mo' randoms

Mt Hood Stage Race ... let me wax romantic after an evening TT, a beer, and a nice cup o' weener soup with the woman ~
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they threw in this brute of a road stage ... i mean, a real spank session over big daddy's knee. The bible preached it was laden with 10-12% grades all up the dark side, but we never saw any of it. What we were dealt, mile after mile, were lonely grades of 4 and 6 percentage ... sailing across forgotten high-desert plains and snaking unnoticed through the valleys that tease and tempt those sloping, sleeping volcanos standing bearded and dappled wth thirsty, dying redwoods.

... a smooth tekillya blendering of Columbia Plateau and Eugene Cycling Classic (OR-eh-GO-nians will know what i mean).


It was the Queen Stage.
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Aaron's is a rejuvinated women's team this year. Carmen D'Aluisio is their Director (and if you don't know her from cross and road past ... get busy on the google). I'm going to say it right now, i think she's put together the best women's team in the country. Bang for buck, talent used to optimum ... i don't think there's anyone else doing it better.


kudos.

they make the racing better.
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KOMez won a stage and the polka dots, killer Carroll took the crit against odds and an "on paper" better sprinter, and the girls in red took Best Team GC by a football field.

and they almost won the overall ...


Leah Goldstein said Saturday's stage was the hardest day she's ever had on a bike.


kudos to her, too ~ for defending a well-earned jersey.
that chick is core.
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I know it's just geezer-speak ... but AMD put in one helluva fight at Hood. On stage 1, we Blackards went machine gun against them and had the globe reeling in shock from a sledge hammer sneak attack. In the decisive moment of that first stage, we had all three, the only three of us, there in the break against 1 of their 6 Discos in attendance.

It put them on notice.


Every stage after that?

they attacked.


... with prejudice.


glorious.
just mutha-F'in glorious.

they brought it back at us ... in spades.
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Dan Martin is my teammate. He works for Cisco doing coding and engineer-whatevah-stuff and ... i really try to stay interested when he talks all geekoid about his job.

He also has a fiance that does something similarly brainiac AND races internationally pro with the Cheerwine chicks.

holey shyte.


At Hood ... he was a beast. I mean B-E-A-S-T.

Isolated when i couldn't recover enough from a vicious bout of attacks to help him and the Pasco was drained from 70 miles of off-the-front-itis, fatigued after miles and miles of grinder effort, on the ropes from the 4 against 1 Disco-attack ... it didn't matter ~ the guy has upped his game and earned the stripes. real deal.

He's already won a prestigious event in Cat's Hill this year ... and, bring on the pro's at storied Nevada City because, folks, i think you're going to be impressed with how he rides it this year.

i'll be doubling up from the geezers again to support him ... that's for damn sure.
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i put pressure on the pedals for the first time since Sunday's crash.

won't lie ... the shits pretty banged up.


but, there wasn't pain when i pushed it and so i'll call "good enough for government work" move on to the next episode. i hate being injured. got no problem dealing with mortality, age and decrepitude ... but that doesn't mean i'll put up with fukking injuries.

so, tonite i slicked on the funny suit, strapped the spaceballs over noggin, and ran the TT bike into the ground at the Swanton freebie. They tell me SteveyRee whooped me plenty and i don't doubt it. He looked stiff and sexy on an actual TT rig this time and told me he's looking to Natz later in the year.

take those fukking jerseys from the heathens, Steve. bring dat shit back to NorCal where it belongs.
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