Google Maps adds new "bicycle route" option

Check out the cool new mapping gadget to the right. Just enter your start/finish location and it maps your bike route. I tried a few different routes and it seemed to get it right most of the time. Even when I swapped the start/finish locations it changed the route to compensate for one-way streets, etc. You can also click-and-drag anywhere along your route to change it.

Try the full-screen version here. Click on the "Get bicycling directions on Google Maps" on the left side.

Ride the Divide!

TBC Info

The biggest stage race of the year in our home town is coming upon us and sure hope all of you racing are as excited as I am. I am really looking forward to a fun three days of racing, where we can really welcome folks into our home town.

Friday is the McCains Loop Time Trial. I will have affirmative start times on thursday night beacause that is when they come out. However I can tell you that the first junior rider will be leaving at 1:30 pm. So we will all be leaving some time after that. I would very much like it if we are all at the start by NOON. The start location is Old Tucson studios. The back side of the Tucson Mountains. I can bring 4 riders and five bikes to the start and get kids home. So comment if you need a ride.

Saturday is the road race and it starts down in Green Valley. Roughly around the intersection of Duval Mine road and La Canada. Racing starts crazy early at 7:15 for the juniors ages 13-16 and at 9am for the 17-18 guys and 9:35 for the cat 4 men. So I will be driving down super early for the early racing and we will need help getting the older kids down. I will then stay for the whole day of racing. This race as the one on friday are not very spectatur friendly. I will be leaving town at 6am sharp if you want one of the four seats in my car please post and let me know.

However the race on Sunday is almost as exciting as the U of A crit. Almost. We will get to see a lot of action and it is right in our backyard right out in front of Pima College west. I highly recommend coming out and watching this stage. Racing starts at 8:45 am. All racers that day will ride to the start line as warm up and all non racing El Grupo member are mandated to be there.Racers should be at the start line by no later than 8:15. We should leave the club house together at 7:30am. I hope that the non-racers go for a ride and end at the race, ready to cheer and encourage their teammates.

Milo, Tulio, Logan, Lizzy are all signed up to race the 13-14 category
Donovan is the only 15-16 year old we have
kramer, pablo, and Nathan are racing 17-18
Max and Alex Strickland are racing in the cat 4 group
Avery is racing in the 10-12 group

Please let me know if you would like a ride. I am very happy to help I just need to know who needs it. Also Mark Franklin can you drive the boys down to Greeb Valley for the second stage?

Thanks everyone,
Ignacio

Info and Answers

Answer: I was not at practice today because I was at a school on the South side all day. I am very sure that Travis and Hunter did an excellent job so I want to thank the two of them and all of you for being respectful.

I will see many of you tomorrow at the El Rio center and I look forward to that. Also thank you so much to all of you who offered to help.

Pablo, Tulio, Logan and Kramer I recommend you guys ride the "old Man" shoot out tommorrow and go the whole way around. Like I really think it would be good for you guys to do that before next weekend. I can leave with you in the morning and go to the bridge but I have to get things ready at the El Rio center. So then find me there. The ride starts at 6:45 so if you are going please let me know and yes you may leave a change of cloths at my house so you can change after the ride. You could even shower if you want to as well.

TEAM MEETING as well on Sunday at noon.

If it rains on Sunday we are still going to have the meeting.

As for practice 8am sharp start on Sunday. We are going to beat the rain. Last thing many of you will be using arrow bars for the TT in TBC. You know who you are and if you can come to BICAS on Saturday while I am working we can put them on. I would like to have this done before Sunday as we are going to practice on the course.

Over and Out
Ignacio

Outreach this Saturday @ El Rio

We will be out at the El Rio Health Fair for the 3rd year to lead lots and lots of kids through our super fun bike safety obstacle course. The event is from 10am to 1pm at the El Rio Community Center off Speedway west of I-10. We will need at least 5 EG riders to make this happen and the more the merrier...last year we had well over 100 kids participate!! \\

Please let Ignacio and Daniela know if you can help, thanks!!

PS Oh and don't forget our MONTHLY TEAM MEETING this Sunday at 12 after practice. Jason from Carmichael Training will present and talk with us about their new sponsorship and support of El Grupo!

'People Powered Movement Photo Contest Winners Unveiled'

'People Powered Movement Photo Contest Winners Unveiled'


Hi Everyone,
One of our images, "Ignacio Teaching Bike Safety" won second place in the Advocates in Action category of this contest. You can scroll down to see the image. In fact, 6 out of the 20 El Grupo photos I entered were finalists in 4 out of the 7 categories. Congratulations to all of you El Grupo...for this is about YOU!

Hermosillo Track Trip 2010

A total success, an absolutely fabulous trip that I look forward to making again next year. Everything went super smooth and easy and we treated as much respected guests. Really it was totally easy.

We left on Thursday morning around 8am from downtown and were in Hermosillo at the Olympic training center by 1:30pm. An easy drive on an interstate like road with pavement as good as the US, with only three tolls. As soon as we arrived we were taken right in. We ate lunch at the cafeteria that day and were on the road by 3:30 pm going out for a 60 km bike ride. A fascinating little adventure because the kids had to ride through town on the busy city streets, which made Tucson feel like a cycling paradise. To make the trip safe and easy though we drove behind the pack and escorted them out of the city while the “Cuban” Carlos, the head cycling coach, drove his motor cycle in front of the group.

As far as accommodations went we slept in a room that felt like a large hostel room from France. Roughly a dozen beds in a room, boys in one and girls in another down the hall. The girls room of course smelled better by the end of the trip even though they had a small child, Damiano, staying in there and his under garments. The rooms were actually inside of the soccer stadium on campus which was kind of fun and in the neighboring room to ours were the 8 cyclist from Obregon that had come up for the weekend.

We awoke early on Friday morning to take advantage of everything that the Olympic center had to offer. Of course we ate breakfast at the cafeteria and then it was on the track. We started with some stretches and push ups and sit ups before we got on the track. The kids were all pretty nervous to try it at first but I think as soon as I got up and road they all knew they could do it.

I was the only one with a track bike, and let me tell you 52x15 was too much. Next year a at least a 16 for me. The rest of the team just had their road bikes and it was no problem at all. Not a bit. As long as they did not shift, kept up speed, and did not ride close to each other it was totally cool. Yeah so it was not totally ligit but the other kids jumped on all together in a huge group road bikes and track bikes together following a motor cycle. So really we were uber safe. Man it was fun.

The track is poured concrete 250 meters in length with a bank of 44 degrees. Steep and fast with no real strait way. Even the straight-aways are banked.

Every rider got on the track and road the whole thing. Through every turn, road up the banks, came down at top speed, and covered every inch. Some took to it right away, others took their time to wet their feet, but everybody rode it the first day and loved it. Logan’s response at one point illustrated to me why tracks are so fun. He said, “ It’s just as fun every time you get on!” It never gets old.

By 2pm Friday we were off the track and at the pool. At the center they have an Olympic size swimming pool with a huge diving well with all the big high dives. I made the team swim quite a bit and Daniela had them do a hard treading water drill. Most of the kids then jumped off of the big high dives. Most of us were pretty tired after this so we really chilled out after. But alas there was a soccer game that night at the stadium where we were sleeping so of course we went. So fun!! Soccer in Mexico of course is like Football in America so the stands were totally alive. However we only were able to stay up until the 60th minute because of exhaustion and because we had to race in the morning, with the home team loosing 2-1.

Saturday

The race started at 8am. And it was in fact a pretty punctual start. It was an out and back race with an extra hill at the end of it. About 60 people started the race that was about as hard as the Old Man shoot out with some more attacking.

I wish I could drive SAG in the US the way I did for this race. Since I only brought my track bike I could not race but none the less I had a great time. Daniela, Damiano and myself as a team in the car, so fun. We motor paced Lizzy, Nathan and Donovan at the appropriate times. They never even flinched. We followed the Peloton like in the great bike races giving feeds out of the car, yelling out the window, and receiving things from the riders that they threw through the windows. It felt super pro and was really fun, like I was a real deal coach of a great team. The kids road and raced great. Donovan and Nathan worked together in their chase group of 5 and gained incredible amounts of experience. Lizzy was able to hang with the other two girls that were in the race, that were easily twice her size, and the other boys really impressed me with how they raced with their heads and in their team work. Kramer road and communicated like a captain, Tullio a super star initiating attacks and breaks, Pablo a super class act, and Logan a cool customer following all the moves. They finished in the front bunch of what was left of the 60. All placing in the top 20. I was so thrilled at how we road and I heard it from the Mexican coaches. They now know we are the real deal and they said as much. They invited us to come and race more their and many times complimented me on how strong the kids were.

To the beach we went next and on the way we ran into a parade. So of course Daniela and I decided that all the kids had to get out of the car and partake. It was classic. About 30 cars long with every other one playing super load music with girls dancing all over and every car honking.

We actually did finally make it to the beach and there we treated the kids to a boat ride around an island and back around. Nathan ate fish for the first time and Miguel bought us a Mariachi song from a band.

So on Saturday we road in a road race, went to the beach, took a boat road, got serenaded by a Mariachi band, and saw a parade. All after riding the track for the first time the other day and watching a soccer game.

Sunday brought us rain and sadness because we would not be able to ride the track again. So we left at 10am and were home by 5pm.

You know on second thought there is no way we can top this trip so maybe we should not go down again until every rider that went on this trip moves on from the team because there is no way we can top this.


I want to thank all the riders for a great trip. You guys really were class acts. Please recognize the individuals you were on this trip and never change, because you were great to be with. Also to Natalie, Miguel, Jeanette, and Jillian for all your support through out the trip.

Can’t wait for the next time!!

Ignacio