Closing out the Season

Mangs are normal people, too, and they have other things going on in their lives aside from cycling.  So as summer closes in September, so do the flurry of cycling related activities for most Mangs and Alings.  This month, the team participated in only 2 major rides - the Whistler Gran Fondo in Canada and Cascade Bicycle Club's Kitsap Classic.  The requisite weekend training rides were still there but as the season moves towards the Fall, you notice a drastic reduction in ride participation, specially as the weather gets nastier.

Mangs who did the Fondo literally
crossed the finish line together.

The 2016 RBC Whistler Gran Fondo saw by far the biggest number of Mangs participating this year.  The ride is an 80+ mile, 6,500 foot elevation gain ride from the city of Vancouver, BC to the Whistler Olympic Village resort at the foot of the Whistler/Blackcomb mountains.  The more "fit" riders have the option of doing the "Forte", which adds 2,400 feet of climbing over 9 miles making it a total ride of over 108 miles.   The course is memorable.  Riders cycle around Stanley Park, cross the Lion's Gate Bridge just as the sun rises in the east, climb for the first 8 miles through a closed off Highway 1 (freeway) and do a rolling ride all the way to Squamish, BC on the Sea to Sky Highway on a dedicated lane. So cyclists do not have to stop fat intersections or at traffic lights.  They only stop at rest stops.  The view over that section of the course is incomparable and the support from the community and organizers is top notch.  The major climbs start from there, for the next 30 miles, though nothing like climbing a mountain.

Most of the team posed on stage after the ride - not in this pic are Alex, Eric, Ron and Rene who were unavailable at the time of the picture.

Whistler Village itself is not really at the top of a mountain, so the ride to the finish is mostly rolling hills, with a few 500+ foot climbs.  Nevertheless, the Mang train that started out together eventually stretched out to several groups with riders seeking to stay with at least 1 Mang.  The faster riders who did the additional Forte climb actually finished before the riders who just did the Fondo.  The bulk of the Fondo riders finished together with just a few riders struggling to finish by closing time.  All in all, everyone did very well and everyone had fun - even the lone Mang who rode in to close the ride.  Here's a video summary from this author's viewpoint:

The Mangs who did the Kitsap
Classic Ride

Cascade Bicycle Club concludes its summer riding season with the Kitsap Classic - a 58 mile rolling hills ride through the Kitsap Peninsula, starting from Edmonds, looping through the northern tip of the island in Hansville and along the outer edges through Port Gamble, Poulsbo, and back to the Clinton ferry dock.  True to form, Mangs once again represented fun at the event, although not with the usual numbers.  Reports from the riders indicate that there was a lot of laughter and speeding as Mangs chose to have fun with members of other cycling teams. 

Once again, another year of cycling (at least the official events) has ended for the Mangs and Alings.  Cycling continues to permeate our conversations and it continues to be the main activity that brings us together.  These non-riding days also tend to be project days when guys ask for something shiny and new for Christmas and they show up the next year with new bikes. Friendships have also developed through the years and so Mangs continue to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and the holidays well into the Fall and Winter Seasons.  And don't count out the Team Mang Putik riders - our mountain biking brothers, who continue to ride in the raid and mud.  We'll do whatever we can to stay fit during the rainy months but be sure to watch out for us next year as the season starts - the first ride is the Stinky Spoke in January.  We may even be sporting a new look!

Mid Summer fun with the Mangs

The middle of summer, August, is a series of opportunities for cyclists to get out there and strut their stuff.  After RAMROD, every other ride after the end of July is all out fun.  The team took every weekend as an opportunity to do just that.

Starting off at the University Village Starbucks

R.S.B.P. (Ride from Seattle to Bellingham and Pasundo).

This is a new tradition that the Mangs are starting the first week of August.  Several Mangs have done the official Cascade ride, the RSVP (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party), several times and were looking for ways to save money.  So it was suggested that we ride from University Village to Bellingham for 100 miles and have our wives pick us up there.  Fortunately, a couple of our Alings chose to provide support instead.  Some Alings drove straight to Bellingham to pickup their spouses.  Some of us extended our hangout fun into the Amtrak rails - commuting from Bellingham back to Seattle on the same day.  

Our support crew - we couldn't get this done without them!

On a cloudy and cool day, the first part of the ride was all fun as we made our way to Snohomish and made our first stop at the Bakery.  From there, the Centennial trail provided ample opportunities to do our usual pacelining and at some point, someone started picking up speed.  The ride towards Arlington was averaging 23 - 26 mph and those who weren't paying attention quickly got dropped. Our support crew happily met us and fed us at the Arlington rest stop.  

Climbing followed afterwards and the team was split into several groups working together.  A flat forced a regroup at the intersection of Lake Cavanaugh Road just before heading into Mount Vernon.  That

Here's the group, posing at the end of the ride at Fairhaven
Park in Bellingham, 103 miles from the start

descent provided multiple opportunities to speed down the hills as Mang after Mang kept attacking - downhill - forcing each of us to top speeds of 40+!  25 miles from Bellingham, at the Walmart parking lot in Mt Vernon, we stopped to have a delicious lunch of chicken adobo and rice.
From there, it was just a relaxed ride towards Chuckanut drive - except for the fact that after the picture taking, everyone pretty much went on their own attack pace to the finish line.  We were all done before 3 and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the Fairhaven neighborhood.  A few drinks at a local brewery while waiting for the commuters to get on the trains and we were done for another fun day.

R.S.V.P. (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party)

Our RSVP regulars at the
Party portion of the RSVP

Some Mangs routinely sign up for every major Cascade ride and so the same was true for this year.  The regulars - Ferdie, Rudy and Roland (joined by Blake), once again lit up the roads with some of our Trangko friends on the same roads as the last weekend's ride plus the second 100 mile trip from Bellingham to Vancouver.  Partying at West Coast Plaza in downtown Vancouver quickly followed.  Congrats to all of them on another double century in their pockets!

Ride up to Artist Point, Mount Baker
Another developing Mang tradition is the ride from Maple Falls to Artist Point - an up and down ride, 31 miles per trip with 26 of those miles being a slow steady climb up to 5,000 feet above sea level.  Artist Point is at the end of

Highway 542 with gorgeous views and spectacular hiking trails at the top.

The town of Glacier, 7 miles from the starting line, is the
official start of the climbing efforts for this ride

Eight Mangs took up the challenge this year and were met with perfect climbing weather - not too hot, not too cold. Aling Arlene and Emily provided support. They were able to do some minor hiking and were able to take some majestic pictures.  But by the time the Mangs got to the top, the clouds had swept in, not just blocking the views, but dropping temperatures to uncomfortable levels.  We had a quick lunch at the viewpoint parking lot and and snapped pictures on some snow caps. The 3 mile ride down the rocky part of the mountain was truly memorable as every single one of us froze our butts off in the cold temperatures for those few minutes of descending and navigating zigzag-cliff-on-the-side roads.  For 23 miles of descent into forest covered roads, we all carefully navigated our way down the mountain and then worked together in a 6 person paceline for the last 10 miles of rollers back to the start.  Once again, another memorable ride for the Mangs and the last training ride for our Whistler trip in September.

Then there are the training rides, the hiking trips, the parties and all manner of get togethers for Mangs and Alings, making the most of the good weather we've been having this summer.  If you didn't play outside this month, then you missed out.  September's supposed to be spectacular, too!

My RAMROD Moment

(Unlike previous entries that sound like news articles, this entry is my own reflection on this event)
So I finally did it - this epic ride that everyone talks about. 10,000 feet of climbing over the course of 152 miles.  There's also the dreaded Cayuse Pass portion of which everyone says is the killer.   Well, this ride lived up to the hype.

Some of the Mangs at the start of the Ride

The RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day) wasn't really on my radar.  Unlike many cyclists, I don't sit around dreaming of one day accomplishing it.  I'm the type of cyclist who enjoys any old ride but I don't want to suffer too much to have fun.  Sure, I'll do a hard hill, but 3 passes, the last one in sweltering heat?  I don't think so.  This year, though, mainly due to peer pressure, I decided to do it anyway.  I figure, with how fast we did the STP and how I did pretty okay on that ride, I should be able to finish it at least with a relaxed pace.  So hesitantly, I showed up at Enumclaw on Thursday, the 28th.

Last stop before the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park

The first third of the ride was already exhausting - going through cold fields in the fog and trying to keep up with some of our strong riders was already work enough.  After Eatonville, I was still feeling okay, but decided to hold back and hang with Mang Aldwin, who was taking it pretty easy.  So we got to the next rest stop within decent time as our other team mates waited for us.  We all left that stop at the same time and started up the climb to Mount Rainier together.  Up until Longmire, we were all still one long group, with Mang Ferdie leading the charge.  Eventually, the stronger riders advanced further and Mang Chris and Ken even caught up with us (they had started late).  As we got closer to the top, I had already given up in my head - reasoning to myself that I would catch a ride at the top of Inspiration Point.  I even stopped to take pictures at Narada Falls.  Mang Aldwin, though, stayed with me, and kept encouraging me to keep going. We waited for each other and slowly made it to the top of the first climb (Inspiration Point).  At this point, it didn't make sense to stop because this was the beginning of a long downhill ride.  So I figured, what the hell...let's ride it downhill.  I'll catch a ride at the bottom.

Me, Aldwin, Cris and John

Might as well get a solo shot on the way up, right?

That downhill run ended up at a break and I was able to collect enough energy (in my head) to make it up to the next climb up from Box Canyon.  As I passed the time check, the volunteer mentioned, "6 miles of downhill coming up..."  so I figured, I might as well do this.

With some more Mangs at the top of Inspiration Point

By the time we came down that pass, only 1 climb was left - 9 miles on Highway 123 towards Cayuse Pass. So I figured - I might as well do this, I made it this far. Mang Boni, Raf, Aldwin and Allan were there, too, and we all agreed to work together.    So the slow climb at 4 - 5 mph started with the temperatures in the low 90's.  Halfway up, those temps reached as high as 102 on my Garmin and we had resorted to climbing from 1 shade to the next to lower our body temperatures intermittently. This Thursday just happened to be heat wave day (of all the days it could hit).  My head was spinning by this time and I could feel my body warming up every time we moved out of the shade. About 5 miles from the top, Mang Boni and Mang Raf had taken off leaving me, Allan and Aldwin to fend for ourselves.

A mile after the last break, I was done.  I told Aldwin just before the tunnel (about 3 miles from the top) that I was getting a ride. I wasn't having fun anymore.  So Aldwin and Allan continued to the top without me.  From the top of the pass, where highway 123 meets up with Highway 410, we all met up, and rode together to the last rest stop at the Rainier park gates where Mang Raf was waiting for us.  The four of us worked together to make it back to Enumclaw and finish around 7:15 - so the gates didn't close on us.

Finished around 7:15 with these guys!

Overall, the experience was truly memorable.  I finished the RAMROD with some assist, as others did on that last climb.  But I'll always wonder what would have happened if I pushed myself just a little bit more over that last 2.5 to 3 miles.  What you read about in those articles about pro cyclists is true - on race day, they've all trained hard and trained around the same amount.  On the day itself, it comes down to who has the legs and more importantly, who has the will to finish.  On RAMROD day, I think I had the legs..but I didn't have the will - I was just trying to get through the ride and I wasn't willing to work any more than I had already done.  I suppose I enjoyed the ride - the views and those downhill runs were experiences to remember.  And as with all rides, just being around the Mangs is fun enough.  The climbs were unforgettable, too - I had moments where I felt strong...at least before that last climb.  But climbing Cayuse Pass in 100 degree weather just wasn't my cup of tea.  Not doing 100% of the ride on my own...hmmm.  There's a bit of regret in there pushing me to think of signing up for next year to address that unfinished business.  I don't regret it as much (or maybe I'm just sourgraping). I'm just glad I did 99% of it.

I guess I'll wait and see how I feel next year when people start talking about it again.  Maybe I'll have an itch to finish that 1%.   Until then, I'll just consider myself a RAMROd rider.

Another day, another trip to Portland

Some of the Mangs at Centralia (mile 100) after lunch

July 16, 2016 - The weather for this particular Saturday turned out to be one of the best in all of the times the team has done the Seattle to Portland Ride.  While we got rained on last year, and got too much heat the year before, this year's riding climate proved to be the most ideal. Temperatures started out really cool and never really jumped over 75 even when we reached Portland.  Most of the day was cloudy and we even got a hint of drizzle but nothing materialized.  The sun eventually came out later in the afternoon but not to beat us down with grueling heat - it was more to allow us to enjoy the last 30 or so miles of the ride.

Mangs (with 1 Aling) have been starting out from all sorts of locations - mainly to avoid having to get to UW at 4AM and ride through the dark and dangerous streets of Montlake and Madrona. So this year was no different with just a few actually braving the first 25 miles of the actual course.  Many of us rode from our homes, added a few miles and then headed towards the Kent REI stop (mile 25) to meet up with everyone.  We all left Kent around 6 AM.

This year, the Mangs decided to keep the pace easy but minimize...really minimize...the time we spend at the breaks.  Still, speeds reached up to 28 mph cruising down West Valley Highway.  After Puyallup, things slowed down a bit and the more regular pace of around 20-21 was routine. although temperatures were ideal, nobody said anything about the wind!  The ride from Yelm to Tenino proved to be draining for some as we battled with headwinds on the highway.

Met some new friends from Boise, ID
and our lone Team Aling rider, Medlyn,
at the Vader stop (mile 126)

We reached Centralia around 10:45 AM, quickly had lunch (thanks to our awesome support crew) and headed out within 20 minutes.  Most of the crew stayed together up to Napavine but the fun really started as everyone got into racing fun mode on those 15 miles of rollers going to Vader - catching fast trains, attacking small hills, and so on - knowing there was a major stop at Vader.  After Vader, we started taking it a little easier but the trip to Lexington broke the train into more chunks - rolling hills really do zap your energy.

By the time we left Lexington and crossed the Longview bridge into Oregon, we had broken into at least 4 groups as some opted to take more breaks and others started feeling the fatigue of the day start to creep in. Regardless, all but a few of the Mangs regrouped at the St. Helen stop and agreed that we would take it really easy over the last 25 miles.

Most of the Mangs at the finish line

Relaxed is a relative term, of course - and indeed the train still got split up into several groups as we approached the city.  We reached its limits by 6:15 PM.  Thanks to the Glympse app, we were able to inform our "fans" of exactly where we were in the city and what time we would cross the finish line.  The fastest group (the folks we never saw again after Kent REI) crossed at around 6 PM. Most everyone else finished between 6:30 - 6:55 and the last group came in before 8 PM.  The very last Mang who had run into some difficulty with fatigue and bonk, still managed to make it and finish around 9:30 PM.

As usual, having fun at the park the morning after

When you look at the Strava animations, you realize that our breaks averaged about 8 minutes, with the longest being the one in Centralia - which was around 20 minutes, and the one in Lexington just a little less than that.  It goes to show how much time you can save when you do a more disciplined approach to rest stops without having to exhaust yourselves at hammering throughout the course.

All in all, another fun ride for the Mangs and our lone Aling representative.  Some of us have said we're not doing this again next year - riding 200 miles in one day on non-scenic routes is getting old...but that's what most of us said last year, too...and here we are again.

So, we'll see you next year?  I guess it's a "Yaybe".

Mangs are now one of the most recognizable teams
in Cascade Bicycle Club's events - hoping to keep promoting
positivity and fun in Seattle cycling.

Here's the Video summary!

The season's in full swing...

June was in full swing and Mangs and Alings were all over the roads, participating in several events in the month of June.

Mangs at Snoqualmie

Cascade Bicycle Club's Flying Wheels Classic happened on 6/4 and as usual, Mangs flooded the event at all  skill levels spreading their joy all over the eastern side.  Most Mangs did the 104 mile ride, finishing anywhere from 7 to 8 hours, with one, Mang Blake, even finishing within a record 5.5 hours!  We didn't all start at the same time because of traffic problems getting to the start line - but we eventually regrouped around mile 15 to 30 after several flats and long breaks allowed late starters to catch up.  At that point, the fast ones went ahead.  The rest of us practiced pacelining at 20 mph on the way to Snoqualmie Falls and North Bend, creating such a long train that even though everyone got a chance to pull in front, the rest periods between turns was extremely long conserving everyone's strength.  It was one of those unusually hot days, with temperatures easily going over the mid 90's, so the train grew even longer towards the last 20 miles as we made our final approach from May Valley through Factoria.  As usual, the laughter, joking, encouraging and storytelling abounded for another fun day on our bikes in the sun. 

Mangs and friends at Mount Rainier training

On the same day, a few Mangs opted to skip the CBC event and instead cycled up and down the roads around Mount Rainier to get more training on their climbing and descending skills.  Friends from other teams joined in on the fun with Mang Ed providing valuable support for a more challenging ride up and down the mountain roads.

At the starting line

The other major event that Mangs participated in was the Chelan Century Challenge in beautiful Chelan county in Eastern Washington.  This event just keeps getting more exciting every year as  more and more Mangs and Alings take up the challenge.  This year's challenge had several first timers enjoy the splendor of the Manson area's orchards and vineyards in Loop 1.  Together with its spectacular views, the first loop offered an optional 3 mile climb (of which several did by mistake - they didn't notice the sign that said 'Optional'...good for them, though, more elevation gains), scenic climbs, technical descents and an exciting 8 mile lakeside straightaway back to the starting line. Weather was perfect!

Some of the Mangs just had to take a selfie at the
Summit mileage/elevation marker

The penultimate loop, Loop 2, challenged the team once again.  After about 45 miles on desert roads climbing, descending and pacelining along Highway 97, everyone had to go on their own pace answering the call of the revered McNeil Canyon - a 5 mile climb averaging 8 - 10% and concluding with 10 - 12% grades on the last 2 miles, just as your legs are crying for relief and the sun is beating down on you.  Fortunately, this year's temperatures weren't as high as last year's, reaching only the low 90's on the concrete.  Still, most have to stop along the way to bring their heart rate down and get some relief during the climb.  Only 1 failed to make it to the top (he completed it the next day, becoming the first ever Mang to do the McNeil Canyon climb in 2 days).  The lead riders completed the last loop, for an additional 2,500 ft of climbing over 20 miles,  ending at the campsite on the Western side of the lake while a few opted to take the short trip back to the campsite, skipping the climbs.  A small number skipped Loop 3 altogether choosing instead to relax for the rest of the afternoon.

More training is happening as the team gears up for another STP ride in the middle of July - their goals this year all revolve around breaking their own records.  I guess we'll see...stay tuned for next month's installment to find out.

Here are video summaries of the Flying wheels classic and Chelan Century's first two loops:

And so it begins...the summer cycling season is here

One of our training rides visiting the Newcastle Golf Course
after climbing up 164th Ave and Lakemont Drive in
Newcastle

Time passes by so fast when you're having fun. In the past couple of months, Mangs and Alings have been focused on building up their legs and lungs - going on regular Saturday rides to increase their mileage capacity.  Rain or shine, they've been circling the area, climbing those hills and building themselves up.   In the midst of all that, they've never lost their love of laughter, their passion for cycling and of course, their desire to just hang out.  It's also the time for new beginnings and quite a few Mangs find themselves with new equipment. Just in the past couple of months, we've seen a couple of new Carbon rides and Titanium seems to be making a comeback.  As they say, the most number of bikes one should have is n + 1.  

Mangs in the middle of the Highway
520 bridge

There have been a few cycling-specific events such as the historic Highway 520 Ride when it opened on April 1.  Mang Robert and Mang Ron participated on behalf of the team.  That's a ride that will probably never happen again as the 520 bridge is now opened to all traffic. Check out the pic of our twin Mangs Ron and Robert on the right as they enjoyed ride with the rest of Cascade Bicycle Club.

April also marks the opening of the Budu Racing Season at the Pacific Raceways in Auburn - a season long series of crits where points are awarded to racers depending on their finishing positions (sometimes per lap).  Mang Alex, Mang Boni, Mang Lino and Mang Roland are participating year round, honing their racing chops and developing their speed and endurance each week. Let's give them our support every Tuesday Night as they chase those medals.

Mang Boni and Alex challenging the rest of the race crowd

Running for
cross training

Mangs also got busy with other activities like hiking and running, on and off the road.  Some of them even participated in organized events for a good cause - such as the Seahawks Run in Renton and the Break The Chains of Human Trafficking Walk/Run in Federal Way. Apparently, running is good cross training for cycling - proof of which is the improved strength and endurance experienced by the runners.  We can't just keep training our legs and ignoring the rest of our bodies right?  Some of us

Mang Raf at the Seahawks Run finish line

have even put our bikes away for the whole season focusing just on running towards a full marathon - we'll update you on that eventually.

Aling Medlyn is the
latest winner as of
this week

Something new that we've come up this year is a trophy titled "Mang of the Week" awarded to the Mang or Aling who exemplified awesomeness during the ride.  The winner is chosen by vote at the end of the ride and it's usually unanimous. There's no prize money - just some good feelings knowing whatever good deed you did on that ride is being acknowledged by the group. Pictured on the left is Aling Medlyn who proved to be a trooper on our last 70 mile rain and wind ride on the east side.

May has come and gone with each weekend bringing about more adventures around the area. The first weekend in June is the first major ride of the summer - Cascade's Flying Wheels - where the team will attempt to ride over 100 miles for the first time this year. At the same time, a few are daring to do a RAMROD like ride around Mt Rainier for climbing training.   After those, there will be a series of training rides every Saturday in June leading up to the Lake Chelan Century challenge, arguably one of the hardest rides of our season.  Stay tuned and we'll update you with more stories after that ride.

2016 is here...and we've got lots to do!

It's been a while since I last made an entry in this blog - that's because the activities of the 2015's Fall and Holiday seasons took over pretty much everything we did and cycling (and writing about it) took a back seat.
But we're back.
Early this year, a small number of Mangs continued to ride consistently on the weekends - and it shows in their endurance and strength in our current rides. Some of us kept active in other ways but many took to other winter activities, pushing out our cycling training to early March, but also putting on display what makes this team so much more than just a cycling team. In many ways, we've become like lots of small families within a big family - doing movie nights, parties, picnics, and just providing friendly support for each other in many areas of life.

Some of the Mags enjoying snowboarding lessons
from Mang Cris (not in pic)

In January, Mangs and Alings played in the snow - visiting Snoqualmie Pass, Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain on the weekends (and on "sick days"). Some individuals with prior experience stepped up and provided instruction for those of us who just hadn't figured out snowboards yet - thanks, Mang Cris! This may just become a regular annual activity as Mangs and Alings figure out other ways to have fun with each other in the winter months aside from just riding our iron horses in the cold rain.  Still haven't figured out what to call these snowboard lovers - any suggestions? Team Mang Hielo (ice)?

Fat bikes on top of Easton's snow covered hills

For those of us who still love our iron rides and wanted to get a riding fix, we couldn't let snow stop us.  We drove out to Roslyn, Washington for some fat biking. If you don't know what that is, nope, it's not mountain biking. It's riding in the snow trails on special bikes with humongous tires - and it's a lot of fun and provides a good workout! A group even drove all the way out to Winthrop just to do this.

Hop is going for Mt. Rainier!

Other activities in the winter involved those with legs, specifically, hiking as Team Mang Bundok (mountain) proceeded to rack up miles on their pedometers. On several occasions, the bundoks proceeded to hike in the snow - on snow shoes! Whatever gets your blood running, I suppose. Regardless of the temperature, Mangs and Alings have fun, even if it involves a funny way of walking while still getting a workout.  Today, one of our Mangs is sklipping cycling this year and instead focusing on training for a multi-day summer hike with REI folks up to Mount Rainier. We wish him luck - go get 'em Mang Harry!

Hot Chocolate Run particpants

And of course, there are those who don't just hike, but run - as in marathons. A few Mangs and Alings trained on weekends (one of those activities they did instead of cycling) for the Hot Chocolate run marathon.  On a cold morning in early March, some of them did 5K and others did the 15K, finishing proudly mid pack. A few Mangs are even focusing more on running this year instead of cycling...yes, we call them Team Mang Takbo (run).  More power to you folks!

Team Mang Bobowla winning the tournament!

Over the holidays, a subset of Team Mang also got themselves into a sport that involves throwing a 15 pound ball down a smooth floor to knock down 10 white objects at the end of a lane, avoiding gutters on either side. Team Mang 'Bobowla' actually came away from their efforts with prizes!  From all accounts, the team had actually been doing very well in their competitive league at the Acme Bowl in Tukwila and this just in, literally...they actually won the competition as I'm writing this! Congratulations to the players, the "fans" and everyone who supported the group during their long trek towards this championship!

Some of the Putiks, sporting their new jerseys on
a weekend ride

A new branch of Team Mang also just formally opened up (if there is such a thing as formalizing). Our mountain bike lovers - Team Mang Putik (mud) designed, ordered and just got their jerseys in early spring. They are now proudly wearing them. In fact, on the first major road ride of the year - a wet Chilly Hilly in February, none of the traditional road riders of Team Mang represented and only the Putiks rode for the team! Is it because they're used to cold and rain? Hmmm...I dunno. Our first official mountain bike ride was in March at Coupeville, Washington, where the Putiks lead even those of us who had no mountain bikes through a morning of trail riding with the Whidbey Island mountain biking community.

Whew! I'm not sure if I can keep up with all this diversification,  I'm not sure if I captured everything we did over the past 5 months since the last entry.  But it's all good - I'll catch up on the next post.  Even though cycling is what brought many of us together, friendships tie us to each other in the other areas of life.  At least now that it's Spring, everyone's starting to focus on their cycling training again to get ready for the summer rides...and there are a lot of them coming up. More on those on my next post. Here's hoping for another successful Mang/Aling year of movement!

Keeping Busy in the Fall

So what have the Mangs and Alings been up to in October?  Rest assured, this rat pack of fun lovers isn't lying down on their sofas with nothing to do.  Rather than sit back and let the dreary weather get to them, they're still out there, enjoying themselves.  

Some Mangs hanging out with riders of the United Mountain
Bike of Washington on one of their weekend rides

Team Mang Putik (mud) is alive and kicking, going on mountain bike adventures near and far. Thanks to the other fun loving guys from United Mountain Bike of Washington, Mangs who have other types of bikes (fat tired ones that go bouncing up and down) can enjoy themselves while the roads aren't as safe anymore.  In the fall, when there's an abundance of leaves on the roads' shoulders, cyclists have no choice but to ride on the lane, making it just a bit more precarious for both cyclists and drivers.   

Some Mang on a Mt. Pilchuk hike

Because we recognize the need to exercise our other muscles and we still want to enjoy the outdoors, some of us participate in other mountain-worthy activities, particularly, hiking.  And not to disappoint, some of us are climbing and racking up miles on foot - the most recent of which was on Mount Pilchuck with what we now call Team Mang Bundok (mountain). Looks like we're going to be dong a lot more of these leisurely walks in the next few months.

Our 4 bowla's showing off their winning forms!

And for those who aren't into cold outdoor activities, some of us have found other ways to keep busy and enjoy ourselves indoors. Thanks to Mang Ken, we've got a team representing us in a local bowling league - Team Mang-Bobowla (hard to explain)!  And it looks like they're doing very well.  As of last weekend, they were in first place.  Hopefully, they'll keep that pace going all the way into the trophy rounds!

Of course, there's also the guys who fish, those who are regular gym goers, the spinners on their home trainers and everything else in between - including the ones who exercise in the age old sport of spoon and fork lifting, everyone enjoying each other's company in many ways.

The soul of the team continues to thrive, though, as the faithful continue to ride their carbon horses through the familiar routes on the weekends - doing what they love doing best, road cycling.  Not even the cold or the rain prevents them from mounting their machines.  All this activity will hopefully keep most of us in condition for what is shaping up to be a busy and exciting 2016.  

Ending the Season with a Classic Ride

Mangs (and Aling) and their friends getting ready to board the Edmonds ferry for the Kitsap Classic

The last weekend of September heralded the official end of the 2015 cycling season as Team Mang joined several members of the cycling community in Cascade Bicycle Club's annual Kitsap Color Classic - a 56 mile romp around the Kitsap peninsula featuring rolling hills, a couple of climbs and gorgeous scenery.  Kicking off with a ferry ride from Edmonds also added to the experience as the official start of the ride was actually a couple of miles of gentle climbing from the Kingston terminal.

Here's the gang taking a break at the Poulsbo stop

Since the earliest ferry was at 8:50, we didn't really have a choice but to roll out from the start line way past 9AM.  Nevertheless, with temps hovering just around 60, it was a cool ride in spite of the sunny and clear skies.  Those downhill runs in the shade reminded us that summer was over and this was simply a nice sunny Fall day.

We all stayed within a few miles of each other - reaching Hansville and taking pictures of the bay just chillaxing and staying in at least two groups. The stairclimb rollers after that caused us to get fragmented and by the time we reached those long climbs, the orange train had become really long.  Some regrouped to ride together on the way to Port Gamble.  Still, we were well within a half hour of each other by the time we got there.  From that quaint town, the ride to Poulsbo gave us the opportunity to basically take the road as one big group - intimidating, if you didn't know us - all those orange and black shirts riding the road.   Fortunately, we've been around the cycling circuit so much that random folks, even in cars, recognize us, cheer us on and give us compliments about our good riding habits (calling out 'on your left', calling out obstacles, drafting, etc).  It's a good feeling when your team gives out positive vibes to the community.

More clowning around on board the Edmonds-Kingston ferry

After the Poulsbo break, it was all pedal to the metal as everyone pretty much gave it their all through the last remaining hills to get to the terminal quickly.  Thankfully, nobody missed it, and everyone finished the course in a decent amount of time. It was just such a good feeling to see friends who came out and enjoyed the day and the company - some of whom we hadn't seen in a while.  Here's a video summary of how everything went down.

It may have been the official end of the cycling season for the greater community as Fall officially makes itself unmistakable but Team Mang continues to ride on the weekends, sometimes on the road, sometimes on the mountain trails and sometimes on hiking boots.  We've even got riders in the bowling alley (watch for a report on that soon).  Next year will bring a host of new challenges, opportunities for memories and good times with friends.  Some will take a break to focus on other things in life (as they did this year), others will want to become stronger, while others will just continue to enjoy the company.  Regardless of each others' goals, it will be something to look forward to.  Some of us are already planning for summer 2016!

Have a great off season everyone!

Mangs make an appearance in the Tropics

Mang Amor, Jomarc, Carlo, together with a friend in the middle
of the Honolulu Century bike ride

You read that right! This year, 3 of our friends made their way to sunny, tropical Honolulu on the island of Oahu in Hawaii to participate in the annual Honolulu Century.  Here's how it all went down according to one of the participants, Mang Amor:

"Three Team Mang Cycling members (Jomarc, Carlo, and Amor) just completed the 2015 Honolulu Century Ride on September 27 together with about 15 riders from the Filipino Hawaiian cycling club HIClistas. These guys are as avid and strong riders as you can find anywhere else. We are grateful for this group, especially Jun Sadang, for providing us with authentic Filipino-Hawaiian hospitality both during and after the ride. While most of the group reside in Oahu, we learned during the ride that some of them came from Maui and the Big Island. There were other riders, but among those whose names we can remember are: BeeJay, Jeff, Freddie, Tito, Cecil, Jimmy, and Paul.  Thank you Jun and the other HIClistas!  
The ride started from Kapiolani Park in downtown Honolulu all the way to Kaawa Beach Park, then back. Along the way, riders pass through the Diamond Head Rd, Hawaii Kai, with the blue green waters on the right side and the lush mountains of Diamond Head and Koko Head on the left side.

Our brave mangs proudly displaying their certificate after
having completed a century ride in Honolulu, HI

The ride then goes up a couple of hills, with some head and side winds, but at the top, what do we get? Another amazing view of the water, the famous blowhole, rabbit island, and more of the same, blue green waters on the right side… We went through the towns of Waimanalo, Kailua and Kaneohe riding through a driving rain this time (not Seattle rain, but Philippine type rain), but it’s all good since the rain was WARM! While the wind was whipping us sometimes at 20+mph, both front and sideways, we were always rewarded by the amazing views of the waters and green mountains. We highly recommend that everyone do this ride at least once in their lifetime. Jomarc also showed us another potential ride from downtown Honolulu, which is a short one for training just before the century ride. It’s called the Mt. Tantalus Round Top ride, a bit windy and steep, but if you’ve done Mt. Rainier, it should be easy. (Believe me, you can google it). We also learned that there are many opportunities for riding in Hawaii: go up to Haleakala in Maui (10,000 ft over 37 miles, Kona Coast in the Big Island where they hold the famous Iron Man triathlon for 100 miles, and another century ride on the North Shore of Oahu. Let’s do this ride again next year!"

- Mang Amor

Alings Ride the Wave to support a Good Cause

Alings take every opportunity to have fun among themselves,
just like their Mang conterparts!

Once a year, our female counterparts - we call them Team Aling - take center stage in an all women's ride. Right after the STP, they trained week after week to be able to participate and support the Cycle the Wave movement (Women Against Violence Everywhere).  It's a ride and a fund raising event to promote awareness of domestic violence prevention programs.  They worked as a team to encourage several other women to ride - some for the first time.  More than just a bike ride, the training made for opportunities to bond and support each other and become a bigger family.   Here's what some of them had to say about the whole experience:

Alings pose for fans at the Finish Line Festival

"I always look forward to riding Cycle the Wave because it is such a worthy cause.  But that's not it! It's always a blast on the event day with our Mangs (some Alings, too!) armed with cowbells, cheering, taking lots of photos and videos. I think it's great for other CTW riders to see that there are some good men out there!

My fellow Aling Riders, I am so proud of all of your hard training and fundraising that contributed to the success of this event!  Kudos to Marisa & Arlene for sweeping duties and Veronica for leading!

I am so grateful to be surrounded with people that cares, motivates, encourage and inspire!"

 - Aling Virna

"Doing Cycle the Wave was a huge thing for me. It was the first bike event I participated in after just a couple of months in training. I was nervous and at the same time excited to see how I would fare among other seasoned riders. The event was so fun and festive probably because there were a lot of us participating as a team plus we had our family and friends to support us during ride day.

We did the girly girl route which was just about right for us beginners. For me it was hard but doable. During a rest stop, I was asked by one fellow rider if our team raced or competed. I replied, "no, we just do it for fun". That's how I see it, having fun with a common goal of reaching the finish line together. I never felt any sense of competition among the team. The only competition we have is with ourselves, trying to find how much we can stretch our limits.

I am so proud to be part of team Aling. Everyone looks out for each other and that, I think is teamwork at its best."

- Aling Jojie

Mangs were never far behind, providing
support during training and the actual
event.

"Being one of the newbies in Team Aling, I am in awe how much fun this group has!  The fun doubles when surrounded with Team Mang.  The most fun was had in our interactions with each other during and after trainings.  It was a great privilege to participate in the 2015 Cycle The WAVE (CTW), my first event ride with the Alings (with the utmost support of Team Mang).

On a personal level, the ride with CTW is meaningful to me because this organization acknowledges what I most care about.  I got to participate with magnificent ladies, especially with Team Aling.   On Sept. 20, 2015, I was riding for myself and on behalf of the people I love, who have had gone through tough times.  It’s a wonderful thing to be out there for doing what matters to you."

- Aling Meds

"My experience with CTW was fantastic. Riding with my fellow female teammates, Team Aling, was absolute fun! The camaraderie is heartfelt. "We are family" is definitely the theme of this team. 

CTW was pretty organized and well supported. Speaking of support, Team Aling had their cheering squad, Team Mang! A bunch of funny, witty, selfie taking fellows always there for the gals! Thank you for capturing our CTW event moments with videos and pictures. "

- Aling Patty

This year, our Alings really grew not just in number but in strength and skill. We're so proud of what they've been able to accomplish in such a short time and we're looking forward to having more of them join the Mangs in our training rides and the official rides next year.  Here's a video summary of what went down this at CTW.

Mangs Blast into South Central Washington

On the southern side of the state and on the same day as the Whistler Gran Fondo - 5 Mangs also took in a mountain challenge at the Tour de Blast - a ride up from Toutle, Wa to the Johnston Ridge Viewpoint overlooking the Mount St. Helen's blast zone.  It's not a walk in the park - a ride that climbs up a total of 6,200 feet spread over 82 miles.  Mang Richard, Allan, Aldwin,  Jomar and Raf (that's them on the photo from left to right) took on the challenge - here's what a couple of them (Aldwin and Raf) had to say:

"The 3 hr car ride, teriyaki dinner with half-cooked rice,  sharing of hotel room with the guys and all the timangan in between were definitely a blast.  Then the ride happened. It was challenging. A lot of climbing going up to Johnston Ridge, and the hot temps did not help at all. But the long downhill was something else - FAST.  Thanks to Mang Jomar for pulling at the end. Whether Tour de cure, Tour de Blast or Tour de Mercer Island, Team Mang always finds a way to have a BLAST." 

- Mang Aldwin

"The day started with fog blanketing much of the surroundings. It was like wrapping on a present with the awe-inspiring views of Mt St Helens and the Toutle River valley as the gift. Team Mangs Aldwin, Allan, Jomarc, Raf, Richard spent the first few miles of flat terrain warming up. The grade increased gradually even as the gift was slowly getting unwrapped. The team rolled into the first stop at Hoffstadt Bluffs strong and intact. Photos were taken, drinks were replenished. The route inclination thereon increased. Mang Jomarc kept a strong steady pace pulling the team. Eventually, each team member settled into their individual grooves and took on the challenge at their own pace.

The team reunited at the second stop at Elk Rock Viewpoint. The elevation at this stop was high enough to satisfy any sightseer what with Mt St Helens seemingly within arm’s reach and the Toutle River blast zone below. Picture time once more. What followed was bittersweet. The team enjoyed a sweet fast downhill ride for 8 miles crossing over two picturesque bridges that curve to the right revealing its beautiful arch supports. Mangs Jomarc and Raf alternated taking the lead while Mangs Aldwin, Allan, and Richard kept the pressure on. Soon enough the downhill led to the bitter final climb up Johnston Ridge. I must say, though, that the views really made this climb less punishing as the route took on a huge zigzag circuit that we could see below the road that we just rode on evoking both sense of achievement at what we’re doing and marvel at nature’s lithospheric grandeur.

With Mt. St. Helens in the background, Mangs
savor the rewards of their climb

The climb stretched for seven miles. There were other riders who either were curious at what Team Mang meant or recognized us from other rides. Questions were answered, stories were told, smiles were exchanged. On the final turn came Johnston Ridge at last. Finally, the gift was revealed – Mt St Helens at its splendor. The climb was all worth it. Mang Jomarc would be the KOM on this day, followed by Mang Raf, then Mang Aldwin, then Mang Allan and Mang Richard.

The Team enjoyed a fast seven-mile downhill from Johnston Ridge before enduring a slow eight-mile climb back to the Elk Rock Viewpoint stop. It was all downhill from after that. Yesss! Energized by the thought of no more climbing, the Team attacked like jackrabbits with each Mang taking over and overtaking one another for the lead position. Eventually the pace line would settle down with Mang Jomarc pacing the Team to the finish line altogether. Another epic ride on the books! Tour de Blast. Done!"

 - Mang Raf