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The Nichols Ride Kit Designs are IN!
The 2021 La Grange Club Photo: PHOTO GALLERY
Couldn’t attend the Photo? Send us your selfie!
Coach’s Corner with Coach Andy
Are bikes the secret to a long, happy marriage?
SOS-Support Our Sponsors: CALBIKELAW
The Nichols Kit Designs are in…and they're AMAZING!! The finalists will be announced soon!
Thank you so much to those awesome folks who submitted designs!
The Nichols Ride Kit Design contest proved to be hugely popular. We had over 20 designs submitted. Now the Board will select a range of designs for you, the membership, to vote on. We can’t wait to reveal the finalists and charge our discerning members with picking the winning design.
2021 Annual La Grange Club Photo Day Gallery
The 2021 La Grange Club Photo event was a HUGE success. Masks were worn and smiles and laughter were had. I think we were all thrilled to be out of our homes and seeing friends and colleagues. It was a reminder of why we are members of a bike club. Twelve months of near isolation has been tough, as we humans are generally social beings. For many of us, one of the great joys of cycling is the camaraderie and friendly banter. It was good to see familiar faces.
A huge thanks to our generous volunteers and to @skratchlabs, @velofix, @bikeimprove, @calbikelaw, @bontcycling, and the rest of our great sponsors.
We owe a huge thank you to photographer Micheal Cedeño for coming to our rescue at the eleventh hour.
If you couldn’t make the club photo…
You don’t have to look as cool as Tommy and Katie!
Take a selfie and send it to us!
We know not everyone could attend our annual club photo but we want to you be present and accounted for. Just send us a selfie or a photo of yourself like the one above. Below are some guidelines to get the best, most uniform shot.
Wear the latest VIE13 club jersey. If you don’t have one, wear the last “Porsche” jersey or the LG50 jersey. NO sunglasses or helmets, please.
Crop your photo from the waist up, leaving plenty of background showing. Don’t crop too tight.
Use a light-colored background with no distracting details. e.g. plain white walls or a blue sky with no trees or obstructions.
Shoot in good light. Don’t shoot in the dark or with a flash.
Send a JPG or PNG file. Provide the best quality photos you can, but quality cellphone photos are fine.
Coaches Corner with Coach Andy
YOU’RE STRONG BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW TO RACE?
Our last session with Coach Andy is coming up and it is not to be missed. Racing (and even riding well) often comes down to psychology and technique. Find out the best ways to do well in races, even if you’re not the strongest rider. Learn how to hold your position in a pack, corner at speed, and how to accentuate your strengths, both with your teammates and if you find yourself racing solo. Hope to see you there!
Thursday, March 4th – Race Tactics
All sessions will be at 7 pm PST.
If you’d like to ask Andy any topic-related questions send them ahead of time to caraapplegate@gmail.com.
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VCLG club member Andy Applegate is a CTS Pro Level Coach and USA Cycling Level 1 Coach. He has coached pro, national, regional, and recreational athletes full time since 2001, helping athletes win national championships in road, track, and even a cyclocross world championship. As an athlete he has competed in cycling and ultrarunning events for almost 30 years, which includes earning 10+ national champion titles, as well as 5th place at the Masters’ World Time Trial championships and two silver medals at masters cyclocross nationals. You're most likely to see him riding around town on a tandem mountain bike with his wife Cara, which they piloted to three Leadville 100 mountain bike tandem category victories.
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Tom Lai’s Bonk Report
Tom, Rose, and Zach “crush” Mulholland!
Rose, Zach, and I rolled out of UCLA to begin the Full Mully Segment. As is usual with rides like these, I was feeling really fresh on PCH and doing the majority of the turns into the wind. We began the segment after about 1.5 hours of ride time. I had not brought enough ride nutrition, so by the time we had reached Cornell, I was already starting to bonk. The coffee shop was too busy to pick up a coffee, so we kept riding. Just before Topanga canyon, we found a Shell station, where we stocked up on calories. I crushed a Coke, a bag of BBQ Lays, and a pack of Oreos, before getting mentally prepared for the 8-mile gravel sector. I was on my road bike, so the sector took a considerably long time as I gingerly picked my way through the ruts and baby heads before reaching Mulholland drive. The rest of the segment was a breeze because it's a net downhill into Hollywood. I bonked riding back to Westwood on Santa Monica. Moral of the race report? Don't be a hero and bring enough food.
65 years of Bikes and Love!
An active bike-loving L.A. couple shares their recipe for happiness
I know Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but who can’t use a little love and happiness year-round. This article is about Aubrey and Melba Provost, two lovely people who have shared their love of cycling, bike advocacy, travel, and Los Angeles, to keep them going for 65 years! I hope you are as inspired as I am by this “power couple”.
Thanks to bikinginla for the heads up!
SOS: Support Our Sponsors: CalBikeLaw
New NHTSA Report: Drivers more impaired and reckless During the COVID Pandemic.
— Brought to you Agnew/Brusavich (CalBikeLaw) —
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently published a report revealing the increased potential for injuries to cyclists due to reckless driving during the pandemic.
The lockdowns and restrictions during the COVID pandemic have resulted in fewer cars on the road. Unsurprisingly, the most recent speed data shows higher speeds in urban roadways across roadway types in Q3 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This also included higher speeds in rural areas, too.
What may be more surprising is that among seriously and fatally injured drivers studied, more than 29% in the most recent period (July 19 to September 30) had measurable alcohol in their systems, with over 26% testing positive for the presence of cannabinoids and over 13% positive for opioids. In the same period, the percentage of drivers testing positive for at least one category of drugs remained above 60%, with nearly 25% testing positive for multiple categories of drugs. These observed increases in alcohol and other drug prevalence relative to before the public health emergency are consistent with the reported data that showed increases in marijuana and alcohol sales and consumption during the public health emergency.
The bottom line is this: It’s more dangerous than ever out there. Drivers are driving faster and more impaired! Ride defensively, use daytime lights, know what to do in a crash, and STAY SAFE!
SOS: Support Our Sponsors: Bike Improve
Nir and his team are ready to take care of your every bike need!
Bike Improve is ready to service all La Grange members. Since our service is in high demand, you can schedule an appointment for a major service, and we will get your bike back in a timely manner.
BIKE MECHANIC NEEDED:
Also, we are looking to expand our service team and looking to hire a mechanic. Acquire at Bike Improve.
New Members
Please welcome our new members who joined in February 2021!
Michael M., John K., Harvey C., Arielle L., Anjay N., Michael L., Barbara R., David T., and Jesse W.
Also a hearty welcome back to returning members, Glenn S., Lucy A., and Eric B. Welcome, everyone!
