moss:   [maws, mos]

–noun

1. any tiny, leafy-stemmed, flowerless plant of the class Musci, reproducing by spores and growing in tufts, sods, or mats on moist ground, tree trunks, rocks, etc.

2. a growth of such plants on terrestrial beings, such as Hobits, Gnomes, Trolls and inhabitants of cold rainy climates in the Northern Hemisphere.

Little did we how prophetic this photo would be...

Good luck in Seattle Steve, see you at the races.  Don't forget to srape the musci off before donning your team kit.

Ciao

Thaw before cooking...  He wasn't in the Tour of Med too long after this.

I think the first time the Bear rode with Rebeccah Bieri (RB) we were in the Valley doing an East Side Loop. After a bit he rode up next to me and said something like, “what’s with the attacking?” I said, “yeah, I know, but she doesn’t think she attacks.” This brought a big belly-laugh from Scott and some muttering under his breath as he buckled down to bridge up…

Fast-forward a couple years to last April and after RB comes home from riding with Reny she says, “I’m racing Kings Valley this weekend too!” I almost fell over as I cautiously inquired about her revelation. You see, even though Rebeccah rides her bikes daily she was always disinterested in racing. Seems Reny up-and-told-her to go get some of her own war stories if she was tired of hearin’ about everyone else’s.

At King’s Valley Rebeccah got into an Etna/DeSalvo kit for her 1st race. She shortly found out about racing’s ruthless, unforgiving nature when she found herself square-in-the-middle of a pile-up, landing directly on her… well, you know. After chasing and not getting back to an unsympathetic peloton she soldiered on to finish. I thought that would be it for Rebeccah’s foray into racing, but she was ready to go at Table Rock the next weekend and has been flying the colors since.

Rebeccah took a yearlong contract in Anchorage, AK, but that did not stop her from being one of the most prolific, if not the most under the radar active team member this year. After arriving in Anchorage, she quickly started building an extensive palmares that includes a couple of ultra-distance races, a women’s series, the Tour of Anchorage Stage Race, mountain bike races and a cyclocross series.

In the ToA stage race, the last stage was a technical crit/circuit race held in bad weather. Anyone who has ridden with Rebeccah will understand she probably scared-the-hell out of a few girls as she won both primes and the downhill sprint in the rain, winning the stage and finishing 3rd overall GC. Besides racing she has also been getting out in the more remote areas with locals and riding a lot by herself while having close encounters with a bear, but more often Moose--9 one night with a big ol’ Bullwinkle trottin’ down the path at her. There is also a local team courting her, but she’s been given directions that there’s no buy-out clause in her contract. :-)

Most recently, I picked Rebeccah up in SLC, Utah and we headed to Moab to compete in the 24 Hours of Moab on a 5 person coed team. We met up with our chums and not 30 minutes into the first trial lap--and right after I heard mutterings about orgasmic mountain biking bliss--Rebeccah picked up a stick and ruined the derailleur and hanger on her… yes… first ride on the new bike she had shipped to my house and I had brought with me. Bein’ the trooper that she is, she kept a reasonable attitude as we headed into Moab and found a great mechanic who custom fit a hanger to her bike. By 10 o’clock the next morning we were back in business and had a great race, and Rebeccah’s last lap was the coveted sunrise lap. More than one weary racer probably wondered who the chic was who was having so much fun so late in the race.

(all photo's by George Stransky)

An early-fall phone call probably sums it up best: I answered and Rebecccah said, “I LOVE racing my bike!” The reluctant bike racer has come-home-to-roost, taking up the spot that has been in reserve since those first rides in the Valley, all the while innocently attacking because that’s how she rolls…

I just finished my rookie season. Needless to say, but I will anyways, I learned a lot! Some of what I learned has been extremely beneficial and the rest, well, I has not been nearly as profound. But, I will try to share what I can or at least what I think is of benefit.

Lesson 1 - The Cold and Lonely Life of a Bike Racer

Cold and lonely are the best two words to describe my lifestyle since March. What I learned is that all it takes to be a bike racer is to ride your bike, which means you have to be okay with being cold and lonely. When you are trying to fit 15, 18, 20 or more hours on the bike in a week while working full time you leave zero room for a social life. While all my housemates and friends were going out to the lake, movies, or bars I was on my bike.Even on my day off the bike I didn't get to go do anything because my time was spent catching up on everything I couldn't get done the other 6 days of the week.

And, since everyones work schedules are so different group rides didn't really happen much; which made for a lot of hours on the bike in solitude. In turn meant that I spent the majority of my spring and summer alone. This was definitely a struggle for me at first, but after a little while I started to enjoy the solitude and the non-hassle of coordinating when/where to ride.Oh, and even if you do ride with a group, still be okay with riding by yourself because your probably going to get dropped.

Lesson 2 - Teammates are a Life/Race Saver

Even though we don't always ride training rides together or race the same race's together I know that when it comes to blows my teammates have my back. This was apparent and displayed through help with training, coaching, monetary aid, bike repair, race entry, and gear usage. My teammates have been a huge resource for me and have taught me a lot of valuable lessons about bike racing (e.g. don't forget your front wheel). If it wasn't for the support of the team and teammates I wouldn't have been able to race my bike or had the successes I had this season, and it is an honor to fly the Etna-Brew colors along side some of the best bike racers in Oregon.

Lesson 3 - The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat

This was actually a very quick lesson, but the most difficult to process. But what I learned through racing this season is that just because you drop 25 minutes off your time in one event do not expect to finish your next!

Lesson 4 - Lance was right?

It's really not about the bike! In the spring all I could think about was getting a new bike. I wanted something lighter, stiffer, stronger, and of course sexier. But by the end of the season I could really careless about getting a new bike. The bike I have is just fine because it's not the bike that matters its the bike racer. I know to many guys and gals at this point that have a lot nicer bikes then I do and they aren't as fast as me. So what I don't have a sub 15 pound bike. I have a bike that I can ride and that works and at the end of the day or race a functional bike will always beat an non-functional one that is lighter.

Lesson 5 and Final - Do it Right

If your going to be a bike racer then do it for the right reasons and do it right. Unless you love riding a bike don't try to be a bike racer. And if you do love riding your bike and decide to convert from being a fair weather cyclist to a bike racer then do it right. Ride your bike when your suppose to even though you don't want to. No one likes a poser or a complainer.

Back in January, when I first contemplated the OBRA race schedule for 2009, the three week run of races in mid-to-late April seemed to be calling out to me. Kings Valley, Table Rock and the Willamette Stage race — three races I have either had relative success at in the past or at least have some belief that they are suited to me — were scheduled back-to-back. Seemed like the perfect way to hit my best form in weather that suited me and hopefully get back the upgrade points I lost after choosing not to upgrade when I had the opportunity last year.

Of the three races, Kings Valley probably suits me the best. With its power climbs and 1k uphill drag race to the finish, I've always felt like I could win by sitting in or finding a good break. In 2005, my first year racing, I attacked at the base of the 1k finish climb, bridged up to a solo move and got outsprinted because I tried getting cute in the last 200 meters. Ignoring that I was crashed out the next year, my racing has been passive and frankly dumb ever since. I've sat in, letting myself getting pushed too far back for the finish climb - every year I've moved up 20-30 spots in final km but was so far back at the start that I was irrelevant. This year, while Dave was actually racing his bike, attacking 3km out (countered by Mark Krause who nearly pulled it off), I spent too much time tail-gunning it and finished an anonymous 18th.

Table Rock is important to me just because it is a local event. If the weather is cool and the race goes my way, I think I could have a really good result on the course. The finish is a little steep for me but it doesn't eliminate me either. The day didn't go well in any respect. Our field started at 1:40pm on a day that reached 90 degrees... only 11 cat 3s showed up so we got combined with the equally small 1/2 field... both fields were stacked with strong guys. 5 or 6 cat 1s were present... the cat 3 winner WAS a 2 before breaking his leg last year and the rest of the cat 3s have the legs to be 2s. It was going to be a tough day. We rode Meadows at a fast pace at times. Kennett Peterson, the eventual 1/2 winner made a couple moves. Steve followed the first one and they never got a gap. I followed the second and then pulled through even harder -- looked back after 30 seconds at 23mph on the steepest part of the climb and everyone was there... no gaps just one lined out field. Steve came back up and did most of the work to get us over Antioch only to pop himself about 200 meters from the top. Dave and I and most everyone else was still present. Not for long. Just as we start the descent, a very expensive piece of equipment just went flying and hit the ground. I had to stop or I'd be spending $400 to replace it. After a few long minutes, I found it and got going again. Steve and I regrouped on Meadows and agreed to ride a nice easy pace to the finish. Indeed we finished -- after the finish area had been torn down. Ugh.

Early on the day of Table Rock, rumors were spreading that Willamette was going to be canceled due to lack of attendance. Indeed, I looked at the cat 3 pre-reg list. There were 8 of us. The pro 1/2 men's field had a respectable 45 riders but barely 100 riders total had signed up. Mike Ripley put down an ultimatum that he needed another 100 riders by Tuesday or the race wasn't going to happen. On Monday evening, he announced a modified race plan that would combine the 1/2 and cat 3 fields - eliminate the queen stage on the Wolf Creek course and still allow most of the riders to race - this scenario only needed 60 additional riders. No go - Tuesday came and went and the race was canceled. I understand times are tough - lots of people are struggling with money and a $115 race registration fee plus lodging etc are hard to justify. At the same time, Willamette is raced on some of the finest racing roads in Oregon and it's centrally located to most of OBRA. The race has come and gone in a number of incarnations over the last 20 years but it's always been well attended. In 2006 all of the fields were full - some overfilled... I have an nasty scar on my right leg because the cat 3s weren't used to riding on narrow roads with 115 other people. 2008 saw smaller fields yet a respectable turnout despite miserable 40 degree rain for 4 days straight. It's frustrating to see a race die this way.

So, here we are. The most important part of my season has passed and I didn't do anything of note. I've thought about my plans for the rest of the year and haven't made any firm decisions. I finished the week with the most enjoyable 4 days of riding I've had in a long time and put in 21 hours to boot -- by far the biggest week I've ever done. Elkhorn, a race I love but have started to concede that the climate is too hot and too dry for me, is the logical place to focus my attention. Having Dave there was guaranteed to make the racing a bit more enjoyable and this week I also learned that our newest cat 3 teammate, Matt Dooley, is planning on attending as well. So we'll have a really strong team of three guys.

I guess maybe it's not all doom and gloom.

Testing out our Twitterfeed...

In light of the pretty photos of vintage racer-turned-commuter bikes, gorgeous hand-crafted bad-weather bikes and jaw-dropping DeSalvo race machines clad in neon green, I went into Sunday's Cherry Pie Road Race with the goal of coming back with something hideous and ugly to share with our loyal blog readers. While I succeeded in plowing myself face first into a pile of opening-day cat 3 carnage, I utterly failed to come back with anything truly grotesque. A pity.

Actually, after landing softly on two or three other friendly riders that thankfully still had a few winter pounds to shed, I popped up, spun my wheels and remounted my bike to chase back on... only to immediately find that my bars were someone lacking in the stiffness department. Race over. Thus, I spent most of my day sitting in the wheel car watching the field plod along, thinking the whole time that I could have put 5 minutes on them at this pace by now. I did get a front row seat to some poor rider's misfortune as he went down at 30mph on the backstretch, flipped his bike into a ditch and ended up 25 feet into a neighboring field, breaking his collarbone in the progress. Upon reaching this gentlman to help assess his condition, it was not only obvious that he had broken his collarbone, he was also one of the many riders who went down in my pileup. After getting in the wheel car, I watched him close a 60 second gap on the field by himself over half-a-lap to latch back on. I didn't catch his name, only number 343... but I certainly wish him a swift recovery.

All these things, plus a post-race view of the condition of my beloved handlebars counter any frustration I may have for having great legs and a ideal conditions seemingly turn bad.

So, Cycle Oregon officially announced yesterday that they will have a State of Jefferson flavor to their weeklong tour this year. With stops in Medford, Yreka, Happy Camp and Grants Pass, we'll have 2,000+ cyclists in our backyard for a week in September. Looking at the route, I'm pretty sure I've ridden every single road on the tour, if not every inch of pavement  that they'll cover. I will admit that I'm a bit curious about how they plan to have 2,000 riders negotiate the 5-mile section of I-5 between Hilt and Hornbrook en route to Yreka.

The thought of sharing the roads with so many cyclists for a short while brought me back to a discussion a few of us had at a team meeting last month. We came a unanimous agreement that we should have the goal of organizing an event ride (a century) this year to raise capital for the team. It'd be a great way to get more people acquainted with the Scott Valley and it would be a boon in business for the brewery.

Without a doubt, the Salmon River Loop is the perfect course, but to attract riders who aren't apt to finish their 100 mile day with 4 miles of climbing on an 11% grade, it would probably be best to offer a metric century on the valley floor.

The purpose of posting this is to get the wheels turning. Putting on an event like this is harder than we realize and while I'm optimistic we could pull it off in '09, we all agreed that it should be a test run for 2010. That said, it'd be great to see some discussion here among the team about how to get started along with any ideas or concerns you might have.

Hey Everyone,

First I want to say Great Job on the New Website, definitly a step up from what I had put together and a great service for the team. Look forward to seeing  a lot of use on here this year.

I basically just wanted to give a greetings to everyone for the new year, brief on my racing situation, and provide some other information that might be useful to some. Sounds like there are some miles being put on out there this winter. The warm dry days sure aren't lacking down here this year, several days have been hitting 70 here in the bay area! 

As Shawn I would love to see some of you down here this year for an event or two, then again I will try to make it up for a few events as well. If anyone is interested in seeing the Tour De California I have an open room as well...the Sausalito to Santa Cruz stage passes about an hours ride from my home.

CYCLOCROSS : Bay Area Prestige Series

http://pilarcitos.com/2008Cross.htm

I got a new cross bike this year (custom steel DEAN with disc brakes only, a little heavy but great ride) so finally got my ass out there and did the last 3 of the 5 in series in the Masters 35+ B. Last time I did cross it was Central Coast series almost 10 years ago, far smaller and more casual...there were circa 70 guys in my class at these races! I took it easy and started in the back figuring if I started passing a lot of guys then next time I would start further up. In the end I finished about were I started (around 55 of 70 never got lapped!) Courses weren't overly technical which didn't help me, Great fun and I did get stronger over the weeks...and some motivation to actually road race this coming year.

VELONEWS ARTICLE: Collegiate Cycling with PIC of Ally in ETNA KIT

Not sure if any of you caught it but there is an article on Collegiate Cycling on the Velonews website. Top of the article is a pic with Allly and a couple of her team mates except Ally is wearing the Team Etna/DeSalvo Kit!

http://www.velonews.com/article/86826/rick-crawford-college-days

TEAM HELMETS

I still have two medium helmets new in box for anyone interested. They are the combo red/black/white. One Bell Sweep R $65 and one Ghisallo $50

COMMUTER BIKES

Glad some other bike commuters on the team. I have done my share, my current commuter has been with me for over 15 years and used for years commuting on Caltrains to SF. While I have been tempted by the green bar tape, I stuck with the more traditional black/grey given how it goes with a suit and tie!

Not sure if those pics worked out or will display HUGE.

OK, that's it. Time to spin.

Brian Kadan

I agree with Chris. I have seen this phenomena before. It always starts out with something small and harmless like a Chris King Headset or in GHTG's case, Handlebar Tape! GHTB is in the early stages of his addction. This photo is a representation of what may be the next step in the progression of his addiction... I feel immediate intervention is necessary. Eventually it will be too late for GHTG to return to a normal life and to undo the damage that is now being done. The "green" will eventually become irreversible. This photo could be GHTG a few years from now... GHTG may decide to give up "the green" (probably through a 12 step program), but he may be forced to live with the damage done his racing days...