya

hey how goes it

What's up everyone, that ever checks the blog. Glad to hear some of you are still riding. Some of us are going to try to make it out Thursday morning, meeting 7am at shop. Craig travilliyano (from shop) and I made it out this morning for a ride to Humphry's, I was feeling fat and slow, and it was hot. Luckily Craig is in much worse cycling shape than I am, and he made me feel fast even though I'm not. Thanks Craig. And good job Pete Monty, and yeah Dennis is a good guy. he also rides mtb and road so we gotta get him out there. Here are some photos from our 4th of July epic mtb ride, the Ducey-Ershim jeep trail from Kaiser Pass to Courtright. It was Matt Barr, J Stu, Root, Chris Travers, fast down hiller Mike Males, and me.

for those interested in some tennis updates...
i lost my friday match...gave it away...first match
jitters, under the lights, center court, people watching and i couldn't put a first serve in...
saturday i rode with the crew for 5 hours (walkers)which i think helped
me in my second match which i won 7-5, 3-6,6-0 very proud to actually play
unfortunately, i had to play another match 1hour later
i lost to a 12 year old kid who placed the ball side to side
off the line and he was so consistent...so i took 6th out of 16 earning 16 points
i believe a guy name Dennis who rides Giant from Steven's won the 4.0 which is
the level i signed up for...he seems like a cool guy and knows everyone in the shop
i plan on riding the tue/thur 6pm rides if any ones else is heading out...cool

take care,
montoya

yo,

just wanted to say great ride today guys
steady 5 hour ride to walkers and home
well back to the tennis courts tomorrow morning
got an 8am match at copper river country club

take care,

montoya

Just a few more...

Bald Mountain

So today we (Jon, Ray, Root, Barr, Justin, Josh, and me) did a shorter but ideal first ride back on the MTB in years. I havent been in altitude and off road for sometime, it was amazing up there and the down hill was insane! I'm foaming at the mouth to get one of these bikes soon and get back to the single tracks, here's some picstures of the adventure.

$M Mile

A trip cut short. SoCal must have had a heat wave coming through :-)

CCCX, Salinas 5/2

Yo guys what's up! Just got back from a mtb race in Salinas,  did one of Kieth DeFriebre's race series. Not a terribly big race, but there were a lot of fast guys going really fast on a really fast course, no joke! It was a five lap race- the first half of the lap was all climbing, the later half finishing with a sweet, flowy decent. Awesome! Pete you've got to take your mtb with you to Monterey and check these trails out. I managed to crawl my way back onto the podium after the fast pace off the start, cresting the climb on the first lap around 7th or so- finishing 3rd. Fun race indeed.   

Cat's Hill

So I finally decided to do this race after ignoring it for the last few years. The stars were aligned right and I ran out of excuses. So there we were, Peter and Peter, Ed and Aaron, duking it out in light rain and on some shitty pavement (more on that later).

So there we were lined up and ready for the very first ascent of the 'wall'. I pre-rode one lap just to sneak a peak, and it did not seem that bad. Definitely steep (23%) wall, 75 meters long and I rode it in my 39x25 sitting. So there I decided to keep my 11-23 on for the race. It proved to be a good decision, as I found myself cresting it in my 19 or 21 for most of the race, with the exception of the last few laps. You need a good hefty gear to power up the steep slope. You also had to choose your lines carefully, as the white markings on the road became road hazard and I found myself spinning through these on a few occasions. We started with 92 on the line and I was sneaky enough to get pole position. A good move, as we were strung out for the first 10 laps or so and it was near impossible to move up. So the race is ticking along, 10 to go, then, 8, 5 and there we are with 2 to go and BAM! (copyright Stone "Cold" Beck), as I pass the last right-hand turn before the wall, my wheel got stuck in one of the billions of cracks I've been good about avoiding to that point and ... there was the end of my race (and a second pair of bibs :-(

I've got couple of pictures and it seems like we had about 50 guys left with two to go. I wouldn't have been there contesting the sprint, but it shore woulda' been nice to finish :-((

I hear Ed got 9th and Aaron a respectable 14th in the prosey's race. Congratulations to both of you guys!

Here are a few pics.

Sea Otter

Just got back from the Circuit Race. I was pleasantly surprised, mostly due to the fairly easy tempo on most of the circuit allowing me to save some for the climb towards the cork-screw. I almost fell off the pace couple of times, but was able to claw myself in just before the descent and then carry my speed down the corkscrew and into the next two turns. It was quite a rush to hit 50mph w/o even turning a pedal. Race was 90 minutes, 14 laps and one formula: save everything for the climb, get your ass out of the seat and sprint up the hill. That pretty much repeated for the next 13 laps and there were no real attacks to speak off. One rider was off the front on his own for about 8 laps and won the race. Nob big teams around so no real impetus to chase. Works for me!

The final sprint came with about 400m to go as I was moving through the field, there was a crash off to my right and then I passed a group of rider which seemed to have ‘sat-up’ just before the line. I crossed the line 12th out of 49 starters. Time to eat, drink and be merry and see where tomorrow takes us. RR starts at 8:30 manana.

Where's AC's Ass

This is a good picture that sums up the Santa Cruz crit last Sunday, strung out from the gun. I lasted 25 laps, guess it just wasn't my day.

Sea Otter Crit Preview

Yesterday was the first of several Twilight evens at the race track, which allows local riders to hop on the track and test out their descending skills on the "corkscrew". A test of fitness comes just beforehand on the short, but steep climb to the sharp downhill left-hander. The wind was howling as usual, making the ascent as challenging as ever before.

After a 45 minute warmup, we went to check out the new crit course, which is stationed between turns 11 and 2, taking advantage of the pit row for the return loop back to the start line. Majority of the tarmac is suitable for this race; however both of the (U-) turns (11 and 2) are very narrow and come off a fast slightly downhill descent. This will be a dangerous part of the course and proper positioning will be very important. The first U-turn is followed by a narrow and relatively steep hill climbing back to the pit area (you are now riding counter to the usual flow of traffic on the course) and breaks will be formed here. Right after the hill is a 1-2% descent throught the pitts, leading to a narrowing road with a sharp 90-degree right hander immediately followed by the second of two U-turns of this course. You are now below the "corkscrew", back on the tarmac and making a left hand turn which takes you past the pitts and back towards a slightlly uphill start/finish line. The finish line is about 250m from the last turn and the winner will emerge from the top-5 entering into the last U-turn.

Happy Racing!

Ray the Celeb'

Ray takes a wild ride
Mountain biker talks about his passion for the sport.
Wednesday, Apr. 08, 2009
By Marek Warszawski / The Fresno Bee
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For a decade, Steve Ray has been one of the Fresno area's top mountain bikers, winning a slew of expert-level races against local competition.

Fresh off his victory in Saturday's Big Sandy race on the San Joaquin River Trail, The Bee's Marek Warszawski spoke with the 34-year-old Ray, an employee at Steven's Bicycles in Clovis, about his fat-tire passion.

Question: Do you remember your first mountain bike?

Answer: I was a freshman in high school. It was a Costco bike, which is better than a department store bike but not quite a bike shop-quality bike. I had it for a few months when I was going up to the mountains with my buddy and his family, and we got rear-ended by a Channel 47 news truck. ... The truck damaged our bikes and Channel 47 had to pay for new ones. After that, I got a real mountain bike, a Cannondale.

Thank goodness for Channel 47 ...

Yeah, it's a funny story.

So while the rest of the kids were playing football and baseball, you were mountain biking?

Yeah. I stopped doing organized sports in junior high when I got into bikes. First BMX, and then I think my brother and his friends got into mountain bikes first. This was about 1990, during the mountain biking boom.

What were those early rides like?

At that point, mountain biking to me was just riding 26-inch wheel bikes off road and goofing around in orchards near my parents' house on Avenue 10. We'd play follow the leader at Woodward Park, ride through trees and stuff, and if the guy in front of you put his foot down, he'd go to the back of the line.

What do you enjoy most about mountain biking?

Just the experience of being out in a forest on a trail, just flowing down it and enjoying the scenery. I know it sounds cheesy, but you really become one with nature. At the same time, there's the adrenaline rush you get from downhills and runner's high from climbing. It's a lot of stuff that's hard to put into words.

How many races have you won?

I don't know. Never kept track. I've won a lot of local races and done well in some bigger ones. Like at Sea Otter, I've been on the podium a few times but never won it. ... My problem is that I don't take it as seriously as I should.

Why is that?

What separates the really fast guys from the pretty fast guys is discipline. Your life is just about training. Everything you put in your body and every bike ride you do, for the most part, contributes to the ultimate end of winning big races. For me, it's more about riding and having fun. Winning is great -- don't get me wrong -- but I'm not willing to drop everything else.

You're known as a great bike handler who really pushes it on downhills. Is the fear of crashing always in the back of your mind?

Crashes are a bad thing to think about when you're riding. If you don't want to hit the rock that's coming up, don't look at it. Look at the line that goes around the rock. If a big rock is coming up on the trail and you look at it, chances are you'll be drawn right to it. You don't want to think of what could happen.

What's your favorite local trail?

It's hard to say because there are so many cool ones. Lewis Creek is one of my favorites, for sure. It's completely shaded, so you can ride even when it's hot, it's all lush and green and there's a nice flow to it so you can carry your speed without having to slow down. Even going up the trail from Highway 41 has such a nice flow that you don't even think you're climbing.

How did you get the nickname "Pack a Day" Ray?

I forget who gave it to me, but I got it because I smoked cigarettes and still did these big bike rides with everybody. I'd still be right there with them. It's a terrible habit.

Do you still smoke a pack a day?

Oh, no [laughter]. Like the night before Big Sandy, I might have had one cigarette. But that's only because we were out having a couple beers. I'm trying to quit. I've been trying for a while.

The reporter can be reached at marekw@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6218.

Where Are All My Dogs At?

Isn't there anything interesting to talk about? G-20, GM-Fiat mini-cars, Multi-Million Dollar Bonuses, the Sea Otters... I for one had a shitty MSR and plan to sleep the next two weeks and await 'the form' to miraculously appear...

I see some major changes in the way society perceives equality; when regular people start loosing their jobs, their house and some WS honcho gets a multi-milion dollar retention bonus for a job he no longer has, is this RIGHT? Is this JUSTIFIABLE? The question is: is this just a temporary change in attitude until things get better and everyone and everything gets back to the way things used to be, the status-quo, or are we experiencing a major shift in attitude that will stay with us and continue to shape us? Time will tell, so stay tuned.

pEtEr

madera stage

another first for me on the road and i found a new weakness. TT.
the crit didn't go too well either. i flatted before completing the first lap and had to repair it before getting back in. just another learning experience, bring an extra wheel set.
the road race went much better as i held on to the lead group until the last hilly 1K.

it was a lot of fun and congrats to ed as he did very well both days.

Keyesville Classic MTB Race

Hey what's up guys, this past weekend a few of us did a mtn bike race at Keyesville and got some good results. With root injured (he pulled a muscle in his back), and his entry prepaid, I race as Jeremia Root. We got second in the cross country, fourth in the short track (dirt crit), and second in the downhill. So for the overall, "all mountain," race we took first! On the downhill team Oz got third and our buddy Mike Males took second in the pro downhill. It was an awesome weekend.

Dave intro

Hey Guys,
Just wanted to do a quick intro in case you didn't already know me. After begging for years, John finally let me on the team so I'm happy to be aboard, one life goal is finally accomplished! I mainly race mtn bike and have been doing it for a few years now. I have been steadily getting faster unfortunately so has Patrick and Matt so I'm still chasing. I love competition and would train 8 hours a day if it were economically feasible. Everyday life such as wife, two daughters and work do take up a lot of those potential training hours but it's important to be well rounded. I look forward to riding with you all. Stone, it was nice spending quality time getting to know you out at Buck Ridge on my wheel. Let's do it again soon!
Dave

MTB US Cup #1

What's up guys. Stu, Root, and I went down to San Dimas for a mtb race- the first of the US Cup- and Root represented by kicking some ass! He got third in a very strong field, the guy that won our class got the second fastest time in cat 1.  As for myself, well, I got fourth, from last, and allowed Stu to beat me by a few minutes. Suffice to say it was a hard, fast race and very warm.

MiB III

We were representing along Millerton Road today; Aaron around 1, me at 2 and Ed at 3pm. Secret training revealed.

Merco 3 - 33 und 33 - three is the magic number

So here I am, in the threes crit and the plan is to be menace and to stay out of trouble - 28miles/36laps. We had $75/50/25 prime on the 2nd/3rd and 4th lap which was sure to stir things up. I sat near the front and got into a few minor moves and nothing really stuck until about, heck I don't really know and there I was with 4 other guys. We worked well for about a lap, but one fella just insisted on sprinting through his pulls. Maybe he was super strong, but that is recipe for disaster. So about a lap and a click later we were consumed and from then on I decided to sit in and recover a bit. With maybe 15 to go I went at it again when things slowed down in the chicane. Tim Butler came up to me, but with just two guys, it wasn't going to work. After that I was starting to feel the effort and sat near the front, finishing 33rd. Crash report: we were sailing pretty smooth until about a lap and 1/2 to go, from where on I counted 3 crashes. Unfortunately, one of these ended up taking down our very own "Stone Cold". Better luck next time.

After the race, it was either pulling weeds, or sticking around for the 35+ 1/2/3; the choice was suddenly obvious.

So there I was, lining up for that race, not really sure what to expect in terms of strategy, speed, etiquette, but I was a willing student. 32 miles/40 laps. A-ha, gulp. We'll see if the legs shall carry me forth. The race was noticeably faster, not sure by how much, but Timba' (Tim B.) mentioned seeing 28/30 many time. All I saw was *RED* as I was praying the legs would not seize (Thanks Stone Cold for the IV fluids, that did the trick). Anyway, back to the novel... As I was saying, the race was noticeably faster and definitely cleaner. Compared to the 3s, the chicane was a breeze. Guys were going in no more than 2-3 deep and you always had space on either side of you. What a pleasant treat :-). However, coming out of it, a sprint ensued, and with about 15 to go the following left-hander was also followed by another 10-15 seconds of really hard efforts in order for the elastic not to pop. I found myself cruising next to our local big boy Jonathan Eropkin and have much enjoyed his draft. Boy can he move seamlessly on the sidelines... Anyway, I was watching all the action from the back row. I think there were a few breaks, but I was so far back I couldn't really tell. However, it definitely came down to a sprint and big Steve Gregarios probably ended up getting it. I was at the back of the front group (and being unsportsmanlike-like by passing guys who were sitting up); however, it must have been so, as I got 33rd in that race to. Oh, and did I mention there were no crashes?!? Me likes...

It was great hanging out with the crew and spending another great day at the races.

PS: The P/1/2 race is just fast and congrats to our boy AC for staying out trouble!

No Translation Necessary

Some people are just not meant to drive. Hilarious.

http://nauka.jazdy.wedlug.blondynki.patrz.pl/

Smelling

Snelling RR
Team: Stone, Peter and Ivo

This was my first race as a 3, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I wanted to stay attentive, near the front and out of trouble. We had 92 guys lining up at the line and our plan was to be near the front from beginning. The only other person I recognized was CVC's Brandon Howard. SPOC seemed to have come out of hibernation and they had a bunch of guys in the morning's 35+ 1/2/3 race as well as afternoon's P/1/2 race.

The pace was fairly quick but we wanted to be agressive and I really wanted to test my legs and see how everyone else responds. The plan was to try and initiatie a breakawy. Unfortunately the wind was not as strong as last year and even though Peter, Stone, Ivo and I spent little bit of time in breaks, nothing stuck. So here we are, 92 guys rolling into the final Blood Alley and I wanted to help position a teammate near the front. The tempo actually seemed pretty decent for the first 1/3 of the alley (this is the last mile before the right-hand turn to the finish). However, a while later we slowed to a crawl and there was NO WAY OUT. Once a spot opened on the outside guys went in and clogged it up. People were riding on and some even off the road to keep their position. This was insane. Finally, with about 300m to go before the right-hand turn Peter M attacked and strung out the field. However, nobody would pull through and beffore long we were all getting sandwiched again. However, before that moment a spot opened on the righ-hand side and I went by the peleton and into the last turn in 2nd place. I just went from 30th to 2nd in matter of seconds. I was able to get a ride up to the 200m mark and then I was on my own. Sitting 1st I knew guys would come fying by me soon. I gave it everything, but by the time I went through the line I was finish I was completing a 400m sprint and ended up 7th.

Looking forward to Merco! Let's get some!!

Picture Copyright Ronald Marino

http://ronaldmariano.smugmug.com/gallery/7420578_xQim7#478240996_E4K8V

Hey whatsup everybody. Good job last weekend! check out the new mtb race bike, complete in the SBR team colors and white swooshes! pretty dope. keep riding- dirty side up, rubber side down

Here are a couple of pics from Clovis.

I hope my boy Austin appreciates these photos one day.

Montoya

Ivo gets 1st at Dinuba, open 35+

Dinu-Huh?

Signed,

"Fair Weather Rider"

Pine Flat

Just a few pics... while we wait for everyone's post. Great to see all black and red out there!

More here:

http://peterlanik.smugmug.com/Cycling%202009/707135