You Didn't Ask For It...

Even though you didn't ask, you did, with some prodding from yours truly, come up with a few of the best and worst moments of 2007. So, without further ado...

2007's Best and Worst Moments

Best Proud Pappa Moment:

Laundry's win in the 4's at Barriani Road Race-- while the race lacked the devastating put-you-out-the-back-before-you-know-it wind of previous years, Laundry rode sensibly in the group, springing a little fast twitch in the finale that was enough to make a father's chest swell with pride.

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The 3's Challenge Challenge-- Micah Herman comes of age, besting the "grown-ups" and filling his pops to the brim with that pride stuff.

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Golden at Golden State-- AWfoSho, with a little help from his friends, showed the pro/1/2 boys how to win a local crit. First-ever DBCJRT pro/1/2 win didn't just bust my chest open spilling pride all over the place as a pappa, but also as a director... the kidlets rode like a team, not just against other kidlets, but against the big dogs.

Worst We Really Tried Moment:

Merco Credit Union Grand Prix-- Plan A didn't work, Plan B didn't work either and DBCJRT ended up out of the top ten in a race where we should have been on the podium for sure... El Gigante saved a little face with his second place finish in the 15/16 category, but we still didn't count on that SoCal kid winding it up the way he did to take the top spot.

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17/18 Nationals Road Race-- We tried to have everybody up front for the descent, we really did...

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Mr. Basso's attempt at doping. He really tried, but couldn't even get that right.

Best Pavement Toucher:

The Tapinator definitely made a run at this one with consecutive crashes, but without a doubt, this one goes to a kid who managed to break his wrist while blowing his nose!

Worst Pavement Toucher:

TK couldn't keep the rubber on the road and ended up in the ditch... really far down in the ditch... on a little old training ride.

Best Fit in the Airport:

Let's just say it had been a long week and leave it at that...

Luckiest TK Moment:

Sure was lucky that Jan's camera and all those expensive bikes were still in the hotel room when we got back from dinner...

Unluckiest Staz moment:

Bummer that you let you dad fill your car up with gas... oops, don't think you heard about that one yet...

Best I Can Act Like a Two-Year-Old Moment:

Matt Theisen's exit after the officials declared a four way tie for eighth place in the 3's at Land Park.

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Tricky Ticky putting on a show after the crit at VOS...

Worst Officiating:

No moto with the 17/18's at VOS during the RR...

Best Prediction:

"I bet you $50 I'm gonna win the TT at Nationals."

Best Stage Race:

The votes are in for Gold Nugget, but because it was so small I just can't give the nod to it... instead, I'm gonna say Madera simply because the results were up before we left the parking lot. And, I had a blast in the feed zone.

Best Stage Race Moment:

"How 'bout, Who's got the biggest dangles?"

Best Crit Team:

2007 DBCJRT without a doubt...

Best Hill Climbers:

Without a doubt... not 2007 DBCJRT

The Power of 10

Every now and then I spend some time reading... not Cyclingnews or Velonews or Bicycling Magazine, but Time Magazine, Money, National Geographic, or sometimes maybe even a book that is not written at the fifth-grade level.

In the most current issue of Time the editors pose the question, "Why do we go list-crazy at the end of every year?" They then procede to give their top ten reasons why. I've been toying with the idea of another top ten list... the top ten best DBCJRT moments of 2007 or My ten favorite memories of 2007 cycling or... you get what I'm after. But, I've already used top ten lists at least twice on this blog. Remember Madera or more recently, The top ten things I learned on the Jesse Ride... I'm hesitant to use another top ten list because using the same format too many times is a sure way to bore the three of you that actually read this thing...

So, instead, why don't y'all comment with you favorite and/or least favorite moments from 2007 cycling and I'll do my creative best to compile them into some semblence of interesting before we turn the page on the calendar.

The rules are simple: if it is remotely related to cycling-- DBCJRT, NorCal Juniors, NorCal Elites, Prosies, etc, etc, etc-- comment on it.

This may be a cheap and easy way to fill content, but more likely, I've forgotten many of the best/worst moments of 07... They say that the first thing to go when you get old is your memory. I forget what the second, third, and fourth things to go are, but I do look for other things to do while I'm bent down after tying my shoes...

Merry Christmas

Decided against bringing the bikes to WA for the week. Yesterday was beautiful and sunny, and people were riding their bikes all over the island, albeit bundled up in multiple layers. I was thinking we probably should have brought the bikes... today I'm thinking I guessed right. It's snowing that wet, mushy 32 degree kinda snow that freezes you just looking out the window at it... no reason to ride a bike in that kinda stuff.
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All I want for Christmas is two good knees... instead got this... I'm not at liberty to say to whom the knees belong, but the boy does need to clean his room... could be worse after going under the knife.

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AWfoSho started his own bloggity blog. After much debate he came up with a silly name for it... not sure what tfs means and I don't know who Sharin is nor why he is thankful for her.

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Christmas means, among other things, that it is time to send USAC some dough... gotta get the 2008 licenses before race season starts... which is just a turn of the calendar away. Seems crazy that guys will be going full blast up San Bruno in a few days or riding in circles around an office park in a few weeks. With junior nationals falling sometime in August it's gonna be a longish season in 08... Oh how to keep the motivation up, the fitness from falling flat after 8 months of racing...

Riding the Wind

When the weather does this some times you get lucky, sometimes you get wet...

El Gigante and I rode the wind back from Lake Solano today just in front of the rain. Half hour behind us, on his way back from Napa, AWfoSho got wet... At least he remembered his rain jacket, even if Paul gave him grief about his lack of stylish sensibility...

Top 10 Things I learned on the Jesse Ride

10) Thor has officially outgrown his college/partying days... he's riding twenty hours a week and is in good enough shape to chase back on after a flat in the first half hour of the ride...

9) Sometimes, no matter how hard he pushes himself, a kid can't get his HR to climb above 160 BPM... momma said there would be days like this, there'd be days like this, my momma said... time for a few recovery rides...

8) It is possible to bonk Caren, but only after she has run 20+ miles the day before...

7) It is a good bet that Jesse not only knows every road in Placer County but has ridden on them... even if they are dirt...

6) Green Valley Road to Missouri Flat Road is a terrible route to take if Jesse is no longer available to route find...

5) Mother Lode Road is even worse than Green Valley/Missouri Flat...

4) Being on the front for three hours isn't that bad if you are riding at your own pace...

3) The Bakery next to Bicycles Plus is not open on Sundays... even if you have been on the front for three hours...

2) The Mexican Restaurant next to Bicycles Plus is really expensive. Spandex is not appropriate dress either...

1a) food poisoning is not conducive to finishing with the hardmen on a Jesse ride...

1b) vomiting is a really good way to induce bonking...

1c) newspaper is a good substitute for toilette paper when you are suffering from food poisoning on a Jesse ride... *editors note: DBCJRT does not condone stealing at anytime, even newspapers from somebody's newspaper tube, but will make exceptions in the case of explosive diarrhea...

Karmic Circumstance

Picture, if you will, for a moment this:

AWfoSho returning home via Putah Creek Road after logging some base miles... somewhere just east of Highway 505 a car pulls up behind him occupied by two late teen or early twenties types. All masculine and MOPAR like they rev the engine a few times in an attempt to intimidate a lone rider spinning on the fog line. Bravado being what it is, a few engine revs simply aren't enough so they step up their game. Tires smokin', rubber squealin' our friendly auto occupants leave a trail of rubber-wreaking smoke as they pass...

The smokin' and squealin' continue out of sight around the corner only to be followed by the emphatic bang of a tire blowing out.

Our two friendly, former auto occupants are now standing on the side of the road with perplexed expressions on their faces, wondering just what the heck happened to their tire. As AWfoSho spins by he can't hold back a comment...

Something along the lines of, "Sucks for you" slips out to be followed by more bravado from the two now-afoot former auto occupants. In the blink of an eye one of them slips off his shoe and turns it into a projectile. Quick thinking!

The shoe sails harmlessly over AWfoSho's shoulder and lands conveniently on the road in front of him. Without stopping AWfoSho bends down and scoops up the errant projectile. Glancing back over his shoulder with an equally perplexing look, probably more accurately interpreted as 'WTF', the shoe is hurled over the embankment and lost forever to the creek bottom and its varmints while AWfoSho continues along his merry way.

Don't know what happened to deedle-deedle-dumplin' and his companion. Not sure if they were quick-witted enough to change the tire on the car. Perhaps they found a way to share three shoes between four feet as they hoofed it back to Winters...

Karma

Confirmations

tres confimaciones hoy...

primero: don't know if you read VN or not, but Rock is making noise again. And I like it... Michael Ball has got a way with words, ya know what I mean. He don't beat 'round no bushes. He's standing behind his riders despite many a flying rumor.

El Gigante and AWfoSho hooked up for a ride with that Switters kid today and the chit chat inevitably turned towards the above referenced interview. I'm getting this second hand, but seems Adam was Leogrande's roommate at Superweek '07. He's vouching for Kayle, saying that there was no monkey business with needles or pills going on at all. I, for one, am glad to get confirmation that KL was riding clean. God save our sport!!!

segundo: got confirmation from Voler today that the proofs are in the mail... in a day or two I should get those full size pieces-o-paper. And I'm not kidding... to view them in their entirety one needs to lay them out on a queen size bed. I don't even have enough contiguous floor space in my humble abode to lay them down without folding 'em.

Anyways, I'll be pouring over the logos for spelling and location, checking colors, etc... all the while admiring the new white shorts... if all goes as planned, we'll have new kits the second week of January... coolio...

tercer: This may be more of a rumor than confirmation, but take it for what it is worth... Finally something useful from MySpace... Rock's Justin Williams sent out a little tid bit to all his buddies... El Gigante happens to be one of them.

You should all know Jr. National Championships are in California!!! and that all ready makes it the best nationals ever but there so much more. Im helping with the event and i want everyone to spread the word....The TT completey flat the road race made for REAL! racers not climbers and The Crit DisneyLand Baby!

Can you say, "Easy on the budget?" if it's all true and no bs... 'bout time they brought the dang thing back to the Left Coast. Not that I haven't had fun trapsing around the rural PA countryside and ER's the last two years...

I Always Feel Bad Leaving...

Jesse's place after the kids have been testing...

There's always a puddle of sweat on the hardwood floor and the faint aroma of teenage boy hanging in the air...

I'd offer to stay and clean up but figure I better skatdaddle before his better half gets home and sees what he's been up to. Kinda one of those oops your mom's gonna kill us when she sees this mess. Did you hear that? I think my mom is calling. Gotta run moments.

Despite the I-should-stay-and-help-clean-up feelings, there is something I love about watching the kids test... It might be seeing the improvements as they "grow up" and get faster, but more than likely it's the childish giddy feeling that I get watching them suffer... There is something about suffering on the trainer... it so visible... not like watching suffering on the road. I can stand next to them glancing at the HRM, listening to the breathing, watching the drops of sweat bead up and roll off... Oh, and there is the funny little face a big tough teenager makes when the skin-fold-o-meter pinches them.

Suffering... it's worth risking your buddies mom (or in this case, wife) coming home to discover what you've been doing in her living room.

BTW the kids numbers look good... better december numbers than we were seeing in june last year. and does it mean anything if TK set a pr for max hr???

Presenting...

Here, in no particular order other than the way I typed them, is DBCRT 2008...

Junior Boys 15/16
Cody Tapley--- third full season with DBCJRT and improving rapidly. Striving towards the Junior Point Series in 08
Andreas Freund--- been with us since he burst onto the scene as a 13 year old. Multi-time state champion. Working towards being even faster when the road tips skyward
Torey Philipp--- comes to DBCJRT from Body Concepts. Big engine, lots-o-potential. And yes I spelled his name wrong in a previous post
Zachary Sawchuck--- Another transfer from Body Concepts
Zachary Wick--- back for his 6th season in 08. Former state champion, looking to crack the mystery of a 3's field sprint
Peter Aumann--- first year racer with cycling in his blood
AJ Snovel--- lots of talent, looking to break into racing in a big way in 08

Junior Boys 13/14
Kyle Blyth--- another new racer with competitive cycling in his blood
Kelby Spore--- who needs to train when you come from a gene pool like this one? Undefeated in his age group in 07 (except for a missed start time at Dunlap). Gotta get him off the motorcycle and onto the bicycle more often in 08
Alexander Freund--- another former state champion back for another go in 08. Odds on favorite for the junior 13/14 ncnca point series championship

Junior Boys 17/18
David Vuilleumier--- back for his third season in the blue and orange. the consummate teammate and a big talent
Chris Stastny--- son of a former Czech national champion on the road, looking towards following in pop's footsteps
Parker Childress--- a big-hearted kid with a large side order of perseverance. Looking to step up his game with some out-of-district racing in 08
Brian Frink--- new to racing for 08. Looking to cut his teeth with the big boys in the upcoming season
Alex Wick--- four time state champion, twice on the podium at nationals, a self-professed crit slut looking to make the jump to 1's in 08
Taylor Kuphaldt--- a state champion and one of the top TT specialists in the country. Looking to cat-up to 1 in 08 if he's not spending too much time with the national team

Junior Boys 10-12
Karch Miller--- one of the top dawgs on the bmx circuit, this kid can spin like you can't believe. Should be lots-o-wins in 08
Ryan Gomez--- ready and rarin' to race in 08. If the kidlet has as much speed as enthusiasm he will be unstoppable

The New Kid

pulled into the parking lot adjacent to Bicycles Plus in Folsom for the Jesse ride earlier this morning... There, all decked out and ready to ride, was Torrey Phillip, one of our newest riders. We had emailed back and forth a week or so ago about the ride...

One of the things I have a hard time balancing as director of DBCJRT is a non-DBCJRT specific ride. If I set up a ride and invite the juniors to come I know I am responsible for them. I know that I will leave nobody behind. With other rides, like the Jesse ride, the Wheelworks ride, or Tues/Thurs rides the line is not so clear. If a DBCJRT athlete is there I feel responsible for them because they are a part of our team even if it is not a DBCJRT ride. If/when they start going off the back I'm torn... stay with them, or continue my ride... one of the limited times I have to ride.

I had some trepidation about having Torrey on the ride because I knew I would go off the back with him if he got dropped. But then what about the other DBCJRT kids who might get dropped later in the ride, farther from home?

Not to worry... our newest kidlet rode strong. He ate when I told him to eat, listened as Jim, Alex, and I gave him pointers about saving energy in the group, etc. Granted Jesse is recovering from a rough week, and the ride was considerably easier and shorter than previous weeks, but Torrey was there right up to the end.

I'm looking forward to watching him develop as a bike racer... he's got the engine. It'll be fun to teach him how to race. Another project for 08!!!

Keep up the good work, Torrey!