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Ashley and Zube bring the September 2026 PRT update: Dick Evans Memorial race results from Oahu, final Racers Cup standings, Chula Vista triathlon successes, October Big Bear Mini Camp plans, a Cafecito 1806 sponsor spotlight, and the volunteer commitments that keep the team moving.
The PRT Monthly Ride Report is the official monthly podcast of Padyak Racing Team, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cycling organization in South County San Diego. Each episode brings the latest from the PRT newsletter to life with updates on road racing, crits, track, multisport, juniors, women’s riding, team events, volunteer opportunities, sponsor spotlights, and the community work that powers our club. Whether you race, ride, volunteer, or support the team, this is your monthly connection to the people, events, and mission behind PRT.
Ashley: Welcome back to the Padyak Racing Team podcast. I'm Ashley, and this is your September twenty twenty-six update. Summer is supposedly winding down, but somebody forgot to tell PRT. We've got an island racing adventure, final season standings, triathlon podiums, and a mountain weekend coming into view. Plus coffee, community service, and a teammate who deserves a proper thank-you. Zube, September seems less like slowing down and more like finding another gear.
Zube: I'm Zube, and yes, apparently the recovery plan includes climbing to Onyx Summit. Very on brand. Before we get carried away, keep the team website calendar and Facebook Events handy. If you're attending a ride, race, or volunteer event, mark Going. That's not just a digital thumbs-up. It helps people arrange support, equipment, and logistics. Today we'll separate the results already in the books from the plans ahead, because road racing may be finished, but this team's calendar definitely isn't.
Ashley: First stop, Oahu. Jorge Alcala brings us the story of five PRT members taking on the forty-fourth Dick Evans Memorial Road Race. One hundred ten miles of island scenery sounds pretty inviting until you add fierce wind, humidity, and riders who know those roads exceptionally well. Jorge makes that distinction beautifully: paradise can still ask very hard questions of your legs. The photos give us the happy team moments, but the report makes clear those smiles came with some serious work.
Zube: And serious results. Satoshi Robles finished fifth overall, Fern Hernandez thirteenth, and Gael Sosa seventeenth. That's three PRT riders inside the top twenty. Norm Guay finished fortieth, and Jorge finished seventy-third in his first USAC race. First race, one hundred ten miles, unfamiliar island conditions. That is quite an introduction. Importantly, those are the overall finishes from Jorge's account. The race director also gives category results, so listeners shouldn't confuse the two sets of numbers.
Ashley: Exactly. Jesse Moniz reports a first-place podium for Satoshi, second for Gael in under-twenty-three men, ages nineteen through twenty-two, fifth for Fern in men's Category Three, and sixth for Norm in men's Masters sixty through sixty-nine. Congratulations to all five riders. And congratulations to Jorge for getting that first finish on the board. There's something special about coming home with both a result and a story you immediately want to tell your teammates.
Zube: The support story matters, too. Raul Boca of Boca Hawaii and Josh Gallardo of Wolfpack Hawaii Racing helped with transportation, mechanical assistance, hospitality, and even those much-appreciated malasadas. Freddy Lindo shared an island he once called home, taking the group to places including Waikiki, Hanauma Bay, Koko Head, and Pearl Harbor. Racing created the reason to travel; people made the trip memorable. That's a good reminder that a strong team experience extends well beyond the finish line.
Ashley: Back home, the twenty twenty-six PRT Racers Cup has its final standings. Gael Sosa takes first with one hundred seventy-one points. Fern Hernandez is second with one hundred twenty-nine, and Sergio Lugo takes third with one hundred twenty-eight. One point between second and third. That's the sort of margin that makes every contribution across a season feel real. The published table then has a tie for fourth at one hundred twenty-five, followed by Norm Guay in fifth with one hundred twenty-three.
Zube: Congratulations across the entire standings, not just the podium. Jesse's season wrap-up thanks racers, supporters, volunteers, friends, and families, and that's the right frame. The listed awards are three hundred dollars, a winner's jersey, and one hundred dollars off next season's kit for first; two hundred dollars and a jersey for second; one hundred dollars and a jersey for third. There are qualifications attached, though, so a position on the table isn't the only thing racers should check.
Ashley: The race update lists ten races, ten volunteer hours, and at least one Adopt-A-Highway event. Dzuyen's reminder specifically addresses racers nineteen and older seeking reimbursement, including those top-three Cup payouts. Highway participation now earns three volunteer hours, including travel time. Please log your hours through the team form and ask Jesse or Freddy about your own eligibility. Also, races prepaid by PRT don't count toward individual payouts, although they do count toward the team points incentive. Details matter here.
Zube: Which brings us neatly to the people doing that work. On August eighth, PRT provided bicycle lead-out support for the Margaritaville Gaslamp Quarters five-K and ten-K runs. On August fifteenth, the Adopt-A-Highway crew tackled a ramp with everything from ordinary litter to vehicle debris. Thanks to Freddy Lindo, John Fischer, Dan Mahaffey, Edward Sarinas, George Alcala, and Dzuyen Tran. The cleanup photo says plenty: safety gear, full bags, and a team showing up for its community.
Ashley: The team anticipates roughly three more highway cleanups before the year ends, so don't leave that requirement until your calendar has no room. Other listed opportunities include cooking and cleanup at October mini camp and Tour de Tucson, plus Father Joe's Villages Earn a Bike program on Thursdays, with four hours of credit. Additional opportunities may appear. Even if you're not chasing reimbursement, volunteering is a meaningful way to know the team beyond matching jerseys and a passing hello.
Zube: Speaking of getting to know the team, October second through fourth is Big Bear Mini Camp. The Airbnb details and some timing are still to come. Dan Mahaffey describes a gathering that started around race training and grew into a wider PRT tradition. There are excellent roads, mountain views, instruction, and time together. This will be his fourth camp, but his first as a rider after spending previous editions largely providing SAG support and mechanical help. He has earned some saddle time.
Ashley: Friday arrival is after two in the afternoon, with an optional acclimation ride under twenty miles. Saturday brings the big outing. The plan heads through Big Bear, follows the north side of the lake through Fawnskin, continues toward Baldwin Lake, and reaches Highway Thirty-eight for the nine-mile ascent to Onyx Summit. Dan puts the average gradient around five percent, with some sections near eight. So yes, lovely scenery, but this is a proper mountain ride, not just a scenic coffee transfer.
Zube: There is a summit break for bottles and nutrition before descending and returning toward camp through residential streets. Then Source Endurance provides a presentation, with the subject still to be announced. Sunday is the coached training day: roughly thirty-five to forty miles, including paceline practice near Baldwin Lake. Riders split into smaller groups based on experience and speed, work through drills, regroup, and return. After that, everyone gets time to shower, clean the residence, and head home. Freddy will share the remaining logistics.
Ashley: Dan also gets this month's board-member spotlight, and the camp story makes a perfect introduction. Freddy first met him through Tom Cody on mountain-bike rides in the early two-thousands, including adventures around Otay Mountain. An old Our Hometown magazine feature described a cyclist, custom boat builder, outdoorsman, husband, father, and dependable friend. The quality Freddy emphasizes is simple: when someone needs help, Dan makes himself available. That's a much bigger contribution than any one title can capture.
Zube: After joining PRT following COVID, Dan quickly became a familiar helper and eventually Membership Director, succeeding Mike Dalbratt. He supported Great Western Loop training, helped teammates, and even connected the team's Hunte Parkway race with magazine coverage. Now he's planning to alternate SAG duties with Freddy so he can ride more, attend Big Bear and El Tour de Tucson, and retire from his SDSU IT position at year's end. Dan, thank you. Here's hoping the next chapter includes fewer support stops and more actual pedal strokes.
Ashley: Now to multisport, where the season is still very much alive. Mario Valdes reports on the August sixteenth Chula Vista Challenge near the new Gaylord Hotel. Warm water made it a non-wetsuit-legal race, and the heat added another challenge across the event. PRT's women won their relay category with Marisol Felix, Kari Farfan, and Corina McCreary. Jorge Andrade and Donna Curtis also earned first in the mixed relay. Fantastic work from both teams, bringing home those results on a demanding day.
Zube: The Olympic-distance age-group results brought first places for Jessica Flores, Sara Collins, and Mario Valdes, plus fourth for Cruz Rodriguez. Giancarlo Coca placed eleventh in his sprint-distance age group. Congratulations to everyone who took on those conditions, including the junior athletes mentioned in the report. PRT also thanks KOZ Events for featuring the team in the medal engraving. A medal is already a nice reminder of a tough day; a little team recognition makes the keepsake that much better.
Ashley: The next team date is the San Diego Triathlon Classic on September twelfth, followed by the Mission Bay Triathlon State Championship on October eleventh. The optional calendar also lists Santa Cruz Ironman seventy-point-three on September thirteenth, Ironman California on October eighteenth, and La Quinta Ironman seventy-point-three on December sixth. Those are different events with different preparation needs, so use the calendar as your starting point and confirm the specifics before making plans. The road season's finish is not multisport's finish.
Zube: And the Challenger's Cup graphic gives us a clear current leaderboard. Joshua Sappington leads with seventy-nine points, followed by Jessica Flores with forty-two and Morgan Stillwell with thirty-seven. James Wersal has thirty-five, Mario Valdes thirty-three, and Karla Preece thirty-two. Points come from eligible race participation, with additional podium bonuses. The winner gets a choice of specified race-entry benefits. Check Mario's full update for the scoring system rather than taking a memory test here, but the main message is that more racing remains.
Ashley: Let's take a well-earned coffee stop with Cafecito eighteen-oh-six. Freddy spotlights owner Omar Ariza, whose connection with PRT began through the JKC Memorial Hunte Parkway Road Race. Omar supported events there and at EACC, and his cart became a place people wanted to linger for conversation. That feels familiar: cyclists may arrive asking about coffee, but somehow the chat expands into routes, equipment, and a very detailed account of the last climb. Omar has kept supporting that community connection.
Zube: He's attended team awards dinners and provided coffee certificates for raffles and events. The shop is at one thirty-eight West San Ysidro Boulevard. If you have one of those certificates, Freddy encourages you to stop in. You might also meet Omar's dog Milo, although we cannot promise canine attendance. Thank you, Omar, for being a PRT sponsor and showing up consistently. Supporting a sponsor can be as straightforward as choosing their shop for your next coffee and saying you appreciate what they do.
Ashley: For the regular riding rhythm, Wednesday's Chula Vista Coastal Hills Loop starts at eight from Starbucks at Central Avenue and Bonita Road. Expect approximately thirty-four miles and twenty-six hundred feet of climbing, usually with Bob Shoultz or another ride leader. Saturday's Donut Ride offers a seven o'clock Coronado start or seven-thirty-five at Stardust Donuts in Imperial Beach. The Saturday Border Loop starts at eight from Trek Bicycle South Bay on Bonita Road, with around forty miles and options to shorten the route.
Zube: Check current notices before heading out, and choose the group that fits your day. In marketplace news, team socks are still available, but quantities are limited and some sizes have sold out. Dzuyen or Freddy can confirm what's left. For member bike and equipment listings, Jesse Moniz coordinates the marketplace, while buyers contact the named sellers directly. There's everything from small components to complete bikes and framesets. Read the condition notes carefully, especially disclosed repairs, and confirm compatibility instead of shopping by enthusiasm alone.
Ashley: That's advice I suspect has saved more than one garage. To keep up with everything else, use the website calendar, Facebook Events, and the member Messenger groups. The website also has current-member sponsor offers and photo galleries. Strava has a member club as well as an account open to everyone, and Instagram carries team highlights. If you'd like to be featured, send a photo in current PRT kit to Andrew Monzon using the address in the team update. There's room for more stories from across the team.
Zube: Before we roll out, thank you to all the sponsors behind those stories: Father Joe's Villages; Bonnici Law Group; Alfa EDM; Pro-Sol Insurance; SoCal Bicycle; Phoenix Custom Furniture; Dalton Subaru; Source Endurance; Protector Brewery; Cafecito eighteen-oh-six; and all of PRT's product sponsors. Support them when you can, and thank the volunteers you meet along the way. A team season runs on much more than training hours. It also runs on people giving their time, resources, and attention.
Ashley: So September's checklist is simple: celebrate the season's racers, cheer on the multisport crew, get October second through fourth on the calendar if Big Bear is in your plans, and make sure those volunteer hours are recorded. RSVP for the events you'll attend, check the latest details, and maybe make that overdue coffee stop. From an Oahu finish line to a roadside cleanup back home, this month's stories show a team finding plenty of ways to move forward together. I'm Ashley.
Zube: And I'm Zube. Thanks for joining us for the September edition of the Padyak Racing Team podcast. Congratulations to the finishers, appreciation to the helpers, and a special thank-you to Dan and Omar for the contributions highlighted this month. Keep looking out for the rider beside you, whether you're sharing a paceline, a volunteer shift, or a table after the ride. Summer may be winding down, but PRT still has plenty ahead. Ride strong, stay connected, and we'll catch you next time.