La Voix July 2022

RACING NEWS

June Racing in Pictures

 
 

 

LGer Sean Quinn killing it
in World Tour rookie season

File this article in the “I-knew-him-when” category. Local cycling hotshot and LGer, Sean Quinn, is tearing up the World Tour, putting up world-class results in the Criterium du Dauphine. It doesn’t seem that long ago that Sean was crushing the rest of us at the Piuma Hill Climb…all at the ripe age of 15. He was so good even then! Now, still only 22 years old, Sean has a very bright future. He has paid his dues in the European Development ranks and worked extremely hard to get where he is. We at La Grange are super proud of Sean and wish him the best of luck in the years to come. Unfortunately, he wasn’t named to EF Education–EasyPost’s Tour de France squad, but he’ll be there soon. If you see his dad Diarmuid Quinn around town, be sure to give him a high-five!

Read the full article here.

 

CLUB NEWS

June’s LG50 Ride to Griffith Park

 
 

June’s LG50 ride, led by Marco Fantone, braved the heat and had a great day rolling out Griffith Park and the Observatory. Big SHOUT OUT to SAG by Jan Datomi.
PHOTOS: Marco Fantone, Jan Datomi, and Arsen Avdalyan.
Thanks for coming out, everyone!

Our next LG50 ride will roll in conjunction with the
Annual Santa Barbara Ride on July 30th.

 

Our Annual LG Santa Barbara Century is coming! This ride is always fun. Rich Hirschinger will once again be leading our intrepid troupe.

The ride starts at the Van Nuys Train Station and departs at 8 am sharp. We will be stopping at San Vicente and Ocean (SVO) for our first stop for those that don’t want to ride over the Sepulveda pass. We will roll from there around 9:15 am.

Route
https://www.strava.com/routes/8714909

Cost
$40, which includes a meal and drinks at SB Biergarten in Santa Barbara
( https://www.sbbiergarten.com ) and transportation of your bike back to Van Nuys. You must prepay via PayPal by Sunday, July 24th at 10 pm so that we can confirm restaurant reservations and purchase goods based on the number of riders. There are always people who wait until the last second. Don’t be that person. The club’s PayPal email address is paypal@lagrange.org. Please choose "send money to a friend" so the club does not have to pay any transfer fees. If you do not have a PayPal account, please send $40 to:

Rich Hirschinger, DDS
9615 Brighton Way Suite 323
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Return Train
You are responsible for your own train ticket, and most people purchase a coach seat, but you can buy a business class if you so desire. Please buy a ticket for Amtrak 11 Coast Starlight departing Santa Barbara (SBA) at 6:19 pm arriving Van Nuys (VNC) at 8:36 pm. The cost of the train ticket as of June 29th is $25. Again, book the train now. It’s a royal pain if the van driver has to wait for the lollygaggers who wait too late to take the train with the people that book early. https://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak

Bikes
Your bike will be carefully packed and returned to the Van Nuys Trains station in the LG Van.

Duffel Bag
You can bring a duffle bag with a change of clothes, which will be transported to Santa Barbara on the van. Please plan on carrying your personal stuff back on the train. If there is room in the van, we can transport it to Van Nuys but bikes take priority.

Ride Rules
This is a group ride, which means we stay together, and you should be able to ride at an average pace of 18 MPH. There will be four stops approximately every 20 miles for food and drinks from the van. If someone has a mechanical, the group will stop so that we all stay together. You should not be riding ahead of the group.

 

EPIC RIDE SUMMER!!
Renee’s AIDS Ride from San Francisco

 

By Renee Hagen

(TL;DR - 545 miles, 7 days, and only two legs!)

Earlier this month I participated in an EPIC event that had been on my bucket list for many years: AIDS/LifeCycle (ALC). Together with my team the Rider Dykes and about 2500 other participants, we rode our bikes from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in these cities. With the help of friends, family, colleagues, and also many LG members I raised $4751 for this cause. Thank you all for your support!

Riders from all levels participated. There were people who had barely ever touched a bicycle before they started training for ALC, and people like me who race bikes. Some participate every year (you could tell their experience from previous years’ participation tokens dangling on their necklaces), and I was among the many first-timers. 

The route took us first along the PCH to Santa Cruz, then through the golden hills of Monterey and Paso Robles, back to the coast, and down to Santa Barbara and finally LA. Our ride started at the Cow Palace at the southern end of SF County, unfortunately in the pouring rain. The SoCal riders had an especially tough time with the rain (having lived in the Netherlands for most of my life luckily I do remember how to ride in bad weather, so I made it out unscathed)! On this first day, we did not see much of the coast and the views due to the clouds and mist, but the following days were so beautiful. Every day there were special features in the landscape that we looked forward to or dreaded; a cute ocean-side village, a steep climb. One of the hardest climbs is referred to as ‘The Quadbuster’ by ALC-folk and was to be conquered in the morning of day three. Despite its ominous name, it is not so bad compared to your average Malibu climb, so naturally, I decided to go for the QOM. I did not come close, but on the way up I did meet two very strong women who became my riding buddies throughout the rest of the week. Every day our paceline sped through the field, and we gained some respect for being among the first finishers every day. 

Other highlights included: themed rest stops (think Care Bears and Drag shows); the amazing massage, sports med, and other camp services; and making friends and riding together with many queer cyclists. Another perk? This year’s ALC led to at least one new LG member (and perhaps more to come)! 

 

EPIC RIDE SUMMER!! Dan’s Birthday Ride

 

By Dan Funk

(TL;DR - Super Hard and Super Fun. EPIC!!! - Ed.)

GMR, Crystal Lake, Dawson’s saddle, Wrightwood, and the Baldy ski lifts are all epic rides in the beautiful San Gabriel mountains. Unlike the shorter climbs in the Santa Monica mountains, the San Gabriel’s offer 20+ miles of European-style climbing across varied landscape that is both remote and beautiful. Because of the remoteness, water can be an issue, and if you find yourself with a mechanical it could be a long way back to your car or civilization. Despite this, or maybe because of it, the San Gabriel’s are my favorite place to ride.

For my birthday I wanted to do a link-up of these routes in an epic loop. According to Strava routes the mileage would exceed 100 miles and gain 14,000 of elevation. To top it off there would be a 15-mile section of gravel, much of that rarely touched by bicycle tires. Recruiting a few intrepid buddies, we started at Encanto Park in Duarte, pedaled to Glendora Mtn Road, took that to Baldy Village, then proceeded to the ski lifts where the ride would enter its “epic” phase. After watering up at the bottom of the ski lifts we coasted down to San Antonio Falls Rd. for a 3.5-mile dirt climb up to the top of the ski lifts, or Baldy Notch. If you’ve hiked the Baldy summit or gone up the lifts, you’ve seen the “Top of the Notch” restaurant with its amazing views of the San Gabriel Valley and maybe even had a beer there. Because it was my birthday ride, I enjoyed a beer there, knowing any hydration would be a plus with what we had ahead of us.

From the Baldy Notch, we descended Baldy Road to Lytle Creek Valley. Baldy Road from the notch is steep double-track dirt that descends 4 miles to a gate. The road is seldom used but is maintained, which means a bulldozer occasionally removes rockfalls. On that day we encountered a lot of deep sand and freshly broken rock, which led to one flat in our group. The condition of the road is best suited to large tires on a mountain bike, and our 30-35mm gravel setup was barely adequate. We couldn’t complain, however, as one of our group was on his road bike, with 28mm Conti slicks. With admirable skill, he navigated through all the technical spots and never flatted, though at the end he swore never to ride gravel with me again. 😊 To provide perspective on the difficulty of this descent, we went from 7700 to 5000 feet in a little over 6 miles, and it took us over an hour.

The Lytle Creek Valley has a well-known shooting range, several campgrounds accessible by 4wd, and no water but lots of endless nature. The area is remote and undeveloped, and with rising temps and little water remaining, we had no time to enjoy the scenery. Ahead of us, we had a steep dirt climb out of the valley and down to the paved road that would take us to Wrightwood. That effort would see our total feet climbed cross the 10,000 ft. mark, and while the dirt was hardpacked from the 4wd traffic, the heat and exertion took us to the final swallows of water in our bottles which would not be enough for the asphalt climb to Wrightwood.

We left the dirt for the short 2-mile climb on new pavement to the outskirts of Wrightwood. This turned out to be the hardest climb of the day, however, as we had little water, the average grade is over 6% and our computers read a temperature of 117 degrees! Finally arriving in Wrightwood, we stopped at the grocery store for water, food, and rest. The checkout person was impressed by where we’d come from, but our total mileage was only 51 miles - though we had climbed over 11,000 feet. Time-wise we were way behind schedule. Too much stopping and too much faffing (talking) at each stop made it almost 4 pm and we still were only halfway! The idea of riding down Highway 39 in the dark proved motivating, as was the fact that after a 17-mile climb out of Wrightwood to Dawson’s saddle, it would be an easy 35-mile descent back to our cars, civilization, food, and cold beer.

Before that, however, the 17-mile climb had to be done first. The early evening hours came with slightly cooler temps, and thinking about breaking the climb down into four parts made the start slightly less painful. The first section is a slow 4-mile slog up an uninteresting highway 2 (the Angeles Crest Highway) past the Mountain High Ski Resort to Big Pine. From Big Pine, the ACH turns into old pine forest until Inspiration Point. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the ACH here and the views towards the valley are not only spectacular but for the next 3 miles, you’re rewarded with a descent. Unfortunately, this ends with the realization that you’ve lost the elevation gained from Wrightwood, and we’ll have to reclimb it before Dawson’s. Fortunately, however, that descent and climb to Dawson’s are in my opinion the prettiest parts of the ACH. So though every curve in the road seems to introduce only more curves ahead, the trees, views, snowpack, and rock formations do their best to make you forget the pain in your legs.

After summiting and celebrating at Dawson’s Saddle, we started our descent with the setting sun. That night there was a full moon out, but its effect was more aesthetic than illuminating, and by the time we got to the dam area it was pretty dark. A couple of kind drivers offered to pace behind us to light our way, and within a few miles, we were on the San Gabriel River bike path and minutes away from our cars.

We started that morning a bit after 7 am and returned to our cars at 8:30 pm. It was the longest day I’ve had on the bike, including the 3.5 hours of faffing. 14,472 of climbing & 105.55 miles…Can’t wait to do it again!

Want to do this ride yourself? View Dan’s Epic Route Here!

 

TRIFIT LA: Not a racer? Bike Fit and Performance Testing can benefit all cyclists!

 
 

By Moses Wolfe-Polgar

BIKE FIT
Cycling is a very repetitive motion, so a proper bike fit is essential to improving comfort, optimizing performance, and preventing injuries. In just a one-hour ride at 90 rpm, your pedals make over 5,000 revolutions. Not only that, but if you use clipless pedals, your feet are in a nearly fixed position the entire time. As a result, even small changes in your fit can have a dramatic effect. By focusing on your mobility and biomechanics, a proper bike fit will make your riding more comfortable, and more efficient, and reduce the risk of injury. This can be done on a current bike, or as a way to ensure that the next bike you buy is right for you.

VO2 TESTING
Many people know that a VO2 Max test determines your maximum capacity for endurance exercise or the size of your aerobic "engine". But did you know that it is also a great way to understand how your body is using fuel during exercise? In addition to determining your VO2Max, the test will show you how many calories you are burning at a given heart rate and power and what percentage of your energy is coming from carbs vs fat. This information gives you insight into your metabolism, how to properly fuel for workouts, and how to train more accurately for your specific goals.

LACTATE TESTING
A Lactate Test focuses on how your muscles respond to exercise. By monitoring the accumulation of lactate in your blood during exercise, the test accurately determines your threshold power, and it can help to determine what type of training will allow you to improve most rapidly. This is personalized training at its finest. Don't worry, the blood samples themselves are less than a drop each, so this test does not have a negative effect on performance!

Email moses@trifitla.com with any questions or to schedule a test, consultation, or a bike fit. He and TRIFIT are there to help!

See TRIFIT’s special deal below for La Grange members only!

Take Advantage of Valuable Member Benefits

 
 

La Grange is incredibly lucky to have such awesome partners! With our partners, you can satisfy virtually every aspect of cycling: Apparel, Accessories, Bikes, Repair, and training. We also have partners to assist you when you have to live your non-bike life: Legal, Real Estate, and Engineering. Log into the La Grange website and check out your member-only benefits.

Support Our Sponsors

 
 
 

TRIFIT LA

For La Grange Members Only: TRIFIT is offering 20% off of all testing and bike fitting during the months of July and August. Show your membership card to receive your discount.
Make an appointment today…

Rudy Project

Celebrate Independence Day with a special offer from Rudy Project. Log in with your VIP code “Lagrange” and get an extra special discount on awesome Rudy products. (Their sunglasses are the best!)
Get your deal here…

 

New and Returning Members

Please welcome our new members who joined in June 2022!

  • New members: R. Franssen, C. Gagnon, and M. Jean

Welcome, everyone! We are happy to have you.

LG Event Calendar for July

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 July. Bold events are LG Team Targeted Events.

  • July 13 – LG Board of Directors Meeting (All Members Welcome)

  • July 16 – LG Cup Time Trial

  • July 17 – Majestic Crit

  • July 24 – Manhattan Beach Grand Prix

  • July 30 – Annual LG Santa Barbara RIde with July LG50 Ride

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

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