Clark Airforce base training ride 100kms Oct 2, 2005

FROM THE PAST....
Just too tired at work this week so i requested best buddy jojo cardenas to pick me up by 5:45am. when we arrived inside Clark...the entire waterwood team was arriving in succession...head count was 16 riders including our domestiques...plus add about 10 Clark air base regular riders who does domestique works for Leian Cruz...

TEAM WATERWOOD REPORT.TRAINING RIDE.CLARK AIR FORCE BASE CLEAR WATER COUNTRY CLUB ROUTE...ESTIMATE 100KM SUNDAY OCTOBER 2, 2005 PHILIPPINES

As per suggestion of team waterwood manager Engr Rolly Cruz...Team Waterwood Park Cycling Club went to Clearwater country club in Clark Airforce base in Pampanga today for the scheduled 100kilometers training ride. This sunday was to be our 3rd consecutive 100kilometers training ride...the objective being to build base mileage and endurance for the forthcoming Powerbar Matabungkay 2 day cycle race end of Oct and the 3 days stage race to be held in Baguio City by Masters Cup organizers end of November.

My new super domestique Norberto Daa (Bulacan State University Scholar but electronic engineering undergraduate) decided not to ride the team vehicle and pedalled all the way from bulacan town to clearwater which is about 60kilometers so that he can familiarize himself with the new bike....an ABE MALDEA prestige tubing custom made bike which used to belong to jojo cardenas but fits Norberto Daa perfectly.

The other domestiques includes our driver bodyguard Robert Batoon...and super domestique Perfecto Legaspi Jr (pipoy) who didnt make it to the Tour of Luzon eliminations ONLY BECAUSE HE IS BUT 16 years old. and the age qualification is 18 years....extremely strong rider and future bet of bulacan town.

Our American teammate Mitch Kaminski made it inspite of hectic schedule...im delighted because he is a climber...i say the route has 50kilometers of climbs and suits him perfectly! he laughs.

Richard Uy, Shintaro Valdes, kaye Lopez, dondie azarcon ,dennis dionisio, jojo cardenas , engr rolly cruz, dondie azarcon and ren badelles were also present..

Dondie now got Mavic Ksyrium wheelset and a PROFILE DESIGN aero set up on his new Giant T mobile Carbon bike. i said better be careful...the aerobars dont have brakes. he says he will stay away so nobody gets run over by him. everbody laughs.

I saw richard looking a bit tired...he says he rode with Chris Pollard of G cash and was so tired yesterday...he asked to be excused by 50kms mark...i said yes of course...however the rest of the squad got to ride 100kilometers as we havent ridden the entire week.

So by 7:30 we are off on the training ride....we went climbing by the wall going to the otso otso route which used to be the route of the John Wilkie races and WCAO race last year....

The speed for the first 15kms was too high. 27 to 35kph over the climbs...i told engineer rolly...i couldnt sustain this pace....maybe some of us wants the otso otso route...others could take the clearwater route? engineer rolly says yes...Norberto Daa arrives...i stick to my domestique like a leech...the peloton asks me to slow down...i said dont worry about me im giving this guy FREE LUNCH... to just coach me and let me know my climbing mistakes (sorry...its a secret)....by the 2nd lap...we got caught by Leian Cruz the wonder boy...riding a yellow Cervelo with aeroset up...speed was an incredible 38kph up the climbs with Leian, Shintaro, kaye, dennis,macmac, richard uy, Clarck domestiques and our bulacan domestiques pipoy and robert doing pulls. i told Norberto (bitoy) just teach me how to climb properly never mind the fast riders...he agrees then teach me hands on on how to climb properly... i got dropped.

I couldnt match the pace of my domestique and he turns right again at the otso otso route...i decided to make left turn and take clearwater route....i was alone by myself when i got caught by an incredibly fit Engr Rolly Cruz up the climbs...i said ""VERY GOOD BOSS"" ....in his splendid WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP jersey he looked like Lance Armstrong...riding a TREK US POSTAL...

I wore a red SAECO CANNONDALE full zipper jersey and looked like GIBI SEEmoni? on a SEVEN ODONATA with Wound up carbon fork.

While climbing (with me gasping for breath...) he asks me about the ODONATA .... i said...yes its a laid back bike...and very good in climbing, cornering and descending...overall...a PERFECT BIKE.

He said...""very good... so its worth the money?"" i said ""YES!""

I said he should get one of those SEVEN TITANIUM bikes too...but he says...he has already mastered the TREK OCLV carbon....and will probably keep the bike for a few more years...

He says we will just stick together...go down the clearwater route...then go to mabalacat gate...then climb up the wall...then clearwater and climb the wall 2 more times...and that should be 100kms.

On our 3rd lap going to mabalacat...we saw the group of shintaro, leian, richard, dennis and other domestique stop by the 50kilometers mark....turns out that dennis dionisio crashed on the lolipop section...then the group stopped and returned to parking lot near clearwater...there the local pampanga clark regular cyclists requested for a bente bente race...and our group obliged...our domestique pipoy and bitoy won...leian is third...

Meanwhile...myself and team manager engr Rolly Cruz continued with our suffering...we caught the group of Mitch Kaminski...Ren Badelles...Jojo Cardenas and Kaye Lopez up the wall...engrrolly cruz takes the pull at 28kph...i swap at 24kph...ren swapped at 28...mitch swapped at32 then the group disintigrates....with only jojo cardenas able to hang on to our climber american teammate Mitch Kaminski...

End of 100 kilometers jojo cardenas beats Mitch at the finishing sprint...followed by kaye lopez and Ren...

I together with engr Rolly Cruz finished together...happy with our improved fitness level...having no cramps at all after 100kms...3 hours 40 minutes on my speedo at 28kph average including the climbs...we are all very happy.

We took lunch at bulalo station...had great story telling...then decided our next ride on sunday... Isuzu Alabang to puerto Azul and back...130kms? if you wish to join our rides next sunday...please let me know...

Ride safe and hope to see you all soon.

Your friendster

Raymond see