tetonrider

hey, all:
this is a bit of forward thinking, but i might like to go somewhere warm with my family after the brunt of next winter (i live in NW wyoming) for about 2 weeks.

does anyone know of a good location to set up a base? training outdoors for that time period would be fine (i'll be coming off a winter of riding solely on the trainer), but ideally i'd like to get into an early stage race or be in an area that has some events during the week at that time of year.

i'm thinking of something in the southern california/arizona/nevada/southern utah region, but i'm open to other ideas. i'd prefer to keep it *somewhat* driveable....i.e., no trips to florida.

tour of the gila is intriguing to me, but i'm not sure that's the greatest event for my family.

right now i'm just a cat 4, but i could be moving up to 3 by that time. i only mention this in case it might limit choices of events.

also....are there any cool races (stage or otherwise) going on in southern california in mid- to late-september of this year (or early october)? i know about the everest challenge and am considering it, though i'm more likely to try it in 2012.

thanks for any tips!

mkadam68

Here's the local racing calendar. Our season pretty much goes from beginning-of-February to end-of-August. There's an occasional race in September but usually crits.

Even during the season, we're somewhat crit-heavy, but we have 1 or 2 road races a month. Almost all races are on Sundays. Coming up in August is the Brentwood Grand Prix, almost a short circuit race.

In LA, you'd probably want to look at West LA, Orange County, Pasadena, or Thousand Oaks areas as a base. Then, there's San Diego area as well. In this area, we drive to almost all the races. I race almost every weekend and only drive about 45-mins to 1 hour away. There are a couple times where I might need to drive further, but rare.

Hammonjj

For next spring, there is the Valley of the Sun Stage race in Phoeniz, AZ and the Callville Bay Classic near Las Vegas, NV. Both are in February and are in cool places for your family to hang out for a weekend. Also, as far as Tour of the Gila goes, the event is great, but Silver City, NM blows. Nothing to do there for people other than the racers and it isn't near anything.

tetonrider

thanks so much!

unfortunately, february is too early for me (it's the peak of winter here and i'm a daily skier october through at least early april). otherwise, phoenix or vegas would be options.

that's what i figured about silver city. thanks for confirming. bummer!

thanks for any other suggestions.

ethman

I'm moving back to SoCal this summer and was planning on doing this race. I just looked at the course on the promoter's website. Does it feel like a crit or more of a RR? What's the course like? Thanks.

esammuli

It's arguably the hardest crit of the year. Fast, lots of accordion, and a couple of short (but hard) rises.

mkadam68

I only did it the first two years, so I won't argue this, especially the 2nd year: riders were getting dropped every single lap!

It's hard to get a correct feel for it as the promoters have changed the course slightly, I believe every year, even this year. They're looking for the perfect course out there. First year: definite circuit race. 2nd year, definite crit.

esammuli

Judging by the map they have on the website they didn't change the course this year. It's a touch easier that the course from two years ago, but more technical and still really tough.

ethman

It sounds like it will be fun. Is it skechy? I did the Chuck Pontius crit back in April and got caught in a crash in that one. In retrospect one section was really sketchy with reflector dots in the road and an island splitting the road in half.

Also, maybe you guys can help me out with something. (sorry to the OP for taking this in another direction). I'm moving back to California from NYC and I'm curious what the racing scene is like in SoCal. I'm a little surprised that there aren't more road races out west especially in the LA area. Aren't there tons of cyclists out there?

ethman

One more question, is SoCalCycling the definitive schedule to races out west, or are there other races not listed there? Thanks.

Jancouver

SoCalCycling is not the official website. The official site is https://www.scnca.com/

mkadam68

Yes, lots of cyclists, not as many racers, but more than other areas I suppose.

Road races are a real hassle to setup due to them crossing town/city/county lines... etc.... It's just easier to do a crit. And alot of the promoters are small teams of 1-3 individuals. That said, we do average probably 1-2 road races a month. You have to be a climber to do them, though (I most certainly am not). From late January until early September, you can find a race every weekend (sometimes two) all within about a 60-90 minute drive. Add in El Dorado & other training rides during the week & on Saturdays... this is a very good place to be a racer.

Socalcycling lists some races that SCNCA does not and vice-versa. For instance, Manhattan Beach GP (an NRC race) is not on Socalcycling, but is on SCNCA. And SCNCA does not list CBR races, but Socalcycling does. Check them both.

ethman

Aside from the group rides already mentioned, do you have any recommendations for midweek or weekend group rides? Also, have any of you guys done the Camarillo crit practice?

mkadam68

I live north of LA (the Valley), so I do the following:

Rose Bowl Ride - Tue & Thu, 5:55--7:10pm, Pasadena
Montrose Ride - Sat, 8:10--10:05am (there is a longer version, finishes 10:30-ish), Descanso Gardens, Montrose/Glendale

Of the two, Rose Bowl is harder as there is no stopping. Montrose hits stop lights & such.

Here's a list of a bunch of training rides in the area.

I've heard of the Camarillo Crit practice, but thats all. Never done it. Been meaning to try & get out there sometime, but rush-hour can interfere with that.

ethman

I'll also be living in the valley when I first get out there. Are these race-like group rides (sprinting for town signs)? Or just harder group rides? Out here in NYC we have a bunch of midweek races which I'm going to miss, hoping to find something similar. Of course my idea of "race-like" might be completely different than those of you in LA where the weather is cycling friendly all year long. Also, I would imagine you guys do a lot more climbing out there than we can here. In either case I'm really looking forward to checking out the riding scene. Hope it isn't TOO MUCH of a kick in the ass.

mkadam68

Both are race pace/intensity training rides. Montrose has one sprint at about 12-ish miles or so and Rose Bowl has one sprint at the very end. Everybody that rides them does so for training, so you'll have guys/girls attacking then sitting up, getting into break-aways, spinning insanely small gears or their largest... Whatever their training plan calls for for that day/week. Both are populated more by masters racers than younger guys. Both will get some Pro/1-2's. Occasionally even a team will come out and hurt the rest of us but good.

The riding/racing scene is impressive in that the amount of talent is incredible.

Lots of climbing available from short rollers to 9-mile long slogs. The rides mentioned above are mostly flat, though the longer Montrose route has a handful of short climbs (the short route has only one real climb). There are lots of others with rolling/moderate terrain, like the "Simi Ride" (it runs October--January ish).

Our "winter" is mostly February-March. We don't get snow ('cept in the mountains) but rain instead, which, combined with the cool temps, sucks. I'm originally from upstate New York, and the temps out here are different. It's pretty amazing what a wuss in the cold I am here, but I could handle single-digits back home in Watertown. With the lack of moisture in the air out here, 40-degrees feels like 25-degrees.

ethman

Those rides sound awesome! I can't wait to check them out. I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, so I remember the weather well- I just didn't grow up cycling out there so I'm not sure how it will feel to ride in it. I'm sure I'll become a prima-donna when it comes to the temperature too. But I will be real happy not to have to ride in sub-freezing weather all winter... You must feel like you're in cycling heaven as far as the weather is concerned being from upstate NY. I'm sure it's beautiful in Watertown, but no more snow on the ground to contend with???!!! After the winter we just had I'll be happy to be done with snow for good. Thanks for all the info!