Dreams to Wheels Cycling Donations

When Hanns Detlefsen and I were looking for a place to donate our old Taleo Racing kits someone mentioned to me a start-up named Dreams to Wheels .  They are located right now inside Calmar Bicycles of Santa Clara, CA.  The owners of this bike shop Odi Giraldo and Peter Thompson decided to create Dreams to Wheels last summer.  The items donated go directly to children in Columbia.  The organization is in the beginning stages and has the interest of Pro Cyclist Freddie "Fast" Rodriguez also. Stop by the shop to donate items, and check out their Facebook page.

Oakland Fire Random Acts X-Mas Gifts

I got to play Santa today while on duty! Thanks to Oakland Fire Random Acts we were able to deliver some gifts to children that live in our district. One of these kids, Christian is someone that I have known for a long time now. We met down on Lakeshore Ave in front of Peet's Coffee while we were shopping. He loved the Fire Engine! When we go by his grandma's house he is always in the window waving. He comes by the firehouse to visit also. Each year I make sure he's taken care of! Very appreciative family.

USA Cycling License 2013

Lets get the 2013 season started!

Mt Diablo Challenge 2012

Mt Diablo Challenge Danville, CA  (Wave 1)

Start Time: 8:30 am  (Finishing time 57:27)

Placed: 81

Field: 520

Miles: 10.9

Average Speed: 11.4 MPH, Top Speed 30.1 MPH

Average HR: 178 Max HR: 187

Elevation Ascent: 3,294 Ft.

Weather:  57.8 degrees avg.  Partly Cloudy down below and sunny up top

                This was my 3^rd time doing the Mt Diablo Challenge.  I wanted to finish under an hour.  Every race that I did this year was to prepare me to climb Mt Diablo in less than an hour.  I was going to give it my all.  I was well rested, recovered well, and ate great the 24 hours prior.  I am now eating an almost fat free diet the day prior to my races.  I also stay away from high fiber foods in the morning before the race.  I don’t have any coffee either.  I ate a bagel with light cream cheese 2.5 hours prior and a performance plus power bar 1.5 hours prior to race.  I had a GU pack as a back up tucked inside my right leg of the skin suit.  I only needed 1 bottle of Cytomax.  Half for the warm-up and half for the ride up.  Of course I took of my second bottle cage!  I parked my car 20 minutes from the registration and with a backpack full of clothes/warm gear I rode easy to the registration.  Thanks to Brian Spears for pinning my number on.  Have you ever tried pinning a number on a skin suit while wearing it?  It would probably look like I am wrestling myself. J I dropped my bag off at the start line.  Thanks to the event promoters they drive everything for you to the top.  The first 10 minutes of my warm up on Blackhawk Rd were cold in just a skin suit.  Finished my warm up of about 45 min.  Some good efforts, and felt ready.  Made it to the start line of Wave 1 with 10 minutes to start time.

I met Stu (Taleo Racer) at the starting line.  We had the exact same goals and it was a nice chat to calm the nerves.  Easy roll out, and felt a little sketchy and over crowded rolling through the newly paved area.  I thought for sure that someone was going to go down.  Made it out of there just fine and proceeded to South Gate.  I found a good tempo and followed Jeff Botelho’s wheel till a mile maybe before the pay station.  I caught up to Greg Spanier now and we were with a handful of other guys.  We hit the pay station and I remember thinking to myself….I can’t believe I am already here.  I was so focused on the wheel in front of me and keeping pace that I had no time to think where I was.   I didn’t have to do much work at all through Rock City.  I was 2-3^rd wheel back of a good sized group.  Came out of Rock City behind the guy that led us through and hit the gas hard up to Curry Point until I caught up with another group.  On the final push through Curry a large group with Spanier and others came through at the perfect time.  I needed to drafting.  It was windy through there.  Nice long downhill for the final push to the junction.  I made it to the junction around 28:30ish.  Wow I thought to myself.  You are doing this!!!!!  Everyone was pretty spread out now.  I don’t really remember much after this point.  I didn’t know any other time checks.  All I knew was that if I could make it to the wall before the finish at 58 min I could break the hour.  I climbed that wall in 1:23 last year, and subsequently climbed it in 1:23 this!  I was so excited when I made it to the base of the wall with 56 min on the Garmin.  I did it!!!  Broke the 1 Hour!

Thanks for reading and thanks to all my Teammates of Taleo Racing.  It was a nice way to end the Taleo Racing sponsored team. 

San Bruno Hill Climb 2012 Race Report

We are 3 weeks away from the 2013 cycling race season!  Mt San Bruno Hill Climb is the 1st event.  Here's my race report from last year. I rode with Taleo Racing in 2011 and 2012.  In 2013 I will be racing with San Jose Bike Club SJBC.  www.teamsanjose.org

Mt San Bruno HC (35+Cat 5 Group Mixed with 4's)

Field Size: 25

Placing: 21

Start Time: 10:00 am

Total Time: 22:11 PR of 2:34!!!!

2 Teammate Scott Bromstead, Chris Coble

Average Speed: 10 MPH, Top Speed 25.3 MPH

Average HR: 183 Max HR: 194 (My Max Threshold)

Elevation Ascent: 1171 ft

First race of the year. It was a sunny and warm morning in San Bruno. My goals for the race were to improve my time of 24:45 last year. Carpooled with Hanns D, got a good warm-up in, then met Scott and Chris at the front of the line. My plan was to hold on with the group until I couldn't anymore, then pretty much settle in and ride hard. Since I raced this course the previous year I felt a lot more comfortable on the road. My energy levels were low since I had been up all night at the firehouse on New Year's Eve. Normally I race my Vittoria Open Corsa EVO CX but this course beat them up last year. I left the Rubino Pro's on. As always I fueled up with some Pomegrante Berry Cytomax!

Watching Scott B. ride 3rd wheel up the first climb was an awesome sight! I dropped off the back before the first level part of the race, and found 2 wheels to draft off of. My HR was maxed at this point, and just settled in. My plan was to mark someone near the end of the course and have my own little race to the finish with them. I know from previous years that it's easy to think the end is "right around the corner". The course isn't marked at all. I was maybe 500 meters from the finish when someone came by me pretty fast. I stayed seated and was about 20 ft behind him when his acceleration stopped. At the 200 meters mark I buried myself and blew past him!

Overall I was super stoked because I got a personal record of 2:34!!! I love climbing and I am improving. I would like to get under 20 min next year. My next race is the Early Bird RR on Jan 21.

Thanks to Taleo Racing

Thanks to my Teammates!

Thanks to my coach Jonny Moskowitz!

Thanks to Cytomax!

Thanks to Vittoria Tires!

Thanks to Oakley!

Thanks to KMC!

Thanks for reading!

Fuel for Cycling

I love these Jelly Belly sport beans!

My New Team for 2013

SJBC!