meanwhile, on the other coast......

Yes, we race out here in California,too. It ain't all about sushi bars and mineral water ,it's all about suffering in the dust and the heat.....save room for the bumps. In the early master's 45 plus race Larry and I did our best but wound up in the red caboose as both of us had minor mishaps. Needless to say, just finishing a race like this was a challenge as the bike felt like a jackhammer for 75% of the lap. The race was fast so we all got to do many bone-jarring denture-loosening laps of dry dusty hell. The bonus was being able to finish on the velodrome, a real treat,especially if it involved a sprint......in my case it did and I won it handily as the guy ahead of me was an old man on a mountian bike. Hey, it was good for me.......back to the meat of the race ( sorry, Josh-this isn't a vegan report) The mens A race went off and a super strong Mark Noble quickly went up the road and stayed there for the duration of the race. A chase group containing Mike Hernandez , John Funke,Cameron and Hoopdy kept close for much of the race while Aaron clawed his way through the field behind. At one point Hoopdy looked to be putting the rest of the group in trouble as he upped the pace. Cameron went backwards and was caught by Aaron . Aaron was looking good to bridge up to Hoopdy when he misstepped on a barrier and stepped on his front wheel, breaking a spoke. This was to cost him a few places but he finished in the top 10. Hoopdy was looking good until his chain came off and Mike Hernandez gapped him and a resurgent John Funke came past. Hoopdy still hung on for 4th and a podium spot. Evan Adams, Ben Dodge, Joe Walsh and Jeff Patton did well to finish this grueling hour. The Womens races were held last and the fields were enormous as every roadie within 100 miles decided to do a 'cross race. Stella and Shelley started up front with a big field containing Rachel Lloyd,a real powerhouse and dominant 'cross rider of the last decade. As expected Rachel led it out and pretty much got a gap on everybody, everyone except Shelley Olds. Stella got caught in a bit of traffic early on but rode past a number of riders to get within visual distance of the leading duo. Nursing a cold, Stella could not make up the distance to the firs two but stayed well ahead of everyone else to finish 3rd. Shelley rode a magnificent race and but wasn't quite up to countering a late surge from the far more experienced Lloyd .Nevertheless, these two have not missed a podium spot yet. Our pasta man Loren had a crash that immobilized his shifter and taco'd his rear wheel. It took awhile for Ryan and I to get him up and running but he finished his race. In the 35 plus men Tim Watson and Dan Harting had their season debuts and finished. Julie Brothers missed the podium by only two spots in the womens master catagory. That's all, folks!