Candy Cranks

Here’s a long update. Thank you Alfred Nash for the compilation! If you’re in Los Angeles, San Diego, or San Francisco, ride the track!

***TRACK RACING IN MAY***

LAVRA CUP #4 TT and Omniums
LA Velodrome at the Home Depot Center, Carson CA
Saturday May 1, 2010
TTs
Flyer http://bit.ly/aarZAP
Open categories
Omniums/Madison
Flyer http://bit.ly/byyv9d
Men 1/2/3, Women 1/2/3, Masters 45+, Masters 55+

TUESDAY NIGHT RACING IS UNDERWAY AT THE SAN DIEGO VELODROME
New for 2010: All NEW riders must qualify for Tuesday Night Racing through Friday Night Racing (which starts May 7th). Special exceptions at the discretion of the race director, based on prior racing performances and track experience
RACE FEES $10 Non-Members $5 Members
Number deposit $5. Keep your number for the entire season.
2009 Vinyl numbers are ok for 2010.
CASH ONLY. NO CHECKS. NO COINS. NO IOU’s
Download, print up, and fill out forms at the bottom of this page: http://www.sdvelodrome.com/Home/racing
New riders, Juniors, Women-only, Sprinters, & Masters-only Friday Night racing Starts May 7th

TUESDAY NIGHT TRAINING RACES ARE BACK AT THE ENCINO VELODROME!
Warm up paceline- 50 laps (25 easy ,25 faster)
200’s
2-Sprint rounds
Points Race -50 laps, 12 controlled
If time allows a Miss N Out
ONLY $5

TUESDAY NIGHT RACING CONTINUES AT THE HELLYER VELODROME
Info: http://bit.ly/aOxnhl

WEDNESDAY NIGHT TRAINING SERIES AT HELLYER
http://www.ridethetrack.com/info_wed.html

MOMENTUM COACHING GROUP FRIDAY NIGHT SPRINT CLINICS
Come learn from the USA’s Adam Duvendeck and Canada’s Travis Smith
Fridays 5 - 7 PM
Velodrome at Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
Check out their website @ http://www.momentumcoachinggroup.com/

LADIES ONLY TRACK SESSION
Encino Velodrome
Sat May 8 11am – 2pm Pacific Time
Details at http://www.zippydsnail.blogspot.com/

May 14th BURBANK MEMORIAL OMNIUM
Hellyer Velodrome
Featuring:
The Musical Chairs Race
The Don Peterson Madison
First Race: 7:30 pm
Cat 1-2-3-Pro Omnium
Women Cat 1-2-3 Omnium
Masters 40+ Cat 1-2-3 Omnium
Flyer: http://www.grassrootscycling.net/Burbank2010.pdf

May 15-Sat GET READY FOR SUMMER TRACK SERIES
Hellyer Velodrome
Flyer http://bit.ly/aWN9pd

[Read more →]

Here is a collection of track racing events happening on the West Coast . Special thanks to Alfred Nash for compiling it!

“Taxing?
It’s hard to keep up with all the exciting developments on track.
Are you keeping up?

MOMENTUM COACHING GROUP FRIDAY NIGHT SPRINT CLINICS
Come learn from the USA’s Adam Duvendeck and Canada’s Travis Smith
Fridays 5 - 7 PM
Velodrome at Home Depot Center, Carson, CA
Check out their website @ http://www.momentumcoachinggroup.com/

KEIRIN SCHOOL HIATUS AT THE ENCINO VELODROME
There will be no Keirin School at the Encino Velodrome April 3, 10, or 17.
Keirin School resumes Saturday April 24th

April-17-Sat GET READY FOR SUMMER TRACK SERIES
Hellyer Velodrome
Flyer http://bit.ly/aWN9pd
Also 5/15 MARK YOUR CALENDARS

***SUPER SATURDAY AT THE ENCINO VELODROME***

LOW KEY TIME TRIALS
Saturday April 17th
Encino Velodrome
Encino Velo Low Key Time Trials
ENTRY/REGISTRATION: Opens at 8:15am Closes at 9:15 am. Racing starts at 9:30am.
One entry fee of $10, and race as many events as you like.
500m Time Trial, 1000m Time Trial, 2000m Time Trial, 3000m Time Trial, 4000m Time Trial, Flying 200 Encino style, 4000m Team Time Trial, 3000m Team Time Trial, Team Sprint
Flyer: http://bit.ly/deWvDh

THE SCNCA MASTERS TRACK CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL BE AT ENCINO VELODROME JUNE 12-13
THIS IS ONE OF ONLY TWO CHANCES REMAINING TO TIME TRIAL ON THE TRACK AT ENCINO BEFORE THEN

ENCINO VELODROME SWAP MEET
Saturday April 17th
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Sellers only $10 Vendors & Bike Shops-$40
Buyers- FREE
For more information contact Ken Avchen TRCKRCR@aol.com
GET RID OF YOUR OLD JUNK OR BUY SOMEONE ELSE’S

GONE IN 250 METERS
Saturday APRIL 17th
Encino Velodrome
Bob Hansing Memorial Cup Series Race #2 at the Encino Velodrome
Presented by Privateer
CA$H PRIZES
Registration Opens at 11 AM & Closes at 11:45 AM for the 12:00 PM session.
Registration Opens at 2 PM & Closes at 2:45 PM for the 3:00 PM session.
Omniums for Youth 12 & Under, Juniors 13-16, Masters 40+ (first session)
Men 5, 3/4, and 1/2/3 (second session)
Men & Women’s category Team Pursuits too. Omniums include Match Sprints!
Flyer: http://bit.ly/bJJL3F

THE SCNCA MASTERS TRACK CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL BE AT ENCINO VELODROME JUNE 12-13
THIS IS ONE OF ONLY TWO CHANCES REMAINING TO RACE MASS START EVENTS ON THE TRACK AT ENCINO BEFORE THEN

***TUESDAY NIGHT RACING ALL OVER CALIFORNIA***

TUESDAY NIGHT RACING HAS STARTED AT THE SAN DIEGO VELODROME (WITH NEW POLE LANE)
New for 2010: All NEW riders must qualify for Tuesday Night Racing through Friday Night Racing (which starts May 7th). Special exceptions at the discretion of the race director, based on prior racing performances and track experience
RACE FEES $10 Non-Members $5 Members
Number deposit $5. Keep your number for the entire season.
2009 Vinyl numbers are ok for 2010.
CASH ONLY. NO CHECKS. NO COINS. NO IOU’s
Download, print up, and fill out forms at the bottom of this page: http://www.sdvelodrome.com/Home/racing
New riders, Juniors, Women-only, Sprinters, & Masters-only Friday Night racing Starts May 7th

TUESDAY NIGHT TRAINING RACES ARE BACK AT THE ENCINO VELODROME!
Warm up paceline- 50 laps (25 easy ,25 faster)
200’s
2-Sprint rounds
Points Race -50 laps, 12 controlled
If time allows a Miss N Out
ONLY $5

TUESDAY NIGHT RACING CONTINUES AT THE HELLYER VELODROME
Info: http://bit.ly/aOxnhl

WEDNESDAY NIGHT TRAINING SERIES STARTS APRIL 21ST AT HELLYER
http://www.ridethetrack.com/info_wed.html

SPRING INTRO CLASS
LA Velodrome at the Home Depot Center, Carson CA
Intro Class is now being offered beginning April 24 at Noon.
It’s a 4 week course on velodrome riding, good personal instruction!
http://www.lavelodrome.org/Training/IntroClass.htm

LAVRA OMNIUM UPGRADE RACE
Carson CA
Saturday April 24, 2010
Flyer http://bit.ly/6ugfkK
DISCOUNTED PREREGISTRATION http://socalreg.com/schedule.asp?race=LAVRA+Upgrade+Race+4
Men Cat 3, Men Cat 4/5, Women Cat 3/4, Women 35+, Juniors*

GATEWAY CLASSIC
San Diego Velodrome
April 24th
Races include a coed/rookie madison were experienced riders will be paired with a beginner madison rider or a female rider. There will also be juniors racing. Sponsors include Gateway Insurance Agency, MetLife, Progressive and Hurley. Track opens at 8:30, Reg at 9am and racing at 10am to allow folks to make the trip south and check out the new and improved facility.
Flyer: http://bit.ly/bIRifU

SAN DIEGO SWAP MEET
Sunday, April 25th
http://www.sdvelodrome.com/

SPRINT TOURNAMENT @ HELLYER
Sun - Apr 25
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Details to come Contact Kevin Worley: kevinworley@yahoo.com

LAVRA CUP #4 TT and Omniums
LA Velodrome at the Home Depot Center, Carson CA
Saturday May 1, 2010
TTs
Flyer http://bit.ly/aarZAP
Open categories
Omniums/Madison
Flyer http://bit.ly/byyv9d
Men 1/2/3, Women 1/2/3, Masters 45+, Masters 55+

LADIES ONLY TRACK SESSION
Encino Velodrome
Sat May 8 11am – 2pm Pacific Time
Details at http://www.zippydsnail.blogspot.com/

WOMEN’S TRACK CLINIC
Hellyer Velodrome
Saturday, May 22nd 8:30 to 4:30 and Sunday, May 23rd 10:30 to 4:00 The clinic is open to women who are interested in racing on the track. Cat 3/4 women who race on the road are highly encouraged to attend. Women who have attended some Saturday morning beginner sessions or have minimal track racing experience are also encouraged to attend. INFORMATION & PDF http://www.ridethetrack.com/profiles/womenclinic_052210.html

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FRIDAY NIGHTS @ HELLYER?
Friday Night Racing 2010 kicks off in May with race director Jonathan
Racine planning a fun filled, action packed race series. Specific race
and sponsor details will be announced soon, but for now, mark your
calendars!
* May 21
* June 4
* June 25
* July 23
* August 27
* September 3
* September 17

RACING COMING TO ALPENROSE VELODROME
http://obra.org/track/schedule
Date Event Contact Phone
4/25 Women’s Track Clinic Meg Mautner 503-452-7786
5/8 Eric Kautzky Memorial Track Race Darell Provencher 503-657-0568
6/20 Blue Ribbon Track Omnium Phil Sanders 503-649-4632
6/28-7/3 Alpenrose Sixday Mike Murray 503-661-5874
7/9-11 OBRA Track Championships Candi Murray 503-667-6220
7/16-18 Alpenrose Challenge Charles Warner 360-624-1801
8/8 Team Beer Track Race Clint Culpepper 503-548-8672
8/14 National Track Qualifier Jen Featheringill 503-227-4439
8/15 Alpenrose Heartbreaker Samuel Nicoletti 303-881-8913
8/21 OBRA Junior and Team Track Championships Candi Murray 503-667-6220
8/28-29 OBRA Masters Track Championships Candi Murray 503-667-6220

Alpenrose Weekly Racing Schedule
Day Event Time Contact Phone Notes
Tuesday Masters Junior Track 6:30 pm to dusk Steve Truesdale 503-232-1704 June through August except June 29 (Six Day)
Thursday Alpenrose Thursday Series 6:30 PM to dusk
(6 PM on 5/6 and 5/13) Mike Murray 503-661-5874 May through September except July 1 (Six Day) For results questions contact Candi Murray cmurray@obra.org
Friday Fast Twitch Fridays 6:30 pm to dusk Jen Featheringill 503-235-4507 May through August Except: July 2 (Six Day), July 9 (OBRA Championships), July 16 (AVC), August 13 (Portland Twilight Criterium)

2010 RACING DATES @ MARYMOOR VELODROME
(mark your calendars!)

Monday Night Racing (Men 4, Juniors, alternating Madison/Time Trials/Sprints)
June 7- August 30

Wednesday Night Racing (Men 4, Women 4 and Masters)
June 2- September 8

Thursday Night Racing (Beginners)
May 6- August 26

Friday Night Racing
Preseason: May 7-28
Categories: A, B and C
Regular Season: June 4- September 10
Categories: Men 3, Women 1-3, Men 1/2

State Championship Events:

Scratch: August 20 Points: August 27
International Style Omnium State Championships: August 22
Madison: September 3 Keirin: September 10

Marymoor Grand Prix: July 23-25

Elite Nationals Qualifier: August 6-7

MAJOR WEST COAST RACE DATES THIS SUMMER

Hellyer AVC San Jose, CA June 11 - 12 http://www.ridethetrack.com/avc/index.html
Alpenrose Six Days Portland, OR June 28 - July 3
Alpenrose Challenge Portland, OR July 16-18 (National Championship Series Race)
FSA Grand Prix Redmond, WA July 23-25
Far West Championships Encino, CA July 31 (National Championship Series Race)
Alpenrose Heartbreaker Portland, OR August 14 (National Championship Series Race)

Read More About The National Championship Series http://bit.ly/bcJ6DB

2010 USA Cycling Rulebook posted http://bit.ly/6yR9w1

The 2010 USAC Athlete Waiver is now available on-line http://www.usacycling.org/forms/rider_release.pdf

IF YOU PLAN TO RACE AN SCNCA OR USAC CHAMPIONSHIP TRACK EVENT THIS YEAR
Be aware that Junior Men 17-18, Elite and Masters Men need to be a Category 3 or better to race in mass start (Madison, Points, Scratch, Match Sprint and or Keirin) events.
See USAC Rulebook for details http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=4220
START PLANNING YOUR RACE SCHEDULE NOW IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO UPGRADE
All track upgrades are processed and approved by USA Cycling and the SCNCA
with recommendations from velodrome managers using the following criteria:
Cat. 5 to Cat. 4 Complete a Velodrome Class or 4 race days.
Cat. 4 to Cat. 3 5 race days and 20 points
Cat. 3 to Cat. 2 5 race days and 25 points
Cat. 2 to Cat. 1 5 race days and 30 points
For more information visit http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2626
HOW DO YOU UPGRADE? - RACE!!!
“endquote”

Greetings!

My name’s Hanan and I live in Oakland, CA. The San Francisco Bay Area is such a cycling hub, especially for road and track racing which is what I do. I’m about five years into racing and there’s a huge women’s community here that means for our sport to be all-inclusive for women obsessed with bicycles. I’m hoping that through posting tidbits about my racing experience here on Candy Cranks, all of you, the cyclistas of the world, can feel inspired and empowered on your bikes!

I’m looking forward to sharing with you and please do contact me about anything, if you have any interest to, at hananrabia@gmail.com.

While it’s freezing, snowing or raining in Paris (brrr….), we are trying to find ways to have fun… Here is the result:

credit: Paul Hackmann
More pics here

Unfortunately the news from philly is less than positive. Here’s a brief update on the last couple of months of laws, events, etc (via Metro):

June: Mayor Nutter signed an executive order giving equal treatment to bikes on the road.

September: One of two traffic lanes on Spruce and Pine streets in Center City were designated for bicyclists.

October: Two Philadelphia residents died after cyclists hit them: 78-year-old Tom Archie in South Philadelphia and 40-year-old Andre Steed.

Nov. 19: Councilmen Frank DiCicco and Jim Kenney introduced legislation that would increase penalties for sidewalk riding, riding with headphones, riding bikes without a brake, and would mandate registration and bicycle license plates.

Nov. 21: Philadelphia Police announced a bicycle enforcement campaign focused on ticketing cyclists who break existing code, including running stop signs and red lights.

As of two weeks ago a mutual friend had already been ticketed $150 and given points on his license for riding through a red light.

Then the worst thing possible happened. A prominent bike messenger in the community suffered a horrendous hit-and-run. Her name is Rachel Fletcher and she is currently recovering from facial fractures, and a broken jaw.

Rachel Fletcher, a 30-year-old experienced and well-known Center City courier, was struck at 23rd and Locusts Streets early Thanksgiving morning and remained at Hahnemann Hospital until Saturday after surgery to repair her face and jaw.

Despite the severity of the crash, police did not take a report until 12 hours later Thursday, which some in the bicycling community said yesterday is part of a culture in Philadelphia that treats cyclists as less important on streets than cars. A sergeant at the Ninth District declined to comment on the incident last night, citing an ongoing investigation. (via Metro)

shortly after the accident

before

after

I am outraged that a human is capable of running a cyclist off the road and then leaving her there.

There will be a rally for Rachel tonight at LOVE park at 5:30 pm. If you’re in the city please stop by and show your support.

More on this at Road Rage at Philly Newspaper

After several false starts (and my very bad mood) the Mittens hit the road last sunday for Provins (middle-age town near Paris).
Numbers : About 120 miles, 2 punctures, half a litre of hot tea (thanks to Vic), 8 pancakes, 300g of dried apricots, 4h in the rain, 1h in a hailstorm, 3h night-riding, and a fricking head on wind (never the other way round), 3h rest, and 8 cases of the giggles…

PERFECT !

Last saturday evening it was so cold in Paris.
It was also Victoria’s - one of the Mittens riders - first alleycat.
There were 22 competitors riding to begin with , we were the only two girls.
Unfortunately in Paris there is not a lot of girls really riding.
9 people finished the race. And guess what? We drew forth, even though Victoria had a little crash, and the first 3 were messengers.
We are so proud of ourselves!!!!
Mittens Power!!!!!!!!!

Hey there, hottie, howz trix?

This one spectator is so impressed he’s got to watch in salute, hand over his heart.

And no, I wasn’t the ONLY blogger documenting these amazing maneuvers. Of course, we already know Adrienne was snapping away.
Even Mikael had to record a few for posterity. In his words, sometimes subculture can be cool. Yeah, sometimes it can.

So Mikael went on to try to impress the ladies by busting out his Danish trickster moves. (And for his next trick, it looks like he’s about to be beamed up by aliens.)
Though it seemed Mikey’s skillz were limited to one.

Near… far… wherever you are… Le Chic will go on and on!

I’ve finally finished my trip through Europe, while climbing some hellish mountains, learning a bit of French and experiencing the full gamut of Dutch rage on the way. Now I am settled in London and have packed up my tent, stored my opinel knife and swapped my tourer for a fixie. (I still use the compass though).

My crowning glory was climbing Col de I’Isearn – the highest mountain pass in Europe. It was a killer and I had to listen to my ipod to distract myself from the pain of it. (Disco did the trick) At the top I bought several stickers that I plan to conspicuously stick on everything I own and use so that for the rest of my life I can boast about my achievement.

After Spain, Andorra, France and Switzerland, we then rode through Belgium, Germany Luxemburg and Finally the Netherlands- the last of which I would not recommend.

Holland is often described as a cycling paradise. This wasn’t the case for me. Don’t get me wrong, there is bike infrastructure over there that Australians can only dream of. Cycling is a part of life there and during peak hour I experienced cycling gridlock amongst all kinds of practical Dutch bikes. However, the dedicated bike paths are so convoluted that covering any kind of distance is near impossible.

Frustrated that we weren’t going anywhere, Marc and I took to the roads. Here we both received a constant stream of abuse from motorists with some leaving their palm on the car horn for minutes as they passed us.

I have never experienced so much pure motorist hate directed at me. I was reduced to tears in a matter of minutes. I couldn’t get out of Holland fast enough, however the bike paths meant that this was going to take significantly longer than we had hoped.

My continental European adventure ended when I took the ferry from Amsterdam to Northern England and Marc and I went our separate ways. Unfortunately my first port of call was a particularly depressing one: Hartlepool. Hartlepool’s main claim to fame is that the town’s people hanged a monkey, believing it was a Napoleonic spy.

Unfortunately in Hartlepool there were very few campsites that catered to tents. Many were “caravan only” so finding somewhere to stay was a challenge. Locals also told me that it wasn’t safe to bush camp solo (however one I spoke to was also highly suspicious of the Spanish). I’d often ride past groups of bored, spotty, overweight teenagers in grey tracksuits who would yell “Wanna fook?” as I passed. Laughable though the prospect was, the idea of being harassed by Hartlepool youth was not an attractive one. I realised that this was a particularly un glamorous end to an otherwise awesome experience.

I’m now in London and my tour is officially over and although I miss the stress free existence, I am enjoying drinking wine out of a glass, sleeping in a bed and sometimes wearing makeup. I rode more than I thought possible and (for some parts) by myself. I would recommend going it alone to any girls who are contemplating taking the dive. You’re always welcome to contact me for advice or moral support (I can’t guarantee how good the advice will be though). On a sappy note, thanks to all the reader’s comments and support. I’d also like to thank Meg for allowing me to brag about my holiday and cycling achievements to a much wider audience than I could have reached alone. So, one more look at the sticker.

Name: Adam Pastana
Occupation: Biker Rocker
Hometown: Penryn, CA
SF neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Helmet or no helmet: Bare Melon
Type of bike: Yuba Mundo!
Describe what you like best about your bike: People carrying abilities
Describe your cycling experience in SF: Rough, rugged and raw
Favorite time or place to ride: Panhandle B-Ball Courts
Favorite color: O-range
Artist most commonly played on iPod at the moment: M.I.A.
Describe your personal style: Like a cold drink on a hot day

…:::ROCK the BIKE:::…
Rock the Bike is a innovative, clean energy company with a diverse product line of human powered products and stylish accessories. Our most important Products include;

– Yuba Mundo Cargo Bike — Great for carrying extra people and cargo like ice chests for picnics, groceries and anything else you can imagine.

– Down Low Glow — Bright neon lighting that gives you and your bike more than adequate visibility from all sides (especially from the side which is where most automobile-bike collisions occur).

– Fender Blender — Simply the Worlds finest bicycle blenders made for you right here in the bay area.

Our services at Rock the Bike are mainly doing Pedal Power for events/concerts and also bicycle customization including live sound so you can roll down the street sharing your favorite music with the neighborhood.