La Voix

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The Gift - A Film about Raymond Fouquet

July 14 Bastille Day with a Proclamation by the City of Los Angeles

2019 LG Cup TT Results

July 50 for 50 Ride

Race Report

Welcome New Members

The Gift: a film about Raymond Fouquet

If you want to know about the founder of Velo Club La Grange please click the Vimeo link to watch the movie. https://vimeo.com/132171897

Raymond Fouquet, founder Velo Club La Grange

July 14 Bastille Day with a Proclamation by the City of Los Angeles

Sunday, July 14th, which was Bastille Day, was a very special day for Velo Club La Grange. Eric Bruins, representing the City of Los Angeles, presented the club with a proclamation recognizing the club’s 50th anniversary at the start of the World Famous Nichols Ride at 8 am. There were well over 150 riders present and we received an amazing police escort through the streets of Los Angeles courtesy of LAPD officer Rusty Redican. Post ride crepes were served at San Vicente and Ocean!

Eric Bruins, Transportation Policy Director for Councilmember Mike Bonin, City of Los Angeles, presents Velo Club La Grange a proclamation honoring the club for its 50th anniversary.

Cycling Art Project graphics were placed throughout the ride by Dan Chapman.

Club member and LAPD Officer Rusty Redican, escorted the large group of riders throughout the usual Sunday Nichols Ride.

Raymond’s daughters, Zizi on the far left, and Raphaele, on the far right, were able to join in the festivities. LAPD officer Rusty Redican escorted the club through the streets of Los Angeles and was able to enjoy the festivities at the end of the ride.

2019 LG Cup TT

The 2019 LaGrange Cup TT was held on Saturday, July 13 starting at 9 am. “The race of truth,” included a nice tail wind, which is unusual and it led to some very fast times on the 20k course and many PR’s were set by the participants.

Big congrats to Sam Selfridge for cranking out a smoking time of 26'35". On the women's side, Cara Applegate showed all of the women how a TT is run with a super time of 31'41". Hero of the day award goes to Sarah Jones who flatted at the start, managed to make the needed tire change and finished the TT.

Finally, a big thanks to the volunteers who made this event possible:

Marco Fantone, Jan Datomi, Frank Whitelock, Scott Lipe, Kathryn Arnold, Guy Dutton, Geoff Loui, Bill Birrell, Marc Thomas, and Dan Chapman.

July LG 50 for 50 Ride

LG Board member Jaycee Cary, the ingenious mastermind behind the 50 for 50 rides, was in charge of the July 50 for 50 ride. The route was up Benedict and down into the valley to the San Fernando Mission with support provided by Tom Byrnes. Thank you Tom!

Jaycee welcoming everyone to the July 50 for 50 ride.

Race Report

For the CBR finale Liz and myself were at the race.We didn't talk about any strategies because we were not on the GC CBR finale. It was another Sunday race race for us. There  were some accelerations but nothing serious. At the second and fourth lap they ran the bell for a CBR bar points, which I decided to go for it because I was in seventh place in the CBR points. No one contested the points prime and I keep going solo for two or three laps. When the group caught me Liz counter attacked forcing the group to chase and making the pace a little faster. We were covering some attacks until the group let one rider go. We were chasing for a couple of laps but we couldn't catch the solo rider off the front. Liz and I were forced to wait for the final sprint and fight for the second position. In the final straightaway some rider did a hero acceleration trying to stay in the front for the sprint, we got boxed in, making it really difficult to stay in position for the final sprint. I ended up in 3rd place and Liz got 4th place.

Daniela Garcia

Daniela Garcia lining up for women’s P 1, 2, 3 race at CBR 7.

New Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new members: John Wike, Daniel Steinberg, Ran Geller, David Cranston, Mark Jean, Andy Lau, Susan Stahl, Basile Radisson, and Elie Braun.

La Voix

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July 14 LA City Proclamation Day, 2019 LG Cup TT, La Grange Grand Prix, La Grange Happy Hour, June 50 for 50 Ride, Santa Barbara Century June 22, Grand Tour Double Century, Race Report

July 14 LA City Proclamation Day

Save the date! Sunday, July 14th, which is Bastille Day, the City of Los Angeles will present the club with a proclamation recognizing the club’s 50th anniversary at the start of the World Famous Nichols Ride at 8 am. We expect a huge turnout for this so be sure to mark it on your calendar now. Post ride crepes will be served at San Vicente and Ocean starting at 10 am!

A food truck serving fresh crepes will be at SVO at the end of the Nichols Ride on Sunday, July 14th

2019 LG Cup TT

The 2019 LaGrange Cup TT will be help on Saturday, July 13 starting at 9 am. “The race of truth” as Phil Liggett would say! The 20K time trial follows the Pacific Coast Highway from Trancas to just south of The Rock. Like the sprint, you will be held in position, and then counted down to zero. The key to the time trial is to find the maximum speed you can maintain for the next 25+ minutes. PCH is mostly rollers with no real hills. Wind can be anything from a nasty headwind to an awesome tailwind! Bring your aero gear out for this one or borrow what you can. Every last bit of “go-fast” will help with your elapsed time!

Registration is open now. Click here to register. Registration closes on Thursday, July 11th at 9 pm.

La Grange Grand Prix

The La Grange Grand Prix  on June 2, 2019, was an extraordinary bike racing experience. Everyone seemed to have a very positive experience from a racer’s perspective and a spectator’s perspective. Race Director Zach LaBry did an outstanding job and Race Czar Joe Duerr made it happen. Many many thanks goes out to thankless club volunteers who showed up starting at 3 am and many stayed until 8 pm to clear the venue of any trace of a bike race….and congrats to Steven Walter for winning the men’s 4/5 race at LGGP

Congrats to Steven Walter winning the men’s 4/5 race at LGGP

Congrats to Steven Walter winning the men’s 4/5 race at LGGP

Liz cruising around turn 1 at LGGP.

La Grange Happy Hour Monday, June 24

Hotel Shangri-La at 1301 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90401 hosted the happy hour last month.

June LG 50 for 50 Ride

LG member Troy Huerta was in charge of the June 50 for 50 ride. It was one of the largest turn outs we have had and support was provided by Dan Chapman. Thank you Dan!

Santa Barbara Century June 22

The annual La Grange Santa Barbara Century was another big event for the club. We started with around 35 people with some turning back at the Rock.

Everyone took the train back…except Leo. Leo not only rode 42 miles to meet the group at Van Nuys he rode home for a total mileage of 238 miles for the day.

Grand Tour Double Century By Edgar Burcksen

After a suffering a broken femur on my right leg in April 2017, crashing on the ledge of a bike path ramp and six weeks later back on the home trainer getting brain surgery after an undiagnosed subdural hematoma caused by the crash, I got back on the bike end of September. Slowly I starting building up my strength until in February 2018 after climbing Nicols Canyon I went down again at the infamous “crash corner” at the start of the descend and broke the femur on my left leg. You can imagine that after this second crash my dear wife Jana was not very supportive when I got back on the bike. She relented when I promised I would take it easy now and at my 71st birthday I would not do these crazy long bike rides called double centuries anymore; before my crashes I had done 24 of them.

But when you ride your bike regularly, you still try to push yourself and at my age now 72 years old, you do not have speed anymore but endurance is still strong. So in the back of my head I started to boil a plan to do at least one more double century to reach the 25th mark. I started to do longer rides like to Las Posas and back (90 miles). When plans with riding buddies fell through to go to Santa Barbara for burgers and beer, I decided to go by myself and take the train back: another 91 miles ride. These rides were pretty flat so when Jana went to Northern Cal for a short outing to meet friends, I planned a long climbing ride. I went up Encinal, down Latigo, up Malibu Canyon, up Mulholland to Coldwater and down to SF Valley and finally up Sepulveda to go back home into Rancho Park: 90 miles and 6700 ft of climbing. I knew I was ready for a double century and signed up for the LA Wheelmen’s Grand Tour Highland Double Century. Jana was not happy about it but she gave her OK if I would be careful and text her at all the rest stops so she could follow my progress.

The Grand Tour has always been a 200-mile ride from Malibu to Ojai and back. But in my two year absence from doubles, it has shifted from Malibu to Port Hueneme. When I got the paperwork back from the organizers, I first noticed this change. For me it was always an easy half hour car trip to the start. When I took the trip to Port Hueneme on Friday for registration, it took me 1 ½ hours in heavy traffic to get there. If I wanted to start at 4am it meant getting up at 2am to get there in time for an early start. It would have been better to get a hotel room and start fresh without a long car ride before the ride.

On the way from LA to Port Hueneme there was construction on PCH in the middle of the night with a flagman and only one lane available. I waited at least 20 minutes before they let me through. After this delay and all the prep before you can start your ride, I rolled out at 5.15am. Because the elimination of the route from Malibu to Port Hueneme, the distance from Malibu on PCH had to be replaced. So they designed a loop from Port Hueneme and back ranging around 40 mostly flat miles through the strawberry fields of the Oxnard plain. I connected with a group of riders who were lead by Tony a guy on a fixy and they went at a crisp 22 mph. I was able to barely hang on with them through the first 35 miles but when Tony ramped up the speed to 24 mph I had to let them go and I hooked up with some stragglers of his group who also had fallen behind. We rode along at 18 to 20 mph to the first rest stop in Port Hueneme around 7am. I texted Jana that everything went fine.

The Grand Tour has two options, the Lowland and the Highland and after the first rest stop is where they diverge. I like to climb so I had chosen the Highland as always and it takes you from the Oxnard fields to the infamous Portrero Hill climb that maximizes out at 17%. When you stop at that grade you have to walk up because you cannot get back on your bike. Traffic is too dense to zigzag or go down and make a U-turn and get back up. I do the wall on Westridge every Thursday so these grades are not unusual for me. At the top of Portrero was the second rest stop: 60 miles. From there it was a rather easy and moderate climb on route 23 through Thousand Oaks to Moorpark to rest stop #3 at 87 miles.

Starting in Moorpark you have to climb the Santa Susanna mountain ridge into the Santa Clara Valley. The continuation of route 23 goes via the Grimes Canyon climb into the exhilarating technical descend into the Santa Clara Valley. At the bottom of the descend you have make a left turn on the way to Santa Paula. I always hated that left turn because it puts you smack into a strong coastal headwind. Even though I’m originally from a very windy flat country The Netherlands, I hate going against the wind, I rather climb. Well, the left turn did not disappoint and I battled the headwind into Santa Paula. I was looking forward to climb Hwy 150 from Santa Paula to Ojai. It’s a moderate but long 8 mile climb and it ends with another exhilarating technical descend into Ojai’s rest stop #4. Here is the Grand Tour “Café” where lunch is served. I connected my Garmin to my emergency battery pack so it would last until the finish. It was now 3pm and as usual on my doubles at the lunch rest stop that’s where I take a nap.

I woke up at 4pm and mounted my bike to leave Ojai and on to Rincon where Hwy 150 connects to the 101 freeway. I hooked up with two Randonneur USA riders on our way to the Lake Casitas climb. Randonneurs are long distance endurance riders for whom 200 miles is nothing. They are steady grinding machines so it is very comfortable to ride behind them at a pace of 18 mph. When we reached the Lake Casitas climb I passed them because now I had to go uphill on my own pace and they were going too slow for me. I reached the Rincon rest stop #5 at around 5pm and I thought that I would finish the ride maybe even before 9pm. But there was another surprise: before they changed the start of the ride from Malibu to Port Hueneme this was a straight ride home along the 101 and into Ventura to the Port Hueneme rest stop.

I looked at my road slip and it directed me North instead of South. In order to make up the lost mileage on PCH they had added another loop from Rincon through Carpentaria to almost Santa Barbara. Having done the ride to Santa Barbara many times this was familiar terrain but where was the turn around? With some other riders we climbed Ortega Hill road into the Santa Barbara suburbs before we realized that we missed the turnaround. On my Google Maps I found the cross street and we headed back to where the sensor for the turnaround would be; hey, a few extra miles and an additional climb when you do a double, who cares? From there it was an easy ride with a comfortable tail wind into Ventura where I stopped for a cup of tea. When I reached Port Hueneme my Garmin warned me that it had “low battery”. I stopped, saved the ride and started another one; on Strava it showed up as a short night ride. When I arrived at the finish at 10.15pm and wanted to sign out they asked me if I had passed the sensor; I had entered the Hilton parking lot on the wrong side and had missed the final sensor. So I went back on the bike and looped around the parking lot to enter on the correct side so the sensor could record me: Double Century #25 is in the bag!

Edgar Burcksen

Edgar Burcksen

Edgar Burcksen

Race Report

2019 California MTB Series #6 – Big Bear – aka Danie’s Second MTB Ride Ever 

Result: 1/1 Beginner Women

I hear them coming but it takes several seconds to unglue my sights from the sweeping spread of single track. On the road looking back is no problem, but I’ve never done it this close to hitting a tree on a mountain bike. “Keep one finger over the brakes,” Kate had said, and it’s all I can do not to hold them with three. I am almost track standing in the sharp, sharp switchback. Before accelerating out I take a deep breath and look back up the hill. 

The Juniors field is all knobby knees and elbows and streaming ponytails and I admire for a moment how closely they manage to ride behind one another, like a pack or swarm – coming for me fast. Out of the next turn, I stand up. 

Soon I am baffled by an uphill rock step and the kids are on me. I let them pass and finally have a piece of course to myself. OK. Breathe. How do I ride a bike? And – I belong here. I am not just in the way. This is my race. I’ll adapt. I can do this.

Every 15 minutes out there on the course something new clicks about the bike and my body. I loosen up and gain some speed. After a rock chute of a descent, the course hits its first and only stretch of pavement before turning sharply up a gravel embankment twenty yards from the finish. This, like almost everything today, takes me by surprise. “Shift shift shift!” the man on the corner yells. I mash the levers, realizing I have no idea whether Kate’s bike even has a gear that will get me up that thing (note: it does). But the chain clunks home deep between the frame and inner cog and I (gently) eat the dirt. At least the crowd of parents is cheering when I run across the line with an armful of bike, no rips in my San Remo, and a big silly grin.

State TTT

Pinning circle at State TTT Tina, Danie, Renee and Emily.

Emily, Renee and Danie at State TTT.

2nd place at State TTT for Renee, Tina, Danie and Emily.

La Voix

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2019 LG Cup 500M Sprint, La Grange Grand Prix, La Grange Happy Hour, May 50 for 50 Ride, Santa Barbara Century June 22, July 14 LA City Proclamation Day, Race Report

2019 LG Cup 500M Sprint Rescheduled

The 2019 LaGrange Cup 500M Sprint at the World Famous Encino Velodrome has been rescheduled to Sunday, August 11th due to rain. The 500M sprint is comprised of two laps of the Encino Velodrome. You will be held in position at the start line by an official. Countdown to zero and you’re off! The key to a good time is getting off the line and up to speed as fast as possible and then holding that speed for the next 35+ seconds. You don’t have to be a trackie to get a rush from this experience and your standard road bike is just fine for this event.

This year, we will be holding the event from 10am to 1pm so anyone who wants to get their warmup on the Nichols ride can do so and then ride over the hill to the track. Like last year, there will be no start times. Arrive whenever you like, get your warm up and then let us know when you’d like to take your timed run.

More reminders to come. Registration is up on the our website.

La Grange Grand Prix

The La Grange Grand Prix  on June 2, 2019, was an extraordinary bike racing experience. Everyone seemed to have a very positive experience from a racer’s perspective and a spectator’s perspective. Race Director Zach LaBry did an outstanding job and Race Czar Joe Duerr made it happen. Many many thanks goes out to thankless club volunteers who showed up starting at 3 am and many stayed until 8 pm to clear the venue of any trace of a bike race.

Sarch Jones takes a podium in just her second bike race ever.

Sam Selfridge waving to his admirers on the back stretch.

Zach LaBry and Joe Duerr, the two people that truly made this event happen.

La Grange Happy Hour Monday, June 24

Hotel Shangri-La at 1301 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California 90401 will be the site of the next La Grange Happy Hour from 6 pm to 8 pm. Come spend some time with your old friends, new friends, fellow cyclists and teammates off the bike. We will be on the rooftop bar enjoying drinks and watching the sunset. DRESS CODE NOTE - NO FLIP FLOPS :)

Come early, the first few drinks are on the La Grange tab!

Happy Hour will be on the rooftop bar from 6 pm to 8 pm.

May LG 50 for 50 Ride

LG member Lee Ziff was in charge of this month’s LG 50 for 50 ride. The group met at SVO (San Vicente and Ocean) and rode down to Palos Verdes and out to the far side of the peninsula to White Point Beach where SAG was provided by Amy Weiss, the wife of club member Jonathan Weiss. A lunch was hosted by Lee back at his house at the end of the ride.

Santa Barbara Century June 22

Please join us for another La Grange Century as we ride north to Santa Barbara. The ride starts at the Van Nuys Train Station and departs at 7 am sharp. We will be stopping at San Vicente and Ocean for our first stop for those that don’t want to ride over the Sepulveda pass. We will roll from there around 8 am.

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

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 truck. If someone has a mechanical, the group will stop so that we all stay together. You should not be riding ahead of the group.

Cost:
$20, which includes the meal at Casa Blanca in Santa Barbara and and transportation of your bike back to Van Nuys. You must prepay via PayPal by Sunday, June 16th at 10 pm so that we can confirm restaurant reservations and purchase goods based on the number of riders. 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 $20 to:

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

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 792 Pacific Surfliner departing Santa Barbara (SBA) at 4:40 pm arriving Van Nuys (VNC) at 7:09 pm.
https://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak

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

July 14 LA City Proclamation Day

Save the date! Sunday, July 14th, which is Bastille Day, the City of Los Angeles will present the club with a proclamation recognizing the club’s 50th anniversary at the start of the World Famous Nichols Ride. We expect a huge turnout for this so be sure to mark it on your calendar now. Post ride crepes will be served at San Vicente and Ocean!

A food truck serving fresh crepes will be at SVO at the end of the Nichols Ride on Sunday, July 14th

Race Report

Nick Gillock Wins the Tour of the Gila

Succeeding in a stage race requires a careful balance of training, recovery, strategy, and will. This year, at the 2019 Tour of the Gila Stage Race, Nick Gillock put it all together and won the Men’s B 50+ Category and came in 3rd in the entire Masters B field.

The link contains an incredibly detailed race report with phenomenal photos for Nick’s 4-day adventure as an amateur stage racer in Silver City, New Mexico. For each of the 4 race stages (2 Road Races, 1 Time Trial, and 1 Criterium) there is an individual report.

Please take the time and enjoy the report as Nick takes you through his highs and lows, trials and tribulations, rivalries, near-catastrophes, and small victories. View the report here.

Nick Gillock during Stage 1