Sunday, March 04, 2007

Tour of Altona report

Bracketing out the matter of the basketball game, the 2nd annual Tour of Altona was a whopping success. So good, in fact, that we are staying in town an extra night. Roads are crappy, but it's mostly about wanting the good Altona vibe to linger on a little longer.

14 racers took part, including several first-timers. The course was sweet, incorporating the Altona Mountain, frozen pond crossings, and a cross-style over/under section. mucrs take note: this would be an ideal location for an out of town cyclo-cross race. Good times all around. The mayor of Altona made a brief appearance and was clearly impressed, asking whether this could be advertised as a larger public event next year. We'll have to see about that.

The race consisted of 5 stages, only two of which counted toward the GC--the race and knockdown. The other 3--hockey watching, beers, and bullshit; dogfest; and the bball game--ought to be deemed experimental, I suppose. Look for these to be worked into the actual race next year, pending evaluation. Additional stages have been suggested for as well, including a hill climb, a snow plow competition, and much, much more.

Johnny S passed along the official numbers. The Duke was busy capturing video footage. So much, in fact, that there is some concern that it may not be available before the 2008 edition. But the tentative title is A Summer Breeze. Maybe we will see a trailer soon. Or at least a couple bits of raw footage. But the Duke is an auteur, so it may take some time. Paul B is working on the soundtrack. Photo documentation of the race is forthcoming.

Altona cross (open to all denominations):

Race:

1) Mr.Dr./Johnny S - 12 laps (14 points)
2) David S/Jonny G - 12 laps (12)
3) Haiku Jeff/Brenda - 11 laps (10)
4) Simon/Steve - 11 laps (8)
5) Cheryl/Curt - 10 laps (6)
6) Paul/Johnny N - 10 laps (4)
7) Rachel/Chris F - 10 laps (2)

Cage match knockdown: 1st 5 points, 2nd 3 points, 3rd 1 point, 6 rounds

1) Paul B. - 13 points (king of the knockdown)
2) Haiku Jeff - 10
3) David S - 8.5
4) Brenda - 6
5) Johhny S - 5 (new rule: can't switch bikes)
6) Simon - 3
6) Curt - 3
8) Franz - 1
9) Steve - .5

General Classification:

1) Haiku Jeff/Brenda - 26
2) David S/Jonny G - 20.5
3) Mr.Dr./Johnny S - 19
4) Paul B/Jonny N - 17
5) Simon/Steve - 11.5
6) Cheryl/Curt - 9
7) Chris F/Rachel - 3

5 comments:

the secretary said...

Long live Paul B., king of the knockdown.

team jonny said...

so the mighty dr. h overcame his knee troubles to (co-)win stage 1. congrats!

The Dark Lord said...

wasn't planning to race right up until the start. but with odd numbers, another rider was needed to finish up the teams. I didn't push it, and today the leg feels better than it has in two weeks. but all credit for the win has to go to Johnny S, who held Jonny G in check for the whole race.

PaddyH said...

peer pressure's a funny thing...

The Dark Lord said...

a funny thing indeed. it can go both ways. the trick is learning how to work with it. not sure i've got that mastered yet.