Biking through Laos and Vietnam- Heather Sullivan

My Adventure
By: Heather Sullivan

As some members of the BRC "spin posse" already know, I spent several weeks in Laos and Vietnam on a mountain biking trip in January. Although I had traveled in Laos for about a month in 2005, I had never been to Vietnam and was prepared for a trip of gorgeous landscapes but also sharp contrasts. Familiar with some of the rugged terrain--and equally rugged infrastructure--of northern Laos, I was drawn to the trip's itinerary, which involved about 700km of mountainous riding between Luang Prabang, Laos to Sapa, Vietnam, by way of the relatively little-used border at Dien Bien Phu. I was assured by the Phnom Penh-based trip leader, Adam, that the riding would include plenty of climbing and I was not disappointed. (The nice thing about big climbs is that they are often followed by fantastic, sustained descents...) I was the "token American" in a group consisting of six Australians and Adam's Cambodian partner (the fun and very lively Marie), and although the group varied in age and riding experience, it was an enthusiastic and flexible bunch and we "clicked" as a group beginning with our first dinner in Luang Prabang (an exquisite town graced with traditional Lao and French Colonial architecture that has earned it a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Center).

The trip was my first experience with van-supported cycling; while it felt lindulgent not having to worry about luggage--I rode with a small CamelBak--it was fantastic to be able to ride unencumbered and also have the security of "back up" in case of any mechanical difficulties. (I vow that this year I will actually enroll in a bike repair/maintenance class...) The road conditions varied enormously. In Laos, the roads were generally--although not always--paved, and there was little traffic. As we neared the Vietnam border, we rode through rural villages populated with ethnic minorities, including the Hmong and Akha; the living conditions in the villages are extremely basic, but we invariably received an enthusiastic reception from the children of the village. (With the opening of the border and road construction, the area is starting to receive more attention--and more traffic--but it is still relatively remote.) Although road construction became a recurring theme of our trip, I actually found the delays to be less of an annoyance than an opportunity for reflection on the challenges of development. One of the most memorable days, in fact, was about halfway through the trip, when we crossed the border from Laos into Vietnam. Our final night in Laos was spent in a very basic guesthouse--pit toilets and a generator operating for several hours each evening--by the side of a stream. The stream provided quite a sight: local women washing their clothes as buses, heavily laden with passengers and cargo, slowly negotiated their way through the stream on the way to the neighboring village. From that village, we climbed on dirt roads, half-constructed roads, and rutted paved roads to reach the border. The Lao border station seemed incongruously large and imposing, given that we were the only visitors over the course of an hour. (The first of us waited and snacked while the others in the groups completed the ascent.) Given what we had seen in Laos, it was evident that industry on the Vietnamese side was the animating force behind the "optimistic" scale of the border station. After receiving our exit stamps from Laos, we had about 6 or 7 kilometers to ride before reaching the Vietnamese border station. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was road construction in "no man's land" and we had no choice but to spend about two and a half hours hanging out on the dirt road, waiting for the machinery to clear. By the time we reached the Vietnamese border, it was late in the afternoon. We went through the bureaucratic motions and then started on a 30k descent to our hotel in Dien Bien Phu. The afternoon light was beautiful and the descent exhilarating, but the transition to Vietnam was still quite jarring. As we cruised down the freshly paved road, a steady stream of dump trucks passed, honking aggressively and threatening to force us to the shoulder. We descended into the commercial center of Dien Bien Phu as it was getting dark, focusing on maintaining our ground while cars, buses, and motorbikes surrounded us--along with the heady fumes of their exhausts. Although the days ahead were filled with beautiful landscapes (and, in places, deserted roads), the contrast between Laos and its much more densely populated and industrious neighbor was dramatic and provoked some very interesting discussions about the economics and ethics of development.



It was an excellent trip and I can't resist giving a little plug for the company I used: Grasshopper Adventures. The company is very small--my leader, Adam, is one of the founders--and I was consistently impressed by the way Adam conducted the trip. While in Laos, we also had a Lao guide riding with us who could translate and answer questions about history and culture; in Vietnam, we always had Vietnamese support as well as Adam (who was very bright and knowledgeable about the region). All in all, a great few weeks and a lovely way to get off the spin bikes and on the road in January!

BRC Club Championships 2009/2010!

The BRC would like to thank everyone that came out last week for the club championships. We had a great time and there was some great competition! Congrats to all of the winners.

2009/2010 Squash Championships:

5.5
Michel Bayard def. Ian MacGregor
8-11,7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10


4.5
Colin Sullivan def. Jose Ferrao
11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-7


4.0
Steve Cross def. Dave Siegle
11-9, 11-2, 11-6


3.5
Prithvi Tanwar def. Brendan Mullen
5-11, 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 11-3


2.5 Nick Carosa def. Jim Johnson
1-8, 11-8, 11-9


Staff Final
Eduardo Porciuncula def. Andy Cook
15-8, 15-9

BRC wins back to back titles in the 3.5 Finals!

3.5 Finals REPEAT CHAMPS! - Michael Belliveau

The opening match was Brendan against Bump Wilcox. Out of the gate is was clear that Brendan was going to win--Bump was the crafty veteran who could retrieve a lot, but his shots stayed up too long to be winners against Brendan. And nobody is going to out-retrieve Brendan. The first game remained close nonetheless, with Brendan prevailing 11-7.

To those watching, it seemed Bump would be vulnerable to the drop, so Brendan was encouraged to hit it short in the second game. Unfortunately, Bump seemed to prefer this style, and he won 11-8. Still, there weren't any concerns as to who was going to win the match. It was just going to take longer.

In games 3 and 4, Brendan went back to hitting deep rails, and actually hit them crisper than he did in the first game. When Bump was loose with a return, Brendan would make him pay with a drop or crush it past Bump. Games 3 and 4 to Brendan, 11-2, 11-4.

On court 5, Prithvi and Matt Herring got a late start. Matt showed himself to be a better player than I thought, and I already thought he was good. But Prithvi is no slouch himself, and jumped out to a one game lead after taking the first game 11-5. The second game was a back and forth affair, and Prithvi was just missing on some shots, falling 11-8.

Game 3 was going to be pivotal, especially with Prithvi's lungs not at full capacity because of pneumonia. Both players elevated their games, and another close game was in the making. At 9-9 and Matt serving, Prithvi played outstanding to win the point and gain the serve. He then won the next point to take an important 2-1 lead.

Game 4 went quickly in Prithvi's favor, as he ran off five straight points to lead 8-2. After relinquishing the serve for one point, Prithvi immediately won it back and took the next two points and the match.

[So we're feeling good at this point, up two matches to zero. But we were up the same score last year, and nearly lost.]

Back on court 3, Cel is playing Ian Walker. Early in the match, it was clear that "good Cel" has arrived--his shots are crisp and tight, and he's being aggressive. (this is all relative, mind you. Aggressive Cel still lets 80% of his opponent's shots come off the back wall.) The scouting report was that Ian was good off the back wall as well, but might struggle with tight rails, and this was borne out. Cel won the first game 11-5.

On court 1, Drew has started his match against Taylor Milner, and it hasn't gone well. Taylor won the first 6 points, and rolled to an 11-5 win.

Meanwhile, Ian picked up his play in the second game and things got tighter, but Cel was just too tough, and pulled out game 2, 11-9.

[For those who are keeping score, we are up 8 games to 3. So Marblehead would need to win all the remaining games to force the match to the second tiebreaker.]

During the break, Drew is told that he just needs to win one game. This, apparently, relaxes Drew and gets him to focus--don't worry about the match, just one game--and he returns to favor to Taylor, sprinting out to a 5-1 lead and never looking back.

Game to Drew. **Championship to BRC**

Seconds later, Cel pulls out another 11-9 win to take his match 3-0.

So now all the focus in on Drew's match, tied at 1-1. Drew had been wanting a rematch with Taylor since Taylor beat him 3-1 last month, and Drew was more determined than I have ever seen him in a league match. Taylor couldn't match the intensity, and Drew powered through the next two games, 11-7, 11-7.

Four BRC wins! A truly remarkable evening.

How About Those "Killer Bees"

WOW! What a MATCH! -Mike MacDonald

For the fourth year in a row the state 50+ league finals was played at the Boston Racquet Club and for the fourth year in a row the “Killer Bees” narrowly escaped defeat and won a dramatic victory over a very determined adversary from Concord/Acton. The match began our Jose “Springbok” Ferrao taking on Mike Downey’s countryman Dave Phillimore and what was a precursor of the evening, the tournament tough “Springbok” prevailed 15-13, 15-14, 15-13. Every game was extremely close but Jose was unflinching in all of the “big” points. At the same time on court four, our “Pride of Squirrel Island” Rip Hastings was playing Roger Jones and the “Ripster” came out flying in game one and crushed Jones 15-5. Jones then regrouped and drastically slowed the tempo of the game down by taking the maximum amount of time between points and squeezed out a pressure pack comeback winning the next three games 15-13, 15-14, 15-14.

The focus then switches to our #1, Zip “Mr. Lehigh Lacrosse 1979” Boucher versus the undefeated, diminutive Will “The Thrill” Bigelow. Zip recently defeated “The Thrill” at the Maugus Club’s Mature Event tournament a few weeks ago (Bigelow defaulted due to back spasms) which did not sit well with Bigelow! A very focused Bigelow, with getting even and settling a score from what happened in Wellesley and ran down everyone of Zip’s best shots and took it to our “Bronzed Adonis” 15-12, 15-13, 15-12. So, it does not look good for the “Killer Bees”, who are down two matches to one and in total games six to four but in total points we are only behind by two points.

Let me outline the scenario. In front of the largest (beer swigging, pizza eating) crowd to ever watch a 50+ “State” Final. It comes down to our #4, Ken “Sachem” Weber versus their Phil Brewer for all the marbles! 1) If Ken wins three games to two, Concord wins on total games. 2) If Ken wins three games to one we are tied in games and then add up total points (this happened last Fall and the “Bees” barely won on total points). 3) If Ken wins three to zero the BRC wins the whole shebang! It seems that Ken is destined to be in these situations and Phil Brewer did not have a clue that he was playing a true “Killer Bee” who always comes through in the clutch! Ken comes out flying all over the court and wins game one 15-8. Game two is very close but at eleven all Brewer hits two consecutive tins and serves two high serves out of the court (pressure?) Ken wins 15-12. Now the BRC fans are going absolutely “nuts” and cheering loudly on every point Ken wins. A plucky Brewer tries to turn it on in game three but our “Sachem” runs every shot down and comes through again 15-11. Game, Match, Title – BRC!

Congrats to the entire BRC squad for a wonderful season and playoff run, it was a lot of fun and let’s do it again next year! Digger, get the boat ready for another trip to Wellfleet! Very “humbly” submitted.

- El Capitano

Too busy to work out?! See how one of our members juggles his schedule and staying healthy!

Fitness has played a significant role in my life for as long as I can remember. Staying in shape was much easier as a kid as opposed to a professional athlete. As I furthered my baseball career, I was required to be in top fitness condition to compete against other athletes at that level.

As an adult, I still have the same drive to compete and stay in shape as when I was younger. However, like anyone with a busy work schedule, it can be tough to keep workouts consistent. Time constraints and motivation are the two major obstacles that I have had to overcome. Everyone has days when they are tired, stressed out, and have so much on their plate where they do not get to the gym.

I have been successful in overcoming these roadblocks by implementing a daily workout strategy that is so dynamic that I actually look forward to working out every day. This program, P90X, takes mostly traditional exercises and structures them in a way where the workouts are time-efficient, challenging, intense, and fun. It allows me to avoid the set-backs and slumps that used to plague other workout routines I have done in the past. Every day P90X challenges different muscle groups, and every 3 weeks the exercises change completely so my body never gets used to the same routine. Best of all, a strategy that motivates you to exercise every day produces great results!

I workout because I find it to be a tremendous stress-relief (we all need that), as well a big source of self-confidence that translates into other areas of my life. I have seen my squash game improve quite a bit, and I feel a big part of that had to do with improvements in strength and fitness.

In the end, maintaining a healthy lifestyle has enabled me to make great strides in all aspects of my life. Being a part of the Boston Racquet Club has given me the outlet to do many of the activities that I love and helps me maintain an even keel through obstacles thrown my way. Ultimately, even though you might seem too busy to workout, are you really too busy to put your wellbeing on the back burner?

By: Ben Beck