I would like to thank everyone who attended and assisted with our successful Team Vegan launch party.  Personally, I was very pleased with the evening.  About 50 people came out to see the first elite vegan cycling presented.  It looked to me like people had a good time, and I know everyone enjoyed the food prepared by Justin and bicycle blended smoothies.  With our silent auction and donations, we raised about $1600 for OrganicAthlete!

Here are some pictures of the evening.








I also want to thank the following people and organizations for their help with the event:

• Charity, my wife, for videoing the event and always supporting me
• Justin Lucke, for making all the food
• Peter Berridge and his Clif Bar team for hosting and working the event
• Dylan Seguin of Clif Bar for emceeing the presentation
• Star Blue for making the "Raw Wheels" movie
  
• Joe Connelly, Colleen Holland, and the entire VegNews crew
• Bill Schumacher and Earl's Organic Produce for donating the fruit and veggies
• The silent auction donors: Vegan Unlimited, Melissa's, Calfee Designs,  Clif Bar, VegNews, Mill Valley Cycleworks, and Cafe Gratitude.
  
• The athletes who make this all possible: Justin Lucke, Ben Lyon, Emily Thurston, Dan Hopley, Justin Torrellas, Akira Wong, and all the other Team Vegan athletes who couldn't make it for the evening.
  

Finally I would like to thank the team sponsors again for their support of this project.  Without their support, this would not be possible.

VegNews Magazine

Organic Spa Magazine

Mill Valley Cycleworks

Clif Bar

New Harvest Organics

Melissa's World Variety Produce

PDS Sports Medicine

Earl's Organics

Verge

Bio-Lube

Beljum Budder

Living Nutrition Magazine

I always knew that wearing an OA t-shirt could get the ladies.

Nice Obi.  Love it, bro.

On Friday, Justin, Charity, and I headed east from Berkeley to Sonora.  Driving takes a little longer than usual these days.  Since the accelerator cable broke, it apparently needs to be adjusted.  The van won't go over 45-50 mph now.  This is a great way to make friends with hurried Californians.

When we finally made it to Sonora, I fell in love with the area.  We went for a little spin, and though my legs felt like bricks, the scenery was absolutely stunning.  At first, I thought my legs had been completely wiped by the drive.  It's not easy driving the van, especially when you have to keep the gas pedal floored all the time.  But later, I figured out my legs hurt all day Friday and Saturday morning.  It was the salt.  I never eat any table salt, but Thursday I had a salad at Cafe Gratitude plus the salad dressing at the team launch had a bit of salt (unbeknowest to me).  The salt causes  a) me to feel like crap and b) edema that hurts my legs.  They feel like bricks.  I had this same thing happen a few months ago after eating at a raw restaurant in L.A.  I tried to ride the next day, and just suffered.

 So with that painful, aching feeling in my legs starting to wane on Saturday morning, I looked forward to the 66 mile Ward's Ferry road race.   Justin Lucke, Akira, and I joined about 30 other riders in the Pro/1/2 category for this jaunt.  Justin Torrellas joined the Category 3 riders.

Without an inch of flat road, the Ward's Ferry course is not an easy one.  It's either up or down, and from the first hill, we're weren't taking it easy.   I think we lost half the field on the first of 5 laps.  A break of two riders went up the road and would stay away to the finish, while behind the pack got smaller and smaller with each lap.

Justin burned off early - exhausted from being on his feet all week at Google.  Akira hung strong for 3 or 4 laps.  Though I wasn't feeling particulary sharp, I did just enough each time up the hills to stay with the group.  On the last lap, we had a group of 7 riders left.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the legs to do much, but I held on for an 8th place finish.  Akira was a few minutes back in around 12-14th place.

After the race, we rode back to our host housing (listen to the music!), and I got the scoop that Justin T had been forced off the road on the first lap.  He had to stop and fix his bike, and by then, the pack was gone.

Where tactically we did alright on Saturday.  In Sunday's crit, we struggled.  There were 20 starters for Sunday's race, which actually makes for a more difficult race.  There's nowhere to hide.

In the opening laps, Justin T. made the early break.  The break quickly swelled to 8 riders, and I knew we needed more people in the move.  Justin L and I chased for several laps to bring the gap within striking distance but couldn't bring back 8 strong riders.

In the end Justin T. stayed with the break to finish 7th, which was absolutely incredible given that he was the only category 3 rider in a break of mostly category 1 riders.  My derailleur cable broke with a few laps to go, and that ended my day.  So I help Charity while she filmed the race and took a few pictures.




I have to especially thank Mary Ann Schmidt and family for their generosity in letting us stay at their place (Mary Ann is Kelly Crowley's aunt.  Kelly is Justin Lucke's girlfriend.).

Blah.  For the first time in a long time, I'm sick.  I can't remember the last time I had an ill feeling that lasted more than a few hours.  This feeling started yesterday.  I could feel my lymph nodes swelling in the morning.  By the afternoon, I felt crummy.  I've crummy for most of the day today, but I can feel my body starting to pull out of it. 

I'm bummed because tomorrow is the Copperopolis Road Race.  I've never done this race, but it's legendary.  I'm going to miss it this year.  I'll probably feel better tomorrow, but I don't want to risk pushing it.

I think I got sick for a few reasons:

• I did a couple of hard workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• I had more nuts in my diet than I normally do.
• I added some leeks to my salad dressing.  I rarely eat alliums, and I always feel off the next morning when I do.
• It's pollen season, so my body is having to deal with more stuff than usual.

Rather than waking up at 4:30 tomorrow morning, I get to sleep with my darling and go to class so that one day OA can have a cool video like Zaadz.

I practiced today.  It feels like forever since I rolled out a mat.  Today, as I laid in bed self-obsessed with my own dis-ease, I felt a light.  I was inspired.

From the comments on Obi's blog, I made my way to Patrick's story:

I arrived at yoga after almost five years of weight training and running routines. I might have looked fit, but in reality I was uncomfortably knotted, with aching knees and lower back pain. I couldn't touch my toes or give someone a good hug because of all the useless muscle mass I had put on. The irony is that I was also really into meditation, which cultivates deep compassion for all life. I was showing loving kindness towards everything but my own body!

This resonated with me.

Several years ago, I would say I was an avid yoga practioner, but not so much these days.  I feel the call.  Lifting my legs up into Sarvangasana, the weight of that realization felt, well, good.  I slouch over my laptop everyday, piecing together (sometimes with duct tape and bailing wire) an organization that I think can be a real force for change, but I've been neglecting to expand my own awareness from within. 

And as much as yoga is about letting go, I still want to be as cool as Obi.  He says he's dating a yoga instructor.  Someone I once dated has become a yoga instructor - does that count?

The Sea Otter never rolls well for me.  I've had a car catch on fire there.  I've had to sit in a mud pit for the entire weekend.  The weather is always windy and cold, and it inevitably rains at least once.

My troubles this time started on Wednesday.  After making a stop at Earl's Organics to pick up the produce for the weekend, I had planned to make it down to Salinas get the booth set up.  The vanagon has a mind of its own though, and the thermostat cracked.  The van overheated, and I had to leave it at a repair place.  I hear it's going to be in the order of $700 to repair.  Yippee!  Then I had to rent an SUV to cram all the supplies into.  That's another $250.  Yippee!  Clif Bar set the bar by riding to Sea Otter.  And OrganicAthlete shows up in a Chevy Trailblazer.  You just have to laugh.

I did make it to Salinas Wednesday evening, and I managed to get some sleep at a shady hotel right downtown.  Thursday morning as I set the booth up, I realized that I had left the booth beautification items at home.  We looked pretty half ass, and that's what I felt about the whole weekend.  I tried to race and manage the booth and did neither very well.  It was mostly the same story for the team.

In Friday's road race, Justin, Ben, Akira, and I started.  Akira finished.  Emily lost her number just before the start. 

In Saturday's curcuit race, Emily held on for quite a bit before pulling out.  She's been nursing a hamstring injury, so that was great that her leg was able to handle that.  The race was eventually cancelled due to inclement weather.  The 4 dudes started the curcuit race.  Speaking for myself, my head wasn't in the game.  It was windy, rainy, and cold, and I was shivering almost uncontrably at the start line.  I didn't last very long before I rolled back to the car and felt sorry for myself.  My secret plans to step it up on Saturday will have to wait till another race.

I know I sound like I'm whining and moaning, but there were some good things about this weekend:

• Our host Maria Anderson rocked.  We had platters of fresh fruit waiting for us each night!
  
• Did you see this article about the team?
• Molly won a field sprint.
• In all 50 states, at more than 1400 iconic places across the nation, people united around a common call to action: "Step It Up Congress: Cut Carbon 80% by 2050."
  

Oh, and I woke up with a sore throat this morning.  I go from not being sick in 5 years to being sick twice in 2 weeks.  er.  I think I'm trying to do more than my body/mind can deal with at the moment. 

Have you noticed the change?  Zaadz has set us up with a zPro site.

So now organicathlete.zaadz.com is an official OrganicAthlete blog, as opposed to both my personal and organizational blog.  I've set up a personal account here on zaadz, too, bradleysaul.zaadz.com.  Feel free to hook up with me there.

Let us know what you think of the new site.  First thing is I'd like to whip up a new banner.  After that, I'm all about your ideas.

Post by Bradley.

Bay area OrganicAthletes-
You've been asking about organizing a bay area chapter.  Now here's your chance to meet thousands of potential members!  VegNews magazine has generously donated part of their expo table at the Bay to Breakers run to OrganicAthlete. 

Let's create a cool booth and inspire people. to join OrganicAthlete and get involved!  I'd love to see the bay area members take ownership of this project and get an official chapter started.

Here are the details on the event:

The Expo is May 18 11am-7pm; May 19th 9am-7pm, with load-in for exhibitors starting on May 17 at 2pm. The location is Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco (99 Grove Street). Your 10'x10' booth will be adjacent to the VegNews Magazine booth.

Join our Bay Area google group to get involved and make plans!

Post by Bradley

OrganicAthlete chapters around the country are participating in Outside Magazine's Stay 30 Forever Tour! 

• San Francisco, May 12 - Marina Green
• Portland, May 19 - Pioneer Courthouse Square
• Denver, May 26 - Washington Park
• Chicago, Jun 2 - Lincoln Park
• Philadelphia, Jun 9 -  Fairmont Park, Waterworks
• New York, NY, Jun 16

We
have SF, Portland, Denver, Chicago, and New York online, but we don't
presently have a chapter in Philly.  If you're interested in creating
one or just volunteering for the day, please contact Bradley Saul.

Posted by Bradley