CHILLIN' 10th Anniversary!

10 years ago the beautiful Irene Hernandez had a vision- Turn a night club into a flea market for up and coming designers and artists to show and sell their wares in San Francisco. This wildly popular event became known as THE place to find the next hot art/design/music in San Francisco.

In the 10 years the show has moved location from 111 Minna to Mezzanine and even a huge event complete with fashion runway at Fort Mason. Vanderkitten has been part of several of these events over the years and we are now a proud sponsor of the events! This Saturday's event marks the 10th anniversary of Chillin' Productions and will be held at the awesome Mezzanine!!

60 Fashion Designers
100 Painters/Photographers/Sculptors
40 Filmmakers
Visuals by INSTA-ACTION (www.insta-action.com)
LIVE screen-printing by SAN FRANPSYCHO, bring a shirt or booty-shorts
Live Painting

Music by:
Dirtyhertz (www.dirtyhertz.com)
Taj (www.djtaj.com)
LARON (http://www.myspace.com/laronakaswan)
DJ SHON (gossip/cat club)
Russell Vargas (www.myspace.com/russellvargas)
KRIS (www.myspace.com/baydabreaks)
Dave Madix (www.kingkeymusic.com)
SCHATZ AKA Founder of Chillin' Productions
+ more

When: Saturday May 10, 2008 from 8:00pm-2:00am
Where: Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street, SF) www.mezzaninesf.com
Must be 21+ ID
Cover: $7 at the door

For more info about the show go to:
www.chillinproductions.com

I can't believe we are celebrating 10 years of working with the most
talented artists, designers, musicians and filmmakers!!!!! This show will be
incredible!!!!!!!!

Thank you to our great sponsors:
7x7 Magazine (www.7x7mag.com)
Planet Magazine (planet-mag.com)
SF Weekly (www.sfweekly.com)
UNSCENE urban navigator (www.unscene.com)
SF Station (www.sfstation.com)
Yelp (www.yelp.com)
Nitevive (www.nitevibe.com)
SAN FRANPSYCHO (www.myspace.com/sanfranpsychocrew)
Vanderkitten (www.vanderkitten.com)
Sake2me (www.sake2me.com)
Ipling (www.ipling.com)
LatinLounge.tv (www.LatinLounge.tv)
111 Minna Gallery (www.111minnagallery.com)
Spork Restaurant (sporksf.com)
Addiction Hair Salon (www.addictionhairsalon.com)
Lucid Beauty (www.lucidbeauty.com)
Hair Play (www.hairplay.com)
Access Institute for psychological services (www.accessinst.org)
The Innovative Fashion Council of San Francisco (www.ifcsf.com)
Style Industry (www.styleindustry.com)
Mosio (www.mosio.com)
Ladybrille (www.ladybrille.com)
Red Poppy Art House (www.redpoppyarthouse.org)
Mingle (www.mingleshop.com)
Mars Bar (www.marsbarsf.com)
Ovahere (www.ovahere.com)
Thread Show (www.threadshow.com)
RAG (www.ragsf.com)
Stitch Lounge (www.stitchlounge.com)
Dirtyhertz (www.dirtyhertz.com)
Primo Promotes (www.primopromotes.com)
Nofu ( www.nofu.com)
House of Dolores Moore
Hope Flight Foundation (www.hopeflightfoundation.org)
Nomadika (www.nomadika.com)
Fashionbliss (www.fashionbliss.com)
Jules Beauty (www.julesmakeupsf.com)
Blowfish Sushi (www.blowfishsushi.com)
Little Yellow Perfect (www.littleyellowperfect.com)
Porcelynne (www.porcelynne.com)

Thursday – SE Crit Series Greenwood , SC
Nothing was getting away tonight! - Melissa Sanborn

Vanderkitten was active throughout the entire race making sure that if a break went, we were in it! That was the game plan!

We drove in a little early from Beaufort , SC and were able to check into our hotel before the race. We were joined by Leigh Valletti (The Machete) and Sonja Evers and it was awesome to them! Our race start was 5:30 and the temperature was warmer and thank goodness it wasn’t going to be dark like the last couple nights! The course was fast, had a good rise to the finish, and a chicane on the back side.

Vanderkitten was attentive at the front to make sure nothing would get away. Leigh brought her fresh legs and Melissa nearly got into a break with Cheatley, Powers, and a Colavita rider but unfortunately it was brought back. Jen Wilson found herself active and was twice in a good group up the road. However, nothing was going to get away tonight! Unfortunately the finish just wasn’t meant to be for Vanderkitten this evening but we persevered. Wilson with her ripped buckle was tentative to go too hard for fear that if she sprinted her foot would come out of her shoe!

As the lap cards went down, there was still a threat of a breakaway attempt since riders had gotten away late in the race last night. Jenny Trew raced an aggressive race throughout and we made an attempt to find one another at the end. Kele is recovering from her earlier crash and it was such a fast race tonight. That hill took its toll. We’re still finding our race legs but we just keep feeling better every day. Wilson, Trew, and Sanborn tried to hold good position beginning early with 7 laps to go and follow the leadout of Cheerwine but with 3 laps to go, 2 laps to go, 1 lap to go, it was a cluster in the chicane and in the end sometimes it’s just not worth it unless you are already in the top 5 at the front.

At the end of the day, we took 3 primes, sprinted our legs off, raced aggressively, and came in 14th, 15^th, and 16th. We did our best and achieved one of our goals: MAKING THE BREAK!

Tomorrow is another day and I hear the course is wild.

The Kittens Go Back to School and Beaufort Race Report- Melissa Sanborn

School visit: Question and answer about helmets and safety and why we wear such tight clothing! Those kids were super cute and I am sure that we had some influence on getting them out there tonight for the kid’s race!

Our race tonight started at 6pm on the streets of downtown Beaufort , SC. With Vanderkitten Racing having Jennifer Wilson in one of the top 5 spots she got a call to the line. There were massive attacks from the gun and it was full gas for the first 10 laps as riders tried to establish a break. Some laps in, with VK rider Kele Murdin on the attack, Melissa Sanborn countered with a prime win and a break got away.

Unfortunately, it was the decisive move which included Tina Pic, Laura Van Guilder, and Rebecca Larson. Knowing this was a dangerous breakaway, Vanderkitten went on the attack to try and bridge and/or bring it back. The course was a semi-technical course with a narrowing first turn and a hairy turn out of corner three. The wind was slight and the conditions were ideal as riders tried to play their cards in what might have been a bring-back attempt in squelching the break. The break which had almost 35 seconds at the midpoint of the race, became 10 seconds in the final 3 laps of a 50 lap, 50 kilometer race. It was frustrating to watch!

The cards were not falling for us as they would in an ideal situation! Jen Wilson was having a spasm in her left side and was out of commission for much of the race. Kele had a broken saddle which was replaced quickly in the pit. However, Jenny Trew raced an amazing race and was aggressive throughout and was always on the hunt to bridge the gap that went away. Despite some of our misfortune we still placed 2 riders in the top 10 and grabbed a couple primes. Five more days of racing and we shall git ‘er figured out!

ATHENS TWILIGHT RACE REPORT- by Jennifer Wilson

Luckily we raced at 7:45am tonight so we got to sleep in this morning. We were treated to a delicious pancake breakfast and yummy coffee thanks to Jason and Jennifer our hosts. After breakfast we hooked up with all of our teammates and went for a little spin to open the legs up. Jennifer, our host, is just getting into cycling and it was great that she went on the ride with us. We did a little out and back to Avondale Lake which is really cute. What is so cool about Decatur and adjoining towns is that there are actual little neighborhoods.

After the spin we all went home to relax as much as possible and get ready for our trip to Athens which is about 1 ½ hours from Decatur . We wanted to get to Athens early so we could get a good parking spot and eat some food. I knew the race was going to be crazy because the people were already starting to party and the streets were getting crowded. Just seeing all of the barriers being put up on the streets was starting to make me nervous.

Since I flew here I do not have a trainer but the guys from Kelly Benefits were kind enough to lend us a couple as our race started way before theirs, sweet! The SRAM guys were there for neutral support and I immediately took my bike over to Jeremy who I was told is a whiz with the zero gravity brakes. My rear brake was not re-centering itself and was rubbing the rim. He was the “man” and hooked me up with a quick fix of re-cutting my cable. I love those SRAM guys. Back to the car for the pre-race readiness and to start getting warm as if the hot humid air was not enough. When I finally got on the trainer I noticed that my headset screw had dropped down. My headset did not feel loose but Mandy (a friend of Vanderkitten) kindly took my bike to the SRAM guys again. They checked it out and I was good to go. At this point I was just trying to remain calm and relaxed. I did a quick warm up and then it was time to go to staging. I must say that coming from California it is weird to see so many people smoking and I found myself searching for fresh air while we waiting and watched the 5K runner’s race that was going on.

Finally it was our turn to go and as usual the typical fight to get to the front of the pack for the start. Each time we moved up a bit I seemed to find myself further back. I decided not to focus on this and just on the race. The whistle blew and we were off. The town was completely crazy and people were screaming. The pace was hot from the gun and as usual it seemed like it would never let up. Each turn was a learning experience as I was on my new BH. Since I now have a normal size stem I had to readjust where I put my weight in the turns. Quickly enough though I felt like I was one with my bike. I love the BH!

Jen Wilson taking a pull at the front- Photo: ThePicMan

Kele Murdin who is riding with us as a guest rider was aggressive from the start and got herself in a good break. They were working well together and then I looked ahead and saw Kele hit the pavement. Ouch! The pace picked up in the pack and we quickly caught the break just around the next 2 turns. I knew that another move was going to go and even though I was hurting I was being attentive. Soon enough on the back side, Rebecca Larson (Aaron’s Pro Cycling) took off. I was able to fight my way to Tiffany Cromwell’s (Colavita) wheel. There were five of us that made this group with Catherine Cheatley (Cheerwine) right on Rebecca Larson and Jacquelyn Crowell (Team Kenda Tire) joining. Once we realized who was there heads went down and off we went as the right teams were represented. Everyone was pulling hard and working together. There was a slight mix up with Kele Murdin and another rider getting put back into our break. Last that Kele knew she was in the break. She had no idea that the break she was in got caught when she went to the pits after her crash. The referees made a slight error in putting her in our break which did cause some confusion amongst us in the break. Kele did not work or do anything to help me in the break and just sat on the back which was the smart thing to do considering the situation. We definitely got clear pretty quickly from the pack as we were all pushing the pace. I was suffering but tried to pull as much as possible knowing that you have to pay to play. I knew too that it was only going to get harder as the laps trickled down from the 23 (?) to go when we got away to the finish. The crowds were going crazy and I was getting sprayed by beer several times as I went through the start finish because we would slightly hug the barriers. I knew at anytime that anyone of these girls could attack and I was just trying to be very attentive. Liz Hatch (Vanderkitten) was on the radio and was very helpful in boosting my confidence. With 5 laps to go my legs were screaming and I started to think of the finish. The girls kept rotating through and I knew it was going to be tough. Entering the last lap my heart was pounding and I wanted to do the best I could for the team. Right after the slight climb on the back side Rebecca took off with Catherine on her wheel. I booked it up the inside and was on Tiffany’s wheel through the last turn. I took the turn tighter than her and gave it everything I could in the sprint. I came in third and couldn’t believe it. I really wanted the win and in hindsight felt that I should have gone earlier. Every race for me is a learning experience and I consider this a huge one. I was very excited to get on the podium being the first podium finish for me in a pro race. Also, Athens is such a prestigious race so I was super excited for the team!!!