Fw: News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

Only two months away from the first races of the season.  This time of year
as we prepare for Holiday festivities and winter training is in full swing,
my thoughts turn too the season that just passed.  I am encouraged by the
results that Vegas posted during the race season.  The local base of riders
continues to grow and this is a good time to reflect on some of the great
performances of the year past.  As always this is to the best of my
recollection and I am sure that I will forget someone or a great ride that
someone had.  Feel free to reply and add in your own comments.  You will of
course notice that this is my own unique perspective and I have a tendency
to notice different aspects of a rider than most.

I will start with Thomas Michaud from Allegiant.  This year he had a break
through ride at Boulevard.  This is a tough road race taylor made for a
good climber and Tom had a great ride to post a second place for his first
Cat 4 race of the year.  Tom has really proven himself to be a solid
climber and I am sure he will continue to rocket up the rankings.

That is a god segway into another break out performance by Chuck Luib.
Chuck put himself on the radar with a fine sprint finish in the Valley of
the Sun road race for 1st place on the stage.  His category was 100 strong
and he smoked them all for his first W.  This is a false flat finish after
a climb and he took the W in style.

I wanted to take a minute and note that both of these riders have been
under the steady tutelage of Mr Tony Gebbia.  Tony has been doing a really
good job of mentoring some of the younger riders in the area and these kind
of results are very encouraging.  It looks like Allegiant is positioned to
have a really good season this year.

Ashley Diamond and Alicia Boland both had very good road races at VOS with
both of them taking a 4th in their category.  I mention both of them
together because they also went out to the Nature Valley Grand Prix and
competed in a big time NRC stage race.  Stepping up to the big leagues for
a part time racer is a daunting task and they both did very well to
represent Vegas.

How could we forget the Chicken.  Mr Anderson really came into his own in
Yuma this year.  With some phenominal riding by Kircher and Jay he was able
to bridge to the break in the RR and solo in for the win and the GC win.
This was even more impressive in that he took control in conditions that
are not normally his forte and soldiered on in horendous winds to take the
W.  I would also like to mention that Jay was an animal in the early part
of the race and than trudged on after his job was done to get in a finish.

Kircher had several noteworthy performances this year including VOS and San
Diego Omnium but his most inspiring ride was at Lotoja where he attacked 3
miles into a 208 mile race and soloed the better part of half of the race.
He ended up 9th in the race and was strong as an ox.  I would also like to
point out that he was Mr consistent this year and was solid in every race
he was in.  he was a direct contributor to results for the PT team at San
Dimas, Yuma, State Champs, San Luis Rey, Boulevard, Murietta, and San Diego
Omnium to name a few.  Oh and if you think he can not ride crits check out
the results for Omnium and Mandalay Bay.  Very solid year.

The Boss rocked the house all year and his wins are too numerous to mention
here.  The most impressive ride was Nats.  I have never seen him ride so
strong and was a player in the race all day.  He was a whisker away from
having a shot for the jersey and his 9th place eclipsed all his other wins
this year.  Oh by the way this is Elite Nats, not Masters.  My other best
ride would be his ride at Cascade classic.  His defence of his TT lead was
incredible and they threw everything at him.  All of this was done with his
hand swollen like a bear claw and no friends in the field to count on.  He
defended in the RR and than dominated the circuit to clinch the overall.

Mrs. Hillary Crowley has really improved her sprint to take some impressive
wins but her ride at State RR champs was awesome.  Again this was
breakthrough ride as she has not been a player in most road races but she
did well to make it over the climb with the field and than take the sprint
for a state championship jersey.

Danny Kam got motivated and started to train.  We always new Danny has some
serious fast twitch but when he started training on the track he took his
game to a whole new level.  his breakthrough ride was Manhattan beach.  He
came flying out of the washing machine turn to take a serious sprint win.
His bike handling combined with some serious sprint power served him well
at the end of the season and he was able to earn his Cat 1 this year.
Enough said, well done Mr Kam.

Julie Cutts showed some TT power and took the State ITT championships.

Brian Bitter has been placing in TT's all year and capped off the season
with the Cat 3 state championships.  He continues to develop his power and
it will be good to see him combine that with some good road placings.

Andy Bestwick decided he wanted to try his hand at the NRC and went up for
the Tour De Nez in Reno.  I admit I was a little jealous checking his
results every day and Andy had some awesome rides to finish his first NRC
stage race.  Not an easy task for a lot or pro riders.  It always amazes me
to see a full timer go out and finish that kind of event and seeing Andy
return to big time road racing was awesome.

Jonathan's strength has been well documented by me and every time I line up
with him in a race is exciting because you never know what RS will pull out
of his bag of tricks.  He had two really noteworth rides.  In Cascade his
TT time in the masters would have been first in the Cat III and he was
sitting in 12th in the masters.  That was a great TT and he caught me half
way into the ride at the turn.  He also rode like a champ in defense of
Louies lead in the circuit race.  At Mandalay Bay he put on a show in front
of the home town crowd and was in one break, got caught and than made the
second break.  he then took the 3 up sprint for the win after being off the
front most of the night.  WOW.  On that same race mad props out to Lance
who was also very active in the breaks and was key to Jonathan and him
making the bridge on the last break.  He also got a nice podium for his
trouble.

Jeremy Thatcher has been progressing all year and took a nice sprint win at
Aliso Viejo in the Cat 3.  He than showed up at Mt Charelston and posted a
smoking time jsut to show us he is more than crit rider.  Very Impressive.
Another Allgiant rider stepping up.

Michele King has been working on her upgrade all year and had a
breakthrough ride in AZ when she took the state championship road race.
She upped her game when she soloed away from the field.  Nothing like
winning a race solo.

Mark Schafer is the Iron Man.  Not only does he take 2nd in the 170 mile
Tour de Park City in the Cat 1-2, he than proceeds to do the 208 mile
Lotoja and caps off his season by taking second at the Everest Challenge.
Most people would consider finishing one of these races in a year a
momentous event, but Mark placed in all of them.  RIdiculous.  Mr.
Pendleton also finished Everest Challenge.  If you think you are bad ass
Everest will break you.  Alex rode well and if not for a flat would
probably been on the podium.

I have to shout out for Ryan Jarrell.  He was the only guy from his team to
take on the road race at Nelsons and soldiered on to finish.  I can relate
to how tough it is to drag big legs over big climbs and I was impressed
that he would not take the easy road out.

My last but not least goes out to all the guys who busted ass for a team
mate to help them win.  You are always the most impressive rider and may
your teammates never forget to thank you for your selfless efforts.

Random Thoughts

Did you see Kayle finally got caught.  We all knew but it is nice when
justice is served.  I think it would have been a lot better for Rock if
they had axed him when he got caught.  Funny that many of the underlings at
Rock did not make the cut this year because of "performance"  You think we
have pressure to perform, think about your livelihood being on the line.
Do you think you might turn to drugs???

Saxo Bank goes bankrupt and now Bjarne has a big headache.  I am thinking
that Sastre is a little happy he switched team.  Lets hope Bjarne can get a
new sponsor quick cause this is a quality team.

The SNSR will have three stages all based out of Caulville Bay with a RR, a
TT, and a crit.  I am going to miss the crit at the stadium because that is
a quality venue that is very spectator friendly but I can not wait to see
what the RR is going to be.  I am sure that there will be a lot of training
rides out at the lake this winter.

Lance (not Coburn) announced he will do the Tour today.  Did that surprise
any of you??  I wonder who will be working for whom??  I can not see Lance
as a domestique but Contador has mad climing skills.  Should be
interesting.  I know Louie is worried about racing 35+ with me because he
will have to compete with me for team leadership.

Cal Pools had their first training camp.  Chicken was tight lipped about
individual performances.  I did hear he was climbing well.  Will this be
the year he challenges at Boulevard??

Katusha with three solid sprinters.  This team looks primed to take some
big wins this year.

How about Paolo trying to take over ownership of a team.  He was a great
rider, will he be a great owner and manager??



Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

Another El Tour is in the books.  More on that later but it was epic fun
and epic riding as always.  There is always something special about a big
one day event and it is pretty cool to roll through the streets of Tucson
with full enclosure and crowds of people cheering you on.  The energy and
enthusiasm for the event is very cool and it is a good reason not to miss
it.  I sincerely hope that all you first timers come back again next year
and lets hope that someday the Vegas Century can build into this type of
event.

My tip of the week involves your pre-race routine.  For most of my racing
and athletic career I have been able to witness different rituals of
various athletes.  The one constant is the successful athlete will usually
have a pre-race routine that is virtually the same for every event.  This
routine can be the calm before the storm and is a factor in preparing
yourself to perform at your highest level.  As you become a more
accomplished racer or rider you may want to spend a little time working on
a pre-race routine.  Here are just a few examples.  Keep all your race gear
in one bag all the time.  I have two bags when I travel.  One for my
regular clothes and one for the bike gear.  My gear always stays in this
bag and all my equipment goes back in the bag as soon as I am done riding.
This keeps me organized and makes sure I do not forget race items.  Try to
keep your pre-race eating on the same schedule.  If you know what you want
to eat and when before the start of the race you will be one step ahead of
the game.  Having to deal with an upset stomach before or during a race is
not fun, having no energy because you did not eat right is even worse.
Think ahead and be prepared when it comes to eating.  If your race start is
far away from any known source of a good meal, bring it with you.  Eating
from Joe's taco hut because that is the only thing you can find is not
smart.  When you get ready and get in your kit, establish a timeline of how
long it takes you to get dressed and do whatever it is you need to do
before you start.  Once you know how long it takes make sure you allow
enough time for variables and add that in your pre-race plan.  Running late
and being stressed to get ready before a start can make you forget
important items and preparation.  Now with all those tips, I have observed
some athletes who strive on being completely unprepared and disorganized
before a race and it seems to work for them.  Kircher is a perfect example.
If your travel or ride partner is like that, just do your own thing and do
not get involved in their madness.  It all works in the end.

El Tour
This year was a good turn out by the Vegas crowd.  For the purpose of
content I can not list everybody but it was larger than usual and great to
see.  El tour is a 109 miles of pure race speed from the gun.  8 miles into
the race their is a dry river bed crossing and one more at mile 48.  After
the second crossing you have a small steep climb out of Sabino Creek and
than lots of rollers before you hit a long descent into town and than 25
miles of cross headwinds to come back to the finish.  I flatted 8 miles
into the ride so most of my reporting will be related from stories that I
was told by the guys in the front.  i spent the day chasing my ass off to
try and get back and I never made it.  This year the first wash was hard
packed and most of the field was able to ride through it without
dismounting.  With the group getting split in the cross winds a train
caused the front group to stop allowing slower riders to catch back on.
This meant the field was huge going into the second river crossing.
Brandon was best placed coming out of the second wash and was right on the
wheel of the powerful Mexican team.  He was in the front group and was not
able to hold the pace of the Mexicans.  Louie, Jay, Balch and Freeze soon
joined him in the front group where the race quickly became negative as
Ride Clean did not want to chase their guy up the road and some of the
other pros were content to just bring it home.  Chicken came up from the
rear and the pace slacked off to join this front group.  Coming into the
last straightaway before the last corner Balch hit a cone and took him and
Luna from Penta out with a crash.  Jay keyed off of the Chicken when he
launched for the corner and was able to win the field sprint in front of
Curtis Gunn from Successful Living.  Chicken was close behind with Alex and
Brandon both finishing in this front group.  Luna, Balch, and Louie came in
soon after they scraped each other off of the pavement.  Vegas was well
represented in the front group and Jay had a great sprint to win the field.
The breaks up the road consisted of several groups with the Mexican team
bringing three riders home together for the win.  next year we got to try
and get in that front break but really god job by all you front runners.
Honorable mentions go out to Trena for getting in her 108.  Also wanted to
note that Penta brought down a big group.
Black Ace recipients:  Jim "the Fat Man" Robbins flatted 8 miles in.  Scott
Miller from Penta flatted at mile 30??  Bruce Balchesaurus and Anthony Luna
crashed at mile 107.
Fastest Man in Nevada- Jay Lilge from Paul Tracy
Best rider out of the second wash- Brandon with awesome skills almost rode
the whole wash.

Random Thoughts:

Michael Ball throws the Koo Koo switch and hires Rudy Pevanage as director.
Can Jan be soon to follow??

Good legs does not always mean good results.  The beauty of a classic is
you have to have legs, a good team, and good luck.  That is what makes them
classics.  Lets get one of us in that final break next year.

I heard a rumor that Andy Brown and Dave herbst will be riding with DeWalt
next year.  Like there wasn't enough players in the masters already.

How about that Squirrel!!!!!  He took some confidence with him to Tucson
and pulled off a nice sprint.  Oh and did I say that was after a 108 miles
of racing.  I can not wait to see that sprint in the big races this spring.

Flat tires suck but crashing is worse.  Bruce is banged up but nothing
broken.  I have not heard any report on Luna.  Hope all is well!!  Let us
know.

Damn those Mexicans are strong.  The punked Tucson and took 1-3.  WOW!!

Brandido rode like a champ.  There are some great pics of him coming out of
Sabino with the leaders.  Nice job Brandon.

Chicken rode hard to get back to the front group.  He should have a good
training camp next week.  Does anyone have some extra clothing you can
donate him until he gets his Cal Pools kit.

Brandido hooked us up in style for Saturday night.  The talent at Raw Sushi
in Scottsdale is very nice.  The hotel was awesome and much better than the
Motel 6 Louie normally has us at.  I think Chicken stole the robe so check
your credit card.

Penta, don't give up.  Anthony was rocking to get back to the front group.
Lets bring that level up for the race season.  I can not wait to see you
guys bring up your game.  You guys looked good before the race and it is
nice to see all your players back to riding.

Allegiant, it would be cool to see you guys in the game next year.  This
race is ideal for Little Hurt.  I think he could be a player at the finish.

Have a great Thanksgiving and I will see all of you in two weeks.  Since I
will not be riding much this weekend, (I have my little one's) I will be
putting out a year highlight edition.  Send me a note and tell me who you
think had a breakthrough result or ride this year and I will gather them
together.


Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

This week was very quiet with very little going on around town accept the
various group rides.  I was not able to participate this week in any of the
local rides due to some social commitments that kept me from riding.  I did
hear that many of the rides were well attended this weekend as our weather
continues to be incredible for this time of year.  This weekend is the
annual trek to Tucson to take on El Tour.  Should be a blast and I am
looking forward to kicking off my training for next year by getting dragged
for 109 miles by all you guys in good shape from Silverman.

My tip for this week involves planning out your season.  I had an
interesting conversation with Chris Horner last year that involved winter
training and his Astana training camp.  He was very familiar with the
concept of the Christmas Star.  He even was laughing about certain riders
that show up at training camp super fit because they need to impress the
Director but they train so hard so early that come race time they are
burned out.  Being the star of training camp does not guarantee you will be
the star at the big race.  Keep that in mind when you look at your goals
for the season.  If you want to win Boulevard in February than by all means
start crushing it now.  If you plan on winning the big races in the summer
than you have to plan your training around those goals and use the early
season races to build fitness.  Planning your training to arrive at a race
in peak condition is an art form that few master but the racer that can
peak for the big events will usually have a much more rewarding season.
Another tip is use races to build up to a big goal.  It is very rare that a
racer can take time off from racing and than show up at a big race and be
competitive.  Competition is the last piece of a training plan that will
give you the edge you need to be in top form.  Ask Lance, there is a reason
he always did the Dauphine several weeks before the Tour started.  You can
not simulate racing.

I heard the Allegiant guys showed up to the Saturday ride and Little Hurt
was showing some good climbing form.  Good to hear Andy back on the path of
the climber.  He has been doing a lot of cross training and looks like it
is paying off.  I had the chance to ride with mike Houtz on Saturday for 30
miles of easy rolling.  It was good to catch up and spend the morning
telling race stories.

I heard the Sunday ride out to Jean was well attended with 30-35 guys and
girls out for the ride.  I am sorry I could not make it but I will be back
to training very soon.

Team News:

The Cal Pools team will be having a training camp over the Thanksgiving
weekend out in California.  I hear that Steve Shirley formerly of the
Jittery Joes team may be in attendance.  Should be a good chance for their
Vegas contingent to show their strength to their new teammates.

Kirk Bausch formerly riding with Cynergy is rumored to be riding for Amgen.
That is a good rider pick up for them and Amgen is looking really strong
for next year.

Rock Racing announced their new roster for their Pro team withsome strong
signings from the Toyota United team as well as some Euro guys.  The look
like the team to beat on the domestic side of Garmin is not in town.

El Tour is Saturday and the start lists shows quite a few pros making the
trip down.  This should be a fast ride.  Penta is taking a strong group
with about 9 guys making the trip.  Team Paul Tracy will have several
weapons to play with and should be very active on the front.  Cal Pools
will be sending a lone sniper called the Chicken.  I heard some Allegiant
guys are making the trip but did not get any names.  The Fastest Man in
Nevada title is up for grabs.  Het your bets down.  Louie is a 3:1 favorite
with Hansel and Chicken at even odds.  Lilge is an outside long shot with
Kenny Bingham even money.  The fatman is a super long shot paying quadruple
bonus money if he takes the title.  You can also bet on verious other lines
such as who will come out of the second wash first, who will get dealt the
black ace, how many pros will Chicken suck up too after the race is done,
and how many times with the fatman cramp in a 100 miles.

Gagne sent me a new forum site to check on called sincitycycling.com.  I do
not know who is behind this forum.  My thoughts are that Bill and the gang
from Luv2Bike are doing a lot of good things around town to support racing
and bike events and I am not familiar with sincitycycling.  I do not want
to give anyone a bad rap but as always I would support the people in town
that support racing and events.  That is just my take.  Chime in and let me
know what you think, you usually do!!

Random Thoughts

Can not wait to see what Vegas guys are able to mix it up with the big pros
at Tucson.  Lets hope that someone makes the final break.

I am hearing rumors of 6 hour training rides and long days in the saddle.
Some of you seem to be serious about stepping up your game.  Look out Vegas
there some new sheriffs in town:)

Nice to hear Little Hurt is climbing again.  That boy is toooo good to be a
crit specialists.

Wow, Penta bringing it hard to Tucson.  They started small a couple of
years ago and keep getting more in too it.

Vino needs to give it up.  You got caught and you need to serve your two
years.

Rock has a really good roster and special note that a personal friend of
mine made the cut for another year.  Props out to Sergio for getting a
contract extension.  I know he did a lot of work as a domestique this year
to secure his spot.  Teamwork is a beutiful thing.

Kircher stop riding when you are sick.  No need to put yourself out before
we start hard training.  Oh and I forgot to mention that Dr Stan is riding
well.  He just looks like a climber.

Should be fun to see how Brandido likes riding with the team this week.
Hang on to your handlebars cause the Boss is giving out assignments.



Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hey Gang,

This is the time of year when most of the news coming out of the pro ranks
involves rider transfers and new team rosters.  It is unfortunate that some
good things have been happening in the domestic racing scene but the
overall news for pro riders is bleak as several teams were not able to
secure sponsors for the next year and have folded or scaled down their
programs.  The repercussions of the economy and the drug scandals in the
sport have taken its toll.  I would just encourage all of you to be kind to
your sponsors and local race promoters.  We have very few local events
compared to other cities.  That being said, good news.  The Southern Nevada
Stage race is back on the schedule for 2009.  I do not have details about
the stages so if you do please feel free to update us.  The dates are Feb
28th and march 1st.  I encourage all of you to talk up this race as much as
possible.  It has a stand alone position on the race calendar for the SoCal
series so lets hope for a big turn out.  I know the Paul Tracy team will
fully support a local race so we will be there in force.

My tip of the week involves getting good racing/training advice.  On too
many occasions I have seen new racers and riders get tips and techniques
from riders that have limited experience but talk the talk and tout
themselves as experts.  I am not an expert and take every opportunity I can
to observe riders more skilled and knowledgable than myself.  When seeking
advice the first thing I do is look for a credible source.  Ask yourself if
the resume and results of a perspective mentor really match the level of
expertise they claim to have.  Does this person race??  Did they get
results??  Asking me about diet based on my rather large belly, probably
not smart.  Asking Chicken about Sprinting, probably not smart.  Asking
Lance about climbing, probably not smart.  Get the picture.  Seek
experienced and proven riders and soon your knowlege will grow.  Our sport
is filled with little known secrets and tips that you can not learn in
books and videos and the guardians of these traditions are hesitant to give
you the secrets until you earn their respect and trust.  It seems elitest
and maybe it is, but I love these traditions and I think it is important
that some things just have to be learned the hard way.

That was a great segway into this little piece of news.  Jonathan Edwards
now has a question and answer column in Road Bike Action magazine.  We all
know Jonathan well and his experience on coaching and administering first
aid to athletes is well documented.  Here is the info he sent me on this

Jimmy, I now have a column in road bike action magazine called " ask the
coach" and it is a question answer type deal.  If you could add an
excerpt that this column exists, that would be cool as well. Do you know
anywhere else I should put it?  Just to get the word out.
Thanks a ton
Johnathan

For the column - go to www.roadbikeaction.com
click RBA
blogs
click Health and Fitness
click Ask the coach

The Silverman was this weekend and many of you were competing in the relays
or the half.  Lots of Vegas locals came out to try their hand at the TT.
The weather and conditions were herendous and my compliments to all those
brave souls that were out in the elements getting pounded by wind and rain.
This may have been the hardest edition yet.  The Boss set the fastest time
for the men with Chicken second for Vegas guys.  Special note and props out
for Terry Pittman who was one of the few Vegas guys to go under 6 hours and
this was his first TT back after many years off from racing.  that is very
impressive and he looked really strong on the bike.  As always I try to
point out good performances that may not be the winning move but were
momentous for other reasons.  Props out to Jason Lilge who with limited
training came out to help a team at the last minute and turned himself
inside out to finish.  Dave Ellis setting a respectable time and he is
older than most of us.  Big Ryan J trimmed a ton of time off of his time
from last year so huge improvement for him.  Hillary was one of the few
woman from vegas doing the full TT and had a very respectable time.  Hansel
looked good when he passed me and his team won the corporate event.  Great
job by all.  Good job to Jeff's wife Peggy who did the half triathlon.

Sqwak Box and friends have a cyclo cross work out going on Saturday
mornings at Desert Breeze park.  Check out Luv2Bike boards for details.

Note out to Bill Wolff.  We need some updated topics on the Boards.  I can
not post topics so lets get with the program.  How about a Tucson category.

Who is going to Tucson???  Let me know.  PT is bringing Jay, Boss, Kenny,
Brandido, Fat Man, and Mr Freeze.  Cal Pools will have Chicken.  Penta will
have ????  Allegiant will have???  CES will have???

Random Thoughts:

Can the Silverman catch a break.  The weather the day before and after was
absolutely beutiful.  I think the weather gods really like to make this
event hard.  The crosswinds on the desents was murder.

Rock Racing signed Dominguez, Caleb and Baldwin from Toy United.  Damn.
They look to be the strongest domestic team next year on paper.  We will
have to wait and see.

Terry looked really good on that TT bike.  Can his return to racing be in
the works??

Great job to all of you that came out to watch the race this weekend.  The
weather sucked so I know the competitors appeciated the cheering.

The Boss set a blistering TT pace this weekend.  Ouch.  Great time
considering the conditions.  Chicken improved his time from last year for a
solid performance.

SNSR back on the schedule.  Can you say showdown at the OK corral.  Who
will retain the bragging rights for another year.  Should be a good race
and the place on the calendar a little later in the season may help to
bring some good weather and more competitors.  Start training ladies.

Who the hell is Linus Gerdeman.  I am not a huge Lance fan but his quote on
Linus is classic Lance.  I like it.  Reminds me of some of the talk that
goes on around the Vegas scene.  Your results and your legs are much better
than petty shit talking.  Lay it down hard in a race, get on the podium and
all the talk is just background noise.

I will be having a clinic on race diet and losing weight for fitness.  You
can join me at Gordon Biersch where we will sample different styles of beer
for caloric content and recover abilities.  Coburn will hold the next
clinic at Cold Stone and the final clinic will be held by Chicken at Mc
Donalds.  At the Mc Donalds there will be a bonus segment on the legend of
Tiny Fat and Sponge Bob and how they evolved into a Cat 1 racer.  Kenny
Bingham will also be on hand to discuss indoor tanning for offseason good
looks.  Please mail your $5000 registration check attention Jim Robbins at
the below address.

Keely, thanks for the Hot Chocolate.  Your the best!!!  I was freezing
Sunday.

Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

How about that wind Sunday.  My legs are still throbbing from pounding the
big ring in the headwinds out at the lake.  Lots of people out stretching
there legs before the Silverman next weekend and quite a few recreational
riders out this weekend.  Based on my uneducated observations it seems that
cycling in the Las Vegas Valley continues to grow at a healthy rate.  Lets
hope the race scene also enjoys some healthy growth.  I continue to see
more and more recreational riders out enjoying the weather this time of
year.  As ambassadors of the sport lets try to maintain a good raport with
these riders.  You never know where that next good sponsor for your team is
going to come from, or the next great rider.

On a somber note, another rider was hit by a vehicle this weekend.  Barry
Lasko has been a prominent member of the cycling community for many years
here in Vegas.  He was hit by an RV on the road to Lake Mead on Saturday
and sustained some serious injurys.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to our
firends the Lasko's and we hope Barry has a very speedy recovery.

I will mention this for the umpteenth time.  As cyclists it is imperative
that you have UM/UIM insurance on your auto policy.  It covers just such an
event when a vehicle hits you on your bicycle.  If the at fault driver does
not have enough insurance to cover your injury, or no insurance at all,
this provision of your policy will be there so you can make an injury
claim.  I do not sell insurance and I do not give a damn which company you
buy your insurance from, just make sure you have it in adequate limits.  I
would suggest 100/300 K limits for anyone that is an avid rider.  Most car
vs bike collisions result in serious injurys and many people in hard
economic times will lessen the limits of their policy, thus leaving you
exposed for medical costs.

My tip of the week involves mental toughness.  We spend so much time
training the body to go fast and many of us neglect the mental aspect of
racing.  Now some people would say that you can not train yourself to be
mentally tough but I disagree.  In the off season you can start to set
little goals for yourself that will teach you how to deal with adversity in
race situations.  Try matching up with a better climber and than match his
pace until you crack.  The more times you push yourself to not get popped
the more you know what you are capable of.  Instead of following wheels for
the whole ride try matching pull for pull with a strong roller and see how
long it will take before you crack.  Make it a point to give positive
feedback to members of your team that can push themselves harder.  Some of
the best performances I have ever seen in a race do not involve a podium.
It was the Gregario behind the scenes that did unbelievable tempo for half
the race to control a break.  Pushing your mind to overcome what your body
tells you is not possible is a sign of a winner.  At the end of a hard race
between two physically matched riders, the ability to push harder will win
the race.

Saturday the West side ride was very small.  Kenny and Bruce were active on
the climb.  Mark Henry is still riding very strong for this time of year
and had a great time sparring with the three PT riders.

I heard the East side ride on Saturday out to Jean was a lot of fun.
Chicken was on his tt bike and everyone made the trip up to Goodsprings.  I
would not have wanted to do that ride on Sunday.

Sunday I made the East side ride.  Hansel and Ryan J were out on their TT
bikes getting in one last test ride before Silverman.  Chuck from Allegiant
was there and him and Chicken were doing some kind of weird BIG Ring
climbing workout.  The wind was howling so 65 miles felt like one hundred.
It was a good day of training.

I know quite a few of you went out to support Sonja on the ride out at
Valley of Fire.  I am sure the winds were howling out there but nothing
like a good cause to motivate the legs.  She is in the middle of a fight
with cancer and as a member of the cycling community out thought and
prayers go out to her and her family.

Danny Kam was awarded first for the SCNCA Track Endurance award.  He did
not tell me the category but the championship is awarded with a jersey.
That is another sweet award for the Koo Koo Kam.

Random Thoughts

Kam picking up a track championship jersey!!  Very Nice.  I am sure Danny
will build on his success for next year.

Are all you TT experts ready for Silverman??  I checked the weather and
they are calling for windy conditions.  Ooooooh shit!!  It is going to be
a hard day in the saddle.  I will be out on course to clap for all you
soldiers.  Once you have passed I am going to ride back for a nice cup of
coffee.  I predict some suffering on the sisters.  I might show up to thow
crispy cremes at you to get you prepared for tucson.

I saw Dr Stan out on Potosi Saturday.  He is riding really strong.

Hansel, read the wind.  You were curbing Ryan all day.  Than Ryan pulls
through and curbs you.  Your on the same team!!!!

Tucson is just around the bend.  The fastest man in Nevada title is up for
grabs.  Who is going to step up and rip the trophy from the Chicken's
talons??  Who is going??  Drop a note and let me know who is in.  I predict
some early attacking so bring your A game.

The new 2009 Socal schedule is up and there is an increase in road races
and stage races.  COOL.  I guess the crit experts better start doing some
road training.  Lets hope all the races are well supported.  I see some
really good stuff on the schedule for next year.  Should be some epic
battles since Louie is defending champion in half the races on the
schedule.  OH BOY

Did you see Landis will be racing in the states next year on the NRC.
Should be interesting.



Jim Robbins
Team Leader
400 N Stephanie Street
Henderson, NV 89014
phone- 702-215-7817
fax      702-456-6185

Fw: News from the Peloton

Hello Gang

The Las Vegas Century was a big hit this weekend.  I will say that the
route had its good points and bad but there was some definite improvement.
The rolling enclosure going out of town was sweet!!!!  The riding around
the lake was awesome with cyclists taking control of the roads.  The leg
back into town with all the llights kind of sucked but lets hope the
promoter will make some changes to next year to allow for less city riding
and more of the course out at the lake.  My suggestion is a rolling
enclosure out of town, a large out and back towards echo bay, and a rolling
enclosure for the front group back to the RTC.  That would make a great
route and the reputation of the ride will start to grow.

My tip of the week involves ride nutrition.  In case you did not notice, I
suffer from an acute lack of fitness during much of the season.  On really
long training rides I have a tendency to get cramps.  Over the years I have
experimented with different drinks, potions, magic pills, and food to
combat my disease.  Beyond this I have also learned that my nutrition on
the bike directly affects my power output towards the end of a long race.
The off season is a great time to push yourself to the limit to raise your
threshold and experiment with different drinks and food combinations to see
what works for you.  Having the energy to win the race in the last 10k
could simply be better planning on your part.  Try different drinking
intervals to see how your power is affected.  Some riders find that solid
food like bread or paninis can offset the upset stomach you can get when
you drink or eat a lot of the sugary gu packs and energy drinks.  I know
several Pro Tour riders that swear by Panini sandwiches on long rides.
This is a long standing tradition in Italy for good reason.  Once you find
something that works for you, stick with it.  Going into a big event with a
proven nutrition plan will help your confidence so you know you will have
the energy and power at the end to close it out.

Saturday was the Las Vegas Century.  The rolling enclosure out of town was
awesome and it was great to see most of the Vegas notables up front leading
the charge to Lake Mead.  Jiame Carney of track racing fame showed up and
was looking very fit.  He told Chicken he is training for the Christmas
Carnivals in Australia and he definitely looked fast.  The first climb over
Lake Mead by Sunrise quickly dropped most of the slower riders and we had a
great group of about 50 riders to cruise to Boulder.  Kircher was up front
setting his usual tempo and most of us followed that round horses but till
we hit the climb up to Boulder.  Terry Pittman was looking fit and his
training for Silverman looks like it is going well.  Allegiant was well
represented and Paul Tracy had the whole team in the front group.  On the
Boulder climb the pace was moderate and evveryone was content to let the
miles slide by.  Myself, Chicken and Squak Box stopped for a pee break and
had to chase to get back on before the rest area at the RTC.  After
refueling we headed up Alta towards Red Rock.  The serial killer Brandon
Cunningham took off at a light and we did not see him again until Ft
Apache.  He was rockin in that PT kit equipped with that target on his
back.  Once on Ft Apache it was time to go a little faster (getting
hungry).  I went up the road and was quickly joined by Little Hurt, Carney,
Chicken, Bingleheimer, and Jay.  Carney and Andy were relentless and
myself, Jay, and Kenny succumbed to the pace.  Myself and Kenny regrouped
after broke back when Andy, Chicken and Carney had to stop for a flat.
There was a crash in the field behind us and a couple of guys went down.  I
saw some scrapes and bruises but hopefully nothing that needed more than a
band aid.  The break was gone when the five of us regrouped but lights kept
us from coming in solo and the front group came back together for a nice
ride in to finish.  Great Ride

Sunday sounded like everyone was willing to go easy to recover.  I got out
to ride with Kircher and spin my legs out.  Brandon was in the canyon
working the alcohol from the night before out of his pores.  I also saw
Pokey out on one of his solo training rides.  I heard the East side ride
was pretty fast for a recovery ride so I am glad I did not make it as my
legs were toast from the previous day.

In team news this week the Chicken (Michael Anderson) has announced he will
be riding for Cal Pools next year.  I am sure Gagne and Lance are happy to
have some support on the Vegas side of things.  Should make for some
interesting racing next year.  We wish him the best of luck.
Brandon Cunningham has joined the Paul Tracy team for next season.  He is a
strong addition to the team that should make an immediate impact.
In Cali, Hector Saldana has confirmed he will be riding with the Sho-air
team previously mentioned with Paolinetti.  I was also told that Mike
Onkels and Stephen Feretti have also left Amgen and joined this team.

Random Thoughts

Carney was strong.  It was great to see Little Hurt going pull for pull
with him.  Chicken was tenacious and the three of them would never had been
caught if it was not for the flat.

The Century was well run and I hope to see it keep getting bigger and
better.  Great feed zones and the rolling enclosure was cool.

Bingleheimer continues to get stronger.  Tucson is just around the corner
and looks like the fastest man in NV title is really going to be a contest
now.

Pitter Pat and Hileman get mad props.  They both did the Century on single
speeds and stayed in the front group.  AWESOME>

Kircher is the king of tempo.  Did you see the Arctic Squirrel making the
break.  Looks like Jay is buikding a nice power base for nest season.  Stay
Tuned

Allegiant had a huge turn out this weekend.  It was good to see Pittman on
track to make a come back.

RS was looking crazy with GU all over his cranks and salt stains on his
kit.  The funny part was is this guy did not look tired the whole day.  I
think someone has been training.

It is rare that I make a personal comment on this letter but I write it
every week and I will make this one exception to end my letter for this
week so I do not have to address it later.  Chicken has been my racing
partner for the better part of 4 years and we have been in some tough
battles over the years in various races.  I was not aware of his desire to
transfer to an new team and  I would be lying if I say I was not upset by
his decision to leave Paul Tracy but I wish him the best of luck in his new
endeavor.  Keep the skinny side down and don't look back.


Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

The weather has finally cracked this week in Vegas.  I actually wore arm
warmers for the first time this morning on my morning ride in too work.
This time of year it is always intriguing to hear the different team and
transfer news.  Locally I hear that Penta is looking good with their
sponsors for next year.  I keep hearing rumors of a new womans team here in
Vegas but that is yet to be confirmed.  Spoke with Dave Ellis over the
weekend and it seems that CES will have more of a presence next year.  That
is good news.  Have not heard anything about the Allegiant guys but they
have all been riding strong lately so I am sure that they will be making
some waves next year.  They have had some strong perfrmances in the last
few races with Noe and Jeremy delivering some strong results.  Danny Kam
has been killing the crit and track scene for NuVision.  If you have any
news on your team, drop me a line and let me know who is going to be around
next year.

My tip of the week is for all you brave souls heading out to the Everest
Challenge this week.  By far this is the hardest athletic event that I have
ever participated in so here are a few pointers for any huge climbing
excursion.  Pace yourself!!!  Very few of us can pull off a Kircher move
and go off the front in the first three miles on a race like this.  Many of
the early riders that push the pace do not make it too the second day or
even to the last climb on the first day.  Ride within your level and be
smart about when to burn your matches.  Use little gears!!  If you try to
push a big gear on the first day your knees will let you know the next.
You can injure yourself pounding big gears on these type of climbs.  EAT,
EAT, EAT SOME MORE!!  You are burning mega calories and every bit you can
get in will help.  Your most important meal is two days before and the
night inbetween.  Simple carbs and food that does not upset your stomach is
the ticket.  The second day of climbing is hard on your body and it is
going to need that fuel to get you to the top.  be prepared for any kind of
weather as the conditions from Valley floor to the summits can change
rapidly and at 10000 feet you do not want to waste precious energy keeping
your body warm.  Good luck to all of you that accept the challenge this
year!!

TNW:

This week was a little weird.  No wind and a hungry group kept break aways
at a minimum.  The pace was hot with a lot of guys stretching the peloton
into single file to get in some good speed work.  Towards the end of the
race a group fo 7-8 got away with Chicken pushing the pace hard.  Big
Calves Lance bridged across to the group an suddenly the whole race
changed.  He was away from the other sprinters and did a nice job to get
the win.

Thursday Heat:

Once again we had small turnout so the brave souls that showed up did a
nice 1 hour TT workout.  Everyone was taking turns on the front to get a
workout.  Squak Box had some shifting issues and was relegated to tail gun
the back of the field.  Kenny and Chicken were relentless on the front with
Kenny really pushing the pace on the rise.  Lance jumped in a little late
but was taking monster pulls on the front.  On the last couple of laps the
pace was really hot and I got a taste of my own medicine and popped from
the field.  Nice Job Gang!!

Saturday the local ride out of Starbucks was huge by Vegas standards.
Allegiant was ripping the pace up the climb with Tom and Little Hurt
pushing the pace.  Balch was attacking on the descent and did a nice job to
power a two man break until the end of the loop.  Dark Cloud was showing
some speed on the road to 160.  Steph looked good on the climb and
Bingleheimer did a good job to not get arrested and put in some nice digs
on the climb.  The Christmas Star season is upon us and I felt the pace
really pick up from previous weeks on the loop climb.  Chicken showed why
he is the best wheel sucker in Vegas and Brian Bitter was keeping pace with
the whole group in the wind just to show how strong he was.  I LOVE IT!!
Keep up the training gang, only 4 1/2 more months until race season begins
again.

Koo Koo Kam was racing at the track this week and had a couple of top three
placings.  He is continuing his run and should be a serious sprint threat
next year.

This weekend is Everest Challenge or the Buckeye Crit down in Phoenix.
After that we have the Mandalay Bay Crit here in town and pretty much that
is the end of the race season.  Look for a retrospective after the bike
show to highlight the best performances of the year as rated by the Fat
Man.

Random Thoughts:

This time of year we are all looking to secure sponsors and get team
arrangements made for the next year.  Take a minute to thank all of those
sponsors that make our sport possible.

Floyd Landis, Lance and others making comebacks to racing.  GO FIGURE!!
can you imagine at this years tour your favorites might be Lance vs
Contador vs Basso vs Sastre.  Just like old times.  Hell, lets bring back
Ullrich.

The show is just around the corner.  If you get a chance get out and
support the cyclecross and crit.  You will not see better racing anywhere
and the industry crowds make it even better.  you might be rubbing elbows
with a big cycling star like Andy Bestwick or Louie Amelburu.  Rumor has it
that the Chicken will even make an appearance.  I am sure his line at the
autograph signing will be bigger than Cipos.

Ohhhhhh that Everest Challenge haunts me.  I can still feel the pain of
that last climb.  GOOD LUCK

Coburn is coming into some form just in time to avenge his Mandalay
Performance of last year.  Anyone have any favorites for the crits.  I
predict the Master 35+ race will be an attack fest with Kircher time
trialing off the front never to be seen again.  In the Cat 2-3 race look
for a very fit Jeremy from Allegiant to secure a big win, unless RS shows
up to spoil the party.  In the Pro race look for a big sprint from Ivan
Dominguez fresh off the Tour of Missouri.

Contador, give that little guy the stage win.  He is 32 yrs old and on a
nobody team.  Share the love man, or at least let Levi have the stage.
Even Louie lets me have a win every once and a while.

Squak Box and Chris "winner" Gagne putting in their time on Thursday
nights.  We shall see if it pays off at Mandalay.  Keep up the speed work.

See you guys on the roads this weekend.



Jim Robbins

As seen in the "Las Vegas Sun"

Racing to the finish

Top competitive cyclist wrapping up season at Mandalay Bay



Sponsored racing cyclist Louie Amelburu, who is among the top competitive cyclist in Las Vegas, with his $11,000 Cervelo road bike.
By Christopher DrexelThu, Aug 28, 2008 (midnight)

Richard Brian Sponsored racing cyclist Louie Amelburu pedals his bike up Stewart Avenue.

Louie Amelburu didn't begin competitive cycling until he was an adult, but has since turned it into a lifetime sport. At age 44, the Mike O'Callaghan Middle School teacher is still riding strong.
Amelburu is an eight-time national champion (2000-2007) in the USA Cycling Masters championship series, a two-time Pan American gold medalist in road racing and time trials (2001) and has stood on the winner's podium for various races 34 times in 2008 alone.
The East Las Vegas resident will bring his cycling season to a close when he races in the USA CRITS Finals at Mandalay Bay on Sept. 25. There, thousands of the nation's best cyclists will race for 90 minutes around a 0.6-mile course set up around the hotel's parking lot.
"It's a way for me to exhibit my skills in front of my hometown against the big boys of the sport," Amelburu said. "The best riders in the country are coming to Las Vegas to race under the lights. We are the city of lights so it doesn't get any better than that. "
About 16 years ago, Amelburu never imagined he would be in this position. At age 28, he rode in his first organized bicycle race, a charity event for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, with his brother. To his surprise, Amelburu finished 21st out of about 600 riders.
With his interest sparked, Amelburu later tried other charity races. During one, he saw a team of racers pass him and became motivated to match their speed.
"I became obsessed with it," he said. I started doing research on how to get better and on nutrition. I lost weight. It was a whole process just to get their level, to stay with that team."
Amelburu learned the team was Falcon Racing, a team that started out of Las Vegas in the early 1990s by Bruce Balch, a former elite triathlete. After seeing Amelburu's interest, Balch soon gave him a jersey and invited him to join the team. Then Amelburu started building his resume.
Since joining Falcon Racing in 1994, he has been on the winner's podium more than 300 times, including more than 160 first-place finishes.
"He is one of the most dedicated people that I've ever ridden with," Balch said. "He keeps getting stronger each year. He has an overall understanding of his body and what he has to do. So age isn't really a factor with him. I would say he has achieved the most of anybody in cycling out of Las Vegas."
Balch, 46, retired from cycling in 2000. After that, Falcon Racing began to disband. So Amelburu and other locals joined a team out of California called Labor Power. But after a few years, Amelburu led the Las Vegas residents of Labor Power to break away and form their own team in 2003.
Amelburu was able to get race car driver Paul Tracy — who regularly cycles to keep in shape — to sponsor the group, hence its name Paultracy.com racing.
Amelburu still leads the team today. He bikes anywhere from 300 to 400 miles every week, despite his teaching schedule, to stay in top shape.
During racing season between February and September, Amelburu is out of town about every other weekend to participate in various races, most of which last more than 100 miles. On weekends when he is in town, Amelburu rides for about five hours on both Saturday and Sunday on the mountains surrounding Las Vegas.
It makes for a hectic schedule, but Amelburu said he plans to cycle as long as it remains fun.
"Cycling is a passion, an obsession," he said. "It's a way for me to feel good and stay in shape. And it's a longevity sport. It enables me to eat a little more because of the calories I burn and has me feeling fit and strong. I'm 44 and my students think I'm 27."
Christopher Drexel is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-8929 or christopher.drexel@hbcpub.com.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/aug/28/racing-finish/

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

I am glad to see some Vegas riders are still getting out and racing. The
Vuelta starts this weekend and the Fall classics in Europe are just around
the corner. US Pro Nats are this weekend and we have the Tour of Missouri
about to begin. The sport has some signs of health and the UCI and ASO are
working on a compromise. The weather in Vegas looks ready to break and
cool off so life is good. Hell, even the Chicken has been out and riding
during the week. Of course we still have yet to see him on his bike during
the weekend but his return to riding is a sure sign that the fall season is
here.

My tip of the week involves mapping out your off season. Many of us this
time of year will start to reflect on the season past and look at the good
and bad performances. For most of us (everyone except the Boss) we will
come to the conclusion that we will want to make some improvements in our
game over the off season. Now is the time to put together a training plan
for the off season. Hopefully you can look back and make a fair assesment
of your strengths and areas of oppurtunity. Start mapping out a weekly and
monthlyplan for your off season months to work to improve. This may
involve strenght training to develop power and speed, endurance for better
road race performance, or just working on your overall riding skills. At
the end of the winter you can usually tell who has been following a plan of
attack as the first races will usually show improvements. Vegas riders
have had a great season this year with a lot of new faces putting up
results. I hope the trend continues so we can improve the overall quality
of riders in our area. Good training leads to good racing!!

TNW:

The Red Burros showed up again and were driving the pace early on. Big
field this week with lots of attacks and counter attacks. Midway through
the race RS attacked a break group he was in to go solo off the front. I
bridged with Luna in tow. Once we made the catch Spider Monkey sacrificed
himself to bridge Noe to the break. The four of us went to work with RS
taking monster pulls to keep us away from a very active field. With two
laps two go Jimmy the Pooh took over the front so RS could have a go at a
sprint match up. Luna played a nice game of cat and mouse to come out on
top of the sprint with RS a very close second. Noe any myself just behind
to hold off the hard charging field.

Thursday Night Heat:

The second night at the new crit course was fun with some new faces showing
up to watch the Paul Tracy show. With the Boss giving orders we decided to
really make this a work out. Balch, myself and RS started a break off the
front. Brandon from Penta chased hard to try and close the gap and the
Boss, Kenny, and Chicken used that effort to bridge across and leave the
field behind. Once together we did a 6-man team TT to lap the field and
than have some fun setting tempo to let Jay take the field sprint.

San Pete Road Race;

Mr Powerful Mark Schaefer took another podium in a road race as he pulled
out 2nd in the 45+. He looks ready to kill at Lotoja once again. I hope
me and Kircher can tag on to his rear wheel and hang on for dear life.

Saturday ride here in town consisted of Bingheim showing some really good
form up the loop climb. He was well off the front dragging Snaggle Tooth
with him. Look for ken to have a good ride at Mt Charleston. Mark Henry
was out cruising getting in some spin before he headed off to Ontario to
mix it up with the crit monsters in SoCal.

Random Thoughts:

Mt Charelston is this weekend. I hope all of you are either participating
or coming out to support as we need more races locally, even if they don't
fit your riding preference. COME OUT AND SUPPORT

Red Burros are on the move. I have not seen them all season but when they
come out they do ride hard.

How good does a team TT look?? Balch was pulling like a mad man.

How about Jeff Strong from Nu Vision winning the Cat 5 series in Ontario.
I think it is time for an upgrade. Nice Job

Team Penta with a W this weekend courtesy of Padgett. Does this guy have a
nick name yet??? I submit Pudge for review.

How about all of you out to Ontario to post some results. AWESOME

Lotoja is on the horizon for me, Kircher and Mark. I am running scared!!!

Bingleheimer has found some form. I like it. He was pounding it on the
loop this weekend and that was all Big Ring. The quote at the top was
"That Chicken is hiding from me"

Sqwak box delivered on the New Castle!! NICE. Very class move.

Schaefer is the man for road racing. Those Utah roads are owned by the
disciple.

Mark Henry pulls off an iron man performance in Ontario. I like it.


Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

Is everyone enjoying the HEAT!!!!  This is the time of year when we can
look only a couple of months away to some relief.  THANK THE LORD!!  I am
ready to put on some arm warmers and enjoy some cool fall temps and some
long rides to the bakery for muffins.  Better yet, we have the Vegas Cross
race coming, the bike show, and the Mandalay Crit.  Still have a few races
to go including San Pete Road Race this weekend, Mt Charleston next weekend
and Mt Everest Challenge for the truly sick.

My tip this week involves sacrifice tactics.  Now this is a term I made up
but this is how it works.  In any break away or bunch sprint it is
important to use the weapons at hand to give you or your teammate the best
chance to win.  That means you will need to quickly analyse the members of
the break and their contribution to the break and how they may effect the
chase effort behind you.  It is not an accident when a really good rider
stops working in a break.  That rider has decided that the mix does not
support his chance to win.  Maybe you are towing a sprinter around the
course and he is not working, or maybe a guy in the break is a race
favorite or high on GC so you know the field will be motivated to keep him
on a short leash.  The better you are at establishing a breaks chances, the
better your efforts will be fruitful.  A good team will continue to launch
guys off the front to soften the field until the real attack is launched.
That is the sacrifice tactics.  The key to making this work is that all
your members have to be a threat in order to actualy soften the field.
That is how you keep the weaker riders guessing!!  That struggle of trying
to make the right break is the chess game of cycling.

TNW

We had a good race this week with different breaks being established and
than brought back for another attack to go off.  Kenny Bingleheimer was
very active in the front.  A Red Burro showed up and was going off the
front at every chance he had.  If you did not know that was Mr. Francis.
This guy used to be a member of the National Team when that meant
something, hence the strong pulls.  A late move had the Boss rockin a break
up the road but too many chiefs and not enough horses and it was brought
back, despite Kircher pulling like a locomotive.  I launched a counter with
Big Calfs Lance on my wheel.  We held it until one to go when RS and the
Boss launched an attack.  Now you know you can not let the Boss get away
with one to go.  With RS pulling him to the hill the Boss sprinted away for
the W.

Thursday Night Heat

This was the first week on a new course on the Henderson side of town.  The
course is fantastic with a little rise on the back stretch.  Nice technical
corners and smooth pavement for .7 of a mile.  There was a small group for
the first night but the speed was worth the trip.  Temps were high and
pouring water on your body was a good idea.  If you want to come out this
week the are going to start at 6:30 to avoid some of the heat.  Kenny
started the fire works and held a lap or two.  Luna launched a counter and
the Fat Man went with him.  We built a small gap and started to work hard
on the riser.  As the field started to fall back a little more pressure was
applied and the Fat Man was solo.  Not wanting to ride by himself he lapped
the field so he could hang out with the Squirrel and the Boss.  RS and
Kenny were anti social and went off the front for the last couple of laps
so the PT team swept 1-3.  Gagne launched on the corner for the field
sprint.

Brentwood Grand Prix

No results were posted yet so if you have something let me know.
Danny Kam was 22nd in the Pro 1-2 after being pinched out in the last
corner.  I understand Ivan Dominguez was in the field so I am sure that was
a good sprint.
Hillary was 3rd in the Pro 1-2 woman.  That is a nice podium.  Good Job
Hillary!!!  Looks like all that TNW action is continuing to pay dividends.
She has had quite a season.

On the local front I heard Kenny and Balch ripped up the loop on Saturday.
I stayed home to get out later and do super secret heat training.  Damn I
hate riding hung over in 110 heat.  The Boss was checking out the
Charleston climb and Chicken was riding his couch trainer while watching
the Olympics.

Random Thoughts:

Wow the track events rocked at the Olympics.  Chris Hoy was incredible in
the Keiren.  He won by a bike length and was pulling away.  That is just
raw power.  If you get a chance check out the madison.  Cavendish is in
this race and it is by far the most exciting track race to watch.  TRUST ME

How about Louder winning Utah in front of his family.  NICE

San Pete is Saturday.  For all of you all Crit all stars, this is a road
race you could do well at.  It is rolling terrain with no hills.  it is a
good race and a chance to get upgrade points for you thrill seekers.  you
can get the info at Sportsbase online.

Mt Charleston is just around the corner.  Hope all of you are coming out to
represent and show off your climbing legs.  Again I will say it for the
100th time, support local racing.  I have no chance of winning this race
but i do it every year to get my free pancakes.  If you suck at climbing,
wear a funny wig, bring some wine and cheese, and jsut enjoy the ride.  As
the Troll used to say "See you on the mountain"

We are getting to that time of year when people start changing teams and
scrambling for sponsors.  Hope all of you secure a good sponsor for next
year and make your teams stronger.  It has been a good year for vegas
racing and results so I hope the momentum continues.

I hear rumors of a Vegas womans team being formed.  I hope that comes
about.  There have been some impressive ladies performances this year and
you all deserve to be on a good team together.  A team that trains together
and races for a common goal will always post better results.  Good luck
ladies.

Rashaan wins the National Crit Title in Downers Grove.  That boy has some
serious speed.  I hope he does well in England.

I liked the new course on Thursday.  A little hot but the course is good
and with a few more riders, we can put on a god show.  Come check it out.

Looks windy tomorrow so I am sure there will be some legs being ripped off
and some sideline stretching.  See ya tomorrow.

Jim Robbins

Elite Nationals

News from the Peloton

Hey Gang,

Sorry I missed last week.  My work has been a little crazy lately.  I will
try to cover all I can for the last two weeks so here we go.

My tip of the week involves equipment.  Since I am flat ass broke most of
the time I completely understand trying to get the most miles possible out
of your kit, or a tire, or saving some money by using half a scoop of
cytomax.  I get it.  The exception to that rule is racing.  If you are
planning on doing a race, the safety of yourself and others is at risk if
you are using worn out shit.  The biggest one of them all is tires.  Even
the big boss PT understands that the only difference between railing that
corner or hitting the wall is a thin layer of rubber.  If you decide to
risk your life on some lonely mountain desent than so be it, but in a group
ride or race you have a responsibility to make sure you have safe
equipment.  Take a moment after each ride to inspect your tires and equip
before you put it away.  If you notice an issue you can address it than
when you have a minute to correct it.  10 min before your start is not the
time to be changing tires or swapping bars.

TNW 2 weeks ago:

A group of 5 got off the front about midway into the race.  With myself,
Hansel, Noe, Vic, and Elderly Pro Cyclery guy in the break it was well
represented.  Vic took some monster pulls that thinned out the group but he
soon found himself off the back with Noe on the climb.  Hansel and Pro
Cyclery guy faded and I was on my own.  Hansel dug deep to bridge back and
the two of us came in for the finish to hold off a chase group.  Hansel
allowed me to take the win for my share of work in the break.  That was a
class move Mr Hansel.

TNW last week:

With a little shit talking going back and forth on the Luv2Bike boards we
had the best TNW of the year.  Attacks were fast and furious with organized
breaks and chase efforts all night.  I loved it.  The Boss was rocking the
front to get ready for Nats and Kircher was pushing the pace hard in the
break.  Gagne and Sqwak Box did some nice efforts on the front to pull back
time.  Ryan J did a nice bridge and the break kept swelling.  At the finish
several teams were trying to put together a surge with Brandon taking
advantage of the infighting to score the win in the sprint.

Junior Nationals:

Opi went down to Cali to fulfill his destiny.  He did a good job to
represent Paul Tracy.  In the TT he ended up in 26th place.  I am not sure
but he think he did this on his regular road bike.  In the Crit he was 8th
after avoiding several crashes and having to chase to get back in.  In the
road race he placed 13th after being involved in a crash.  That is a very
good showing with a top ten for Nationals.

Woman Nationals

Colleen Knutson was 27th in the Woman Elite TT

FIAC Championships Costa Mesa

In the 40+ Crit Jeff Padgett and Lance Coburn were out to represent.  Lance
spent majority of the time in the race tailgunning the rear waiting for the
inevitable sprint at the end of this fast course.  Padgett was active
looking for breaks but nothing got away with Cynergy lining it up for Mark
Scott.  Scott ended up winning with Lance in 6th.  I did not get Jeff's
finish so let me know if you were in the placing.

In the Pro 1-2 race it was me, Kam, lance and Big Ryan J out for some speed
work.  Attacks were constant in this race with the two riders from five
star covering every move possible.  With about 15 minutes left a group if
four containng Nate Diebler got away and the chase effort was weak.  Kam
worked his ass off on the front and than had enough left over to follow a
sweet lead out by Ryan J and Lance to take the field sprint for 5th.

ELITE NATIONALS

Chicken, Little Hurt and the Boss stepped up to take on the challenge of
the Nationals.  This race was going to be a barn burner with 6 20 mile laps
on the ticket.  Many of the top masters and elite riders were present
including last years champion, Walker, Thurlow, Clinger, some Rock riders
and a huge team from Cal Giant Strawberries.  The course was a 20 mile loop
with about a 1000 feet of climbing per lap over an undulating course.  the
finish was a 1k uphill drag race to the line.  On lap one a decisinve move
had not gone off yet and our three heroes were still comfortable in the
field.  On lap two the Boss was at the front on the feedzone climb pushing
the pace and a break of about 25 had developed with a lot of the big guns
at the front.  Chicken and Andy were about 20 seconds behind in the second
chase group.  Lap three saw Old Man Thurlow bridge across and make the
break and Andy and Chicken calling it a day.  Much of the back of the field
got pulled on lap three due to the roling enclosure.  On lap 4 Walker was
off the front of the orig break with two guys from Cal Giant.  On lap 5 he
was absorbed and another group got off the fornt with Thurlow, and Mattis
and Jaque-Mayne from Cal Giant.  Louie was about 45 seconds behind in a
chase group of 5 with the current national champ and Walker.  They killed
themselves to try and bridge but Cal Giant had the numbers game in their
favor.  The group of three stayed away with Mattis taking the W,
Jaque-Mayne in second and Thurlow taking Bronze.  Louie came right behind
in the  chase and held on for 9th.  By far this was his most inspiring ride
of the year and an exciting road race to watch.  I will also point out that
3 of the top ten were over 45 years old.  Amazing.  Good job to all three.

Ladera Vista

Danny Kam scored an 8th in the Pro 1-2 race.  He missed the break but did a
great job to win the field.  I did not get any other results on this one.

Random Thoughts:

HOLY SHIT.  I have 5 more years to train to get to Louie's level.  That was
the most impressive ride of the year against a stacked field.  The mental
toughness to make those attacks and make the front selection is amazing.
He would never say it, but I will.  Post your resumes, talk about great
sprints and who has natural talent, who gets free shit and who deserves to
be on what team, its all bull.  Hands down, undisputed best rider in Vegas.
NICE JOB BOSS

Nathan, great job.  That is a solid showing for your first Nats.

Kam keeps the hits rolling.  He did a ton of work on the front in the race
on Saturday while other riders were waiting for the sprint that never came.

What the hell is wrong with NBC???  I am watching the olympics and had not
checked the internet on purpose so I could see the finish in real time.
Just before jack ass Jim Lampley announces that they are going to show the
finish next, a TV behind him shows film footage of Sammy Sanchez kissing
his medal.  COME ON!!  I know most Americans would not recognize him, but I
did and it ruined the race.  IDIOTS

A little congrats out to a friend of the PT Team.  Lance Wilson has been
training all year to do a good ride at the Death Ride.  He is not a racer
and you wont see his picture in Velo News but this was a big personal goal
for him and I understand he did a pretty good ride.  Hope to see you at
Tour De Tucson, Lance.

Sella, say it aint sooo.  Another phenom climber goes the way of the doper.
Chicken was holding a candle light vigil for him in SoCal.

If you were not at Nationals, you missed a chance to meet the legends of
track racing in the US.  Mark Whitehead, Gibby Hatton, and Steve Hegg were
set up next to us, drinking beer and handing out bottles to the racers.  If
you ever get a chance to pick the mind of a racing legend, take advantage.
I learned more in an hour of bullshitting than I would in five hours of a
race.  When you are talking to an old guy and he drops names like "I
remember when I beat Saronni at the world cup in Italy" that is the time to
turn off the mouth and turn on the ears.  Great suff

JB, we are still waiting for you to come out to the course.  Chicken may
have scared you because he has a man crush on you but dont worry, it is
only temporary.

Hope you guys bring that same intensity to TNW tomorrow.



Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

I am finally back in Vegas from my trip to Bend and the Eastern Sierra with
my kids.  The Tour is in full flight and it has been one of the most
exciting ever.  Tomorrows stage to Le Alpe has set the stage for a battle
royal.  I can not wait to see if the climbers can put any time into the TT
specialists before the last TT stage.  I have never ridden the 21 hairpin
turns but the stories that Jay told me about this mythic climb only wet my
appetite for what is to come.

This is the time of year that we all start to think about the end of the
season and the cooler months in fall for riding here in Vegas.  Lots on the
horizon with the Bike Show in September and the Vegas Century in October.
Before that we have the ever impossible Everest Challenge and the Mt
Charleston Hill climb.  Myself and Kircher are also doing Lotoja so lots of
climbing in store for the next two months.

What is going on wih Luv2Bike??  I have not been able to get into any of
the web pages except the home page.  Hey Bill, did you forget to pay the
bills???

TNW:
Since I was out of town I did not get any reports on the race last week.
Drop me a note and let me know who the current champion is.

Team Allegiant is out at Superweek.  I have been getting some reports from
Danny Kam.  he has finished top 30 in a couple of races with Andy, Ryan,
and Tony doing a lot of work to finish in the fields.  Danny told me the
racing is faster and harder than the SoCal scene and he is doing everying
he can to break into the top 20.  The weather has been predicted to be rain
all week so I wish those guys the best of luck and keep the skinny side
down.

Junior State Champs

Vegas we well represented this weekend put at Sisquoc with Big Nathan
Williams taking his second consecutive state title in the 15-16 class.
Kristopher Maile was 12th in his category and his sister, Nicloe was 4th in
her category.  Keep on eye on these kids as this is the future of the
sport.  I am sure Nathan will look resplendent (borrowed that from Paul
Sherwin) in his state jersey.

I did not get any other results from the CBR race on Sunday so if you were
out to represent, send me a note.

Random Thoughts:

Holy Shit I am in love with the Tour once again.  These last Alpine stages
have been epic.  Thank the lord that they have it on TV cause reading about
it while I was in the mountains was not the same,

Danny Pate was ohhhhh sooooo close.  I do not think I have screemed at my
TV that loud in a long time.  That is why we break away, because on any
given day even us domestiques can have a day to shine.  Long live the
Gregarios!!!

Nathan with a repeat at State.  Nice Job!!!!  Lets hope he is on track for
Junior Nats.

How about Piepoli coming out and confessing to taking "whatever Ricco
took".  It sickens me that these idiots with natural talent that I could
not dream of, feel the need to jeapordize the sport I love by trying to
augment the abilities that they already have.  Is it not enough to be able
to get paid a large salary to race.  I have spent a small fortune traveling
and racing this year and could not imagine doping!!  At least I can take
solace that the "Cobra" will probably get his just reward and it will be
quite a while before he gets to look in the eye of his opponents.

Barloworld pulls their sponsorship because of a positive on their team.
The very existence of big time pro racing is on the verge of collapse if we
lose more sponsors.  Lets hope that the UCI and ASO can solve their
differences and continue the positve movement that some of the teams have
created.

Chicken has a new TT bike!!  Rumor has it that he was going to take his new
Cervelo out on Sunday to dial it in.  Did anyone see him out riding??  I
know he was hydrating on Saturday night to be prepared for his ride.

There is a meeting July 30th at the RTC at 6PM for anyone that would like
to have a voice in the upcoming Vegas Century in October.  If you are
interested in going send me a note and I will forward the E-mail.  It looks
like they are looking for input on the route and how they can make the
event bigger and better.

See all of you tonight or this weekend.



Jim Robbins

Cascade 2008

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

It is hotter than hell here in Vegas so I was very glad to get down to
SoCal and do some racing in the cooler temps.  There is all kind of action
down in SoCal this weekend so lots to talk about.  Here we go!!

My tip of the week involves pre-ride or recon the course.  This was a very
important lesson that I have to give Simo the credit for.  Early in my
career he was an amazing source of information about most of the race
courses in SoCal.  Knowing the climbs, the corners, the road conditions can
be the difference between podium or I got caught out.  Pay attention to the
different areas of the course and how they might match your strengths and
weakness.  Having a plan of attack before you start the race based on the
course will help you to be in better position when the hammer comes down
and might just save you enough energy to take that rider in the finale.  It
is not a coincidence when a good rider attacks in an area of the course
that allows them to put distance on the field and uses the natural terrain
to aid that attack.  Launching just before a corner or at an area where the
wind changes to a cross wind can help put your opponents in difficulty and
allow you to get the gap you need to win a race.

TNW:
This week we had a nice group get off the front.  Balchesaurus and Jitters
started it off with a 2 man move in the early part of the race.  Several
attempts to bridge were made before a strong chase group containing Spin
Dr, Double Chip, Kiwi Thatcher, and the Fat Man.  Once we got close to
Balch and Jitters we made the bridge and the break was on.  With 2 laps to
go I attacked and tried to solo ala Little Hurt style.  Jitters made a nice
move to bridge to me and we had a 2-up sprint for the W.  Jitters did a
nice job of cat and mouse to take me at the line to get his W.

Manhattan Beach

In the masters 35+ race Chicken and I went down to get in some speed work.
Luna, Hansel, and Lance were also in the race from Vegas.  The pace was
incredible with a lot of speed down both straightaways.  I got in a break
with Pat Caro and Leibert from Cynergy.  I was gapped off the break by a R5
rider when he popped and was quickly back in the field.  Chicken launched
to try and bridge with Luna in tow.  It was clear to see that the break was
not going to survive and we all tried to set up for the sprint.  Lance did
a pull on the last lap for a teammate and pulled off while Luna did an
awesome job holding position on the last lap and held on for a very good
12th place in a stacked field.  The rest of us finished mid pack.
In the Cat 2 race Ryan J, Dark Cloud, Gagne, and Danny Kam were out to
represent Vegas.  Poor Ryan was taken out in a crash.  I understand he
seperated a shoulder and had to take a ambulance ride for his trouble.
Danny had some good advice to handle the last corner and came out and had a
blistering sprint to take the W.  Dark Cloud finished 12th.  Everyone else
was mid-pack.  BIG WIN FOR DANNY
In the 45+ race Lance was able to hang in the field and ended up 11th in
the sprint.
In the Pro Woman Hillary and Alicia did a good job to hold there own in a
NRC field and finish in the pack.  That was a stacked field.  Ashley
Diamond was active and had several sprints for Preems.
In the main event Little Hurt was the lone rep from Vegas.  He was really
active towards the middle of the field trying to cover moves and stay alive
in a stacked NRC field.  He finished in the bunch and did a great job
holding his position.

Green Trolley- Did not get any results as of press time

Flaggstaff

Frenchie Bissonette did the Pro 1-2 woman and took the overall win.  Did
not get specifics but I know she has been climbing well.  Did not get any
other Vegas results on this one but great job to Steph to take another
stage race win.

I previewed the Elite Nationals Course on Saturday with Chicken.  For you
Cat 1 riders that are planning on doing this race be ready to strap it on.
That climb in Modjeska Canyon is sick.  15% grade and is is going to be hot
in August.  This will be a real test.  I encourage any of you to check it
out and see what it will take to move up to the elite level.  I would
really like to be a Cat 1 someday but I am glad that I will not have to be
called on by the Chicken to bring back breaks in this race.

Random Thoughts:

Check out the fund that Ball from Rock is starting for cyclists who sustain
a catastrophic injury.  Like him or hate him he does bring some interesting
view points to the sport.  This fund is something that is needed and I am
glad that he is putting his money somewhere other than sanctioned riders.
He also is very active in spnsoring events.

Spoke with Ivan Dominguez at the race.  He was on the side line due to a
back injury.  I also noticed him talking it up with Michael Ball.  I hope
that is not a sign that Toyota United is not getting a sponsor.  Riders on
that team may be out looking for contracts??

How about Danny Kam!!  He just stepped up big and took a huge win in the
Cat 2.  keep up the good work Danny.  I like that you are not talking about
winning, just going out and getting it done.  AWESOME

Did you see the lead out man for Bahati.  That was Fast Freddie shooting
that corner at Manhattan.  Now that is a lead out.

The Chicken and Little Hurt are doing Elite Nationals.  Get training boys
cause I will be painting the road in Modjeska for both of you.  Look for
the mark of the chicken and that will be your sign to attack.  I am going
to have Simo in nothing but his tightey whiteys on the side of the road to
hand you a cool Slurpee.  GOOD LUCK

Frenchie notches another stage race title.  Damn that girl can climb.

Luna from Penta did a very solid race this weekend.  he was very active at
the end and was close to getting a placing.

Dark Cloud and Little Hurt are working on that speed  to get ready for
Super Week.  Looking good guys.  Can you take Danny with you.  I think he
would have some fun sprinting with the big boys.

Have you seen the Cytomax add with Amgen.  I guess it was cheaper to pay
Thurlow and company than some real pros.  I am thinking I should get a TV
spot with Cervelo real soon.  I will keep you posted.  I am sure they can
pay me a little less than Cancellara or the Schleck brothers.  I contacted
Smith sunglasses and KB advised me that I am not model material.  GO FIGURE

Did you see who is racing the Pro race in Cascade.  That would be horner
and leipheimer from Astana.  How would you like to take on that team.  I
will hopefully get to hang out with Chris when I am there and see if I can
get some inside training tips on how to be a better racer.  I will keep you
posted.

Ryan, drop me a line and let us know you are OK.  Get better soon.



Jim Robbins

News from the Peloton

Hello Gang,

I am a day late since I was traveling back from beutiful Utah yesterday.
It was completely awesome to race up in the pines with cool temps and an
incredible venue.  You guys are really missing out by not doing some of
these Utah stage races.  Good competition, good money, and great people
make these really fun races.  Lots to report on so here we go.

My tip of the week involves mental perseverance.  If you want to win in
cycling you have to be tough.  I would much rather have a mediocre rider
with great mental toughness on my team than an all star who has a weak
constitution.  In order to sustain high outputs of energy in a race you
have to stay focused and determined.  Your mind will crack you long before
the muscles will.  Training that mental edge will help you to win more
often.  Try doing longer intervals and setting time goals for power output
to train that toughness.  Set goals that are reachable and keep pushing the
bar.  You might just be able to survive in that next break to the finish to
pick up a placing.

Utah State Games

On our way to Utah this weekend the PT gang did some crits on Friday in
Cedar City.  In the mens 40+ race Kenny Sweet legs set out on a mission to
take a W.  The Boss did a nice attack to soften the group and Kenny hit
them hard to solo away.  He was off the front solo for 40 minutes and ended
up lapping the field for the W.  The Boss took the sprint for second just
to keep his legs loose.

Michele King took a W in the womans 35+ field with a nice effort off of the
front.

Myself and RS (Jonathan) did the mens 35-40 race.  I went solo towards the
end of the race but got reeled in with a couple of laps left in the race.
RS launched a blistering counter to stay off the front.  he was nipped at
the line by one rider but we found out later he was in a different category
so RS picked up a W.

High Uintas Stage Race

This is an epic race with three stages.  A road race with a 24 mile climb
up and over Bald Mountain Pass at 10400 feet.  A 10 mile TT and a tough
crit with a 6 bolock climb in it.  Kenny, myself, and the Boss contested
the 35+ race.  The dynamic duo of Mark and Don were in the 45+.  Michele
King did the woman 4 and RS was in the Cat 3.

Road Race:

In the 35+ Kenny attacked early on the base of the climb.  We had a tough
headwind and he was able tostay away for several miles.  Once the catch was
made the Boss stayed vigilant at the front as I went out the back once the
climb got steep.  Louie was able to attack just before the KOM to take the
time bonus.  He had a gap so he spent the next 40 miles off of the front
solo.  The other riders organised and was able to catch him 10 miles before
the finish.  One rider was able to get a small gap at the finish with Louie
coming in with the field just behind in order to get second on GC for the
day.  Kenny and the Fat Man came in behind the field as we never made
contact after the climb.
In the 45+ race Mark and Don used each other's attacks to soften the field.
Don was able to get away with one other rider to get some time over the
field.  He had a nice 2 up sprint and took the rider to the line to take
the W in the road race.  Mark finishe about 15 seconds behind for third in
the RR.
RS was by himself in the Cat 3 race and was able to stay with the front
group to take 8th on the day and had the same finishing time as the leader.
Michele was in the chase group in her road race with one lone girl off the
front.  She did a nice job to take second in her category with a good
finish.

TT

The Boss proved once again why he is a TT animal.  He took the W with a
blistering time that was a minute better that second place.  Mark Schaefer
won the TT which put him in second overall just a handfull of seconds back
on first.  Don did a good time and was sitting 5th overall.  Michele won
the TT and remained in second overall for Cat 4 woman.  Jonathan had a very
good time in the Cat 3 to stay in 8th overall.

Crit

In the 45+ race Don and Mark were a 1-2 punch.  Mark went off the front to
take a tine bonus sprint to move into first overall.  Once Mark was cuaght
Don put in a nice attack to counter.  He realised he had popped Mark and
actually went back to help Mark make the bridge to keep him in first
overall.  Don took second in the sprint and Mark came in just behind to
secure the overall on GC with Don taking 5th on GC.
In the 35+ race Kenny and I were really active chasing various break
attempts to keep the Boss in good position for a win.  The Boss took a cash
preem for gas money.  On the last two laps we kept the pace high and than
the Boss went for the sprint.  He skipped his wheel in the last corner and
came up with second on the day and secured the overall GC win.
Michele took second in her crit.  She did a great job to make the split on
the preem lap and her and first place just went up the road.  She secured
second overall in the Cat 4 woman on GC
Jonathan did a great job in a stacked field to finish with the field.  He
ended up keeping his 8th place on GC and now has enough upgrade points for
his Cat 2.

San Pedro

Jeremy Thatcher from Allegiant was 4th in the Cat 3 men.  Alicia boland
from Banning Bikes was 5th in the Pro 1-2 woman.

La Mirada Grand Prix

Jeremy was 10th in the Cat 3 and Hillary Crowley from Banning Bikes was 3rd
in the Pro 1-2 woman.  La Mirada is a tough race so those are two
outstanding performances.

Tour De Nez

Little Hurt (Andy from Allegiant) gets his own report this weekend.  He
went to Reno and did the NRC Pro-1 stage race.  Andy rode out of his  mind
to make the time cut every day and ended up finishing 40th overall on GC.
I am sure that he will be able to give us some personal insight on how hard
it is to finish a NRC stage race.  This is an outstanding accomplishment
and I hope we all get a chance to hear his stories.  Great Job Andy.

Random Thoughts:

Bingleheimer lapped the field solo!!!  I watched him and he was doing 5
seconds a lap on the field.  NICE

Mark and Don were on fire this weekend.  The little show of tactics that
they put on was impressive and the last day was amazing.  Don coming back
to bring Mark back to the field in the crit was some heads up riding and
stealing the time bonus to move into first.  It was like you guys had
radios or something.  OUTSTANDING

RS continued his march to Cat 2.  He is on his way to train with Ben Day
from Toyota United for the next week and a half.  I feel sorry for anyone
that will be racing against him in the future.  he keeps getting stronger.

The Boss continues the dream season and notched another stage race win.  He
never talks about his accomplishments so many times we just expect that he
will win but when you look at the races he has won this year it is
inspiring.  If I had any of these wins on my resume for my complete career
in cycling I would be happy.  Here are the highlights, Southern Nevada
Stage Race, San Dimas, Boulevard, State Champ in road race and TT, Copper
Valley Stage Race, Yuma Stage Race, San Luis Rey, and High Uintas.  This
are all wins, not just placings.  WOW.  Nationals are next week and Mark
has already predicted that he will cross the line in front of Louie.

Hillary with a very fine third place at La Mirada.  I heard this was a
scorcher.  AWESOME JOB

Michelle King was solid this weekend.  Her TT time would have been top 3 in
the Pro 1-2 woman.  I smell another upgrade coming soon.

Allegiant continues to put up good results.  Jeremy should be very close to
his Cat 2.  I can not wait to see how you guys do at Superweek.

Little Hurt stepped up this weekend to the big show.  I am sure he will
come out of this even stronger and ready to compete at the highest level.
Most of us can not even get into this race, much less finish.  For all of
you "up and comers" take note.  Andy set a goal to compete at this level
and followed through.  IMPRESSIVE

The Tour is just around the corner.  Send out a note and let me know yout
podium picks.  It appears to be wide open this year with some new blood in
the sport and some old dogs ready to take that elusive win.

See you at Manhattan beach



Jim Robbins