AdoboVelo Cyclist

5 guys, a minivan, and Francis

2009-09-10T22:13:00.001-07:00

Mojave Desert, 2:00 AM, Oct 5 2008 Sunday: At 2:00 AM on this Sunday, Francis has now been pedaling on his bike for almost 20 hours now (save for a 1 hour nap), and has covered about 250 miles. In other words he’s only half-way there.

This is the 508 Furnace Creek Race, an annual ultra-distance bike race through the Mojave desert. The number “508” stands for the number of miles they will bike, straight.

They started out at 7:30 AM on Saturday , Oct. 4, from Valencia CA (near Magic Mountain), and headed for Death Valley in the Mojave desert. They will finish in the city of Twenty-Nine Palms.

Francis isn’t going to win this race. The top leaders will finish the race in a time of 30 hours (the record is 27), while Francis is TRYING to best his time of 43 hours set two years ago.

Like the 300 other entrants who have little hope of placing in the winner’s circle (except of course the elite entrants), Francis is in this to conquer his own personal Mt Everest. Each of them has his/her own mountain to vanquish.

Take for example the story of the pretty female cyclist pictured below. She has a name of course, but her team's name is "Aye-Aye" (a type of lemur, a rat-like creature, native to Madagascar). So during the race we would say , "There goes Aye-Aye."

The support crew in the van that was following Francis was so enamoured of her beauty. But little did they know (until after the race and they read articles about the various participants) about the physical hardships Team Aye-Aye had to overcome.

In her blog, she says she has epilepsy (an incurable disease that causes those who have the condition to suffer unpredictable and uncontrollable convulsions). According to her blog, she hasn't had an episode for perhaps 4 years now, thanks to some wonder drugs that keep the disease at bay. But she never knows when it will strike. (For more about her story, see Doubt-Kills-Dreams. )

That is her Mt. Everest. I guess you can say this race is her way of willing the disease into submission.

Early in the race she "dropped" Francis (in English, she was faster and stronger and raced ahead.), but later Francis caught up and steadily increased the gap on her.
The procedure that Francis established for his support crew, was to stop the van 1 mile ahead of Francis, and wait for him to pass, and wait 15 minutes after he passed, and then leapfrog him again, and repeat the process. That way, Francis was never more than 20 minutes from his support crew.
But because of Aye-Aye, Francis's support van waited and waited longer before continuing on, because they would wait for Aye-Aye. And then they would cheer her on. Only then would they get in the van and catch up to Francis.
Poor Francis had little clue what was going on in the back. "Why is the van taking so long? It's been 45 minutes already?"
(More about her story in a later posting.)

The 2009 edition of the 508 will take place soon (the first weekend of October). Now’s a good time to narrate LAST YEAR’s (October 2008) experience.

So here goes the story of Team Picachu, 2008 Edition.

Team Picachu

Flashback to the evening of Oct 5, 2AM early morning. It is 20 hours into the race. Ricky, who is driving the Honda minivan at the moment, hadn’t been feeling well all day, but it is his turn to drive, while the others catch up on sleep. The minivan is travelling at a steady 18 MPH on an asphalt road in the middle of the Mojave desert.

They are following their cyclist, Francis, who is 4 bike lengths in front of the van, and is illuminated by the van’s beam, while all around it is pitch dark . (To state the obvious, the desert is notable for its utter lack of street lighting.)

The music is turned off. The windows are rolled down to let in the breeze. The person seated in the front passenger seat is awake to make sure Ricky, the driver, does not doze off, lest he run over Francis.

Their team is named Picachu. The other teams have names like Aye-Aye, Bonobo ape, White Rabbit, Carabao, and Doberman, just to name a few. These whimsical names, which the race organizer calls totems, are in place of race numbers. It’s the organizer’s way of saying, don’t take yourself seriously, this is not the Tour de France.

Half the battle is having friends: In the minivan is a crew of 5 guys, buddies really, but of different backgrounds, and therefore the unlikeliest of friends.

There’s a bus mechanic (Ricky, a Filipino, who is close to retirement age, and dreams of biking endlessly everyday upon retirement), a postal worker (Emre, a Bulgarian with only one good eye), a lawyer (Allan, who is descended from a French Legionnaire, and who speaks Italian and French), an insurance investigator (Vince, a Hispanic, who logs 200,000 miles of driving a year in his job), and a business manager (the other Filipino, and the author of this blog).

If you tried to find 5 compatible guys for a crew, using say match.com or e-harmony, on paper you probably wouldn’t match these 5 blokes.

But friends they are, bound by a common obsession for road biking, bound by the same humor and down-to-earth tastes, and bound finally by a common friend named Francis, the cyclist for whom they are the “support crew.”

Nothing fancy. This is not like being the crew for the multi-million dollar America’s Cup yacht race. This is not the Apollo 11 lunar crew. This is just friends supporting their friend in an amateur bike race.

The word “vicar” (a favorite word that this author learned when he was young) means someone who represents. In the eyes of these 5 friends, Francis is a champ, achieving a feat they only daydream about but could never accomplish themselves. They are living vicariously through Francis.

They’ve been cooped up in the minivan for several hours now. If they didn’t get along this would be a disaster by now. Francis cultivated and chose his crew well.

Corny as it sounds, doing this race requires not only extreme physical fitness, but also leadership, to be able to persuade crew members to give up their vacation and family time for this, and to issue instructions to them during the bike race.

Most teams have a crew of two (usually family members). A crew of 2 has to split duties for almost 2 days straight, driving, attending to the cyclist’s needs, with little time to sleep. A larger crew is better.

Now back to Ricky who is driving: At 2 AM , he is getting drowsy. The race organizer has strict rules for night-driving: The van has to have amber tail-lights on the roof, and must at all times be tailgating the cyclist (to protect the cyclist). And no high-beams.

For the cyclist, ideally the team car should be positioned directly behind, so that the road directly in front of the cyclist is illuminated. But Ricky isn't driving that way.

He is self-aware of his growing fatigue. So he does not position the van directly behind Francis, but instead off-set to the left and behind, and he stays further back than normal. That way, if he dozes off, we would drive PAST Francis instead of OVER him. The co-driver notices the situation. It is time to relieve Ricky of driving duties. He tells Ricky to drive up beside Francis. "Hey Francis, we gotta stop and switch drivers."

(TO BE CONTINUED) - (mandy g.)

Scouting Ride for the August TDF PALMDALE to BIG PINES

2009-08-12T10:23:00.001-07:00

Scouting Ride Aug 9 2009 (Photos by Juliet Agrezor)

SUMMARY: In the grand tradition of the Tour de Francis, this route is challenging! Total elevation gain is 6,400 feet in the first 41 miles. (The return trip back to the starting line is slightly different to make it mostly a downhill trip). Total distance is only 80 miles. It’s scenic and mostly free of cars and motorcycles.

Putting on makeup and shoes at the starting line. (Francis and Ricky)

Desert plants dominate the scenery at the start of the ride.

Cactus & Tumbleweed (the vegetation, not the cyclists) at 106th Street. (Jess & Mandy)

Gradually the scenery is replaced by pine trees and ski trails. (Manny & Jess)

The first 10 miles are easy. Enjoy it. It gets "funner" after that.

Heading toward destiny (Gerald in front; Ricky and Jess follow)

Peloton together for the last time at Fort Tejon Road. When the climbing starts, the group will break up. (Manny, Jess, Mandy, Alan, Gerald, Ricky)

At MILE # 17 you will start the 3-mile climb toward DEVIL’S PUNCHBOWL, an ascent of 1000 feet, with a continuous 9% pitch in the last 2 miles. It's a popular rock-climbing spot, elevation 4700 feet. There’s a porto-potty at the summit, so anyone who didn't get their "morning business" done yet, can do it here.

Devil’s Punchbowl (Alan, Mandy, Jess, Ricky, Gerald, Manny)

While coasting downhill on Valyermo road at MILE MARKER # 25 or so, you will cross the SAN ANDREAS FAULT earthquake line. If you are willing to stop along this downhill to have your photo taken, it’s worth it.

"Don't blame me, not my fault" says Francis

Then you will start climbing BIG PINES HWY, a 15 mile climb leading to the junction of Angeles Crest Hwy where the elevation is 6,700 feet;

Big Pine Hwy with view of Palmdale below (Alan suffering)

Much needed Rest stop along Big Pines Hwy

The final hill leading to the corner or Angeles Crest Hwy features 12% gradient.

The last mile to the lunch stop, a SKI-JUMP parking lot, features gradients of 6% - 12%. The final elevation is 7100 feet.

Last mile is always hard

You will climb to a height of 7,100 feet at the SKI JUMP parking lot on Mile # 41.

The scouting ride was made possible by the following contributions: Juliet and Francis for SAG'ing and donating provisions. Ricky for lending his truck (while he rode on his bike). Gerald (a Palmdale resident) for collaborating with Francis on planning the route. Thanks to the gullible cyclists who agreed to scout the route: Gerald, Allan, Manny, Jess, Ricky, and Mandy. Oh, and you can blame Manny for letting Francis know, at the last moment, about the existence of a SKI JUMP. The mad scientist Francis rubbed his hands with glee as that hill became a last-minute addition to the route.

-Mandy

The first 20 Miles: 5000 feet elevation

2008-06-07T10:51:00.001-07:00

It's fun to read the newspaper after your favorite sports team (let's say, the Los Angeles Lakers) has won a game, because it's human nature to want to reminisce accomplishments.

The impulse to replay the event is especially strong if the event were particularly difficult (like this Stage 2 of Tour de Francis 2008), and you actually rode on the course (as opposed to merely watching a Lakers game on TV).

So to all of you who were there, here's something to reminisce, the first 20 miles.

The first 20 miles is on Frazier Mountain Park Road (FMPR). By the time you reach Apache Saddle Station, the marker at Mile 20 (the first rest stop), you would have gained 5_000 feet of elevation.

No one needs to tell you now what tremendous energy you expended for that kind of effort. Your legs and lungs were telling you that. It's like TWICE climbing "GMR" (Glendora Mountain Road), one our "training hills". In round numbers it's a 10-mile climb with 2_500 feet of gained elevation at 5% grade. (To readers on the METRIC system, such as readers in the Philippines, it's 16 Kilometers long, 770 Meters gained elevation. I wonder how it compares to infamous climbs in the Philippines, like KENNON ROAD in Baguio, TAGAYTAY in Batangas, or BUGARIN in Antipolo.). The difference is that GMR has a constant 5% gradient, whereas FMPR has a mix of gentle slopes and steep slopes in the end. It starts with a gentle 3% slope, then increases to 7%, then in the final stretch it ratchets to 9% (with some sections at 14%). Aray.

At 6:30 AM riders and staffers started to get ready at the parking lot of the Best Rest Inn (Frazier Park, CA).

At 7:45 AM the riders (numbering about 50) gathered for a group photo.

They started rolling on Frazier Mountain Park Road (video here). Here they are at Mile 0. It's quite a beautiful sight to see a huge peloton still tightly packed, in colorful attire.

The first 12 miles consist of 3% to 5% gradient. The morning air was just crisp, clear. In other words, gorgeous.
Right away the peloton gets splintered. Here's a video at Mile 5 showing the breadth of the field, from last to first. About 2 - 3 miles of separation.

Mile 12 is an important marker, because the road splits into 2. Volunteers were set up there to steer cyclists the correct way (veer right, into Mil Potrero Hwy). If you go the wrong way (left to Mt Pinos Rd), it will be a miserable experience.
First to arrive (10:15AM) were the same familiar pair famous already to the TDF: Deo Asuncion (Adobo) and Raffy (MMCC). They did it in 2 hrs 30 mins. The last rider to arrive did so 55 minutes later.

The forest air was cool (65F), the trees were tall. The elevation at this location is over 6,000 feet. It was a great place to have the rest stop.

Volunteers and riders alike enjoyed the camaraderie and scenery. But the day is only beginning. There's 80 more miles to go. Over 3,500 feet of elevation still to conquer. The dreaded "heartbreak" is still to come.

But in the meantime, among the first-timers on this particular course, there's plenty of smiles and laughs to go around. They are still not sure of what's in store up ahead.

Now it was time to continue the course. Check back later.
Here they come, resuming the ride. 20 done (miles, that is). 80 to go.

Roster: TDF Stage 2 (5/31/08 Frazier Park)

2008-06-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the Roster. There are some "blanks" because some of the riders did not get to sign the roster sheet at the start ( but they are in the photos. I see bib numbers that are not in the roster). I'm hoping I can complete the roster with the help of readers.

2 mistakes I hope to avoid next time: We lacked a sign-in sheet at the finish line (which would have been neat so we could get riders' times and finish order) because in the chaos I failed to hand off the sheets and clipboards to the lead SAG that went to the finish line. The other mistake was for the freshly-charged batteries on my 2 pocket cameras to RUN OUT OF STEAM on heartbreak hill. So I don't have everyone's photos on that signature hill. Sorry folks. The look on your faces would be priceless.

Many clubs were represented: MMCC, SFVBC, RiverVelo, Sta Clarita, SoCalBikeForums, and of course AdoboVelo. There were 53 riders and 18 volunteers. It takes a village to pull off this thing. Francis and volunteers donated 60 gallons of water (we purposely planned on one gallon per person, whether rider or staffer), 10 large bags of ice, 5 dozen sodas. Francis prepared 5 loaves worth of sandwiches, and lots of crackers, fig Newtons, etc. Rosalie lent her truck. Volunteers donated their time and gasoline (can you say $4.25, ouch). Egay and family drove in at 2:00PM to deliver the hot food for the finish line.

We missed the presence of some favorite riders: the comedians Dennis Evangelista, Jonas "Jojo Mayabang" & Abe "Kumander Agimat". Then of course our "role models " Mang El, Efren, Ramon, and Roy "Tisoy Viznok" Adeva. Don't forget the steady Kuya Abe. The reliable Albert and Dong. Climber Jesse A (and his wife Juliet who usually SAGs w/a videocam). And so on. We hope to see you next time. Hibernation is over. It's summer time.

One of our fave riders from another club, who gave us a thrilling show in December TDF, Keith Brodsky (SFVBC), wearing a red Barloworld kit this time, was seen pacing riders up heartbreak hill (he would pace a rider up, then go down and repeat with another rider). What a talented rider. (Mang El would be doing that too if he could come, but he was busy at work.)

Three riders did only part of the route. Cheers for their efforts: Jun Grape (the dad of "Pid" Grape) fell behind at the start, so Ricky convinced him to SAG the ride instead; He got in the truck at mile 12. Mike O'Connell had back problems and wisely took a lift at lunch. Lito (Mr Hibernation) Aralar, one of our strongest climbers, had been in hibernation for so long; He was very valiant on this ride: At mile 60, before the lunch stop, he wanted to ride the car; I said lunch is just around the corner, and just right then Rosalie's group rolled by, and Lito followed their wheel and did get to the lunch stop on his own. He took a ride at lunch. (Photo: Lito Aralar, head hanging, and on the verge of abandoning at Mile 60, instead decided to hang onto Louie Rivera's wheel in these rollers 4 miles before the lunch stop. Rosalie Kneebone was pacing in front.)

Tour de Francis Roster, May 31, 2008,
Frazier Park, California
100 miles, 8_500 feet of climbing
Organized by: Francis Marlon Ignacio (Tour Director) and AdoboVelo

#	Last Name	First Name	Age	Club	Bib #
1	Nepumoceno	Mike	43	MMCC	92
2	Guerrero	Jerry	46	MMCC	99
3	Ignacio	Reggie	47	MMCC	106
4	Daniel	Al	37	MMCC	127
5	Tacloban	"Agent Al"	46	MMCC	128
6	Soriano	Raffy	36	MMCC	129
7	Phetsany	Scott		MMCC
8	De Leon	Bong	47	River Velo	154
9	Robles	Jose	45	River Velo	155
10	Brodsky	Keith	44	SFVBC	15
11	Thomson	Jim	51	SFVBC	31
12	Heinolz	Steve	57	SFVBC	80
13	Stramat	Cathy	56	SFVBC	89
14	Hallam	John	54	SFVBC	90
15	Schuler	Bill	60	SFVBC	102
16	Shprung	Shai	41	SFVBC	103
17		Maria		SFVBC	116
18	O'Connel	Mike	54	SoCal Bike Forum	133
19	Conrad	John	38	SoCal Bike Forum	152
20	Rafferty	M.E.	38	SoCal Bike Forum	153
21	Fusezi	Edina	31	SoCal Bike Forum	151
22	Doplito	Pete	41	SoCal Bike Forum	156
23	Shaker	Andy	50	SoCal Bike Forum	125
24	x	x		SoCal Bike Forum
25	x	x		SoCal Bike Forum
26	x	x		SoCal Bike Forum
27	Berdin	Glen	38	Sta Clarita Velo	107
28	x	Desi			108
29	Xavier	Patrick	41		120
30	Barrera	Thomas	46		130
31	Campued	Victor	49		132
32	Baden	Shawn	42		150
33	x	x
34	Abad	Rey	32	AdoboVelo	93
35	Aligue	William	38	AdoboVelo	160
36	Amit	Manny	49	AdoboVelo	149
37	Aragon	Ben	39	AdoboVelo	124
38	Aralar	Lito	45	AdoboVelo	131
39	Asuncion	Deo	59	AdoboVelo	94
40	Claudio	Tim	45	AdoboVelo	146
41	Dones	Richard	34	AdoboVelo	148
42	Grape	Jun	59	AdoboVelo	13
43	Grape	Cupid	34	AdoboVelo	26
44	Ibasco	Henry	40	AdoboVelo	159
45	Kneebone	Rosalie	38	AdoboVelo	122
46	Morente	Ed	44	AdoboVelo	105
47	Navalta	Louie	53	AdoboVelo	123
48	Primavera	Pete	47	AdoboVelo	126
49	Roldan	Ryan	35	Adobovelo
50	Rivera	Louie	55	AdoboVelo	100
51	Santamaria	Jesse	48	AdoboVelo	147
52				AdoboVelo
53	Usi	Jun	54	AdoboVelo	104
54	Santiago	Manny		MMCC SAG
55	Messara	Allan		AdoboVelo SAG
56	Genato	Mandy		AdoboVelo SAG
57	Herrera	Ricky		AdoboVelo SAG
58	Dakila	Victor		AdoboVelo SAG
59	Rivera	Mrs Louie		AdoboVelo SAG
60	Usi	Mrs Jun		AdoboVelo SAG
61	Usi	Daughter		AdoboVelo SAG
62		Regina		AdoboVelo SAG
63	Pacheco	Vince		AdoboVelo SAG
64	Udvarde	Imre		AdoboVelo SAG
65	Uyan	Egay		AdoboVelo SAG
66	Uyan			AdoboVelo SAG
67	Uyan			AdoboVelo SAG
68	Uyan			AdoboVelo SAG
69	Ignacio	Daughter		AdoboVelo SAG
70	Ignacio	MJ		AdoboVelo SAG
71	Ignacio	Francis		AdoboVelo Tour DS

Women of the Tour de Francis Stage 2 (May 2008)

2008-06-03T22:03:00.001-07:00

Did we say this course was pretty, with great scenery?

Among the many reasons, is the presence of women cyclists.

(Above photo: OK, guilty, I shamelessly put this gratuitous and totally unnecessary photo. Credits: pezcycling.com's "Daily Distractions")

Road cycling seems to be a male-dominated activity. Having women on the course is a treat to the organizers and other riders.

(Photo: Regina and beau Gerald)

The boys like having them around, simple as that.

I don't know if you notice, but the boys get protective of the women cyclists. It's a primal instinct.

(Photo: Maria at Mile 20)

The TDF does not have the budget for "Porta-Potties" along the course.

Not having them is an inconvenience and disadvantage for the women (whether volunteers or riders). (The boys just do their business anytime anywhere.)

(Photo: That's me holding the door, and my breath, at the L.A. River Ride 2005)

But despite having to "rough it out", the women come to the TDF anyway. The boys are grateful.

Here are the WOMEN OF THE TDF. Six women. They all completed the entire course. Props to them.

Adobo's very own Rosalie (bib# 122) wearing the Hammer kit was all smiles from beginning to end. What else would you expect from this whirlpool of energy.

Rosalie

Cathy (bib # 89) wearing the knickers is not new to TDF. I think I remember her at the Big Bear and Castaic rides. She finished very strong, beating riders younger than her. Wow. She puts on the pressure.

Cathy

Desi (bib # 108) wearing the MTB knickers and fanny pack is a dedicated mountain biker (and only an occasional roadie). She tagged along with coworker (and co-MTB'ers) Manny Amit and Shawn . We saw her in the last group going up at the last hill at mile # 85. She was spent, but never complained one bit. What a trooper.

Desi

Edina (bib # 151) wearing the seafoam green jersey is a student (not sure if college or masters), who was too busy with papers and exams to train properly for a hilly century. She seemed to have a lot on her mind. She did well on this ride anyway. Very admirable example for us all.

Edina

Maria (bib # 116) wearing the OC REBEL jersey (or mint green windbreaker) has the light physique of a roadie. She did quite well too.

Maria

Mary Elizabeth in the sky-blue Trek is a "frequent flier" on the TDF. She's done a few double-centuries. She'll cuss and rage at Francis's evil genius as she suffers up the hills, but it's all in jest. You can tell she enjoys these epic rides that challenge her limits. When she arrived at the finish all her biker friends from SoCalBikeForum and Adobo gave her a very warm reception at the parking lot. She has a lot of loyal friends in the cycling community. Way to go M.E. !

Mary Elizabeth (more popularly known as "M.E.")

Personal growth

2008-06-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

We now have had several consistent TDF's. They have been "brutal". We did Castaic twice (Dec 2006 and Dec 2007), Balcom Cyn twice (Feb 2007 and Feb 2008), Big Bear in July 2007, and now Frazier Park in May 2008.

WHY DO WE DO THIS? It's a question my relatives and friends always ask. We all have our own personal reasons.

The beauty of the Tour de Francis is that it brings all levels of cyclists together in one epic ride. The Tour de Francis has a reputation of challenging (actually, "brutal" is a more apt description for us mere "weekend" athletes).

Nothing is more satisfying than a hard-fought "victory", whether it's (A) finishing among the front, or (B) being in the middle but besting someone else in a "mini-race", or (C) being in the back but besting your own personal record, or (D) the entire ride being on the brink of quitting, and simply just willing yourself to the finish line after utterly depleting your physical and mental reserves.

In that sentence we just described 4 kinds of accomplishments, 4 kinds of cyclists, all equally deserving of recognition.

There were riders way in the back who had big smiles, despite the suffering, because they knew the enormity of their accomplishment.

And in the middle, we witnessed riders in groups. Each group was its own mini-race. That was fun to watch too.

Then there were the top athletes. To make it simple, let's consider the 4 front runners we witnessed racing to the top of Heartbreak.

Deo and Raffy reached the top together, mano-a-mano.

Pete was next (1 min 10 sec gap).

Following him was Henry (45 secs, but my camera jammed, sorry Henry) and "Agent Al" 4 secs later (I think that's him. If I'm wrong someone will let me know), then Glen, Mike, Reggie.

Being a top athlete like those guys requires 2 things: "potential" and "training".

Potential is something you're born with, e.g., naturally high hemtocrit (red blood cell count), low resting heart rate, large lung capacity, etc. Training is your plain hard work. It is what separates you from another person with exactly the same natural potential; The one who trains more, wins. The one who trains less, does not reach full potential.

The photo below is the elite group on the way to heartbreak. Notice the "Orange Crush" (those MMCC jerseys, they always come out to play!). In this elite group were 4 MMCC (Raffy, Reggie, Al and Mike), 3 Adobo (Deo, Pete and Henry), and 1 Sta Clarita (Glen Berdin).

Here below, Pete was trying to put a time gap before reaching the hills. Deo and Raffy pulled him back. The rest in that lead pack were Henry, Al, Mike, and Glen.

Those riders who raced to to top of heartbreak were simply awe-inspiring to watch. They were born with "potential." But that's not enough. If you don't train, you don't achieve your destiny. These top athletes trained hard to acheive their full potential. We must give them props.

15 miles prior to hearbreak, at mile 54 (pistachhio store) the lead group took a break.

They's still laughing and joking. Not all of them joined the heartbreak breakaway.

For "edutainment" let's digress a little bit on the topic of hematocrit (red blood cell count). In case you were absent from biology class that day, Red blood cells carry oxygen. The more you got, the easier it is to deliver oxygen to your cells. Reference range for hematocrit is 30 to 50, meaning, if you have 30 or lower, you are seriously anemic, and if you have 51 or more, you are automatically suspected of doping.

In truth, there are people who naturally have 51 or higher hematocrit. My own brother Jordan has 51 hematocrit, smokes Marlboros. I train twice as much and don't smoke, and I'll still lose to him going up Glendora Mountain Road (10 miles, 5% avg gradient) because my hematocrit is a crummy 38, and my resting heart rate is too high at 80 BPM. That's really lousy "potential".

So you see, you need "potential". You also need training. Jan Ulrich (one of my fave cyclists even to this day) had greater potential than Lance (another fave). But when Jan was night-clubbing and getting fat in the winter, Lance was training in the Alps. The results speak for themselves.

If you don't have "potential", you can raise it artificially (illegally) by doping. As you all know, dopers can raise their hematocrit by either taking EPO (a wonder medicine for recovering cancer patients whose RBC is depleted from chemo), or taking blood transfusions.

Either way, if done improperly, it can result in your blood getting too THICK. Guess what happens when blood is too thick: It's harder to pass through the veins, so the heart has to pump extra harder. That's like your heart working as hard as if you were climbing GMR, while you are asleep. That can result in death while you're asleep.

Unsupervised dopers who overdose on EPO have to take HEPARIN ( a blood thinner) when they feel their blood getting too thick.

Anyway, back to the topic of the four kinds of cyclists at the TDF. So let's say you have only average potential (or crummy, like mine).

No problem.

We can still make it fun. Whatever you are, whether it's top athlete, average, crummy, or barely making the cut-off time, you should carry on anyway. Train to reach your full potential, whatever that level is.

The TDF is there to TEST and CHALLENGE you. When the TDF is on the calendar, it makes you get up in the morning to train even in miserable weather. It makes you put in the miles.

It makes you pimp up your ride. It makes you come to the parking lot to join other cyclists for the camaraderie.

And in so doing, you achieve personal growth.

"The key to climbing a mountain, is to watch the pretty flowers along the way." Francis said that (in Tagalog) while we were climbing Angeles Crest Hwy in April. I wasn't sure what he was talking about. I didn't see any flowers. One of these days he will tell us what he means.

2008-06-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

When doing the TDF, best to say a prayer. Francis makes it tough (or should we say, tougher and tougher).

By now riders, organizers, and volunteers of the Tour de Francis (photos here & here) have gotten used to the idea of it being an epic event: a large cast of participants, covering lot of distance, over the entire day, and offering a full gamut of emotions, from joy to pain, from defeat to victory.

It will take a lot of story-telling to do it justice.

On the one hand, there are the awesome exploits of the natural (and trained) athletes who "ride in front". Below are Deo (Adobo) and Raffy (MMCC) climbing "heartbreak", putting in serious time gaps on the field.
That aerial shot is not from a chopper, but from the top of heartbreak, like where Vince is positioned in the photo below.

On the other end of the spectrum, there's the utter desperation of less-gifted riders who "hang way, way, in the back", but persevere for no other glory than to say "I finished the ride". Below is Desi arriving at Mile 20 over half an hour after the first rider. She's a mountain biker (and only occasional "roadie"). She finished the entire course, by the way.

Below, at Mile 50, are some of the front riders.

So here, I will tell their stories, little by little. But first, we should all agree it's a really very pretty route. For example, here at Mile 68 a clear and cool stream crosses the road.

Here's Mile 30, in the hills of Los Padres Nat'l Forest.

More to come

Century rides getting attention in the New York Times

2008-05-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

There's a May 2008 New York Times article on century rides in Northern California.

An excerpt... "Over the years the refreshments served by century ride organizers at rest stops have become a source of heated competition. Some rides are epicurean, some are organic, some offer complete feasts, and at the bottom of the heap are the rides that provide the meager PowerBar and Gatorade."

More excerpts... "You can take all day to ride a century, or you can ride it like a race. There is always a crowd that rides at “race pace,” and it’s fun to hop on the back of a pack of 10 or 15 riders that comes buzzing by at 20 miles an hour or more."

"As you get older, the hardest part of riding centuries is getting going again after standing around for 20 minutes."

There's also a May 2008 New York Times article on L'Etape ("The Stage"), an organized bike ride (open to the public but you have to pay) using a route on an actual stage of the Tour de France. Here's an excerpt: ... "the organizers of the Tour de France are kind enough to allow anyone with a bike to take a shot at riding the whole length of a single, mountain stage during each year’s Tour. This annual event is actually a timed race called "L'Etape", which sets 8,000 cyclists loose on one of the hardest segments of each year’s course, just a few days before the actual Tour de France."

And there's a Blog about the "legends of the Tourmalet". (12 miles, 7% - 9% gradients).

Here's an excerpt... " the man they call ‘the father of the mountains’ recconnoitred the Tourmalet by car (in 1910, almost a century ago). Halted by a snowbank at 6pm (and still 4 km below the peak), he told his driver to head back. Then, in his town shoes, he set off alone on foot, following the poles marking the road under the snow. Night fell. He slogged on to the gendarmerie in Barèges and, when he had recovered, telegraphed Desgrange (the Tour Director) in Paris: ‘Tourmalet crossed. Very good road. Perfectly practicable. "

"The first man across the col in 1910, Octave ‘Curly’ Lapize, walked part of the way. Half an hour behind him came Gustave Garrigou, (winner the following year), who didn’t dismount once."

Report-May 17 2008 Scouting Ride

2008-05-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Some people like to sit and admire a mountain. The crazy ones will climb it on a bicycle.

If you like to test your fitness, and have fun doing it, this.is a great route to do that , because the roads are well paved, the scenery is spectacular, and the traffic is bare (except for the first 10 miles because there's a village there). It's the same route as the Heartbreak Hundred ride (the one operated by PlanetUltra on May 24th 2008). There's a lot of climbing (8,500 feet), but also a lot of straight flat roads in between the hills. Even a crummy rider like me finished this ride today, May 17th. And how crummy am I? Well, I was 7th from LAST place among the 427 finishers at the May 3rd Breathless Agony two weeks ago.

May 17th, Frazier Park: The day started interestingly. No one knew him, this guy who parked his pickup truck next to us in the empty parking lot. He had nice expensive bike in the back of his truck. He seemed fit and ready for a long ride. "Where's the registration table for the Heartbreak Ride? " he asked. He thought we were riding the Heartbreak Hundred. "But that's NEXT week", we told him. "You're a week too early." His expression was a mixture of confusion and dejection. He told us he had driven from Simi Valley. So, to salvage his day, we invited him to join us. His name was Nick. He was a nice guy, a friendly sort.

So we were 6 riders in total: Francis Ignacio, Pete Primavera, William Aligue, Allan Messara, myself..., and our new friend Nick. At the very last moment Ricky Herrerra volunteered to SAG for us (thankfully), otherwise we would run out of water in this heat. He would drive my CRV. Allan and William graciously chipped in for gas. Nick donated his 3 gallons of water to add to our 3 gallons (we consumed all of it, by the way). Francis had brought sandwiches and gatorade. Ricky had a big cooler of ice and water. I brought groceries (sodas, V8, crackers, gatorade, M&Ms, bananas, etc.) We had everything. So off we went, with Ricky following us in the SAG car. It was like an expedition. Sounds like fun? It was a blast.

Right away, the first 20 miles is a gentle climb into the forest of Mount Pinos. (Better to have most of the climbing done in the beginning, than in the end.) No cactus or desert plants in these hills. Only pine forests. The air is cool. Elevation: 6,000 feet. You might spot some coyotes. They are afraid of humans, but not cyclists. (Just joking, they're afraid of us too.)

(I "borrowed" these photos from westcoastroads.com)

The 5/31/08 TDF will have a water-refill table at mile 12, and a fully-stocked reststop at Mile 20.

The next 25-mile stretch has lots of rollers at the beginning, but then it's mostly downhill into the other side of Mount Pinos. On the way down into the valley, you will notice the pine forest has thinned out, but the view is still spectacular.

Los Padres Nat'l Forest.

The vegetation is dry, a reminder that California could not have become an agricultural powerhouse on native weather alone: Water had to be diverted from Nevada and Colorado using man-made aqueducts.

At Mile # 41 you hang a LEFT on Hwy 166 , then after 4.5 miles hang another LEFT onto Hwy 33. It's Mile # 46. You have conquered half the distance and 5,500 feet of climbing (roughly equivalent to going up GMR twice). Somehow you are still fresh. It's not yet noon.

Hwy 33 is long and dry

At the start of Hwy 33 (Mile # 46), make sure your water bottles are full, and hydrate well on this stretch.

Highway 33 (Ventucopa)

The highway goes for 21 miles straight and flat, with some rollers at the end. The black asphalt is new. The environment is dry. There are orchards and farms (thanks to drip-irrigation).

Lunch is at Mile # 67, the junction of Hwy 33 and Lockwood Valley Rd.

Mile 67 (Junction Hwy 33 & Lockwood Valley Rd)

You're now covered 2/3d's the distance. What follows is Heartbreak. The peak is 10 miles away. It starts gently, then becomes difficult near the peak. This is where Pete, William, and Nick had their "competition" going. The young guy won, but the old stalwarts were not far behind.

Heartbreak starts gently

There's even water run-offs in the month of May

View from Heartbreak

Mile # 77 is the peak. Then it's 5 miles of rollers, then finally, RELIEF at Mile # 82. After that you are "basically" home free, downhilling.

So, to recap: You just need to haul your sorry little ass to Mile # 77 (top of Heartbreak), then drag it across some rollers to Mile # 82. After that it's all downhill except for a 4-mile gentle climb at Mile 88.

Scouting Ride for TdF Frazier Park

2008-05-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

It's free. It's fun. It's tough. It's fully SAG'd. (Did I say it's free?). It's back.

The latest edition of the Tour de Francis will be at Frazier Park (a new route) on May 31. The clubs that battled for supremacy last December are back to reprise their friendly rivalry: SFVBC (San Fernando) , MMCC (the orange boys of Mira Mesa) , and of course AdoboVelo. Of course there are other clubs represented.

The scenery is simply spectacular:
Photo credit: I "stole" these beautiful photos from Bernd Strahle's cycling blog La Vuelta

Below is a photo "heartbreak" hill. (That's Bernd Strahle climbing the hill). It's on Mile 80.

This is a new route for AdoboVelos (but it's familiar to anyone who has ridden PlanetUltra's "Heartbreak One-Hundred").

On May 17th, we'll do a "scouting" ride of the exact route, self-supported (no SAG support car) with tour director Francis Ignacio and other riders (Allan Messara, William Aligue, Ricky Herrera, myself). We'll give you a report after the ride. By the way, PlanetUltra will hold its Heartbreak Hundred on May 24th! So it will be a "busy" route in the next 3 weeks.

Cycling routes can be categorized into 3 types: "out-and-then-back" or "roundtrip" (where the trip back to the starting line is a re-tracing of the trip out), "loop" (where you do not go over the same roads on the return trip back to the starting line; You cannot U-Turn to shorten the ride), and "A-to-B" (where the Finish line is a different city from the Starting line, just like a Stage in Tour de France).

This new route is a loop. That means if there's no SAG cars and you get tired, you cannot just make a U-turn to shorten the ride. You have to complete the ride.

It is 100 miles long, with 8,500 feet of total climbing. In comparison, here's how it stacks up with other TdF's and popular AdoboVelo routes. It's easier than Castaic TdF, a little tougher than the Big Bear TdF.

Castaic TdF , 100 miles, 9,500 feet total climbing
Big Bear TdF, 76 miles, 6,500 feet total climbing
Balcom Cyn TdF, 80 miles, 1,000 feet total climbing
Dana Pointe, 80 miles, flat + rollers
East Fork, 80 miles, flat + rollers
Mt Baldy, 60 miles, 5,500 feet total climbing
Mt Wilson/Upper Tujunga, 60 Miles, 6,000 feet total climbing
Breathless Agony, 112 miles, 12,000 feet total climbing

We'll give you a scouting report when we're done.

“Some people like to climb a mountain. Others like to sit down and look at it.”

Deo Asuncion: 1984 Olympics & 1982 Asian Games

2008-01-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

Deo Asuncion, AdoboVelo's very own Olympics member and Asian Games medalist

When Americans who are of Italian descent watch Olympic games, sometime they wave Italian flags along with the US flag. It's fun. American-Germans do that too. So do American Swedes, American-Armenians. And so on and so forth.

So there's nothing unusual about American-Filipinos of the Adobovelo club waving the Philippine flag at competitions held in Los Angeles. They're proud of their heritage.

The Philippine government has bigger priorities than supporting its athletes at world competitions.

So, with a limited budget for sports teams, the Philippines must be very selective about which athletes it sends to the Olympics, Asian Games, and other world-class competitions.

And even then, the chosen athletes frequently must self-finance things like equipment and food, or find private benefactors.

Sometimes they borrow equipment to train. Simply put, the odds are stacked against the Philippine athlete.

Yet, they persevere.

At the Olympics or Asian Games, the Philippine government does not field a full slate at every event. It does not field just any Filipino athlete that has a gold medal at a local track meet. It must choose events where the athlete is at a world-class level.

So, merely being chosen on the Philippine Team roster for the Olympics or Asian Games is a big accomplishment by itself. Such is an honor held by AdoboVelo's own DEO ASUNCION.

At the 1982 Asian Games held at New Delhi, the Philippine Cycling Team fielded 5 cyclists , among whom was Deo Asuncion.

That Philippine cycling contingent harvested 3 bronze medals: one in 4,000 meter Team Pursuit (Deo Asuncion and 3 other teammates), 30 Kilometer Points Race (Ed Pagarigan), and 1,000 Meter Individual Time Trial (Rudy Guaves).

In Team Pursuit, two teams at a time compete on the track. A team has four cyclists. Each team starts at opposite ends of the track. They go around 16 times (totalling 4 kilometres). The objective is to catch (that is, to "lap") the other team. If neither is caught, then the method for choosing the victor is the teams' time (based on the third rider of the team to cross the line). Individual Pursuit is the same, but without team groupings.

The Points Race is a bit more complicated. It's a rolling start, meaning, all the cyclists are scattered on the oval when they start going, without a defined "starting line". Gradually, a "main group" naturally forms on the oval, which is very important! If you can lap the "main group" you get 20 points. If you are lapped by the main group you lose 20 points. You can also gather points at "sprint points" every 5 laps (or every 2KM in Elite), where the FIRST 4 riders are awarded points of 5, 3, 2 and 1.

Individual Time Trial, well, everyone knows what that is. You ride alone on the track, and go as hard as you can, and post a time. Fastest time wins.

Two years later, at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics,
the Philippines cycling team fielded 4 cyclists.

The best placing was 23rd in the 100 Meter ITT (Rudy Guaves).

Deo Asuncion was the only member entered in more than 1 event. He competed in sprint (where he was eliminated in the 1st round) and in the Points race, where he placed 18th in Heat 1, and then lost in later rounds.

At the 2007 UCI World Track Championships held in Los Angeles (Home Depot Center in Carson), (Photo by Arden)

Deo represented the Philippines on his own dime and time. He competed in the Points Race.

Deo has Bib # 34

(Photo by Arden)
In Points Racing, a "main group" usually forms, as you can see in the photo below.

(Photo by Arden)
You earn 20 pts if you can break away and lap the main group. You can also earn points every 5 laps at the "points sprint", where the first 4 to cross the line are awarded points of 5, 3, 2 and 1.

(Photos by Arden)
Below, ADOBOVELO members came to show support the Philippine entry Deo Asuncion. L-R: Unidentified member, Jaimer (white T-shirt), Andrew, Egay, Ben, William, unidentified official, Gil (in vest), Arden, and unidentified official.

Below, ADOBOVELO members outside the Home Depot Center. L-R: Elpidio, Manolito, Ben, Arden, Andrew, William, Efren, Kuya Abe, Egay, Jaimer

Below, Deo shown in the main group.

(Photo by Arden)

Below, Deo at the Home Depot track velodrom at Carson.

(Photo by Arden)
Below, ADOVOVELO members Arden Arindaeng and Louie Rivera are Official UCI volunteers. They hold up the AdoboVelo jersey with pride.

Below, ADOBOVELO members Louie Rivera and Charles help Deo get ready.

(Photo by Arden)

Below, Deo wears Bib# 34 in the Points Race

(Photo by Arden)

Below, Deo chases a rider in the Points Race

(Photo by Arden)

Below, Deo in the Points Race

(Photo by Arden)

Below, Deo warming up before his event, the Points Race(Photo by Arden)

Below, Deo training at the velodrome

(Photo by Arden)

Francis vs. Fargo Street

2008-01-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

Cyclists like to test themselves. One of the most usual competitions takes place in a residential neighborhood near Dodgers Stadium. It is a very hilly area. There is a residential road named FARGO STREET with an insane incline of 32%. The objective of the competition is to make the most number of trips up the hill in one day.

1 down, 50 more to go. AdoboVelo 'astig' Francis Marlon Ignacio tries to break the record for the number of trips up Fargo Street in an 8-hour span.

Usually, when the topography is hilly like that, engineers like to build ZIG-ZAG roads, which are easier for cars and pedestrians to travel.

But what if the land is already partitioned into plots with ownership titles?

The land before paving.

In that case you can't build zig-zag roads anymore. What's left to do, is to build a road that's a straight line from bottom of the hill to the top.

That is how FARGO STREET came to be.

It is steep, as you can see from the above photo (taken in the 1930’s).

The sign says 32% Grade (meaning, 32 feet elevation gain for every 100 feet distance travelled on the road).

Let’s put that in perspective. Let's put that number into something that makes sense:

....... a 3-story building is about 32-feet tall

...... a basketball court is about 100 feet long (actually, exactly 94 feet long, but suppose let's add 6 feet to reflect the extra area where the posts are installed)

Now, use that 100-foot long basketball court as a ramp to the top of the 32-foot tall building. That’s what 32% Gradient is like.

That's steep.

Now, keep that same 32% slope, but make it 2 blocks long. Climb it once. Climb it twice. Climb it 10 times. Climb it some more. That is the nature of the Fargo Street Climb competition held annually in March by the Los Angeles Wheelman.

In 2006 the record was set at 50 climbs (by Doug Kubler).

Above, Doug Kubler holds the record for most number of climbs at Fargo Street in one day. Check out his special single-gear. From the looks of it, we're guessing that's, maybe, a 24-tooth chainring in front and 34-tooth cog in the back.

In March 2007, Francis Marlon Ignacio set out to break Doug's 50-climb record. The previous year, Francis did 48 climbs, placing 3rd. So he figures, just add 3 more climbs, and he overtakes the record.

Here's a photo of Francis in 2006. The AdoboVelo jersey was not yet available then.

Almost 80 riders arrived at Fargo Street in March 2007 to try their strength.

Above, a map of Fargo St, which is about 1 mile from Dodgers Stadium

Above, Francis (in AdoboVelo jersey) mixes it up with other participants

The above photo gives an idea of how steep 32% is, compared to the usual 8% for normal inclines

In the end, Francis did break 50. He made 51 climbs.

However, Douglas wanted to put the record beyond reach for a long time, so he did 80 climbs that same day. Monster.

(Author: Mandy Genato)

AdoboVelo: History of the name

2008-01-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

Names are important. It helps us know a good thing from a bad thing. For example, the name Tour-de-Francis is easy to remember because it's a play on the world famous cycling event Tour de France. We're lucky Francis Ignacio's mom didn't name him Protacio. "Tour de Protacio" doesn't quite have that "ring" to it.

This cycling club was almost named Socal Cycling International Cycling Group , or "SCICG", which you can pronounce 'siga'. In Tagalog that means the neighborhood tough guy.

In 2005, a bunch of cyclists needed a name for their new club. On their Yahoo group discussion site (which at that time was named "cyclistafilam"), member cyclists submitted suggestions. They came up with candidates like "Global Cycling Team", "International Cycling Team", "Island Boys", "ROAM - Race on a Mission", and SCICG.

Finally someone came up with the name ADOBO. It's a Filipino food, no other cuisine has it. Food is big among Filipinos. At parties, we don't care what you wear, just what food you bring. Adobo is a dish made of chicken or pork cooked in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic. Vinegar is the key. Even in the tropical heat, Adobo never spoils because bacteria does not survive in vinegar.

The name immediately garnered support, and morphed into AdoboVelo, which rolls out more gracefully in the tongue.

Thus the name AdoboVelo was born. So remember, while "siga" is tough, "Adobo" never spoils in the heat of competition.

Hey, since we're in the topic of brands, it's interesting to know how other brand names came to be.

Can you imagine the name United States of Columbus, instead of America? If Christoper Columbus discovered America first, why didn't they name the lands after him, or his queen or king? Who is this guy Mr. America anyway? Here's the story.

While Columbus was a first-rate trail blazer, his diaries were boring, and also wrong (he thought he reached the lands of India, in Asia, and he called the natives Indians).

Meanwhile, in Europe, a bunch of rich businessmen financed a lesser known navigator named Amerigo Vespucci to explore this new world further. They hired him because he was cheaper than Columbus, but more careful about his facts.

Mr. Amerigo explored the new lands, and was the first to realize it was not India, but two large continents not known before. He excitedly wrote two long letters to his friend in Europe narrating his path-finding observations.

Most fascinating were descriptions of the sexual customs and marriage practices of the people in these new lands. They were so entertaining that his friend published them as a pamphlet. It was a hit. It became a best-seller published in many languages and distributed across Europe. They sold more than Columbus' own diaries.

Around the same time, a German map maker read Amerigo's writings instead of Columbus's. So when he created a new map containing these new lands, he called them America. His map was the first to show these new lands, so the map became a best-seller all over Europe. From then on, the name America stuck, even though Mr. Amerigo himself faded into obscurity, and even though Columbus became duly recognized as the first discoverer.

At least the lands called The Philippines is named after King Philip II. He was the Spanish monarch who sent ships called galleons to settle those new lands. The galleon trade took tobacco and sugar out of the Phillippines, for sale in Europe. In exchange the Philippines got religion and paella.

The explorer who discovered the Phillippines, a fellow named Magellan, was unfortunate enough to encounter the local "siga" there named Lapu-Lapu. He chopped off Magellan's head in a battle waged in the beach. Although Magellan and his soldiers had superior armaments, they were weighed down by their heavy armor, while Lapu-Lapu's men wore no armor. The lighter fighters won the day. (Sounds familiar, cyclists?) Today, Lapu-Lapu's name is on official money and street names, not to mention a delicious fish. He's a siga with hero status.

By the way, in order to narrate the discoveries and exploits done in the 1500's, a writer needs to use words like Explorer, Navigator, Expedition, Discovery, Pathfinder, Trailblazer. Notice a pattern? They are all names of SUVs.

Two more interesting brand names to talk about:

The people at Google are great engineers, but lousy spellers. In 1996 two bright engineers had a search engine they nicknamed BackRub (so named because it relied on analyzing the web's backlinks). When they decided to form a company, a bunch of engineers gathered in a room to brainstorm possible new names.

"Hey, how about GOOGOLPLEX?", someone shouted. It's a high-falutin' scientific word that means a very large number, basically the number 1 followed by writing zeroes until you get tired. It could be perfect name for a company that crunches large amounts of data.

Someone replied "OK, but how about let's shorten that to GOOGOL."

Next, there was a guy who was seated at the computer terminal whose assignment was to check if the name was still available as a domain name. But while typing it, he misspelled it as google.com. He learned that name was not yet taken. The founders liked the wrong spelling better. Within hours they registered it.

Eastman Dry Plate Co. Let's be thankful Mr. Eastman didn't keep that name for his company. Kodak sounds better. George Eastman did not invent photography, he only invented a convenient way to take pictures, just as Henry Ford did not invent the car, he only invented a convenient way to manufacture them.

In the old days photography was a lousy hobby. You had to mix chemicals yourself and carry bulky equipment in a truck, not to mention use gunpowder (for flash photography).

Mr. Eastman was the first to sell a little wooden box that was a camera, which contained dry film (no more fiddling with wet chemicals). To develop pictures, you simply mailed the whole thing (camera and film) back to the company, and a few weeks later you got your camera back, along with the photos.

It was a hit. He named his company KODAK. The word does not mean anything at all. Eastman made it up himself. He wanted a name that was easy to pronounce and spell, and had a crisp sound. Eastman was not only a brilliant engineer, but a marketing genius as well.

Balcom Canyon- Tour de Francis Feb-2007

2007-12-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

A look back at the 2007 February Tour de Francis. If you didn't go last year, perhaps these photos will persuade you to make it this year.

Above: AdoboVelo boys at the KOM at Balcom Cyn

This was an easy 80-mile ride from Castaic to Balcom Canyon and back, along Highway 126. It coincided with the 6th stage of the Tour of California.

Above: Route from Castaic to Balcom Cyn, and back

The highlight is Balcom Canyon Road, a very steep hill (with some pitches of 20%+), where the Tour of California's "King of the Mountain" competition was marked.

Above: GoogleEarth image of Balcom Canyon. The white line with red dots is 1 mile long. The steep section starts in the middle. If you're going to do it in front of the gathering spectators, and you're not a strong rider, suggest that 5 miles before reaching Balcom Cyn Rd, take it easy (in other words, reserve your strength).

The AdoboVelos and other participants of the Tour-de-Francis stopped at Balcom Canyon, and waited (partied?) for 2 hours along with hundreds of other like-minded cycling spectators, waiting for the peloton to arrive. The scene was like Alpe d'Huez.

At Balcom Canyon Road, people were having good wholesome fun barbequeing and playing music.

Above: It's still early, spectators are starting to gather at Balcom Cyn Road

Above: Balcom Canyon Road packed with spectators and tail-gate parties.

Spectators in full cycling kits would go up and down Balcom Canyon Road just for fun. (If you're going to do it in front of everyone, make sure you have the lungs and legs, because it's embarrassing to run out of steam in the middle of the climb and walk.)

Above: Wannabe's in full kits went up and down the hill repeatedly.

Above: Moe taking photos of Adobo boys posing at the KOM placard.
Above: Fans take up position in the slopes and atop RV's

Above: Fans stood on trucks to get a better view

It's also a great place to meet friends. Adobo's met Rosalie there.

Above: At left is Rosalie, before she was an Adobo. L-R: Rosalie (in Amgen jersey), Mang El, Albert, Kuya Abe, Louie R., Efren, Ramon, Deo

It's also a chance to bond and swap stories with fellow cyclists.

Above: Very happy to be at Balcom. L-R: Tour director Francis, Mike G., Jeff S.

Above: L-R Mang El, Jaimer, Roy, Ramon, Efren (with the beard), Henry, Cheryl (seated) and another rider

Above: Vendors gave away cowbells, t-shirts, cycling magazines, balloons. Francis Jr spars with Vince.

Above: Cheryl poses with the venerable Mang El while Regina looks on

Above: Waiting for the peloton, at the KOM marker.

Finally, the peloton arrives! The spectators go wild when they finally see the peloton enter into view, at the start of the climb.

Above: The Pros start climbing.

To spectators who had themselves tried the hill on a bike, at 3MPH to 5 MPH, it was amazing to see the Pros go up the hill so fast, probably twice the speed of the wannabe's. But even then you could see the pros swaying their bikes left-and-right like they were having difficulty.

Above: The Pros are unbelievable up the steep sections.

But first, you have to get to Balcom Canyon. The TOUR DE FRANCIS group started at Castaic's Del Valle County Park at 7AM, which is 40 miles from Balcom Canyon. About 30 riders went.

Above: TdF starting Line, Castaic, 7AM

Then they biked about 30 miles along Hwy 126, a flat course, and 10 miles in the gentle hills. Only Balcom Canyon is the difficult section, and that's only 1/2 long.

Above: Hwy 126 (connecting Castaic to Fillmore and Sta Paula)

The road conditions along Hwy 126 were excellent.

Above: Jaimer having a blast

The scenery was beautiful.

Above: Efren and Mang El working in the front.

The air quality was great.

Above: Edgar O. pulling this group

At Balcom Canyon, vehicles were not allowed to enter after a certain time. This was a problem for the TdF's SAG volunteers, because they needed to deliver food an drinks to the top of Balcom where the Adobos riders were waiting. So the SAG cars had to park at the bottom of Balcom, and carry the things uphill for a mile. We should be very grateful to them: Francis and his 2 kids, Albert and Dong Javier, Allan Messara, Ricky Herrera, Regina.

Because of them, the AdoboVelo's TdF "party" was excellent.

Above: Checking out the bikes at Balcom Cyn

Above: Having fun at Balcom Cyn

Above: Camaraderie at Balcom Cyn

Above: Francis' 2 kids having fun

Above: Pete says "What are you looking at, me, or something else?"

Above: Just chatting

Above: Chatting some more

Above: Super-clown at Balcom Cyn

Then the pros arrived. Above: Super-Clown runs alongside the pros at Balcom Cyn

Above: The Discovery Channel boys

In yellow was Levi.

Above: Levi on Julich's wheel

At the KOM, the Discovery boys were pulling Levi.

Above: Levi following his team-mate in Discovery kit

Above: Adobos watch the pros wheeze by at Balcom Cyn

Above: What a show !

Above: Tony Cruz

Above: Fans line up the street

After the "show", it was time to get back to Castaic, where a complete feast was waiting, care of Francis.

Above: A feast awaited the TdF riders at Castaic

Above: The SAG volunteers: Emre, Regina, Francis, his daughter, Ricky, Allan

TdF Beginnings

2007-12-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

The TdF holds three stages during a calendar year. Stage 1 is held in February, usually at Balcom Canyon on the same day as one of the stages of the Tour of California.

(The above photo shows AdoboVelo riders in February 2006 atop Balcom Canyon Road waiting for the Tour of California peloton to arrive. L-R: Moe, Pete, William, Jesse. Date: 02/24/2007)

Stage 2 is held in July. In 2007 it was in Big Bear. In 2008 it may be at Frazier Park/Heartbreak Ridge. The name alone strikes terror.

The above photo shows riders atop Onyx Summit in Big Bear, July 14, 2007)

Stage 3 is held in December in Castaic.

The above photo shows the starting line of the December 2006 TdF.

The 2008 season will be the TdF's fifth year since its first whimsical ride in 2004, when it started with a group of 12 riders and one SAG person (who else, Francis), and financed solely by Francis. Now it is a big endeavor that has 3 stages held annually, almost 100 riders representing eight clubs, over 2 dozen volunteers, and the financial support and manpower of the AdoboVelo organization. (AdoboVelo is an American/Filipino cycling club with over 50 members, headed by Pres. Jesse Santa Maria. The Tour de Francis is directed by Tour Director Francis Marlon Ignacio.)

Cyclists love a party. Although a cyclist can ride a bike alone, cyclists prefer company, because misery loves company. It takes a lot of suffering to climb steep hills or go long distances, and the suffering is easier to endure when you're in a pack than if you ride solitary.

That's why cyclists need group rides. They even pay good money to join organized rides that offer food and support. The more organized a ride is, the more expensive the entrance fee.

The TdF is one of the better organized rides, yet it is offered free of charge. (AdoboVelo club members support it financially, and other riders from other clubs do make unsolicited donations to support the ride). Why is it free of charge? Because hospitality is deeply ingrained in the Filipino culture. And they like to throw parties.

The Tour de Francis was a whimsical idea by its namesake, Francis Marlon Ignacio, an accomplished long-distance cyclist who wanted his buddy cyclists to have a taste of the long courses he'd ridden.

In 2004 he plotted a course in Castaic, called it the Tour de Francis, invited 12 cyclists to ride it (including his cycling buddies Allan M, Vince and David Y from the Los Vultos club), and served as the lone SAG support. Thus the TdF was born. In that first ride, only four of the 12 cyclists managed completed the entire route.

(By the way, did you know, SAG literally means "support and gear", and it can be mobile [a SAG vehicle following the cyclists) or stationary (rest stops along the route). To weary cyclists on a long ride, the sight of SAG volunteers is such a morale booster. They provide everything from food, hydration, first aid, mechanical repair, to pickup for tired and injured cyclists.)

Pictured above: SAG stop at Elizabeth Lake during the Dec. 2007 TdF

With the February 2008 stage just a few weeks away, now would be a good time to look back at last year's February TdF.

Check back in this space as I add photos and comments.

Above: Adobos watch the riders of the ToC cross the KOM line

Above: Adobos along Hwy 126 (Fillmore Hwy)

Above: Hwy 126. William, Mandy, Cheryl, Moe

Above: Hwy 126. Efre, Elpidio, and others

Check back later for more photos and comments on the 2006 February TdF. It is a hard job to pick and upload photos. And my PC is old and slow.

Part 8: William, Pete, Egay, etc

2007-12-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

MORE TDF STORIES.

In a bike "race", besides the "main contenders", there are "mini-races" within the race. These are the little competitions that happen in the back of the ride. Sometimes it's a race to make your personal best time. Sometimes it's just to finish the race for the first time. Sometimes it's a race between 2 evenly matched riders.

The following 3 photographs are one of the most interesting. It is a competition for the 8th and 9th position at Mile 10 KOM.

The first photo shows 2 riders sprinting for the KOM line. William(AdoboVelo) is trailing an SFVBC rider, but William is standing on his pedals, while the other is not. (If you know the other rider name, please comment! There's a "pencil" icon at the end of this article to let you comment. You don't need password or registration). Just 5 miles before this photo William had a 30 second lead on this rider. Now he's behind.

The second photo shows William nipping the other rider.

The third photo shows the aftermath.

OSCAR SAGALONGOS (bib number 8)
of the South Bay Wheelmen is a cat 3 SBW racer

He rides the Tuesday and Thursday night crits in Carson/Home Depot Center.

On this ride he broke his rear derailleur cable before rest stop 1, and had to jabandon.

Pete Primavera is one of AdoboVelo's strongest riders. But at the Quail Lake stop (mile # 50), he quits. Correction: He quits, then changes his mind. Here's the story.

At the starting line in the parking lot, Pete is all smiles. You can tell he's still warm.

On Lake Hughes Rd, he's still smiling. The exertion up the hill keeps his core temperature warm.

At the first KOM, he's still good. He even has a little fun with the SAG Volunteers who are pretending like the rowdy fans at the real Tour de France. In the photo below is Pete getting an "assist" from AdoboVelo President Jesse, and cheering from supposedly neutral Tour organizers.

Soon, it starts to get cold. It is windy on Lake Elizabeth Road.

(Below: Pete on Lake Elizabeth Road approaching the picnic area. Photo by Manoling Dionisio)

On a body of water such as a lake, the wind goes greater distances and at higher velocities than over land. So at the SAG stop on Elizabeth Lake picnic area, it is windier and colder than if the rest-stop were in the hills. The common complaint of everyone is the cold. Riders who carry energy gel in their backpockets have to CHEW their gel.

(Below: Lake Elizabeth picnic area. Photo by Manoling Dionisio)

Pete has a cyclist's physique for climbing hills: Slim, with low body fat. No natural insulation.

That presents a problem at Quail Lake, the rest stop at Mile 50. It's a desolate area without trees.

SAG Volunteers wear thick clothing. The temperature must be in the mid-40's.

If you're a cyclist wearing only spandex and light gear, you are meant to be pedalling and generating body heat. But if you stand there long enough doing nothing, your core temperature will drop quickly before you realize it.

This happens to Pete. He has stayed too long.

When I see him at Quail Lake I ask him how the ride is so far. Pete replies "I'm done". He says he's quitting. He is shivering uncontrollably from the terrible cold.

So we put him in a parked SAG car, turn on the heater full blast (engine running of course). Soon he is comfortable.

Much later, he sees some of the lady cyclists get back on their bikes. They are returning to Castaic by bike. No quitting for them!

So Pete is shamed into getting back on the bike, leaving his comfy spot in the front seat of the heated SAG car. He decides he must finish the ride. And so he does.

Jordan Genato has a naturally high hematocrit of 47% (about the same as the pros; Greg Lemond is even asking the UCI to peg the limit at 46%; The UCI limit is 50%). In English, a high hematocrit means more red blood cells to deliver oxygen to the muscles during strenuous exercise. On a short sprint up the hill, Jordan can drop you. But he has a smoking habit. He even smokes right after a ride. And he's very busy (with 2 kids, soccer matches to attend, etc), so it's hard for him to find the time to accumulate base miles. So he has only modest goals on this ride: He'll just bike until he drops. Jordan gets to Three Points, and goes a few miles further. Then he hitches a ride in Ricky's SAG truck.

Time to ride the SAG car

Egay Uyan is strong cyclist, with great upper-body strength. Don't bump into him if you are going elbow-to-elbow on the bike, because you will get thrown off. Below is a photo of Egay pulling a group containing Rosalie. Much later, Rosalie sees him on Pine Canyon Road getting ready to stop. She's surprised he stops to hitch a ride. She asks why? "Because my batteries are dead... You know, the batteries on my iPod are dead. So I can't go on." So Egay does hitch a ride.

The father/son team of Jun and Cupid Grape did the Big Bear TdF in July 2007 but did not complete it. (By the way, to clear some confusion, the dad is "JUN", for Francis Jr. , while the son is Francis IV or "CUPID" because he was born on Valentine's day.) Cupid's goal this time around is to finish. 'Pid starting cycling less than a year ago. Before he was introduced to the AdoboVelos, I first took him to the hills of Glendora: East Fork, Crystal Lake, GMR, Mt Baldy. He loved it. So he trained. He did long rides. He got stronger and stronger. His dad Jun also got into it, lost weight, and got stronger too. This TdF, with 10,000 feet of climbing, would be a good test. 'Pid feels ready.

Below is 'Pid on the 2nd mile of climbing.

At the Mile 10 KOM, Cupid is in 54th position.

Jun is in 85th position at Mile 10 KOM

During the ride, 'Pid feels like abandoning many times. The cold makes it a difficult ride for everyone. 92 riders started the course. Only about 30 finish. 'Pid is one of them. Jun does not finish. He makes a u-turn at Three Points. He hitches a ride along Pine Cyn Rd.

Efren Morales is one of Adobo's strongest climbers. At last year's December TdF he finished 4th (behind Keith, Deo, and Ramon).

Efren crosses the Mile 10 KOM in strong position, at 10th.
His brother Kuya Abe is driving the SAG car. At mile 45, I get the surprise of my life when I see Kuya Abe's car drive by, and in t is Efren. He has leg problems and has to abandon.

Stay tuned for more stories. I have the placings for the other KOMs (the mile 45 KOM and mile 52 KOM) with photos. Also, a look back at the previous TdF's with stories and photos.

Part 7: Women of the TdF (Tales from TdF)

2007-12-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

Women of the Tour de Francis

In road cycling, female cyclists comprise perhaps only 1 in 10 riders.

That's why female cyclists get a lot of attention.

Here's a chronicle of the lady cyclists of the Tour de Francis!

2006 DECEMBRRRRR: Tour Director Francis considers the December ride to be "Stage 3" of a year-long Tour.

The TdF ride that take place every February is "Stage 1".

The TdF that takes place every July is the "2nd Stage.

The TdF that is held every December is the "3rd Stage"

Last year, in the Dec. 2nd 2006 TdF, there were 27 riders, of which there was only 1 female cyclist, Mary Elizabeth. Tour director Francis persuaded her it was going to be an easy century. In the photo above is Mary at the parking lot still all smiles.

(What few people know is that before the Dec 2006 Tour, Francis organized two prior TdF's in that year. They were very very small. He was the only SAG car. He had EIGHT riders (yep, only 8). When I get the full story I'll tell you all about it. Like the unknown Beatle, there is the unknown TdF!! )

Many many miles later, as she was struggling up an incline on Pine Canyon Road
(on mile # 60), Francis was taking photos, so Mary Elizabeth gave him the international sign language to show how she felt about the course.

After the ride, she got hooked.

She's now an accomplished long-distance cyclist, routinely doing double-century rides and centuries.

2007: At "Stage 1" of the 2007 TdF, held on February 25, 2007 (coinciding with stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California), again there was only 1 female cyclist in the ride, Cheryl C., out of 30 riders. In the photo below is Cheryl drafting behind William on Hwy 126
The photo below is at Balcom Canyon (she's on the right in the AdoboVelo kit). With her are Regina (a SAG volunteer) and Vince.

What did I say at the beginning: Female cyclists get a lot of attention in a male-dominated crowd. Below is a rider chatting at Balcom Canyon. Some riders recognized her from the 2007 Planet Ultra KOM series where she finished 4th(!) overall.

Balcom Canyon is quite steep (Photo below is by DParks/Pez Cycling)

By the way, it was at Balcom Canyon on this day that the Adobos got to meet a pretty and charming cyclist from Moorpark. Her name: Rosalie K.

In the photo below, L-R, there's Rosalie, Mag Elpidio, Kuya Abe, Efren, Dong, Ramon, Louie R, and Deo.
Following the Balcom Canyon meeting, after much cajoling, she joined her first ride with the Adobo boys, up to Crystal Lake (5,000 feet elevation). At the start of the ride, at the Encanto Parking lot in Duarte, she remembers asking Francis, "So how many miles are we riding?

"Oh around 50 miles" replied Francis

"Holy ****" she said to herself. When was the last time she rode 50 miles?

"So where are we riding to?" she asked Francis. He pointed to the top of the mountain. What did she get herself into? She never ridden so high before. During the climb up Crystal Lake, it was hot. While other cyclists were quiet (and breathing hard), she was chatting away, enjoying the view, telling stories. Like it was no effort.

She's now a very active and dedicated member, commuting all the way from Moorpark to Duarte or Cerritos every week for the club rides.

In the photo below is Rosalie on more of AdoboVelo rides, before she got her jersey. This is at Glendora Mtn Rd.

At "Stage 2" of the 2007 TdF, held on July 14th, 2007 at Big Bear, there were 4 female cyclists out of 40 riders:
- Rosalie K.,
- Cheryl C.,
- Gloria, and
- Laura S.

Here's Gloria at the Redlands parking lot getting ready for the ride to Big Bear.

PHOTO BELOW That's Rosalie in front, followed by Cheryl.

Rosalie was cramping at the SAG stop on mile 24, so she's stretching the hamstrings.

Laura , 3 miles from Onyx Summit on Big Bear Road.

Cheryl and Rosalie at the Onyx Summit SAG stop.

At "Stage 3" (and final stage for the calendar year) of the 2007 TdF, held Dec. 1st, 2007, there were 8 female cyclists out of 92 riders.

BIB#	Name	Club
22	Rosalie K	AdoboVelo
16	Rachel R	(El Segundo)
67	Lissette B	PTC
50	Laura S	(So. Pasadena)
71	Kelly H	Redlands
72	Michelle I	Redlands
78	Carrie B	SFVBC
82	Caren L	SFVBC

Rosalie K. (ADOBOVELO)

LEFT: Still smiling (on the 2nd mile of climbing)

BELOW: The cold is starting to penetrate. The smile is harder to come by

SFVBC Rider Carrie B. (bib# 78) waiting for Francis' cowbell to ring

SFVBC Rider Carrie B. (bib# 78)

In the photo below is Rachel , 24 years of age.
She achieved many things on this day.
This was her very first century ride.
She also won the award for "Youngest Finisher".
And she also got the award for "First Female Finisher".

Here's Rachel racing down to Quail Lake just 2 miles away.

SFVBC Rider Caren L. (bib# 82).

Lissette B. (PTC)

Michelle I. (Redlands)

Michelle I. at Elizabeth Lake

Kelly H.(Redlands)

Kelly H (Redlands) arriving at Quail Lake

Laura S. (South Pasadena)

On the left, that must be the daughter of Adobo cyclist Louie Rivera on the right
Connie G., SAG volunteer (and my lovely wife)
SAG volunteers: Jun U.'s wife and daughter

Manuel "Maui" Reynante - 1977 and 1980 Tour of Luzon champ

2007-12-20T12:45:00.001-08:00

It was a thrill and honor having Manuel "Maui" Reynante ride AdoboVelo's Tour de Francis.

Manuel "Maui" Reynante twice won the Tour of Luzon (Philippines' cycling stage race) in 1977 and 1980. He now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and rides with the Luzvimin club. (For those readers not familiar with the term "Luzvimin", it stands for the 3 main islands in the Philippines, namely, Luzon, Vizayas, Mindanao. The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000 islands.) Maui also races various rides in the Masters category.

(If any of you readers wish to add more information, we welcome it. Just email normgen@gmail.com. Or you can add comments by clicking the comment link at the bottom. No login or password needed.)

The photo below shows the Tour of Luzon riders go up Kenon Road in Ilocos province. This is where the King Of the Mountain competition takes place.

Below, a tricycle driver watches the peloton.

The Tour of Luzon was launched in 1955 as a four-stage race from Manila to Vigan (an ancient town established by the Spanish, with very old churches made of adobe stone). The next year the Manila Times newspaper took over, renamed it Tour of Luzon, and increased the number of stages. The tour helped increase newspaper sales. Famous riders in that era include Pangasinan riders CORNELIO PADILLA, JESS GARCIA (both 2-time champs), and JOSE SUMALDE of Catanduanes. No tours were held in '68, 70, '71, 72.

In 1977 a rift led to the holding of two tours that year, one of which was won by Manuel Reynante (his first win), and the other by Jess Garcia (his 2nd win). Reynante won again in 1980. In the years 1977 to 1981, the tour's name changed yearly, reflecting different sponsors and the instability of the sport at that time.

Photo below shows riders going through one of the towns along the flat stages.

In 1978 Marlboro (the cigarette company) took over and began a reign of 21 years until 1998 when it withdrew sponsorship. 1999 to 2001 saw no tours.

In 2002 and to this day, FedEx (the air freight company) sponsored the tour under various names.

One of the more memorable Tour victories was a win in 1987 by a cigarette and fishball vendor from Valenzuela named REYNALDO DEQUITO.

In 1991 the race was eerily similar to American Greg Lemond's come-from-behind win in the 1989 Tour de France. In 1991 BERNARDO LLENTADA trailed CARLO GUIEB by 46.12 seconds going into the 17th and last stage, a 32-km race-against-the-clock along Roxas Blvd. Llentada rode a never-before-seen aerobar and a disc wheel, and won the Tour by one-minute and 30.48 seconds over Guieb. Guieb won it two years later, and the year after that.

In 1997 when the tour was recognized by the UCI for the first time, cyclists from all nationalities were allowed to compete. A Hong Kong national, Wong Kam Po won it. Also, UCI rules were enforced for the first time, and the public was mildly amused at what it thought was a strange penalty against a rider: The violation was for urinating in public, a rule used for the first time at the Tour of Luzon. Riders from other countries complained of the bad rural roads, forgetting to note that even the Tour de France held stages on unpaved (gravel) roads.

Roster of Tour of Luzon champions:

Manila Times era
1955 Manila-Vigan Antonio Arzala
1956 Tour of Luzon Antonio Arzala
1957 Tour of Luzon Rufino Gabot
1958 Tour of Luzon Mamerto Eden
1959 Tour of Luzon Antonio Arzala
1960 Tour of Luzon Rodrigo Abaquita
1961 Tour of Luzon Jose Moring
1962 Tour of Luzon Edmundo De Guzman
1963 Tour of Luzon Gonzalo Recodos
1964 Tour of Luzon Jose Sumalde
1965 Tour of Luzon Jose Sumalde
1966 Tour of Luzon Cornelio Padilla
1967 Tour of Luzon Cornelio Padilla
1968 None
1969 Tour ng Filipinas Domingo Quilban

1970 None
1971 None
1972 None

Various sponsors era

1973 Tour of Luzon Jess Garcia
1974 Tour of Luzon Teodorico Rimarim
1975 Tour of Luzon Samson Etrata
1976 Tour of Luzon Modesto Bonzo
1977 Tour ng Pilipinas Manuel Reynante
and 1977 Marlboro Tour Jess Garcia
1978 Perk Speed Tour Rumin Salamante
1979 Marlboro Tour Paquito Rivas
1980 Tour of the Philippines Manuel Reynante
1981 Tour of the Philippines Jacinto Sicam

Marlboro era
1982 Marlboro Tour Jacinto Sicam
1983 Marlboro Tour Romeo Bonzo
1984 Marlboro Tour Ruben Carino
1985 Marlboro Tour Pepito Calip
1986 Marlboro Tour Rolando Pagnanawon
1987 Marlboro Tour Reynaldo Dequito
1988 Marlboro Tour Armando Catalan
1989 Marlboro Tour Gerardo Igos
1990 Marlboro Tour Manuel Buenaventura
1991 Marlboro Tour Bernardo Llentada
1992 Marlboro Tour Renato Dolosa
1993 Marlboro Tour Carlo Guieb
1994 Marlboro Tour Carlo Guieb
1995 Marlboro Tour Renato Dolosa
1996 Marlboro Tour Victor Espiritu
1997 Marlboro Tour Wong Kam Po
1998 Marlboro Tour Warren Davadilla
1999 None
2000 None
2001 None

FedEx era
2002 FedEx Tour of Calabarzon Santy Barnachea
2003 Air21 Tour Pilipinas Arnel Quirmit
2004 Air21 Tour Pilipinas Rhyan Tanguilig
2005 Tour Pilipinas (50-Year Anniv) Warren Davadilla
2006 Padyak Pinoy Tour Pilipinas Santy Barnachea
2007 Padyak Pinoy Victor Espiritu

Bikes are also a means of livelihood

Part 6: Julius the Brave, and Clem the Energizer Bunny (More tales from TdF)

2007-12-19T14:38:00.001-08:00

People wonder why cyclists don't just wear ordinary sneakers like everyone else.

There's a purpose for the silly things cyclists wear, like cleated cycling shoes instead of basketball sneakers.

Off the bike, any fully-clad road cyclist walks clumsily and looks strange. But there's a reason.

The cleats let you transfer power efficiently when pedalling.

Spandex attire is clingy,
but that's precisely so it doesn't flap in the wind, or chaff in areas that rub, which is what happens when you wear basketball shorts, especially in the saddle area.

So the cycling-specific gear gives cyclists an advantage.

Julius de Jesus (Jay) of Siclista club, decided to attempt this ride without those advantages.

He has on gym shorts, basketball shoes, gym shirts, nautical windbreaker.

JULIUS THE BRAVE. Most cyclists attempt their first century ride choosing a flat course. This is Julius de Jesus' (Jay's) first century ride, a course with 10,000 feet of climbing. He wins the award for bravest rider. This is his story. Jay is with Siclista club in the Fremont, CA area.

Five months ago Jay purchased his first road bike and started joining training rides with his buddies from Siclista / Luzvimin. Sometimes they would go up Mt. Diablo. Other times, they would take the flat course along the Sacramento river. Jay's longest ride was 40 miles. He's a very likeable chap, full of enthusiasm and cheer. If you are ever in trouble, it is good to have him on your team. So when the club heard about the Tour de Francis, they made sure Jay came along. They told him "It will be fun. We'll ride together. We won't drop you."

"We won't drop you." Famous last words.

I didn't know Jay until I met him for the first time at mile 10 here on the TdF. Here are the circumstances. As a photographer, I feel a responsibility to make sure every single cyclist, without exception, has a photo on this ride. Mile # 10 is the ideal spot to catch everyone. It is early in the course, so riders are still tightly grouped. It is on an uphill, so they approach slowly.

I start snapping photos as soon as the first rider (Raffy) comes through. More cyclists come through in quick succession. Later, the cyclists arrive less frequently. Before the start of the ride, tour director Francis Marlon Ignacio assigns his good friend Emre Udvarde to be the "last rider" . That's not much of an imposition to Emre. He can be last without being asked.

OK, 22 minutes after Raffy (the very first rider across the KOM), here comes Emre up the hill, in neon-green wind vest. He is in 89th place.

I ask "Are there more riders?". Maybe a couple more, he replies. So I wait some more. Also waiting on the gravel shoulder are my wife, and also Allan Messara, a SAG volunteer in a separate vehicle. His assignment is to sweep up any injured or tired riders.

I don't know who the last rider will be. We wait. Fifteen minutes after Emre, I decide it's time to go. Surely there are no riders left. I tell everyone to pack up and leave. I start to walk to the car.

Ah, but wait, wait. Here comes a cyclist up the hill, followed by another. The first guy is wearing basketball shorts, the loose kind. They scrunch up at the saddle. He's got basketball shoes on. Flat pedals. Nautical windbreaker. And he's all smiles!

Julius "Jay" de Jesus of Siclista club, and behind is a non-TdF rider

Surely the guy in the Basketball shorts is not with this ride. Who would attempt 100 miles wearing THAT? No, this guy is probably just on a short ride through the hills.

I wave hello. He returns the greeting. He crosses the KOM line, his head is dropped, as if he has just completed a supreme effort. It is 39 minutes after Raffy.

"OK" he says, smiling. " I'm done. I need a ride. That hill was hard. That's it for me".

I can't believe my eyes. He's really with this ride? I know some cyclists purposely increase the degree of difficulty by riding a single speed, or worse a fixed gear. This guy does it by wearing non-cycling specific gear. The loose shorts alone will cause chaffing in the saddle area.

Jay turns toward the car. He's going to take a ride in the SAG car.

The other SAG volunteer Allan Messara, and myself, introduce ourselves to this rider. Jay is his name. I make sure he is indeed with the TdF ride. Yes, he is.

We assess the situation. Jay is slim, athletic, in his 20's or 30's. He seems fit enough not only to ride the entire course, but even to place well. At this point I don't know him, nor if he's had any training. I check my watch. It is 45 minutes since the first rider. It is only Mile 10. Hmmm. maybe he's not ready to complete this ride.

Jay came along with the Siclista group. He says they arrived late for the registration. They were lost. At Castaic park they were on their bikes looking for the TdF peloton. When they saw the peloton coming down the hill, they just merged with it. On Lake Hughes Road, Jay and his buddies were riding together at the beginning. But as soon as the first attacks came, his buddies responded. Jay could not. He was on his own.

Now, here we are on the gravel shoulder at mile 10. Allan and I check Jay's bike. It looks tuned up (It's a newly purchased bike, but we do not know that yet).

We encourage Jay to carry on. "Look Jay. Up ahead, when you go over the top, there's over 2 miles of sweet downhill. So just keep going. You'll recover. Get your second wind. We'll be SAG'ging behind you anyway. Anytime you need a ride, we'll get you".

So Julius The Brave gets back on his bike, and continues.

After Jay has gone, we wait some more, because Emre said there were 2 riders to wait for.

SIX MINUTES after Jay, sure enough, here comes another rider.

It is Clemente "Clem" Eustaquio.

CLEM THE ENERGIZER BUNNY. He is the oldest rider on the course. He is over 70 years old! He later finishes the course. At the end, the Adobovelo organization awarded him the Plaque of Appreciation for the Oldest Rider on the course.

And off he goes, Clem the Energizer Bunny. The last rider on the course. 92nd place. The oldest rider, at age 70+. CLEM EUSTAQUIO.

My wife and I get back in the car and drive the opposite direction, to make sure there are no more riders remaining. We drive 2 or 3 miles back over the hilly course. We find no more riders.

So we u-turn, toward the direction the cyclists are headed.

After the KOM hill, we descend, looking for Jay and Clem. We are curious how they are doing. On mile # 15, we pass them. We pull over to see how Jay is doing. He is done. He loads his bike, and gets in the back of our red CRV. And we learn the details of his story. Meanwhile, Clem, the 70+ year old Energizer Bunny, keeps going. We later hear he finishes the ride.

[Stay tuned for more stories from the TdF.]

Part 5: Latecomers Luzvimin/Siclista Make it Exciting (More tales from TdF)

2007-12-18T11:22:00.001-08:00

Imagine you go on a trip, and discover you brought the wrong jersey (your wife's jersey, 2 sizes smaller). Meanwhile your team mate has brought 2 wind vests but no jersey. You have had 2 hours of sleep. It is close to freezing temperature outside. There is no time for breakfast. You are going on a 100-mile bike ride. And you cannot find the starting line. Where is the Tour de Francis crowd? The recreation area covers hundreds of acres.

This is the story of the Siclista and Luzvimin cycling groups, based in Stockton .

PHOTO 1: Pictured at left,
FRANK GATDULA (Luzvimin)
"Kayang kaya, "
"Sisiw , "
"Piece' o' cake,"
"Bring it on! "
he says on Mile# 15 on Lake Hughes Road

In Stockton, it is a Friday, and it's hectic. They hurry up to pack their gear. They are preparing for the drive to their hotel in Castaic. Hopefully, they have not forgotten anything.

The group of seven riders consists of RONALD MAGCAUAS, JULIUS DE JESUS, LEIAN CRUZ, FRANK GATDULA, MAUI REYNANTE, JEFF LANCERO, and ROZEL TUPAZ (alias "Kid Kulaki").

They leave Stockton at 9PM (Friday night). Five hours later they arrive at their hotel at Castaic. It is 3 AM by the time they get to bed. They manage two hours of sleep, or even less because someone popped a DVD of Lance Armstrong in the DVD player and watched some Tour de France (the real one) for some inspiration.

In the morning they wake up and start putting on their respective club kits. That's when they discover that they forgot some things. Kid Kulaki tries putting on his Siclista jersey, but it's too tight! He brought his wife's Siclista jersey . He decides to wear a base layer, and borrows a Luzvimin vest from Frank Gatdula.

Frank himself also mistakenly has brought two wind vests but NO jersey! So he borrows a jersey from someone else.

It is cold outside, 38F. There is no time for breakfast.

They go to the Castaic Lake park. It is a large recreation area, with 2 gates, many parking lots and picnic areas. The TdF crowd is on a hilltop parking lot that is 2.3 miles from the gate! Of course the Siclista/Luzvimin group cannot see the TdF crowd. They go around twice in the park. Finally they see a bunch of riders coming down the hill. Unfortunately, there is. no time for registration, so they decide to join the peloton. The registered riders have helmet numbers and bib numbers and bike numbers. Luzvimin/Siclista have none.

They start at the back of the group, but Kid Kulaki (Rozel Tupaz) feels strong and motivated, and starts to crawl up to the front, passing riders one by one. Finally, he's in the front group.

PHOTO 2: Shown below,
the lead group on 2nd mile of climbing on Lake Hughes Road
L-R: Roehl Caragao (Fresno FACT), Keith Brodsky (SVFBC),
Rozel Tupaz alias "Kid Kulaki "(Luzvimin),
William Aligue (AdoboVelo), and Raffy Soriano (MMCC)

PHOTO 3: Shown below, Manuel "Maui" Reynante (on left)
the two-time champ of Tour of Luzon in 1977 and 1980.
On the right, I don't know his name, but you know it, please comment)

PHOTO 4: Shown below is Frank Gatdula/Luzvimin (on right)
riding alongside AdoboVelo rider Jordan Genato

PHOTO 5: (Will upload a new one)

PHOTO 6: Shown below, a Luzvimin rider. Don't know his name. Pls comment

PHOTO 7: Shown below, TITO GERONIMO, of F.A.C.T./Fresno.

When the leading group gets to the top of the first hill, Kid Kulaki opens an energy bar (his breakfast). The pace is fast, so in process Kid Kulaki drops back a bit, but keeps the front group within his sight.

Suddenly , he sees a pair of riders attack and break away (of course, we now know those 2 riders are Raffy Soriano/MMCC and Keith Brodsky/SFVBC, see previous postings). Kid Kulaki realizes that the first KOM line is almost a mile ahead. He chases them, but Raffy and Keith are very strong. Kid Kulaki comes in third at the KOM, unofficially. It is very unfortunate that he does not have registration numbers.

PHOTO 8(c): Below, the gallant "Kid Kulaki" (LuzviMin)
shown in front, started late, and worked his way to the lead pack.

PHOTO 8(b): Below, Kid Kulaki (LuzviMin) comes in "unofficial" 3rd in this KOM. With great regret he is "DQ'd" due to lack of registration. Behind him is Michael Nepumoceno (MMCC) and Roehl Caragao (Fresno FACT)

PHOTO 8(c): Below... Sure, this Luzvimin rider is not "registered", but he got here!

PHOTO 8(d): Below, Proof this unregistered Luzvimin rider crossed the KOM!

PHOTO 8(e): Below: After the tough climbs in the beginning, here they are coasting along on Mile # 15 on Lake Hughes Road. The rider in the middle wearing the red/gray jacket is from (I think ) Fresno/Northern Calif. On the RIGHT of the picture is JUN GRAPE (AdoboVelo). In the back of the riders is FRANK GATDULA/Luzvimin.

Now the riders start trickling into the first SAG Stop at Lake Elizabeth, mile 25.

PHOTO 9:
Pictured at left is a Luzvimin rider at the Elizabeth Lake SAG stop.

I do not know his name. If any of you readers know it, please comment. Thanks)

PHOTO 10:
Pictured at right,
Manuel "Maui" Reynante,
1977 and 1980 Tour of Luzon champion,
hanging out at Elizabeth Lake SAG stop

At Elizabeth Lake SAG stop, Kid Kulaki does not notice the leading group leave until it is too late. He gets back on his bike to chase. There's a head wind on Pine Canyon Road. Kid Kulaki gets too lazy to chase them. Then he sees Leian and Ron coming to the SAG stop. He waits up for them. Now the three of them ride together up to the next SAG Stop, Quail Lake at Mile 50.

PHOTO 11: Below, on Pine Canyon on the way to Quail Lake (from Elizabeth Lake SAG stop) are Leian Cruz/Fitness FirstPhilippines, and Kid Kulaki (Rozel Tupaz). They stopped so that Leian could put on more warmers.

At Quail Lake, the hot Soup is a life-saver. The weather is very cold. They are tempted to cut the ride and take the SAG car, but decide to tough it out and try to finish it. They ride out together.

They have regrouped, so they are together as they wind their way up the first climb from Quail Lake: They are Maui Reynante, Jeff Lancero, Ron Magcauas, Kid Kulaki (Rozel), and Leian Cruz.

Leian is really cold and cannot continue. He takes a SAG car.

KK tries to pull the remaining riders, but only Ron can hang on. They ride together, but it is getting cold. To battle the hypothermia, KK hammers his pedals hard to increase his circulation and body temperature. Ron gets dropped. KK feels a little guilty about it. But carries on and rides solo for a while and passes riders one by one. Kid Kulaki, Ron Magcauag, and Maui Reynante finish the ride. Kid Kulaki's computer logs 98.9 miles, in a time of 6 hours, 33 minutes.

At the picnic they are presented with a plaque of appreciation for coming all the way from Stockton/Fresno to participate.

This is what Kid Kulaki wrote on their blog: "I will present [the plaque of appreciation] at our XMAS party. All I can say is that they did a great job organizing the event. It's perfect. There's a lot of SAG cars, Volunteers, FOODs, WATER, Gatorade, BANANAs, Photographers, and cowbells. ... Thank you ADOBOVELO. It's a great event. We love it!"

Part 4: The Raffy and Keith Show (More tales from TdF)

2007-12-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

Lake Hughes road is a 2-lane rural road, 20 miles long, connecting Castaic Lake to Pine Canyon Road. It is scenic and winding. If you are a cyclist on a tourist ride, you have time to enjoy the views.

View of the community of Castaic Lake, from Lake Hughes Road

If you are on the Tour de Francis, you are probably not paying attention to the view. Instead you are suffering. You have been on the bike for 5-6 hours. You have covered 85 miles. You are cramping.

Let's continue the story of Raffy and Keith.

Raffy is only 3 seconds behind Keith when they both cross the fourth KOM.

Both riders take stock of the situation. By now they have sized up each other's strengths. Raffy is seemingly lighter and quicker in the hills, having taken the first 3 KOMs by a 10-second advantage each time. A desperate and brilliant tactic by Keith lets him snag the fourth KOM by a slim 3 seconds. He is still a threat. The ride is not over. Keith seems to be the more powerful rider, pulling in front most of the time capable of gaining distance on flats and descents with his massive legs.

Here's what's ahead of them: There are 2 more hills on Lake Hughes Road, then a rewarding downhill ride, and finally, one more obstacle, a 1.5-mile climb to the parking lot.

Raffy and Keith have different strengths. So they use opposite strategies the rest of the way.

Keith bets the ranch. He uses all his energy to attack all the way, with the hope of gaining enough distance before hitting the final 1.5 mile hill, where Raffy has a natural advatage. It is a risky move. It can back-fire if he has no energy left at the start of the final climb.

Meanwhile, Raffy has a tactical advantage. Taking position behind Keith, Raffy keeps an eye on him. His strategy is to reserve his energy and let Keith take the remaining hills on Lake Hughes Road. Raffy keeps reserves for the final climb to the parking lot, where he hopes to overhaul any gap gained by Keith. But Raffy's strategy is as risky as Keith's opposite strategy. Raffy must make sure the rider in front is within his line of sight at all times. With one miscalculation, if he loses visual contact, the gap can grow without his realizing it, until it's too late.

Keith races downhill and slingshots himself into the second hill. Keith is near the top of he hill as Raffy, behind, only now starts to climb it. The gap is 500 yards. Keith goes over the top, causing Raffy to momentarily lose visual contact. This is a problem. In these parts it is easy to lose contact with the leading rider because the tight turns and sudden hills can cut your view.

Now it's on the 3rd hill. By the time Keith reaches the top of it, Raffy is behind by perhaps a quarter mile. Raffy can see Keith when the stretch is straight. Raffy feels the gap is within striking distance. However, as Keith starts the long 3-mile downhill to Castaic, Raffy is only beginning to climb the hill before it. Therefore Keith gains even more seconds. Raffy can perhaps still overhaul that time gap on the final climb, if he only he can regain visual contact with Keith.

Keith reaches the bottom of Lake Hughes Road and (correctly) makes a right turn toward the Castaic recreation area.

Much later, still within striking distance, Raffy reaches the same corner. But he makes a WRONG turn. It is a disastrous turn of events for Raffy, for his club MMCC, and for the Tour de Francis organizers (who now wish, in hindsight, they had larger signs, or a volunteer posted there). Anyway, the damage is done. It is now a foregone conclusion. The competition for the 5th KOM and Overall General Classification is over. Minutes later, Raffy realizes his error, and makes a course correction. It is too late to alter the conclusion.

Spectators have gathered on the finish line, which is a parking lot overlooking the final mile. (ATTENTION READERS/SPECTATORS: IF YOU HAVE ANY PHOTOS ON YOUR CAMERA THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE FOR THIS ARTICLE, OUR READERS WILL GREATLY APPRECIATE IT.)

Keith Brodsky, in SFVBC jersey, crosses the finish line first after SIX hours on the bike, 100 miles, and 10,300 feet of climbing.

Raffy Soriano, in MMCC orange jersey, comes in a few minutes later, after his costly mistake where he misses the right turn into the Castaic recreation area.

Vance MacDonald (Keith's team mate) comes in many minutes behind Raffy.

The spectators gathered at the hill overlooking the last climb are cheering for them all.

But so far no AdoboVelo rider has arrived yet. They are beginning to wonder if an AdoboVelo rider will make a good placing.

Thankfully, here comes Deo Ascuncion in AdoboVelo jersey, at 4th place, roaring up the hill and across the finish line. The peanut gallery cheers loudly. Deo is followed by MMCC riders ALLAN RECUDURO, REGGIE IGNACIO, MICHAEL NEPUMOCENO. Those boys from San Diego really came to play.

Later, the peanut gallery again gets more gratification as one AdoboVelo rider after another comes uphill and crosses the finish.

RAMON REYNOSO comes in.

Behind him is an interesting sub-race unto itself: LITO ARALAR is under pressure, so he has taken risks on the long downhill.

He has been hammering his pedals, approaching speeds of 45 to 50 MPH. He thinks he has dropped the riders behind him before he starts the brutal final climb. But in the middle of the climb, out of nowhere, a pair of riders overhaul him, and take Lito by surprise. It is WILLAM ALIGUE and an unamed rider (We think it's the rider in the lime-green jacket. If that's correct, then it's JAYCEE CARY, bib# 35, a guest of Francis). WILLIAM and the other rider nip Lito!

William Aligue (alias "Legstrong")

Following Lito are HENRY IBASCO, ELPIDIO LARDIZABAL, and MOE.

Henry Ibasco/AdoboVelo

Elpidio Lardizabal/AdoboVelo

Moe/AdoboVelo

[Oh well, my time is up. I'll attach photos later. Stay tuned for the following Stories in future postings: JASON , the bravest rider; PETE PRIMAVERA who was manifesting hypothermia symptoms at Quail Lake; MANUEL "Maui" REYNANTE the 2-time Tour-of-Luzon Champ; CLEMENT, aged 70; And many more stories from the back of the peloton. Also to come is an article (with photos) that looks back at the very first official Tour de Francis, Dec. 2, 2006. ]

Part 3: Tour de Francis: Deo and MMCC giving chase to Raffy, Keith & Vance

2007-12-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

Road cyclists, Harley bikers, and drivers in convertible cars, share at least one thing in common: They like riding asphalt while exposed to the wind, slicing through it like a bird in flight. They like it even better if the roads happen to be lightly travelled rural asphalt roads, surrounded by hills and trees. Such is the route chosen for the Tour de Francis' "Stage 3" traditionally held in December. (The other two other stages are held in February and July, respectively).

Pine Canyon Road is a narrow two lane asphalt deal. The only landmark worthy of note is a lonely sign welcoming visitors to Three Points, Population: 200. Elevation: 3.450 feet.

There are hardly any shoulders for cars to pull over. The hills are rolling.

There is no one on the road. It is best for a cyclists to travel in groups, if you can hang on to one.

The rest stop at Quail Lake, 50 miles from the starting line, is a desolate, wind-swept, gravel parking lot. It is 5 miles inland from the Gorman exit on the I-5.

Tired cyclists lean their bikes on the chain link fence, while they get hot soup and a little rest, before they continue their journey.

The riders are now returning to Castaic. Keith Brodsky (SFVBC), in his mid-forties, is a worthy rival to the younger Raffy Soriano (MMCC). Raffy is lighter and quicker. Keith is more muscular, and experienced in very long distances. He is known to complete double-centuries (that's 200-miles in one shot, in case you're not paying attention) in just under 9 hours. That means he must maintain an average speed of almost 23 miles per hour the whole time.

Right behind them is Vance MacDonald, Keith's team mate on SFVBC. There's a chase group trying to haul them in, comprised of Deo Ascuncion (ADOBOVELO) and the orange-clad MMCC riders Reggie Ignacio, Allan Recudero, Michael Nepumoceno.

And further behind, trying to limit the damage, are a number of ADOBOVELO cyclists: Ramon Reynoso, Henry Ibasco, William Aligue, Lito Aralar, Elpidio Lardizabal, Moe , just to name a few.

The AdoboVelo volunteers are in a number of SAG vehicles on the road. They are there to pick up tired riders, or provide food/drinks, or fix flats or mechanicals. In the process they are also spectators following the action as they shadow the riders along the winding asphalt roads of Pine Canyon Road and Lake Hughes Road.

The action they are observing is thrilling. But, there is an unexpected turn of events.

In the final 15 miles, the driver in the red CRV SAG car observes Keith stopping and unclipping from his pedals on the slope on Mile 85. Just three bike lengths ahead is Raffy carrying on, knowing that the 4th KOM is up ahead and within his grasp.

Up until this point Keith has stayed with Raffy, pulling at the front most of the time, although Raffy is quicker in the hills and has taken all three previous KOMs, leaving Keith with none so far. The sight of a rider in contention, stopping on the road, is a sad image, a warrior hanging up his shield and sword. Keith the warrior has seemingly cracked.

The driver in the red CRV SAG car cannot stop because there is no shoulder on the road. So he drives up to meet the other volunteers ahead. There are some SAG cars parked just 2 miles before the KOM. They cannot see Raffy and Keith yet. They get the news that Keith is probably done. They are told that Raffy is now many bike lengths ahead. The competition seems finished now. They wait for the riders to come up. They wait.

The SAG'ers who are now parked further up the road cannot see him. Keith gets back on the bike. He has not really cracked. He has only just pulled a tactic.

Keith knows he only has 2 more chances to get a KOM. All throughout the ride he has been pulling in front, but Raffy is simply quicker and better in the hills. Keith is not sure if he can get even one KOM, but his only chance is to let Raffy do the pacing in front this time around, on the way to the 4th KOM. Back on the saddle, 20 seconds behind, he must close the gap.

Two miles before the KOM, on a slope, the spectators from the SAG cars wait along the shoulder. In the distance, 2 shadowy figures on bikes appear, and grow larger on the horizon. Here they come.

Raffy is first, his pedal action light, his body language confident. As he passes the spectators, they cheer him on. Now seconds elapse as they wait for Keith .

Keith is 20 seconds back. He sways his bike left and right. To the spectators, it seems he is tired. They must be thinking, perhaps Keith has no chance of getting the KOM anymore. They cheer him on anyway, perhaps a bit louder. After all, people like an underdog.

One of them will benefit more than the other from the cheering.

The KOM is up ahead.

The spectators get back in their cars and proceed to the KOM line. More SAG cars are waiting there. The volunteers there get the news that Raffy is ahead and Keith has cracked. They discuss the hows and whys.

The stretch of road is winding, with many blind turns. The spectators cannot see the riders until they turn the corner. They wait on the gravel shoulder.

Seconds turn into minutes. Here come the cyclists. A figure on a bike comes around the corner, followed shortly by another figure. They are shadows, it is hard to tell who is whom at first. The riders come closer, they come over the top. Their faces slowly become recognizable. Who is in front? The spectators soon find out.

Keith! It's Keith. He comes over the top. He takes the KOM. As he crosses the line, he manages to say "I got my first one", his voice fatigued but happy. Only seconds behind is Raffy. The competition not yet over.

There's still the 5th KOM and finish line ahead. A few minutes behind is Vance,

and further back isthe group of Deo and MMCC riders Reggie, Allan, Michael.

And further back are AdoboVelo riders Ramon, Henry, William, Lito, Elpidio, Moe and others.

(Stay tuned for the rest of the story)

Part 2: Tales from Tour de Francis

2007-12-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

Road cycling, as a spectator sport, is hard to follow. There's no stadium. Competitors are scattered over miles of road. Thankfully these days, live cable TV and streaming webcasts make it easier to follow and enjoy. But this Tour de Francis has no cameramen on motorcycles and helicopters to follow the race. It harkens back to the days before live broadcast TV. Back then, if you were a cycling fan, the race and rivalries were just as exciting and heart-thumping to follow, simply by reading their stories in the newspaper!

The Tour de France (the real one, not this Tour de Francis) was started (in 1903) by a newspaper publisher, in order to sell more newspapers. It worked! Fans snapped up the paper everyday to get fresh updates on the race. The race leader was given a yellow-jersey (mailliot jaune) because the newspaper was printed on yellow pages. Italy's own bike race, the Giro d' Italia, likewise was backed by a newspaper publisher, and its race leader wore a pink jersey (maglia rosa) because that newspaper was printed on pink newsprint. The Philippines' own Tour of Luzon was also organized by a newspaper publisher, the Manila Times, in order to sell newspapers. It worked too.

Now, back to this TOUR DE FRANCIS: For the first time, organizers host a KOM competition (king of the mountain). In competition are Keith, Raffy, Vance, Deo, Reggie, Allan, and Michael. It is a great story, and even if there is no video, live broadcast or streaming webcast, at least this blog offers the opportunity to retell their story in print and photos.

The Story of the Top 7: KEITH (SFVBC), RAFFY (MMCC), VANCE (SFVBC), DEO ASCUNCION (ADOBOVELO), REGGIE (MMCC), ALLAN (MMCC), and MICHAEL (MMCC).

[Deo Ascuncion, Philippine Olympic cycling team member in the 1980's, and AdoboVelo's contender for the KOM, takes a swig at the finish line.]

Raffy Soriano (MMCC Mira Mesa Cycling Club), is natural talent. Shy in person, he is aggressive on the road. Keith Brodsky (SFVBC San Fernando Valley Bike Club) is the only cyclist able to stay with Raffy the whole time. Keith observes that on the flat roads, Raffy's slim frame slices through the wind as he stands and hammers his pedals. On the uphills, Raffy is observed by another rider, Mang El Lardizabal (AdoboVelo), himself an accomplished rider, who says that Raffy floats up the hills without effort. Keith is older, has a bigger frame, a bigger "motor".

After 2 miles of climbing on the very first hill, here's Keith (2nd from left) and Raffy (rightmost) staying with the contender group.

Keith and Raffy are evenly matched throughout the ride. When one of them eases up, so does the other. When one attacks, the other jumps and responds. Keith is in front most of the time, but Raffy takes over on the climbs.

Approaching the first KOM on Mile 10, Raffy is in front of Keith.

Raffy takes the first KOM.

Keith follows 10 seconds behind.  

Michael Nepumoceno is 3rd (50  secs)

Fast forward to Mile 55. The race changes a little bit. On the Third KOM again Raffy and Keith take 1st and 2nd respectively (with Keith again 10 seconds behind; He has not won a KOM yet, as Raffy has taken them all!)

But now in third is Vance MacDonald (SFVBC), now 35 seconds back of fellow club cyclist Keith.

The top three are chased by a group containing ADOBOVELO's lone contender DEO ASCUNCION (Philippine Olymic cycling team member in the 1980's), who during the entire race is surrounded by the orange jerseys of the MMCC boys: Approaching the KOM are Reggie Ignacio (Bib# 64), Allan Recudero (Bib# 63), Deo, and Michael Nepumoceno (bib #60). The group will stay intact throughout the rest of the ride.

(There is more to tell, but time's up. Please stay tuned for the rest of this story, plus other stories from the TdF! Check back later. )

Part 1: AdoboVelo's Tour de Francis Dec-1-2007

2007-12-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

Stage 3 of the 2007 (Fourth Annual) Tour-de-Francis (The first year was in 2004)

Long-distance road cycling is partly an endeavor of
athletic endurance, and partly fashion show. Often the 'fashion show' sensibility prevails over more practical concerns.

Hypothermia? Who cares. How do I look in the photographs? For example, on Dec. 1st, 2007, ninety-two cyclists (and dozens of supporting volunteer) arrive at a hilltop parking lot to start a 100-mile bike ride. The object is to test their fitness against distance, the elements, and each other. (The event is Stage 3 of the 2nd Annual Tour de Francis, a hundred-mile bicycle ride.)

On this frigid morning, the cold penetrates their flimsy cycling uniforms. It is 40 degrees Fahrenheit at 6:30 in the morning, and breezy.

Paradoxically, their only protection from the wind and cold is cycling-specific clothing fashioned from spandex and parachute cloth. Why? Because it's important to nail the right look.

The kits (that's what the shorts, jerseys, and windjackets are collectively called) are colorful and elegant in their own way (although you would look silly wearing that in the mall). If the riders are shivering in the parking lot, who cares, at least they are fashionable. Never mind hypothermia, as long as they look great in the photographs. But hey, surfers, golfers, and skateboarders are vain that way too.

Mount Everest, anyone? On this day, the peloton (that's what the French call a group of cyclists on the road) will be on their bicycles for 6 to 8 hours, covering one hundred miles over hilly roads and flat roads.
(But for pro-cyclists at the world-class level at the top of their game, it would take only 4 hours to finish this ride. But that's a different story.)

The hills along the Tour-de-Francis route have a combined altitude of 10,000 feet. That's one-third (1/3) the height of Mt Everest. The roads are as steep as 4% to 10% gradients.

Caloric deficits. Is Jenny Craig in the peloton? No, but she'll be proud. Each rider will burn about 5,000 to 7,000 calories on this ride. They will actually have not much of an appetite during the ride, because of the tension and adrenalin. So each will most likely consume less calories than they burn. The average caloric deficit will probably be 1,000 calories. They will lose some weight today.

Let's put that in perspective: On this very same day, there is college football playing on TV. So there are people at home sitting in front of the TV, occasionally getting up to go to the kitchen or bathroom. That type of activity will burn 2,000 calories. But they will eat 4,000 calories (beer, chips, pizza). So they won't be losing any weight today, sorry Jenny.

Tour-de-Francis and AdoboVelo. The cyclists have come from all over California, as far north as Fresno, and as far south as San Diego, representing 8 cycling clubs. The event is Tour de Francis, so named after its founder and tireless director Francis Marlon Ignacio. The volunteers are themselves cyclist from the Pinoy cycling club AdoboVelo, a proud group. If they can't call themselves the "fastest" club, then at least they'll take the other honor of "fastest-growing" club.

The story of Tour-de-Francis is really is the story of 92 individual riders, and dozens of volunteers. Each cyclist has his/her own drama. Here are some of their stories.

Visitor from a tropical climate: One of the stories, is that of Leian Cruz, visiting from the Philippines, on a business trip to Palo Alto. He has a day job in the Philippines, and for fun he does amateur "executive" races there. He hears about AdoboVelo's Tour-de-Francis ride. His boss is supportive and lets him have the Friday off so he could take the train and join the Saturday bike ride.

On a moment's notice he borrows a bike and clothing. He calls Mang Elpidio Lardizabal (an AdoboVelo cyclist and respected semi-pro) to ask if there is a spare set of leg-warmers to be borrowed. Sorry, none. He emails Rosalie Kneebone (another helpful AdovoVelo cyclist) to ask for self-heating pads. She emails back that she has some, he just has to show up at the starting line.

But on this morning at the starting line, Leian is nowhere to be found. So Rosalie gives the heater pads to a volunteer to hand out later to Leian.

The ride is about to start. Tour director Francis rings the cowbell. There is excitement in the air.

But the peloton proceeds without Leian. Where is he?

It turns out, he and the other cyclists who traveled from Fresno are waiting at the bottom of the hill, 2 miles in front of the starting line. They see the peloton, and merge with them. Leian is woefully under-dressed for the cold. He is wearing summer-type shorts. He has no leg-warmers. No skull cap. He is in a spot of bother.

Luckily, the uphill starts almost immediately on Lake Hughes Road. He breaks a sweat, and his core temperature start to rise to a comfortable level. He is strong, and steadily overtaking more riders. Adobos are proud to have this Pinoy visiting. He climbs the hills with grace and prowess.

He crosses the first KOM
(King of the Mountain competition),
at Mile 10, in the top 15%.

But after the hills on Lake Hughes Road, the ride is less demanding along Pine Canyon Road at about Mile 30. And it is windy on this stretch of road.

Now his core temperature starts to drop in the cold weather. The air is 45-to-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Along the route he manages to borrow a parka down jacket, and a sweater from a SAG volunteer (the kind of sweater one would wear in a log cabin).

Leian stops. A SAG vehicle pulls over to inquire. Is he OK?
Yes, he is OK.

He is just putting on leg warmers. He had borrowed them from yet another cyclist. The SAG vehicle luckily has hand-heaters. He takes them. He gets back on the bike, and carries on, protecting his 15th position in the field, which by now is widely scattered, with a gap of almost 2 hours separating first from last position.

At Quail Lake, the 50-mile point, the hot soup and foodstuff awaits.

Leian reaches Quail Lake. He arrives 20 minutes behind first place, preserving his 15th position. It is a strong showing. A few days after the ride, he had this to say (here's an excerpt from his email):

" ...I just got back to the office this morning and the memory of that epic ride was so unreal. I have ridden many miles and encountered many difficulties in my 16 year cycling career, but never have I
experienced such a ride! It was awesome! I mean the view, the setting, the preparation before the ride, the volunteers, the riders, everyone was perfect. I personally was not on tip-top condition. We even got lost looking for the start (apologies for that!), but am glad we made it. I can humbly say I have such great stories to bring home to the Philippines. What made this epic ride stand out were the people - They truly made the difference. Despite the 38 degree cold, the warm reception of our folks was so much, that I was able to ride for a further 50 miles...."

(Check back later for the rest of this story, and other stories.)