I started a new project in SL. It’s called ! THE WAREHOUSE ! At this venue we are going to promote DJs and labels. We had a little pre-opening party a few days ago and are sure that this place is going to be one of SLs most wanted secret locations when it comes to HOUSE MUSIC in all it’s flavours.

Be prepared for some rocking parties and having big fun at the WAREHOUSE

Some pics of the party? Here they come!

Surprise, Hanri!  We organized a tea party for you!

This weekend we had a tea party for a friend who is getting married in late December.  Her kitchen tea was a traditional English High tea party with real cups and cake – not something that we are use to anymore!  We also had sandwiches with cucumber and quality street toffees.

I took a few photos to capture the essence of the event – from the outfits up to the tears and joy.  Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy.  Hanri is the bride to be and she was a lot of fun to shoot.  She has a great sense of humor and knows just how to make a photographer smile.

Thank you Hanri for being so honest and upfront.  You made this event worthwhile!

Okay, it’s not really at midnight. It’s in the afternoon, 1-4.

Meet an author, have a book signed, participate in a treasure hunt this Saturday at the Mukwonago Community Library (300 Washington Ave.).

Stephanie Lowden, along with many other authors of books for kids or adults, will be there, meeting and greeting, this Saturday, December 5, from 1:00-4:00 PM.

There will be activities for the children . . . followed by the annual Holiday Parade. Bring the kids, bring the grandkids!! Stay for the Parade!!

Dance to AFFINITY on New Year’s Eve

Dance to AFFINITY on New Year's Eve in Tucson

 Stages Music “Rock & Roll Band Workshop”

January 22-24, 2010

On January 22-24, 2010  Stages Music of Scottsdale, Arizona will host a  “Rock & Roll Band Workshop” at Highlands Church, 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85255  You do not have to be a Stages Music Student to attend this Workshop.  Three days of action-packed, multi-media, rock & roll music education and performance. You will experience being in a real band, learning, practicing and preparing your band to perform onstage in a real Rock Concert at a Professional Concert Auditorium with Light Show, Video Production, Stage & PA Gear and Professional Instructors.  To see photos and video of previous Workshop Concerts, visit us on Facebook at Stages Music.  Recommended for players of all ages (and weekend warriors) with ability to play power chords thru entire songs. (For Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Drums and Vocals)  Stages Music and Highlands Church have combined talent and resources to host the “Rock & Roll Band Workshop”. The three day event, will take place at Highlands Church, www.highlandschurch.org, located at 9050 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd in Scottsdale, on Friday, January 22nd from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Saturday, January 23rd from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Sunday, January 24th from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm, (Studio Concert Performance & Solo Competition / Video Taping from 6 pm – 8 pm on Sunday). The hands-on workshop will focus on areas relevant to playing in a band and rehearsing for a rock concert performance.             ●Effective Band Rehearsal                ●Effective Auditioning             ●Improvisation (Jamming)                  ●Stage Presence (What to do, What NOT to do)             ●Effective Sound checking                ●Stage Fashion (You’re going to wear WHAT?)                   ●Lighting Techniques                         ●Sound Reinforcement (PA system)                                      ●Video Production Highlights           ●Studio Concert Performance / Video Taping  Other activities to take place during the event are a Voluntary Solo Showcase, and a rock jam performance from a local professional band or celebrity guest in an educational seminar based format. Attendees will get first-hand information in a live question and answer session.  Tuition for the event is $250 per student. All attendees will receive a $25 gift certificate for Stages Music. Enrollment will be limited so interested participants are encouraged to register in advance by calling Stages Music directly at 480-948-4720. 

Bacchanal Restaurant and Helena Vlahos present

An evening of dining and entertainment!

Thursday, December 9, 2009 at 6:00pm

 For more information on Live Music and Live Music Venues in Phoenix and Arizona visit www.LiveMusicPhoenix.com

Penang Bridge Half Marathon - Picture of me.. very tiny...

I found a picture of myself taken during the Penang Bridge International Marathon, 2009!! Although it is tiny… Big thanks to Digi, which sponsored the photo taking of each runner at the finishing line. =)

I took part in the half marathon category. You can view my previous posts for more info.

When I reached the finishing line, there were also many runners that had just finished the run. If I had walked lesser..and reached earlier. I walked for at least 500 meters before the last 2 km. hehe.. I was already tired at that time.

Pictures of my half marathon finisher medal and also the running bib.

I didn’t bring my camera during the run. Like I need to explain why I didn’t bring…, it is bulky and heavy. As if I would run with it.

Resulting.., no pictures for that day.

The certificate is going to be posted to me soon. I can’t wait to receive it.

Penang Bridge International Marathon, 2009 - Half Marathon Finisher Medal!

If only it was a medal for the champion... =P

My running bib and finisher medal..

]]> http://crystalgenes.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/spreading-the-word-for-the-spread-the-love-tour-12/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:34:03 +0000 crystalgenes http://crystalgenes.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/spreading-the-word-for-the-spread-the-love-tour-12/

Justin & Mary Marantz are coming to Charlotte in January for their Spread the Love Workshop and on Black Friday, seats will only be $50!! After Friday, seats will be $150, so make yourself a reminder to do a little quick shopping online before heading out to shop and wait in hour long lines.

Here’s what they had to say about the workshop:
Spread the Love is not a photography workshop…It’s a LIFE workshop. So you don’t have to be a photographer to attend! Florists, planners, basically anybody who owns their own business can benefit from Spread the Love. In this seminar, we’ll cover everything from marketing, branding, building relationships, business 101, financial health, balancing life & business, creating systems that stick. and so much more. This is the time for a fresh start, and what better way to kick it off than getting inspired to get back to what you love about not only your business, but more importantly…to what you love about your LIFE again?

For each city to remain on the map, at least 50 people will need to sign up for that city, so help them spread the word and invite all your friends to come along!

The Penang Bridge International Marathon was held yesterday. For the 1st time, I participated in the half marathon category (21 km). The half-marathon started at 3.30 in the morning at Queensbay mall.

Half Marathon, Map (Penang Bridge International Marathon, 2009) - Map from penangmarathon.gov.my

Thanks to the introduction of the champion chip this year, I got to know the time I took to run the race. I manage to finish the 21 km run in 2 hours 36 minutes 37 seconds (net time). My target was 3 hours. Of 2833 runners for mens open half marathon, I am at position 1033.  =)

At the beginning of the run, I ran at a moderate speed. About the same speed as majority of the 1/2 marathon runners. I past the first drinking station and ran non stop to the Penang bridge. I was surprise that the run up the slope in the middle of the bridge isn’t steep. I ran to the 2.8 km point on the bridge and took a U-turn, then running back to Penang island. The run on the bridge was easy. I only started feeling tired at the end  of the bridge.

When I was running back to Queensbay from e-Gate, I walk at least 1/3 of the distance. My whole body was already tired, especially my abdomen area. It was cramped.

At the  last 1/2 km, i started running again. I thought, I should finnish the run in style. hehe..

After crossing the finishing line, I was glad that the run was over for me… =)

My intestine continued to cramp throughout the morning till afternoon. I was also very tired, but glad that I finished the run.. My first ever half marathon!!

Today, I am feeling okay, except that both my legs ache a little.

Time to enjoy the food in Penang. =)

Enjoy your holidays… =)

For those of you who aren’t on one of the several hosts’ email lists, we wanted to remind you all of the annual ONE Party on December 2nd. It’s billed as a “joint holiday celebration that unites the DC metro area’s premier advertising, marketing, public relations, media, interactive and design organizations.”

This year it’s being held at Eye Bar in the Farragut West area. Tickets are $50 in advance ($60 if you buy at the door) and include your first three drinks and heavy apps.

The ONE Party is really a great time with a nice crowd. Hell, I plan to be there…

WHEN:  6 – 10pm, Wednesday, December 2
WHERE:  Eye Bar, 1716 I St NW

After 5 years of running this event, I sold it late last year to some new promoters. Which meant, for the first time that I would actually be able to ride it. The format of the event is simple, there are two loops, both of which begin and end in Panguitch Utah. The first loop is 106 miles and the second is 94 miles and you either sign up for the 100 or the full 200 miles. I signed up for the 200, but without much time on the bike lately I thought I would see how it went and decide at lunch if I would do the full route. I started riding a little before the official start to give myself a little extra time in case I decided to do the whole route. It was quite nice to ride this beautiful area in solitude for much of the morning. The low angle of the sun gives a stunning light in this red rock landscape. There was virtually no traffic for the early part of the ride and I had the world to myself! I was actually the first rider to arrive at rest stop #1 and was treated to a buffet of untouched food, a first for me. It wasn’t until about mile 40 that the first real riders caught and passed me. There were about 8 or 9 riders in the “A” group and they were riding like they were on a mission. Before reaching the second rest at mile 58 or so I was also passed by the “B” group, “C” group and the “D” group. Now this event is not a race, but I like to do well when I can. I was still feeling pretty good but I settled into a 200 mile pace, one that would allow me to hold some reserves for later in the event. I was still riding by myself and still being passed by small groups here and there but I was cruising well and still felt pretty good. At about mile 75 or so the course turned straight south and into a growing wind, things were about to get tougher. At the rest stop at mile 80 I stayed a bit longer than normal, preparing myself for the 26 mile headwind pull back to Panguitch. A group of my friends pulled in just as I was leaving. I said my hellos and left, knowing that they would catch me soon enough. A little head start wouldn’t hurt, right!  This seemed like a long section of the route, I guess headwinds have a way of doing that. My friends did catch me about 10 miles out of the rest stop but I declined to hook on to that group. They were going a little faster than I wanted and I was still trying to save a little strength for the second half of the ride. It was at this point however that I started think more seriously about calling it a day when I got to lunch. The closer I got to lunch the stronger the argument for just doing 100 miles got, but I kept my pace just in case. I suppose that I could have settled the argument by just going hard and then dying but I kept hope alive by maintaining my slower pace. When I pulled into lunch however the argument was settled for me. It was still hot (about 90 degrees) and the wind seemed to be building if anything. Cold drinks along with some food and the conversation of friends began to erode my resolve. Finally when I looked over and saw my car taunting me to just get in and not punish myself further I surrendered. Today I was an under-achiever with only 106 miles and a ham and turkey sandwich to my credit.

I do not really have any other “events” planned for the rest of the year so this one may have been a good one to start tapering down my season with. I’ll keep doing some shorter distances here and there just to try and keep my cycling legs but thats about it!

P.S.  As I am sitting here finishing this spiel the wind has picked up to about 40 mph and blowing dust has reduced visibility to 50 yards. I think a cold front is passing. Right now I am very glad not to still riding in these conditions. I probably would not have finished until 8 or 9 pm had I continued.

You know how sometimes when you start a ride and everything just seems perfect.  The ride follows a beautiful route, you are riding with friends, the weather is great and you feel good. You just know that today everything will be wonderful.  Well this was not going to be one of those days.

My riding partner Joe and I lined up along with 200 others in Paso Robles California for the start of the 2009 Central Coast Double Century, one of my favorite doubles. The 5:40 am start of the ride gave all of the clues of a great day ahead and everything was going well, until about 3 miles in. My double century bike, a Pegoretti Palo Santo started to feel a little funny, like something was loose in the rear.  I stopped to check it over and found the rear wheel was quite loose even though the skewer was tight. I seemed like the bearing adjustment had come undone. After 15 minutes of trying to repair it I came to the conclusion that it was a major failure inside the hub. It appeared that my ride was over!  A support vehicle stopped and asked if we were okay but I told them of my situation and that we were headed back to town.  We were coasting back into town when another support vehicle came along, this one piloted by super SAG guy Lee Mitchell.  He stopped to assist and I told him that unless he had a Campy 10 speed wheel, I was done.  Well, Lee carries a little of everything in his red van including spare wheels and he quickly offered me a Campy rear. It mounted up nicely and it looked like my ride was saved! There was only one problem now; Joe and I were back at the start and an hour behind the ride. We weren’t sure if we could catch up before the rest stops closed. We decided to give it a try figuring that we could turn it in to an out and back brevet if we missed the support.

The first leg of the ride starts with rollers and finishes with a short but vicious climb. At the top of this mean little hill is the first rest stop.  We were happy to see that the stop was still there when we arrived.  The staff cheered us in which was kind but annoying. They had no idea of our earlier setback and just thought we were slow. We resupplied and set off again pretty quickly. We still had some hope of catching back up to the event.

The second leg of the ride begins immediately with a steep and rough descent. You must stay on the brakes hard to safely negotiate the steep and twisty descent. Lower down the grade eases but the road remains rough.  It isn’t until about 10 miles later when you come into Cambria that the road surface gets better.  From here we went north up the coast with Joe doing most of the pulling into a stiff headwind. We were moving good now and when we pulled into the second rest stop there were still some riders there. We were hopeful for a minute that we were back in the ride until we realized that none of these riders would be finishers.

Rest Stop #3, overlooking the Pacific Ocean

With the exception of a few hills and occasional headwinds the next section went pretty well for me. By now Joe’s knee was starting to get serious so he tucked in behind me to get some relief. We covered 20 miles pretty quickly to the base of the next climb. The heat of the day had peaked by now and we started to get some shade on the hill. Not too steep and not too long we crested the top and made the quick descent to the next rest at Lockwood. I might note with the exception of lunch the rest stops were a little thin and we did not really find anything we craved. We ate what we could and continued.

The route this year offered a detour to the next rest at Bradley due to some other detours on the route.  Because of our earlier setback we took it.  It was a good part of the ride. Quartering tailwinds and rolling terrain allowed us to cover the next 25 miles in about an hour. With Joe tucked in behind me to give his knee a rest we flew through this part. About 10 miles out of Bradley we had to turn our lights on and it was full dark when we pulled in the stop.

When we arrived there were many riders still here and now finally 180 miles into the ride we had caught back up to the event.  We took a longer stop here than we should have, in part because they had good food but also because Joe needed some time off the bike.  We rested and regrouped before setting off on the last leg which included the 6 mile climb up Hare Canyon and the long rollers back into Paso Robles. On the climb Joe’s knee went critical and if there had been a bailout for him I’m sure he would have taken it. Without that option we continued.  After miles of rollers with a couple of short and steep pitches just to aggravate things we finally began to see the lights of Paso. The route detoured again to avoid some road construction and then finally we arrived back at the start, the park in downtown Paso Robles. We checked in at midnight some 18 hours and 20 minutes after the ride began.

It was my longest time ever to finish the CCD and with the challenges we faced it would be easy to call this one an “Epic Ride” but I don’t think I will. Sure, we had some difficulties which we overcame and some physical challenges which we dealt with but on the  Lonnie “Epic” Wolff scale of rides this one was just hard, that’s all.

Definition of a Fleche:

A direct translation of “fleche” from the French origins is an “arrow”. In randonneuring terms it is defined as a 24-hour team cycling event held on or around Easter weekend with a minimum of 360 kilometers being covered during the event. Each team must converge on a single destination at a specified time from a variety of different starting points. Each team shall consist of between 3 to 5 bicycles, singles or tandems. The ride must be proven by checking in at a number of control points along the way and obtaining proof of passage at these controls. Our team was named:

Lords of the Chainrings!

A spectacular day on the Central California Coast

Fellowship of the Chain-Rings:

We began our quest in the little town of San Miguelwhich is north of Paso Robles in central California. We wanted to start in Paso Robles but couldn’t get the required mileage so we moved the start a bit north to work it out.  We had kind of a late start for a ride pf this distance and began riding at 8 am. The weather for the day was expected to be great for which was something that we were not used to. We cruised easily to Paso Robles and then up and over the coast range on Hwy 46 where we were treated to spectacular views up and down the coast. What could be better, it was a beautiful day, we were on our bikes on the California coast and now we were headed downhill. It was a breeze! Soon we rolled into our first control in Cambria after being sidetracked briefly at a local car show. This was going to be a great ride! We ate and took care of our business at the control and headed off down the coast with tailwinds and sunshine. In no time at all we cruised into our second control at Baywood Park where we took some time to eat. We were 110 km into the ride and feeling good. The next control in Guadalupe was a pretty quick stop and before we knew it we arrived at control #4 in Los Alamos. The shadows were starting to get a little long but we took our time here; we had been out for almost 12 hours and had covered about 210 kilometers.  It was time to regroup a little.

Who wouldn’t stop at a local car show in Cambria!

The Two Towering climbs:

Okay, we had already done one big climb this morning but now we had to contend with two more. The first was Drum Canyon which we had to tackle immediately. The other would come a little later. Drum Canyon is really not that hard of a climb but coming late in the day as it does adds a little drama to the experience. We topped it just at dusk and didn’t get very far down the backside before turning on our lights. We finished the run into Buellton and our next control in full darkness. We took some extra time here as well to get a little rest before our long push through the night. We departed again sometime after midnight. The town of Solvang is a ghost town at that time of night but they leave the streetlights on. Here is where we encountered one of our first problems. Joe’s shifter started acting up and we had to stop under a light and attempt a repair. We were not successful and Joe was stuck in his little chainring for now. Not to worry, we were just about to begin our last big climb of the night. It was probably a beautiful route, but in the darkness all we saw was the tunnel of light cast by our headlights.  Some perspective is lost in these conditions but being in the small chaniring pretty much convinced us that we were climbing. On and on in the darkness the road twisted. There were no lights to be seen anywhere, no street lights, no houses, no cars, just the tunnel. Finally we broke out into a clearing and we could see lights from cars on the highway. We were drawn to the lights like insects but the lights also happened to be our route. Now on Hwy 101 we continued climbing, up and over, and then down. The down part was fast, very fast. This is where we had our second problem. We were descending very fast down Hwy 101 in the dark. The shoulder was good but something caught Joe’s wheel and sent him towards the side of the road at 40+ mph. He was right behind me, and then suddenly he was not. It scared the $#!+ out of him and it took him a while to recover. We checked out the bike and it looked good so we continued.

Southbound with a tailwind on Highway 1

The Return of the Kings:

Riding through the night is funny; it’s like a time warp or a dream or something. We cruised along the coast with no sense of time or distance. Our unit of measure was hunger and fatigue. Regardless of either we kept riding and kept these issues at bay as best we could. We had stops at controls in Goleta and Carpinteria but we did not use them to measure our progress in units like kilometers or hours, we calculated our progress with a chocolate milk or some other
snack. The clicks didn’t matter so much, we wanted food! So eventually, a couple thousand calories later we were approaching Ventura. Somewhere between the chocolate milk and the egg McMuffin the sun had come up. We had hardly noticed since we probably had been eating at the time. Eventually somewhere near 8am we did roll into Ventura and the final control. Most of the teams were already there but we made as grand an entrance as the 3 of us could.There were a number of other issues during the ride that hindered or helped but the only one worth mentioning was the spectacular weather. We had 75 degrees and consistent tailwinds for the entire ride. It truly was a magnificent day in Middle California!

I ride many different types of cycling events from red carpet tours to totally unsupported epics. But when an organizer charges an entry fee to enter a fully supported cycling event then I personally begin to have expectations. Different groups often produce varying results in the quality of support they provide with club supported events often doing the best job. It can range from a veritable buffet to bare bones and soggy Subway sandwiches for lunch. The highlight of todays ride, the Tour de St. George was the consistent choice of PBJ’s and banana’s. It seemed to me that little care was given to the riders needs or wants and it showed with the support. One rest stop which although was not too busy did not have any PBJ’s prepared and riders had to wait for their half sandwich to be made. Water jugs were near empty and the tables were otherwise bare. I only did a shorter version of the event and could have gone with no support whatsoever but if I were doing the full 100 miles I would have been very dissapointed.

I must cut the organizers a little slack though. They recently had an event director bail on them so the new director may not have been up to speed, but if you cannot get up to speed quickly then the event will suffer. I even heard that one of the water stops did not show up in time for quite a few riders. That is inexcusable! I know of events that were killed as a result of a single bad year. There were a number of complaints among the riders I talked to with the common theme being that they wondered what they had paid for! There is no point of putting on an event if you do not plan on doing it well. I believe that many people were probably dissapointed today in the level of support that they were provided during todays event. If it hadn’t been for the fine weather then this event might have been a total bust for many.

I dont often give ratings to events but I might start. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give today’s ride a 5, with at least 2 points of that being for the weather. I guess people will always come to ride St. George in springtime because of the likelihood of good weather but they may not be willing to pay for full support only to receive much less than that.

8 am at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse outside Portland Oregon. Rain just starting.

We gathered at 7 am at the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse which was our designated starting location. There were 38 riders who were ready to ride with about half of them looking more like racers than randos and seemed to be travelling pretty light. The rest were on fully fendered bikes and looking pretty prepared otherwise. The weatherman was predicting rain so it was probably just going to be a matter of time until we got wet. Almost on cue during the pre-ride meeting it started to sprinkle and a few minutes later at 8 am as we got started riding it began to come down more seriously. By the time we were 5 miles into the ride the roads were saturated and the spray was coming up from the other riders tires as heavily as the rain was coming down.

I myself felt pretty prepared for a wet day having come with wool clothing, raingear and booties. I even had a spare pair of dry gloves in my bag. I may have underestimated the cold a little however as the temperature at the start was 41 degrees. My Portland bike is a Surly Cross Bike, fully fendered and with front and rear bags. It is a little on the heavy side but it is comfortable, rugged and goes good. This would be my first real rain ride with it.

We cruised out of the Beaverton area into farm country, zig-zagging our way through farm fields and pastures. Our first control was in what once was a town called Mountaindale. These days it appeared to be little more than a soggy crossroad but this is where the rain really started to come down. The control had a canopy to protect the volunteers but offered little protection for the riders. Not that it mattered much, we had already been exposed pretty thoroughly to the elements by that time. I left my Surly leaning on a Suburban and went to check in. Paperwork done, I grabbed a quick snack and took care of other neccesities. It is amazing how quickly you will cool after you have stopping for a break. The temp was still in the low 40’s and I needed to get moving so I did not linger.

Return from Mountaindale

Forest Grove Control

As I left Forest Grove it was raining hard but it soon started to taper off and a few miles later it was hardly raining at all. The wind was still up but it became a crosswind for the rest of the ride which was not too bad. It wasnt too long before I pulled into the final control at the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse which is a fine McMinamens Brew Pub. I do think that the Oregon Randonneurs know how to finsih a ride with food and other refreshments.

The Surly rode well all day. It has 28c tires and is fully fendered. Bar end shifters, Detour bags, and a Rock Shox road post complete the accessories. It is a low/mid range Shimano group and does not go like my normal Campy stuff but it is very acceptable for these shorter events. The biggest event that I am likely to do on it will be Seattle to Portland later this year. Yes, I am signed up for that! Stay tuned for more on that.

It was a dark and stormy night………. Actually it was a dark and stormy morning at the Best Western hotel in Ventura, the start location for the PCH 300 km Brevet on February 7. Some 32 riders ignored the grim weather forecast for the day and lined up for the start. Observing the equipment and gear that different riders were sporting it appeared that many were either optimistic about the weather, or being from So Cal probably didn’t have much foul weather gear to wear. Myself, being experienced in bad weather events (lucky me), I had plenty of gear to choose from. I was fendered, bootied, helmet covered and otherwise protected from the impending weather.

The event started out with a mild pace as riders were getting settled in for a wet day.  Navigation was also easy for quite a while as this was familiar terrain for the local riders and someone always knew the way.  Later, after the second control as riders were more spread out you had to check your cue sheet a bit more often.  After the control at Lake Casitas we had a bit of climbing up to Casitas Pass but it was not too bad. The rain continued on and off all morning but as we descended to the third control in Montecito it really started to pick up again. In that stretch I encountered some unique conditions, something I had not really experienced before.  It was raining hard and water was sheeting on the ground as well as pooling in low spots.  There were so many pools that oncoming traffic frequently splashed us with their spray.  They were not aiming for us but it was unavoidable. We had water from above, water shooting at us from the side and water spraying up at us from our own tires. There was nowhere to hide and all you could do was to steel yourself for the onslaught.  Even though I was well prepared I became thoroughly soaked and just resigned myself to that fact. My wool clothing served me well however and I stayed warm in spite of the wetness.  I would just like to say that coffee and pastries are great brevet food on a wet day, perhaps contrary to conventional wisdom.

Richard and I at lunch, Shoreline Park, Santa Barbara

Port Hueneme was our next control and we made just a brief stop there. We hooked up here with Jim, a local rider who would accompany us for much of the rest of the route. I had been riding with my lights on for most of the day for visibility reasons but now darkness descended and that lighting became mandatory. This was a new lighting system for me, a combination of a SON 20 R dyno-hub powering an Edelux led headlight. The system proved to be a flamethrower at night and I was very pleased with it. Even at the slower speeds while climbing up Grimes Canyon Road it was great and on the descent its illumination was equal to that of a motor vehicle. It was perfect for the very twisty (and debris strewn) descent in the dark. We had another control in Santa Paula before the final run in on Telephone Rd. As we neared Ventura there were dozens of traffic lights and we hit more than a few of them but the road surface was good and we had a good run in.

Overall Richard and I were the 5^th and 6^th riders in and finished in 16 hours and 14 minutes with an on bike time of 13 hours 18 minutes.  With 9 required controls and an urban route having many traffic lights this is not one of the fastest 300k’s I have done but it is a good route. I hope to ride in this area again on the Fleche in April. That’s assuming that I can put together a team by then!

Ventura California, Saturday January 10, 2009. This was the first event of the season for me and I don’t have a lot of miles on my legs. I finished 2008 with only a couple of rides since October so I knew it was going to be a rough day. This seemed to be confirmed by the weather forecast which indicated there would be “red flag warnings” along the coast all day. The Santa Ana winds would be blowing viciously, but hey I’ve had worse, right? That would prove to be my mantra for the day, or something similar.

Joe and Craig from Cedar City accompanied me on the trip. They are not really brevet riders but I guess they thought I needed looking after. After the disastrous season I had last year they may not have been that wrong. Well, 50 or so riders started out at 6:30 and the predicted winds had arrived. It was a quartering headwind blowing at 20 or 30 mph as we headed east. While in town we got a little relief from the wind due to the buildings and vegetation but once we got out in the open there was nowhere to hide. Gusts were occasionally higher and they rocked our group when they hit. We had 35 miles of this to look forward to! The quartering wind took its toll and riders kept dropping off the back of our group. We were down to about 8 or 10 riders when I had to stop and remove some clothing. Losing our group was not that much of a loss since there was nowhere to hide from the wind anyway! We all made our clothing adjustments and the 3 of us regrouped into an echelon each taking pulls and resting alternately. We were actually pretty efficient this way and soon we started catching the riders ahead of us. They were each riding alone now and as 3 working together we were much faster. Pretty soon we caught them all and our group reformed somewhat.

We were headed to our first control in Malibu at Starbucks. You know you are getting close to Malibu when you hit the rollers. They are not steep but some are long and with the headwind it broke up our crew again. We rolled into the control in groups of two’s and three’s after about 2 hours of headwinds. After getting fed, watered and stamped we departed the control heading westward now and hoping the winds would be a little kinder to us on our way back. Well it wasn’t perfect but we had a good ride back. Mostly a quartering tailwind but on some sections we could cruise at 25 mph or so. This made the return to Ventura pretty enjoyable and pretty swift. It had started to warm up some as well and we were now riding in shorts and shorts sleeves. So far this could have been a lot worse.

We arrived at the control in Ventura where Greg and Lisa had provided a wonderful lunch with wraps reminiscent of the ones Susan makes at the Arizona brevets. We enjoyed the hospitality and were tempted to linger but soon we decide that we should be off. The winds here are funny. We started again heading westward, but now the wind was in our face although not nearly as strong. It was a nice cruise along the coast to Montecito and the next control. Just before the control we started seeing the first riders returning so we knew we were close. It was another friendly location and it was also tempting to stay and enjoy the day but we reminded ourselves that we still had 27 miles to go and we set out once again.

The last leg of the ride was very enjoyable and we had a tailwind again allowing us to cruise easily at 22 mph or so. The Pacific Ocean was just to our right and view was spectacular. The winds had cleared the air and it looked as though you could just reach out and touch the Channel Islands. We came straight into Ventura on Main Street and finished in Mission Park. We had been out for about 9 ½ hours overall and on the bike for 7 ½ hours.

Thanks to Greg and Lisa Jones (co-RBA’s?) and all of the other volunteers who made this a great ride. Also, some thanks to those above who may have had some influence on the weather and kept this from being as bad as it could have been! I found out later that maximum wind gusts of 62 mph had been recorded in the area on this day.

Here’s a good local event to ride while the season is winding down. The Tour de St. George is a local favorite and even though it happens late in the season the weather is always warm and sunny at this time of year. It uses some of the best local roads in a tour of the St. George area. The organizers, Doug McCoy and Dave Smith and their staffs do a great job on this event. Even though I ride these roads frequently this is one ride I try not to miss. There is also a version in the Spring which is equally awesome. Try to catch them both!

This event was held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of RUSA. 10th anniversary events were being held all over the country on this weekend and this one had a good turnout as did most. There was a 100 km as well as a 200 km option today. I chose the lesser distance for a couple of reasons, we had family plans later in the day but the bike I was riding is fairly new and had never been on a brevet before. It seemed wise to work up to longer distances to work out any bugs. The bike is a Surly Cross bike and is basically out of the box except for some 28c road tires. This is the bike I keep in Portland to ride when I am in town.

The route is basically an out and back to Multnomah Falls on the old highway. We start in a neighborhood park in Portland and work our way out past the airport and then along the river. The pace starts out briskly and then moves to fast. I am usually not an “A group” rider but I decide to hang near the front for awhile. About 6 of us are taking pulls at the front and several more are just hanging on. The pace is about 21 – 23 mph which is fast for a brevet but I know it wont last all day.

We arrive in Troutdale pretty quickly and wind our way through the town. After crossing the river we leave Fishville behind and start up the old highway on a gentle grade. In spite of the incline the pace has not slowed and it is now faster than I care for. When it pitches up just a little more I decide to bail out the back of the pack. The group has shrunk  to 6 or so riders now and they wont miss me. The scenery is great and traffic is light and I am enjoying the climb. There are many small farms and fruit stands along the way and I am guessing that this route is popular with tourists. Traffic will probably be much heavier later on the way back in.

The road continues to wind and roll. It will be a hot day today but for now I am under a canopy of trees and it is cool and green. Suddenly the road bursts out into the sunshine at Vista House, an overlook of the Columbia River. It was built in 1916 for tourists to enjoy the view and is still popular today. It is our second control point in the ride so I make a brief stop. The turnaround is at Multnomah Falls, just another 8 miles down the road. It is a spectacular sight and is usually crowded with tourists. We are here early enough that it is pretty peaceful and there are not many people here yet. We enjoy the moment before moving on.

The return ride is back along the outbound route and although the route is the same the scenery is different. I ride solo for most of this part and enjoy the sights. I arrive back at the start just after noon and pull into the cool shade of the park. It is quite warm out now, probably 90 degrees or more already. I’d be tempted to blame global warming for this but the record high for this date was over 40 years ago, so that was a little before my SUV.

Many thanks to the Davis Bike Club in California for putting on such a well organized event on a great course. The day started off with something unusual in my experience over many brevets, that is the 26 or so riders stayed together in a double pace-line at a moderate pace for the first 30 miles or more. It was wonderful, people were chatting and maintaining a good pace, it was very enjoyable.  Finally I had to stop and remove some clothes as it was starting to get a little warm.  Several other riders did so as well so it was the beginning of the end for the organization of this group of riders.

There were light winds all day which added a little extra challenge at times and helped a little at other times. Temps probably reached 90 degrees or so at the peak of the day but the light winds and canopies of shade trees over much of the route helped to mitigate the warmth.  Most of the route was on surprisingly rural roads through the wine country of Napa and Sonoma counties. There was some tourist traffic on these sections but overall it was pretty low key.  The real treat was viewing the wineries along the route along with other fields and pastures. Wildflowers were out in abundance and the many streams and lakes were full.  It was a beautiful late spring day in northern California!

The DBC did a wonderful job in providing support to the riders. Much of this rural route offered little opportunity to graze at stores or minimarts so the club provided food and drink at most of the checkpoints.  The volunteers were exceptionally helpful and I for one really appreciated their efforts. It means a lot when such people take the time to provide for others when they would certainly rather be riding themselves. 

As night fell we were passing by a little lake. The sunset was spectacular and the sky was on fire. This scene was reflected in the lake waters which were very calm. We stopped briefly to experience the spectacle. There was no traffic and the air was still, it was very peaceful.  For a moment all was right with the world. These are the times that make all of the day’s effort worthwhile.  To be in these special places at these rare moments is a very unique thing.  You just have to be out there to have the opportunity to see these things. You may not always be in the right place at the right time but you will certainly be someplace at the right time.

Once darkness fell the world closed in around us somewhat. The beam of our headlights became our world, while the orbit of our fellow rider’s lights became our universe. Beyond that was an unknown region of shadow and darkness. The road continued to pass under our wheels but the clock had now become lethargic.  Miles as a unit of measure had also been altered somewhat.  Each one now seemed further than the last.  The more we tried to verify the correct distance the further we had to go. It is a cruel deception that riding at night sometimes brings.  In the end, minutes were still minutes as were the miles and we finally came to the last entry on the route guide.  We pulled into the finish area in Davis at 3:11 am. Our result for the day was riding 400 kilometers (250 miles) in 21 hours 11 minutes elapsed time, 16 hours 55 minutes actual riding time.

This is an event which I do occasionally although it is not my favorite DC. Clair and I had both signed up for it last year knowing it would sell out in a few hours which it did. Sadly now that the event is here my friend Clair is not. I will ride this event anyway as I will all of the events that Clair and I signed up for before his passing.

Riding events has been tougher lately and I have not been at my peak. Perhaps it is because of my missing riding partner. Also, an ongoing back injury which is getting better but still limits me somewhat in my performance. It has also been tough this year to get in enough saddle time to prepare for an event like this, but the event does not care, you will either prevail or you will fail!

The weather forecast was pretty good, light winds and 85 degrees for the high. I thought this could be a good event for me and I was actually pretty optimistic about my expectations for the day. I started in the second wave of 50 riders towards Badwater. This is a nice stretch of road with gentle rollers for the start. The larger groups in this section make for a pretty fast pace and we got to Badwater very quickly. South of Badwater the road gets a little rough and people spread out somewhat, also the south wind picked up some which slowed the pace to the Ashford Mills rest stop. In the past, food support has always a little sparse at this event in my opinion and that was the case again this year. After Ashford Mills the climbing really starts, first up Jubilee Pass then over Salsbury Pass at 3300 ft. There is over 9000 ft of climbing on this route all totaled. Once over Salsbury it is an easy run down to the town of Shoshone and the next rest stop. Here I was able to supplement the rest stop supplies with food from the local mini-mart. My experience as a randonneur has taught me how to survive quite well on gas station food!

Leaving Shoshone I had to repeat the previous climbs in reverse but they are not so difficult from this direction. I made my way back over the passes and returned to the Ashford Mills rest stop. I think I had fallen behind on my hydration so I overcompensated a bit here. The route was a little easier for the next stretch and I thought that I could recover somewhat if I drank more. The next 32 miles returning to Badwater were not that difficult but I could not overdo it. This was a recovery section for me and I returned to Badwater just before sunset. Badwater was technically the lunch stop at mile 132 so the best food support was here. I ate and drank what I could but did not stay long. Fulfilled, I turned on my lights and continued in the failing light. I like this section back to Furnace Creek, the pavement is good and the features are familiar so I pretty much know where I am and how far I have to go.

When I pull into the Furnace Creek checkpoint, it was way dark! They ask me if I would continue and I say yes, of course I will! I put on my better lights and reflective gear and checked the time. It was 7:00 pm and I had enough time to finish based on my progress so far but there was not a lot of time to spare. I did not linger at Furnace Creek and got going right away. Within a half mile of leaving Furnace however the wind picks up dramatically. I had not heard that the forecast had changed and that a front was supposed to pass through the area. Suddenly the winds were gusting from 30 to 40 mph from the east, a crosswind! The sand was blowing and I was having trouble keeping the bike on the road. Between gusts the bike would veer wildly and I went off the road several times. My speed had dropped to 9-10 miles per hour and my progress had slowed dramatically. I rode for an hour into this maelstrom and then stopped to check my odometer and the clock; I could not operate the instruments while I was moving. My calculations showed that the math was against me and based on the current conditions I would not finish within the time frame. I waited for a minute and checked my surroundings. It was dark and there was no traffic. I could see the tail-lights of 2 riders ahead of me but they were miles ahead. The desert is very deceiving for distances. Stopped in a desert sandstorm at night, watching wave after wave of sand blowing across the road in my headlight, I looked up. The stars were brilliant, even surreal, and in a moment of clarity I decided to turn around. I rode back to Furnace Creek, my left side now being pelted with sand as my right side had been for the last hour. I was defeated, and the ride back was very somber. When I pulled into the finish at Furnace Creek there was applause for what they thought was a victorious rider, but I waved off the reception and told the official who happened to be fellow RBA Mike Berry, that I was a DNF. They congratulated me anyway but it was not deserved.

I was glad to be done, and in retrospect it was the right decision. That however does not help much with the feelings of failure. There are not many events that I have not finished, some of which might be considered to have been much tougher, but on this day I could do no more. I will take some small consolation in the high DNF rate for the event but not very much!