ADOBO Velo News

White Mountain Double Century by Elpidio Lardizabal Sept.11,2011

2011-09-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

It was a challenge to everyone of us. This ride was the toughest so far that I've done, altitude wise (10,000ft)

I started with Joe at 4am with a group of 25-30 riders. Few miles away from the starting point some riders were just so anxious of breaking away.

I decided to speed up to catch those guys. Without noticing, I was by myself chasing. All I saw were lights blinking ahead of me with the distance.

I just kept on going to my speed & before sunlight I caught five guys.. now I was in the front group.

Almost day light when we started ascending. Hours pass by without noticing... nothing to do except pedaling, watching the scenery, looking at the hills in front of me, counting guys ahead until I was just about to run down my stamina, riders passing by one at a time.

I thought there was no end ascending & I just refused to get off my bike to get a 2nd wind before reaching the top...

Using 36x28t, I managed.. talking about torture, this was one! what a relief! Not too long at the SagStop, here comes Joe.

Descending was no problem. You could speed up to your max if you're brave enough. Joe is one of the brave guy.. he descended like no fear! Opps, not for me! he left me in minutes. I glanced him once & never see him again until the next SagStop. While descending, saw Jess/Tisoy & Louie coming up> At the SagStop, Joe got hooked up with a rider named Annie (BorregoDoubleOrganizer) & we rode together at the last ascending part of the ride. While speeding down hill, my rear tire flatted & lost them. I ended up riding by myself until I got lost. Made my way back & got to the lunch Stop (12 noon). Decided to ride by myself until some riders caught me & managed to stay with them.

This group was the same group I was with earlier at the ride. We started pace line until the last 2nd SagStop. I was getting hungry then.. had a "pepsi" then decided to eat "cantaloupe"...... wow!! 33 milesto go, I got a problem. I started getting this sour taste & everytime I drink my water I felt throwing up.. decided to take it easy. I refused to drink my water.. 18 miles to go, getting weaker & rain started pouring. Stopped to wear my wind breaker. I felt getting sick! Saw a sign 10 miles Bishop.. feeling better until another group caught me, by surprised the same group. They stopped at the last SagStop to have hot soup which I refused. They waited for me to adopt to their pace but can't keep up with them so I let them go. At last, the city lights were here. I went straight to sign in (7:35p) & took a quick shower. I was feeling good then for a dinner after>went to Dennis with the gang.

Another memorable double for me. This was my 8th this year.

Kuya el

White Mountain Double Century by Louie Rivera Sept.11,2011

2011-09-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Fellow Adobos, WMD (white mountain double) is tough double. on paper, everything looks
Doable but when you are at 8000 ft altitude and you are about to climb another 2500 ft to
Reach 10,000 + ft of elevation, I questioned Myself. What were you thinking before doing
This. Is there air in here. It felt that my pulse ox was only 40%. I stopped for a while pretending
That I was enjoying the scenery, but it was double take for the color of my nail beds to see
If they are blue now. Suddenly I hear my heart beats, not necessarily that fast but bounding
Really strong, Luckily I was only a couple of 100 meters away before we head down to the check station at the end of white mountain road.

OK the idea was to see this this "ancient bristle cones" trees that is about 4000 years old
And some that are almost 5000 years old. That went into a flash drive in my head including
A scenery upon descent, where I thought I saw switchbacks reminiscing Alp de Huez.

All above action was for the first 38 miles only of our journey. El and Joe Leon were
Descending from this mountain as we(Jess St Maria, Tisoy Adeva and yours truly) were
Just ascending. we started 0515 and Joe and El started an hour earlier.

Tisoy and Jess were at different zone. they kept waiting for me at each stop and I ended
Up playing catchup. Seeing that their momentum must go on, I just told them not to wait for me anymore. We regrouped and rode together again from Boonies mile 89, where we had
Our lunch to mile 143 and to my surprise I see them again at mile 163. They were having noodles. By the way along the way we had the chance to ride with TROPA guy name Ken B. From bay area But he needed more rest than we did. Back to mile mile 123, Priscila, the
Wife of the organizer Jim Cook, is of Philippine decent and she was very helpful and attentive
To our needs. I ate the killer PBJ sandwich , she made and her brother James fixed us also
Killer smoothies. I believe I had two cups as well as Jess.

All of a sudden at mile 163, we noticed this ominous cloud coming towards us. Lightning,
Thunder is happening along with strong wind. Only thing we did not know where the wind
Is blowing to. So we scrambled to leave at around 1900 and within a mile I got dropped
From strong pace of Roy and within two miles rain started pouring. so I stopped to put
My jacket on. My lights were working but my cyclometer ran out of battery, so I am guessing
My speed while enjoying the strong tailwind. I managed to turn on my cyclometer and actually saw that I was doing 26 mph, then it died again. Then the road just turned pitch black and I
Noticed hail slapping on my left face, so I fixed my helmet and rode with my head cocked
To the left. Then I kept hearing like it was a big creek filled with water just about to cross the road.I don't know, may be it was my mind playing with me but I suddenly got sacred but not
Panicking, yet. looking for signs of city lights. Nothing. I started to shiver from cold. Then a big
Sign at the side of the road Bishop 10 miles, so I guess I am on the right direction, route 6
heading south. Then a pick up truck stopped and offered me a ride to town. I guess Even looked crazier when I refused his offer. A couple of miles after that, the road is dry
And now I can see the beacon light from their airport, what a relief. Rolled in at 2105
And went directly to tub bath to reheat my self and got out just in time to join everybody
At Denny's and relived our adventure.

Congratulations to all my buddies and strong performance Roy for your first finished dbl.

Louie R.

2011-02-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

February 18, 2011

Camino Real Double Century
by ASTIG Elpidio Lardizabal

Not too many started the ride. The day started in our favor but ended up terrible. I believe they gave everybody a credit because of the harsh weather, gusty wind, cold temperatures, road conditions, and riders getting lost after dark. Jun Usi, Richard Reh, and I took our time just to finish under the alloted time. The plan was to finish safe. This was Richard's first double and he was tested. He called it "brutal". The ride was okay until the rain dropped and it did not stop from there. Then the darkness of the night came. We hooked up with other slow riders and stayed behind them just to make sure we finish the ride in time. The canyon was too dark for me and too dangerous and there were more on the descends. We were unable to see the reflectors on the road. Water streams from one side to another. The road was too dark. I depended on riders tail lights in front of me. Our brakes were wet and slippery. Imagine riding in bad weather conditions... freezing, soaking wet with numb finger tips! I can't even pull out my water bottle from it's cage! I can't even shift to change to my other chainring... I was just depending on my right hand still being able to shift my gears at the back.

That was another experience that I never had before. After all... we felt super good (ASTIGS). Going through challenges, hardship, and obstacles. I'm proud that we didn't quit. I called it the survival of defeat!
While riding I was thinking, why I'm doing this punishment! It's torture! But after all, it's pride, an experience/challenge that not everyone could take.

Frank Natividad endured the event also.

It was the harshest conditions I have ever ridden a double in! The pelting of the hailstones was particularily painful!!! I too could not feel my fingers to shift my gears. I sat in my truck at the finish, shivering for 20 minutes with the heater on , unable to use my fingers to unclip my helmet!

Brad House
backontrackproductions.com

Tour de Palm Springs 2011

2011-02-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

We had more than 30 Adobovelo's signed up for Tour De Palm Springs on February 12, 2011. The temperature was at 43 degrees Fahrenheit at the start of the ride. Everyone was bundled up as we started one block from the start line. Fifteen Adobovelos waited for the rest to appear. We were waiting on others including Kumander Agimat, Jonas, El, Ed, Egay, Filbert, Carlo A decision was made to regroup at the first SAG stop at mile 16. So off we went. It was a relatively fast ascent to mile 16 considering the 2-4% grade. Everyone climbed with ease, spinning to the tops of the hills. You can tell our riders have been training hard for this ride. As the sun warmed up, we shed our warm layers to cool off. The group swelled to 25 riders at mile 25. Still no sign of the others so we headed for mile 50 SAG stop. We hooked up with a group of 15 other riders when we approached the long descents to reach speeds of up to 40 mph. Once the road flattened out, we maintained a cruising speed of 25-27 mph. We were trading pulls. Gil and Deo were just hammering away. Deo, for his part, kept complaining his bike was too light! He felt he was not working hard on his bike at all. Deo debuted his fully assembled new Adobobelo bike for it's maiden voyage.

At mile 50, at long last, most of the Adobovelo riders caught up with the main peloton, except for Jonas' group. A couple of MMCC riders were present and stayed with us for lunch. We then trekked to our own personal Adobovelo SAG on mile 68. Roehl, Froy, Edmond maintained a steady pace of 22-25 mph as we passed other riders. The Adobovelos were looking good. We reached Eva Rivera, Frances Gorospe and a few of her running buddies at our SAG station on 54th and Jefferson where they had food and drinks ready. Non-Adobovelo riders would stop too, thinking we are at an official TdPS SAG station . We told them they are welcome to stay, but the official SAG was another 2 miles away. Some decided to enjoy our hospitality. I overheard some riders say,"They know what they are doing."

As we left, El the Dies-EL, hammered at a blistering pace of 25mph into headwinds as we left La Quinta for Rancho Mirage. We had a quick stop on mile 91 to refuel and restroom breaks. The remaining 12 miles was on easy pace to keep the group together as we crossed the finish line in one large group.

The day finished with, of course, Chicken Adobo, BBQ on a stick, drinks, chips, salsa, salad, beer at the Gorospe residence in La Quinta. About 30 riders with their families, children were present. Thanks to all who brought drinks and food. We had a great company.

We missed Kuya El at the BBQ. I understand he was on his way home to celebrate his birthday ASAP. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KUYA EL!

The Adobovelos used the TdPS as a training ride for Death Valley Double Century. Looks like we will break our last record of 15 riders finishing the DVD. Let's wait and see.

Our total riding time was 5:39 with average speed of 18.1 mph. (from my Garmin, I'll bet Kuya El's average was faster)

Congratulations to all the Adobovelos who finished this year's TdPS.

Looking forward to next year's TdPS,

Dennis

Part 4 - Bring a Good Can Opener (or better yet, home-made adobo)

2010-11-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

"What?" said one of they guys..... "What broke?"

"The can opener" someone replied. This was a stunning development.

This happened a FEW MONTHS EARLIER, at the Spring Death Valley Double Century. Right after that ride, we gathered at our hotel room at 12-midnight to eat. The restaurant was closed at that hour, but we knew that beforehand, so the day before, at Baker (100 miles from our hotel in Amargosa), Louie bought canned sardines and a can-opener at the liquor store. We also brought a rice cooker.

We had a pot of freshly made steamed rice, and we were going to have CANNED SARDINES at the hotel room. There were 7 of gathered us in the hotel room: Julius, Jesse (who both debuted their 200-milers), Pete, Francis, Victor, Ricky, Louie N, and myself (Mandy). (Jun Usi finished the ride too but was in another room with his wife and daughter Lina and Erika, who earlier in the day bought dinner for him before the restaurant closed.)

We each burned about 8,000 calories to complete 200 miles. (In comparison the average person burns 2,000 calories in a day.) AdventureCorps biking & marathon events are the best-stocked and supported rides: They have Subway sandwiches for lunch, pizza after the ride. All the rest-stops have just what you need to refuel during the ride: Water, bananas, powder drinks, electrolytes, energy bars, Hammer products, PBJs, dates, pretzels, hot cup-o-noodles, soda, etc.

But you cannot stuff yourself with 8,000 calories worth of food during the 12-17 hours that you're biking 200 miles, for many reasons. One is, during intense athletic activity, your stomach doesn't have the usual energy to digest it. Yes, the stomach, like any other organ, needs energy to do its specialized work of digesting food.

During a 200-mile bike ride, you're probably at your aerobic capacity for most of most of the ride. When sustaining such an effort over a span of 12-17 hours, the body will concentrate blood flow to the brain and limbs, leaving less energy for the stomach. That means you won't be craving food. (You're burning fat and muscle to make up the caloric deficit). And even if you manage to stuff yourself with food, your stomach would "protest", by giving you a bloated feeling: The food is just sitting there, not getting digested fast enough. No matter how much you eat in one seating, the stomach can only process and send 300 calories to the bloodstream. Bottom line: During the ride, although we each burn over 8,000 calories, but can only eat 5,000 calories.

After the ride, once you start relaxing, your stomach gets its mojo back, and the hunger pangs come.

But the restaurant was closed. So we had our rice and canned sardines readied to tide us over.

But after opening the FIRST can of sardines, the cheap, FLIMSY can opener CAME APART ! Yes, it came apart. We couldn't believe it.

Seven hungry guys, a pot of rice, and only ONE can of sardines. We couldn't open the other cans.

Fortunately someone made hard-boiled eggs. Still... dinner of rice and hard-boiled eggs and a smearing of sardines isn't quite satisfying.

It must have made an impression on Julius, because this time around, at this 2010 Fall Edition of the Death Valley Double, his wife prepared HOME MADE CHICKEN ADOBO for everyone the night before our trip, froze it in Glad containers. We defrosted and warmed it on a gas burner on the lawn outside our hotel room. It was DELICIOUS. George V. came by and had some too. Thanks Julius and wife !!

Part 3/Final Report: Oct 2010 Death Valley Ride

2010-11-03T20:52:00.001-07:00

START: So we set out at 7AM, wet and cold. After a few miles of chaotic formation, we were warmed up, but the Adobos were already splintered because each individual had varying times required to warm up.

No problem: The weather dried up, so Francis stopped the front group to remove raincoats, and wait for the rest.

Stoppage to regroup

MORNING ADOBO PACELINE: After regrouping, we formed an Adobo paceline. The stronger riders took turns in front. I must mention them and thank them: Francis, Jesse, Louie F., Elpidio, Pete. It was SILENTLY UNDERSTOOD that the other riders were to CONSERVE and not put any work in front. The ADOBO TRAIN overtook countless riders and even other groups along the way. Some of them joined our paceline.

We were intact for the first 50 miles, and then splintered during the last 20-miles (featuring climbs) to Scotty's Castle. Arriving in the front group were "A" riders Francis, Pete, Jesse, Louie F., Elpidio, who carried other non-Adobo cyclists whom they picked up along the way. Behind were Dennis, Jun, Manny, Rosalie, Louie N. Then Julius and Shangrila. I myself got dropped to last place. I begin to doubt my training.

The century riders Ricky, Lester, and Victor were already at Scotty's waiting for us 2X riders. All the Adobos regrouped there. It was Mile # 50 for the century riders, and Mile # 70 for the 2X's. We had lunch. We saw Reggie of Sta Clarita Velo there, he joined our group.

From Scotty's Castle the century riders u-turned, while the 2x riders headed to Nevada to Mile 100 checkpoint (we would come back to Scotty's later on the return trip.)

Francis and Elpidio waited at Scotty's for Reggie to finish lunch.

EARLY AFTERNOON ADOBO PACELINE: The rest of us went ahead. The start of the stage was a 5 mile climb. We had cold muscles, stiffened legs and full stomach, thus magnifying the difficulty of the slope. The group splintered. Pete and Dennis were strong and slowly pulled away. I got my 2nd wind and started to chase them. Dropped behind were Jun Usi, Rosalie, Manny, Shangrila and Louie N.

Later I saw Pete and Dennis stopped for photos. I plowed ahead, all the way to the Nevada Mile 100 checkpoint all alone. Pete and Elpidio overtook me along the way, and as they did I stuck with their wheel, but only for a minute (which was all the energy I could muster). Then I let go.

Way behind me, everyone else regrouped, and rode in a paceline all the way to Mile 100, pulled variously by Francis, Louie F. and Jesse. We all regrouped at Mile 100.

The narrative of the next 26 miles back to Scotty's was told in part 1.

At Scotty's Castle we regrouped. The more difficult stages were ahead, and we already had 126 miles in our legs. We still had to climb up to the crater , and Hell's Gate.

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BUT WHY? Sometimes I'm asked by my non-cycling friends/relatives...Why? Why do a gruelling 200-mile bike ride? If it hurts, why do you do it again and again? The same question is asked of people who climb Mt Everest. The answer offered is, "Because it's There."

I stumbled upon a theory on this ride: While admiring the desert scenery far from civilation, I wondered about life before civilization.

Like Pre-Civilization

Before Man invented agriculture, he hunted for food far away from home base.

Prehistoric man's foraging strategies were no different from long distance biking (although his was a matter of survival, not recreation). But the point is, it must still be deep in our DNA thousands of years later.

Prehistoric man arose before dawn with his buddies, rain or shine, and set out to hunt. Check.

To seek out prey they walked (easy pace), ran (hard pace), and sprinted (full-out). Check that too.

Occasionally they stopped to rest, eat, or take a dump (sorry, there's no gentle way to say it). Yeah Check that. And IF they were a close-knit group, they must've told stories and jokes . Perhaps that's how speech got started. Other tribes that were less close-knit took longer to develop speech. Must've been boring in that tribe.

Team work was needed to corner and overcome prey. Check that too.

They hunted until the sun set. Then they u-turned and headed home with their catch. Anyone hurt during the hunt would be carried home. Finally they arrived late at night. Check, Check. Check, and Check.

Heck, even Neantherthal's crouched position was aerodynamic, just put a road bike under his legs.

Point is, it's in our DNA: We can keep going the whole day and into night.

------------

Endurance and the need for camaraderie is in our DNA.

And we needed them in spades. From Scotty's Castle, we had to climb to the crater. It was 4:30pm. By now the century riders Ricky, Lester and Victor, in that order, had arrived at the Furnace Creek finish line. The 2x riders had 70 miles to go.

The crater is a stunning site, but getting there is a short but steep climb. When we got there, it was getting dark.

From the crater, it's a 40 mile trip to the bottom of Mud Canyon road. The stage featured a mix of rollers, some long descents. But there was a headwind.

Our target next stop was Mud Canyon where hot soup waiting.

THE HAPPIEST CLUB ON EARTH - At the start of the stage we were joined by a cyclist named FRANCESCA, who was riding alone until we came along. This was Francesca's 5th 2x of the year. She saw that our group was fun, so she joined in with us. I told her our group of Adobos were riding together and finishing together, and waiting for the weaker riders. As we rode, I told her the story of what happened to me last year (getting dropped big time), and how the group pulled me through. She observed that the group was relaxed and always joking among ourselves.

We were the happiest bike club on Earth.

After a few miles, Manny cramped up and dropped back with Julius and Shangrila. Francis and Louie F stayed with them to pull them.

In the front group were Pete, Jesse, Elpidio, and Dennis trading pulls, with Jun, Rosalie, Louie N, Reggie, Francesca, and myself drafting.

Later Pete, Jesse and Elpidio inched away. Jun and Louie N decided to chase and stick with them. I couldn't, plain and simple. So I dropped back to conserve for the climb later. So did Rosalie and Reggie and Francesca. We rode together. Reggie pulled most of the way.

Meanwhile, in the front group, Jesse and Pete spent many miles pulling, then eased up a bit. At that point, Louie was feeling great and didn't feel like slowing. It so happened to be on the downhill, so he sling-shot himself and dropped everyone!!.

Elpidio, Dennis and Jun watched, not reacting right away. Unfortunately for Louie N, it made Jesse mad. So Jesse immediately gave chase and established contact. The other bad news for Louie was that he underestimated the hill . He ran out of steam before reaching the apex, and was overtaken, and then unceremoniously dropped. (We joked about it later at the hotel.)

Jesse plowed ahead with Pete and Elpidio. Dennis behind, then Louie N and Jun.

We all regrouped at Mud Canyon (the rest-stop before the most difficult stage, the 7-mile climb to Hell's Gate). The SAG volunteers Lina and Erika (Jun's wife and daughter respectively) and Imre set aside hot soup for us.

-------------

We had LOTS of time. The climb started. This climb is the race of truth. There is no drafting.

Soon the usual suspects pulled ahead: Pete, Jesse, reached the top first

They were followed by Elpidio, Dennis, Francesca

Followed by me. (Last year I stopped 20 times, this time it felt like an ordinary training lap on GMR.)

Later came Rosalie and Jun. Further behind them were Shangrila, Louie N, Julius, and Manny. With them were Francis and Louie F, two of our strongest riders, who purposely stayed behind to shepherd them.

We regrouped at the top of Hell's Gate.

Then we downhilled 9 miles.

The last 11 miles, we rode a tourist pace to the finish line, in the dark, as a united group, telling stories, laughing, joking, singing.

With less than a mile to go we saw the lights of the finish line. We started to whoop it up. If you were dead tired a while ago, not anymore. The camaraderie was real. There is a feeling, it's called "exuberance". No matter how empty your physical reserves, you feel invincible and on a "high". Perhaps it's a chemical reaction. Defintely an emotion. Whatever it is, it's one of the reasons I went along for this ride.

Most clubs arrive splintered according to individual ability. Nothing wrong with that. Competition is one of the primary reasons for doing this ride. But we arrived together, carrying the proud Adobo colors, along with some friends picked up along the way.

The elite competitors (NOT US) finished in impressive times of 10+ and 11+ hours, riding solo. Adobos came in at 15 hrs 42 mins. We had about 2.5 hours of cumulative stoppage time at rest stops, regrouping. If you're an elite rider with a chance of placing top 5 or 10, of course you should not wait, you should go all out and compete. But none of us were going to place. Might as well ride together and finish together. It was more fun, even for the strong Adobos who had to pull our pack most of the way.

The end (mandy g.)

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Part 2: Post-Ride report 2010 Oct Death Valley Double (by Mandy G)

2010-11-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

It was cold and sprinking at the start of the ride. Chris Kostman said hey, this is Death Valley, so expect all kinds of weather. Anyway, he said, "This being the desert, it's a DRY RAIN". Everyone laughed.

The basketball legend BILL WALTON was in the group, he was doing the century. He was so exhuberant he kept repeating Thank you Chris Kostman / We love you Chris Kostman. Clearly we was a fan of the outdoors. Later in the ride he would joke with the other Adobo century riders Lester and Ricky, and even literally give them a push with his long arms. A friendly guy, that Bill Walton.

We rolled at 7AM. Many of the Adobo riders were going achieve important milestones in this ride.

VP DENNIS was attempting his first double. He had already purchased a Death Valley jersey in the spring, but didn't feel he earned the right to wear it yet because he missed the Spring double century due to illness. He was hospitalized with a lung infection, and in the aftermath vowed to get in shape, stay healthy, and complete the double. He showed great fitness during Adobo's TDF Frazier Park Century in the summer.

LESTER was trying to complete his first century. He attempted the Cruisin-the-Conejo century in the spring, but got drunk with friends the night before, so he did only the metric. Then he SAG'd the TDF Frazier Park edition for additional motivation. But most importantly he trained by doing multiple laps on GMR (for readers who are not familiar, that's Glendora Mountain Road in So. Calif., a 10-mile climb with 2,500 feet climbing).

VICTOR was one of the first to register for the ride, signalling his serious intent to complete his first double. He has been trying for the double for a long time now, but has had the bad luck of getting a cold/flu as the race approaches. Again he had the cold, but he's a trooper, so today he was doing the century, along with Lester and Ricky.

RICKY just had cataract surgery only a couple of weeks ago, so his training lost some momentum. But before that he was putting in serious miles, and lost weight and gained fitness. He was going to do the century today.

El Prez JESSE, who only completed his FIRST double just this year in the February Death Valley Double, was now gunning for his 5th double of the year, to achieve the California 1000-Mile award. He was looking strong.

EMILIO "JUN" was targeting his SEVENTH double of the year ! Last year he completed the difficult KOM series. His wife LINA and daughter ERIKA are very supportive, always presemt at these events as personal SAG support. However personal SAGs are not allowed by Chris, the organizer of this event, so they became official volunteers, manning some of the rest stops.

IMRE, the funny and always reliable and indefatigable adopted Pinoy (of Hungarian descent) was someone who could be counted on to be there rain or shine, either as rider or support. He was planning on doing the century, but decided to SAG due to lack of training. He SAG'd along with LINA and ERIKA

IMRE on right, with basketball legend BILL WALTON and fellow giant LESTER

PETE was a veteran of double centuries, this was going to be peanuts for him. But he wanted to come because he knew it was going to be great fun in a big group. Being one of the stronger riders, he would be relied upon for work in front.

LUISITO "LOUIE" F. also only completed his first double just this year at the Grand Tour, posting fantastic times for a rookie, and was one of the strongest Adobos on this ride. We were going to count on him to do some pulling.

MANNY has been very busy with work , so he was not in peak form. Yet he felt he had just enough juice to finish a double. He signed up for this ride to motivate himself to get back on training.

The always smiling JULIUS completed his first double at the Spring DV, and his second at the Grand Tour. He was on a roll, and was looking strong and his morale was high. This would be his THIRD 2x for the year, earning him the Calif. Triple Crown. (His wife made HOME-MADE ADOBO enough for everyone after the ride. She made it before the trip, froze it, and we heated it in the lawn outside our hotel room after the ride. Thanks Julius and wife)

SHANGRILA is a tri-athlete who completed her first double at the Grand Tour and quickly followed it with a Solvang double. She met the Adobos at the Grand Tour, and joined us for this ride. This would be her THIRD 2x for the year, earning her the Calif. Triple Crown.

ELPIDIO rides 400+ milies a week in the San Gabriel River bike trail, frrequently riding alone. He wanted to have some fun and camaraderie with the boys. He had done the Spring version of the Death Valley double many years ago, but not the Fall edition. He was looking forward to riding with his fellow Adobos.

FRANCIS, the one who started the double-century trend among Adobos, had just completed the 508-miile Furnace Creek race also in Death Valley just 4 weeks ago. That puts him in a class by himself. On this ride, he was going to help the other Adobos, taking the majority of responsibilities of pulling in front.

If the immortal Francis started the trend, it was ROSALIE who proved that even mere mortals could do it, blazing the trail by being the first Adobo (besides Francis) to complete the California 1000-mile achievement, and being a model for the rest of her fellow average mortals.

In any competition, there are always many "mini-races" going on. In this 2xCentury perhaps only the top 5 elite riders had a shot at winning. But it's not the only race going on, and not the most important. No, Really, it's not the most important.

The rest of the riders are in their own mini-races which rank more important to them.. Some of them have a RACE AGAINST ONESELF, attempting to outdo their previous personal best. Then there are the MINI-COMPETITIONS during the long ride, because usually you will chance upon anothe rider with similar abilities, and you race them during the whole ride or portions of it, until one gets dropped.

Yet others have a long-standing friendly mini-competition going on with a friend who has similar abilities. The running gag in this group was the "featured" mini-race was between LOUIE N and myself (MANDY). When we go up GMR or Crystal Lake, we watch each other. Often we do "mock attacks" on one another. But we have to be careful to do it, because usually we're evenly matched. If you attack, better make it stick. But Louie is definitely the stronger one.

Score: Louie: 2, Mandy: 2

Most of the time Louie has the upper hand. Both of us completed our first double at the Oct 2009 Death Valley double a year ago. But a few months later, at the 2010 Spring DV, he bonked early and completed only the century. Mandy 2, Louie 1. We joked about it on the drive home. At the Grand Tour I could not make it due to the flu. Louie completed it. Louie and Mandy tied 2 all.

It was a tight group. On Friday on our way to Furnace Creek we all had lunch at the Mad Greek in Baker.

Then like tourists we stopped along the road in Death Valley and posed for photos.

Then in the late afternoon we relaxed at the hotel and joked and told stories.

We had a communal dinner on the eve of the ride.

So it was only natural that we would all decide to ride together and finish together.

On the long stretches we pacelined, with the "A" riders taking rotations in front, and "B" riders drafting. On long climbs drafting does not help, so the B's would inevitably get dropped. We would then regroup at all the rest-stops. Anyway the gaps were only a few minutes. It was fun. And it strengthened group cohesion and fostered camaraderie. That's what a club is all about.

To be further continued. (Mandy G.)

Part1-Death Valley Oct 30 Century & Double Century Post-Ride Report (by Mandy G)

2010-11-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Adobos were excited. On the eve of the ride, they pose here for photos. The following day they would ride ADVENTURECORPS' 2010 Fall Death Valley Double Century (some will do the century), one of a series of tough ride organized by ex-RAAM finisher and cycling evangelist Chris Kostman. The course features 10,000 feet of climbing, including the crater and Hell's Gate. For this ride, Chris Kostman hires an ambulance (which is very expensive in the middle of nowhere).

Francis set the tone before the ride: "We ride as a group, and finish as a group." Just like the drama last year.

---------
So first let me narrate the drama of last year. In 2009, at this same ride, one of the riders missed a crucial turn going to the crater, which is one of the required checkpoints. If you don't get checked in, you don't get ride credit. All that riding for no credit would kinda' suck, wouldn't it? So if you miss a turn, you have to ride back and make sure you check in. That rider was me, Mandy.

Oct. 2009 Death Valley Double Century

Rosalie, Victor*, Louie N., Mandy, Ricky*, Pete, Francis, Manny (*century)

I (along with Louie N) were debuting our first double century then, in Oct 2009. In my excitement, on the downhill after Scotty's Castle (Mile # 126), I broke away from the group. I was a quarter mile in front, going fast downhill, and missed the turn leading to the crater. After 2 miles, I realized I missed the turn because no one was behind me. Later I learned that Francis tried to chase me, and was shouting until it hurt. But I was so far ahead. So Francis let me be. When I realized my mistake, I u-turned to look for the road leading to the crater, and made ANOTHER WRONG TURN into Mesquite Camp, a 3-mile downhill that reached a dead-end. I had to CLIMB back to the main road, and ride the opposite way (away from homd finish line) to find the correct turn. I was kicking my self. I thought my chances of now completing the ride on time were toast, because I'm not really a strong rider.

Adobos during the morning portion of the ride

Finally I found the road to the crater, but lost a lot of time and energy. I saw the other Adobos coming down from the crater, heading home. I still had to climb to the crater to get checked in. Francis turned to join me. If he hadn't, I would've turned around, because I was at the edge of my capabilities, and I had no familiarity with what was ahead. I was going 3 MPH on the climb to the crater. At one point I even veered onto the gravel shoulder and fell to the ground. I was already wasted and close to quitting. But Francis said we still had enough time. So I carried on. At the top, the volunteer recognized Francis, but took one look at my ghostly expression, and asked Francis if I was in any shape to finish. Francis replied yes, he knew my capacity, and said we were going to finish.

Meanwhile, the other Adobos WITHOUT HESITATION waited for me at the corner of the main road for almost an hour! They chatted and told jokes as they waited, with the sun setting into dark. They were oblivious to the fact that they were risking their very own chances of making the cut-off time at 12 midnight. If they missed the cut off time, they would be DNF'd (Did Not Finish).

Adobos bored waiting 45 mins. at bottom of Ube-Hebe Crater Road for one of their riders

It was past 7pm by the time I rejoined them. There was still 70 miles to go and a whole lot of climbing to do. I would never forget them: FRANCIS, PETE, MANNY, LOUIE, ROSALIE. That was in 2009. They waited for me. When I rejoined them, I felt the pressure to finish, because they put themselves on the line. I had to haul ass now.

Francis said we had to be at Mud Canyon (the start of the 7-mile climb) no later than 9PM. That meant covering over 35 miles in 2 hours. Francis rode with me, while the others went ahead. Thanks to a long downhill, I made it to the Mud Canyon rest-stop at EXACTLY 9PM. The other Adobos already got there way way earlier, and were enjoying hot Cup O Noodle soup.

I was hungry, but Francis told me not to stop, we had no time. He said I had to reach the top of hell's Gate at 11pm. Once you reach the top, then you have exactly 1 hours to cover 20 miles (9 miles downhill, 11 miles rollers). But I wanted soup. BUT NO SOUP FOR ME.

Like a domestique, Francis took my bottles and re-filled them. The others, when they saw that I wasn't stopping for soup, gulped their soup and jumped on their bikes.

On the climb up Hell's Gate, I stopped over 20 times from exhaustion. It took me 2 hours to get to the top, I arrived at exactly 11 PM. There was no time. We took off almost immediately after that.

Finish Line 12 Midnight: Manny, Mandy, Rosalie, Louie N., Pete, Francis

With no time to spare, there was no rest for me. We downhilled 9 miles. Then there was 11 miles of flats and gentle rollers to the finish line. At first I took off, only to bonk after only less than a mile on the flats.

Everyone was now in jeopardy of missing the cut-off if they were to wait for me. I kept thinking, if they were to miss the cut-off, they would be DNF'd. Finally Francis said, go-go-go! Every-man-for-himself. I'm glad they did so. I would feel so guilty if they all DNF'd.

The white van of ADVENTURECORPS was cruising back and forth along that stretch, radioing status in to the finish line. "Hey there's still a bunch of Adobos here".

Every time the white van passed me, they asked if I was OK. I must have been going really slow for their taste. Maybe they thought they should radio the ambulance. I would nod my head to signal I'm OK. I wasn't going to ride in the van after having gone this far. The truth is I know my limit, and I was feeling good, relaxed, but just slow.

So next time I saw their headlights behind me, I just gave them a thumbs up. Then they would pass me.

In the end, EVERYONE made the the cut-off with only minutes to spare. That is, everyone except me. I missed it by 3 minutes! But Chris Kostman took consideration of the fact that I got lost. So he credited me the ride anyway. No DNF for me.

I shook every stranger's hand at the finish line from sheer joy. I vowed to do better the next time around.

----------
Now for the 2010 edition.

Rosalie was dressed in Holloween costume as Snow White.

The Red-White-Blue-Yellow colors of her dress coordinated perfectly with the Adobo kit.
-----------------

In any race, the half-way mark is always a good place to take stock of the situation. So I'll start in the middle of the story.

For us week-end cyclists, a century ride would be a very good day's work. So when we arrived at the Mile-100 rest stop in Nevada, somewhere in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the unspoken lament among us riders must have been "Dang it, this is a good day's work, I don't need to keep riding anymore." But it was not to be, because another 100 miles was left to be pedalled.

Although we were tired and cold (temps were in high 60's's, skies overcast), we had a lot of "internal eneregy" because we were riding as a group. Just like last year. The camaraderie was very tight. We were all looking out for each other. Morale was very high.

Even if we got splintered on hills, we always re-grouped at all rest-stops, and that made a huge difference to everyone's morale. The slower riders felt assured because they could tuck in behind the draft. The stronger riders took pride in riding in front to shepherd the weak riders. We were carrying the Adobo colors with pride.

Adobos have too much fun / They wait at all the stops for their dropped riders / Here they're pretending to raise the flag (ala Iwo Jima) at Stovepipe Wells (Mile # 25)

From the Mile-100 rest-stop, the next stop was Scotty's Castle, and it was going to require a GROUP EFFORT because of headwinds.

A double-paceline was formed. There was a slight incline, and strong headwind. The pace was 15 MPH, and it was tough for the tired ones who were trying to hang on in the back. Occasionally the back riders would fade, and the middle riders would yell to the front to slow down, and back riders would regain contact.

Not yet a paceline (jockeying for photo)

After yoyoing like this many times, the back-riders JULIUS and SHANGRILA (a new member they met at the Grand Tour in September) faded back for good. Soon we could not see them when we looked back. So LOUIE F, a strong rider, sacrificed himself and dropped back to them, and he pulled them the rest of the way to Scotty's Castle.

Meanwhile, in the front group, FRANCIS was pulling a wicked pace in the headwind. Behind him were ELPIDIO, PETE, JESSE, DENNIS, and REGGIE (our very good friend from Sta Clarita Velo club). And right on their wheel behind them were 4 other riders barely struggling to hang on: LOUIE N, MANNY, ROSALIE, and myself (Mandy).

After several miles Francis decided to kick it up a notch. In that instant, 3 riders (Manny, Rosalie and me) got separated from the main pack by a few bike lengths. That was enough to feel the brunt of the headwind. The gap quickly grew within seconds.

As any veteran paceline cyclist knows, if you get separated from the pack, you have to strike quickly and summon some kind of "turbo" (if you have any left) to regain contact with the paceline, because every second of that you face the wind alone without a draft takes precious energy. Drafting is worth an extra 3-5 miles per hour for the same amount of effort. So if you get even half-a-bike-length of separation, you must react quickly to close the gap.

So Manny stood up, turned on his turbo, and bridged the gap. I was watching all of this. I was right behind Rosalie, and I saw the gap grow even larger. I was worried about losing the paceline for good, so I stood up, summoned some energy, and rode up next to Rosalie, and signalled her to stick to my wheel. I intended to bridge the gap, and bring her with me in the process. I kept looking back to make sure my speed was within Rosalie's grasp. But I saw the main pack pulling further away. At that point, I decided to accelerate with or without Rosalie. She dropped back. I managed to bridge the gap back to the paceline.

But that effort would cost me a lot. My legs and lungs burned. Obviously I didn't belong in this paceline. I paid for it only a few minutes later, when I said to Louie N. that I was wasted, and that I wanted to drop back. I was checking to see how he felt. He told me to hang in there. So I did. We still had 15 miles to go. But a few minutes later, Francis saw a group of 4 cyclists up ahead, and kicked the pace even higher to overtake them. I tried to keep up, to the point that I felt like throwing up. I had no choice but to drop back. The paceline pull ahead. I could only watch. Bye-bye main pack. Bye-bye DRAFT.

They overtook that group of 4. Francis pulled the main Adobo pack all the way to Scotty's Castle.

Although I separated from Francis' group, I also overtook that group of 4, but only briefly. Later I faded, and that group of 4 caught up with me. The leader invited me to join them and share pulls. We became a merry group of 5, and took turns pulling in front.

Later we saw Manny riding solo. He had also gotten separated from Francis' group. So our merry group of 5 became 6 after swallowing Manny. By the time Manny's turn came to pull, it was the downhill to Scotty's Castle. Lucky bastard.

The Adobos all regrouped at Scotty's Castle rest stop, Mile # 126. Thanks to Louie F's effort, the last group of Adobos did not lose too much time. We were 1 hour ahead of last year's pace. It was 4 PM.

----------------------------
NINE HOURS EARLIER: At 7AM, the start of the ride,we had GRIM WEATHER. It was raining. The road was slick and muddy. It was somewhat chilly.

To be continued. (Mandy G.)

Post-ride report of 2010 Giro D'Barkada by Louie Rivera

2010-10-10T15:57:00.000-07:00

Nice day to ride where the temperature @ 0800 was to be in low 60's and highs of about 82 degrees at Mile Road Park in STOCKTON. Among the participating teams/group that I recall seeing were TRACY, LUZVIMIN, TROPA, F.A.C.T., SIKLISTA, SIKADS and us “D 5 ADOBOS “: EL, DEO, AL, RONEL and MYSELF. (Not in age order). Here's :ouie mixing up with our Norhtern counteparts.

We rolled out shortly past 0900 after a brief introduction to the teams, Astigs and silent prayer. For the first 20 miles, everybody was pretty much together and not surprising to see the road to be so smooth, flat and it almost looked like it was swept the night before just for the event. In spite of it, I heard of one incident of possible B.C.B. that must have occurred on the second 20 miles. The group was divided after the first 20 miles with the first group being able to withstand average of 25 miles/hour as it was announced. Of course all the ADOBO Velos were there but I had to carefully hide from the wind, not knowing the course and unexpected surges that may arise. By this time arm warmers, knee warmers and wind breakers are off. I started to feel the heat too… the heat from the speed!!!!! Here's a pic from the park with the ADOBO Velos.

I recalled reading the cyclometer of 47 miles after the second stop thinking that there is only over 15 miles to go but I underestimated it because at the end it was a total of 68+ miles. At the end we are proud of Deo to take the sprint showing how to get a top speed of 40 miles an hour. Don't ask him the chain ring/cassette combination cause he won't tell you. It’s proprietary.

Back at the park roughly 1330 and by now recovery nutrition is ready and I could feel my blood sugar is low and getting lower by the minute. Frank Gatula, wife Salome, and the whole organization of Luzvimin and everybody who helped make this event possible. A BIG THANK YOU! We had raffles too and I even scored a cycling cap with a VELLUM water bottle. El donated a nice watch, only for someone to pick El's own raffle number. He ended giving the number to Ronel who received the item from "Sir Maui" and I believe the item ended in the fast hands of George (son of Maui). That’s the end, I heard. Six hours of trip back home thereafter, well worth it.

Louie R.

Tracy Rider's Windmill Ride

2010-08-28T22:04:00.000-07:00

August 22, 2010. The festivities started on Friday evening as out of town cycling groups had dinner at Island Gourmet Restaurants, Pres. Allen Escobar's ( Tracy Riders) restaurant. The food was delicious. You know it's good when it's as good as your mom's cooking. Louis Rivera and I, however, arrived late at 6:30 pm and

just missed on meeting our fellow Pinoy cyclists. Allen and Raymond (fellow Tracy Rider) were kind enough to keep the doors open to give us a warm meal. What a great host! There we spoke of the upcoming event and found out there would indeed be 100 riders for the next day's main event.

Louis and I checked in to Hampton Inn, one of the sponsor. Sure enough, our room was comp'ed. Kuya El gave us his room since he and his group, including Deo, and Francis, would arrive super early for the ride, at 2:30 am, Saturday. Hehehe. Roy "Tisoy" came to town at 1:00 am.

After getting settled, went for a few beers and hoisted our glasses with Fort Gascon (Pres.) , Angelo both from FACT Siclista, Fresno. Also joining us were Legendary Maui Reynante and his son George from Luzvimin. (Forgot Maui's blond GF's name, sorry)

The mass start was from Thoming Park and sure enough, there were 100 riders. All the Pinoy cycling groups from Northern Cal were present: MyTropa, FACT (Siclista), Luzvimin, local cyclists and of course, the host club, Tracy Riders. For a first inaugural fun ride, they really pull it off by having so many participants. The weather was predicted to have a high of 86 and low of 52. Everyone was expecting a scorching hot ride as we gained elevation. However, the clouds held all morning making for a pleasant ride.

The ride was supposed to be a fun 51.51 ride with total ascent of 3063 ft. Three SAG vehicles were in tow with a motorcycle guide to keep everyone in check. As we approached the base of the dreaded Patterson Pass with 8 miles of ascent and 2100 of elevation gain, it was abruptly announced that there will be a KOM based on Category levels! Well, no one wanted to reveal their Category so it was then decided to make it an open category for an overall winner. Thankfully the climb was cool, weather and scenery wise. You could hear the blades of the windmills go whoosh, whoosh up on the hills. As we got exposed in the open areas, there was cross wind, head wind 15- 20 mph. You're struggling to climb and wind tries to knock you down. On one of the rollers, you can only go 18mph max on a steep 12% downhill. The last 300 meters to Patterson summit was greeted by a 20% grade. This is where Deo and a local rider (puti) battled like Contador and Schleck for KOM honors. Valiantly, Deo lost by a wheel - his nemesis was better geared and knew the local mountain. A battle well fought.

The entire peloton regrouped at the first feeding station at mile 23, looped around Flynn Road, descended down County Road 5822, then returned to the same feeding station, now mile 32. The Adobovelo peloton decided not stop at the feeding station. There you could here the rest of the cyclists at the rest stop

saying, "Eto na sila" (They are here!) Everyone scrammble on their bikes and started to give chase. It's just pure cycling delight for all the hard work from grinding the gears going uphill was all over. Ahead was pure 18 miles of smooth as silk, freshly laid asphalt down hill from then on. 20>28 > 35> 40 > 48 mph. Francis, Roy, Deo, El, Louis would bomb down the hill. ( I decided to drop, thinking erroneously that we were doing another uphill loop. By the time I realized, I was all alone, waaahhh) Down Altamont Pass we all went. Groups of ten riders would zoom down the pass at break neck speeds. Your compact crank would be hyper-spinning by now. Wish you had a standard instead of a compact. Why is everyone riding so fast? They must be hungry for food!

A party with all Pinoy fixings awaited us at the finish line at Thoming Park. There was lechon, kilawin, kaldereta, dinuguan, pinakbet, pancit, pichi-pichi, puto, bibingka, sa-malamig ( Melon juice), rice and so much more food that I forgot to mention! Food was catered by Pres. Al Escobar's restaurant, Island

Gourmet. There was music with a DJ.

Kuya El and Deo met and reminisced with their old cycling buddies, Maui Reynante, Rommie, Steve, and Rozel Tupaz. At the end, visiting clubs were recognized with a plaque of appreciation. We said our goodbye's and thanked our host and headed back home.

Adobos you must go to this ride next year, don't miss it!

On behalf of Adobovelo, we would like to thank our gracious host for, President

Allen Escobar and the rest of the Tracy Riders for having a successful, most memorable, not to be missed, must do it again, most definitely fun ride.
Dennis L. Gorospe

Post-Ride Report by Vice-President Dennis Gorospe

2010-02-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

It was a perfect riding day with 14 ADOBO Velos at the start line. Jonas and company brought another 8 friends with him including Marie Rose, an ultra long distance rider and triathelete too. Actual ride started at 7:45 am with temperature at 49 F which gradually warmed up to 80 F as the day progressed. Our group stayed together for most of the ride while catching faster groups along the way. Long trains of riders would pass zooming up to 48mph could not drop us (on the downhills). Banning and Eric from Banning's Bike also stayed with our group for most of the time.

After a slow grind on the first 15 miles, most of the ride is just rollers specially after the 25 mile marker. From there, Adobos really showed their stuff. Al "Cavendish", El "DiesEL", De"Olympian" were leading the attacks. After the 50 mile marker, another large peloton of over 50 cyclist cruised at 28 mph on the flat with headwind. We hung on to the peloton until we reached our own Adobevelo SAG stop at mile 68 with Banning & Eric and Company enjoying our Adobo hospitality. Thanks to my wife Frances and kids for providing Superfood drinks, water, fruits and snacks.

Total ride time with the whole group finished at 5 hours and 45 minutes. Actual end time was at 2:45 pm. Great job everyone! But check it out, Jun Usi had to go solo because of family commitments and started and 7:00 am and ended at 12:45, with SAG! You are a true ASTIG! We missed Jun at the post-ride BBQ.

Great ride overall with perfect weather, great friends and everyone finished with no injuries.

Day ended with BBQ at the Gorospe house in La Quinta with of Chicken Adobo as the main course, of course.

A warm welcome goes to new Adobovelo member Jesse from San Fernando Valley and congratulations on his first century ride. Congratulations to Louis Fernandez on his first "Official" Century ride. Riders who were present were: Victor C, El, Deo, Al V, Gil, Frank N, Jesse (SFV), Dennis G, Ryan, June Grape, Louie , Louis F, Julius, Jonas, Russell, Jun U. Sorry, no pictures of Jun Usi because he went solo.

Till next our next century ride...

Link to photos of TdPS below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/adobovelo/TdPS201002#

Dennis G.

Tour De Francis Winter Edition PostRide Comments

2009-12-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

Click here to see PHOTOS

From Rino Crisostomo (Adobovelo):
again, you did an awesome well organized ride....splendid job down to the last detail!
to sir francis and his family...without them this ride won't materialize. ...Thank you so much!
to all sags and supports...without them the strugglers won't make it...Thanks a lot guys!
special thanks to pres arden who stick with me all the way...for sir louie n and sir ricky who waited for me...for sir louie for the cokes and encouragements. ..for sir victor for bringing up my bike..for sir francis' daughter for an extraordinary service for all the riders(the chicken adobo is the best).
for the Adobovelo family...more power to you guys!!!
on behalf of the cycloneteam. com...Thank you very much!!!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, RINO !!!
pls check, http://www.cycloneteam.com/ and http://www.cookielee.com/!
From Reggie Ignacio (MMCC):
Francis and Adobo's again in behalf of MMCC family we thank you very much. Another epic ride!! Salamat po!
From Thomas Barron (Santa Clarita Velo):
I would like to thank you for such a well organized, friendly and memorable event.On the ride and at the BBQ I met Francis and thanked him personally, but I would also like to extend my congratulations to you and the ride committee and volunteers for your terrific success.The food was fantastic (as advertised) and very welcome on the hard and cold course.As the former president of the Santa Clarita Velo, and Race Director at the Devil's Punchbowl RR, I have had direct experience with the challenges you faced in putting this event together - and doing it with style.

Cheers,
--TMB-- Thomas Barron
Member Santa Clarita Velo Club

USCF 2702 http://www.santaclaritavelo.com/
From Michael Goodman:
Hi,
I rode the Three Lakes Tour Yesterday. Great ride. Great support. Really fun, enthusiastic club and ride support. In short I had a great time. I'm wiped out, but it was loads of fun. I'm very impressed by your club. You all seem like a fun-loving group of hard-core riders. It was lots of fun to join you all on the ride yesterday...Thaks for putting on the event.

-Michael Goodman
megmtb@gmail.com
From William "Legstrong" Aligue (Adobovelo):
Thank you to Francis and family and all the volunteers that make this Tour de Francis to be a succesful one. We had a lot of fun, food , climb, pain, cramps, you name it TdF have them all.
Congratulations to all the finisher!!! The training ride that we did paid off, the Adobo's finish the whole ride very strong.
Congratulations!!!
From TJ:
Thanks for all your work on today's awesome Tdf! I loved it!
From Obie:

What a rocking group...super ride & support! Big Thanks!

From Gil:

I second that sentiment William!... Francis you and your kids are the 'BOMB' - Thanx for making this event possible and to the great collection of volunteers - you guys "ROCK!".Also, I'd like to shoot special thanx to Louie R. for the personal support.

-CHEERS!!! gil

From Tim Claudio (Adobovelo):

I want to extend my Thanks to Francis and family and to all the support volunteers that made for another epic event.
I am privileged and honored to be a part of the Adobo family.
also,I will be out town during the Christmas party so,
I also want to extend my best wishes to everyone for this holiday season.
I will see you all after the first of the year.
All the best,

timCLAUDIO

From Ryan Roldan (Adobovelo):

To Francis and Company who make this annual event another bragging rights. Kodus...

From Vertical Bob:

I had a great time yesterday as always with the fun bunch from Adobo Velo Thanks for a great ride. See ya on the next one.

From Manny (MMCC):

On behalf of the mmcc, we thank everyone for another epic wonderful ride. Adobovelo and company always offer xclnt hospitality. special mention to Francis, Rosalie, the kids and the rest of the Adobo family, another job well done!! we salute you all!!

From Roland Sunga:

First and foremost - I would like to thank, you, Francis, and all of the volunteers for a great event. I've been a long time cyclist and a triathlete , it's been my dream to ride with a bunch of Filipinos, that was fulfilled yesterday. Again, my gratitude.

From Dana (Incycle-Cowrider):

Thank you for putting on such a well organized event. The ride will go down as a must ride for me every year. By the way, my buddies that do countless events said that your after meal spread was 2nd to none. Yes, Shouts out to Rosalie & Francis and the support crew!!!

TdF Castaic Lake Winter Edition Pre-Ride/Worker's Ride 11-21-2009

2009-11-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

The weather during the ride was very cold, lowest 38degrees to as high as 44degrees. Postride temperature was 55 degrees. It was mostly sunny and clear with clouds and thick fog along the horizon. Strong cross and head wind around 10-20mph with some wind gust during the first climb on Lake Hughes Rd.

Pocket of chilly air and no wind in the canyons. Very strong wind with wind chill factor along Pine Canyon going towards Three Points. Riders who completed 90miles up to Ridge Point avoiding the descend to Quail Lake were Francis Ignacio (TdF Organizer), Pete Primavera, Ed Morente, Manny Amit, Tim Claudio, Joseph Casino and JJ Lopez. Riders who turned around at Three Points completed around 75 miles were Mandy Genato, Imre Udvardy, Pid and Jun Grape.

Kuya Ricky DNF'd at Three Points for medical reasons. He started coughing and felt very congested. Roving Sag Support by Rosalie. Thanks Francis for the PostRide Subway Sandwiches and Sodas. Some who road acclamated to the weather and some could not get warmed up during the ride along HeadWind Pine Canyon.

Rider's Lesson Learned
Imre.."Must wear Shoe Covers or Feet Warmers" His feet were freezing cold through out the whole ride.

Tim Claudio.."I couldn't get warm during the ride going towards Three Points" Need to wear face mask or Turtle Fleece, Cover all exposed skin, wear Leg warmer instead of knee warmer.
JJ Lopez.."I was tired and was not feeling the ride(not giving it all) even though it was a painful ride" He did a training long ride with team LaGrange a week before for 2 days.
Joseph Casino on his compact with 25t...He can handle this Cassette..But for most..highly recommend compact cranks 27t or 29t or triple.
Manny Amit..Broke his chain and got his windjacket caught around his cassette. Must bring extra links and try not to remove windjacket while riding and having one hand on handlebar.. Stop your bike and remove jacket.
Mandy Genato.. "Rosalie saw me not drinking much".. Must drink even if you're not thirsty and load up on food during the stops since COLD weather burn more calories. Eating and hydrating will keep you going.
Pid Grape.."I haven't ridden in 2 months" Need to train for this ride. This ride is very mentally and physically challenging.
Jun Grape "I'm going to turn back to the Park". This was his comment after Lake Elizabeth reststop. I told Jun, "You're strong, you've been riding alot. What's the point of turning back early when this is a training ride with sag to reload?".. Like I said before, you have to be Mentally prepared for this ride. Jun was so greatful that I talked him into going all the way to Three Points. He finished strong.
Ed Morente "Since I'm a runner, this ride was easy on the Lungs and Legs" Cross training besides riding a bike makes you stronger in all ways.
Pete Primavera "Had so much layers during the climb, it was too hot" Know how much to layer, and when to take off and put back on.
Rosalie "I didn't have any extra chain links for Manny" If you are sagging, make sure you have extra chain links in the car, tools for the chain link, and other bike tools that may be needed during mechanical problems..tubes, pumps, tire boot always a must.
Francis..Speechless! ! I guess that's a good thing..

PICS says it all
http://picasaweb.google.com/adobovelo/TdFCastaicWinterEditionPreRideWorkerSRide

SEE YA all at TdF...Keep on climbing
-ROSALIE

3rd Giro 'd Barkada in Stockton hosted by Luzvimin Racing Team

2009-10-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

What an adventure that was! One hundred kilometers of pancake flat back roads, 3rd Giro ‘d Barkada hosted by the cast Luzvimin Racing Team of Stockton CA. The cast of ADOBO Velo were Deo Asuncion, El Lardizabal, Rosalie Kneebone, Francis Ignacio, Jonas Mas, and myself. We were surprised when Francis showed up and was confirmed that he participated in the previous day’s Bass Lake Double Century from Fresno. Early that Sunday morning, Mr. Picachu still looked fresh and the first one from us to be ready for the festivities. Here’s a pic of the ADOBO Velo contingent before the start.

Frank Gatdula and the staff of GdB got us started with excitement with Pinoy Pride Maui Reynante policing us off Micke Grove Park. My reality set in about NorCal’s Fil-Am clubs that morning and amazed by the numbers once they are all gathered. Off to the start, we were escorted and led by their assigned riders. El unfortunately had a flat in the first mile of the ride but was immediately helped by the support and was able to catch up with the group with no problem.

The picture above shows the large number of participants. The pace was at a constant 20mph throughout the ride except for the last 20 miles after the 2nd SAG stop for the first group. The last few miles to the 2nd SAG stop quickly picked up even if the side wind was breaking the peloton into pieces.
Overall, besides the pic above, it was a talking pace and everyone was having fun. Smiles were everywhere befriending was a free for all. There were rolling SAGs and photographers as you have probably seen by the sheer numbers of photos posted on-line. Here’s a cool pic of Rosalie.
When the first group went, Rosalie and El also went and mentioned that it was a fast paced. Here’s El’s post: Those guys were pushing to 33-34mph... With just 7 of us in the front but in one corner we made a right turn & I happened to be in the back & they started jumping & I got dropped... he heeh can't make it, was a head wind... kasalanan ‘yan ni Rozel at Ron, walang patawad! Anyway, I enjoyed the ride. We'll do it again next year.

Deo and Jonas were ready to go with this group but they waited for Francis and me as we were the last ones from the only restroom of the gas station SAG stop. We rolled with the next group and it was at a constant 21 mph.

When we returned to the park, tons of delicious Pinoy food and dessert were ready to be devoured. The place was set up already and thank to the wives, the staff and volunteers for their work. Time of salu-salo was not wasted by the calorie-burnt riders, giveaways raffled off afterwards.
We also had the chance to officially announce our Tour de Francis in Castaic. Frank even saved Vellum water bottles for us. Everything seemed to be seamless throughout the day. It was a great weekend overall! Here’s what I was able to post at Luzvimin’s Yahoo Group:

Frank and all the cast who made the event fun, organized, and like a fiesta! When I heard that it was 97 registrants total, my first thought was how can Tour de Francis this coming December beat that. But it was quickly forgotten with all the smiling faces and people that's there to be befriended. From registration time to the post meal, time flew pretty fast and this meant we were having too much fun. I can see why the peloton was controlled and timed to finish for a great party. I was impressed when El had a flat right after the start and that there's a replacement wheel ready for him. Deo and I dropped off to escort him back after the repair, but we were told by the SAG support to continue on with the ride and not to worry about it. El will make it back to the group. Rest assured he was! Even if the ride was strictly controlled, you can hear almost all of the participants chatting around; I guess part of that is making new friends. It was a fun ride anyway and not a competitive race. My itchy legs was wanting some fast pace riding later that morning but it didn't matter, we were all enjoying the moment. Too many Pinoys taking the whole lane was just amazing! Great route! I wish we have something like that in Los Angeles! Its just what I need. Great rolling SAGS and stops. Maybe the complaint you had was just because the rider came in to the SAG stops very late and had nothing left for him. Maybe he didn't know what to expect or maybe was just didn't had breakfast. Well, hopefully he can get stronger and faster next time where he can enjoy peloton bennies to enjoy some food and drinks. But maybe I'm wrong and just don't know all the facts.Back at the park, it was just great food, a lot, but just enough to please everyone! The giveaways and donations hit the spot. It was hard to leave even if we had about 350 miles to tackle to get home. It was fun trekking back south; it was fun driving up north too! It seemed like a weekend escapade with friends.Anyway, thank you for the great dinner that Saturday night! Thank you to Maui, Sally, and to you for the wonderful food and entertaining stories. We knew you all were busy preparing for the event that night but you all were still very welcoming and so hospitable to us. Thanks!Hopefully we can see you all, the cast of Luzvimin and all other cycling clubs of NorCal this December. Now it’s time for us to create the fun and hope we can beat 97 registrants. Let's target 100 riders!

And here’s Mang El’s feedback:

To Frank & wife Sally, Maui, Rozel, Ron, George & the whole Luzvimin racing team & also to the rest of people who help the ride to be a successful one. Your Giro de Barkada "09 was one of the best organized ride I've been for the past few years.
1. No riders got dropped far enough due to the constant pace that was set by the leaders for the first two sags stop. The pace was set to 18-21mph I believed.
2. Good sag support... got spare wheels from the rolling SAG when I got my flat tire (saved my time).
3. The sag stops were nice & big enough to accommodate the group.
4. Enough food for the riders on sag stops even you didn't expect that many riders to join the ride.
5. The last 20 miles was where the fun started for the fast riders (front group), going 23-25mph against the wind & top speed to 33-34mph with the tail wind.
6. Give-away gifts, water bottles, inner tubes & the donated mountain bike as the main price.
7. The lunch....... super good for the hungry stomach and lastly the friendship that you all showed to us.
Thanks a million Frank for the job well done & extend this to your crew. For sure I'll try to be with you guys next year, hopefully you'll make it on Sunday again. See you on Tour de Francis?

To close, this ride was also organized to collect donations for those affected by Typhoon Ondoy.

Here’s Frank’s posts: I am happy to inform you that the relief goods we received at the Giro d' Barkada was sent to the Philippines handled by the Filipino-American Catholic Charities of Stockton who have made arrangements with Star Cargo. Bike related donations will be personally ship to Cebu Recycle Bicycle Club. In behalf of LUZVIMIN RACING and from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for all your generosity. Frank Gatdula.

And here’s his reply to our posts: Thanks for the nice and kind words. Yes we tried our best to make everyone happy. We will be discussing about your ride this coming October 24 and try to send a contingent to represent LUZVIMIN. Rest assured we will be flying our colors once again since we missed last year's. Since it's all climb, we will be sending our best climbers only, hahahaha! Rozel, Rick, Rannie, Ron, Winston, Mike M., Maui, Jonas, Justin, Romeo, Roberto Sto. Domingo, Tom Alves, Jim Elam, Billy Huyn, Jeff Lancero... And maybe we can import Leian once again. Leian sound off ka diyan! Wala ka bang seminar dito sa California next month? The Adobo Velo ride is a true epic ride guys, it's 100 miles wth 75% climb and about 15,000 ft of climbing. Frank Gatdula. Let’s all go on the next GdB ride!

And for the departing pic:
Thanks to Jeremiah Nueve: http://www.pbase.com/nueve009/giro_d_barkada_09 and
Mike Mercado: http://picasaweb.google.com/lcplwan/GiroDBarkada3?authkey=Gv1sRgCMv_g5i_7aTtdg&feat=email# for a job well done on the photography department!

Arden Arindaeng

An ADOBO Velo Labor Day Weekend with Pinoy Pro Tri-Athlete Arland Macasieb

2009-09-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

September 6-7, 2009. After racing Ironman 70.3 Philippines, the first ever in the country, he took some time to spend with the ADOBO Velos on his stopover in California. His first morning in Los Angeles, he witnessed our Pinoy Prides Deo Asuncion and Wilson Blas race at California Bicycle Racing State Criterium Championships. We saw Wilson cross the finish line on one of the two - second place finishes he had. And Deo on his very strong ride and finish. Here’s Deo being watched by Arland.
Wilson, after his first race, getting Arland familiar of CBR racing.

An old friend of his, Bobbit Attendido from Phoenix AZ, in WM Skinsuit was also in town attending Olympian Adam Duvendeck’s weekend Sprint Camp at ADT Event Center.

Here’s the Ironman posing with the Philippine Flag in the background.

He also met his hometown friend Tim Claudio later in the afternoon. Evening came and we watched the beginning and final minutes of a 100-mile record breaking attempt by DanMcGee back at ADT Velodrome. Since Arland tinkering on a Philippine record 1-hour attempt, we didn’t want to miss this moment as this is a big learning experience for us.

The next day, Labor Day Monday, he finally had a chance to ride since his travel and was very excited about riding with the ADOBO Velos! Thanks to William for arranging this ride. Arland is 7th from the left in this before-ride group pic.

We all rode around scenic Palos Verdes and enjoyed the hills.

Rosalie, Tim, Arland and I had some time for some tapsilog at Manila’s Lechon Restaurant in Carson Street. What a post-ride meal! Here’s a pic before moving on to beer time!

We then continued on with Oscar for a few pints of draft beer at BJ’s Restaurant near Del Amo Mall. We all had pretty good and non-stop conversations that included text messages to Christine. If you remember, she was with us during the San Pedro Grand Prix a couple of months ago, she’s a friend of his in New Jersey. He also shared his Ironman experience, some if his training knowledge, and the Fil-Am Tri-Athlete Club. We also made ride arrangements with Steve Pelaez when he returns to San Fran before traveling back home.

Arland, thanks for taking some time with the ADOBO Velo Gang!

Arden

Big GMR to Crystal Lake Post Ride Report by VPDocDennis.

2009-06-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

The ride from Encanto Park to Crystal Lake was one of the best rides I've ever done. The view, friends, food, what else can you ask for? Thanks for sharing this route to our new initiates (me included). JJ, Tim Claudio, Julius and I endured our first GMR ride. It was certainly grueling, a true test of cycling. I can see why the Duarte Chapter likes to go this playground so much. The Giro d'Italia, Tour de France were rolled into this one ride. We felt like pros as the peloton zoomed downhill through the zig-zag roads at 35+ mph.
Kudos to Francis for the pre-ride sag by bringing sandwiches, Cliff Bar, Power Bar gels, fizzy pop. Kuya Ricky gave out some Cliff Bars. Jess and Juliet gave support with water, bananas, cookies along the route. The food and drinks kept as topped and kept us from bonking.
As Francis suggested, we should make this a monthly ride with Adobovelo. I most certainly agree. We need more Liberty Boys on this climb.
I had to cut my ride 5 miles short of Crystal Lake to make it to my son's recital in Whittier. I made it just in time. He just started his music as I entered with my camera in hand, whew! Took a couple of quick photos for proof. Louie N. accompanied me on the way back to Encanto Park to keep me from getting lost.
Can't wait to ride GMR again!
Thanks,
Dennis

Breathless Agony 2009 KOM Stage #2

2009-05-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

May 2, 2009 114miles 12,000ft of climbing

http://www.cyclingpros.com/Onyx0904.htm

The weatherman was wrong once again..It didn't rain at all. It was dry, cloudy in the basin and blue sky at Onyx summit. Riders were me, Manny, Mandy, Victor, El Prez, Jun Usi, Jesse A., Richard, Francis,and Reggie Ferraz. Luis Pita signed up but decided to sit this one out. He thought the weather was gonna get ugly plus he was under the weather himself. Next year Luis, rain or shine you better do it.
There were alot of familiar riders. I knew them by their faces, their bikes or Jerseys. Like Steve Gilmore, AGAIN.. On his bike he had a heavy big saddle bag (storage pod) like my lunch box (high tail ulp) that everyone makes fun of, big bento box on his top tube like I have that everyone makes fun of, and a mud guard fender, he thought it was going to rain. He looked like he was doing a double century. Wait, as a matter of fact, that was exactly what he had on his bike during the El Camino Real Double Century. He still passed me like I was standing still. Travis, everyone knows Travis. He was escorting, coaching a rider all the way up to the summit. JJ Lopez from TdFrancis BigBear and Joseph from TdFrancis Frazier Park were there too. Bong from RiverVelo passed by me soo fast on the last 5 miles climb to Onyx as if he was on GMR doing a time trial.
Our Adobo plans were to ride our own pace, eat, load up, stretch and to stay less than 10mins. at each sag stop. Mandy and I started before sunrise. Manny and Victor rode together until Manny warmed up and decided to do his pace and caught up with Mandy and I at mile 15. The rest of the guys started around and after 6:30am. Thank goodness we had gusty 10-30mph tailwind at every climb. That wind felt soo good, I kept praying for more just to get through the climbs.. Wishes came through. It got windier as we climbed higher.
I found myself riding along with the same people the last 20 miles of the climb to onyx. We did the YOYO back and forth riding. "Hey we meet again", "Hey it's you again", " Hi, it's me again", "Oh it's you again." on and on and on. Finally 7000ft elevation. You know what that means, less than 3-4 more miles until the summit but one of the most mentally and physically painful miles to ride. You want to go faster but yet you don't want to cramp up. If you think about cramping, it will happen. If you go any faster, you will cramp before the summit. So what do you do?.. YOYO with other riders and pray you don't cramp up. Thank goodness that didn't happen to me because I was too busy thinking about how great the tailwind was, how beautiful the weather was and how my ass was so sore from sitting on my saddle. The end was not near. There were so many last turns. You think you're there but you're not. When you don't think about it anymore, The last and 4th pass is right in front of you. Alright, time to look strong for the camera. The Grim Reaper awaits and one solo ADOBOvelo Manny at the summit cheering on. Yeah I made it up!! 1:58pm (8hrs10mins) . What an exilerating feeling to finish Breathless Agony. This was one great Century. Last year's breathless agony seemed hard, but this year seems to be a breeze, Ya a strong tailwind breeze.. Great food, great volunteers, great riders sharing their experience of the climb. We waited for the rest of the Adobos. Unfortunately Victor turned around after the 3rd pass. At least he got to taste the ride. Pictures and more pictures at Onyx Summit. The descend was fast and furious even though we had strong head wind. Mandy was stoked he shaved off 40 mins of his time this year from last year. For the rest of the ADOBO guys, great job sub 8 hours total riding time. For your information, the first rider to hit onyx summit in 4hours 43mins is my friend Gina Kelly's husband, Phil Kelly. Gina owns a bike shop in Simi Valley. Both are Ultra distance Cyclists on both road/mountain tandem bikes and solo road/mountain bikes.

Until the next and last KOM, Heartbreak Hundred.. KEEP ON CLIMBING.

-ROSALIE

ADOBO Velos swarming and snaking up Fargo Hill Climb!

2009-04-09T21:39:00.000-07:00

Last March 15, a few of our ADOBO Velos participated in this extreme event. Few members showed up to witness the event and cheered our fellow riders snake up this steep climb. Oh, that pic above, that was Manny Amit doing a STRAIGHT climb... IMPOSSIBLE! To add to the craziness, Astig Elardi up’ed the pressure with some cash bonuses. Here's Willliam mixing it up with the other participants...

Here’s El's post at the Yahoo Group... To all members of the ADOBO Velo gang that will make to the top of Fargo Hill Street today will WIN $5 from me. And to those that may climb more than 5 times may have a bonus of a dollar per climb. This is just for fun and to challenge our riders. Wish you all the luck!!! Be cautious!!
Naturally, my sprinting fingers started typing to clear up what he just posted: Wow, El! You are giving good incentives for our aspirants! Thank you! When you say win, is it as winning with the most number of climbs of an ADOBO Velo in the event, or the most number of climb between a participating ADOBO Velos only. Good luck to all FHC participants!!!!
So that morning came. Cyclists of all kinds climbing the steepest street of LA. Above is Jesse Agrezor snaking up the steep street with his full ADOBOkit, as a first timer and eventually the 2nd place finisher! Spectators where cheering, more ADOBO Velo jersey’s snaking up the road, and Time Warner reporters interviewing and creating a story of the event. You will see this pic in action from their video.

It seemed like the cheers from the spectators were loud enough to irritate the neighborhood, so the cops where called in and they eventually stopped the event at around noon. Where's the noisy crowd you might ask? Well, more likely at the top and at the bottom of the street. Rude crowd I tell you! As you can see Francis, his kids, and Rosalie trying hard to look innocent! And the cops looking serious and thinking of what they should do. And still in disbelief like this doesn't happen every year!

If the event wasn’t stopped by the LA's Finest , the number of climbs could have been higher!

Here’s the results:

Rosalie Kneebone- 16 climbs (1st place, New Women’s Record)
Doug Kubler 30 climbs - 1st place
Jesse Agrezor- 26 climbs (2nd place, ADOBO Velo, ASTIG Ride)
William Aligue- 23 climbs (3rd place, ADOBO Velo, 2008 CoTY)
Pete Primavera- 19 climbs (4th place, ADOBO Velo)
Steve Gilmore 11 climbs (record holder of 101 crazy climbs). Looks like he was conserving for the afternoon but cut short!
Alain Giaimo (Santa Clarita Velo) - 7 climbs on his road bike
Gerard Gabrang- 3 climbs
Manny Amit- 2 climbs
Mandy Genato- 1 climb (3rd place but in a different category!)
Lito Aralar - Climbed 3/4 of the distance and attempted many times.

And our spectators: Dennis Evangelista, Mary Raffety and friends, Jun Usi and family, Jun Grape, Juliet Agrezor, Cookie, Manolito, Wilson Blas, Elardi, Santa Clarita Velo riders and family, San Fernando Valley Bike Club, Dock Riders Bike Club, LA Wheelmen and much more.

As expected, Mang El’s post days before triggered some replies and here’s one from Rosalie who mentally prepared for this event… “Mang El... I think you will go broke...but you’re lucky because the cops came and stopped the Fargo Hill Climb Challenge, boohooo!"

Naturally, thanks to our spotters. Dennis, Manolito and Pete for helping our mountain goats!

Here’s a post event report copied from LA Wheelmen’s Fargo Hill webpage…

It's only one block long, but Fargo Street, with its 32% grade, equals the steepest street incline in Los Angeles. Our annual event challenges all comers to see if they can make it up on a bike, and if so, how many times in one day. Here are the 2009 results:

60 riders signed up, 46 riders completed the climb.
Oldest Rider: Doug Kubler at 64 climbs. (Is that a typo?)
Youngest Rider: Andrew Karnes at 12 climbs.
New woman's record: Rosalie Kneebone at 16 climbs.
Most climbs: Doug Kubler at 30 climbs.

ALL-TIME RECORDS:
In 2008, Steve Gilmore set the men's record of 101 ascents, which took him 9 hours.
Rosalie Kneebone's 16 this year is the women's record, surpassing her 12 in 2008.

Could have been a goal of 22 climbs if the event wasn’t stopped!

Here's some nostalgia and great mechanical engineering!As part of the plan and since this event was also tagged as Tour De Francis VI Stage 1 by our TdF Director Francis Ignacio, the opportunity was made to have a fundraising event for Dennis Evangelista as he will be participating at the Aids/Lifecycle 7-day 545-mile ride from SF to LA this coming May 31 to June 6. We hope for the best, Dennis! There will be plans to escort him on his last day of the ride. Website: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/

So to add insult to injury since the event was stopped, El Prez was asking who called the cops! As far as everyone knows, we think El did.... so he can lessen the give-away cash!

So with the event done, the praises followed immediately. I tell you, if not for the power of the internet, we won’t be able to gather up a story like this!

Henry posted this as a FARSTOP! (Changed “Far-go” to “Far-stop”) and was also encouraging everyone to Turnbull for a different version of FHC. Yup, we’ve been there and that’s a tough one! You can actually flip backwards too if you pull on your handlebar too much.

From Ryan... I prepared my mtb, even changed it with sleek tires for Fargo Hill Climb but woke up at 3 in the morning with terrible knee pains. I wanted to go but I knew I won’t be able to ride. I can’t even walk up that hill so I decided to stay home. Anyway, congrats to those who tackled this grueling height.

From Fixie Gil… 16X!!! AWESOME!!! Congratulations 'Adobo Chick' and all the Adobo Velos!!!

From Dong…Congrats to each participating Adobo Velos! For future reference, what gears did you use? “Granniest gears you have... MTB with 22x34t is what I used”, said Darna. I think she meant chainring at 22t and 34t for the cog!!

Fargo Hill Webpage:
http://www.lawheelmen.org/fargo.htm

Photo and videos by Mary Raffety:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/merider/sets/72157615324509486/
http://www.mydogparty.blogspot.com/

Pics from Dan Wyman:
http://www.pbase.com/coaster/fargo_street_hill_climb__2009

Dan, I used some of your photos. I hope you don't mind. Thanks.

And the video from Time Warner. You'll see the ADOBO Velos snake up this %$#@^p road!

http://www.lawheelmen.org/fargo09_timewarner.mov

You can also check our Picasaweb album for photos and Jesse’s you tube for videos. There’s probably more posted in the web somewhere so just keep checking.

Now I wonder about El's payout. So there's a win from Rosalie (ca-ching) and a little less than hundred total climbs from all ... so that totals to... (ca-ching, ca-ching... ca-ching) Hey, that's some money! Balato naman d'yan!

Thanks and happy climbing!

- Arden (The no- show!)

The 3rd Double Century that Rosalie earned for the right to be a 2009 California Triple Crown Cyclist!

2009-04-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

Winners of the prestigious California Triple Crown are the elite long distance bicyclists in California since they have completed at least three Double Centuries in the calendar year. Each of the rides is a major adventure in itself and are among the best rides you'll find anywhere in America!! And at this early part of the year, Rosalie finished the first three double centuries strong: Camino Real, Death Valley Double Centuries, and then this, Solvang Spring Double Century (beginning excerpts taken from CA Triple Crown website)

- Congratulation to Rosalie for an impressive finish at the Solvang Spring Double Century in 13:30 and rolling time of 11:45. Wow... Thank you to F.A.C.T for escorting Ms. Darna to her Triple Crown finish. Lipad Darna lipad. Francis I.

- Simply AMAZING!!!! That is one (X3) super accomplishment. Only 3 months into the year! WOW. Congratulations again. Frank N.

- That is absolutely SUPER! Great Job Rosalie Darna! My Hero! Ed M.

- KILLER!!!...Lipad high and don't look back! Great job Rosalie! You are our hero, Darna!... Gil

- Yes Rosalie, congrats once again your the BEST it looks like it's going to be a year of many accomplishments for u, (u go girl). Arnold I.

- Congratulations, Rosalie! You are one heckuva cyclist - wish you more laurels to come! Albert J.

- This is the earliest in the year to earn a Triple Crown! Well deserved, Darna! That goal was reached because of your determination. There's still another 9 months before the X'mas Party, do I smell COTY already!? What you did was amazing and should be recognized by California Cycling and the rest of the Pinoy cycling here, back in the Philippines, and the WORLD! Congratulations! Arden

Here's Rosalie’s Solvang Spring Double Ride Report:

Thanks everyone!!! I can't believe it myself!! If I didn't ride with F.A.C.T / Fresno Cycling Club members, Tito Geronimo, Vince (F.A.C.T President), Tom, occasionally w/ Mr. Q. (F.C.C. President) and Tom, I would still be out there in the dark. It was Tito and Tom's first Double.

Got to the start at 4:45 am. I looked at everyone to see if I knew some familiar faces. I saw 2 guys who looked Filipino wearing Fresno Cycling Club Jerseys. Went up to them and asked them "Are you Filipinos?" They said yes, and I introduced myself being with the ADOBO Velo and the only one riding the double. One guy asked me, "So is your group coming up to do the Fresno Ride next weekend, did you get the email I sent to your group?". A light bulb flashed on my head, I asked "Wait, are you Tito Geronimo?" He said yes! He then introduced me to Dr. Vince, President of FACT who by the way pulled the group 85% of the time. Dang Fast Pull, I had my share of pulling as well.

The weather was great and the SAG support was excellent. They didn't run out of food nor beverages. The weather was fantastic, cold start but sunny comfortable all day long 60-70 degrees.

I saw Keith Brodsky pull in at mile 120 (lunch stop). He started at 7:30 am (for time) with other haul ass riders. He came up to where we were sitting and said "hi!". He downed a regular coke, picked up a subway sandwich and other goodies, stuffed it in his jersey while eyeing other riders who rode with him and then they all took off. Five fast minutes of refueling. I also saw Steve Gilmore, 101 Fargo Hill Climb record holder. Saw him also at the El Camino Real Double, Fargo and now Solvang Double. Saw Alain Gaimo of Santa Clarita Velo before the last SAG stop mile 177. He tapped my shoulder as he passed by and I yelled "GIAMO!!!" I forgot his first name for a second and then yelled out "GO ALAIN!!" He was riding alone going for time as well. Dang, fast rider!

I was looking forward to the cup o noodle at the last sag stop. They had it but they didn't prepare it because they were saving it for the night riders. The sun was still high and it was still fairly warm, so another peanut butter jelly (4th one) for me. The last 5 miles was fast and furious. Fast descend on drum canyon all the way to Buellton. Legs felt great excited the ride was coming to an end. My eyes welled up with tears knowing it's my 3-PEAT DOUBLE and a California Trip Crown FINISHER... Now I know how William felt from his last years 3-PEAT DOUBLE. I was so excited I even sprinted to the finish at 6:30 pm. The sun was still high and I can't believe I had to haul my 2 headlights I didn't use and one battery, plus bars and gels I didn't eat that was in my High Tail (saddle bag) .. LESSON LEARNED… Don't bring too much food. I didn't know that all SAG support will be fully stocked.
After the ride, The guys and their wives invited me for dinner at AJ Saloon Steak House. SIRLOIN STEAKS for everyone. We reminisced the ride and celebrated Tito and his wife Leila's Anniversary.

GREAT RIDE with GREAT COMPANY!!!
Total time -13 hrs 30 mins
Rolling time - 11 hrs 45 mins

Until the next DOUBLE (2 more) .... KOM CHALLENGE… Here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-ROSALIE

Feb 28,2009 Death Valley Spring Double Century Ride Report

2009-04-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

Rosalie's 2nd double century...

Our Friday went like this, while Francis dragged the guys, Kuya Ricky, Vince and Manny at 5:45am to drive to Trona Death Valley for their Century Ride supported by Francis himself, Pete and I carpooled and left at 9:30am to go sightseeing at the ghost town of Rhyolite in Death Valley. The view of the valley in Beatty was incredibly clear.. The drive to the road leading to the Goldwell Air Show Museum was about 1/2 a mile away from the highway. It gave a sense of time warp, back in the cowboy era, like the movie "the good, the bad and the ugly". Reality hit me when I saw a few cars driving the opposite road. While the guys were grinding up on Towne Pass, Pete and I were taking pictures of the ghost like white shrouded statuettes of the Last Supper sculptured in 1984. Made out of plaster and to weather proof, coated with fiberglass. I have always wanted to see the Last Supper. Driving through the ghost town was very eery.. I definitely wouldn' t want to be there during the dark or night. The statuettes might come alive.BBBooooo!!!! AaaaHHHH!!! We then left and drove towards Stovepipe Wells. We thought maybe we will be able to see the guys, but, no sight of them yet. We finally got to town, checked in our bags and bikes and calculated what time the guys might get to Stovepipe. Since it was almost 5pm, we decided to head towards Furnace Creek. About 1/2 a miles into the drive, We saw a familiar truck (kuya ricky's truck) and 4 guys on the side of the road.. It was THEM!!! They made it. They were close to the Sand Dunes. Kuya Ricky's was standing behind his truck, his head was slumped on his back truck bed door as if he was ready to hurl (throwup, upchuck)..Nope...It was his knees giving up on him..He said "That's it! I'm done" I gave him a hug and said "Congratulation's Kuya Ricky, you redeemed yourself." They rode 78 miles. Both Kuya Ricky and Vince called it a day but Manny on the other hand, was still feeling fresh and decided to ride all the way to Furnace Creek with 2 personal SAG support vehicles. He said those Powerbar round blocks Francis was giving out gave him so much energy, he had to finish the ride. Manny arrived Furnace Creek in the neck of time before it got really dark. He was so excited to get the ride done, he was even thinking about maybe doing the double on Saturday. We all had dinner at Furnace Creek. Post ride recovery food for some and carbo-load for me, Pete and Francis. We stayed at Stovepipe Wells Friday night. Two 2double bed rooms. Friday riders slept in one room and the Double Centurion riders slept in the other with a common door to the friday riders. Kinda cool, everyone were going back and forth from one room to another. Francis slept like a log on his bed by the window, he was out like a lightbulb. Pete on the other hand, slept on the floor, took a sleeping pill to get his good night sleep. As for me, tossed and turned for abit while the TV was still on but yet had a pillow over my head. I said to myself "this is useless". Got up, turned the TV off put 2 pillows over my head because I didn't know where the snoring was coming from, either the double cent room or the friday riders room.
We woke up at 4am, ate, donned our Adobokit, put our gears and bike on my car and drove to Furnace Creek.
We were in the second start wave, 6:10am. There were lots of riders eagered to start. But the volunteers controlled the wave starts pretty well. Once we took off, slight climbing began. The pace was slightly faster than I anticipated. That was okay, since the first stop was at 17miles (badwater). Hung with Francis and Pete but once another rider passed us, a chase began by Pete and there goes Francis as well. I said to myself "DAMN.. If this is the way it's going to be all day, I'm not going to finish the ride". I stucked to my plan and just stayed with a group of riders with a doable pace and drafted and conserved.
The Volunteers for AdventureCorps are awesome, the best. Roving Vehicle with a loud speaker playing an upbeat music would go up and down the road.. The volunteers at some sagstop would take your bike from you while you refuel. It was like a bike valet service. It was great. Each sagstops had tons of food, beverages, ice and hammer products. Major climbing began at mile 45. Francis and I rode a comfortable pace total of 20 miles of climbing with a downhill break at after 10 miles of climbing. Pete on the other hand didn't want to stay on his saddle too long so he would take off, sacraficing his legs to save his ass from hurting. We would regroup at each sagstop.
While still climbing at mile 60, up ahead coming from the opposite road towards us were a few riders stretched out coming back from Shashone. They flew by going what felt like 50mph. Tucked so low, all I can see was the bike. It was Michael Emde, who flew by first (2009 508furnace creek winner) and other riders following him behind. I looked at Francis and my mouth dropped. They have already done around 95miles and we were still climbing at 60 freekin miles.. Shook my head and I said to myself "I guess they will not be needing any night lights since they will be back at furnace creek while the sun is still high".DANG BULLET FAST RIDERS!! After the Sagstop at Shashone, climbing began again. Climb, climb, climb was what I remember from this ride. We caught up with the tandem riders George and Brandy donning an everest challenge polko-dot jerseys. Climbed along with them for a bit while Francis and Pete took off. They were telling me how tandem riding is much much harder than solo riding. Coordination, compatibility, concentration, balance and patiences are what you need to have to ride a tandem. Once in a while George would do a count down and he then would say up and they would be off their saddle in syncrony for I would say about 10-15 pedal strokes until they sat down again. Climbing on a tandem is hard , anyone can catch up to a tandem on a climb, but when it comes down to DOWNHILL, make room because they can descend faster than Michael Emde over 50mph.. SCCAARRRYYY!!
We regrouped at mile 100. Did the usual, fill up water bottles, get food, use the bathroom and then take off. The problem I had after this sagstop was forgetting both my waterbottles!!!! I didn't realized it until my watch timer went off (goes off every 10mins to remind me to drink) looked down and "What the @#$%??? I forgot my water bottles." Luckily I was still behind Pete and Francis. I told them and they shooked their head. It was awesome of them to give me each of their water bottles.
At this point Pete like always, didn't want to stay on his saddle so he accelerated along with Francis and I tried to hang on with them. I remember William telling me, "At each sagstop, you eat and then ride comfortably so you don't get a side stitch" Well, that Sidestitch creeped on my side to the point where I couldn't hang on with the guys. Slowed myself down and rode with a group that was behind us. Once my sidestitched disappeared, I took off to try to chase Pete and Francis. No can do.. They were too far.. I found myself riding by myself for over I think 15 miles. Lunch stop was at Badwater. Francis and Pete got my waterbottles from the volunteer. Francis gave me a lecture like I was a little kid. Lesson Learned.. "Focus and prioritize yourself" he said to me. This is where we would pick up our headlights. Francis gave me 15mins to eat and to set my lights. So that I did. We then took off and rode together. This time at a much comfortable pace since we stuffed our faces with Subway sandwiches. Rollers and lots of them at this point of the ride. A problem came about when I noticed my headlight was wiggling from my handlebar.. DAMN.. I lost the screw from the clamp. I thought I tightened it well but I guess I didn't. Told Francis and he shook his head again.. I felt stupid at this time.. "What the heck is going on with me, first my water bottles, then a side stitch, now I can't use my lights.""AARRRRGGGhhh.. LUCKILY I had my other backup headlight I had from the morning that I didn't use..WWHEEEWWW!!!
We got to Furnace Creek mile150 at 5:50pm. Francis told Vince that we would arrive there around 6pm. It was great to see Kuya Ricky, Manny and Vince. They just got done sightseeing at Ubehebe Crater and the surrounding areas. They treated us like royalty. They would say "what do you need, I'll get it for you, let me hold your bike, I'll fill your water bottles for you, what else do you need" WOW what a treat.. The only NONtreat was seeing the first finishers like Michael Emde and other bullet fast riders lounging around comfortably on a grassy area and finding out they have been lounging around for a couple of hours. And there we were at Furnace Creek with 50miles to go. I didn't let that get to me. 25 miles to StovePipe get my coke and cup-noodles and then turn around 25 more miles and Walla DONE.!! It was the darkest ride I have everdone. No moon, pitchblack but AWESOME. I found myself stargazing. I loved riding at night. I didn't know what was up ahead so there was no hill Anticipations, why? because you can't see them ahead, too dark but you can feel it on your legs.
The last 25 miles felt like I have only been riding 50miles. My legs felt great. I was on my big chain ring most of the time.
We got to the finish at 9:40pm. We did the last 50 miles in 3hrs 40mins including stops. We were greeted with the Cow Bell Rings and a Shoutout by the Volunteers "Great Job!!" and by Chris Kostman "Great Job ADOBOVELOS!!!"
Pizza and sodas awaited but I only had a couple of bites from Pete's Pizza. At this point, I couldn't think anymore, the rest of the night was a fog. The restaurants were closed so we headed back to Stovepipe and ate left overs. Had a good night sleep and then took off the next day.
We caravaned to Badwater. Took pictures and drove the route all the way to Shashone. Had lunch at the Greek Restuarant at Baker and celebrated Kuya Ricky's birthday. Lunch was on him. Thanks Kuya Ricky.

Great hard double and to top it off, a weekend spent not only with great riders but great friends.

-ROSALIE

Louie Rivera and daughters at Solvang Century

2009-03-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

Solvang Century just happened this past Saturday and I did not bump into any of the ADOBO Velos! I know most of us have our own priorities! But to give you report, it was awsome. Every year doesn't seem to be the same. The weather could have been better but 40's at the start, felt 50's at noon, and quite comfortable at the end. Basicallyit was cloudy and the sun showed up may be total of 30 min. My daughters rode with me to the halfway point at Santa Maria but they thought they were only doing half a century. They actually did 59 miles and change.
All in all no, incidents of flat tires, mechanical or crash. I have a lot to be thankful for. Oh, no cramps for my daughters either. I guess the cool weather helped. I completed the last 40 miles by myself but I met the group of Pinoys from Fresno. They were telling me that we are all invited at Padyakan sa Fresno in early April. Ballard Road was rough and needed repair. I thought it was giving my frame an acid test! That's all folks... MISSED YOU ALL!

- Louie

Astig Rosalie's First Double Century at Camino Real

2009-03-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

From: Rosalie
To: ADOBOvelo@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 12:06:41 AM
Subject: Camino Real Double Century Post Ride Report

First I want to say a special thanks to our veteran endurance riders William and Francis for giving me tips and secrets on how to prepare for a double. I followed every bit of information given to me. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't have finished. We had a choice, either start at 5:30 am or 6:15 am. Since it's my first double, I opted to start at 5:30 am not knowing how long it would take me to get done. Francis met me at the start line. He brought his white bike (colnago) with white wall tires, a backpackfull of his own food since he was his own SAG (bandit) and wore his full ADOBOkit. Dang we looked like Big Brother/Little Sister. While waiting for my name to get called during the roll call, I took my Imodium pill and V8 (tip from Francis). I was so excited to start the ride, but yet I was doubting myself . While still waiting for my name to get called, I looked around me and I saw so many riders wearing their California Triple Crown Jersey and WindVest. I said to myself " Now that's the reason why I'm here, to EARN that JERSEY". All my doubts disappeared and I was pumped up to start and finish the ride.

We finally rolled out of the start line. My watch was set on a timer to alarm every 10 mins to remind me to drink, tip from Francis. The route would take us to a very familiar route, Jamboree to Dana PointRoute, except it was a reverse route through San Joaquin. I remembered William and Francis saying to hook up with the TANDEM Riders, to draft with them and conserve. Well, low and behold, Francis was talking to his Tandem rider friends during the first few miles. He looked at me and said, "Stay on there wheels and don't lose them. When they leave the SAG, we leave with them". And that was what we did for the first 100 miles. One of the Tandem rider said, "Why waste a good draft when you can do it, plus with good company". So TRUE. And they didn't mind it at all. The more the merrier. Follow a tandem, you won't get lost. Well.... we did take one wrong turn but was able to get back on the right track.

Finally.. Lunch stop at mile 87, All Season Campground in Oceanside. Everyone was starving. I inhaled my Subway sandwich, V8, chips, Fruit punch and Tylenol. Offered Francis food but he wouldn't take anything from the SAG not even their water. You know why? Bandito Style. Luckily there was a general store at the campground. I had a feeling they were keeping an eye on him. One of the SAG supporter kept talking to us. Hmmmm.

Like I said before, when the tandem leaves, we leave. And so we did and the climbing begins. A tip from William, "After you eat, ride easy so you won't get a side stitch.

"Climb, climb climb with rollers for the next 15 miles. Francis was way behind. I stopped and waited before the fast descend. Asked if he was okay, he said he lost 5 nipples from his spokes and his front wheel was very wobbly. After carefully descending, we stopped to check his bike again.. He said it would take him awhile to fix his bike that to go on ahead, that he would try catch up or take a cab or something and to just go go go and follow the Tandem.. And that Idid. I caught up with them but they dropped me on the descend. Found myself riding alone for the next 5 miles until 6 riders from Arizona called the BULLSHIFTER creeped up behind me. Ahhh..YES!!! time to draft again.. and so I DID until the very end 200miles!!!

The Bullshifters consisted of 5 men and 1woman. Average age was probably 45 yrs old. They ride like they're on tandems because when one stands up, everybody else had to stand up.. It was very rhythmic. They even took turns pulling, I had my share x3 along Fwy5. GreatPace. Not too fast, not too slow..

We picked up our frontlights at check point 3. Finally got a hold of Francis on the cell. He was 25 miles behind but yet not to wait to just "go, go, go". Before we left I saw Steve Gilmore. The guy who climbed up Fargo Hill x101. He holds the record. This was his first Double as well. What a small world. He told me he will try FargoHill again but on his UNICYCLE.. My mouth dropped with disbelieve. I guess we have to see it to believe it.

Mile 150 was when the big long climbing began with lots of rollers and steep curvy descend along Trabuco Canyon. We rode that curvy steep descend in the dark, pitch dark, like your eyes closed dark. Itwas eery, but yet thrilling.I kept saying to myself "F-O-C-U-S, keep your brakes on". We survived the descend and the last Check Pointthey served CUP-O-NOODLES. Yummyy.. It was getting very cold and that hot soup hit the spot, along with my Tylenol and a coke.. Ahhhh...Still no sign of Francis. At least he got his bike fixed in Temecula..

Susan, I called her Mother hen from the Bullshifter was their timekeeper. She would shout "2 more minutes boys and we're rolling"She would shout out how much longer they had to stay until taking offon every Check Point. What a great job and that she did very well. Steep Climbing began on Mile 170. I'm glad it was in the dark because if I saw that hill during the day, my legs would have probably been screaming for MERCY.. At least in the dark, you focus one pedal stroke at a time. The last 5 miles felt forever. We were on Portola Pky and I told the Bullshifter "Oh ya it's all downhill from here on " NNOOTTTT... It was2% gradient. But yet we kept a high pace because HOME was NEARBY.. Once we got to Sand Canyon it was free for all.. 4 attacked including myself on the downhill. What an exilerating feeling when I saw the FWY5. That meant 1/2 mile left until the END.. We regrouped at the signal light and rode together at the finish line, 8:11 pm. Francis arrived at 9pm via taking the flat route back to the finish line. He still rode 200 miles via detours.

Had dinner with the Tandem Riders Foster and Linda along with Francis and the Bullshifters. THE END MY FAVORITE QUOTE:" It is good to have an end to a journey, but it is the journey that matters in the end. "Next Double, Death Valley Double Century this Saturday. Riders will be me, Pete and Francis.

-ROSALIE

PS. Of all days of riding, I didn't bring my camera during my double. But one of the volunteers did take pictures.
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh314/shellenbarger/Camino%20Real%202009/?albumview=grid
I will definitely bring my camera and a helmet camera this Saturday's Death Valley Double Century.

Luis P. - Congratulations Rosalie! Wow, I can't imagine sitting on a bike for that long. I sit all day at work and it hurts. That is a great accomplishment. Someday I'll find the time and courage to do it, plus just the training takes a lot of time and dedication.You rule!

Ryan R. - You kick ass girl Rosalie, Congrats!!!

Frank N. - What a " great accomplishment" and a really nice ride blog. Congratulations again!!!

Elardi L. - Congratulation Rosalie to the job well DONE!

Dennis G. - really enjoyed reading your blog about your Double Century. It's as if I was there. I live vicariously through your feats of greatness, Darna. If I can only, someday, do a double century! Have a safe, fun ride. Good luck this weekend to you, Francis and Pete. Weather should be nice this time of year in Death Valley.

Tour De Palm Springs Post Ride Report

2009-02-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Mang El:
The dinner was the best after the century ride. Dennis parents in Law didn't waste time handling us plates when we arrived to their place knowing that we were so tired & hungry. I observed every body got a second round. There were enough food but I just concentrated with the BBQ sticks & kare-kare. Sure, I believed everybody was stuffed after eating a cake.Thank you Dennis & wife, (Fances) for your frienship/hospitali ty& extend this to your In Laws. I hope you had a wonderful time on your first century ride & see you again next time.

Victor C:
Weather was excellent and the kare-kare and bagoong after thye ridewas the best. Despite mechanical problems, over all this was a goodride. The headwind during the first 16 miles made it feel like wewere going up a 10% grade. We regrouped at the first SAG stop whereDeo and Louie joined us after their late start. We then allproceeded down Dillon where we reached speeds of over 40 MPH. Itfelt good to see the Adobos attacking the downhill. We were passingriders left and right as if they were standing still. Then all of asudden...POW...all I can say is Michelin Pro Race 3 tires suck. I amdefinitely writing a letter to the manufacturer. Had to ride the SAGvan to the 2nd SAG stop where I purchased a $10 tire for $20. Putthe cheap tire on and rode back to the finish line ending up withonly 66 miles. While waiting for the rest of the guys, I decided toride some more so I back-tracked about 5-7 miles from the finish androde back with riders as they came in. Did this several times andended up crossing the finish line 4 times and got some extra shirtsin the process. I waited for the guys about two blocks from thefinish and we all crossed the finish line together as a group. LaterI learned that the Deo and Ryan had some mechanical problems as well -Deo had a broken shifter cable and Ryan had slow leaks on bothtires. Thanks to Dennis and family for the after ride dinner. I'mdefinitely doing this ride again next year with all intentions ofdoing the whole 102 miles next time.

Filbert:
It was a perfect weather for this ride, but what makes it more perfect and more memorable is actually having a "fan club" in the cycling community. There were several times we were approached by other cyclist to have a picture taken with the Adobo riders. During the stops we got compliments hearing "I love Adobo". Yeah they know the food...now they know the group. Just like Mang El said to me during the ride...the Adobo Velo name is getting out in the cycling community and we must be doing something good and right.

I cannot express how privileged I am to be a member of the Adobo velo family. I was the "kupad" rider of the group in Palm Springs, but the main reason I finished the ride was the camaraderie of the other members. Deo and El never gave up on me especially during the climbs, pushing me and sharing a draft when we needed it. Deo and El just want to say thanks for all the coaching advise.
After reaching the 50 mile marker, not only did I brake my water bottle holder, I ended up loosing my 2 water bottles during the ride and there was just no way i was going to drop away from the group. Jun and Dennis helped out by coaching me on pacing and conserving any energy I have left. Jun lent me one of his water bottles and shared his power bar till I hydrate myself on the next stops.
The best part of the ride is when you have cheering squad in one of the corner of the route. Dennis' family was holding a banner up in the air saying " Go Adobo Velo!!!" They provided a special SAG stop keeping us hydrated with Gatorade and a special mix of "super food". They provided us with bananas and oranges. Not only did they feed the Adobos, but Dennis' wife, his two sons, and his in-laws were also distributing foods to the other riders that was pacing with us (Incyling Club).

I wasn't able to join the Adobos after the ride for a Bb-Q. My wife was with me and had planned for dinner. Knowing the hospitality and the support of the Gorospe family, having a BB-Q at their home is the best way to end the day.

Ike:
I had the privilege of staying with the Gorospe family fo e night. Words can't explain the total hospitality they extended to me this morning Dennis I went riding for a quick 17 mile spin just had lunch an am heading back home. My rib cage was hurtingon the uphill portions of the century. Hooking up with SoCalVelo (InCycle) riders who had 2 tandems made it a fast ride when they weren't having flats. I think the group had 15 + flat tires. - was the last Adobo to finishe becaus - waited for the tandems with the last flat making it a fast ride back to th finish with 2 tandems pulling me in. Riding with incycle was a very good workout. Wished a lot more adobos could of been there to join the paceline. With al the stops and waiting, it took over 8 hours, but don't be decieved, when were were going on the flats we were cruising @ 27mph+ hit 44 mph on some of the long down hills. For non climbers like me the climbing was tolerable even w/ a stiff wind in our face. Our club really stood out because passed most riders and would always counter attack anyone that tried to attack us. Almost every filipino at the sag stops would come by and inquire about our club. There was a couple ladies from lllinnios that stop by, even some "white folk" came by and asked what adobo was. A very enjoyable Century. Would you believe this was my first social organized century ride!

Lito:
I too extend my thank you for the hospitality to Dennis and family.What a small world we live in because his father in law worked withmy dad in Pasadena. I tell ya, when mang El gets his motor pacing hecan crank. We followed this aero bike all the way to the second sagand the guy kept on his heaviest gear cranking on the rolling hillsand he took us pass 45mph the last time I checked my speedometer...Iwas too afraid to even look at that gauge. I didn't think the aeroguy wanted anybody back there but I had a blast back drafting of mangEl. I wish I had my video setup cause I've seen attack afterattack. There were instances where my gears were maxed out but thosetwo still kept on hammering. Compact is good but not in a chase likethat. At the end, the aero bike was abused and used by mang EL.

Mang El:
Yup.. that guy was very strong & fast but knowing that I was behindhim, he he... all I had to do was glance at you if you're stillaround. Yes Lito, you kept up with the pace & before that guy gaveup, there was another guy we overtook & got hooked up with. That wasthen when you did a good attack & boom... did the guy get away?No way, cuz if he did I was there behind just waiting. That was fun& very challenging. It's just like the racing mood/pace.You should see Ike before the first sag stop. It was windy & theroute was gradually inclined. All I noticed was, he just kepttailing behind Bong with Lito & almost 2/3rd of the incline hewhispered & told me "I was in my smallest gear", hmm .. finally hisside started hurting so we slowed down to relax but knowing Ike, hejust recovered a little then, he started sucking wheels again.Ike, you're something else & actually you don't know how to slowdown yet.We waited at the first Sag stop where Deo & Louie caught up with us.After the first Sag stop, Ike started hammering again when one guypassed by with a steady pace. Ike tailed this guy until he ran outof breath... then the rolling hills started. Did you say 45mph? Ifelt very comfortable with my Scattante. Yup it was fast that Ithought this guy will never slow down... overall, it was exciting.Then the Incycle came to our sight led by old buddy Demie. The pacewas very steady that even Deo said "We had a free ride". The onlyregrets were, too many flats & of course we ended up waiting.That was fun cuz most of the guys were racers & we got a chanceriding with them & of course I/we felt like racers too.Now, the Adobovelo group is more recognized by the Incycle group &we proved that we are not that easy to fall behind. At the end, someof them were hurting & slowly dropped.We regrouped (Adobo) ourselves at the last Sag stop & we slowlytraveled to the end of the ride. We got there almost 4pm.After the ride..... we just washed up a little & we headed toDennis' place for "BBQ & Kare-Kare.For me that was a good century ride. We experienced headwind,gradual ascending route that we almost pushed to the limit, fastpace on a long rolling/descending road where we had fun chasing fastguys...We also experienced flats starting with Victor & Ryan thenmechanical problem with Deo's broken cable. Inspite of all these noaccidents happened.Thanks for a good ride with our adobo friends ..Dennis/Ike/Deo/Louie/Filbert/Ryan/Lito & Victor. See you in the nextcentury ride?Jun Usi didn't have a chance to be with us. He thought we were toofar ahead so he just kept pedalling until he finished. He finishedby 1:30pm. Jun, you missed the group & the dinner. I hope youenjoyed your ride anyway.

Ryan:
Lesson learned for me not to use tubular tire on a century ride. Although, I was able to hang up with the group all the way but the hesitation that my front wheel might fold while riding would not let go off my mind. I got a flat on the first sag and the mechanic put on my spare without gluieng it, so, its pretty scary for me thinking I still have 80 miles to go. At the lunch sag the rear tire has a small leak but I dont have anymore spare to use, I keep on pedalling and pumping my rear tire every sag. Thanks to all adobo guys cause I know there is always somebody I can count on in case problem arises. I pity Victor on this ride cause he prepared so much for this, but his tire blew up on the 30 miles mark. Indeed it was a well deserve ride, inspite of some mechanical issues not to mention the very nice weather and the support from each cyclist from other clubs. Thanks to Dennis and family for a very warm welcome to your house and the dinner. Dennis even bought a cake for Mang El for his post birthday celebration and we have a small salo-salo and a birthday celebration at the same time. Congrats to all adobos and more power.

Dennis G:
The Tour de Palm Springs preparation started for me when I joined Adobo Velo last Summer. I could not have fathomed that I could finish 100 miles and be able to stand up afterwards. With all the training rides on weekends and weekdays, I was well prepared and well trained. Thanks Adobo Velo for preparing me for this gruelling ride. I think I speak for Filbert in by saying if it were not for Adobo, this ride would have been impossible.

The prospect of rain scared off a few potential riders. Those who committed to the ride, rain or shine, were rewarded with sunshine, 65 degrees temp, no clouds in the sky. Perfect riding weather.

The Adobos that made it to the ride, Ike, El, Filbert, Deo, Ryan, Victor, Louis, Lito were full of comraderie. The Astigs would push the pace 45+mph and us slow guys (Filbert & I) will try to keep up. Deo and Louis would stay back to push us along. Always knowing that everyone regroups at the SAG stops. The first 16 mile climb, with headwinds of 15-20mph , was the toughest for me since I have not trained on hill, yet. I just said to myself, "Take it easy, there will be lots of downhills later, 84 miles to go."

On one long particular stretch of rolling hills, after the 25 mile SAG, I can attest to you that Deo indeed broke a shifter cable as was mentioned in previous blogs. He stayed on his biggest gear the whole way pulling both Filbert and I , maxing at 42MPH! I felt like a PRO! Luckily there were mechanics to fix Deo's cable and Ryan's sew-ups at the 55 mile SAG. People kept coming up to us saying "I like Adobo!" There were a few Filipinas inquiring about our group. We felt so proud.

We met up with the InCycle Group at the 55 mile SAG. Ike hooked up with his old riding buddy, Dr. Demi Hechevara from the Philippines. Demi is one of the leaders of InCycle. He is now a cardiologist in Glendale .They had 2 tandem teams pulling for them. When we grouped together, Adobo + InCycle, we had a 30+ peloton and cruised at 27 MPH. Unfortunately, with a very large groups means lots of flats. The Adobo group then decided to let Filbert & I go ahead, with Louis Rivera leading the paceline. We had a 3 man breakaway. Hehe...

The rest of the group caught up with the 3 man breakaway at the 68 mile mark. This is where my family was waiting close to our house in La Quinta. Waving a sign with "Pinoy Power, Adobo Velo" . My wife and kids, mother and father-in-law, were there to cheer us on. We were also able to unload the extra layers of clothes from the chilly morning start. Oranges, bananas, juice, gatorade were available. Filbert really needed to refuel because his bottle cages had broke and he lost both bottles! It was a timely refueling stop.

At the 75 mile SAG, Deo, Louis, Ryan, Filbert and I left the InCycle, because on another flat in their group. Deo led a great pull as we passed other groups of riders.

Finally at the 90 mile SAG, the rest of the group joined together. We cruised and finished the last 4 miles as one group. My total saddle time was 6:04. This was close to my 6:00 goal. Total ride time, including pit stops was 9 hours! Ouch!

At home, warm Pilipino food was waiting for us. Kare-kare, BBQ, rice, salad, champagne toast. We even had a cake for El's birthday. His birthday was the previous day, 2/13. Family and friends retelling our day's cycling adventure.

Next day, Ike and I did a 17 mile loop with some hills to stretch our legs. Boy did that feel good!

It was really a pleasure doing my first century ride with Adobo Velo. It was also a first century for Filbert and Ike.

We will do it again next year. This time with more Adobos, rain or shine. The Adobo Spirit reigns.

LAVRA Cup TT and Omnium (Series 1) Post-Race Report

2009-02-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

ADT Event Center's First series of Omnium of the year started well. Time trials were held in the morning and an Omnium later in the afternoon. This series consists of 5 TTs and Omniums that is scheduled over the next few months. To be eligible for the LAVRA Cup, the rider must participate in all the same TTs and /or Omniums. So this means, everyone who competed last Saturday has the chance to win the Cup. This also turned out to be an important event if you are aiming for the Cup, as the overall winner will receive a trophy and a jersey. Example: Wilson raced the Cat1/2/3 Omnium and I raced the flying 200M, 500M time trials, and Master's 40+ Omnium. So in a way, we are stuck with those races but can still participate in all other races. So far so good! All other stronger riders who did not show up and starts competing later means they are not in contention for the Cup. So let's hope that we can be there for the whole series.

That day started really early preparing for the TTs. Unloading all your gear, prepping-up to get on the track, registration, hoping to get someone pin your race number properly, and your warm-ups. Found out I was the first off the line to do the Flying 200M TT, with another 19 trackies after me. So far, preparing up to that moment was just as planned. The sprint itself felt fine and had lots of time resting for the 500M TT. I didn't have any problems changing to a different wheelset and gear ratio as I was the 5th person off the gate. This event is not my specialty but I can get used to it. My gear turned out to be lighter than I expected but still managed a decent result. This 2-lap sprint off the gate felt endless as I was pushing the bike hard all the way to the finish. After cooling down, I immediately prepared to go home for some decent meal and much needed rest. I tell you, I felt refreshed after I returned for the Omnium! Just the kind of break I needed! Here's a nice pic of the Velodrome with an ADOBO Velo in the mix.

The afternoon Omnium was another hectic beginning as the dugout was packed and no where to mark your spot. My area in the morning was taken when I returned and I ended up with someone else's spot. I guess it was a domino effect. Wilson was there ready to race and was scheduled for Cat1/2/3 Omnium with 4 races: a 70-lap Points Race, 20-lap Tempo Race, Miss N'Out, and lastly a 20-lap Scratch Race. I was scheduled for Master's 40+ Omnium with 3 races, Miss N'Out, a 15-lap Scratch Race and lastly a 30-lap Points Race. Ayvel, Louie, Rosalie, Oscar, and Gil with his family were there for the festivities. Our races were hard and brutal that it didn't seem we had any decent finishes. Wilson earned points from his 2 races and used all his strength for a tight finish in the last race. It was about the same for my races also. As it turned out, we gave some decent competition and we had some respectable overall finishes. Hopefully you had the chance to see the pictures taken by Rosalie and Louie which are now posted in our picasaweb album. Here's another nice pic! Wilson Blas racing against Justin Williams of Rock Racing during the Points Race.

By the way, the results were just posted and you can see them at ADT's website. Here's some details: Wilson: 4th in the Scratch Race and 6th in the Miss N'Out. Arden: 6th in the Miss N'Out, 5th in the Scratch Race, and 4th in the Points Race. You will be amazed once you see them on-line. Check them out! I myself was amazed… Now it's just a matter of training constantly and compete in the other events. Remember, we have to be there at all other LAVRA Cup events! Here's the results. Many thanks for the members who were there for the moral support and your posts of appreciation!

First weekend racing for the ADOBO Velo Racing Team

2009-01-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

January 24-25,2009

First weekend racing for the ADOBO Velo Racing Team is now in our history books. It was very competitive and everyone had a great time. Saturday was an Omnium at ADT Event Center where I raced Master's 45+ Division in the morning and Wilson Blas in the Cat 3 Division later in the afternoon. Then Sunday was Criterium racing in Long Beach for Deo Asuncion, Al Villamil, Ike Carbajal, and Wilson Blas.

Saturday early morning… I thought I arrived early to get settled in but was surprised to see the parking lot almost full and the rear access to the track blocked! Found out that the main infield was being used for junior volleyball competition and the games started before I arrived at 7:15am. Race registration didn't start till 7:30 and the track will not open until 8 o'clock! By not being able to drive to the rear entrance and unload all my gear, this meant I just have to park the van and haul all my gear down! At least the track was still closed that it gave me a shorter trek to the infield from the front entrance but in 2 trips. No worries, this ordeal was still manageable. My races were Miss N'Out, then a 30-lap Points Race, and lastly a 20-lap Scratch Race. The way I thought of the first race the day before played out as planned as I hate to fight for position at the back each lap as there were 15 other tracksters competing. So here we are finally in the race, I treated the neutral lap to position myself to take the lead when race starts, and it worked! I paced the group for 10 laps as the others were trying to intimidate me to go faster and being the Good Samaritan to protect my back. Well, that really meant "burn yourself out so we can out-sprint you later" kind'a deal! I'm glad I sticked to my plan but I totally forgot to keep track of the riders left as the laps go by. Down to 4, they overtook me and were sprinting side by side which left me no room to move up! That meant I got eliminated the next lap. It was ok with me since those 3 were respectable Cat 2 competitors and not to mention my best Miss N'Out finish ever! The next race was the 30-lap Points Race with 5, 3, 2, and 1 points given every 10 laps for the top 4. This time I concentrated on positioning to sprint for the first bell lap and just get a respectable finish when this race is over.The first 10 laps were tight and we were getting mixed until it was down to 21 laps for the first bell. I was trapped inside behind the lead but for some mindless reason, this dude in front of me moved to this right with half a lap to go, like a teammate but not! That created a surprise opening for me and blocked everyone else! What a given opportunity! Needles to say, I took the first bell lap with about 5 bike lengths of sprinting before climbing up the banking to rejoin the group! That's 5 points in the bag! The pace slowed down and we were all packed again. This time someone broke away with a few more laps before the bell and I just sat in conserving and just finishing strong. I lost count of how many were in front and how many were behind me. When the results were posted, I stayed 4th overall withone more race to go. This time I was tired and in pain! At least there was enough time to rest between races that I did easy spins on rollers and sipped on Gatorade. Got back to the track for the 20-lap scratch race, the last race and I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do! As the race went on, I later found myself taking the turn to pull the group with loner breaking away the lap prior. With 15 laps to go and 14 riders behind me, I made my calculation if it's better to catch the breakaway while he is still about a third of a lap away, or might end up at the back and miss my chance to move up when the paceline gets broken thinking 15 laps will get brutal really quick. I wasn't sure if I made the right decision but I went for the break with just one rider following me. 12 riders stayed intact. We caught the loner the next lap and continued on with the breakaway taking short half-lap pulls. We managed to create a half lap lead but we were eventually caught with 2 laps to go! Bummer! As I was weakening, I poured all my strength to the finish knowing that the pain will be over in less than a minute and as even if some riders were passing me till the end. Not sure how I placed but I still got kudos from the officials, friends, and the people who knew me. Overall, I dropped from 4th place to 5th out of 14 others. Not too pleased about it but was really thrilled having the chance to cause havoc and dominate the field. The nicest thing about this event was with all the moves I did, i.e. pacing the group during the MissN'Out, sprinting for the first bell-lap during the Points Race, and the time I was on a break-away on the Scratch Race, it made the announcer mention "ADOBO Velo" a few times. I actually think it was about 20 times but I might be exaggerating. It really felt we made a statement and as it was another beginning for the club. I also knew that there's got to be a Pinoy in the crowd watching their daughters at the volleyball games that also watched me race. I think we got the word out a bit just by that. Thanks to Egay, Arnold, Dennis, El,and Gil for the words of encouragement. This made me feel that we are all together on our new quest!

Later that afternoon, it was Wilson's turn to compete. Unfortunately, I left for home for a nightout with the family. Wilson was registered to race the tough Category 1/2/3 Division but the Category 3 was later separated because of the large number of competitors and there were 5 of them. Thanks to our friend Gil for letting him try his disk wheel. I was not able to get enough details of his Omnium today (Sunday) because he was also racing 2 Criterium races. What an animal! He thinks he finished 3rd overall as we will just wait until the results gets posted online. He had some bruises too! That meant he was involved in a crash. With his outstanding finish, I'm also thinking that the announcer also mentioned our club a few times! That's a whole day for him to say ADOBO Velo! Congratulations Wilson!

Today, was another day for the ADOBO Velo Racing Team: This time itwas Criterium Racing! The cast: Dwight 'Ike' Carbajal racing Masters 40+ Cat 1/2/3 and the Masters 50+ Crits. Astig Wilson Blas racing 30+ Cat 3/4 and 30+ Cat 1,2,3 Crits. Astig Deograves Asuncion and Al Villamil raced Category 3. Egay, Agimat, Lanier, Jeffrey, Lito, and Albert where there to see them race. Our friends Gil and Henry were there too! Ike was not able to finish his 2nd race because of a flat. Wilson, Deo, and Al duked it out and finished with the peloton. There was a moment that made the day when the Cat 3 race started, Deo was pacing the pack for 2 laps while Al was at the back. We had the WHOLE peloton in check! After that, it was time for serious business. Awesome job by our competitors!

Next on the schedule:
Jan 30 - Training Race at ADT Velodrome
Feb 7 - LAVRA Omnium Series at ADT Velodrome
Feb 8 - another CBR Crit but at Dominguez Hills

-ARDEN

12 Hours Training Ride

2009-01-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

There were four of us, Rosalie, Mandy, Manny and myself. It was a cold early morning when we all arrived at Encanto Park. I was looking forward to this day all week but as I unloaded my bike from the truck I knew that feeling of excitement was not going to last. Excited about getting to try out my new American Classic 420s with Michelin Pro Race 3 tires and my new Assos bib shorts, but nervous about what this 12 hour ride we are about to venture on will do to my body. My mind was eager but my 50 year old body was saying, ‘you know you’ll bonk, it’s just a matter of when’.
We rolled out of Encanto at around 0630. It was still dark and our headlights were on. Along the trail our lights reflected against the eyes of two coyotes that crossed the trail in front of us. They too are regulars on the trail. I always see them in the mornings that I ride the trail. Mandy asked if I had names for them. I pondered about this for a minute but they will remain nameless for now.
The sun started to come up as we trekked up Azusa canyon. Even at that time there was already some traffic going up Hwy 39. It appears the conditions were right for off-roading as I noticed several lifted 4x4 trucks pass us along the highway. Half way up it started to get warm and we decided to shed some of our layered clothing. It appears it was going to be a warm day. Hopefully the wind remains calm the rest of the day. We continued on to East Fork then turned around to meet more Adobos at Encanto.

Francis, Pete, Ricky, Felix, Louie and Jessie were waiting for us when we got back to the park. Of course, we are again lucky and appreciative to have our dedicated SAG, videographer and photographer, Juliet Agrezor accompany us on this Adobo venture. I was looking /hoping for a long flat ride back and forth to the beach, but with a support vehicle, this was not to be the case. It was going to be a long day in the mountains. The route was Encanto to Sierra Madre to GMR to East Fork, up Hwy 39 towards Crystal Lake. We proceeded on to Sierra Madre at a relaxed pace except for Jessie who was doing his accordion pace, repeatedly gapping the group then stopping to take videos/photos as we pass by. As usual, the group stayed together until the base of GMR where we took a short break. This is where I typically strategize what my pace would be climbing GMR. I’ve been having lower back problems lately and with 9 hours of riding to go, this was going to be a slower pace than usual for me. I watched the faster riders slowly pull away from me as we continued up GMR. Felix was ahead of me and I kept pace with him, keeping him in sight for half the climb. Kuya Ricky and Francis were just right behind me. Francis switched gears and started to climb at a faster pace quickly gapping Ricky and I. Knowing there was no way we were going to keep up, Kuya Ricky and I had our own cat and mouse game the rest of the way up. After a refueling stop at the top of GMR, it was a quick descend down Little GMR to Camp Williams for a quick bathroom break and then on to East Fork.
We regrouped at the junction of Hwy 39 and East Fork, and then continued on towards Crystal Lake. Francis was pacing Ricky and I on the climb and giving advice on what to do and expect on the Death Valley double century. Plenty of good information was being shared. We got to the first gate, which was closed to automobiles, so no SAG support from here on. Ricky and Jessie rode back to Encanto while the rest of us continued on to the second gate. We had a short regroup then the long descend back to Encanto. We had Subway lunch at the park courtesy of Pete and kuya Ricky. I had not been eating anything but Gu the whole ride so I devoured almost a whole footlong sandwich in no time. Manny had a whole vegetarian sandwich, which I think was just a loaf of bread and some tomatoes.
After lunch we said goodbye to the rest of the group and Rosalie, Manny and I continued with our ride. We tried to talk Ricky into joining us but to no avail. Collectively, we decided we had enough climbing that day and the next 5 hours will be mostly flat. We headed down the trail to Santa Fe dam then crossed over to the SGRT. We kept an easy 17-18 mph pace all the way to the golf course where we witnessed some home boy getting arrested and put in the back of the cop car while his friend on another car watched the whole thing go down. We realized that SGRT may not exactly be the safest place to be riding a bike after dark so we decided to head back while we still had daylight and do the rest of our ride up Sierra Madre. The Subway sandwiches we had for lunch were starting to take effect as we all felt re-energized. I’ve been drafting behind someone pretty much the whole day and so decided to take my turn up front a bit. Next thing I know we were back at the dam. Made a mental note to myself – Subway sandwiches work better than Gu.
I’ve ridden on the dam countless of times before but mostly in the morning. Our late afternoon ride brings a whole different experience. It was a clear day and we can see the radio towers up Mt Wilson and the snow capped Mt Baldy to the north. To the west, we watched the sun slowly set right above PV, blanketing the horizon with an orange hue. One by one the city lights came on, providing yet a different picture of the landscape. We decided to keep riding up on the dam and just enjoy the changing scenery. It felt like we could keep riding forever.
Once the sun had fully set, the temperature dropped considerably. We stopped for a few minutes to put our arm warmers and vests back on, and to check and adjust our lights. Again, a feeling of ambivalence came over me, excited about doing my first night ride but weary of the dangers that come with it. I’ve read about bikers getting mugged on the trail during daytime. Nighttime provides even more of an opportunity for the criminal element to inflict their hurt on unsuspecting riders. The two coyotes we saw earlier had no interest in us then. I know they’ll again be out by the trail. This is, after all, their home. What will be their disposition this time?
We continued on down the trail only as fast as what our headlights would allow. It was barely six o’clock so we had over 30 minutes more to go. We figure we could ride the trail until it ends at Hwy 39. It was dark and hard to see the bike path even with our lights. Rosalie had the brightest light so she led the way for us. We passed a lone jogger. I thought to myself, not a smart idea buddy. We had just passed the bridge that crosses the river over to Encanto when Rosalie yelled ‘watch out’. An old bike with no wheels was standing on its seat and handlebars right in the middle of the trail, obviously left there to cause a crash and inflict injury. We stopped. I looked around for anything else suspicious. Manny moved to bike off the trail we decided to hightail it out of there. We rode some more around Encanto park and got back to our cars by 6:15. Not quite 12 hours but close enough.
Dinner was at the Green Onion where Francis joined us prior to heading to work. We reminisced about the days ride and planned future training rides. All in all, I felt this was a very good training ride. The expressions on my comrades’ faces during dinner pretty much confirmed this.

-VICTOR CAAMPUED

ADOBO Velo's 2008 Christmas Party

2008-12-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

Talking about another successful ADOBO Velo Christmas Party! Third time and still getting better! New faces and more families took part of the festivities. Lots of delicious food where brought in by the Uyan Family, Borillo Family, and from all other members and their families! We had some donations for the party expenses and also for the raffle prizes from Irving family, Francis, Wilson F., and from a few more members. Thank you for your generosity! Thanks again to Agimat for finding a really nice venue. Before the feast started, Moderator Arden gave an intro speech summarizing some of the amazing accomplishments the club had for the past year. He introduced our founding fathers of Fil-Am cycling, our officers, the creators of ADOBO Velo, mentioned names of new members and December B-day boys!

Raffle tickets were being sold fast throughout the day! You can see how busy El Prez was... he was also responsible for signing and framing all 13 certificates and big smiles at all photo shots! Yes, we made him work, hard! And he did without any regrets!

Below is a pic of Richard, Ike, Wilson F., Lito A., and Deo enjoying the festivities.

Later that afternoon, El Prez Jesse and Vice Egay presented Certificates of Appreciations to Manny for his art logos and designs used in the website and the new ADOBOkits, Mandy Genato for the creation of the website and blogspots, Rosalie Kneebone for the numerous help she gave to the club and for being a great moderator, Ryan Roldan for taking care of our financial matters, and Arden. The efforts they gave were noticeable and elevated the club to the next level.

Later, they presented Certificates of Accomplishments to Francis Ignacio for his Furnace Creek 508 finish, Rosalie Kneebone for her first time competing at Fargo Hill Climb with a new unbeatable record, William Aligue for completing three double centuries this year earning him the California Triple Crown, Rhey Abad for first Double Century, and Arden Arindaeng for his accomplishments in track competitions.

Here's Francis (above, left) receiving his Certificate of Accomplishment together with the Los Brutos Chapter aka Fabulous 5 for his Furnace Creek 508 Challenge. Below is Rhey Abad receiving his Certificate of Accomplishment for finishing his first double century.

Some cash, TdF shirts and gift certificates where also presented to the deserving members and friends! Below is Juliet Agressor receiving a token of appreciation for all the assistance she gave at all Tour de Francis stages.

The festivities went on and the much awaited awards was being anticipated and then the drum rolls!

The Most Improved Rider for 2008 was awarded to Ed Morente.

The Best Attitude Rider for 2008 was awarded to Arnold 'Kapatid' Irving.

And ADOBO Velo's Cyclist of the Year was convincingly awarded to William 'Legstrong' Aligue!

The awardees were voted by the members and were submitted to Jesse and Egay for their stamp their approval. Thank you Egay for making those beautiful certificates! Nice work there too, El Prez!

White Elephant game followed shortly as more smiles were seen from the participants! There were lots of food left and were later divided up to be brought home as it was getting late that afternoon. Not to mention that it was also getting colder!

Overall, it was another successful big event for the ADOBO Velos as we look forward for year 2009 and beyond. Thank you and we wish you all a safe and joyous holiday!

MoorPark- PortHueneme- PCH Malibu- Latigo Cyn- Mulholland

2008-12-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

It was 33 degrees when be started at 6:40AM. The double-century aspirants were out for a training ride to "get tough". It was just the 3 of us: Rosalie (Darna), Manny, and me. (Victor called in sick from the ER that very morning due to vomiting; We found out later he has kidney stones ; Hope he gets better soon so he can resume training for the double century on February 28).

We met Filipino Filipe riding his Schwinn w Terry Cloth Soft Saddle

Our Route yesterday copied the L.A. Wheelman's Grand Tour Lite, except we started in MOOR PARK instead of PCH Malibu. That means that the monster LATIGO CYN RD 10-mile climb will have to be tackled at Mile # 60 with tired legs, instead of at Mile #4 with fresh legs if we had started from Malibu.

It's a great route, esp. in the morning with no traffic. We went through a lot of hills at Moorpark, then through Camarillo, then Pleasant Valley Road for 10 miles on the way to Channel Islands and Port Hueneme (mile # 30) where we had a bathroom break and photo-opp. It was 50 degrees at 9:30am. Then to PCH on the way to Latigo Cyn in Malibu. Along the way we stopped as the restaurant Neptune Net to refill on water and eat our sandwiches (I made chicken sandwich for Rosalie and Me, and seafood salad sandwich for Manny since he's a vegetarian.)We encountered stiff headwinds along PCH. And there were a few rollers. I was already pooped. Rosalie and Manny had to slow down and wait for me. I was thinking "wala pang Latigo Cyn, todas na ako sa PCH".At mile # 60 we started to climb Latigo Cyn, a 10-mile climb. It was now 62 degrees. That climb has a LOT of 10% and 12% grades. Mostly it's 7-9%, and a few 2-5% here and there. To me it seemed harder than Big GMR or Small GMR. Manny and Rosalie did fine; I got dropped in the beginning and suffered alone (no Victor to ride w/ me).

Finally I got to the bottom of Latigo Mile # 70) where Darna and Manny were waiting for me for 25 mins. It was already 2 PM and we were still in the middle of the Sta Monica mountains, we still had 50 miles to go with lots of climbing !!! We had no lights.

So we had no choice but to shorten the route. We skipped Potrero and Santa Rosa. But there were still a lot of hills along the way: Mullholland, Westlake, and Moorpark Blv. It was survival mode for me, but Darna and Manny were still fresh since they had to slow down to my "Group C" pace.

We got to the parking lot at around 3:30 PM. We did 95 miles, with 5,500 feet of climbing. Darna and Manny were still good to go for another 30 miles, if only it wasn't dark. If they did their own "Group A or B" pace and not have to wait up for me they could have finished the 120 miles in time. But they had a no-drop policy.

It's a great route. Next time we'll skip going to Port Hueneme (roads too dusty and busy), and instead from Pleasant Valley take Las Posas down to PCH.

Tour de Francis V Stage 4 Century Ride Report

2008-12-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

What more can we ask for in a century ride? Besides an amazing route, refueling stops were ready to serve, great post ride food fest, and the great weather! Turn out was about the same as last year but we still missed some of our friends. Here's Emre getting ready for the start!

As expected, the first climb at Lake Hughes Road stretched the pack that became the sight all the way out to Elizabeth Lake, to Quail Lake and back to Castaic. Here's a pic from the lead group with Raffy of MMCC sitting wisely at the back.

Later followed by Pete and more MMCCs..

Volunteer SAG crews were busy at work from roving, giving directions, and making sure food were ready at each of the designated stops. Two unfortunate mechanicals happened at the first 25 mile, a broken chain and a broken spoke. So one abandoned and the other one had a replaced wheel. Some riders made a return trip but a lot continued on to Quail Lake, more than last year. This is because of the better weather. Arm warmers and jackets became an option as some participants handed them to the SAG crews. Here's a pic of Legstrong and his ADOBO Velo comrads at Quail Lake SAG Stop...

Below, friends from San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club taking some precious break also at Quail Lake SAG Stop.

Steve of Sta Barbara was the first one to arrived at around 1:30pm and got his souvenir TdF shirt!

Deo came in a few minutes later with that contented smile!

All the food where warmed up and devoured. Souvenir shirts were being bought. Donations were pouring in. Masseuse busy at work till dark. Stories being told and new friends were being made.

Overall, another successful Tour de Francis! Everyone got punished by Director Francis as they enjoyed the whole day of festivities as much as the volunteers. Thank you all for making this a special day. We hope to see you all again next year!

Inaugural TDR (Tour de Rosalie)

2008-11-01T21:34:00.001-07:00

Rosalie said: "Whatever the weatherman says, don't believe it!"

Photos Roster

Almost a year ago the inaugural ride was cancelled because the weatherman said "RAIN", but it didn't rain. So today Rosalie was persuasive: Many riders wanted to call it off. But despite solid predictions of rain, Rosalie insisted, "Let's go boys! What, you afraid of a little sprinkle?"

And so we went. Sure enough, just half an hour into the ride, it poured like Noah's biblical deluge. And it was great fun.

But the thing is, you have to wonder why no "De Rosa" bikes showed up, despite the ride being named for De Rosa owners. So we got hold of a De Rosa "Owner's Manual", and found this entry on Page 17: "Dear De Rosa Owner: Thank you for purchasing one of the finest bikes in thw world, with a rich history. But do not ride it in the rain! It will melt. PS: Don't tell anyone."

OK... Just kidding.

Anyway, today you needed a snorkel to get through the ride. It poured, then stopped, then repeated. We quickly got used to it. "Pour it on!"

In the "END", as Mang El wrote... " The ride was one of those special rides (wet & soaked), but I believe all of us enjoyed it. Overall, the ride turned to be as expected but the rain. Lunch!!! Ssorry for those who didn't go. The food was catered & very very good for hungry riders."

With all the rain, you'd think we'd get a photo of it. . Over 600 photographs were snapped today. Regrettably, there's not one single photograph of the ferocious thunderstorms blanketing the riders. But here's a great shot of the dark skies pregnant with water, ready to come down anytime.

It was awesome. We got soaked to the bone. And got "road spray" on our faces and bikes, as if being dunked in a lake and rolled in sand.

The ride started at Rosalie's hometown, Moorpark. Start point was MILLER PARK, on top of a hill at Miller Parkway. The route was 60 Miles long, with 4,800 feet of climbing.

The excellent SAG crew consisted of Rosalie, Vince Pacheco, Barbara (Rosalie's neighbor), and Ricky Herrera. Rosalie's twin sister was also there for the first few miles, but had to go somewhere soon.

The route featured the great "horse-back" roads of Moorpark and surrounding rural land; The impressive winding road of Grimes Canyon Rd; The awesome Balcom Canyon (20% gradient) which is a Tour-of-California favorite; The Reagan Library situated on a hilltop; And just for fun a steep climb on McGrea (their version of our own Punta del Este in Hacienda Heights ).

We were welcomed by the wonderful locals (Rosalie's great neighbors and friends).

Jennifer, Edwin, Mat, Stan, Barbara

As usual, the ritual at the parking lot is always humorous.

And off we go

"This is gonna be fun"

Balcom Cyn was a "hit". Yeah, it hit the riders in the face.

William took the summit, followed closely by Ramon. What Animals! The rain gave it a greater degree of difficulty.

The heavy thunderstorm (the kind with really big drops and no space between the drops) came down at Balcom Canyon. It made the ride very interesting.

William "Legstrong" observed that "the adobovelos are doing their homework. Everyone was riding strong, attacking those hills and even on the flats."

The rain poured again at the rest stop at Alliance Gas Station (mile # 30).

We took shelter at the store (which got good business from us on coffee). Riders shivered terribly you'd think they were "dancing" Good thing Barbara had brought a lot of beach towels and blankets.

Even Mang El wrote: " Going down hill was another exerience. I was cold but my body heat was still working. Later along the way we stopped at a gas station where we waited for everyone, and decided to cut our ride short. At that time my body heater was getting weaker. I started feeling the cold, even the coffee almost didn't help."

(Please end this misery)

People started to mutter about cutting the ride short (our cars were parked just 2 miles from the rest-stop). Rosalie the Iron Butt-erfly would have none of it. She runs a stern ship, with a smile. The rain abated somewhat. "Let's go boys and girls" she said. She can be persuasive.

And off we went. Again.

Next was The Reagan Library, a 1-mile climb with 9% grades and great views.

We got refreshments there from the support crew.

And oxygen-recovery from the freshly-scrubbed air in the hills of Reagan Library

Then Mc Grea (their version of Punta Del Este).

Here they are at the summit of McGrea.

Then it was back to the park, and a hefty lunch, care of Rosalie.

William posted that "We had fun in spite of the heavy rain. The best part of it is, we were able to finish the ride without any accident. The rain was pouring hard and the road was so slippery but we managed to ride it safely."

All in all, a great inaugural ride. Great job Rosalie!

Ride courtesy of Rosalie. Thanks to volunteers and riders.

TdFrancis Mt. Baldy Ski-lift Post Ride Report

2008-10-12T22:31:00.001-07:00

From Reggie Ignacio (mmcc):

I hope everybody had great time doing the ride, because The Orange Train of MMCC certainly did! Again Francis, out heartful thanks and kudos to ADOBO family.Maraming Salamat!!

From Sammy E (mmcc):

bossing, francis., maraming salamat po. we have a great time

Victor (adobovelo):

DNF, about 3 miles short. Had a good time anyways. Thanks to Francis and the SAG crew

From Reggie Ferraz (santa clarita velo):

Thank you again for the wonderful ride (ride sa sag pala...hehehehe) . As well as to Mandy, Rick, Allan and Manolito for their help and company. Thanks Arden keeping my stuff.
We had a great time as usual. See you in Santa Clarita next month.

From Mang El (adobovelo):

The early morning woke me up & didn't feel riding (cold weather & few hours sleep) but this only happens once & in the area where I was very familiar with so I got up & started. I opened my garage & started pumping my tires & found out that my rear tire got cut so I changed with no hurry. I got to the park (Encanto) by 7:50a & oh boy, no more riders....it' s not like those sunday morning rides that guys call me up just to find out if I'll be riding & etc. I started slowly & did my usual rythym. Toward Glendora along SierraMadre, here comes Arden, honked behind me, ur late! & later asked me if I want to hold on to catch up with the group... I told him to go ahead & I'll be there.....At GMR I started passing guys which motivates me to kept on going on my set up speed control 7-9mph thru my invisible speedometer/ computer. When I reached to the top of GMR... I saw the group having a break (chat-chating) & when I was just about to stop, I heard" 2 minutes to go" so I just kept on pedaling. Later, riders were catching up with me, passing one at a time.. I knew it...MMCC guys were in the front with a gap then followed with mixed riders.. I can't remember who is who but later I joined with the riders...... my finger tips started feeling numb. Few miles away to MtBaldy I stopped & put my wind breaker on. Still cold...but helps. When we got to the post office I felt relieve... here I decided to set up my speed control again. While riding, I kept thinking that there are lots of easier course but Francis I think, he wants us to feel the pain that he suffered even just a part of it when he did the 508 rides. Now you tasted the samples of what he went thru... & that's nothing to compare.
Me too......mucho gracias for the torture/punishment especially the last 300 yards...
The only thing that makes me kept on riding was when I saw riders in front of me taking off from their bikes & started walking, I kept thinking, must be that hard & steep or they may be out of gear..On our way down from the ski lift area I was too cold. My bike started vibrating like, everything came loose. My frame, fork & wheels started flexing that all I did was pulling my brake lever to slow me down or I felt crashing. Coming back from MtBaldy was nice except most riders left us behind descending from the ski lift area. When we got to GMR... it became normal & routine.
Thank you Francis & the Sags group. You made us all comfortable riding safely. Thank you for the hospitality & food that was offered..... thank you all for the company especially MMCC riders that made this ride faster. See you all again later....... .....

From Arden (adobovelo SAG):

I was the last SAG vehicle up GMR as I got lost looking for Sierra Madre Road but the first one to leave as my exitement and caffeine filled belly triggering my gas pedal. As I got back on track, I saw a cyclist from a distance... then with an ADOBO Velo jersey with pretty good cadence. Got a little bit closer and noticed that it was Mang El! I wanted him to hold on to the car door so that he can catch up with the group but he insisted. I insisted also as I waited around. Mind you that was still about 2-3 miles before turning left to GMR. Once the climb started I saw a few TdF cyclists about half a mile ahead and from that point on I knew for sure that El will be able to catch up. As I continued on passing everyone else, I noticed that the peloton was stretched out for about 2 miles. I guess hunting season was on also since there were a lot of hunters with their rifles, their pickup trucks and reflective vests on. They were just standing at the side of the road looking down the cliffs (or hills). Not huinting for mountain goats like you all but for somethng else, they just became our spectators! I think they actually started to watch all the cyclists since there were more than the usual. I didn't realize how quiet and peaceful GMR can be, so quiet that you can hear tire traction even as riders passby. A couple of repaired flats and a full blast of music from a radio station fading fast. There was a moment that I have to leave it on a Mexican station with an upbeat song. At least that made the cyclists around make their pain secondary. That hill up to the ski lift was something ha! Its been along time since I saw a cyslist surrender from a brutal climb. As the tour headed back, there was nothing for the SAG crew to do, just be the sweeper and be ready to help. Got back to park later, hungry and ready to chow down. I was surprised that Francis had to leave to get more food! I have a feeling that he didn't expect it to be a lot of people (I think Mandy counted somewhere around 65 not including the SAG Crew). Another good sign that TdF is now being marked in everyone's calendar and that the word is out. Francis, Mandy and everyone else who organized this stage like the other TdFs did a fantastic job.... scouting the route, extra route sheets, food stops, orange cones, bananas, extra jackets, lots of drinks, jugs of water, salted vinegar chips, ADOBO, etc... The Ignacio Kids where wonderful too! As for my daughter's box of See's Chocolate Bars, she is very happy that it was all sold out! She wanted to thank you for making her job easier begging people to buy some. The money collected from it will be used for their upcoming choir competition. Overall, even if this route was being frequent by the mountain goats of ADOBO Velo, its still a very nice and challenging route that would make everyone go back for more again and again. It just makes me wonder when did GMR start for Los Angeles cycling? If you ask me to rate this stage, this is a 5-star stage. I think all your stages are 5-star in their own way!! Did you realize, MMCC came out in force yesterday?! What does that tell you? Fyi, others made donations too! My lesson for being a SAG Crew: bring tools to include screw drivers, bring extra tires and tubes, MP3 or music CDs, jackets for those who needs it and maybe have a bike rack attached just in case. Maybe I can borrow that from someone. Even when my legs were itching to pedal, I still had a great day! I think everyone else did too despite Francis' punishment that we all enjoy... And we hope our new members felt the same that they will be back for more and become regulars!

From Rosalie (adobovelo):

It was AWESOME to have the TdF on the backgrounds of the DUARTE CHAPTER. Every Sunday, up and down GMR GRR and occas.to BALDY.Originally Francis planned on having Stage 3 at TRONA 100 miles with10miles average of 10-12% gradient ascend YIKES!!, part of the FurnaceCreek 508. While training for his 508, Pete and him decided to go toMt.Baldy Ski-Lift. It had been awhile since Francis climbed up there.They both thought, "Damn, this is tough" Francis light bulb lit up on his head and decided and talked amongs the Duarte gang to have the Stage 3 from Encanto to the Ski-lift. Well thought out since it'sLOCAL. Nobody had to drive over 200miles. Well except for the MMCC. With that being said, Thank you Francis and his kids and to all the SAG Crew for a JOB well done AGAIN with keeping us SAFE, well ORGANIZED and well NOURISHED during our endless climb to the Ski-Lift.. We were blessed to not have that severe GUSTY WINDs that was supposively expected on that day. YES, it was bitter Cold, but tolerable. Thanks to MANDY(adobovelo) and PONCE(mmcc) for taking AWESOME pictures of the ride.. Until the next TdF, what Legstrong would say, KEEP ON CLIMBING!!!

From Regina (Los Brutos SAG):

we had about 65 riders signed up to do the ride. everyone met at encanto park in duarte around 7am. the morning was a bit nippy. all riders were bundled up. start time was at 7:30am filipino time.this was the first time i had driven up gmr. i'm so used to cycling it. i can't believe i climb that much on the bicycle! first sag stop was at the saddle (top of gmr). francis kept the first arrivals longer so we wouldn't have such a large gap in riders.the drive from the saddle to mt. baldy village was scenic, but the road was windy and narrow with no divider line. i'm glad all the riders made through there to the secvillage ond sag stop was at mt. baldy village. this is where all riders would need to prep for the brutal climb to the ski lifts. rosalie mentioned that at the stop, the grade was already 10%-12%! it was about another 4 miles to the summit, but it will prove to be quite a challenge after being cooked from the earlier part of the ride.as i approached the summit, i could see riders walking their bikes, zig zagging, and suffering to the top. i'm so glad i wasn't out there suffering like they were. these are some strong ass riders!the summit was at mt. baldy ski lifts. the weather at the summit was deceiving because it was really sunny, but the breeze and temperature was cold! riders were keeping warm on the hoods of the sag cars covered in blankets and jackets. there was a little frenzy about locating newspapers for the descent. although we didn't have any, everyone was able to make it down just fine without the extra insulation.on the descent back to encanto park, all the sag cars leap frogged to make sure the riders were okay. at one point on the descent from gmr, i saw vertical bob climbing up again! he's hard core!everyone made it to encanto park in one piece. the grub was set up for all the riders. adobo chicken, salad, seafood pasta, rice, and more!i had a great time sagging! congratulations to all the riders for showing up and taking on such a brutal ride! hope to see you all on the next tour de francis!

From Albert (adobovelo):

Thank you to all the TDF volunteers for a great and beautiful ride. As always, well-organized, plenty of food and liquids, lots of personal attention, and most important - safety. Kudos to Francis, Nikki, and MJ Ignacio, Mandy Genato (and his many talents: photographer, rider identification and checklist, SAG driver and mechanic, comedy team with Ricky), Ricky Herrera (SAG driver and mechanic, other half of comedy team, food and liquids), Regina Chow, Arden Arindaeng and Manolito Dionisio (who I also saw unexpectedly Sunday night at Kaiser). Saturday was a personal milestone for me - my first TDF ride, having sagged only on other TDF rides. Even if I didn't complete it, it was still a great experience

Congratulations Francis' "508" Finisher

2008-10-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU!!!! From Francis:
The Ignacio Family would like to thank the Fab Five or the tremendous job in the Furnace Creek 508: Alan Mesarra, Vince Pacheco, Mandy Genato, Ricky Herrera & Imre Udvardy. These guys kept me safe, sane and seated in the bike for 42:09 hours. Awesome support team. Priceless.Many thanks also to Mr. Dennis Evangelista for providing the magnetic signs. Everybody were impressed by the professional look of the team van. Great job Dennis. Thank you to the Adobo family, Brutos, MMCC & Reggie Ferraz for the moral support and enthusiam, specially to Ms. Darna for staying up late for updates throughout the race. Thank you, until next year. Francis.

From Ryan:

Seems like Francis did it again... Congrats to Francis and crew for a well deserving finish.

From Rosalie:

HURRAY!!!!!! !!!!!!! FRANCIS REDEEMED HIMSELF!!COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THE FAB FIVE CREW.CONGRATULATION' S AGAIN FRANCIS, I WITNESSED YOUR AWARD CERMONY ON THE WEBCAST, FANTASTIC JOB!!Now everyone go to SLEEEEEPPPPPPP! !!

From Richard:

CONGRATULATIONS! !!You are one heck of a rider

From Arden:

Congratulations! Is this a new personal best time? I think it is!

From Luis Pita:

Congratulations Francis! You're are a strong rider.

From Reggie Ignacio:

Way to go Francis!! Congrats from MMCC.

From Ben:

can we clone this guy? i don't think the word 'pain' even exist on you pare... congratulations, job well done and to fab five as well!

From Egay:

Great Job!!! Francis!!! You are the Mannn!!!!

From Arnold:

A great job to Francis and team you all are the best.

From Pid:

Keep on the good write up about the 508. Congratulations to Francis!...and to the support crew.

From Gil:

What a great looking group of guys on the top page...!Congratulations - Francis;You' re an 'ANIMAL!!!.. .'Cheers! The beer man (gil)...

From Ed Morente:

That's just AMAZING! Congratulations Francis, and thanks to your A-1 crew.All day Sunday I kept thinking "Francis is still riding his bike right now!" AMAZING!

From Legstrong:

Congratulations to Francis and to all the crew. Job well done!Francis, you are tha MAN

From Mang El:

Of course, Francis is the only tough/hard/astig among the Adobovelo kids. I satule you Francis.. I love bike riding but the most I did was 200miles with you & just to imagine what you did, even to ride 24 hours, I may not even last. You said last year that you won't do it again (big frustration) but you forgot the torture & punishment you experienced. Once more you proved it to us, 509 miles in one shot. Congratulations Francis, that's a good challence & a big accomplishment.

From Louie Rivera:
CAN WE CALL YOU "OVERACHIEVER" ? ASTIG KA TALAGA and it has to be mind and body, agreed?

Tour de Poway PostRide Report

2008-10-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

From Louie Rivera:

Oct 5th Tour de Poway offered us a wonderful, cool day. Present was El, Deo, Ed Morente and yours truly. We only did the Metric Century but the route was fast, pretty sights, BIG 7 miles downhill along route 67, patches of recent rain. Four MMCC riders waited for us at the start at around 0720 and headed by Sam, then at the halfway point (34) miles, the rest of the MMCC gang were still there so we rode the rest of the way somewhat together until the last 12 miles where many strong legs and happy feet started hammering, and as usual I fell back and El ended pulling be back to the finish. MMCC group was very nice to us as usual by showing their hospitality and recovery drinks and nutrition (CORONA) included. I should not forget that June from Duarte and Lito from Pasadena both did solo 100 MILES and the two of them have not seen each other along the way. Hey Lito you've got 40 miles on us.

From Mang El:

That was a good ride & I enjoyed much....... thanks to all MMCC guys especially for the punishment. I remember Sammy kept saying "we'll take it easy" then I always found out I was running out of breath... he'll kept up the pace to his high speed & will tell me "this is how we do it in Fiesta Island". How fast are we doing? I could only guess.. seems to be on the higher 25mph... actually I had a hard time keeping up with these guys... walang habag! pinatulan kami ni Deo. Sammy, you guys are much much better now... I couldn't even go in the front to take my share by pulling the group so I ended up watching from behind with Louie, he he.. keep it up MMCC guys.See you saturday.... ......... .

THANK YOU RAMON!!

2008-09-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Video

From ARDEN:

Happy B-day and it was a great party. All the food were great and hit the right spot and the right time after climbing PV hills! Please extend our thanks to the wife for the delicious posole, fruits, and flan!

From KAPATID:

I second that notion, hum good, ramon please thank the wife 2x's for us. Kapatid

From GIL:

Happy B-day Ramon!!!...KILLER post ride spread and an unsurpassed hospitality by you,your wife and daughters - as usual...

From ROSALIE:

Pictures are posted in http://picasaweb.google.com/adobovelo

Ditto That!!! That was a great turn out. 17 riders all in all. Thanks Ramon and Fabulous Family for your generous pre and post ride food. Sorry you got sucked into riding hills Kapatid.. I guess if they told you..you wouldn't have ridden and missed all the fun.. Your stories of todays riding experience from beginning to end was so hilarious.. my stomach was hurting from laughing so hard.. Now we know who your back seat rider/driver is..hehe. New hill to try besides Granado and it's much longer and steeper is CROWNVIEW 17% for 1mile...YIKES. . Luis Pita, Aaron, Rosalie, Ed Morente, Mang El and Lito made it all the way up to the summit..

The Chicken Pozole was so delicious and just how I remembered it from last year. This year, I also tried the Pork Pozole..WOW just as delicous. Dennis took most of the good meat/fat and bones, Ed M. and I were stealing the meat from his bowl. Hope you didn't mind Dennis.

From Mang El:

To those of you that didn't make it to Ramon's b-day, you didn't know what you miss. We had a lot of fun just riding thru the foggy morning.. then when the sun came out we were rolling the nice scenery of Palos Verdes, beautiful place. I don't even remember the streets, I was bz watching the views & beautiful houses. We tried to climb the hills that they were climbing (just want to make sure how steep) he he.. steeper than my backyard but too short.When we got back to Ramon"s place.. like what Rosalie said.. No wonder why Rosalie didn't miss this ride.Thank you Don Ramon, wife & daugther for your hospitality.Soup (Pazole) was delicious & what else? Comaradarie was the best.Pictures were evedent of the ride & post ride.Good pictures... Robert.

From Ryan:

Happy Birthday Don Ramon, sorry I missed the post ride B-day celebration I woke up late and ended riding by myself from my place to Encanto yesterday. Sounds like everybody had fun at your villa.

Deo’s Paceline Training and Exercises

2008-09-22T20:31:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning started with Lito A., Rhey, Jeffery, Gil, Kapatid, Milton, and myself ready for Cycling Basics 101! Deo started by showing us about 30 different types of stretching and exercises! We warmed up pretty good as we did about 10 counts of each exercises with reverse movements on some. He advised us to do all of these exercises every morning. Some of the exercises also included sitting on the ground where you need some type to sheet or padding to sit on and also a wall to lean on for the other ones but this morning, we were pushing my dirty white van! Wearing any kind of sneakers is a must but not cycling shoes. We quickly redid all the exercises as a recap as he was expecting us to do them all first thing every morning.

Next we hopped on the bike and only strolled slowly by pairs side by side around the parking lot. And the task was to lean against each other. It proved to be difficult as this needs to be practiced a lot! We did that for a few minutes before heading to the road. Then Deo divided us into 2 different groups. As soon as we were lined up, the 2nd group coming from behind came in faster and gave a little push on the sides of each rider in the leading group. These 2 different routines were really good especially to get a feel of close riding, where you really have to use your body to balance and not your steering.

Next we practiced our rotation. The rider who just veered off as the pace leader let the next lead rider know if he was clear to go to his front. Same at the back where you will let the pack know that you’re the last one moving up so the next rider will know when to change to the faster line. The slow paceline was not tight as expected but became more fluid as we did more laps.

We all noticed that we were conversing a lot but this time was more on letting the riders around you that you are there and letting them know your next move. These all boiled down to a safer ride and a much better and organized paceline.

Deo really got good feedback that we wanted to schedule this class every Sunday morning. Hopefully we can encourage a bigger attendance and if we get more responses in our yahoo group, shout box, and from scheduled rides, then we’ll get this on the calendar once or every other Sunday. Let your voices be heard!

Arden

Arden at Masters Track National Championships

2008-09-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

Arden’s biggest race of the year, the Masters Track National Championships has concluded with top notch racing experience. This event was held from September 2 - 7, 2008 and was hosted by Hellyer Park Velodrome in San Jose CA, Steve Pelaez’s home track.

In his age group of 40-44, the field was strong that he didn’t make the cut for the Match Sprints. His Flying 200m time trial just like all other Los Angeles and San Diego sprinters and champions were perfect but was not fast enough for the competition. That meant they were not able to compete in the Match Sprints. Arden placed 21st out of the 28 competitors with a new personal best of 12.5 seconds for an outdoor track.

The next day, he was signed in to team up with Jim Rouche and Eric Manuel for the Team Sprint. If you remember Eric, Bob Hansing and State Champion, and also Arden’s teammate during last July’s Team Sprints at SCNCA State Track Championships that was held in San Diego. Jim on the other hand is a strong Omnium competitor and also from South Bay Wheelmen. Unfortunately, they placed 8th despite their strong ride.

Despite the strong competition, he is very fortunate to be able to compete in this event with the help of the ADOBO Velo members. He is very thankful for the support he received.

Pinoy Pride racing this weekend at ADT Championships

2008-08-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

We are inviting you to watch our Pinoy Pride race this weekend at ADT Championships. Former World Cup and international competitors Wilson Blas and Steve Pelaez will be at the velodrome to duke it out with other tracksters on the Time Trials, Keirins, Points Race, and Match Sprints (not confirmed).

I will try my luck on Sunday at the Match Sprints as I consider this as a tune-up race for Masters Nationals in 2 weeks. Bobbit from Arizona will be here with the ADOBO velos and may race also.

Steve together with his friend traveling from San Francisco will arrive Friday afternoon and will ride the track that same evening (6-9pm). I may stop by that night to meet them, then Saturday noon just to see whats going on..... part of the sprinter's mind game.

Our Olympian Deo Asuncion is also invited as our adviser.

Please spread the word out and bring your cameras....

Visit this link to see the event schedule:

Thanks.

Arden

Rusty Paceline

2008-08-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday's attendance was smaller than last week with less ADOBO Velo Jerseys visible. The expected summer heat and humidity was there but it didn't matter that much since we took the cooler route of Newport Beach. On the return trip passing through Bolsa Bay, the group was doing its normal paceline despite a breakaway. A tight pack formed and a not so balanced paceline brewed. Pacing off to the left was quicker than normal where it was tighter on the slower line. Unfortunately, Rhey’s front wheel rubbed into Tod's rear wheel, lost his balance and crashed. Aaron followed close behind with little or no room even on either side. He had no place to go but to crash into Rhey where he ended up tumbling to the ground onto the right lane. From my view heading back from about 100 feet at the front, our members protected Aaron by stopping an incoming vehicle. Aaron was very dizzy as he had a cracked helmet (no big dents or separation but it can't be trusted anymore). It took about a minute to get him to the side but still continued to lie down to recover. Rhey on the other hand skidded hard through the asphalt that his ADOBO Velo jersey and bib short were destroyed. His right thigh, wrist, and hand were bruised (maybe more). We were fortunate that there was no incoming traffic at the time of the crash. Their brake levers were tilted in and badly scratched from the impact, but were adjusted back and still useable. The worst part was Rhey's dropout and derailleur were badly bent and I think it’s unusable. His front wheel needs to be trued and needs a new handle bar tape (I think he was using black). Aaron rode back all the way to Liberty looking ok but Rhey decided to abandon the ride. Meanwhile, Ryan and I pedaled ahead looking for a drug store but the first one we saw was already about 15 minutes out! Knowing that Rhey needed a ride badly, the lead group pedaled fast back to Liberty so that Cyp can drive back to get Rhey. Frank and Dennis accompanied Rhey in the meantime. I'm just guilty for not being able to buy first aid supplies for Rhey while he waited and I think it’s because of the confusion. At that point in time, with half of the group dropped and scattered, the fast ride back of the lead group had that sense of emergency. The ride for the ones left behind was not the usual and was at a very slow pace expecting someone to catch up at relay some news.

Astig Rhey was disappointed that he might make a pass for his next double Century called the "Tour of 2 Lakes - Double Century Poker Run" scheduled for September 27. I think he was more bummed out that he will miss this Tuesday night Crit! To me, that comment alone meant he is still in good spirits! He’s going to rest it out for the next week or so as he is a strong cyclist anyway, take care of his wounds, and just check his damaged bike later.

In the meantime while they are healing, if there's anyone who can donate any type of Shimano 10-speed rear derailleur (he was using Ultegra), Rhey will very appreciative. He also needs some advice or help on how to get the dropout/hanger replaced or fixed. Same goes to Aaron for a replacement Giro helmet (I don't know what model). If you prefer, you can call or email them directly, just refer to our database. On the same note if no one can donate parts, maybe we can chip in for their first aid kit expenses and possibly for the parts they need.

To Aaron and Rhey, if you need medical help, don't hesitate to make an appointment! Aaron told me he's with Kaiser but was not able to ask what Rhey's.

Our heroes.... the whole group but noticeably Cyp, Dennis, and Frank! Thanks for all your help!

California State Masters Track Championships at San Diego Velodrome

2008-07-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all! State Masters Track Championships happened this past weekend with great memories and accomplishments! Arden Arindaeng racing for South Bay Wheelmen competed in the 40-44 age group Match Sprints during the day and followed by Team Sprints later in the afternoon. His Flying 200 meter Time Trial for the Match Sprint seeding didn’t turn out that fast and was not of importance since there were only 8 people who registered which automatically made them all qualified for the event. He closely won the quarter finals against a stocky muscle-built sprinter Michael Hulse but lost in the semifinals against Eric Manuel, this year's overall winner of the Bob Hansing Memorial Series 40+ Category. This meant competing for 3rd place which happened to be against Tony Zaldua, Wilson Blas’ teammate. Arden was so happy to win this race convincingly for the Bronze Medal! Here's a few pictures at the starting line: (top) against Eric, next photo against Tony Zaldua. The third picture was the Match Sprints awards.

Later in the day, Eric Manuel, Paul Avila, and Arden signed up for the team sprints and they named their team “Team Effort”. It was a hard 3 lap sprint as they only lost half a second to the second place team and a second from the fastest team! Arden was the 2nd sprinter in their arrangement. Not bad since they didn’t have a chance to practice together! Here's a pic of the Team Sprints awards. Next is Arden just showing off the 2 bronze medals he won.

The whole Meatheads and a few South Bay Wheelmen where there Saturday and Sunday, competing and raking up the medals. It was hectic at first and busy throughout the day. But they had a great time and even joked around. Overall, it was a good experience and a weekend to be cherished especially that his wife Trelly was there for the inspiration and his much needed assistance. She also took pictures and videos!

Here's the trophy from Encino Velodrome's Bob Hansing Memorial Series together with the State Masters Medals...

You can check more pics at picasaweb.google.com/adobovelo

Next in the agenda is the upcoming ADT Championships and then at San Jose, California for the Masters Nationals Track Championships. Wish him luck!

Mount Wilson Ride Report 7-26-08

2008-07-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Another awesome summer sufferfest ride. This time to Mt. Wilson. Approx. 57 miles and around 6500ft of climbing. Some have trekked up to Mt. Wilson via same route, and others conquered it for the first time knowing there will be food provided at the end. We had two choices, either go the long route, from Angeles Crest Hwy to Angeles Forest, to Upper Big Tujunga to Red Box to Mt. Wilson or the short route, Angeles Crest Hwy to Red Box to Mt. Wilson. Legstrong even printed out the route sheet and showed a few riders the route. Someone asked, "So where are we climbing?" We looked at the sheet and EVERY TURN WAS A CLIMB. We where laughing so hard. Once we started riding, Jess aka SpeedyBagal would sprint to the front just to take pictures and videos of us riding or climbing. With his burst of speed, he was riding like he was on EPO. He kept stopping and going. Thanks Jess.

I rode with Abe Agimat aka Kumander for the first couple miles. Before the Crown Valley climb, he kept saying to me, "We are going to have our breakfast now." I said, " Oh no, this is just our first morning cup of coffee, a teaser before breakfast. Breakfast is along Angeles Crest Hwy and Angeles Forest. Toasted bread is after doing Upper Big Tujunga". Ya, we were TOASTED all right, after climbing upper Big Tujunga. I even ran out of water. Thank goodness most of the riders stopped at the End of the climb to rest and I was able to bumb off water/heed from Ryan and also Francis during the climb.

All refueled at RedBox before the climb to Mt. Wilson. A few took off their bike shoes, a few laying down to rest, a few just stretching out their sore muscles like myself, and a few had a daze look on their faces knowing we still had 5 more miles to climb. Once pottybreak was over, we all trickled our way up to Mt. Wilson. A few stayed behind because they were TOASTED and most had their one last CAFFEINE LOAD or V8 and were ready to go again.

Once we got to Mt. Wilson, we saw the Los Brutos riders, who did the short route. Adobo Kuya Ricky was also at Mt. Wilson. Unfortunately he was 1 hour late and had to take the short route as well. The SMOG view of LA was awesome but not as spectacular as the Gigantic Antenna Towers. Why else would you climb Mt. Wilson? answer: to take pictures by the ENORMOUS ANTENNA TOWERS. There were a few riders missing who trekked ahead. To find out later back at RedBox, Legstrong, Wilson, Timothy and Mandy climbed extra and were underneath the Gigantic Towers. Awesome job guys.

The descend back on Angeles Crest Hwy to the park was Fast, Furious and Sweet like Fresh Strawberries on Pancakes. Once you start eating them, a minute later, they're long gone. Riders at the front pack had NO FEARs of going furiously fast. I mean FFFAAASSSSSTTTT.. Like they didn't have their strawberry pancake and fasted all day and can't wait to eat.

Everyone made it safely back to the park. Quickly racked up their bikes, freshened up a bit, and off to the park table to do some more attacking. Attacking the Pizza, Buffalo Wings and Cold Refreshing Drinks. Thanks Francis for providing the food and drinks. Once again, Great Brutal Ride, Awesome Riders, and Delicious PostRide Lunch.

ROSALIE

July 19 Duarte and Liberty Riders meeting half way and riding as one

2008-07-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

That was a great scenic ride. Weather was perfect.

Six Duarte Boys did something new, by getting on the Rio Hondo bike trail from Myrtle Ave on Monrovia/El Monte. It connects to the L.A. River Bike trail. Meanwhile, 14 Liberty Park Riders did something new too, turning NORTH on PCH toward Long Beach (instead of the usual South toward Newport) to meet up with the Duarte Boys.

Liberty rider Jonas was our navigator in the morning. He wanted us to avoid riding on the supposively sandy bike path in Long Beach. So we rode along where most people would drive when they want to go site seeing.

Took a few pictures at the Aquarium.

Then headed towards the LA River Bike Path Trail to meet up with the Duarte Boys. Not much riders nor pedestrians on this bike path. 8 miles later we met up with the Duarte Boys- MangEl, Francis, Kuya Ricky, Mandy, Victor and Manny.

Then the big 20-person group raced south to Long Beach. It was a fast pace.

We regrouped by the Aquarium of Pacific. We chitchat for a bit and headed back toward LongBeach. Aaron also caught up with us from Liberty Park.

Either the Testosterones were brewing all around or everyone was on EPO.. The speed picked up from 18-26mph..Roy was pulling with headwind. All I remember was I attacked on an upcoming hill,Francis shouting DARNA!! got on the side of Roy and was neck to neck with him on the climb while both of us off our saddles.. Then I found myself in the front of Roy gasping for thin air, looked at my garmin and HR showed over 200bpm.. Slowed down to recover while everyone pass me like I was standing still BooHoo.
We regrouped and took a few pics at the Aquarium of the Pacific. It was much safer riding on the bike path along the beach. It wasn't sandy as originally thought it would be, but you couldn't go much fast than 17mph. Scenic route through Belmont Shores and to Downtown SealBeach for Coffee Break.
Then we all met up again at Liberty.

That's where Ricky realized his helmet strap wasn't buckled. We all know the helmet is no use, unless it's strapped.

Need help with that Rickyboy?

Thanks for the great ride..

Awesome job Duarte Klans..next time we will all do the Duarte LOOP route.. Until the next ride to MT. WILSON...Keep on riding and climbing..

DARNA aka ADOBOChic

"Rider Up!"

2008-07-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

That's the usual courtesy "safety call" to cyclists in the back on the narrow San Gabriel river bike path.

Riders yell those words to alert trailing cyclists of "oncoming traffic."

On July 12th, a certain club with red- white- and blue kits slowly went up the north-bound lane of the SG bike trail.

If you were on the receiving end of this, you would have had to endure two minutes worth of riders calling "Rider up!" That's how long the group was. Fortunately the pace was a stroll in the park.

It was just a regular monthly picnic ride. But it was the biggest attendance yet. Perhaps 50 cyclists showed up. (More than 40 cyclists were there in the morning to start. Another 10 or so members showed up later.)

What a sight to behold. 50 riders in a glorious red- white- and- blue line along the SG bike trail.

We've come a long way, baby.

Congratulations to the founding members. We are standing on your shoulders, and carrying your torch forward.

By an informal count we now have 80 active members, based on visual observation of cyclists who show up at regular rides, as well as members who regularly post in Yahoo messages, and people who paid dues (which is still well short of 80, but somehow the club sustains its activities with vibrancy). Although the Yahoo board has a listing of over 200 members, that includes dormant users, guests from other clubs or out of town, and users with duplicate IDs.

If you were not there on this day, at least you can see the photos. The vibe was simply electric. In the morning as people began trickling into Liberty Park, the parking lot was awash in a sea of vivid red- white- and- blue AdoboVelo jerseys.

They came from all over: Duarte. Orange County. San Diego. Southbay. Los Angeles. Moorpark. Liberty Park-area. And so on. Everyone was chatting, joking, and catching up. Old and new faces were there.

We had a group photo. Then the ride started. The first natural waiting point was at the entrance to Beverly Blvd, Mile # 12 from Libert Park. We stopped to gather up the group, which by now had splintered.

There is an unspoken truth: Riders come in different levels. All are welcome. Group A riders always get there first. Group B ("bagal") and Group C ("culelat") riders arrive later. The A's wait up for the B's and C's. At the start of Bevely Blv, the B's and C's were told to proceed, to give them a much needed head-start. The A's eventually caught up with them when the road turnd vertical at Turnbull Canyon. 50 AdoboVelo riders filled up the mountain road.

In Hacienda Heights we went on to scale the steep one-mile Punta-del-Este (10%-16% gradient). On the return trip, the 7-11 store on the corner of Haciena Blvd got a lot of business. We estimate that in a span of 15 minutes we purchased the equivalent of 8 gallons of sports drinks or plain water.

Now for a little historical perspective: Four or 5 years ago, a few riders had begun to ride together. They were from all over metro L.A., but they would bump into each other at the San Gabriel River bike trail, or PCF, or the Carson criterium. For a couple of years they rode without club colors. Finally, they yearned for a common jersey, a common identity, an organization. They wanted to fly under their own colors.

The needed ingredients immediately fell into place. There was a sufficient number of regular and dedicated riders. There was the internet: They set up a Yahoo group board. They needed a name. They bounced around many ideas. We almost became name SCIGA ("Southern California something-something"). The acronym spelled out a Pinoy word that means the neighborhood bully. It was on the verge of become official. Suddenly, out of nowehere, someone suggested AdoboVelo. It was a natural. Like wildfire it was adopted without resistance. Finally, the uniform was produced. That, along with the Yahoo board and the regular rides, made it feel like a club.

We've come a long way.

Here's how you can help to sustain the club and keep it vibrant and fun:

Continue to be nice and courteous, as you've always been, to fellow members and the general public on the bike trail. We are all ambassadors of goodwill. The good name of AdoboVelo is all we have.

Don't be shy. Post comments on Yahoo board or Shoutbox. We need your input and encouragement. The more we hear from you, the easier to encourage new members, and solicit future sponsorship.

Membership dues help to defray expenses for the picnic , Tour de Francis, and other activities. Thankfully many volunteers again and again donate food, gasoline, cash, and time. Your dues will help. It's $50 annually, to sustain a vibrant club friendly vibes. If you're only an occassional rider, you can pay a prorated fee of 50% of the $50. Honesty basis. Please contact Treasurer RYAN or Asst. Treasurer ABE "Agimat" if you want to settle your dues.

The biggest Fil-Am Cycling Club now has an official website!

2008-07-12T17:49:00.001-07:00

ADOBO Velo, the biggest Fil-Am Cycling Club in Southern California, now has an official website, http://www.adobovelo.com/ Prior to this day that domain name (which Vice-President Edgar Uyan reserved at his expense 2 years ago) was merely pointed to ADOBO Velo's vibrant discussion group in Yahoo Group.

The new website has been in "research and development" since it was mentioned "off-the-cuff" last February. A casual search for volunteer experts followed. A group of enthusiastic members who cared about this fun club then spent hours of free personal time and labor on the PC at night or at work doing trial-and-error web-creation, making banners, and digging though old Yahoo group posts, pictures, and files. It has been an incredible growth experience for them.

They knew what the club needed. It was the same things that they individually needed themselves when looking at the Yahoo group page.

Members always had frequently asked questions (FAQs). Add that to the new website.

Newbies wanted to know the routes. And we needed to encourage them. So add maps and photos to the website.

The club issues awards/recognitions at its events (Christmas Party, TdF). Add that to the website too.

There were various club affiliations, announcements, and more. Add that too.

Often we could feel we had outgrown Yahoo Group's features. But we cannot retire that (not yet). The Yahoo group still serves us very well because it’s our interactive communications line with one another. We have a lot of information saved there, and it will still serve the members with information we all need. The Yahoo group page is still a good place to post, as space is not limited. The lists and databases are still needed. We have a good amount of precious photos, links to websites we find helpful, files that we cannot just delete yet. The building of ADOBO Velo’s website wouldn’t be possible if we didn’t use our Yahoo Group! So to our Pioneers: Mike, Ben, and Charles to name a few, we are standing on your shoulders.

I remember that we just would ride together looking for an identity and organization. We needed a way to communicate easily (so we signed up in Yahoo groups), and we needed to display our colors (so we created the Adobovelo jersey/shorts kit). Now in just over 3 years, we are now recognized by other cycling clubs here in the States and in the Philippines. So in behalf of the members of the ADOBO Velos, I salute all of you for establishing this unique club, you know you’ve come a long way!

To transition into our new creation, it will be selfish not to recognize and thank the members who spent their personal time in this new venture. First of all, I would like to thank Mandy for researching available products and stumbling upon Google’s free website product, for trial-and-error in learning it, the countless hours he logged to create page after page, filling up the site with information, links, pictures, stories, article. Yet you won't see his name in credits. Do not forget about the Tour de Francis Blogspot he created a while back. Next, thanks to Manny Amit for the ideas, research and trials he also did. Doesn’t that make you feel good about having him as our member? Both Manny and Mandy also used their pro cameras to capture those precious moments! Not for nothing, Manny is an Art Director of Los Angeles’ famous news program... ABC7 News and he was able to help us to his full extent, for free! Next, thanks to Rosalie Kneebone (Cyclist of the Year recepient) for her countless inputs, help, and editing. If not for her, this website will only be from a manly point of view. So that balanced it out, for the good! And thanks to our recently installed Vice-President Egay, who was always there for suggestions, and was the premier thinker of this endeavor. To continue on, there's a lot more members who assisted one way or the other and if I missed mentioning your name, my apologies but thank you very much to these great people as this was a remarkable team effort!

Without our members, and the synergy we had even before the inception of ADOBO Velo, no one would have envisioned getting to this point. Back then we only wanted a jersey.

So there you are, visit http://www.adobovelo.com/ Give us your feedback when you have a chance and let the others know about our new thing.

- Arden Arindaeng

Rosalie's Alaska Adventure

2008-07-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

What a busy eventful week of Jun28-July4.. Came back Saturday afternoon from 65 degrees temp in Alaska to 95 degrees in Burbank Airport. From a very mellow laid back town to the hustle and bustle of city suburban life in California. The weather was from cold on/off rain, to sunny and partly cloudy. Everything and everyone were slow in Alaska. Didn't see much folks using cell phones, No helmet laws for motorcycles and road cyclist. Most everyone drove a Subaru station wagon 4wheel drive with racks either it be a bike, skiis, kayak, canoe rack or storage compartment on the rack. Alaskan folks are either by the water wearing a fishing gear and brown rubber high boots or working in the city wearing casual REI hiking type outfit with Keen Sandals or Crocs shoes. Even the restaurant's food preparation was slow.. No big rush unless you're a cruise ship tourist on a very limited time. 18 hours of day light and less than 6 hours of night and it doesn't get fully dark either. There were so many filipinos who lives and work in Juneau. . Too bad they don't have Chow King or Goldilucks..If they did, they could only make it big during the summer seasons. Businesses during Winter time slows down dramatically or closed during winter seasons.

Did you all know that our ancestors were in Alaska since 1931. Yup..I took a picture of a picture I saw in Safeway Market. Rizal Celebration Dec.30,1931.

There's so many activities to do, so many places to see in Alaska. I hiked, kayaked, attempted to go fishing for salmon and halibut but came out empty handed (skunked) cause I don't know how to fish. Motored on a motorboat to Shelter Island and Whale watching on the way there. Did Zipline Adventure (ziplining from tree to tree) on a cable line while sitting on a harnest by the ski lifts in Douglas Island and River Rafted in Haines. Also went Beer tasting at the Alaskan Brewing Co.

Kayaking around Auke Bay

Going to the Cabin at Shelter Island

A Group of Whales came very close to the other boat

Overnight Stay at a Cabin on Shelter Island

View from the Cabin
Spectacular view next day

Ziplining tree to tree on Douglas Island

And there I go WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Watch this VIDEO

Rode around Juneau and Douglas Island for 3 days on a 25lb touring bike. Mind you I did not bring with me Gels nor Protein Bars. I brought with me in a shoe box (tied on a bike rack behind my saddle) during my bike excursion/expedition a peanut butter jelly sandwich as my protein bar, pineapple juice as my gel, beef jerky, cut up watermelons as my fignutons and wheat thin crackers and survived all 3days. That was so awesome. o On the 3rd day I decided the last minute to ride up EagleCrest Ski lift in Douglas Island,50 miles round trip. During the climb, I pretended I was going up Mt.Baldy by myself. Good thing, I wasn't scared at all on those 3 days I rode alone. Because of the breathtaking view of the glaziers, ocean, mountains with snow caps,the forest and bald eagle watching, you forget you're by yourself. It was peaceful, beautiful and spectacular.
If you plan on vacationing to Alaska, best season to go is Summertime.

-ROSALIE

On my way to EagleCrest Ski Lift on Douglas Island.. The sign says Hills but the picture of the Truck is going down hill but I was actually climbing up to the lift..

Made it to the Ski Lift

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Rosalie gone fishing in Alaska

2008-07-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

On June 29 Rosalie K. posted this report on Yahoo groups

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who did the GRAND TOUR.

I'm writing from the NORTH POLE, ALASKA!!! Great Time, William and Rhey! Sub 12hours! EXCELLENT! How did Francis do on his triple doing the TRIPLE Century?

Keep COOL everyone. Wished I brought the warm weather with me cuz' I'm freezing my A-- off. Temps in the mid40s to high 55 degrees. I forgot my disposable chemical body warmers.

Yesterday, while hiking on a paved trail, I encountered (actually 15 ft away) a black bear climbing up a tree. WHEWWW. Forget Pepper Spray. Need BEAR SPRAY!

Saw a BEAVER making a dam and a hughe PORCUPINE climbing up a tree as well.

Kayaked all day today and saw lots of SALMON jumping out of the water and SEALS chasing after them. Also saw a few WHALES in the ocean.

MONDAY... Fishing for Halibut and Salmon..

TUESDAY... Biking all day north of Juneau.

WEDNESDAY... Biking half a day south of Juneau..

That's it for now.. I'll keep in touch during the middle of this week. Can't believe the sun is still up and it's already 11PM Pacific time, 10PM Alaska time.

-ROSALIE

Arden's ride w/ MMCC June 29 San Diego

2008-07-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Two days following his brutal keirin training, Arden had a “social” ride with our good friends from MMCC.

His lungs were still burning a day after, the night when Pacquiao won a title fight. Saturday, he arrived at the meeting place at 7AM, almost everyone was ready! The route was flavor # 3, one of their best routes:

Del Dios / Pomerado Road,
45 miles, Level 4
Open roads, big rolling hills, perfect rest area
Mira Mesa to El Camino, via Del Dios
Return via Pomerado / Scripps

After about 10 miles into the ride, Ness unfortunately broke his chain. Agent Al and Raffy rode back and got the chain reconnected in a short time!

Then on the 2-mile climb on Del Dios, Raffy came from far behind, passed Arden, and caught the leader!

Arden lost count on the number of hills. No wonder those MMCC Orange Boys do well in the TdFs. They are mountain goats.

They had to go on the Freeway to cross a bridge. When they got close to Mira Mesa, most of them went their own ways to go straight home. That ride was almost 50 miles and 4 hours total.

At one time Arden clocked 46 MPH on one of the descents. And near the end of the ride, during a furious downhill his front wheel oscillated badly while braking hard and pads where screeching. Throughout the route, they would tell Arden what's on the next turn, which helped him tremendously.

They were very interested on our routes, Tour de Francis, weekend rides, and curious about track racing. Arden told them they are always welcome to ride with us. They also asked Arden to relay to Adobos the open invitation to their rides too! And finally, Arden got to visit Sammy’s home before heading back! “Thanks to Sammy and MMCC!” wrote Arden in his post.

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(Material provided by Arden. Edited by MG)

Arden's Keirin Training, June 28 San Diego

2008-07-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Japanese love to bet on sports. In 1948 they were rebuilding their country after the war. They liked the American invention of greyhound racing, in which the dogs chase a mechanical rabbit around a race track. But greyhounds were expensive in the period after the war. Besides, the Japanese did not know how to train them yet. But one thing they had in abundance right after the war were unemployed men. So, someone had the bright idea to put them into bicycles and race them.

So in place of greyhound dogs, they used Japanese cyclists, and in place of a mechanical rabbit they used a motorcycle pacer. And so was invented the cycling event of “keirin” as a betting sport, in 1948.

It’s a cycling race held in a velodrome, in which cyclists chase a motorcycle until it drops off, then the cyclists race on their own.

The course is 2KM long (about 1.3 mile). The motor pacer goes at speeds of 30- 33 MPH, then peels off with 1/3 distance remaining (about half a mile), and the cyclists race at speeds of 35-44 mph.

Velodrome is French for cycling oval; Modern ovals are indoors, wood-floored, and have inward-sloping turns to allow faster speeds. In the olden days they were simply converted horse-race tracks or track-and-field tracks with cement surfaces and un-sloped (and therefore dangerous) turns.

Arden ventured out of town again in the last week of June 2008 to do some keirin training at the San Diego Velodrome. This rough velodrome is 83 meters longer than LA's velodrome (photo at leftt). The training was harder than a spinning class beyond imagination. Arden not only “ran out of gas”, but “blew out his engine”. Arden says his “whole upper body was screaming for air, but the coach told me to get it to the finish line. Somehow I did”.

Now he knows what those greyhound dogs feel.

Then after the kierin training, the next day he rode with the great folks of MMCC (Mira Mesa Cycling Club) up Del Dios.

The keirin training has 3 sets, all paced by a motorcycle.

The first set is the slowest, a “3-lap” sprint (done twice, with a slight recovery in between).

The second set is faster, a “2-lap” sprint (also done twice).

Finally, the third set is the fastest, with a wicked and violent one-lap sprint (also done twice).

All sets have “flying starts”, meaning, the rider gets behind the motor pacer who sets a pace that’s progressively faster than the previous lap.

This was Arden’s first time doing this type of interval. He was sort of was out of sync, but nevertheless survived the first and second sets.

The third set was a different story. He thought would recover enough for it, but no. Before the start of the third set he was still light-headed, dizzy, and nauseated. “I think I was feeling worn out from the whole day of packing and travel “, was his excuse. Anyway, like a zombie he forged ahead, got on his bike, and reasoned that this suffering would be over in less than 15 minutes. “Nothing to worry about!”, he thought.

Remember, it’s a 1-lap sprint, which he has to do twice (with a short recovery in between).

He finished the first sprint strong.

But in the second sprint, he was in the wrong area of the track, so he had to spend extra energy to get behind the motorbike who must be going 30MPH. With a third of a lap remaining, he BLEW OUT!

His upper body was screaming for air, but he managed to obey the coach’s orders to get his ass to the finish line. Arden recounts that he was “dizzy as hell and really wanted to throw up. Maybe I was ready to black out! But no worries, I recovered somehow. “

He got a good laugh from his coach Mark and his other 2 trainees, Kevin and Shawn. “I tell you that gave me a new meaning of threshold! “ says Arden.

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(Material provided by Arden on Yahoo groups. Edited by MG)

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Kapatid "Arnold Irving" asked in Yahoo groups on July 2:
"Arden, Maybe being behind the motorbike, you're inhaling the fumes. and it's in doors. so no fresh air. Just a thought. But hang in there."

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Arden replied: "Kapatid, Yes, there were fumes from the motorbike. And it was loud. And the velodrome in San Diego is outdoors. The combination of it being a whole day affair, and at the velodrome in the sun, was too much to take.

The Omnium they have is on the 12th. I'll make it a point to be there the day before, and sleep at my relatives house. With that, I'll be fresh for the race! Thanks Arnold!

There's a race this Saturday at Encino and I had no choice but to show up, race hard and earn the trophy! Wish me luck!

Adobol-Dobol Adventures of William and Rhey JUNE 29

2008-07-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

This is an adventure for Rhey Abad (a “virgin” double-century rider) and William "Legstrong" Aligue (a virgin “again”, hahaha). (Map)

And it's going well. At the lunch stop, neophyte Rhey and 2nd-timer William are still feeling strong. They have a meal of burrito with beans, and ice cold Coca-Cola, and they’re ready to “rock-and-roll.”

In the usual organized century bike ride, the Lunch Stop is traditionally at mile 50, the half-way point of the ride. Now, imagine yourself rolling into the lunch-stop, and your computer says you’ve so far covered 117 miles ! Yup, that’s right, you’re only half way through the ride, and already you’ve traveled over 100 miles, and you have almost that much again to go.

Grand Tour Double Century

For comparison: the double "metric" century (124 miles)

Rhey and William are still feeling strong.

Everything is relative.

At the very top of the sport of cycling, the pros vie for the biggest prize of all, the Tour de France. Then there’s us, the wanna-bes who have the same same equipment as the pros, and are stylin' like the pros, and even ride the same routes ridden by the pros. But we can’t compete at their level. Instead, we “race within ourselves”. Sometimes we race other riders in weekend rides. But mostly, we just constantly try to outdo our own “personal bests”.

At the level of recreational bike clubs (like AdoboVelo), the point is not whom you can beat (although that’s fun to do when you can manage to do it).

Frankly, whatever level you are, you can always find someone whom you can beat, as well as someone else who can beat you. So the point is, to outdo yourself, to "compete withing yourself", to do something you’ve never done before, or do something faster than you've ever done yourself. (Nevermind if someone else has done it, and or done it faster than you, that’s their business.)

With this mind-set, even the fastest man in the club must beat his own time, even if he always beats everyone. And even the slowest one, always beaten by everyone, can claim victory if it was his own personal best time, or if it was something he had never done before.

Everything is relative.

A little perspective helps: Tour de France pros are specimens of fitness and natural ability beyond comprehension. An average/ordinary person is fit enough to generate 150 watts of power an hour on a bicycle, and can maintain that output for maybe 4-6 hours. (How puny is that? That’s just enough to light a light-bulb.) While still fresh, that ordinary rider can spike his power output to 200 watts by sprinting, but he can only keep that up for 10-15 seconds. Then he’s wasted. Those who have additional disadvantages, like asthma, high heart-rate, low red-blood count, small lung capacity, will produce less watts and will fatigue more quickly.

In comparison, a Tour de France pro cyclist can generate 300 watts of power per hour, and maintain that output for 6 hours. And he will still have enough juice at the end of the race, to spike it to 350-400 watts in the final 5 minutes, and 475 watts in the final 10-second sprint. (Wow. That’s enough to provide power to an electric blender for 10 seconds.) The exploits of ordinary people pale in comparison. But the ordinary person who achieved something for the first time at great preparation and effort, like a double century, has done an extraordinary exploit.

Everything is relative.

Which brings us to the adventures of Willam and Rhey. (Francis, Jaimer, and Richard, and Jesse also did this event. But William provided material for this write-up.)

The day had started very early for these hardy riders.

While most of the population of California were soundly asleep, William and Rhey got up from bed at 2:15 AM, and arrived at the starting line in Malibu at 3:40 AM, with Francis Marlon Ignacio just a few minutes behind. The double-century ride is an event that must start early, at 4:30 AM, way before sunrise. Francis is considering doing the 300-miler; He does not have to decide until he gets to mile # 140.

They have trained during the winter months, and ratcheted up their training in the closing weeks.

Now they are up in the early morning limbering up. This is what it takes.

Three other AdoboVelo riders will arrive at the starting line only later because they are doing a shorter (but still very challenging) ride, the hilly double-metric (200 KM, or 124 miles, with a lot of climbing): El Presidente Jesse Santamaria, Jaimer Rodriguez, and Richard Dones.

The riders are given 24 oz. insulated water bottles for free by the race organizers Los Angeles Wheelmen. They have a few photos snapped, and they start to roll at 4:30 AM.

It's dark, but all of them have front/rear lights and reflectors (as required by the race organizers). In this early morning in June, the weather is perfect, a little chilly but tolerable. They have wind-vests and arm/leg armers on, which can be easily removed and stored in the pockets later.

The ride sets off from the Malibu Performing Arts Center, just off PCH on Stuart Ranch Rd.

Immediately they encounter some climbing just a quarter mile from the start. Later, after about 3 miles of riding, a tandem passes them at a fast speed. Francis suggests"Hey William, do you want to follow them?"

"Nah- uh”, William replies, shaking his head. “No, They are too fast". But Francis is a wily veteran of countless dozen double-centuries, triple-centuries, and quintiple-centuries (yup, 500 miles in one go). He knows the drill. He knows the best strategy for finishing a very long ride in good time and in good shape. And he can judge William’s and Rhey’s fitness. He can see they’re ready. So Francis convinces them to just follow the tandem. They did. For almost 30 miles they “sucked wheel” behind the tandem. It was the best advice. They covered a lot of distance very quickly “without doing any work”.

“Without doing any work?” What does that mean? If you’re not a cyclist, you must be wondering, how can it not be work to cover 30 miles distance on a bicycle on rolling terrain. It’s work, no matter what. In truth, when cyclists say they “didn’t do any work”, that is only relatively speaking.

It just means they stayed behind another cyclist’s wheel to take advantage of a vacuum-like area, called a “draft”, created by the front rider at high speeds.

The draft reduces air-friction for the trailing rider, and in turn reduces physical exertion by a significant 20% to 30%. The front-rider, in the meantime, expends a lot of energy to “break” the air.

Mile 35 is their first stop. They get off their bikes and do their rest-stop tasks in a hectic pace, like preparing the kids for school in the morning. A quick bathroom break. A quick refill of water bottles. A quick grab of electrolyte pills. And just like that, off they go, back to the ride.

At Mile 45, they hit the hardest climb, Potrero. This is a 1.5 mile climb, with gradients of 10% - 12% at the beginning, then 16%, and finally 18% just before the crest.

(For reference comparison, Punta Del Este in Hacienda Heights is 16%, Crown/Starlight Drive in La Canada/Flintridge is 16%, Balcom Cyn is 18% - 20%, and Fargo St in Los Angeles is 32%)

“Whoooh, what a climb”, William thought, “but we made it.” After the hill, they were cruising at Moorpark, when Rhey got a flat tire, his first of many.

At Mile 70, their second stop, they had a small piece of banana, and a cookie. They roll as soon as they fill up their bottles.

At Mile 90, another long climb at Grimes Canyon, but followed with a rewarding 5-miles descent. Up to this point, all of them (Francis, William, and Rhey) are still in good shape. The weather is still cooperative, their warmers and vests are still on.

They must be wondering about their fellow Adobos doing the metric double, Jesse, Jaimer, and Richard.

At mile 106, they start to climb Dennison, an 8 mile gradual climb just before the lunch stop. They struggle for the firs time, doing only 6 MPH going up the hill. The sun is up. “This seems like a never ending climb”, William is thinking.

Finally, they reach the aformentioned lunch stop at Mile 117. Burrito with beans. Slice of ham. Ice cold Coca-Cola. Then they roll again.

A little later, William starts to feel a resurgence of energy. They push a little harder to make up for that lost time on the Dennison 8 mile climb.

Their fourth stop is at Mile 140 at Rincon. On the way to there they were doing 25 to 29 MPH. At the stop is where Francis must decide whether to just do the 200, or continue on and complete the 300. He’s feeling strong up to this point. He’s a veteran. He knows his body, and he knows the course. He decides he can do the 300 miler.

Rhey and William head back home. Their ride is 2/3’s completed, while Francis is only half done. He forges forward.

Everthing is relative.

From this point, Rhey and William are still feeling strong: Most of the time they are doing 25- 28 mph with a tailwind, all the way to Port Hueneme, their last stop at Mile 165. But 5 miles before then, Rhey gets another flat. He pumps some air and nurses his bike to the rest stop. We fix the flat there. Rhey is so hungry, he has soup and bagel at this station.

At mile 175, they get on the PCH once again. It is 25 miles from the finish, and they are still in good shape. They try to push it to 28 to 30 mph, all the way until mile 190 . This is when they encounter big rollers at Malibu. There’s a 5% climb that “feels like a 15% climb” , William says to himself. But they were able to stay in the saddle.

At mile 198, as they pass in right in front of the great lawn of Pepperdine University, all of a sudden William hears a loud yell: "YES! We made it" screams Rhey. Two more miles later, they make the final left turn into Malibu Canyon Rd.

There’s one last 8% climb, a short one. William attacks herewith an all-out sprint.

Surprise, surprise, Rhey stays right on William’s wheel. They cross the finish line with a “riding time” of 11 hrs, 54 min, and total elapsed time of 13 hrs, 48 mins. Total distance, 201 miles.

At the finish line, there was Chicken BBQ served, and some more freebies from L.A. Wheelmen.

William posted this: “Again thank you all for your support. We were able to finish this ride because of your advice, training, knowledge, skills, and experience that you shared with us.”

Francis completed his first triple Century for this year. El Prez Jesse Santa Maria, Jaimer Rodriguez, and Richard Dones completed the Double metric ride.

Rhey phoned Arden to tell him how happy he was after doing his first double century. He was amazed how he had the energy to finish up the ride. Arden remembers the first time he saw Rhey ride at the Carson crit only 2 winters ago. Now Rhey’s strength and endurance have vastly improved, Arden says. Two Saturdays ago before the ride, when they rode to Dana Point to train, Arden noticed how agile Rhey was and how Richard paced the ride. They were more relaxed and always ready to jump and sprint

(Material provided by William on Yahoo groups. Edited by MG)

Elpidio's experiences with bad luck

2008-06-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

In Yahoo groups, Mang El shared his experiences, after reading Victor's run of bad luck (3 flats, and inadvertently causing a mom cyclist to panick and fall -- by saying the usual "on your left" ),

He says the most flats he got in one trip, was going to Seal Beach: 7 flats. At that time he had a patch kit in his back pocket & a hand pump. Now a days he carries 3 tubes, glue-less patch kit, 4 CO2's.

As for accidents, he's had a few.

Once he hit a simple bump on the bike trail (near El Dorado Long Beach) causing him to tumble 20 feet down the embankment all the way to the the river bed , bad enough to ruin his front wheel. He was OK.

In another accident, after he hit a bump, he aimed his bike toward the rocks, and ruined both wheels. He was was OK this time again.

But his luck would soon run out.

In yet another incident, a "rookie-wanna-be-racer" was going too fast while making a sharp turn, and ran straight into El's lane, knocking him down. El suffered 5 broken left ribs. That was very painful, and he could hardly breathe. He managed not to pass out. He recovered alright.

Then there was the attempted mugging in Pico Rivera golf course. El wanted to pee, but he was waiting for this man who was loitering in the area, to leave. The man then approached him and said he wanted El's Colnago. The man was wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

El replied "I'm going to put a fight first before I give my bike to somebody else". The man was holding a stick and swung it toward El's face, but he deflected it, causing it to land between his left shoulder & neck.

Next, El stepped forward & pushed him, and the man almost went down but managed to run away. El could not chase him with his cleats on. Fortunately, El did not suffer any broken bones from the hit.

Nowadays, El yells or whistles while approaching joggers/bikers or groups of people. Most of all he is super alert and watches out carefully at those hang-out areas (park/rest stop) where they could surprise & jump you. He advises, in the tunnels make lots of noise. Always watch the road for broken bottles or debris. He has been using this trail since 1980.

Arden Doing Well in JUNE 2008 Ominium Events

2008-06-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

The Encino Velodrome organizer informed our track/omnium racer Arden Arindaeng is ahead in the leaderboard for the 40+ Overall Sprint Trophy. (June 2008 Results)

Arden concentrates in 3 events: 200m TT, Match Sprints, and Keirins.

Don't worry if you don't know what's a keirin. See here.

Invented by the Japanese as a betting sport in 1948, it's a track cycling event that's 2 KM long, with a mass start, and involves a motor-pacer (which could be either a standard motorcycle, a special motorcycle called a "derny" made just for the keirin, or a tandem bicycle) .

Six to 9 Riders draw lottery to determine start positions. Riders must remain behind the "pacer", who first goes slow (about 25 KPH), gradually increasing in speed. The pacer leaves the track about 700 meters before the end, at a speed of about 50 km/h.

What's a scratch race ? It's where all contestants start from scratch ( on equal terms, not staggered start). If one rider (or a breakaway group of riders) gains an entire lap on the peloton and keeps this to the finish, this advantage places the breakaway rider/group ahead of the other riders with fewer laps completed.)

Arden's chosen 3 events do not cover all the 5 events in an"omnium", so he cannot compete in the overall.

OK, OK, you're asking..., what the heck is a OMNUIM?

You can be forgiven for asking. It has not been held at UCI events at world championship level for almost 40 years. It's a competition where the cyclist must be well-rounded because he/she must accumulate points in multi-disciplinary events, in the same vein as track and field's "pentathlon" where you must run, jump, throw, and shoot rifles.

In modern track cycling competition, a cyclist is either a sprinter, or an endurance rider. Few cyclists have the well-rounded ability to be competitive in both disciplines. The track-and-field world is the same, where you have 100-meter sprinters unable to compete in 1,500 meters or marathons, and vice-versa.

In the newly re-instituted modern omnium (UCI 2006), individual competitors accumulate points in five events, in the following order:

• 200M Flying Start Time Trial
• 5 KM Scratch race
• 3 KM Individual Pursuit (or 2KM for Juniors), with the starting seeding determined by their finish in the previous scratch race event (so dropping off the back of the bunch in the scratch race is not a good strategy)
• 15 KM Points race (with a minimum of 5 intermediate, and the sixth being the final sprint)
• And then to cap it off, a 1 KM Time Trial, generally regarded in the track cycling world as one of the hardest and most violent minutes of any cyclist's life. In the omnium, the riders will ride off in pairs, pursuit-style.

Now, back to Arden's performance. The posted results showed Arden's name underlined in green (Sprint Leader) At the previous Sprint Ominuim he finished 2nd in the 40+ group.

Look for the 40+ , and Cat3/4 Categories. Look for Wilson's name too.

Coming up:

There's one more "Bob Hansing Memorial Cup" competition coming up the following weekend (click here) but its an endurance omnium (no sprint events, only 5 medium/long events), but Arden might not race that.

(OK, too many names. WHO IS BOB HANSING? What? You don't know? That's OK.

He's an insider and pioneer to the bicycling industry. Founder of the Montrose Bike Shop in February 1955, and the Montrose Cycle Club (from which emerged several national and Olympic cyclists). A founder of the Encino Velodrome. 1968 U.S. Olympic Cycling Coach in Mexico City. Manager of the Pan-American team in Columbia in 1971. President of Shimano American Corporation, where he retired in 1971.)

Next for Arden are events held at the 3 Southern California velodromes: Encino, Home Depot/ADT in Carson, and San Diego, those three constitute one big tournament called the "SoCal Cup".

So, to repeat, Arden is in line to win the 40+ Sprint Trophy, but not for the over-all Omnium (because you must compete in all 5 multi-disciplinary events, whereas Arden is concentrating first on just 3 events). He is accumulating valuable experience, and getting ready mentally for bigger things/events.
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The Keirin Finals didn't look so well because his team's tactics didn't work as planned for his teammate. To gain points, his teammate needed (but failed) to finish well. But the qualifier round worked as planned for Arden because of his team's help. Arden's teammate Shawn covered his back the whole time allowing Arden to finish 1st.

Elpidio's Report 6/28 Encanto-GMR

2008-06-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

Elpidio reported in Yahoo groups the following:

Ricky called him at 7:30am, but he just woke up, so he told Ricky to go ahead. El started at 8:00 AM & went up to East Fork where he met up with Ricky Boy, Jessie & Jojo. They went to Camp Williams hoping to see Victor & Manny there (but of course they had gone south instead to Seal Beach.)

Ricky boy got burned out & decided to head home. Jojo & Jessie went up to GMR. Ricky boy & I ended up to Banana Leaf as usual.

Victor's Report 6/28 Encanto-SealBch

2008-06-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Report by Victor Dakila

(Editor's note: What a day for VIctor and Manny: Broken spoke, slashed sidewall, 3 flats, and mom on cruiser crashing into wall)

--- In ADOBOvelo@yahoogroups.com, "Victor" wrote:

Manny and I missed the Liberty guys. We were late rolling out of Encanto so we did not get to Liberty in time. Saw Arnold "Kapatid" and two others going north on the trail, perhaps to Turnbull.

We did good time getting to Seal Beach and still felt pretty fresh. Manny and I decided to head back and climb to at least East fork.

We were hauling ass on the way back with Manny pulling most of the way up. We were almost at Beverly then ran into some glass. Manny was able to swerve away from it but broke a spoke in the process. I cut up my tire pretty bad (First flat of the day). Put a new tube in, but got another flat one mile up (2nd flat). Then another flat about 5 miles up (3rd flat).

Some riders stopped by to help out. Sold me a new tube plus a small piece of cut out tire to help cover the cut on my tire. No more flats all the way to Encanto.

We just cruised back but on one of the tunnels this lady with her daughter were riding the opposite direction. We yelled 'rider up' but this somehow caused her to panic and crashed into the wall inside the tunnel. I swear to God I did not touch her. She just panicked. She was OK though but I felt somewhat responsible. Anyways, we still managed to get in 75 miles. Now to the bike shop to get new tires and tubes.

Jonas' Report 6/28 Liberty-HB

2008-06-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Report by Jonas "Jojo Mayabang" Victorio

In ADOBOvelo@yahoogroups.com, "Jonas Victorio" wrote:

There were 7 of us. Deo lead the way to HB. I met up w/them at Sunset Beach RR stop.

Saw a group of 40 riders, mostly Velo Allegro kits.

(Wish we had hour AdoboVelo Kits by now!!! Can we cancel and move our orders to ChampSys.com?)

Continued to HB. Kicked back for 20 minutes enjoying the scenery w/ Edgar and friends.

Met Marlon , who used to ride w/Adobo a couple of years back. Recruited him into joining our "fat burning" grind. Edgar, way to push the pace thru Bolsa Chica!!

Anyway, it was a short ride for me today... dedicated to the ultra marathoners at the Grand Tour.

Arden's June 13-14 San Diego Report

2008-06-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

Arden's Report:

Got some motor-pacing time with Coach Mark Whitehead at the track last Friday afternoon, June 13 in San Diego. This was to familiarize ourselves with each other. I survived the "session" on a lighter gear and he actually sped it up even more on the last set where I was spinning my legs off the pedals! There where 2 others of his trainees that showed up so it was a good session with them. Another reason why I went to his training session is also to get familiar with the track as all velodromes are different.

Go to my in-laws before 8pm and luckily got to bed at an hour after but had a hard time getting to sleep. Got up at 5am and arrived at the meeting place a few minutes before MMCCs started to show up (I think I was the closest anyway). Edgar arrived next, clad in ADOBO Velo Kit, and it felt good after seeing that. I'm bad in names so I won't mention some but MMCC folks are all good people. They knew that I rode the night before, so they always had someone behind me and telling me what's on the next turn, especially Sammy. My hill climbing weakness was exposed, I was dropped easily. Their strong man actually went back to make sure everyone was ok. This is actually the first time I witnessed the "no-one-gets-left-behind" moto being done (maybe because I was always behind). It even happened on the way back on the flats when I started cramping! We finished off by having lunch at Tita's Restaurant.

One thing I learned about Raffy on the downhill: He can draft closely on a fast downhill (which I think its an amazing skill) and tuck-in for an aero position, but you'll always be faster than him. So if you want to make a move on him, do it on a downhill!

Ride Report June 15 Father's Day

2008-06-15T21:44:00.001-07:00

Rosalie's report:

The Duarte Boys came out to play again: Pete, Francis and Mang El and also William "Legstrong", Victor, Kuya Ricky, Mandy, Manny and myself, and Felix (who showed up but rode to E. Fork instead).

Today's rider of the day, with an IMPRESSIVE showing beyond expectation, goes to KUYA RICKY. His polka dot KOM Colnago was jealous of Ricky's other bike, the Championship De Rosa, so the KOM Colnago showed Kuya Ricky what he was missing. The name says it all. Kuya Ricky was the KOM of the day.

Kuya Ricky passed 3 unknown riders and accumulated 30 pts (10 points for each rider overtaken). Victor got 10 points with the help of "domestique" Legstrong, who did Deo's job today pushing a few riders up Big GMR. Awesome for having an aluminum bike. It's not the machine, it's the RIDER: Lungs and Legs. Well the MACHINE helps too. Francis lent his DeRosa to William on the last 2 miles of the Hwy 39 climb. And "man, oh, man", Legstrong took off like a sling shot. Pete chased after him, but this time did not catch up.

After the ride, where else, the "well known to everyone by now" BANANA LEAF. I think we consumed more calories than burned. Once again, Great Ride Guys.

Ride Report June 15 Saturday

2008-06-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, there was a big group ride (20 Adobos) in Encanto, and another group ride in OC.

The OC group from Laguna Niguel had 4 riders, Vic, Randy,Eric and Chris. They made a round-trip to Newport and back, totalling 36 miles. Randy reported they each burned 2,ooo calories, giving him an excuse to feast on aCarl's Jr. Western burger. They started early at 6am, headed up north along PCH. There was a nice climb up Newport Coast, and up Ridge View Dr. Stopped at Starbucks and had an entertaining conversation about our house pets.

The Encanto Duarte group started at around 8AM. The parking lot had riders from BikeForum and LAWheelmen. Their itinerary was to go up Angeles Crest Hwy, then down via Crystal Lake/Rte 39.

We Adobos on the other hand decided to go up Hwy 39 to E Fork, then Little GMR, then return via Big GMR and Sierra Madre.

The Adobo riders were well represented. We were 20 RIDERS all in all (photos). Four riders from Cerritos decided to save on GASOLINE and get EXTRA BASE MILES by riding all the way from Liberty Park, Cerritos (30 miles): (1) El Presidente Jesse Santamaria, (2) Jaimer Rodriguez, (3) Richard Dones, (4) Ben Aragon. The other riders were: (5) Deo Asuncion, (6) Pete Primavera, (7) Francis Ignacio, (8) Ed Morente, (9) Roy Adeva, (10)Manny Amit, (11) Rhey Abad, (12) Victor Dakila, (13) Ricky Herrera, (14) Louie Navarte, (15) Jesse Agrezor, (16) Felix Bautista, (17) Doc, a neighbor of Felix, (18) Manolito Dionisio, (19) James, and (20) Mandy Genato.

Jesse had just arrived the night before from RP, and was still jet-lagged. But he was very excited to resume riding with the group. He biked straight from his house in Covina to meet us at E. Fork.

While we were going up Little GMR, a bunch of Pasadena Triathlon cyclists were there too. Much later, when we were going home along Sierra Madre, we saw paramedics and fire engines at the park past Azusa Ave. It turns out that one of the Pasadena riders crashed from hitting a raised crack in the asphalt. We learned that he separated his shoulder, but did not crack his collar bone, according to a rider we spoke to later at the parking lot.

While going up Little GMR, Mang El would come down to check on the "pasyalan" riders in the back. Deo (Mr Olympian) too was riding in the back, but he was "pushing" the laggards. I mean literally pushing them one by one with his right hand, making the rider zoom up. First he pushed James, who zoomed past everyone in the back group. Then he pushed Manolito, who leapfrogged everyone. Then Ricky went ZOOM too. Then Victor. Then Mandy. Then Deo did it all over again. And again. It was AMAZING! Mr Olympian is out of this world. To top it off, he was the one pulling everyone on the climb to Mt Baldy.

When the group got to the top of GMR, they chatted a bit. The Pasadena group was there too. A pretty woman cyclist from the Pasadena group came over to the Adobo side, and walked up to Felix, and asked him "Are you Felix?", and gave him a warm, tight hug. She said they should ride again. Felix was just nodding his head. Later we asked Felix who that was. He said he didn't know her. A case of Mistaken identity. That's why he never took off his shades, so she won't
realize her mistake.

The Adobos split up at GMR. Seven "astigs" went up Mt. Baldy: Deo, Pete, Francis, Ed, Roy, Manny, Rhey. The Liberty Park group split early to make the return trip to Liberty Park, to complete almost 100 miles. The rest followed about 10 minutes later to Encanto via Big GMR/Sierra Madre.

The Mt. Baldy group was led by Deo & Pete. Mang El described it as "a murder." He was falling behind purposely to wait for other riders, not realizing that there was no one in the back, since everyone else already turned back to Encanto. He was the last one to reach M. tBaldy. Then then left from MtBaldy before 12 noon & got back to Banana Leaf before 1:30PM.

The Liberty group of Ben, Jaimer, Richard, and El Presidente in the meantime arrived at Liberty Park a little after 1pm. Along the way they stopped by a taco stand along Sierra Madre/corner Azusa to satisfy Jaimer's craving. They later saw the other Adobos (Mandy, Vic, Jesse, Manolito, Louie, Doc, Felix and Rick) pass by. Then they loaded on drinks and resumed the ride. As usual they rode against the wind. They applied El Prez' "counter clockwise" pace line at a steady rhythm through the Sante Fe Dam. They were having so much fun they didn't realized they were almost home.

(By the way, Ben says someone earned a new nickname, "Datu". But he did not explain. That will have to come later. It's a "a can of worms" he says.)

Meantime, the "pasyalan" group of Victor, Ricky, Louie, Jesse, Felix, Doc, Manolito, James and Mandy returned via Sierra Madra. At the Grand Ave hill there was a little competition. James put on his turbo and sprinted and put a little gap. Felix overtook him at 3/4th of the way and took "KOM". Mandy and James got to the top together. The rest were taking it easy in the back.

After the ride, all of us then went to Banana Leaf except the Liberty riders, Jesse (he went home at Azusa, Manolito (got handcuffed by commander when he got home), Rhey, and Doc. That restaurant probably got about $200 in business from AdoboVelos on that day.