mattm

I recognize some of those names!

like meeker, wasn't he busted? guess you don't get dq'd from an unofficial race.

anyway congrats to your kid!!

Dutch Jazz

All those video's will be of great value in a couple of years when ESPN will do a documentary of the first American Tour de France winner since 1977.

shovelhd

Let's not get carried away.

globecanvas

That would be an interesting universe. I suppose it's not completely impossible that Lemond gets erased from the history books, but then you have to imagine that one of the actual finishers of the 1977 Tour retroactively changes his nationality...

wens

It sounds like it's an all categories including citizens handicap race.

Doge

I'm glad Meeker was the only US/master racer to take PEDs. Kinda raises the bar having to compete where there are no drug rules.

Unofficial races are a bit more fair. In an official race juniors are not allowed to compete with the same equipment that the adults are. I also find when there is not an official the self-policing occurs (big time in soccer).

The stop light rule in this race also adds an exciting part. These guys really stop. Last year on the decent the breakaway made the red, the chase got caught and stopped.

echappist

that better be sarcastic/ironic

Doge

The part you bolded is. The rest - not so much. Having been a sports official myself (small time - few thousand $/year beer money kind) for years, its part of every sport to get away with what the officials can't catch you at. Its the game within the game. When the officials and rules are removed, the honor system does real well until there is real money.

Doge

Part II:
Video tends to make it where picture and stories alone do not. Its a way of getting sponsors names out there and also gaining access (for me). I learned I could go places with my camera (esp. with a tripod) where others were not allowed particularly sports venues. My camera is how I often get to ride behind in races or on the scooter.
So while this seems a bit weird to some it has its purposes.
SoCalCycling.com Video: Roger's Cup

shovelhd

Creepster.

JK.

At the National Senior Games I got my kid a full blown press pass. Some great shots came out of it.

furiousferret

Congratulations Doge!

spdntrxi

cycling must be different.. I used to freelance sports.. Mostly LPGA / PGA golf.. But we always had to have press passes. If Tiger was in the field you better have you pass and you can't get in the ropes at all.

Doge

Cycling you can step in front of the yellow jersey wearer and knock them down. Other than post race interviews I wouldn't think a pass could be enforced.

I don't video professionals. This is a hobby and about 30% of my video is other than my kids. In cycling, never been stopped. At college (Notre Dame) soccer games (not football) I was not allowed on the field without a pass, at other colleges I was. At the National Championships (soccer) I was allowed on the pitch just by asking the referee.

It depends.

Cleave

Doge, way too many friends and familiar names on the trophy. I had no idea it still existed nor did I know that there was still a "race." I stopped riding at Como Street (trivia question, where was Como Street?) in the early 1990s. Back then it got to the point where it was way more dangerous than doing a Cat 5 crit. Hope it's safer now.

My buddy Mitch Meyer did some mid-week races this year and he was riding much stronger than anyone should who has been away from racing as long as he. Is Steve Hendrick still around? Many of the other "famous" names on there are still racing in Masters. Some, like Evan T and Steve S race in 50+ and still win regularly. Best I can say is that I've sat on their wheels in a break now and again.

furiousferret

After seeing some guys from Claremont doing it, I want to do a Redlands / Como / Redlands ride. Not sure when, its about 125 miles total and I'll have to wake up pretty early to make it on time. This just gets added on the 'epic rides I have planned but am too lazy to do this weekend' list.

Dutch Jazz

Right, obivously I meant since the 77th Tour de France

Doge

Of course I don't know your fitness, but if you are a very good Cat 3 level plus I'd talk you out of that. The course alone is nice to ride, but I think its more fun doing it with the front group - something I have not done for 20 years. Dec through Feb the front goes long through Live Oak Canyon. Typically 70% are dropped by the turn off (or just didn't want the long route) and go short up El Toro road. The pace in Live Oak and Santiago Canyon is quite hard and "the wall" at the end of Live Oak is typically all out. Its only about 10 miles of real hard stuff, but if you want to be in the front for the dive bomb down Santiago, you may want to drive to the start and try it first.

rkwaki

Congrats to Puppy Doge, that's really cool..

aaronmcd

Fun race! Same handicap race as 2 weeks ago:
San Jose Bike Club (SJBC) Winter Series, [short] Road Race #2 .
2x 16 mile laps, 5 groups, slowest group (5s) starts first, we started last 23 minutes later. The "cat 2" group which is where most cat 4s are started 6 minutes ahead of us. 20 guys in the fast group, with lots of strong riders, including cat 1s and 2s and a national champ.

Started out fast, with almost everyone rotating through to keep it moving. After a while it would alternate between getting strung out with guys being too tired to pull through, good rotations, and several attacks to mix things up. Eventually the national champ and one other guy (someone said he was also a champ, or maybe just strong cat 1) attacked and we let them get 10 seconds. Bad idea. We couldn't get a good chase, and when 2 guys were mid bridge attempt, still with no one chasing, I took off at the top of the start/finish hill. I passed failed bridge guy #1 , and it didn't look good when I was quickly closing on failed bridge guy number 2. Field was chasing much faster now and we went back.

Lap 2, I just sat in mostly, but took a few pulls when it seemed people were getting serious about chasing, which was rare. San Jose Bike Club was at the front with no one in the break, but they weren't doing a good job of chasing and I resisted my usual urge to waste myself chasing for the whole pack.

Coming up on the Sycamore Rd Wall (a steep anaerobic climb 10 minutes from the finish), we pass the 2s (last group we had to catch) and an SJBC guy tells me to get the series points for being one of the top guys to crest the climb. Teammate and I get over first but I wasn't going all out and we had a good 10 seconds on the pack. I was told later that SJBC planned on keeping it easy at the wall to have more for the finish climb.

I didn't want to waste that extra effort, teammate wanted to relax and wait for the pack. So I got low and started pedaling. Last 8.5 minutes were solid and painful, but I nailed the effort perfectly and finished with more than enough time to coast in after almost s***ting myself on the final climb.

Breakaway took 1st and 2nd, and a couple of the 2s (including a teammate) had latched on to the break as it passed, just long enough to take 3rd and 4th.
So that put me in 5th place, which is pretty decent I think considering I only lost to 2 monsters and 2 guys who had a 6 minute head start.

1:18 at 93% intensity
Plus one "cool down" zone 2 lap, in which I decided to hit the hills hard again for some extra work.