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Eagle Cycling Club
October, 2014
The Eagle
Cycling Club
provides cyclists
with a variety of riding experiences. Our
members can be
seen on the road, in
the hills, on tandems,
on recumbents, and
often pulling kids in
trailers.
eaglecyclingclub.org
Inside This Issue:
Prez’s Mess
Pg. 1
Club Biz
Pg. 2
Ride Reports
Pg. 3
Eagle Cycling Club September Meeting
Date: Oct. 13, 2014; Location: Velo Pizzeria, 807 Main St.
Board Meeting: 6:30 PM
General Meeting: 7:00 PM
Message From the President
Greetings, Eagles,
We began the year at a new location, Oventi Restaurant and Bakery. The owners of
Oventi have decided they will be closed on Mondays, at least until spring. As an experimental new location, we have arranged with Velo Pizzeria, at 807 Main Street,
for the use of their upstairs room. This is smaller than the room at Oventi. It is similar
in seating capacity to the room at Round Table, but much more comfortable. We’ll
try it this month and in November and see how it goes. They do have beer, wine,
and soft drinks in additional to excellent pizza, salads, and sandwiches. As usual,
limited free pizza will be provided by the club. The board meeting will start promptly
at 6:30, the general meeting at 7:00.
On Sunday, December 14th, we’ll be back at Compadres for our annual holiday
meeting and dinner.
It looks like the new jersey issues have been worked out. If you haven’t yet picked
up your new Eagle jersey, they are at Bicycle Works. Everyone who ordered a short
Ride Schedule
Pgs. 4-6
sleeved or sleeveless jersey is entitled to a $5.00 rebate. You can claim this at Bicycle Works when you pick your order up, or from Dain Anderson, ECC treasurer. The
Intervals
Pgs. 7,8
new jerseys look great and are highly
visible. Already, there have been
queries, from folks who missed out
on the first order, about when the
next order period might be. The answer is when it seems there is sufficient interest. Re-orders require a 5
piece minimum. Pricing will depend
Pictures and articles for on the number of pieces ordered. We
will work hard with Voler to make
the newsletter are always welcome! Please
sure the problems that bedeviled the
submit to Genny at :
last order don’t repeat.
[email protected]
by the end of the
month.
El Jefe
Top of Cavedale Road during a
Wednesday B-day Ride
Page 2
Eagle Cycling Club
ECC September Meeting Highlights
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The meeting began with a Social Hour, complete with Tra Vigne Pizza, snacks and, of course, wine.
We welcomed 2 new members and gave away a gift certificate donated by Downtown Joes and
several Clif Bar products.
Bicycle Coalition Family Biking Workshops, postponed after the earthquake, are now scheduled
on Oct 4th. Two additional workshops will be held in American Canyon on Oct 18th.
The Napa county Public Works visit to Davis was postponed after the earthquake as well as the
repairs to Solano Ave.
The commuter bike path across Napa is closed between California and Pueblo due to earthquake
damage.
The Justin Sienna coping meeting regarding the proposed strip mall was postponed after the
earthquake. This project is certain to impact traffic and cycling on Solano Ave and so we should
monitor it closely and offer imput as necessary.
Whole Foods is partnering with the Bicycle Coalition to do the Tour de Vine, a ride through
Carneros, on Oct. 19th. (more info under Special Events)
The Bicycle Coalition Legendary Ride has been cancelled due to a conflict with a ZD Winery
event. The Coalition is planning a ride with Pro-rider Andrew Talansky on Nov. 14th for ECC and
NCBC members for a modest fee.
Allan F. reported that The Table was very grateful for our donation of food after TNV.
ECC member Gabby G. requested volunteers for her Cycling Safety Programs for the homeless
population in Napa. She can be reached at 707-815-7436 for more info and dates of upcoming
programs.
Eagle Cycling Club Adopt - A - Highway
The ECC's fourth and final Adopt-a-Highway on Silverado Trail for 2014 will be Sunday,
October 19 starting at 9 AM. The section of road to be cleaned goes from Trancas St to
the Soda Canyon Store. The starting point will be the wide spot on the east side of the
road just north of Trancas St. (usual location). Lunch afterward will be at the Soda Canyon Store, and such a deal, paid by the Club.
2014 will have been the 20th consecutive year ECC has performed this public service for
our community.
In the case of wet weather, Larry Bogner will make the call to proceed/cancel at the starting point at 9 AM.
If you have any questions, please call Larry at 707-252-1736.
The Club will be announcing the dates of Adopt-a-Highway during 2015 soon.
Page 3
2014 American River Ride Report
On October 5th, twenty-two intrepid Eagles met at Discovery Park in Sacramento to ride the American River
bike path, in spite of seasonally warm temperatures. After rolling out of the park a few minutes after 10 AM, the
group made excellent time and without mishap, quickly
arrived at our traditional 20-mile lunch stop at Jack’s Urban Eats in Gold River, where most of us managed to
eat large amounts of delicious salads, sandwiches and
various sides.
After this very nice
break, the group
Eagles gathering in Discovery Park
broke roughly in half,
with ride leader Dean taking
some folks back to Discovery Park while 13 “Dammed” riders headed
on up to Folsom Lake, another 10 miles or so. A mile or two up the
trail, the “Dammed” group met up with Nancy Tracy’s brother Randy
and his wife, Cynthia, who live just off of the bike trail. As we continued gradually upward, the group broke up a bit, but we regrouped at
the top. We couldn’t help but marvel at the effects of our current
drought, as the “lake” had receded several miles from the usual
shoreline.
Although the temperature was roughly 96 degrees, most of the group
decided to follow Randy and Cynthia’s suggestion and do an new
alternative route to begin our descent back to Sacramento. First we
rode along the front of Folsom Dam, where there is current construcThe “Dammed” group
tion being done on a flood bypass. Amazing really, since the lake is
overlooking the lake,
at historically low levels, the drought is expected to continue for
such as it is.
some time and it looked like big $$$ is being spent on this project. From
there we continued on to the Johnny Cash trail, which just opened on
Oct. 4th and commemorates a concert that the artist performed at Folsom Prison many years ago. (An
album was cut from the concert and “The Folsom Prison Blues” became a Top-40 hit.) The new trail
went around the prison, eventually dumping us onto Folsom city streets. We made our way back to the
river bike trail and continued on down the hill.
It was a long, hot ride back to Sacramento but everyone made it back in good spirits. All in all it was
another successful outing for the Eagles.
Velo Vino Rides Update
Once or twice a month since April, ECC president Jim Fitch has been leading rides
from Velo Vino in St. Helena. This endeavor was started primarily as an attempt to
meet upvalley riders and possibly foster new ECC memberships. Although it did not
really accomplish that, most of these rides were well attended by various Eagle
members and we did meet many out-of-town riders who are also members of the
Velo Vino wine club.
Most of these rides covered familiar territory such as Pope Valley and the triangle,
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Velo Vino Ride Update, continued...
but a few ventured into Franz Valley and one climbed up
Mt. St. Helena on the old Toll Road (unfortunately this one
happened on the day of the Napa earthquake.) We even
managed to have a few adventures during these rides,
sometimes taking the “road-less-traveled.”
Suzanne from Sonoma rolls through the dirt
on the backside of Lake Hennessey.
There is only
one more Velo
Vino ride this
year, scheduled
on Oct. 19th.
Unfortunately it
Suzanne from Sonoma, Jim, Genny, Cathy and Jim from
conflicts with
Newcastle, Suzanne and Steve on a recent Velo Vino ride.
both a Silverado
Trail pickup and
the Whole Foods Tour de Vine, but we hope a few people will
come out to do a loop through Turtle Rock and over Mt.
George, then back to St. Helena. This is Bob Hillhouse’s favorite loop and features one of the best descents in Napa
county, down the front side of Mt. George.
Cardio-Resistance Workouts (from roadbikerider.com)
This concept in a nutshell: Combine intervals on an indoor trainer with upper-body weight
training for a workout that boosts both strength and lactate threshold.
Many of the “Ask Coach Fred” questions over the years have been about finding enough time to train.
Particularly, riders have trouble fitting in workouts on the bike along with the upper-body resistance training they know they should do several times a week.
Resistance training is important for reasons other than helping us ride faster. It helps us retain muscle
mass that would otherwise be lost to the aging process. A good weight-training regime is also important
for bone health.
But, readers lament, how can we find time to lift, ride, go to the grocery store and mow the lawn? Time
on the bike for serious training, not to mention social rides and fun solo cruises, is woefully short for
most cyclists.
One promising answer lies in research done by Gary Sforzo of the Graduate Program in Exercise and
Sports Science at Ithaca College in upstate New York. His study shows that a high-intensity combination of weights and indoor cycling can increase muscular strength by nearly 25 percent and significantly improve VO2 max.
Additional research by other sports scientists confirms Sforzo’s finding and shows a significant increase in power at lactate threshold — probably the single most important factor in cycling ability.
The workout is done by alternating the exercises of a standard upper-body weight-training routine with hard intervals on the trainer.
I know what you’re thinking: Get on the trainer in the summer or fall? That misery is usually reserved
for winter days when riding outside is impossible. But there are good reasons for hitting the cylindrical
road even when the weather is beautiful.
(If this sounds like something you might want to make part of your regular routine, I wrote an RBR
eArticle about how to do it: WinterPower. Yes, it’s called Winter Power, but that’s merely a reflection of
the reality that many riders won’t embrace this program until the winter!)
Page 5
WEEKLY RIDES
Not all of the rides listed below are led or sponsored by the Eagle Cycling Club.
This schedule tries to capture all regular rides happening in or around Napa, regardless of who leads or sponsors them. A listing here should not be taken as an
endorsement of any particular ride.
Eagle Cycling Club rides are rated by the pace or pace range, the terrain or terrain range, and a mileage range. For example a ride described as 1-A-15-25
would be a ride at an easy (1) pace, on a mostly flat (A) course, for 15-25 miles.
A ride described as 2-C/D-40-60 would be a ride at a moderate (2) pace, on a
course with hills (C) that might be steep or sustained (D), for 40-60 miles
Pace: (1) Easy (8-12-MPH)
(2) Moderate (12-15 MPH)
MPH and above)
Terrain: (A) Mostly flat
(B) Rolling
(C) Some hills
(3) fast (16
(D) Hilly
(E) Mountains
For a full description of the ratings, download the Ride Classifications Document at http://
www.eaglecyclingclub.org/calender.html.
Saturdays
8:30 a.m.
Variable route, 2-B/C-30-60
Training ride for the Eagle High School Cycling Club. Meet at 8:30 at the bicycle container near the Napa High
School gym, roll at 9:00. This is a coached ride for high school age riders learning group riding skills. Coaches welcome. For more information, contact Thomas Kensock at 707-631-6919.
8:30 a.m.
Variable route, variable length
Not an Eagle Cycling Club ride, but a ride attended by many of Napa’s law enforcement cyclists, affectionately
known as “The Herd”. Meet at Justin High School, ride rolls at 8:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m.
Semi-variable route, 2-B-20-30
Meet at Browns Valley Market, 3263 Browns Valley Road. Ride starts with a loop through the Carneros area. After
coffee and pastries at Stanley Lane, the group splits up for optional additional riding. Tandems welcome. No drop
policy. For more information, contact Cheryl Korte at 707-265-0456.
9:00 a.m.
Semi-variable route
Not an Eagle Cycling Club ride, but a regular ride in which many club members participate: Ride starts with Bob’s
Wednesday ride loop through Carneros. At Stanley Lane, the group breaks into smaller groups for further riding.
Meet at Azurro, at the corner of Main and Clinton Streets.
Sundays
9:00 a.m.
Variable route, 3-C/E-50-80
Meet at Dwight Murray Plaza, at the missing clock tower, on First between Main and Coombs. This ride leaves
promptly at 9:10 a.m. For more information, call Mark Lucas at 707-224-8873 or Tim Thulin at 707-255-8931.
9:00 a.m.
Variable route, occasional field trips, 2-C/E-30-60
Meet at Bicycle Works, 3335 Solano Avenue. No drop policy. This ride will be pre-empted by Velo Vino rides
(below). For more information, contact Jim Fitch or Genny Fox at 707-226-5038.
9:00 a.m.
Napa to Yountville, 1.5-A-20
Vintage bike ride, only on the third Sunday of every month. Dust off your vintage steed and join us for a relaxing
ride to Yountville. We will be stopping for coffee and pastries before returning to Napa. Leaves from Bicycle
Works, 3335 Solano Avenue. Rain cancels. For more information, contact Andre Garcia at 707-253-7000)
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Weekly Rides, continued...
Tuesdays
3:00 p.m.
Variable route, 2-B/C-20-40
Training ride for the Eagle High School Cycling Club. Meet at 3:00 the bicycle container near the Napa High
School gym, roll at 3:30. This is a coached ride for high school age riders learning group riding skills. Mentors welcome. For more information, contact Thomas Kensock at 707-631-6919.
Wednesdays
8:30 a.m. SHARP!
Carneros loop, 1.5-B-20
A leisurely two hour ride in the Carneros district. This is a no-drop ride, which regroups regularly, and usually takes
a group photo at the “Pigs 4 Sale” sign. Meet at Dwight Murray Plaza, at the infamous missing clock tower, on First
between Main and Coombs. Refreshments at the Model Bakery afterwards. Rain cancels. For more information,
call Bob Hillhouse at 707-253-7000 or 707-252-1246.
5:00 p.m.
Mt. Veeder loop, 2/3-D-21
The classic clockwise Mt. Veeder loop. Meet at the corner of Browns Valley Road and Redwood Road. Go over Mt.
Veeder and return via Dry Creek Road. Optional return with the 6:00 p.m. counter-clockwise ride. No Leader.
6:00 p.m.
Variable Route, 2-D-20-25
Usually a counter-clockwise Mt. Veeder loop, going out on Dry Creek Rd., and returning on Redwood Rd. Meet at
Bicycle Works. Bring lights in the winter. If it’s raining, the loop will be through Carneros instead. This is a no drop
ride, for all levels. For more information, contact Dave Pruett at Bicycle Works, 707-253-7000
6:00 p.m.
Silverado Country Club/Avenues Loop, 2-B-15-20
Slowest rider sets the pace. A women’s only ride. Meet at the Oxbow east parking lot. For more information, contact Margaret Mackey at 707-363-4492 or Linda Mcfeely at 707-975-6099.
Thursdays
3:00 p.m.
Variable route, 2-B/C-30-60
Training ride for the Eagle High School Cycling Club. Meet at 3:00 the bicycle container near the Napa High
School gym, roll at 3:30. This is a coached ride for high school age riders learning group riding skills. Mentors welcome. For more information, contact Thomas Kensock at 707-631-6919.
Fridays
8:30 a.m.
Bike Friday, 1/1.5-A-10
Bike Friday is an easy, mostly flat ride to Yountville via Solano Avenue. There is a yak stop at the structure at the
end of Solano Avenue in Yountville. Alternate routes are planned impromptu from there. Some ride up-valley,
some return via Solano Avenue to Napa for coffee at Panera. The up-valley groups tend to ride a bit faster. Occasionally, a group will ride up to Hennessey and do the Lower Chiles Valley loop. Rain cancels. For more information, contact Doug Cleveland at 707-252-3985, or [email protected].
St. Helena/Velo Vino Rides
In partnership with Velo Vino, Eagle Cycling Club is leading a series of rides between April and October that begin
and end at Velo Vino in St. Helena. There are two rides per month, usually one on the third or fourth Sunday of
each month, which pre-empts the regular ECC Sunday ride leaving from Bicycle Works, and an easier ride usually
on the first or second Saturday of each month (exact schedule below).
Sunday, October 19 – This is the final ride of 2014
Turtle Rock-Monticello Rd loop, 2-D-50
For the final ride of the season, we’ll go down Silverado Trail to Highway 128, then up past Nichelini to Turtle Rock
and Capell Valley Rd. About 6 miles past Turtle Rock, we’ll turn right onto Highway 121/Monticello Rd and begin
the three humps, each one bigger than the last, that will return us to Napa Valley in Napa. The final four mile descent into Napa is one of the best descents around, at the moment – good pavement, and well signed and well
thought out curves. We’ll return to St. Helena and Velo Vino on Silverado Trail, hopefully with the usual afternoon
tailwind. Probable stops at Turtle Rock and Soda Canyon Store. This ride includes about 3.500 feet of climbing.
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Weekly Rides, continued...
For more information contact Jim Fitch at 707-226-5038. Rain cancels.
SPECIAL EVENTS
October 19 — Tour de Vine
Experience a special ride from Whole Foods Market in Napa through the quiet rural vineyard lanes of the scenic Carneros Region which links Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Be
treated to a one-of-a-kind rest stop experience at Carneros Brewing Company in Sonoma Valley. Includes healthy and yummy treats from Whole Foods Market in Sonoma, and the opportunity to sample
the best micro-brewed beer in California, all served to you with music by highly regarded Porchfest artist Kristen
Van Dyke. All of this happens in a beautifully appointed beer garden, nestled next to a pond amongst hop vines.
After a leisurely rest, work up your appetite again on the return ride to Whole Foods Market in Napa for the post
ride party, where you will be served more tasty and healthy food and have the opportunity to taste the excellent
wines of Ceja Vineyards. Relax with your friends and family at the Whole Foods Culinary Center and enjoy another
concert by Kristen Van Dyke.
When: Sunday, October 19 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Registration fee of $45 includes food, beverages, a Tour de Wine Country T-shirt (1st 100 registered), and SAG
support. No one will be left behind. Park at Park and Ride lot corner of Redwood and Solano. KIDS UNDER 18
FREE!
Thanks to the generous support of Whole Foods Market Napa, Whole Foods Market Sonoma, Carneros Brewing
Company, and Ceja Vineyards, all proceeds will benefit Napa Bike, helping to fund their work of making bike riding
safer for everyone in Napa County.
WE NEED RIDE LEADERS, PARTICULARLY FOR FAMILY FUN RIDES. TO SCHEDULE A NEW RIDE, CONTACT JIM FITCH, AT [email protected].
For the upcoming season’s century rides, see:
http://www.bbcnet.com/RideCalendar/default.aspx
http://www.bikecal.com/asp/century-result.asp
How Hard? As Hard as You Can! (from roadbikerider.com)
This concept in a nutshell: Forget heart monitors or power meters. Go flat out
when riding intervals up to 5 minutes long.
Coach Dean Golich is not only infamous for his block training, he also preaches a heretical approach
to doing intervals. He counsels his riders to ignore the usual methods of gauging intensity, such as heart
monitors and power meters. He eschews elaborate training zones based on percentages of max heart
rate or lactate threshold.
Instead, Golich argues, every interval should be ridden as hard as you can. What’s more, he doesn’t
want you to ride a 3-minute interval at a steady high pace, calculating how hard to push so you can last
the distance. No such luck. Instead, he wants you to start the interval with a sprint and hang on for all
you’re worth.
“Don’t pace yourself,” says Golich. “Start each interval flat out. You’ll be struggling at the end,
but that’s okay. That’s when you get the adaptation.”
Why Do This to Yourself?
Golich likes to invoke the “30 miles per hour rule” which states that if you never go 30 mph, you’ll never
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How Hard? continued...
go 30 mph.
Put another way, if you don’t train at race intensities, you won’t be able to go that fast in a race.
Don’t expect to do well at your goal pace, whether it’s 30, 25 or 20 mph, if you consistently train at lower
speeds. If your goal is 25 mph in a time trial, start your interval with a hard charge off the line, then do
your best to hold that pace. As you get tired, your speed will decrease but your effort won’t.
“If you do intervals this way, next week or next month you’ll be able to hold the speed longer,” says
Golich. “You’ll feel fatigue but it will be temporary. It isn’t overtraining, so tough it out.”
Gearing is crucial to this type of interval training. If you start the effort in a relatively large gear at a
reasonable cadence, say 90 rpm, and you don’t shift down, your cadence will get slower and slower as
you fatigue.
Most cyclists aren’t accustomed to progressively shifting lower during an interval’s work session. They
equate it with giving in. But for Golich’s intervals, effort is the most important thing, then comes high cadence. Gearing is a distant third—it’s only a tool to help you work as hard as you can. There’s no
shame in shifting down. In fact, it’s necessary to keep effort flat out and your knees healthy.
Won’t such intensity lead to chronic fatigue? No, Golich argues, as long as you rest properly after
these hard workouts.
Bicycle Works has monthly Flat Tire Workshops on the 2nd Saturday of each month.
They are taught by professional bicycle mechanics, are free of charge, and are open to
anyone, no RSVP necessary.
The next one will be Oct 11th, and continuing on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 9
am.
For more information, contact Bicycle Works at 253-7000.
Eagle Cycling Club
3335 Solano Avenue
Napa, CA 94558
Email: [email protected]
President: Jim Fitch
Vice President: Gary Delucchi
Treasurer: Dain Anderson
Secretary: Genever Fox
Co-Treasurer: Richard Pastcan
Webmaster: Nancy Tracy
Newsletter Editor: Genever Fox
Ride Schedule Chair: Jim Fitch
Membership Chairman: Bob Hillhouse
Skyline Park Representative: Marilyn O’Connell
Tour of Napa Valley Director: Dave Williams
Cherry Pie Criterium Director: Andre Garcia
Skyline Park Mountain Bike Race Director: Dave Pruett