Hangin' with Martina and Lola

Meet Martina Patella- Pro Bike Racer from ValueAct Capital Women's Cycling Team. Part of the Taitt and Martina duo, you can see her VAC diary on Pez! K-Man had the good fortune to sit down with this Oregon native.

Thanks for taking time out to hang out with the K-Man, Martina! (Miffy and Kiffy are currently on mission in Peru to change attitudes toward Guinea Pigs.)

K-Man: So let's start out with the personal stuff. OK. If you were a suspect for going too fast on a bike, what would be in the APB description?
Martina: 5'4". brown eyes, brunette (red brown), also goes by Martina "knee cap".

K-Man: Any identifying bling?
Martina: My favorite piece of bling on me is cubic zirconia earrings (on the bike) or hoops (off the bike). My favorite piece of bling on my bike is Reynolds carbon race wheels. Nothing makes your bike look more flash than hot race wheels.

K-Man: So your roots are in Oregon. Where were you born?
Martina: Good Samaritan Hospital, Portland, Oregon. I lived on 10th Street in the South West. My family started and ran the Burlingame Flowershop on Terwiliger Ave. for 54 years. We just closed the doors this past December.

K-Man: What was it like growing up in Southern Oregon?
Martina: Well Southern Oregon is an interesting place. It is a true mix of "artsy hippies" and rural communities. My family lived in Ashland for a long time before moving to Medford. We lived in a one room cottage at the base of the Ashland hills and my brother and I played in the irrigation ditch for fun. When we lived closer to town, I had a hot pink Schwinn BMX bike that I cruised town on. I went to kindergarten at a local farm and we saw everything there. We saw animals being born or slaughtered, or just hanging out. I think there is alot of freedom in growing up in a smaller town. I felt like I was allowed to wander around and explore on my own. I moved to a house in between Medford and Jacksonville when I was older and it was very rural at the time. There were horses, ostriches, and rattle snakes in a huge field behind the house. I liked to feed the horses carrots in the morning before I left for school. My brother and I liked to shoot bb guns, launch bottle rockets, and swim because it gets to be about 110 degrees there.

K-Man: What's the difference between Oregon and California cows? Do Oregon cows just give better advice?
Martina: Cows . . . I don't have a whole lot of hard facts here, but I know that everyone in Oregon is happier than everyone in California, cows included. I am sure that the California cows have to live in very cramped conditions with poor air quality and very little shade. And the traffic is very horrible. I hear that the cows in California have to wait in 2 hour traffic just to get to the salt lick. It's not a lifestyle I can endorse.



K-Man: Living in California, do you miss us back in Oregon? What do you miss?
Martina: I miss Oregon terribly! I miss so many things, it's hard to know where to start. First of all, I miss having gas station attendants that actually pump your gas and clean your windows for you. I miss not having sales tax . . . I am constantly asking the people at the market how much something costs with the tax because I only have a few bucks in my pocket. I miss the weather too, and the skiing, and the deciduous habitat.

K-Man: Sounds like you miss the area a lot. Are you coming back?
Martina: I hope to move back in the next year or two. I came to California to go to school and run track and cross country at UC Berkeley and graduated in 2005, so I am about finished with this California thing.

K-Man: Going back to your childhood, what did you want to be when you were growing up? Did you ever imagine yourself as a pro racer?
Martina: I don't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I don't think that a real job ever caught my interest. I guess I imagined myself as an athlete because I had been training for sports very seriously since kindegarten (gymnastics, swimming/running, and cycling)

K-Man: I see that you really like your yellow bug! What's the story behind it?
Martina: Oh the bug! I desperately wanted a convertible bug when I was a teenager. I hunted for about a year until I found one that I could affort. I bought my bug for $2300, my grandma gave me a loan and I worked as a busser at the Jacksonville Inn for years to pay her back. Nothing will change your life like driving a convertible bug.

K-Man: Who's that adorable pooch in your car? Isn't her name Lola? Could you tell us a little bit about her?
Martina: Lola is the love of my life. We had a family dog, Maggie, who we had to put down because she was sooo old. My mom was very depressed and one of the workers of the Southern Oregon Humane Society called and said they had a dog that she would love. It was Lola. She was one year old and had been raised in Coos Bay, but her previous owners had neglected and abused her. We took her home and she has been spoiled ever since. In fact, Lola won't even eat dog food. She will only eat people food, and I don't mean regular people food. I mean steak, brown rice with butter, steamed green vegetables, fresh cut up fruit, and scrambled eggs for breakfast. But she deserves it. Just take one look at her and you know she is a princess, plus we have to make up for the time she was abused with her previous owners (If I ever find them, they better start running!).

K-Man: I read on your blog that your dad is going to do Cycle Oregon. That is so cool! How's his training coming along?
Martina: My dad and his high school buddies from Jesuit High School in Portland are all trying to do Cycle Oregon when they are 60. So my dad has a few years to train before he really does it, but hopefully we can get a good training base under his belt so he can actually enjoy it when they do it. I will probably try and do it with them, it seems like a great tour and I would love to participate.

K-Man: I understand that you're dating Roman Kilun from Health Net, what is it like dating another pro? Does it make it easier for the both of you?
Martina: Sometimes it's like being pen pals because are both on the road alot. It's nice because we both understand how hard it is to make it in cycling and a great Saturday night date is chilling on the couch. Things can get rough when we are both so tired that nothing gets done between the two of us.

K-Man: How did you meet? What's the sweetest thing he's done for ya?
Martina: We met on a Cal Cycling training ride in 2003. He is very sweet and does nice things all the time.
K-Man: That's really sweet!

K-Man: I also heard that your team members cook for each other. Who do you think is the best cook and why?
Martina: I think I am the best cook on ValueAct Capital and mostly just due to motivation. I like to have big barbeques with host families and other team get togethers, so since I want to have a party I've got to do the cooking.

K-Man: What's your favorite meal? Do you have a recipe for it?
Martina: My favorite meal is rocky road ice cream. It's not a meal, you can get it at the store.
K-Man mental note: [rocky road ice cream good meal replacement. makes you REALLY fast.]

Cycling

K-Man: So everyone starts somewhere. How did you get into cycling?
Martina: A doctor in Southern Oregon gave me his old road bike to try a triathlon on when I was 14. I did triathlons throughout middle school and high school, which at the time I was just about the only junior girl racing. To be honest, I was horrible at cycling and did all my training in the pool or running. I was a highschool state champion for cross country in 1997 and had been swimming year round competitively since I was a kid, so I had both those legs locked up. The cycling leg was a very different story, however.

K-Man: What made you decide to go pro? What were the circumstances?
Martina: I quit running track and cross country my sophomore year of college and I started riding about 6 months later. I was in pretty bad shape by then and even had to walk my bike up the climb that I now use as my warm up. Cal had the best cycling team in the country at the time and I just got sucked into the program and kept pushing to race at higher levels.

K-Man: Was it tough to make that jump? Did you change your training to make it? If so, how?
Martina: Women's cycling is a tough jump between local races and the NRC. I would win local races quite frequently and then get dropped in NRC races. It took me a while to understand just how hard this sport can be and what it takes to make it to the next level. When I was in college, I made training and racing my first priority, to a fault. When I graduated college, I started working full time . . . that lasted about two weeks. I guess people don't like it when you take 4 hour lunch breaks to train?

K-Man: What are the best and worst aspects of being a pro racer?
Martina: The best aspect is when you are on the road and living this incredible lifestyle of racing almost every day, riding the best equipment, and being part of a hugely talented community of racers. The hardest part is when you come home and all the excitement suddenly stops. Mondays are very hard for me when I come home from a long trip and suddenly there isn't a ton of people to hang out with, there is no radio in your ear, no prize money, no announcer, nothing cheering, no nothing.

K-Man: What can you not live without on the road?
Martina: Water, I get very thirsty and am constantly stealing other people's feeds.

Dirty chain=BAD.

Clean=GOOD.

K-Man: Your bike looks all sparkly and clean. When did you get your bike cleaning fetish?
Martina: I just learned them this year when I got a white Serotta!

K-Man: Now I heard that Pez has not been generous to some Pez subjects. Have you gotten any pez socks?
Martina: Nope, not yet. Now there has got to be somebody who can hook me up with those.

Martina taking the Santa Rosa Criterium

K-Man: What are your strengths in racing?
Martina: I love sprinting, but I have a hard time sitting in the entire race to be really fresh and threatening at the end. I have found a lot of success in breakaways as well.

K-Man: Have any favorite races?
Martina: I think my favorite race is Cascade Cycling Classic. I love all the races in Oregon and I usually race well there because I know Lola is cheering for me.

Martina at Cascade

K-Man: Any memorable races? What made it so?
Martina: It was great to be in the Yellow Jersey at Tour of Willamette last year, and it was also a fun race because Roman and I both finished in the sprinters jerseys and got to stand on the podium together.

K-Man: Do you have any pre-race food ideas that you'd like to share with us?
Martina: Coca Cola.

K-Man: It's beautiful country down in So. Oregon. I bet there's lots of nice rides down there. Can you recommend any?
Martina: Sure, here is a good 4 hour loop. Starting from Jacksonville, head out towards the Applegate on Stearling Creek Road. Take Highway 238 through the Applegate towards Grants Pass, and then take Foothills Road back towards Medford.

K-Man: Is it tough being on the road all the time? What do you do to pass the time?
Martina: It is tough when you are not on the road. I train with power, so that really keeps me entertained. I think it's ok to get bored, but you should really be focusing on optimizing your pedal stroke and bike handling.

K-Man: Inquiring minds want to know- what the heck do pro racers do after a stage race? Party? Chill?
Martina: Both. I like to party, but not too much. I like to hang out, make a big dinner, have some friends over to the host house (always check with your host mom first!). I don't like to drink at all . . . it's too hard to recover from.
K-Man mental note: [Drinking too many gin and tonics night before and after race BAD.]

K-Man: Sounds like you've been pretty successful. What's your proudest achievement on or off the bike?
Martina: Winning a state title in high school for Cross Country running and winning a national title in the team time trial with Cal

K-Man: We've found that animals often give the best cycling advice. Does Lola have any advice for us?
Martina: Lola thinks everyone should stop riding and just hang out with her all day. Honestly, Lola is one of my biggest obstacles to my training because I just want to cuddle her all day.



K-Man: Any advice to women looking to become pro?
Martina: Remember to apply pressure to the pedals. Seriously, its a concept that alot of people get confused about.

K-Man: And finally- is there anyone you'd like to give a shoutout to?
Martina: Everyone in Oregon!

Thanks so much Martina! Have a great season and we hope to catch up with you later in the season (Maybe Mt. Hood)!