performance artsyfartsyness

Yup, I've been slacking mightily with the scribblings of late (and all interweb stuff, actually ... apologies to all emails I haven't returned yet ~ i'm on it asap). I reckon the horse as been clambered back on, though and there will be more floods of hernando-boobery through the tubes.
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Tracky Natz for the gentrified ~

yup, this week we'll see big showdowns at T-Town ... dayum, gotta admit i'm wishing i was there. Lovin' all the Hellyer'ites popping up on the reg sheets - it will be great to see if the locals can bring home some more titles to circle triumphant around the infield.

Steve Reaney is due for a big pop of champaigne. This is a guy who has been one of the dominating forces in the NorCal racing circuit these past 2 years and is ready to uncork the big result. I see him riding well in the Pursuit and might surprise some of the innocents during that Points Race.

Peterson has been focusing well on his Kilo and I'm quite interested to see the big effort he will pull out in PA. This is a guy who steps up to the big challenge and swings with both fists. I would love to see the flag circling around his collars next year. We have a lot of regulars heading out there out there to contest wills - but a lot of them have captured titles in the past, so we will politely applaud when they bring back more medals to toss in their heavy-laden warchests (Nolan, Hellman, Geissert and all those other Webcor monsters, etc).

But there is curiousity in the possible performances of the new fast man on the NorCal blocks, Steve Palaez. He's been consistently scorching the fastest times in the flying 200s out on the boards and is taking in some good tutoring from the elite old guys we've got stocking wisdom at Hellyer. It should be a very good experience for him and I see him getting nothing but faster next year. He'll also be hitching up with Peterson for the Madison ... which is a good paring in that stocked 30+ event. They'll join local honch's Nevitt and Derdenger in what looks to be a Madness-son of at least 15 teams. Yoinks!

I think we'll only have 2 Hellyer Women pushing pedals at T-Town this year, Annabelle Holland and Libby Digennaro. I haven't been able to watch them race much at the track this year, so don't know what kind of form their bringing to the show, but sure as hell wish them well.

Go get 'em, ya'll. Elite Natz is in October down in the evil SoCal lands ... i think they'll be a number of these same yayhoos showing up for that one, too.
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tinkerbell injury report

well, it looks like Jeffe and my's scars are pretty much identical ... except, of course, mine is much prettier. I'm already taking the sling off entirely too much and pushing movement past the danger zone ... but, you know me - limits be damned.

the real issue of pain actually comes from the stupid f'ing calf. The thing is waay more of a hassle than the shoulder. Bones? I know they heal, and the separation seems to be fitting in nicely. I'll go in on Tuesday to have new scans check for healing alignment and ligament smooshings, but all in all ... it's a simple smash and grab of an injury. You know how to deal with something like that.

But the leg? It's all soft tissue. Thankfully there were no bones broken on that one, but the muscle was damaged so much that they were worried for a few hours about possible toxicity from dying muscle tissue and maybe even compartment syndrome as the damn thing expanded so much the sheath surrounding it was strained to maximal capacity. But in the end, the swelling finally reduced and now i'm just left with the mother of all fukking bands of muscle damage running across my calf.

it's a nice 23c width of pain slice right through the middle of my speed maker ... giving me no walkey-walkey yet and a distinct feeling of crappola anytime i flex the bloody thing. I'll get more info on how to fix up that bugger when i see the ortho on Tuesday. Hopefully i can just self-heal the thing with my own brand of Hernando-uber-therapy (involving copious amounts of stretchery and four-letter invocations of "that-shit-hurts").
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I'm psyched to see that Giant Strawberry and freshly crowned U-23 Champ Max Jenkins is racing his twinkies off with a US Natz contingent across the pond. The GP Tell is one of those bastards of a race where they pool a bucketload of National Teams together and let them shiv each other into bloody messes.

These are all young and viciously hungry riders doing everything they can to impress someone, ANYone into giving them a ride, or at the least, make an impression upon them for future consideration. Hard, hard racing for those boys.

but, it appears like Max is getting a chance to make ... the transition. The transition is when you change focus - your vision no longer sits quietly on the near and small, but instead searches wide and far, on distant horizons for the rare and grand. It is when you see each race as not an end, but as a step.

It's the thousand-yard stare, the mind unnattached, it's ...

the look.
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It will be very interesting to see how NorCal develops in the road scene for next year on the men's side. We've got a few very, very strong young talents pushing envelopes and I'm wondering if there is the structure in our region to see them flourish as best they might.

Right now we have CalGiant being the most influential and high profile regional team. But, how much more can this outfit give to the sport? They have made huge investments in advertising with cycling - pouring dollars into Natz for both road and cross while still fielding one of the best amateur squads in the nation. But that kind of cash is difficult to keep flowing. I think we all need to step up and put their product as one of our staples for purchase. If there is one thing we, as cycists, can sell to a company - it's brand loyalty. So, keep being loyal is my motto.

But, other than Cal Giant, do we have a lot of options for young talent to get support in this, as we all know, extremely taxing endeavor (money AND time)? The Lombardi's outfit has been a long-time daddy-O of the sport and it's been whispered they might be going back to big next year as far as rosters go. That will be good to see. The Davis Bike Club's Elite squad has put together some fine riders these last couple of years and I've seen there names listed on some far-away start sheets, as well. So let's hope those cats keep that long-tradition running.

BPG/Montano Velo might be under a sponsor squeeze next year, which would be a damn shame as they field a lot of quality riders out on the circuits - even though ... god luv'em, they sometimes are their worst enemies when it comes to tactics and putting results to paper (you know i love you guys). And there is the ever-present Webcor/Alto Velo machine that will forever find and shine a diamond or two from the ruffs each year. But, other than that ... we've got a lot of smaller, localized squads just fielding teams as best they can - and often putting in huge rides, no doubt - but still, not really offering young talent exposure to the kind of racing that really forges that ... that transition, i'm talking about.

And we do have some extremely talented young behemoths out there bashing balls every weekend. MetroMint's JBarryO is a madman and needs either be swept into a pro contract or heavily sedated. He's a one-man wrecking crew and should be funneled full-bore into the sport. There's also guys like Rand Miller from up in the NorthBay who is a fireplug of a rider, unafraid to lay it out in any crit or road race. Or from down central-south there's the like of Vince Owens who has been consistently making breaks and doing all kinds of heavy lifting in quality local events.

From Davis way, there's that group of beautifuls that love to light up any race they attend - little hearthrobs like Tyler Dibble, Chris Morales, and S.Rosenthal. Dibble's 39-flat out at Esparto a couple weeks back was one helluva run against the clock and confirms that the boy can throw down some power in the discipline. These are all young talents who can become better. But it takes help. and i'm only scratching the surface of the talent in our region ... there are many more with the ability and drive ... but maybe not the resources.

and we all know ... it takes resources to make it to all these gawdamn races.
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ah ... bike racing.

it's been but a couple days since my surgery and i'm already jonesin' for it bad. i'm gonna have to needle some ligget into my eyeballs, or something.

luckily there's cross coming around the corner. The SwiggBoss is already pounding the drums to gather his Lobster Army to formation ... oh lord, battle fever infects me deep. I've been haunting Rye Bontreg's site for his cool pics of the latest and greatest steeds built up for our berzerker rages.

It pains me to think i'll miss any of the September dirt races ... so, maybe i just won't.
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oh christ ... i gotta pull the plug on this one. finally have the push to sit in front of the cpu for a while and went all diahrea on the keyboard.
~lates.