Every spring for the last oh, say 20yrs or so, I have been going to California to train. Yes, the land of the special people, it doesn’t stop them from asking me, “Why are you out here again?” Recently the happy go lucky land of sunshine has been getting more and more similar to its opposite coast, The Big Rotten Apple. Sarcastic remarks seem to be the norm especially from cyclists. When I asked where the bathroom was at ADT Velodrome I was told, “It’s going to cost you”. Swell! Now how about the ‘Sunshine’? Well, like I told the young Irish rider from Navigators, “Ah, you’ll love California in early Spring laddie, it’s all about rain and wind with the occasional flicker of sun.” Actually I had that in spades this year, so thank the great spirits for indoor velodromes. On one such record rain falling day I met with a special person of whom I admire quite a lot. Ivan Dominguez showed up at my door driving a custom hot rod turbocharged red pick-up truck. Chris Baldwin asked us to interview a few stars of the Tour of California, but because of time concerns I only came up with Ivan, and that was mostly due to Jesus Ruiz and his wife Nanci Modica-Ruiz. Jesus was a team-mate of Ivan’s back in the Cuban Sports Program.

I love serious, intelligent people that immerse themselves with commitment and humor to get a job done. In this case, it is cycling. My wife says I go overboard in everything I do, cycling, music, writing, whatever. You know I feel, if it is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well. It is nice to meet someone who knows what it means to give your all to something, and how to accomplish goals – it is quite refreshing as a matter of fact. Is it a matter of him being sequestered for most of his life, growing up with old tried and true values and methods of doing things simply, and following through on his own? You decide…

 

Thousand Oaks Tues. March 28th 2006

 

@##=#<3,L>@##=#Cat Okay, Ivan how did you get started in cycling?

Ivan I started on my mother’s bike just riding around, nothing special. One day someone came to my school looking for anyone interested in racing bikes. Usually in Cuba people start because they like to ride a bike. I was 12 or 13years old and you go to this area, that is where they start you racing bike.

Cat Cool, I do the same thing. I have sent my old bike parts to Cuba with Mike Fraysee. You have to have an eye on the future, get the word out. People are always giving me suggestions on what we should do for juniors or women’s racing, but the same people would not think of telling or taking someone to a race to see what it is, or if they might be interested.

Ivan Yeah, that is right. You know back in Cuba, you have to show them your ID, to make sure you are the right age. It is not good to start at 18 – 19 – 20 years old, they want to get you early so they can teach you a lot of stuff. In Cuba it is a big problem, if you are on the national team and you are 22 or 23 and you have no wins you are getting to be too old.

Cat It is the same way here too.

Ivan Not really, here 27 – 29, if you are good and still can win, you will get contract with teams. I have a lot of people ask me all the time, “can you get me on a team?” I say, it is different here, you can’t get a friend in government to get you a place in the sports program, here you have to prove you can ride and win. That is all they look for is results, no favors.

Cat Bobby Lea, I see just joined your team, or at least he is listed on the roster.

Ivan Yeah, he is good.

Cat Well, USA cycling has given him no support and they are telling him he is too old.  He is in his second year of college, cannot be more than twenty two or three?

Ivan Well, I don’t know how that thing works, but I came to the team, and I’m twenty nine.

Cat I am really surprised and happy that a pro team is helping our young riders, because it is very hard for people like Bobby or Gui Nelleson and others to make a go of it. The our national organization is not helping track riders, but they complain when we are out of the medals at every big event? I am very happy Team United is helping him and that the UCI is supporting track cycling recognizing its importance by building a track in Miorca for next years World championships. You have a great rider in Bobby Lea, he is a hard worker, I know for a fact. We have trained together in the winter in Miami. We were at the track all day, every day.

Ivan The track in Miami?

Cat Yeah, with Carlos Laborde.

Ivan Yeah, Carlos, he runs the track there. I know him sure. Bobby is going to world championship, I think he is getting support now.

@##=#<2,r>@##=#Cat On the Pro DVD they cut you off on this subject, I was wondering what is the whole story on how you finally got to the United States? When you came to New York for the Goodwill games I was supposed to work the gate at the velodrome, but I wanted to see the race and not stand outside. I thought you left Cuba at that time, but you said on the DVD you went back home. How did you finally come to stay here?

Ivan Ah, when I was at the games in New York, it wasn’t my first time out of the country. I had to been to maybe fifty

competitions maybe outside. A lot of stage race, in many different countries. I was a track rider, but in track you have a race maybe two times a year. Maybe a world cup, or something, so I don’t need to go to the track too much.

Cat So you raced at Trelxertown?

Ivan Yeah, in 1997. In one year was going back and forth doing six seven stage races in different countries Mexico, Guatemala, Martinique, and other South American countries. So I came to the US in 1997, I race, I went back. Then to Mexico in 1998 for a training camp, I went back to Cuba for a day and a half and I flew to here, and that is when I stay. Yeah but that was not the first time for me to go out of the country in New York that time you know.

Cat So you started as a track rider? You had that experience of track discipline from the start?

Ivan Yeah, but I still did road races as training for the track.

Cat Yeah my coach told me to do road when I started on the track and I never went to the track, all I did was road race and get bad knees.

Ivan I remember I was in Martinique, and a seven day stage race, and came back to Cuba for some games or something, and ride the track right the day before. Four Kilo’s – I take my bike, and you know I have no speeds so, I put the big gear on, you know the track in Cuba is outdoor it is very fast so I use a 51×14. The more race you do on the road, the more training you get for the track. It is like Stuart O’Grady, you know he is on the road, road, road, the whole year so when he does the Olympics, or some games, six day on the track he is flying. He only comes maybe a week before to get ready.

Cat But you both have the track experience to begin with? That is not like some wanker just picking up a track bike. You guys started on the track, you can afford to take it for granted.

Ivan Yeah that is right. Like now, I don’t do any sprint or interval training something like that. It is just natural.  I don’t have to work on that stuff.

Cat Just Natural! Yes me too… Ha Ha Ha. Are you kidding? I ride my track bike everywhere, so my legs remember not to stop pedaling. Most road riders when they come across the line like to think, ‘its coasting time now’, and get thrown off their bike usually because that is what they did on the road. As soon as they get anaerobic the legs say ‘stop please’…

Ivan Yeah that is why I don’t want to do track now. I would like to go back, I don’t know, my bike… Mariano Frederic he wants me to go, but I don’t have time.

Cat I met him in San Diego before the Olympics in Atlanta. He is a good rider and very open and friendly. There are a few riders on your team being recruited to do track by the federation.

Ivan Yeah, I don’t know?

Cat Have you been to the wooden track, ADT in Carson?

Ivan Yeah only to watch. I went the world championship last year to watch  No, I have a track bike – points race bike. It is here, I’m not using it now.

Cat Come with me tomorrow and we ride the track, come on. I am racing Saturday night on the wood baby, come on!

Ivan No, not now, believe me you are not the first one to ask me. A lot of people ask me all the time, I say you race, I’ll be there to cheer you with a big sign and all. Go Go Go Campocat! Gato! Panteria Blanco!

Cat No racing, just to go around a little, Okay – No!

Ivan You go I cheer for you. Especially the points race, I have a bad memory with the points race.

Cat We could just train, ride the sprint lane, take a few pulls. What is the matter with the points race?

Ivan No, I have few bad crash and I don’t like the points race. It is like the stupid criterium in the US. I hate, you know they talk safety and they make one mile or a mile and a half criterium with eight corners. What safety are you talking about?

Cat They want to see the crash. I see what you are saying, this in now your livelihood and you can’t take chances. I have only crashed once in twenty one years on the track luckily. I have maybe two dozen crashes on the road in races and another two dozen in stupid training accidents. I had to cut back on road it was killing me. And to chase the new crop up hills every year and have them stop at the top and not know how to go down the other side or ride on the flat.  You know I can’t deal. At the track on Saturday I broke away for seven laps and the crowd went crazy. On the road I hit a squirrel and have to walk back to the start/finish line. No one is there no one sees any thing you do or cares, unless like you they are on national television.

Ivan Yeah I hear you, people like to see what is happening. I do it because people like it. You know they like to see it, but if you go to the cyclists they don’t like criterium, especially when they make these crazy corners fifty meters from the finish. It is nice the people love it but you don’t have to do it. A rider’s life is worth more than that. Points race is a little bit different because it is around and around.

Cat I love them. I guess I’m just addicted to the speed? The official’s are right there so no funny business. No punching, pulling, pushing, touching wheels. I got called out just for saying a bad word once on the track.

Ivan What was the word?

Cat Gerard Biscegila.

Ivan Who?

Cat Exactly. 

I offered Ivan a espresso, but he said,

Ivan I don’t drink coffee. It puts me to sleep. Juan Haedo is staying at my house right now, and he loves coffee, so I got him an espresso machine I think that is how you call it.  You have to put the water in the back. He loves it. In Miami Cuban people have a drink called Cortarita.

Ivan asked me where this interview was going to be seen. I told him, and asked if he had ever read it. Nyvelocity.com.

Ivan I only go to cyclingnews and Joe Papp’s page, because he always goes to Cuba, and I like to hear about my country.

Cat You have never read Schmalz?  You know the New York riders like the Pinatas? Minor used to be a team-mate of mine, and how about Wilson Vasquez?

Ivan Yes of course I know, I know them. But, I don’t even go to the stuff on the siTe of cyclingnews to see what is

happening.

Cat I explained to Ivan that this all started when Chris Baldwin asked for me or any of the other interviewer’s on our site to help him pick up the slack.

Ivan That is when they were at training camp. The training camp is here, right here on West Lake Blvd.

Cat I have been training here for ten years and now you guys are coming to train in my back yard?  United is going to be based in Thousand Oaks? I couldn’t believe it… Do you ride Decker Canyon, Potero road, Simi valley, Norwegian grade, Pacific Coast Highway?

Ivan Yeah we train on the same roads you do. It is nice here, our team was staying at the Hyatt in Thousand Oaks. The traffic sometimes is a little crazy, but I like it there. The team likes it and the owner is based here so…  The only problem is this world class hotel had no laundry facilities, it is nice but they have to send it to another hotel. So next year they are looking to another hotel close by, maybe a little bit toward Kannan Road, I don’t know.

Cat Kannan Road is an insane climb on a good day. (Ivan laughed…) The split off Decker on to Mulholland coming up from the coast is very hard. You better have someone following you, or carry your cell phone and hope to get reception. If you don’t carry enough food and water you are toast. It is long, hard, and remote, but it is what you have to do if you want to be a road rider. 

Ivan agreed with a smile. Recently Ivan has had an altercation with a car. I explained to him, in California after coming out to train here for years, I have found that car drivers here like you to put your arm out and tell them where you are going. The Sheriff cars are particularly erratic and must be avoided. I explained two years ago I got hit in the back

with a billiard ball by a passing van.

Ivan I hate that, some people don’t like bike riders. We used to go to Lance and Postal’s camp in Santa Barbara which is less traffic, but it was up in the highlands east of town. It was very nice, but wet and cold in February, and you have wait to get out, because it is cold until 11am. Sometime it is rainy too, I like to get out early come back have lunch and go out again. I like to get out by 9am and the closer you get to the hills the more wet the roads.

Cat Tell me how hard has it been for you to be here in the US alone? I can’t imagine it.

Ivan It is very tough, I was in Cuba there twenty two years. You leave behind all your family and friends. It is very hard but you have to get used to it. You know, I can’t go back.

Those words just resounded and hung in the air.

@##=#<4,L>@##=#Cat Jesus calls his mom a lot.

Ivan Yeah all the Cubans do the same you know. I do that. Two or four times a month. It is very expensive, but you have to do that especially when you can’t go back, it is the easiest way to get to talk to them. It is hard you know, my mom pass away last year, and I cannot go home. You want to go back, but you don’t know. They say. ‘come back we won’t bother you’, but then you wind up in jail for months no one talks to you. You have to ask for a visa to go to your own country, it is crazy.  They say come and you never know what will happen so. I don’t want to do that, I will get my US citizenship, and then maybe I see. I speak to them and they say, ‘when are you going to come’, and I say I have to wait for citizenship. You never know what Castro is going to do. A lot of people ask me,  ‘what will you do when Castro dies’.  I don’t give a damn, I tell them. I just don’t care.

Cat I have been a jazz musician all my life and have played and studied with some great Cuban players.  Do you play music?

Ivan No, I like to listen. You know my wife, when she talks to my friends in Miami she say, ‘I got so much bad luck. I married a Cuban guy, that doesn’t smoke, drink, play music, or dance.’ You know I like the Cuban music, when I was there, I like to see my brothers and sisters dance, but it is not for me. I like to watch. My friends say, ‘you have to learn, that is the way to get the girls in the club’. I say dude, I do not want to do that. The crazy moves, no, not for me. I like Oricha – alacuban group right now to listen to. It is very nice.

Cat I guess that is the way it goes? One of the best Cuban drummers I ever played with, was from Finland. When I got my first big gig as a musician to forgiven countries, everyone laughed at me because when I left home, I didn’t have matching socks and one week out I had a new suit and glasses, new shoes. Has anyone given you the same treatment since you are here?

Ivan “Boy I have to think about this one.  No, not really, I have been here five years now, and everyone has been very nice to me.

Cat So, you mean I was the first one to dis’ you, when I asked if you drive a ’57 Chevy?

Ivan No, I would never ride in one of those again. No, when I think I went to San Francisco to race, the team director of Health Net Jeff Corbin see me with my truck, he called me a redneck. He say I am wrecked now. You got the dog, and the girl, and now you got the truck – now to fit in the American dream. Sometimes I make a joke with my teammates. I order some big New York steak and french fries, all the best you know food, and when the waiter leaves I look at my guys and say, that is American dream, and we all laugh. But no one has ever to make a joke in front of people to make me a bad situation or anything. I like that.

Cat I just want to get your take on this. I raced with a lot of Carib and South American riders that are great, but it seems that a lot of them just could not make the next step. Do you know what I mean? But you seem to have fit in the peloton, you work well in the peloton, you don’t seem to have a problem? A lot of them like to push and pull, play games with you.

Ivan Yeah in Cuba it was the same way, you have a lot of guys like that in South America and places like that. I never have a problem, I just do my job.

Cat How about when they get in a break, and don’t want to work with you just sit on?

Ivan Oh, man that is the way they race. I hate that stuff, but you know how you say.  You know it is like, sometimes I lose my head like, like in some race someone come to me…  You know if there is gap, if you want to get in, you let me know, I let you in, don’t come and push, and try and try. You know I’m here before you so don’t try, I’m not going to let you in.  This is my team mate in front of me, I’m not going to let you in. If you come nice okay, I let you in, but this is my wheel, but I just because I let you in don’t open a gap – I don’t want to go around you, you hold that wheel don’t you make me go around you. Don’t come to me and start pushing me like that. If I push you, push me back okay, maybe I say sorry it was not my intention, but…

Cat You know on the track it is all out, no coasting, everyone is hurting all the time, no slackers, wheel to wheel. I don’t know what it is with roadies this pushing, pulling, I’m going to sit on your wheel and not work, cut your wheel in a sprint because I want to go over here now.

Ivan Yeah, I think it was last year in a race somewhere, a Joe Martin stage race, do you know? Two guys from a local team  Mercy, or something like that is the name of the team. These two guys come to me, I have Henderson on my wheel, I have Gordon Fraser going to lead me out and Henderson. I mean if you coming, and we are one Kilo from the finish now. I’m not going to let you in, plus, that is my wheel, he is my last leadout man. If I let you in now, that is two guys in front of me. Suppose you crash and take me down? 

So the guy comes and starts pushing me, and I say, Hey! I’m here before you don’t try to come in. He keeps pushing, keeps pushing, and my blood went all the way to the top, and I grab the guy and push him so hard he have to go back and he almost crash so bad. Then other members of his team come, and I tell them, Hey, if you want it too, I got some for you too. They started pushing me too and I do the same to them, and they almost crash too. They came to me after the finish, oh Dan Pate, and a few riders, and tell me that was a bad thing but I say look they attacked me, I have to defend myself. I know I make a crazy move, but don’t try me like that. 

You know you have guys like that so that is the way they race, so you have to hold youe ground especially against sprinters, they all want to win also. They think it is Gordon’s wheel that is the one, but they don’t know he is my leadout. If I let you in, I can just as easily go around you, if you keep up the pace too. If you are next to me, it is the same, you are out of the wind the same, but no, they want to go in front of me. I don’t like to fight for wheel so much, so don’t try to take my wheel. It is stupid because Gordon is not going to go anywhere if he see you behind. I’m the sprinter, he is going to only lead me out, not you. You know when I go to these race, I lay a half a bike in the corners because these guys don’t know how to ride, and when they crash, I have a way to go around. You know I try to race as safe as I can but don’t try to muscle me, showing me you are the man, you know, no. Because something switch inside of me and you know they say don’t use your hand, you know but I use what ever I want. Don’t push me…

Yeah a lot of people from South America they race like that, I guess it is a Latin going in the blood.

You know in Cuba I was nice, I race clean, never have trouble. I’m a lover not a fighter. I don’t know why there are not a

lot of Latin guys in the pro team? I guess I got lucky? I went to Cycle Science and they took me to do a lot of race. I met Harm Janssen at Super Week, and from there it start moving like this, very quick to Saturn, Coldavita, and Healtnet so on. A lot of people expect to see a lot of Latin people in the pro teams but it hasn’t happened. I don’t know. One, I think it is that you have got to sacrifice. If you want to get into the pro team, you have got to sacrifice. You have to live in the bus and go sleep outside, sacrifice. No free rides. You have to prove you are the man.

Cat Did you line up for the Tour of California?

Ivan Yeah, I went and did the prologue and the first stage and I flew home with pain in the calf. So, it is better, I was supposed to be there but I talk to Frankie and the owner and we talk about it and I was going to get worse. The race was hard especially the day I left, Antonio said it was ridiculous, down and up, down and up and I was not ready for that. I have to stop four days before to see someone and lose four day training just before the race, and I was not ready for that. Right now I am training like crazy to go to Tour of Georgia you know. You know the owner signed us, Juan Jose Haedo and I to be the sprinters and he is the only one right now doing well, and I know my team is expecting something good for me too, so that is why. I got this problem before the Tour of California, I got sick just before training camp I got sick after the tour.

Cat Not only you, everyone got sick out here, except me I hope?

Ivan Yeah that is right. I got into the accident just before the tour, then after the tour I got sick again. Now I’m getting better, going to the chiropractor and things look good and I’m on track.

Cat So you two guys are close, and you will work for each other to get into the sprint?

Ivan Well, right now he is doing well, he is the man and is so fast even on the climb but we are very close, good friends.

@##=#<5,r>@##=#Cat Do people recognize you and ask you to ride with them like I did?  What do you say?

Ivan It is not like I have a job, you know. This is my job. I was in the Kannan bike shop you know and there was a guy and he said, ‘hey there is a group ride tomorrow’, I think that was Thursday, and I ask when? He say, ‘6pm’, and I say, ‘Dude no, I don’t think so’. Then he start to make a joke like, ‘Oh that is right you don’t have to go to work, you can ride all day if you want.’  So we have a lot of time to do whatever we want from 9am to 5pm we are in the office.

Cat That is what I do. I come out here three weeks and ride and race all day every day and when I get home I very rarely have to do intensive training. It is all about racing from that time on 3 to 6 times a week and I’m always on my bike. I see a lot of guys coming fat to the races figuring they are going to race themselves into shape when all they are going to do is race themselves into the hospital. It is not fair to the other riders or yourself to do that. People say, ‘well you can afford that’ and I look down and they are riding 5000 dollar wheels to do a Masters race. Hello!!! Go to camp and come home and ride the 1/2/3 race with the wheels you have, and let the old folks ride for fitness.

Ivan Yeah I know a few people like that. You know when the season starts I don’t like to train too much, I like to race. Sometime maybe once in while do a long ride or something but racing is it from this point on.

Cat What about Europe?

Ivan Yeah the owner has all the races all set up for us to go. Not this year but next. Frankie has a lot of places he wants us to race, he knows because he has been there.

Cat He is another rider that started on the track and turned into a great road rider. The peloton is full of them now. The little climbers are gone?

Ivan Yeah you know Marty Nothstein called me and wanted me to do the track. He want to go to do the Madison. I just have no time especially to train. He wanted me to do the world cup to qualify for the Olympics or something. Madison is not easy, it take a lot of coordination for that so you must train and train.

Cat Well at least there is something you have to train for thank goodness. Okay this has been great, we have covered just about everything I had prepared. It is great you are going to Europe, I’m really looking forward to seeing you and the team there. I am going to be cheering for you and the team and I hope you win the tour of France. Tell me about the win in New York?

Ivan All I remember was it was so hot that day. After the race everybody start coming to me and I tell my race director I think I’m going to faint. They call police to push everybody back you know, but I feel so sick. The feed zone was coming out of the last turn and they put the people on the inside of the turn and you can’t grab a bottle, so I just go go go! The race was not very difficult, but it was the weather, and you can’t get to the feed zone. It was a nice race, the holes don’t bother me at all, you know New York is a lot of holes it don’t bother me, it is the same for everybody. I wish they have it again. I have a great appreciation for the Messenger now though, I want to come to New York and be a Messenger someday, those people are crazy man. How do they do that in traffic, no brakes?

Cat It is easy, I’ll show you. You stay with me when you come. It was great to see you win for you that day. It was great to see Marty win the next year. I want to give you a chance to say anything you want, but especially thank you for spending some time with me today. I hope people have learned a little something today about sacrifice and what it takes to be a professional. You are the man, Ivan, Thank you.

Ivan What do you want me to say?

Cat Anything you want to say. Say something to the New York riders you know and love.

Ivan Train hard because I’m going to kick your ass. No, I know a lot of New York riders, it is hard to be on teams that might not have the budget to do all the races you need to do. I love those guys, but if you don’t pull, it is alright, just sit there and don’t bother me.