-----==<< Asian Arnold >>==-----

Hello again

2007-10-10T23:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been quite a while. I don't even know if anyone looks at this blog, but it's my venue for my interests and hobbies. So provide comments(possitive please) if you want.
My cycling is fairly steady. Not real dedicated. I'm still riding the weekly fast and furious group rides(crash last week, ugh), but nothing more than 40miles. So endurance is lacking. I'm even considering selling one of my bikes to get funds for my other (expensive) hobby, photography. I'd like the Canon Digetal Rebel XTi. My film camera is getting pricey to develop. Check out my photo gallery!!

Anyway, onto my original hobby, guitar. I started in high school at age 14, listening to Metallica and Rush. I'm a metalhead at heart. Played in HS, garage and college bands. I ventured into jazz and played in a very talented jazz band fro 2 yrs, but never really went anywhere. Then went on a hiatus for 4 yrs (enter cycling). Then finally dusted off the guitar and amp. Amazing that it still plays! My gear is a Fender Strat "Big Apple" and a Mesa Boogie Mark IV amp. I can't let these babies go to waste.

Check these videos out. A little crazy, but they inspire me to play again!
Michael Angelo Batio
Insanely Amazing Guitar Solo
Hybrid Techniques Guitar Fusion
Hybrid Technique #1
Greg Howe

that's it for now.
thanks
jl

Back on the saddle Apr07

2007-05-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus, and our third baby born in mar07, I started to ride again. I've been riding solo just once a week for maybe 25mi or less. So riding in a group ride was a little nerve racking. I rode our weekly monday night ride and it took a little while to get used to riding so close to others. There were about 60-70 riders, a bunch of new faces too, so was cautious and just sitting in the back. By next week's ride, i was more confident and can work with the group, though still not up to my fitness.

I decided to ride the saturday River Ride ( fastest ride in the area), though it's been 3 months since i rode this and there was a 15men crash on that ride. Every once in a while, the pros show up. Mike Sayers from Team BMC was there(sometimes Chris Horner too), and so this ride was extra fast! 28-30mph throughout the whole ride! I found myself last, but I would not give up and drop off. Everyone was commenting on the same thing...fast! Well, I made it back in one piece. The skills come back pretty quick, it's the fitness that needs time.

The hills are next, just need to get out there.
jl

TOC'07 (con't)

2007-02-28T13:29:00.000-08:00

The pro riders. It's amazing what these guys can really do until you see them in action. They are really small and skinny in person, especially the climbers (130-140 lbs). Their "clydesdale" weighs 165 lbs (my weight). Sprinters like McEwen weigh in at 145 lbs. I guess i just have to lose that weight even if it's just 5 lbs. I'm sure the real solution is to just get out there and ride, flats and/or hills. The more I ride, the stronger I'll get. Makes sense (in the head, not so much in the legs).

Big George! He's becoming one of my favorite pro rider. Mainly a domestique but a sprinter that can climb.

Danielsen is tiny! I guess that's why he can climb.

Thor!

??
I recognized (from cycling.tv ) one of the health net riders (not this guy) that came from Britain. But yelled out "Christian House". Later i checked out the roster, and it was Russell Downing. No wonder he didn't respond. My bad!!

Thor dropping down the hammer.

Too fast. can't tell who.

That hill was steeeeeeppp.

Even support riders were fast.

Anthony McCrossen from cycling.tv
great guy! talked to me for a few minutes.

TOC '07

2007-02-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

As a cyclist, I am so lucky to be living here in Sacramento CA and be able to be a part of the Tour of CA. The stage 2 finish line was just two blocks from work! Of course, I did take the whole day off and bring the wife and kids to enjoy the day and get a good viewing spot (50m from the life). The the 2 hrs of waiting time was worth the 30 seconds of racing as they passed by at 40mph, good thing there were 3 laps before the finish.

Some friends and I also saw the prolouge in SFO. Definitely the a spectator's stage. We say every single one go by and race up that steep hill to Coit Tower. No wonder these guys are pros. Even the "sprinters" were flying up that hill. The crowds were awesome, though there were lots of posers sportin' their pro team kits. Anyway, lots of fun!

Where's Jan?

Thunder Thor
(Credit Agricole)

Inside Jelly's Belly

Expensive trailer!

Health Net

My Bike

2007-02-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is a great bike (Vellum.com). All carbon, light and stiff. Depending on the wheels, it weighs 16.5 lbs.

Lots of fun, whenever i can ride it. But it all depends on the engine(me).
Can't ride too much nowadays. Our #3 will be here w/in 2 months.

Adios for now.

Off season over

2006-11-28T15:54:00.000-08:00

(old post)....
My "off" season seamed like forever. I really didn't want to get on the bike. Only once, maybe twice a week for only 10-15mi, and an occational group/long ride for 30-40mi. I gained 5 lbs quick! and I feel and look fat. Now the team is starting to get together and training for base miles. So i'm starting to get my desire back. No more lazy butt, time to ride!

Bike video clips

2006-09-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Since my last race of the '06 season in july 30, I've been taking it easy on the riding, only riding 1-2 days a week and sometimes during lunch for only 30-50mi for the week (i try to get 100mi a week). August is a time for vacationing and familytimes. So, here are some video clips to keep things interesting on this bike blog.

Pride comes before a fall

Bike Cam (SORRY for the music)

Minden Road Race/Crit '06

2006-07-31T15:03:00.000-07:00

Same as last year's Minden race with pretty much the same results. Just as hard, maybe harder with windy weather conditions. The hills were just as hard, though I did climb better than some riders, i guess that's progress. At least I didn't finish last or drop out on the road race (finished 38/50). The crit was so fast! with Pro/1/2 riders in my age group. Once again, i only lasted 6 laps, 15min/60min, 32mph max, and a bruised ego. I would've liked to hang on a little longer, but once you're in the back, that's it. Oh well, time to recover. Just training rides for the rest of the racing season. I'll race again in Jan'07.

TDF over, now what?

2006-07-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Floyd Landis Wins !!! Though it didn't have the calibre of Lance, and Jan and Basso, this year's TDF was still pretty exciting. It's amazing that these guys are humans and are really riding 120miles a day for 3 weeks at race pace. A lot of these pros spend too much time away from their families for training and racing. Is it worth it?...for me, no. I guess that's why i'm not a pro cyclist. But it's fun to play one. Now that it's over, there is really nothing to watch on tv! It's a little hard to play w/ the kids when it's 100+ degrees all week. Gretchen did get Maya a bicycle at a yard sale for $5. score! the training wheels cost more at $7. Maya loves to ride it, though a little big for her at this point.
When Maya was 6mo old, we took a european trip with our friends (James and May and 3mo old Josh). We toured these same Champs Elysees street on a bus. Very cool to say, "Yeah, been there!" We'd love to go back when the kids are older. Yeh, that's what my mom said about going back to the Philippines. It's been over 20 years now.

oh well, 'til next time,
play hard!

July 4th '06 Davis Crit

2006-07-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Last year, 2005, this was my very first race. It was a really hard and fast with lots of turns. I didn't last very long, only 6/25 laps in 15/60min. Too many strong riders. This year, i decided not to race this one. Too many crashes, turns, riders, hot, and so on. I enjoyed it just watching. We had only 2 of my teammates race, and they were dropped quickly. Maybe next year.

I'm still training, but not quite as much. Our big race is in the end of july in Carson City NV. It will be difficult at 5000ft elevation. I just want to do better this year than last year. I'm in better condition and better equipment. Good luck to me.

Until next time, keep riding.

Glued to OLN-TDF06

2006-07-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Even though the big names (Ulrich and Basso) that's supposed to replace Lance have been banned from participatingin this year's TDF, it's still been fairly exciting in the begining stages. It's the sprinter's stages and the usual sprinters are all gunning for it. It's amazing that they can go speeds at 45mph and inches (or cm) from each other, but with complete control. There are crashes though. I've been off for 3 days and it's been nice to wake up with the family and watch tdf.

My pick for the sprinters is Tom Boonen, but he's been coming in 2nd each time. As for the overall winner, I'm going with an american, Floydd, Levi or George.

We'll see.

TDF'06

2006-06-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

tOUR dE fRANCE
Tour de France, the grandest tour in the cycling world, starts in 1-23july06. It's like the superbowl of cycling. Lots of action, even before the start. Allegations of blood-boosting EPO, HGH, steroids, other drugs that boosts endurance are aimed towards some of the top favorites. Now that Lance is not here, it is a free-for-all race to the finish. My take in all this is that "if you cheat, you'll get caught". As the bible says in Lk 8:17 "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." It applies to all. I keep this verse close, and it keeps me out of trouble. Back to cycling: My pick is Ivan Basso. He follows Lance in style, technique, performance, drive, and so on. Basso is more likable though. I only have 90% respect for Lance. Everything was cool up until he divorced his wife. I would trade 10 TDF wins to be able to keep my wife and kids. For all his wins, he still "lost". Anyway, i'll be glued to the tv and on the saddle in july, so just leave a message and i'll get back to you.

Folsom Criterium Bike Race

2006-06-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

This is my first full year of racing. I only race once a month. In the begining, I tried two and sometimes three, but my results were suffering (as well as the family). So once a month is good for the family, training and results. The last few training rides with the team has been encouraging. I'm seeing improvements mostly on the climbing, and overall, stronger riding. Hopefully that translates in a race.
I usually try to race my age group(mens 35+ cat 4/5). The elite cat 5 (open ages) is way too crazy. There are lots of newbies, very inexperienced riders. That means crashes! In the race before mine, there were 3 crashes. On the last one, the officials had to call the ambulance. That's bad. Riders that are not in condition start to get squirly, bump a wheel, crash, and take out anyone behind them. That's why it's always advisable to stay in the front 1/3 of the group. The other good thing about my age group is that most of us all have familys to go home to, so we don't take risks. There were no crashes on my race. Also, I always pray before every race. It works.
Back to my race. It was fast from the start (30mph) and didn't let up until 10 laps. Lots of surges and fighting for positions. It was hard to get to the front, so i was always ending in the back end and getting the yoyo effect. There were some close calls towards the end, but all stayed safe. The last 3 laps got really fast and I just made sure I wasn't in last place. I came in probable 30 our of 50 riders. I was glad i finished.
Our team, LuzViMin, did faily well that day.

I am now a cat 4 racer.

Train Train Train (not the caboose type)

2006-06-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

Seems like I need to do so much work for that little bit of gain. I guess that goes for all aspect of life, not just sports. I've been training a lot more lately and trying to get more miles a week than before. And that's taking more toll on the family. Our agreement is one weekend for the team/racing, two weekends (sat) for work, and one weekend for family. Give or take. Too much of one and the other suffers. So, yesterday, I rode 72 miles, half of that with a friend. The week before, 45mi with the team. I need these kind of miles to get my base so when it's race time, i'll be able to keep up. I'm feeling better and riding stronger each week, but i could always do more. Now it's more about stragegy and making sure i don't get dropped in group rides. I'm getting more encouraging comments from our coach and others about my riding, that i'm getting better. So again, a lot of work for a little gain.

But that gain can go a long way.

I'll get my Cat 4 after my next race. Now i really need to step up my training.

Grateful Friday: Things

2006-06-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

Things that I am grateful for:
-God
-Wife
-Kids
-Friends
-Work
-Home
-Bike
-Dog
-Food

Things that I'm even more grateful for:
-The way my wife makes me laugh
-Reading the same books before bed, watching my kids sleep at night, tucking then in early in the morning.
-Listening to: joyful cries, music in the house, laughter in the backyard.
-Coming home from work, opening the door, and hearing "Daddy's home!!"
-TV time with wife (24, Idol, HGTV...) and kids(PBS kids...).
-Daddy/Daughter time.

Things that I'm super-grateful for:
-reflecting on and building memories as a family.

bye
-jl

Self Portrait Tues: Suffer Fest

2006-05-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

Would you pay money to endure pain as long as you can? Kinda odd, but that's what racers do. $25-30 entry fee, and if I miss the pre-registration deadline, add another $5. There are some prize money, but that's for the top 3 winners. So unless I'm in top form and feel like i can win a race, i'm basically giving money away. I'm sure the wife doesn't like that. My best finish is 28th of 42, which is ok and just finishing with the pack. My worst is being pulled off the course after only 15min of a 60min race, feeling my heart and lungs in my throat (including my liver and spleen). So there is some progress in my condition that i'm finishing and not pushed to the limit in such a short time.
On this picture, it's hard to tell from this angle but we're actually going up a 12% grade hill for 1 mile. That's steep (for us cat 5 racers)! It flattens out a little, but then there are more hills after. This is where the best cyclist separate themselves from the rest (look at Lance). I have always been a sprinter and like the short flat bursts of speeds, so we are suffering up this hill. It does raise my confidence when i pass someone up that hill, tells me i'm improving. But the same goes the other way when i'm the one being passed, then there goes my confidence. Sometimes i'm thinking "why the heck am i doing this? why am i being passed? why are my legs cramping? did i really pay money for this?..." Then i get over the hill and fly down at 45mph, pass the same guys that passed me, cross the finish line, high-five my teammates, check my placement, eat a big post race meal with the team and talk about our races, call the wife and tell her how i raced, come home and see my wife and kids run to me yelling..Daddy!! Daddy!! Was it worth the pain?........

.....the check is in the mail (for the next race).

"ride to work, work to eat, eat to ride, ride to work" -jl

9 years and counting

2006-05-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

We've passed the 7 yr itch! Wasn't a problem, really. Every year, we still learn a lot about each other. I think one of the coolest aspects of being married this long is that we finish each other's sentences and thoughts. We even look at the same things on the road while driving in the car (gets me in trouble sometimes, heh). I guess that's why old couples don't seem to talk at all, because they're reading each other's minds. We can definitely know when we're in tune, because we won't fight as much, or be as irritable with each other or with the kids.

We'll save the big trip next year for our 10 year anniversary, maybe to Hawaii or a Carribean cruise. We had a great time in our 5 year Ensonada/Catalina cruise, but too much rain and not enough spending money. So this year, Reno was it. It was nice to not have the kids there and have some quality time together. But then, looking in the rear view mirror of the car and not seeing their cute smiles felt a little empty. (only for a little bit. this was our time alone)

(temporary)

a day later, we were home, and things were back to normal....whatever that is.

we had a great time though,
luv ya babe!

Self Portrait Tuesday: Friends

2006-05-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Here is my first attempt at writing something other than just cycling, following the format of other blogs that I've seen. This is also on behalf of my wife (until she can get a chance to get on the blog board).

My wife, Gretchen (left) and Heather have known each other for probably over 10yrs, but have been better friends in the last 5-7 yrs. We have known John and Heather when they were single, married and now with children (1,2 and now 3). Throughout these years, we
ve always had them on our hearts and try to be better friends to them, but life happens (church, issues, family, kids) and we all get caught up in our own world. Four or five years ago, we picked two couples that we really wanted to be friends with, and it's been good. Of course, it's hard work and lots of time, but it's worth it. As the saying goes, "You get what you put in". We still need to put in a little-a lot more. As far as Gretchen and Heather, they have a good relationship. Both with kids (boy and girl..for now), housewives, and great husbands :-) I think it can be better, but it's hard because of the same reasons.

The Kempers. We'd really like to reel them in. The same goes for them as the Hannons and the Dahls. We've known them for the same amount of time, but same reasons keep us from really going after it..life. That sounds pretty lame, though. We just get too comfortable in our marraige and too lazy to go after anyone else because it's hard work. So, we'll repent and make more effort. I'm grateful that these friends know how to get deeper in our relationships (thru the Bible).

Until next time,
Ride'm if ya got'm

I'm back!!

2006-05-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

The long awaited,... much anticipated,... often replicated,... never duplicated,... AsianArnold Blog is back!! It's been since Christmas time since my last post, so this one might be long. I will try to update a lot more often. Lots of action going on in the Lancero family. But then, i've been really lazy about anything computer related stuff. I've forgotten much of the tricks in blogging. My wife also wants to chime in on the blog world, so there might be a blog just for the Lanceros, and i'll keep the AsianArnold blog for cycling (not that anyone really looks at it). Blogging is a great outlet, and I'd like my wife to get her outlet about family, kids, spouse, hobbies, and anything else she wants. Feedbacks are very encouraging, especially when you get lots of them, right Heather!?

So, to start off, we are settleling into our new home. We moved in Oct'05 and there's been lots of hard work, mostly on the yard. It is only by the grace of God that we are in this house. It literally was dropped on our laps and we got our hearts' desire. We were too far down on the list to get any house, and prices were out of reach. But another buyer pulled out and we were #9 on the list, so the house had to be offered to 8 others before us and no takers. Then we got the call. There ya go, the grace of God in action. Now, we feel grateful and want to use the house to give back, like dinners, hospitalities, parties, neighbors... We currently have a family of 5 living with us for 4 months until they move out of state. So, this is a big chapter in the Lancero's book of life.

The Backyard. "Back" is right! like "break your back" yard. Our budget for the yard was fairly low and some of the quotes ranged from $6k-$40k. Who's got that kind of money in your back pocket. So we took a bold move and did it ourselved! During the winter rains! Can you say "mud"? Lots of musclework and friends' advice and help. But it was all very worth it. Especially now when the temperatures are in the 90's. All this work is forgotten when our kids' eyes light up whenever they go in the backyard and play. There are still some minor work to do, but seems simple compared to what we had to do. Thanks to Steve, Emo, and most of all, my wife Gretchen. You're the best, babe!

Before:

After:

"Let the Wild Rumpus Start!"

until next time!
thanx

Bike pics

2005-12-15T09:40:00.000-08:00

This is my first real racing bike, the Vellum Gauge. Our team LuzViMin Racing Team is sponsored by Vellum Cycles, and we get 50% off retail, as long as we race at least 6 races a year. It's a High Modulous Carbon Fibre frame weighing in at 2.5 lbs. Light, stiff and strong. Equiped with Campy Record, FSA K-Force compact cranks, and AC 420 wheels. Whole bike weighs in at 16.5 lbs. I could shave it down even less with different seatpost, cassette, tires and pedals. Great for now.

enjoy
go LRT!!

Pennies from Heaven

2005-08-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

In two weeks, my little girl, Maya, will be 3 yrs old (4Sep). Hard to believe time went by so fast. It's true of what people say about your kids growing up so fast. I remember the day my wife and I looked at that pregnancy test stick in the bathroom, in our one bedroom 4-plex apartment downtown. We were flat broke, but extremely happy to have a child.

Maya is truely amazing. She..(current date: 26oct05)... can speak Spanish. My wife taught her since the begining. Maya talks to Gretchen in spanish, then when she can't get what she wants, then she talks to me in english for the same thing! It's already started, umhhh. Anyway, she's pretty smart and gets bored easily, gets her in trouble.

Mason will be 1yr old on 18nov. Same as my spiritual b-day. He's definitely much more mellow than Maya. Two different personalities. He's had more fits lately. Maya can make him laugh more than anyone.

more pics to come.

Minden NV Criterium/Road Race

2005-08-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

July 30-31, 2005.

Minden is a small town located just outside of Carson City, NV, about 30 miles southeast of south Lake Tahoe. This was only my second crit and my first road race, and a hard one at that. It's the Masters District Criterium/Road Championships. Categorized by age group (i.e. 30-34yrs, 35-39yrs, 40-44yrs, etc.) . I'm 35 yrs old. But all category levels 1-5, and i'm a 5 (beginner). So needless to say, it was fast!

Coach Myron (w/ red helmet) staying strong in the pack

My team was there, LuzViMin, but only 5 of us, out of 12 members. Our wives and kids came as well, which made it more enjoyable. Plus they can see how exciting it is, sometimes boring just sitting around waiting for race time.

Tom (65yrs) had a 3rd place podium finish. Great job.

THE CRIT RACE:
I always get nervous just 5 minutes before start, but relaxed before that. I got to the line and just waited for the start. I didn't get a chance to survey the route, corners, and straightaways, so the first lap was kind of a surprise. not a good idea. The field was about 40-50 riders, with ex-pros and semi-pros, and i'm a cat 5. Can you say "fast"!

The wistle sounded and away we go. There was a 5 man breakaway by the second turn and the field was slow to pick them up. next thing you know, we're going about 30mph on the straight. A few more turns and there was the "chicane", a quick right/left turn. Stressfull feeling of turning at 25mph with 20 riders around you. Up the street then back to the startline. Lap one done.

Then the speed really picked up, avg 25-30mph, by lap 4-5, i was whipped. I hit top speed of 35.2mph. By lap 6, i was trailing in the back, and each turn was harder to bridge the gap, then another rider and I were finally dropped from the main field.

We worked together for another 2 laps, the the referees finally pulled us off the course because the rest were coming up behind us.

I lasted about 15min out of a 1 hr race. time: 16m 32 s, max: 35.2mph, dist: 6.8mi, avg: 24.6mph, 6 laps + 2 laps.

Overall, I felt good keeping up with the big boys.

THE ROAD RACE:
This was a much less stressfull feeling than the crit. I raced the open cat 3/4/5 group instead of my age group, after being blown away from the crit. The course was an 11 mile loop with 850ft of climbing. I had to do 4 laps (6 laps for 35-39yrs).

At the start was a downhill for 4 miles, but then were 2 hills. That's when the field broke and the strong riders were up and gone. The rest of us just went on our own pace. I managed to get a group of 6 to work with for the next 3 laps. Still hills were hard. we got lapped by the first strong group at the hills, and they were cranking! They went up those hills fast. I still have much training to do.

I finished the race! good feeling. time: 2h 21m 48 s, max: 40mph, dist: 46.09mi, avg: 19.5mph, 4 laps.

good weekend.
jl

A Day in Lake Tahoe

2005-08-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

On July 30, 2005, my family and I were on our way home from a bicycle race in Minden NV, near Carson City, NV (my next blog).

On the way home, we were in South Lake Tahoe and decided to take the north route home back to Sacramento. Beautiful drive along the lake. We stopped at Emerald Bay vista point and a beach in the north area. Awesome way to relax after a stressful weekend of racing.

enjoy.
jl

Maya and Mason. (Mason trying to eat rocks)

Gretchen trying to keep cool w/ the kids

By Emerald Bay

Jeff's first blog page

2005-07-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Jeff' Lancero's page

This is a working page and will take time.

Gretchen running at the Bay to Breakers for the first time. very eye openner. lots of interesting people, costumes, and no costumes. fun!

My racing team. LuzViMin (Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao main islands of the Philippines)