Thursday saw the second Thursday Night ride of the Altona biking year. Solid numbers totalling seven including Jonny S., Dan K, Mark L, Giles R, Tom D, Lorne H and myself. After some town riding, sprints, knockdown, slow race, perusing of bikes dumped at the MCC, riding of twin-bike at the MCC, and general merriment we adjourned to the local tavern for refreshments. Nice night.
Right on. I will be in Altona next Thursday. We will ride.
Great times at Sandbagger's Cross. As per rumour, FGD was chilling on the deck, so what could one do while waiting for the Impaler's late arrival? A similar course to last year, but a bit shorter, and only three laps so we could get done and ride west. I was tired, even with my unscheduled rest stop to get my chain unstuck from between the ring and chainstay. Ouch.
Results (fix in the comments if necessary. Dr H. wasn't there to carefully note things... but that is soon to change.)
A Race: Bill A Luc KK g Juan Eppstein the Impaler Secretary Tenacious V Gracious C (referring to our gracious host, Colin)
Self proclaimed two lap A+ Race: Tomek
Ego Boosting Race: Tenacious V (for being told he was "really, really cute" by some teenaged girls in a car)
Then the trip to the klubhaus with a nice stop under the route 90 bridge to watch the ice move. It was nice to meet Paul B there and chat.
What with the sweet weather, I finally rode all the way home... and after the shower to wash the mud off my legs, made it to bed just after 2:00. Good times.
It's moving day today. Not much time for chit chat. We leave Durham tomorrow morning. It was fun. Back in Peg City next Friday, just in time for the Grand Beach race.
Ale Jet won the race, ahead of Van Hummel and Canuck Dominique Rollin. A crash took out a bunch of the favourites. See CN for more.
The crash resulted in a rather slow day in the FGBC Spring Classics Pool. Bill, Craig, Donna, and Rick all tied for the win with 125 points. They all had Berhard Eisel. Luke, Chris A, and Darryl were next in line with 5 points each. The rest of us laid a big fat goose egg. As far as the overall standings go, the big winner is Bill. He moves up to fourth place, and now sits just 5 points from the podium.
They're back at it on Saturday with the first of the Ardennes classics, the Amstel Gold. Should be a good one. If you want to, consult cyclingfans.com the morning of the race.
Bill 125 Craig 125 Donna 125 Rick 125 Luke 5 Chris A 5 Darryl 5 Chris H 0 Matt 0 Brad 0 Dallas 0 Paddy 0 Ian 0 Vic 0 Chris O 0 David 0 Kevin 0 Adam 0 Andy 0 Jonny G 0 Jonny M 0 Naomi 0 Rachel 0 Mike 0 Hal 0
Overall Standings:
Mike 6650 Andy 5625 Rachel 5430 Bill 5425 Rick 5360 Adam 5330 Chris O 5190 David 5145 Ian 5060 Matt 4710 Paddy 4470 Kevin 4405 Donna 4400 Hal 4305 Brad 4210 Dallas 3850 Jonny M 3530 Vic 3260 Chris A 3190 Luke 3175 Darryl 3160 Jonny G 2720 Chris H 2600 Craig 1625 Naomi 510
Tom Boonen is pretty good. He won Paris-Roubaix today for the second year in a row, and 3rd time in 5 years. Not bad at all. Others who've won PR three times? Some guys named Merckx, Moser and Museeuw. It almost looked too easy, in the end. Boonen simply kept on riding while others flatted, crashed, or just fell off the pace. He rode the last 10 km alone, after a couple of crashes took down the other five in the final group of 6. I'm sure it was harder than it looked. CN has all the details. If you missed it this morning, you can watch the decisive moments below.
Arenberg Forest:
From six to one:
Victory Lap:
El Presidente, who is not to be confused with the President, won the vicarious version of the race. The President fancies himself too good for vicarious racing, it would seem. Or maybe he's just too busy saving lives. But El Presidente seems to like it a lot. I don't believe he's ever missed a pool. And he's usualy the first guy to get a team in. With Pozzato (2nd), Hushovd (3rd), Flecha (6th), and Chavanel (8th) on his team, he took home 1525 points and the victory on the day. KK finished in 2nd place, 200 points back. And Ian beat out Rick for the chance to stand on the final podium step. Mike had another good day. He was 5th. But his competition couldn't keep pace, so his led is back over 1000 points. King Andy has moved into second overall. And Rachel still sits in third place. In case you haven't noticed, Naomi isn't doing so well in the 2009 FGBC Spring Classics Pool. Craig and I aren't doing much better. But Naomi looks to have the lanterne rouge pretty much sewn up. Not to worry. The 2009 FGBC Giro Pool, and a chance for redemption, is just around the corner.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. They're back at it on Wednesday for the Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen. And then it's Ardennes time, where the climbers will come out to play. Good times.
David 1525 Kevin 1325 Ian 1260 Rick 1255 Mike 1185 Luke 1170 Andy 1170 Chris O 1100 Donna 935 Hal 935 Dallas 880 Bill 880 Jonny M 875 Paddy 820 Matt 800 Darryl 760 Rachel 740 Brad 520 Adam 510 Vic 500 Chris A 460 Jonny G 445 Craig 380 Chris H 30 Naomi 10
Overall Standings:
Mike 6650 Andy 5625 Rachel 5430 Adam 5330 Bill 5300 Rick 5235 Chris O 5190 David 5145 Ian 5060 Matt 4710 Paddy 4470 Kevin 4405 Hal 4305 Donna 4275 Brad 4210 Dallas 3850 Jonny M 3530 Vic 3260 Chris A 3185 Luke 3170 Darryl 3155 Jonny G 2720 Chris H 2600 Craig 1500 Naomi 510
Paris-Roubaix was fun, wasn't it? Check back for the FGBC Classics Pool updates later. I'm heading off to watch the Bulls play a ball game. In the mean time, condsider this:
I will be back in town by then and am hoping to be there. Let the FGBC-RRR FGD Challenge begin. Stay tuned to the Oly Club for further details--like whether or not there's actually going to be a race.
CN has a passable preview, as well as some prognostications of the chances of the main contenders. Pez also takes a look at the contenders, but with better pictures. They also have a sweet trip down memory lane with Canada's favourite cycling son, Steve Bauer. The Podium Cafe has more PR chatter than the average person can digest. And Stevil has gathered a collection of the best PR photos. Startlists can be found here. Head on over to cyclingfans.com on Sunday morning for the live coverage options.
Of all the Classics, this one is probably my favourite. The peloton gets shredded so much more gradually. Not by hills, where it all seems to blow up in an instant, but by nasty sections of cobbles. Riders simply drop one-by-one off the back, unable to hold the momentum. Aesthetically, it's just so much more interesting to watch. And it just seems to capture images of the pain better than any other race. Of all the sectors, the most famous is the Arenberg Forest, aka Arenberg Trench. Check it out:
As for the FGBC Spring Classics Pool, there are once again plenty of points up for grabs. If you think your team still has a shot, now would be a good time to make a move. Good luck.
Courtesy of Johnny S, race promoter extraordinaire:
Nice turnout for the Hope Over Fear alleycat race in Rocktona last night. 11 riders ripped up the town to see who was the fastest cat. Most riders chose to ride in teams. Times ranged from 30 to 43 minutes, but it was the 4 minute penalties that made the difference. Coming to the clubhouse 4th, Giles and Mark had the only error free manifest to take the first place spoils. David won second place with his speed, sweet nordic cross jersey and only 2 penalties. Gavin and Steven took third with the fastest time but three penalties knocked them out of the spoils of victory. Plenty of disagreement on the manifest semantics and "right" answers. Race director/dictator had the final word on the subject. Gavin won the draw prize and took home half the pot. Loud (and bad) music at Grumpy's bar did not disuade us from extensive rehydration. Lorne joined us for drinks and promised to get his act together for the next race
Good times.
Final results:
1st - Giles and Mark 2nd - David 3rd - Gavin/Steven 4th - Curt/Curt 5th - Myron/Sean 6th - Bruce/Charles
Happy Birthday old man. Have fun tomorrow. Are you planning to join us for the Spring Ride? We've reserved a campsite for you with the rest of the RRR crew--downwind of the latrines.
Less than 50 days to go now. Let's get this party started.
Last year we were pleased to welcome several Spring Ride rookies: Brad, Matt, Bill. But we also mourned the absence of some Spring Ride veterans: David S, the Duker, Jeff R, among others. The Altona contingent, in particular, was notably thin. But I get the sense that this year might turn out to be bigger and better than ever.
Who is going to be there? For which days? Are you interested in racing on Sunday?
Any questions?
Use comment button below.
In so far:
Dr. Divisive – Fri/Sat/Sun Impaler – Fri/Sat/Sun Matt – Fri/Sat/Sun Jonny G – Fri/Sat/Sun KK – Fri/Sat Penner – Fri/Sat/Sun Tenacious – Fri(?)/Sat/Sun Gianni – Sat/Sun Secretary – Fri/Sat/Sun Johnny S - Fri/Sat/Sun Craig - Fri/Sat/Sun
That is a good start. Two rookies and a gaggle of regulars, most in for the full meal deal. But so far only Johnny S from Altona. Who else will be there?
This story, it seems, has got some legs. Skinny ones. And slightly wobbly ones too. If you haven't listened to it yet--or even if you have--now you can watch it.
To watch it is interesting on a number of fronts: from the Roy Orbison lookalike triplets, to seeing their reactions change from early snickering about BB's dyspepsia to a more horrified realization, by the end, that this was perhaps not going as well as it might have. They say no publicity is bad publicity. Following the success of the Boxmasters in the next little while might be a good lithmus test by which to judge the truth of that saying.
T minus 50 days. That means we've been counting down for 315 days now. 50 days feels like nothing. We'll need to start finalizing the roster one of these days. I hope Matt will be there again, in case someone busts someone else's derailleur.
2) You're Always Welcome in Altona
Or so the slogan goes. Tonight, in particular, would be a good time to head south. Is Hwy 75 still closed? Might have to take the back road route.
3) Nordic Cross
Just when it looked like bike racing had been replaced by whining about winter, the momentum is suddenly back. Nordic Cross lingers on for one last event.
There is still some debate about the start time for this one. Stay tuned for further details.
4) Grass Track Fridays
No word from Gianni this week. So no new terms to add to your vocabulary. But they say pictures speak louder than words anyway. So check out these photos of the grass track and some racing in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Full atricle here. Grace track racing is bik in the UK. It might lead one to wonder about holding our races in St. B. Perhaps Old Colin has some wisdom to share on that score.
Mark Cavendish didn't win Gent-Wevelgem today, despite the fact that everyone thought he would. His teammate Edvald Boassen Hagen won instead. Who is Edvald Boassen Hoagen? He's the 21 year old Columbia rider that some pundits have been talking up as the next big classics stud. His win today suggests those pundits might be on to something.
He is also the illegitimate son of Boss Hogg, of the sweetest television show in the world, or at least the seventies. It seems there was a dalliance with a Norwegian super model. To keep the folks in Hazzard County in the dark, young Edvald's surname was disguised. It was basically Norskified to reflect his mother's nationality. But the resemblence demonstrated in these photos makes the connection clear. He's a younger, skinnier, and more hirsute version of the old man. He is also, no doubt, quite a bit faster on the bike.
To see him in the old man's hat is to really see the genetic resemblance.
Come to think of it, seeing the old man in those fake abs clinches it as well.
As for the bike race, the weather was crappy and made it possible for a big break to form. Boonen, Cancellara, and Haussler were all in it. But Boonen and Cancellara both punctured and dropped back into the chase group, while Haussler crashed. Kuschynski launched an attack from the breakaway group, which Boassen Hagen joined. Young Boss Hogg easily won the sprint. Beyond that, CN can tell you how it unfolded.
In the FGBC Spring Classics Pool, Rachel won her second consecutive race. In doing so, she has bumped Andy off the final podium step. With most of the big stars missing the breakaway, the numbers weren't so much on the huge side today. Rachel could only muster 255 points. Luke was second with 230 points, while Bill and I tied for third with 180 apiece. Mike managed a paltry 5 points and Adam picked up 15. So the gap narrows, but not by terribly much.
Back at it on Suday with another biggie: Paris-Roubaix. It is going to be awesome.
Rachel 255 Luke 230 Chris H 180 Bill 180 Kevin 165 Jonny G 165 Chris O 130 Matt 95 Vic 90 Jonny M 90 Hal 90 Ian 80 Rick 80 Dallas 75 Naomi 55 Craig 15 Adam 15 Brad 10 David 10 Chris A 5 Darryl 5 Mike 5 Donna 5 Paddy 0 Andy 0
Overall Standings:
Mike 5465 Adam 4820 Rachel 4690 Andy 4455 Bill 4420 Chris O 4090 Rick 3980 Matt 3910 Ian 3800 Brad 3690 Paddy 3650 David 3620 Hal 3370 Donna 3340 Kevin 3080 Dallas 2970 Vic 2760 Chris A 2725 Jonny M 2655 Chris H 2570 Darryl 2395 Jonny G 2275 Luke 2000 Craig 1120 Naomi 500
deluxe ride. seven showed at the EJ... craig, tenacious v, secretary, g, luc, kk and larry (a member of the rrr gang). Very deluxe. After the requisite caffeine, we headed north. Two climbs of our fav parkade, then north to KP. One lap of the park, and back down... by Portage & Main, Luc had been seen in a struggle with his phone, and he departed claiming domestic (read girlfriend) issues... By the time we reached the klubhaus, we had been yelled or honked at at least six or seven times. One was positive... 1 for 6 isn't bad...
arrived to find tom and colin warming the seats. bill rode up after a bit, and the president and the impaler arrived in support vehicles. a big enough group that there was rarely a single conversation... he may be the president, but he's not about to chair a meeting of a self-governing collective. there was some good discussion of gianni's season finale... which, I think, sparked a blurt of sorts. the elder of the norwood collective, stated that there should be a race in norwood next tuesday, then looked over at the other for support... receiving little, there may have been an internal conflict, but it was out, so now it's official: Sandbaggers Cross next tuesday, at the home of the norwood collective elder, colin, 9:00pm. If we're lucky, we could splash in the river a bit, as we're hoping to use a similar course to last year. Wear your rubber boots.
Anybody else listening to Jian Ghomeshi's interview with Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters on CBC1 right now? It is hilarious. BB has just spent 5 minutes berating J because J made reference to BB's acting career, which he'd apparently been instructed explicitly not to mention. Turn it on now.
If you missed it, you can probably catch it streaming in a later time zone. [Update: listen to the full interview here]
Yes, I listen to CBC in my carrel. The radio down here mostly sucks.
Tuesdays are for the Tuesday Night Ride, of course. Wednesdays are for mtb racing at Bur Oak and Fridays are for Grass Track racing. Mondays are for ultimate and recovering from the longer races and rides that weekends are for.
But what about Thursdays?
How about a series of alleycat races in Altona presented by Johnny S? Some were already beginning to suspect that Altona is the current cycling capital of the province. This only serves to confirm that feeling. More dates to come. But it kicks off this Thursday.
Gianni? Johnny? What would we do without these guys?
What is the meeting place? Espresso Junction or Jonny G's? In three more weeks, it will return to its rightful location at my house.
One item on the post-ride agenda should be the question of camping arrangements for the WhitesHELL Enduro. Bill and I have reserved sites at West Hawk Lake for July 17 & 18. The race is on July 19, beginning in the morning. There are still some sites available in the traditional Spring Ride area--i.e., sites 4-11 in section F on this map. A large gathering in that area would be super sweet. Families are encouraged. If you are interested in camping, best to get on it ASAP. This will be the highlight of Operacion MUERTO and, most likely, the entire summer. You won't want to miss it.
So David wins the tiebreaker for 3rd place. Good thing Ramon won it outright ahead of Cheryl. The tiebreaker between them wouldn't have settled anything. More here.
Thanks for playing, everyone. It was fun.
Ironically, I am house sitting in Chapel Hill right now.
the only reason jon g did so well was the helmet advantage he had
gianni explaining the rules to the impaler. some chose to interpret the letter of the law to their own liking - as is permitted by viking rules of conduct or some such crap that they choose to follow, any ways, there were those who walked up the hill and there were those who rode up the hill and displayed bike handling and other skills
Courtesy of Gianni. Thank-you Gianni for doing the right thing. Long live Nordic Cross.
6 riders and a late-joining Halberto took on the tortures of the Hard as F*ck Race. I’m not sure that, overall, it lived up to its name, but it certainly had its moments.
Stage 1: Forks to Old Colin’s House Strategic advantage was handed to those who knew where the finish line was. Unfortunately Colin and Luc were both laid up (something about special ops and sheep shearing season…). The poosher was spotted closing his blinds to block out the world and the shame of missing the race. 1 – KK 2 – Gianni 3 – Mike G.
Stage 2: Norwood Bowl Cross 5 laps (deemed not to be not too immoderate) of a short circuit that involved one dismount run up and another sometimes dismount descent depending on how your tires tracked through the crusty snow. This stage was pretty hard. 1 – Mike G. 2 – Gianni 3 – KK
Stage 3: Waterfront Drive Traffic Circles 2 laps-ish of “the old course” with sketchy water-turning-to-ice in the corners. Come to think of it, this stage was pretty hard too. 1 – Mike G. 2 – KK 3 – Johnny G.
Stage 4: Torture Chamber See here for a full report on this. Suffice to say it was pretty hard. Halberto has the photo evidence. Brian offered that if anyone wants to post their weights as comments on the Oly Club blog, he will calculate your power to weight ratio and place it on a graph that ranges from couch potato to world class athlete (based on averages built into the software he uses). Sounds fully humiliating, but post away fellas (hey, someone has to go first)…. 1 – KK (Thor) 2 – Johnny G. 3 – Mike G.
Stage 5: One-handed Garbage Hill Beer Chug Climb Not so much hard as sketchy. Sheer ice and glazed snow made for some extra switchbacks in what is usually a straight road. Unless you’re Mike, and you take the cross route that involves running over the hill. Well played, sir. 1 – Mike G. 2 – The Impaler 3 – Tenacious V.
Stage 6: Side Saddle Downhill Also not so much hard as… uncomfortable. But possible, it was proved. 1 – KK 2 – Halberto 3 – Gianni
Totalling the points as per the pre-race meeting yields:
KK – 12 points Mike G. – 11 points Gianni – 5 points Johnny G. – 3 points The Impaler – 2 points Halberto – 2 points Tenacious V. – 1 point
At the moment its looking like RRR is going to be enjoying some nice cold beer unless FGBC steps it up big time. So whatcha going to do about it? [ed--I am not terribly worried about this. When the contest starts in earnest, the FGBC will be ready. Plus, our secret weapon--the Fraggle--was not present. The most curious thing here is Halberto's disastrous showing--and with all that spring training we did too. What happened? Thank goodness he is no longer the FGBC's problem.]
Perhaps not the drama we were hoping for at the end. No matter what happens tonight, Ramon will win it all and Cheryl will finish second. But we will have a tie for third place between David and Johnny S. So the tiebreaker will come into play. That could be good for some mild excitement. Full standings here.
Sweet ride on Saturday. Through the valley and up to the Blue Ridge Parkway: 52 km and 3000 ft in two hours. The sweetest part was the initial descent from and the final climb up to the house we were staying at. I've never climbed anything that steep. Without Halberto's GPS, I resorted to some ride mapping software to see how steep it actually was. 600 ft in just under 2km, topping out at 17%. Kick it up another 3% in places and throw in some cobbles and you've got the Kapelmuur that Devo and Co. rode yesterday. Yikes!
On the way down, I almost went over the guard rail skidding around a corner that was tighter--and more gravel laced--than I had anticipated. On the way up, it was a low-gear grunt. Good times. Garbage Hill is just not the same.
Am very pleased with the new/old ride - a 65 cm Schwinn Super Sport FG/SS...there is life after having your bike stolen. Purchased through a local guy who rebuilds bikes in his garage...www.zapatacycles.com
How did he do it? By employing the powers of the Devo Energy Dome, of course.
Haussler was the best of the rest, with a late attack the nobody could match. Gilbert was third. Hushovd broke his wrist a crash on the run into the finish. Bummer. More from CN.
Final 2 km here:
Over in the FGBC Spring Classics Pool, Rachel laid an ass-whuppin' on the rest of the field that made Mike's win at Milan-San Remo look like a gentle nudge. He grabbed 1285 points in the first monument of the season. But Rachel took home a whopping 1975 points yesterday! She doesn't have Devo on her team. Mike does. Nor does she have Haussler. Nobody does. But she does have the day's 3rd through 7th place finishers on her team: Gilbert, Maaskant, Pozzato, Breschel, and Burghardt. In fact, she picked up points from all of her riders with the exception of her Ardennes guy, Gesink. Not bad. Her line on the day looks like this:
Philippe Gilbert 450 Filippo Pozzato 375 Marcus Burghardt 325 Martin Maaskant 400 Greg Van Avermaet 10 Matti Breschel 350 Anthony Geslin 10 Sergei Ivanov 80 Robert Gesink 0
Rachel's big day overshadows some other impressive performances. Cousin Adam and Chris O both managed to best Mike's San Remo totals as well. Adam had 1445 on the day and Chris had 1340. Well done, boys. Mike still has a 600+ point lead in the overall race. But Adam is starting to look like he might be able to give Mike a challenge. Hushovd's broken wrist--just before Paris-Roubaix, which he was targeting--might just be the window of opportunity he has been waiting for. If the Wheels of Justice can't pull off another heroic feat, King Andy might be able to give it a go. He's still in third place, 350 points back of Adam. Rachel is clawing her way toward the final podium step as well. She now sits just 20 points behind Andy.
Rachel 1975 Adam 1445 Chris O 1340 Bill 1250 Dallas 1115 Andy 1115 Mike 1065 Brad 1045 Ian 840 Rick 805 Chris H 645 Matt 555 Darryl 545 Hal 545 Paddy 470 Luke 465 Jonny G 435 David 395 Vic 270 Chris A 270 Donna 120 Naomi 80 Kevin 70 Craig 30 Jonny M 20
Overall Standings
Mike 5460 Adam 4805 Andy 4455 Rachel 4435 Bill 4240 Chris O 3960 Rick 3900 Matt 3815 Ian 3720 Brad 3680 Paddy 3650 David 3610 Donna 3335 Hal 3280 Kevin 2915 Dallas 2895 Chris A 2720 Vic 2670 Jonny M 2565 Chris H 2390 Darryl 2390 Jonny G 2110 Luke 1770 Craig 1105 Naomi 445
The North Carolina chapter is heading back to the mountains for one last time this weekend--this time with a road bike. I hope they have an internet connection.
The cycle of life. Out of death, new life emerges.
This just in from Gianni:
A proposal:
New Nordic Cross Finale: The Hard as Fuck Ride
What: I'm so fucking sick of this shitty-ass weather. Fuck it. Let's ride.
What, for real: Contiguous, plan-it-as-you-go stage race. This Sunday, April 5. Rolling format means there will be stops - so dress for it.
Where: Start at Espresso Junction (aka Expresso Junkshon). Route will be planned as we go and will include as many feats of strength as we can contemplate.
Let us begin by considering a couple of events that will not be happening. Not so much Thursday Anticipation as Thursday Lamentation, I suppose. Come to think of it, a list of things that will not be happening could conceivably be rather on the long side. We shall limit ourselves to those that could once have been considered likely. It seems appropriate to mourn their losses. There would have been some good times.
1) Nordic Cross
I seems safe to assume by now that Norwood Cross, originally scheduled for April 5, is off. The editor does not return our calls and nobody else has volunteered to step forward. RRR once hinted that they might take up the cause. But when given the opportunity to host a race they passed on it like a bowl of jello and marshmallow salad. That is sad, especially since the weather this weekend looks like it will be Nordic Cross friendly. Oh well. If only some of that energy being spent in the boardroom these days could be reoriented back to the streets, where it belongs.
2) Roller Racing
Originally, it looked as though the premature termination of the Nordic Cross season would be offest by another racing opportunity, also conveniently scheduled for April 5. Our friends at Woodcock were planning another night of roller racing, and this time at a much more appropriate venue for the time-honoured discipline--Johnny Fox's pub on Academy Rd. They even had a commercial up on their website to help lead the promotional effort, with footage from the inaugural event spliced together with a bevy of product placement shots:
But a recent trip over to their website turned up the following somber notice:
Roller Racing Next Event On April 5th, at Johnny Fox's on Academy has been Canceled [sic]. Please accept our apologies. Due to uncontrollable circumstances on the part of the organizers, the event cannot be organized as planned. We will do our best to try and organize the event somewhere else on a future date. Please stay tuned, and thanks for your patience regarding this.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't stop wondering what the unidentified "uncontrollable circumstances" might have been. At least it displaces that dumb Billy Idol song that's been banging around inside my head for almost a day now.
At any rate, what might have been a day to celebrate--two races in one evening--looks like it will now go down as a dark day in Peg City cycling lore. Perhaps we should memorialize April 5 as an annual holiday of sorts. It will be dedicated to mourning the loss of all the things that might have been. Call it the day the racing died. Cue comments by Dallas in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
But the news is not all bleak, boys and girls. It's not all death and darkness. There is plenty of new life to look forward to. It is spring, after all. At least in some parts of the world.
3) Spring Ride
It is fairly safe to say that the Spring Ride is not in jeopardy of being cancelled. As far as I can tell, there are no circumstances, uncontrollable or otherwise, that would conspire to do in the sweetest weekend of the year. With all the snow around, it will almost certainly be a bit on the wet side. But the show will go on all the same. Now that it's April, we are now just one month away from Spring Ride Month. Consider it our very own extended-play version of Vlaamse Wielerweek.
4) Krahn Barn Kermesse
And hot on the heels of the Spring Ride comes one of the more exciting new races in recent memory. Anyone who knows anything knows that any race Johnny S is involved in putting on is not to be missed. Fifteen starting slots have been allocated to participants from Winnipeg, with another 15 being reserved for those from Altona and surroundings. Let me know if you are interested.
5) The MCA race season
It's not just black market racing though. Those aforementioned denizens of the boardroom have given us a legitimate race season to look forward to as well. It all begins just over two weeks from now with the gravel road race on April 19. And the week after that is the first mtb race of the season at Grand Beach. I wonder if there will be posters. Or does the establishment think it doesn't need to promote its events? In any case, let the FGBC-RRR FGD Challenge commence.
6) 2009 FGBC Spring Classics Pool
Nor is it just about real bike racing. Vicarious bike racing is fun too. It all continues this weekend with the biggest weekend of the year in Belgium--the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Think of it as the Flemish version of Holy Week. It's not so much a sporting event as it is a religious experience, as this short video beautifully demonstrates:
"God is Terug" = God is back--a reference to flawed hero known as Frank Vandebroucke. Pez has some sweet coverage too. Someday, we will make a pilgrimage.
7) Grass Track Fridays
Last but not least, we conclude, as always, with some grass track wisdom from Gianni, the grass track czar. This week, he offers not so much a glossary as etiquette--essential tips for keeping safe when doing crazy things in a small space like, say, tandem sprint (amazing nerves, truly) . . .
. . . or this (amazing disintigration, truly) . . .
. . . or, more recently, this little encounter between Gregory Bauge and Kevin Sireau at this week's track world championships in Poland . . .
As far as I know, there will be no tandem races on the grass track. But Gianni's point is that it is sometimes possible to avoid these sorts of incidents. He can't guarantee that your wheel won't spontaneously disintigrate. But he knows that if everybody were to internalize the following set of basic rules, things would be better for all concerned.
Track Etiquette & Safety
Riding safely should be the rider’s first priority. Track riders should try to be polite, friendly and always aware of others. Here are some common rules and advice to keep in mind while riding on the track:
· The faster rider is responsible for passing safely.
· Slow riders are responsible for riding straight and allowing faster riders to pass predictably.
· Never get out of the way of a faster rider. Maintain a straight line.
· Never ride more than two abreast while going slow.
· Generally, only in a pace line should four or more riders ride together. At all other times, riders should be in groups of 4 or less, including speed efforts.
· Turn your head in the direction you want to move, and glance back as you gradually move up or down the track, paying attention to where you’re going and over-taking traffic at the same time. Do not rely wholly on your peripheral vision.
· As you approach a slower rider with their heads turned in the direction you want to pass, sound-off with the command “STICK” in order to keep the slower rider from moving into your passing lane.
· If you hear “STICK,” ride straight. If you are maneuvering and hear “STICK,” correct your line so you’re riding straight.
And finally, NEVER cross the track while a race is in progress. Wait until the race has ended. Always look before crossing the track, as slower riders may still be finishing a race.
That is all for this week, boys and girls. Get out and ride your bike this weekend. And don't forget to check back next week.
six riders met at the junkshon. the wet, heavy snow fell like a blanket from start to finish of the evening. while preparing for the ride, the whole business seemed like some absurd test of endurance... the winter that never ends... but in the end, it was a sweet ride, again.
impaler, g, craig, cousin adam, kk, secretary. no drive ins later. we admitted we would have welcomed a drop in from colin and the poosher... just for kicks.
from junkshon to Ass park via g's suggestion of Grosvenor. the first rider down was on the little rink at the forks, so we had collectively managed some 8 meters, then, many an unplanned foot down until we were deep in the park, and a rider down marked the far end of the ride. the sticky snow and ruts and ridges were a challenge. so, we headed back to the duck pond where the photo below was taken. i can't remember any other full out crashes, but the ride from the park to the klubhaus on the north side of the river was laden with incidental slips and slides.
conversation really focused (as it should) on the joys of the spring ride... just a few weeks away everybody. think it will be wet?
The Impaler passes along word of the following workshop.
Saturday Apr 4th from 2-4pm at the Bike Dump, 631 Main St.
Build a high intensity LED DiNotte style bike light suitable for seeing the road or trail ahead and blinding others if aimed too high.
The light will be similar to this one but with a metal clamp mount. The batteries included (2AA) will run the light for 2-3 hours. More or larger batteries will give a longer run time. If anyone would like to modify the electronics for use with a generator (we have some at the Dump) I’d be happy to help after the workshop.
If you prefer, you can also build it as a toque or helmet mounted head lamp instead.
There are a limitied quantity of materials available, please rsvp to Graham if you plan to attend. The cost for materials per light is around $15-20. Equivalent donations are suggested.
Looks interesting. He says there are still a few spots available.
espresso lap
the max watt testing machine of death
safety first
kk kranking it up
the only reason jon g did so well was the helmet advantage he had
gianni explaining the rules to the impaler. some chose to interpret the letter of the law to their own liking - as is permitted by viking rules of conduct or some such crap that they choose to follow, any ways, there were those who walked up the hill and there were those who rode up the hill and displayed bike handling and other skills
