S B Tri Race Report/Where's Waldo?

Hello Everyone,

A few of you may have noticed that I'd been riding my TT bike a lot lately. In fact I rode it exclusively for two weeks straight in preparation for last weekends Santa Barbara Triathlon. I had done the long course once before and was anxious to see if I could better my time. I'd done a little swimming and fooled around with some running so I figured I was about as prepared as I was ever gonna be.

THE SWIM: My swimming is not very impressive and I always approach the swim with a "just get me outta here and put me on my bike" mentality. But I actually felt pretty good out there. Amazingly I caught a few people from the wave in front of me, and the fast guys from the wave behind me didn't catch me 'till I was past the halfway point. Goal accomplished. Confidence...High. Time: 31:54

THE BIKE: Usually, this is my favorite part. I'm so slow on the swim that there are already hundreds of people in front of me when I start the bike. It just feels good to fly by dozens of people all along the route. Even if half of them are on hybrids. Right outta the gate I knew this wasn't going to be my day. I hadn't gone a hundred yards yet and I was trying to get up to speed and put my shoes on at the same time. Apparently, I forgot to practice that step in my training and it showed. My shoe fell off...I had to turn around and ride back to pick up my shoe. I was a little embarrassed so I just kept my head down and tried to act like I meant for that to happen and get going again as quickly as possible. Once I got up to speed I settled down and was feeling OK until I tried to shift from my little front chainring to the big one and I realized my front derailleur wasn't working. I quickly realized it would be foolish to try and ride the whole course in the little ring so I got off at the top of Toro and used my fingers to put the chain back on the big ring. I was able to stay in the big ring all the way until I had to climb Toro again so I down shifted for the climb and then when I got to the top stopped again and used my greasy fingers to get back in the big ring for few remaining miles. I tried to stay upbeat but the mishaps were starting to rattle my confidence. I would work so hard to put time on someone up the climb, only to have them pass me again as I fumbled with my cave-man style shifting. "Stay calm Matt! You've still got a long ways to go!" Confidence...Low. Time: 1:28:46

THE RUN: Not much to talk about here. I ran nice and steady felt fine till about mile 6 and then realized my feet were not very happy with me for trying to run 10 miles with no socks on. I tried to block out the discomfort but then guys from my age group started passing me. They'd say things like "good job!" or "lookin' good!" but I knew what they really meant was "GOTCHA! You slow son of a bitch!" My illusions of winning my age group were now destroyed. I almost felt relief when the second guy passed me because I knew I wasn't gonna get 2nd place again! I told myself "It doesn't matter what place you get...all that matters is that you try your hardest big guy!" that worked for a little bit until the pain in my feet was impossible to ignore and I just wanted to be done. I put in a last ditch effort to catch a guy in my age group who had passed me earlier but ended up about 30 seconds behind him at the finish. I was 7th in my age group. 31st overall. Confidence...a little lower then it was when I started. Time: 1:07:24 Total Time: 3:10:15

THE AFTERMATH: I didn't bother checking the results since I knew I wasn't in the top 3 so I went home and took a nap. I figured I'd check the splits online later that night. Well, when I checked the results, my name was missing. No big deal. I figured I'd just inform them of their oversight and they could straighten it out later. My son did the short course on Sunday so after he was done I went over to the timing tent and said " Hey, when you get a chance can you check my results? I seem to have been misplaced." They asked me my number and then to my surprise informed me that I had been disqualified for a "traffic violation". What????? DQ'd!!! I was dumbfounded. I felt like I'd just been convicted of indecent exposure... or like I had just farted at a really fancy dinner and everyone heard. I asked what I did and they said "it just says traffic violation...DQ....sorry" So just like that I disappeared from the results. It's like I wasn't even there...nothing to show for my efforts...except black and blue toenails. I've sent out a few emails but still nobody can tell me exactly what I got DQ'd for. Maybe for turning around on the course to pickup my shoe? Maybe for crossing the centerline while passing? Not stopping at the intersections? Hell, maybe they got the number wrong and it wasn't me! I don't know, At least I got them to give me my time splits so my $150 bucks wasn't a total loss. The cold hard truth is I still had a blast. And I'll do it again next year once my toes forgive me. Joe Coito puts on a first class event and it's worth every penny to get out there and battle with 900 of your closest friends. Rules are rules, and I have to accept that. I just wish I knew which one I broke!

See you all soon,

Matt

SLO Crit, A State Champ is Crowned!

Hi all!


Today was the SLO crit, which was really not slo(w) at all... I got my still-coughing-but-feeling-slightly-better self up at 5:30am to drive there this morning and race the crit. Chicken Ranch had a full women's squad out there, with 5 of us toeing the line. Susie, Jane, Sarah, myself, and our newest member, Edina (Eddy), were all up for this race.

We actually had strategy, and team tactics to play, and play we did.

Unfortunately the field was more than a bit sketchy, and there were THREE crashes during the race! Things started off well, with Jane winning the first prime. The 3 of us cat 3s decided to use the 2nd prime as a practice leadout, and Susie and Jane delivered me to the line first in perfect form :-). That in hand, I was feeling pretty good for most of the race. We tried to tire people out with some attacks, and I'm happy to report that Chicken Ranch got some serious airtime!

With 2 to go, I was too far back and getting nervous about positioning, but yet again a teammate came through in the form of Sarah Patz! Sarah had raced yesterday, too, and yet still had the energy to try and help me get up where I needed to be. I found a hole, and went up front. I saw some people coming over on the outside, and Jane was 2nd wheel.

Perfect. I latched onto that train, and around the final turn we went.

With about 1.5 blocks to go I launched, and came around them both, and never looked back. Finally a victory!!!!!!! Unfortunately, the sprinting pack got a little squirrelly, however, and behind me a couple of people got together, and Jane was caught up in a crash, which took a few riders right into the barriers (this is what I heard...I didn't even know it happened until I came back around...I guess when you're sprinting for the win you lose your hearing???). So that dampened things a bit. Susie and I went to see Jane at the ER on our way home.



She was being really brave, although she has a broken wrist and cracked scapula... ouch. Please send her your good thoughts, as she raced a really awesome race today (and yesterday, too where she claimed a 4th place).

I must say, that the womens CR team really came together today, and I am really happy to have been able to deliver us a V. :-) And since it was the So-Cal State Championship, even better!

I don't know how the other Races went today, as Susie and I left rather early to go check on Jane, but I hope all was well!

As always, I'm proud to be a part of this team.

Kimberly

 
Way to go Kimberly and to the rest of the girls!!


We were in the staging area waiting for the 3's race when the womens race was coming through on their final lap. It was an awesome site seeing all the CR girls drilling it near the front, then seeing Kimberly driving it w/ no one being able to get around her. Kimberly "State Crit Champ" Turner :-) sounds pretty good! As for for Jane, hoping for a quick recovery. Jane's crash looked really bad.


The men's 3's race was going really good.....until the final corner. The race had a full field of 75 riders and was fast w/ constant attacks. After dodging a number of mid-race crashes, all the CR'ers found themselves in the top 10 w/ only 2 corners to go. We were all sitting in good position when the rider sitting 3rd wheel overcooked one of the final corners and took out Matt, Ben, and myself. Most of the top 10 riders got taken out. Matt was shoved into the barriers, but managed to stay upright, Ben took a flyer over the hay bails and the fence, and I went down suffering minor scratches to the body and bike. On a good note, John VanMan managed to get through the mess for a top 10 finish. We're all OK, but bummed that we were all there, but couldn't finish it off.

I saw a bunch Ranchers riding around and racing, so hopefully we'll get more race reports.


Gabriel

July 4, 2009. A small field of 20 or slightly more 55, 60+ took off shortly after 800 AM under overcast skies and cool weather at Camp San Luis. It was a bit unclear to me, but I believe 3 riders broke away individually over the first couple of laps, including our own local, Karl (or Carl?) Weber. I heard later from Karl, these three eventually joined up at some point, but at the sprint finish, Karl emerged the winner. Note; Karl is 59, top of the


55 group and will be a formidable 60+ next year.

I managed to hang with the chase group of 6-7 riders through 5 laps of the 6 lap race, but unfortunately got dropped near the top of the final hill.

Riding alone, I maintained my position until the final few yards when someone passed me, possibly a 55+, but I’m not sure.

Final result, 11th over all; 4th 60+ against some of the top 60’s. If there had been a 65+, I would have won that, but believe there was only one rider older than me. See, eventually everyone dies off ;), so the longer you can last your odds of eventually winning increase.

All in all a good day, and I liked the course very much in spite of a few well marked pot holes and ruts. No one crashed in my race to my knowledge.

Note: I had an excellent pre race breakfast at Denny’s which included two poached eggs, Oatmeal, brown sugar and milk, a large bowl of fresh fruit and a cup of yogurt for $5.99 as I recall. Needless to say, I didn’t run out of gas during the race.

Steve

Seinfeld & The Chicken Rig!

Hello everyone,

On Friday Craig and I did the amateur version of the Solvang TT for the 2nd year in a row. And for the 2nd year in a row it was an incredible experience. I will do that race every year that they offer it as long as I can still ride a two wheeler! There's nothing else like it! This year due to the Lance factor and the favorable weather, the crowds were 10 times the size and the overall vibe and energy was off the charts. I think I saw every single person I know from the cycling community somewhere out on the course. Whether it was David Jurist holding up a big sign that said "Go Chickens!" on the first climb..(that made me laugh)... Greg Leach and company whoopin' it up in front of his house in Los Olivos...Jason Hannon and the Platinum crowd just a few houses down... Randall Tinney doin' his Red Devil impersonation on Ballard...Mark Fennell taking pictures in two places at once...Dave Lettieri and company yellin' at me from the follow car tellin' me my "ass looked big in those shorts" and laughin' when I almost went wide on a corner going 30+ miles and hour in the aero bars...I was soakin' it all in, and lovin' every minute of it!

Once you get over the embarrassment of being a poser ( I got over that a long time ago) the experience of riding on the same course, on the same day, literally just minutes before the best riders in the world is unbelievable! Imagine getting to play flag football with your buddies on the field during Superbowl halftime...that's the closest thing I can think of. As a cycling fan it gives you such a unique perspective on what it would be like to be one of the top riders in the world. Except that they do it every weekend...and we get to do it maybe once a year.

Craig and I both got up there early to get good parking spots and set up our trainers for the warm-up. The competition was much stiffer this year with the addition of two local hammers Gary Douville, and Brian"The Cookie Monster" Cook. Last year when I did this race I felt like I rode as well as I could have on that day. This year I felt like I was struggling the whole time and could never get on top of the gear and yet I rode almost the exact same time. Last year I rode a 36:27 and this year a 36:29. Two seconds difference... You have to marvel at the consistency of my mediocrity. Blinger on the other hand was almost two minutes faster than last year. He's getting older and wiser and I'm just getting older. We both got our doors blown off by Gary and Cookie. Gary won with a 33:47 and Cookie got 2nd with a 34:47. Floyd Landis's buddy and owner of the OUCH Cycling Team Dr. Brent Kay was 3rd and beat me by 15 seconds.....ouch! It's kind of surreal doing the race in the morning and then a few minutes later your standing in one of the VIP tents watching the pros on TV thinking "I was just right there!" and then you see them fly by you in real life. Too cool!

I'm always amazed when I see the photos that guys like Fennell and John Goodman, and Carson get. Fennell somehow got pictures of every local rider starting and finishing, as well as pictures of all the top pros. I got one picture of some blurry guy that I think was Levi but I'm not sure. By the time you realize they're coming they're already past... plus there are 100 other people all trying to take one step closer to the action getting in the way. Check out Fennells' blog to get his take on the days activities.

There were a couple funny things that happened that I thought you'd enjoy reading. Dave, Gabe, John V, Kim McD, and Barney were all gonna drive behind me in the Big Ol' Chicken Ranch truck. The amateurs aren't supposed to get follow vehicles but Dave knows everyone and was able to swing it last year. So they roll up to the course officials and one of the guys says " There's no way in hell you're taking that big rig out the course!" Dave says' " We already talked to Chuck and he said it was OK"
The guy says "Who talked to Chuck?" and Dave says " Barney did." to which the guy replies " Well I'm Chuck, and all Barney said was Hi, and there's no way in hell you're taking that big rig out on the course!" So being the quick thinkin' guys that they are, Gabe runs half a mile and gets his BMW wagon. They all pile in and drive back to the course officials. This time Chuck just laughs and waves 'em through! It's always good to hang out with Dave at pro races.

After my race John VanManakkes comes up me and says "Hey you got any jumper cables?" It seems the Rock Racing Team car, a Pimped out black Escalade had a dead battery. So we trek over to my truck grab some cables and then go hang out with the Rock Racing guys like Tyler Hamilton and Fast Freddy while they get the Escalade going again. While we're there some lady asks Tyler if she can take a picture of him......with her dogs. Being a dog lover he obliges and she proceeds to arrange her 5 dogs in the perfect position and then gets Tyler to crouch down and pose... with her dogs. She wasn't even in the picture. Just Tyler with her dogs. I thought it was funny.

The last funny story was hearing a rumor that before the race Lance Armstrong had been spotted riding the course with Jerry Seinfeld and some other guy. Upon further investigation we discovered that it was a case of mistaken identity. Lance did pre-ride the course in the morning. But not with Jerry Seinfeld and "some other guy". It was our own Dave Lettieri and Levi Leipheimer. They thought Dave was Jerry Seinfeld! And poor Levi, when he rides with Lance and Dave he gets relegated to "some other guy" status.

What great day! I look forward to doing it again next year if the opportunity arises. And if not.....well, I've already got memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks to all of you who were out there cheering us on. It really does give you an extra boost and help you go faster......except for David Jurist's "Go Chickens" sign. When I laughed it caused me to lose my breath and I never recovered. I think it cost me at least 3 minutes.....maybe more.

See ya,

Matt



Esquire, thanks for the photos!

I Feel It Important To Warn The World!

There has been some talk going on around the B Team email chain about the powers of our kits, so I feel it honorable to at least let everyone else in on the power of THE CHICKEN KIT!

The first report comes from one Mr. Matt Benko, or superhero Benko!

Hello everyone,

Well, the response to the new kits has been overwhelmingly positive which is cool. But I'm gonna tell you a true story that may make you like the kits even more. It turns out the new kits give you Super Powers when you wear them. How do I know this you ask? Let me explain.

On Tuesday morning I was riding to meet the 7:00am group at ROCO when I witnessed a crime being committed right on State St. at the corner of State and Victoria. Two kids, perhaps Jr High age were using paint pens to "tag" a couple of the store fronts. Now if I had been wearing any other kit I probably would've just ridden by thinking "What a couple of punks" but because I was wearing a brand new 2009 Team Chicken Ranch kit I felt empowered. So I did what any self-respecting Super Hero would do when placed in a similar situation......I called the police. Now I could have tried to be stealthy and whisper into my cell phone but I felt invincible at the moment so I rolled right up to the juvenile delinquents and spoke loudly into my phone "Hello police?...yeah I'm watching two kids tag a building on State and Victoria. You may want to come check it out." The criminals were startled by my boldness and the chase was on. I followed them on my bike as they ran into the City Lot and then into Victoria Court all the while steering with one hand and holding my cell phone with the other. I lost sight of the "perps" somewhere in Victoria Court so I finished describing what they were wearing to the dispatcher and then proceeded to meet the 7:00 group. But lo and behold the new kit has tracking powers as well and I spotted them again at the corner of Chapala and Figueroa. They didn't see me until I was about 15 feet away and this is when the new kit really showed the value of having your entire body encased in "faux-carbon fiber feathers". The taggers became enraged and like a wild animal when it's cornered, they attacked! They threw their orange colored paint pens right at me. This could've been a devastating blow. Thankfully I was wearing my new 2009 Team Chicken Ranch kit and the weapons bounced off of me and fell harmlessly to the floor. At the sight of this the two young thugs again ran for their lives and I continued on to Roco just catching the 7:00 group in the nick of time at 7:05!

Now I doubt the police ever caught these two vandals but that doesn't really matter. Because now they have the fear of "Chicken Justice" embedded deep in their hearts. I'm sure these two young boys will turn their lives around as a result of this encounter. They'll realize the error of their ways and look for more positive ways to express themselves. Perhaps they will go on to graduate from Harvard or Yale or UCSB and change the world. Just as we Chicken Ranchers will do in 2009. That's right...."Team Chicken Ranch....making the world a better place...one ride at a time!"

See ya out there!

Matt

Then we got this amazing report from our down under correspondent Joel Groberg, aka "Snake Charmer".

G'day Everyone,

Matt's story reminded me of something that happened to me on a ride last week, that also demonstrated the amazing powers of the Chicken Ranch Kit...
I was doing a night training ride, and for a brief section of it I was alongside a 6-lane highway. I came up on a large stick that was across the bike lane, and sticking partially into the slow lane of the highway, and stopped to drag it off the road. When I got up to I realized (besides the fact that CR kits don't improve my night vision) that the stick was really an enormous python, about 13 ft. long. I immediately shifted into Steve Irwin/SPCA/Superhero mode and tried to get it off the road and headed back into the forest beside the road...I have seen too many big pythons struck dead on the roads here.

I knew that if I dragged such a heavy snake (70lbs?) off the road backwards that I would damage it's belly scales, which here during the wet season is nearly a death sentence for a snake. I could not go out in the road to get at the head. I decided to grab it by the back of the tail and annoy it so it turned around to see what was going on. It proved to be a very good decision in the short term, because it worked!

The down side to this strategy is that by the time snake came back to see what's happening at it's tail end it was a little pissed off. It struck at me a couple of times so I did the what seemed even more logical at the time, which was try and grab it by the neck. I only missed by 2 feet, that's how far behind the head I grabbed. If you want to have a big snake bite you, grab it a couple of feet behind the head, that brings it up close to your arms, face and torso. Given those biting options I am glad the snake chose to bite me on the arm....which was protected by my Chicken Ranch Jersey!

I figured as long is it had me by the jersey that I also had it, so I quickly backed off the road, into the forest and somehow managed to separate myself from the snake, and shooed it off into the forest. The jersey now has four small cuts in the left sleeve, which no doubt would have been in my arm if I had been wearing a lesser jersey.

I actually only have the retro 04 05 and 06 kits, so If anyone has an extra kit or if Dave still has them for sale let me know, I figure if the old kits are python-proof, what must the new ones be like?

Oh, and here's another recent snake story from our local paper, this one involving a python and a..... chicken! http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/12/10/19271_local-news.html

All the best,
Joel in Cairns, Australia

Some have even thought this superhero is a Chicken Rancher, based on the similarities between our kit and his. Hmmmmmm!

We have even had one Chicken Rancher report he is so confident in the super powers his kit has he is going to wear it Elk Hunting. I'm not quite sure how that will help, but I'm waiting to hear.

The world should consider themselves warned.

Santa Barbara Duathlon

Those Chickens just don't know when to stop competing. Congratulations Joe, Matt, Lee, & Brennan. See the photos

Hello,

Well, I finally got that 2nd place monkey off my back by actually winning something on Sunday. But I must admit I was inspired to dig a little deeper by witnessing the performances of a few other athletes.

New Chicken Rancher Lee Carter won the "old guys" division in Sunday's Duathlon, and our own Joe Howell won the "really old guys" division by a mile. But that's no surprise. Joe wins everything. I'd call him a sandbagger but I checked his birth certificate and he's legit. But seriously he does win everything! He won the Carp Tri, the SB tri, and everything else he tries. I heard that after the Duathlon on Sunday he entered a Body Building Competition at East Beach and he won that too! Apparently, he beat out Old Man Steve in a pose off.

My 12 year old son Brennan also inspired me by winning the 18 and under division. Nevermind that he was the only kid under 18 in the race. A win is a win! He did finish an impressive 15th overall in the sprint race.

I know that while we were skipping along the beach on Sunday a few other Chicken Ranchers were throwin' down at Big Bear on MTB's at the Fall Classic. I'd love to hear a race report from somebody if you get a chance?

See ya soon,

Matt

Roast Week On The Blog Continues..........

So you thought roasting Matt couldn't get any funnier, well think again. Joe Howell has jumped in with some observations I'm sure will amuse everyone, except maybe Matt. ;o) Joe thanks for cleaning up the language for our sensitive readers. Congratulations Tyler!

Teammates- great reports on the Tri, with the Gritty Spaniard's report ranking as #1 on the humor scale for me. As a long time triathlete but CR newbie member and infrequent bike racer, I of course have a different perspective on triathlons in general. My bike crash in April (don't worry, was wearing an Echelon kit) meant that I had to break my long string of consecutive SB long course triathlons; actually, I was delighted to be able to complete and race, sort of, the sprint on Sunday. My report is NOT about my race; it is about what I witnessed in the transition area Sunday, pre-race.....(maybe that time period should be called "T-zerp" ,as opposed to T-1, after the swim, T-2, after the bike.....)

OK, so it is 6:00 am on Sunday. Matt is with his son Tyler and they have Tyler already set up at what is arguably the best single spot in the entire transition area, as Tyler is in the first wave. His bike and gear are on the corner, nearest the in/out spot, and the kid is ready to race. I set up my stuff on the next rack over, say hello to Matt, he introduces me to Tyler, and I try to give Tyler a little encouragement by writing his name in chalk on the pavement by his gear.

All is well until about 6:30 am. A harried Marv Bauer comes in, looking for a spot for his bike/gear and there is not one anywhere in sight. Marv is mid- 60s, recently retired trial lawyer, nice guy and about 6'5". Big guy, reasonably fit. He does the sprint every year. No wetsuit ever and essentially he does no training. (He said to me "sure glad my bike was where I left it last year after the race....and he was serious.). He is hassled, can find no spot and then decides to set up on the same rack, across from Tyler, and starts moving Tyler's bike. Matt intercedes......duh. Matt suggests, perhaps a little more directly than I am stating it now, that one arriving at 6:30 for a 7 am race perhaps should NOT move the gear of others who arrived at 5:30 and have a primo spot. Marv offers that he could care less where his bike is, he just wants an f___ing spot......."you see another spot for me? great, you find it and I'll go there."

I know both guys and decide maybe I will NOT intervene but will let it play out. I am then talking to my pals in my area, and realize their voices are louder....yep, WAY louder. I am 5 or so feet away, standing behind Marv, and I can see only his back and only part of Matt, who then says in a voice heard by at least half the transition area "do NOT put your hands on me; get your hands OFF of me!" I am thinking wow, this is not a good thing. Then.........

OK, then I am distracted, and when I look over, only Matt is there and NO, Marv is NOT on the ground- he was getting body marked. I walked over to Matt and explained Marv was a good guy and Matt assured me that they "worked it out". We discuss protecting ones kids, etc; I think things are cool, but are they??

After the race, Tyler and Matt were in the front of the crowd at the award ceremony, waiting for Tyler's well deserved hardware (actually they have "tileware" at this race, very cool), and I was standing next to Marv (as they even have tiles for top finishes for old guys). I got Marv in a headlock (with his permission), yelled at Matt and indicated that I could easily finish Marv off for him. Matt laughed, Marv laughed and fortunately, that was the uneventful conclusion of what looked like, for 30 seconds, a very exciting start to the 2008 Sprint Triathlon.

Ride safe.

Could It Be? Benko For President?

Chickens At The Santa Barbara Triathlon!

Most Chickens just enjoy participating, and competing. So quite a few of them decided to do the Santa Barbara Triathlon last weekend. Below is Matt's report. I'm hoping a few others will chime in as these one sided tongue in cheek renditions of the days happenings must be stopped. Pete, did you get some good seats for Celine? ;o) Enjoy the ride!

What a weekend!

I'm pooped. But that was a blast. Why is it that triathlons have more participants than road or mountain bike races? The timing seems like it would be a nightmare, and yet they're extremely well organized and the results are up and accurate within minutes of finishing? I don't know how they do it, but Joe Coito and his crew from the S.B. Triathlon do a phenomenal job. It's a first class event.

We had several Chicken Ranchers taking part in the festivities with some impressive showings. I'll mention some of the highlights but leave it up to the individuals to tell their own stories.

My own race went something like this:

One mile of very poor swimming.
35 miles of pretty good biking.

5 miles of mediocre running followed by 5 more miles of very painful running.

Doesn't that sound like fun? Well, actually it was fun. Challenging but fun. I accomplished my goal of finishing in the top 10 of my age group. It's getting almost comical but I managed to extend my world record string of 2nd place finishes. But one goal I did not accomplish. I bet Arick Fuller and John McFadden (both excellent swimmers) a burrito, that I would be able to catch them by the top of Toro on the bike leg.... I wasn't even close. So while I just missed feeling the thrill of victory. I can fully experience the agony of defeat. Great job guys. I just sent each of you a gift card to Taco Bell for .99 cents. Enjoy your burrito.

The all Chicken Ranch relay team of Ben Edwards, Pete Sproul, and Eric Forte won the relay division handily. The best part is that after his swim Ben ran into the transition area to tag Pete for the bike leg but Pete wasn't there. He had to wait for 2 minutes for Pete to finally show up and ride and they still won! Apparently Pete was late because Celine Dion tickets went on sale at the Arlington and he didn't want to lose his place in line. Craig Blingermans Team finished 2nd but he retains bragging rights by posting the fastest bike leg of the day. I think Blingerman's legs were a little fresher because he's not a Celine Dion fan......he prefers Barbara Streisand.

Gabriel Garcia and Robert Ramirez renewed their rivalry with Gabriel coming out on top once again. As soon as Robert figures out that the doggie paddle is not the most efficient swim stroke they might actually have some close battles. I also saw Fredrick and Mike Cage out there giving it their all. Nice job everyone!

Sundays short course saw some excellent racing action. My 13 year old son Tyler was offered $50 bucks if he could beat Brad Jellison. Unfortunately, Brad had the race of his life and he beat Tyler by 18 seconds. Tyler was bummed about not getting the $50 bucks but he finished 3rd in his age group and got a trophy so he left happy. Brad finished an impressive 7th place in his age group and left with a sore right hamstring. Brad's 17 year old daughter Kelliann also tackled the course on her own finishing 4th in her age group.

They also had a parent/child division on Sunday where parents could compete alongside their kids for moral support. Ben Edwards and his son Sean, Gabe Garcia and his son Dylan, and me and my son Brennan all took part. Ben Edwards is going to be impossible to deal with for a few weeks because not only did he win the relay division, his 11 year old son Sean also won the parent/child division. Sean is a great kid and is a gracious champion with good sportsmanship. But his father is an obnoxious braggart. So if possible, avoid all contact with Ben Edwards for at least 2 weeks until his ego returns to normal size. Gabe's son Dylan is 9 years old and weighs all of about 60lbs but he was out there running 9 minute miles and giving a lot of adults a run for their money. My 12 year old son Brennan finished 4th in the parent/child division. But more importantly, he had the fastest bike split, and as you all know the bike split is the only one that really matters.

All in all it was a great weekend. I can't wait 'till next year. My blisters should be gone by then and Tyler will be one year older and a lot faster. Brad on the other hand should be one year older and a lot slower. So I think next year I'll offer Brad $50 bucks to beat Tyler then I'll use that money to bet Arick and John that I'll catch them by the top of Gobnador and I'll still end up $48 dollars ahead!

Big thanks to all the people who were out there cheering and yelling. That was a big help.

See ya out there,

Matt

Chicken For A Day

Having received the bad news that my Platinum Performance pal and cycling mentor/motivator, Mr. Mortgage, wasn’t heading up for the Big Bear Shootout June 1 reminded me that my bicycles currently out-value my autos and none qualified as appropriate (read: reliable) transport to the start line. Enter one Former Olympian. I was down at the shop buying a really fine seat bag for the race rig (you know, the ones that come with a yellow bag with a square hole (I thought it was a free with purchase “Elephant Man”Halloween mask) when I mentioned needing a lift to the big day. The FO said he’d mention it around town and give a shout if somebody had an open seat. Seemed like one of those things that gets said and then floats off like a smoke ring. To my great shock and pleasure FO called at the beginning of race week and said that there was a cancellation and did I want to ride with---drum roll---the great chicken ranch trinity. Now, I have only been riding on two wheels without a beer in my hand for about a year and am new to SB, but not so new that I don’t know when my life is about to change! The fam and I relocated to Goleta last year from the Alamo City (clap, clap, clap, deep in the heart of Texas) last year and so we know a thing or two about ranches. I pulled up at the biggest chicken’s coop at the crack’o for the get-a-long and sure as heck, them boys showed up all a wearin’ stretchy pants, just like back in the Republic. I knew I was amongst kin.

Loaded up with the big one and the bling one, we went to Milpas and picked up what appeared to be a homeless man on a bike. But, whoa moses, there’s those stretchy pants again, spare that brother a dime! You can imagine the amount of cataloging my newbie mind was doing given this “all access” pass to observe the super chickens pre-race routines. Let’s see: there were the TWO cupcakes and a bottle of water for the homeless guy; a mysterious, peanut buttery smelling mixture eaten out of a plastic bag for the bling one and damned if the big one didn’t eat a peanut butter and jelly an hour before the race like it was 2d grade lunch period! All that restraint made me question the Belgian waffle, sausage patties and Frappacino I had slowly eaten precisely 3.4 hours before the race start.

One unfortunate episode on the way to the race, a spirit woman named Gigi, who’s voice seemed to be channeled through the bling one, gave us totally bogus directions that had us perilously close to losing almost 7.3 minutes of drive time and the homeless guys sanity. On the bright side it did give us a chance to check out Jeff’s white Yeti, TWICE! Not to fear, the troops landed with mucho tiempo to spare.

Once on the mountain everyone got right down to the business of race-preparedness, which way to the port-a-potties?!? After registrating and getting free-taco ticketed we got our collective arses in the saddle for what seemed like a 45 minute climb to the race start. The weather was fab-you-los, maybe 70 and almost no wind and the staging area was pleasantly cool. The big one was made to start early as he is big and must go further. Then off went the bling-y one with the FO on the medium loop. Sometime later, off I go with a huff and a puff or I’ll blow at altitude on the small one (and it was just right)!

The course was super fun, a long climb out of the start and then some rolly fire road. Things got interesting when the trails merged and I was greeted from behind by blingy and the FO who gave a much needed “atta boy” to the slaving limbs below me. There were some nice single track sections with varying degrees of difficulty from soft loamy dappled shade prettiness to sharp rock, pick your line or you gonna hurt, bomb-a-thons. My “glory” moment was chasing down my category foe, Mike Rauls, from team SHOW-OFF on a single track section. We had passed each other several times on the course and he made a move and got to the single track ahead of me. When we got to a fairly large spot of water, he decided to dismount and go around the edge. I quickly reflected on the situation, “what would the b team do?” I hopped off the war pony and went cyclocross through what turned out to be knee deep water and never looked back.

About 2 miles from the finish after panting up yet another climb and coming down some fairly sketchy fire road, I felt something falling on my legs. Was that thirty minute port-a-potty visit not enough to clear the bulkhead? When I looked down I saw my “Elephant Man” mask from the new seat pack wrapped around my cassette. I also realized that the recreational bikers on the trails were going to score some nice tire levers, a tube, patch kit, multi-tool and the overdue DVD’s from Blockbuster that I was going to return on the way home. Ten seconds into the argument with myself about whether to stop and clear it the jury came back: There was no flippin way daddy-o was pullin over. So I managed to shift into a gear and got a pedalin’, single-speed style. The chicken karma worked its magic and I got across the finish 4 minutes ahead of the dreaded SHOman.

The big one came in fifth in the papa category, just 7 minutes off the pace and is truly a spectacular captain of the good ship chicken ranch. FO and the bling one crossed the line 6th and 7th closer than a slow dance at the high school prom in the mama category. I, dear reader, managed top of the boxes , but then, I was chicken for a day.

PS One last amazing moment from the trip. On the way home, the FO, who is not one to camp in the outdoors, showed us how he makes “urban” s’mores. To celebrate the big right turn at the ocean and the home stretch, he produced a perfectly melted Almond Joy from his stretchy pants! Who knew the power?

Santa Ynez Valley National Mountain Bike Race

Well another Firestone (or SYVNMBS) in the books. First off, let me just say how glad I was to be racing at 8 am after pre-riding the course on Friday from 1-2:30 pm. Ouch.

Showed up around 7, got my usual 15 minute warm up in and then stood at the starting line for another 10-15 minutes. My legs had been feeling good and I’d been riding well and was really hoping to crack the top 5 this time around. I was feeling even better about that when I didn’t see Todd at the starting line. Already moved up one place before the race even started! I did notice a number of guys who I’d never seen before who looked pretty fast. Gun went off and people took off at the usual smoking pace. I settled in about mid pack, 10th or so. Kept this position for a while then moved up a couple of spots about half way through the first lap. I could see a good sized group of about 5-7 guys from my category about 25 seconds ahead of me going into the second to last climb. Held this steady through that climb then started the second to last down hill on the far end of the course. Right near the bottom there was a dip that was fairly rutted, not very narrow ruts but I managed to go from one to the other while kind of turning my handlebar a bit and partially rolled my tire. Went from about 28 lbs of pressure to 20 or less. I was thinking I would be fine if I could just get up the last hill, down and through the start/finish then to Ramirez who was feeding Matt and I. All I could think of was adding air in the shade (it was probably high 90’s by now and I was a little warm). I was pretty bummed as I had ridden pretty under control and I knew guys were going to start blowing. I (barely) survived through the start/finish where Matt caught up to me. We rode up the little start hill together and he dropping in first to the dh with the berm at the bottom. Good thing because if I’d been in front I would have taken us both out. My tire rolled again and I went straight over the berm into a pile. Got up took out my co2, struggled mightily to get it to function (amazing what o2 debt and 100 degree temps will do to your mind). Finally did and got the tire back to normal. I was pretty bummed by this time and was sitting probably in 15th or so. Decided to keep plugging away, got new bottles from Ramirez, handed him my 5 lb multitool I forgot to remove from my bike before the race and was off for lap two. 10 minutes later I found I had jinxed Matt as he was walking down the first dh with a totally blown front tire. Bummer ‘cause he was on way to at least a top 3 finish and was riding well. I started to feel better as the lap went on and passed a ton of guys. I knew I was going well when I caught up with Ron Takeda, who had passed me earlier, and went flying by him. I kept telling myself that I was going to catch guys that were blowing. I ended up passing quite a few guys including a number from my group in the last two miles, finished strong in 9thand felt good about my race despite the tire issue.

That night as I was lying in bed it kind of hit me how stupid it was to keep riding and not fix my tire right away. I could have lost 45 seconds instead of 2-5 minutes from all the super slow riding I was forced to do with the flat tire over the last couple of miles. Douh!!

Headed back over on Sunday to watch Jackson and my brother race. They both had great races with Jackson actually beating half of the kids he started with and riding really strong taking 3rd in the 12 and under category. My brother, Seth, had his best race since the early 1990’s when he used to beat me and finished 5th in Sport 30-34. Nice job to all the other CR’s out there on Sunday, especially iron man Mike Abbott who raced every event that was available to him!

See you all soon.

Pete

Santa Ynez Valley Classic Photos

John Goodman is once again kind enough to share his photos with us. I pulled out all the Chicken Ranchers (and one Nick Davis photo)from his gallery and low and behold I came to the conclusion we may not receive a race report from one Mr. Matt Benko. Pete, you are looking good, maybe we can get a report out of you. Check em out!

Robert Ramirez Gives Us His Perspective Of Sea Otter

Note From The Editor; This is not your standard G rated race report, so read at your own risk!

Cat 5 35+ Road Race: This race is really fun. There were like 40 guys all like me racing it. Brett Harrison was there to, we made quite the pair. We all had to wait 2 hours to start however, so I was able to go to the bathroom a couple more times, what a relief. My goal was to not get dropped.

On the first hill, I got dropped. Then on the 2nd hill (there are 2 hills in the race) I got dropped again. But then I was able to stick with the group for 2 straight laps and was feeling good, until my chain popped off at the bottom of the hill. I said my final good by’s to the group and rode 2 laps solo. Gabe and Mitch were passing out water bottles, but messed it up and gave my bottle of EPO to someone else and I had to drink water. On the final long climb home, as I was passing the spot where Matt Benko was rescued last year, and out of sympathy I think, I cramped. I got back to the trailer at about 8 PM and ate pasta. I had a beer (actually 2) and put on the streatchy pants.

Sport MTB Race: At 6 AM the next morning, I got up to get ready for the MTB race. It was cold. I made Kim coffee. The Race was more fun than the road race. There were about 100 guys just like me, except about 55 were faster than me. I started strong, ripping it up! I then cramped. Then I crashed. After a few minutes, I cramped again! I rode home happy but blowing sand out of my nose for quite some time. When I got back to the trailer, I ate pasta again, had a few more beers and hung out with the kids. It was way fun with all the families there and the 17 kids who were camping with us. I was able to sneak down to the podium and take a picture of Matt’s podium where he got 2nd in the circuit race, see below.



Way to Go Matt!

Matt's Sea Otter Wrap Up

Hello,

Great race reports everyone! I always enjoy reading those. I have to say that this years Sea Otter will go down on record as the funnest one yet. I think we had over 50 people from Santa Barbara either camping with us, or stopping by to say hi, or warm-up on trainers, or just hang out. The only problem is that there are so many different races and events happening at the same time it's hard to pick one to watch. I got to watch Susie and Kimberly's Circuit race and I also saw Gabe and Mitch's Circuit race. My kids had a blast and are already talking about next year! How many bike races can you say that about? They have pump tracks and obstacle courses and jumps set up for kids of all ages and they're all free. Plus the kids love just cruisin' around and getting free stickers and swag from all the vendors. Actually, so do some of the adults! Congrats to all the people who performed well. I know we had a few Chickens on the podium. I know Susie got a 4th in the Cat 3 Road Race and Gabe got a 4th in the Cat 4 Circuit Race and I managed a 2nd in the Cat 3 Circuit race. If I'm forgetting anyone I apologize.



I'll give a quick run down of the two Cat 3 races I did. It's funny, last weekend in I.V. and Ojai I felt like I had great legs and yet I made poor tactical decisions and never gave myself a shot at winning. At Sea Otter I felt like I had crappy legs but I rode smart and gave myself a chance at the end. In the Circuit race I had a really good chance, but I didn't have the legs to close the deal and got pimped at the line and ended up 2nd........again! I feel like I have a 400lb. 2nd place gorilla on my back! I've tried asking him to leave politely but it's not working. I think I'm gonna have to try drastic measures.......like training smarter! In the Road Race I was with the lead group to the base of the final climb but quickly realized you can't hide bad form on an uphill finish. I got spit out the back and ended up 29th. But then I rode back to our campsite and saw my kids all sweaty and tired with big smiles on their faces and lots of stickers on their bikes and life was good! We all sat around camp exchanging stories of how hard it was with the wind, or how cold it was and how we would do things differently next time. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that just getting out there and doing it is the important part. How we finish just changes the story we tell our family and friends. The important thing is having a story to tell, and people to share it with.

I'll try to plan a Team dinner in the near future so we can all exchange stories in person for a change. Thanks to everyone for representing Team Chicken Ranch with gritty determination and positive attitudes. Hopefully, we all inspire other people to get out there and do the same. Keep training hard, and having fun and I'll see you all out on the road.

Sincerely,

Matt

Did Matt Win?

The first day of Sea Otter and already we have a controversy. The results say Matt won the Cat 3 circuit race, or at least they did at 7:22am on Saturday.

The word on the street though is that he called home and said he got second. Hmmmmmm, guess we'll have to wait for the race report from LJ.

http://www.seaotterclassic.com/raceresults/index.cfm/2008.htm

Then choose the Circuit Race and look at the Elite Cat 3 results

Good Luck to everyone on the rest of the races.

Island View ala Gabe! Congrats Coach!

Congratulations to everyone who participated. That's what it is all about. At the bottom of this post is a slideshow of the photos John Goodman was so nice to give us permission to use. I went through his photos and pulled out all the Chicken Ranchers. Make sure you check out all the photos from the race and if you see some you like cough up some dough to John. That's what he does! Thanks John! Good Luck to those of you going to Ojai.

4/5's

KEN WINS!...........KEN WINS!..........KEN WINS!!

As you know from Dave's previous email, Ken Doyle smoked the 4/5's race with an impressive sprint that started w/ a lead out on the back side of the course.

Friday evening I stopped by Dave's shop to get a few pre-race bike adjustments. We talked really quick and he gave me the advice that we should be giving it "full gas" going into the final turn and in full sprint. So this morning I got to the start finish line and saw the rest of the CR's and relayed Dave's advice. As we were getting ready to take off, a rider from the other local team looks at me a says out loud, "I'm gonna get on your wheel for the sprint. I heard how you did at San Dimas." So I'm thinking, "great, just tell everyone to mark the CR'ers." Going into the race, a few of us had talked and determined the obvious, we have to be in the top 3 out of the final corner. The consensus was that whoever was positioned into the final turn would start the lead out. Whether it be me, Craig Foley, Pete Sproul, Brett Harrision, etc....

As the race got going, it was noticeable that the CR's were going to have a good showing. We were constantly near the front and looking strong. But mid-race going into turn #1, some knucklehead pulled a typical Cat5 move and tried to squeeze in between the curb and Craig Foley, who happened to be on my wheel at the time. The next thing I hear was bikes crashing and riders yelling. Craig was able to remount and get back on, but the bruises and bike issues prevented him from moving back to the front.

Going into the final lap I was somewhere around top 5 coming out of turn 2. On the back stretch, Ken moved up on the inside and I got on his wheel. We quickly passed the one guy in front of us coming out of turn 3. As soon as we came out of turn 4, Ken started his sprint w/ me on his wheel and Pete Sproul and Brett Harrision on my wheel. On the final stretch, I went to the left to come around Ken, but it was about that time that Ken kicked in the supercharger and held me at bay. At this point I became a riding cheerleader yelling, "GO KEN GO, YOU GOT IT!" The impressive part was that Ken led it out on the back side and was able to hold it going into turn 3 and 4 and finishing it off at the end. Both Pete and Brett then came around on the cool down lap to congratulate Ken and mentioned they both got top 5. We ended up w/ 4 of the top 5 placings. A friend later said that it looked awesome in the final sprint w/ a wall of CR riders spread across the road sprinting to the finish.

35+
In the 35+ race, I went into it w/ the job of helping w/ the work load at the front. As soon as the race started, the tempo was high, but not flying. That soon changed when a large group of 8+ riders got off the front and quickly put 15 seconds into the pack. A couple of teams were represented in the break, but unfortunately CR wasn't one of them. There were a couple of teams blocking at the front, so Craig Foley and I both went to the front to string it out and try our best to drop the gap. A few laps later Dave Larsen took a monster pull w/ both me and Matt on his wheel to help w/ the chase.

The break was finally brought back, and it as at this point that I thought I could recover a bit. But a couple of big hitters decided to give it another go, and we found ourselves chasing again. A number of CR's took our turns at the front, but the blocking teams did a good job of not allowing an organized chase. For me, after numerous turns on the front, my legs were shot. With 2 laps to go, I thought my work was done and I could just sit in and cruise to the finish in the pack. But just as I was moving back into the pack from a turn on the front, Dave yelled, "Gabe, go to the front and bury yourself." So that’s what I did. I went to the front and fried my legs to the point that I could no longer pedal. My work was done and I cruised in alone in serious pain. Thanks Dave! :-)

With a full day of racing behind me, I now have to try and recover, so we repeat the CR success of today.

See you tomorrow,
gabriel

Testrider.com Does It Again!

You have to see the latest from testrider.com A terrific video of a flying chicken who had the good fortune of riding in the time trial stage of this years Tour of California. The Isaac Bike and Zipp wheel set up made for a very fast bike. Kudo's to Dave, Matt, and especially Ben.

A Flying Chicken!

Mr Benko is still living the Tour of California Dream. The video below just showed up on youtube. Whoever the mystery filmaker is we appreciate the Chicken Ranch commercial. Fly Chicken Fly!




The mystery cameraman is Coach Ken. Good Job Mr. Doyle!

Craig & Matt's Big Adventure

Hello everyone,

Yesterday Craig and I got to be the ultimate posers........and it was awsome! The Solvang local organizing committee for the Tour of California offered the chance to ride the official TOC TT course right before the pros, to the first 20 people who ponied up a thousand bucks. It was a great way for them to raise money to help offset the costs of having the race come to town and offer a unique experience to the participants. I may have to ride my current bike for an extra year or two to justify it with my wife but it was worth every penny!



Our adventure began Thursday night when they had a "Meet and Greet" dinner up in Solvang. Craig brought his son Charlie and I brought my date for the evening......Dave Lettieri. I have to admit that Craig and I were both kinda thinking it'd probably be pretty easy to get one of the top 3 podium spots since there were only going to be 20 competitors. But our hopes of an easy ride were quickly dashed when in our group there were 2 age group National Track Champions and 2 age group State TT Champions. Damn it! Why couldn't it be 18 old farts then Craig and I......Oh yeah, we are old farts. Anyways the dinner was fun and we went to sleep excited and nervous for the next days race.

I had the added bonus of getting to ride a tricked-out top-of-the-line TT bike provided by our friend (and sponsor..) Ben at TESTRIDER.COM. It was a fancy Isaac frame with the latest Zipp wheels and bars. Big thanks to Dave and Luke for getting the thing set up in time so I could ride it. Dave said I was more of a pain in the ass, and caused him more stress than wrenching for Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France! Ben attached a camera to my bike so he could film the whole route and also followed in a car filming the bike in action. He should have a segment up on the web site soon with the footage. So you can stop teasing me about riding with a dorky triathlete water bottle mount behind my seat, it was a camera battery!

Friday morning gave us wet roads and cloudy skies. Now I was already nervous about riding the course with a bunch of people watching, the rain just made it worse. They set up a warm-up area for us behind Dr. J's bike shop. Big thanks to Gabe (AKA #4), Dave, Brian, Jelly, and anyone else I'm forgetting for helping us out and making us feel less stressed. Gabe was awesome, setting up trainers, pumping up tires, grabbing goos, it was like having a pro pit crew! Now I know Craig had been battling illness ever since we got back from Valley of the Sun. I guess the late night make-out sessions with Larsen finally caught up to him and he caught the same bug that took Larsen down in Phoenix. To his credit he never complained, never made any excuses, he just went about his business as if everything was fine. But seeing him on the trainer I could already tell he was hurting, I didn't even have to ask. You know how when somebody's sick you can just see it in their eyes or in their face? He had that look. I felt bad for him cause I know we both wanted to be able to compare our times to the pros when we're at our best. But you know what? On a day when his body would only give him 80% Craig gave 110% and I was proud of him. In the big picture, how we rode didn't matter as much as the fact that we got to ride at all, and he wasn't going to miss this no matter how sick he was.

I can't even tell you how cool it was! There we are, up on the starting ramp, and the announcer is telling the crowd about our racing accomplishments....although in the case of Craig and I we don't really have any racing accomplishments so he just talked about our wifes and kids! Still cool though. You know that beeping timer you always hear at the Tour before the riders start the TT's? beep...beep...beep...BEEP! That was cool! Plus the guy holding his hand in front of your face counting down with his fingers 5..4..3..2..1..Go! I was so amped up coming down the start chute with all the people ringing bells and banging on the barriers I hit the corner to start the first steep climb and my legs were already burning. I had to keep telling myself to calm down. It was so awesome seeing and hearing people you knew all over the course yelling and cheering for you. I remember big groups of Chicken Ranchers screaming on the first climb, in Los Olivos, on Ballard, and at the finish. Too cool! Having a personal lead motorcycle the whole way was really cool also. Coming through the finishing straight was probably the best part though. Solvang already looks like a little European town so it was easy to imagine you were in France or Belgium or somewhere other than your own backyard with thousands of people yelling at you. I rode as close as I could to the barriers just to get the full effect! And just like that....36 minutes and 27 seconds after I started it was over. After I caught my breath I was standing near the start area giving the post-ride report to Ben, and Pete and a few others when this old lady walks up to me and says "Can I take a picture with you?" I said "Well, you can but I'm nobody famous!" and she said "That's OK. To me you are." Right then I realized that Craig and I didn't have to go around trying to fool people into thinking we were pro riders. They were willing to pretend right along with us. To that lady I was dressed like a pro and I had a number on, so that was good enough for her, and to me, she was my one adoring fan. Too funny. Hopefully she never shows the picture to a real cyclist 'cause they're gonna ask her "Who's the linebacker in the skinsuit?" I was on an emotional high the whole rest of the day. Replaying every little part of the race in my head and trying to remember all the details. I accomplished all my goals. I didn't crash. I beat a couple pros (of course they rode 7+ hours in the wind and rain the day before!) and I made the time cut-off. So if I had actually been in the Tour of California I would have been allowed to continue today.........when I would have promptly been dropped.

Thanks to everyone out there who played into our "Pro for a day" dream race and cheered for us. It was definitely the ride of a lifetime and an experience I will never forget. Just to make sure my head didn't get too big, when I got home my 13 year old son Tyler asked me how I did. I told him I got 2nd in the amateur race and I would've been 95th in the pro race. He asked how may pros there were and I told him 104 started the day. He said "So you got 95th out of 104?.........that sucks!"

Matt

Chickens Dominate ToC TT

Last year when I was able to make the TT for the Tour of Cali it never crossed my mind that a chicken (b teamer) would ever be coming across the finish line. There wasn't just one, there were two.

If you missed the sports page the other day you may have shown up and been surprised yourself.

The Mutant (I didn't know which of his nicknames to use), and Blingerman tore it up.



There were plenty of locals and fellow chicken ranchers rooting them on. I hope we can get some of the videos I heard about on the web.

Congratulations Matt and Craig! Below are some photos that were sent around on the email string. I included Steve O's album in the photos as well. If you want to check out his album you can go directly to http://picasaweb.google.com/steveoinsb/TourOfCaliforniaSolvangTimeTrial/photo#s5170003290465518162

The Tour of Cali is such a great event to have come through town. I am hoping to make it down to the start of today's stage. I saw some of the highlights last night and it looked like Levi was a man among boys. It sure is going to be a real bummer if his team isn't let in to the Tour de France this year.