LOTS of Jerseys at Masters Natz

You can spend your time, waste your time, or invest your time. It's your choice.

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Re-Cap (Sept 2 – Sept 7) ~ Masters Track Nationals were held in San Jose, CA at the Hellyer Park Velodrome. Other than being more than 100* every day, we all enjoyed a fantastic week of track racing. The week began with an amazing barbeque on the infield. The BBQ was complete with grilled chicken, hamburgers, potato salad, beans and complimentary wine courtesy of Rob Jensen, owner & founder of Testarosa Wines. And the race organizers even supplied iced bottles of cold water and Gatorade all week long.

Many thanks go to Warren, Rick and the entire crew up there. Many thanks go to the Race officials who stood out in the H-O-T sun for 12+ hrs every day before heading off to Souplantation/Sweet Tomato for a late lunch/early dinner only to then return to the track until long after the lights came on. Many thanks go to whoever set up the infield garden hose to spray cold water on the cool down circle.

Many thanks go to the athletes for racing all week long despite the insane heat. Racing seemed like the easiest part of this week. The difficult part was the pre-race prep on race day. No matter how you sliced it, we all ended up in a tricky balancing act with fuel and hydration needs mixed with the insane heat and a very specific warm up for a 1-4 minute race. Many athletes came up with a winning recipe and took home a National Jersey while others came up short and took home some great lessons.

The thing about Masters Track Nationals that sets it apart from other races is not only in the ferocity and intensity of the racing. It’s that, after all these years of racing, as soon as an event is over, everyone greets everyone with huge cheers and congratulatory hugs over a cold beverage. It’s that you never know which legends in the sport are going to show up after years away. It’s that you are continuously surprised at who will make their annual appearance on a track bike in search of a Jersey. It’s that you always expect another record to be set. It’s that you know you won’t be allowed to bake under the hot sun as long as there is at least on canopy still standing. It’s that Michelle survived a deadly form of stomach cancer this year and came back to win a Jersey. It’s that Jennifer won a National Championship Jersey last week only to discover that, a thousand miles away, her husband died in a tragic accident the same day.

But mostly I want to congratulate more than a dozen of the Ladies Only Track Session participants who competed in August in San Diego at the 2008 SCNCA Masters State Track Championships and last week in San Jose at the 2008 USAC Masters National Track Championships. Every single women’s podium presentation at these two events included 1-3 Ladies who either rode the track for the first time in their life at a LOTS session or rediscovered their love of track cycling thanks to a LOTS session. All of these Ladies began the track with a nervous ride on a rental bike at their first LOTS session and, with the expert help of a qualified track coach, quickly rose to the podium at these championship track races.

Thank you Ladies!!
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The next LOTS Session ~ As soon as I get confirmation on the date in October for the next LOTS session, I will let you all know!

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Attn Women’s Race Teams ~ The So Cal bike racing off-season is short but it is a popular time for clinics. Now is a great time to plan a Track Cycling Clinic for your women’s team! Not only is track cycling fun but it teaches you many valuable skills that are essential for all cycling abilities and disciplines. Please contact me for more information!

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Tues Sept 16th ~ The LA Velodrome RE-OPENS just in time for Tuesday’s “Roger Session”. Please see the event calendar for an up-to schedule.

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Sat Sept 27th ~ The 3rd and final event in the 2008 LAVRA Cup race series is here and Omnium awards will be presented. Make plans now to join us for another exciting day of racing. With Time Trials in the morning and an Omnium in the afternoon, this is a great opportunity for those preparing for ADT’s Elite Track Nationals the following weekend.

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Thurs Oct 1- Sun Oct 5 ~ ADT will be hosting the Elite Track National Championships. Register early and train well…the competition will be awesome! Only qualified athletes are eligible to race. USAC has published the official list of eligible men & women. Please check these lists to see if & where your name appears. If you are not racing, we always need VOLUNTEERS!!

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Sun Nov 2nd ~ The 2008 Muddy Buddy Race Series is coming to San Dimas and they need some Downright Dirty Divas! No…this is not a track cycling event but it is a fun race for the multi-sport athlete! Bring your running shoes and a teammate to share a mountain bike with and join us for a leap-frog style 10k tag-team race! Both team members are required to alternate biking (approx 3 mi) and running (approx 3 mi) and there is a mandatory belly crawl thru the mudpit to get to the finish line! Teams can be co-ed or not. There is even a Costume Contest for the best dressed-up team…so don’t let your Halloween Costume go to waste!!

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How does your state rank in Bicycle Friendliness? The League of American Bicyclists recently published its list of Bicycle Friendly states for 2008. California was not the most friendly state coming in at 7th among the 50 states. However, the Vacationland state of Maine with its many fall scenery bike tours fared only slightly better in 6th. The least friendly state in the US is West Virginia placing 50th with Georgia placing 49th.

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Speaking of Volunteers ~ ADT has updated their discounted track fee program effective immediately following Elite Nationals. Please become familiar with the new process. Information will be posted on the website as soon as it is available. There are no more Team discounts ~ all discounts are earned on an individual basis.

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Have you seen USA Cycling's Web article featuring the LOTS program? If you, your employer or anyone you know, is interested in sponsoring the LOTS program, please contact me. The LOTS program is dedicated to introducing women to the exciting sport of track cycling and we intend to grow this program as far into the future as we can see!

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The 2008 USAC Athlete Waiver is available on-line.

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The 2008 SCNCA Racing Calendar is available on line.

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The 2008 USAC Rule book is available on-line.

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One of our Cycling Moms, Donna Stern, is a licensed CPA. She will be conducting several classes on Bookkeeping throughout the Summer. These classes are geared toward High School Students, New business owners and especially Women who may be returning to the work force or running a family or home based business. Donna’s classes are located in The OC near John Wayne Airport. Please email me for additional information.

Have a super week Ladies!!

Julia