This is the spot to find out more about NORDIC SKIING and BICYCLING in the Sierra Nevada, especially the Truckee and Tahoe area, our Paco’s Truckee Bike Team, great bicycle rides, and more!
It’s been a pretty thin year for large group rides in the Paco’s Bike Universe. Our last Group Ride post was way back in late June for the Nevada City Classic, and it’s been a summer of very small groups of 2′s and 3′s for our rides. So it was with a lot of excitement that a large group came together this late in the season, and this for a relatively unknown ride from South Lake Tahoe south toward the Carson Pass area.
(For a full route description and map, go to the Fallen Leaf Lake to Blue Lakes Ride Description Page).
10 of us (Paco, Jeff, Emily, Rick, Susan, Debbie, Barney, Mitch, Craig, and yours truly) pushed off from the Fallen Leaf Lake Road and Highway 89, just a few miles north of the South Lake Tahoe “Wye.” Our route was to take us on almost all back roads from the start, through the recently fire-devastated area of Angora, over 7,700 ft, Luther Pass, down through the beautifully colorful Hope Valley, and onto the little used Blue Lakes Road, cresting at 8,250 ft. before turning around and retracing the route.
The day started a bit ominously, with sprinkles greeting us in the morning, and things got even sketchier when we arrived at the start to find that Craig had brought 2 shoes, but one of them happened to be of the mountain bike variety. Never fear, we’ve dealt with that issue before, luckily many of us have watched “Breaking Away” many times, and Jeff just happened to have enough athletic tape to do the job. And the skies began to clear, the day warmed up, and the weather turned out just about perfect throughout the day.
Once strapped in, Craig and crew began the ride up the rough Fallen Leaf Road, climbing up and out of the canyon and over into the Angora neighborhood before cruising down to Highway 50 on beautifully smooth pavement. A short dogleg took us onto the Old Luther Pass road, a beautiful, narrow climb that crossed Hwy 89 once before cresting back onto the main highway just a couple of miles short of Luther Pass. A high speed cruise over the top deposited us onto Highway 88 in beautiful Hope Valley, where the famous Autumn colors were just starting to go off. October is an incredible 
time to visit this area.
A couple of miles on Highway 88 toward Carson Pass ended soon enough, and our group thankfully turned off onto the lightly used Blue Lakes Road, a 13 mile, 1000 foot climb through a beautiful valley, with the Sierra crest looming steeply to the west. 
And our little jaunt up the canyon was highlighted by the sighting of a couple of rollerski buddies from the Truckee XC Nordic Team, up from Reno to train on the perfect pavement of the Blue Lakes Road. A short stop to visit with Val and Rick and we were off to finish the climb, where we eschewed the final two miles down to Blue Lakes themselves to turn around and head back down to Hope Valley.
Our route wasn’t complete, however, without the unique climb back to Luther Pass up the “old road,” a narrow goat-path of a trail, with grass and dirt peeking out of the “pavement” as it switchbacked steeply up to the pass. 
This is a section not to be missed, but definitely better route going up than trying to descend it. Once over the pass, we chose to stay on the smooth pavement of Highway 89 all the way down to Hwy. 50. Finally, we retraced our back roads route up through Angora and back to Fallen Leaf Lake and the cars. A truly unique, great route of road biking.
It’s Fall, so it’s now time to think about….SKIING! We’ve added a few of our favorite rollerski routes to our descriptions pages, so check them out. Remember, use these descriptions at your own risk — everyone has a different set of abilities for rollerskiing down hills.
55-59 Division
Sunday, September 4, 2011
by Peter Taylor
8 AM start. 50 degrees. 84 kilometers. 50-70 starters.
Eventual race winner David Zimbelman leads the pack over the top during the 55-59 Race. Photo by Dave Gaylinn, www.usacycling.org.
The field included several prior national champions including Rob Anderson and Wayne Stetina. The race course was 3 x 18 mile loops. It was mostly flat or downhill in the first half with two 2-4 minute climbs in the second half. The first lap was hard as Anderson tried to split the field because he doesn’t have a sprint. He has won races by powering off the front, sometimes for 20-30 miles. No go this time.
The field was reduced to 30 or so after the first lap. The second lap was uneventful. I stayed up near the front trying to conserve energy. Two riders opened up a 15 sec gap on the third lap. They were brought back at the top of the first hill. I didn’t realize it at the time but the eventual winner got a solo gap at this point. I led the remaining group going in to the last climb. 23 of us came back together with 3 k to go. I rode next to Anderson and Stetina at that point. Heady company. We exchanged glances, which I’m sure meant nothing to them but was kind of cool for me. (who is this guy?). With a kilometer to go I was in 2nd in the pack but fighting off cramps. I got swarmed just before the right hand turn with 200 meters to go. I couldn’t mount my usual sprint and ended up 14th, 2 secs out of 2nd place.
No regrets. I showed I belonged there. I recovered that afternoon with a 25 mile mtn bike ride with teammate Bill Owen, Steve Lamerdin, and our gracious host, Bill Wood. This was followed by a cold beverage.
Peter Taylor
Paco’s Bike Team
Make sure to check out our Road Bike and Mountain Bike Ride Description Pages in the right hand menu. We’re updating lots of these for you to sample.
Today was the Criterium event at the U.S. Cycling Masters National Championships in Bend, Oregon.
50-54 Report by Bill Owens
“Jeff Griffo & I survived. I was right on Griffo’s wheel in a turn and he went down (from someone in front of him) and I had absolutely nowhere to go and plowed into him. Micky (Caldwell) happened to be watching right at the turn and gave me a wheel. I took advantage of the free lap and both Griffo and I finished finished solid in the pack. I never felt threatened but was not a factor either. Solid pack filler!!
Bubba Melcher of Reno Wheelmen is the new champ. No damage to me or my bike…the front tire did roll off the rim at some point though. Griffo is gonna need a new pair of shorts!”
Bill
55-59 Report by Peter Taylor:
Truckee Bike Team members took part in the Criterium at the US Masters Nationals today. I took part in the 55-59 yo group. The course is a pretty flat rectangle favoring bigger diesel engines. My goals was to compete strongly and to avoid an accident. Mission accomplished.
Two riders got away fairly early in the 40k race and were never caught. I bridged part of the gap on a few occasions but the group wouldn’t organize to bring them back. I finished 17th in a group finish with the same time as the 3rd place finisher. I got pinched off with 200 meters to go, otherwise I might have been 5-6 places higher. The race was won by a guy who must
have weighed 220 lbs! My chances of a top finish will be better in Sunday’s hilly
road race. I guarantee Paul Bunyon won’t be a factor.
Racing in the 50-54 race were Jeff Griffo and Bill Owen. They both rode well
finishing with the main pack in spite of a crash involving both of them with Bill
t-boning Jeff in a crash taking out 20 riders but none badly hurt as far as we know.
Good Truckee teamwork?! Reno legend Bubba Melcher won followed by Erik Metcalf.
Gregg Betonte was a factor early but received little help in his chase efforts and
finished at the back of the peloton. That’s bike racing.
Peter
Reno Wheelmen Criterium Championships
Tuesday August 30tth, 2011
by Dan Warren
A typical Summer Reno night with 92 degree temperatures, 20mph NNW winds and 5% humidity. Yup, so dry that when you try to cook an egg on the sidewalk it just dries up before it boils.
With most of the Paco’s team in Bend, Oregon for the Master U.S. Championships, a dominating team performance is probably not in the cards. I meet up with Paco during my warm up and find the team will be represented by myself, Paco and an up and coming force to be reckoned with, Junior Alec Wiltz. The strategy session is brief with the thought of chasing down breaks, staying in the front and maybe a Prime if possible.
The Pack is about 45 strong as we roll out slowly for the first couple of laps. Too early to jump and I think better to wait, not knowing exactly how my legs will respond. As riders start to get jittery the pace increases and it starts feeling like a race. About 6 laps into the race a trio makes a break. I recognize two of the riders as a couple that can make a break stick and think that it is the move to be with. As we ride the back stretch I decide to not to chase solo into a headwind and instead wait until we round the corner and also hope that the pack might increase speed in pursuit of the break. This was my big mistake. The pack didn’t respond and the breakaway had made huge gap. I hit it hard in pursuit and made it to within 75 yards of bridging after lap of putting everything I had into it. Looking ahead I saw a breakaway not relenting in anyway and got that sinking feeling that their winning move was sealed.
As I dropped back to the pack in disappointment, I was trying to think of what the rest of the race might bring. Of course there was always the possibility that the pack might organize and chase down the break, but they already had a half a lap lead and there was a chorus of disorganization singing though the pack. Paco started hitting the front and increasing the speed in hopes of a catching the leaders, but I just faded into the middle of the pack knowing it was a mute point and was discouraged and uninspired. Paco continued lap after lap to push the pace as I started thinking about the stuffed zucchini and tomato salad dinner I had the night before.
I finally snapped out of my brief funk and got my head back in the race. My legs felt great and I was able bridge gaps with ease and no one was able to follow my wheel. I used the ensuing laps to practice maneuvering through the pack. I don’t know whether it was years of experience or good legs but I could go from 20th to 5th with little effort, finding all of the little openings and gaps that make it easy. I stayed at the front and when the only pack prime came I was to easily ride by everyone to take it.
Next was to think about the finish; although we were sprinting for 4th place it is still a race right? With a lap to go there were two riders dangling off front and gap to three Reno Wheelmen in pursuit. I did a quick bridge to the RW riders thinking that they were setting up member number 3 for the sprint. I was looking to lower my heart rate just a bit after the bridge before the sprint when RW riders one and two peel off just as they caught the two riders up front. With one RW rider and the two other in front of me I thought I was still looking good but the pace started to slow. In my head it was attack early and try to hold or wait to the end. Patience is key as no one in the pack was coming around to make a move after the bridge up to us. The RW rider in front of me was holding a good spot and I thought I would hold him as long as possible as we came around the last turn then boom. 5 riders with more riders on their wheels go streaking by on the left. I’m being blocked by three rider going backwards in front of me as the race flies by. I make a quick dash to the right and am in clean air with 250 meters to go and 20 meters behind. I start reeling riders back as I am nearing full speed. 50 meters to go and one rider two bike lengths ahead and on the far side of the road. A quick brush of the thumb shifter on my Campy Record and the feel of a sudden acceleration as the power from my legs is transferred to the road as my Specialized Tarmac Pro lurches forward, instantly putting me a bike length ahead at the line. Happy to win the sprint but disappointed that I missed the move, I have an up and down emotional wave. Fourth place is no podium but I had a good race and will learn not to let the break get so far up the road next time.
Dan Warren
August 25 Update
by Peter Taylor
Peter sprints to the finish at Boca
Here’s a recap of the racing season so far. The season started way back in January with a dinner meeting of 5 strong 55+ racers to plan the season with the goal the Master Road Nationals in early Sept. Fast forward to now and find myself the only way left who has stayed the course. Illness, work, and moves have led to the attrition. In Paco’s case all of those factors have left him out of the picture. My season has included about 5 out of town races with several top 5 results and several Reno Wheelmen races.
My fitness has steadily progressed as has my racing strategy. Dan Warren wrote a nice account of the last Boca race. That was good fun working with teammates. They were able to sap the legs of the competition so I was able to prevail in the sprint.
The prior week teammate Jordan McElroy and me along with two other strong riders were able to gap the field up the Stampede Wall in the 40 man B race and stay away until the finish. We each marked our competitors in the final sprint. I was able to win and Jordan came a close 3rd. He did more than his share of the work in the break. I sucked wheels a bit more so had that little extra for the end. Bill Owen deserves a lot of credit for messing up the chase group. He created gaps in the pace line, slowed the pace, and made others burn matches in trying to bridge the gaps. It took quiet a while for the other riders in his chase group to figure out that team tactics were at work. Thanks Bill!!
Peter and Bill cool down after a Boca sprint.
My last competition before the Nationals is the Donner Summit TT on Sunday. The National races will be in Bend, Oregon. The crit is on 9/2 and the RR is 9/4. I’ll let Paco fill in some details of the formidable competition. Bill Owens from Team Paco’s will be competing as well, and hopefully some other team riders.
The website is https://www.usacycling.org/events/2011/mastersroad/
I want to thank Paco’s, Tahoe Truckee Medical Group, and the Tahoe Center for Health and Sport Performance for sponsoring our Truckee Bicycle Team this year. Also, I need to thank (?) Mark Redpath for his grueling but very effective training program over the last 6 months.
I hope to produce my best possible results for the team while staying on my bike!
Peter Taylor
August 23, 2011
Race Report by Dan Warren
Funny how some years seem busier than others, but seeing as this is my first post you can bet that making time to enjoy writing about races is something I have sorely missed. But without further ado, off to the races.
The race in question is the Reno Wheelmen Boca Road Race Championship; for this race the Paco’s team is represented by Peter Taylor, Bill Owens and me, Dan Warren. Peter, Bill and I had an enthusiastic pre race talk and it was decided that Bill and I would control any breaks, set tempo and deliver Peter to the finish.
The Entry to the Canyon at Boca
I had a terrible warm-up and was concerned that I might get dropped early but lucky enough as we started my legs got better with each passing mile. There was large showing from a team from the foothills that had Peter asking a lot of question. Bill was quick to note that they usually went out fast, rode as a team and then got dropped on the climbs. The pack looked to be about 35 to 40 strong as we rolled out and staying true to Bill’s prediction the pace was set by the team in question. Bill and I slowly moved up toward the front just to keep an eye on things and to stay out of trouble. We hit the little hill at Boyington Mill and all of a sudden Bill is sitting in front and I ride up next to him for a little talk. No one seems to want the front going into the first climb so I tell Bill to soft pedal and I take off full bore a quarter a mile before the first climb, hit the climb pretty hard and make others chase to catch. I get caught about three quarters of the way up and counter my own attack thinking that repeated attacks should sap some energy out of any challenger’s legs while Peter is able to sit in quietly and let the others do the chasing. The front runners quickly close back to me and we are all together going into the big climb. Peter positions well and is quickly in front as we start up. I’m thinking that I just would like to be in a front group when we go over the top and start looking for strong riders that I can group with. Bill comes by slowly and I stay with him as we group up with 3 guys who I know can pound the flats and bridge any gap once the grade levels. Over the top we go, with our intrepid team Photographer from MacBeth Graphics, Mark Nadell, encouraging us on.
Dan cresting the Stampede KOM
True to form our group soon catches the few in front of us and we have a pack of about 25 riders. The group is acting kind of funny and lets a few riders drift off the front but they don’t pick up the pace and we are all together going out to Stampede. I have recovered from my early attacks, my struggle up the big climb and start thinking about “softening up” the group and maybe shelling some of the heavy breathers. As we head down to the turnaround a perfect opportunity for an attack presents itself. The sun is low, in everyone’s eyes, and like the Red Barron I attack while others struggle to see through smudged and sweat splattered sunglasses. I hit the turnaround with double the speed as the pack can usually muster around the turn and start pounding out a hard big ring climb to keep the pace up. Bill, seeing that the pack has become complacent, attacks to bridge up to me and makes anyone who came to play suffer in the worst way to stay with the Paco’s boys. I notice as we group back together that there seems to be a loss of about 5 riders; good, some dead weight gone will keep the finish that much safer.
As we head back across the dam we are tagged by Mark Nadell, as Bill and I are keeping the pack real with Peter safely watching in about 10th position.
Bill & Dan keeping Peter protected over the Dam.
Just after this photo I unleash another lung burning attack on a small climb leaving the dam. Again Bill notices that the pack has become lazy and bridges up to me and strings out the pack into two foot long gaps that you have to suffer to close. The ride from there in is uneventful but quick.
About a mile from the finish Bill is moving forward to help keep the pace up and I drop to the back. Frank, from the Hammer Gel Team is sitting in the back with one of his team mates and I know him well for his voracious attacks with a half mile to go. Frank is trying to get his team mate on his wheel but I’m stuck on him like glue and finally tell him that this is the way it’s going to be when he unleashes his inevitable attack. His team mate grabs my wheel and as predicted Frank puts it down with about a half mile to go. There is a yell in the pack as it responds to the three of us flying by and I hope that Peter is able to get on the train as it flies by. One thing I can say is that Frank’s attack is nothing less than impressive. He is holding it out there in the low to mid 30mph zone for over a quarter of a mile before it is my turn to hit the front. I power it out on the front but not so long that Frank’s teammate can sprint to the finish. Yup, as he powers by he has too far to go and starts to fade. My job is done, as perfect to form, Peter had read the acceleration and I see him and two others passing Frank’s team mate with about 400 meters to go. All others had been gapped and didn’t stand a chance to close down the leaders.
Dr. Taylor powers by the leader to the win!
Hoping for the best when I meet up with Peter after the finish line he tells Bill and I he was able to deliver a win. This was a great night of racing and a great show of race control and strength from the members of the Paco’s Team.
(Editor’s Note: For a full gallery of photos from this, the last Boca Twilight Race of the season, CLICK HERE.)
WE’RE MOVING this FALL, 2011!
After 19 years in the Safeway Gateway Center, Paco’s is on the move to better and more spacious digs! With LOTS more parking! Make sure to visit us at the CITIZENS BANK PLAZA at 12047 Donner Pass Road, a little more than a mile west of the current shop. It’s the perfect gateway to the some of the best road riding and mountain biking in the area, at Donner State Park or up scenic Old Highway 40 to Donner Pass, with beautiful Donner Lake on the way! Our new location is right off of Highway 80 at the western-most Truckee/Donner Lake exit. Come by and check it out this Fall!
Heading West
AUBURN SKI CLUB SUMMER TEAM SPRINTS
July 3, 2011
The First Annual First Nordic Race of the 2011-2012 Season
Not satisfied with merely skiing well into June, past the Solstice, and into the summer, Auburn Ski Club hosted the First Annual Summer Team Sprint Nordic Race on July 3rd, 2011. With lots of snow left on the ground, courtesy of Mother Nature and this year’s Auburn Ski Club “Glacier,” and the grooming wizardry of ASC Training Center’s Bill Clark, 30 ecstatic skiers were able to compete, ON SNOW, in a Team Sprint format over the 4th of July weekend on Donner Summit near Truckee, California. It is safe to say that this event is the first on-snow competition of the 2011-2012 season in the United States.
Site of the 2005 and 2009 Junior Olympics, Auburn Ski Club’s snow totals are traditionally huge, but this year’s near-record-breaking totals and chilly Spring weather has enabled grooming well into the summer. And the skiing has been surprisingly good — even when the nighttime temperatures haven’t even dipped past 40F, the snow has been setting up well and the sliding is fast for hours.
Jakub Benes puts it out there in the prelims
The beneficiaries of this Nature’s Bounty has been, of course, the local Junior contingent, who continue to train hard to prepare for next season’s racing. But also enjoying the great skiing has been a group of college skiers from New England, out west training for the summer and enjoying the traditionally exceptional weather that the Sierra Nevada has to offer. Skiers from Bates, Middlebury, Williams, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Bowdoin have been living with local families and training with Bates Assistant Coach Martin Benes, a former Far West Nordic Junior and Coach.
Evan Dion sports a summer look.
On Sunday, Junior Coaches Ben Grasseschi (Auburn Ski Club) and Jeff Schloss (Sugar Bowl Academy) organized the first-ever Summer Sprints, with participants skiing a 700 meter preliminary time-trial loop on Auburn Ski Club’s trails. Even though it’s summer, the competition was hotly-contested, with just seconds separating the finishers. Phil Tosteson (Williams College) was the fastest pre-lim racer, finishing in a blistering fast 1 minute and 23 seconds. He was followed closely by a couple of Bates College skiers, Lucas Milliken (1:25) and local favorite Alex Hamilton (1:28). In the Women’s division, Far West Nordic’s Annika Taylor (soon to be a New Hampshire Wildcat) posted the fastest time of 1 minute and 42 seconds, followed by Caitlin Curran (University of Vermont) and Sugar Bowl Academy’s Cassidy Cichowicz.
Phil Tosteson posts the fastest prelim time.
After a brief break, skiers were organized into teams of 3, with an attempt to even the teams out by skier speed. All the skiers raced 3 non-consecutive laps around the same course, with a fierce head-to-head competition occurring throughout the pack. There was no “going easy” in this event, with everyone wanting bragging rights for winning the first race of the season. The day’s finale was won by a team comprising of Williams College skier Casey Jones, with two of Far West Nordic’s fastest J2 Boys, Dylan Syben of North Tahoe and Sam Zabell of Sugar Bowl Academy. The final leg was hotly contested, with the winners barely eking out the victory over Bates College’s Nate Fuller, Canadian Alpine skier Dom Garand (Burke Academy), and Incline Village Junior Brandon Herhusky.
The winning team.
Most importantly, there was an ear-to-ear grin on every face, copious amounts of sunscreen was applied, lots of bare skin exposed to the Sun’s rays, and an unique experience for all who attended this first race of the 2011-2012 Nordic Season. No word has been mentioned as to whether an August race is planned, as the Auburn Ski Club organizers are keeping mum as to the life expectancy of the new “glacier.”
A gallery of photos is available here:
ASC SUMMER TEAM SPRINTS
Mark Nadell
And JUST when you think skiing on snow is a distant memory, Auburn Ski Club goes aheads and grooms — in the SUMMER!
Watch the video and enjoy.
SOLSTICE SKIING at AUBURN SKI CLUB from Captain Nordic on Vimeo.
Father’s Day, 2011
by Mark Nadell
Our (almost) annual Father’s Day Excursion. This ride has it all – a chilly morning warmup along Highway 89, beautiful scenery through the Sierra Valley and down the North Fork of the Yuba River, great climbs, thrilling descents, and then the fun of watching the top bike racers suffer on the hills of the Nevada City Classic circuit race.
The 2011 edition was one of the most fun rides I’ve done in years. 8 of us started from Truckee: Rick, Susan, Todd, Gregor, Cathy, Debbie, Blake and myself. The morning temperature was quite moderate — chilly enough to wear a windbreaker or arm warmers, but not nearly as cold as some years, where you felt like you had to load up on clothing just to get to Sierraville, and then have to carry it all through the heat of the latter part of the trip. The traffic on 89N was few and far between, and the pace was perfect. None of the macho “speed bumps” I’ve experienced in years past, and if someone dropped behind a little, everyone was perfectly happy to slow it up to regroup, so we stayed with our group intact through almost the entire ride.
After rolling through the bucolic pasturelands of the Sierra Valley, we split into two groups for the ride up Yuba Pass, regrouping again at the top.
Blake, Rick, and Gregor set a comfortable pace up the long Yuba Pass climb.
Part of the crew at the top of Yuba Pass
We were all surprised at the chilliness of the descent down the headwaters of the Yuba, finally stopping briefly in Sierra City, and then a little longer break in Downieville. Some of the most fun riding in the state can be experienced cruising along the North Fork of the Yuba between those two towns, and the river was gushing to the max alongside. The climbs out of the forks of the Yuba were warm, but not excruciatingly as hot as I’ve experienced in the past.
The Sierra Buttes offer some tempting lines above us.
A brief stop to stretch the neck muscles in Sierra City
Crossing the North Fork of the Yuba River.
Blake and Gregor went on a little ahead of the main group, but waited in North San Juan for the rest of us, and we all rode our own pace up the final, twisting climb from the South Fork to the oasis of the Forest Service building in Nevada City.
The lovely hamlet of North San Juan
A cold hose-down and lunch and we were ready to cheer on our buddies racing in the Classic.
Debbie's chicken salad was scrumptious!
Congratulations to Katerina Nash for her win in the women’s division, and even though we missed the earlier race, we were all humbled by Chris McGovern’s 5th place finish in the Masters 35+ AND THEN hanging on to the pros in a second effort.
Congratulations Katerina!
McGovski is a stud -- two races in one day!
I’ve posted a ride map and description HERE if you want to read more. Definitely put this ride on your To-Do list, and you don’t have to wait for Father’s Day to go for it. (But if it’s 100 degrees in Sacramento, definitely pass on it until the Fall).
Mark Nadell
Berkeley Hills 45+, May 8, 2011
by Peter Taylor
It was 51 degrees at race time, 7:45 am for our group. 60+ starters, including no other Paco’s teammates. It gave me a good excuse to race smart. My first race at Bariani was a feeling out race which ended up 3rd in the group sprint and 5th overall. Copperopolis was a reminder that you can’t go 5 minutes at 125% of threshold and hope to finish well in a 40 mile race.
The racing started after a 3 mile neutralized section. I hung in midpack trying to pay attention to what was happening off the front but really had no shot nor interest in a first lap breakaway of 5 or 6 people. A couple of Safeway riders including Jonathan Laine spent a lot of time up front trying to pull them back but I was content to sit near the back. I Kind of figured the break wouldn’t be brought back. Greg Betonte dropped his anchor the first time up Pappa Bear apparently tired from big crit efforts the day before. At about 10 miles to go (53 mile race) the leaders came in to view and I put in a big effort on a smooth downhill and led the pack by the neutralized 35+ group to join the breakaway. Some hard riding ensued leading up to Mamma Bear then things eased up a bit as riders readied themselves for the final .9 mile Papa Bear finish. I resisted the urge to start my sprint from .5 miles out like last year and instead marked J. Laine’s wheel thinking he would finish strong. Turned out he was toast after his hard earlier efforts.
The top 7 had opened a small gap when I pulled around him. I started my sprint with 150 yard to go passing several riders including one guy at the line for 8th place, second in the 55+ unofficial group.
It was a good race, but I missed my teammates. Hope we can race together through the rest of the summer.
Peter Taylor
Here’s a link to a video of the race course from Nate Dunn and the Berkeley Bike Club.
Paco’s Team Rider Rick Reynolds just couldn’t wait for Old 40 to re-open up to the Summit. So, after scouting the plow crews for a couple of days (including binocular reconnaissance from I-80) and watching the Sugar Bowl road web updates, he was ready on Saturday. Since the skiing was marginal, and I was taking the day off, I decided to head up and document the ride (and the snowbanks).
After a somewhat damp ride along Donner Lake, the road stayed mostly dry all the way up to the Pass, and the views were spectacular. Although there weren’t the 30 foot snowbanks we had imagined, there were still a few spots that were pretty impressive.
Near the summit, the walls of snow were pretty impressive.
Of course, the next day, Rick was back out at Tahoe Donner, enjoying the great spring skiing!
March 27, 2011
by Paco Lindsay & Peter Taylor
This is one of the big, popular Nor Cal bike races. Used to be called Zamora Road race. For the men’s 55+1234 had a sign up of 65 riders, with all the top guys from the district. The cold weather, and the week of storms made for a field of about 50 starters. The five members of the Truckee Bicycle Team 55’s had all signed up, but it ended up being Paul, Peter and myself. Due to the bad roads and snow, both Paul and I got there about twenty minutes before the start. So much for a warm up! Since Madera two weeks before, we were all dealing with the record snows. Training? I had two rides on pavement. The rest were indoor trainer miles.
The race field had Rob Anderson, who is a multiple national champion and district champion who normally races with the 35 + or the 45+. While Rob is 56, he does not usually race with his peers except for districts and nationals. His presence actually made for a bit of a negative race. Not any fault of his, not at all, but we were all waiting for him to make “The Move”! The race pace the first two laps felt fast at times, but not wicked. The three if us stayed up in the top15-20. On the second lap after the KOM, I drifted to the back to see how the group was, and too my amazement we only had about 25-30 left.
On the third lap two guys got fifteen seconds up the road. I talked to some of the main guys I knew from other teams and since I was feeling much better than at Madera, I had just started to get a chase going, when we were neutralized by the motor bike official to let the race behind us, who had caught us, pass. By the time we got going, the two riders were long gone, as well some of the riders we had dropped got back on. The last lap was steady to fast, with Paul making one of his patented rides off the front for a ways, but Anderson and some others brought him back. On the fourth and last time up the KOM climb, my legs showed their lack of training and along with my riding buddy Larry Wolf came off with a ten meter gap to close as we crested the top. No way would we close as the 17 rode on to the finish sprint a long mile off. We rolled in about fifteen seconds behind the field. Peter was third in the field sprint and got 5th, Paul came in with a 14th place, and I was 21st.
Paco
Bariani Race Report 55 1,2,3,4
First race of the year for me with 60 registrants including Rob Anderson and Mark Caldwell among others. I drove down to Sac the night before because of the 8 AM start time. Paco drove down in the AM and got stuck in a road closure and made it 20 minutes before start time.
The morning was cold (40′s) but no rain and fairly light wind. Four 10 mile laps. Usual nervous start then it settled down. With Rob in the field I was waiting for him to make a decisive move at some point and I planned to try to hang on. Never happened. Two guys opened up a small gap on the 3rd lap which was timed perfectly as our field was neutralized for several minutes while the 45 group passed us. Bad planning by the race officials as we should have started behind them. Anyway, by the time the dust settled, the 2 had a 2:40 gap with a lap remaining and nobody seemed keen to chase. It turned in to a lackluster battle for third. I was 3rd in the group sprint. (Couldn’t get the photos of the cat 4 or 5 mass crash from last year out of my mind) Kudos to Paul Gossi for several solo attemps at getting away and generally having his nose in the wind much of the race. Paco hung tough until getting gapped with 2 miles to go.
All in all, it was a good early season measure of fitness. I look forward to more organized team tactics and some more spirited racing
Peter
Well, the calendar says that tomorrow is April! After this unbelievable winter, there are some who are quite ready for a beautiful Spring of skiing, riding, running, and more. But there are ALSO some of us who have not only been on the bike, but who have RACED once or twice already. The Paco’s Bike Team has been active in March, training, and even getting to a few of the early season races. Check out some of our Race Reports from Paco and crew, and get psyched for whatever style of riding you’re looking forward to!
March 12 -13, 55+, 1,2,3,4
by Paco Lindsay
The first race of the season for myself, along with two other 55 Plus men on the team, Edgar Leano and Paul Gossi was the Madera Stage race. First stage is a 45 minute crit. Being literally my first hard day on the bike since October, though having XC skied along with some XC races, it felt strange to be asking the legs to go hard. At times my heart rate was low, but the watts could not go up and the legs were not there. What was I thinking? We all finished the crit in the pack sprint.
Next up in the after noon was a 10 mile TT. For myself, after one mile, went “Not today”. Legs were in revolt from the crit, so rode it at a pretty low heart rate figuring at Sunday’s road race Paul would be sitting high up in GC so would have to work. It turned out Paul won the TT so he came out sitting 1st in GC.
The Road race was pretty active, with Edgar, Paul and I staying up at or near the front for the first two circuits. On the last lap one rider got up the road and just as we were going to chase, the cat 1-2s passed us, making us neutralize for a few minutes. By the time we got going again the rider was totally out of site. Now we really had to motor as with that big of a lead, Paul’s GC win was out the window, as well other teams had an interest to chase. After some hard miles of chasing the lone rider could be seen again. If you know the Madera road, the “Paris Roubaix” section is on the back side about six miles from the start finish line. Just as we were coming off the worst section, I was in the back with totally dead legs and I see a bike fly in the air and riders hitting the deck. As I rolled by I saw Edgar in pain along with another good friend, Paul Chuck on the ground with a shattered helmet. Since my legs were shut down, I stopped to help. Of six down all but two got going leaving one guy with a broken bike, and Edgar. Edgar had a good cut on his hand, had very sore ribs and a cut tire. I tried to get the tire going with a “Gu wrapper boot” but it was too big of a cut and blew up that tube. Finally an official follow car showed up, patched up Edgar’s hand and we got a wheel change so we could ride in. Found out Paul had come in decent in the sprint finish and had won the overall GC. A great job done by Paul, in his first 55+ race (yep we all keep having birthdays). I see a lot more win’s coming for Paul. Edgar was bruised up, but no broken bones.
The annual Snowshoe Thompson Classic Race at Auburn Ski Club is never at a loss for drama, it seems. It’s traditionally the first “major” of the season for the Far West Nordic Ski Division, combining the first Junior Olympic qualifier, Fischer Cup points, a holiday crowd full of fast older juniors and seniors back to visit family, and of course, traditionally challenging Sierra snow conditions for classic waxing.
Rick Reynolds
Fortunately, the Boxing Day race date (that’s the day after Christmas for you south of the Canadian border folks) was fairly straightforward in its conditions, but never easy. Glide wax was the classic Sierra condition: new snow falling overnight in the mid-to-upper 20’s, with warming and glazing in the morning, leading to an easy pick of HF8 and FC8X (in its various forms, depending on your mood and application selection).
Grip wax, on the other hand, was a little bit more of a moving target. Because of the number of racers on the course, warming conditions (but still snowing), and a 2-lap race for most of the competitors (leading to glazing tracks), it would be a danger to try to wax strictly for the temperatures, which would have led to a VR45 range. Warmer waxes were tried, some covered, some not, with the majority of competitors ending up in the VR55 to VR60 range, with varying results depending on their ski flex and classic technique. But it was still an improvement in conditions over many a past SST event, when waxing has often been even more challenging.
For the second year in the row, and to no one’s surprise, returned local Matthew Gelso — formerly of the University of Colorado and U.S. “B” Team skier — sped to a runaway 1 minute-plus victory in 27:10 over former Truckee High skier Russell Kennedy. Kennedy, currently living in Canada and training with the Canadian teams, was also over a minute faster than 3rd place Austin Meng, a senior at the Sugar Bowl Academy.
Laura Stern
The women’s race winner was also no surprise, as Beth Reid of Palo Alto won her division with a time of 32:23, 30 seconds ahead of XC Oregon’s Stephanie Howe. Judy Rabinowitz, along with Reid another former Olympian, was third, 2 and a half minutes back. One competitor who might have given Reid a race for her money was her daughter, junior skier Joanne Reid of the University of Colorado. But because of the Junior Qualifier division, the younger Reid elected to race in the 5K distance, and won that one overall with a time of 15:24. First in the Men’s 5K, and second overall, was Truckee High’s Jackson Rohlf.
Full results are available at:
http://www.farwestnordic.org/raceresults/results20102011/asc_snowshoethompson10.html
A complete photo gallery is online from MacBeth Graphics:
http://macbethgraphics.smugmug.com/NORDIC-RACING/Nordic-Races/SNOWSHOE-THOMPSON-2010/
Mark Nadell
With all of this incredible new snow in Truckee/Tahoe, we’ve gotten off to the best November start in memory. (And the fact that some of us are getting old means that we have lots of years of experience, but that’s balanced by the fact that our memories aren’t what they used to be.
Here’s a shot from yesterday’s “Pre-Opening” ski at Tahoe Donner. With Tahoe Donner opening on Thanksgiving Day, Royal Gorge the next day, and Tahoe Cross Country over at the Lake having opened earlier in the week, it’s definitely time to scrape off the summer wax, put on a coat of colder powder glide and/or some Extra Blue for you striders, and get out there and ENJOY!
Peter Taylor enjoys the perfect tracks (on top of 5 feet of new snow) in Euer Valley
High Noon Aspen, Peter Taylor
The Host Cities were just announced for the 2011 Amgen Tour of California, and Lake Tahoe will be PROMINENTLY featured in the first two stages. The first stage will start in South Lake Tahoe and the racers will travel 1 and a half times around the Lake, finishing at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort. Stage Two will begin in Squaw Valley, go through Truckee, and then up and over Donner Pass before heading down for a finish in Sacramento.
Check out the Press Release: Click Here!
Paco’s Race Team was featured in the video promoting the Lake Tahoe stages. Check out the video: Click Here!
