Some Ventura Updates!

For those of you interested in doing the Ventura SR in a few weeks, you might want to know that they changed the TT course. It was originally slated to end on a steep, out of the saddle climb, where the use of a TT bike was not beneficial.


Its my guess that they changed it in order to keep the spectators in downtown Ventura and to make the race more competitive. The course now wraps around the streets of downtown w/ 2 short climbs and some straightaways. It no longer has the long steep climb. The time gaps will now be closer after the TT.

http://www.bikestyleusa.com/ventura_county_stage_race.html

http://www.mapmyride.com/edit_route?r=883123869389998202

Gabriel

For anybody not riding the Ventura Stage Race, Sea to Summit is also that weekend, the 16th. It's 88 epic miles, lots of climbing, that starts in Ventura and ends at Mnt. Pinos. Typically has a fairly small turn out of 100 or so riders, but there is always a group of 15 or 20 that are racing it with full support vehicles. It is a lot of fun and a real accomplishment to just finish. Here is our own Danny Rudd's excellent blog about last years event....
http://onthebteam.blogspot.com/2008/05/sea-to-summit.html


Here is a map of the course: http://home1.gte.net/res19999/sea2sum.jpg

Here is some info, mainly for volunteers but it has ride contact stuff as well. I have a flyer I can email to anyone interested. It is run by some Quasi Cult Religious Rehab program, but hey, if you expire at the summit your soul will be taken care of.

Best,

Ben

http://www.testrider.com/

A Mountain Biker Is Born!

Hi fellow chickens and chickenettes,

(warning, this is a long one, so if you want the bottom line, skip to the bottom)

So today I did my first mountain bike race. So many of you made it seem like so much fun, I just had to try it! As expected there were some hiccups, but all in all a spectacular time, and I can't wait for the next one!

So I borrowed a bike, graciously loaned by fellow chickenette Kim Lyons. The only problem was, the bike was in Santa Ynez, and I wouldn't be able to get it until the morning of the race. Not a problem, I thought, I could just get there early and figure it out then. I would jsut swap out the pedals, adjust the seat, and go. Which is pretty much what happened, although not without the help of Barney, because I wasn't strong enough to get Kim's pedals OFF the bike! (note to self--must build upper body strength a tad...). Then the rear tire was flat!

While holding the bike while Kim took the wheel off, I did what I guess anyone who has disk brakes knows you should NEVER do, somehow I pulled the brake lever. Oops. Then the wheel wouldnt go back on. NOthing like last minute mechanic work-- I got to learn how disk brakes worked, and got the brake working again (thanks to Mark Luke and David Larsen and Blinger). Then I got to preride a little, and get everyone's last minute advice. Some of it included...pedal up the hills, just use your granny gear, it's all in your head, get in front before the climbs, etc. Sounds easy enough, I thought!

At the start, I was with the other 15 or so beginner women. I got a good start and passed all but 1 person before the first hill. I had a good gap on the rest of the field, but that was soon thwarted when I realized I didn't know how to climb the hill! I got in my granny gear and spun happily, until the front wheel started coming off the ground...I shifted my weight forward, but with no prior practice....alas I lost so much momentum I had to get off and run. A girl passed me and

then I was mad. I got to the top of the hill and soon there was an

off-camber downhill. I love to go downhill, but alas, when you have never done something, it might not be the time to pull out all the stops! I was flying along happily, and then hit a little bump and flew in the air. Came down fine, but scared myself a bit and decided I should slow down. Unfortuantely that didn't happen in time before i hit another bump and didn't land so well that time. I flew in the air and landed on my elbow. Ouch. I layed there a minute or 2 and let a few guys pass me, and 2 girls. The guys asked me if I was ok, and I"m pretty sure I said "I'm not sure". Good answer...

Anyway, I decided I was fine, and that I needed to keep racing. I got back on my bike and off I went. I was feeling ok, but there was a lot of blood. I didn't really like that thought, so I forgot about it. I passed the guys again, to which they said "I guess you're ok" and kept going. I passed one girl and then saw the other. I kept going...by this time the course got a LOT easier (or I started figuring out how to ride this fat tire thing). I finally got to open it up and use my cardio fitness a little, and then I noticed that the race was almost over. Oops. Nothing like hitting your groove at mile 10 of an 11 mile

race! I passed the final girl on the run into the finish in a

crit-worthy sprint. Aside from a horrible bruise and an abrasion/laceration worse than I've ever had in a road race, I'm good to go.

The bottom line: I got 2nd place in my age group...and more importantly had a great time! I think I'll be partaking in more dirt rides in the future!

It was really fun seeing all the chickens there! I saw lots of chickens on the podium! It was very fun and I really appreciated all the comraderie and fun. Congrats to you all--I won't mention you by name since there were so many and I'm sure you want to brag on your own!

Thanks for making my first mountain bike race fun.

Cheers,

Kimberly

Multiuse Trails Coalition Updates & Opportunities

Dear Trail Users,

This past Thursday, April 16th the City, County, and USFS sponsored a "stakeholder group" meeting to review ongoings of our front country trails before the May 6th Task Force public hearing. Groups represented were ourselves, SBMTV, Sierra Club, and Santa Barbara Trails Council.

The agenda of the meeting consisted of review of current trail maintenance projects, trail leader training and IMBA Trail Care Crew visit, upcoming State and National Trail Days, and current recommendations by the staff.

As for current front country projects: a USFS crew just finished working on a large part of Rattlesnake Cyn. They are now focusing on fire burned areas in the back country. Our own Front Country Trail Crew will be hosting Happy Hour on the trail next Tuesday to do a little debrushing on Jesusita towards Inspiration Point. Contact us if interested in attending.

A review of trail crew leaders training and the IMBA Care Crew was discussed in some detail. Both events had excellent attendance and show that many people are willing to become involved in local trail maintenance.

State Trail Day is this Saturday! Join the USFS and LPFA to help clean up North Tunnel/Matias Trail in Devils Canyon. Click HERE for more info.... Mark your calendars now! Although National Trail Day is 6/6, locally we will be celebrating it on 6/13 by cleaning up Romero Canyon Trail. This event is going to be old school Chris King style huge! Plan on an after party at Manning Park just like in the old days, check our volunteer calendar for the details of this event.

As for the recommendations, they are slowly coming into shape. Budgets by the agencies are being made to hire a part time Trails Coordinator. Other topics included the ongoing debate of the UTAP Trail Condition Survey Method and how to go about surveying our trails. More to come on this topic.. Next Public Hearing is on 5/6 and if you would like to comment about any of the above topics please attend this meeting to do so.

And Other Upcoming Events...

Bicicentro needs volunteers for Earth Day, Sunday 4/19. Bicicentro is expecting to help valet up to 500 bikes throughout the day. Needless to say they need help to make this happen. Contact Ed France if you can help out edfrance@gmail.com.

Santa Ynez Mountain Bike Classic Needs You! Kim Lyons and Hecker are looking for volunteers to help out with the SYMBC happening on the 24th-26th of April. They are in need of all types of positions and are offering a prize raffle for all that help out. Contact Kim for more info kimlyons@myway.com.


--
Thank you,

The Multiuse Trails Coalition,

http://www.multiuse.org/

Aprils Fools Retro Ride!

Hey All,
Good weather, good riding and baaad clothing...this is what the retro ride is all about.



Thanks to all who didn't take themselves too serious and managed to find some old stuff at the very bottom of the drawer.

Smiles all around today...Gene taking Bates by storm and Letteri getting the sprint at the Polo fields.

Again, Thanks for making the Peleton colorful

Best, Aaron

p.s. I have a new found respect for Carlos' 30 mph photography skills

Thanks Very Much To Groups Like These!

I will take the bullet for this one. These organizations should have been front and center on this blog a long time ago. Check them out and check out their sites often. (links on the right, for easy access) Most importantly get involved when you can! THANKS!!!!!

March 26th - 29th: Visiting Trail Experts Will Inspire Local Sustainable Trail Maintenance. Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew Coming to SANTA BARBARA

The International Mountain Bicycling Association's (IMBA) Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew will be in SANTA BARBARA, March 26th through March 29th to talk trails, teach people sustainable trail building technique, and spend quality time on trail with volunteers.

March 26th, Presentation “Club Care – Reinvigorating Your Club”: 6:30pm - 8:30pm, Faulkner Gallery - Santa Barbara Central Library, 40 East Anapamu Street. Open to the public.
This presentation focuses on techniques that advocacy groups across the country have used to reach goals, overcome, challenges, and build up their community. Any trails, outdoor, environmental, or sports based organization will benefit from this workshop. Included will be ideas on sustaining boards of directors, recruiting members, and making sure that everyone has a great time participating in their organization. No cost and no registration required.

March 28th, IMBA Trail Building School and trail work.
8:30am - 5:00pm, Louise Lowery Davis Center 1232 De La Vina St Santa Barbara, CA: Pre-registration is required.

Registration: http://go.imba.com/santabarbara or register by email to chris.orr@sbmtv.org or ray@sbtrails.org.

Supporting Santa Barbara County Trails
Since 1969, the Santa Barbara County Trails Council has dedicated itself to working with local government agencies and other organizations on the development of a safe and sustainable trail network, acquisition of new trails and support for volunteer trail maintenance programs. SBTC plays a key role in bridging the differences among trail user groups as we work towards building a network of trails that serve the entire community.

SBTC IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONThat raises funds through membership dues, grants and private donations to keep our local trails open to the public. Our members include hikers, equestrian groups, mountain bikers, trail runners who are dedicated to building a multi-use trail network that works for everyone.
Please join with SBTC to support the development of new trails and the maintenance of our existing ones. Members receive a copy of the Santa Barbara Front Country Trail map, a quarterly newletter as well as updates on the trails.

Join now and support our local trails.
Santa Barbara Trails CouncilPO Box 22352, Santa Barbara, CA 93121

Phone: 805-886-5776 • sbtc@sbtrails.org

Keyesville, Podiums and Good Times!

Last year, I made the trip w/ the CR'ers to the Keysville Classic MTB race to test the early season MTB legs on the 16 mile Sport Class race (8 mile loops). The race started and right from the gun I had a good lead on my group. A few looks over the shoulder and I could see my lead increasing. About a 1/3 of the way through the first lap and I'm feeling great...catching and passing the racers from the groups ahead. Then, somewhere along the course, I took a wrong turn and ended up going through the Start/Finish line only 4 miles into the race on what was supposed to be an 8 mile loop. I had no idea where I turned off. I rolled into the feed zone where Matt asked, "what happened?" I took a wrong turn when leading the race and was forced to DNF. That race bothered me all last season.

Well this Saturday, I made the trip again. I put no pressure on myself and just thought of doing my best. The 30-44 Sport Class had a good turn out and I was just hoping for a good showing. This time, I wasn't going to go off the front and get lost again. I planned on following a wheel through the first lap and put in a hard effort on the second lap. The race starts and I find myself off the front 1/4 of the way through the first lap. One look back and I have a huge gap. I decide to hit it hard and hope for the best. Going into the second lap, I take a quick look back and second place is nowhere in site. At this point I'm feeling good and thinking that I might pull off my first MTB win. Going into the finish, I pass some spectators and they yell, "no one in site, you got it." I come through and got the win, incuding the best time of the day for the Sport classes. It was a feeling of relief and satisfaction. I redeemed last year's screw up and my poor performance 2 weeks ago at the Nevada Stage Race. Today, I had the legs and the lungs.



As a team, we also had some other great performances, including another win by a CR'er. I'll let them give their reports, but I'll give you a hint. The winner of the 44+ Sport Class owns a bike shop in town :-) We got a bunch of top ten's and a lot of good times. As always, racing with the Rancher's is awesome.

Since we all like pics, I've attached a bunch from the trip.

Gabriel

Hello everyone,


The Keyesville Classic has been goin' on for twenty years, and is the first Mountain Bike race I ever did. It's definitely got an "Old School" feel to it and there are many people that always fit Keyesville into their race calendar. The course is one of the best anywhere with enough climbing to make your legs burn and enough fast technical descending to keep it interesting, and the scenery is pretty awesome as well.


They moved the Cross Country event to Saturday this year so me and a few other Chickens left Friday night to make the 4 hour drive to our chosen resting spot the Paradise Cove Lodge. It was kinda weird how we arrived around 11pm, went straight to our rooms, and left at 7:30am in the morning without ever seeing anybody. We never checked in. Never signed anything. There was no front desk. We just walked in, slept and left. Awesome! The rooms were actually better than expected. Mine and Roberts even had a TV but it took us 15 minutes to figure out how to turn it on, and another 30 minutes to figure out how to turn it off. We had the same problem with one of the lights so we just un-screwed the lightbulb....like I said..."Old School."


We awoke to a beautiful clear morning with frost on the ground but no clouds in the sky. When we arrived at the venue we found a perfect spot for the Chicken Rig right on the course. So we could basically sit on the tailgate and hand out water bottles. During the Sport race Matt Perry, Pete Sproul and I hung out and watched the action waiting to give the guys their feeds. Gabe was on fire, and at the end of the first lap he already had a huge lead and we knew he was gonna win barring catastrophe. Dave came through in 2nd place in his race but he didn't even take a bottle 'cause his eyes were so focused on the guy right in front of him who was leading at that point. I said to Perry "It's over. Nobody smells the finish line like Lettieri!" and I was right. He wasn't gonna let this chance to win his first MTB race slip thru his fingers. Rob Ramirez and Brian Bermudes had a good little battle going on with Bermudes coming out on top at the end. Normally it's Lettieri battling with Ramirez...or Zimmerman....or Gabe...or Jellison...or Cuttler. It's funny how everyone wants to beat Ramirez. I mean sure, he is a little annoying sometimes, but way down deep inside somewhere he's actually a really nice guy. The battle between Rod Garrat and Philip Friden never materialized because Philip adheres to the Robert Ramirez approach to bike maintenance. Which means....don't do any. As a result he had multiple mechanical issues and was unable to finish. We'll have to let them duke it out at the next race. Which for Rod will be next years Keyesville Classic.


After we handed out the bottles it was time for me to eat my normal pre-race meal. A peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. I went to my cooler and to my surprise found that I had remembered the loaf of bread, but forgot the peanutbutter and the Jelly. Instead of eating dry bread I went down to the expo area and ordered two breakfast burritos from the local food vendor. Not the smartest decision I've ever made. While I doubt it affected my performance in the race. It did have a profound affect on the flavor and texture of my burps for the next 2 hours. Our class was a combined 30 to 44 age group so I got to race with some of the younger guys for a change. Which I thoroughly enjoyed for the first lap and the third lap. I didn't enjoy it so much on the second lap mainly because they all rode away from me and I couldn't seem to do anything about it. I kept pluggin along and according to the other Chickens I finished in 6th place or so. I'm not really sure since we didn't stick around for the results. In fact when I came across the line, Dave grabbed my bike and began loading it in the car. Bermudes washed me off with a bottle of water, and Ramirez gave me a Coke and a smile and said "Let's go!" We were in the car and ready to go literally 10 minutes after I finished the race. Bermudes's water bottle shower was easily the most enjoyable part of my day.


The drive home was relaxing. Mostly because Dave was in a good mood and wasn't trying as hard to get back to the shop to sell bikes. Paul Donahoe was driving the other car and they also had a race winner in their vehicle as well so they seemed to be in good spirits. We stopped at local restaurant in Bakersfield to fill up our stomachs for the drive home. I can't remember the name of the place....something like "Kebobs R Us" or something like that. It wasn't too bad, and it fit our criteria for a post meal as outlined by Dave and Robert....."No shitholes!" That was Robert's request when asked where we should go to eat. We first attempted to go to some Hawaiian Bar-B-Que joint but Dave walked in then turned around and walked out and declared..."It's a shithole!" so we opted for Kebobs R Us instead.





During the drive home Paul Donohoe kept "drafting" or "sitting on the wheel" of the Chicken Rig all the way from Bakersfield to Ventura. We were using walkie-talkies to communicate between vehicles and when they pulled abruptly around us and proclaimed "We're gonna win the sprint!" before taking their exit to drop off Gabe, we used the oldest trick in the book to teach them a lesson about etiquette. We informed them that since we were on the same team we would not contest the sprint for the win and congratulated them on a job well done. As soon as they backed off the gas I punched it and the Chicken Rig accelerated like Cavendish in the last 500 meters. They tried to cover our move but alas it was too late and we crossed the finish line at the Victoria off ramp with our hands in the air and a comfortable "half-car-length" margin of victory! They'll try to tell you a different story, but in their heart of hearts I think they know.


Great weekend Chickens! Let's do it again!


Matt

Kimberly reports from Madera!

Hi there,


Well stage one of madera is behind me. It was the crit. Not much to report other than I narrowly missed winning the prime and was top 10 at the finish. The race started 45 minutes late...so much for a well timed warmup!! Race was slow...I took a couple of flyers and tried to make it more fun. Picked a wheel at the end but there were too many teams and the girl I was on wasn't fast enough. I came around about 10 people but it wasn't enough to win. At least I showed them that even though I have no teammates, chicken ranch is hardcore :) and now I am fresh for the tt.

I saw Aaron long...his crit was later so I don't have a result. His tt is later too. I think we are the only 2 chicken ranchers here...

Tt is in a few hours.

 
Ok...so the TT is behind me...and it only took 4.5 hours for the results to come out.

The actual TT was hard, as all TT's are...however, I felt pretty fast!

In the 10.5 mile course, I manged to pass 6 people! I was feeling pretty good about it, but of course you never know until the results come out....

So...it turns out I got 3rd place in the TT (out of second by ONE SECOND), and therefore am 3rd overall in GC. 1st place claims to have a TT time over 1 minute faster...bummer! Oh well...we'll have to see how things shake out tomorrow. There are a couple people not so far back, so the Road race is going to be hard tomorrow.

So think fast thoughts tomorrow as I attempt the 68 mile road race. I don't know where I'm going to find the energy for it!

Thanks for all the good luck vibes...madera is now behind me! The road race today was long. Not particularly hard, just long. I tried to win on a solo flyer on the last climb...but alas it was not to be and I got caught. I managed to grab a wheel and finish with the leaders though...so I thought I had 3rd locked up...only to find put I got 4th cause they had forgotten to give the girl who got 4th in the tt a bonus from the crit. So I got 4th by 2 seconds. Damn... Oh well the prize was identical- a velobob t shirt and $10.

It was fun, and at least I finished strong!!

Kimberly

Sent from my iPhone