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