Echelon's Sponsors BDC, Bermant Development Corporation, Jeff Bermant, 964-7200) Bianchi Motor & Autobody, 435 E. Haley St. (Jack Bianchi, 965-5261) SB Chicken Ranch, 2618 de la Vina St. great barbecue (Matt Benko, 569-1872) The Daily Grind, 2001 de la Vina St. coffee, juice & goodies (Luis Cubilla, 687-4966) FasTrack Bicycles, 118 W Canon Perdido. pro bike shop (Dave Lettieri, 884-0210) Big Gear Bike Gear, 324-A State St. bike apparel and accessories (Barry Bash, 962-5962) David Welton, MD, cardiologist (Sansum - Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, 681-7500) Ferrel's Chiropractic, 533 E. Micheltorena. sports medicine clinic (Ernie Ferrel, 963-3232) Hill & Associates, attorneys, 800 Presidio Ave. (Gary Hill, 963-1453, ghill@sblawgroup.com) Rob Lettieri Photography, photography (Rob Lettieri, 800-207-1954) Rudy Project, eyewear & specialty helmets Louis Garneau, bike, ski & outdoor wear Ride and Race Local Rides Racing Schedules: SoCal Cycling NCNCA Echelon's Sponsors BDC, Bermant Development Corporation, Jeff Bermant, 964-7200) Bianchi Motor & Autobody, 435 E. Haley St. (Jack Bianchi, 965-5261) SB Chicken Ranch, 2618 de la Vina St. great barbecue (Matt Benko, 569-1872) The Daily Grind, 2001 de la Vina St. coffee, juice & goodies (Luis Cubilla, 687-4966) FasTrack Bicycles, 118 W Canon Perdido. pro bike shop (Dave Lettieri, 884-0210) Big Gear Bike Gear, 324-A State St. bike apparel and accessories (Barry Bash, 962-5962) David Welton, MD, cardiologist (Sansum - Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, 681-7500) Ferrel's Chiropractic, 533 E. Micheltorena. sports medicine clinic (Ernie Ferrel, 963-3232) Hill & Associates, attorneys, 800 Presidio Ave. (Gary Hill, 963-1453, ghill@sblawgroup.com) Rob Lettieri Photography, photography (Rob Lettieri, 800-207-1954) Rudy Project, eyewear & specialty helmets Louis Garneau, bike, ski & outdoor wear Ride and Race Local Rides Racing Schedules: SoCal Cycling NCNCA Echelon's Sponsors BDC, Bermant Development Corporation, Jeff Bermant, 964-7200) Bianchi Motor & Autobody, 435 E. Haley St. (Jack Bianchi, 965-5261) SB Chicken Ranch, 2618 de la Vina St. great barbecue (Matt Benko, 569-1872) The Daily Grind, 2001 de la Vina St. coffee, juice & goodies (Luis Cubilla, 687-4966) FasTrack Bicycles, 118 W Canon Perdido. pro bike shop (Dave Lettieri, 884-0210) Big Gear Bike Gear, 324-A State St. bike apparel and accessories (Barry Bash, 962-5962) David Welton, MD, cardiologist (Sansum - Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, 681-7500) Ferrel's Chiropractic, 533 E. Micheltorena. sports medicine clinic (Ernie Ferrel, 963-3232) Hill & Associates, attorneys, 800 Presidio Ave. (Gary Hill, 963-1453, ghill@sblawgroup.com) Rob Lettieri Photography, photography (Rob Lettieri, 800-207-1954) Rudy Project, eyewear & specialty helmets Louis Garneau, bike, ski & outdoor wear Ride and Race Local Rides Racing Schedules: SoCal Cycling NCNCA Echelon's Sponsors BDC, Bermant Development Corporation, Jeff Bermant, 964-7200) Bianchi Motor & Autobody, 435 E. Haley St. (Jack Bianchi, 965-5261) SB Chicken Ranch, 2618 de la Vina St. great barbecue (Matt Benko, 569-1872) The Daily Grind, 2001 de la Vina St. coffee, juice & goodies (Luis Cubilla, 687-4966) FasTrack Bicycles, 118 W Canon Perdido. pro bike shop (Dave Lettieri, 884-0210) Big Gear Bike Gear, 324-A State St. bike apparel and accessories (Barry Bash, 962-5962) David Welton, MD, cardiologist (Sansum - Santa Barbara Medical Foundation Clinic, 681-7500) Ferrel's Chiropractic, 533 E. Micheltorena. sports medicine clinic (Ernie Ferrel, 963-3232) Hill & Associates, attorneys, 800 Presidio Ave. (Gary Hill, 963-1453, ghill@sblawgroup.com) Rob Lettieri Photography, photography (Rob Lettieri, 800-207-1954) Rudy Project, eyewear & specialty helmets Louis Garneau, bike, ski & outdoor wear Ride and Race Local Rides Racing Schedules: SoCal Cycling NCNCA |
Echelon Race CalendarHere's a list of races this year that have been targeted by Echelon members and should see significant Echelon participation. Want to organize a carpool to a race? Find other racers in your category to plan strategy? Email Mondo (mondini@cox.net) with questions, he'll have a good idea of who's doing what.
And there are many other races, some good ones, too. Check the calendars: the district calendar is published in Bicycle Racing Monthly. Subscribe to the Monthly by sending $15 for Jan-Dec (reduced price after June) to Bicycle Racing Monthly, PO Box 711588, Santee, CA 93072-1588. Or check the web at www.socalcycling.com (South) and www.ncnca.org/ (North). February MeetingDate: 2/11/2003Place: Rusty's Pizza, Upper State (3731 State St.) Time: 7:00 PM Next Month in the newsletter:
SB Cyclocross - Final raceJanuary 13, 2003, by Rick AbramsFirst let me thank Mike Hecker for promoting the SB Cyclocross series, and Ken McCallister for his seat post and saddle during the race. The final cyclocross race was conducted Saturday January 11 in Goleta under cool dry conditions very different from the downpours of two weeks ago. Many of the same participants lined up, including Brett Suding, the silver medallist at the State Cross Championships in Napa. With no torrential rain and a revised route, the course rode much faster and made for better, more enjoyable racing. The initial sprint from the line found me in third position leading to the first obstacle, a rideable but deeply rutted hill. After choosing the proper line during warm-ups and practice, I suddenly found myself riding into a chasm that approximated the Grand Canyon in scope and depth. My front wheel sufficiently swallowed by this obstacle left me little option but to plant my face and shoulders firmly onto terra firma. Once again I found myself scrambling back from last place. I was working my way back through the field but would never catch up to the lead group, already a minute or so in the lead. With four laps to go I attempted to remount my machine after the short steep run up section. I leaped and landed smoothly but felt the saddle dip suddenly to the rear wheel. Before any damage was done to THAT region of my body I pushed the bike forward and away from me merrily down the slope. The seat post cradle was deformed and broken. Oh well, what the heck. Might as well make the best of it. I stuffed my saddle in my back pocket, remounted my machine, seat post pointing skyward, and continued on my merry way for the next lap and a half. Think of BMX racing without a saddle. I tossed the saddle to the ground at the start finish area just so I could find it again afterward. Along the course, out of nowhere a rider appeared and shouted, "There's a seat post for you at the start finish line!!" I cruised into the area and Ken offered me his seat post and saddle. A quick change of equipment and 'Voila', I'm back in business with one to go. Suddenly everything seemed much easier, not to mention more comfortable. Though last in the race I was the top finisher in my age group- in fact, I was the only rider in my age group. But what the heck, as a friend once said, 'You still have to put in the effort, they don't hand out the medals just because you mail in an entry form'. I continued thanking Ken when that great sage Josh Rebol appeared and proclaimed, "Never use an American Classic seat post for cyclocross." Well it worked OK for five years. Thanks again to Mike and Ken, it was great to have cross here in Santa Barbara. St Petersburg, FL, January 2003 -- A bunch of us piled into the coffee shop after the Saturday ride here, and I sat down opposite a guy who looked to be about 70 or 75. Looking at my Echelon jersey, he said "I was in California last year for the timetrial Nationals. It was sure hot there in Bakersfield." So I hear, I said. Did he do the roadrace too? "Nope; I'm giving away too many years there." Now, I know there are age groups up to 70+ in the roadrace, so I wasn't sure quite what he meant. "Went to California for the first time to ride in the Los Angeles Olympics," he continued , "... in 1932!" His name, I learned, is John Sinibaldi. He's actually 88 years old, and still doing the St Pete club rides about five days a week. Bike events in the 1932 Games were held near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which at that time was a rather small town, far from the city. Hollywood celebrities were brought in as course officials, said John; for example, Joe E Brown was working the start-finish of the timetrial. John rode in the 1936 Olympics too, in Berlin. "Did you see Hitler?" I asked. "Yep, he and the whole gang [Himmler, Goebbels, etc.] pulled up in a big car, and they all walked by us, no further away than that next table over there." John went on to win 5 Masters National timetrial titles, the most recent in 2001, and was inducted into the US Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1997. He's a cancer survivor, having been treated for colon cancer when he was in his 70s. Is he going to try the Nationals again? "I'm taking this year off from competition," he told me, "And coming back next year when I'm in a new age group for the timetrial -- 90+!" Wow. I surely know what my New Year's resolution is now: Stop complaining about getting old, and just get out there and ride. -- Bill Pollock The Daily GrindIf you've been around Santa Barbara for a while, you might remember the gas station on the corner of De la Vina and Mission (and if you've been around a long while, you might even remember an ice cream shop or auto shop in the same location). Then, about seven years ago, over a period of six months, you watched the gas station slowly dismantled and some major renovation going on. And if you took a really close look, you would have seen that one person, Luis Cubilla, was single-handedly doing all the work...He did it with trial and error, using the talent and energy that netted a bushel of wins in two years of serious racing and applying it to creating, along with business partner (and sister) Yolanda Gonzalez, the perfect neighborhood coffee shop: the Daily Grind. So you're wondering... "gee, can I hire Luis to build an addition on my house?" That's probably not going to happen, but you can come over to the Daily Grind, enjoy the fine selection of coffees, gourmet teas, juices, and home-made scones, muffins, and sandwiches. If you're new to Echelon, stop by, introduce yourself, and let Luis treat you to a cup of coffee. Luis and the Daily Grind are beginning their third year as an Echelon sponsor. Luis -- whose family came to California from South America when he was a child-- lives here with his wife Sherry, and enjoys the company of a whole peloton of nieces. And in addition to the Daily Grind, he can frequently be found on the local group rides, where you can still see the turn of speed that helped build a business. |