Friday, October 29, 2010

keirin cut proposition

just a quick friday afternoon update!

last night i received an email back from the good folks at outlier.
Hi Beth, Much apologies, your email came as quite a shock to us, we certainly did not name our pants with the intention of robbing or offending anyone. We were not in anyway actively aware of your keirin cut campaign. However in digging through our old emails we did find someone sending us a link over 25 months ago to your site. It’s a great name and likely stuck with us while the source of it regrettably did not. We’ve added a link and acknowledgment to our site. If you’d like to chat further, please give us a call at our office and we’ll be happy to chat. Best regards and apologies for any confusion.
a very nice letter, indeed and thanks very much for the response and link on your website. of course i did not have the name trademarked, nor am i much for legal snafus with small, homegrown businesses.

i thought about it long and hard on my whole 15 minute commute home, and decided there is only one true course of action: the keirin cut dungarees must go to the test!!!

there is lots of skepticism about these pants because of this skinny model, who clearly does not belong in the big-quad club.

i mean. i don't even think he could squat the bar.

do these pants actually fit big-quaded keirin riders like they claim? i think they need to be put to the test.

i propose the following folks be testers:

#1 - dana feiss


u.s. national keirin champion. dana feiss has big quads. i still remember the day i first saw them one and a half years ago. i still shudder at the memory.

and thanks pat benson for the bitchin' photo!

here is dana walking to her start. do you see those quads?! i mean, she could crush that guy standing on the hood of the car. will these pants really fit her?


#2 - giovanni rey

no one has bigger quads than gio. no one. and even if they have a bigger measurement... proportionally speaking, no one has a bigger quad measurement. gio's quads are so big, he can really only ride a bike, as he must slightly waddle to walk because of the ginormous muscle he possesses.

i think this side shot really speaks for itself.

i mean, gio's quads are so big, he can't even wear normal clothes. only spandex. so if these dungarees can fit him, then i think i will definitely approve of the keirin cut name.

#3 steven beardsley

i mostly choose steven beardsley as tester number three... because, well, no one is really any damn funnier. i mean, he wears pink. he team is the gentle lovers. and, yeah, his quads are pretty damn big too.

and he's even done really well in some keirins even though he is an enduro.


#4 jennie reed


lastly, who better to be testing the truth of dungarees more than WORLD KEIRIN CHAMPION jennie reed?

yeah, jennie has turned enduro this year. but her quads are still huge. i know because i touched them in seattle this summer. and trust me, they were solid. it is rare you see quads that are just as big at the bottom part of the quad, than the top of the quad. that is what it takes to be world champion.

and world champions need pants!!!

what makes you think that world keirin champion will test your pants. well, she became my facebook friend. finally. so she does what my blog tells her to do.

so, mr. abe- are you game? will you undergo a testing of your pantalons with some real keirin riders? if they fit, i will be more than happy for you to use the name.

if they do not, i kindly ask you to change the name to some lame-sounding endurance event like: scratch style or olympic style omnium make, or madison leg....

and

secondly: make some jeans for women using my test models for sizing. that was the whole point of my campaign anyway!

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Elite Track Nationals

Nationals went awesome for me ~~ with the great support of Team Bell Lap and sponsors!

I especially want to thank MRBerkeley.com for paying for my reg fees. Nationals was super expensive this year... over $350~~ so thanks so much for the support in helping me get to the races. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help!

I also want to thank ROCKTAPE. Dude, that shit is magic! I have been getting really sore in my inner quads during my pursuiting~~ so I taped up right where it normally hurts. Greg was cool enough to get me ORANGE tape at the SF GrandPrix... which if you don't know me is my favorite color! I didn't fatigue at all (well, that is a lie... i did fatigure, it is a pursuit! i guess i meant to say i didn't noticeably fatigue in that certain spot)-- and it let me get a PR and bronze medal!! Also, my last day, my legs were hurting pretty good, so I taped up even more... and that day my legs felt the best. While I should have been hurting good by that time in the day, I was feeling like a champ and could attack the hell out of the points race! So, thanks RockTape!!

Lastly, I want to thank my AWESOME teammates for all the support and advice this year. They were awesome. Thanks Brian for coming down to offer support during the nationals! Thanks Tom and Steve for letting me borrow your wheels! Thanks to Ted for being my promoter and making me laugh & give me good intimidation techniques. And thanks to everyone else for all the support and encouragement! I can't wait to ride with the team bell lap next year for track races!

Okay, let's get to the cool pictures! Pat Benson took some killer photos of me during the racing, so i will put them first. Then a bit of race reporting below if you have time and will to read it!

Let's start with the cool ones!

Here is me in the 500m~ thanks Tom for the wheels


Pursuiting~~ thanks Pelaez for the wheel borrow!

Pursuit with my dopey face

pursuit podium!

here is me lapping the field with kim geist in the points race qualifier!

this is me before the points race. i may look nice... but i am ready to crush. (note the handlebars)


Then this crash happened.... I made it in cycling news! My bike frame dented, but my handlebars REALLY dented. I had to get a swap out from San Jose junior Ryan Gaddow. The bars were too big for me. And I hurt my shoulder, so I couldn't really stand-- but you can see Ryan's bars in the best of the photos.

here is me off the front with heather albert. i was off the front with her a lot last week.

here is me sprinting for points

and here is me attacking off the front, right after the crash. rrrrr.

and here is the points race podium-- 4th place. just one point off third! but i look pretty badass in the photo.

Race 1: Omnium-- Wednesday/Thursday

This is actually a new track race. The president of the international cycling body made this event specifically for the Olympics in 2012. There is a limit in how many races/medals can be given out in cycling. With the addition of BMX to the Olympics, this meant other cycling disciples had to lose events. This event is kind of like the pentathlon of track & field. You have six events over the course of 2 days and you are placed in each event (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)—the person with the lowest points wins. I was riding with Sarah Hammer, who is currently the world champion, and Cari Higgins, the reigning national champion. So it was some pretty good competition!

Day 1: There were 4 events on day1.
  • Timed flying 1 lap race (which is 250m). I got a really good time in here, which placed me 5th. I was 2 one-thousands of a second off a second off of 4th place and 1 tenth off of 3rd place, so that was a bummer.. but oh well.
  • Points Race: This is a race that was 80 laps long. Race didn’t quite go my way—I got some 5th places (which is no points), then a lap went without me. Then I had to use a lot of energy to pick up points by being out there solo for 9 laps. I ended up 6th
  • Elimination Race: This has been my best race all summer—I’ve scored really high with fields of 30-40, so I was expecting a high placing here. This is a race with no forgiveness, cause if you mess up, you are out. And I was out—got 8th place. I was really bummed, because this moved me down in the omnium big time. I was now sitting 6th place....
  • 3000m TT: This is a 12 lap race—where you are on the track with one other person on the opposite side… you ride as hard as can and get timed. It is like the mile. I had a person best here, and ended 5th, again missing 4th place by .1 of a second…which was a bummer…. I was now again 5th place overall. I was only 1 point out of 4th and 2 points out 3rd. I really wanted bronze medal. 6th place was close to me too

Day 2: 2 events to finish it off.

  • Scratch Race: I knew I had to do well in the first event, as the second event is my weak event. I needed a top 5 for sure. I was riding well, staying in position for the sprint. The world champ lapped the field, then went to the front and strung it out and there was very little movement from that point forward, and I ended up 8th. It was a big bummer.
  • 500m: this is a 2 lap race from a stand still start. It has been my weak event. I ended up with a personal best time for me, and ended up 6th in the event, but it wasn’t enough to get me 5th place. I was pretty bummed, as I wanted at least a top 5 to get on the podium… but that is racing.

Race 2: Scratch Race

On Day 3, I had 2 races, the scratch race and pursuit. In the scratch race, rode extremely well in the race the entire time—I was off the front and making the race happen. The announcer kept yelling my name! There were lots of “sprinters” in the field- so I was trying to make the race hard to tire them out. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work. I wasn’t in good position for the final 4 laps, and ended 10th.

Race 3: 3km time trial/Pursuit

This is the same race I had done the day before. I got a better feel for the track and knew I could go faster. I also borrowed my Steve's super sweet wheels, and they were so fast—so I knew I’d be going faster! I went out really hard… about 1.5 seconds faster than the day before. I just couldn't help myself~~ the wheels just got me up to speed so fast! By the last 3 laps, I was seeing double lines on the track. I finished and found out I got a 3:56, this was 3 seconds faster than I had done—so I was jazzed!

I couldn’t walk down the stairs to get to the infield, and had to hobble. This put me in 3rd place. This also meant I had to ride again, because I made it into the bronze medal round. I wanted to die and didn't think I could ride again!

I had a while to recover and kept warmed up the whole time, so my legs didn't seize up. For the bronze medal ride, I went out fast, but not as fast as last time. My strategy was to not die so much in the end. I could hear the announcer telling me I was up. All my friends were yelling loud, and it just pushed me to go faster. In the end, I finished with 3rd! I was so happy! This is my first year doing this race, so to get 3rd was huge for me! I took off 20 seconds from the first time I did the pursuit~ so that was sweet! I know I will only get faster!

Race 4: Points race

My last race was the points race. There was a qualifier and a final. In the qualifier race, I got away with Kim Geist and lapped the field. So, then I made it to the final.

The final was 100 laps. I was feeling really good, and my plan was to take some early points, then make the field really tired by attacking alot, and try to take a lap about half way through. Unfortunately, just as I was about to make my move, I was involved in a crash. I hit pretty the boards pretty hard. My handlebars bent, dented my frame, ripped my skinsuit. Field got neutralized. I got my bars changed, and got in the race. Thanks Ryan Gaddow for the bar loaner. The bars were too big for me, and my right shoulder hurt, so I couldn't really stand up....

The neutralization gave everyone a chance to recover and rest, which changed the race dynamic. Race re-started and I attacked a lot trying to get away, but everyone was fresh. I still got some points and was doing well, but with only 50 laps left, I could get the field tired enough to get a lap. I ended up 4th—only 1point out of third, so that was a big bummer. But, knowing how good I felt in this race, made me realize I have the ability to win in the future.

In conclusion:

All in all, a good nationals. I got a 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 10th—and showed myself well. I know I can do better… so just have to wait until next year!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

because everything on my blog comes true.....

when is the world championship team going to be selected? did i miss an announcement? the race is a mere 16 days away.... i have heard that people like to peak for that race, so announcing a team 2 weeks out might be a good idea.....

as i was wondering about who was going to represent the USA for the women this morning, and i couldn't find an announcement, so i figured it hadn't been decided yet. i figured the best thing i could do to incite a quick announcement from the powers that be, would be to blog about it... because apparently my blog has a very good track record of getting things done.

proof?
unfortunately, nothing has ever happened with those keirin cut jeans, but goonies never say die.

anyway, although i was just wondering who was going to be on the team, i figure i may as well use my influence to say who i would like on the team.... i know shelley olds already has an automatic spot because she won the pan-am championship. but here are my two requests of who i would like included on the A-team this year. i feel confident usa cycling will take bethbikes! suggestions as law.

#1. kat mattis

i got to eat mexican food with kat mattis at the madera stage race this year, and upon listening to her talk for one minute, i decided i had a friend crush on her. she's smart. she's fast. she's wise. she can suffer. she is a good teammate. she knows racing. and she has had some amazing results this year. and she is super cool. i heard a stupid rumor she is retiring after this year, and i didn't like that one bit, so instead of listening to such hogwash, i just put my fingers over my ears and said "la la la la" really loud. anyway, i think she would make a really excellent addition to the world championship team for USA.


#2 theresa cliff-ryan

well, i have not had the pleasure of meeting this lady, but i am super duper impressed my her. i saw her at track nationals last year, and because i was a dipshit and didn't make the points race final, i got to witness her guts, smarts, and speed on the bike, as i watched from the stands. watching someone perform a good points race can be like watching something in the theater arts. i heard about her winning the gold in the points race championship in the pan-american games. a good points racer can do anything, so i was not surprised to continuously see her name in all the big road racing results all year long. it would also be wise to include her on the A squad.


there are lots of other most excellent additions, but i will leave that for people to contribute to in the COMMENTS section on my blog. but just remember, i am the influential one, so my top two choices will be the designated names. and i predict an announcement by wednesday or thursday... cause my blog really does get things done quickly.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

be my friend, damnit!

so i haven't really written a post about the fsa grand prix. but i will, i promise!

last year the highlight for me was the pre-race bbq. jennie reed was there. i was very excited, she had a piece of the pie i made. so i felt cool.

this year, i show up at fsa and jennie reed says to me: "hi beth." not just hi, but hi beth, which means she knows my name. she also said: "good job at alpenrose" which means she knew i did well. this made me feel special.

she was racing that weekend (watch out world, she is out of retirement!), and i got to race with her! i had raced against jennie reed once before. bethbikes! early, loyal followers from 2007 might remember these pictures. this was from the first american velodrome challenge, also known as beth's third track race ever! eek.

there is me "match sprinting" jennie reed.

i was also creepy and got my friend to take a picture of our quads.

anyway, i was really looking forward to racing with jennie and i even have some pictures to prove of it.



(i labeled the important people.)

anyway, after the scratch race, jennie told me i made a nice move with three laps to go. after the points race, we chatted in the warmup circle for quite a while. and after the racing, she even got into the quad measuring party!

62cm

i thought we were so cool.

that is, until michael uploaded the fsa pictures to facebook, and i tried to tag jennie. but couldn't. because we weren't friends.


awaiting friend request? c'mon! i thought we were cool!

i went through the stages of grief.
denial: maybe she just doesn't facebook very often...and hasn't added people.
but then i see this.

anger: why is she friends with hanan and not me?!
bargaining: maybe if i just sent her a private message hello, she will add me, as it was just an oversight. no dice.
depression: a few sleepless nights.
acceptance: maybe she is just creeped out my the quad measuring.... or something.
so there we have it. i can still dare to dream, though.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

podium posing like the pros

two weekends ago, i got to see how the real pro men do podium poses, at the elite state track championship.

podium shots aren't just about looking good for the pictures, but they are also about making a statement.

and roman kilun had a couple of statements to make.

the last race of the day was the madison and roman had a few things he wanted to make clear.

shot #1:
the superhero stance. also known as, you might be bigger than me, but i am better than you.

sometimes roadies come to the track, and they feel a bit....uh... skinny? their upper body is puny and their quads are small. in such situations, roadies can feel a bit more beefy and secure by asserting their presence by taking up physical space. this is done best by assuming a super hero stance, with wide stance and arms on hip. roman displays this perfectly on the podium.

as you can see, everyone on steps two and three is looking off into the distance, averting eye contact, smiling awkwardly, and pretending they don't care that they got lapped.

also, by standing near the front of the podium in a wide stance, he makes it clear to the world that the only reason the lap was taken was because of him. as you can see, his partner just stands squeamishly in the background and waves his hand in the air as if saying: "hey mom, i was there too!"

shot #2:


roman also shows in this second podium shot for the madison, that he is.... well, honestly, i am not sure what to make of it. let me think...

no, i don't think that is roman's style.... really, i think it was more along the lines of this...

"It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A. You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal...."

seems a bit odd, but roman is getting married soon, so perhaps he was doing a little bit of practice for the reception...?

it would have been really cool if he could have snuck in a fireman's hat- but maybe he is saving that one for the national championship. he is doing the team pursuit there, so let's hope that dr. kay can get the rest of roman's teammates to show up on the podium in full-on village people garb.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

my shades are cooler than your shades: numa optics

it's true.

i pretty much purchase the cheapest sunglasses i can find: i go the $5.99 walgreens route. that is probably why i am pretty much blind as a bat without my contacts in.

a couple months ago, michael had some white shades sitting in the car that he said were too small for his big head. so i put them on. Immediately my bad-assery went up 10 points. these were cool. so i did what any wise person would do: i immediately stole them.

i wore these badass sunglasses pretty much just on special occasions on race days when i knew people would be out to take pictures. i didn't want to wear them more often, because i scratch things and stuff...

but one day, i ended up wearing them on a trip to the oaktown liquor store. now, for those of you yuppies that live in marin or the peninsula, let me tell you what a real east oakland corner store is like.
  • milk selection: whole milk only.
  • malt liquor selection: pretty much an entire refrigerator (or two) is devoted just to forties. i mean, variety is important for consumers.... you need old english, colt 45, schlitz, mickey's, country club, and let's not forget the old staple: steel reserve.
  • microbrew selection: if you are lucky, maybe 1. but i am proud to report that since we moved in a few months ago, this has slowly been increasing to now, a few different varieties! coincidence? i think not.
anyway, oaktown is a pretty solid corner store. they also stock cutie pies (the hostess fruit pie knock off), which is awesome.


anyway, one summer day a few weeks ago, michael and i walk in to stock up our fridge with a variety of malt liquors and whole milk for the week. now, i have to be honest, sometimes at the checkout of oaktown, i do feel a bit out of place. but not this day. dude in line behind us, who had a full-on grill, says to me: "sweet shades!" and my cool points went way up, almost to the point where i wanted to put my arms in the air and yell: "i got street cred, bitches!" ... but that wouldn't have been so cool. so, i played all chill and gave a chin nod, and said thanks as nonchalantly as possible.

ever since this encounter, i have been wearing these sunglasses more frequently in my neighborhood. one evening a couple of weeks ago, i decided to see who the hell made these things, as i had no clue. i saw a website on the inside of the sugnlasses: www.numaoptics.com

i went to their website thinking to see some sweet hip hop artists or something, only to be disappointed to find some lumberjack with snow on his beard on the homepage. (the dude at oak-town would not have been so impressed.)

anyway, i noticed their links to their facebook page were wrong on their homepage...so i decided to be a good citizen and fill out the "contact us" form on their website and let them know. i also thought i would tell them my story about oaktown liquor store and how much bethbikes! likes the sunglasses in general.

low-and-behold i actually got an email back! and they said they would sponsor me! boo yah! my shades came in the mail yesterday, and let me say, they are pretty sweet. i got a hot pink pair to add to my white pair. i also got some clear, and rose, & blue lenses so i can wear them on the indoor track and at night races. the optics on them are pretty damn sweet. not to mention, the badassness of them.

of note: i found out they are widely used amongst the crazy militia men, as evident here. so if anyone ever shoots a bazooka at me during a race, it is comforting to know that my sunglasses will still be in tact.

anyway, i look cool. and that is what is important. so, check out my shades at the races and check out numa optics website. i am sure lots of pictures of me in them will be showing up on my blog in the weeks and months to come (as i typically only publish pictures of myself...) but here are a few starters, so you can see the cool shades.































you know who i feel sorry for? that poor girl in the upper left side of my helmet of the above photograph.

let me zoom in.
do you see her sunglasses? ugly. straight out of 1983. get with it.


and a big thank you to pat benson for these amazing photos!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

alpenrose velodrome challenge

so i know i am very behind on my blog posting. it is a bit late to report on alpenrose, it seems. you can read my team blog post here -- where i talk a little bit about the racing.

other than that, i think i will just post some pictures and write some text in between....

this is me and m driving up. he was making try to use his telephone to look at the internet, but i find phones with internet very annoying, so thus my scowling face.

we get to the track on thursday and go for a little spin. we are so lucky to be staying with awesome folks, marcia and eric who cook us spaghetti! then we pick up brian from the airport.

friday morning i have the pursuit.

here is a picture of me all pursuit dorkage. but i am not wearing a funny hat. (but i do have one now, it just came in the mail!) i was very happy with my pursuit, except my awful start, where it pretty much looks like i did a standing start for the first time ever. 3, 2, 1. me sit back down wobble to the right, left, and then finally gain balance to stand up and move forward. it was pretty embarrassing. the video michael took of it is pretty laughable, especially his commentary: "c'mon, c'mon" willing me forward. later that night was the 500m. my start wasn't much better.

friday started the mass start events. thank god! look at all these LADIES! whoooo! this was the start of the scratch race!

here is me riding at some point during the race.



this is with 2 to go in the scratch race. someone has a good wheel! hehehe

and this is me on the podium! i guess i need to learn how to do the sexy leg shot! oops.

later that day, i had the honor of doing the team sprint with none other than mary glen carassco. ooooooo.

i made her go lap 2 because i didn't want her to drop me at the start!

my nieces came to do the kiddie kilo and rocked it!

my mom was also in town to watch! hi mom! (look i didn't even say a swear word that time!)

that was it for saturday -- short day! sunday started with some keirins.

here is me in the rep round.

this is the finish of the rep round. i won it believe it or not! it was the best keirin i had ever ridden!

then was the miss 'n out. my favorite race!

i spent a lot of time here.

and here. oh wait, that looks like the same spot, doesn't it? but that was all okay, because it landed me here for the final lap.

2nd, not so shabby!

it landed me on the podium again.

but this is a better podium shot. yeah, quads!

then i did a lot of this. it was getting hot.

but i have the best boyfriend ever who made me shade! mwah!

then i had the keirin final. this was me waiting with all the sprinter girls before they crushed me. my quads might be big, but their quads are definitely bigger.

that is okay: next up, points race. this wasn't a very good race for me. my head wasn't in it the first couple of sprints. i got in a few breaks that didn't go anywhere. then i got in the winning break, but we didn't lap quick enough for it to matter for me, as i needed more points from sprint laps, in addition to lapping point. oh well. still go 5th.

here is me off the front with kira for awhile

and this is the final breakaway of 5 in the race.

whew. then i was done. i ended up 4th in the overall omnium for the weekend! that got me some extra cash! and i got the "top hellyer" award, which got me more cash! who knew! it was an awesome race. oh wait, not done yet!

still had to watch the flying lap with my nieces and yell at all my friends!

and take a cute picture with them before i left.


and to the real MVP of the weekend: BRIAN PETERSON! for being the best teammate, mechanic, coach, friend, cheerer ever. we love you brian!