SoCalCross UCI Weekend #2 11/6-7: formerly LA Dam Cross is now UCI Cyclocross LA: Live at the Greek!
The weekend’s racing will officially move to the City of Los Angeles’ largest and most popular park: Griffith Park – Vermont Canyon at the Greek Theatre. Griffith Park is just 15 miles south of Hansen Dam and located in the City of Los Angeles.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME CHANGE: FALL BACK ONE HOUR SATURDAY NIGHT!
Slated to race this weekend so far coming from out of town in the elite men’s race: Team Radioshack’s – Chris Horner, Ride Clean/Kona’s Ryan Trebon, Rapha-Focus’ Chris Jones and Zach McDonald, Rabobank/Giant’s Adam Craig, Team Clif Bar’s Troy Wells, Cal Giant’s – Cody Kaiser, Jeremy Ferguson, and Justin Robinson, Redline’s Ryan Iddings.

On the women’s side coming to SoCalCross we have: Sue Butler and Kathy Gaston Sherwin (Hudz-Subaru), Barbara Howe (Ibis), Redline’s Kari Studley, HRS Rocklobster’s Sarah Kerlin, Courtney, Devon Haskell and Courtney Dimple (Bike Aptos) and more!
These riders will take on So Cal’s best riders including Prestige Series Leaders Allison Mann (Rock N Road) and Sid Taberlay (Sho-Air), Brandon and Kyle Gritters (Rock N Road), Trina Baumsteiger (Rambuski) Amanda Schaper (SDG Factory), The Bailey Boys – Bailey and Behrens, our local young studs U23 Morgan Ryan (The TEAM SoCalCross) studdettes, Coryn Rivera (PB&Co 2012), Kendall and Alexis Ryan (TEAM SoCalCross), Megan Elliott (Black Mtn) and more slated to join the fun!

We hope you can join us to race, recreate or advocate the benefits of the bicycle!

LOCATION: GRIFFITH PARK – VERMONT CANYON AT THE GREEK THEATRE…. GOOGLE MAP LINK HERE
The cyclocross festival will take place in Griffith Park – Vermont Canyon just north of the Greek Theatre which sits on the south side of the park in the Hollywood Hills. Enter park at Hillhurst or Vermont Ave off Los Feliz. It is the City of Los Angeles’ largest park and a tourist destination including: Griffith Park Observatory and views of the City below and famous Hollywood sign.

HOST HOTEL: Hampton Inn – Burbank Airport – $99 rate singles or doubles – Mention code SCC (SoCalCross) when booking. Call the hotel directly at: 818-768-1106. Special rate increases at 12:01am Pacific time – basically midnight tonight. After that the rate goes to $109/nite. Free hot breakfast from 6:00am-10:00am daily. Free shuttle service to and from Burbank Airport.

PREFERRED AIRPORT: Burbank Airport approx. 10 miles from Griffith Park. LAX works too!

SCHEDULED RACE TIMES: (see detailed race flyer below) This weekend double header is two days of SoCalCross Prestige Series racing – same schedule both days! UCI elite men and women will have to follow the guidelines of tire width and bikes, but the rest of the racing there are no restrictions. Road bikes with road tires are not recommened – hard tail MTBs are best if you don’t have a CX bikes. We also have a modest fleet of demo bikes thanks to Fuji, Jamis for supporting the demo fleet. $10 rental fee per race. You can reserve them online as well at our official registration page at: SportsbaseOnline

We’ll fine tune and revise the course for day 2… for a second chance at exciting cyclocross action! ** DON’T FORGET THE TIME CHANGE SATURDAY NIGHT – WE FALL BACK ONE HOUR SUNDAY.

PARKING: SoCalCross is renting the parking lot at the Greek Theatre so you can be close to the action. It wil cost a lot to do this so we are asking Racer Parking is $5 per vehicle. Please do everything you can to use this parking lot and not the street parking on Vermont Canyon road. Although the City has allowed us the use for our permitted event, we want to keep the street spots open for trail users and passerbys who want to check out the festival. We want this sport to grow and need your support. If you would like to set up your TEAM tent inside the race expo please send me an e-mail. There is limited space for team tents inisde the race course and will designate a spot in the course for teams with children. Please RSVP with Dot@SoCalCross.org… first some first serve.
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SOCALCROSS TAKES CENTER STAGE AT THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES’ LARGEST AND MOST POPULAR PARK, SO LET’S CELEBRATE THE BENEFITS OF THE BICYCLE!
-WORLD-CLASS UCI ELITE MEN AND WOMEN’S RACE!
-CYCLO-CROSS RACING FOR ALL LEVELS FROM 6 TO 65!
-JUNIORS RACE FREE WITH USA CYCLING LICENSE!
-YOUTH AND KIDS RACES ARE FREE!
-FREE BEGINNER’S CYCLOCROSS CLINIC!
FUN EVENTS FOR THE WEEKEND:

4:30-7:30PM FRIDAY – MEET KONA’S RYAN TREBON AT ORANGE 20 BIKES FOR A RIDE TO THE PARK, 5PM CX BASICS & 6:30pm HAPPY HOUR: Ryan and accompanying elite riders will be on hand to teach a mini CX clinic while the CX course in the Park. He will share his experiences as CX and MTB National Champion and racing cyclocross in Europe. The ride returns to the shop for some refreshments and happy hour treats. The ride and clinic are free – please arrive at 4:00PM to check in. Lights recommended for the return to Orange 20.
ADDRESS: 4351 Melrose Ave. LA,CA 90029 CALL: 323 66-BIKES

FACE BOOK MEET UP ROAD RIDES TO THE PARK! Details coming as they unfold. Supported by the Women’s Cycling Challenge and various cycling clubs across LA! Look for your local clubs to host rides to meet up and ride to the park. All dirt trails in Griffith Park are closed to bicycles, but the vistas and routes on the paved roads within the park offer scenic climbs above the City! AND, the Los Angeles River Bike Path has miles of amazing bicycle paths along the urban river path full of wildlife unseen except from these paths! Learn about the upcoming LACBC River Ride for volunteers later that month to help improve the 2011 LACBC Los Angeles River Ride!
1:00pm each day… CLASSIC BIKE PARADE! SHOW OFF YOUR BICYCLE PRIDE! The Bike Parade lead out the women’s elite race as they prepare to race, the bicycle parade will do one lap in the parking lot just before the elite women’s call ups.
2:30pm each day… FIRST TIMER & TEAM RELAY CX RACE FOR ADVOCACY! Benefiting the LACBC, CORBA, and the John Wayne Cancer Foundation! Join us for The TEAM RELAY CX RACE for ADVOCACY…. each day at the conclusion of the UCI Elite Women’s race as the pro men get their first call to staging. This first timer friendly race will start/finish on the dirt straight then turn into Kids Race loop and then will make its way into the real course and sand pit to the complete the loop. Tag team for 3 laps. Best team in each category wins. Race, Recreate, Advocate the benefits of the bicycle! $5 donation per person and we’ll create TEAMS of 2-3. Mass start one team rider or tanden on course at a time. Categories: 1 – Commuter-SS, 2- CX geared racer, 3- first timer-fun bikes including tandems. Winners will receive awards in each category.
6pm – 9pm SATURDAY NIGHT MID-SEASON CROSS PARTY! Details coming soon!

8:00AM SUNDAY DAYLIGHT SAVINGS HIKE IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS. Lead by Team Duke and the John Wayne Cancer Foundation! Join SoCalCross’ mission to Cross out Cancer. Meet at 7:30am at the Team Duke Booth… sign up, get some coffee and muffins and head out no later than 8:00am on this short 30 minute hike heading north into Vermont Canyon and up the hill to one of the most amazing views of the City of LA including the Griffith Park Observatory, the Hollywood sign, the City of Los Angeles including downtown LA, central LA and West LA to the Pacific Ocean. Climb higher up and you can see into the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valley for a 360 degree panorama! Believe me, it is worth the hike!

REMEMBER GRIFFITH PARK IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE TO ALL USERS INCLUDING EQUESTRIANS AND HIKERS – THE TRAILS ARE NOT OPEN TO BICYCLES. ENJOY THE ROAD…BICYCLES MUST STAY ON THE PAVED ROADS! THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPECT OF THIS MOST BEAUTIFUL PRECIOUS RESOURCE IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES AND WORK TOGETHER TO PROMOTE THE BENEFITS OF THE BICYLE : )

PARK RULES FOR THIS EVENT:
No alcohol in the event or park at any time.
No bikes on trails.
No smoking in the park.
Do not litter!
Dogs on leash – this is also coyote corner, so please be careful.
Thank you to our series sponsors: H2O Overdrive, Focus, Shimano and Voler!

Spent a few days up in Davis.

Two great runs out in the university fields. Amazing place. Just miles and miles of dirt with orchards, plants and event a great municipal airport. It comes with our recommendation.

Get out there this week and grab a motor tabs to keep you out there longer. Today we have rain but I will be hitting the eucalyptus trail before the end of the college basketball season starts up tonight.

With all of the craziness happening on the road with cars taking out cyclists, not to mention a few healthy crashes of my own, it felt like a perfect time to get myself a Road ID ($20.00)

Road ID is laser engraved with your emergency contact information. It comes standard with two 3M reflective stripes to enhance your visibility when training in the dark.

If you ride or train outside, you should consider picking one up…

Andy B
outsideallday.com

After my crash last week I sent a note out to my friends at SDG USA asking for some help with a new saddle. They came through with a white Formula FX!

If you’ve never seen the I-Beam before it’s worth checking out. It’s allows for more position options than any other set-up on the market.

What is the Formula FX?
Designed from the ground up, the Formula FX (Flex Technology) is the newest edition to the I-Beam family. This saddle encompasses the SDG philosophy, in the form of function and design. Using the latest injection technology, along with assistance from top engineers and world class athletes alike, SDG USA is proud to introduce the long awaited flagship saddle. The Formula FX is the Bel-Air of yesteryear, comprised with EVA foams, DuPont nylon fiber composites, D2 side densities and leather covers – all characteristics that address comfort, durability, weight and style. The Formula FX is ideal for serious XC, All Mountain and Road enthusiasts. (285mm x 145mm)

If you’re in the market for a new seat of post, SDG is worth the time to research. The best part about it is I’m capable of installing it myself, its dummy proof.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

During a training ride tonight on my road bike I had the incredible privilege of falling at 40 mph on my descent through Rist Canyon. Awesome, way to go! It was 100% my fault and I’m super pissed. The turn was pretty significantly off camber, I was going too fast, and the road was slightly damp. My buddy Mark was there to help pick up the pieces post crash.

The damage:

- My body is bloody from shin to shoulder on my right side including gravel in my finger tips – $15.00 for gauze and Neosporin.
- Cracked my carbon fiber bars – $250 for new bars and bar tape (not happening any time soon)
- Velo-One Team Kit is ruined – $150 for new Team Kit (not happening any time soon)

Julie was so pissed at me that she barely let me buy gauze. She was more upset about the cost of replacing everything than the permanent damage caused to my old body. But she got a little nicer when she saw how bad the cuts and scrapes were.

Looks like a lot of mountain bike and cross bike for the next few months. Ughhhh.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

Life is good, it always is. My wife is beautiful, my boys are healthy, my job feels secure, I really have nothing to complain about, I’m blessed.

However, within the last 3 weeks there have been a series of events and life circumstances that forced me to slow down and evaluate some keys areas of life, this has included my training on the bike.

The last 3 weeks…

- I turned 30 on August 22. My father had his first heart attack in his early 30′s.
- A friend from church in California died of a sudden heart attack last week.
- Money doesn’t grow on trees. Did you know that?
- Everyday for the last 3 weeks I’ve gone to work with my bike on top of the car planning to ride after work and everyday I’ve driven home without riding. There have been long days, conflicts, strategic thinking, etc that has forced me stay focused on my job and not get distracted. Overall it’s been stressful.

It feels like the perfect storm has been swirling. I know I’ve been making the right decision to focus on my family and job and to cut out training, but riding my bike gives me balance and unfortunately right now balance is what I’m lacking. I want to be fit, I want to have a great family and do exceptional at my job but I’m not sure how to do it all in this moment.

I really don’t have a good plan of attack on how to get back on track. Coach Dave is being gracious with me not being on plan however I know I need to get my hours on the bike in if I want to maintain the fitness I worked so hard on the last 3 months.

A few positives…

- A long Labor Day ride is in my future
- Tonight I’m setting up my trainer in the basement. This should allow me to ride at night after the kids are in bed.
- Got a beautiful trail run in through the forest at the base of Mt. Bachleor in Oregon last weekend.
- Cyclocross season starts in 3 weeks, I can’t wait!
- Loving the book The Time-Crunched Cyclist: Fit, Fast, and Powerful in 6 Hours a Week. Its very motivating.
- I’ve maintained my weight at 173 even without the exercise. Still 20 more to go but loving the progress and maintaining accomplished at this point.

Life doesn’t always go how we want it go, but more often than not, life is really good and I’m thankful for it.

Lot’s of riding to come next week no matter what!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

I found out about this book tonight and think I’m going to pick it up…

Description:
As cycling’s popularity grows with men and women in their thirties, forties, fifties, and beyond, the traditional ideas about training for endurance sports need a new approach to reflect the daily challenges faced by parents and working professionals. In The Time-Crunched Cyclist, Chris Carmichael presents that new approach to cycling training. Using elements from the same program he designed for Tour de France winner Armstrong, this guide shows how to build competitive cycling fitness on a realistic schedule — a schedule that fits into the busy lives of today’s active middle-agers. Complete with training plans, case studies, nutritional guidelines, and success stories, The Time-Crunched Cyclist shows cyclists how to push the pace in the local group ride, have fun, and perform well in local races, or tackle a challenging 100-mile fundraiser ride without committing to a high-volume training program.

I still have to finish…

So many books, so much blogging to do after the kids are in bed…

Andy B
outsideallday.com

I was able to have both boys in bed by 7:45 pm tonight, its a good thing because I’ve been packing like a girl for cycling camp the last 2 hours.

Recently I joined the Velo One Bike Club out of Fort Collins, CO. We leave tomorrow morning for camp and climb 44 miles from Loveland, CO to Estes Park, CO where we stay in a YMCA (70 riders). I think Estes is at 7,500 ft. I’ve never done a climb like this before, I’m guessing its a 3 – 4 hour ride. Saturday is a 62 – 100 mile option and I plan on trying for my first century (100 mile ride) and Sunday is a 62 mile ride home.

My expectations for myself are as follows:
- I’ll probably get dropped from every pack I join.
- Not pace well on the long long rides.
- Sunburned.
- Blow up way sooner than I think I will.
- Have a lot of fun.
- Meet some new people.
- Push myself to complete my first 100 mile ride.
- Be way skinner and more fit that Greg Sellers at the end of the weekend.

I’m all set with Motor Tabs and Fluid to keep me moving and recovering well.

Julie has loaned me her Flip camera so I’ll have some fun video of the weekend. I’ll be updating my suffering via Twitter (www.twitter.com/outsideallday).

Wish me luck!

Andy B
outsideallday.com

These shoes are not a gimmick. They perform as describe. I actually miss running in them, still no recover from my plantar fasciitis. I rode after work tonight, it took 15 minutes to get prepared, when you run after work, you step out of your car ready to go. I miss that “easy” feeling. I’m a huge fan of these shoes.

More info on Newton Running Shoes at: www.newtonrunning.com

Newton blog: www.therunningfront.com

HT to the Trisports.com blog.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

After killing myself climbing the mountains of Southern California in Silverado Canyon on Saturday again this weekend, I decided to take it easy today for a spin through my local trails at Newport Coast, CA just one of the OC Wilderness Parks to find some drier dirt.

It was a blast as the dirt was tacky and while ripping across one of my favorite trails, “The Fence line,” 4 times tonight as I did some loops. I noticed a man out killing himself more than I did this weekend. He was shoveling the dirt and doing needed trail work from the recent rains so on the third pass I stopped to say hello and see how he was doing. Then I found out this digger, Rich Elliot, was just out doing a little friendly trail work because he can. He is not part of any group, not getting paid, rather he is just a Mountain Biker who rides the area often and loves the trail too so he decided to use his Sunday making the trail drain water that was holding, flatten out muddy and sandy sections. The result is the trail is in better condition than I have ever seen it which is probably why I rode it so many times tonight.

Thanks Rich for doing the trail gods work!

http://www.ocparks.com/lagunacoast/
laguna2008

-DSheek
Next storm I am fixing a trail too.

This video was turned on to me by EC who found it on Drunk Cyclist another great blog about cycling, where dopers are hated and women are paraded is probably the best way to describe the site.

This man was described as the Lance Armstrong of sling shot… It is impressive the way he bust his nut!

-DSheek
I am going MTB tonight to find my new sling shot.

It’s been a while since I last posted personal stuff about my life and training. Here’s the quick update.

1. My family and I are now officially transitioned to Fort Collins, CO from California.

2. After 8 weeks of living in 3 different places, we are now living in the home we purchased. You can follow the story and see pictures on Julie’s family blog.

3. My new job is my dream job but the days are long, I’m working 7:30 am – 6:0 pm everyday. Fitting in workouts up to this point has been difficult.

4. I’ve met a few good dudes that are super into running and riding. Looking forward to developing deeper relationships with them.

5. Our gym is unreal and it offers 7 day a week spin classes.

6. As of today, January 20, 2008, I started a food journal with the hopes of getting my diet back in line. The season of eating everything in front of me is over. My boss is on a diet and I can’t have him in better shape than me.

7. Felipe, from Breakaway Training is sending me my new 10 hour a week training plan. I need this plan if I’m going to successfully get back in shape.

8. My foot is still killing me. Ran tonight with soreness.

9. Still have great relationships with all of the site sponsors and plan on ramping the blog back up. Thanks to Motor Tabs, Fluid, SDG Saddles, Rock N Road, Bonk Breaker and Breakaway Training for their patience with me. Thank you to our readers for all hanging tight in the transition.

10. Thinking about joining a local Fort Collins cycling club called, Velo-One Cycling. They do 10 am Saturday group rides. I need the accountability.

Off to Chicago tomorrow for the day and I’m committed to keeping my diet in line.

Here’s to shedding lb’s in 2009.

Andy B
outsideallday.com