Rollin' Low

Here is an image from the Bay Area Super Prestige (# 3) Night Race. This was the first time a cross race was held at night in the Bay Area and the venue managed to pull in quite a few spectators. The course was held at Sierra Point along HWY 101 and the stadium lights could be seen as far as Candle Stick Point. Tom Simpson and the people at Pilarcitos Cyclosports managed to build a compact course full of tight turns and bumpy terrain. Placed in the middle of the lap was a table top packed with spectators cheering and the sound of cowbells - this was the best part of the course. The 2008 Cyclocross season did not go as planned, but I met my personal goals for the year and will come back next season with fresh gear, fresh legs and a stronger desire to race.

It's A Girl!

Ladies and Gentlemen... I present Lea(h) Moskovits (and her proud papa)

Born on December 18th (2008) in Redwood City, CA

She weighed in at 6lbs 13ounces

Congratulations to the Moskovits family :)

12 - Fifteen - MMVIII

LOOK (no pun intended)... it's time to return to my roots and throw the leg over the mountain bike in 2009. Zsofia and I visited the Headlands over the weekend and I could not stop looking at the tacky trails and beautiful scenery in the distance.

The image above is the bike I might race this spring and summer - let's cross the fingers.

The last 3 months have been loaded with monumental transitions at home, work and with my bike racing. Z moved back to San Francisco in September and things have been excellent in the relationship department. What else? The cyclocross campaign for 2008 did not go as planned, but I got to race 4 events at the Elite level and was happy with my results considering the LACK OF TRAINING - which is the last thing worth blogging about. Work and the winter elements have made it hard to train and there needs to be some balance in the near future. Last year I was single and had the time to ride at all hours of the night or morning, but reality has kicked in and it's time to adjust accordingly to be prepared for the road season.

Here are a few positive things going on in my life...

My mother just purchased a new Specialized Vienna 1 and will be commuting to work on Caltrain in the near future. She was experiencing some health issues over the past few months and decided to take control of things by adding more physical activity to her daily schedule - I'm very proud of her.

My father is going to start riding with my mother on the weekends - RIGHT, DAD?

Work has become EXTREMELY challenging, but it continues to keep my mind fresh and things interesting.

My brother found a band on Craigslist and has already done a few concerts with them - the music sounds great.

My cousin is going to graduate from her nursing program in January and has been interning at several places.

Sonia and Ralph tied the knot.

Zsofi's sister is going to give birth to a baby girl in the next few days.

For those who read my blog - I apologize for not keeping things up to date. Stay tuned for more and please feel free to leave any comments.

Thanks for reading.

Cross and Dressing

Yes... I'm wearing a dress in the picture.

This week I went to the DFL race in Golden Gate Park to break in my 2008/09 cyclocross season with good friends and good cross dressing. The course was an excellent combination of sand, gravel, single track and steep run-ups. My form was in question since I recently completed my first road season and I wanted to make sure I was not burnt out - this was not the case. My body and mind went ballistic during the race as the cross specific pain kicked in during the 3rd lap. Overall, I feel this cross season is going to be a great learning experience and a bigger challenge. It will be an honor to race against the best pros in the United States and I plan on learning everything I can from observation. There are no big plans for the season, but it would be nice to break the top 20 in the Super Prestige Series.

Thanks for reading

Transformation

Giants vs Brewers

Last Friday our company went to see the Giants lose to the Brewers, but everyone managed to have a great time and even picked up a Crazy Crab Bobble Head. During the 4th inning I went to the concessions stand and bought some garlic fries and a Coke. The garlic fries were tasty for about the first 3 minutes until the greasy goodness settled into my stomach - I had to tell myself the fries were covered in olive oil and that everything was going to be OK. What was I thinking?

News Flash

Friday, July 18

Cycling News Flash - Riccò and Piepoli sacked by Saunier Duval

Are you shocked?

Patiently Waiting

It's supposed to arrive this Friday...

Will I climb like the Schleck brothers?

Probably not, but I can pretend to ride up hills fast.

Speaking of riding up hills fast...

Ricardo Ricco tested positive for EPO and was pulled from the Tour before the start of Stage 12 this morning. His team (Saunier Duval) decided to leave the event as well - because there was no longer a GC contender - hmmmm

What about Leonardo Piepoli?

Oh wait! He's involved with a doping probe as well -->

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SPORT/06/28/cycling.piepoli/

Enough said...

Nice Ride

I saw this car parked across the street from my hotel in Italy during my trip and fell in love with its unique look and sporty curves. My co-worker from Spain said they will be arriving in the United States soon...

I can hold my breath - but for how long?

Fun Wind

Yes, those are my chicken sticks out on the windsurf board at Shoreline Lake in Mountain View. On Sunday I decided to change things up and spent a few hours on the water battling the wind and getting a massive workout. There were no problems falling asleep last night and I woke up addicted to the board. On a funny note - we all know my legs are skinny with small ankles and it seems that many things gravitate to them - such as windsurf boards. Well, I originally learned to windsurf at Lake Balaton in Hungary and was hit in the ankle by another windsurfer during my lesson. Well, another windsurfer slammed into my ankle again and it was funny because I mentioned this to my friend, Shannon, prior to the accident. Anyway, it's the power of the chicken sticks or frog legs as my teammates call them - like the Death Star's tractor beam.

Davis July 4th Criterium

There were many turns on the course and the Elite 4 group managed to escape without any injuries or major crashes. Before the race I rode through the surrounding neighborhood with Willem and Lloyd to get the blood flowing in the legs and could tell it was going to be a great venue. Later, we met up with Matthew at the hay bails in the first corner and pre-rode the course together before lining up. During our warm up I scanned the road surface and memorized the surface blemishes and even got to hit a few turns with speed to find the lines. We lined up and the race took off with Third Pillar and Berkeley Cycling Club doing their best to get up front. The usual suspects were there and everyone handle the corners well for such a large group. Willem, Lloyd and Matthew rode aggressively at the front of the main group - we controlled several laps and made a strong showing during the entire race. At one point I bumped shoulders with a Berkeley Cycling Club rider who seemed a bit sketch. During the middle of the race Lloyd went to the front of the main group and put some pressure on the pack. Willem and Matthew looked very strong during the race with many appearances at the front of the group. With 4 laps to go I heard a preem and noticed two riders who managed to hold the group off the previous lap. Both were on the podium at the Burlingame Criterium, so I made the decision to close the gap. With three laps to go I sprinted for the preem with the other two riders. I got the preem and decided it was time to make a move on the main group. Once ahead of the two riders, I focused on hitting the corners with more speed and taking smoother lines. Eventually, I pulled away from the group and kept thinking about a time trial and putting as much force on the pedals as possible. Luckily, my legs responded each time and I was able to build a solid lead each lap. Willem made a great move in the main group and controlled the pace once I was gone - an excellent tactic. Overall, we rode a great race and I managed to pick-up a preem, the most aggressive rider award and the win. The Elite 4 team made an excellent showing and I was so proud to see everyone riding so well.

Burlingame Criterium

Anna wins Women's Cat 1/2

Anna and Willem (4k)

Phil "Froggy Style" Slama

Jen and Angelo with anxious spectator

Dino in serious concentration mode

Me

Yesterday, I decided to race the Burlingame Criterium at the last minute. Lately, I had been feeling like crap on the bike and my body did not respond at the last PoO (Port of Oakland) ride. Each lap of the PoO ride sucked the life from my body and the legs were abused by the strong cross winds. It was only 4 laps into the ride when I decided to drop back and spin back to the truck. The spin began to slow and I found myself walking along the side of the road with my bike in hand. Once I returned to the parking lot I could feel the acid building in my legs. As the group passed each time - I sat in the truck thinking about my form and lack of strength. The idea of burn out and sickness had crossed my mind and I went home that evening feeling weak and dejected. The next morning I woke up and decided to stop riding for the week until my body and mind had recovered. The trip to Italy had inspired my riding and the first weekend back was spent racing in Pescadero - this was my body's way of pushing back and telling me it was time to rest.

To bring things up to speed...

SATURDAY (EVENING)

Went to Angelo's last night and watched Ghostbusters while he prepped for the race

Downed two Nantucket Nectar lemonades and a bag of chips - yes, chips

Walked to North Beach and had a pint of beer with Angelo

Dino and Phil send several text messages to Angelo about the race

Dino and Phil ask Angelo why Anthony is not racing Burlingame Criterium

Anthony thinks about the question and realizes he might be ready for action

Then he realizes they are at the pub where Anthony has his dinners the night before races

These "secret meals" are part of his "secret training" and have produced good results

Anthony shares his "secret meal" with Angelo and things are good

Finally, Anthony caves into the pressure and decides he wants to spend the remaining portion of his weekend racing with his teammates and friend Phil

Anthony sends Willem (4k) a text

Willem responds to text and the pick-up time is set for 5:50am

Anthony goes home to shave his legs and massages Freddy's Choice Muscle-Relax gel into his legs

Clauss sends Anthony a text to check about his ride status ( Eric is an awesome teammate )

Anthony collects his gear, drinks 3 glasses or water and goes to sleep

SUNDAY (EARLY) MORNING

Woke up feeling great and had two table spoons of peanut butter, one Ensure, two Activia yogurts and a can of Starbucks iced mocha

Pre-rode the course with Matt Triska and sat at the starting line with Clauss, Willem and Matt

Race picked up speed and several attacks were made at the beginning

Third Pillar made several attempts to control the race

Eric Clauss made a nice counter attack

Triska made an appearance up front and was looking incredibly strong

On the last lap I was feeling excellent and decided to attack in the s-bend turns

Started to pull away from the main group and put my head down

Main group picked up speed so I stood up and sprinted to the line from the last turn into the final stretch

Overall, the race was amazing and everyone managed to escape the crashes

Later, Angelo went on to place 6th in the 3's

Jan got 7th in the 1/2's

and Anna won the women's Cat 1/2

Today was a good day

Expression of Words

Crystal Castles

Let's see...

Locate the positions...

Find the appropriate tiles...

Mosaic the appropriate tiles...

Subset the original positions from mosaicked tiles...

Insert the Crystal Castles CD into player...

Play the following tracks...

Album: Crystal Castles

Track 05: Courtship Dating

Track 02 (Live): Crimewave

Track 01: Untrust Us

Repeat steps as necessary...

Pescadero Road Race

On Saturday, Carmi, Mark "Mastoras of the Universe" and myself carpooled to the Pescadero Road Race. The morning started with an Ensure, bagel, Clif Bar and medium iced latte with extra shot at the Java Detour - which has become a pre-race ritual. We got to the venue with plenty of time to change, warm-up and rub some BKW (Belgian Knee Warmers - a.k.a. Freddy's Choice) into the legs. The weather conditions were overcast all morning and Freddy's Choice worked like a charm throughout the race - a little too well in the shower 4 hours later. Anyway, Willem, Clauss and I rode for a few minutes before the race and eventually ditched the vests in Clauss' car only to find out the start had been pushed back 15-30 minutes. Antonio and Matthew joined us at the line and chatted for a bit before the Cat 4 A group rolled out to the hills.

The leaders of the main group set a moderate tempo on the way up to the rollers and a small group sprinted for a preem 10 minutes into the race. Clauss rode to the front of the main group and provided excellent support. Antonio, Willem and Matthew rolled up the sides of the group and made a presence on both climbs before the right turn on to 84. The main group worked together into the light head winds and our team placed themselves in well protected spots. Antonio and I rode next to each other most of the race and made a strong presence on the first climb up Haskin's Hill - we actually set the pace at the front and managed to out descend the main group with 4 riders trailing - who did not want to work together. Later, we re-connected with the main group and went into the second lap with a bit more pressure on the pedals. Willem, Antonio and I rode along the side of the main group again to place ourselves at the front on the descents to 84 with Matthew making an appearance as well. This time the main group rolled faster towards the main climb (Haskin's) and 3 riders made an attack - Willem answered with his aggressive style and managed to shell the Third Pillar rider pulling his teammates. This counter attack brought Antonio and I back to the front of the pack in excellent position before the right turn to Haskin's Hill. One rider attacked in the big chain ring towards the bottom of Haskin's and led a train of riders into the final climb. Antonio and I were in the 9th and 10th position going into the hill and worked back to the front of the group mid way up the climb. I pulled at the front of the group for as long as my legs could handle and 5 riders came around with 300 feet to the top. Luckily, Antonio was in this group of 5 riders and we all fought up the climb for the last few meters. In the end our Cat 4 riders made a strong showing with Antonio in 5th, Willem in 11th (?) and myself in 6th

Panoche Valley Road Race a.k.a. My First Road Race

It's been a while since my last blog and things have changed over the past month. Two weeks ago the NCNCA (Northern California Nevada Cycling Association) approved an upgrade from Category 5 to Category 4, so this morning I went to my first road race (not criterium) as a "Cat 4"

For those confused with the last sentence - my first road events were the Ronde van Brisbeen Criterium and the Ronde van Brisbeen Circuit race. There is a difference between a circuit, criterium and road race - please read below

Wikipedia Definitions (sounds good to me)

A criterium, or crit, is a type of bike race held on a short course (usually less than 5 km), often run on closed-off city centre streets.

Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on roads (following the geography of the area), using racing bicycles. The term 'road racing' is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously (unless riding a handicap event) with the winner being the first at the end of the course (individual and team time trials are another form of cycle racing on roads).

The morning started out with massive bathroom lines and people spinning on their trainers in the shade. My teammate and I registered and changed into our kits and bathed in sun block for the long ride ahead. The morning temperature was in the high 80's and would reach 95 (Fahrenheit) at the end of the race. We sat on the start line for 3 minutes as the race director explained the road conditions and other tidbits of information. The first 5-7 miles of the race were mellow enough to chat and was a welcoming break from the full throttle starts in cyclocross. My teammate and I moved to the front of the peloton and made some nice efforts on the climbs. The group worked together though a canyon until we reached an area with people handing out water bottles. Someone decided this would be a great place to attack and the pace went from 20 to 30(+) miles per hour. My teammate and I were exchanging a water bottle and noticed the break going, so we had to make an extra effort to pull ourselves back into the game. The main group shot down a winding downhill section reaching speeds up to 43 miles per hour. My teammate hit a nasty pothole causing his front wheel to flat and sending him into a corner on the side of the road. Luckily, his bike stayed upright, but could not finish the race. The group continued rocketing down the hill and into the flats before the turn around point of the race. The road back was another story and the tactics changed dramatically - the winds were insane. The group worked together into the head winds and one rider from Z-Team escaped for about 6 or 7 miles. Our group eventually caught the Z-Team rider (who would go on to win the final sprint) in the rolling hills. Overall, the lead group consisting of 28 riders worked together on the way back to the finish line. The race ended in a mass sprint to line and it took some non-sprinter types to get things rolling 500 meters from the line. I made several pulls during the race and was satisfied with my first road race - 17th place. There were several sections where I pulled the main group - not bad for chicken sticks.

This weekend is the Mt. Hamilton road race and I look forward to the 22 mile climb and steep decent on the backside - maybe this race will suit my body type. Anyway, here are some highlights from the Panoche Valley Road Race.

Coke was served at the end of the race in buckets of ice :)

Bees swarmed the group 3 miles into the race - the group started yelling "bees! bees!" - what can you do?

My teammate and I got attacked while exchanging a water bottle in the feed zone

I got stung (by a wasp) several times between my shoulder blades and some riders started slapping my back to kill the little bastard - I had to pull him from my jersey and he continued to sting my hand

Did not expect my chicken sticks to pull a group in the windy flats and short climbs

Sharing a Round Table Pizza with my teammate (so easy to please)

Thanks for reading.

Priorities

A picture (image) is worth a thousand words

Time to re-build

Ronde van Brisbeen Criterium

Last weekend I competed in my first road event (EVER) as a Category 5 rider – the only road experience had been from group rides and the Mt. Tam Hill Challenge. It was difficult to fall asleep the night before the race and the techno music across the street did not help my situation. The next morning I jumped into the shower at 5:30am and had a Clif Bar for breakfast with a double shot of espresso. My teammate rolled up to the apartment at 6:15am and we loaded his car with wheels, trainer, bike and my gear bag.

The course was being set-up as we drove into the parking lot and a few riders were already spinning on their trainers. Matt and I unpacked our gear and walked to the registration to get our numbers. Once back to the car we set-up the trainers and spun for about 30-40 minutes with hooded sweatshirts and iPOD in the back pocket of my jersey.

The race course had a few technical areas and a 180 degree turn which caused several people to fall on the 2nd and 3rd lap of our race. I rode up front to avoid the chaos and worked with some riders to push the pace. Eventually, one rider wanted to work together and we rode away from the pack for 3 laps until he dropped back into the main group. There were 12 laps to go and I did not want to slow down, so I put my head down and visualized a cyclocross race or time trial. The wind was strong on the main straight away, so I stayed low and aero in my hoods for most of the race. During the final laps I threw up on myself – it was funny and tasted like cookies and Red Bull. On the last lap I stepped the pace up one more time and finished strong. This weekend I plan on racing the Martinez Criterium and look forward to more road race experience. In the meantime I will do my best to keep the page updated with fresh news and interesting articles.

Thanks for reading

My Ride

In a perfect world free of giant SUVs and other annoying vehicles - you would see me driving this car to the races and weekend outings. There are some great concepts in the world and I can only hope to see them in application during my lifetime.

2008 Road Season

This evening I rode down to the Design Center to meet a teammate who passed along the 2008 racing kit - it's finally in my hands. Tomorrow I plan on wearing the new kit on my evening ride to get accustomed to the fit and figure out what modifications might be needed. The sleeves are a bit tight on my bicep and this is strange since my arms are small. The bib shorts have a larger elastic band on the lower section of the leg which is supposed to compress the crucial areas of the leg during rides or races. This new kits brings motivation to lose a few pounds before any serious racing begins ;)

Thanks for reading

Power Juice

Like cars need gas to drive... I need illy to ride on the weekends.

It's been a blessing and a pleasure to have an illy cafe across the street from my apartment. Some mornings it's hard to wake up and the smell of fresh espresso wakes the senses before a long day on the bike.

My weapon of choice?

Espresso doppio

The Gitana 13

The other day I stopped to take a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge on my morning ride and accidentally snapped a picture of a world record sail boat entering the Bay. I just returned from my morning ride before work and thought the sail boat made a nice picture under the bridge, so I took a few shots with my digital camera. Later I read in the SF Weekly about the sail boat which set the fastest time from New York to San Francisco.

On The Mend

Where do I begin?

It's been 5 weeks since my last bike ride and the knee continues to disrupt my 2008 road season. The Tour of California passed through my neck of the woods and I could not ride my bike across the Golden Gate Bridge to see the event, which tells me something is wrong and I need to see a specialist immediately. My appointment is schedule in the first week of March and it's with a sports doctor who is located one block from my apartment - a perfect commute to the hospital. Last week I got to meet my cycling hero, Tom Boonen, at Specialized Bicycles in Morgan Hill. The entire Quickstep team toured the facility and signed autographs for the employees. Tom and I were sitting in the lobby before an interview and he spoke about the upcoming races and signed a world championship jersey for me - it's going to be framed and placed on my wall for inspiration.

Top 10 Things An Injury Can Bring

1) Reading books and learning new things

2) Down time from the bike

3) Stretching and yoga classes to increase flexibility

4) Learning new programming languages in the evening

5) Resting my body for the road season ahead

6) Working on drawings and sketches

7) Mastering the art of Magic Etch A Sketch

8) Learning to use my digital camera

9) A stronger desire to race my bike

10) A change in routine

What else?

Well, I started swimming this week and it feels amazing. My form was beginning to slip from the lack of riding, so I chose swimming as a way to maintain my fitness. Anyway, I need to get some sleep - long day tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Boonen

More to come...

2008

There is a new computer in my studio and the sound of the fan has managed to drown out the sounds of the garbage man and cars in the morning. Maybe my ears have adjusted to the city sounds, but I no longer sleep with ear plugs. There are a lot of changes on the horizon and it's going to be an interesting 2008.

The main goal for 2008 is to achieve a balance of work and racing . This will be my first year of road racing and the winter training is moving along - literally. The rain has ruined a few of the weekend rides, but the rock climbing has taken over as my cross training. Another plan is to spend some time on slopes at Alpine Meadows.

Also, I plan on spending some time in Europe and visiting a friend in Germany. There is a cyclocross racer in Belgium as well and I would like to spend a few days in their village learning about Euro Cross and the off-season training.

OK - I need to get some sleep now since I went home sick this evening. I woke up last night with a high fever and did not sleep for most of the morning hours. There is something going around and I cannot risk getting sick again for work or cycling. This evening I woke up at 9pm and had chicken soup, salad and a large glass of orange juice. I can only hope to wake up feeling 90-100% tomorrow morning ;)

The image above is my cyclocross dream ride :)

Thanks for reading.

Amazing

I watched Robbie Maddison jump a football field last night on television and he set the world record at 320 feet - it's an amazing feat on a modified dirt bike.

WATCH HIS JUMP