Thursday Anticipation

1) At long last, Operación MUERTO kicks off this weekend. It is time to go long, boys and girls.



2) The Back 40


Operación MUERTO begins with the Back 40, put on by our good friends from Tinker Creek. We missed out on this one last year due to a conflict with the Spring Ride. And by all accounts we missed a good one. But the FGBC does not make compromises with the Spring Ride. The lines of communication were flowing a little more smoothly this year, however, so it's the Spring Ride followed by the Back 40. Back-to-back weekends of good times.

Jonny G, Craig the Cricket, and I will be representing the FGBC. I believe Johnny S will be there too. And there is a rumour that Coach Unger will come out of retirement for this one as well. How sweet would it be if that rumour turned out to be true. The Impaler, the Hammer, and the man they call Thor will suit up for RRR. My do those guys sound like an imposing bunch! Don't be afraid, girls and boys. Their tough guy act is all for show. Is anyone else planning to be there? Perhaps we can convince the Secretary to extend his little trip to the deep south for another day? What about the President? Matt, how is that abductor feeling? Fraggle? Remember, there is no MCA license required for this one. And it's so cheap, I can even see the frugal brothers, Juan Eppstein and James, giving it some consideration.

Should anyone still need more convincing (though I can't imagine why anyone would), check out the recent announcement from the Farm Team's urban operative, Kevin B:

FYI - The Back 40 is a double points race for the FGD Challenge. That's right, the ORIGINAL bike club, Tinker Creek is stepping in to make it interesting.

No getting out of it, no wondering, "Who do they think they are?" Look, when the Godfather of all cycling Clubs steps in, this is how it goes down, our TRAILS, our RULES. If you race the Back 40 - you get double points, but there is one catch. You have to FINISH. NO POINTS FOR A DNF.

BUT, we are also generous folks at Tinker and we will also be presenting a highly customized award for the "best" ride by either a RRR or FGBC member. (Not necessarily the fastest ride, the "best" ride, which will be awarded entirely based on my personal bias and of little value.)

So consider all this as you decide whether or not to race the Back 40. The entire season may be on the line.

Good luck!
Kevin B

Legal - Tinker Creek Cycling Club holds the right to change the rules and even make up new rules as they see fit. Any questioning our authority will surely result in no pizza and a bad starting position on the line.

Of course, Kevin has no jurisdiction whatsoever to take such an action. But as co-chair of the FGBC - RRR FGD Challenge Organization Committee, I cast my vote in support of this little initiative. And it seems the Impaler has given his assent too. Let me suggest a minor addendum. Normally, points for the FGBC - RRR FGD Challenge are only awarded to the top 20 finishers. But for the 80 km race, points will be awarded to anyone who finishes. If there are 40 racers and you finish 40th, you will contribute to the FGBC - RRR FGD Challenge. We will figure out a new scoring scale for this and other MUERTO races. Not that this would be relevant for the FGBC, where we are planning to rock the podium. I'm just looking out for the best interests of RRR here.


3) Reach the Beach

It is the second installment of Operación MUERTO. At this point, however, details are rather scarce. Some information and a poster would be nice.


4) The WhitesHELL Enduro


After some preliminary recon during the Spring Ride last weekend, the details for the WhitesHELL Enduro are coming together nicely. The course will essentially be a very large, if slightly misshapen, figure eight. We will begin at the West Hawk Lake campground and head to Ingolf for a lap. Then we pass back through the campground before heading out for a lap of Falcon Lake and then returning to West Hawk for the finish. That should add up to around 110-120 kms. It would only be fitting if it were hellishly hot. But after what we've seen so far this spring, we probably shouldn't count on that. Maybe it will be cold and rainy. That would be hellish too.

A half race option will be available for those who want to limit the hurt to a less hellish level. And if there is sufficient interest, we may even consider adding a full 100 mile option. But you will have to speak up and make some noise if you want that to happen.

Don't forget to reserve your campsite: West Hawk Lake campground, section F, sites 4-11.


5) Krahn Barn Kermesse



It is good to go long. But unlike Randy Newman, no disrespect for the short is implied by such a claim. Short is good too, so long as it's done right. The Krahn Barn Kermesse will be short, as in 30-45 minutes. And it will be done right. That's because Johnny S, Southern Cross Impresario and race promoter extraordinairre, is in charge. Camping is available on the Krahn lawn for those seeking accomodations. More details here.

What is a kermesse? To return to the original announcement for the KBK:

Kermesse is a general name for a bicycle race held on a short circuit of public roads, usually closed to other traffic. There is no precise definition; the same race can be called a criterium, but the origins of the name come from its frequent association with village fair - kermesse in French or kermis in Dutch - when a bike race would be another attraction of a village fête.

Round-the-houses [or in this case housebarns--ed.] races of this sort are still popular in the Netherlands, where dense population and busy roads make the organization of more classic cycle races more difficult than elsewhere. They were also popular in neighbouring Belgium but their number and the consequences on traffic, whether the roads were closed or not and even if the circuit were longer than the kilometre or two of the classic kermesse, led the government to restrict their number in 1967. Since then, the number has declined, although they remain popular in Holland.

What better place to have a Kermesse than historic Neubergthal? The people who built those housebarns had their roots in the Netherlands. It's only fitting that we bring some Dutch-style bike racing there as well.

As far as I know, there is no village fête scheduled for Neubergthal on Saturday. But we will do our best to create a carnivalesque atmosphere.