Finally, the Buds Ride...

Wait, didn't I use that heading last year? I can't believe we are now almost two months into the Bud's season, and I have only now made it out to the Wednesday ride. On a positive note, it was good to see that no one has slacked off in my absence. On the negative side, there was a bad solo rider crash at the bottom of the hill in Bonelli. A gal, who had to have been about mid-field, though maybe on the right side of the bunch went down, probably after hitting one of the pot holes at that intersection. The rider was sitting at the side of the road, and no one had stopped, nor appeared to be stopping. When I realized what had happened I swung around, and a little further ahead another rider did the same. A third rider coming downhill stopped to see if she could help as well. 


In true dedicated roadie fashion, the crashed rider was more concerned about her bike than anything else (I believe she said it was a week old). A driver also stopped with some bottled water and paper towels. A lot of road rash - both legs, both arms, face, rear - is going to make for an uncomfortable, sore few days, but all that appeared to be the worst of it (the bike seemed fine). A Sheriff's deputy came by and he got the lifeguard with first aid stuff. Leisel came along, then quickly left to get her car in order to give the crashed rider a lift. 


I can't say I did much more than stand around and look concerned, and pick up some of the debris - water bottle, sunglass pieces - but I certainly was not going to leave her alone at that point. You know I switched teams this year, to SC  Velo, and looking around at all the riders who eventually stopped to help or see if they could do anything, and notice how many were wearing SC Velo or Incycle kit, was actually pretty heartening.


So I finally made it out to Bud's this year, which turned out to be short and, unfortunately, not sweet. Thankfully, for everyone, there is always next week. Hope the crashed rider makes a speedy recovery and can rejoin us soon.

Wednesday Rant: Buzzed on Bud's...

What is it about Fairplex Drive? I think I have had three times as many close encounters with vehicles driven by idiotic drivers, than any other street in the region, since moving to Claremont some eight years ago. Tonight someone passes within six inches of my little chase group during the Bud's Ride. This is a dangerous S.O.B. who cares nothing for the well being of other road users. Speeding, dangerous passing, what are you going to do? You can't legislate responsibility, so how do you catch people like this who refuse to act in a responsible manner before they are granted the privilege of driving? Crap like this reaffirms my believe in the concept that the only good car is a 

dead one (no person was reported injured during the burning of the car shown above).


To make matters worse, the immediate boost of adrenaline didn't even help me close the gap. Close, but no cigar.


Rant over.

Retro Riding and Finding My Place on the Bud's Ride...

You are correct, that is me, sporting an older jersey picked from out of my closet for just this day. I have noticed a couple, sometimes a few, guys on the Wednesday Bud's Ride wearing more recent versions of this jersey (I never realized the team was still around) and decided to bring out this somewhat more vintage one. I would prefer to be noticed for blasting off the front of the peloton and causing all kinds of panic behind, but that doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon. So...


Anyway, about the team (and feel free to correct me if I get some facts wrong). In the early 1990s there was a team, Team Edge, sponsored by among others, a local bikeshop, Competitive Edge in Upland (still around). I knew a bunch of people on the team and went to a couple meetings, but they were unable to convince me to leave the team I was on at the time. Jump forward to 1995, these same friends left Team Edge to found their own team - Squadra Folgore. I probably would have joined them at that time, but had already committed to Team Xtreme. In 1997, though, I did jump over to the Squadra and raced with them for a couple years. In 1999, the Squadra re-merged with Team Edge and became the Carrera Promotions International team (CPI), which was again sponsored by the Competitive Edge, hence I came into possession of the jersey modeled above.


The problem with wearing older jerseys, or anything outside your current kit really, is that people you know may not recognize you; hey M.F., it's me. Competitive cyclists already know the joke, but casual cyclists may not, about how we cannot recognize each other when not wearing cycling clothes. I guess the same can happen if you change your kit too much. Maybe next week I bring out a twenty year old jersey, and really throw people off. But what about the ride? As much as I would like to find myself in a small group off the front on a weekly basis, I realized last night, that my place just might be in a small group off the back. Damn. Dreams, like attention, are sometimes hard to find, and even more difficult to successfully realize. Even though our position in the race was not optimal, I have to admit, working a paceline in a small group is a lot of fun. We did manage to sweep up another group, but then uneven pulls, and some riders not contributing to the effort at all, spelled our doom. Alright then, next week it's off the front.

The night's Bud's Ride mystery...

was not trying to figure out how the keep the wind from blowing me backward at the top of the hill, or even in more broad terms, how to keep from being dropped. No, it was figuring out why there was blood on my fingers and brake lever. I have no idea. There I am riding along when I realize the fingers on my right hand are sticky, and so is the brake lever. What the? There was enough blood that I couldn't tell where it was coming from, it could have been any one of three fingers. I didn't feel anything, so what the heck? Turns out there is a 1/2 ragged cut at the tip of my right index finger. There is nothing sharp on the brake lever, so I have no idea how it happened, and in fact don't even remember it happening, whenever it did. Not much to look at after all is said and done (not even sure if it is worth this post), but I still can't explain it.

One Bud's Random Thoughts...*

The same maintenance problems I just mentioned in the previous posting. It is not quite as timely as I originally planned it to be, but I guess it still works:

In other words, some random thoughts that ran through my mind during Wednesday's Bud's Ride (in no particular order):

"go, Go, GO!"

"What, who said that" [in response to hearing "let's go Mike"]

"Well, this is easy enough"

"Damn, already a group up the road"

"oh well, solo"

"s**t, damn descent!" [almost verbalized that one, the big descent in Bonelli is frustrating me right now]

"relax"

"NO! Close that gap"

"sorry guys, i'm no help now"

"give me that wheel"

"you're not going anywhere"

"Oh Cr*p. Wind. I'm done."

"where is anyone?"

and for one final one just hum the Jaws theme song, it always runs through my head when in pursuit mode.

Some good, some bad, you get extra credit if you can guess where along the loop I had some of these thoughts.

And yes, that is about as elaborate as my thoughts are during a ride like this, whether being pushed to the edge and hanging on with every last current of electrical energy, or out front pushing through the wind. Short and to the point; running mostly on instinct anyway, with little time or energy to spare for more elaboration.

Bud's Tonight...

Bud's is kind of like a good weekend ride moved to the middle of the week. It resembles a road race, rather than a criterium. For someone like myself, who is never going to generate enough speed to win any kind of flat sprint, its hills help to even the field. Don't let that fool you though, there is no lack of speed, and I have quickly come to realize that the two long descents are my danger spots, where I have to give a little extra effort to keep myself in the group. 


It is kind of cool to do a ride on which the local teams are predominant - SC Velo, SoCal Cycling.com, Incycle, Back Abbey, and Coates (there were a lot of us in Coates jerseys tonight, far more than last week). And then there were the couple riders wearing Carrera Promotions International (CPI) colors. I never knew they were still around, so that was a surprise; I was on CPI one year, I guess about 1998. I thought I could snap a photo of the group by riding at the back to get the group spread along the road up ahead. But, instead, I rode up front during the parade to the Brackett Field, and after that the opportunity is past, so no photo.

For anyone who is not familiar with the ride, it starts in Claremont Village, and is an easy parade along Bonita. Other groups and individual riders join in all along this section until the group gets to Brackett Field, which is where the real fun begins. The loop around Bonelli Park, Puddingstone Reservoir and Bracket Field is the main part of the ride - do the laps and then head home, makes for a good mid-week training ride. If you are dropped, but have not fallen too far back it is possible to take a short-cut across the dam and jump back into the peloton as they come along Puddingstone Drive.

Finally, the Bud's Ride...

For the second consecutive evening I found myself being pummeled by the peloton. Yes, after living for some eight years in this fair bug known as Claremont, I finally made it out to the Bud's Ride. Eight years. That is long enough to have actually spent money at the Bud's, from which the ride derives its name. But not so long that my, by now collectable, socks have deteriorated during the passing years. 

Anyway, good ride, I think it will compliment my weekly night at the Rose Bowl. Tuesday night, just pure speed, and Wednesday fast, but with varied terrain thrown in for good measure.

PSA: Bonelli Park...

Christy over at Socalcycling notes that the LA County Sheriff's Department has taken over law enforcement duties at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park and will be strictly enforcing traffic controls including stops and speeds. The Bud's Ride has been stopped and warned the past two weeks during the Wednesday evening run through the park. This is a very popular area for local riders on both skinny and fat tired bikes, so watch your backs, and your speed, especially between the two entry shacks. You know I just looked at the Bonelli website, and there is no reference to cycling. Equestrian, yes; boating, yes; fishing, yes; swimming, bird watching, jet skiing, hot tubing, golfing, all yes. But nothing about cycling. Are they trying to tell us something? We can't prevent you from riding here, but you are really not welcome? Come on, considering the numbers of riders on the dirt roads, or looping the lake on the paved roads, there should be something. And as far as this ticketing thing goes, I assume it will be an equal enforcement opportunity. When I ride there I am rarely the one doing the passing; with the descents and little rollers it is not that difficult to reach 25 (the speed limit), yet I do get passed by drivers going faster.