Gender Card? Some fun politics (sorry)

Fantastic ride w/ Olympian, Pro's & friends!

Just a quick note to say how much fun we had riding with Jill Kintner and her friends - including another pro - Downhiller Kathy Pruitt! So cool! Details to come - just wanted to say Thanks for joining us - the entire album is posted on the SLaB website www.iamSLaB.com.

commuter stalker

So I haven't seen my Webcor fellow commuter all week. Either I'm too early, or too late... timing is just off. I even rode yesterday in the outfit to turn heads! [Pink Helmet, Pink semi-clear (adaptalite) glasses, pink scarf, 5-'s style black and white short jacket over a nice pink T-shirt, jeans with cuffs rolled up, and cute w/ a heel black and white (clarks) sandals. Oh, and my zebra striped b/w purse like messenger bag]. Only head that was turned was "mad man" behind the mini-van, who is a bike hater I guess. I'll continue to try to get a picture of said racer dude... even if I leave early... and wait... like a stalker!

Speaking of stalking... I really am not a star struck groupie or stalker like it seems - regarding Jill Kintner and her GT team! But at the risk of seeming like it - I'm going to post a picture of her with Oprah, and silver medalist Mike Day - just to underline how lucky we are to be able to ride with her tonight! I watched the premier show, and the only glimpse of any cyclists was the march into the crowd to the stage, where it looked like Jill was holding the "BMX" sign. Michael Phelps took most the time - as was deserved. Either way- we are only 2 degree's of separation from Oprah now... that's not bad!

Tonight's ride weather should be mild, maybe chilly at the top of the ridge - but we'll have enough light for a group photo before - and lots of time to play on the single track! See you at 5:45 - riding at 6! (I don't think Oprah is coming... but I'll check w/ Jill to see if I can get Oprah to come to one of our clinics!)

Got honked at, while commuting today

(not a picture of me - but Amsterdam women who rock!)

Commuting to work (Apple) this morning, I was turning left from Eastbound Steven's Creek (6 lanes on my side, 10 total) onto DeAnza Blvd. Left-Arrow-Green-Light comes on, I push off, and hesitate a mili-second after first missing a good sandal/pedal connection. This irritated Mr. Suburban Mini Van up-tight man. He wails on his horn like I had held him up over 10 minutes.

I look over and express with a smile - holding my left hand out and sweeping it in indication of how much room we all had and said "WHAT? Not enough room? I could be a car you know?" - and made sure that all 9 lanes of West Bound Stvn's Creek and Northeast bound DeAnza stopped traffic could see me & Mr. Unhappy's "conversation".

NEWS FLASH - HONKING YOUR HORN AT CYCLISTS SUCKS! DON'T DO IT unless you are saving a life!

I could have been an SUV in front of him... but no... a red beach cruiser w/ a basket... and it cramped his style. He had to stop at the next light on DeAnza. Tee hee hee. 

--------------

Don't forget tomorrow's opportunity to ride w/ a pro, World Champ & Bronze Medal winner - Jill Kintner! Meet at Calabazas Shop beforehand for chat and autographs etc, or meet up at Saratoga Gap for the ride, 5:45 - rolling by 6.

THURSDAY group ride w/ Jill Kintner -Bronze Medalist!

We are so honored to have the opportunity to ride with Jill. She loves mountain biking on trails (World Champ actually) as well as her BMX success (Olympic Medal!). Come join us for a ride on the technical and fun trails of Saratoga Gap. 

Mostly SLaB women - and some of their other halves - ahem - men, are coming to get autographs and ride. Please rsvp to Beverly at  b e v c o @ m a c . c o m - so we know to expect you, and how many will show up!

Meet at 5:45, ready to ride at 6. I'll be arriving with Jill, as we leave Calabazas bike shop at 5:30, at Hwy 9 and Skyline/35.

See you then!

Bev

Another Successful Skills Clinic! Sept. 7th

Thank goodness we started early as the day got hotter each hour. 8 of us, mostly beginners, and all ages, played on our bikes for another SLaB skills clinic. We limbo'd, teeter-tottered, made switch-backs and ascended and descended in great simulations for future trail rides! THANKS LADIES, GREAT DAY! 

More pictures from our day are on the

www.iamSLaB.com photos page. Enjoy!

Joann, Laurel, Bev, Mandy, Lois, Rhonda, Kathy, Allison

Joann's competitive side shows up, with perfect form to clear the Limbo. Of course... we don't have a picture, once again, of Coach Bevco and her bar ends smacking into the pole and tearing down the whole structure and tossing her to the ground as she demonstrated the leaning the bike over to get even more clearance on the lowest setting. Geesh, great way to encourage the ladies Bev!

Gonna get that guy to smile... dang it.

So everyday I ride my bike into work, only 2ish miles down Steven's Creek Blvd, I pull onto the street just behind a Webcor/VeloAlto bike club rider. It's local riding club and pro team are icons in the area, and their distinctive Green Jersey's to match the Webcor sponsors mission to be a green builder, have been known Nationally and Internationally with acclaimed riders in the Olympics and tours. They often host community/cycling events and have been seen marshaling traffic for memorial rides and other community events. Mostly I think they are great for our bike community.

With that said... it seems that 9 times out of 10, when I approach a light, or road stop with a said club member, they never give me the time of day with a nod, smile or acknowledgment of a fellow cyclists. Sometimes I'm in full gear, high end bike and what-not. Others, like daily on my commute, I may be on my Mongoose Beach cruiser with a basket (for my Macchiato), and in my work clothes... maybe my highest-end (Pink) Giro helmet and Fancy sport glasses would be a hint that I might be a "real" cyclist in disguise? 

This guy is going East on Stvns. Crk. to Stelling with me - at about 5 til 9 each morning. If he doesn't squeeze slowly through a Red light (so not cool for advocacy), or does the common, and I've done before... "fake-right 2 pedals-then left-then right-on-red" trick, to avoid waiting for a light... then he's right in front or next to me. I peer over, ready for a smile... and he stays eyes straight forward, crosses Stelling, and goes left on the cross walk to Whole Foods. (which by the way, he promptly takes his helmet off while waiting for the light to change)

This has gone on for 2 weeks, and I've seen him an average of 3-4x a week, same time and place.

I'll try to get a picture of him on Monday. In the mean time will pull out all the stops... like wearing a mask, funny glasses with a nose,  something to see if he'll say hi to a fellow bike rider, and get over his "I-might-be-better" or "don't-have-time-for-you-more-petty-biking-people" attitude. 

Feel free to send me ideas for breaking this guy into a laugh, getting the universal "nod" of "hey there fellow 2 wheeler", bringing him into community of cyclists- whether a pro racer (he certainly could be)  or encouraging the average joe or jill into riding. 

To be continued!

SKILLS CLINIC on SUNDAY!

Come Join US! (Sept. 7)

Announcing a skills clinic in Cupertino THIS SUNDAY, 8:30 in Cupertino. A small group, and we have room for more if you - or somebody you think might be interested in joining up. 

about 3+ hours of practicing balance, positioning, straight line riding, corning, and obstacles. $40 non-members, $36 SLaB members. 

see SLaB website's RIDE page for more information.

NEWS: SLaB Skills Clinic Sept. 6 (or 7th), Jill coming!

CLINIC

We are close to having a group for a beginner skills clinic this weekend - if you know anybody or would like to join in, or repeat the clinic for more practice - please let us know! 

Sept 6th, 8:30 a.m. at Freemont Older 

(could easily move to Sunday if it is easier for the group)

RIDE WITH OLYMPIC MEDALIST JILL!

Rumors have it that Jill will be in the area next week. We are hoping to have her join us for a Wednesday night ride! Details to come soon, but it is looking good! 

Don't make plans for:

September 10th - after work - 5:30/45pm in Cupertino/Los Gatos/Santa Cruz mtn. area.

Fact is... get out of work early - so we can not run out of daylight!

Favorite Ride Tahoe's Rim to Flume trail

One of my top 3 rides TAHOE'S FLUME!

(Beverly & her sister Cathy take a break overlooking Lake Tahoe)

Labor Day Weekend Ride report! 

It's hard to beat a beautiful, not-to-hot, not-too-cold, some wind, lots of sun, and a very long day on the Tahoe Rim trail to the Flume. Our 23+ mile ride included doubling back to descend to Tunnel Creek Road at the end. This direction provides little elevation gain - for more riding experience, less altitude oxygen deprivation!

Large rock challenges, smooth groomed trails littered with deep sand from all the dryness of the long rain-less season, and spectacular views filled the day. Some folks fell, even some fell in front of everybody attempting to go clean a switchback (ahem) and their "friends" took pictures before helping them out of the bush they were crushing and stuck in... (lots of laughs all round)... some scared with the exposed (what, you don't want to fall down the thousands of feet to the lake?) narrow and sandy portions of the trail, but in the end - we all had a fabulous time and we were all smiles! One minor mechanical (broken water bottle cage scratching one's leg), 99% of us had enough water and food, and we all survived to ride another day!

We had riders from Reno, Truckee, Carson City (who rode back to Carson City from the trail!), San Fran, Los Altos and Cupertino!

Stunning views distracted our group of 11 total, that rode various routes with a minimum of 4 riders together through-out the day. Left at 11 a.m., and were finally loading our bikes onto cars after 6. We planned for a slow pace, stopping, enjoying views and afterwards eating and drinking adult beverages! Boogied over to "Crosby's" aprés ride, for what tasted like the best burgers we've ever had, and the most deserved beer ever!

For more pics of the entire day, entire group, the trail and views, see:

Tahoe Flume Gallery

Jill Kintner takes Bronze in Beijing. SLaB takes over the local BMX park

Written by Janet LaFleur, -Mountain View 

(photos by Cindy Mueller, -Saratoga)

“When I rolled up to the BMX area, filled with guys of all sizes, flying across the jumps and doing acrobatic moves, I almost said it out loud: "There's NO WAY I'm going in there." I felt conspicuous enough just riding down the sidewalk looking for the SLaB girls.”

While Jill Kintner was flying toward Bronze in BMX at the Olympics, I was barely edging out the 5-year olds at Calabazas Park.

Occasionally, I let my curiosity trump my dignity. When I told Beverly and my buddy Jill that yes, I'd try this pump track thing, it seemed like a good idea. So I  threw my flat pedals on my mountain bike, grabbed my skate shoes and drove down to Calabazas Park, feeling confident cause I knew my friends would be there. But when I rolled up to the BMX area, filled with guys of all sizes, flying across the jumps and doing acrobatic moves, I almost said it out loud: "There's NO WAY I'm going in there." I felt conspicuous enough just riding down the sidewalk looking for  the SLaB girls.

I find Beverly and her friend Cindy with the camera. The Channel 11 truck was just leaving, and the young BMXers were out in force, checking out the media--and checking out the "old ladies" who ventured near their play zone. Before long, Jill and Elizabeth showed, as did a few other SLaB women. Two saw the scene and immediately turned tail, claiming to be on their way to Fremont Older. But Joann, a 50+ beginner, pushed herself out of her comfort zone and stayed for the ride. You go girl!
After Beverly's friend Shane from Evolution Bike Shop arrived, it was time for us to ENTER THE PEN. Elizabeth suggested we move away from the crowd and warm up on the berms on the other end of the park. So we rode past all the youthful eyes, attempting to find some privacy. Little did we know that the boys would follow us down to watch.

Author, Janet, enters the berm section of the park.

Despite the unwanted attention, the berms were great. You'd come down a tabletop, swoop one way then the other in a series of links. Shane had some suggestions: bend your elbows more, put your weight here, push here, lift there, but I was content just to see if I could get through the series without pedaling too much or having to brake. A good start.

Then it was time to go back to the main area for the rollers. More instruction: Bend your arms on the upside, push down with your legs on the backside. Or was it something else? I forget. The idea was to pedal as little as possible, but I was once again content just to not stall out on top of the rollers.

“More instruction: Bend your arms on the upside, push down with your legs on the backside. Or was it something else? I forget. The idea was to pedal as little as possible, but I was once again content just to not stall out on top of the rollers.”

We played until it started to get dark, and then talked until it got really dark. Oh, and we took a photo with all the BMXers for Jill Kintner. I'm sure the good vibes we sent helped her in the race.

What impressed me the most about the BMX park was the healthy, safe environment it provided for the risk-taking that comes with youth (and for some doesn’t end at youth). Every neighborhood should have such a place.

So while I'm not going to buy a BMX bike anytime soon, or seek out time at a pump track, in the end I was glad I came. I got to try something new, I got to support an American female athlete in a sport dominated by males, and I got to visit a new bicycling culture.

Go Jill Kintner. Go BMX. Go Olympics for recognizing this sport.

Go Beverly and SLaB for organizing a great event.

-Janet Lafleur
Mountain View

BRONZE! CONGRATS JILL!

From Jill's Blog:

OLYMPIC MEDALISTS
Insane insane insane. 3 was my lucky number all day, lane 3 every round, finished third every lap, number 33,third overall, and USA took home 3 of 6 medals in BMX. my bronze, mikey's silver, and the Don's bronze. I am mid media blitz but will write more after this settles down. This experience has been incredible and to walk away a champion is something else. I'm very happy to be able to give something back to everyone who has supported me along the way. Think my dad was shining down on me today. Big thanks to Coach g, Bryn, mom, Paul, chris powell, kinger, USA cycling, Gt, red bull, Oakley,team sponsors, amy Stanton, Arielle, OTC, Steve spencer, Steve "mf" Bamel, Katie k, pete d, RM 59, Leigh d, Smapril, April lawyer, Anthony t, randy roberts, e-dub, mike raich, and everyone back home who has supported me through this!!!

We are so happy for you Jill - and proud of the entire BMX team! YAYAYAYAY!

Rain in Beijing - today is BMX

Yesterday's (Thursday in China) BMX was postponed to Today (Friday in Beijing). Well if my calculations are correct... at 9 a.m. Beijing time (it's currently around 2 a.m. there), then we have 7 hours to Jill's start time for the 2nd Heat... she is #33... Think about her and send some SLaB energy!

Jill got our Rally picture... and above her email response.

Below is a shot of the ramp with Kyle Bennett 2nd from left.

Photo Galleries of Olympic Rally

I haven't edited the galleries yet - and had to post one camera (SLaBber Cindy M's awesome images!) and my little camera separately. Enjoy!

BTW, all the American's made the finals! YIPPEE!

Gallery of Olympic Rally 1

Gallery of Olympic Rally 2

Olympic Rally for USA BMX team!

Calabazas Park riders joined in the enthusiasm, as SLaB riders got lessons from Evolution Bike Shop - on how to navigate and pump over the BMX bumps! NBC11 did a story complete with live footage, interviews including our own... SLaB founder Bev, and the story aired several times tonight with various edited versions. We are so excited and proud and inspired by Jill Kintner and her Olympic teammates - Donny Robinson from Napa, Kyle Bennett & Mike Day!

Behind scenes at BMX training center with Jill

Support America's BMX sweetheart, and the rest of Team USA! Come show spirit tomorrow night (TUESDAY AUGUST 19), and pose for a photo to send to Jill and her team-mates! 7 p.m. at Calabazas park. San Jose/Cupertino - just off 85 and DeAnza! 

Bring your bike and helmet - and let's play on the track a few times!

BMX park fun, prep for Tuesday Rally

BMX fun for Olympic Spirit - Tues Aug 19

Jill Kintner is in China now

Check out her first impressions on her blog - Day 1. Very interesting! Thanks to Slabber Alex - she keeps me up to date on Jill's blogs. The group of us that rode with Jill at Sea Otter, are simply giddy about "knowing" her or getting to ride with an Olympian!

Jill Kintner Blog

Next Wednesday is the first race, then Thursday the BMX Finals!

No Shoes, houseboats & Rattlesnakes

Slab took her shoes off for an extended weekend. Houseboated (or House docked as we like to say - since we stayed put) - kayaked, swam, drank and laughed for over 4 days!

I'm trying to post a video of 2 rattlesnakes that we watched get crazy close to our bow of the boat - on the lakes dry - low water level banks. Stay tuned - will figure out this blogger and .avi compatibility!

We'll put our biking shoes back on, and my new LOOK pedals - for some group rides and a Skills clinic September 6th it looks like~!

Keep checking back for more calendar data!

Jill rides in one week! Let's group ride next Wednesday for her!

( 8 8 8 ) tomorrow

Beijing Birds Nest Stadium - 08 08 008

The Olympics are here! I glimmer that Summer isn't over yet, and nostalgia of all the Olympics we'd wait to watch on NBC and think maybe someday we'd get to go, even fantasize that we'd participate in some sport. They never did add Roller Skating to the menu, so my chances were slim! The Road Race is TOMORROW and ends passing under the GREAT WALL OF CHINA! How cool is that?!

Be sure to watch (just to name some of my favorites):

Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie, 

Taylor Phinney, Jason McCartney, 

Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie, 

Mike Day, Kyle Bennett, Todd Wells - 

...just to name some that I recognize.

And of course... the Ladies!

JILL KINTNER (our SLaB girl!) in BMX, 

Mary McConneloug on Mtn xCountry

Christine Thornburn and Kristin Armstrong - road/track

Check this fabulous site out for details : www.nbcolympics.com

See Jill's Blog! www.Olympic.blogs.nytimes.com

PS - Congrats to Lisa and Chris on their commitment today - 8-08-08

Gotta be good luck~!

I just took this picture minutes ago in Cupertino, CA. 180 degree rainbow, and at the end the pot of gold is SLaB! To the non-local reader this is a very rare moment, as for at least 5 month's out of the year we don't get clouds, nor rain. Fog, which burns off, otherwise the weather is somewhat boring, and I miss the vibrant skies of Colorado, or the thunderstorms of Connecticut. It was simply beautiful!

(By the way, this was taken with my iPhone)

33ish mile road ride to Cowgirl Creamery

A beautiful Sunday in Marin for a 33 mile road ride (felt like 45). We left Fairfax to Nicasio then to Point Reyes Station. Ate a bazillion calories at Cowgirl Creamery (my favorite dessert-Affagato), and road back via Lagunitas, including bike path portion to Samuel B. Taylor park, a nasty pavement section, then back to our faithful fruit stand. SLaB colors were flying with Rachel and Bev in our jersey's! Terry & Jim waited at critical spots, drafting helped when we could keep their wheels, as it was Wiiiindddyyy on the way out from Nicasio!

SLaB Stickers - so Euro!

You can decorate your car, bike box, bike rack, garage, bike... refridgerator and more with these super hip EURO style stickers! Get yours at Strong, Light and Beautiful's stationary store in CafePress.com.

Note cards (see shop!) and stickers remind us that we are all Strong, Light and Beautiful! Great gifts for your fellow cyclists friends!

All Cycling apparel, jersey's etc., on the iamSLaB.com shop page. Enjoy!

Great Friday, rockin' in new gear too!

You know you are feeling better both mentally and stronger physically - when you can get up and go walk a 5ish mile hiking loop with a friend at 6:30 in the morning, create a new proof of an ad for a client, then dash off and go rock climbing for most of the day! 

I used to rock-climb somewhat semi-frequently in my College days and a few times afterwards. 20 years later I've met some friends that are willing to take me under their belay wings - and encourage me to try it again. Today I was mentally on... especially when I also decided to get myself a present of brand new climbing shoes. This will hopefully increase my frequency of joining the group! I think I'll go take a class again - to be more able to set up the gear, and refresh so I can confidently return the belay favors! Strangely - gear does motivate me for these adventures! 

With these little hush-puppies on, I felt so SLaB!