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Tuesday, December 19, 2006

brenty didn't come, but it was still fun

hoo boy.

went on a group ride today at lunch. solid bunch of adults who were considerate, pointed shit out, hammered 'till their teeth shattered.

oh man ... i forget how fast non-racers race.


i went socializin'.

- - -

there's this mother of a little hill called boony doon out here in the sCruz. It's only a couple miles, but man ... straight pitch into the 25t for me. The group rode hard to get out to it on hwy 1 with this chick Natasha Perry taking pulls every chance she could at the front. i was impressed.

You turn off 1 into a curvalicious little road that meanders and babbles like a brook - rolling and tumbling through trees and canyons. And just as you're figurin' the rest of your life should be painted these colors, you glide around a final corner to face a sum'bitch of a hill. It's one of those climbs that isn't steep enough to stop you from going fast, but not shallow enough to allow you to fake it. le ouch.

my legs were still sore from the weekend's pedaling, forcing me out of the saddle most the way up trying to match the efforts of a few of the local hardmen. One guy in a Giro jersey was nutting it pretty good and I was thinking ... oh man, i bet this guy doesn't even have a racing license and he's gonna drop anchor on my ass. but, thankfully, he pulled off and left over for some uber-pedaler with a bicycle trip jersey.

there are folks who turn the cranks ... and you know they've been doing it a long, long time. this guy was one of 'em. salty hair with smooth, tanned skin. full of energy, but someone you can sense has left years of pain out on the roads.

i liked him.

he rode like a beast. he had nothing but good things to say if you wanted to talk, and didn't need to talk if quiet was the better option.

class.


sometimes, i likes me some socializin'.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I sooooo hear you man. There's a little route round here that's known as Olaf's death march to a select band of misfits. Sometimes the training can be as much fun as the racing.

Anonymous said...

olaf's death march? do tell. i'll be in reno for the next several days and am looking for a new route.

Anonymous said...

The new death march is the hang-over cure called San Bruno HC.

Anonymous said...

Well, you've gotta do with wit' the homies, VRD. It's basically flat: downtown to s. meadows to mccarran to greg to vista, over los altos, back out vista, wiggle through wingfield to pyramid highway, head back towards town, up highland ranch to sun valley, up 7th to golden valley, then back down N. Virginia.

Are you going to be around Saturday?

Anonymous said...

i'm definitely going to be around saturday.

i'm still in the midst of a messed up back, so the riding is pretty grandma-paced right now, though.

Anonymous said...

this past summer i did some century somewhere up in wine country or marin i think. lots of racer types.

i rode with this guy from belgium most of the way - older gentleman in his early 60's but fast and smooth and had been riding and racing since his teens. such grace...

and wonderful stories he had.

norcalcyclingnews.com said...

right on.

hook up with the stallions, vdawg. it's a class group and, though there are hammer sessions, it's regroup central up there.


nostalgia overcomes...

Anonymous said...

well the not so top secret xmas eve's eve (i.e. the 23rd) plan is to start somewhere downtownish and ride out to pyramid lake (Sutcliffe) and back. Should be about 80 miles. Pace should be stiff, but not deadly, and you'd be welcome to sit on all day long.

e-mail me off-blog @ shawndoggy (at) gmail dot com fer the deets.

Anonymous said...

I almost quit reading when I read group ride but I'm glad I held on until the end.

NICE

ms

Anonymous said...

i think Olaf is Santa Claus!

He can ride his sleigh like a light vehicle mounted on rubbers for use on snowy or ice covered roads and he rides with such horse power, or reindeer power.

olaf is a little bit more aggressive then dear old Santa Claus, but to me olaf will always be old saint nick


HO HO HO
Merry Christmas.........

Merry Christmas,

and to all a good night!

Brent said...

i grew up riding that hill on my BMX.. Well we usually made it about 300 yards before giving up.

Nice to see the Salty Dogs are still pounding the pedals up there. I think that is a ride Paul Sadoff and Nemo usually do.

It might just come up that I can get a long lunch one of these days...
Keep tempting.. The trainer is horribly boring.. and I dont recommend watching Pink Flamingos while doing it... yikes.