Mentor Profile: Rob Anderson

1. Place in your first race?
[Rob Anderson] It was a long time ago so my memory may be suspect but I think it was 58th place at a NORBA National in Mammoth in the late 1980's.

2. Ride alone or with friends?
[Rob Anderson] Always with friends!

3. Favorite subject in school?
[Rob Anderson] In grade school through high school it was PE. At University it was a finance class with a professor who later mentored me in the business world.

4. First bike ever?
[Rob Anderson] I think it was something like a Schwinn cruiser when I was about 8 years old.

5. Favorite post race meal?
[Rob Anderson] One of my wife's superb pasta dishes. I usually crave protein so it will likely include some seasoned tofu product.

6. Race you are most proud of and why?
[Rob Anderson] Winning the World Mountain Biking Championship in 2006 and not for the reason that might seem most obvious. What made me most proud was that my whole family was there to cheer me on and celebrate it with me. My mother, brothers, nieces, nephews and in-laws were there, but more importantly, my wife and daughters were at the finish line when I was the first to cross it.

7. Boxers or briefs?
[Rob Anderson] Have never worn boxers so it's briefs

8. What sport would you do if you weren't a cyclist?
[Rob Anderson] The injuries in hockey forced me off the ice otherwise I probably would never have taken up the sport of cycling. So if it wasn't cycling, I would still be playing hockey.

9. Biggest accomplishment ever?
[Rob Anderson] This one is real easy. I have two daughters, ages 12 and 9. They are kind, caring, loving, healthy and happy. I assume my wife and I contributed at least in some part to these characteristics and is therefore my biggest accomplishment ever.

10. Real food or the other stuff on rides?
[Rob Anderson] I am perhaps an anomaly on this front as I don't eat on rides (although I do when I race) only drink water. During races I eat energy blocks and drink energy drinks as opposed to real food like fruit or juices.

11. Razor, waxing, or electric?
[Rob Anderson] Hey, I am a old mountain biker so never have and never will shave my legs.

12. Green, polka dots, or the stage 20 TT?
[Rob Anderson] Climbing seems to be what I do best so definitely polka dots.

13. Celebrity you resemble the most?
[Rob Anderson] I've been told I look a little like Baryshinikov.

14. First job ever?
[Rob Anderson] When I was 11 years old I had a paper route, I was a paper boy.

15. Single most important piece of advice you give to your kids?
[Rob Anderson] Be a good person and be honest.

Turkey Day Ride

Every year in Marin there is an annual Thanksgiving mountain bike ride. This ride is known as the Turkey Day ride. It starts at a coffee shop in Fairfax, where the riders immediately start ascending up a long hill, go around a loop full of more hills, single-track, rocky sections, and winding hills -- Basically everything you can ask from a mountain bike ride. Given that this isn’t an organized ride, every rider has their own idea of what the actual loop is. There gets to a point in the ride where people start heading in different directions based on their preference and where they need to finish. 
 
One would think that this ride is small, given that it isn’t organized nor is there a planned start time. There isn’t even a designated route. However, it’s really quite the opposite. Not hundreds, but thousands of people show up for the event and it seems as if every rider in Marin is out on the trail. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen a trail so full of bikes before. More amazing than the amount of riders that show up, is the variety of the riders. At any given time you might see a serious road racer that’s flying up a hill, or you might see a 70-year-old on a single speed that’s going even faster. On your left could be a soccer mom that only rides three times a year, and on your right could be a 10-year-old kid. Some people are on 29 inch wheels, while others are on cyclecross bikes. There was even a guy dressed in a turkey costume!
 
My favorite aspect of the ride is the comradeship that all the riders and volunteers share. No one dares to poach on this ride, and sheriffs help pass out food and water to the riders. There are also volunteers that stand at the top of the hills to cheer people on and pass out food. Since there are so many people that come out, there is almost a 100% chance that you will run into some one that you know. For the most part, everybody gets along. 
For me, the Turkey Day ride was more then I had hoped. I rode for half the day with Tyler Brandt, a cyclist I’ve known for years. After riding through Fairfax, we rode all the way to the top of Mt. Tam, then down to my house in Mill Valley where Thanksgiving dinner awaited me.

Davis Bentley

Nov. 4 Junior Ride

Today we had a junior ride at Joel's house. We did Old Lahonda then West on 84 to Alpine an back to Joel's house. After the ride we had a BBQ. We had a great time. All the juniors were there and some of the masters including Larry, Wyatt, Dylan, Fred, Steve. It was a great ride for meeting the new juniors on this year's roster.

Tour of Marin

All of us who went to the Tour of Marin on Sunday had a great time. Davis Phinny and Levi were there. The group of riders was enormous. Here are some pictures from the ride.

Welcome to Katoomba!!

Nice place they've got here! Down in Australia for Masters Track Worlds, I'm staying in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney doing my race prep, which involves riding, sleeping, riding again, eating, and sleeping. Not a quarter kilometer of flat roads here for easy rides. Met some local guys yesterday for the most extensive sprint session I've ever done, probably 10 hard hill sprints in an hour. Don't tell Harvey.

Elite Track Nationals, Day 2

or, "How Not to Ride Pursuit, Lesson 14"

1. Get really amped up during the interminable wait for your start.
--Also, be cranky and obnoxious, if at all possible. Coffee helps.
2. While amped up, ride the first kilo 2.5 seconds faster than last time.
3. Scream "I am superman", thinking you are on a winning pace.
4. Realize that bar of kryptonite is hiding in your skinsuit.
5. Drool on aero bars.
6. Ride your noodle-legs the last 3 kilos at a painfully slow pace.
7. Blame your coach and mechanic for your own error in judgment.

Try it. It worked for me! 13th place out of 41.

Elite Track Nationals, Day 1

Team Pursuit for Mick, with Tom Fahey, Brian Peterson & Roger Rilling. We have spent months practicing for this, including a weekend with Roger Young at the LA Velodrome. Today was the real thing, and we exceeded our own expectations, with a 5th place finish in 4:37 (which would have gotten us 3rd place last year, by the way). Our technique was pretty outstanding, until we made a final kilometer bobble. Brian pulled off a heroic effort to pull us back together, and Roger drilled it for the last 1 1/2 laps to bring it home. Fortunately the podium went five deep!

Individual pursuit tomorrow.