Napa Valley Dirt Classic Race

By: Kathleen Meyer
It was 1995, my first ever mtb race, where my inexperience caused me to crash and fracture my skull. I decided that racing wasn't for me and I should stick to enjoying my bike. The following spring Glenn Wegner convinced me that the Napa Valley Dirt Classic course was so fun that I should go and just ride it like a ride. The course is on private property, usually not open to mountain biking. It was awesome!
Now 10 years later I found myself back there. I have been there many of the years in-between but this time I had company. Having promised my 15 year old that I would pay for him to race if he put in a good effort at the Sea Otter, I had to keep my promise. No reason for me not to race while there too. Jeff wanted Garrett (12 years old and not so into biking) and Mac (our newest addition to the family-from the beagle rescue) to come along too.
Saturday night at a Motel 6 in Fairfield was meant to give us a good night's rest but we didn't plan on a beagle in unfamiliar territory. Just as we were drifting off, Mac alerted us to the possibility of danger off somewhere outside. A sign of things to come! Patrick (who had avoided sharing the bed with his brother by sleeping on the floor under the window with the air conditioner/heater) had knocked the cover off the heater during one of his many tosses and turns. Mac, woken by the sound, sat on the bed continually growling at this invader...grrruuu.....grrruuu....grrruuu. I was finally forced out of bed to retrieve the object from a still sleeping Patrick and able to show Mac that the enemy was taken care of. It was the kind of night everyone hopes not to get just before a grueling race.
We got there way too early. As I registered Patrick and me, I realized I was in a different age category. As I showed it to Jeff, he said I should change it and race with the women I know, down one age category. I asked and they agreed. Good job!
The mice were coming in as were the Velo Bellas (Meredith) and fellow TWWers. Missing was Erin. The excuse I heard for her not showing was to lame to repeat.  Sorry Erin...    :)
My friend Walt (Walt introduced Berry Stevens to mountain biking and trailwork) came up to visit us. I had asked him to come see Patrick race and he was there. He has been a great friend for the boys and me over the years.
We were at the start line when Julie Brown (I can't remember that other name! ...Barrott) came up looking for her group. Turns out Paule didn't help her pay attention-she was in the original category I singed into. Their start would be 6 minutes later and there wouldn't be any of the women she usually raced with. As we with lined up with 2 minutes to go, I called out to the starter. I explained the situation and asked him if she could start with us. He called for her on the mic, had her come up and join us. It eventually caused some confusion in the scoring but made for a much better race for all.
Patrick started 2 minutes behind us. I wasn't really into racing but the course was fun. I spent the first half wondering if I should stop and wait for Patrick, then I could ride in with him. I had forgotten just how hard this course could be. Not everyone will understand the conflict going on inside me. Here I have taught this kid how to ride. He enjoys it, we both do. Our times riding together have been a special time for him to talk to me. Yet this course is so tough, I kept thinking "what if something bad should happen while he is on my watch?". Was he really ready for it? Then again, finishing on his own without mom hovering is important to helping him become an independent person. Really tough call. It's not always so easy being mom!
Once the serious climbing started I let go of the worry. For one thing, I have always climbed that heinous hill and even though I am not in racing shape, I didn't want that to be an excuse.
I made the hill, had two cramping calves and a good sprint at the finish. Coming across the finish line, Garrett and Walt were there with hugs. I, of course, let them both hold me upright as I stood there collecting my hugs!
No one at the finish line had any horror stories about crashing kids on the course so I figured with Patrick 30 minutes back, I'd take a quick shower. Imagine my surprise to come out of the building to see Patrick standing there with his bike. "You didn't finish the race?" He replied he had. "Did you cut the course"? No he replied. It took a while before I actually believed he had not only finished but he did much better than I expected. The results don't lie.
02:27:23 Patrick
02:15:31 Mom
Good job mom!!!!
:)
Mac and Patrick were in bed by 8pm last night. Wonderful!!!

Shooting Bike Racing

Today is another rainy day, so I had to cancel the bicycle ride I was going to lead today for JC Henderson. Instead Sue and I went Shopping and Wine Tasting. Well, if I cannot ride a bike I can at least play with bike photography. Here is a photo we made at last weekend's Sea Otter. It was a great event!

Russian River Rally Staffed!

Great News!
This is from Mary Paquet:
Diane LeGore, with Chris Thompson assisting, has volunteered to chair the Russian Rivery Rally. I asked Diane at the general meeting. I guess by the end of the meeting she decided positively and let Penny know. I called her last week, and she told me the good news. I will ask Diane if she wants to write an article for next month's B&BB or if she would prefer that I do it. Either way, Steve, plan for a few paragraphs for RRR.

Whine and Dine Update

The route sheet for my ride is now posted at the website:

http://homepage.mac.com/s_sloan/whinendine/2005/road.htm

Please note it is a white day. Folks are invited to bring a bottle of wine to the ride to share at the after ride meal.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

~Steve

Newsletter and Del Valle Campout

NEWSLETTER
The newsletter is being printed by the same printer as last month and will be ready for distribution on Thursday. I have been busy with projects at work so this one got done by the skin of my teeth. I didn't get everything I wanted to get done with it, but I think it will be fine. There is a few things that didn't make it into this issue, they will have to wait until the next.

DEL VALLE CAMPOUT
It appears the Del Valle Campout is going to not happen due to lack of a chair. The newsletter lists it as a May event. It appears at this point the same may happen with the Russian River Rally. My understanding is the processes and procedures are pretty well documented. So, if somebody is interested in having these great events happen, please don't be shy about stepping up. You will have guidelines to help you know what to do. It is a shame to see these events not occur.

Here is the May newsletter

After burning the midnight oil and then some, here is the May BBB:

http://homepage.mac.com/s_sloan/bbb/200505.pdf

Now I can go to bed!

~Steve

Yesterday we went to the Sea Otter

Yesterday Sue and I went to the Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Raceway. It is a huge cycling event that has no equal in our area. There are many races, both road and mountain, lots of vendors and events for non-racers. I got this great shot which I like a lot, It is of Kathy Puitt of Luna Chix loosing a close race to Sabrina Jonnier of the Fox Racing team. Jonnier went on to win the event.

First alpha of May BBB Posted

The first "alpha version [ definition here ]" of the May newsletter is posted here. It is just the first 14 pages and has lots of missing content! More will be posted as it becomes available.
~Steve

Tierra Bella 2005 Coverage

Saturday was our club's annual Tierra Bella Century Ride. This is also our biggest fund raiser and is generally a huge deal in our bicycle club. Jim Chaskin and I went out as a reporter-photographer team to cover the event for our club's newsletter. The event was a huge hit!

Sunday was a hectic and not a good day. In the middle of the day I decided to try to take a break from the work I was doing and went for a bike ride. On my way up Kennedy I fell and scraped up my knee pretty bad. Then this morning I fell again on my scooter. That was not nearly as bad as falling on my bike yesterday was. I had a heavy and padded leather jacket on. The jacket absorbed the impact. As far as the accident on my bicycle is concerned, I learned how important it is to check the quick releases often. The rear release had worked loose. I am lucky my wheel did not come off!

Whine and Dine Ride Info Here

Here is the URL for the whine and dine rides. The rides are currently all road rides on Wednesdays at 6pm, from summit bikes in Los Gatos. Rides are led at 2 or 3 performance levels, so we try to have something for everybody. Everything you need to know about Whine and Dine (WND) is here.

The rides are very, very social and after the rides we go out for burritos, which is very, very, very social! We have wine with dinner and folks are invited to bring some to share. We alternate between red and white weeks, this coming Wednesday is a red week. John Morgan has a great photo gallery with fun pictures from our WND rides. It is located here.

May story queue now open

The story queue is now open for the Black and Blue Bottom. Please follow this link to see what is on-tap for the next edition. Potential contributors please let me know if you would like to add stories and photos and I will add you to the list.
~Steve

Can you believe it, it's whine and dine time again!

After consulting with Tyler. I am creating a NEW whine and dine E-mail list for 2005. If you wish to be on the new list for 2005, please reply to this by E-mail. Remember, road rides are on Wednesdays this year.
~Steve

Click here for more info!

My sister Lura's memorial is tomorrow

On September 16, 1942, my sister Lura was born in Parsons, Kansas.  She died on March 7th of this year. I don't know what I can say about my wonderful and all of the good things she has done for so many people. I made this movie [ 45 MB, Quicktime Movie ] about her life. It only touches the surface of the love she had for so many, and the love we have for her.

If you do not already have it, this movie requires Apple's Quicktime Player.

April 2005 Final Version Posted

The Final Version of the newsletter is posted here. This is all pages and no missing content! This is how it went to the printer!
~Steve

My sister died today

My sister died today and I will be off line for awhile. For more information see this post.

ACTC Cyclist Dennis King hit by truck on Bear Creek Road

The following reports are from the ACTC mailing list. They are mostly from fellow cyclists who were on the ride with Dennis at the time and were sent to the list immediately after the crash, when events were fresh in their minds. They are presented here unedited.
~Steve Sloan

As reported to me by Kim Carr, my co-leader :  A car was coming down Bear Creek Road, then went out of control as it went around a curve, spun out and came across the road, hitting Dennis King and almost Tom Sawyer. Dennis was airlifted out by helicopter. Tom managed to jump out of the way, and is a little sore. Kim and many from the longer option arrived on the scene a little later and stayed till things were finished. Dennis has some broken bones.
As reported by Guy Neenan :  We had a serious mishap ascending Bear Creek.  A pickup lost control coming around a wet hairpin.  It spun 360 and mashed Dennis King's bike.  Tom Sawyer jumped-clear but Dennis was knocked into the ditch and his bike was deeply engaged with the suspension of the truck.  Dennis was medivac-ed to Stanford trauma ward.  He seemed OK, but they want to observe him closely.  Kim, Tom, and others did a great job communicating with the medics and officers.  Kim contacted Dennis wife.  Franz documented the scene.
It could easily have been a multiple mortal situation.  We're glad it wasn't worse. Serious incidents like this are remarkably infrequent when you consider how many miles and hours we're out there.  We lack total control of our safety.  We're exposed to traffic risk on every ride.  The risk isn't just physical injury, it's mortal.  We are lucky to be alive, healthy, and ever ready to get out there with you and all of our cycling friends and associates.
~Don Axtell
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Steve and I were just ahead of the crash - the driver of the pickup was accelerating as he was coming down fast and doing four wheel drifts through the turns - he almost lost control as he came around the turn at me and then accelerated on through the next turn.  This was not a case of an accident due to wet pavement - this was a young cocky youth pushing the speed limits with a truck on a winding narrow downhill.  He is lucky he did not kill someone.  If there is a need for any witness to this fact, both Steve and I are willing to bear witness that this was not just an accident due to road conditions.   This case needs some publicity.
~Patrice Carney 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dennis King Accident On Bear Creek Road March 5, 2005
It may be good for those of us who were witness to share what we saw and feel.
Dennis was at the back of a group of 3-4 riders and I was about 150-200 yards behind. Not long before I was part of that group but as the road tilts up I tend to fall back. We were climbing Bear Creek Rd from Boulder Creak toward Skyline. A pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction (downhill) lost control going around a curve on wet pavement and swerved several times before turning 180 degrees sliding backwards toward this group of riders. Tom Sawyer who was in front of Dennis was able to bail out and get out of the way but Dennis had no place to escape. I did not see this happen as it occurred around a bend in front of me. But I did hear the sound of screeching tires and the impact of two automobiles. It turns out that impact was between a car traveling in my direction, going around the bend, being met by the pickup truck sliding backwards into him. Upon reflection I believe this collision between the two cars may have stopped the pickup and resulted in less impact to Dennis.
I arrived at the scene probably less than 1 minute after the accident. Dennis was lying in a fetal position on soft mud between the pickup truck right front tire and embankment next to the road. His bike was behind the right front wheel of the truck and badly mangled. I called out his name, he recognized me, I asked him how he felt, and he said I’m just lying here thinking about what to do next. He indicated his left shoulder hurt but he did not appear to be in any discomfort. I did not see any bleeding or bruises. I was relieved. Sizing up the situation, this could have turned out much, much worse. But for split seconds and fractions of inches this could well have been a multiple fatality accident.
Within 5 minutes of the accident a club member who is a paramedic in Milpitas (can’t remember her name) was on her way to work and came upon the scene. She took control and had some jackets with her so we were able to keep Dennis comfortable.
I was surprised that Dennis was airlifted to Stanford hospital but one of the paramedics later told me there was evidence of memory loss so this is standard procedure. At one point early on the young driver of the pickup (I estimate him to be about 20) came over and apologized to Dennis. Dennis asked him how fast he was going and the young man replied 30-35 mph. Dennis said too fast. Clearly Dennis was fully aware of the situation at that point. Later when the paramedics arrived Dennis could not recall what happened.
Unfortunately I’ve come upon bicycle accident scenes before. The good news is that people always seem to instinctively know what needs to be done. Several riders positioned themselves upstream and downstream to slow down oncoming traffic. Several people stayed with Dennis to keep him comfortable. Everyone else stayed in the background and out of the way. My instincts were to inform new riders arriving at the scene about what had happened and to assure them that it was not serious.
Looking at my cell phone log I see that I placed the call to 911 at 11:46 AM and received a callback 11:58 AM – the same time the ambulance arrived (it seemed so much longer). Looking at my GPS log I see the accident happened 5.0 miles northeast of Highway 9.
Regards,
~Jerry Schonewille
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Paul, Ray and I went down to Stanford to check on Dennis. He was in good spirits, but tired and hurting. He has a broken collar bone and two fratures to the shoulder blade. They kept him until 8pm, as they took xrays twice and then a cat scan. One fracture may go into the joint and that was the cause for additional concern. He needs to go back into be check more extensively on Monday. When we left he was being taken home by Anne and Christopher, and their just arrived out of town guests...
~Grete Johnson
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I was within 20 yards in front of Dennis.  I can also be a witness if needed.  The truck driver was going down way too fast on turns.  The truck was sliding to the opposite direction, the truck driver tried to correct it by swinging back to his lane but then he over corrected and tried to correct again.  That caused a 180 degree spin and hit Dennis.  Although I was in front of Dennis, I saw the impact through my rear view mirror.
~Ben Luu
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hi folks,
I'm alright as far as we can tell. The ambulance took me to Dominican Hospital where after various pokings I was deemed fit for discharge. It wil be some time before the image of that F150 coming at me disappears. I leaped off the bike while twisting to my left to avoid the truck and most likely landed on my back where the road "coves" into the ditch. All body parts seem to be working, but I really ache in the area between my ribs and pelvic bones.
I consider myself very lucky. I had heard the tires before the truck appeared and feared trouble. It screeched anound the corner and skidded into the uphill lane (the road is reverse-banked and was wet). The driver over corrected and shot towards the creek side. I was peddling as fast as I could uphill which no doubt saved me. The driver again overcorrected and now came toward me, but was skidding. I jumped, the truck continued skidding, and I heard it hit Dennis.
I really lost it; yelling at the driver - I thought Dennis was dead. I tried to cell-out, but the signal was so low that 911 got me some residence and the person answering couldn't grasp the fact that we needed help. I stopped a truck and sent it back to Boulder Creek asking the driver to call for an ambulance and the police. Other riders were arriving and several took up positions above and below the site to stop traffic, letting one direction go at a time. Litsel(?) Urnst had stopped and volunteered her paramedic training. Dennis was able to move arms and legs and feel everytihing, but didn't want anybody touching his left shoulder - presumably the contact point with the truck.
The truck had done a 180 and was pointing uphill and had hit a pickup coming up Bear Creek. The driver (Brian Iles of Ben Lomand) took down all the accident-related details. It took about 20-minutes for the first ambulance to arrive and about 30 or more before the CHP arrived - officer Griefer. They decided that it would be prudent to medivac Denis. They immobilized him on a gurney and presumably drove down to Boulder Creek where he was picked up. We didn't know where they were taking him until the heliocopter took off.
By now it was hard for me to stand and I felt it would be worse if I sat down. Eventually everything was cleaned up; I climbed into the remaining ambulance and rode to Dominican. My paramedic rider was a Catagory 1 pro and also raced mountain bikes. He had been in so many accidents (including some as a bike-messenger in SF) that I decided not to play the sympathy card.
I'm now home; glad to be alive and uninjured; and not looking forward to living with the bruises,
~Tom Sawyer

Cat's Hill Crit Info

The Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club, recently named the number one cycling club in the US, has presented the Cat's Hill Classic bicycle race continuously since 1974. The Cat's Hill Criterium is one of the oldest grass roots cycling races in the US. The grueling Cat's Hill climb has challenged the likes of Greg LeMond (winner in 1978), Derek Bouchard-Hall, Karen Brems, Suzy Pride, Nicole Freedman, Eric Heiden, Davis Phinney, Bob Roll, Ted Huang, Eric Wohlberg, Trent Klasna, Antonio Cruz and Dylan Casey.

More than 700 amateur and professional riders are expected to compete on the demanding one-mile course that starts at the corner of Tait and Nicholson Avenues in Los Gatos. The route is a clockwise loop that includes the incredibly steep 23% climb and six  90-degree turns. Race lengths range from three to forty laps, depending on age and ability classifications. The Cat's Hill Classic is held under USA Cycling (USAC) permit and is part of both the prestigious Lance Armstrong Junior Olympic Race Series (LAJORS) and the Northern California Nevada Cycling Association (NCNCA) Prestige Series.

The Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club invites all cycling fans to attend this great event starting at 10 am on May 7, 2005. Join us for fun, excitement, famous faces and fabulous races. For directions and additional information, visit the race website at www.catshill.org.

---

For information contact:

Scott Barth
2005 Testarossa Vineyard Cat's Hill Classic Race Director
408-248-8913
scott@scottbarth.com

or

Barry Gordon, President
Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club
USA Cycling 2004 Club of the Year
408-978-8200
bgordon@structint.com

Whine and Dine Rides for 2005

Tyler and I have agreed that we are only going to start road rides in April. We will start Whine and Dine Road Rides for Wednesday starting April 6th.

Here is why:

• Tyler and I are on the board and we have two Tuesdays a month committed to that.
• Argonaught rides are Monday and Thursday and we don't want road rides to conflict with that.
• Some folks don't want MTB rides on Mondays.
• MTB ridership was way down anyway.
• Being committed to three nights a week (including riding and ACTC service) on two weeks a month, plus the newsletter, would be too much for me.

Let us know what you think:
~Steve

April story queue now open!

The story queue is now open for the Black and Blue Bottom. Please follow this link to see what is on-tap for the next edition. Potential contributors please let me know if you would like to add stories and photos and I will add you to the list.
~Steve

Walk/Bike California 2005 Conference

Call for Presentations, Sponsors and Exhibitors

The second biennial Walk/Bike California Conference will be held on Wednesday, September 14 to Friday, September 16, 2005 in Ventura, California.

Please join us with your participation and respond to the Call for Presentations, Sponsors or Exhibits by Thursday, March 24. For information and submittal forms, refer to the conference web site: www.walkbikecalifornia.net

Whether your interest is engineering, planning, public health, universal access, livable communities, safety, education, law, transportation reform or marketing, Walk/Bike California 2005 is an essential conference to share your work, network with colleagues, and meet those who are funding and creating an exciting movement that is changing the way Californians live. The conference will feature informational sessions, workshops and mobile tours on topics that are vital to all levels of staff in your organization.

Walk/Bike California 2005 is hosted by the California Bicycle Coalition and the City of Ventura in association with California Walks.