Nationals Info

The schedule and course maps are finally up for Nationals.

Canada Rd. Ride and Photo Shoot

There is a ride and photo shoot this Saturday near La Canada Rd on the Peninsula.
We have been asked to submit a photo for yellow pages in that area.

Date: Saturday, May 24
Time: 11am
Directions: Canada Rd. is off of I-280 about 20 minutes south of SF. Take the Hwy 92 exit, go left for about a half mile and then another left at the stoplight. The next light will be Canada Rd--the north end. Make a right and park. There will probably be lots of cars and cyclists.

Pulgas Water Temple is about 3 miles down the road. We can ride there and maybe take a few pictures with the lake in the background.

If you are interested in joining just come on down. Be sure to wear all your Team Swift kit. Parents are welcome to join in the picture too. If you have a Team Swift jersey or jacket that would be great to wear.

If you have questions email Scott Nygaard at: scottnyg@sbcglobal.net

Team Ride this Saturday, May 10

Team Swift All-Team-Ride Details

Parents and friends are invited to join the ride and all youth under the age of 12 are required to have a participating parent or guardian in attendance. For those not current registered members of Team Swift you need to bring a signed waiver and release to join the ride which can be found at http://teamswift.org/join/. Be sure to read the Team Swift Riding Rules below so you come prepared.

1. All Team Ride:

All Team Ride is May 10, 2008, 9 AM at NorCal Bike Sport
Skill of the month: Pre-Race Warm-up’s doing Pyramids (read training definition below before the ride)
Ride Leaders: Coach Laura Charameda and Eric Zumwalt.
Parents are invited to join the ride and must abide by the Team Swift Ride Rules.
Skill Level: All levels invited. Riders under 12 years old must have a riding parent in attendance.
The ride will be between 2-2.5 hours.
Heavy Rain will cancel the ride but not if it is just light rain.

The All-Team Ride is a chance for all levels of riders to learn cycling skills and start a ride together. Team Swift Alumni members, rider assistants, are also often on these rides which gives upcoming riders a chance to learn from their experience. Parents and supporters of Team Swift are welcome to join as well. We will start together and then break into different groups depending on skill level. There will be a coach and/or parent with each group. The ride will be approximately 2.0-2.5 hours depending on skill level and age.

Start Location:
NorCal Bike Sport
425 College Ave
Santa Rosa, CA
(707) 573-0112

Team Swift Contacts:
Coach: Laura Charameda: c. (707) 843.9056
Coach: Eric Zumwalt: c. (707) 539.2627

Santa Rosa Twilights

*Team Swift riders will meet at 5:15PM to begin warming up. All riders are welcome to join. Be sure to bring warm clothes for after the races since it cools down really fast.

2008 Santa RosaTwilight Series
Tuesday Nights
May 6th to August 27th, 2008
(no races on June 24, July 1 &July 8)

Course: 0.7 Mile closed flat loop with five corners in a business park. Excellent pavement, fast and safe course. Free lap rule applies. No Neutral Support. USA Cycling rules in effect. Helmets are mandatory.
Directions: From US 101 in Santa Rosa, the Hwy 12 exit west. At the 2nd off ramp, (Stony Pt Rd) turn left. Proceed for 3 stop lights to Sebastopol Rd and turn right. Continue to corporate Center Parkway and turn left to the course. Registration is at the corner of Apollo and Mercury. Park on City Streets ONLY. Do not park in business’s parking lots. Race Director/Promoter will have your car towed, no exceptions!!!

Events: Duration: Places: Start: Entry:
Cat 4-5: 30 minutes, 3, 6:15 pm, $13/$8 Jrs

Cat 3-4: 35 minutes, 3, 6:50 pm

Cat 1-2-3 and Pro: 40 minutes, 3, 7:30 pm

Entry: Registration opens at 5:45 pm and closes 5 minutes before each event. Fees are $13.00. Second race is $7.00. Jrs are $8.00. Participants MUST sign the Standard USCF 2007 Release form. Riders under 18 must have parent/legal guardians signature. Entry fees include a $2.00 USCF insurance surcharge. You must show a Valid 2007 USAC Racing license. If you do not have a valid license you may purchase a 1 day license at $10.00. All unlicensed riders are Cat 5 for men,and Cat 4 for women. No racing outside of your category. No Exceptions. No neutral support. No mentors. No races on June 24, July 1 & July 8.
Note: Please no warming up on Corporate Center Parkway. No public disrobing and use the provided porta potty. No parking in business parking lots or blocking driveways. We want to maintain use of this course, so please follow the above directions.

Team Swift Podiums at Cats Hill

Junior 17-18
Tyler Brandt, 1st

Junior 10-12
Stanley Goto, 1st
Ryan Grant, 2nd

Junior 15-16
Ryan Eastman, 3rd

Elite 3
Ryan Eastman, 2nd

Sea Otter Results

A great Team Swift (and Team Dewars) showing at Sea Otter last weekend!!

Lindsay Myers (Team Dewars)
1st, Womens Cat 4 Circuit Race
1st, Womens Cat 4 Road Race

Ryan Eastman
1st, 15-16 Road Race
1st, Mens Cat 3 Road Race (just updated)
2nd, 15-16 Circuit Race

Coach Laura (Team Dewars)
2nd, Womens Masters Circuit Race

Tyler Brandt
2nd, Mens Cat 3 Road Race (just updated)
2nd, 17-18 Circuit Race
5th, 17-18 Road Race

Ethan Weiss
11th, 17-18 Circuit Race

Josef Nygaard (age 13)
18th, 15-16 Circuit Race

Ryan Grant (age 12)
23rd, 15-16 Circuit Race

Christian Miller
26th, 17-18 Circuit Race
26th, 17-18 Road Race

Grasshopper Road Race Reports

Ryan Eastman

Grasshopper Road Race (a local group ride/race in Occidental)

March 15, 2008

6^th Place

As my Dad and I drove through the country to the start in Occidental, It looked as if it was going to be a rainy day. Sitting at the start line awaiting the start Scott Nydam of BMC Pro Racing rode up behind me, I was happy to see that he had come. O’ Ya Levi was there as well. That was pretty cool too. So we set of to race now with Scott Nydam, Ben Standish (Dewar’s), Brian Anderson (Red Horse—winner of the Terrible Two), and I on the front. That was good because I didn’t have to deal with all the squirrelly people in the back. I knew the first deciding factor in this race would be the climb at the end of Franklin School Rd. So I just stuck on Levi’s wheel all the way up. Had a nice climb in awe that I am racing against Levi. I got to the top feeling pretty good, and having a blast. I was now in the brake away with Scott Nydam, Levi Leipheimer, Jonathan Lee, John Staroba, Tim Farnam, and one other guy. Everyone was either a professional or a cat 2. So that was really cool for me to be in it. We descended down to ride along the California coast of Hwy 1. It was crazy to be in a race with Levi, like riding by him, then taking a pull up front and then getting on his wheel. It was just kind of weird. I was taking some good pulls up front but never too hard to save myself for the later obstacles to come. That was one fun ride down the coast. We took the left hand bend to face Marshall Wall. Not too far into the climb I lost contact with Scott, Levi, and Tim. The first part of the climb I was just out of it, the I just peddled faster and got into this great tempo caught John who was trying to bridge back up to the three guys up the climb, he jumped on my wheel and we continued this hard fast pace to the top of the climb, where we eased up a bit for Jonathan to rejoin us and we quickly descended down.

Marshall-Petaluma Rd. is a rolling road where we set a fast tempo and caught a guy who got dropped from the Scott-Levi group. Now there was four of up to take on the upcoming Wilson Hill and the always constant head wind on Chileno Valley . Nearing the top of Wilson Hill I was thrilled to see my injured team mate Ethan on top to cheer me on, that was pretty cool of him to drive out to help his teammate. The head wind out was tough but we got through it to turn on Petaluma-Tomalas Rd. in which we could actually see the Scott-Levi group up ahead. They weren’t all that far away. We road across the valley to Bloomfield which we eventually turned on to Burnside, I was starting too feel it now, all the way up this climb Jonathan pushed me too keep going. There was no doubt in my mind to not, but it sure did help to have him there. That was awesome of him. At this point John Staroba, and another guy got away from us. So Jonathan and I descended down and after a Clif Bar, and a Clif Shot I had a new sudden burst of energy and gave my turn up front some strength. Jonathan and I reached the final short climb to the finish on top in Downtown Occidental I pulled all the way to the top and Jonathan and I crossed the finish line with our hands around each others shoulders that was a good moment. What a day so Levi won and I came in shortly after him in 6^th place.

Ryan Eastman

Lindsay Myers

Grasshopper Race
March 28, 2008

The Grasshopper race was going to be a good one; I had been looking forward to it all week. The day started out good, too. I left for the race an hour early to ensure I would be there in plenty of time. I had an hour drive to Occidental, where it started. After an unintentionally long stop at the local coffee stop, I was on my way. Around 20 minutes into my drive, my car started making this “knocking” sound. This was a recurring problem. I have missed rides and races before due to this familiar sound, so I was not about to miss this one. I popped the hood, just because it’s what you’re supposed to do when your car breaks down. Once open, I just started at it, not really knowing what to do. I checked the oil, and it was a little low, so I added more. Hoping that was the only problem, after adding the oil I turned the car on only to hear a louder knocking.

My new plan was to find the next car with a bike rack on and flag them down. Before I had a chance to do this, a truck pulled up behind me. He had seen me with my hazard lights on and turned around to see if I was alright. The car had conveniently died the only stretch of the road where there was no cell service. He told me he would drive me to where I had service. I threw my bike in the back of his truck and grabbed all my gear. Once he started driving me toward Santa Rosa , he said he would take me all the way to Laura’s house, a good hour out of his way. I was really lucky to have been picked up by such a nice guy. He dropped me off and wouldn’t take any money for the inconvenience or gas. I walked into Laura’s house, and without explaining much of what happened, we got changed and rolled out. Although I wasn’t stranded anymore, I still was not sure I was going to make it to the race in time. It was at least an hour ride to Occidental, and we were pushing it. We high-tailed it to Occidental and rolled up with a good 15 minutes to spare. It wasn’t the relaxing morning I had planned, but it worked.

There were 170 people total. I didn’t know that much about the “race” and was surprised to see so many spandex-clad people. Levi Leipheimer and Scott Nydam were there…I had no idea the “celebrities” were going to show up. After chatting for awhile, and some announcements, we were starting down a super cold descent. Everybody stayed together until we hit the first short climb. The first climb really hurt, but I knew if I wanted any chance at doing well, I was going to have to stay towards the front.

I got off the first climb in a group about 20 strong. I stayed with those guys through the rollers along the coast. It was a nice view and I was feeling good, sprinting up all the short hills. By the time we got to the main climb, Marshall Wall, the group split up and I was getting more tired. I ate a gel and stayed with the guys at the back. I figured as long as I had someone to work with, I would be alright. At the top of the climb, there were 5 of us together. We took turns pulling and caught up to a couple more riders who latched onto us. There were about 10 of us who stayed together through Coleman Valley . We were going pretty slowly because of the crosswinds. I was feeling alright, then we turned on to Burnside Road —I felt the burn. Making it over that climb, I knew there was only a few miles left, finishing with a short climb.

I should have eaten something at that point. I was tired, barely hanging onto the wheel in front of me. I slowly made my way up the last climb and was the first woman to finish. Although I was happy about being the first woman, I was not happy with how I died coming up the last climb. I needed to eat something but didn’t pay attention and bonked. It was a fun race overall and I’m looking forward to doing more grasshopper races.

-Lindsay

Results:
http://gianni.cycling.googlepages.com/grasshopper

Grasshopper Adventure Series 2008: #2 Chileno

Rider Time Place

Levi Leipheimer 2:59 1

Tim Farnham 3:00 2

Scott Nydam 3:00 3

Chris Sneddon 3:04 4

John Staroba 3:04 5

Ryan Eastman 3:08 6

Jonathan Lee 3:08 7

Bing Knight 3:11 8

Ted Simpkins 3:11 9

Rich Thurman 3:11 10

Giampaolo 3:11 11