EP #54 - Winchester Interviews - Master's of the Road

EP #33 - Old Men Yell at Clouds, 2018 Racing Season Begins

Watch it or listen to it.  We've got you covered either way.

EP #17 - Between Two Wheels featuring Willy Myers of the H24 Cycling Team.

Total Elation - Willy wins the 2017 Giro di' SF

Episode #17 of Between Two Wheels: Cycling Analysis from NorCal; Host Tyler Janke with Guest Willy Myers of the H24 Cycling team.  


Willy Myers is a member of the H24 Cycling team (Herba-Life) and is one of the best sprinters in NorCal.  He’s a multiple California State Criterium Champion and a consummate attendee of the vaunted River Ride in Sacramento.  This episide is part 1 of our conversation with Willy discussing his most recent win at the Giro di' San Franciso and how his 2017 season has been a struggle, yet rewarding. You can find Willy at the following:

H24 Team Website: https://h24cycling.com/

Willy Myers on Facebook

Give us a rating and comment on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast.fm, GooglePay or Podbean.

Find us on twitter - @tjanke or

Email: cycletyler@gmail.com

Team Website: https://racing.datadrivenathlete.com/dda-postcast/

EP #4 - Between Two Wheels featuring Team Mike's Bikes Cyclist Andrew Shimizu

Episode #4 of Between Two Wheels; Host Tyler Janke of Data Driven Athlete Racing.

I sat down at a noisy Panera Bread restaurant to interview Team Mike's Bikes member Andrew Shimizu.  We discussed the Cascade Cycling Classic, Redlands and National Championships and how to balance respect for bike promoters and wanting more from a race plus how to solve all the worlds cycling problems (no solutions found).  Andrew has an interesting job that allows him to travel and indulge his enjoyment of photography and cycling. 

Andrew can be found on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/andrewshimizu/ and for his photography at: 

https://www.instagram.com/andrewshimizu_film/  

Give us a rating and comment on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast.fm, Google Play or Podbean.  

Find us on twitter - @tjanke or email: cycletyler@gmail.com 

Team Website: https://racing.datadrivenathlete.com/

EP #1 Between 2 Wheels Podcast - Watching and Enjoying the 2017 Tour de France

In our Inaugural podcast episode we introduce the love of cycling and the best ways to watch the 2017 Tour de France (the biggest bike race in the world).  Also discussed are how we find the best analysis afterwards via podcasts and online sites.  There are mentions of Lance Armstrong and his new podcast along with a short breakdown of stages 1-8 including the Sagan/Cavendish broo-hah.

If you like what you hear, subscribe to the Between Two Wheels podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast.fm, Podbean and Google Play.

Race Report - Opening the 2015 Season

Read about the first race of the season for Data Driven Athlete Racing HERE on the team blog.  Below are some cool pictures from the races (Photo Credits Alex Chiu).

Tyler, Casey and Eric. P123 field. Photo: Alex Chiu.

Tyler Janke Masters P123 field.  Photo: Alex Chiu.

Tyler Janke Masters 35 P123 field. Photo: Alex Chiu

Casey Fallon and Tyler Janke P123 Field.  Photo Alex Chiu.

Nate Dunn leading the E3 field. Photo Alex Chiu

Eric Brickler leading the P123 Field - Photo Alex Chiu

Rylan wins the Kid's race

Nevada City Suffering

Suffering at Nevada City Criterium - June 15, 2014.  Photo credit Alex Chui

My Yearly (Foolish) Rant against VeloNews

Once again it's the annual "don't take our magazine serious" time of year with Velonews throwing their hat into the comedy ring for April Fools Day.  Growing up (before the internet) I would anxiously wait to get my biweekly copy of VeloNews to read about the comings and goings of professional cycling.  Back then VeloNews (now Velo) wasn't a glossy high class magazine but rather a newsprint style paper.  The flashy magazine at the time was "Winning" but it only came around every month and was certain to be behind the times with their reporting.  I loved reading the timely reporting of races in Europe and the USA and how my favorite riders were doing.  I could always count on these magazines to give me what I wanted.  But over the past ten years or so, Velonews has this seemingly aching desire to be too cool for the room and engage in fake stories on April Fools Day.  VeloNews is nice enough to at least let you know when a story is real.  Whew, thanks guys.

HUGE IN EUROPE, NOT SO MUCH IN THE USA
While many people might dismiss my rant here with curmudgeon jokes about my age and attitude, I have a greater point to serve in my disdain for VeloNews and their foolish ways every April 1st.  Cycling in the USA is not a mainstream sport.  There, I said it.  If this comes as news to you then perhaps you need to get a life and do a reality check.  Put down your cone wrenches, stop gluing your tubulars and pouring over Watts or VAM via TrainingPeaks, stop streaming a race in Europe with more pop-ups than a virus ridden porn site and just watch ESPN for an hour.  No cycling!  None....nada.  In my life and many of my friends, cycling is everything where we verbally trade in the world of statistics, wins and losses and strategy all the time.  We group text at 7 a.m. Sunday morning about how Sagan blew the sprint in Gent Wavelgem.  I know my pro cycling history like George Will knows baseball (complete over statement).  But just because I can name the winner of the 1989 Santa Cruz Classic (Scott McKinley, but I was actually there that day - side note, I hung out with Thurlow Rogers and his wife that day) or the 1988 World Championships (Maurizio Fondriest) doesn't mean the sport is followed this closely by a majority of people in the US.  I can't tell you how many times I've had the discussion about whether cycling is a an actual sport or not....oh wait, that was golf.  NO, cycling I have to defend against the doping scandals which seemingly make our sport a joke to most.  So when you have such a small niche following cycling in the US, perhaps it would be good if the news sources covering cycling helped to promote the sport rather than perpetuated it as a joke.  I personally may know that a story on VeloNews is fake, but what about those that do the drive-by cycling news intake?

PEELING THE LAYERS OF THE COMEDIC ONION

I wouldn't expect to read a story from The Onion and post it on my Facebook page with the expectation that anyone would take the story at face value.  Then again, I don't go read the Onion expecting hard hitting news stories.  The Onion is a purely satirical news source where everyday is April Fools.  (note: The Onion also doesn't have to tweet that a certain story on their site is not an "#AprilFools story.")

There are certain papers and news publications that are seen as respectable.  The Wall Street Journal is held in high esteem for the investing community much like the New York Times once was a legendary source of great news reporting.  The NY Times has had some problems in the past, but it's still a news source that cannot be mistaken for The Onion, The National Enquirer, The Globe or something akin the local free "newspaper" I see on the corner.

VeloNews is one of the dominant cycling news sources for Americans with both an online presence and a magazine edition.  The whole news venture is based out of Boulder Colorado (the heart of American cycling) with writers in Europe, the eastern US and all over covering cycling and cycling related topics.  Every year at Tour de France time VeloNews has a daily diary where they interview a rider prior to the stage and recap the previous day's race and predict the upcoming one.  They do some really in depth reporting with a slant towards American riders.  VeloNews has serious articles on the racing scene most of the time.  Their Editor, Neal Rogers, was specifically targeted by Floyd Landis and Lance Armstrong for his writing and questioning of their performances when suspicions of performance enhancing drugs were discovered.

Yet, each year VeloNews takes a stab at being "The Onion" of cycling publications all while still hoping to be thought of as the "Wall Street Journal" the rest of the year.  Oh how clever they are.  On their home page they display actual news story headlines mixed with ridiculous ones like the following from 2013

• Desperate for race miles, Schleck to start Paris-Roubaix
• Shimano Di2 breakdown reveals remote control capabilities

This year, VeloNews trots out the same old tricks with this little attempt at trying to be the next Jon Stewart - Any reference in your magazine to alien abduction has to be grounds for crazy, right?  I mean, this year they actually did a story about ALIENS!:

Froome faces scrutiny over extraterrestrial DNA test results. 

UCI commission to recommend Google Glass use on WorldTour.

Besides the "snooze" factor of these articles and the fact that the writing ventures into comedic territory they have no business entering, trying to "pull one over" on the reader is not why I come to VeloNews.  If I wanted snarky commentary on cycling I'd stick with Neal Browne, Cyclocosm or Eurosports "Blazzin Saddles."  Now, if VeloNews wants a funnyman why not just use their own Dan Wouri?  The guy is hands down one of the best witty tweeters around and he already writes a column for VeloNews that includes his witticism.  Granted, Dan is funny and I expect his writings to be such but I never read his articles wondering if he's making up quotes just to be funny.  However, every year on April Fools I end up with this same rant and avoiding VeloNews altogether.  In fact, I've found myself avoiding VeloNews more and more during the cycling season and moving on towards CyclingNews.com, or INRNG because, how do I know that only on April Fools day Velonews is making up a quote or story?  Oh right, look to their twitter account for "not an #AprilFools story" type tweet.  Gotcha.

FOOL ME ONCE...

It's not just the reader that VeloNews is fooling, but also the big news organizations as well.  According to the following tweet by Cyclocosm, the Boston Globe was "Punked" by a Velonews April Fools story back in 2005. 

The problem here is, when a major news outlet is "punked" by a small cycling news magazine it's more than likely the cycling news magazine won't be used as a source again.  Fooled me once...blah blah blah.  But hey dude, that Globe paper was royally embarrassed by that hip cycling journal in Boulder.  Way to burn the man!  Or rather, way to limit the cycling coverage from VeloNews as reported by the Boston Globe in the future.  Mission Accomplished.  We all remember the story of the boy who cried Wolf, right?

ALIEN(ated)
Would you ever expect the Wall Street Journal to put out an April Fools edition?  Absolutely not, because for 365 days of the year the WSJ wants to be thought of as credible.  Any reputable newspaper can run a comic strip and still be considered a great source of news.  But even though the National Enquirer had the story correct about former disgraced Senator John Edwards and his cheating ways, they have had too many cover stories about alien abductions and celebrity alien babies to be thought of as your first source for hard hitting news.  Hey, I enjoy the freak stories I see as I'm checking out at the grocery store, but I know they aren't a serious news magazine when I see President Obama has taken a secret gay lover.  But how soon until Velo is next to the Globe at checkout?  VeloNews is now my National Enquirer as I'm reminded why every April 1st.  ALIENS, they wrote about ALIENS.  

Remorse usually doesn't sound like, "But for getting caught..."

Mystery Machine full of meddling kids

For those of us that grew up watching Scooby Doo cartoons, you'll likely remember the typical ending of each show with a comment from the villain saying "if it wasn't for those meddling kids I would have got away with it."  I was reminded of this iconic statement today as I came across an article about Francisco Mancebo.

Arguably, "Operation Puerto" in 2006 was a pivotal event in the downfall for big-time doping in cycling.  Among those caught or implicated was Spaniard Francisco Mancebo, who like Alberto Contador, was not ever officially sanctioned by any cycling governing body.  Mancebo has been languishing in domestic cycling ever since and the last two years he's been ripping up the American domestic circuit as part of the Kenda-5hr Energy cycling team.  This year Mancebo is moving somewhat back into big-time racing with a professional team in Dubai - Skydive Dubai.

Mancebo is currently racing the Tour of Dubai with his new team and just recently was quoted in CyclingNews.Com about the purgatory state he's been in since 2006.  However, here is the money quote about Operation Puerto and its effect on his career.

Mancebo hanging with Lance

“In 2006 it cut my career,” Mancebo told Biciciclismo. “I do not know where I would have finished. Maybe I could have won a Vuelta a España or maybe not, but it is certain that I would have contested it.”

Interesting comment considering the company he was riding in and the results he was getting at the time.  Is he saying that "...but for getting caught, I would have won a Grand Tour!..."?  All that's missing here are some fake ghosts, a Scooby Snack and some innuendo about where Fred and Daphne are heading off to.  Damn those pesky kids.

Folsom Winter BP Crit

It looks like rain for tomorrow's criterium in Folsom.  Here is a good post about racing in the rain by one of the best - Davis Phinney.  Wet Weather Secrets!

Keep the rubber-side down.

Segments of Glory - Non Sanctioned Racing

HE'S BACK!
We all know Lance is disgraced and banned from competitive events, and pretty much thought of as some type of psychotic narcissistic bully.  But he's also a lifelong competitor, and an accomplished one at that (the source of his accomplishments can be debated for sure).  So what does he do when all his outlets for competition (athletically) ban him from participation?  He tries to find an avenue and means for getting back in the game and letting everyone know he's "still got it."  That's what ego driven people do as they need the spotlight and public adoration to keep their lives full of meaning.


HE'S A SWIMMER NOW
Just this week it was announced Lance Armstrong is now planning on competing in Masters Swimming.  How can he do this when he's been banned from competitive events that are governed by the United States Anti Doping Agency?  Well, here is a little article explaining why and how he can compete in swimming.  But the main point is, the events aren't under the umbrella of USADA and therefore they can't say they will take their ball and go home - you're not wanted here Lance!

Cycling Entertainment for the Week of March 22

READING
First up is from the blog // The Inner Ring.  I always enjoy this blog and his take on cycling and stories that usually aren't being told.  Here is another great insight into some of the current new stars in cycling and how one race in 2010 predicted great things from them all.

• The Future of 2010

American World Domination - Its a Mindset

Tejay with the Scriven family in the background

WORLD DOMINATION
This is an idea I've had for quite some time but never got around to writing about it completely.  However, with the accelerated rise of several young American cyclists on the world stage I thought I should get this out now with the hopes of starting some excitement for my vision - world domination by the USA.

I'm not talking about a James Bond villain or the Mike Myers version of the 007 nemesis in the form of Dr. Evil.  Rather I'm referring to actually producing an American winner of the Cycling World Championship Road Race.  Specifically I'm focusing on the Men's race because as I see it, the problem doesn't exist in the women's side of the event.

THE PARTICIPATION PROBLEM

One BILLION dollars!

What's the deal?  Well, looking over the history (modern history at least) of the World Road Race it's pretty easy to mention the only American winners of the event, Greg Lemond (83 & 89) and Lance Armstong (93).  Of course we all know about Lance's recent "troubles", but for the sake of this little post I don't even care what he was taking, injecting or if he was "glowing"... all I care about is whether he was participating.  My issue with the US team since Lance's victory is that they've sent a lackluster squad to the worlds to compete when on the sidelines have been some of the worlds best cyclists at the time.  Participation is the problem here.  I wrote previously in support of Taylor Phinney representing the USA at the Olympics and derided the other top Americans that had skipped the World Championships where participation and getting a top 15 would have produced two spots for an American in London rather than just one as we had for the 2012 Olympic Time Trial.  So this trend continues.  What I hope doesn't happen is that Taylor and the other youngsters decide to forgo the World's race once they hit their stride and make a mark on their career.

Tattooed by the Asphalt and "There's a New Kid in Town."

Tattoos - some visible and some not.

Cheapest Way to Get a Tattoo
Former eclectic cycling pro and now current TV analyst Bob Roll once recounted in a PezCycling interview his views on tattoos vs. scar tissue:

Now crashing, on the other hand, gives you scar tissue, and scar tissue tells a story no idiotic tribal barbwire tattoos ever will.  And as the stories of your scars are retold, you'll get hungry for sour mash and pork rinds.

Now granted, I'm not entirely sure where the mash and pork rinds reference comes into play, but the rest of scar tissue v. tattoos thing rings true to me.  Personally, the part where you create the scar tissue is not my favorite and I'm sure much like getting a tattoo it's the most painful.  The past few weekends of racing I've had my fill of what Bob Roll would call "stories" with the most recent crash at Land Park being the most absurd, painful and quite honestly as regrettable as getting your ex's name tatted on your neck.

Helmet straps, most aggressive and some road rash

Eric attacking after Casey is caught.

What a weird day of racing.  The Merco Credit Union Cycling Classic offered up a great criterium today with a nice technical race in downtown Merced.  The 2013 McDonalds Grand Prix (as the race today was called) is part of a stage race for the Pro Men and women and even some Master's racers.  But for me, it was a one day event starting with packing the kids in the car at 7 am and heading south for a speedy car ride.  If my memory serves me correctly, I did this stage race several times in the late 90's with Oilme Racing and I had a few demons to exercise.

At the start line Data Driven Athlete Racing team lined up four guys with Eric, Casey, Curt and Tyler (myself.)  While waiting for the start, veteran US cycling announcer Dave Towle remarked how he liked our kit.  Thanks Dave!  As is the deal in racing, with a nice looking kit that grabs the eye (see our bright helmets and matching shoes) you have to back up your appearance by racing like you deserve to wear it.

But backing up our sex-appeal took a hard hit right as the race started when Curt's helmet strap came undone.  I mean, it didn't come unhooked, the little mechanism used to keep the straps together actually came undone.  Curt tried to get a "free lap" (as is available in a crit for a crash or technical mishap) but the race officials said "no" commencing in Curt giving chase for at least 5 laps.  While this seems like a rookie move  by Curt (he's no rookie), ask yourself when the last time you checked your helmet strap was.  Probably never.  (on a helmet side note, when was the last time you washed your helmet?  Wearing that grungy stink sponge for all those training miles and never washing it is likely why most guys never get to ride with the hot girls - but I digress).

Teamwork is the key - Starting the 2013 season off right.

I recently went to a MUSE concert with my wife.  A good thing about getting old and losing your hearing is a loud concert doesn't hurt quite as bad.  In my excitement preparing for the concert I watched an interview with MUSE front-man, Matt Bellamy, where he talked about performing in front of a large audience.  Basically he said the first few times you perform the adrenaline is overwhelming and actually makes you feel sick.  Later, you become used to the rush and the adrenaline amps you up and you thrive on it.  In my experience of bike racing, Matt Bellamy's words ring very true.

Our new team this year (Data Driven Athlete) is quite unique.  Not only is it the best looking and most flashy team on the NorCal cycling circuit, but the members are truly an exception to age-old cycling rule of being selfish.  Mind you, not all cyclist are selfish and certainly as the competition levels increase and you get a chance to race for a living, the selfishness factor does subside.  Mostly, this submission is from the realization of just where you are on the pecking order and knowing that perhaps your best chance of a solid career is to be a worker for the star.  But in the mid level amateur ranks, where everyone is presumably trying to upgrade, make a name for themselves or simply to get on the podium to reimburse racing expenses, goals clash and selfishness creeps in.  Therefore the idea of giving up a personal goal for the sake of another teammate isn't always evident.  In fact, most of last year Casey Fallon and I were racing against the entire field and often our own teammates in the process and NO one was winning.  This year we have other plans.

The question my wife asked after the first race was along the lines of "why is your teammate giving up his chance at winning to help you?"  That's a great question and the answer isn't "because I'm vain and mysterious and therefore I demand everyone to take care of me."  See, each rider has different strengths and areas where they excel.  For our team, most of the guys can go uphill really well.  I used to be able to, but not anymore.  But what I can do, is snake my way around a technical course and sprint pretty fast at the end.  No one else on our team can.  The course itself dictates our team tactics and for the first three races of this year, the burden of winning fell on my shoulders - a sprinter I will be.

So yeah, I was nervous like Muse at one of their first big concerts.  You would think I would be used to this racing nervous stuff by now as I'm 41 and I've been doing this since I was 15.  But the uniqueness of our team led to emails and massive planning for how each rider was going to lay it down on the road and absolutely twist themselves into an anaerobic fit in order to set me up for the win.  That is heavy.  The nerves were bad all week and up until the start of the race.  What a relief it was to start the races and just... ride hard.

Cal Aggie
Cal Aggie was our first race and located in Land Park, a gorgeous area just south of Sacramento in a great neighborhood near the Sacramento Zoo.  The pace was fast and as expected it came down to a sprint.  Our team lined the front on the last lap and each and every rider took a turn at the front and getting me in position. Hey, it was the first race of the year and we didn't get it all right as we let two riders get off the front and stay away.  I finished a very close 3rd on the field sprint for a nice 5th on the day.  The photo finish showed I came up about a foot short of taking the field sprint for 3rd, so we were upbeat for the next race to do battle.

Nate stringing the field out with 1 lap to go

The main objective for a sprinter is to get to the last 250 meters of the race at the front and then blast to the finish as hard as you can.  Getting to the front to sprint however requires that your team pilot you there and take the pace making as well as blocking the wind so that the sprinter is as fresh as possible to ignite his legs across the line.

Data Driven Athlete's front man is Nate Dunn.  The title sponsor is his company (he's my coach) and the kit design, the idea behind the team and most of the logistics are/were done by Casey Fallon or Nate himself.  Nate is a huge inspiration and a great guy.

Cal Aggie happens to be his last race for awhile due to personal health issues, but he was highly instrumental in our result.  Nate made a big effort as the bell lap was rung to get our promising young climber Eric Brickler to the front.  As you can see by the picture, Nate is dragging the entire team up and into position.  After Eric and Rocky Fletcher burned it, Curt Mills began taking huge pulls to keep us moving forward.  On the last bend Casey took over as my lead-out man.  Even though it appeared we were too far back to win, we still had a strong finish regardless for 5th.

BP Winter Crit and Cherry Pie

Races #2 and #3 were on back to back days with the Bicycles Plus Winter Crit on Saturday followed by Napa's Cherry Pie on Sunday.  The BP race always ends in a sprint and we had a very detailed plan figured out for leading the sprint on the last lap.  My legs were feeling bad all day but when the team starts getting aligned to lead you out, you just ignore the pain and do what you can.  On the last lap Casey was at the front and our whole team was stuck at the back trying to get the lead-out sorted correctly.  While congregating at the back isn't usually ideal, today it worked out just fine.  As it happened, Eric just started drilling the pace with Rocky, Curt and myself in tow.  After Eric and Rocky's big pulls, Curt unleashed a sprinting effort that pulled us past most of the field towards the front.  Through the last corner Curt was almost at the front as the sprint started and I came through the gutter past him for a 3rd place finish.

Cherry Pie the following day was a race I felt I should have won.  I won a mid-race prime quite easily and visions of the top podium step were heavy in my head.  But if you watch video of the race from Casey's bike (below - or linked here), you'll see once again Curt getting me to the front for the sprint.  However, this time I disappointed and didn't have the afterburners in my legs as we hit the front of the finish climb just a little too early.  Next time.

Cherry Pie did grant our young rising star Andrew Shimizu a podium place in his race and a fresh Cherry pie.  I never did ask Andrew if the pie was fresh or how it tasted, but victory should always taste like a Cherry Pie.

2013 Race Schedule Annouced - NorCal

Early Season Racing for 2013?

So far this off-season, the weather has been amazing in allowing me to put in a lot of miles for training (a lot of miles is relative of course).  As I type this, the rain has started to pour and it looks like winter is setting in and my indoor trainer will be getting some serious use.  However, the good weather has got me excited for racing and yesterday the NCNCA (Northern California Nevada Cycling Association) released their 2013 racing schedule.


The 2013 racing schedule is packed with some quality racing from the first of January straight through mid-September.  January has just three (3) races scheduled, but considering how early in the season this is, three is still a good number.  February picks up with twelve (12) races, then eighteen (18) for March, twenty (20) for April and the most races of the year for one month are in May at twenty-two (22).  Following is the complete breakdown of each month and the available races on the calendar:


Races offered per Month in Northern California / Nevada
January - 3
February - 12
March - 18
April - 20
May - 22
June - 17
July - 14
August - 18
September - 11

Its good to see a lull in June and July after such a strong hit of races early in the year and the star factor for the June races deserves more attention anyway.  Plus, mid July is also when the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend Oregon takes place and this race is definitely on the Data Driven Athlete Racing schedule.

The early season racing is the typical mix of hard road races, criteriums and a few time-trials.  The early season road races are usually brutal due to a wider range of fitness for the riders as the off season means different things to each person, and the possibility of bad weather also plays its part (who wants to hammer in the rain or freezing cold wind?)  It appears that June will be a stellar month for the power climbing circuit/crit guys with Montserrat (Loomis) and Old Auburn back-to-back on the 8th and 9th, followed by Nevada City the following weekend.  What I like about the racing schedule for this year is after the July slowdown, August and September come back with some really fun and demanding racing in Winters and ending the season at Folsom Cyclebration in September rather than having that three-day race in mid season, like 2012.  The whole season full of races allows for each cyclist to take a deserved break when their body and goals dictate rather than when the cycling schedule dictates.  Nothing is worse than being super fit and not a race in sight to actually test it out.

For me, the highlights of the early racing calendar (pending cancellations and changes) are as follows.  I will be looking to get around 20-30 days of racing in 2013:

Jan
1/26 - Cal Aggie Crit

Feb
2/9 - Folsom Winter Criterium
2/10 - Cherry Pie Criterium (Napa)
2/23 - Snelling Road Race
2/24 - Merced Crit

Mar
3/1 - 3/3 - Merco Classic
3/16 - Land Park Crit
3/17 - Bariani Road Race

April
4/7 - Auburn Old Town Crit
4/13 - 4/15 - Chico Stage Race
4/27 - Wente Vineyard Road Race
4/28 - Wente Crit
4/28 - Clone Town Center Crit (This was a great race last year, but rumor has it that it's cancelled for 2013 so I was surprised to see it on the calendar.  Maybe "clone" means it's tentative.  Stay tuned)

May
5/4 - 5/5 - Golden State Series

Rocky Fletcher - 2012 Nevada City

5/11 - Historic Folsom Crit
5/18 - Modesto Crit
5/19 - Modesto Road Race
5/25 - Folsom Classic Crit
5/27 - Memorial Day Crit (Morgan Hill)

June
6/2 - Pescadero Road Race
6/8 - Montserrat Circuit Race (Loomis)
6/9 - Auburn Downtown Crit
6/16 - Nevada City
6/23 - Burlingame Crit
6/30 - Lodi Crit

July
7/4 - Fourth of July Crit (Davis)
Mid July - Cascade Cycling Classic, Bend Or.

Aug
8/4 - Patterson Road Race
8/4 - Fast and Furious Crit
8/10 - 8/11 - Little City Stage Race
8/24 - Winters Road Race
8/25 - Vacaville Grand Prix

Sept 
9/2 - Giro di San Francisco
9/6 - 9/8 - Folsom Cyclebration
9/15 - Milpitas Grand Prix
9/16 - Oakland Grand Prix

Of course these races and my schedule are subject to change depending on fitness, goals and family time.  But I am looking forward to a good season and smashing several of these races with my team, Data Driven Athlete Racing.  Good luck in 2013!

Stolen Valor - The Legacy of Lance Armstrong

Sport is rife with comments and comparisons to battle and war.  Brave heroes lining up to go into battle on the field in horrendous weather, injured bodies and the carnage afterwards often appears like a war scene as well.  Cycling is no different.  In fact most team sports lend themselves to the comparisons.  You have strategy, hours of training and practice and the eventual "battle" where you go to your physical limits in an effort to defeat the competition.  Cycling is brutal.  As I've written before here (Tough Man Competition), racing your bike isn't for the feint of heart and on the professional level the dedication and toughness is severe.  While no sport is anything like true war, it's always a glamorous way to envision and romanticize the sport.  Pro Cycling's early season racing takes part in the northern sections of France and Belgium while crossing former World War I and II battlefields such as the Forest of Arenberg.  The battles continue all year with the lieutenants sacrificing themselves for the generals in hopes of glory, maybe a medal for the battle in hopes of winning the war. Like in war, some take sport with the mindset of "winning at all costs."

Winning the war at all costs is no longer acceptable even in actual war.  What's known as the rules of war - The Geneva Convention - are signed treaties whereby countries will be judged post-war on how they treated civilians and acts during war.  Cycling's doping issues during the 1990's through today and the recent unearthing of the Lance Armstrong conspiracy shows the sport had its own "win at all costs" attitude for which it is now experiencing the United States Anti Doping Association's (USADA) version of the Nuremberg Trials.

STOLEN VALOR

For years, true heroes of war have been looked up to, memorialized and honored for often doing the unspeakable.  Being considered a hero is very alluring and to some cowards the twinkle of being thought of in such high regard is too hard to pass up.

The Day after Tomorrow

I would love to write about the 2012 Presidential election and how I'm sick of the looters, moochers and those that simply want other people's money and are getting it by legal plunder.... but I'll digress.  Instead, I'll focus on cycling and my own upcoming racing season with the hope that I'll have money left over after taxes to afford it.

The 2013 cycling season will feature a new team in the Northern California area.  Data Driven Athlete is a new sponsor on the block and has formed a team of about 10-12 riders focusing on mid-level amateur racing.  Data Driven Athlete is the coaching service company formed by Nathanael Dunn that focuses on coaching with a power meter to get the most out of training, racing and your busy life.

Folsom Bike has also joined our team and I'm sure I'll be visiting the shop in the near future for all my cycling needs.

I am looking forward to racing with a group of guys this year that are excited and ready to give each race their best and hopefully get some results.  I'm hoping to do at least 20 races this year.  The season will be upon us soon, and the off-season has already begun.  I hope to see you on the road.  If you see a rider in the flashy new kits shown here, waive and say hi.