First weekend racing for the ADOBO Velo Racing Team

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

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

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

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

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)

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.