An interview with Devon at cyclingnews.com

Cyclingnews.com published a short excerpt of an interview with Devon yesterday. (Hat tip to Loren Bo.)


Nature Valley announces women's collegiate team

By Mark Zalewski, North American Editor

The Nature Valley Grand Prix, one of the top NRC stage races in America, will once again have a special collegiate women's all-star team comprised of the top riders from the recent US collegiate nationals. Each member of the team will race in her school's team kit, garnering national exposure for the school, while the rider gains exposure in front of the top women's teams.

The first year success of the program prompted its continuation, as half of the 2007 team were signed to pro contracts for this season – Penn State's Erica Allar (Aaron's Pro Cycling), Fort Lewis College's Kristin McGrath (Colavita-Sutter Home), and Lehigh University's Andrea Luebbe (Verducci Breakaway Racing).

Devon Haskell (University of Chicago) is returning to the team this year. She told her school newspaper, The Maroon, after last year's race that being the test group meant a lot of unknowns, but was happy with the result.

"Nature Valley is one of the biggest and most competitive races in America for women's cycling," said Haskell. "All the big pro teams are there. [It was] my first year bike racing so it was a pretty cool experience to be racing with the best. [It was] the first year that they put a collegiate all-star team together, and I think nobody really knew what to expect, [but I] think we came out of the event feeling like the team was a success."

Collegiate cycling is seen as one of the biggest potential recruiting venues for women's cycling in the US, said USA Cycling board president Mark Abramson, who sits on the board as the collegiate cycling representative. ""The Ryan Collegiate All Stars is a great way to build awareness of collegiate cycling and to help talented women move up the ladder in the sport."

Ryan Collegiate All-Stars: Chloe Forsman, University of Arizona; Devon Haskell, University of Chicago; Anna McLoon, Harvard University; Amanda Miller, Colorado State University; Jen Stebbins, Dartmouth College; Carla Swart, Lees-McRae College.

Last 2k of 17th stage

Notice how Ongarato, the Milram guy, does a lead-out only to realize that Zabel is not on his wheel. Notice also how Bettini gets squished between the pack and the outside of the last turn and how, miraculously, he doesn't crash into the fence. These guys know how to handle a bike...

Giro d`Italia 2008 - 17.Etappe
by hautacam2000

Watch Out for Waves!!

It's windy out there on the path today... and with the wind comes some crazy wave action from Lake Michigan. The waves are especially vicious along the Oak Street Beach stretch of the path. The waves were coming over the edge and flowing up onto the path this morning... most of them can be avoided by riding up high on the path. However, on the corner after the long straight away, there were some monster splashes that shot up in the air almost 20 feet and then came crashing across the whole path. You might think a good strategy to minimize wave damage would be to continue cycling as far from the water as possible and close to the far wall. I used this strategy this morning... just as I came around the corner with monster waves, the water struck, shot up in the air, and came rushing across the path about 1.5 ft. deep when it hit me (and this was the shallow part because I had the brilliant strategy of staying close to the wall). Then my plan backfired because the wave hit the wall, traveled up the wall, and came back and dumped on my head. Meanwhile, I got laughed at by an oncoming rider. Oh dear! So - I would not recommend riding close to the wall around this corner! I do not have a good alternative strategy... on the way home I just kept my fingers crossed and rode really fast through that section of the path - I escaped with relatively minimal wave wetness.

A view of the Plan de Corones course

A view of the course of the Plan de Corones time trial (gravel section only). Via steephill.tv



(The dude riding the course wears the exact same Rudy Project helmet I use.)

Points ride--Classifica generale

Dopo la terza tappa of the "Points ride" series, including volunteering at Monsters, here's the new classification:

Classifica generale - ventiquattro di maggio	Points	Miles
Elisabeth	20	85
Araba	19	85
Bernard	19	85
Dan	19	85
Francisco	19	85
Jeremy	19	85
Jonathan	19	85
Ari	15	50
Suchandra	15	50
Jesse	14	35
Sarah	14	35
Aspen	10	0
Carly	10	0
Devon	10	0
Mickey	10	0
Saud	10	0
Liam	10	0
Ricardo	10	0
James	10	0
Tim	10	0
Paige	10	0
Jason T.	10	0
Jason F.	10	0
Eric	10	0
Matthew C.	10	0
Matthew M.	10	0
Bruce	10	0
Robert F.	10	0
Jon	10	0
J/Tati	10	0
Rasi	5	50
Charlie	5	50
Miles	5	50
John B.	5	50
Jeff N.	5	50
Claus	5	50
Noah	4	35

What to bring to a race

This is a list of things to bring to a race. It was posted originally by Charles, an experienced racer, on the blog.

-Race clothes, including shorts, jersey, skin suit, arm and leg warmers, socks, gloves, rain jacket
-warm up and cool down clothes - jacket / tights
-helmet
-shoes
-glasses
-bottles for warm up / race / post race
-food pre-race / race / post race (I always pack food because I don't want to be scrambling to find some place open when I should be warming up -- I've learned that lesson too many times.)
-HR monitor / strap / computer
-trainer (plus front wheel prop and iPod)
-license
-pump
-tools
-cash / checkbook / phone / wallet / keys
-sunscreen
-towel
-spare wheels
-race flier / map / directions

I would add

-coins (for the road tolls)
-a large bottle of water, aside from the water bottles (there's no such thing as too much extra water)
-an extra set of racing clothes
-health insurance card
-chamois cream/jelly (for those who use such things)
-sugary drink/sports recovery drink (to avoid the sugar crash at the end of the race)
-spare tubes

Comments from CBR

Luke Seemann's chronicle of Monsters (and links to pictures).

Photos from the Race

Movies about cycling or bicycles

Jacques Tati, in "Jour de fête"
Here's a list of movies about cycling or bicycles. In some of them bicycles play a really secondary part (did you know that Goldeneye or Tomorrow Never Dies were movies about bicycles!?). But all the important ones are there, I think, up until 2007. I think we can consider the list comprehensive.

Monsters wrap-up -- from an organizational point of view

Thanks to all the volunteers who showed up to make the race happen. It wouldn't have been possible without you (I know this sounds like an over-used line, but it's literally true: one needs tons of people on race day to keep the event going).

The day started with a major problem: there was a ditch on the course, on the eastbound side of the Midway, between Ellis and Woodlawn. I learned about this on race day, at 5.30am. It's totally my fault that I didn't know: I should've inspected the course a couple of days before. I wish the guys who were distributing "No Parking" flyers would have noticed.

The ditch was about one-foot wide. It was covered with gravel, but the passing cars had scattered the gravel all over the place and there were rocks the size of fists near the ditch.

Fortunately, Mickey Eder saved the day by bringing some wooden planks and taping them to the asphalt to cover the ditch. The sweeping crew promptly removed all gravel and rocks from the course. Big, big thank-you to Mickey.

The second problem arose when the Ida Noyes building manager didn't open the doors of the building by 6.30am, as they had promised (eventually they opened past 7.30). This was a big problem because:
a) The tables and chairs we were going to use were inside
b) We had no access to restrooms

I was prepared for a), by asking Devon to bring our own chairs and table. But I made no preparations for b), and this is my fault again. Lesson: do not trust Ida Noyes Hall again and rent portapotties. This is the second year that this happens. I felt like an idiot when dozens of people kept asking me for a restroom and all I could do was apologize and tell them that the building wasn't open yet. It doesn't matter that you reserve your space with Ida Noyes months in advance, as we did; that you reconfirm your reservation twice on the week of the race, as we did; that you go talk to the manager of the building the day before the race, as we did; that you call the building manager on the morning of the race to ask him to open the building, as we did. None of that guarantees that the building will be open at 6.30. JUST RENT PORTAPOTTIES.

The rest of the day went more or less smoothly. The registration table worked like a well-oiled machine, thanks to Steve and Paul.

The races were slightly behind schedule, as usual, and the officials had to shorten almost all the races. This, I must say, was not really UCVC's fault, since we were ready to go at 7.30 sharp.

I couldn't make sure that every corner marshal was where he/she was supposed to be 100% of the time, but most of the time, I think, they were. Thanks for enduring the boredom of standing on a corner for hours.

The announcer was really good. I love that he started collecting a big prime from spectators for the P/1/2 race. People were really enthusiastic and the money starting piling up fast. I think that Jon actually enjoys himself as announcer. And thanks also to Carly, who was forced to stand in for Jon for the first 15 minutes of the event. I hope some day she'll forgive me.

We had few and minor crashes, so the ambulance was never necessary.

We didn't lose any race sheets. We had an abundance of trash bins near the finish-line tent. The registration table was safe from the wind (can you imagine dozens of banknotes flying across the street?), and we had plenty of change. Basically, things that don't make an event, but avert disaster or the discomfort of the race attendees. Except for the restrooms, of course. Did I mention that WE MUST RENT PORTAPOTTIES next time?

I couldn't watch much of the racing, so I encourage people to write another post with a chronicle.