La Voix April 2022
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RACE REPORT: La Verne Stage Race by Chris Ackerman
RACE REPORT: La Verne Stage Race by Nicole Steinmetz
TEAM CAMP: A Day with the LG Race Team
March's LG50 Ride with special guest, VeloFix
SPONSOR: Announcing our winners
of the PKRS.AI Premium Membership and Caffe Luxxe Gift Cards
PKRS.AI: Meal Prepping for Endurance Athletes
INTERVIEW by Peter Abraham:
Tamika Butler on Bicycles and Racial Justice
ADVOCACY: Imagine a new bike lake every time an LA street is repaved!
VIDEO: Peter Gabriel riding up to Solsbury Hill
RACING NEWS
March Racing in Pictures
RACE REPORT: Chris Ackerman
La Verne Stage Race 2022, La Verne, CA. — Men’s 3/4 Division and Collegiate
Chris Ackerman (center) at the La Verne Stage Race
The Crit
Today was quite nice; I knew the guys that had been in the group of 5 yesterday and figured I could just mark them/get into a split with them. Again I was late showing up (thought the race was at 7:30, not 7:00) so I raced in normal glasses and didn't put on my aero socks. Right off the gun the winner and 3rd place from yesterday went up the road, and I took it upon myself to chase them back since they might have been strong enough to stay away. Not a fun way to start the race. When we caught up things settled down a bit, and I decided to attack up the "hill" on lap 2 to force a split.
Not sure exactly when it went, but Anthony, Dylan, and I basically took turns attacking on that hill until a split formed. The split was a bit weird; of the 5 people in the front group from yesterday, 4 were there today (Dylan's teammate was riding Baldy by himself), and then there were a bunch of passengers who wouldn't/couldn't pull through but were too strong to easily drop. We sort of maintained the status quo until 1 lap to go.
With 1 to go, I decided I would just sit in; a Top 5 would meet my goal for the weekend (upgrade points) but otherwise, I wanted to win and wanted to make sure I didn't put in way too much work for no reason. Anthony attacked quite hard up the hill; Dylan chased and I chased behind him. I didn't snap onto the wheel which may have been a mistake, but I also didn't go over my limit and made sure to get back on before the finish. In the end, there were 3 of us all together with 2 turns to go, and the rest of the group a few seconds behind us. Dylan attacked and I motioned at Anthony to close it; I said I really didn't care if I got second but I wouldn't be closing any more gaps. Going into the final turn it seemed like nobody else was getting ready to sprint, so I figured I must have been the one that miscounted and we actually had another lap. I went wide on the final to give myself rush room on Dylan and came past him on the barrier side. All pretty slow. With about 50m to go the lap counter changed to "finish", I saw one of the guys from the group behind us coming up behind me on the right, and I heard Duncan yelling "sprint", so I put in the world's saddest 3sec effort, which was apparently enough for the win.
Overall thoughts: it really sucks there wasn't a TT, both because GMR is a fairly iconic local climb, and because it would have changed the race dynamics. Hopefully, this works better next year. The road race parcours is really interesting, but the cones and road surface were unsafe. I also hadn't expected Heckler’s to be so hard; that's my fault. The crit course was awesome; I really liked it.
Other highlights: Duncan finished the p/1/2 race which is really impressive, Nicole did 3rd in GC and got an aero benefit by losing some teeth/tooth, and Slava looked super pro with his bandages today.
Thanks for reading. – Chris.
RACE REPORT: Nicole Steinmetz
La Verne Stage Race 2022, La Verne, CA. — Women’s Category 3/4
This weekend was my first stage race, and I was really excited to see how it would go, as I’m hoping to do the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico this May.
Day 1:
The first event was supposed to be a 4-mile time trial up Glendora Mountain Road, and this would have really determined the GC placements for the weekend. Some UCLA teammates and I drove all the way there, but as soon as we made it to registration, they canceled the event! It was very disappointing since that would put all the pressure on the road race and criterium for the GC placements.
Day 2: Road Race
The road race was quite brutal given the hotter temperatures in the afternoon and the road quality. Narrowing and widening cones, along with various obstacles(like boats and children) throughout the course caused many “close calls.” Some highlights of the race include losing grasp of my GU and it flying away into the breeze, inhaling my water down the wrong pipe during the final lap, and almost getting dropped in the first lap from having shifting issues with my bike. It was a very competitive group (Women’s Cat 3/4 ), and by the final sprint, 11 of the 24 starters were still in the lead pack. I moved from the back of the pack a little late but was able to get 3rd out of 24 for stage 2, and 3rd in the GC.
Day 3: Criterium
This day started off very chilly, but that didn’t stop the group from attacking at the sound of the start whistle. The first few laps were going great with some exciting attacks, but then everything kind of fell apart. Pace lines were merging together about halfway through lap 5, and a girl and I bumped into each other. For a few seconds, I was trying to regain my balance, but I kept wobbling around and eventually crashed into a somersault. I got up right away and untangled my chain. My bike looked just fine, so I spit out a quarter of my front tooth and headed to the pit for a free lap. I had worked so hard for my GC position the day prior, so I knew I couldn’t just give it up. I got a push into the group and sprinted to get back into the race. Tina did a great job in getting the group to slow a little so that I could get back in there. I almost wasn’t able to rejoin, but the moto guy yelled “You’re so close! Go for it!” So I did one last sprint to get back in the pack. More attacks happened, and I was able to hang in there. Going into the final sprint, I took the corner very cautiously, and as a result, didn’t get the speed for the sprint that I could have gotten. So I just tried my best to catch whoever I could and pulled off 5th place in the field sprint. As it turns out, that was enough for me to keep my position as 3rd out of 24 in the GC! I was very glad to have rejoined the race. Aside from some road rash, all is well! Part of me will always be on that course (literally, I should probably see a dentist).
Overall, I had a great time and enjoyed racing with my LG team! I can’t wait for the rest of the season.
Thanks for reading. – Nicole
A Day at LG Team Camp in Pictures
A few weeks ago, Dan Chapman and I had the privilege of hanging out and supporting the LG Race Team during one day of their 2022 Team Camp. We rolled around Malibu into Westlake and the Oxnard plain. It was super fun day of bikes, bonding and camaraderie for Team La Grange.
CLUB NEWS
March's LG50 Ride to Latigo with Velofix!
Big SHOUT OUT to ride leaders: Amy Hutner and Jaycee Cary. SAG: Jonathan and Amy Weiss. PHOTOS: Amy W., Jonathan, Jaycee, and Dan Mitnick.
The PKRS.AI and Caffe Luxxe Winners
Two lucky La Grange members each won a 1-year Premium PKRS.AI Membership
RENEE HAGEN
JOE BERNADELLO
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Three lucky La Grange members each won a $50 Caffe Luxxe Gift Card
CHRISTIAN KENNEL
TC SCHULTZ
BARRY FINK
Congratulations to our winners and big thanks to PKRS.AI and Caffe Luxxe.
Tamika Butler on Bicycles and Racial Justice
My first exposure to Tamika Butler was when she was Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. I had joined the LACBC in part due to the way Ms. Butler represented the beauty and diversity of cycling in Los Angeles. In the years since she left the LACBC, Tamika Butler has become an advocate for transportation and racial justice on a national scale. Please enjoy this interview with Ms. Butler by Peter Abraham, where they discuss how bicycles can be tools of change. – Ed.
IN THE NEWS
New bike lane every time an LA street is repaved!
What is the Healthy Streets LA ballot measure?
The ballot measure will require the City of Los Angeles to implement its Mobility Plan 2035 whenever the City repaves or otherwise works on a street. Doing so will save money, reduce traffic, make the streets safer, and give people more options to get around town, helping to clean our air. Here is a Google Slides Overview. This measure will simply force the city to do what it promised to do when Mayor Garcetti announced the Mobility Plan 2035 in 2016.
Sign the Petition at Bike Improve, Sign up to Volunteer, or just Read More…DO IT!!
Peter Gabriel “climbing up on Solsbury Hill”?
Inside the Video
Peter Gabriel is one of the most innovative musical artists of his generation. Enjoy this fun little video of PG doing one of his most iconic songs “Solsbury Hill” and riding his bike in the round, live in concert.
PKRS.AI: Meal Prepping for Endurance Athletes
Meal prepping is all the rage right now, and let’s be honest, it makes a ton of sense for a lot of reasons. It saves unspeakable amounts of time and money, allows for greater portion size and macronutrient control, and allows you to devote less energy to the what/when/where/how of nourishing yourself – that means more energy focused on your goals. That said, meal prepping can sound daunting. We know it’s a time-saver when you zoom out and look at the whole week, but spending a few straight hours in the kitchen is a hard sell to anyone! We’ve put together some key tips for meal prepping like a champion during even the busiest of weeks.
Plan, Plan, Plan.
Just like a good training regimen, masterful meal prepping takes proper meal planning! Print out a weekly calendar and start by making “appointments” for the behind-the-scenes work. When can you book 30 minutes to choose recipes for the week and make a grocery list? When can you set time aside for your (hopefully once-weekly) shopping run? And when can you set aside an hour or two for the meal prepping itself? This exercise of making appointments is great for revealing what you do and don’t have time for. If you truly can’t make time to do your own grocery shopping, consider using a delivery service like Instacart, Thrive Market, or a delivery from a local store. The schedule also helps you stick to your routine and realize just how little time it actually takes to create an entire week of meals and snacks!
Gear Up.
Meal prepping is a long-term money saver, but it gets a lot easier if you can invest in quality equipment to get started. You’ll need at least 6-10 pieces of Tupperware or other food storage system, and getting the good stuff is beyond worth it. Nothing is more annoying than cheap plastic that bends and warps, doesn’t seal properly, or is impossible to clean.
Then consider the kitchen appliances – a rice cooker is worth its weight in gold if you plan on utilizing rice as a common “base”. A slow cooker or Instant Pot can be a game-changer for soups, stews, or braised meats/veggies, given that you can just load it up with some liquid and seasoning and let it roll while you’re at work, overnight while you sleep, or all evening while you take care of the rest of your to-do list. You’ll also want to make sure you have one or two great, solid baking sheets – tossing protein and veggies in some olive oil and seasoning, then spreading across a baking sheet and oven roasting is a quick and easy way to create a great foundation for a few day’s dinners at once.
Start Small.
If you’re new to meal prepping, don’t dive into the deep end right away. While it’s obviously more efficient for time, money, and energy, crafting an entire week of meals at once can quickly become overwhelming, repetitive, and unsustainable for those new to the game. Start with just 3 days – if you can meal prep on Sunday afternoon/evening, then just try to plan Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday.
Look at your new meal calendar and plan out just those three days; maybe you can do oats and fruit every morning, and then see if you can craft three lunches and three dinners from the same assortment of ingredients. If you’re following a 50/25/25 nutrition plan for example, choose 3 of your favorite vegetables, 2 proteins, and 2 starches (or just more veggies instead). Plug and play to use those ingredients to make 3 different combinations, make two portions of each, and boom – 6 meals done and ready to enjoy!
Reuse, Recycle!
Not literally – but when it comes to planning your meals for the week, see if you can create unique combinations from the same ingredients, as mentioned above. That way you can shop in bulk, cook in bulk, and then assemble meals that won’t get repetitive. For example, a rotisserie chicken can quickly become a fajita bowl, stir fry, or chicken soup, all using overlapping veggies. Invest in a huge variety of sauces and spices to keep things fresh!
Let the Grocery Store Help.
If you’re tight on time, there’s absolutely no shame in letting the store do some work for you. You’ll pay a bit of a premium and lose some control over what exactly is going into your food, but the switch from raw ingredients to pre-portioned and prepared can save a ton of prep time. Many stores are now offering frozen vegetable bags that include a blend of veggies, precut, cooked, seasoned, and portioned. Just heat and add into any of your meals for the week. The aforementioned rotisserie chicken is also a day one meal prepping hack – $4 to $8 gets you a whole roasted chicken, ready to get chopped up and added to virtually any meal in seconds.
So, now you’re ready to tackle the world of meal prepping! With a little discipline and practice, you’ll find that setting aside time to prepare your food can be transformative. Kick your takeout and delivery habits, get time back in your day to refocus on your training, work, or other goals, and realize a new level of control over your nutrition choices. Suddenly, counting calories and hitting macros gets a lot easier when every meal is planned and prepped! And heck, plan your cooking time around your favorite podcast or show and you might even have fun doing it. Enjoy!
Support Our Sponsors
VeloFix
VeloFix brings expert parts and service to your door. With the special deal for La Grange members only, VeloFix will keep you on the road.
Check out your VeloFix deal here…
Lee Ziff Real Estate
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New and Returning Members
Please welcome our new members who joined in March 2022!
New members: Warren S., Krista B., Mahdi S., and a hearty welcome back to Bruce W. and family.
Welcome, everyone! We are happy to have you.
LG Event Calendar for April
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 April-May. Bold events are LG Team Targeted Events.
April 2-3 – Tour de Murrietta
April 10 – CBR Criterium #4
April 13 – LG Board of Directors Meeting
April 20-24 – Redlands Bicycle Classic Stage Race
May 1 – Rosena Ranch Circuit Race
Have an event you would like to add? Send a request to Sam at sam.selfridge@lagrange.org