La Voix November 2021

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Marco Fantone & his La Grange Jersey History

 

Marco and his vast collection of La Grange jerseys

 

By Jan Datomi

Marco Fantone finds it hard to let go of things. He even still owns his first car that he purchased in 1982. This habit has turned into La Grange’s windfall, as Marco has collected La Grange jerseys since he first joined the club in 1997. His collection of over 50 jerseys has become a visual tribute to the longevity of La Grange. While most of Marco’s jerseys are his own, some have been donated to him, knowing his dedication to maintaining La Grange’s history. Marco sat down to answer a few questions about his jersey collection.

Was it a conscious decision to first start collecting jerseys?

I don’t think it was a choice to start collecting jerseys, I just liked the jerseys I had and didn’t want to get rid of them. All of a sudden 2 became 5 became 10 and so on.

Do you think there are different eras of jerseys?

There are definitely different eras. When La Grange started, it was very much a racing club. Back then, if you look at the older jerseys there are no sponsors on them whatsoever. You’ll see “Velo Club La Grange” on the really early kits and then into the 1970s, we were sponsored by Peugeot bikes yet still all you saw was “Peugeot” and “La Grange” on the jersey. I don’t think it was until the mid to late 1980s that we had what I believe was a pharmaceutical company called ICN sponsoring La Grange and apparently they wrote some very big checks to the club. This is when it began to look more like the racing jersey that we’re currently familiar with.

Do you have a favorite era that you like as far as the style?

That’s a little tricky. I was always fond of the 2005 to 2015 timeframe  probably because this was when I was really involved the most in the racing scene. There were clearly some hits and misses in there. I know a number of club members who weren’t terribly fond of the green-accented Herbalife design which is immediately understandable.

Is that the cow jersey?

Oh, no. What many reference as the “cow” jersey arrived in 1989 and ran through the entire 1990s. While the design does have a similar look to what you’d see on a cow, it was actually meant to reference the pave or cobblestones in France.

Do you have a favorite jersey of all the jerseys here?

Well, I have 2 or 3 that I’m fond of. I’ve always been very fond of our deep, inky-blue colored kits, which you find in abundance in the 2010 La Grange French National kit. It’s very simple, very classy. All you have is “La Grange” across the chest and back along with the red, white and blue French stripes. That was definitely a favorite. And while I was never a part of the track team, I loved the bold, in-your-face bright pink of the skinsuit and just had to buy one! I still love wearing that skin suit today. It’s just a great look!

What’s the oldest La Grange jersey that you have?

So the oldest jersey that we have here is the very first 1970 La Grange jersey. This jersey was owned by  Pierre Parriaux who was one of the club founders. He donated this to the club shortly before he passed away. Out of every jersey here, it is easily the most valuable, the most coveted and holds the most history for the club. 

Anything else you want to add about the jerseys? 

Outside of the annual club kits, a number of specialty kits have been offered over the years. These include the 2015 Flight School kit which was designed for our juniors who were racing at the time and the two Nichols kits from 2015 and just this year in 2021 to celebrate our Nichols canyon ride.  We have also produced kits for our La Grange Cup winners along with anniversary kits throughout the years including 25th, 40th and the LG50 kit which commemorated a half-century of La Grange. The LG50 kit was very understated, very classy and was hugely popular. 

In talking to Marco, it’s clear that he doesn’t just collect jerseys. With each jersey or era of jersey, he can tell you the history of the club and of Southern California bike racing at the time. Already known as the club’s historian, Marco already has a great general sense of the club’s history, but through these kits, he can give specific examples of the makeup of the club at the time, whether it was primarily a racing-focused team or more a social club.

It was a lot of fun to go through the jersey collection with Marco and get his take on each. Thank you Marco for being the Keeper of the Jerseys and spending time going through your collection.

Marco’s entire collection will be on display at the annual La Grange Awards Banquet on November 14th.

 
 

RACING NEWS
The Sea Otter Classic: Podiums by Nick and Yi!

 

Photos by Trevor Jahn, Yi Sun, and Vinh Tran

 

Trevor’s Sea Otter Race Report

 

Trevor with Aaron and Yi after a brutal Cat 3 road race at Sea Otter!

 

By Trevor Jahn

It was an exciting day 1 at Sea Otter Classic for the team! We had multiple podium finishes, watched the sun rise over the Laguna Seca Raceway, and ended the day with a lovely dinner bathed in outdoor lighting. Nick (Gillock) took second place in the Master's Road Race, and Yi (Sun) had a close second-place finish in the Circuit Race. The Circuit Race was on the Laguna Seca raceway. Half of the course is a winding climb into a descent called “The Corkscrew”, with riders hitting speeds in excess of 50 mph every lap! Aaron (Wirthwein) also had a strong showing while Martina (Blumenthal) and Rachel (Noonan) killed it in the Circuit Race, with Martina taking 6th place.

Race day 2 at Sea Otter Classic was a blast! Nick took another 2nd place podium and Vin had a blast in the Circuit Race, too. The team had a lot of fun talking with bike enthusiasts at the bike expo and watching races until the afternoon. Even though the wind picked up and the group felt like it was in a dust storm, we navigated the expo and met all sorts of promoters and fellow bike fans. We stopped by our friend and sponsor Nir Tal's tent where he was making wheels, and our friends at Canyon.

We ended the night at Mission Ranch in Carmel with a view of sheep and goats. We even saw Clint Eastwood at dinner! The Moon was bright with Mars next to it, keeping it company and giving day 2 of Sea Otter a beautiful send-off.

Our final day at The Sea Otter Classic was a special one. The team faced a challenge with a brutal road race course with almost all of the team cramping or collapsing at the line. The team gave it their all. Everyone was alright after some electrolytes and sugar, and it was only war stories and smiles after that. We walked away with a 4th place finish, 6th, and another 7th. Way to go everyone! The team had a nice dinner at a sandwich shop just outside the racetrack with our friends from the USC cycling club. Afterward, we elected to head back to LA via the scenic route via Big Sur, which we reached just before sunset. As you might imagine, driving the sprinter van back along the cliffs from Big Sur was a scary reality.

Quickly, we were met with winding roads and a sky lit by billions of stars. We could see down to the ocean at our rest stop over 400 ft down below; The Milky Way Galaxy above in a band of light leading to the sandy cove beach below, and the Moon and Mars lighting up the backdrop. It was a perfect end to an epic weekend we will never forget.

Thanks for reading.

LG Velodrome Track Certification

 
 

Track Certification with La Grange.
By Morten Nissov

Last weekend (Oct 23-24) I attended the La Grange track certification. It was a great experience. Upon arrival we had to fill out the waiver but after that everything was taken care of. We were greeted by Morgan and our instructor for the weekend and then we were set up with loaner bikes.

The loaner bikes, Felt TK2, were actually very nice bikes. After adjusting our bikes it was on to the track. Riding from the front straight to the back straight on the apron was my first experience riding a fixie bike. That was a little scary at first. Furthermore, looking at the steep banking in the turns was quite intimidating.

Fortunately, our instructor introduced us in baby steps. First, we learned to get on and off the track, then progressively during the day he increased our capabilities. After every session on the track, I was completely out of breath, making sure to ride fast enough not to slide off. Really regretted bringing only one water bottle. At the end of the first day, we had ridden all parts of the track and started practicing pace lines. The turns looked a lot less steep at the end of the day than at the beginning.

On the second day, we continued the learning. Starting with 30 laps of pacelines, we reinforced the prior days learning. After many drills, we ended the second day practicing sprinting from the back straight through turns 3-4 to the finish line. All the other times riding the turns, my angle to the track had been < 90 degrees. For this sprint exercise, however, my angle was exactly 90 degrees (at least it felt that way). It was quite exhilarating.

All in all, this was an awesome weekend and a great introduction to track riding. Subsequently, I am acquiring a track bike, signed up for a race skills clinic, and am planning to race this winter on the track. If you haven’t tried the track, you really should. We are so lucky that we are a short drive away from an Olympic-quality track. Not many bike clubs can say that. See you in Carson!

Thanks for reading.

Photos by Tina Grant

CLUB NEWS
The Annual LG Awards Banquet this month!

 

Fall is upon us which means it’s time for the Annual La Grange Awards Banquet, Sunday, November 14th at 12 noon. By popular demand, the banquet will again be held at the beautiful boutique Hotel MDR in Marina del Rey.

This year, we will also hold another awesome raffle, where you have a great chance to win some great prizes. We have secured special raffle items from Bike Improve and Nir Wheels, Canyon Bicycles, Vie13, Cycling Art Project, Orange Bag, and more. Everyone loves swag; come for a chance to get some.

But wait…there’s more. The special Grand Prize Raffle will be held again this year. This year's raffle is for some amazing prizes, such as:

  • A custom, made-to-order carbon wheelset from sponsor Bike Improve and Nir Wheels (A $2400 value)

  • A Canyon bicycle, courtesy of our sponsor Canyon Bikes

  • A deluxe cycling trip for two to Mexico courtesy of Mallorca Luxury Cycling (A $6000 value)

We hope to see you there and buy plenty of raffle tickets to increase your chances of winning.

 

The October Spooky LG50 Ride

 

Photos by Lisa Valentine, Robert Yates, Tina Grant, and Jan Datomi

 

IN THE NEWS
How to Descend like a Pro!

 
 

From CTS Coaching
Descents are free speed. You spend almost every second of a bike ride pedaling and working to move forward, but the descents are your reward and your opportunity to make up time. For professional cyclists at the Tour de France, however, descents aren’t always free. Many times they are stressful and fraught with extreme risk. The Wall Street Journal did a nice job talking about the risks inherent in descending at high speed at the Tour de France and, in both the Pyrenees and Alps we’ve already seen several…

Read the full article here.

How Cyclists Can Avoid Low Bone Density

 
 

From TrainingPeaks
Cycling has a variety of health benefits, however, research has shown that it does not help create strong bones. In fact, depending on the amount of cycling you do, it may even decrease your bone density. So, if your only form of exercise is cycling, you may end up with weaker bones than those WHO ARE INACTIVE.

Why Cycling Isn’t Good for Your Bones

There is a lot of research on bone health and a fair amount on bone health for cyclists…

Read the full article here.

Support Our Sponsors

 
 
 

TRI-FIT LA

Moses’ Quick Fit Tips:
1) Always work from back to front and bottom to top to dial in your fit.

2) No joints should be strained at any point in the pedaling cycle. You want to be relatively relaxed and not extremely flexed or extended at the ankle, knee, hip, neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist.
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CANNON

Fall is here and the cooler weather begs for a warm drink like the Dirty Fluffy, The Vanilla Bulls**t, or The PSL from LG sponsor, GOODPEOPLE Coffee. Visit these super cool folks and check out all of the delicious things they have brewing!.
Get full details here!

 

New and Returning Members

Please welcome our new members who joined in September 2021!

  • Carl D., Houston W., Keltner, Ryan M., and Haas M.

  • And a hearty welcome back to returning members: Dan M. and Alex G.

Welcome, everyone! We are happy to have you.

LG Event Calendar for November

This calendar is where you’ll find all of our upcoming events IN ONE PLACE. You’ll find both LG On-Bike and Off-Bike events as well as non-LG events. Check it out and bookmark it! Here is the schedule for November!

  • November 7 – SCNCA State Individual Time Trial Championships

  • November 10 – The November LG Board Meeting

  • November 14 – SCNCA State Team Time Trial Championships

  • November 14 – Annual LG Awards Banquet

  • November 20 – The LG50 RIde & Meal on Wheels Fundraiser

Have an event you would like to add? Send a request to Sam at sam.selfridge@lagrange.org

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