Ride with Eddie!

[Trek420]

The Oak Hill School is a specialized school in Marin City for children with autism and other neurologically based development issues.

The famous Eddy Merckx is joining ZteaM cycling for a 50 mile ride to benefit the Oak Hill school located in Marin California. Riders should arrive at the Oak Hill School no later than 11:30 AM at 441 Drake Blvd, Marin City, CA 94965. The police escorted ride will travel through Marin, out to Nicasio Valley and back down the scenic coast highway 1 and finish at the school. Come chat/ride with Eddy and have complimentary sodas and snacks after the ride. Directions: Get off 101 at the Marin City/Sausalito exit where Mike's Bike is. Go west one block and make a left on Drake.

Link to registration:
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=3824

[Veronica]

Oh man! It's on a Friday! Geez... can I get a sub?

V.

[Kano]

Too bad fifty miles is a very long ride for your kids -- it would make a nice field trip, wouldn't it?

Karen in Boise

[massbikebabe]

I'M NEUROLOGICALLY IMPAIRED CAN I COME??????????






karen

[SadieKate]

Wow! MBB, you and me together!

For those wondering, it's on Friday, September 29th.

[massbikebabe]

Sadie;

We could ride a tandem;)


karen
met Eddy once before, nice guy, NO english

[maillotpois]

What is it about Marin? (Wait, don't tell me....)

I did a similar ride last year, the Tour of Marin, with Dave Zabriskie, Levi Leipheimer, the women's US Pro champ and the delicious Fast Freddy. SO much fun. Man those guys are fast - and I caught Tom Weizel (is that his name) the owner of the Postal team going down the backside of White's Hill at about 40 - that dude is one chubby FAST descender.

[velogirl]

What is it about Marin? (Wait, don't tell me....)

I did a similar ride last year, the Tour of Marin, with Dave Zabriskie, Levi Leipheimer, the women's US Pro champ and the delicious Fast Freddy. SO much fun. Man those guys are fast - and I caught Tom Weizel (is that his name) the owner of the Postal team going down the backside of White's Hill at about 40 - that dude is one chubby FAST descender.

Okay, Sarah, you named all the pro men by name and then listed the "women's US Pro Champ?" Would that be Katheryn Curi?

http://www.webcor-platinum.com/content/riders/2006katheryn_curi.htm

Isn't it sad that we don't know much about the pro women in our sport? Definitely no household names in the women's peloton, eh?

ps -- Thomas Weisel

[BikeMomma]

Velogirl -

I feel your pain and know what you mean. I don't think our elite fast femmes will become household name until we start getting as much t.v. and print coverage as the testosterone endowed-side of the spectrum. Unfortunately and sadly. :(

~BikeMomma

Ps: Man!!!! I'd love to ride with the Great Ed-ster, L'anglais ou aucun anglais!! I sense a day off in the near future....:D

[velogirl]

Actually, male cyclists aren't household names either -- not in the sense that athletes who compete in other sports are.

I guess I just found it ironic that a woman (one who's pretty darn serious about cycling), mentions a bunch of men by name but not the one and only female guest-rider. Nothing personal, Sarah, really.

I guess I just feel as women cyclists we should do our best to promote other women cyclists -- to help legitimize the sport not only for ourselves but also for our daughters (okay, your daughters since I don't plan on spawning).

Hey, Kim! We missed you at the Giro today.

[maillotpois]

I KNOW!!! and I totally agree - in fact I came home right after the ride and looked her up. and there was another just amazing US woman there too. I felt badly that I hadn't really known about them so I researched them - and now a year later I have totally forgotten who they were.

I would recognize nicole cooke in a heartbeat. and jeannie longo. I don't follow domestic mens racing either, though. so there are a lot of men I wouldn't know.

but I still feel badly about not knowing/remembering those women. (there was also the fred distraction factor).

[jobob]

I've admired Dede Barry ever since I read about her winning a World Cup race on a lugged steel bike, built by her father-in-law no less, how cool is that?
http://www.bikespecialties.com/mariposa-dedebarry.html

She's retired now, alas.
And now I'm envious of her - check out her retirement present ! :cool:
http://www.mariposabicycles.com/city-bike.html

[velogirl]

and there was another just amazing US woman there too.

If I recall, Brenda Lyons (Victory Brewing) was the other woman who was a guest rider. She lives up Santa Rosa way.

[BikeMomma]

...a woman (one who's pretty darn serious about cycling)... Sarah <== One baaaaad Mamma Jamma in a paceline -- I can attest! heheee (hey Sarah!) :D

I guess I just feel as women cyclists we should do our best to promote other women cyclists -- to help legitimize the sport not only for ourselves but also for our daughters(okay, your daughters since I don't plan on spawning).We should -- I completely agree & well said.

Hey, Kim! We missed you at the Giro today.Yea....after I couldn't get anyone to watch the brood ('cause spawning = brood :p ), I thought I'd just drive Charlotte up for her race. But since she HADN'T prereg'd like I thought she did, she said she didn't want to race if I didn't...yada yada....so the whole SF thing died.

Plus, it WAS nice to stay home with the kiddos -- a rare extra day with them. I bought all three of them bikes on Saturday from Kevin's Bikes in Merced (awesome dude who runs an awesome shop - you should stop in when you race McLane next spring, assuming you are?) and they were still in new bike heaven on Monday. It's always a blast for me to watch them ride and LOVE it like I do. My daughter got a purple bike with bumblebees, flowers, purple tassles, and a bell...how sweet is that?? :D Now her favorite saying is "Show me how to pedal, Mom!"

Take care....I still eyeing the 29th to ride with The Ed-meister...hey y'all, who's going???

~BikeMomma

[maillotpois]

Thanks for the nice words re the pace line, Kim! And right back at you! :)

I WISH I could join you for this ride. SO much! Oh well. Only four more months, then I am back on the bike. Four long, sad, dreary months when I'll be wishing I was shooting down Mines Rd. with you all!!!

Oh well. There'll always be rides.

[BikeMomma]

Hey everyone....registration ends Thursday 9/28 for this!

Anyone going besides me?

~BikeMomma

[BikeMomma]

Hey gals!! I met Eddy, sorta/kinda rode with him, took a pic with him, and got his autograph on the ride t-shirt. Sccchhwwweeeet! Definitely an awesome experience. :D

No time right now, but I'll post soon with the pic and a ride report (working on an assignment from my night class). Ah...priorities.

~BikeMomma

[maillotpois]

how cool!! I am so happy for you! my sister in law emailed me some pictures - PM me your email address and I will forward them to you.

[BikeMomma]

Still no time to write about the ride, but here's the pic! Thanks to a kind, accomodating lady named Janet who took the picture with her digital camera and emailed it to me today. If you lurk here, Janet, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! (as if I didn't thank you enough, right?) :D

He looks good, eh?? Long live the Ed-ster!

1684

~Bike-"still starstruck"-Momma

p.s. I have NO idea who the heck that guy is behind me....:p :p

[velogirl]

Why does Eddy look like you just pinched him in the butt?

[Trek420]

because she did? :p or maybe he's thinking "I got passed by a girl?" :rolleyes:

[BikeMomma]

Why does Eddy look like you just pinched him in the butt?

That's between me & Eddy.......ssssshhhhh!!! (He did smile at me....twice!!!) :p :p heehee...good one, Velogirl!

Trek, I don't think Eddy has anything to worry about anybody passing him up, girl, guy, goblin, or otherwise....the man can seriously turn the pedals over. Definitely NOT showing his age....

~BikeMomma :p

[BikeMomma]

From the event photographer's site:
HPSI Photography (Eddy Merckx ride) (http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?shopperid=LWW60A9M6KK38K7B3U82S16TBMJR6PW1&userid=Hobietom&gallery_id=517430)

Eddy is wearing the black jersey with single red bands on each sleeve (short-sleeve jersey over black armwarmers). And riding the SWEET black carbon (w/red graphics), red tires.

Still have to post about the ride, but will still do that (promise!).:)
~BikeMomma

[maillotpois]

And I still haven't sent you those pictures... will try to get them to you today. (I almost never use the home desktop comuiter, so once mail's been delivered there's it's dead to me!)

[BikeMomma]

No worries, MP...whenever you get a chance. ;)
~K

[BikeMomma]

Finally have some time to sit and post about the ride itself.

The whole Day with Eddy thing was awesome, and that's not even a big enough word for it. But actually, the ride itself was rather insane. It was somewhat disorganized and since it was put on by the ZteaM racing folk, a "moderate" pace was actually pretty darned fast. Unless you were up there in front with the Eddy group, the whole police escort idea was lost as everyone was eventually strung out for probably miles once it all ended. I don't think the pace dipped below a cruising speed of 20mph the whole time, and I regularly noticed we were going along at 22/23/24mph. My computer showed a max speed of 36 down one of the hills....

I'd guesstimate there were a good 150-160 people on the ride and pretty much everyone got dropped right from the start, which began with a pretty steep hill right off the bat. I started out somewhere I'd say in the first half, maybe middle, but not really near the front. I didn't realize the front "Eddy" group would be going out that fast until the pace did NOT slow down at all. After that realization dawned on me and I got to moving, I kept passing more and more and more people with no front group in sight. I finally caught them at around mile 25 and they were flying by then. As you might expect, the group contained pretty much nothing but racer-types. Crazy....

I was starting to get fairly pooped from the chase, though, and got dropped by the Eddy group on this little tiny hill (couldn't believe it!), but then caught them at an intersection, only to drop my friggin' chain and lose them again (I think I said some bad words at the time). It was a quick fix, but just that quick, they were gone again. And since it was no-man's land between the Eddy group and everyone else, I found myself trying to navigate my way through Sausilito all by myself. :rolleyes: It was insane....

After I slowed up, I was saved by a ZteaM guy who said that he'd lead me and a couple others back to the starting point. He then proceded to lead us through a maze of bikepaths and side streets and then up this STEEP hill. So steep my ears were popping when I got to the top from the change in elevation, no joke. A cool part about that hill was when we came around one of the many switchbacks, we came upon a gorgeous doe standing by the side of the road, not more than five or six feet away from where I passed by. We startled her, but she didn't bolt or anything...she must be accustomed to traffic/people up there.

But we got back and overall, aside from not actually riding next to Eddy like I thought or hoped I would, it was a good, hard, fast ride, just what I needed for my part in a triathlon relay a couple days away from then.

They had an after-ride reception at the Oak Hill School the ride was benefitting (for autistic kids -- cute kids!), and so there were about 30 of us cyclists up there waiting around. Then out comes Eddy, all showered and cleaned up and looking all GQ in his Italian suit. ;) I was in the presence of a god, I swear. I got him to sign my "free" t-shirt (not wearing or washing that, ever!) and he gave me a nice smile. :D Then I asked (or rather grabbed out of desperation) this graciously accommodating lady named Janet standing next to me to take the above pic with him from her digital camera (that's when I got the second smile from him....I was totally awestruck. He was probably laughing at me :D ).

Then lastly, as I was walking back down the hill from the school to my car, the car that Eddy was being escorted in started down the hill to leave....and I got a wave and yet another smile as he departed. Sweeeet! :p

There were Merckx bikes EVERYWHERE and people were decked out in vintage jerseys and Merckx clothing. Very awesome, indeed. :)

What was touching was that before the ride, the school director stood before the crowd and thanked the throng of Eddy fans for coming to ride, and expecially for donating our time and cash to their school. I could swear the lady almost cried. Figure the $100 minimum donation to do the ride times about 150 riders, and you have a hugely successful charity event. Made my heart feel good, Eddy's presence aside.

I'd do this again in a heartbeat. It was an incredible day with the Ed-ster and the host ZteaM.

Thanks for reading....
~BikeMomma

[BikeMomma]

Here are a couple pics that Sarah (MP) sent me (thanks Sarah). Hope you don't mind, but they really show his bike well. His steed that day was swwweeet, as you can see!

1769

1770

Also, I found a couple nice close-up shots of me from the photographer's site (link above). There are some great shots of Eddy there, too, as well as all the other riders.
BikeMomma1 (http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?shopperid=LWW60A9M6KK38K7B3U82S16TBMJR6PW1&userid=Hobietom&gallery_id=517430&image_id=98)
BikeMomma2 (http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?shopperid=LWW60A9M6KK38K7B3U82S16TBMJR6PW1&userid=Hobietom&gallery_id=517430&image_id=206) In this one I look all focused & stuff -- scary!! :eek:

~K

[massbikebabe]

Congrats to you, I am glad you had such a wonderful ride despite it's pace and your chain.

One thing that amazes me is that Eddy can still ride that fast. I mean he is coming up in years. For instance in high school I could run a five minute mile but I sure as he!! can't do that now:o


karen