Going On A Vander!!

This weeks weds ride was a trip out to Vanderpool. It has been 3 years since I have last ventured out for the punishment of The killer Diller loop. I have to admit I was a little apprehentious about the abuse that was waiting for me. Luckily I had the drive to get there to calm my nerves. I rode out with "LiL Kim" driving, "Killer" riding shot gun and "K.O.T." in the back seat with me. Lets just say that we didnt need a warm up to start climbing when we got there as my HR was already at 185. Holy S.......
Notice hands are perfect 10 and 2. telling us a story, radio going full blast, radar detector beeping and foot flat on the floor. Unfortunately you cannot see the speedo but I can promise you we are over the legal limit.

We went past Slauson going so fast that I swear he was driving a Denali when we left S.A.

Feet firmly on the ground , praise the lord, at the Lost Maples General Store.

Your worst fears may be realized when this is the sight that you see ALL day. All I could think of was a song by S.C.O.T.S., "I,m the man that wrestles the bear, each year at the old county fair........"

"LiL Kim" sporting the Its Lonely at the Top for her Solar Team-mates who didnt make the trip.

Man those new tubeless road wheels rock!!

This just seemed to be an appropriate photo to wrap up the trip. They really do have it all in Bandera TX. Cowboy Capital of the World. The worlds largest Chicken Caddy..

Another good day came to an end of literally Living the Dream. Great riding with people I like and home for dinner. In my previous life I would have been on a plane for Phoenix today. Its all good.

PS: next time you see kim ask her about the radar dector, the suburban and the guard rail.

dougie ramone

ToC Prologue

Woke up this am to find that my hotel was kinda in the middle of the action.  There's High Road Popup and Motorhome out my front door.

Across the street was the Rock Racing Motorhome.  Today's Bad Boys of cycling with all the glamour and portended 2nd chance program you can imagine.  Doping history?  No prob.  Tax Evasion?  Again, welcome aboard.

Rock Racing Escalade.  Surely one of these in BHRT future.

You can tell that getting his pic taken w/ Big Jim eased most of the pain of not being allowed to race for Tyler Hamilton.

Jim's hotel street was lined with Tour of California banners.

The start line was 100 feet from the Cardinal Hotel.

Very cool was the Guarded bike parking available.

Complete with Bike Valet.  The Course started on Hamilton St, which is the street of the Cardinal Hotel.  It then turned left and left to mainly be on University Ave.

Check out the course here.

The start is right at the Cardinal hotel.  After 2 turns it screams towards Stanford.  The riders go thru the finish line and still have 600m to go.  

Starting straight.

Ironic to see a T-Mobile store on the course w/in stones throw from finish.   Jim was actually wearing a T-Mobile windsweater today with a Magenta "JANSTRONG" underneath.

The VIP pass is the key to really enjoying the event.

You get to go into a cool area covering the last 150m of the finish line.

The food served isn't too shabby sounding....

Or looking....

As with all good things there are silly things.  If you haven't seen the movie Idiocracy it is a must see.  This stuff is basically the premise of the movie propelling the decline of the US over the next 500 years.

Of course, for West, VIP tent has obligatory beautiful women in place.

And finally Jim can keep track of the Turk.  That Cowbell he's been looking for for her.  If you have to ask why there are 4 Cowbells, then you may not understand the concept of  "You can never have too much Cowbell."

If you don't have the VIP pass you can go to the bathroom.

But if you have the VIP pass you get to pee in style.  Outside.

And Inside!

Jim's vantage from the VIP tent was nice - 50 meter to go mark.

Very close to the riders.

Remember above in the course outline there is a 600m loop including Palm Drive Circle.  So we got to see the riders at 600m to go, and then again finishing.  The first 100 or so riders went at 1min intervals, the last 20 at 2 min intervals.   Jim timed Thomas Voekler and he took 1:05 to complete the last 600 meters.  So the 2 min intervals meant you kinda knew just where the last twenty were going to finish with respect to the leader because their time was up the whole while from when you first saw them come thru until they finished.  The Palm Circle Loop really slowed the riders up because the fastest times were around 4:00 (including Voekler's.)  This 600 meters was 1/5 of the race (3500 meters)  The 1:05 for the last 600m would translate to around 5:00 for the whole race.  Did I mention that the top speed was 33mph average?

150m past the finish line riders would bend right into the Palm Drive Circle

 

Around a beautiful Stanford Oval.

Then back out again.

With 150 meters to go.

The Team Slipstream Chipotle Felt Team Bike on display in the VIP tent.   (Felt Bikes are also ridden by our B-H Racing Team and on sale at B-H!!)  Wow has Felt and its bikes come a long way in what, 5 years?

David Millar, part owner Team Slipstream and star rider, tearing it up on his Felt TT.   Not to be his day but he did well.

Natch loudest cheers of the day were for Rock Racing's Super Mario Cippolini.  He killed it, especially for a 40 year old man who hasn't raced in 3 years.

Course he was probably propelled remembering this photo-op w/ the Turk at iBike a couple of years back.  Now why won't she show that much cleavage?

CSC's World TT champ, stage race winner and TdF Yellow Jersey wearer.  Cancellara sprinting for the line.  B-H also has sold Cervelo's (CSC's team machine) since it opened.  Are we spotting a trend here?  Top bikes, top bike shops.

Cancellara slayed'em at the finish line.  

Levi was the last one w/ a shot at Cancellara.  But no dice.  On a Trek.  Hmm more trends spotted, perhaps?

CSC pop-up.  They sponsored the amateur time trial today.

Amateur podie.  Women's winner on top.  Men's on left.  Biggest race supporter on right.  Oh, and that's CSC's Bjarne Riis (the original Mr. 60) not Jim on the far right. 

Pro podie.  Very cool to have Team High Road, Team Slipstream and CSC coming out on top today.  Think about all of that from a cycling enthusiast's perspective and you will really enjoy it.

Last pic of Fabian Cancellara, w/ Podie Girls.  For West of course.

Enjoy

AACTD.org

During a break in the lobby of the Cardinal Hotel.  Prentice Steffen, MD Slipstream Team Physician (Tall handome guy in the middle of the pic - that's not Slauson) and Allen Lim Slipsream Exercise Physiologist (less tall, at bottom prolly only guy besides Floyd who really knows the truth.)

Andy Pruit, MD who has written a medical guide for cyclists talks with Julie Slipstream Team Psychologist.

d

The white board.  Used for our discussions and planning purposes.

Paul Stauss, MD who heads the Agency for Cycling Ethics  This organization is a leader in comprehensive cycling team doping monitoring.

The physicians who run the medical support for the Tour of CA and Tour of GA.

Had to include 1 pic of a beautiful woman for West.  Dawn Richardson, ED physician and Team Doctor for Kelly Benefit cycling team

My $140/night closet aka hotel room in the Cardinal Hotel - a stones throw from Stanford in Palo Alto.  No Turk, the pretty team doctor was not invited to the room.

Cool opportunity for Jim this weekend.  He went to Palo Alto today (on 3 hours sleep) to the first meeting of the American Association of Cycling Team Doctors.    This episode was started last year by Prentice Steffen, MD the Slipstream Team doctor (and former bad boy of cycling for suggesting that Tyler and Lance may have had benefits beyond training and natural talent  Read the piece in cycling news on Prentice Steffen here.)  Well, now Prentice and Slipstream are spearheading the effort to clean up and convince the fans that the sport is clean.

Great 4 hour meeting today.  First hour discussing goals and logistics of our new organization.  Next Team Slipstream Medical Staff - Prentice, physician, Allen Lim - physiologist, Julie - psychologist, and Kevin Reichland - chiropractor) discussed their roles with the team.  

Paul Strauss discussed the Agency for Cycling Ethics and its biological monitoring programs for Slipstream and Team High Road.  His company is providing a service akin to the "biological passport" being implemented apparently by the UCI this year.

Finally the Medical Staff of the Tour of CA discussed race support and challenges.

Very cool day.  Well worth the reminder of why we live in San Antonio - $50 taxi ride to the hotel which would have cost $25 in SA and $140/night small hotel room which would have probably run around $90.  Great place to visit, tough place to live.

Tomorrow Jim will report from the prologue.

Alsace Preride Abuse

Wednesday have become a regular long ride day for the B-H crew since november. This weeks addition was a preview of sundays road race in that begins in Castroville and loops through the heart of The Alsatian Country. We started in the town of Rio Medina ,which happens to be a stones throw from my house, and looped through Castroville which is were the race will be based out of. We were met with clear sky's warm weather and a crowd of 12 Team Members making the drive out.

Ride begins at The World Famous Rio Medina Store

New Fashion in Footware modeled by "Rad Chad". Since it is Rodeo week he sporting footware from "Resist-it."

We had the usual banter preride as I seemed to be the focus of abuse as I was still stinging from my previous sunday's BEATING I took at the Tour of New Bruanfels. I had lipped of about no more easy rides in my post race assesment of the problem. Needless to say it was comming back to haunt me.

First lap with 12 miles to go were all still one happy family.

Second lap with 12 miles to finish the Peloton is a little thin. Thank God they waited on me to get there to take the picture.

Ride wrapped up with 60 miles in our legs and me not giving one hint of wishing we had gone harder. I am actually hopeing I can recover before sundays race. Be careful what you wish for I guess. Life is with a sweet mid week ride while lots of folks are looking out the window in their "prairie dog village" we get to live it.

Looking forward to next week.

dougie ramone.