Professional Cyclists Ivan Dominguez and Jose Manuel “Chepe” Garcia of Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team speak with 200+ students

Solvang, CA, - Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team Stars, Dominguez and Garcia, spent a few hours with local students of the Solvang Elementary school teaching about the sport of cycling. The kids were shown proper riding techniques and safety features that professional teams use while they travel and race for the Amgen Tour of California. After the assembly, the attendees were given Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team Cowbells they can bring to the Solvang Stage 5 race of the ATOC on Feb. 22nd. Students were especially “buzzing” all the way back to the classroom holding their bells tightly so they would make it home safely to a place of honor in the home. One of my girls was wrapping hers up in lunch bag, “…so it won’t get scratched in my backpack, Mr. Padfield.”

In preparation for the Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race, a specially developed classroom curriculum is being distributed to fourth- through sixth-grade instructors and students in the 12 California “host” cities selected for the 650-mile race scheduled for February 17-24, 2008. A free English & Spanish booklet given to students provides information about the state of California, including targeted lesson plans that use cycling as a means to teach core subjects such as math, science and geography.

Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team was proud to participate and share with the students of Solvang Elementary in both Spanish and English at the assembly, and look forward to their support during the Amgen Tour of California 2008.

One of the new trainers we are testing out at the shop is the Tacx Cosmos. I’d seen this product at Interbike and it usually draws a crowd, especially with the Virtual Reality package hooked up. I’m always hearing people say “wouldn’t it be cool if you could ride a race course on your trainer” and I tell them, yeah, someone makes that…

My first impressions of the Cosmos are mixed. Disappointment #1 - as an MTB racer who trains a lot on the road I was really bummed to find that adjusting the rear wheel resistance unit to adapt to different wheel diameters requires disassembly and reassembly with an adapter plate under the motor mount. I often like to put my MTB on the trainer but with the Cosmos you pretty much have to select one wheel diameter and stick with it for a while. This is necessitated by the tight clearances between the wheel and the drum, as you can see in this photo. Other than that the mechanical setup was pretty easy.

On the plus side, one very convenient aspect of the Cosmos is that the rear axle clamp and the resistance unit are both on cam-operated clamps analogous to a quick release so once you get them adjusted it is a very quick step to lock in the wheel and clamp down the drum. Here is a shot with the blue lever pushed down and the resistance drum engaged.

That silver thing you see is no ordinary magnetic or fluid resistance unit, but rather a motor. This enables the resistance to adjust according to either the pre-programmed training routine or a race course (when using the VR upgrade package). The workouts are easy to create on your PC using the software that comes with the unit. You can set the profile by power, heart rate, or gradient. So far I’ve only tested power. I’m still trying to figure out which HR transmitter works with the Cosmos, more on that later. The product support information is silent on the subject. I have just about every brand available so I’m sure I have the right one somewhere in my pile.

Finally here are a couple of shots, showing the whole setup and a close up of the world’s largest handlebar unit. It has a solid feel and the buttons are easy to use when cranking hard, so I don’t mind the size although I wish the straps were a bit longer to wrap around the taped part of the bar. They go on fast though, using O-rings, similar to the crank magnet and the sensor, so setup is once again pretty easy. Tacx definitely seems to have done their homework on this aspect of trainer usage.

In an unrelated note, I’ve been testing out a nifty product called the GelBot. If you use energy gels such as Hammer gel but want to make life a little more convenient, check this out. It has a small reservoir nested in the cap of the bottle where you put the gel. Squeeze the bottle with the nozzle shut to get the gel out, or open it like a standard bottle to drink the water. The only downsides I saw were that the nozzle is pretty large compared to most bottles, and there is enough flow resistance in the gel port that in cold weather I expect the gel would be too viscous and would be hard to squeeze out. But for a simplified solution in warm weather this would spare you some messy gel packs in your jersey pockets. Pretty clever I’d say. I think GelBot is a super option in a TT where you need some energy supply, but not too much, and only want to carry one thing. They are sold by Hydrapak.

Ritchey provides affected model numbers and instructions for
receiving replacement product

SAN CARLOS, Calif. - Ritchey Design today announced a voluntary recall of a limited number of WCS and PRO model non-drive side crank arms (left arm) and the WCS carbon one-bolt seatposts due to potential safety issues.

Left Arm WCS and Pro Model Cranksets
Affected WCS and Pro crank arms have a forged channel running the length of the outward facing portion of the arm. Due to an out of specification forging at the deepest part of the channel, a crack may slowly form near the midpoint of the left arm. If a crank arm breaks or cracks during cycling, the cyclist may lose control of the bicycle, which could lead to serious injury.

“We have produced the WCS and Pro cranksets since 2003,” said Steve Parke, general manager and vice president of marketing for Ritchey Design. “Of the tens of thousands of cranksets we have made since then, the recall effects only slightly more than 1,500 left hand crank arms. We don’t want anyone to get hurt riding our product, so we felt it necessary to issue a voluntary recall.”

Models affected include:
· Pro Road 130 bcd in black only (39/53 chainring combination)
· WCS Road 130 bcd in black w/ silver machined face only (39/53 chainring combination)
· Pro Compact Road 110 bcd in black only (34/50 chainring combination)
· WCS Compact Road (110 bcd in black only (34/50 chainring combination)
· Pro Cross 130 bcd in black only (38/48 chainring combination)
· WCS Cross 130 bcd in black only (38/48 chainring combination)

Consumers who are concerned that their crankset might be part of the recall can download the WCS and Pro Crank Arm Recall Notice form from http://www.ritcheylogic.com/web/Ritchey~Logic/Ritchey~Site/web/EN/main/LatestNews/all_news/21676/29964/29965.html. The document outlines how to identify a recalled arm and the contact information to receive a replacement. Ritchey requires that all defective arms be returned to its office for replacement.

“We know one day out of a cyclist’s training regime can be disruptive,” said Parke. “If a cyclist doesn’t want to send in the arm and wait for a new one, they can also contact us ahead of time and we’ll send them a new arm for only $5.00, which we will credit back to them after the recalled arm is returned.”

The (right-side) drive crank arm is not affected by this issue. The reinforcement from the spiders lend the necessary strength to the design to prevent breakages. Ritchey has received zero reports of drive-side arm breakages.

WCS One-Bolt Seatpost
Affected WCS carbon single-bolt seatposts were a result of an improper layup method used during the manufacturing process. The deviation from standard procedure resulted in potential product failure and safety concerns for approximately 150 seatposts.

“In September of last year, we were notified of some breakages through a European distributor.” said Parke. “Given the safety concerns with a seatpost breaking, we froze sales of all inventories in early October and were able to track down a large portion of the goods still unsold at the US distributor level.”

Models affected include:
27.2 - all lengths
30.9 - all lengths
31.6 - all lengths with this serial number present on product: G707049. All other lengths of the 31.6, having a different serial number than the one list above, are safe to use.

Customers who are concerned their seatpost are part of the recall should contact the Ritchey warranty department by calling 650.368.4018 ext. 1878 for an RA number (Return Authorization number) and further instructions. Replacement products are in stock and ready to be shipped as needed.

“Ritchey has every confidence in these seatposts. We use them personally and will sponsor the Health Net and Symmetrics professional racing team with these posts for the 2008 race season,” concluded Parke.

The recalls come as a preventive measure in the interests of putting the safety of Ritchey consumers first. Ritchey Design products are designed meet the highest industry standards and the problem was caught early with a limited number of arms and seatposts affected.

About Ritchey Design, Inc.
Northern California-based Ritchey Design was founded by road racer, mountain bike pioneer and product innovator Tom Ritchey in 1974. The company is well-known for its technical merits through attention to detail during the product design phase, resulting in high-quality, reasonably priced road and mountain bike components. Under its Fit Logic philosophy, Ritchey Designs offers a wide range of “cockpit” components (handlebars, stems and seatposts) that help riders custom fit their bikes for a more efficient and comfortable. Ritchey Designs also offers a complete line of innovative products ranging from headsets to tires for professional racers and the serious weekend rider, as well as its line of “Break-Away” travel bicycles for traveling cyclists. For more information about Ritchey Design, please visit www.ritcheylogic.com.

Canadian Cam MacKinnon finished in the 12th place in the men’s keirin standings on Saturday at a track cycling World Cup competition in Los Angeles. It was MacKinnon’s keirin debut at the World Cup level. He participated in the Kilometer TT and Team Sprint World Cup competition in 2006 in Bordeaux, France, and also won the Pan American Champion in the Kilometer TT that same year.

MacKinnon was fifth in his first qualifying heat. Only the winners in each heat advanced forcing MacKinnon to a repechage heat which he dominated and advanced to the semi-final or second round. In the second round, MacKinnon needed a top-three finish in his heat to qualify for the final round. He took fifth spot for 12th overall.

MacKinnon has been racing track for seven years. He feels that he’s “had the most success at keirin, but starting to like sprinting a little bit better, match sprints.”

About the race

“I’m fairly satisfied especially how I rode in the morning, getting through to the semi-finals.” said MacKinnon about his results. “Once I hit the semis, I just didn’t feel right, I didn’t feel comfortable. I’m happy with it, I learned a lot of different things that I could improve for sure.”

He learnt that he “definitely needs to work on positioning and making sure to react quicker to different moves in the race” because waiting too long, even “a split second late and that’s completely over at this level.”

There is “lots of pushing, that’s legal. You have to do whatever you can to get positioning.” explained MacKinnon about the strategy in the Keirin. “The other half of the strategy is pure speed and being able to hang on. Positioning is important because even if you’re the fastest guy, if you’re starting your run at 10 meters back you have no chance the race is over.”

About the plans for the rest of the year and his frustration with the CCA

MacKinnon is unsure about future competitions for the rest of the year as it is up to the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA). And according to MacKinnon, “they haven’t been too good to us this year so we’ll see what happens. I’ll have to speak to them. It’s likely that this was my last race of the season. I have no idea, really no idea what to expect. I’ve been expecting that. I’ve been dealing with them all year, and it really hasn’t improved at all despite many promises.”

“I want them to establish a program and they don’t have to go nuts and provide everything right away but they need to start somewhere and they’re not at all.” said MacKinnon when asked what he wants the CCA to do. “They should have started four years ago, the process to get started for Beijing, and I’d say it was at its peak four years ago, and it’s only gotten worse every year which doesn’t make any sense. It’s how they are managing their budget, I’m not really sure, but it’s unacceptable, they need to find corporate sponsors, they need to go and work for it and not just say ‘we don’t have it so we can’t do anything’.”

A frustrated MacKinnon explained that he had to pay his way to get to the World Cup in Los Angeles, “I had to pay my whole way to get here along with pretty much the rest of the team. And we’ve had some good result…world cup medalist are paying their own way to come here. Every other rider is being paid to be here, so it’s kind of a big difference. A lot needs to be done.”

Cam MacKinnon placed 22nd in the men’s sprint qualifying and did not advance. He did post a personal best 10.616 seconds.

RoadBikeReview.com welcomes our newest contributor, Karl Etzel of Silicon Valley Cycling Center. Karl has done work for us before, writing Pro Reviews for MTBR and participating in the 29er shootout in early 2007. He brings 20 years of cycling experience and several engineering degrees to the task of reviewing new products for Roadbikereview.

His focus will be on high-tech training tools and their applicability to helping everyday athletes improve performance, although we look forward to hearing his thoughts on a wide range of products. He is founder and co-owner of Silicon Valley Cycling Center, is a coach with Wenzel Coaching, and runs the website Ride424.com. His racing focus is 24 hour and ultra-endurance MTB racing, although he’s done plenty of time on skinny tires, still races cyclocross every once in a while, and has even turned a few laps on the banks at Hellyer and Alpenrose.

Welcome Karl! - Thien & Francis

by Stephanie Gutowski and Lyne Lamoureux

Ukraine wins the Women’s Team Pursuit, USA takes bronze

The three Ukrainian team composed of Yelizaveta Bochkarova, Svitlana Galyuk and Lesya Kalitovska won the third road of the World Cup Women’s Team Pursuit by beating the Russian team of Evgeniya Romanyuta, Olga Slyusareva and Elena Tchalykh. Winners in Beijing last month, the Ukrainian team took over the World Cup leadership from the Russian with just one World Cup remaining this year.

After the first kilometer, Ukraine was already ahead of Russia by over one second (1:564), and the gap increased to almost two seconds (1:909) after the second kilometer. Finally, after the final third kilometer, the Ukrainian women’s advantage grew to two seconds and a half (2:580).

The American team composed of Kristin Armstrong, Lauren Franges and Christen King beat the German team of Charlotte Becker, Christina Becker and Verena Joos to win the third step on the podium. The American team made it to the final round by finishing fourth in the qualifying heats with a time of 3:35:946 with an average speed of 50.012 k/hr.

“In the qualifying we had Armstrong taking 2 lap pulls. She was by far the strongest of the three of us. For us, being mainly endurance riders, it’s easier for us in the second round… to flush everything out in the first round.” said Lauren Franges on the difference between the qualifying and final rounds.

In the head to head race for third place, the American team pulled out in front in the first kilometer with a small gap of a third of a second (0:306) which decreased to 0:041 after the second kilometer. The American trio finished with a time of 3:31:453 with a small gap of 0:067 ahead of the German team.

A very happy Franges after the podium ceremony confided that “It feels awesome you know having a former world TT rider on the team… it’s a lot of pressure so we knew we had to really step up our game coming into the final. I knew we had to leave everything out on the track.”

Kristin Armstrong could not attend the podium ceremony and according to Franges, “She is okay. The effort she put in took a lot out of her but she’s okay.”

Women’s Team Pursuit
1. Ukraine 3:27.438
2. Russia 3:30.018
3. USA 3:31.453

Italy’s Roberto Chiappa win the Men’s Sprint

Roberto Chiappa easily won the final of the Men’s Sprint beating Frenchman Kévin Sireau of Cofidis in two rounds. The Italian made it to the final by eliminating Shane Kelly, Mickaël Bourgain et Teun Mulder.

Chiappa was very confident going into the final. “My condition this week is very strong. I had good feeling for the keirin yesterday, and today my condition was getting better all the time, stronger for each qualification heat, ” he explained. “But it was not easy because I respect my opponents.”

Second-place Kévin Sireau made it to the final by beating, in three rounds, his countryman Grégory Baugé in the semi-finals.

“Again, I pushed my limits, I learned a lot compared to the two last World Cups, and it was pretty hard especially against Gregory (Baugé). Three qualifying rounds before starting the final makes it very hard” said Sireau.

When asked about his goals for the year, Sireau replied “everything (World Championships and Olympic Games). I hope to go to the Olympic games, but the selection is difficult given the talent.”

With his win in Sydney and his fifth place finish in Los Angeles, Mickaël Bourgain of France kept the lead in the World Cup standings.

Men’s Sprint
1. Roberto Chiappa (ITA)
2. Kévin Sireau (FRA)
3. Teun Mulder (NED)

Jennie Reed wins the Women’s Keirin

American Jennie Reed, of the Momentum Cycling Team, won the final heat on the Women’s Keirin ahead of the Netherlands’ Willy Kanis, China’s Jinjie Gond, Cuba’s Lisandra Guerra Rodriguez. Russia’s Swetlana Grankowskaja and Australia’s Anna Meares. “I love the keirin. I have a good feeling for it, and I ride on instinct.” said a very happy Reed after the podium ceremony.

“I think I got more feeling in my legs, I knew what I was capable of today.” explained Reed who won both her first and second qualifying heats to make it to the final. “In the morning session, I did not feel that well. Tonight I felt better, I knew I had the legs. I just thought I’d go out there and be patient. I read the race and decided to go for it.”

“It really helps because I train here every day. I know the best position to be in… it’s really hard here to pass if you are too many people back. I knew that I am strong for long sprints so they would have to worry about me. I know that if I got on the front they would have trouble getting around.” said Reed about the advantage of racing with home-court advantage.

Reed’s next focus is the World Championship in England. “I’d like to win the World title in the Keirin in Manchester.”

With her win last month in Beijing, her seventh place finish in Sydney, and her second place finish in Los Angeles, Dutch Willy Kanis takes over the lead in the World Cup Standings.

Women’s Keirin
1. Jennie Reed (USA)
2. Willy Kanis (NED)
3. Jinjie Gong (CHN)

Belgian duo wins the Men’s Madison

The Belgian duo of Kenny De Ketele and Tim Mertens won the Men’s Madison with 8 points and more importantly by taking a lap over their opponents early in the race.

“It was kind of a plan of me and the coach but Tim didn’t really know about it because I was planning to do the attack.” explained Kenny de Ketele about the team’s strategy to lap the field early on.

“He (Tim Mertens) needs something like that because sometimes he is too … nervous when he knows.  He’s better just following through a race and he did a great job.” continued twenty-year old De Ketele about surprising his teammate.

A laughing Mertens chimed in, while mimicking the madison exchange move, “He said ’surprise’ and I said ‘asshole’.”

At the end of the race, the Belgian team finished ahead of Denmark’s Michael Morkov and Alex Rasmussen and Germany’s Roger Kluge and Olaf Pollack.

“We gained our lap and they gave us some space to do some recuperation and after that we just had to keep our lap in front of the group, and then with 40 or 50 laps to go I watched our points. We also were very high in points, so I know that there were only two teams that we didn’t want them to get a lap because they were better on points, and that was just one of the teams that went on the attack at the end so we just knew we had to go and just keep going.” explained De Ketele on the strategy after the duo lapped the field.

With this win, Belgium takes the top of the standings in the World Cup Men’s Madison, and the team is “definitely defending the World Cup Madison title in Denmark.”

“For the Olympics Madison and Worlds, we have three riders, we have also Iljo Keisse, he’s actually our top rider. It’s kind of between Tim and me to get the second place but it’s really a friendly competition.” said De Ketele about the upcoming Olympic Games. “All of us went for it and we’re still in the race to get team pursuit into the Olympics and that’s our next goal.”

Men’s Madison
1. Belgium 8
2. Denmark 18, -1
3. Germany 12, -1

Quotes and Photos from the podium at the LA Track World Cup Day2

Aaron’s Corporate Furnishings Women’s Pro Cycling team recently held their pre-season training camp in Santa Cruz, CA. Training camp is always a good time, it’s usually the only time the complete team is all together to train, strategize for the upcoming season, and most importantly bond together as a team. It’s also the time of year that new bikes are issued to riders. For 2008, Aaron’s team members will find themselves training and riding on Specialized’s top of the range S-Works Ruby SL. The Ruby SL improves upon Specialized’s very successful Designs for Women Ruby line of bikes. The new SL utilizes S-Works FACT 10r carbon, with Az-1 construction, and Zertz inserts (in both the seat stays and front fork). The end product being a frame that is lighter and stiffer than last years top of the range S-Works Ruby.

Aaron’s will continue using SRAM components, but this year, the team bikes will be outfited with SRAM’s new Red groupset. Race trimmed bikes will sport full Red componentry, except for the cranksets, which will be Specialized’s integrated over sized designed S-Works FACT carbon cranksets, with or without an SRM power meter depending on the rider. The Red group boasts improved shifting and ligter weight than the previous top-end Force group. The whole group (with Red crankset) weighs less than 2,000 grams, 168 grams lighter than Force.

The team will be rolling on Specialized’s line of Roval wheels. A line that Specialized resurrected a couple years ago and has since refined. The team will be using both the Roval Fusée Star Wheels as well the Roval Rapide II Carbon clincher. The Roval Fusée Star wheel sports the Star hub which has been shown to yield 50% less frontal area and minimizing wind drag. The Rapide II clincher uses a 100% FACT composite clincher rim and DT Aerolite butted spokes. These wheels will help keep the overall weight of the bike at just around the UCI limit of 6.8kg.

For time trials, Aaron’s will be riding Specialized Transitions.

Words and photos by Thien Dinh

Specialized Ruby SL user reviews.
SRAM Red groupset user reviews.
Specialized Transition user reviews.

Las Vegas, Nevada - Looking to give American cyclists a competitive advantage, USA Cycling announced today a new partnership with Lew Racing. The Las Vegas-based company will utilize its aerodynamic technologies to help maximize the talent of U.S. riders as the latest addition to USA Cycling’s high performance team.

Founded in 2007 by Paul Lew, Lew Racing is a product of his prior experience in the aerospace industry in which he designed advanced technology and manufactured aerospace components for the United States Government and commercial customers in the bicycle and motor sports markets.

Prior to the establishment of Lew Racing, Lew achieved a following among competitive cyclists and triathletes because of his advanced engineering and design capabilities. Over the course of the last seven years, world-class athletes have won world championships, Olympic medals and Ironman Championships as a result of Lew’s contributions to the sport.

With just seven months until the 2008 Olympic Games, the relationship between Lew Racing and USA Cycling was forged to help enhance performance in a sport where results are often determined by fractions of a second.

“The United States currently has some of the most gifted cyclists in the world,” said Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling. “While these dedicated athletes are capable of winning on talent alone, even the slightest technological edge can mean the difference between gold and silver. We look forward to working with Lew Racing to develop cutting-edge aerodynamic and scientific advantages for our athletes heading into Beijing.”

Lew developed aerodynamic, material and applied technologies that until recently were only available to the U.S. Department of Defense. Together with Chief Executive Officer Lee Vaccaro, Lew founded Lew Racing as a commercial group focused on bringing that technology to a global community. As part of the company’s natural progression, the commercialization of this technology is expected to enrich the sport of cycling and support America’s elite cycling athletes.

“Like the U.S. war fighter, American athletes are very precious assets to our country,” says Paul Lew, Chief Technical Officer and President of Lew Racing. “We know the benefit of teamwork and our partnership with USA Cycling is a very athlete-centric commitment. Our mission is to focus the benefits of this technology in ways to complement the athlete as opposed to expecting the athlete to make compromises in comfort, riding styles and skills to fit the technology. Like many of the other companies that create great technologies in the world of cycling, Lew Racing is working very hard to support its nation’s athletes.”

“Ultimately, along with USA Cycling, we want to ensure that our athletes can focus solely on their physical performance without having to worry about competing against a better technology. Through our partnership with USA Cycling, our efforts will elevate the athletes’ strengths and fortify their weaknesses in order to support them with every opportunity to achieve a personal best in Beijing. The evolution of this technology will not only benefit competitive cyclists, but it will also be of value to all recreational cyclists for the global enjoyment and safety of the sport.”

Lew Racing is already a key contributor of lightweight wheelsets to the competitive cycling community, a technology that looks to be expanded upon.

“We have already shown the world the lightest production road wheelset with our PRO VT-1 product,” says Vaccaro. “We are even more excited to provide American athletes with the most competitive technical advantage possible for upcoming events using our new road and track products.”

For more information on Lew wheels, contact Lew Racing at (702) 581-5405 or go to www.lewracing.com.

About Lew Racing
Paul Lew began designing and manufacturing bicycle wheels in 1991. Eleven years ago he developed the Race Lite, a 34 Msi – carbon rim  the first and original unidirectional carbon fiber rim. Lew introduced his hybrid 34 Msi and 43 Msi carbon Sub One wheel in 1998 as the first production 1000 gram wheel set.

Mr. Lew boasts over 17 years experience in advanced product design, advanced composite materials and manufacturing processes. Besides being President of Lew Aerospace, he remains Chief Engineer of Lew Racing. He continues to lead the company with design and manufacturing innovations ensuring Lew Racing’s demanding customers’ expectations are not just met, but are exceeded.

About USA Cycling
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 60,000 members and 2,500 annual events. USA Cycling associations include the BMX Association (BMX), National Off-Road Bicycle Association (mountain bike), U.S. Cycling Federation (road/track), the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the U.S. Professional Racing Organization (professional men’s road). For more information, visit www.usacycling.org or contact USA Cycling Director of Communications, Andy Lee at 719-866-4867.

By: Stephanie Gutowski

An Awards Ceremony for the 2007 Northern California Women’s Racing Series and the Lecture by an Outstanding Woman in Cycling were held on Sunday, January 13 in San Francisco by Bay Area Women’s Cycling , which is an organization with the mission of improving the health and well-being of women and girls in the Bay Area through physical fitness.

Pro cyclist from Webcor Builders Women’s Professional Cycling Team, Christine Thorburn, spoke on how she catapulted from being a category 3 racer to being an Olympian, champion at Nationals, and bronze medalist at Worlds. She also spoke about balancing her racing with her career as a physician. The following is her lecture to an audience of Cat 3 and Cat 4 riders:

I was a Cat 3 for 4 years, racing from 1998 to 2002. It took me awhile to upgrade because I was pretty busy doing other things and did not race as much. There was not separate category races like there are now. I was racing with the Cat 1 & 2’s then…and as you know many Cat 1 & 2 riders are professional women cyclists. It was hard to get upgrade points. The fields were also pretty small back then. It has been really neat for me to go to the local races and see a huge field of Cat 3 & 4 racers riding. I love the enthusiasm the women have for our sport. Cycling has taken a bit of a bad wrap recently. We do see the women racing for sport and not just for money and I really enjoy that.

Speaking to the group of Bay Area women cyclists Christine asks, “Anybody have another job besides cycling in this room.” All of the women begin to laugh. “So do I. I thought I would begin by telling you my personal story….how I came to cycling rather late…give you tips of things I have learned along the way….how to maximize my training time. I train about 15 hour a week. Some people are surprise by that but it is possible, if you are effective in training. I also have a top ten list….and some mottos for life.”

“I grew up in Iowa….lots of cornfields…lots of farms. People always ask me if I grew up on a farm, no, but you can smell them from where I lived. I didn’t know anything about cycling except that it was my mode of transportation to the pool. There was bad weather in the winter and you could not ride so I ran. My older sister, my older brother and my father all ran cross country and track. When I was in elementary school and in junior high, I really wanted to be an Olympian in track. I went to a small liberal arts school in the middle of Iowa. I was engrossed in my academics. I did race cross country…made nationals my first year….but I mainly studied.

After I graduated from college I went to Nepal on a Fulbright scholarship. I then went on to Stanford Medical School….which brought me to the west coast. At the this time, I did not have much time to run and when I did run an old knee injury started to bother me. The knee problem led me to cycle more for exercise. It turns out that a number of my classmates were on the cycling team. It took them about three years to convince me. I did catch the cycling bug. In 1999 to 2000 I was very busy as an intern. I was riding really more for my sanity than anything else. I decided to pick a non-surgical field…with not that many emergencies…I was able to train more. 2002 I was riding more and I was able to get my Cat 2 upgrade. My knees started to bother me again…so I finally faced repairing my ACL.

In the fall I was introduced to Max Testa (Dr. Massimo Testa is both a Physician and Exercise Physiologist. He specializes in coaching cycling, triathlon, running, strength and conditioning). He is a family physician from Italy. In Italy sports medicine training is more about physiology. In the US, sports medicine is more orthopedic focused. He had a performance center at UC Davis. He would test athlete. I basically went up to see him to get my VO2 testing done.

2003 was the first year I trained with any kind of program. By the spring of that year, I came a long way. T Mobile was sponsoring the national team with all of the top riders trying to qualify for the Olympics. The National Road Race was another way to qualify for the Olympics. I found myself in a break of 8 with 5 of the riders members of T Mobile so you can imagine that this was not going too well. I remember Dee Dee Barry saying, “ We can attack you know or attack you later you better work now.” I finished 7th out of 8 in that race. During a criterium in the South Bay, one of those business park crits, I fell and broke my collarbone. It probably ended up being good thing because I was too thin that early in the season. I spent 5 weeks on the trainer and did the Tour de Toona as my comeback race. I was fit by the summer and was super motivated. This was when SF was holding the SF Grand Prix. I had a very good race there. I was the second American in this race (behind Dee Dee Barry) and that caught the attention of the national team. My very first international competition was competing at the World Championships in Hamilton Canada. I loved it. Seeing competition at the highest level….I got my ass kicked. I worked really hard for Dee Dee.

I was really determined to go from there. 2004 was an Olympics year. I decided to sit down and set my goals. I decided to dream big. I made the World’s team…which has a maximum number of 6 riders. The Olympics team has a maximum of three riders. In 2004 they announced the criteria of making the Olympics team. If you won the National Time Trail Championship…you would have an automatic berth. If you won the National Road Race you would have an automatic berth…and the top ranked women riders in the UCI would be selected. It would be a T Mobile rider since most of the top UCI ranked riders were on the team. I was pretty sure it would be Dee Dee Barry.

As a small team we would have difficulty beating T Mobile in a road race. So I focused on the time trial. I knew from some previous racing about the team time trial…..so I knew a little bit about time trialing and that I liked it. I didn’t really have a time trial background. I sat down and talked with Karen Brems (2000 Olympian and former world champion). She was putting together a team. She was the World Time Trial Champion in 1994 so she knew a lot about time trailing. She gave me some pointers. June 2004, the national championships were held in Southern California. I had been down there earlier in the year for Redlands. I checked out the time trial course at that time. I went pretty early in the round. I ended up winning by 8 seconds over a bunch of T Mobile riders. That was their opportunity as individuals. That was a very happy day. You could not wipe the smile off my face. I qualified for the Olympics by winning the national time trial championship.

I raced for a month before the Olympics with the T Mobile National Team. Because of the Gulf War there were more security guards than athletes (in the Olympic Village) We could not fly the US flag at our housing units. Half the time we would have these organized rides. We would go out with this huge entourage. Then the other times I would go off by myself right out of the gate. It was an odd situation. The dining hall was a big attraction at the Olympics. We had a lot of down time.

The road race was the second day of the Olympics. I remember lining up on the start line with the Parthenon perched above us….there was a sense of history. It was a learning experience for me. I had not done many international races. US team missed the winning break. I saw Dee Dee Barry up front. She was our designated team leader…and need to help…so I attacked, then Dee Dee attacked and Kristin attacked to try to make it across. I was 15th. I was able to do the time trial as well. The time trial was on the coast….not far from Athens but a little far from the (Olympic) Village. The US National team stayed at this hotel and we noticed a lot of young American men hanging out at the hotel. They were FBI agents sent to watch the team. They had there own pins made up and wanted to exchange pins with us. They were having a great time. I had no expectations except that to qualify for the Olympics I had to win the national race but I don’t think anyone expected anything from me. In the end I finished 4th.

2005 was a good national year for me. I finished 7th in the time trial at Worlds. It was probably the fittest I have ever been. I thought then maybe I should concentrate on the time trial. It seems to fit my personality…working hard….having to set goals….I like to suffer…you don’t have to step on anyone to do well. In Salzburg at the 2006 World Championship I was having a good day. I got bronze. Kristin Armstrong won that year.

Training Tips

Personally I believe you should focus on your strengths….especially of you are very busy. Get some success…get some motivation…then focus on your weaknesses to become a complete cyclist.

I mentioned that I am very goal-oriented but I think people should set smaller goals along the way. My motto is do less not more. Cyclists often over train and you are not getting more from those extra hours.

My other rule…if you have a bad workout…if your not feeling good….don’t try to make them up on your rest day. There is a reason why you are feeling bad. You need that rest day.

Make time to stretch. I have taken up pilates. I do a lot of stretching. It helps to keep you injury free.

When I started with my coach, Max Testa, I used only heart rate. The next year I used a power meter. I wanted to really start paying attention to perceived effort. There usually is a chart to see your effort rated 1 through 10. If there is anything that works the best…is really knowing your body. Your heart rate varies from day-to-day. You start to know when you are hydrated…when you are hot…..getting sick…power never lies. Know I primarily use power. My threshold power throughout the years is pretty constant…but its about 25 to 30 watts lower now then what it will be in the summer. This time of year I tend to use heart rate to monitor where I am. In doing a workout at the power I should be and I feel like crap….I know that if I don’t do something different in the next couple days….I’ll go into over train mode. It’s really important to be in touch with what you think it should be for the amount of training you are doing.

I also believe in positive visualizing. I can’t tell you how many times I won that time trial…the Olympic time trial….driving from Menlo Park to my work in UC San Francisco.

Top Ten List….in no particular order

Setting priorities and goals. If you don’t know where you want to get to…you are going to have a hard time getting motivated.

Compromise. Allow for them…don’t beat yourself up over them.

Time management. This obviously huge. You don’t have to go to medical school to know about time management.

Patience…have patience with yourself…sometimes with team mates…with your coach…your partner.

Confidence….I am willing to say, “Yes, I want to make the 2008 Olympics team.” I don’t personally think that is tooting my own horn….I just think that you need confidence if you are going to succeed.

Sports network is huge…..my husband has been helpful. He is a cyclist and we ride together quite a bit. He clearly understands when I am tired and grumpy.

Mentors and team mates. I mentioned Karen Brems….my team mates that first year were amazing. That first year of Webcor professional team….the first team meeting we sat down and discussed our goals….and more than one rider said that their goal was, “Get Christine to the Olympics.” My team mates were priceless!

Be in touch with your body. I don’t eat as well…don’t drink as well…I certainly don’t get enough rest…but that those are all very, very critical.

Don’t over commit…which is sometimes difficult to do.

Learn from your mistakes….and move on.
Life Mottos….

If you are going to do something than do it well. I’d rather do a few things well than be over involved in many things. it’s not necessarily wrong the other way…..it’s just not how I function.

If you are bored with your life…then it’s time to make a change.

Appreciate what you do have. In 2004, the World Championships were in Italy….and I love Italy. We vacationed for a week afterwards. After all of the riding I was done but Ted talked me into one more ride to Madonna di Ghisallo (church, high above Lake Como in Northern Italy), the church for cyclist where he proposed.

Christine and Ted at the lecture:

Oakland, CA – Members of the Health Net Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis will be taking time during their team training camp in Solvang next week to go to school.

At 9:30 on Wednesday, January 30, the full team will stop by Solvang Elementary School to meet with more than 200 students in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades to provide personal insight about cycling, health benefits, bike safety and their experiences, as well as sign autographs. The event is being coordinated by 6th grade teacher/cyclist John Padfield, who is the volunteer Director of Education Outreach for the Amgen Tour of California Solvang Local Organizing Committee (LOC). Solvang is once again hosting the Stage 5 time trial.

The visit is part of an educational outreach program developed in conjunction with the Amgen Tour of California. A specially developed classroom curriculum is being distributed to 4th through 6th grade instructors and students in the 12 “host” cities for the race. A free English and Spanish booklet given to students provides information about the state of California, including targeted lesson plans that use cycling as a means to teach core subjects such as math, science and geography.

After the visit, which will last about a half hour, the team will head out for its regular 5-6 hour training ride.

Also, Health Net Presented by Maxxis riders Tim Johnson and Roman Kilun will stop by the “Family Fun & Movie Night” fundraising event, co-hosted by the Solvang School Parent-Teacher Organization and the Solvang LOC, Saturday, February 2 at 6 p.m. Johnson and Kilun will give a short talk and sign autographs before departing for the team’s official presentation later that evening.

Solvang School Events:

When: Wednesday, January 30, 2008, 9:30-10:00AM
Where: Solvang Elementary School Parking Lot, 565 Atterdag Road

When: Saturday, February 2, 2008, 6 p.m.
Where: Solvang School Gymnasium, 565 Atterdag Road
Feature photograph: Darrell Parks