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's 2003 Junior SquadBy Aaron DickmanWith goodbyes to Aaron Musicant and Lila Ferguson, we closed the 2002 season with a bang. Lila finished 3rd in the national road race and Aaron 5th in the national crit. We finished with some of the strongest and best racing I have seen in a long time. Everyone seemed on top of their game and didn't want the season to end. Which helped, because as the season rolled into September, Rory forced us off of our bikes and into other physical activities. As September came to a close it seemed like we had been off of our bikes for a good 6 months, when really it had only been 3 weeks. Anxious as can be, we got back on our bikes and got ready for the most productive winter ever. We rode a lot of miles and lifted our butts off!! With another county ride under all of our belts and lifting behind us we are ready to enter the new season a very strong and hopefully dominant team. 2003 Roster: 17-18: Mark Gustafson - 18 years old Aaron Dickman - 17 years old Colter Cederlof - 17 years old Eric Schoenberger - 17 years old 15-16: Spencer Hartfeld - 16 years old Bobby Schooler - 16 years old Cody OReilly - 15 years old Micheal Morden - 15 years old A few words about the boys: Mark Gustafson is coming around better than ever. Using last year as his transition form triathlons to full-on road racing, he is going to be showing awesome results in 2003. He had a rough year last year, breaking his collarbone, and forced to sit out a couple of months. Then returning and having nothing to lose at all. He used the winter better than anyone I know and gained everything he lacked from the previous year. This once triathlete is definitely a full-on roadie now and we will hope to see nothing but awesome results from him. Aaron Dickman, a.k.a myself. Well I just spent what seemed like one of the craziest winters ever. I started off running cross country for my school and ending up with tendonitis in my right knee and shin splints that seemed to never go away. Finally taking my running shoes and tucking them away for good. I jumped back on my bike and tried to make up for lost time. I started lifting and gaining as much power as possible in my legs, and riding extremely long miles. Ive come out of the off season feeling very confident and ready for whatever racing is going to throw at me. Well see what happens!! Colter Cederlof will be one of the great assets to our team this year!! When you see him out on the road you probably wonder where the kid gets the every in that small little build of his, but you would be surprised. The kid can dance up a mountain and suck wheels like no one else. Colter has spent the off season kicking everyone's butt up "goob" and building his confidence for the racing season. He is not one of the marked wheels in the peloton, which will allow him to sneak in some good runs at finishing high on the podium. Eric Schoenberger joins us this year as a new racer. With an extensive background in XC mountain biking, this kid has what it takes to make the jump from knobs to slicks. He has a light frame with an excellent climbing ability. He can time trial and is definitely a work horse. He just joined us this January so we don't know what to expect, but I will tell you one thing, it will be nothing but good. Spencer Hartfeld!! Spencer, Spencer, Spencer. What is there to say!! He is a little ball of fire. The kid can sprint like none other. With the turnover of Cipollini, this kid definitely has a prospect of one of the greatest sprints. He is also probably setting a world record as one of the youngest kids with a full-on beard. That's right, he's the polar bear you've seen riding a bike around town, and no, he didn't escape from the zoo. I know forty year olds who can't grow a beard as thick as he can. He's definitely following in the footsteps of Rory and the other great track cyclists of our time. Expect to see this kid to go all the way. Bobby Schooler has joined us as a new rider as well this year. Bobby lives and trains in Long Beach, but races for our team. Bobbys dad raced with Rory on 7-11 back in the day. When we got his application we just hoped that Bobby's dad was reproducing excellent cyclists. Only seeing Bobby race once I can only tell you one thing. Hes got the cyclist gene!! You will hopefully see more of this kid at bike races, but you'll probably see his name up in the race results more often. Cody O'Reilly, officially the biggest 15 year old I have ever seen in my life!! He has definitely inherited his Dad's sprint. Cody has always looked like a sprinter, but not until this year have I really seen the sprinter he is. Cody can also climb and time trial. Something you don't usually see in a sprinter, but I see in him. He is definitely an overall bike racer and only at 15, he is already the talk of the town. Cody is definitely one of those kids I see going all the way. I can't wait to watch his future unfold!! Micheal Morden, saving the best for last. Micheal has everything in the world going for him. Finally breaking out of his shell, I believe this year is Michael's calling. He is finally realizing what cycling is all about and how much effort we all have to put in it. I definitely see him as one of Rory's track buddies and eventually either a kilo rider or a sprinter. Keep an eye on him because he's climbing the ladder of cycling success quickly!! The junior program would like to thank the W.P. Neill Foundation for a grant to provide equipment for the junior program. We'd also like to thank those club supporters that made the grant possible, especially Jack Bianchi. The last item on the junior wish list, a Zipp disc wheel that is reversible for track and road, was recently purchased from Fastrack. Dave Lettieri gave us a special deal on the purchase. We wish the juniors some fast time trials with this wheel. - Mark Musicant Mothballs 2003By Mondo"Did we forget to call anyone?" "Did Mark Luke get all the tables, tents and barriers we need?" "Did you call Marborg for the porto potties?" These were just some of the questions that we asked ourselves as we (James, Mondo & Mark P.) were pounding asphalt patch into the road Saturday afternoon, our arms so tired I could barely sign the invoice after Marborg showed up. This is my first year as race director and a lot of planning and meetings went into this race and it couldn't have gone smoother! Thanks to our great trio of 'prime getters' (Angie, Sharron & Jim G.) we had more stuff for prizes and primes than any previous race. Sunday morning: Mark Luke was ever so instrumental in conducting morning setup, Rick Abrams secured the perimeter, Bobbi King drove her huge diesel truck around the course while several young strong men dumped out bales of alfalfa, Jill quickly assembled her team at registration, James and Mark M. assembled the scaffolding (which turned out to be much better than the flatbed truck), Paul Loufek was busy getting his cameras juuussst right, the Jrs were anxious to get warmed up, and me I was getting the sound system hooked up so we could hear some tunes. Wow, its amazing how much preparation and work goes into a race. Everyone was punctual, enthusiastic and extremely helpful. Every race was on time and the fields were the biggest our race has attracted. Registration was swamped early, but the crew held it together with little to no issues. Thanks to the 'Daily Grind' coffee/muffins arrived and everyone was warm and comforted, even some of the riders, hmmmm We had no incidents in any of the fields except for the final lap of the pro/1/2 field. Oh, there was also someone whose legs cramped and seized but that's a whole other story. Though we would have liked to have seen more women (their fields were small) the rest of the categories made for a great day of racing. Each race was filled with many merchandise/cash primes and our announcers who called out those primes and kept the crowd informed on how each race unfolded, but no one more enjoyable than Sherry Cubilla, thank you! The feedback from many of the participants that we received all day and the week following was both positive and appreciative. But this race could not have been as successful and gone as smooth if not for the efforts of several key members and the help of many Echelon members who volunteered, showed up early and stayed late to help breakdown the course, thanks again for your wonderful work! Oh and thank God for Chicken Ranch food!! Mothballs KudosMany thanks to all the sponsors, volunteers, and racers that made Mothballs 2003 such a great success, highlighted by our biggest turnout ever (400 riders) and fabulous prizes and primes. Most importantly, a huge thanks to our main sponsors for the race, who all provided cash/primes/or both (this race support is in addition to their regular club support):
RacingEcheloners have been out in numbers in this early season, even if the top step of the podium has proved elusive:Mothballs Mark Gustafson was just nipped in the two-up sprint in Juniors, and Echelon cleaned up the field sprint, with Colter Cederlof, Spencer Hartfield, and Aaron Dickman. Mark came back for 5th in Cat 3, and Prez James was 4th. In Cat 4/5, Daily Grind man Luis Cubilla was 5th. Mark Fennell was 10th in 40+, while in 50+, our record-holders Raphael Gomez and Vincente Gomez were 8th and 13th, and sponsor and past President Dr. Dave Welton was 11th. The women havent done much racing in earnest yet, but ex-junior queen Lila Ferguson came home and took 2nd in Womens 3/4, with Angela Rebol 8th and Denise Clark 10th. At Ontario #1, Colter was 4th, Spencer 5th, and Cody OReilly 10th in 15-18. Alan Rosenblum was 9th in 60+. At the St. Valentines Day Massacre, Alan was 6th in 60+, and in juniors, Mark G. was 3rd and Aaron D. 6th. Mark Fennell almost got Echelon a win at the tough Masters 35+ RR at Pine Flat, but was caught near the line and took 3rd. Steve Boelter took 18th in the 4s, and Dan Onorato got some dividends from all those Gilbaltar rides with 9th in the 5s. A couple of days later, Steve was 3rd in the 35+ 4/5 race at Cantuna Creek, and Dan was around the top 10, too. At Good 'Ol Days, Bjorn Haake was 8th in 3s, Colter 7th in 4/5s, Angela 10th and Georgene Vairo 19th in 3/4s. Lindsay Blount and Kim Bleth, club members but racing for Simply Fit, were 6th and 7th in 40+, and Steve B. was 20th. And way back at the Boulevard RR, Lindsay was 2nd in 45+, Eric Forte 8th in the 4s, and Steve B. was 27th in the 5s. MultimediaWebmaster Jon Martin has revamped the clubs web site to go with our new look; check it out. Also be on the lookout for Rob Lettieris club photos, which we should see via email and the Web soon. And if you didn't notice, make a mental note that OLN has switched to channel 74 on Cox's new expanded lineup. Not sure of OLN's schedule yet, but they usually do a Tour de Langkawi show early in the year; itd be fun to watch the new American stud Tom Danielson's int'l coming out. |