San Dimas, before and after

Life on the road has begun to settle into a very nice rhythm. After camp we headed south to Hermosa Beach for a couple of days and then out to San Dimas for the 3 stage San Dimas stage race.

One thing is for sure, our host house was very nice. Everyone had a bed, the kitchen was big enough for Alan and Stuart to cook us dinner, and the pool was a nice backdrop to our stay.

Tiki Man acting as lifeguard.

There was also a view of some mountains when there wasn't too much haze. (In case you were wondering this is a case of a bit too much haze.)

Later that day had a better view of the mountains. Also a better view of Staz adjusting his new TT helmet before the Stage 1 uphill TT.

With Easter only a bit over a week away, the decorations were out. (not pictured: chocolate covered double stuffed easter oreos)

I quickly claimed the Koala coffee mug for the duration of our stay.

2 things to note about these beams (above the Ranco Cucamonga Trader Joe's):

1) Several team members were awed by these spikes and curious how much harm was done to birds who attempted to land.

2) California strip malls are not fans of birds.

 

 

At some point there was bike racing.

On the trainers getting ready for stage 1.

Plotting for Stage 2.

(We even got our Feedback Sports A frames decked out with banners at the ends.)

We also got a visit from Bruce of Pro Gold. If you're not familiar with Pro Gold, it's the reason our bikes are shine like this all the time. Very worth checking out.

So, with super clean bikes and 150 of their closest friends, the guys set out for the Stage 2 circut race.

Meanwhile the staff headed to the feed zone to hand out some bottles. No caravan means lots of time to alternate between sitting in the shade and improving my farmer's tan.

The circut race was full of drama with a good number of crashes. Our guys escaped unharmed and even those in the worse crashes will live to ride another day.

Only downside to the rough Saturday was fewer riders racing the crit on Sunday. Ian was our hero of the day, getting in the early brake. Second place for the day goes to the official who really decided to step his hat game up for this race.

And nothing quite finishes off the weekend like Golden Spoon for some froyo.

Well, that and a super sweet fixie sighting.

Well...time to make this thing full again. On to Santa Barbara!

 

 

 

 

Team camp. This time with bikes

Last week the Hagens team descended upon Santa Rosa for team training camp. They got a chance to get to know each other a bit better and get some solid miles in. For me it was a week of getting back into the swing of being on the road and making sure all the race bikes are dialed in for the season.

It's important to start the day with a healthy and balanced breakfast. Scrambled eggs with spinach are a staple when we're on the road.

 

Some final tweaks before day one.

In the parking lot of the hotel getting ready for the first ride. New bikes and kits looking super fly.

One of the mechanic duties is occasionally to drive the car behind the training ride. First step: drive out of town and wait for the bikes to catch up.

And they're off! Everything around Santa Rosa seems to be up or down hill. Sometimes it looks pretty hard. I was able to climb everything pretty easily in the car.

They rode through a forest of giant redwoods.

Vineyards.

Avoiding fallen trees.

Getting passed by old school cars.

But all worth it to get to the top of picturesque climbs.

Jamis Xenith SL. The trusty steeds for 2013.

Alan chatting with on of the riders during one of the longer days.

Local wildlife. Built to travel.

Our host house was fantastic. We instituted our standard garage takeover. Lots and lots of gear to be had.

The house also had a putting green in the back yard. On Sunday after camp Staz and Alan enjoyed a nice 9 holes on the green.

I was able to get some work done before we left. These tubulars are drying waiting to get mounted on some rims.

Then we pack the van, very very.....

very, very, full, and head to SoCal for the official start of the race season.

 

 

 

Onward to California!

Monday morning we left Seattle bright and early for team camp in Santa Rosa, California. Driving out of town the forecast in Seattle was for a week of rain. Not too sorry to be leaving for some much needed sunny riding.

Chipotle is a rider favorite on the road. Even at 1130 am. Not terrible for mechanics either.

Spotted this gem in the parking lot outside of Chipotle in Eugene. Winning has never been so obvious.

So good, in fact, that everyone had to get a picture. Please note the high tech hood straps.

 

This is just one example of the "Van at rest stop" picture. We went to a few of these on our journey.

Better example. This one includes Mt. Shasta in the background. And SUN!! My ears were a bit sore from wearing sunglasses most of the day. Hopefully they will adjust this week.

(Note: yes northwest folk, I do understand that complaining about this makes me a jerk)

Even found this antique at the rest stop. I was going to try it out, but $4 seems like a lot for a phone call.

Lake Shasta. This is the water source for Shasta Soda. Look it up.

At our Starbucks stop these two gentlemen were discussing the functionality/price of a folding bike. Happy to not be dealing with this stuff anymore.

After about 15 hours on the road. Unloading the van and sleep. Ready for a week of bike riding.

 

 

 

 

Preparation is the key to success

I get asked on a somewhat regular basis how long things take in my line of work. How long does it take to build a bike? True a wheel? Glue a tire? And in the attempt to sound as cocky as possible I usually say something along the lines of "not that long". Which is true. It's a bike. Building a bike does not take that long relative to other projects. ( I'm assuming this is true, when it comes down to it I don't really do other projects.) The issue is that there is no one task to accomplish when working for a team, there are only many one tasks, so getting your work done early is very important.

I usually start the day compiling my "to do" list. Good feeling to erase things, bad feeling when that spot gets filled by something I forgot to add the 1st time.

 

Case and point, these wheels all need glue and tires.

(Note: if you are not familiar with bike racing, most racers have tires that are held to the rim via a type of contact cement. This is better/faster/warmer/more time consuming.)

 

A few of the tires getting stretched prior to installation.

These tires need to be installed on the training wheels.

Oh and cassettes. Those help with the process of going forward.

Making sure the TT bikes are ready ahead of camp.

But it turns out that bike are not the only thing to be considered.

Dialing in our rack system on the car. We expanded to 4 complete bikes, 2 fork mounted bikes, and a few wheel holders this year. It's going to be one full roof.

 

Also, new rear door panels for the van. Complete with tons of shelving space. Oh the orgainzation!

Plus with new sponsors come new decals. Fortunatley Alan has a friend who enjoys installing car decals. Thanks Danielle.

But all the work totally pays off. Living room staged, ready to load.

 

See you in California.